(^l)c jTavmei-'s jUontl)!!) llbitor. 



115 



For the Farmer's Monthly Visitor. 

 The Etymology of "Sweetheail.'" 



"The rose of Shiron blossomed there, 

 The Caircst flower that sjrcw." 



Prior to llie Revolutionary struggle, Imfore the 

 battle uhicli freed the spot Cor the nioniimeiit, at 

 tlie rompletiou of which we the other day as- 

 sembled to unite ill s'"""'''!''""' *'°'" '"^'^ '° 

 1775, the carriaire roadii were limited to Bo.stoii 

 itself, and its iniiiiediate vicinity. Then, as now, 

 in the far west, jouriiies were made, neii^hhors 

 visited, and business was attended to l)y travel liiif: 

 on horseback The roads rough and narrow, 

 skirleil and overhung by the forests, left this as 

 the oidy facile mode of passing over iheiii, and 

 around the well attended meeting-houses of the 

 pious pnpul.uion of that day were numerous 

 liorse posts and hooks driven into trees for se- 

 eming the animals while the never omittt-d cere- 

 mony was performed. 



, It hap|)ened, as it now ha[)peus in onr new 

 settlements, that insterul of the varnished car- 

 riages and polished harnesses of the present, 

 when we now speak of, that two or three rode the 

 same trusty horse, not in the constrained single- 

 ness of our hoarding school nfisses, copying after 

 the pictures in the ^lagazines of the latest fash- 

 ion, but with that ease and grace which use and 

 confidence, derived from it, practiced from child- 

 hooil, alone can give. The girl, to ride well, to 

 enjoyjt, to guide her horse when restive, cabnly 

 and firmly, must begin when a child behind her 

 father or her brother, and she grows y)\) never to 

 know or feel fear, aud thinks of any thing as 

 soon as an accident from riding on horseback. 



At the time of our story the girls, and (lersons 

 still live that can remember, instances where the 

 streams were swollen, that they would lake oft" 

 slioes and stockings to keej) them dry, lc)ld up 

 their riding skirts and fearlessly swim their horscK 

 across llie streams. About and even in Boston 

 itself were little patches for the raising of vege- 

 tables, that sold readily at high prices, and the 

 agiicidturist of the day could be seen with his 

 panniers made of basket stuff, threading the 

 streets and disposing of the surplus frotn bis 

 garden, knowing and being known by every one. 

 This was Boston ami its neighborhood at tliis 

 lime; the towns of Stougluon, of Sharon, Fox- 

 borough, &c. were quite reuujte, and the sparse 

 [lopidation oidy went to town, as Boston was 

 called, for important purposes. 



An occasion of this kind occiu'red in the visit 

 of Fanny Hart, aud her most happy Isaac Tol- 

 nian, for the pm-pose of purchasing the most in- 

 teresting dress for the most important occasion 

 that occurs in life. With what anticipations do 

 we not look forward — what dreams docs not 

 fancy weave — how the flowers spring up and 

 adorn the paths we tread, on our buoyant reach- 

 irigs to this scene ! And then the anchor of 

 hope that hehl us to our parent roof is weighed ; 

 we lauiu-li our bark upon the sea, and leave that 

 Shore, never, oh, never, to he again marked by 

 its keel. 



Funny Hart was a<linitted generally, so amiable 

 was her temjier, and winning her manners, to be 

 the belle of Sharon, and catching the idea from 

 the sacred psalmody in which she participated 

 with a correct ear an<l good voice, she was 

 known as the " rose of Sharon." Lest the 

 strength of this figure may impart an impression 

 of riidiliness that was not hers, let it be men- 

 tioned that her cheek was neither pale or red, 

 but through a fair skin those winning shades 

 were richly blended, ami seemed as it were to 

 contend i'or empire. Fanny was now nineteen, 

 and no farther description will be atteni|)ted, to 

 fail here, save the sculptor ami the |iainter, 

 whose creations are ralher to he admired than 

 sought after, or described. 



In the early |)arl of the year 1774, Fanny, the 

 eldest of the grou|; ofchildren, was sitting by her 

 i7iother. The eveifmg was fine and the father 

 was by. On the morning following, ere the d.iwn 

 sbotdd streak the east, she expected to be behind 

 Isaac, on their way to the town of Boston. 



