#.4ol3trritson, yabli4tr.
He is Coming..
He's coming! the brlashirig . rose .
Whispers it low to me..
' ,, And the starlight hastens / with it,
Oyer the twilight , sea.
All tialbling the - zephyrs tell . me,
On the light winds hurrying'past,
That my true hearted is *ppm:l.loog,
- Coming, coming,at'lastl •
• The soft-lipped-wWre of the oterin,
Gathering at my feet ~
• Breeze-borne from the coral island,
Murmur the, seenitsweet- -
•••Thiire's not a deatee . ped blossom,
Or glistening oniege tree, .
- - But furnishes its leaves,,gleeAndem
To breathe this joy to 114.
Lisp that is - the sound of Coining,
Stealing alonithe air,
t Mdst gather round my temples,
This weight of braided hiir, , •
And thus togrowing gbirkness,
, And evening shadows•dim,
To hide With-their wings the traces ;
Of tears I've shed for him..
KILLED AND WOUNDED.
_p= -
I Iff 68^OflO ARICIAD
"Only let nre know my position, Miss La
tnotte, and I -will act necordingly."
"Miss Lamottel how very dignified we are,
all'of a sudden ,
I .i "I feel that I have been injured, and that,
until I know Son real sentiments towards me,
it is. proper that we shoidd be a little less
familial-than lieretofore."
- "Poor Uttle fellow," laughed Miss Lamotte,
corning up to her . angry lover, .and patting
him on the check, "was it abased, then ! Did
the naughty girl tease it 4" _ and she laughed
in his face, in the , most bewitchingly itnpu,-
' dent manner possible. . • •
-Bel be was thoroughly vlaxed., and not lit
all in the humor to take a joke. • •
"Your levity,' said - he, "is in a very bad
taste. I .wish you to be in earnest now, for
• iis'e minute.s,if you never were beforeor [Tres
are again. •
Miss Lamotte began , to get a little vexed
also.
"Don't be a tool, Charlie,' said she, pouting,
and- reddening, but only ,looking the atom
beautiful. "Remeinber l we're not married
ret. l •
"I cannot help remembering 'that,' cried
Charlie, somewhat bitterly, "since you seem
to. delight in accepting the attentions of \ alt
the young spciarties in town--- 7
-"take carer said the ' young lady, now
getting dowright angry, -"jealousy isa very
small sort of malice, and as a friend 1 advise
voinut to make yourself ridiculous ip my eyes,
saying spiteful. things about young men 1
Tike !"
The lover now saw that: he was going a
little too far.
"Come:Bessie," sa' id" he, as good naturedly.
Ss he could,9 . don't want to be strict or fool
ish; but I love yonmuCh that i cannot
help feeling vexed, when I see others sharing
your smiles and favors. lorgive me this once,
and I'll trv . to aceept. you as you chaise to be,
hereafterf ; • - •‘•
.If the young:man had said • this once, 'he
had. said it hundred times before, and Bessie
was quite tired of hearing it.- - •
' "I don't want promises, sir, I want•reforma-
Lion' . You told -me _that, last Thursday, when
we'quarrelled aboutgoing to Mrs.Pennydime's•
party, yet,here you are again, scolding and
fretting, and wanting. 'to :know your
Isuppose`you Woulddlike me to go into
a .convent, , tintil yqii, see fit, to be so con
descending-as to make meMr-s,Charles - Hard•
Inge I" -
- A little stamp on the door, from a little
brown-gaitered foot, attended the velemence
with which these sentiments were uttered.
Poor Hardinge stood aghast:He had com
menced the quarrel, as - he always - did,.in fact,
but bad, also as got dC-cided iy the worst
of IL Now rltat.he wished: to make peace,
Bessie was not willing,'and he did not.exactly
know .what th say.
At this_junetare, a voice was heard in the
entry,approaching the parlor Where this scene
had taken place,loucfly and musically 'declaim
,-ing that 'ale days were gone wirer'. beauty
bright, its heart's spell' wove,' and si Moment
after, the owner of the voice entered, lin, pro
•pria perarnia=a comely looking- soung fel
low, with i- , sortietvli - at fierce . beard . and
to - ustache and a- somewhat.:melting brown
ere
'T.Tood, morning, •cousin ; " said the new
• corner. in- a stentorian tote;- "whet are you
looking so ruelanciholy about !"and approach
ing the -still 111-humored copple he slid one
arm'about Bessie's 'waist, 'and whirled her off
Intti an in impromptu waltz, upsetting chairs
and chess-tab!es Most undignified man-
her. -
When, Jac) 'circles _shout the . room had
been compited, the young man,stopped, and
turning to Iptrdinge, i o:ided very-coolly tow
.
, .and him. • •
. •
"How d'ye, Charlie 4 I -\ clidn't see you were
here .1"
'Hardlnge hit hi, lip, ,, but kept down his
-.and 'assumed gay- exterior. He
amid have felt great •pleastrre just then, in
ivirtßitging the slow torture of the waltzer
indeed, I am not sure that be would not have
_ liked to perform- the 'kind office of hatiging
hini. -
To see the fellow's cool -impudence, was
most examining. There be stood, his arm
till around Bessie's waist,_ her head almbst
- lying on his skottlder,, and. her Attie' rosebud
mouth half open,"panting with the exertion
of the brief, but ..stormy -waltz, looking so
Confoundedly pretty ; that tiatdinge couldn't
for the life °llan, feel angry with her.
