SAMUEL WRIGHT, Editor and Proprietor.
VOLUME XXVIII, NUMBER 33.]
Iputrts.
Telling the Bees.
A rernarkables.tann, brought from the Old Country.
formerly prevailed inaulle rural uli , truet. of New Eng
luind. On the death of a member of the luridly, the Lees
were at ounce informed of the event, and their hives
dressed inn mourning. This ceremonial woe suppowd
to Inc necessary to prevent the •norm: from leaving
'heir bores and seeking a /less home.
Here is the plaCet right over the lull
Runs the path 1 took;
You can see the gap in the ohl wall still,
And the stepping-stones in the t•liaNow brook
There is the house, with the gate red barred,
And the poplars tall;
And the barn'il brown length. rind the rattle-yard
And the White horns tossing above the avail
There are the bee-hives ranged in the sun;
And down by the brink
Of the brook are her poor flowers. weed-cierrun,
Pansy and duifedil, rose and pink.
A year has gone as the ionise goes,
Heavy and slow;
And the same rose blows. and the stone sun glows,
And the sante 'nook slogs of a ) ear ago.
There's the same sweet clover-stnell in the breele;
AnJ the June 51111 wuun
Tangles his wings of lire inn the trees,
Setting, us then, over Fertende farm.
I mind me how with lover's care
From icy Sunday coat
I brushed off the burr, and smoothed my hair,
And cooled at the bruuksale my brow and throat
Since we purled a month had palsied.—
To love a year;
Down through the Leeches I looked at last
On the little red gate and the well-iweep near
I tan see It a I now' the slantwise rain
Of light through the leaves,
The sundown's bla/e on the window-pane,
The MOM,/ of her roses under the eaves.
Just the name a, a month beture,—
The holm :tint the trees.
The barn's Mom it gable, the vine by the door,—
Nothing changed but the hives of bees.
Before them. under the garden wall,
Forward nun back,
Went, drearily singing, the chore•girl sautll
Draping each hive with a shred of black.
Trembling, I listened : the /3111111111. r Sint
HMI the chill (;f snow;
for I knew she wns telling the bees of ono
Gone ott the Journey we all mufti go!
Then I said to myself. •'Jly rtlary weeps
For the dead to.day.
.1111 ply her blind old grand-sire sleeps
l'he fret anal the pain of he, age away."
But her dot whined low; or the doorway sill,
Wttlt Ins cane to his chin.
The old 111.111 sat; and the chore-Rid still
Sung to the 'lees nettling out and in.
Ana the song she ,vae singing ever since
In my en r gamins en._
.'Stny at home, preny bees fly not hence!
Ntstress Mary is dead mill gene"'
gattthaits.
[From Mrs Stevens' Al ago/due.]
The Unlucky Dog's Tale.
Since 1 am to be the first to tell my story,
you shall have it from the beginning.. My
mother was n pointer bitch, coal black and
comely; I never knew my male parent, but
I have some notion that he followed the
profession of a shepherd's cur.
I had four brothers and sinters of various
different sizes, but I was the only one of my
family that in the least resembled my moth
er; and I soon missed all my little round,
woolly, mishappen companions, and never
to any certainty ascertained their fate; only,
being a shrewd dog, I conjectured that the
master of the..th puppies, having a decided
-detestation of hydrophobia, determined on
Accustoming these animals, early in life, to
taking water, and in so doing, drowned
them.
Illy mother being well fed, I was soon in
a thriving condition, and grew apace. I
have little further recollection of this happy
period of my life, than that I was always
hungry; that my mouth watered everlast
ingly, and that I had acquired a habit of
gnawing everything that came in my way,
•even to my mother's tail, who used by an
angry growl to resent this unwarrantable
liberty from a child to its parent.
My first disgrace was occasioned by my
master's man of all work, Joe Banger, hav
ing left a pair of leather inexpressibles,
which he had most charmingly clean-balled,
until they were of a perfect batter-pudding
color, on the steps of the stable; he had
been employed on them for four hours at
least, and master was going out next day
with Mr. Conyer's hounds. These leathers
looked so inviting that I could not resist
_ascending the steps, and dragging them
,-down; when I had lugged them into a dark
. corner of the stable, under a manger. and
,enjoyed myself by shaking them well, and
:siting a number of holes all over them.
