The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, December 01, 1886, Image 6
THE TRUE AND TENDER HEART.
The world can give us gold, i
A pr^ud and honored name,
Can make us warriors bold
And cover us with fame;
But can it e'er impart
A true and tender heart?
Ah, no! In Him nijve
That wondrous power lies.
From Him, the source of love
And all th-? good we prize,
From Him, who knows all things,
That priceless treasure springs.
?Michael J. Adams, in Current,
TWO SOARS.
Have another shy, sir? Three shies a
penny!
Won't have any more shies, sir, becos
cokernuts disagrees with yer? Werry
(rood. 'Any, the gent won't have no
more shies, so count the sticks!
He's a rum chap, sir, my mate 'Arry
is. See'ow stiff be 'olds 'isself, like a 1
cokernut stick with the nooralgy in its
neck. He's a old soldier, 'Arry i?, nnd ;
he always 'olds 'isself like that, nud he 1
never says a word unless he's spoken to 1
fust, and then he answers yer wery short, :
as though 'is tongue chargcd 'im three
words a peunv. x.ut I ain't that sort myself,
as am rather lo^quacktio'.is, and I '
could tell yer a talc about 'Arry as would
urpnzc yer.
Sit on the grass and have a pipe with
yer while 1 tells yer about it' Cert'nly 1 ;
will. Thankee, sir.
It all come about along o' this p'tch. ]
Now, maybe yerdon t know that in the '
three-sh.es a- [ enny-now's - ver - chanceknock-'em-oir
perJcssion agieit dc.d de- 1
peuds on the pitch, which is the ground i
where ver puts up the cokcrnuts. Aunt
H?llr- ..n,l tV,r ... io '.VrMir /15_ I
U""J OU.? ? |.VUUJ W
wertin', innorcent, and 'ealthy rctrehation,
but it ain't no manner o' use for to
deny that it ain't often?at lea^t, as a
regular thing?as we gets patternoi/.ed
by such ti|> top swells as yerself, sir, abeggiu'
\er pardon for savin' so, and
opiu' 110 offense, which, the same were
not my intenshing.
Conse jUentially, we 'as to pick our
ground according. >'ow, this 'ere is a
model pitch. It's a i" <>d level bit of
gnss as looks easy si.ymg, and a nice,
lumpy, awk'ard bit of ground for the
gents to stand on when they shy. I'm
a-leltin' yer into some of the perfcssional
secrets, becos I know yer won't go back
on a feller.
It looks nice and piivate, this 'ere
model pitch does, the 'igh palin's there
Bhcttin' o l the grounds of the Colonel's
mau.-hing ; and there's the 'igh road
whe e all these wans run to llepping
Forest. '<
It's about five years ago now that me s
and 'Arry lirst went into partnership together.
The m:in hing belonged iheu
to an old lady as was wery kind to us. t
She never interfered with us, but let us
make this nlnfc a rr'c\ar nitrh at all h
'oliday time?:, and sich like. Many a 1'
m rnin* she come out and give me and '
- . 'Arry a nice litlle bundle of pipe-lights '
?tracks, yer know, sir?and she were s
alw.iys pleasant and sociable like. One j
mornin' she come out to us with the ,!;
tracks, and as I was a-bowingto 'er wcry v
perlite, and 'Arry drawiu' 'isself up like t
s brick wall, a-salutin' of the lady, the I
old girl says : "I believe," she says, "I ii
have some sort of right over this pi .t of a
ground as the owner of the matishing C
and the park; but so loug as you behave
yerselves and reads the tracks I shall u
never disturb you,'' she says. fi
"Thank yer, yir ladyship," I replies.
"Three shies a penny, inarm," I says. '
*'is our reg'lar price, which 'Arry will o
tall you the same : but any time, marm, a
s your ladyship would like a nut, come
ana have a shy for nothink, marm !" a
But the next time we come round after b
that bad noose was told ua. The old o
lady "ad gone where they don't never n
want no tracks. .She was dead, sir, and li
the manshing and park'ad been took by, 1;
ft peppery, yellow-fac-'d, fiory-tempcred t
hold Hangerlow Hin.in Colonel, as was r
frightening everybody about the place t
He'd frightened the parson till he could a
scarcely preach, and 'ad almost forgot li
one day to make a collection; the trades n
people trembled as they si-e 'is yeller c
face a-cnlorin' the shop-winders, and the
servants in the manshing "ad quite give I:
*ap the lidikiilous idea of calling their a
lives their own. t
"The place ain't the same," says the
chap as was telling us, "since he came i
Into it. Cayenne j.epper is mild along- r
side of the Colonel, and ginger ain't in c
it with 'im. As sure as you're alive," he i
says, "he'll march you two oT this pitch 1
in years before r.o time. He's death, he r
says 'isself, on all w;igabones, tramps and
wermii)8." s
"What's 'is name?" I says. ^
"Colonel Rufus Pepperton." t
I see a rum look come in 'Arry's face, f
and I says: "Do yer know 'im, 'Arry?" I
"Yes," he answers, aud I knowed it t
was no use askin' 'im any more just then,
beeos 'Arry werrvseldom says more than '
one word a hour at the outside. t
The next mornin' was Saturday, and
me and 'Arry got the cokernuts up in '
good time. We 'ad several young gents (
t-throwin' wery early that mornin', aud s
after they had gone away 'Arry run up s
to the cokernut end of the pitch for to
throw me up the sticks at the other end t
to hadd to the 'eap so as to be all ready 1
and 'ai:dy for the next customer, when
he sees for the first time the Hangerlow 1
Hinjin. lie comes rushing out of the t
park gates like a wild bull, shakin' 'is 1
fist, and 'is eyes tlashin' in :is yeller old t
face. " s
Soon as ever he comes on the ground I t
see 'Arry draw 'isself up and begin salut- t
in1; but the Colonel didn't see 'im, for
he was coming straight on towards me 1
at the other end. Soon he reaches me. 1
and then he made a few remarks. "You 1
thieves, scamps, wagaboues, tramps, ras
csls, knaves." 1
"I begs yer pardon, sir," I says, "but
are yer alludiu' to me or to 'Arry?" I 1
says. '
' To both of you," he hollers, quite 1
loud. '-Clear out of it!" he says. "Clear 1
out sharp, or I'll shoot the two of you
like dogs. This is my ground, and off
you go!" i
I told 'im all about the old lady what I
was there afore 'im, and how she never
interfered with u*, and give us tracks;
but I'd beiter 'eld ray tongue. (
''Tracks!'' he shouts, "you won't get
any tracks from me. What you U have i
to do now I've come here is to makj
tracks! Be o:F. you lazv thieves!" i
Now 'Arry 'ad 'eerd all he said, and I
Bee 'is face gettin' blacker and blacker.
