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VOL. 11.
Dear Little Pattering Feet.
BY NTILLA.
I love the sv.-eet music discoursed by the brook,
The wind and the murmuring sea;
And of art, though ’tis taken from Nature’s book,
For they sing, mighty Father, of Thee;
jiut, ah! there's no music in glen or in glade
To me that is half so sweet
As the blest little home-notes that only are piaytd
By dear little pattering feet.
Tis a music that wafts on the winga of pure love
The heart to its Maker on high;
It softens the sorrows and hallows the love
Os all ’neath the o’er arching sky;
And it lovingly weaves in the dull* warp of life
Bright scenes that are lasting and sweet.
Oh! rainbows of love, in the dark sky of strife,
Ore these dear littl e pattering feet.
Oh ! dearest of sounds ! su re, angels above
Never heard sweeter msjsic than this;
Every fairy-like note breathes such volumes of love
That the heart is enraptured with bliss.
Let nature and art sing their choicest of song/;
To me they can never compete
With the pit-a-pat music that only belongs
To dear little pattering feet.
— Household.
For the Banner of the South.
THE LAST DAYS QF CARTHUGE;
OR
A SISTER OF FABIOLA.
AFTER THE MANNER OF THE FRENCH.
CHAPTER VII.
[continued]
“ I here was likewise au arena where
confessors were brought to contend with
the wild lions from the deserts of Nu
rnidia. It was to be an exciting specta
cle for the people who were thirsting for
the blood of the Christians. But the
ferocious animals instead of bounding
on their prey in obedience to their savage
instincts, approached in a crouching atti
tude unu licked the feet of these servants
'■l ( md. i here was one young man, not yet
twenty years old, who stood erect in the
aiena. Id is forehead was lofty and proud
and a smile of celestial joy played on his
lips. He held out his arms in the form
of a cross and prayed. Three times the
wild beasts rushed furiously towards
him but, as if overcome by seme invisi
ble power, they held back and crouched
in the attitude of fear. The intrepid
malty continued praying, as if he was
insensible to everything around him, and
his lips were still trembling to bring
forth the last accents of his love, when
he fell beneath the stroke of a sword.
One day a young woman was brought
he.ore the tribunal of Aquila. She was
dressed as a slave, but her delicate hands
and noble features indicated a noble ori
gin. Bhe fearlessly confessed that she
was a Christian and that she was
ready to confirm her faith by whatever
torture they might inflict.
The Governor spoke to her at first
"’ith calmness and promised her her li
heriy and an alliance which would pro
cure her all the gifts of fortune if she
would abjure the faith of the Christians.
"Lose no time,” she replied haughtily
o your duty.' My only spouse is Christ
tue Nnv?our.”
V-eize that insolent slave!” cried
burning with rage at the cour
ot, thc voung woman before his
tribunal.
They tore the veil from her face, and
Y , ,ni r«dcntly into that sweet face
T a wa « 11 ow crimson with a holy mo
ej was however nothing daunt
“l despise your gods and your infa
ti. * oi esses - l am a Christian and
«ait T” 10 * 101 ° f Christ! "*hy do you
“i l.cse words uttered with such rehe
:,;„ u a,:J courage irritated still more
h wetwtoners. They fell upon her
' , e t’°cious tigers ot the woods and
Shi lcr whole hod y ran down with blood,
be* i V; .‘ s P lerccd on every side and her
u Otul countenance was lacerated with
cvm! P () j nted irons. It soon became
Ul ! l . tbat nature was giving way. A
; a > lve trembling seized her frame,
o!n , Kr ./ ;d * en an d hueltss lips were
: f lf >' r spirit had departed. But
SUddtn, y they opened and the words
“blessed are they who are called to the
marriage of the Lamb,” were uttered in
the feeble accents of her agonizing soul.
“They allowed her some respite, hut
this was only* to have the pleasure of
putting her to the torture once more.
They brought her hack to prison. They
were not without hope. Perhaps over
come by suffering, she might sacrifice to
the gods. Put they knew not the
strength of that grace which is given to
martyrs. She had but one regret. Her
sacrifice was deferred. It would, how-
ever come sooner or later, and then her
days of trial would be over and she would'
be admitted into the presence of the Sa
viour for whom she died. Her wounds
were still bleeding, and she took her veil
to stop the blood while she continued
praying for grace to continue even to
the end.
