:7 : .r:2 , :: - :„..'!„-::
brlert
THE WITCH WIFE.
By U. (I.ritiII:TTIPIII
When a boy, I oevasionly-met at the flovse
of a relative in the adjoining town, a stout
red nosed uld farmer of the neighborhood. —
A fine tableau he nuidenf a winter's evening,
in the red light of a lqrCh log fire.as he sat
for hours watching its progress, with sleet y
half shut eyes, changing his position only to
reaco the eider mug on the shelf near him.
Although he seldom opened his lips save to
assent to some remark of his host, orio an
swer a direct question, yet at times, when
the cider mug got the better of hi taciturni•
ty he would amuse . , us with interesting d, -
tails of his early experiences in..the Ohio
Country.
There wes, however, one chapter in these
experiences \Aide]] he usually held in reserve,
with which, the strzinger
not.. Ile was Lint willing to run tle.‘ risk of
hearing that which was the frightr.d reality
turned into ridicule by scoffers and unhelic•
vers. The sillistance ul• it, es' I received it
fr•An one of his neighbors, lorins as clever a
Late of witchcrat • t es modern times have pro
d need.
seems that when quite a yout,g•man I.e
ieCtihe homestead, and sCroliing westward,
v.. - .l.ed his 11 ay t•tvm place to place until he
C.ettel himself iu (the Of the' l'reneh settle
meh(: on the ()lila. racer. l lore he procured
emph.ylnent oil the farm of a widow ;
being a smart active lellmr, provii,g,
ahle in his Oepartr,ent, he rap
i ra‘or in the ens °l ids r
I:re contrary .to the adviec
and in splll , or some diseouragite i _ hiros
hen ertnin matrimonial inyclit. hies
hy the 'late huslanol, he resulu!..
Ij stel.ped—into the dead inan's 61100: the
nii.st re:is became n the Nvile. , , and the ser.vata
v.-a , 3 legally promoted to the load of th.f!
For a time matters went 011 cosily and
yomfortahly enough. Ile was now lord of
the soil; and 11 . 0 had laid in his crops of coin
and potato( s, salted down his pork, and *piled
up his wood for winter's use, he naturally e
nough congratulated I,inisdf upo t his good
r.-tune, ,ttel laughed at the sinstcr forehod
dings of his neilibors. Put with the long
winter months rune a change over his love's
young dream. An evil and mysterious lull; •
care seemed to he at work in his affairs.—
Whatever lie did after consulting his wife, or
at her sugge%tion resulted favorahly enough ;
but all sAietue3 and projects were on
a-countahlv marred and defeated. If ho
letught a horse it was Stl re . to prove spavint d
or NVIII(11:1'01:Cil. ITEiCIII4,
i've down their or giling it pervt rse'y
kicked it over. .A lire sow which he had
bargained repaid his pmliality by do
t-oaring liLe Saturn, h, r . own childrt n. lk
degr,„,-s a dark thought fore, d av into
his mind. Vomparing his repeated mischan.
ccs with the anti-nuptial warnings of his
neighbors, he at last came a the melaneholv
conclusion that his tuft The
victim in Motherwell's ballad 'or the Denten
Lady, or the poor follow in the Arabian tale
who discovered that he bad mnrrie'd a ghoul
in the guise of a young and blooming princes:,
was scarrelyin a moresorrowful prediea meat.
