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and the wild exclamation, O he has killed my father,' compelled them all to flee; and quitting the wretched 'cause of all his woes, whom he had taken in his arms the moment after he fired, the desperate young man left her alone to weep for ever over the ashes of a parent whom her folly had brought to an untimely grave. She was taken home by her brother. Though the cause, not the perpetrator of the fatal act, it may well be supposed that remorse embittered all her days, and that she must ever have considered herself to be a parricide. To add to the anguish of her mind, and increase the piognancy of her sufferings, the hapless youth was pursued and overtaken; confined, tried, condemned, and executed; and according to the barbarous custom then in practice, hung in chains near the spot where he committed the rash deed. He perished piecemeal, and his bones whitened in the blast; a hideous spectacle to all around, and chiefly to his mistress. To her aching and weeping eyes he was a perpetual remembrancer of despair and grief; and to her terrified ears the rattling chains sounded perpetual knell.

Poetry.

LINES.

TO A SCENE OF CHILDHOOD.

The infant eve hath cull'd her dews;
The lowing herd sunk down on the lea;
When freed from care I fly to muse,
Lake of my heart! to muse on thee.

Wide nature sinks to sweet repose.
The leaf hangs still on the stirless tree;
Lake of my heart! I fain would lose
My earth-born cares to think of thee.

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THE DAYS OF MY HAPPINESS. party as they formed the awful ring. Every one applauded the prowess of The recollection of past pleasure, the champion whose cause he espoused. as well as the anticipation of future, is I smile now to think how my wrath sweet and soothing to every mind.— kindled and my courage grew hot, We dwell on the feelings and pursuits while, amid the vociferations of my of childhood with lingering fondness; comrades, I stripped off my jacket and recount our schoolday exploits and dashed my cap to the ground; with boyish exultation. The scene of and how, after all was ready and the our youthful frolics is, thro' life, the tumult hushed to silence, every eye spot dearest to the heart. The won-looked eagerly on, while we advanced derful deeds achieved there, the daily into the dread area, and projected the sports engaged in there, and even the knee, and drew back the body, and petty distresses endured there, are raised the hostile fist. Can I help written on memory's brightest page: laughing at the consternation which and, in after life, frequently perused siezed us, when suddenly the intrusion with delight. I yet feel my heart of the elder Vulcan broke up the tremble when I recollect how I dar- meeting, putting the whole gang, ingly skimmed, the first, over the deep fighting men and spectators, to inglopool, while the newly-formed ice bent rious flight? Great was my fame, and crackled beneath my feet. Every and great my pride, in consequence of one loves to tell what a sad dog he this doughty attempt. At every meetwas in those days. I too have per- ing, for months, the little bellowsformed most memorable actions. It blower and I regarded each other with was I who undauntedly set at defiance lofty and sneering looks, which, being the skill and strength of a mighty black- interpreted, might mean, how I would smith's boy, whose father's forge was have drubbed you had we not been ina notable object in our school's neigh- terrupted-yet to speak truth, neither bourhood. I well recollect how the of us ever display courage enough to field of battle was marked out, and the renew the combat. terms of combat deliberately discussed and agreed to. I can yet picture to myself the anxious looks, and, in fancy, hear the blustering vaunts of either

Well the busy happy morning of life fleets rapidly away. The boy soon assumes the man. But there is still one brief hour of enjoyment-one ha