I never had such fun in my life; but I do
„pot think that either Joe Banger or Master
. enjoyed the joke at all, for when the breeches
were missed, there was a great outcry as to
where they could have possibly vanished ;
so i looked up at Joe with a knowing, and
glistening eye, and barked as loud as I
could, and wagged my tail, until at last I
bad the good fortune to attract his attention
-to the spot where I had so ingeniously nib.
bled the leather; whereupon Joe seized me
by the ear, and with a whip gave me such
a lashing and larupping, that to this very
day I have not forgotten it. I winced; I
shrieked; I howled. Even the horses turned
their heads from their racks to see what was
the matter.. The noise I made brought our
master into the yard, who, upon hearing the
calamity that bad befallen him, ordered Joe
Banger to re-commence the flogging. Oh
well did he descrv.c the name of Banger.
My mother crept into her kennel shaking
with fear, but occasionally peeping out with
some anxiety, whether for the terrible cor
rection of her dear little doggy, or having
some remote notion that she was going to
lie soundly chastised herself.
Then I was tied up by the throat, and not
properly understanding the nature of the
fastening, I nearly choked myself forty
times in an hour.
This event gave me the character of an
unlucky young dog; and the next affair
that happened proved that I was one; for
one morning early, when the poultry were
wandering and picking about the yard, my
tender mother made a sudden snatch at a
line old cock, and pulled his tail right out;
the cock escaped with the loss of his semi
circular plumes, seine of which, most un
luckily, were blown across the yard to the
corner where I was tied up; when, as usual,
in my simplicity, I began to play with and
nibble them, considering a feather a mere
trifle, when Joe, coming down from the loft
in which he slept, saw the cock looking like
a monstrous fool without his tail, and he
also beheld, unlucky me in the net of gnaw
ing a portion of it. Out came the fatal
whip again, and Mr. Banger operated on
me more lustily than he did before.
This was barely forgot, when my mastor,
who was going to take a walk of some nine
miles for the purpose of angling for chub,
determined that I should accompany him,
that he might see what I was made of.—
shall I forget my delight in having that
horrible halter removed from my throat,
and being aware that I was about to have a
run across the fielde.
Notwithstanding the rebuffs and beatings
I had endured, I followed my master with
sincere pleasure; but being unused to go
out with any one, it happened that ho was
always stumbling over me, treading on my
paws, or kicking me out of the voy. When
we got into the field, I saw for the first
time in my life a cow, with her calf. I own
I was rather frightened at so-large an ani
mal as the cow appeared to me; but think
ing that . the calf was a mild looking little
buffer, I went up to have some fun with it;
when somehow or other, the cow got her
horns under my rib., and I soon found my
self flying in the air like a bird, only I
collie down at some distance heavily on my
back. 1 got up and shook myself. Turn
round to have another look at the calf, I saw
the cow coining at a canter again after me,
flourishing her tail in all directions; so I
prudently wriggled myself under a fence,
out of her reach.
[Atlantic Monthly
I perceived that my master admired my
ingenuity, for he smiled. After a couple of
hours run, during which I caught a butter
fly, and fell into a muddy ditch, we arrived
at the stream where the angling was to be
commenced, and my master with great pa
tience unpacked his tackle; but nothing
could induce me to keep at a sufficient dis
tance from the water but another flogging
with the rod.
31) , master then baited his line with some
ox-brains he had brought in a tin pot with
him, and started MI on his pastime, ever
and anon favoring me with a menacing
look, if I gave the slightest indication of
following him.
A turn in the river took him out of sight.
behind a plantation of osiers, when observ
ing that he bad left the, pot of brains on the
bank, and that the dies were beginning to
buzz and hover over it, I went to drive them
away, and unluckily smelt the bait; in two
seconds the- whole of it was licked up and
swallowed.
Presently I saw my master returning; be
had walked nine miles; there was no possi
bility- of procuring more bait; lie had no
brains, and he had nine miles to go home
again; his time and his sport lust: and all
through me. accursed, unlucky puppyl lie
resolved to shoot me.
Sulkily he put up his angling apparatus,
and returned towards his domicile by a dif
ferent route, for the purpose of procuring
some bread and cheese and ale.
