emptiness of the human baubles which your said John Herries, with a nervous, but persuaschemings have secured to you." sive accent. "We need not take trouble on in"My dear Mrs. Herries," replied the husband, terest. Tom will make himself agreeable. Blair "you have very profound reflections. You have will aid us. We must use a little innocent adroitread your Bible until you are sufficiently im-ness-that is all. Minny will no doubt consent. pressed with the idea that the possession which We will all be happy-Tom will be supremely follows human desire is vain and unsufficing. so. Wife, we will go down the hill of life, you But if Solomon, my dear, declared this for an and I, loving each other, hand in hand, without inexorable truth, you must remember that he a care." nevertheless held on to his throne and power. I "It will be a proud, grand match for our boy," have played the game of life with some effect. said the good mother, impressed, in spite of her I shall not, from any motive of that despairing cool reason, by the hopeful picture which her wisdom, give up the game quite yet, and consent husband drew. Presently the maternal heart to be blown away like a dead leaf from a tree. made her add : However, we are wasting words. We must act, not preach. Some first steps must be taken. It was with this idea that I invited my friend Blair and his charming niece to dine with us to-morrow. There will be a mixed company to meet them but we can do no better. We must have Tom polish himself a little." "But Tom is kind-natured, and an honest lad, and, when he comes rid of his young nonsense, will make a good husband." Shortly after this conversation between man and wife had come to such an end, Tom Herries, the son, came home from a visit to a neighbor. As he rode into the grounds near the house, the I am afraid that a feature in the character of smooth broad road of a circle invited him to feats good Mrs. Herries was obstinacy. Instead of of horsemanship. He put his horse, a strong dropping the conversation here, she fastened a sorrel, with long flapping ears, and a heavy tail pair of very gentle grey eyes upon John Herries, lying close to his quarters, into a quick gallop. and said: Flap-ear, in making the round, shied from a "Husband, it is not often that you honor me statue of Mercury. The God held his caduceus, by talking to me about your important concerns. with its twining snakes, horizontally at arm's I must say a few words now, because I may not length. "When we come around again,” thought have another opportunity until too late. If Tom, "we'll try a jump at the little fellow's walkMinny Blair will marry our son from love, or liking, let them marry, and end your troubles. But if you have some secret knowledge of some dark deed of that unhappy man, her uncle-and I long ago suspected as much—and mean to use what you know to drive these great people to the match, why, in the name of God, do not continue in the project." ing-stick." At the next round, Tom rode his horse at Mercury, drove in the spurs, and succeeded quite badly: he carried away the God's wand, his winged cap, and the head under this latter, with Flap-ear's heels. "What in the world are you doing, my son?" said Mrs. Herries from the portico. Tom dismounted without answering ; and gave his horse to a groom. As he came upon the portico, his gait was somewhat unsteady, and the expression of his eyes peculiar. 66 Herries looked to his wife with an expression of gloomy apathy. She continued: "You borrowed sums of money. Well, honest men borrow sums of money. Let these debts remain debts, either to be paid or to be left un- "Ah!" muttered the mother, "you are tipsy, paid as your means may or may not enable you my poor son. Come to your room. Your father to pay them. Let your concealment, of what is in one of his black humors." you may know to the harm of poor Mr. Blair, Tom, a short, straight fellow, with aquiline be a friend's concealment of a friend's misdoings. nose, a receding forehead, and prominent eyes, I have not a heart to wish justice brought down pinched as close together as the muzzles of a where it brings misery. We can be happy if, double-barrel, took his mother's arm, and entered losing our property, we keep our honesty. We the house, saying with a groan: must have a wretched old age; no cheerfulness, "I have a severe rheumatism in my heel, no self-respect, no peace in this world or hope of mother, which accounts for my manner of walkhappiness hereafter, if we are dishonest, false, ing." extortionate, and cruel, in order to keep together our riches." The comeliness of Mrs. Herries became deci ded beauty, so warmly did her countenance ex press truth and honesty. CHAPTER III. John Herries gave a great dinner, and invited