"Oh; cousin `Hal l" cried Bessie, releasing
berself.,"you good.for-nothinm fellow r'
• "What's ihe)natter i pis.% r- •
tYou've been.d linking already Look here,
it..un't eleven o'clock, yet, and jot--. 41, for
-shame, sir I" , ,
"I know it ; I f ve had 'a lade teeny glass of
'brandy—and I'm going .to have another., if
Hardinge 'will go with me. Conte.
Charlie, it is time to wet , your whistle'
doge was glad to do.something .to
tape from Bessie's presence, .aithough.ke had
- Much tether lowa -.seen sfnottsin Hal" drink
hemlock stoup, Socrates, thiati brandy,
- Cocktails, akmodan philosophers..:
"Ilardinge,” , said: hie fivety tormentpr, as
Vow at • they got pot Ole, ~ . 001 f d inky
dot„ to lie engaged to s') charm* a girl:as;
Miss Bessie I I swear, if I *ere a marrying
man; I believe I'd envy you l"
Comfofting suggestion I
"A—hem, yes," said Hardirigc, 'she is a
nice girl," 'and be eyed his companion side
' ways, with a very unpleasantly malignant
look.
The. otherrattled' away, in his usual gfr
hand style,talking about martiage,and Bessie,
I and his own admiration of women in general,
every now and thert.touching nnwitting-ly on
some bare , nerve, in Hardinzes heart. The
first cocktail was succeeded by two, more,
with cigars to match, and the two young men
grew quite friendly and confidential, but
Hardinge kept his eyes and ears open, for
some chant° to overthrow the familiarity
existing between "cousin Hal," and Bessie.
_ The truth is, that Hal was no more Bessie's
I cousin,. than. I am. They bore the same
family name,' but it was a -common one in
that- region, and no tie of consanguinity
existed between them.
Bat was exceedingly pleased with Bessie
when he bad first seen her, nod on finding
that her name wos Lemma, had 'at once in
sisted npon claiming relationship, in order to
enjoy , hey society freely, without offending
her betrothed. . • - •
Unfortunately,'llardinge made Bessie con
few. that Hal was not related to her, and as
she still persisted in behaving in kvery cons
inly manner toward him, the result was, tkat
the betrothed couple had a great many inter
views like the one with which 1 have chosen
to cowsmenee my story.
For managing a woman is like managing
a donkey. You can lead- her anywhere, but
if you undertake to drive her don't' - you wish
you might I—that's all !
Now Charley Hardinge wag a good fellow,
brit one of those •maludroits, who always
makes a muddle of everything. lie was slow
to appreciate, slow to perceive, and slow to
act. Loving Bessie as much as he could
anybods (however much that might- be,) he
hari a slow, cold blooded waiiith him, that
looked very like apathy, yet, on the slightest
provocation, he got terribly jealous and as
sumed a parental severity toward her, which,
of itself was almost enough to kill any love
she might have for him.
take warning by him, young men. Don't
attempt to play the part of . master—till you
are married !
Itlal Lamotte, on tie contrary, was all im
pulse and fire—what you might call a regu
ler devil of a fellow. He was always getting
into scrapes, always- good natured, always
making love to sorgebody girla, and al
ways being sorry for everything he did.—
His passions were strong, and his expressions
of them unpremeditated—in shoil, he was
just Hardinge's opposite.
Pot some time past, Bessie had 'eoetemplri
ted visiting some relation:, who lived a few
'hundreds of miles away, but since she had
become acquainted with "cousin Hal," ,she
had found her - home too agreeable to think
of leaving. Naturally enough, Hsrdinge
was more anxious than ever, to have her go,
but all his suggefeions•were in vain. Now .
if he could contrive to get Hal away from
B—, for a brief period, Bessie would \un-•
doubtedly he sufficiently ennuyee, to be will ,
ing to goon her visit, at the termination 'of
which, it was proposed that her wedding with
Hardinge should take place. •
SO, as he and sant sat together, in the ho
el bar room that morning, lie was mentally
plotting; in his cool, slow manner, how he
Should get rid of his rival.
The conversation turned upon earlydays,
and the jolly times•that boys geirerally have,
before the labors and tiOnbles of money-mak
ing intelfete with their careless happiness,
Hal, with his, usual elusion, expatiated with
delight upon those days, and upon the love
he bore his patents, now living in his native
town of, some distance southward
from B—. His old 'father—" Gods bless
him?' he said with his tine eves almost suf
fused at the thought—believed him to be the
best son in the wo . qtl,ln he would do any
thing under heaven, to keep him in that be
lief, till the day of his death !
. To -an ordinary observer, -like you, or I.
dear reader, this would be merely a natural
expression of a warm heart and open mind.
Tu Ilardinge,,however, it was a.suggestion—
ansopenitig=for a very'wicked plot, whereby
llhrs Ithence ?TOM I 3—, Might he secured
for a-short while at least, until Bessie could
be persuaded to leave town. s
Vet he hiinSelf revolted a little from the
dishonesty of the thing. It would be very
necessary to deceive Hal very sadlYand to
shock him very vio;ently, so llardinge turned
the idea over in his mind,-,and resolved- to
think about'it, fora day or so.
The next afternoon he called upon his be
trothed to ask her to join him in a sailing ex
cursion upon the - beautiful_ lake of. 13
but . she was not at home. WI to discenealate,
he wandered off from the village, and uncon
scionsly strolled far Op the shore of the lake,
to a lofty bluff; which overhung the water.—
As he approached the summit, he heard a
(leer, manly voice, which he. recognized as
Hal Lamottes, mingled with , the tinkling 'of
a guitar.
