The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, May 15, 1878, Image 1
BY HUGH WILSON AND W. C. BENET. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 1878. ^ NO. 49 VOLUME XXV.
Somebody's Mother.
The woman was old and ragged and gray,
And bent with the chill of the winter's da/;
The Btreet was wet with a recent snow,
And the woman's feet were aged and slow.
She stood at the crossing and waited long,
Alone, uncared for, aruid tho throng
Of human beings who passed her by,
Nor heeded the glance of her anxious eye.
Down the street, with laughter and shout,
Glad in the freedom of school let out,
Came the boys like a flock of shoep.
Hailing the snow piled white and deep.
Past the woman so old and gray,
Hastened the children on their way,
uur UUt'lCU A uctpiu^ UdUU WV/ UQi|
So meek, bo timid, .afraid to stir
Lest the carriage wheels or the horses' feet
Should crowd her down in the slippery stre
At last came one of the merry troop?
The gayest laddie of all the group;
He paused beside her, and whispered low,
"I'll help you across if you wish to go."
Her aged hand on his strong young arm
She placed, and so, without hurt or harm,
He guided the trembling feet along,
Proud that his own were firm and strong.
Then back again to his friends he went,
Hia young heart happy and well content.
" She's somebody's mother, boys, you know
For all she's old, and poor and slow;
"And I hope some fellow will lend a hand
To help my mother, you understand,
" If ever she's poor, and old and gray,
When her own dear boy is far away."
And "somebody's mother" bowed low her h<
In her home that night, and the prayer she s
Was: " God be kind to the noble boy,
Who is somebody'^ aon and pride and joy!"
WANTED, AT 01JCE.
"Tea, I will," said Amy Jenninj
" This time I will. My brother's w
has called me 'a little vixen* lo
enough. Now I'll be a little vixen. I
tired of this persecution?I'm tired
it." Amy spoke angrily ; her eyes wf
blazing; her cheeks were flushe
But at the last sentence she faltere
repeating it, she fell upon her knees \
?'UnmAi) n? fonn f
BlUtt J-iCl UDU UJL1U UU11CU UG1 IKUV ui v
pillow. "I'm tired of it," she crie
with passionate sobs. '
A rap at the door aroused her. 8
arose, wiping her, eyes ruefully, a
asked, in a voice of forced calm, " Wh<
there ?"
" Me," answered a rongh but frien
ly voice?"Jack."
* " Have you brought me the Times
"Yes."
" Well, then, you can't see me jt
now, dear Jack. Put the paper tnroui
the crack." She opened the doorfoi
crevice, received the newspaper whick
clumsy brown hand thrust in, and the
with a quick "Thank yon, dear
thank3, my dear good Jack," reclos
the door, and turned the key in t
lock.
The boyish footsteps bounded do^
the stairs, and Amy, once more in so
tude, flew to the window, flung hersi
into the arm-chair that filled its ei
brasure, and opening the newspapt
spread it upon her writing-table, a;
? V <<TT
Degan eageny to neuiuu mc ,, ?uk
Her eyes drifted over column after a
umn of those marshalled appeals
print that stand side by side as unreoc
nizable as faces in a crowd, but ea
one bearing its own individual burd
?Heaven knows what heavy burdens f
some, homeless and friendless in t
great city. Her eyes drifted over the?
and seized the brief oolumn devoted
"Instruction." *
"WAWTED, AT ONCE?A governess foi
girl eleven years old. Must be of an amial
disposition, and mistress of the modern i
cpmplishments. Call immediately," etc, etc
This advertisement, so peremptory
regard to time, struck the fancy of At
Jennings. It was nrgent andimpetuot
I and she was in accord with impetu<
""ftfes and trfgencies.
" This is just the thing for me," s
thought. " A girl? I like girls : bo
are so 'awfully' affectionate and roug
- ^*j$2teren years old.' That is qu
young ; I could manage that. Oh,
wish tvp&e eleven years old?I wish
- were Hack again to happy eleven I
bad my darling mother then, and n
kind father. Now they are both go
?*-gbne forever. It is terrible to be
orphan, and terrible to think how v
kind some people can be to orphans,
hope Heaven will keep me from es
" being unkind to unhappy people.
f i it is the worst sin of the soul."
She bathed her eyelids, so red wi
weeping, and prepared herself for
waite; left the house without a word
any one, and went-directly to the plf
described, in the advertisement
Tteviocation was remote from t
brilliant avenue where Amy lived in I
brother's house; it had a'strange, r
fomilior nnH ratliAr rlintrv ftir. T
house stood opposite a small park, i
frequented throngingJy or girt wi
steams of travel like the larger squar<
It was early winter, and the trees
bare, but children played in the wall
and sparrows flitted tamely across t
faded sward ?
Amy gazed at tlr's wintry park wh
she stood in the doorway of tho stran
house waiting for some one to ansv
the bell. She waited long, and wh
the door was opened, the face that :
sponded to her timid 44 Miss Jennin;
an answer to the advertisement for gc
erness," was so stern and repelling, t:
heart sank with a sudden chill. Tl
depressing impression was not lessen
when she entered.
1 .A lady entered, and Amy arose, tre
bling. Tho lady was in traveling c
tume, Rod carried, as if in act of depn
nre, a Bach el and blanket-shawl. ?
motioned to Amy to be seated, and h
self, in 9tifFest possible attitude, i
propriated an arm-chair. She wns t
and gaunt and severe. With a shs
assumptive and paling voioe she ent
ed into examination:
" How old are you ?"
" I shall be twentv-one in two* year
" Too voung. Where wore you ec
cated? What are your qualification
To whom do you refer ? What sy&t*
do you use in the study of langua^
What method do you employ in teachi
musie," and in drawing and water-colc
Give me your answers as expedition
as possible. Tho train starts at 11 :<
tie carriage should be here at this n
ment. I am going to Montreal foi
month, and am unwilling to leave i
niece alone. Alia onrcooK tias given
warning. 'Tis a pity, for although t
has a fiery temper, she pleases broth
With difficulty I hare persuaded her
remain a month. The waitress, t<
expresses dissatisfaction; the seamstre
I think, is more reliable; bnt altogetl
the household is in a state pafticula
unfitted to be managed by a mere ch
like my niece Martha, wh , however,
'head of tbe house,'and you will c
her 'Miss Martha,' please. And I ne
for the plaoe an experienced pers<
Bat really, as this is the last mome
and yon may be better than no one, p
haps I had better engage you for c
month; provided, of course, that y<
credentials?"
"Th? cab is at the door, mem, a
says he's late, and must hurry up; c
?oh I here is Mr. Rainor himself."
And a gentleman entered in some baste,
mefely saving, as he was presented to
Miss Jennings, " I will see you in a few
moments," and hurried his sister to the
carriage, she all the way endeavoring to
impress upon him how very unfavorable
an opinion she had formed of the capacity
and experience of the new governess,
" to be engaged only for the month, yon
know; and it. was necessary to have some
one at once."
Her last act, as the cab drove off, was
to thrust her head through the window,
with an expression of dire solemnity, and
sav, with a groan, " Brother, we've gone
j throngh the woods to pick up the crookled
stick at last."
Mr. Rainor returning to the parlor,
| supposing that his sister had arranged
i all preliminaries, only 6aid: " How soon
| can you come, Miss Jennings ?"
I " To-morrow morning, if you like,"
! answered Amy.
et. j "Let it be, then, by ten o'clock so
; that I may present my little daughter,
1 and see you established before I go down
| town."
"Just what you might have expected
i from such a wilful girl," said Amy's sister
j in-law to her husband, who was petrified
I with astonishment when he learned that
j his pretty, sprightly sister, who seemed
, to him "all smiles," and who, " just out
: of school," had been received most lov;
ingly on his part into his affluent home,
: had engaged to " go as governess."
