University of South Carolina Libraries
lewis m. grist, proprietor. [ % |nkjpbtnt Jfamilg fttfospaptr:. J;or fjit |)romofioit of % political, Sotial, ^gritullural anb Commmial |nfmsts of % ?>outIj. Jterms--$2.50 a year, in advance, vol,. 32. YOEKYILLE, S C., THURSDAY, AJSTTJARY 14,1886. ISTO. .fit ?cujifial Jfotjr. Written for the Yorkville Enquirer. AN UNQUIET LIFE. By Stanley StClair. CHAPTER III. Magdalen's feelings, as she drove off with Mrs. Fairfax, were those of unqualified exultation and delight. As the carriage reached a curve in the road which hid the Asylum from view, she mentally registered a vow that she would, if possible, never set eyes on it again. She had too much confidence in her own capabilities to fear such ' ' ~ a ^ - - ? ? krt /?!? kt? a contingency as mat 01 uemgseub uab& Mrs. Fairfax. Already she secretly measured her will with that of the frail, gentle lady at her side, and believed her own to be the stronger of the two. . Mrs. Fairfax, after one or two commonplace remarks, sank back among the cushions and relapsed into silence. She looked weary and preoccupied, and Magdalen, of 1 course, did not venture to interrupt her s reflections. A half hour's drive brought them to the house which the young girl already regarded as her future home. It was a large, handsome residence in a quiet street?the same in which we first made the acquaintance of its mistress prior to her illfated journey with her husband to Nova Scotia. Ill-fated, indeed. Richard Fairfax, after an apparently wonderful improvement in health, had experienced a sudden unexpected return of his former malady, which in a few days Glided his life. While Emily was still stupefied by her loss, lay stricken and prostrated beneath the blow, came the tidings of the mysterious disappearance of little Hilda, the thought of whom had been her mother's sole remaining solace. She returned home, the shadow of her former cheerful self, to find that Ellen Stevenson, the nurse, had just- died of brain Sever, brought on, as the physicians said, by agil-i: ? /."/.Unmn t on/4 calf.ronrnfloh Pnn ItUlUlJ, CAUICIliC. V UIIU uvu sequent upon the baby's loss. Thus, within a few weeks, she was deprived of husband, child and faithful friend?for such, indeed, Ellen had been, although in an humble station in life; her experience, good sense and kindly disposition rendering her an invaluable aid to the young bride who came at the age of eighteen to her husband's house, to assume the novel responsibilities of married life. The deepest mystery still hung about the child's abduction; mystery which the most vigilant search, the most careful inquiry, had failed to clear up. Four months had now passed since the event, and Mrs. Fairfax had lost all hope, although the matter was still in the hands of the detectives, who were untiring in their efforts to obtain a clue. Large rewards had, of course, been offered, and if the child were alive, she would certainly some day be found?so said those who had undertaken the search. But her mother believed her to be dead. She had accepted that conviction almost from the first. The continued suspense and strain upon her nervous system had so greatly undermined her health that an entire change of scene was pronounced necessary, and she had waited, as we have seen, only until she could effect suitable arrangements to close s up her establishment and go abroad. On reaching home she conducted Magdalen at once to the room she had appointed for her use. It was a pretty little chamber in the third story, simply but suitably furnished, and with a cheerful outlook. But Magdalen, who had caught sight, in ascendthefrtairs, of more spacious and luxurious apartments, felt a momentary sensation of discontent, and wondered why such cramped quarters had been assigned to her. Her first proceeding was to exchange her gingham frock for her Sunday suit, which looked better away from the Asylum than when it figured as a uniform among all the rest. It fitted her shapely figure well, and the color and style were becoming, though the texture was not fine. Magdalen was ' * 5 Lrt.4 .? ?/\a/1 fsxwavi nnrl I HOC nanusume, uuiant; miu u f;wuu u/uu miu carriage, a thoughtful, intelligent face, and a clear, soft brunette complexion. "If I only had some scarlet ribbons!" she thought regretfully, as she pinned her collar with her plain brooch. "However, it doesn't matter much what I wear at present, and after a while ?" She fell to musing on future possibilities, and remained in a reverie for some moments, until a knock at the door aroused her, and a neat looking colored girl put in her head with the announcement that dinner was ready. Magdalen fancied that her tone lacked respect, and assumed her most stately air as she swept from her room in answer to the summons. It was reported in the kitchen that "the young lady from the 'sylum had mighty stuck-up manners." The first impression that she made on the domestics of the establishment was not a favorable one. Dinner, with Mrs. Fairfax, seemed to be a mere form. She scarcely more than