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VOL. I.
THE t AHLM V
Is published every Saturday , by V. L.
ROBIJS'SOJVi War rent on Geo. at
three dollars per annum. which may be
discharged by two dollars and fifty
cents if paid within sixty days of the
time of subscribing
MIS M.UNK >US.
TilE HOUR OF DEATH
Not far from the kingdom of V..
fencia. surround)*! by the mouniai s
whith seperate New from Old Castiile.
stands the monastery of Oienfuegos.
The monks, driven away hy the war
of invasion; hid abandoned their
peaceful asylum, in which the enemy
had left nothing remaining but a
large black marble crucifix.
Eugene, a young officer of the corps
of hussars, had prepared to pass the
night, en bivouac , near the ruined
f)nr< h of the chapel belonging to the
monastery. After having given or
ders’ for the safety of the camp, he
wrapped himself in his large white
cloak, and stretched himself with his
feet to the fire and his head resting on
his saddle. The silence of the night
was only interrupted hy the trampling
of the horses which were attached to
the pi< qurts surrounding the camp,
and, at long intervals, the watch
cries of the videttes. Eugene, as he
sat gazing upon the moon, which shed
a mellow light over all the surround
ing country , thought of his home and
of bis Genevieve—his betrothed—the ■
expected reward of his love, when he;
should return from his military cam-;
paign; of his Genevieve, whose blue
eyes and fair hair, not even the splen
did beauti‘ Bof Grenada had power
to make him for a moment forgetful.;
He thought of his mother—his good
mother—who hoped soon to behold
the happiness of son. Absorbed
in these thoughts, Eugene fell into a
dm p reverie. The heavy clouds, dri
ven by the wind, presaged a dreadful
Storm. Already the rain was begin
ning to fell, when Eugene rose and
went te seek shelter in the neighbour
ing convent. He surveyed this vast
8 litude, where th&ydlence was only
interrupted by the .linking of the
spurs wiih which his boots were fur
nisbed. As soon as the clock of the
monastery had ceased striking mid
night, suddenly the interior of the
church appeared illuminated and bril
liant, as in the days of its former
splendor. A priest, holding a cruci
fix, advanced slowly towards the al
tar, and prepared to celebrate the
mass for the dead,—then, turning to
wards Eugene, lie made signs for him
to approach; whilst he urged by a
religious leeling, and associating tin*
scene before him with his earliest re
collections, advanced, kneeled on the
steps of the altar, and made the re
sponses as well as his recollection
served him. As soon as this holy ce
remony was concluded the priest
turned to Eugene and said—‘\oung
stranger, whosoever thou art, the
Bervice which thou has just rendeied
me has helped my soul to escape !rom
purgatory, where, during two ages,
I have expiated a fault which I com
mitted contrary to the laws of this
convent* during two ages 1 have
come every night in hopes that some
kind being would do me the service
which thou hast now rendered me;
that thy piety may be rewarded, 1
can answer any question thou mayest
desire to have answered—ask, and
thou shalt be satisfied.’ By a singu
lar perverseness man is always desi
rous to know that which it is best for
him to be ignorant of. ‘tather,*
said Eugene, ‘inform me, then, ot the
moment that lam to die.’ Alas, my
-son, what hast thou asked me?—but I
** m $5 3 . , i.? I; I, *Si IK
(.iV- p< i.-) :-i 11 .-> * nj---.) .1 U
two years lienee, just, ns the sun ii
lomes the earth w iMi its first r s Mi>
soul shall hurst i>s terrestrial bonds,’
\f-;er having said th se w rsls. i e
p> iest disapp an and entirely fr m the
sight of the young sMilier. * * * *
From this time forward Eugene,
was overwhelmed w ith the most pro
found melancholyhis companions,
by whom lie was greatly hel ived,
tried in vain to dis over the subject ot
his unhappiness; hut lie always main
rained the most obstinate silence, and
betook no care of an existence tic
termination f which appear and r o him
so near. This indifference of life pro
dured arts of valor which elevated
him to the highest military rank * *
# * # # Six months after Eu
gene returned to hts native country;
he had the happiness once more of b -
holding his excellent mother, his G -
nevieve, whom he had so loved i*-
those days of happy ignorance of his
fate, before the thought of the priest *s
prediction had filled his breast with
misery, ami whose presence no-’-
only served to increase his grief.