The marriage will end all safely and well," many persons to it. The principal of these were Andrew Blair and his niece. Five and twenty |ed up in such a manner that he ruined his heirs, years had made Andrew Blair a ruin. A poor, executors, and assigns-every mother's son of sad, old man he looked now, with an expression them-and every body that came within forty of desolate distress in his eyes, and the pinch of miles of Rattlesnake. I believe the Yankee that pain in his sharp features. Mary Blair, his niece, bought the estate gave out in the long run, and called by every one Minny, was a girl of twenty- went by the universal board also. If so, it shows tall, well developed in person, and generally con- the liberalizing and humanizing effects of our sidered a commanding and superb beauty in spite climate, institutions, and society upon northern of extremely light hair, and eyes of much too character. But I am growing philosophical. pale a blue. Her demeanor was reserved, her Rattlesnake Bob was one day full of wineexpression cold but observant. What wealth of other drink, of course, must be taken into the thought and feeling lay, like a mine, under the count-when Jack Brooke, a very fine fellow, unbetraying surface, even her friends could but bragged a little of a recent performance of his. guess. She was physically agile, and an ac-I rode as the crow flies,' said Jack, from Halcomplished horsewoman. Her uncle, left a wid- lowell's to the old Fort, taking the river as I went.' ower without children, early in life, had never married again; and she, taken very young under his roof, was the heiress presumptive to his large fortune. 6 'That was nothing,' said Rattlesnake Bob. 'You are not the man to do more,' said Jack. I'll ruin myself or do twice as much,' said Bob. You can get a chance at a bet,' said Jack. From Hallowell's to the Fort,' said Bob, is five miles. From here to the Fort is ten. The ground is pretty much the same for rough In addition to these two guests, a jolly old foxhunter, one Major Wright, came to the table of John Herries. There were many others, but they must make a mere cloud of heads in the ness. I can start from my door here, and ride, back-ground of our picture. It was with the coming on of the dessert, that Major Wright, avoiding wine, and drinking brandy and water out of a silver cup, became very genial and amusing. “I hear, my young lady," said the Major to Miss Blair, "that you can carry your horse over a rough country, like an angel." "I ride very well," said Minny. "There are no such horses, or men, now as we had in old times," sighed Major Wright. ness. as the crow flies, to the sign-post at the old Fort. I'll go my estate on it.' 'I take that bet, and count acre against acre of better land,' said Jack Brooke. So the gentlemen bet their estates on the ride. One of the company, a little lawyer from the old Fort, a bit of a town, remonstrated; but we made him drunk in a few minutes, and had him as uproarious as the rest for the busiWell the day was fixed for the ride, terms were settled on, judges were appointed, the county surveyor was employed to run a bee-line from Tom Herries had an extraordinary reverence Bob's front door to the coming out post. It was for the jolly foxhunter: he was awed beyond to be marked off with blazed posts a couple of putting in a defence of himself, or his sorrel hundred yards apart. Bob had ten feet on each Flap-ear. Minny Blair had no vanity, and said side of the row of posts. If he went further out nothing of her noble mare Flight. One of the he lost. He was to have three horses. The surcloud of heads, however, opened its indefinite veyor went to work. Now what should happen? mouth, and contradicted the Major. The Major, The line brought him plump up against old Tothe copper of whose face gleamed ferociously, ney Smith's new brick house. Here was a poput in a killing retort; the head disappeared ser. A gentleman, of course, would have blown again in the cloud. The Major, quickened by his house to the devil with a keg or two of gunthis daring opposition, entertained the company powder, under the exciting circumstances. But with a riding adventure which he had witnessed Toney was not a gentleman. The blackguard in his youth. His narrative, episodical as it may talked about appraisers, and all that. I gave seem, must make a part of my history. The him a bit of my mind. It had no effect on him reader, in the end, will discover why. whatever. At last it was agreed. For about "I never told you the story of Rattlesnake the price of his house out and out, Toney conBob Wormley's ride," said Major Wright, after sented to let a hole be cut through it, nine feet applying to his silver cup. "That was a per- high and four feet