294 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
IftisaUanem* 
THE REDBREAST: A WINTER PIECE, 
BY ANN SMITH. 
Half January’s days were past, 
The wind blew loud and keen ; 
The snow was falling thick and fast, 
And dreary was the scene. 
A Redbreast, shivering in the cold, 
Perch’d on my window pane, 
I ne’er had seen a bird so bold 
’Mid wintry sleet or rain. 
But there it sat, unscar’d alone, 
Unwilling still to start, 
So piteous was the redbreast’s tone 
It pierced my very heart; 
And well its sharp, beseeching eye 
For succour did implore, 
Till yielding to its plaintive cry 
I opened wide the door. 
In, in it came with fluttering wing 
And perched upon my chair, 
And sweetly did the redbreast sing 
And plumb’d its feathers there; 
But calm to storms do aye succeed, 
And when the bird was gone, 
My heart approv’d the kindly deed 
That it had timely done. 
Reader, a moral good and pure 
Lurks in the redbreast’s tale, 
The houseless wanderer at your door 
To shelter do not fail. 
But while the wind roars loud, and while 
The snow in flakes descend, 
Encourage, comfort with a smile 
The poor who have no friend. 
Mark Lane Express. 
THE ANGEL OVER THE RIGHT SHOULDER; 
OR, THE BEGINNING OF A YEAR. 
We find in our “Editor’s drawer” the follow¬ 
ing interesting journal, which is credited to the 
Boston Traveller , though we do not remember 
how long ago it first appeared. But no matter 
when it was written, it is worthy of being framed 
and kept where it can be seen, not only at new 
year, but at a thousand other times, when the 
cares, labors, and aspirations of the faithful 
housewife and mother conflict with each other, 
and distract her mind. 
“A woman’s work is never done,” said Mrs. 
James; “I am sure I thought I should get 
through by sundown, and here is this lamp now, 
on which I must go and spend half an hour be¬ 
fore it will burn.” 
“ Don’t you wish you had never been mar¬ 
ried?” said Mr. Janies, with a good-natured 
laugh. 
“ Yes,” rose to Mrs. James’ lips, but a glance 
at her husband and two little urchins, who, with 
sparkling eyes and glowing cheeks, were tumb¬ 
ling over him, checked that reply. 
“ I should like the good without the evil, if I 
could have it,” she said. 
“ I am sure you have no great evils to endure,” 
replied her husband. 
“That is just all you gentlemen know about 
it. How should you like it, if you could not get 
an uninterrupted half hour to yourself from 
morning to night? What would become of your 
favorite studies?” 
“ I do not think there is any need of that. I 
know your work could be arranged so system¬ 
atically as to give you some time to call your 
own.” 
“Well, all I wish is,” was the reply, “that 
you would follow me round for one day, and see 
what I have to do.” 
When the lamp was trimmed the conversation 
was resumed. Mr. James had given the subject 
some thought. 
“Wife,” said he, “I have a plan to propose, 
and wish you to promise me that you will ac¬ 
cede to it. It is an experiment, and I wish you 
to give it a fair trial to please me.” 
After hesitating awhile, as she had great rea¬ 
son to suppose it would be quite impracticable, 
she at length promised. 
“ This is my plan. I want you to take two 
hours out of every day for your own private use. 
Make a point of going up into your room and 
locking yourself in, and let the work go undone 
if it must. Spend this time in the way most 
profitable to yourself. Now I shall bind you 
down to your promise for one month; at the 
end of that time, if it has proved a total failure, 
we will try some other way.” 
“ When shall I begin ?” 
“ To-morrow.” 
To-morrow came. Mrs. James had selected 
the two hours before dinner as the most conve¬ 
nient for her; and as the family dined at one 
o’clock, she was to have finished her morning 
work, be dressed, and in her room at eleven. 
Hearty as her efforts were to accomplish this, 
the appointed hour found her with her work but 
half done; yet true to her promise, she retired 
to her room and turned the key of the door. 
After spending perhaps half an hour in form¬ 
ing plans for study, she drew up her table, placed 
her books before her, prepared pen and paper, 
and commenced with much enthusiasm. Scarcely 
was the pen dipped in ink, when there was a 
trampling of little feet along the hall, and a loud 
pounding on the chamber door. 
“ Mamma, mamma, I cannot find my mittens, 
and Frank is going without me to slide.” 
“ Go to Amy, daughter; mamma is busy 
now.” 
“Amy is busy too, and says she can’t leave 
the baby.” 
Upon this the child began to cry. The easiest 
way for Mrs. James to settle the difficulty, and 
indeed the only way, was to go and hunt up the 
missing articles. Then a parley must be held 
with Frank, to induce him to wait for his sister, 
and the little girl’s tears must be dried, and little 
hearts must be set right before the children were 
sent out to play, and a little lecture given, too, on 
the necessity of putting things where they be¬ 
longed. Time slipped away, and when Mrs. 
