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K..B. DRAKE,.
BY
lit p. DRAKE.
EUGENE B. DRAKE SON,
I
'I ' J! '' : . ' " i
" VOS.j C VOS. I 1 TEAR.
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Vol. II.
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Statesille, N. 0., Friday, May 27, 1859.
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The Golden Chain!
i BY. M. F. Kio.nlt.
TliTe la a chain who? Guillen lifika
ileaveu clicHotut gifU euihriite ;
LiMi crowning heritage on utrtli,
lu glory &ul its grace ;
runs m
M the rainbow Mendc-il dkca,
r
as the mars Iroin Htain,
ArelKrieixlitliip, Lore ami Truth the links
Mjhicli form that golden chaia.
Friendship! in mystic' brotherhood
It binds man to bis kind, I
Supporting still the poor and fijuil,
And guiding still the blind. j
So trYe to meet fraternal want j,
Bo gentle in distress,
It shares, it watches and it chlrs
" Ad prays that heaven mav tili-an.
I ' ' j
LoVf I bliseful dream of Eden sheets'
Which angels fuin would hivithe ;
It comes like spring, the tree of lil'q
Vfith blossoms to en wreath , I
It presses from Joy.s blushing -fcpps
Their rich ambrosial wine, j
. And thril'.rf the throbbing Lumaki limi t
With ecatacks diviue . j
Truth 1 mirror of the grxl-like jjniud :
like the uuruflled hike,
R-ttcting alt the glowing hea.-iis,
Whose glories o'er it break. .
In ts clear depths no hidden snare
Can ever lie concealed.
: Forall thing there are pur ai d bii0l,t
Am Jove's immortal shield.
richly linked the golden tiktiii
he sacred charm extends.
Inviting still tho good and Hum
To Join for noble ends;
Making the toon of brothei
Assume a magic power,
Anil every tign a benisnn.
And each Deiret a dmvW.
"So Stands the gloriaurt Order, with
IU banners fair unfui U.1,
PrUrlaiujIug Fricndithip, Love rijnd Truth,
ltedeemeis of the world ; j
Keeping the &uer-il jewel. biiVjt
Around which brothers nAvt j
And symbolizing holy ties 1
With waters Jtowert and whtit.
THE OLD SOLDIER.
BY ALEXANDRE DI M A
I was
ijust eighteen years 6f age,
and had Jbeen serving for two years, as
ensign, m the l'aulovsky regiment.
The regmen was station. -d at the
great budding still' standing on the
-other s)dp of the Champ de Mar, ap
posite the Summer (jaixen. The
Emperor Paul I. had reigned for three
years, and lived in the lied Palace,
w;hich had just been -completed.1
One night when I had been refused
le.ave, owing to some boyish prank,
and; was alone in the j;uard-room
asleep, I wa's aroused by a -voice1, whose
breath . fwept along my. ; face, and
whispered! in my ear: "Dmitri Alex
androvitL'h, arise and follo'v me."
I opened my eyes : z, man was.,
standing before me, who repeated the
invitation as soon as I was-awakci
"Follow you.'" I repeated, and
where' to?" . '
" I caamot tell you. .-Still, -vou may
know that I come from the emperor."
I shuddered. From th : emperor!
What could he want of me, a poor
ensign, of good family, but too remote
from the throne for my name ever to
have reached the emperor's ears. 1
remembered the gloomy Russian
proverb, which originated in the time
of Ivan the Terrible, Near the
Czar, ntar death." Still I dared not
! hesitate. I leaped from the bed and
! dressed myself. Then I looked atten
tively at the man who ha d come to
'awake me. Although wrapped in his
j pelisse, fancied I could recognize an
old Turkish slave, first the barber,
then the favorite of the
emperor.
mis examination, However
was not
long: by prolonging it, it
become dangerous.
"I am ready," said I
niinutcsi as I fastened on
mirht have
after five
my sword.
; My discomfiture was dq
ubled'when
I saw my conductor, instead of going
towards the barrack-gate descend a
small staircase leading into the cel
larage. He lighted our road with a
species cf dark lantern. A fter several
turning?, I found myself opposite a
door quite strange tome. During the
entire wnlk we had not mot a soul ; the
building seemed deserted. I fancied
I saw two or three shadows Hit past ;
but they disappeared in the obscurity.
