The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, March 29, 1883, Image 1
TRI-WEEKLY EDITION.
UORG ENROTH.
Moral nr’a rad I as fresh u ever.
Fresh aa when mr life begun.
Glowing In the orient heaven,
Greets with roses rising ran.
Morning’s red I old mythic ages
Deemed it paisce of the Dawn,
Whence the ever-blooming Eros
Bowed with pearls each mountain lawn.
Whew, in secret chamber hidden,
Did Tithonos age-worn lay.
While the Dawn her coarser lashiug
Ushered in the full-orbed day.
Rose-wreathed Honrs about her circling,
As the misty earth below.
Ocean, city, mountain, meadow.
Kindled in the morning’s glow.
TBROVUH A CURTAIN.
The drawing-room at the Kents’ was
a large bright, lofty apartment, woll-
fumished, in the usnal acceptance of
that term.
Velvet carpets were under foo^, cheese
cloth curtaius, trimmed with antique
lace, draped the bay-wiudows, plush
covered chairs were invitingly disposed
around.
And the velvet portiere]
Mention mnst be made of the por
tiere—what a straggle there had been
to obtain it.
Never did victor in a mighty battle
sigh more contentedly over his success
than the only daughter of the house of
Kent.
"Folding-doors are out of date pa
pa,” she had avowed imploringly, impe
riously.
"No one has them now. They are
vulgar, inartistic.
"We must have a portiere, crimson
plush, to match the furniture.
"It will look so graceful, you know,
falling from the ebony pole and gold
lings.
‘Weil, I must have it, papa; so
there's no use talking!”
And when Miss Kent put down her
foot with that energetic stamp there
was no use talking, and her easily inti
midated lather generally, with quiet
wisdom, produced his cheque-nook.
She sat now, and looked at it approv
ioitly.
Curled up in one of the big plush
easy-chairs, in her soft, light wrapper,
she reminded one of nothing so much
as a white drowsy kitten.
An odd little piece of contradiction,
witb a name too imposing for her dim
inutive person, was Miss Callidon.
Kent
Her admirers called her a beauty; her
friends a jolly little thing; casual ac
quaintances, stern old msids, and jeal
ous girl companions, pronounced her a
foolish, dress-loving coquette.
Dress-loving?
Who would see a woman without the
thousand bewitching vanities of the toi
let, and a desire to look her prettiest?
And too many admirers will give a
girl the title of coquette, often without
the sanction of her own conduct
She snugged around a little more
contentedly in her chair, as the door
opened and her cousin came into the
room.
She was a tall, rather good looking
girl, with a pair of Handsome brown
She held a broom ii her hand, and
had a martyred expression on her
face.
She carried a certain high-tragedy air
into the commonest details of everyday
life, and dusted a room or cooked a
custard witb tbe half disdainful haugh
tiness of a dethroned queen.
Lovely 1
"Isn’t it Frances Eva?”
The demure little Philistine, who
usually succeeded in spreading for her
self a bed ol uncrumpled rose-leaves,
nodded toward the plus \ curtains,
Tue other contemptuously ignored
the rr-mark.
"With whom were you last evening,
if I mny ask?” in a gentle injured tone.
"Oh, yes!” cheerfully.
"I went to the Queen’s with Fred
Halleck."
She uncoiled deliberately, and rose
to view herself m the mirror.
A small face, with a row of curl-pa
pers across the forehead—a pair of mis
chievous. hazel eyes, a straight pretty,
impertinent nose, and lips that could
charm with the most enahanting of
smiles, flickers of modern, shallow wit,
and occasionally saucily spoken slang.
"Oallidora, are you going to marry
Fred Halleck?”
"Marry?
"That depends.
"His grandmother—fabulously weal
thy, barbarously eooentrio—is dying.
Tf she dies loving him financially,
fes; if ignoring him financially, nr,
"There lies the case in a nutshell."
"If so unfortunate, who will succeed
bim in your favor?”
'Why, that’s so, Frances Era-I for
te tell you about him—the gentle-
tan I met at Mrs. Slasabrook’a dance.’'
She turned from the mirror with a
tdden flicker of ambition.
‘He is so handsome, Frances Eva, I
need with him three times.
’He asked permission to call, and his
te is Silbert Richardson.
