The Men! whktti'cr ill iiinpu
My iuul t!u tunrful strain mtmiiv....t:Tr,
iBiTe,-.",;-:'-,-r.r , r ; .w...,;-, , i ; ' n i.
0
lb, &
x
V 1
.'1 I. v, 'if
ISOM TBS SCWTl'CKt (UZrm.
a
THE GIHL I LOVE.
cannot love the girl whoso smile, ,
No glimpse of constancy discovers i
Who, with s toft unmeaning imile,
Can entertain a score of lovers
Who all are equals in her eye,
And non are worthy ut the prize.
Hot can I love tlie girl whose heart,
For mine has never felt thrill i
Who meets me cold ami when we part.
Forgets me and U colder still,
TVhoae breast as chill as winter's stream,
Jim felt no paiwon but esteem,
Jfor can I lore the gay coquette,
M ho by her fascinating power,
Would catch a thousand in her net, '
tier sport to be a single hour
And leave then there, not care to see
JJer captives set at liberty.
Nor can I love the meek of soul,
'Who're neither pleasing nor offending j ,
Whose days In usele calmness mil,
No worse than first and never mending
Whose bosom feeling, cold would be, .
To every nwtKfij'jymjialhy.
Nor can I )oe the forward Miss,
In company so teasing,
Wbo talk of that and talks of thif, ,
And thinks site's mighty pleasing,
Who tells me all she knows, and more,
Porgeta nd tells it o'er and o'er. .
Jtut I can love the girl, whose smile,
Is seen to play fur me alone i
Who scorns simple coquette's He
Wbo's neither meek nor forward grown
Whose heart was never known to rove,
Who loves as well as I can love.
Variety's the very spice of life,"
That gives it all its flavor.
.NEW-ENGLAXD SUPERSTITIONS.
rtoK tii raoisiirm mo.
Whether it is that the human mind
delights in cherishing the impressions
which most affected it in infancy ; or,
that f'o m habits of indolence we neg-
their influence, and thus subject our
selves to feeling-, whose causes are in
j.c.:.. ..4 i .a.,,. ...
times ridiculous often fatal, certain
it is, the legends of childhood are oft
'ea verified in age by the very influ
ence which these fables exercise upon
our minds ; and those who have sacri
ficed whole fortunes to the delusive
promises of some pretended alchymist,
or juggling astrologer, have not been
beguiled more by the tempting lure of
Ihe gilded bait, than by the greedy
hankerings of a morbid appetite, which
would seize even the uobated hook. It
is a fact, which speaks, perhaps, some
thing in favor of the goodness, as well
as the weakness of the human heart,
that in all cases of gross and general
deception, the deceived themselves,
ao far from heing passive, contribute
more than the deceiver to their own
delusion.
The good people of the old colony
have from time immemorial been more
or less influenced by the predictions
and warnings of some old sybil, who
"rctcnd-:d to peep into fate through
the bottom of a tea cup, and discern
the movements of the heavens by the
settling of her coffee grounds.
One of these beldames had for many
tears inhabited a hovel which had be
fore been distinguished in the more
dignified use of a fis bouse, seated near
the extremity ol u promontory, which
nverhunor the centre of IMvmouth bay.
The ease with which she could derive
substance from the shores, and, in the
season, from the neighboring fish Hakes,
had probably induced the Pythoness
to establish herself in so dreary a
domicile, and the profit which she de
rived from predicting fair winds and
favorable weather, did much towards
' conciliating the affection of the owner
for her otherwise unpromising habita-
Mtion.
So long and so successfully had Ra
chel foretold to the inquiring seamen
the weather of the coming day (an
art which those who live on the sea
board, know to be easily acquired,)
th.it they almost felt that she had an
influence in the fulfilment of her own
predictions, and not one was ever
known to calculate a voyage into the
outer bay without consulting "Aunt!
