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VOLUME VI.
mother's growing oed.
Her step is slow and weary,
Her hand’s unsteady now,
And paler still, and deeper
The lines upon hor brow.
Her meek blue eye has faded,
Her hair has lost its geld,
Her once firm voice now falters—
My mother’s grbwing old.
Her days of strength arc over,
Her earthly joys depart,
But peace and holy beauty
Are shining in her heart.
The links that bind her spirit
Itelax their trembling hold,
She soon will be an angel
Sweet mother’s growing old.
MV thoughts flow back to childhood,
When fondled on her kuee,
1 poured out all rny sorrows,
Or lisped my songs of glee.
But now upon mo leaning,
So wearily and cold,
With trembling lips she murmurs,
“My child, I’m growing old.”
I think of all her counsels,
So precious to my youth,
How faithfully she taught nlo
God’s sacred words of truth.
How tenderly she led mo
To Jesus’ blessed fold,
Where she will soon bo welcomed,
No longer growing old.
Alas, those hands so skillful,
Which toiled with loving graco
To make me blessed with comforts,
And homo a happy place;
Those dear hands, pale and wrinkled,
Are now by time controlled,
'They rest in prayerful quiet—
Dear mother’s growing old.
Yet, thougtwher earthly templo
Fast faileth day by day,
Her soul with faith increasing,
Pursues its heavenward way;
And when the mists of Jordan
Shall from her sight be rolled,
Shall shine in youth and beauty
Where spirits ne’er grow old.
0 mother, fond and faithful,
Thou truest earthly friend,
May I be near to soothe thee,
Till all thy struggles end.
Ami while with sad heart yearning,
Thy form my arms enfold,
I pray in peace to meet thee,
Where saints no more grow old.
MISCELLANY.
A Fight for a Woman;
—OR TIl-F., —
fAIR PRIZE OF THE GOLF.
ISY MAJOR A* F. GRANT.
VIVIAN'.
'ltwas a dreadful gale, Gerald. Thank
hod we Weathered it Without loss of
life!'
‘Which ia move than others (lid I
Lucy, When the storm bur o l upon ns
last night I saw four vessels—all olf our
starboard bow. It is morning now, but
where are they V
The speaker looked around up
on tire waste of waters before he re
lied.
‘I do not see a sail,’ he said. ‘I too,
noted the quartette < tf the starboard ;
Hit the darkness of the storm soon
Wotted them from my sight. I could
ensrly be argued into the belief that
the sea had swallowed them.
‘Heaven forbid ! Did you make them
outlast night?'
‘1 tried to ?'
ith what success V
‘ 1 svo appeared to be American craft,
n ’jd the others looked like Spanish
ones.’
‘LaFitto, probably/
Mr Capt. Montebardo/
Tray who is lie ?'
lhe Captain of the American craft
‘W not reply to his lieutenant's q ties'-
llon - He turned his forehead as if to
' '1 ■ Isomc unwelcome memories which
■Wre trying to force themselves upon
him.
Is this Captain Montebardo a pirate
he LaFitte V Gerald Steele asked
a S a 'n. I am sure — f
A as I talking about such a man V
fiderrupted the Captain, turning sud
denly.
, ‘ A yo, sir. You said that one of
| a ° vessels standing to the starboard
/ st night might have been Captain
! must have been dreaming/
‘Enough of this, Gerald, the’Captain
:l 'd in an altered tone. ‘Someday I’ll
and you who this Captain Montebardo
H but not now. You may not have
ud of him ; but his flag flie9 above
llle waves of the gulf and he is eager
lo Cf oss cutlasses with me. And I as-
#p
sure you, Gerald, I do not abomiHH
the thought of meeting him.
world is far too small for botl^H
r i he last word had scarcely fSB
from Captain Gen Monarch’s lips ®H
the watch uttered a cry that
‘■V- i body on the 1 lombard's declß||
‘What is it ?' cried the captain,
mg to the man’s side. I^B
‘book !’ answered the watch, pfl
ing to windward. ‘Gy the t.iideHH
iNeptuno, there drifts a spar, and HB
it a woman
Hen Monarch began to
gia wiieii the watch
ou need no glass to sec her
doth s, caj Jedging- from toH|
ryrs you are
mark now. Yonder she is.
see her! Now—'
‘ y yes/ cried the Bombß|||
mma'idor, darting to the
‘A woman/
Alt. r ga/.iug for a moment npc^^H
’ '• < ”m io* la ordered a boat to bcBM
eio 1, and strong arms were soon
ing the succoring craft tlirougH®
waves gilded by the rising sun’s First
beams.
Captain Monarch did not lead the
saving party, but watched intently
from the deck, lie had sent Lieuten
ant Steele to the rescue, and knew
that the gentlest hands in the service
would lift the poor unfortunate from
the spur.
From his station ou the Bombard’s
deck, Captain Monarch saw the young
lieutenant lean over the boat’s side and
draw the woman fiom the perilous sit
uation that surrounded her and an
swered the sailor's shouts with a re
warding cheer.
\\ ith feverish impatience he await
ed the return of the succoring party,
and when it had come within hailing
distance, he cried:
‘Dead or alive Gerald ?'