‘Oh, I had almost forgotton to men-
i—he if as poor ss the proverbial
i mouse.”
ret
lurch;
[A week passed, during which Miss
Kfist, taking advantage of
Halleok’s absence by bis grand-
tther’s deathbed, laughed and flirted.
and went to tbe opera with handsome
Silbert Richardson.
One morning he was announced, and
shown into the front parlor, where a
bright-eyed little siren, in the most art
ful of morning costumes, was indus
triously feeding her goldfish.
He was not at all diffident or bashful,
this handsome Bohemian to whom pret
ty Miss Kent had lost her heart, so he
name to the point immediately.
"Oallidora,” he said, "will you mar
ry me?”
The bell rang; the door opened, and
there was the sound of footsteps iu the
hall.
"I am very sorry,” she said, in a
choking voice—and indeed she was—"I
am sorry, but I can’t,”
"Why not?”
"Don’t ask me,” imploringly.
"But I will. Are yon going to marry
HaUeok?”
"I suppose so.”
# And yet you love me?”
"Yes,” with a big sob.
"Then yon have seen tin morning
papers? '
“Yes.”
"And know that Fred Halleck w heir
to all his grandmother’s money?” he
continued.
She nodded.
"Is that why you are going to mar
ry him?’’
"Yes, that is why,” emphatically and
angrily.
"Than'ka for your candor,” in coldest,
politest tones.
Aud like s slender, black-coated ice
berg, exit Mr. Richardson.
"Please, mum,’’shrillyinquired Jem
ima, the maid-of all-work, popping a
grinning face inside the door, "did you
see Mr. Halleck?”
A Canadian Romano*.
"Mr. Halleck?
"No.
"Did he call?’’
"Yes, mum.”
"When?”
“Bout the same time as Mr. Rich
ardson.
"He went into the back parlor, sayin’
he’d wait until you was disengaged,
"He’s gone now, mum.”
"Gone!”
"Yes. mum.”
She flung the di riding curtain aside,
and rushed into the next room.
There was just a line scrawled on a
leaf torn from a memorandum book,
and lying on the tab'e.
It was Fred’s big slapdash hand and
read as follows—
"The plush porixere is something
new, is it not? It is very convenient.
“Hallbor-”
Miss Kent sank down, atormiiy sob
bing out remorseful words, aud bitter
beuefloial tears.
"It was all that horrid plush por
tiere]
"He could neyer have heard through
the dear old folding-doors.
"Oh, my goodness! ;
"It has sent away the man I love,
and the man who loves me.
"Oh, how I hue it!”
"Papa!” imperiously commanded
Miss Oallidora Kent, three hours later,
standing tear-worn and sorrowful eved,
in her father’s office, "send men im
mediately—to put up the folding-
doors!”
"But, my dear ”
"It’s no use talking, papa—I mart
have them!
"Yes, I know—the plush portiere,
"But I neyer want to see it again,
"I hate it—there!
"Folding-doors, papa—vulgar, mas
sive, heavy, aud three feet thick!"
Hints For Boys.
Avoid that which you see amiss in
others.
Follow the examples only of the
good.
Keep your ears open to all that is
worth hearing, and elosed to all that
is not.
An older person's experience is of
no value te you unless you profit by it.
You are not building on the fmuro,
but on the past and present.
Evil communications ooirupt good
manners.
Nobody wants to deal witb a doable
mind’vl boy.
Be industrious; the world wants boys
who are not afraid of hard, steady work.
"The empty vessel makes the great
est sound.”
Some boys inherit good fortunes, but
no boy ever inherited a scholarship, a
good character or a useful life.
If you would be capable, cultivate
your mind ; if you would be loved, your
heart.
Never excuse a wrong action by say*
ing some one else does the same thing;
this is no excuse at all.
Thirty six vears ago there lived in
that pleasant little town down the river
called Sorel—very little it was then—
a . youth and a maiden. The name of
the youth was George Beaupre, the
name of the maiden M*ry Ann Pearce*
They belonged to families of moderate
circumstances. He with the strength
and deyotion of honest young manhood,
loved this young maiden, and Wooed
her with that earnestness which only
such a lover can. He was given every
encouragement; was, some say, actually
accepted; was congratulating himself,
at least, on the smooth coursing of true
love, when suddenly a rival appeared,
and everything for him turned back.
