Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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ABBEVILLE PRESS & BANNER. BY HUGH WILSON. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1877. VOLUME XSIV.-NO. 38. ? I Love's Belief. , i I believe if I were dead 1 And you should kiss my eyelids where I he Cold, dead and dumb to all the world contains, , The folded orbs would open at thy breath, And. from the exile in the isles of death, Life would come gladly back along my veins, \ I believe if I were dead, ! 1 And you upon my lifeless heart should tread? 1 Not knowing what the poor clod chanced to ^ be? 1 It would find sudden pulse beneath the touch j Of him it ever loved in life so much, . And throb again, warm, tender, true to thee. ^ I believe if in mv grave, ] Hidden in woody depths by all the waves. lour eyes snoiua drop sonic warm toarn oi " regret, From even- saltv seed of vour dear grief * * t] Some fair, sweet blossom would leap into leaf 1 To prove death could not make my love forget. . I believe if I should fade b Into the mystic realms where light i-; made, .0 And you should long once more my fact! to see, tl I would come forth upon the hills of nigl t 8 And gather stars like faggots, till thy bight, Led bv the beacon blaze, fell full on me. , 8] I believe my love for thee y (Strong as my life > so nobly placed to be. tl It conld as soon expect to see the sun 81 Fall like a de?d king frctn his heights sublime, "w His glory stricken from the throne of time. ^ As thee unworth the worship thou hast won. ^ C I believe love, pure and true. " O Is to the soul a sweet, immortal dew ( J That gems life's petals in the hour of dusk. S The waiting ang< Is see and recognize I The rich crown jt-wel love of paradise, t] When life falls f om us like a withered husk. ft _________________ n A SLEIGH BELLE. i f< v - I Harold Broom's sleigh (lashed merrily * up to Harold Brown's door, aud at that i moment (she M as the soul of punctuality) f out cnme Harold Brown's only sister?a little woman wrapped in shawls and o veils i;nd worsted things from head to ; ;! foot. "Conie along, sis," he shouts; and then, without waiting for her " to come j along," he jumps from the sleigh, reaches j.1 the top of the stoop in three strides?he's * a tall, broad shouldered, dark skinned, 11 blue eyed yo;uig fellow?catches her up * in his arms :is though she were only a J1 bundle, and in the twinkling of an eye she is snugly stowed away among the a buffalo robes. x Crack goes the whip. " G'lang, Ned !" 11 cries Harold. "Ned" tosses his head and paws the ground an instant to pet ihe f sleigh bells ringing properly, and off they 1 g?- ' v )! " Are you warm ? ' asks Harold of the bundle at his side. "Almost smothered," answers the J1 bundle, in an indistinct voice with a slight f list). "That's right., my darling," says the S1 brother, who adores his pretty young sister?the only one left him ot four. " I should te;ir my hair in wild despair 11 if you caught cold. Mind you don't, for e if you but snee ce once, be it the tiniest a sneeze tlrnt ever wn*, home you go." "Never fear, H "r," rejoins the obedient small woman. " I promise, upon my word amd honor, not to sneeze. I'll c choke first. All! here we are," she con- v tinues, as they turn into Fifth avenue P and take their place at the end of a line s of sleighs, big irnd little, the largest of which stands unoccupied 1 >ef< >re the handsome and brilliantly lighte I house of 11 Albert Lee, merchant and millionaire. j r: " Yes, and here are all the rest," says a Harold, adding,.with a slight inflection " of scorn, "excepting the Lee people. ,1 Of course it's the Princess Alberta who is 0 keeping us all waiting "?forgetting, in t] the most manlike manner, that he had 8 only that moment arrived himself. "She r never was ready when she was a little h girl, and I suppose she hasn't reformed in that particular, now she's a big one." ! h " Big!" repeats the voice from the a mufflers, " why, she isn't a bit larger f' than I am." j s: "Well, she's a year older, anyhow, and ought to know better," replies Har- P old; " hut I haven't the slightest clou I) t <] she's stopping to flirt with some one, or ; ti two, or halt ft dozen of her numerous ad-1h mirers, utterly regardless of the fact that 1< I?th;it is, you?to say nothing of forty ^ or fifty others, more or less intimate , 1' - friends, are freezing outside. Dan Van a Rensselaer is buttoning on her gloves, r< or Will West is fastening the straps of I her overshoes, or some confounded mmsense or other. Cora, it's my opinion ti that girl flirted in her cradle, made faces j? at her old loves, and smiled on the new. ?*v ' Alberta!'?and she won't let any one u soften it to 'Berta,' " he went on, apparently warming with his subject? o " what a ridiculous name for such a mite ! tl for mite she is, and mite she will con- o tinue to bt\ for all her scornful looks aud n haughty ways." b "Oil, Harold!" exclaims the veiled voice, with as much indignation as is h possible under the circumstances. '"How ti unjust you are ! She's not haughty? ii she's not scornful?she's lovely ! She ai came to me herself yesterday afternoon ?aud I happen to know ali the others g had written invitations?and beerered we tl would join Iicr sleighing party. ' It's to be a real old fashioned affair,' she said, b ' and I want ray real old fashioned friends le to come.'" tl "Extremely condescending," interpo- si lates Harold. - ik tl " And as for her name, she had notBbg y< to say about that, as you, if you have one bi grain of common sense, must be aware m ?no more than you did about yours, a And she'd rather be called 'Bertie,' a fc great deal; only her papa insists upon st ' Alberta,' and consequently, like a good s] daughter, she insists upon 'Alberta' too. w He wanted a boy wheu slie was born, t<> p be called ' Albeit'?that's his own name, li you know ; and when a girl came instead, 01 he said 110 girl should interfere with his A plans, and he named her' Alberta,' which w is almost the same thing. And it's just b as well he did, for he never had another p child, girl or boy." d " Pity the boy hudn't come," grumbles G Harold. I h " For shame, brother !" exclaims the ' a little woman, partly unfolding the veil 1< that hides her dimpled chin and rosy 11 mnnfli tli(if elm mmr unf'fllr trifll frrpn.fAr H effect. " How can you wish that there s was a great stupid young man instead of n that dear sweet girl ? for she is a dear n sweet girl, though you, I can't for the n life of me see why?neither can Fred? tl choose to be angry with her." ' s] "I didn't wish for 'a great stupid ' young man ' in her place," explains Har- si old, with a short laugh. " That he h would necessarily have