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I ' -w # .. /> / } ii' I.: -: ' / . / / .. * / / /?/ ^ 7# // /: ? ,/' ,/ ' / / / ( \ y / ? -h?-- , : VOL. XXXVII. CAMDEN, S. C., JUNE 12, 1879. NO. 47. ?r, PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY I M CAMDEN, S. C., I C. C. ALEXANDER. SSul>serii>lIon Katen: t, (in advance.) Ono Year f2.00 Eix Months 1.00 At the Gate. And where were you just now, Mabel ? \Y here have you been so long ? fhe moon is up, ami all the birds Huvo sung their evening song; I saw you loitering down the path, So lonely and so late, Beyond the well arid lilac bush, And hanging hy the gate. I love to hea r the birds, mother, And see the rising moon; And, oh 1 the summer air is sweet Benea th the sky of June. My cov Is milked, my hens are cooped, A-ad washed are cup and plate, And so I wandered out a while, To hang upon the gate. The gate is by the road, Mabel, And idle folks go by, .TSor should a maiden brook the glance Of every stranger eye. Besides. 1 thought I saw a cap? I'm sure you had a mate; So tell me who was with you, child, Just hanging at the gale. Now you know just as well, mother, 'Twos only Harry Gray. He spoke such words to me to-night, I know not what to say; And, mother, oh ! lor your dear sake, I only bade him wait: And mayn't I run and tell him now? He's hanging at the gate. ?Hurper's Magazine. A PRELUDE IN BROWN. " But, my dear boy, who is going to say anything of the sort? What misconstruction can be put on your going 10 me seaside lor a ihuiilu, uiccuug u young lady there, and in a natural way making her acquaintance? Nothing may result from it beyond acquaintance-, and no one is called upon to remark what, after all, is mere coincidence." "Uncle Joshua, I wonder you can Hook me in the face! 'Mere coincidence!' when you know perfectly well that this is a cut-and-dricdarrangement, and that I am led like a lamb to lie sacrificed on the shrine of your heiress. Coincidence, forsooth! I am astonished at your cheek, sir, if you will pardon the expression." "Upon my soul, you young fellows take pretty airs on yourselves nowadays," retorted Uncle Joshua, angrily. " .\laud Lovell is an heiress?and I don't deny?a very considerable heiress; but none the less is she a remarkably pretty girl, accomplished too, and amiable, and ..it ?!. .* - !>< .* ? Ka VA11 ll'All 1^ <1 iUl li 4;il , lllC gill uuui J n v/utu ? be rare to farf in love with if it wasn't * *^*orth your while to do so. You area j fool, Ned. let me tell you, a very pro jouncfd fool, if you let such a chance as this si;p on account of a farrago of non~ ' Wfi?tl;;ti*notions about) iovc and disinter- 1 estedness: all twaddle. Such ideas don't 1 wash, sir. let me tell you. I've tested 'em: they don't wash," bringing his t nand down with a bang on the table by way of period. l.ncle Joshua was a natty, debonair 1 old gentleman of suave and circumspect manners, and a habit oftiptoeing gingerly over the surfaces of ideas and things with due avoidance of all dangerous or debatable spots. This ebullition therefore took his nephew quite by surprise. ; Never bad he seen his relative so ex cited about anything before. His carefully preserved old face was red and hot; he jumped about in his tight boots; his 1 voice and manner were fully of unwonted vigor. Ned Banks had been used to think of his uncle as a kindly, formal 1 fop, to be gently chaffed and practically ignored when convenient. He hardly knew what to make of him under this , new aspect. Uncle Joshua, for all his little absurd- i ities, had been a good friend and a helpful one to his nephew. To him Ned ] owed his college education and his start in life?obligations which he had ac- j cepted easily at the time, as the young are wont to accept all favors done them, : but of which he felt the weight when thus reminded. His opposition to his uncle's scheme had not sprung from any deep-lying principle. The idea of mar- ' rying-an heiress was no more distasteful ' to him than to any other man of his age; but he hail experienced an instinctive repugnance to entering into a preconcerted, cold-blooded arrangement for i the pumose. Now, however, seeing his 1 uncle's real annoyance and displeasure, he said to himself, "After all, why not? I don't commit myself by simply going to the place." And after a short silence be added: "All right, sir; it's settled, 1 then. I'll be at the Cove at the time you name, and do my best to be civil to ' the young lady. First of July, is it?" < and he took out a note-book and made ' an entry of the date. "My dear Ned," cried the older Mr. Hanks, deeply gratified, " now you are < behaving just as I should wish. I hope s ?very confidently hope?that this trip 1 of yours may eventuate for your welfare 1 in many ways. Nothing could be farther from my wish than to force your inclina- < tions; but there is no harm in forming a 1 pleasant acquaintance, Ned; there can 1 no no harm?no possihle harm." The South Cove was looking its prettiest when Ned Banks, true toliis word, alighted on the 1st of July at the door of its hotel. All the little cottages and dependencies of the large establishment shone in the brilliance of fresh paint. The grass was newly cut; the plaster vases and red-tinted firkins were filled with gay geraniums and bright-leaved plants. "Beyond lay the sea, vast and blue, no whit less solemn or less inscrutable for this little fringe of ornament on its border's hem. A boat, with a scarlet-shawled lady sitting in the stern, was rowing across from the green island opposite. People thronged the piazza. From a distance came the intermittent thunder of the bowling-alley. The season was fairly under way; that was evident. Ned scanned the groups on the veranda with the natural nope of seeing some acquaintance. lie discovered none; but presently, from the lips of a lady near him, lie heard a familiar name. "Mr. A ili bone Crosby told me so." "Where is-Mr. Crosby this afternoon?" 