Cljc imc0, New Bloomficft, Ja Thcro was a little convulsive sympathy then, but it was too Into. There was; however, one beautiful ray of brightness that streamed out over his darkened life. Floy Austin had been truo to her love for him, though her father had forbidden her to sco him after his arrest. But when the story that ho was dying, came to her cars, she threw nsido all parental control, nnd came to him, and insisted upon being his wife immediately. Ho objected faintly, but the thought of having her with him to the end, and of calling her at last, by the sweet name of wife, was too pleasant to bo long resisted, and so in the solemn shadow of death they were united in wed lock, and her hands ministered to his last earthly wants, and her loving faithfulness brightened the valley of shadows. And so Robert Sherwood was dead dead in the flush of bis young man hood. If ho erred and fell in that one terrible moment of bilter temptation, were they f(uito guiltless who barred the way of his return to honor, and virtue, and usefulness 1 After llobcrt's death, Alfred Lindscy came up and took Mr. and Mrs. .Slier wood and Corralina down to Windsor Locks. He knew how desolate and ter rible the old place must seem to them now, and ho promised Ilobert to make their grief as easy for them to bear as possible. Grantley people talked about it some, and wondered "'why ho didn't mar ry Corrie and bo done with it it would certainly look better." But one, two, threo years went by, and both Alfred and Corrie kept on in the even tenor of their way. There was nothing heard of marriage between them, but that a deep, and tender, and earnest affection existed between tbeni, no one could doubt who know them. Homo peo ple, not understanding pure nnd tender feeling, laughed, and made sneering re marks and innuendoes, but the poisonous arrows glanced off harmless from their strong armor of purity. But there came a change at last ; a change that released Kindsoy from the self-imposed life of la bor and sacrifice in their behalf. Corrie Sherwood, quite unexpectedly to most people, though not to Alfred , married a wealthy gentleman in Harford, who at once took her parents home to bis house. The day after they left, Lindscy went up to Grantley. Ho had scarcely been there since Ilobert Sherwood died. There were reasons why he dared not trust him self to go there much. Annie Morrison, a little paler and graver than on that autumn morning when she had ridden from Hartford to ( Jrantlcy with Alfred Lindscy, sat lost in thought before a light (ire that flickered through the twilight shadows of a gray October evening. A low rap sounded on the door. Of course it was her father, she was expecting him momently; so she said, with a little low laugh : " Come in, if it is anybody that loves me." The door opened and a gentleman came forward, pausing whero the light fell across his face. " Addic," he said, tenderly, " I could uot stay outside when you said hat." Of course sho give a little feminine tart and scream, and protested against his taking her so literally, because, of course, sho was only in fun, besides, she was so sure it was her father. But when ho told her in earnest, passionato words of his love for her all these years, and how ho had not dared to como to her be fore, lest her sweet face should make him forget the path of duty he had marked out for himself; and that no'w the bur den was off his hands, and ho was free to suck his own happiness, etc., etc., why, she quite broke down, and admitted be tween little happy, hysterical sobs, that "who had loved him always;" and when a little later Mr. Morrison really camo in, ho found his little girl the betrothed wife of Alfred Liudsey, and like a model fath er, added the parental blessing. fl3rIn a Western Sabbath-school, a boy was asked to give an account of Mo ses, " Moses," said the boy, " was born on the banks of the Nile in a basket. As the infant lay in the basket, concealed in the bushes, a huge crocodile came swim niing along, and approaching him, said : ' Moses, almost thou porsuadost mo to bo a Christian.' Whereupon the infant stretched out its little arm toward the orocodile, and said: Verily thou art the man. ST An orator, who had raised hi3 au dience to a great hoight by his lofty soar ings cxoluiiuod : " I will now close in the .beautiful and expressive languago of the poet t forget his name -and and I . lbrget what ho said, too," THE IRISHMAN'S WILL. T was a little' after midnight that a knock camo to the door of the cabin. 