JULY  ae 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER. 
THE  HEN  AND  THE  HONEY  BEE. 
A  LAZT  hen— the  story  goes— 
LoqnetlouB,  pert,  and  self -conceited, 
Espied  a  bee  upon  a  rose, 
And  thu*  the  btiay  insect  greeted ; 
"  Say,  what's  the  use  of  such  as  yon, 
(Excuse  the  freedom  of  a  neighbor,) 
Who  gad  aiK>ui  and  never  do 
A  aingifl  act  of  tisAf  ill  labor  7 
“  I’ve  inarhed  you  well  for  many  a  day 
In  garden  blooms  and  meadow  clover ; 
Nowhere,  now  there,  in  wanton  play. 
From  morn  to  night  an  Idle  rover. 
'■  While  I  diacretfll>  bUlo  at  homo 
A  faithful  wife— the  bc.st  of  mothers. 
About  the  flelde  you  Idly  roam 
Without  the  least  regard  for  others. 
“  While  I  lay  eggs,  or  hatch  them  out, 
You  seek  the  flowers  most  sweet  and  fragprant, 
And,  sipping  honey,  stroll  about. 
At  best  a  good-for-nothing  vagrant ! " 
“  Nay,”  said  the  beo,  "  you  do  me  wrong ; 
I’m  UHPfnl  too.  perhaps  you  doubt  it, 
Becauae-though  toiling  all  day  long— 
I  acorn  to  make  a  f  uss  about  it ! 
V*  wiiUo  you.  with  every  egg  that  cheers 
Your  daily  ta.sk,  must  stop  and  hammer 
The  news  in  other  people's  cars 
Till  they  are  ileafened  with  tlie  clamor  ! 
"  Corns  now  with  me  and  see  my  hive. 
And  note  how  folks  may  work  in  quiet ; 
To  useful  aria  much  more  alive 
Than  you  with  all  your  cackling  riot !” 
•  tius  German,  by  John  O.  Sme. 
OUR  COUNTRY  j 
ITS  AOQUISITION  AND  DIVISION. 
BY  LKSTER  A.  ROBKETS. 
Bbeobb  the  discovery  of  America  by  Coi,r5rBCH 
In  1492,  all  the  undlscovcrccl  wurld— from  Capo 
Bojador,  on  tho  wostora  coast  of  Africa,  easterly 
to  the  luilles— had,  by  successive  Popes,  been  con¬ 
ceded  to  Portugal ;  but  In  1193  Pope  Alkxasder 
the  VI..  foarlnif  the  dtscovery  of  Ooi.ombcs  under 
the  patrouage  aud  In  the  interest  of  Spain,  would 
lead  to  a  couUtct  of  authority  aud  duHtrlng  to  pre¬ 
vent  all  dlfllculiy  between  tho  nations,  decreed 
that  all  the  world  west  of  a  line  drawn  from  the 
Nortli  Pole,  passing  through  a  point  lOo  leagues 
west  of  the  Azores,  should  belong  to  Spain; 
while  Portugal  should  hold  all  eiwt  of  that  line, 
which  iva-s  not  at  that  time  known  and  in  po-ssea- 
slon  of  other  powers.  Other  nalluns  soOu  became 
dhisatlsdcd  with  that  allotment,  fpiesMonlng  the 
right  of  riie  Pope  to  act  in  the  matter.  Then,  as 
now,  it  was  national  as  well  as  individual  practice 
”  For  those  to  yet,  who  h*vo  the  iiower, 
And  those  to  keep  who  can.” 
The  doctrine  of  right  by  discovery  was  soon 
admitted  and  other  nations  became  eager  to  join 
In  the  search  for  now  possessions,  in  the  hope  of 
obtaining  troAsurcs  ol  gold,  silver  and  precious 
stones,  in  which  all  une.vplored  countries  are  sup- 
po.sed  to  abound. 
