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THE COUNTRYMAN.
193
There is much 0/ beauty, and simplicity, in
the following lines. They have been long pre
served, but we know not their author t
I’ve wandered to the village, Tom—I’ve sat be
neath the tree,
Upon the school-house play ground, which shel
tered you, and me :
But none were left to greet me, Tom—and few
were left to know,
That played, with us, upon the green, some
twenty years ago.
The grass is just as green, Toni—bare footed
boys, at play,
Were sporting, just as we did then, with spirits
just as gay:
But the ‘master’ sleeps upon the hill, which,
coated o’er with snow,
Afforded us a sliding place, just twenty years
ago.
The old school-house is altered now, the bench
es are replaced
By new ones, very like the same our pen-knives
had defaced :
But the same old bricks are in the wall, the
bell swinge to and fro.
Its music just the same, dear Tom, ’twas twen
ty years ago.
The boys were playing some old game, beneath
that same old tree —
I have forgot the name, just now—you’ve play
ed the same with me,
On that same spot: ’twas played with knives,
by throwing so and so—
The leader had a lask to do—there, twenty
years ago.
The river’s running just as still, the willows, on
its side.
Are larger than they were, Tom—the stream ap
pears less wide—
But the grape-vine 6wing is ruined now, where
once we played the bean,
And swung our sweethearts—‘pretty girls’—
just twenty years ago.
The spring that bubbled ’neath the hill, close
by the'spreading beech,
Is very low—’twas once so high, that we could
almost reach:
And, kneeling down to get a drink, dear Tom,
1 started so,
To see how sadly I am changed, since twenty
years ago.
Near by the spring, upon an elm, you know I
•cut your name,
Your sweetheart’s just beneath it, Tom, and
you did mine the same:
Some heartless wretch has peeled the bark, ’twas
dying sure, but slow,
Just as that one, whose name you cut, died
twenty years ago.
My lids have long been dry, Tom, but tears
came in my eyes,
I thought of her 1 loved so well—those early
broken ties :
I visited the old church-yard, and took some
flowers to strow
Upon the graveB of those we loved, 6ome twen
ty years ago-
Some in the church-yard laid—some sleep be-
neath the sea,
But few are left of our old ciass, excepting you
and me:
And when our time shall come, Tom, and we
are called to go,
l hope they’ll lay us where we played, just
twenty years ago.
{SfcLECTED BY E. W. R.
A special despatch to the New York Tribune,
dated Washington, Feb. 6, says, ‘ The Hamp
ton Roads conference, as it will be known in
history, was held between Stephens, Hunter,
and Campbell.'on one side, and president Lin
coln, and secretary Seward, on the.other, with
a pltnipotenliary from Africa, friendly to both
parties, and serviceable to each, who came,
and went, with things on a salver.
Tb# conference opened, as it was intimated,
01 thursday, that it would open, with reminis-
c ncesof the old Washington life, and enquiries
alter common friends, and acquaintances. Ste
phens was worn, and had a look of anxiety,
and weariness ; Hunter was in tine condition,
and lofty, and confident, as of yore; Campbell,
too, was his old self—all were maiked with
strength, assurance of the future, and consci
ousness of power. There was, in no one of
them, a trace of 6uppliauce—not one was, in
look word, or cariiage, a suitor for peace.
The (erma of peace were gradually approach
ed. When fully reached, on the rebel side,
Stephens took the parole, and surpassed all his
old exhibitions of persuasiveness, shrewdness,
tact, and courage, in putting the demands, and
the rights of the confederacy. In the midst of
them, and at the conclusion of one of his points,
Mr. Lincoln swung forward, on the lower
hinge of his back, and interrupted Mr. S., say
ing, ‘That reminds me of a story ot a man out
in Illinois !’ Stephens, Hunter, and Campbell
instantly jumped up, in a roar of merriment.
The intei ruption caused by this Characteristic
outbreak, and the apt 6tory which followed, be
ing through with, the rebel vice-president re
sumed, and pursued, to the end of his state
ment, the rights of the Confederate States, and
the terms on which, he thought, they would be
willing to stop the war. Recognition was the
first of them. The proposition tor an armis
tice was, ot course, a logical sequence.
It is very certain that Mr. Lincoln, and Mr.
