on her, and nuss her childer may-be, as she did her; for childer are like olive plants, all polished in the corner,' as good ole Simon used to say." But Katy thought not of fine carriages or fine houses. She thought only of the generous heart given in exchange for her own. She was happy in the consciousness of being beloved and of loving. Were Delaval poor, with nothing but a log cabin to offer her, she would have felt equally happy, perhaps more so, for in her lowly self-estimate gratitude was as strong as her love. Far different was she from Marcus. The contrast in their characters was visible in their countenances. While her glance, in soft humility, usually sought the ground, his, with eagle ambition, was naturally lifted towards the sun. He felt no gratitude to Florence, because she being an heiress loved him for himself alone. His love enriched her, as well as hers him. It was not the heiress he loved, but the being, all heart and soul; and the mere accident of her wealth weighed nothing in the estimation of her worth. Were he master of millions, he would not be elevated in his own opinion; were he utterly destitute, he would not be degraded. When a boy, he had learned to separate himself from outward conditions; to look upon himself as a God-endowed, though man-neglected child. He had felt more proud of his heaven-born riches, when he wove his osier baskets, by the blaze of a light-wood knot, than when the oaken garland was cast at his feet 'mid the thundering plaudits of an admiring audience. to sustain, the heart to encourage, and the hand to execute. With indefatigable zeal he collected all the documents necessary to invest him as agent plenipotentiary for his benefactor. He visited the most distinguished lawyers, obtained the most powerful judicial advice, and made himself master of the subject in all its bearings and relations. He had a certainty that Arnold had directed his course to Texas, then the lone star in the national firmament, towards which the eyes of outlaws and criminals were turned as the orb of hope and promise. He had heard of several farmers who had sold their plantations, believing they had exhausted the riches of the soil, and removed to the luxuriant, and as yet uncultivated lands fertilized by the waters of the Colorado. To Texas he determined to bend his course; and when every thing was prepared, one fine, bright, inspiring morning, mounted on a spirited horse, with a green blanket and well-filled valise strapped on behind him, and an ample supply of money about his person, he commenced his expedition. The ferryman's cabin lay right in his path, and Marcus was not sorry to visit once more the scene of the stern discipline of his boyhood. (Continued at page 271.) WHICH IS THE HAPPIEST SEASON?At a festal party of old and young, the question was asked-"Which season of life is the most happy?" After being freely discussed by the guests, it was preferred With the promptitude and energy that for answer to the host, upon whom was the marked his character, he resolved to take burden of fourscore years. He asked if immediate measures for the discovery and they had noticed a grove of trees before apprehension of the traitorous and fugitive the dwelling, and said-"When the spring Arnold. He saw the cloud of anxiety on comes, and in the soft air the buds are the usually serene brow of Mr. Bellamy, breaking on the trees, and they are covered and he rejoiced to think that he might be with blossoms, I think, How beautiful is the instrument to disperse it. Wait! No, Spring! And when the summer comes, that was impossible. He was no longer a and covers the trees with its heavy foliage, boy to care for holiday pleasures. He and singing birds are among the branches, was a man, ready to fulfil manhood's lof- I think, How beautiful is Summer! When tiest duties. And then he had his own the autumn loads them with golden fruit, vineyard to cultivate, his bower to build; and their leaves bear the gorgeous tint of not in the valley, but on the table-land of frost, I think, How beautiful is Autumn! the mountain-top, in the full warmth and And it is sere winter, and there is neither splendour of an equatorial latitude. He foliage nor fruit, then I look up through had marked out his work, and he had not the leafless branches, as I never could until only the mind to conceive, but the spirit now, and see the stars shine." "O my people! what have I done to thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? Testify against me. For I brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: and redeemed thee out of the house of servants, and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron, and Miriam."-Micah vi. 3, 4. MANY and vast were the temples and palaces which arose in the ancient city of Zoan in Egypt; and among the most stately and gracefully proportioned was the palace of Pharaoh, the King. In a room of lofty dimensions plated and carved with gold, richly hung with embroidered stuffs, and filled with furniture of costly material, was the king of this renowned and fertile land. But not at ease was he among the regal trappings around him, nor cast he even one admiring glance at all this splendour. Walking restlessly about the apartment, he bent his brow, as if musing upon some subject which deeply annoyed him; for cares and vexations will intrude even in a royal palace. In this apartment, besides the king, were three persons; near the door stood two aged women who cowered beneath their large dark mantles as if anxious to screen themselves from observation ; while at the window which opened upon a marble colonnade was a man apparently absorbed in gazing upon the vast area of brick and marble which lay beneath him, filled with thousands of human beings, or, the glittering waters of the Nile which flowed beyond. 