SEPT.  & 
MOORE’S  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
473 
AIR  CASTLES. 
CAftTLia  In  air, 
CuaUrfl  in  Spain, 
Dr^am-coanBlons  fair, 
Over  afrain 
Fiiild  wo  In  youth 
Only  to  see 
Turret  and  wall 
Crumblo^Ali,  me ! 
Dream*  of  the  past 
Too  fair  and  briKht, 
Ayo,  aweet  to  last, 
Haunt  mo  to-night— 
Pule  ghosts  of  dreams 
Clierlshed  how  long? 
TUI  Youth’s  young  May 
Died  tike  a  song  ? 
Four  prooiona  ships 
Sent  o’er  life’s  main, 
Love,  Wealth  and  Fame, 
Nn’er  cnino  again. 
Only  Olio  ship 
From  that  lone  sea, 
Frelgliled  with  Faith 
flame  homo  to  mo. 
Moored  in  Itope’s  bay, 
Anchor*  made  fast. 
On  Christ,  my  stay, 
Peace— r<'*t,  at  last. 
Argosies  fair 
Laden  with  gold,  * 
Never  can  buy 
Christ’s  lovo  untold. 
lEinma  Man  Bvekingham. 
listodtal. 
OUR  OOUHTRY; 
ITS  ACQUISITION  AND  DIVISION. 
nr  I.ESTEK  A.  ROBERTS. 
[Continued  from  page  157.] 
The  Trrritorv  Northwest  of  the  Ohio  was 
In  1787  erected  Into  a  District,  with  a  Governor, 
Legislative  Council  and  Ilonso  of  Uepresenta- 
tlves.  Tiio  act  of  Congres.H  provuiofi  for  the  for¬ 
mation  from  tlilA  Territory  of  three  and  not  more 
than  nvij,  Stales.  The  Western  Stale  to  be  bound¬ 
ed  by  the  Ml.Hsl.sslppl,  the  Ohio  and  the  Wabash 
Ulvcrs,  and  a  line,  due  north  from  Post  Vincent  on 
the  Wabash  to  ibc  ’I'erritorlal  lino,  thence  by  said 
line  to  Lake  or  tno  woods  and  Mlaslsslppl  Kiver; 
the  Middle  .State  to  bo  bounded  by  said  direct  line, 
and  the  Wabaali  from  Post  Vincent,  to  the  Ohio 
Ulver,  by  the  Ohio,  by  a  meridian  line  from  the 
mouth  of  the  Great  Miami  to  the  Territorial  line, 
and  llieuco  west  on  said  line.  The  Kastern  State 
to  be  bounded  iiy  the  la.st,-nampd  direct  nortli  and 
south  lino,  the  Ohio  River,  Pennsylvania  and  the 
Territorial  line— reserving  the  right,  If  Congre,i8 
pleased,  to  form  one  or  two  Statoa  In  that  part  of 
said  Uin  Uory  whleli  Ilea  north  of  .an  ea.st  and  we.st 
lino  drawn  through  the  southerly  bond  or  ex¬ 
treme  o(  Lake  Michigan ;  and  providing  oTini  when 
either  or  l  lio.se  Districts  should  have  a  population 
of  60,000,  It  might  apfily  for  admission  to  the 
Union.  It  was  rurther  jirovldeil  that  neither  sla¬ 
very  nor  Involuntary  servitude  (except  for  crime) 
should  exist  In  this  Terrltoi’y ;  but  also  providing 
iiiai  slaves  escaping  and  round  within  tlie  Terrl- 
toilal  limits  should  bo  rciurned.  The  population 
of  this  socGon  Increased  rapidly. 
In  ITae  Wayne  County  was  csDibllslicd,  embrac¬ 
ing  what  Is  now  Northwest  Dhlo,  a  large  tritc.t  In 
Northeast  Indiana,  and  all  ot  the  Lower  Peninsula 
of  Michigan,  in  itjo  there  were  o,ihio  free  male 
Inhabitants  and  eight  organized  counties.  A  Ter¬ 
ritorial  Government  was  adopted  and  Wili.iam 
Henry  Harrison  elected  the  first  Delegate  to 
Congress. 
