Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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fj I , __ VOL. XLII. WIXNSBORO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31, 1886. NO. 35. ^???MM?^^1^???^ In Advance. Now Winter is fighting his battles Wjth many an icicle lunce, But X'm writing a ."gentle spring" poem With the editors wish "in advance." It is full, as is usual. of "'.-inlets." It alludes to the "robin's first peep," Though a blizzard's a daily occurrence ^ And the snow-drifts arc seven feet deep. But the editors?singula creatures. To *honi I am boun<l hnnd and foot? - Gra*p at Father Time's typical forelock. Till It's nearly pulled out by the root. For V!cy get 'way ahead of the season, In a manner nu>st wily and arcli: _ So that wftlle you are reading December They finish the number for March. And he w5*> would hope for acceptance Must stride uj? 1>'-Jim< s with his tune, - And' sinpr Jlarvest Hoibj <n Mid-Winter i And 3'in{r!ehissleiifh-l>tr!!s in June. Si So ."when my sprin? pa . ?? .j finished. No rest does my wear;- pen fret: I must write a review oi a novel Which isn't itself written yet ?JJessie Chandler, in Century. ?' i -.1 ? m mmm JOT UNEXPECTED. It-was ihe week before Christmas, and Miss Polly PritchaTcl sat alone in her little room, diligently at work. So far it had been a hard winter, with the gronnd ail iron-bound with cruel frost; the-river clad in steely links of ice-, thft*sky full of snow, and wind, and tempest. But Miss Polly was very comfortable in the little red farm house, of which she occupied one wing, the other being rented out to Farmer Gribbage and his wife. There was always a cheerful lire of logs blazing on tnp open nearcn, aiways a^plant^st ttie window, andacat pferring oil thejqg. "To De sure, it s rather lonely, said the little old maid to herself, "never to have a soul lo speak to. . But it is what one must expect when one outlive's one's family and friends!'1 So she sat here on this grey winter s afternoon, singing some half-forgotten song, and plyiug her busy needle, when Mrs. Gribbage, the farmer's wife, came in. "Dolls, I declare!*' she exclaimed, lnnl-in<r t < in* boxes on the table; and. as her quiek eye fell on the work in Miss Polly's hand, she added: "And, as true as I live, you're a-dressin' "em." "Yes,"* said Miss Polly, coloring a soft autumnal pink. For the toy-shop?" said inquisitive Mrs: Gribhage. "Well?no!" acknowledged Miss Polly. "They are for the little girls in the orphan asylum. They don't have anyone to think of their Christmas, you know.'' "Well, i declare!'' reiterated Mrs. Gribbage. "Why, there's eighteen of 'em. don't mean to say that you're dressi*?? *>^.teen dolls?"'. ' Yes,'" said Miss Folly in. deprecating L tones. "Humph! Well, I just cain'e in to tell you that I'm going up to Miss Georgietta Fullerton's to tea." "Are you?" said Miss Polly. Mrs. Gribbage nodded complacently. "Didn't they ask you?" said she. Miss Polly shook her head. 4'Well, it's your own fault," said Mrs. Gribbage, not witnout asperity, "juook at that old faded turned dress of yours. Miss Georgietta Fullerton :s vcrypartieu-r "" lar about her dress. And now that she is engaged to be married to the minister " Miss Polly gave the least perceptible .start at these words, and risked: "Is she engaged to be married to him?" js? ".So folks say,"' complacently, answered Mrs. Gribbage. "And I don't suppose he could have made a batter mutch. Missdb*alleaaosj^is.- an excellent ? housekeeper.jindJh:iS got a little money of her own. Anrf It i.^hTih time there . was someone at :.n* parsonage to keep ^ ' s- -those-four no?>v chifdr -n in order." And Mrs. Gribbap- sadud away in her rustling siik :i;:d red plumed hat leaving Jilss Polly alone with her dolls. The parson sat alone, also, that grey =t. threatening December afternoon, in his little study, with a heap of sermon-paper in from of him. He had sat down to write h:*Ohristmas sermon; but, somehow, the ideas refused to come. m i 4. ~e e,. ..i i. acre \v;is a gtnerax <_>i ?mum* i ness about the room, which the poor man realized, but conld not explain. "It's all very uncomfortable, said Mr. Mellea-t? himself, biting thoughtfully at the feather end of his quill-pen. "And,* somehow, I always feel it more at Christinas time than at "any oilier. Hear those children scream! One would think they might play without making quite so much noise. But they arc not managed as they were when poor Isabel was alive. I suppose I am not a good disciplinarian, or perhaps I should have them :u bettor training. | . . Really, I don't know but that the good * ladies iu:xuy congregation are right, and that I ought to? " "Get married again!" Robbie Mellcn's shrill - little voice uttered, just at this moment. "Oh, I like that!* That's a pretty., note! Our father get married again: ; Xonsenso, Bell: someone has been cramming you!" "But it's true," retorted little Bell, full of indignation, "and you needn't laugh. I heard old Miss Grampus say so to Miss Collyer. Inst week, when they ail thought I was asleep on the bed. :it Sewing Society?that papa was going to mnrrv loii.hv" "Who was it?" breathlessly demanded Janie, a tall girl of eleven. "The lady, I mean?"' ""They didn't say," Bell answered, "iliss Georgie* Fullerton, I bet!" shouted Robbie. "Oh, I wouldn't like her for a mother." "Who would you like?" retorted Janie scornfully. "Oh. I don't know," answered Robbie. "Not. her, anyhow. She scowled at me one day when I stepped on the " * 1 T 1 1 1 tram 01 ncr aress. --vim i aearu tier say, 'Clumsy boy!' to her sister."1 "And she was very right," didactically-observed Janie. "You are a clumsy hoy, Rob. ^ <3^? r FernTip^.'' said John, "it's Mrs. Brieknor. There's a stunner for you. Ain't she always dressed like the Queen of Sheba?"' can't bear' Mrs. Brieknor," said Bell. "She laughs too loud, and her false teeth don't lit, and I don't think she ' likes little boys and girls. She looked J real cross at the birthday-party when j we had them funny games, and told j Mrs. Fenwick that she didn't think ; cnuaren ougnt ro oe anowea :o ma.se so much noise.'"' 4T11 tell yoa who does love children, though," suddenly exclaimed Jrraie; "and I rove her too, and I wish papa would marry her. MissPoUyPritcharcL". "What, that Miss Polly that has the bine Maltese' cat, and the red cardinal bird r7 said Kobbie. "Weil, it am t a bad idea. She gave me some breadand-jam the night I got lost blackberrying on the hills, and told me such a nice story about Fortunatns and his Purse when I was resting on her sofa." *-Tes, and what do you think?" eagerly struck in Janie. -'She's dressill^ .eighteen dolls, now, for the poor little grpfran girls in the asylum, and l nil III I [ ? [ [[ I?!! ? r? mrrshe has bought eleven jack-kni.es, because she says all children ought to have a Christmas/' ' She's a trump!