AWae" upon the morrow's weather,
nor on their return did any negtect to
leave a portion of their taking for a
reward to her who had predicted or
perhaps procured their success.
there were, indeed, a lew in the
village who affected to deride the tal
ents of Kachel, and sneer at those who
were influenced by her predictions, but
it is said that even these, the minister,
school-master, and physician, were al
ways able to find an excuse for delay
ing any expedition, the event of which
she might have pronounced against.
And I myselt recollect when a certain
ordination lacked one of its counsel by
the officious boldness of the prophetess
of the storms. .
The pleasure which Kachel found
in the solitude ot ntgnt in watcning
the flux of the sea as it cast its intru
sive wave farther and farther upon the
sand, served, if indeed any thing was
necessary, to add to the awe with
which her neighbors contemplated her
character.
She was met in one of her midnight
rambles by a party preparing for an
early departure for the outer bay fish
ing, who anxiously inquired the proba
bility of the morrow's weather. -Fair,
said she, fairto morrow sees neither
rain nor wind j the minister must have
less corn in his own field, to make his
prayers available. .. But, aunt Kachel,
(they always put the last syllable to her
name when they spoke to her at night,)
do you see yon cloud in the west J"
What have I to do with west or south,
said 6he. I have promised fair, tho'
you might have chosen a better day
ihan Friday, considering you take but
one voyage in a year. just, men a
large vessel hove in sight. By the
pale light of the moon, it was impossi
ble to distinguish the class to which
the belonged. She will come in, said
Kachel, and for no goodwe do not
hear the sound of church bells at mid
night for nothing But that was Ply.
mouth clock striking twelve, said one
of the company. Do we hear clocks,
said she, four miles against the wind i
and Plymouth clock too, a wooden
rattle, with scarcely more work in it
than the windlass of yonder chebacco
boat?
. Before the party had prepared for
their departure, the vessel, a large brig,
had come to, and anchored near the
shore. This vessel, owned in that
place, and loaded with sugar by a Bos
ton merchant, had put in the harbor to
effect some trifling repairs to her spars.
One only of the crew was a native of J
the village, and he on the following; like streamers upon the wind, her long
day conducted his messmates to Ka-jbony arms were extended with imprc-
chel s hovel, to inquire into the pros I
pects of their voyage. ,
John Burcris, said the aujAiress to
her townsman, as the party crossed her i
threshold, have you done well m en-
tcring the Betsey ? The poor mans
curse is on her. Think you the ves-
r , ,
set paiu tor in exenange notes win roinr, tnc iasi oosirucuon to naviga
make a voyage i But aunt Kachel," tion in the harbor, and forming the ex
interrupted the sailor, evidently wish- treme 'southern Cape, which protected
ing a better reception for his comrades, the whole bay, the owner relieved from
Mwe did not build her." "If you. the anxiety which the difficulty of the
would not nave ner tortune, lire her
company. And is it lor this, John,
(continued the old woman,) is it for
this your father, the Deacon, has pray
ed, that your mother has wept, that
the blessing of the minister was given
to your departure, to be found with
wretches like these, land sharks, moon
cursers !" Avast there, old granna,
said one of the strangers give us
none of your slack, or we will nut a
stopper upon your gab." A beam ofIn eyes, that seemed almost starting
fire seemed to flash from the old wo
wan's eyes as she rose from her bench,
and threw down the coarse table on
which she had been leaning. You are
known, said she, there's not a mother's
son of yon that was not swaddled in
the ruins of a wreck. Damned hag !
said the oldest but interruption was
- - " w
roused, and her most painful recollec
tion excited, the ' volubility of her
tongue expressed the intensity of her
feelings. ' There's not a moon curser
of you all that has not braved the north
easter to fix a light upon a pole to mis
lead the pilot, and wreck his ship for
depredation ; when you would not wet
a foot to save a seaman s life. And
who, you children of Devils incarnate,
ho but your fathers and mothers fast
ened the lantern to a horse's head, and
thus in a-storm wrecked the brig upon
your cursed sands that left me child
less and a widow ? May he who rides
upon the pale horse be your guide, and
you be of the number '" who follow
with him." , '
The last imprecation scarcely reach
ed the cars of the objects of her curie.
