The Montrose Democrat. (Montrose, Pa.) 1849-1876, July 01, 1858, Image 1
1.-.4.loCrtitsolt; Tatilisilti. WORDS. Guard well thy Bps; none, none can know' What evils from the tongue may flow. Whit guilt, what grief may be incurred By. one Ineahtious, haaty word. _ Be slow to speak; took well within, To check what there may be of sin, And pray unceasingly, for aid, Lest unawares thou be betrayed..., Condemn not, judge not; not to man , - Is given-his brother's fault to scan; One task ie thine," , and one alone., To search out and subdue thine own. . Indulge no murninri'ogs; oh, restrain Those Ups so ready to complain; - • . And if they CAIC number, count' Of each,day's mercies the amount, Shun sainAiscussions, trifling themes; Dwell not on earthly hopes or schemes; Let words of meelreesiovisdom, Thy heart's true renovation - prove. • Set God before thee • every work 'Lk Thy lips, pronounce , Him is heard; Ph ! couldat thou realize the thought, • What care, what caution would be taught ! 'Th nk on thy parting, hour; ere long' The approach of death may calm thy_tongue And powerless all attempts be found • To articulate one meaning sound. The time is short; this day may be The very last assigned to thee: " • So speak, that shoutdst thou speak no more, Thou may'st not this day's work deplore. avo v;D Tlivx glum TRANSLATED FROM TIER FRENCH 'Nothing can be done without money,',said George, Rettishly, 'I had.a. splendid project in niv head, but no one will listen to such a poor fellow as I: - We were three Itiends, filet together, be wailing We rigors of fortune. Our lamenta tions, hOwever, -took the turn they usually take among companions, whose age does not extend-twenty years. . ,And I,' said Albert, 'bare finished a work, which would create my. reputation, could a publiOer only be met, with willing to under take the expenses of printing.' 'I hare asked our principal,' added I,' to in crease nkysalary,after-Pur_yeara of assiduous ,e r - vice ; and he answered, that ,of such clerks he could find as many as he Wished for six In sal red. frit - nes a year.' . • _ 'My dear fellows, interrupted greorge„, 'al though we have neither the one nor the 'other anv hope of making a fortune, could 'we not -,et the credit_cfbeing rich !' what good r. asked I._ 'lt gives cne, a position in 'the world - ; a iar , e inheritance augments the consideration which we are.,• held ; everything becomes • '1 remember,' w - as rnV answer. hear:]-in nity childhood of :a cousin, who went to Jamaica, or Martinique, and 'never. turned. • `That iijust what we want ;_ we will bring this consul to life, or rather vi.e kill kill him. Yes ; Jacques Moran Meran dtad at' Martinique, laving a suzar planation, ~fifty slaves, in shan,x fortune ialued at two million of francs, all to his dear cousin, LouiaMeran, from at tachment to the name.' We laughed heartily at the joke of which I thought no more;' but my two reckless . George and Albert, spread_ abroad :he tale when we broke up, with all the seri -11 aSS imaginable. . The next day people came to compliment me It will, of course,. be understood that I 'di:avowed all cause; but no one would be • Fere, me; my two friends had affirmed the :lath of the report. In vain did I assert that it ..vas2llll a joke.- Many remembered my vbusiu Jacques; soirie had actually seen :him enteling at Nantes. in 1789. Among'tbe . number of visits was one not the most a greeable,. With the- whim of a young man, I bad-sente time previously ordered a frock cant in the new fashion, without having the means of payment - ' the: garment was worn out, and I . 3 -el owed half of it. There had been for s.ome time a coolness between my creditor and myself, whose importunities I wished to avoid. The rumor of the legacy made him hasten to find me. Such was the penalty I paid for' the foolish pleasantry of _ . my friends: - • •GOod day, Monsieur Mittbiea,' said I,wit - li some. embarrassment as be entered; `you are come for the fifty francs I' - Toes Monsieur imagine that I am thinking cf such a trifle ? , No, .4 Ras for the mourn inz.' - .. - . . •tTliat mourning ?' `The mourning for your cousin, monsieur— the mourning of- an. heir-at-law ! Without dOnbt you want a.cor,nplete suit r 'At. this time, Monsieur Matthieu, - it wouldj be impossible: .: ! . . .1 hope monsieur doss not think of withdraw ing .his favors from me„ Coat,, vest and pantaloons, black; frock, of dark bronze for the moarniniT' , . '1 teli.vou againi I-have: not: yet received anv--L2 ' 'I entreat monsieur' not to spea.- o money; it *l.l come soon enough,' added the tailor, whiribad,abiady taken out his scissors, and pas,* bistneasure round my waist. Iles, in truth,in great want of elothes,and permitted him to continue. No sooner' was he gone than. another individual entered, who immediately began, - 'My dear -monsieur,you must do me a great service.. Buy my house. You are rich, very real estate. Fifty thousand• 'lesiva:are no - thing for 'You—only the half of your income; and at present - I am in tegent want of the- money. . I -expected Monsieur Felix to buy but" he does not tleci4e, . and I have some pressing engagements to sett le.' , buy your house I,what folly !' 