The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, November 25, 1885, Image 2
A THANKSGIVING STOIiY IN VARSE
"Thanksgiving!?for whatC
?and he muttered a cnrs3?
"For the plainest of food
and an empty purse;
For a life of hard work
and the shabbiest clothes?
But it's idle to talk
of a poor man's woesl
Let the rich give thanks,
it is thoy who can;
There is nothing in life
for a laboring man."
Bo said John White
to his good wife Jane,
And o'er her faco
stole a look of pam.
"Nothing, dear John*:"
and he thought again;
Then glanced more kindly
down on Jane.
"I was wrong," he said:
"I'd forgotten you;
And I'vo my health,
and the baby, too."
And the baby crowed?
cwas a ooui:cn:g uuy?
And o'er Jane's face
came a look of joy:
And she kissed her Julm
as he went away;
And ho said to himself,
as he worked that day:
"I was wrong, very wrong;
I'll not grumble again,
I should surely be thankful
for baby and Jane."
?Boston Globe.
AT THE FRONT.
A TIIAXKSGIVING DAY STORY.
The engine of the Eastern express
O 4
broke her crank just where the line
crosses "Big "Wapoo" Creek. There
was an up grade both ways, so that the
engineer could not run by gravity in
cither direction. It was about 4 o'clock
in the afternoon on the day before
Thanksgiving, and there was at least a
dozen people in the train who were on
their way to a family reunion somewhere.
There was a demure little Yankee school
mistress and her sister from ever the divide.
They were bound for their brother's,
who had a ranch near the road a
hundred miles farther east. There was
a family?father, mother, and some five
hearty well-cared-for boys and girls?
who were on their way to the old folks'
home still other hundreds of miles to the
eastward, and then there were several
men who wanted to get somewhere in
time for the Thanksgiving dinner, and
had trusted to the time table to enable
them to do it.
Of course there were "Westerners and
Southerners on board who> had no
Thanksgiving traditions to look back
upon, and rather scorned the timehonored
New England festivities as a
Yankee institution whose importance
wa9 not for a moment to be weighed
against the business engagements to
which they were themselves hastening.
All, however, agreed that it was a great
nuisance to be detained here in a mountain
valley, far away from all help, with
nothing to do but wait until the train
was missed and extra engines telegraphed
for to haul it out of the way. We
were ploomilv watchincr the darkening
g> * 0 w
landscape, when some one, with sharper
eyes than the rest, looking keenly up the
valley, said: "Isn't that a man on horseback
just by the turn of the foct hill on
the right?"
All eyes were turned forthwith in the i
direction indicated, and easily made out
an alert, vidette like equestrian figure,
just where a tolerably practicable mountain
road rose over the crest of a low
ridge. As we looked it was joined by
another similar figure, and the two sat
on their horses apparently consulting
about the stationary train. 1
Presently they both put 6purs to 1
their horses and came dashing down the i
valley after the wild Western fashion of i
horsemanship. We passengers were
standing and sitting, some inside and j
Bome outside the cars, for the evening '
was not an unpleasant one for the season, i
and there was perceptible among us an
instant disposition to look to our rcvolv2rs.
One or two even drew and cocked
their six shooters, for the region was
lnnplv and all had read nf ro:id arrents
and their daring raids. Just at this junc- '
ture the conductor came along, and
seeing the approaching horsemen, reassured
everybody by a cheery recognition,
as the two riders pulled up abruptly at
the foot of the embankment.
^ "How do. colonel? Here we are,
stalled, for the night, I reckon. Hope
you won't fire us off your preinisss?"
"No fear of that. Glad to have you
stay as long as you like. But what's the
matter?"
"Crank broke," and then followed explanations
and conjectures.
"When did you get your last dispatch
from below?" asked the elder of the two
horsemen.
"Three hours ago, at Blizzard City."
'? "Then vou can't have heard about
SalTliiver bridge?"
What's th$ matter with it?"
"Swept away. There was a heavy
rain in the Cross Hatch range night before
last, and the run flooded and got
away with a lot of felled timbers up
above. The logs gorged at the bridge,
and away she went. There's a construction
train expected before morning,
eo I heard, but of course you can't cross
for several days."
'T should think not!" said the conductor,
adding some remarks which were
perhaps justifiable at the time, but need
not be repeated here.
A meeting was presently called in the
rear car and the conductor stated the
case. The wrecked bridge in question
was some twenty miles distant, beyorni
a rough mountaiu chain. Conveyances
could not be had for all hands anyhow
and there seemed nothing for it but to
picnic where we were. A few of the
more ath'etic of the men determined to
start at once and walk the distance so as
to catch the first train to the eastward.
A i.l .1 1 i.1.. i
ine rest wouiu smy uv me uaiu.
This decided, he whom the conductor
had addressed as ''Colonel"?he had dismounted
and entered the car with the
rest?stepped upon a seat and removing
? his soft felt hat, claimed attention for a
moment.
"Gent'emen and ladies." he said, "you
do not know it, but you are in a manner
my guests. The road runs through my
land here and our ranch is just out of
sicht over the rise yonder. I want to
make you all welcome to my house. I
have enough for you to eat and can give
the ladies comfortable quarters. The
men will have to put up with shakedowns
on the floor."
This hospitable offer was gratefully
received. Some of the passengers, however,
preferred to stay by the train. The
outcome of it was that about a dozen,
including the three ladies aforementioned,
equipped themselves for the walk
to the ranche.
It was soon reached, and the colonel's
companion having previously ridden
home to give warning, there was a great
bustle of preparation. The building was
a log house of palatial dimensions and
we men were told to make ourselves at
home in a large room on the ground
floor. No mention need be made of the I
details of the substantial supper, for the
strictly Thanksgiving part of the narrative
came afterward, when pipes and
cigars were alight around the big fire
place.