44 Driving with those Baltimore peo pie, I believo." " Hullo! what brings /um^lere?" soliloquized Ned, as he slowly strolled toward the office. For Allihone Crosby was a reputed suitor of Miss Lo veil's?Uncle Joshua's ward. Tt was a singular coincidence, certainly, if nothing more, that he should turn up at the South Cove just then: and so Ned reflected as he went to j bed, with the moon for a candle, and the i boom and surge of the waves coming i:i through the open window. The idea of a possible rival stimulated his interest in Miss Lovell amazingly, and he made his toilet next morning with the athletic determination to "go in and win "at all hazards. Uncle Joshua and his party were not due until the 3d, so he had a day in which to look about him and elaborate a plan of campaign. Kntering the breakfastroom, the first object his eyes encountered was Allibone Crosby himself, coffee-cup in hand. lie greeted Ned cordially enough, but without affecting surprise at seeing him. "When did you get in? I heard you were expected about this time." " Last night. How long have you been here?" " About a week. Where have they seated you? I sav, Julia"?to the waitress?"put Mr. lianks here, will you? Mrs. Reeves won't be back for another fortnight; he might as well have her seat till she comes." " I'll take.it for to-day with pleasure, but to-morrow I expect some friends," said Ned. " Oh!" replied Crosby, with a sort of rapid glint in his eye. " Well, sit down now, at all events, old fellow." The " here " indicated was a seat next but one to Crosby's own, round an angle of the table. The chair between, as well as that on the other side of Crosby, was tilted forward to indicate pre-engagement. Ned ordered his breakfast, but before it appeared, two ladies entered, and advanced at once to the reserved seats. They were so much alike as to be evidently sisters; but while one had the air and bearing of a youthful matron, the other was as unmistakably a young (*irl. This latter took the chair next to Ned, and Allibone Crosby, after a moment's low-voiced conversation with the older sister, leaned forward and introduced them. *i *i?? T " iUISS 1JILVUCIltT, luilj X JULIUUUUC I1I> friend Air. Banks, of New York? Then to Ned, "After breakfast I shall have the pleasure of presenting you to Mrs. Peters, Miss Darbelle's sister; just now you seem at an unapproachable distance." Both ladies bowed, Airs. Peters leaning past Air. Crosby, and smiling brightly as she did so; Miss Darbelle with a shy, upward look out of a pair of brown eyes. She was a brown little thing altogether, was Ned's firsf reflection, for her hair, evidently all her own, and bound in a great knot at the back of her small head, was bright hazel in color, the long lashes which shaded her eyes had a bronze-like glitter, and her skin was the richest brunette, with a lovely pink in the cheeks, like the hue ot a sun-ripened peach. Even the delicate hands wore brown, and the slender arched throat which rose above the dainty ruffle; and taif to enhance the effect, the dress was n o 1 en?ajmTo"r>rr>nm with kn^l^tf^hfestnut-coloied ribbon. The extrerrie finish and delicaey of every line ttnd tint in both-dresa and wearer ?rave a piquant and striking effect to the whole, which amounted to absolute beauty, as Ned presently decided; and the impression 'deepened as conversation brought out a saucy glitter in the coffeecolored eyes, and smiles revealed th? flash of pearl-white teeth. Miss Parbelle's voice, sweet and low, had that musical semi-Southem intonation which is so charming to the unaccustomed ear. She was very easy and natural, and altogether Ned found himself so well entertained as to prolong his breakfast to an unconscionable extent. It was not till Mrs. Peters had inquired, more than nnop in a tone of sliirht imnatience. "Haven't you finished, Essie? that at last Miss Darbelle, with a demure little salutation, rose and pushed back her chair. Ned followed, of course. "What else was there to do in that stupid place?" he asked himself. The ladies were going to walk with Mr. Crosby, and he went too. What between the rocks and the beaches, hours sped rapidly away. There was" a row in the atternoon, a game at tenpins later, a chat on the moon-lighted piazza. We all know how such things go at a watering-place, where the business of life is simply to live and enjoy the passing moment. It was but for a day. To-morrow Uncle Joshua and his heiress would arrive to claim Ned's.time and devoirs. Meantime Miss Darbelle was very pretty, and tlipre was no harm in ??ettin<r what fun he could out of this extra day. The graver business of life would be along soon enough. A his for the mutability of human plans! Next morning brought the following telegram: "Delayed a few days. Stay where you are. Will write. J. Banks." "What can have turned up?" asked Ned of himself, but he submitted to the delay philosophically. The hotel proved very comfortable; the weather was delicious; there might easily be found a ivorse place to wait in than South Cove L'ven without Miss Lovell to add to its attractions. He telegraphed an answer: "All right; will wait," and resigned himself with happy ease to the situation. A letter from Lnele Joshua came next day. Mrs. Lovell, it seemed, had been taken ill; nothing serious, but it might detain them two