liday of happiness ere he launch for
life into that troubled ocean--the
world. Of all the periods of life it
will ever afford the sweetest subject for
lonely musing. My little Anna! she
was the morning star of iny happiness
-too soon banished by the more ob-
trusive beams of advancing day. When
I first knew her she was considered by
her mother to be still a child-tho'
I for my part thought otherwise. It
cost me a world of pains to get ac-
quainted with her, and it was long,
long, a month or so-before I ac-
complished it. Her father's house
was two miles or more from mine.
Many a time did I watch her, and fol-
low her, and way-lay her-to no pur-
pose. When we met, I gazed-nay
once or twice had the courage to smile,
but Anna smiled not in return. An
acquaintarice with whom I one morn-
ing happened to be walking spoke to
her but confusion sealed my lips.
Oh how I could have cursed my sheep-
ishness when I saw her lightly turn
about and trip away. Yet bashfulness
was not my foible. I had set my
heart upon the lively little creature,
and to be acquainted with her I was
determined whether she liked it or
not. I set all my wits to work, but
could conceive no better plan than the
common one of writing a card. It
was written after hours of painful study.
How unlike the blotching and ragged-
ness of the present scrawl! An ac-
quaintance (then famous for his whish-
ers and his impudence) undertook to
give it into her own hand. He pro-
mised to meet her as she returned from
school, but another whim entered his
brain. In the evening he boldly
walked up to the house, rapped at the
door, asked for Anna, and politely bow-perceive that during the whole of our
ed as he astonished her with his be- interview Anna had a great propensity
gilt, be-painted and be-flourished to laugh in my face; and truly, every
commission. I felt little inclination to time that our eyes met, I felt it diffi-
sleep on that might How could I, cult, to resist, the same ill-bred inclina

when next evening, if the moon shone
clear, I doubted not that Anna would
comply with my solicitation, and meet
me in the arbour at the foot of her
father's garden walk? Many a blun-
der did I commit, and many a laugh
was raised at my expence during the
day-for my mind was absent and
busy contriving how I should make
my entree, and how I should first ad-
dress her, and what we should talk
about, and (in short) how I might best
gain her favor and insinuate myself
into her heart. Considerably before
the appointed hour-having leapt the
garden wall-I approached the spot
in what I thought a very smart and
striking manner-my hat cocked on
one side a la blackguard-a green
green twig with a few leaves on the
end in my hand, and a prefatory smile
on my countenance. By the light of
the moon I could perceive through
the leaves the fluttering of white dra-
pery-all my fears were laid aside.—
I stepped briskly up and beheld-not
Anna-but-but-her mother! My
half-pronounced salutation ceased at
once.-
-I stocd not a moment.-I said
not a word.-Never did I run with
half the rapidity from a bean-field with
the farmer's dog at my heels. I clear-,
ed the wall-flew over the field-and
not till I had gained the highway would
I venture to stand still, and give vent
to my vexation in a laugh, which was
most heartily re-echoed by my friend
with the whiskers, who waited there.
to learn the issue of my perilous ad-
venture. This was a grievous disap-
pointment no doubt; but my grief did
not last long. Just two days after,
accident brought us together in the
house of a mutual friend. I could

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tion. The affair however was pretty well managed; I succeeded in detaining her till the moon rose, and that was not the last time that we walked farther and talked longer than the occasion absolutely required.

Thus far I love to tell my story. The rest is between Anna and myself. Who it was that interfered, and what it was that caused us to differ in opinion it is not worth my while to relate. My little love! we were happy while we walked together; and tho we parted, it was perhaps because we loved too sincerely.

I can't forget thee-tho' no more
We meet upon the green sward here,
Thy voice, that nightly charmed before,
Now never never greets mine ear.
I can't forget thee, Anna, dear!-
The soft kind looks thine eyes have given
My lonely heart no longer cheer,
Yet will not from my heart be driven.
We both, when first we chanced to meet,
Were young-yet not too young to feel,
The moonlight walk together-sweet,

The kiss half stolen sweeter still.
In sighs and vows we did not deal—
Our wooing all was smiles and glee :-

To clasp thy little hand, and steal
Down the burnside was bliss to me.

