i ' yl 'ry'Jf - n m 1 in .wniH .. 1 he (Jolumblnrt, AW INDEPENDENT JOXHINAV ftu roousiiHD EVEnr satuiway, in" f'""ooMbrB, Columbia Count)-jTlHi" 't Two DolUri a yenr.'ln ndvance. J tiotJptUJ In 4Ttoe,TwononrtntidI-nrTy Ccnt. " "AddrcM all lettors to orconon ir, Moonn, IMItor of tho Columbian, lllooimburg, Columbia County, I'n. THE PROPHECY. 6 BY CI.AKA CLYD1-. "Draw nearer, llltlo Alice. ' T1 dark and cold without, .""And through the plnc-trco branches, " ' Tho North winds shrlelc nnd shout; Tilt your llttlo hands heforo you, Your hend upon my knee, And I will tell to you a tolo Thnt onco wns told to mo, '"Tin alxty-tiinc long years ago Or oventy, It Is true 'My Rrandatro told to mo Uio talo That yours now tells to you ; ti'vlla wan 11 tender-hearted man, With thin hair snowy while, And Btood as no.ir on to the Kiavo As I now stand to-night." "Tho old man softly murmured on, Of hopes ond friends In Heaven, Of boyish hopes nnd boyish faults J , The last long slnco forgiven ; 1 Of the dark mnntlo Death hath tlirown 't Upon hi j home, bereft Of young nnd fair and Joyous ones ,' When ho, so old, was left, fa little grnudchlld nt his kneo , , Haw ho remembered not ' ' ' TB.6 promised tale, nor naked him for ' What ho bo soon forgot, Aiid sdftly both fell fast a.slcep, And he; with faco so while, Had truly told how near tho grnvo Ho stood that very night. THE IRON SHROUD. . . BY WILLIAM MUDFOHD. ' 'The cnstlo of the Prince or Tolfl was built on the suinmitof the towering and precipitous rock of Scylla, nnd com manded a magnificent view of Sicily In All-its grandeur. Here, during tho wars of tho middlo ages, when the fertile plains of Italy were devastated by hos tllo factions, those prisoners were con fined for whoso ransom u costly price was demanded. Here, too, inadungeon . excavated deep In the solid rock, tho miserable victim was Immured whom rovengo pursued tho dark, fierce, and uhpltying rcvengo of an Italian heart. Vlvenzio tho noble and tho generous, tho fearless In battle, and tho prltlo of Naples in her sunny hours of peace fell beneath this subtle and remorseless spirit. He was tho prisoner of 'fold, and ho languished In that rock-encircled dungeon, which stood alone, and who3o portals rtovcr opened twice upon a living captive. It had tho semblanco of a vast cage ; for tho roof and tho floor and the sides wore of iron, solidly wrought and spa ciously constructed. High above there ran a range of seven grated windows, guarded with massy bars of tho same rrjntal. which admitted light and air. Save these and the tall foldlngdoors be neath them, which occupied tho centre, no chink or chasm or projection broko tho smooth black surface of tho walls. An Iron bedstead, littered with straw, stood in one corner, and beside it, a vessel witii water, and a coarso dish filled with coarser food. Even tho intrepid soul of Vlvenzio shrunk with dismay as he entered this abode, and heard tho ponderous doors trlpple-lockcd by tho silent rutUans wlio conducted him to it. Their silence secmod prophetic of his fate, of tho liv ing grave that had been prepared for him. His menaces and his entreaties, his indignant appeals for justice, nnd his impatient questioning of their in tentions were alike vain. They listened but spoke not. Fit ministers of a crime .that should havo no tongue. How dismal was tho sound of their rotlrlng steps ! And as their faint ech oes al-u along uio winning passages, a fearful prcsago grow within him, that nevermore tho faco or voico or tread of man would greet his senses. Ho had seen human beings for tho last time ! And he had looked his last upon tho bright sky and upon tho smiling earth and upon a beautiful world ho loved, and whoso minion ho had been ! Here ho was to end his life a life ho had Just begun to revel In! And by what means? By secret poison or by mur derous assault? No; for then it had beon needless to bring him thither Famine, perhaps a thousand deaths in onol It was tcrriblo to think of; but It was yet more terrlblo to picturo long, long years In a captivity so appalling, a loneliness so dreary ; thought, for want of fellowship, would loso itself in mad ness, or stagnate into idiocy. Ho could not escape unless ho had tho power, with his baro hands, of rending iwunuer mo sonii iron wans 01 mspris on. Ho could not hope for liberty from tho relenting mercies of his enemies. His instant death under any form of re fined cruelty was not tho object of Tolfl for ho might havo Inflicted it, and ho had not. It was too evident, there fore, ho was reserved for somo promedi tated scheme of subtlo vengeance ; and what vengcuttco could transccndln fiend lsh mallco cither tho slow death of famine, or the still slower one of solitary incarceration till tho last lingering spark of lifo expired, or