slowly, and as it would only appear to move to one watching for the end; yet the end did come, and with it OLD TISE, (not old Time,) who appeared all a-glow with success on his brow, written with as sure a hand as Nature could impress; and the old man said, in a slow, solemn

manner:

Come! come! all right! come!'

I accompanied him; and as we went, TISE informed me of what had transpired since I last parted with him.

'I started,' said he, fust to a drinkin'-shop, where the brothers is generally 'bout from 'leven to twelve o'clock; but they wasn't there; then I went to the corner of Wall and Nassau-street, and shyed about, thinkin' I might meet 'em there; then ag'in I went run- down to the Exchange; and they wasn't there, nuther; and then I felt as though I would n't see 'em at all; and I felt ugly, bekase I thought I should n't see 'em at all; and then thinkin' 'bout the confectioner's shop in Broadway, just below Cedar-street, where so many gentlemen go to get their 'leven o'clocker, may be dey might be there; I posted dat way; and afore I got there, bless you, Mr. Sheriff, I seed 'em comin'.' Both of them?' said I, interrupting him.

'Yes, Mr. Sheriff, both; and den says I to myself, dat 's onlucky; but howsomever, I said nothing, and let 'em pass; and den, ag'in, I did n't know nothin'; and I follered 'em, but I was n't clus by, on'y I was there; and dey went fust to one place and den to another place; and I kep my eyes on 'em all de time; and one of 'em left; and I den begin for to feel good; and den I wanted to see you, Mr. Sheriff, for I did n't know which one to go after; but says I to myself, I can't foller both, and ary one of 'em will do; so I kep on de track of one; and I went after him; and I follered on; and he stopped; and den he went on ag'in; and den he stopped once more; and he talked a little while with some one he met; and he pushed on; and bimeby he went in a house where there is lots of offices; and I follered him werry near then, but he did n't know nothin' 'bout it; and he went in the back office on de fust floor, and I guess he's in there now.'

By this time, we had reached the place where I had hoped TISE had caged the bird; and so thinking, we opened the door, and, true enough, one of the twins was there, but which one, and whether he was the one I wanted, I could not tell. But TISE, on whom I relied in this vexatious emergency, solved the problem at once by going up to him, and announcing, in his peculiar manner, that he had a writ for his

arrest.'

'My arrest! arrest me! what for?' said he, in amazement. must be mistaken, Sir!'

'You

'Your name is William Stop

ain't mistaken, Sir.'

'Ain't mistaken, Sir,' replied THISON. ford; and I guess I got a writ ag'in you 'But you are mistaken, Sir. You say you have a writ against William Stopford?'

'Yes, Sir!' and he mumbled out 'sir,' that I thought I never should hear the end of it. 6 Yes, Sir! ag'in William Stopford.'

'Well, then, my ancient Theban,' replied Stopford, with a great deal of assurance, 'If you have got a writ against William Stopford, all I

have to say is, that I am not he; and you will have to go a little farther to find him, for I am not William Stopford; so you see you are mistaken.'

'Well, I might be, but I guess I ain't,' retorted TISE; 'let's see : and he drew the writ from his pocket, quietly put on his spectacles, looked at the writ with all the seriousness usual in his composition when about a work of this character; looked at me, and then at Stopford; and then he seemed pleased, and gayly observed to Stopford 'that 't was n't often he was mistaken, but he was in this case.' And then addressing me, he said:

'Mr. Sheriff, I'm blamed if I ain't mistaken. I thought all the time I had a writ ag'in William Stopford; but it's John I want, and not William. Why, how in nature could I be so mistaken? Yes, yes; I want John, and not William. Bless my soul! bless my soul! I believe

I'm gittin' old!'

'Let me see your writ!' cried Stopford, in horror; 'let me see it! perhaps and there was a very weak hope in that 'perhaps ' — 'you may be mistaken again.'

I can't be mistaken twice,' replied THISON, where there be on'y two people consarned; once is enough; but it's excusable in me now; I'm gittin' old.' And he handed the writ to him.

Stopford looked at it: read it; re-read; examined it thoroughly; and then, being satisfied that it was all right in fact, but wrong to him, intimated to THISON that he would at once furnish the required security as soon as his brother, whom he momently expected, came in.'

At this announcement, I feared that all the difficulties I had conjured up in my mind, and which, of necessity, by the brothers being brought together, must exist, so closely did they resemble, the one so like the other as could not be distinguished but by names,' that I should most likely then meet with my greatest extreme in keeping them distinguished; and in this great extremity I called upon my assistant to advise me.

'Never you mind, Mr. Sheriff,' said he, with the off-hand manner usual to him when perplexities, doubts, and troubles, had all been mastered by him; leave that to me; I'm all right; I'll keep posted; now I tell you, never you mind: I've got him right, and I'll have him righter bimeby.'

But, TISE,' observed I, 'you know they are dressed alike in every particular, even their white pants, shoes, and coat, and hat; ay, the hat with the crape-band on each. TISE'. and I spoke to him with some alarm; 'should they desire, when the other brother comes, to retire in a room to confer together privately, when they come out again, you cannot tell which is your prisoner. Have you thought of that, and of the uncertainty of finding your man?'

