The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, April 19, 1882, Image 1
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