Just as the i olouel paused, Arry stood
struiyht uj> with a n'cc knobby stick in
'is 'and, and a look in 'is face I'd never
see'd there a ore, ah the time I'd knowed
'im.
"Colonel," he "shouts out in a clear,
loud, ringin' soit of voice, "Colonel, I'm
goiug to throw these sticks up to my
mate. Please march out of the line of
fire. Once!"
"How dare you," began the Colonel,
not stirrin'.
"Twice," sings 'Arry.
"You audacious villain!"
"Three times!" and swift and straight
_orae the nice knobby stick.
'Arry 'ad said true: the Colonel was
in the line of fire, a.:d the nice knobbj
stick 'it 'im on the cokernut. Off rolled
'is 'at and down fell Col. liufus Pepper
ton.
"Carry off the wounded," calls 'Arry,
preparin' to throw up the other sticksi
but the next moment the Colonel was on
'is legs and makin' straight for 'Arry.
The gnrdinger and two or three otliei
men rushed out of the park at the sam<
time, and 'eld the Colonel back, whil<
one of 'em went and fctched the perleece.
That evenin' ine and 'Arry was in jail, i
and the last words of the perleeceman.as
he lo ked the doors, was these, with t
pleasin' smile:
"This is six months' 'ard; that's whal
it U!"
'Ere's a tarblow for yer, sir. Me and
'Arry afore the beaks. Three Justices
on the bench. Pcrleecemcn in bloo.
Court crowded. Old Co'onel Tcppcrton,
look n' sava;er and more yellower than
ever, with a nasty bit of a scar where the
nice knobbly stick 'it 'is cokcrnut. Me
and my mate in the dock. The evidence
was all give, and I was discharged with
a warnin' ne- er to be guilty no more. 1
didn't leave the court, but stood as close
ns T rmilrl tn tho do 1c. where mv Door
mate wa< standin'.
Tilings looked wcry black for 'im.
' It's twelve months' 'ard." whispers
the perleeceman to me; "that' what it is.
Yer see,1' he ?ays "'ow bl o the Chairman's
nose is. He always goes in for
twelve months' 'ard when 'is nose is that
' olor. It ain't drink, it's undisgestion.
It's a beautiful b!oo." says the perlce-eman.
as I think must ha' been a bit of a
hartist like; '"it's a beautiful bloo, and
with the two red noses alongside of 'im,
its is sittin' there, it makes awery pretty
[)iitur'."
The three jud^e? put their 'eads together,
and the old gent as carried the
bloo nose about says to 'Arry wery solemn
:
"Have you anything to say for yourjelfr"
"He's nevera-goin' to 'ang 'im?" I says
0 the perleeceman; and then I ups and
jays to the judge: "Please yer honor's
worship, my lord," I pays, ''the reg'Iar
harge is only three shies a penny," I
says, "as no doubt your majesty have
>ften 'ad a go at the nuts yerself at that
irioe. as is not extravagant. Three shies
1 penny is the reg'Iar price, my lord,
md 'Arry only 'ad one shy. Let 'im off
sasy, my lord!" I says, winkin' wery
esnectful.
iney turned rae out 01 me court uw&
md crop, but I erot in afore the row was
>ver, and I 'ears the judge say again:
' Prisoner, ha e you anything to fay
or yourself?''
'Arry pulls 'isself straight up, puts 'is
nnd to 'is 'ead, salutin', and says wery
hort:
"Yes!"
"What, pray?" siys the proprietor of
he b!oo beak.
' This," says 'Arry, and I wouldn't
lave believed a^ ten million 'orscs could
ia' drawed such a speech from 'im:
"There stands the Colonel," 'Arry says,
:and 'eel stand. The Colonel is 'ere to
end me to jail, and I am 'ere to go to
ail. -Vou sit there to sentence me to
ail. and all the crowd of peopl" 'ere are
raiting to hear me sentenced. There is
he Colonel, and 'ere am I, face to face,
^ace to face, clo e. for the second time
a our live j. Now, I'm just going to tell
bout the fir-t time, and then let the
io'onel send me to quod."
"Prisoner," says the bloo nose, as was
ndisge-tion, "thi3 is all beside the
ioint."
' Sir Frederick," says the Colo el
thfi man rrn nn. I berr of VOU." and
n 'Arry went to s"ene the first, just like
theyatre.
"The place is a burnin' plain in India,
nd the time is the Mutiny. An officer
las fainted, and lies white and Vlpless
n the earth, with the colors of the reei
ncnt clutched close and ti?;ht in both
innds. He lies apart from the torn and
tattered ranks he's been tryin' to ho'd
n<jother. A few rebels make a wi'd
ush at the flag. The flag?the flag?is
trenched from the fingers, and they ride
.way. Then the officer comes to, and
te groans, 'the colors! The colors! For
oercy's sake, bring me back the colirs!'
"He tries to stagger on fsot, but falls
ack again, too sorely wounded to rise;
nd again he sobs out: 'For mcrcy's sake,
>ring me back the colors!'