1 heard it at first, for I used to sleep ia a little snug basket near the fire ; but I didn't speak, for I was frightened. It was still repeated louder, and then came a cry : " Con Cregan ; Con, I say; open the door I I want you." I knew the voice well ; it was L'eter McCubc's'; but I pretended to be fast asleep, and snored loudly. At hist my father unbelted the door, and I heard him say, " (), Mr. Met er, what's the matter; is tho old man worse ?" " Faix that's what he is ; for he is dead." " Glory bo his bed ! when did it hap pen ?" " About an hour ago," said l'eter, in a voice that even 1 from my corner, could perceive was greatly agitated. " He died like an old hathen, Con, and never made a will !" " That's bad," said my father, " for he was a polite man, and said whatever was pleasing to the company." " It is bad," said l'eter. " but it would be worse if be couldn't help it. Listen to me now, Corney ; I want ye to help me in this business ; and hero are five iruin eas in gold if ye do what I bid ye. Von know that ye were always reckoned the image of my father, and before ho took ill ye were mistaken for each other every day of tho week." " Anan !'' said my father ; for he was getting frightened at the notion, without Well knowing why. " Well, what 1 want is for ye to come over into the house and get into bed." " Not beside the corpse ?" said my fath er trembling. " By no moans, but by yourself; and you're to pretend to be my father, and that ye want to make yor will before ye die ; and then I'll send for the neighbor.;, and Billy Scnuhm tho school-master, and yo'll toll him what to write, leaving all the farm and everything to me yc under stand. And as the neighbors will see ye and hear yer voice, it will never bo be lieved but it was himself that did it." " The room must bo very dark," says my father. " To bo sure it will ; but have no fear. Nobody will dare to come nigh tho bed, and yo'll only have to make a cross wilh yer pen under the name. " And tho priest?" said my father. My father quarreled with him last week about the Easter dues ; and Father Tom said he'd uot give him the rites ; and that's lucky now. Come along, now, quick, for we've no time to lose; it must be all finished before daybreak. " My father did not lose much timo at his toilet, for ho just wrapped his big coat round him, and slipping on the brogues, left tho house. 1 sat up in the basket, anil listened till they were gone some minutes; and then in a costume as light as my parent's, set out after them to watch the course of the adventure. I thought to take a short cut and be there before them ; but by bad luck I fell into a bog-hole, and only escaped drowning by a chance. As it was, when I reached the house the performance had already bo gun. I think I see the whole sceno this in stant before my eyes as I sat on a little window with ono pane, and that a broken one, and surveyed tho proceedings. It was a large room, at ono end of which was a bed, and beside it was a table with physic bottles, and spoons and teacups; a little further off was a table, at which sat Billy Scanlan, with all manner of writing materials before him. The country people sat two nnd some times threo deep round the walis, all in tently eager and anxious for the coming event; l'eter himself went from place to place trying to smother his grief, nnd oc casionally helping the company to whisky which was supplied with more than ac customed liberality. All my consciousness of tho deceit nnd trickery would not deprive the sccno of a certain solemnity. The misty distance of tho half-lighted room ; the highly-wrought expression of the country people's faces, never more intensely excited than at somo moment of this kind; the low, deep drawn breathings, unbroken by a sigh or, a sob; tho tribute of afi'ectionato sorrow to some lost friend, whoso memory was thus forcibly brought back ; theso wero all s) real that, as I looked, a thrilling senso of awo stole over me, and I actually shook with fear. A low faint cough from tho dark corn er where tho bed stood seemed to cause even a deeper stillness; and then, in a silenco whero tho bussing of a fly would have been heard, my father said : " Where's Billy Scanlan ? I waut to make my will." " He's hero, father," said refer, taking Billy by the hand, und leading him to the bedside. " Write what I bid ye, Billy, and be quick for 1 havn't a long time before me here. 1 die a good Catholic, although Father O'llaflerty won't give me tliogen cral rites. A general chorus of in uttered " () 1 musha, musha!'' was now heard through the room ; but whether in grief over the s;id fate of the dying man, or the un flinching severity of the priest, is hard to '' I die in peace with nil my neighbois and nil m-Mikim!.'' Another chorus of the company seem ed to approve their characteristic expres sions. " 1 bequeath unto iry son l'eter and never was there a belter son, or a (lucent er ! have you that down ? I bequeath to my s;ii i'eter the whole of my two farms of KiHiinundoonery and Knock-i-iicboora. with tin; fallow meadows be hind lynche's house, the forge ami right of turf on the Door.in bog. 1 give him and much good may il do him hanty i a-sara s aer.!, ami the huar v liel with tiie lime kiln ; and that reminds me that my mouth is just ai dry. Li t mo taste what ye have hi the jug " Here tho dy ing lii-ip to-'k very hoaity pull. nnddm e.l considerably refreshed by it. " Whore was I, Billy Scanlan?" says he ; " O, i remember it was at. tho lime kiln. I leave him that's I'eter. I mean the two potato ixardeiis at Noonan's Well; and it is the clegmt crops that grow there." " Ain't you getting weak, father dar in?" says I'eter, who began to be afraid of my father's loquaciousness; for, to say the truth, the punch got into his head, and he was greatly disposed to talk. '' 1 am I'eter. my son," says he; " I am getting weaker; just touch my lips agin with the jug. Ah! l'eter, i'eter, you watered (he drink." " No, indeed, father, but it's tho taste is leaviu' you," says l'eter; and again a low chorus of compassionate pity inur niuied thro'igh the