Ile crept noiselessly into a dense thicket
whence lie could see. without being seen, and
peered cautiously forth .upon a -scene that
gave 'him any thing hut
vpleasure.
Bessie sat at the root of an old oak tree,
weaving a 'chaplet of leates and flowers, and
occmionally casting glances of undisguised
affection, towtad "cousin Hal," who grace-.
fully seated at her feet, sang a passionate and
melodious. Love song, accompanying himself
with the guitar.
This was the last feather which broke the
camel's back. liardinge could not sing—
indeed, be posiessed no accAmplishments of
any kind, and his heart rankled with all the
small eery which such men feel towmrd those
- who , excef them in 'power of.fascinating and
attracting.
His resolve was taken. • lie retired to his
home—to his chamber—and with much care,
*rote a letter which be sent to lY to
to be mailed.' Ti Was directed to -Lint In. -
n3otte, "in haste."
Hal win -having a quiet • little patty at his
lodgings 'alien. he received it, a nd the room
*as promiscilotisiy occupied lkylinttoke, songs,
jolly fellows i edibles and potables: Hal him
self was exi , nnting a brilliant fantasia on mu
sic in-general, stompbsed and arranged for the
piano-forte hibitaself, as be ; seat
The servant hitaded himthe.-Letter ; and Hal,
seeing the potitmiirk, atOmrpliying—
...Exceed ,clic pc moment, gentlemen," laid
lie, "1 have , a leiter' fniti bode, and nitist
u WE ARE ALL EQUAL IiEt'ORE GOD AND THE CONSTiTlLlTlON.ames,einchaniiii.
_ Montrose, c%;usqueanna Coluttg,, gcnit'a, pranian ''Scorning, Bag 20', 185 S
read it,".with which he retired info his bed
! •
roqm, adjoining.
It was well la 3 did, poor fellow, fur it would
haVe .teen a bitter talak to have reati it,and
kept up a good face before that compativ.—
The letter told him that his father had been
taken suddenly ill, and was bbyond all hopes
of recovery.
When Hal again appealed among his
guests, he was as pale as a winding-sheet.
I Gentlemen.," said he in an unsteady voice,
"I; have received bad news from home—my
father—my father is ill. Once more I beg
yon will excuse me; I d .aust stmt. for Q—,
to-bight"
The company—good-hearted young ras
cals, most of them—withdrew, in respect to
their host's 'sorrow, and in a half hour's time,
ho threw himself into the mail train -for
ll— , -----, praying heaven that his dear old
father might be still among the living, when
lie; arrived.
The night was clear and fine. 'The moon
shone brilliantly on field and water, as the
train went 'whirling along, but to Hal La
moue, everything seemed dark and dreary.
The lights of the switchmen, stretched
along the track, where it passed through vil
lages, seemed like flaring funeral torches.—
Ilisliriek of the engine -whistle was to him
a 'cry of mortal agony, while the floating
ciciud of dark smoke which was left behind,
was a sable pall, coveriog dead joys and mew
or :es.
l i !n his poignant grief, his heart turned, as
stitcken hearts always de, toward some re
membrance of love or sympathy; and the im
age of Bessie presented itself involuntarily to
I:114 vision. The way seemed long, and - he
1 .
grew weary, so that at a station, where the
p4sengers for D - ' , changed cars, be
tween his anxiety for his parent aid J know
"not what new-born feeling of love for Charles
Hardinge's . betrothed, he fell into_ a doze—
half sleep, half reverie , in the- passengers'
ro+m of the depot.
• rikti hour fled, ere he awoke, and.the mail
train for D , had gone. ' Hal cursed
himself. mentally, for being so stupid as to fall
asleep, and mourned sorrowfully goer the de
lit thus occasioned,.
~ i11:93 ten o'clock train came along,'however,
in a few moments, and Hal hastened to take
a 'eat in one of its cars. Here he resigned
!Itself to his doze again, wisely thinking
th t he might need all the strength and en
du-once that repose could give him.
The stopping of the cars awoke him again,
and he started up, belie%ing that he bad ar •
rivo at 11--. Be bad not, however.- for
ie [recognized the wide . meadows and sweep
ing mill-stream "which'were visible from the
cat window, just lit up by the morning sun.
It.as a plum some two miles frotn his old
hi n
th
e, where he had often gene fishing and
betrying, when a boy, -but' why the train
sliOld stop there, was more than be could
gliss.
..li commotion now arose in the car, and sk
c( :uctor, hurrying through, announced that
tht mail-train had met with an accident. It
i
ha rut over a height car, near D--, and
seleral persons had been killed and wounded.
A messenger bad been sent back, to delay the
ten o'clock train, until )he track could be
c'elred, and meanwhile the locomotive would
skiwly proceed through, to the scene of the'
1 disaster, to render assistance, if desired., •
Hal intantly stated his mission to the con
ductor, and was permitted to ride on the , en
gie—a; boon for which he was inexpres-iblv
i gr teful, and in fin hourmore, be was walking
up the avenue of poplars, to his father'q
hose. . . ... 7.
Possibly, my dear reader, you may be.riblet . :
to judge of his surprise, when he found his.
worthy governor' silting at the hie... Vast
talk, in excellent health, beating up an egg.
in a ghlss of cherry prepatory to commencing j
hi& morning meal !s: ;11
-,
The scene that ensued would require ri l, l -
..
d üble-actioned,, self adjusting, forty-horse-
p wer romance- biter to desliibe. As I am 1 .
itcahing of the kind, I shall not attempt it.
lOn examining the !ever, and remembering
vthious thing= Hardinge had told him.