We  will  not  stop  to  discuss  If  AIadoo,  son  of 
OwBN  Gwtnrth,  Prlnco  of  North  Wales,  did  In 
1170  visit  North  America  ;  or  If  la  the  Tenth  Cen¬ 
tury  the  Northmen  laruted  on  the  New  Kngland 
coast,  as  believed  by  many,  but  of  which  JUn- 
CROiT  sstys  there  is  no  clear  historic  cvidoucc  to 
establl-sh  tho  probability,  lllawrlans  agree  that 
John  Cabot  or  Cabot.4,  an  Ii-allan  sailing  under 
British  authority,  found  the  North  American  Con- 
tlnent  In  or  about,  the  latitude  of  Labrador  in  1497. 
The  next  year  hl-s  son  Skuastm.s  made  an  exami¬ 
nation  of  the  coast  so  far  south  as  Chesapeake 
Bay,  thus  giving  the  right  ol  prior  discovery  to 
that  portion  of  the  Continent  to  Great  Britain. 
Portugal,  although  then  ranking  llrst  among 
maratlme  nations,  sent  but  one  expedition  to  the 
New  World,  in  lOOl  Cortbreai.  coasted  about 
000  miles  below  latitude  so*.  He  enticed  some  In¬ 
dians  on  board  his  ships  whom,  on  his  return  to 
Portugal,  ho  sold  for  slaves. 
The  French  caught  Osh  of!  Newfoundland  In 
1504,  but  vaerazza-si  was  the  first,  explorer  sent 
out  by  that  nallou.  ilo,  in  152't,  coasted  from 
North  Carolina  to  .Nova  SeoUa.  In  1034  Jambs 
Cartier  entered  the  Bay  of  Chaleui'S,  New  Bruns¬ 
wick.  He  afterward  landed  at  Guspo,  where  ho 
raised  a  cros.s  and  took  posseasion  in  the  name  of 
the  French  King.  Th e  next  year  hu  sailed  up  the 
River  SU  Lawrence  so  far  as  the  Isle  of  Orleans. 
Here  he  loft  his  ships  and  proceeded  up  the  river 
with  boats  to  another  Island  on  which  wiis  a  high 
hill.  This  he  cllmbetl,  and  llndlng  the  view  from 
Its  summit  extended  and  beautiful,  he  named  it 
Mont  Real— now  .Montreal— Royal  Mountain. 
BDomesUC  dlfllcultles-of  both  rellgloiLS  and  po¬ 
litical  nature— prevented  France  from  engaging 
In  discovery,  exploration  or  colonization  for  many 
years,  and  It  was  not  until  1603  that  an  attempt 
to  colonize  Canada  was  made.  Then  Sam'l  Cbum- 
PLAiN  made  his  first  expedition  and  selected  Que¬ 
bec  as  the  site  lor  a  fortification,  on  his  return 
to  France  the  game  year  he  found  the  Sovereignty 
of  Acadia  hod  been  conferred  on  a  Calvlntet  named 
De  Monts,  whose  patent  covered  all  territory  In 
America  between  lalliudes  40'^  and  46%  which  in¬ 
cluded  both  Philadelphia  and  .Montreal.  .An  e.x- 
peditlon  was  fitted  out  and  the  first  pertnanent 
Freach  settlement  in  America  was  made  at  Port 
Royal— now  Annapolis— In  Nova  Scotia,  la  1604 
two  years  before  the  English  arrived  at  James 
River,  Va.  Dr  Monts  examined  tho  New  England 
coast  as  far  southward  as  Boston.  Jesuit  priests 
arrived  In  1612  and  enlisted  the  Indians  between 
tho  Penobscot  and  Kennebec  rivers  as  allies  of 
France  and  a  settlement  was  mode  on  Mt.  Desert 
Island. 
Meant, tme  Champijiin  had  returned  to  Quebec, 
a-soended  tho  Sorrel  River,  discovered  tho  lake 
that  bears  his  name  .and  succeeded  In  establishing 
French  supremacy  in  Canada  which  was  retained 
for  more  than  a  century. 