66 Sesostris," said the king, stopping abruptly before him, "why dost thou not counsel me in this matter? These Hebrew nurses whom thou seest at the door, have refused my command to put the male children to death. Must I stoop to embrue my hands with the blood of these pitiful crones? What am I to do if they will not obey me? If I suffer this Hebrew people to increase as they have of late, we shall be overrun with them, and they will take possession of my country!" "Nay, my brother and my king," replied Sesostris, "it were not best to permit them thus to multiply, as in case of war they will join the enemy, and we shall be conquered. Can they not be forced to intermarry with our people, so that in time we shall be one nation?" "No, brother. They have other gods, other laws, and keep themselves quite distinct. They also rely upon promises made by their God, as they say, to their fathers, that they shall one day be a great people -conquerors of Egypt mayhaps!" "They live too easy, O king. Give them all the heavy labour of the land; let them be worn and wearied, and their haughty spirit will be quelled, and by degrees they will die off." "It shall be done," said the king. Then turning to the women he said, "And now ye false and deceitful old women, leave my presence ere I relent of my mercy towards you!" Silently and rapidly the ancient females withdrew. Task-masters were set over the children of Israel, and they were compelled to work hard from morning to night, "in mortar, and in brick, and in all service of the field." Their lives were rendered bitter by this cruel bondage; but it answered not the purpose for their master, for "the more they were afflicted the more they multiplied and grew." Deter mined to rid himself of this noxious race, Pharaoh now issued a decree which brought anguish to every Hebrew bosom. Thus ran the decree: "Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river; but every daughter ye may save alive." In a mud hut, on the banks of the Nile, dwelt a Hebrew and his wife; Amram and Jochebed, both of the house of Levi. Here, in secresy and bitter sorrow, was the unhappy wife delivered of a Sol. There was no joy in the house that a man child was born into the world, but groans of anguish burst from his parents' hearts that he was doomed to a miserable death. No smiles heralded his coming; tears fell upon his little face, and sighs broke forth from the bosoms around him. For three months Jochebed continued to conceal the boy. His merry laugh, which to other mothers would be rich music, brought a pang to her. She dreaded lest this sound should bring the murderers to the door, and hushed him into silence. Miriam, the daughter of Amram, although quite young, was of great service to her mother, for she took charge of her other brother Aaron, and assisted to keep the infant quiet. With a thoughtfulness beyond her years, she parried all intrusion even from their own kin, lest his existence through their means should become known. He could not, however, be always concealed, and his parents became aware they were suspected. He had been heard to weep one night by a passer-by, and Jochebed was continually questioned regarding him. She was advised to obey the decree, lest the whole family should be punished, but resolutely refused, until one day informed the officers who put the decree in execution were asking about her. Then it became evident they must give up the child, or suffer with him. After many a solemn conference together, this unhappy family came to the resolution of casting their child out upon the river. At her father's bidding, Miriam brought from the river's side an armful of the reed Papyrus, which she tore off in strips, and wove into a stout basket. This her father covered with pitch, which rendered it watertight. While they were thus engaged with their work, the unhappy Jochebed sat in a remote corner, pressing her boy to her heart, tears of bitterness streaming in torrents from her eyes. Unconscious of evil, the child smiled in its mother's face, presenting by its joyousness a strange contrast to his sorrowing family. "Cheer thee Jochebed," said her husband as he bent over his work, "we shall not be utterly exterminated; some one will be saved to go to the promised land, and why not our boy? Remember the words of our noble Joseph when on his deathbed: God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land, which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,'-in my calculation the time is not far off. I rely on his promises, and believe the days of our bondage are coming to an end." 6 Jochebed only answered by her tears. "How know ye not," said the young Miriam, "that our darling boy is destined to be our leader and deliverer? Shake not your head thus sadly, mother. Hath he not been wonderfully preserved while our neighbours' children have perished? And if he yet be suffered to live, I shall believe it a miraculous manifestation of God in his favour." "Alas, how may he escape?" said the mother sorrowfully. "If the waves do not engulf him, he will starve, or be devoured by a crocodile." "Nay, dearest mother, I shall watch him too well. As the little ark floats down the stream, I shall follow it, and guard it, even if it float for days or months. Perhaps it may be wafted beyond the dominions of this wicked king, and then I will take it up and nourish it." all perish. Trust the boy to me, mother, I will risk my life to save him." "Blessings on my noble girl!" cried her father. "Thou hast inspired me, also, to hope our God will save the boy, for his faithful sister's sake, if not for ours." The ark was finished. Miriam placed within a soft bed, and approached Jochebed to take the child. Sad was the parting then between the mother and her darling boy; unable to see him go, she fled into an inner room to vent her anguish in bitter sobs and groans. After a long last kiss, Miriam and her father launched the