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The Elf-Child. (James Whitcomb Riley.) Little Orphant Annie's come to our house to stay, An' wash the cups an' saucers up, and brush the crumbs away, An'shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep, An" make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board an’ keep; An’ all us other children, when the supper things is done, We set sround the kitchen Are an’ has the mostest fun A-liet'nin’ to the witch tales 'at Annie tells aboht. An’ the gobble-nns ’at gits you Ef you Don't Watch Out! Onc't they was a little boy wouldn’t say his prsy’is— An’ when he went to bed at night, away upstairs, His mammy heerd him holler, an' his daddy heerd him bawl. An’ when they tum the kivversdown he wasn't there at all! An' they seeked him in the rafter- room. an' cubby-hole, an’ press. An’ seeked him up the ehimbly-flue, an’ everywheres, I guess, Hut all they ever found was this, his pants an’ roundabout:— An’ the gobble-uns’ll git you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' one time a little girl 'ud alius laugh an’ grin, An' make fun of ever' one an' all her blood-an-kin. An’ onc’t. when they was “company,” 'an old folks was there, She mocked ’em, an’ shocked ’em, 'an said she didn’t care! An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ tnrn’t to run an’ hide, They was two great Big Black Things a-standin’ by her side, An’ they snatched her through the ceilin' ’fore she knowed what she’s about! An’ the gobble-uns’ll get you Ef you Don't Watch Out! An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue, An' the lampwick sputters, an' the wind goes Woo-oo! An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray, An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is all squenched away— You better mind yer parents, and yer teachers fond an’ dear, An’ churish them 'at loves you, and dry the orphant’s tear, An' he’p the po’ an’ needy ones, ’at clusters all about, Er the gobble uns'll get you Ef you Don't Watch Out! Punch, Brothers, Punch. [Mark Twain ] Will the reader please to cast his eyo over the following vers es, and see if he can discover anything harmful in them? "Conductor, when you receive a fare. Punch in the presence of the passen- jare! A blue trip slip for an eight cent fare, A buff trip slip for a six cent fare, A pink trip slip for a three cent fare, Punch in the presence of the passen- jare! CHORUS. Punch, brothers! j unch with care, Punch in the presence of the passen- jare!” I came across these jingling rhymes in a newspaper, a little while ago, and read them a couple of times. They took iu slant and entire possession of me. All through breakfast they went waltzing through my brain; and when, at last, I roll ed up my napkin, I could not tell whether I had eaten any 1 thing or not. I had carefully laid out my day’s work the day before,—a thrilling tragedy in the novel which I am writing I went to my den to begin my deed of blood. I took up my pen, but all I could gefit to say was, ‘'Punch in the presence of the passenjare.” I fought hard for an hour, but it was useless. My head kept humming, “A blue trip slip for an eight cent fare, a buff trip slip for a six cent fare,” and so on and so on without peace or respite. The day’s work was ruined—I could see that plainly enough. I gave up and drifted down town, and presently discovered that my feet were keeping time to that relentless jingle. When I could stand it no longer I altered my step. But it did no good; those rhymes accommodated themsel ves to tho new step and went on harassing me just as before, i returned home, and suffered all the afternoon; suffered all through an unconscious andur- refreshing dinner; suffered, and cried, and jingled all through the evening; went to bed and rolled, tossed, and jingled right a '°9l?