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66

a propensity for this unaccountable stray ranging habit, is a question; of which I shall leave the decision to those who are better versed in the doctrine of principles of action, and the mysteries of habi-acquiring, than I at all pretend to be. Certain it is, that ever since I can remember-and my remembrance carries me back to the time when I was scarce a handspike high," I have not failed to put into frequent practice my sleep-walking functions. Many and many a time have I risen a-nights, and stalked about the house to the infinite terror of all ghost-fanciers and robbery-fearers. Indeed, I have occasionally. met with accidents of no very pleasing complexion: sometimes I have been roused to a sense of being by applying my fingers to the only half-extinguished embers of the kitchen fire; once I was cooled to life by falling, during a wing ter night perambulation, into a large washing tub-full of half frozen waters at another time, I tumbled into existence down a flight of stairs, a passage, by-the-bye, which I would rather perform on my heels than my head any day of the week. Of all the sleepwalking performances, however, that ever were done, what I am now going to narrate is the- "But I' think I hear you exclaim, Mr. Editor, "of what importance is all this to me

-to the public-or indeed to any individual on the face of the carth?"Why, 'tis of no importance to any body, but the recital may, notwithstanding, afford some persons a little amusement; and if it should happen to meet with a reader possessing little more than ordinary curiosity, it perhaps might induce him to bestow a little attention upon the curious, and hitherto unaccounted-for, fact of walking while asleep.

It was about the middle of last January. The weather was very bois

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I

home, my astonishment increased. could only account for my situation by supposing that I had walked thither in my sleep-but a walk of six miles, in the open fields, and in a cold night it was incredible!

terous, and I was extremely tired; for I had been walking about, amidst the wind and the rain, from eight o'clock in the morning. Just as I passed the Tron Church it struck seven-I hurried on for I was anxious to get home. As I turned the corner of the Saltmarket, I came right against an old crony, Sandy Bain. "Hech, man!" exclaimed he, whar ye gaun ?" "I'm just gaun hame," returned I. "And what for are ye in sic a hurry?" "Troth," said I, I'm just weary an' hüngered I've been fashed wi' a hantle o' messages the-day, an' I'm gaun to rest mysel' an' get my kail." "Come awa, man, come awa, ye'se tak' a stoup o' yill an' a spelding wi' me at the Boot." I thought the offer too good to be refused. We went up stairs, and got a cosey seat by the fire-side. Scarcely, however, were we seated before Sandy, as usual, got headlong into one of his long stories; and I, as usual, even when not so tired as I then was, began to nod. The clack of his tongue, as he told the story, continued, the ale was that night uncommonly composing, the noded that I had lost my hat-where I knew sunk into a profound sleep.- -I not. I was certain however, that I

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But though I was unable to solve the mystery, yet I was not so confounded as not to perceive that the best way to proceed in-was the way to Glasgow. I accordingly turned my head towards home, and I felt something strike my face; it was, as I soon discovered, the bar of the Toll at Partick, against which I had run : But, good heavens! the place I had just left was full three miles from Partick! How was it possible that I could have passed over such a space, in a length of time which to me appeared not to have exceeded a minute? After some little cogitation, I concluded, from the knowledge of my unfortunate propensity, that I had, wonderful to relate, again slept while walking on the road. The wind continued to blow very coldly, and, upon putting my hand to my head, I discover

felt a pain at my elbow I had run had it on when I first awoke on the against a wall. I looked up the road, and it must of course have dropstars were dimly shining about my ped off during the last walk. The head, and the coldness of the wind, hat was too good a one to be lost, and which" blew hallowly by," quickly I determined to regain it if possible; reminded me that I was in the open accordingly, cold and weary as I was, air! How I got there was a mystery I bent, in no very complacent humour a minute before I had laid my head I confess, my steps once more todown upon a table in the Saltmarket, wards Dalmuir. I walked on, and and just then I had knocked it against this time, I walked without sleeping. a wall in the country. Upon looking But my journey was labour in vain, round a little, as well as the darkness for I came to the well-known wall would permit me, I found myself to without seeing anything of my hat be within two miles of Dalmuir! II was vexed at this mischance, but should not have known my situation situated as I was, I could do nothing so easily, but Mr. Collins' Paper Mill, but make the best of my way back to at Dalmuir was one of the places to town.. which I had been in the morning.At finding myself to be so far from

I came again to Partick Toll-bar. and upon going to the other side, I

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