"It is a girlish freak," he said; "I
| can not consent to it." But Amy shockJ
ed him into acquiescence by a tempestu1
ous outpouring of her story of homei
sickness and unliappiness: and although
he was sorely puzzled to conceive how
j his wife could have been cruel to Amy,
! or rather how Amy could have imagined
j his wife to be cruel, lie finally?considered
j ing that the engagement was only for a
aid | month, and Mr. Rainor happened to be
' known to him as one of the most estimable
of citizens?gave his reluctant consent,
saying to his wife, caressingly,
" She'll come back to us, Matilda, at the
end of the month, quite cured of her
: girlish homesickness."
j So Amy appeared the next morning
_8 | by ten o'clock in the breakfast-room of
jf' 1 Mr. Rainor, and was presented to his
n_ little daughter.
i The child was an angular, awkward
0f | girl, with sharp, delicate features and
)re ! immense black eyes that seemed to be
| peering forth from an extremely active
d: intelligence with a suspicious vigilance
)e' I that to Amy was really formidable.
' "I had hoped she would have resem
j bled her father," thought Amy, despair'
ingly. "1 like Mr. Rainor. But this
h- child is Mrs. Edgeley in miHiature.
What shall J do with her ?"
5?8 Little Miss Martha, clinging devoutly
to her father, received her new governess
as 6he would have received the gift of
| some wild and unknown animal, whose
j claws or talons or teeth it were well to
: beware of.
1S? | Mr. Rainor, glancing at his watch,
j found that he was too late to go through
j?a , the rooms and look over school-books, as
t i he had intended; but he said, kindly, as
,u j with Martha's fond assistance he was
'_l | putting on his overcoat to go down town,
e(j j " You will examine the ground to-day,
ke j Miss Jennings. Mattie will assist you.
! There will probably be 8ome things "that
I you will want. Perhaps you had better
| make out a list, and give it to me this
1 evening."
j Nine o'clock at evening. Mr. Rainor
Jr | seated at his reading table in the library,
n,i j book in hand. Enter Amy, timidly, but
s.? I 'with a secret bravery.
" Miss Martha has retired, because
^ * 1 her head still troubles her. I had her
j feet bathed in hot water."
^ j /'Poor child, she inherits that," said
ec j her father. He meant headache, not
or ; hot water, although that element had
i.p been conspicuous in the rule of the late
(e Mrs. Rainor.
^ j "And I have made out the list," said
j Amy. Mr. Rainor took it, and after
j drawing an armchair near the fire and
placing a footstool for Miss Jennings,
i resumed his place at the table and
. ! adjusted his eyeglasses. He started
in slightly as he began to read the list, and
Qy j his expression, as he proceeded, varied
16 ' from astonishment to amusement; he
)8! ! looked over his glasses inquiringly at
I Amy, who regarded him steadily with a j
he I grave dignity. Then he read aloud as
,yS .follows: "Two canary birds, six house
h. | plants, order at florist's for fresh flowers
[te twice a week, six children to dance, a
X 1 wood fire in the school-room, a battlej[
i door and shuttlecook, a new piano."
-I "The battledoor and shuttlecock," i
ay said Amy, "are the French verbs. I
ne throw a verb,-you know, at Miss Maran
tha, and she catches it and throws it
[n. back to me. In this way we go through
I i the tenses, and th?y become ^impressed
rer I npon the memory without the tedium of
II leaning over the book."
j " Well," said Mr; Rainor, pleasantly,
ith i "I don't know that I should object to
a ; such a French exercise. Mattio has
to i had some trouble with her verbs. But
tee i how about the children for the dance ? is
! it necessary that we should have six chillie
i dren, Miss Jennings ?"
ier 1 " Yes," ' answered Amy, decidedly,
m. i " because each child will bring its own
he defects and its own graces ; the defects
10t will be warnings, and the graces will be
ith models, and the correction of many blunders
will make a more complete order,
;re as failures build up success. It took
J8f forty women, I have heard, to suggest
he the modelling of the ' Greek Slave.'"
Mr. Rainor did not perceive the prei]e
cise application of this illustration ; but
ge j Miss Jennings evidently did; so that
rer i point was settled, and they returned to
en the list. "And the flowers," she said,
re. ; "are to be copied in water-color, and
j8: to exhilarate us at our tasks."
)V." " And the piano?"
ier " It has all false notes ; a false note
jjs makes trouble in a house. I think that
a false note, even one, puts everything
that it reaches out of tune, Mr. Rainor,
m. Iam sure that you sing."
ns- "Sing? Oh no. I haven't sung for
rt_ years." He paused, and a strange bright
ihe ! light came into Mb kind eyes. He added,
er_ ; hesitatingly, " I believe there is a pile
Xp. j of my old music packed away in the
I house."
irp I "I knew it," said Amy, 11 and it would
er_ | be very good for Miss Martha if yon
1 could sing with her. I can play accompaniments,
and we could have music
s? evenings."
In. "I feci inclined," said Mr. Rainor,
? o after studvine the list more carefullv.
gm I and with a mere serious air than at firetj
is? I "to accede to these requests. And
jag ' books ?"
,r? | "Books?" repeated Amy, rather aisjjy
I mayed. "Really I forgot; in fact, we
haven't gone so far yet as the books.
10_' j Mr. Raynor," she said, rising to bid bim
. a [ good-night, and faltering from her digay
: nity with a genuine tremor of diffidence
ug j that was not ungraceful, that was, in he
j deed, for some reason, irresistibly
er- j charming, "I think?perhaps it will be
^ the best?perhaps, if you allow me,
x,f I will lean upon you a little about the
gB' | books."
ier j
rly | "Well, I declare, said the cook, a fortild
I nieht after Amy's arrival, "if this ain't
, is the surpritrin'est governess! La sakes,
sail don't she make a good missus, though!
>ed Always a-smilin' and serene. And she
an. knows what she wants, and what's what,
nt, And Miss Martha chimes in?my! how
er-* she does chime in!?as no un could have
me bethought. If missus don't come back,
>nr I'll stay right on, and no questions
asked, so I will."
ind "Yes, Miss Jennings is sorprisin',"
knd said the seamstress. "And to hear Miss
Martha layin' down the law to her is as
\
good as a play. 'Now I ought to do
this, Miss Jennings,' and 'Nowit is time
for me to do Ma<,'and 'You must be
strict with me about this Miss Jennings.'
And the new governess, though she's*
fresh as a rose-bud, and much more of
a baby in looks than MisB Martha is,
has her own way through all. I can see
that. But it's a nice way and a bright
way, so it is. It's as good as going to tfce
theater to hear her talk. And when she.
goes laughin' and singin' through the
house, my machine spins,so it do."
. "What has come, to me?" thought Mr.
Rainor. Age must be tempering me, I
leel so uguwiearceu, bo weu, 01
And Mattie, my precious little Mattie?
I begin to think that she will make a
glad, strong girl jet. I wonder if there
is any thing in Miss Jennings's idea of
sun and fragrance, music and color and
stirring life? Amy Jennings! What a
strange woman she is!?a child almost,
and yet a w6man quite. She is a surprise
to me?everyday a surprise."
Surprise! That was the word which
Amy seemed to have written upon the
whole house. But the greatest surprise
of all befell Mrs. Edgeley on her return
home. She came a day before she had
written she would come, for some reason
of her own. Perhaps she expected to
be surprised; if so, her expectation was
realized.
The cab rolled up to the door at nine
o'clock of a clear moon-lit winter night;
and Mrs. Edgeley, satchel and blanketshawl,
exactly as she left, had come
back. But at the very door-step of the
cab she stood motionless, as if transfixed
by a shock.
