March 25. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER, 
401 
choices and Potatoes planted ; but these crops, though of 
the utmost importance, do not come within the limits 
ot the “ seed list,” only, for literal accuracy, I have here 
mentioned them. J. Robson. 
A WAY TO BE MISERABLE. — No. 2. 
By the Authoress of “ My Flowers ," die. 
It may, I hope, benefit my younger readers, to consider 
the consequences of another early and thoughtless marriage, 
about which I am going to tell them. One or two real ex¬ 
amples are better and more convincing than a hundred 
fancied ones, which are often passed by as amusing tales, 
without doing any further good ; and I feel sure if any thing 
can persuade the young to be in no hurry to settle in life, a 
very great deal of good will be done. 
Ann Jones married William Bird in the thoughtless way 
that most young people enter upon this solemn contract. 
She was very young, very giddy, and very self-willed. Her 
mother was a woman of great piety, and did all she could to 
teach Mary the right way, but she made no impression upon 
her, and it ended in her marrying William Bird, a reckless, 
worthless fellow, fond of poaching and rat-catching, but 
nothing else. Mary soon repented of what she had done, 
but it was too late to mend the matter. She was very un¬ 
happy, half-starved, and unkindly treated. Slio used to go 
to her mother's house whenever she could, and always found 
a welcome, and as much food as poor people have to spare, 
which is but little; but at her own home she had no comfort, 
and she bitterly repented the foolish step she had taken,' 
and the misery she had brought upon her own head. 
It Mary had been a few years older, she might perhaps 
have known better what to do, and how to do it, than she 
did now. She was hut a girl, and could only cry, and go to 
her mother when William was cross or tipsy. Things 
might have been better had she been older; but certain it is, 
that where God is not loved and feared, no blessing can be 
expected upon any thing we do ; and however we may strive 
to do right and wisely, we shall never find one. 
Mary Bird was not a strong young woman, and sorrow, 
want, and fatigue, began to pull her down. She had a cough, 
too, which increased upon her, and the labour of carrying 
her baby about began to be very great. She used to stay 
for days at a time with her mother. Bird cared not where 
she was, as long as he had not to feed her; he went ferret¬ 
ing and poaching, and left her to do as she pleased. 
Poor Mary! consumption had attacked her, and her days 
were numbered. She was obliged at last to give up all her 
work, and be waited upon by her poor old mother, who was 
not strong herself, and great were the privations this poor 
young creature suffered as she lingered on the bed of sick¬ 
ness. She knew and felt that she had brought misery upon 
herself, and distress and difficulty upon her parents, and she 
began, too, to feel the truth of all her mother had told her 
of the world beyond the grave, to which she was rapidly 
hastening. All these things came before her as she lay 
helpless and exhausted. Oh ! what terrible companions are 
self-reproach and terror when they sit beside our death¬ 
bed ! It pleased the God of Mercy to give her an assu¬ 
rance of peace at last; but long and bitter was the repentance 
she felt before the comfort came ; and her worldly sorrows 
lasted to the end. Her husband cared nothing about her; 
he came to the house, and went in and out as he pleased, 
but he took little notice of his poor dying wife, and never 
did any thing for her. When she felt her end approaching, 
she sent for him to take a long farewell, but he stood by her 
bedside as if lie was made of wood, dropping her hand, 
and leaving the room as soon as he possibly could. Dying 
as she was, the countenance of poor Mary expressed the 
pain this unfeeling conduct gave her. Her eyes followed 
him till he disappeared, but he never looked back at her. 
Something like this will ever be the case when people 
marry in this way. Death may not so soon part them—they 
may live together for many years, but with no better found¬ 
ation than youthful fancy, and no other reason than their 
perverse will, they cannot hope to be much happier than 
poor Mary and her wild husband were. The blessing of 
God must be sought, and striven for, or else there is no 
hope, whether young or old — this is the one thing needful; 
but there are very few young people who think about this 
one thing, or any thing else, except the fancy of the moment, 
and, therefore, if a few years can be gained, more serious feel¬ 
ings may awaken, by God’s grace ; and at any rate, sense and 
understanding will improve, and give a woman a better 
knowledge of her duty as a wife. 
Harriet L- was six or seven - and - twenty when she 
married George Collins. She was a very well-conducted, 
clean, active young woman, but she hit upon an indifferent 
helpmate, who would have made a sad husband to a young, 
giddy girl. As it was, Harriet acted dutifully and pru¬ 
dently when she found out the truth. She was always at 
home, always clean and cheerful, and rather playful in her 
manner; above all, she was a woman of a soft voice and 
few words, and never tried to have the last word. This is an 
excellent thing in woman—we do not always attain it—hut 
it goes very far towards making our homes happy. George 
Collins is a quiet, peaceable man to look at, and says very 
little, but he is very determined, and there is no way of 
dealing with him when he takes a thing into his head. A 
young woman without discretion, or a talking one, would 
have been beaten, or deserted, but Harriet sat very quietly 
mending his clothes, and gave him his tea with a quiet face, 
and a kind manner. He is very fond of her in his way, and 
is a very kind and strict father; and her patient forbearance 
and good sense have influenced him so much, that she can 
go to him in the beer house and bring him quietly home. 
A step scarcely any other wife dares to take, or gets any 
thing by if she does. 
Now, we cannot say that every woman of Harriet’s age 
will have her gentleness and prudence; but there is more 
likelihood of it than if she is under twenty. Harriet is a 
woman of a religious mind, which is the only real security 
for right action, prudence, and forbearance ; but still much 
may be hoped in a worldly way, from a few added years and 
experience. 
Parents are doing immense mischief to their children by 
letting them be their own masters at so early an age as they 
do now. All very old people shake their heads, and say— 
“ It was not so in my day; ” and they are grieved at the evil 
that arises from the change. Vice and crime spring from it, 
as well as want and social discomfort. Many village sins 
and sorrows arise from it; many miserable children and 
sorrowing parents. “ Children, obey your parents in the 
Lord, for this is right. Honour thy father and mother, 
which is the first commandment, with promise : that it may 
be well with thee, and thou mayest live long in the land. 
And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath : but 
bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” 
This is the precept of God, and not of man. Let us all hold 
it fast, and obey it. 
ALLOTMENT FARMING.— April. 
The busiest month in the whole year, and the man who 
will not put forth all his energies at this period is unworthy 
of the soil he occupies. It is of little use to ask him to 
carry out improvements in his plot of ground during the 
dull days of autumn and winter, if lie stand with folded 
arms in April. But to the really industrious and steady 
labourer, who possesses that valuable addition to a com¬ 
fortable cottage—a bit of land, April is a month of unusual 
animation, and the labours and plottings of the truly diligent 
are accompanied by a degree of hilarity, arising from a secret 
consciousness of the fact that well-directed labour applied 
to the soil is sure to bring a corresponding reward. 
Last month we drew attention to mixed cropping, and we 
hope that some of our readers have benefited by the hints 
there afforded ; if they do not take them as they stand, they 
may at least receive assistance in chalking out schemes of 
cropping. 
Potatoes. —Surely most of these are planted by this time, 
if not, the public is a hard learner. To those who have not, 
we say, lose not an hour; every week after the middle of 
March increases the chances of potato disease. This valu¬ 
able root is now rapidly recovering its lost tone, in these 
parts at least, and this in consequence of the avoidance of 
fermentation, coupled with early planting. Our seed has all 
