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VOL. XV. P[CKENS, S. C., THURSDAY, APRIL 1 1886. NO. 26 A Lost Friend. y flriend he was; a friend from aR the rest, With ohildlike faith he o 'd to me his breast. No door was looked on a ar, grave, or grief; No weakness veiled, biddbn no disbellef. The help, the sorrow, and the wrong were Aad, ah! the shadow only showed the fair. I gave him love for love, but deep within I magnified each frailty into sin; Bach hill-topped foible in the sunset glowed, Obscuring vale where rivered virtues flowedt Reproof became repoach, till common grew The captious word at every fault I know. He smfled upon the censorship, and bore With patient love the touch that wounded sore; Until at length, so had my blindness grown, He knew 1 Judged him by his faults alone. Alone, of all men, I knew him best, Refused the gold, to take the dross for test! Cold stranger, honored for the worth they His friend forgot the diamond in the flaw. At last it camo-the day ho stood apart, When from my eyes ho proudly veiled his heart' When carping judgment and uncertain word A stern resentment in his bosom stirred; When in his face I read what I had been, And with his vision saw what ho had seen. Too late! too latsi 0, could be then have knows When his love s, rat mine had perfect That when tle veil was drawn, abused, ohas Used 'The censor stood, Ma lost only truly prized. Too late we leat* a man must hold his friend Unjudged, accepted, faultless to the end. - -John Boyle O'Reilly. MR. RANDALL'S MARRIAGE. Just on the conhnes of one of our large manufacturing towns, Jhere stands an Imposing residence of brown stone, elevated by terraces above the road, sur rounded by stately trees, and with a wide extent of garden stretching on all sides. I had beer employed in panel-paint ing one of the large bedrooms for some weeks, and my curiosity and interest had been exeited by the fact that the master of the house, Mr. Joseph Ran dall, was a tall, handsome man of less than fifty years, while his wife was cer tainly twenty years older, and a very feeble old woman. Yet never were any young couple more seemingly devoted than this oddly-cqutrasted pair; and I, living in the house with constant occupation there, certainly had good opportunity for witnessing any matrimonial differ ences, had any existed. When my work was done, I returned to my own home, and several months later, by quite an accident, not neces sary to record here, I learned the story of Mr. Randall's marriage. From early boyhood he was a "ne'er do-well." Money ran through his fingers like sand, and after his father, lbs grandfather, and his uncle had each started him in business, only to end in Wlture, the family decided that he a"ould never 6e good for anything. He was a very handsome man, with a e7llege education, the instincts and ananners of a gentleman, and kindly in feoling; but he was good-natured, truth ful, and too easily influenced by who ever took the trouble to dictate to him. At thirty he found himself bankrupt, out of business, and without any definite prospects; and while he was seriously considering suicide as a way out of his difficulties, he received an invitation to visit an old friend in Grantley, a pretty village lvar the seashore. Ifgtound Grantley at the height of its ame.nior season, and his own attrac tion very readily acknowledged by the ladies. who danced with him, strolled on the beach by moonlight with him, and acc'pteud Iis graceful attent.ions with smiling pletasure. It was here that he was introduced to Miss Susan larte and her niece and sup1)osed heiress, Miss Maide Max They were ladies of ioitki, refined and graceful; the youn;:er one lovely in the freshnes~s of hiir youth, a p)retty blonde face, and ?.h-nder ligure; the older one statol)1 andi diignified. show ing in every word un enLuvt'l intellect and strong common(,' enise. Bob White, Mr'. Randall's friend, aft er the iitroduhie;o'. spoke hiis mind with :frank if vulg.r forom "*Go in foi- the heiress, Joe.. The say the old lad: is worth a liuarter of a million, and M iss Mamude is he'r oily~ relative. Anycioecani see that they are devoted to eatch other." And anyone could also see every evi dence of weailth in their surrouning as. Their own carr'iage, withi two muagm ii cent borses, was with them for their daily use, their costumeis were of thei most costly materials, their jewelry was superb). A lady's maiid attende(id thoem andi they occupied an entire suite of rooms at the only hoteh. Friendsisip led~ to iinimacy, andl Mr. Randall did try to fascinate the heiress, whose simpering p)rettiness covered a celd heart and a very commnonplae mind. To diress well, to be a centre of at traction for bowing beaux, were the ob jects of her ambition, and her conversa tion never rose above the level of the .smallest of small-talk, 'Though he had always seemed to lack ousiness abilit.y, Mr Randall was no fool, and he found himniself evening after evening turning from Miss Maxwell's -vapid talk to the fresh strong mind ;that shone through her aunt's c'onversa ition). Miss Hiarte was an acconmlished mu mician, with a rich contralto voice, and iove of musio had always amounted to a passion with Mr. Randall, so there was a strong bond of sympathy there. The snmmer wore away plasantly, and it was only when closed cottages and a deserted beach told of depart.mng gtuests that Joseph Maxwell