He accordingly entered a small inn, and
called for what he wanted, and was served
in a very dilatory manner by tt red-h&red,
blowsy female, who seemed distressed by
having too much to do.
I scented something in the house of ex
quisite savor, which proved to proceed from
a dinner of the parish officers of Great Fra
mingham, who hwl met to arrange their
accounts and affairs, and to fix the day fin•
the next feast, as well as to settle it very
considerable diminution of the allowance of
food and clothing to the ,paupers, in con
junction with a rise of the poor's rate, to
meet the tavern bills. These worthy func
tionaries had dispatched a substantial re
past, at which a turbot from Bilingsgate
had assisted, and were now taking their
wine and punch, while deeply deploring the
severity of the time°.
I saw my master munching his bread and
cheese moodily; be was too savage at my
conduct to deign to throw me a crumb; so,
finding that he was not communicative, I
took the earliest opportunity of wandering
out of the room.
In the passage, on n wooden bench, stood
a pile of about three dozen dirty plates,
placed on each other, that certainly had
been very ineantion.ly deposited there: for
o n the bottom plate but two was the picked
Irom-stick of a fowl. which put the whole
•luantity of crockery rather out of proper
equilibrium.
I had not partaken of anything since the
brains. The leg of the fowl was extended
from the plates must temptingly, and I made
a snap at it, pulling it away; it was mine,
"NO ENTERTAINMENT IS SO CHEAP AS READING, NOR ANY PLEASURE SO LASTING."
COLUMBIA, PENNSYLVANIA, SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 27, 1858.
but what was the consequence? down came
the three dozen plates off the bench smash
on the tiled floor. I never hoard such a
clatter in my born days, so I involuntarily
dropped my tail between my legs, and
scampered off with the bone.
"Whose cursed dog is that?" bawled the
red-haired waitress; "Drat the dog, whose
is it?" 110 reply. "There's at least five
and thirty shillings' worth of plates broken
all to pieces."
At last, it occurred to the landlord to ask
the gentleman who had the bread and cheese
in the parlor, "if the dog was his'n?" My
master, who had overheard the whole affair,
thought it politic to disown me.
Oh! how I enjoyed that fowl's bone—
bow sweet was the marrow; but, alas! how
soon it all vanished; I wished that fowls
hail as many legs as spiders. But now I
perceived my master trudging homewards,
so I ran after him; as I passed the public
house, the blowsy maid set up an outcry
against me; a shower of stones quickly fol
lowed me, and a brute of a blacksmith
threw his hammer at my carcass so dexter
ously, that the heavy blow knocked me over
and over. I however contrived to hobble
home after my master, on three legs.
My master was, I think, deciding upon
my fate, v, bother I was to be hanged, shot,
or to take a little Prussic acid, when a let
ter arrived from a friend who had taken a
cottage in one of the numberless colonies on
the western outskirts of London, and who
asked the assistance of my master to pro
cure him a yard dog.
Thus I was reprived ; the size of my bony
paws, and the width of my jaws, denoted
(for I had not done growing) that I should
be a large dog.
So the next morning I was to be tied un
do• the wagon of the Hatfield Broadoak
carrier,'and thus to be conducted on my way
to my new 'place. The journey to town
under• a wagon is extremely irksome; I
wanted to run after the birds, but I only
knocked my nose against the revolving
wheel; the road was very dusty, and I had
the advantage cf the scrapings of the heavy
hoofs of four horses sent constantly into my
eyes; if I paused for a moment to avoid it
I endured a pull at the neck, which I verily
thought would take my head out by the
roots. A flock of sheep met the wagon,
which was then stopped by the driver, and
I. had to bear with the affrighted hustle of
some hundred and fifty of these woolly
creatures, when presently the drover's dog.
who had charge of them, sprung 'upon me,
turned me over on my back, and bit me
through the ankle.
