ONE DOLLAR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOAYANDA: Thursday morning, February 23. 1660 .Sclcttcb [From the Kveuing I'-xst.J A NIGHT-PIECE. BY KKA li TIiOK.STO*. Fwrct, bleeping child how doubly tlet I feoft pillowed on thy mother's breast. That swells with slumber's balmy rest. A deep within a dreamy deep! Her arm- eutv>tds thy cherub sleep. And both, God's guarding angels keep I So by some fair Floridiati stream The orange-tree, as in a dream, O'erbendiag moonlit banks, may seem. Where golden fruit and budding blow, Both ou the bough together grow. All mirrored in the Heaven U-low i SONNET. BY SllvkK.-rr.IUK. Pcvouring Time blunt tiiviu the lion's paw. And make the Earth devour her own sweet blood ; Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws, And burn the long-lived Phoenix in her blood ; Make glad and sorry seasons as there fleet"st. And di whate'er thou wilt, swift-footed Time, To the wide world and ail her lading sweets ; But I forbid thee one mo-t heinous crime, O carve H it with thy lioors my love's fair brow. Nor draw na lines there w" :h thine auliquc ;>ea ; Her in thy course tin tainted do allow. For beauty's pattern to succeeding itx-n. Yet do thy worst, old Time : despite thy wrong. My love shall iu my verse ever live young. Miscellaneous. Drowning of a Flirt by Women. a TILE STORY CF THE EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PENNSYLVANIA. Some eighty years ago the row flourishing tow n of Kaston, on the Delaware, was but h >mall settlement in one of tho remote and com paratively wild portions of Pennsylvania Not far from the Delaware a double row of low roofed. quaint-looking -!orch<n-cs formed the inost populous part of the settlement, * * * The go<xl fitius of that pcr.od were of the c ass described by a distinguished chronicler, who "stayed at home, read the Bible, and wore frocks." They wore the same antiquated quilted caps and paiti colored hornetqmn gowns that were in fa c 'ou in the days ot the re l Oißfii Wontt r N an Twillrr ; their pockets were always filled w.*h work and the inipte im nts of industry, and their own gowns and t!:eir he-band's coats were exclusively of do in< -tic mannf.icturc. In cleanliness and thrifty housewifery, they w v re xeelicd by none w i.o had gone before, cr w 1.0 came alter them. The well-scoured stooj s atai entries, frish and immaculate every morning, attested the ceatness prevailing throughout the dweli.ngs. The precise order that re gned within tlie departments of kitch en. paiior and chamber, could not lie disturbed by any out-of-door commotion. Cleanliness a.:d contentment were the cares of tfie house hold. The tables were spread with abundance of the good old time, and not small was the pride of those ministering dames iu setting forfh the viands prepared by their own indus trious hands. It must not he snpjxvsed that a'l their care a:.d frugality were inconsistent with the dear exercise of hospitality, or other social virtues usually practiced in every female community. If the vi-its paid from house to I v use were less frequent than in modern tunc:, there was the same generous interest in the concern- ot others, and the same desire in each to save her neighbor trouble, by kindly taking the management of nff.t rs upon herself, ev.ee <d by so many individual- of the present day. In short, the domestic police of Euston.at that remote |K-rtod, was apparawtly as remarkable for vie deuce and severity for hut ting out of fenders as it has proved to be in modern civi lixation. The arrival of rew residents from the city was nn t vent < f iuqiortat.ee enough in itself to cause no small stir in that quiet community Tie rumor that a small house, picturesquely situated at the head of a wood some distance from the village, was btiug fitted up for the new coiner*, was soon Spread abroad.ai d gave rise to many conjectures and surmises. The furniture that paraded in wagons Ivefore the a-tot :-hcd t'"''? 