"But will you promise to indemnify you, to take the body, madam: we lawyers call it a ca. sa." "Is the lady a judge then, and is her daughter a debtor to you, sir ?" said the first gentleman to Mr. Tivingham, who yet halted at the door. "How, sir," said the lawyer, " are they then your clients, and you retained to defend their cause. If so, perhaps a lit-pated, that I shall not pay you the tle courage would be the best argument that I could use." "You cane me sir!" said the gentleman, his black eyes flashing fury, and at the same moment seized the lawyer by the collar, dragged him sprawling out of the door, and shook him till he cried murder, which called two gentlemen just riding by towards the village, to his assistance. The stranger let him up, however, before they arrived. "You have committed an assault and battery," said the lawyer," and I will have you arrested immediately, and put to jail. Here are two men who will be witnesses." The old lady and her daughter had by this time come out, and told their story, that the lawyer was the aggressor. "You will swear him clear then, will you? but remember I have the old man in my clutches, and will be revenged on him, for your conduct." "Villain," said the stranger, "set that man at liberty instantly, and I will pay the debt. How much is it ?" "It was originally a thousand dollars only, but the interest and costs have swelled the demand to twenty-four hundred, which is more money than you can pay, I fancy, Mr. and besides this, you have got to pay me heavy damages for this assault, or suffer the penalty of the law immediately." "How much do you demand for your personal damages ?" "One hundred dollars." "And will you pledge yourself (honour you have none) that you will not prosecute in behalf of the people, if I pay you this sum ?" "That I cannot promise, as I am not state's attorney, but I will promise that I will not complain." money, at present." "A very good come off indeed, and one of the best reasons in the world, you cannot pay the money, as I thought at first; but I'll plague you for your insolenceremember that you said you would pay Thompson's debt, and now I have you in for it-I'll prosecute you on the promise." "Really, sir, you are quite full of prosecutions; but remember that the promises of a third person, to pay the debt of another, are void, under the statute of frauds, unless in writing, and for a valuable consideration." "Why, sir, are you a lawyer then? but I shall let you know that you are mistaken." Looks rather confounded. "Good evening," says the stranger to the ladies, and walks towards his horse. "I command assistance," says the lawyer to the two men before mentioned, "seize that man in the name of the people." They sprung to seize him, and he laid them both sprawling in an instant, leaped on his horse, and was out of sight in a second. "We'll have him yet," says the lawyer to his half stunned coadjutors, "here is five dollars a piece for you; he is only going to the red mills, and will be back this way to the village sometime after dark; go with me and lay in wait for him in the woods, between this and the village." "We will," answered they, "and we'll have him yet, but he is terrible strong"-" a keen arch fellow, too," says the lawyer, a robber no doubt, a highwayman; I wonder if he has pistols ?" "I dare say he has," says one. "We'll go to the village first," say they, "and get some muskets, and some more help, and go in search || dest; and how glad was I to see him of him, or way-lay him, for he's a robber no doubt-the people here know nothing about him." "As likely as not there is a reward for him now in the papers," says our lawyer, "it appeas to me that I saw an advertisement describing very much such a man; but, at any rate, we'll make him fast for the present."|| They mount their horses and go off towards the village. It now began to grow dark. CHAPTER III. Sophia had told her mother concerning the rattle-snake, and although Mrs. Thompson was very far from being a superstitious woman, yet she could not but draw some favourable conclusions in her own mind, from the circumstance that had taken place. A serpent was the similitude of deception, of seduction, of enmity; in fact, the enemy of mankind was called that old serpent, the devil. A serpent had been destroyed by a stranger, which probably, would have destroyed her daughter; but her daughter would not have been exposed had it not been for this stranger. It was in assisting him that she became jeopardized; still she might have been strolling that way, and might have" been bitten by the snake, if the stranger had never appeared. At any rate, the facts were the same; the snake was killed by him, and who could say that it was not a favourable omen. "Who knows, my daughter," said she, "but that this stranger is at least, the harbinger of some good news for us? I think I have seen him before; and his offering in the first place to pay