They went to their vessel and medita
ted a revenge every way worthy of
the conduct that Kachel had charged
them with,
The next morning about 10 o'clock,
the village were alarmed by a strong
light at or near the whalrf. In less
than 20 minutes every inhabitant but
the infant and decrepid was at the
place, and Kachel, half wrapped in the
remains ot an old sail, which had
served as a bed curtain, was seen rush
ing from her burning hovel. No lan-
euaiie can do iniustice to trie looks
and gestures of this infuriated wretch.
She ran round the scene of conflagra
tion with the actions of a fury, howl
ing her imprecations upon the cause of
her calamity. Her grey hair was fly
ing in the wind, and as she stood be
tween the strong light of the blaze
anu spectators, its upturned, points
seemed tint with living name.
The next morning the brig prepared
for sailing, and many of the inhabi
tants, either to see the ruins of Ka
chel's hut, or to watch the vessel's de
parture, flocked to the wharf, although
it was Sunday.
The brig got under way, with a
fine wind against the tide, and as she
made her way smoothly down the
channel, the attention of the spectators
was invited to Kachel. She had seat
ed herself cpon a rock, which elevated
its top considerably above the waves,
although it was entirely surrounded by
the tide. ,
The hollow moan which she had ut
tered was lost in the rushing of the
waves upon the pebbly shore, and in
deed she had scarcely been noticed in
the bustle of preparing, the vessel.
When she was observed, the owner of
the vessel attempted to offer her some
consolation for the loss of her house
she replied, without once withdrawing
her eyes from the receding vessel,
"You need not comfort me every
barn could give me shelter if I should
need it ; but in three days I shall be
tenanted in the narrow house which
yonder wretches cannot burn. But
you ! who shall console you for the
loss of your brig ? Think you she
can
swim loaded with the curses ol
the poor I with my curses, which have
never yet been vain !" 44 She has pass;
ed Brown1 Lland," said the owner,
evidently affected by the vehemence of
her manner, " and that is the worst
shoal in the bay." ILchcl grew more
furious as the brig passed in safety any
point or shoal which was considered
peculiarly dangerous, and as the breeze
freshened, her matted hair floated out
eating gestures, and she appeared as
Ishe poured out hcrmaledictions upon
the authors of her calamities like the
evil spirit of the ocean chiding forth
the storms is ministers ot Jier ven-
geance. - '
When the vessel had passed Beach
r, l i - - i . .
navigation naturally inspired, anq
which, perhaps, the ravings of Kachel
increased, turned to the old woman,
and again offered to console her for
the loss of her house, and even ten
dered the use of another habitation,
but she was raving in all the impo
tence of disappointed madness, her
voice was inarticulate, she foamed at
the mouth, and howled in most de
moniac accents. Her face, and swol-
from their sockets, were bent upon the
single object of her curses, when sud
denly her voice ceased, and she leaned
forward in the very ecstacy of expec
tation. The eyes of the company
following the bent of hers, were fixed
on the brig ; her sails were shivering
in the wind, and all seemed hurry and
confusioa upon her deck.
In a few moments she slowly sunk
from the view of the spectators, and
nothing of her was to be seen but a
part of her topgallant mast standing
above the waves.
Rachel pitched forward into the wa
ter as she saw the vessel sink, and as
the people were engaged in preparing
bo.ts to go to the vessel she died un
noticed. - -
The brig, which had struck upon a
sunken and unknown rock, was after
wards raised with the loss of nearly
her whole cargo and one man, the ve
ry one, it is said, who had put fire to
ihe house.