"A strairglin' soldier of another Britsh
regiment, cut off from the rest, hurics
by. I.ook! he hears the c:y, gives
me look at the officer and one at the fly
? ?? ?< Vva ? A/3
ng ruucia wiiu taiij cuc "?*5?
Ie springs on a riderless charger, gives
ein, and goes for death or the flag!
"The minutes pass on. and at last the
oldicr ritles back with the colors
Trapped round his 'eart and, as he puts
hem once more into the oncer's white
ing<v8, they are died ade per red by the
flood which is flowin1 from a wouud in
he soldier's breast.
"Colonel, where is the scar I gave you
>ecatise you treated me and my mate like
hicvcs, and refused a fair warning?"
Like a man in a dream the Colonel
eld 'is finger to th; scar on 'is fore'ead.
'Arry fling* 'i? coat, tears open 'is
hirt, and 'olds 'is finger to a big, jagged
car near 'is noble 'cart.
"And 'ere," he says, "is the scar of
he wound which that common soldier
jore for you!"
I never knowed properly what 'ap>ened
after that. But I remember getin'
on a form and y lling "Ooray!" till
i were again chucked out. I remember
he Colonel springin' into the dock,
ihakin 'ArryVand and callin"im''Com ;ide.''
Then I remember'im turnin'to
he three no*e3 on the bench and sayin';
''This gallant fellow's story is tr e.
t tried in vain to find 'im after the dav
ie's been telling of, but the fortune of
ivar parted us."
Then the Hangerlow Ilinjin turned
ind took 'Arry's 'and a;?ain, and s tys:
"Comrade, I am ashamed of myself.
But it isn't because of a bad 'eart that I
tm the cru ty, fero ious fire-eater you
tiave seen me, but because I have no
liver!"
I don't know 'ow they squared it, but >
[ know 'Arry was discharged in triumph,
\nd ever since then I've kept the nice
knobbly stick that 'it Colonel t.ufus Pepperton
on the cokernut.
lie wanted to pension us both off, and
:lo all sorts of things for us; but 'Arry
wouldn't take nothing except the free
?rant of this 'ere pitch whenever we
want it. But I believe the Colonel is
\ do n' something with the government
for 'Arry and me, too, unbeknown to
'Arry; a-.id th; roarin' trade we do, sir,
whenever we wisits this 'ere pitch makes
me bjlieve as the Colonel bribes everybody
about the place for to come and
throw.
'Ow much to pay. sir? I ain't reckoned
up 'ow many shies you went in for,
but I'll soon let yer know, sir. 'Arry,
count the sticks!?"The Lamp."
General Washington was not a humor
ist, but once at least he let himself write
like a paragrapher. In a lately-published
letter to his brother Samuel he speaks,
for instance, of an agent of the British
who "got exalted up a gallows at Philadelphia
the other day."
PRISON LIFE.
A SING SING PRISONER NARRATES
HIS EXPERIENCE.
Entrance Into Prison ? Sleeping
and Snoring ?Celebrating a
Holiday in Prison?A Slim
Soap Supply?S:t Free.
One of the Thciss boycottershas added
to the multitude of books his experience
in Sing Sing State Prison. As the bovcotters
were the pioneers in a new line-.of
crime, the old-time murderers, sluggers,
robbers and everyday thieves looked on
them with interest,and when they entered
the gates where so much of hopes is generally
left behind, the whole prison, or
as much of it as possible, stopped work
to see the men. Two of the boycotters
were sent to the small laundry; the historian
and another went to the stovemounting
shop. The author says:
"After I and the other prisoner arrived
nfc t.h? mount-in? s-hoD. we were aaain asked
by the keeper for our names ani how long a
sentence we had; theu ha told us to fac e the
d?s!i and fold our arms. There we stood like
statues. It was about 10 a. m. when we were
led to tbe shop. At 13 o'clock a whistle
blew, we fell in line with the other convicts
and marched to the mess-room. Many a
curious eye looked at us, for the news went
around the prison like lightning that the
boycottcrs had arrived,and new arrivals can
always be picked out on account of their new
clothcs and their uncertainty in marching
with the company."
The literary boycotter describes the
daily life in Sing Sing as a life not replete
with pleasures, but still not unbearable.
The author quarrels mostly
with his sleeping quarters, the cell being
but three and a half feet wide and the
cot two feet. 'I hi? particular boycottcr
was put in a cell with a man convicted of
felonious assault, so his dreams were not
always pleasant. He had been there two
years out of his sentence of four years,
and naturally his experience made him
the chief personage in his cell, and he
took upon himself the duty of shutting
the cell door just before the keepers
came around to see if any of the birds nad
flown. At first the boyotter could not
sleep, the snores of the convicts keeping
hira awake, but he became used to the
uproar and soon joined in the grand
chorus.
It was the day before the glorious
Fourth when the boycotters entered Sing
Sinsr, so they enjoyed the holiday within
prison walls. The historian thm describes
the fine time he and his fellow-sufferers
enjoyed:
"On holidays the prisoners can make as
much noise as they waut to: it is a holiday
privi.ege. It last?J until 7 p. M. I shall try
to describe it. Anybody passing through
the prision would think he had got into a
lunatic asylum. Some prisoner gets clooe to
his cell door and sings a song. Other men,
notlikiughis song, would shout: 'Lay down!
lay down!' Other convicts then would holler:
'Stick to it! don't give up!' with a good
deal of swearing and profane language
tht own in. Some favorite wou d sing theu.
and the rest were as quiet as a mouse and
listened. "When the song was iinisbe 1 they
theu showed their appreciation by clapping,
shouting and banging the cell door, in t .is
style they carried on all day. A man out
for a stroll (he must have been a stranger in
the village) came along the road passing the
prison: he was, of course hooted at. All at
once he took to his heels; he must have got
frightened. Well, you ought to have seen
the delight of the prisoners. In this way the
greatest holiday of the American nation was
spent at the Sing Sing State Prison. At 7
o'c'o 'k the bell raug and e.crything was
still."