9.4,= acute enough to see through the plot,
wiich, it must btioufeed, was rather a slim
'one.
should ho be revenged
,In ids anxiety to reach D—, he had quite
ometdooked the fact of having had an almost
Miraculous escape. Had he not fallen asleep
i-a the depot, he would have come through in
the mail-train, .4tnd perhaps been knocked in
ta(• an unpleasant cocked hat—a spe c ies of
anatomical chaos, far from agreeable. •
i Here then was his cue. Ile repaired at
oitlesto the'oldice of Dr. Tom Grig, an old
frlciid and an inveterate wag,and after a little
chat told him the whole affair.
"Grin," said he, "I want yon to help me
write Ilardinge a profes?.ionar letter, toying
that my right eye is knocked out, twelve of
my , ribs broken, and my backbone diiven up
into my fkull, by the railroad smash. Tell
him I'm dying. (not lying), and t'iat I. want
him to come and hear my last words, in.
sfanter.'
• --
1 .,N0 sooner said than, done. The doctor
entered into the joke at once, and agreed to
Tait the letter, as soon.as Hal should have
time to reach 11-- 1 , again. With the very
next train, Hal was . once,more en route, and
arrived at B—, during the night. •
His first care in the- morning was to see
Bessie privately, and to accomplish :a great
deal in a short time. •
First; he toid her that she must not be a
larnied to hear that he was dying. Second,
he told her of the plot and its failure, which
disgusted \ her with Hardinge, that she had
no feminine expletives strong enough for him.
Third, be told her that he loved her better
than anything else-on earth, that he would
die for her, (she was kind enough not to re
quire him to), and that. be wanted her to'
marry him that -very day, if they had to
elope s •
Site, little fool, turned Very pale at first,
_Oben she heard about the dying ;- then she
turned very red-with anger at Harding - a', and
finally; a little redder still, with some other
passion, when she heard the declaration.
The end- of it all was; that she fell into his
arms (only - "cousins" you know f)` and said
something that made him very happy.
"He bad just come in time,* she had been
_
sp lonesome; all the day befot#, and Charlie
-had pestered her so mach, that she Was abotit
th doom:knee' packing up, for her journey,
!ben !Hal (dear Hat; now,) came and put a
very- different face on the' matter;
- Ten minutes after Hal left the..hoirea, Hard
loge enteral with a letter—we all know what
4 tlralr- - • • •.
"Poor, devil," said Harding°, secretli , glad
that his rival was out of the way, yet shocked
to have been even indirectly the cause of his
depth, "poor devil, I suppose I ought to go.
hike the noon train, and as you leave
td' night, I p)esume I shan't see youstgain, so
good bye, dear, keep steady, and remember,
don't flirt too much."
With which highly affectionate speech, de
livered in a slow, methodical manner, he gave
his fiancee an abortive kiss, and departed.
That night, just as the' noon train bore
Charles Hardinge-into the town of D—, the
eight o'clock train-entered 13-4 7 —, corning the
other way. As it storiped, "a gentleman
about Hal's size, and a) lady-aboutHessie's
size, entered the cars—a Couple of trunks were
thrust into the baggage car—the train rum
bled'off, and Cherie> llardinge's matrimonial
prospects were blighted forever!
At the next. villiagerthe twain were speedi
ly Made one, and when Hardingo returned
from D—, with a flea of the most porten
tous size in Ids ear,-he found that his affec
tions were the most seriously injured,pf all
the Billed and Wounded.
A CONVERSATION,,
AND WHAT CAME OF IT. -
"Why, in the name of all that's curious,
-May Benton, havo you not got married?"
This question was - asked by a gentleman
some thirty-five years. of age, %beim] been
for nearly twenty ,minutes closely watching
the motions of a lady who-sat near him at the
work table.
The gentleman wax a fine, noble-looking
man, with Klink well•formed features and
pleasant expression. Ho was handsomely
dressed, and, to judge by-the looks of his hair,
vou might have said he -had a wife, had he
ioOked in other respects jike a married man
—which be did not.
, The room in which the two were sitting,
betoken wealth and: taste. Its occupants
were evidently in thelipper ranks of life.
The lady addressed was a person of fair,
interesting face,
and graceful forM. She cer
tainly did look remarkable well, as she bent
her head with its abundant and shining hair,
and plied her white bands in the task which
employed her sight and apparently her whole
thoughts.
Probably a conviction of her attractiveness
and worth bad caused the question which
her companion put in such '
a henry, abrupt
tone, and May started and dropped - the red
worsted work tipori which she had' been in,
teut. . •
"What a question," she cried with a light
laugh, "just as if I cared about being mat
tied!"
"Ni'lly should you not care, Mac? Surely
it 'is the best and happiest - state l'oi>man or
•
woman." t
"Granted, with a proviso," . said May; "but,
Rossiter, if you think so, why have you
never, married?" •
“You are a true Yankee, May, and answer
a question by askinganotheP, but tell me:!
now, why you are, at thirty years of age slid
single?"
v er
"How dare you say that I am thirty years
old? Upon my word, if you were not brother
to my sitter-in-law, I'd not speak to You again
for -a week."
May pretended to pout, and the pout was
quite becoming to her full arched lips.