In  ifiOl  the  Territory  was  divided  Into  two  Gov¬ 
ernments  by  a  line  from  tne  moutn  or  tnc  Ken¬ 
tucky  to  Fort,  Recovery,  and  thence  north  to  Ter¬ 
ritorial  lino.  East  of  this  line  the  Government 
already  e.stabllshed  was  continued.  The  Territory 
wa.s  named  Ohio,  (the  beautiful,)  with  the  scat  ot 
Government  at  CliiUJcothc.  West  ot  the  line  a 
similar  Government  wa.s  established,  embracing 
all  ot  tne  northwest  oxoepi-  Ohio,  and  the  Terri¬ 
tory  named  Indiana. 
DISTRICT  OF  COLUMBIA. 
Previous  to  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Consti¬ 
tution  the  Congress  had  no  slated  place  of  meet¬ 
ing.  Sessions  were  held  at  New  York,  Trenton, 
Annapolis,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Lancaster, 
York,  and  Princeton.  It  became  evident  that  a 
permanent  place  of  moetlog  should  be  aolected 
and  suitable  buildings  erected,  not  only  for  the 
sessions  of  Cungreas  but  tor  the  ofllces  of  the  va¬ 
rious  deparlmeuls  of  Government,  and  that  this 
place  should  be  under  the  jurtsdlcUon  of  the  Fed¬ 
eral  Government  and  not  subject  to  the  control  of 
any  staw.  With  this  end  in  view  an  article  in 
the  ConslltuUon  provided  that  Congress  should 
have  power  "To  exercise  exclusive  legislation 
over  such  district  (not  exceeding  ten  miles  stiuare) 
as  may  by  cession  ot  particular  States  and  the 
acceptance  ot  Congress,  become  the  seat  of  Gov¬ 
ernment  of  the  United  States.’’ 
In  iTsa  the  uuestionof  location  was  discussed, 
and  it  was  agreed  that  It  should  be  siiuatod  with 
reference  to  the  center  of  wealth,  population  and 
territory,  having  also  In  view  ease  ot  access  by 
navigable  waters  and  a  due  regard  to  the  situa¬ 
tion  of  the  Western  country.  Various  places  were 
named,  among  which  were  PhUadcliibl.i,  German¬ 
town,  New  York,  Harrisburg,  Wright’s  Ferry,  (on 
the  Susquehanna,  thirty  miles  above  the  head  of 
navigation,)  Peach  Blossom,  (ten  miles  lower 
down,)  Wllmlngtou  and  Baltimore.  Southern 
members  favored  a  location  to  be  selected  on  the 
Potomac,  and  preferring  the  present  site  of  Wash¬ 
ington-then  called  “  Connogocheagne."  Penn¬ 
sylvania  olTcred  to  give  lioo.floo  toward  the  erec¬ 
tion  of  buildings  if  localed  In  that  State.  Dela¬ 
ware,  Maryland  and  Virginia  each  agreed  to  sur¬ 
render  right,  of  Jurisdiction  to  tho  required  land 
should  a  locution  witliln  their  boundary  be  chOSen. 
Considerable  discussion  was  had  in  which  much 
sectional  feeling  was  exhlbltod,  but  no  decision 
was  Bi’rtved  at  until  July,  mm,  .\t  that  time  tho 
Assumption  bill  was  pending  In  Congress.  This 
bill  provided  for  tho  assumption  by  the  Ooncrnl 
Government  of  the  debls  Ineurred  by  the  several 
States  during  and  for  the  prosecution  ot  the  war. 
It  was  warmly  supported  hy  most  of  tho.  Northern 
members  and  by  Chose  from  South  Carolina  who 
represented  tho  States  most  to  bo  benefited  by 
Its  passage,  but  who  were  In  a  minority.  At 
length,  two  Of  the  “  Potximao’’  members,  so-called, 
agreed  to  change  their  votes  and  support  the 
Assumption  bill  If,  In  con-sldprat.lon  thereof, 
enough  "  As.sninptlon ’’  members  would  vote  to 
locale  the  sc.at  of  Government  on  the  Potomac  as 
to  secure  a  majority  tlierefor.  This  was  ilnne 
and  bot  h  bUls  were  paased— the  latter,  however, 
with  the  agreement  that  Congress  should  con¬ 
tinue  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  until  1800,  that  time 
being  supposed  necessary  for  the  selection  ot  a 
proper  sit  uation  and  the  erection  of  suitable  build¬ 
ings  thereon. 
OHIO. 
