You can all make your minds
easy about witches."

Then came triumph instead of dread, and scorn took the place of fear.
There arose a succession of shouts and cheers, laughter and jeers. They
patted their knees and shuffled their feet and wagged their heads in
derision.

"Hyar! hyar! old gal! Done burnt up, is you? Take keer whar you lay yo'
aigs arfer dis!" advised William Wirt in a loud voice.--"Go 'long, pizen
sass!" said Martha. "You done lay yo' las' aig, you is!"--"Hooray
tag-rag!" shouted Chesterfield.--"Histe yo' heels, ole Mrs. Satan,"
cried one.--"You ain't no better'n a free nigger!" said another.--"Yo'
wheel done skotch for good, ole skeer-face! hyar! hyar! You better not
come foolin' 'long o' Mas' Ned's niggers no mo'!"

The next night was a gala one, and a merrier set of negroes never sang
at a corn-shucking, nor did a jollier leader than Wash ever tread the
pile, while Mercy sat on a throne of shucks receiving Sambo's homage,
and, unmolested by fear, coyly held a corncob between her teeth as she
hung her head and bashfully consented that he should come next day to
"ax Mas' Ned de liberty of de plantashun."

"But, Edward," said I, "why did those three powders turn black?"

"Because they were calomel, my dear, and it was lime-water that was
poured on them," said Mr. Smith.

"Well, but why did not the others turn black too?"

"Because the others were tartarized antimony."

"Where did you get what was in the plates, that made the lights, you
know?"

"Rutherford had the material. He is going to settle in a small country
town, so he provided himself with all sorts of drugs and chemicals
before he left Philadelphia."

"But, Edward," persisted I, putting my hand over his book to make him
stop reading, "how came those things where they were found? and the
balloon to ascend just at the proper moment? and who or what was it
screaming so? Neither you nor Dr. Rutherford had left the yard except to
go into the house."

"No, my dear; but you remember Dick Kirby came over just after dinner,
and he would not ask any better fun than to fix all that."

"Humph!" said I, "men are not so stupid, after all."

Edward looked more amused than flattered, which shows how conceited men
are.

JENNIE WOODVILLE.

ON THE STUDY OF SHAKESPEARE'S SONNETS.

The last thing which the student learns, the last thing which the world,
that universal student, comprehends, is ho