'it is notfolly. .It is: a 'safe investment. After . some repairs; in: two years it will be worth double ? I have ,your word. And he left without giving me time to reply. : • So well' did he propagate a report. of my purclmise,_ that in two hours afterwards Dion neut. Felix came to me in a great Irony, ap parentiy out of humor. • - 'You have cut the grass' from under.my n3ousieur" said he entering; cannot that' h.ouse,..aud thought, it was - greatly, : -urine, as I, had - offiged forty-nine thousand francs,'believing. that :the owner - would surely come to my-terms. - -But_tfiere is no hope pfatarrinz you into an _ -agreement, so, without further preamble I come - to offer you as adVance;•of fifteen thousandfrancs up on yottr-bargaim' : - - Fifteen' thorfaand francs coming"-1 'knew T • not how—to me - who had so much t roubl e in earning my eight hundred franca of salary as a clerk to 'the registry of the courts•of Although but little acquainted with business, .I saw the advantage to be derived from my position, and replied ; 'ltis impossible,- monsieur, for me to give you an answer lit this moment ; return at five o'clock,--meantime,l will consider the matter.' At a quarter before the appointed hour, Monsieur Felix was again at my door. 'Monsieur,' said I, 'I bad no wish fur that house, and did.not even think about s ik-when the proprietor came to beg me to purchase it, and it appeari the house is now mine. As it suits.you, and any other will do - as well for me, I accept your offer.' on shaliebe paid in ,a fortnight, in paper on Paris,' exclaimed-the purchaser, delighted with my promptitude in business. Paper on Paris ! I was so little accustom ed to that currency, as to imagine that it Would be necessary to send it to the capital for payment, and therefore Wrote t) a com mercial house, the only one whose address I knew, as from that I received regularly an annuity of five hundred francs left mo by one of my uncles, and which .formed a_welcome pot:tion of my income. With what impatience I waited the 4xpira tion of the time, when I' wrote-to the Messrs. . - llugues and Itergeret that, having Certain funds to invest, I Legged their advice as to tie safest mode. 'it appeared that the words 'certain funds' have very different accepta ti‘ens in commerce, according to the name and position of him who uses them. The 'newa_of my inheritance must have reached Moist. Certain funds, situated as I was, was a modest manner of specifying a considerable sum—at least I supposed so—on receiving an answer fromithe firm that my letter had been received just before the close of the Cortex loan,- in whidh they bad purchased to the a mount of twenty thousand dollas ; that if I thought it to much, a large profit might be itntnediatelyJealized, as the stock had gone up. A postrcript, in the hand of the princi pal, congratulated the on my accession of fortune. Twenty thousand dollars ! The letter fell from m y hands; the amount frightened me. I wrote instantly to my correspondents, in. forming them that -so large a sum went be pond my means; adding that no remittances having been received from Mai tinique,a's they supposed, • I was unable to sati - hfy their The answer came in A day or two, stating that, as I did not appear to have confidence in the' Cortes - loan, they had sold out my stock at a profit of eighty . thousand francs ; and begged me not to feel uneasy, as remit tances were alway slow in coming from the distant plantations; in the interim, my sig nature4ould furnish me, with all the money I could . want. The prospectus of a German with 111Citt....Cd, lu t, won nay strafes had been secured for me. Eighty thou-and francs ! Either I under stooAt nothing of commercial matters, or the clerk had • written one or-two noughts too many: Nfy situation became embarrassing. I was overwhelmed with congratulations, es• specially when I .put on my suit ofhlack. The editor of the newspaper thought himself obliged fo give a biography of my cousin Jacque ,and asked me foi additional particu lars.. 1 was beseiged with annoying questions. In what'would 1 furnish my house I—what would I do for public establishments ! • Some benevolent ladies wrote to recommend to my .otrce the institutions under their guardian ship. I was ruined in portages ; for in the midst of all my riches, whether real or im aginary, I had no monee. Fortunately, from the moment I was held to be rich, no one would take a sou from me, and tiadesmen courted the honor of giving me credit. At last I decided ou going to Paris. Im mediately on arrival, I went to my bankers, who received' me as the inheritor Of great wealth. ' '1 regret,' said Vii. Bergeret, 'that you mis trusted the Spanish loan, for the stock has a gain gone up. No matter, however•, you have some left.' 'Will yen have Ur goodness,monsieur,'said !,'to tell me precisely how much ail these funds are worth which yon - have bought for 'The calculation is easy. Twenty thousand dollars at so much a • dollar—and the sum already paid. If you sell to-day you will put two'hundr&l and twenty thousand francs into your pocket' .; I opened both my ears. 'You say, monsieur, two hundred and twenty thousand ? Are your quite certain ?' 'As certain as any one can be, within a few hundred francs.' I did not wish to appear tt,o much the novic and replied— 'That is well. You spoke also of,a bank l'! ']es; the establishment' of this bank has met wi ii some (Lffi.:ulties; but the affair is not less good ; ive are on the eve of terminatinr,: it, and the scrip is well up.' 'Could that .scrip also be sold I in-, quired. You hold fifty shares,' replid the banker, 'whicli,have advanced fciur handled and fifty! florins, making altogether nearly silty thous- ; and francs.' 'Although as vet I have paid nothing 'Without doulit,' was the-imawer. ! ''That's singular ; but since you say so, I submit.