> the same as ever; goj up at midnight frantic, and tried to read; but there was nothing visible upon the whirling page except “Punchl punch in the presence of the passenjare.” B sunrise I was out of my min and everybody marvelled and was distressed at the idiotic bur den of my ravings,—“Punch! oh, punch! punch in the pres ence of tb'" ’tassenjare!” Two dayaJiater, on Satnrdajr morning, I arese, a tottering wreck, and went forth to fulfil an engagement with a valued friend, the Rev. Mr. , to walk to the Talcott Tower, ten miles distant. He stared at me, but asked no questions. We started. Mr. talked, talked, talked—as is his wont. I said nothing; I heard nothing. At the end of a mile, Mr. said,— “Mark, are you sick? 1 never saw a man look so haggered and worn and absent minded. Say something; do!” Drearily, without enthusiasm, I said: “Punch, brothers, punch with care! Punch in the pres ence of the passenjare!” My friend eyed me blankly, looked perplexed, then said,— “I do not think I get your drift, Mark. There does not seem to be any relevancy in what you have said, certainly nothing sad; and yet—maybe it w-s the way you said the words —I never heard anything that sounded so pathetic. What is—” But I heard no more. I was already far »way with my piti less, heart-breaking “blue trip slip for aa eight-cent fare, buff trip slip for a six-cent fare, pink trip slip for a three-cent fare; punch in the presence of the passenjare.” I do not know what occurred during the other nine miles. However, all of a sudden Mr. laid his hand on my shoulder and shouted,— “Oh, wake up! wake up! wake up! Don’t sleep all day! Here we are at the Tower, man! I have talked myself deaf and dumb and blind, and never got a response. Just look at this magnificent autumn landscape! Look at it! look at it! Feast your eyes on it! You have travelled; you have seen boast ed landscapes elsewhere. Come, now, deliver an honest opinion. What do you say to this?” I sighed wearily, and mur mured,— “A buff trip slip for a six- cent fare, a pink trip slip for a three-cent fare, punch in the presence of the passenjare.” Rev. Mr.—- stood t^ere, vefy grave, full of concern, appar ently, and looked long at me; then he said,— “Mark, there is something about this that I cannot under stand. Those are about the same words you said before; there does not seem to be any thing in them, and yet they nearly break my heart when you say them. Punch in the— how is it they go? I began at the beginning and repeated all the lines. My friend’s face lighted with inter est. He said,— “Why, what a captivating jingle it is! It flows along so nicely. I have nearly caught the rhymes myself. Say them over just once more, and then I’ll have them, sure.” I said them over. Then Mr. — said them. He mode one little mistake, which I correct ed. The next time and the next he got them right. Now a great burden seemed to tumble from my shoulders. That torturing jingle departed out of my brain, and a grateful sense of rest and K e descended upon me. I was t-hearted enough to sing; and I did sing for half an hour, straight along, as we went jog- ;ing homeward. Then my .reed tongue found blessed speech again, and the pent talk of many a weary hour began to gush and flow. It flowed on and on, joyously, jubilantly, until the fountain was empty and dry. As I wrung my friend’s hand at parting, I said.— Haven’t we had a royal good timel But now I remem J ou haven’t said a word for two ours. Come, come, out with something!” The Rev. Mr.—— turned lack-lustre eye upon me, drew a deep sigh, and said, without animation, without apparent consciousness,— “Punch, brothers, punch with care! Punch in the presence of the pressenjarel” A pang shot through me said to myself, “Poor fellow, poor fellow! he has*got it, now I did not see Mr.—-r,for twro qr three days after that. Then, on Tuesday evening, he stagger ed into my presence and sank dejectedly into a seat. He was pale, worn; he was a wreck. He lifted his faded eyes to my face and said,— “Ah, Mark, it was a ru nous investment that I made in thane heartless rhymes. They havn For an boor I not there and set a gyliable of thoee rhymes to every separate and distinct clack the car-wheels made. Why, I was as fagged out, then, as if I bod been chopping wood all day. My skull was splitting with headache. It seemed to me that I must go mad if I sat there any longer; so I undressed and went to bed. I stretched myself out in my berth, end- well, you know what the result was. The thing went right along, just the same. ‘Clack- clack-clack, a blue trip slip, clack-clack-clack, for an eight- cent fare; clack-clack clack, a buff trip slip, clack clack-clack, for a six cent fare, and so on, and so on, and so on—punch, in the presence of the passenjare!’ Sleep? Not a single wink! I was almost a lunatic when I got to Boston. Don’t ask me about the funeral. I did the best I could, but every solemn individ ual sentence w»^s meshed and tangled and woven in and out with ‘Punch, brothers, punch with care, punch in the presence of the passenjare.’ And the most distressing thing was that my delivery dropped into the undulating rhythm of those pul sing rhymes, and I could act ually catch absent minded peo ple nodd.ng lime to the swing of it with their stupid heads. And, Mark, you ray believe it or not, but before I got through, the entire assemblage were placidly bobbing their heads in solemn unison, mourners, un dertaker, and all. The moment I had finished, I fled to the an teroom in a state bordering on frenzy. Of course it would be my luck'to find a sorrowing and aged maiden aunt of the deceas ed there, who had arrived from Springfield too late to get into the ohuroh. She began to sob, and said,— “ ‘Oh, oh, he is gone, he is gone, and 1 didn’t see him be fore he died!’ “ ‘Yes!’ I said, ‘he is gone, he is gone, he is gone—oh, will this sufferieg never cease!’ “‘Yflti loved buPi then! Qb, you t«o loved bimi’ “‘Lovedhim! Lovedicko?’ “ ‘Why, my poor George! my poor nephew!’ “ ‘Oh—him! Yes—oh, yes, e s . Certainly — certainly, unoh—punch—on, thiamisery will kill me!’ “‘Bless you! bless you, sir, i or these words! I, too, suffer in this dear loss. Were yo i pres ent during bis last moments?’ Yes! I — whose last mo ments?’ “ ‘/ft's. The dear departed’s.’ “‘Yes! Oh, yes—yes—yes/ I suppose so, I think so, i don’t enow! Oh, certainly—I was there—/ was there!’ “ ‘Oh, what a privilege! what precious privilege! And his ast words—oh, tell me. tell me his last words! What did he say?’ “‘He said—he said—oh. my lead, my head, my head! He said—he said—he never said anything but Punch, punch, punch in the presence of the assenj&re! On, leave me, ma- lam! In the name of all that is generous, leave me to my madness, my misery, my des pair!—a buff trip slip for a six- cent fare, a pink trip dip for a three-cent fare—endu ranee caw no fur-ther got—punch in the paeeeniare!” ’ Jess ej “Have tried others, but like Ayer's best” is the statement made over and over again by those who testify to the benefit derived from the use of Ayer’s Sarsaparilla. Disease never had a greater enemy than this pow erful blood-purifier. It makes the weak strong. “The summer girl is only a little lower than the angels,’ remarked the young man in knickerbockers. “Wait until” you pay for her ice cream, her boat rides, her merry go-round trips, and you’ll think she comes a good sight highe-,” replied re plied the cynic.—Yonkers States- man. _ Effectual.—C h a r 1 e s J. Booth, Olivewood, Cal., says: “I have used Ayer’s Pills in my family for several years, and have always found them most effectual in the relief of ail ments arising from a disordered stomach, torpid liver, and con stipated bowels. — - - » — “I can’t have whistling at the table, Mr. Slocum,” said the boarding house keeper. “I thought you said yesterday, you liked to hear a man whistle at his work?” replied the boarder, as he made another ineffectual attempt at cutting his piece of beefsteak.— Yonkers Statesman. ^WOQDSr desire to announce to the people of Darlington County in general, and to the ladies in particular, that they are now opening, at their handsome establishment on the east side of the Public Square, a large and varied assortment of SPRING irasenc# of My friend’s" bopeleai eyes a pregn ha said ffe ant un t ridden me like a nightmare, day and night, hour after hour, to this very moment. Since I saw you I have suffered the torments of the loot. Saturday evening I had a sudden call, by tele graph, and took the ni 6 ht train for Boston. The occasion the death of a valued old ft who had requested that I should preach his funeral sermon. J took my seat in the oars and set myself to fransiag thadisooarsa. Bdt I never got beyond thl opening paragraph; for then the train started and the car-wheels began their ‘olaok.daok—fiack- clack-clack. dock, daek—alack* clack-clack!