At length, after a wearisome journey, I
was untied from the cart at an inn in Dish
opsg,ate street, and was not a little surprised
at the' appearance of the vast metropolis:
here I found that I was to be revered by
my new master, who was a sharp-looking
little man, suffering from some nervous
affection, for he winked his eyes, and gave
a sniff with his nose, several times in a
minute. He paid the driver for my carriage,
such as it was, and humanely gave me IL
drink of water from a stable pail; he then
led me out of the yard with the seine chain
and etrrtp with which I had been decorated
for my travels, and We proceeded together
for a short time with mutual regard. Pres
°tidy I discovered that I was the stron4er
animal of the two. Ile looked at me, as
nmell'as to say, "You have the advantage
of me," which I returned with a glance, "I
intend to keep it;" and I shortly put this
principle in action; for, passing a butcher's
shop, I raised myself on my hind leg, at
tracted by an agreeable scent; I snapped a
veal sweet-bread, and swallowed is almost
whole. The buteliereame outand demanded
the value of the article; and it was not until
my master was threatened with an intro
duction to a'"P. No. 148," that he could be
I induced to pay eighteen pence for my slight
Irepast.
After a fidgety walk, we at length arrived
at the villa residence of the family, where I
I was introduced to the yard; and was almost
immediately, through the kindness of the
lady of the house, accommodated with some
mutton-chop bones, and a lump of outside
rind of bacon, full of black bristles.
1 "This is the place after my own heart."
thought I; "it will be my own fault if I am
not comfortable."
The name of my new, nervous master
was Pennyfeather; both he and his amiable
spouse imagined by my appearance, and
what I was likely to become, that they had
been fortunate in popping on ari eligible
yard-dog; but sorts rerrwa as I once heard
a French puppy say.
After I had been domiciled for a week, I
was ,voted, not only by every member of the
finally, but by the neighboring inhabitants,
as a thorough nuisance; fur whether 1 fan
cied I was learning to sing, or whether it
proceeded from habit, I howled lung, dis
mally, daily, at daybreak. A gentleman
next door, who had invalids in his house,
called and -remonstrated, that fur seven
mornings his family had been deprived of
sleep, and suggested that it would probably
prevent my vocal efforts if I was let loose.
Mr. Pennyfeather, who had been equally
annoyed, was ready to adopt any plan to
keep me -quiet; he accordingly released me
from my strap and chain, for which I was
so grateful that I scratched his velvet waist
coat all to pieces, and tore his eyeglass from
his neck. Ile let me out at the gate into
the road, where I amused myself fur some
time walking behind a policeman, who won
dered what I wanted. I then saw three
boys in paper caps, and clothes spotted with
colors in distemper; they looked merry fel
lows, so I thought I would go and have some
fun with them, particularly as each of them
carried a large slice of bread and butter for
breakfast. I soon discovered that they were
young artists belonging to a paper-hanging
manufactory; they invited me into their
atelier, and while one of them tickled my
palate with small pieces of bread, the other
ingenious artists applied their stencil plates
on each of my sides, and down my back,
and produced with their sized colors is most
elegant drawing-room pattern all over me;
white ground, with roses, keeping me near
the tire on which their distemper colors were
warming, I soon dried into a picturesque
appearance; thou, painting my four legs a
very light green, and covering my ears and
tail with a coating of Dutch metal, they
turned me out of the manufactory. I must
say that I felt my skin sticky and rather
tightly drawn, and the Dutch metal on my
cars dazzled my eyes, lint I resolved to
make. my way home. On my way I dis
covered that I attracted considerable notice.
A milk-woman with her pails, on seeing me,
set oil' running as ra.t its she could ;
thought it was to entice me to follow her, so
I scampered after her. She was a little
superstitious Welch woman, and subse
quently owned that she took me for one of the
devil's imps; she loosened her yoke and pails
as I approached her, and Implied them.—
As I always had a predilection for milk, I
Certainly did not neglect the opportunity of
drinking to my heart's content, and over
turning both tin cans. I therm went quietly
back to Mr. Pennyfeather's, and sat on the
steps of the dour until the family should
One of Mr. Peter Pennyfeather's nervous
peculiarities was an utter dislike to have
anybody- staring about his premises. I,
thinking that it was growing late, reminded
Mr. Pennyfeather of the time of day, utter
ing a prolonged yell ; this brought the
heads of the neighbors and their domestics
out of windows and doors, and they all
, ecned wonderfully surprised at my appear,
ante.