fie grew nervous and fret!' tl. Old dismal
nursery stories and all witch lure of boyhood
came back to his memory and he crept to his
bed like a criminal to the gallows, half a
fraid to fall asleep lest his mysterious clam
paniun should have a notion to transfor n
him into a horse, get him shod at the
smithy and ride him to a witch meeting.—
And 11. 1 if to make the matter worse, his
wire's affections scented to increase as - I,is
troubles thickened upon him. She aggt Wl
tea hi.tn with all manner of caresses and cm.-
dear4nts. This was the drop to much.—
The poor husband recoded from her as from
a waking nightmare
Bis thoughts turned to New England..; lie
losged to see once more the old hmnestend,
With its tall Nvellsweep and butternut rich
bottom lands of his new holm; for his father's
r)eky pasture, with its crop of stinted
So one cold November (law, finding
himself imt of sight nod hearing of Ids wife,
he summoned courage to attet opt an esear,
and resolutely turning his hack on the we,:t
plunged into the wilderness towards the :us
-30. After a hard and long journey I
reached his hitihplacc,
_and was .kindly wil
t:caned h) his old friends. Keeping a elo:e
mouth about liit> toduchy adventure in Ohio,
he soon after tin:Tried one:pc Irk schoolninteLl,
and by,dint of pii - •:,4!..;rving indtultry and NAM
only, in a few yettvtional himself in poz;ses•
ttion of a 'eol - 111 . 0rIala
•But this evil stay still lingered ithove the .
horizon. One stoomp evening on returning
from the hay field, wl i to should meet 10,11,1 but.
„„ _ •
witeh•wire from Ohio; She .came riding
ip the street on her old white lnirse,"with a
iliun ladlind the Paddle. A ecopting him in
tone,.yet not without soniethMg of
Title reproaA for his unhandstime desertion
,1 her, she biformed limn:that she bad Caine
.11 the way fro(ii Ohio to take him back a-
at 11.
It was in vain that he pleaded his latter
•ngagemettts; it was in vain that his new
vire'raiscd 'her shrillest remonstrances, not
tinning-led with expressions of vehenient in
lignation at the revelation of her husband's
-ea] position ; the witch-wife was inexorable;
4-ct he must and that speedily. Fully ha
pressed with a * 'll4:l.if in her supernatural
power of compelling obedience, and perhaps
dreading, more than witch-oratl itself the ef
fects of the unlucky disclosure on the tent
per of Lis ~Ne Iv . England helpmate, lie made
a virtue of the necessity of the case, bade
farewell to the latter Amidst a perfeet hurri
can of reproaches, and mounted the white
horse, with his obi with on the pillion behind
hint. Ur that ride Burger might have writ
ten a. counterpa'rt of his ballad :
"'nand. tramp, along the 141.1 e they ride,
ahrtig the sea."
Two or three years had passed away
bringing' no tidings of the 'unfortunate hus
, band - , when he once more made his ap
pcarance it. his native village. lie was'not
disposed to be very communicative ; but for
one thing, at least, he seemed willing to ex
press his gratitude. Ms Ohio will; ha\ ing
no spell against intern uncut fever, had paid
the debt of natui:e nud left him free, in view
of . Which his stir, iving, wife, Idler Mandl/sting
a due degree ofxe.3c ntment, consented to take
hint baek r to her bed and hoa,til mill Lead&
:lever tarn that she had cause Lo regret her
eltuneliev:
Si oTT us ran: EASTERN 11'AR.-
The Washington correspondent of the Charles
fon Mercury writes as follov;'s:
`I had recently the pleasure of hearing the
,:ritieism of General Scott un the war of the
Crimea. I look upon Scott as one of the
great captains of the ago, and I listened with
ireat interest to his ideas. , Ile says the al.
committed a great blunder in delaying
the attack upon Sebastopol as long As the
did ; that immediately—after the raising of
,the siege of Silistria, they should have at
tacked Sebastopol, at which time there ivas
t comparitirely small force in the Crimea
chat the allies eanno). take SebasfopOrtnless
.
they rceci're reinforcements, giving; them
superiority of force to the extent of from thir
ty to fifty per cent; that the Russian regular
soldiers are the best troops in the Nyorld for
.lefence; they never fly, but parish unless or
dered to retreat. Ile think,s the Mlles labor
tinder great disalvantage in having, two
comniaudin:r
~ ,e nt..rals: that the road to v;c
turyis through unity (d . d,•sign. 'rho inrcr
,nce I \v,,ah.,l draw from t;eneral Scott's idea
that tic. tt,t , , ucl,'till mit he taken; fur I
doubt wlicther till• allies t•an throe such a
prepmpleraucc of lire there fiS is littl'C'SS3lll.
