Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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FT" * ^ * | WEEKLY EDITION. ^ \ WIXNSBORO, S. C- WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 21. 1881. ^ ESTABLISHED IN 184a ^ THE BLACK ROBE. BX WILKIE COLLINS. t ? v. ?AUTHOB of? L "THE \TOiIAN ix v/mn:," "tits moo* V STONE," "AFTZE DABK," "XO ?vtv ivmstto." "tfttilawast THE LADY," "THE JvEW MAGDALEN*," ETC., ETC. k : ~~ "v.-- " On arriving at Ten Acres Lodge I found Komayno in Ms study. His manuscript lav before him?but he was not at work. He looked worn and haggard. To this day I don't know from what precise nervous malady he suffers ; I could ^ only guess that it had been troubling him again since he and I last met. " My first conventional civilities were dedicated, of course, to his wife. She is still in attendance " on her mother. Mrs. Eyreccurt is now considered to be k out of danger. But the good lady {whc is ready enough to recommend doctors x- -i.i 1 -\ tu umer peupiey peisxsis JXI CUULUXXU^ LJUCU she is too robust a person to require medical help herself. The physician in attendance trusts entirely to hei j daughter to persuade her to persevere ^ -with the necessary course of medicine. Don't suppose that I trouble you bj mentioning these trumpery circumstances 'without a reason. "We shall have occasion to return to Mrs. Eyrecomi and her daughter. " Before I had been ten minutes is his company Romayne asked me if I had seen Winterneld since his visit to Ten Acres Lodge. "I said I had seen him, and waited, anticipating the next question. Iiomayne fulfilled my expectations. Ee inquired if "Winterfield had left London. " There are certain, cases (as I am told ^ by medical authorities) in which the dangerous system of bleeding a patient still has its advantages. There are other cases in which the dangerous system of telling the truth becomes equally judicious. I said to Eomayne: 1 If I answer you honestly will you cc aaidei it as strictly confidential'? Mr. "9 "interl field, I regret to say, has no inter: ion of ^ improving his acquaintance with. you. He asked me to conceal from y< u that he is still in London.' " Eomayne's face plainly betrayed that he was annoyed and irritated. 'Nothing that you say to me, Father t Benwell, shall pass the walls cS this ^ room,' he replied. - 'Did Winterfield give any reason for not continuing his acquaintance with me ? "I told the troth once more with courteous expressions of regret. Mr. WinterSeld spoke_of an ungracioTis reception on the part of Mrs. Eomajne.' Bj^ " Ke started to his feet, and walked P_> irritably up and down the room. 'It is . beyond endnrancej' he said to himself. L - ." The truth had served its purpose by & this time. I affected not to have heard iiim. ' Did you speak to me ? I asked. " He used a milder form of erpres, sion. V " 'It is most unfortunate,' he said'1 must immediately send back the val uable book which Mr. "Winterfield has lent to me. And that is not the worst of it. There are other volumes in his library which I have the greatest interV est in consulting?and it is impossible for me to borrow them now. At this time, too, when I have lost Penrose, I had hoped to find in "Winterfield another friend, who sympathized with my pursuits. There is something so cheer k - ing and attractive in his manner, and he ^?: has just the boldness and novelty oi - > view in his opinions that appeal to a man like me. It was a pleasant future to look forward to, and it must be sacrificed?and to what ? To a woman's ca_ price.' "Prom our point of view this was a frame of mind to be encouraged. I tried the experiment of modestly taking the blame on myself. I suggested that I might be (quite innocently to blame V for Eomayne's d^appointment. "He looked at me, thoroughly puzT trT>of T "ko/3 eoi/1 f/v ZJ.C7U.* JL rrx^cvu a. aawiw. MUU W Winterfield: 'Did yon mention to Mrs. . Bomayne that I ms the means of introp. during yon?" |^~ " He was too impatient to let me iinY ish. the sentence. "11 did mention it to Mrs. Romayne,' he said. ' And what of it ?' " 'Pardon me for reminding you that Mrs. Romayne has prejudices,' I rejoined. ' Mr. "VTinterfield would, I fear, not be verv welcome to her as the friend V>i , v * " 01 apnest.' " He was almost angry with me for suggesting the very explanation which had proved so acceptable to "Winter field. "' Nonsense!' he cried. * My wife is far too well-bred a woman to let her * prejudices express themselves in that way. Winterfield's personal appearance -* must l:ave inspired her with some tmreasonable antipathy, or?' lip ^ i( He stopped and turned away K Thoughtfully to the window. Some B susP^c^on had probably entered 'l4-inind, which he had only became MBS ce of at that moment, and which he PPIff not quite able to realize as yet. I di^inv best to encourage the new tram Jrth > ,. oi .ousrht. B 7 !"What other reason can there be?' I IV Hp? askc^iturned on mo sharply. il 11 c&on't know*. Do you ?' W " I ventured on a courteous rcmcnfijfc strance. 4 ^j>y dear sir! if you can't fiud Hm another reason^ how can I? It must r have been a sua^len antipathy, as you " say. Such things v do hap2>eu between strangers. I suppose I am right in assuming tbat IVIrs. l?omayne and Mr. "Wiaterfield are strangers ?' " His eyes dashed with a sudden sinister brightness; the new iu'-oa had caught light in his mind- ' N "s They met as strangers,* he said. " There he stopped again and returnee" to the window. I felt that I .might lose the place I had gained in his confidence if I pressed the subject any further. Be sides, I had my reasons for saying i word about Penrose next. As it.happen ed, I had received a letter from him re lating to Lis present- employment, ant sending kindest regards to his dea: friend and master in a postscript. -? " I gave the message. Bomavne lookec W round with ad instant change ih his face fev;' - . i The mere sonnd of Penrose's i;jaa seemed to u-ct as a relief to the g]oor ami suspicion that had oppressed hii the moment before. "'You don't know how I miss th 1 i(Mr rrAiflA little? llASnir? cacllt " 1 "Why not write to him ?' I snggest \ e<l. ' He would be so glad to hour s j from you again.' j "'I don't know where to write.' "'Did I not send you his addres j when I forwarded your letter to him ? | "'No.' I " ' Then let me atone for my forget ; fulness at once.' ! "I wrote down tho address and tool my leave. "As I approached the door I noticed on a side-table the volumes which Pen rose left with liomayne. Ono of then was open, with a pencil lying beside it I thought that a good sign, but sai( nothing. "Eomayne pressed my hand at part ing. "'You have been very kind anc friendly, Father BenweU,' he said j 'I shall be glad to see ycra again.' " Don't mention it in quarters where it might do me harm. Do yon know, ] really pitied him. He has sacrificed everything to his marriage?and his marriage has disappointed him. He was "even reduced to be friendly witi me.j " Of course, when the time comes', ] shall give Penrose leave of absence. Dc you foresee, as I do, the speedy returr of 'the dear, gentle little fellow' to his old employment; the resumed work oJ conversion advancing more rapidly tliar ever; and the jealousy of the wife aggravating the false position iii which she is already placed by her equivocal reception of ATintcrfield ? Patience, my reverend colleague! "The next day I called to inquire how Mrs. Eyrecourt was getting on. The report was favorable. Three days late] T rnillod irriin Tlirt rPDOrt. TVflS stir more encouraging. I -was also informed that Mrs. Eomayne had retur- ,d to Ter Acres Lodge. " .Much of my success in life ha* seer achieved by never being in a hurry. 