And the young lieutenant
loudly :
‘Living V
‘Thank God !' the captain responded
with a fervor, and a few moment's la
ter, Gerald Steele came up the ladder
with the waif in his arms.
LA beautiful and innocent looking
creature, is she not captain/ the lieu
tenant said with enthusiasm, casting a
look upon his unconscious burthen.
Steele pressed forward with his prize,
no weight in bis strong and pre
sented her white face and sylph-like
form to the Bombard’s captain.
‘Y r es, Gerald/ said Monarch with the
first glimpse, but the next instant his
face became deathly white and lie
turned from the sight.
‘Living, did you say ?' ho cried to
the startled Lieutenant,,
‘Yes /
‘To my room with her, and call Mr.
Waldron in. Quick, Gerald! She
must not die/
With his eyes filled with wonder
ment at his commander's excited con
duct, the lieutenant hurried below With
the late tenant of the spat*.
‘ After those happy years we meet
again !' Ben Monarch said as he paced
the deck with Ins hands behind him and
his thick sailor beard upon his breast.
T thought Vivian, that we had parted
forever. What strange fate has
brought you to me ? Your plantation
home is far away, and you were happy
there. Must I associate your appear*,
ance on my deck with that man who
came between us then—that man
whom, for your sake, I shot down, fled
and turned sailor ? He is here ! Y r ou
are here ! You may be Exton Monte
bardo's wife, but 1 will not believe
it!’
lie paused abruptly, for the cry of,
‘ship ahoy !’ seemed to arouse him from
his reveries.
He turned quickly at the unexpect
ed sound.
‘Where away t
‘On starboard bow and bearing down
upon us.'
Captain Monarch looked in the di
rection indicated by the sailor, and
was surprised to make out a rakish
craft somewhat larger than the Bom
bard, and bearing down upou him
with suspicions rapidity.
Ho turned his glass full upon the
stranger, and after a minute's inspec
tion, turned to the anxious occupants
of the deck and said calmly ;
‘Open the arm's chest and prepare
for bloody work/
The men flew to the work, believing
that the stranger was one of LaFitte’s
vessels ; but the captain, white as ash-*
cs, again waited for her to come within
hailing distance.
At last the stranger found herself
sufficiently near to be hailed, and Ben
shall decide the question of sup
ity !'
Turning lrom the Red Duro h
tened below and entered his stat'
with the easy tread of a girl. H
a female form on his couch, ands
at the finger of silence which the
surgeon lifted. But no human
could have kept him from the (
and he soon looked down up(
beautiful creature rescued Iron
spar,
She was not asleep, and her
blue eyes met him in a glance of
ognition.
The next moment the captuir/e
dropped upon her bosom, and the
were exchanging names.
‘I cannot tarrry, Vivian/ the
said, rising. ‘I hcy wait for my
with guns double-shotted, and :
of desperadoes. Tell me again
are his wife, Vivian. Let me he
once more and it will nerve my
and beat the Spanish sea curse 1
‘His wife! No ! No I' said tin
white lips ? and before the faint s
had died away, Ben Monarch wt
rying upon deck.
‘Your answer !' came from the
ish craft. ‘You have consults
vixen, now what do you say ?'
‘I refuse to give her up. She
the wife of Exton Montebardo,
long as we can wield a cutlass
Bombard's deck she shall act b
The Spaniard muttered an oa
shouted;
‘Your stubbornness desccfu
your own head! I have loii£
this hour, and before the day i
the waves of the gulf shall roll o
Bombard's deck.'
‘Come on ! We fight for honoi
fairest lady in the world. She
prize, found at sea, and will be i
ed to the last !'
The rival captains left the s
their respective vessels, and oi
active preparations for a bloo<
liict began.
The old love of other days 1
turned to Ben Monarch’s hen;
he was fighting for the same fuc<
in its childish beauty, charmed
the banks of the Mississippi.
What if she had rejected his
what if she had told him that si
this same Exton Montebardo, w
sought to wrench her from li
had just heard from her pallid 1
the Spaniard had carried her fr
plantation home, and the tre
Which she received at Ids hand
aloud for vengeance.
There wasn’t a keener cut
the gulf than Capt Monarch's,
Commanded a crew tiied in tier
bats with L \Fitte and Ids lawlc
lowers.
THE SEA FIGHT*
The Bombard's crew disl
themselves at their roapeetivß
with alacrity and much enthusH
They believed that the enemy I
notorious LaFitte in person, ll
Captain undeceived them. ■
‘Sailor/said he, sweeping til
formed ranks with li is eyes, ‘wl
fight a man who hates but ml
battle will soon be on, but 1 I
you this : Ten years ago the 10l
ing who lies in my state-room nl
a girl of fifteen, the pride of a I
father, the queen of the nobles®
iana plantation. I knew her. aill
ing, 1 ivcd her, though I was tl®
without name or fortune. Il
val. He commands yon ship®
Montebardo, whoso father \l
i.shcd from Spain for treasot®
the crovvn. One night my r®
suited Vivian. I resented the®