Seek not to defame; Let charity cover, Her blushes of shame. Only know, in her blindness, A victim she fell, Only know that your kindness, A NIGHT ON THE SLOUGH. "Murd r most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, st a ge, and unnatural." I don't believe in spectres, ghosts or goblins, never did: for it was n't the way I was brought up. I was always taught to believe they were but idle fancies, or phantasms of the mind; so that I am not going to insist upon it that a spectre, or ghost, played any part in the drama of a night of horror to which I was witness; not only myself, but my two comrades, and both as reliable, on the score of veracity, as I claim to be myself, and to whom I am permitted to make reference. I shall only relate the circumstances ---what we saw and heard-leaving it to the reader to account for the occurrences as he pleases. We were on a trip along the Sacramento river and its numerous sloughs, in pursuit of water-fowl. Our sailing craft, a very small schooner, with a a still smaller cabin; but answering very well for sleeping in when, as night overtook us, we could find no more comfortable quarters. say? not wholly so: for here the sportsman oft pursues his game, and the trapper sets his teeth of steel to catch the stealthy beaver. We had descried in the distance, long before nightfall, a solitary shakecabin or shanty. We made for it; but found it so dilapidated on our near approach, we supposed it hardly possible it could be occupied: and yet, a very good canoe lay moored at the edge of the slough in front of it; and as we neared the shore, a light smoke was seen curling up from the roof of the cabin. It was now twilight: and as we approached nearer the cabin, an old and soiled blanket that formed the door was suddenly drawn aside, and, gun in hand, out stepped a stalwart form. But oh heavens! such features as he bore! so old and haggard in his looks; 't would seem as though some spiritfiend had preyed upon his soul, half through a long eternity. But he welcomed us cordially. After dispatching our evening meal, the night being warm and balmy, we all took seats upon the low bank of the slough, watching the night birds, the sporting beaver, and the bittern as he flashed from beneath his wings his phosphorescent light upon his prey. Conversation at length turned upon the song, or note, as being the voice or language of birds; when our trapper, the occupant of the cabin, remarked"Birds can speak, and they sometimes After a day of unusual fatigue, but tell ghastly tales, that could they be of great success, night came upon us believed, would indicate some murder as we were moving along one of those foul had been committed, not half a unfrequented sloughs that lie to the league from here." This remark, utnorth and east of the mouth of the Santered with so much apparrent earnestJoaquin river. Unfrequented, did I ness, quite startled us; our eyes were instantly turned upon him; he noticed it, and jokingly remarked-" Tis nothing but a disordered imagination, but often while sitting here, and in my dreams at night, have I thought I heard a story told of one who dealt in cattle, a herd-man from the Stockton plains; that he was slain by cruel hands, for the money that he had; and I have so oft heard it, that I could think it true, could I but hear it told when other witnesses were near." Amazed at his manner, I asked him what hour of the night these birds were wont to tell their horrid tale? "When all is deep darkness," he re- thou placed me here, in the deep still plied, "at no other time." But at that instant, in the bright moon-light, was seen an undefined object enveloped in a misty haze, approaching from the opposite side of the slough, hugging closely the surface of the water; on it came, and every eye was turned upon it; till at length it took a fixed position but a few yards in front of us, but as undefined and indistinct as when first seen. And now the trapper, with a smile perfectly demoniacal playing upon his features, called out— "What news to-night?" When a voice low and sepulchral, but clear and distinct rolled in upon the shore-"No news! but to tell thee once again, thou didst the deed!" "What deed?"—asked the trapper. "Thou forced me, while yet alive, into a sepulchre of fire and flood." "Tis false-but since thou, a spectre grim of one who once did live, canst speak, and chargest me with it, thou hadst better tell the manner of thy death, in proof that thou and truth be not estranged." waters of the slough; with sack of leaden bullets fastened to my feet; and just enough of air within to buoy me up from drowning; then filledst the chime around with molten pitch, and set it all on fire; and then, when I prayed to Heaven for the lightning's flash to shorten my great agony, as the last boon of life, I heard thy laugh upon the air, till my crisped ears were closed to sound; and when my parched eyelids were drawn asunder by the flames, thou didst point thy finger at me; and now-rememberest not I died?" "That thou didst die, and in the way thou sayest, may be very true; if ghost or goblin ever speak the truth; but as for me, having any knowledge of the fact, thou liest! So I'll no more with thee-Avaunt! or a leaden shower shall rattle o'er thy sightless sockets, summoning thee to another judgment, for having come again to earth, to mar the peace of one who never knew thee." "If thou be innocent, be equal to thy threat; perchance it may cut asunder the thongs with which thou dids bind me; and being loosed, that I may rise again." HIE FOR THE LILIES! BY G. H. R. Hie for the lilies! the bonny white lilies! The trapper shuddered at the thought; but having uttered threat, and then in turn, being by goblin dared; he raised his weapon with unsteady hand, and sped the leaden shower. And as his eye glanced beneath the rising smoke And our cheeks shall be kissed by the wing of the before him, he suddenly exclaimed"Great God! 