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82 Little Rose. She comes with fairy footsteps Softly their echoes fall— And her shadow plays like Summer shado Across the garden wall. The golden light is dancing bright ’Mid the mazes of her hair, And her fair young locks are waving free To the wooing of the air. Like a sportful fawn sho boundeth So gleefully along; Asa wild young bird she caroleth The burden of a song, The Summer flowers are clustering thick Around her dancing feet, And on her cheek the Summer breeze Is breathing soft and sweet. The very sunbeams seem to linger Above the holy head, And the wild flowers at her coming Their richest fragrance shed. And oh! how lovely light and fragrance Mingle in the life within ; Oh! how fondly do they nestle Round the soul that knows no sin. She comes—the spirit of our childhood— A thing of mortal birth, Yet bearing still the breath of heaven, To redeem her from the earth. She comes in bright-robed innocence, Unsoiled by blot or blight, And passeth by our wayward path, A gleam of angel light. Oh ! blessed things are children! The gifts of heavenly love; They stand betwixt our world-hearts And better things above ; They link us with the spirit-world By purity and truth, And keep our hearts still fresh and young With the presence of their youth. Written for Burke’s Weekly. MAROONER’S ISLAND ; OR, Dr. Gordon in Search of His Children. BY REV. F. R. GOULDING, Author of “ The Young Marooners.” CHAPTER Till. FISHING FOR SHEEPHEAD —A CHASE BY WATER. much obliged to you for your interesting story,” 4 said Hr. Gordon to Simp son, when he had conclu person aboard unites with me in saying so.” He stopped and look sig'J ed around. Tomkins nodded his ** approval as cordially as could have been expected from one of his stiff habits while on duty, and from the men there came a general murmur of assent. The swarthy face of the narrator almost revealed a blush of pleasure on learning that his rough rehearsal had met with such unexpected favor, and he stammer ed out— “I hadn’t an idee that I’d a had so much to say, or that any body would a-cared to a-heern it.” “Your story has interested us all,” said the Doctor. “In truth,” he continued, BTJRKE’S WEEKLY. “every person has an interesting history, if it is only told aright; and the secret ot making it so consists in presenting in as few words as possible those portions which may prove instructive or enter taining. I trust that, after the good ex ample set us by Simpson, no one will hes itate to do his part, and I propose that we call for a story from someone every But who is to come next?” That point had been already settled, for, during the recital of.Simpson’s story, Jones had exchanged words with several of the men, and now, on a sly wink from him, they all cried out, “Thompson! Thompson!” “Mr. Thompson,” said Dr. Gordon in a serio-comic tone, assumed as best suiting the temper of the man, “the company express the desire that their next enter tainment shall be furnished by a son of ‘the Green Isle.’ It is their hope and expectation that you will honor them by your response to-morrow about this time, unless it is called for sooner.” “ The honor of ould Ireland will not let me say, Hay,” replied Thompson, “and our friend, Backwoods,” (nodding to wards Simpson,) “has done so much bet ter than he expected, or than we either, that I must say I feel encouraged.” “ You had better say discouraged,” Jones added, in a teasing spirit, “for what can you bring us from the bogs of Ireland to compare with what has been given us by the Georgia cracker .” * To this taunt Thompson retorted by some allusion to “pitch, t’yar and tur pentine,” these being the staple products of Jones’ native State, North Carolina, and “ t’yar ” being the corrupt pronun ciation by the uneducated of that State for the word “tar.” This friendly pass of arms was soon in terrupted by Dr. Gordon saying to Jones, “ Do give us some little account of your fishing excursion this morning; particu larly that part of it,” he added with a smile, “which occurred after you had passed the locked horns of the deer.” Jones’ eyes twinkled at this allusion, but he perfectly commanded his counten ance, and went on to say, “We fished as we ordinarily do from shore. Here is my fishing tackle.” He drew from his bosom a line of great strength but of delicate proportions, * The term “cracker” is a derisive epithet that has been applied, from time immemorial, by dwellers upon the seaboard of Georgia to the rough denizens of the piney-woods, and afterwards to all other backwoodsmen. Its origin is obscure; but it probably originated with the early Scotch settlers, in whose dialect a “cracker” is a person who talks boastingly; this kind of talk being very natural to the sturdy sons of the forest, to avoid being overborne by the pretentious refinements of the city. wrapped into an oval mass by obliquo crossings, around a nicely-trimmed stick. It was forty or fifty yards long, and was armed at its lower extremity with two strongly built hooks, each of which was attached by a sncll of more delicate line, so as to hang about a hand’s breadth apart from each other, and from the sinker, which last was a wedge of lead several ounces in weight, attached to the extremity of the lino. “You know,” said he, “that for sheep head we fish in about four feet water, next the bottom, and that on this shallow shore you must throw your hook ten or fifteen yards before it finds depth enough. The fish, however, are very plentiful, and you do not have to wait long for a bite; indeed, I hooked my first fish, (the same you ate for breakfast this morning,) be fore the lead reached bottom.” “ You seem to have had no net or other convenience for catching shrimp; I should like to know what you used for bait?” Dr. Gordon inquired. “0, as for bait,” Jones replied, “you need not be very particular, for however shy sheephead may be elsewhere, they are so tame here, and so plentiful, that people say you may walk along shore any morning and kick out enough for break fast. But I did not rely upon kicking them out. I used bait, the best to be had, barring the shrimps, and that was black fiddlers* and clams. I filled my pocket with fiddlers after breaking off their legs and claws, and the clams I broke open and cut into pieces suitable for bait. The bait Was not the best, to be sure, but good enough to bring the two strings of fish you saw this morning. We were fishing not over half an hour.” Dr. Gordon was so much pleased with the intelligence and skill of the man that he said : “ If Sergeant Tomkins approve, I here by appoint Mr. Jones fishing master for the rest of the excursion.” Tomkins readily consented, and Jones looked as if he had gained a pleasant point for himself and for the men, The barge continued all day its steady cruise along the coast, turning its bow shorewards whenever there was a possi bility''of the lost boat being concealed be hind any of the points of marsh or beach that marked the frequently occurring creeks and inlets. About the middle of the afternoon they witnessed quite an interesting chase. I' l one of those intervals of perfect stillness * Fiddlers are a small species of crab, seldom an inch long, having one large and one small claw, and burrow ing in the muddy sand of our salt-water beaches.