Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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lewis >1. grist, proprietor. Jnieprntrenl Jfamilg ftetospaper: Jfor ijje ^rcmctira of t|e political, Social, Agricultural anit Commercial Interests of tjje Sontj). |terjis--$2.50 a year, in advance, VOL. 28. YORKVILLE, S. O., THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 1882. NO. 26. SftUstti Pacini. to THE "COMING MAN." A pair of very chnbby legs, Encased inscarlet hose; A pair of little stubby boots, With rather doubtful toes; A little kilt, a little coat, Cut as a mother can? And lo! before us strides, in state. The future "coming man." His eyes perchance will read the stars, And search their unknown ways; Perchance the human heart and soul Will open to their gaze ; Perchance their keen and tlashingglauce Will be a nation's light Those eyes, that now are 5stful bent On some "big fellow's kite," That brow where mighty thoughts will dwell (In solemn, secret state, Where fierce Ambition's restless strength, Shall war with future fate; Where Science from now hidden caves uhall Antnnnr fr?wvv uowiuira .lumivuY... 'Tis knit now, with a troubled doubt, Are two, or three cents, more? Those lips that, in coming years, Will plead, or pray, or teach; Whose whispered words, on lightning flash, Prom world to world may reach ; That sternly grave, may speak command, Or, smiling, win controlAre coaxing now for ginger-bread With all a baby's soul ? Those hands?those little busy hands? So sticky, small and brown; Those bands, whose only mission seems To tear all order down? Who knows what hidden strength may lie Within their chubby grasp. Though now 'tis but a tatty-stick Ju sturdy hold they clasp. Ah ! blessings on thoso little hands, Whose work is not undone! And blessings on those little feet, Whose race is yet unrun ! And blessings on the little brain That has not learned to plan ! What'er the Future holds in store, God bless the "coming man !" ihe j^toru ?eUcr. "DOT'S husban:X>7~ Dot w;is married. Of that there could be no doubt, however incredible it seemed, for nurse Moore, promoted now to housekeeper and head factotum up at "The Hall," waved the letter triumphantly aloft as she explained to the crowd of villagers who had gathered to hear the news. Any other girl in Millfield might have married and nothing been thought of it, but Dot Mayne, the little elfish sprite whom all remembered in her christening robes, when the long ? name Dorothy, so solemnly pronounced by the minister, seemed so absurdly inappropriate to the short baby, that by common consent it was at once shortened to Dot ; and after the death of the pale mother, who had seemed only lingering for her baby's christening, the motherless babe of Squire Mayne, although the only child of a rich man, was adopted at once into every motherly breast in the village, and many were the startling suggestions as to the l>est manner of taking the child safely through whooping cough and measles, to which the Squire listened patiently. When Dot Mayne had numbered a half dozen years, the little fairy with her nimble feet and short bobbing curls, had danced her way into every heart and home in the village, and from that time on, she had been the pet of every man, woman and child, unless some months before our story, opens, when the pretty willful ways had somewhat penetrated still deeper, even into the hidden corners of some hearts, as Nat Smith, the young telegraph operator could testify if he chose. But he apparently had no such intention as he paused a moment to see what the unusual commotion could mean. "I say, Nat, Dot Mayne's married," said Ben. White, the raggeilest and most unmanageable street urchin in the village, "why she ain't a bit bigger'n I am," he added confidentially. "Dot is nineteen," briefly replied Nat. "Pshaw, now, you don't say, why it was only last summer she chased me clean around the square and catched me, too, by jingo, and shook me because I stoned Widder Thomas' lame cow. I tell you Nat, she' a reg'lar brick, and its too bad she up and married, but then I 'spese she found that tall, slim, young feller 11 1_ u"<%*w1 AtfAo fKof cl?o ncn to lip Willi UUICK Hilll U11U C.I c.1, tliuu miv uuv .V tellin' about, an' then of course she couldn't help it," he added apologetically, "you ain't sick be you ?" he continued, for Xat's usually llorid complexion had taken on a chalky hue, and he was grinding his heels in the unoffending gravel, while his teeth bit savagely at the stump of a cigar. "2so," he answered gruffly, and crushing his hat over his eyes he stalked on, not waiting to hear the closing clause of Dot's letter, which nurse Moore was reading aloud and which ran thusly : "Our wedding trip is postponed indefinitely on account of papa's failing health, for although he insisted 011 seeing me happily married, I shall not leave him until there is some improvement, but you all will have an opportunity of seeing my dear Herbert, for imperative business summons him to Boston next week, and as he must pass through Millfield, we have decided that, although I cannot accompany him, he will stop a day or two and see about having some improvements begun on the house, and as I told you if they are complete in season, we will come down before Christmas and remain through the winter, as | papa fears the ocean breeze through the cold months. You will of course receive dear Herbert in a manner befitting my husband." "And that's all," said nurse Moore, folding the letter, "exceptin' some directions uoout airin' the rooms and beddin', just as if he might be weakly and take cold. I shouldn't wonder now if he was weakly," she added, ''for tall slim, young men with black hair and eyes mostly is consumptive, and you know ! Dot always said she wouldn't marry any oth- j er," (a fact no one disputed, for Dot's ideal! was too well known,) "and he's a southerner j too and rich, one of the De Longs of Virgin- j ny," she continued, "and she says he'll be here j on the noon train Wednesday. Now what I; want to say is this, that of course if Dot her-! self came we should ring the bells and strew j flowers and have a big weddin' feast, and she j says," opening the letter with another flour- i ish, "of course you will welcome dear Herbert j in a manner befltting my husband," and so, why we shouldn't have the weddin' feast any- j way, and we might have a committee to meet j him at the dei>ot and give him a sort of wel- j come." There was an assenting murmur among the J crowd, and nurse Moore's suggestions were adopted on the spot, and a committee of citi-j zens selected to welcome the stranger in a l>e-j iitting manner. When Nat Smith with a despairing groan plunged so rapidly up the street, he came near running directly over a plump brown eyed : maiden, who was coining almost as rapidly i * ?