which she had not thought it necessary to terror; they trembled; their consciences restore to him. It might be placed in any again awoke. The thought of the torture, spot they thought fit, and the first links in which awaited the unfortunate innkeeper, the chain of suspicion were clear. struck them with horror. It was not the orThe invention of the baker came to the dinary fear of guilty men, afraid of the disaid of the wool-spinner's wife. One token closures of an accomplice-for the dragoon was not enough; a second proof of the pres- knew nothing, he could say nothing to comence of the dragoon in Madame Andrecht's promise them-it was a feeling implanted house must be devised. The baker had one by a Divine power, which seemed irresistiday been concluding a bargain with a peas-bly to impel them to use their endeavors to ant before the house of the dragoon. He avert his fate.

with the guilt of the robbery, might serve both ends. It gave a chance of escape to Nicholas: it accounted for the disappearance of the corporal. Hence the letter which represented him as alive, as the perpetrator of the robbery, and as a deserter flying to another country; which they thought would very naturally put a stop to all further inquiry after him.

required a bit of paper to make some calcu- They met, they consulted as their plans. lation, and asked the host for some, who A scheme occurred to them which promhanded him an old excise permit, telling him ised to serve a double purpose-by which to make his calculations on the back. This delay might be obtained for Nicholas, while crap of paper the baker still had in his at the same time it might be made the means pocket-book. This would undoubtedly com- of permanently ensuring their own safety. promise the dragoon. But then it bore the To resuscitate the murdered Corporal Ruhname and handwriting of the baker on the ler in another quarter, and to charge him. back. This portion of it was accordingly burnt; the date and the signature of the excise officer were enough for the diabolical purpose it was intended to effect. It was rolled up into a match, and deposited by the baker (who, as already said, had contrived to make his way along with the police into the house) upon the floor, where he pretended to find it, and delivered it to the authorities. But their plan was too finely spun, and The machinations of these wretches were the very precautions to which they had reunconsciously assisted by those of the car-sorted, led, as sometimes happens, to dispenter and his confederates. The suspicion covery. If they had been satisfied to allow which the handkerchief and the match had the proposed letter to be copied out by the originated, the finding of the pocket-book wool-spinner's wife, as she offered, to be within the house of the dragoon appeared to taken by her to Rotterdam, and put into the confirm and complete-an accidental concur- post, suspicion could hardly have been awarence of two independent plots, both resort-kened against them: the handwriting of the ed to from the principle of self-preserva- woman, who had seldom occasion to use the tion, and having in view the same infernal pen, would have been unknown to the burobject. gomaster or the court. The deaf and dumb But this object, so far as concerned the youth, to whom they resorted as their copybaker and the wool-spinner, had been too ist, betrayed them: step by step they were effectually attained. They had wished to ex- traced out—and, between fear and hope, a cite suspicion against Nicholas, only with the full confession was at last extorted from view of gaining time to remove the corpse, them. and efface the traces of the murder. This Sentence of death was pronounced against had been effected their intrigue had served the parties who had been concerned in the its purpose; and they could not but feel house-breaking as well as in the murder, and some remorse at the idea that an innocent carried into effect against all of them, with person should be thereby brought to ruin. the exception of the wool-spinner's wife, The strange intervention of chance-the who died during her confinement. The finding of the pocket-book, the accusation wool-spinner alone exhibited any signs of by the carpenter, filled them with a secret penitence.

And darkly flashed the glances of her eye,
Poor Sam perceived not this,-for love had twined
His chaplet o'er his eyes, and he was blind.

He stooped with kisses her fair hand to cover,
And from his finger did his signet take.
"Love me, you love my dog"-sighed the fond lover,
"And you will wear this for your Samuel's sake?"
And as he softly murmur'd-" Angel dear"
Reward-received, a box upon the ear!

Mite was poor Sam's astonishment,—for he,
Experienced with the insult, actual pain.
And he looked up, remorse and fear to see
In the young lady's face,--but looked in vain.
She only said "Our conference is o'er,
Permit me, sir, to point you to the door."

Sam took the hint and from the house passed he.
With the indignant steps of wounded pride.
Ore hour before, in love and harmony
He entered it, to win a blooming bride

Eat she had proved most false although most fair,
Ardle he turned, brooding o'er his despair.

Tact hour had been the crisis of his life,
Frit had shown the heart of womankind,
Aal with fierce imprecations on a wife,
Azi on the fickle female sex combined,

He rowed to love and cherish faithful Dash,
A never should there be a Mrs. Slash.

MY GHOST STORY.

BY E. E. S.

stone house at M. time out of mind-living nobody knew how-but it must have been in poverty.