- I should like to make a safe invest, ment of the whole; will you be so kind as to specify one 'Our five per cents, monsieur—our five peri cents—l roow of nothing safer. At the present 'rate the gain: will be six. I can . easily understand that aft these little matters worry you. -You will soon have to deal with, much larger sums. - placing all, that I hold in five per cents; I should have an income of—!- I ' *That is soon reckoned. Three hundred thousand,. or thereabouts; the quotation at; eight,Makes eighteen thousand francs, say twenty Thousand, to make a round qh," twenty thousand francs of income !! said .1 'when could I receive it 'Oh; to-inorrow, if you confine the trans), action to our hoUse: • _ . _ Mat, of course, waerny rejoinder ; 'what Other could inspire me with so great a degree of confidence ?' The teml:'er bowed. • Will it be bilierea Y in the midii : of all these treasures,l,felt a certain embarrassment in asking for a small suns, of Which I stood in the ,greatest need; for, after paying the. elpenses of my journey, ehad:but five franca left. Stich, however; wesr The force of habit„. “WE ARE ALL EQUAL BEFORE GOD AMIE, Tilt `OIIiSTITUTION."—Jaines Bnchautin. Sontiose, Susqulanna Contg; gtitn'a, Viltr,Oan Porni,ng, alufg 1, 1858 tbat !could scarcely believe myself legitimate -1 possessed .of more than my little annuity, which was not yet dues `Dare I ask,"-- I inquired, with a blush al most of shame on my cheeks—"can I, with out indiscretion, beg you to advance me for the moment a small sum,. which I want on my snivel in a strange city I' j 'Eh, my dear monsieur,my chest is at - your disposal. how much do you want—three, f l our—ten - thousand francs . . lo not ask so much; a thousand will be, sufficient: I 'Will you have it in gold or notes ? Call on the cashier. May I beg you,' said the banker, leading the voy as I rose to depart— toay I beg you to- continue your good will to our liouse I' ''`Certainly, monsieur ; you well deserve it,' I replied, with a confidence which the cer tainty of pos.sessing of twenty thousand francs began to vivo me. 1 There is yet another tlivor which Ilwish to ak . k; said M. Bergeret ; 'you are not acquaint. 4d With Pads, you have, perhaps, but very few relatives tere:—come and take a family dinner with uslo-day;,my wife will be lappy to make your acquaintance.' ‘With.the greatest pleasure.' 'We dine at six; you have no engage ment for the etening, we• shall have a few friends, and I hope you will Kay.' There ate few moments which I remember With more satisfaction than those •of my leaving Bergeret's house. 1 began to be lieve in the reality of my fortune, and had a thousand fianes in my pocket—a pleasure which had never before happened to inc. The fifty golden Napoleons gave me an extraortl-. 'nary impulse; in fact, I stood in great need Of them. Possessor of twenty thousand francs of income, I was obliged on my arrival in Patis, to leave my trunk at the office of the diligence, not haying t means of paying for lodging. n I now ha teneo redeem it, and afterwards took a, c ch to the first hotel . , pcnnteu out to tne, where ablisltecl myself in a handsome apartment, and put on my suit of mourning. I arrived with such a punctu ality at Mr. ifergetet's that he .scarcely had time to finish telling my history to his wife. She, however, bad heard enough to cause me to be received of a friend to the house. I met beautiful woman, and overheard whispered remarks made upon me—modest bearing, great skill, splendid business talents ! Thus, when M. I3ergeret entreated me to regard his Mouse as my own, I promised willingly, al. though I-could profit but little by the invita tion. Madame Hughes would have tne to dine, *ben I met with other introductions and in-_ Vitatiomt. I was taken to the theatre and to parties. Now that I was rich,l could almost have confined my expenses to some presents and fees. , Meantime, my two friends, George and Al bert, had heard With alarm of the success of their reonrr 11 1 ;17nrit ett f - longer deny, bey had been frightened by int , departure f.,r Paris , wbieli.rill the world iittributed to difficulties iu the nquidation of ! fly debts;and feared that I bad stare ed my self to be deceived by what was concerted between us merely as a joke. Three days after my return from Paris, my kqyant announced their names. 'Let them come in,' Vk as.rn y reply, for I did not receive all the world. On seeing my handsome time-piece and gilt candelabra, and the new furniture with which I had decorated my apartment, they Opened their eyes in consternation. 'There is such a difficulty in gaining ad mission here,' wild Albeit. 'Yes; I am besieged by 'persons with all, 'aorta of solicitatiens and projects ; but you lmy dear friends—you will be always welcomer You are come just in time to accompany me Ito an estate, which I have some thoughts of ;purchasing. It is not a large atrair—one hundred thousand francs.' take it to be somd distance oil,' said ;George, with a significant jerk of his head. 1 : 'Two leagues only but I will take you in iimy carriage.' • 'Your carriage 'llty carriage.' • 'You have a carriage?' 'Yes; and two dapple gray horses, which [ brought from ]saris; as yet, I have no saddle horses, which are more difficult to find: sly two fiends retired to one of the wind ows, where they whispered to cne another, looking at the time very lugubriOns., `Dtar Louis,' said they, 'you know that your cousin Is not dead 'I don't know if he be dead, for I am not very tertain that he ever lived.' 