A crowd of work-people going to their
employment, and a number of gaping idlers,
male and female, now stood round Mr. Pen
nyfeather's door, evidently delighted with
the gay fancy pattern with which I was
decorated ; and indeed I hard as it' I was
attired in a rich Turkey carpet; but the
gold ears and tail were the of of general
remark. Pennyfeather, hearing the buzzing
conversation outside, to his horror perceived
that some novelty had collected a large
number• of Fpeetators in front of his honse.
I became impatient. and stoading on my
hinder legs, with my forepaws on the door,
I by accident touched the knocker with my
snout, which gaN e ri , e to a double rap.—
This feat caused a prodigious roar of laugh
ter from the moh.
The affair was soon buzzed about, and the
dairyman w h o employed the Welch milk
maid called on Mr. Ponnyfeather fur the
sum of seven shillings and eight pence fur
the milk 1 had overturned and destroyed.
Peter Penu3 feather called a cabinet coun
cil with his better half and family, and it
was unanimously agreed that I be gut rid
of—then was debated how, or when. It
was thus decided.
The butcher's boy knew another boy.
who was acquainted n ith a man who was
looking out for a yard-bog at Richmond.—
This was enough; at 7 o'clock at night the
butcher took a half crown in his pocket and
me in a strap. I was delivered to the man,
costernionger, who immediately put a
valuable five-and-twenty shilling horse to
his cart, to the seat of whiLli I was tied, and
I had rather a jolting tide to Richmond.
Arriving at the ge ntleman's house, who
was looking out for a yard-dog, there was
some demur about taking me in, as it was
imagined from my appearance that I had
the distemper—and I had it sure enough
although I was hearty and healthy.
Well, a bargain having been struck up, I
was left by the costermonger, and fastened
to a staple in the yard.
Now, I am a dog of steady principles, as
all the foregoing facts must abundantly
prove; and 1 did not cease to recollect the
kindness of the Pennyfeather family, so I
determined to make my way hack again.—
I set to work diligently to gnaw the strap
through, bolted over a dwarf wall in the
garden, jumped on a spring-gun, which ex
ploded without putting a shot in my locker,
though it shattered about forty panes of
glass in a newly-erceted green-house, I
scratched my way safely through a holly
hedge, which took off a considerable portion
of my paint and gilding, and I Was soon
again on the high road. As I pa'-sed the
market gardeners' laborers going very early
to their work. I observed that they invaria
bly got cot of my way, and seized the first
large stone they could find.
I no sooner mado my way back to Mr.
Vennyfeather's door, than I thought it would
be proper to announce my return by a long,
melodious howl.
The butcher's boy was immediately sent
for, and eatechi , el lie swore that he put
the dog in sate eu.tmly on the preceding
night, and promi , cd in the evening to come
and take me again. The lad was indignant
at having his honor suspected, but secretly
made up his mind to sell me to somebody
eb.e.
At eight o'clock the butcher arrived, and
putting on n stronger noose, he led me
through the lanes to Nensington, at the
moment quite undecided how he should dis
pose of me, when chance put in Ids way an
advantageous offer. In the High street he
overheard a woman, an itinerant purveyor
of dogs' and cats' meat, bewailing that
somebody had enticed away the dog that had
drawn her cart for three years, and that the
loss was irreparable to her. She had,
however, the harness and muzzle with her,
and the butcher, taking the lady aside, ex
hibited me, when, after much haggling, she
agreed to purchase me fur eighteen pence.
In a trice I was harnessed and mauled. I
felt a piece of cold, rusty iron stretched
across my tongue, and strongly fastened to
my head gear; this was attached to a strap
bridle, and the lady wishing the butcher
"good night," lugged me off in triumph.
I passed about three months in this mis
erable state of bondage, beaten and starved;
fur upon the principle of the adage, "that
the shoemaker's wife is the worst shod,"
so the eats'-meat dealer's dog was the worst
fed. I never had a morsel given to me that
could possibly be sold.
There was not the slightest increase of
respect or affection between my mistress
and myself. At length I was relieved from
her tyranny. In the course of her rambles
she had formed an acquaintance with a fat
hoary old cripple, who at some early period
of life had the misfortune to loose bath his
legs. For many years after that, he ob
tained a good income by playing on a
cracked clarionet, seated in a go-cart drawn
by a single clog. This dog could go no
longer, seeing that he died ; and the cart
would not go without the dog. In brief, I
was promoted to the cart, vice Caesar, de
deceased. Here, however, began new
troubles. For, oh! such a clarionet!