3 was not in a hurry now. Time iomelimes brings opportunities?and opportunities are worth waiting for. " Let me make this clear. " Thus far the chance had only beer in my favor in the one case of the meet ing between Winterfield and Miss Eyre court in the picture gallery. The time was surely ripe for another chance ? De sides, I recognized the necessity of no1 disturbing the renewal of relations be tween Penrose and Eomayne by an} premature proceeding. There, you hav< two of my reasons for not being in ? hurry! A man of headlong dispositior in my place would probably havs spoker of Miss Eyrecourt's marriage at the firsi meeting between "Winterfield and Eo mayne, and -would have excited thei: distrust and put them respectively 01 their guard, without obtaining any use foT result. I can at any time make th< disclosure to Romayne which informs mm that his wife had been Winter-field': guest in Devonshire when she afiectec to meet her former host on the footing of a stranger. In the meanwhile I giv( Penrose ample opportunity for innocent ly widening the breach between husbanc and wife. "You see, I hope, that if I maintain i passive position it is not from indolence or discouragement. Now we may ge on. "After an interval of a few days mor( ! I decided on making further inquiries a Mrs. Eyrecourt's house. This tim< | when I left my card I sent a messag< ! asking if the lady would receive me Shall I own my weakness ? She pos sesses all the information that I want and she has twice bafiied my inquiries Under these humiliating circumstance: it is a part of the pugnacity of my dis position to inquire again. "I was invited to go upstairs. j " The front and back drawing-room o the house were tlirown into one. Mrs Eyrecourt was being gently moved back ward and foiward in a chair on wheels propelled by her maid; two gentlemei being present, visitors like myself. Ii spite of rouge and loosely-folded lac< and flowing draperies, she presented < deplorable spectacle. The bodily par of her looked like a dead woman paintec and reiived, while the moral part, ii the strongest contrast, was just as liveb j as ever. " ' So glad to see you again, Fathe: ] Benwell, and so much obliged by you kind inquiries. I am quite well, thougl the doctor won't admit it. Isn't it ^titt to see me being wheeled about iike i < ? ? "L. ?1-i. ) "O a! . j cillia 111 a peramuouiaiur : jLveiuixuxij to first principles I call it. You sse it': a law of my nature tliat I must go about The doctor won't let me go about out side the house, so I go about inside th< house. Matilda is the nurse, and I an the baby that will learn to walk one o these days. Are you tired, Matilda No ? Then irive me another turn, there' a good creature. Movement, perpetua movement, is a law of nature. Oh " ' T I* 7.^ dear, no, doctor, x uiuu t hu discovery for myself. Some eminen scientific person mentioned it in a lec ture. The ugliest man I ever saw Now back again, Matilda. Let me in trodnce you to ray friends, Father Ben well. Introducing is out of fashion, know. But I am one of the few wome: who can resist the tyranny of fash:or i. like introducing people. Sir Joli Drone?Father Benvell. Father Ber I i well?Doctor TVybrow. Ah. yes, yo J know the doctor by reputation ? Sha j I give you his character ? Pcrsonall 1 j charming ; professionally detestable j Pardon my impudence, doctor : it is on 1 { of tlie consequences of tlie ove: j flowing state of my health. Anothc j turn, Matilda, and a little faster th: time. Oh, how I wish I was t ravelin by railway.' " There her breath failed her. SI reclined in her chair and fanned horse [ silently for a while.' j " I was now able to turn my attentic ; to the two -visitors. Sir John Drone, - was easy to see, would be no obstacle ' i confidential conversation with Mrs. Eyr - ! court. An excellent country gentlema * ! with the bald head, the ruddy comple J i ion, and the inexhaustible capacity I t silence so familiar to us in English s ciety?there you have the true descri 3 lion of Sir John. But the famous pb . ! sician was quite another sort of man. e | bad only to look at him a-id to fec-l my- ] a | self condemned to small ialk Trhile he ! e i was in the room. " Yon have always heard of it in my j e | correspondence whenever I have Jbeen in j r. | the wrong. I was in the wrong now?I | ] had forgotten the law of chances. Ca-! c ' pricious fortune after a long interval j j was about to declare herself again in my j favor by means of the very woman who c | Lad twice already got the better of rne, | * i What a recompense for my kind inqui* I ; ries after Mrs. Eyre court! She recov- i i ered _breath enough to begin talking j | again. j "'Dear me, how dull you are!' she | said to us. 'Why don't you amuse a j poor prisoner confined to the house Rest a little, Matilda, or you will be 3 falling ill next. Doctor, is this yotu last professional visit ?' , "'Promise to take care of vourself J v * Mi's. Eyrecourt, and I will confess that the professional visits are over. 1 come here to-day only as a friend.' j "' Yon best of men! Do me another favor. Enliven our dullness. Tell us some interesting story about a patient. 5 These great doctors, Sir John, pass their lives in a perfect atmosphere oj I romance. Dr. Wybrow's consulting . room is like your confessional, Fathe1 , Benwell. The most fascinating sins and ( sorrows are poured into his ears. "What is the last romance in real life, doctor, that has asked you to treat it medically 'I ) We don't want names and places?we i are good children; we only want a story > "Dj, Wybrow looked at me with a f smile. i "'It is impossible to persuade la, dies,' he said, ' that we, too, arc father> confessors in our way. The first duty of a doctor, Mrs. Eyrecourt?' "'Is to cure people, of course,'she interposed, in her smartest manner. ! " The doctor answered neriously. ? // /*t _ ji _ _ j mi..i !_ lit. l\o, maeea. juius is> umj ^ue seu- j ond duty. Our first duty is invariably | 1 co respect the confidence of oiir patients. J L j However,' lie resumed, in his easier 1 j tone, 'I happen to have seen a patient to-day under circumstances winch the i ; rules of professional honor do not fori bid me to mention. X don't know, Mrs. Eyrecourt, whether you will quite like ' to "be introduced to the scene of the i story. The scene is in a madhouse.' i "Mrs.*Eyrecourt broke out with a co guettish little scream and shook lier fan at the doctor. "4 No horrors!' she cried. ' The hare Idea of a madhouse distracts mo with terror. Oh, he, lie! I won'G listen to vou?I won't look at you?I positively refuse to be frightened out of my wits. Matilda! wheel me away to the furthest end of the room. My -\i-\id imagination, Father 33enwell, is my rock ahead in life. I declare I can smell the odious madhouse. Go straight to the window, Matailda; I want to bury my nose : among the flowers.' i ? j " Sir John upon this spoke for the nrst time. His language consisted entirely I of beginnings of sentences, mutely completed by a smile. "' Upon my word, you know. Eh, 5 Doctor NY y brow? a man 01 your u*i perience. Horrors in madliouses. A 5 lady in delicate health. Xo, really. 