till reason lied, and nothing should remain to perish but tho bruto functions of tho body? Itwas evening when Vlvenzio en tcred his dungeon; and tho approaching shades of night wrapped It in total tln'rk'ness, as ho paced up and down, re voicing In his mind these horrible fore bodings. No tolling bell from easllo or from any neighboring church or con VcutT.struck upon his ears to toll how tho hours passed. Frequently ho would stop nnd listen for somo sound that might betoken tho vicinity of man; but tho solitude of tho desert, tho silence 'of tho tomb, uro not so still and deep as tho oppres&ivo desolation by which ho vas, encompassed. His heart sunk Svltliin him, and ho throw himself de jectedly upon his couch of straw. Here deep gradually obliterated tho con bcionpncfcB of misery, and bland dreams wafted I1I1 delighted r-nlrit to f.cene 1 1'" VOL. I. NO. 21. which were onco glowing realities for mm, in whoso ravishing Illusions ho soon lost tho remembrance that ho was Tolfl's prisoner. lien lie awoko it was davllclit: but how long ho had tdept ho know not. It might bo early morning or it might be sultry noon ; for ho could measure time by no other note of its progress than light nnd darkness, llo had been m happy In his sleep, amid friends who loved him, and tho sweeter endear ments of those who loved him iw friends could not, that, In tho first moments of waking, lih startled mind seemed to admit the knowlcdgo of his situation, as If it had burst upon him for tho first time, fresh in all Its appalling horror. Ho gazed round with an air of doubt and amazement, nnd took up a handful of tho straw on which he lay, as though no would ask himself what It meant. But memory, too faithful to herofllce, soon unveiled tho melancholy past, while reason, shuddering ut tho task, Hashed before his eyes tho tremendous future. The contrast overpowered him. He remained for sometime lamenting, likoa truth, tho bright vMous that had vnnished, and recoiling from the pres ent, which clung to him as a poisoned garment. When ho grow more calm, ho sur veyed his gloomy dungeon. Alas! the stronger light of day onlyf-erved to con firm what the gloomy indistinctness of tho preceding evening had partially disclosed tho utter impossibility of escape. As, however, his eyes wan dered round and round, and from place to place, lie noticed two circum stances which excited his Mirprlso and curiosity. The one, ho thought, might bo fancy; but tho other was positive. His pitcher of water, and tho dish which contained his food, had been re moved from his side while he slept, and now stood near the door. Were he oven inclined to doubt tlii-J, bv suppos ing lio had mistaken tho spot where ho saw them over night, lio could not ; for tho pitcher now in his dungeon was neither of tho samo form nor color as tho other, while tho food was changed for some oilier and better quality. He had been visited, therefore, during tho night. But how had tho petvon ob tained entrance? Could he havo slept so soundly that the unlocking and open ing ol those ponderous portals woro ef fected without waking him? He would havo said this was not possible, but that in doing i-o, ho mul admit a greater dif ficulty, an entrance by other mean-', of which ho was convinced there existed none. It was not intended, then, thnt ho should be left to perish from hun ger; out tlio secret and mysterious mode of supplying him witli such food seemed to Indicate that lio was to havo no opportunity of communicating with a human being. Tho other eircumstanco which had at tracted hisnoticowns tho disappearance, as ho bel'eved, of one of the seven grat ed windows that ran along the top of ids prison. He felt confident that he had observed and counted them ; for ho was rather surprised at their number, mil there was something peculiar in their form, as well as in tho manner of theirarrangement, at unequal distances. It was so much easier, however, to sup pose he was mistaken than that a por tion ot the solid iron, which formed the walls, could havo escaped from its posi tion, that lie dismissed the thought from ids mind. Vlvenzio partook of tho food that was heforo him without apprehension. It might ho poisoned ; but if it were, lio knew ho could not e.-capo death, should such bo the design ol Totii; anil the quickest death would bo tho speediest relief. Tho day passed wearily and gloomily, though not without a faint hope that, by keeping wateli at night, lie might observe when the person came again to bring him food, which lio supposed ho would do in tho samo way as before. The mere thought of being approached by a living creature, and the opportuni ty it might present of learning the doom prepared or preparing for him, imparted somo comfort. Besides, if lie canio alone, might ho not in a furious onset overpower him ? Or ho might bo accessible to pity, or the inllueuces of such munificent rewards as ho could be stow If onco moro at liberty, and mas ter of himself. Say ho wero armed. The worst that could befall, if norbribo nor prayers nor force prevailed, was a faithful blow, which, though dealt in a damned cause, might work a de.