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" iOTinimg=wc==== VOL. I. For tlie Banner of the Sonth. The Mysteries. BY CARRIE. 0 mystery of mysteries is Life— This constant tumult in the human breast, Where passions wage their never ending strife, And hearts still dream, but nothing know of rest! ' Moments of joy to every heart are known, But moments only, so shadowy, so brief; The diamond changes to the worthless stone, And vanished joys but darken present grief. 0 mystery of mysteries is Lwe. To know but one in this broad world of ours; To feel one smile brighten the heaven above, And yield new beauty to the fagrant flowers. To know but one! To live but in one life, And feel that gone, all happiness were fled, The sunlight darken’d, the heart with anguish rife; All joy, all hope lie buried with the dead! 0 mystery of mysteries is Death ! Ah, sad and strange, one moment to beheld, The face we love, smile back the love we give; The next perchance, in death’s embrace lie cold. From the chill touch, to shrink in wondering awe— Shrink from the casket where once our jewel lay; Death's mystery is great! an angel spirit sings, While we beneath Death's shadow, weep for our lost, and pray! (From Lippincott’s Magazine, for January, 1869.1 Soldea Breams* A CHRISTMAS STORY, The Kardouon, as every one knows, is the brightest, liveliest, and most beau tiful of all the lizards. The Kardouon\s oout, of purple and gold is as resplendent as that of an Eastern Monarch, yet he is, withal, of a shy and retiring disposition, and he lives quite alone; hence his repu tation for great learning. The Kardouon never hurts anybody; and, therefore, everybody likes him. As he comes out of the chinks of some old wall, displaying in the dazzling sunshine, the glories of his marvelous raiment, if a bevy of Hin doo girls should come tripping along, waking up, with laughter and song, the silent and solitary path, how quickly he stretches out his sapphire neck, studded with rubies, and how softly and tenderly are his sparkling eyes turned towards the merry group, whilst each one keeps saying to her neighbor: “The Kardouon has noticed me to-day; he thinks T am the prettiest, and wants me to understand 1 am his lady-love ” The poor little harmless Kardouon, however, has no such thoughts. What he is looking for, here, there, everywhere, isn’t the pretty girls—not he; it’s only the nice fruits and the fragrant roots he likes to regale himself with, and to spread before his Karduon friends when he gives them a feast upon some broad, shining stone at noon-tide. Wandering, one day, into the desert, the Kardouon found in the sand a treasure consisting of innumerable pieces of gold coin, that looked as bright and polished as if they had just leaped, with ringing Dughter, from the stroke of the die. A King, who was running’ away from his s uhj( cts, had dropped the money there, to go taster, when he found that his dis loyal lieges were treading too closely upon his heels. “Mv goodness gracious 1” exclaimed the Kardouon ; “either I am greatly mistaken, or here is a welcome addition ty ni) W inter store ! Oi all things in t e wor.d, they do look like sliced carrots a most savory and refreshing bite— -ol|ly they seem to be a little dried up.” And, as he spoke, the Kardouon glided j 'Waid the treasure—not straightways, I ' r lhat is not his custom, but in cautious !' U 1 ves, like the little trembling, hesitat palpitating, adventurous Kardouon t.,a; he was. Having got, at last, within ieach ot the treasure, he stood up on his i ;‘ nti and fell with might and main fT° n she first gold piece that came to feetli, whereby lie nearly broke one of them. Kardouon thereupon heat a sudden «< cat, tiieu returned with increased zig za = motions, and took a more deliberate survey of the glittering heap. “They are awfully dry,” he remarked to himself; “how foolish to undertake to keep sliced roots in a dry place, where they are sure to lose their nutritive properties ! The Kardouon species, it must be acknow ledged, has not kept pace with this pro gressive age ! As for me, who dined only last week, and who can, therefore, afford to wait patiently for my next meal, I shall carry this unlooked-for provender to yonder oasis, under the protecting shade of the great tree of the desert, and leave it in the cool grass, whilst I am lulled to sleep by the sweet murmur of those springs that run along that sandy mound, which the rays of the sun will warm up for me as 1 get up in the morn ing ; and when yonder bee I now see nest ling into the bosom of this flower shall come out at early dawn, drunk with sweet odors, and cutting up all sorts of mad capers