The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, November 06, 1889, Image 7
r
~ a COULD WOT HAPfgf NOW.
BT W. LAKOBBIDOB.
Srs country ways had turned to straefc,
And long ere wo were bora,
A lad and la.a would chance to meet,
And often she'd neglect h?>r task.
The willows bowed to nudge the bio jk,
The cowslips nodded gay,
rAnd be would look and sbe would look,
And both would look away.
Yet each?and this is so absurdWould
dream about the other.
And she would never breathe a word
To that good dame, her mother.
Our girls are wiser row.
^was very quaint,, 'twas very strange.
Extremely Btrango, you must allow,
Sear me 1 how modes and customs change I
It, could not happen now.
nosi uay mui. ium, iiuujjiit; i?o
Would rearrange her hair,
And ponder Unj before the glafls
Which bow 3tie ought to wear;
"Why do you blush lilco that?"
And seldom care to chat,
. And make her mother fio-.vn. and ask,
'Why do you blush like that?"
And now she'd haunt with fo tstops slow
That mead with cowslips yellow,
Down which ehe'd met a week ago
That stupid, staring fellow.
Our girls are wiser now.
Twa8 very quaint, 'twas very strange.
Extremely strange, you must allow.
Dear me 1 how modes and customs change!
It could not happen now.
And as for liim, that foolish lad,
He'd hardly uloso an eye,
And look fo woe-begone and sad
He'd make bis mother cry.
He goes," sho'd 6ay, "from bad to worse!
My boy so bli! he and brave.
Last night I found him writing versa
About a lonely grave 1"
And, lot next day hor nerves he'd 6hook
With laugh anci song and caper;
And there!?shb'd rtnd a golden look
Wrapped up in tissue paper.
Kawo o ro tt- i aor nDW
TVas very quaint, 'twas very Strang?,
Extremely strnnRO, yon must allow.
Dear me! bow modes and custom* change 1
It could cot happen now.
lolTpulaski;
OK
/
/ The Victim of Circumstanr*
tial Evidence.
A Story of Nihilistic Mings and Crimes.
BY LEON EDWARDSCHAPTER
L
THE QUEEN.
The short cheerless days and long
oold nights of winter had come to St.
Petersburg.
A thousand colored lamps throbbed
?nd blazed along the frozen Neva.
Ten thousand brilliant skaters in
brilliant costumes, and with shouts ol \
joyous laughter, flew over the glistening
expanse.
Fanciful sleighs, with fur-clad occupants,
drawn by horse3 three abreast,
as is the Bussian custom, dashed
through the white streets to the
*hy tlunic beating of their own glad bells.
It was New Year's eve, and the "Winter
Palace of the Czar outshone the
starlit heavens in the number and
"wonderful brilliancy of its lights.
There was a grand ball in the palace
to-night, and, though every window
was fast closed, waves of voluptuous
music swept out on the night air from j
the ten score instruments of "The Em- !
per's Grand Band."
The grand salon?named "The Hall !
of Peter," in honor of the mighty king j
who founded the city?was a marvel of !
brilliant color and tropic light.
Soldiers, statesmen and diplomats,
ell in brilliant uniform, made, as they
moved, a marvelous kaleidoscope that
/ dazzled the eye by its wonderful {
J changes, and prevented weariness by
its constant motions.
Here were assembled the most beau- j
tiful women of the mighty empire, the j
loveliness of each one overshadowing
the other, till loveliness in masses became
commonplace.
The ladies, as a rule, were dressed in
what is considered the proper ball costume
the civilized world over, the arms
and shoulders being nearly barej, while,
gfeat trains of rich material swept the
polished floors.
But there was one woman whose j
beauty was as rare as her attire was
unconventional; thi3 was Lola Pulaski,
the Polish governess of the children of
the Czars daughter-in-law, the beautiful
Grand Duchess Dagmar.
With eyes dark as night and deep
and dreamy and brilliant as its stars,
with hair whose glossy blackness
seemed even blacker for the whiteness
of the broad, low brow over which it
was parted, with a complexion that
outshone the roses on her breast, and
teeth more beautiful than the peaxln i
that glowed on her exquisite throat. |
Lola Pulaski was the most attractive |
being in the place.
The Polish costume set off the superb
but rather petite figure to advantage,
and gave the beautiful girl a distinct
individuality amid the gorgeous uniforms
of the men and the superb
dresses of the ladies by whom she was
surrounded.
More than one handsome cavalier
Bought her with his eyes and envied
the Grand Duke Alexis, who returned
to her again and again, till his atten^
- tions became conspicuous to those who
fe^P matched his movements.
"So you will not dance with me,
Lola?" asked Duke Alexis, bending his
tall form and bringing his fair, blonde
face so close to hers that she must
have felt his breath upon her cheek.