"I looked," said the mother, "through all the 

 stores in Cornhill, ami in my opinion the silk 

 at Benny Spcar'» is the most suitable. He said 

 he would take fourteen shillings a yard for it, 

 which is as cheap as any of as good a quality, 

 and it suits your eyes aud skin, Fanny. It is a 

 light fawn color, which always inatchec with 



blue eyes and light hair ;. in fact it is very near 

 the color of your hail', my dear-'' 



" Here are the double Joes, Fan," said the in- 

 dulgent father, as he handed her tlie coin of 

 that day long l.ud up for such occasions ; "and 1 

 will now retire. You should be off by four in 

 the morning, and will scarcely reach home by 

 ten at night even then." 



" There is a moon," said the mother, " and put 

 some dough-nuts and turn-overs in the saddle- 

 bags, and one of those little cream cheeses ; it 

 can be left by the spring in Milton, and with a 

 new loaf that you can get at the south end, as 

 you come out of town, will answer for dinner." 



Before the east was rosy, before the timid deer 

 had left his leafy lair to brush the nuirning dew 

 of the meadow^Isaac Tolman was at the door 

 for Fanny ; his eager horse well fed for the oc- 

 casion, hearing his bowed neck upon the bit, and 

 fretting the ground with his fore feet. The light 

 in Fanny's room that Isaac had seen from the 

 hill a mile distant shewed that she had not miss- 

 ed the hour. In a moment she was on the horse 

 block, then behind him, aud her arm aroimd his 

 waist, and in a few moments the fond and con- 

 fiding mother heard the clattering of the horse's 

 hoofs die away in the fast increasing distance. 

 We may talk of walks by moonlight, of riding 

 in a chiiise over smooth rural roads in summer 

 — of pleasure parties where "Robin is;" but is 

 it not doubtful if any improvement has been or 

 can be made upon the old fiishioned mode of two 

 upon a horse ? for when Isaac turned his head 

 to speak to Fanny, as his horse fell into a walk 

 on reaching the next hill, her cheek, her peachy 



cheek, was so near that Morso may obtain 



patents for his magic telegraphs, and Mesmerism 

 may uidbid her wonders, but the touch of beauty's 

 li|i, magnetism cannot convey, nor Mesmerism 

 explain. 



When the sun was fairly up, they were far on 

 their way. Few were the persons they met; 

 hero and there was a clearing and a house ; but 

 the native forests for the most part bordered the 

 i-oad, in which the ])artridge could be seen steal- 

 ing away on the approach of the horse, and the 

 sfiiiirrelran along llie rail feu(;es, anticipating 

 the frost with an early chesnut in his mouth. 



.\t Milton Mills the horse was fed, and beside 

 the spring there, at the foot of the hill on the 

 west side, Isaac and Fanny ate the turn-over ap- 

 ple pie and dough-nuts, and drank from the same 

 nouril which floated there (or the ni-e of the 

 thirsty traveller. Here, loo, the mother's advice 

 was remend)ered, and one of Fanny's cream 

 cheeses was left to he ready on their return with 

 the wheaten loaf they should get at the bakers. 

 Lovers had appetites in those days. 



In Boston the " rose of Sharon" attracted the 

 eye of more than one idle ofliicor in a red coat, 

 as she passed along. The purchase of the silk 

 was made, fawn color, and in a double fold care- 

 fully placed in the hands of Isaac. Early as they 

 had left, ere that was done the noon was passed. 

 To Fanny it had seemed short; she I'.ad never 

 been in Boston; and eveiy sign was read, every 

 person noticed, and the march of the King's 

 troops in King street stepping to a fine band of 

 iiuisic seemed to her like enchantment, aud she 

 afterwards tohl her mother that she fancied that 

 she heard those martial strains, and saw the glit- 

 ter of their arms long after her head was laid 

 upon her pillow at night, and imtll sleep chased 

 awav the illusion. 



At the South end they alighted for a short 

 time, at the baker's, next door to Col. Davis' 

 store, noted for .selling the best West India goods, 

 and whose hogsheads of molasses surrounded 

 and excluded the approach to the horse-block, 

 which then fronted the door of every store. All 

 but orje of these were hiving upon the ground, 

 as they were then ri'ceiving them from the ves- 

 sel ; that one, leaking much at one of tbo heads, 

 was headed up. Isaac was mounted — brought 

 his horse by the side of this, aud Fanny tripping 

 over the lain hogsheads gained this in order 

 again to vault into her seat behind him. How 

 uulooked for are the incidenis of our lives! 

 Who can foresee what time will produce! Onr 

 good aud our evil fortunes alike are wisely 

 shrouded from '.he penetration of human eyes. 

 The spring that Fanny exerted started the head- 

 ing o( the upright hogshead of molasses, and 

 doVii Fanny sank until her feet rested on the 

 bottom, slipping as it were through her dress. 



which did not readily settle in the thick fluid. 

