"Ring the bell!" said the steward, in the | the only officer available at that hour of the tern tones of command. night. He came, and the villain was ironed. The constable and the steward kept guard over him till morning. "See here, steward; can't we arrange this thing," replied Dock, turning to his remorseess captor. Dock followed the merchant into the diningroom, closely attended by his guard. "Vincent!" exclaimed Mr. Watson, when he turned to see who his midnight visitor was. "Yes, sir," replied the steward. "You will pardon me for bringing him here, sir; but I did not know what else to do with him." "Vincent, where is my daughter?" demanded the merchant, earnestly. "She is on her way to Australia," replied Dock, who was now beginning to recover his self-possession, and to measure the conse quences of his misfortune. "I beg to suggest, Mr. Watson, that his reply is a wretched falsehood," interposed the steward. "I heard him tell Mr. Fairfield that his vessel wasn't a great ways from New York." "In the latitude of New York, I meant merely. Mr. Watson, this man is making a mess of it for you. I made my demand of you by letter. Give me the money, and your daughter shall be restored. If you don't, you will never see her again, whatever may happen to me," said Dock. "Not a dollar! Not a penny!" replied Mr. Watson, with emphasis. "Very well, Mr. Watson. You will discover your mistake soon enough," added Dock. "B [TO BE CONTINUED.] VIOLA'S REVENGE. BY MAY LEONARD. ELIEVE in fairies? Nonsense, my dear; of course not; no sensible person ever did or ever will. They live only in the brain of foolish fanatics and credulous children. Never read a fairy tale, Edith; they weaken the mind;" and papa Bramhill looked wisely over his spectacles at little Edith's disappointed face, so absorbed in his own sage advice that he never saw a wee form peeping from the back of Edith's chair, and menacing him with a tiny forefinger. "Don't believe in us, eh?" laughed the fairy Viola. "But you shall, my good sir; you shall. Come, Thistle and Starlight, come, Pollen and Rosella, torment and teach, bewitch, bewilder, and convert papa Bramhill. "We want an officer and a pair of hand-ill bred." him while I procure assistance?" Mr. Watson called his two men, and sent one of them for Constable Cooke, who was "I never, papa!" cried Edith, in astonish ment. 66 Humming is quite as bad; and you should not answer so pertly." And, quite "out of tune," papa Bramhill prepared to go "down town." What did possess him? Very composedly | counts," that Miss Willis commissioned the he placed Edith's jaunty chip hat, with its black-eyed girl to lead him to his office, confloating ribbons, upon his elderly head, sur- cluding that the poor gentleman had lost his veying himself in the glass quite approvingly wits, and that there, if anywhere, they might meanwhile. Her little piqué sack he fastened be found. 'n an awkward bunch about his throat. "My overcoat seems rather uncomfortable now." he soliloquized; "but I may need it at night. I must not forget my umbrella," he continued, tying two yards of cherry ribbon about his neck. "O, and my note-book! Ah, here it is!" And he clapped Edith's "contrahand" dolly into his breast-pocket, from which the bead eyes and woolly head peeped out, to the inexpressible delight of all the street boys. "Now for a rush to the office. Such a day's work before me!" Accordingly he hurried on until he reached a large stone building, when he ran up a long flight of stairs, hung his little hat and sack upon a peg, and, all breathless, entered Miss Willis's school-room. "How odd!" thought the teacher. Mr. Bramhill must care a great deal for Edith's welfare to visit her school in business hours. Good morning, sir," she said, politely. "Morning, Jenkins," was the curt rejoinder. "He has brought his business with him, since he takes me for his book-keeper," thought Miss Willis. Mr. Bramhill sat down, and taking up a multiplication-table card, with the remark, "I'll glance at the Morning Herald," was soon apparently absorbed in contemplating 5 X 1 = 5. &c. = Soon Edith entered, and with a little flush of surprise upon her cheek, and a little flutter at her heart, took her seat. Mr. Bramhill interrupted the first recitation, and startled a tall, black-eyed girl by calling to her, in a very loud tone, as if she were below and he above stairs, "Brown! send Robert up to me. Ah, here he is," he continued, clapping Edith upon the shoulders. "Mailed those letters, Rob?" "No, sir," she answered, timidly. "Where are they?" As soon as they gained the street, Mr. Bramhill, calling his guide's attention to some distant object, darted into a toy shop, which he left by a back entrance. At a late hour he reached his place of