"No, my lord," she replied, in a low,
musical voice that indicated decision,
K. yet perfect courtesy.
* "But why not?" asked the son of the
Emperor, his accents tremulous with
emotion, and his blue eyes, into which
she did not look, full of admiration that
amounted to passion.
"Because," replied Lola, "I am not
here to dance; I am not one of the invited.
Nay, do not assure me welcome;
I came to watch the children, my
pupils, wno wisnecl to see tne dances,
and now that they have gone to their
beds, I will go to mine."
"You are determined, Lola?"
MIt requires no determination," she
answeivd, "for a weary worker to go
home and rest."
"Surely not, and as you are resolved,
grant me one favor," said Prince Alexis,
eagerlv.
"What is that?"
That you permit me to drive you
home in my Bleigh, which is awaiting
me in the palace court; I do cot enjoy
these brilliant mobs."
"Nor do I, my lord?but "
"But what?"
"I cannot permit it."
"You are the only one in the assem*
bly who would refuse," said the prince,
with a show of impatience.
"Then I am glad to be different from
them. It matters not that I may think
myself quite your peer "
ai. "Nay, Lola, in all noble attributes
txxv annarior." Kaid the nrinoe. ffAllantlv.
"There Is one whose respect and
good opinion, mv lord, I value more
than I do your father's or yours," said
Lola, quietly, at the same time moving
as if to leave.
"Whose is that?"
"My own," she replied, as she laid
bey little white baud on the flower*
that had an added beauty from their '
place on her heaving breaat.
"You refuse my cfter, then; mark I
you, it is given iu all honor."
''Give it to the woman you would ha
willing to call wife."
With this, Lola Pulaski turned and
vanished behind the curtains, near
which they had been standing.
The Grand Duke made as if he
would follow her, but changing his
mind, he bit his tawny mustache and
mingled with the throng of surging
dancers.
With a light, quick step, Lola Pulaski
went to the room in which, for a few
hours each day, she taught tlie royal
pupils singing and dancing. She was
qualified to teach them, in addition,
r.i?nnnoti InnornnfTAS. l>nf
ILLU XCUUIU^ JjUiUJ/Cwu """O - '7
other teachers were employed for that
purpose.
Tutting on a fur cloak and a hood,
she went down to the great square or
court of the palace, where a thousand
grooms were watching as many gayly ,
caparisoned sleighs and teams, and j
i where the royal sentinels, muffled to
the ears, for the night was cold,
| walked guard at their posts, as a matter
of form, for surely no harm could
I oome to the royal master of the palace.
Seeminprly unobserved by the throng
ot men, i-iofa was about fo make her
way to the street when she felt on her
arm a light, restraining hand, and
turning quickly, she saw beside her a
tall man, the insignia on whose collar
and fur lielmot bespoke him a prince of
the royal house and a general of cavalry.
"Prince Paul!" gasped Lola, as sho
looked up at the handsome, intellectual
face,
"Tut, tut, Lola," said the young
soldier, with a light laugh, "my soldiers
call me 'General Paul;' why
should my friends give me a higher
name? You were going to walk home
through the snow "
"I am coiner home." she interrupted
"3ye," said General Paul, with the
manner of a man accustomed to issue
commands and to have thorn obeyed.
"So you are, New Year's eve of all
nights in the year, is the worst for a
woman to travel the streets of St.
Petersburg without an escort. I'll call
my sleigh " ?
"No, no, your highness!"
"If you would rather walk, well and
good." Here, take my arm. What,
you refuse? then I shall call a sergeant
and a dozen guards to see that
you reach home in safety."
With military promptness, General
Paul turned, and would have issued
his ?rder in another moment, had not
Lola taken his arm and said:
"You can escort me home."
"Ah, I thought so; yet, Lola, I
would rather lead another charge of
the guards at Plevna than try to direct
a woman. In the name of all the
saints in the Greek calendar, why can't
you be reasonable?"
As the General asked the question
he drew her arm closer within his, and,
suiting his long strides to her shorter
steps, he went on by her side.
".Because," said Lola, "we take after
our fathers, therefore reason is not to
be expected from us."
"By Saint Peter, the retort's deserved
; but, though not expected, I should
iave looked for it from one of your
lex who has so much influence over
nine."
"Your highness, I do not understand,"
ihe said, with dignity, and making as j
If she would withdraw her hand from
his arm.
Without seeming to be at all surprisjd,
he drew her closer to him, and in
more serious tones said:
"Lola, I have to-day received fiom
the Emperor a commission."
"A commission?" she repeated.
"Yes; I am appointed Chief of the
Secret Service."
"I congratulate yon, General.*'
"It is not a pleasant duty, but a soldier
must obey."
"Of course.''
"And the Nihilists threaten to make
my work more unpleasant."
"But surelv vou are not afraid of
fchem?"
