University of South Carolina Libraries
- ... .. : ;?\ ?t? S ABBEVILLE PRESS (fe 'SiM^K ,s '; .' * ; '. 'f . < .. s. ,;' >' "' *" *' " C* >' ? ~?.V,. - \;i ' . ''SK;H' #? > v *-'!;- 111 f - ... m-Mi r -^, : . . .'.'.V>i f J BY HUGH WILSON AND W. C. BENET. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1879. NO. 13. VOLUME : __; '. . - - - - > . An Old Hen's Last " Lay." L Onco a man ol great invention H Made a nest for hens to lay in, With a mean deceitful bottom, ^ That would slide and let the egg out? a Falling through a small aperture? v Then would slide and close the hole up; s And he sold it to the owner a Of a hen, the boss producer a Of most delicate " hen iruitage." Now the hen was mighty gritty, And she spread hersell to do it, r So she laid an egg enormous; n Then arose in great elai.on, n With her feathers all a-flutter, And her body all a-cackle, V And she said, "as sure as shooting, s I have laid an egg exceeding My most sanguine cackleation9, Far beyond my expectation. ? *???? Where's that egg? May stars and garters ^ ^ In the name of all Eve's daughters ^ Can I not believe my senses ? a Surely I havo not gone crazy! Well, if this don't beat the dicken, il T May I never hatch a chicken." 1 Long she pondered o'er the matter, si O'er this strange hallucination, O'er this most complete deception; a Then she squared down to business, And she laid another avis, Ci Though of course it was a-missxng, Though she scratched around the litter, In her efforts to espy it. C< But why make the story longer ? Thus in fatal repetition, [j 01 this eggy operation, w Passed the day until the evening, S] When the owner came to find her, S! SI Found her naught except her wattles, Half her bill and some pin feathers, w While within the box beneath them, n Where that looling slide had dropped them, Found he eggs a hali-a-bushcl. tl w Gone, heroic Henawatha! 0 , Died she in the nest ol dutj*, Victim ol man's vile deception. SI Surely she must liave interment sj With that nest as her sepulchre, k For she layed hersell within it. cj ?Cincinnati Grange Bulletin. r: HOW IN ADVERTISEMENT WAS ANSWERED. * "A middle-aged lady would like to s: become housekeeper in a small family w during the winter months. No wages n: required; host of references given." ai This singular advertisement met my a< eyes one morning while I sat alone at v the breakfast-table, reading the Daily Item. " Two of the children were sick, an st inefficient servant added to our trouble, my wife's health had nearly given way a! under her housekeeping cares, and every- h thing seemed to me on that special vi morning going to the dogs. a My situation was a good one, and my salary fair, but then the doctor's bills si were" unusually large, and our cook la wasteful, because Mary?that's my wife ?could not attend to her kitchen and w take care of the sick children at the ct same time. d< Mary, allow me to say here, is one of lc the sweetest of sweet women, not only in face, expression and manners, but in pi taste, in dress, and all the etceteras that is make a man's home the best place this sc side of heaven. She thoroughly enjoyed ai everything that I did?art, music, liter- as aturn, and, during the first two years of ? our married life, we were literally in paradise. I gave not one regretful ki [ thought to my old companionships, al- w k though I had numbered among my hi * friends some of the best fellows in town, tl and had been very fond of society. pi Then the little ones came, and they w were welcome; but troubles in the shape w of accidents, illness, constant and petty h cares, came with them. fc Jack, our eldest, was now seven; Tom, w five; Alice, our fairy little girl, three; and the little crib in the room up stairs ai held a rosy beauty who did nothing but 01 sleep. ?] Tom and Jack, however,were healthy, ft energetic and consequently troublesome. Mary managed them with a firm hand pi until scarlet fever took up its pestilent b abode with us for nearly two months. hi Mary grew thin and white with p: watching and anxiety, for our two noble, handsome boys are her idols; and since b the fever left them with many a little tl ailment whifli could only be removed it with care and time, the tender-hearted woman had forgotten almost everything I but their welfare. Hence the cook had her own sweet | ir 11 ?i? ? it.. I ? win, not only 111 uiu Kin-uen, nwmi the house, and, to tell the truth, it was n neither comfortable nor pleasant for me. c< Only the day before, the doctor had said that the boys would require w constant attention all through the 1( winter. What was to be done, therefore, but submit to its verdict? The p . consequence was that I ave my meals de- a privea of the light of Mary's counteaancc ?that Mary herself was growing more g and more hollow-eyt?d. and looked no i a longer like the neat, trim little lady, so n anxious to be the ali-in-all in a bus- h band's partial eyes. " If I only had a sister or an aunt," tl she often said, "you would not ->e so a lonely; but you married a woman with- it out relations." For which?though I did not tell her v so?I hope I am reasonably thankful. a One moraine?by-thf-byc it was the j h very morning Iliad read the advertise- v ment--my wife came panting to the a table, a smiling cherub in her arms, and j 1< sat down to her cold cofl'ee" trying to I smile. I had marked the advertise- a ment in the Item with my pencil, and now I laid it before her. She read it, ei and her face brightened. n " What do you think of seeing this n woman?" I asked. "Sl:e only seems to i ei want a home during the hard times, and | a we are able to afford that, I hope. If j she can oversee the house and ' legislate1 l ii the cook, and give you more time to at- ii tend to the boys?your humole servant j o includes himself"?I added, laughing. ' what a blessing she will be!" o "I dislike to think or a stranger com- I ing to the house,'' said Mary. n "So do 1; but, remember, in a little tl time she will no longer be a stranger; o besides, if she is a capable woman, she will take entire charge of the premises, c Of course, we needn't have her if -vve don't like her appearance or her refer- C ences." v - A A i_.11... \T _ Alter a iew muit- ifiiM iuiuji uiiriuuiu u send for the woman, and, accordingly, r dispatched a letter as the advertisement v required. S "Well,"said my wife, on my return t that day, " she came, she saw, she con- c quered." "Rather Csesarean," said I. "I trust 3 she is not a general in petticoats. Tell me all about it;" and I seated myself v opposite the cozy sitting-room fire, beginning to dread the intrusion of a third t party. 1 "She came here about noon." said Mary, "a peculiar, prim.looking wo- I man, in a plain traveling-dress. Her f lace and manner prepossessed me in her s favor, and, according to her own ac- t count., she certainly is a very capable c person. Only think that she can play the harp ana piano, and is very well s educated!" ] "Worse and worse," thought I; and t tnen saia aioua: "i;ut wnat aDouireierences?" ] 'Her principal reference is Judge t Nelson, and he lives in Ohio." t 44 All right. I know his brother very 3 well; he is a practicing lawyer here, i I'll write to the ju'i^e and speak to the , advocate, and betw?.on them both wc j. shall probably get a satisfactory certifi- 1 cate." 1 The funniest part of this veracious narrative is that I did neither, but al- < :r3f w owed the matter to drift away from rrr nemory altogether. "Well, didyou engage her?" I asked "On the whole, I thought I had bet er. She can come here and stay awhile ,nd if we suit each other, of course sh< rill remain. In fact, we must liavi omebody; your comfort must be lookec iter. As it is, she is at some expense s boarding, of course, uses up what lit le money she may chance to have. ] old her to come to-morrow and get i ittle used to the house. Did I d( ight ?" " I am inclined to think you did," was ay reply, "Best to have the strangeess over as soon as possible." " But there's one tiling I am sure yoi ron't like," said Mary, after a brie iinitu* " Well, v-hat's that ?" I asked. " She wears spectacles." " Horror!" was my rejoinder. "Blue ones!" " Worse and worse!" "I knew just how you would feel: ut she lias very pleasant eyes undei liem, and she thinks she may ?oon b( ble to dispense with them altogether.' " Then I will endeavor to endure the ifliction with the best grace I can. low does she look ?" "That's a woman's question, and 1 han't answer," said my wife, laughing. However, 1 will say tnat sue is tan nd fair, with blue eyes, blue dress and blue veil." "Blue seems to be the prevailing Dior," I said; and there the