-lrcd end. There was no chance so desperate but It looked lovely in Vivenzio's eyes compared with tho Idea of being totally abandoned. Tho night came, and Vlven;:Io watched. Jtornlng came, ami Vlven zio was confounded! He must have slumbered without having known it. Sleep must havo stolon over him when exhausted by fatigue; and In that Inter val of foverish repose ho had been baf fled: for there btood his replcni-hed pitcher of wiuor, and there his day's meal I Nor was this all. Casting Ids looks toward tho windows of ins dun goon, ho counted but five! Hero was no deception ; and lio was now con vinced there had been uono the day be fore. But what did all this portend? Into what strange and mysterious den had ho beon cast? Ho gazed till his eyes ached; iio could discover nothing to explain tho mystery. That it was so, lio know. Why it was ho lie racked hi imagination In vain to conjecture. Ho examined tho doors. A felnglo clrcuni stance convinced him they had not boon opened, BLOOMS BURG, A wUp of straw which ho had care lesly thrown against theni the preced ing day, as ho paced to nnd fro, re mained whero ho had east it, though it must havo been displaced by tho slight est motion of cither of the doors. Tills was evidence that could not bo disput ed; and it followed there must be somo secret machinery In tho walls by which a person could enter. Ho Inspected them closely. They appeared to lilin ouo solid and compact mass of Iron; or joined, If joined they were, with such nice art that no mark of division was perceptible. Again and again ho sur veyed them, and the floor and the roof, and that range of visionary windows, as ho was now almost temped to consid er them ; ho could discover nothing, ab solutely nothing to relieve his doubts or satisfy his curiosity. Sometimes ho fancied that altogether tho dungeon had a more contracted appearance that It looked smaller; but this lie ascribed to fancy, and tho Impression naturally pro duced upon his mind by the undeniable dlsappearauco of the two windows. With intense anxiety Vivcnzlo look ed forward to the return of night; and as it approached ho resolved that no treacherous sleep should again betray him. Instead of seeking Ids bed of straw, lio continued to walk up and down his dungeon till daylight, strain ing his eyes in every direction through the darkness, to watch for any appear ance that might explain these myste ries. While thus engaged, and, as nearl v as lie could Judge (by the time that after wnrd elapsed before the morning came in), about two o'clock, there was n slight tremulous motion of tho floors. He stopped. The motion lasted nearly a minute; but it was so extremely gentle that ho almost doubted whether it was real or only imaginary. He IMemd. Not a sound could be heard. Presently, However, lie felt a rush of cold air blow upon him; and dashing toward the quarter whence it seemed lo proceed, ho stumbled over something which he judged to be tl'o water ewer. The ruh of cold air was no longer perceptible; and as Vi von.io .stretched out Ids hands, he found himself close to the walls, lie remained motionless for a considerable time; but nothing occurred during the remainder of the night to excite his at tention, though lio continued to watch with unabated vigilcnce. The first approaches of tho morning wero visible through tho grated win dow.-, breaking, with faint divisions of light, the darkness that pervaded every other part, long before Yivon.io was en abled to distinguish any object in his dungeon. Instinctively and fearfully he turned his eyes, hot and inflamed with watching, toward them. There were four ! 1 lo could see only four ; but it might lie that somo intervening ob ject prevented the fifth from being per ceptible; and iio waited impatiently to ascertain if it were so. As the light strengthened, however, and penetrated every corner of the cell, other objects of amazement struck his sight. On the ground lay the broken fragments of the pitcher lie had used the tiny before, and at a small distance from them, and nearer tho wall, stood tho one he had noticed tho flrst night. It was filled with water, and beside it was his food, lie was now certain that by somo me chanical eontrivanco an opening was obtained through the iron wall, and that through this opening tho current of air had found entrance. But how noiseless! for had a feather almost wav ed at tho time he must have heard it. Again lie