“1 he next morning she was auain
brought before the Governor, and she "was
immoveable in her determination to re
main a Christian; he condemned her to
be thrown naked into a cauldron of boil
ing pitch.
“A tear glistened in the eye of the
gentle virgin. Why should she be
I stripped of her garments? “0, noble
Aquila !” she cried, falling on her knees
and holding up her joined hands in the
attitude of supplication; ”0 noble Aqui
la, change that sentence 1 I conjure you
in the name of thy mother—of thy chaste
wife, briitg me not to shame. I fear not
the pain of martyrdom. lean tear my
self from my mother’s arms and can be
hold my sisters weeping. I can with
stand the agony of a loving father and
part with them all, but I cannot brave a
a death like that. 0! spare me to res
pect the modesty of my sex.” As she
finished she pressed her bands convul
sively to her face and bent her noble
form to the ground.
“Aguila was ton died with her solemn
and earnest appeal and immediately
gave orders that she should be executed
as she stood. Basilide was charged
with the execution.
“Basilide paid her the greatest defer
ence along the way to the place where
she was to be executed, and protected
her from the insolence of the crowd that
pressed around them. “Thanks,” she
repeated several times to Basilide, “I ap
preciate your kindly services and when
I am in Heaven, I shall pray for the
grace of your conversion.” Arrived at
the appointed place, she knelt down and
prayed for forgiveness for all who perse
cuted the Church. She thought of her
past life with its admixture of joys and
sorrows, and felt somewhat glad that her
career had come to a close. Finally her
attention became absorbed in the reward
which was promised those who had will
ingly given up their life for the faith.
The brilliancy of thc crown was too
much for her mental eye to gaze upon
and she turned from it lost in.an ecstacy
otjoy She arose, and approached the
edge of the cauldron, and raising her
hands to Heaven—perhaps again for for
giveness for her enemies, perhaps for
grace to pass nobly through the ordeal,
she disappeared with a plunge beneath
the surface ol the boiling clement. Thus
passed away that fair young creature,
whose weak and tender form, was but a
poor exponent of the strength and firm
ness ot her soul. She was illumined
with supernatural virtues, and the grace
of God was poured upon her spirit in
rich profusion
I>cioi e ncr deatn she received from
my hands the adorable Sacrement of the
body and blood of thc Lord. When she
had made her thanksgiving she came to
me and addressed me in these words :
“Priest of thc Lord. I am goin<r
now to leave a world in which I have
tound scarcely anything but sorrow. 1
en\e not bt-en born in poverty and sla-
Y ei Y* i spent my earlier year- with a
rich relation and with a beloved sister,
it y tnought of whom makes me
shed tears at a moment when I should
AUGUSTA, GA., APRIL IT, 1869.
| give all my thoughts to God. I was
j stolen by pirates and brought to Alex
andria. They sold me as a slave. I
I vvr as converted by my master and for the
first time heard the name of the Christ
ian God. The Bishop of Alexandria
accorded me the favor I asked ot him
and I was admitted into the Church.
; He gave me that veil which I wore when
j I appeared before the Governor. Ten
! JGhi’s have passed and I have still re
j tained for my celestial spouse that faith
to which I had sworn at the foot of the
iabernaele. I was afterwards denoun
ced to the Governor as a Christian, but
God was by my side and I had the
coutage to confess his holy name and now
I shall soon receive fr*m his hands the
palm of victory. Pray far me, Father,
lest at that solemn hour my faith should
fail. Bless me again, for your blessing
falls upon me like the dew of Heaven.
Father when I am about to die, 1 shall
look for you in the crowd. Bless me
then again
“When [ am gone, no one will shed a
tear over my grave, except perhaps one
She is a noble patrician of Carthage.