In  1802  Ohio  was  admitted  as  a  Slate.  The  con¬ 
stitution  and  ordinance  of  admission,  containing 
a  proviso  th.at  it  tho  nori  h  lino  of  the  State  as 
determined  by  tho  ordlnaneo  of  1787  should  not 
bo  so  far  nortli  as  the  north  capo  of  Maiimoo  Bay, 
then  tho  north  lino  of  Ohio  should  be  a  line  drawn 
from  the  south  imd  of  Lake  Mlclitgan  to  said  nort.h 
cape  of  Maumee  Bay.  This  was  done  to  Include 
Toleflo,  the  best  harbor  of  Lako  Erie,  and  gave 
Ohio  the  atrip  of  territory  adjoining  Michigan, 
with  an  nverago  length  ot  eighty  miles  and  six 
miles  wide,  and  a  triangular  tract  In  the  north- 
oast  corner  of  the  Slate  embracing  700  square 
miles— iUl  nort.h  of  tho  lino  ot  1 787. 
In  conitecllon  with  the  early  hlatziry  of  Ohio  an 
Incldont  occurred  that  allows  what  great  results 
are  somellincs  produced  hy  trlvlrtl  uausefi.  In 
1T8H  or  soon  afUT,  .ludge  Symmks  establlahod  him¬ 
self  with  qiiltn  a  colony  at  North  Bond,  on  the 
Ohio,  about  fifteen  miles  below  Cincinnati.  Hero 
ho  laid  out  a  spacious  elty,  to  which  ho  gave  his 
name.  About  this  time  a  detachment  of  troops 
were  seat,  with  orders  to  erect  a  fort  between  tho 
Mlamis.  InQuenc.ed  probalily  hy  tho  Judge,  they 
halted  ii  tNorl.U  Bend  and  coinmonccd  their  search 
for  tho  host  sltG  for  the  forilileatlon.  Unfortu¬ 
nately  for  the  Judge,  tlio  officer  in  command  met 
and  Immediately  became  enamored  with  a  beau¬ 
tiful  black-eyed  woniiiu,  wife-  Of  one  of  tho  sot- 
tlcis.  The  husband  being  a  man  of  peace  and 
appare.nlJ.v  aware  of  tho  powers  of  the  sons  of 
.Maks  over  tho  average  woman,  with  great  dtscrc- 
llou  retreated,  abandoned  tho  locality  and  re- 
move,d  all  his  hf)uaohold  gods,  wife  Included,  fur¬ 
ther  up  the  river,  vvlierc  he  supposi^d  he  could 
rest  securely  at  Cincinnati.  North  Bend  Imme¬ 
diately  lost  a.ll  charms  for  tho  gallant  officer.  No 
place  suitable  for  a  fort  could  be  found  and,  be¬ 
side,  as  he  reported  to  the  -fudge,  ho  thought  tho 
fortress  should  bo  located  nearer  midway  between 
tho  two  rivers  and,  at  any  rale,  ho  would  com¬ 
mence  no  building  before  examining  further  up. 
So  tlic  troops  were  put  In  marching  order  and 
niovwl  up  tho  river.  An  admirable  location  was 
found  at  Cincinnati  and  the  erection  of  Fort 
Washington  was  forthwith  coramenciid.  The  set^ 
tiers  at  Nort.h  Bond  followed  tho  troops,  snd  thus 
the  pretty  face  (R  a  woinun  was  tho  means  of 
transfcrrlnK  the  .site  of  the  commercial  emporium 
of  Ohio  from  tho  place  where  It  was  first  estab¬ 
lished  to  the  location  It  now  occupies. 
It  Is  to  be  regretted  that  history  roconls  no  fur¬ 
ther  tacTS  ndatlvo  to  tho  lady.  But  perhaps  It  Is 
better  so.  Vouot  Imaginative  minds  may  from 
this  beginning  work  out  a  romance  to  your  liking. 
Choosing  your  plot  for  yourselves,  you  may  make 
or  It  Tragedy,  Comedy  or  Farce,  as  you  will. 
LOUISIANA. 
