The ladies' garland. [volume], December 09, 1826, Image 1

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

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Stjt %La&ic9* Variant)
VOL. 3. HAItFERS-rERRY, VIRCI^IA, DECEMBER % IS26.
WTO. 44.
ri'BLismin kvi.iiy sAirun\y kvkmmi,
nv John s. (. \u. \iir.u,
At the OJ/ict of tii' rieginia lWe Press.
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*/ Postage oil all letters Ml'.sT be paid
'ZU.U XUSPO&ITOmf.
t’KOM Tilt: NKW YORK MlUKUtt.
LUCY GAY.
That sweet and simple poet of nature. Hums,
li i'. in the commencement of Ins published cor
respondenee, uii en two or three letter*, w ritten
by lum-el!', in the you me day* of lore, when the
hri“ht beams of In* I'anev went aluvad to reu-1
in the sun li^ht of pm try Woman was then
the ■ |» II to w hn h he tuned his harp, and touch
ed. as it w as, hy her lairy w and, the mu*ic that
il discoursed was mod eloquent It wa* under
the inthienee of an almost hopeless attachment,
that these letters were commenced, and the last
one was written after he had received an an
■tier from In* mistress, which contained a relii
sal ot his hand Hums w as ever a Inver : from
the lit ~t w arhlin^s of hi* nitlse to it* last rich
breathing', his poetry was of a milder east, and
his fancy of a brighter hue, when heautv was
his theme. Hut he, with all his blight genius,
capable as it was of stealing; us aw av from e\ cry
tliin;c cold and sellish. and transporting us to a
home as eatural and iiiuueeut a* that so beau
tifully pourtrayed in "The Cotter s Satindav
Nmht, ' and willing as he was to bow down at
tile leet of hi* fair one, stdl all would not obtain
a smiling consent, and ho was torced at that
time to call up roasini ami subtluo passion. I
have spuknn of Hums ami those letters, because
outlie one hand, they are wri'ten in the natural
and easy language of the author ; and on the
Other, the sentiments are surh as would (low
I ruin a heart where honor presided. Let voung
lot el's peruse them.
'1 here winds through the green meadows that
spread themselves out in heuutv around the td
luge oi Mill Gotham, a silt cry creek, which has
Let-ii termed in tire poetic language ot inters,
the !• all kill Many a hiight eye lias gazed with
pleasure on its waters, as it danced along, in
murmuring sweetness, over the pebbles, or slept
in silence in the caliu pool. But there was none
that wandered there so often, to drink in tin
calm richness of the summer evening, or to
allow fancy to play so wildly like the waters, as
Lucy Gay
My heroin**, smiling in beauty and innocence,
'V- never alone when she rambled out toller
humite sj,,it, where the creek, alter it' vations
meandering* through the meadows, is tanned
h\ tin- hand ul art into a small lake, on the brow
oi a lull. but Cmin w hirh its waters escape over
the rocks, and loam and tumble along until they
pay tin ir tribute into tie b >d besom of the
I ludson.
1 o a young girl just budding into hie ■, lich in
even charm that floats in w lid and plr.vfill beau
tv around In i hum ; who has a smile lor this
one, and a laugh lor that ; w ho finds there is an
enjoy incut in the companv of the other sex :
whifh her own cannot albud ; and who has !
around her many appat ently willing to become i
suitors, there IS a step necessary which in her '
exp* rienee it is almost impossible to take All
carry towards her the same, urbanity in their
manneis, the same Irank and open conduct—
and why should she make a preference, or uhat
ground has she to make that preference on ?
'I his w as a question w hu ll I ,uev tiny put to her
sell, hut Iniitid it impossible to answer She had
many visiters: hut two young men, in pattieu
hu, .11>|n ;ircti to single to r out as thrir favorite.
Slir studied tlit* characters of both, and finding
herself wdhnir to accept (utte r. jtave bothoppor
(unities tin-an explanation ; yet received none.
It was e>. ident to tier there existed betw en the
tuo a spirit of rivalry, vet it was impossihle for
her, under every circumstance, to destrov d.