--- * --i- T Unit. J from the opposite direction, uut i,uuie nu?ard stepped swiftly oil one side, and put out a plump brown hand 011 Nat's sleeve. "Oh, Nat, have you heard V" "Heard what ?" lie replied moodily. "Of Dot's marriage ; yes, I see you have," she said, "I am sorry for you Nat," her voice quivered a little over the last words. Nat looked inquiringly into the soft brown eyes, now almost swimming in tears, and his own voice grew softer as he said : "Why are you sorry for me, Lottie ?" "Because I knew, Dot told me?about?last summer." "She told, did she ?" he replied savagely, "just like a woman ; bragging of her conquest." "Oh 110, Nat, don't think that, Dot never bragged, only?only?she could never look at anything seriously you know. She was a sweet girl and I never blamed you, but I wouldn't let it trouble me too much if I were you," and as the womanly little figure flitted 011 down the street, the man stood looking after her thinking of the tearful brown eyes and wondering that he never noticed they were pretty tefore ; and he thought with a little sigh of the day lie told Dot Mayne of his love for her and begged her to be his wife. Little more than half a year before our story opens, Nat Smith sole operator in the dingy little ollice, with only the promise of an increase of his meagre salary, had, with many inward misgivings and an uneasy consciousness of the short comings iu the matter of personal looks and lack of suiable wealth, laid his heart at the feet of the lovely and wilful little mistress of "The Hall," which offer was received first with an incredible stare, then a merry laugh so loud and long and hearty that the canary in the gilded edge cage overhead took up the refrain and piped in a shrill treble until the room rang again. All the while Nat stood humbly and nervously twirling his hat, with his naturally florid face several shades redder than usual. "I don't see why you should laugh at true and honest love, Dot," he said, when she and the canary paused for breath, "you may have offers from richer men, I know, but none can love you better than I." "It is not that, Nat, do forgive me for laughing. I don't care about the money, but the idea was so funny. Why you and I have grown up together, and?and?you are thick and large and have got red hair, and you know I always said I should wed one who was tall and slender, with black hair and eyes and and high pale?" "Spare me Dot from hearing that again," broke in Nat passionately, "if brains go for nothing with you, and all you care for is looks, then I suppose my hopes are in vain." "And " prmHmiPrl Tint. IinhpprlilliT the ill terruption, "your name is Smith, Nathan Smith. Of all names, I should die with such a name. Now when your folks christened you why couldn't they have given you a Christian name V" "And so you refuse me for the looks and the name ?" replied Nat, "well'I only hope you may not marry a bald-headed man with a cross temj>er that would break your heart," here Nat broke down utterly, and with the red of his face, changed to a deadly white, turned to leave the room when Dot sprang to him and seized his hand in both her small white ones. "Now don't be a foolish boy, Nat, or I shall be wretched. I shan't marry for years and years yet, of course, and I don't think you would care so much. Go and woo Lottie Howard, she likes you and is as good as gold." And now that Dot was married and that dream ended for all time, Nat thought of her parting words, for he had never dared trust himself in her presence again, not even when she started on that memorable visit to the sea shore, and now the whole seemed to come back to Nat, and all that afternoon two pair of eyes, one pair of heavenly blue, the other a tender brown, seemed dancing through the shadows of the dingy office, and the the wives seem to click over and over again "as good as gold." "Pshaw!" said Nat angrily to himself, "whv should I be thinking all day of Dot's foolish words when they never entered my mind before. Lottie Howard is good enough, but I shall never love again, never." Wednesday came and with it the noon express from W , and a committee of three leading citizens of Millfield waited in solemn dignity on the platform until with sundry snorts and angry pulling the train stopped, and just as the brakesman called out "Millfield, twenty minutes for dinner," a tall elegant young gentleman, with black hair and eyes and diamond pin, stepped out of the car door and was instantly saluted by the three committee men as Mr. DeLong, and in a polite little address cordially welcomed to Millfield and invited to repair then and there to his future residence, "The Ilall" to partake of a dinner gotten up for his special benefit. The handsome visitor looked for an instant curiously from one to another of his in^itors, and seemed for a moment just a bit nonplused, but when he met on every side' with smiles of recognition and little bobbing curtesies of welcome from the children, he appeared to "take in" the situation, and in a happy and graceful manner thanked them and accepted the invitation. While this was taking place the other passengers filed out into the depot dining hall. There was the usual number of drummers, a fat man and a lean one, a lame boy and two or three elderly business men, old and young women, and back in the car by the window, a man with eye glasses and slightly bald sat reading, but not one among them all who could possibly be mistaken for Dot's husband. "You see, sir"' said one of the committee waving his hand toward the group, "that we needed no introduction to you, for there is not a child in Millfield but could have picked out Dot's husband, knowing1 so well her taste, without her flattering description of you," to all of which the gentleman gave such pleasant and smiling replies as to quite win the hearts of the committee before they reached "The Hall," where nurse Moore presided in a fluttering state. "And how is my darling child ?" she asked with a flutter of gratified pride at the friendly pressure of the aristocratic hand. "I see you have got her diamond, sir," she ...<.n+ a, 1 UtnnnvV Hill timo sir llllS I'UJlllllUCM, iikcii y o i.iv v.*., telled nie none should ever wear that ring but her future husband; I should have known you by that alone, sir." The stranger gave the least perceptible start when she began, then glancing at the ring in question, a large and handsome solitaire, replied with emotion : "Yes, my dear little wife insisted that I should wear it, and bade me by that token to give her best love to her kind and good friends here," bowing gracefully around. The day passed pleasantly, and before night the conviction was gaining ground that Dot had done well, that is all but Nat Smith who held grimly aloof and viewed the aristocratic stranger from a distance with an air of disdain, and when the next day the gentleman sauntered into Nat's office and requested a little business sent, Nat accepted his explanation that "Our house always dispatches in cypher," in silence, but after the stranger had gone he eagerly copied the strange words of the dispatch and locked them in his private drawer. The second night of the stay of Dot's husband in his wife's home, marked an epoch in the history of Millfield, and it had enjoyed an honor (?) not often vouchsafed to small towns, it having been visited by burglars, and several houses plundered of money and jewelry. Two of the houses belonged to two of our committee men, one of which had suffered a loss of live hundred dollars and the other one thousand, it being the habit of the Millfield folks to keep their money at home in default of a bank, until occasional visits to the city made