The house was lighted from attic
to basement. The white blinds were
drawn, but lamp-light streamed through
them into the street, and shadows moved
i across them in swift chase. Sound
of music, played by piano, violin
and harp, escaped as distinctly as
the light. Mrs. Edgeley hardly
had strength of mind left to pay
the cabman and ring the door-bell. The
door opened in a flash. The stern dissitisfied
waitress admitted her with a?
yes, actually with a grin. Girls in light
evening dresses and white-necktied boys
were promenading in the hall, and the
parlors were filled with the whirl of the
^ a n
Mrs. Edgeley, dumb with indignation,
attempted to ascend the stairs, but midway
she was almost upset by two children
in a high state of excitement coming
down abreast. "Who are you?" j
| gasped the matron, coming to a dead
stop. 1
"We are Miss Rainor's orphans,"
said they, or said one for both, who
were exactly alike in brown stuff gowns
and blue capes. j
" Miss Rainor's what ?"
"We go to the L School, and :
i Miss Rainor has no mother; so she takes
; care of us, for our mother is dead too.
I Miss Rainor makes our frocks for us,
I and our capes; and we have been to hear
I the music, and now we are going home; |
; and we are to have oranges to take with
i us. and plum-cake."
" Mercy I" cried the lodv, pushing 1
j past them with hasty steps, but pausiog !
I again on the landing with another dead
j stop. Not because the rooms on this
i floor too, with the exception of her own
I " wing room," were a blaze of light and ]
half full of guests, but because the dance :
J music had stopped and some one was 1
1 singing: a love song, a serenade?one of 1
; " the old, old songs." j
A man's voice ! It carried Mrs. Edge- ^
ley back ten years?yes, fifteen years? 1
; back to the gray parsonage by the stone I
! mill, where, night after night, that sum- j
: mer agone, some one came courting, no
! one knew which, till the one sister was '
taken and the other left. Mr. Rainor was 1
j 6i'nging. Heaven only knew how, out of
j that grave of fifteen years, ho had got '
|,back his voice. ]
It is a year from the day when Amy 1
i Jennings went out as governess from her 1
' brother's house, and now she is back, 1
1 only for a month, for at the end of that '
time she is to be a bride, and her room
is strewn with bridal stuffs, and the wed- 1
ding gown is this moment being trim- 1
med with its pearly border of lace. I
" We had hoped to keep you longer,"
said the affectionate Dick; and " It's to <
1 bad in you to go off just as you've come ^
I back," said the affectionate Jack. But 1
, Matilda remarked' " How ridiculous it is 1
for a girl like you, Amy, to marry an old (
| man like that 1"
"He is not an old man," said Amy, '
indignantly, " and if he were, I'd make 1
I him young again. I love him so much '
j ?love and respect and bless his kind 1
: heart so deeply and so much 1 There is 1
! no old age to a forever kind heart." 1
f "And then that girl I Very much '
mn orfl tr? ft mother to a bier 1
girl like that I" '
"She'll be a mother to me," said 1
Amy, laughing her merriest little la agh.
" I assure you Mattie is equal to that." |
" And to be married so soon, too ; i
only engaged for a month? Mr. Rai- 1
nor," Matilda changed from the sarcastio ]
to the angelio in a trice, for Mr. Rainor '
had entered as she spoke?'' Mr. Rainor, '
why don't you marry a mature woman
instead of this giddy girl ? or why do
you not at least wait a year or two before
I ttan aaimvmU rt wnr?V* onf 0" i
- JUU Wimmn VL1U JLttOil avu i <
" Because," said Mr. Rainor, not ac- .
cepting as badinge what he knew Matilda
at heart did not consider a jest?"be- i
cause Amy, just as she is "?his arm was i
around her, and with hands clasped
; upon his shoulders she was looking up
| joyously and lovingly to his face?"Amy
1 satisfies my mind and my heart; because i
i she has brought sunlight to my life;
j because in my house, and by every one
I in it, Bhe is wanted?wanted at once 1"
i
Bound to Keep Pace.
There are hardware men in Detroit
who keep a oook-stove at the store door
as a sign, and that the Btove may not be
injured by rust they paint it over. The
other day one of them who had a stove
with red legs, white covers and a blue
top secured an old farmer for a oustomer.
j The farmer stipulated for a stove "just
I like that," and ordered it sent home by
i the team of a neighbor. A stove of the
I size and pattern wa3 selected and sent
] away in good shape, and all was lovely
until the next day. Then the farmer
and. his wife came in with their own
team, having the stove in the wagon.
The husband held the lines while the
wife entered the store and remarked:
" When we buy a oertain kind of
stove we don't like to be put off with
auubuci.
" Why, madam, isn't that Btovo all
! right ?" asked the man that sold it.
"No, sir, it isn't! Yon sold my old
i man a stove with red legs and white
covers, and a bine border aronnd the
top, and that one ont in the wagon is
nothing bnt a scrnb-looking old black j
stove !"
" Why?why " he tried to explain,
out sne wavea mm aronna anaaeciarea:
"We're old folks, and we live out
among the frogs and owls, but we keep
pace with the stylos just as much as
anyone, and you can't palm off any scrub
stoves on us!"
The men could hardly lift ten pounds |
apiece as they exchanged the nicely pol- |
ished stove for the one with red legs, j
but the old lady thought it was because j
they were so mad.
" There?that stove has got some tone
about it!" she muttered, as it was loaded
up. " I don't want to appear capturous,
but if style demands a red-legged stove
then I go in for the gorgeous with the
rest of 'em, and I'll gild the stove-pipe
i to boot V'?Detroit Free, Prest.
FANS.
Origin of the Fan?Ital History, Ancient
and Modern*
The fundamental idea of the fan is
said to have been hit upon a great many
centuries ago at a certain Feast of Lanterns,
-where the beautiful Kan-si,
daughter of an eminent mandarin, found
herself so hot that, contrary to all etiquette,
she was obliged to take off her
mask ; \rith which?partly to hide her
blushes, partly to cool her heated face
?she commenced upon herself the process
which we now call "fanning." The
action was seen and admired by Kan-si's
young companions; and at once, says
the narrator of this truthful legend,
"ten thousand hands agitated ten thousand
masks." Others writers have discovered
the origin of the fan in the
necessity felt in all hot countries for
keeping off flies, whether from sacred
offerings in the temples or from the
hands and faces of the officiating priests
? * wA*oAno r\t nnnMlofinn
UI AJLUJ-U bUC J/OArav-ruo ui vuu
generally. In India and China the
original model of the fan is said to have
been the wing of a bird; and an admirable
fan can always be made from
two birds' wings, joined by a strip of
wood. The fan of the high priests of
Isis was in the form of a half circle, made
of feathers of different lengths. Such,
too, were the fans carried in triumphal
processions, and which among the
Egyptians served as military standards
in time of war. The Sibyls are said to
have been in the habit of fanning themselves
as they delivered their oracles
?the fan being evidently not regarded
in those days as in any way connected
with frivolity.
The fans carried by the Roman ladies
were not, like the most ancient Chinese
fans, made in one piece, whether of
paper, ganze, or silk, but were composed
of little tablets of perfumed wood.
The ladies of high fashion were followed
when they went out walking by fan
bearers or fiabellifercB ; and guests of
both sexes were fanned at dinner by
slaves charged with that particular duty.
The earliest reference to fans on the
part of a classical author occurs in
Euripides' tragedy of " Helena," where
one of the characters, a eunuch, relates
how, according to the Phrygian custom,
he has fanned the hair, face, and bosom
of the beautiful heroine.
The fans of the Middle Ages were in
good society worn suspended from the
gridle-by chains of gold, and were usually
made of feathers ; those of the pea
cock, ostrich, parrot, and pheasant being
preferred. They -were sold in. Iarg9
numbers at the markets of the Levant,
whence they were sent direct to Venice,
and from Venice to other parts of Italy.