- "Didn't you yourself tell me your 4e, and
'nly day before yesterday? Your memory
:seems very short, Miss Beuton."
"Well, I didn't, expect you was going to
throw it.; up to me that I was an old maid,
to pay me for my confidence in you." •
"Oh s May—did I sa; that?—and if I did,
you can break my 'glass house' by flinging
hack my very taunt. But,Cotne now, do an
swer my question."
"I never could get any one to have me,"
-said May, irhoitly. "are you satisfied?"
"No.. Yon need not tell me that a person so
interesting and attractive as you -are has rever
yet sad ardent lovers. I know better, May—
so tell me truly why you are not Mrs. Some
body, noWl"
May suclden:v sobered down-and said, ner
vously—"lt's because no man vs hose _love 1
could return ever loved me."
And she resurhed her work.
• How her face had altered. There had come
over it a stern, hard expression, as if she were'
saying, inly: -
"It matters not - I can wrestle down these
yearnings for somethug worthy and noble,
and true, and strong, against which to lean:
fur something winning, and tender, and:lev
ing, which to love. If there is no heart On
earth whose best love-is the, love of want, 11 1
can do without it. I can walk to the end of
life its I have walked thus far."
Rossiter regarded her in long silence. 'He
had known her for many years, and had of
ten wondered at i:er great indifference to thel
attention of gentlemen. He had even; on more
than one occasion, taken her to task for her
'mance toward therti.
"Yon won't allow them to becoma an
qtrainferi with you at all,". he said. When
you, are introduced to a man, that's' the last
of it. All the young men admire, but they
are afaid of you. You Chill therti to utath.
I heard one man say that_ he thougbt you a
beautiful and interesting creature; but then
lie would as soon undertake to warm in.o
love an iceberg as yourself—even if lie bad •
courage enough to make the attempt."
Askeptical smile had been the only answer
to such questions.
How could May believe that she was ca
pable of in:zpitifig affection in others: When
thos e who knew her - best were so lightly
touched by it. -
Rossiter had been for three or four years
absent, and had newly returned when the
above conversation took. place., Ile was a
comfortable old bachelor, happy in disposi- •
tion; happy in postWeing an' independent for
tune, andliappytin hit sister's home—not to
say happy in the companionship of May,whom
he honestly believed to be the-bestquid most
lovelygirl in'the'svorld:. 116 had once dear
ly loved and suddenly lost a fair, promised
bride; and nevi* since had he allosied him
self to think .Of loving. And; besides, he
didn't know as lie wished to marry. Ile was
well satisfied with, his "state and condition,"
-when be was - at home. to be sure-he did/feel
uneasy and dissatisfied all-the while, he was
abroad,- nobody's company seemed to fill the
void in his . heart; Ile did Mis t s his sister so—
und lluy—ohl how glad he was to sea them
when eseturned--and how strange be thought
it was that May. didn't 'ruSh at - him in the
hall std bug and kiss him, just, as his sister
I . did; blit'he tick MI satisfaction of the con-
trary creature when she did come to welcome
him.
"And so May isn't mailed yet, 4 " be said;
it'A rather too bad; hut I'm glad of it."
May came very near sighing; but she didn't
—at least, not audibly: How many still
born sighs Clete are in the world.
It is, well it•is no crime to smother them at
their birth.
Rossiier sat studying that still, stern
face before him; and ho thought-new thoughts
—new as to their present relations.
"May," ho said at length, "May, was ever
there a man that you could hayk loved had
ho asked it?"
, Like a crimson dye, up roso the hot blood
to that beloved face, and the hard look was
burnt out in an instant—she only said; not
lifting her head or eyes:
"That you have no right to ask."
"I have no need to ask, dear May. Forgive
me, if I mistake; but I feel as if I had been
favored by a revelatien Of—of—that I have
been n'blind and stupid fellow as ever lived.
May, if a man whom you regarded as you do
the plain old fellow before you, were to ask
for your love, what would you Eayr
"Yes," said May, dropping her head till her
face was hid among the worsted.
"Will you haveiner cried Possiter, spring
ing up and oversettiug his - chair.
"Yes," said a voice.from amid the worsted.
Rossi ter was on his knees, and most fervent
ly embracing chair, woman, worsted and all.
"Marry me! .Will you.marry mei" said he.
"Yes," said a voice from the worsted depth.
"Then hold up ydur head and let me look
upon the face of my wife. St. George, May,
I believe I've loved you for yeals."
"And I know' I've loved you almost ever
since I .k•new you," said May, yieLlitig to the
gentle force which drew her from her low
seat and led her to one where there was
room for two.
"And that's why you never eared about
f.ny other men's company and attention, my
M a yr -•
"Yeq," said May, "you begin to understand
it now."
`oh, May! my beauty, my dent good girl!
Why didn't you think of \this before? Why
didn't you tell me, Mayr
"Tell yciu! I should hitvelooked well, should
I not?" - •
"Indeed you would have looked well=-
charming in my eyes. What a pity you
did not have confidence enough in me to
have allowed me to guess aithe truth before.
Whr.May,l would have married you years ago,
and been the happiest and most grateful fel
low alive. How stupid men can be!—but
entlk., May, we must go and tell my sister.
She will be delighted, indeed:"
And le led the embarrassed and blushing
May into the presence of his sister, and ad
mitted her into the great rejoicing; and in a
few weeks from that day, Itoqsiter ._and May
were no more twain but one flesh. Nobody
knows what a month may bting forth—nor
to what the simplest quesiion may lead
• THE RANTS OF FISH.