\Vlilte  the  French  wore  thus  establishing  tiiem- 
selvea  in  Canada,  the  Spanish  were  advancing 
their  cxplomtlons  In  tho  south.  Ponce  db  Lbon, 
a  companion  of  CotfiMers  on  his  second  voyage, 
who  had  accnmulat,ed  rtche.s  while  Governor  of 
I’orto  Kico  In  ways  not  entirely  consistent  with 
tho  rules  of  honesty,  was  ever  ambitious  and  ener¬ 
getic  Tales  of  a  founuin,  the  n.so  of  whoso  waters 
would  bestow  perpetual  youth,  he  had  lieard  and 
betluvod.  Gold  aud  precious  stones  were  said  to 
abound  in  its  vicinity.  Here,  ho  thought,  was  an 
opportunity  to  drink  of  the  elixir  of  Ufo,  to  amass 
Immense  richc-s  and  attain  an  empire  In  a  new 
country.  Ho  sailed  from  rorio  Rico  in  I5t3  and 
on  Easter  Sunday  (Pasema  Florida)  .saw  tho  land 
and  named  It  In  honor  of  the  day.  A  lauding  was 
tn.ide  a  few  inllos  above  St.  Augnstino.  Supposing 
It  to  be  an  Island,  search  was  made  for  a  passage 
westward,  lie  doubled  Capo  Florida,  named  the 
TorLugas  (Turtle)  Islands  and  rowmed  to  Porto 
Rico,  lie  again  visited  Florida  in  1621,  to  take 
poaaesaton  of  tho  country,  but  was  killed  In  a  con- 
nict  with  nallVRS. 
Spanish  ships  In  1619  vl.sltod  tho  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  examined  its  coast,  mapped  Hie  position  of 
tho  outlets  of  the  ,MLs.sl.S3lppi  and  roached  Vera 
Cru/,,  where  Cortez  had  hecn  soino  yoai’s  boforo, 
I'wo  ships  from  St.  Domingo  in  (piost  of  slaves, 
touched  the  shores  of  Soulli  Carolina  Iti  1620. 
In  1525  an  expedition  In  search  of  a  uorthwost 
passage,  under  command  of  Stephen  Oombz,  en¬ 
tered  t.he  bay  ol  Now  York  and  examined  the 
coast  ol  New  England.  Tlfis  section  on  old  Span¬ 
ish  maps  Is  designated  as  Gomez  Lund. 
In  1.128  Navarrez  entorod  Tampa  Bay,  and  di¬ 
recting  nis  ships  to  meet  him,  went  overland  to 
•Sc,  Marks.  Falling  to  find  ills  ships  them  he  con- 
stnicted  rude  boato  and  In  them  proceeded  west¬ 
ward.  After  passing  one  of  the  mouths  of  tho 
.Ml&slsslppl  the  boato  were  separated  by  a  storm. 
One,  conunanded  by  Cabkza  dk  Vaca,  was  thrown 
tushore  near  Galveston,  aud  one  by  CAsriLco  a 
little  further  east,  or  the  fate  of  the  others  noth¬ 
ing  dotlnlto  Is  known.  Oabeza  made  friends  with 
the  Indians  and  learned  their  language;  aud  in 
1034,  with  three  or, her-i-all  that  romalned  alive- 
escaped  from  the  natives  and  started  Inland.  They 
wont  through  Texas  north  i.o  i.lie  cantidlan  River, 
thou  west wardly  to  the  valley  of  the  RlQ  Grande 
del  Norte;  thence  still  westward  until  In  1556 
they  reached  the  Puclfic  la  the  vicinity  of  Nan 
Miguel.  Hoi  e  other  Spaniards  had  settled,  having 
come,  by  way  of  .Me.xlco,  then  called  New  Spain. 
Reports  had  rcachciUhe  Governor  of  Nnw  .Siialn 
of  Seven  cities  of  Cibola  lying  northward  beyond 
the  ilesert.  Hint  were  very  rich  In  silver  and  gold. 