frail bark upon the Nile. 66 Farewell, father," said Miriam fondly; "cheer up my mother, and tell her to trust in God, who, I feel assured, will yet rescue the boy from the hands of his enemies. Depend upon me. All that a tender, devoted sister can do, shall be done." 66 Farewell, Miriam," said her father, while the tears fell down upon his beard, "I trust in the Lord and in thee! May the God of Abraham protect thee and strengthen thee!" Hour after hour the tiny vessel floated on; the little occupant smiling and playing with his fingers, or amusing himself with the food which lay near him. Hour after hour his firm-hearted sister walked on beside it, under the blazing sun of Egypt, or sat upon a bank when it became obstructed in its course, or was lodged in the bushes which lined the river side. Heat and fatigue unheeded, her eyes and thoughts were fixed on her charge alone, or lifted in prayer to God for its safety. At mid-day the little barge was whirled among some rushes, in the outskirts of the city, where it became stationary. Miriam concealed herself behind a pile of bricks, and sat down to watch it. Frequently she drew it to the shore and fed the child. At length she drew it beneath the shade of some palm trees which grew upon the bank, and sat down near it. How did her heart beat at every approaching step! dreading lest her charge shoul' be observed before the shades of night should enable her once more to float it away from the city. But the hours passed on and no eye fell upon it. The Nile flowed slowly at her feet, its banks adorned by a fringe of papyrus, whose tall and slender stalks, bent to the summer breeze, or raised aloft the plume-like blossoms which crowned their heads. No sound disturbed the silence, except when the brilliant flamingo stalked by her, flashing his scarlet and orange plumage to the sun, or the stately ibis pursued its chase of the water serpents among the rushes. A strong wind arose, and the waves were cast upon the shore. Miriam started with horror as she beheld a drowned infant thrown upon the sand; one of her own nation sacrificed to Pharaoh's cruelty. An instant passed, and rushing through the blue lotus flowers, which floated on the stream, an enormous crocodile pounced upon the child, opening its dreadful jaws, the innocent was soon engulfed in the horrid chasm, and the creature disappeared. Aroused by footsteps, Miriam turned her head: a party of miserable Hebrews passed, half naked, and surrounded by overseers, and bending beneath a load of brick and straw. The sound of music next attracted her attention: a religious procession was passing, and she gazed with disgust, as she observed the priests were leading in golden chains the sacred crocodile! The back of this hideous monster was richly painted and gilded, while bracelets of gold and of jewels adorned its shapeless legs. She watched him, as with his train he entered the temple. This superb edifice was surrounded by four noble porticoes, and was raised upon an elevated platform of marble steps. A long avenue of sphinxes led to it, and before the edifice stood two obelisks of rose-coloured granite, whose slender shafts seemed to reach the heavens, and whose sides were carved in raised hieroglyphics. The ceiling of this temple was painted blue, and studded with golden stars; its sides richly carved, gilded, and painted. In the centre stood a tank for the service of the sacred crocodile, while on one side was a room, where, lying upon a costly carpet, he was waited on, and adorned by people ofthefirst rank in the city. The sun was now sinking behind the hills of Ramases, when the sound of female voices met the ear of Miriam. She arose with alacrity and looked forth. "Now is my sweet brother safe," she said, "for surely no female bosom could devise aught evil against so lovely a babe." The females approached, and by the richness of their apparel, and by their numerous attendants, were ladies of high rank. Above the rest, was one distinguished for her graceful and majestic form. She was beautiful, also, and the rich blood called forth by exercise cast a brilliant shade over her slightly bronzed skin. As she came nearer, Miriam discovered it was the princess Themestris. Then the heart of this loving sister died within her. It was the daughter of Pharaoh, of their relentless oppressor, who approached, who, if the child were discovered would not probably dare resist her father's decree to save a Hebrew infant. Miriam looked around in despair; but the princess was near, and conceal-* ment for her charge was vain. Her heart upon the rack, Miriam saw the princess stand upon the river's bank quite near the rushes, among which was the basket containing other precious treasure. He was not observed, and she breathed free; but, weary and hungry, the babe just then awoke from slumber, and uttered a feeble cry. "What noise is that?" asked one of the ladies-and Miriam threw herself upon the ground in anguish. "It was the cry of a crocodile," said another, "let us fly ere we be devoured." "Silence!" cried the princess. The wail of an infant was distinctly heard. "It is a child," said Themestris, "and now I discover a basket among yonder rushes. Bring it hither some of ye." The attendants hastened to obey her, and the basket was soon laid at her feet. When opened, a babe of wondrous beauty lay within. It was weeping bitterly, and raised its little hand, imploringly at the curious faces which surrounded his cradle. The princess gazed at the child, and tears streamed from her eyes over her beautiful face. "Oh my father, this is thy cruel policy!" she cried. Then turning to her women, she said, "This is doubtless one of the Hebrew children, whose parents forced to throw it into the Nile, have thus sought to preserve it." Shall we throw it back again?" asked one of the attendants. "Throw it back again! Have you the |