"I cannot say, Lola, that I am very
much afraid of anyone," laughed the
General; "if I were, I have no doubt
that I could do my duty better."
"Perhaps not."
"Lola?"
"I hear you, General."
"Your people give us most trouble."
"My people?"
"Yes; the Poles, and .he best blood
of that noble race flow/, in your veins.
1 can hardly blame them, and yet their
methods repel me."
"I do not understand you, General
Paul."
''Then I shall be plainer: for, as a
Boldier, I like to be frank. The Poles
are Nihilists."
"All of thein?"
"I wouldn't swear to that, though
the orders I received to-day so represent
them, and I wanted to talk to you
about one Pole in particular."
"Who is he?"
''Faith, Lola, this particular Pole is
a woman."
"A woman."
"Yes."
"What is her name"? asked Lola,
firmly.
"I wish I knew, but so far she is
known to the authorities only as 'The
Queen of the Nihilists.' "
''A mere fancy name," said Lola,
quietly.
"I only wish she were an imaginary
being. Now, Lola?"
"Go on, General."
"I love you."
'"You have so told mo."
"And I did not lie."
"Do I doubt you?"
"No. but "
"But what; why changettiesubject.
MI want you to help me."
fcTo do what, General?"
"To find who this woman is."
"You want her name?"
"Yes, Lola, I would like to learn all
about lier."
"And you are the Chief of the Secret
Service ?" she said, with chilling dig
nicy.
"Aye, and I am sorry for it"
"And you have a thousand Bpies under
you V"
"Aye, Lola, ten thousand, but I
would rather have ono woman like you."
"I can hardly thank you for the coinnliment."
"Pardon me if I have offended," said
the General, coming to a halt before a
low house in an obaoure street.
''But here we are. If you can't help
me, well and good. Now, good-night,
Lola, and a happy New Year. What!
you will not kisB me ?" he said, drawing
back, as if he had been refused a
favor to which he was accustomed.
"I would rather not," she replied.
"Very well, Lola; my pleasure shall
never run oounter to your wishes.
Good-nig'at."
Waiting till the door wa3 opened in
response to Lola's knock, General Paul
raised his helmet, and, turning, Btrode
back in the direction of the Winter
Palace, the lights from whose thousand
blazing -windows mads an aurora in Che
Bky above its glittering roof.
CHAPTER II.
LOLA PULASKI'S HOJIB.
The house in which Lola Pulaski
lived was au ordinary, old-fasluoned
structure in a dark, narrow street,
away from the great thoroughfares of
business and fashion.
A sturdy, middle-aged woman,
dressed with the apron and cap peculiar
to the Kussian domestics, closed
the door behind Lola, and said:
"You are late thia evening, 'my mistress."
"I told you I should be late, Leeza,"
replied Lola, as she entered a cheerless
room, opening into the hall, and
turned up the dull lamp, without making
it burn much brighter.
The servant helped her mistress
off with her cloak and hood, and as
she did so, she said, in low, cautious
tones:
"Doctor Mulek and Peter, the student,
were here not twenty minutes
ago." i
"And they said they would call j
soon again," said JLoia, as n sue Knew
all about her visitors and their intentions.
"Thatthanr would be back within an
hour, Miss Lola."
"Good; they will find me ready."
"You are ever ready, my mistress, if
you can but help the good cause,"
said Leeza, o? she took up the lamp
and preceded her young mistress up a
flight of bare stone steps that poured
like a frozen cataract into the middle
of the cheerlegs hall.
The upper hall was covered with a
soft, common matting, intended to
deaden sound rather than as an article
of comfort.
This hall ran back through the
building, which was very deep, and
there were doors on either sides, so
cheerless looking as to suggest cells
within.
The servant stopped midway in the
hall, and stood shading the lamp from
the drat't till her mistress entered a
room near by, and then she returned
to the lower hall.
In the center of this room stood a
white porcelain stove, which though
no fire was visible within, certainly
served to make the apartment warm.
A lamp, burning on a little stand
over the stove, served to show the
clean, simple furniture of the place,
which had a rug cm the floor, but not
another artiole in it that looked like
ornament.
"Is that you, my daughter?" called
out the feeble voice of a broken old
mau from an adjoining room.
"Yes, father, yes!" exclaimed Lola,
and turning quickly she met herfathei
at the door, and clasping her aims
about his bowed neck, she kissed him
again and again, and then led him to a
chair.
He was a feeble old man, but bodily
torture and mental anguish had aged j
him before his time.
In his better days Count Pu!askihad ;
been a handsome, stately man; rich in j j
honors, wealth and titles, and with the I ,
royivl blood of Poland's ancient kings 1
in his veins.
His was in truth a sad, sad story.
