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. *4 ** , .. lewis, M.^Gt^KT, [ ~~ ^u Inherent Jjnn% Ucla^ptr: Jor % ^wmoiion of lot political Social, ^oritult-nl aiti Commtraal |utosfs of % Soutb. == ^ : .:, :: : Jov f?v'I" n? a-ftOi&Ll..:-A VOL. 14. , YOEKVILLE, S. O., THURSDAY, MAY 7, 1868. . J ''pD. 19?' ? ? .- ? ? I I i ' - ' ' ; r lie ftotg-ictter. HOW I WAS CURED OF OAMINOT My friend was captain of one of the mail steamers, plying between New Orleans and Mobile. He spent some days with me not long since; and among other adventures which had befallen him, he related the following: I had been engaged on board the steamer some thing over a year, and was then serving in the capacity of mate. During the first few months I had been rather shy of New Orleans by gas-light I had heard so many strange stories of robberies and murders, and of strangers being attacked from mere wantonness, that I preferred to keep myself as safe as possible. Sometimes I spent the night at the hotel, where the officers of the various steamers had assembled for a social time, and some times went to a theatre. At length, however, as I became acquainted with the city, the timidity wore off, and I finally accompanied some of my brother officers to places where the more startling episodes of real life in the city occurred. From the hotel we went to the theatre, and from the theatre we went to some of the most famous gam bKag houses. Suffer me, my friend, to inform you here that I am not a gamester. I have played a little, as I shall be obliged to confess; but the charm was broken, as you shall hear. On the third or fourth visit to the gambling house, one of my companions laughingly proposed that we should make a small venture at the faro table. With a smile upon my countenance I threw down a quarter eagle. The banker asked me if I bet upon the queen. I told him "yea" I was then admonished to put my money fairly upon the card. I pushed the piece farther on; and the confusion 1 exhibited must have informed the bystanders that I was slightly verdant touching the rules, regulations and mysteries of the faro bank. The banker began to slide off the cards, and presently he drow in the piece of gold which I had ventured, and threw down in its place an ivory cheque representing five dollars. 1 had won. i smiled at my luck, and when the cards were next shuffled, I placed my cheque back upon the queen. I won again and again I smiled; for the thought that I was gambling did not enter my mind. It was sport?sport of a new and exciting kind. I bet upon the queen again, and again I won. Before the next play I calculated a little. It was not likely that the same card would win again, so I made my venture upon the ace. The queen lost and the ace won. At the end of an hour I had won $75 or $80, and then went with my companions to the hotel, where we spent another hour before repairing to our boats. After this I frequently accompanied my friends to the'gaming house, and I also made further ventures at the faro bank. A love of the excitement grew upon me so strongly that more than once I ventured alone into a gambling house not far from our hotel. One evening four of us officers were at the St. Charles, and after supper the question was started as to how we should dispose of the next four hours. Two were for the theatre, and two for the gaming house. How should we decide? As neither party seemed willing to give up, it was finally arranged that we should go just as our inclination led us. Two went to the theatre, and two started for the gaming house. I was one of the latter. My companion was Captain of an up river 4>oat, and before we set out he informed me that he must be on board by midnight, as he was to start early in the morning. This was all pleasant to me, as 1 had already made up my mind that I would be in my own state room, before the hour he had mentioned. So off we went over towards the third municipality, nearly a mile and a half from our hotel, where we found the gaming house we had planned to visit. We sat in the bar-room awhile and smoked a cigar, and then went into the hall. We lounged about and observed the progress of the different games, and finally stoppedat a faro table. I made another ven? ' l T J il ture wnicn was successiui. x maae anuuier vcuture, and lost; auother and won. Then I bought $20 worth of cheques. When I bought my cheques there were seven players beside myself at the table. Two of them were steamboat Captains, and four of them were either merchants, or gentlemen of their stamp.? They may have been gamblers by profession?regular blacklegs?but that does'nt matter. They appeared to be gentlemen, and certainly they behaved as such. The seventh man at the table was a study, and had there not been an overbalance of apparent gentility in the company, I should not have stopped where he was. He was evidently a boatman, and when I heard him speak, I made up my mind that he was a Hoosier. He had come down from Ohio with his flatboat, and sold his cargo and useless lumber, and was now on a bit of a time. He was truly a tough looking customer.? He must have stood six feet and two or three inches high, with a frame like an ox. His shoulders were broad and heavy, his arms long and muscular, and his hands so long and hard that it was difficult for him to put down his cheques. Of his face but little was to be seen, the lower part of it being covered by a thick, long beard of grizzly color, while the upper part was shaded by the slouching of the broad rim of an old felt hat I could see his eyes, and they were black and keen enough. They looked black in the deepest shade, but when his head was turned so that the light struck upon the face, they seemed to have a metalic lustre, changing from steel to brass. Presently those eyes were turned upon me with a threatening look, the owner seeming to intimate that I had stared at him long enough. At any rate I took it as a hint, and went on with my play. My luck wqg changeful. I won and then I lost again. Finally I touched the knave with a dozen cheques, worth five dollars each, and won. The Hoosier had staked twelve cheques on the queen. He lost, and the banker pushed the pile on the ' * A__ /V 1 queen over to ine. I let tne tweniy-iour cnequej remain where they were, and the Hoosier pul twenty-four upon the queen. At this point mj companion came and said he must be going. ] was