it convenient to deposit it. ''The Hall" wus also entered, ana uoi s nnsuanu unsseu his diamond ring, valuable gold watch, and pocket-book containing two hundred dollars, lie had entered the breakfast-room at an unusually early hour, with a harrassed air and asked nurse Moore if she had heard anything in the night. Nurse Moore remembered hearing his door open or close but supposed he was restless and had risen. "No, 1 slept very soundly," he replied, "and did not waken at all, and this morning mj pocket-book is missing, also my watch am ring which I left lying on the table when 1 retired. It is incredible," he continued, "thai the house should be burglarized and I not hear anything; do such things often happei here ?" But nurse Moore had sank helplessly on hei seat when he began and could only stare in ai idiotic way at the narrator, until the dooi bell rang violently and a boy rushed in witl the alarming news that the village luul "heei robbed and all of Lawyer Dean's money taker and would Mr. I)e Long please to come dowi 1 and see if be could assist them any in gittii a clue to the robbers?" at which point of tin errand the messenger sank int.") a chair a: breathless as nurse Moore. The village was in a state of unusual ex ,t oil iluv 'mil hf.fm-p niirlit :l dttt.cc Ultt'lliruv (HI uu.i, ? j tive from the city had been sent for, but a: i lie could not arrive before the next day, it wai i suggested that a watch be kept to prevent; ' repetition of last night's doings, but Dot": husband, who had been the most active al ! day in trying to discover a clue, announce* that "under existing circumstances bis up I preaching departure should be postponed, a lie could not think of leaving until the dariiij I thieves were caught, a result he felt sun ! would be very soon, and in the meantime,' I he said, "let every one go quietly to bed, fo ' burglars were never known to raid so small: I town two nights in succession," and lie posij tively forbade nurse Moore writing to Dot as l she proposed, lest she should be unnecessarily alarmed; directions in which the head men heartily concurred, for it was already tacitly acknowledged in the village, that the ruling | spirit was that of the new proprietor of "The llall." Nat Smith, who had listened carelessly to the foregoing, sauntered back to his office and for lack of other employment, fell to studying i over again the curious message sent the day . before, when the object of his speculations entered the office again, and after carelessly ex plaining that owing to his "lengthened stay . liis business would need fresh attention," wrote another curious dispatch, with the rei quest that it be sent immediately. The message contained but half a dozen i words, among which were "four bells," and these words Nat fell to studying as he had urifl, .. TY.nffororl llirutuci, V> 11C1I rtuuuvilij, tfiui 1UUVWWIVU exclamation, he seized his hat and strode after his departing visitor. That night the inhabitants of Millfield slept in peace, to be awakened at an early hour witli the astounding intelligence that Dot's husband was at that hour in jail on the charge of committing the robberies of the preceding night. "What J" "when !"' "how horrible," "how ridiculous," etc., were some of the expressions heard on every side, and nurse Moore went into spasms of indignation, when the one policeman informed them that "Nat Smith liad suspected and watched DeLong, and upon his attempting to leave privately, travelingbag in hand, on the four o'clock train, had him arrested on suspicion, and the valise was even now in the hands of the proper authorities undergoing inspection," and he added, "there comes the seven express with the detective on board, so this ere business will soon be settled." IIis surmise proved correct; the detective at once identified the prisoner as a notorious cracksman long known to the New York police as "Gentleman Dick," and for whose arrest a large reward was out, which in due course of time our friend Nat received. The stolen property was all found in the prisoner's grip sack, and the aristocratic stranger reposed quietly in the strongest cell of the village jail awaiting trial, while the Millifieldites united in bewailing the unfortunate fate that had thrown Dot under the infiuence of so fascinating a man. "It will kill my poor girl," moaned nurse Moore, which assertion no one could gainsay; but by common consent a telegram was at once sent, and Nat Smith set his teeth hard, as under his skillful fingers the wires clicked off the message, "Mrs. DeLong: Your husband is here under arrest for burglary : come at once." Dot coidd not arrive before the next day, and so the villagers waited again, this time in tears and doubt, with nurse Moore at their head, the coming of the noon express, and as the cars stopped and the little graceful form sprang from the step into nurse Moore's outstretched arms, and the tear wet face hid for an instant on the broad motherly boscm, a silent groan went up from every heart, then lifting the piquant defiant face with a haughty gesture, Dot looked around and said : "Good friends, it is all some dreadful mis take ; my husband is from one of the oldest and proudest families of Virginia, and I am sorry this dreadful thing has happened. I didn't dream I was sending him, poor dear, as a lamb among lions," here the red lips quivered, "but of course, you don't understand; it will be all explained presently," then with another defiant little nod, she demanded, "take me at once to my dear Herbert." The procession that filed down the village street was so different from the one of a week before, that neither the genuine sorrow all felt for Dot, nor the garrulous explanations of nurse Moore, could quite hide the comical side of the question. After reaching the jail, Dot, with nurse Moore, were admitted at once to the prisoner's cell, and after staring a moment at the handsome occupant, Dot reiterated her command of "take me to my dear 'Herbert." "Why, there he is," explained nurse Moore, pointing to the prisoner, who was viewing the scene with a sardonic smile. Dot turned disdainfully, "that is not my husband ; 1 never saw this man before; where is Herbert, I say V" but nurse Moore had collapsed, sank 011 the tloor in a state bordering on insanity. "Do you mean to say that he is an impostor ?" she shrieked, "that he has fooled us into giving the best victuals and the best bed in the house, while all the time he was planning to rob and murder us in our beds. IIow dare vou do it. sir V" she demanded of the culprit, who, all this time, was standing quietly with the sardonic smile deepening 011 his face, and when nurse Moore broke down utterly under the magnitude of her wrongs, he bowed politely to Dot, who looked slightly bewildered, and said in the blandest manner: "Allow me to explain, Madam, and pray excuse this masquerading. It was not my fault that I had the honor of being taken for the husband of so lovely a woman," another low bow. "In passing through this village on the train, I stepped from the car, with others, for the purpose of getting my dinner, when I was immediately claimed and welcomed as Mr. De Long, and thinking to enjoy a little sport, I did not undeceive them, as after all, the sensation of being 