around me, I shall sit down to as princely a breakfast as ever Kardouon partook of.” The Kardouon who thus spoke was a Kardouon of action. What he said he would do, he meant to do, and he did. Toward night the whole treasure, carried piece by piece, lay uselessly cooling upon the thick, dewy grass, under the giant tree, whose spreading branches and luxu riant foliage and sweet-smelling blossoms seemed to call upon all wayfarers to come and rest under its inviting shade. And there it was that the Karduon fell into a gentle sleep, dreaming of fresh, savory roots. This is the story of the Kardouon. The next day, came to the oasis tiie poor woodman, Xlyon, who was then on his way to the still distant forest; hut who, as was his wont, was in no hurry to get there, and whose natural idleness was not proof against the melodious appeals of the murmuring waters, and the rust ling leaves of the great tree of the desert. Xylon was one of those disinherited children of Nature whom we have all met, and who seem to glide through life without being conscious that they are more highly organized than the poor dumb creatures of the animal world, liis deformed body was hut. a too faithful re flex of his weak, imbecile mind • a poor, helpless creature who, though physically strong, was as incapable of doing evil as he was of understanding it—an eyesore to his parents and relations, who lelt ashamed of him whenever they saw him in company with strangers; md the stand ing butt of all the mischievous urchins of his native village. The humiliating re buffs which Xylon was thus constantly undergoing, had inspired him early with the love of a solitary life, a disposition still enhanced by his following the occu pation of a woodman—a profession well suited to the weak faculties of poor Xylon, who was known throughout the whole neighbood as Xylou the fool.— Whenever he happened to pass through the village, the children ran after him, laughing, shouting, and sometimes pelt ing him with stones, whilst the village 1 crones nodded to each other, saying: “Here goes Xylon the fool, to visit his wise cousin, the Kardouon, who is waiting for him in the woody glen, to talk about matters of high import. () most wise and worthy Xylon!” And his brethren, as he passed, turned aside, blushing with shame and anger, But poor Xylon affected not to see them, and as for thechhildren who follow ed him, he laughed and screamed as loudly and as merrily as the loudest aud the merriest of them. Simpleton though he was, Xylon hail become impressed with the idea' that the universal scorn anu the daily mockin'*' to which he was constantly exposed, were entirely owing to the poverty of his dress—for no one ever thinks meanly of his own wit; and when he gazed upon the dazzling apparel of the Kardouon, as he lay basking in the garish sunshine, lie Ah|?WBTA, GA., DECEMBER 26, 1868. bethought himself that if he was ever so lucky as to secure the friendship of that most beautiful of God’s creatures, he might at some time or other become the happy possessor of his cast-off garments, and, returning thus arrayed to his native village, secure at onee the good will and admiration of all the good people who were now so ready to make fun of them. “Besides that,” he wonld say to him self, reflecting as deeply upon the sub ject as his very limited Xylon intellect would allow him to do; “the Kardouon is my cousin, so they all say; and I feel it myself iu the strong sympathy that draws me towards him. Since my breth ren have discarded me, through contempt of my miserable appearance, he is my nearest male relative, and I would like to live with him, if he will allow me, even if L am of no other use than to makeup his bed of dry leaves and moss every night, to watch over him while he is asleep, and to build him a bright crack ling tire when the weather gets cold. The Kardouon may grow old before I do,” Xylon added, for he was already full grown and beautiful to look at when 1 was only a child; and my mother used to say to me: ‘See, here is thy fair cousin the Kardouon!’ I know, thank heaven! how to take care of the sick, and how to amuse them when they lie helpless in bed. How I would like to wait upon him, and what a pity he is too proud to associate with me!” In truth, the Kurd.,non answered hut poorly the advances of Xylon. At his approach he would dart like a flash of lightning into the sand, or, prudently en trenching himself behind a mound or a stone, would cast upon him sidelong glances from his quick, sparkling eyes, whilst Xylan, with clasped hands ami in the most malting accents, addressed him th&s: “Alas, dear cousin, why do you. fly away from your friend and comrade ? All I ask is to he allowed to follow ymz, to wait upon you as I wonld upon my breth ren, for whom I would cheerfully yield up my life, but who appear to me less beautiful and less amiable titan you. Do not repulse me as they da.; and if, per chance, you are in want .of a good ser vant, remember your faithful Xylon!” But the Kardouon always went away, and Xylon would return to his mother weeping, because his cousin the Kardouon, would not speak to him. On that very morning his .mother, after beating him severely, had pushed him •out of doors, saying: “Go, thou wretch!