REMARKS NtADE Bti RbB..L. PELL,
PRESIDENT OF TILE
INSTITUTE, AT THE FARM
' ERS' CLUB.
The Trout—The Corp—The Goldfish—The
Sunfish—The Pike—The Yellow Pereit
The Striped Bas—The Shad
Fishes are vertebrae oviparous creatures,•
having a heart consisting of one ventricle and
one amble. They are capable of breath
ing water, their air-bladders peiforming the
duties of lungs, and the gills of respiration.
The water, taken in at the mouth, instead of
entering the stomach, passes through the gill
apertures and escapes, leasing behind the air
eontained in it, to apt upon the blood., Fish
are of about the same specific gravity as the
element in which they tic. , but by meatis of
their bladders, which they can dilate or con
tract at will, they vaiy their gravity._ and
descern or rise with the same ease that a bird
does by expanding or contracting ita wings,
and are able to pass through the water with'
g.eat rapidity,usiog the propellers members
called' pectoral, ventral, dorsal,anal and cabd
al fins., The bodies of a large proportion of
li-h are covered with scales, and theii teeth
are the organs of prehension.
I have eight`ponds on my farm, all artifi
cial, and fed by springs ; they are, with two
exceptions, fourteen feet deep, and contain
-forty•tive varieties of fresh and salt water fi , h;
a portion of which,`toge•h?r with their bedts,
intend to describeosind will commence with
diet most highly prized by sportsmen, the
Trout (Sulmo Furio).
The Trout is the only fiTh that comes. in
and goes cut of reason with the deer; he
grows rapidly ; and die:: early after reaching
tiffs fullrowili. The female spawns in Oc
tober—at a different time from nearly all
oiler fish; after w hich,male and feinale,becorne
lean, weak, and unWholsome eating, and, if
examined che , ely will be found covered with
a species of clove-shaped insects, whict
pear to suck their substance from them ; and
they continue sick until - Warai weather, when
they rub the insects off on the gravel, and
immediately grow strong. The female is the
I best for the table. She may be known by
I her small head and deep body. Fish are al
rays in season, when their heads are . sn small
its to be disproPortioned to the size of their
ba.l3. The trout is leas oily awl rich than
the salmon ; the female is mach blighter and
Nmore beautiful than • the male; they swim
rapidly,-and often leap, like.the salmon. to a
great height, when ascending streams.. When
I first stocked my trout-ponl, I placed:Meen
hundrerrin it, and was - accustomed to teed
them With angle-wortna, rose bugs, ofickets,
grasshoppers dtc., whichsthey• attacked with
gteat voracity to the aniaiement of those
looking on. They grow much more rapidly
in - ponds than in their native streams, froiri
,the fact that they me better fed and not com
pelled to exercise. Trout are the only fish
known to me that possess a ioidq, which is
perceived by pressing them, wh.ertithey emit
a murmuring sound, aridtremble all over.
The Carp (CyptiTus• Carpio).—Of this
delicious fish I have a great abundance; hav- li
• ing obtained my original stock. from Captain
Robinson, of Newburgh, fourteen years singe.'
They breed twice each year, producing about
forty thousand each time.. and grdsv• to the
length of fifteeninch'es.—l have - seen Abed on
the banks of Lake Como, in Italy, weighing
one bundred and seventy-five pcpn'ds. I feed
them with bread„ rn
and soetite Indian meal.
They come up lagreat numb e at the ringing
of the bell, and will eat out"of my hand; and
permit me to stir them around without show
ing the least fear. They ale very tenacious
of life, and live a long time out of the water.
I have crossed them with the gold-fish, or
Chinese carp, and produced a great variety of
color. As soon as the ice forms in the fall,
they disappear in the mud, and as they are
not afterwards seen, probably remain dormant
in par cold.climate all winter. . a
In Prussia, Germany and Saxony, carp are
cultivated with great attention,and contsitute
a part of the revenue of the nobility. There
is no reason why they might not -be made
profitable here. Fish are like `hens, in one
respect, that is, they never deposit all, their
spawn at one time, but at several periods,
weeks - often intervening, according to its
maturity.
- The Gold Fish, (Cyprin43 Auratus), or
Golden Carp, are -the most beautiful and in
teresting fish in my waters;,: where they are
"only kept as ornaments, as they are not cele
brated for their qualities nl, food. The ex:
treme elegance of their form.and scaly dress,
and the agility and grace With which they
meve through their native element, cause
them to lie ranked among my most charming
' pets. They are always the first. on band at
the ringing orthe bell, and ate even more
gentle anti confiding than the carp. I hae
. noticed that by a proper diet I can increase
the intensity of their . color, Change their,ex
. ternal characteristics, improve the rotundity
of their form and add =chat their size ; and
what is more surprising than all, those
characters become hereditary in their off
'spring.. .
The-sun fish are known as the American
Carp, though they will , not intermingle with
either of the other varieties, European or
Chinese, which they much resemble in habits,
with one exception, and that is, they build
nests in the gravel to deposit their ova, over
which they watch with unceasing vigilance,
and cannot be induced to leave even for food;
when the other fish are eating bread, in their,
immediate vicinity, they appear to be uncoil
csiou.s of the fact,and chase them if they hap
pen to come too near their sacred charge,show
)ing every indication of extreme anger,'" by .
distending their gill covers, and ekvating their
fins, ike.