The fan is said to have been introduced
in France by Catherine de Medicis,
where it was quickly adopted not only
by women, but also by effeminate men.
Under Louis XIV. and XV. the art of
painting ornamental fans was brought
to great perfection. Among the celebrated
painters who have not disdained
to employ their talents to the artistic
decoration of the fan, Watteau, and his
successor, Boucher, must first be named.
In our own time Diaz, the great
colorist; Eugene Lami, chiefly known
by his marine pictures; Hamon, the
painter of scenes from ancient Rome
life ; and Gavarni, celebrated as a cariuaturist,
but who has exercised his
talent in almost every style of pictorial
art, have all painted fans. The most
Famous sculptor and decprator of fans in
the present day is Froment-Meurice,
generally known as a goldsmith and
jeweler, but who is in fact a great artist,
rhe French Fanmakers' Company was
established by edict in 1683, when to be
received into the guild or corporation it
was declared necessary to have served
four years1 apprenticeship, and to have
produced a "masterpiece." The mas
terpiece, however, was not required of
the eons of fanmakers, nor of apprentices
who had married fanmakers'
laughters.
A great number of processes are employed
in fan making. The frame has
to be cut, shaped, polirhed, trimmed,
graved, inlaid, painted, gilt, andrivetted.
The web has to be printed, gummed,
colored, and retouched. Yet after passbag
through so many hands fans can be
sold in Paris at one sou apiece. This is
the lowest possible figure ; the highest
quotation, except in special cases, as
where the talents of a great painter are
jailed into requisition, being8400. Fans
ire broadly divided into two classes ;
those consisting of one web of paper or
3ilk, and those which are made up of
several thin strips of wood or other material.
The former are held to be the
best for fanning, the latter for shuffling ;
nr for the manoeuvre known in the days
Df the "Speotator" as "flirting" the
fan.
In was during the reign of Elizabeth,
ibout the year 1570, that fans were first
imported into England. They are said
bo have been brought from Italy, but
probably reached England from France,
where there were brought into fashion
ibout 1560 by Catherine de Medicis.
Vitality of a Shark's Heart.
The Providence Br ess tells this story,
appropos of a shark story in Wide
Awake, written by Dr. J. T. Payne :
41 He describes the captnre of a shark
and its dissection at sea, and says that
after the heart had been removed from
the body and placed upon the deck 4 it
kept up its contractions foi> a period of
twenty minutes or half an hour, just the
same as when in place and performing
its office of pumping the blood to th?
various parts of the body.' We, in
company with the late Surgeon McGregor,
used to enjoy annually a sharkfishing
excursion. One season we rendezvoused
at Edgartown, and fished for
the monster off 4 Capoge.' We caught
among others a fellow of splendid pluck
and proportions, and decided to dissect
him. We landed him upon an oja wnan
in Edgartown, about four o'clock in the
afternoon, and proceeded in true surgeon's
style. We opened him ; took out
his Immense jaws, which, when opened,
passed over to the extreme of our shoulders,
and afterward found his heart expanding
and contracting as if in life,
though the body was devoid of blood.
We cut the heart out, placed it upon an
inverted iron try-kettle used by whalers,
and proceeded with our work. After we
had finished?it was nearly dark?we
took the jaw and the heart, the latter
still pumping, to our hotel, and placed
the latter upon a stone po#t, while we
went in and had our supper. We took
a lantern with us and examined that
marvelous heart again. It was still contracting,
though feebly, and its last
quiver, about 8:30 o'clock, was merely a
spasm. Dr. Payne's story is not as
marvelous as ours, and we vouch for its
truthfulness."
How to Drown Easily.
If death by drowning be inevitable,
as in a shipwreck, the easiest way to die
wonld be to suck water into the lungs
by a powerful inspiration, as soon as
one went beneath the surface. A person
who had the courage to do this
would probably become almost immediately
unconscious and never rise to
the surface. As soon as the fluid filled
his lungs all feelings of chilliness and
pain would cease, the indescribablo semidelirium
that accompanies anesthesia
would come on, with ringing in the ears
and delightful visions of color and light,
while he would seem to himself to be
gently sinking to rest on the softest ol
beds and with the most delightful ol
dreams.?Popular Science Monthly. .
Chinaman and Chicago Woman.
The gentleman was from China. T
yellow complexion, the oblique optic
the pig-tail, and the loosely fitting gf
ments were all there. There was al
on his arm a fair creature of thirty. Si
was well drc seed nnd good looking, ai
was of American di see nt. They appe?
ed before the marriage department ai
asked for a marriage license. The cle
gazed in astonishment for a moment, b
quickly recovering, he mechanically di
ped his pen in the ink and said: " Yo
lady's name ?"
The Chinaman stared but said nothin
and then the bride came to "the rescn
" My name," she said, " is Esta]
Bennett."
" E-s-t-a-l-l-a B-e-n-n-e-t-t," spell*
out the clerk, "and your gentlemai
, _ AI)
name r
" Oh," said the fair Estalia, " he's
heathen Chinee, he is, and his name
King Yeap," and then she playful
chuckled him under the chin, remar
ing, " Aint it.Yeapee ?"
While the clerks were getting out tl
license the lady became very talkatrv
and volunteered the following: "la
going to get married just for the fun
it, yOu know." *
"Indeed?" said the clerk, with
smile. And then the license being read
he added: " Take your hat off, sir ai
be sworn."
The Chinaman grinned.'
" Take off your hat, you heathen 01
nee, you," said his future bride, and b
fore the prospective bridegroom con
comply, she pulled off his hat, and a
dressing by this time the thorough
amused clerks, said: "There, look
his hair; you can soe he's a heathe
Chinee. Whv, he's got more hair thi
I have. If he loses his hair he cai
have me for a wife." .
The okth was taken, and then Estal
continued: "Let us finish up this jo
Now its begun, I don't want to put it (
any longer. If it's all the samee, des
we will go right through with it now."
The lady then wanted to see Judj
Loomis, in order, as she said, to asce
tain if there were any legal obstacles
the ,way of her marriage to King Yea
On being assured that- there were ]
legal barriers in tfce way 01 uer joy, sj
told the clerks that she had knov
" Kingee Teapee " for three months, ai
she 11 didn't see " why they "ehouldi
get spliced." Yeap, who was a passilistener
throughout, deposited his 81.5
and then the happy pair proceeded ov
to Justice Kaufman, who speedily " fl.
ished up the job," and Mis3 Bennett b
came Mrs. King Yeap.?Chicago Int
Ocean.
An Enchanted Metal.
Among the most remarkable featur
of the progress ir ade in modern time
are the new metals which have been ad
ed to the ancient list. Gold and silve
copper, iron, lead, etc., these have be<
familiar for thousands of yerrs, but it
only comparatively recently chat the e
istence of other metals has'been demo
strated. The last discovery ia Galliui
which possesses suoh singular properti
-- A 1 l?J T~ 1
as 10 seem euuuuuLeu. iu ^cucnu ?
pearance it looks like lead, though it
not of so bine a color, and might I
termed an exaggerated lead on acconi
of the extreme facility with which it c?
be melted. An amount of heat less thf
that of the hand (86? F.) reduces it to
state of fusion, when it resembles quic
silver. Though subjected to cold dov
to zero, it does not become hard agai
but remains a liquid metal till touch*
with a piece of solid gallium, when it r
turns to its original condition as if b
neaih the wand of a magician. A specii
of alum may be derived from it, not:
be distinguished from common alu
without chemical analysis. Gallium
flexible, and can be hammered like lea<
or cut with a knife; but it only becom<
slightly tarnished in a damp atmospher
It crystallizes in the shape of an octahei
ron. At present it is a rare metal, oh
about a dozen grains having been e:
tracted from half a ton of zinc-blent
from the Pyrenees. The discovery is
great triumph and a testimony to tl
truth of scientific theories, because
was forseen by three independent obse
vers some time before deinonstratio:
Mr. Newlands, an English chemist, h?
several years before expressed his beli
in the existenoe of a metal of the kin<
M. Mendelejeff, a Russian, predicte
from a study of the atomic numbers <
the elements, that a metal would I
found to fill a vacant space in the serie
and actually gave its probable specif
gravity, which agrees closely with tl
result ef experiments with gallium. Fii
ally, M. Lecoq de Boisbaudnan, follow<
up an original system of spectrum ana
ysis applied to zinc-blende forlhis vei
purpose, produced the metal itself, ar
gave it from France (Gaul), the count)
in which the discovery was made, tl
name of gallium.
