renewal of his attentions to some interesting romance, or betaking himself to his couch, there to indulge in dreams of recitation scenesthe devotee of college appointments was still lowly and humbly bending at the shrine of his adored-the lover of good cheer was fast bieing himself to some neighboring "recess," there to live one hour away,' or busying himself in preparation for the attainment of some similar end within the confines of his own private domicil, when three worthies, by name Enoch Bisbee, Nathaniel Winkler, and Ebenezer Schneider, locating themselves in juxtaposition to a fiercely radiating stove, situated in No. 129, North College, indulged themselves in various interesting reflections and comments on the multitude of events which had transpired during their collegiate career.

Would one behold college life in all its glory? Let him peep then within its walls-not when the sun stands high in his meridian, but at the magic hour of nine, P. M., when many an Algebra and many a Euclid may be seen winging their flight to some humble corner of the room, impelled by the hands which late so affectionately clasped them in a tight embrace-when rarefying murphies by the bushel, in many a basement room, lie steaming forth their vile and earthly vapor-when many a testaceous genus passing through the fiery ordeal opens his jaws in amazement at the unwonted temperature, and when capers of most unseemly dimensions are cut by many a shouting Fresh. or delighted Soph. Heaven's malison lie heavily on him who dares to profane with the vile trash of college lore these hours consecrated to relief and joy! may the night-mare gird him round during his sleeping hours! may the morning bell fail to rouse him till too late to display his hard-earned knowledge to a nodding class, and may his fond anticipations of college fame lie unrealized, if he dare to encroach on these hours-the student's only time for life. Would that I might here pause and dwell awhile on this most interesting period! would that I might stay and wander through the varied scenes transpiring now within these college walls! but no, resistless fate hurries us on, and I must fain hasten through my tale, though it be with a reluctant heart.

Enoch and Nathaniel were "potent, grave, and reverend Seniors," while Ebenezer, alas! was nought but a poor Junior, with nothing to recommend him to a Senior's notice but a gay form and a light heart." Now let no one disfigure his visage with a smile of incredulity at mention of this unnatural union, for it is universally known that in this degenerate age there exist certain Seniors condescending enough to speak with a Junior, and sometimes even, mirabile dictuto share an oyster-supper with him, provided, however, the Junior pays for it. Alas! alas! there is need of great reform within these college walls!

Many a day have I sat at my window, and marked with curious eye the conduct of two of my neighbors' domestic quadrupeds, yclept in common parlance curs, puppies, mastiffs, or what not. One of

these gentry, during his earthly career, has had the honor of trotting beneath a coach; while the other-poor devil!-has performed his peregrinations beneath a butcher's cart. Now the sub-coach trotter despiseth from the bottom of his heart him of meat-cart memory, and on ordinary occasions would shudder at the bare idea of being ranked with him, but it so happeneth in the course of affairs, that his bowels are often afflicted with the gnawings of hunger, while his less exalted neighbor not only followeth beneath the "stalled ox and fatted calf," but is even at times permitted to discuss their comparative merits, or in other words, is indulged in gnawings of bones.

Now gnawings of hunger and gnawings of bones are, as I opine, decidedly different in their natures, as also their effects, on the canine race. Nor has this opinion been hastily and thoughtlessly imbibed, but is the result of a long series of accurate and extended observations as, be a cur ever so much subject to the former, still no one is found for this reason to cultivate his acquaintance, while, on the contrary, I have often observed our friend the butcher's dog, as he makes his egress from beneath his master's stall, bearing in his mouth the shin of some defunct calf or immolated porker. Usually betaking himself to some spot opposite the kennel of the late mentioned aristocrat, he with due ceremony places the said shin-bone between his paws, and subjects it to the action of his masticators, ever and anon casting furtive and significant glances towards his neighbor across the road.