James returned to her study, her watch told her 
that one hour was gone. She quietly resumed 
her task, and was getting well under way again, 
when a heavier step was heard, and her door 
was once more tried. 
“ Mary,” said he, “ do come and put on a string 
for me. There is not a bosom in my drawer in 
order. I am in a hurry. I ought to have been 
down town an hour ago.” 
Mrs. James went for her work-basket, and 
followed him. The tape was sewed on; then a 
button needed fastening, and then a rip in his 
glove must be mended. 
Mrs. James took his glove, and stitched away 
at it, with a smile lurking at the corners of her 
mouth. 
“What are you laughing at?” inquired her 
husband. 
“To think how famously your plan works,” 
replied she. 
“I declare!” exclaimed he; “was this your 
study-hour? I am sorry; but what can a man 
do? he cannot go down town without a shirt 
bosom.” 
“Certainly not,”replied his wife quietly. 
When her liege lord was fairly equipped, Mrs. 
James returned to her room again. About half 
an hour remained to her, of which she was de¬ 
termined to make the most. Once more was 
her place found, and her pen dipped in ink, -when 
there was another disturbance in the entry. 
Amy had returned with the baby from his walk. 
She took him into the nursery to get him to sleep. 
Now the only room in the house where Mrs. 
James could have a fire to herself was the room 
adjoining the nursery. The ordinary noise of 
the children did not disturb her, but the very 
extraordinary one which Master Charley felt 
called upon to make, when he was fairly upon his 
back in the cradle, was rather more than could 
be borne by most mothers without seriously dis¬ 
turbing the train of their thoughts. The words 
of the author rose and fell with the bawls and 
screams of the child. Mrs. James closed her 
book until the storm should be past over. Soon 
after quiet was restored, the children came in 
from sliding, crying with cold fingers. Just as 
the dinner-bell rang, Mrs. James closed her book 
in despair. 
“ How did you succeed wdth your studies this 
morning?” inquired Mr. James. 
“Famously,” replied Mrs. James. “I read 
about seventeen pages of German, and as many 
more of French.” 
“ Why, I am sure I did not hinder you long.” 
“ No; yours was only one of a dozen interrup¬ 
tions.” 
“ Oh, well; you must not be discouraged. 
You cannot expect to succeed the first time. 
Persist in it, until the family learn that if they 
want any thing of you, they must come at some 
other time.” 
“ But what is a man to do ?” replied his wife; 
“ he cannot go down town with a string off his 
bosom and a rip in his glove.” 
“Well, I was in a bad fix,” replied Mr. James. 
“I dare say it will not happen again. At any 
rate try the month out, and see what will come 
of it.” 
The second day of trial happened to be a 
stormy one; and as the morning was very dark, 
Bridget overslept herself, and breakfast was one 
hour too late. This lost hour Mrs. James could 
not recover. Eleven o’clock came, and her mor¬ 
ning work was but half done. With a mind dis¬ 
turbed and depressed, she left things in the suds, 
as they were, and retired punctually to the study. 
She found, however, that it was impossible to fix 
her attention upon any thing which required 
thought. Neglected duties haunted her, as 
ghosts do the guilty conscience. Finding she 
was really doing nothing with her books, and 
wishing not to lose the morning wholly, she 
commenced a letter. Bridget came to her door 
before she had written half a page. 
“What shall we have for dinner, ma’am? 
There aint no marketing come, and you did not 
tell me what to get.” 
“Have some steaks.” 
“ We hain’t got any.” 
“Well, I will send out for some.” 
Now, there was no one to send but Amy, and 
Mrs. James knew it. With a sigh she put away 
her letter and went into the nursery. 
“Amy, Mr. James has forgotten the market¬ 
ing. I wish you would run over to the provision 
store and order some beef-steaks; I will stay 
with the baby.” 
Amy was none too well pleased to be sent on 
this errand. She remarked, “ that she must first 
change her dress,” 
“ Be as quick as possible, then,” said Mrs. 
James; “ for I am particularly engaged this 
morning.” 
Amy neither obeyed nor disobeyed; but man¬ 
aged to take her own time in reality, though 
without any direct determination to do so. Mrs. 
James, thinking she might get along a sentence 
or two in the nursery, took her German book 
in; but to this arrangement Charley would by 
no means consent. Mamma must show him the 
kitties in the book; whether there or not, it was 
all one to him—but amused he must be. Half 
her second day’s time of trial was gone when 
Amy came in; and with a sigh Mrs. James re¬ 
turned to her room. Before one o’clock she had 
been called down into the kitchen twice on some 
important business relating to the dinner, and 
for this day not one entire page of a letter had 
been written. 
On the third morning she rose early, made 
every provision for dinner and for the comfort 
of the family which she deemed necessary, and 