business; and, telling his astonished clerks to "assort those bills," threw down sundry paper parcels, which, on opening, disclosed a collection of sweetmeats, peanuts, penny-whistles, jumping-jacks, &c. And then followed the strangest experience of Mr. Bramhill's life. When he spoke to his book-keeper, he called him "Robin Goodfellow;" Brown he styled "Sindbad;" and, in spite of himself, absurd as he knew it to be, to each clerk he gave the name of some hero of nursery lore. His Ledger bore the strange title "Arabian Nights' Entertainments; "Day Book" was changed to "Wonder Book;" and even his dusty Almanac displayed, in tempting lettering, "The Rose and the King, a Fireside Pantomime." Truly, everything seemed bewitched; his safe could not be opened, and the key turned in the lock of his desk endlessly, but in vain. When he tried to direct the business of the day, the only words his lips would frame were those old, old magic syllables, almost sacred from the associations they awaken, "There was once upon a time." And then would flow from his mouth of itself, it seemed to him, some wild, romantic fairy tale, that had slumbered in his mind since boyhood. His clerks were amazed. "It must be either intoxication or insanity," he heard them say. He strove to explain; but still his speech dashed, shipwrecked, upon that fatal, inexorable "Once upon a time." Business was of course out of the question, when the master signed his orders "Puck," and to meet bills due told Swift ("Cobweb" he called him) to "take a bit of witch hazel, "I gave them- O, stay perhaps you'll and find the money in the old Common.” find them in there; " and Mr. Bramhill threw the contraband upon a desk with great violence. Amid the laughter of her schoolmates, Edith caught up her doll, and, bursting into tears, ran home Mr. Bramhill occasioned such confusion by addressing the pupils as "Brown," "Swift," "Judson," &c., and ordering them to make such and such " entries," and "balance ac He groaned in spirit, knowing that this was not the way to conduct business; but that he was incapable of doing. Business, that bore a horrible resemblance to play, was conducting him to ruin, he feared. He saw, in vision, the fairy's prophecy come true. - When he started for home, twilight seemed to fall and fade with unnatural rapidity; and every street was strange, and wound away, leading nowhere. Twenty times he stumbled over invisible rocks; three times he rolled into unsuspected gutters. At last, after much wandering and wondering, he was obliged to own himself utterly lost. level best ter git possession of ther gun; fust one git a leetle advantage, then 'tother; fust one with a good purchase on it, then lose it; so on fer 'bout half a hour; and it was growin' dark right fast. Thinks I, suthin's got ter be done. Ef I git my rifle squar in my hands agin, why then I pops Injin over. Ef he gits Phantom lights danced before his eyes, and mocking laughter rippled through the treetops. As he sat down, exhausted and dejected, a it, he pops me over. It's 'bout even chances voice, strangely familiar, seemed to sing, that way. Now, thinks I agin, ef I jest pulls ther trigger now, ther gun goes off inter ther air, and neither on us hurt. Then ef I git possession on it, I kin load it agin, and down goes Injin; and ef I don't git possession on it, and he does, why he can't load it agin, fer I've got ther ammernition my-self. "Havin' settled that satisfac'rily, I pulled trigger, and ther gun went off. Well, gentlemen, ef yer will b'leve it, that thar dog-goned red pizen-drier no sooner hears ther gun go off than, as ef he seed jest what I war at, he draps ther rifle, and makes a grab fer my knife, whar it stuck in my belt. him "I orter told yer afore, gentle-men, that ther redskin hadn't not no sort of arms along with fer yer see, when he strolled out of the village, he hadn't not no sort of idear of takin' sech a long walk. He war not awar', gentle-men, that Dan'el Cooper war about to surround him. "Wal, when he grabbed fer my knife, I war quick enough fer him. I never yit see ther Injin I warn't quick enough fer, ef I do say it. Ther rifle drapped onter ther ground, and we beginned ther second tussle on ther programme, each on us tryin' now ter git possession of ther knife. "I had managed tol'ble well so fer about keepin' on my pins; but ef ther day ever comes when any of yer has ther luck to lose a leg, jer will find out that it is dog-goned diffikilt to tussle with a Injin; and tharfore yer won't be surprised when I allow that at larst ther redskin throwed me. But he hedn't got ther knife yit, and when we fell I jest put my arms around ther critter, and hugged him like I war a bar. I am tremenduous on a hug, gentle-men, and some day when I'm in sperits fer