—go te thy cousin, the Kardouon, for thou are net worthy to claim any other relatives!” Xylon had meekly submitted, as he always did, and he was just looking for his cousin, the Kardouon, when lie arrived under the widespreadmg tree cf the desert. “Oh! oh!” said he, “here is some thing new! My fair cousin has gone to sleep under the trcM? where all the springs meet —a very unusual thing for him to do, and a fine chance, if ever there was one, for me to talk business with him when he wakes up! But what the deuce is he keeping here, and what does he in tend to do with those little, round,yellow pieces of lead ? Perhaps he is going to a wedding, and wants to brighten up his coet, although I must say I would rather have one of his old suits than a thousand such pieces of useless metal. I shall wait here till he wakes up, and, perhaps, lie may feel better disposed to talk, and then 1 shall hear all abou it. I can sleep very comfortably here in the meanwhile, and, as I sleep very light, I am sure to wake up as soon as lie does.” And Xylon was about to lie down, when he was struck with an idea. “The nights are cool,” he remarked, “and my cousin the Kardouon is not used, like myself, to sleep on the edge of the springs and under the shelter of the the trees of the forest. The morning air is not good for him.” O Xylon then took off his cloak and I spread it softly and tenderly over the Kardouon, taking every precaution not to disturb him in his sleep. The Kar douon did not wake up. After doing this, Xylon, stretching himself upon the grass, soon fell into a deep slumber, dreaming that he had be come the sworn friend of the Kardouon. This is the story of Xylon. ill. The next day came to the same spot the Fakir Abhoc, pretending to be on a pilgrimage, while in truth lie was only looking for some good chance to better his condition. As he came near the spring to cool himself, his eyes fell upon the glittering heap, and embraced its value at one single glance. “T nlooked-for blessing,” he exclaimed, “which the all-powerful and all-merciful Deity vouchsafes to me after so many years of trial, and which He has deigned to place, to render its acquisition easier to me, under the simple keeping’ of an innocent wall-lizard and a poor idiot!” You must bear in mind that the Fakir Abhoc knew perfectly well Xylon and the Kardouon. “Heaven be praised in all things !” he added, sitting down under the tree and reckoning upon his fingers the amount of tine treasure. “Fairwell the Fakir’s robe, the long fasts and the hard mortifi cations ot the flesh! I shall begin anew life m anew country, and buy in the first kingdom that suits me a comfortable province, that will yield me a handsome revenue. Once settled in my palace, I shall have nothing else to do but to en joy myself, and to sip the choicest wines from the largest of gold cups, surround ed with flowers and perfumes, and beau slaves performing sweet music on every kind of musical instruments. I am growing old, and good wine, they say cheers the heart of old age. This treasure, however, must be very heavy to carry, and it would ill become me, the ■lord of countless acres, and possessing a multitude of servants and innumerable soldiers, to run the risk of befog mis taken foe a common street porter. A prince of tlie people should always com mand the respect of his subject*;, and in •order to do so he should begin by respect ing himself. It would seem its if this boor had been sent here expressly to serve me; and as he is as strong as an ox, he can easily carry all my gold to the next town when I shall present him with my cast-es clothes and a few pieces of eopper for his trouble.” After soliloquizing thus, the Fakir Abhoc, feeling well assured that as far as the treasure was concerned, he had nothing to fear from the Kardouon or from poor Xylon (who was as incapable as the Kardouon himself of knowing its true value,) yielded unresistingly to the drowsy influences of the place, and went to sleep dreaming of his provence, his guards, his harem filled with the fairest beauties of the