been ' great and it stupid' only feminine logic can prove; its h beyond me. But if ' Albert' had come w first, and Alberta, by some other name, a: g*~ond, she wouldn't have been an only 1 child, us she is now, petted and indulged T n every whim and fancy, until s1k? imagoes herself u queen aiul all tlie world ler slav vs." " You .mid 'ft princess' a few moments igo," say? C'?ra, demurely. "And perhaps she wouldn't he smiling >n that grinning idiot, Dan Van Rens>elaer?they say she's going t<> marry lim, his fortune equaling her own, and lis great-great-great-great-grandfather laving been one of the very first- Dutchnen that lauded on these shores?and nrning away from the fellow she has mown .from her infancy, and who has? iYhoa, Ned, keep still! AVhy the deuce I' iii't she and her train make their ap>earanee ?" They don't make their appearance, ,nd Cora begins to talk again. "Harold, you wrong Alberta ; indeed ou do. It is you that are foolishly roud, not she. When she went abroad, l l _ri. .... . ?.l lit? It'll ll? 111*11 , ?1ICI1 ouu liiriir: iuivrw, he found us poor ; and ret she had only ecu home two days when she sought us ut. And how did you receive her ? In tie coldest maimer ; and then raved and wore when she was gone?you needn't ontradict me; 1 distinctly remember ivo very wicked words you said?because lie didn't rush into your arms and kiss ou at meeting, as she did at parting, iree years before. Can't you undertaud, you horrid, splendid old boy, that liat is just allowable in a girl of fifteen ould be highly improper in a young idy of eighteen ? And you've only ailed upon her once since her return? nee in six long months; and pray what id your lordship do on that occasion ? cowled and growled and snapped at iouis Vance in such a ferocious manner bat he told my Fred?poor Fred ! what pity they're taking 'count of stock toigl\t!?he actually thought," with a ttlo chuckle, "you were losing your puses. And what's more, Mr. Harold Jrown "?and the dimpled chin is thrust :>rward defiantly?"I think, and so does ''red, that it's your duty to apologize for lie way you behaved that evening. And don't believe she's engaged to Dan Van lensseiaer at ail. mat was omy a rumor lint flouted over here from Paris, and I ee no reason whyyou should accept it for [ie blessed truth any more than you do lie thousand und one idle reports that re always floating about. And Harold, [ you really love her, why don't you tell er so? Fred told me the moment he >und out. But there ! I sha'n't talk any lore ; it's no use." " It is not," declares Harold, with emliasis ; " for unless, by some unforeseen nru in the wheel of fortune, she becomes s poor as myself, and I don't believe the heel contemplates any such turn. I shall ever speak of love to Miss Alberta Lee." "Riule, obstinate, wretched boy!" folds the little sister; "I wash my amis of you. If you insist upon being uhappy,De so. Not another word do you ear from me to-night, for my breath is il frozen on my veil, making it stiff and ncomfortable, and I've reason to think, < >twithstanding my promise to the conrary, my big brother, I'm going to ueeze." "My darling," cries the big brother, r.nbhng in his great coat pocket, "I've uother s?y, or moon, or cloud, or whatver you call it?bought it jus I came long for fear"? "liar," interrupts Cora, solemnly, if you wrap another thing about me, veu if il be the finest gossamer, I shall ease to breathe;" and she twines the eil she had unfolded about the lower art of her face again, and relapses into ilence. "Here she is?and time, I think," uys Harold, his olue eyes fLishing with o pleasant light, as a laughiug party mi down the steps of the Lee mansion nd crowded into the empty sleigh. ' And, thunder and Mars ! that infernal )an Van Rensselaer is at her side, i'lang, Ned!" savagely. And away liey all start, laughing, singing auil b outing as only young people sleigh iding on a tine moonlight night can mgn ana sing ana snout. An hour's ride, mul then a stop of an our or two at an old fashioned hotel for dance (the sole music for whigh was urnished bv a very old violin) and a upper. At the supper an enormous turkey resided, flanked by crisp salads, broiled nails, and the various 2->ies of the-counry; but he, the turkey, didn't preside >?g, for he was soon reduced to much : ?ss than a skeleton; and then the sleighs ere brought from the stable, and the : eads of the horses turned homeward;; lid the g<x)d natural landlady and the : t*d haired chambermaid, and Dan Van j tensselaer and his chums had all they ; on Id do in the way of searching for ar- j ides of wearing apparel, and helping on 1 ickets, and holding shawls and cloaks, nd tying veils, for at least fifteen min-, tes. " Hurry up," at length shouts some , tin fw\m /mfciMn "if WAii wonf cmf f/\ : lie city before the moon turns her back 11 us;" and down stairs they go pell- i lell, helter-skelter, and jump and turn- ! le, and are lifted into the sleighs again. ! Harold Brown grasps his own particutr charge from the group as they roach \ ie roadside, and carefully seating her: 1 his sleigh, heaps the heavy robes J round her and springs in himself. Hundreds of silvery bells jingle to- : ether in pleasant discord, and away ley speed for home once more. "How lovely she looked to-night!" egins Harold, after a five minutes si-1 nee. " Yon needn't speak, toad. After mt warm room and the dance and the ipper, it is more necessary than ever iat you should be careful. All I ask of >u is to listen. As a listener you can't j' e surpassed, although as a talker, like j Loet women, you are apt to get things little confused. But don't go to sleep, 1 >r that is an insult I can't and won't and. Did you ever see such hair ?? juu gold ! And how charmingly she ears it! part in a wreath about her retty head, and part floating free over r?r pretty shoulders. Blondes ! There's nly one blonde in tlio world, and that's lberta Lee. Her skin is like the snow ith the moonlight on it; and being eautiful because she is so fair, I supose it wouldn't be fair in me to even ream of her turning Brown. Hi, Ned ! raod heavens ! the intelligent brute eard that dreadful attempt at a joke, nd tried to run away. So-o-o, old fel- ! >w ! I won't do it again. And she ; ever spoke to me, Cora. And yet lien we were boy anc^girl together I've tolen many a kiss from that sweet red louth unreproved, and she used to call ie 4 My Harold.' Let me see?that lust have been eight years ago. And jen, as she grew older, she grew more liy; but I was 'Harold' still, often dear Harold,' until her father, who hows what an idiot he is, in spite of is years, by encouraging that greater liot, Van Rensselaer, made that lucky Woll nn.l fVio rcfinlo fnmilv IV A 1_1 TTC *U