3 Upon my honor, now, I cannot. Some thing fnnny, oh, yes. Buc such a sub^ ject, oh, no.' "He rose to leave. Doctor Wybrow J gently stopped him. 3 " 'I had a motive, Sir John,' he said, ' 'but I won't trouble you with needless explanations. There is a person, un1 known to me, whom I want to discover, t You are a great deal in .society when 2 you are in London. May I ask if you 3 i have ever met with a gentleman named . | Winterfield ?' " I Lave always considered the power ; i of self-control as one of the strongest . I points in my character. When I heard ; j that name my surprise so completely . j mastered me that I sat self-betrayed to j Doctor Wybrow, as the man who could answer his question. j j "In the meanwhile Sir John took his . j time to consider, and discovered that he - j had never heard of a person Darned , Winterfield. Having acknowledged Ids 3 ignorance, in his own eloquent language, j he drifted away to the window-bos in 3 the next room, and gravely contemplated i 3Irs. Eyrscourt, with her nose buried in t flowers. i " The doctor turned to me. T Vo+lior "RdntrolL "in I .1 [ A Yt*.\Si*?J A MVMVA .. | r supposing that I had better have ad- I dressed myself to youV' r "I admitted that I knew* a gentleman r named Winterfield. i " Doctor Wybrow got up directly. ? " 'Have you a few minutes to spare?' i he asked. It is needless to say that I r was at the doctor's disposal. ' My house 3 is close by, and my carriage is at the door,' he resumed. ' When you feel inclined to say good-bye to our friend, Mrs. e Eyrecourt, I have something to say to 3 you which I think you ought to know.' I "We took our departure at once,Mrs. 0 Eyrecourt?leaving some of the color oi g iier nose among the flowers?patted me 1 encouragingly with her fan, and told the j doctor that he was forgiven, on the I j understanding that he would 'never do 1 it again." Ia five minutes more we were in Doctor Wybrow's study. "Ivly watch tolls me that I cannot ' hope to finish this letter by post-time. " Accept what I have written thus far, and L" be assured that the conclusion cf my reJ port shall follow a day later. D ***** I. n' n | "The doctor began cautiously. ""Wini. terfield is not a very common name,' he u said. ' But it may not be amiss, Fathei [1 Benwell, to discover if we can whether .. vonr Winteriield is the man of whom. J ?. I am in search. Do yon only kuow him j ,e j by name, or are you a friend of his'?' j r_ "I answered of course that I was a 1T friend. [s ; 4< Doctor "Wybrow went on. 'Will 0 j yon pardon me if I venture on an indisw j creet question? When you are acI quainted with, the circumstances, I am 1<? i sure you will understand and excuse | me. Are you aware of any?what shall : I call it?any romantic incident in Mr. >n i Winterfield's past life ?' lt: j " This time?feeling myself, in al] | LfJ j probability, on me urmii 01 uiscuverv - j e-' I was careful to preserve my composure, j c,: I said, quietly: ' Some sucli incident as! x- i you describe hv> occurred in Mi-. Win- j or terfield's past life.' There I stopped o- discreetly, and looked as if I knew all p- about it. J " The doctor showed no curiosity tc I hear more. 'My object,' he went on, ! | was merely to be reasonably sure that ] was speaking to the right person ir speaking to you. I may now tell yon that I have no personal interest in trying to discover !Mr. Winterfleld ; I only act ftf A A n A] /I AT^/1 tu* tllC lC|;iCOt^U3.Ll Y C Ui Uli. V1U J-LUJllU. VJJ . mine. He is the proprietor cf a private j asylum at Hampstead?a man whose in- j tegrity is beyond dispute or he would j not be a friend of mine. You under- j stand my motive in saying this ? "Proprietors of private asylums are in these days the objects of very genera] distrust in England. I understood the doctor's motive perfectly. "He proceeded. 'Yesterday evening mv friend called upon me and said that he had a remarkable case in his house which he believed would interest me. The person to whom he alluded was a French ' boy, whose mental powers had been im- \ perfectly developed from his childhood. The mischief had been aggravated when i he was about fourteen years old by a , serious fright. When he was placed in the asvlum lie was not idiotic or danger- ' " ? i ously mad, it was a case (not to use j technical language) of deficient intelli- j gence, tending sometimes toward acts oi i unreasoning mischief and petty tLeft, 1 but never approaching to acts of down- ! right violence. My friend was espe- ( cially interested in the lad, won his con- , fidence and affection by acts of kindness, and so improved his bodily health as to 1 justify some hope of also improving the 1 state of his mind, when a misfortune oc- 1 curred which has altered the whole pros- . pect. The poor crerture has fallen ill! < of a fever, and the fever has developed j J to typhus. So far there has been little : to interest you; I am coming to a re- * markable event at last. At the stage of , the fever when delirium usually occurs < in patients of sound mind, this crazy * French boy has become perfectly sane ] and reasonable!' ] "I looked at him when ho made this " amazing assertion, with a momentary } doubt of his being in earnest. Doctor [ Wybrow understood me. ] "' Just what I thought, too, when 1 * first heard it,' he said. 'My friend 1 was neither offended nor surprised. Af- ( ter inviting me to go to his house and ? judge for myself, he referred me to a < singular case, publicly cited in the Cornhill Magazine, for the month of April, * 1879, in an article entitled, " Bodilv 111- ( 2 ness as a Mental Stimulant." The arti- j cle is published anonymously; but the 1 character of the periodical ia which it I appears is a sufficient guarantee of the 1 trustworthiness of the statement. I } was so far influenced by the testimony j thus cited, that I drove to Hampstead j and examined the case myself.' i "' Did the examination satisfy you ? ' "' Thoroughly. "When I saw him yes- * terday the poor boy was as sane as I f am. There is, however, a complication s in this instance, which is not mentioned in the case related in print. The boy i appears to have entirely forgotten every ( event in his past life, reckoning from * the time the fever declared itself.' 1 " This was a disappointment. I had c begun-to-feepe for some coming result, s obtained by the lad's confession. ? " 'Is it quite correct to call him sane ^ when his memory is gone? I ventured c to ask. g "' In this case there is no necessity to enter into the question,' the doctor an- j severed. ' The boy's lapse of if 211017 t refers, as I told you, to liis past life? c that is to say, his life when Ms intellect T was deranged. During the extraordi- i nary interval of sanity that has now de- * clared itself, he is putting his mental | powers to their firsc free use; and none of them fail him, so far as I can see. His ^ new memory?if I may call it so?pre- t serves the knowledge of what has hap- 1 pened since liis illness. You may imag- 6 ine how this problem in brain disease * interests me; and you will not wonder ? that I am going back to Hampstead to- i morrow afternoon when I have done ( with my professional visits. B it yon * mav be reasonably surprised at my J troubling you with details which are mainly interesting to a medical nva.' "Was he about to ask me to go witli him to the asylum? I replied very briefly; merely saying that ihe details were interesting to every student of human nature. If he could have felt my pulse at that moment I am afraid he might have thought I was in a fair way of catching the fever, too. " 'Prepare yourself,' he resumed, 'for ^ another surprising circumstance. IvEr. } Winterfield is, by some incomprehcnsi- % ble accident, associated with one of the ' mischievous tricks played by the French ] boy, before be was placed under my 1 fi.iJ\*a rtnvA HP!