The Fairfield news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1881-1900, June 10, 1885, Image 1

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'm ' _ v;';? $V * % ' * ^?i????jggg??? ??? I ??? , ??i? I - II- . I Wk * ~ ~ WINNS60R0, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 1885. __ I?II I uoonMH Giving in Marriage. Come, lot us sit together for a space. I h. In thi^ still ron*. remote from friendly | mirth, 7 Afar from light ani a.s...t, face to face. Each unto each the tfcirest thinjron earth. Love, they have left its, our two bonny brides. Our tali, grave girl, our winsome, laughing pet: Ah me! How wide the chasm that divides lv Our life from theirs: how lar their feet are set |P' From the calm path they trod witn us so long. r* How we shall miss tbem, we who loved them ||^ On winter night?, when winds are blowing P On summer mornings when the roses blow. But?happy but?we still clasp band in hand, Eye still meets eye and true hearts under??3ffl?|Pr Love, they have left us empty of the mirth gf That cheered our homestead while they sojourned here; I * Yea, they have left us lonely on the earth, W Lone, but together, solitude most dear; Ah. God, pro with them to the stranger nests. That love has built for them and theirs to come. God keep all warm and living in their breasts Love's holy flame, the altar-fire of home. Sear, they have left us; we no longer bold The first, best place, however leal each heart. Yet have we treasures left, refined gold, _Love's sterling ore, without its baser part. Tne 'wide old nouse nas lost us nesxnnj: o;ras% But we are left, Ah, love, what need of words? ?All the Year Round. . A CURIOUS STORY. The writer was sitting a few days ago in the office of the Eotel Martin, Lancaster, Ohio, conversing with an old resident of that city on various topics relating to the past history of the place, when he inquired: ' Did you ever hear the story of Jacob k " Humbarger, the haunted coffin-makk er?" "Never. Is it out of the ordinary?" "Yes. It is a curious story, and I hesitate about telling it Hot fear people will think I am trying to humbug*them with a ghost story." "I'll accept it as the gospel." ^ "As I have already remarked, it is a Mr strange story ana naa cue eaect 01 r-C- making me believe in supernatural m manifestations?you will, no doubt, call it superstition. I was a well-grown boy when the thing occurred which I am about to 'relate, and they made such a vivid impression on my mind P that they are as fresh in my recollcction as they were over a half century kago. ? "Jacob Humbarger was of Pennsylk vania Dutch slock and came here from I Lancaster, Pennsylvania, three-quar ters of a century ago. When I first knew him this city was a village with jm less than a thousand population. He W was a cabinet-maker, acd made the * rough and substantial furniture in vogue among the pioneers whose sons have since been congressmen, governors, senators, cabinet ministers and generals. "He was frugal and industrious, and left some property behind him. In adk ^ dition to making furniture he made, when occasion demanded it, coffins for the people of all this region. There were no hearses and splendid undertaking establishments in those da*s. Tt, rtlonoH in *nl<nn Iiatyip- I j made coffins and carried to* the little graveyards in farm wagons, or by hand 1 . when the distance was not too great, ex^ cept in rare instances, when tnere was a little more show and ostentation, and an old-fashioned carriage was used in place of the modern hearse. ^?- "People would come from a distance to Humbarger's shop with the dimen sions of a coffin, and wait until it was finished, and then lake it home in a & wagon or on horseback, as the case . w might be. "One night, or rather one morning, an hour or two before davlisrht, Hum ' barger, arose, and leaving his wife in bed, proceeded to .his shop, and lightlr ing a tallow candle*set to work. "When Mrs. Hum barger awoke at the usual hour she-was surprised to hear Jacob hammering away in his shop, and sup" - posing that he had some job that must be finished early in the day, set about preparing breakfast and when the meal was ready she called her husband. " 'Vail, Ciiacob, vy for you go to ? "*"l" + K./-V rlrttrO^ VUIlv 5>U ;uc Uvij. \*\u. xiau ' Humbarger. ? ^ " 4Vy, Katharine, u i you not hear dot man who comes uf.dcr coffin by three o'clock?' " 4Xein, nein, Chacob, you make foolish of me.' 44 'I not make foolish, Katharine; dot man come of three o'clock on der door ^ an' say 1 must has dot coffin of ten ? o'clock, and he gif me the measure on dot vork bench, und I go *>f vork und haf now half mate.' 4\LTatharine was incredulous and Jacob was firm in his asseverations. Certain it was that he had the coffin ^ well under way and by ten o'clock it I. finished, and Jacob was waning for his customer wliile he smoked a "Between ten and eleven o'clock a gentleman appeared at the shop, door, , and Humbarg'er greeted him with: 44 'You vas aleetle lade, my frent1 44 'Xot very late, considering that I ' have ridden from near Somerset since half-past seven.' * 44 4Vy for did you go back home jifter you vake me up'?' " 'I didn't. I have just got to town.' " 'But you come of mine door last ^ xiide und called me oud of mine bed to make dis coffin.' " 'Oh, no, my friend, but it looks as ^ though it would suit my purpose. Let me measure it' "The stranger measured it, and it was just the size of a coffin he had been sent to procure, and he asked ^ Humbarger if he could have it to take back immediately. " 'Dot was your coffin anyway, since ?. you order him und leaf der measure,' promptly responded Mr. Humbarger. * " 'The price of the coffin was agreed upon, it was paid for, and the farmer toofc ic away m ms wagon. uacoD related the circumstancc to his wife, who said mischievously: A " 'I told you, Chacob dot no one J- voke you up of der nide. You have been haunted.' * "Humbarger, however insisted that f he had been called out of his house during the night and that he had readil ly rccosrnized the man who subsequent~ J ^ 1 ?1 a.! J. 1 ^ ly got tnc coin 11 ana pretenueu. uiai ne | haa not ordered it. l 4,0f course, the story ~oon circulated | throughout the village, and the gossips added to it. A month later Humbar.. g<jr had another nocturnal visit, and a child's coffin was ordered, to be finished in the afternoon. Later in the day a . farmer, living a few miles west of the 1* town called on Humbarger to secure his services, one of his children having Ik died. ill " 'Oh, yes; I know dot. . You come I of der nide und told me, and mark de size on dis vork-bench.' "The fanner protested otherwise, but as the coffin was