Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-01-05

ing Of the ship to watch the glory Of the moon
light upon the waters, and telling to him all
the sweet, wild fancies that were thronging in
her wild imaginative mind.
All these things Mattie's father told me
himself; and with one more incident of her
life, related to me by him, / must close this
brief sketch of the child's history. Once,
when travelling at night through the Black
Forest, in company with two gentlemen, the
carriage was surrounded by group of ban
ditti. The postillions and the two gentlemen
within were robbed with little resistance but
when one Of the villains came to Mr.. Loring,
and tried to drag Matte from his arms, in or
der to search his person, he met with a blow
from the father which threw him backwards
and laid him prostrate on the ground.
1t was certainly the rashest act, said Mr..
Loring to me, for we were entirely in the
power of gang OF constituencies villains !;
but could not submit patiently to see the
hands Of such wretch placed upon my little
one. There was degradation in his touch, and
acted upon my first indignant impulse, and
felled the scoundrel with one blow. A mo-
ment's pause ofastonishment followed the act,
and then was violently seized upon by the
whole band en- masse. Matte was torn from
me, and in three minutes | was lying by the
roadside, bound hand and foot, and expecting
every moment that my body would furnish a
temporary sword-case for dozen long knives
that flashed over me. Heaven bless little
Matte for ever Save for her presence, hers,
the innocert child every soul of our party
would that night have been hurried untimely
into the world beyond
The chief of the band had sworn that he
himself would have the satisfaction Of putting
an end to my life. His knee was upon my
chest, his long dirk at my throat; one moment
more, and | should have been in eternity -
But just at that crisis little Matte sprang for
ward and flung her white arms round the neck
of the fierce bandit She clasped his throat
so tightly that he could not at once throw her
aside and, without word, she pressed her
delicate lips repeatedly to the hairy mouth,
and rough cheeks and brow, and fierce eyelids
of the man. Oh, surely such sweet and pure
kisses had never been showered upon him be-
fore
The fierce, outlawed men stood all abashed
before an infant. The chief leaped up and
strained my little one to his breast till feared
he would crush the life from my fragile flower
in his strong embrace. Twenty times he
kissed her sweet face, uttering some passion
ate words in his own strange tongue and
then, laying her tenderly and reverently by
my side, he strobe away from the spot, calling
his band after him, and leaving us all un-
harmed. God bless little Matte for ever =
How eagerly and fervently every heart echoed
that prayer!'
Ihave often heard the Hon. Mr.. Loring re-
peat this anecdote of his little daughter. He
loves to relate it, though Matte, now beau
tiful girl of sixteen, bushes somewhat scorn-
fully at the mention of those kisses and caress-
es so freely lavished on the lawless bandit
Matte Loring is before me at this moment
lying back indolently in the soft swell of a
deeply-cushioned chair, her face half shadowed
by clustering curls, which, looking brown
now, grow strangely irradiated in stray
CLEAN of sunshine. One little velvet-slippered
foot, creeping from the folds of her rich dress,
balances itself on the edge of an ottoman the
other, patting lightly, keep time unconsciously
to the measures of wild German air which
Matte has learned in some of her wander
ings.
What are You writing, Maryp she asks
suddenly, looking up curiously under the
shadow of long curling eyelashes.
No matter what say laughingly, and
cover the pages with my hand. And she,
trying pIayfully to take them from me, little
thinks that they are traced with sketch Of
her own young life; but if ever her eyes
glance over them, she will surely recognize
herself!