426 INDIANA HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS 



but feels as though he snuffed the sweet fragrance of 

 the fields and forest flowers, whenever he reads of scenes 

 of country life? How the odors of the orchard fill his 

 nostrils in spring when the mere name of the country 

 tingles upon the sense of hearing. One of the sweetest 

 of his pleasures of memory is the recollection of the odors 

 that made him love the flowers with which God carpeted 

 the earth where he first breathed their sweet fragrance. 



In vain for him the golden morn 

 Awaked the song of vernal bird; 



No sight nor sound, emotion gave, 

 Like that which fragrance stir'd. 



Oh, ye denisens of the country, who might live in the 

 constant enjoyment of Persian gales, how have ye per- 

 verted and abused this good gift of God, till ye are en- 

 abled to sit down contented to your morning and evening 

 meals in the atmosphere of a duck pond or pig pen, and 

 sleep in the fragrant effluvia of a hen coop, or drown the 

 natural sense of smell, in the horrid stench of burnt 

 tobacco. S. R. 



Letter to Leila Robinson 



[Ms. in Harry Robinson Strait Papers, Gary] 



New York Oct. 20*'^ '50 

 Miss Leila Robinson. 



My Dear Little girl. — Yours of Oct. 2. and your 

 sister's & yours of Sep. 21. I found waiting for me on 

 my return to the city a week ago, & I have been expect- 

 ing another all the week, and for two weeks I have prom- 

 ised myself every day that I would write. But I have 

 been very much engaged, and the devil stands at my 

 elbow now calling for yiiiore copy. So he gets the copy & 

 not the copyist, very well. Did I tell you to write your 

 cousin Sarah Lake at Smithfield, Phil* Co. Pa. I wish 

 you would. And I want you to take pains to write as 

 well as possible. Sometimes your letters are very nice, 

 at others not so. A little girl that has plenty of time 