of the exact measurement desired, he took it home. Then Mr. Humbarger began to have an indefinable fear that he was haunted"The thing was of regular reccurrence, and almost every one who came to Humbarger for a coffin found it all reauy, msue lu uiu?. j.uc * began to fear the coflin maker and the conin maker avoided the villagers as much r*s possible. The women and children, and not a few of the men, believed he was in league with Satan, and he suffered a great ileal in his trade. ' To those of his neighbors, with whom he conversed on this subject? and among them was my father?he said that the orders were delivered in r> nirrht htr norcnnc wVinvn lio immA ciiately recognized when they called for coffins, and then where they were ordered he found the exact dimensions in chalk marks on his work bench the next morning. His wife no longer chaffed him on the subject of his ghostly orders. "Oae morning he said to his wife that a coffin had been ordered during the night, but that the 111.IQ had concealed his face, and he feared that he would not recognize him. He proceeded, however, Lo make the coflin in accordance with the mcajur^mpnt on his work-bench and at last finished it to his satisfaction. "I was on pleasant terms with Uncle Jake, as we called him, and happened in the shop just as he was linisir.:ig it. "Dot man vas somepody who will be buried mit dis collin,' he remarked. 'I not see wiio he vas dat order him, but 1 know it vas for some bij; man or somcpody, so I make him of der finest wild cherry and line him of silk und satin. Vy, my pov, I would not be ashamed j to be buried of that collin miueself.' "A sudden pallor overspread Hum- j barger's face, lie stretcnea out nis hands and fell dead across the colfiu he had just finished. "He was buried in it, and the story of Jacob Humbarger was more than a nine-day's wonder here in Lancaster fifty-four years ago." The writer was fain to acknowledge that the story of Jacob Humbarger largely discounted the general run of ghost stories.?Philadelphia News. ^ The Latest in Canes. "The styles in walking-canes are constantly changing,'1 said a prominent dealer in imported canes on Broadway to a reporter for the Mail and Express. "The most popular and stylish cane is now made of hazelwood, with a buckhoru handle shaped like a shepherd's crook. The more expensive have silver bands just below Vior.<-?T,n Tf tor* nwrir-r <?r?sires he can have his monogram cut on the j band, and if he is very lah-dc-dah lie j will do it. They arc the latest Londoi) j rage in canes and the dudes here are j not slow in adopting them. The plain I cane without the silver band sells at $2 i and the highest at $7. But the hazel- { wood and the cute way the buckiiorn handle is put on to make them odd, from the lirst insured their popularity." "What style of cane ranks next in popularity?" "Those with small silver caps.. For a long time the silver crooked handle cane was in tlie ascendency. .But uie street venders with cheap ^citations in nickel handles caused their popularity to wane. There is nothing chat breaks into the trade in stylish caries as disastrously as cheap imitations. Generally, a mau who carries a cane has a certain amount of vanity and pride, and to see snide people trying to swell it on a cheap imitation cane disgusts him with even the genuine." "Are any new kinds of canes being introduced?" "Yes. The crystallite, so-called because the handle is a crystallization of certain wood found only in South America. Tbey are mounted in tigerite. The handles are frequently designs of the heads of animals. They are very scarce, and cannot be purchased for less than $12 or $15. They are somewhat too expensive ever to be univerflnKr tV>o trarr T?inh onn Sitlijr pupuitll. im; ?vij J-ivu afford them." "What of the gold and ivcry-headed canes?" "They will never go out of style. The gold-headed canes are worn on holiday occasions. The ivory-headed are still monopolized by old men, and probably will be for many years to come."?N. Y. Mail. A Fly-Haunted Town. The wall of King-Choo-Foo is crenelated forty feet high on the outside in certain places, but on the inside sloping and covered with a jungle growth of bamboo, banyan, and other shrubs to the very top. At intervals of every few hundred yards along it is a small smooth-bore cannon of remarkablv peaceful aspect No doves were *? 1 - U- 4.1 discovered DULiamg uieir nests tucieiu, bat in my mile walk along the parapet numerous litters of pacific pigs were seen dozing in the very openings of the crennelles. Not a soldier was observed in making the circuit of this ancient and formidable fortification, the dragon-guarded yamin of the Taotai had a My-haunted, somnolent air, in the streets business proceeded lazily, and over all the grove-like openings of the capital city the very spirit of summer peace and quiet seemed to hold its beneficent reign. Our cortege, with which we made the circuit, was composed of scarcely more than a dozen aimless hoodlums and inquisitive urchins. and we left the place impressed with the idea that if the inhabitants Urvti/vU* nf onVror frr\m t.l>P TVp.noll it VA ?? ? was still as an intangible effort of the imagination?as something so far off as scarcely to be considered, or if considered. amply provided against.?Cor. San Francisco Chronicle. Kanjjarooing. Kan^arooin^: is the most interesting sport in Australia, and is one of the most exciting in the world. Large meets are organized, parties of from twenty to thirty joining in these hunts. They ride to the kangaroo grounds, and as soon as an animal is sighted the two dogs are released and the horses are <nven their heads. If the Australian O horse is well up in his business, and if you let him take you instead of your trying to take him, he will carry you : safely, avoiding trees and underbrush. ' A good, strong kangaroo will give you I a long chase, and very often the dogs I cannot follow him. In this case, when j the horseman gets up to the kangaroo lie taxes on iiis stirrup anu su;ip uuu knocks the animal over the head, which effectually stuns him. lie is then killed and skinn'ed. The inud quarters ; are given to the uogs. It is good enough for eating, but too strong to be palatable to those of delicate taste. The tail, on the contrary, is considered delicious when made into soup. The itrr>rn<rr? c\7j> nf a kfinornrnn is nhrmfc three and a half feet high, but the old man kangaroo is often six feet, and is very fierce when coruere..; lie has even been known to rip men open with a single blow from one of his hind legs. Xtvir Ohiokasriwhatchee.Ga.. savs the Savannah News, a line of earthworks can still be seen which were thrown up by Gen. Jackson (Old Hickory) as a protection against the Indians on his march to Florida through that section in 1813. MELANCHOLY ANIMALS. A. Physician "Who Treats Domestic Ani? cauls for Melancholia. There is a peculiar hospital on Callowhill street, a visit to which amply rewards curiosity or a desire to obtain knowledge of an uncommon kind. In is no more or less than' a cat and dog ? * 1? ?i. Hospital, out, strangeiy euougu, iw: inmates do not lead "a cat and dog life." Mutual sufferings and infirmities seem to have a sedative eH'ect,and these proverbial enemies lie down together even as the lion and the lamb, and take their medicine with a good grace. The place is conducted by Dr. Robert J. Janvier, who devotes his whole time and attention to the treatment of canine and feline diseases. The doctor is an old practitioner, and is acquainted with all ? i - <- ? 