very nose of Adonijah, was too too much!!

A small spark suffices to ignite a large fire, and so it chanced with Adonijah; for, happening to pass the house of Ichabod, a cock of the latter, perch ed upon a wall, stretched out his wings and his neck, and began to crow in such a tone that Adonijah regarded it as nothing less than a mortal defiance, and he accordingly gave way to his morbid feelings, and challenged Ichabod to joust à l'outrance.

The partisans on each side were mustered-a battle ensued-blood was shed-and after each man had pounded his neighbour to a jelly, they mu tually parted, from sheer weariness and inability to carry on the war.

So very earnest had all parties been in their praiseworthy efforts to injure their neighbours, that sundry serious wounds and bruises were the consequence; and as the domestic pharmacy of the place did not extend to the cure of such wounds and bruises, it became necessary to call in a leech from the next town. He came he saw the colony a thriving one-he bought a bit of land-built a house, and located himself as an inhabitant of Our Vil. lage.

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About the same period there was an importation of sundry other families a wheel-wright-a half-starved tailor -a cobbler-and, finally, a pedlar furnished a house with the tents of his pack, and baptized it a shop; whilst the Marquis of Granby, flaring over a doorway, indicated a public-house; and a pole, striped red and white, showed where the rustics might be made decent on a Sunday morning for a penny a-piece.

The doctor, from a want of acquaintance with the small politics of the place, had pitched his tent in the Higher Street; but it was impossible that such a thing could be overlooked by Adonijah, or that he and his faction could have faith in the curative powers of any medicament compounded in that situation. There was only one remedy for it, which was to import another doctor, and that was accordingly done, and the last importation was duly located in the Lower Street.

After the last mentioned affray the inhabitants of Our Village went on for some years in comparative peace— various feuds arose amongst them, it

is true-the cow of one would trespass upon the inclosure of another, and a horse would occasionally be found in a wrong pasture, and a thousand opportunities of quarrel arose, but the recollection of the former thorough thrashing, and its consequences, with the influence of the females, who found it their interest to keep the parties in something like moderation, preserved the village in a tolerable state of tranquillity.

In the mean-time all prospered, and Adonijah and Ichabod, with stealing a bit of land here, and buying a bit there, and making money in every way that could suggest itself to the minds of two accomplished scoundrels, became comparatively affluent.

The introduction of the doctors is marked as one of the great epochs in the history of Our Village, more especially since the descendant of one of them has been dubbed an M.D.

About the period when the second doctor was introduced, we succeeded in seducing a schoolmaster, one Habbakkuk Snod by name, to become a dweller in Our Village; and at the same time, the Government, in its bounty, provided us with an exciseman. The former was a worthy man, and a great acquisition; we all earnestly prayed that the devil would fetch the latter at the first convenient opportunity, but as we were then a sinful generation, and had not a chapel in Our Village, our prayers were for a length of time offered up in vain.

Mean-while the apparent tranquillity was little more than skin deep, and was frequently interrupted by disputes about boundaries, fences, ways, and other questions to which property gives rise; and the law of physical force being that with which all parties were best acquainted, it was very often appealed to, to the great disturbance of the public peace of Our Village-the great consumption of plasters and lotions-and the great profit and advantage of the two disciples of Æsculapius.

Time wrought various changes in the state of the rival parties; various additions were made by births and the introduction of foreigners, and when the factions turned out to settle a dispute the display was really formidable.

At length, however, it became manifest that the faction of Ichabod Wragg

was gaining the ascendency, and the consciousness of that fact had its natural effect on both sides. Did a Wragg sound the tocsin ? out turned the whole clan Wragg, man, woman, and child, to the foray, stamping, shouting, and storming, like as many wild bulls. But not so the clan Shufflebotham; for, though they now and then provoked the fray, and dashed into the mélée with the ardour and fierceness of former times, yet they oftener remained passive, and sometimes submitted to a jibe or a jeer from a Wragg without betraying any resentment.

Things had arrived at this point when one of the Wragg party, whilst amusing himself with shooting sparrows, took a false aim, and lodged the contents of his gun in the right eye of Adonijah Shufflebotham's favourite mare, and rendered her as blind as a mile-stone for life.

"Oh had he chosen some other game, Or miss'd, as he was wont to do!"