'You know that the story about your in• heritanqe is all a joke r 'I am persuaded that only you and I be lieve So, was my answer. _ , 'We have dorm great wrong,' rejoined my friends ; 'great Arrdng in what was intended orlv as fun. It causes us much soreow.t 'On the contrary, I thank you for it.' 'lt is our duty_ tp disavow it ; Nes are going in public to deelarc ourselves guilty.' 'I entreat you: to leare things just as they are; a few, days more of credit will prevent the necessity of displacing my funds.' George and Albert regarded me as co'rn pletely deranged. 'Come,' said I, let-us loose no time ; the carriageis ready. rwell tell you all as we go along. I have spoken to a bock-seller, Albert, who will undertake to print your tultnusc ri pt.' , - 'Truth, however, comes out. Some who were on the watch' were surprised that noth ing -arrived from Martinique ; well-adviced peeple shook their heads when speaking of me. The edifice so quickly raided tumbled down with equal rapidity. 'The best of it is,' said some, 'be has end: ed by falling into a snare which he laid for, others. For my part, I never believed in it.' I comprehended that the storm had broken out, on finding one day a dozen notes on my table. They were all nearly in the stile of the , first I opened. "M. Griignon presents his respectful com• pliMents to M. Meran, and having an urg ent need of money, begs that he will be so - good - as to pay this day, the little ac count which -he has the honor to enelose.",. My answers were alike— Meran. thanks M. Grignon for the bill, which has been so long asked for and sends the amoudt." Que letter only contained no request for money i. . it was from . a friend wlfoin' I had almost forgotten.. Rating that I had been dliped,he *rote to lend me five hundred francs,• should I wish to remove from a dace where so many rumors were circulated prejudicial to my_character. My reply gave the !Imes sarY explanation, . which I concltided—q am rich ,not by inheritance, in which I never be lieved, but because - it was deterrnined,in spite of my protestations, that I should have, in reality, been made very rich; I scarcely,know how. This is What I would wish you toasty to those who talk of me. --' owe more than fortune to my singular situation,lsinceit has assured me of a friend upon whom I may count in adversity, should it ever visit me: For another week Iliad been the subject of conversation. 'Ho has been unfortunate, if you will; but I say he is a clever fellow,who has known how - to take advantage of circutu stancesit is not everybody Who could nianteu vre in this way.' For my part, I was for a moment tempted to', applaud illy own genius, yet a little re flection told me that talent had nothing to do with it. I quietly took up my place in society as the possessor of twenty thousand francs. of incotite, and still keep it. Moralizing on my sudden change of posi tion, I can only look upon it as one of those strange freaks of fortune which all the world allows to be so unaccountable. MEM Tho Patagonian Brothers We are not related.. Ms name is ;John Griffiths, and I am William Waller; and we called ourselves the Patagonian brothers; be- cause it:looked well in the bills and pleased the public'. We :net by ,chance - , about sik years since, on the race course at Doncaster, and sti took a Sort of mutual liking, and went partners in a tour through the mid!and coun ties. Wein(' never seen or heard of each other up to that time; and though we be came good friends, were never greatly inti mate. I kriew nothiwz or, his past life, nor he of mine, and I never asked him a question on the subject. lam particular to have this all clear from the beginning; for I am a plain man telling a plain story, and want no one to misunderstand a single word of what I am about to relate. We made a little money by our tour: It was not much; 'but it was more than either of us had been able to earn before; so we agreed to stay together and try our fortune in Lon- don. This time we got an engagement tit Astley's for the winter, and, when the strm- mer came, joined a- traveling circus, and roamed -about as before. The circus was a eapital tiringa republic, to Say, in which all were equals. We had a manager to whom we paid a fixed salary, and the rest went shares in the profits. There were times when we= did not - even clear our expenses; there were towns where we made ten and fifteen pounds a night; but the bad luck went along with the good, and, on the whelp nrosnert-3 le staye with the company two years and a half in all, and played at every town between York aid Landon._ Tiering the time we had found leisure to improve. • We knew each other's-weight and strength now to a hair, and grew , bolder with experience; so that them was scarcely a new feat brought ont anywhere which we did not learn, even the "perche" business, and the trick of walk ing, -head doWnwards, on a marble ceiling. The fact is, we were Well Matched, Which, lii our profession, is the most important point of all. Our height was the kame, to the six teenth of an inch, and we were not unlike in figure. If Griffiths y x ossessed a little more muscular strength, I was the more active, and even that difference was in our favor. I believe that,in other respects we suited elleh other equally well, .andsl know that for the threeyears and a half that we spent together (counting from our first Meeting at-the nun caster shown to the time we dissolved part nership with the circus folks) we never had an angry word. Griffiths was a steady, sav ing, silent fellow enough,. with little grey eyes, and heavy black brows. I remember thinking, once or twice,.that be