wide. The young attorney formance to talk about. Rattlesnake Bob-the from the Fort got particular on this head, as an country called him so because Rattlesnake was infraction of an article in the bet which forbade the name of his place, and there were several the removal of fences, natural obstructions, &c.' other Bob Wormleys-was a tiptop housekeeper, I just inquired if he took a house to be a fence, a fine specimen of a country-gentleman, never or a natural obstruction; he refined a little, but went abroad without a half dozen body servants was pretty strong on the &c.' I told him that at his back, and died at last with his debts twist- if he put his law books between gentlemen and their amusements, he and I should be obliged to took it with three feet to spare. We economised call in a friend apiece to aid in clarifying the ar- inches, and also got over, when, after some as bad gument. He understood the suggestion, and ground as I ever saw, we got to Toney Smith's, found an authority to show that he had been al- his wife-who was a well-bred woman to be together wrong about the &c.' So the hole married to a blackguard like Toney-had herself was cut in Toney's house." and her daughters dressed out and ready to do 6 Tom Herries, at this stage of Major Wright's the honours. Bob stopped Syphax in the tunnarrative, gave symptoms of being both delight-nel, which had been cut through the house, and ed and drunk. The Major, gratified by Tom's which had been hung with cedar and lilac and evident admiration, went on: hollyhocks; he took a cup to refresh him, kiss"The day fixed for the ride came. If any ed right and left, and complimented the ladies member of the grown male population, for thirty for ten minutes. 'I feel certain I shall get miles round, was absent on the exhilirating occa-through,' said he to Mrs. Smith. 'I'll be proud sion, I am ignorant of the fact. A great many to hear it,' said Mrs. Smith back again; ‘and if, ladies, my dear Miss Minny, also, were present. you do, the hole in the house shall stay as it is The garden was a wild-till woman smiled. I just to keep such a grand performance in memogive the tails of some lines which I forget, but ry.' My dear Miss Minny, that heroic woman which are as elegant as true. But you doubtless was an honour to her sex. It was not her fault recal them, my dear young lady-I think they that Toney aftewards built up the hole to keep out occur in Pope's Iliad. Rattlesnake Bob, inflam- the nor-wester, and to save the walls. The famed by woman's eyes, and big with the magnitude ily were down with rheumatism, and the roof of the job before him, looked red and heroic. was coming in, before she capitulated. From His horses were wonderful creatures, perfect sons Toney's to the old Fort was a gullied country. of thunder-except one which was an Alderman Bob got over a dozen of the gullies, some of mare. Syphax was the name of the best of the which invited us to go a little about. He came horses. He was a tremendous red bay. He was to number 13. If you clear that,' said I, Systeady and still always before starting-still as a phax beats the world. It's thirty feet if it's ten.' cannon loaded to the muzzle, and just the beast Bob drew up, and looked in and over. 'Give to go off like one at the touch of the match. On me a drink,' said he. Of course we had the this occasion his tail and mane were tied with conveniences. He took a strong pull, and then ribands, and his coat looked like the most beau-plashed a little into his horse's mouth. He rode tiful mahogany with the mottles and curls of the back about a hundred yards, and then putting wood all brought out and polished. I'll make his teeth together, raised a gallop. He made it a side-bet,' said Bob, 'that I go the whole dis- faster as he came on. His eyes looked wicked. tance on Syphax.' A bet was made on that to It was beautiful to see how Syphax planted his a large amount. Bob mounted, and with a very feet from the strokes of the gallop, just on the gentlemanly waving of his cap to the spectators, edge, and let himself be lifted. Bob drove in moved away at a pretty gallop. I forgot to say the spurs. Go it,' we screeched. Go it he that time was not an item in the bet; it was did, but the bank gave way under the hoofs. against the doing of the thing at all that Jack There was a struggle as if the beast had wings; Brooke felt himself safe in betting; he didn't but he went down to the bottom of the gully like limit Bob as to time. As Syphax moved away, a locomotive. We scrambled down on foot. Bob 'He's a horse in ten thousand,' said one-and it's had a shoulder out of place. Syphax got up, a man that rides him,' put in another; and then, holding out a foreleg, and puffing like a brewer Bob, having got a