the debt and release your father, is a strong proof that he feels more than common sympathy for our misfortunes." "I hope," said the girl, "that it may prove as you predict; he is the finest looking man I ever saw; he appears so sensible; so mo drag that ugly fellow out of doors." "Yes, my dear, and it was in our defence, for which I fear he will meet with trouble." "I heard them talking together at the corner of the house," says Sophia," and I thought they were contriving how to way-lay him, and I am afraid they will take his life." "Let us pray for his safety, and for a termination of our domestic troubles," said the mother, and kneeling down with her son and daughter by her side, the girl read the Evening Prayers for a Family, from the Church Common Prayer Book, and at the end, her mother made a short extemporaneous prayer in behalf of the stranger, and as she closed her petitions, Sophia pronounced Amen, with such an unusual emphasis, that she was somewhat frightened at the echo of her own voice in so loud a sound. They arose from their humble posture, and at the same moment a rap was heard at the door, at which they all started, and in comes, at the boy's opening the door, the person for whom they had been addressing the Father of Mercies-the stranger, who had returned from the red mills. "We have just been conversing about you," says Mrs. Thompson. Yes, and praying for me too," returned the stranger, "which I overheard as I came up to the door." The ladies both blushed; for blushes will sometimes crimson the cheeks of the purest devotional being; they may spring from the warmth of devotion itself, as the beams of the heavenly sun open and expand the buds of the morning rose. "Yes, sir," rejoined the old lady, "we were alarmed for your safety, and feeling grateful for the interest you seemed to take in our forlorn situation, we put up our feeble prayers for your success in whatever laudable enterprise you are engaged." "I thank you, madam," replied he"I can stay but a moment-where are those ruffians that I saw here?" "They went towards the village, sir, || and we fear they are determined to injure you; perhaps they will attack you from an ambuscade." "Never fear that," says he, "I am well prepared for such fellows. In the mean time, comfort yourselves with the hope of better times." So saying, he bid them good night, and was off in a moment. kets were discharged at him, the ball from one went through the top of his hat crown, and the other cut a button from his vest, but did not injure him. At the same instant, all three sprang in the path before him, and with the butts of their muskets, laid his horse over the head, and so staggered him, that, with the others behind, who had now come up, being recovered from their wounds, they succeeded after a violent struggle, in tearing the stranger from his horse, who had dis They looked from the window, but saw nothing except the sparks of fire which his horse's shoes struck from the flinty rocks, over which he bound-charged another pistol among them ed with a full gallop, as they judged from the sound of his feet. "Heaven preserve him," cried the mother. The daughter looked pale, and faintly uttered, "I HOPE SO." During this time, the lawyer had been to the village, and hired two more men, armed with muskets, and all five had planted themselves in the pine woods, at proper distances, to seize the robber, as they called him, dead or alive; for they understood from another man in the village, who came with the stranger, and who they supposed was his accomplice in robbery, as he would give no direct answers to their inquiries, that the stranger would positively be there that night. It was about ten o'clock when our stranger left the log hut, and as he entered the pine woods, an awful black cloud hovered over the tops of the gloomy pines, rendered visible by now and then a flash of lightning, and beginning to wave briskly to and fro by the gusts of wind that began to roar among the branches, with claps of heavy bellowing thunder. He had proceeded a little more than half way through the woods, when he found his horse suddenly stopped by two men seizing him by the bridle, one on each side. He drew a pistol from his pocket, shot one, who fell, and knocked down the other with the butt of his whip, as he put spurs to his horse; but had not gone but a few rods, when two mus without much effect, and had fought most desperately with his heavy loaded whip, and given several of them severe contusions. They made him their prisoner, pinioned his arms behind him, and led him in triumph to the village, where they secured him under keepers until the morning. [To be continued.] From a Foreign Publication. HAIR POWDER. To powder the hair, and to give the colour one desires, is a very old fashion. Josephus relates, that the horse grenadiers of king Solomon, used every day gold powder, that their hair might glitter in the sun. The ancient