Whence His Wealth.
One of the ricest Chinamen in this citr
says a San Francisco paper, is doubtlei
Mr. Ohew Kow Yup, who came to th
city a penniless Mongolian thief aboi
seven years ago. All liis wealth ht
been obtained by committing to memoi
four simple words, "Ton savee n
leper." The second night aft*
bis arrival he broke into a dry gooc
store, and was just carrying away h
booty when a policeman collared bin
and prepared to march him down to tl
City Hall. He made no resistance, bi
innocently remarked, " You savee m
leper," and officer Mulligan fled wild]
toward North Beacb^giving his prison*
the opportunity to steal seven more m
dershirte, of wnich he promptly availe
himself. He was only once brongl
into court, being then charged wit
a wholesale diamond robbery, and whe
asked to plead guilty or not guilty, t
simr>lv reDeated the words of his charn
in a voice at once plaintive and fnll <
expression. The court was cleared i
less than forty seconds, two of the jui
leaving their hats behind,.and the judf
It's gold spectacles, all of which M
Chew Kow Ynp appropriated, togethi
with the loose change in the clerk
drawer. The wealthy heathen is entir
ly free from leprosy. He will sail :
the next steamer for Hong Kong wil
about $90,000. *
One Hundred Tears Ago.
One hundred years ago not a pound
coal, not a cubic foot of illuminatii
gas had been burned in thiscountr
No iron stoves were used, and no co:
trivance economizing heat employed u
til Dr. Franklin invented the iron-frat
ed fire-place, whioh still bears his nam
All the cooking and warming in tov
and country were done by the aid of fir
kindled in the brick oven or on tl
hearth. Pine knots or tallow candl
furnished the light for the Jong wint
nights, and sanded floors supplied tl
place of rugs and carpets. The wat
used for household purpose was drav
from deep wella by the creaking swee
No form of pump -was used in this con
try so far as we can learn, until after t!
commencement of the present centui
There -were no friction mutches in the
early days, by the aid of which a fl
conld be easily kindled; and if the fi
" vrenf out upon the hearth " over nigl
and the tinder was clamp, so that t
. sparks would not catch, the alt-ernati
i was presented of wandering through t
snow a mile or so to borrow of a neig
i bor. Only one room in any house w
: warm, unless somo of the family \n
ill. In all the rest the temperatnre v
at zero many nights in the winter.
EDISON'S INTENTIONS.
lie
!8| The Telephone, Phonograph and Aerophone
IT- ?'Talking a Hole Through a Board. <
so Thomas A. Edison, the wonderful in
he ventor, _ recently appeared before, the
id Academy of Sciences at Washington, to (
exhibit some of his marvelous creations, 1
id and a correspondent speaks of them and
rk him as follows: The telephone, aero- 1
it phone and phonograph bave absorbed
P- him for some time. He has made im- :
or portant improvements in the first named 1
instrument. The phonograph for prac- ]
g> tical use he .is now completing, and in ^
e- three or four months the practical ma- 1
la chine, which is to consist of a flat disk
instead of the cylinder now used, will be !
sd put on the market. He anticipates that ^
i'8 it will be in demand among merchants 1
who have a large correspondence; a man !
,a may read his mail, and as he reads 3
is speak his replies to each letter at once ;
ly into the phonograph, which will work at j
k- a set speed by a clock arrangement.
When all is done the instrument will be ]
turned over to a clerk, who, setting the 1
6? clockwork to go more slowly, will copy 1
m from its dictation. It is also suggested
of that skilled readers will be employed to j
read novels and other works into a phon- '
a ograph, and the impressions, being du- 1
7, plicated cheaply and made permanent, j
*d may then be sold for the use of the blind '
i or ior perbuiiB wuu wiuu wj n^me tucu
eyes, and for whom the phonograph will )
d- read aloud at the fireside. It is said
0" that a clock company in Connecticut
Id has already bought of Mr. Edison the
d- right to use a form of phonograph
ly whsch is to bo cheaply applied to clocks,
at which will then call out the hours and
half hours instead of striking. There
1jn can be no doubt that the phonograph
i't will be a boon to the blind.
The aerophone is an instrument into
tended to increase very greatly the volb.
ucoe of the human voice. It is more ingenious
than the phonograph. In a
Ji steam whistle or an organ pipe is placed
a delicate valve controlling the supply
?e of the steam or air. This valve is con>r
nected with a diaphragm, similar to that
in used in the phonograph and telephone,
P- and the vibrations of the diaphragm
cause movements in the valve, which
*8 opens and closes in exact accordance
m with the vibrations of the human voice
id communicated to the diaphragm; throws
i't the steam or air into similar vibrations.
?8 and thus reproduces the words spoken.
0, In fact it gives the speaker additional
er wind, and it would be very useful to
Q- members of the House of Representa8
tives, whose hall is ona of the most tryer
ing in the world to the voice and throat.
It is curious that the tin foil produced
in a phonograph may be applied and
used in an aerophone, and will cause the
/% flnV/i An f flin wnWIa
CO Dbcaiu WiiWUiU ?v vuu vuu nv/tuo
s, which the phonograph has recorded. 1
d- The possible abases of this machine are
ir, so evident that Edison has already had
jn offers from eager advertisers who want
is to use it to shout out the merits of their
x- wares to a whole county at a time, and
n- if the inventor should let it fall into
a, reckless hands we may see special seses
sions of State Legislatures called this
p- summer to put down what might easily
is become an intolerable nuisance. Its
3e legitimate uses are for fog signals and
Qt steamships, and possibly railroad trains,
in It is said that the phonograph was
in suggested to Edison by a remark of
a General Butler, who, examining a telek
phone, 5aid to the inventor*
m " Now you must make something to
d, record these sounds."
sd At the Smithsonian Institute the other
Gr day Edison saw a phonautograph, a mae
chine used for delineating graphically
es the form of the sound waves, and examto
ining it curiously a moment h e remarked
m to a friend:
is " Wise men, these were, not to see
3, that they could put a hard point and a
3s piece of tinfoil in front of it and there
e. was the phonograph."
i- He was asked by a Southern Senator
ly here whether he could not invent a mai
chine to piok cotton, and replied that he
le " thought so." Later, on the same day,
a a person watching the operation of the
ie phonograph said:
it "Edison, I wonder if you couldn't
r- talk a hole through a board."
q. "Of course I could," was the reply;
IU tlLlU UO WUtt, It Oilp Ui j[;ttpox uau
ef stretched the point of the phonograph
i in connection with a small ratchet
>d wheel, which in its torn by proper cogs
of connected with a gimlet. Thus every
)e vibration of the membrane of the phons,
ograph, instead of propelling the point
io against the tinfoil, would push the
ie ratchet wheel forward and turn the gima
let, and a man would actually be able to
id talk a hole through a pine board.