little clear of the crowd, there groggy with the steam from his vats. You could was a hurrah that made Syphax strike forward see by the beast's countenance that the courage as if a whip had cracked at his haunches. We was knocked out of him. Pull my arm in,' went on just promiscuously, some pulling down said Bob, and then go back for the Alderman fences, some going over them, some already on mare. Ride her in at the lower end of the gully, foot screeching after their horses that ran away and get her here. I can ride her up that bank with stirrups striking, and heads and tails up. by taking a slant. We have twenty feet wide to It was a great sight. Bob rode just through do it in.' We pulled the arm in. The Alderman seven fences, for Syphax took the bit in his teeth mare was brought. Bob mounted and tried the and couldn't be gathered. Jack Brooke's judge, slant. It would have been no go, but we shouldmyself, and the umpire, went close after and had ered the mare up, and got her out. Jack Brooke's a clear way of it. At fence No. 8, Bob got a judge, a tiptop fellow, helped; his blood was up, telling hold, and lifted the beast over. We took and he had no idea of such a ride being stopped. it behind him. Next we came to a gully eigh- Bob looked like Julius Cæsar when he got out, teen feet across and as many deep. Syphax except that he was a dirty image of that elegant 6 6 made on riding no horse but Syphax; then he Tom, my boy, you seem to be interested," said the gracious Major. "Bob went out of the world shabbily for a fine gentleman. At a convivial party, some bets passed as to the time one could stand on his head. Rattlesnake Bob, in the midst of the best society in Virginia, made a bet, and undertook to win it. He was to stand on his head twenty minutes. He was so unfortunate as to smother at the end of three." Roman. Away he went with a yell, and by the &c. They made a clean sweep of it. As for time we came near him again, he was in a gen-positive losses, Bob had to pay the bet that he tleman's garden, and trying to get out. It was a six-foot brick wall that was before him, but he had jumped it to get in, and why shouldn't he jump it to get out? We were obliged to leave our horses and climb over to see about matters. 'Brandy and fire will do it,' said the umpire. Bob took the brandy, and I tied a bundle of straw to a pea-stick. Back to the centre walk,' said I. Bob backed. The mare was already furious, and the blood spirting from one of her flanks. Put her head well to it-we'll spoil her looks, but we'll get her over.' I lit the straw with a match, and clapped the blaze to her tail. She went at the wall like a charge of shot. She made her leap too quick, and lit on the top, but Andrew Blair had listened to the narrative of she rolled to the other side instead of falling back. the ride, with an inattention, which his host conBob never gave us a shout to show that his neck strued into a rebuke of the Major's coarseness. was safe, but we presently saw him get away Minny had listened with a good deal of interest. with his mare strong under him. We went on Perfectly refined people are not so fastidious as after. A mile further we saw the old Fort on a those who are climbing into "society" are apt hill over the river. Bob took to water, scram-to imagine; and this fair girl, moreover, had a bling down a muddy bank; he got over with a weakness on the subject of horses and bold horsestraight swim, climbed the bank with his mare manship. Whilst Minny said a kindly word to looking sleek in the legs, and whip-tailed, and the Major, Tom Herries, ignorant of the rebuke rode straight to the sign-post. Most of the company, by fast riding and driving on the high roads, had already got there. Wasn't there a roar when Bob came out! The breaking of a mill-dam in a freshet is nothing to it. We got to the place as soon as possible. Bob was saying nothing. I found something was the matter, and got close to There was a dead silence. Minny slowly lifted him. The roll out of the garden flattened me,' her eyes, and, like Lady Clara Vere de Vere, would he said, in a weakly way, the mare rolled over have killed him with a stare, if Tom had been came twice. I'm hurt inside.' This, my friends, is pable of being killed. Andrew Blair, quickened the story of a remarkable ride. I defy the pres- out of some absorbing meditations, looked surent times to produce a Rattlesnake Bob or a Sy-prised and shocked. John Herries bit his lips phax. My opinion is that the breed has run out-I mean both as to men and horses." Major Wright sighed, and drank brandy and water. As he did so several of the indefinites of the party said to each other: of his father's looks, drank a brimmer to the memory of Rattlesnake Bob. Then Tom