He did not marry till Lis thirtieth j
year, and then be wedded the fairest |
maid in Warsaw, and one in every j |
way worthy to be the wife of such a ! |
man. i
This fair bride had been w:ioed by, I
and had rejected, a prince olosely al?
lied to the reigning family of Russia, I (
the past conquerers and pro sent ty? i ,
rants of downOrodden, unhr.ppy Po* i
land.
The rejeoted ouitor was tUs Gover* j j
nor of Warsaw, a widower ne.irly fiftj
years of age.
Tailing to win the beauty, lie determined
to ruin the pair, and men with
sucn powers ana sucn purposes do not
want long for a protest.
The Count had been married but j
four months, when he was arrested on j
acharg&ot conspiracy and rebellion;
and it need not be saiil, this charge was |
proven by the Governor's tools, and
General Pulaski was exiled to the i
mines o: Siberia. I
He had been gone but six or seven i
months, when the poor Countess, who |
had tied to Paris, became Lola's
mothi-r. |
As General Pulaski's estates were i
confiscated, his wife was thrown on j
her own resources, and so became a
teacher in tlie rrencU capital
She wore her life out enducating her i j
beautiful daughter, and in vain efforts
to soften the heart of the Russian 2m- 1
peror, th.it he might release her falselv 1
accused husband. ]
The Countess died wlien Lola was ]
eighteen, and then the brave girl took
up the work in which here broken- 1
hearted mother had failed.
She made her way to the Russian i
metropolis, and succeeded in being admitted
to the presence of the Princess
Dagmar, the beautiful Danish wife of 1
Czarowitz, or heir to the throne. 1
Won by the girl's modesty and beau- 1
tv. as well as bv her rare accomplishments
and the intense earnestness of
her efforts, the Princess employed her
as a teacher, and then interceded with
bo much success that Count Pulaski
was released.
He had been taken away in the very
flower of a noble, vigorous manhood;
and he came back an old, crushed man |
to the daughter he had never seen till j
after his release.
MT so nervons. mv child, when
you are detained longer than usual," j
said the old man, as he looked with
something like worship at hia beauti- i ,
ful daughter. "I fear I am but a
wreck, and can never recover."
"You shall recover," said Lola, with ]
thrilling emphasis, as she stood be- j
hinu his chair and laid her hands on
his long white hair. "You shall re- |
cover, and those who have crushed vou j
down shall be still more humbled than j
you were."
"Hush, my child; this is the holy
season of New Year's Eve, and (
thoughts of revenge should find no
place in our hearts," said the Count,
soothingly.
' Aye; New Year's Eve in the blazing
palaces of St. Petersburg, from which j
1 nave just come; but the music and !
the flowers and the happy throngs but
impressed me more strongly with the j
thought that it is also New Year's Eve !
amid the reeking, Stygian mines of \
Siberia, to which perjury and tyranny
consigned you, and where a heartless
inhumanity wore your noble life away.
But we shall get even, mark you, we
shall get even; and the hour of our triumph
is speeding hither I"
With her blazing blaok eyes, white
teotli and illuminated face, Lola Pulaski
looke.l, as she stood behind the old
man's chair, with her small white hands
on his long white hair, like a priestess
of Minerva uttering a prophecy on the
eve of battle.
The entrance of the servant, Leeza,
with a tray containing two oups of tea
and 'some delicate articles of food.
put an end to the impassioned girl's
speech.
"If any one should call?" said Leeza,
looking at her young mistress, and hall
turning to the door, as if ready to go
out when she got her answer.
"I shall be in Madam Berger's room
in ten minutes," said Lola.
"And they must wait there for you,
my mistress?"
"Yes."
Leeza inclined her head and went
out.
This strange, rambling old house
was occupied by many strange fpeople.
Ex-exiles, long-haired artists, revolutionary
students, and attaches of the
imperial opera and theater, >
It was within a hundred yards or so
of the principal barracks of the gendarmerie,
or national police, and for this
reason it was the safest place for the
meeting of the Nihilists and the leaders
of the great army of discontents that
? - ? i- ?a1?r AnA*lrA h Q vaqA QTl/f
A3 VjUUilb X UlUon.1 syuao, xvow
drew her to his anxious heart
have made everf grade ol Russian society
a smouldering volcano.
"What, my daughter," said the old
man, as Lola prepared to leave, after
the slight repast was over, "surely you
are not going out again at this late
Knnv
"xne laws or eternal jusnce consider
not hours or the time for sleeping. Best
till I return," she said, kissing him.
"I cannot rest while you are away; I
am ever in fear of detection," said Count
Pulaski, tremulously.
With an affected little laugh, Lola
responded:
"Who could suspect the governess
of the royal children ? Ah, if they but
knew it, treason is mining yonder palace
walls, and death is sharpening his
lance for royal game."
"I am feeble, Lola, and even the revenge
that gnawed at my heart for
years, when I wrought as a quarry
slave, has died for the want of food.
What if you, my all, were discovered
and taken from me?"