OV&VVV, ~ J rent abroad to learn how to play the ristorrat to humble friends at home. t'? true I didn't po near her to-night, 'here were too many around her. ' The i rose that all are praising is not the rose forme.' And the dunce I should have liked to have danced with her, the dance we danced together in the 'long ago,' she give to Louis Vance, the very man I came near knocking down one evening at her house for taking her picture from her album and putting it in his breast pocket, with some silly, spooney remark about his heart. How her mother glared at me as I snatched it from his hand! and she said, with a cool drawl : 'Pray, Mr. Brown, what is it to you ?' Deuce take her lovely, exasperating, bewitching impudence! She well knew what it was to me, the golden haired lily-white little hypocrite ! I suppose she'll mamr that Van Rensse laer ?anci lie muuereu somermug which didn't sound like n blessing between his teeth?"or some of his set, not one of whom is worthy to hold her fan, ' the bounie wee tiling,' as our old Scotch nurse used to say"?breaking off with what in a woman we would call a hysterical laugh. " I say, sis, are you asleep ? Y<>u needn't say a word, my butterfly; just shake your head." The worsted things and veils that formed the butterfly's cocoon moved slowly and with difficulty from side to side. "All right, dear. T feel as though I must talk of her to-night, and to whom can I talk but you, my darling??my little sister, who haS never withheld her love and sympathy from me, God bless her! But, Cora, if any poor fellow had loved you all his life long, and you had led him to believe for many years that you returned his affection, and then, growing richer, as he, through no fault of his own, grew poorer?if you turned away from him and smiled upon those who were only his superiors in wealth and position, I'd disown you. Mouse of my life, I would indeed !" "But suppose the 'poor fellow' never told his love when we met after a long coivivofinii ?" wllienCTn ilifi " JiloiTSe of liis life." '' In words, you mcau ? Pshaw ! there are a hundred ways in which a man tells his love, and a woman knows every one of them by heart." "But suppose," in another faint whisper, "that when she returned from abroad, she found him a man so much less manly than the youth she-had left that he could stoop to believe that because he had become poor, as the world goes, she could forget the happy, happy days they had spent together, and?aud cared for each other? Suppose that he lent a ready eau to silly reports about her?one, for instance, that she was engaged to be married to ' that idiot Van R 'nsselaer ?'" "Cora!" No reply. " Cora, I say !" Perfect silence. "You tormenting little thing" ?shaking her gently with his strong right liaiul ?"why don't you answer me? I won't give you a kiss frfr a week if you don't. There's something uucanny about you. Where's yout lisp? You had one a short time ago; you know you did. Cora!" "My name is Alberta, please, sir;" aud the veil that had hidden her face flew aside, aud a long tress of golden h; ir floated out and brightened the night. The reins fell from Harold's hands. Alberta caught them skillfully. "Tis well," she saul, "that in those bv-gone days you taught nie how to drive." For one moment her lover gazed at ]?or in open-eyed wonder. Then lie gasped: " Great lieavens ! what a fool!" "Thank you, Mr. Brown," said the fair one, with a smile. "Not yon, Alberta ? thunder and Mars ! no, but me, myself?to be so near and yet so far. What a consummate "? " Skip the hard words ; there isn't the slightest need of them," interrupted Alberta, mischievously. " Cora thought she'd like a ride in the big sleigh, and I hadn't the heart to refuse the child. Hope I haven't intruded, Mr. Brown ? And now, as we're turning into our street, you'd better take the reins again." "Alberta ? Bertie ? sweetheart, say 1 something kind to me before we part," he pleads, grasping both the reius and the little hands that"hold them. " What shall I say, Mr. Brown ?" He bends his head and looks earnestly j in her face. " Say 4 Harold ' tirst." " 'Harold,' "she repeats, with a saucy smile, and then wresting her hands away, she sinks back and leans her head on his shoulder, which droops to meet it, and goes on in a softened voice : " I'm not engaged to Dan Van Rensselaer, whom yon, with charmiug consistency, call an idiot for being in love with me ; and my. papa, who is the clearest and best papa in the whole world, in spite of your impertinent remarks about him, cares nothing for wealth and position, compared to mv happiness ; and I myself, ' lily-white little hypocrite ' to the contrary, haven't the slightest objection to turning Brown, my Harold," "God bless you, dearest!" " Yes, yes, but don't kiss me just now, please. We're at our own door, and the light of the street lamp is falling full upon us, and there's dear old anxious pupa peeping out, trying to catch a glimpse of his only son aud heiress. "Good-night," "good-night," resouneil from every side as each particular sleigh started for that particular place to which its particular party belonged, with the exception of the sleigh in charge of the horse called Ned. That remained in front of the dwelling of the " princess," while its happy owner, with Cora, his little sister, who liad suddenly appeared at his side, on one arm, and Alberta, his pcetty sweetheart, on the other, ascended the marble steps. "Papa," called out Alberta, as they entered the hall, " Mr. Harold Brown has been behaving in a dreadful manner. He has called me all sorts of names, abused me most shamefully to my face, actually shaken me, and, worst of all, declared he wouldn't kiss me for a week. Send John to look after Ned?poor horse, lie isn't to blame?and then I demand tint you demand an explanation."? Jhirpcrx Weekly. Diseases in Children. Chicago is suffering severely from 1_1 e. 1 u'. 