192 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



DECKMBKR 19, 183S. 



MISCELLANEOUS, 



THE IVY. 



Why love ihe Ivy? liast ihoii seen, 

 As winters day (ell chill and drear, 



lis glossy roire of richest green 



Hang graceful ' mid the forest horc? 



Eniblem of Hope, whioji still can bless, 



When all around is comfortless. 



Why love the Ivy? lake thy sland 



In grandeur's desolated hall. 

 And o'er the work of Time's rude hand 



How decently its dark wreaths fall- 

 Emblem of Pity's mantle laid 

 Over some wreck by sorrow made. 



Why love the ivy ? mark yon oak, 



Leafless and bleached liy rain and wind, 



How Ivy lends a sheltering cloak. 



Around its old limbs closely twined — 



Emblem of earthly comforts gone. 



And heaven's own robe of peace put on. 



Tli^star which lights life's dreariest waste, 

 The balm which soothes its darkest woes. 



And life's dim cheerless evening graced 

 By the calm hope a Christian knows — 



These in their emblem joined apjirove 



The Ivy's claim on human love. 



DARBY AND THE RAM. 



'Twas one of those days when the sun in its 

 perpendicular altitude looks at two sides of the 

 hedge at once — a lovely midsumnier day — when 

 nature was laughing till her sides ached, and mo- 

 ther earth, in her gayest mood, was lavishing her 

 promises and her smiles to her often ungrateful 

 children, the lambs were skipping to and fro within 

 their enclosed pastures, and the cows, with grave 

 and matron aspect, were lolling in the sun, and 

 ruminating their already gathered repast — every- 

 thii7g seemed happy except the Shepherd Darby. 



Poor fellow ! A " green and yellow melancholy," 

 had settled on his manly cheek ; liis grief he re- 

 vealed not, but "concealment, like a worm i' the 

 bud," preyed upon his spirits ; he stalked about the 

 field like a ghost, or leaned upon his crook in silent 

 despair. 



Lord Applefield and Squire Buckthorn were riding 

 past to dinner. "I wonder," said his lordship to 

 the squire, what can be the matter with my shep- 

 herd Darby. He seems in a galloping consumption, 

 and were I to lose him, I would not see his like 

 again for many a long day. He is the most honest, 

 steady, careful creature in the world, and never 

 told a lie in his life." 



" Never told a lie in his life ! GooSil Why, 

 my lord, do you really believe such nonsense ?" 



" Decidedly I do. .1 know your opinionjis not 

 very favorable as to the moral characterfof our 

 dependents, yet there are some among them not 

 unworthy of trust." 



They now advanced nearer, and his lordship 

 held up his whip as a signal, and over bounded 

 Darby. " Well, Darby, that shower we had last 

 night, served the pastures." 



" It did, my lord, and the cows will give a larger 

 meal, and require milking earlier this evening, 

 through means of it." 



" Dardy, bring over my favorite ram, that this 

 gentleman may see it." 



" Yes, my lord. Hallo, Sweeper, away for Ball- 



♦ace." In a few minutes the dog hunted the ram 

 up from the Hock. "That's a clever turn, my 

 worthy," said tlio squire, " here's half a crown to 

 drink." 



"Thanks to your honor," said Darby, "but 

 the worth of that in strong drink will serve me 

 a year, and yet I will spend it in drink all in one 

 night. 



" Explain this riddl?. Darby." 



" Why, sir, when I feel myself merry enough 

 without it, Where's the use in taking it.' That 

 stream can slake my thirst as well. Yet, I'll not 

 speak for others — many a one there are, who must 

 have strong drink to give them false spirits. On 

 them will I spend it, to open tlieir hearts, and make 

 them forget their day's toil." 



" You are a worthy fellow, and a philosopher," 

 said Lord Applefield, with a look of triumph, as he 

 and the squire rode off. " What say you to my 

 shepherd now ?" 



"A mighty plausible fellow, indeed! Yet proud 

 as you are of him, my lord, I bet a score of sheep 

 that before two days, I'll make him tell you a bare- 

 faced lie, out and out." 



" Done !" said his lordship ; the wager was laid, 

 and the squ're set out on his lie-making expedi- 

 tion. 



He soon ascertained tlie cause of Darby's mel- 

 ancholy. There had been a quarrel between him 

 and tlie girl of his heart, the lovely Cauthleen. 

 Pride prevented a reconciliation, though both would 

 have given the world to be in each other's arms. 

 To her the squire bent his steps, succeeded in 

 drawing out the secret that she loved Darby a 

 heart and a half, and tlien artfully upbraiding her 

 with unkindness in neglecting tlie " worthy young 

 ftllow," who was dying with love for her, contrived 

 to inveigle her, by a series of falsehoods, into a 

 plan to get reconciled to Darby, and while in the 

 lieitjht of his happiness, to coax the ram from him. 