The  French  were  never  satisfied  with  tho  trans¬ 
fer  in  1702  ot  their  pos-sesslons  in  America  to  Spain 
and  had  never  lost  sight  of  their  counti-ymen 
subjected  to  Spanish  rule ;  and  now  Spain,  having 
become  Involved  In  the  Kiiropean  war,  was  ob¬ 
liged  to  yield  to  the  wishes  of  the  French  and 
Napoi.kon  determined  to  restore  to  France  her 
ancient  ilomlnlon  In  Louisiana  and  after  negotia¬ 
tion.  by  treaty  coufirmed  In  isoi,  Spain  ceded  to 
France  the  territory  witli  the  same  extent  it  had 
when  before  In  poasesslou  of  Frandc.  In  return, 
Napoi.eon  promised  to  settle  upon  the  Duae  oi 
I’arma,  son-in-law  of  the  .Spanish  King,  the  sover¬ 
eignty  of  the  kingdom  of  Tuai!any.  with  the  title, 
“  King  of  Etruria.” 
Napoleon  made  great  preparations  to  Uke pos¬ 
session.  A  force  ot  26,<M)o  men  was  collected  and 
a  fleet  made  ready  to  take  them  to  America.  But 
"  The  best  laid  plan*  of  mloe  and  men 
Gang  aft  ogle*.’’ 
The  English  were  not  entirely  satisfied  that  the 
destination  of  this  force  was  America  and,  as  a 
matter  of  prudence,  concentrated  a  powerful  fleet 
In  the  British  Channel,  etfectually  checking  she 
project  of  the  French.  Then  Napoleon  began  to 
fear  that  s<i  soon  as  laiulslana  was  again  declared 
a  French  Province,  this  fleet  of  the  English  would 
at  once  sail  (or  the  .Mississippi,  blockade  all  en- 
triinco,  and  taking  posaeaslon,  proceed  to  conquer 
and  occupy  it.  Ho  could,  as  then  circumstanced, 
ill  afford  to  spare  men  and  means  to  protect  It, 
and  much  as  It  hurt  his  pride  and  ambition,  he 
determined  to  sell  the  whole  territory  to  tho 
United  Stat.e8  before  his  enemies  should  wrest  It 
from  him,  thus  weakening  England  by  strength¬ 
ening  America.  Both  parties  being  dcslrou-s  of 
consummating  the  arrangeiiient,  terms  were  soon 
agreed  upon,  and  In  1803  a  treaty  was  signed  by 
l.ho  agente  of  each  power  by  which,  In  coii-sldera- 
tlon  of  $10,000,0(MI  to  be  paid  to  Franco  and  *5,o«o,- 
000  to  bo  paid  to  American  citizens  Iti  dlschaigo  of 
claims  against  Prance,  tor  spoliations  and  an 
agreomont  to  submit  to  the  coded  tcrrltorj'  all 
goods  duty  free  tor  twelve  yoars,  Napoleon  obli¬ 
gated  Franco  to  give  posweaslon  in  six  months. 
Spain  was  indignant  at  the  transfer  and  claimed 
that  hy  tho  deed  of  cession  from  Spain  France, 
It  was  agreed  that  the  territory  should  never  bo 
allonalcd  from  France.  This  matter  was,  how¬ 
ever,  amicably  settled,  and  In  November  30,  ison, 
Spain  made  formal  delivery  to  France,  tJio  French 
flag  wa.s  raised  and  for  a  few  days  tho  country 
was  again  under  FreiiOh  rule ;  hut  on  tho  deliv¬ 
ery  of  the  country  to  tho  United  Stales  December 
20,  isoa,  the  trl-color  slowly  descended,  meeting 
tho  stars  and  .Strlpe.s  at  half-mast.  When  tho 
sale  was  completed  Bonaparte  Is  said  to  have  re¬ 
marked  that  by  that  act  tho  power  of  the  United 
States  was  forever  estabfisheil,  and  tnat  England 
had  now  a  rival  that  would  sooner  or  later  dispute 
her  supremacy  on  the  sea  and  hnmblo  her  pride. 
Th<!  purcliaso  of  Louisiana  more  than  doubled 
the  area  of  the  United  States,  and  scuttled  forever 
tho  vexed  question  of  the  navigat  ion  of  the  Mls- 
slwilppl.  Amicable  relations  could  not  have  boon 
long  su-stalned  with  any  nation  holding  pos-sesslon 
or  New  Orleans  and  tho  Delta  of  tho  Mlsalsslpid. 
Nor  would  entire  harmony  have  been  possible 
with  with  any  tran.s-Ml.ssl.sslppl  Government. 