1 ,i? Clie lilS 10 WIUUIl cut uuu n?u ia heir to. A regular physician, he retired from practice about twenty years ago in Paris, and devoted himself to the study of animal maladies. Ko came to Philadelphia about six years ago and established his '"dog hospital,''which he has made a success. A reporter visited the place yesterday, aud was shown around by the doctor and treated to some novel sights. Tlio iv?nr nf the hntlSfi is Well ventilated unci lighted and partitioned ofT by fenec- j like gates, making about thirteen smail ' apartments, whiclt can be thrown into | one by the removal of the gates. In j each of tiie.se rooms, or wards, as the j superintendent chooses to call them, are from 0:10 to live cats or dogs. Misery makes strange bedfellows,and it is by no means unusual to place a crrt and dog or two cats and one dog together. Indeed, the doctor says this arrangement is frequently the best, and more conducive 10 i.ue ueiiuu 01 me jj;itient. "For example," he said to the News inspector, "here are a dog and cat. They have been living- together for eight months, and are as fond of each' otner as two such ascetic creatures can be. The dog, you see,is a line 'coach,' and the cat an excellent Maltese." "What is the in.tier with them?" was asked. "Oh, nothing in particular. They are both hypochondriacs?melancholia, you might call it. The dispositions of both are identical, ana neitner wiu have anything to du with any of the other patients. "They pass the day and night in silent contemplation of each other, varying the monotony once in awhile by indulging in a inetnodical and dignified crress. Both have been under my treatment for over a year, aud it took several months to diagnose aud find a treatment for their peculiar malady, as the symptoms in each case are identical. " "The dog exhibited the most intense sadness, aSd would not notice any of the other patients, and would seldom accept food, though I offered the most tempting uitm Lies. iuu uac same way, only she seemed to have a thorough disgust for the society of other cats, r.nd the only time she would ever give a show of spirit was when some other cat would come near her. Then she would curve her back, in disdain, and, with a contemptuous hiss, walk away. It became evident that she was proud and felt herself above her companions. . I concluded at last to try the dog. who was also a supercilious animal, and it was not long be- I tlm nrmnmimnnt l > vnvpr? S:> t.isfnY*- I tory. Disappointment in love, 1 imagine, is the cause of their sorrows. These haughty aristocrats get along well together, and I have hopes of bringing them out of their 'slough of despond.' "Where"did you get them?" was the curious inquiry. . "The dog belongs to a wealthy and old New York family, and the cat'is, or rather was. an inmate of the household of an aristocratic Baltimore maiden lady." "Do you believe in class distinctions n vn rr nnimilcP1' "Most assuredly. I hate evidences of it all the time. Even under ordinary circumstances, you know, neither dogs nor dats fraternize. They are not gregarious animals, and solitude is 3ferred, as a rule, except where nun i- concerned. Orer there, you see, is a cur dog. His life there is miserable in the extreme, but it can not be helped. All my other patients are biue-Diooaea,ana | ignore the vulgar antecedents of the cur. He does not seem to appreciate it much, as his sensibilities are not line enough, and his want of cultivation prevents any annoying reflections which might be engendered by an injured amour propre." The only time he ever displays any consciousness of the insults hourly placed upon him is when that magnificent tortoise-shell cat you see over there visits her spite upon "She is a high-toned cat, but mean as she can be and is always creating trouble by her meddlesome and swellheaded manners." Just then the cat referred to came near, with a mincing gait She was indeed a beautiful animal, all save the tail, which dragged on the floor, and was of unnatural size, and eave her the appearance of two cats joined together. At the first glance one would take her for a feline Siamese twin. "She is suffering from elephantiasis." explained the doctor. "She not only has the big head, but the big tail, too. Yes, I amlxfraid she will die by becoming all tail. It is strange that the dog she despises so much should have an affliction the opposite from hers. He is slowly wasting away and is incurable. I would have him killed but for thft fact his case is a peculiar one, and I desire to study it. He is afflicted with acute muscular atrophy, a disease not extraordinary in human beings. . There is a gradual ossilication of the muscles and a consequent loss of llesh. His food is not assimilated to the system, and he is rapidly becoming a dog skeleton. After a while he will be a good addition to the 'freaks' in the museums." ~ o T*r?r*TT infnrncf | JLiiU UUUlUi cmctuvj. i.b ? vi. j a-lliv*. v ing narrative, explaining the diseases of the various animals under his care. There were about twenty in all, two- ' I thirds of them dogs, embracing Kew! fouadlands, terriers, S?.ye, black-and | tan, and. JDUil, ana two rorueraman or ; coach (logs. Four dogs and two cats had consumption,but trie majority were j suffering from disease brought on by I accidcnts. One of the cats had no hair j whatever, and was as bald as the most j confirmed front-seat portion of the ballet. He was a funny sight, and was used by the convalcscing patients,whqji in a good humor, as a roller-skating rink.?r/iilailcipina aclcs. Little children ask queer questions j sometimes. A bright little boy about I years old to whom his mother had ; on several occasions repeated the Lord's j Prayer surprised her by asking one day: "Mamma, what is God's other name? i Is it God Hallowed?" This