that the poor Squalus is sometimes quite beside him- | Archistratus, the bon-vivant of his book, will not self from the torment, and rushes like a blind Poly- allow men to object to a shark diet, merely because phemus through the waves in search of any thing to the shark sometimes diets upon men. Galen, on the cram down his maw and allay such urgent distress; other hand, denounces shark's flesh, but only from he does not seek to be cruel, but he is cruelly fam- its supposed tendency to produce melancholy. We ished, and must satisfy, not only his own ravenous do not know whether the Latins ever ate them. appetite, but the constant demands of these internal Among modern nations, Italians and Sicilians cook parasites, either with dead or living animals; so, only the belly of the old fish; and foetal sharks not sped as from a catapult, he pounces on a quarry, and much bigger than gudgeons, whenever they can progorges, like a boa constrictor, a meal sometimes so cure a dish. In the still less dainty Hebrides, the great as to press upon and protrude a large portion of Squalus vulgaris is consumed entire; in England the intestine, which, after one of these crapulous they are not relished; but in Norway and Iceland repasts, may not unfrequently be seen trailing seve- the inhabitants make indiscriminate use of every ral feet from the body. species that they capture, hanging up the carcases for It is an interesting fact in the history of sharks- a whole year that the flesh may mellow. Though and one by no means without precedent in our own- no part of the shark is really wholesome, one part, that violent passions, parasites, and indigestions, do the liver, very valuable in a commercial point of not seem to ruffle the equable current of the blood, view from the abundance of oil squeezed from it, is and that the pulse continues regular, and averages highly prejudicial for food, as we learn, on the evionly sixty beats in a minute. As with us a good di- dence of the following case of an obscure French gestion (the common accompaniment of a quiet cobbler, recorded by an eminent French physipulse) may be and often is connected with a bad dis- | cian :position, who knows but that Heliogabalus and Nero, those admirable human types and representatives of the genus shark in so many other particulars, may have resembled them in this also, and in the midst of their orgies and atrocities have enjoyed a calm circulation. Sieur Gervais, his wife and two children, supped upon a piece of shark's liver; in less than half an hour all were seized with invincible drowsiness, and threw themselves on a straw mattress; nor did they arouse to consciousness till the third day. At the end of this long lethargy their faces were inflamed and red, with an insupportable itching of the whole body; complete desquamation of the cuticle followed, and when this flaying process was concluded, the Sharks are sometimes eaten, but more out of bra- THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH. THE knights of Espana, the valiant, And this legend of old-time they reverenced That over the foaming Atlantic, In a kingdom of ever-bright flowers, Safely sheltered from danger, it offered To all who in faith sought its bowers, A draught from its goblet like nectar And, thenceforth the beauties of youth, And I have a fountain upspringing I have drunk of its waters, and gladly In a cool, shady grotto it gushes, There pass I my happiest hours. White lilies, so pure, of the valley Gather round it like children at home, And violets creep to its margin, For a kiss from its sparkling, bright foam; The heart's-ease peeps out from the clusters Of lilies, to look in its face, For often is vividly mirrored Therein all her beauty and grace. Though the rose from my cheek will soon vanish, Yet youth is now with me, and never Will I lose it-no! never grow old, Oh! what is the beauty of figure, A beauty eternal, unfading, I have in the heart and the mind. HUSH! HUSH! A LEGEND OF RHINELAND. BY DONALD MACLEOD. I was so tired of Mayence. I had seen the cathedral so often, and witnessed the stiff recruit drillings in the barrack-yard, and crossed the bridge of boats, and wandered in the palatial gardens of Biberich, and ridden to Francfort to look at the Ariadne, or Lessing's “Trial of Huss,” or Overbeck's “Triumph of Religion," or old Rothschild, or the Austrian soldiers, or the Kaisersaal, or the statue of Goethe, or the shop windows, or the English travelers in thick shoes and incipient moustaches, or at some other of the thousand-and-one curiosities of the quaint old Freistadt-that some change became absolutely ne cessary. I tried to speak Danish with the only other idle man in the Three Crowns, but he did not understand me: then he spoke English, but I did not understand him; and then we took off our hats, bowed, grinned at each other in a most imbecile manner, and turned away. He sat down at a little table in the salle á manger, and called