ページの画像
PDF
ePub

this Dionysis, that our little hero was a mimick-and he was now treated with increased severity.

The midsummer holidays approached: but he feared that they would shine no holidays for him. He had written to his mother, to tell her that school would break up on the 21st; and begged an answer without fail by return of post-but no answer came.

It was now nearly two months

since he had heard from his dear mother, or any of his friends in Ireland. His spirits began to sink under the pressure of these accumulated n.isfortunes-he slept little, eat less, and played not at all; indeed nobody would play with him on equal terms, because he was nobody's equal his school fellows continued to consider him as a being, if not a different species, at least of a different cast from themselves.

Mr. Owen ap Jones's triumph over the little Irish plockit was nearly compleat,for the boy's heart was almost broken, when there came to the school a new scholar --O, how unlike the rest! His name was Edwards: he was the son of a neighbouring Welsh gen tleman, and he had himself the spirit of a gentleman. When he saw how poor Dominick was per. secuted, he took him under his protection, fought his battles with the Welsh boys, and instead of laughing at him for speaking Irish he

[ocr errors]

endeavoured to teach him to speak English. In his answers to the first questions Edwards ever asked him, little Dominick made two blunders, which set all his other companions in a roar--yet Edwards would not allow them to be genuine Bulls.

In answer to the question, who is your father? Dominick said with a deep sigh, 'I have no father-I am an orphan*-I have only a mother.'

'Have you any brothers and sisters ?'

No! I wish I had, for perhaps they would love me, and not laugh at me,' said Dominick with tears in his eyes; but I have no brothers but myself?.

One day Mr. Owen ap Jones came into the school-room with an open letter in his hand, saying,

Here, you little Irish plockit, here's a letter from your mother.'

The little Irish blockhead started from his form, and throwing his grammar on the floor, leaped up higher than he or any boy in the school had ever been seen to leap before; then clapping his hands, he exclaimed-' A letter from my mother!--And will I hear the letter? And will I see her once more --And will I go home these holidays? O, then I will be happy!'

*Iliad, 6th book, i. 432, Andromache says to Hector, You will make your son an orphan, and your wƒe a widow."

'There is no danger of that,' said Mr. Owen ap Jones, for your mother, like a wise ooman, writes me here, that py the atvice of your cardian to oom she is going to pe married, she will not pring you home to Ireland, till I send her word you are perfect in your Enclish crammer at least.'

'I have my lesson perfect, sir,' said Dominick, taking his grammar up from the floor, 'will Lsay it now ??

'No, you płockit, you will not; and I will write your mother word you have proke Priscian's head four times tis tay since her letter came.?

Little Dominick, for the first time, was seen to burst into tears Will I hear the letter?-Will I see my mother?-Will. I go home??

'You Irish plockit!' continued the relentless grammarian; 'you Irish plockit, will you never learn the tifference between shall and will?'

The Welsh boys all grinned, except Edwards, who hummed loud enough to be heard,

And will I see him once again;
And will I hear him speak?

Many of the boys were, unfortun.

Soon afterwards he summoned Dominick to his awful desk, and pointing with his ruler to the following page in Harris's Hermes, bade him reat it, end understand it, if he could.

Little Dominick read, but could not understand.

'Then read it aloud, you plockit.' Dominick readjaloud

There is nothing appears 80 clearly an object of the mind or intellect only as the future does, since we can find no place for its existence any where else, but not the same, if we consider is equally true of the past

'Well, co on-what stops the plockit-can't you read Enclish

now??

'Yes, sir, but I was trying to understand it; I was considering, that this is like what they wound call an Irish bull, if I had said it.'

:

Little Dominick could not explain what he meant, in English, that Mr. Owen ap Jones would understand and to punish him for his impertinence, the boy was doomed to learn all that Harris and Lowth have written to explain the nature of shall and will. The reader, if he be desirous of knowing the full extent of the penance enjoined, may consult Lowth's

ately, too ignorant to feel the quo-grammar. p. 52, ed. 1799, and

tation, but Mr. Owen ap Jones understood it turned on his heel, and walked off.

Harris's Hermes, p. 10, 11,& 12,

[blocks in formation]

Mr. Edior

I present you for insertion in the Miscellany the following communication.

HENRY.

When Capt. D-I had provided a snug house for the accomodation of his Wife and nicce, with suitable furniture his fortune being limited he was induced to use the utmost economy; the habitation was small; and the rent easy, and when he had finished the pleasing task of providing for the wants of Mrs. D-; he sailed from this port in the month of De cember 1810. No sooner had the

was

by

for advice, acquainting the limb of
the law that Capt. D. was
lost at sea and that he had just left *
Mrs. D in tears I endorsed a
note continued he for a small sum,
and the rent will be falling due by
and bye and no doubt Capt. D
has lost all his property, what shall
I do asks the humane landlord?'
C go to the house of Mrs. D—
and seize furniture sufficient to
cover you against the amount of
the note and your rent,' replies the
lawyer, (who surely was one of the
Devi's own,) Mr. M--h, a butch-
er, an indorser on the note with
the landlord and equally liable for

