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KEDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



the smile of some readers ; but it would not, 

 had they witnessed the scene. The day had 

 been remarkably sultry — the breezes were 

 impregnated with heat, as they passed over 

 the parched earth, — and scarce a pond was 

 to be seen without exhibiting half of its bosom 

 crusted with mud. Amid such sultriness, a 

 poor horse, oppressed with toil, had dropped 

 on the road. Upon a withered patch of grass, 

 the fine animal struggled in the agonies of 

 death ; his broad sides heaved up and down 

 with a reluctant motion ; his limbs quivered, 

 till by degrees each wrestle of life became 

 more faint ; his mane hung over his vein- 

 swollen neck, and then with ears momentarily 

 upshot, he turned his red eye-balls with a 

 fiery expression on his master, swelled forth 

 a groan, — and died. I shall never forget the 

 laborer's look, as he stood, dumb and motion- 

 less, by his beast ; it was the eloquent sorrow 

 of affection, rather than selfish regret for his 

 mere loss ; he appeared unconscious of the 

 passing coach, and, with a drooping head, 

 gazed intensely on the animal; his eye seeming 

 rilled with the collected gratitude of years for 

 his services. 



A boisterous but heart-warm exclamation 

 of pity from a tar, seated before me, soon 

 diverted my attention. He appeared an open- 

 hearted fellow, fraught with all the amiable, 

 but blunt, qualities of an English sailor. It 

 was delightful to observe the joy that glit- 

 tered in his eye, from time to time, as he 

 turned to his wife, who held a punch}' boy 

 on her lap : it was evident, too, that he had 

 just returned from a voyage : his natty round 

 straw hat, with its ribbon dallying with the 

 wind, the snug blue jacket and clean Russia- 

 duck trowers, all proclaimed him newly rig- 

 ged out for a little sport on land. His face 

 was somewhat seamed ; but there was a ge- 

 nerous feeling playing about his features, and 

 lighting them up into manly expressiveness. 

 Though not exactly conceited, he was aware 

 that he was no disgrace to his Majesty's 

 navy ; sometimes he would exhibit his small 

 foot, by swinging it heedlessly over the coach, 

 and then, with a preparatory bridling of the 

 head, he would strain down the collar of his 

 jacket, take a look at the nosegay stuck in 

 his button- loop, then clap his powder- veined 

 hands together, and conclude by parentally 

 pinching the cheek of his son, as much as to 

 say — " Go it, my boy ! I hope you'll make 

 such another as your father !" 



There was more politeness in this unso- 

 phisticated specimen of good-nature, than in 

 half the courtiers of the land. Assuredly, it 

 was not very delicate ; but it held the same 

 control over the stranger's heart. He could 

 not possibly sit quiet — now he was gazing 

 across the shadowy fields, now hailing a tra- 

 veller with a jocose salute, and then looking 

 round about on the passengers, with a dumb 



request for them to share in his happiness. 

 He was ready to make all the world as con- 

 tented as himself. To the coachman he was 

 particularly liberal with his services, being 

 ever active in supplying the place of a guard, 

 by well-timed "hollos !" when carts or closed 

 turnpikes threatened any interruption. The 

 hills were a considerable relief to his restless 

 hilarity ; in a breath he was down on the 

 road to secure the drag, and then " up again," 

 with infinite facility. 



Being seated at the hinder part of the coach, 

 I had little opportunity of observing the re- 

 mainder of the passengers : there was one, 

 however, by my side, whom I shall never for- 

 get — one of those interesting beings, who, 

 though strangers, never fail to fix themselves 

 in our memory. "Who, or what she was, it 

 was impossible to determine ; — her dress, 

 mien, and other nameless attributes of good 

 breeding, betrayed her of no mean rank. Her 

 countenance was almost beyond beautiful : it 

 added to the grace of expression a delicate 

 tinge of melancholy. Once, with great gen 

 tleness, I endeavored to entice her into con- 

 versation, by resorting to the Englishman's 

 introductory topic : she replied, but it was with 

 a brevity that hinted her wish to enjoy her 

 thoughts. Once, in particular, I saw her cast 

 her eye, with intense meditation, athwart 

 the landscape. It was one of those looks 

 that reveal the course of the imagination : — 

 hers seemed, at that moment, to be travel- 

 ling into distant lands, perhaps voyaging 

 across the ocean, and hovering round a wave- 

 tossed vessel that contained some cherished 

 friend. She gazed in this manner for several 

 minutes, till a tear stole into her eye, and 

 then, as if awakening from a dream, she wiped 

 it away, and resumed her previous calm. The 

 temporary bustle at the inn now intruded 

 agreeably on the monotony of a longjourney ; 

 as the coach rested here for a quarter of an 

 hour, we all alighted except the interesting 

 stranger. Every entreaty failed to persuade ; 

 and she sat quietly in her seat while the rest 

 went to exhilirate themselves with requisite 

 cheer. Not feeling any inclination to join 

 them, I preferred pacing outside the inn, 

 and enjoying the beauty of the night. The 

 meadows were now glittering with the night 

 dews, as if studded with diamonds, and the 

 moon was in her watch-tower, coloring all 

 around with a blue radiance. The trees in their 

 shadowy groups, appeared truly beautiful; 

 while at a distance might be heard the tinkle 

 of a team, winding the round-roofed wagon 

 along the moonlit road. In the midst of this, 

 my attention was called to a still more pleas- 

 ing sight. Spite of all the "lady's" previous 

 rejections of refreshments, the mariner, in 

 the plenitude of his warm-heartedness, de- 

 termined on another trial. For this purpose, 

 he had prepared a tumbler full of spirits and 



