87 

 FOURTEEN LINES. 



I saw a pink, fair child of sunny days, 



That burst its emerald cell in winter chill ; 

 I marked its early opening in the rays 



Which lured its beauty forth, but lured to kill 

 For while it seemed impatient to outspread 



Its pencilled halo to the longing eye, 

 I found an icy night had struck it dead : 



Ah ! even thus our fondest hopes will die 

 E'en thus will Genius, in a lucid hour, 



Throw forth its sweetness to the favored few ; 

 But when the world would greet, the mental flow'r 



Meets expectation only with adieu ! 

 So either droops ; while Fancy steps between 

 To muse on what it was, and what it might have been. 



J. R. BREWER. 



AN INCIDENT AT GIBRALTAR. 



Concluded from Page 54. 



WHEN the morning of the day arrived, Mr. Donovan desired to 

 make a confession ; and his confession was to this effect that 

 although innocent of the crime on suspicion of which he was about 

 forfeit his life, punishment was nevertheless justly due, both on 

 account of the former murder of which he had been acquitted, but 

 of which he had in reality been guilty, and on account of the crime 

 he had meditated, though not perpetrated, against Captain L - . 

 He admitted, that he had resolved upon his destruction that in 

 order to accomplish his purpose, he had proposed to walk to the 

 eastern summit of the rock and that his design had been frustrated 

 only by Captain L - having taken a different path, and having 

 never arrived at the summit. 



The same night, while lying in bed, and revolving in my mind the 

 extraordinary events of the last few days, I could not resist the con- 

 clusion, that Donovan was guiltless of the blood of Cap1a ; n L - . 

 Why should he have confessed only to the intention, if he had been 

 guilty of the act ? why confess one murder, and not another ? 

 and a vague suspicion floated upon my fancy, that Captain L - 

 might yet be living. In this mood I fell asleep ; and dreamed that 

 Donovan stood by my bed side : I thought he said, three several 

 times, and in a tone of great solemnity, such as might be the tone of 

 one who had passed from the state of the living, " I suffered justly ; 

 but I did not murder him he yet lives." 1 am far from meaning 



