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ABBEVILLE PRESS AND BANNER! 1 BY HUGH WILSON AND H. T. WAKDLAW. ABBEVILLE, S. C.. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 19, 1882. NO. 46. VOLUME XXVI. Greenwood Greetings. Th? morning of the year Flushes again these Northern glades. Awake Oh slumbering branches. The remembered cheer And comradeship of other summers take On your mute faces. Answer me again, nd tell your winter's dream of ecstasy or pain. Then first the Maples stirred, Their pendent blossoms trembling with delight, And said: "The night is over. VTe havo beard The brook rejoicing in the breaking light, The rapture of the rain Over the lost arbutus found again ; The sod grows velvet green beneath our feet, Homeward the robins fly, and life is warm and ewset." The Pine tree flung It? tassels to tlie wind, and proudly sung: "I dreamed of lands where over leagues of ice The skaters joyous flew ; of speclral lights Fleming along the skies in strange device; 01 reindeer speeding through the glimmering nights. The forest trembled with old Odin's feigns f stormy pain, but all undaunted sung the Pine?." Th? Elm returned: "Of summer was my dream tho long night through : Of sunset fires where myriad roses burned, To give their beauty back iu morning dew; Of iaterlacing boughs Festooned in arches meet for lovers' vows; And of th? golden robin's nest that clung J*se to my heart, which throbbed whene'er tho kirdlings sung." Rongh-hooded Fir, Why dost thou beckon to the Juniper With oijns of joy ? Slow waved her rustling fas la ah# replied: "I heai d in my long dream The mellow pipe, far blown, of jocund Tan, Invisible by wood and valley stream. He is not dead, the god of dell and grove, ad with him, ever glad, the Nymphs and Satyrs rove." The Poplar trees, With odorous buds all quivering in the breeze Sighed : " Heavy was our sleep, and dark with gloom The dreaded vision of the night. Of yore The fate 1 Poplar grew unto its doom, And stricken, fell. Shaped from its shuddering wood The Cross was fashioned. Now and evermore Tbat woo returns. The Btain of holy blood Our slumber haunts alwav, And every waking leaf still trembles with dismay." The Willow's plume Swept the warm sod with downy tufts o bloom. Oh Willow, thou dost ever earthward gaze, And sighs are all thy language. And the tree Whispered : " I feel again the flowery days Of * new year; but 3pring, the fair and free, Cannot bring back the beautiful to me. There is a sound of tear-drop3 in the rain, f mourning in the air. The lost como?not again." Ah ! then flic Cedars bent Their glossy crowns, and spake with deep content: " We have not slept or dreamed the livelong night; In our dark mantles wrapped, we watched for light. We are the faithful. In our s; icy boughs The breath of Lebanon forevei lows. Summer or Winter, Life or Deaih, may be, Hope gathers garlands greet from off the Cedar tree." Oh kindred of the wood, Lift up 'your heads, for now the sunrise beams Scatter the miat of darkness and of dreams The world is made anew, and it is good ! A thousand voices herald summer's day. Let us drink deep from Life's fresh fountains while we may! ?Fianiet /* Mace, in Harper's Magazine. ?~ tshtstolin vwtch. " ' CHAPTER I. The stage stoppad. Every man and woman in it knew at once what it meant. They had joked at the terrors of the journey before them in the morning. They had talked seriously enough, but bravely enough, too, of the possibility of danger ahead as they ate their dinners. They had laughed as muoh at supper as in the morning, but the laughter had been nervous enough to have been cries of terror in' - j -m i Ui? *1.? Blttau Ul lau^uicx. auu uun, nuu iuo moon just silvering the hills to the east of them, the stage stopped. " Hold up your hands, gentlemen, and be lively; we have no time to waste." One after another the passengers were robbed. The man who had talked londest of hislaravery, and of his titter ontempt for those who would allow their money to be taken without a fierce fight, gave tip his money and his excellent pair of self cocking revolvers without a straggle. The man who had talked of the investments he was about to make in the West,' and who had boasted of his wealth all the way that day, was fervently cursed by the robbers, who found barely five doilars on his person. The lady who had spoken at least once every half-hour all day long of that wonderful person, "My husband, the colonel," and who had manifested an air of conscious superiority ever after she had informed the company, as she did very eatly on the journey, that her entire life had been passed on the frontier, fainted dead away. A young lady from Vaesar, who shrieked a full five minutes when a spider ran across her hand in the morning, sauced the fellow who took her money, and actually asked him why he didn't take her, too. A black-coated, white-cravated gentleman, ~ who had insisted on asking grace at' each meal that day, stood and swore by turns in not less than five languages while the robbers did their work. After all this, it wasn't to be wondered at that every one looked at the quiet, awkward little man, who had been laughed at more or less all day, to see how he acted under pressure. He was going to the gold fields, he said, to seek his fortune. When, therefore, the robbare took from him a larger roll of bank-bills than any of the passengers had ever seen before, they half forgot their own losses and the dangers of the situation in their interest in what was goiDg on. The little man's shabby coat, which had prompted more than one unkind remark during the day, nrao Q. tfnrl r\t TT?0 c* V4* ? Ui great value torn from his very plain shirt-front. At last they took his watch ?a large old-fashioned thing, in a very brassy-looking case. " See here, Bir," he said in an even tone, and with more dignity than any of his friends of a day had ever heard in his tones, "see here; you have taken my diamonds and forty-five hundred dollars in money, and I have not complained, but I rvant to keep my watch. It was my grandfather's, my father's, and mine. I meant it to be my son's after me. Spare me that." It don't look worth much," said the man who had taken it, and he moved as though half-inclined to give it back. The other robbers were ""assisting" the passengers to their places in the stage; the little man and the robber were holding their parley a little apart. "It's a good watch for all its looks," IBaid the little man, sturdily, in the sincere tones of a person who will assert the worth of that he lores whatever may come of it; "but I want it for its associations, not for its value." " A good timekeeper? Solid gold case?" Both questions were asked contemptuously. " A silver case, and plated at tbat, but as good a timekeeper as there is in America. It doesn't vary a second in weeks.'' The robber opened the watch, and glanced at the worKs aod the maker's name. "I am considered a fair judge of watches. I've handled a good many in my time," and he laughed quietly, " and the evidence is all in your favor. I believe you?and I will keep it." "You will keep my watch ?" " I said so." "May its possession be an everlasting I curse to you." " Thank you. Come, boys," and the robber took the stolen watch from his pocket and pretended to look at the time, " we cannot entertain our generous friends any longer." The indignity offered his watch in the pretense of using it may have stung tho little mar. to sudden madness; he may have intended all along to fight for his precious watch if he had to. Be this as it may, as the robber slipped the watch into his pocket the little man drew a revolver from some concealed place which the robbers had overlooked, and fired at the man who had so wronged him?fired at scarcely half a dozen paces, and missed It was all over in a minute. The little man lay in the road with his life running out from a half-dozen pistol ball wounds, and his face growing whiter and whiter under the cold light of tho moon. "Into the stage and off with you," was a command that did not need to be uttered a second time. " On to your horses and we are off, too," was the second command, and its tone? brought prompt obedience. And the last words of the dying man floated after the stage and drifted down the wind to the oirs of the fleeing freebooters: " May its possession be an everlasting curse to you!" CHAPTER II. . If the neighbors and acquaintances of Miguel Gordon had been