The body of Kachel was found and
buried on the spot where her house
had stood. The rock on which the
vessel struck is now called Rachel's
Curse and the grave on the promon
tory serves to this day aa a land mark
lor the channel. o
UEVOLUTIONAKY ANECDOTES,
Wilmott and Moore. A few days
previous- to the evacuation of Charles
ton, a very rash expedition, suggested
by col. Kosiusko, occasioned the loss
of captain Wilmott, and lieut. Moore,
two of the most distinguished parti
sans in the service. The British bu
ried Wilmott with the honors of war,
end showed the greatest attention to
Moore, who was removed to Charles
ton to receive the best surgical assis
tance. The limb in which he receiv
ed thf principal wound, was amputa
ted, but mortification soon1 followed.
Mrs, Daniel Hall, in whose house he
lodged, and who watched over him un
remittingly, being apprized of the bu
siness which brought the most distin
guished surgeons, entered the apart
ment of Moore as soon as they had
retired, and said" I am happy to find
that you have not been subjected to so
severe an operation as had been anti
cipated you appear to have experien
ced but little agony j I was constantly
in the next room and heard not a
groan." 41 My kind friend," he repli
ed, " I feel not the least agony ; but, I
would not have breathed a sigh in the
presence of the British officers, to have
secured a long and fortunate existence."
Mrs. Sabina Elliott having witness
ed the activity' of an officer, who had
ordered the plundering of her poultry
houses, finding an old muscovy drake,
which had escaped the general search,
still straying about the premises, had
him caught, and mounting it servant on
horseback, ordered him to follow and
deliver the bird to the officer, with her
compliments, as she concluded, that
in the hurry of departure it had been
left altogether by accident. "
At an assize in Ireland, a counsel
had the effrontery to ask a most res
pectable parent, whether he had not
been consenting to the seduction of his
own daughter. Fellow," replied the
witness, "a question as gross as it is
dishonorable,your native feelings might
not allow you to have put ; but I per
ceive that ten guineas endorsed upon
your brief have eradicated the princi
ples of the gentleman, and the true
dignity of the man ; that they have, al
so, not only stifled or extinguished
what feeling you might once possessed,
but excited you basely to violate those
of an aged and already agonized par
ent. I might appeal to all present, and
ask which is the greater villain, the
man who commits, or he who, for a
few paltry guineas, would excuse or
palliate so great a crime, and protect
and shield from legal vengeance so
great a criminal as he who now stands
before the crowded court J" The coun
sel heard and cowered under the re
buke. - Religious
Kxtrmet fmwi a Sermon by the late Dr. Koliock,
on a text in Isaiah, liiv. 6. We all do fade
as a Iraf."
" We all do fade as a leaf." It is
true of whole generations oj wen.
These rapidly flit across the surface of
the earth, andhavitg acted their parts
for a few years, have sunfc into the
grave, while their places have been oc
cupied by a new generation, as 8hort
lived , and as transitory themselves.
The earth, on which they indulged
their passions, for which they contend
ed, and which received their ashes,
still subsists ; but their places know
them no more. The sun which en
lightened them, shone upon their
graves ; and, undisturbed by their dis
solution, continued its splendid course
in the heavens, to publish to their sre
cessors the greatness of its Creator.
RrftWiiona r.f this kind, thoueh toTect-
ing are useful ; they teach us to make
a proper estimate of human life j they
show us its littleness in itself, and the
wisdom of combining its pursuits with
our eternal destination. Ye who are
scheming, plotting, contriving, only
for this world, look back to past gen
erations and see how little you will
gain, even if all your expectations be
accomplished ! What those genera
tions now are who forgot God before
the flood j or who in aftertimes reared
those pyramids which so long have
survived the assaults of time ; or who
reared or overturned thencient uni
versal monarchies ; what those gener
ations are to us, curs will be to our
successors unloved, seldom thought
of, leaving few traces of its existence.