or three days?perhaps till Thursday. "Till Thursday," then, Ned felt himself to be off duty, and he utilized his reprieve in the manner most agreeable to himself?by seeing as much as possible of the Baltimore ladies. " It's a kind of prelude to the real thing," he told himself, " keeping my hand in, so to speak, and will be all the better when the other girl comes to the fore." Ned had probably heard the adage about edgea tools and the dangers of playing therewith, but it did not recur to his mind just then. Mr. Banks' flirtation with the pretty Miss Darbelle became the mild excitement of the season at the South Cove. Morning after morning the cream-brown costume was to be seen on the rocks in close proximity to Ned's suit of gray tweed or spotless duck, the afternoons saw tne two togettier oil tne water, the evenings in close conversation in the dimmest and most remote corner of the long piazza. Mrs. Peters looked on without interference, tolerant, like all Southern women, of the progress and evolution of love-making in its incipient stages. " Essie always-was run after wherever she went. She knows well enough how to take care of herself, and Mr. Banks seems a very nice gentleman," she told a scandalized matron who felt it more than her duty to utter a word of warning $ Time went on. Thursday brought another letter to say that Mrs, Lovell was better, but that her daughter was now a little ailing. They should not be able to travel before Monday at soonest. Ten days passed?a fortnight. The " prelude " was protracted to an unex- < pected length. AlHbone Crosby dis- i appeared. For a day or two only, he i hoped. His room was kept for him; but his absence prolonged itself to a week. 1 This left the field free for Ned, and his 1 intimacy with the Southern ladies grew 1 apace. Before the final telegram arrived 1 to announce Uncle Joshua and his be- < lateu party, lurw wet'Ks iiuili uie time originally set, all was over, so far as Ned 1 Banks was concerned. He was hopelessly in love?so hopelessly and so ut- i terly as to make any other idea impossi- ! ble to his mind. And with the resolute 1 determination to clinch fate, and defy i the world, the flesh and his uncle, he j proposed the very day of their expected 1 arrival, won a lovely, blushing "yes" 1 from Essie, and awaited the appearance < of his relative with a sense of joy and exultation at heart which mrdc facing i lions an easy matter enough, and how i much more so confronting one old gen- ] tleman of placable manners and a coun- 1 tenance habituated to the expression of the milder emotions? ] Miss Lovell was pretty ? wonder- ' fully so for an heiress, Ned was forced I to confess. Uncle Joshua seemed singu- i larly depressed. He introduced them 1 with an air so deprecatingly miserable ] that his neohew did not know what to i make of it. Behind the trio appeared a ] fourth passenger?A Hi bone Crosby. " Glad to see you back," said Nea, who felt in good humor with all the world just then. His secret burned within him. lie followed the party as they went up stairs, Crosby carrying the ladies' wraps, and assisting Mrs. Lovell with an air of profound devotion. He turned to meet Uncle Joshua's eyes fixed on him with a look of mournful emotion. " Come with me to my room," said the old gentleman; "I want a chance to speak with you in private." 44 And I want a chance to speak with you in private," retorted Ned, gayly. "It is not your fault, my boy," began Uncle Joshua, in a melancholy tone, as he locked the door and motioned Ned to take a chair. 44 That is a comfort for me to think of." Ned stared. What was not his fault? Had Uncle Joshua heard ? < 44 rrw r 14- 1 4- 4. 11 . xnere w:us nu iuuil jiiiuui ii, uc ? began, flushing ft little. "Such a word ] is out ot the question in speaking of the matter. Wait till you know her, sir." "You're right. I didn't know her." continued his uncle. "I don't like to say that I was deceived; but I am a man of the world, and tolerably acute, as I flatter myself; and without a good deal of pains having been taken to blind me, I am certain my eyes would have been opened long before." "But, uncle, you were not here. ?lf you had arrived at the time Vou iixed, you would have seen the whole thine coming on wseks *?."__ "Months, you mean. It seems there was an understanding, if not an engagement, in the spring.^ " Spring! wny, 1 never set eyes on her till I came here." / "On wlyn&P (Lam P^t. ,qf ? [ you, of course,' I refer to this tellow Crosby." "Crosby! why, what has he to do with her? " Do with her? why, they are engaged, j Ned. It is a great blow, after all my < hopes, and will oe so to you." s " Engaged! Crosby! But what has he \ to do with Miss Darbelle?" "Miss Darbelle! Who is that? I ' never heard of her in my life before. Of ' course I mean Maud Lovell." ; Ned stared for a moment; then the full absurdity of the situation flashed be- 1 fore him, and he burst into a laugh so < long and loud that Uncle Joshua, sus- ' peeling sudden frenzy, cried: "My boy, control yourself! What an extraordinary way of relieving your feel- ' ings! Do stop. What is there to laugh at?" His perplexity changed to dismay ! when at last the time state of the ease was explained, and he found that his . cherished nephew had engaged himself 1 to an unknown somebody from Maryland. " You positively know nothing about 1 her?about her family, her means of support?" he gasped. " Oh, Ned! Ned! i1 I never heard of anything so insane in 1 all my life." " I know that she is a gentlewoman," retorted Ned. "No one could doubt that ' who talked with her for five minutes. And I know that she is the sweetest, 1 