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;