She heard not the owlet's Sad song from the wood-- Nor the rush of his wings as He sailed o'er the flood-- Nor rapid hoofs ringing, And neigh echoed shrill, As the hurrying horseman Spurred over the hill. Oh! her thoughts were far distant Far--far--in the land, Where her gallant crusader Held knightly command. She prays for his safety, Who sleeps in his gore By the crimson-dyed sands of Far Galilee's shore. The dark waving cypress O'ershadows his grave-- A cross tells the pilgrim Where sleepeth the brave-- And the horseman who knocks at The castle-gate, Hath a tale for its Lady, A seal for her fate. W. M. R. THE GOURD OF JONAH. The gourd mentioned in Jonah as springing up in one night, is in the Hebrew 'Kikajon.' St. Jerom and many others call it ivy. St. Jerom, however, acknowledges ivy to be an improper translation. The Kikajon, according to Galmêt, is a non-parasitical shrub found in the sandy places of Palestine. It grows with rapidity, and has thick leaves resembling those of a vine. {149} THE COUSIN OF THE MARRIED, AND THE COUSIN OF THE DEAD. [From the French.] There was found, under the Restoration, a man who was surnamed _The Cousin of the Married_, and who merited the appellation by a course of industry and ingenuity truly singular. He repaired every morning to the office of the Mayor of the twelve districts of Paris, and stationed himself before the little grate, where are endorsed notices of all marriages about to take place. He read attentively the names of the affianced persons, learned their qualities, and informed himself of their fortune. When he obtained all this information, the ingenious Cousin made his choice, always deciding, however, in favor of that marriage which was expected to attract the greatest number of guests, and which promised the most sumptuous dinner. He would then buy an enormous _bouquet_, put on his fine black coat, a pair of open-work stockings and light pumps, and then take from his bandbox his new hat; so attired he would proceed cautiously among the carriages, with a buoyant step, to the church where the marriage ceremony was to be performed, join the crowd of attendants, and officiously offer to hold the nuptial veil. When the benediction was pronounced, he created himself _Master of Ceremonies_, leading the way to the carriages, giving his hand to the ladies, carefully lifting their dresses to prevent them from coming in contact with the coach wheels, shutting the coach doors and bidding the drivers proceed to the appointed hotel. For himself he was no less careful, as he always contrived to secure a place for himself in one of the carriages, so as to arrive with the rest of the company. It was then that he was brilliant, and then that his liveliness and gaiety served to beguile, with the company, the tedious hour before dinner. He had for all some remark to