Among the passengers were two, both
of thcmgrave, reserved, rather well-to-do
looking men, one evidently a Northerner
and the other a Southerner.
The Northerner, Roscoe by name, had
tV*no for -rtrofnrl linot Wlfli ft nil
expression. At length ho spoke:
"Colonel, I bejrin to think I did not
hear your name right. Is it Smith?"
"No," said our host, laughing good
humoredlv, "not quite. It's Akers."
"That's it!" said Koscoe, smiting bis
knee and leaning eagerly forward.
"Tom Akers, don't you remember me?" i
"No, I can't say that I do," was the
reply, "and yet there is something?there
was a Bill Koscoe in a regiment that I,
served with, but?but?what? Are you !
13:11 Koscoe?"
And with that the two had each other
by the hand and shook till they were
both red in the face.
The Southerner knocked the ashes
from his pipe on the hearthstone and
shook his head, but nobody noticed him.
me two oiu comraaes sac aown together,
and conversation again became
general, until first one and then another
of the company became interested in
what the colonel was saying. "Let |
me see. We went into winter quarters
about the first of that year, didn't we?"
"Yes; twenty years ago to a dot,"
said Roscoe. "By Jove, Tom, I believe
I could do it over again if I got excited."
"Heaven forbid," said the colonel.
And the Southerner removed his pipe
from between his lips to respond fervently
"Amen!"
Every one looked round, a trifle startled
at the deep tone;but Roscoe went on:
"Tom, old man, I am going to tell a
story on you, right here to all these
folks. Oh, you needn't blush and look
round. Just stand by the door, one of
you. No, open it and call the women
in, if they don't mind the smoke. I
don't believe his own wife and children
know what a hero she married?his wife,
I mean."
The ladies soon came in, coughing a
bit at the smoke, and were given the
best scats. Then Koscoe went on:
"As our colonel here said?and by the
way, gentlemen, he wa9 a real colonel
and held the President's commission?as
our colonel said, we went into winter j
quarters about November 1; that is to j
say, we had tents served out and made a j
regular camp instead of roughing it as j
we had been doing for the last eight
months. "We put up board stables j
for the horses and walled our tents
so we could have fireplaces inside, and j
made ourselves as omfortable as you ]
please. Still, being cava'ry, and pretty j
well advanced, we did not expect to be :
altogether idle, and we weren't. Tom, 1
here, was a first sergeant of my troop !
then. Strict he was, too, on duty, but j
off duty he was the best fellow in the
worlds and was really more in command
of the company than the captain himself.
".Deing a i>ew iors regiiucutwe iuuh.
a good deal of slock in Thanksgiving. {
The colonel got the governor's procla- !
mation and had the adjutant read it on
parade one evening, like the parson used
to do at home, aad some of us had boxes
and barrels from friends, and we all laid
out to have a gorgeous spread on the
coming Thursda}'.
"Well, what should the Reb3 do Monday
night but ride in on the infantry
pickets a mile or two on our right and
3tampedc a green regiment, and our
troop was ordered out in a hurry with
three days' rations to chase them down j
the valley and teach them not to trifle 1
with our Thanksgiving programme.
"We started out at daylight, hoping'
to make a clean job of it and get back j
by Wednesday night, at the latest. We j
rode all day and never saw a 'Johnny,'
find camped Monday nij/ht in a patch of
woods just of! the pike7 where we had a 1
^ood line of retreat in two directions. !
Tom here was sent down the road with a 1
strong picket, of which I was one, and |
the rest had their supper and turned in.
"About four o'clock in the morning I
was sitting, chilly and sleepy, on my j
horse, it being my turn as vidette. and
the sergeant and the other five men were j
huddled together under a tree trying to
keep warm, when I thought I heard j
something very like the clunk of a sabre '
down the road. I was wide awake in a !
second and cocked my carbine. I was '
in a deep shadow where I could look i
down the road, but it was a dark, star- j
less night and there was not mucn to ue r
seen. However, I shut my eyes tight for |
a moment and then opened them quick, i
and for just a second I could make out j
the forms of several mounted men riding
under the trees at the side of the
road a c ouple of hundred }rards away.
"Of course I fired at them and wheeled
my horse and galloped back to the
picket. The boys were in their saddles :
before I reached them, and the sergeant
formed us where we were and we blazed
away, more to give the alarm than with
the hope of hitting anybody.
"The fire wa9 promptly returned and |
Wc 6aw there was gOlQg to be music. '
Then followed the usual falling back on j
the main body, firing as we went. One
of our boys was knocked over and we
had to leave him where he fell, for the
rcbs were pushing us, and we were not
more than half way back to camp when
there came a rattling volley from the ;
woods ahead of us. We could see the j
flashes through the trees and guessed j
that our retreat had been cut off. In a
minute we dashed up to the troop aud ;
found them all mounted and ready, but i
the captain had been killed at the first
^? linufonorif +VlO f\Y\ 1T7 \
lire <11111 IUU HlOl VMW vutj I
other officer with us?was hard hit im-I
mediately after, so Tom was left in j
command.
"As soon as he saw how the land lay he !
gave the word 'Forward, fours right! ;
Trot? Gallop!' and away we went up j
the road helter-skelter.
"There was no room, even if there had ;
been time, for formation and a change j
in line. Some of us drew sabres and i
had a chance to use them, but most of j
us used our revolvers and made a rush j
for it.
"Well, it was all over in three minutes.
There was a wild scrimmage,
shots and oaths, and riderless horses
and the deuce to pay generally. My
horse went down, and the rest, what
was left of them, galloped on.