asked why he was so popular with them the answers would have been varied. To the miners, pure and simple, his wonderful good luck in all his enterprises would have been sufficient reason. To those who loved manly sports and wild life, his horsemanship and marksmanship would have appealed first. Those who had rode by his side in the many fruitless quests for robbers and fngitivea respected the simple and terrible earnestness of the man. Men who had families, and the women who lived with husband and ohildren cn the frontier, loved him for the love he manifested for his two children, Manuel and Manuela. Any man for miles around would have given time and money, would have even risked life itself for Miguel Gordon. Gordon A J K4Ha AntMM t VMinAtlA wur&cu 1U mo liiuu tuiup ui miuxjio among the hills. He never loafed, he never drank, ho never quarreled. Once in two or three weeks he would ride to the settlement which had grown up around the railroad station thirty miles to the south, where he had a home for his children. The miners bought their supplies at this little place, and most of them knew Manuela and Manuelknew them and shared their father's admiration for them. Manuel was a slight and rather sickly youth of eighteen; Manuela was six teen, and strong and handsome. The mining camp would have been proud to have them there. Every man in the camp would have constituted himself a protector of the children. But the father said the settlement at the station was better for them, and that settled it, CHAPTER m. The twilight had not brightened into day one morning when a man rode up to Gordon's door and roused him with a perfect hurricane of knocks. "Danger at the settlement and no timo to be lost,'' was his summons. The note the swift rider had brought was short, but only too definite. Some friends of Gordon's had heard by accident certain rumors, and seen certain signs which had led to an investigation. Examination sbowtd that Mannela Gordon was abont to elope with a certain goodlooking stranger who had won the most of tho spare money at the settlement by his skill at cards. They were going on "flSe "trSiff* at--?) or STng.T Some were for killing the handsome stranger; others for keeping quiet and having nothing whatever to do with the affair. A middle class, although small in number, had won the day, and the best rider of them all had carried the startling news thirty miles through the night to Miguel Gordon. In five minutes Gordon and his friend were on their way back to the settlement. Litile was said, but Gordon's face was pale and his hand closed and unclosed nervously around the rifle he carried. In the long race before them time was important, and it early became evident that Gordon's friend could not keep up with him. " Go on," 6aid the friend, " and God grant you are in season." Oh, the long miles of the road, the dreary, weary way he had to ride with his strong father love at his heart urging him on. But at last he thundered up to the platform at the station, and it lacked fifteen minutes of 9. The men he knew looked curiously at him; women looked with pitying eyes into his as he fastened his horse and strode into the waiting-room, rifle in hand. " Who is the man ? Have you found out yet ? * he asked of the man who had sent him the note. "Jim Bragg, gambler, murderer and suspected stage robber. I had half a mind to shoot him myself as he stood making love to your . daughter this morning and save the law a job in the future." "The .aw won't need to exercise, its power on him, and his future is short enough. When will the train come?" "Didn't you know? The train has been gone fifteen minutes !'* The watch which Miguel Gordon had carried for a whole year?a year to a day?and which had not varied ten seconds in all the time before, was a half hour slow that morning, and had cost him his daughter. CHAPTER IV. Another year had slowly gone by. Miguel Gordon is more popular and more prosperous than ever, r "His daughter has never been heard from, and his terrible loss has aged him greatly. Still he is not entirely unhappy. His life is bound up in his son. He has brought Manuel with him to the camp now. Manuel uses his weapons, his tools, his horse^ Father and son seem to be one. whatever tlie sen wishes the father gets for him. "He is a model father," is said of one, and "He is a model son," of the other. This morning they are working together among the ledges. " We mnst put a blast here and loosen rrp the rock,'* said Miguel; "we can fire it from tin* house. I will light the fuse at exactly 1-." At 10 o'clock all is ready, and the two men separate to go to t other parts of the camp. " At 12 o'clock we will firo it,'' were the last words of the old man as they parted. " At 12?yes," responded his son. When the shock of the great blast at Gordon's was felt every one in the camp or in the claims along the riclge looked up; and a half-minute later the whole camp was flocking toward the place of the explosion, for the old man, grown grayer and older in the last few minutes, was bringing down from the rocks a shapeless mass that had once been human. His watch was a half-hour fast that noon, and had cost him his son. chapter v. A slight young man stood in the largest saloon of which the mining camp could boast, and slowly finished his story. I ?? TJiraa -venra ncrrv and mnro cinna V>o left home, and we have never traced him to a certainty. The man who was killed three years ago to-night, when resisting the robbers a half dozen miles east of your camp, may have been my fatner. The description is fairly accurate. But I never expect to know certainly whether it were he or not " Every new-comer was expected to tell something of hie story, and young Johnson ?had told his with Bimple directness, ending as ftated above. An old man, with end look and snow! white hair, bnt straight and strong yet, ; entered the room, walked to the bar, | drank, took a large, old-fashioned watch I from his pocket, looked at the time, and j walked over to the stove. ' Any errunds over to the station this | afternoon?" ho asked. "I am going i over on horseback for somo light supplies." The saloon man answered in the negative, and the old man walked ont. Johnson turned toward the barkeeper with a face like marble and eyes like tire, but asked a couple of very simple questions nevertheless. " Was that the Miguel Gordon I've heard so much about?" "Yes." "Is there any stage in or out toright?" " Yes; the stage from the East should be in at 9 o'clock." An half-hour later Miguel Gordon rode away toward the south. A halfhour after that young Johuson stood in the center of the saloon with an excited crowd around him. One man said: "We've tried to catch these robbers often enough, and have failed. If the youngster is wrong it is only one failure more. The stages have been stopped about once a month for the last three years. There is one chance in thirty by the theory of probabilities." It had been suspected that this man had once been a scholar and a teacher. He was called " the Professor" vot. Another man objected: "We don't know tbis boy. It would be lucky if it all ended in only failure. How do we know it isn't all a trap for us ?" " Likely to be that, isn't it, with the boy along? He'd scarcely try that," said a third. "We've never gone without Gordon before," said another; "whatever will he think of us if we go now without him?" " It can't be helped this time," said the barkeeper, "and I vote we go." And it was so decided. Johnson's proposition had been a strange one. It wa3 that, starting at 3 o'clock, they should ride hard and meet the stage from the East as far to the east as possible ; that the women and children should be left behind,together wit h any male passengers who might show a lack of pluck; and that as many of them as the stage would hold, fully armed and ready for the attack, should ride into the little mining town that nieht. He offered no reason, but sim ply said that there would be an attempted robbery. The moon had been up an hour. Tbo night was silent and calm, and would have seemed lonely enough to the driver of the stage but for the Strang, load he carried that night. The stage was crowded with men armed with heavy navy revolvers?and men who knew how to use them. The "Professor" was half-doaing in his corner and muttering something about infinity and zero; the man who had distrusted the boy, Johnson, was so far asleep that he might have