It has been asserted that dogs do not like
music, that, at certain notes many will
bowl. As regards myself, I now had the
opportunity of proving the fact.
My present master—oh, what an inexora
ble slave driver!—l hind to drag his heavy
trunk, surmounted by a capacious chest, all
over the streets and suburbs of London; all
day, drag, drag, drag, drag, by the sides of
of the gutters. The old rascal had two in
struments—his cracked clarionet, and a
hard-thouged whip. With the one his in
tention was to amuse the public, with the
other to torture me. Whenever he ran
down several notes in "Mag,gy Lauder," I
invariably howled, I could not help myself;
then out came the other instrument; and
the tone and flourishes of that about my
ears were distinctly heard, and the music
was of such a nature, that it was as distinct
ly felt.
My master was a musical hypocrite of
uncommon tact; he knew the houses well
where he was encouraged, and where he was
sure to be paid to go away. He was per
fectly aware at what residence the 14th
Psalm would be acceptable, or where "Nix
my dolly pals, fake away," would be pre
ferred. Oh! how I have execrated the old
impostor, when he has turned from a low
public house, seethed in gin, where he has
been clarioneting"the Black Julte,"and go
ing mood the corner, where he knew dwelt
a serious family, lie would plaintively com
mence the "Et ening 1.13-nm." Dug, as I
was, I scorned him.
My talc is coming towards an end. I had
dragged my old bagpipe of a master out of
Hyde Park end of London; and toiled on,
he getting all the pence, and I all the an
noyance, until I came to the corner of a
well-known lane that recalled my early
reminiscences. Ho was in the mi idle of
blowing "The blue bonnets- over the border,"
wnen I was seized with an irresistable de
sire once more to behold the inmates of .a
house wherein 1 had passed some felicitous
hours.
Without, therefore. caring for my driver
(who. by the way, was drunk,) I set off at
full speed down the lime, dragged the cart
and musician behind me, and followed by a
number of boys, who had surrounded us out
of curiosity.
Some of the little Pennyfeathers seeing
this strange sight, ran in to tell their pa
rents: and the old lady and gentleman ven
tured out to the door, he winking and snuf
fing as usual. I stopped suddenly before
the house, so suddenly that the intoxicated
clariuenet player fell over and upset the
cart, tearing away a portion of the harness,
from which I rapidly disengaged myself,
and instantly set up my well known and
much dreaded howl. I was so altered in
my person, that it was with difficulty that 1
was recognized; the favorite howl, which I
repeated, effected that.
Hero was a tableau.' My master's trunk
and clarionet prostrate in the gutter; all
the Pennyfeathers in mute astonishment, in
various attitudes; I, mad for joy at my re
lease, jumping, up to lick Mr. Pennyfeath
er's face; his utter horror thereat; the arri
val of the butcher's boy, attracted by the
crowd, with a cleaver in his hand ; the ad
vent of the two policemen to convey the
drunken beggar to the station-house: my
determination to be again received as an
inmate; Mr. Pennyfeather's decided of
to that measure, expressed by showing
the butcher's boy another half-crown; the
half crown; the butcher-boy's attempt to
scicc me; my boundless anger excited ; the
butcher's cruel grasp revenged by my biting
him through the hand ; the butcher's up
raised elemerl oh! it fell, and. though
intended for my head, cut off two thirds of
v tail!
Ma,blenea with pain. T ran T knew not
whither, but nut of rearh of my pursuers—
I • : 11:: :It:, — .B 001 ka INA , : k
looked on the world with disgust—and
came a vagrant as you now bee me. This
is the end of my tale.
A French Will Story,
"Is she dead, then?"
"Yes, madam," replied a little gentleman
in brown coat and short breeches.
"And her will?"
"Is going to be opened here immediately
by her solicitor."
"Shall we inherit anything?"
"It must be suppo , ,ed so; we have claims."
"Who is that miserably dressed personage
who intrudes herself here?"