To  find  these,  exploring  parties  were  sent  out,  one 
of  which  In  1640  iAsceitiled  the  Colorado  River  to  a 
point  loo  miles  above  the  present  boundary  of  the 
I'nlted  States,  about,  the  same  time  another  piirty 
struck  tJKi  same  river  atm  turtUci'  north,  and  atlll 
another  discovered  a  ca  non  of  the  Colorado,  oth¬ 
ers  went  further  oast  and  the  country  was  search¬ 
ed  from  Kansas  to  the  RaoUlc  but  none  of  the 
seven  cities  of  Clbol, a.  were  found.  Dl.s.appolnted 
in  their  search  tor  this  northern  Peru,  thoy  all 
returned  to  Now  Spain  (Me.xlco)  in 
In  1537  Ferdinand  dkNoto  wuh  appointed  Gov¬ 
ernor  of  Cuba,  with  power  over  ,all  the  Florldas. 
Tlfis  cotuprlsed  all  the  territory  of  the  eastern 
Unltod  Stiitosol  whlcli  the  .Np.uuards  had  knowl¬ 
edge.  Helecilng  600  applicants  for  fame  and  for- 
lun<'  (rom  the  m.i  riy  wlio  applied,  he  sailed  for 
Cuba.  On  Ills  arrival  two  Indians  gave  him  glow¬ 
ing  descrlipr.lons  of  the  wealth  of  the  mainland 
and  DeNoto,  leaving  Ids  wito  to  govern  In  his 
stead,  sailed  tor  Florid,!,.  Confident  of  success  he 
sent  his  ships  back  to  Cuba  and  took  up  his  march 
inkind.  He  had  a  regular  army  of  horsemen  and 
infantry  fully  eiiulpped,  accoiupaided  with  exten¬ 
sive  bivggago  trains.  'I’hoy  left  tho  bay  of  Splrlto 
Santo  in  June,  1639,  and  reached  the  Flint  River, 
not  far  from  the  bay  of  Apalachleola,  in  October 
of  the  same  year.  Turning  northward  they  prob¬ 
ably  vlulted  I'pper  Georgia  uud  possibly  North 
Carolina,  In  search  of  golil,  of  the  abundance  of 
which  they  wore  continually  told ;  butlhclr  of- 
forto  10  find  It  were  frulUes.s.  Li-avlng  the  head 
waters  ol  tho  Savannah— or  its  branch,  tho  Cliat- 
tooga-they  went  westivard  aud  after  maio'  delays 
struck  tho  .Ml-ssls«lppl  River  in  April,  1.141,  at  about 
latitude  35*.  They  ciT7.S8ed  the  river  .and  ascended 
the  western  shores  to  near  New  Madrid,  from 
whence  a  party  was  sent  to  explore  further  north. 
Tliey  reported  having  found  a  barren  country. 
Dr  Soto  then  went  west  ami  northwest  to  the 
highlands  of  the  White  River  In  Arkansas,  200 
miles  west  of  the  Missouri.  Thence  thoy  went 
south  to  the  Tunicas,  near  tlio  hot  springs  and 
saline  tributaries  of  the  Washita.  The  next 
spring  (1542)  they  followed  the.  Washita  to  Us 
junction  with  the  Red  River  and  thence  to  the 
Mississippi.  Here  De  .Soto  died.  His  body  was 
wrapped  in  hla  mantle  and  at  midnight  burled  in 
the  middle  of  the  river.  Hla  followers  rearing  ro 
embark  on  the  river,  thought  to  reach  Mexico  by 
land  and  traveling  thenceword.  In  July  found 
ihem8clve.s  In  the  neighborhood  or  Narx;liltochc,a. 
The  Rod  River  was  so  swollen  as  to  render  It  Im¬ 
passable.  They  tollowed  down  Ito  stream,  again 
reaching  the  Mississippi,  where  they  built  boats 
in  which  they  descended  the  river,  reaching  the 
gulf  in  July,  1648. 