most charming, most refined girl I ever saw in my life, and almost the prettiest. That is enough for me, Uncle Joshua, and I think it ought to be enough for 1 you as well." < It wasn't, however. Uncle Joshua's afternoon was completely spoiled. He ] went about dejectedly, his hands clasped ( behind his back, head bent, drooping whiskers?the very picture of a misera- ( ble old gentleman. The very tails of . his coat looked wretched, as if in sympathy with their owner. Gone were all liis airy graces and conversational sal- 1 lies, lie had not a word to throw to a ! dog, and went to bed while still the sun > was high, pleading headache, and ex- ! cusing himself on that pretence from the introduction which Ned was eager to J effect between him and his new niece j j elect. To-morrow would be time i enough for that, remarked Uncle Joshua, 1 with a low groan. < It was astonishing how he revived i next morning, after a before-breakfast i talk on the piazza with Allibone Crosby. " My dearest Ned," he cried, drawing i his nephew aside, " I have just heard ] something which has gratified rae very , much?very much indeed! Why didn't | i you explain that Miss Darbelle was tlie j 1 adopted daughter of my old friend Sena- ] torKoss? I knew him well in Wash-t j ington in, let me see, '49 it must have ! : been?a highly elegant man, and a most j j princely fortune. Your fiance and her sister are his reputed heiresses, I understand. I should have met your announcement yesterday ouite differently I had I known this. Mv old friend's ' i j daughter!?well! well! In some re-!: i sneets the connection pleases me better i j tlian the other of which we have spoken. ! ; You are going to do remarkably well by | yourself?remarkably welh you lucky ' fellow!" j i " I knew that before, without waiting to learn your further particulars," retorted Nea. " Uncle Joshua, I pardon you because you have not seen Essie yet. I After you have seen her, if you don't ask ! my pardon, I shall cut you off without a shilling." 1 41 He! he!" tittered Uncle Joshua, re- : ; stored now to all his pristine compla- , i eency. All went merry as a marriage beli j 'after this. The two heiresses and their j two lovers were the great exciting topics i j for the rest of that season at the South i Cove. Essie bewitched Uncle Joshua at 1 | once, and in half a day had that amiable I worldling entirely under her dominion. 1 Among other secrets which she wormed :>ut of him was that of the original pur- 1 pose for which Ned had codi? to the seashore. * "Oh, you poor fellow!"site cried, between her peals of laughter; "you poor c victim! Going out to shear, and coming j back shorn. Such a fine plot, so beau- 8 tifully organized, and all to go awry! i 31i. Ned! Ned!" :7 J Ned's color deepened perceptibly, but a be met her laughing eyes bojjfly. " Well, yes, it was something like that j in the beginning," he conft ssed. "You ^ see, Uncle .Joshua had got this idea into e liis head, and I felt bound to gratify him f if it proved possible. I think I tell in t love with you that first mdfning 5 but I t wouldn't own it, and went on stupidly j trying to prove to myself tliat you were t inly ar-a?" , fl " A ' Symphony in Black, and White,1 t perhaps,'1 broke in Essie. Isaucily, read- , ng the words from thene^paper in her c lap, "or 'A Nocturne in Yellow.' Which ; was it, Ned?" t " Neither," cried Ned, caching up the r paper. "4 A Prelude in Biwvn.1 That t was it, Essie. Prelude? That's the thing they play before tlnjy begin the real theme, isn t it? WeH all I ask is " diat you will keep on playiig so long as . [ live, darling. I want no hther music, e aor ever shall, than just m^ * Prelude in j Brown.111?Harper's B&zaf., I ; ' J ' Enterprising Correspondents. 1 The Washington correspondent of the ^ Louisville Courier-Journal tavs: Mem- c aers of Congress are constantly puzzled c \s to how correspondents-get hold of \ :heir secret proceedings in caucus. After \ .lie last caucus there was a pretty cor- j rect report given in one papier of the sub- ] ects reported from one of the committees , xnd presented for discassion. It was { ifterward learned that the chairman of ] die committee had made"9ome notes in x regard to the subjects presented to the j aucus. When they aqjolirned he tore t die paper to pieces and threw them in . lie waste-paper basket. When all had i leparted an enterprising inciter entered f die hall and began a search for items. { Hie saw the bits of paper and carefully j collected all of them, then he retired and j ikillfully fitted the particles together. f a i i. - ? ? - - - i c ,>c*al ne visueu a comiiHrtee-room ann j iskcd the clerk if that was the liand- <? writing of the chairman, He went from ? >ne to the other, until he bxed upon the j member whose writing IV) held. Next { morning his paper had a pretty correct eport of the proceedings in secret cau- . us. Many think it would be better if | he caucus would give correct news to the t Sapers, and thereby avrid the many , maginnry reports whicb^fcrrespondents } send out as news: A^^Biinent paper ( published, a sensationa^Bbrt which. I , im told, had not a shacyWof truth for a J Foundation^lVhen the'correspondent ( was takeq^re task about it, he said, "I . was obliged to send sOurething to my j Vaprer^und, if you will ngt give me news, j .here is\riothing to do but invent. I , would pi*i^fer the tiOith^b^^^kave me Sharper tluui a Lawyer. , A wag of a lawyer, says the Iowa Slate 1 Register, was sitting in his office the I jther day deeply engaged in unraveling ! some knotty question, vvhen a gentle- 1 men entered and inqj^ed: "Is this < Mr. Z.P" The studeij^ftT Blackstone, < raising his eyes from tlWegal book be- 1 fore, replied: " If you owe me anything, : ir have-any business in my line, then < fj. is ray name; if you have a claim to 1 present I am not the man. If you have < railed simply for a social chat, you can I rail me any name." < " I propose to present you with some ] business in your line. I have a note of < twenty-five dollars I want you to eol- i ieet," and handing the .awyer a note, de- J parted to call the next day. As soon its i lie was gone the lawyer ascertained that < it was one of his own promises to pay. l The next day his client appeared anil I inquired: " Well, what success?" "All right; I have collected the : money, llere it is, less the fees," hand- i inghim fifteen dollars.