Seward, were surprised at striking this snag,
in the very outset of the conference. The pre
liminary groping, and feeling around, by our
pioneer of peace, and his assurances, and con
victions, led to the belief that three envoys had
entered our linee, to talk of a restored union,
and a common country. Thhy had, lor about
two days, at the army headquarters, in conver
sations with Gens. Grant, Meacie, and one or
two other generals.
Stephens professed to love the old union, to
be, as much as ever, in his feeling an American
of the United States, aud deplored the necessi
ty which politics placed him, and all the lead
era ot the rebe-lion in, to have something to
give to the decimated and impoverished people
ot the south, for their .sacrifices. It is under
stood that they declared, at headquarters, that
if we would recognize them for only a week,
or any suitable length of time, to satisfy the
pride ot their people, they would pledge their
honor to bring about r> union.
Of the whole character of the entire inter
view, the country can judge, from what Mr.
Lincoln said to a general officer, 011 Saturday :
‘We could not do anything with them.’
They stood on recognition. Mr. Seward con
sidered their claims, argumentatively. He
kindly, and courteously, spoke of our larger
resources, and of our certainty of victory, in
the end. They, instated on recognition. The
utter inadmissibility of this demand, and of
their other, and consequential demands, was
demonstrated. They were immovable—they
stood for recognition.
Mr. Stephens, more flexible, and politic, than
his associates, proposed, and argued his crafty
scheme of recognition, repeating, at length,
considerations he bad heard at Grant’s head
quarters : but, on recognition, absolute or tem
porary, the three commissioners stood like
rocks.’
Tjhb Emperor Napoleon.—-“We
received, yesterday, St- Louis papers
of the 21st ult., from which we ex
tract the following from a London let
ter to the Cincinnati Commercial :
‘Let America succeed, and Eng
land goes to democracy by express
train,’ said Caflyle. The aristocrats
‘believe, and tremble.’ Well., all is
here breathless expectation, every
eye straining after SbermaD, none
even noticing the flames of burning
towns, save as they are traces of his
footsteps. But the apprehension cf
fiis success outweighs, with the con-
federates, here, the hope of his fail
ure. But this, I should say : I have
heard lately, iu a way that makes me
apprehensive, that the French Em
peror has really determined to pre
vent the reunion of the American
states ; that it is for the interests of
the Latin race, tha,t there should, be
four great empires on that continent
—Canada, United States, Confedera
cy, and Mexico, and that the balance
of power in favor cf Max’s Empire
requires a southern government. He
is now simply negotiating, that the
confederates shall make a show of
emancipation, or a vag^e promise
(not necessarily to be carried out) or
nominall} 7 alter (i. e., recostume) the
institution—a mere handful of dust to
throw in the eyes of the French peo
ple, only kept from demanding war
for the south, by slavery’s existence
there. The cry of want in Lyons,
and other manufacturing districts, will
greatly help this matter. That Pal
merston desires Napoleon to raise the
blockade, is certain. On the whole,
I am sure that the election of Mr.
Lincoln has been the signal for a re
newal of Intrigues in Paris, and Lon
don ; and that Mr. Lincoln has need
to be quick. He may be sure, too,
that the actual death of slavery, will
he the death of all Old World inter
ests iu southern society.”
Washington—“The following is
a letter from a gentleman, and soldier,
who, according to the opinion of Lord
Brougham, never had a peer upon
the American continent:
Valley Forge, Jan. 5,1778.
To the President of Congress :
It will -never answer to procure
supplies of clothing, and provisions,
by coercive measures. The small
seizures of the former, a few days
ago, in conseqaence of the most ab
solute, and pressing necessity, when
that., or to dissolve, was the alterna
tive, excited the greatest alarm, and
uneasiness, even amongst tmr best,
and warmest friends. Such proceed
ings may give momentary relief, but
if repeated, will prove of the most
perilous consequences. Besides
spreading dissatisfaction, jjealousy,
and fear, among the people, they
never fail, even with the most vete«
ran troops, under the most rigid dis
cipline, to raise in the soldiers a dis*
position to licentiousness, to plunder,
and robbery, difficult afterwards ,tp
suppress, and which has proved not
only ruinous to the inhabitants, but,
in many instances, to the armies them
selves. George Washington,