yfhow his horse had won such-a-cup when ■he was a mere lad, with other adventures, lland took delight in teaching them to drive, 1,,.-!1 while Sam was an equal favorite with the W girls. He never seemed weary of attend ,if ing to them. It was generally believed, iji that he could not be disagreeable if he had *f tried. No wonder that there were times iff that even bribery could not obtain a seat Jl by the Delight. o'l The writer had been many short jour l> neys under Sam's guardianship ; but there 1.1 came a long one ; this was to school. A ijl'l bag, containing a pint of sugared almonds, j'j a quart of cob-nuts, a plum cake, and 0 i some fruit for general use on the way, i:i were put into the coach, with instructions , I to Sam, to procure some chocolate, or £ i weak wine and water, for the owner, at D] stated intervals, as required. Arrived at >| the first stage, Sam came to see if all was 1 right, when he was met by a very timor ' 1 ous request, accompanied by a bribe. 1 ' Sam, good Sam, do let mo get out, and 1 sit beside you on t&e dickey; I feel so bad il in here,' and in a whisper, ' I'll give you 1 these sugared almonds, and nuts and I things; and Sam, take this shilling, to I drink Bob's health.' I Sam's eyes were laughing awiully, but I he did manage to keep his face in I check, endeavoring to look very serious. ;| He said, 'My stars, and garters. Why, :l I should be in prison in no time, and ' I then, what 'ud the Delight do? No Miss, ; thanky, I could'nt take all them things, 1 nor any on 'em, but if so be as you feel 1 ill I'll lift you into the dickey with me.' • But you will drink Bob's health, to 1 oblige me, please,' holding out the

I shilling. , . Sam's eyes were dancing again. A j sudden fit of coughing prevented his an l swering for a minute or two, when he again 1 endeavoured to assume a serious expres l sion, and replied, ' Well you see, I don't ' mind drinking Bob's health, but don't you think I should be a great scamp, to drink " his health with your money ? That's got ;to last you a whole three months at school.' 'Oh, but I have got plenty more, along pur3e full,' and seeing now that this was the objection, drew forth another shilling, saying ' I should be so pleased if you ; would drink the health of—of—of—some - 1 thing else too.' Then Sammade a sudden bolt, and wnue waiting his return I caught a glimpse of him in the stable, wiping his eyes, and with a sad face. He returned shortly, excusing himself. But that cough of his, 'took him sudden like, sometimes,' he said. Of course I pitied and believed him. The two coins were still in my hand, so I renewed the attaak by saying, 'You could not drink the health of the coach, could you, Sam?' 'No, Miss, but I ye drunk success to her, many a time. And since X must drink somebody's health, at your expense, it shall be your's ; but only one o' them coins, Miss, that's quite a plenty for Bob, and me too. And now you sit tight, and off we go.' The next coach was the Mitre, a very respectable, but somewhat plethoric turn out. This changed horses at two o'clock. Old Bob said the Mitre would never set the Thames afire. It however suited the elderly gentry, who considered it safer than the others. At four, the Admiral put in an appearance. The Admiral's crew wore reported a set of jolly dogs. It was said, they always carried a chaff cutting machine, for which my young eyes have often looked in vain. It was ,also reported tnat the Jehu had been an bid salt; that he did not know how to handle the reins; that upon driving up Spanker's hill, on one occasion, he had overturned the coach down an embank ment, seriously damaging the coach, horses, and some of the passengers, besides nearly frightening to death a poor man, on v the top of whose hut the lot rolled, killing his donkey, and making him believe the world had come to an end. The Stag was due at six o'clock. This was the Mail Coach, and you never expected it was going to stop, until it did so. It always came in, at a pace beauti ful to behold. There was always a degree of self-importance, about the Stag. It carried His British Majesty's Mailss, and moreover it carried fire arms; for the Stag had been seized by the antlers, and its money or its life demanded, upon two or three occasions. It was therefore necessary to appear brave, and be on the defensive. The Stag was very musical too; it's '..tally-ho, hark forward,' was enchanting. Having gone through the list for the day I return to Sam. Three months had passed since that journey to school, and Sam stood at the door, ready to take me back again. I was carefully boxed up in side as usual, and having invested three shillings in oranges, to take with me, requested Sam to take particular care of them. The first stage over, Sam came to the door and asked if I was comfortable, or would I prel'er the dickey ?'