"They will have gooiT reison when
I'm suspected. Why, the chief of all
the secret service is suing formyhand,
and to-nighfc he was my escort to the
door."
"Who is he, my child?" asked the
Count, eagerly.
"He is the handsomest, noblest,
bravest Russian of them all."
"But his name, Lola?"
"His name," replied Lola, with a
gleam like a love-light in tier -wonderful
eyes, "is General Paul?Prince
Paul of Moscow."
"Prince Paul of Moscow!" gasped
the Count.
"Yes, and he would be a prince :i
born a peasant"
"Lola, Lola, tell me that you do not
love this man I"
"He is a man to be loved; but I have
no time for such thoughts. Love and
revenge are poor yokefellows. Goodnight,
my father."
While speaking, Lola put on her
cloak and hood, and now she kissed
him, and, before he could reach out bis
trembling hand to restrain her, she was
gone.
Alone again, and Count Pulaski
dropped into his chair and covered hia
with his hands.
The mention oi General Paul's
same, and the evident regard his
laughter had for the young Boldier,
leprived him of the power of speech,
vhile it stirred his thought into fresher
ife.
Prince Paul of Moscow was the son
>f his old foe and rival, the dead Gov
YTT
jrnor ui ? ursaw.
The Governor died poor and in disgrace,
for king'3 favors are more fickle
ihan love; but his son was adopted by
i bachelor uncle, the head of the house
ind the Prince of Moscow, orMoskiva,
is the Russians call it.
The young man had taken his un*
slc'fl ns.Tr>a and rank* this font tl*
ucmiiu xczrnien vrxirxo nc vrtxo ooui an cale,
but ho had never mentioned it to
liis daughter.
The old man groaned in agony as he
;hought over the awful situation.
His daughter was a conspirator
igainst Russia, stung into action by
;he memory of her father's wrongs, yet
she loved tne son of the author of all
ihose wrongs.
"Shall I tell her; shall I tell her?"
ie groaned, and to his own question he
replied: "I must wait! I must wait 1*
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
The home of the tarantula, which
from late accounts may have been
anrmnnAfl to lie in tiie banana
bunch, is made of mud and is about
four inches long and an inch and a
lialf in diameter. The mud which
rgmposes it is cemented together by
the tarantula until it becomes almost
13 hard as a brick. The interior is
lined with a w hitish colored substance,
aud the only opening is one end, which
can .be closed by means of a door fitLing
the opening as nicely as a carpenter
could make it. The door is attached
to the house by means of a
binge, and here is the interesting
feature of the tarantula's house, the
hinge. No other insect can make a
hintre for a door.
Col. William M. Fuller of PerryDpolis,
Pa., bears a striking resem
blance to ex-President Cleveland. He
Las often been followed by crowds who
thought they were gazing at the nation's
executive. In Baltimore, three
years ago, Col. Fuller was serenade*?
by a brass band, which played ''Hail t<
?"? ai. ? ? ? ?i _*i ii. _ -n 1
cue *jmei, wnue me jreiuiay-ivinimu
lay in his bed at midnight. At anothei
time a play wa3 stopped in a Washington
theater to give the audience a
chance to applaud Cleveland's double
as ho "walked modestly to a seat in the
orchestra.
Spurgeon, the eminent Baptist
preacher, never makes any preparation
for a sermon. It is his habit to choose
some text on Saturday evening to be
used on the morrow. Thirty minutes,
and no longer, he devotes to looking
np references. On these references he
jots down a few notes, and with nothing
else at hand he steps into his pulpit
on Sunday morning, without manuscript
or thought of his text other than
that given it during the half-hour's
study of the previous evening.
The proudest boast among Cuban
women is the dainty smallness of their
feet. They require nothing larger in
the way of footgear than the No. 1 size
for American women. This peculiar
endowment is perfectly natural; no
pinioning or prosaure of any kind ia
used.
A REDWOOD TREEx
1. ;f - "A
WHAT CAN BE DONE WITH A BIO
ONE IN CALIFORNIA^,
Shakes, Stakes and Boards?A Giant
of the Forest That Weighs*
One Hundred Thou-i?
sand Tons,'
In various parts of California?and in1
that State only?there are groves of the
Sequoia, or redwood, the value of which1
is becoming more and more generally
known each year. Much has been written
regarding the beauty and utility of the
lumber cut from these trees, and figures'
xiavc UCCU JJ1VCU LU UUIIlUUiinilU Lllc ^rt/UL.
size many of them attain. And still, be-;
yond the facts that there are those standing
through the trunks of which a coach'
and four is driven, others on the level
stump of which quadrilles are danced,!
and others that tower 300 feet into the air,
no description of the magnitude of thej
greater number of the trees found in the'
redwood forests will convey a better ideal
of their actual bulk than a brief sketch of
what was lately done with one in the
heart of the Big Basin, Santa Cru2i
County, by a party sent in there to fence
in a large area. ^ j
THK GIANT'S CLUB.