The door was closed ; my guide rapped
upon it in a peculiar way ; it flew open,
evidently by the assistance of some
one on the other side. In truth; when
wc had passed, I distinctly saw a man.
close thie door and follow us. After
prpceedang five hundred paces, we
reached an open grating, which my
guide unlocked and closed after us.
I now remembered the'trja-dition that
a subterranean gallery connected the
Red Ifalace with the '., Grenadiers'
barrackjs.. . I saw Ave were, following
this gallery, and must be going to the
palace!
e arrived at a Uoor like the
one we
had gone through first. Mv
i guide jknocked; it opened, and we
. found urselves opposite a staircase,
which we ascended. It !e'd into the
.offices (if some large budding which
was carefully heated.
Then all my doubts ceased; I was
' being taken to the emperor -to the
emperoir who sent to feteh me, an in
significant subaltern. I remembered
the stoiry of the young Ensign whom
He met !in the street, andlraised in less !
than a (quarter of an hour to the rank I
of general. - But I coul
not hope he
hummopeu me tor tlie sameipurpose
hateyer it nnght.be, we
a last door, before which a sentrv was
walking up and down. Kfy giiidV'put
, his hajnd on my shoulder, sayin
"lakri care yourself. You will soon
ue in Hie piesence ot tiie epiperor."
He whispered to th sentrv. wlm
i rt.A i
moved on one side. .Then he opened
the. door by some secret spring," as it
seemed to me. A little man, dressed
in thet Prussian fashion, with boots
coming halt way up his thigh, a coat
lailing to his snnrs niid wnannnr -i
turned round at
the noise
I recognized the emperor;
it was not difficult to do so, for he re
viewed us every day. I remembered
that on the. previous day his eye had
rested upon me; he had called my
captain from the ranks, and asked
him some questions; then gave an
officer of his suite some sharp and
decided order. All this only served to
increase my apprehensions.
"Sire," my conducter said, with a
bow, "this is the young ensign with
whom you desired to speak."
The emperor drew near me, and as
he was very short, he stood on tiptoe
to look at me. Doubtless he recog
nized me as the person he wanted, for
he nodded his head, and, turning on
his heels, said, "Go!"
My guide bowed, went out, and. left
me alone with the emperor. , I assure
you l would sooner nave remained
I
alone with a lion in its den. The em
peror at first appeared to pay no at
tention to me; he walked up and
down with long strides, stopping before
an open window to take a breath of
fresh air ; then returning to the table,
he took a pinch of snuff. I had ample
time to examine all the furniture and
arrangements of the room, which was
the one in w hich Paul was afterwards
killed. Near one of the windows was
a bureau; on it lay an open paper.
At length the emperor appeared to
remember my. -presence, and came up
to me. His face seemed to me furious
as lie stopped in front of nie.
" Dust," he' addressed me, " dust !
thou know'est thou art only dust,
and that. I am everything!"
I know not how I found strength to
reply : " You are the chosen of .the
Lord, the decider of .the destiny of
men.
"Hum !" he grow led. And turning
his back on me he began walking up
and down again, taking snuff furiously,
till he resumed:
"Thou knowest that, when I command,
I must be obeyed, without 'resistance,
observation, or comment."
"As one would obey iod. Ye?-, sire,
I know it."
He looked at me fixedly. There
was 'an expression . in his eyes, of so
strange a character that I could not
endure his look. I turned aw ay. He
seemed satisfied with the influence he
exercised over me; he attributed my
conduct to respect, while it was dis
gust. Then he went to (he bureau,
took the paper, rvad it once more,
folded it, placed it in ait envebipe,
and sealed it, not with the imperial
cypher, Jjut with a ring he wore on his
finger. ' " Then he came back to me.
"Remember that I have chosen thee
among -.a. thousand to execute mv
orders," he said, "because I thought
they weuld be executed by thee."
"I shall ever have before my eyes
the obedience I owe my emperor," I
replied."
"Good, good! remember that thou
art but dust, and I am everything."
" I wait your majesty's orders."
"Take this letter, carry it to the
governor of the fortress, accompany him
wherever he may be pleased to take
thee, be present at what he does, and
come and tc'il incS 'I have seen.
I took the packet with a bow.
" ' I ha.ve seen' thou undcrstand
est? 'I have seen.'"
' "Yes, sire."
"Go!"
And he opened himself the door by
which I had entered; my conductor
was awaiting me. The emperor closed
the door after me, repeating, " Dust,
dust, dust !"