conversaon stopped, tea being brought in. On the following day I came home to :>mpany. In other words, I was introuced to Miss Campsted, and by stealth >ok an inventory of her charms, for the idy was rather good-looking. She rore a small, plain cap and the blue Dcctacles aforesaid The hair, put noothly bach, showed ripples on the irface; tlie features were small and gular, but at first I was not pleased rith their expression, though T could ot have told why. The dominant thought with me was lat Mary could rest, and, with a mind holly at ease, give herself up to the care f hei little ones for a season. For a few weeks things went on as noothly as I could desire. The coffee jeedily improved in color and flavor, le tea was delicious. Little entrees tade their appearance which before our ircumstances had not seemed to warmi.. The table was always in order, ren at times decorated with (lowers, id the work was well done, and as if erformed by some invisible agency. "Hairy, she is positively a treasure," lid my wife to me, one evening, after re had retired to our room. " I have so luch more time, now, to attend to baby nd the children. Miss Campsted is an Imirable manager, and she lias some cry niee-iooking people to visit her." "Has she many visitors?" I asked. I thought she talked as if she were a .ranger iiere. "Now and then one richly dressed, Imost too richly*" my wife added, in a esitating voice. "But then we don't isit, and really know nobody. She has brother, too.' "A brother!" I cried, more and more lrprispd. " She told me she had no relions here," " Well, he wasn't here till yesterday, hen he returned from California. I lught a glimpse of him as lie went jwn street?and he is really a majesticioking man." "Oh, this will never do," I said, imitiently. " We are not rich, but there considerable silver in the house, and >me little gold in the way of watches id chains, which are, besiaes, valuable i heir-looms. I don't like the visitors -I don't like the brother." " Now vou are suspicious and unr? J ii vf...... t4 T ,.U 4....... l.,... LI1U, ?HIU lUiU} * 1 WUU1U 11 v i ith everything in t :e house, even my usband, she added, laughing. "And lough she calls herself middle-aged,and ?rhaps she is?some women wear so ell?she looks almost like a young girl ith her cap and spectacles off, and her nir dressed differently. You will see, >r I have persuaded her to dispense ith both to-morrow." To-morrow presented Miss Campsted 5 a young lady of perhaps twenty-two r three?not a year older, according t?> ppearanee?and yet yesterday she looked irty. The ripple in her hair ran to a curl ow. The spectacles gone, disclosed eautiful eyes fringed with long, soft ishes She noticed >my look of surrise, and smiled :is she said: " I have worn caps since I was thirty, ut your wife has persuaded me to leave icm off for a while. Do you, too, think an improvement?" " I certainly do," was my reply, " for hate caps and abominate spectacles.' " What a fright I must have appeared l your eyes, then!" she said, sweetly, rhich SDeech necessitated a coniDli lentary answer, and made rae feel ex?ssively silly. Her brother dined there one day. II< -as a heavy, handsome, well-read fel)w, apparently young and very clever. "Would you object to my brother's iresenceat dinner to-day?" soon became regular form of request. What could I do? Her brother was ood company, played the piano, violin nd flute with skill, talked well, and almost before I knew it, I was supporting im as well as his sister. His conversation entertained me, and lough my better judgment protested gainst the encroachment, still I allowed ; until it was impossible to say no. Mary occupied herself more and more nth the children, who continued ailin? nd nervous. Gradually she withdrew erself from our circle on the plea ol ,'ork for the little ones, and one thing nd another, all of which excuses I aimed to convince me. Unconsciously began to look forward to the pleasant fter-work hours. MissCarapsted read, sang and player' equally well. Always she deferred i<: ly judgment, sang my songs, read from ly favorite authors. . Her brother \va> qually re.tdy to talk. or to add to the musement of the evening. I became accustomed to this interestag partnership. Sometimes Mary stole i to sit with us a while, and then stole ut again. I knew she was not my Mary as ol Id, but I laid it to ^r cares. Nor did netice that her eyes grew languid, hei lovements slow; that she seldom smiled liat her merry, silvery laugh never ranj. ut as of yore. I did not dream that she was fast booming a prey to insidious disease. " Your wife is not well," said Mis.< /ampsted, on one occasion. " She deotes herself too constantly to hei lursery cares. I often beg her to let ne assist her, or take her place for j vhile, but she will never allow me ihe does not do herself justice, do yoi hink? A wile had better forget hei liildren than neglect nearer ties." "What do you mean, Miss Camp ted?" I iisked, turning toward her. Something in her manner ?in hei roice?made me angry. " My wife," said I, in cool, measura ones, "forgets nothing?no one; it ii ler duty to remember!" 41 AU ~ r V/ll? ui uuu?t*; x iivj |).uuuu irn; tfrs. Blah* is most lovely! Pray?pra; OXpvG me, and understand me. It wa olicitude for her welfare, and anxiety o relieve her of some of her daily bur lens, that made me speak." She put up her hands, white ant iliapely, with an appealing gesture, am ! saw what makes any man a fool for th ime?tears on her lashes. << tin ... j _z _ j >' " wny qo you uiik 01 ouenumg mer [ said, balf-laughing, half-distressed, " hought you spoke of my wife in rathe i thoughtless manner; but,"of course ,-ou cannot comprehend her anxiet, vith sickly, nervous children." " Indeed, I meant nothing but for he ;ood. At least?at least?I sympathize ivith your loneliness, and felt so sorry fo four wife," she murmured, confusedly. " Oh, Mary and I can take care of eac! jther," was my reply. j Did the small arrow she had let fly annoy me? I think it did, on reflection, . but not in the way she intended. w I thought of Mary's increasing pallor, rn , silence, alteration; surely she was chang- d< ; ing, but what had I to do with it? T J I never thought to ask what had Miss tc I Campsted to do with it. b , Mary grew worse, The doctor said it si - wjis some disease of the nerves. Miss tl L C:tmpsted was full of solicitude. She al i and her handsome brother were very at- tl ) tentive. hi When I went into the hall Miss Camp- ai 3 sted contrived to be there to bid me si - good-morning. I never thought of her ci now as middle-aged. She appeared to rc i me, gradually, to become an imperti- p: f nent. forward young person. w One memorable day?shall I ever for- SI get it??I went up stairs to say some- n< ! thing that had escaped my recollection, ai after my usual visit to Mary's room. ai I found my wife weeping hysterically, et with all the children grouped about her m ; and cry ins in chorus. ti " For Heaven's sake, Mary, what lias si ; happened?" I cried, frightened almost tc ' ojjt of my wits. di ! " Don't stay, Ilarrv," she gasped; " it T , does nie no good. I am better alone, w Go down?please go down." bi ! i ' But I'm not going down or out, leav- in j in# you in this state," I said, throwing di I down hat and bundles and trying to take m I her in my arms. SI But she resisted my tenderness. fr " No matter for me," she sobbed. "I hi ! shall be better soon out of the way, per- e^ .haps." si: i "Mary, darling," I said, at my wits' to end, " it you won't let me stay, at least to i let me send Miss Campsted up." re "That woman!" cried my wife, with sli ! hysterical anguish?" no! Do you want i her to poison me? It is bad enougn that in ; she has ruined my home." ! I was thunderstruck. hi I "Poison you!?ruined your home! Miss w Campsted! What do you mean, Mary ? th Arc you crazy? I thought you considered h( her invaluable," I repeated, still dazed i and nervous. nc "Invaluable!" murmured Mary,great % ! tears running down her pale cheeks; ci "can I like a serpent? Can I like one ht ; who has stolen from me all that made w my life blessed?my husband's love? I to hate her! Go! go! She has told me, oh, m : such miserable things! Leave me; Miss ti< Campsted is down stairs," rnd she fell w to shuddering. of I have heard that an innocent man al- ki ways has his weapons about him. I b< don't believe it. At all events, it was P? not so in mv case. So obtuse and con- be 1 fused was I at this entirely new phase of C; ! matters thrxt it took a minute and twenty A I seconds before the real import of her hi | words reached mv consciousness. I am in I quite positive of that f:u:t. for mechanic- sh j ally I was following with my eye the to I hands of the clock in the corner. Then e\ it dawned on me by degrees, and Mary, :it | after a while, told me a pitiful story. th My wife, my one crown of glory, my ve idolized Mary, had been subjected to the w: most cruel of all tortures?that of hear- yc ing her husband's words and actions to misrepresented, stories manufactured, pc lies cunningly invented. in I no longer wondered that my poor th , wife felt a dread and abhorrence for the th creature, which no language could ex- Ai press, or even feared for her life in the re presence of such a viper. The strangest thing to me was, then? co in truth, always will be?that Mary did sti not tell me of these things; but a fooiish re fear of being thought jealous, and some- bn thing also of pride and the sensitiveness ne of her nature, sealed her lips. an In my anger I suppose I rather over- ni' stepped the bounds of prudence in my wi next interview with the fascinating Miss til Campsted, :is some of my friends called her. I had a grand opportunity of wit- da nessing the uncontrolled fury of a wo- lei r?