The nufhor complains of the scarcity
of soap in Sing Sing. On the 1st and
l(Jth of the month the prisoners receive
a piecc of soap about one and one-balf
inches square. The convict generally
provides means for getting soap from
his friends outside. Alnny a bank burglar,
before embarking upon a risky job,
makes his pals swear that if be goes to
Sing Sing for the night's work, they will
keep him supplied with soap. The soap
given out by the authorities is made on
the spot and consequently costs little,
but it is as scarce as crcam.
At last the happy day arrived when
the historian and his companions were
pardoned by Governor Hill. The prisoner,
before beingdischarged.iswei^heil
to see if he has got ahead of the irtate in
the matter-of weight.- Somehow or other
a prisoner always gtins, according to the
keeper's figures,and as he is not told what
he weighed wben he entered prison he
has to take ihe keeper's word for it. The
clerk would have it that one of the boycotters
weighed but 145 pounds on entering
Sing Sing, although that particular
man knew his weight at that time to
have been from 180 to 131 pounds. On
the day of leaving prison he'weighed 185
pounds, and was congratulated by the
clerk on having gained thirty pounds.
?JYi?to Ytrk Slur.
Christmas in the Frigid Zone.
A Christmas dinner in Ks juiniau-land,
like all other dinners there, depends as
to quality entirly on what you have to
eat. I have felt perfectly contented and
prouder than an Alderman with a first
cours? of sea'-blubber and frozen weeds,
followed by fro/e-n, rancid walrus meat,
and afterward walrus-hide, cut into small
pieces that could be swallowed without
chewing. At other tim s. when iu winter
quarters and access could be had to
our supply of canncd pro\isions, our
Christmas menu would not have disgraced
a tiist-class restaurant i:i any civilized
city.
My first Arctic Christmas was in 1878,
at Camp Daly, North Hudson Bay, and
that dinner, seasoned with such an appetite
as one gains only with exe:c'se and
fresh air. still haunts me with pleasant
memories. We hud a most delicious
bo led salmon from a neighboring hike,
fried reindeer-steaks, nnd lob-skowse ?
all cooked over seal-oil lamp*. The food
was delightful, but the snow-hut which
serve 1 us for dining room was so cold
lUUb U1C nvcis ill UIU MiJig*iuuiuii;o uuotered
our lingers, and, though our meal
was not shared with relatives around the
familv board, wc had no end of friends.
All the Esquimaux in the village crowded
into our tent, their mouths watering
with the aroina of the fragrant skowse.
One circumstance I recollect concerning
m lasses under conditions of extreme
cold that was quite remarkable. After
it had become too firmly congealed to
run into a vessel held for that purpose,
it would overrun the cup if you attempted
to oc< upy the time while waiting
for it otherwise than by watching.
The head of the barrel was then removed
and the mo a?scd obtained with a hammer
and chisel. Before Henry, our cook,
kne-.v that even when the molasses was
brittle, like randy, a weighty object
wouid sink and disappear below the surface,
he laid his hammer and chisel on
top of the hard mola ses and so lost
them. He accused an Esquimau assistnnf
rvf Viovinrr efulpn them, lint he vi<?:>r
ously deniecTthc accu-ation. So strong,
however, was the suspicion against the
poor fellow that he was disgraced by being
thenceforth forbidden to enter the cooktent.
Inthe following summer his character
was restored when Henry found his lost
tools at the bottom of the empty molasses
barrel.? W. H. Gilder.
The buzz saw has an off-hand way with
now acquaintances.
Abuse of Tea.
All drugs, wh:ch m small doses slightly
stimulate, or tranquilize, are harmful
in large doses. Paregoric is a mild sedative,
but the terrible condition of the
opium eater is well known. Chloral
when introduced' was gratefully welcomed
by physician and patient, bat tht
excessive use of it has changed it to a
*? iL - L
curse. Hivcn cocaine, uie ami
seemingly the most innocent of all, has
already its victims.
A law that holds good of all such j
drugs is the following, viz.: that the de- j
sired. clTcct does not continue to be de- j
rived from the quantity which was at j
first used, but that the system, becoming ,
partially habituated to its use, re juirce
that the quanttty be steadily increased, |
while the injurious results increase in |
the same ratio. Hence, all use tends to j
abuse. !
The above is true of that beverage !
which "cheers but not inebriates." We !
should expect it to be true of tea from '
its nature, and facts prove it to be so. j
The abuse of tea in a multitude of cases,
and the consequent injurious effects, are .
vastly beyond what is generally supposed.
When tea is analyzed, it is found to j
contain two powerful principles, orcbar- |
acteristic substances: tannic ncid und
theine. The former is the astringent familiarly
known a?tnnn'n. It is this, obtained
from bark, which hardens skin
into leather. Theine is a violent poison.
? --- - ? . _ S i I Xl_ -
Probably both tlie tannic ajia ana me |
theine concur in producing the efl'ect |
which comes from excessive tea-drink- i
in<r.
This is twofold. It is partly on the
digestive and partly on the nervous system?in
the first case giving rise to \
at(.nic dyspepsia, and in the second to
irritability, palpitation of the heart,
wakefulness, and biain fatigue. Say9
the ltri'ish Meiicul ..ourttal: "The sufferers
from excessive tea-drinking may
be grouped into three classes:
"(1) The large class of pure brainwo
kers, who speedily discover that
while ale hoi is ) ernicious to them, tea
affords the stimulus they desire. They
indulge in it without fear of mischief,
and often to an unlimited extent. After
a time, the neurotic symptoms make
their appearance, and, in many cases, do
much to impair temper, and to limit the
capacity for sustained usefulness.
"(2) The large (lass of women of the
better classes who begin with afternoon
tea often end by usiug their favorite
stimulant in the intervals between all
meals of the day. The result is that appetite
is impaired, and the prostration
due to insufficient nourishment is com
bated with more potations.