"Somebody put a pistol to my head,
and of course I held up my hands and
had them tied behind ine, and then I sat
on the dead horse and heard the fight
go otl up the road. Evidently most of
the boys had cut their way through,
for presently the recall was sounded and
the Rebs came strangling back, and by
daybreak they were calling the roll and
making themselves comfortable in our
camp. Two other prisoners were
brought in, one of them Tom here and
the othsr a fellow named Richards.
"We were put under guard and
treated well enough, and after the sun
was up the dead were brought in. There
was a dozen all told, seven of them our
men, and we got leave to write their
names on a pine slab and stuck it up
where they were buried.
"Then the Rebs started off on a raid
of their own, and we three prisoners J
were sent to the rear under a guard of j
three men, two of whom were wounded
and unfit for rough work. We three
were on foot but not pinioned, and our
guards rode along behind us.
"Tom had always sworn he would
never go to Libby prison, but here he
was on the way to it, and it looked as
though he would have a chance to see
Libby in spite of himself.
"Well, we tramped along for five or
six miles and then the corporal in charge
called a halt.
" 'Cover these 'yer Yanks with your
irons, boys,'fie said, as fie dismounted.
'We may as well hobble 'em while we
rest.'
"He dismounted, and taking one ol
his blanket straps approached Tom.
" 'Set down, Yank,' he said, but the
next minute he got a crack from Tom's
right that sent him heels up over a log,
aud Tom was off into the bushes like a
deer. The other two shot at him but
missed, and the corporal jumped up and
chased him, but he was a trifle dazed by
Tom's blow, and anyhow was no match
for him in a foot race, so Tom got clear
a?vay.
"We were glad of it, of course,
though our arms were pinioned the rest
of the way.
"Now, Tom, you tell your part of the
story. Hearsay evidence is not admissible
in this court, you know.
Our host laughed, and his daughter, a
pretty girl of eighteen, went over to
him, as if to lend the encouragement of
her presence, and stood beside him with
her hand on his shoulder.
"Roscoe ha3 made a fairly good story
of it," said he, "but he hasn't done
himself justice. It was my horse that
was shot and he made me take his own.
That's how he happened to be.captured.
His memory always was a little treach- j
erotis. Well, I ran through the woods
until my wind gave out and then walked
on two or three miles until I came 10 a
narrow road running north. Following
this awhile and keeping a sharp lookout
I presently saw a horseman coming down
the slope across a little run. You may
believe I hid as quickly as I could, and
watched him from behind a tree. He
was a Confederate officer, well mounted
and riding carelessly.
"Now, in the hurry, our captorfl had
overlooked a little revolver which I carried
in one of my boots. So I got it i
ready, and when he was opposite I
stepped out and had him covered at ten
feet distance. There was nothing for !
him to do but come down, and we ex- i
changcd clothes, and I tied him securely i
and left him quite comfortable with his j i
head on a bunch of moss by the roadside.
Then I rode off on his horse toward our
lines. In a few minutes I struck the i
road that we had marched over so i
wearily in the morning, and after one or i
two narrow escapes got back to our lines, i
and who should I find there but Bill and i
Richards, who had managed to get the
b^st of their guard shortly after my es- 1
cape, and so we were all safe back for i
our Thanksgiving dinner after all. I
"Oh, I forgot to say that my Reb offi- I
cer was a bearer of dispatches which I
nroved to be verv important, and I got i
1 ? ? _
my promotion inconsequence."
"Now, look here, Tom?that won't
do!" broke ia Roscoe, glaring with pretended
wrath at his friend. "I shall
have to take up your dropped stitches." '
Every one turned expectantly toward 1
him as he paused, and, seeing that the '
colonel was not inclined to proceed, he 1
went on: 1
"When Tom struck that main road, as J
he told you, he didn't go north at all, '
but just cantered along south on our trail J
and overtook us in an hour. He had got '
himself up so we didn't know him at
first, but he rode along with us, told the '
corporal who he was, heard the story of '
the morning's fight ("the comoral took 1
care not to mention his escaped prisoner), '
and then said, carelessly: :
" 'That strap is rather tight, corporal. J
Their hands are swelling. They can't 1
march long that way. There are four of '
us now. I'll take the responsibility.'
"Then he halted us and unbuckled (
the strap, slipping his revolver into my (
hands as he did so. In a few minutes '
Richards tumbled the wounded man at '
his left off his horse. Tom had his pistol '
at the corporal's ear and the tables were *
turned. '
"We thought it prudent to keep in the |
woods on our way back to tne lines, so i
it was right in our way to pick up the
bearer of dispatches, whom we found
where Tom had left him, and you can
just bet we were cheered when we rode
into camp next morning with our four
prisoners."
The young girl slid her arm round her
father's neck and kissed him while he
modestly kicked a log into position on
the andirons, amidst a buzz of admiring
approbation.
" ''Colonel," said the Southerner, rising <
and coming forward and extending his ]
hand as a silence fell over the little com- i
prmy, "I want to thank you, sir, forhav- ]
ing put that roll of moss under my head '
when you left me by that road in Vir- <
ginia, sir. You tied me pretty blamed
tight, but thatmosa was a great comfort, 1
sir."?New York Telegram. '
s^=ss=se=s=? 1
Long-LIred Soldiers.
The death of McClellan from natural
causes illustrates anew the immunity of
commanders from death on the battlefield.
The number of distinguished gen- ,
erals killed in this manner is very small.
Turenne, Louis IV.'s great general; Desaix
and Moreau, Napoleon's marshals;
Gustavus Adolphus, of Sweden, in
Europe; Mcpherson, A. S. Johnston,
Stonewall Jackson, Kearney and Custer
in this country are among the few that
have met th?3 fate to which a soldier, as
* ' * * U 1-. Al i.
one migtit mintc, wouiu. ue iue must exposed.