was not quite the Sort of a person I would like for an ene my; but that was in reference to no-act of his, and only a fancy of my own.. For myself I can live with any one who is disposed to live with me, and love peace and good will bet ter than anything in the world. We had now grown so expert, that we re , solved to better ourselves and return to Lon -den, which we di! somewhere about the-end of February or beginning of Marci,, 1836. We put up at a little inn in the-borough; and, befeic a week was over, found ourselves en gaged by Mr. James Rice ; of the Belvi dere Tavern, at a salary of seven pounds a week. Now, this was a great advance upon all our previous gains; and the Tavern was by no means a bad place for the fouturng of a theatrical reinuation. _ _ Situated mid-way of the West end of the City, surronnded by a densely popula ted neighborhood; and lying in the very path , of the omnibuses; this establishment was one Of the most prosperous of its class. here was 'a theatre, concert room, and a garden, where dancing, and smoking, and rifle-shoot ing, and supper-eatint , were going on from eight till 'twelve . 41oek every Wight all through - the summer, which made` thelthia' a special favorite with lieworking classes. Here then we ware engaged(Griffiths and I) with, a promise that our salaries should be raised if we provedattractive; and raised it I soon was,' for we drew' enormously. We I brought out the perche and ceiling business, came down in the midst of fireworks, from a platform higher than .the roof of the theatre; in short, did everything- that ever yet was done in our line—ay, and did it well too, though perhaps it is not trif place to say so. At all events, the great colored posters Were posted up alt over the town; and. the gentle man who writes about the plays in the Sun day Snub; was pleased to observe that there was no play in London half so wodtierful as khat of the Patagonian Brothers; for which I take this opportunity to thank him kindly. We lodged (of coarse together) in a quiet street on a hill, near Islington. The house was kept by'Mrs..:MoriiSon, a respectable, in dustrious woman, whose husband hid Veen a gas fitter at one of the theatres, and 'lshii - was now left a widow With'oneonit ditighter'just nineteen year's of_ age. ,She was chi Welted Alice; but. her motitercalled her Ally, and: 'we soon fell into the .same habit; for they were very simple, friendly people; and we'werd soon as. good friends as if we had been !Wing together to the same house for .years:_ am not a goOd'handiat telling a story, as; I dare say, you have found out: by. this time, . • '.lndeidi I. never sat down .to *write one out ao, — may as well come to the point at once nd confess that L loved her. I also fancied, before many months were over that she did not altogether dislike‘me; fur a man's wits are twice as sharp *heti he is' in love, and there is not a blush, or a glance, or a word, that he does not contrive to build some hope upon. So one day, when Griffiths was out, I went down stairs to the parlor, where she was setting by the window, and took a chair beside her. "Ally, m3rdear," said I stopping her right bad from working, and taking it in tioth of mine; "Ally, my dear, I Mint to speak to you." She blushed and turned pale, and-blus!6a again, and I felt the pulses ih her little soft hand throbbing like the heart of a frightened bird, but she never answered a syllable. "Ally, my dear," said I, "I am a plain man. lam thirty-two years of age. Pdon't know how to flatter like some folks,and I have had very little book learning to speak of. But, my dear, I love you; and though I dor't pre to d that you are the first girl I ever fancied, I can truly say that you are the first I ever c red to make my wife. So if you'll take m , such as I am, I'll be a true husband to you as long as I live?' . What answer she made, or whether she . spoke at all, is more than 1 can to tell, for my ideas were. all confused, and I only remember that I kissed her, and felt.very happy, and that, when Mrs. Morrison came into the loom, she found me with my arms clasped around my darling's waist. . . I scarcely know When it vas I lirat noticed the change in John Griffiths; but, that it was somewhere about this time, I am tolerably scertain. It is hard to put looks into words, and make account of trifles that after all, are matters of feeling more than matters of fact; but otheis SAW the change as well as myself, ' and no one could help obseriiing that he grow more silent and unsociable than ever. He kept away from home as much as possible. I Ile spent all his Sundays out, starting away the first thing after breakfast, and not coming ,back again until close upon midnight. IL even put an end to our friendly custom of walking home together, after our night's work waS over, and joined a sort of tap-room club I -that was kept up by a dozen or so - of idle fellow belonging to the theatres. \Voreo than this he scarcely exchanged a word,with me from morning till night, even when we were at nieals. He watched me about the room as: if I had been a thief. And sometimes, though I am sure I never wronged- him wittingly In my life, T naught him looking at me from under those black brows of his as if he hated me." • More than once I laid my hind upon his sleeve as he was hurrying away on Sundays, or turning oil towards the club-room at night, and said, "qiffiths, have you got any.thing against me?" or, "Griffiths, won't you come Vat s with me to-ni htl". or muttered some sulky denial that sounded more like' a