examined that part of the wall ; but both to sight and touch it ap peared ono even and uniform surface, while to repented and violent blows there was no reverberating sound indic ative of hollowuc-s. This perplexing mystery had for a time withdrawn his thoughts irom the windows; but now, directing his eves toward them, he saw that the fifth had disappeared in the same manner as the proceeding two, without tho least distill- uNhablo alteration of external appear ances. I no remaining lour looked as the seven had originally looked, that is, occupying at Irregular distances tho top of tho wall on that side of tho dungeon. The tall folding-door, too, still seemed to stand beneath, in (he centre of those. lour, as it nau nrst stood in tho centre of tho .-even. But lio could no longer doubt what, on tho preceding day, lie fancied might bo tho client ot visual de ception. The dungeon tcm smaller. The roof had lowered; and theopiiodlo ends had contracted the intermediate di-tam o by a space equal, ho thought to that over which tho three window: had extended, llo was bewildered In vain Imaginings to account for the--e thing!. Somo frightful purposes sonu dovillsh torture of mind or body, some unheard ol devices for producing exiiui sito luisory lurked, hewnsstire, In what had taken place. Oppressed with this belief, and dis tracted moro by tho dreadful uncettain ty of whatever fato impended than he could bo dismayed, ho thought, by tho knowh'dgoof tho worst, hosat ruminat ing hour after hour, yielding his fears in succession to every haggard fancy At last a horrlblo suspicion 11 ished sud denly acro.-a hi - mind, and ho starkd up wun a ir.uiue air. vo:" no ex claimed, looking wildly round ills dun goon, and shuddering ns Iio siioko; "ytvs, it must bo so! 1 see it! I feel the maddening truth like tcuvlilng flames upon my brain! F.tornul Ood! support inn! it must hobo! Yes, yea, that is to be my lato! on roof will descend I thoio walls will hem mo round, and slowly, hlowly crush mo in their iron SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, J8GG. arms! Lord God! look down upon me, and In mercy strlko mo with Instant death! Oh, fiend! Oh, devil ! is this your revenge?" He dashed himself upon tho ground In agimy, tears burst from htm, and the sweat stood In largo drops upon his faco ; he sobbed aloud, ho tore his hair, ho rolled alinut like ono suffering intolera ble anguish of body, and would have bitten tho Iron lloor beneath him; he breathed fearful curses upon Toltl, and ho lay still, weeping as a child would weep. Tho twilight of departing day shed its gloom around him ero lie arose from that postnro of utter and hopeless sor row, lie hnd taken no food. Not ono drop of water had cooled tho fever of his parched lips. Sleep aid not visited ids eyes for six and thirty hours. He was faint with hunger,; weary with watching, and with the excess of his emotions. Ho tasted o: Ills food ; he drank with avidity oftho water, and reeling, like, a drunken man, to Ids straw, cast himself upon it to brood again over thnappallinglmago that had fastened itself upon ids almost frenzied thoughts. He slept, but Ids slumbers were not tranquil, llo resisted, its long us lie could, their approach ; and when at last enfeebled nature yielded to their influ ence, he found no oblivion from hi.s cares. Terrible dreams haunted him ; ghastly visions harrowed up ids imag ination ; he shouted and screamed as if he already felt the dungeon's ponderous roof descending on him; ho breathed hard and thick, as though writhing be tween its iron walls. Then would ho spring tip, staro wildly about. him, stretch forth Ids hands to bo sure that lie yet had space enough to live, and muttering some incoherent words, sink down again, to pass through tho same fierce vicissitudes of delirious sleep. The morning of tho fourth day dawn ed upon Vivcnzlo ; but it was high noon before his mind shook oil' its stupor, or he awoke to a full consciousness of his situation. And what a fixed energy of despair sat upon ids pale features as lie cast his eyes upward and gazed upon tho three windows that now alone re mained! The three! there were no more! and they seemed to number his own allotted days. Slowly and calmly he next surveyed the top and sides, and comprehended all tho meaning of Un diminished -height of i tho former, as well as of the giudua! ni-'proxiiiiation of tho latter. Tho contracted dimen sions of his mysterious prison were now too gross and palpable to bo tho juggle of his heated imagination. Still lo-t in wonder at tho means, Vl venzio could put no client upon Ids rea son as to tho end. By what horrible in- onulty it was contrived that walls and root-anil windows should thus silently mil imperceptibly, without noiso and without motion, almost