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- I —. . , % VOL. 1. [For the Southern Field and Fireside.] TO MY HEABT. The withered leaf hath winds to sigh Around its early grave, And morning weeps her dewy tears On flowers she conld not save; But thon, lone heart, when thou shalt come In thy cold grave to lie, Who’ll shed for thee regretful tear, Or breathe the passing sigh? Waves to the shote a requiem sing For wrathful Ocean's dead: And billows chant perpetual dirge Above their coral’d bed; But thou, lone heart, so long the sport Os sorrow's ’whelming wave, None weep with thee, nor will, for thee, When low in thy cold grave. Around the temple’s crumbling walls And altar, ivy clings, And flow'rets, e'en in deserts wild, Present their offerings; But thou, oh lone and suffering heart! What clings to thee, and eheers? Nor flower, nor ivy lends to thee Smiles to Illume thy tears. Unloved in life—in death unmounted, Fond memories of thee Shall dim no eye, shall fill no heart With sorrowing melody 1 When in the grave thy woes shall cease, Oblivion, dread, shall come! Wrapp'd in his leg told, thon’lt find At last, lone heart —thy home l la —-«■»— [For the Southern Field and Fireside.] Entered according to the Act of Congress, <tr., Ac., by the Author. MASTER WILLIAM MITTEN; OR, A YOUTH OF BRILLIANT TALENTS, WHO WAS BUINED BY BAD LUCK. BY THE AUTHOR OF THE GEORGIA SCENES, ETC. CHAPTER XXIV. Mr. Mitten's Trial—Makes an ingenious, but un fortunate Speech—ls expelled—Appeals to his Fellow Students and gets six more expelled —Goes home—Sad consequences. Alas for the instability of human happiness! Just before the fatal vacation of which we have spoken, Mrs. Mitten was as happy as she could be on this earth. Her two daughters had mar ried men of worth, position and fortune, and were comfortably settled in counties adjoining that in which she resided. Her son, already distinguished, was on tho high road to prefer ment, and her mind was at peace with her Mak er and the world. What changes a few months more wrought in her destiny! The events with which we concluded the last chapter, occurred on Friday night, running into Saturday morning. On Monday morning tho Faculty met and Mr. Mitten was summoned be fore them. “ Mitten,” said the President, “ you are charged with keeping a disorderly room—with keeping intoxicating liquors in your room—witli drinking intoxicating liquors with playing cards, and with insulting Professor Plus on Fri day night last.” “May I bo permitted,” inquired Mitten, “to ask upon what evidence tlieso charges are brought against mo ?” “ I do not think,” said the President, “that you have a right to demand the evidence, until you deny the charges.” . “I hope,” said Professor Plus, “that I shall be permitted to put Mr. Mitten in possession of tho evidence upon which the charges are found ed, before he is required to answer them.” The President nodded assent. “ About twelve o’- clock or a little after, on Friday night last, I was waked out of sleep by a noise in tho dormitory adjoining mine. It was not continuous, but fit ful, and therefore the more annoying; for with every intermission I flattered myself it would cease, and I would just get into a doze, when I was roused by it again. I endured it for about an hour, when I rose, dressed myself, went out, and found that tho noise proceeded from Mitten’s room. I approached the door and paused for a moment; just as I reached it, I heard five thumps on a table in quick succes sion, followed by a yell and profane swearing. ‘But for Mitten’s Jack oT Hearts,’ said a voice that I took to be Johnson’s, ‘ I should have ta ken the pool. He plays the devil with hearts.’ 1 Rabb,’ said one, ‘ you were looed.’ ‘ No, I wasn’t,’ said Rabb, ‘I didn't stand.’ '‘lt’s Mit ten’s deal,’ said another. ‘No, it isn’t,’ said a third, ‘he dealt last time.’ Here I knocked and was told to walk in, but I found the door locked. After much shuffling and rattling of glasses. I was admitted. Upon entering the room, my ol factories were assailed strongly with the fumes of wine and brandy.” ' The Professor proceeded I JAIMES GARDNER, I ] Proprietor. f AUGUSTA. GA., SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 1859. with the details which we have already given the reader. “ President S****,” said Mitten, “ suppose a Professor of this Institution should take up a strong prejudice against a student, should seek all opportunities of mortifying him and wounding his feelings, and in order to bring him before the Faculty, plainly and palpably violate tho laws of college—has the student any re dress, and how ?” “Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “our time is too precious to be occupied with the discus sion and settlement of hypothetical cases; but if you