Not only is this true, but beside nearly
all the great military commanders have
lived beyond middle age, some of them
to extreme old age. Among the veterans
who have lived to be over eighty years
are "Wellington, Scott and Von Moltke.
Hannibal, Frederick the Great,Lafayette,
General Gates and Napier lived to be
over seventy. Themistocles, "Washington,
Grant and Lee were between sixty
and seventy, and McClellan was in his
sixtieth year. Generals Thomas and
Hooker, of the civil war, died considerably
over fifty years of age; whileMurat, j
Napoleon's marshal,and General Greene, |
of the American Revolutionary war, had
nearly reached their forty-fifth year.
The three greatest conquerors in history
all died comparatively young, and
from special causes. Alexander at 1
thirty-two from debauchery; Napoleon {
- - - ' -? j?-- :-i. I
at fifty-two lrom exiic ana aisappuiutment;
Caesar at fifty-six by assassination.
So that provided they are not cjreat conquerors,
military generals' lives would
seem to be about asgood insurance risks
as there are.?Detroit Free Press.
Wake Up.
To be tirod of the world and its whirlTo
surfeit of kiss, hug and curl?
To feel that no joy can unfurl
A fresh or new pleasure of life,
Suggests to the miserable man
(A wretch of the bachelor clan)
That he had bent get?if he can?
A stirrer in shape of a wife.
| ?Detroit i\ee Press.
A Forest Fire In Michigan.
In a letter to the New York Sun frocj
Michigan, describing the adventures oi y
a party of surveyors, occurs the following
passage:
The wind began to howl, and great
clouds of smoke nearly stifled the little ^
band. Coals of fire as large as a man's ?
hand were blown over their heads, and *
numerous little heaps of brush began to
burn brightly. As the flames became *
hotter the wind increased in velocity
and seemed to be blowing in every di- '
rection. The fire spread laterally, and 1
soon a new danger became apparent. All !
the bears and other wild beasts and reptiles
began to hurry to the little stream 1
that ran by the camp. From all dircc- 1
tions they came, and the savage brutes, ''
in their terror, fought as they ran for the !
advantage in the pathway. Hromwell j
gave the order to move, and told the
men to be especially careful of their am
munition, and to place it at the edge of .
one of the pools of water caused by the
uprooting ?f the trees. They moved
about a quarter of a mile, and found a
spot quite free from any debris. Ogauchee,
one of the Indians, told Bromwell
that they must get behind what remained
of a big tree which had been
reduced to a bed of coals. Bromwell
wished to know the reason, but the Indian's
on!y response was: ''You see,
bimeby." Just above where their camp
had been established the little stream
ran over a ledge of lime rocks and was
spread out in a series of cascades. The
burning masses of trees and brush were
not long in making these stones red hot,
and the water reached a scalding temperature
as ' it filled the pools below.
The men first heard above the
crackling of the flames a confused murmur,
and then a mighty roar as the savage
animals found themselves in a worse
predicament thau ever. They naturally
ran irom tnc source 01 meirncw iruuuic, ,
and their course lay directly toward
Bromwell and his companions. r
The men began to qet uneasy, but I
Ogauchee told them there wa9 no danger.
As the animals came to the bright
bed of coals behind which the men were
intrenched they went to either side and
plunged into the pools of water. The
nir now again began to get stifling, as
the wind once more changed about, and
the surveyors were themselves compelled f
to jump into the excavation on the borders
of which they had placedtheir cart- c.
ridges. Here they had to stay for about
ten hours. They then found that the
fire had cleared the way to the mountains
and was sweeping through the forests
on the precipitous sides. They ?
dragged themselves along in the hope of !
finding some recess among the rocks ,
where C they could sleep. When the *
mountain side was reached the followed
it a short distance to a cleft in the side of
i great cliff, and entering found a roomy ,
:avern, on the sandy floor of which they
it once sank to sleep.
About 9 o'clock next day they awoke. n
[t was raining hard, and it continued all I ~
lay, and through the night the forest 1
5rcs "were extinguished. The Indian ^
hunters soon brought in a deer which I
they had shot, aud the party feasted on .
this meat and roasted nuts. 1
a
\
New Disease?.
It is almost impossible, the London t
Standard asserts, for any new occupation 1
to spring into existence without devel- t
sping some new malady. Scores of such c
:ases could be adduccd. But perhaps a
the most curious was one which for a 1
time puzzled the Washington physicians.
Some years ago it was noticed that al- t
most every one of the women employed ?
in counting banknotes in the treasury c
began after a few weeks of the work to (
look ill, and then to have sores upon t
;heir hands and heads. This extraordi- t
lary indisposition increased to such an r
extent, that many of the clerks had to I
ibandon their labors, after periods vary- r
!ng from a few months to several years. i|
3ome of the cases were worse than t
>thers; but there seemed no more possi- t
rility of escaping the treasury malady o
than of leaving Bagdad without the p
curious "button" which marks forever i
;be resident in the city of Haroun al c
Raschid. At last, however, the mystery p
vimfi out. The note counters were one o
md all suffering from blood poisoning, li
;aused by their having unconsciously c
ibsorbed the arsenic used in coloring the t
"greenbacks." Their moist fingers were t'
ipplied to the forehead, or to rub the eye, o
ind in this way the arsenic got entrance r
;o the system, and duly worked the mis- t;
jhief mentioned. The hurry and scurry
)f civilization are rapidly bringing new c
diseases in their train. Softening of the *
jrain was very little known before the r
ige of competitive examinations and c
iigh-pressure business. Stock-brokers c
ire now so liable to it that Dr. Wynter n
proposed to call it the Capel court dis- a
?asc. The first beginning of this terri- n
ble malady very often comes upon a man v
in the heyday of his prosperity. Its ap- c
proach is so insidious that he may be h
walking about and transacting his busi- P
nesss, while all the time the fatal disease r
is slowly working its way. Then, sud- P
denly, he is missed. As in the "Vision f
of Mirza," a personage is every now and
again noticed to have vanished from the ?