same little fellow wants to know "if Iko birds take off their feathers when they go to bed." .VvP Orleans I'lcdutmc. Persian "Women at Home. The frou-frou of silk is heard. Three ladies enter the room. Their feet and legs are bare to the knee, for they have cast off their shoes at the door, but all the rest of them is shrouded in a large sheet of dark-blue silk, the outer veil of the Persian, lad}*, (iracefullv thev sink down into heaps in a semicircle opposite us. "Salaam, suhili! You are welcome. Tea, tea for the sahib!" I responded in the customary way and inquired after the health of my veiled hostesses. One only replies in a confident tone?she is evidently of middle age and self-pcssessfid. The other two blue heaps shake with inward mirth, but are-sinTf rtov*n/\f it: ic tnn TvAf.t" i'JIJ l> AU, \,CkU.I~l\SV WV) AW vvv MW ;he lady continues, as she cast off her d:irk-blue envelope?an example immediately followed by her companions. Heart's Delight hastily folds up the three veils, and a plump, middle-aged lady, very comely, and her. two innocont-looking daughters, handsome young women, fair as any English girl, with round, chubby faces and magnificent eyes, are disclosed to view in all the splendor of the Persian lady's indoor dress. The costume of all is the sarue, varying oniy in co'.ors, and these are of the gayest. Short mid voluminous skirts of silk, much bonffe, reaching to the knee; shirts (the Persian word, like the French chemise, is applied to the garment of both sexes) of transparent silk gauze; liny zouave jackets of gayly-cmbroidered velvet, just covering the shoulders and the top of the. back (of these the sleeves are unbuttoned from the elbow, Imnfrinc down and showing the ffav linings of pale-colored but brilliant silk); the top of the head and the ears are hidden by gorgeous silk kerchiefs, embroidered ia gold, and there is no more clothing to describe, unless the numerous bracelets of the bangle form, of gold and of glass, which jangle as the ladies move their arms, muy be called clothes. The ladies chat; the younger ones only to each other in an undertone, for maiden modesty prevents their addressing the doctor: but thev giggle and C ' v OOO a ornor?. rfoai. Arid nvft nnlv re proved for it by the elder lady. Tea in delicate old china cups is served; we all.smoke hubble-bubbles, and four of them are brought by Heart's Delight and three other black female slaves. Presently I hear- a tittering behind me, turn, and instantly there is dead silence as a bright curtain of shot-silk quickly falls, but not before I have observed an amused bevy of gaylydressed women and children. "Excuse them, Dr. Sahib; they are so dull, Conversation turns upon the curious custom of Europeans. I am asked if 1 am married. I have to admit that I am not, and am duly pitied. But theu. "After all, you are right Where there is a woman there is discord," says my hostess. More tea, more pipes. Sweet-cakes, confectionery, and conserves are handed; iced sherbet, in Bohemian glass tumblers, gilt and of gaudy colors, is served. I insinuate something to the effect that this is a professional visit; my hostess smiles- 1 repeat the remark, and then the ladv, rising to bid farewell, r<^ plies: "We were dull; we were bored; you have desennuye us. Wallah!"? with a little iaugh?"i nave iorgotten j why we sent for you. Your footsteps, I however, have been fortunate, for our hearts are 110 longer sad." So here was an end of my visit. We shook hands heartily, and the lady gave me a huge bouquet of narcissus as I left.?St. James Gazette. seaator urucc ana oenarorDu^j. Blanche K. Bruce, -whose signature as Register of the Treasury now' graces every National bank bill, was very popular while he was in the Senate, although he is of African descent.- Unobtrusive, attentive to business, and modest, he conquered the prejudices against his race and was treated with marked courtesy by his associates. One day after he had been a Senator for two years or more, Senator Bogy, the aristocratic descendant of one of the old French families of St. Louis, took a seat by his side, saying: "Mr. Bruce, I have a bill here I want you to vote for. It is one in which I have a great nersonal interest. It has nothing po litical in it Look at it and tell me what you think.'' Bruce laughed as he said: "Senator Bogy, I hope we shall arrange this more satisfactorily thiin our last business transaction." "Our last transaction? What do you mean?" "Don't you remember meeting me before my coming to the Senate?" "Most dccidedly, no." "I think I can refresh your memory, Senator. some twenty .years a<;o \uu >veiu uuo day running down Olive street in a hurry to catch a steamer. You were carrying a very heavy valise. The day was 'very hot. Don't you remember the colored boy who came up and offered to'carry the valise down to the levee for a quarter? You ran along with the boy. Soon the wharfboafc dock was reached. The boat was just swinging out You ran and jumped on board. You called for the valise. The nnf- t.h#? vulisft behind his back and called for liis quarter. You hunted, fished out a quarter and tossed it ashore, but the gap was too wide to toss the valise. The captain had to stop the boat and back up before you could get your valise. Do you remember that?" "Well, I should say I do." "I was that colored boy."?Ben: Perley Poore in Boston Budget. The dynamo machines in the Edison - . -VT ir?1_ central station, mew lor*, were staneu in September, 18S2, and have been running continuously, night and day, ever since- They supply electricity that is used in motors as well as in lamps. The price charged is about, the same, it is said, as that for gas at $2 per 1,000 cubit feet, and last year the company, on this basis, earned 3 per cent on the capital invested. The earnings of each lamp are a little over 1 cent per hour, but they average less ..than two and a half hours per day. TK/> f. nf m-nduelion is about 3- of a ccnt per lamp per hour. ? The question whether money found in a shop belongs to the keeper of the place or the linder is often disputed. A writer in -the Pharmaceutical liccord tVnf o niKtnmfir in n rlrncr stnro . iviutuo bUMV * v"wvv**" ----once picked up a dollar note from the lloor between two parallel counters. He inquired if any one in the store had lost it, and finding they had not, he appropriated it. fiis claim to it being disputed, the case was submitted to a lawyer, who said: "The open passage between the two counters was dedicated to the public, not in fee simple, but as a highway whicii tiiey were invited to occupy for purposes of traffic." So the finder kept the dollar. It is estimated that the base-ball clubs of this country will cost the people $16,000,000 this year. I ~ -SLAVERY IN PERSIA. The best kind of slaves arc the Ha~ basshis, or so-called Abyssinians. These are of a high type. The lips are tMn.