In  1647  Louis  Canckllo,  a  Dominican,  received 
permission  to  undertake  the  Christianization  of 
the  natives  of  Florida.  The  attempt  was  unsuc¬ 
cessful  aud  civlll/.atlon  was,  for  atinte,  abandon¬ 
ed.  Spam  nevertheless,  by  virtue  of  tho  various 
expeditions  botoremcntloned,  claimed  title  to  all 
of  North  America  so  far  as  Canada  and  Newfound¬ 
land.  The  Chesapeake  Bay  was  named  on  Span¬ 
ish  maps  in  1549  as  the  Bay  of  St.  Mary ;  but  there 
Is  no  record  of  its  discoverer  nor  of  any  Spanish 
exploration  of  tho  vicinity. 
So  late  as  1560  no  permanent  settlement  had 
been  made  on  the  Atlantic  Coast  of  North  Amer¬ 
ica.  In  1662  COMONY,  desirous  of  establishing  a 
refuge  for  tho  Huguenots  (or  Froleslanls)  of 
France,  obtained  irom  Ciiarlks  IX.  permission  to 
aenfl  out  a  company  that  landed  near  I'ort  Royal, 
8.  C.  There  they  puUt  a  fort  and  gavu  to  It  and 
the  surroiiadtog  country  the  name  of  the.lr  sover¬ 
eign  Chari.ks  — or  Carolds  —  whence  Carolina. 
Tho  enterprise  was  a  failure  and  the  fort  was  soon 
abandoned. 
Ill  I.164  Coi.usNv  sent  another  colony,  who  se¬ 
lected  the  Ht.  .tohms  River  for  their  place  of  de¬ 
barkation.  iioro  also  they  built  a  fort  named,  as 
the  other.  Fort  Charles.  But  dlssensioiiB  soon 
arose.  The  colonlsto  were  wanting  in  moral  prin¬ 
ciple;  mutinies  were  freuucat.  Some  of  the  most 
turbulent  demanded  and  recelvtsl  permls-stou  to 
return  to  Frau(!e.  Hut  no  sooner  were  they  at  sea 
thfin  they  commenced  acts  of  plmoy  against  the 
Spaniards.  Tlie  remainder  of  the  colonists  were 
about  to  abandon  the  enterprise  when  Ribaclt 
arrived  from  Franco  with  more  omlgrauis  aud  full 
supplies  Success  then  seemed  certain. 
But  tlie  Spaniards  were  Jealon.s.  They  claimed 
the  countr.v  not  only  by  right  of  discovery,  but 
also  by  conceaslon  of  l.he  Pope,  and  would  not 
think  of  reUnqulslilog  It  with  It-s  suppostal  Im¬ 
mense  wealth  to  the  French,  and  especially  to 
French  Protestants.  So  Melandez  was  Bimt  in 
1565  with  a  largo  lorco  to  break  up  the  colony.  On 
tho  day  conaccr.'itod  In  tho  Kointsh  calendar  to  St. 
Acoostinb,  he  sighted  the  eoa.st  and  entering  a 
harbor  he  gave  it  the  name  of  that  saint,  salting 
thence  northward  he  soon  found  the  French  ships 
at  anchor,  which,  not  being  prepa  red  for  battle,  es¬ 
caped  by  cutting  their  cables  and  putting  out  to 
sea.  The  Hpanlarda  returned  to  St.  Augustlno 
whero  they  lauded,  proclaimiMl  f’uitir  II.  King  of 
all  North  America,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  the 
town  of  St.  Augustlno  Sept.  8,  1565,40  years  hofore 
an  Hlugllsli  colony  was  established  at  Jamestown. 
Houses  are  still  branding  In  St.  Augustine  that 
were  built  long  boforo  Iho  first  sotUcraoul  In  Vir¬ 
ginia. 
i’Jio  French  now  determined  to  make  an  attack 
on  the  Spanish,  hoping  to  surprise  them  before 
they  had  made  ready  for  defense;  but  a  fearful 
storm  arose  which  dispersed  the  Heel  and  wrecked 
every  ship,  ri’om  which  most  of  the  crews  were  so 
fortunate  as  to  cscapo.  Learning  this,  tho  Span¬ 
ish  miado  aiilmmedliiie  attfwk  on  the  French  for- 
ll‘’/>Hilnns  which  wore  naally  taken.  Most  of  the 
colunlsto  as  well  as  the  captured  sailors  were 
murdered,  “Not  as  Frenchmen,  hut  as  heretics." 