"(8) Factory operatives, especially
women who, finding it difficult to provide
a cheap and appetizing mid-day
meal, fly to the teapot, and do a largo
amount of physical labDr oil this miserable
dietary."? Youth''a Companion.
Cats and liirds of Alaska.
Henry W. Elliott in his account of the
seal islands of Alaska says that except
for blue and white foxts and the lemming,
the s?al is the only indigenous animal
mammal known to th'.se shores.
Among the .imported mammals is the
cut, which.presents a most extraordinary
transformation. After feeding upon
seal meat for two generations it becomes
"a stubby feline ball.'' Beside being
thickened and shortened, it loses a part
of its tail, and its voice is changed?
woefully changed. Cats actually throng
the villages. They seek shelter at night
under biuffs and in the chinks of precipices,
there to "make night hideous beyond
all description." The bird life of
this region is very wonderful. One of
the smaller islands is fairly covered with
sea fowl, and the bluffs of another are
crowded to their utmost capacity. The
variety is not so great, there being only
* " nlnn normfta Vltlf tVw> niimhpril
are countless myriads. A buld bl ff on
St. George Lland may be seen for a
di tance of fifteen miles covered with
nesting gulls. On the north side of the
island millions of choochkics fill the air
with their cries and darken the light of
day. After the dead silence of an Arctic
winter the arrival of these feathered
hosts in such a region of vast solitudes
mu t be chvering enough.
A ltazor Getting Tired.
"Yes. I knew it," exclaimed the veteran
barber. 4'I knew this razor was getting
tired."
4\co'm I." said the reporter, with asperity.
"I feel as if you'd been running
a lawn mower over my face."
"That's what I said," replied the barber.
''This razor is 'tired.'"
"What are you talking about?"
"O, razors often get that way. I have
used this one for three years, and a better
piece of steel was never honed. During
that time it has been 'tired' just
four times. What do I mean by 'tired?'
Well, to all appearances this lazor is as
sharp as need be, but it won't work. No
matter how much I hone it there will be
no improvement, and the only thing to
do is to give it a rest. First, I clean it
with more than ordinary care. Then I
open it and put it away iu a drawer with
a good hone. I lock the drawer and
leave it for five days. At the end of
that time I open-the drawer and take out
the razor. It will be ns sharp as any
blade you ever saw."?Chicago News.
An Automatic Fog Bell.
A retired ship builder, speaking about
marine inventions, said to a New York
Sun reporter: "Of all the queer devices
pertaining to a seafaring life that
I ever heard of, the queerest is the automatic
fog b.-ll that used to ring on l ace
Point, Cape Cod, and I presume is there
now. There was a big bell with a clock
work that would mournfully toll whenever
it was set agoing. The bell was
under cover, but proji cting from the
house was a long nicely-balanced lever
with a big sponge on the outer end. There
was a little roof over the sponge to keep
the rain olT, but when a fog came on the
moisture would saturate the sponge and
wi iorht bearing the lever down would
~ "O
start the machine and set the bell to
tolling. If the fog soon disappeared the
sponge dried out and the lever stopped
the bell, really for the next fog, but if
the fog held on the machine eventually
ran down and had to be wound up
again."
The Groat Armies or Europe.
The Kreuz-7.cltun.ij computes the military
strength of the great Continental
Powers as follows: Germany, on a peace
footing, 445,424 men, in war 1,o 1 i>,00C
men, the J andstnrm (levy eu masse),
1,000,000, of whom, however, only onehalf
could render effective aid, say in
manning fortresses; Austria-Hungary,
28f>,422 and 1,Or?,000 respectively, the
Landsturm being also computed at a million,
although in reality composed ol
men without any military training;
France,5J8,>-2i|and 1,950,000 men respectively,
the levy en masse being supposed i
to furnish 2,000,000 more; Italy, 215,
000 and 2.400.000 respectively, thelattei
figure including reserves and citizens'
organi ations of all kinds, Russia tO?,2!2
and 2,000,000 men respectively, levy
en masse 1,000,000, composed of irregular
troops and soldiers mustered out ol
the srmv. i
HUMAN HAIR.
A DEALER TALKS ABOUT THI
I TRANSPLANTED ARTICLE.
j A Peculiar Business?Cost of Human
Hair?Where It is Procured
* U?U
?rrepaniijc mo **??**
for the Market.
i
j "Times are dull nowadays," responded
the coiffure artist, in reply to a repor
torial inquiry the other day. "You see,
ours is a peculiar business anyhow. Wt
are the most abject slaves to fashion thai
ever lived. Just now it's ebb tide will
us. Coiffures are worn high, and a woman
who hasn't got enough hair to covei
the top of he; head is in a pretty bad tis
indeed. Consequently not much false
hair is required. Of course, there is s
steady demand for standard articles,
which are to take the place of the bereavements
of nature, but what I mear
to say is that the good old da_. s when t
woman walked into my store and chos<
her winter or her summer articles of hail
apparel just a^ she would choose hei
winter's cloak are past and gone!'' and
the artist heaved a sigh which expressed
regretful remonstrances.
"What does human hair cost?"
"Depends altogether upon the lcngtl
and the shade. Length, of course, i;
the principal item. For instaucc, at
ounce oi a certain kind eight inches lone
might only be worth fifty cent?, while ar
ounce tress thirty-six inchc* long of thi
same quality wou'd be worth $15. Th<
average article is generally not mon
I than tliirty-six inches long, u 11 is, i
commands fancy prices. Hut the usua
length is but eighteen or twenty inches
The color is the other important item
This isr of course dependent upoi
scarcity. The ordinary common color
that one sees every day of course are thi
cheapest; but you take some of the un
usual shades, such as gray, pale and deli
cate shades of auburn, and you have go
j to pay roundly for them. Why? Eecausi
they are hard to get and the market i
never fully supplied. White and gra;
are the mo$t expensive."