askied him self seriously how huis summer 'flirtation was to end, Hie was not a conceited man, yet Maude Maxwell had let himn see very plainly that she had a preference for bis society and attentions. Yet lie shran~k from the prospect of a wife with no idea abo're dregs and gaiety, how ever richly shio mnigh, be dowered. jfmoing neither, in the true 'sense of the word, he certainly found more pleas ure in the society of the older lady and then a little demon of policy Whispered to him that, after all, the money was Miss Harteo's, and, with her social posi tion and attractions, she aught marry, and so deprive Maude of her sup.. posed inheritance. It was true that she was old enough to be his mother; but a handsomer wo man, and one so thoroughly tasteful' in dross, nanid always appear y...ge. ai totual years warranted, and-lio liked ter; yes, ho certainly respected and Iked her. For two or three days be hesitated, brinkingyet from placing himself in he position of a fortune-hunter, and hen he wrote a manly tender letter to Kiss Harte, asking her to be his wife. He had sufficient tact to avoid flowery lattery, to make sickening protesta ions, and the letter bore the stamp of iincerity en every line. An hour later lis messenger brought an answer, and fiss Harte was his affianced wife. Escorting the ladles to their home, a lnagnifieont country seat, Mr. Rundall would not have been a human had he lot congratulated himself upon the fu. ure ownership of the wealth so lavishly represented all around him. He had said nothing about the future osition of Miss Maxwell, good-natured y willing that she should still find a iomne with her aunt; but he sometimes hought lie would give her a hint about ssuming so much the air of mistress 4)f he house. The wedding was magnificent, the ioneymuoon spent in traveling upon a Tedding-gift of a cheque from Mr. Ran :tall's uncle; and one morning, in cosy )onfidence, the subject of going homle irose. "Where have you taken rooms, lear?" Mrs. Randall asked; ''or shall ron go to housekeeping?" "Itoomns," cried the bridegroom; 'shall you not return to your own louse?" "My own house! I have no house, roe," for suddenly the truth flashed ,ter; "did you think I - had money? I hought everyone know that I was laude's pensioner. Oh," and her face ;rew very pale, "what a fool I have ,een! I thought you loved inc." "You were no fool in thinking that," was the quick reply, as her husband put his arm around her; "I do love you. I iid think the position reversed, and that Mande depended on you; but never tloubt my love. If it was not very ar. lent when I proposed to you, it grows 9tronger every day, it grows stronger every day that we spend together." "But yct you thought ne wealthy?" "A humiliating fact I cannot deny; and then in a sudden outburst of confi ilenee, Mr. Randall told his wife the whole truth, dwelling somewhat longer upon his business attempts and perplex itics, than on the hope he had enter. tained of a future life of a luxurious idlene ss. When he H!it! fnishcd, his wife 9poke: "You may not like to hear my fath er's opinion of me, Joe, though he mueant it to be a complimentary one. lie always said I should have been a man, for I had a true business head. For ten years before he died he wa' )nralysed, and I was the actual head o1 his business, the weaving of carpets, it W-------. He left me a competency, which was stolen from mne by a dishonest trus. tee; and I should have taken up - somi [c>upation to gain my own living had not Maude been left an orphan, and im. plored me to live with her. "It was scarcely a life of dependence, for she needed me, and her lavish gifts rf clothing and jewelry I accepted it the place of the salary anyone else ii my place must have been paid. I was housekeeper and el':apcron, and we were very happy; but I never dreamed that 1 was supposed to own her wealth. "Now listen to my proposition: The factory my father controlled is closed, but I am an old friend of the owner, wvh(o carried on the business for a short ine atter my father died, and found his ignorance of the details swept away Rll his profitq. I will introduce you te him, and the sale of my diamonds wil. ive us su Ilict cap)ital for a modest staurt. You wuill be nominal master, as my father wvas, until you conuicuer all the( mntricacies of the business, gain our old austomiers, and can carry on the whole wvithout aniy aissist ance. Until then, let ru edrc and teach you, s I helped niy at.When you are a rich man'' bndl lure Mrs. IPandlall's eyes grew dlim vith tender feeling-"'yo ui cnnbuy ma tomei more diamionids." It was not a muatter for hasty do. sisioii. Mr. Randall, rememuber'ing is ~ailures, wvas dloubtful of his own "abili .y, bu, his wife had her way, and be ~ore thieir wethiled life was six months >ld, Mr. Randall was engaged in his new business. Spurred on by an bo0r -st shamne that a womuanl ha.d a better b)usiness head :han his own, lie did what lie never dlone )efore -threw his wvholo soul into his buisiniess, andl was amauzed himself to find( how rapidly he l(ea-rned to guide it. Every day filled hiis beau~ with deeper love for the noble wonmun who was so rui and faithful a helpmate to him whoin, with all the knowledlge he lacked, never let one, clerk or emp)loye guess icr real p)ositioni. At home, in the evenini, she showedl lium the result of her day us correspond 'ince or book-keeping, andl gave himn