fold, as it were, within each other, he knew not. lie only knew they did ,-o; and ho Vainly trove to rack the miserable wretch who might be immured there with anticipa tion merely of a fate from which, in the crisis of ids agony, lio was to lie re prieved. Gladly would lie havo clung even to this po-sibility, if his heart would havo let him; but lie felt a dreadful assurance of its fallacy. And what matchless in humanity it was to doom tho sutlerer to such lingering torments; to lead him day by day to so appalling a death, un supported by the con-olations of reli gion, unvislted by any human being, abandoned to himself, deserted of all, and denied even the sad prlvilego of knowing that his cruel destiny would awaken pity! Alone ho was to await a slow-coining torture, wlm-e most exqui- ite pangs would bo Inflicted by that very solitude and that tardy coming. "It is notdeath I fear," hoexclaimcd, but the death I must prepare for! ..Mo thinks, too, 1 could meet even that ill h'irriblnaud revolting ns it is if it might overtake me now. But where shall 1 find fortitude to tarry till it come? How can I cultivate the three long days and nights I have to livo; there is no power within mo to bid the hideoiisspie- tro henco; none to make it familiar to my thoughts, or myself patient of its errand. .My thoughts rather will fleo from me, and I grow mad in looking at it. Oil! for a deep sleep to fall upon mo! That so, in death's likeness, J might embrace death itself, and drink no moro of tho cup that is presented to me tluin my fainting spirit lias already tasted !" In tho midst of theso lamentations, Vlvenzio noticed that ids aecu-tonied meal, with tho pitcher of water, had been conveyed, us before, into his dun geon. But tills circumstance no longer ccclted his surprNe. His mind was overwhelmed witli others of a far greater magnitude. It suggested, however, a feeblo liopo of deliveranco; and thoro is no hope so feeble as not to yield somo support to a heart bending under des pair, lie resolved to watch, during the ensuing night, for the signs lio had be fore observed, and should ho again feel tho gentle, tremulous ''motion of tho floor, or tho current of air, to seize that moment for giving atidlblo expression to his mUery. Somo person must bo near him, nnd within reach of his voice, at mo instant wnen nis toon was sup plied; somo one, perhaps, susceptlblo of pity. Or, If not, to bo told oven that his apprehensions woro just, and that his fato was lo lio what ho foreboded, would bo proferabloto n suspenses hlcJi hung upon tho posrlbllity of his wortt fears being visionary The night came, and as the hour ap- '.preached when Vivcnzlo imagined he might expect tho signs, 0 stood fixed and silent as a statu j. lie feared to breathe, almost, lest he might lose any sound which would warn him of their coming. While thus listening, with every faculty of mind and body strain ed to nn agony of attention, it occured to him ho should bo more sensible of the motion, probably, if iio stretched him self along thulron lloor. He according ly laid himself softly down, and luyl not been long in that position when yes ho was certain of it the lloor moved under him I Ho spranj up, and in n voice suffocated nearly with emotion, called aloud. Ho paused tho motion censed lie felt no stream of air all was hushed no voico answered to his ho burst into tears ; nnd as ho sunk to tho ground, In renewed anguish, exclaimed, "Oil, my flodl my Clod I You alone havo power to save menow, or strength en me for the trial you permit." Another morning dawned upon tho wretched captive, and the fatal index of ills doom met ids eyes. Two windows ! and lien days and all would be over! Fre-ii food fresh water! The mysteri ous visit had been paid, though he had Implored It in vain. Hut how awfully was his prayer answered in what lie now saw! The roof of the dungeon was within a foot of Ids head. The two ends were so near that in six paces ho trod thospace between them. Vlvenzio shud dered as he gazed, and as his steps trav ersed tho narrow area ; but his feelings no longer vented themselves in frantic wailings. With folded arms and clench ed teeth ; with eyes that wero blood shot with much watching, and fixed with a vacant glare upon the ground; with a hard, quick breathing, and a hurried walk he strode backward and forward in silent musing for several hours. What mind shall conceive, what tongue utter, or what pen describe the dark and terrlblo character of his thoughts? Like the fato that moulded them, they had no similitude in the wide range of this world's agony for man. Suddenly he stopped, nnd his eyes were riveted upon that part of tho wall which was over his bed of straw. Words are inscribed there! A human language, trai 'd by a human hand! llo rushed