doing it harm. But in a moment I saw that she had no such intent. The sight of the child seemed to call up a crowd of feelings and recollections ; 66 - in that instant, o'er her soul Winters of Memory seemed to roll—” --she gazed on its face with a look utterly indescribable, but in which the purpose of violence was wholly unmixed. At length, a convulsive shadow passed across her face; she uttered a short, deep cry-the dreadful intonation of which, mingling that of a howl and a shriek, still rings in my ears-flung the infant furiously from her-and rushed into the hut. THE PIC-NIC PARTY. "WHAT on earth," I exclaimed, on the hottest of the dog days, "can move mortal men and women to thrust their noses into the noon-day flames of such a Phoenix-frying sun as this? The Indian widow who cooks herself as a delicious morsel for the soul of her husband, and the martyr who approaches the stake for the encouragement of young beginners in his creed, are urged on by the impulse of love and glory; but for sober, well-behaved people who are not oppressed by any very outrageous burthen of either of these calamities, it really exhibits pretty tolerable symptoms of incipient hydrophobia when they talk of foregoing their lemonade and ices behind their cool viranda-blinds to toil through pigeon pies on the top of a hill.-For my own part, I have a delicate skin and only three hairs in each whisker, and I am equally unwilling to lament the cracking of the one or the singing of the other." It is wonderful to observe with what various conceptions of pleasure human nature is diversified, and how many seemly arguments can be produced by the weakest of them to beat down the strongest barricadoes which philosophy can oppose.-When I look back upon my past life, I can perceive no species of imprudence, torment, and wickedness (short of murder and theft) which I have not been seduced into by this mysterious eloquence. My first opposition and failure are dated from the fifth anniversary of my birth, when, by way of a particular treat, I was compelled by my indulgent mother to the absorption of a roast pig and a cranberry tart-my last from a pic-nic party, when, if I may be allowed to judge by the blisters on my body, the thermometer stood at about four or five hundred. I would not have it supposed, however, that the reasoning of man could have brought me to this impious defiance of Apollo's wrath-No; the tempter was in petticoats-and such a one !-I was sitting in the draft between two windows With out-stretch'd legs, loose neck-cloth, fluttering frill, I beg pardon for the poetry, but when I think of that dark-eyed maid my pen always runs riot-I was sitting with two tumblers before me, the one containing lemonade, the other camomile tea, which I sipped alternately for the more complete enjoyment of their sweets and bitters, when she overwhelmed me with an "Is it true you are not going with us?" There is something to me so bewitching in the graceful bend of maiden symmetry, something so persuasive in the blush and the smile of a naturally pale and pensive countenance, something so totally irresistible in the soft tone which is struggling with reluctant bashful ness I see how it will be-I shall be at my rhymes again presently-" Go with you!" cried I-"aye, to the world's end!—how shall we travel?” “There are three jaunting cars," replied my beauty, "and there are only eighteen of us, and there are only five gentlemen, twelve others having excused themselves in consideration of their complexions, and we have only fifteen miles to go, and we shall only be out nine or ten hours." I could not help gasping for breath as I rejoined, on hearing the place of our destination, that it was only up hill all the way, and a car had only one horse, which would only be a hack, and would only knock up before we could reach the second mile-stone. theless, I was bound to "do as was my duty;` Honour the shadow of her shoe tie," Never and follow her to the world's end, as aforesaid." The party being arranged, the remainder of the day was devoted to squeezing lemons, corking bottles, and writing bills of fare-mirth, bustle and expectation danced in our ladies' eyes like cupids on a holiday, and I thought the toils of preparation could scarcely be inferior to those of the undertaking itself" Hillo," cries a dashing captain from the assembled group of the F's and the B's and the P-'s, "Bring here that carouser on camomile tea." "My dear sir, the thing is impossible! for every drop that I squeezed out of those hard-hearted lemons I should indubitably break a blood-vessel-you see I am relaxed to perfect imbecility." My expostulations were all in vain; and in spite of my decided opinion that there was no more mercy in the monster than "milk in a male tiger," I was dragged off and condemned to something worse than the galleys in the housekeeper's room, for I was given to understand that one of the chief pleasures on occasions like the present is to play the part of your servants and do your duty in that station of life in which it has pleased not God but your friends to call you. My duty (I blush to name it) was (in kind consideration of the intense heat, and my consequent inability for corporeal exertion) to make sundry little delicacies by a fire three feet long and about two feet in height; and the duty of the personage I was expected to rival was to stand by and poke it-I saved my character but I ruined my constitution. At length the day-"the great, the important day, big with the fate" of three hack steeds and eighteen goodly personages, burst through my window-curtains. I had coaxed myself to sleep on the preceding night with the possibility that it was not impossible that it might rain, seeing that all sublunary things are subject to change, and that the earth had now been baked for upwards of six weeks-but I was disappointed. Phœbus was in finer feather than ever, and the little girls were dancing over my head with the most heart-rending gaiety-nevertheless, I was a philosopher, and resolved to stand by my promise with magnanimity. I broke my fast with a glass of camomile tea, which gave me vigour to dispose of a bowl of strawberries and cream, and tilted at the most accomplished jokers of the party. The breakfast was scarce over when we were attracted to the window by a strange, outlandish noise, resembling the gambols of sweeps on May-day, or the more musical clink of marrow-bones and cleavers. I had scarce time to exclaim "What the deuce is that?" when I beheld three vehicles approaching the house at the instigation of certain animals which I should, without doubt, have taken for crocodiles, had I not been assured by the captain that they were very excellent horses. All our souls and bodies were in instant commotionthe ladies donned their bonnets, and seized their parasols, while the gentlemen rushed out to the stowing of the cargo:-hampers and baskets and bundles passed to and fro with a rapidity that was truly fearful, and threatened to flatten some of the handsomest noses of the party. I am well assured that I was considered a very helpless sort of a person, for, in truth, I was more occupied in getting out of the way than in contributing my exertions to the general weal. I suspect, likewise, that my skill in the commissariat department was but lightly esteemed, for, when I hinted at taking a shower-bath with us, the proposal was absolutely considered as a joke. At last there was a general cry for the passengers. The captain mounted the dickey of the best equipage, and was soon accommodated with five of the lightest insides; his friend the cornet made ready with equal alacrity. and, to my dismay, I was informed that I, even I, was to be the charioteer of the third. At the same time (I confess it with gratitude) I received a confidential communication that it would not be incumbent upon me to show any uncommon degree of Olympic spirit, as I had been appointed conducteur to the married ladies and the crockery ware, purposely that I might not want an excuse for arriving two hours after the others.-Five married ladies and all the crockery ware! And what to draw them? Oh, ye Gods! my blood curdled at the sight! I could have picked a better horse out of the maws of the ravens! Such a ewe-necked, raw-boned, rat-tailed, broken-kneed, mallendered, sallendered, spavined and string-halted skeleton never entered the precincts of a dog-kennel. The owner, however, assured me, upon the |