*' declared Robbie, pounding both hands down upon the "f rl(ir*l-irr> I've mn;t :) mind to marry her myself! But look liere, Janie, ain't you going to help a fellow with these long-division sums, before papa calls us in to recite?*' And then .the noise of four talking together drowned the sense of what they said, and Mr. Mellen, smiJing to himself. pushed back Irs pen and sermonpaper. ' -Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings,"" he said mildly. "Who knows but that these liltlu ones* voices have been sent to guide mv footsteps ariffht? It was a sweet and gracious idea, that of preparing a Christmas for the little homeless ones who have no parents to take tender thought for them. I think I \ 11 go out and quiet my troubled meditations with a walk." Aud his walk led him to the little red farm house in whose wing Miss Polly Priiehard sat diligently at work over the eighteen ilolls.' The parson was a sensible straightforward man. who comprehended none of the sinuous wiles of society. He knock d at the door and walked in. All looked cosy and comfortable there, from the bi<r geranium in the window and the Maltese cat on the rug, to the shaded lamp and the work-basket beside the prim little spinster. And Miss Polly herself, with her thick brown hair coiled in a knot at the back of her head, and a faint cariiationlike bloom on her cheek, was not the least attractive element of the scene. "So these are the dolls for the little waifs and strays of humanity?eh?" said the parson, looking kindly at the ; ,1 ? l _ ! Jiuuueu kiuy. Yes,*' said Miss Polly. "But I don't know how you heard anything about it, Mr. Mellen. It was to be a profound secret.'1 "I will keep it, most profoundly," said the parson. "You see,'' blushingly explained Miss Polly, "I am fond of children, and it's a real pleasure to me to do anything for the little things. I've often thought I should like to adopt a child." "Miss Polly," said the parson bluntly, "that is the very business I have come to you about. What do you say to adopting four?'1 "Four?" repeated Miss Polly. "Yes," said the parson. "Mine! And their father thrown into the bargain. iti , i ivT:n v? mu uo you say, iuis-s rwy r n ui juu many me?" "I?I'm afraid I am not good enough," said Miss Polly, with a little gasp, as if the tide of unexpected happiness was surging up into her very throat. '*ii ever there was a good Christian, Polly, you are one," said the parson. "Or else," putting" his hand lightly ujx>n the tiny heap of dolls, "you never would have taken all this trouble for Christ's orphaned little ones. Only say 'Yes,* Polly. That is all I want." And Polly said "Yes." Mrs. Griobage was quite incredulous when she came home and heard the news. "I thought it was to be (jcorgietta Fullerton, sure enough," said she. "But how ever came Mr. Mellen to think of von?" "1 am sure I don't know," said Miss Polly with humility. So, like the old-time fairy stories, our tale ends. "And they lived happily ever after." For Mrs. Mellen was a model stepmother, and the four young rebels at the parsonage loved her heartily. This was Miss Polly Pritchard's last Christmas in loveless solitude. For when the next Christmas came she war* the happy little mistress of the parsonage ??? ^ Treading: the Wine-Press. Something has already been said about the vineyard of the Scala Brothers on Vesuvius. The vintage was in progress when I visited it, and I saw the treading of the grapes and the first stages of wine-making. The room used for "crushing was a part of the family mansion, and was scarcely more than 15 or 20 feet square. The platform for the treading was, perhaps, o feet high, 4 or 5 feet wide, and built entirely across one end of the room. The front of it was raised a lew mcnes 10 prevent me escape of the grape-juice, and it was carefully cemented in every part. There was but a single person treading, a stalwart, peasant, wiio ostentatiously washed his-feet before beginning m:aj-small tub of. water standing neir; as he'afterward explained, odfrof deferenceto the stranger. ^His feet were xin commonly broad at the* base "of the. toes. His dress was "a calico shirt and short trousers, which he rolled up a little, probably; because he wished to keep them iky, and not out of ivspectfor the . wine. "'Half a ton of grapes "were put on" the platform, and the troading.-begrm about the edges^and then systematically all" over the "pile, which was kepi as well as " possibleytogether. The juice soon began tcP"flow freely across the platform and out at a spout made in the iittle barrier of cement into a large tub. It was intended for champagne, being the first It is tue usual arrangement ior ireauing where wine is made in large quantities. ?.Milan Letter in San Francisco Chronicle. Tree Planting in the United States. From a paper on the woods of the United States and their destruction, in the February Century, Mr. J. E. Chamberlain sums ttp as follows: "The reasonable conclusion of the whole matter would seem to be that while there is no serious menace to the eastern half of the United States through the loss of forests, there is good reason to urge the preservation of as mnch of them as possible and the encouragement of new plantations; while in the western half of the country the immediate withdrawal from sale of the whole body of forests belonging to the Government is highly desirable. There should be an exhaustive inquiry, at the hands of a competent Government commission, into the sub jcct of the extent of forests belonging to the Government, their location, value, cnaracter etc., lw pivpu* huh <jj. lands now wooded. and the apparent dependence or independence, as the case may be, of ail sections of tlie country upon the modifying eliV< t of forests. Exact information is now needed, which could scarcely be obtained except through the efforts of >t:eh a commission. "Sentimental con>id<.rations. I suppose, are. to !>e heid secondary to the practical in this matter: but they are powerful, ami should be aroused in behalf of r.o object nm;v readily than tlie woods, which have octal pied so large a nlneo in the sentimental life of man from the earliest times." The butcher bird, a small spotted bird resembling the common mocking bird, is the foe of the domestic canaries oivthe Pacific coast, and destroys numbers of the-latter. - THE HI NTING LEOPARD. A Singular Kin.t or "?j> >r. '.vhi'-h is Practiced in t2i:? Juiaglo. I think it was here, writes :i correspondent to Our Iwiimt stations, that I witnessed the <o.!y instance I ?*ver saw of the black buek i . 