toward them; but his blood freezes as he reads : " 1, Ludovico Sfor;;a, templed by the gold of the Prime of Tolfl, spent llnvi years in contriving and executing this accuised triumph of my art. When it was completed, the perfidious Tolfl. more devil than man, who conducted me hither one morning to be witness, as lie said, of its perfection, doomed m to lie the victim of my own pernicious skill; lest, as lio declared, 1 should di vulge tho secret, or repeat the effort of my ingenuity. May Ood pardon him, as 1 hope I ie will me, that ministered to Ids unhallowed purposes. Miserable wretch, whoever thou art, that readejt these Iiue.s,fallon thy knees, and invoke, as 1 have done, Ills su-taiuing mercy who alone can nerve thee to meet tho vengeance of Tolfl, armed with this tre mendous engine which, in a few hours, must crush you, as it will the needy wretch who made it." A deep groan burst from Vivcnzlo. He stood, like ono transfixed, with di laled eyes, expanded nostrils, nnd quiv ering lips, gazing at this fatal inscrip tion. It was as if a voico from a sepul chre had sounded in his ears, "Pre pare." Ilopo forsook him. There was Ids sentence, recorded in those dismal words. The future stood unveiled be fore him, ghastly ind appalling. His brain already feels the descending hor ror; his bones seem to crack and crum ble in the mighty grasp of the iron walls! Unknowing what it is lie dues, he fumbles in his garment for some weapon of si'll'-ili'struclion. 1 le clench es his throat in ids convulsive gripe, as though he would strangle himself at once. He stares upon the walls; and his warring spirit demands, " Will they n t anticipate their oillce if I d.i-h my head against them?" An hysterical laugh chokes him as he exclaims, " Why should I? Ho was but it man who died first in their fierce embrace; and I should bo less than man not to do as much !" I'he evening sun was descending, and Vlvenzio beheld its golden beams through ono of the windows. Wind a thrill of Joy shot through his soul at the lght! It was a precious link that unit ed him, for tho moment, with the world beyond. There was ecatacy in the thought. As ho gazed, long and earnestly, it seemed as if tho windows hail lowered sufficient for him to reach them. With one bound lio was beneath them; with ono wild spring he clung to tho bars. Whether it was so contrived purposely to madden with delight tho wretch who looked, ho knew not; but, at tho ex tremlty of a long vista cut through the soli 1 rocks, thoocean, thoky,theeetUug sun, tho olive groves, shady walks, and, In tliofarthe-t distance, delicious gl Imps o.s of magnificent Sicily, burst upon hi- sights .How exquisite .wai. thy tu4 breeze as it swept across ids cheek, load ed with fragrance! lie inhaled it as though It wero tho breath of contin ued life. And there was a freshness in the landscape, and in tho rippling of tho calm, green sea, that fell upon hi.s with ering heart like dew upon tho parched earth. How ho gazed, and panted, and still clung lo Ids hold ; sometimes hang ing by one huud.somotlines by tho other, and then grasping tho bars with both, as loth to quit tho smiling paradise out stretched before hint ; till, exhausted, and his hand- swollen and benumbed, PIUCE FIVE CUNTS. ho dropped helpless down, and lay for a considerable tiino stunned by the fall. v hen ho recovered tho gloiiotis vis ion had vanished. Ho was in-darkness. Ho doubted whether It wns not a dream that had passed before his sleeping fan- y; liul gradually ldsscattered thought' returned, and with them eamo remem- irauce. Yes! he had looked once agaii. ipon the gorgeous sptei'.dor of nature! Jnco again his eyes had trembled be leath their veiled lids at the sun's radl uice, and sought repute In the soft ver dure of tho olive free or (ho gentle swell of undulating waves. Oh, that he were a mariner, exposed upon tlio-o waves to the worst fury of storm and tempest, or it very wretch, loathsome with dis ease, pluguo stricken, nnd Ills body one leprous confaglou front crown to sole, hunted forth to gasp out the remnant or infectious lifo beneath tho-e verdant trees, so he might shun the destiny upon whose edge lie tottered I Vain thoughts like these would steal over hi.s mind from time to time, in spite of himself; but they sen reel v moved it from that stupor into which1 it had sunk', and which kept him, during the whole night, like one who had been drugged with opium. He was equally Insensible to the calls of hunger nnd of thirst, though the third day was now commencing since oven a drop of water had passed his lips. He remained on tho ground, sometimes silting, some times lying ; at intervals sleeping heav ily, and when not sleeping, silently brooding over what was to come, or talking aloud, in disordered speech, of