* and right awgy those odions rhyme* fitted fieiq- sdrea to tent acoarnpanlment rested upon mine minute, and then pressively,— “Mark, you do not say any thing. You do not offer me any hope. But, ah me, it is just as well—it is just as well. You could net do me any good. The time has long gone by when words could comfort me. Some thing telle me that roy tongue is doomed to wag forever to the jigger of that remorseless jingle. There—there it is coming on me again: a blue trip slip fer an eight-cent fare, a buff trip slip for a-” Thus murmuring faint and fainter, my friend sank into a peaceful trance and forgot his suffering's in a blessed respite, How did j finally save him from the asylum? I took him to a neighboring university anc made him discharge the burden of his persecuting rhymes into the eager ears of the poor, un thinking students. How is it with them, now? The result it too sad to tell. Why did I write this article? It was for worthy, even a noble, purpose ft was to warn you, reader, i; you should come across those merciless rhymes, to avoid them —avoid them as you Would pestilence! why sunn WITH Sick and Nervous HEADAOHEP Ton ftor bo omUt and quickly cured by Ub Inf w Ayers Pills “I have been a victim of terri ble headaches, and have never found anything to relieve them so quickly as Ayer’s Pills. Since I Imgan taking this medicine, the attacks have become less and less frequent, until, at present, months have passed since I have had one.”—C. F. Newman, Dug Spur, Va. “Having used Ayer’s Pills with great success for dyspepsia, from which I suffered for years, I re solved never to be without them in my household. They are in deed effective." — Mrs. Sallik. Morris, 125 Willow St., Phila delphia, Pa. ‘‘I always use Ayer’s Pills, and think them excellent.’’—Mrs. G. P. Watkous, Jackson, Fla. Ayer’s Pills: Highest Awards AT TH K WORLD'S QSgate *99999tPOOOPOOOSSSI PAIR £ Which for STYLE AND PRICES is not to be excelled in this section of South Carolina. Give them a call and examine their beautiful stock before decid ing where you will make your Spring purchases. THE Darlington Lodge, j No. 7, Knights of Pyth as, meets on let and 8rd I ITuksuat Evenings in each month, at Castle Hall, Florence street opposite Broad. Visit ng brothers fraternally nvlted. ot the State of South Carolina, En-1 “An Act to Establbh Local Health in the Cities and Cure fer Headache. As a remedy for all forms of Headache. Electric Bitters has proved to be the very best. It effects a permanent cure and the most dreaded habitual sick headaches yield to its influence. We urge all who are afflicted to procure a botttle, and give this remedy a fair trial. In cases of habitual constipation, Electric Bitters cures by giving the need ed tobe ta the bawtels, and Town Ordinance. Couscii, Chamber, 1 Darlington, 8. C., April M, 1800.) ffB-E it ordered and ordained: That, I D for the purpose of electing five members of a Board of Health, as re quired by an Act of the Legt*Uture | ot the State of South Carolina, i titled, ‘‘Ai Board* of Incorporate Towns of the State and I to DeBne the Powers Thereof’ Ap- proved January 6th., A. D. 18M; It is hereby Ordered and Ordained: That the Town of Darlington shall he and hereby i« divided into five wards, designated as follows, to wit: ward I. Shall compromise all the territory lying to the West of Rail road Street, beginning at the eroeelag of the C- S, ana N, railroad . extend ing down Railroad Street to Pearl Street, crossing Pearl Street down) through Earle’s Avenue to On Street, down Orange Street to East and down the Street dividii the Factory grounds from the m_ deuce of G. W. D&rgan to Swift Creek —the same being the Town limits. Ward 2. Shall embrace all the ter ritqry lying between the Eastern liae of Ward 2 to Ward's Lane, in a straight liae from Swift Creek, through Ward's Lane to thsTown limita towards the South. Ward 8. Shall embrace all the ter ritorv lying between Ward's Lane and Main Street, the Ea»tera bound ary of which shall begin at the croee ing of Swift Creek by Main Street, ex tending to the crossing of C. 8. A If, railroad on Main Street, to that the said ward will be bounded on the North by Swift Creek, on the South by C. 8 A N. railroad, Eaet by Main Street, and Weet by the Eastern line of Ward 2. Ward *. Shall comprise all territory g t« the South and South-East of >. and N. railroad to a straight line designated by Ward’s L West; ss TTARTSVILLE RAILROAD. June 8, 1884. MIXED TRAIN. Leaie Hartsville 4.80 a 0 Floyd’s Darlington Palmetto ... 