I stood all amazement on tho
threshold.
" Come!'
We left
my conductor said to me.
the palace by a different
route. A sledge was awaiting us in r
gigantic cocked hat
the court-yard. The gate of the sledges waiting. The prisoner was or
palace looking on the Fontanka bridge dered into the one that had brought
was opened, and .the' sledge started at
a hard gallon. Wc crossed the place,
and reached the banks of the Neva.
Our horses rushed upon the "ice, and,
guided by; the belfry of Peter and
LPaul, we traversed the river. The
T '
night was gloomy, the w ind howled in i equally ignorant. I had only to see,
a mournful and terrible manner. 1 j the action itself did not concern me.
had scarcely noticed .we had touched j We started. Through my position
dry ground ere we arrived at the gates, the old man's knees were between
of the fortress ; a soldier asked the mine; I felt them tremble. The gov-password,-and
let us in. The sledge j ernor was wrapped-in his furs; I was
stopped at- the goivernor.s door. The buttoned up in my military frock, and
word given once ain, we entered his j yet the cold reached us. The prison
house as we did tile fortress. i er was almost naked, but the govern
"By the emperor's orders !" This ; or hll(l offered him no coverings. For
command soon aroused the governor, ! a moment I thought of taking off my
who came to us trying to hide his
alarm beneath a smile. With a .man
like Paul there Was no more security
for the gaolers- than the captives, for
the hangman than for the victims.
My guide made the governor a sign
t.bnt. hp bad to do With me. then he
regarded me with more attention ; still
l0 Imitated
before addressing me !
my youth doubtless surprised him.
To put him at his ease, I gave him, !
without a word, the emperor's order.
He took it to a light, examined the seal-,
and on recognizing it as the signal of
a secret order, he bowed, m axle an al-
most imperceptible sign of the cross,
' i : tt.
and opened it. He-fead the order,
then turning to me, ; said:
"Y'ou are to sce'?w
"I am to see."
44 What are you to see?"
" You know."
"But do vou know?"
"No."
He remained
for
a moment in
though t.
"You came in a sledge?" he tf-ked
me.
"Yes."
'How many persons will it hold ?"
"Three." "
"Does this4 gentleman go with us ?"
he asked, pointing" to my conductor.
1 hesitated, not knoAving what to
say. - . . : .
No," the latter replied, "I will
wait
." Very good. Oct ready a second
sledge, choose four soldiers : let one
take a lever, another a hammer, and
the last two hatchets."
The man to "whom the governor
spoke wont out directly. Then turn-
jjn'g to me he- added
shall see."
Come and you
We 'left the' room with a turnkey
behind u"1, and walked on till we found
ourselves opposite the prison. The
governor pointed ' to a door.OThe
jailer opened it, went in, and lighted
a lantern. ' We fullowed.. We went
doAvn ten steps, passed a row of
dun.ronns tl.Pn flnwn tpn mnvn 1.,,r ,V,A
,
not stop. At last we descended five
more, and at length stopped. The
doors .were numbered: the governor
stopped at the one marked No. 11.
He gave a silent signal : it seemed in
this abode of the dead as if he had '
lost the power of speech. There was
at this time a frost of at least twenty j
. . . .
degrees outside. At the depth where j
we found ourselves; it was mingled with
a damp which penetrated. to the bone;
my marrow was frozen, and yet I
wiped the perspiration from my brow.
The door opened : we went down six
steep and slippery steps, and found
ourselves in a dungeon of six. square
feet. I fancied, by the light of the
lantern, that I saw a human form
moving in it. The governor remained
on the last step, and said to the priso
ner, " Arise and dress yourself."
I had a curiosity to know" to whom
this order w as addressed.
'Turn on the light," I said to the
jailer. - '. .
- I then saw.a thin and pallid old man
rise up. . He'had evidently been im
mured in' this dungeon in the same
clothes he had on when arrested, but
they had fallen off him piecemeal, and
he was only dressed in a ragged pe-lis.-o.
Through the rags his naked,
bony, shivering body could be seen.
Perhaps his body had been covered by
splendid garments; perhaps the rib-
bohs of the most noble orders had once
JL X A.
crosses ins panung cnesi. ac present ,
.11..!. x ! -1 j. A j. i
he was only a living skeleton, that had
lost rank,' dignit', and even name, and
which was culled INo. 11. lie rose and
wrapped himself in the fragments of
his pelisse without uttering a com
plaint; Ins body was bowed down, con
qucred by prison-damp, time, it might :
u i it:.. : " i.. i.t , i
be hunger.
