With a brief, though painful struggle, she bade adieu to her visions of youthful heroes, of demigods, and of kings; nay even of a middle-aged admiral, or ambassador, or president of a bank; and generously resolved to screw her inclinations to one sticking point, and bend her stubborn wishes to the stern mandates of duty.

Such had been the state of her mind for more than a week, when a strange rumour reached her ear, the consequence of which was the following letter.

"New-York, Febuary 27th, 182

"FALSE AND PERFIDUOUS YET STILL

TOO FASSENATING MAN!

"What beckoning ghost along the moonlight shade invites my steps and points to yonder glade? Can it, O my aggonizing bosom, can it be true, what I hear, about you and old Miss Peck? Alas! my palpitating heart informs me that it is! Besides, Squire Purdy told me of it, yesterday, when he stopped in the Marrynack stage, to get his daughter's new pink satin hat, trimmed with Marrybows and edged with blond. But what have I to do with Marrybows now? What means this tumult in a whestle's veins, where very amusing melancholly rains? What

H *

did you mean, the last time you scorted me to Castle Garden, by saying you should like to walk so every night? and asking me if I wouldn't like to go see the Honey-moon of Shakespear? Mrs. Todd, and all her young ladies, said it was a fixed thing; and when you sent that last barl of apples and quince licquor, which is sour enough for vinegar, all our end of Pearl-street was sniggering to see me get it out of the stage; while I was overwelmed with delicate embarrassment, and my face sufused with roseate blushes. Oh! ever beauteus, ever friendly, tell, is it in heaven a crime to love so very well? But I know what I will do. I will commit sooicide! I will jump into Peck-slip, off the furthest end of the dock! No friend's complaints, no kind dommestick tear, shall please my ghost nor grace my watery beer. By maremaids hands my dying eyes were closed; by maremaids hands my decent limbs composed! Yes. I will throw myself into the east river, drest genteely in the last Parris fashion, so that my friends may not be ashamed of me; in my Gro de Napp, O de Neel dress; corsage made high and easy, with a little fulness in back and front, set in the band round the waste with a oval rose-coloured pufs, gradually decreasing to a pint, forming a tasteful stummacher a la Russ; sleeves on gee-goes, confined at the

wrist with black velvet bracelets; the skurt ornamented with a deep flounce, with small skol lups at the edge pinked, and a rule O above, and a drapery beneath, spread out at top and bottom, like a fan, drawn together in the center, and confined by a rowlet; and I'll have pantaletts a la Turk, trimmed with bobbinet round the ankles, caught under the foot with a silver corded band. Yes. And I'll put on a beautiful Vandyked muzlin collaret, tyed round my throat, and falling gracefully over my left shoulder, with a lavendar colored gauze ribbon on one side, and rose color on the other. And my hair shall be tastefully arranged a la naigh, in cannon curls, surmounted by a beautiful Tokay, of white gauze, with silver ends falling gracefully over the right shoulder, to corryspond. I shall therefore ware no vail, but I'll have horseskin gloves, and shoes of white satting, pure as my sole, and tender as my heart, and act a Roman's or some tragick part. How on earth will you feel, when you hear of my being a fair penitent, and coming to sich a watery end? Yes, and besides this quarter's rent, you'll have to pay the next one too. For all I'm dead, that won't be no discharge to your security for the rent. My lawyer says so, and he knows. The landlord knows his rites too, I can tell you; and that will be good for you. It

will be all in vain for you, after I am drownded, and sat upon by the coroner's jury, to put on half morning, and in sable weeds appear; grieve for an hour may be, and morn for half a year; and bare about the mockery of woe, to moonlight dances and the cattle show. I know you will be going about to the Museum and Specktaclum, and all about in fashinable society. But don't lay that flatring eyentment to your sole. My disembodied shade shall flitter round, in the mirky hours of night among the trembling moonbeams, and like Alonzer the brave and the fair Imogeene, when the worms they crauled out and the worms they crauled in, my dripping spectur will come to your wedding and set by your side, will tacks you with perfiddy, falsehood and pride, and bare you away to the GRAVE!!! Oh you, you abominable man! Squire Purdy says your Byshy squints both ways. I know she's lame, for I seen her wauking to catch up the stage. And O! mon Jew! how she's freckled! And besides all this, I'll sew you for britch of promise right away, unless you let this job alone. Youre a wicked man. But a broken harted maiden preys that Highman may not shute his shaft, nor Cupid hold a candle at your nuptual celebration. Perhaps you may shed a hypercritical tear when you read the verses which Rolla will make, in the

elegiack stanzas on my precocious death, in the

next Museum.

"Your fair and fond friend,

"ADELLE ELOISE HUGGINS."

"My tears have made my effusion ineligible. Can it be true what I hear that your bride, the mean creature, is so shabby as to be fixing up her nasty old things for the wedding herself, instead of employing a genteel miliner and doing the thing handsomely. If she's so stingy already, what will she come too when she is married? Some one else wouldn't serve you

80.

Doubt that the stars are fire, doubt truth to be a lyre, but don't doubt that I love."

The system of education has been much improved since Miss Huggins acquired the rudiments of her style and orthography. It is obvious to every intelligent reader, that her habits of mind and her daily avocations, did not tend to her improvement in either of those particulars. And, without pausing to philosophize on the subject, I mention it as a fact, in the history of the human mind, that the mere habit of reading produces no change in their spelling, punctuation, or grammatical arrangement of words, upon those who have acquired a vicious system