been trapped or betrayed. The stage turned a curve in the road and stopped just where it had three years before. "Hold up your hands, gentlemen, and be lively; we have no time to lose," came the quick, nervous command. The driver's heart might almost have been heard to beat in the silence for one long moment, aDd the next there was a volley from the well aimed arms 0/ those within the stage, and with a cheer that might have been heard for miles, the miners sprang down to meet the robbers who had puzzled and defied them for years. The wild shots of the astonished outlaws did no harm, but they went down under the fierce onslaught of the miners like grain before the reaper. In five minutes the avengers were in a position to solve the mj6tery fully. Of the half-dozen dead men only one Ws Vno,OTI-WTfBlFmInerB; the%iit*W0Rj-strangers. The pnzzle was unsolved still. But, no, a dozen rods away young Johnson stood, revolver in hand, over the robber chief who had fallen only when the last ball had been fired. In his hand was a watch which he had taken from the dying bandit. " It was my father's," said Johnson, with a sob. "It has been an everlasting curse to me," groaned the prostrate man, with his last breath. The watch would never run again, for the ball that earned death to the wlin afrila if. lmd floRtrnvPfl tV?A watch as well. A miner snatched the mask from the j robber's face, and the reason why the attempts to capture the villains bad always failed was no longer a mystery. For, framed in with the well-known white hair was a well-known face, and the dead eyes which stared up at him glared from beneath the ashen brow ol Mignel Gordon. Fond or His Pet But Bishop Thorlwall's particular affectionn were reserved for cats. Many an awkward Welsh curate, introduced into his lordship's library to be licensed, or not impossibly lectured, found the terrors of that awful presence intensified by the rushing upon him of two or three pet dogs, harmless probably as the bishop himself, 'but whose wild yelps and bathings, if meant for welcome, sounded very much like the reverse. And it was well if, as he escaped from these, he did not in his nervousness stumble over a basket in which a favorite cat and her young family were reposing in the neighborhood of the episoopal chair. One privileged tabby in particular was allowed to sit upon his shoulder while he was at his studies or his meals?a position which, as the bishop remarks, "enables him to check any rash motion cf your pen, and, if you are at dinner, to intercept any morsel which seems to him likely to go in a wrong direction." He is almost as glad to receive a promising new kitten as a promising new book. But he has a great respect for the vested interests of old occupants. He would have accepted the "kind offer" from his correspondent on one occasion of "a good tortoise shell, which are very rare, with pleasure and gratitude, had he been catless," but, he goes on to say, "I do not venture to introduce a second cat into the family without the express consent of the one now reigning, which I do not expect him to give." At another time he sends her three numbers of the Spectator, recommending to her special attention some articles relating to cats, " in which, perhaps for the first time, some degree of justice has been done to the moral qualities of those muchtraduced and often persecuted crea lures."?macKioooa a Magazine. The Era or Milk. The London Lancct recommends the opening of milk taverns and refreshment houses to antagonize the liquor establishments wbich abound so iearfully in Britain. It shows the wonderful superiority of milk as a beverage to beer or any other alcoholic drink. Perhaps it has heard of the numerous "dairies" which have been in existence in New York for a decade or more, which are simply restaurants that make good milk a specialty and exclude intoxicating drinks of all kindp. Everything in the present advanced state of medical and social science points to a great increase in the demand for milk, and our farmers and railroads and all concerned in the trade should make increasing efforts to supply this demand. But for the unreasonable freights demanded by railroaus and very high profits demanded by dealers in milk, the farmers would get a better price, and turn far more of their attention to tho hnninefis. Within a wide circle around large cities there would be J nothing but milk and worn-out cows I and ball calves sold off a farm. Everyj thing grown should be helpful to feed | cattle, aid these in turn wonld be tbe means of enrichiDg the soil. Let farmers have three cents per quart for full honest milk, railroads one cent and retailers two cents, provided they do not water it.?New York Witness,. AN OLD MAN'S SILYEK. He Kccovrm ft From tho Unlled Stnto* TrrnHury VnultN?The IPIcturc lof JI1I? Fmiicr?Other Kiuiilly I!clicn. When General Sherman and his men were marching through South Carolina, the people in his path, snatching up what valuables they could find in their haste, fled in every direction. Whenever a body of soldiers are raiding a country more or less pillaging and plundering take place, no matter how strict the orders or how well disciplined the tvoops. In such circumstances a soldier seems to think he Las a right to what ho can get?and keep. General Sherman's boys proved no exception to this rule. While on the watch ono day the attention of an officer was attracted by a group of soldiers aispuung. estopping 10 listen a moment, be discovered that they were quarreling over tho division of a large box of captured property. A glance told him that the contents were valuable and ought at once to be placed in the caro of the government. "Here, men, this won't do ! This box must be sent to Washington at once." Orders were given to that effect, and it was sent to Washington and stored away in the division of captured and'abandoned property in the war department. It remained there until 1868, when, with other valuables, it was placed as a special deposit in the vaults of the treasury department. Some of the things deposited there had no mark about them by which they could be identified, while others were plainly marked. Congress authorized that the former be sold, but those that might by any'possibility bo claimed by the owners were cirefully preserved. It is a long time since that box of household valuables was ruthlessly snatched by rough soldiers from the fleeing South Carolinian, and he is now an old man. He had forgotten all that the box contained, but remembered that his family plate was there, and that it was all marked, and that it must have been placed in the government's care. If he could only get the necessary authority to have liis goods returned to him, he kuew he could identify them. After a good deal of hard work and worry on his part, a private bill authorizing the return of such pieces of silver as could bo clearly identified as his proporty should be returned to him, was at last passed by Congress. It was a happy morning for him, only a few days ago, when he made his way to the treasury department armod with the necessary authority, and carrying a large, oldfashioned carpet-bag in which he intended to bring away the long-lost family relics. He was escorted to the vaulta by the officers of the department, and the articles placed before him for identification. Yes! there they were, all plainly marked with the family name, large oldfashioned silver goblets, heavy ladles, spoons, forks and various other articles of silver. His eye brightened and his hand trembled as he picked them up and carefully examined them. Turning to those who sood near: "Ah 1 I tell you, these were bought when money was more plentiful than it is now," he said. One by one he dropped them into the old bag of goodly proportions ; but large as it was the sides Boon began to bulge. Several hundred dollars' worth by weight was sklAavIv ft fin/3 a a hi a nmnAWiV- Tint; what is this ? It bears tho same family mark, but Lad been entirely forgotten. He touched the spring * and opened the case. "Why, that is the portrait of my father, dressed in the uniform of a major in the British army ; how many years since I looked npon his face!" "Stop, old man, that must not go with the rest; it bears your name, I know, but Congress authorized the return of articles of silver only." His eyes filled with tear3 as he reluctantly laid tho portrait down. A further search brought to light numeroas