^the color light brown; there is often a distinct red in the cheeks; the hair is long, often nearly straight; both males and females have considerable pretensions to good looks. As much as ?80 to ?100 may be given for a healthy Tftnnry TToKicctii frirl As rnlr* J r--0 * * girls aro bought, not as servants, but as wives. Young-Habasshis of both sexes are purchased by the grandees of Persia as playmates and confidential servants for their sons and daughters. The girls become the confidantes of their young mistresses, and ultimately occupy the position of housekeepers or wardrobe women. The young Habasshi bays are the playfellows and fellowstudents of their youthful masters, oft/yr% .fnlfillr* fVin Ar\f 44tvV? irmincr VXLXUIJUUiU^ bUV/ VlklblV/J v* ti bojs." I Lave seen the little slave ana playfellow of the jellal-u-dowlsh, the son of the King's eldest sou, a child of 3, jnrestiing with his infant master, to the great amusement, of his father. Th/ two children seemed?quite, like brothers, and I was told that the only way of keeping the young Prince in order was to threaten the slave with a whipping. That little black boy, some day or other, will be a great personage, as,.in all human probability, his master will be Shah of Persia. From thjs / ?!nff ? < ?!? ?ova + o 1 -n 4-]^/^ /inrtnrkTic? V/iiico Ui siavua ax<; Laauu tau vuuvivuo (few nowadays) maintained by the nobility. The few eunuch children imported are eagerly purchased at double or treble the price of ordinary slaves. As a rule the Habasshis are delicate, and'^el the severe winter Of Central ana Northern Persia. The greatest care is-taken of them. They do no real wftrk, and it is not expected of them. They.are well clad, and often the mastec or mistress glories in lavishing money on the dress of a favorite slave. Prtvf i n Vvtr o foil irt jUULLICH U-IC3 O. -i- LI JiULl, KfJ c4< liUl A jj. rink or through money losses, bocomes unable to keep his slaves. Dees he sell them? No; that would be toe degrading. He simply frees them, and, as a rule, the slave is made a freed n^an very much against the grain. The Persiau slave, then, is treated more liJfee a child than a slave. His master does not hesitate to mate him with his own daughter; and frequently a prepossessing slave may become the legiti?i* :~i. - l- u.,1^ ? JLLkpfcC JUiSU^SS VI it liUUJCUUiU VI even a favorite wi&, ruling hsr less fortunate white rivals. The servants have to take their chances; the warmest corner, the/best food, the most solid and stylish clothing are kept for the slave. Eunuchs are owned only in the hotjses of the great and rich. Save in the*harems of the Shah and his sons, ohfi*eunuch rules only over the flock of ladies, servants, slaves and children, whi> are all under his absolute authority^ I have only known two white ep&acjis in a long experience of Persia, apogthese men had probably been political offenders or the sons of political t'aals. Political pretenders are alquently blinded, for in the East a King cannot reign. The eunuchs ally have their quarters in the harems themselves, and as a rule Lhey sfeldom quit their precincts. "When the^.o they r.re treated with great respect, on account of the powerful influence they wield. The ladies themselves always treat their guardian with the greatest respect, address him as "Master," and invite him to be seated. Like the high officers of state, he carries a long wand of office, and this wand is often encrusted with gems. He often attends the daily council of his master if he be a provincial Governor, and there his advice is listened to with respect; and he takes precedence of all except the minister, Vice Governor or "Wuzeer. Of course he plunges his hand into the puiiuua-i \JIV, UJUUii lU . ma o??n AUIIIU' tage. He never refuses a bribe. He may do nothing for it, but his hand is ever open. The second eunuch of the heir apparent of Persia is a good horseman, a favorite boon companion and a clever shot, generally popular as the prince of good fellows. But the eunuch ages soon. He is an old man at 40: and once seen he is never to be mistaken?his sunken shoulders, his beardless face and his hollow cough mark him out distinctly. In Persia slaves are well fed, well clothed and well treated; the people look on them as equals, not infei'iors; color is no degradation; they arc not put to hard labor, the law is the same practically for them as for others. Mothers are not separated from their children; or husbands from wives. They soon become absorbed by marriage among the Persians, and I can fancy no happier lot for the enslaved black than to be sold in Persia. ?London St. James' Gazette. The Greek Idea of Death. A writer in MacMillaii's Magazine, savs a Greek peasant looks upon death quite differently from what a person of the western world ic taught to believe. To him it is the nd of all joy and gladness; the songs over his body (myriologues) speak of the black earth, the end of light and brilliancy. A popular Kleptic song on the death of Zedros, when read by tlie sine o: soimocies' description of the death of Ajax, shows how curiously alike are the ideas of death as painted in the two poems. Charon is still believed l.? be a whitehaired old man with lor.? and fearful nails, and in myriologucs or lamentations, which' are still of <;vcry-d:iy occurrence in the islands, you actually hear of Charon's caiqoc. lie is now spoken of as Charos. In ><;me parts ot Greece they still, it is put money in the mouth of a decease, i person to pay the passage. At the i:u:e;al of a child in a mountain village of Xaxos a wax cross was put in the .-i.iUi's mouth by the priest, and on ii:<;;i ;y the writer was told that it was t. ? Jit money, so completely has the ni church' incorporated iuto itse.!' ;i:o ancient' ideas. There has beeu much stuff and. nonsense written about "Mexican beauties." The truth is a senorita of our si>ter republic is rarely pretty. She-is apt to be obese when not yet 20 \ears of age, and, as for her taste in dressing, she hasn't any. Most of them use a pasty sort of powder on their V,nvA liftl/i /Iicr>rot inn in tlift illk/UO) llUil UU t O Xlbtiv UMVlVkiVM ?>? ?