cabin. " Well, I'm nearly done, now says my father ; " there's only one plot of groun I remaining, and 1 put it on you I'eter as ye wish to live a good num. and die with tho same easy heart as I do now that ye mind my last words to ye here. Are ye listening? are tho neighbors listening? is Billy Scanlan listening?" " Yes, sir, yes, father, we're all mind ing," chorused the audience. " Well, then, it's my last will and test ament, nnd may give me tho jug;" and here he took a long drink "und may that blessed liquor bo poisoned to me if I'm not us eager about this as every part of tho will; I say, then, I bequeath the little plot at the cross roads to poor Con Cregan, for ho has a heavy charge, and is an honest and as hard-working a man as I ever knew. Be a friend to him, l'eter dear; never let him want while ye have it yourself think of nic on my deathbed whenever he asks ye for any trifle. Is it down, Billy Scanlan? the two acres at the cross roads to Con Cre gan and his heirs in srcla xcchriml Ah, blessed be tho saints ! but I feel my heart lighter after that," says ho " a good work makes au easy conscience. And now I'll drink nil the company's good health, and many happy returns " What he was going to add there's no saying; but l'eter who was now terribly frightened at the lively tone the sick man was assuming, hurried all tho people into another room to let his father die in peace. When they were all gono Peter slipped back to my father, who was putting on his brogues in a corner, " Con," says he, liyo did it all wcllj but sure that was a joke about tho two acres at tho cross roads." " Of course it was, 1'ctcr," says ho, " suro it was nil a joke, for tho matter of that. Won't I make tho neighbors laugh hearty to-morrow when I tell them all about it!" " You won't be mean enough to betray me '!" says l'eter, trembling with fright. "Suro ye wouldn't bo mean enough to go against yer father's dying words?" says my father; "tho last scntenco he ever spoke ; and hero ho gavo a low, wicked laugh, that made myself shake with fenr. " Very well, Con !" said Peter holding out bis hand ; " a bargain's a bargain , yer a deep fellow, that's all." And so it ended, and my father slipped over the bog, mighty well satisfied with tho legacy ho had left himself. And thus we became tne owners of the littlo spot known to this day a3 Cou's Aero. Time About. rinWO Yunkecs were strolling in tho B woods without any arms in their possession, and observing a bear ascend ing a tree, with its paws clasped around the trunk, ono of them ran forward and caught the bear's paws, one in each hand. Ho instantly called out to his comrade : "Jonathan, I say, go home and bring me something as fast us you can, till 1 kill tho varmint. Mind don't stay, for I'm in a fix." Jonathan ran off us fast ns he could, but was an exceedingly long time return ing. Muring the interval the bear made several desperate attempts to bite the hands of him who held it. At length Jonathan camo back. " Hallo, Jonathan, what tho deuce has kept you ?" Jonathan replied: " Well, I'll tell you. When at home breakfast was about ready, and I guessed it would be as well to wait for it." " Here, now, Jonathan," said his comrade, "you come and hold it, and I'll kill tho critter in a j iffy." Jonathan seized tho bear's paws, and held the uuinial while the other could kill if " Well, Jonathan, have you got hold of him ?" " Yes," said Jonathan. "Very well, hold him fast; I guess I'll go to dinner." A Poor Place. A MEMBER of the far-famed Qua J dang Club tho Historical and Pis catorial Society of Westchester County tells of a curious funeral custom in one of tho Long Island agricultural districts, a district retuarkaklo for its fertility in clams and bluefish. lie says that a few years ago he went down on tho island with a view of purchasing a farm which he had seen avcrtised for sale, lie spout several days in the village ; his inquiries as to the value of tho farm were satisfac torily and assuringly answered, and he finally had the honor to ' assist' at a fu neral, lie noticed in the funeral proces sion a heavy cait drawn by oxen, and the cart was filled with guano. He was sur prised to see tho contents of the vehicle deliberately emptied into tho grave before the earth was thrown in. Upon inquiry of the minister he ascertained that this custom was in accordance with an old tra diton of the farmers on that part of Long Island, who believed the soil was so poor and thin as to require a fertilizer to in sure the resurrection of any thing buried in it except ihimx ' Our correspondent didn't buy that, farm on Long Island, but eventually set tled in ono of tho fevcr-and-aguo districts of Westchester County, where they have a curious funeral observance of their own, and where most of tho people die of fe ver and ague. At the funerals the mourners uniformly sprinkle quinine on the graves of tho deceased to prevent their being prematurely shaken out! What She Thought. In the county parish in Scotland the minister and the ruling elder went over the muir to visit an old parishioner on a catechising visit, and the walk being a long ono their appetites wero pretty keen when they arrived. Before commencing the serious business they suggested that the inner man was clamorous. Janet ac cordingly went to the press and placed on