The General further said that the allics could
not re : embark now without .immense loss of
men. and all the materials of war in camp
except the weapons in their hands."
t.t.:i l y•The old nuts was toiling through the
burden and heat of the day in cultivating
his field with his own hand, and dope:fling
he prontisitur seeds into the fruitful lap of
jelding earth. , Suddenly there stood betUre
tint, under the shade of a huge linden tree,
t vision. The old man was struck with a-
na: , ..etnent
"1 ato Solomon," spoke the phantom, in a
'Cleanly voice. "What are you doing here,
)1(1 man ?"
"if you are Solomon," replied tho venom
hie inborer, "how can you ask this ? In my
Youth you .cent me to the ant; I saw its coon-
P,qtion2 rind learned from that inseet•to be in
dustrions mid to gather. What 1 then learn
ed I have followed out to this hour."
"You have only learned half your leEson,'
resumed the spirit. "Go again to the ant,
and le tin from that insect to rest iu the win
(Cr of your life, and to enjoywhat you have
gathered up."-6'criattit ...1//e f pry. „
Poe rA NITY OF DoEsTtcits.—Wo recently
heard a very pious and upright oldlrtly,
who was in the habit)of reading frequently
froin newspapers for ' the entertainment a
.her children, readit g some tit " Doebtieles le.
tors. She rett4l . ollo with nitieh , apparent sat•
isfactioll, till lie.. mule' to the IMMO Of 011 F
of ili011(1. 4 , whereat Sht; 8110(101)11r
cease.l, tout with B , trrowful countenance
studied the word for some minutcs, but at
letn.rth exclainfA
" lVc , ll, it is Dan,•l'ltooli I cant. make all: •
thing vim.:
Doestieks is " dune fur" iii that, family
Ql,arti.6lc t)cralb.
3literrritini 51utdj.
[From Madame Junot's Nap(Voon.] .
NAPOLEON AND THE SWISS GIRL
The following adventure occurred in the
brilliant days of Napoleon's empfre:
II is well known. that lie was fond of going
about Paris early in the 'morning, aeeone
pilnied only by the fluke de Frionl, and was
always greatly pleased when he escaped
being recognized. About six o'clock one
' morning in the month of March or April he
left the Elyee early, in company with flume.
They bent their course toward the Boule
vards, and on arriving there, the Emperor
observed that they had got out very early, as
all the shops were yet closed. "I must not
play the Harombal-llaschid so early,'' said
he; "besides, I believe it was always at night
that lie wandered forth with his faithful
(;iaffu•." When they arrived at the Passage
du Panorama,'some of the shills were al
ready opened. 01;e of them particularly at
tracted the Emperor's attention. It was the
celebrated in a gaZi It of Florence alabaster,
which WaS kept then as it is now, by M.
L.— and his sister, natives of Switzerland.
There was at that moment nobody in the
shop but a servant girl, who was sweeping it,
aml whose movements were much constrain
ed by the fear of breaking any of the brittle
but valuable articles around her. The Em•
purer was amused r t the cautious way in
which she performed her task, and after he
had stood looking at her fur some time, he
said, "..111 .rt ! %rho keeps this shop? Is there
neither master nor mistress herd
"Do you want to Lay anything?" said the
Thi,n - lental - g on
her broom she rested her chin on her two
hands, and stared the Emperor full in the
face, aPparcntly hall inclined to laugh at his
cecentriC appearance. Certainly it would
be difficult to imagine a inure comical' figure
than Napoleon presented in . ' his liaram-al-
Raschid costume, es he used to call it. Ilc
wore the famous gray frock coat; but it way
not the coat itself, it was the stake of it which
rendered it so singalar.• The Emperor would ,
never allow his clothes to be in the least de
gree tight': antlTonsequently'his tailors made ,
his coats as if they had measured them upon
sentrt -box. When he married Maria
Lonisa, the King of Naples prevailed on him
to have his clothes made by his tailor. •I'ln.