tasted what was put upon her plate. Magdalen, though she really had a good appetite, feared to commit a breach of good manners by eating too heartily, especially as it was embarrassing to her to have no one to keep her in countenance, and she was just debating within herself whether to take another slice of delicious chicken-pie, or to lay down her knife and fork, when there was a ring at the bell, and "Mr. Burton," was announced. Mr. Burton proved to be a slender, rather distinguished-looking young gentleman, a cousin of Mrs. Fairfax. He was invited to sit down to dinner, the hostess assuring him rthat Miss Frost had not yet dined, and thus encouraged, Magdalen allowed herself to be helped to the pie. Mr. Burton, on being introduced, bowed politely to Miss Frost, then turned his attention to his cousin, directing his conversation wholly to her, and apparently forgetting Magdalen's presence, for he did not even once look at her again. "He probably knows I am the companion," thought Magdalen resentfully. "No . Ka 2I10II fpotif inons an pnnal hofnro timtlUl J UV J4IU11 ilVMV ??V V?? ./V.W.X, very long." After dinner they retired to the parlor. Mrs. Fairfax took some knitting, Mr. Burton drew an easy chair near the sofa and made himself comfortable, and Magdalen quietly stationed herself in the low, broad seat of a recessed window, where she could look out on the street. There was not much to be seen; an occasional equipage drove by, and there were a few passengers on foot. But in spite of the feeling of discomfort she had already experienced, she found herself so much happier to be sitting here than in her accustomed place at the Asylum, that she cared little for view. The aristocratic atmosphere into which she had been transplanted was thoroughly congenial to her. How nice it was to dine at six, instead of half past one, and have nothing to do but to amuse oneself the rest of the evening! At the Asylum, they were now just sitting down to their tea. She recalled with a little shudder of distaste the long narrow tables with their coarse cloths, the heavy china plates and cups, the huge stacks of thick bread and butter at regular intervals. Was it possible that she should ever sit at those tables again ? No, surely; if by any effort, any exercise of discretion, on her; part, she could avoid such a fate, it never should be hers. She felt very contented now to sit still and think, to enjoy her new freedom. But she was like a bird just let out of a cage, resting and pluming its feathers before trying its wings. Heights of ambition were before her to be scaled, flights of fancy to be gratified. All that would soon come. She was measuring her possibilities, gathering up a store of courage and resolution for future use; she did not need them yet. She was proud, but she would be submissive; she loved herself, but she would not think of her own pleasure?yet. She would be all that Mrs. Fairfax desired?until the compact between them was secure; not until then would she try to assert her power. The stakes before her were too important for her to venture to play a rash or careless game. Who can Kfei tell what flattering visions passed before her in that day-dream, what gorgeous castles her fancy erected ? Her name, uttered in Mrs. Fairfax's gentle tones, startled her out of her reverie. "Miss Frost, I am sorry to trouble you; but would you be so very kind as to go upstairs on an errand for me? It tires me so to go up and down." "Certainly, Mrs. Fairfax." She came forward with alacrity. "What can I do for you ?" "Please go to my room?the second door from the stairs to the right?and look in the upper drawer of my bureau for some more ot this white wool I'm using. There is a bunch of it wrapped in silver paper. Separate an ounce of it, and bring it down to me." Again the ?esentful feeling swelled in Magdalen's bosom as she left the parlor. Could she not have rung lor a servant to uo this errand?" "Is she the young woman you spoke of getting to live with you?" asked Frederick Burton of his cousin, when Magdalen was out of hearing. "I have her on trial. She only came this afternoon. I cannot tell yet whether she will suit me or not." "Burton laughed a little. "You won't find her very submissive," he said. "Howdo you know?" "Have you noticed her eyebrows?" "Not particularly." "Well, they indicate tern j>er. Her mouth and chin bespeak a strong will. But I think she is clever and she looks like a lady. There is a great deal in having a ladylike companion. You never could stand a coarse unrefined person about you." "You make me a little uneasy, however, Frederick," rejoined Mrs. Fairfax, looking troubled. "What I want is an amiable girl rather than a pleasant one, somebody who is obliging and patient, and has a good heart. If I thought this girl was bad-tempered, I'd send her right back," "Oh, but I didn't say anything about her being bad-tempered," said Mr. Burton. I meant that she probably possessed a resolute temper, which in some cases is a very good thing, and she is not likely to have it tried in