'lord of the manor' for a littlewhile, and having a wife and home made ready to older, was rather a pleasant one, and as you may imagine the garrulity of this good woman furnished me with all necessary particulars, besides," he continued, "the situation offered such unparalleled opportunities for the pursuance of my vocation, that I could iiot resist" the temptation. Pray forgive me Madam, and I abdicate in favor of my successful rival, whom I presume was the elderly gentleman with eye-glasses, who came 011 the train with ! me. 1 discovered that his name was De Long, | from its being tacked conspicuously on liis j traveling-bag, and as lie was readingwhen tlie j train stopped, I infer that lie was so absent| minded as to forget his destination^' after i which explanation, given in the most perfect i manner, with the iuest fascinating smile and ; another graceful bow, which mollified nurse Moore's milled temper, the gentlemanly thief i heaved a deep sigh alul stood looking at his fair visitor with a melancholy air, until the ; door closed between them. "Don't you feel uneasy about your husband, 1 deary?" questioned nurse Moore, when Dot's [ old time happy laugh rang out once more, while explaining the mistake to the friends who crowded around when they were once : . more in the street. [ "Oli! dear, no," she replied, "Herbert is r very absent minded, and I've no doubt but he !. forgot his plan of slopping until well past the 5 station, then concluded to go on, transact his business and stop on his return." "And to think we all made sure he was your \ husband, and, oh ! dear, he has your diamond I ring," said nurse Moore, stopping short, "how [ j did he get that, I should like to know V" j "My ring V" Dot repeated. "Ah ! that ex! plains. Our boarding house was burglarized i last week, and my ring was among the mis| sing ; I am so glad it can he recovered." i At that instant the up-train rounded the i curve, and, with a despairing snort, stopped at the little platform, and Dot eagerly watched | the descending passengers, gave a little cry ! and ran forward to he received in the arms of ! mii I'hlerlv irimtlemnn. slisrhtlv bald, with eve ! glasses, who looked rather bewildered at this i sudden onslaught. i "You did not expect to meet me here, did i you dear V' Dot cried, and wish another hug, then beginning to sob hysterically. "Oh! - Ilarbert, they said such dreadful things and? - and?I was so frightened," with which lucid s explanation Dot's sobs changed into a laugh, s ' while the innocent cause leisurely took off his i glasses, put them on again, took another look s at his wife, as if to assure himself it was no 1 mistake, then throwing a protecting arm I j around her, glared defiantly at nurse Moore, -: who was bobbing little curtesies, and des manded: : "Ahem! madam, who has dared to annoy e my wife V then seeing 110 one was inclined to ' explain, "Dorothy, my love, couldn't you be a r little more lucid in your explanation V" it Nat Smith, who. from a distance, had watch ed the whole proceeding, smiled grimly when he saw Lottie Howard coming down street. "Lottie," he called, "have you seen Dot's husband ?" "No Nat, has he come yet V "Where is he ? Wasn't it the queerest mistake ?" "Look there," he replied, indicating with a wave of his hand, the party now on their way to "The Ilall." Mr. De Long hut half mollified, still glaring defiantly through his glasses, Dot clinging, Hushed and happy, to his arm, with nurse Moore proudly leading the way. "Oil! Nat, that is never Dot's husband," said Lottie, and they both laughed. "There is 110 accounting for tastes," said Nat. "No," replied Lottie, Avoinlering in her heart, how any woman could refuse the man at her side, and Nat, looking curiously at her, must have read her heart, for next month a special license was issued for the marriage of Nathan Smith and Lottie Howard. wammmmmmmmammmkm life in central africa. Central Africa, for centuries almost un Known to tne civinzea worm, una ueen, ior uie last ten or fifteen years, tlie chosen field of the most intrepid travelers and explorers. The names of Livingstone and Stanley have be-, come household words throughout Christendom, and the geography of the "dark continent" has ceased to be the absolute and forbidding mystery which made a wide and dismal blank in the atlases of the last generation. With these famous travelers we may fitly associate their German cotemporary, Dr. Gustav Nachtigal, who has given the world some exceedingly interesting and graphic sketches of the life and customs of the natives of the kingdom of Baghirm. These children of nature appear, as far as can be learned, to have been wholly despoiled by any touch of modern civilization, and are innocent of the slightest symptoms of artificial culture. Their dress is a model of simplicity, the whole outfit consisting of a shirt reaching to the loins, leaving the other parts of the body uncovered ; and many of them regard even this brief garment as too aristocratic, and content themselves with a handkerchief around the head or even a few feathers in the hair. The Kingdom of Baghirm is not of large extent, and its sovereign is ambitious, not unlike his more civilized brethren, to increase his dominion by the annexation of adjoining territory. Meeting with resistance in the prosecution of these designs, lie resorts?again after the manner of the most enlightened potentates?to the enjoyment of force. Repeating lilies and artillery of the European pattern being wholly unknown in that region, lie substitutes lances and clubs, the only weapons known to the War Department of Baghirm. Tlio rrwHiririsi nf rlcfense adonted hv the invn decl 'community ure rude but effective. Instead of digging rifle-pits, or erecting earthworks, the tribe simply mount the gigantic cotton trees, among whose protecting branches the lances of the attacking pally cannot reach them. This tree is admirably adapted for the purpose of a refuge or fortification, being high, and having usually no branches lower than fifteen feet from the ground. The branches, moreover, are very thick and grow almost horizontally ; so that by laying sticks across them and adding a covering of straw, a foundation is obtained for a hut, in which a whole family, including the dogs and goats, can live comfortably and socially. A single tree ordinarily contains two or three families. At night, when no attack is apprehended, the dwellers in this singular- habitation come down and lay in a fresh stock of water and provisions, always hiding the latter as securely as possible. These natuial forts are found, whenever assailed, to be almost impregnable, so long as only the native resources of warfare are used against them. Having no fire-arms, the enemy cannot reach them except by storming each tree, and any attempt to set lire to it is met by the besieged party, who extinguish the flame by jtouriug water upon it or beating it down with sticks. Both in attack and defense, but especially in the latter, these people display the most stubborn courage. The members of the tribe of which a conquest is sought will fight for their liberty to the bitter end, knowing that the sure result of defeat is a horrible death or hopeless slavery. As a last resort, rather than submit to capture, they will climb to the top of the tree and throw themselves down to meet inevitable death. The Methodist Ciiuuch South.?The Methodist Episcopal Church South is next to the largest of all the Methodist bodies in the world. TheGeneral Conference which recently closed at Nashville, Tenn., settled the policy of the denomination on several questions, for at least four years to come. It refused to change the Discipline so as to make women eligible as Sunday-school superintendents. It petitioned Congress against the carrying of mails on Sunday. It declined to amend the general rule forbidding the use of intoxicating beverages, so as to make it also prohibit their manufacture and sale; but it inveighed against intemperance, and provided that dealers in alcoholic drinks might be proceeded against under the law of the Church relating to imprudent conduct. As to the marriage of persons divorced for other causes than adultery, the ? 