-*of ativ rnfn icj JJL1CXXU. O 4M.V) *^r ?Mv ^ only explanation by which we can ac- ( count for tlie discovery of an envelope, < found sewn up in the lining of the lad's < waistcoat, and directed to Mr. W/nter- ( field without any address.' "I leave you to imagine the effect ' which those words produced on me.' " 'Now,5 said the doctor, 'you will un- i derstand why I put such strange ques- ; tions to you. My friend and I are both ' hard-working men. We go very little J into society, as the phrase is; and neither : He nor l ever heard the name of "Winter Gai/l As a certain t>ror>ortion of my patients happen to be people with a ! large experience of society, I undertook : to make inquiries, so that the packet might be delivered, if possible, to the right person. You heard how Mrs. 1 Eyrecourt (surely a likely lady to assist me ?) received my unlucky reference to the madhouse; and you saw how I puzzled Sir John. I consider myself most fortunate, Father Benwell, in having Lad the honor of meeting you. Will yon accompany me to the asylum to-morrow? And can you add to the favor by bringing Mr. Winterfield with you?' " Tliis last reaucsfc it was out of mv power?really out of my power ? to grant. TVinterfield had left London that morning on his visit to Paris. His address there was thus far not known to me. " 'Well, you must represent your friend,' the doctor said. ' Time is every j way of importance in this case. "Will you kindly call here at five to-morrow afternoon ?' " I was punctual to my appointment. We drove together to the asvlum." (To bo continued.) Recently published statistics of suicides in France show for the last thirty years the extraordinary increase of seventv-eifrht Tier cent. From 1851 lo 1855 the annual average "was 3,639, or one suicide for 9,833 inhabitants, while in the latest return the annual number 6,496, or one suicide for 5,161 inhabitants. . J all about peanuts. How the Xiit* are Grown, Sola and Graded. There are only seven counties in Virginia, writes a Detroit free Press correspondent, in which peanuts have been profitably grown, but there are twelve or fourteen counties in which the soil and climate are suited to the growth o? favorable crops. While the nut has been grown for the last fifty years, it is only in the last decade that men have gone into peanut raising as a business. While tlie war ruined many industries it built up others. There was no Northern market for melons before the war. Few cigars were soid, and the tobacco business was a small matter. So with peanuts. Such s^ali quantities were prown in the South that two or three houses handled the entire crop. Last year the crop was handled by twelve large houses^ and its preparation for market gave employment to thousands of hands. A light, sandy ?*oil is the best for growing peanuts, butthere are localities wh-re the crop does well on light clay. The ground is plowed, dragged, manured and cultivated until it is like a garden, and the peanuts are then sowed by drill or drqr^d_ by jw?o~ ibout eighteen ire the most plactii m a hiil,and-it is K^nderfnl what results will follow in a *cod season. In a field in Surry Connfcy l pnlled up several vines to which were clinging over eighty peannts, and in )ne case the yield was 122. After the vines are np the field roust be kept clear of weeds and the hills rounded up, and that: is the only work until time to pull, which is about the 1st of October. Then the grower has ;ause to be anxious, for a little delay >r bad weather will change the grade of ais crop and alter its market value. Some growers throw their vines upon temporary scaffolds in the field, while )thers use she fences or stack the vines >rnnnr1 atnt-ns. Tbfl n^annts win fit be exposed to the sun to harden the shells md wilt the vines. If kept out too ong they shrink and become "poppers;' i not long enough the shells mildew or pec and become third grade. The mtire crop, vines and all must ultinately go to the barns and the pickers, rhe men, women and children, who pick the nuts from the vines are paid ;welve cents per bushel, and the deftless which one must acquire makes this ilmost a trade by itself. Women and jhildren earn about fifty cents per day is p:ckers, and men from seventy-five :ents to a dollar. It is a misnomer to say peanut facicry, becau<? peanr.ts are grown instead >f made; but yet the big warehouses ire so designated. But few nuts are :andled in Virginia outside of Petersburg and Norfolk, and between the two Norfolk handles the most. The peanut 5uyer must be as lynx-eyed as the vheat-bnyer?indeed, a sharper man. Hie grower makes no effort to grade lis crop, but mixes prime, strictly )rime, medium and low altogether, it s then for the buyer tc look over the oads and discover the average. Grow*rs have no way of cleaning the nuts, md the four grades are therefore plentiully mixed with leaves, stems, sticks md dirt. "When I walked into a peanut factory n Norfolk and presented my errand, I sxpected to be rushed up from three to .ix pairs of stairs iise a rocket. Great ras my chagrin, therefore, when poitely informed that even the Presiient of the United Urates would not be idmitte<J-to "witness the modus operandi >{ preparing peanuts for market. )wners of factories will not permit dsits from each other, and employes of )ce factory are supposed to look with mspicion on the employes of another. Chis is because all do not nse the same >rocess of cleaning and grading, and >ecause some of the most useful maihinery is not patented. A machine in me of the factories in Petersburg is un by a colored man, who alone knows ts workings. In case of his death the actory would be :dle untii the proprieor found another man in whom he :ould place implicit confidence. It was not necessary to go into the working-rooms, however, to ascertain ;he points I was after. The peanuts are irst cleaned by means of pans and sieves, lomething on the order of a fanningnil!. They are then dumped cn endless :arriers. and as they pass the grades they ire deftly sorted out, each grade by tself. The strictly prime are tbo largist, fullest and whitest, and are sorted he second time to make sure that not me second-class nut gets among tbera. ["he prime comes next, and then the neaium, which is really the staple. You vho have flattered yourselves on get;ing something extra at five cents per luart from the grocer or the street render may now learn that you have -een chewing on "medium" alone, rhe -'strictly prime" are worth over right cents per quart at the factories, md the "prime" over six. It is safe to say that no dealer in Detroit, Buffalo, Cleveland or Chicago ever has anything setter than a third grade on sale. The oest go abroad, or to the finest candy nakers. The poorest are eaten at home a 3 i j ma. ustu. uy seuunu-ciass uumeiitiuiieio. | The peanut-candy sold for forty cents per puund is made?the peanut part of :t?from ths grade called "low," the wholesale price of which is about two jents per quart. The shelliug is all ions by machinery, the nuts being emptied into a hopper, and the meats Dr kernels flow into a long spout and 3rop down to the men who sack them. 4s a rule only the lowest grades are shelled, and you can remember this when you find them on sale. The profits of peanut-growing are as nncertain as the profits on wheat-growing. The Virginia nut ranks above any known to commerce, and in good seasons men have made as high as ?30 per acre. The nut must have plenty of rain in August, and this year it had very little or none at all. Nevertheless, I havo not talked with a grower who will average less than 850 per acre. The average will always be considerably higher than that, and it is a surer crop than tobacco or cotton. The only enemy - ? ? -J ? ?