curse than a civil answer; so I got died of peace-making at - last, and let him go his owo wiry, and zhoose his own company. The summer was already far ad- Vanced, and our engagement nt the Belvidere had well-nigh ended, when I began to buy the furniture, and Ally to prepare her wed ding things." Matters continnedlthe same with'John Griffiths; but when the day was fixed, rinade up my mind to try him once again, and invite him to the church and the dinner. The circumstances of that invitation are as clear in my memory as if the whole affair had taken place this raOring. It. was on the 29th of Jmy (I am particular about dates,) and there had been a general call to rehearsal at one o'clock that day. The weather was warm and hazy, rind I started early that I might not go in late or tired; for I knew' that with the rehers - al and the pew piece, and the Terrific Descent, I should have enough to do before my.day's work was over. The consequence was that I arrived about twenty minutes too soon. The gaidena had a dreary look by daylight; but they were pleasanter, anyhow, than the theatre; so I loitered up and down among the smoky trees, and waiters polishing the stains off the tables in the summer-houses, and thought bow shabby the fountains looked when they were not playing, and what miserable gim crack concerns were the Stalactite Caves and the 'Cosmormaic Grottoes, and all the other at tractions which looked so fine by the light of colored lamps and firework_ Well, just as 1 was sauntering on, turning these things over in my mind, whortl should I see in one of the summer houses but John Griffiths. He was lying forward upon one of the tables with his face resting upon his claspeds hands, sound asleep. An_ empty ale bottle aria glass stood close beside him, and Isis stick hr fallen. I could not be mis taken iu him, Though his face was hidden; so I walked Up and touched him smartly on the shoulder. "A fine morning, John?" says I. I thought: I-was here earl.; but it seems that you were before me, after all." He sprang to. his feet et the sound of my voice, as if he had been struck, and turned impatiently away. - = " What did you wake ma for ?" he said, rather sullenly. " Because, I have news to tell you. You know that' the sixth of August will be out last night here. * * # Well, mate, on the seventh, please God„ lam going to be married,, and—" " curse you !",. he interrupted * turning a livid face upon rue, and an eyek;-that glared like a tiger's.—" Curse you! how dare yen come to me with that tale, you smooth-faced bound ! to me, of Et men living I" I was so little prepared for this, burst of passion, that I had nothing to say ; and so he went on z— " Why, tent you leave me alone ? What do you tempt me for I I harelep l t my hands . off of - you Lill now . * he paused and bit his lip, and I saw. that he was trembling from head to, foot. I ant no coward—it's not likely that I should be a Patagoniattbrother if was--butt the sight of his hatted seemed to, turn tne,,for the nio• meet, quite sick Mut giddy. • " My G'od," said 1, leaning up against the table, 'what do you mean Are. you triad?" •"lie.urade no answer.; but looked straight at me, turd' then walked away. 'I don't know how it Wis ; but from that moment, I knew all. It as Written somehow, iti his face., ..- "Olt ; dear I" I - said to myself with a groati,.aridlatt down or; the neatest beach; I beli.e r tha, at that-Mon:rent, scarcely I knot Where Was; or, what I was doing. • I did not seejtim again till we met on the stage, about an hour afterwards ; to go thro' our scene in the rehearsal. It was a grand Easter-piece with zigreat deal of firing, and real water, and a iwo camel it the last act; and Grifliths,and I were Mozambique slaves, performing before the Rajah in the Hall of Candelabras. Excepting that it cost a great deal, &money, that is all I ever knew about the plot and, upon my word, I don't believe anybody else kn'ew much more. By this time I had, of 'course', recovered . my .ususl composure, but I could see that Griffiths had been drinking, for his face was flushed' and his balaace unsteady.. When the rehearsal was .over, Mr. Rice called. us Into his private room and brought out a decanter of sherry, with which I, must say, he was always as oral as any gentleman possibly could be. " ratagoniaas," says he, for he had a won derfully merry may with : him, and always called us by that nane, ",I supgose you wo'd make no objection to a little extra work and extra pay on the sixth—just to end -the sea-, spy _with something stuniiing-hey r_ "No, no, sir, not we," replied eiriffith.q:, in a sort of hearty manner that wasn't natural to hint. Is it. the flying business you ,spoke about'. the other day !" "Better than that" said the manager, fill ing up the glasses. -` It's a new French feat that. has never yet been done in this country, and they call it the trapeze. • Patagobians, -our heahli!". • So we drank Lis in return, and Mr. Rice explained all about it. _lt was to be aprexhi bition of posturing and 'a balloon ascent both in one. At some distance below ale car was to be secured a triangular woodeuitramework, which framework was called the From the lower pole t or bas this triangle, one of us was to he stspendcfd, with a ligature of strong leather attached to his ankle, in case of accidents. Just as / the balloon was rising and this [mu ascending head downwards, the other was to. Oita] 'him by the hands and go up also, haying, jf 7 ho preferred it, some band or other to bind him to Jds companion. To this• position/we were then to go through our cusfomary4rforinances, continuing them so long asthe balloon remained in sight. 