'n-j1 run in'o and killed by tin* or hunting leopard. Jianv <-o:..-v,icr tiii-; a low i a>' ch/?rf linf !f ? (!!ZiLl tO :vux?a. vi ......... .. ... .. __ a partridge shooting1. Ics Mo inlng a beautiful sight. I shall therefore doscribe as well as 1 can what 1 saw. On Arriving with my friend* at the place of meeting in the juu^ln we found a few rough-and-rcady-So^king natives in charge of three carts, or rather small two-wheeled platforms, drawn by bu! locks. Oil each vehicle sat in an. erect attitude, a beautiful leopard, strongly chained and "-with a hood over his eyes, similar to those used for hawks. We xvere soon under way and driving toward the herd of antelopes which could be seen grazing in the distant*;; and which had been marked down beforehand. There was no diilicnlty in getting tiie carts to within 120 yards of the deer. Then one of the cheetahs, a line male, was unhooded and set free. ' Its departure from the gharry~<antl its decision" in choosing the most covered" line in the ' ' i-: T,?,.,. open piaiu iui nusiiiuj; vn n.-> nvn, so instantaneous and rapid as to be quite marvelous, it seeiiud to vanish from the cart and app.*ar simultaneously half way toward the line Mack, buck it had singled out for attack. When at about thirty yards from the unsuspicious troop they suddenly became aware of the 'deadly peril they were in. One and all sprang into the air with galvanic bounds, and no doubt expected to escape easily by flight. But the huntings cheetah is, I suppose, for a hundred yards, by far the llcetest of all wingless things; and this one was soon in the midst of the affrighted tiirong, which scattered wildly and panic-stricken in all directions, as {heir leader?a fine black buck?was struck down in their midst. There he lav, alone, in his death a<;on'y, in the deadly clutch of his beautiful mi) foo. Wnranas hard as we could and were soon surrounding the strange group. Neither animal moved, for the buck was paralyzed by fear?his starting eyeballs and dilated nostrils alone gave evidence of life. The cheetah, on the other hand, with his body spread out over the prostrate form of his victim, seemed to strain every nerve in pressing his prey against the earth as. with his long, sharp fangs buned in its delicate throat, he continued the process of cfmn (mixtion. TTf vrns verr.motionless. but his eyes were fixed upon us with a glare of extraordinary ferocity that became intensified as his keepers rushed forward and seized the deer by the hind leg. The brute now growled fiercely, and, tightening his clutch, looked so extremely dangerous that I w:.s far from envying those who were in such close proximity to him. But they know their trade. With a long, sharp knife they I cut the deer's throat and caused the warm blood to spout in torrents into the face of the half-wild beast, whose whole frame now seemed to thrill with ecstasy. One of the operators* jn the meanwhile, caught a quantity of the crimson life stream in a -wooden bowl, and forced the steaming fluid under the very nose of the excited leopard, who, quitting his hold, at once began to lap with avidity. While engaged in this process the leather hood was swiftly clapped over his eyes, and the collar, with two chains attached, was adjusted round his neck. While this was going on a third man had cut off one of the bucks hind leg*, and this, the "lion's share,v was held closo to the bloody chalice, which was no sooner emptied than the brute seized the meat thus provided with a vice-like grip. Each chain was now grasped by a different man, who, by keeping apart so that the tether remained taut, kept the leopard between them in such a way that neither was within reach of his claws or teeth. Then the third individual, who had ever retained his hold of the shank-bone of the leg of venison, gently drew the cheetah to the little cart that^ had now been brought close up. r"Asi? soon as the beast felt himself against?; ( the edge of his own familiar chariot he.' J sbrans: lightly upon it and proceeded to-'fj .demoiish his succulent morccau at his A ease. I now inspected the carcass of the deer, with a view to ascertaining, if possible, how the cheetah had been able so instantaneously to strike down such a powerful animal immediately, on get ting up with it. I at once observed a? i single long, deep gash in the flank** \ which was evidently caused by the d?-jj cisive blow. But I could not imagine^ with what weapon the leopard had been able to inflict this very strange-looking wound, for the cheetah has a foot like a fine and Iik nrn not retractile. Turning then to the beast as it sat on the cart I inspected it closely and saw that the dew-claw, which in the dog appears such a useless appendage, is represented in this brute by a teiriole-looking talon exactly suited to the infliction of such'a gash. A Singular Bird. A Port Jervis correspondent writes; Lewis Remey found a strange * bird on the sidewalk in front of his residence, in the Graham block, this village, a few days am The bird did not attempt to fly, ana being extremely awkward in'its movements on the ground it was easily captured. It is almost the size of an ordinary grouse or pheasant, and has a body as round as a ball. It has a short neck and head shaped like a duck's, with a sharp bill. Its eyes are bright red. The legs, which arc slate covered, are set very close to the rump end of the bird, making it top heavy on land. There are three toes on each foot, and each toe is webbed separately, the membrane being shaped like an oar blade. The head, neck, and tipper part of the body are dark gray, and the under part of the body is white. The bird was placed in a tub of water. It dove and frisked about in the water with wonderfully quick and graceful movements. No one hereabouts ever saw or heard of a bird like it. How it came to be in the spot where it was found, which is half a milo from anv sfrivim nr hodv of Water. and where it came from, are mysteries which no one can explain. A New York shoeblack attracts trade by distributing cards that tell how nicely he shines shoes in the followingsimple Bostonesc language: "Pedal teguments artistically illuminated and lubricated for the infinitesimal remuneration of o cents. Antiquated teguments (pedal or surpedal) expurgated judiciously and resuscitated with expedition for nominal compensation. Of the in- | numerable foretastes of heaven enjoyed by every patron 1 would simply state: From the eventuation of the operation even to its ultimate successful completion the patron reclines superincumbent on cushions which a Sybarite might envy, in a superlatively luxurious atti tude in which the horizontal and perpendicular are gracefully blended,11 LIFE IX ICELAND. Guests Packed Away Promiscuously in Narrow, Undesirable Bunks. All members of an Iceland family c1r>nr> in mp mom :irul this, indeed. often serves all purposes save that of lfitchen, says u correspondent of the Philadelphia Press. Very narrow, and from six to twenty feet long, according to the size of the family, with a row of low bunks on either side, leaving a space three or four ieet wide down the center, these rooms are lighted by one . small window at the end, ventilated by the door or trap through which they are entered from below, and warmed by I the heat of the bodies collected in them. The steeply-pitched roof, constructed of rafters ami overlapping boards and covered on the outside with a thick layer of growing turf, rests on low ?;iua aiiu Ln;iiu:.