it, I'll tell yer 'bout ther grizzly bar I hugged to death down by Bob Cobby Flat, in ther Yallerstone country. "Wal, we hugged and hugged, and rolled and rolled, fust one on top, then 'tother; fust Christian, then Camanche, around and around, flop, flop, grunt, grunt, growlin' and sw'arin', till we'd laid over 'bout two acres of ground, and smashed ther grass down wuss nor ef a herd of buffler had b'en wallerin' thar — that's so, William! - and all to a sudd'n Injin got his fist inside, and 'gun ter twist my knife-belt till | I thort he'd make my eye start right outen my | way; and thar we sot all night, watchin' each head. Then, gentle-men, I see thar was goin' other mighty keerful, and holdin' each other ter be a fight, sure. I jist throwed away all my by ther top. reserve, and made up my mind thar shouldn't be no more foolin' in that part of ther perrarie. So I quietly drapped my chor of terbacker over my left shoulder, wiped my mouth on my sleeve, and sot my teeth inter Camanche's cheek 'bout a feet. I'spect it must a hurt him, jedgin' by ther way he yelled. He quit twistin' my belt, and gin a spring back and jerked hisself outen my arms, grabbin' arter my knife agin as he done so, and this time he got it. But he didn't keep it, gentle-men - not fer long. Afore he knowed whar ther lightnin' come frum, I up with my wooden leg and hit the knife a kick that throwed it so high it never come down agin; leastways, I hain't seed it "When mornin' come, Injin offered ter gin me back my leg ef I'd agree to sartin terms. Fustly, I throwed all my ammernition inter ther creek. Secondly, I writ him a letter of recommendation - the letter you saw, gentlemen. Ther bloody pizen-drier had ther tools in his pouch, yer see that is so, gentle-men, though it may strike yer as oncommon. That thar Spotted Nose has been sarchin' arter some white man to gin him a recommend these three year - William will tell yer so." Then we grappled agin — this time standin' - and he begun to haul me along towards ther creek. Ther bank war ruther steep jest thar, and I seed his game ter wunst. I kinder braced my wooden leg agin ther grass, and pertended ter haul back; but I let him drag me keen to ther edge of ther creek, and then I shot forrerd and pushed him afore me, and down we went inter ther creek together. -- "Yes," said Bucket, "it ar a fact. Most all ther Camanches hev got a notion fer gittin' recommends frum white men hit's one of thar superstitious notions, I reckon. Finish yer story, Dan." Spotted Nose, as soon as he got ahold of that thar valerble recommend, gin me my leg, and bounded off towards the Camanche village with a whoop. I didn't wait to put on my leg, but jest crawled ter my rifle, slung it across my back, and dropped inter ther creek, whar I swum fur an hour, fer I expected ther redskins would foller my trail as soon as Spotted Nose got back ter 'em." [TO BE CONTINUED.] THE SHEPHERD AND HIS RAM. A free translation from the French. "I'm some on a swim myself, but Camanche is ahead of me, I allow -on account of my leg, of course. It was a tough skrimmage, in ther water thar. I had ther best on it at fust got ahold of ther varmint's scalp-lock with my right hand, and put his head under water. He kicked and struggled hard; but I held him under, and at larst he stopped kickin' and begun to sink. Thinks I, Yer done fer now, Camanche; and I let go, and struck out fer ther I. THE Strange SceNE ON THE MOUNTAIN. shore. I made a great mistake that time, gentlemen. Injin war playin' possum on me. When I war jest to shore I felt my wooden leg ketched aholt of, and afore I knowed, chor me up inter buffler chips ef he hadn't twisted the dog-goned thing clean off-that's so, William! "Of course he had me at a advantage then, gentle-men, fer I couldn't git about no more, and he had my pin in his hand fer a club. We both got to shore safe, and then he come at me with it. Thar war a perdicament, you'll allow, gentle-men. Hit's the fust time I ever knowed of a man in danger of havin' his brains knocked out with his own leg! BY PAUL COBDEN. Author of "Bessie Lovell," " Madge Graves," and other stories. One day, after the poor animal had endured a shower of blows, he started off, at full speed, for a mountain, not far distant; but the shepherd followed on and overtook him, and at "I made fight agin, my friends. Thar is no once began to beat him more furiously than gin under to Dan'el Cooper. Camanche sor it ever. The faster the ram flew over the road, arter a while, and we come to a peace under- the faster and harder came down the strokes standin'. We sot down on ther bank, takin' upon his back. But the pursued, panting anahold of each other by ther har in a friendly | imal would not stop no, not even at the foot of the