Year: 1861

generous decision in his favor all this was present
him. though he had not yet connected the kind act anC
the pleasant feelings in his consciousness as cause aC
effect


There was sound of pattering feet on the stairs s
MIR. Hickman came in. Time was when his first step il
the passage awoke the echoes with laughing voices anC
the rain of eager footballs But that time had passed
long ago. The father home so often in cold re
pelan mood that his children had ceased to be glad


his return, and no longer bounded to meet him Sitting
on the stairs were little boy and girl of the ages d
i've and six years As he advanced along the passage
they neither stirred spoke smiled though theil
eyes were fixed on his face Mr. Hickman stood still
when he came near to where they sitting and looked
at them with new feeling of tenderness in his heart
lie held out hand to EACH and each laid hand in his
but with an air of doubt to whether this condescen
sion on the part of their father were to be accepted
token OF love. moment he stood holding then
hands, then STOPPING be drew an arm around each and
lifted them to his breast.


Hasn't Edie kiss for papa?" said Mr. Hickman with
SO much warmth in his voice, that the little girl now
understood that all was earnest


eyes, hundred kisses!n answered Ede fingtnr he1
arms around her fathers neck and kissing him over and
over again in childish fondness.


At the head OF the first landing opened the sitting
room. Into this Mr. Hickman came with the two chill.
dren in his arms; bohof them huggng and kissing hi
IN a wild, happy way. 8



Mrs Hickman rising and coming forward her face agow
with sudden pleasure at sight and sounds so new, vel
all welcome to her heart


These little rogues hugging and kissing the very
breath awaJ from ice said Ar. Hickman aughiugarl
struggling with the children


''He asked me for one kiss cried Edie, 'and Tn
going to give him hundred.n


Mr.. Hickman sat down with child on each knee ant
Mrs. Hickman came and stood by him. with hand rest
ing on his shoulder


0h, you must kiss him too, said Edie, looking up at
her mother


Mrs. Hickman did not wait for Il second invitation.


The old pleasant face Of her husband again before
her, and her heart eapng with the old loving i'm
pulses. She bent down and laid warm kiss on his lips
which he felt as a sweet glow through all bis being.


This was an evening long to be remembered in The
household Of Mr. Hickman. He had caught sunbeam
and brought it home with him, and light and warmth
were all around them. Eli we're happy and Mr. Hicz-
the happiest of them ALL for he had the sweet con-
sciousness in his heart of having made another and
humber home than this happy also.


The accounts we have received of the recent attempt
of the yankees to land the navy yard at Pensacola
do not appear to reflect great wachtuness Of our men
at that point The yankees wee nearly ready to land
when they discovered and had they been more in
force might have caused considerable damage before
they could have been repulsed That our men fought
braVely We readily believe but atthey came very





evident. In all cases where duty for great
length of time without alarms they are inclined to get
little less Hatchfu than is desirable but soldiers as
well Others should remember that "eterna vigilance
is the price OF liberty and that the surest way orepel
an attack Is to be at all times prepared to meet the
enemy 1t should be borne in mind that the enemy now
in fort Pckcns is watctul and uuScrupuous and that
he is only waiting the time when he strike our de-
fences with effect. We hope the result Of the recent
experiment will be to place the Confederate soldiers
fully on their guard. There be no excuse for a
surprise


We are not in the habit Of criticsng the movements
of the military but have felt inclined to dis
sent from the policy Of standing still in the face of an
enemy, when we are at least equal terms with him.
The argument that could not take fort Pickens
without great sacrifice OF life and property does not
seem to Us a very good one. We have, perhaps al
ready lost more by sickness in the camps at Pen
saeola than would have cost to have taken the fort
and driven the insolent foe from his position upon our
coast and for the property at the navy yard what is
it compared to the magnitude Of such an achievement
Ii IS said also, in eXtenuaOn of the douothng policy
at Pensacola that we thereby keep large force of the
enemy from being otherwise employed against US But
what does it matter to us whether they employed
against not after have sOundiy hrashed them
out of fort Pickens? II we had whipped them once
couldn't we whip them with greater ease the next time!
Action action, action is the word We don't like to
take insults an individual without resentug them.





for months to its teeth without giving our brave SOL
ders an opportunity to vindicate the honor OF their
country. Montgomery (Ala,) Advertiser


From the Pensacola Observer of the 18th ut we
get the subjoined account The halbor police boat
VIM. H. Judah, Lieut.. McWrght in command was
burned this morning about three oclock while lying
at her mooring in the basin the navy yard by party
of federals from fort Pckens The federal troops came
over in launches, numbering five or more and when
within range began throwing tarrcd frebas and other
nfammabe materials, until the deck Of the Judah was
literally covered with fire and the schooner in flames
In the meantime, several of the aunchers proceeded to
the sides of the schooner and the federas commenced
and partially succeeded IN boarding her, but were fl
nally repulsed with it is thought or eight killed
and probably large number wounded. On our side
one man from the Florida regiment is missing and one
wounded. One yankee was bayonetted while attempt
ing to board the Judah and fell overheard into the bay
and numbers of others must have been killed and
ded while they coming up uuderthe coast guards
fire of mUsketry. The guns Of the Judah well as
those of the battery useless the federal launches
were under guns before their presence was known
the alarm fairly given On their retreat to fort Pick
ems they fired twice from swivel gun board of one
of the launches doing other injury than to slightly
wound one man.


Our men on the police boat numbering, we think,
fifteen, behaved gallanty, and repused the enemy,
superior in numbers and arms, while the very clothes
they were burning from being struck with fire balls
Lieut.. Moonlight defended himself with but sword,
and escaped unhurt from the many bullets that were
aimed at his head Great praise is due him for his cool
ness aud intrepidty.


This daring act on the part of the enemy, but
while we lost in property by his incendarisn, he lost
in lives to pay for his audacity.


SALrToR TExAs.-We causually mentioned the other
day that there were salt works back of Corpus Christi
Since then, have learned the character of these
works. and something of their capabilities.


The Laguua Madre in former times, was long, mar
row bay with opening at each end, communicating
with the sea. Latery bar has stretched across it
about midway. Setting back from the aguna is the
great salt lagoon into which flow in wet seasons quite
number Of streams but in dry weather no fresh wa
ter ever in This great salt lagoon is an immense
cul de sac containing less than sixty square miles
c Ii l.