too much excited with the play to leave the table then, and told him not to wait for me. The queen lost?the knave won?and again the bankei passed to me the cheques which the Hoosier had lost. Once more my companion asked me if I would go with him. I told him I could not, and he went away without me. Forty-eight cheques were upon the knave, in four stacks. "Stranger, do you go them yer all?" The Hoosier asked me the question, at the same time pointing to my cheques. I told him "yes." He bought more cheques, and placed a numbei equal to mine on the queen. "This yer keard mhst win some time," he muttered, as he straightened up his stack of ivory, and then added, glancing at my pile, "an' thatyei knave's got to loose afore he is much older." The dealer began to throw off the cards again. The knave came first; it had won. The queen came next; the banker turned it upon his left hand?the bank won?the Hoosier lost. As before, the cheques which came from the queen werc passed over to me. I hesitated, but the spell was upon me, and ] could not break it I piled up the cheques?nine ty-six of them?and ventured them upon th< knave again. The Hoosier eyed me sharply, anc then ventured a like amount upon the queen, at the same time muttering to himself that Such luck ; couldn't last always. Again the cards were slid on, and, to the astonishment of all who were watching the game, the knave and the queen came . out very near together?the knave to the right, , the queen to the left I had won?the Hoosier had lost The banker now took in my smaller cheques, and gave me in exchange some worth twenty dollars each. My last stake had been four hundred and eighty dollars, and uiy present pile was consequently nine hundred and sixty. "Make it a thousand !" whispered the Hoosjer. "Done," I replied, and added two cheques to , my accumulated venture. Again the banker began to throw off his cards, > right and left The queen came up first to the left?lost Then the knave to the right?again I had won. The Hoosier drove his hand into his bosom, and brought , forth a pocket book, from which he took a roll of bank notes. "Go yera thousand?" he said in a hoarsewhis per, "I've got that mucin" My first impulse, before he had spoken, had been to do that very thing, butnow I hesitated. What had I to do with him? I was not playing with him?I was not-betting against him; my play was oimnlw kunlran on/] Vila too a uomn I ouupv uguiuov vuv> uauavtj nuu mn itho kuv w*??<v? I told him as much. "No, no," he said eagerly, "it's agin luck we're playing. Them two keards is in for it The knave's your'n, and the queen's mine. Go yer two thousand." All that I had upon the table before me, save one solitary cheque of twenty dollars, I had won; so I had little real risk to run. "It's done," said I; and down went two thousand dollars upon the knave. The Hoosier placed his venture upon the queen; partly in cheques and partly in bank notes, in all two thousand dollars. His hand quivered a little as he pushed the pile forward, and then he turned to watch the movements of the banker. The cards began to move off once more, and this time the table was surrounded by an eager crowd. There was something novel in the spectacle of two men playing against each other at faro; and it struck me as being excessively novel, too. But it was no doing of mine. The Hoosier seemed to have a superstitious faith that our chances were running together. However, I meant to make this one venture further, and-then break the spell, be it win or lose. Right and left?right and left The queen came up first?to the left?lost! Right and left?and the knave came up?to the right! I had won again! I gathered up my gains, and turned to look for the Hoosier but he had disappeared. "Perhaps you'll try the knave again," said the banker. I told him, "No, I had played enough." I pushed over my cheques, and he gave me the cash for them, some gold and some bank notes, amounting in all to about six thousand dollars. I went to the bar and took a glass of wine, and then started for my boat. The night was dark and I had along way to walk. I looked at my watch as I came through the hall, and fbund it to be half an hour past midnight. I "began to think I bad been a fool. Sol startW at a brisk walk, intending to strike the levee near the mint, and follow the course of the river. I had gone half a mile or so when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. Then I knew I had been followed. I increased my speed, but the footsteps came nearer. I felt for my pistol, but had not thought to bring it; I had nothing with me but a common dirk knife. By and by I turned to see who it was that was thus pursuing me. Ye gods! It was as I had suspected. At the distance of a few yards, close upon me, came striding through the darkness the tall gaunt form of the Hoosier. I would have started to run, but it was too late. He was upon me; his hand was upon my arm. I would have shouted for help, but feared that it would be the signal for my instant destruction.? The drawing of my dirk-knife would only, by its feeble show of opposition, call down the giant's strength upon me to crush me in a moment. The only thing left for me was to be passive and wait for the worst "Stranger," he said, in a voice that sounded frightfully low and hollow, "you played agin me to-night." "No," I replied, trying to speak plainly?to speak calmly was outof the question, "I had noth ing to do with you; I played against the bank." . "It's all the same," said he. "Our lnck run together; 'twas you agin me, and me agin you. It don't make no odds now. I'm dead broke. Stranger, do you see this?" ' TT?. VkA*-k/J r* nvow lvia okiAnl^or JLIC rCOUllCU 11LD IIgUV uauu U]/ VTVl auo *juvr?