^ < + AATVlAO oil IS tilt; UrUUgUI', HUU >VU?TJ-l luai uuiugo i*ii crops must be affected. Last year tbe peanut-growers of Virginia averaged over sixty bushels to the acre, and those who held their crop over into this year got from 81-30 to 31.40 per bushel. It. is a crop which can be easily handled by a farmer new to the South, and the grower gets his cash with every bushel delivered. In Petersburg they arc bought by the bushel, and in Norfolk by the pound, the standard being twentytwo pounds for a bushel. More than three-fifths of the crop is sent abroad or North and West Good peanut-growing land will also grow any staple crop, and it can be purchased all the way from S8 to 850 per acre, according to farm improvements, nearness to market, Another Heroic Engineer. The name of J. F. Wager, of Sedalia Mo., is to be added to the list of locomotive engineers who have deliberately given their lives to save others. His train, heavily loaded with passengers, was crossing the Osage river, on the Missouri Pacific Road, when the engine left the track and finally broke through the bridge, to be buried in the water. The fireman jumped off and escaped, but "Wager stayed to put on the airbrakes and reverse the engine, and thus saved the train and lost his own life. Tanrrlic of. a " Tmf, llA XJVTO AOiugug urw ivuauuiivuuj vv.? looks pretty sober when he hears the old man coming towards the parlor at 11.45 P. M.?Syracuse Sunday Timet. I The Names of the Stats s. ! The Hon. Hamilton B. Staples read j a paper at the annnal meeting of the I American Antiquarian society in "Worj cester, in which he discussed the origiD I of the names of several of the states. His conclusions were as follows: JNew Hampshire gets its name from Hampshire, England. Massachusetts is derived from an Indian name, first given to the bay, signifying "near the great hills." Rhode Island has an obscure origin. The island of Rhodes, the "Island of the Eoads," and a Dutch origiD, "Red Island," were mentioned. ' the first seeming to have the best his- : toricai support. Connecticut is an Indian name, signifying "land on a long ' tidal river." New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland ' were passed over. Virginia, the Caro- i [ linas, and Georgia have a royal origin. IJ ! Maine was named from the fact:, that it j ' was supposed to contain the "mayre < : portion" of New England. Vermont has no especial question, except that 1 it is claimed to have first been an alias < ?Xew Connecticut, alias Vermont, i Kentucky popularly signifies either a < "dark and bloody ground,"or "a bloody J river," or I:the long, riyer." Tennessee J village on fibie river?"Tanasee." Ohio < is named after an Indian name, signify I ing "something great," with an accent j i of admiration. Indiana comes from the J name of an early land company. Illi- } nois comes from the Indian?the name of ] a tribe. Michigan is claimed to mean < "lake countryit probably came from I the name of the lake, "Great lake,' < which bore this name before the land t adjacent wis named. Louisiana is from < the French. Arkansas and Missouri < are Indian, the former being doubtful; i the latter is claimed to mean ia its < original "muddy water," which de- ' scribes the river. Iowa is also Indian, ? with doubtful meaning. Texas is uopii- > larly sunpvsed to be Indian, but mav ( be Spanish, Florida is Spanish, "a i i flowery land." Oregon has a eor.jec-1 < tural origin ; it is probably Indian, but i t a Spanish origin is clfi>ied. California t comes from a Spanish romance of 1510. i 1 Nevada takes its name from the -crnoun- ; t tains, who get theirs from a v <em- i blance to the Nevadas of South Am* 'ca. 1 Minnesota is Indian, "sky-tinted water." < Nebraska is variously rendered "shallow c water" and "flat country." Kansas is 1 from an Indian root, Kaw, corrupted by a the French. Mississippi is "great ] ^ater," or "whole river." Alabama is t Indian, the name of a fortress and a c tribe, signifying, as is claimed, "here i we rest." 11 i c Getting Kid of a Loafer. c "He was the meanest old customer I * ever had any dealings with," said the * platform special, tipping back his hair * and preparing for o. talk. "I couldn't v keep him out of the ladies' waiting room with all I could do; The trouble 1 about that was I could never get my y hand on him. The minute he'd see me * coming he'd fly, and lightning couldn't v catch him. Lots o' times I made up ~ my mind to shoot at him the nezt time c I caught him about, but somehow he ? - "? ' l 1 ' J ~ 1 always xooit me uy surprise, uuu wuuocquently, strange as it may seem, I f wasn't ready for him. The women were afraid of him. Some of them wouldn't stay in the room when he was around, and of those that did, one-half didn't care for anything, and the other half dkln'i know which way out to take. "He was a good-sized fellow, and could hold his own with lots of 'em bigger than himself, if there had been many such. He always came around dressed in a kind of a rough, dirty-looking brown coat with a long tail, and he wore it buttoned close up under his cbin. Ho was sly and sneakin' as a weasel, and he'd get in and out and around among passengers and seats without making any more noise than a cat. That's what made them ail hate him so. He wouldn't come around when there was a crowd, but only whea the room was quiet. He'd glide in fr-jm : somewhere, and look at the people out !' of them gray, greedy eyes of his till they didn't know what minute he might J tackle some of 'em. He never did do any T actual damage, but he was such an in- 5 fera a 1 nuisance that I'd a killed him any J oay, 11 i coaiu uo n m a. ^iucu ?*jr. Well,things went on in this shape for two ' or three weeks till last night, when I . got a chance to get my work in on him. i He'd slipped in and cnt of the depot a couple of times and was making himself so familiar that I couldn't help suspecting something was wrong, so I laid ( for him. Ee was mixing himself around * some baggage in the corner, and had * his back turned so he couldn't see me. You bet I didn't miss no such golden ( opportunity. I just gathered the old 1 iron poker out of the ash box by the J stove, and came on him xaubeknownest like. I dropped him one on the ear that kind o' confused bim like. He tumbled to the racket and tried to crawl under the bench, when I handed him one that distributed his spinal 'column, and he hadn't the backbone to do anything more than to lay still and let me finish him." "Kill him?you didn't," burst from the listeners. "Yes, but I did, though. Oh, I tell you I'm the red-headed ranger of the depot flats, and a mighty dangerous man to stir up. Want to come and view the remains ?" And the marderer led the way to a corner of the depot, where lay in the cold embrace of death an enormousrat. 1 The Paper Bag, j The triumph of machinery in its ap- < plication to the manufacture of simple 3 articles is well illustrated in the history ] r,f fliA r>ari^r haer. Twpnt.v-five ve&rs aco I i V* o * J j o - i the limited amount of paper bags in use j were made by hand, and it probably j never occurred to the ninety-and-nine , conservative ones that there was any ] necessity of improving the method. It i would certainly never pay to apply , machinery to so insignificant a thing as j a paper bag, a mere joining of paste and < paper ! Yet inventive skill tried its hand, and the result was a machine ] ! r-anahlA nf tnrninsr off 100.000 baas a i ~ * ' <-> / ?-? iday. "What followed was the same as m j hundreds of industries similarly affected. Bag factories sprung up, and no sooner did the supply exist than a demaud was created. New uses were dis- i covered for the article and to-day the annual consumption in the United ! States in round numbers is 1,000.000,! 