East, and his exquisite Schiraz wine foaming in gold cups orna mented with rubies and pearls. This is the story of the Fakir Abhoc. IV. The next day came to the same spot the learned Doctor Abliac, a man deeply versed in the law, who had lost his way while meditating on an obscure text, of which the jurists already gave one hun dred and thirty-two different interpreta ! tions. He was just on the point of grasp ! ing the one hundred and thirty-third, when the discovery of the treasure made him lose sight of it altogether, and knocked it out of his head so completely and absol utely that lie could not have found it again in a hundred years —a great and irreparable loss for the science of juris prudence ! “It appeareth,” said the learned Doc toc Abliac, that the Kardouon hath dis covered this treasure, hut as he cannot, bv reason of his being a mere animal, avail himself of bis rights, the said Kardouon is, therefore ipso facto debarred from all title, claim, or interest, in the legal ad judication and partition of the same. As to the royalties which might be demand ed on the part of the public exchequer, this spot, I hold, is waste, indeterminate, common, proper to each and to all; so that neither the State nor the individual hath anything to allege in reference thereto, which is a happy contingency in the present occurrence—this confluence of streams marking, if I mistake not, a litigious delimitation of territory between warlike nations, whereby a possible con flict of jurisdiction might arise, leading to long and bloody wars. I shall then per form an innocent, legitimate, and even providential act iu carrying away this treasure, if the same can he accomplish ed without too great peril to myself. As for these two adventurers, of whom the first seems to he a country bumpkin, and the other a poor wretch of a Fakir, and who are unquestiably mere vagrants, with out name, weight, or profession, they doubt less have gone to sleep here with a view of making to-morrow an amicable partition, knowing neither text nor argument of commentators, and esteeming each other of equal corporeal strength. Hut they shall not settle this matter without a law suit, I warrant them, or I shall lose my reputation as a learned doctor of Juris prudence. Only, asl feel that sleep is creeping over me, in consequence of the great contention and tribulation of mind this business hath given me, I shall es tablish my eo-equal right to the matter in dispute by placing in my turban a few of these pieces of money, that the anteriori ty of possession may he shown in court clearly and peremptorily in my favor whenever the cause isjevoked, lie who hath possession by appetence of having, tradition of having had, and primary occu pancy, being presumed to be the true and legitimate owner, as it is written.” And the learned Doctor Abliac placed so many pieces of gold in his turban that lie had to take it off and lie down for the night without any covering to his head. \ “I fear not to oversleep myself,” said he as he rested his freshly-shaven occiput upon the swollen turban which served him as a pillow. “These two fellows will commence to quarrel the moment they wake up, and they will only be too hap py to have at hand a doctor of laws to accommodate matters, which secures to me a double fee, besides the share to which 1 am legitimately entitled.” After which comforting reflection the | learned Doctor Abliac went decorously | to sleep, dreaming of partitions, lawsuits, j and turbans overflowing with gold. I 1 his is the storv of the learned Doctor Abliac. v. The next day, about nightfall, came ro the same spot a famous robber, whose real name history has not preserved, but who was throughout that region the ter ror of all the caravans, upon which lie levied enormous tribute, and who was nicknamed for that reason the “King of the Desert,” if we arc to believe the me moirs of that remote period. He had wandered farther than usual into his do minions, this place being but little re sorted to by travelers, and the sight of the spreading tree and the bubbling wa ters gladdened his heart and induced him, though ordinarily insensible to the beauties of Nature, to halt for a while in the inviting spot. | “Truly, not a bad idea that 1 had,” he ! muttered between his teeth, on perceiving the treasure. Here is the Kardouon watching, as is the immemorial custom of lizards and dragons, over this gold, which can he of no use to him; and here are three unmistakable rascals, who have come here together to divide it among themselves. If I load myself with all this booty whilst they are asleep, I shall certainly wake up the Kardouon (for he No. 41.