beauties of Italy powdered themselves even with gold. Grecian princesses ordered their body guards to throw gold powder in their hair. Among the fashionable persons of both sexes in Rome, fair hair was regarded the most beautiful; but, after being painted and perfumed, according to the customs of Asia, it was powdered with gold. The emperors Verus and Commodus favoured particularly this fashion. The head of Commodus, when in the sun, glittered as if it had been in flames. The powder of our days was, however, unknown to the ancients. The idea, that it dates only from the period that wigs were invented, is not right. It was used long before, and was invented in France. Though it was not common in the beginning || At Paris every possible shade of of the reign of Louis XIV, this prince hair powder, even green and blue, certainly used it, without approving has since been made and used. In it. It was to please one of his mis- the time of Robespierre, the fashiontresses, that he first ordered his largeable sans culottes of both sexes used long black wig to be powdered.powder and red wigs, to evince their Brantome mentions, that Margaretta patriotism and approbation of this of Valois, did every thing in her pow-revolutionary tyrant's reign of blood. er to make her dark hair lighter; but || Under the Directory, no powder was in vain. Had, in her time, 1752, our worn; and under Bonaparte, gray hair powder been invented, she would and white powders were most fashionhave easily obtained her wishes. able. In the beginning, it was regarded as a sin to powder one's hair; and, as such, the priests excommunicated it. REMARKABLE INSTANCE OF TEMERITY. George Hastewood, an English soldier, having been taken in company with twenty-three Spaniards by that eight of them should be hanged in requital for a like sentence that had been made by Albert the archduke upon some Hollanders, and that it should be decided by lot on whom the punishment should fall. The Englishman happily drew his deliverance; but one Spaniard expressed In an old French Gazette, of 1593, it is related as a terrible reproach, that nuns were seen walking in the streets of Paris with their hair in curls, with powder. In the end of the sev-prince Maurice, it was determined enteenth century, the comedians were the only persons who powdered themselves, and that only when upon the stage when the plays were over, they combed out the powder. One of the causes why their corpses were not permitted to be buried in the christian church yards in France and Italy, was the sacrilegious use of hair pow-great reluctance, and terrour of mind, der, according to the pastoral letters when he put his hand into the helmet of the prelates of those times. In a to try his fate, not so much in fear of printed regulation concerning the po- death, as an antipathy to such an unlice of Paris, 1602, all prostitutes are natural decision, in which he might ordered to powder their hair on the make his own hand destroy himself, right side, and to paint with rouge the and be executed for the guilt of others, left part of their faces, under pain of or acquitted for no innocence of his being sent to houses of correction, or own. The Englishman consented to to convents of repentance. In the take what money he had, and stand same regulations, all gamesters, bank- the chance for him. The judges conrupts, and quacks, were ordered to sented also to this request, as that of paint their noses with rouge, and to a fool or a madman, who deserved powder the back part of their hair, un- not the life he had providentially obder pain of being sent to the gallies. tained. Yet such his fortune was Sorcerers and witches, under pain of that he drew himself safe; when he being burnt with hot irons, were or- was asked why he would put his life dered to powder the fore part of their in such danger again for the safety of hair, and to paint the under part of another, and after such a signal estheir faces with rouge couleur de feu. cape so presumptuously to hazard it Three sorts of powder were only a second time? Because, said he, I known formerly; white, gray, and thought I had a bargain of it; for conblack. Yellow powder became fa-sidering that I daily expose myself for shionable fifty years ago, particularly sixpence, I thought I might with more when persons were dressed in black. reason venture it for twelve crowns. Thou welcome messenger to earth, Sent by a gracious hand, Without thy visitings and smiles, Would not creation chaos turn, Existence run to waste? Hail! lovely season, what to thee, RELIGION. BY WILLIAM RAY. Ask but the man who has a head Whether he candidly believes A farce which purposely deceives, Would God, all-merciful and just, Ah, no-what millions answer no, A lamp which casts beyond the grave Its ever eheering ray A ransom for the hell-bound slave- What can the atheist, in exchange, A few base sordid pleasures here, Blot from the universe the sun, |