They were cut off from all social intercourse with the world-claiming kindred with none, and seemingly scornful of all. The white haired old man was sometimes seen at nightfall, coming from the village grocery, and bearing home the provisions he had purchased, with the air of one who carried a sceptre. No knight of old ever bore himself more proudly under the weight of his glittering steel armor, than did old Mr. Woodleigh beneath his burden of flour or bacon, nor did ever polished courtier make a more profound bow than he, to those he chanced to meet ; but the bow was all, smiles and words he was never known to use.

His wife was never seen except on Sunday mornings, as she walked to and from church. On these occasions her costume was a never failing source of entertainment to me, and even an antiquarian might have been puzzled to what period to assign the several fashions that it combined. There was a queerly shaped white satin bonnet with a veil of some fine muslin stuff (that had been of rare price in its day) which she sometimes. wore with a dress of spotless whiteness, made with crimped muslin ruffs, somewhat after the fashion of the Elizabethan era. I have been thinking to-day of the quaint And then she had another bonnet, of deep village where some of my earlier days were green silk and of a most capacious size, passed, and of the original characters who which last was increased by the addition of used to walk its streets of yore. a green silk veil, that was looped up on either M. has been a good deal modernized of side, so as to leave a sufficient opening for ate years, but at the time to which I refer, her to see her way before her. The dress t was an old-fashioned little town, peopled which usually accompanied this bonnet was with rather an old-fashioned sort of folks. But a thin crêpe, that had once been black, but here was one little stone house, rather more had become sadly browned by years and ntique than all the rest, and vastly more usage. It was greatly trimmed and flounced, nhospitable too; for its door had never been and was made in a more ancient fashion than pened to admit a visitor, as far back as the any one in M. could remember of. nnals of M. could be made to testify: and e morose old couple who inhabited it might when that garment was made. Perhaps for ave come out of the ark with their withered a darling, and only child, whose smiling aces, and their faded old time garments. beauty, and affectionate tones had made it radition said they had been wealthly once, once the idol of her soul, and when death ad that the proud old woman was a belle in came, and shut it from her arms, down into er youth. It was strange to fancy them the inaccessible tomb, the mourning mother's er young; and it must have been a long, smile went out forever. And perhaps now, ng time since prosperity had sunned their when the memory of her lost one would fill t: for they had been occupying the little her heart afresh, she would give expression

I used to wonder who she mourned for,

to her sorrow by wearing again the sombre through our veins, and flushed our face: robe that was consecrated to her bereave- with crimson, as we felt his cruel black eye ment. And yet her stern blue eye betokened fixed scornfully upon us. If it had not been not the weakness of sorrow. Pride and re- for his courtly obeisance I believe we belliousness were marked in its every glance. would have run away.

"

With every tarnished habiliment she wore, Well; what is your pleasure with me?" there must have been some association with he asked after an awful pause. We thought better days, but there was no softening in maybe Mrs. Woodleigh might like a few of their influence, and still she walked the these grapes, sir," faltered Nettie, with an earth with an unconquered haughtiness, as appealing glance at me. "Much obliged to if she scorned the theatre of her wearisome you Miss, but Mrs. Woodleigh never eats pilgrimage. Always behind her marched fruit," he replied with a petrifying gaze, her timeworn companion, with an air of pride and another brow, "Good morning," and only less lofty than her own. His costume the door was closed without our having obwas ever the same; and consisted of a highly tained a glimpse of anything save a picture polished beaver hat, blue coat, buff vest, that hung upon the wall of the inner room. white pantaloons, silk stockings and black I had neither time nor presence of mind velvet pumps. I wondered why they ever too see anything else, and as to Nettiewent to church; for there was surely no de- she had had eyes for nothing but the old votion in their faces, and they took their man. seats amid the worshipping assembly"amongst them, but not of them."

We returned home quite crest-fallen, and neither ever forgot the few common-place words that had been spoken to us in tones so chilling and repulsive; nor did we repeat again the attempt to pass that dark doorway.