clear instrucetionis for the inxt day's work. And hue, learning all ciuickly, hand sutlicient sense to let her control the dhtire busi ness, until she herself, after two years of faithful work, said: "You can (10 without me~ now, dear. I resign.". Tihiey bad lived very economicaliy in those two years, M%!rs. Randall govern ing the smanll house and one servant as eill Ieienutly as she had controlled her niece's grand niansion or the affairs of the factory. But ambition once roused in Joseph !l.an'dall, he resolved to give his wife a home as handsolne as the oine she had left for love (of him. Depriving her of n comfort, lie couild afford to give her, le dleniedl himiself all extravagancies thamt had bercomie secod)I nastuire. Cigars we'ure throwin asidle, clothing was reduced to respiectab)ility, ignoring thec many (ebahnges of fashuionu, ridingm, was exehanrged for anu occasional drive with Mis. Rtandall, and year b)y year J0osph Itandall saw his business in 'irease, his bank account enlarg', until bue was imaster of a flourishing businecss, anid of the magnificent home where Mrs. Randall had emiiployed me to paint the panels of the bed Iroom doors. Aiid as years robbed the devoted wvife of her strength1 and thle noble lbeauity of midd(le life, they took nuothing fomi the( love of a hur,band, who knew that to her li heowed all his p)ros >erity. Hie realized fully the life of indolent luxury hCe would have led, and contrasted'i w~ he useful one to which she had A kind ma --r, the families of hi0 work-people k ow they had always a friend in the head of the vast 'stablish ment in which tho lussband and father toiled. Without children. both Mr. and Mrs. Randall extended their charities far and wide, and when gratitude met them, Joseph Raudall said: "T'lie thanks are yours, dear. Ihut for you I should be that. dicadful object, an aimless, indolent man of fashion, what in days gone by they called 'an old beau.' " Strange Visions or Young Girl*. A remarkable out break of religious hallucination occurred on this island this year. About January last a report was out that a young girl had seen visions and was inder some inluenee not belonging to this world. Her ex citemtient soonl Coulnuiln icated itself to others, and in the course of a few weeks sonme twenty young girls were affected. They then organizedl religious meetings and much excitement was caused. I went at once to see what took plaee at these meetings. About fifty people sat round in it room singing, elappiig hands and stamping the feet, keeping time to a kind of monotolnie tchant. The girls who saw visions were standing in the center, sometimes walking up and down. 'I'hey had a vacant kinlid of stare. Gradually the singing quickened, until at last it became fast and furious. Then the girls would dance, shout, and bark like (logs. After twenty minutes of this they would fall down with a shriek. hleir struggles, cries, and foaming'; at the mouth were dreadful to see, and in many cases it took four or live men to hol them still. After the lit was over they would lie exhausted for about one hour; then, when they cane to, they gave very detailed accounts of the visions they had seen. A great deal of these visions was, of course nonsense, but one thing was remarkable --they spoke of people doing things many niles from the place. Up on in<luiry it was found im some cases that what they had seen eorresponded exactly with the events. One most remarkable feature in this outbreak was that it was not confined to one spot. Almost simultaneously in every settlement on the island (the island is forty-five miles long and twelve broad in plaees) similar outbreaks oc curred. t. iris living at a distance of five or ten miles from the scene of the "shouting meetinlgs," as they were call ed, woulu be seized. Being seized with a kind of frenzy, they would run, as if by inspiration, to the spot where the rest were assembled, no matter how far. Most of those attacked with the fits were people who belonged to the baptist society. Consequently their visions were not of the Madonna, but of the distiic tive predestination doctrines of their seet. Very glowing accounts were given of the various punishrmnts and tortures reserved for the wicked in hell, and they were most liberal in dispeus ing these pun ishmieni ts amiong their friends. Up and down the island about 400 or 600 people were seized, and it was at first thought it was a kind epidemic of hysteria. In a few cases girls of highly respectable character were seiz,ed, itn although they did not see visions, yet for weeks they would have fits daily, aid such was their stiperhtunnm strength that I have seen a young girl of 16 struggle out of the grasp of four strong nien. The outbreak lasted from Janii ary to July, and at one time it was fear ed it would lead to serious consequences, for all the people who gave credence to the visitors neglected work and aban doid themselves to holding met tings day and nig,ht for sinmginig. shouting, barking, and Misten ing to arccournts of the In the dayt imne, andi e'specially on Sun(days, they hiiad proessions wit h ban ners. Trhis led to sonic bad feelingo, and in a few eases thre lawv hiad to be aplpeal ed to in the initerests of peatce. It was at singular thiing thIiat although they organi izedi temselvyes into a i seet, anid all w ho dlisb)elieved in the visions were '"here ties,"' yet thmey,showed thre utmiost courmt Csy' aind goodi-willi t oward the churrc'h, but towvard their own ptarticuilar -de niomiinat ion andit the vatrious othler sects they displayed great animosity. Th'le excitement hias dhied out now, a'ndl they have ceased0( to exist as a seet.