The rival was one Jacob Savage, of
the same town. Pretty soon she and
Savage were married and settled down
in the place, and then youag Beaupre’s
hope died Out. He tried to work ou as
before, but could not. He dosed up
his affairs, and started to the far West,
toward which so many adventurous
spirits were about that time shaping
their course.
From that day to within a few weeks
ago he had not set foot in this part of
Canada. He had worked hard, saved
carefully, prospered and laid up prop
erty worth at least $200,000. He had
never married. He was getting up to
ward sixty years of age. Several weeks
ago he took au idea to come back once
more to sec his friends, aad he started
East, He searched out relatives in
Sord and Montreal but found few that
he remembered. He inquired for the
woman, who, as a girl, had so many
year* before thrown him overboard for
a rival They told him that she was
widowed; her husband had been dead
many years; she had been living seve
ral years in Montreal He went to call
upon her; met her, and then—He found
her getting old, in poor ciroumstanoea,
with several children, but that made
no difference; he saw only the girl of
thirty-six years before. On Saturday
they were married by his Lordship
Bishop Fabre, the wealthy bridegroom
being content with no other dignitary
than the highest in that part of the
country. He has bestowed all tue
happiness that wealth aud affection oau
upon his bride aud her children, and in
a short time they will go to his home
in the Black Hills.
IMaf and Bomb.
A woman who got aboard the Eastern
bound train on the Detroit, Lansing A
Northern at Howell, Michigan the other
day was accompanied by a big dog, and
after the train had moved out a passen
ger walked bace to the stove and asked
of three or four young men sitting
around thore:
"Can any of you talk to a deaf and
dumb person by signs?”
‘T can, though I’m out of practice,’
replied one.
"Very well. I wish you’d go and ask
that woman over there if she expects
friends to meet her in Detroit.’’
The young man walked up to her,
tapped her on the shoulder to attract
attention, and began a series of gyra
tions with his his fingers which attract
ed the eyes of every passenger in the
oar. The woman’s eyes opened and
her jaw fell with astonishment, but
after a minute or two she colored up as
red as a beet and called out:
"Yes, I’ve got my dog under the
seat, and If you mean that you’ll tell
the conductor on me I mean that I’ll
hire someone to pitch you into a snow
drift if I have to mortgage my farm!”
The deaf and dumb language chopped
off right there.
A Home-Made Barometer.
Take a common glass pickle bottle,
wide mouthed; fill it within three inches
of the top with water, then take a com
mon Florence oil-flash, removing the
straw covering and cleansing the flask
thoroughly; plunge the neck of the flask
as far it will go into the bottle, and
the barometer is complete. Iu fine
weather the water will rise in the neck
of the flask, even higher than tbe neox
of the pickle bottle, and in wet, windy
weather it will fall to within an inch of
the flask. Before a heavy gale of wind
the water has been seen to leave the
flask altogether at least eight hours be.
fore the gale came to its height. Au
able bodied man can make one of those
barometers in a day if his stock of
bottles hold out. If that fails a fair
ready -made article can be purchased for
seventy five cents.
Tho ffoitdor* of Wator.
A new test for gold lest was accident
ally discovered at the Farrell Venetisa
Art Glass Manufacturing Company’s works
in Brooklyn. Bv the Fanell process the
leaf is placed on the incandescent glass,
which is then blown. The expansion splits
the leaf into beautiful and fantastic forms,
and the object is then fired, covering the
glass with the vitreous material. In tiling
a guaranteed . 999 quality of gold leaf, the
workmen found that the expansion separa
ted the gold from the copper alloy,and the
object was ornamented with gold' and a
handsams green, tbe the latter color being
due to the oxidation ot the copper.
