Year: 1866

All she prayed was not to meet Noreland,
and fear lent wings to her feet She turned
her face toward the forge, and had reached
the cross road when wagon stood across
her path-Merrick' wagon-and he was
hard by chatting to farmer over gate.
She heard his voice, and saw the dusky out
line of his form, but she dared not speak to
him yet She clambered up into the wagon
and hid there crying softly. The bandbox
he had been to get was there on the seat
and she kissed it as she crouched behind it,
thinking Of his kindness,


Then peeping out she saw some one saun-
tering up the road to the milliners. 1t was
Noreland; but the sight only made her
shudder


Ten minutes after Merrick was driving on
again, and heard little noise behind him.
He gave sudden start


what that?' he cried


=-"Only me-Efie, " said voice. Then
she crept up to him.


"HoN did you come here ?" he inquired.


81 saw the wagon on the road and got in,
she said. Oh Merrick, I'm so frightened
It's SO lonesome and dark and wretched
there. I'm SO glad we going back to the
forge"


So she was. He never knew how glad,
for she never told him all, nor why, until
years after, when they had been married for
years, and the strong love that comes with
married life, had grown up between them,
she used to start up from sher sleep, some
times, in terror, and cling to him sobbing
thank God, I'm back again at the forge "


--~N~


Speculation Speculat5on!


We are frequently asked for our opinion
as to the course the Radical element of Con-
gress will pursue toward the Southern States,
assuming now that the people of the North,
as expressed in the late elections, sustain the
policy of that body as opposed to that of
the President, for the complete and harmo-
nious restoration of the Union. We have
frequently sought to find satisfactory solu-
ton of this question to our own minds; and
while we confess to our inability to throw in
structive light upon it, still it is one that
deeply concerns the public, and viii natu-
rally court reflection and speculation and
therefore we may indulge in expression of
such views as we entertain for the passing
entertainment of our readers, without pre-
Stunning to claim oracular knowledge in the
premises.


1t strikes us that there are but three well
defined lines of policy left open TO Congress,
one of which it must pursue. 1st the i'm
parchment of the President with the over
throw of the present organization of the
governments of the Southern States, reduc-
ing them to a territorial condition; I'd, i'm
peachment being successful, the present or
ganization of the government of these
States to be declared unconstitutional, and
the procedure in re- organizing them upon
a basis of disfranchisement of the "rebel'
vote, and place them, without regard to the
Constitutional aspect of the matter, in the
hands of never surrender original Consti-
tutional Union men," with representation
in Congress to match; or, 3rd shrinking
from the great responsibilities and hazard of
either procedure, simply keep the South
ern States, as now organized out of their
representation in Congress, as kind of pro-
vincial government.


In view of the startling revolutionary ef-
fects, which would assuredly be wrought
upon the character of the government of
the United States by pursuing either of the
former lines of policy indicated, and judg-
ing men by the usual rules of conduct that
control them, it seems to US inconceivable
that people SO intelligent as the ruling men
of the North, so guardful of property and
monetary considerations, can be made so de-
mented as to venture upon such paths of
wild rev olution, that would shake the whole
fabric of civil and constitutional liberty to
its foundations, and deluge in blood, and
bury in unequal disaster Of any age, the en-
lightened hopes of the 10th century Not
even Butler, in our judgment, has the
moral courage to plunge the country in such
tide, leading to inevitable destruction OF
everything most sacredly American. What!
Just after war of unequaled magnitude
in the annals of history, for the vain pur-
pose of securing party domination attempt
to put Republicanism to such test? The
hazard is too great There is too great in
terest in T. S. greenbacks, and securities
What reasonable mind can doubt, that if
the first line Of policy indicated were pur-
sued, bloody war would be inaugurated,
and that its arena would be on Northern
soil. But suppose this successfully accom-
plished by the Radical North, what would
be their gain. Would not their success be
the entire breaking up of the foundations on
which Republicanism now reposes? Would
it not be at the additional cost of the destruc-
ton of the capital, property, resources and