mused. Presently he said in a loud voice, from a distance of several seats: "Miss Minny, could you stand on your head twenty minutes?" and was about to speak, when his wife left her seat, and inviting Minny to accompany her, withdrew. Major Wright laughed enjoyingly. Tom, as soon as the ladies were gone, became quite boisterous. The Major humored him. Black The Major bores us confoundedly. Not a looks are nothing, where full cups have done soul has said a word for thirty minutes except their work; those of John Herries were impohimself." Tom Herries, with a good deal of fervour, begged to know if the whole-souled gentleman, who rode so well, got over the inside hurt?" "Yes," answered the Major. "And won the bet ?" tent. Tom got from his chair, and coming to a wall, attempted to stand on his head. "I'll bet fifty I can do it--for twenty minutesif the wall's allowed," said Tom Herries. Come-come-my fine lad," said the Major. think that nobody's drunk but your "Do self?" you "Certainly. But, upon my word, he won a loss. Jack Brooke's estate, it naturally turned "Take Tom to his room," said the host conout, was covered with mortgages. Bob came trolling his rage, which yet gave a hissing sound near calling Jack out when he made the discov-to his voice. The servants, going about this task ery; but reflecting that Rattlesnake had been in quietly, succeeded. Tom lost his bet: but no the same condition, and that he had acquired a one had taken it. great deal of glory by his performance, he forgave Jack, and left him to mortgages, lawyers, John Herries saw that a great shock had been given to his project of a marriage between his son and the neice of his guest. Andrew Blair's | countenance displayed this clearly enough. It was time to resort to a remedy. He called a servant. "Give me that middle picture," he said quietly. THE EPIGRAM. We assure our readers that we are not particularly covetous of the jus trium liberorum; but as they have been pleased to receive very graThe servant brought it. It was one of the ciously our former contributions, and as we have series illustrative of the Dream of Eugene Aram."a few more left of the same sort," we shall Aram, with the ghastly face, which I have spo- make another draft upon our stock of epigrams, ken of already in noticing these paintings, bore promising, most religiously, not to trouble them on his back a dead man. A few drops of blood any further, during the current month. on the hair of the corpse, were so naturally painted that they seemed to be in reality drops of blood. "The obscure artist who imagined that face," said Herries, holding the picture before Andrew Blair, "must indeed have been full of genius, and yet he died without the least fame." "Terrible-terrible"-muttered Blair with a growing pallour. “And this,” said Herries, with words as clearly toned as they were deadly in their purpose, "this must positively be blood. Let us see." Slowly he drew from a pocket a long knife, of an old fashion. He opened with deliberation the single blade-rubbed at some spots which seemed to have been rusted into it near the haft-and began scraping at the blood drops on the picture. The eyes of Andrew Blair protruded. They were no longer fixed on Eugene Aram and the dead man. They saw nothing but the knife. Presently their lids quivered, some faint streaks ran in zig-zags between them and the blanched cheeks, and the old man sank in his chair. "I have gone too far," muttered Herries, springing from his seat. [To be Continued.] THE SKYLARKS. AIR-"The Two Birds." A maiden sat at her cottage door, "For o'er my heart a sadness comes, "Ah, happy bird! could I like thee, We begin with our illustrious countryman, Benjamin Franklin, and the Powder Magazine at Purfleet; whence originated the famous controversy as to pointed and blunt conductors, in which His Royal Highness, George III. personally engaged, and in respect to which—to use Franklin's own words-the disputants became "as much heated about this one point, as the The circumstance gave origin to the witty epiJansenists and Molinists were about the five." gram which has been ascribed to Chatham : While great George does knowledge hunt, But Franklin a wiser course pursues, This jeu d'esprit reminds us of the line which was written by Turgot, comptroller-general of finance to Louis XVI., for the portrait of Franklin. Eripuit cælo fulmen sceptrumque tyrannis. He stripped the lightning of its fiery wings, That is a fine conception-it ought to be-for it was borrowed from Milton's epigram "in inventorem Bombardae": Japetionidem laudavit caeca vetustas, Qui tulit aetheream solis ab axe facem; Prometheus' art, the ancients praised, Our next citation leads us into the domain of Augustinus eras calamo, Chrysostomus ore, |