in a large village, known by the name of Cartersville, nearly thirty miles distant; though she was compelled to pledge her only cow to defray the expenses of the man, and induce him to become answerable to the doctor for his pay. All this, as may be supposed, much increased the alarm in the district, and quickened into action those who had busied themselves in getting up an excitement against the master. Meanwhile, the innocent victim of these absurd imputations remained at his post, wholly ignorant of the stir that was going on about him, and thinking only of the misfortune which threatened his school. On the evening of the day last mentioned, he dismissed his school early, and with a heavy heart repaired to the residence of the distressed widow, to visit his sick little favorite. On reaching the house, he entered the room ordinarily occupied by the family; when he was introduced, by a woman in attendance, to Dr. Lincoln, the physician before named, who, having arrived a short time before, was now taking some refreshment. "Our little patient here is a pupil of yours, sir?" inquiringly said the doctor, who was a small, unostentatious, but a highly intellectual man. “He is,” replied Locke; "and I can hardly express how much anxiety I feel for his situation, which I fear you will pronounce dangerous." "Your apprehensions, I regret to say, are but too well grounded, sir." "What do you consider the true character of his disease?” "Whatever it may have been at first, it is now a brain fever, threatening congestion." ? "Are you prepared to assign any particular cause "Of his first attack, I am not. In regard to the form the disease has now assumed, I may be better prepared, perhaps, to give an opinion after asking you a few questions. What are the boy's habits of study and scholarship?" "He is a bright scholar· trious and anxious to learn." uncommonly so - very indus "I suspected so. And you have held up to him what to others, perhaps, would scarcely be an inducement sufficient to move them, but what, to his sensitive mind, has incited him to unwonted exertions?" "As you say, sir, I may have said that which had the effect to incite him; although, I am sure, I have used more exertions with many others." 66 "I presume so. It does not require a timber-chain to draw a miser to a supposed bed of gold. A bare glimpse of the loved treasure is enough to kindle his whole soul for the eager grasp. So with the youthful intellect, if bright, and united with a strong love of learning. And let me caution you, my dear sir, how you spur on such a mind, in one of tender years. The body must be permitted to grow, as well as the mind. Very bright children are said always to die first, and though the cause generally assigned for this may be false, there is yet much truth in the saying; the true cause of the fact being, that the minds of such children, by the injudiciously applied incitements of parents and teachers, are often so over-wrought, that disease, at every slight attack on other parts of the system, is prone to fly to the enfeebled brain, and, oftener than otherwise, destroy its victim. In these remarks you will read the opinion to which I incline respecting the present case." "Ay; but are you aware that several others of my school have been taken ill, and those, too, that would be the last to whom you would think of imputing injury from undue mental exertion?" "I have so understood, sir. There may have been some local cause for these, as well as the first attack of the poor little fellow here. Has any such cause suggested itself to your mind?" "No! unless it be the late sudden and great change in the weather." "That will hardly account for the manner in which your school, almost the whole of it, in some degree, as I understand, has been affected, in a time of such general health. There must be other causes, which I feel some curiosity to ascertain before I return." The conversation was here interrupted by the entrance of a woman of the neighborhood, one of that valuable class of society who retail news, with comments. "Do you attend the school-meeting to-night, Mr. Amsden?" she soon asked; for she did not appear very bashful in claiming her right to a share in the conversation. 66 School-meeting, madam!" said Locke, in surprise; I was not aware that there was to be one." "O yes, there is; why, everybody is going, they say. I supposed you, of course, knew it.” "This is the first I have heard of it. But what is the object of the meeting?" 66 "O, to see what's to be done about the scholars being in this sickly and malagantly way, to be sure. Some say the school won't keep any more, at any rate. But I tell 'em, like enough the master will clear it up, after all 's said and done.” "Clear up what, pray, madam? Of what can I possibly be accused, in connection with this misfortune to my school?" - "O, don't ask me now I let it pass into one ear and out the other, what I hear; because I never mean to be one of those who go about telling things to breed mischief and illwill among people." And here the good and scrupulous lady struck off in a tangent, and asked the doctor, now while she thought of it, as she said, seeing she had heard a great many disputes about it, "whether saffron or camomile tea was, upon the whole, the best for the measles?" As soon as the doctor, who was a man of much sly but caustic humor, had gravely delivered himself of a very learned answer, which, he said, upon the whole, all things carefully considered, he must conclude in the language of the great Dr. Pope, "For forms of diet drinks let fools contest: As soon as he had done this, Locke, whose mind was still running upon the inexplicable news he had just heard from the woman, again turned to her, and asked if she knew whether Mr. Bunker had returned from the journey on which he had been for the last fortnight absent." noon. "Why, we don't certainly know yet,” replied the newsmongress; "but we kinder 'spect he got home this very afterJim Walker, who was to our house about a nour ago, to borrow a sassage-filler for his wife, said he thought he saw, from his house, a creter over there, that looked like the captain's old black hoss, going to water, and rolling in the snow as if he'd jest been onharnessed after a journey." "Well, I am thankful for that, if he has indeed arrived,” replied Locke, who felt anxious for the presence of his friend at the approaching meeting. 66 Come, Mr. Amsden," said the doctor, rising, "you will of course attend the school-meeting; and I will go with you, if I can be spared; but we will now walk into the sick room, if you please. We cannot admit much company," he continued, as he saw the gossip turn a longing eye upon the opening door, as if waiting for an invitation to accompany them; "but Mr. Amsden is the boy's teacher, whose presence may be a benefit, by recalling his wandering mind." When they entered the sick chamber, a scene of silent but touching woe presented itself. The grief-stricken mother, who scarcely heeded their approach, sat bending over the pillowed couch, intensely gazing, with fixed, glazed, and watery eyes, upon the face of the little sufferer, as he lay nervously moving his restless limbs, and rolling his swathed head, in the deep and troubled slumbers which exhausted nature seemed to be strongly claiming on the one hand, and grappling disease fiercely disputing and constantly disturbing on the other. The doctor took the patient's hand, and attentively examined his pulse; when some movement, in restoring the limb to its place, awoke him. As his dim and slowly wandering eyes fell upon the face of his beloved teacher, a single glance of intelligence slightly illumined them; and the semblance of an affectionate smile played faintly, an instant, over his sunken and livid features, vanishing away like some struggling sunbeam that has partially burst through a stormy cloud. The mother saw the glance, with the recognition it evinced. And the association, as her thoughts flew back to the happy days of her darling boy's health and friendly inter- • course with his teacher, of which that look had so plainly spoken, and reverted to what he now was, and probably soon would be, the association thus called up was too much for her bursting heart. She groaned aloud from the inmost recesses of her troubled spirit. Her whole frame became deeply agitated, and her bosom shook with the convulsive throes of her agony, as with indistinct, quick, whispered ejaculations, she seemed eagerly snatching for the hand of mercy from above, to save her from sinking under the insupportable weight of her own feelings. Her prayers were so far answered as to bring her the temporary relief of tears, which now gushed and fell like rain from their opening fountains of bitterness. "I am glad to see that," observed Lincoln, brushing away a tear that had started out upon his knitting brows. "It will relieve you, madam. And now let me persuade you to go |