"Oh, she," said the little man, sneering—
"she won't have much in the will; she is
sister to the deceased."
"What, that Anne, who wedded in 1812
a man of nothing—an officer?"
"Precisely so."
"She must must have no small amount of
impudence to present herself here, before a
respectable family."
-The more so, as Sister Egerie, of noble
birth, had never forgiven her that mcstilli-
anec."
Anne moved at this time across the room
in which the family of the deceased were
assembled. She was pale, her fine eyes
were filled with tears, and face was furrowed
by care with precocious wrinkles.
'What do you come here for?" said, with
great haughtiness, Madame de Villeboys,
the lady who, a moment before, had been
interrogating the little man who inherited
with her.
••\ladaun," the poor lady replied, with
humility, "I do not come here to claim a
pert of what does out belong to me: I come
solely to see M. Dubois, toy poor sister's
solicitor, to inquire if she spoke of me in
her last hours."
"What! do you think people busy them
selves about you?" arrogantly observed
Madame do Vilichoys; "the disgrace of a
great house—you who wedded a man of
nothing, a soldier of Bonaparte's!"
'•Madame, my husband, although a child
of the people, was a brave soldier, and, what
is better, an honest man," observed Anne.
At this moment a venerable personage,
the notary Dulmiq, made his appearance.
"Cease," he said, "to reproach Anne with
a union which her sister has forgiven her.
Anne loved a generous, brave, and good
man, who had no other crime to reproach
himself with than his poverty and the ob
scurity of his name. Nevertheless, had lie
lived, if his family had known him as I
knew him, I, his old friend, Annie would
be at this time happy and respected."
"But why is this woman here?"
"Because it is her place to be here," said
the notary, gravely; "I myself requested
her to attend here."
M. Dubois then proceeded to open the
will
"I, being of sound mind and heart, Egeria
de Damening, retired as a boarder in the
convent of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, dictate the following wishes as the
expres•,ion of my formal desire and principal
clause of my testament.
"After my decease there will be found
two hundred thousand francs in money at
my notary's, besides jewelry, clothes, and
furniture, as also a chateau worth two hun
dred thousand francs.
"In the convent where I have been resi
ding there will only be found my book.
"Ileums do la Vierge," holy volume, which
remains as it was when I took it with me
at the time of the emigration. I desire that
the three objects be divided into three lots.
“The first lot, the two hundred thousand
francs in money.
"The eccond lot, the chateau, furniture
and jewels.
"The third lot, my book, "lleures de la
Vierge."
"I have pardoned my sister Anne the
' , Tier which she has caused to us, and I
would have comforted her in her sorrows if
I had known sooner of her return to France.
I comprise her in my will.
"Madame de Villeboys, my much beloved
cousin, shnll have the first choice.
"N. Vatrey, my broth er-indaw, shall have
the second choke.
"Anne will take the remaining lot."
"Alt! all:" said Vatrey, "Sister Eugenie
was a good one: that is rather clever on her
part!"
"Anne will only have the prayer-book!"
exelaimed Madame de l'illeboys, laughing
aloud. The notary interrupted her jocular
ity.
"Madame," Le said, "which lot do you
choose?"
"The tu•o 'hundred thousand francs in
money."
"Have you quite made up your mind?"
"Perfectly 14). "
The man of law, addressing himself then
to the good feeling of the lady. suid, "Ma
dame, you are rich, and Anne has nothing.
Could you not leave her this lot, and talsc
the book of prayers which the eccentricity
of the decea , ed has placed on a par with the
other lots."
"Tou must be joking, M. Dulpoiq, ex
claimed Madame de Villeboys; "you must
really be very dull not to see the intention
of :i+ter Egerie in all Ole. Our honored
cousin forc.aw full well that her book of
prayer would fall to the lot of Anne, who
had the last choice."
"And what do you conclude from that?"
inquired the notary.
conclude that she meant to intimate to
her si , :ter that repentance and prayer N%ere
[WHOLE NUMBER, 1,443.
the only help that she Lad to expect in this
world."
As she finished these words Madame de
Villeboys made a definite selection of the
ready money fur her share, Monsieur Va
trey, as may be easily imagined, selected
the chateau, furniture and jewels, as his
lot.