000, At the same time the price has ber-n ! reduced to a mere fraction above the | price of paper. Of the 1,000,000,000 ! paper bags annually produced in this ! country, more than three-fourths are urned out of eight factories, whose com- i binecl capacity is about 5,000,000 per day. Since the application of machinery to the manufacture of paper bags, the greatest revolution in the inKr flin *Tn UUSll V JUiij> UCCU lliuuguk U| tion of a machine to manufacture what is called the " satchel-bottom" bag, in which the bottom is so shaped tnat the two protruding corners of the old-style bag are avoided. Certairf bags can be bought in large quantities at oneseventh of a cent apiece, and even lower, the advance being about twenty i or thirty cents per thousand over the ! price of paper.?Manufacturer's Grzette. J A Kentucky woman sat at the head of the stairs while her daughter had 3 bean in the room below. Sleep came to the old woman, and she rolled down and broke both legs. 2EXICAX HOLIDAYS. The Way Tli^y Celebrate Lo*t Ban ^irnssiiJis: lor .Lottery i'rJzcn. When a Mexican sets about to c brate a feast day or event of nati< importance, says a letter from Me^ lie pitches in in a ^vhole souled soi way that is refreshing and makes celebration a success. If of a convi disposition he "smiles" repeatedly is carried home in a hack at night, addicted to mu?ic ho haunts the pla Under ail circumstances he thr business to the dogs and gives him up to enjoyment. It is a second na1 for the Mexicans to celebrate, and t even go cut- of the long list of Mexi saints to get their fill of holidays, their desperation they observe the a; versaries of numerous prominent batt iT:rt by- doing so place themselve rather a ridiculous light, in her ] war history Mexico has obtained fj Duly by the number cf battles site lost. Som*, wayut has always happe shat the Mexicans 'were the first to s laddie, but this does not deter : at ion fro- ? keeping green, by am jelebratioLd, her many encounters t 'oreign forces. The observance v ;pch pomp anrl ^orpmosy p ;he Kexicansobtaine'd^asort oftrtnE jver the French at Pueblo in 1882. :riumph, however, was but moments :or the French with reinforceme: advanced upon the Mexicans and c< pletely cleaned them out, and for f rears Maxamilion domineered over jonntry. This temporary victory jeen made to serve as an aoology creating the glorions 5th cf May so d ;o every loyal Mexican. Upon the 2 >f August, 1847, the American ai :aplured by gallant charge, a conv n the vicinity of Cherubusco, which lefended by a large body of Mexicf Fiie convent, which exists at this dai i ruin, is situated in an open plain, i he Americans in their assault w exposed to a most galling fire, ye vas not necessary to repeat iharge. The Mexicans threw he white flag on every side, j he American army at a gi oss of life, entered into possessioi he building. Now, what do the M cans do but celebrate this event i ler puets itXJU wixlcao <xila\jn\> Luanc )f it a Mexican victory. Another c :an be cited in the battle of Molino iey, in which the Mexican army ' igain defeated by the American fore et, upon the anniversary of this < he inevitable Mexican banquet coi >fT, and ancient bards reco7"" %ethi ng incidents and heroi>- .nee ho Mexicans against nelm idds. The fact is the M is bot o celebrate. It is in h~~ ind m :ome out, and he is not particular as he time of the event. It is har ;ecessary to add from the Mexi )omt oi view tne ODservance ox rue i ras a complete success. The great event of the day, or < hat most directly appeals to the peo ras the drawing for the $50,000 lott >rize. This ?50,000 drawing occ miy twice a year; upon the 5th of 3 md the 16th of September, and ev >ne, even if he has to pawn his ] hirt, is supposed to have an intei n this lottery, and a hope that the i >lnm may fail to him. At the time his writing it is not known who irawn the capital prize of $50,C L'he Mexican lottery i3 under the sut ision of the government, and partici: >ains are taken to have the drawi: :onduete& upon a fair and system: >asis. The capital prizes range fi ?U00 to ?50,000, and drawings oc hree or four times a week. A num )f Mexican fortunes have been m; rem these lotteries. Public opinio] itrongly in their favor, and any attei o moralize upon the pernicious efi )f the lottery as an institution ofMes neets with no attention. The Mexi s intensely superstitious. Ee also ieves in that abstract quality known .uck, and as long as the world mo ;he desire will possess him to "pi u the lottery. To abolish these drs ngs a Mexican would consider his it >acred rights encroached upon. The Government will not per Javana lottery tickets to be sold ops ipon the streets of Mexico, but ther >aid to be quite a secret sale in the < )f these tickets. Ia fact, in the lott ine, the Government is somewhat slusive, and will encourage only icme article, and does not look v avor upon any foreign lotteries. Acquisitiveness. In the introduction of his pampl >n "How to Grow Eich," Dr. EL rives the following definition i malysis of this organ: "The faculty of acquisitiveness :ommcn to brute and roan. It is m intellectual faculty, but a selfish itinct. Its office is to desire, co' ong for, grasp, appropriate, anythi jverything that can in any way mini: ;o the physical Dature. It is a lee nate organ, whose function is necess :o the continued existence alike of nsect, the animal and the human bei [t is devoid of moral sense as well ntellectual perception, hence it has ecognition of the rights of prope lor any knowledge of how to get t desires, nor jet aay idea of the .ative value of things. It is simply jistinct of acquisition. The ant, )ee, and the miser act from like moti1 ?rir?Ti ^r>mr>Alliner what instinct he ha jecorae the slave of acquisitivness. is the controlling faculty in each. ' insect and the brute, having no ot ;han a sensuous existence, their wc ire limited to food and shelter. 5J svhile allied to the animal kingdom, :he sensuous plane, is lifted infinil ibove it by the fact of his being lowed with reason, and crowned v noral sense and spiritual aspiratic By means of hi'- superior intellect, r is able to subjugate the earth and its forces, compellingit to yield its fr md treasures in rich and varied ab lance to supply his needs and gra iris desires. Through the guild WldUUi-LL UX JLilO i :nn J*! it/vuiuvcj cognizes the brotherhood of man : ;he equality of the race, the foundat >f the principles of justice." Accepting these propositions as < :ect, it is clear that the man whose ls spent in the service of acquisitive: is simply an intellectual brute. The Fate of a Slave Girl. Speaking of slavery reminds me Lhe case of a young girl scarcely on her teens, who was two years ago ] naped and brought here from i Minor. She was remarkably handso and was sold into the harem of . Efiendi as a supernumerary in. household cf that gentleman. The j p^irl pined terribly for the relatives i: Trlirmi filif "had been draffjred awav. she importuned her new mistress the etifendi to give iier her liberty. F: inpr her tears and entreaties were of avail, she tried to enlist the sjmps of her entourage, some of whom v slaves and others paid servants, stead of commiserating with her t heaped all kinds of insults upon hei her bold denunciation of captive ] and constituted her with one accord drudge of the household. This i of thing went on for some time, n at last the poor girl, in consequence the cruel treatment she received, reduced almost to a skeleton, and mo nrlinns in the siffht of her SI riors, whose sole thought was to gel of her as soon as possible. She was aj put upon the market and