The highborn cur, it would seem, lies uneasily in his kennel, for he suddenly rouses himself, gazes wistfully across the road, then affecting to be mightily eager in the pursuit of something in the region of his tail, performs some half-dozen gyrations, and then with a forced expression of contempt curling from his lips, resumes his recumbent posture. Soon, however, he starts up again, this time venturing out of his kennel. Wistfully and anxiously he gazes through the bars of the paling that surrounds his master's yard-one might fancy even that there was a tear lurking in the corner of his eye as he stands thus mournfully. Not many minutes elapse before that with a desperate leap he clears the paling and stands full in the street, through the length and breadth of which he looks with a searching eye; but no one appears. Then running to a neighboring corner, he seats himself as composedly as the circumstances of the case will admit, pretending mighty indifference on the matter, and having elevated his nose to an angle of some 45°, howls forth a most piteous cry. It is succeeded by another and another, but heaven be praised no eye is fastened on him. Then may you see this dog, "with tail between his legs," and sneaking look, slowly and waveringly betake himself across the street. The umbra of the butcher's cart, pleased at the success of his stratagem, looks a kindly welcome from his eye, while the other slowly advances and gnaws the bone! Such condescension!! "Ye gods, it doth amaze me!"

In like manner have I often observed some reverend Senior and a friendly Junior 'sort together'-the one considering himself infinitely honored by the other's condescension, while the other is equally well pleased with the bo-what the deuce am I thinking of?-the oysters I would have said. Now let no one understand me as insinuating that this is the secret of all such acquaintances, or even of the one now before us. Oh, no! far from that! but such is generally the

case.

Our trio had already exhausted an almost infinite number of subjects, and conversation was evidently on the decline—an unusual thing by the way—when a sudden thought seemed to possess Nathaniel's brain.

Now be it premised, that it is exceedingly seldom that a student does in real truth encompass an idea, especially an original one, and consequently when such an event occurs, it not only in his own estimation constitutes a most important era in his life, but also often affords matter of much sage speculation to his fellow students. Students are in general a wonderfully suspicious sort of personages, and, let a remark be made, or an idea be advanced on whatever subject by almost any person, ten to one they'll refer you back to more than forty different authors who have advanced the same idea, or if this be impossible, many sly insinuations are made that the idea was advanced in some of those pages now so plentifully besprinkled with asterisks, thereby showing the dilapidated state of the manuscript. Do you seem to doubt this? As a last resort, and as a dumb-founder to all further remonstrances, they then vehemently assert, that had Cicero or Addison only written half a dozen lines more, beyond all doubt they would have advanced the idea! Be the matter how it may, originality is out of the question.

Heavens! one would think that from the days of Noah the navigator, down to these times cheered by the lucubrations of an Ollapod, not a work had been published but had been submitted to their critical perusal, if not actual reviewal, and was destined either to flourish beneath their smile, or wither beneath their frown. You may see scores of them almost any day deciding as confidently on the comparative merits of Shakspeare's plays, or Addison's essays, as though it were to them no more difficult than to institute a comparison between a Carolina and an Irish potatoe. Would to heaven they would investigate the former as faithfully as they have the latter! Take them all around, however, and they are an amazingly learned body-provided you take their word for it. But I'm growing fond of episodes I see.

Nathaniel, as already intimated, fondly imagined that an idea was floating through the upper regions of his cranium, but it is well known that it is one thing to think yourself possessed of an idea, but decidedly different to convince others that such is actually the fact. With most persons it is more difficult to encompass the latter than

the former.

Of this fact Nathaniel was well aware. He was conscious that to have his sublime conceptions duly appreciated, they must be accommodated to the capacities of his hearers, and to have them duly applauded, they must be clothed in a most attractive assemblage of words. He therefore instantly leaped at least six feet from his chair to the middle of the floor-threw himself into the most majestic attitude at his command on so sudden an emergency-straightened out his form "ad infinitum," and then affectingly beat his forehead with his left palm, while convulsively grasped in his right digits, he theatrically waved to and fro a cotton handkerchief of-to say the leastrather dubious appearance.

The fire of inspiration was beaming from his eyes-a most heavenly radiance encircled his brow-divers portents blazed in the skythe whole world stood aghast with terror (I guess) when, having beat his brow for the thirteenth time, he majestically and in the true "ore rotundo" exclaimed,

"Egad, fellows! I've an idea in my head."

"Out with it then!" ejaculated the gaping duo.