Emperor wore them most coura;:tcously for a
short time: but he eould . clultire4he torture
no loner, and he begged for mercy. Ile
submitted the question to the Empress, who
as long as she could ride On horseback, amid
take four or five meals a day, was always
good humored and willing to agree to ant
thing. She thercffirc granted Napoleon full
power to dross according ti; 4 ,his 'own Caney:
saving that she •liked the Emperor as re-1i
nor as an,,llicr. Perhaps she would
have spoke more correctly had 'she said, ;Jr,
no( hint any 1, , t,h.r one may than an
other.
With the, loose frock coat above described,
the Emperor wore it round hat slouched over
his forehead, to prevent his being recognised.
His untitshionable appearance, joined to - his
abrupt and unceremenious instiller, led the
servant-to conclude, at the first glance, that
ho•wishedonly to purchase some trifle worth
about ten Or fifteen francs, and that it was
certainly not worth while to call her voting
and pretty mistress for so , paltry a-customer.
Rut the Emperor thought differently, and
after looking about him for a few minutes
he asked in an anthoritive tone whethe r
there was any one to whom lie speak.
Mademoiselle L—. who had just risen,, nt
that moment came down stairs. On seeing
her, the Emperor was struck by her WerlitlY'
and elegant appearance ; trut,h she
might well have vied with the fittest woman
of the imperial court. " Padden, madame: .
said the Emperor, touching the brim of his
hat (for he could not vcntitte to take it oil'
lest he should•bc-known), it would appear
that you are not very early 'bilis here. A
good shopkeeper should look after her busi
ness better." " That would Ito - very trne,
sir," repliell Mademoiselle L—, "if busi•
!less were going on well. But as it is, it
matters very little whether wo arc in our
nhops or istr." "Is trade then so very bad ?"
said Napoleon cNaminins vnrions things on
the counter. t Ruined, sir, totally ruined.
I know not what will b o.ne of us."
deed I I had no idea that Fiance wasiii o
Vl6lllllO ct COMliii011! lint a forOigllCr:
Nvi,h to 111illW a few purcha,scs, and itt_
saute timo I should him 'o hear from so
aggroublo a person as yourself some partii:u•
h ars ro.larclin!,r the stale of business in Paris.
'W
hat "'OH or vaeci do you call tin”ler
Th o .r e are the inedii•is form," replied Mtt
lcnuuselic T.—. They are very beauti
tiful. Whitt is F lho price
. of theno"
'demoiselle opened at once her ears
•
and her of es. The vaces were marked at
three thousand frances.' She told Napelean .
the price of them, but he merely nodded his
head, and then :said, " Pray what is the fen
sOn, that' trade is so bad ?" " Olisir,lts long
as that little nine, our Emperor, is so madly
intent on war, how can we hope to enjoy
either prospevity or/appyness?" As she
spoke these words, Mademoiselle I.
threw herself into a chair, and the Emperor
stood looking, at her s..:th the admiration and
respectful interest which her beauty Was
calculated to excite. "Is your husband with
the army 7 - inquired the Emperor. " I am not
_married sir; I live here with my brother,
whom 1 assist in carrying on his business.
We are not French, we are Swiss." "Ah
all said the Emperor ; and he uttered these
exclamations with ,as much indifference' as
if he had been yawning. " Well, I will pur
chase these two Medicis vases. I will solid
for them at eleven O'clock. Take care to
have them ready."
With these words, which were delivered in
a tfuly imperial tone of authority, he touched
the brim of his hat and darted out of the
shop, beckoning the Duke de Frioul to follow
him. "That girl is very interesting," said he
'-to Duroc, as they left the Passage du Pano
rama. "Where she told o me` she- was a _Swiss,
I fancied I beheld before me one of the ivives
or sisters of the heroes of the Scully. Do
you think she knew me?'' "I am confident
she did not, Sire. Her manner was too calm
and toe sell' possessed. She had no suspicion
ill whose presence she was."
