Wright American Fiction

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ERRATA.

• Page 20, 3d line from bottom, for strewed read strew.
• Page 30, 18 lines from top, for you read should.
• Page 32, 8th and 9th lines from top, for To Mary, &c. read To the Betrothed.
• Page 45, 9th line from top, for Father; one read Father, one boon.
• Page 49, 12th line from bottom, for maids read minds.
• Page 84, 5th line from top, for To my Husband read To Fred.

CONTENTS.

POEMS.

• Beauty not beautiful, PAGE 9
• Lines on the death of a lame boy, 10
• Night Musings, 12
• Faith and Hope, 13
• Song, "Thou comest to me in dreams," 14
• Lines, "Our Father, who art in Heaven," 15
• Stanzas to * * * 16
• God sees thee alway, 17
• Hope and Memory, 18
• To Edward, 18
• Stanzas to Mrs. M. H., 20
• Lines to ——, 21
• Stanzas to ——, 22
• Lines sent with a gold pen to the Doctor, 23
• Lines to a Youth, 25
• The Sculptor's Invocation, 27
• To M. E. S., 28
• Lines sent with rose leaves at a parting, 29
• Stanzas to the Hon. ——, elected to the House of Reps., 30
• To the Betrothed, 32
• Lines, "Yes, we are parted," 33
• Song, "I'll break this charm," 34
• Stanzas to one I'll marry, 35
• Stanzas written on the death of Geo. W. Sewall, M. D., 36
• We are parted, 38
• Lines written at Greenwood, 39
• "May we not meet again," 40
• Stanzas to ——, 41
• Impromptu, 42
• To a loved one, 43
• Lament, "How sad is life," 44
• The world is selfish, 45
• Ho! for the West, 46
• A happy New Year, 47
• To one highly esteemed, 49
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• The wife's remonstrance, 50
• Yes, I will think of thee, 51
• I love thee, 53
• Wealth not happiness, 54
• Why should I fear, 56
• The death of the beautiful, 57
• Lines to a Gentleman, 63
• A glimpse of life, 65
• The Farewell, "Look not mournfully into the past," 66
• Poetic letter to the absent lover, 67
• The Miniature, 69
• Impromptu, 70
• Mary de Leszesynski, 71
• Love's Wanderings, 75
• Lines inscribed to Dr. A. De L——, 77
• Morning happiness, 79
• Song, "I cannot sing to night, dear friends," 80
• To my husband, 81
• Lines written in the album of a young Miss, Feb., 1851, 82
• Stanzas to ——, 83
• To my husband, 84
• Reflection, 149
• My Husband, 153
• To D. R. R., 154
• Serenade to Emmy May, 156
• Impromptu, 157
• Lines to a Race Horse, 158
• Drinking Song, 160

TALES.

• The Departure; or, One of the Caxtons, 87
• Rupert Ellsworth, 107
• The Artist's Dream, 118
• The History of Peter the Plasterer, 133
• The Graveyard, 142
• Thoughts at Night, 145
• All is Passing Away, 147

NOTE.

THE major number of these pieces have already appeared as contributions to the newspapers and serials of the day. They are now presented to the public in a somewhat improved and corrected form. Their author has no doubt that they will still appear to the critical mind as very crude and inferior productions. She has been induced to re-publish them in this form, not from any vanity, nor from believing them to possess a high order of merit, but because a large circle of kind friends have urged her to do so, and because she is persuaded that there are some to whose tastes they will be better adapted, imperfect as they are, than like productions, intrinsically much superior.

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PREFACE

TO those of my friends who have encouraged me to the publication of these little pieces, imperfectly expressive of such feelings and sentiments as have visited me in my pilgrimage—to all whose relish for the spirit of beauty, in however crude and imperfect a form it may appear, is keener than their judgment is critical, these pieces are presented as specimens of homely flowers from the garden of poesy, which a higher and more careful degree of culture would have doubtless greatly improved. Whatever of poetic worth they may possess, should be attributed solely to the excellence and purity of the feelings and sentiments they embody. Upon no other ground does their writer commend them to public favor and patronage; and upon no other ground does she venture to hope that they will meet with a sufficient sale to enable her to accomplish a long-cherished object. If they should afford to any as much pleasure in their reading as she has derived page: viii-9[View Page viii-9]Switch to Image ModeCLOSE Page viii-9 rived from their composition, it will be a pleasant and gratifying reflection to her to be thus assured that even the humblest of efforts in the field of literature are not wholly vain and fruitless.