-?on wlmcn Trilf>nf?ca luirl Kppn nrr>m*i - t.n i turely unmasked. to Never, even upon the statue, have I ta seen such a perfect piece of acting. lie Trouble never conies singly, they say. fel ' I had given Miss Campsted warning, jet j when a person whom I had reason to nf believe was a detective entered my dr house. In an instant Miss Campsted sei grew pale and quiet, and begged me to sp allow her to see the gentleman alone. wl Of course I consented, keeping strict th I guard, however, outside the door. th For some time the conversation went IV I on in a low tone; then, gradually, Miss j Campsted1? voice changed to entreaty. Sobs followed and bitter weeping. | Suddenly in came Fred Campsted, t. whistling softly an air from one of the f operas. ' Seeing me in the hall, apparently on * guard, he started, slowly hung up his j. hat, kvkit down again, asked for his . , sister, and seemed very much surprised ' when I told him she had eonipany. 44 You had better go in," I said,44 for I fear she is in trouble.' i 44Oh, hang it!" was his rough re] sponse, ,4 she's always in trouble. I ! .. have an errand down town, and must be i , excused." ! l He turned, and there, facing him, Jp, standing on the doorstcn, was another . . detective. How long had they been ', ' watching my house? The man looked like a tiger. He gave I . one bound, but in that moment two offi- | -j* cers were upon him; then he seized his . pistol, which was snugly concealed, and !" . 1 lired. j? I One of the men was wounded: but the .' I other secured the prisoner and brought j~ j hitn. bound an<J raving horribly, into p the house. '!J i " Do you know, sir?" asked one of the j1.^ , j detectives, afterward, " that this house {.'c . | h:vs been a rendezvous for thieves dur- j ; | in" the past six months?" JM i I How should I, absent all day? How i J* . ! was I to be made aware that our cook i "r ! hail been bought from time to time with j ^ ! l?ootrir KriKno tr* o 1 low flip infPTPSS nf I I packages of great value? ,p How did I know that Miss' Campsted ; brought three immense Saratoga trunks , i with her, professing that they had been ;sij , | left in her charge? . . ! After that we examined those same ! j trunks, wherein property was found concealed to the amount of forty or fifty p' thousand dollars?silks, velvets, dia- j" , monds and jewels. Jr [ j Une of these packages?a very small ^ I one?I looked upon with creat distrust, i p It was taken with the other things to P' I j the station-house, and found to be a j . I machine calculated to destroy both life ' and property, for it was filled with ex- ? II plosive materials, and opened by igno- " ' ranee or chance, life would most certainly have been the forfeit. To this day I look with distrust upon ^ . such advertisements as the one that '? ] heads this story; and though that was VJ " probably the single exception in a thoui sand, no earthlv nower could induce me t to repeat the experience. And if, after a Ion# scarcli after some I article not to be found, we conclude to r give it up, we place it to the account of the fascinating Miss Campsted. te - JL- N , A Fauatlc's Expedient. ?jC A story is told of a crafty American ai 1 skipper who escaped the clutches of a ?i 5 hostile cruiser by hoisting the yellow w Hag, and exhibiting one of ins crew over st the bulwarks stitched up in a hammock, p< i as if about to be flung into the sea. As w s his vessel was lyinp off a port where the Si 1 JUI1UW 1UVU1 WOO IJlVil y?Ay*w- *, <1 - toer took the alarm and sheered off. fr Even this, however, was exceeded by an oi 1 episode of the Egyptian war of 1839-40, d< 1 when Admiral Napier's squadron wiis rc e cruising in the Levant. The look-out w man of an English frigate one morning b; " saw an Arab in the water, seemingly in cl I danger of drowning. A boat was low- Ii r ered, and the swimmer picked up; but se !, he died shortly after being brought on tl y board, with all the symptoms of the c) plague, and was quickly followed by the fe r captain and a lourth of the crew. It was In il afterward found that this desperate fa- ir r natic, finding himself death-stricken, F had deliberately swam off to the ship, fr Ii with the intention of carrying the infec- b ' tion among his enemies! d A Strange Story. There is now living in this city a lady hose life so far has been filled witn 1 lore real romance than are the most slicately wrought characters of fiction. , wenty-five years ago she was married j i a man who, like herself was in hum- . le though respectable life. Their court- ^ lip had been pleasant and, for aught ? ic lady knew, harmonious and mutu- V lly agreeable. On the day following * ic wedding, however, the iiusband left ? ome without any apparent reason or * ly warning whatever. The wife merely ? inposed at the time that business had illedhim hence and thyvtlie would soon " iturn. Davs, weeks, months, years ? J ? -V. ~ 1 iUni s wseu uuiurc ?nu wits iiwiuu tmti sue as a deserted and wronged woman. ? lie heard nothing from him, but could ? 3t entertain the inea that he was dead, | id instinctively believed that she would F jain see him. And just as she became mvinced that she was deserted her ? artyrdom began. She was thrown en- ? rely upon her own resources for sub- * stence, and they were simply honest ^ til, a living faith in the reward of duty ? >ing and a great self-sacrificing spirit. lius she toiled on, never hearing a 1 ord from her husband for many years, J it still clinging to the strict and self- ? uposed duty of silent forbearance. One ., ly, after eight years, she accidentally r. et liim, but he failed to recognize her. t( lie did not speak to him, but learned om others tliat since his departure he P ^d led a roving life, and had been into rery State in the.Union. Now that ic knew he lived, and yet did notlring ^ i aid her in the battle of life, her action r ward him, herself and the world mained unchanged. And just here ^ le exhibited to a degree her almost .intly character, for instead of accept- 9 g any of the numerous and advanta!ous offers of marriage which she might ' ive done, she silently did her every-nay J: ork, bearing his name and cherishing ic same affection for him that induced ;r to become his wife. There was then lother long time that she neither saw P >r heard from him. But fate seemed to vor her, and again she met him by ao ^ dent. He acted pleased to see her, told ? :r what he lind been 4oing, that lie ( :is still her husband, but never referred t his strange departure nor offered her , i.v means of support. Their conversa3n was a brief one. and they parted h ithout enmity. Neither had an idea i the plans of the other, nor asked to iow. The next that the wife knew of tj >r husband was learned from a news- _ iper. There she learned that he had en arrested for leading Fenian riots in vnada and was sentenced to he hanged. ( subsequent report informed her that 1 s sentence was commuted to six years' _ lprisonment. During tliose six years e retained her love for him and elung v the faith that her constancy would ?| entuallv be recognized and appreci- n ed. After the man was let out from n e prison cell lie again became an ad- f, inturer, and again accidentally met his s( ife. He then said to her, 44 What did V, ?u think when you saw nffc sentenced ' be hanged?" She replied, "I sup- j ised you would be hanged." A short r( terview, in which neither learned of ?