272 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



PKB. 2MM»1| 



MISCELLANEOUS 



THE SILVER TANKARD. 



[Continued from pnge 267] 



Smith and his two companions entered. Now 

 it was neither breakfast time nor dinner tiino, but 

 about lialf way between both ; yet little Ilitly'a 

 head was full of the direction, ' spare of our abun- 

 dance ;' and almost before tliey were faiily in the 

 house she asked if she should get them something 

 to eat. Smith replied, ' Yes, I will thank you, my 

 child, for wo are all hunfrry.' This was indeed a 

 civil speech for the thief, who half starved had 

 been lurking in the woods to watch his chance to 

 steal the ' silver tankard' as soon as the ' luon 

 folks' had gone to meeting. ' Shall I give you 

 cold victuals, or will you wait until I can conk 

 some meat ;' asked Ililty. ' We can't wait,' was 

 the reply ; ' give us what you have roady as soon 

 as yon cai.' ' I am glad you don't want me to 

 cook fur you, — but I would if you did, — because 

 father would rather not have much cooking on 

 Sundavs.' Then away she tripped nboiit making 

 her preparation for I heir repast. Smith himself 

 helped her out with the table. She spread upon it 

 a clean wiiito cloth, and placed upon it the silver 

 tankard full of the ' old orchard,' with a large 

 quantity of wheaten bread and a dish of cold 

 meat. I don't know why the silver spoons were 

 put on, perhaps little Hitty thought they niado the 

 table look prettier. After all was done, she turn- 

 ed to Sjiiith and with a courtesy told him that din- 

 ner was ready. 



The child had been so busy in arranging her ta. 

 ble, and so thouyhlful of her housewifery, thai she 

 took little or no notice of the appearance of her 

 guests. She did the work as cheerily ajul freely, 

 and was as unembarrassed as if she had been sur- 

 rounded by her father and mother and brothers. 

 One of the thieves sat down doggedly, with his^ 

 hands on his knees and his face down almost to 

 his hands, looking all the time on the floor. 

 Another, a younger and better looking man, stood 

 confused and irresolute, as if he had not been well 

 broken to his trade, and often would he go to the 

 window and look out, keeping his back on the 

 child. Smith on the other hand looked uncon- 

 cerned, as if he had quite forgotten his purpose. 

 Ho never once took his attention oiTtho child, fol- 

 lowing her with his eye as she bustled about in ar- 

 ranging the dinner table; there was even half a 

 smile on his face. 'J hey all moved to the table. 

 Smith's chuir at the head, one ot his companions 

 on each side, the child at tiie foot, standing there 

 to help her guests and to be ready to go for fur- 

 tlier supplies as there was need. 



The men ate as hungry n:en, almost in silence, 

 drinking occasionally from the silver tankard. 

 When they had done. Smith started up suddenly, 

 and said, ' Come ! let's go.' ' What I' exclaimed 

 the older robber, ' go with empty hands when this 

 silver is here.' He seized the tankard. ' Put 

 that down !' shouted Smith ; ' I'll shoot the man 

 who takes a single thing from this house !' Poor 

 Ilitty at once awaked to a sense of the charac- 

 ter of her guests ; m ith terror in her face and yet 

 with a child-like frankness she ran to Smith, took 

 hold of his hand, and looked into his face as if 

 ■he felt sure that he would take care of her. 



The old thief, looking to his young companion 

 and finding that he was ready to give up the job, 

 and seeing that Smith was resolute, put down the 



tankard, growling like a dog which has had a bone 

 taken from him — ' fool ! catch me in your compa- 

 ny ayain ;' and with such expressions left the 

 Jiouse, foUoweil by the other. Smith put his hand 

 on the head of the child and said, 'Don't be 

 afraid — stay quiet in the house — nobody shall hurt 

 you.' Thus ended the visit of the thieves ; thus 

 God preserved the property of those who had their 

 trust in Mini. What a story had the child to tell 

 when the family came home '. How hearty was 

 the thanksgiving that went up that evening from 

 I the family altar ! 



i A year or two after this poor Tom Smilii was 

 arrested for the commission of some crime, was 

 tried and condemned to be executed. Daniel Gor- 

 , don heard of this, and that he was confined in jail 

 I in a seaport town, to wait for the dreadful day 

 when he was to he hung up as a dog between 

 I heaven and earth. Gordon could not keep away 

 I from him ; he felt drawn to the protector of his 

 daughter, and went down to see him. When he 

 1 entered the dungeon, Smith was seated, his face 

 I was pale, his hair tangled and matted together, — 

 I for why should he care for his looks ; there was 

 no other expression in his countenance, than that 

 jof irjitation from being intruded upon, when he 

 I wanted to hear nothing, see nothing, more of his 

 brother man ; he did not rise, nor even look up, 

 nor return the salutation of Gordon, who continu- 

 ed to stand before him. At last, as if wearied be- 

 yond endurance, he asked, ' What do you want of 

 nie .' Can't you let rne alone even here ?' 



' I am come,' said Gordon, ' to see you, because 

 my daughter told me all you did for her when you 



As if touched to the heart, Smith's whole ap- 

 pearance changed, an e.vpression of deep interest 

 came over his features, he was altogether another 

 man. The sullen indifTerence passed away in an 

 instant. ' Are you the father of that little girl ? 