pieces of family jewelry, some very handsome, and all bearing the same mark, but they had to be laid aside as they did not come within tbe^ provisions of the act. The vaults were agairrJr5cke<T)~ancT Vtie old carpet-bag closed. "I wouldn't mind the jewelry so mucb if I could only take away that portrait," were the last words of tho old man as he took his departure.? Washington Star. A Bear Festival. On arriving at the scene of the ceremony the visitor found about thirty persons, chiefly residents of the placu. assembled and dressed in their gala costumes, which consisted chiefly of old Japanese brocaded garments. From the commencement to the end sake played almost as prominent a part as the bear himself. The guests sat around the fireplace in the center of the host's hut, and an offering we.s first made to the god of fire. This was done in this wise: The Ainos, who were all seated, raised their left hands, holding a drinking vessel to their foreheads, while tho palm of the right was also elevated slightly. A small stick lying across the cup was then dipped in the sake and the contents sprinkled on the floor to the fire god, the stick being then waved three or four times over the cup. A formula was uttered by each person present and the sake drank in long draughts, the stick being meanwhile employed in. holding up the mustache. A eimila* ^(irpmonv thfin took T>laC0 in front of tbo beax's cage. This was followed by a dance around the cage by the women and girls. Offerings of drink were then made as befoie to other gods, and finally the bear was taken out rf his cage by three yonng mt-n specially selected for the purpose. The animal was killed by pressing the throat firmly against a large block of wood. Tho body was then clcancd and placed neatly on a mat, food and drink being laid before it, and ornaments of various kinds being placed on its ears, mouth, etc. Mats were spread around the bears, the guests took their seats on them, and the drinking commenced. This continued for some time, until the Ainos sank in a state of helpless intoxication on their mats. The women "in another part of the village mean time amused themselves with various dances, which Dr. Scheube de scribes at length. The following day, as amle, the debauch is continued". The body of the bear is then cut up ia such a manner that tho hide remains attached to the head. The blood was collected in vessels and drank by the men. The liver was cut out and eaten raw. The rest of the flesh was distributed atroDg tho partakers of the feast. The writer states that, although hard (lied in a certain sense to the Bight of blood, he could not look without horror on the sight of the drunken crowd, with their faces aud bodies smeared with blood. Tho skull of the bear, stuffed with charms, is placed in a 6acred place on the east Bide of the Louse, ana tne moutn is nnea with bumboo leaves. It is then always i preserved and venerated as a sacred object.?Nature. Fishing Extraordinary. Mr. P. W. Norris, superintendGnt of tho Yellowstone National park, in his annual report quotes the following fish story from his journal of Juno 3: ' Wishing a supply of trout for our men in thp. Gardiner canon, Rowland, Cutler and myself rode to Trout lake, and after pacing around and sketching it, with brush and sods I slightly obstn 4 ed its inlet near the mouth. Within eight minutes thereafter tho boys had driven down so many trout that we had upon the bank all that were desired, and the obstruction was removed, allowing the water to run off, and in three minutes tliprfinftfir we counted out eighty-two of them, from ten to twenty-six inches in length. Of these forty-two of the larger onep, aggregating ever 100 pounds, were retained for nse, thirty of the smaller ones returned to the lake unharmed, and the remaining ten were, together with a fine supply of spawn, distributed in Longfellow's and other adjacent ponds, which, although as large, and some of them apparently as favorable for fish as the lake, wore wholly destitute of them." Mr. Norris adds that his men declared it was not a good morning for trout, but that the story is as big a one as he dares to publish. UNDER THE BED. TimcH Wlipn It Una Concrnlctl llio OftLooked-for Hurglur. Tho man uncior the bed does not always prove a myth. Perhaps it is an aclnal f-ict that women who pray look for him more regularly than others of a less spiritual turn of mind; when tho good woman kneels at the bedsido to offer her devotions it is tho most natural thing in the world for her to firs; explore that historic territory and satisfy herself that no concealed burglar is listening. t is also a well-authenticated fact that a pious woman in tho suburbs of London did discover the legs of a bold, bad housebreaker sticking cut just as she began her petition. 8he did not shriek, but went on with a prayer for that particular sinner that would have molted the heart of a Newgite thief. I wish hat it might bo added that he was converted on the spot, came out and was pardoned und afterward married the petitioner. Bat truth compels me to add that the gcod woman wag interinpted in the most soleran part of her prayer by a peal of laughter from the graceless young brother who had en acted the part of a burglar. More tragic was the story of the lady who, traveling alone, stopped at an inn and mentioned the fact that she had been followed and watched by a villainous-looking man with a shock of red hair, who she feared had designs upon the valuables she carried with her. As nothing was seen of him at the inn, she retired for the night, carefully locked the door, and was soon in bed, leaving a light burn ing^in front of a mirror! No sooner was her head on the pillow than she had a distinct view of tho. man with the red hair crouching under the bed. Sbe made no sound, but reached softly for a scarf she had laid near, made it into a running noose, and waited. The next morning when her servants broke open the door, they found tho lady sitting up ;n bed, grasping with both hands the noose in which she held the fearful weight of the dead man; she had strangled him, but was herself a raving maniac, from whom reason had forever gone. Some time ago a prominent judge in Birmingham, N. H., was found mur dered in Ins cwn House ana no ciew to the murderer. It waB immediately after an adverse decision he had made in a case of great importance, and the murder was supposed to have been instigated by a desire for revenge, but as all the parties were respectable people it was impossible to fasten the guilt on any one. The judge was a widower, and lived alone with the exception of a young daughter and the servants. This daughter was beautiful, and on the evening in question had returned home from a ball at a late hour and gone directly to her own room, where she stood before her mirror taking of! her jewels. As she dif60, she held her white and rounded arm above her head, and conscious of its beauty said aloud: " What a beautiful arm 1" little thinking the idle remark of such consequence as it proved to be in the tragedy that followed. The girl both saw and heard her father's murderer, but as he was masked failed to distinguish his features, but always declared she should knew his voice if ever she heard it. Several years passed, and in auother city she was standingin a crowd observing some passing sight, when she was conscious of the curious regard of a stranger who stood near. Looking at her with a singular intensity, ho made this remark: " Oh, the beautiful arm 1" She knew the voice in an instant, aud throwing herself bodily on the man, denounced him as her father's murderer. He was arrested, tried and convicted, and told how he had lain hidden under the bed and heard the idle remark of the young girl which she herself had been scarcely conscious of. He had recognized her on meeting her, and involuntarily betrayed himself, as lie had been a stranger and an unsuspected party.?Detroit Post. In a Maelstrom. A Scandinavian emigrant gives Hlfi following account of a tragedy in the famous Lofoden maelstrom, his rustic patois of the fiords doubtless being ' lost in the free tianslation," of a Toronto reporter: A few years ago, on a delightful July evening, I saw a body of codfish rise by the edge of the whirlpool's outer circles, and immediately after the cod had risen a whale arose among thom and spouted. The column of spray blown up like a geyser attracted the attention of a small