sold to other master for one-fifteenth part the sum origins lly paid for the un tunate aide.?Constantinople Letter. What a Tolcano Did in Ieelaud. j A letter from Iceland says: From e'*~ the geyser there is a plain view of Hecla, ,eje_ that awful volcano that has so of tea .threatened the very existence of The : / people of this unfortunate island. It is interesting only on account of its '^JQ history, and looks so much like other mountains that unless you were a geolo- : and vou cou^ n?t tell it from hundreds ! " p of others. Being 5,364 feet high, it has ZZ3.' Partieu^ar charms for Englishmen, who i ow^ seems to be born with a hereditary pro- l cajf pensity to climb, but as most of the , -"ure ponies that have attempted to climb it k came down with a rash over its treacherous pumice-lined sides, no sane Amer- ( ' jn ican has yet been up to its top. About ( oni- **22e tkey celebrate the next , 2e* millennial herej when they put np a : s ^ Jacob's ladder, as thej have it at Mount j oast ^skington, and introduce a railroad, j imc with calcium-light effects, as they have ' at Vesuvius, Americans, I have no j 'loubt, will be quite frequent at the 3ke?' summit. Their representative is there tjjgl-^ow, for it is a favorite screeching place tual of eagle. The reputation of Hecla I ' A Co KITA mAVflfllOri /^TIA I "* 10 tuau^ uuucxo li-v/A \y uiiau JLAW. UUV< ? rith She is heard of in all lands, yet Skapta j In my reminiscences I was almost 1 irv forgetting about Skapta Jokcl. Skapta ntg may be said to occupy the southwestern * 3 ' portion of Iceland. She is no ordinary .< our hill, for she has pre empted a space 3 the digger than Khode Island for herself. < ^as It isn't that she is so big as that she re- J * qnire3 so mnch room for -what she don't **** ? Ol m A / ?2^ waui. OlSltpiKt s cuum >y<?a psiqj.^ formed in 1783, seventeen years after 5 Hecla had done the best she knew how. ? envt The reading of the aceount of Skapta's * was work invigorate the imagination, 1 ms *or ?^e ?e^s away with anything the r as Ppnnv-dreadfnl anthor ever thought of. t and ^bouG the beginning of Jnne, of the r ere year named, the usual preliminary noise i j. ^ began in the neighborhood of the monn- a the ta*ns> an^ 011 t^ie ^th ?* ^he month a ] t great volume of smoke and ashea t md sPrea<* over ^hole district of Sida, a j. going in the direction against the wind. ] l Q{ On the 10th the river Skapta overflowed < es_ with fetid water and then suddenly dis- s md aPPearec*- Fire broke out on the e out moun^D> ar>d two days later a stream s of lava came oozing out of the dry bed e (jel of the river. Notwithstanding that the t channel was 600 feet deep and 200 wide, p eg . tne lava overnowea tne oanKs ana m- s 2 ' undated tlie Meddelland country, lift- t nes t^ie ?rass as ^ went 25 water would .?I2_ float a film of oil. The stream finally f floated into the Meddelland lake, filled n^ is up, and then divided into two streams, c jnd oae 0l* ^em aSa111 seeking the coarse of : us^ the river and finally leaping, maddened * and hot, into the sea, -?ver the great c ^lv cataract ol Stapafoss, whose brink is 300 ^ can *eet ?*)0ve sea The f.ther a stream, after traversing a wido section t of lowland country, found a line of least > one resisfance 1D l-be Hverfisfliot rive? bed. * ^ie This last stream of. Isva, as far as it has ? been surveyed?there is much of it, how ^ ur's much no one knows, in a country over j lav ^"kich 110 11,411 ^as ever been?is forty c " miles in length and seven in width. ^ I J- That which went over the cataract is c j. fifty miles long and fifteenbroacL The ^ c^ lava ceased to flow in August, and the j of convulsion ended with a great earth- ^ has ^cr a wbole year it continued .j (qq to rain cinders and dust and thousands ] ' of acres of grass land were buried and j , " withered under the hot showers. It is " estimated that 190,000 sheep, 28,v00 t ^ horse?, 11,000 cattle and 9,000 men j died as a result of the eruption. Since t cur ^ea ^ere k*8 been nothing worth men- 1 ^6r tioning in the volcano line. r a(^e Married Bliss. a is y y nnt ' You ouffhfc to sret married, Bill," i feet 'aid Spuddles the other day to a young $ ;ico fiieisd of his as the two were leaning i can over the front gate of the Spuddles ^ be- ccttnge, talking about old times. \ . as "Don't know," said the doubting f ves Williaia, "it strikes me that a single c ay" life beats your married bliss out of s iv- sight." v ( tost " There's just u-bere you are off, old I boy," said Spuddles. "You know I \ niit used to be one of the gayest of our gang, s nly but now, since I've tried married life a i e is year I'm twice as happy. I have a cozy < >ity home, a nice little wife, and ooe of the s ery sweetest of children, and when my day's [ 1 ex- work is done I come home and all is i j the peace and harmony. No, Bill, the old | a rfth life has no charms for me now." 11 Just then the door opened and Mrs. f Spuddles' head protruded. t "Mr. Spuddles, run right up town ] 3Iet and get another bottle of that cough i and syrup for the baby?he's just coughing ] and ;;F his very toe-nails?and come past s the store and bring up a ham of meat, t , j3 and some butter, and eggs, and coffee \ n0<; ?we're clean out?and some lard, and t in_ another sack of flour, and don't forget j i that can of peaches you promised me \ Dg'f a week ago. We must have some f iter potatoes, too, and if you see any vege- 1 riti- tables get tome. Heavens alive! do i arv 70tl think I can be penned up here day i the after day with a squalling brat, acd c ;ng# nothing to eat in the house ? And don't j \ as | forget those new towels some time this j s ; no ! week, and be sure yuu wait till I'm en- t ' * - - - j- j.1. I rtv, i tirely oaretoctea Deiore yon get iuuse i s kat! new shoes?you know T can't; go after J v re.: them while johnny's got this cough? ! r the ! aT3^ Bat Spuddles was flying up ; x the i the street at a gait that would have j & fres | charmtd an admirer of fast stock, so i s to i we suppose he did not hear his wife t It j when she raised her voice to the high- a Tlie esfc pifch and fairly screamed: t her '""Come by old Tubbingers and see if 1 ints Sally can wash for me this week." i [atl) The door closed with a slam, and the t 0n happy wife muttered: i q[j "It seems to me that man won't i en_ do anything I want him to any more. rj rjth -^s soon as * begin to tell him what I ^ >ns. Vv'ant he starts off, and now I'll lay a a oan dollar he is not back for four hours. I all Hanging arotmd the saloons I reckon, c aits jass like the balance of the men."? r un. Morriiton [Ark.) State. 1 tify m i i ing Worthy or Barbarians. 