~>w use of colors. As a rule, a Mexican girl is ugly when smartly dressed, and only looks really well when very young and careless of fashion. ^ The Grand Army Post of South Aldington, Mass., intends giving a novel entertainment?a pie party, really. Each lady is to contribute a pie, the pastry ot which snan oear uei utmje. i The pies are to be wrapped in paper and sold to the highest bidders, who are then expected to do escort duty for the remainder of the evening for the lady whose name is on the pie. It is presumed that nnles ?nly are to bid. Precious Stones. It is not perhaps generally known that a large ruby is of more value than a large diamond. Mr. Streeter, who wrote a book about jewels, states that "the ruby'ranks for price and beauty above all other stones. When a perfect ruby of five carats is brought into the market a sum will be offered for it ten times the price given for a diamond of the same weight; out should it reach tne weignt 01 ten carats it is almost invaluable." With respect to the romance of precious stones, the author just quoted tells a curious story about sapphires. A native of India loaded 100 ^oats with these gems, and reachcd Simla after a ten day's journey. Arriving at Simla, he tried to dispose of them, but the value not being recognized, he could nnf Avon nhfcain a ninftfi a tolla for them, which he would gladly have taken, being in a state of semi-starvation. He then proceeded to Delhi, where the jewelers, knowing them to be sapphires, gave him their full value. A man starving while a hundred goats laden with precious stones were in "his. possession reads like an extract from the "Arabian nights." The addition of a heroine and a villain suggests the framework of an effective romance. An alphabet of precious stones has been formed?indeed there are two al pnaDets, one lor transparent ana one for opaque jewels; but of the latter, few except, in the first place, turquoise and, in the second place, jasper, wood opal and onyx, look tempting, basalt, granite and other stones hardly coming under the head of precious. The transparent alphabet contains some few doubtful gems, but it is for the most nnrfc made nn of those that are doubt X ? ? r ? less beautiful. The alphabet of course forms the basis of a language of jewels', which can be spoken in the shape of rings and other trinkets. It comprises amethyst, beryl, chrysoburgh, diamond, emerald felspar, garnet, hyacinth, iclocrase (briefly described in dictionaries as a "hard mineral" and questionably transparent), kyanite (more commonly cyanite, a blue mineral), lynx-sapphire, milk opal, natrolite, opal; pyrope, quartz, ruby, sapphire, topaz, uranite, vesuvianite (a species of gar net; water sappmre xantmte ^an own brother to idocrase), andzircon'(a Cingalese stone). The superstitious have in all ages believed that precious stones had peculiar properties, and for the most part bencticially affected their weaTers. At the present time a vague idea that opali are unlucky, and that a gift of opals brings misfortune to the recipi enc, lingers among inose wno are reaay to believe anything. The odd part of the superstition lies in the fact that opals were formerly supposed to bring good luck to the wearers. As they are now considered the unluckiest stones, so they were considered to be the luckiest. A turquoise bestowed as a gift used to be, and in' some countries is still, believed to carry blessings in its train. Do these things neutralize one another? Supposing a lady receives from the same donor a handsome turquoise and an eauallv handsome opal, would the good luck carried by the one overcome the bad luck carried by the other? It is possible that ladies willing to try the experiment might be found.?London Standard. . The Higliest Tre.\s Known. Some of the eucalyptus trees grow to n Vioio-hf- nf "iDD fnnt nnr? tvnilld (?ast 3. I shadow on the summit of the pyramids or the dome of St Peter's. They were first discovered and classilied by M. Laballardieu, a French botanist, just before the beginning of the present .century, and have since grown into a repown as wide as that of the giant cedars of California, some of which stood where they now stand before the He-' brew Bible was recorded or th? earliest choric hymns cf the Hindoos rose along the borders of the five rivers. One of these mighty trees, now hurled down and stretchcd along the rock, presented, when it stood erect, a height of more than 4i>0 feet, and, by counting the annular rings upon a section of one of its coevals, it was ascertained" that it "was more than four thousand years U1U, S LULLUiii^ LiltlU WU HO unmindful of the deluges of .Deucalion and Noah, and unshaken amid all the commotions of the ?:lobe. Even this maiestic altitude is sur passed by some o: the eucalyptus,which thus far are the highest trees ever discovered; but there is as yet no sufficient testimony as to their longevity. It is, however, manifestly great, and some of those which are to be planted here and there by our compatriots may outlast the nation, as the chestnut tree of Etna outlasted lloire, and the giant palms beside the Bosphorus have outlasted the lines of Constantino and Palseologus.?Brooklyn Eagle. Marie Twain's Jbingiisfi. There' is a brass plate in Mark Twain's house on which is engraved the sentence, "The ornament of a house is the friends whofrcquent it." It surprised me to find such a sentence, even though on brass, in such a quarter. Its grammatical construction may not be deemed absolutely incorrect by some; , - T a-l? " 4. ! f 1- % . it eviuenuy was uoi uy x?vuiuj but it is decidedly clumsy and harsh to the ear, even if it docs not violate, which I doubt, some express rule of grammar. As the art of constructing sentences properly is one of no mean importance to writers and speakers, I would ask, does not the harshness arise from endeavoring to make one verb do duty for both the singular and plural noun? '11te ornament is the menus; nmjrce/tuo to lu? uilhallicuu Or, does net the clumsiness arise from making the singular noun occupy a plural position, thus expressing a relationship beyond its capacity to bear? This would not be the case had the sentence been, "The ornaments are the friends," which could be transferred to "The friends are the ornaments." But Mark Twain doubtless wished to make the word "friends" emphatically set forth "the ornament" of his house. Could he do so with but one verb conf rt r!n m 11 o y* o V\1 TT vo 1 n All n 9 JLLUUtliii^ IUV Ciu^uirti uiiu uvuu* ?Letter in Toronto Week. Six weeks ago a widow, armed with, the addresses of several agents and owners saliied forth house-hunting. Her plan was tirst to inspect a house which seemeu liiceiv to suit ana tnen look up the agent. The latter would generally be iound "sitting at the receipt of custom." "I called about that house, No. "Are you a widow?" "Yes." "Don't want widows. Good morning." And the agent would turn to his books. In several places the lady received an exactly similar answer. She