fishing boat not less than a half a mile distant, aod knowing that wliAro t.h? whalfi blow thare waq cod. they pulled toward the spot. In the boat was a pretty old man and his son, a lad of about sixteen. They had just come for the first time out to the Lofodens, and now pulled carelessly inside the circle. Their boat began to move slowly around, but they went on fishing unmindful of the motion. But the movement increased, as every minute the circle grew smaller and the swirl moved faster. At length the truth dawned upon the lackless old man and the boy. A faint scream of terror from the lad came over the water; they grasped their oaTs and pulled with desperation. But they were in the meshes. It seemed as if some fiend were dragging them to the vortex. For a time they held their own against the centerwara force, but only for a while. The old man's strokes became less steady, so did the lad's. The latter again rallied, and was pulling with the desperation of despair when his oar unshipped and fell over. In a moment it was carried away. Then the two set up a wild, piercing cry, put their hands up, praying to God for merfiv?thev could not expect deliver ance. In a minute or two it was all over. The boat was whirled round and round, then her stern was seen to rise in the air, then, with all she contained, the disappeared forever. Origin of "i'xcclsior." One of the best known of all of Longfellow's shorcer poems is "Escelsior." That one word happened to catch his eye one antamn eve in 1841 on a lorn piece of newspaper, and straightway his imigiaation took fire at it. Taking up a piece of paper, which happened to be the bnck of a letter received that day from Charles Snmner, he crowded it with veises. As first written down, " Excelsior" differs from the perfected and pat'liuhed version, but it shows a rush an! glow worthy of its author. The story of "Evangeline" was first uggested to Hawthorne by a friend who wished him to found a romance on it. Hawthorne did not qnite coincide with the idea and ho handed it over to Longfellow, who saw in it all the elements of a deep and tender idyl.? James T. Fields. A Rliyniug HoTcrnor. A newspaper man, commenting on the apt quotations of Governor Long, of Massachusetts, in his proclamations, last fall from one of Whittier's poems and this spring from the Scriptures, recills an official communication in original rhyme made by Jonathan Jennings, the first governor of Indiana, which is perhaps the only thing of the kind on record. Indiana wanted some guns and ammunition, and the governor sent to John 0. Calhoun, then secretary of war, this: Dear, pood John C., I semi to theo For three great guns and trimmings, Pray send them to hand, Or you'll bo damned, By order of .Touatban Jennings. Governor of Indiana. Seven prehistoric human skeletons, evidently belonging to the tertiary period, have been found in a cave at Steeten, on the Labn. Important results are likely to follow this discovery. The supervisors of San Luis, Obispo county, Oal., have ordered one ton of equirrel poison, to be distributed gratuitously to citizens whose ranches are infested with these jjeste.3 Origin of Popular Sayings. i "To beard the lion in his den.''? | Scott, " Marmion." I A thing of beauty is a joy forever." I ?Keats, "Endymion.'' "Counting chickens ere they're ; hatched."?Butler, " Hudibras." " Boz.'1?A pseudonym under which Charles Diokens contributed a serious of " Sketches of Life and Character " to the London Morning Chronicle. "John Chinaman."?A cant or popular name for the Chinese. The earliest known instance of its use is in " A Letter to the Committee of Management of Drury Lane Theater, London, 1819." " Am I not a man and a brother?"'? From a medallion by Wedgwood (17G8), representing a negro in chains, with one knee on tho ground, aud both hands lifted up to heaven. This was adopted as a characteristic seal by the AntiSlavery society of London. Blue Stocking.?Applied to a literary lady. The Society de la Calza (stocking) was formed at Venice in 1500, the members being distinguished by the color of their stockings, blue. The | society lasted till 15?0, when some I -At 1?i ~ I uiiier hjuiuui vjuluu iuuu laouiuu. I " Before you can say Jack Robin] eon.''?This current phrase is derived ' from a humorous song, by Hudson, a I tobacconist, in Shoe Jane, London. He was a professioaal song-writer and vocalist, *who used to be engaged to sing at supper-rooms and theatrical houses. " The guard dies, but never surrenders.'1?This phrase, attributed to Cambronne, who was made prisoner at Waterloo, was vehemently deDied by j him. It was invented by Rougemont, a prolific author of mots, two days after the battle. " Defend mo from my friends."?The French Ana assign to Morechal Villars, taking leave of Louis XIV., this aphorism: " Defend me from my friend; I can defend myself from my enemies." But of all plagnes, good Heaven, thy wrath can send, Save, save, oh nave me from the candid friend, ?Canning, The New Morality. "Where the shoe pinches."?Plutarch relates the story of a Roman being divorced from his wile. " This person being highly blamed by his friends, who demanded: ' Was she not chaste? Was she not fair?'?holding out his shoe, asked them whethor it was not new and well made. ' Yet,' added he, none of you can tell where it pinches me.' " " Catching a Tartar."?Signifying the encountering of an opponent of unexpected strength. The story of the origin of the expression is as follows: i In a battle an Irishman called one to nis officer. " I have canghfc a Tartar." "Bring him here, then," was the reply. " He won't let me," rejoined Pat. And as the Tnrk carried off his captor, the saying passed into a proverb, j "A Rowland for an Oliver."?These were two of the most famons in the list of Charlemagne's twelve peers, and their exploits are rendered so ridiculously and eqnally extravagant by the old romancers that from then arose that saying, amongst our plain and sensible ancestors, of giving one a " Rowland for his Oliver," to signify the matching one incredible lie with another.?Thomas Warburton. i " Star actor."?The late Mademoiselle ! Mario Taglioni, who retired from tin ! stage in the year 1847, almost in tha zenith of her glory, and who died Countesc Gilberte de Voisins, is said to have coined tlio word star in a theatrical sense, for, abont to be billed with two other premiere danseuses, she desired i to use some term to particularly distingaish her aud selected the word "star," since so commonly adopted. "Bravest of the brave."?A titleconj ferred upon the celebrated Marshal ! K ey (1769-1815) by the French troops at Friedland (1807) on acconnl of his fearless bravery. He was io command of the right wing,'which bore the brunt ; of the battle, and stormed the town. Napoleon, as he watched bim passing unterrified through a shower of balls, oxclaimed: "That man is a lion;" and i '- ii 11-- -i-UJ it T ~ I nenceiona me urmy uujrieu mu ajc Brave dea Braves." The Origin or Bride-Cake. ; It ia not generally known tliat .the ! customhaving bride-cake, without ! which, even to\hia day, any wedding j within the domain cA civilization wonld J be counted aa incomplete.. is derived from the most aolemn of tho feee con! nubial ceremonies observed by the* 9ni cient Bomans. Thia wa8 called con*farreatio, the other ceremonies being coeptio, the pretended purchaae by which the parties bought one another with a bit of coin, and usus, the consummation or taking home of the bride. The latter two are alone mentioned by Cicero, which shows that the first form had grown obsolete before his time. Confarreatio was performed by the chief prieat or priest of Jupiter; a formula waa pronounced in the preaence | of ten witnesses, and the man and ! woman ate of a cake of salted wheaten bread, throwing part of it on the sacrifice, which was that of a sheep. The cake was termed farpanis farrens (corn or wheaten bread), whence the name of the ceremony. By this form the woman was said to be poaseased of her huaband by the sacred laws, and became a partner of all his substance and sacred rites, those of the Penates as well as Lares. If he died intestate and without children, she inherited all his property. If she had ohildren she received an equal share with them. The offspring of thia form of raarriaee were designated as patrimi or matrimi, from whom were chosen priests and priestesses, especially the priests of Jupiter and the vestal virgins. The emperor of Tiberius wanted three priests of this pnre lineage, but conld not get them, owing to the general disuse of the ceremony in his reign. Oonfarreatio was dissoluble only by a form of divorce, disfarreatio, regarded as its equivalent in solemnity. That bride-cake is a relio of confarreatio is evident from the fact that until two centuries since it was made of wheat or barley, without fruit. We i should think that, with the present re vi^al of, and love for, the old, young J women of classic culture and tasfe I would ineist that the bride cake i should be of the ancient sort. It might ; add to the serious and sacred character of the occasion. Leaf from the Czar's DiarF. Got up at 7 a. m and ordered my ba*.h. Found four gallons of vitriol in ! it and did not take it. Went to breakfast. The Nihilists had placed two torpedoes on the stairs, but I did not step on them. The coffee smelled so strongly of Prussic acid that I was afraid to drink it Found a scorpion in my slipper, but luckily shook if. before putting it on. Just before stepping into my carriage to go for my mcrning drive it was blown into the air, killing the coachman and the horses ! instantly. 