And much I fear, to serve himself-oh, cruel, bitter shame!—
He might be tempted to a deed I hardly dare to name.

"So vile a sin would stain our race until the end o' time;
My cousin must be kept by force from risk of such a crime!
I told my father so, and he but laughed at me to-day,
But I have talked him o'er at last to let me have my way.

"Listen: Hugh Moulton loves to walk in our old Pleasaunce fair,

It was but now he said to me that I should find him there; Get trusty help, and while mayhap he broods o'er snare and plot,

Seize, gag, and bind him suddenly; but see you harm him

not.

"You know the Friar's Cell below; there he must lie to-night.

Unloose him, mind, and use him well, but see the bolts are right.

Then should the Roundhead bloodhounds come, gag, bind him quick once more,

And thrust him in the secret vault that opens from the floor!

"Two days from now his Grace, please God, will be upon the sea;

Two days my cousin Hugh must lie safe under lock and key. See he has food and wine to spare. Be wary, fearless, true; No matter how he threats and fumes, no harm shall come

to you.

"I know you true as steel of old: oh, fail me not to-day! Here's gold, and when the King-but see, my cousin comes this way!

Methinks I read mistrust and guile upon that moody brow!

Remember, Michael – Ah, good coz, how fares it with you now?"

Ho, ho! but you should have seen him, Hal,-shall I ever forget the sight?

When we loosed him at last in the Friar's Cell, panting, disheveled, white!

I'd hardly thought such horrible oaths from human lips could flow,

And I used to be pretty fair myself at that sort o' thing, you know.

"I only obey my orders," I said: "'tis idle to rave at me; No harm is meant you, Master Hugh, and you'll soon again

be free.

But understand me once for all; you may rave, or swear or shout,

But here you are, and here you'll stay till my betters let you out!"

I left him then to sober down, and sought out Mistress Kate:

When you shall hear his whistle thrice, then haste to meet me here!"

And faith, at dead o' night as though 'twere some dark deed o' sin,

The signal came, the bolts were drawn, two muffled men stole in:

A moment Mistress Kate's fair head lay on her brother's breast,

The next she turned with rev'rence meet to greet her kingly guest!

"Welcome, in my sick father's name and mine, to Moulton Tower!

God grant your Grace may come again in some more happy hour!"

Then bent to kiss his hand; but nay:

he said,

"At beauty's shrine,"

"Kings should be worshipers!" and stooped, and kissed her lips instead.

Young Hubert gave me greeting kind; then stole they up the stair,

And soon the house was still as though no anxious hearts

were there.

But on my watch at dawn I heard a hum o' voices near,
And Mistress Kate flew breathless down:

are here!"

Too true! the Crophead curs were out.

can tell,

O Michael, they

As swift as words

The Prince was warned, Hugh Moulton gagged, and in the secret cell!

Then while they thundered at the door I flung it open wide: "What would ye here at such an hour?" Stand back!" the leader cried.

And in they tramped with clash o' steel and torches' lurid

glare,

And swarmed the place, and searched and peered from roof to cellar there.

They sounded panels, hammered walls; and once, with gasping start,

Sweet Mistress Kate turned white as death, and well she might, dear heart!

But, baffled, beaten, wearied out, at last they slunk away: "Hugh Moulton must have played us false!" I heard their leader say;

And Mistress Kate she heard him too, with lips that quivered sore,

And in her eyes I caught a look was never there before.

Two days his Grace lay hid with us ere yet'twas safe to go, And three days more Hugh Moulton fumed within his cel! below;

Then when we got the welcome news the King was on the

sea,

Fair Mistress Kate came down herself to set her cousin free.

He tried to fume, but quailed before her scornful eyes and

brow:

'Cousin, I did but doubt you once; alas! I know you now. Listen: the King was here—is gone--has sailed, while you, poor churl,

Lay quaking in your cell-ha, ba!-outwitted by a girl!

"Haste to your Cromwell, if you will, and tell him all you know,

And don't forget the Friar's Cell, good cousin mine. Now, go!"

And cowering from her splendid scorn, he slunk away for

fear.

That's all; and faith, I'm mighty dry! Just pass the flagon here

THE DREAM OF A SMART BOY.

"Pop," said young Philip Gratebar to his father, "I had a dream last night."

"You don't mean it!

66

said Mr. Gratebar.

Yes, I do," said Philip. "I dreamed I was going along the street, and I got awful thirsty, and I went into a drug store to get some soda water. The soda fountain there was the biggest one I ever saw, and the man tending it was a giant. He looked down on me and asked me what I'd have, and I said I'd like strawberry with ice-cream in it.

The giant set out on the counter a glass about two feet high and he put in it a lot of strawberry syrup, and then he took the cover off of an ice-cream freezer that was pretty near as big as a barrel and scooped out about three platefuls of ice-cream and put that in Then he put the tumbler under the soda water spout and whirled the wheel around and the soda went sz-z-z-zt! sz! zt! and then the giant pushed the glass over in front of me, full, and with thick creamy foam running over the top, and I didn't touch it." "What!" said Mr. Gratebar.

"No," said Philip, "I didn't touch it. pocket, and I found I hadn't got a cent."

Mr. Gratebar understood.

I felt in my

Then Philip went forth in search of a fountain,—not of the fountain he had seen in his dream, but of one as nearly like it as he could find in actual life.

THE GEOGRAPHY DEMON.

I hate my geography lesson!

It's nothing but nonsense and names;
To bother me so every morning,
It's really the greatest of shames.

The brooks they flow into the rivers,
And the rivers flow into the sea;
I hope, for my part, they enjoy it,
But what does it matter to me?
Of late, even more I've disliked it,

And more disagreeable it seems,
Ever since the sad evening last winter,
When I had that most frightful dream.

I thought that a most horrid monster
Stood suddenly there in my room,-
A frightful Geography Demon,

Enveloped in darkness and gloom ;
His body and head like a mountain,
A volcano on top for a hat;

His arms and his legs were like rivers,

With a brook round his neck for cravat.

He laid on my poor trembling shoulder,
His fingers, cold, clammy and long,
And fixing his red eyes upon me,

He roared forth this terrible song:
"Come! come! rise and come
Away to the banks of the Muskingum!
It flows o'er the plains of Timbuctoo,
With the peak of Teneriffe just in view,
And the cataracts leap in the pale moonshine,
As they dance o'er the cliffs of Brandywine.
"Flee! flee! rise and flee

Away to the banks of the Tombigbee.
We'll pass by Alaska's powerful strand,
Where the emerald towers of Pekin stand;
We'll pass them by and will rest awhile
On Michilimackinac's tropic isle;
While the apes of Barbary frisk around
And the parrots crow with a lovely sound.
"Hie! hie! rise and hie

Away to the banks of the Yang-tse-ki!
There the giant mountains of Oshkosh stand,
And the icebergs gleam through the falling sand;
While the elephants sit on the palm-tree high,
And the cannibals feast on bad-boy pie.

"Go! go! rise and go

Away to the banks of the Hoang-ho!
There the Chickasaw sachem makes his tea,
And the kettle boils and waits for thee.
We'll smite thee, ho! and we'll lay thee low,
On the beautiful banks of the Hoang-ho!"
These terrible words were still sounding

Like trumpets and drums through my head, When the monster clutched tighter my shoulder, And dragged me half out of bed.

In terror I clung to the bed post,

But the faithless bedpost-it broke!
I screamed out aloud in my anguish,
And suddenly-well, I awoke.

He was gone. But I cannot forget him,
That fearful Geography Sprite,
He has my first thought in the morning,
He has my last shudder at night.