The extent of the trouole laid upon
the housekeeper by her abundance of
silver, is indicated by the number of
preparations for cleaning and polishing,
which flood the market and thrust
themselves everywhere upon her atten
tion, Each one claims excellence over
all others, and promises results more
marvelous, with the expenditure of less
time and strength, than anything ever
before offered for sale. It would be
interesting to know the amount drawn
annually from the puaaes of muoh-en-
daring womankind,-' by this one class
of articles; it eould net fail to roach a
pretty large figure. If these prepare-
tin really do perform what they promise,
if they clean the silver quicker or bet
ter than the substances commonly used
and if they bestow a brilliant and per
manent polish, as many of them profess
to do, the money spent on them is not
all wasted, for what is better worth
paying for than that which really saves
time and labor? The two permanently
valuable possessions of man, and the
basis of all wealth and welfare. Let us
consider for a moment the work Which
a good silver polish has to do. If sil
ver is only soiled by ordinary use, it is
beat cleaned by careful washing aud
wiping, with brisk rubbing with a
piece of chamois skin. A lew drops of.
ammonia added to the water in which it
is washed, will aid in the process. Sil
ver does not need rubbing with powder
as often as is commonly thought. If
time, or exposure to harsh treatment
and to foul gasses has left a tarnish
which fails to yield to this care, it is
because a thin film ot some chemical
compound of silver has been formed on
the surface. (The dark stain of the sul
phide is well known.) In oraer to re
store the brightness to such a discolored
surface, it is necoessary to remove the
objectionable film, aud since we knew of
no safe solvent for the dark salts of sil
ver, which will not as well dissolve the
metal, we must resort to friction. For
this, the substance used must be en
tirely free from any gritty or sharp par.
tides, for the soft silver is easily de
faced beyond remedy.
A good silver polish has then to fulfil
three conditions. First, it must be
dean, free from any grpese, and it may
contain ammonia or alcohol, to take
away any greasy film Lit in careless
washing, Secondly, it must not contain
any chemical which can harm the met
al Thirdly, it must contain a very fine
powder, free from any grit or sharp
grains, which will nevertheless be hard
enongh to remove by gentle friction,
the stained surface. Three substances
fulfil these conditions—rouge, whiting
(the purified form, sold as precipitated
chalk,) and infusorial silica, often sold
as electro-silicon. Of these, whiting is,
perhaps justly, the favorite; and if the
practice of one good house-keeper is
followed, namely, to stir it np with wa
ter and carefully float off the fine por
tion and collect it on a doth, leavihg
the coarse grains behind, it is probably
as good as any powder need be.
Of one thing the housekeeper may
be sure, that in nine oases out of ten,
whiting, more or less pure, or chalk,
will form the basis of her fifty-oeut box
or bottle of silver polish, A little or
ganic coloring matter is often added
when rouge is not, and the liquid pd-
ishes contain alcohol or ammonia. No
alohemy has yet obviated the need of
care and knowledge on the part of the
housekeeper, and^e must teach gentle
ctro-pl
handling of electrO-plate, must not al
low the direful clatter of the knives and
forks and spoons, so often heard, if she
wishes to keep the surface smooth. She
must also look wdl to the material in
which silver is wrapped when it is
laid away. Tissue paper is best, and
Canton flannel is next; , woolen flannel
should not be used either to wrap sil
ver in or rub it with, since sulphur is
used in the manufacture or dressing of
fluinel, ane sulphur in all its forms is a
thing which we wish to keep from con
tact with silver.
Boctniilng to Nqaooo*.
Tbe quantity of -water used in Caicago
last year was 24 100,000,009 gallons.
Talking of this Commissioner Cregier said
the water would form a cu v e cf 1 478 feet;
a river 200 feel wide, 10 feet deep, and
204 mfiea long; form a canal 20 feet wide
ana 10 feet deep from New York to San
Francisco, 8,088 miles; cover the entire
city (84 square miles) to a depth of time
and one-bait feet; but the quantity would
equal only about one fourteenth of an inch
oi tbe'depth of surface of Lake Michigan
—20,000 square miles. Tbe weight of
the water equaled 100,400,000 tons. The
distance traveled by the fly-wheels of the
pumping engines, representing 888,182
miles, would girdle the earth nearly 14
times. Tbe water would fill 7,000,000
miles of 4-inch pipe. 86,600 miles of 6
foot tunnel, and 16,GOO 1 roues ot 7 toot
tunnel And yet Chicago is not a temper-
anoe city.