The  Frenoh  Governmoni,  occupied  with  its  dlt- 
ficultles  at  liomo,  paid  no  attention  to  this  outrage 
on  its  subjects;  but  relrlbuUon  soon  followed. 
Two  years  after,  lu  1567,  Dominic  DKGouBOKSat 
his  own  expense  fittod  out  three  ships,  with  which 
and  150  men  he  surprised  tho, Spanish  at  tho  mouth 
of  tho  Ht.  Johns  River  and  gained  possession  of 
the  place  lormerly  occupied  by  the  French  colony. 
Being  too  weak  to  maintain  their  position  ho  re¬ 
turned  to  Franco  after  lia/igliig  all  the  prisoners 
and  plmdiig  over  them  an  Inscription,  “I  do  not 
this  :is  iiuto  SpanUrd.s,  hut  as  unto  traitors  and 
murderers.”  France  disclaimed  any  connection 
with  this  transaction  and  rollrniulshed  all  claim 
U)  Florida. 
The  llrst  English  colonial  charters  in  1606  gave 
10  two  I’Ompanles  all  the  land  from  Cape  Fear  to 
Halifax,  except  a  small  territory  In  Acadia  (Nova 
Scotia)  then  in  possi-sslon  of  the  Frencli.  By  this 
time,  not  only  Uiid  the  eonccsslonH  of  the  Popes 
hccxjino  null  in  public  opinion,  but  the  right  by 
discovery  wsus  exccfidlugly  weak.  Actual  posses¬ 
sion  was  nine  points  in  the  game,  and  no  nation 
then,  any  more  than  at  present,  had  scruples 
alioutolatinlng  and  taking  all  they  could  hold.  To 
one  Of  these,  known  as  the  Loudon  Company,  was 
given  the  exclusive  right  to  the  country  between 
latitudes  :g- 36%  ti’om  Cape  Fear  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Potomac.  To  tho  other,  known  Jis  tho  Ply¬ 
mouth  Company,  loiTl lory  betwoenlatitude8  4l- 
43'— from  tho  southern  e-ctromlty  of  Connecticut 
to  tho  liortliern  line  of  New  York.  The  country 
between  these  grants  from  38' lo4t*— being  left 
for  aetilomcnt  by  both  Companies,  provided  thoy 
came  no  nearer  to  each  other  than  50  miles. 
In  all  tho  early  charters  the  we.stern  limits.  It 
any  were  fixed,  were  the  Pacific  Ocean— eome- 
llmes  called  the  great  South  Sou— which  wa.s  then 
supposed  to  be  but  a  short  distance  from  the  At¬ 
lantic.  Under  tho  charter  of  the  London  Com¬ 
pany  Virginia  was  settled  and  was  governed  well 
and  liberally  until  1624,  when  the  CkJiupany  was 
arbitrarily  dissolved  by  King  Jambs,  through  ac¬ 
tions  of  judgOB  who  wore  his  creatures  and  ready 
to  do  his  will.  Virginia  then  became  a  royal  colony. 
In  1632  Chart.ks  1.,  then  King,  granted  to  Lord 
Baltimore  a  charter  for  the  country  hounded  by 
the  Atlantic  Ccean,  the  40*  parallel,  the  Potomac 
River  from  Its  mouth  to  im  source  and  a  line 
drawn  due  east  from  Watkln's  Point  to  the  Atlan¬ 
tic.  This  territory  was  made  a  royal  province 
and  named  m  hogpr  of  HxNRtErrA  Maria,  wife  of 
King  Charles  I.  Thus  were  the  molts  of  Virginia 
clrcumacribed  on  tho  north. — {To  bo  continued, 
- »  •  . — 
If  we  look  upon  life  as  a  gift  of  days,  one  at  a 
time,  all  Its  duties  can  he  done,  all  its  burdens 
home. 