 Both Isaac and Fanny had loo much good sense 

 to be the willing objects of a street spectacle, 

 and their first endeavor was to be out and uwny 

 with all speed ; but before Isaac could dismount 

 and come to her aid — for to get out alone was not 

 easy — her whole dress, (not the new one) riding 

 skirt and all, was drinking deep of Col. Uavi*' 

 molasses, who saw the affair from behind his 

 counter, where he remained. 



Charming Fanny, sweet, and. more sweet Fan- ,, 

 ny was soon behind Isaac, the horse reeking with 

 molasses, in a long gallop over the Neck for the 

 shades of Roxbury. Wlieu tlie woody road 

 was reached Fanny first broke the silence by 

 inquiring it' the new dress had been kept clean 

 of the molasses. " All issafe," saiil Isaac ; "and 

 Fan, what a sugar candy condition you have got 

 in," touching her dripping frock, and tasting. 

 " I have never tasted better tnolasses." Faiiuy 

 followed the example — they divided the loaf, and 

 as they nibbed it off, recomineadtul it to their 

 palates by touching the ends at each bite upon 

 the reeking dress of Fanny. As they passed a 

 traveller here and. there, or some idler leaning 

 over a gate who looked with surprise at the 

 plight they were in, they laughed outright. 



Let us leave them thus, happy on the road for 

 home, which Fanny reached at ten in the evening 

 in the face of a fidl moon, and turn our attention 

 to the worthy Col. Davis aiid his molasses. He 

 saw, as we know, the accident; felt conscious 

 that the fault if any was liis, for the hogsheads 

 shut out the hor.se-bloqk, and being a man of 

 good taste never for n moment enlertaiiied the 

 idea that the article was less valuable from the 

 circumstance. He therefore set about having it 

 conveyed in buckets to the hogshead on tap, and 

 not one of his customers ever found fault with 

 it. On the contrary, as it happened to be the 

 best flavored of an excellent cargo, many who 

 bought of it afterwards inquired if he still had 

 any as good as the last they purchased ; and the 

 Col. was seen to smile when one of them said 

 that it had a flavor like " nut meat,'" as he mused 

 to himself if it derived that ]ieculiarity from the 

 falling of 11 very jjretty young woman into the 

 hogshead. 



if the custojners of Col. Davis near Boston 

 knew nothmg of the matter, the reader will not 

 suppose that the people of Sharon were long 

 ignorant, for such was not the case. Fanny of 

 course told her mother on the night, and ;is soon 

 as she reached home; the mother imparted it 

 that day to her sister anil her three nieces, and 

 oil the following Sunday during the exchange of 

 congratulutions on coming out of meeting the 

 liict'of Fanny Hart's visit to buy her wedding 

 dress, and her slip in the cask of molasses was 

 known to all Sharon. Ah, rose oi Sharon i fair- 

 est blossom of her vales I; charming Fanny ! 

 sweet Fanny ! ssveethearl I ! Is l he reader now 

 satisfied ? have we proved the etymology of 

 sweetheatt ?• If not, let him know that for years 

 after, w henever a young couple were seen before 

 marriage, riding upon the same horse, the event 

 of Fanny was remembered, and pointing them 



out, the observer would say, •' there goes 



with his sweetheart behind him."' What matters 

 it if this coinpounil word is lijund earlier? Wo 

 say it was vvanderingabout without a fixed mean- 

 ing until tlie journey of Isaac and Fanny ; this 

 like a statute to usage iit once gave it date ^iid 

 stability. 



Somev^hat confident in our erudition, we will 

 nat trouble the reader larther upon it, but if not 

 mistaken he may send an inipiiiliig thought after 

 Fanny and her fartiiues. Let him know, then, 

 that in due time on the notable evening of 

 Thanksgiving the minister of Sharon in the 

 presence of the relatives of the two families of 

 Isjiac and Fanny pronounced them for their joint 

 lives one aud inseparable in their worldly for- 

 umes. Those who had long admired Fanny 

 never saw her ap|iear so well ; ihe tiiwn colored 

 .silk, the gauio 'kerchief that "fitfully half con- 

 cealed, half disclosed" her fine bust tied with a 

 white satin ribband— all was in keeping, all ap- 

 propriate — now no longer a belle, but Mrs. Tol- 

 man, 



Time has changed almost every landmark of 

 that day. The forests have gone— cultivated 

 fields aiid human habitations have supplied their 

 places. The horse-paths have been supplanted 

 bv beaten wide roads ; and, painftd to say, Fauny 



