Then back by the dreary Tortugas,
And back by the shady Azores,

He was borne on the storm-smitten waters
To the calm of his own native shores.
And, that he grew older and older,

His footsteps enfeebled gave proof:
Still he thirsted in dreams for the fountain,
The beautiful Fountain of Youth.

One day the old sailor lay dying
On the shores of a tropical isle;

And his heart was enkindled with rapture,
And his face lighted up with a smile.
He thought of the sunny Antilles,
He thought of the shady Azores,
He thought of the dreamy Bahamas,
He thought of fair Florida's shores.
And when in his mind he passed over
His wonderful travels of old,
He thought of the heavenly country,
Of the city of jasper and gold.
"Thank the Lord!" said De Leon the sailor,
"Thank the Lord for the light of the truth!
I now am approaching the fountain,
The beautiful Fountain of Youth."

The cabin was silent at twilight
They heard the birds singing a psalm,
And the wind of the ocean low sighing
Through groves of the orange and palm.
The sailor still lay on his pallet,

'Neath the low-hanging vines of the roof: His soul had gone forth to discover

The beautiful Fountain of Youth.

HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH.

THEY MET.

THEY met 'twas at the garden gate:

The moon shone bright, the hour was late;
No prying eyes were round to see

And he was there, and so was she.

They wandered through each well-known walk, They talked the talk all lovers talk:

The moonbeams peeped through bush and tree And she was there, and so was he.

"Thou art my life, my soul," he cried: "There lives not on this world so wide, An angel without wings like thee "And he was there, and so was she.

And from her lips these accents fell: "My love for thee, words fail to tell; "Tis boundless, dearest, as the sea And she was there, and so was he.

Sweet moon, 'neath thy inspiring rays,
What pranks mysterious Cupid plays!
A moonshine little god is he

And he was there, and so was she.

"Hector

good dog!" the old man said,
"Yon maudlin fool should be in bed.
My noble hound, I'll cut thee loose :
We'll cook yon midnight wanderer's goose."

"Adolphus, fly!" the maiden cried :
"Here Hector, with mouth open wide,
And eyes that glow like balls of fire,
Comes, followed by my wrathful sire."

He shook the dewdrops from his boots;
Like meteor through the air he shoots;
But Hector rushes like the wind,
And grabs the flying man behind.

A growl a rip-ah! never, never,
Did pants from ties so quickly sever:
Freed from his clothes, Adolphus starts,
And o'er the fence like lightning darts.

The modest moon still brightly shone:
Such sights she oft has gazed upon;
Such sights while Time remains she'll see —
And she was there, but where was he?

CLERICAL WIT.

A PARSON Who a missionary had been,
And hardships and privations oft had seen,
While wandering far on lone and desert strands,
A weary traveller in benighted lands,
Would often picture to his little flock
The terrors of the gibbet and the block,
How martyrs suffered in the ancient times,
And what men suffer now in other climes;
And, though his words were eloquent and deep,
His hearers oft indulged themselves in sleep.
He marked with sorrow each unconscious nod
Within the portals of the house of God,
And once this new expedient thought he'd take,
In his discourse, to keep the rogues awake.
Said he, "While travelling in a distant State,
I witnessed scenes which I will here relate:
'Twas in a deep, uncultivated wild,

Where noontide glory scarcely ever smiled;

Where wolves in hours of midnight darkness howled,
Where bears frequented, and where panthers prowled;
And on my word, mosquitoes there were found,
Many of which, I think, would weigh a pound;
More fierce and ravenous than the hungry shark,

They oft were known to climb the trees and bark!"
His auditors seemed taken by surprise;

All started up, and rubbed their wondering eyes:
At such a tale they all were much amazed;
Each drooping lid was in an instant raised,

And we must say, in keeping heads erect,
It had its destined and desired effect.
But tales like this, credulity appalled.
Next day the deacons on the pastor called,
And begged to know how he could ever tell
The foolish falsehoods from his lips that fell.

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Why, sir," said one, "think what a monstrous weight!
Were they as large as you are pleased to state?

You said they'd weigh a pound! It can't be true:
We'll not believe it, though 'tis told by you."
"Ah! but it is," the parson quick replied:

"In what I stated you may well confide.
Many, I said, sir, and the story's good,
Indeed, I think that many of them would."
The deacon saw at once that he was caught,
Yet deemed himself relieved, on second thought.
"But then the barking- think of that, good man!
Such monstrous lies! Explain it if you can."

66

Why, that, my friend, I can explain with ease:

They climbed the bark, sir, when they climbed the trees."

GREELEY'S RIDE.

JUST after we left Julesburg, on the Platte, I was sitting with the driver; and he said,

66

I can tell you a most laughable thing indeed, if you would like to listen to it. Horace Greeley went over this road once. When he was leaving Carson City he told the driver, Hank Monk, that he had an engagement to lecture at Placerville, and was very anxious to go through quick. Hank Monk cracked his whip, and started off at an awful pace. The coach bounced up and down in such a terrific way that it jolted the buttons all off of Horace's coat, and finally shot his head clean through the roof of the stage; and then he yelled at Hank Monk, and begged him to go easier, said he warn't in as much of a hurry as he was a while ago. But Hank Monk said, 'Keep your seat, Horace, and I'll get you there on time;' and you bet you he did, too, what was left of him!

-

A day or two after that, we picked up a Denver man at

the cross-roads, and he told us a good deal about the country, and the Gregory Diggings He seemed a very entertaining person, and a man well posted in the affairs of Colorado. By and by he remarked,

66

"I can tell you a most laughable thing indeed, if you I would like to listen to it. Horace Greeley went over this ⚫ road once. When he was leaving Carson City he told the driver, Hank Monk, that he had an engagement to lecture at Placerville, and was very anxious to go through quick. Hank Monk cracked his whip, and started off at an awful pace. The coach bounced up and down in such a terrific way that it jolted the buttons all off of Horace's coat, and finally shot his head clean through the roof of the stage; and then he yelled at Hank Monk, and begged him to go easier, said he warn't in as much of a hurry as he was a while ago. But Hauk Monk said, 'Keep your seat, Horace, and I'll get you there on time;' and you bet you he did, too, what was left of him!"

At Fort Bridger, some days after this, we took on board a cavalry-sergeant, a very proper and soldierly person indeed. From no other man during the whole journey, did we gather such a store of concise and well-arranged military information. It was surprising to find in the desolate wilds of our country a man so thoroughly acquainted with every thing useful to know in his line of life, and yet of such inferior rank and unpretentious bearing. For as much as three hours we listened to him with unabated interest. Finally he got upon the subject of trans-continental travel, and presently said,

"I can tell you a very laughable thing indeed, if you would like to listen to it. Horace Greeley went over this road once. When he was leaving Carson City he told the driver, Hank Monk, that he had an engagement to lecture at Placerville, and was very anxious to go through quick. Hank Monk cracked his whip, and started off at an awful pace. The coach bounced up and down in such a terrific way that it jolted the buttons all off of Horace's coat, and finally shot his head clean through the roof of the stage; and then he yelled at Hank Monk, and begged him to go easier, - said he warn't in as much of a hurry as he was a while ago. But Hank Monk said 'Keep your seat, Horace, and I'll get you there on time;' and you bet you he did, too, what was left of him!"