The Wonderful Story of Ravalette

d smelled very strongly of either Hartz-mountainism or

ge silence-the woeful look of those who hugged my little head and said 'Poor child!' I tried hard to be manly and not cry, as th

was full almost to bursting, with its load and pressure of grief; and then I threw myself upon her dear body, and cried till tears refused to flow, for I had lost my mother, sirs-I had lost my mother! Would that I could weep now as I did then; it would relieve my over-burdened heart. Bu

soul; and as my eye caught the shadowy fleece of a melting silvery cloud, I thought and believed it to be my mother's sainted soul. I half believe so still; for as the cloud vanished into nothingness on the breast of the blue, I distinctly heard a voice, gentle, soft, and sweetly mournful, like unto the dying notes of a wind-harp, lightly touched by the zephyr's breath, whisper in my ear these words-which at that time I could not fully comprehend-'Lonely one of the ages! there may be rest for thee in the life thou'rt now commencing. Let thy motto be-

off us by agencies totally invisible. We pulled them back; but again and again they were removed, and the movement was accompanied by a din and clatter, as if fifty cannon balls were rolling on the floor; and it immediately brought the ogres and their straps from down stairs to see what was the matter. So far as terror permitted we explained, whereupon the ogres looked scaredly wise, readjusted the quilts and retreated. No sooner had they left than the cannon balls began again to roll over the floor, and mustering courage to rise and grapple for the coverlet, which had again been pulled from us, I clearly and distinctly saw a female figure calmly standing at the foot of the bed, but not upon

drifted for some years up and down the world, and once found myself registered as cabin boy on board

one, myself included, being too small, weak and delicate for the arduou

, it is not hard, in spite of the march of intellect, to find sailors who, between the dog-watch and eight bells, w

remast Jacks, and frighten the souls of guilty mates and captains; and of course all this tended to deepen the vein of superstition and mysticism running through me. Often have

he most infamously active purgative known. The sailors found the jug, read the label-didn't believe it-drank the liquor, and were actively engaged for several hours thereafter, as a consequence. A more earnest, swift-moving set of men were never seen. They had no relish for supper that night. They beat me unmercifully, but I was revenged. Still they abused me, until one day a sailor tweaked my nose in the galley, and for his pains received half a gallon of hot lard in the waist-band, which troubled him wonder

attribute all these t

to refuse admission to any person whatever. And thus we all talked freely, the servant seated in the hall, close by the door. No one was admitted. Presently one person, by reason of his eloquence and venerable appearance, engrossed all our attention by the thrilling things he told, although he did not join the conversation till over an hour after we had begun it; nor did his conversation appear at all intrusive. He was the fourteenth person, although we did not