She seized his hand, and clasping it tight to her panting bosom, she cried in a voice that pierced our very souls,—

"Husband, dear husband, give me one little, little sign that you know I am by you, and that you heard me pray the live-long night by your side?" And his black tongue uttered lol-lol-lol-lol

"Oh, he hears me," she again with agony cried: "one more sign, dearest, that you now think of your long-denied God, and that you have some little hope?"

Again the black and stiffening tongue moved to and fro, and lol, lol, hoarsely struck the ear. He had heard her! Then with one short struggle all was over.

We carried the widowed wife to an unoccupied room at the end of the gallery. Not a tear dropped from her eye; she had grieved too much, and the heart-springs were dried. With a voice thrillingly calm, she said to me,

"Tell me, do your Northern women shed tears when their husbands die? for I cannot; I cannot think enough; yet he was very kind to me, and loved me well. 'Tis very strange I am so calm, when he is dead!"

Fearing lest her brain might suffer, I told her I would tell her how, at the North, little children died in our summers; that one day full of health and promise, the next day they ailed and drooped; and before long the dysentery would set in, and they gradually wasted away, with their sweet faces so wan and pale, and their little dry hands so hot in the palms, as they weakened on-how their heartstricken mothers watched their fading forms, and clung closer and closer to them, till robbed of blood and of every vital fluid, naught remained to clasp but the cold image of their loved one marbled in death.

As I related these stories, a deep heavy sigh escaped from the desolate wife, and tears that refused to flow for her own misfortunes, flowed like rain for those of another. She was saved.

When the sun went down, we took the corpse and placed it in a plain pine coffin, covered with black muslin, and bore it through the wood, where a grave had been hastily dug. His head clerk read the service for the dead, but the night closing rapidly in, the print became obscure, and thus, with funeral service half read, was buried the once proud merchant.

FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN.

COLD FATAL TO INFANTS.

ON taking up our pen, in order to do something in tne way of instructing the people, by the examination of the human body, we were a little in doubt where to begin the dissection.

It is the most natural, we think, to commence with the skin, for there in dissection the scalpel first performs its office, and it is the part through which, as an organ of sense, we hold the greatest amount of communication with surrounding objects. It is also the watchful sentinel that warns us of the contact of hurtful things, and like the military guard on duty, is the first to be encountered on the way to the citadel within.

The skin is regarded as the peculiar seat of feeling, and we would treat of it as an organ of feeling only at the present time, reserving for future consideration the study of its other functions.

While reflecting on this subject, a very natural desire arose to group with it the other organs of sense, and to present to our readers as plain an account as we could, of the nature of the five external senses, of the organs in which they are seated, the means whereby they may become deranged, and the natural methods of preventing and remedying those derangements.

External Senses.-The external senses are five in number: feeling, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. They are intended

to apprise man of the objects he should seek or shun. They receive and transmit to the brain, those impressions which will enable him to judge of the qualities of bodies in the material world. The acuteness of the senses should be carefully cultivated, for the purpose of assisting the intellect in its power of active and precise discrimination of these objects, and also to supply it with materials wherewith to act. The simple employment of the senses does not increase directly the amount of intelligence, any more than the employment of the muscles of the body; both are put in operation by the action of the brain. They must be regarded, therefore, as mere instruments of the brain, adding nothing directly to its perfection. The idiot and man of genius, the savage and the civilized, have the senses equally developed, while the intellectual development is far from being equal; indeed, in the savage, the majority of the senses are far more acute, than they are among those who have the benefits of the instruction of civilized life.

Feeling and Touch.-The organ of feeling is the skin; that of touch is the hand. There are different degrees of delicacy in the touch; the ends of the fingers possess it to the most perfect extent, while it is less in the palm. In both, motion is needed to perfect the sense of touch; but from the imperfect development of it in the palm of the hand, a movement, such as grasping, is absolutely needed to convey the impression of the form of a body to the brain.

It is by the transmission of a certain species of knowledge to the brain, that feeling, in common with the other senses, guards the safety of the individual. There are a number of curious facts recorded in different scientific works, which prove the truth of this assertion.

In the "Medico-Chirurgical Transactions," there is an account of a man whose hands up to the wrists, and whose feet and legs half way to the knees, were perfectly insensible to any species of injury; such as cutting, pinching, scratching,

FUNCTIONS OF THE SKIN.

COLD FATAL TO INFANTS.

Cv akng up or pen, in order to do so... w3y of nstructing the people, by the exam. 1.mal boy, we were a little in doubt where Essection

Is the most natural, we think, to comma so ir dere in dissection the scalpel first t bes, smis the part through which, as an Vid the acest amount of communicat young abjects. It is also the watchful sent is of the ears of hurtful things, and lik ruct on dry, is the first to be encounter. the acabe wi

The skin is regarded as the peculiar seat would treat of it as an organ of feeling o time, reserving for fature consideration other functions

While reflecting on this su arose to group with it the present to our readers ar the nature of the five ex they are seated, deranged,