and with her thumb and fore-finger tightly pinched together, as if she held the weasand of the presumptuous Billy Callighan squeezed between them, declared she would not have it so "And since the place wants a name," said she, "I'll name it: I'll call it BABYLON !-because there's always so much 'babbling' going on there!" And thereupon she took out a red bandanna, and sounded a terrific blast with her nose, that was like unto the sound of the mighty conch-shell of her valorous ancestor. So the village became Babylon by sound of trumpet!

Nor must I now omit to describe the nominatrix of this puissant village. She was a tall, spare, mathematical-looking lady, with a face like a last will and testament, with amen! written in every corner. Moreover, she was bedight in a crimp-cap and white short-gown, with a black silk kerchief pinned crossways over her neck, and a quilted calico petticoat, that by dint of repeated washing looked like the ghost of a defunct dolphin.

Meanwhile, one Thompson, who was likewise an aspirant for fame, must needs have his say in the matter; and being of a milky disposition, of wonderful good-nature, and wishing every body well in the world, would fain give Babylon a more euphonious title; so he called together all the inhabitants, had a grand "pow-wow" at his house, and

spent several dollars in the purchase of sundry gallons of corn-whiskey, apple-jack and New-England rum, with which the company became wonderfully mellow. Then, after much preliminary backing-and-filling, he proposed― in a terribly long-winded speech, which the limits of the work will not permit me to give entire "that the village, being a quiet, peaceful little place, where all were Unitas Fratrum,' should be henceforth known and denominated as HARMONY;" which was unanimously ratified upon the spot by all present. This important ceremony over, the Harmonians proceeded to the more serious business of the night, and took unto themselves sundry juleps, slings, toddies, etc. Then, according to the records of the time, did they become bucked, boozy, bunged up, corned, sprung, swipesy, swizzled, soaked, smashed, slewed, sewed-up, sick, mellow, maudlin, hot, funny, toddied, top-heavy, halfsnapped, keeled-up, drunken, inebriated, intoxicated, one eye open, in liquor, weeping, shouting, swearing, roaring, flabbergasted, all talking at once, kicked, cuffed, torn, fisted; in a word, they made as infernal an uproar as ever had been made at the building of the veritable tower of Babel upon the plains of Shinar! But how vain are hu

man efforts to contend with fate!

The sun rose in the

morning, and breaking several panes of glass in the win

dows of the east, looked through and smiled in peaceful serenity upon the slumbering village. And lo and behold! it was BABYLON still, and so it has remained even to the present day. Having thus brought this philosophical and philological history to the beginning of the present century, I lay aside my pen. I pass over, as apocryphal, the popular rumor of Babylon having been once named "Dogville;" but justice to the Babylonii demands that I should affirm, upon the word of an historian, that since the unfortunate issue of the "christening," they have continued and still remain A STRICTLY TEMPERANCE PEOPLE.

THE SEASONS.

AROUND, around, around, around,

The snow is on the frozen ground;

River and rill

Are frore and still,

The warm sun lies on the cold side hill,
And the trees in the forest sound,

As their ice-clasped arms wave to and fro
When they shiver their gyves with a stalwart blow.

Slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly

Comes the Spring,

Like a maiden holy;

Her blue eyes hid in a wimple of gray,

But a hopeful smile on her face alway;

Through the rich, brown earth bursts the pale, green

shoot

From the milk-white threads of the sensitive root,

Like a joy that is fragile and fleeting ;

And the little house wren, in his plain, drab coat,
Holds forth, in a plaintive, querulous note,
Like a Quaker at yearly meeting.

Of Autumn, gorgeous, sombre, and sere,
I shall probably write at the close of the year,
But at present, the jubilant Summer is here-
All in love with her half bursting bodice of green,
Just disclosing that Rasselas valley between;

And her farthingale purfled all over-
With violets, strawberries, lilies, and tulips,
Intermingled with mint-sprigs, suggestive of juleps,
And suggestive of living in clover;

Of a lid-shutting breeze in the shadow of trees,
Of love in a cottage—and lamb and green peas,
Of claret and ice, chicken-curry and rice,
And lobster and lettuce, and every thing nice,
Of fresh milk-and a baby,

And butter, and cheese,

And a thousand affinitive blessings like these.

The Summer, joy-bringer! is warm on my cheek,
It blooms on the blossom, it breathes in the rose,
And if nothing occurs, in the course of a week,
I shall be where the pond-lily blows :