1 did not drive, took a light lunch oft' hermetically seuled j American canned goods. They can't i foci me there. Found a poisoned dagger | in my favorite chair, with the point | sticking out. Did not tit down on it. j Had dinner at 6 p. m., and made Baron , Laishchounowonski taste every dish. He died before the soup was clcared away. Consumed some Baltimore oys-' i i j x j1 -a. l t 1, 1*^,3 | i era ami juulkiou tnuui wuii i uuvo uuu | locked up for five years. Went to the j theater and was shot at three times in j the first act. Had the entire audienca I hanged. Went home to bed and slept all night on the roof of the palace.? San Francisco News Ltlter. There is a new process oi raising fish where the eggs are placed in large glass jars which aro constantly fed with streams of fresh water conveyed through rubber tubes. By this method it is estimated that ninety-five per cent, of the eggs can be hatched. In two hatcheries at Toledo and Sandusky, Ohio, 50,000,000 whito fish fry have been raised this season. Lord Y., whose popularity was not excessive in a certain Scotch town, having refused an importunate beggar, she renewed her application: " Now, my lord, if ye'd justgi' me ane little saxpence I could treat every friend ye have in the toon."? Quit, ' FACTS AND COMMENTS. The annual income of the Mormon organization is estimated at 83,000,000, and the annual increase by emigration at 12,000. In an article, showing to what extent Chinese competition has drivon white labor out of the trades in San Francisco, the Alia, of that city, gives these figures: Chinese cigar makers 8,500 White cigar makers 179 Chinese clothing makers 7,510 White clotbiug makers 1,000 Chinese shoe operatives 5,700 White shoo operatives 1,100 There are 700 women employed at the Central English telegraph office, and the whole service ia largely in their hands. Some branches of the savings business of the postal department are also managed by women, as well as of the dead letter office, but the more responsible positions are generally filled by men. The number of women who apply for work in the department is enormous, Philadelphia ia credited with a grea deal of wickedncss of a miscellaneous sort, but it can boaat of at leaat one honest man. His name is John II. Baker, and ho is a private watchman. He recently leceived a letter inclosing three checks, signed by the United Stages treasurer, for the payment of interest on government bonds, and the entire amount of the checks aggregated 840,000. He could easily have drawn the money on presentation of the checks at the sub-treasury, but knowing a mistake had been "made bo returned them to the postmaster and they were sent to the rightful owner, another gentleman of exactly the same name. A great canal project is being diseased in France. It is proposed ihat a ship canal shall bo dug in France connecting the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. Its length would be 270 miles, Bordeaux and Narbonne being its terminal, with Toulose as a port on the way. At the highest point it would be 500 feet above the aea level. Water would be supplied by the river Garonne and other streams. Besides its military advantages its supporters claim that it wcnil aid agrioulture by enabling the vine to be cultivated along its course. The total cost of construc tion is estimated by the governmen commission to be $284,400,000. The majority of the commission decline to say whether they think it would be worth the expense, although they be lieve the work to be practicable. The minority declare that its construction would be extremely difficult. There are four great industries on the southern shores of Lake Superior. They are the mining of iron and copper, the quarrying of slate and the manufacturing of lumber. The iron mines give support and employment to about 30,000 people; the copper mines sustain a population of about 16,000; the lumber interests of this whole northern region give employment and support to about 50,000 persons in "tlie winter months, the remainder' of the year the force employed being materially less in number. The slate quarries at L'Anse wero opened last season, and at present give employment to a limited number of persons. Those four industries not only give employment to 100,000 people, but require the transportation facilities of four lines of railways, three steamship lines and a host of sail and steam vessels. A singular adapt i tion of the railway engine has been made in Russia. Information having been given to the authorities at Alexandrovo, on the Polish frontier, that the locomotive of the express leaving that station for Warsaw bad been ingeniously converted into a receptacle for smuggling goods, it was carefully examined daring its sojourn at the station. Though nothing ^as found wrong, it was deemed advisable that a custom house official should accompany the train to its desti nation, where the engine furnace and boiler were emptied and deliberately taken to pieces. In the interior was discovered a secret compartment, containing 123 pounds of foreign cigar; and sfe-t^KJ parcels of valuable silk. Several arrests T&re made, including that of the driver, J>ut his astonishment at finding the engine to which he had so long been accnstdH.ed converted into a hardened offender against the laws was so genuine that he was pleased and allowed to return to his duties:. A Remarkable Surgical Operation. The success of a surgical operation performed some time ago by Dr. William 8. Forbes, professor of anatomy at the Jefferson Medical college, demonstrates a way in which musicians may overcome the necessity of years of constant practice to destroy the rigidity which naturallv exists in the third or ring finger. -This normal infirmity has always been the great drawback to students. To obtain a thorough knowledge of the theory of music, flexibility and ease in the movement of the third finger is absolutely required. The subject was brought to the attention of Dr. Forbes by Professor Zeckwer, a music teacher. Tho physician gave the assurance that if a subject were procured he would demonstrate that, with a not very painful surgical operation, the finger could be brought under control A young colored man in the employ of Professor Zeckwer, who had some musical ability, consented to subject himself to the Burgeon's scalpel. In the case of the third finger, unlike its neighbors, the upper or extensor finger is joined with the tendons of the fiugeis on each side of it by two smaller or accessor^ tendons. This acts like a martingale, one holds the fingers down so completely that nothing but cjnstant strain will loosen the pressure. Dr. Forbes, when tho subject was brought co him, simply mado two small openings in the back of the left band on each side of the extensor tendon, and divided the troublesome accessories. Tho finger was at once released, and, immediately after the operation, the young man was ablo to raise the finger and > ? 1 :?1? ?? :??i, ??