All of those hired were experienced'
workmen, and the work of establishing a
permanent camp was quietly undertaken.;
A down tree?one already lying on the
(Tpnunrl?was selected as bein<r straight
gained and of good size. It was about
ten feet through at the base and eight
feet in diameter at the other end of the i
trunk, 100 feet away. There was al-!
ready a cabin on the site selected for the
camp, so the first thing done was to build
a corral for the horses. For this stakes|
were wanted. With the crosscut saw a'
section of the trunk eight feet long wasi
cut off and quartered. These quarters*
were then split into slabs three inches.1
thick and these slabs again split into;
stakes three inches square. As fast as1
these were sharpened they were driven*
six inches apart on the four sides of thei
square laid out,and in a short time an inclosure
measuring forty feet on each side
THE BURNT TREE.
was made. On one side an annex for
hay and grain was built twenty feet wide.
About 500 stakes were thus used, which
was about one-third of the number split
out of the first cut. The next cut was
twelve feet long and was split up into
"slats" six inches wide and an inch thick.
This second cut made about as many
slats as the first did stakes. The slats
were nailed as a ribbon or rail all around
the two corrals, which were then nearly
finished. To complete them a gate was
made to each one, the "swing" post to
which being hinged in primitive style.
The upper end ot this post being rounded
was passed through a "fork" cut from an
oak branch, while the lower end, bluntly
sharpened, was set on an oak block slightly
hollowed out.
Miasm
THE SPINE OAK.
The Hue of stakes between the two*
corrals was cut down to about four feet
in height, and a row of stakes set slanting
in the stock side. These were then
lined and lioored with slats, and thus a
feed rack made in a short time.
The cabin in which the cooking was
done aud meals eaten was made entirely
from redwood, there being used in it
about 250 slats, besides joists, plates,
tic beams, etc., all split from a tree.
The roof was covered with "shakes"
These are made three feet long, six
inches wide and one-quarter of an inch
thick. Oil the roof of the cabin r d the
kitchen about 2000 was used. One side
of the cabin being cut out a fireplace was
built, the adobe for lining it being made
from the stiff black soil mixed with
water. The chimney of this fireplace
was of slats set on end, and the wet
adobe was kept in place by a lining of
redwood, which is slow to burn when
green. Besides a small fire only was
needed mornings and evenings, tho days
being hot.
Now that the cabin, corral, etc., were
finished, the balance of the time could
be utilized in various ways. Out of the )
trunk could be made over 200,0.00shakes, "
worth $600 on the ground, or 50,000
?#
slats or stakes, or about 3000 railway
ties. From a single tree?not an exceptionally
large one?126 cords of wood
have been cut, making over 15,000 cubic
feet of wood, and this without utilizing
much of the timber among the branches,
and very few of the branches themselves.
_ In the Big Basin where these notes were
made there are"thousands "of "trees that
will measure ten feet in diameter, hundreds
of others ranging from twelve to
fifteen feet and not a few having a base
of seventeen and eighteen feet. One,
"The Goliab," is a solid tree measuring
twenty-three feet through at the ground,
twenty feet at five feet above the spreading
base and seventeen feet still higher up.
This tree is now 200 feet in height, the
lower half of the trunk being free from
? t '/v. Si
THE CABIN, BIG BASIN CAMP.
branches. It has been estimated that its
weight is about 100,000 tons, and that it
would make 1,500,000 feet, board
measure, of clear lumber, the branches
and top piling up 100 cords of wood.
The lumber, shakes, stakes, etc., from
a good-sized tree has sold for over $500,
the man who got out the material being
paid 8330 for his labor.
The Big Basin trees are, as yet, inaccessible.
That is, they are too far
from any railway to be marketed profitably
now. But their value increase?
every year, and before many years they
will be cut into for the lumber they
afford. It is to be hoped that before that
comes the heart of the basin may be set
.aside as a natural park for the benefit of
the present and succeeding generations.
?San jFran<%8C? Chrjnicle.^ ^
Discretion.
0The Small One?"Say, if a man should
call you a liar,"what would you do?"
*?..The Large One (with emphasis)?"I'd
knock him down."
The Small . One?"Thanks, I was just
going to address a few remarks to you,
bnt I'll wait 'till I get in Europe {md
then drop you a few lines."?Life.
1
?- Dr. Augustus Waller of the hospital
schools has recently made a number of.
experiments Showing that it is possible to
detect, by existing electrical instruments,!
the electric currents generated at each
beat of the heart. Two people holding:
each other bv the hand and connected
with a capillary electrometer give evidence
of electrical shocks through each
other. The hands of a single subject,
dipped into two basins of water 'in connection
with the electrometer, give a deflection
of the instrument at every beat
of the pulse;____i(>^^i^f_^_
^ "Appearances are Deceitful."!
