The Black-Sealed Letter / Or, The Misfortunes of a Canadian Cockney.

ra and Charles Holstrom were; and, also, to narrate the varied and com

ely featured;-of a bold, but humorous disposition-at times impertinent, and even repulsive in his manner. Frederick had really never considered him as a confidential friend; but their long acquaintance with each other, and the many asso

ogether, and had been associates at the same school, and although now in unequal circumstances, still looked upon each other as very familiar friends. After the death of Mr. Hazledon, he having died when the family was young, his wife struggled hard against adversity to bring up her little ones. But f

s circumstances would render it favorably convenient. But the basis of life's future prospects, however substantial it may be, is often undermined by some casual innovation; and there is no earthly hope, however bright its radiance may appear, but is liable to be darkened by some event that

th families, and served as food for the tongu

ith whom Clara was then staying. They carried with them presents of various sorts; and even Mr. Charlston himself, although chagrin

pose of visiting an uncle residing in the town of Exeter, and also discovering some thriving village or town where he might find ready employment, with the view of eventually establishing himself in business to his own advantage. He at length selected Tiverton as his place of residence, where he procured work at favorable wages. Elated with success he immediately wrot

agent who had lectured several nights in the town, as one of the finest countries in the world for the workingmen of England; that millions of acres of land were there to be given away, and every actual settler received 100 acres gratis. A river one hundred times larger than all the rivers of England put together, ran the whole length of the country, 1500 miles long. There were lakes there so large that even into th

down. His mother and sisters strongly objected to his purpose, and begged of him no

labor. But for you to go into the dense forests amidst mountains of almost perpetual snow, to chop out for yourself a fortune, or even a livelihood, would be a thousand times worse than banishment to the icy deserts of Siberia. For my sake, and for the love you owe to all

de no satisf

ome home, Charlie Holstrom, having h

and of his old associate. "Why, my dear fellow, I've come over to bid you

others laughed heart

intend to ship myself," rep

orted H. "Why, what do

and make a fortune in fiv

e that for a small amount. But for either you or I to go there in search of a living, or anything else, except death and horror, would be worse for us than hanging; it would eventually result in strangulation by starvation. And besides, as my acquaintance informed me, the woods are infested with wild animals; and if a fellow attempted to venture out at night very possibly his carcass would be very soon deposited in the inside of a dozen of wolves. He further told me that the trees during summer rained down myriads of mosquitoes as large as beetles

ally horrifying," exc

ful!" shou

so indeed,"

ll bosh," ej

related things that would make a fellow's blood to curdle into vinegar, and perspire from every pore of th

r the present,

" cried

about the climate

ed with water to prevent their bodies from being totally dissolved into vapor, and, that at the end of that terribl

. Charlston and George laughed heartily. The girls shrug

ice. It snows sometimes for weeks without ceasing; it is then generally followed by fierce winds which dri

rrible!" ejac

tly occurs during those frosty periods that travellers, with their horses and vehicles, are found petrified into ice, so hard that they nev

's sake, don't horrify

ghten us to death," exclaimed

uttered out something condemnatory; while George

name of Indians. Every foreigner who takes a farm is compelled to take a young squaw-a she Indian-as a wife to himself. The males in return kidnap white women for themselves; but should a man refuse to comply with their wishes, he is immediately seized upon by those savages and flayed at once. His skin is afterw