THE WAVE. AN IDYL. Fast from the wind I fly, See how the lightning flashed, I on the vessel dashed All my wild passion! Hear how the timbers break! But, when I lie at rest, Lo! towards the golden West, She, when by heaven above Fondly I pledge my love, Doth, as the gentle dove, Then, when beneath the wave And through the deep we'll fly, Hear the winds moan and sigh, -Harvard Advocate. "DANTZIC IS TAKEN." FROM THE GERMAN. In Cassel, on the corner of Petri and Dionysian streets, stands a large building, in which a flourishing and popular brewery was carried on. This house, which bore the name of the "Inn of Stockholm," was very plainly built, and had nothing remarkable about it, except the tradition that King Charles the Twelfth had rested there, for a few hours, in his adventurous flight from Adrianople to Stralsund.— Back of the "Stockholm" stands a little house that could easily be put, ten times over, into its larger neighbor. In this most modest structure, dwelt at the beginning of this century, a confectioner and inn-keeper, named Leck. In his shop gathered every evening a little company of customers, who formed a club, and there discussed, over a glass of wine or punch, the news of the day, of which, as Napoleon was at that time making all Europe tremble, there was no lack. In Hesse itself, there had of late wholly unprecedented things occurred. A French army, since the battle of Jena, had occupied the Electorate. The sovereign of the country had fled, and the Hessian army, without once seeing the enemy, had disgracefully disbanded. The old soldiers who had served in the Seven Years' War, and later in the campaign of the Rhine and the Netherlands, remembering the old glory they had so bravely won, wandered breadless over the country, publicly expressing the revolutionary design of making themselves masters of the hated enemy. The number of the conspirators daily increased, and the French were often severely abused. An attack was meditated upon Cassel, where, by Napoleon's order the French General Lagrange held the reins of government. However, as the Hessian officers had been carried away to Mayence and Luxembourg, the insurgents were without a leader to conduct their enterprise, and consequently wasted their time in useless meetings and discussions. But the GovernorGeneral employed this same time to better advantage. He brought reinforcements from the Rhine and from France, and before the smouldering fire of insurrection could break out into a blaze, had scattered and subdued it by French bayonet. After this, in Hesse, executions by court-martial were frequent. Lagrange, however, was a man of humane and kind feelings, and if Napoleon had not commanded this bloody punishment, the victims would have been fewer. He had made the campaign in Egypt with Napoleon, and later had commanded the French troops in the West Indies, and had barely re turned to Europe, when by the imperial decree he was made GovernorGeneral of the conquered Hessian provinces. The tumult in which he found the country, rendered his position very difficult, and Napoleon's severity and decision alone enabled him to rule it with a strength that was foreign to his own character. All these things furnished abundance of måterial for the evening conversation in the little shop of the confectioner. On one of the evenings, the 1st of June, 1807, the guests sat around a long table, in a room reserved especially for them, smoked their pipes, and drinking, discussed alternately times of peace and war, when suddenly the door was thrown violently open, and the barber Muller, chief newsmonger of the club rushed in. "Do you know it yet?" resounded his voice so sharply that the thick tobacco smoke respectfully parted. "What, neighbor, what should we know ?" cried several voices. "Why, the news!" "What news?" "Dantzic is taken!" A universal buzzing proclaimed the great astonishment of the company. "Dantzic taken!" cried one shaking his head, the "taken!" very heavily emphasized. • Dantzic taken!" repeated a second, shaking his head, and in the same tone. "Dantzic taken !" exclaimed a third, also shaking his head, with the same emphasis as the others. So it went around until every one had expressed his astonishment in the same eloquent manner. Last of all came the confectioner and host from the sideboard, to give his opinion. "Dantzic taken! Dantzic--Neighbors, are you mad? Dantzic taken! Who has told you? Dantzic is not taken." His guests looked at him a little puzzled. "Is not taken," continued he passionately, army lay before it, and Napoleon himself. not utter such nonsense." "not if the whole French Dantzic taken! Puh! do "And I tell you," cried the barber still more passionately, "Dantzic