morrow.

"this will

birds burn? The color" here he turned to me "is really almost enough to warrant Jupiter's idea. You never saw a more brilliant metallic lustre than the scales emit - but of this you cannot judge till toIn the meantime I can give you some idea of the shape." Saying this, he seated himself at a small table, on which were a pen and ink, but no paper. He looked for some in a drawer, but found none. "Never mind," said he at length, answer;" and he drew from his waistcoat pocket a scrap of what I took to be very dirty foolscap, and made upon it a rough drawing with the pen. While he did. this, I retained my seat by the fire, for I was still chilly. When the design was complete, he handed it to me without rising. As I received it, a loud growl was heard, succeeded by a scratching at the door. Jupiter opened it, and a large Newfoundland, belonging to Legrand, rushed in, leaped upon my shoulders, and loaded me with caresses; for I had shown him much attention during previous visits. When his gambols were over, I looked at the paper, and, to speak the truth, found myself not a little puzzled at what my friend had depicted.

"Well!" I said, after contemplating it for some minutes, "this is a strange scarabæus, I must confess : new to me never saw anything like it before — unless it was a skull, or a death's-head — which it more nearly resembles than anything else that has come under my observation."

"A death's-head! echoed Legrand — " oh yes—well, it has something of that appearance upon paper, no doubt. The two upper black spots look like eyes, eh? and the longer one at the bottom like a mouth and then the shape of the whole is oval."

"Perhaps so," said I; "but, Legrand, I fear you are no artist. I must wait until I see the beetle itself, if I am to form any idea of its personal appearance." "Well, I don't know," said he, a little nettled, "I draw tolerably should do it at least have had good masters, and flatter myself that I am not quite a blockhead."

"But, my dear fellow, you are joking then,” said I, "this is a very passable skull - indeed, I may say that it is a very excellent skull, according to the vulgar notions about such specimens of physiology — and your scarabæus must be the queerest scarabæus in the world if it resembles it. Why, we may get up a very thrilling bit of superstition upon this hint. I presume you will call the bug scarabæus caput hominis, or something of that kind

there are many similar titles in

the Natural Histories. you spoke of? ”

But where are the antennæ

"The antenna!" said Legrand, who seemed to be getting unaccountably warm upon the subject; "I am sure you must see the antennæ. I made them as distinct as they are in the original insect, and I presume that is sufficient."

"Well, well," I said, "perhaps you have still I

paper without

don't see them ;" and I handed him the additional remark, not wishing to ruffle his temper; but I was much surprised at the turn affairs had taken; his ill-humor puzzled me — and, as for the drawing of the beetle, there were positively no antennæ visible, and the whole did bear a very close resemblance to the ordinary cuts of a death's-head.

He received the paper very peevishly, and was about to crumple it, apparently to throw it in the fire, when a casual glance at the design seemed suddenly to rivet his attention. In an instant his face grew violently red in another as excessively pale. For some minutes he continued to scrutinize the drawing minutely where he sat. At length he arose, took a candle from the table, and proceeded to seat himself upon a seachest in the farthest corner of the room. Here again he made an anxious examination of the paper; turning it in all directions. He said nothing, however, and his conduct greatly astonished me; yet I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness of his temper by any comment. Presently he took from his coat pocket a wallet, placed the paper carefully in it, and deposited both in a writing-desk, which he locked. He now grew more composed in his demeanor; but his original air of enthusiasm had quite disappeared. Yet he seemed not so much sulky as abstracted. As the evening wore away he became more and more absorbed in reverie, from which no sallies of mine could arouse him. It had been my in

tention to pass the night at the hut, as I had frequently done before, but, seeing my host in this mood, I deemed it proper to take leave. He did not press me to remain, but, as I departed, he shook my hand with even more than his usual cordiality.

It was about a month after this (and during the interval I had seen nothing of Legrand) when I received a visit, at Charleston, from his man, Jupiter. I had never seen the good old negro look so dispirited, and I feared that some serious disaster had befallen my friend.

"Well, Jup," said I, "what is the matter now? how is your master?"

'Why, to speak de troof, massa, him not so berry well as mought be."

"Not well! I am truly sorry to hear it. What does he complain of ?"

"Dar! dat's it!-him neber plain of notin — but him berry sick for all dat."

"Very sick, Jupiter!- why didn't you say so at once? Is he confined to bed?"

"No, dat he aint!- he aint find nowhar dat's just whar de shoe pinch my mind is got to be berry hebby bout poor Massa Will."

you

"Jupiter, I should like to understand what it is are talking about. You say your master is sick. Hasn't he told you what ails him?”

"Why, massa, taint worf while for to git mad bout de matter - Massa Will say noffin at all aint de

matter wid him

but den what make him go about looking dis here way, wid he head down and he soldiers

up, and as white as a gose? And den he keep a syphon all de time—"

"Keeps a what, Jupiter ?"

"Keeps a syphon wid de figgurs on de slate - de queerest figgurs I ebber did see. Ise gittin to be skeered, I tell you. Hab for to keep mighty tight eye. Todder day he gib me slip fore de

pon him noovers.

sun up and was gone de whole ob de blessed day. I had a big stick ready cut for to gib him d-d good

Has

“Eh ? — what?— ah, yes!— upon the whole I think you had better not be too severe with the poor fellow - don't flog him, Jupiter- he can't very well stand it but can you form no idea of what has occasioned this illness, or rather this change of conduct? anything unpleasant happened since I saw you?” "No, massa, dey aint bin noffin onpleasant since den -'twas fore den I'm feared-'twas de berry day you was dare."

"How? what do you mean?"

66

Why, massa, I mean de bug- dare now." "The what?"

"De bug - I'm berry sartain dat Massa Will bin bit somewhere bout de head by dat goole-bug."

"And what cause have you, Jupiter, for such a supposition?"