At eleven o'cork, two porters, accompanied
by a footman in imperial livery, arrived at
the shop of Mademoiselle 1. . TIM foot
_eu.au_was_the,, hearer_oral i billet, ma nest:
ing that the lady would herself accompany
toe vases ansEreeeive the payment for them.
"And where ant I to go?" said Mademois
elle 1. , trembling; for on seeing the lin.
poloist! livery she began to regret the freedom
with which she.' had spoken to her customer
in the morning. "To the Elysee Napoleon,
mademoiselle, - sail the footman. The vases
were -carefully packed and delivered'. tb the
porters, and Maslemoisclle L—, accent.
puttied by her brothetylollowed them truinis - : -
i ig I ke an aspen.leal; yet she was far from
suspecting the whole 'truth. On arriving at
the Elyscc Napoleon, they were immediately
ushered into the Emperor's cabin. Ile took
three bills of a thousand francs from his
desk, and, presenting them to Mademoiselle
L—, said with a smile, "Another time,
mademoiselle, do nut be so ready to murmur
at the sta , znation of trade." Then wishing
her a good-mornin he retired into his in
to.rior apartment.
REMARK.% I: Discovmtv.---A curious work
has lately bemi puldislied in France on the
popular literature of the country, but partie
ubtrly of that class Ilhich is called " La Lit
erature du Colportage, - such as 'pamphlets,
almanacs, hand books, chap books and
others tor the million.'' The history of
these almanacs is curious, and their con
tents still more so. As a speciman Of the
queer stories contained in them most of
Which, it.,is said, are implicitly believed, be
cause !they are printed in such reliable
works, we quote the following.
„A fisher for crabs, rear ha real.., on the
coast of France, having ventured out on the
rocks which 'spread along the base of the
steep elitis, found in a little hollow basin a
bottle which had been left there by the wat
ters,of the-Main sea. TIM bottle was care
fully stopped. Having been broken by'ilie
er i ub tis,lier, he is ad in it a parchment on
which were traced the following lines:
'• I Nave now floated, on these waters fin•
eight and, hirty days. Thank God, I am
in good he'alth, and also my children, but
toy animals give me a great deal Of trouble,
The fox will cat the chickens, the wolw•s
bite the sheep. and the lions east • upon me
'tm and then glances whTelt do not at all
raise toy spirits. I begin to be very uneasy.
1 was certainly wrong not to hying a couple
of Van Amburgs with me in the ark. Yes
today Trent cut the ra• o 1 . to get mo some
OCWA. The shabby fellow has not come
back. The lion is looking at me and shuot-
lag out his tongue. How it end ?
I ton eaten, I hopesomehody will find this
doeutnent. \ '
MO a: TRulltf.t: is Ii.ANZAS.—One of tit
proviysions or the Nebraska-Kanyas lii 1
've6t4 in the Governor of Nanzas the power
of appointing ;justices of the peace and tn.l.
cr local (avers iii the territory. Tho Gov•
ernor in the exereke ,of this power, did not
aproint such per.-tons as suited the Missouri
parN, and accordingly the !fluor I mvc I tc h!
niecting• at likhapou Cify, tt.l. u hie! ' th o t ; .
elected other justices to net instead of the
legal 011(4.. 'Pik is it vCrsion of the
squatter. f:',u9.reigil,ty,
COURTING IN CHURCH.
An eccentric rector.yernarlced a gentleman„
at church who was not 'a parishoner, but
who Sunday after Sunday placed himself in .
a pew adjoining that of a ryoung widow.
On the first occasion, he detected him
. slyly drawing the lady's glove from /off 'the
back of -the pe,w where she was accustomed
to place' it—her hand and arm, were deli
,
catcls fair.
By and by the lady's prayer boolc fell—of
course accidentally—from the edge of her
pew into the gentleman's. He picked it up
—found a leaf turned down, and scanned a
passage which evidently - caused . a smile of
complacency.
Our minister saw all their movements, and
continued to watch them with a scrutinising
eye for two successive Sundays.