*> n unjjussjuiu iu -auvu\( , upright except under the ridge. The priesfs' house and a few others have * guest-chambers, with sometimes a stove, which is only used on extraordinary occasions, owing to the difficulty of transporting fuel from the sea-ports. Parties of tourists stop where thore .is a church and shiver out the night on the eight-inch'-wide benches, the vestment chests, on the floor: but if there arc only one or two of you and no guest-room, . or that is already filled, you generally share, for experience's sake, in the somewhat promiscuous nightly packing of the family?for experience sake,mind you, and you always get it, as well as the only good idea of the home life of the people. Upon this evening I found myself in a room smokily and dimly lighted by seal-oil, burned with a wick of cottongrass in a lamp of brass, much like the ancient lamps of the Greeks, but fur ' "* - * .1 nisiiecl with an overnanging arm ana a swivel and bo?.t-hook arrangement, which permits of its being stuck or hung wherever the user wishes. Two bunks on one side anil oue on the other were literally full. In one a man and two boys, in another two women and children, and in the third three . men, all sleeping like sardines in a box, the head of one on the same pillow as the feet of his next bed-fellows, and the space that was not occupied by human beings nrobablv was bvbeinsrs inhuman. After shaking up the many boxes and bundles under the rude mattress and giving an extra poke or two to the feather or down bed. which is the only form of covering known in Iceland, one of the girls motioned us to the bed where we were to sleep (an Iceland gentleman was to share my bed), and then, as if it were an every-day occurrence .to shock the senses of a modest traveler, while we were undressing she, with two others, proceeded to disrobe and take possession of the bunk opposite ours, until "the lust in bed put out the > -i ^ 5> -\r.. ??? llglll. i?l\ i:uiup*uium auiucnuut auxprised mo by a warning to secrete any valuables I might have, but as he was an Icelander 1 thought it belter to follow his advice than to trust to the proverbial honesty of his countrymen, and after an application from a box of rough on rats ?110, well, never mind?I was soon unconscious, breathing carbonic acid gas by the cubic yard, but in sweet oblivion ' until awakened during the general turnout next morning. The davlight revealed nothing new - Vi -.i -* 4.; except, permips, me luauv ntwe aiuwes 77 stuffed into every nook and crevice. ,s Furniture is scarce and a chest of drawers a luxury in an Icelandic habitation, and odds and ends are hung on nails in tiie roof, stuffed into the cracks, or in boxes hidden away under the mattresses in the bunks, flora spoons, knives and forks, bits of cloth, needles, books, and fish-hooks were tucked promiscuously away, and old clothes and lish hung over lines stretched lengthwise of the ridge-pole. It was interesting to see the men, after slipping into the few clothes they had removed upon | retiring, sit-on. the edge of the beds; ortrT eirvr\in<r f-Jm onfYpc hrnno-ht i o? by tBe-^'omen. " Severn! tmesi wa?: roused from my niusias^iy^ie rqstliB^ of the disarrangeacoveringin a "bed- which. 1 had ropposed empty, and'pr^ently, a ,;half naKed.ch.ild would- start up .from "the depths and stare in open&yed. wonder at the_stranger, -who returned the gaze :Sj|0?|&f5^se of; the IriiEcrous" "rising ".LV^vni Vks\/^9 'r/f^ nvn T ho/1 w iuuxii.ijiin, i-iuin utvio irin.n, jl n.v.. counted three the night before four had more .were to,'fo'liow?- At. the ;?arther 'end of theaislia mattress spread upon the floor had served for the .resting-place of three. niorfe girls,- -.whose accustomed buni" mySelfand 'companion had probably occupied.- " By this time I had begun'to fefel the need of a little clean air, and, getting into my clothes, I descended to the guest-room, where I breakfasted on more mutton and turnips, but lighted this time with a cup of chocolate and some English crackers. - --s A Table of Measurements., A b<5x 24 inches by 16 inches square and 23 inches deep, will contain a barrel, or 10,752 cubic inches. A box 24 inches by 16 inches square and 14 inches deep will contain a half barrel, or 5,376.cubic inches. A box 16 inches by 16 8-10- inches square and 8 inches .deep will contain a bushel, or 2,152 4-10 cubic inches. A box 16 inches by 11 2-10 inches square and 8 inches deep will contain a half bushel, or 1,075 2-10 cubic inches. A box 8 inches by 8 4-10 inches ; Q nrill tr? SKjUilltS (lliU V IUOUW Mil* vvuvw.M one peck, or 537 6-10 cubic inches. A box 8 inches by 8 inches square and 4 2-10 inches deep will contain one-hall pec-k. or 268 8-10 cubic inches. A box 7 inches by 4 inches square and 4'8-10 inches deep will contain a half gallon, or 134 4-10 cubic inches. A box 4 inches by 4 inches square and 4 2-10 inches deep will contain one auart or 67 2-10 cubic inches. 1? ' ,? *--- I These measures all come within a small fraction of a cubic inch of being perfectly accurate, as near, indeed, as any measures of capacity have yet been made for common use: the difficulty oi making them with absolute exactness has never yet been overcome. ? ^ Miss (iuincy, ttie new poet 01 .Boston, is described :ts tall and as lithe as a willow wand, with a face that has that delicacy of contour and refinement of feature betokening a sensitive nature, the poetic nature in :i high degree. Her mouth and nose are lovely, but she mars , the expression of her eyes by wearing eye-glasses, the customary insignia of Boston's intellectual women. M.ss Guiney is, however, near-sighted, and ' would rather see what she is doing than { to look pretty. She is fond of outdoor J sports, handles an oar like an old tar, J and is a tremendous pedestrian. ^9 ^ Theodore Roosevelt prefers the cow- < boy of the West to the Indian. He < says: 4i don't go so far as to think , that the only good Indians are the dead , Indians, but 1 believe niue out of every < ten are, and I shouldn't like to inquire ] too oLosely into th*i case of the tenth." ^'As Ye Sow so Shall Ye Reap.