*^ 1 "Good!" said the client. "I have 1 made two dollars and a half by this i operation.1* " IIow so?11 said the lawyer. 1 " Well," replied the client " I tried I all over the city to sell vour note for ' twelve dollars and a half, but couldn't i do it." < Words of Wisdom. Learning without thought is labor ' lost;; thought without learning is peril- ! oufc. | Friends are as companions on a jour- ( acy, who ought to aid each other to per- , severe in the road to a happier life. When the millions applaud you, seri- 1 ausly ask what harm you have done; 1 when they censure'you, what good. j Life is made up, not of great sacrifices ar duties, but of little things in which > miiles and kindness and smalfobligations 1 ijiven habitually, are what win and pre- < serve the heart and secure comfort. ] Misfortune is hut another word for the ' Tollies, blunders and vices which, with a. 1 sweater blindness, we" attribute to the blind goddess, to the fates, to the stars, to anything, in short, but to ourselves. I Dur own head and heart are the heaven I md earth which we accuse and make ' responsible for al 1 our calamities. ' There is this difference between those ' temDOral blessings. health inrl n-.rmov* 1 money is the most envied, but the least enjovcd; health is the most enjoyed, hut the least envied; and this superiority of ' the latter is still more obvious, when" we ! reflect that the poorest man would not 1 part with health for money, but that the ' richest would gladly* part with all their money for health. What " Boom" Means. \ The current word to express a peculiar i and frequent phenomenon in our politics is "boom." It is derived from the j Western idiom describing the freshets 1 in rivers and creeks. In those streams I that are far from the stable equilibrium i of tidal waters, there are very great ine- 1 qualities of v&lume. Some of them vary 1 from six inches of dust in a dry time to : sixty feet of water during a season of I rains, and all have their times, when i the usually thin and shallow streams i comes pouring down in a yellow flood. I oearmg ienee rails ana corn stacKS ana i other signs of the invasion of the 1 riparian farms, and laden with the dog- ( gone expletives of tlje settlers and the 1 vexations of the travelers delayed at the ] fords. The stream is powerful while it 1 lasts, hut that is only for a day or two, 1 and while it is at its height of temporary < greatness it is calieda "boom." "Lost i Creek or the Dry Fork is a booming," is i the way in which the natives describe < these passing ebullitions of nature,? s Providence Journal. 1 t > 'ARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD. Some ltlnt? on I'rtinliigi While the scientific gardeners and rchardists are usually doing more or ess pruning at all seasons, and are contantly clipping off a shoot here and a arger branch there, or breaking the bud >ut of some twig to prevent it going istray, the novice in such matters seems o be fearful of losing something of value f he cuts a tree or shrub in any part. I'lien we have men aspiring to be teachT3 in the horticultural art, who inveigh ugainst any kind of pruning, and tell us hat it is not a natural operation, and he less done of it the better, as though j here was no such thing as improving i ipon natural methods of raising trees | md shrubs, or of rearing animals to meet j he wants or fancies of men. But culti- I rated plants are placed under unnatural \ onditions, and to bring them to our i deas of perfection requires the applicaion of unnatural processes, among which iruning i9 one of the most important and lseful. Pruning to Invigorate.? It may leem a rather singular operation to :ut away one-thira or one-half of a ree, in order to increase- its size and simulate it to make vigorous growth; >ut long experience has taught the garlener and orchardist that severe pruning s one of the most certain and effective nvigorators to apply to old, stunted trees md shrubs. Ola fruit trees, or even roung ones that have become stunted by >ver bearing or neglect, may often be itarted into a vigorous and healthy jrowth by merely shortening all the jranches to one-half of their original ength, or when there are so many jranches that they crowd each other, a jortion should be removed entire, and he remainder shortened to, a proper cngth. Of course, cultivation and nanuring should not De neglected, but n many instances these will not produce ,he desired effect unless they are accompanied by severe pruning. Vigorous growth in fruit trees will result in large ind handsome fruit; for while a stunted ree may put on a promising show for fruit n its abundance of bloom in spring, it nay fall short long before the harvest; md even if it should carry a goodly numicr of blossoms through to the ripening ieason, the fruit will be invariably small md inferior. Better a little and perfect ruit, than an abundance that is small ind worthless. To lay down anv specific rules for mining is impossible, as each individlal tree or shrub may require a different xcatment. Some may need trimming lp, others heading back; instances will ilso occur where one tree needs thinning iut of branches, and the very next one 1 MlUI lUlllig III, IUi IUU pui JJUOV V? 1U jreasing the number, or thickening up of ;he head. These operations may be employed not only to invigorate, but also to rive the reouired form to the tree, and they are as important as good food, ahel ter and care to the domesticated animal. PRuymo^ Ok^mextal 'Px.A_Nia.