( c plans of the other, was the result of v is meeting. And again he was off. f( fter several more years they again met, j cognized, but passed by in silence. ' Strange as has been the first act of this ^ medy of curious actions, the seque1 is 'jj ill stranger. Last February the wife _ eeiv(-d a letter from her erratic hus- ^ .nd, in which he begged for forgive- 'jss, and asked her to .go to Wasliington jr id live with him. He is in the govern- t] ent employ, and she has consented and _ ill start for her new hohie in a short a ne. C( Twenty-five years elapsed between the t] iy of the wedding and the receipt of the n ;ter. During that time she never ceased ^ love him, and he never commenced t] love her. Neither ever tried to oh- M in a divorce. The lady is a picture of ? :alth. Tue man was a fine looking n How when he was married, and had ? : black hair. To-day he is much thin- {j r, and his hair is almost white. As j. eam-likeand unnatural as all this may jj em, it is asserted to be true by a re- ;l onsible and highly esteemed lady, ^ hose relations with the wife cave her t e means of knowing the particulars of sj is extraordinary romance.?Milwaukee c, 'iscojisin. ? d Enormous Land Sales. It is safe to assume that Uncle Sam is L c largest operator in real estate on the s< cc of the globe, not counting such little a >erations as the purchase of Alaska, nor it ferring to Santo Domingo, which he o: d not buy. As it is, this government p us all the' land it can comfortably con- (1 ol and a vast deal more than will he a 1 proved for loner years to come. As a b tail dealer in land, the government tl ows total transactions of a magnitude q at appeals to the spread eagle side of a t< tizen's pride. In 1878, the allotment ol ii lblic lands on homestead entries f( nountcd to upward ol 6,000,000 iicres. t< lie largest previous one disposed' of p nee President Lincoln signed the Home- ir ead act after 1800 was in 1872, amount- si g to 4,600,000 acres. From 1872,' in no h >ar have the transactions been much ci ore than half as large as in 1878, while " 1877 the transfers from the govern- 1: ent to settlers were only about one- s( iird its large. Each homestead settler ft the last ten years has taken an aver- vi ;e of 120 acres, thus indicating during a: st year alone a population of nearly if it >t quite 250,000 new settlers on the pub- it j lands, estimating five persons to each li mily. In area, the new country settled c; ) in 1878 would lie twice the area of y mi lands in the Ray State, or as much h a baker's dozen of such common- y ealths iis Rhode Island. Added to the ei nd disposed of by the government, we ir ust also remember the lands sold in e; jxas on account of land grants to rail- u ads, the sales of railroad lands and of ci ecial land grants in many of the States, si lie sale of Texas lands for the year end- t( g June 30, 1878, was 3,500,000 acres; o llroad grants, 1,250,000 acres; State h ants, 250,000 acres, or a grand total, t( eluding 6,000,000 acres government i ei miestead grants, of 13,500,000 acres. ! t( wording to the census of 1870, the total I " : ~r 4.1.^ tt?Ci-t ~ ... ruling ureit ui UJU uiuteu ouites wiw us aced at 400,000,000, of which not one- T tlf was improved. The increase in the o st two years haij added at least five per tl nt. to the farming lands of the coun- lc y, thus furnishing employment for al- a ost unlimited hone and sinew. And ti ill there is room for the masses, who A ish to flee from the eilete despotisms, si well iis for the able-bodied young a an who wishes to avail himself o c: oi ace Greeley's advice.?New York a raphic. The Rattlesnake's Kiss. n s] A correspondent in Lafourche parish, c tys the New Orleans Democrat, guran- 'I es the truth of the following details: 11 ear the Cutoff, M. Lam basse and his s >n both fell victims to snake bite under S le following circumstances: Lambasse a id his son were serpent charmers, who ii ired as little for rattlesnakes as they o ould for turtle doves. They were con- a antly surrounded by their venomous a its, serpents of the most deadly species, a ith which they played fearlessly. Last v lirwhiy, Bibi, who had a magnificent '1 ittlesnake, tried to sell it to one of his v, iends. For this purpose he took it out ! \a baiTel where it was kept, and, in or- d 3r to show his skill, tried to make the 11 "ptile "kiss him." The serpent, un- d llling to grant the caress desired, ended t y becoming so enraged that he bit his n larmer's tongue, ana also his left arm. c nmediately after Hibi's father took the b irpent m ins nanas, ana inen to snow c lose present that his son had acfed t umsily, or was a charmer of much in- n rior character to himself. So saying, t g put the head ol the hideous creature d i his mouth. The serpent bit him also, s ather and son were both attacked wilb t ightful pains shortly after, and their d oaies became horribly swollen. They h ied in excruciating torture. a IiN'TO A CRATER. ?he Terrors and (ilorlei of Kilnuen In < the Nnndwlcli Islands. H A correspondent of the Springfield -1 icpublican writes from the Sandwich " slands as follows: Before descending M nto the cratcr a little explanation is * ecessary. The crater proper is several " liles in circumference and is called P [ilauea. In the early days the natives P otnofl tlio rrnrlrlpoo nf Tfilniinij \fnrfnm S, Me, and in their icnoranee and super- ? tition they believed that an eruption 1] sras her expression of anger for their J* lisdeeds, and at the first indication of h n overflow they used to offer plenteous e: acrifices in the way of pigs, sheep and p oultry. There is no record of human 11 acrifice ever having been offered, but v t is not entirely improbable that before n he advent of the missionaries they took P his means of disposing of an occasional & uperfluous member of society, and, to v atisfy conscience, set it all down to the c mperious demands of Mme. Pele. The J? olcano as it exists to-day is composed f( f two hikes?Ilalemanman. about 100 11 ect wide and three-fourths of a mile ? ang, and South lake, still larger. The '] utter of these, owing to the change of lie emnanKmeni, uas not oueu visiteu ~ or more than three years, though until * t was shut off it was considered far the *( nor one of the two. To reach the era- n er's ed^e we descended an almost per- 11 endicular cliff about 600 feet, and then. ft joking over to the lake, it seemed only 0 , few minutes1 scramble to reach its a dge. But, oh! what deluded mortals! fever was disillusion more complete! 11 'rovided with alpenstocks of rather & rimitive form but unmistakable trust- s' worthiness, we started out gayly, feeling v uite sure that it conld never take us c liree hours and a half to get across; but J ive quite lost confidence in our own 11 owers of locomotion when, after half ^ n hour's hard work, we looked back " vcr the very short distance we had s ome and forward across the vast ex- ? anse, which seemed to spread*itself fur- tl lier out as we proceeded. People who have visited the " Merde- ^ lace know how those immovable bil- 8 jws look easy enough to skip across, li ut doubtless the memory of those ? reacherous fissures, the sliding foot- tj teps and the awful possibilities sup- t' ested by them are still fresh enough in lieir memory to enable them to compre- n end me when I say that it seemed jis tl F the crossing ot that crater were des- a inu'd never to end. Over waves which napped beneath our feet as ice crackles ^ rhen trodden upon; across seams and tl revices which seemed miles in depth; n ometimes mounting the crest of a bil- h ?v; sometimes lost in the trough of the n sa; exhausted wilh. the vertical rays of a n opical sun; suffocated with sulphurous si apors; over recent-flows of lava so hot ? liat the soies of our shoes became allost unbearable, and on which we could ot stop for an instant's breath lest the imes should overcome us; flying terrortricken from a yielding billow, only to s( ill headlong and be pierced with lava, u r be blistered with the heat; turning * ackward, then gazing despairingly ^ irward, vibratine between a shame to ai 2treat and an awful fear to go for- P' rard, sinking exhausted, to rise again >r one grand effort, at last the shore of n [alemanman is reached. Again disap- ^ ointment claims us for its own, for intead of the sheet of red-hot lava, we c< ave been pressing forward to an ap- oj arentlystagnant pool of steel-gray fluid, ri ccasionally flecked with a dull red. tl 'his is all we see at first, for the blind- ti lg heat prevents our prolonged gaze as ^ tie full splendor of a cloudless sun com-. els us instantly to withdraw our eyes, ie ifter standing some time the heat beDmes more endurable and we discover s' lie whole surface of the lake, a sluggish di lotion which indicates a current; soon P1 i.