His eve was 'haughty, al
most menacing.
" It IS (rillli!
IS gOOCl,
said the governor
c in i.e.
He was the first to. go out.
The prisoner threw a parting glance
on his cell, his stone bench, his water
jug, and rotting straw. lie uttered a
sign
vet it was impossible that he
could regetanv thing of this. lie fol
lowed thy governor, and passed before
me. I never shall forget the glance
he turned upon me in passing, and the
reproach that Wa$ concentrated in it.
" So young," it seemed to say, "and
already obeying ivTannv!"
I turned a"vay;; that glance had
pierced my heart like a dagger. He
passed the door of the dungeon. How
Ion;-- was it since he entered it '( Per
haps he did not know himself. He
must have ceased for a long time mea
suring da vs. and nights. On rcachin"
the governor s door, Ave found two
us, and we followed him, the governor
bv his side, I in front. The other
sledge was occupied by the four sol-
diers
Where were we going 1 I knew not.
What, were we going to -do? I was
coat arid offering it to him ; the
ernor gues,sed my intention.
gov-
"It is not. worth while," he said.
. Soon we reached the Neva again, and our
sledge took the direction of Cronetandt. The
wind came off the;Baltic. and blew furiously;
the sleet cut our faces r though our eyes had
grown accustomed to the darkness, we could
not see ten yards before ns. .
At last we stopped in the midst of a furi
ous storm. YV"e must have been about a
league and a half from St. Petersburg The
governor got off th sledge, and went up to
the other. The soldiers had already got off.
each holding the tool he had been ordered to
bring. . .,
"tJut a hole in the ice," the governor said
to them.
I could not restrain a crv of terror,
I be -
gan to comprehend;
"Ah !" the eld. man muttered, with an ac
cent jresembling the laugh of a skeleton,
'then the empress does remember me. I
fancied she had forgotten "me."
Of what empress, vas he talking? Three
had passed away in' succession, Anne, Eliza
beth, and Catherine. It was evident be be
lieved he was still living under one of them,
and did not know even the name of the man
who ordered his death
What was tie obscurity of his night com
pared to that of ins tomb?
The four soldiers had get to work. They
broke the ice with their hammers, cut it with
their axes, and raised the blocks with the le
ver. All at once they started back ; the ice
was broken ; the wator was rising.
'H'ume dM'n!" the governor eaid to the
old man. The order was useless, for he had
already done so. Kneeling on the ice, he was
praying fervently.
The governor crave an order in a low lrn
k to the soldiers : then he came back .to mv
side, fur I had jiot left the sledge. In a min
ute the prisoner rose.
" I am ready," he said.
The four soldiers rushed upon him. I turn
ed my eyes away ; but though I did not see,
1 bd-
I heard the noise of a body hurled into the
ahvss. In spite of myself I turned round.
The old man htwi disappe.'svl. I forgot that
I had no right to give orders, but shouted to
the driver "Away! away!"
" Stop!" cried the governor. The sledge,
which had already moved, stopped again5
me in French.
in is not rinisneu, tne governor said to
" What have we vet to do ?" I asked.
"Wait!" he replied.
We waited half an hour.
"The iee has set, your excellency," one of
the soldiers said.
" Art thou sure?"
. 1 s."lutlk Vle sPl te hole had so
late V vawnw f he vv-.K.r l.u.l Km
solid
again. .
" We can go," said the governor.
The horses started at a gallop, and in less
than tin minutes we had reached the fort
ress, 't here I rejoined mv conductor.
- To the Red Palace !"'he said to the dri-
ver
Five minutes after the emperor's Joor open-
V' . 1 f p f,
l. uietMd, ust as I had Rf-pn urn flip first
tune
He stopped before me.
"Well?", he asked.
" lhave setn," I replied.
" Thou hast seen, seen, seen?"
" Look at me. sire," I said to him, "and
yuu will not .doubt." '
1 was standing before a mirror. I looked
atniysolf. but I was so pale, my features-were
so. altered, that I scarce recognized myself.
The emperor looked at me, and went to' a se
cond paper from the bureau where the first
haul lain.