-i much need orpruniiTg "asambngtherrfort? useful. If the pines, spruces, and other large growing evergreens are permitted to grow unpruned, they will usuallj dioot up too tall and slender, and their leading shoots should, therefore, be cut uut every few years while young, in urder to give them a wide spread of l^tvrsii* KinmoKflo onrl + l?n lnlf4"?r ilso be shortened to make I hem more lompact, if the tree is inclined *o be of a loose and open habit. Old-time gardeners and nurserymen were very enary of breaking or. cutting off the leading shoots if evergreens, especially^ those of the pines and spruces, fearing" that the loss if the " leader " would permanently inure the form and symmetry of the tree; but our best cultivators of such plants in these days purposely cut out the leaders of all the rapid-growing sorts to improve the form and enehance their value for ornamental purposes. If the trees ire to be raised for timber, a straight tall item would be of more value than any number of handsome branches, and beauty might be well sacrificed to usefulness. In raising deciduous trees, a man can readily change the form to suit his taste, and produce almost any style lie fancies; ana if the pruning is done at the proper season, there is no reason for believing, as some persons assert, tuat it induces early decay, or shortens the life of trees or other plants. There are many ornamental shrubs which are much improved by severe pruning, especially by thinning out the items of those that grow in large thick slumps, and shortening those which proluce their flowers on the young growth of the season. Roses of the class called monthly, and also the hardy perpetuals, should have all their main shoots cut back at least one-half early in spring, as the flowers are produced on the new growth of the season, and the stronger ind more vigorous the shoots, the larger ind more perfect the blooms. There is too much dependence upon what is ?alled nature in the management of both plants and animals, which is but a handy ixcuse for a far too wide and general aeglect of both.?New York Sun. Rot an?l .>IUdeiv ot the <>rnpe. The origin of rot and mildew of the jrapo, says the New York World, has Ejiven rise to pumerous and widely-diverging conjectures, and the various causes that have been attributed do not ippear to be very reliable. Both diseases come and go with the seasons, one year being noticoab.e on one variety and the next upon some other kind, giving evidence that it is miasmatic or sporadic, and developed according to the atmosphere and condition of the vines as regards health and vigor. The precautionary measures largely wloptod liy leading fruit-growers consist in a free use of sulphur, applied by lusting the vines occasionally, From the time the seed is formed until the coloring is at least half completed. Vineyards with southern exposure are renerafly considered more nearly exempt from rot than any others, especially if the soil is naturally a well-drained one ind so situated that no stagnant moisture can exist upon it. A correspondent writing on the treatment of grapes to ivoid rot, in the Farmers' Advocate, urges :he use of the spade instead of the plow ;n the preparation of the land for plantng. He says: " When one knows how :o use a spade it is a very simple method, nuch more rapid and less costly than tvould be thought. An acre dug to the lepth of 20 to 24 inches costs little ?fTito FTnrl omrilo cnrt_ L ntVli > A lie * lUtJ UM|# port in a soil thus worked, and the grapes will not rot." It is further suggested that the soil about the vines be thoraughly work'd in the spring with a spade, followed by four or five hoeings in the summer, whether there are weeds :>r not, in order to keep the ground constantly stirred. All cultivation should be done in fine weather and when the soil is dry. Kegp the ground worked as deep as may be with the hoe. It will then remain cool, the vines will thrive and the quality of the fruit or wine be improved thereby, 4 1 In garden culture, for a single row, the border should be eight to ten feet long and about four feet wide. An approved mode of preparation is to dig out , the natural soil to the required depth and the length and width necessary. If the soil be stiff rr damp, small stones, brush and rubbish may be laid at the bottom as a sort of drainage; on top of this deposit, the compost for tlie border. This may consist of two parts of good, fresh friable loam, one of old, well-rotted manure, and one of ashes, shells and broken bones, all mixed together. The top of the border, when finished, ought to be at least a foot higher than the surface of the ground, so that it may still remain higher after settling. When a south en exposure which gives the vines the benefit of the sun's rays all day canhot be gained, an eastern exposure will often be found successful, especially with the early-ripening varieties. A northern exposure ought to be avoided if possible, and, if used, the hardy, early-ripening varieties only should be