0 f the settlers was different frotn any that Lad Uxu seen before ; and tho' it would have been thought -iiujtle enough, or tveil rude at the present day, exhibited too inuvh of metropolitmntaste aid luxury to m-et their approval. Then a gvrdener wa- employed several days to set in ordir the surrounding I lot of grouid. and art out rose bti-hes andor nuaiciital plants ; the fence was [tainted gaily, aid the iuclosure secured t>y a neat gate. A ft* days after a hght travelling wagon brought the tenants to the al-ode prepared for them. Withiu tire memory of a generation baldly any occurrence had takeu place which excited so much curiositv. The doors and win- O A* were crowded with gazers/and the young er part ot the population were hardly restrained iy parental authority from rushing after the equipage. The female, who sat with a toy on the back seat, wore a thick veil, but the }4eas ant lace of a middle aged man, who looked a out bun and bowed courteously to the differ ent groups, attracted much attention. The mau wo drove had a jol.y English face, be tokening a very communicative disposition ; nor was the promise broken to the hope; for that very eve ning the same personage was Seated among a few grave-looking Dutchmen who lingered at the tavern, dea.iug out his information liberal ly to such as chose to question him. The new corner, it appeared, was a member of the Co •cu.ai Assembly, and had brought his famiiy to rusticate for a season en the batiks of the De'jwjre This family consisted of bis Ecg i i.unuiiiix - - THE BRADFORD REPORTER. lish wife and a son about seven years old.— They had been accustomed, he said, to tho so , ciety of the rich and gay, both in Philadelphia , nnd in Europe, having s|H.ut some time in Paris before their coming lo this country. The information g vcn by the loquacious dri ver. who seemed to think the village not a lit tle honored in so distinguished an accession to its inhabitants, produced no favorable impres | sion. The honest mynheers, however, were little inclined to be hasty in their judgment. They preferred consulting their wives,who wail ed with no little patience for the Sabbath mor ning, expecting then to have a full opportuni ty of criticising their new neighbors* They were doomed to disappointment ; none of the family were at the place of meeting, al though the practice of church going was one , so time-honored that a journey of ten nnies on foot to a!tend religious worship was thought nothing of, and few, even of the most worldly minded, ventured on an amission. The non appearance of the stranger was a dark omen The next day, however, the dames of the settlement had :i opportunity of Seeing Mrs Winston—for so I shall call het", not choosing to give Iter real name—as she came out to pur chase a few articles of kitchen furniture. 11 er i style of dress was altogether different from ; theirs. I istead of the hair pomatumed back from the forehead, she wore it in natural ring lets ; instead of the short stuff petticoats in vogue among the Dutch dames, a long and flowing skirt set off to advantage a figure of remarkable grace. At the first glance one could not but acknowledge her singular beauty. Her form was faultless in symmetry, and Iter features exquisitely regular ; the complexion being a clear brown, set off by luxuriant black hair'an I a pair of brilliant dark eyes. The expression of th se was uot devoid of a certain fascination, though it had something to excite distrust in the simple minded fair ones who measured the claims of the stranger to admir ation. Tin y could not help thinking there was a want of innate modesty in the bold, restless wanderings of those eyes, bright as th°y w rv, and in the perfect se!f-po?ses>ion the English woman showed iu her somewhat haughty car riage. Her voice, too, though melodious, was not low in its tones, and her laugh was merry, and frequently heard In short, -lie appeared to the untutored judgment of the dames of the 1 village, decidedly wauti: g iu reserve and the | softness natural to youth iu women. While they shook their heads, and were shy of conversation with her. it was not a little wonderful to notice the d.ff. rent effict produe ed on their spou-cs. The lion si Dutchmen surveyed the haudsome stranger w.tii undis guised admiration, evinced at first by a pro ! longed stare, and on after occasions by such j rough courtesy as they found opportunity of ' -ii o w : g. with alacrity off* rt g to her a-y little J service that neighbors might render The wo men, on the other band, became more nr.d more j and mrre ktqpictoas of her outtatldish gear and 1 j her bewitching smile, lavished with such pro j fusion ujioii all who came near her. Her I charuis, in their iye*, were so many si: s,which they were iuclitied to see her expiate In-fore they