I'l give thee," he said, "an estate of five
hundred peasants, between Troitza and Per
eslotf. Start this night, and never come back
to St. Petersburg. If thou speakest, thou
knowest how I punish. Go!"
went. I never returned to St. Peters
burg, ami tliis is the tirst time I have told
the storv 10 a livlnjr sou!.
The Broken Vase.
It is curious to reflect how many of
our great discoveries have been'the re
sult of accident or misfortune: mis
fortune was the mother of ' the stocking-loom.
Our readers are aware that,
in 1589, William Lee, a fellow of St.
John's College, Cambridge, was ex
pelled the university for secretly mar
rying. And he and his young wife
were reduced to extreme novertv and
. . . . - i V
distress, and the latter compelled to
knit stockings as a means of procur
ing an existence. Lee, in despair, was
one day watching the action of her
fingers, w hen the idea of imitating the
movements by a machine suddenly oc
curred to him. How the art of ma-
king Dresden china was discovered, is
9 , , ... . '
scarcely less remarkable.
When Augustus, Elector of Saxo
ny, jcoveted the throne of Poland, he
wast sadly in want- as monarchs fre
quently are- of that invaluable com
modity, money. And at that time a
German professor of chemistry, an old
maij named Bottger, presented him-
self at Dresden, and, having made
known the object of his visit, demand
ed an audience, which was granted.
He
'assured Augustus that, if a suita-
bio
laboratory was erected, and leer-
tain materials provided for him, he
could make gold in any quantities
"Are vou sure
old man?" asked :
j
Augustus.
"Quite sure, your highness," wasjbonor.
the reply. "So sure, That I would j "There is a musical composer a
stake my very existence on ray suc-i countryman of yours who also takes
cess." j a very great interest in you," replied
"Within what timo?" j the governor of the prison. "Hefre-
"Three months, sire."
"Beit so. You shall have a trial."
The three months passed away, and
the day arrived for the old professor
to niake known to the elector whether
or not he had succeeded. The elector
was alone in his chamber. He had
previously given orders that no. one,
savq the countess of Koenigsmark or
Bottger, should on that morning have
acccisso his private apartments. The
very seconds seemed like years to Au
gustus, and his impatience converted
minute into eternities. It Isottger
could but give him gold, he could crush
the in tri cries bv which he was surroun-!
ded he could humble the presumptu
ous Louis XIV. of r ranee, who want
ed Poland for his cousin, the Prince of
Conte. At such a time gold to Au -
gustus was power and majesty, and
therefore he thirsted for it. "
The Countess of Koenigsmark en -
tered the chamber, and Augustus thus
addressed her :
'f Aurora, they talk of my empty
coffers ; but this day this very day .
whatever I touch shall turn to gold
-" Are you sure of that ?" inquired
his partner. ."Is it already glitter- old man himself could scarcely distin
ing; before your eyes. Suppose Bott-' guish the copy from the original. -ger
should not succeed?" Both vases were then entrusted to the
" He must, he shall succeed, Auro- composer, who caused them to be con
ra.; Yes! this day Bottger will bring . veyed secretly to the apartments of the
me lumps pf gold." countess, and placed on their pedes-
At this moment a chamberlain an-
: nounced " Professor Bottger.'
The elector sprang towards the old
man, and, seizing him by the hands,
exthvimcd :
"Bottger, you bring me gold ! Is
it hot so ? You bring me gold !"
"Sire," replied the old man, " I
bring you my gray head, which I have
l . r.
forfeited. I deemed science, infalli-
Me. I was m error, and I how con -
t, . . . '.' i vases which she ;then ueheld
hat ; you do not bring me gold ! I were entire, and without he sHhtct
cried Augustus, vehemently. 4 4 Know flaw. The countess demanded tk ex
you what you have consumed in smoke planation of tho servants ; but they
and vapor ? Not only vour mixtures 1 could afford
rapor j
and amalgamations but a kingly crown !
You pledged me your head ; what is
your head to me ? It was the stake
in a high game, w hich yoiu have lost."
Then, calling loudly for theeaptain
of the guard, he thus instructed that
officer :
"This old man is your prisoner.
Convey him to the lofty prison of Koe
nigstein. There let him, for the re
mainder of his days, feel the penalty
of making promises to a prince which
he could not fulfill."
" Sire," said the old professor, "al
low me one word. If I have failed in
penetrating one mystery of nature, my
attempts have revealed to me a mys
tery of art, for which Saxony shall
ever be famous.'