/j aescnoG aa uru ui & unuo uu juuu auu a half greater than he could before. Since the operation the finger hat been rapidly gaining strength, and now, at exercise, it does yeoman servico as compared with its twin of tho other j hand. A Feature of Tunisian Etiquette. The heir-apparent, Sidi Ali Bey, the brother of the reigning Mushir (Bey), is a portly person, with a fnll Turkish trimmed beard who possesses the esteem of the Arabs. But he is seldom seen. Oriental etiquette requires that the man who is to succeed tho ruler should be completely ignored. No minister or state officer could visit him or communicate with him without running the risk of losing his office or being exiled. Even the representatives of foreign governments may not visit the heir, and personally 1ij is quite unknown to them. For a native to show liirn any mark of attention would be high treason, and such an act by a foreign consul would be regarded as evincing a want of respect for the bey? oTxirir munif^ntnf.irm r>f rpcnrd fnr the I heir being tantamount to an intentional allusion to tbe transitory power of the regent, and to h:s eventual death.? The C> ntttry. J. ?.P.?''Would you like to publish in Si/tings, a composition written by a boy on a mule?" Wc do not wish to encourage boys to write on mules, and therefore cannot use th& manuscript. Boys should write at ho/ne on a slate, and when oil a mule /should give all their attention to steering tho quadru- ! * * * 1 1 At.; ? k I pea. i>ow, 11 vuu uttvo uojujiug ?ntten by a mule on a boy there would doubtless be something original in that, and we would gladly patlieh it.?Texas Sifting?. i A Chinaman's Funeral. The funeral cortege was formed at the undertaker's rooms, where a large number of Chinamen gathered shortly before 2 p. m. to pay their last respects. The remains were exposed to view for the last time. Chung was dressed in his best frock, trousers, white stockings and soft sandals, and had on even the broad-brimmed soft black felt hat which his people are so fond of wearing. The remains were inclosed in a rosewood casket, surmounted with silver handles. On the plate were inscribed in Chinese hieroglyphics his name and the* fact that he was thirty years old. When the lid was closed the mourners became quite cheerful and chatty, and in a very short spaco of time a score of Celestials were eneconced in four backs and followed the corpse to Mt. Hope cemetery. The cortege went at u l;vely jog, the mourners dropping along the streets little bits of paper of various colors all bearing Chinese characters. The nienpn of n#rwr ata Sim nosed to bear i?x? ?- ?4-r?? -- y implicit directions showing tb6 way the deceased should reach heaven, as well as prayers for Chung's safety. The cemetery was leaohed with little delay, and the monrners were soon kneeling around the grave. The burial rites were then begun, and consisted in the burning of a basketful of paper, of all colors, in the bottom of the grave. On these papers were printed further instructions and prayers for the guidance and safety of Tung Chung on his celestial journey. The body was soon lowered and the casket sprinkled with rice water. The mourners then carried lighted tapers of paper, during which the grave was tilled in. The mound formed to mark the spot where Chung lay was decorated with little sticks resembling miniature rockets, and these were soon lighted. They were placed around the grave with the purpose of affording Chung candle /Iflvlrnoaa Avavfolra Vlim AigJJU OUUUm U0A VVW? VHHV mam* on his journey to the spirit land. The mourners continued to burn papers, and built a fire at tho foot of tbe grave, on which they placed chickens, pork and rice, to be used by Chung, should he get hungry. "Wine was also placed at the grave, so that, at all events, Chung should not suffer from thirst. These ceremonies concluded the mourners returned to the carriages and wt 1 driven to their respective wash-shops. The remains of Tung Chung will be disinterred in a few years, and what may then remain of him will be subjected to the boiling Process at the Harvard Medical schorl he bones, after being dried tad scraped, will be surrendered to his associates here and by them sent to China.?Boston Herald. Indian Agriculture. O.je day at the Yanktonian agency, located on the corner of Poplar creek and the Missouri river, I besought a chief that he dicker with me for a head of lettuce and a few bunches of radishes. I ahould say his farm was about fourteen feet long by seven, wide, and looking from the farm to him it was difficult to decide which presented the greater aspect of fertility. But he was a chief *3 1 J J3 ? ana a hjuu ui jhiiu, uuu muo* uo opproached with mingled respect and alms. "No, comrade," he replied, with an air of stately grace, "the Great Spirit has hold of the other end of those plants, and they don't come up till he shoves them." (Not his exact language, but a free translation.) I pointed out to him that the whole business was going to seed ; that in a few days longer they would be unfit to eat, and his whole crop of ninety-eight square feet would be ruined, unless he dug it up. and found a market. Thereat he knooked me down with an unanswerable argument: "Comrade, when those shrubs started in they were small. ' You could have carried the whole outlying district in yonr moath. They got bigger and bigger, until they are what you see them now. Shall I pull them up and lose the interest ? Nay, comrade ; they shall stop where they are until they are full size, and then there will be feasting in the tent of Potleg." That's an Indian's idea of farming. He won't harvest for fear his crop might grow larger if let alone, and he permits it to run to seed. The agents eay it is the worst difficulty the} have to overcome. After a little bribing they can induce the Indian to plant, and then he will watch his farm con amore. But to make him take in his crop has so far * --- M..'t provea an lmpossiunuy, wuub wo wow for him to educate tip to a hat vest er. I told Potleg lie was a great mail and asked him who ovssrgtrTh&fct&ve next to him. T^-feBlonged to anothemw wh?-*?as temporarily absent skirmish- . ing for a hoe. The bargain was easily made. Potleg had no conscientious scruples and I made him a present of what few I had ard went back to camp with my pockets full of vegetables. Perhaps the other aborigine missed them and helped himself from some other patch. 1 Bhall never know, but whatever he did made no impression on the sublime dignity of my friend Potleg or his abiding faith in the effect of time on crops.?Dakota Letter. The Mule and the Mormon Bishop. The Salt Lake Tribune says a sad story of destitution comes from San Peto. Ifc appears that an old Mormon saint, who had been drained out by the tithing system for over twenty years, became so poor that he was unable to secure meat for his family. Last week, driven to desperation by his poverty, ho slew a mule and cut up the carcass for the family table. As he was about to salt down the meat in his c?llar, he recollected the tithing obligation, and accordingly carried a portion of the meat to the bishop after the usual form. Tho l iahnn received the seventv-fire pounds of meat (the mule weighed 750 pounds) and laid it aaide for a Sunday roost. A few hour3 later when he came to more closoly inspect the meat he discovered that it had not been skinned and that the hair left on was unmistakably that of the mule, and no other than the iron-gray mule the needy brother had plowed his field with for the last fifteen years. This roused the ire of the bishop, and repairing to the brother's house he berated him soundly for his trifling act, and told him to come after his mule meat at once, also hinting that he had better replace it with some sort of produce more in accordance with the bishop's gastronomicp' ideas. The poor tithe-payer could noi comply, and there is talk of cutting him off fMm Zion. The bishop probably expects quail on toast, frogs' legs and enlarged goose liver from people who are fighting starvation and death i ith rough mule meat. The poor man made q great mistake in leaving tho hair on, A School Sight-Test. Tlio nvnvnlpTipft of near-fiiclitedness among school children has led to the publication of a 11 sight test," similar to those used by occulists for school use. Near sight, it is now established, j is not connected with an unnatural j prominence or convexity of the eyeball; but is found to be acquired, in the j great majority of cases, during the j earlier years of school life, i?nd to depend on too continuous use of the eyes, on imperfect illumination, and on the soleetiou of poorly printed text books, or of too line maps If properly treated at the outset this defcct of sight