1 hu;iri**L itsvt'r siiiu uijuiuu'im. j\i 11 iut;uting ?f physicians to consider the epidemic and its proper treatment a resolution was offered the purport of which was that no medicines which conldbe administered would prevent diphtheria, and that the continued administration of them for any great length of time would be injurious. Dr. Beebee declares that that this was aimed at his recommendation of sulphocarbolate of soda, which, lie holds, will destroy the germs of diphth"rin, the blood and tissue3 being disinfected. He thinks that the remedy lias fulfilled all expectations; and some of his brethren, it appears, think otherwise. Who shall decide when even Chicago doctors disagree ? Agricultural Prospects. The farmer looks forward to the Kens* of spring ns that which must brighten I darken his prospects of a favorable hr vest. The operations of agriculture a so varied, says an exchange, and depei so much on conditions of the weathe ' that anxiety regarding the planting se son is always justifiable. .The passii winter is being regarded as exceptional severe by those not engaged in faraiin Intense cold, heavy snows and rain 1 destructive floods and violent gales, ha marked its progress and lent to its hi i tory a very sad interest in view of tl loss of life along the coast and the d i vastation caused on the Ohio and oth rivers. The season has presented j meteorologists one of those instances sudden anil extraordinary compensatio: by which nature adjusts the atmosphei equilibrium which' has been subjects to a series of disturbances tlirouf : several years. The extreme warmth i last summer resulted in many evilB the fanning class. In the West tl ! growing crops were injured by pr longed periods of drought or were c down by the voracious swarms of grae hoppers, which divested some extensr districts of every trace of vegetatio The potato bug extended the area of i destructive operations from the Rocl mountains to Cape Cod. The varioi crops suffered in their several distrie from an excess and a want of moistur and the whole agricultural interests of tl country felt the stagnation of busine caused by our political uncertainties ui the difficulties that arose out of the que tion of cheap transportation. Now, however, a more cheering pre pect presents itself, for, after the seve winter, we are pretty certain to enjoy tine spring season, extremely favorab for farming operations. The liea1 snows have brought to the soil importa chemical additions which cannot fail increase its fertility. It. has also blan eted the face of the country eastward the Mississippi with a good non-condu< nig covering, nv wnicn rncuauoii 01 ne . lias been checked and vegetation cons quently protected from the destructi effects of the intense cold. The lan of the grasshopper and potato bnij ha been probably destroyed in tlie regio where these insects are most destractiv Although a paragraph is being exte sively copied from a Western paper the effect that an experimental thawii of some masses of earth hns proved th the grasshopper eggs have not been d stroyed by the recent severe cold, no n favorable deductions can be drawn fro the fact, if it is a fact, because the com tions of the alleged test were peculiar it and frill not.. attend the natural ai very gradual thawing out of the soil di'i ing tlie coming spring. It is possib that some regions thickly covered wi snow may develop a grasshopper cro but the great area of the northwest ai W(?t has not been so covered during th winter.' Our political doubts are on t] eve of being dissipated by constitution means, anil there can be no questi< : about tlie early settlement of the tran portation problem on a basis satisfactoi to all parties interested. With thei cheer;ug considerations before us we kx forward to renewed activity in the field which will bo rewarded with abundai linrvests when the year grows older. Fashion Notes. Plush is the rage. Kid bonnets grow in favor. The Breton is a new jacket. Plush bonnets are novelties. Trailing skirts are moribund. Shonoincr for valentines has becun. Fancy ball costumes are in demand. Gray is to be the fashionable sprir j color. i Brazilian insect ornaments are in d mand. The "Emma Abbott "is the newe polonaise. i Dresses arc made narrower than evi [ in front. i Icelandic costumes will be worn i fancy balls. Children's paletots are as long as the: dresses. | Gentlemen wear black silk or alpat dominoes. Japanese styles of costume are comin in vogue. Sleeves are so tight that it is difficu to bend the arm. The Danicheff domino is of blac moire, trimmed with red. Large pockets and capes are seen o children's paletots. All opera bonnets and hats are smal and have low crowns. UUlili UUU IIUUV'UO (UV mv of the moment in London. Black cashmere is still the favoril fabric for dresses for old ladies. Jewels uud feathers are very fashioi able for trimming ball dresses. Japanese costumes are very populi for fancy balls and masquerades. Turbnn hats are very fashionable i London. Historic costumes are very fasliionabl for masquerades and fancy balls. A new trimming used in the place ( fur is a marabout of silk and chenille. Fashionable girls will not wear tli Martha Washington dress this season. Brazilian feathers and insects are vei fashionable for fancy ball coiffures. Venetian dominoes, with long sleev< and &?ape, are seen at the costumers No fasliionable lady wears a Gain borough or large hat to the theater ( opera. A Case of Medical Skill. Just now medical men.in Paris a: busy discussing a curious case which hi come under the observation of tl learned J)r. Verneuil. The doctor hr a lad brought to him for treatment at tl Hospital de la Pit ie, who had swallowe by accident a dose of caustic potasl The terrible escharotic produced so tigl a constriction in the gullet that no foe would pass down into the stomacl Death from inanition must have been tl result had not Dr. Verneuil courageous] resolved to perform the dreadful oper tion known as gastrotomy. On tl twenty-sixth of July, accordingly, he ci right into the lad's stomach, and insert* into it an elastic tube, through whic food could be injected. In this wr soup, fine chopped meat, mashed veg tables and drink were administered, the tentli of September the young mi recovered his health and spirits. He wi able to go about and help the servants i the hospital, and seemed to have asmuc life and energy as he had before the acc /lAnf. "Roftroan f.liA Ainrlif.AAnfli nf Anmi p.ud the fourteenth of September 1 gained ten pounds in weight, while b i mg fed through tlie hole in hia utomacl A Man's Work. :)n How best to utilize human labor, and or at the same time to produce the least ir* | fatigue, is one of those interesting probro lems in industrial mechanics which every inventor of machines based on man j !r? ; power as a motor is called upon to con- i a"! sider, and to which every employer of | men for the sake of their brute muscular v ! strength is obliged to give some atten-; S' I tion. It is a common error to believe ! :8> 1 that, in order to produce a given amount i, ve ! of work, a man always expends a given , . UiliUlUlt Ul puwci, Ituu IU ICW^UIAO KUIO j I i is the first Btep toward a correct estimn- j e"1 tioii of a man's musculur capability. . | er Appropriate restw are absolute necessi- ;: to 1 ties to the human machine, and it is by in- | j termittent, not continuous, effort that its i1 4R ; best work is produced. One man labor- I 1C j ing ten hours and taking intervals of re- j, : pose will produce more force and accom-j j ! plish more work with less fatigue than 1, ?