*1 ^To marry or not to marry, is a quest&n nearly all must answer. To one side ifcSs an unfair position, for they must needs choose from those who ask or go without and the uncertainty of future opportunities are so great as to greatly ixffluence the answer, and so often do after events Drove the mistake thus njade, one cannot help wishing each person was stamped with the address of tfeir partners-for life; this much settled, oae factor of mistake would be removed, a&i whatever fanlt-ftndmg there must b?: could not be aimed at either. As shch'. a state of things cannot be, we nmsfcmake the best of matters as we find ttfem. No doubt there is trouble on bcdh sides, but it certainly is not more t&n half on the side of the woman, lie .present rules of society are most f?xr/->roK1/> in h/vt-Vi hitor>firmril und renin tentional deception; neither party can know much of the home life of the other until the irrevocable seep is taken. Yvrting people ure allowed to mingle to gather, forming associations from impulse: taught to believe love will go where sent, and that love is - blind, and all such nonsense, instead of knowing U* i. let i IJ LJ Lli (I L JL 0?WUi\A jww^v all things, and that matrimony means more than unlimited freedom, with some one to constantly anticipate one's fishes. Girls have learned that however sensible they may be, unless they can ptft on style and look bewitching, ten chances to one instead of being honored for it. thev wiil be snubbed and left to languish on the parental bush until, the | frosts of fall have come; if young' men cannot afford to marry it is their own fault, for they have put a premium on^ressand accomplishments in women, and its not their fault all women are not cxtravagaDt and selfish, which thanks to innate good sense is not. the case. Were men not so near stone blind on this point they would have less trouble in finding sensible wives, for in every town there is at least a score of just as good, economical, sensible girls, as the good mother, men are so fond of quoting. She probably does not excel in roller skating; I doubt if she knows how to dance, but she can and does help mother, plays for home amusement, anil enjoys reading of the more substantial Hnd, but let me -tell you young man if you are going to find her you will need more of a recommendation than a gold-headed cane, a love of a mustache and a rhine stone pin can give, or you "will-very likely fail to win her for a wife. It is more than proba ble she cau take care of herself and will need to see she is gaining a helpmeet before she consents to give up her liberty and her name. But young men will not get their eyes open until mothers take the matter in hand and train their beys from the cradle up to be Men Fit For Husbands. It is a lamentable fact that mothers seldom think of having this object in view. It seems to be the general opinion, that some woman will be able to live with the man, who, as a hnr rtnssessed such a violent temDer it - - J 7 I " X was almost impossible to live with him, who was coaxed, petted and spoiled from the cradle up, until by some fairy process lie is to outgrow ali these little failings and develop into a Man Fit For a Husband, just as easily as nature gives the downy upper lip when manhood's estate is reacned. The facts will bear me out in saying this is not always the case?"as ye sow, so shall ye reap" ?the ungovcrned boy will make a more or less tyrannical husband.?Amelia A. Whitfield, in Good Housekeeping. Converse in an Unknown Tongue. A Louisville correspondent writes: An evening paper a few days ago prints the following remarkable story from a reliable correspondent at New Haven, Nelson county, this State: "A respectable farmer, Mr. J. Knox Ice, who lives seven miles northwest of here, on the Bcach ford, has two sons?Alexander, aged 13, and Nicholas, aged 12?who speak an unknown tongue which they alone understand, and which is wholly unknown to the parents or the rest of the family. It is a still more singular fact that each boy speaks a different Inno-nno-p hnt thfvc understand each iM"bwwow' ~'?j other. It was not until recently that Alexander could learn to speak English, and Nicholas can't "catch on" yet, Alexander acting as interpreter between his younger brother and the other members of the family. The boys are good-looking and endowed with average intelligence. Mr. Ice married a Miss Boone and the families of both date back to our first settlers. The boys have never traveled twenty miles from home and have never been associ area in any way wiui iuicjguci& ox auj climc, and I doubt if they ever heard any other language than the English. Mr. Ice has five other children, two older and two younger than these boys, all of whom speak their native tongue plainly and always have, but know nothing whatever of the language spoken by Alexander and Nicholas. The parents, as well as the whole communif-r ,-vlntulv of ?i lncc t/i I'llAW }ir>TO V to account for IL o strange freak of nature. How Many Hours for Sleep? There is an old saying that has frightened a great many people from taking the rest that nature demanded for them, "Nine hours are enough for a fool." They may be; and not too many' for a wise man who feels that he needs. them- Goethe, when performing his most prodigious literary feats, felt that he needed nine hours; what is better, he took them. We presume it is conceded by all thoughtful persons that the brain in very young children, say three or four years of age, requires all of twelve hours in rest, or sleep. This period is shortened gradually until, at fourteen years of age, the boy is fonnd to need only ten fciours. When full grown and in a healthy condition, the man may find a night of eight hours sufficient to repair the exhaustion of the day and new-create him for the morrow. But ij he discover that he needs more sleep he should take it. There is surely something wrong about him; perhaps a for gotten waste muse oe repaireu. ms sleep, evidently, has not been made up; and until it has and he can spring to his work with an exhilaration for it, he should sensibly conclude to let his instinct control him and stay in bed.? Margaret Sidney, in Good Housekeeping. ^ l The Indian wife of "Warm Spring Johnny," a white man, who since his childhood has lived with the Indians, lied near Albany, Ore., recently, of lung fever. The husband, whose real name is unknown, was well known in the early days of Oregon as an Indian scout, and also served in the United arinv i!nrinor flip, fivil War. Ha svas captured when a child by the Lilians and with therj has even lost his :>wn name. He has lived for many years cvith his Indian wife in a little cabin near the Calapoola Fiver. 