planted. Carving Meat. An exchange gives this hint: We have often been annoyed, in cutting up a roast of beef on the dinner table, by the difficulty of holding it in a fixed position on the smooth, oval plate, while attempting to slide the meat down in a handsome manner. Sometimes we have thought that corrugated dishes would hold the meat better and prevent its sliding about. But more recently we have found a much better remedy, by the use of two carving forks set some distance apart in the roast, but with the handles brought together and held in one hand. The ease with which the carving is now effected is really surprising. Freshly cookea and flexible beef is sliced down with entire control and accuracy,. and as thin as pasteboard if he desire it. Nothing is easier than to try this method, and one trial will satisfy any one. It is not patented. *" . A Big Meteorite Found. A corespondent of the Chicago Tri bune writes from Estherville, la., as follows: Something of a ^ensation was caused here on the 10th, at or near five o'clock, by the falling of a meteor. The sun was shining, and only occasionally a fleecy cloud visible, when all at once, far up in mid-air, there,was a loud report resembling the discharge of ^cannon, ?1*> l-n/lm. fXH/nrroH cnnn VivTnnntlipr resembling a heavy blast, "which was followed by one or two more reports that might have been the echo from the first; then, for a minute or so, there was a rumbling sound?seemipgly passing from northeast to southwest, as near as I could judge from thf location I was in. About two miles north Air. Charles. Ega was at work ^lanting^ cpra^j^henrcction oF th<? rapolrir'he anything on account of the strn, but, <\ following with his eye the direction of the roaring sound that followed, ne saw dirt thrown up to some height in the edge of a ravine a hundred rods or so to the north-northeast of where lie was at work. Mr. John Barber also reports a similiar appearance a hundred rods or so further in the same direction. Further < observations were made by S. W. Brown, who lives three-fourths of a mile i north of here. He was in the edge of i the timber, looking in a northwesterly j direction into the tops of some oaks, to see if there were going to be any acorns, the direction being quartering to the . sun: he saw a red streak, and was looking attentively at it when the explosion came. He claims that it was passing ( from west to east, and that when it burst there was a cloud of smoke at the head of the red streak, which rushed forth ! like the smoke from a cannon's mouth and then spread in every direction. Upon examining the edge of the ravine a hole was found twelve feet in diametnv ond ihnilt qiv fppt dppn. wlliell WSS full of water. Parties have since, by untiring labor and search, found numerous pieces varying in size from one to eight ounces, also four pieces about four pounds, and one weighing thirty-two pounds and two ounces; but the largest was found bedded eight feet in blue clay and fully fourteen feet from the surface. Its weight was 431 pounds, and I should judge it was two feet long by one and one-half wide, and one foot or so thick, with ragged, uneTen surface. It is composed. apparently, of nearly pure metal of some kind, a piece of which has been made into a nng by flattening out a small piece. A hole was then drilled in it. It was then drawn over a round iron, and makes a very pretty ring, resembling silver somewhat, but a trifle darker in color. Housekeeping Made Easy, A couple may now set up for themselves with very few utensils, scarcely any provisions, and next to no knowledge of cookery. A gas or oil "stove takes the place of a costly and cumbrous cooking range. Coffee is bought not only parcneu nui ground, npices ami pepper come all prepared for use. Every kincl of bread, cake and pastry can be purchased at a slight advance on the cost of the materials they contain. If one wishes the sport of making them, self-raising Hour may be had in any grocery. Fruit of all kinds, all ready for the table, can be purchased about as cheaply as that which must be prepared. Not only lobsters and other shell-fish, but salmon may be bought cooked and ready to be served at a price but little above what the crude articles cost, and cooked corned beef, tongue, nnd pigs' feet iind ham have long been on the market. There are also.canned soups, that only need to be diluted; mince meat all ready to put between piecrusts, and ro:ist meats and fowls of all descriptions. Some grocers keep mush prepared for frying. Boston baked beans, put up in cans, have had a great run during the past few years. English plum puddings are also on the market. Last summer witnessed the event of fried potatoes as an article of commerce. And now comes the report that a char lereu company nas uccn engageu in uic i manufacture of fish halls for the market. It is no longer necessary to be a cook in order to keep house. It requires scarcely any cooking utensils to provide a warm meal. A can opener, a frying pan and a coffee pot are the principal requisites. Even the hist is not absolutely necesasry, since a mixture of prepared coffee,%ugar and cream may readily be obtained. It is even practical now for 1 the novice to dispense with a cook-book, 1 as the label on every can tells how to i treat the contents.?Chicago Times. 1 < ) / * / / r^. c-t/ - . - " ADVERTISING RATESt i Too. jnc Jtf ool (K ooL 1V?J>L. J 1 Weak. $ 1.00 8 6.00 8 9.00 $15 00 W^l a " 1.76 7 60 13.26 30.00 8 " 2.60 9.00 16.25 24.00 4 " 8 00 10.60 18 00 37.68 5 ? 3.60 11.75 30.60 81.00 ? ? 1.00 12 60 22.78 84.M 7 " 4 60 18.28 24 76 87. q0 8 " ...... 