"Hello! .Somebody's lost his nocfcet
.book." '
A Parisian scientist, who has been ex-,
perimenting with a view to ascertaining
the translucency of large bodies of water,
says that daylight entirely ceases in the
waters of the Mediterranean at a depth
of 1518 feet.
Hot Air in Balloons.
Charles P. Fest, of Germantown, Penn.,
has invented a new flying machine. He
has abandoned the idea of using hydrogen
gas and uses hoi air. He has made a
balloon of manilla paper held by a network
of cords. The balloon is directed
by conical orifices which can be opened
flTITMI III
fest's invention.
or shut. The balloon is tilled with air
heated by gasoline contained in cans.
Mr. Fest is going to send up one of his
balloons soon, and he expects it to go
across the ocean. The balloon will carry
his name and address, and lie wants the
finder to communicate with him.?Mail
and Express. *
The owner of the ostrich farm in Lower
California paid $100U each for his birds, i
and he has quite a number of them.
Twice a year their feathers are plucked, (
and each picking is worth $300. i
iffiLn Arkansas Justice of the Peace,
having mislaid his Bible, swore a wit-:
nnaa nn a nflwarauwiI
"TEMPERANCE.V 1
? . BLUE RIBBON BAWD.
Dark clouds hung heavy o'er our land,?-?
Vice stalked abroad, with powerful hand i
Laid low the good and wise; jgs
The hearts of wives and mothers bled
To know their cherished ones had fled
From virtue's sacred ties.
From 'raongst these clouds a star appear^.
A gleam of hope each bosom cheers, *
It sheds a heartfelt ray;
Hath made a brighter prospect known, .
The light hath on the drunkard shone,
He's dashed his cup away.
The Christian's hope, the Christian's themeJ
At length has come. The matchless schema*
Hath been proclaimed around;
It doth the mother's hope restore,
A wife's complaints are heard no more, %
There's rapture in the sound.
Advance ye now. Blue Ribbon band,
And scatter blessings through the land,
Oh leave no path untrod;
Let not temptations thee allure,
From purposes so wise, so pure, '
Eut place thy trust in God. gga
?(J.w. Cooke,in Battle Axe for Temperance}
A CATBOLIC CRUSADER.
Miss Sallie 'a. Moore, of Philadelphia, 'J
Presiiient of S ? Malachy's Ladies' Total Ab- ,
stinence Sock ,y, has the hopor of being tha
first Catholic woman to address a public assembly
in he presence of a bishop and
priests. Thi 1 was at the last annual convon
tion of the Citholic Total Abstinence Union! ' t
held recently at Cleveland, Ohio. Miss*
Moore sends this assurance to Miss Willard
"I am with you heart and soul in the grand]
motto, 'No sectarianism in religion^ no see-!
tionalism in politics, no sex in citizenship;)
but each and all of us for God and homai
and native land.'"
' .. N. jX'
A NATIONAL STRIKE AGAINST Bfflf.
The Alliance News calls upon the million*
of English, Irish, Scotch and Welsh people
to join in a monster national strike against
the tyrants ale, wine and spirits, crying:
"Wake up! One hundred and twenty- .
three millions of pounds were taken from the
pockets of the British public last year by th?
robber Drink. Who can estimate the poverty,
the crime, and the miseir the liquor
produced? Join the drink strikers P'
AX ALCOHOLIC TRANCE.
In the Quarterly Journal of Inebriety,
Dr. Crothers writes of the "Alcoholic Trance
in Criminal Cases," maintaining that "th?
trance state in inebriety is a distinct brain
condition;" that "this brain state is one in
which all memory and consciousness of acts
or words are suspended;" and that "during
this trance period crime against person or .
property may be committed without any
motive or apparent plan, usually unforseen
and unexpected." He also maintains that this
fnnHit-.inn sVimilr? fnllv rflmffnizcH hv fnill-fc
and jury, and the measure oF responsibility
and punishment suited to each case; that
"they should not be punished as criminals,
nor should they be liberated as sane men;
they should be housed and confined in hospitals."
This alcoholic "trance," which
makes possible the unconscious commission
of crime, certainly involves great peril to the
community. This view makes yet more obvious
the importance of abstinence, and the
suppression of the drink traffic, to the end
that the dangerous alcoholic "trance" may
be avoided and prevented.?National Adr
vocate.
IN THE ENEMY'S STRONGHOLD.