1 "M. F. F. H's., and W. F. F. W's." The Man who is Fit For :t Husband, and the Woman who is Fit For s Wife, according to the gospel oi the Higher Life of the Household, in the interest of which Good Housekeeping is conducted. are Fit For Heaven, as well. That is to say, those who fully appreciate and improve the opportunities tbat a husband and wife, respectively, have for helping.to make life worth the living, not only for themselves, but for all those into whose interests and destinies their own liveg are woven; who correctlv measure the responsibilities of the : position and the blessed 'consequence of being Fit For a Husband or a Wife, or the baneful result of being nnfit for these important places in life. In much of the public discussion? and private, as well?that is had regarding this feature of the interests of .jKic Higher Life of The Household, the weight of argument is too often thrown into- the balance against the side in which the women folks are- necessarily found, and "A Country Parson" in his paper UW. F.T, W's; Women Fit Foi <xr.- 11 il u:? .?# rJ rrives, tuiutys ma u?> truth" into the same balance, but with much candor and comprehension. No consideration of this subject, however, is a fair and judicial one, that does not accept the situation as it actually exists ?that does not first "look on this picture and then on this," with the same measure and range of vision. Simply because a woman's realm is at home and a man's abroad, is no reason why Virvmo oh/Wirl VIA flTIV hflDnier. 4m?,v ? ? J rr brighter or better that the Woman is FitFor a Wife, than that the Man is Fit For a Husband. "Circumstances" d<not "alter cases"?in this case. The man whose daily walk and conversation abroad in the world, as well as at home, js such as to Fit him for a Husband according to the gospel herein expounded, is one whose life is worth the living in this world and is "not far from the kingdom" of the world to come. And the Women who are Fit For Wives will be near at hand when thp roll-call is sounded for the listening ear of those who are jto "come up higher''?be they women- or be they menNo matter how Fit a-Woman may be for a Wife, a Husband may help her to make a heaven on earth of their home, or force to make it a place of torment at the other end of the line, both here and hereafter.?Good Housekeeping. Queer Oil Wells. An Olean, N. Y., correspondent writes: There are two oil fields in the middle petroleum district that are never heard of in the annals of the trade, but there is nose more curious. One yields a product which is called the "Oil of Joy,1' after T. C. Joy, who discovered the territory. The other field is called the Grasshopper field, because of the resemblance of the light and primitive walking-beams that pump the oil from the sand to a lot -of huge grasshoppers. The Grasshopper field is between Pleasantville and. Titusviile. BeJEore tne Bradford field was discovered some operators drilled a mile or two in this peculiar territory for illuminating oil. The drill struck a bed of stiff clay, as blue as indigo, about twenty feet below the surface. This was drilled through, and a showing of heavy oil found. The well was soon abandoned. Some years 3- XT- 4-U^ /,w4-r? 2.1 iui'warus me uwuci ux luu dug a well v.ith a pick and shovel down through the bed of blue clay. In under the clay was found a rich lubricating oil sand. The oil taken from the sand at once commanded ?15 a barrel. The wells are curbed with hemlock planks, and the oil is pumped by the simplest kind of a sucker-rod. As soon as the oil was found to be so valuable wells were dug in this district in great numbers. The deepest one is only fifty feet in depth. The oil now commands $16 a barrel at the wells, and is all taken by an oil company at Roches4-rk-r rPl-?r? *ri a1rl ic ohruif Atirt Horr*ol O day per well. This oil will not conjeal in the lowest temperature, and is a natural lubricator, needing no treatment before using. The oil of Joy territory is near the Grand valley. The oil is found in parallel belts a mile long, and nowhere more than live hundred feet wide. There is a strip of dry territory an eighth of a mile wide between these belts, of. which there arc three. The oil lies at a depth of from 40 to 150 feet The sand is 75 feet in thickness. The weJis are pumpeu every nour in me uay and every clay in the week, because of the unusual accumulate of water. A peculiarity of the water is that while in all the region off the oil belts the water is very hard, the water from the wells is extremely soft and cold. Three barrels of water are pumped with every barrel of oil that is obtained. Gates o. Happiness. All men and women should rejoice to remain part child all through life, however long its course may run. The iV J ...1- - 4-1- ~ games, ine uance, xne aneuuuu;, me assembly of friends, the feast, are as much a part of humanity as its natural power to laugh or to perceive the points of wit Amusement is one of the forms of human happiness. This happiness, like old Thebes, has a hundred gates for its coming and going?the gate of tears, for man weeps when he is happy, amid music or in revisiting his mother's home, the gate of pensiveness, for he is happy when he reads "Gray's Elegy" or walks in the rustling autumn leaves; the gate of admiration, for man is hap py amid the beauty of nature and of art; the gate of friendship, when heart finds its companion heart: the gate of hope, for man is happy when the coming days are picturea with these angel figures of expectation. Of these hundred gates of happiness amusement makes one?planned by the Builder cf human life. It must open before us and we may all pass in. ana one as long as me heart shall remain unbroken Dy death or grief. ?Rev. David Swing. A. Boy Love Affair of Washington's. George Washington was a tall, largelimbed, shy boy of about fifteen when he fell in love with a girl whom he seems to have met when living with his brother Augustine. He calls her, in one of his letters afterward, a "lowland beauty/' and tradition makes her to have been a Miss Grimes, who later married, and was the mother of one of the young soldiers who served under Washington in the War for Independence. Whatever may have been the 1 *1.