About 500,000 francs wur put by as
savings after Mme. Sara Bernhardt’s
great foreign tour. This she is said
to have lost in nnlnoky speculations,
and hence she was obliged to part with
her jewels. In the catalogue of the
recent sale there were nine collars and
diadems, ten sets of pearls, forty-two
bracelets, eighteen brooches, fifty-six
miscellaneous objects of worth, aud
fifteen pieces or sets of silver. Nearly
every one of these pieces is a souvenir
of the most distinguished homage in
the world. Queen Marguerite, of Italy,
gave the "yery handsome collar of
pearls and •brilliants, representing a
garland of foliage with a palm leaf for
a centre piece,” while her Majesty’s
brother-in-law, the Duke of Aosta,
offered the bracelet in "or mat en
riched with a sapphire and a brilliant,”
The three fine brooches in the form of
a winged dragon “are the tributes of a
Russian princess,” and an English
prince, who will one day be an English
king, gave the "fine Indian bracelet in
enameled gold, representing a serpent
with two heads, enriched with rose
diamonds and rubies,” as well as an
other trifle of an "Indian bandeau,”
dotted all over with foolish nothiugs
in emeralds, rubies, and pearls. The
pretty comb in finely wrought gold,
representing an "allegoric” trophy of
oomedy and tragedy,” with Quand
meme, Mme. Sara’s own device beneath,
was Emile de Girardin’s handsome
acknowledgement of a life like portrait
bust from her hand, Russian ladies
gave the "collar In brilliants, rubies,
emeralds, and other colored stones;”
Canadian ladies the "line collar of six
and twenty chatons in brilliants,” a
lady of Vienna the "pendant formed of
a great black pearl,” while admiring
Americans stand in the artiste’s faithful
memory for the seven very large soli
taire suspended to the "collar of origi
nal form,” which in other parts of its
structure is a fine confusion of brilliants
qpd rose diamonds. Five young Eng
lish ladies contended, or rather com
bined, for the honor of offering another
bracelet, and Prince Demidoff gave the
sapphires and brilliants set in the same
form. The house in the Avenue de
Vilhers, with its bronzes, statuary,
palms, carpets, and stuffs—in fact,
with the artistic spoils of half a lifetime
of taste and opulence—is still left.
Fir Fiablog.
Two or three years ago a Jersey City
pension lawyer took the case of a widow
who wanted about $2,000 back pay,
and the papers went to Washington, to
be hidden away among the cobwebs
until some clerk had nothing else to do
but examine them. After three months
had passed, a young farmer called to
ask about the case, and regularly every
ninety days; since that time, he dropped
in with hu:
"Well, any good news for the Widder
Jennings?'’
At his last visit the other day, the
lawyer replied after the same stereotyped
fashion, and added:
"Do you live near the widow?”
"Only one farm between ns.”
"And she has told you to watch for
the money?”
"Well, not exactly that, but I’ve
kinder taken it upon myself to do so.
if the Widder Jennings gets that $2,000
before the 1st of April, my heart is
going to yearn to marry her. If she
don’t git it, I’m going to marry an old
maid, with twenty-one sores of land
and a yoke of cxen. I wouldn’t have
oosne in to-day, bat the widder she’s
a winking and ths old maid is looking
party as a bed of onions, and things is
beginning to squeeze on me.”
For dashing sport and constant
excitement there is no kind of northern
loek-fishing so entrancing aa is sea
trout angling with artificial fly. "Hal
he had it then,” we murmur, as the
shapely silvery creature leaps wildly at
our gaudy lore, and the unkind barb
is driven well home into Us palate; and
while the boat rooks on* the dashing
waves and Donald vainly endeavors to
get her head to the wind, whirr I whirr!
away goes the swift sea trout toward
the open sea. Yon hold on, and set
your teeth in the faoe of the wind,
while up into the air leaps the fish once
and again, and then runs off at a tan
gent and springs up ouoe more, to fall
like a ball of silver on the crest of a big
wave. Your heart is in your mouth for
a moment, but all is right and the line
is soon seen cutting the dark water to
one side of the boat. "Now, Donald,
tbe net!” Whirr! away once more darts
the tront, onoe more springs up 30
yards away from the boat into the
sunshine, shows its gallant form for a
moment; then there comes a slack line,
and you know your fate. "Aweel,
Sir,” says Donald, "snuffing'’ the while,
1 jist thooht that was ower muckle a
troot to be ta’en. She’s like enongh
the witch troot that Sandy MacFarlane
saw leaping like a flying-fish i’ the
moonlight roond and roond his boat.