For a long time his mother h gged
hi in to complete her happiness hy unit
ing himself with Genevieve, who g w<*
him every day new proof of her ten
derness, and hy her innocent cares
ses augmented the angish with whirl
his bosom was torn.—Astonished and
distressed by his grief, his mother and
Genevieve urged I itn to reveal the
cause of it; the melancholy whi< h con
Virtually overpowered lm could r:o’
escape the penetrating eye of a moth
er, nor the soft and tender sympathy
of love: But fir a great length of
time all their efforts were v tin. Eu
gene. incapable longer of resisting tb
entreaties of his mother, whose hap
piness depended upon his marriage,
and still adoring his Genevieve, and
feeling that honor hound him to fulfil
his engagement, conducted her to the
altar, and became the happy htr band
of his early and only live? TllH
happy husband! did I siy? Al w! no
Eugene was fr, very far from he
ing happy —however, so was he cs
teemed by the numerous friends who
came to congratulate him. In fart,
hr appeared to enjoy every desirabl
blessing. II * had been elevated to
the highest military rank, he p sses
sed not only the wife of his affe tion,
but the great fortune witli which his
generous m tiler had presented bi n*
Yet, alas! p ace was far from sos
breast: that which should have height
ened his fejfi ity only added to Ins Dis
tress Genevieve became the mother
of a beautiful boy, who was the living
image of his father, which rendered
him doubly dear to his floating moth
er. It was, however, in vain thai
Genevieve, with her boy in her arms,
begged to know the cause of her hus
bands grief; it was in vain thaf.jshe
employed every art wlic h her love
and her anxiety could suggest,, —Eu
gene continued deaf to her entreaties.
* ###•###
o„|y three months now intervened
when the fatal moment must arrive
when according to the prediction of
the monk, the unfortunate Eugene
was aware that he must leave the nil
inerous blessings with whi h he was
surrounded. He felt with despair,
the fatal moment d*y hy day advanc
ing, which would deprive a mother of
her only son, a wife of a husband
whom she adored, and his sn (a
twelvemonth old) of a protector so
necessary to guide his footsteps to
manhood, .... . r
Continually harrassed hy the grief
and prayers of his mother and Gene
vieve, he fomented to reveal the
dreadful secret ol his wretched fate.
K * A- # * * *
lo ?he t oil sc of ii• m’ , wlii ‘h p issed
so rapidly te (jho ms rtuuate Eog-oe,
t,Se eve of t!ie y wfol day arrang (I iiis
worldly concents and pivp red fir
lie directe • a <o i h t> be carri and
tn a t.a rare wider ‘mill be seen ii>e
rising -f tin* sun - the moment of liis
dissolution! I’lirre seated hit ween
his aged mother and his Genevieve,
he to<<k his son *o his kmv s, and eiu
bracing alternately b< ings beloved,
and soon te be seen no mere, he pre
pared for his inevitable fate, The
power of s| e c|i hav ng abandoned
• hem, Eogcne*B wife and mother threw
themselves in o Ins arms and, over-;
whelm, and with fears and Imp s, they
awaited in the most dreadful anxiety
•he issue of the |..ng dreaded instant.
The hour approached in silen e and
s .(loess. Eugene with his eyes fixed
upon the silver face of the moon, os it
gradually was losing its brilliant y in
t.iie dawning day, thought, with des
pair, that now but lew seconds re
nained ere the pr< die * i*t would he
ccompliahed! At length a brilliant
light ap eared in the ea-t—suddenly
was heard the clamor f many Voices
—then the *ll < x> iling sound *.f sit
ver tom and trumpets broke upon his
i >r, and a loud rid very distant voii c
ri ;|, Eugene! Eg ne! Eugene o
pened his eyes slowly—lie beheld a
ountry glowing with the first rays
-f the rising s(n, and found himscit
lying near the embers ol Hie fire whit h
had be been kindled for him tin* night
to foie—the trumpets of Ins regiment
w re performing the music of the re
erjliei; when Albert, the. favourite
friend of Eugene, seized him hy the
hand, saying, • Why • Eugene, wlial
in the name of ell tin* saints, has been
re matter with you?—you have been
sleeping in the ou st un**asy manner,
you seem* dso tormented hy dreams
h t, after standing a li'lle, while to
look at you, 1 could no longerJm pre
vented fro m rousieg you’ Eog-*n<*
still affected, a ol mu h overpow-r*o
oy his dream est In* preceding night
rose slowly, related he le ads of in
miserable dr an to Alh it, and sal
• |'h oik God, ’Ms bill a dream!--!e
tne embrace you and ascertain tia
tihoiigli I have lost an imaginary
wife and child, I arn yet blessed will.
Mir p issession of a real and affect ton
ite friend*’ U* H. M.
THE I.YDM YJlM'l) llEll CHILD.