^4 T?Af exact reasuu taut mo iurc tiuau um uw prosper?whether he was too shy to make his mind known, or so silent as not to show himself to advantage, or so discreet with grave demeanor as to hold himself too long in reserve, it is impossible now to say; but I suspect that one effect was to make him work the harder. Sensible people do not expect boys of fifteen to be playing the lover: and George Washington was old for his years, and not likely to appear like a. spooney.?Horace E. Scuclder, in St. Nicholas for Fe.brv.an>. GLIMPSES OF CORE A. The Young King, who is a Great Admirer of the United States. All of our mission went to see his ma j mi v jesty. i. ne young men wxiom we are teaching English offered to get us a good place to "ku kiting''?see sights. We accepted their offer. We have been many times impressed with the kindness of the Coreans toward us, and this added another to the list They secured ! a small room, had it cleaned, put down nice, clean boards, took some of our chairs to sit on, and hired three soldiers. When we reached the place, * and the people saw foreign ladies, the crowd increased wonderfully fast and pressed into the honse to see them. The soldiers were not regularly armed, and it soon became evident to them, as well as to us, that it took more than their uniform and "ka"?go?to make the people "stand back." They soon supplied themselves with good oak clubs, and by ' swinging these faithfully and using iheiriungs frequently they managed to keep a small place in front of the house -T iir:*!. * 4-u j UlCiU. VY lLilUUL liJirJI IU VYUU1U have been impossible for us to have remained there. Mrs. M.. F. Scranton took with her the United States flag, which we put up. While waiting for the king one could not but be impressed that the "boy of the street" was present in full force, making the air melodious with what would be equivalent in America to "lemonade" and "peanuts," and seemingly doing a brisk business. Along the middle of the street new eartu was strewn. j&very few minutes some official with a few attendants passed, nearly always mounted on a donkey, which is the animal used by officers on such occasions. Some of these men had a very patriarchal appearance. The procession proper was headed by eunuchs from the royal palace. These warp fnlln-wpd hv cnldiers who marched along the sides and in the center of the street. A general of hi<*h rank stopped in front of us, and I thought he did it in honor of our flag, but my interpreter told me he stopped for the kin?. The royal banner, a large empty sedan chair, and waiters passed, music followed next, the step becoming livelier, considerable rattling of what to me was old iron, but really the sim for silence, the king's umbrella, and the second sedan chair, in which was his majesty. The chair was wide open on three sides and we had a ?ood view of the kin?. He noticed our fla^, looked steadfastly at us, and, in toe judgment of some, bowed* slightly. "How aid he look?" is the most natural question. He is a young man of quiet, intelligent, dignified, and manly appearance. Lieut Fouk, our representative here, once said to me: "The king's word is good." This remark came to me as I saw the king to-day, and I was impressed that he is a man to do, as far as possible, his own thinking, and come to his own conclusions, and abide by his word. He believes in opening his country to foreign nations, and has great confidence in the United States. He has ordered firs palace to De ngntea oy ine eiecxnc light. To the uninitiated this may seem extravagant, but tro things make, the king's course very clear. . He reasoned thus: Americans, after trying everything, from tallow candles to the -electric light, find the last the best and cheapest. I will learn from their experience, and begin where they are now. The present cost of lighting the palace is simply enormous, caused by the officials appropriating large amounts to their own use. They could do the same with petroleum, but not with the electric light Another reason is: China's power is everything in Corea. They have everything therj that is to be had, and when any new invention is suggested the conservatives send to Pekin and get it But the electric light cannot be gotten there, and the king hopes in this way to teach his ministers that there are other countries in the world besides China.?Missionary Letter in Christian Advocate. The Boy's Account of a Game of Cards. Little Johnny, the youthful contributor of the Argonaut, records this moral tale: A preecher wich had been a wicked gamier fore he was a preecher he seen a feller wich was a gamier too, and he sed, the preecher did: "He jest play cards with this pore mizable sinner, and win ol bis munny, and wen he is busted maybe he will listen to the divine trooth and be saved." So they played, and the preecher he winned ol the feller's munny evry cent, and then he sed: "Now, see how wicked you have ben for to loos yure munny, and ynre whife and babys haven't got no bred for to eat'' "And the garSer he sed: "That's so," and he bust out a cryin'. Then the preecher he sed: "Pore sinner, if vou prommice me unto yure onner to " i xi _ v t not play caras agin ne give it 01 oaes, cos Ime a preecher." So the gamier he was a stoniiih, and he sed: "I never see sech a good man, I prommice, yes in deed, and haven bless you!" and he busted out cryin again, the gamier did. Then the preecher ne give him back ol his munnv, and the feller put it in his pocket, and whiped his eyes, and blode his nose gratelle, and then lie ttiot a wile, and pretty sune he coifed, and he said to the preecher: "I feel mighty mean taking back this hundred douars from a man wich has rescewed me from card playin, tell you what He do, you put a other hundred agin it and weel toss up for the pile, heds or tails, best two out of thre." m ^ Casts From Pompeii. A museum has been erected in Pompeii, in which are preserved plaster casts of some of the people who perished in the eruption. These people were covered up by the fine ashes just where they fell, and in the positions in which they died. These ashes hardened, and although the bodies, with the exception of a few bones, entirely disappeared in the course of ages, the hollow places lert m tne asnes were exacuy ine snape of the forms and features of the persons who had been there. An ingenious Italian conceived the idea of boring into these hollow molds and filling them up with liquid plaster of Paris. When this became dry and hard, the ashes were removed, and there were the plaster images of the persons who had been rlnctrnrA/1 IKatt could escape from that terrible storm of hot ashes, which came down in quantities sufficient to cover a whole city from sight. In some of these figures the features are very distinct, and we can even distinguish the texture of their clothes and the rings upon their fingers. There are eight of these figures?men, women, and girls, besides the cast of a large firtcr Tn ?f*3Tir) find In/il- nn/in tVio -a- 7 ~~r ?