~ i.<j; liu WilVta IJC?1I1 IVJ HOC. icy mount, till the thin crust of lava, tl rliich lias cooled, begins to crack and ^ naily the immense billow tumbles ladly to the surfaoe, and then as if the n: ates of the infernal regions had been iirown open a thousand jets of liquid ? iva leap into the air like so many de10ns with loosened chains. They hiss ^ nd bubble and splutter as if in tri- si mphant revelry over some lost soul. t< 'lie swashing waves dash against the a ide and fill the air with sounds so un- r< urthly that it is in no sense difficult to u nagine one's ears filled with shouts of emoniac laughter. * o] Oil. what horror and what fascination ni .ooking in any direction nothing is h jen but the walls of the awiul crater, nd we poor miserable mites of human- tc ,y seem to have been banished from the tl irth and left here at the porta] of the ri lace promised in Scripture to those who o not turn from their sins and live y< right. Before us some of the disemodied spirits are already writhing in tl lie sea whose fires are never to b - P1 uenched. After some time the impulse "i > throw ourselves in becomes madden- ai ig, and constantly we are haunted by a tl >ar that the mental strain will at last be A' >o strong, and we will yield to the imulse. Still on that quiet but determ- fa led current llows toward the opposite tl ide of the lake where the wall is so | pi eatod that it looks like the mouth oi a live. On tlie right there is an immense blowhole," from which the molten pi iva is spouted with such -force that re jmetimcs it is thrown thirty and fifty eJ :et into the air, a glowing fountain tl: rhich dances in the garish li^ht of day g< nd gives even to the clouds high above se i a rosy flush, and the wind catching 'e s lighted spray spins it into threads as ne as a glassblower ever wrought, and nrrios it in golden masses for miles beond the lake The natives call it Pele's air, and marvelously like a mat of soft ellow hair it looks. Mme. Pele crown- P< [1 with its glistening sheen would en- v< lesli the hearts of mortals with far too re \sy a grace, and make their doom to an sc Itimate abode in her regions only too :Ttain. Sometimes the heart almost Hi ;ands st ill with fear when a loud splash 01 ills us that a portion of l-.wa, mayhap fa i wit? vci j >v u inu oitviiMnit \/u, us been undermined and has fallen in cl ) he remelted. and at a later period toss- o' tl high on the farther side of the lake si i await awhile another summons to its s:i baptism of fire." For no two minutes oi in one see exactly the same effects. b( he fountains die in one spot and break lit instantly in another, the lava climbs & lie wall-like shore and, retreating, sieves a trail of lightbehind which pales n] nd dies as another deposits some fantasc figure high up on the opposite wall, si lS flight approaches the lava takes on a di till deeper rod. The sparkling jets be- al ome more blinding in their intensely sc rimson hue, and on the star-lit canopy T bove their roseate splendor is reflected, ol ? S( One Ship's Terrible Yoynge. is It w.-is announced recently that the m liip Templar had arrived in San Fran- tl iso with the yellow fever on board, 'he details of the Templar's voyage lake up one of the most wonderml . fcories of suffering at sea ever related. ir lie left New York in September, 1878, 31 nd was three hundred and twenty days S1 ii reaching San Francisco. Eight days ut from >! ew York the ship encountered tc two days' gale and w;is seriously dam- r( ged. On October 14 she was struck by hurricane, lost her rudder head and / i'as set to leaking badly. At llio the P 'einplar was repaired. Yellow fewer ,s arried off nine of the crew. Sailing from Lio, she had been on her voyage but two ays wlien the captain's, wile and a sea- f inn died of the fever. In latitude fifty Jc egrees south sixty-four degrees west , lie voyagers came upon heavy weather, nd during tlie gale lost the iron tank ontaining every drop of fresh water on ?' ioard. The crew nearly perished from < hirst, but a supply of water being ob nined, the shin sailed without important ?' uishap until tlie24th of hist June, when ,r he first mate fell overboard and was 81 rowned. Having recovered from two etfV-re .attacks of the yellow fever. Capivin Anderson again it'll ill with the isease just before the Templar ended ier year's struggle with death and dis- v< ster in every form but one-pthat of fire. b< X Terrible Fate of a Show Elephant. Cooper, Bailey & Co., proprietors of ne London and International A us- Co alian shows, have sustained a heavy ou )ss in the death of the elephant Romeo, tin rhich took place under peculiarly lior- \v: ible circumstances in Boonville, Mo. sh Borneo was one of the ten trained ele- ye hants whose performances so far have -w< een one of the most attractive of the o'f hr\ttt" Ttroa iraliiA/1 of HArt Hnfl 11 a Ill/ Tj j UUU IT<W YitlUVll (VU "^Ul/jUVV. \SII\J ULJ f the appurtenances of the show is an do nmense electric apparatus which is in sed in connection "with the electric otl ight that supplies illumination for the ini ntire canvas of the circus. This ma- th hine consists of a large magnet and an m< nmense armature, which is made to re- wl olve two hundred and fifty times in a an ainute by means of a thirty-live horse lo< ower engine. The apparatus is of In- m: snse electrical power, a knife blade held fai rithin two feet of it becoming so heavily be harged with the current that it can be kc ised thereafter as a loadstone Pro- sp 2SSor Sherman was getting his battery ca n. readiness for the afternoon perform- w< nee, had-"fired up,", set the machine th a motion, and click, click, wont the lie igilts 'one after the other, as the elec- to ncity iiew along tlie insulated cables, pc Vlien all was in working shape the pro- ta jssor sauntered off leisurely, and had nc ot his attention called to the r-achine ro gain until he heard an unearthly roar th nd a crash coming from the direction he f the battery. He was sfartled, as was bl ,lso the small army of workmen inside op he tents and the iarge army of boys and to 31ers on the outside. Everybody rushed 0 the dpot. The roars continued to reound through the canvas, and for a lie irhile the greatest consternation held the rowd. On approaching the vicinity of he electric machine Romeo was found sa 1 the throes of the death agony, and al1 ritli his trunk torn away by the roots rom its base. The poor beast lay there th horn of its strength, and presenting a sa orriblevmutilated appearance. Every- gr tiing was done that it was possible to do fa< )r the dying animal, but its agonies he rere terrible, and when at length it sc; asped its last there was a feeling of re- ro ief among those who surrouncled its tr( lountainous corpse. Joseph Kinslow, ne he leader of the band, who witnessed res lie accident, says that Romeo, who was w? naming around in the tent with his toi line giant companions, shambled up to wi lie machine and was sniffing at the liq rmature when its trunk was caught in Pr it revolving apparatus, and the animaL on ras thrown violently to the ground and ski :ie trunk carried away by the whirling " ] lachinery. Professor Sherman righted wl is apparatus in a short time, and a few J>,! ccessary repairs were immediately nu lade. Romeo was buried within the low grounds.?Si. Louis Qlobc-D'mo- ')!l -at. ga ? USi str A Brazilian PostofBce. 