What,  this  country  now  Is  Is  owing  largely  to  this 
territortii I  acquisition  t  and  tJils  wius  consequent, 
in  largo  degree,  to  the  clearness  of  foresight, 
soundness  of  judgment  and  energy  of  prosecu¬ 
tion,  of  that  Dcmocfatlc-Republlcan,  than  whom, 
In  his  time  or  ours,  none  has  lived  wiser  or  better 
—Thomas  Jkkfkiison. 
Orleans.— In  isiu  Congress  erected  tho  whole 
area  purchased  from  Franco  Into  two  Govern¬ 
ment.  All  south  of  Mississippi  Territory  .and  a  lino 
commonclng  at  the  .Mississippi  Riven-  and  ruunlng 
on  parallel  as*'  to  tho  west  bound  of  tho  country 
ceded  by  Franco,  was  named  the  District  of  Or¬ 
leans.  The  form  of  Government  was  shnllar  to 
that  of  tho  NortJiwest  Territory,  having  such 
mmllrtcatlons  iw  wore  required  to  adapt  It  to 
population  or  a  foreign  origin. 
Louisiana.— In  1812  Orleans— after  much  dls- 
oiLsslon  os  to  tho  constitutionality  of  making 
BUites  frofli  acqulriid  tertlUiry— wa-s  atlmlttcd  to 
the  Union  and  named  Louisiana ;  and  tlio  terri¬ 
tory  lately  hearing  that  name  was  called  the  Mis¬ 
souri  Torrltory.  Shortly  aftor  Congress  oxtoudod 
tho  llrulis  of  tho  Siato  to  ombraco  the  Florida 
Parlslms,  giving  boundaries  as  at  preseiit— Pearl 
River  on  the  oiusi  and  Ellloott’a  line  (so-callcd)  on 
tho  north.— [To  bo  continued. 
A  SPECIAL  CONSTABLE. 
BY  CHARLES  READE. 
Two  women,  Hlstera,  kept  the  toll-bar  at  a  vil¬ 
lage  In  Yorkshire.  It  stood  apart  from  the  vlllag«i 
and  they  often  felt  uneasy  at  night,  being  lono 
women. 
One  day  they  received  a  considerable  sura  of 
money  bcciuealhed  to  them  by  a  relation,  andtliat 
set  theli’  slinplo  souls  all  in  a  flutter. 
Tliey  had  a  friend  In  the  village,  the  black¬ 
smith’s  wife:  so  they  went  and  told  her  their 
fears.  She  admitted  that  theirs  was  a  lonesome 
place  and  she  would  not  live  there,  for  one,  with¬ 
out  a  man.  Her  dlsuourse  sent  them  home  down¬ 
right  miserable. 
I'lio  blacksmith’s  wife  told  her  husband  all 
about  It  when  he  came  home  for  his  dinner. 
"  Tho  fools !"  said  he,  “  how  is  anybody  to  know 
they  have  got  brass  in  tho  houso  ?  ” 
**  Well,”  said  tho  wife,  "  they  made  no  secret 
about  It  to  mo ;  you  need  not  go  for  to  tell  It  to  all 
the  town  -poor  souls !” 
“ Not  I,”  said  the  man;  but  they  will  publish 
it,  never  fear ;  leave  women  folks  alone  making 
tholr  own  trouble  with  their  tongues.” 
There  the  subject  dropped,  as  man  and  wife 
have  other  things  to  talk  about  beside  their 
neighbors. 
Tho  old  women  at  tho  toll-bar,  what  with  their 
own  fears  and  tholr  Job’s  comfoi-ter,  began  to 
shiver  with  apprehension  as  night  came  on.  How¬ 
ever,  at  sunset  tho  carrier  passed  through  the 
gate,  and  at  the  eight,  of  his  friendly  face  they 
brightened  up.  They  told  him  tholr  care  and  bog¬ 
ged  him  to  sleep  In  tho  house  that  night. 
“  Why,  how  can  17”  said  he.  “I'm  due  at  — . 
But  I  wlU  leave  you  my  dog.  The  dog  was  a  pow¬ 
erful  mastiff. 
The  women  lookad  at  each  other  expressively. 
“  He  won’t  hurt  us,  will  he?”  sighed  one  of  them, 
faintly. 
"Not  he,” said  the  carrier,  cheerfully.  Then 
he  called  the  dog  into  the  house  and  told  them  to 
lock  the  door,  and  went  away  whistling. 
