companion was the husband of Mrs. Barton. His natural and first impulse
was, to make known to the husband the happiness that was in store for
him. He began to speak, half laughing, half crying; then checked
himself, and considered what a beautiful surprise it would be if they
should meet without any preparation: he took the soldier's hand, and
said, "I see my friends; you need go no farther; but come in one hour to
the City Hotel, and my mother will tell you good news of your wife."
"News of my wife! are you an angel from heaven?"
"Oh, no," replied Edward, laughing; "nothing but an _American boy_."
"God bless you, my lad, tell me now--tell me now," said the soldier,
and tears of joy had already gathered in his eyes.
"No, not another word now," said Edward, bounding away from him; "in one
hour you shall know all."
The soldier gazed after Edward with an intense curiosity: vague
expectations of some good, and then more defined hopes filled his mind.
'That boy never could have deceived me,' he said, to himself: 'what did
he mean by exclaiming when he first heard my name? what, by saying he
knew another Richard Barton? Is it possible that he has seen my wife
and boy?' The result of all his deliberations was, that he would go
instantly to the Hotel--to wait an hour was impossible--an hour was an
age. In the mean time, Edward joined his party, who were already on the
return, and was chid for his delay; without giving the least heed to the
rebuke, he drew Julia aside, and communicated his discovery to her. They
then laid their heads together, and concerted a fine plan for a
denouement.
They would first show Barton the little girl; he could not remember her
of course, for she had been born some months after he was separated
from his wife; but then he might find her out from her resemblance to
her mother; Julia remembered many stories she had read of similar
discoveries, and Edward affirmed his belief in natural affection,
though he allowed that his father said, that Dr. Franklin and many
other philosophers laughed at the idea. If the little girl proved
an insufficient clew, Dickey was to be brought into the room, as if
accidentally, and with many cautions by no means to tell his name;
and finally the door was to be thrown open, and good Mrs. Barton,
all unprepared for the sight, was to behold her long-lost husband.
Mrs. Sackville saw in the truth-telling faces of her children, that
something in their view very important was in agitation; but she
seemed to take no notice of their whisperings, and hurried pace, till
Mr. Morris called out, "Fall back children, one would think we were
walking for a wager; remember we carry weight of years."
"Oh," whispered Julia, "uncle Morris is such a snail; but there is no
use in our hurrying, because you know we should lose half the pleasure
if papa and mama and uncle were not there." Edward assented, and
patience had her perfect work while the children made their feet, which
seemed suddenly to have been furnished with the wings of Mercury, to
keep time with the dignified movements of their parents.
When they turned into St. John's-street, and came in sight of the hotel,
Edward saw the soldier standing by the step to the front entrance, and
looking eagerly towards him, "there he is!" said he to Julia, and they
both involuntarily changed their pace from a walk to a run, but before
they reached the hotel, the soldier sprung into the door, and disappeared
from their sight. He had caught the sound of his wife's voice, and
their first joyful recognition had passed before the children entered
the door.
* * * * *
Our youthful readers have, we trust, been entire strangers to those joys
that are preceded by suffering, and which remind us of some clouds that
send down their showers after the sun has broken through. They would
have been as much surprised as were Edward and Julia, if they had seen,
instead of smiles and ecstasies, the deathlike paleness of Mrs. Barton,
her husband dashing the tear from his eyes that he might gaze upon his
children; Dickey looking timidly at him, and the little girl burying her
face in her mother's gown. Yet this was joy--joy that no words could
express; the joy of kind and faithful hearts--joy with which a stranger
cannot intermeddle; and Mrs. Sackville felt it to be such, for when she
saw the family group, she drew her children into the parlour, and left
their humble friends to themselves.
* * * * *
It was our intention to have described the soldier's gratitude--the
contentment and thankfulness of his wife--the neat little cottage in
which she was immediately placed by the officers of the regiment, who
seemed delighted thus to manifest their regard for their corporal
Barton. The emotion of this good family at parting with their
benefactors--little Dickey's resolution, that when he grew to be a man,
he would go and live with Mr. Edward--the hospitable honors rendered
to the Sackville party by the officers of the regiment, who felt their
beneficence to the British soldier's wife as a personal obligation--to
which was to have been added, a particular description of some very
beautiful curiosities presented to Edward and Julia by the governor's
lady; but we fear our young readers will think we have already
protracted a dull tale to an unconscionable length; and we will
therefore take our leave of them, with simply expressing a wish, that
if they should ever travel to Quebec, or indeed in any other direction,
they will remember that after the delightful but evanescent pleasures
of their jaunt had faded, and were almost effaced from the minds of
Edward and Julia, they possessed a treasure that fadeth not away
in the consciousness of having rendered an essential service to a
fellow-creature. A consciousness that strews roses in the path of
youth and age--not 'the perfume and suppliance of a moment,' but
those amaranthine flowers that exhale incense to Heaven.