1,0 The postoftice in Para, the principal ff.r! ?aport of Brazil, is located in an 1m- t'1' ipnse room; a vestibule is railed off, t11 rithin which are several tables covered tin rith letters and papers. How letters urj re assorted is described by a corres- S0) ndentof the Boston Journal: to There are no boxes alphabetically arvnzed, nor is there any mail delivery as f01 rith us. ju? Everthing comes by water, and as the ( ? smmunication from the south is but ace in two weeks, ?and from up the ver once in- nine days, it follows that le postoftice is for the greater part of the me deserted except Dy a few clerks, tli< rho seem to have little to do except to "j1 ;ceive and deliver the few letters trans g? :ntly coming in. ' m< But when, as sometimes happens, the dii ;eamer from the south arrives the same wl ay as the one from the north, a Euro- ter ean steamer a day or two before, or j ust na viling, and the river mail down about sic ie same time, then the old postoftice i rakes up into life and activity. t tlu Its gloomy halls are thronged with tin lerchants and clerks, strangers and citi- bn 5ns, rushing about, seeking and carry- tra ig oft' their letters. sei Then follow hours of hard work, for of j the American steamer only remains tlx x hours in port, a world of writing has in > be done in this short time to answer II the correspondence, and there is no thi jst lor the merchants or their eierKs, ntil after the steamer is gone. sra When the mail arrives at the postffice it is not sorted in an orderly man- M er, as with us, but the bags are taken :uv ito a large inner room, dimly lighted, on nd emptied out upon a long table letirs and papers all together?and here cni ic clerical work ceases, and the public J ish in and make their own selection. wl Now ensues a scene of confusion which mi au must witness to fully appreciate. tin As the table has but four sides, and tin icse are lined by perhaps fifty or sixty t'11 Bople, while three or four times as many tri lore are waiting for a chance behind, id the table is filled so full that often s<"i ic letters and papers slip off on the be* oor, and as every letter and package cr( lust go through every man's hands be- pit ire he is satisfied that lie has got all lat belongs to him, you may imagine *ini lat it is a work of time and uncertainty wl >get one's letters. hai In a day or two the large table is J retty well cleared, and what is left is tw imoved to a smaller one near the main pe; itrance, the papers placed on top, and sdi'i le letters in .the drawer. Here any one (|U< >es, at any hour the office is open, and arches for letters and papers without in? t or hinderance. vcv lur (.;,i Death Advertisement. In Munich there is the custom o sa\ Ivertising the deaths. A considerable the >rtion of the daily newspapers is de- tro )ted to these announcements. I will his >ughly translate one which I happen to PX1 e just now: stei " It has pleased God the Almighty, in ^ is inscrutable providence, to take away tra ir innermost love, best husband, bet ther, grandfather, uncle, brother-in- ter w and cousin, Hen* , dyer of 're oth and silk, yesterday night, at 11 to] clock, after three weeks of severe i?s iffering, having partaken of the holy ner icrament, in his sixty-sixth year, out this earthly abode of calamity, into a ;tter beyond. ( " Those wlio knew his good heart, his . ' 'eat honesty, as well as his patience in inL iffering, will know how justly to esti- |iei iate our grief." Jiei This is signed by the " deep-grieving" *nc irvivors?widow, son, daughter and J'.01 . - r. , r_ ?i.? the riuglicer-iiwuw, in luu iimiiu ui mi; > r>sent relations. After tlie name of the w{] >n is written, "dyer in cloth and silk." w{' he notice closes with an announcement Jv" f the funeral at the cemetery, and a F* :rvice at the church the day after. It ^ common to engrave upon the monu- ~P? ient the business aa well sis the title of . le departed.?Sauntcrinys. ^ of A mission school in Philadelphia has rep i its basement a large bathing and his .vimming department. There are four of. resit tubs in which the dirty little chil- hes ren are free to cleanse themselves, and lad ) take aquatic exercise under prescribed ina Jgulations. Each tub accommodates aft early two dozen children at a time, skc he.surrounding floors sind walls sire of wil rick sind concrete, so that no restriction the put on splashing. A man withasmsill ?n( hip in his hand stands by during llie wo ithing hours ready to csistigate anyof anj le young persons who sire unruly or vio- <*ri nt. To their credit it must be said that fou e is seldom compelled to use it, The rot iris bathe and swim on Mondays, wil Wednesdays and Fridays, and the boys a 1 i the other days of the week, The rule Shi that no child shall be allowed to ent er of ie baths more than once a dsiv. Many eig ' tlie boys dodge this rule byexclnuig- j the g clothes and presenting themselves in in < ich combinations of costume that the j tho an with the whip does not recognize Mini. *S ' I 1 are The Zulus cannot comprehend revol- to < ;rs, and never take them from the dead go jdies of their English foes. wil Under the Crus*. rho reportci was passing down.North tmmeroial street, last evening, looking t, as usual, for bits of news. Across S e street, sitting on the edge of the side- p ilk, with tattered dress, bare head and c: oeless feet, was a little girl about nine y ars old, crying :is though her heart y juld break if the bitter tears did not d ,'rflow. Attracted by anything un- tl ual, the reporter paused a moment, in y ubt whether to go to her or not. But o that brief lapse of time entered an- b her man upon the stage, and his com- c gt, as it proved, rendered the scene all s< e more complete. His iace, eyes, gar- g ents, betokened the drunkard?one ho thirsted after drink, and whose lips d tongue were always parched. Rough oking though he was. a close observer v ight detect a something that bore a * int resemblance to the man he used to ? i. Staggering along, scarcely able to \ ep on the walk, lie approached the S1 ot where sat the child. His dull ears 1 ught the sound of sobs, his footsteps I1 ere arrested, and, fixing his eyes upon ? e still weeping girl, he reeled toward (' ir side, bent over her, and with thick 1 ngue asked why she wept. The re- ? trter stood near, and watched the con- J ct of these two wretched beings with a ? little interest. In- answer to that P ugh man's inquiry the child replied at her mother had driven her out of ?me?had followed her with curses and ows out of the only door that had ever P ioned to her, and that she was afraid _ go b:ick. " Have you a father?" he asked. P "No, sir; but, oh! I wished papa was 11 re; he was so good and kind r c "When did he die?" fi "A good while ago, sir; and mother ? ys lie died a drunkard: out lie was r ways kind to me, and I loved him." 11 What was there in that child's voice P at moved this man to soberness? He " t down at her side, put around her his ? eat strong arm, pressed Iter pinched 1( 30 to his breast, and who'can tell what n thought or what he suffered as the n tiding tears burst from his eyes and lied down his bloated cheeks? He ;ated that feeble girl with all tender- ci ss, he reeled no more; her story had s stored the man within him. His home a is near a little village on the Burling- o n, Cedar Rapids and Northern rail- n iy. lie was a farmer, but his love for e: uor had ruined his body, absorbed his ci operty, and his own wife and little ti es were to-day in destitute circum- b inces as this child he sat beside, si Died a drunkard!" Who can tell with it lat saving weight those words fell upon b i ears, or how far that poor waifs in- tl ence has gone toward his redemption ? b ; took the child across the street to a n kery, and saw that she was fed. He vc her some pieces of silver tor future b, and then was seen to recross the j eet and go with the girl toward her p me. The reporter was willing to * int that, with such a mediator, recon- j iation would surely follow, and, more > an this, he felt sure that the an^el in j. at man was so much larger ana natally stronger than the evil one. that me'holy influences would yet combine ^ save him. Nobility of heart and soul ? longs to God, wherever it may be md;anditis frequently discovered? it under the crust. ? Cedar Rapids ? i.) Republican. ^ t o A Slumberer's Escape. v (\s the New York express was nearing ^ e crossing above Steamer's Run, about le miles from Baltimore, the enicer observed a country wagon wing slowly along the road in the rection of*the rails. He blew the Pi listle loudly to attract the driver's atltion, but all to no purpose, the old g attached to the vehicle plodding >wly along toward the crossing. li Seeing that the animal would reach ? at point almost simultaneously with si b train, the engineer applied the b akes, but unfortunately too late. The A tin was running at full speed, and pas- h igers who had thrust their heads out tl the windows to ascertain the cause of b unusual whistling held their breath o horror as they saw the locomotive h shing with relentless momentum into u b ill-fated wagon. The horse was w Tick on the head and side, the wagon C lashed to pieces, and the form of the n in. who a second before occupied the b Ivor's scat, was hurled about fifty feet li ay from the track as the train dashed s< nast the spot,with the mail car,which fc cl jumped the track, hopping over the n: ils of the tics. ti \s soon as the speed of the locomotive, d: lich had run ubout a quarter of a ii: lc past the crossing, could be chocked, ; train hands wont back to ascertain A j extent of the damage. The head of 3 horse was found wedged under the ick of the baggage ear, and the legs j-j d entrails of the poor beast were a ittered all along the track. He had n| ?n mangled almost to atoms. At the j, >ssing