Transcriber’s Note:
In this utf-8 text version of Fern Leaves:
words in italics are marked with _underscores_
words in small capitals are shown in UPPER CASE
a row of asterisks represents a thought break.
Other notes follow the text.
[Illustration: THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE.]
[Illustration: FERN LEAVES FROM FANNY’S PORTFOLIO
SECOND SERIES
AUBURN & BUFFALO: Miller, Orton & Mulligan.]
EIGHTEENTH THOUSAND.
Fern Leaves
FROM
FANNY’S PORT-FOLIO.
SECOND SERIES.
With Original Designs by Fred. M. Coffin.
AUBURN AND BUFFALO:
MILLER, ORTON & MULLIGAN.
LONDON:
SAMPSON LOW, SON & CO.,
1854.
Published first in England by International Arrangement with the
American Proprietors, and entered at Stationers’ Hall.
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year one thousand eight
hundred and fifty-three,
BY MILLER, ORTON & MULLIGAN.
In the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the Northern District
of New York.
AUBURN:
MILLER, ORTON & MULLIGAN
STEREOTYPERS AND PRINTERS.
TO
MY TRUEST FRIEND,
OLIVER DYER,
WHOSE FRIENDSHIP NEVER FALTERED, IN ADVERSITY;
WHOSE SYMPATHY AND ENCOURAGEMENT CHEERED ME,
WHEN NO BOW OF PROMISE WAS SET IN MY SKY;
This Book is Gratefully Dedicated,
BY
THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE.
TO MY READERS:
Six months since, I was in a deplorable state of ignorance as to the
most felicitous style of Preface; at this lapse of time, I find myself
not a whit the wiser. You will permit me, therefore, in pressing again
your friendly hands, simply to say, that I hope my second offering of
“Fern Leaves” will be more worthy of your acceptance, than the first.
FANNY FERN.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Shadows and Sunbeams, 13
Aunt Hepsy, 36
Thoughts at Church, 40
The Brothers, 42
Curious Things, 48
The advantages of a House in a Fashionable Square, 49
Winter is Coming, 59
The Other Sex, 61
Soliloquy of Mr. Broadbrim, 63
Willie Grey, 65
Tabitha Tompkins’ Soliloquy, 82
Soliloquy of a Housemaid, 85
Critics, 87
Forgetful Husbands, 89
Summer Friends, 91
How the Wires are Pulled, 92
Who would be the Last Man, 95
Only a Cousin, 96
The Calm of Death, 99
Mrs. Adolphus Smith sporting the Blue Stocking, 101
Cecile Vray, 103
Sam Smith’s Soliloquy, 105
Love and Duty, 110
A False Proverb, 114
A Model Husband, 116
How is it? 118
A Morning Ramble, 120
Hour-Glass Thoughts, 123
Boarding-House Experiences, 125
A Grumble from the (H)altar, 132
A Wicked Paragraph, 133
Mistaken Philanthrophy, 135
Insignificant Love, 137
A Model Married Man, 139
Meditations of Paul Pry, jun., 141
Sunshine and Young Mothers, 144
Uncle Ben’s attack of Spring Fever, and how Cured, 146
The Aged Minister Voted a Dismission, 150
The Fatal Marriage, 152
Frances Sargeant Osgood, 157
Best Things, 161
The Vestry Meeting, 164
A Broadway Shop Reverie, 167
The Old Woman, 170
Sunday Morning at the Dibdins, 172
Items of Travel, 175
Newspaper-dom, 178
Have we any Men among us? 181
How to Cure the Blues, 183
Rain in the City, 185
Mrs. Weasel’s Husband, 187
Country Sunday _vs._ City Sunday, 189
Sober Husbands, 192
Our Street, 194
When you are Angry, 199
Little Bessie, 201
The Delights of Visiting, 205
Helen Haven’s Happy New Year, 207
Dollars and Dimes, 212
Our Nelly, 214
Study Men, not Books, 218
Murder of the Innocents, 220
American Ladies, 224
The Stray Sheep, 226
The Fashionable Preacher, 230
Cash, 233
Only a Child, 235
Mrs. Pipkin’s idea of Family Retrenchment, 237
A Chapter for Nice Old Farmers, 239
Madam Rouillon’s Mourning Saloon, 241
Fashion in Funerals, 243
Household Tyrants, 245
Women and Money, 247
The Sick Bachelor, 249
A Mother’s Influence, 252
Mr. Punch Mistaken, 257
Fern Musings, 259
The Time to Choose, 261
Spring is Coming, 262