*?ww*) and, from beneath hia coat, he drew forth the largest, longest, brightest and most savage-looking bowie-knife I had ever seen. My knees smote together and my heart leaped to my throat. "You've got money," he went on, as he held the gleaming weapon in his hand. "You won it? won all. I lost?lost all. I'm dead broke?not a pic. I want enough to get home. I paid twenty dollars in clear yellow gold for this yer tooth pick. Give me fifteen dollars on it, an' I'll go. If ye're a man ye won't refuse that" MercyJ What a letting down was that! Instead of seeking my life, the poor fellow had followed me for the purpose of pawning his bowieknife! He was acquainted with none of those whom he had seen at the gambling house, and he had no friends in the city. I feared him no more. ; As I spoke with him now, I felt that he was a warm and true hearted man. "If you get fifteen dollars, you will go back to the gaming table," I said. , His answer was slow and sure. , "I've tried it twice, stranger ; an' when I try it again I'll let you know." ( I told the man to come with me. , "Come to my boat," I said, "and you shall have ; the money." r He said, "perhaps I'd let him stay on board all ; night" I Of course I would. As we walked along, I made up my mind just . what I would do, and when we reached the boat, I took him into my state-room, and handed him a chair. Said I: [ "My friend, I have made a resolution since w ; have been walking together; I have resolved that ! I will gamble no more. While you and I played at the same table you lost $3,000." "Xactly," he replied. , "Well," I continued, "I am going to make up what you lost I shall feel much better to do so." The Hoosier started in amazement. "I do it as much for my sake as for your own," I went on before he could make an answer; "and if I can feel assured that the event has cured both of us, 1 shall consider it one of the most valuable experiences of my life." The plain hearted fellow seized my hand, and i my offer was accepted; and when he told me that ; he would never play again, I believed him. He . took the money, and all he could do in return was i to make me accept the bowie-knife, and promise me that he should always remember me with the [ warmest emotions. That was several years ago. I have not ventured ; a dollar at any game of hazard since, nor do I be1 lie ve my Hoosier friend has done it either. I kept the long, heavy bowie-knife, and I never look upon it but I think how weak my knees were when my gaze rested, for the first time, upon its gleaming blade. HOW HE EARNED A WIFE. "And you want to marry my daughter, young man," said fanner Bilfkins, removing the pipe from his mouth, and looking at the young follow from head to foot. Despite his rather indolent, effeminate air, which was mainly the result of his education, Luke Jordan was a fine looking fellow, and not easily moved from his self-possession; but he colored and grew confused beneath that sharp, scrutinizing look:. "Yes. sir. I spoke to Miss Mary last evening, and she?referred me to you." The old man's face softened. "Molly is a good girl, a very good girl," he said, stroking his chin with a thoughtful air, "and she deserves a good husband. What can you do The young man looked rather blank at this abrupt inquiry. "Tf vmi refer to mv ability to SUDDOrt a wife, I can assure you " i "I know that you are a rich man, Luke Jordan, but I take it for granted that you ask my girl to i marry you, not your property. What guarantee can you give me, in case it should be swept away, as it is in thousands of instances?that you could provide for her a comfortable home? You have < bands and brains?do you know how to use them? ' Again I ask-, what can you do?" This was the style of catechism for which Luke ( was unprepared, and he stared blankly at the i questioner without speaking. "I believe you managed to get through college, have you any profession ?" i "No, sir, I thought " i ' "Have you any trade?" "No, sir; my father thought that, with the < large wealth I should inherit, I should not need _ M - | any. 1 "Your father thought like a fool then. He'd i much better have given you some honest occupa- < tion and cut you off with a shilling?it might have i been the making of you. As it is, what are you ' fit for ? Here you are a strong, able-bodied man, twenty-four years old, and never earned a dollar ! in your life ; you ought to be ashamed of your- ] self." i "And you want to marry my daughter," resu- 1 med the old man after a few vigorous puffs at his i pipe. "Now I've given Molly ns good advantages for learning as any girl in town, and she hasn't < thrown 'em away; but if she didn't work, slie'd ' be no daughter of mine. If I choose 1 could keep more than one servant; but 1 don't, no more than ' I choose thai my daughter should be a pale, spir- 1 itless creature, full of dyspepsia, and all fine-lady ailments, instead of the smiling, bright-eyed, rosycheeked lass she is. I did say that she should not 1 marry any lad that had been cursed with a rich father; but she's taken a foolish liking to ye, and 1 I'll tell ye what I'll do: go to work and prove 1 yourself to be a man; perfect yourself in some occupation?I don't care what, so it be honest; then 1 come to me, and if the girl is willing, she is yours." 1 As the old man said this, he deliberately knock- 1 ed the ashes out of his pipe against one of the ( pillars of the porch where he was sitting, tucked 1 it into his vest pocket, and went into the hous-;. Pretty Mary Blifkins was waiting ?o see her lo- 1 ver down at the garden gate, their usual trysting 1 place. The smiling light faded from her eyes as she noticed his sober, discomfitted logk. "Father means well," she said, as Luke told her the result of his application. "And I am not sure but what he is about right," she resumed, after a thoughtful pause, "for it seems to me that every man, be he rich or poor, ought to have some occupation." Then, 'as she noticed her lover's grave look, she added, softly: ''Never mind; I'll wait for you, Luke." Luke Jordan suddenly disappeared from his accustomed haunts, much to the surprise of his gay associates. But, wherever he went, he carried with him in his exile these words, and which were like a tower of strength to his soul, "I'll wail for you, Luke." One pleasant, sunshiny morning, late in Octo ber, as farmer Blifkins was propping up the grapevines in bis front yard, that threatened to break down with the weight of its luxurious burden, a neat looking cart drove up, from which Luke Jordan alighted with a quick, elastic spring, quite in contrast to his easy leisurely movements. "Good morning Mr. Blif kins. I understand that you want to buy some butter tubs and cider barrels?think I have some here that will suit you." "Whose make are they ?" enquired the old raan, as. opening the gate, he passed by the wagon." "Mine," replied Luke, with an air of unpardonable pride; and I challenge any cooper in the State to beat them." Mr. Blifkins examined them critically one by one. "They'll do," he said coolly, as he sat down the last