"No more of your delusions, sir
rah!" said Augustus. "Away. with
him to prison."
lhe old man was removed; but, at
the instance of the countess, the keep
er of the prison extended to him eve
ry species of kindness consistent with
bis duty. The professor's daughter i
and one or two of his friends were per-j
mitted to visit him occasionally, and:
the light, of day suffered to lessen the1
gloom of-his dungeon.
Days, weeks, and months passed a
way, and the elector .had ceased to,
think of the professor's default
In an apartment of the palace of
the countess Aurora stood two Chi
nese vases which, some potentate had
presented to the elector. Of their kind
they were the most costly works of
art then in Europe. One day an Ital
ian artist, employed by the countess
to copy a picture, had the misfortune
to stumble against the pedestal on
wluch one of these vases stood. The
vase fell, and was broken into innu-i
merable pieces. The terrified, artist
fleet the kingdom, and was seen no
more, for he anticipated what would
be the wrath of the elector, who not
only reviled the unlucky artis$, in his
absence, for his awkwardness, but at
tacked artists of all kinds.
"You overrate these painters and
musicians," he said to the countess ;
"you make them, by your patronage,
proud, insolent, and arrogant. And
what are they after all ? A parcel of
useless idlers."
"Do not disparage my artists, sire,"
replied the countess. "Is the flower
useless whose fragrance refreshes our
senses ? Is the sunbeam which warms
our souls useless? Artists and com
posers, sire, infuse into this dull, mo
no'tonous existence of ours the essence
and spirit of poesy, and light it with
the bright lamps of imagination. Sirej
if you disparage my artists and com--posers,
you disparage yourself, ai
least in my eyes." j
The destruction of the vase, thd
flight of the artist, and the anger of
Augustus, were facts soon known thro'i
out Dresden, and ere long found their
way into the prison where the old pro
fessor was incarcerated.
"Think you," said Bottger to the
governor of the prison, "that you
could procure for me the vase which
is unbroken ? The countess is ever
kind to the unfortunate. Let me but
have that vase, and I will not only be
liberated and restored to my tamily,
but the elector in person shall do me
quently sends to inquire about your
health and your state of mind. He is
in great favor with the countess, and
it is possible that through him your de
sire may be gratified. I will speak to
him on the subject."
The composer, saw the countess and
petitioned for the vase, which, since
the accident, had been removed, inas
much as the sight of it had become of
fensive to the elector, reminding him,
as it did, of the artist's awkwardness.
The eountess hesitated, and lnquir-
i ,
; eel : .4
I " For what purpose "do you wish the
vase '.
"For a good one," replied the com
noser ; " but for a brief while it must
j remain a secret.
! The countess yielded, and that night
; the precious work : of art was in the
j prison of Kbenigstein, and in the
' hands ot the Uerman protessor.
. By day and night did the old man
and an assistant, who was now per
mitted to remain with him, apply them
selves to work. They had many fail
ures, but at length the object was ac
j complished, and in such wise that thq
;tals, and the domestics enjoined not
! to mention the restoration of the va
ses jbut suffer the countess to make
the discovery herself. And this the
countess very soon did, such conspic
uous ornaments were the vases. At
ill s t s i ii n l tiie iiiuiKuicu tuii uc ui-
ken vase had been very skillfully re-
' paired ; but that could not be, she re -
' -J ' I
fleeted, since the large fragmentMere
! still m her possession. Besidetloth
could afford none, beyond thtrt the
composer nan caused the; vase fa.be
placed on their pedestals j Wfiife the
countess was gazing on the vases with
wonder and delighr, the "electar Stor
ed the apartment. I ,ff
Welcome, sire," exclaimed jme.
"Your advent is propitious. " Lrjk at
these works of art." j ; ' . y.
The astonishment of the elector? was
not less than that of the countesslAu
rora. He demanded an explication;
the countess- could afford noneJbut
she informed him of the cbmpoajpav
ing borrowed the uninjured ,vase gome
six weeks previous for a good purpose.
The composer was at.ohc.e summon
ed, and he earner '".
Sir," said Augustus,! "here s an
enigma of the Sphinx which I require
you to solve." 7?i ? "j , .