The tree will ull stand, be covered
with new leave j but wtf shall hav5
fallen and been forgotten.
But we may apply the text not on1yr
to generations, but also to every indi
vidual j and with respect to ourbodies
how easy is it to show that '.we ail do
fade as a leaf !" ;
Mortal man ? consider t hij body,ztx&
Acknowledge this truth. It is indeed
" fearfully and wonderfully .made,"
and displays the perfections of its Cre
ator, But the very delicacy of its for
mation renders it more liable to de
struction. It is only surprising that a
machine so complicated, consisting of
ao many thousand veins, and nerves,
and vessels, and springs, should con
tinue in order for a week or for a dayi
In whatever .situation we place our
selves, whatever care we take of it, it
will gradually decay ; nothing can pre-'
vent its dissolution : each day of our
life is a new combat With death, which,
finally victorious, will break down this
fabric", and reduce to its first princi
ples this animated dust. To this stac
we are hourly advancing. As the va
rious tinges of the leaves become im
perceptibly stronger and stronger, till
they fall ; so on us are insensibly im
pressed indications of the diminution
of our vigor and the approaching ter
mination of our days
But the leaf does not always remain
till autumn gradually separates it from
the parent tree : often is it nipped off
in an instant by a sudden frost, or
rudely torn away bv the fury of the
storm. Like this leaf we too may fall,
and never attain the period of old age.
How few arrive at the ripeness of age,
and sink, under the inevitable decays
of nature ! " Our foundation is in the
dust, and we are crushed before the
moth.". Ten thousand circumstances,
which we can neither foresee or avert,
may rut short our days. Every pore
affords an avenue to death. Violent
disease may in a few hours do the
work of years in breaking down the
system. The food that we eat, inca
pable like that of Eden, of rendering
us immortal, may lay the foundation
of incurable diseases. The sir . that
is necessary for life may be loaded with
pestilential vapour, and the next breath
. that we draw may take in something
that no human skill can expel. Every
where we are encompassed by so ma
ny perils, that we should long since
have perished, had not a particular
providence watched over us i every
where our last hour may sound.
'We all do fade as a leaf." The
lives of the antediluvian patriarchs
might have been compared to the tree
which endures for centuries : but the
longest lives among us are too short
lobe compared to the more durable
productions of nature, or even tu the
works of art. -The oaks which our
fathers planted, will afford shade to
our descendants after we have perish
ed from the earth. Cities, states, and
empires, will remain, when those who
inhabited them pass away and are for
gotten. Nay, the monuments of hu
man power will resist the corrosions
of time, when the hands that reared
them are dissolved io the grave.
;We all do fade as a leaf." How
loudly is this proclaimed by observa
tion and experience ! Where are thoso
ho began with us the career of life i
How many of them have dropped in
to the dust and are forgotten f Where
are the friends with whom we associa
ted in the morning of our days? Them
we have not forgotten j tut many of
them are removed into the eternal
world, and we are nrosecutlnir our
journey through earth without them.
Where are those with whom in psst
years we associated in scenes of busi
ness, of pleasure, or of devotion? How
many whose names are blotted for ev
er from the list of life ! .Yes, recollect
how often thou hast been called to
mourn ; of how many dear friends
and relatives thy bosom has been ri
fle J; recollect that the separations
that thou has endured have also been
experienced by others consider that
at this moment many tender ties, which
have been cemented by years, are dis
solving ; many parents gazing on the
cold corpses of their children ;many
children weeping over the authors of
their days ; many wives and husbands
torn from the hearts of those who lov
ed them with these reflections go to
the repositories of the dead, and mark
how many hillocks rest upon those
bosoms, which. lately beat high with
life, aod hope, and pleasure ; but now,
frozen by the touch of death, have for
ever ceased to palpitate j and then con
fess with the prophet, that w we all do
fade as a leaf."
Good humor and mental charms are as much su
perior to personal beauty, as mind is to nutter.