* i another laboring eight hours with shorter ; ; or less frequent rests, the actual time j1 16 ! spent in working in both cases being ;; ?* j equal. But on the other hand, during j, ut , twR nr>n*(vls of absolute work regularity 1 1S": is a necessity, a fact clearly shown by the | ve 1 goverument'of soldiers on long marches, u< where the drum to which the feet keep time is a wonderful agent for repressing j; ;y fatigue, simply because it insures regu- i 118 larjty of motion. So also in rowing in a *s long race experience has proved the ad- j ei vantage of a clockwork regularity of ie stroke with a brief breathing spell be- i, 83 tween each pull. In fact it appears that1, 1(1' men will naturally fall into this cadence, IS* sin witness the blows delivered by laborers with Bledge hammers upon rock drills, j s-| and the peculiar timed "hup" which re I each will aspirate as his implement falls, a or the tendency which sailors have to ! le break into a cadenced singsong when ry ; pulling a standing haul on a rope. A nt | more curious instance in tliis regard is to , found in the power of dancing ; nothing ( k-' but the repeated rests and the regular i of : movements will explain the ability of j it- women, to whom ordinarily a walk of a at mile in length is a severe task, to dance IP- during a period of live or six hours, and , re this at a time when nature is most ex- j "fe hausted, owing to deprivation of sleep, re The best application a man can make ns of his power is through his legs, for the e. muscles of those members are not only | n- absolutely but relatively stronger than j to those of the arms. In other words, after j ig work, the fatigue produced in both sets of , at : muscles being equal, the leg muscles will ; o- have performed more useful labor than j n- i those of the arms. And further, the j m nearer we imitate a natural movement li- the better do we apply the power, there-:, to ; fore a walking motion of the legs, at a i id velocity equal to that of an ordinary gait, r- and applied to levers, is probably the le < most efficacious application of human j tli. force for sternly work. p, As to the absolute power of a man ex-1 id j pressed in pounds to be lifted or in simiis ! lar terms, exact data are obviously imie possible, even for an average individual, al ; An interesting series of experiments were >n ; conducted on this subject some time ago s- ! in France, and these, we believe, give a ry 1 fair approximation. The heaviest load a j ne j man of strength can cany for a short dis- j )k I tance is placed at 319 pounds. All a man j s, can carry habitually?an a soldier his i nt knapsack?walking on level ground is 132 , pounds, and this is an extreme load, we j should judge. Or he can carry an aggre-1 j Rate of 1,518 pounds over 3,200 feet as a I, j clay's work, under like circumstances. If ! ' he ascend ladders or stairs?as do hod j ! carriers?then he can carry but 121 I ! pounds continuously, and his day's work j i cannot exceed 1,232 pounds raised 3,200 IJ ! feet high.. With regard to the effort and I [ veh)city which a man can produce by ! j pulling or pushing with his arms, it has ; , been found that, under the most favor- j, able circumstances and for continuous I ( work, an effect exceeding from 26 4 to 33 j, pounds raised from 1.8 to 2.1 feet per j: e" j second cannot be gained, and this is equal i j to about | horse power. ( at! j! 1 Power of Sympathy. ! \ | At the union depot at Toledo, say3 a ! local paper, a coffin lay on a baggage | truck waiting to be put on to Lake Shore j ir train No. 8, when it should go out. It: was directed to Parma, Mich. It con- j :a tained the remains of the son of a woman i who, in one short year, had lost every j _ ! near relative she possessed on earth? j i husband, daughter and two sons. Tliis | . j was her last Bon, who had just died in " i Cincinnati. She had been summoned to his side when he was suddenly taken ill, k and just arrived one hour after he breathed his last, calling vainly in the agonies n of death for his mother. At times the ; realization of her terrible grief and lonelij ness would weigh down on her with such ' j unbearable force that she would almost ! grow wild with anguish. She paced the 'e j floor of the depot impatiently, and finally j walked out and stood over the coffin, ' & ! wringing her hands and moaning with | grief. Another woman saw her ami came i- j to her side. They were utter strangers, i | but sorrow made them sisters. " Do not; ir j give way to your grief so completely," j I said the strange lady to the poor woman. ! ; " How can I help it?" said she, almost j 11, fiercely. "It is well enough for you to j j say so, but what do you know about suf- : L0 fering? This was ftll 1 iiad." j , "Ah, my desir woman," saiil the stran-1 >f ger, taking her by the hand, "I know; what Borrow is. Last week I buried all ; ie I had on earth." Almost instantly the poor woman stop- i ped her weeping, grasped her comforter's 1 ^ 1 hand eagerly, and walked away from the i I coffin with her into the waiting-room. j ;s "I will learn to bear it," said she ; but' ' I did not believe that in this wide world | s- there was one human being called to suf>r ; fering like mine." Luck Followed Him. i I re One of the chief purchasers at the I is Menzies book sale in New York, was ! ie quite a new collector whose history is. | id curious. Years ago he took it into his ; ie head that ho would take to farming on 1 id Long Island, and set out to find a desira-! n. j bio farm. He went on a tour of inspec-! it tion, carrying with him a shovel with ! id which he dug up ground and then had it i. analyzed. However, not finding aught ie to his taste on Long Island, he determin-1 lv ed to co to Rhode Island, and there pur a- | chased a farm for $20,000, on which he ' ie expended ?20,000 more, and then, apit parently tired of it, rented tho ground 'd for a few hundreds a year, and with the :h small remnant of his fortune went to Calty ifomia ; there he made a lucky hit, and , e- not long Bince returned to tho East to >n make the agreeable discovery that during in his absence the city of Providence had, is providentially for him, been steadily ndin vancing toward his farm, which had besh come immensely valuable. Presently he i- s ild off $80,000 worth, and then, arriving st at the conclusion that he had let it go too ie cheap, he had the rest surveyed and laid : e- out in streets and lots. He has now sold ii. | altogether $900,000 worth I I FIGHTING GRASSHOPPERS. Efficient Aid 1'oMMhle frnni the Government ~8200|000,000 Annually Lout to Agriculture. The question whether the Western Stiites and Territories are to be peopled by grasshoppers to the