-&Lun Salvador Letter in London TIimes. An Anecdote of' "Jebi" stuart. From a paper by' Geera:l Longstreet, in the Feb)ruary (Cnturi/, we quote as follows, "' 'Jeb' Stuart was a very darti ig fellow and the best eavalrymn Amrerica ever p)rodued(. At the Second Matnassas, soon after wve hearrd of the adlvance of McD owell rand Porter, Stuart eame in antd madec a report to General Lee. WVhen hre had (101e so General Lee said lie had no orders at that mo ment, but hre requested Sturart to wait awhile. Thterenipon Sttuart turrned rouind in his tracks, lay down on the ground, put a stone under his head and instantly fell atsleep. General Leo rodle away and in an hour returned. Stuart was still sleeping. Lee asked for hiim, and Stuart sprang to hris feet andl said,. 'Hlere I am, general.' "General Lee replied, 'I want you to sendi a message to your troops over on time left to send( a fewv more cavalry to the right.' "'1 would better go myself,' said Stuart, and with that lie swung himself into the saddle and rodle oilf at" a rapidl gallop, singing as loudly as lie could, ',Jime the caival ry.'" Shrerbrooke, Canada, boasts a young girl with nerve. A young mian it a party, who wias boasting of Iris nerve, wvas challenged to ho1( ll)u a smiall tin to be shrot at with a revolver, whien Ire wearkerredl and (eled i. A yong latdy p)resenit rat once llere'd to hrold the tin, and1( did so tnnshaikingly while it, wats pierced by a bullet fired at a (list ance of tw"lve yards. Shte then held up) a smaltecr object- a snmall p)late -which met withi the sam re fate, andi( picking up one of tIre pieces held It for a further trie.l. 11er confidence in thre skill 6f tire mitrk sman, w ho hias bieen several timres ia miemibe'r of the Wi i on team, was niot mis 1iaced, for theo -en pico was agati ntt by a bullet 'while in her tingers. No fewer thani 150 newspapers in the United States are p)riuiled by colored mon. Fish-Spearing Through the Ice. About thirty years ago, I was stranded by the severe winter weather, which put a stop to navigation, at the old army station of Green llav, now a flourishing city in the great State of Wisconsin, at the mouth of the Fox river-at the south western extremity of a long arm of Lake Michigan. I had frequently noticed on Fox river a curious lot of black dots on the ice, in the retired nooks and coves along the farther shorfl. "What are theyP" I asked; and the invariable re ly was: "'They are Indians fishing." Iius )uzzled ne still more, and I re solved to investigate. So one day I crossed the frozen river, and approach ing one of those mysterious black (lots, found it to be apparently only a bundle in a blanket, scarcely large enough. to contain a human form. But, looking closer, I could see, tirst from one bundle and then from another, the quick mo tion of a pole, or spear-handle, bobbing up and down. A word, a touch, even a gentle push, only called out a grunt in reply, but at last one bundle did stretch itself into a bright young Inditit brave with wondering and wonderful eyes peering at me fron under a mop of black and glossy hair. A little tobacco, a little panltomine, and a little broken English succeeded in making himt un derstand that I wished to know how he carried on his fishing under that funny heap. Then I saw it all. Seated, Turk fash ion, on the border of his blanket, which he could thus draw up so as to entirely envelop himself in it, he was completely in the (lark, so far as the daylight was coneerned; and, thits enshrouded, he was hovering over a round hole in the ice, about eighteen inches in diameter. A small tripod of birch sticks erected over the hole helped to hold up the blanket and steady a spear, which, with a delicate handle nine or ten feet long, was held in the right hand, tie tines resting on the c(gqof the hole, and the end of the pole sticking through an op ening in the blanket above. From the other hand, dropped into the water a string on the end of which was a rude woocten decoy-fish, small enough to represent bait to the unsuspecting perch or pickerel which should spy it. This decoy was loaded so as to sink slowly, and was so moved and maneuvered as to imitate the mlotions of a living fish. Crawling under the bL"tnket, with my Indian friend, I was surprised at the distinctness and beauty with which everything could be seen by the subdued light that came ill through the ice. The buUumn of the river, six or eight feet be low us, was clearly visible, and seemed barely four feet away. The g:asses, vegetable growths, and spots of pebbly bottom formed curious little vistas and recesses, in some- of which dreamily floated a school of perch and smaller fish. Each little air-bubble sparkled like a gem, and the eye delighted in tracing and watching the mystery of beauti?ul water formations, where every crevice seemed a little fairy world, with changing lights or shadows made by the sunlight through the transparent ice. Suddenly, from sonewhere-I could not tell where, it seened to come by mllagie-a large ''dory," or "mloon-eve(l pike," appeared on the river bottom. The watehful Idlilian slowly raised the decoy-hait toward tihe surface, the