is taken. I heard it from some one whom I dare not name, but to-morrow you may all read it on the corner." "Then it is plainly not improbable," intimated one. "No, no, it is impossible. I will not hear any more of it," burst out the confectioner gesticulating, and now he unfolded such a knowledge of the strength of the works, the formidable fortifications, the murderous guns, and the death dealing defenders of the fortress,—which knowledge he had got from a political paper-that a shivering seized the whole company, and in the end every one agreed with him. The report was a braggart one such as the French were accustomed to publish. The whole evening the affair remained upon the tapis, and as the company separated, the confectioner called laughingly after them, at the door-"Dantzic is taken? If I saw it with my own eyes I would not believe it." With the proud consciousness that this time he had triumphed over the barber, he went back into the house. It rained heavily and the streets were very dark. The confectioner closed and locked the door, and just as he was in the act of doing so, there stooped a dark form close to it, placed a mouth at the keyhole, and a muffled voice called in, " If you saw it with your own eyes, you would truly believe, Master Martin Leck." "I will not believe it, now, nor never," cried Leck from the inside, then suddenly stopped, "Herr!" muttered he," that was none of my guests. It was the voice of an enemy." But when he heard some one withdraw from his door, with quick steps, he was satisfied, and went up-stairs and to bed. The people of Cassel were compelled, at that time, to lock their doors at nine o'clock, and no one dared let himself be seen later upon the street without a lantern. The midnight hour struck, and now there rattled through Dionysian street a chaise. Before the little house of the confectioner it stopped; and an officer and two soldiers dismounted. The officer knocked loudly on the door with the handle of his dagger, and, wakened out of a heavy sleep, Master Leck put first the point of his night-cap, and then his whole head out of the window. When he perceived that the noise was at his door, he inquired a little anxiously who was there. "Oh, my- what has broken loose? inquired Leck from his window. "Open, in the name of the Emperor." At these words the confectioner was nearly dead with terror. He was roused out of his stupor by the stern voice of the officer who again called out, "Will you be quick! If not, I shall beat the door to pieces." "Great goodness!" whimpered the confectioner, and striking a 4 light he wrapped himself in an old coat, and went down stairs more dead than alive. As soon as the door was unbarred in stepped the officer and soldiers. "Are you the confectioner Leck?” "At your service, Herr Officer," he answered with humility and trembling. "Then dress yourself instantly." The confectioner drew back in terror. "You will follow me." "Follow you! And where, then, if you please?” "You are to take a journey.” "A journey!" "Yes, a far journey." "A journey," groaned the unlucky burgher. “I a journey, Herr Officer? I did not know there was a journey in prospect for me." "Tonnerre de Dieu ! Now is not the time to talk," haughtily and angrily said the officer. "Forward or you will go undressed." Now it happened that the stunned patriot in his confusion, vainly tried to put the wrong garments on the wrong limbs, whereby much time was wasted, so that at last the officer commanded the soldiers to pack up boots, stockings, pantaloons and hat, together with the confectioner, and throw them into the chaise. When this order was quickly and punctually executed, the two soldiers seated themselves with their prisoner. The officer handed them in several papers, fastened the door on the outside, and the coachman struck his horses. Away they went through the streets, in the darkness. The confectioner thought he must be dreaming. He could not tell whether they went north or south, east or west. "Worthy sirs, what have I, a become of me? Where are "Great goodness!" he cried again. poor stricken man, done? What will you taking me, by the will of Heaven? There is still time to correct the mistake. Yes, it is a mistake; you are wrong. I have paid all my taxes and loaned a hundred francs—a hundred francs, my worthy sirs; and have conducted my business well. Dear sirs, what have I done?" "Nothing, nothing! Italien-non so mulla notte felice!" answered one of the soldiers, throwing himself into a corner of the wagon, where he was soon snoring. At the same time his comrade, with a half-German, half-Italian imprecation silenced the poor prisoner, who found himself alone with two Itaan guards, who did not understand |