The faction of Adonijah assembled on the occasion, grinding their teeth, and almost bursting with rage. True the mare was in her 29th year, and not of much value, but the insult was the same, and every Shufflebotham felt it to be so, and resolved to take ample revenge, each swearing he would kill and eat not less than three Wraggs to his own individual share.

A hostile meeting, preceded by such excitement, was sure to be a terrible one, and, accordingly, every one of either party turned out on the occasion, and the onslaught was dreadful.

After howling, and yelling, and swearing, and biting, and scratching, and kicking, and boxing, for some time, their animal powers became totally exhausted, and they mutually withdrew, but the faction of Adonijah Shufflebotham carried along with them the mortifying reflection that they were much worse beaten than their neighbours; and they consequently suffered under the compound affliction of a bruised body and a wounded mind.

The clan Shufflebotham, after their defeat, proceeded to hold a council, and a sad and a sorrowful one it was. The younger branches, smarting under their indignities, were for taking savage measures, and they even talked of setting fire to the village and running away by the light; but Adonijah, who

had arrived at that period of life when a man usually feels more disposed to smoke the calumet of peace than to split his neighbour's head with a poker, urged them strongly to forbearance, at least for the present.

In an unlucky moment he suggested their calling in to their aid the wisdom of Habbakuk Snod, whose peaceful habits and feelings he thought might have the effect of stilling the stormy passions of the younger branches of his party.

Now Habbakuk was a man of information after a fashion of his own-he could write in three different characters-could cipher so perfectly that he could tell how many square inches of timber were contained in the head of a broom-knew some little of Latin, and having been twice at the county town in his youth, had claims of no ordinary magnitude to be considered a man of the world.

In an unlucky moment was Habbakuk sent for, and presently he came, moving his long slender figure through the atmosphere with the majesty and something the appearance of a fingerpost, and the solemn regularity of a pendulum. He knew all about the fracas (for who did not know it in the village?) and his countenance was in consequence, and as a part of what he considered his duty, surcharged with a tenfold portion of gravity.

Habbakuk, as I have said, was a man of peace, but in an unlucky moment was he sent for, and in an unlucky hour did he give his advice, for he informed the clan Shufflebotham (a thing that their wildest dreams had never imagined) that there was a righter of wrongs and a redresser of grievances residing in almost every village in the kingdom, and that men of the world called such a being an attorney.

A new light burst upon Our Village by the announcement, or at all events upon that portion of it that formed the clan Shufflebotham-distant prospects of revenge, without the unpleasant accompaniments of broken heads and bloody noses, presented themselves to view, and Habbakuk Snod was de. spatched for the attorney.

In due time that solemn personage made his appearance; he heard the facts, coloured as highly as a sound thrashing and a wounded mind could induce men to colour facts. He talked of the mysterious powers of a

latitat, and used many hard phrases, each of which being, in the opinion of Adonijah, sufficiently potent to raise the devil, there was no possible room to doubt of success, and the attorney went away with instructions for some half-a-score of actions in his pocket. The gentleman of the law had done more; he had noticed the locality and the capabilities of the place in a professional view, and in two months more we had a new house in the Lower Street, having on the door a highly polished brass plate, the first we had ever seen, engraven with the words," Mr Brangle, attorney-atlaw."

In due time a proper proportion of the Wragg faction received ominous papers, requiring their appearance before our Sovereign Lord the King at Westminster; but in the pride of their hearts they flung the papers to the wind, and said that the Shufflebothams, with Mr Brangle at their head, might all go to the devil, and welcome.

In a little time afterwards they received other papers, of a still more ominous description, charging each of them with having, on a day named, and at a place of which they had never previously heard, with twenty sticks, twenty staves, twenty stones, and twenty pairs of fists, made an assault on the persons of sundry of the Shufflebotham party, and them then and there beat, bruised, wounded, and ill treated, so that their lives were greatly despaired of, and with having then and there twenty shirts, twenty waistcoats, twenty coats, twenty pairs of breeches, twenty pairs of stockings, twenty pairs of shoes, twenty pairs of boots, and twenty hats, the property of each of the members of the Shufflebotham party, then and there cut, torn, rent, damaged, dirtied, defaced, and injured, against the peace of our Lord the King, his Crown and dignity, and to the great damage of the Shufflebothams.

The contents of those papers was a real astonisher, and as it was well known to every soul in the village that no one of the Shufflebothams had ever possessed a second coat to his back, it became matter of wonder and amazement as to what would follow next.