larger fish following it with interested and puzzled eyes. There was a sudden novemiMt of the spear; down it darted; i.s sharp prongs pierce the untisuspect ing pike, which was speedily drawn up and thrown wriggling on the ice. Then the blanket, was re-adjusted, and the fishing was resntiied. ly bright young Ind i:an fr:end satid he couild cat ch fronm twetnty to thlityv pounitds of fish in an afternoon in thiis tianntet, antd sonic qutatityt. ,-. <>. Rorbach, in StI. Nicheo. Iras for Fe~bruaryq. Ani Iniflexhible ,J uror. "Tfhere are soime intfernall y obstinate men in this world,"' said F"rank Fuinai the ot her day, '"bitt I struck eleven oif the wvorst~ specimens last. wveekc I ever camne across.'' "'Ilow was thatP"' "'Why, you see, I was oni the jury. In one case 1'dl no s0oner laid my y'es on the p)risoner thtan I m:cade upl my mind lie wa':s guilty, and thle te.stiimony only servedl to strenigthien that oplinioni. T1o my surprise, I foiiid, whent we wvent out, that the othier eleven j urors wcre iunia ni mtouis in favor of nie<luiittail."' "Atnd of course you gave ini." ''Not much ! I hi:il a dity to soec t v wvhiich I hiad sworn to heroirnm, ati 'I deteirmined to (1o it if it took all nihlt. I reasoned withI the c a lmiily, tea rfJlly, praye'rftilly, bitt it. was ito use.'" ''Iow (lid you briing t hem ar'ounid? : "Flinally I said: 'WVell, myi~ mimi is mindi up. Whlent you fellows' get over your dlashed obstiiaey wvake mie til.' Anid I juist tipd m)51 iy chliair hack amti set tledl miyself down for a g(ood nap. Th'eni I snored. Ever hear mue snore" We all explressedl regret bieauise we had ntever enjoyedl thIat p)leaisure. ."Neither hadi t hose fellows. In teni mmulite: 'I y were wild. Somte of them wana. to jump out. of thue wiindow, but eoubi'n't get it oplen. lIn ten minutltes moure eight of them gave in, and in lif. leeuinminuites they waked mue tiutand saud ,they wer'e satishied I was right. or a new trial on thle grounrd that thle verdhict was against thle evidenee anid sommiion senise, aind dlisch iarged the jury foir thei terim. 'lTat lets mie (il juriy diuty for antither yearI." ' -fj/linurI/ TIrmle The Attiun or' iftte. If Autuminial days ares shorter, they are l ikewise cooler11; thle t imte for storinrg way' fruit ini the bins has comle; the tints oni thle leaves a rest ill searlet and oldlen, the baen.' Wintter is not yet. No Let. all thlese; andiu wit h buoyant hieat, mjtcketied with grateful mtemiories,I resumie the study-chaitr and( blegin a niew lease of labior. No patlinee have I with that stale phrtas' abotut. "'thle shtady side :>f 60;'' if at servanit (of thle 1Lordt gets on the side oIf the hiill t hat faces hieaveii, it augt to lbe the siuiny si de. Nor is thtat othier nonsense about "'the dead lie uif 50"' wVorth o(f respI ect. 'Thie Psalmitist lidl not bielieve such stuff,~ or lie woutldl never have talked about trees that for more tIhan a htalf-etury have been b)carmg~-trees are still ''full of 50ap and Erreen. -Dr I. . nUibr.. Jm.---Ch. | TIIE CALIFORNIA ROAD RUNNER. A very.singular and yet a very little known b:rd is the roadrunner chapar ral cock, or, as it is known in Mexico and the Spanish sections of the United States, the paisano. It belongs to the cuckoo family, but has none of the bad habits by which the European cuckoo is best known. It is a shy bird, but is not by any means an unfamiliar object in the southwestern portions of the United States and in Mexico. Sometimes it wanders up into middle California, but not often, seem ing to prefer the more deserted, hotter, and sandier parts of southern California and from there stretching its habitat as far east as middle Texas. It is not by any means a brilliantly colored bird, although some of its hues are very beautiful. The prevailing color u* the roadrunner is olive green, which is marked with brown and white. The top of the head is black blue, and is fur nished with an erectile crest. The eyes are surrounded by a line of baro skin. It is not a large bird, being seldom twenty-four inches long, with a tail tak ing more than half that length. The tail, indeed, is the most striking feature of the bird, being not only so very long, but seemingly endowed with the gift of perpetual motion, since it is never still, but bobs up and down, and sidewise, too, into every possible angle, and al most incessantly. But while its tail is most striking, its legs are most remarkable, being not only long and stout, but wonderfully muscular. How muscular nobody would be able to imagine who had not put them to the test. A traveller in Mexico tells of going out with his ranchero host to hunt hares with a brace of very fine hounds. Going over a long stretch of sandy plain, re lieved only by pillars and clusters of cactus, the Mexican called the attention of his guest to an alert, comical-looking bird some distance from them. With the remark that. the entleman should see some rare coursing, Ie Mexi can slipped the leashes of the strainino hounds, which sprang off as if used to the sport, and darted after the bird. For a moment it seemed to the stranger a very poor use to put the dogs to, but he was not long in changing his mind. Instead of taking wing, the bird tilted its long tail straight up into the air in a saucily defiant way, and started off on a run in a direct line ahead. It secuned an incredible thing that the slender dogs, with their space devouring bounds, should not at once overtake the little bird; but so it was. The legs of the paisano moved with marvelous rapidity, and enabled it to keep the hounds at their distance for a very long time, be ing finally overtaken only after one of gamest rices ever .X itnessed by the visit l1nO sportsmianl. 