Steamboat Sights and Reflections, 265
A Gotham Reverie, 268
Sickness in the City and Country, 269
Hungry Husbands, 273
Light and Shadow, 275
A Matrimonial Reverie, 278
What Love will Accomplish, 279
Mrs. Grumble’s Soliloquy, 283
Henry Ward Beecher, 285
An Old maid’s Decision, 289
A Punch at Punch, 291
Father Taylor, the Sailor’s Preacher, 292
Signs of the Times, 296
Whom does it concern, 300
Who Loves a Rainy Day, 306
A Conscientious Young Man, 310
City Scenes and City Life, No. 1, 312
do do do 2, 317
do do do 3, 322
do do do 4, 326
Two Pictures, 330
Feminine Waiters at Hotels, 332
Letter to the Empress Eugenia, 334
Music in the Natural Way, 337
For Ladies that go Shopping, 339
Modern Improvements, 344
The Old Merchant wants a Situation, 348
A Moving Tale, 350
This Side and That, 358
Mrs. Zebedee Smith’s Philosophy, 361
Opening of the Crystal Palace, 363
A Lance Couched for the Children, 369
A Chapter on Housekeeping, 371
Barnum’s Museum, 373
A Fern Reverie, 377
Apollo Hyacinth, 381
Spoiled Little Boy, 384
A Brown Study, 386
Incidents at the Five Points House of Industry, 388
Nancy Pry’s Soliloquy, 396
For Little Children, 397
Illustrations.
PAGE.
VIGNETTE TITLE,
THE LITTLE BROWN HOUSE, (FRONTISPIECE.)
MR. STUBBS AND HIS FRIENDS, 82
THE BLUE STOCKING, 101
THE AGED MINISTER, 150
OUR STREET, 194
SIMON SKINFLINT, 300
THE MAY-DAY MOVING, 350
Fern Leaves--Second Series.
SHADOWS AND SUNBEAMS.
CHAPTER I.
I can see it now: the little brown house, with its sloping roof,
its clumsy old chimneys, and its vine-clad porch; where the brown bee
hummed his drowsy song, and my silver-haired old father sat dozing the
sultry summer noons away, with shaggy Bruno at his feet. The bright
earth had no blight or mildew then for me. The song of the little
birds, resting beneath the eaves, filled my heart with a quiet joy. It
was sweet, when toil was over, to sit in the low door-way, and watch
the golden sun go down, and see the many-tinted clouds fade softly
away (like a dying saint) into the light of heaven, and evening’s
glittering star glow, like a seraph’s eye, above them. ’Twas sweet,
when Autumn touched the hill-side foliage with rainbow dyes, to see the
gorgeous leaves come circling down on the soft Indian-summer breeze.
’Twas sweet, when the tripping, silver stream lay still and cold in
Winter’s icy clasp, and the flowers fainted beneath his chilly breath,
and the leafless trees stretched out their imploring arms, and shook
off, impatiently, their snowy burthen, and the heavy wagon-wheels went
creaking past, and the ruddy farmer struck his brawny arms across his
ample chest, for warmth, and goaded the lazy, round-eyed oxen up the
icy hill. Even then, it was sunshine still, in the little brown house:
in the ample chimney glowed and crackled the blazing faggots; rows of
shining pans glittered upon the shelves; the fragrant loaf steamed
in the little oven; the friendly tea-kettle, smoking, sang in the
chimney corner, and by its side still sat the dear old father, with the
faithful newspaper, that weekly brought us news from the busy world,
from which our giant forest-trees had shut us out.
Ah! those were happy days: few wants and no cares: the patriarch’s
head was white with grave blossoms, yet his heart was fresh and green.
Alas! that, under the lowliest door-way, as through the loftiest
portal, the Guest unbidden cometh. The morning sun rose fair, but it
shone upon silver locks that stirred with no breath of life, upon
loving lips forever mute, upon a palsied, kindly hand that gave no
returning pressure. Soon, over the heart so warm and true, the snow lay
white and cold; the winter wind sang its mournful requiem, and from
out the little brown house, the orphan passed with tearful gaze and
lingering footstep.