"Sire," replied the composer, the
tophmx punished'with death thdsf who
attempted to solve her j riddles but
could not." i I
"In your case the danger is aft so
great," said Augustus. - -
" But, sire," urged the composer,"
"if the Sphinx punished with death
those who could not solve her riddles,
she did not fail to reward those who
could
"Well, well, proceed," said the
elector. . j - ;
"Sire, I would make one request
one demand." ' ' - " "
" Request demand?, j Sirrair!" ,
"Yes, sire, a request,; a demand,
which you cannot refuse, sinc it is
founded on justice and huma'mty. In
a dungeon in the prison jof locnngs
tein there lingers an old man ho is
the honor and glory of his country
Bottger." . -' I . ; ;f V
- "In the dungeons of Koemjstein
there lingers, and shall lingei' im
postor who deceived me.f ' ' .' V
" Sire, it is true he did! not keep his
promise in making gold j but )e hag
kept his promise in one respect &ook,
sire, at those vases, and say which is
the product of China ahd fwhiodi pf
Saxony. If, sire, you were a this
moment to smash into thousands of
pieces both of these vases, and fling
their fragments into the J?lbe,Bottger
in a few weeks could furnish you with
a score ot their equals.
Is it possible that one of those va
ses was made in Dresden!" ?
" Yes, sire, by Bottger, in tho lofty
prison of Koenigstein. And sha41 such
a man, who has given an art,, more
valuable than gold, to a people'fc while
he failed in keeping his word with a
prince, any longer-inhale the atmo
sphere of a dungeon?" ' v Tv
"Let the old man be brought" ihto
my presence," said Augustus, Vwhile
tears of joy at the discovery and of
compassion for the professor stood in
his eyes. "Go you and bring him
here." j '. ,-.';
In a short time the composer'cturn
ed to the apartments of the countess.
"WThere is the old man?" the elec
tor demanded, impatiently. Zrf-
"Sire," replied the composer, "the
old man is now beyond the fuor or
displeasure of vour highness. His
great spirit has winged its fligh'tto an
other world, leaving his earthly re
mains in a dungeon, surrounded y the
materials of an art which will Survive
to distant ags. Ay, long afterDres
den shall have crumbled to ruia?, will
this great discovery preserve h,rian)e
in the annals of the civilized weyld."
; - -
Little Willie and -Iris Dog
A PRETTY STonr,, TOR f,"1I-DRE
Little Willie Bennet. was onf the
loveliest children I ever knew. ' He
had large hazel eyes anjd darkJ)rown
hair that;curled all ovejr his Jbad.
There was one thing quite peculiar
about Willie : he very Seldom-played
with other children. Perhaps this
arose partly from the f act fht his
two older brothers, being of .-the ages
of eight and ten years, werel com
panions, for each other dud engjf d in
sports such as Willie I was Ut old
enough tojoinin ; and the two V0unger
children being girls, had their own
amusements peculiar to theirsex.
ButWilhewas an oddone-43te petfnn . , i , . J . .
of all, and yet the companion f none.
Still, he was not without a playmate,
who was his constant attendant; and
this was his little dog H Monkef ," or,
as he was more usually cklled, '.'Monk.".
They were seldom separated, Bright or
day, for Monk slept under Willie's
bed ; and when you aaW one yon might
be sure the other was not far off. If
his mother asked, "where is Wfillic ?
when he had been out of sighjt fr a
while, the answer, ;" He must Be near
by, for I heard Monk bark jusi now,"
was quite satisfactory, even. .-though
the .little boy was not sjecri.-V
Monk was a . very pretty brctfn and
white dog, with long silky haf which
grew like a,fnnge on his ears fend tail.
He was the most frolicsprae,Jroguish
little dog that ever played tjicks.
Many a time have I Seen WMlie and
Monk playing on -the grass :pl at to
gether, as it neither ! of the cared
for any better fun. Sometimes Willie
would tie his cap on Monk's hfad, and
. put his little jacket Ion likepi coat,
and make him it up
Und then the little
on his hind-legs ;' "
bov would shout
and laugh, and tumble heels over head
on the grass, while his dog would look
very sober, and roll jus eyes round to
look at kis master, wlio would pre
sently release him from his unnatural
situation ; for ho lovfd him too much
to tire him. Then Willie would lie
d&Wii with his face on the grass and
keep quite still, anid Monk wouW
come to him and- try to put his nose
under his face ; then he would rub him
with his paw, and give a quick sharp
bark ; and then Willte would look up
. . . - I J V .
suddenly and jump at him with a shout,
Monk would scamper wildly round the
grass-plat, and finish off his gambols
by snatching up a stick and bringing
it to his little master.