An lodi >ti woman, and her child,
who about S'‘veo years old, were
travelling along the beai h to a camp *
few miles distant. The boy observed
some wild grapes grwoing upon the top
of the hank, and expressed such a
strong desire to obtain them, that his
mother, seeing a ravine at a little dis
tanee, hy which she thought she could
gain the edge of the precipice, resolv
ed to gratily him. Having desired
him to remain where he was, she as
ceuded the steep, and was allured
much farther into the woods than sin
at first intended. In the mean time,
the wind began to blow vehemently,
hut the hoy wandered carelessly along
the beach, seeking for shells, till th*
rapid rise of the lake, rendered it im
possible f *i* him to return to the spo>
where he had been left hy his mother
ll* immediately began to cry aloud,
and she, being on her return, heard
trim, hut instead of defending the ra
vine, hastened to the edge of the pre
cipice, from the bottom of which th
noise seemed to proceed. On look
ing down she beheld her son strog
gling with the waves, and vainly <*
de vo iring to climb up the bank
wbicti was fifty feet perpendicular
n igio. oiid vi i*> slipp* ry . Tlo re .e
----ing no possibility of rernhriog him as
sistance, she was on .‘lie point of
browing herself down the steep,
when she saw I• itit c.iti Ii li>ld of att e
that had fallen into the l- kc. aid
mount one of its most projecting
branches. He sat astride upon tl is,
almost beyond the reach < f the sing s,
while she continued wat lung him til
an agony of grief, lu-sit: tn-g wh tin r
she should endeavour to find Ini o;y
to the camp, and procure assistance,
or remain near her hoy, il >wivcr,
evening was now about to ( lose, - i-d
as she could not proceed in t*ie woods
iin the datk, she res Ived at I est to
wait till the moon rose. She sat on
[the t<>p of the pm iph e a whole hour,
& during tlo* tin e occasion lly asc* *•
I inetl that her s m w is alive, ty hear
ing his ries amidst the roarii gol the
waves; hut when the niuftti uppi arcil,
he was not to he seen. She now flt
convinced that he was dr word, and
giving way to utter and spnir. ihrwr
herself on the turf. l*res nly she
heard a feeble voice cry, (in Indian)
‘Mamma I’m lure come and help
me*’ She start* and tip, and saw lor
tmy si rambling upon the edge ot the
hank—she sprang forward to catch
his hand, hut the ground hy whi h
he In Id, gi'i g way, he was precipit
it< and ii to the l ike and perished among
her trus icg billows.
How to prepare for a flogging.
5. hue in utenant u*l * C. Sa: my,
6. a native of thi* country, w s one <>f the
must exeei'tnc fcHnw? in the world*
When a hoy, having in urn and ti e dis*
pinafore of hi* father, the latUct • a Jed
him to an account, and alter examining
hi.n as to the why and when fore of h s
misconduct, resolved on applying die od,
now noie f shionably called ‘hi kory.’
Hut that the luni-ment might have the
more salunirv effect, ii strati of “ dieting
it imn drah I) lie g- ve the culprit time
to chew the bitter cut! of repentance,
in ide ten times more bittei by the antici
> ition of what wis to loHovv. ‘George,’
lie, you may no fr the present but
prepare you self earlv tomorrow morning
in the m>t severe tl >gging you ever had/
George retired, and the next morning
bright and early, appeared b- fore hi” fa
ther to uml- rgo the execution of his sen
tence. ‘Take off your coat George,’ was
r he -tern command. Off went the coat,
t :i (1 rhe father standing with the well-p'e
ared hu kory in his hand, observed that
his son's back, from one extremity to the
,ther, appeared unusally protuber. nt.
What have you got on your buck,’ said
he, *M> jdiket/ replied the boy. *Welf,
what hve you got under it?’ demanded
the father. ‘A leather apron, four dpuble,’
ieplted the lad. A bather apron, have
you indeed! and what's that for?’ Why,
pi,’ said the youngster will a grave conte
nanie,‘you told me to prepare for a flag
ging, and 1 got as well prepared as I could,
l’he angry lather now turned away to
hide a laugh, and the boy escaped a flog
ging by being so well prepar and tor it.
Berk shire American
An Irishman, some years ago, at
tending the Universities of Edinburg,
waited upon one of the most <eb bra**
ted teachers of the German flute, de
-Iring to know on wlmt terms be
would give him a few lessons; the
flute-player informed him. that he
generally charged two guineas fop
be Jirst month, and one guinea for the
second. ‘Then by my B<wl, replied
tie cunning Hibernian, *l*ll come, the
second month!’
Suicide sometimes proceeds from
owardice, but not always; for cow*
ifdiie, sometimes prevents it since
.s many live because they are afraid
•i die, as die because they are a*
it aid to live.
No. 41.