411 / ilis," said Mr. Rice, "sounds much .more(dangerous than it really is. •The mo tion of the balloon through the air is se: steady and imperceptiblgitbat, buf for the knowledge of being up ate the house-tops, you will perform almost as comfortably as in the gardens. Besides lam speaking to brave men who tznow their business,and are net to be dashed by a trifle—hey, atageninns I" Giillitlis brought his . hand down .heayily upon the table, and made the gla.L•Se's ring again. "I'm ready, sir." said lie 'with an oath.— " I'm ready to do it alone, if any Man here is afraid to go with me I" He looked at me as he said this, with a sort of mocking htughthuthrousit the blood up me, "If you mean that for me, John," said I, quickly, " I'm rio More afraid than yourself; and if that's all aboutit, I'll go up to night!" If I was to try from now till this day next year, I never could describe the expression that came over his face' as I spoke those words, It seemed to turn all the carrent of my blood. could not understand. it then; but I - understood it well 'enough afterwards. Well, Mr. Tice. was euightily pleased . to find us so willing, and a very few more words ended the matter. Mr. Siaines and his fam ous Wurtemberg balloon were tole engaged ; , fifteen hundred additionaleolpredlamps were to be hired ; and Griffiths and I were to re ceive twelve,pounds apiece for the evening, over and above oar additionalsaliti4. I " Poor Ally ! In the midst of the excite ment, I had forgotten her, and it was not till I was out of the theatre and walking-Slowly homewards that I remembered she must be told. For my own part, I did not believe there was the slightest, danger; but I knew. how 'her fears would magnifyevorythlag, and the nearer t came towards Islit.gton the more uncomfortable I felt... After all, I ‘ vraii . such a coward — for I always am a coward where women are concerned--that I could not tell her that day, nor even the next, and It was only on Sunday, when we were sitting , to gether after dinner, that I found courage to speak of it. I had expected something of a scene ; bat I had no idea that she . would have taken on as she did, and declare that, even then, if the posters had not been already put and myself bound in honor to act up to my engagement., I would have gone straight to Mr. Rice and declined the business alto gether. Poor littfOoft-heartn darling.!! it -was a sore trial to her and to me also, and I was an inconsiderate idiot not to have tb'ought of her feebl's, in time first instance. Pitt there was no help for it. now; so I gave her the only consolation in my power by solemn ly promisirg that 1 would .be the first man tied -tO the • trapeze. It was, of course, the safest poSition; and, when I had assured . her of this, she grew calmer. • On all other points I kept inv own counsel, as you maybe cer tain; and as to Jehn Griffiths ' I saw less of him than ever. eqa - took his meals in the city now, and during, trio seven days that elapsed between the- twenty-ninth and the sixth, never once came face to face with Me, except upon the stage. I had, a hard matter to get away from home when the afternoon of the sixth came roand. My darling clung about me as,it her heart - wield break, and Although I did my best to. cheer her, I don't Mind confessing now that I went out and cried a -tear or two in the' passage. • -" Keep up pint. spirits; Ally tlea " saes I, smiting and _kissing.lier the Jast thi before I loft the house. " And don't you ' tspoiling your pretty eyes - in that way.. Remember that I want -you to look well, and that we areto-be‘inerried to.moirowle, The' multitude in the Belvidere Gardens was something wonderful. There they were, meMwomen.and children, thronging the bal• ,conies, the vrchestia stairs, and every availa ble inch of ground;' and - there, in the midst of theM, rolled and swayed . the huge:War teinbeig balloon, like a sleepy; lolling giant.. The ascent was fixed for- six o'clock,-that we !night come down. again by daylight;, so I made haste to dress, and then' wont to the greeti-:roots' to see after Mr. Rice, and bear something of what-was koing, forward. - - lift. Rice was there, arid other people with him—natnely, Col. Steward; Captain Craw•-• lord, and Sydney Baird, Esquire, who was as I have since been told, a piapwriteri and one of -the Uleven* men of the day. . I was going to - draw back when I 'saw third sitting there with their wine and cigars; but they Albl \ itintlS, Sijiirtr 24: . .- Would have'me in to take a ghtss . o't port, =4 shook hands with me all round aa polite as possible, and treated me as handsome as any . gentlemen could. " Ilere's health and success to yoti,•••ray f brave fellow," says Colonel Steward,',"and,i plelsant .trip to us all !"