Sandy had been, ye ken, to Craigel-
laohy to meet the men, and hadna but
twa dram; when,” etc. This story is as
good as any other, at all events to solace
yon for the disappointment; so you
suffer the old man to tell the tale of the
"witch troot,” and then he too has a
dram like his hero Sandy, after which
it will not be his fault if you are un
successful. Nothing is so snobbish
and detestable as to spoil a boatman by
overpaying and giving him too much
whisky, but a true sportsman and gen
tleman is always considerate to his
gilly, and when the boatman is old, and
a specimen of nature’s gentlemen like
our gilly Donald, a little extra kind
ness, and indulging him in a "crack,’’
with you now and then between the
"drifts,” gives him as much pie asure
as it will give you profit. Such a man
looks forward to summer, when "the
gentlemen will be coming,” quite as
much as the latter long for their north
ern holiday.
Men who travel a great deal, never
cease to wonder bow it is that the Grossest
depot agents that can be found, are nearly
always located at junctions, wnere there is
nothing but a depot aud a store, and a
saloon, but such is the case. A traveler
gets to a junction and goes into tbe d* pot
to find when the train goes, and the ticket
window is closed. He look around and
finds that the agent is helpimr unload
freight or is on a side track coupling cars,
or is over across the track helping a farmer
kill hogs,or has gone to the adjoining town
with a team, to carry nome passengers. Or
if the agent is in the office, he has g ot more
business than the general manager of the
road. You speak to him and ask a ques
tion, and his brow corrugates, and he goes
bn counting a pile of one dollar bills, and
acts as though be thought he had a dim
idea that he h%d been spoken to, hut he
waits until he gets the money in the safe,
and turns the knob and then he answers
you so short that you almost conclude to
walk to tbe next station, and then he
bustles out of the office and locks the door,
and you think he has gone to attend to
some important business, upon which
depends tue late of the ro&d, and you go
oat and walk the platform, and pretty
soon you see him helping his wife to wring
out clothes, or you see him out in tlo
back yard hanging clothes on the line, or
spli'ting old railroad ties for wood.
Y ou may be a millionaire, and you may
pay your hostler more than the junction
agent’s salary, but he looks upm you as a
three card monte man, and locks tne stove
door for fear you will put in a stick of
wood, or steal the lining out of tbe stove.
The agent is in his element when a train
is a few hours behind, and he sits at tbe
telegraph instrument working as if the
world rested on his shoulders. You listen
to the constant click of the instrument,
and would give a ten dollar note to know
what is going over the wires.
Occasionally he will laugh at something
the instrument says, and when you begin
to think the news of the world is coming
over the wires and is stored iu that massive
brain, tbe agent turns to a country galoot,
who has on a blue drilling roundabout,aud
tus pants in bis hoots, and who wipes his
nose on his mitten, and says "There is go
ing to be a dance at the hop yard at John
ston Siding to-mght, and they want us to
come up on No. 4.” Then you realize
that tbe agent, all these long hours that
you have been watching the vaned ex •
pression of his calu:, mysterious face, has
been chaffing with the female operator at
the next station, and as the country galoot
takes a chew of plug tobacco aud says he
will go and brush up a little and put on a
clean shirt before No. 4 comes, and the
operator says they will have a daisy time
J, the danue, you go on tne pisiform and
try to get acquainted with the fellow who
runs the horse power wood sawing ma
chine.
There is no man *ho knows more than
the junction agent, about everything, if
you can only draw him out. Though only
four trains a day stop at his station, aud
they only stop for a minute to let off some
poor devil who has got to get off there,the
agent is in bis element foi a brief moment.
He addresses the conductor as “Jim,” or
• George,”or "Billy,” aud asks with a
show of interest as deep as a division su
perintendent would have where he passed
“No. 1,” and if "No. 6 ' Is going to be on
time. He may ask something about rail
road stocks, and you imagine that he is
bulling the market, when tne chances are
he hasn’t got eleven dollars left from hts
last month’s salary. If he was polite,and
did not seem to own the road, you would
like him, but when he snubs you, and
treats you as though information was
worth more than your ticket, you hate him,
and if you should hear there was talk of
promoting him to a station where there
was six bouses, you would want to prevent
it. There may be some rule by which the
crossest man on a liue is given an issolated
junction.