of the lot "What will you take for them ?" "What I asked you for twelve months ago today?your daughter, sir." The roguish twinkle in the old man's eyes broadened into a smile. "You've got the right metal in you after all," he cried. "Come in, lad?come in; I shouldn't wonder if we made a trade after all." Nothing loth, Luke obeyed. "iftolly!" bawled Mr. Bilfkins, thrusting his head into the kitchen door. Molly tripped out into the entry. The round white arms were bared above the elbows, and bore traces of the flour she had been sifting. Her dress was a neat gingham, over which was tied a neat checked apron ; but she looked winning and lovely as she always did wherever she was found. She blushed and smiled as she saw Luke, and then turning her eyes on her father, waited dutifully to hear what he had to say. The old man regarded the daughter auizzieallv. "Molly, this young man?mayhap you have seen him before?has brought me a lot of tubs and barrels, all of his make?a right good article, too. He asks a pretty steep price for 'em?but if you are willing to give it, well and good, and hark ye, my girl, whatever bargain you make your old father will ratify." As Mr. Bilf kins said this, he stepped out of the room, and we will follow his example. But the kind of bargain the young people made can readily be imagined by the speedy wedding which followed. Luke Jordan turned his attention to the study of medicine, of which profession he became a useful and influential member; but every year oil the anniversary of his marriage, he delighted his father-in-law by some specimen of the handicraft by which he won what he declares to be "the best and dearest wife in the world." Period of Growth of Man.?Prof. B. A. Gould, from statistics, derived from the register of 2,500,000 men in the United States Army, has brought out the fact that the men attain their maximum stature much later than is generally supposed. This t&kes place commonly at 29 or 30 years of age; but there are frequent instances of growth until 35, not very noticeable?a yearly gain of a tenth of an inch perhaps, still a growth.? After 35 the stature subsides in similar proportions, partly perhaps from the condensation of the cartilages, partly because of the change in th s an gle of the hip bone. The age for maximum stature comes earliest to the tallest men, as if it were the necessity of unusual development. Foreigners were shorter than men of native birth. The heights of men seemed to depend on the place of enlistment A Massachusetts man enlisting in Iowa, was an inch taller than if he had staid at home. As we go West, men . grow taller. One man measured more than 6 feet 10 inches. Out of one million, there were 500 who measured more than 6 feet 4 inches ; but then of such stature do not wear well. In Maine, men reaohed their greatest height at 27; in New fltmpshire, at 35; in Massachusetts, at 29; in Nrfw Jersey, at 31. The tallest men, of 9 inches, come from Iowa, Maine, Vermont, Ohio, Indiana; Minnesota and Missouri give us men a little over 68; and the average of all shows the Americans to he a very tall people. V u K=> V BEHIND THE 8CENE8. For the amusement of our readers, we give some extracts from the book of "Mrs. Elizabeth Keckley," whilom colored dress-maker to Mrs. President Lincoln: a wife's jealousy. In 1864 the receptions again commenced at the White House. For the first two years of Mr. Lincoln's administration, the President selected a lady to join in the promenade with him, which loft MrsLincoln free to choose an escort from among the distingushed gentlemen that surrounded her on such occasions. This custom was at last discontinued by Mrs. Lincoln. " 'Lizabeth 1" I was sewing in her room, and Bhe was seated in a comfortable arm-chair. "'Lizabeth, I have been thinking over a little matter.? As you are well aware, the President, at every reception, selects a lady to lead the promenade with bim. Now, it occurs to me that this custom is an absurd one. On such occasions our guests recognize the position of the President as first of all; consequently he takes the lead of everything; well, now, if they recognize hi9 position they should also' recognize mine. I am his wife and should lead with him. Aud yet he offers his arm to any other lady in the room, making her first with him and placing me second. The custom is an absurd one, and I mean to abolish it The dignity that I owe to my position, as Mra. President, demands that I should not hesitate any longer to act" Mm. Linwiln kent her word. Ever after this she either led the promenade with the President, or the President walked alone or with a gentleman.? The change was much remarked, but the reason why it was made, I believe, was never generally known. INTRIGUES OP THE "COURT.'' In 1864 much doubt ezisted'in regard to the reelection of Mr. Lincoln, and the White House was besieged by all grades of politicians. Mrs. Lincoln was often blamed for having a certain class of men around her. . "I have an object in view, 'Lizabeth," she said to me in reference to this matter. "In a political canvass it is policy to cultivate every element of strength. These men have influence, and we require influence to re-elect Mr. Lincoln. 1 will be clever to them till after the election, and then, if we remain at the White House, I will drop every one of them and let them know very plainly that I only made tools of them. They are an unprincipled set, and I dont mind a little double-dealing with them." "Does Mr. Lincoln know what your purpose is ?" I asked. "God 1 no; he would never sanction such a proceeding, so I keep him in the dark, and will tell him of it when all is over. He is too honest to take the proper care of his own interests, so I feel it to be my duty to electioneer for hira." A DOMESTIC NECESSITY CONFIDED TO 'LIZABETH. Mrs. Lincoln was extremely anxious that her husband should be re-elected President of the United States. In endeavoring to make a display becoming her exalted position she had to incur many expenses. Mr. Lincoln's salary was inadequate to meet them, and she was forced to run in debt, hoping that good fortune would favor her, and enable her to extricate herself from an embarrasssituation. She bought the most expensive goods on credit, and in the summer of 1864 enormous unpaid bills stared her in the face. "What do you think about the election, 'Lizabeth ?'