exclusion of the white man, is one of some interest, writes A. S. Packard, Jr., to the Tribune. In the year 1875 it iB said that 10,000 Bettlers left the State of Kansas, driven out by grasshoppers, the offspring of swarms which the year before traveled some 500 miles or more from the Rocky mountains. Locusts do not swarm in this way every year, but the intervals between their visitations have been shorter of late years than formerly. Tho great breeding places are in our Western Territories. The most extensive pastures aie the fertile prairies ex tending from Minnesota to Texan. Government aid has been invoked in a convention of the governors of the afflicted Territories and States, and it is to be hoped that the national government will set on foot such inquiries by scientific men as will lead to practical measures in lighting the locust. In dealing with this fearfully destructive insect, it is of prime importance to have a thorough knowledge of its breeding places, the frequency and extent of its migrations, and to seek for the connection between the direction of the wind and the meteorological phenomena, and the flights of the locust. The locust is quite or nearly as destructive in Africa, Asia and in southern Europe as in this country, but the laws of their migrations and their connection with meteorological occurrences have never been studied in those regions, and it remains for the United States, with its invaluable weather signal bureau, to institute, in connection with tho scientific surveys of the West, investigations regarding the nature of the evil and the best means to overcome it. It appears that locust years are years of unusal drouth ; that these dry seasons come around every seven or eight years. In such summers grasshoppers breed in untold millions ; the supply of food being short, they are forced to fly off lmndreds of miles. For example, a swarm of locusts observed by Professor Robinson of the University of Kansas, near Boulder City, Colorado, traveled a distance of about six hundred miles to eastern Kansas and Missouri. Though the swarm was first observed at Boulder, it was then on its way from the north, and may have come from some part of Wyoming 200 or 300 Ailes northwestward or northward. We know enough of the winds in the Western States and Territories to lay down the law that the general direction of the winds in Jidy and August along the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains and on the plains is from the west and northwest, and accords with the eastward course of the locust swarms. The relations between the average direction of the winds and the migrations of the locusts have not been sufficiently studied. We need more light. Indeed, if we would intelligently study the causes of the excessive increase and migrations of the locust we would eximine the meteorological features of the Western country, ascertain the. periods of drouth and of undue rainfall, the average direction of the wind for the different months, in order to learn how far they correspond with the phenomena of locust life. That there are cycles of dry and hot seasons recurring at irregular intervals, wliile the geueral average may remain nearly the same, century after century, is supported, though it mny be vaguely, by observed facts. So tiie question arises, can the weather signal bureau after a while predict the coming of seasons of undue heat and dryness, and consequently can we predict locust years ? It does not seem tinreasonable to believe that wo shall in the course of time be able to foretell with [i good degree of certmntj* locust invasions, and be able to provide against the losses thus incurred. It will be seen by the reader that in studying the habits 3f the locust the observations . of the meteorologists and entomologists must 50 hand in hand. The government has provided' a well organized corps of sveatlier observers, and we submit that a :ew competent entomologists should ;ake the field under government auspices. Not only should the border States, especially Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, Miulesota and Iowa employ entomologists, Allowing the liberal policy of Missouri, 1 kYlilUU IUJL JClllO UllW JiiUl U OIUIC mtomologist, whose reports have proved )f incalculable practical value to the people of that State, but the habits of the ocust need first of all to be thoroughly itudied in the Territories, particularly u those of Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Dakota, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, ind the new State of Colorado. A comnission of entomologists should be appointed to make a thorough study of the ocusts in the Territories mentioned. IL vould seem- that the recommendations nade at the recent meeting of Western governors /it Omaha to the effoct that m appropriation be passed by Congress, md a commission be attached to the exsting United States geological and geographical survey of the Territories Hayden's), is the most feasible and economical method of securing the ipeediest and best results. Let us for a moment look at the losses mstained in the United States from the ittacks of iusects. The annual ngricul rural products of thisx country by the ast census amounted in value to ?2,500,)00,000. Of this amount we in all probibility annually lose upward of $200,)00,000 from insects alone?at least vere it not for the attacks of insects our igricultural products would realize so nuch more. Prof. Riley avers that the osses during 1874 in Missouri from lo:ust8 exceeded $15,000,000. This would nake the losses in other parts of the iVest at leaat twice as much more, or ^5,000,000in all. The estimated money oss occasioned by the clinch bug in Illilois in 18G4 was over ?73,000,000; in Missouri in 1874 it is estimated by Dr. ftiley to have been 810,000.000. The iverage annuul loss to the cotton crop rom the attacks of the cotton army vorm alone is estimated at 850,000,000. Adding to theRe the losses sustained by :he attacks of about a thousand other species of insects which affect our ceretls, forage and field crops, fruit trees ind shrubs, garden vegetables, shade ind ornamental trees, ns well as our rnrd wood and pine forests, and stored ruitfl, and it will not be thought au ex IfJgtTUUUU l? uiu uuu IUU >un? itu tbout $200,000,000. If the people of this country would )nly look at this annual depletion, this ibsolute waste, which keeps her agricul;urul community poor, and which drags ler backward in the race wifn the counties of the old world, they might Bee the lecessity of taking effectual preventive neasures in restraining the ravages of nsects. With care and forethought, jaeed on the observation of facta by i scientific men, we believe