relented so far as to extend toward her the civilities of the neighbor hood. The more theT husbands prais-d her the more they stood a'oof; and. for weeks after the family had ; become settled, scarcely any communication of a friendly nature had taken place betweeu her and ai.y of the female population. Little, however, did the English woman ap pear to care for neglect on the part of those she evidently thought much inferior to herself She had plenty of company, such as - suited her taste, and no hick of agreeable employ- i nient, notwithstanding her persistence in a bab.it which shocked still more the prejudices ot lur worthy neighbors, of leaving her bou>e hold lalior '.o a servant. Ssiie made acquaintances with all who rel ished her lively co:,nrsation, and took much pleasure iu exciting, by her eccentric manners, the astonishment of her loi g qu- ud admirers. She always affable, and not only invited those -he l.krd to vi-.it her witho it ceremony, but called ujkju them tor auy extra service she required It was one of the brightest day- in O-to- I b, r that .Mrs Wniton was riding with her sou •long a path l-oidir.g through a forest up the ; Delaware. The road wound at the base of £ mountain, bordering the river clo-tly, and was fl.mked in some places by precipitous rocks, overgrown by shrubs aid shaded by over hanging trees.- The wealth of foliage appear ed to greater advantage, touched with the rich i lints of auluinu '• With m-tre rax Thin when th* Li—•*.•<). the trwi ire dre-1' How frnwa re thrir draperies ? crrrn and § old. i Scarlet aad he- a : . kc Uic giiUcrinc vol Of Israel'* priest i*xj, giur: ■'<*> U> IwHo.J I • See yonder towering bill, with lore-1- clad. H >" ar. n bl it- a taile at a Ih.-ioa-.C dy* ' EJcvd w.tii a -:ivcr U;id ibe -trx-am, iu*.t glhl, t>-t ?:leal. winds around its | t it can hardly be known if the romantic beauty of ibe scene, which presented iisell by glinqvses, through the foliage, the brivht, calm river, the wooded hills and sipe beyond, and ; the village lying in the lap of the savage for ests, called forth as much admiration from those who gazed, a* it has since from spirit* attuned to a v.rid sense of the loveliness of nature. The sodden flight of a bird from the bu*he started the horse, and, dashing quickly to one side, he stood on the sheer edge of the precipice overlooking the water. The neat plunge might have been a fatal oae, but the br.Jle was instantly seized by the strong ann of a man who sjrang from the concealment of the trees. Checking the frightened animal, he assisted the dame and her sou to dismount, and then led else horse for them to Ires dangerous ground In the friendly conversation that fol lowed, the English w man put forth all her powers of pleasing ; fcr the nun was known already to her for one of the most respectable of the settlers, tLough be had never jet sought her society. Ills Utile service was awarded by a cordial iuviialtOJ, which was soou fol lowed by a visit to her bowse. To make a long story short, not many weeks had passed oefore this neighbor was an almost daily visitor arid, to the sorpriie aai eosctra PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH. - " RES ARDLESS OF DENUNCIATIOI* FROM A IVY QUARTER. | of the whole village, his example was in time i followed by many others of those who might have been called the gentry of Easton. It became evident that the handsome stranger was a coquette of the most unscrupulous sort; that she was passionately fond of the admira tion of the other sex, and wus determined to exact the tribute due her charms, even from the sons of the wilderness. She flirted des perately with one after another, contriving to impress each with the idea that he was the happy individual especially favored by her smiles. Her manners and conversation show ed less and less regard for the opinion of oth ers, or the rules of prooriety. The effect of such a course of conduct in a community so simple and old-fashioned iu their customs, so utterly unused to any such broad defiance of censure, may be more easily imagined than de scribed. How the men were flattered and in toxicated in their admiration for the beautiful siren, and their lessons in an art so new to them as gallantry ; how the women were amazd ont of their propriety, can be couceiv ed without the aid of philosophy. Tfiings were bad enough as they were ; but when the time came for Mr. Wiutou to depart and take his place in the Assembly, the change was for the worse. His handsome wife was lefr, with her only son, in Ea-ton for the win ter Her behavior was now more scandalous than ever, and soon a total avoidance of her by every other female in the place attested their indignation. The coquette evidently held them in great scorn, while >he continued to receive, iu a still more marked and offeusive manner, the attentions of the hu.