The women of the Salvation Army have -?.
taken to visiting the liquor saloons of New ,
York and Brooklyn in order to sell the War
Cry, the newspaper of the army. Two of the
very pretty army girls were in a notorious
saloon not a thousand miles from the Sun'
office, on this mission the other night. Leaning
against the bar were gamblers and pugilists,
and one or two who have been jailed
for using their pistols too freely. They seemed
to be shocked at the appearance of the girls
among them. The moaest dress and red ribbons
on the ugly straw bonnets easily toldthem
who the visitors were. Several papers
were bought, when a strapping pugilist strode
up and said: "Young women, Til buy the
whole bundle if you promise never to come
here again." The proposition was not con- j
j - -j rm. :j w-. /'i-!
siaerea tor a seix?nu. xuajr scull luoy iw
lieved it to be their dtitv to visit such places,
adding that the nuns or the Roman CatholioChurch
did so. "But, don't you know that
somebody might insult you," the biff inn al- '
most pleaded. "No, sir," replied the speaker :'
of the two, and, in words touched with scorn,
she added: "No man will insult us; the remarks
of others would not hurt us." It was
only after persistent entreaty from the proprietor
that the zealous women were induced /
\o leave the place.?New York Sun.
2
THE BLACK RIVEB. '
"The Cities of the Black River," i? the tftie
of a vivid lecture recently delivered in
different parts of England, The river is al-.
cohol with its three dark tributaries?wine, |
beer and spirits. "Last year," said the lecturer,
-the English people actually swal- |
lowed 29,000,000 gallons of wine, 965,000,000
gallons of beer, and 36,000,000 gallons of
spirits, the whole being sufficient to form a
lake fifteen feet deep, 120 feet wide and ten
miles long. In spending ?125,000,000 upon
this, the country has created the 'city of reeling
men,' with 1,000,000 inhabitants and 190,000
licensed houses to increase their number;
'the city of the bloodstained hand,' with -u
its 700,000 criminal inhabitants; 'th<
city of the iron doors,' with iti Jfe
30.000 human beings confined in prisons; the fiSj
city of the men in blue,' with its 51,000 po- |3
licemen required mainly through drink, and
costing more than ?3,000,000 every year; ^
/Mftr r\f tlio nnln ' rnniiirinc 18.
000 doctors in tiie United KingdoiA, when 5|
4000 would be sufficient but for alcohol; the |B
city of the restless foot,' with its roving g|
array of 50,000 vagabonds, and not a dozen 8s
teetotalers amongst them: 'the city of the B
fireless grate,' and all the misery which
helped to raise the bitter cry of outcast Lon- 9
don; and the sad city of the midnight m
streeV with 400,000 ruined girls; the city.
of the starving poor,' with its million of pau- (9
pers; and the city of the drink-slain dead,' 9
with its daily average of 830 victims. Shall ?9
it be said of this 'Black River'?
"Men may come and men may go,
But I flow on for ever."
TEMPERANCE rsfcrta AND NOTES.
Let an end be made of this idea that drunkenness
is an excuse for crime. . '
Statistics show that the consumption of
alcohol in France doubled between 1875 and
1885.
Want of work does not drive men to drink
as often as drink drives men to want of
work.
The Pennsylvania Woman's Christian
Temperance Union elected Mrs. Mary H.
Jones, of Philadelphia, as State President.
* An infant organization of the W. C. T. U. /
in Falcon, Colorado, has already banished
two saloons and compelled the rest to close
on Sunday. j?g
A prominent Chicago physician, says th< ^
Lever, has opened a private hospital for the
treatment of professional and business men
addicted to the drink habit.
A noticeable growth of temperance senti'
meat among the Indians of Southern Califor
nia is reported by local superintendents of Wi
C. T. U. work among them.
One years work of one woman, Mrs. Helei
L. Bullock, has brought more than 1600 activ<
and nearly 700 honorary members into thi
\V. C. T. U. of New York State.
The British "Women's Temperance Association
recently entertained at tea three hundred
traveling showmen and their families.
A Gospel address and songs followed the tea.
Joe Tuckfield has discovered on the Uppoi
Yukon, Alaska, a breed of powerful native
who have never tasted liquor. They wil
keep themselves unspotted from the Christiai
trader about four months.
It is better to be singular than to wrech
your own life or ruin some other soul; bettei
to be singular than to let a shrinking from
criticism or ridicule induce you to take a
course that will lead you to sorrow as surelj
as the word of God staudeth.
The Washington (D. C.) W. C. T. U. liai
two "homes"' under its patronage, "The Na.
tional Temperance Home," for soldiers,
sailors and civilians, and the "Hope and
Help Mission," for poor, unfortunate women,
inebriates and opium-eaters.
An English guide, while showing the beau
ties of the little town Saltaire, where no
liquor is allowed to bo sold, explained thai
the "rate of morality" was remarkably high
while that of mortality was very low, beinj
about thirteen to the thousand.
The Supreme Court of Iowa has decided
in favor of the constitutionality of the pro
hibitory law of that State in authorizing thi
seizing of liquor kept for sale, even thougk
it is sent from another State and is owned 03
persons living in such other State.