The Pike (Esoz Lucius).—l have a large
pond devo:ed to this fish, in which they
abound to so great an extent, that I, might
supply .half-a-dozen , families the year round
from it. They are the most notoriously vora
cious\ fi in our fresh watei•londs, and will
dolour yo ng dunks, gee...a, rats, serpents and
frogs; they race an.atnazing number of teeth,
which they use.in a scientific manner. Those
ferocious fish have become with me as docile
as dogs, and will . wsemble in number', when
the small fry are fed,to seize upon them,which
they accomplish in a masterly style. Some
naturalists declare that this ,fish is of a spon
taneoos generation, deriving its origin from a
weed known as 'the pickerel- weed. and that
'pickerel are only found where this weed is
known to exist. The fact probably is, that
the weed, as well as the pickerel spawn at
tached to it, are carrieTfrom pond to pond by
a heron, or some fish hawk, attached acci,
deptally to their legs, or eaten as food and
ejected. .
I have qudiel their habits nith great inter
est,`antl find they retire in
_pairs, about the
first of April,. and after swimming to ether,
without touching each other, for roles or so,
the female deposits her spaah in shallow
pla!es, upon aquatic, grass; and the male fol
lowing, fecundates them with milt, which be
deposits over them ; after having completed
this interesting operation,. they pass on and
give themselves no solicitude as to the future.
restdAf their labors, but, when the small fry
mike their appearance, - the parents devour
them with great !pus and apparent Satisfac
tion. .1 have known a pickerel to swallow
partially a fish too large for his throat, and
to vary it thus inshis mouth, until the por
tion swallowed was digested ; be will like
wise eat poisonous substances Withvit, injury
to hint-elf, -_having. within him some antidote
with which to counteract its evil effects.
They never swim in schools,as Many other fish
do, but keep aloof from each other and like
to be solitary and alone ; they are not easily
alarmed., anti will never run from a shadow,
as most fish invariably will; they . often stand
unmoved until I put my hand, in the water,
and will then dirt at it boldly, if in want c:f
food; Their bite is almost as venomous as
that of a serpent, and Very difficult to cute.
Pickerel are particuliiily fond of. frogs as food,
but the frog always makes 'battle when the
pickerel approach, and Will-sometimes mount
upon his bead,where they become very trouble
some custdmers,piacing their foreclaws in the
corner of each eye, and' clinging with their
hind legs. If this position is well - taken, it
is utterly impossible fur the pickerel. to dis
encumber himseif, until the frog is willing to
depart, which he usually consents to do when
the fish-approaches near enough to the shore
to permit him to leap upon it.' Picke
grow fastei• than other fish in my ponds,
making eight inches the that year, ten the
second, fourteen the' third, and twenty the
fourth. 1-am convinced that an acre pond,
well straed with pickerel, tvould yield more
profit than a ten acre Icit under ordinary cul
tivation. They are remarkably tenacious of
life and live a long time after being taken
Gone the water, and will snap at any object
presented. It attains a great age and im
menso size if unmolested and well fed.
- The Yellow Perch (Perca Flareseens) is a
bold fkh of prey, and liken. pickerel, has a
large moutli, well filled with teeth,.:i hog
back, armed with two strong, sharp fins; which
makes 'him a formidable prey for other fish.
His outer covering consists of hard thick
scales. Like a pickerel he will eat his own
progeny. As 'food he is considered more
wholesome than any other fish. Th growth
is slow, and he. breeds but once a year. I
. have noticed one remarkable peculiarity-con
nected with this fish, and that is. that if a
dozen ate found in a hole, they will all bite,
one after the other; and allow themselves to
be caught, being - like most meal, unwilling to
receive the experience of their companions.—
They rere gregarious during nearly the whole
year, and grow under favorable anspieles to a
large'size,and elegant proportions., This fish
is universally known throughout Europe and
this country; and the remarkable manner in
Which its eggs have been distributed has led
to Orions hypotheses. Some suppose them
to be of-spontanCous birth. Some years since
I constructed a<pond; but did not put any
fish in it, and you may imrikine my surprise
when Hound therein peroh,ann-fisb, eels, bull
heads, shiners, trout and sea-bass, witliont my
$ agency, and all within. two yteare. 'Whence
ilottune 15, guniter 1.
I did they come ? Bird were the undoulitc4
agents, and it is to theta Lake Erie is indebted
fur the herring, striped, rock and white sea-
bass, and other' fine fidi. They have distrib•
used the eel throughbut the,. known world,
and frequently carry them alive, as it is well:
known that the gastric juice .of bids is not
suffic'entlY strong to destroy the life of this
serpent fish..
I ,have known petal to die in my pop&
from the bursting of their sound or air wa
ders, caused by loiteriiog in shallow water for
prey during an inten4ly hotrdaY in August,
and have in some instances saved their lives,.
when the bladder'protrticled from their mouths,
by plunging them into cold water, the effect
of which wag s :l sudden condensation of flit: ,
air.