determined to inquire the reason for this antipathy to widows. T^z-vn't tvnni-.widows." the Jicrent r.urt ly observed. "Why?" "Why? Because they never pay any rent"? Montreal (Canada) Witness. f HORSE FLESH FOR FOOD. The Horse Slaughter-Houses of Paris? Eight Thousand Horses a Year Slaughtered for Human Food. About a mile outside the fortifications in the little old suburban village of Pan tin is located the abattoir, where the horses that are eaten in Paris are slaughtered, and, judging from the iourseore 01 norses on nana, one wouiu think that everything in and about the city in the horse line that did not die suddenly while in harness was sent there to be killed for food. Eating horse beef is about the only thing that the better class of French do not care to talk about, and about the only thing among their many customs and peculio7 inet? f ntViOt thou otn hA "rr? ? ? a little ashamed of; as they never speak of the "Abattoir des chevaux de 1'alimentation," the sign that is printed in large letters on the side of the red-tileroofed slaughter house of Pantin. From the answers received to many inquiries as to where this establishment was located it appears that but few Parisians know anything about it, and, like all other disagreeable things* they probably think the less said about it the better. Ooe thine' is certain, that if many French people who occasionally eat the lillet of horses and dcclare it to be delicious were to visit the abattoir they -would never eat any more. With now and then an exception, the horses killed are all about alike, all "crips," blind, maimed, battered, bruised, and scarred with a lifetime of hard service, hoofs worn out, joints weakened, swollen and out of shape pulling heavy loads over slippery streets on smooth shoes?faithful brutes, worked until they could no longer earn their daily rations, and then sent here?if sick at me ume?i rcmuiu in me care of men who are bigger brutes than the creatures con Odea to their care?a horse hospital, asylum for the blind and aged, and fattening establishment at the same time, and then to furnish food for the Lord only knows who, and the less one thinks about it the better. The foreman told me. they pay 30 francs apiece for such as the poorest in the stable or that stood in * the courtyard on they outside?a poflr brute of tiiat Kino. x iouoweu irom me ena 01 the tramway as the led him between two. others to keep him from falling,, as he reeled and staggered at every step. I asked the foreman what they were going to do with him. Oh! ke will be made up into "Lorraine sausage." The price paid for what I judged to be an average one was 60 francs, and for the best 100 francs. An acquaintance said he bought a saddle horse for which ne paid ?300, but he became unmanageable, would buck, kick, Due, ana stride v, in cuvuse, so he sold him to the Pantin abattoir for 30 francs. They slaughtered on an average about twenty-two per day, or 8,000 a year. The first we saw killed was the only decent one of the lot?a large Percheron stallion, not so old but there were still some dapples on his broad hips; he was, to all appearance, healthy and all right, except that one foot and pastern had rendered him useless?only a plug now?but bis eyes were as clear Viricrht as at; 2 vftnrs old. iind lift j "? still carried his head as high as the proudest of thoroughbreds as1 he unhesitatingly followed his butchers on to the lloor where he must die. One placed a leather blind before his eyes, another drew his long, thick, curly foretop back from his broad forehead ?a forehead that showed much intelligence and strength?while a third stood before him with a short-handled ten-pound hammer, who, with a swift overhand stroke, struck so deadly sure mac me uign royai xieaa oiraes. the floor before his body- Life was long in him and he died hard,, but two or three more blows ended his struggles. It seemed almost like murder. We confess a feeling of pity for these poor creatures?man's best friend?but here, in a country thickly populated, where the struggle to live makes all beings strive there is no time nor place for feelings of sentiment The next was one not crippled but blind, so old that he was as white as snow; his ears bent forward as he hesi iated in the, to him, eternal darkness, and did not move fast enough, but willing hands with clubs from behind forced him forward, stumbling into and across the drain against the slaughterhouse door, where'he stood trembling with fear and shivering with pain. One blow from the sledga put him beyond the reach of his tormentors. A hole is cut in the skin on the in side of the thigh, the length of the steel that the butcher carried was run forward between the skin and body, the nozzle of a bellows inserted, and after about five minutes of pumping the skin was as tight as a ilrum?the skinning is necessarily slow?like skinning a hog or a beaver, as the hide sticks close. The whole legs and hoofs are left on the hind quarters, the fore-legs are cut o 4- f U a 1'W A/i k?f CA .OP T> Af f A oil ATTT at tuts AUCU) u <A L ov ao uwi iv U of any deception?one-half the head is left on each fore-quarter. When one of the botchers had divided the flesh on the back of the broad neck of the grey first mentioned, there showed an abundance of fat: the fellow put his knife in his scabbard, jerked off his cap, and, holding it between his knees, parted the neck, inserted his head, and, with a twist and a rub up and down, his hair was oiled to perfection, and then rubbing the oil well through his hair he spai on his steel and knife before sharpening it, and proceeded with his work. The wholesale price at the abattoir varies with the condition of the meat from 4 cents per pound up, and it is distributed about the city in wagons with the French for horse beef. "Viande de chevaline," printed on the sides,and is sold by the retail dealers for from 20 cents per pound for the fillet down to 6 cents for the poorest parts, soup bones and the like.?Drovers' Journal. "Letter carriers here," says a Salt Lake City dispatch to the Alia California, "are having a unique experience. ua account, oi tue iait: puijgiiijjy arrests here all the Mormons have been severely warned against talking to strangers, giving their names or residence. The carriers in their rounds knock at doors, and a scurrying ensues inside. A child answers the door. It is asked who lives there, and it often * ? *"*11 T * virtf f U A rCiUiUb i.U LC1J. jll uuw uut auun neighbors or where its father or mother is to be found. The uniform is a sign of enemv, and no information is to oe had." An Allegheny City choir, whose leader was about leaving: for the West, presented