4 i VUIA* >\<l?> UllcllllllIlUID blltlL IIU j'lcauuci UU^Ul tKJ olliciate in such cases ; but it was decided not to put any provision in the Discipline on the subject. In the matter of amusements, a strenuous effort was made to put all dancing, theatricals, circuses and card-playing under a ban ; but it failed, and the law, which leaves such diversions to be dealt with by the local churches, was left unaltered. Indulgence in tobacco was not forbidden, but a resolution was passed deprecating an intemperate use of the weed. The use of the revised New Testament in Sunday-schools was ordered to be discontinued. A proposition to assess all members equally for the support of the church, and expel those who refused to pay when able to do so, was rejected. The denomination was asked to celebrate the centennial of Episcopal Methodism, in 1SK4, by contributing S"2,0()0,000 to be applied to missions, education and church extension. IIome Love.?Home love is the best love. Tim 1mvi> tlnif vim sii-i? hum to is flip, best that you will ever have on earth. You, who are so anxious? to escape from the home-uest, pause ami remember this is so. It is right that the hour should come when you, in your turn, should become a wife and a mother and give the best love to others ; but that will be just | it. Nobody, not a lover?not a husband?will ever be so tender or so true as your mother or your father. Never again, after strangers have broken the beautiful bond, will there be anything so sweet as the little circle of mother, father and children, where you were cherished, i protected, praised and kept from harm. You i may not know it now, but you will know it ! some day. Whomsoever you may marry, true ! and good though he may be, will, after the i love days are over and the honey-moon has I waned, give you only what you deserve of love i and sympathy?and usually much less ; lest i you lose that love which came in through the ! eye, because the one who looked thought you : beautiful. Hut those who bore you, Who loved you when you were that dreadful little object, i a small baity, and thought you exquisitely beautiful and wonderfully brilliant?they do i not care for faces that are fairer and forms j that are more graceful than yours. You are | their very own, and so better to them always | than others.?(Itristiau <it Work. Courtesy costs nothing. It is the outward exhibition of a kindly disposition ; and a kindly disposition is a kingly disposition, j Therefore, whatever si man's business, whatever his toil that brings him into contact with his fellow men, let him speak and act with j courtesy to every man. In general, it will ue ! appreciated?often it will not be ; but it is not 1 a question of appreciation, but a question of j a man's own inherent royalty. To be discourteous to any one is simply to knot and gnarl I the sweetness of one's own heart ; that sweetness that gladdens life, that cheers its outward j expression, that gives a man, even in humblest | life, the mission of a sunbeam, kissing away cold and decay and wooing into beauty and ' usefulness. | |Jli5ccUflttC0us ^ciidiug. A BORDER ADVENTURE. The close of August, ISiJO, found me by one of those strange freaks fortune is ever playing on us poor mortals, alone and on horseback following one of the wildest, dreariest roads I ever chanced upon. I need not stop to relate the occurrences of events that led me to take this trip to the far west, as it in no way concerns my story. Suflice to say, it was necessary for me to carry concealed in a belt around my person, several thousand dollars in hard cash. As may be supposed this did not tend to lessen the vague sense of fear that I had held from the start, especially when I knew well the fact that the route through which I was to pass was infested by a band of lawless robbers, who would hesitate to commit no crime that might place them in the way to enrich themselves. I was armed to the teeth however, and I resolved not to yield my treasure. Among the band of outlaws who infested the route was a wild, swarthy half-breed, known as lted Gilmont ; he was leader of the company. It was well known that he was the perpetrator of countless murders; and though heavy rewards were offered for his capture and delivery at Burksville, then a small frontier settlement, he had as yet eluded all pursuit, and seemingly safe in his unknown retreat, still followed his illegal calling. This, as may I readily be expected, served to place me more on my guara ; una i imu reacneu tut; umi.-wny point of niy journey unmolested. I had begun to entertain the hope that I should reach my destination safely, when an event occurred which aroused my suspicions, and sent a shade of doubt through my mind. Late in the afternoon of a dark, gloomy day found me 30 miles from my last halting place. As yet I had noticed nothing that excited my suspicions, save indeed, a solitary horseman who came up behind me at a slow pace, nosy and then disappearing entirely around some thickly wooded bend in the road. He might be a traveler like myself whom business had sent in the direction of Burksville. Having thus settled this point I dismissed the subject altogether from my mind, till the low growl of thunder behind me gave warning the storm that had so long been gathering was about to burst upon me. Looking back on the level road I had passed, I was somewhat surprised to find that the strange horseman had disappeared ; and not a human being met my gaze. For the first time during the day a feeling of grave suspicion crept over me. What had become of my fellow-traveler V Stay ; perhaps he had halted at some of the lnnulv / uliiiiu tlisif U'PI'd ?/>ut fni'Pfl Jllmifr Hlf route. This thought furnished me some satisfaction till I remembered, with a desponding heart, that he had passed no cabin for the last two hours. The liltle straggling settlements that thus far cheered my route seemed to have vanished, and nothing met my gaze save a long dark stretch of thick foliage wood penetrated alone by the narrow road I was following. I gave a hasty glance at the lowering aspect of the sky behind, and dashing the spurs into my noble horse's flank, 1 rode smartly forward, solely intent on gaining some place of shelter. I had proceeded but a short distance in this way when my horse started sharply back, pricking up his ears and snorting wildly. 