-„and ten I found that they were going up in,the car with Mr. / Staines. And now, with their light‘cheerful ways/ and pleasant talking, and, With'the glass / .6' wine I had taken, and the ticitetnent and/the bum of voices from the Crowd outside, was in first rate spirits, and as impatient to be'off as a„racer at thd "starting-poini.,. / Presetly, one of the gentlemen - looked'atlta watcb. , , " What are we 'waiting foyt" said "It is ten minutes past six already." And so it was. Ten minutes past the Lou\ and Griffiths had not 'been seen or heard of. \ Well, Mr. Rice grew very uneasy; and.the crowd very noisy, and the twenty minutes more went by. Then we made up our mitt& to go without hirri;and Mr-Rice made a little speech and explained it to the people; and - then vs a cheer, and a great bustle"; , and the gentlemen tailic, their seats in the car.; and a hamper full of 'champagne ,and. cold • ' chicken wa s s put in -with them;; and kwas made fast by one leg to the base,of the trapeze; and Mr. Staines was just about toget in him self and give the signal to cut loose, when 'who should we see forcing hii way throith the deist' but Griffiths. Of course there was another cheer at this, and a delay bf eight or ten minutes more while Ile was dressing. At last he came; aM it was just a quarter , to seven o'cl&k. • As looked very sullen when he fouhd that he ivail to be undermost ; but there was no time to change anything now, even• if I had been willing ; so his left wrist.and my right hand were bound• together by a leathern Strap; the signal was given;. th; hand struck up, ,the - crowd applauded like mad, and the ballon rose straight and steady avove the , headsOt the people. . Down sank the trees and the fountain,and the pavement of upturned faces. , , Pown sank the roof-of the theatre, and fainter grit* the sounds of the hurrahing and the. music. The . sensation was so strange , that for the fir s} moment I was forced to,eloise my, eyes;,niid - felt as' f- Iratist fall and be 'dashed to.piecea. gut that soon passed away, and by the time - _ -we had risen about three hundred feet I was as comfortable as if I had been born and bred' • in the air With my head downsiards... Presently we began our perfor mances, Griffiths was as cool as possible—l never saw him cooler; and'we went through every con ceivable attitude;now swinging-by our bands;, cow by'oiir feet, now throwing. , surninersaulta • f one over thekither. AO during the whole of this time die street agd squares seemed to • sink away to the right, the noises {rout the liiing'world diet on the air, and, - as I turned and slung, changing my-position with every 0 4444 1 .. FIRS of the ,sunset and the city, the sky and the river, the gentlemen. loaning over,tle car; and the tiny passengers swarming dowil be. lOw like the ants on an ant hill. theri the gentlemen grew tired . of leaning over the ear,, and began to 04'4nd, laugh,- and busy themselves upo n their S t amper. Thdn the curry hills drew nenrer,and the city sank away to the right, farther , and Wither: - Then there was nothing buf` green fields,with lines bf railway crossing them here and ,there; and presently it grew , quite, darap•and misty, and we ceased to see anythi e'er,. except through breaks and openings in the cleuds. "Come, John," says I, "our share of this' , business is done.‘, Don't yol•think we might - as w,eIT gettiit into the Oar?" , ~. He was banging below just thelf;hOlditig on by mytii hands, and had been lititiging so quite quiet for some minutes. He seem to bear me; and no . Wonile_iikr the clouds were gathering about us so thickly that even the voices of the gentlemen above , us grew muffled, and I could hardly see for a yard before me in any direction. So. I called to him again and repeated the question.. Ho made op answer bul. shifted his &asp- from my hand to my wrist, and` then up to the middle of mV arm, so laising himself by degrees,. till our faces cable neatly ° on a level. There he, pansed; and I felt his hot breath ob. ray . "William Walduesaid he,hoarsely,"Wasiet to.morrowLto.have been your . wedding.dayr Somethibg in the tone of his yoke, ill. the question, in the dusk and dreadful solittide, struck . n.ie with horror . tried to shake off his hands, but he beld me too fast for dial: " Well, what if it was?" said I, after ti Tito ment. "You needn't gripe so hard. Catch hold of the pole, will you? and Tiet go of rely arms." He gave a short hard faugh, but never stirred. "I suppose we're about two thousand_ feet. high," says ha,.and it seemed to nfe that he had something between his teeth. "If either of uswere to fall, he'd 14'n dead man before he touched: the ground." I would have given Abe" world. at that ino meet to havolieen able to see his face;" but 'what with my Own bead being downward's, and all his 'weight banging to my arms, I had no more power than an infant. "John!" I exclaimed, "what do you mean! Catch hold of the pole, and let tree do the same. My head's on tire "Do you" see this?" said he, catcblng my arms a couple of inches higher up, and look; ing right into my face. "Do yob thisr Ft was a: large open clasp-Irnifei:Ond-he *ad holding it with his teeth. His . brenth_seemed to hiss over the cold blade: "I bought it this evening—f hid it in my' belt-1 waited till the clouds came round and there was no soul to see. rieiently. I shall cert . Yon' away from the balooO. I took' stif of tli that yod should never have hex, and I Wean . to'keep itl 4 A dimneis came over my eyes,' and every thing-grew red. I felt that in anothermiente I should be insensible. thoughts" was so already, and, letting my arms' free, made a spring at the pole over head. 1.. , - :That spring saved the were bound together, and as he rose he drew me along With him; for I.was so faint and giddy that I could make doeffort kr myself. • I sew him hold by the pole with his left hand; I saw hirri take the knife in his right hand; I felt the cold steel pass between his wrist and mine s end then—= * And then; the horror of the inoteent gavd me bails my strength, and I. clog td tits framework just as the thong gettli,=, We were separated iidif,'AttUt , 3jiii4itill secured to the trapeze by One ankle,: .:110 bad only his arms to trust to--and-tlietknife;