for a bottle of Braunerberger; | and I packed up a little traveling sack, got on board a steamboat, and was whisked off down the Rhine. On the steamer-dampschiff says the German, but the Dutchman calls it stoomboot-just opposite me sat an old, fat German lady, by the side of her oid, fat spouse. He was smoking his pipe; she was patting his plump left hand between her own. times he would take the meerschaum from his lips, turn round slowly and regard his mate through the light clouds issuing from his-mouth; then the old lady would give him a wide and benign smile, and pat his left hand a little more rapidly; after which he would resume the pipe, and both would subside into their ordinary, fat calm. Zu Klingenberg am Main, Hab' ich in meinen Tagen At Klingenburg on Main, at Würzburg on the Stein, That they grow the choicest wine. Joyously sweeps the Rhine by Lorch, through the home of the German Lyæus-sweeps swiftly but crookedly in a rollicking, tipsy way, whispering to the vineyards the last news from the glaciers, and stopping for an instant at the gate of Lorch to get a drink of water which the modest little Wisper furnishes. I went strolling up the banks of that same modest little Wisper, listening to the strange sound of the north wind soughing through the valley-precisely resembling, as the name implies, the busy whispers of a thousand spirits in the air. When I say the sound of the wind, I use the lanSpirits are guage of foolish men. I know better. they; but whether good or bad, angels or cobbolds, minions of Rübezahl, or gentle fays, gnomes, pixies or Loreleis, I, alas, cannot tell; but I know what I Some-think-For The only other thing that much attracted my attention on board, was a small boy gorging himself with walnuts, gingerbread and apples in rapid and endless succession, till his dull, blue eyes seemed to be on the point of popping out of his head. Whether they did so eventually or not, I cannot say, for I went ashore at Lorch, and gave my sack to a one-eyed waiter at the Swan inn. Lorch, as you know, is just below the Mouse Tower (Mauesenthurm) in which cruel Bishop Hatto was eaten by the rats, in punition of his cruelty in withholding the grain from the people in time of famine-and just above old Baccharach (Bacchi Ara,) which owes its name to its wealth of vines. Above it, in it, around it, below it, the hill sides were green with luxuriant foliage, nearly all the houses are wine shops, grapes are the only fruit-most of the stone is in the form of jugs, and most of the glass is bottle glass-I might add, that what little meadow there is, is bottle green. When I had gotten well into the valley, and was skirting a knot of thick willows, with my eyes fixed upon a wild looking rock before me, there came a sough heavier than usual, and a gruff "Hein!" was I turned and saw an immense uttered near me. head, all forehead and pale blue eyes, covered with very little hair, and apparently without a body, waving to and fro upon the tops of the rank weeds. "Dame!" said I. "Guten Tag," said the head, and it came toward me. Then I saw that there was a body under it, clad in velveteen shooting-jacket and trousers, with a pipe stem visibly protruding from one pocket, and a schnaps-flasche from another. Then I returned the salutation; and the head began to be wiped with a yellow silk handkerchief, clutched in a red, fire-like hand, and to talk with great rapidity. "Hein! it is very warm to-day. Walking for your pleasure, no doubt. Your very good health, sir, and to our better acquaintance. Try a drop of schnaps." As he spoke he took the pewter flask from his pocket, slipped off the false bottom which served for a cup, filled it, bolted the contents, and then refilling it, handed it to me. I rendered it all due justice, and pointing to the wild scene before us, asked him if it were familiar to him. 1 "Familiar!" he exclaimed. "I should suppose | showed not three maidens, but three thousand! Turn were they would, they saw ivory arms extended, and red lips smiling welcome, and golden hair rolling so. It it is one of the most awful places in the coun- "I am sorry to be so ill-informed, but I never even heard of those gentlemen. I wish you would tell me the story." "So the blockheads stood with gaping mouths, grinning foolishly, and open eyes staring at the maidens or their images, until one of the mirrors slid back, and a stern, powerful old man came into the room, clad in a long, velvet robe, to the girdle of which his grizzled beard fell thickly. "You are welcome,' he said. 'No doubt you have come to espouse my daughters!' "I will; but first try some more schnaps. No more! Why? Well, I will; here's to you. And now let us sit down here on this bit of wall. Don't be frightened, and don't go to sleep, and I will tell about the three little burghers of May-Mayence, and felt no especial affection toward such ence." I obeyed all the little man's directions, and he continued: "Johann Würzelkopf, Herman Weinsoffer and Mäusche Kleidermacher were three young burghers of Mayence, from twenty-one to twenty-five years old it may be; old enough to enjoy personal liberty, but not old enough always to take care of themselves, the proof of which assertion will be seen in the sequel. "But the burghers thought of their schätzen at a father-in-law. A little amusement with the young beauties were all very well, but matrimony! Ah, that was more serious. "Do you still hesitate,' thundered the imperious gray-beard. "Then again the charmers wooed the young men with smiles, and opened their ivory arms, and threw "Now, instead of going to mass, like good Rhenish back the golden hair, shaking from the tresses an inChristians, they must needs pick out the Pfingsten-toxicating perfume. fest, that is, Pentecost morning for a frolick on the river, and going to Baccharach below there, they spent the morning in proving the excellence of the wines; and when filled with courage, pottle deep, they came up the river to Lorch, and out to the valley here to seek for adventures, forsooth. Well, they found them." "No-no-no, my lord,' stammered the burghers of Mayence. "It is well for you!' and he laughed a grisly So, now embrace your brides.' laugh. "So they advanced with extended hands, but only Here the little man gave a low, malicious chuckle, touched the gold surface of the glass; and whichever and went on. "They pushed through yonder thicket to the face of those rocks there, which to their eyes took the form of an immense old castle; and the clefts resembled Gothic pointed doors, and the crannies and crevices looked like windows. As they were gazing, they espied at one of these pretended windows three faces of enchanting beauty. Golden hair falling over shoulders of ivory, blue eyes full of merriment, and crimson, pouting lips, smiling just enough to show teeth like pearls. As they gazed, these pretty lips opened a little wider to emit this sound "Hush! Hush!' each of the three sweet mouths said Hush!' and the little sense which remained in the heads of the youngsters was driven away, and they became half crazy with love for the three enchantresses. A white hand and arm then pointed to a doorway, and the young men entered it and made their way along a narrow hall, where they found themselves suddenly in profoundest darkness, while around them rustled, with a thousand echoes, the mysterious 'hush! hush!' After some groping about, however, they at last found a door, which they opened and entered an immense saloon, lined with mirrors and blazing with a thousand lights. "And the sweet voices of the three maidens cried Welcome, welcome!' and the ivory arms were stretched out toward the young men for an embrace. But the blaze of light dazzled them, and the mirrors way they turned, they saw the ivory arms, and heard the mocking laugh of the old man, mingled now with the silvery voices of the maidens, yet could find nothing but the mirrors that multiplied the figures of their brides, until at last they were half crazy. Then the father-in-law guided them toward the smiling beauties, and the touch of their hands and the flavor of their lips achieved the enchantment. "One moment,' cried the graybeard; 'before your perfect union, one proof of your tenderness is required. My daughters have lost their favorite birds, a starling, a crow, and a magpie. They are undoubtedly in the forest there, and we are not permitted to leave the castle until after the marriage of my daughters.' "How shall we know them from other birds of the same species?' asked Würzelkopf. "For it must be confessed,' added Weinsoffer with much wisdom, 'that one crow is very like another crow.' "And magpies generally go in pairs, you know.' This last remark was made by Mäusche Kleidermacher, and exhibited an observation of the habits of birds, remarkably creditable to a burgher of May ence. "You will have little difficulty in recognizing these birds, my dear sons-in-law, since they all speak when spoken to; the starling with a riddle, the crow in a song, and the magpie in a bio graphy of his grandmother. Go then, my sons, |ther, until whatsoever brains were possessed by get the birds, come back and be happy.' "Then he led them to the door, and they went forth into the forest. They had not wandered far before they saw the three birds sitting all upon one tree, saying and doing nothing. "Starling,' said Johann Würzelkopf, 'can'st thou make riddles?' and the starling answered, flying to his shoulder. "What's on your face, oh burgher, know you, That the best of mirrors cannot show you?' Johann Würzelkopf of course did not know, and therefore gave up all his attention to his comrade, Weinsoffer, who was asking the crow for a song. That bird, well-known as a musical character since the days of Esop, sang thus "Three friars of excellent appetites coasted A land where the ortolans fly ready roasted, And stood, begging all of those nice little pullets To be good enough just to fly down their gullets. But their throats were too large, or the birds too well grown, For not even one could contrive to get down; And the monks went off cursing the country o'er all, Where the birds were too fat, or the gullets too small.' "Weinsoffer was endeavoring to find the moral of this, when Mäusche Kleidermacher asked the magpie for his biographical-grandmaternal information, and Mag said, as the crow flew on Weinsoffer's shoulder "My grandmother was a magpie, Johann Würzelkopf, Hermann Weinsoffer, and Mäusche Kleidermacher, were so twisted and jum bled together, so wearied and stunned, so deafened and bedeviled, that they fell in sheer exhaustion, each with individual grunt, upon the floor. "Then all the noise ceased but the low, thousandvoiced utterance, Hush! hush! hush!'"' "After lying thus upon the floor for some time, the youths were helped upon their feet by their at tentive brides, and supported, with much tenderness, toward the tables. Then each old hag poured a little golden wine into a glass of Venice, and kissing the rim held it to the lips of her bridegroom. And when the three little burghers of Mayence had swal lowed the draught, they fell in a senseless lethargy upon the floor. "When they awaked the sun was high up in heaven. They found themselves lying among the furze at the foot of the rock, which, however, no more resembled a castle than it did a rose-bush. It was as common and disagreeable a mass of stone, granitic or otherwise, as one could wish to see. Full of shame, and foaming with rage, they began to make their way through the woods; but the horrible 'hush! hush!' sounded from all sides; the old witches looked out mockingly from every bush, and the three birds followed them, hopping from tree to tree; the starling proposing his riddle, the crow sing. ing his song, and the magpie as biographical as ever. "Nor were they at all relieved until they got to the edge of the wood, where they met a little manjust as you met me this morning, sir-and of him they demanded what these infernal birds could mean. "The answer to the starling's riddle,' said the little man, 'is, that each of you have received, invisibly to yourselves, a good six inches of additional nose. But the crow instructs you, when you have good, little sweethearts at home, to stick to them, and not to go about gaping at every pretty face whose lips may cry hush! hush!' as if you expected her to fly down your throats as the friars did the ortolans.' "But the magpie, worthy sir; what does she mean?' cried the three. "So singing, the magpie hopped upon Mäusche's shoulder, and the three friends went back to the castle, which they reached and entered before nightfall. But ah! what a change! Instead of mirrors and blaze of torches, and waving of golden hair, and gleam of ivory arms, they saw but cold, bare walls, tapestried by cobwebs, or the light moss produced by dampness. Sole relic of past glory was that three tables stood near each other, covered with all that could tempt the appetite, each in the guard of a toothless, wrinkled, blear-eyed, abominable old hag. While the three young men stood gaping, the old hags advanced, and drawing them with cold, clawlike hands toward the tables, cried Welcome, dear bridegrooms.' And then once seated at the tables, they caressed the poor burghers with their snaky arms, picked out dainty pieces of food and put them with their black, long-nailed fingers into the mouths of the bridegrooms, mumbling out nauseous endear-window. ments through their toothless jaws. "Oh, the magpie! Why she tells just such a story of her grandmother as your grandchildren will tell of you.' "So Weinsoffer, Würzelkopf and Kleidermacher went on their way, repentant and resolving—which is the moral of this legend-never to get tipsy on holyday mornings, and not to be attracted by every pretty face that might cry 'hush! hush!' from a "Such, sir, is the legend, and see yonder is the very magpie!" I turned to look, but saw no bird whatever, only I heard a chuckling laugh behind me, and when I turned round, the little man with the large head had disappeared. "Then they would have a wedding-dance; and springing up, they whirled their partners round and round the rooms, their old joints cracking like fifty castanets, their shrill voices screaming out a rapid song. And the starling, the crow, and the magpie flew rapidly through the mazes of the crazy waltz, perching now and then on head or shoulder, and screaming, croaking, chattering incessantly their riddle, their song, their story of the grandmo- I back to Lorch. So I reflected that he was perhaps the father of the three witches, and had been making fun of me. Then I shrugged my shoulders and walked meditatively ANNIE MORTON. BY AMY HARNED. "THERE comes dear father at last!" exclaimed | serious turn to the conversation; "but I do not inAnnie Morton, springing from her seat at an open window through which she had been earnestly looking a long time in expectation of his arrival, while her sewing rested unheeded upon her lap. "Oh, what a long, long week this has been without him: dear father!" And the rich blood mantled on her cheek; her black eyes sparkled, and the smile that parted her ruby lips made her very beautiful, as she stood for one moment ere she sprang through the casement and down the long avenue to meet the carriage which contained her father. The mother looked after her daughter with pride; but pressing her hand upon her heart as if in pain, she sunk back upon her seat. "Ah! what will she do without me, wild wayward as she is?" murmured Mrs. Morton. "The world has sadness in store for thee I fear, my daughter; when I am gone, who will shield thee, and care for thee, as I have done?" A deep shade of sadness rested for a moment upon her face; but it passed away as the mother bowed her head in prayer for her passionate, wayward, but loving child. She heard the party approaching the house, heard the kind voice of her husband as he answered the questions which Annie poured upon him, and with a sweet smile Mrs. Morton rose to meet them. The excitement of meeting her husband, after his temporary absence, brought a slight flush upon her cheek, making her look better than she really was; but it gladdened the heart of Mr. Morton, for when he left home she was so ill as to cause him much alarm; and as he folded his wife in his arms, he said, tenderly tend to set you down to your books yet awhile, my boy; you have studied too much already—you need rest. I wish to see you strong and well: exercise will be the best thing for you. There are horses in the stable at your service; and Annie, as wild a madcap as ever set foot in a saddle, ready to point out the beauties of all the country round, provided you can read Miss Landon to her, and listen to her chattering. What say you, my little magpie, will you have this young gentleman for your knight-errant? I doubt not he will be willing to do your bidding." Annie replied merrily: supper was announced, and, in pleasant chat, the evening passed rapidly away. Charlie Morton came the next day; and the warm grasp of his hand told to Robert how much he sympathized with him in the trials he had endured since they left college. No two persons could be more unlike than Charlie Morton and Robert Dennyn. Robert was tall, handsome, and but for the gaucherie of a boy unused to society, would have been very graceful. His face was pale, but the outline was perfect; a little too thin perhaps. At times, his large black eyes flashed and sparkled with a brilliancy that lighted up his pale face, otherwise-in its expression-too grave; and he surprised as well as interested his companions, for when in conversation he would forget himselffew youths could be more irresistible. Though brought up in a city, he had been more secluded than boys are generally, therefore his manners needed that ease and self-confidence which is only acquired by intercourse with society. His time, during his vacations, had been passed chiefly with his mother, whom he idolized. As he "Why, my dear Mary, I shall leave home oftener approached manhood, he saw that mother-so dear if my absence causes you to look so well. I have-fading slowly away. When the reality first burst not seen so handsome a woman since I have been in upon him that she was dying, Robert was stunned— B—; but I must not forget-here is a young gen-paralyzed beyond the power of action. Was there tleman waiting to be presented to you: I know you will welcome him." Tears stood in Robert Dennyn's eyes. There was something in Mrs. Morton's face, in her sweet, sad smile that reminded him painfully of his mother, who-but a few weeks previous-he had seen laid in the cold ground, hidden forever from his sight. He could scarcely command his voice to speak. Mrs. Morton noticed his agitation, and divined the cause of it. She extended both hands to him, and said"Robert Dennyn, I am glad to see you here. Your mother was the dearest friend of my girlhood; for the love of our early days, a son of hers will ever be most dear to me." "Charlie will be at home to-morrow, Robert," interrupted Mr. Morton gaily, anxious to give a less no elixir of life within his reach? Alas! no. The messenger of death came gently, peacefully to Mrs. Dennyn, and she died, blessing her husband and son for their unwearied love, their untiring devotion, which had soothed her many years of suffering. For a long time, Robert refused to be comforted; he had loved his mother with an intensity which admitted no other thought. Life, indeed, to him seemed a blank without her. Just at this time, Mr. Morton paid his old friend a visit. He was a man of acknowledged ability, and Mr. Dennyn knew that in placing his son with him, he would secure for him an able legal preceptor, as well as a kind friend. Mr. Morton willingly received him under his charge, while Robert gladly accepted |