J- His latest discovery of the peculiarly
7 delicate impressibility of compressed I
id carbon to heat has given him the belief
7 that he can detect and measure accurateie
ly the heat which reaches us from the
stars; and a telescopo is already under
way for his use for this purpose. He
remarked here to a friend that as the
action of the phonograph depends en^
tirely on the vibrations of the air he
B thought he should be able to reproduce
any phenomenon which is due to vibralB
tion, and that if the received theory that
heat is only a mode of motion and the
^ undulatory theory of light are correct,
}r he would be able to catch and transmit
both. His mind seems to be constantly
j8 engaged on plans for the new and ingenious
application of natural forces and
? laws, and he gave the impression here
to all who saw him of being a man of
extraordinary genius in this direction,
I from whom, if he lives, many wonderful
things may yet be expected.
i
>d They Shut Up.
^ About a week ago there were two smart
k young men got on a Burlington and
,a Oedar Rapids train and laid themselves i
16 out to amuse and instruct the passengers.
\ Very many funny things said and very
many things did these two brilliant young
men, and it did seem as. though Provi7
dence had been just too kind to the other
J6 passengers to let them ride on the train
r* with such smart young men. But prc3,r
sently, there loomed up from them a
B colossal opportunity, when a lady, at- |
?" tended by a little girl and a little dog,
came into the car. The two young men
vied with each other in saying funny
' * ? ji T-* 11. 1.1, ~ C
tilings aoouc me pup. jrreBeuuy mo
funniest young man said, in tones of *
perplexitj: "Well, let me see, they
?* make dogs pay on this train don't they ?
*8 And then the lady turned around, nnd
J' said in just the driest tones you ever
n" heard a lady say anything: "Thenyou'd *
Q" better get off before the conductor comes j J
Q" in." There was a great deal of talking,e>
and a great deal of laughter in the car j'
m between the place where that accident |1
e> occurred and Burlington, but the men j(
je who were killed at the siege of Jerusalem *
68 were noisy, roaring, howling bacchana-1 ]
er lians a week ago, in comparison with ;
ae these two young men for the rest of the ;'
er trip.?Burlington Ifaivkeyc. I j
ra 11
p. !'
n. A. Good Interest Table. (
be The following interest table is worth i
y. preserving. Multiply the principally i
so the number of days, and divide: i
re If at 5 per cent., by 7200. i
je If at 6 per cent,, by 6000. J
it, If at 7 per cent., by 5143.
he If at 8 per cent., by 4500.
ve If at 9 per cent., by 4000. '
he If at 10 per cent., by 3600.
;h- If at 11 per cent., by 8273.
rfiB If at 12 per cent., by 3000.
re If at 13 pev cent., by 2760.
ma If at 14 per cent., by 2571.
If at 15 per cent, by 2400.
,. ^ ... '' ' '
Queer Scenes in Mexico.
A traveler in Mexico writes as follows
In their love-making Mexicans ar<
equally innocent of any suspicion of th<
impropriety of public demonstrations,
You see couples walking through th<
crowded plaza with their arms aboul
each other's necks, totally oblivious ol
their surroundings. Except among foreigners
such exhibitions excite no com
men! Driving along the Guadalupe
road One afternoon we came upon e
strapping fellow seated by the roadside,
with a young girl lying beside him, hei
bead resting in his lap. As we passed
she turned her face up to his, reached
upward, and with a shapely hand patted
bhe impassive brute in hia lantern-jaw?
he all the time gazing stolidly at the
passing carriage. " You dog I" roared
bhe exasperated colonel. But the dog
maintained his equanimity all the same,
it another time, while riding out to the
iron' baths on a stjeet car, we encountered
a young couple bedecked in gaj
holiday ribbons and clean clothes, walk-3
" AT* ? /I two XT rrn fVi fVtAi*
Lllg UUWli DXXO uxuou ivounnj niuu vuvu
irms lovingly clasped about each other's
aecks. She was young and quite handsome,
and he was young and carried in
ais unoccupied hand a pitcher of pulque,
stray drops of which were sprinkled
ilong the road. Evidently a couple ol
lovers returning from a pilgrimage tc
he shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe;
slightly the worse for their potations,
rheir arms were twined about encb
other's necks for mutual support as well
is to demonstrate their affection. They
talked pretty steadily, however, though
with that obliviousness of demeanor
which we see in more civilized drunkards
when they try to play it on the people,and
;hink they are succeeding. We watched
jur two lovers from the rear of the car,
md saw their steps grow gradually unsteady
until they began to totter and
wave. After drinking a half dozen glasses
jf the effervesent water fresh from the
bubbling spring, we took another street
jar for the city. We had forgotten all
ibout our two lovers until we came upon
them again, lying prone upon the ground
by the roa side, their arms still lovingly
ntertwined, and their cheeks together,
the pitcher broken at the fountain, and
i tortuous streak of moist earth showing
where the pnlque had meandered away.
[ may as well state once more, however,
that helpless drunkenness is an uncommon
sight in Mexico, notwithstanding
lia Anaonq nl rmlnnfl fWnsmmArl ArAri
3ay. Once I saw a half-naked Indian
lying on his face in the street in front; of
;he plaza, dead drank. The coachmen
jonsiderately drove aronnd him, the
ierds of panniered asses stepped tenlerly
to one side, and no one seemed tc
;hink the sight worthy of comment. On
mother occasion an old grey-headed
aroman, bare-armed and bare-legged,
ivith a petticoat of bine stuff about her
x>dy, tottered on the sidewalk in front
)f me, gave a luroh, and pitched headong
into the street. She had a few little
irinkets wrapped up in a handkerchief,
vhich were scattered in the fall. Rising
ipon her knees, she began groping
Dlindly about to recover them. I have
lever seen a more pathetic sight, or one
hat left a deeper impression, unless it
vas that of a poor fellow whom I saw
he morning after mv arrival. He was
**- - < I-* ?1 J --,3 Uoo
I1II1 UI 11LLLU lillU. ItHJCj axiu ocornou icoo
ntelligent than the average "greaser."
lis entire wardrobe consisted of what
ooked like a piece of worn-out rag carjet
tied around his trunk, and reinforced
it the hips with a bit of old leather tied
in with strings. Hat, shirt, coat, pantaoons
and shoes he had none. He had a
ittle bundle of sticks, scarcely more
han you could grasp in one hand, tied
ip with a cord, and was kneeling on the
>avement to readjust the fastenings. He
ooked so utterly and hopelessly miserible?he
was "so shamefully and squalidly
)oor?it made me sick at heart. The
>oor fellow submitted stolidly to a critial
inspection, and seemed stricken
lumb when I gave him a quarter. By
ind by he recovered his tongue, and bejan
an eloquent invocation of all the
aints in my behalf, which lasted until I
jot out of ear-shot, and may be running
ret for aught I know.
Aerial Navigation.
Mr. Brearey, secretary of the English
Aeronautical Society, called attention,
n a recent lecture, to some curious facts
rhich those who are seeking solutions of
he flying machine problem might proItably
bear in mind. He stated that
ight as the atmosphere is in proportion
o the weight of water, the rarer melium
is capable of supporting a creature
nuch heavier than itself, while water,
tOO times heavier, onfy supported a fish
' -1 ?* UnlYr Knit
U UUUUIt eqUiU WClgllv, uum iw I
Supposing a fish bore the same proporional
weight to its elemental medium as
i bird does to the atmosphere, it would
lave to be made of something heavier
ban platinum. As it is, a fish is really
k bird without wings.
Ha gave some curious comparisons
jetween different birds and insects as to
he surface they presented to the atmoiphere
and their weight. Thus the gnat
ras three million times less weight than
he Australian crane, but presented in
>roportion one hundred and forty times
nore surface to the air; and between
hese two there were almost all gradaions.