~ i representation of these poor creatures who perished here seems still more to shorten the time between the present and the days when Pompeii was a lively, bostlingcitv.?F?-ank B. Stockton, in St. Nicholas for February. MISSING LINKS. Fourteen widows and eight widowers live near each other in a single block in Railway, N. J. Mrs. Butler, known to our grandpar- * ents as Fannie Kemble, is about to return to America. ' rPL _ 4.U/V it% ? lit; UUUXUil prUUUUL Ui LUC I ill LI CO Jix the vicinity of Butte City, Montana, for the year ending lt8o foots up $17,000,000," and that of Leadville, Colo., $12,000,000. Agassiz, the elder, as the book by his widow tells" us, used to make his coffee in a machine that was devoted during the day to the soaking of all sorts of creatures for skeletons. -ust-i:*r.-i * The Vicar of Masham, England, .litus concluded a sermon to his Hock: "Ami * ? * V- - now, menus, vrnicu is 11 to dc?Salisbury, Churchill and heaven, or Gladstone, Chamberlain ancThell?" North Dakota, ten years ago described in the Government reports as "the uninhabitable alkali deserts of'the Northwest," supports 100 newspapers, the daily edition not being a rarity. Tn XTowrflrlr "V .T thr> oanTer nf tllfi hydrophobia scare, Michael Hessen lirus been sent to prison for two years for having so badly bitten one of his wife's fingers that ithad-to-be-amputated. For chilblains the Lyon Medical advises that the parts affected be bath<5d twice daily, ten minutes at a time, with a mixture of half an ounce of sulphuric acid and one quart of water. A pretty fashion of old colonial days that has been increasing in favorduring recent seasons is to have the polished mahogany tables in dining-rooms uncovered at afternoon receptions and teas. Coffee is the universal drink of the east among all classes of people. It is ground fresh every time, and the milk and sugar are boiled 'with tlie coffee. It is served in tiny-china cups of quaint shape and workmanship. : ... -t Gen. Lord Wolseley's appearance is decidedly effeminate, and. when he crvailrc ho a/>f>nr>i'n'>nioc oinTi rnrnirL with a nervous shake of the head. He is ! disposed to be sociable, but is not 'a favorite with the "rank and file." A passage from the will of Napoleon Bonaparte is in a'St Louis museum. It is dated at St Helena, April 13, 1821, and reads: "I die in the holy Roman Catholic faith, in the bosom of which I was born more than fifty years ago. Leopold is one of the most democratic of kings. He saunters aboutBrussels in tho most leisurely way,- .and is as lao i-vn T?no T?atto1o <jc ILUXliU. O* ugvuv Vii W**v A.VUV MVIMAV President Grant used to be on Pennsylvania avenue. He is fully six feet tall, and has an angular form" and an awkward manner. - L : > ' Quite novel work is that of sifting the sand on the beaches of some of the popular watering places along the New Jersey coast in search of valuables lost by bathers, but that is exactly what several enterprising lads are at present doing, and with far better results than a person would suppose. An English company has perfected its arrangements for providing sick cham bers with telephones. The object give persons suffering with ^tHiagious diseases a chance to tx)fc -with their friends. Speaking TttfeeS' are inadmissabie on account of the infectuous nature of the breath. Dr. Fillmore Bennett wrote the favorite hymn, "Sweet By-and-By," in 1868. Dr. Bennett lives at Richmond, 111., and is quite poor. He says it did not take him more than twenty minutes to write the hymn, which Lotta, the actress, did so much, to render famous by its introduction in one of her plays. "The bowlder at Mount Auburn that marks the monument of Louis Agassiz,'' writes Mrs. Elizabeth Carv Agassiz, "oeme from the glazier of the Aar, not far from the spot where his hut once stood; and the pine trees which are fast growing up to shelter it were sent by loving hands from his old home in Switzerland." Anent the Greville Memoirs, the late Mr. Hayward-relates that on Garibaldi's first visit to England that patriot and Greville were placed side by side at a Stafford House dinner- Afterward, "Well, what do you think of Garibaldi?" Hayward asked "the Gruncher." "I think," said Greville, "that he is a fool. I never met any one less like a man of the world." "Huxley and Tyndall," says the manager of a literary syndicate, "will never write anything for publication unless their hTCA cnmpfhinor to s.iv. I have """"J " -V?WV?? J- ? ?tried them many a time, ana with good offers of money, too, but always unsuccessfully. They care'too much for their fame. But when they have anything to say they are rea3y to say it, ana to charge for it, too." There is not much luxury in riding in a railway car in Egypt The Egyptians do not appear to have learned the use of ballast for railroads, and riding on one of their cars is almost equal to a series of shocks from an electric battery. The siae3 of the car are open, and when the sand blows from the desert it is almost impossible for the traveler to see the person sitting alongside of him. Young Mr. William Lehmann Ashmead Bartlett Burdett-Coutts, feeling , - , ,n elated over his election to Parliamentover so eminent an opponent as Prof. Beeslev, the Comtist, took occasion publicly to sneer at Mr. Gladstone as an "old vroman."' Whereupon, "I should think," remarked one of the audience, 4Af+_OAn4+e +A locf JLU? JJUlUgU'WUbM tv ACbOlr man in the world to speak slightingly of old women.1' Mr. Labouchere of the London Truth says that he has never met' with more practical, sensible men than the Irish Nationalist leaders when not under the influence of temporary excitement "I have," he savs, 4'been greatly struck with their broadness of view, which contrasts advantageously with our supercilious mode of treating political opponents, our insularity, and our want of facility to grasp new ideas." One marked peculiarity about M. Worth, the Paris man milliner, is his great dislike for perfume in any shape. His -workwomen are prohibited from using scents, and even from wearing i-iw nuo UUiiUg LLA'Oil >YViAXLLg liUUld* When a woman sends him her costly laces for the adornment of new dresses. UU.UWU3 liuili -LUUg ^JJUULUiil^ ill pelfumed sachels, the first thin<? that ho does is to cause them to be thoroughly aired. John Jay Knox, President of the AntiVivisection Society, writes to the New York World: "I desire to call your attention, and the attention of all human brutes of the Pasteur school who propose torturing rabbits by the thousand, to the anti-vivisection laws of this State and New Jersev. Dr. Billin?s r>rot>oses to kill 5,000 rabbits by a slow fever. If be kills even one in this State or ]Sew Jersey be will be prosecuted and punished to the full extent of the law by this society."