ONCE  A  COWAED. 
CHAPTER  I. 
IT  was  OHO  evening  after  wo  had  come  In  from 
shooting  that  she  said  ICI  I  remember  that.  I 
remember,  also,  how  cheerily  the  library  window 
at  the  old  hall  gleamed  out  to  welcome  us,  mak¬ 
ing  a  ruddy  stain  on  tho  wot  gravel.  Didn’t  It 
look  cosy,  too,  after  a  long,  tiring  day  spent  In 
tramping  through  heavy  turnip  fields  and  sttlT 
wet  stubble !  .And  yet  there  was  a  coster  thing 
than  that  before  us  .soon. 
My  cotLsln  Helen’s  face  I  It  beamed  out  onus, 
a  lovely  picture  framed  in  the  dark,  heavily-carved 
doorway,  a  bright,  glowing  face  set  against  a 
blight,  glowing  background  like  the  pori, rails  of 
Bomo  modla'val  saint ;  a  glorious  taco  always,  but 
When,  as  now,  bringing  the  mil  light  or  its  moist, 
blue  eyes  and  flushed  sweet  smiles  to  bear  on  it  s 
fellow-creatures,  utterly  Irresistible. 
One  of  onr  party- -Ducle  or  icnderbean— did 
not  attempt  to  resist.  It.  Ho  completely.  Indeed, 
had  that  gentleman  rallen  under  my  eouslu'syoko 
that  1  dally  expected  to  hear  that,  out  or  sheer 
gratitude  for  his  worship,  the  young  lady  had 
promised  to  return  lilm  that  "  love,  honor  aud 
ohcdicnce"  which  we  find  mentioned  lu  the  com¬ 
mon  prayer-book ;  nor  would  the  tldlng.s  have  dis¬ 
pleased  mo,  1  don't  know  how  it  would  have  been 
If  I  had  wished  to  many  Helen  myaeir ;  but  when 
a  fellow  has  got  r  dear  little  girl  of  his  own  w.ilt- 
Ing  for  him  ho  can  aftonl  to  he  magnanimous 
about  his  cousins.  Ho  turned  into  the  library  at 
once,  saying  something  to  Helen  as  ho  passed  her 
which  made  the  flush  deepen  plnklly  in  her  fair 
cheeks,  and  Tom  Jackson  and  l  followed. 
I  fancy  It  was  Devereaux's  absence  which  turned 
tho  conversation  on  him.  Jackson  never  could 
boar  lilfii  and  said  .so,  adding,  like  the  hro.'id,  out¬ 
spoken  Ynrkshlrenian  ho  w'as,  that  the  follow  had 
no  more  courage  than  a  r.Thhlt;  “actually  svinecd 
every  time  a  gun  went  off  near  him.”  one  of  tho 
girls  r.Ttlinr  objected  to  this;  but  Mary  Jackson 
took  her  brother's  imrt  and  gave  us  an  iiinuslng 
Instance  of  Deveroau-x’s  want  of  courage  In  sorno 
mountain  adventure  they  hud  cn.|oyed  togct,her. 
She  made  us  all  laugh  by  the  way  she  told  It,  and 
it  was  thou  Helen  exelalinod,  wltii  a  scornful  curl 
of  her  pretty  llp.s. 
“  I  am  sorry  you  told  us.  I  never  llkctl  Captain 
Dovereaux,  but  I  detest  a  coward." 
Qlrls,  when  or  impetuous  dispositions,  some¬ 
times  use  stronger  expresfllons  than  they  have 
any  Idea  of.  The  bitter  word  f  vmw.rd,  Hung  llko 
a  shot  Into  riie  middle  of  our  little  group  by  a  girl, 
produced  a  momentary  Htloncc;  and  1  began  to 
feel  annoyed  with  our  fair  cousin  for  forgetting 
that  Devcrcaux  was  our  guest  and  to  meditate 
giving  her  a  private  lecture. 