-bands, whom, she boasted, she had taught they had hearts under their linsey woolsey coats. Long walks and rides through tlie wood*, attended always bv some onr who had owned the power of her beautv, set public opinon wholly at defiance ; anl the company at her fireside, evening after ivening. was we!' known to be not such as be come a wife and mother. Should this history of jilain, unvarnished fact chance to meet the eve of any fair trifler, who has been tempted to invite or welcome such homage, let her pause nnd remember that the wrath of the injured wives of E iston wa* but such as nature must rou>e iu the bosom of the virtuous iu all ages and countries ; and that tragedies as deep as that to which it led have grown from the like cause, and they still do at auy period of civilization. The winter months passed, and spring came to s-t ioo*e the streams and fill the woods with tender bloom and verdure But the anger of the justly irritated dames of E iston had gath ered strength wbh time. Scarce one among the most conspicuous of the neighborhood but had particular reason to hate their common enemy for the alienated affection and mcuop ol'z <i time of her husband, so faithful lo his duties before this laial enchantment. Com plaints were made by one to another, and strange stories tol l, which, of course, lo*t nothing in t it-ir circulation from month to mouth. Wlut wonder was it that the mysto rkaas Mmm ntfthi d hy the woman should he attri!.ftt-,i to witchcraft * What wonder that she should he judged to hold in tercourse with evil spirits, and to receive by them the power by which she subdued men to her sway? Late in the afternoon of a beautiful day, in the early part of Jane, two or three of lite matrons of the village stationed theme!vps near the wood by which stood the house of Mrs. Wintou Not far from th; was a small pond, where the boy> amused themselves in fiyhit.g. or bathinz during the heats of MI tu rner. The spot once occupied by this little body of water is now the central portion of the town, and covered with ueat buildings of brick and stone. The women bad come forth to watch ; nor was their vigilance long unrew-arded. They MTW Mr- Wmton, accompanied by one of her gallants, dressed with care that -bowed his anxiety to please, walking along the lorder> of the wood. The suu had set, and the gray -huiows of the tw :!ig!:t were creeping ov< r the landscape : yet it was evidently not her inten tion to return home. As it grew darker the two entered the wood, the female taking the aim of her companion, and presently both dis appeared. •' There he goes !'* exclaimed one of the wo men, who watched with fierce arger in her loks, for it was her husband she had seen.— " I knew it ; I knew be spent every evtuiing wiih her !'' " Sisal! we follow them,'' asked one of the others. " No ! let us go home quick !" was the an swer. Such a scene thai night witnes-ed was never before enacted iu that quiet village. At a iate hour there was a meeting of tnanv of the matrons in the house ot one of their num ber. Tiie curtains were closely drawn ; the I.ght was so d m that the faces of those who whispered together could scarcely be discern ed There wrus something fearful iu the as.- sotnblngv, ®t such an unwonted time, of those orderly housewives, so unaccustomed ever to leave their homes after dusk. The circum stance of their meeting alone betokeced some thing uncommon in agitation ; still more did the silence, hashed and breathless at intervals the eager but suppressed wlnsuring, the rap.d gestures, the general air of determina tion mingled with caution. It struck mid night, they made signs, one to another, and the light wasextinguished. it was perhaps en hour or more after, when the same band of women left the house and took their way in profound silence, along the road leading out of the village. Bv a roond about course, skirting the small body of water above