You will believe that Willie was a
happy child. He scipcIy knew any
thing but pleasure, till that terrible
disease the scarlet fejrer, made its ap
pearance in the village. Willie was
one of the first children that was
seized with it. Front the commence-
uieht of the attack itkvas of an alarm
ing nature. His tender i mother
pwatched over him ia great anxiety,
noiuing mm m ner arms or jrocKing
him in a long, cradle, jwhich, though he
suffered severe pain, kas a groat com
fort to. him. Poor Monk would come
to the door and scratjeh, and, when he" j
was let in, would juiflp in some chair "
near Willie and look) into thetcradle;
and if his little master took nb notice
of him, he would lie down on the chair.
his .nose ; resting on his fcfrepaws, and
look right in W illie's face; i and some-
! 1.-' 11 .!. L , a.-.. 1 Jw
iinifs ne muuiu wiune iuos Jlteal"vi
They had to try to;keep him out of !
the room, but he woiuld slip (in after
some person and hidle under tho bed:
and when all was still, he would put
his head frqm under the curtains on
that side of tlie bed nearest Willie's
cradle. : ! -x?-'
But poor Willie cind Monk wer'e
never again to play together ; for this
dear little boy died after a very short
illness ; and the last words ht said in
his. delirium were: "Hold! steady,
bonk ! hold steady T
I was told by a ady who stayed
with Mrs. Bennet during hef season
of affliction, that poojr Monk exhibited
every sign of grief that a dumb ani
mal could express. jWhen the door of
the room that contained little Willie's
lifeless body was lcjcked, Monk sta
tioned himself at thje door. At first
he scratched and whined; but, finding
that he could not gain admittance, he
laid himself down in .silent sorrow and
watched there. .Notping could entico
him from this place, j When food and
water jvere brought to him, lie wpulu
drink the water, bu he only smelled
the meat or licked .it a littles,' for he
seemed to have lost kll relish for food;
and with a long drawin breath he would
lay his head dow close to the crack
of the door, where he'remained most
of the time till th4 funeral When
the' bodyof little Willie was! brought
dojvn stairs, he followed; and when
the procession went to the graveyard,
hfr accompanied if, As the dotfin was
lowered into its narrow resting place,
poor little Monk walked to the edge
of the pit and looked in. 14 fact, he
seemed like a real mourneri and all
the children thought it was quitq
proper Monk should be allowed to fol
low his little master t the tomb. He
was among the last that left the grave
yard, but he followed the family hme, ,
and as soon as he entered the house,
he went directly to1 the .room where
little Willie died. ! lie looked in the
cradle, and then wfent all Over, the
house, as if seekifajg for him. Pre
sently Ire jumped upon' the hall-table,
where Willie's cap Itill remained, and
immediately he layi down and placed
one paw on it, asjif he found Something-he
was accustomed to regard as
connected with his jiriaster.
. ;The older boys were much grieved
by Willie's death, and thej thought
they should love Mjonk very knuch for
his sake. So theyjstayed by him and
patted him. He received their caresses
without showing ajny joy ; jput when
obc of them, in order to try Ithe effect
it would have upojn Monk, called
"Wil-l-i-e!" hespijungup and pricked
up us much of his long and drooping
ears as he could, and held up one foot,
listening, and looking first one way
land then another!. After watching
no voice reply to? their call, he lay
down with a disappointed look, as if
he should never be happy aain.
In a few days the boy niext, older-
than Willie was i attacked ! with the
fever, and soon after, the eldest of the
little girls;, and b)th of these children
followed their brjother to he grave.
This left the housjc vervdonelv : and.
strange as it may seem, (Monk de
serted the dwelling where death had
made such dcsolaipn. The day after
the little girl died! we foundjhim lying
on Our front steps; and from that
time he .would b our dog!, notwith
standing all the (efforts Mrs. Bennet
used to pershade jhim to retjurn horde.
She could not b$ar to partj with him,
for she loved bird for dear little W ll-
lie's sake. Some times they would'
send for him and fShut him up, and
sometimes they tied him fast; but he
would continue to escane and come
j A t
back to us : and wc kept ihim to the-
end of his life, j
Virtue is 'the parent of ljappincss.