"Is this because old age is vain?"
"Partly for this reason, but principally
because old age, which possesses a hand"
some head of hair, is loathe to part witl
it except at a very high figure. See tha
tress of brown hair in the window? Well
I will sell it for $45, because it is a com
mon shade; but that white one in th
corner, I could not part with it for les
than $225?same size though, you see.1
"Where is the hair procured{"
"From everywhere. But it is gatheret
principally in Germany, France, Russia
Hollaud and Italy. The light blond)
shades as a general rule come from Nortl
Germany and tfolland, while the durlce
colors nil come from the south of Franc*
and Italy. The Southern climate alsi
produces a finer and glossier variety. I
is collected mostly by itinerant peddlers
who visit the country fairs and indue
some peasant maiden to part with he
beautiful tresses for a piece of bright cal
ico or some gaudy bauble. In othe
places, where the value of human hair i
appreciated, the girls and women of th
peasant class are regularly sheared lik
sheep. In Brittany, which is recogni e<
as the country which produces the hai
of the finest texture in the world, th<
shearing of the women is carried on as i
regular industry. La-jt year I saw tba
the exportation of hair from France wa
about 20,000 pound.*, at an e.stimate<
value of $1,000,0JO. Of course in th
foreign markets it is worth much more
England imports about 20,000 pounds o
hair a year alone, and America thre
years ago imported nearly $1,000,00'
worth; and I can assure you San Fran
cisco is not behind the proportion in he
purchase."
"Is not some preparation needed be
fore the hair is placed on the market fo
sale?"
''Oh, yes, of course. In Paris, wheri
there are several large hair-dealers t<
whom the peddlers sell their collections
the sorting, cleaning and preparation o
hair forma an important industry. Yoi
see, hair from all parts of the world an<
of all shades, complexions, lengths ant
previous conditions of servitude ar
brought to these hair marts and laid out
The women, whose powers of distin
guishing color are exceptional'y acute
go over them, matching all the differen
colors of the same texture, no matte
where they miy have conic fn. m. Thes
strands are also matohed as to length
until finally the hair is divided up int
lots of precisely the ?ame,kind. Now
see here," he gaid, taking down a tres
from the window, "you might pe; h ip
. upposc that all this was grown on on
head. That is nonsense. I would no
be surprised, if every hair could tell th
story of its origin, that we would fim
representatives from every race on th
globe. I see some Chine-e represents
tives here. You see Chinese hair ha
been used to some extent. It is,of course
very coarse ana straignt, dul in mru i
is split to a fine quality and sul/ectcd t
a preparation to make it glossy. Thei
again hair is dyed to certain specifici
shades. A groat portion of all the whit
hair, to tell you a professional secret, i
manufactured by bleaching. B ;t all o
these preparations are virtual failures
and nothing is so good as the genuta
article free from preparation, although i
is more costly."?San Francisco Call.
Cold uud Tobacco Smoking.
Dr. Chudnovski publishes in th
RutskrtyaMedi'sina an account of a serie
of observations made on twelve soldier
in a military hospital, who were perfect 1;
healthy with the exception of slight in
juries, with the object of determininj
the effect of cold applications to th
epigastrium upon the rapidity of diges
tion. The stomach tube was of coursi
freely used, and the completion of diges
tion was taken to be marked by tlu dis
appearance of solid particles in the ?jastri<
contents, as revealed by drawing then
up through the tube. The author founc
that when ice bladd rs were applied nex
the skin over the region.of the stomach,
digestion was retarded in nine out o!
the twelve cases. Six of the men wer<
^mokers aud six non-smokers. In tin
former the time required for digestioi
averaged seven hours, while in tlio ca<<
of the non smokers the mean period ol
digestion was only six hours.
Wished She Was.
"I want your mother to let my affair!
nlcne," said Brown to Mrs. B. "J
won't have any more of her dictation.''
"You're always rinding fault witi
mother," retorted Mrs. B. "I'll have
you understand, Mr. Brown, that mj
mother is an angel."
''I wish she was,groaned Brown.?
Neu York Sun.
A Prudent Suggestion.
Young Artist it# farmer)?"Have yoi
any objection to my painting the ole
mill across the way. sir?''
Farmer?"No, I haint no objections
ef you want to paint it, but it strike;
me, stranger, it would look well 'nougl;
whitewashed, an' would come cheaper.'
? ?New Y&rk Sun.
-r"' ' * -i"" . 'r i. v--' ' :' a* ?
HOUSEHOLD MATTERS.
A Christmas Plum Pnddinjj.
Three-qurters of a lb. of bread crumbs;
' 1 lb. of beef suet; 1-4 lb. of flour; 1 lb.
of currants: lib. of raisins; 1 lb. of
sugar; 1 ounce of candied citron peel; 1
i ounce of candio 1 lemon peel; 1 ounce of
sweet almonds, blanched; 1 saltspoonful
snlt* 1 small nntme/r. crated: 1 lemon; 8
eggs; 1 pint milk. ?
Shred the suet finely; wash, pick and
, dry the curants; stouo the raisins, and
' blanch and slice up the almonds. Mix
the-e thoroughly with the other dry ingredients,
and t: en boat and add the
' eggs, afterward the milk (adding only
' enough of the milk to moisten the mix1
ture into a stiff paste, too much will
| make the pudding heavy). Put the mixture
into a well-buttered mold, tie a
: floured pudding-cloth over it, put it iuto
! boiling water and keep it boiling for six
1 or seven hours. As the wa'er boil-<away
do not add cold water, but replenish the
' pot from another vassel of water which
1 is kept boiling for the purpose. The
1 adding of cold water makes the pudding
! heavy. When the pudding is done and
r taken out of the boiling water it should
be plunged at once into a vessel of cold
water. Th:s will loosen the sides of the
^ pudding from the mold and render it
less likely to break in turning it out.?
Caterer.
L
i Stale Bread.