,°ije was the beloved sister and friend of
youth. She saw me stolen by the
pirates. Her name is Julia. Metliinks
I hear her piercing cries, and see her
fall fainting into the anas of her attend
ant. If ever you should meet her,
Father, let her know tb;i.t her dear Po
tamiena died thinking of her, and please
give her this veil covered over as it is,
with my blood. Let, her keep it as an
earnest of my true and never dying af
fection. She is pci haps still a pagan,
but I hope with the grace of Heaven,
she may not die without the happiness
of knowing the true God !”
thus the A enerable Bishop termina
ted the interesting account of his adven
tures. Often his trembling accents be
trayed the emotion of his heart and a
tear coursed down his cheek as lie re
lated the last moments of the young vir
gin martyr. But when Julia advanced
towards him and knelt at his knees to
receive the blood-stained veil of her be
loved Potamiena, he was overcome. He
blessed it as a precious relic before he
gave it to her. She received it with re
verence from his hands and kissed it
over and over again. She would have
testified her gratitude to the holy Pon
tiff and expressed to him what mingled
feelings of happiness and grief she ex
perienced, but her emotion choked her
utterance, and she retired in silence.
Thanks were rendered to God and the
meeting broke up, each one withdrawing
homeward. The next day the aged pa
triarch left the City to return to Jeru
salem in order to resume the govern
ment ot his Church.
*
CHAPTER Mil.
THE SLIEPHERD OP THE MOUN
TAINS.
Afer, the slave of jubal, pursued his
way through the solitary streets of the
city, and before the rays of the morning
Sun had illumined the horizon he was far
on towards the camp.
He was accustomed to climb the most
rugged and iuaccessible mountains, to
swim the most swiftly flowing rivers, so
that for a journey of that kind, a better
choice could not have been made. He
continued on at a rapid pace while his
mind was absorbed upon the important
object of his mission. Thc reward was
great. He would have gold enough to
live in ease and quietness for the remain
der of his days, and would be enabled to
enjoy it in all the freedom of a noble pa
trician. He would revisit his native for
ests and wander with unshackled feet
over the immense solitudesof his native
land. He would then forget the chains
and slavery of Carthage, and if, per
chance the thought might return to dis
turb his rest, he would glory in the idea
that it was but an empty thing of the
past. He would chase the lion and the
tiger, and lead the v T ild romantic life of
| his daring ancestors. These reflections
' made his heart beat with joy, and lent
vigor and suppleness to his wearied
limbs. Night came on and he was
obliged to halt as the road was not well
marked over those rude and rocky places.
It was a necessity and he sought out
some concealed recess, and there he lay
down and was soon buried in a deep re
pose. h
| The second day saw him well on to
wards the camp, but his brow was some
what clouded, and it might be said that
courage had left his heart. From time to
time he would step, and as he brought
Ins trembling hand to his forehead, an
excessive agitation would seize his frame
and his faltering knees were scarcely
able to support him. The expression of
I his countenance grew darker and darker,
and the convulsive tremor of his colorless
lips showed the deep emotion that op
pi essed his soul. \\ hat was passing
within him? Was it remorse ? he that
was so long hardened to every sort of
crime. Was it cowardice ? ho whose
poignard was already dripping with the
blood of his former victims.
lie was indeed accustomed to deeds of
this kind. He struck without resent
ment, when his only motive was a smile
i them his masters cr the promise of a sum
lof gold. lie was however, not without a
considerable share of prudence. His
craft besides could baffle the wisest of his
enemies, and in these points he excelled
as much as he did in the arts of villainy.
Accordingly he was not the man to com
promise himself by acting prematurely,
or committing any rash or ill-considered
crime. He was now not far from the
camp, and in proportion as the danger in
creased, his usual calm composure and
tranquil judgment returned. “That im-
petuous Jubal! - ’ lie thought; what have
1 promised ? What have I undertaken ?
Let him wait a little longer, and if he
asks me why I have held b,ack, I will con
tent him by assuring him of my fidelity
to his cause; and that the time for ven
geance has not yet come.”
The moment the slave began to reflect
he grew terrified. Should he return to
Carthage and expose himself to the anger
of his master ? Besides, the soldier
wi>om he had to select as his victim, was
valiant and strong. Ho was a chief too,
general of the army, and consequently
surrounded perpetually by a formidable
escort. How could he approach him ?
Find him asleep ? ridiculous! And what
if he could penetrate unobserved into his
tent, how could he plunge the dagger
into his heart without alarming the sur
rounding guards ?
Sinister and unwelcome visions formed
themselves before the vivid imagination
of the trembling slave He saw him
self dragged in chains before a high tri
bunal and threatened with being put to
torture if he would not confess the de
tails of the assassination. The sentence
which would condemn him to death al*
ready rang in his ears, and it might be
said that lie suffered in anticipation the
agonies of exeeution, His breast heaved
with pain and thick drops of sweat ran
down his haggard cheeks, his limbs re
fused to sustain him, and the once coura
geous Afer sank to the ground discon
certed, exhausted and overcome. After
ail he was a coward.