'Oh, yes, you dear good Sam, the dickey, the dickey. And are the oranges all right?'

'!All right Miss, but you'll have to get in again for the last stage, you know, or there'll be something the matter, I reckon.'

'No Sam, don't put me inside again, please. Thoy would rather me sit beside you, than return home ill, you know ; and would you mind letting me have those oranges, please ?'

' Shall I give yoa one or two out Miss ?'

'No thank you, I don't want to cat themi but I want them ciose to me, ready for use you know.'

• Yes, I know; and here thef f 5 and now we're off,' and Sam plays"s'nt *' a pity such a young girl as I,' ao Qree or four other lively airs, for the^ ten minutes. Then his kindly fac^ams on me, and he enquires if I feel t'»re com fortable there than inside ?'

' Oh, much,' I reply;' thoseiiculous trees and hedges race by at sue* frantic rate when one is inside and try! to look out the window to avoid them, stepped ''■ on that stout gentleman's toel^d Sam, I was very sorry, but did yo ear him roar ? The other people were asleep, but he woke them up in a frijl) and I really thought he was going turow me out of the window.' Sam says 'Did he though ? Ii skoti you stood on the old gent's goutyts ; and I do believe I. did hear him holltf. and here Sam laughed internally, thougi 1 said ' it was that cough again.' ' Now Sam, I did not meant tell you, but you see I must. Do yo:fcow what I got those oranges for ?' I Sam looks sly, and nods hiilad. 1 What ? To give to the pungstors about?' 'No Sam, you would nei? juess. j got them on purpose to pelfcilme people that came to meet me.' 'No now,' says bam. 'Y'ldid.fl feel that I must throw something them, and I thought oranges would bbest. I do believe I should throw myf oes if I had nothing else.' ' No, now,' says Sam. chad such & pleasant way of looking at Ji, and saying 'no now,' that the girls ma' him a sort of father confessor ; inde6'some had a tenderer regard for Sanyaving deter mined to marry him off hid, regardless of his consent, the first opptunity. One young girl told me, in confrnce, that her brother had quite made v his mind to marry their old nurse, ar she had the same intentions with regal to Sam. It was however to be kept om the other girls until afterlthe interestg event—they would bo so jealous; We were going along atvhat the boys called a spanking pace^hen Sam re marks. 'They are a sleepM at the Rose an& Crown. They wanti good deal of

waking up, they do ;' wfreupon he lifts his bugle, and gives a tvt of military tattoo, following it up with' They marched through the town.' Iha but one more stage to go, and the thight made me giddy, the which Sam #ing, suggested an orange. The thoughtf breaking these oranges set me right ato'e. ■ It was very doubtful whether I shoui find enough as it was ;so I told Sam. noticed that he put his bugle away in a ttle box, instead of hanging it by his sic, as the other guards did ; so I enquire, ' how long such an instrument lasted?' Sam replied that 'lib most thing?, it depended on the care aken of it ; but added, there's not anoter bugle on the road, to equal mine ; it pure silver and was given to me by yoixg Lord Staniope, aad his huntsman taugfc me to playwhen I was a boy.' ' I enquired, ' Could b play Bencemere Stream ?' Sam was sorry to sy he did nee know it; ' Would I like the Onadian boa; song ?' 'Oh above all thing;' so we had it, While I admired the nuch prisel buglo, and just as it was finisied, I caupit sight of a a ear old house, an! the plea*nt white face, aad large sign <f the llrval Oak family hotel and postiig house; my heart gave a great bound, aid Sam (truck up ' The Campbells are <onring,' and cant ered in, in fine style, tbhorses fiet keeping time to the silver buge. Presently I got a sight of some faes. Out came the oranges, two or threevere senfat random, when all at once was heard aa unearthly yell. Looking in thedirectioa where the sound proceded, I sar the ball head of the gouty-gentleman wto was flaking such grimaces as I never wish to see again, while Sam, with the aost peculiar expres sion of countenance, was clawing some poor little urchin off the afflicted toes, over which ho had stumble! in pursuit of the orange that had kockel off the gentle mans hat and wig. Sam made a great pretence of cuffing tie bo/, asking him if ho ' didint know better than, to light on a gentleman's feet likethat?' The miserable little offender was cat of sight in a twink ling, while I, expecting nothing less than imprisonment for life, shut my eyes, and implored Sam to lift me down and hide me. Sam had no time to cough, but I regret to say he yas shaking with sup pressed—something, and I very much fear that old Bob was sliding and abetting in the matter, for he came round the coach in a slinking sort of way, and said in a quavering voice, ' The darned old fool ; why did'nt he leave his toes at home ?' I was taken charge of now more dead than alive with terror, ss I heard the irate gentleman who would not be oppeased de manding • Who hai dared knock his hat off?'