have been thus aggrieved, you should seek redress of the Faculty, and if you do not find it here, you should appeal to the trustees.” “So I supposed,” said Mr. Mitten, “and I am now ready to answer the charges brought against me, and to lay my complaints before the Fac ulty.” He now delivered a (laming speech, in a re markably fine style for one of his age. As to the first charge, he said that “ keeping a disor derly room,” certainly implied something more than having disorder in his room for a single evening So of “ keeping intoxicating liquors in his room.” As to “ drinking intoxicating li quors,” he said lie would answer that with the last charge. He admitted there was card-play iug, but asserted positively that there was not a !>ank bill, a piece of gold or silver staked on tho game—that the pool spoken of consisted of notli j ing but button-molds —” “Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “didn’t those button-molds represent quarters, half dol iara or dolls rs, or ntlior denomination of money ?” “ Really, Doctor S****, I cannot see how little bits of bone could represent money. A bill repre sents money, because it contains on its face a promise to pay money; but—” “Go on with your defence, Mr. Mitten,” said the President. “ Before I answer the last charge,” continued Mitten, “ I beg leave to read a law of the col lege : ‘ One of the Professors shall room in each dormitory, whose special duty it shall be to visit the rooms, and keep order therein.' Now, gentle men of tlie Faculty, (I only address such,) you perceive that Professor Plus had no right to vis it rooms out of his dormitory. My dormitory was in charge of Professor Syncope, a man not more remarkable for his gigantic intellect than he is for his courtesy, kindness and easy famili arity with tho students. He heard no noise, ‘ continuous or fitful.’ He was not disturbed, and it is very strange that one out of the dormitory should iiave been annoyed and disturbed by noises kept up for near an hour, which one in the dormitory heard nothing of. I know that one Professor may have much more sensitive nerves than an other, and be much more given to ivatchings, and other imbecilities, but these differences will hardly account for tho wonderful fact, that the one should have been kept awake an hour by noises, which the other, more likely to be dis turbed by them, should not have heard at all. But, admitting that Professor Plus was disturb ed by the noise, and admitting that the Roise was twice as loud and twice as long continued as it was, I deny his right to come into another Professor’s dormitory to suppress it. The law is clear upon this point. The law says, there shall be one Professor in each dormitory; Pro fossor Plus says there shall be two —at least when lie takes a nervous fit. How far his inter ference with Professor Syncope’s prerogative comported with courtesy and delicacy,it is not my province to determine; but I have a right to see to it that I am not injured by the intrusion. While Professor Plus was in that dormitory, I regarded him as no Professor at all—as having no right to enter my room. No one has a high er respect for the Professors of this institution, than I have; but when a Professor so far for gets his high and dignified position, as to turn persecutor of those over whom he is placed as a protector and instructor, to trample the laws of college under foot, to usurp authority which does not belong to him, to forget the comity due to his associates, to pretend to superhuman pow ers of the ‘ olfactories ,’ in distinguishing the odor of liquors assailing them at one and the same time, to consort with owls, bats, wolves and hy enas ’’ “Stop. Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “I cannot sit here and hear a Professor so grossly insulted without interposing for his protection.” “ I mentioned no names,” said Mitten, “ and if the cap fits ” “ I hope,” said Professor Pius, smiling in com mon with tho other Professors. “ I hope that the young gentleman will be permitted to finish his speech. I speak candidly and sincerely, when I say that I have rarely, if ever, had such an in tellectual entertainment from one of his years. I will thank him, however, to explain to me, wherein I assumed the character of a ‘ persecu tor.’ All the rest of his speech I understand perfectly, but as to this part I am wholly in the dark.” “ You have called upon Marshall, Morten and myself to recite oftener, than any other three students in the class,” said Mitten. “ I was not apprised of that.” returned the Pro- j fessor, “though in all probability it is true. The I class is alphabetically arranged, and I commonly begin the recitation first at one extreme ofthe list, then at the other, and then at the middle. It is frequently the case that there are not proposi tions enough to engage the whole class, and whenever that is the case, those near the middle will have to recite, no matter at which end I be gin. Now as Mitten’s name stands right be tween Marshall’s and Morton's, and in the mid dle of the class, I commonly begin at him, if I do not commence at either extreme, and if I go up from him, Morton will not be called—if I go down, Marshall will not be. This will explain the matter, and I am very happy to find that you have no other ground to base the charge of persecution upon than this. Time was, when Mitten regarded it no persecution to be called on often to recite. “ llow much oftener have Marshall and Mor ton been called up than the rest of the class?” “ Once.” “ And you?” “Twice.” “Mr. Mitten,” said the President, “you will retire if you please.” He did so, and in a few minutes he was recalled to receive the judgment of the Faculty, which, without a dissenting voice was, that he be expelled. In delivering the sen tence, the Presideiktaddressed him very feeling ly—deplored the Abuses to which he was sub jecting his extraordinary mind, and exposed the absurdity of any student’s supposing that a Professor could take up a prejudice against a moral, orderly student. He referred to a law, which Mr. Mitten had entirely overlooked, mak ing it the geneml duty of all the Professors to preserve order in the college, and see that its laws were obeyed. The President having con cluded, “ Doctor S****,” said Mitten,. “ will you favor me so far, as to tell me what lam expelled for?”' “Certainly,” said the President; “forkeeping —or if you like tho term better—for having a disorderly room; for having and drinking intox icating liquors in your room; for gambling in your room, and for grossly insulting a Professor in your room, and still more grossly before the whole Faculty.” “Was there any proof that I drank liquor ?” “ No positive proof, but quite enough to satis fy our minds of it.” “ Gambling implies that we played for money— was there any proof of that ?” “ Abundant proof; but we have not time now to give the reasons of our opinion upon the sev eral charges. Suffice it to say that you have not denied a single one of them ; and as for this one, we are constrained to believe that six young gentlemen would not have set up till one o’clock in the morning playing for button molds." “ But four of them had actually gone to bed, and another was undressing to go to bed when Professor Plus entered.” “ Yes, but they must have sit up very late ; for they were so completely exhausted that they could not take time to undress ; and so sleepy, that between the knock at the door and the ope ning of it, they all fell sound asleep. They mo nopolized all the beds in the room too, leaving you and your studious companion no place to sleep ; winch was exceedingly impolite, to say the least of it. And here, Mr. Mitten, is the end of questions and answers.” Mitten retired very much incensed, and ap pealed, not to the Trustees, but to his fellow stu dents for justice. Nine espoused his cause.— They disguised themselves, serenaded Professor Plus with tin pans, horns, and other noisy in struments, broke his windows, broke up his and placarded him in various ways and places. Six were detected and expelled, of whom David Thompson was one. Three escap ed for want of proof against them. Thus far Thompson had been hurried on by blind impulse; but now the hour of sober reason had returned, and he was overwhelmed with the troubles which gathered upon him. He was disgraced near the close of a creditable Collegiate career. He had not money to bear his expenses home. He looked towards home with horror ; for his mother was no Mrs. Mitten, and Mr. Markham was a faithful representative of his father, and there was the mortification of meeting his many friends and his father’s friends as an expelled student. As his troubles increased, so did his indignation against his cousin. “ William,” said he, “ had you followed Mr. Markham’s advice, you would have taken the first honor in your class ; but instead of that, you have disgraced yourself, disgraced me, and got five more of your fellow students expelled. Two of the three ring leaders in the scrape have escaped, while the rest of us who did nothing more than join in tho serenade are dismissed. Had Mr. Markham been inspired, he could not have foreseen our difficulties clearer, or advised us better about them than he did. What benefit has our frolic been to you ? How much has it injured Plus ? You were justly punished, and you know it; and I know it; and suppose you had been unjustly punished, how could such foolery as we went through, better your case ? Bad luck attends every one who links himself to you. What am Itodo ? I've