In these Investigations lay some
)f the most hopeful facts which seemed
o render aerial navigation possible, and
f man could get sufficient surface he
:ould surely get sufficient machine
)ower for propulsion. It was not so
nuch a question of power as of the
ight application of power. There was
ilso the question of balance. The manler
in which a bird kept its balance,
*
vLnle its wings were uerng eucigDTOunj
worked alternately above and below its
;enter of gravity, was marvellous. Mr.
Brearey thonght that with the example
>f the bicycle the question of balance
vould not present much difficulty.
He then touched on the application of
iteam to the navigation of the air. Until
ately it had been thought that this was
nadmissible as a motive power, because
>f the cumbrous method of its generaion;
but it had been declared that when
iteam could be applied with a weight
lot exceeding twenty pounds per horse
)Ower, the problem would soon be
lolved. This had been accomplished,
ind they would hope the prognostication
might be true.
Clerical Experiences.
Edward Eggleston, in writing of the
yew York Post-Office and its methods
>f testing the fitness of applicants, says:
The swarm of applicants for places in
;he office are tested by examinations
ilso, but these look more to their geniral
intelligence. I was permitted to
lee some of the very original answers on
;he examination papers. One question,
'What has been your clerical experience
?" is a veritable pons asinorum to
;he applicants, and many are the donteys
who are lost here. Most of them
iake clerical in its ecclesiastical sense.
One man answers that his clerical experience
has been "Catholic," and so
through all the denominations. One
man responds by saying, "Have taught
in a Sunday-school." Another man ha*
not had any occasion to deal with clergymen.
for in answering the question as to
Iris "clerical experience,'1 he break*
out, "Well, I was never sick a day ir
my life," There are others who give th(
term a wider sense. One answers,
" Compositor;" another, " Working ai
porter in a Btore;" while a third hits i
exactly when he says, " Making horse
collars." ,
_
?- - - - - -
FARM, 0ARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
j Household HinU.
5 Make a'paste of soft soap and emery
, for polishing steeL
5 A small quantity of turpentine added
t;! to stove blacking will make the stove
f easier to polish.
To remove old putty from window- q
' frames, pass a red-hot poker slowly over
1 it, and it will come off easily. ^
A few drops of glycerine in a bottle of
1 mucilage will cause the mucilage to ad- a
I here to glass when used upon labels. '
[ A bottle of flaxseed oil, chalk and
[ vinegar mixed to the consistency of ~~
. cream, should be kept in every house
, for burns, scalds, etc.
L To cleam ohromos, dampen a linen
; rag slightly and go over them gently.
If therWnish has beoome defaoed, cover
i with a thin mastic varnish. ^
Quick-silver beaten up with the white BC
' of an egg, and applied with a feather to
every crack and crevice of a bedstead, is ?
1 A*- ? ?? ? Siw* m Gt
me verj ueoi? uug pioTouvawTof
1 To sew carpet-rags on a machine,
make the stitch short, ran it obliquely
across the rags where they are to be PJ
joined, and sew a good many before cut- to
I ting the thread. "
, Alabaster is best cleaned by putting
, it in a pan of water and letting it soak ft
some hours until quite clean. Another
mode is to cover it with a strong soluti
on of soda.
There is no part of the year when eel- ?
. lars in whioh vegetables are stored need E
ventilation oftener than the present 2,
i If the cellars cannot be thoroughly
, aired every day, the vegetables should re
be removed. el
.Boil sweet or common potatoes till b<
well done, then mash or* strain.* To tii
each one and a half pints add one pint
i and a half of milk, a little melted but- M
i ter, two eggs with sugar, salt, and nuti
meg or lemon to flavor. . ^
To clear cistern water, add two ounce* ^
powdered alum and two ounces borax to
. a twentv-barrel cistern of rain-water V
that is blackened or oily, and in a few
hours the sediment will- settle, and the F(
water be olarified and fit for washing.
Borax is used in the washing, but it 01
is also used in starch. It stiffens the
starch, prevents the iron sticking, and
produces a finer finish. It should be 80
; used by dissolving half a tableepoonful n(
' in a little boiling water, and mixing it k<
. with about three pints of the starch. '
! The way to clean feathers is to wash w
them in a lather, then rinse in cold m
i water, and then in water slightly bine, bi
and shake them until dry. If the flue sa
i looks threadv. damp it between the folds in
i of a cloth and beat lightly, and clap it
[ between the hands till quite dry. It
improves them sometimes to hold them ,j<
1 in the steam of a kettle. b,
; In selecting flour first look to the d
color. If it is white with a yellowish ^
i straw-color tint, buy it. If it ia white M
with a bluisli cast, or with black specks
in it, refuse it. Next~examine its ad- ?
hesiveness?wet and knead a little of it "T
between your fingers; if it works soft jr
and sticky, it is poor. Then throw a
little lump of dry flour against a smooth 01
surface ; if it falls like powder, it is bad. ^
Lastly, squeeze some of the flour tight- w<
ly in your hand ; if it retains the shape
given by the pressure, that too ia a good ?
sign.. It is safe to buy flour that will ?r
stand all these tests. f?
Profits of Good Feed In*.
A correcpondout of the Country
Gentleman gives the following details M
of his experience on this subject: Last
fall I had the offer of a cow on an old a 1
debt, and hesitated some as to whether p<
I had better lose the debt or take the oow, m
as she was old and very thin, but finally 0:
1 1 * 1 ? J aAtvtafVti'nty f/1
COIlCiUCieQ W irjr auu infttto Dvmouuuig -?
out of her, though the chance looked co
very small, and the boys made a good Ti
deal of sport of her, and said I would w<
get nothing but her hide. She was far- in
row, and was not giving more than one
quart of milk night and morning. } B
| took her to the farm and told my man to e3
do the best he could for her. He com- jj
menced feeding her apples, and though ^
she gained steadily in milk, it was some 8j.
time before she improved much in ap- aj.
pearance; but after awhile the feed and fr
care began to tell on her, and in three m
months, she was in good condition, and M
gave twelve quarts of milk daily. One ^
week I brought from there nine pounds
of nice butter, which the woman assured T
me was the product of nine days' milk,
and at the same time sold two quarts of
milk daily, and used what they needed ^
in the family, consisting of herself and >
husband. I expected to feed her well, ^
and turn out to grass to fatten, but she J
proved so good for milk I conoluded to ?
r - --- OL.L..W:, se
keep Her anotner year, oue JJttO ClCUU 1U |
good order all summer, and gives about
as much milk as any of the cows, but we
shall soon dry her off, as we expect to
have her for a new milch cow this winter. ??
I also bought last fall a flock of store
sheep, just as it was time to turn in for
winter, fed tnem till the 10th of March P?
on hay and oat screenings, and sold them M
at an advance of 82.50 per head. M
Buying Needs.
Be careful in buying your seeds. A "J
German paper says that clover and
lucern are often mixed with small, arti- ?
A/Waiiv nronfixAr? and colored Quartz 8'
ULilUllJ ? - m
stones. For production of these quartz M
granules there are special manufactories, ^
which accomplish their task so well that j*1
even a practiced eye would have difficnltyin
detecting the fraud. Old seeds, fr
also, are colored, sulphurized, oiled and ^
treated with various substances which "
produce a fresher and better appearance, 60
and are often even mixed to a considerable
extent with old seed no longer capa- li|
ble of germination. is
Blown Up and tlren Married, p<
An English tourist fell madly in love h'
with a Scotch vivandiere at Balaklava, J'
and bored her with his addresses. The w
young woman, 1^0 longer able to endure
the annoyance, forbade him the door.