5.40 a u» Arrive Florence Leave Florence .... 9.00 p m Palmetto Darlington Floyds Jovaun Hartsville . ... 10.15 Am J. F. DIVINE. Gen. Supt. N'N A D. and C. & S. RAILROADS. In effect June 3, 1894. MIXED TRAIN Leave Wadesboro Bennett’s Morven’s McFarland Cheraw Cash's Society Hill Dove’s Floyd’s Darlington Palmetto Arrive Florence Leave Florence Palmetto Darlington Floyd’s - 9.40 a m Dove’s Society Hill 10 85 a m Cash’s Cheraw. McFarland Morven’s Bennett’s Arrive Wadesboro Local Freight. Leave Darlington Palmetto Arrive Florence Leave Florence Palmetto Arrive Darlington N ORTH EASTERN RAILROAD. In effect Nov. 18, 1894; SOUTH BOUND. COMPANY, whose place of business is at their t new warehouse on Russel Street, near the C. S. & N. Depot, offer to the retail trade, as well as to consumers, in original, unbroken packages, 5 FOR SPOT CASH j • is ) •> T ;*♦ a full line of choice family groce ries, at the very lowest wholesale prices. Housekeepers are now re minded that they need not send Leave Florence Lanes No. 85. 4.20 a iu 0.10 s in No. 28. 7.85 p m 8.46 p m 9.07 p in Leave Florence Kingstree lames Arrive Charleston No. 63. Leave Lanes Arrive Charleston 7.00 p m 8.40 p m NORTH BOUND. No. 78. Leave Charleston Lanes Kingstree Arrive Florence . 4.12 a in 6.3( a iv 6.45 a in 7.65 a in No. 82. Leave Charleston Lanes Kingstree Arrive Floi-uce 4.80 p m 6.08 p in 6.28 p IU 7.15 p >u No. 52. Leave Charleston Arrive Lanes 7.00 a in No. 52 runs through to Columbia via Central R. R. of S. C. Train Noe. 78 and 14 runs via Wilson and Fayetteville—Short Line—and makes close connection for all points North. J. F. DIVINE. Gen. Supt. w ILMINGTON, COLUMBIA A AUGUSTA RALROAD. In effect May 26, 1893. SOUTH BOUND. No. 55. Leave Wilmington *8.80 p m Leave Marion 6.24 p in Arrive Florence 7.05 p m Leave Florence *7.80 p in Arrive Sumter 8.88 p in Leave Sumter 8.88 p m Arrive Columbia 10.00 p iu No. 51. Leave Florence *8.15 a m Arrive Sumter 4 19 a iu No. 68. Leave Sumter — *9.48 a m Arrive Columbia 11.06 a m No. 52 runs through from Charles ton via Central Railroad; leaving Lanes 8.88 a m, Manning 9 15 a m. ■ORTH BOUND. ^ No. 56. Ij6AY6 ColumbU *5.20 a m Arrive Sumter.... ^t»o:aaw>* 6.43 a w Leave Sumter 6.43 a in Arrive Florence . 8.00 a u Leave Florence .. 8.25 am Leave Marion Arrive Wilmington - ..11.60 a m No. 58. Leave Columbia *4.25 pm Arrive Sumter 5.48 p m No. 60. Leave Sumter.... *6.05 p m Arrive Florence and oases long resist the use of in*. 1 Try it onee, T i only fifty cents at Co's firug «tare. few thti .ted by Ward’s Lane on tbe| id Ward to be bounded North A V. y C. S. k N. railroad, on the East by I Jwl/t Creek and the corporate limits, | and on the Weet by Eastern bound- aryof Ward2, Ward 1 Shall compromise all the | territory lying North of O. 8. lattroad and East of Main f bounded on the North by Swift Crock, I on the East by Swift Creek, on the South by thoU. 8. A N. railroad, and on the west by the eastern boundary •f Ward 8. 1 By Order of Connell: J, W. EVANS. Mav 98r-6t. Clerk. off to buy their usual barrel of sugar or barrel of flour, and the like, for they can get them just as cheap at their very doors, and save freight. •Daily. tDaily except Sunday. No. 58 runs thiougu vo cnarleston via central Railroad, arriving Man ning 6.21 p m. Lanes 7.00 p n> charleston 8.40 pm. Trains on South and North Caro lina R. R., leave Elliott 7.02 p. iu., ar rive Blsbopville 7.89 p. m., Lucknow 8.10 p. m. Returning, leave Luck now 6.80 a. m., Bithopville 7.00 a. m., arrive Elliott 7.38 a. m. Daily except Sunday. Trains on Wilmington A Conway R. R., leave Chadbourn at 10.20 a m, ar rive at Conway 13.35 p m, returning leave Conway 2 80 pm, arrive Chad- bourn 5-00 p. in., leave Chadbourn S.8S p m, arrive at Hnb 8-20 p m. re turning leave Hub 8.15 a m, arrive at Chadbourn 8.00 a m. Daily exepet Sunday. Trains leave Pregnalls 8.15 p. m., Summerton 4.47 p. m., Sumter 6.50 p. m., Darlington 7.20 p. m., Ben- nettcville 8.19 p. m., arrive Hamlet 9,16 p. m. Returning, leave Haalet 6.15 a. in., BennettsviUe 7.11 a. in., Darlington 8.11 a. m., Sumter 8.45 a. m, Summerton 10.40 a. m , arrive Pregnalls 12.15 p. m. Daily exeep j Sunday. j JOHN F, DIVINE, Geal SNpft.