Sam said, 'Thai was the queerest thing about it,' and old Bob said, 'It beat every thing hollow.' Sam told me after, that 'He was sorry them oranges had to lay idle ; that both Bob and he had determined no disagreeable old codgers, should be in the way the next time.'

Good kind Sam. The next time was a very different affair. Railroads were at this time intersecting the country in all directions, and stage-coach proprietors, drivers, posting-house keepers, guards, and hostlers were looking with rueful faces at the innovation, and twelve months from the event just recorded, the Delight and the Stag were the only two coaches left on this road,

M ne^t journey was in another direc tion A |ong interval, and then a nearly fiveJ°atis sojourn in a coach with masts andausf' and propelled by the waves, Aga aninterval, and another crossing of the ferrestless waters; and then my patl'ay !ay across country, not accessible, as y» by the new mode of transit. I coulreabh my destination now only by horiposveyances. A stage coach arrived thei°nce a day. How delightful! If it ha&Bicc guard I would book for inside, bulrlll^ a place on the dickey if possible. gfjJandjjßob, held a tender place in my mei}T> and 1 promised myself a pleasant jour 7by the Delight, the first oppor turii' ■"■ am interrupted in these cogita tionand ushered into a pleasant waiting rool with sanded floor, at the Ball Inn, Ai,jte. In a few minutes lam informed 1 thi Oa(?v is waiting.' If they had said ' tjjjonveyance was waiting,' it would not >ye been so bad, but to call that thii' a coach' — a poor old, shabby, l O pjled vehicle, with a pair of horses of o( jpizes, not coach horses at all; and no ftftj ; so I got inside, and really believe £[jjl never felt so ashamed of anything Ju j life as I did of stepping into that mi ifj fusty, old thing. We changed h O jS at a very modest-looking road-side } m jhe first stage. At the end of the se^, we stayed half an hour for dinner. Tliriver came to the door to announce jjjjjct to strangers, when, in the wea thbeaten, broken-spirited looking man be? 0 nic, I recognised dear old Sam. ]\fllips did not kiss him,- but my heart di I exclaimed ' dear Sam,' and took yiand between both mine. Sam stared a ioment, and then, with a sorrowful g}]ow of his oldjsmile, said ' Love'e miss, b,tyou ?' and then both our eyes filled. Ifis some seconds before either of us 0( ld speak, and then Sam remarked that he was getting old and good frothing ; adding that' he never should cse to regret the failure of them oranges. Where was Bob ?'