To  my  unutterable  surprise  Ducio  saved  me  the 
trouble  by  taking  the  reins  Into  his  own  hands 
aud  bringing  Up  the  spirited  orfender  wRU  a  jerk. 
Ho  Imd  been  leaning  against  the  m.intelplece, 
gazing  down  at  her  with  a  sort  of  dreamy  admira¬ 
tion  In  his  dark  eyes;  hut  tiOW  he  SLralglitencd 
himself  iis  suddenly  as  If  the  shot  had  st  ruck  him 
and  spoke  In  a  dry,  hard  tone,  which  must  have 
boon  qulto  new  to  hXi  beautiful  young  hostess. 
“Do  you  think  that  is  a  fair  term  to  apply  to 
the  gontleman  In  question,  Miss  Curtls?’’ 
Helen  stared.  She  was  not  tisod  to  rebukes 
from  her  lover  and  histantly  resented  this  one  by 
as  ilry  and  hard  an  answer, 
“Afti>r  what  .Mls-s  Jackson  has  ju.st  told  us  7 
Yes,  .Mr.  Ducio,  I  do.” 
“Then  I  tlilnk  you  are  very  wrong,  11  you  will 
allow  me  to  say  sm.” 
“You  do  not  wiint  to  bo  allowed  ”  Helen 
began  haughtily ;  then  flushed  up  and  sotti-ned, 
llko  a  regular  woman,  into  a  personul  appeal. 
“  But  I  could  hardly  make  allowance  even  for  you, 
Mr.  Dude,  whom  we  know  to  b«!  a  bravo  man,  If 
you  did  not  hate  cowardice  at  least,  as  much  as  1 
do.” 
“  I  do— hate  cowardhic,”  ho  answered,  with  an 
unwonted  emphnals  which  struck  us  all.  ••  Ho 
raucR  so,  that  1  do  not  even  like  to  hear  the  word 
applied  to  a  man  who  probably  does  not  deserve 
It.” 
“  But  If  he  docs?” 
“  You  have  no  proof  that  Captain  Devcrcaux 
does.” 
“Not  Mary's  story’.'  oh,  Mr,  Dude," (getting 
angry  again  and  her  blue  eyes  flashing  Impatient- 
ly,)  “  you  cannot  bring  me  to  look  at  bad  things 
with  simple  indifference.  The  word  may  bt'  'igly. 
tho  thing  Is  much  uglier ;  and  not  even  yoiirclo- 
quonce  (very  scornfully)  could  in.ake  me  regard  a. 
cowf  rd  with  any  feelings  but  pity  and  contompt.” 
Maiy  .Ia(;kson,  whose  tongue  had  provoked  the 
quarrel,  rose  uncomfortably,  saying  It  must  he 
time  to  dross,  and  fiuttored  away,  Tom  .lackson 
and  his  pretty  wife  following.  Then,  to  my  great 
Joy,  Helen,  seeing  horstdf  left  alone,  rose  to  depart 
likewise,  and  was  turning  to  tho  door  when  Ducio 
stopped  her. 
*•  One  word,”  he  said,  speaking  with  a  sort  of 
forced  caUnneas.  “  Rutting  this  uoascuslcal  story 
of  Miss  Jackson’s  on  ono  side,  woulil  you  c.all  a 
man  a  coward  because  hla  courage  has  failed  him 
signally  In  ono  solitary  Instance?” 
I  bit  my  lip.  I  saw  llolen  wa-s  on  her  mettle ; 
aud.  Indeed,  her  answer  proved  me  right. 
“  Decldodly  1  should.  I  judge  a  man’s  heart  by 
what  ho  docs,  not  by  what  he  says ;  and  the  more 
sudden  the  call  the  more  surely  ho  acts  accord¬ 
ing  to  his  natural  in-sllncts.  One  greater  than  you 
or  I  sal'.'  of  Uls  disciples,  ‘  By  their  fruits  ye  shall 
know  them;  and  1— when  I  see  a  man  do  a  cow¬ 
ardly  act,  I  know  he  must  be  a  coward  at  heart. 