his wrongs, of his friends, of his home, and of those ho loved, with a confused mingling of all. In this pitiable condition tho sixth and last morning dawned upon Vlven zio, if dawn it might be called the ili in, obscure light which faintly strug-' led through the one solitary window of ids dungeon. He could hardlv be said to notice the melancholy token. And yet he did notice it ; for, as lie mis, ed his eyes and saw tho portentous sign, there was a slight convulsive dis tortion of ids countenance. But w hat did attract his notice, and at the sight of whii'h his agitation was excessive, was the change the iron bed had under goii". It wa a bed no longer, it stood heforo him the visible semblance of a funeral couch or bier! When he lie held this he .'farted from the ground, and in raising him-elf suddenly struck his head airnitist the roof, which was now so low that he could no longer stand upright. "God's will lie done!" was all lie said, as he crouched his body and placed his hand up m the bier, for such it was. Tho iron bedstead had b'-en so contrived, by tho mechanical art of liiidovico Sforza, that, as the ad vancing walls came in contact with its head and feet, a pro-sure was produced upon concealed springs, which, when made to play, set in motion a very sim plo though ingeniously contrived ma chinery that affected the transformation. The object was, of course, to heighten, in tho closing scene of this horrible drama, nil tho feelings of despair and inguish which the preceding ones had irouscd. For the samo reason the last window was so made as to admit only a shadowy kind of gloom rather than light, that tho wretched captive might bo surrounded, as it were, with every seeming preparation for approaching death. Vlvenzio seal: d himself on Ids bier, riicn he knelt and prayed fervently; and sometimes tears would gush from him. The air seemed thick, and ho breathed with difficulty; or it might be that ho fancied that it was so, from tho hot and narrow limits of his dungeon, which were now po diminished that he could neither stand up nor lio down at his full length. But ids wa-ted spirits and oppressed mind no longer struggled with him. He was paL-t hope, and fear shook him no more. Happy if thus re venge had struck its final blow; for lie would havo fallen beneath it almost un conscious of n pang. But such a lethar- y of tho soul, after such an excitement of its fiercest passions, had entered into tho diabolical calculations of Tolfl ; and tho fell artificer of his designs baa im iigined a counteracting device. Tlie tolling of an enormous bellstrucl; upon the ears of Vlvenzio I Ho started It beat but once. Tho sound was so close and .stunning that it seemed to shatter ids very brain, while it echoed through the rocky pasage like rever berating peals of thunder. This was fol lowed by a sudden crash of tho roof and walls, as if they were about to fall upon and clo-e around him at once. Vlvenzio screamed, and Instinctively spread forth his arms, as though ho had u giant strength to hold them back. They had moved nearer to him, and wero now motionless. Vivcnzlo looked up, and saw the roof almost touching Ids head, even as lie sat ittweriug beneath it ; and lie felt thata farther contraction of but a few hiAfPonly must commence the frightfuli operation. Housed UgJlio had been, ho now- gtl-pcd for breath. His Jioilx. shook violently ho was nearly bent double. His hands rested upon either wall, and ids feet were drawn under him to avoid the prceaiiro in front. Thus ho remaliad for mure than an hour, when that deafening bell beat again, and again there eamo tho crash of horrid death. But tho concussion was now so great that it struck Vlven zio down. As ho lay gathered up in losfcnod bulk tho bell beat loud and fre quent, crash succeeded crash ; ami on and on eamo tho mysterious engine of death, till Vivenzio's smothered groans were heard tin in in ! lb- was liornbix V-ff 1 II- " tow of (U'fili.'iinrJ. VineqSnr?,orle or three liiwrtlons $1 60 ilnchsutiquViil nm rtlon Km tlmu tlihtcMi. me Square one Month '.. .,.. 2 00 T.i " " 3 (o Three " " , j w fmr " ' " o 00 Itnlf odiunii " lo oo Ono column " ...-.., lj 00 UMsmtiir's nml Admltillmtorfl Suttc. it (, AWIlWs Wtttft., ' . 