tho table country refreshment, bread, milk, etc , and seating herself ut a little distance, requested tho visitors to fall to. They soon cleared tho board, and the minister remarked : " Mow, Janet, we'll begin the serious business. Do you remem ber the text last Sunday, Janet?" " 'Deed I do," replied Janet, " I mind it well ; it was the miriclo of the loaves and fishes." "And have yo pondered tho subject during tho week ?" " 'Deed I have, and I'm thinking the noo that gin you and tho elder had been there they wad uae hao taken up sae ma ny basketful." &8T A young lady went into a music store in lloyul street, recently, and asked tho shop man for " 'Thy hand, my charm ing Willie," (a popular ballad so called.) " I beg your pardon, madam," said the confused seller of crochets, who is a green ono by tho way " My namo ain't Willie, but Ilobert, they calls mo Bob for short; besides, I's engaged to Lucinda Jenkins, and can't give to no ono else my hand." The lady of courso put down tho 6cllor of sharps for a perfect flat. t&" Men of means are often tho mean est of men. A Racy Incident. QOON AFTER tho opening of tho k) East Tennessee nnd Georgia Railroad there chanced to be traveling over the line, in a car where there were but a few passengers, a gentleman who was seated opposite tho stove, wrapped up in his shawl and meditations. Night came on. Presently in bounded a brnkoiiian. loudly slamming the door behind him -one of those country geniuses who, with a laudable ambition, had a day or two ngone abandoned tho girls, the fid dle and tho plowtail, to climb "in tho world," and became a braketnan. Ho had been the king-bee, ut nil the neigh borhood frolics, at the house raising,' at the com shuckings, und at the cross road's doggery lighting ground, and now ho felt sure that he was king-bee on railroads. Strutting up to tho '"stove he sk inned down his lantern, kicked the mud from his huge boots en tho foot I. 1. , ., '.. . . , u.miii vi mu Mill, (-pu tOhaCC'O 111C0 copiously and noi.-ily on the hissing stove, crossed his muscular thighs, tor k a sur vey of the aforesaid boots with hurncst leather straps, and then bethought him self of the "customer" sitting opposite, on whom ho proceeded to be.-tow a lengtl -enedand sausy look, as though he doubt ed tho " customer's" right to bo in the coach at all. At length ho sought knowledge. " Whar ar you guine, mister?" " To Dalton, sir," responded the gen tleman quietly " Preacher ain't you ?" " No sir, I am not : but why do you ask ?" J " Oh ! nothing, only I thought I saw ' Hark from the Tombs' sticking out all over you, like tl.e measles. You know me, I reckon ?" " I am sorry to say that I do not." " Well, I'll jistbe darned; why, whar tho devil were you raised?" " At Maryville, East Tennessee." "Oh ! that excuses you, for if ever T beam tell ov that settlement afore, I wish I may be durned, and I knows every place, I dus." " You seem to be well acquainted with tho place you are now occupying," re marked the stranger, almost choking with efforts to suppress his laughter. " What place do you mean, mister? This ere red bainch, covered with dried skins of cows' toungs, or my ofticr!" " I alluded to your office, and by tho way, what is your position on this road ?" "Brakeman, by tho jumping giuiimy. I thought ev.ry body knowed that ; brake men over the Yeast Tenncssey and Geor gia Railroad." " Unfortunately, I did not know it." " Well, you'd soon found the fact out if you'd cut up any shines roun', or try ing to steal any bod's carpet-bag, or talk ing to the conductor, or sich. Why, I'd a chucked you a bottom foremos' through that winder, like dartin' clapboards thru the crack ov a barn. I mean to run this train on high moral principles, I dus. An' you didn't know I was the brakeman on this yero railroad ?" " Indeed, sir, I did not." " Well, old Slideeasy, all I has got to say is that for a man of your looks you know less than any man I ever saw. How do you manage to make a living ?" I receive a salary ; lam President of this road ; Wallace is my name, but I have not tho pleasuro of knowing yours; will you bo kind enough to infer in me ?" " All symptoms of ' king bee" disap peared at this thunderbolt announcement, and in the ,-tead were seen timid humani ty, crushed pride of place a strong " git-np-aiid-git" expression, und a most con founded hang-dog, " done up" nnd " dog goned" appearance generally. Tho brake man slid. CQf Thirty thousand enterprising young gentlemen in Ohio, last year prom ised to love, honor, arid buy " things" for thirty thousand bright-eyed dames and damsels ; and tho thirty thousand dames and damsels blushed and whimpered, and said they " never could go through tho ceremony in tho world," and then very quietly accepted their destiny, and ou tho whole, rather liked it. JGfiy Convisart, a French physician of some celebrity, during tho latter portion of the last century, was once lamenting the prematuro death of Dr. Baker. "It was not, at nil events, for want of medical aid that ho died," said ho, "for in tho last days of illness, we, Halle, Porter and myself, did not quit him for an instant.' " Alas !" intsrraptod tho Abbo Steyo?, ' what could ho do against threo of you ?" JCSy A wife's sour face is good for tho liquor trade.
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