thut from $50,i 000,000 to 8100,000,000, or from onequarter to one-half of this annual waste j could be saved to the country. And the fl i practical, most efficient way is for the j States to co-operate with the general 11 government in the appointment of sala- j ? ! ried entomologists, afd of a United j i States ommissiun of entomologists, who ? should, perhaps, combine the results of n the Statu officials and issue weekly bulletins, perhaps in combination with the i: reports of the weather signal bureau, as v to the conditions of the insect world, fore! warning farmers and gardeners from j. j week to week as to what enemies should n I bo guarded against, and what preventive ^ and remedial measures should be adopt-. ckL The weather signal bureau, tirnt j suggested and urged by the late I. A. Lap-1 ? ham, wan not instituted without ridicule | f and opposition, hut it lias saved millions j1 i to our commerce and agriculture. The j maintenance of an entomological com- t I mission and the appointment of State en- j 0 ! tomologists, would involve comparatively ! t little expense. I l ? Another Indian Fight. r General Nelson A. Miles has had an- ; t j otlier severe fight with the Indians, and 1t i has gained another signal victory over |* (them. The Indians consisted of bands i T i of the Cheyennes and Ogallalas, under ic the leadership of Crazy Horse, and num-) I linrml A/Vl nnil fifVl InHtrpn i i General Miles' command left bis post i 1 i on the twenty-seventh dny of December, ( and proceeded up Tongue river, deter- j i I mined to find the ullage of Crazy Horse, . which ho knew to be located in the vi- ? j cinity of Wolf mountains. His com- 1 1 maud consisted of five companies of the t i Fifth United States infantry and two ! i ! companies of the Twenty-second infan-1 try, and numbered about 300 fighting x men. Through lack of transportation ? i General Miles was compelled to employ j i a Montana ox train that happened to be j T j at the post to transport nis supplies. | ; This train he sent out three days in ad- : j vnnce of the departure of the main com- j1 j mand, under charge of Major Charles ' J ; Dickey, with two companies of the j ' j Twenty-second infantry and one of the | * | Fifth infantry. After overtaking the j1 ; train, with the balance of the command | I General Miles abandoned the wagons ; 1 | and drove his oxen, in order to have i < \ them at hand to assist in pulling his \ t train up the steep hills and through the 1 < j deep canyons. J At the time of leaving the post there ; I was a heavy snow on the ground, and ! r j severe storms, with intensely cold j i weather, obtained during the whole | f | period of the expedition. The move- j t : ment of the troops was necessarily ; \ tedious, and the hardships endured were, j 1 I of course, very great. Still there were j j no obstacles that could for a moment jj I daunt or deter General !Miles. He had 11 1 fidly determined' to hunt Crazy Horse in j r j his retreat among the fastnesses of Wolf j t i mountains," and after finding him to whip j i him. He has succeeded in both. j j I After proceeding some sixty miles up ; : Tongue river he discovered signs of re-1 r | coat Indian encampments, and pushing ; j I on he struck their full force on the j. I seventh of January. On the evening of j j I that day quite a heavy skirmish took j ; place, and on the eighth the Iudians, to j ! the number of 1,000 warriors, well armed J and plentifully supplied with ammuni- j. j tion, appeared on his front; they gave i j ! every indication of being confident of j1 I their ability to annihilate the troops. J : General Miles attacked them, however, j * ! with his gallant little command, and by ' f i an admirable disposition of his force ;1 j succeeded in gaining a decisive victory, j ? The loss of the Indians is hard to esti- ; j mate, as they always carry their dead and . a ! wounded from the field ; but it is knowu : * ! to have been great. The battlefield was } j covered ivith traces of blood. The In-! I dians fought with great desperation. ! s The battle was contested on very rough ( c and broken ground, where it would havj 11 been impossible for cavalry to rjde. The i " Indians were entirely on foot, and charg i ed the troops repeatedly. 11 ! Officers and men displayed the greates j 1; ' coolness and courage, and poured deadly ( y \ volleys into the ranks of the " hostiles." j b Though outnumbered at least three to i b one they never once contemplated defeat. 1 f, For more than five hours the battle raged ! o as terrible as ever was witnessed on a i p battlefield. A heavy snow storm pre-! c vailed during a portion of the fight. The following is a list of the killed and ^ ; wounded: Killed: Corporal Augustus r j Rathbone, of Company A, Fifth infantry; j ^ i Private Batta, of Company C, Fifth infan- j ^ try ; Private Bernard, of Twenty-second j, j infantry ; Private McCann, of Twenty- n j second infantry. Wounded: Private n j Rodenburg, of Company A, Fifth infan- j, , try; Private Danha, of Company H, j j I Fifth infantry ; Private Daily, of Com- ' 0 1 pany D, Fifth infantry ; Private Dia- ' j j moud, of Company D, Fifth infantry ;} ' Corporal Thomas Rehm, of Company F, j j Fifth infantry ; Sergeant Hiram Spanger, ; I of the Twenty-seconci mimury. I y General Miles pursued the Iudians i } into the Wolf mountains as far as his j , j limited supplies -would permit. j The command returned to post in good condition, considering the terrible hard-1 j ships it has endured. ! q ? ! s HJs Authority. ; q j " Now," begun a lawyer, rising slowly ^ I from among his professional brethren, and looking very profound, " now, are j J you prepared to swear that this mare j ? was three years old?" "Swear!" re- i A turned the stableman in the bos, "yes, i if I'll swear she was." "And pray, sir, upon 1 & what authority are you prepared to swear 1 v it?" "What authority?" echoed the -wit- ' 1< ness. "Yes, sir, upon what authority? You J i are to give me an answer, and not repeat; v ! my question." "I don't see as a man i 4' | can be expected to answer a question be-1 A fore he has had time to turn it over." , oi ' " Nothing can be simpler than the ques- ; 1; tiou put to you. Upon what authority, A I repeat, do you swear to this animal's : age?" "On very good authority." . n "Then why this evasion? Why not ? state it at once?" "Well, if you must ^ have it"? "Must have it!" inter-: t] rupted the man of law, "I will have it." j ei j " Well, then, if you must anu -wm mm; S( it," said the ostler, with deliberate *S] gravity, " I lnul it from the mare's own | n mouth." ti ' p By Gaslight. t( I A Rochester woman wore in the streets ft | a ballroom costume?a dress with short d i sleeves and low at the bosom. A