not money enough to carry me home ” “ I’ve got nearly enough to carry us both home, and I can borrow ” “ And where did you get it ? You won it; and I will not touch a cent of it I’ll tell you what I’m going to do : I’m going to ac knowledge icy fault, promise a strict observance of the rules of the College for the future, and beg the faculty to restore me ” “Is there a man in whose veins the Thomp son blood runs who can let himself down so low as that 1” “ Yes, and lam that man. I have done wrong, and why not confess it ? I will confess it to everybody else who cannot help me ; why not confess it to the Faculty who may help me ?” “ Well, if you can truckle to men who have treated your cousin as the Faculty has treated me, you can do so; but if you do, I can never feel to you again as a cousin " “ Well then, we shall be even, for I certainly do not feel to you as a cousin ” “You don’t?” “ No, I don’t.” “Then good morning, Mr. Thompson ! You can shape your course as you please, and I’ll do the same.” Thompson followed his letter judgment; and the Faculty, in consideration of his previous good conduct —that he had never been charged with an offence before—and that he was nearly related to Mitten, and therefore exposed to pe culiar temptation from him, commuted the pun ishment from expulsion to three weeks’ suspen sion. He rejoiced at his good fortune, and thenceforward improved it through life. Two of his companions in guilt tried the same exper iment; tint as they had notllTng to reermraremt them to clemency, their sentence was unchang ed. “ And there is Nassau Hall justice,” said one of them. “ Two students in precisely the same predicament, one expelled, and the other sus pended for three weeks! A glorious College this!” Mr. Mitten waited on Miss Ward, and inform ed her of “ the injustice that had been done him.” “Itonly gives me, dear William,” said she, “ an opportunity of proving the sincerity of my attachment. As the ivy clings to the beauteous column, whether erect, careening or prostrate, so my heart's affections cling to my William, through all the changes of life. There is a sweet comfort mingled with the bitterness of your mis fortune, my idol : it is, that the hour which is to unite our hearts in the golden chain of wedlock, will be hastened a full year and a half or more.” William looked up to the ceiling, as if he ex pected to see the gold chain up there ; and Amanda took his upturned eyes as an indication of heavenly aspirations, and wept. “ I must tear myself from you, Amanda,” said William, presenting his hand and lips. She threw her arms around him, and then he threw his arms around her. They kissed. “Another,’’ said Amanda. “ And yet another,” And then a long, long, “farewell!” She dropped her head upon his bosom and wept. William covered his face with his hand kerchief. blew his nose twice, sympathetically, heaved theatrically, and waited a sign that the tragedy was over. But as no sign came, he said: “We must part, Amanda. I never shall for get you—your all-confiding nature, your ten der, warm-hearted love.” Here an honest tear filled his eye, conscience stung him, shame reddened his cheeks, and he gave her a strong, remorse-forced embrace, and tore himself from her, in truth. As he left the door, he muttered: “ Love like that deserves a better return. How sincere, how ardent! How sweet her breath, how fervid her embrace, how eloquent .her grief! And yet they made no more impres sion on me, until I began to utter literal truths and mental lies as return for her affection, than the dew-drop makes upon the flinty rock! Heav ens and earth ! What progress lam making in iniquity! I am already a very devil I A de ceiver of those who love me most—my mother —Amanda—l must not reckon up my iniquities, or they will addle my brain, or drive me to sui cide.” He readied his room, paced it awhile in an guish, then seated himself, and wrote: “My dearest Louisa—lll health drives me from college ” “ Another lie!” said he, flinging down the pen and rising furiously. “How sin begets sin!” continued he, with hurried strides over the room. It was long before he could return to his let ter ; and when he did, it was only to add: “ To-morrow I leave for Georgia, whence you will hear from me more fully and more affection ately, on my arrival” “ There,” said he, “ there is my last lie, at least. I’ll go home, reform, marry Louisa, and lead a new life.” He set out for Georgia the next day, and reached home without delay or accident. The Sanford draft had preceded him just two days. His mother paid it promptly, and had just closed a long, tcar-bedewed letter to him, when he rushed into the room, and advanced to em brace her. Ho did embrace her, just in time to j Two Dollars Per Annum, i | Always In Advance. I