1 re_ Roumania evidently has in her mode ! ] ;ion j i es for reform. In the district of Dam- i s brovitza ten peasants unjustly suspected j ,or_ of stealing were treated recently with i jj?e outrageous brutality in order to cumpel ! :ess an acknowledgment of guilt. First! , they were severely punished with the ! ( bastinado, and as they still declared i , themselves innocent, 'they were then i j , stripped and severely beaten with net- j j j. ? ties. Under orders from the subperfect, ; ( the quiilsof dacks were then violently ! j forced between the nails of their fingers , * and the flesh. When these torture 8 had \ . -J failed to extort confession the men j , were submitted to indescribable out- . e rages, and then they were hung up by r the feet. Here they remained till they l were half dead, and theD, to save their j E , j lives, they confessed to having stolen j ? | the goods. Before the judge their in- j nocence was clearly established and | their sufferings fully described, but the j < J authors of these inhuman tortures ap- , In ^ear *? ^aTe escaPe^ PC0*i *ree' 1 ] hey ; Have you noticed the role the lette ^ ' for G plays in the personal politique of the ! life, world? In Russia, Gortschakofif; in the Germany, Gillaume: in Greece, Geor;ind ges; in England, Gladstone and the i * ntil Prince of Gallies; in France, Grevy, i > Gambetta and Galliffet; in Algeria, |' tos j Grevy; in Italy, Garibaldi; in America, ; 1 oeoooir^'c r.om^ I 1 j V7HXI1C1U, Vi U . ipe-! is Guitean; the mayor of New York is j : ; rid called Grace. i jain ? an- In the time of Edward I. of England, i ; of the pay of a knight or esqnire was sister teen shillings a day, and that of an archer three shillings. j ' -Jr. - . . - POPULAR SCIEXCE. French authorities are investigating the subject of the influence of schoolroom arrangements upon the eyes of the jr]?g pupils. Dr. Dankwcrtt has just tabulated the positions of forty-six stars for the commencement of each century from 2000 B. C., to 1800 A. D. The preservation of articles of diet cvith salicvlic acid has been prohibited by the French Government, it being considered that this well known preservative agent is dangerous to health. An egg deposited long ago by an * ostrich was discovered in a subterranean julumbarium at Gonzaga. It has br-en submitted to a chemical examination by M. Ballaud, and its composition was found to differ from a recently laid egg in that it had more carbonate and phos ohate of lime and less of carbonate 01 nagnesia, <fcc. The hydro-carbon discovered some- " wy ;ime ago by a Frenchman,. still attracts nnch attention on account of its pecu- : .iar property of burning at a very slight ncrease of heat above the average of emai-nn^intr ???, hn' fli?A ~U"?' *" ' f? By securing variety in tempera'ore ;hrough planting oysters in different iepths of water, as practiced in Conlecticut, the Scientific American ktyys oysters can be obtained in a St condiion for the table every week in the year. :yM The greater the h*at the earlier the jysters will spawn. Those in the deeper md colder water feel the heat later and ipawn later. Some portion of the oyster , |3 ield, so to speak, will therefore be - .33 eady for harvesting at ail times. In the British collieries numerous . --i Ltperiments have been made to deternio.e the cause of esphsions in the nines,and these results are now accepted is o-orrect by most of tne expenmeniers: .. Explosions are usually caused by the presence of ccal dust in air containing i small amount of true fire damp, the #3 Davy lamps serving to detect the pres?nce of dangerous gases when ill efficient quantity to alone cause sxplesion. 2. Mixtures of coal dust nd air witboat fire damp are ixplosive. The researches have shoTjfa hat air containing no more than Jfao >er cent, of tire damp (a quantity so mall as to escape notice) is ujgfeafe in he presence of coal dust. / - M How a Murderer Was Recaptured. A letter from St. Lonjfe gives an acount of the recapture bv Sheriff Good- T ^ nan of William Martin, who is mder sentence for the murder if one WeiseiJf. Laclede county. Vhile Martin xdh* in jail he gained the ** - - w M .Sections of Sheriff Wilson's niece, and he girl unbarred Ills cell, furnished urn with a rifl?, and both departed together. The^pair fied the State, and hei~ whereabouts remained a mystery. iVhen Go6dman was elected sheriff he mmedaately instituted a thorough iearcii, following the trail to Virginia md back to Tennessee, in which latter State he captured Martin and the girL VKile he was taking them from St. jiOXLiS 10 JLieuauwii iixarna esc&peu jxuujl ;he train. The father and mother of ilartin live on a farm ten miles from Lebanon, in what is known as Goodwin" loliow, and the sheriff had a close I yatch kept on their residence, believing hat the son wonld pay them"a visit. At ength the sheriff received informa- i? ion'that-Marfcin had visited the paternal ^| oof, and he organized a posse of ten nen and started fur Goodwin Hollow. yiartin has imndreds of friends who vould fight for his liberty at a mo- I nent's notice. The posse left Lebanon * it 9 o'clock at night 2nd traveled seven niles to the appointed rendezvous, ft ere they hitched their horses in the roods and walked toward the Martin 1 arm. Arriving there, the honse was :autiousiy approacnea ana coverea oy hotguns from every direction. Sheriff Joodman, accompanied by Marshal Jstes, demanded admittance, which ras of course denied, and the inmates olemnly declared that "Billy" was a any miles away. The sheriff, however, knew to the contrary, for be had ;een Martin through a criak in the ?||j ogs. While Goodman and Estes were >arlevin g at the door with the family ,nd demanding admittance, they heard he sound of clapboards being removed rom the roof. Soon afterward Marin's head popped through the roof. 3ut he caught sight of ten guns pointed n his direction and he disappeared. Parleying at the door was again reTimed. At length Martin responded o the demands, and declared that he rould surrender at daylight. It was hen after 12 o'clock, and Mr. Good- * nan suspected that with daylight rould come assistance. A general ight couid not be permitted, and ie informed the little party within, that f they were acting in good faith they ctust surrender immediately. After :onsul cation they agreed to yield, and roang Martin threw open the doors and tepped out into the moonlight. In u winkling he was handcuffed and hackled by the sheriff. But the parents vere not so easily quieted. The mother an out andnoured npon the officers an inceasing torrent oi abase, and then truck one of the posse with a r ck The nan through his gun up and threatened o shoot if the woman did not lmrriedi.tely return to the house. This enraged he father, and lie took down the old Winchester'rifle with which his son had nurdered Weis<-r, and threatened death o the entire pjsse. The - sheriff's revolver flashed unexpectedly in the old nan's face and he give tip the rifled Che house was found stockcd with: ;uns and ammunition, and all the arrangements for a long siege. William klartin said that he would have surren- . ~ lered immediately but for fear of being nobbed by the sheriff's posse, which he mew contain ed some men who were his nortal enemies. The sheriff reassured lira on that point. The journey to V? Lebanon was made quietly and without nterruption, and the murderer was safely lodged in jail before daylight. Helping the Party. In the days gone by a Detroit Sheriff vho Lad uade a close shave of being elected, had the ill-luck to lose a prisoner from the jail. The fellow nade good his escape to the country, jut the Sheriff overhauled him about sight miles out and drove him cnder a jam. The prisoner was captured and ret he was not. If he could not get out ^ J vi/kf /*Af t >LLV OUGIIJ-L UUU1V4 UUU auvi VUJ.VU__ r< lad no effect on him. In this emergency the officer called out: "Say, Jim." rig " Yes." "You know I had a mighty close ;ha\e getting this office ?" "Yon did that." " Well, I'm laying my pipes for a econd term. If I lose you I might as well hang up. The opposition -will iold it up in letters four feet high, and hundreds of men in my own party will !IIp my name. Do you hear me V " 1 do," ~ ; : "Well, I ask you to come out, not exactly as a prisoner fcoing back to jail, bat more as a patriot bound to stand by [lis party. Come, Jim." ;,:jg I'll be hacked if I don't!" replied ^ the prisoner. Thejadge was agin me, my sentence was unjast, and I hate four jail, but if it's going: to help the party and < rnsh the hydra-beaded opposition out I comc ?Free Press. General Grant lias insurea nu iite '-''-it'