can sometimes be entirely removed; and in almost every case its progress may be modified, if not arrested. The chart is prepared for the purpose of enabling teachers to detect the cases where the sight of a scholar is below the normal standard and, by singling out such instances, determine whether the failure is progressive. The following test is given by the French Academy for distinguishing false gems from diamonds. If the point of a needle or small hole in a card, when seen through the stone, appears double, the stone is not a diamond. All colorless gems, with the exception of the diamond, cause double refracion. SECRETS OF SPACE. B An Albnny Boy Acfaie*losr Fame by Dl?covering !a New .Comet?How tlie Dlf B covrrr wm Made. S& " Surprised ? Well, I rather guess I B was," said Mr. Charles 8. Wells to an B Albany Argus reporter, in the sitting- B room of the Dudley observatory resi- B dence, when he was asked about his H discovery of a new comet at an early B hoar the previous morning, and the 9 news of which had been flashed from B one end of the country to the other. B " I was dumbfounded, or found dumb B would probably be more literally fl correct, I'll tell you how it was. I B had been at work all night sweeping the B heavens for strange objects, my special ? desire beiDg to find a comet. To say that B I expected to succeed would proba* B bly be putting it too strongly. I hoped H to. Early in the evening I came across B a strange object, and for a moment or B two my hopes rau high; but like many H hundreds before it proved to be only a B faint nebula, and I went back to work B again. Along about 4 o'clock in the B morning, just as I was preparing to give np the search for the night, I perceived in the constellation Hercules an object that made my blood tingle in every vein. At first I could scarcely believe my senses, but there it was before me. With my heart playing a lively tattoo against my vest 1 proceeded to take hasty observations, and. after doing so, ran as fast as I could to Profeasor Boss* residence, a few rods^away, for the purpose of having him also observe it I scrambled down the arbored walk in the darknes?, I don't know how, and reaching the front door pulled the bell lustily. My impatienca grew unbearable, when, after several minutes had patsed, no one answered. All was still as death. Then I began' to set up what might be not inappropriately termed an Indian war whoop and dance, without tomahawk anjd scalping knife, but this was equally ineffectual. I could stand it no longer, and so, determined not to lose any more time, as daylight would soon be upon me, I ran back to the observatory with a deadlv fear that the object would be gone. Bat bo, it was there still, and I proceeded as best I could under the natural excitement to record carefully its position." " What instrument was you using?" " Well, that's a point I wanted to speak of. Usually when searching I use what is kiiowu as the ' comet seeker,' a comparatively small instrument, but last night I had the largest telescope in the observatory, and it is very fortunate I had, too, for with the seeker it is very doubtful if I would have made the discovery." " Was the night clear?" " Exceptionally so. In /act, there are not, perhaps, more than three or four nights in a whole year so favorable for astronomical observations as was last night. That is one of the reasons I was working so late." " Where was it located?" "Its right ascension at that time was seventeen hours fifty-two minutes,north, declination thirty-two degrees, thirty minutes. The rapid approach of dawn precluded any elaborate preparations for acourate observations. The position of the oomet was several times ascertained by what are technically known as 'pointings' Which will prove ?? ?? 1- * xl sumcienuy exact ior mo purpuaeo m preliminary calculations hereafter." " How large did it appear through the telescope ?" "About as good a comparison I can perhaps make is with the moon. Its length is about one fifth of the diameter of the moon, and its width about one-fifteenth. One of the first peou> liarities I noticed was a bright point of light, evidently a star of small magnitude, on the edge of the comet. On returning from my effort to arouse the professor I again looked for this star, and found that it was a considerable distance away from the edge of the comet, showing that it was not a neb* ula, as I feared, but was moving rapidly in space." Professor Boss, who was present, said: "The new object is what would be termed by astronomers a bright telescopic comet. It possesses a nucleus or central condensation of light equal in brightness to a star of the eighth magnitude, and has a tail five minut or more in length. It is, therefor?, a foll-fledged comet, and notably unlike the usual appearance of comets at first diecovery. If it shall prove that the new comet is approaching the earth, it is likely to become an object of more A?/lir>n?TT irfnrnof Aq ?AaVlv Ail IUUU uiuium j turoivuvi ^ could be ascertained by Mr. Wells injthe short interval before dawn the comet is moving in a northeasterly direction through the sky, at a rate not exceeding one degree daily. From this fact it "Eight possibly be inferred that it is movlftg-tpore or less direotlj toward the earth; but ^consider this only an inference upon whid&La decision will be reached only after thr^e complete observations, of position, oh different nights. The position in which the ntflK comet 'appears is sufficient to establish the fact that this is not the long expected comet of 1812; in fact an eminent French astronomer in correspondence with the Dudley observatory predicts that the comet of 1812 will not make its appearance previous to 1884, if as early. . It is not probable that the new comet is visible witn the naked eye, but without doubt it can be seen with a good opera gla<s. It rises in the northcast at about 9.30 p. m., and is at that time directly below Veg* and about ten degrees from it. It may be looked for between Ma Herculus and the bright star Yega at about one-third of the distance from tbe former star. A. Celestial Prisoner, Although Mrs. Tsun, the Chinese minister's wife, receives no visitors and never leaves the building occupied by tbe legation, she is, I hear, very cheerful, as she has always been accustomed to seclusion. Her husband has two nephews here, lads of fourteen and nineteen years of age, respectively, and they are permitted to see her, as according to the Chinese etiquette a husband's younger brothers and his nephews may see his wife, but no other of his male relatives. These nephews are very intelligent, and although they came onlv in December already 6peak English well. They attend school here and have made great progress. Mr. Bartlett, the American secretary of the Chinese legation, has a wife and daughter who, because of his connection with the legation, are permitted by the minister to call on his wife, and when they do so converse with her through his nephews. It is a rigorous custom in China to seclude a lady of rank. Mrs. A mifa nf Ann niinictflr fv\ au^Cllj bUO miu V? VUi AM4MIVWV* w China, who was recently h .re with her huoband, mentioned that during her four years' residence in China she never saw a Chinese la^y of rank. The wife of the viceroy, who lives in one of the larger Chinese cities, has been immured in her house for several years because th9re is no one in the place where she lives of high enough rank for her to call upon. The only other lady in the empire on whom the vice roy's wife could call is the empress, who lives at Pekin, where the viceroy's wife does not live.?Washington Letter. The best armor is discretion; the best adviser, justice ; the best acl, that prompted by charity ; the best companion, the frank friend, who is not afraid > b tell us of our faults ; but the truest friend is tha Rold, earned and saved by one's self, the sight of which brings neither blush of shame nor twinge o( * conscience. This is the friend who ever gives to man unfailing obedienco. It is hard to personate and acta part long, for when truth is not at thebottcm nature will always bo endeavoring to return, and will peep out and betray , itself one time or another. # In the different packing establish ments of M<iine 750,000 cans of mack erel, 1,500,000 cans of lobsters and 230, I 000 cans of clams are put up annually. Wooden shoes, especially those made of oak, are said to produceacorn. - \ A