On the third, as soon as the collects wen - ,
read, and while the beadle yet obsequiously
waited to attend him to the chancel, our
eccentric' pastor, in a strong and distinct
voice, said:
"I publish the banns of marriage between
M— and H ," deliberately pronouncing
the names of the parties. "It' any of you
know any just cause," &c.
The eyes of the whole - congregation w're
turned on the widow and the gay Lothare
the lady suffused with blushes, and the
gentleman e<nsoned with anger; she fan
ning herself wit - .lvellemence, aiul_ he open
ing and shutting the pew door with rage and
violence.
The _minister, meanwhile, proceeded 11110'
his acertstoMed duties ivith the same decorum
and ease as if' perfectly igndrant of the ngi•
tat ion he had 12. X cited. •
,•
The — sermon Ilrettehetl--
en (lett ; away to the vestry rush the partie:• at
the heels of the pastor•.
`• \\•l Authorised you, r, to make
publication of 'banns?" demanded they meth
in a
"Authorised me?" said he. with a star ,
that heightened their concti,ion..
").'es, sir, who auth,,rised yEwY
"(tin" sail the minister, with a sly glance
alternately at each, "if you d“n't arprcve
it, I'll forbid the banns neNt. Sunda."
"Sir," said the lady, " ua have been too
officious already! Nitt,dv requested you to
Flo any such thin!.' You had better taind .
voar own business."
' l lChy, pretty dear, - said he, palling' her
on the cheek "what . 1. have done i. 4 all in it,:
way of business, and if you d nut like to
wait for three publication.“ advise you, sir,'
—turning to the gentlenuin--"tp procure iL
licence, the ring ; and the fee, and the whole
may he settled as soon as to morrow.-
repliud the mhlresFil
the holy, with your hermit ;"u I will get:
them, and we may t o nu,rr14: , ,1 in a day ~r
11911
"Nit, you ratty. Loth do p,t
tishlw, hut nothiutr loth, r,-pliod tho widow.
It was a (lay or tw(i atlvr tlx.t tl a li ri, I`
was procured. The parAlti re ( eittd his fee,
the bridegroom his brid,, nod the 'widow
the last time threw her gluvvs ever the I .ew.
and it was afterward said all partivs wen ,
satistietl.
WnEnt: Corr comEs Ettost.—Cork is :loth
Mg more or less thail the hark of evergrt
oak, growing principally in Spain, and otht
ctiuntries -bordering on the Mediterranean- -
in English gardens it is only a cnrios.ie. -
When the cork-tree is about fifteen years
old, the bark has attained a thickness .. and
quality suitable fornmtrufactiming purposes
and after stripping, a flirt her growth of eight
years produces a second crop—and-so on at
intervals, for even ten or twelve cr o ps. The
hark is stripped from the tree iu pieces two
inchieS iu thickness, of considerable length,
and of such width as to retain the curved
form of the trunk whenit has Ipcon stripped.
The bark peeler or 'cutter, makes- 4 slit in
the bark with a knife, perpendicularly from
the top ON-Iseinokr _to - 1.1 n.) bottom ; he makes
-another incision paralell to it, and at some
distance from the former and-two shorter
horiainial cuts at the top and, bototo. For
stripping off the pieces thus isoltsted, he uses
a kind of a knife with two handles and a
bl a d e; Sometimes after the cuts
•
hisre been made he leaves the tree to throw
tattle hark by the sp,m0f1:00118 action t f;11,_!
ve,,etntion within the trunk. The c'etattli,4 l .
pieces am titmice(' iu water, and ate plue:•(1
over a tire Nvll,.n nearly drys they are, in
fact, scorched a littie both sldt s, t.nd
11011 lire a .:;()IitoW11:li 1110141
by 0118 St•OIT111117 , ;" .111
(1118 eill'valtlCts, thelit.ll , ll. the ztr•
doAti tv tll wt•I ! , 111,i \,,,l i tt t , vet hot,
IBM
then,, Lai are . you
horningoil tti writ; will:";
to i servant. p paper that's Nvritted
all over; lAtayea't, NVfli
he reply,.
MIMS