the wagon was found com tely wrecked, and not many yards fiI ray, lifting himself from the ground ^ d rubbing his head, was the driver, ^ 10m everyone on the train thought u, il been killed. (1j To iir.ia nriniiront.lv nnt more than cnty-four years of a<;e, and to nil :ip- ju! mm cos lie escaped with but very (j( ?ht injuries. In answer to the many ^ Lotions put to him lie stated that he m s returning home from market, hav- ^ ; nothing in his wagon hut some cro- ar iesand corn which his father had told ^ n to purchase. At the time of tlieae- j1( ent he was, he says, :isleep, and did y( ; realize what had happened until he ( v tlie crowd coming toward him from ' 'track. He fumed and swore like a ^ oper who.i lie saw the remnants of horse/scattered about the track and ?' )ressed a forcible desire that lie, in- fr; :id of his horse, had been killed. g0 Vlicn reproved by a passenger on the w in for his swearing, the young fellow, _ ween another volley of oaths, mut- n( ed something about liaving to face the te of the old man, and then proceeded e(] pick up what ho could of his grocer- m arid corn. The train was delayed jy irlv an hour oy the mishap. . ,\f S! The Face 011 the Silver Dollar. di I letter from Philadelphia says: An cresting story in connection with the ,v silver dollar has just come to light e. The secret has come out, through w ! liccord newspaper, as to who the jn ang lady was that sat to Mr. Morgan, i1: i designer, as a model for the head m lich appears on the coin. The lady 10 lias thus been raised to fame, and jn lose name will be chronicled in his- di y, is Miss Anna W. Williams, resid- w ; with her widowed mother at 1,023 in ring Garden street, in this city. In tr Ti, when Mr. Morgan was making de- ;vr ns for the coin, he w;is introduced to ijj ! lady by Mr. Thomas Eakins, a friend tli the family. He desired to have a true ij( iresentative of American beauty em- n tzoned upon the coin, and the profile gj iVfi^c \Vi I linms iinno.'irwl tn liim ns f lip iH, ;t approach to it lie hud seen. The ,i, y, wlio is of a very modest and retir- fr, [disposition, was induced to sit, and yC pr four or live interviews, sufficient fa itches'* had been secured to proceed th th the wortf. The artist wrought up w ! face afterward to its present appear- Ca ;e, as it is shown upon the com. It to uld be 'impossible to recognize in it |)( ; resemblance to Miss Williams. The w LH:ian nose and delicate lips had their hj ndation in her features, but the full n inded chin resembles more that of the Yi ieofHr. Morgan. Miss Williams is )londe and considered quiteVpretty. dr 2 is a teacher in the girls' department tu the House of Refuge, and about p, liteen years of :ure. This sets at rest S:, i numerous stories which have been )J< circulation as to whom the face on i){ i coin belongs to. t may be some solace to those who :<<: always dissatisfied and are wanting >; change every day, that wherever they ri on earth they mu.st take themselves \ ta th th em.?Lampion. 1 cr im > TIMELY TOPICS. The ton sellers and crockery dealers o row York city have been at swords oint. The various tea dealers in tha ity have been engaged in giving awaj arious articles of crockery and t?lass rare to their customers, as an extra in ? ? ~t ""> 4>A.* flA/M uceiuent lu piuuuo^c tc<*. lituji owuj lie crockery sellers found their sale rere decreasing on account of this actioi f the tea sellers and they remonstrated ut without effect. Thereupon th< rockery dealers held a meeting and re olved to sell tea and coffee from theii tores at strictly wholesale prices ! Irish bids fair to be put upon the lis rith the 44 dead " languages. In a pape ecently read before the London Statisti al Society, it was stated that in 187 he area in which Irish was spoken ha< ecreased from 10,000 square miles ii 851 to 6,000, while the number of peo ile speaking it had decreased during th ame twenty years from 1,500,000 to 600, 00, of whom less than 400,000 spok rish only. It is also said that through ut Ireland there arc now probably no ,000 persons who can read an Irish boot nd not a single Irish paper is be in ublished in the country. M. Licerdo has given much attentioi o the character and effect of the venor f the rattlesnake. The poison seems t ? of the nature of a ferment. The re< orpusclesof the blood of animals bittei ya snake begin to display small bril iant points on the surface, which in rease rapidly in number, and then th lobules unite with each other, formm, paste which cannot circulate througl lie veins. Affected blood, if introduce! ito the circulation'^ other animals, wi] roduce the same symptoms and fata srmination as original virus. Tin uthor believes that the best antidote )r snake-poisoning is alcohol, whicl lay be given to the patient to drink o lay be administered subcutaneously. Professor Grote thinks that the Indiai orn plant originally gTew wild on th lopes ot the Rocky mountain region na on the sides of the valley of the Col rado. It was cultivated by the earl; len of that region, who were Asiatii migrants in pre-glacial limes. Tin liff dwellers and mound builders cul vated maize. The plant waa proba ly at first single-eared, and the grair mailer. Professor Grote believes tha ;s present yield might be s*.ill increaset y planting corn from plants producing ic largest number of ears, so that final f a more numerously-eared variety lay be introduced. Experiments in ttic inoculation o orse-pox have been made by som< rench savant. In the early part of thii ear there was an epidemic of horse-poj 1 some parts o? France. A while hors< aving been selected for the experiment 3 virus was carefully collected. an< sven young soldiers who had never beei accinated were inoculated with it. Up n six of these subjects it proved sue essful. Four of these/ were made u& f for the inoculation of sixty-four otlie: leu, eight of whom had never beei accinated. The result was that ii irtjr cases characteristic pustules wen btained. Then a number of calve re re inoculated, and theii virus wa sed for vaccination; but in this ca& liere were only forty-eight per cent, o uccessful cases, und in the former ex eriments there were sixty-four pe nnt. This seems to show that the horse ox virus is weakened by passing througl lie calf system. A man employed on the farm of Wil am Potter, in Sassafras Neck, Ceci Dunty, Md., was dislodged from his po itionon the platform of asteam threshe y a wagon being driven close alongside mother workman was standing nea im holding a three-pronged fork witl l- j ie prongs upwuru. irummiiunu. ras forced either to fall upon the bel f the thresher, in which case he woulc ave been thrown into the machine, oi pon the fork in the hands of his fellow workman. He chose the latter course no prong of the fork struck him under eath the chin, and glancing from tin one, ran through the lower and uppei ps and out about the cheek bone. Witl )me effort upon the part of both men tin >rk wjis drawn out, when the woundec lan sank to the ground. He discon nued work for the reraander of tin ;iy, but was at his post the next mornig. Romance Unearthed by an Advertisement. A Washington letter says: P. J. onahue, a lawyer of this city, lias filed petition in the supreme court on behall f Thomas McLaughlin, of .New York, line McLaughlin, of Brooklyn, Michael [cLaughlin, of South Carolina, Catiline Egan, ol New York, Philip Meaughlin, of Providence, R. I., and rchibald McLaughlin, of New York, nng the brothers sisters and heirs Jane Howard, deceased. Tne propty to be divided is a plot of valuable jildine lots in the most aristocratic uoron of YVashiugton. The death of Mrs. oward has always been wrapped in ystery. In the early part of May hist ie discoverv was made that Jane How d, who had lived alone and followed ie life ol a hermitess, almost denying jrself the neeessariesof life, and whose jcation wjis fortune telling, had disapiared. Her absence created alarm, and ion breaking open the door of her misable shanty'an s.ppallingsight met the ize of the police officers. * Upon the ualidbed lay the body of the old lady, om which life had evidently departed we ten or twelve days previously; it as decomposed and partially eaten by .ts. By the charity of friends ana :ighbors the remains were decently inrred, and an advertisement was insertI for possible relatives. Through this ediuin^he above persons wore promptheard from. It is said they have unmbted proof of their heirship, and the operty will be sold and the proceeds vided among them. The Talking Man. Don't you like to meet a talking man lien you travel? The man who talks cessantlj and never says anything. I ive met him on railway trains on alost every road between Kan.s:is and aine. I have sat beside him and heard m till mile after weary mile with the eariest chatter about nothing, until 1 :is ready to pray far a broken rail, a irned bridge, an open switch, a wild :iin, anything in the shape of instant id painless death, to save me from lgering torture. You may wonder at sleep never kindly comes to the re;f of the victim of the talking man. e won't let it. When he sees you ben to look sleepy, he clutches your arm, 1 shakos you by the shoulder, he says: See? Sec?" at regular intervals, and dm time to time asks you " what dc >u think of that911 to insure vour wakelness. 