, 1863-01-31
SATURDAY, JANUARY 81, 1868.

hut was in flames. A terrible vision of bound
gagged wretch flashed upon his mind, when, with
a howl of agony, he acknowledged fresh wound
from his implacable foe Harold had slashed
him across the body below his belt He plunged
beneath the wave and missed the blow that Har-
old struck at his neck as he rose for breath. The
wary American again sank, and when the fast
failing renegade came up his enemy was beneath
him. .-.a y1r.ar moss
He then whirled somersault, but did not es-
cape the blade for Harold had driven his dagger
to tie hilt in Abners thigh. The renegade, blind
with the loss of blood, swan feebly around in ir-
regular circles, and as Harold again rose, the
merciless bullet of Henry Upson ended the strife
The glare of the burning hut sbone in the glaring
eyes of the renegade, as he gasped and sank to
rise no more Harold fastened into the canoe,
and the evening of the next day saw father, lover
and maiden, within the lines of the American
army.
The hut blazed on, and when the sun shone
again, the blackened bones of Hester Madge
were all that remained of the Renegade's
Mother.
Reveries of a Bachelor So
Well, this is what call enjoyment It isn't
every one who understands the philosophy Of
laying back at his ease, in an armchair, with feet
upon the fender, and putting real Havana-one
of Wasserman's best-I assure you. 1t is onlya
real, genuine bachelor, and withal Of many years
standing, who can truly enjoy himself Now
there's Tompkins, he can't enjoy himself; his
mind is filled with thoughts of cr:noline dvini-
ties, and he can no more recall bis thoughts and
answer plain straightforward question than he
can lift himself over a stake-and-rider fence by
his boot-straps. Glory to Gideon! I am bach
elor, and shall ever stick to the craft, though I
should be doomed to have my head punctured in
the world to come, to pay for it. Here can sit
in undisturbed solitude, secure from scolding
women, crying babies, nervous attacks and the
thousandand-one ills which poor married men
are heirs to. What if my room is somewhat dis
ordered? What if those curtains are dusty, and
do not fall in just so many systematic folds, like
an old maids tresses on washing day? And what
under the bed-boots shoes, dilapidated gar
ments and the like :? What does all this signi-
fly? Things are surely much more easily found
in this condition, when wanted, than if everything
was arranged methodically by the rule of three
A woman would tell me that the smoke from my
cigar-whch, as it rises, curls in such graceful
forms-wl blacken the ceiling. Likely-in fact,
think it exceedingly probable; but am to
forego smoking on that pretext? Oh, woman !
woman it was you who first brought sin into the
world, and you surely lend an important aid in
keeping it up. Away with your prm notions of
starched proprety You, if your power was ON
nipotent, would cause the "monarchs of the for
est" to grow in regular coonades, and the rivu-
let's to flow in straight courses from the noun
tain sides, and the mountains themselves to ar
range in regular order from. the greatest even to
the least" presume that there isn't much love
lost, though, judging from the hints and inuen-
does that are occasionally thrown out (and that
too, in the very presence Of bachelors in good
standing, with the insnuaton that ''present COM
pany's always excepted,") concerning that horri-
be class-the old bachelors. Why blame us that
there are some ancient specimens of your sex
staked out to Craze, alone and uncared for, in the
uninteresting and improbable state of "single
blessedness y? Why persist in teaching those in
cipient specimens of crinolinical rotundity-that
romping bevy ofschoo. girls who pass my window
daily-to cast ferocious gances at what they evi
IDENTIFY consider no better than a beau-aoonstric-
tor Am | to blame Pare we, as class, to
blame, because Miss Dead expense has attained
the full age of maturity, without having succeed
ed in enrapping a husband? Everything goes
to confirm US in the belief that we are much
abused class. That significant but bland smile,
with which Mrs. Bishop greets her bachelor
friends, when understood, plainly says, "poOr
devilr That Sewing Circle, which meets for the
oStensible purpose of repairing the church and
doing good, G e. attending to other peoples busi-
ness) confirms the aforesaid belief; do they not
compel us to pay bonus to the "charity insttu-
TONS" in the shape of five dollar donations, so-
licited by two or more of their number? Why
not leave US alone in our glory? WE'LL we'll
the fire is out, my cigar ditto I'll off to rations
nstanter. Now for brush with "od vinegar
face" Ye gods how love that woman