6.00 14.00 26.00 40 00 Smooth* 6.60 17.00 82.00 60.00 4 " .......... 7.60 19.00 89 60 69.00 6 - " 8.60 24.00 48.00 84.00 9 " 9 60 80.00 69 00 108.00 12 " 10.25 85.00 68.00 120.00 Transient advertisements must be aoooin panied with the cash to insure insertion. "Accepted and Will Appear." One evening while reclining , In my easy chair, repining D'er the lack of true religion, and the dearth common sense, A solemn-visaged lady, Who was surely on the shady 3ide of thirty, entered proudly and to crush mo did commence: " I sent a poem here, sir," Said the lady, growing fiercer, "And the subject which I'd choeed, you remember, sir, was ' Spring.' i But, although I've scanned your paper, Kir, Dy suougnu gun tuiu utyxu, I've discovered of that poem not a solitary thing." She was muscular and wiry And her temper sure was fiery, And I knew to pacily her I would have to 1 fib like tun. So I told her ere her verses, Which were great, had come to?bless us, We'd received just sixty-one on " Spring " ot which We'd printed one. And I added, we decided That they'd better be divided Among the years that follow?one to each sac ceeding spring. So your work, I'm pleased to mention, Will receive our best attention In the year of nineteen-forty, when the birds begin to sing. ?Free Prat. ITEMS OP INTEREST. A cliest-protector?a lock. Crows fly nearly twenty-five miles an hour. It is estimated that there are 600,000,000 sheep in the world. Forty different species of tobacco are described by botanists. The best sheep sell at sixteen to twenty cents per pound in London. If a man is known by the company he keeps, how do we recognize a hermit. " There must be lawn order," said the judge yesterday, pushing liis little mower vigorously. " You are beneath my notice," as the balloonist said to the receding crowd ot gaping cinzens. What men want is not talent, it is purpose; in other words, not the power to achieve but the will to labor. Exporters of live stock from the United States pay three per cent, insurance on cattle, ana five per cent on sheep. The paint mine at Reno, Nev., comprises a ledge forty-two feet wide and ot unknown depth. The material is said to mix well with oil. Three hundred workmen are employed in building the Second avenue branch * of the Elevated railroad in Neve. York, j#ftUjhfi4aily "ay-roll amounts to $4,000. n ?''A^ung~^v~7tt.tMuli recognized in her comb-ly partner the^^^^HH young man who had dressed her head wnfl for the evening. Her hair stood on end. BH If John P. Brady gave me a blackwalnut box of quite a size." Nothing remarkable about it, however, except that the sentence contaiifl all the letters of the alpliabet.?jy. i. xrwune. The boy that walks lame around the streets now and looks pale and dejected, is the same gay and blithesome child of joy who but yesterday got caught slipping under the canvas at the circus. The greatest number of vessels of war at any time in the service of the Colonies, during the Revolutionary war, was twenty-five. The little American navy captured over 800 veesels during 1776-"77. Mr. G. T. C. Bartley writes: "An ounce of bread wasted daily in each household in England and Wales is equal to 25,000,000 quartern loaves, the proauce of 30,000 acres of wheat, and enough to feast annually 100,000 people. An ounce of meat Wiisted is equal to 300,000 sheep.*" "John, did you go round and ask how old Mrs. Jones is tliis morning, as I told you to do last night?" "Yes, sir." "Well, what's the result?" "She said that seeing as how you'd had the impudence to send to ask how old she was, she'd no objections to telling you that she's twenty-four. The principal thing we have to rejoice over on the fourth of July is the encouraging fact that the day doesn't come oftener tnaD once a year. We always cherish the memory of our forefathers with a deeper affection when we think of this. We entertained an entirely different opinion when we were boys.?Norristown Herald. BEDRIDDEN. Formed long ago, yet made to-day, I'm most in use when others sleep; What few would like to give away, And none would ever like to keep?a bed. ?Eugene Field. And in the stillness ol tho night, When silence is most awful thick, And you have just turned down the light, You think you hear that same bed tick. ?Claude De Haven. A Young Man who was Fanned. Last evening between eight and nine o'clock a "nice" young man was standing on the corner of Fifth and Vine streets, smoking a cigar and twirling his little rattan cane, endeavoring to attract the attention of young ladies who chanced to pass by. A lady crossed over from the opposite corner and walked down Fifth, and the young man followed her until about the middle of the square between Vine and Race, when he stepped up beside her and remarked: " Beautiful evening, isn't it?" The lady looked at him but made no ^ reply. " May I have the pleasure of a prom enaae witn yourThe lady stopped and said: "Sir, I think you have made a mistake," and resumed walking. But the young man thought he hadn't, so he spoke up again: "Not at all, I assure you; come, take my arm, and we'll go and get some icecream." From what followed it would seem that the young lady didn't like ice-cream, or the young man, either. She made a grab at him, caught him by the colJar, and commenced thumping him on the head and in the face with her fan. After receiving five or six whacks he made a dash for liberty, leaving his nicelv-laun linen UUlIcti aim uaiiuc^ icu icv^rwut 111 the lady's possession, when he walked off up Race street at a rate that would make O'Leary stare. There are a hundred candidates for such treatment on that same square every evening.?Cincinnati Enjuirer.