2 m IMllurlnl JfotleeslwrtiiprVnts'iK;? line. Other ndvritleiilentlnei led aeeordlng tospc rlaleonlrsctr i n- licit oy the poncd'oiis rooliitidcollaps ng sides ; nnd tho flattened bier was 'lis Jron Nhroml, PUZ2LES IN ANCIENT PHILOSO PHY. Amonvi other fatuous undent dialec tic problems mo the following dliem iiiis, which nro framed with wonderful Ingenuity, the actiteness displayed In their construction being probably un surpassed. Tho f ' is called Sjlloits--HIM CrvmdiiiK, and n...y be thus stated: An infant, while playing on tho bank if n river, was seized by a crocodile. The mother, hearing Its cries, rushed to its assistance, nnd by her tearful en treaties obtained a promise from tho rocodlle (who was obviously of tho highest intelligence) that lie would glvo It her back iPsho would tell him truly what would happen to It. On this tho mother (perhaps rashly ) as-erted, " lroi will not hr it htirh," Tho crocodllo' mswers to this: "if you havo spoken truly I cannot give back the child with out destroying the truth of your asser tion; if you have spoken faKely, I can not glvo lijiek the child, because you have not fulfilled the agreement : there fore 1 cannot give it back", whether you have spoken truly or falsely." Tho mother retorted: "If I havo spoken truly, you must give back the child by virtue of your agreement; if I havo spoken fal-cly, that can only bo when you have given back tho child ; so tliat, whetherl have spoken truly or falsely, the child must be given back." History is silent as to the issue of this remarka ble dispute. Of a similar nature is tho other ex- amplo above mentioned, which is even miro acutely stated. A young man named Kuuthlus received lessons in riiclorlcfront Protagoras, it being agreed that a certain fee should be paid if tho pupil was successful in tho first eauso lie pleaded. Kunthltw, however, neg lected to undertake any cause, and Pro tagoras, in order to obtain his fee, was compelled to sue him. F.ualhlus de fuidod himself in the court, and it was consequently the young nan's first -uit. The master argued thus : " If 1 be succes-ful in lids cause, O Kutlialus, you will bo compelled to pay, by virtue of the sentence of these righteous Judges; and should I even be ttnsucce-sful, you will then have to pay me in fulfilment of your original contract." To this tho apt pupil replied i " If 1 ! Mice-AWful, O master, I shall be free by tho sen tence of those Judges; and If I bo un successful, I shall bo free by virtue of tho contract." The story states that such convincing arguments, thus dia metrically nppocd, completely stag gered tho judges, who, being quite un able to decide, postponed the Judgment sine die. Chambers' s Journal. A BABY SAVED BY A DOG. ItinTT.Ntxd from a visit lo New Or leans, we were fortunate enough to se cure a pasago in a steamboat with but few passengers. Among tho ladies, ono especially in terep ted us. SIio was tho widow of a wealthy planter, nnd was returning with one only child to her father's home. Her devotion to tho child was very touching, and tho eyes of her old black nurso would fill with tears as she bc-otight her mistress " not to love that boy too much or tho Lord would take him away from her." We parsed through tho canal nt hou svi , and stopped for a few minutes at the wharf, when tho nurse, wishing to sou tho city, w alked out on tho guard at tho back of the boat, where, by a sud den effort, tho child sprung from her aims into the terrible current that swept toward tho falls, and disappeared im mediately. Tho confusion which en sued attracted the attention of a gen tleman who w as in the front part of tho boat quietly reading. Bising hastily lu asked for some article the child had worn. The nurso handed him a tiny apron she had torn off in her effort to retain the child in her arms. Turning to a splendid Newfoundland dog that was eagerly watching Ids countenance, ho pointed first to tho npron, nnd then to the spot whero the child had gono under. In an instant tho noblo dog leaped into the rushing water, and ho also dis appeared. By tills timo tho excite ment was Intense, and somo person on shore, supposing tho dog was lost as well as the child, procured a boat and started otf in .search of tho body. Just at this time the dog was seen far away with something in his mouth. Bravely lie struggled with tho waves; but it Was e ident that hi.s strength was fast failing, and moro than ono breast gavo a sigh of relief and the boat reached him and It was announced that ho saved tho child, and it was still alive. They wero brought to tho shore tho dog and tho child, tiiviuga glaiij'o to satisfy her self that the child yas le.illy living, the young mother rushed forward, and .sinking beside tho dog, throw her arms around his neck and buret Into tears. Not many could view tho sight un moved, nnd as sho caressed nnd kissed his shaggy head, she looked up to its owner and said "oh, sir, I must havo this dog! 1 am rich; tako till 1 have, everything, but glvo mo my child's preserver!" Tho gentleman smiled, and patting hi.s dog's head, said "I am very glad ho ha been of service to you; but nothing could induce mo to part with him." " How is coal this morning, ?'said a man in u coal-yard to an lrinlimau, ' Black as Iver, oejabirs," said Pat,
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