Their amazement produced alarm, and alarm enquiry, and another attorney became in request to defeat the

machinations of Mr Brangle; and very few weeks elapsed before we had another house in the Higher Street, with a brass plate twice as large as the former one, engraved with the cabalistic characters," Jonathan Higgins, attorney and solicitor, and a master extraordinary in Chancery."

This formidable notification appeared to break the hearts of the Shufflebothams, but they had faith in Mr Brangle, and the lawsuits went on.

In the mean-time an incident of a more tender description occurred amongst the parties, which came, like an oasis in the desert, or a speck of sunshine in a cloudy sky, serving to soften and adorn the ruggedness of all around it.

Ichabod Wragg had a son, Nehemiah, who was the pride of the village-good-looking, good-tempered and gay, as is natural for a youth of twenty to be. He was at the head of every thing that occurred to promote the mirth and good fellowship of the place. Did the young people want a dance on the green? who to promote it but Nehemiah. Or did the people of Our Village come into collision with foreigners? who could lead them up like Nehemiah. He was the friend of the aged, and the glory of the young, and no man, woman, or child, was to be found in the village that had not a good word for Nehemiah Wragg; even the Shufflebothams could tolerate him.

Adonijah Shufflebotham had a daughter, Kesiah, a year younger than Nehemiah Wragg. She was beautiful as a nymph, and gentle as a lamb, and seemed in her mild loveliness like a stray bird of Paradise, when compared with her more rugged compeers.

It was not in the hearts of two such beings as Nehemiah and Kesiah to enter fully into the violent feelings of animosity that influenced their parents; and though Nehemiah turned out with his faction, it was observed that he declaimed bitterly against the proceeding, and always spoke leniently of the Shufflebothams.

One moonlight evening, shortly after the introduction of the attornies, one of those luckless maidens that are to be found in every village, who, having no business of their own, make it their study to know the business of every body else, was aware of two figures, a

male and female, walking not far from the house of Adonijah Shufflebotham.

She watched them closely-she saw that the arm of the man gently encircled the waist of his companion, and that after walking for some time, he led her to the door of Adonijah, and there took leave of her with a chaste salute.

The next morning it was spread throughout Our Village that Nehemiah Wragg courted Kesiah Shufflebotham, and the astounding intelligence was conveyed forthwith to the ears of Ichabod.

An enquiry was the consequence; and Nehemiah, too proud and too honest to deny the truth, confessed that he loved Kesiah, and that his love was returned-but Ichabod had no sympathy with the feelings of youth; he drove his son from his presence in anger, and from that moment Nehemiah was lost to Our Village. Whither he was gone, or how disposed of, none knew-but all lamented his loss.

The gossip rumour, in like manner, conveyed the unpleasant information to the ears of Adonijah Shufflebotham, and with him it was attended with similar direful effects.

He furiously questioned his poor pale daughter; who, too simple and too innocent to make a denial, and too terrified to justify herself, sank down at his feet in a swoon-but the greyheaded man spurned her from him with a curse.

There were hearts in the village of softer material than that of Adonijah; and the stricken maid was received in the house of a neighbour, that she might abide the passing away of her father's wrath.

There her loss and her sense of utter helplessness became overwhelming, and were too much for her bodily powers to withstand, and sickness overtook her. She lingered for some time, apparently in a doubtful state whether she would continue here or quit this world for a better, where purity such as hers must needs be happy; but at length her youth and a good constitution prevailed, and she displayed slight symptoms of amendment; and the incident of her separation from Nehemiah, painful as it was to her, and, doubtless, also to him, became of happy consequences to the families of both.

Several months had elapsed and no

tidings had been received of Nehemiah, and he began, by common consent, to be ranked amongst the dead. His father bitterly lamented his loss, for in the secret corner of the old man's heart his name and lineaments were firmly graven-and often, and often, in his silent solitude did Ichabod accuse himself of the death of his son, and fervently wish that he were then the husband of Kesiah Shufflebotham.

Adonijah, also, had feelings of a similar tendency. He saw his daughter his dear, his favourite daughtersilently suffering, not only disease, but that worst of anguish, the heart's utter hopelessness; and he heard on all hands, and could not help feeling it to be true, that his hard-hearted cruelty had helped to bring her to what she was; that, instead of being a support to her in her affiiction, he had pressed the weight of sorrow with an unflinching hand upon her, and helped to bow her down to the dust.