'he roadrunner, however, serves a better purpose in life than being run down by hounds. Cassin mentions a most singular circumstance among the peculiarities of the bird. It seems to have a mortal hatred of rattlesnakes, and no sooner sees one of these reptiles than it sets about in what, to the snake, might well seem a most diabolical way of compassing its death. F'inding the snake asleep, it at once seeks oit the spiniest of small eacti, the priekly pear, and, with infiite pains anid quietness, carries the leaves, which it breaks ofT, atndl puts them in a circle around the slumbe'ing snake. When it has made a suflieient wall about the object of all this car'e, it rouses its victim with a sud den peck of its sharp beak, and then quickly retires to let thle snake wyork out its ownt des,truit ion, a thlin g it (eenal ly does mi awayV that ouight, to gratify the rodi:i nner if it have any sens of humor. Any on1e wautching it woul say it, was explre.>ingr the liveliest emlotion with its co nst an tly aitii grotesquielyv mov ing tail. Tlhe first impuilse anad aet oIf thle as sauihed snake is to coil for a (halt; its next to moIve~ awayv. It quiickly reatlizes that it is hieiined in, in a cirele, and finally muakes a rash attemipt to glidhe over the obst ruletion'. The0 myiria (I of tiny needles prick it and drive it back. The angry snake, with sma:ll wisdom, ait.temlpts to retaiiate by fastening its Fangs into the oflYendin'g eactus. "The spines 1ill its mlouithi. Angr.ier still, it again and again as sault. die p)riekly wall, until, quite be ii(le itself with rage, it seems to lose its wits comp~letely, and, writhing andl twistiing horribly, buries its enveuonmedl ~angs into it.s owvn body, dying finally from its self-iflietedI wounds. After the !atastrophe,thie roadlrunner indulges ini few gratified li rts of its long tail and roes off, plerchlance to find its reward in omig run down by the bounds sot oin by nent. --Johzn l. ('oryqcl, in Scientific Suburban belle -How dlelighitful it must be to spIendt Christmas in a great cou1ntry house -like Stilton G range, for instance. D)eligh tfual strangoer (from Lon don-Yaas. Bly-the-by, hier Grace a>f Stilton has just written to say she ex poets mo there for Christmas week. "pl1ose I shall have to go! Suburban bellce-Won't you find it rather lonely? D)elightful stranger- Lonely! A--whiy? Suuburbanm belle --Because I saw in to tlay's mlorini g Post th at. the duike aid luchess and fmniily ar*e not expec(ted baick from Aust ralia before F'ebrulary! (Collaspe of dlelightful stranger.)- Lon, clon Punch. Tlhe followvino is one (If the ulnr3 pealedl laws of' New Jiersey, plassed wlIe the State was a lirit ish colony: "Thlat all women, of whiatev-er age, rank, purofession, or degree, whet her virgins, maids, or widowN. whio shall after tis act impose05 upon0, suec, andi betray inito miatrimionyv ainy of his ma jesty's subjects by viirtiie of scents, cos met ies, washes, pai nts, artificial teethI, false hair, or high--heeled shoes, shall in cur the penalty (If the lawv now in force against witchieraift and like misdo moanlors." "Th'' le iiu.ter, ini his fuinral oermon, anm not mistal :ken hue wvas auffectedh to mian, was wvorth over $10,000u."--New York '1%e8 Hydrophobia Traditions. Captain Byrne. an intelligent (hero kee, who is in Washington on tribal business, is prompted to tell something about hydrophobia and the madstone, as the information camue to him from hunters and Indians: "As far back as 1825," Captain 11yrne says, "the madstone was used fo': the cure of poisonous snake bites and mad dog bites. It. never failed if applied within ten hours after the bite. The madstone was used by simply laying it upon the place bitten. It would adhere to Qie wound as soon as applied and re main fast until tilled with the poison, when the stone would drop of. It was the custom to have ready a basin of wa ter warmed to about blood heat. TIhe madstone was dropped into thotwater, and in a minute or so would be relieved of the poison it contained. Then it was applied to the wound again. This ope ration was kept up until the stone re fused to adhere any longer: "This madstone," Continued Captain liyrne, ''was discovered about the spurs of the south end of the Blue Ridge Mountains, I think about thirty years ag %o, by old hunters. In those days decr were very nunerouis. The discov ery came about through the hunters' (logs eating the entrails of a deer toward the end of winter. The logs were pois oned and died. This led to an exanli nation of the stomachs of the deer. It was found that the animal had browsed freely on the poisoned ivy which grew m green abundance in the spurs of the Bilue ltidge. How the deer escaped any bad consequences from this kind of food was a mystery. until further search of the maw or stoina(h revealed what was called the Iladstone. This substance was about the size of a horse chestnut. The liinters Iiad various theories to account . for the presence of the stoie in the stomach, but they were agreed that it took i) the poisol from the ivy. (riosity prompted the trial of tlhe stone to