The  women  were  left,  contemplating  the  dog 
with  that  tender  interest  apprehension  la  sure  to 
excite.  At  first  he  seemed  steggered  at  this  off- 
hanil  procopding  of  his  master— it  confused  him ; 
then  he  snuffed  at  t)ie  d'Xn-;  then,  >W  the  wheels 
retreated,  he  began  to  see  plainly  ho  was  an  aban¬ 
doned  dog;  he  delivered  a  fearful  howl  and  flew 
at  the  door,  scratching  and  barking  furiously. 
The  old  women  fled  the  apartment  and  were 
n^xt  seen  at  an  upper  window  screaming  to  the 
carrier “  Come  back !  como  back,  John ;  Uo  Is 
tearing  tho  house  down !" 
“  Drat  tho  varmint  1”  said  John,  and  came  back. 
On  the  road  he  thought  what  was  best  to  bo  done. 
Tho  good-natured  fellow  took  Ills  groat  coat  out 
of  tho  cart  and  laid  It  down  on  tho  floor.  The 
mastltr  instantly  laid  Iilmaelf  on  II..  "  Now,”  said 
John,  sternly,  “ let  us  have  no  more  nonsense; 
you  take  charge  of  that  till  I  como  buck,  and  don’t 
ye  let  nobody  steal  that  there  coat  nor  yet  t’  wives’ 
brass.  There,  now,”  said  he  kindly  to  tho  women, 
"  1  shall  be  hack  tills  way  hreakfast-tliue,  and  he 
won’t  hiidgo  till  then.” 
"  And  ho  won’t  hurt,  us,  John  ?” 
"  Lord,  no.  Bless  your  heart,  he  is  as  sensible 
U.S  any  Christian ;  only,  Lord  sake,  women,  don’t 
you  go  to  take  tho  coat  from  him  or  you'll  ho 
wanting  a  now  gown  yourself,  and  maybe  a  pet¬ 
ticoat  and  all.” 
He  retired,  and  the  old  women  kept  at  a  re¬ 
spectful  instance  from  t.heir  proteebn-.  Ho  never 
molested  them ;  and.  Indeed,  when  they  spoke 
caJoUngly  to  him  ho  oven  wagged  Ids  tall  In  a 
dubious  way ;  but  st  ill,  as  they  moved  about,  he 
squinted  at  them  out  of  hla  bloodshot  eyes  In  a 
way  that  chocked  all  desire  on  tholr  part  to  try 
on  the  carrier's  coa  t. 
Thus  protected,  they  went  to  bod  earlier  than 
usual.  They  did  not  undress;  tlio,v  were  too 
much  afraid  of  everything,  oapeclally  tJielr  pro¬ 
tector.  Tho  night  wore  on,  and  presently  their 
sharpened  senses  let  llicm  know  that  the  dog  was 
getting  restless;  ho  sniirilnd  and  then  he  growled 
and  then  he  got  up  and  pattered  about ,  muttering 
to  himself.  Stralglitway  with  fu  ml  thru  they  bar¬ 
ricaded  Uic  door  through  which  tholr  protector 
must  paas  to  devour  them. 
But,  by-and-hy,  listening  acutely,  they  heard  a 
scraping  and  a  grating  outside  tho  window  of  the 
room  where  tho  dog  was,  and  he  continued  growl¬ 
ing  low.  This  was  enough;  they  slipped  out  at. 
tho  back  door  and  left  lUe  money  to  save  their 
Uvcb;  they  got  into  the  vlllnge.  It  was  pIt'Ch 
dark  and  all  the  houses  black  hut  two ;  one  was 
tho  public  house,  casting  a  triangular  gleam 
across  tho  road  a  long  way  olT,  and  the  otlior  was 
tho  blacksmith’s  house.  Here  was  a  ploco  ot  fort¬ 
une  for  the  torrlilcd  women.  They  burst  into 
Ihclr  friend’s  hou-so,  "()U!  Jane,  tho  thieves 
have  como!”  and  they  told  her  In  a  few  words  all 
that  had  hapiicncd. 
"  I.al”  said  sho,  "how  tiresome  you  arc  1  Ten 
to  one  ho  was  only  growling  at  some  one  that 
passed  by.” 
"Nay,  -lane,  wo  hoard  the  scraping  outside  the 
window.  Oh,  woman,  call  your  man  and  let  him 
go  with  UH.” 