'Yes, I have; but I'll fix it; you kin 'pend on me,' he answered; and I was somewhat relieved when the old man announced to me, in so determined a manner, that he would 'fix it,' and I might depend on him.'

Stopford - John, I mean came toward me, and observed that his brother was expected every minute, and he hoped that I would extend a

little courtesy to him by waiting; and he doubted not that the business would be arranged speedily and satisfactorily to me in the way of sureties. But, Sheriff, your old friend here, Mr. THISON, does n't make such mistakes as in my case frequently, does he?'- and I thought there was a bitter sneer in his manner.

'Mr. Stopford,' I replied, 'such mistakes are sometimes very necessary, as in this matter, for example: but, coming directly to your question, he does very frequently make such mistakes, and takes, too, under them he very rarely misses his man and his object; he has a keen perception, also, as you have already witnessed.'

6

At this point of our conversation, the other brother, William, came in, and, seeing THISON and myself, concluded there was something out,' and addressed John with the question :

'Who is the plaintiff, and what amount of bail is required?'

6

'Will you allow me, Mr. Sheriff,' said John to me, to have a few minutes' private conversation with my brother? We will retire in this room adjoining for a few minutes.'

The question thus frankly put, was about being answered in the negative by me, as that was a state of things I desired most to avoid, because of my inability to distinguish my prisoner: and I was about answering it in as delicate a denial as I could give, when I observed THISON making all sorts of motions with his head and hands; and he, fearing, doubtless, that I was going to grant the request, interposed his objections until the bail-bond was signed; and he begged me, in a whisper, to make out the bond, and he would let me know, bimeby, the reason why he insisted on this being executed at once.'

At THISON'S suggestion, though I could not tell what was passing in the old man's mind, I sat down, and prepared the bond; that concluded, I intimated to my prisoner, that all was ready, and he had better sign at once, particularly, as it was a darling object of my assistant, and I rarely crossed him in any thing.

'Yes, Sir!' said he, seating himself alongside of the table at which I sat; and I handed to him my pen, and he wrote his name, in a bold, dashing hand.

'Perhaps,' he continued, 'my ancient Theban, here, would like to witness the bond. How is it, would you?'

'I'm goin' to do dat,' said THISON; and he moved toward me, and I vacated my chair, and gave it to him.

'Thank 'ee, Mr. Sheriff; much obliged. I'm gittin' old. Oh! oh! that rheumatiz, how it bothers me!' and TISE took the pen, and dipped it in the ink-stand, and he tried to write his name: he could n't; something was the matter with the pen; no, it was the ink; it was too thick. He tried it again; a hair had 'got on de pint.' He picked it off: he guessed it was right now, and he dipped it in the ink again; he could n't write with sich a pen - and he dipped it in the ink again; and then he tried to write again; and then he thought he had too much ink in his pen; and he held the bond pressed with the left hand, as it lay on the table, and seemed intensely interested in reading its contents, and the pen still in his right hand. He tried again, and he

found he had his pen too highly charged, so giving it a double motion downwards, and a repeater, and still another.

'Why, why! what the devil are you about?' cried John Stopford; 'what do you mean, eh? what the devil are you about?'

TISE, thus interrupted in so abrupt a manner, affected entire innocence of what was charged upon him.

You blasted old heathen! look at my white pantaloons! See what you have done! You have shaken all the ink out of your pen on my pantaloons! What do you mean, eh? You blasted old heathen!' Did n't mean to do it. I ask your pardon, Sir. You see, Sir, I was n't thinking of any thing but the bond; and I hope you'll excuse me!

And I looked, and beheld the blackness of darkness on the white trowsers; and great was the area of the dark spot the old gentleman had cast on John Stopford's pantaloons.

'Sheriff,' observed Stopford, I will procure bail immediately. I do n't like this black business. I have sent my brother, and he will be here with good and sufficient bail in a few minutes. I am exceedingly anxious to get rid of the company of that old friend of yours as soon as I can blast him!-ink-spot!'

THISON, although I could scarcely keep my gravity—I was satisfied, had done this thing intentionally-put on the best face he possibly could, and took the denunciations of Stopford very coolly; and, coming up to me, he whispered: 'Did n't I tell you, Mr. Sheriff, I'd make him righter bimeby? and I spotted him fust-rate. Now, let de twins git mixed up, so dat an old man can't tell 'em apart! 'Old Teban! old Heathen!' eh? I'll let him know he ain't going to come any of his games of hit and miss with me. No! no! no! he's spotted for all day, any how; and dat's what I call spottin' a gentleman! He! he! he!' and he smothered his laugh, lest Stopford should hear him.

The sureties soon after appeared; and, having executed the bond, I took my departure with OLD TISE,' and we left the twins to the enjoyment of that sort of feeling consequent upon an attempt to foil an officer of the law, by getting themselves mixed up,' as TISE said; and to the contemplation of his system of spotting a gentleman.

LAYS O F QUAKER DOM.

VISIT OF MARY FISHER TO THE SULTAN MOHAMMED

AT ADRIANO PIE, 1658.

THE sacred flag of MOHAMMED is only displayed when the Sultan takes the field, or in cases of great national emergency.