Pilot left the vessel, than the gath-the payment, was called upon by ering clouds portended, what alas! proved true, a dreadful storm, he with all the crew, save one boy, were washed overboard, by the Ocean Wave' and seen no more! the sad and melancholy news of the loss of Captain D soon brought to Mrs. D the boy, when the first bursts of grief had a little subsided, she sent her Niece to Mr. T the landlord, her next door neighbor, to make known to him her sorrows and afflictions, he instantly came, and as a feeling man sympathised and made every effort to soothe her lacerated and anguished mind, the landlord remained with her un some time in the evening, when he left her to her niece, and to her sorrows, she repaired to her pillow, but sleep was a stran; ger, and who that has a heart can sleep after such news--The landlord went directly to his attomey

the humane Mr. T, who urged him to go with him, and arrest from the poor distressed widow her furniture, the Butcher with the sensibility of a christian and a man refused to be a party with this monster T-, 'I would said he sooner lose a thousand Dollars than, go and add to Mrs D-s, present distress,' though he was a Butcher and could cut throats by the dozen, he could not suppress his nobleness and generosity to an unfortunate woman; defeated with the butcher, his next resource was parson Tag... t who was soon persuaded to be his Sancho Panza on the occasion-I have read of singular and strange Parsons in Novels, but if this Parson T-, be not the greatest monster, batharian and brute, then I do not know what constitutes such a characterThe sun had just risen when these. fiends in the form of men, the land

lord and the parson, sallied forth year-December-when it was

nearly time for repose Mrs. D-
and her niece Temembered that
the Blankets and the Bed on
which they laid the night before,
were taken from them by these
sons of humanity, a small single
bed on which a young man had
slept, was all that was left in the
house for Mrs. D—, and her
niece, the young man had to find
lodgings elsewhere, the blankets
of this small bed were not suffi.
cient to cover them, the niece was
sent to the landlord for those he

on their work of mercy they knocked at the door of Mrs. D, who was awake and had not closed her eyes the live long night, she requested her niece to go and see who was knocking at so early an hour, the door was no sooner open than the landlord began to make known his business; and that his friend the parson had come along with him, to sec justice done he tween them; pray what is your business gentlemen with me, I am too much distressed to speak on any subject said Mrs. D'had taken, but which he refused to 'madam replied the landlord I come to take from you your furniture to secure the note I endorsed

tells me,

restore his obdurate and Iron heart could not be softened by the entreaties of the piece she was forced to return empty handed to her distressed Aunt--I now dismiss the narrative, to relate that this miserable Reptile, this cruel miser, was overtaken by justice-a process of law compelled him to refund the value of the furniture and I re

for your Husband and my Lawyer that I have a right to do so; if you will deliver up the things in a peacable manner it will save much trouble, to which she answered, do as you please, take what you please I am not myself' -now commences the humanejoice to say, that he was fined in work of removing Beds, Tables Looking Glasses, Candle-sticks, Trunks of Clothes &c. &c. 'do not take the Bureau cries Mrs. | D-, for I shall be without clothes entirely and in which there is a suit of mourning lately worn for a sister now no more,' make yourself quite easy replied the land lord, you can have whatever you want by sending your niece or calling yourself at my House,' in a few moments these gallant Knights stripped the house of almost every article of furniture and Bed Clothes, in the inclement season of the

damages to a considerable amount -In the prosecution Parson T's written affidavit was produced-what thing you reader of this Parson, is he a proper teacher of Christianity? does he not ap. proach nearer to a monster, than a Civilized man ?--while poor D-, body was floating on the mighty deep' denied sepulture, the wild Ocean Birds!

-but I forbear

to speak further- -With all my heart, I would place a whip in the hands of every unfortunate widow, to lash this parson naked through the world--- The miserable Cai

tiff the landlord has been lacerated, INTERESTING TO LADIES.

in his most sensible part-his purse -he must be as greedy as le Grave, without the least sympathy for the unfortunate, all that enobles man, in him'is swallowed up in avarice--how different, how noble a spirit warms the heart of Mr. M, the Butcher. I hope, sincerely, he may never know distress, his conduct is worthy of imitation and applause.

Let me give a few hints to some Wooden headed Lawyers, that attend court whose only business consists of talking to each other, and thereby disturbing the court and Jury--many of them are as complete beasts as are to be met with their feet on the seats. a swinish custom. Spirting out the Tobacco Juice in every direction, and numberless other of the like accomplishments-I would advise these elegant and refined geniuses to turn their attention to Jerry Tugwells School, as sons of wax and thread they may possibly arrive to some degree of eminence, but as deciples of Lord Coke Blackstone &c &c. many of these bright urchins will never reach even a state of mediocrity--If Idleness and lounging be the road to eminence these sons of fromise,are in the broad way to the summit of legal perfection.

APHORISMS.

Civility.--Civility is a desire to receive civility, and to be account-ed well bred.

The following Preamble and Res-
olutions were read and present-
ed by a member. in the house
of Representatives of Pensylva
nia, on the 8th instant.

Whereas it has been obseved
that many chaste and respectable
females in this commonwealth,
have of late years been so far se-
duced by pernicious example as
to lay aside the modest and useful
attire heretofore used by chaste fe-
males, and to appear in public
places with naked elbows and
shoulders, and the other parts of
the body clad in such thin and
transparent attire as is incompati-
ble with decency, and altogether
insufficient to preserve their bodies
from the inclemency of the weath-
er, and in consequence of wearing
such thin and improper dress, the
lives of many persons who might
otherwise have been useful and or-
namental members of society, have
been sacrificed, and the constitu-
tion of others greatly impaired,and
it is the duty of the Legislature to
prevent any practice which may
have a tendency to destroy virtue,
or the health of that beautiful part
of society.

THEREFORE, RESOLVED. That a committe be appointed to bring in a bill containing the fol lowing principles:

FIRST.-If any white female of the age of ten years or upwards shall appear in any public strect,

« 前へ次へ »