mountain. Casting a glance upward, he hurried up its steep side as fast as he could, the shepherd still keeping close by him. At last they reached a very narrow place, so narrow that either the sheep or the man must fall back; for on one side was an almost per- | pendicular rock, and on the other a deep precipice. The ram immediately stopped, and the shepherd tried in vain to drive him forward; but not succeeding, he flew into a new passion, and said, "Very well, you stubborn creature, stand where you are, if you choose; but you'll see, in a moment, that I can fight you to better advantage on the other side." So saying, he laid his hands on the animal's back, and bounded over his head; but the sudden spring left him on his hands and knees; and wher he tried to rise, he found he could not. And O, wonder of wonders! - his hands had been changed into sheep's feet, and his whole body was like that of a ram, of just such a ram as le had been pursuing and beating. He had the face, and features, and horns of a ram, and also the fat tail and curly wool. | Greatly to his mortification, no other voice was given to him. He bleated when he saw the sheep and lambs, and they bleated back a joyful answer when they saw him coming home at night. And his parents were, in their turn, deceived, when they saw the flock going into the fold; but it did not escape their notice that their son was more even tempered than ever before, and that he had returned from the pasture much more docile than he went. "It is very singular," said the delighted mother, "that our Gerimel, who went away this morning as angry as a fighting-cock, has come back as meek as a sheep." The new ram, however, had lost nothing but the form of Gerimel. He had retained his spirited, ugly disposition; and when the first moments of surprise were past, he said, in sheep language, to his keeper (the only man in the world who was in a state to comprehend him), "You will, of course, do what you choose with me, but I will never consent to be humbled by my powerful enemy." cruelty." "You will consent to be," was the reply, While Gerimel, the shepherd, was undergo-"or you will be more severely punished for ing this dreadful metamorphosis, the ram was your resistance than you now are for your passing through quite as great a transformation, but one of a very different nature; and he suddenly found himself a shepherd, - a man, to all appearance, and the perfect image of Gerimel. And suddenly there was given to him a voice, and he opened his mouth and said, "My friend, we have changed places, and we are to act a new and very different part. You are now to follow me, unless you wish to be devoured by wolves." Gerimel saw that there was no such thing as escaping, from the fact that he had been turned into a ram; and, filled with fear as he was, he followed the new shepherd, eying well the stick that had passed from his hands into the hands of his new master. Gerimel (for the old ram had taken not only the form and face, but the name, of Gerimel), seeing the terror of the new ram, said to him,"You need fear nothing. I only wish to teach you your duty, and I shall, therefore, be very careful not to follow your example. Be a good sheep, and I will be a good shepherd." What could the man do, now that he had become a ram, but resign himself to his sad fate? Of what avail would it have been to blame Heaven or Fortune, and thus vent his indignation in the hearing of the new Gerimel, even if he could have done it? But he could not. He was a sheep, and all he could do was to bleat. "And what more can any one do," continued the ram, in sheep language, "besides lowering me to the rank of a vile animal?" "They can send you to the butcher," coolly answered the new shepherd. This made the ram tremble from top to toe, and he said nothing more, but began to browse with the rest of the flock. O, how much he found to complain of in his new condition! and yet he was treated very gently. One day the dog, wishing to torment him, chased him around and tried to bite him, but the good Gerimel rushed after the dog, and, with heavy blows, brought him to terms. Now that the ram was no longer the shepherd Gerimel that he had been, but a helpless ram, he thought this treatment very kind and just, and felt a secret admiration for the new shepherd. But his misery increased daily, for it was insupportably wearisome and humiliating to be a ram! And, indeed, he found it very difficult to keep the place of a ram. Often, when he came home at night, he would forget to go to the sheepfold; and once he walked into the house. Sometimes, even when he did not forget that his place was with the rest of the sheep. he would stop before his father's door and bleat so sadly that some one would come out and |