1 drew up the bridle check tightly and looked carefully around me in the vain attempt to I learn what had startled my steed so violently. Dismounting, I led my horse slowly forward, cautiously pulling aside the bushes that skirtI ed the road on either side, and peering through into the forest. Nothing of a suspicious character met my gaze, and coming to the concluI sion that my horse had been frightened at some passing object, possibly a squirrel, I was about to leap into the saddle again when a bit of paper fastened to a bush, caught my attention. Hastily advancing, I grasped the paper, and unfolding it, read : "About three miles ahead is the old "Three Oak Inn." Do not turn at a fork of the road which you will find about a mile 011 from here. If you do, look out for trouble." "Well, I must say this is a strange epistle. Who I wonder, has taken so much trouble to warn me of danger ? lla ! This might be only a trap to get me into danger. I will turn at the fork in the road. Come, Rover," I kept on as I vaulted intothesaddle," we must ! -i. i i ! wail Here IIU lUJlgd. xucic 13 ct atunu ^auining over the hills, and we must be looking for shelter." Even as I spoke a gust of wind, accompanied by a few drops of rain precursory of the coming storm greeted us from behind, and touching Rover slightly on the side with my whip, we bounded forward into the fast gathering darkness. I intended to reach the Three Oak Inn, if possible, before the force of the temiiest came upon us. Iiardly had we passed a hundred yards when the gale broke in fury around us. It was not long ere I reached the fork in the road and though I had previously resolved to follow the turn, I almost instinctively halted at the fork and deliberated hastily upon my best plan for action. It might be, as the strange message said, that there was danger on the straight road ; but the more I thought of it the more I became convinced that it was only a decoy to draw me from my direct route for 110 good purpose. This hastily formed conclusion I acted upon, and turned the corner and again dashed on. On through the raging tempest; and though I was almost sure I had passed more than two miles, still there was no sign of the inn I had so confidently expected to find. I gradually perceived that the road had dwindled to a mere path. Drawing my horse to a walk I proceeded rather more carefully, peering intently ahead for the light from the wished-l'or tavern. Picking my way slowly on, suddenly saw the blight light gleaming before me ; and cheered by the sight and by the thought that I should soon he out of the storm I urged my horse on at a little quicker pace, itie light did not seem more than half that distance when it suddenly disappeared, leaving me in more than Egyptian darkness. Thinking that perhaps it was hidden by a tree, or some intervening object, I peered anxiously through the darkness in the direction I had last seen the light, but in vain ; all was total darkness before me. While wondering at this I was somewhat startled by the reappearance of the light, this time still farther in advance than before. I did not pause long to consider this strange event, but at once hastened on. I had approached somewhat nearer to the bearer this time and was congratulating myself on a good shelter for the night, when the light again vanished. Satisfied now that something was wrong, or that I had followed a will-o-thewisp, I grojied my way through the trees. But stay 1 1 now had a clue to the mysterious light. I had been lured out here in the darkness by a lantern in the handsof a villain, and for none of the best purposes. I thought of the message I had found on the road and of thesolitary horseman, and almost unconsciously connected them with the wandering light. Ah ! it was no Jack-o'-lantern. I had been the victim of some foul play. 1 wished I had lri.Mt / > fill, clvnirrlit. now. Xl) doullt the villain, whoever lie was, knew I would follow his direction, and he gave me the road he did not wish 1110 to follow. While forming this conclusion I unconsciously wandered on, and a few minutes later 1 come suddenly to what seemed to me to he a rude hedge, and pushing through, I found myself on the verge of a large clearing. The storm had thus far darkened ; the night was spent, and the torn edges of the moon drifted swiftly on her pathway. There came a steady step close behind me, and before I could place myself in an attitude of defense, the cold muzzle of a pistol pressed my brow and a cool voice said : "Well, my friend, your turn in the road has led you into the wrong box, eh ? Can't you tell a turn from a straight road V Hut we will help you out? oh, yes ! Hut lirst let us relieve you of that belt. Come, Hill, take the stranger's horse while 1 see the chink."' As the man spoke three sprang from the hedge and grasped my horse by the bridle. The lirst comer, who appeared to be captain of the gang, still pressed the pistol to my throbbing brow, and kept on : "Yes. stranger, you are a prisoner, and when I tell you that I am Red Guilmont, perhaps you will understand why you are here. But we will have done with the preliminaries and to business. If you will give me the money I know you have with you, you, shall go safe to the settlements ; if not, we shall not hesitate to take it. In that case I cannot answer for the consequence. Which do you choose V" "I will yield my treasure but with my life 1" I cried, as I drew my hand from beneath my cloak, disclosing a sturdy six-shooter, which I immediately leveled on the two who held my horse. Grasping Red Guilmount's pistol hand firmly in mine, I pulled quickly ; and as the sharp reports rang out on thfe stillness of the night two burly ruffians sank to the ground. Dealing the outlaw a heavy blow on the head, I spurred my horse and went off like the wind. Another moment and Red Guilmont was mounted and on my track. My horse, being already jaded from "long travel, was not equal to the occasion, and my pursuer gained rapidly upon me. I do.not think he was more than ten rods behind me when my horse slid back on his haunches, almost unseating me, and gazing ahead I saw that we stood just on the brink of a sheer precipice. I instantly turned my horse to one side, dismrtnntPfl ran hack a few naces and awaited the approach of the outiaw. Just as he arrived opposite to where I stood, he attempted to rein in his horse, knowing that I must either iiave gone over the precipice or was somewhere near. I saw the moment to rein in and sprang from my hiding place with a terriflic yell, which so frightened his horse that he dashed on, and in a moment more was over the precipice. I soon found my way to Burkesviile, and there related my story. The next day a party was organized to search for the outlaw, and the mangled remains of horse, and rider were found at the foot of the cliff. BRILLIANCY* OF STARLIGHT. Owing to the vast space through which it shines, the starlight which we behold is only a congregation of soft glimmers, in no case bright enough to cast a shadow ; but, really, these apparently small and unimportant.bodies are centres of tremenduous heat and vivid glory which in many cases, far exceeds that of our sun. Although the nearest star is scarcely less