He lay motionless for some time, and
had any one passed by at the time, he
would have said that life had departed.
At length, however, lie manifested symp
toms of returning consciousness, and
exerted his remaining strength in crawl
ing under the shade ot a tree to protect
himself from thc ardors of the noonday
sun.
“I will go no farther,” he said; “for I
have cherished hopes that were vain, de
ceitful, and absurd. Liberty! Gold!
What would be the use of all the liberty
he could give me, if I were laden with
chains and condemned to die tine death of
an assassin? Ah! I had forgotten! I
have gold in my belt. I should be a
| fool indeed if I went back to Carthage.”
His eyes began to get heavy again as he
continued in soliloquy. He stretched
himself out at full length and with the
image ot Jubal, \ ivia‘s husband, guards
daggers, and felon’s chains, dancing in
wild confusion before his excited fancy,
lie fell asleep once more.
Afer took no precaution against beino
[overheard in the vast solitude of the
desert. He had lain there for some time
and not even a blade of grass had moved
in the breathing of the mild and gentle
sephytL Put scarcely had he closed his
eyes when, hearing someone approach,
h* hounded up like a lion that the arrow
of the hunter had pierced while Ivin 2 in
his den. 0
An old man stood before him. He was*
a shepherd. He gazed at Afer silently
and without altering his usual composure.
His steadiasfc look would lyem to indicate
that lie knew him, or that his countenance
revived for him the reminiscences of the
past.
“If I mistake not,” he said at length*
“thou art Afer.”
Afer clutched his dagger as he ap
proached the old man.
“What is it to thee? get thee gone to
thy herds or by the gods! ’ —
Hold! Thou art Afer. I know thee.
Moreover thou and I are long acquainted.
Thou hast forgotten me, but it could not
be otherwise, for sorrow increased by the
infirmities of old age has changed me.
Dost thou not remember poor Sylvain,
the slave of llano ? ’
“I remember Sylvain! Sylvain! may
the gods be propitious to thee! Ah I can
not erase from memory those nights of
pleasure* Those games—-
“Kecall not those sad remembrances—
at least they arc sad tor me. Happiness
for me is past. All joy upon this earth
is gone, unless indeed—but come into
my tent. I heard all. Tliou wert speak
ing of Jubal, whom, no doubt, thou wert
charged to assassinate. Can I aid thee ?
I have no need of g >ld what should I
do with it ? But my heart thirsts for ven
geance! Yes, vengeance!” and the eye
of the old man flashed with tire so as to
make the slave tremble with fear.
A moment after they were both seated
in the tent. An old female slave bent
down with age served them with some
thing to eat. Presently she retired to
attend to her herds.
“Now we can speak,” began Sylvain;
“for the old woman Faturaa will not re
turn before night. Afer, conceal nothing
from me. It is useless. I have beard
all. I have listened to tbee and treasured
every word as they fell from thy lips.
Thou art on thy way to the camp to slay
Jarbas and take revenge for thy master.
Fear not, I will not betray thee. I have
told thee that the desire for vengeance
has left me no repose day nor night. I
have never been offended by the hus
band of Yivia. As far as I know lie
may be good and generous towards his
slaves, but she ! Oh! if my dagger could
only reach her heart, I would die happy!
Ah! ah!” and the withered features of
thc shepherd assumed a fiendish grin,
while liis palsied hands trembled still
more with convulsive agitation. “To
strike him whom she loves, to sever the
ties of the family, and deprive her for
ever of that joy she f els in his company,
is not that to strike her herself and pierce
her heart with a thousand daggers ? Ah!
i feel the sweets of vengeance by antici
pation, and my heart distends at the cher
ished thought. Say, Afer, wilt thou aid
me? Give ine thy hand and thou shalt
have nothing to regret.”
“Sylvain, 1 understand not thy strange
language. I thought thou wort happy
and I even envied thy lot. Thou art
free. Thou breathest the fresh air of
these lofty mountains and thy docks sup
ply thy wants.
“Liberty! pure air of the hills! my
flocks! There was once a time when
these blessings would have made me
happy, but now, alas! they have no
TSTo. 5.