 It succeeded next day to admiration — and the 

 laughing girl tripped home, leading the animal with 

 a kerchief taken from her snowy bosom. 



Darby was noiw left to solitary reflection. The 

 hour was rapidly approaching when his lordship 

 usually took his round, and he would infallibly 

 miss his favorite ram — what was to be done ? To 

 tell a lie appeared to his honest mind, the very es- 

 sence of degradation — to equivocate was meanness 

 execrable — yet an excuse must be had ! A sudden 

 thought seized him — he resolved to see how a lie 

 would look before he told it ; and planting his 

 crook in the field, and placing his hat on it, in or- 

 der to personate himself, he retired to a distance, 

 and in the character of his lordship, hailed the 

 effigy as follows : 



" Good morrow. Darby." 



" Good morrow, ray lord." 



" How are the flocks to-day, Darby ?" 



" Pretty fair, my lord .'" 



" Darby," I don't see my favorite ram — where is 

 he ?" 



"Oh, my lord, he — he — he." 



" He what. Darby .'" 



"He was drown-ed — my — my lord !" 



"Darby, if I did not know your general charac- 

 ter for carefulness, I should feel exceedingly an- 

 noyed, but I presume it was an accident. Send 

 the fat and hide up to the castle." 



"That won't do !" murmured Darby, slowly turn- 

 ing away. He resolved to try it again. 



" Good morrow, Darby." 



" Good morrow, my lord." 



" Are the flocks well to-day, Darby ?" 



" Bravely, my lord " 



" .'\nd my ram. Darby, where is he ?" 



" My lord, he — he — ." 



" Is there anything wrong ? Tell me at once." 



" He was sto — len, my — lord." 



" Stolen I stolen ! I saw him this morning as I 

 was riding past ! When was he stolen ?" 



" That won't do either," exclaimed the poor shep- 

 herd, as he turned away tlie second time. " Cruel, 

 cruel Cauthleen !" 



Something seemed to whisper to him, " Try if 

 perhaps the truth will do !" Fresh courage ani- 

 mated his desponding mind, and wheeling about he 

 recommenced the colloquy, and on coming to the 

 usual interrogation, " Where's the ram," he dropped 

 on his knees, and exclaimed, " Oh, my lord, I liad 

 a falling j>ut with my sweetlieart, and she would 

 not make it up with me unless I made a present of 

 your lordship's favorite ram. Discharge me, my 

 lord, do with me what you please, but 1 could not 

 bring myself to tell your lordship a lie !" 



" That will do !" shouted Darby, springing from 

 his knees, and walking up and down with a feeling 

 of honest exultation. lie had scarcely time to 

 compose himself, when his lordship and the squire 

 appeared. Darby, on the usual interrogation being 

 put, dropped on his knees and told "the truth, tlie 

 whole truth, and nothing but the trulh;" and in- 

 stead of seeing a frown gathering on his lordship's 

 countenance, he beheld him turn with a look of 

 triumph towards the squire, while he exclaimed, 



" An honest man's the noblest work of God !" 



The readers are informed, in conclusion, tliat the 

 squire's forfeited sheep were given to Cauthleen as 

 a dower, and in taking the hand of her shepherd, 

 she promised never again to put his truth and con- 

 stancy to so severe a trial. 



DuRHA.M Cattle. — The Lexington Intelligen- 

 ner of the 14th September says, there have been 

 two sales of short horn Durham cattle in the neigh- 

 borhood, being the stock of Maslin and Samuel 

 Smith, Esqrs. At the sale of the latter, a cow and 

 sucking calf sold for S"2,100. Another at !Sl,350 

 —others at $1,100, $1,000, &.C. The whole stock 

 of Samuel Smith sold for between $30,000 and 

 $30,000. 



Beet Sugar. — Preparations are making to man- 

 ufacture beet sugar in Northampton, the coming 

 season. In Northampton, about 12 acres are under 

 cultivation, which will average 15 to 20 tons the 

 acre, but when better understood, a larger crop may 

 be expected. In French Flanders an average crop 

 is 15 tons to the acre, but 30 tons are often pro- 

 duced ; and in that country, it is said, that even 

 among the poorer classes, no other than refined 

 sugar is used. In Prussia the average crop is 16 

 tons to the acre, but in England, it is 30 tons, and 

 a first rate crop 50 tons to the acre. 



THE NEW EKGLAKD FARMER 



Is published every Wednesday Evening, at S3 per annu 

 payable at the end of the year— but those who pay within 

 sixty days from the time of subscribing are entitled to a de^ 

 ductionof 59 cents. 





TUTTLE, DENNETT AND CHISHOLM, PRINTFRS, 



17 SCHOOL STREST BOSTON* 



