the castellated tower of the church: for a church there was, and one of such uncommon beauty that it excited the wonder of transatlantic strangers who sometimes visited this remote region, how such structures should "rise like exhalations" throughout our favored land without the aid of an establishment. Near, though separated by a cultivated field, rose another wood of primeval oaks, whose giant arms were in bold relief against the clear blue sky.

"There is the Tarleton wood of which I told you, Evelyn," said Constance Melville to her young companion, for as the reader may have surmised, one of these fair friends was a child of the family. "And there is the old oak tree, so completely covered with mistletoe, that it seems to wave its garlands of emeralds and pearls, as if in mocking triumph over its less fortunate neighbors."

"What an imagination you have, Constance ! " replied Evelyn, "garlands of emeralds and pearls! why you rival Aladdin's lamp with your fancied treasBut how are we to rob the old tree of those treasures unless we can find an Aladdin to help us?"

ures.

"I think I see one of oriental extraction at least, if not one possessed of oriental magic," said Constance, pointing to Uncle Tom. "But I am almost afraid to invoke the magician's art; not that I am in terror of any witchcraft, or being spirited up to the top of the tree, but this air is rather keen to listen to any of the 'thousand and one' tales and anecdotes with which he generally regales us. In a spring morning, when the garden is in Eden-like freshness, it is but fair to listen to him while we gather the roses he cultivates so sedu

lously, to make up our bouquets; but like the world, as we have heard of it, not as we have yet found it, Evelyn, we are too apt to run away from our benefactor, when we have no interests to subserve."

"A precious confession!" returned Evelyn. "As a punishment for so grave an offence, I mean to keep you prisoner for at least ten minutes, while I hear one of these thousand and one Arabian nights."

"Ten minutes, my dear!" exclaimed Constance, laughing; "why, you might as well have limited the Princess Scheherezade to so brief a space. The story of the Tarleton wood alone would occupy far more time than you propose, and I, having heard it as often as Edith Bellenden was doomed to hear the description of the breakfast or disjeune his most sacred majesty Charles the Second was pleased to take at the castle of Tillietudlem, listen to it now rather abstractedly, I confess. But if you insist upon it, you are fairly entitled to any amusement you can gather from this or any other source, before our jour de fête arrives."

CHAPTER II.

UNCLE TOM'S FREEDOM.

"Good morning, young ladies! The tip top o' the morning to you, young ladies," said Uncle Tom, as Constance and her friend approached, scrupulously adding the g to his repetition of the word morning, for he always adapted his style of speaking to his company, and on the present occasion was nice to a g if not to a t. He accompanied the salutation by

taking off his hat, and bowing twice, so low that it would have been difficult to determine whether the salaam was made through profound respect or waggish drollery. It was probably a mixture of both.

66

'Happy to see you again, Miss Evelyn," he continued. 66 Happy to see you at the old place once more. Now Miss Constance," this rather aside, and in the earnestness of his apology forgetting his aristocratic style, "I'm a guine this very minnit to git the things as I promised you, jes as soon as ever I can fix this here salary."

"Thank you, Uncle Tom," replied Constance, hoping for this time to escape the “thousand and one." “But what have you there in those funny looking boxes by you?”

"Them boxes? the littlest one's got a Christmas present in it for Miss Alice: it's a little ground-squirrel. You can see him through that hole: he ain't much bigger than a mouse, for all he's got such a handsome bushy tail. I know she ain't guine to keep him, she's so tender-hearted, but she'll have the fun of letting him out and seeing him run away.

"And you want to know what's in the biggest box? well, it's nothing in life but a 'possum that my tarrier dog Teucer caught for me last night. You don't surely want to see such a ugly varmint as a 'possum, Miss Evelyn?" he added interrogatively, seeing the girls peeping curiously through the bars laid on the top of his prison-house, to prevent the escape of the animal.

"Certainly I do, Uncle Tom, I never saw one before, as often as I have heard of them. Why, what a ridiculous looking creature!"

"Ridic'lus!" said Uncle Tom, "you ain't half seen him yet. Laugh for the ladies, Poss! laugh now, I tell you!" repeated Uncle Tom, accompanying his exhortation with a slight poke in the ribs of "Poss" with the end of the hoe handle through the bars of the box.

The creature's keen eyes shot forth an angry glance, and as it uttered a low sound something between a growl and a hiss, raised its peaked muzzle and spread its jaws to their widest possible extent, displaying every one of a row of white sharp-pointed teeth. The effect was so ludicrous, that the girls were surprised into a burst of merry laughter.

"Well done, Poss!" cried Uncle Tom. "Now

that's what I call perlite, to do as you're bid when the ladies wanted to see you laugh. I'll eat you all the better for making yourself so agreeable."

“Eat your pet ?" said Constance, shrinking back. “Pet, indeed!" replied Uncle Tom. "Don't catch me makin' a pet out o' a 'possum. No, indeed! Miss Constance. I'll have him for dinner to-morrow. Why, he's jest as nice as any young pig, 'specially when he's set with sweet potatoes all round him in the dish. I only wish 'twas fitten for me to ask such quality as you young ladies to come and taste him.

"But now, he's got a heap more sense in that 'ere ugly noddle o' his'n than you'd think. Now last night, Teucer and me was up near the mountain, and we see him and a raccoon holdin' of a congress up 'pon top o' the fence. Teucer, he crep up close to 'em to hear the 'scussion. Says Poss to Coon, 'Look 'e here, narrow-face, you jes keep off that 'ere dog, and I'll help, when help's a wantin'!' So Coon, he fights off the dog, and Poss, he lays down, and pretends to be dead or 'sleep. 'Look 'e here, Poss,' says Coon, 'why don't you help?' 'Can't!' says Poss, 'I'm too full o' laugh!' and he grinned jes like you see him now. So it's him that's caught, 'cause he warn't willin' to help a fellow-creetur in need,” moralized Uncle Tom.

"But now, young ladies, thar's some things to be b'lieved only in part and thar's some things is to be b'lieved intirely. And when I go to git that mizzletoe off the great oak tree in the Tarleton wood—”

"Yes, Uncle Tom," interrupted Constance rather hurriedly, "we shall be much obliged; and if you