1 have often wondered whj is talking machine could not just as ell talk to the stove or a panel in tin r. because as no intelligence is required conduct his conversation, none should > necessary in listening to it. Iiut. lie on't talk t.h:it way. Ho appears to tincl s incentive to talk in your sunermg. is eloquence is born of your ngonv, du have heard liim .-us I have. You we wished him dead, you have won ?red why a mcrciful Providence evei irned liim loose on mankind. I expect rovidence itself sometimes wonders the ,me thing, when it hears the man wher i has a full head of steam pi: and some' )dy to talk to.?RurdcUe. in Hawkeyc. Albert Victor anil fleorge Frederick, uis of tin* Prince of Wales, were known y the nicknames of " Sr rat" and " Her'' on Hoard the training ship Britiiia. where they recently completed th# >urse with high honors. Wonted. Wanted?a man, good, honest and bravo, f Who doth all the vices eschew, ' Who'll battle undaunted his honor to save. ' To himself and his iellow men, true. f - Wanted?a woman, no feminine tamo, Like fashion and prejudice make, ' A creature of lolly, just woman in uaine, j Bat a woman, as God did create. > Wanted?a friend, that shall stand by our side When friends and prosperity speed; ?j r E'on faithfal through all though others deride A Iriend that's a triend iij our need. Wanted?a Christian, one who can Joel / t For the sinner, who ever ho be, ( r Who'll pray with the got, with the Magdalcp kneel? j From schisms and hypocrisy Iruc. a. Wanted?sweet truth, and constancy rure, c And faith, oi a tangible shape, . And justice, and morcy, and churity lair, C This earth a bright Eden to make, i ?Modern ArQo. j . ITEMS OF INTEREST. A strong-minded woman will alway n b* speaker of the house. n Marrying a woman for her beauty id ? like eating a bird for its singing. a Throw a ripe watermelon oiit of a . three story window, and, presto change! . it comes down squash.?Stamjord AdvoL rate. g An editor in Memphis thinks thai; * li there is but one cure for yellow fever and ft that is flight, vigorously applied.?Free 11 Press. B A street sensation of St. Jxmis, re, cently, was a woman 117 years old lookj ing for her lost daughter, a giddy young r thing of seventy. "That's a relation of yours, isn't it ?" said a man to his wife, at the same time pointing to a donkey. " Yes, by mar* riage," was her stinging reply. . The Detroit Free Press has discovered that one pailful of hot water will clear a corner of loafers quicker iJian four policemen, and at much less expense. Never tell a man who is using a restor ative that his hair is coming out nicely; such a compliment might seem somewhat ambiguous.?American Punch. Dr. Glenn, candidate for Governor of , California, raised wheat , enough during the summer to load twenty clipper ships, has hired 500 men and distributed over $1,000,000. . i Tobacco can by grown in every one of t.lio States of the Union: The annual f production is now 40,000,000 pounds, 3 valued at $33,000,000-in its unmanufaci tured state. c " Ii you want to get at the circumfer3 ence of a man," says Josh Billings, " ex? amine him among men; but if you want 1 tew get at hiz aktual diameter, measure 1 him at hiz fireside." ~ The Tribune is publishing a series of " papers on "-The A B C of Finance." The P A Y G of Financo can be conj densed into four words, P-ay A-s Y-ou j G-o.?Albany Journal. e " Doctor," said a lady patient," I suf3 fer a great deal with my eyes." The old s gentleman adjusted his spectacles, and e with a Socratic air replied. " I do not >f doubt it, my friend; but then you ought - not to forget that you wouldsuffermore r without them." They were out driving. Said Theoa dore, " What tree, Angelina, bears the moat precious fruit?" Angelina?Oli, Dory, I can't tell, unless it is a cherry tree!" Theodore looked unutterable i sweetness as he razed into Angelina's eyes and s.*fd, " The axle-tree, darling," r JoaquinMiiler says: "If you were . . to take a newspaper in your hand and r crumple it up and then spread it out i again, the creases in it might fairlv rep1 resent the streets and lanes and aifrys of ' t London, so angular, so awkward and i irregular is this, the greatest ot al] cities rt r of the earth." ^ At General Custer's home in Monroe, . Mich., the visitor may find reproduced - with the most minute, fidelity cf detail J the general's study or private office exr actly as it aDpeared at his headquarters i at Fort Abraham Lincoln when he left 3 <t for the last time to engage in the fatal 1 expedition against Sitting Bull. Captain Paul Boyton says that he can * go over Niagara Falls in his rubber suit. No doubt of it. Anybody could. But can he get back again, is the question. If it can be satisfactorily shown that he can't, hundreds of par- , sons will subscribe money to induce ^I?a rtvnnri'mnnf ? 111J11 Iaj IllilrlVC till/ Aiv> ' ~ [ town Herald. " Two sons of the Siamese twins.Chang and Eng. are now living in Sumner county, Kansas. They recently appeared in the United States land office, at Wichita, in a contest in which one,of them was a defendant and the other was a witness. They are spoken of as intcl! ligent, wide-awake citizens, and fully up to the spirit of the times. Queen Victoria has sent to the impress Eugenie a frame made of violetein amethysts for the List photograph of the late Prince- imperial. The garland is ' surmounted by an eagle, which holds in his talons a three-colored streamer, on which' is written in gold letters the motto, " Not lost, but gone before." The practice of dairying as well-as the theory, is taught at the fowa Agricultural College, where a sixty-cow power creamcry, with all the modern improvements, s been completed of late, and successfully carried on, supplying the dining-room with butter of excellent quality, the work from the milking onward being all done by the students themselves. A dead African eagle was lately found at Maina, on the southern Greek coast, i On examining the Dird an iron-headed arrow over a foot long whs found 'rans fixed under one of the wings. Evidently i the eagle had been fired at and struck in i Africa by some native, and had borne the arrow in its body in its long flight over the Mediterranean until it fell dead from exhaustion on touching land at Maina. 1 A ship carpenter at Belfast, Me., has corcluaed to spend the rest of his life in a chair. When wages were reduced lie ' declined to work any longer, and seated | himself in a rocking-chair near his sit| ting-room window. There he remains ' all day long, only rising to go to his meals or to bed. His chair rockers have t-- n 1 fl,? worn grooves in me noor, aim vn ; window-sill, where he drums idly as he ' rocks to and fro, are tbe imprints of his ; fingers. He is supposed to have some swings on which he and his wife lives. The Suicide City. Ssm Francisco may fairly be called the ; 44 Suicide City- " From 1860 to 1874, tlie 1 reported cases of self-destruction aver> siged .about thirty-five a yesir among the white population. But in the latter ' year the number suddenly jumped to ) sixty-one, and it lias since reached 103. Comparative statistics show that the i proportion of suicides to all deaths in 1 San Frsmcisco is fully three times sis ! great sis in New York, although inI i stances ofself-destruction aro from vari i ous csiusrs extremely frequent in the hit I < />! ,.itv Tin; mania for scIf-destru?tio?i i in the chief city of the Pacific slope is attributed to the consequences of the uni' versa] passion of the population for gamS bling in mining stocks. Suicides irii creased with the growth of the mining i excitement, and since the collapse of mining shares in 1877 over 200 persons have cut short their existence with their own hands. Taken in connection with i the business losses, crimes, suffering and i disorders of the last lew years, the above facts show rhatjtbe Bonanza mines have not proved an'unmixed blessing to the f people of the Golden State.?Buffalo Courier'