No one in M. had ever been inside of their habitation, and so we girls were of course brimful of curiosity to see the furniture and fixtures of those mysterious chambers. I Dr. Saunders, (our uncle,) lived at the was living then with a widowed Aunt-the other end of the village from us, and thithermother of one girl, who was about my own ward Nettie and I took our regular morning age. Antoinette and I used to sit in the promenades, and at the gate we were geneportico frequently of an evening and watch rally joined by cousin William, who was the forbidden portal (for our house was the wont to convert the remainder of our walk nearest theirs of any in the village,) and we into a series of waltzes, whether we would conjectured so many wonderful things about or not, and so would seize us in turn, round the inmates, that curiosity got the better of the waist, and go whirling off in spite of our fear at last, and so we resolved on an ex- remonstrances. Well; early one bright pedient to gain admission to the interior of morning as we were returning from an exerthat ruined castle. We gathered a basket of cise of this nature, we encountered old the vineyard's most luscious fruit, and after Woodleigh coming from the doctor's door having arranged them as nicely as possible, with a vial in his hand. We were all inand assumed as obsequious a manner as we stantly in the office and eagerly questioning knew how to put on, we started in a good the Doctor as to what was the matter at deal of trepidation to offer them to the old "old Mystery's domicile," as William termed lady. Arrived at the door, we consulted for him. My uncle laughed at our exhibition of some time with throbbing hearts, as to who mother Eve-(bye-the-bye William was per should be spokeswoman. It was at last de- haps a little more curious than we) and told cided that Nettie should be, and that I should us that the old man had merely bought a begin operations by summoning the garrison vial of aromatic spirits of nitre, or ether. to open their gates to our entrance. I one-I forget which—and he had given it to knocked several times before we could hear him without asking any questions, as his any stir of life within. At length a stately manner repelled any such liberty. tread approached, the door was deliberately He closed his shutters that evening as opened, and the stern old man looked down usual; but all the next day they remained upon us; and the coward blood went tingling unopened. And on the next again they

were still closed and it was almost noon, and [papers that day, and not a scrap of anything so the doctor and Nettie's mother agreed to could be found.

go over and see what was the matter. After The old woman had died, but no physician repeatedly knocking at the door they at last had been there to alleviate her sufferingsopened it themselves and entered. Nettie it might have been to save her. No woman and I-who stood looking after them-were had moved about her lone pillow, smoothing startled a moment after by their reappear- with sisterly tenderness her passage to the ance at the door uttering hurried exclama- grave. Nor had the holy minister knelt at tions. We instantly ran over to join them, that bedside, to strengthen the parting spirit and found them both pale and agitated on for its journey, and point it to the only light the threshold. "O; tell us what has hap- that can illume" the dark valley of the shapened!" I asked, almost breathless. "Death; dow of Death," through which it must pass. my girls, They are both dead," replied my Her husband was the only witness to her dyuncle. "I must call in assistance. You ing agonies; and when the last tie that three stay here 'til I return; you wont be bound him to his sunnier days was broken, afraid, will you Ellen?" he said addressing he had gathered together all their mementos his sister." "Me; I think not," she answered, of the past, the clothes they had worn; and taking Nettie's hand. "Annie and Nettie the long preserved letters of kindred and are ever so brave; they will help me to friends; and perhaps he had read them all some courage; but I am rather faint of heart now."

over again (reserving for the last those penned in the days of courtship,) and then. he had lighted them into a funeral pyre for memory, love and hope. It was the only potion he took before he died-that draught from the memory fountains of "Lang Syne." And after having decked the companion of so many years in her last robes he had lain down beside her, and with rash hand stopped

After the doctor had gone, Nettie and I entered the long sealed chamber to see its tragic contents for ourselves. There were only two rooms. The first had been used for cooking and eating, and was almost bare of furniture. We marked that, as we paused before the awful portal of the inner chamber. There was a table and two high backed the despairing pulses of his own weary

chairs, and some old china; and the cooking utensils displayed themselves through the partly open door of a little closet, where their provisions must have been kept.

heart, and followed her into the unknown eternity that she had just entered. O; awful, to have died thus! unpitied by men, and I fear me, unforgiven of heaven.

There was a Coroner's inquest held there

I made the first step into the death cham- that day, and many curious eyes dilated as ber, and Nettie followed-clinging to my they gazed around those scant chambers for arm. The bed was smoothly made up, and the first time, and many wise heads were on it lay the old woman's rigid corpse. She shaken, and wise lips were heard to say, "I was robed in a spotless muslin, with her always knew that something wrong would pale hands folded over her cold bosom. Her come of it." Did'nt I tell you so?" &c., blanched locks were smoothed back under &c. And many were the animadversions a cap of snowy linen, and a white crêpe upon the stubborn pride of the dead, and the shawl-yellowed by age-was wrapped round conjectures about how they had managed to her, as a winding sheet. Her husband had live, and a hundred other things besides, that attired her for her burial; but where was nobody could answer. But by nightfall the he? On the floor at the bedside he lay, and crowd had quite dispersed, and it was aron his vest and shirt bosom was the red ranged that a good old couple, (Mr. and Mrs. stain of blood. One hand was laid upon his Marshall,) a Mrs. Moore, Nattie, William and chest, and the other grasped a knife, crim- myself should come after tea and watch with soned in its owner's heart-stream. And on the dead that night. Fear, aversion, or some the hearth there was a heap of cinders-the unavoidable circumstance prevented any remains of all the garments and papers they others from joining us. had possessed-for a search was made for

VOL. XXI--32

Are you superstitious, reader? Smile not