ebb and flow of city life, and none but to
the family physician and the bereaved I
relatives know that he has dropped g
through the pitfall on the bridge, and d
will never more mix in the busy haunts
of men. The "Tennis elbow,'5 happily, f
ia nnf nniln nn serious. It is only tcm- c
porary. and it is affirmed that one attack r
acts as a propyhlatic against a return of ^
the disease. But it is none the less a new ^
malady, caused like the housemaid's a
knee or the chimney-sweep's cancer, s
or the clergyman's sore throat, or the
bent shoulders of the student and of the ^
pitman/by circumstances to which na- ]
ture is a stranger. *
Bio d Brotherhood.
This is made between Congo chiefs ?
who have hitherto been at enmity, for
state purposes and for mutual security,
and is held inviolable. The ccremony j
varies in different distriefs. In one case
the contracting parties literally drank j
each other's blood, sucking it from an
incision in the arm: in another they smear
'? ? - -1 T)..t '
each other's bodies witn oioou. dui r
the ccremony most common is performed
as follows: The arm of each person is ^
cut with a sacrcd knife, and each taking ^
a slice of banana, rubs it in the blood of
his future brother, and cats the palatable
morccau. A goat is then killed, and j
each takes a piecc of its liver, dips it in
salt, and presents it to the other. A set .
form of service is intoned by one mem t
ber of the tribe, intimating that the
breaking of this tic of brotherhood will j
be avenged by instant death, and de- j
claring that all old feuds hitherto existing
between the contracting parties are
now flung into the river to be carried
away by the current. Though repulsive,
this ccremony is impressive.?Blachcood. j
Ozone baths are a specialty at East- J
bourne, England. The bath is filled
with long, green seaweed, steeped for an "
hour before use in boiling water. The 8
bather remains in about twenty minutes, j
and the bath Is thought very invigorat- *
ins. 8
THE LOST CITIES. 1
1
Wonders of Ancient Civilization '
Found in Central America.
Copan in Honduras is famous for its (
jrotesque idols or stone columns and t
iculpturcd altars. These are very pro- j
use and some of them remarkable. In ^
^700, Fuentes, who wrote the chronicles f
)f the kingdom of Gautemala,mentioned
:his ruin and stated that in his time the .
A# Pnnon waa onflTA T f.
^lcau V/ilb IO Ui VWJ/UU l? wg vuw?? V. *v
.vns a circular space and surrounded by
itone pyramids eighteen or twenty feet
ligh. He also mentioned a stone hainnock
in which were two human figures
ind all cut from the same stone, and so
idjustcd between the pyramids that it
:ould be put in motion by the slightest
mpulse of the hand. These ruins ex- ,
;end a distance of two miles along the
iver.
The largest building is the temple, as
t has been styled. It is an oblong in:losure
and extends along the river bank
524 feet and rises from sixty to ninety
'eet. It is made from blocks of cut
itone from three to six feet long aud one
?oot and a half wide. The other three
lides consist of rows of steps and pyranidal
structures rising from thirty to 140
:'cet on the slope. In one placc two maslive
pyramids of 120 feet on the slope
leem to adorn a gateway. Sculptured
uins are scattered about in great numbers.
The idols or scriptured columns
:haracterize the ruins. Some of these,
Stephens thinks,equal the finest Egyptian
sculpture. The same hieroglyphics are
ound in sculptured profusion as a?
?alenque.
Uxmal and Chichen in the northwesern
corner of Yucatan are to me more j
vonderful than any others yet men- t
i mi . t 1 ...1-.^!..* 1
lonea. i ne lormcr uns c*ieusive auu j
nagnilicent ruins scattered over a large j
irea. One immense building called the A
'House of the Governor" stands upon t
hree ranges of terraces, the lower maonry
five hundred and seventy-live feet.
The structure is three hundred and
wenty-two feet long and faces the east. rj
The wall is smooth to the tops of the
loorways and then the cornice is one
ich mass of eleborate sculptured orna- e
uents or hieroglyphics. J
A few miles west of Uxmal is another j
indent city?Chichen. This zroup of
uins is all found within two miles in
lircumfcrence,'though ruins extend some
listanco into the surrounding country. ^
These, like its neighbor at Uxmal, stand
ipon a 'succession of terraces made of t
ubble imbedded in mortar and held to- ^
'ether by finished walks of concrete t
imestone. Above these huge terraces j,
he buildings rise perpendicularly onclalf
their height, when to the cornice ^
he remainder is laid off in compart- f
nents, which arc elaborately decorated j;
vith stone sculpture and illustrated with ?
lieroglyp'nics. This is varied withelaboatc
borders, the whole executed with j
ccuracy and precision. The rooms in- j,
iside are finished with white stucco and r
minted in fresco, sky blue and light
jreen colors predominating, and arc still |
iroaArvnri Dni! huildin<? is named the
'Palace of the Nuns,'1 and is very rich t
n sculpture. The largest is the castle, .
,nd it has wonderful stone carvings in ?
vhite limestone. a
The hieroglyphics are curious and t
leautiful. The mural paintings in this
ost city are fine, even from the artist's g
?oint. Some represent warriors in battle a
asting spears and javelins, while others j
,re thought to represent incidents in the
ives of the rulers of Chichcn. 1
Speculations in regard to the age of
hesc ruins have been wild and extrava- ^
jant. They have extended from the j
leluge to the fifteenth century of the
christian era. Bancroft made an at- '
empt to collect the most important of j.
hese conjectures, and this was the
ange. In 185!) Charney was sent by the ;
French government to explore these a
uins. From what knowledge he gained
t was judged by scicntitic men that
here were at least seventeen hundred or
wo thousand years old. Upon his sec- f
nd visit in 1881 he found that the rapid
;rowth of the concentric layers of the ^
orest trees from which his former con- *
li?/l l./inn rnanlinrl u'nrn nnt in tllA !.