"Monsieur Vatry," said M. Dubois to
that gentleman, "even suppose it had been
the intention of the deceased to punish her
sister, it would be noble 00 your part, mil
lionaire as you are, to give up at least a
portion of your share to Anne, who wants it
so much."
"Thanks for your kind advice, dear sir,"
replied Vatry; "the mansion is situated ou
the very confines of my woods, and suits
me admirably, all the more so that . it
ready furnished. As to the jewels of Sister
Egerie, they are reminiscences which one
ought never to part with."
"Since it is so," said the notary, "my
poor Madame Anne, "here is the prayer
book that remaibs to you."
Anne, attended by her son, a handsome
boy with blue eyes, tJok her sister's old
prayer-book, and making her son kiss `it
after her, she said:
"Hector. kiss the book which belonged to
your poor aunt, who is dead, but who would
have loved you well had she known you.—
When you have learned to read you will
pray to Heaven to make you wise and good
as your father was, and happier than your
unfortunate mother."
The eyes of those who were present were
tilled with tears, notwithstanding their ef
forts to preserve an appearance of iudiffer-
IBM
The child embraced the old book with
boyish fervor, and opening it afterward:
"0! mamma," he said, "what pretty pic-
tut e,!"
"Indeed!" said the mother, happy in the
gladness of ber boy.
"Yes. The good Virgin in a red dress,
holding the infant Jesus in her arms. But
why, mamma, has silk paper been put upon
the pictures?"
"So that they might not be injured, my
dear."
But, mamma, why arc there ten silk pa
pers to each engraving?"
The mother looked, and uttering a sud
den shriek, she fell into the arms of M. Du
bois, the notary, who, addressing those
present, said:
"Leave her alone; it won't be much; peo
ple don't die of these shocks. As for you,
little one," addressing Hector, "give me
that prayer-book; you will tear the engra-
vings."
The inheritors withdrew, making various
conjectures as to the cause of Anne's sudden
illness, and the interest which the notary
took in her. A month afterward they met
Anne and her son, exceedingly well, yet
not extravagantly dressed, taking an airing
in a two horse chariot. This led them to
make inquiries, and they learned that Ma
dame Anne had recently purchased a hotel
for one hundred and eighty thousand francs,
and was giving a first-rate education to her
son. The news came like a thunderbolt
upon them. Madame de l'illehoys and M.
de Vatrey hastened to call upon the notary
to ask fur explanation. The good Dubois
was working at his desk.
"Perhaps we are disturbing you?" said
the arrogant old lady.
No matter. I was in the act of settling a
purchase in the state funds for Madame
Anne."
What!" exclaimed Vatry, "after purchas
ing house and equipage, she has still money
to invest?"
"Undoubtedly so."
"But where did the money come from?"
"What! did you not see?"
"When? '
"When she shrieked upon seeing what
the prayer-book contained which she inher
ited."
"We observed nothing."
"Oh! I thought that you saw it," said the
sarcastic old notary, "That prayer-book
contained sixty engravings, and each engra
ving was covered by ten notes of a thousand
francs each."
"Good lie:lvens!" esclainied Vatrv, thun
derstruel
"If I had only known it," shouted Ma
dame de Villebovm.
"You had your choice," added the notary,
"and I rurelf urged you to take the prayer
book, but you refused."
"But who could have expected to find a
fortune in a breviary."
The two baffled old egatiQts withdrew,
their hearts swollen with passionate envy.
Madame Anne is still in Paris. If you
pass by the llne Lalitte on a fine slimmer
evening. you will see a elmrming, picture on
the first floor, illuminated by the pale rellee
tion of was
A lady Wilt) has joined the two bands of
her sail, a fair child of six years of age. in
prayer before an old book of "lleures de la
Vierge," and for which a case in gold bee
been made.
"Pray for me. child." said the mother.
"And for who else?" inquired the child.
"Far your father, your dear father, who
perished without knowing you, without be
ing. able to love you."
"Must I pray to the saint, my patron?"
"Yes, my little friend hot do not forget
a saint who watches us from heaven, and
who smiles upon us from above the clouds."
',What is the name of that saint, mamma
dear?"
The mother, then watering the fair child's
head with her tear•, answered:
••tier name is—Sister Egerie."