than *20,000,000,DUO,0U0 of miles from our system, astronomers have succeeded in demonstrating a number of important facts connected with sideral economy. Several stars are found to greatly resemble our sun both in size and general appearance ; while others reveal much larger proportions, and express lustre and heat sufficient to vaporize our entire system, were it within the scope of their appalling influence. Sirus, the brightest of all stars, cannot be less than J,500,000 miles in diameter; whilehis entire bulk seems a mass of vivid dame, producing among other properties, an electric force that sends light far beyond the frontier where the star itself ceases to be visible ; and Capella, whose position is several times farther away, vastly exceeds even these ample dimensions. Were our sun in the locality of this beautiful globe, it would only appear as a star or rue iounn maguituue, aim wuuiu mn itveal sullicient light to attract special attention. The wonderful space-penetrating power of starlight is illustrated to some extent by the fact that when beheld at night each star will give us exactty the same brilliancy as when seen six months hence, although our position in the meantime will have shifted fully 180,000,(XX) of miles. This change is sufficient to greatly affect the lustre of all visible planets?even Jupiter when farthest away showing scarcely more than half the light i\e does at apposition. And the moon, which in her present position seems so bright and beautiful, if at the distance of the nearest planet, would only reveal a little twinkling star. This is easily proven by a simple experiment which any one can make: A small telescope that magnifies twenty diameters, when held still will make an object twenty miles away appear as it would to the unaided eye at a distance of one mile. By inverting the glass and looking from its larger end, everything is seen with only one twentieth of its real diameter and consequently a twenty-fold increase of seeming distance. One night when the full moon was shining through a remarkably clear sky, and from a portion of her orbit about 240,000 miles from the earth, I reversed a glass of the above description so as to increase her appparent distance to 4,800,000, and thus observed that the planet looked like a large star, with about the same light that Jupiter exhibits when seen at best advantage. Thus was our satelite 5,500,000 of miles beyond her present path. The brilliant sphere would utterly disappear, and only a scintillating reilection of its glow bp thrown on our nresent atmosphere ; but an added distance of 180,000,000 of miles makes no perceptible difference in the light that comes from any star. And these blazing orbs are not only of titan individual importance, but also so numerous that no conception of their number can be formed. A telescope which enables us to look into space two thousand times farther than with unaided vision fails to reveal the shore of that mighty starocean by which we are encompassed, and only shows a continuous army of worlds, so dense in extreme distance that the back-ground is one boundless sheet of glowing white. Such facts convey a slight revelation of creation's larger orders, and intimate the comparative minuteness of our ability and undertakings. One there is, however, who comprehends and directs all this ponderous machinery. Ilis sustaining hand is behind every condition. All things observable in sky above and earth below, for those who are willing to read, display a pertinent account of that affectionate government whose equal rule impels a tiny planet to accomplish its mission, and directs each movement of mighty galaxies 1 Ax Opkn Field.?In this great country of ours we are continually wanting more food ; our demands keen nace with the supply, while if there be ;t superabundance, our cousins across the water are glad enough to take it from us. It follows, then, that there is to be money made in farming. People must eat ; therefore the food-producer has tiie means of independence at hand. Why do not young men possessed of small capital dismiss all idea of a professional or mercantile life and turn farmers V The problem of how to make a living can be more satisfactorily solved by falling | back on the soil than by any other exi>eriment. I There are still cheap lands in the West and I South, and if a young man lacks money to farm on a big scale, he can begin in a smaller way, and I by stock raising, small fruits, truck patching | or some other limited essays in this wholesome i and useful field of agriculture secure a living, j and, with reasonable fortune, in time a competence. There are hundreds of young men in ; cities, who could in a few years, save up j | enough money, if they were so inclined, to buy J a little place and devote themselves to raising j food for the ever increasing millions of con- j | sinners in the country. With all the hardships i ! of farm life, and thev have been greatly exag gerated, it is the happiest life known to j men. It is freer from the bickerings and the | worriments and the tortuous devices and tlie j selfish rivalries and the antagonisms that mark 1 I the struggle of humanity for food, shelter and I clothing than any other mode of existence. It: i is a life which is commonly attended with j | health, with good appetite and digestion, j i sound sleep, clear complexion, expanded lungs, ' | linn muscles, an open mind and an untroubled [ I conscience. A farmer is his own master, and ; j to be that is a thing to be coveted and sought j ; after. The brave and energetic young fellow i j who has made a good selection of a little farm | I in a well-watered valley, and who means to be j : forehanded and avoid debt and slavery, can in j time, unless be is signally unfortunate, be his ; own master in every proper sense, and be will' find bis free and beautiful open-air lifea thou-' sand-fold happier than the artificial life of | towns. Here there is a field that is ever ojien. There is no danger of its being overcrowded. There will always be a tendency to rush into the cities for the excitements which flourish I there, and the wise and ardent young men who i turn their backs on these false" shows and go J straightway to nature will come out liest in the long run, and enjoy life in a simple, and 1 wholesome way as they go along. WAR TELEGRAPHING. The Union army in 1862 lay camped on the . north bank of the Rappahannock, opposite what was to be to the Union soldiers the disastrous field of Fredericksburg. On the bank of the river, in the extreme front of the Union line, stood the house of Mrs. Gray, a long, rambling stone building, whose front of three stories faced the river. The roof sloped steeply toward the rear, while the stone side was but one story high. Mrs. Gray herself, an elderly widow, received the Union advance with every demonstration of welcome, and in the course of time it became a favorite rendezvous for young officers. A prime cause for this, aside from Mrs. Gray's cheerful hearth and good fare, was the beauty of her daughter .Sallie, a brunette of perhaps twenty years. A young lieutenant was badly wounded by those batteries, and spent all his spare time at the feet of the fair Southerner, who professed such sympathy with the Union cause. Late one rainy night a sentinel pacing back and forth before the stone front of the Gray house heard a faint but sharp noise cutting the air. It sounded like the click of a telegraph instrument and it seemed to come from beneath his feet. Greatly perplexed he called the sergeant of the guard. They listened carefully and were presently joined by the gallant lover of Sallie Gray. Conviction of treachery smote his heart and with the sergeant he unceremoniously entered the Gray dwelling. Sallie and her mother, despite the late hour, were busily sewing by a table in the siting-room. The ladies rose in apparent surprise and indignation at the intrusion. "Step aside if you please," said the sergeant. "What does this mean ?" asked Mrs. Gray sharply. "Frank, I appeal to you for protection," cried the young lady to the lieutenant. That officer could only shake his head and sternly wave her aside. "You are false. You have deceived me," he said hoarsely, as the girl who had promised to be his bride sank sobbing upon a' sofa. The soldiers could hear the ticking more plainly now. They moved the table, lifted the carpet, and discovered a trap-door leading to a cellar of whose existence they had no suspicion. A light below was instantly quenched, but they fearlessly descended and discovered a tegeraph instrument with an insulated wire running through the cellar wall, and evidently passing under the river to the enemy on the opposite side. Crouching in a comer was the operator, a young and handsome man, who had never before been seen about the house, having lived for days in the cellar. "You are my prisoner" irom the sergeant brought the distressed wail from poor Sallie of "My husband, oh, my husband." The heart of the Union lieutenant went back once more to the mrl lin lpff luihinH lnm But notwithstanding the detection of this line of communication, the enemy seemed to know every movement of the Union troops. It was a mystery to the officers how they gained their "knowledge. There were no more telegraph wires, and there was no passing across the river. At last the mystery was solved. Within the Union lines, but in sight of the enemy, there stood a low frame house occupied by a negro who did washing for the soldiers. He hung his clothes to dry in the front yard ; but it was noticed that in the porch there hung three flannel shirts, one red, and one white and one blue. The negro said they were his Union colors. But the shirts were not always in the same position, and a suspicious sergeant finally became convinced that the negro used them to signal across the Rappahannock. The arrest of the negro and the effectual use of the shirt to deceive instead of to inform the enemy followed. At another time tne army of the Potomac were nearing Berlin, Virginia. To receive orders in the rear the troops had laid ten miles of insulated wire, running through the woods, now beneath the leaves and again among the tree-tops. It was impossible to picket the entire line, and a large part of it was exposed; but it was thought to be effectually concealed. A scout lying in ambush one day heard a sound like the ticking of a clock. Creeping forward, he was astonished to see a "Johnny" in his gray uniform sitting 011 the ground and chuckling to himself, and busily writing. The scout sprang to his feet and leveling his revolver, said to the laughing rebel: "What are you doing here ?" "I surrender," was the chagrined reply, the smiles suddenly disappearing. The scout discovered that the* rebel had cut the wire and had connected the ends with a loop running into a clock, the electricity securing the escapement so that the messages ticked themselves plainly into the rebel's ear. The ingenious machine was captured with the rebel.?Philadelphia Press. Southern' Flowers.?Magnolia blossoms are a sight to be remembered, whole trees full of the splendid things, pale, creamy, and glistening. In full bloom some of the flowers :ipp nparlv a font in diameter. The llowerintr pomegranate rises into into a good-sized tree, fifteen to twenty feet high. The finest variety of flowers are of a brilliant, burning red color. You remember the little corral plant, with its dusky-red poke-bonnet shaped flowers. This favorite little shrub likewise becomes a tree in the South. It is found in nearly all the yards and grounds as common as lilacs around pretty, old-fashion Northern homes. Ilere, too, is that marvellous shower of perfumes, the rare, sweet, fragrant olive, growing huge and luxuriant, like the pomegranate and coral tree. The cluna tree is as large as an elm, and bears a flowers like a lilac blossom. Another fine flowering tree is the viburnum, and still another, a beauty, the Mexican url. Indeed, the flowering trees and shrubs of the South seem innumerable. There are the same profusion and variety of ornamental climbers. Sweet-scented honeysuckles wander at will in full bloom. At thousands of pretty homes the columns and frontsof verandas are densely covered with the jessamine vine, bearing thousands of flowers. This beautiful jessamine thrives like a Northern morning-glory in June. It covers fences and archways and everything else the human fancy may contrive for it to grow on. There are several varieties of it, % 11 J 4 l.n I..n.nl.' IvAH^nm uoiii ciiiuuers iinu smuus?mc i? imined cape jessamine we know in the North, then the star, the spiral, the yellow, and doubtless others still. The showy scarlet abutilon grows to a size and in a profusion unknown with us. So do this hibiscus and the amaryllis. In a word, nearly every rare plant we admire most and treasure and pot in our greenhouses is found here outdoors and in a size and abundance that look like luxuriance gone crazy. So far as I could discover, only a few plants, such as the heliotrope, ever need protection from the frost. Tijk Hiudgk of Sigiis.?A corresi>ondei!t describing;his first walk in Venice says: "At every few yards a waterway runs into the main artery, and you have to mount the steps to the arched bridge. On one ol' these bridges there is an excellent view of the Tiridge of Sighs, rising above the same canal. Then by a few steps, and you are standing by the beautiful columns which support the famous lion of St. Mark and St. Theodore on a crocodile? the iirst being the tutelary saint of the city, and patron, the other of ancient 'Republic.' This spot was, in olden times, the place of execution, and as we step across it now the vision of a scaffold, an assembled crowd and a manacled human creature come up between us and sights of St. Mark's square beyond, the most interesting place in the mest interesting of cities whose 'history is a romance and existence a dream.' Hundreds and hundreds of pigeons crowd the stone pavement, and little children and their nurses are feeding 41? I''" "" ..I/v/.? .-cj n/.nifl nrui'f .1,117 tn 111, lllt'iu. l mac luiuc c?cij ?.?>v fed, and tradition lias it that they arc the descendants of a flock Admiral Dandolo used in beseigingthe island of C'andia. They brought him intelligence which greatly aided him in the capture, and he afterwards sent them to Venice, where they have ever since lieen carefully tended. When the musicis playing they keep up a regular dance in the air and seem to delight it the sweet sounds."