mentioned, they came to the border of the wood. Just then the waning moon rose afore the forest tops, shedding a taint light over hill and stream. It could tbeu be seen that the females all wore a kiud of mask of black ft off Their course waa directed to ward '.he English woman s boose, which they approached with stealthy and noiseless steps A f*w moments of silence passed after they had disappeared, aod then a wild shriek was beard, aid others fainter sad fsiater, hie the voice of one in agony struggling to cry out, and stifled by powuful bands. The women rushed from the wood, dragging w'th thera their heljiless victim, whom they had gagged, so that she could not even supplicate their mercy. Another cry was presently heard— the wail of a terrified child. The little boy, roused from bleep by the screams ol his moth er, ran toward her captors, and throwing him self on his knees, begged for her iu piteous ac cents and with streaming tears. " Take him away J" cried several together ; and one of their number, snatching up the child, ran off with him at her utmost speed, and did uot return. The others proceeded quickly to their mis sion of vengeance. Dragging the helpless dame to the pond, they ru-hed into it, heedless of risk to themselves, till they stood deep in the water. Then each iu turn, seizing her enemy by the shoulders, plunged her in, head and all, crying as she did so, " This is for my husband ?" " And this is for mine !" "This for mine!" was echoed, with the plunges in quick succession, till the work of retribution was accomplished, and the party hurried to shore. Startled by a noise of some one approach ing. the disguised avengers fled, leaving their victim on the bank, and lost no time in hasten ing homeward. The dawn of day disclosed a dreadful catastrojihe. Dame Wiuton was found dead lieside the water. There was evi dence enough that she had perished, not by accident, but violence. Who could have done the deed ?' The occurrence created great commotion in Easton, as it is but natural it should ; but it was never discovered with certainty who were the perpetrators of the murder. Suspicion fell ou several ; but they were prudent enough to ketj) silent, and nothing could be proved against them. Perhaps, the more prominent among the men, who should have taken upon themselves the investigation of the affair, had their own reasons for passing it over rather slightly. It was beyond doubt, too, that act ual murder had uot been designed by the act ors in the tragedy ; but simply the punishment assigned to witchcraft by popular usage. So the matter was not long agitated, though it was for many years a subject of conversation among those who had no interest in hushing it up ; aud the story served as a warning to give point to the lessons of careful mothers. It was for a long time believed that the ghoriof the unfortunate English woman haunt ed the spot w here she had died Nor did the belief cease to prevail long after the |>oud was draiued, aud the wood felled, and the space built over. A stable, belonging to a gentle man whom I am acquainted, stands near the place. I have heard him relate how one of his servants, who had never heard the story, had rushed iu one night, much alarmed, to say that he had seen a fimale figure, iu old fashioned cap and white gown, standing at the d>or of the stable. Another friend, who resides near, was told by his domestic that a strange wo man stood at the back gate, who had siiddeu lv di-appearcd when a-ked who she was Tliu- there seems ground euoagh to excuse the belief, even now prevalent among the common jx-ople in Easton, that tV spirit still walk* at night about that portion of the towu. THE RESCUE. I * STORY or THE SfPEBXATI RAL. From Oweu's ■' Foot' Ails.'