"Out with it! Go tell the dying soldier, as his life's blood oozes from the wound received while fighting in his country's cause, to stay him in his death! tell the lone mariner, as the maddening waves dash his helmless bark upon the foaming beach, to stay him in his onward course to death, but oh! tell not me to unfold and expose my celestial thoughts to the profane gaze of the unlettered multitude!" (Most flattering groans from the whole assembly.) Then bursting into a rhapsody at least twenty degrees higher in the scale of unintelligibility, he impassionately exclaimed,

"Oh, divine thought! thou who wanderest untamed through the vacuum of many a Freshman's brain! thou who wanderest untamable through the free and ungarnished residence of many a one's intellect, who now stands high-in his own estimation, hail to thee, thou lovely one! eternal thanks to thee that in thy aerial flight thou hast deigned to stoop and encircle fortunate me in thy divine embrace! When the morning star is brightly gleaming on a sleeping world, when all mankind are involved in one common sleep, then the thunders from my

How much farther Nathaniel's eloquence would have extended cannot now unfortunately be ascertained, for when thus in the very midst of it, he by chance casting a glance down to the dim regions below, to his utter amazement beheld his audience gaping away most zealously. Now Enoch was gaping with astonishment, and Ébenezer in transports of admiration, but, to tell the truth, they looked marvelously as though they were both gaping through sleepiness, and Nathaniel beholding them, was seized with an irresistible impulse, urging him on to similar feats, and in fine, out of pure sympathy, subjected his jaws to a similar operation.

A man, it is said, can sing an accompaniment to his own music on the jewsharp, as also play sundry other difficult and ingenious pranks, but we defy any one to gape and make a speech at one and the same time-nature never contemplated such a freak, and of course made no provision for it. Nathaniel, as we have remarked, was seized with a strong desire to engage in them both at once, but dame Nature was inexorable-only one thing at a time—so he wisely concluded, or rather it was concluded for him, to take it out in gaping.

It was a scene of intense interest. Jaws mutually repelled each other, while ever and anon most dismal sounds came wandering up from the cavernous recesses now exposed to view, diffusing a strange, if not a divine melody throughout the circumambient atmosphere. But unfortunately, during the most interesting period of the exercises, an idea of the ridiculousness of the whole scene burst on Nathaniel's mind with such force, that he was subjected to a most violent fit of cachinnation, which soon extended to the other members, wherein all indulged so obstreperously that rivers of tears were seen streaming down their cheeks. Alas! the inconstancy of human affairs! gaping, cachinnating, and weeping, crowded into the same eventful hour! how vividly and faithfully depicturing the all but idiocy of infancy, the hilarity of youth, and the sorrows of maturer years! (Hereabouts the author is suspected of endeavoring sentimentality-evidently an unpracticed hand, however.-Print. Dev.)

The creaking of the last yawn, the echoings of the last burst of laughter, and the traces of the last tear had vanished, but still our friend Nathaniel's idea was as yet in embryo, when, summoning up all his powers and giving loose to all his energies, he heroically exclaimed, "Egad, fellows, let's renew the 'Conspiracy.'

Not more sudden and instantaneous are the effects of the electric fluid itself, than were the sensations produced by this lengthened speech. Shouts of "hear! hear!" were heard from every quarter of the room-not even in the immoderate rejoicing was the orator allowed to proceed, but the clapping of hands, etc. so completely overpowered him, that, covered with confusion at this highly flattering tribute of applause, he resumed his seat. The roar of applause however at length died away, and silence was again resuming her— I would say its dominion, when Enoch ventured to inquire what this "Conspiracy" was?

"Oh, yes! let's know all about it," added Ebenezer.

Now Nathaniel unfortunately did not exactly know himself, and consequently it is not very surprising that of a sudden his modesty should so confuse his thoughts, as to render him totally unable to give them a very lucid egress. He however valiantly rose, and, with a superabundance of energetic gestures, rolled forth a confused mass of eloquence, of which "rights of man," "Washington," "universal reform," &c. &c. were the only distinguishable words, whereat his audience were wonderfully amazed, and forthwith proceeded to