I UJS1VU3 UilU uvwti ivavuwu <?v?v ... ^
iroportion of otic a }rear as i 11 the layer
f trees iu the north, but nearer to one
lyer for each mouth. He Bet his first j
alculatious aside as very wide of the
rue date, and this time concluded that ?
hey could not be earlier than the 12th j
r 13th century. Jladaiilac thinks the
uins of Pa'enque cannot bo older than ^
he first century of our era. ^
At Mctta, a town near the Pacific
oast, in an arid and desert plain sur- {'
ounded by rugged mountains, are the
uins of a once magnificent towu. The
minent archeologist, Viollet-lc-Duc, says ^
oncerning its principal building: "The
lonuments of the golden age of Greece ['
nd Rome alone equal the beauty of the ^
lasonry of this great building." The t
rails and pavements were covered with
oats of stucco, and painfed red, much j
!ke the decorations of the walls of Pom- ^
cii. The rooms were ornamented in j.
icti mosaics 01 mue sttuiua,
erfectlv [symmetrical designs in Greek '
rets or arabesques.
At Kabah, near Uxmal, is a structure
r portico that bears a marked resemilance
to the Roman triumphal arch. y
)uring the past ten years Dr. Le Plon en,
Charnay and others have made
iscovcries which have added very ma- t
erially to antiquarian treasures. The
ormer, near the palace of Chichen, exavatcd
several beautifully executed bas
cliefs, representing feline animals and
lirds of prey, a figure of a tiger with a
luman face, a stone urn filled with ashes g
nd a statue of a man reclining upon a
epulclirnl stone.
This same figure has been found at the ;
?ity of Mexico and Merida and is sup- j
>osed to have represented some un:nown
divinity. ?
Several dossal heads have been found, j
)ne seven feet high and another twelve.
Vt Izamal arc several pyramids which
:ontain clumbers like those in Egypt. *
Jlovigero, who passed through the I
VliOlC 01 MCX1CO, ICliS Ui Having ^
itand'n?r in many places massive piers j
ntended to support bridges of masonry c
>ver the rivers. J>road paved highways (
ed from place to place. These wore ,
nade of blocks of stone covered with ^
veil preserved mortar and a layer of cenent
a couple of inches thick. (!
At Cholula is a pyramid still standing t
fvhich covers an area double that of
1'heops. In Cortex's time tins was {
rowned with a magnificent temple,
vhich he destroyer7, supposed to have '
jecn dedicated to the sun. Others r
:luim thut there is still a tradition among ?
he Indians that this was built in expeoation
of a second deluge. At Xochi-!g
:alco a peculiar temple was found on a j
lill'two miles in circumference and ris- i'
ng from 300 to 400 feet in the midst of I
l plain. This hill has two tunnels t
>peuing to the north. One was explored t
ind found to lead to a room measuring
;ighty feet, which had been excavated
rom a rock; two pillars had been left to {
itrengthcn the top. At one corner of t
his room was a rotunda six feet in di- ,
imeter, which was also excavated with ^
l perfect 'gothic roof. The outside of
he hill was formed of five successive i;
erraces seventy feet high, upheld by I
tone walls crowned with parapets, a
LTpon the summit rose a temple sixty five
jy fifty-eight feet made ot blocks of
lorphyritic granite, laid without mortar ]
mil so nicely adjusted that the joints
cere hardly visible. Think of the
L - c 1? ?? - - Ulv/\* MftAntonrTr fft %
llliOllUl Ol JIUlliau lauui utuxou.; -w 2
ransport from a distance these stoaei ^
or hill and temple. In 1835 there wen? \
ive stories, one behind the other. The i
sntire front was covered with sculptures. f
Bastian, a German traveler, who ex- ]
)lored in 1875 quite extensively in this \
egion, found in cvclopcau stone colossal ]
isads of strange and unknown type, j
igures of animals, the tapir and alliga- j
ors, and huge has reliefs representing
;rotesi}ue figures. In another place on ]
he Gulf of Honduras an immense head {
vas found and the statue of a woman
vearing on her head a crowned idol,
ind close by was a tiger in porphyritic <
ock. (
In all the explorations that have been t
nade in these ruined cities and the sur- i
ounding regions, few places of sepultures f
lave been observed. What became cf ?