* * Mr Robert Brace,originally descended from some branch of the Scottish family of that name, was born, in hambfe circumstances, , a'lont the close of the !a<t century, at Torbav, 'in the south of England, and tueie bred up to a sea-taring lire. Wnen about thirty years of age, to wit, iu ' the year 1823, he was iir-t mate of a barque trading between Lirerpool and St. Johns, New B run-wk-k. On one of her voyages bound westward, be ing some five or six weeks out, and iiwiug twarcd the eastern portion of the iianks of t Newfoundland, the captaiu and mate had been >n de< k at noon, taking an oliservatron of the >un : alter which they both descended to calco ' late the day's work. The cabiu, a small one, was immediately at •he steruof the vessel,and the short stairway ihcendingto it ras athwart-ahip. Immedi at el • opposite to this stairway, just beyond a small square landing, was the mate's state room ; and from that lauding there were two doors close to each other, the one opening aft , into the cabin, the other fronting the stair way into the state-room. The de-k iu the , state-room was in the Tor ward part of it, e!o*e to the door ; so that one setting at it and looking over his shoulder could look into the < cabin. The mate, absorbed in his calculations, which did not result a-* he had expeeteJ, vary ing considerable from the dead reckoning, had not uoueed the captain's motions. When he had completed his calculations, he called out without looking around, " I make our latitude and longitude so aud so. Can that be right ? How is yours ?" Receiving BO reply, be repeated his ques tion, glancing over 8;s shoulder, and perceiv ing, as he thought, the captaiu busy writing ton his slate. Still no answer. Thereupon he rose, and. as he fronted the cabin door, the figure he had mistakes for the captain raised | its bead, and disclosed to the astonished mate the features of as entire stranger. Bruce was no coward : but, as he met that fixed gaze looking directly at him in grare si lence, and became assured that it was no one whom be had ever seen before, it was too much , for him ; and instead of flopping to question the seeming intruder, he rohd upon oeck in such evident alarm, that it instantly attracted the captain's attention. " Why, Mr. Brace." said the latter, " what in the world is the matter with yea f "The matter, sir! Who is that at your desk r | "No one that I know of." " But there is, sir; there's & airarger 1 tb 1 " A stranger ! Why man, you must be dreaming. Yoa mast have seen the steward there, and the second mate. Win else would venture down without orders ?" " But, sir, he was sitting iu yoar arm-cbair, fronting the door, writing on your slate.— Then he looked up full in my face ; aud if I ever saw a man plainly aud distinctly iu this world. I saw him." " Him ! Whom*" "God knows, sir, I don't. I saw a man, aud a man I never saw in my life belore." " You must be going crazy, Mr. Bruce. A stranger, and we nearly six weeks out !" "I don't know, sir, but then I sawr him." " Go down aud see who he is." Bruce hesitated. "I never was a believer in ghosts," he said, " but if the truth must be told, sir, I'd rather not face it alone " " Come, come, man, go down at once, aud don't make a fool of yourseif before the crew." "I hope you have always found me wiiliug to do what's reasonable," Bruce replied, chang ing color ; " but if it's all the same to yon sir, I'd ratber we should both go down together." The captain descended the stair, and the mate followed him. Nobody in the cabin ! They examined the state rooms. Not a soul to be fouud ! "Well, Mr. Bruce," said the captain, "did not I tell you you had been dreaming ?"' "it's ail very well to say so, sir ; but if I didn't see the man writing on your slate, may I never see my home and family again." "Ah! writing on the slate! Then it should be there still." And the captain took it up. " My God !" he exclaimed, "here's some thing, sure enough ! Is that your writing, Mr. . Bruce ?*' The mate took the slate and there in plain, legible characters, stood the words, " Steer to , the nor'west," " Have you been trifling with me, sir?"' ad ded the captain, in a stern manner. " On my word as a man and a sailor, sir," i replied Bruce, " I know no more of this mat- ' ter thou you do. I have told you the exact truth."' The captain sat down at his desk, the slate before him, in deep thought. At last, turning the slate over and pushing it towards Bruce, , he said, " Write down, ' Steer to the nor' west.'" The mate complied, and the captain, after narrowly comparing the two handwritings, said, " Mr Bruce, go and tell the second mate . to come down here."' He came, and, at the request of the captain he also wrote the same word*. So did the steward. So, in succession, did every man of the crew who could write at all. But not out of the various bands resembled, in any degree, the mysterious writing When the crew retired, the captain sat in deep thought "Gould any one have been stowed away ?