The Striped Bass (Perca Lahax) is a _sea
fish chiefly found near the months of rivers
anil arms of the sea. where they remain more •
.constantly than any oilier ocean fish.' They
are readily kirown frdm the fact that they
have eight parallel lines on the sides, like
narrow tape ; the scales are very large and
lustrous, 4esembling !metal; the, eyes are
white, bead long, and underjaw projects be
yond the upper ;'it is Without doubt the moat
beautiful of all our native fishes. I have been
enabled, after many fruitls attempts, to\
breed this magnificent fish in fresh water;
where they have now beeorne abundant; he "
is a bold biting fish., eAcept, in winter, when
ho becomes liery al temioA and will only.
bite in the middle of the day; when the weath
er is moderate, and continues to take the hook
until the mulberry tree blutsoms. Tha,day
before you intend to fish on bass, sink &glass
bottle in the vicinity of their haunts, with
small fish in it, covered with_a piece of pierc
ed parchment, or linen cloth ; this will at
tract them in large numbers, and by dropping
your line in its vicinity,'baited with. similar
small fish, you may take many of thelit.—
They spawn throughout March , the feinale,
followed by•the opens a furrow in the
gravel and deposits Or spawn; 'the male
follows, ejecting milt upon it, and at the same,
time covers the furrow with his tail. Thiti
operation is performed with great rapidity
and in the meat scientific manner possible, so
much so th:A - nu trace of the fish is left be
hind. to indicate that the gravel has been
moved. This may justly challenge the admi
ration of all beholders.
. . ,
The most interesting of all fish to me is_the
common Shad (classea alosa,) which may be
rega'rded as. a source of commercial wealth_
and national industry, and. a_Miracle of Na-
tare in its iAultiplieation and continuance.—
Notwithstanding thousands of myliads are de
stroyed in the ovistate, we find an tindimioh 7 ;
ed abundance year after year, which cab only
be accounted fcr by their extraordinary crea
tive ability. They spawn , hbout 45,000. They -
have a peculiarly sloping' bead and tapering
body, pr(j cting , underlaw„ sharp, small teeth,
forked tail, dusky blue color, with a line. of
dark rand spots on each side, sometiineS tour
and often ten in rititOer, andl. have frequent
ly seen them without: any. Tliey . ascead our
livers from the Ist of April to the 10th of
Jtine, for the purpose of spawning, Which . they
accomplish in the same manner that bass do,'
except . that the male ifitils to xover the ova ;1
this necessary opetatien is perfOrmed by the
ehbing and hosing tide.. The organizaticia..
Of, this fish enables it to breathe either salt or
fresh water, and taking advantage of this fact;
I have been enabled to breed them in ponds, •
and from numerous, experinients, am led fit
I - elievvintt shad live but a single year, and -
that- when they' pasal, down our rivers,after
spawning, they are sb weak and emaciated
that they fall an erty , prey to the voracious
_fish. They grow in a single 'season to weigh
from five to eight Pounds ; they appear, is
well as the !terrine.; to have been creatid - to -
form the food Of lbe myriad inhabitants of
I the, ocean. They take, like the ,herring (of
which they are erroneoesly.called by fisher
men the mother;)•thii circuit of the sea, com- •
mericing s ,in 'die regions of•the North .Pole, in
schools equalling in rfxtent the whole of Great
Britain and France.l When they reach the -
coast of Georgia, they separate into. immense
squadrons, and as the season advances, run.
up all the rivers on oar coast, followed a little
later by the . herring. Late writers question;
the migratory character of - these fish; and
suppoie that they remain throughout the
winter in the -most, profound depths of the
ocean', burrowing in I the mud. This is bad
philosophy, as they are not organized for,liv
ing in. mad, and the structhre of their air
bladders prevents them from sinking in deep •
water. Their form ind;eates clearly.th4t they
were designed by nature. to swim . ritir the
'
surface of the sea- - bid , to he always in-rno.-
tion. I have had llerting in my pond, with
shad, several huadrell at a time, arid Lever.
saw them at rest.. i ,
The shad livei upon suet-told, and feeds upon
the aril tnalculre in thit water while swimming.
Food"' has never beenl.discovere4 in the hedy.
of shad when opened, and - they never bite it
baited hook.. .
Lhave frequently tiloticed ..
a fish in the Niirth
river, between the him: and"' the • herring,
smaller than . a shad - but larger than a her-.
ring, possessing the general characteristics of
both; it ascends the river at the sam© time
to spawn, and returtis to the ocean after hai
ing deposited its oval.
\ • .sh ID AP . ..
A DISSO Limo N . - Or PA RTS.E usulr.-- 7 .T!vcv
barbers in Newai k,- N.. 3., commenced opera-
Lions with tvro.comb, a razor, one bai of soap
and a wash basin; about, a-month ago, but
were making moneyliolsst, the junior part-.
ner retired from_ the service: spent the -pro
ceeds and ran the c neer(' in debt. -. The sen- '
rfor diouglit IMF; wai
going a little far, and •
t
I called on the other o ".come to time," and
settle the liabilities,,which amounted to $1,84.
But he dodged and retired, upon his dignity.
The following.ittice was• subsequently
found,- stuck up wit it ,piecit Of -soap, on a.'
telegraph pole near tlhe Market street depot.:
.Notis--De dishollit ion ob co:parships here
tofo resistinb twixt me and -Mose Jones in the
barber profession, alit. heretofore resolved.—
Pussons what. ose
I t t lust- pay the inscriber. 7 --
Dem .what the fur ose must call Mt Jones,
as the furtri is now
. nayelent. , • ,
- LIGET Jonxecor;
...
trTbe papers 54 that in Wayne - county;
Virginia, there is.otily ono quarter of
.a slave
o a square mile,.ad that fraction is daily
Melting . awriy, like tallow candle by a Got
i
fire." This is a tip dies of cruelty we never'.
heard -of before, tatting a *tat et* rtegra
and melting., him- like a tallow caidle-by a
but fire! : - • 1-
.ecnalgtstifghtteemilibtdaernav , ft oNitlr