* she said to me one morning. "I think that Mr. Lincoln will remain in the White House four years longer," I replied, looking up from my work. "What makes you think so ? Somehow I have learned to fear that he will be defeated." "Because he has been tried and has proved faithful to the best interests of the country. The people of the North recognize in him an honest man, and they are willing to confide in him, at least until the war has been brought to a close. The Southern people made his election a pretext for rebellion, and now to replace him by some one else, after years of sanguinary war, would look too much like a surrender of the war. So Mr. Lincoln is certain to be re-elected. He represents a principle, and to maintaid this principle the loyal people of the loyal States will vote for him, even if he had no merits to commend him." "Your view is a plausible one, 'Lizabcth, and your confidence gives me new hope. If he should be defeated, I do not know what would become of us all. To me, to him, there is more at stake in this election than he dreams of." "What can you mean, Mrs. Lincoln ? I do not comprehend."' "Simply this: I have contracted large debts, of which he knows nothing, and which he will be unable to pay if he is defeated." "What are your debts, Mrs. Lincoln ?" "They oonsist chiefly of store bills. I owe, altogether, about $27,000; the principal portion at Steward's, in New York. You understand, 'Lizabeth, that Mr. Lincoln has but little idea of the expense of a woman's wardrobe. Ho glances at my rich dresses, and is happy in the belief that the few hundred dollars that I obtain from him will supply my wants. I must dress in costly materials. The people scrutinize every article that I wear with critical curiosity. The very fact of having grown up in the West subjects me to more Tn lcppn iin nnrw>nmnf?pH T CUU1UUUJ? UUWUttUVll. ? r -r Mrrww.MMww must have money?more than Mr. Lincoln can spare for me. He is too honest to make a penny outside of his salary; consequently I had and still have, no other alternative but to run ia debt." "And Mr. Lincoln does not even suspect how much you owe?" "God, no 1"?this was a favorite expression of hers?"and I would not have him suspect If he knew that his wife was involved to the extent that she is, the knowledge would drive him mad. He is so sincere and straightforward himself that he is shocked by the duplicity of others. He does not know a thing about any debts, and I value his happiness, not to speak of my own, too much to allow him to know anything. This is what troubles me so much. If he is re-elected I can keep him in ignorance of my affairs : but if he is defeated, then the bills will be sent in and he will know all;" and something like a hysterical sob escaped her. Mrs. Lincoln sometimes feared that the politicians would get hold of the particulars of her debts and use them in the presidential campaign against her husband, and when this thought occurred to her she was almost crasy with anxiety and fear, j When in one of these excited moods, she would fiercely exclaim: "The Republican politicians mustpay my debts. Hundreds of them are getting immensely rich of the patronage, of my husband, and it is hut fair that they should help me out of my embarrassment I will make a demand of them, and when I tell them the facts they cannot refuse to advance whatever money I require." . "will you brush my brlstt.es down ?" In packing, Mrs. Lincoln gave away everything intimately connected with the President, as she said that she could not bear to be reminded of the past The articles were given to those who were regarded as the warmest of Mr. Lincoln's admirers. All of the presents passed through my hands. The dress Mrs. Lincoln wore on the night of the assassination, was given to Mrs. Slade, the wife of an old and faithful messenger. The cloak, AvV vi j ? ^ JtluZi guinea Willi me jrremueiu o unwu, ?m giicn w me, as also was the bonnet worn on the same memorable night. Afterwards I received the comb and brash that Mr. Lincoln nsed daring his residence at the White House. With the same comb and brash I had often combed his head. When almost ready to go down to the reception, he would turn to me with a quizzical look, "Well, Madam Elizabeth, will you brush my bristles down to-night?" 'LIZABCTII QUOTES MRS. TOODLES. There was much surprise when Mrs. Lincoln left the White House what her fifty or sixty boxes, not to count her score of trunks, could contain. Had the government not been so liberal in furnishing the boxes, it is possible that there would have been less demand for so much transportation. The boxes were loosely packed, and many of them with articles not worth carrying away. Mrs. Lincoln had a passion for hoardiug old things, believing, with Toodles, that they were "handy to havieS about the house." The bonnets that she brought with her from Springfield, in addition to every one purchased daring her residence in Washington, were packed in the boxes and transported to Chicago. She remarked that she might find use for the material some day, and it was prudent to look to the ftiture. T am sorrv to aav that Mrs. Lincoln's foresight in regard to the future was confined to cast off clothing,' as she owed at the time of the President's death, different store bills amounting to $70,000. Mr. Lincoln knew nothing of these bills, and the only happy feature of his assassination was that he died in ignorance of them. Had he known to what extent his wife was involved, the fact would have embittered the only pleasant moments of his life. I disclose this secret in regard to Mrs. Lincoln's debts, in order to explain why ehe should subsequently have labored under pecuniary embarrassment THE ORIGIN OP THE RIVALRY BETWEEN MR. DOUGLAS AND MR. LINCOLN. . Mrs. Lincoln, from her girlhood up, had an ambition to become the wife of a President When a little girl, as I was told by one of her sisters, she was disposed to be a little noisy at times, and was self-willed. One day she was romping about the room, making more noise than the nerves of her grand mother could stand. The old lady looked over her spectacles, and said, in a commanding tone: "Sit down, Mary. Do be quiet. What on earth do you suppose will become of you ifyougoin this wayj*" "Oh, I will be the wife of a President some day," carelessly answered the petted child. Mrs. Lincoln, as Miss Mary Todd, was quite a belle in Springfield, 111., and from all accounts she was fond of flirting. She generally managed to keep a half dozen gentlemen biting at the hook that she baited so temptingly for them. The world, if I mistake not, are not aware that the rivalry between Mr. Lincoln and Mr. Stephen A. Douglas commenced over the hand of Miss Mary Todd. The young lady was ambitious, and she smiled more sweetly upon Mr. Douglas and Mr. Lincoln than any of her other admirers, as they were regarded as rising men. She played her part so well that neither of the rivals, for a long time, could tell who would win the day. Mr. Douglas first proposed for her hand, and she discarded him. The young man urged his suit boldly. "Mary, you do not know what you are refusing. You have always had an ambition to become the wife of a President of the United States. Pardon the egotism, but I fear that in refusing my hand to-night you haye thrown away your best chance to ever rule in the White House." . "I do not understand you, Mr. Douglass." "Then I will speak more plainly. You know, T nm omkiftAno KL*a trAnpcnlf ar?r? l'lai^j luui x am oiuuiuvud) imv ^vuiwu] ??w something seems to whisper in my ear, 'You will be President some day.' Depend upon it I shall make a stubborn fight to win the proud position." "You have my best wishes, Mr. Douglas; still I cannot consent to be your wife. I shall become Mrs. President, or I am the Victim of false prophets, but it will not be as Mrs. Douglas." I have this little chapter in a romantic history from the lips of Mrs. Lincoln herself. At one of the receptions at the White House, shortly after the first inauguration, Mrs. Lincoln joined in the promenade with Senator Douglas.? He was holding a bouquet that had been presented to her, and as they moved along he said: "Mary, it reminds me of old times to have you lean upon my arm." "You refer to the days of our yoqth. I must do you the credit, Mr. Douglas, to say that you were a gallant beau." "Not only a beau, but a lover. Do you remember the night our flirtation was brought to an end ?'' "Distinctly. You now see that I was right I am Mrs. President, but not Mrs. Douglas." "True, you have reached the goal before me, but I do not despair. Mrs. Douglas?a nobler woman does not live?if I am spared, may possibly succeed you as Mrs. President" A RICH SCENE. The infelicity and frequent separations of the married at Chicago, seems to have caused a horror of matrimony among the bachelor fraternity in that city, which is well illustrated by the means taken by one to break off an engagement made when he was drunk. He told his own stoiy in court-, where he appeared to have the "big brothers" of his affianced put under bonds to keep the peace towards him: "Until a week ago, your honor, I was engaged to be married to SalJy, the sister of the prisoners. I will not speak ill of her, though we are enemies now; for it is owing to my engagement that I took the pledge, and am a sober man. You see, I was drunk when I proposed and was accepted. This showed xne to what liquor could Drrng a man, ana I at once took the pledge. I was engaged to her for three months, and during that time I did my duty. I visited her daily, took her to places of amusement, and told her sweet lies. In fact, I did everything required except to name the marriage day. In that I procrastinated. "She insisted that we should be married at once ; she hafsworn she would be married before Mary B , and she would be. I became desperate. I had no intention of marrying her or any one else. I know what matrimony is; I have been whipped by my father because my mother has happened to caress me. Not knowing what else to do, I pretended to be drunk when visiting Sally eight days ago. She had some friends with her in | the parlor, and that pleased me. I kissed her and I tried to kiss them?male and female. Then I told her, in a hic-coughy way, that I had been unable to get the false hair she wished; that they cost too much. That did the business. "Indignant at thus apparently having her dearest secrets exposed to the young ladies and gentlemen there, she angrily told me to go?that I must never, come near her again. Believe me, judge," I was. happy to hear it, and I left at once. I did not visit her, and three days afterward I received a note from her telling me she was rack and wished to see me. Not being a doctor, I stayed away. "The next day I received a similar note; my answer was the same. Then I received a note telling me that I was a faithless brute and cruel wretch; and she had two big brothers, (I knew it) and they would at once avenge her wounded honor and broken heart by beating me. I believed, her^ and have carefully avoided the big brothers. 'Tama law-abiding man, and do not wish to fight They have been to see me eight.times already ; made the servant tell them a lie, (may God forgive me) and say T was out But I know they will catch me, and then I shall fbel very bad; To prevent that I have had them arrested. I wish them bound over to keep the peace ;"they can keep their Bister Sally. They have said they would kill me;"; ? 1 . . 1 il -t. __L Justice.?"I ou were ngnt to nave tnera arrested. They must each give bonds in the sum of 1500 to keep the peace. As for you, your conduct has been disgraceful. The name of my first love was Sally, and no one shall go back on a girl of that name. You are fined $15/' MUNCHAUSENI8MS. The relation of ingenious and preposterous stories may not be the most profitable occupation in which one could be eng% d; but it is one of those exercises of grotesque fancy which may serve veiy well now and then for an hour's entertainment. The most famous and systematic originator of this sort of stories is supposed to be an individual called the Baron ^Munchausen, and his name has become a synonym for literary effort of this character. The term ' 'canard,'' from the French, is often used to signify an improbable story, and its origin, which may be new to some of our readers, excellently illustrates the meaning of the word. A Frenchman once sent to a newspaper a statement of an experiment which he had lktcly made, pro* ving the wonderful voracity of ducks. He had a flock, he said, of twenty of these fowls. One day he killed one of them, and on cutting it into very small pieces, fed it, feathers and all, to the other nineteen, and it was quickly devoured. He then: killed another, and cutting it into small pieces, fed it to the other eighteen, who'ate it all up in a few moments. He killed another, and fed it to the seventeen remaining ducks, and still another, whioh he fed to the sixteen; and so continued until finally there was but one duck left, which had, of course, eaten all the other nineteen. Canard being the Fsench word for-duck, any exaggerated story i ? "Ann\r nan duiwc\jucuuj vauwu a uujbiu vi a umv> 'storyas in this country we speak of "a fish story" or "a snake story." " ; It is sometimes very well to exaggerate a little for the sake of bringing ridicule upon those who relate "tough yarns" and imagine that i|ie listeners will believe them. Some one gives the advice? Whene'er you hear a tale that la a "thumper," ? -? Show no enrprlse, bat aim at aomething higher, ' !. And match it with a bolder fib and plumper, Tis the beat method to confound a liar. The people of Gascony, France, it is known, have a world-wide reputation for boasting, whence come the word "gasconade." A Gascon was once vaunting bis eyesight to a citizen of Paris in the Rue Notre Dame. ' 'Zottads," said he,' 'from this very place I see a mouse running at the top of the tower." "I do not see it," said the citizen, quietly, "but I hear it trot" A traveller was relating some improbable stories of feats performed by Chinese jugglers, and spoke of one who set a ladder on end in an open space and walked the rounds to the top. "I have seen a greater feat than that," remarked a bystander; "I have seen a juggler go the top of a ladder in the same way, and then pull the ladder up after him." An Englishman was once making some extraordinary statements as to the speed of a horse which he owned. "My dear sir," said an American, "that is rather less than the average speed of onr roadsters. I live at my country seat near Philadelphia, and when I ride to town in a hurry in the morning, my shadow doesn't keep up with me, but generally comes into the store's minute br two after my arrival One morning my horse was restless, and I rode him as hard as I could several times around a large factory, just to take the "old Harry" out of him. Well, sir, he went so fast that I saw my back before me the whole time, and I was twice in danger of riding over myself." Another Englishman, 'it is said, having beard a great deal about the Yankee propensity for "bragging," thought he would make au experiment in that art himself. He walked up to a market woman's stand, and pointing to some large watermelons, said: "What! don't you raise any bigger apples than these in America?" "Apples!" said the woman, disdainfully, "anybody might know you was an Englishman. Them's huckelberries J" The above will be sufficient to illustrate the use of Munchausenisms as a method of repartee. But another purpose to which some glib talker has pro fessed to put such stories is of quite a different character. He says he finds them very effective in opening oysters^ He places the oysters in a circle, and, seating himself in the centre, commences some very surprising narrative. One by one they begin to gape with astonishment, and as they open their mouths he has his knife ready, whip them r t, salts, peppers and swallows them. >. e call to mind several stories which we imagine would be of great service to the gentlemen above mentioned, and perhaps a brief statement of some of them might not be inappropriate here.? The first will refer to a very heavy fog which once visited the-State of Massachusetts, which probably somewhat surpassed the fogs of the cityj of London. A young man was sent out to the meadow to nail a few courses of shingles on a barn, the roof of which was nearly finished. "At dinner time," continues the farmer who is responsible for the story, "the fellow came up and sez he, That's an almighty long barn of your'n.' Sez I, 'Not very long.' 'Well,' sez he, 'I've been to work all this forenoon and haven't got one course laid yet.' 'TTT " 4 T 4 ' ? 1? ^knf'a oil T'T7Q weu, sez J., you re a rnzy iciiunr, iu?i, o axi .v got to say.' So after dinner 1 went down to see what he'd been about, and I'll be thundered ef he had'nt shingled more than a hundred foot right out on the fog. The second will be of a very rich farm, concerning which the narrator says: "I went over last Summer with two friends, and Jones took us on a four acre lot he had just prepared for planting.? We all went to the centre of the lot, and he there made a single hill and showed us a encumber seed. "Now, boys," said he, "when I gnt-this seed in the ground, you must run for the fence and get out as soon as you can." No sooner had he dropped the seed than he and the others started off as if a bull-dog had been after them. I was 'so surprised that I forgot the warning until I saw a vine pushing up from the ground and making for me. Then I ran as if for dear life, but before I got to the fence the vine caught me and began to wind &round roe like a snake. I was very much alarmed and put my hand to my pocket for my knife with which to cut myself loose; but to my horror I could not get it in on aooount of a encumber which hung there, and which was growing like biases." ~7--* .a*.' i r .i4*rvj ns*fMi??r m/ A Cincinnati paper indulged its aredoloos tenders, some timeago, with the following item: ; "As a gentleman was going along Fifth street, he passed a place where soma boya .were playing marbles. One of them, in shooting'hia marble, cleverly put it under the gentteman's ipot, The wbihib also passing, precipitating her slpng jrajt himself, upon a largddog. The dog; fngh^hedphiofTiis propriety, bolted off, and no. between the legs of another gentleman, who, in Ming, drew the string of a kite from the hands of a boy. 33bm kite, of oouree, fell) and infaBing, frightened a *pan of horses attached to a wagon in an alley nearhf.^The horses ran down the alley! AmattWas building a fire in a carpenters!^ by which they passed, started up to see what; was the itoiter;nhd.iutipihg so, dropped his fitted u^chajnoflgshavings. A fire waa tho consequence.: The^gines assembled, and, in the hnny doasecfdent upon Ike alarm ? man foil in rtfdlWlBi: Mftd I bad his arm broken, dfr. Abe bdy whoiffliot-the marble responsible for all theconsequetit damages r . The train of circumstances heire related reminds one of the story of die Frenchman who attempted to commit suicide. He was determined not to be thwarted in hisprirpos^' so he ptwided himself with a Udder, a rope, a pistol, a bas, of .matches and a vial of poison^snd wont, a Httkiw&vhigh tide, to a poet set op ob'the-edge'df th&igttL7 Ascending' the ladder, be tied one end of'the ropeio the post, and the ether around His neck; then he took the poison, set bUrclothes on fire, pflil? the made of the pistolS to hia. ear, and kicked away the ladder. In kicking away the liddery hesloped the pistol so that the ball missed his head aad-cnt through the nope by which he was suspended; he fell into the sea,' thus extinguishing the flames of his clothes, the sea water which he had toyohwarily swallowed counteracted the jKMsoii. and ,'fhe tide washed him on shore high and. dry, so that despite his precautions, he remained ismhanged, unshot, nnpoi8oned, nnberned and nndrowped.r ' The next stoiy shall bd of a very huge tree in California. A man went to the wooditocut it down. He had been chopprng 'Shotit t^ days, when he thought he would take a walk.around the tree, just to see how much he had7hHcut 'r waa his surprise, when he got to the Otter aide, to . find another man cutting on' the same tosfc ' ^1 say," $aid the Cafiforhiani "how, Iotag have ybu teen cutting?" "Just three weeks," said the stranger. The tree vras'so Big around that (Key had not heard the sound df eAcfi dther'a axes f finally, we may mention $e'^venftire of aitilor boy, who, for some mischievous trick, was heediwl.Mm mi a wmIaw-amIt miik omltr tko knn<r hnLa 4n du up ui n owi-uiuB i T?iuu uui/ maw vuug uviv -w breathe through. ' The following night a squall came up, and the ship'went down with all ion board, except himself in the c&? . Fortunately, it kept "bung up,- and after thirty hours in^oating about, he was cast on shore, where, after-making many unsuccessful efforts to release himself, he give himself up to die. .Buisome.ca?tle strolling along the beach, were attracted by the cask, and mswitchmg ^Undhonhpfthettt Ooptdebtal]y slipped her tail into the bung-hole. The boy grasped it and held 90 tightly. Off started the animal, bat after running abput a hundred yards, udoM J ''' i'1'1*"]' and the boy regained KwEberify. f b'f An old Norwegian fable tells how tile Original bear lost his caudal appendpge by getting.it into a hole. He met a fox who had some hah, and Inquired how he might also batch sOitoA . ^Xh?p your tail into a hole in the ice," said Heyua^d, and let it be in the water a long whyer-rflgvjpinvMl the pangs of pain?they are all bites?then pull ont suddenly dhd you will hate a large haul of fish. Biuin did so, - and the hole froze up; by and by he gave a leap, and instead of ajafr Iost .his own tail. ,7. There is something very .comical about some'of these old fancies. The Kflkeucy cats have psssc A . into a proverb. Even that tale isjdm^matehed by one more recent, of a hen which wenfclioJajrin a new patent hen's nest in which thecgg'dropa through a trap door, and so deceives Biddy that she keeps on laying. This particular hen i^rpn the Persuader, as the invention is never came off again. At night the owoeryjifitod&e Persuader. Lfthe upper compartment he found a handful of feathers, nfew toe-nails, and a bill In the lower com parttMgiwere three dozen end eleven flffffR. The dcIi^femnstTtntion of. the hen had been unequal to the$8{jjry and, fired" young ambition, she bad ^ away! would never stop walking was a very queer invention ; but was hiurdly equal to the person of whom there is a German legend, wKo, having lost his legs in the war, was furnished with tWo india-rubber ones. On putting diem on, he felt so happy that he sprang into the air; but when he came down he bounded back higher than before; and so every timo hOcame down, he rebounded into the air with greater velocity, until, as days and weeks and months passed on, and he returned from, his serial trips at longer intervals, he bounded above the clouds and came down upon all parts of the earth. It is supposed that he iSBtill bounding and rebounding among the-orbs of the universe, carried now to one and now to. another'pkwt by different currents of gravitation, and that he will continue thus in unceasing motion through all eterui- ty. His fate was as terrible as that of the man who became the victim of an incurable ague: "And It shook him, shook him sorely, Shook his boots off and bis toe-nails, Shook his teeth oat, snd bis heir off, Shook bis coat ell Into outers, Shook bis shirt all Into ribbons; Shirtless, coatleas, hairless, toothless. Minus boots and minus toe-nails, ... 8till it ahook Mm, shook him till it Made nlm yellow, giant baa tooy; SbookhtmtUl be reached hladewh-bed, ;t; Shook him till It khaffled tor him Off his mortal coil, and then, it w Havlnglald Mm cold aid quiet.' : _ f Shook the earth all down upon him; And he Ilea beneath his grare-steoe ' Em shaking, shaking, shaking!" CLIMATE NOT TflE CAUSE OF COLOR. It is a common opinion that climate alone is capable of producing all the diversities of complexion so remarkable in the human raoe. A very few mnu RTiffipft tn show that such cannot be the case. Thus the negroes of Van Diemen's Land, who are amongst the blackest people on the earth, live in a climate as cold as that of Iceland, while the Indo-Chinese nations who live in tropical are of a brown and olive complexion. It is re- , marked by Humboldt that the American tribes of the equinoctial regions have no darker skins than the mountaineers of the temperate zone. So, also, the Puelches of the Magellanic Plains, beyond therfifky-fifbh. degree of south latitude, are absolutely darker than the Abipodea, Tobae and other tribes who are many degrees nearer tbyepaator. Again, the Charms, who Kve afcw^ofi&Rio de la Plata, are almost black, While ^ Gctaycas, tender the line, are among the fidrest of the American tribes. Finally, not id multiply examples, those nations of the CaMasiete raoe whidk have become inhabitants of the torrid zone in both hemispheres, although their descendants have been for centuries, and in Africa for -msnf oeimmee,; ex- posedtd the most active influences of the cfojaye, have never, in a solitary instance, exheda^.^ie transformation from a Caucasian, to a negro com piexion. . . . ' " r.. i |?"In the darkest days of the Atlantic Telegraph enterprise, a friend of Gyros Jleld'sbought $10,000 of stock for a $10 bilT .That man ia now receiving, on his investment of ten dollars, $800 per annum in gold. . . - nul i