1 A great deal of bread is thrown away
? by those who can ill afford it, from lack
1 of knowledge how to utili/.e it. On the
3 farm, in most instances, of course, stale
3 bread is not wholly lost, for if wet a
j; little it makes good food for the poultry,
J or may be given to the pigi, but this is
1 not the best way to make use of it even
by those who have poultry and pigs.
Tnere are mauy ways to utilize stale
1 bread. It makes delicious griddle-cakes
3 when soaked in cold water. Three small
' slices with water enough to cover thera
" should be sufficient, when the milk and
* flour are added, to make two quarts of
' batter. Some prefer to put in one egg,
e while others like them fully as well with3
out. When the bread is soaked soft,
' make it fine with a spoon, add the milk
and sufficient flour to stiffen enough so
that the cakes can be easily turned. II
T sour milk is used add to the batter one
* even tablespoonful of soda. If you do
| not use .sour miik use twice as much
' cream of tartar a? soda. 1 rench toa3t,
? always a favorate dish with children,
* can be made of thin slices cut from a
u stale loaf and moistened in milk
3 and eggs?two eggs to a pint of
milk?and then fried on a griddle
with a mixture of butter and lard or
1 butter and bsef drippings, and maybe
eaten with sugar or syrup, like griddleJ
c ikes. Pieces of bread which are not too
1 hard can be made into a resemblance of
r tin key dressing. Cut the bread into
5 ait houo a ?.ii!vntifcv of rravv I
uiuc, 4? J ~ 1 J ? 0 ?
" from which fut can be taken, left from
1 any kind of roast?though a piece of
' butter will do as well?tho. oughly grease
e the bottom of a sp der.put in the biead,
r with some little chunks of b.itter and
" plenty of seasoning; then pour enough
r boiling water on to moisten it. cover
9 tightly, and, in a moment, it will steam
e through and you can stir it, and either
? brown a little or have it moist like dress1
ing. It should be eaten with gravy over
[ it, and is a good substitute for potatoes.
3 The little dry, hard pieces and crusts
* which always accumu'ate can be put on
1 a pie-tin in an oven t hat is just hot enough
* to dry and make them a light brown,
1 then roll them tine and put away to use
e in making croquettes, frying fish, etc.
* Even these slightly-browned crumbs
make excellent griddle-cakes with the
? addition of one egg and a handful of
" flour and milk to a batter, fctale bread
may be utili/ed in making a custard pudr
ding also. The fact is, that where economy
is the rule bread will not be thrown
away.
Uscfbl Hints.
3 To Polish Tins.?First rub them with
a damp cloth; then take dry flour and
f rub it on with the hands; afterward take
x an old newspaper and rub the flour off,
I and the tins will ihiue as well as if half
j an hour had been speut in rubbing them
e with brick-dust or powder, which spoils
the hands.
Cleaning White Kid Gloves.?Take
^ a piece of white flannel, moisten with
t sweet milk, rub on a little white soap
r and wipe the gloves. Then go over
c them again with the flannel dipped in
,f milk, without the soap. Wrap them
0 loosely in a towel and let them remain
, until dry; then stretch them.
s Scouring Knives.?Place a quantity
3 of brick-dust on a board, and having the
e knife perfectly dry, press it down hard
t and rub it back and forih, crosswise of
c the blade. When bright, turn and scour
3 the other side. Then wipe off with a
e chamois leather. Knives thus treated
>- will retain their brightness much longer
s and have a new look after years of
i, usage.
1 Furniture Polish.?One ounce of
0 white wax. one ounce of yellow wax,
one-half ounce of white soap and one
pint of boiling water. Melt all together
e in a saucepan over the fire, and pour
? into a bottle. Apply it by rubbing a
little on a small space with a cloth of
? any kind, rub w'th a second cloth and
? polish with a third. The economical
housekeeper may have her furniture
nicely polished for the holidays at
trifling expense.
To Preserne Steel Goods from
e Rust.?After bright grates have been
g thoroughly cleaned, they should be
3 dusted over with unpacked lime, and
Y thus left until wanted. All the coils of
. piano wires are thus sprinkled, aud will
v keep from rust for many years. Table
2 knives which are not in constant use
. ought to be put in a case in which quick2
lime is placed, eight inchcs deep. They
. should be plunged to the top of the
. blades, but the lime should not touch
: the handles.
, ??
1 The Miser's Key.
t Somebody told the story of Hugh M.,
who did in Durham forty years ago. He
f was a determined man and very penu5
lious. He died at an advanced age.
1\- AKofi Vio Iront- Ilia rirrht hand
' v_/u 1113 UL'tiia mv ?*v|?v - -g
' closely clutchcd. As he drew his last
J breath he tightened his h:>ld. Kveryf
body there knew what lie held. It .was
the key to the chest in which he kept his
gold. As his nervele-s baud unclosed
the key dropped from it and clattered
against the bedside. As if to hold it
? even after his soul had passed away, the
miser had tied the key about his wrist
by a stvong cord and had grasped it as
\ long as life remained. He had wanted
' to take his gold with him. They buried
him as he was, with the key to his money
chest dangling about his wrist, and today
the key is in his grave, turned to
rust probably. "And what became of
the gold.'" "Oh, the heirs took care of
that just the same. They split open the
i chest with an ax and divided the gold
I and let the miser sleep on with the key
about his wrist.'"?Lewiston {Me.) Record.
! i
! A correspondent of the New York
1 Christian Advocate calls attention to
' Catharine Rood, of Hinesburg, Vt., aged
| 103, as the oldest Methodist in America. I
- -..7"
-.- -sSfts
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.
*
The Boston Latin School is the oldest ..
institution of the kind in America. It
originated in 1034.
An oyster weighing 3? pounds and
measuring ten inches by six, was taken
at Huntington. L. I., the other day.