At length one drop! off; the other findui;; that
the charm of opposition was june, diseontinm d
his visits also It caused I jjcv s one mi lanrtn.lv
moments, when 'lie was left alone. She had
endeavored to conduct heiselt' pronerlv. and
that rectitude ol conduct was evidently ttie
cause of her trouble. She dwilt upon the cir
cumstance. learned a lesson fi urn it. and funn
el] her resolution accurdinr tv.
A*, lurin/ as it i- to the vuiinjr of !>otli sexes—
as many leal ami fancied pi. a'ltres as tin v
en joy—as sweet to raml/le i> n ciiinji’s u iteliin/
hour, listeninir to the voice of heautv ; ami |ioh
ci ful as such influence tiiav he, ami rich as the
enjoy meat it creates is to the ^a\ miml, still
these I.itev (lay resolv ed to forego. 'I hat period
of life with her had ari i v ed. when she was u ill
in/ to claim an endeatin/ prolectii ri from man.
I lie days ol conquest and trdlit / eoquelrv with
her were over She had aluavs found the hitter
minuledwith the swot m tho-e times. It was
not Ion it before the resolution she had formed
was [nit into execution There was soon one
whoslli/led her out foi the object of his atten
tion. lie visited re/ui ily, ami his vi-ils ver‘
received lor a proper hn/tli ol tone—.--til n
offer came—meet where they woulu, she must
hunt: upon Ins arm—p:i\ ln:.i all attention. m
apparent oilmen would lie “item I.nev C■:*%
tlien took the step uhieli women scarcely evei
(hire take—yet one whirl) will, tin ier sin It eir
stance', tin them credit with the \irtnoiis at all
times >he askeil him the motives I n In' vndls
11 eame (inexpert oil, t i he Mire, lie hung tlow ti
his head and mm lv mentinm cl enmpaiiv. lie
was ih sired to seek it elsewhere, i! that was hi*
only olject. I.ney talked eoollv. sketeln d to
him the. situation m w liieh eomluet like In*
plaeed toils It pnihihited tin in from all othei
company: the hn-v tonkin; id petit envy was
allowed to scope; and m the ci.d. w hen then
society ceased to give a ehaiin, lln v were left
with all those ten thousand tales connected with
the circumstance, cireulatin/ at their expense
That hrau in ter paid another \i-it ; attain and
attain I.ney w;ts h It without a suitor, Irom the
same cause; yet yirtm uoiks its own reward
at last.
'riii' cool ami d« h-litlul evenings that ushci
in that period of tin- year when natuie assumes
tlii' somhre hue til aiituinn had arrived; the
landscape, however, had not lout the beauty id
summer, yet the shrill erv of the locust, and the
almost eoiitiiiiied evening song of the catvilid.
had weeks liefoiv heen the harbingers of the
a|i|)roach el tall I had wandered mil in com
puny with I.ucv tiay and lo r intended, the eve
inn" previ ns to their marriage. along the w ind
ilia hanks of the I allkill It was an interesting
scene. I forgot the beauty of the landscape,
mellowed into sweetness hv the mild light of
the lull laced moon, as i gazed upon her who
had wandered to that scene so otten. I dwell
upon the incidents of courtship through which
she had pa—ed, and the correctness of her con
duct. lie who was to dance gailv with her in
life's journey, or elirig together through its
thorny way. had heen an old school lellow of
mine, lb' had stood alool for a long time from
female, society, only w ailing for one to w horn he
could make honorable advances, wlieu he he
came acquainted with l.ucy (lav. With them
acquaintance soon ripened i..to attachment, and
they were married.
Il tliiTC i' now :i happy couple in the \ ii
l.ijr#* of Mnl liuthaiu. il is they.
1 intended to convey amoral with my story
This mu li may he learned : When you «i»h to
become a suitor, choose a proper Oj>|>ortumlv.
anil tell y ur mistress of it camliiJK Then, if
you are accepted, you nerd norr (ear oppose
tion ; that is, if the holy acts as honoraMe a
part as vou ilo. Then too vou ‘I* stroy the power
0 a cocpiette \ ou ai e propel Iv served if v ou
v i'll. an I iTO till’ iii.di u hat Votl believe a court
ship, and in the end, when you seriouslv addles1