the gentleman with a breechloading shotgun during the week. Allegheny is determined that good music shall be heard in the West if the choir leader has to carry a cartridge belt to the organ loft and beat time with a gun-wiper.? East End Bulletin. GLl.AXINGS. The houses and stores in Santiago ae Cuba arc so built that the walls can be almost entirely thrown onen, while the jumnurs uave courts inai are and unobstructed to the sky. Joaquin Miller has swapped off a manuscript copy of one of his poems for the duplicate of a silver design he saw at the New Orleans Exposition. The silverworker wanted pay in Miller's poetry. Those persons who are "peach" crazy around Quakertown, N. J., are renting land at from $8 to $10 an acre per annum. The terms run from nf VUU tv I TT T C- J. tiiiO v? an orchard in that vicinityOver one hundred different answers have been received to the "latest mathematical question,resurrected by New York and Philadelphia journals: "Two ?irls meet three girls, and all kissedHow many kisses were exchanged?" The somewhat remarkable statement ^ is made that the city of New York, covering only 27,000 acres, supplies to 01 m/iK /.nwf rkrtnnlotlAW r\f 2 1;CA- tvliu \J? jJUL/UiatlWU VA vUw country 10 per cent of all the water used for domestic purposes throughout the land. San Francisco has a "lumber boneyard"?a place where the extensive syndicate which controls the greater part of the lumber cut on the racific Coast sends any cargo that may arrive which appears to be in excess of home demand, and at the first favorable' opportunity ships it to any part of the world. A New York lady of leisure and money sailed for Paris recently to con- _ suit a celebrated dog doctor aoout her noodle's health. The cur has a bad cough, and is described as being "as ugly as a dingy door mat." He is sixteen years old, and Ms mistress is anxious that he shall live until he is twenty-five. The Western weed, loco, acts upon horses and cattle almost the same as" alcohol does upon man. Upon eating it they lose all appetite for normal food, become apparently intoxicated at times and finally die from a disease . strangely like delirium tremens. From ^ the vice comes the California expression: "As bad as a locoed horse." Albert Hector, says the Liberty Register, is quite queerly constituted in one respect He sheds all of his finger nails and two of .his toe nails yearly. The old nails are gradually crowded off the fingers by the new and tender nails growing behind and under them. Bert is unable to explain .why his nails leave him in this way, but they do. Tmn Frenchmen, the brothers Forra. have invented.anewkindof harp, made entirely of wood. Instead of strings the inventors use strips of American fir. The sound is produced, as in the ordinary harp, by the contact of the fingers, but the player wears leather gloves covered with rosin. The tone of the instrument is said to be of remarkable purity. There is no financial nonsense about Prpchvterian nastor .it PaIttiytjl Mo. On the first day of each month he draws his check upon the bank for '? i his monthly salary in advance, and the bank regularly honors the check and * charges it np to the deacons, who are person alh responsible for the salary. Thus no delay or default in paying the subscriptions can affect him. As an instance of the great age to which elephants sometimes live, it is said that yrhen Alexander the Great had conquered Porus, King of India, he dedicated to the sun a great elephant W ^u^ug w mumj iVi 1.1 itKing, and let him go with this inscription: "Alexander, the son of Jupiter, dedicated Ajaxtothe sun." The elephant was found 350 years afterward, still bearing the above inscription. Pennsylvania has a state tax on watches," the results of which, as re ported by the Secretary of Internal Affairs, are amusing. The population of the state is about 4,500,000. The number of voters last November was 900,000. But in all this population end this army of voters there were only 45,596 watches, gold, silver and "common." So it would appear that there were last year 4,454,404 Pennsylvanians, not one of which had a watchColonel N .pJeon Crosby, of Georgia, relates tLafc upon one occasion his company was forced to march for several days over the unbroken snow, and his eyes became so weak and inflamed that he blackened his whole face with soot to counteract the brilliant reflection from the snow. He says, ' of /.il course, ic was a lauure, uut iic pcisisted that it was a great relief, and in less than a day the whole company presented an unbroken line of blackened faces and eyelids. William P. Hopkins, of Lawrence, Mass., has in his possession a love letter written 221 years ago by James Chalmers, one of the judges in the time of Charles L, to Lady Ursula Fairfax, whom he afterward married. The letter, of whose authenticity no /IrtnVif Aon to HA "raiQAH. l.Q UVUWV VUU) Ji V gvwvvvt) w ? still in perfect condition. It is dated "Lon., 18 Nov., 1663," and it is addressed: "To his entirely loved and highly honored Mistresse Ursula Fairfax." The most peculiar part of a wedding festival among Jhe middle classes in Persiais-the- closing. At the moment the bride leaves her fathers house a shout of "Kel lei lei" announces the fact All the quests carry lanterns on high poles to lead and light the way. Ac irrn^nccirm amvrna/Vhes fhfi hnmft of the bridegroom several sheep are sacrificed in honor of the bride. They are slain at her feet as she steps over her husband's threshold for the first ^ time. Then invoking blessings on the^_pair, all wend their way home, ancp&e festival is over. Adirondack Murray np^Tjkeeps *a restaurant in Montreslfand he finds time to study Dominion politics. He i.. i.1 . T>..i. T7 iL.i writes to tue nusiuu uvruw, mac are a large class who believe that Canada is destined to be something more than a colony of the British Empire. They hope for an independent nation. They hold that her population will soon outgrow that number which can be accommodated within colonial limits, and that the day will speedily come when a natural and peaceful separation will take place between her and England. A do? belonging to a W;anaqua, N. J., lad had for a long time been in the habit of picking up his breakfast and running away with it instead of eating it. The boy followed him on Friday, and the dog led him a roundabout trip, evidently to tire out his pursuer. Finally the dog lay down and waited for the boy to go away. The boy started abruptly as if to go home. The dog then ran very fast and disappeared. in a corert, where investigation revealed a decrepit and emaciated old dog, who was engaged devouring the breakfast. *- ; Vm * J