Tr* Sues tiitnot.
H e proposed enlargement of the Buez
Canal now occupies tbe attention of Eng
lish speculators, and there are ma^y large
schemes proposed upon the calculation
that the interests of British enterprise will
in the end be promoted. The general
width of the waterway is a little over
three hundred feet, and one suggestion is
that another hundred feetshpuld be gilded.
But against this it Is reasoned that the
heaps of sand formerly taken out would
have to be removed, and tt is a debatable
question whether It would not be a lees
expensive design to dig another and inde
pendent ditch. It is pointed out that the
present canal would greatly facilitate the
Introduction of another, reducing the out
lay in a number of ways.
Hauttoba.
The official crop report for 1882 of a
portion of Manitoba and the adjoining Ter
ritories of the Canadian Northwest has
been issued, it is compiled from infor
mation collected principally by the post
masters of the various localities, eighty
four districts being represented, compris
ing about one-fourth the whole area of
settlement at the present time. The aver
age yield is shown to be: Wheat, thirty
bushels to the acre; oats, fifty-one and a
bal; barley, thirty-eight and half; pota
toes, two hundred and seventy-seven and a
half; turnips, one thousand; flax, fifteen;
rye, twenty; peas, thirty-seven. The ac
reage under cultivation in the eighty-four
distnets represented is 472,770 acres. 1’he
average number of cattle to each settler m
several districts is estimated at over thirty
head. Altogether the report is a most sa
tisfactory one, and lies peaks a general
state of contentment and prosperity among
the settlers. The Canadian and Pacific
Railway Company has now completed Its
main line, some 606 miles beyond W rani-
peg and 114 miles on its southwestern
branch, and next season it will have up
ward of 1000 miles of road through this
fine country, thus giving the settlers ready
communication with the Eastern markets.
Altogether the Canadian Pacific Railway
will have about 200o miles of railway in
operation along its whole line by next au
tumn,
Although the cypress tree grows in all
the states south ot the Ohio river and in
some districts north of it, and notwith-
htending the fact that its wood is very valu
able in many industries, still iu merits
are hardly known outside the regions
where it is produced. The growth ot the
cypress extends a considerable distance up
the valieys of our southern rivers. It is
quite a large tree, averaging from three to
five feet in diameter, and some trees are
exceptionally large—having a diameter of
•lx, sevea and eight feet. I measured one
whose circumference was twenty-sevea
feet. The cypress grows in the bottom
lands, sometimes in standing water, and
also on lands that are flooded. There are
two notable varieties—the white, growing
in water and in the lowest places, aud ths
red, growing in the hurher lands. The
wood of this tree is of a red color, some
what harder than the white, and does not
float readily on account of its weight. The
cypress grows well only in rich soils, and
tae high Isnds where it is found are the
very best lands m this stite. The timber
is most excellent for fine w irk, suca as
farnilure, counters, shelving and wains
coting. It is susceptible of receiving a
high polish, which brings out its beautiful
veins and designs. Aa this wood does not
split easily across the grain, it Is well
adapted to carving. Exposed to the
weather, it is almost everlasting. Shingles
of well selected timber will last fifty years.
Picket fences sunk in the ground will last
more than twenty-fire years, if all the sap
is removed.
Cypress is much stronger than white
pine, and in our market is worth more than
twice ss much; it has more elasticity ; it
is nailed without splitting; it does not
warp at all; it does not readily absorb
moisture. When sawed up into planks
and piled up exposed to the weather it
does not warp and crack, it is exclusive
ly used in L luisiana for hogsheads, barrels,
tanks or cisterns, etc. It has been worked
into very good sounding-boards for violins,
sud the roots of the tree are said to be ex
cellent for veneering, for making corks
and razor straps. There is a particular
season for felling the trees in order to ob
tain lumber of a good quality, ft is late
in the fa'l or in the beginuiug of the win
ter when the sap is solidified. If out ear
Her and suffered to He onjthe ground some
time, the sap is attacked by a very small
worm; but if seasoned after being sawed,
both the heart and sap of the tree can be
used profitably. The sap, however, may
rot quickly if externally exposed to the
heat and moisture of the atmosphere.