save her from falling to the floor, for she Had swooned at the first sight of him. Assistance was called, and she was put to bed. She re vived, embraced her child and swooned again. The doctors advised him to retire from her bed side, until she recovered strength to receive him. So long did the second paroxysm continue, that even the physicians began to fear that life was extinct. She did revive, however, like one awak ing out of a sweet sleep. Casting her eyes around the room, she whispered: “ Have they taken him away from me al ready ?” “He is near at hand, Mrs. Mitten,” said a physician, and will be introduced again as soon you become a little more composed.” “I am perfectly composed now,” said she, in the same subdued tone, “let him come in. Do you know what brought him home so soon?” “Xo, Mrs. Mitten, your physicians know bet ter when you will bo prepared to receive him than you do, and we hope you will put yourself under our direction.” “ Certainly I will, Doctor. lam a poor, weak woman. I try to, do right, but lam always do ing wrong. Let it be as soon as you can, Doctor; but don’t yield your judgment to mine, for I have no confidence in my opinions. I followed brother’s advice while he lived, and Mr. Mark ham’s after he died, and I don’t know what bet ter I could have done. I feel a great deal better now, Doctor; don’t you think lam? I think I could see him now calmly; if nothing bad brought him home.” One of the physicians withdrew to "William's room: “ WtHiam,” aajd lie, “ for your mother’s sake I enquire of you, what brought you home so soon ?” “I was expelled from College,” said "William, “ I need not try to conceal it, for it must soon be known.” “William," continued the Doctor, "if you tell your mother that, I’m confident she will not survive it an hour. She has been declining in health for several months, and your sudden ap pearance to her, has brought her to the very brink of the grave ” “ Then, 1 suppose, to the long list of my lies, I must add another to a dying mother.” “ Why, William, you shock me!” “I wish heaven’s lightning would ‘shock’ me, even unto death. What I came into the world for, I don’t know, and the sooner I go out of it, the better for both the world and myself, I reckon.” “ Compose yourself, William, and if we send for you, approach your mother with as much self-composure as possible ” Just here the Doctor was sent for in haste. He returned to Mrs. Mitten, and found her sink ing, and begging to see her son. He was sent for, and approached her with marvelous self command. She reached forth her arms to him, and he gently bent himself to their embrace. She held him long to her bosom, and a flood of tears came to her relief, and she brightened wonder fully. Releasing and gazing on him for a mo ment, she said: “ My dear boy, you are wonderfully improved in appearance.” By this time the room was thronged with vis itors. The doctors requested them to withdraw, in order that Mrs. Mitten might be undisturbed, and, if possible, gain sleep. “ Let William and Mr. Markham remain,” said she. The rest retired. “ Mr. Markham,” said she, “I am very weak. I do not think the Doctors know how extremely ill I am. Be as you have been for a few years past, and as you would have ever been but for my folly, a father to ray boy; and William, re gard Mr. Markham as your father, and follow his counsels in all things. Mr. Markham, pray with us. Give thanks for the safe return of my boy, and that I have been permitted to see him once more before I leave the world. What fortune brings him home so suddenly I know not, but it is good fortune to me, for without it I am sure I should never have seen him again. Give me your hand and kneel, William. Pray. Mr. Mark ham.” As they bowed, William thought of Mr. Mark ham's parting prayer, and the counsels thatpre ceded it, of his abuses of those counsels, and the bitter consequences; and his bosom heaved with indescribable emotions. His mother gave his hand a quick emphatic pressure at every pe tition which she would have b*"m notice particu ly. These siguals of attention became less and less sensible as the prayer progressed, till just before its conclusion tkey ceased entirely—her grasp relaxed, and her hand lay motionless and almost lifeless upon that of her son. Mr. Mark ham and William rose, turned their eyes to the gentle sufferer, and saw on her countenance every mark of immediate dissolution. They called for the Doctors —they came, and reached her bed just in time to hear her last words: “ William —meet me in The sentence was never finished. The sweet est, the kindest, the gentlest, the holiest of the village was gone I We will not pretend to des cribe the scenes which followed. Her daugh ters and sons-in-law came but to pour tears upon I NO. 25.