the rule of the theatre, and had to be kept to, in justice to the other officials who behaved well. But our manager is a good man, sir, as you must know; he didn't want the innocent to suffer for the guilty, so whatever was stopped out of Tom's salary he sent to his wife, that she and the child should not starve, but on condition she should keep it dark from her husband. I do believe, sir, that the manager pretended the fines came oftener than they did, that he might help her without hurting her pride.

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How that blackguard, Slug, found it all out I can't tell, but he did. So on a Saturday, just before the morning performance, and after he'd primed up Tom with liquor he told him all about it.

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And now what do you think of your precious manager?' he said, Why, you fool, don't you know I was kicked out of the theatre for being civil to Lizzie? you see he's after her himself, you blind idiot?'

Can't

"You may guess, sir, that this foul lie nearly took away what little sense drink had left Tom, but he did not get violent, he was brooding-like, and when some one from the theatre took him off to his duty he followed him like one in a dream. When the audience had all taken their seats, Tom went and sat himself in the corner of an empty box, revolving in his head how best he could ruin the manager. Suddenly, near the end of the performance, a devilish idea flashed through his mind.

"That would do for him and his theatre,' he muttered, and, hiding himself in one of the curtains of the box, he shouted: Fire! Fire!'

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Oh, sir, that awful cry; I shall never forget it. Our old theatre was very different from the present house, as any one can get out of quite easy. It was a pokey little place, with narrow passes, and the crush was awful. Sir, I say a man who causes a panic ought to be hung! By a sort of miracle there was only one death, but many were hurt and injured.

"I saw Tom coming out of the theatre after it was empty, with a wild look in his eyes, and fearing mischief I followed him home. The half-uttered curse stopped on his lips when he saw Lizzie alone, it was such a very unusual thing.

"Where's the child?' he said, in a hoarse voice.

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Please don't be angry, Tom; Rosie begged so hard I

had not the heart to say no. The landlady has taken her to the morning performance.'

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With a wild cry Tom rushed out into the street. As he met a crowd of people I saw him fall down as one struck dead. You guess, sir, it was the body of poor little Rosie that they were bringing home. The only child in the audience had been the only victim. The curse had fallen on the one thing Tom loved. Poor little angel, killed by her father! Our bad deeds always come home to us, sir; but it's seldom they come so quick.

"The poor mother lost her reason; it's a mercy she did. When Tom woke from his fainting fit he was an altered man; it was pitiful to see the way remorse was torturing him. From that day he only drank water; but it was too late, sir it soon killed him.

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What's become of Lizzie, did you say, sir? She is my wife. Surprised at my marrying a woman as has lost her mind? Well, sir, she is more like my baby than my wife. There was no one living, sir, but me to take care of her; and, although she wouldn't know it, poor girl, I wouldn't give the neighbors any right to take away her character. Good of me, sir? Bless you, no. She has just enough sense left to know me; and when she says Kind Joe,' I wouldn't have any other man stand in my shoes for the world." MERIEM.

CONCURRENT TESTIMONY.

"Is it wrong to kiss?" asked a timid maid
Of the shimmering sands that border the deep.
But no answer she got save the wavelets played
A roundelay gay as they kissed her feet.

She asked the sun, but he only turned
His saucy face from the eastern sky,
And kissed her cheeks till they fairly burned,
And a tear of vexation dimmed her eye.

She asked the wind as it came from the south
The self-same question. The answer came,
For a zephyr sprang up and kissed her mouth
And ruby red lips till they seemed aflame.

She asked a youth who had chanced along,
And the moral question was solved in a thrice;
For he answered: O maiden, it may be wrong,

But".

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- here he proved it — “ It's very nice!"

If the sea, and sun, and soft south wind
Kiss unmolested by bolt or ban,

Where the heart is eager, and lips and mind
Are not reluctant, why shouldn't man?

THE CRUISE OF THE "NANCY JANE."

THE sky was dark, and the iron-bound coast

Of the Battery loomed nigh,

When stout Ben Bow of the Nancy Jane
O'er the billows cast his eye;

But his eye returned, and the steadfast glare
Of his nose's tip renewed,

For the cast came too, that had dwelt therein
Ever since the world it viewed.

Then a sigh he heaved o'er the Nancy's bows,
With a wild convulsive throe,

And he muttered words which I can't repeat,
For his speech was somewhat low.
Then his glass he seized, and looked again,
With an anxious gaze and keen;

But the inky flood he swept in vain,
For he couldn't sweep it clean.

And aye the frown on his brow increased
As he marked the driving clouds,

While dead-eyes gleamed through the growing gloom,
And the air seemed full of shrouds.

Down into the fathomless deep he hove
The lead, with a seaman's prayer;
But the fathomless deep it proved indeed,
For there wasn't a fathom there.

Then murk and murkier grew the sky,
And fiercer rolled the tide,

And bold Ben Bow was quite unmanned,
So he raised his voice and cried

Unmanned was he, and he well might be,
For his men were all ashore;

And he cried aloud, for he cried "Ahoy!
Till his cry became a roar.

"Ahoy!" he cried, and across the tide,
Ay, ay!" his men reply;

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But never they'd answered yet as tars,
Though they oft replied “Ay, ay!”
For though as staunch as tars may be,
Each day saw new disasters,

As the Nancy Jane was a brig, d'ye see,
And none can serve two masters

Then his mate drew Ben aside, who seemed,
As the crew said, "much consarned,"

For oft his shaggy brows he knit,

And his eyes at times he "darned."
For the dreaded blow seemed near at last,
And his hoard of choice Havanas
Had all been "smoked," so his mate opined,
To judge by the customs manners.

But higher and higher the waves arose,
And first the anchor parted,

And then, it was seen, not merely a plank,
But the whole of the ship had started.
When this the customs officer saw,

His heart grew sore with trouble,

For the captain toward him stretched his hands,
And the sight he saw was double.

At that, to the shore he madly rushed,
And shouted, Avast! Belay!

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But small and smaller the Nancy grew,
For she quickly wore away.

And lo! as he watched that noble ship,
With a sort of shuddering quiver,

With her captain bold and her crew, went down —
But she only went down the river!

THE WAR WITH ALCOHOL.

AWAKE! nor longer sleep;

The bugle calls throughout the land;
Let not the few their vigils keep
With bitter foes on every hand.
The foe has been, full many a year,
Preparing for the strife,

And if we falter through our fear
He'll take our Nation's life.
Enlisted in his army strong
Are many thousand men,
Prepared for battle hard and long,
They care not where or when;
They vow they will destroy

Our temperance forts and walls,
Our forces scatter, man and boy,
Till the flag of Temperance falls.

Sound forth the bugle, call our men,
Our noble girls and boys,

Our women, too; let all come in
To share the victor's joys.
Our Grand Commander up on high
Commissions us to go;
He'll guide us with unerring eye
To victory o'er the foe.

Our battle will be long;

Bitter and fierce the strife;

Our foe is desperate and strong,

Hard fighting for his life.

And we must choose our weapons well,
And get our forces into line;

Bullets and guns will ne'er do well

In such a trying time.

With ballots we must arm our men,

And women, too, I say;

With temperance truths our girls and boys, To battle in the fray.