After many a vain attempt to overrule ^
the objections, the tourist determined
to commit suicide, but, in presence of
the great events which were being
, played out, in no paltry manner. Hav- jj
iug first bequeathed his fortune to the ?
vivandiere, he caused a deep hole to be ^
dug, in which he placed twenty pounds 81
of powder ; over this excavation a slab
was laid, and upon it the rejected one,
cigar in mouth, took his seat. He tranquilly
finished his weed, and then ap,
plied the expiring embers to the magai
zine below. An explosion followed, and
. two minutes later a charred mass descending
from the heavens fell into the
port?c mass which astonished British
seamen recognized as a human body,
, and proceeded to fish from the water.
Thero was a cry of "A man from
Heaven !" some declared that he had
been kicked out of the sun, and others
that he was an ajronaut come to grief.
However, the man came round, and the
vivandiere, touched by this proof of
affection, capitulated.
, . Two Camellias.
i Jeanne Donate is a little pianisteonly
; seven years old, who has lately per
i formed Deiore yueen vicwna. vrneu
at Buckingham Palace, the little lady
> wore a white artificial camellia. " Who
i gave you that?" asked the queen,
i " Oh! that's my talisman, your majesty,
J Mile, Albani gave it to me for good
, luck." Her majesty went over to a cor3
beille, took out a red camellia, and gave
t it to the child, saying: "Wear that
- beside it, my dear, and may both bring
you a two-folk share of good luck I"
~r :.
-* " : ' - ^
Items of Interest. :C|
Edison is worth $150,000,
All a fleeting show?A circus. |
Oartmen'e slang?Hire a hauL
The early bud catches the frost.
A cutting remark?" Chop the hash.
Mr. Will TJstick does business in Lsfl
rosfie, Wis.
Woman tempted man to eat; bat he .
>ok to drink himself.
There are 1,679 prisoners confined in
ing Sing (N. T.) prison.
What is that from which-if you take,
le whole some yet will remain ? WholeMelancholy
reflection?The sluggard
bidden to go to the ant; but alas I
aw often he goes to his uncle. ~
Edwin Alonzo sends us a poem on " A
roken Link." Too late. Sausage seam
went out with the cold weather.
rfn??' ?? JiTO *UmUm mnm'rt
XllVtV tuo Mtw-^
mcert. rooms, "harmopic meetings,"
a., in London, amusing nightly 302,K)
people.
Ants avoid light,-and as to colors they
refer red and show a marked aversion t&M
?blue or violet.' They live sometimes .
re years.
How can five persons divide five eggs,
> that each man shall receive one, and
ill one remain in the dish ? One takes
te dish with the egg, . ,7^
The average populations each phrcian
is, in the United States, 600; .
ngland, 1,672; Prance, 1,814; Anstria, :
600; Germany, 8,000.
Thirty-six Mexicans have professed
iligion and joined the FteiMeritt
lurch in the city of Mexico. A munsr
of little Mexicans have been bap- '
led.
A fashion item says that ooat sleeves , ^
e still very popular?which effectually
locks our cherished plan of setting
lother season's wear out of the old , ^
len duster.
A woman in Pomfret, Vt, has a hnamd
and ohildren to'?!:e care of, and '
Uiorras UUttb VI Vino HWft vw
ar husband doing nothing. He is not.
it of health, but was born tired* - - *r >/&
" Is there danger, of the supply of
el becoming exhausted T' asked a
ientifio "writer. If he lives in a close
righborhood, and don't keep his coal
rase looked, we should think there is-.
The disoovery has been made that the
orld does not revolve with the same a
otion that it did a thousand years ago; "
it it still swings around fast enough to -V
.tisfy the man with a heavy note com* \
g due.
A few years ago, in Comanche county,
0X08, a number of domestio chickens,
isertod by their owner, took to the ?
rush, and the woods are fall of wild 4
dokens. They are numbered by the ?!
lousand, fly like hawks and are hunted *
game.
A young ladv, says the Elizabeth *
rerald, astonished a party the other
ly by asking for the "loan of a diminu- .
re argenteous truncated oone, convex
i its summit and semi-perforated with _
mmetrical indentations," or in other , *
Drds a thimble.
An afEable gentleman entered the >
ink of Jacksonville, Fla., recently and : "H
igaged the cashier in conversation,
udly bewailing the sad state of the ?
untry. Meanwhile a confederate .
ipped in, stolen $7,500 from the safe,
id escaped. ?
A Wick (England) Ashing boat landed.
One conditioned halibut, weighing 187 ,
rands, measuring six feet eight inches
length, and about the same in girth.
a opening the fish its stomach wad found contain
a fine salmon in very good
ndition, and which weighed 20 pounds. ?
lie fisherman remarked that it was no
onder the halibut looked so well, see^
g the sort of dinners he indulged in. " /
The Hawkey e says there is a cat in **
urlington that has lost its voice. This,
cplains some things. There is a oat in
orristown that has found the Burling*
>n feline's voice. And from the uproar
te creates when she sits on the back
ted at night and converses with some
ienda' on the other side of the river, a
ile distant, we judge that she has found .
veral other lost voices. ?Norrutown J
rerald.
The Asiatic race loves monotony^The 4.
ondon Spectator says that there are
tisan families in India and in Damascus,
ho have worked at the same work day *
7 day for 1,000 years, peasant families
ho have not only tilled the sam^fields,
' " J 1 -ii lU.
it have gone into mem turn ?siv uom
the same hoar, according to the
ason, from a period of over 1,800
tars. They have no wish for change,
> ambition to do better, no inclination
roam, no sense of failure because tkey
e as their forefathers were and as
eir son's will be.
Mr. John Pore, who lives in the lower
irt of Lumpkin county, Ga., had two
;tle children, aged respectively three
id six. They were engaged in their
istomazy play a few days ago, while ,
e mother was at the well. The oldest
did, for what reason it will never be
lown, picked up a sharp hatchet and *
ruck the baby in the side, leaving the
:e sticking in the wound. The.child
eing what he had done ran and told
s mother, who was drawing up a
icket of water at tho time. This so
ightened her that she let go of the
indlass, and the revolving crank struck
? ' * '*^ ?/?^ Yi4AM11V Irn/vlr. -
16 ouj ujjl mo acou uuu amwm.
l his brains out, killing him instantly.
One of the oldest and best known
(jhthouse-feeepera on the Atlantic coast
a woman, Kathleen Andre Moore, of
lack Rock Lighthouse, near Bridge
art, Conn. She is sixty-Ave years old,
as tended the lighthouse lamp for fifty * jars,
and lives alone in her little house -
ith two dogs and a pet lamb. 8he says ^
tere used to be many n*ore wrecks than
lere are now on her coast, before sailig
ships were replaced by steamer*
he is as active as a girl of fifteen,
heryre several hundred printed rules
>r rae instruction of lighthouse and
fe-saving station keepers, and this
right old woman knows them ell by
eart. She had over 1,000 visitors last
immer.
k SCTQULAB BONO.
My Madeline! my Madeline!
Mark my melodious midnight moans;
Much may my molting music mean,
Mv modulated monotones. ?
My mandolin's mild minstrelsy,
My mental music magazine,
My month, my mind, my memory,
Most mingling murmur, " Madeline."
Master 'mid midnight masquerades,
Mark Moorish maidens, matrons' mien,
'Mongst Murcia's most majestic maids,
Match me, my matchless Madeline.
Mankind's malevolence may make
Much melancholy musio mine;
Many my motives may mistake,
My modest merits much malign.
" " - ?4 mnnH
My Madeline's moat i ?
Much mollifies my mind's machine;
My mournfalness' magnitude
Melts?makes me merry, Madeline !
Match-making ma's may machinate,
Manoav'ring misses me misween;
Mora money may makejnany mate,
My magio motto's?" Madeline*P
Melt most mellifinons melody,
'Midst Murcia's misty monnts marine,
Meet me, my moonlight?marry me,
Madonna mia I?Madeline.