'tis even so! the crisped lips-the bared teeth-the sooty sock- There our bosoms with nature's wild pæan shall ets that the balls were burned in—they are all there-and see-it moves-it moves-it rises! " And with the thought, so did the spectre rise, and from his then unloosed limbs, coiled quickly up his lasso, and in an instant hurled it upon the shoulders of the trapper. And now a struggle as for life ensued, as hand o'er hand the now sinking spectre tightened on the line. Vainly the trapper sought his girdle for his knife; in vain with mighty effort at resistance, ploughed with his feet deep furrows in the ground; in vain he grasped the growing shrub, earnestly he called for mercy, “Oh, let me stay!" he cried, "I know I'm guilty; but take me not to the dead!" but the spectre of the slough, kept tightening on the line. There we'll walk in the shade of the tall forest breeze, That beareth the sweets of the lilies around. There's a green little bower on the side of the hill, And a rill flowing by sings an eloquent song; thrill, While time, like the current, goes laughing along. There the fond birds are telling, around and above, How their breasties! are swelling with music and We may love, lassie dear, and be happy as they. See the honey bee gathers from many a flower The balm of the blossom the sweetest at dawn. Like that bee let us banquet on love for the hour, Ere the blossoms of life shall be faded and gone. In the bending boughs of the forest. in the waving grain-fields, in the grassy lawn, in the flowers of the glen and And now, as though a thousand demons were witnessing the scene, long, loud laugh-shrieks, fiend like and terri-hill-side and in the ripening fruits, there ble, rang out from among the tules and and along the slough, as the spectre herdsman kept tightening on his line. One fearful shriek, a plunge, and all was o'er: we saw the cabin's occupant no more, for the spectre of the slough, had taken in his line. PIONEER. [A pretty tough yarn, that, Mr. Pioneer.] is Beauty. And they are all as signetgems, set by God's own hand, as tokens of His taste and love for the Beautiful, that in looking upon them, we may be taught to love the Beautiful also. Let us then thank Him for the lesson, and show our gratitude by looking upon and cultivating, always and everywhere, a love for the Beautiful. CHURCH GOING AND FASHION. BY EUGENIE. Ha, ha, ha! It was a funny freak of mine. I can't avoid laughing whenever I think of it. Now, I wonder if you wouldn't like to know what it was? Well, as most persons are curious, I'll relate the circumstance. The celebrated Divine, Dr. S., was to preach for a few Sabbaths in the Rev. Mr. L's church; and, of course, a vast concourse of people were there assembled to listen to his eloquent discourses. I, having just received my new plaid silk dress from the dress maker's, concluded that there was no better place for me to make my debut in it than at the Dr's. Of course, I did not intend going merely for that; for be it known that I attend church quite regularly; but then, I must candidly confess that I was not entirely free from vanity whilst surveying myself in the large mirror, because the fit was excellent, the frock pretty; and moreover, it was the first new dress that I had bought for six months. Just think of it! only one silk dress in six months!! What would Fifth Avenue folks say to that? However, the dress was pretty, and I was proud of it-that's the truth of the matter. So after arranging the remainder of my dressing that I was to wear with the much-talked-of article; such as putting a new piece of ribbon on my bonnet-cleaning a pair of soiled gloves with some crumbs of bread. and mending the rent in my veil; I considered myself prepared to attend church on the following Sunday. Therefore, when the morning arrived, at the ring of the second bell I turned my face towards the church. The day was as calm as any one could have wished: Italian-like skies -soft light falling on the hill-sides beyond the Bay-together with all that I saw around me (the dress not excepted) made me think everything "nobly, truly beautiful." When I reached the steps of the sacred building, it was with great difficulty that I could get to the door in safety, there being such a number of persons who were likewise striving to gain the top of the stairs. I succeeded, finally, in entering the church, and was politely ushered to a seat in an obscure corner of the house. Two or three cologne-scented gentlemen occupied the same pew; and they, together with a number of their canes, monopolizing about seven-eights of it, I certainly found myself very comfortably seated. They appeared quite displeased at my entrance, and seemed to think that I was not