FINIS.
[ Transcriber's Note:
The following is a list of corrections made to the original. The
first line is the original line, the second the corrected one.
"And what," asked Mrs. Sackville, "do Bob Eton's father and Bob Eaton,
"And what," asked Mrs. Sackville, "do Bob Eaton's father and Bob Eaton,
"Dubois for ever!" exclaimed Edward, as Julia finished her mimickry
"Dubois for ever!" exclaimed Edward, as Julia finished her mimicry
"Oh, that will be delightful, mother but Edward and I cannot dance a
"Oh, that will be delightful, mother, but Edward and I cannot dance a
'The next, mother? what is next, Edward?"
"The next, mother? what is next, Edward?"
sun.
sun."
suddenly swelled the veins of her clear open brow, lit up her hazle eyes
suddenly swelled the veins of her clear open brow, lit up her hazel eyes
"My dear Ned," replied Mrs. Sackville, "I do not wonder at your
"My dear Ned," replied Mr. Sackville, "I do not wonder at your
"Now, mama," she said, you must take both sides of the river."
"Now, mama," she said, "you must take both sides of the river."
of the skipping right--the readers inalienable right) we shall make but
of the skipping right--the readers' inalienable right) we shall make but
"One might almost fancy here," said Mr. Sackville, that the march
"One might almost fancy here," said Mr. Sackville, "that the march
"At a wigman in Oneida, where he had been compelled to ask for such
"At a wigwam in Oneida, where he had been compelled to ask for such
the road is thronged with market-waggons, stage coaches, and carriages
the road is thronged with market-waggons, stage coaches; and carriages
riches and resources of their native land, "For my own part," he said,
riches and resources of their native land. "For my own part," he said,
eyes and ruddy cheeks, who seeemed to be a favorite with the whole
eyes and ruddy cheeks, who seemed to be a favorite with the whole
then asked her name:--"My name is Biddy Burns, an' please you, miss."
then asked her name:--"My name is Biddy Burns, an' please you, miss."
little, pale, wizzened-face fellow, with a bleared and blood-shot eye,
little, pale, wizened-face fellow, with a bleared and blood-shot eye,
"How old?" I do not justly remember; but there is my age set down in our
"How old? I do not justly remember; but there is my age set down in our
"I do not see that we can, my dear," replied Mrs. Sackville," I have
"I do not see that we can, my dear," replied Mrs. Sackville, "I have
"Sickly feeling," exclaimed Edward, I am sure I thought the air was
"Sickly feeling," exclaimed Edward, "I am sure I thought the air was
to her children, " the charm of the ring in the Fairy tale, bestowed by
to her children, "the charm of the ring in the Fairy tale, bestowed by
"What, my dear, children, should we be, without the religious sentiment
"What, my dear children, should we be, without the religious sentiment
festival of nature, you must take care you do not commit the pharasaic
festival of nature, you must take care you do not commit the pharisaic
of he future, theirs were constantly directed to virtue, which they
of the future, theirs were constantly directed to virtue, which they
of such beautiful scenes as these, to convert themi n tofields of
of such beautiful scenes as these, to convert them into fields of
wife, she has an Enlish spirit, and a proud one; and she says, while
wife, she has an English spirit, and a proud one; and she says, while
he does, and fraquently he dont," replied the fellow, rather surlily.
he does, and fraquently he don't," replied the fellow, rather surlily.
to see a young creature thus cut off by her sins."
to see a young creature thus cut off by her sins.
Come now Edward and Julia to your births--and dream of the 'thousand
Come now Edward and Julia to your berths--and dream of the 'thousand
roughly binding his wampun belt over Marguerite's mouth, to deaden the
roughly binding his wampum belt over Marguerite's mouth, to deaden the
He rose cautiously, looked for one instant on the indians, and assured
"He rose cautiously, looked for one instant on the indians, and assured
led the way to an adjoining anti-room appropriated to medicines,
led the way to an adjoining ante-room appropriated to medicines,
silver Edward had given him to the ground. "Have I," he said, served my
silver Edward had given him to the ground. "Have I," he said, "served my
and boy? The result of all his deliberations was, that he would go
and boy?' The result of all his deliberations was, that he would go
something in their viewvery important was in agitation; but she
something in their view very important was in agitation; but she
instead of smiles and ecstasies, the deathlike paleness of Mrs. Barton
instead of smiles and ecstasies, the deathlike paleness of Mrs. Barton,
]
End of Project Gutenberg's The Travellers, by Catharine Maria Sedgwick