various poisons, and the discovery that it would absorb them was mae. In this way the stone came to be used for rattlesnake bites and lmc e Casinl bites, and afterward for mal dog bites. "'This," said Captain Byrne, "is the tradition of the discovery of the mad Stone. Tihe hunters and'Indians had a preventive for hydrophobia which went back of the Paris doctor's inoculation. You will find on the utder side of a dog's tongue, back at the root, a small worm. about an iich long. Tho shape and size is plain. Wh'lien the pup is three or tour mlonthis ol take a sharp| knife and split the thin skin that con tains the worm, anl with an awl pick out the worm. That dog will be for ever )roof against hydrophobia. This is the ltdiais' antl liuiters' preventive. I remnemilber its a.pplic:ntion tifty years a''o. Some old :.aite1 's ini tie Blue Ridge c:uiltry still prattice it. If there is doubt about its value the experiment can be made without much trouble. Take three or four pups iand extract the wotrm. Tlien Wait for the niext. ease of mad dog and let the ptips be bitten. I'll stake n belief that the pups will not have hydrophobia. "Dogs go tiad, concluded the Chero kee, "without being bitten by Ia mad dog. The irritation of the hydrophobia worin ulder the tongue does it. There is in Western Texas a small black-and white poleciit which might be called a natural hydrophobia antimal. Any liv ing tiling bitten by this polcent at any tinme goes ll,a.-- Itashinyton )ispatch. Taxation on t.he Line of Least Ite. 5ist ance. All parties wouhi) b happy if the pub lie treasury could lie tilled by the touch of a magician's wanil, so that taxes night be a bol ishied. Biut, as they aire a necessary evii, a scee( of taxation without i:lmentat ion is wh'at is wan(htedl. In the law laid down by Professor Will.. iamn G. Sumner, that t axation teuds to dliffuse itself, but1 ont th line of least re sistancee, is fou on a hi int for the tbasis of this scheme. ITurgot, thei great French finanicier, expressed thle potlit ici an's idea very tersely witeni lie said that scienice of axat ion i.s to pil ck I t goose withI out making it cry. Ini huntinig for the line of least resistanice, and(lt the mois~t scientitie lmet hiods of llcking, severaml intere'stinItg experi meats have ben mattde of late iln dIitl'eent St'ates, whlere niew sources of revellno hlave been sought fronm speciainl taxes Onl corpiorations1, rail r'oadsl, telegraph, telephone, andli intsur anuee compan ies, i'ol lateral ilnhlieitan ces, anid other ('lasses of piroperty which caun be plucked withlout prod'ucinig a (ery liable to strlike a etho rd of svmpathy13 ill thoe)0 poular hiear t. In nIst ist ances these i tex eiens ha:ve surpailssed in their resuts Ithe expectat ions of the pro posers. Large revenlue has baeni oh tainied wit hout pirovok ing (een a mur(1-. muir of dIisapproval fromi thlo votinig classes. Ini VermontI, for examiple, n(i dlirect tax was levied ini I1883 and1 1884, lie receipts undi(er the coirporationi tax law paying thle expenses of the State goverlnienlt. The compljtrotller of New York received $9.569,161.35 in 1884, of which $l,(i03,612.75 were paid b)y corpo raitionis. Last year, althlouoh the WVis consini legislature authorized' a levy of $240,000G, tile State treasurer was not obliged to collect any~ dlirect tax ais the beicense-tax fromt railroads, insurance, telegraph, and telephone comp)anies was sutlicient to meet the current expenses. Th'ie treasurer of Miinnesota states that "'the r'eveniue from the corp)orationi tax is steadlily inicrea sinItg, and if it should coat inuet to incerease, andl( the pirobabili ties are t hat it wvill, as it has done for tIhe last four years, it bids1 fair to pay all the expentses oif the Stnte governmenit."' In New dJersey there is nto regulatr tax, excep)t for schools, as thte new railroadl aml1( can-dt. tax law aiid the tax on mis eel latneous corp)orationls ma:uin taini the governitenit.- -/en ri/ ,I. Teni Eycek, in I ujuur ~ ",ciee Monthly,jw for( Febrqr. I hirinhg the iile ages such a Ithin g' as a bed-room On the secondi floor was uitkniownt. All the reooms of the house, such as the hlall, thle chiapIel, the sleeping rooms againlst thle walls, thle oiflices,t were on the groutnd floor. After a time l a bed-room was bii t abo(ve the hall,r cal led thle solar, a ebiambi er wihiich ad- i mnittedl the sun freely, and hadi~ oiccasion ally a gallery or terrace oti which to take the air*. It was aipproatchled hby outside steps5, andl the terrace was pro bably a long hardirg place or openl-air passage. The Postman On Walking. All but doctors. and -men who sell liniment will be glad to read the advice that follows about the proper way to walk in these slippery times. The ad vice came from a very old postman jogging home from ' is daily rounds: "You've seen pol menu climbing up front steps, diving into basements, and ?cootin g across st.reets in the slipperiest, kind of weather," the old man said, I'm sure you never saw a postman fall lown, unless he was very young and nexperienced. Walking. you see, is the m ost important part of a postman's luty, next to ringing door-bells so as to bring the girl on the first ring. I can Lell you in two minutes how to walk; and if you remuenber what I say you will never fall any more. "In the first place, yolt must go along with your feet pretty far a )art. That is one important thing. Most