“  My  man— lie  Is  not  hero.” 
"  Where  Ls  he,  then  ?” 
"  1  suppose  ho  Is  where  other  working  women’s 
)iusband.s  aro— at  tho  public  house,”  sho  said, 
rather  bitterly,  for  she  had  her  experience. 
Tho  old  women  wante-d  to  go  to  the  public 
lioiiso  forliliti;  hut  the  blacksmUli’s  wife  was  a 
courageous  woman  and,  besides,  she  thought  It 
was  most  likely  a  false  alarm.  ’’  Nay,  nay,”  said 
she.  “last  time  i  went  for  him  there  i  got  a  fine 
afTront.  I’ll  como  with  you,”  said  she.  "  I’ll  take 
the  poker  anti  we  have  got  our  tongues  to  raise 
the  town  with,  I  suppose.” 
80  they  marched  to  the  toll-bar.  When  they 
got  near  It  they  saw  something  that  staggered 
this  horolnn.  'I'hcrn  wa;i  actually  a  man  half  In 
and  half  out  of  the  window.  This  brought  tho 
blacksmith’s  wife  to  a  stand-still  and  tho  timid 
pair  huplored  her  txi  go  hack  to  tho  vlllago. 
"Nay,"  said  she;  "what  for?  1  sou  but  one— 
and  hark  I  It  Is  my  belief  that  the  dog  1.8  holding 
of  him.” 
However,  she  thought  it  safest  to  bn  on  tho  samo 
side  with  tho  dog,  lest  tho  man  might  tui  n  on 
her.  She  made  her  way  Into  tJie  kitchen,  followed 
by  the  other  two,  and  there  a  sight  met  her  eyes 
that  changtid  all  her  feelings,  both  toward  tho 
robhoi’  and  toward  eachothnr.  The  great  mastlfC 
had  pinned  a  man  by  tho  throat  and  was  pulling 
at  him  If)  draw  him  through  the  window,  with 
norce  but  muflled  snarls.  The  imin’s  weight  alouo 
prevented  It.  The  window  was  like  a  picture 
frame,  and  In  that  frame  tJiero  glaroiL  with  loll¬ 
ing  tongue  and  starting  eyes,  tho  white  face  of 
the  blacksmith,  their  courageous  friends'  villain¬ 
ous  husband.  She  uttered  an  appalling  scream 
and  flew  upon  the  dog  and  choked  him  with  her 
two  hands.  He  held  and  growled  and  loro  until 
he  was  all  Init  throttled  himself ;  then  ho  let  go 
and  the  man  fell.  But  what  struck  i.ho  ground 
out.sldo,  like  a  lump  of  lead  was,  in  Inith,  a  lump 
of  clay;  the  man  was  quite  dead  and  foai’fuUy 
tom  about  the  throsit.  so  did  a  comedy  end  In  an 
appa.llng  and  most  piteous  tragedj’ ;  not  that  the 
scoundrel  himself  deserved  pity,  but  his  poor, 
brave,  honest  wife,  to  whom  he  had  not  dared 
confide  the  villainy  he  meditated. 
The  outUnea  of  this  true  story  were  in  several 
Journals.  I  have  put  tho  disjointed  particulars 
together  as  well  as  I  could.  i  have  trte<l  hard  to 
learn  the  name  of  the  village  and  what  became 
ot  this  poor  widow,  but  have  failed  hitherto. 
Should  these  lines  meet  the  eye  of  any  one  who 
can  tell  me,  I  hope  ho  will  and  without  delay. 
- - - 
PHYSICAL  INFLUENCES  UPON  CHARACTER. 
THE  Influence  of  physical  comforte  upon  fi«  is 
far  more  considerable  than  wo  think,  or  would 
like  It  to  be  thought,  perhaps.  Let  tho  moat 
prayerful  mind  he  ever  so  bent  upon  service  to  Its 
•Maker,  Its  litany,  Its  oonfcaslons  of  wrong-doing, 
and  yet,  In  tho  very  uild.-it  of  Its  devoutest  desires 
for  amendment,  the  chilling  frost  of  an  unconge¬ 
nial  place  or  posture  will  nip  the  stoutest  protes- 
tiitlons  In  the  bud.  Temporal  Inconvenience,  In 
nine  cases  out  ot  ten,  assuredly  takes  the  upper 