he builders of these unknown cities is c
ret as much of a mystery as their origin. fi
n the province of Durange, in a. cave, j
housauds of dried mummies have re- a
ently been discovered.- This may point s
o the solution when the explorations t
lave been more minute. It has been j
cnown some time that the ancient Peru- a
nans understood the art of embalming ;
he dead, and why should not the same p
cnowledge have been general among e
Vioan liirrllll' Olllflvnfprl llUtlflprfl of
UW1' "'O-'J -- | V
jrand and beautiful cities? s
Of the people who lived and loved j
md toiled in these once bustling thor- E
mghfarcs history is silent. Tradition E
:omes to our aid, but that is unsntia- i
actory. "We may give wings to our j
houghts and repeople them to suit our {
ndividtial fancy, but the fact still renainsthat
they are lost cities clothed t
vith mysteries a9 profound and impene- ^
rablc as the grave. ? Cleveland, Leader, f
? 5
RAISIN MAKING. b
a
[lie Operation a* Conducted by the j
California Packer*. j
The grapes are purchased on the vines, f
lome by actual weight, others by esti- 8
nating the crop from weijjhing the pro- c
luct of every tenth vine. Good judges v
:an make a pretty clo^e guess at the a
lumber of tons on an acre of vines, and j
rears of practice enable the buyer to tell 8
'ery nearly not only the amount, but the y
|uality of the raisins to be made from G
he vines which grow in different soils. s
rVhilc the lower and damper lands bring [
lie largest crops and perhaps the largest f
jerries, the dry lands give a much larger i
jercentage of sugar, and consequently a c
iner raisin. It is claimed that the best B
rradc of Orange raisins will this year j
quul any in the market, and it is con- r
ideally expected that our product will r
fain a very enviable name and footing
11 the East this year. Unusual care is 8
>eing taken to pack and grade in a mail- ^
icr that will reflect credit on Orange's 8
>roducts, and the result will certainly ^
)e a strong demand in the future. t
The grapes are picked by crews of j
nen under experienced foremen, and are
ilaced in trays or wooden frames, which
ire piled on top of cach other in wagons x
ind taken to the scales, weighed, and g
hen taken to the drying grounds. These ^
:onsist of about sixty acres of land, (
mootlicd and cleaned like a brick yard, (
nd the grapes are spread out in long ^
ows to dry in the sun. Ten days or two ?
veeks from the "laying down" is usual- t
v about the time required to dry them, ,
nd then those thoroughly cured are j
aken up and put into the sweat boxes. r
'robably one-third are not yet cured, t
" n - - x nlnn/Si^ in
incx liicsc uru lurucu uvui auu pKivwu au i ^
iarrow rows until the ?ction of Old Sol
las made them ready. The enormous ?
juantiiy of grapes handled by one firm
an be estimated when it is known that a
,t one time this sixty-acre plot was cov% [
red, and a portion of it has been covered f
, second time. Teams are continually f
:oming and going, and a small army of i
aen are employed to take care of the E
;rapes and keep the teams on the move, t
rtany women and girls arc also employed j
ticking up the loose raisirs which have a
alien from the stems. The trays are of a
lumber and capacity to hold 300 tons of f
[rapes. Another thing which catohea
he eye at the drying grounds is the pre- a
laration made for possible rains, in the ^
liape of rolls of oiled paper stacked up r
n all directions. This paper is in sheets v
,bout four feet in width- and sixteen t
cct long, prepared to withstand rain by *\
lipping it in boiled oil. Two carloads of e
taper and fifty barrels of oil have been t
ised this season, but as yet it has not t
teen found necessary to use the paper. fc
When properly dried the grapes are a
aken up and put into sweat boxes, fc
irobably seventy-five or 100 pounds to n
he box, and hauled to the packing ^
louse, where they are piled from floor i
o ceiling in the large front room. They t
re left here some ten days, and passed
hrough a sweating process, the object s
icing to equalize the moister contained v
a them. When placed in boxes some (
re much drier than others, but when p
cady for the packer the intention is to s
aakc them, as nearly as possible, equal v
nd uniform in that regard. Four lay- f;
rs arc placed in a box, and each layer is v
weighed by the packer, and the whole
oust make exactly the twenty pounds g
equired. "When a box is filled the packer
akes it to the scales near the door, pre- a
ided over by an expert in the business, a
' " * fivnminflQ if l
yno careiuuy nuijjus mm u
.ud ii all right it is carried to the next v
oom, where it is nailed up and the coi- c
ters smoothed olT, and it is ready for v
hipment. Particular care is exercised a
a grading and weighing. About 120 t
ncn are employed in an 1 about the pack- I
nghouse.auda "steady stream of boxes" t
s kept going around the circle. We a
vere informed that about ,1,500 boxes a g
lay were being turned out, or three caroads
every two days. i j
The most of the packcrs are Chinamen, c
.nd as usual they soon become very ex- <
>crt at the business, putting up from ten a
o twelve boxes a day. White men fill n
11 the responsible stations, it evidently fc
?eing considered necessary to keep a
lose and vigilant watch over the a
'heathen" to keep him from resorting to t,
'ways that arc dark." Occasionally a n
>ox goes back to the packer and is upset
m his table as a gentle reminder that
i 1. 4. 1. ? /lnnn <>11 +11
irst-ciass wurit must ut uuuv. ???
iinc.
The box lids are branded by a power- v
ill cylinder press run by horse power, i ?
nd it is rather amusing to a printer to .
vatcli the modus operandi of this coarse J?
grained printing. Checks arc used in *
very department, a packer receiving a j J*
hock for each box delivered :.r the!:1
cales. The whole business seems to be j
ystemati/.cd thoroughly and moves P
long like clockwork. The work prornis- f.
is to last until Christmas or New Years j
>eforc the whole crop is disposed of,'but I v
he favorable weather .vhich the raisin- !v
nakers have been blessed .with will fa- ?
lilitate their operations, and if it coninues
for another mouth they will have v
he most of the work done. ? Oraruje ?
CaL) Tribune. *
An agricultural editor says: "No ani- a
nal can tight and eat at the same time." t
Je has evidently never seen n, traveler at t
, ten-minutes-for-lunch stand.?rack. (
QUEER SIGNATURES.
Hoiv some Bank Officials and Other#
Sign Tlieir IVamew*
"I think it's Simmuns," said the sig?
lature expert of the United States treas*
lry, to a Washington correspondent ol
;he New York Sun, as he laid aside ai
nagnifying glass and wiped his eyes with
i silk handkerchief. He had for half an,:
lour been examining a curious scroll on
;he back of a check. It consisted of a
slack stroke of a pen, tapering off to an
rregular line, and was there to represent
;he name of some bank cashier.