dressed with sufficient elegance to obtain so desirable a seat as the one by them. There it was! No one noticed my new dress any more than they would my old one. It was too bad! That, I declared mentally. But no wonder. In a few minutes the double doors were thrown open, and what did I see? Could it be that those were women in the center of such immense thicknesses of clothing? None other! And such tiny bonnets, uselessly endeavoring to peep over the ladies' heads, to which they were fastened: and such graceful trains of silks and satins! Now all eyes were directed towards the door, to mark the entrance of the fashionables. Ah, another comes, and still more. Oh! such hoops and such loves of bonnets! No wonder that I was not looked upon. I began to think how glorious it must be to attract the attention of every one in church by dressing, no matter whether you have any intelligence or not. But why could not I have hoops; and how could I get them? Ah! there was the r-rub. Father despises the sight of hoops and little bonnets (low like all fathers,) and is decidedly opposed to ladies' sweeping the streets with dresses! Therefore, he would of course object to my dressing fashionably. However, notwithstanding that, and that I was in the house of God; yet I then and there concocted a scheme by which I might obtain a goodly share of Af attention on the coming Sabbath. ter service, I walked home thinking. On the following Saturday I took my new plaid dress from its accustomed place in the wardrobe, and after tearing out gathers and hems, and resewing them, succeeded in having as fine a train as any one, (at least, as lengthy a one). Ere long, my bonnet had a new bow of ribbon at the side, and bugles around the front. It took but a few minutes to go to a store, and purchase some pieces of whalebone; and in less time than you could say "Jack and his bean-pole," I was the possessor of as large and good a hooped skirt as any of the ladies of that congregation. The long-wished-for Sunday came at last, and again did I ascend the steps. I was later than before; and as I sailed in at the door, behold every eye was upon me! In passing up the aisle | gentlemen arose and proffered me their seats. When at length I was about entering a pew, the terrible thought came into my mind that I was the wearer of enormously large hoops, and what if I could not pass in? However there was no alternative, and so I managed, probably through fright, to seat myself. Now all eyes were directed towards me. The lookers thought of course, that I was one of the leaders of fashion, and one worthy upon whom to bestow their glances. I certainly was arrayed in the ne plus ultra of fashion, for my hoops were of large dimensions -my train all that could be desiredand my bonnet arranged a la mode, on the back of my neck and besides this, I walked into the church with an air of nonchalance that was observable by all, and one, of course, that would attract the attention of all foolish creatures therein. Persons continued to glance at me and I must acknowledge -bad as it was-that I leaned my head upon my hand whilst the Doctor was praying for editors and all other poor beings, and was actually, half the time, chuckling in my wide sleeves to think how easy it was to be grand! how simple to gloriously attract the attention of nearly all the house: howbut I then began to wonder if they could be sensible persons who do so. Would gentlemen slight a commonly, but neatly dressed lady, who comes to church, by not offering her a seat, as well as graciously proffering a ridiculously dressed one a pew which they are occupying themselves? Certainly not. They most assuredly would not, were they of God's people; or were they sensible beings. Therefore, why should I covet or care for their attention and glances: if they have nothing more profitable to employ them than to go to church and scrutinizingly gaze at and comment upon ladies' dresses, and to monopolize seats? I finally concluded that I should prefer no attention at all to that, and have returned to-as my old friends say- my more sensible style of dressing. DREAM LAND. On a roseate couch in an arbor of vines, Reclining, I dreamed of the days that are past,— The Zephyr came silently laden with dreams, And her wings bore a slumberous musical strain, While far away floated sweet murmuring streams, "Till in distance they blent with the silvery beams of Luna, that dreamily fell on the plain. Light gossamer clouds floated high in the air, Assuming the forms of most beautiful things, And the sky was so bright, and the earth was so fair. That, lulled to repose by the gentleness there, My Fancy took flight on her slumberous wings. Such fragrance came cut on the air of the night, Such melody traversed ærial aisles, That land was a city all peopled and bright With the airiest forins and the rosiest light, And each countenance beamed with the happiest smiles. And gardens all filled with such delicate flowers,Where strolled the most lovely and perfect of shapes, And arbors were there in whose cool shady bowers, The roses were fanned by the wings of the hours, And refreshed by the juice of the gushing young grapes. O beautiful thought; that our spirits can rise, Through sorrows and troubles to Dream Land the blest; Can people with fancies the realm of the skies, LORA LER |