A third variety of cypress is of smaller
size, harder and close grained—suitable
for exquisite fancy work. The trees grow•
ing on the high lands make the most last
ing timber. It contains a small quantity
of gum, raeembUng much that ot pine, and
making it almost Imperishable. The trees
grow very large at the bottom, and are of
ten hollow to the height of four or five
feet. The trunks of the large trees are
50 feet or more up to 75 feet in height,
without branches, and usually perfectly
straight. In places where the trees are
comparatively slendei In size they grow
closer together and attain a greater height.
Spots could be selected where the standing
trees would be sufficient, when felled, to
build a two story house on the area on
which tney stood. The timber is univers
ally used for making picket tencea. The
logs being cut in ten-feet sections, the
pickets are split by skimming and going
around the loa, in thickness of two inches
or more. It is almost impossible to split
the log centrally, like oak er other timber.
For clapboards or shingles, it splits per
fectly straight and as thin aa can be de
sired.
Li rogues, or bunting boats are made
from the large cypresses by scooping them.
These hosts form but one solid piece, and
areas strong as they are light. Tbe
French and HpanUh authorities never
failed, during a hundred years of colonist
rule, to recommend to their respective go
vernments the cypress timber as one of
the most valuable that could be found.
My surprise, therefore^ was very great
when I lately ascertained that this wood
in the northern and western lumber mar
kets was almost entirely unknown to ar
chitects and lumbermen, who, for purpo
ses of construction, attach so much Import
Race to white pine, which is so vastly in
ferior to wiute and red cypress. I could
show the architects and lumbermen houses
iu New Orleans that were built of cypress
in toto mire than one hundred years ago,
and the materials are as sound ss pn the
first day ou which they were used—do wu
to the very fouodaticus.
A Strange Dinner Spot.
Any one familiar with that part of Rome
in which stands the monumental ruin of
the Baths of Garacalla, one of the loneliest
and most desolate spots witbra the city
walls, would say it was the least probable
spot in all Rome that a committee would
select aa a place in which to give a dinner.
And yet a dinner was actually given—and
eaten - there a few weeks ago to 1200 per
sons. It was given by the municipality to
the exhibitors at the fine-art exhibition.
The largest hall had been covered with
awning, perhaps somewhat alter the man
ner of the Uoiiaemn in the days of ancient
Rome—and was adorned with bunting,
wreaths, heraldic. devices and reproduc
tions in plaster of all the great art works
that have tieen found in the treasure-house
of sculptural It was on tbe top of this
nun, as every one knows, that Bhelky
wrote his "Prometheus Unbound.” The
invitation cards to the dinner were minted
in Imitation of a Roman lascription, and
the menu was in classical Latin printed
in red.
Ferocity of Tiger*.
A traveler tells the following story of
the way in which one tiger terrorized a
whole community. The captain showed
me the skin of a large tiger, which, a
short time since, killed three natives iu
four nights in this place. The village is
surrounded by a stockade to keep out
these ravenous beasts, and the gate is
guarded at night by a native artned with a
musket. One evening this tiger stole up
behind the guard, sprang upon him, and,
as a native sa’d who chanced to see it,
killed him Instantly with a blow of her
paw on the back of hit neck. She then
caught him up and ran away with him.
The next day the body was found partly
eaten, and was buried very deep to keep
it out ef her reach. The second evening
she seized and carried off a native who
was tat brag in the stream at the foot of
the cliff. The captain now found he mast
try and destroy her, and therefore loaded
a musket with a very heavy charge ot
powder and two builsta. 'Toe gun was
then laslied firmly to a ireey and a large
piece of fresh meat was fastened to the
muzzle, so that when she attempted to
take it away, she would discharge the
piece and receive both bullets. The next
morning they found a piece of her tongua
on the ground near the muzzle of the gun,
and the same trap was set again; but tbe
next night she came back and took away
a second man on guard at the gate ot the
stockade. The captain new started with
a corporal and eight men. determined to
hunt her The tracked her to a
place filled with tall raise, and. closing
around that, slowly advanced, until two
or three of them heard a growl, when
they all fired aad killed her instantly. 11
proved to be a female, and ape had . evi
dently been so daring for the purpose of
procuring food for her young.
8 me ratat in marriage seek company
rather than a companion.
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