crowd followed her, and she was arrested for j disturbing the public peace. She I i proved, in court, that she was reputable, T j and that her conduct in the street was tl : decorous. Her lawyer argued that a A ; dress that might be worn in a ballroom ii by gaslight without impropriety was fit fi I to be worn in the street by daylight. c< i She was released; but subsequently, ! n j wlieu she made another appearance in p I the same attire, she was arrested and i o: I sent to an insane asylum. j a: It-cms of Interest. Iu the Sandwich Island* the Chineee jo called cockroaches. Why is a beautiful woman like a Hoe irinting press? Because she makes a ,rood impression. The sweepings of Paris are sold for (600.000 per year. . The old paper collars lone bring $*20,000. Mrs. Partington says that Ike has (ought a horse so spirituous that he always goes off in a decanter. A child being asked what were the bree great feasta of the Jews, promptly ,?d not unnaturally replied: " Breaktaat, [inner and supper." Probabilities: "When you see a man ;oing home at two o'clock in the morn a; and. know his wife is waiting tor mm, fc is likely to be stormy." Turkey intends being represented at lie Paris Exposition of 1878, notwithtanding the probable war in which she fill be involved at that period. "Did you notice how splendidly I pent through that last reel at the ball last light; Tom ?" "Yes, and I also noticed hut you kept it up all the way home." The product of beeswax in the United 5tates is 20,000,000 pounds annually, Forth at least $6,000,000, while the proluctof honey is worth nearly $9,000,000. Thf Michigan salt wells have produced .,462,729 barrels, or 7,313,645 bushels. )eing an increase of 1,904,320 bushels, >r 380,474 barrels, over last year's proluctions. According to the London Army and xt?* "hoa Kppti fin 11 vy UTUn^I'IC UIWJU^ MUW IVVVM W )risk, owing to general depression in all rfules, that no fewer than 30,000 young nen enlisted last year. A thrifty young woman in Boston got lp a handsome subscription for the letter sarrier on the route,, and then married lim, and used the fund to defray the expenses of a wedding tour. Paris dandy : "You always tell me, nodam, that I am dull; pray inform me ,vhat. is the difference between dull and )right!" Answer: "The difference is he same as between a smell and a perume." A bill has been introduced in the IIinois Legislature to require -all owners >f stallions kept for breeding purposes o pay an annual license of $50, the >bject being, of course, to raise the jrade of equine stock. A few years ago Australia imported a argo of rabbits for the purpose of freeng the pastures from noxious weeds and tightening mischievous animals from he grain fields. It is now importing veasels for the destruction of the' rab)its. This spell of political weather recalls v saying of Fisher Ames': A monarchy, le said, is a merchantman that sails well mtil it strikes some rock and goes to he bottom; a republic is a raft that lever sinks?" but your feet are always n the water." The official returns now completed nake it manifest that from all parties he Conservatives have carried off the >rize at the elections to the German leichbtag. The parties hostile to the :mpire represent 133 votes, while its rfeeuders and supporters are 194. The Yankee facility for getting the )est of circumstances receives an apt ilustration in the fact that the captain of i schooner which was solidly frozen in he Mystic river, in Massachusetts, is low loading her with the ice taken out n making a channel, and will sell it at A food profit in Florida. "Say, Pat, suppose sat an was to coino long now, and see both of us here, vhich do you suppose he would take? -on or me ?" " Oh, faith, yer honor! .oU r.-,p " " How SO (" "Well, ir," Haiti Pat, "he'd take me now, beanse he wouldn't be sure of me when le came again; but he'd be mire of you t any time, and could afford to wait." The outlook for the shoe and leather rade during the current year is tmusualj encouraging. In Massachusetts, last ear, this industry was larger than ever iefore in the history of the trade, tie . hipments from Boston exceeding those dt 1875 by over 70,000 oases, and those f 1874 by 130,000 cases. The total reported shipments for 1876 are 1,521,205 usee. The /armers, who usually complain hat their class is denied adequate repesentation in legislative bodies and that he lawyers monopolize all power and onor, have no cause for such complaint i Maine at least. A majority of the lembers are farmers, merchants and lanufacturers. There are only two iwyers in the Senate and nine in the louse. Seven senators out of the thirtyne and seventeen representatives out of 51 are college graduates. Some sheep belonging to a farmer amed Reed having been stolen in the eighborliood of a colliery village in )urham, England, while the thief was till undiscovered, a local preacher, aving a collection to make, thought he ould turn the event to a good account; i) he said : " We have a collection to lake this morning; and for the glory of rod, whichever of you stole Mr. Reed's L- nntrtliirilT ntl tllfi t)late !" liccp ViOil V f/itv I?ut, 0 )f course everybody joined in the coljction. When the earl of Citrlisle, tlien Lord forpeth, was in 1844 traveling in this ountry, he called one day upon Mrs. Lbbott Lawrence, wife of the later minster to England. Sirs. Lawrence, omewhat moved by eo,, aristocratic a isitation, summoned her two sons Bigejw Lawrence and Abbott Lawrence, r., in order to present them to her isitor. "Your lordship," she said, 1 allow me to present to you my sons, .below and Bigot"?then conscious that omething was wrong, she added, liastij:. "I beg your pardon, Bigot ond .below !" Mr. Thurlow Weed gives in the retniiaeences of Yainlorbilt the following: )n one occasion a gentleman called on lie commodore to propose for one of his aughters, and commenced, by the most iiger and vehement protestations, to asert tlist he was ipt actuated by any deire to obtain her fortune, but was nmmted hy the sincerest anil purest affecon, and inspired by admiration for her ersonal nnd mental beauty: and when, ) emphasize these protestations, he wan bout to renew them again, the cornmoore stopped kim, saying, quite quietly : I did not know she had any fortune." Cattle Dying Off by Thousands.? housands of cattle have perished witlun le lust twenty days along the line of the tchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad, 1 the southwestern poi*tion of the State, om the combined effects of the intense :>ld and the scarcity of water. It was ot anticipated by cattle owners that the resent winter would be such a severe ne, and, as a consequence, no shelter o av kind was provided for the stock.