*' At last he said, " The ship must le -earched. and if I dou't 2nd the fel low he mut be good at hide-and-seek. Or der up all hand*" Every nook and corner of the vessel, from | stem to stem, was thoroughly searched, arwi that with ail the eagerness of excited curios ity —for the report had gone out that a strati • ger had shown himself on board ; bat not a i living soul beyond the crew and the oSeers was found. ll -turning to the cabiu, after their fruitless search, " Mr. Bruce," said the captaiu, "what ! the devil do you make of all this ?" "Can't tell, sir. I saw the man write ; you see the writing. Taere must be something . in it.*' j " Well, it would seem so. We hare the wind free, and I have a great inind to keep her away and see what will come of it." i " I surely would, sir, if I wereia yonr place It s only a few hours lost at the worst." •• Well, we'll see. Go on deck and give the j course nor'west And, Mr. Brace," he ad ded, as the mate rose to go, " have a 10-A-oni, aloft, and iet it be a hand yoa can depend on." II:s orders were obeyed. About 3 o'clock the look-out reported an icelterg nearly ahead, and, shortly after, what he thought was a vessel of some kind close to it. i A they approached, the eaptaiu's class dis * c'oseii the fact that it was a dismantled ship, apparently frozen to the ice, and with a good many human beings on board. Shortly after they hove to, and sent oat the boats to the ' relief of the sufferers. It proved to be a vessel from Quebec, bound to Liverpool, with passengers on board. She had got entangled in the ice, and finally frozen fu-t, and hid passed several weeks in a most critical condition. She was stove, her decks I swept —in fact, a mere wreck ; all her provis , ions, and almost ail her water pone Her ; crew and passengers had lost all hopes of being saved, and their gratitude for the unexpec ted rescue wa- proportionally great. .Vs one of the men who had been brought . away in the third boat that had reached the wreck was ascending the ship's ide, the mate . catching a glimpse at his face, started back in consternation. It was the rery face be had seen three or four hoars before, looking up a: < him from the captain's desk. | At first b<* tried to persuade himself it might be fancy ; bat the more he examined the roan the more sure be became that he was right. Not only the face but the person and the dress (exactly corresponded. j As soon a? the exhausted crew and famished ' passengers were cared for, and the barque on I her course again, the male caited the captain I aside, " It seems that was not a ghost 1 saw go by sir ; the man's alive." \ " Who do yoa mean ? Who's alive T" " Why. sir. one of the passengers we haTe j just saved is the man I saw writing oo your ; slate at noon. I would swtar to it in a court J of justice." j " Upon my word, Mr. Brace," replied the captain, '* this gets more and more singular. Let as go and see this man." They found him in conversation with the captain of the rescued ship. They bo'h came forward, and expressed, in the,warmest terms, their gratitude for del veraoce from a horrible VOL. XX. —NO. 38. e fate—slow coming death by exposure and star' ] vation. 1 The captain replied that be bad but don® what he was certain they wou'd have done for ( hfm under the same circumstances, and asked - thein both to step down into the cabin. Then [ turning to the passenger be said, "I hope, sir, i I would be much obliged to you if you would write a few words on this slate." And bo j handed him the slate, with that side upon which the mysterious writing was not. " I will do anything vou ask," replied the passen ger j " but what shall I write?" '■ A few words are all I want. Suppose you write, Steer to the uor'west." The passenger, evidently puzzled to maka out the motive for such a request, complied, however, with a smile. The captain took up the slate and examined it closely ; then step ! ping aside so as to conceal the slate from tbo 1 posseyger he turned it over and gave it to him again with the other side up. "Vou say that is your handwriting 1" said he. " I need not say so," rejoined the other, looking at it, " for you saw me write it." " And this ? ' said the captain, turning the slate over. j The man looked first at one writing, and then at the other, quite confounded. At last, " w hat is the meaning cf this ?" said lie. " I only wrote one of these. Who wrote the other V "That's mere than I can tell you, sir. My mute here says you wrote it, titling at this desk at noon to-day." The captain of the wreck and the passenger looked at each other, exchanging glances of in telligence and surprise ; and the former asked the latter, " Did you dream that you wrote oa : this slate ?" " No, sir, not that I remember." " Vou speak of dreaming," said the captain of the bark ; " what was this geulieman about ] at noon to day ?" "Captain," rejoined the other, " the who!