\"Here’stobudgets,packs,andwallets;
Here’stoallthewanderingtrain。\"
BURNS。(1)
ICONFESSit,Iamkeenlysensitiveto\"skyeyinfluences。\"
(2)Iprofessnoindifferencetothemovementsofthatcapriciousoldgentlemanknownastheclerkoftheweather。I
cannotconcealmyinterestinthebehaviorofthatpatriarchalbirdwhosewoodensimilitudegyratesonthechurchspire。
Winterproperiswellenough。Letthethermometergotozeroifitwill;somuchthebetter,iftherebytheverywindsarefrozenandunabletoflaptheirstiffwings。Soundsofbellsinthekeenair,clear,musical,heart—inspiring;quicktrippingoffairmoccasinedfeetonglitteringicepavements;brighteyesglancingabovetheupliftedmufflikeasultana’sbehindthefoldsofher*yashmak;*(3)schoolboyscoastingdownstreetlikemadGreenlanders;thecoldbrillianceofobliquesunbeamsflashingbackfromwidesurfacesofglitteringsnow,orblazinguponicejewelryoftreeandroof:thereisnothinginallthistocomplainof。Astormofsummerhasitsredeemingsublimities,——itsslow,upheavingmountainsofcloudgloominginthewesternhorizonlikenew—createdvolcanoes,veinedwithfire,shatteredbyexplodingthunders。Eventhewildgalesoftheequinoxhavetheirvarieties,——soundsofwind—
shakenwoodsandwaters,creakandclatterofsignandcasement,hurricanepuffs,anddown—rushingrain—spouts。Butthisdull,darkautumndayofthawandrain,whentheverycloudsseemtoospiritlessandlanguidtostormoutrightortakethemselvesoutofthewayoffairweather;wetbeneathandabove,remindingoneofthatraylessatmosphereofDante’sThirdCircle,wheretheinfernalPriessnitz(4)
administershishydropathictorment,——
\"Aheavy,cursed,andrelentlessdrench,——
Thelanditsoaksisputrid;\"
orrather,aseverythinganimateandinanimateisseethinginwarmmist,suggestingtheideathatNature,grownoldandrheumatic,istryingtheefficacyofaThomsoniansteam—box(5)
onagrandscale;nosoundssavetheheavyplashofmuddyfeetonthepavements;themonotonous,melancholydripfromtreesandroofs;thedistressfulgurglingofwaterducts,swallowingthedirtyamalgamofthegutters;adim,leaden—
coloredhorizonofonlyafewyardsindiameter,shuttingdownaboutone,beyondwhichnothingisvisiblesaveinfaintlineordarkprojection;theghostofachurchspireortheeidolonofachimney—pot,——hewhocanextractpleasurableemotionsfromthealembicofsuchadayhasatrickofalchemywithwhichI
amwhollyunacquainted。
(1)Fromtheclosingairin*TheJollyBeggars,*acantata。
(2)\"AbreaththouartServiletoalltheskyeyinfluences,Thatdostthishabitation,wherethoukeep’stHourlyafflict。\"
Shakespeare:*MeasureforMeasure,*actIII。scene1。
(3)\"Sheturnsandturnsagain,andcarefullyglancesaroundheronallsides,toseethatsheissafefromtheeyesofMussulmans,andthensuddenlywithdrawingtheyashmaksheshinesuponyourheartandsoulwithallthepompandmightofherbeauty。\"Kinglake’s*Eothen,*chap。iii。Inanoteto*Yashmak*Kinglakeexplainsthatitisnotameresemi—
transparentveil,butthoroughlyconcealsallthefeaturesexcepttheeyes:itiswithdrawnbybeingpulleddown。
(4)VincenzPriessnitzwastheoriginatorofthewater—cure。
Afterexperimentinguponhimselfandhisneighborshetookuptheprofessionofhydropathyandestablishedbathsathisnativeplace,GrafenberginSilesia,in1829。Hediedin1851。
(5)Dr。SamuelThomson,aNewHampshirephysician,advocatedtheuseofthesteambathasarestorerofsystemwhendiseased。Hediedin1843andleftbehindanautobiography(*LifeandMedicalDiscoveries*)whichcontainsarecordofthepersecutionsheunderwent。
Hark!arapatmydoor。Welcomeanybodyjustnow。Onegainsnothingbyattemptingtoshutoutthespritesoftheweather。Theycomeinatthekeyhole;theypeerthroughthedrippingpanes;theyinsinuatethemselvesthroughthecrevicesofthecasement,orplumpdownchimneyastrideoftheraindrops。
Iriseandthrowopenthedoor。Atall,shambling,loose—
jointedfigure;apinched,shrewdface,sun—brownandwind—
dried;small,quick—winkingblackeyes,——therehestands,thewaterdrippingfromhispulpyhatandraggedelbows。
Ispeaktohim;buthereturnsnoanswer。Withadumbshowofmisery,quitetouching,hehandsmeasoiledpieceofparchment,whereonIreadwhatpurportstobeamelancholyaccountofshipwreckanddisaster,totheparticulardetriment,loss,anddamnificationofonePietroFrugoni,whois,inconsequence,sorelyinwantofthealmsofallcharitableChristianpersons,andwhois,inshort,thebearerofthisveraciousdocument,dulycertifiedandindorsedbyanItalianconsulinoneofourAtlanticcities,ofahigh—sounding,buttoYankeeorgansunpronounceable,name。
Herecommencesastruggle。Everyman,theMahometanstellus,hastwoattendantangels,——thegoodoneonhisrightshoulder,thebadonhisleft。\"Give,\"saysBenevolence,aswithsomedifficultyIfishupasmallcoinfromthedepthsofmypocket。\"Notacent,\"saysselfishPrudence;andIdropitfrommyfingers。\"Think,\"saysthegoodangel,\"ofthepoorstrangerinastrangeland,justescapedfromtheterrorsofthesea—storm,inwhichhislittlepropertyhasperished,thrownhalf—nakedandhelplessonourshores,ignorantofourlanguage,andunabletofindemploymentsuitedtohiscapacity。\"\"Avileimpostor!\"repliestheleft—handsentinel;
\"hispaperpurchasedfromoneofthoseready—writersinNewYorkwhomanufacturebeggar—credentialsatthelowpriceofonedollarpercopy,withearthquakes,fires,orshipwrecks,tosuitcustomers。\"
AmidstthisconfusionoftonguesItakeanothersurveyofmyvisitant。Ha!alightdawnsuponme。Thatshrewd,oldface,withitssharp,winkingeyes,isnostrangertome。PietroFrugoni,Ihaveseentheebefore。*Si,signor,*thatfaceofthinehaslookedatmeoveradirtywhiteneckcloth,withthecornersofthatcunningmouthdrawndownwards,andthosesmalleyesturnedupinsanctimoniousgravity,whilethouwastofferingtoacrowdofhalf—grownboysanextemporaneousexhortationinthecapacityofatravellingpreacher。HaveI
notseenitpeeringoutfromunderablanket,asthatofapoorPenobscotIndian,whohadlosttheuseofhishandswhiletrappingontheMadawaska?Isitnotthefaceoftheforlornfatherofsixsmallchildren,whomthe\"marcurydoctors\"had\"pisened\"andcrippled?Diditnotbelongtothatdown—eastunfortunatewhohadbeenouttothe\"Geneseecountry\"(1)andgotthe\"fevernnager,\"andwhosehandshooksopitifullywhenheldouttoreceivemypoorgift?Thesame,underalldisguises,——StephenLeathers,ofBarrington,——him,andnoneother!Letmeconjurehimintohisownlikeness:——
(1)The*Geneseecountry*isthenamebywhichthewesternpartofNewYork,borderingonLakesOntarioandErie,wasknown,when,atthecloseofthelastandbeginningofthiscentury,itwastopeopleontheAtlanticcoasttheGreatWest。
In1792communicationwasopenedbyaroadwiththePennsylvaniasettlements,buttheearlysettlerswerealmostallfromNewEngland。
\"Well,Stephen,whatnewsfromoldBarrington?\"
\"Oh,well,IthoughtIknewye,\"heanswers,nottheleastdisconcerted。\"Howdoyoudo?andhow’syourfolks?Allwell,Ihope。Itookthis’erepaper,yousee,tohelpapoorfurriner,whocouldn’tmakehimselfunderstoodanymorethanawildgoose。IthoughI’djuststarthimfor’ardalittle。
Itseemedamarcytodoit。\"
Wellandshiftilyanswered,thouraggedProteus。Onecannotbeangrywithsuchafellow。IwilljustinquireintothepresentstateofhisGospelmissionandabouttheconditionofhistribeonthePenobscot;anditmaybenotamisstocongratulatehimonthesuccessofthesteam—doctorsinsweatingthe\"pisen\"oftheregularfacultyoutofhim。Butheevidentlyhasnowishtoenterintoidleconversation。Intentuponhisbenevolenterrandheisalreadyclatteringdownstairs。InvoluntarilyIglanceoutofthewindowjustinseasontocatchasingleglimpseofhimereheisswallowedupinthemist。
Hehasgone;and,knaveasheis,Icanhardlyhelpexclaiming,\"Luckgowithhim!\"Hehasbrokeninuponthesombretrainofmythoughtsandcalledupbeforemepleasantandgratefulrecollections。Theoldfarm—housenestlinginitsvalley;hillsstretchingofftothesouthandgreenmeadowstotheeast;thesmallstreamwhichcamenoisilydownitsravine,washingtheoldgarden—wallandsoftlylappingonfallenstonesandmossyrootsofbeechesandhemlocks;thetallsentinelpoplarsatthegateway;theoak—forest,sweepingunbrokentothenorthernhorizon;thegrass—growncarriage—path,withitsrudeandcrazybridge,——thedearoldlandscapeofmyboyhoodliesoutstretchedbeforemelikeadaguerreotypefromthatpicturewithin,whichIhavebornewithmeinallmywanderings。Iamaboyagain,oncemoreconsciousofthefeeling,halfterror,halfexultation,withwhichIusedtoannouncetheapproachofthisveryvagabondandhis\"kindredaftertheflesh。\"
Theadventofwanderingbeggars,or\"oldstragglers,\"aswewerewonttocallthem,wasaneventofnoordinaryinterestinthegenerallymonotonousquietudeofourfarm—life。Manyofthemwerewellknown;theyhadtheirperiodicalrevolutionsandtransits;wewouldcalculatethemlikeeclipsesornewmoons。Someweresturdyknaves,fatandsaucy;and,whenevertheyascertainedthatthe\"menfolks\"wereabsent,wouldorderprovisionsandciderlikemenwhoexpectedtopayforthem,seatingthemselvesatthehearthortablewiththeairofFalstaff,——\"ShallInottakemineeaseinmineinn?\"Others,poor,pale,patient,likeSterne’smonk,(1)camecreepinguptothedoor,hatinhand,standingthereintheirgraywretchednesswithalookofheartbreakandforlornnesswhichwasneverwithoutitseffectonourjuvenilesensibilities。Attimes,however,weexperiencedaslightrevulsionoffeelingwheneventhesehumblestchildrenofsorrowsomewhatpetulantlyrejectedourprofferedbreadandcheese,anddemandedinsteadaglassofcider。Whateverthetemperancesocietymightinsuchcaseshavedone,itwasnotinourheartstorefusethepoorcreaturesadraughtoftheirfavoritebeverage;andwasn’titasatisfactiontoseetheirsad,melancholyfaceslightupaswehandedthemthefullpitcher,and,onreceivingitbackemptyfromtheirbrown,wrinkledhands,tohearthem,halfbreathlessfromtheirlong,deliciousdraught,thankingusforthefavor,as\"dear,goodchildren\"!Notunfrequentlythesewanderingtestsofourbenevolencemadetheirappearanceininterestinggroupsofman,woman,andchild,picturesqueintheirsqualidness,andmanifestingamaudlinaffectionwhichwouldhavedonehonortotherevellersatPoosie—Nansie’s,immortalinthecantataofBurns。(2)Iremembersomewhowereevidentlythevictimsofmonomania,——hauntedandhuntedbysomedarkthought,——possessedbyafixedidea。One,ablack—eyed,wild—
hairedwoman,withawholetragedyofsin,shame,andsufferingwritteninhercountenance,usedoftentovisitus,warmherselfbyourwinterfire,andsupplyherselfwithastockofcakesandcoldmeat;butwasneverknowntoansweraquestionortoaskone。Sheneversmiled;thecold,stonylookofhereyeneverchanged;asilent,impassiveface,frozenrigidbysomegreatwrongorsin。Weusedtolookwithaweuponthe\"stillwoman,\"andthinkofthedemoniacofScripturewhohada\"dumbspirit。\"
(1)WhomhemetatCalais,asdescribedinhis*SentimentalJourney。*
(2)The*cantata*is*TheJollyBeggars,*fromwhichthemottoheadingthissketchwastaken。*Poosie—Nansie*wasthekeeperofataverninMauchline,whichwasthefavoriteresortofthelamesailors,maimedsoldiers,travellingballad—singers,andallsuchloosecompanionsashangabouttheskirtsofsociety。Thecantatahasforitsthemetherivalryofa\"pigmyscraperwithhisfiddle\"andastrollingtinkerforabeggarwoman:hencethe*maudlinaffection。*
One——IthinkIseehimnow,grim,gaunt,andghastly,workinghisslowwayuptoourdoor——usedtogatherherbsbythewaysideandcalledhimselfdoctor。Hewasbeardedlikeahe—goat,andusedtocounterfeitlameness;yet,whenhesupposedhimselfalone,wouldtravelonlustily,asifwalkingforawager。Atlength,asifinpunishmentofhisdeceit,hemetwithanaccidentinhisramblesandbecamelameinearnest,hobblingeverafterwithdifficultyonhisgnarledcrutches。Anotherusedtogostooping,likeBunyan’spilgrim,underapackmadeofanoldbed—sacking,stuffedoutintomostplethoricdimensions,totteringonapairofsmall,meagrelegs,andpeeringoutwithhiswild,hairyfacefromunderhisburdenlikeabig—bodiedspider。That\"manwiththepack\"alwaysinspiredmewithaweandreverence。Huge,almostsublime,initstenserotundity,thefatherofallpacks,neverlaidasideandneveropened,whatmighttherenotbewithinit?Withwhatflesh—creepingcuriosityIusedtowalkroundaboutitatasafedistance,halfexpectingtoseeitsstripedcoveringstirredbythemotionsofamysteriouslife,orthatsomeevilmonsterswouldleapoutofit,likerobbersfromAliBaba’sjarsorarmedmenfromtheTrojanhorse!
Therewasanotherclassofperipateticphilosophers——halfpedler,halfmendicant——whowereinthehabitofvisitingus。
Onewerecollect,alame,unshaven,sinister—eyed,unwholesomefellow,withhisbasketofoldnewspapersandpamphlets,andhistatteredblueumbrella,servingratherasawalking—staffthanasaprotectionfromtherain。hetoldusononeoccasion,inanswertoourinquiringintothecauseofhislameness,thatwhenayoungmanhewasemployedonthefarmofthechiefmagistrateofaneighboringState;where,ashisillluckwouldhaveit,thegovernor’shandsomedaughterfellinlovewithhim。Hewascaughtonedayintheyounglady’sroombyherfather;whereupontheirascibleoldgentlemanpitchedhimunceremoniouslyoutofthewindow,laminghimforlife,onabrickpavementbelow,likeVulcanontherocksofLemnos。(1)Asforthelady,heassuredus\"shetookondreadfullyaboutit。\"\"Didshedie?\"weinquired,anxiously。Therewasacunningtwinkleintheoldrogue’seyeasheresponded,\"Well,noshedidn’t。Shegotmarried。\"
(1)ItwasupontheIsleofLemnosthatVulcanwasflungbyJupiter,accordingtothemyth,forattemptingtoaidhismotherJuno。
Twiceayear,usuallyinthespringandautumn,wewerehonoredwithacallfromJonathanPlummer,makerofverses,pedlerandpoet,physicianandparson,——aYankeetroubadour,——
firstandlastminstrelofthevalleyoftheMerrimac,encircled,tomywonderingyoungeyes,withtheverynimbusofimmortality。Hebroughtwithhimpins,needles,tape,andcotton—threadformymother;jack—knives,razors,andsoapformyfather;andversesofhisowncomposing,coarselyprintedandillustratedwithrudewood—cuts,forthedelectationoftheyoungerbranchesofthefamily。Nolove—sickyouthcoulddrownhimself,nodesertedmaidenbewailthemoon,noroguemountthegallows,withoutfittingmemorialinPlummer’sverses。Earthquakes,fires,fevers,andshipwrecksheregardedaspersonalfavorsfromProvidence,furnishingtherawmaterialofsongandballad。Welcometousinourcountryseclusion,asAutolycustotheclownin\"Winter’sTale,\"(1)welistenedwithinfinitesatisfactiontohisreadingofhisownverses,ortohisreadyimprovisationuponsomedomesticincidentortopicsuggestedbyhisauditors。Whenoncefairlyoverthedifficultiesattheoutsetofanewsubjecthisrhymesflowedfreely,\"asifhehadeatenballads,andallmen’searsgrewtohistunes。\"Hisproductionsanswered,asnearlyasIcanremember,toShakespeare’sdescriptionofaproperballad,——