persons walk with their feet close together very close. That's all right in summer, but in winter it's all wrong . Your foot is.likely to land on ia round piece of ice or snow and slip sideways toward the other foot, which is going along all right. If your feet are close together, nine tiues out of ten the one that slips will knock the other from under you, and down you go. If it doesn't it will get so thoroughly mixed up with it that your ankles will curl all together, just like grapevines, and before you can get them straightened out, down you go anyhow. If your feet are well apart, is they should be, you have time to think, reflect, and get ready before the crash comes, and perhaps save a bone. Another important thing is to land well on the ball of the foot. when you walk. If you can't get the ball of your foot down first, bring it down just as sooii as you do the heel, anyhow. Come down flatfooted. That isn't fancy heel and-toe walking, but, it's busines's, and it's safer. Amt this is why. You may slip and fall a million times, and every time, if you notice anything, you will notice that it was your heel that slipped, and not the ball of your foot. It is il ways the heel that slips. I don't know why, unless it is that the sole of the shoe, being broader, gets a firmer hold. "These two rules, if you follow them out carefully, will save you the price of a good many bottles of arnica. 'here are some others, but they are not so im portant. One is always to keep the bodly limber as you go along; keep the legs limber at the knees, too. It is al ways a stilf, dignified sort of a man that goes (own, because he holds himself so that he is not prepared to lean quickly one way or the other and save himself. I don't vant to see the nation get round-shoulbered, but to hold the shoul ders too far back in slippery weather is not very good either; it fixes one all ready to fall. The best way to hold oneself is in illitation of those Indians thatt you see pictures of going along at a sort of jog trot, with their bodies stoop ing a little forward. Keep your eyes on the ground in front of you, as though you were following a trail, and look for very slippery spots. and observe the other rules; and if you are a lady you can hispense with the humiliation of holding your mufl behind your back, trying to make folks believe you prefer to carry it that way."-N. Y.'Sn. Saving a Lif'e by Telegraph. A number of the operators in the main oflice of the Western Union Tele graph Company at New York are grad uales iml mediciniie or m1iedical students who are thus working their way through college. O"easionally they have an op portunity to use their knowledge to goodl advantage. It recntly happenedl that one of t hem~n had hiis attention at, tracted by a somewhat unusual message thait was being clicked (Jut from an iin. St rumnent at Big Indhian, near Kingston, N. Y. It stated that a ce'rtainl physician at Pine Hill, three miles dlistant, was wanited inunediately to attendl a young p)erson who hiad just swallowed ant ounce of laud anum. Th'le student-opera tor askedl at 0once for all thle particulars, and on receiving themi a consultation was held at the New York office. It was dleeiledl that it wvou1ld be hazardous to po~st poneO treatment until the (doctor. could be found andl driven three miles to attendl a patient in so (dangerous a TIhie council therefore telegraphed the ope(rator at Big Indian to see that the prescription whlich they sent was car iedC (Jit limmediately. TIhey p)rescribJed thait powerful enmotics shouhi bo admin isteredi, suggesting home made. ones, such as luikewarm wvater' and mustard and( wvater, after which the patient wals to.be vigorously rubbed andi whipped with switcees to prevent sleep. TIhis tmexp)ectedl ordler was faithfully carried rmt, and with such happy results that thie poison failed to act. 'The physician mrrivedl an hour later', but his attendt-. mance would have been useless had the p)recious interval b)een wastedt. Few illore curious instances of frustrated sui. ideC could 1be cited out of the entire libr'ary of fiction.-Scientifle American. "Pa, I'm not going to learn any more ~eography lessons." "Why ? Have you >eeni exciused from geography lessonsP" "No, but-" "I p)resume youirteachep ims got tired1 of such a stupid puili." 'fencher nothin'. I'm the feller that's aot tiredl. I read in a paper that the ~engraphmy over half the globJo would( be :abanged b)y future exp)lorations, and I ami going to wait. I want to get It itraight before I put in so ni.uich hard work."-Theu' Jmdge. "My son," ,said a truly good Indian agent out iln Arizona, "is it true that all the Indians left the reservation last niight?'' "De)ad fiact,"' replied the son; "'theiy set fire to the tool-house, shot the watchman plumb full of holes, and struc(k for the mountains at 1 a. mi. wvery last hivin' soul of 'em--butck, uawili, dog, pony, andI papoose."' ''All right, 'ny son; whien the traini of Goy urnmnit sul))ies andut - iumitics gets ini o-moi(rrow charge them upi ais issued to he tribe daiy before ye(sterdlay. D)id thiat aluf-bireed Bill, the hostler, go with hieim?" ''No, lie's here."' ''Then tell im if he stays away fronm prayers this brning as lie dlid yesterday I'll cut the cart out of him with a mule whip." ?rooklyn Eagle. California has ninety-seven banks in cration, woeresources are $158, ,000. Twenty-soven of them ar'e avinga banka.