It was anciently one of the customs of a
the chase for nil the huntsmen to" stain J
their hands in the blood of the deer as a *?
trophy.Instead
of the few simple varieties of
lettuce forme ly grown, not less than
sixty-five varieties are now known to
horticulturists.
One of the best profile rocks in Colorado,
is near the summit of Long's peak.
It points its nose heavenward. Where
the eyes should be is a pile of snow.
The nose, lips, and chin are very distinct.
The choice of an ancient Athenian
citizen was limited to Athenian women.
Only when thus married could his children
possess the right of citizens. An
Athenian woman was likew'se not allowed
to marry a foreigner. The penalties
for seeking a spou e beyond, the
national boun inries were severe.
In the rotunda of the Richmond, Va.,
capitol there is an old stove made of
iron, which is said to be one of the old-'
est stoves in e istcnce. It was. made a
present to the colo 15 of Virginia in 17^0, ' i
and was spoken of at that time as a
warming machine. It is seven feet high,
and has as much ornamentation as a
Queen Anne house. ^
In climates having a difference of
seventy degrees in temperature between - . V
the hot and cold s :ns3ns, a railway track '*.=
of 400 miles is 3 -8 yards longer in summer
than in wint.t. ( f course the length
of road remains the same, but expansion
forces the lengths of metal closer to- >
gether, making an aggregate closing ' *
up of space between the rails of nearly & a v.
yard in each mile.
Edward I, on the day of his coronation
was welcomed with the greatest joy -7 ?
and honor. The streets were hung with - ^
rich cloths of *ilk, nud arms and tapestry;
the aldeimcn of the city threw out
of their windows handfuls of gold and ^
silver; the condu'ts ran plentifully with
white wine and red, that each might
drink his fill. Resides the aldermen's "M
gold and silver 500 great hordes, on some
of which Ed war I had ridden to the \
banquet, were let loose among the crowd,
any one being at liberty to take one for .
his own if he could.
The first silk stockings made in England
were knitted by Queen Elizabeth's
silk-woman, Mistiess Montague, who
Eresented her majesty with a pair of
lack silk ones, which she liked so well
that she kept the donor knitting silk
stockings as long 'as she lived. Before
the end of her reign stockings were made '51
of silk, jarnsey, worsted, crewel, or the
finest yarn and thread that could be had,
and Stubbs remarks that the ladies were
"not ashamed to wear hose of all kinds
of changeable colors, as green, red,
white, russet, tawney, and else what
not, cunningly knit and curiously indented
in every point with quirks,clocks,
open seams and everything else ac- '
cordingly."
Beecher on Gladstone.
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher heard ex-*
Premier Gladstone speak at Liverpool,'
and writes h's impressions of the great
English leader for the New York World
as follows:
Taking the address as a whole, and
comparing it with the elaborate efforts of
such an American as Dani.1 Webster, or
with some of the old Greek orators, it
could scarcely be said to have the form
and finish that applies to many of the
masterpieces of eloquence. Judging of
its effect on myself, a stranger, a foreigner,
one not well versed in the details
which he d;scus:-cd, I found myself,
nevertheless, glowing with the sympathy
of the auction: o una in 11111 aumirauou ui
this remarkable man. W'h tever may be
the issue of the great question upon
which he ha; expended his genius, which
he regards as his last great life's work?
the cmancipat on of Ireland?there can v
be no doubt that Gladstone is pre-eminently
the central figure in tbe politics of
Great Britain, and that he als > is or Iias
been a leading fi^u e in the affairs of all
Europe.
His versatility is proverbial. His ?
knowledge of classical languages and of
modern languages, which is not so profound
or so minute as that of many other
men, is, nevertheless, remarkable. There
AT-* few subiectswhich inte.est thinking
men to-day about which he cannot wisely
and instructively discourse. His memory
is something prod gious. His command
of material~very strik ng; his accuracy
in statement marvelous. He impresses
one as far-seeing and" comprehensive
statesman, void of the arts of politicians,
in deep earnest and with strong moral
convictions.
Mr. Gladstone seems to be a man, I
should say, of about five feet ten inches
in height. He is active, supple and
erect; capable of enduring great fatigue,
quite elastic in spirits, genial and sooiaL
His head is said to be a Websterian head,
but in my judgment it will hardly tear
that comparison. 'I he lined upon his
face are strong; his features are large,
and, being nearly bald, the impression '
of the height of his foreheap is apt to be
exaggerated. A strong nose, a mouth
fine, but very firm, the chin only moderately
full. Altogether a striking head
and physiognomy.
I met him subsequently at bis own
dwelling in London at a breakfast. He
was very simple and unpretentious in
his manner; grave and very dignified,
yet familiar. I cannot say that he is a
good conversationalist, b.it he is an excellent
talker. Although there were
several gentlem in present, pretty much
all the discourse fell from his lips. ??Mr.
Gladstone has not e caped very
bitter detraction. The hatred of, him
on some sides is intense and even malignant.
Even his personal morality has
not escaped virulent criticism. It is
probable that no statesman for the last
hundred years has been subjected to
greater abuse aiid vindictive misrepresentations.
To me he seemed like a
great man seeking great ends and by
very noble measures and from pur?
motives. Whatever may be the outcome
of the present struggle, I think it beyond
all controversy that when the rights ol
Ireland are acknowl dged and established
all men will see that the redeeminc:
measures must be traced back to th?
wisdom of William E. Gladstone.
Tae Ca'ifornian Slieep.
Californian wool always reminds mt
of the time when the gold diggings wer?
first discovered in California. At Oxford
it used to be the custom at Christmas
time for the butchers to exhibit th?
prize sheep which they had bred and
purchased. One butcher procured ?
very fine sheep, dyed its wool purple,
gilded its hoofs, and exhibited it as (
California sheep. It seems hardly credi.
ble, but numbers of persons went awaj
in the firm belief that all Californii
sheep had purple wool and golden hoofs.
?Longman's Magazine.
Three tons of yam are yearly used in
the manufacture of baseballs.
? i