“Dat's dem, Mr. Mulford,” Josh at length cried, from the look-out he had
taken in a stern-port, where he could see over the low bulwarks of the
vessel. “Yes, dat's dem, sir. I know dat old gray horse dat carries his
head so low and sorrowful like, as a horse has a right to do dat has to
drag a cab about this big town. My eye! what a horse it is, sir!”
Josh was right, not only as to the gray horse that carried his head
“sorrowful like,” but as to the cab and its contents. The vehicle was
soon on the wharf, and in its door soon appeared the short, sturdy
figure of Capt. Spike, backing out, much as a bear descends a tree. On
top of the vehicle were several light articles of female appliances, in
the shape of bandboxes, bags, &c., the trunks having previously arrived
in a cart. Well might that over-driven gray horse appear sorrowful,
and travel with a lowered head. The cab, when it gave up its contents,
discovered a load of no less than four persons besides the driver, all
of weight, and of dimensions in proportion, with the exception of the
pretty and youthful Rose Budd. Even she was plump, and of a well-rounded
person; though still light and slender. But her aunt was a fair picture
of a ship-master's widow; solid, comfortable and buxom. Neither was
she old, nor ugly. On the contrary, her years did not exceed forty, and
being well preserved, in consequence of never having been a mother,
she might even have passed for thirty-five. The great objection to her
appearance was the somewhat indefinite character of her shape, which
seemed to blend too many of its charms into one. The fourth person, in
the fare, was Biddy Noon, the Irish servant and factotum of Mrs. Budd,
who was a pock-marked, red-faced, and red-armed single woman, about her
mistress's own age and weight, though less stout to the eye.
Of Rose we shall not stop to say much here. Her deep-blue eye, which was
equally spirited and gentle, if one can use such contradictory terms,
seemed alive with interest and curiosity, running over the brig, the
wharf, the arm of the sea, the two islands, and all near her, including
the Alms-House, with such a devouring rapidity as might be expected in
a town-bred girl, who was setting out on her travels for the first time.
Let us be understood; we say town-bred, because such was the fact; for
Rose Budd had been both born and educated in Manhattan, though we are
far from wishing to be understood that she was either very well-born,
or highly educated. Her station in life may be inferred from that of
her aunt, and her education from her station. Of the two, the last was,
perhaps, a trifle the highest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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