A.h, them tarnal railways had done for ]b; they had done a mint of mischief. Jk at the ugly, sneaking, creeping 'tags ; and the whistle was enough to £hton the wits out of all creation.' 'It certainly is not so pleasant as your At old bugle, Sam. Do you use it Up-

'N"o,miss,l couldn't do it; its locked up ; ]teop it out of sight since Bob went. fJb was very fond of his missus, you tow ; ho was always tender-hearted, but iiv she went, ho was like a little child ; [i would say ' Sam, play ' Sweet Alice [s» under the ground,' just once ;' and ion I had played it through, he would jy'Just once more.' So the day after fe had put him beside his wife, in the itening, I took the old buglo and played fe song through over his grave, and it Bsmedas if he said 'Just once more, Sam,' 50 T played it through again, and then I feok the thing homo and locked it up for erer.'

' Now Sam, you must drink my health, fillyou wish success to your coach at tie stme time ?'

' Not tho coach, miss, not the coach ; it world seem like laughing at the poor old thing; but I'll drink your health and ivish y>u all the happiness that ever was.' I s(e Sam again at the end of the journe;, and am almost as broken-spirited 83 ho.'The once bright handsome-looking postinahouse presented the appearance of a comiion road-side inn, in very poor circumsances. The gentlemanly landlord and his sandsome wife had gone to London, the prety chambermaid had married and gone to hat place whora the blacks think nothingof eating white people's children. Fo wedung parties ever came that way now- Apost-chaise was a novelty; indeed the postboys had departed with the coaches^one knew whither.

Withat doubt the great charm of the British hghways, were the Stage Coaches.

A Quaker Trick.

When a tranter has climbed four pairs of stairs aid made a half dozen turns he finds hitnclf at the door of the chief editorialnora of the Philadelphia Bulletin. Max Adelr sits just inside, and as the stranger eiters he is seated at Adeler's right hand He is in an old-fashioned split-bottoned chair, the bottom of which has gone t. look for the dust of Pilgrim Fathers, "here is a newspaper spread over the racant spot, and Mr Adeler cheerfully emarks. 1 Sit rigfa; down —fine day —when did you arrive ? The man sits down. If he is a small man he sits en the floor, his feet slant towards the ceiling, his knees dig into his throat, and his back is dreadfully beat, while his hat is jammed over his eyes. ' Fell throigh, eh?' inquires Mr Adeler, as he looks around. ' How do you like Philadelphia?' The stranger struggles, finds himself fast, and asis to be extricated. He is politely informed that it is against the rules of the ofice to extricate any one who falls through the chair in which Artemus Ward used to sit, and is in just the condition he left it.

'Does Philadelphia come up to your idea ?' kindlj inquires Mr Adelcr as he opens another exchange. The strangei sots to work to burst that chair or break his back, but he can do neither. He thinks the joke has been carried far enough, but is informed that it is not a joke—that no man around that office was ever more sober in this life. The victim tries to laugh, and remarks that five minutes more will finish his spinal

column.

1 Oh, no it won't,' replies Mr Adeler

• Why I have known men who were on the verge of the grave to live in your position for one hour and sixteen minutes!

After a quarter of an hour or more, Mr Adeler called in three more editors and introduced them to the stranger, and they want to know if he is pleased with Phil adelphia, and if he has any hard feelings against the memory of William Perm. Five minutes is then spent in debating whether the victim can be extracted under a suspension of the rules. The vote is a tie, and the city editor is called in to cast a ballot. He makes a speech, explaining his reason for voting ' yes,' and after twenty-five minutes have passed away the stranger is released, a photograph of Wil liam Perm given him, and he is told that any street car line will take him to the Centennial grounds.

The Auckland Islands.

Fob the following account of a four months' trip to the above-named group we have to express oi''I' acknowledgements to Mr Thomas W. i.owton, step-son to Dr Monckton, who accompanied the ex pedition in charge of sheep on behalf of the lessees. The .'crew of a vessel—the

Awarua —being made up of sealers on shares for Mr Hatch. The schooner

corssed the bar on the 23 January, and three days afterwards anchored in Port Boss, Auckland Island. Landed the sheep safely, and visited Mr and Mrs Nelson, who were found well, and who had created for themselves a home which, but for its loneliness, can bo described as extremely comfortable. The ingenuity of the man had resulted in his manufactur ing a violin, strings and all; a turning lathe, also of his own construction, had been made to supply both occupation, and comfort. They had kept the large amount of tools, the boats, and other plant belong ing to the|settlement, in excellent order; but were naturally annoyed at having been falsely reported to have deserted their charge. The orininal sheep are now to be seen in company with a great num ber of largo and small lambs, but cannot be gathered or shorn without a gathering dog, the two dogs on the settlement being too much used upon seals and pigs to be trusted after the sheep. During our stay at Port Ross a good number of seals were obtained ty the men, and our informant made several excursions inland and to the west side, with Nolson. The hills are covered with grass and scrub, and there are a great many pigs, somo of long-haired large size, that were generally poor, and a hairless smaller sort, which were mostly fat. For game, there are immence quantities of ducks—especially teal. Plenty of crabs are to be obtained, and a small striped fish three or four inches long, that were very delicious when boiled. The Hock Cod is plentiful, but has worms in the flesh. We lived largely, by preference, on seal meat, which, if cooked in beef dripping, and not its own oil, is as good as beef itself. We landed tho ilour, outmeal, sugar, tea, and sundries, brought for tho settle ment and left for the South Harbour, promising to call again before returning. In tho south, moderate success was, met with by the sealers, and after about six weeks a start was mado to run back to Port lioss, at that time having 495 fur skins, and 89 hair skins and, tw® tons of oil on board. Heavy weather burst upon us as soon as wo got outside and while wo hovfc-io, tho decks were swept by a heavy sea that smashed the boats and the bulwarks, which were car ried away with the galley and everything moveable. Another sea threw her on her beam ends, filled the foresail, and in that helpless condition she would have found ered had not a friendly wave struck her bows, and helped to put her before it. We ran before tho gale for eighteen hours, and then bore up for New Zealand ; but tho damage to the covering board preven ted our going on both tacks, and glad enough we were to get to Port Chalmers, as the water casks had been stove, all but one, and that was strongly impregnated with seawtaer. ( There is more grass on Adam s Island than any other part, and neither pigs, goats, sheep, or rabbits to eat it. I have heard of Muscovy ducks having been turned out in the Straits, but am not aware that any were seen. When the Germans were at Port Loss they lost some morino wethers, one of which I shot. He was so fat that we ran out two large square coffee tins of fat from his kidneys. I did not observe any of the settlement's ewes or lambs lame; they were getting rather wild, and appeared active enough. The fowls on the township at Port Eoss have multiplied o-reatly but the site is not so favorable for gardening, the root crops growing to too much top. Nelson has industriously sown artificial grasses in the pig-rootings over a great extent of country, and it was thriving and growing luxuriantly. The captain took the temperature ot the air and water, and told me the water was eight degrees warmer than the air. As many of the things in the dilierent depots were found to be spoiling, such articles as were perishable from damp have been dried and removed to the living house. Mrs Nelson told me that if there were one or two more residents she would not desire to leave the island Had we not been blown off', they would have had the option of taking a trip back with us. They no doubt have seen a portion ot our boats or bulwarks, and will report us as lost.—Thos. W, .NEWTON. %

Mrs. Hobbs' Literary Career.

Mrs Hobbs lives in a little brown housei in the suburbs, and does her own work. She is generally as neat and as thrifty a little body as one need to see, and never thought much about having' a mission,' until lately. She had been reading a good dccl of late about ' woman's sphere,' that set her to thinking, and she decame ambitious. Her family consisted of her self, her goodnatured husband, and four unruly yonng Hobbses, who were enough to try the patience and temper of any woman, even if not possessed with nerves, which was by no means the case with Mrs Hobbs. She was at the wash-tub, with a pile of dirty clothes beside her, when the idea of making fame and fortune first seized her. She would write a novel—one that would place her on a high round of the ladder at once, and at the same time fill the empty family treasury, i.e., Hobbs' worn pocket book. She had often read ofhow, afc some crisis of fortune, the seemingly helpless wife had averted the threatened crash by bringing forth the proceeds of her surrep titious literary efforts and meekly begging her lord to accept it. She was a practical woman, und did not crave to be a

celebrated writer merely, to be ' heard of men,' but thought how much a few odd

dollars would help towards paying their rent, and for the new overcoat of which the. ' gude man,' stood in need, and which she would surprise him with' Why should she not write an acceptable story as well as any one ? She wondered she had never thought of ifc before ; sho would begin that very day. She resolved that it should be a thrilling romance ; none of your homo-spun, every-day sort, but one which at the critical parts should bring tears from the most indifferent reader. She hurried through her washing, and put out hor clothes to dry, cast a look of housowiferly pride at the long snowy line gently flapping in the wind, then went in and wiped up the slops; then coaxed and bribed the children into the kitchen to play, and shut herself in the best room, and began to hunt for the family pen, which did duty for Hobbs when he wrote his semi-annual letter to Uncle Joshua, also, for young Dan's copy-book which contained ' pot-hooks,' wonderful to see. She looked in all the draws, behind the clock, and on the mantle-shelf; looked on the corner bracket, and turned out con tents of the stand ' drawer.' Where was that pesky pen P Found it at last under the window, whore Sammy had been im pailing flies, and one wing still wriggled on the point. Then came the distracted search for the ink bottle and paper. The bottle, when found, proved empty. Was determined not to be discouraged. Went up to the garret, and brought down the ink can, which held a pint. Meantime, the children in the kitchen kept up a lively racket, one beating tattoo on a tin pan with the fire-shovel ; another making a train of cars of the chairs, and doing * hoot-toot-tooting,' enough for a first-class engine. She was an orderly body, and longed to straighten them out of there, but resolved not to allow himself to be ' put out,' but go on with her story. She felt a little shakey in her grammar, and somewhat ' at sea,' about the use of capi tals, but thought she could manage thorn somehow. Had just decided on the title, ' The Haunted Mansion, or the Heir's lievcngo,' and sat dipping the stumpy pen in the ink as if to fish up an idea, Thich was the coy of the bait, when Hobbs came in his boots smelling of the cow shed, and wanted a rent sewed up in his coat sleeve. Mrs Hobbs felt her temper rising a little; said she didn't see how genius could expand in !that house. Hobbs saw she was looking ruffled, and that something unusual ailed her, and suggested indiges tion —had it himself sometimes ; hadn't she better take some of that ' Life Elixir,' the the peddlar had left the other day ? If looks could kill, that certainly would have been his last hour. The sleeve was mended, and he at last took himself off in his slow way; then after getting Johnny his third slice of bread and molasses, went back to her writing. Was just describing her hero, ' llufus De Courtney,' when a louder yell than usual from the kitchen claimed her attention ; drat them young ones, thought she, and ran out flourishing the ink can ; found that Johnny had fallen dowa the cellar stairs, upsetting the slop bucket in his descent, and landing head first! in the ■ash barrel. She dragged him out wiped off the mingled slop and ashes with her apron, and found he had skinned his nose ; hunted round tbio pantry shelf, found a piece of court plaster, which she pasted, then went back to writing, and began again. Sat there a long time trying to think of some wonderful thing that Kufus De Courtney did, but could not remember any ; tried to entangle him in a net work of danger and difficulties, from which his own bravery should deliver him; but what had the man done ? Bother I what should she say next P Here Dan. stuck his head in the door and sang out: • Mother! mother! yer close-lines broke slap in too, and yer close is all down in the mud.' This was too much—the last straw that broke tne camel's back. Mrs Hobbs arose with such energy that the ink-can was overturned, and a dingy stream me andered over the pen-portrait of Eufusde Courtney, and slowly trickled down in a pool on the best carpet. She gave one look at this last misfortune, and then threw the ink can and stumpy pen out of the window, gathered up her MSS,, and (■i:: '■"■■ .■-'■■ '.'A

■Bvi&lng Staj t 9 1870