 O what a dear child she is I Is she well and hap- 

 py ? How I love to think of her ! That's one 

 pleasant thing I have to think of. For once I was 

 treated like other men. Could I kiss her once, 1 

 think I should feel happier.' In this huj-ried man- 

 ner he poured out an intensity of feeling little sup- 

 posed to lie in the bosom of a condemned felon. 



Gordon remained with Smith, whispered to him 

 of peace beyond the grave for the penitent, smooth- 

 ing in some degree his passage through the dark 

 valley, and did not return unto his family until 

 Christian love could do no more for an erring 

 brother, on whom scarcely before had the eye of 

 pity rested, whose h.ind had been against all men 

 because their hands had been against him. 



I have told the story more at length and inter- 

 woven some unimportant circumstances, but it is 

 before you substantially as it was related to me. 

 The main incidei.ts are true, though, doubtless, 

 the story having been handed down from generation I 

 to generation, has been colored by the imngina- 1 

 lion. The silver tankard as an heir loom has de- 

 scended in the family — the property of the daugh- 

 ter named Rlehitable, and is now in the possession 

 of the lady of a clergyman in Maasachusetts. | 



What a crowd of thoughts do these incidents 

 cause to rush in upon the mind ! How sure is the 

 overcoming of evil with good. How truly did Je- 

 sus Christ know what is in the l)eart of man. 

 How true to the best feelings of human nature are 

 even the out-casts of society. How much of 

 our virtue do we owe to our position among nien. 

 How inconsistent with Christian love is it to put to 



death our brother, whose crimes arise mainly 

 the vices and wrong structure of society, 

 incessant should be our exertions to dissemi 

 tlio truth, that the world may be reformed, and 

 law of love be substituted for the law of pei 

 The reader will not, however, need our hel 

 make the right use of the guarding of the " 

 tankard" by the kindness and injocence of a c 



S. E. 



He who induces me to extend my interest 

 my affections to other climates, and to other S' 

 to different serts, opinions and classes of n 

 who enlarges the circle of my benevolence ; 

 instructs me that we are all children of one H 

 enly Father, all united by one common sy 

 all subject to the same trials and afflictions, an 



inheritors of the same blessed hopes He 



kindest and highest friend — He is the friend 

 benefactor of mankind. — Sir T. Binuird. 



UiS 



AGIUCULTURAI. IMP1,KMK*TS, &o 



The Proprietors of the New Kiiglaiid Agricultural! 

 housL' and Seed Slore No. 51 and 52 Norih fllurLfti 

 wcmkl inform their ouslomers and the puhlic Lcucrall' 

 they have on hand the most extensive asf orliiient of 

 culluiul and HorlicuiturHl Tools to he found lu llie I 

 Stales. Part of which are thcfoUowiug -. 



1000 Howard's Patent Cast 



Iron Ploughs 

 300 Common do. do. 

 200 Cultivators. 

 100 firecnc's i-lraw Cutters. 

 SO Willis' do. do 

 too Common do. do 

 100 Willis' Patent Corn 



Shcllers. 

 80 Common do do. 

 2..0 Willis' Seed Sowers. 

 60 " Vegetable Cutlers 

 00 Common do. do. 



aoo Hand Corn Mills. 

 200 Grain Cradles. 

 1 00 Oi Votes. 

 1500 Doz. Scylhe Stones. 

 3000 '■ Austin's Rifles. 

 March 17. 



too doz- Cast Steel Sb 



500 

 300 

 200 

 500 

 200 

 200 

 300 



CoHimon 

 Spades. 

 Grass Sc 



s Scythe*, 

 Patent Snaith 

 Common do. 

 Hay I<ake«. 

 Garden do. 

 Manure Forks, 

 Hay do. 

 00 Pair Trace Chaios, 

 100 " Truck do. 

 ino Draft do. 

 i»0 Tie up do. 



60 doz. Halter do. 

 1000 yards Fence do. 

 25 Grind Stones on 



ftil 



lU 



GRblEN'S PATENT STRAW CUTTKB.^Hfoi 



Ik 



JOSKPH BRECk .. . .; ... .liiNcw England A^ 

 uiral Warehouse and Seed htorc i\os. 51 and .'<2 IS'orlbJ 

 kel Slreel, have lor sale, Green's Palrnt Straw, Ha 

 Sialk Culler, operalini; on a mechanical principle not), 

 applied to any implement forllus purpose. The mo.<it| 

 inent elfecis ofiliis applicaiinn, and some of the cun> 

 ))ccuiiarilics of the machine arc : 



1. So groal a rcduclion ofihc quantum of power rei 

 to use it, that the strength of a half grown hoy is sufl 

 to work it elliciently. 



2. With even this modcralc power, It easily cut<> two] 

 els a miunie, which is full twice as fast us has hcen elf 

 liy any other machine even when worked by horec or I 

 power. 



3. The knives, owin? to the peculiar manner in whid , 

 cut, require shurpeuiug less ofieu than those of auyj 

 straw caller. 



4. The machine is simple in its conslructinn, made i 

 logather very strongly. It is therefore not so liaMe 

 cumplicnlrd nincliines in gcneial use to get out of on 



« K W i: N G L A N U F A R M K R . 



A WEtKLT PAFKR. 



Termii, $2 per year in advance, or ^2 50 iCtUf 

 ritliin thirty d.-iys. 