We are strange creatures! That grey-headed man, although he bitterly repented his treatment of his daughter, and would have given half his wealth that it had been otherwise-although in secret his soul melted in tears of anguish for her, and he eagerly enquired, and eagerly watched her progress, yet he took her not to his bosom or to his home, but suffered her to remain in the house of the friend who first received her in her affliction !

As time progressed the gentle Kesiah slowly improved; and, too feeble to support herself, was led by her kindhearted entertainer to sit in the sun for an hour in the middle of the day, on a grassy bank not far from the house. The hour was well-known to the young people of Our Village; and, daily as she sat there, she found herself surrounded by some or other of them, provided with a nosegay or a simple flower, or some other trifle that they knew would be acceptable to her.

An old man passed the spot several days together, and gazed at Kesiah with much earnestness, and with a look of feeling and of anguish. Again he passed, and he stopped some time to gaze upon her, and then passed on ; but on the next day he came to see her, and, after looking upon her piteously for a little time, he rushed towards her, seized her hand-and, kissing it, sobbed out a blessing upon her. It was Ichabod Wragg!

The incident soon spread far and wide, and the blessing that Ichabod Wragg had bestowed upon Kesiah Shufflebotham was returned to him tenfold by the inhabitants of Our Village.

Adonijah also heard of it, and, in the first moment of disappointed selfishness, he felt as if Ichabod had invaded his right, and deprived him of some portion of the sympathy due to a suffering child; but a better feeling prevailed, and he became sensible that Ichabod had set him an example that it would be sinful not to follow. He soon afterwards found himself at the bedside of his daughter, and all was peace between them!

Adonijah and Ichabod daily paid their visits to the suffering Kesiah, and it was not long before they met together over the bed of sickness. At first the feeling was an awkward one on both sides. There was a remembrance of ancient wrongs and grievances, and a struggling with old prejudices and antipathies, and a frown darkened the countenances of the two men who for years had been opposed to each other. But all vanished as a dream when Ichabod, acting upon a better impulse than that of his reason's conviction, tendered the hand of peace to Adonijah.

Adonijah accepted the proffered hand, and whilst the two palms were united in something like friendly greeting, the two old sinners looked at each other with a shake of the head, and a leer in which there was much latent humour, and a look that implied that each was glad to see that his old opponent had at length discovered the error of his ways.

The reconciliation of Adonijah and Ichabod was followed by the reconciliation of their respective followers and friends. There was an end of the lawsuits; and all the sufferings and grievances sustained by the Shufflebotham party, and for the redress of which those lawsuits had been commenced, were entirely and for ever forgotten; and in proportion as the estrangement of the Shufflebothams and the Wraggs had been long and bitter, were their efforts to oblige and conciliate each other.

In the midst of these ebullitions of good feeling Kesiah slowly but gradually recruited, and as she became able to go out and mix somewhat with

her friends, she became to be regarded as the common property of both families, and had a home as well in the dwelling of Ichabod Wragg as in that of her father.

During these occurrences some seeds of religion had been sown, and had taken root amongst us. Some good and zealous men had made converts of a few in the village, and from a small beginning the feeling had spread until a meeting-house became necessary, and one had accordingly been erected.

Other men, favourable to the Established Church, had also exerted themselves, and procured the erection of a Chapel-of Ease, and the work of religion and civilisation went hand in hand, and in a short time their humanizing effects became very visible in the altered and improved manners and habits of the people of Our Village. On none was their influence more perceptible than on the two elders.

Adonijah and Ichabod, now become as firm friends as they had formerly been enemies, united together to improve and enlarge Our Village, and at the same time to improve and enlarge their own fortunes, in which they became eminently successful.

They acquired considerable quantities of land by more honest means than those by which they acquired their first locations, and invited settlers from a distance; and being naturally shrewd energetic men, and possessed of a certain degree of influence as the patriarchs of the village, they succeeded in their object.

They wished to increase the size and importance of Our Village by the establishment of some manufacture, and having succeeded in discovering a bed of coal under some land they had purchased, they were not long in inducing manufacturers to settle there. A factory was built-a tide of population flowed in upon us-as a necessary consequence more houses were required; and the first factory appearing to prosper, others were erected, bringing an additional population, and calling for further erections of houses; and shops and inns became greatly in request, and Our Village very speedily began to assume the appearance of a bustling populous place.

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Adonijah and Ichabod thus realized considerable property from their speculations, and as Our Village flourished, the male part of the two fami