® ' thing js most mysterious and extraordinary; and I had intended to speak to you about it as soon a? we got a little quiet. This gentle man," (pointing to the passenger,) " being much exhausted, fell into a heavy sleep, or what seemed such, some time before noon; after an hour or more he awoke and said to me, 'Captain, we shall be relieved this very : day.' When 1 asked him what reason he had for saying so, he replied that he had dreamed that he was on board a bark, and that she was corning to our rescue. He described her ap pearance and riir ; and to our utter astouish meut, when your vessel hove in sight, she cor responded exactly with his description of her. We 1 ad not put much faith in what he said, yet st: 11 we hoped there might be something in i it, for drowning meu. you, kuow, will catch at a straw . As it has turned out, I canuot doubt , that it was ail arranged in some incomprehen sible way, by an overruling Providence, so that we raiirht be saved To Him be all thanks for His goodness to us" " There is not a doubt.'" rejoined the other captain, "that the writiug on the slate, let it j have come there as it may, saved all your lives I was steering at the time considerably south of west, and I altered my course to northwest, and 1 had a lookout aioft, to see 1 what woald come of it. But you say," ha i ad ied, turning to the pasaeuger, "that you did not dream of writing on a slate ?' 7 , " No, sir. I have no recollection whatever of dointr so. 1 got the impression that the barque I saw in my dream was coming to res cue u-: bat ho-v that impression came I cannot tell. There is another very Strang® thing a'mot i\" he added. "Everything her® !on l>oar<i seerns to me quite familiar; yet I ' am very sure I never was in your vessel be i fore. It is all a puzzle to me. What did your i mate see V Thereupon Mr. Bruce stated to them all tba circumstances above detailed. The CODCIU | slou they finally arrived at was, that it was a special inierpo-itiou of Providence to sav® i them from what seemed a hopeless fate. The above narrative was communicated to me by Captain J S. Clarke, of the schooner Julia Ilallock, who bad it directly from Mr. Bruce Limself. They sailed together for seventeen months, in the years 1836 and '37 t so that Captain Clarke Lad the story from the mate about eight years after the occurrence. He has since lost sight of him, and docs not know whether he is yet ahve. All he Las heard of him since they were shipmates is, ' that he continued to trade to New Brunswick, that he became the master of the brig Comet and that -he was lost, j I asked Captain Clarke if he knew Bruce, and what sort of a man he was. " As truthful and straight-forward a man." he replied, "as ever I met in my life. W® were a- intimate as brother? : and two men rau't be together, shut op for seventeen month® in one -Lip, wit hoot getting to know whether they can trust one another's word or not. H# always spoke of the circumstances in terms of reverence es of an incident that seemed to br ng lim nearer to God, ai d another word. I'd stake my life upon it that he told me no lie." Stx FOOLS.—I. Hie envioas man— who sends away h mutton becaase the person next to him is eating venison. 2.—The jealous man—who spraads bis • bed with stinging nettles, and then sleeps :a it. 3 —The proud nan—who gets wet through sooner than ride in the carr.age with his io . feriors. 4 —The litigious man—who goes to law in • he hope of raining Lis opponent, at.d gets ruined himself. s.—The cxtraTagart man—who buy® a ' herring, and takes a cab to carry it borne. ! 6.—The angry mac —who learns to play the taml* rine because he is annoyed by tba { playiug of his neighbor s piaoo. THKES things that r.ever agree—two cats OTW one mouse, two wives in one house, and lovers after oce youog lady.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers