tary man yearning indeed for the pleasure of society, yet always keeping himself aloof from mankind. He had planted himself in the wilderness, far from any other settlement, as if purposely burying himself in the tomb of the forest. There was one trait which strongly marked the character of this man; and that was, a detestation of every thing French. This, doubtless, originated in the fact, that his brother's captivity and death were chargeable to the French army, and he naturally enough learned to detest every thing that could be associated with the cause of that event which darkened his whole existence. A striking evidence of this deep and bitter prejudice, was furnished by the manner. in which the forrester treated a Frenchman who lived on the opposite side of the Sandusky river, and who was, in fact, the only person that could be esteemed his neighbor. Being divided by a considerable river, the two men were not likely to meet except by design; and as the Frenchman was advised of the prejudice of his neighbor against his countrymen, there was no personal intercourse between them. Thus they lived for many years, their families sometimes meeting; but quarrel and altercation almost invariably ensued upon such occasions. In all these cases, it was the custom of the farmer to indulge in harsh reflections upon the French character, and each action of his neighbor was commented upon with bitterness. Every unfavorable rumor touching the Frenchman's character, however improbable, was readily believed; and his actions, that deserved commendation rather than blame, were distorted into evil, by misrepresentation or the imputation of bad motives. Thus these two families, living in the solitude of the mighty forest, and impelled, it would seem, by the love of sympathy and society, to companionship, were still separated by a single feeling — that of prejudice. The two men, so far as they knew, had never met, and had never seen each other; but that strange feeling of the human breast, that judges without evidence and decides without consulting truth or reason, parted them like a brazen wall. Under circumstances, when every thing around might seem to enforce kindness upon the heart; even here, amid the majesty of nature's primeval forest, and away from the ferment of passions engendered amid towns and villages; to this lone spot the tempter had also migrated, and put into the bosom of man the serpent of an evil passion. Thus things passed, till the two men had numbered nearly eighty years. At last, the rumor came to the farmer that the Frenchman was dying and it was remarked that a smile, as of pleasure, passed over his furrowed face. Soon after, a messenger came, saying that the dying Frenchman wished to see his neighbor, and begging him, in the name of Heaven, to comply with his request. Thus urged, the old man took his staff, proceeded to the river, and being set across in a boat, advanced toward the Frenchman's cabin. As he approached it, he saw the aged man reclining upon a bed of bear-skins, beneath a group of trees, near his house. By his side were his children, consisting of several grown-up men and women. They were kneeling, and in tears, but as the farmer approached, they rose, and at a sign from their dying father, stood a little apart, while the stranger approached. The Frenchman held out his hand, and said in a feeble voice, "Brother -I am dying-let us part in peace." 66 Our old farmer took the cold hand, and tears unwonted tears coursed down his cheeks. For a moment he could not speak. But at last he said My friend, you speak English- and you call me brother. I thought you was a Frenchman, and I have ever esteemed a Frenchman as an enemy. And God knows I have cause - for I had once a brother, indeed. He came into life at the same hour as myself- for we were twins and all our early days were passed in undivided companionship. Our hearts were one, for we had no hopes or fears, no wants or wishes, no pleasures or pastimes, that were not mutually shared. But in an evil hour I was robbed of that brother by the French army. My father fell in the fight, and since that dark day, my life has been shadowed with sorrow." A convulsion seemed to shake the emaciated form of the sick old man, and for a time he could not speak. At last, he faltered forth-"Have you never seen your brother since that day?" "Never!" said the other. a "Then you see him, here!" said the Frenchman and falling backward upon his couch of skins slight tremor ran over his frame, and he was no more. The explanation of the scene was this. The lifeless man was indeed the brother of the farmer. After being taken by the French troops, as has been related, he was conducted to Montreal, where he was detained for nearly two years. After his release, he retraced his steps to his former home, on the banks of the Ohio, but found his birthplace deserted: he also learned the death of his father and the departure of his brother. For years he sought the latter in vain, and at last returned to Montreal. Here he married, and after some years, removed, with a numerous family, to the borders of the Sandusky. He at length discovered that his nearest neighbor was his brother; but having found himself repulsed as a Frenchman, and treated rather like a robber, than a friend, a feeling of injury and dislike had arisen in his breast and therefore he kept the secret in his bosom, till it was spoken in the last moments of existence. Thus it happened, in the tale we have told, that prejudice obstinately indulged, prevented the discovery of an important truth, and kept the mind that was the subject of it, wrapped in gloom and sorrow for years, which might otherwise have been blessed by the realizing of its fondest hopes. And thus prejudice often prevents a man from discovering that the object of his dislike, could he see and know him as he isis indeed and, as such, a brother. a man THE RAINBOW BRIDGE. Love and Hope and Youth, together 'T was named the river of Despair, And down they went, the giddy things! But Hope put forth his ready wings, |