"There is not a letter in it," he said,
mldinrr if. lm tn thp lirrht "hut it mean#
.r & -- r o?:
simmons."
"Do you have many of that sort?"
"Worse than that. Five or six hundred
lifferent signatures pass through hqre in
i month, maybe, and two thirds of them
ire illegible. Bank cashiers seldom make
ettcrs in their signatures. They adopt
t certain form of scroll generally, and
ilways use it lor their signature. Some
>f them are very curious. This, for intance,"
and he took from a drawer a
)aper across which was scrawled a charicter
that looked like a schoolboy's
ketch of a whirlwind. The line had
>een spun around and around in one
>iecc like a spiral spring, then shot
icross the paper about. half an inch*
vhen the gyration was again related,
and this was followed by
,nother dash and some more ciriles.
"That," said the expert, "is the
ignature of the cashier of one of the
'few York banks. Of course there are
10 letters in it, but we know what it
neans and could swear by it at any time,
wouldn't want a better signature. But
f you wanted a longer one, here it is,"
IliU UU iiauu^u VUU uuuiuwi uiutv.
"The length of this," lie said, "is reg- ?
ilated by the width of the paper on
vhich it is written. It always extend*
rom margin to margin. Ic consists,
rou see, merely in high up and down
trokes, perfectedly pointed at the top,
.nd all of about the same height. Again
ou have no name at all. It is simply
he sign of a name, but it is just as good
or us. It is always the same,*and asimple
as it may seem, I don't think it
:ould be counterfeited. Here is another
vith the same pointed strokes, but there,re
fewer of them, and the signature is
ligher than it is long. But there is oneignature
we get on checks principally
vhich is more remarkable thsi^
ither of these. The letters are all the
ame height, and will reach from top ta
>ottom across the face of a chcck. * At
irst glance nothing can be made of it, ' - 1
>ut if you follow the line carefully you
:an unravel the name, and you will be
urprised at its plainness. Each letter is
jerfect in itself, but is so tall and narow
that at first glance you don't comtrehend
what it is.
"We come across some very curiousignatures,
and some mighty bad ones.
Phnar? nf Ron "Rutler ftiid Horace Greelev
ire famous for their ugliness, but they
vould fall into insignificance alongside
he scrawls that pass through here on.
irafts and checks." -
"How do you make them out?"
"Generally the contour suggests thelame,
though no letters may be formed,
Sometimes I know a name at first glance,
vhen if I try to analyze it I am thrown
)lf the track entirely. Probably once or
;wice we have had to write to find out
vhat a name was. but generally when
hey are too much for me, the register of'
he banks will give the name. "When
ve come across a new signature that isparticularly
hard to make out wc make a
ecord of it, so that whenever we see
hat same combination of odd characters
ve know what it stands for."
"Is a bad signature a sign of ignorince?"
"By no means. The worst signatures ire
those ot educated men, generally
tank officials. They are always written
reely and quickly. Write your name as
ast as you can and see what itknksike.
That's the way it's done. These nen
have to write their names so often
hat they get to making the quickest
sombination of characters possible., and
,dopt it as their signature."
"What is the easiest signature toorge
?"
"One that is extremely bad or remark,bly
good. Spinner used to write the
rorst signature of any man in this de
>artment. Yet there were a aozen cier*?vho
could counterfeit it so perfectly
hat no one could tell tlie difference.
The perfect Spencerian signature, howver,
is the easiest to imitate. One of
he best signatures I have ever seen ishat
of the new treasurer, Jordan. It is
icautiful to look at?as clear and legible
,s engraving?but I don't think it could
ie counterfeited. He can write hisame
quicker than any man I ever saw.
Assistant Secretary Faircbild and Third
auditor Williams write their names well,
oo.
"The most ponderous signature I ever
truck was that of Drake Do Ivay, who
vas assistant adjutant general under Mc;lellan.
When he signed letters and
apers of various kinds they used to be
pread out on the floor, where the sun
. ould strike them, to dry. This is a
act. I don't know what he used tamte
with, but I think it was a stick."
"Do you ever come across any f orreries?"
.... . 5?!i_ - e
"Yes, Dut tne large majority ui iucui
re innocent. They grow out of ignornce.
Sometimes checks come in with a
aan'a name signed to them, and when
7d come to look over the papers in the
laira against which the check is drawn
re find he can't write at all and has used
i mark only. Then, of course, we know
here has been a forgery committed.
Jut it generally turns out that the man
ias had some one sign his name for him,
nd the parties have been led into forgery
innocently?
"Theodore Thornton," he said, breakng
off suddenly, and casting his eyes
?ver a check that was laid on his desk.
Wake a record of it." Tlien he put
way his magnifying glass and began
laking sketches on the blotter of the
?ad signatures he had been describing.
'I can't tell you how it is," he added,
fter a minute, "but I can always tell a
oigery from a genuine almost at a
:lance."
Inspecting Eggs.
One of the curious operations to be
ritncssed in New York is the inspection
f eggs. In the large markets men maj
>e seen testing eggs at almost any lime,
ut especially in October and November,
"hey work in dark rooms, where they
:ecp a lamp burning iu a box on the
able before them. One of them will
ake two or three eggs in each huud and
ass them rapidly between hi3 eyes and
he lamp. If the egg is good that is. if
he albumen is still unaiTectcd, the light
fill shine through with a reddish glow,
rhicli if the egg is affected will be
paque and dark. The inspector's praciced
eye quickly perceives the least
rant of clearness in the eggs, and suspiious
ones are re-examined, to be passed
nto "bad"' or "doubtful" baskets. In
his way over a hundred eggs a minute
re often examined, and any one can
est the goodness of eg/js who will hold
bem up to a light in a dark room.?
Cultivator.