your companionship. You are too amiable yourself to arouse any unkind feelings in others. I.have an idea that you will get on with her very easily." "I hope so, I am sure," sighed Mrs. Fairfax. "i am so anxious to get everything cpfflpr] ^ "When do you sail?" "If I decide to keep Magdalen, I shall take our Dassage in the Brunswick, which sails August 3rd. w "Sosoon! I am sure I wish that I were going too." Here Magdalen entered with the worsted. Mrs. Fairfax thanked her, and as she was about to return to her post at the window, said kindly, "Don't go off there by yourself, but take that little rocking-chair near the table. You will find it more comfortable than the window seat." Magdalen complied, and Mr. Burton, at his cousin's request, rang for lights. Mrs. Fairfax went on with her knitting. Her hands were very thin and white, and on one finger glittered a superb diamond?her engagement ring, the only ornament she wore. Magdalen watched it shine and sparkle in the lamplight; she envied the fairness and softness of those childish-looking hands? her own were not rough or coarse, but they were somewhat embrowned by exposure and household work. She mentally resolved to put them under a restorative treatment at once. * "I wish you would play for me, Frederick," said Mrs. Fairfax, presently. "Music is the only thingl care for, now. You know the sort I like." He rose immediately and went to the piano, which stood in the next room. His touch was masterly, and from the keys he drew a charmingly soft, sweet strain. Mrs. Fairfax laid down her work and leaned back her head, and, in a moment or two, Magdalen saw a tear steal from her closed lids. Another and another followed, and then, as if suddenly overpowered by an uncontrollable emotion, she rose from the sofa, and swiftly, though noiselessly, left the room. Mr. Burton continued playing, unconscious that he had but one listener. Magdalen wondered whether she had better go or stay. While she was wondering, he ceased and left the piano. nnnein io imf hnra ho CdlM 1 tl fin UU IIIJ U/UOlll AO UWV IIV1V) AAV/ cutvt *% . easy tone resuming his former seat. "I hope I didn't bore her by strumming too long." "I am quite sure you did not," she rejoined, speaking as easily as he did. "I think she seemed a little overcome; and went away, probably, to recover herself." "Where the deuce did you pick up that tone?" thought Mr. Burton. "Do they teach society manners at the Foundling Hospital?" For he was not clear as to the precise nature of the institution of which she had been an inmate. Magdalen looked so composed and dignified that he felt it incumbent upon him to continue the conversation. "I suppose," he remarked, "you are aware of the trouble?I should say the deep affliction?Mrs. Fairfax is now enduring." "I know something of it, but not all the particulars. Her husband died recently, did he not?" "Yes, while they were away from home. And she also lost her only child, a lovely little girl, under very singular circumstances. The child was stolen, and no tidings of her have ever been received." "How very sad," said Magdalen. "Most sad, indeed. It is no wonder that Mrs. Fairfax finds it difficult to be consoled." "She intends going abroad, she tells me. Probably she will find a change beneficial," remarked Magdalen. "Probably?at all events, let us hope that such will be the case." All this was very proper and natural, and Magdalen spoke quite as any ordinary young lady would ; but to Mr. Burton the situation was beginning to be a little tiresome. Perhaps he would have felt it to be in some degree ludicrous, only for the fact that he was bored. Mr. Burton was a young gentleman easily bored; there were very few people whom he found interesting?of these few, his cousin Emily was however one. He had always been very fond of her, and at one period of his life had been very near asking her to marry him, but just then poor Richard Fairfax stepped in and won the prize. Burton had never owed him any grudge. He had even consoled himself philosophically with the reflection that a bachelor existence was perhaps the most comfortable; and he and Emily's husband had been excellent friends. He felt very sorry for her now, and very anxious to be of some use, to show his sympathy in some practical way. So he was a good deal on hand, transacted as much of her business as she put it in his way to do, and brought her a little cheerful news now and then to divert her mind. She, poor thing, was not selfish in her sorrow. She tried always to think of others, and never gave way to her feelings when she could help it, except in : K?l,l t.?? c.w.ro/1 in pnvacv. one neiu nvi guv-i n?*/ chuvk h. be earlesslv displayed. Burton was relieved when she came back. She looked very quiet and sad, and her eyes were heavy with recent weeping; but she spoke in her ususal tone, and soon afterwards Frederick Burton rose to go. "I shall see you to-morrow," he said as he shook hands. "Take care of yourself. Good-night, Miss Snow." Had he, then, really been so inattentive as not to pay heed to her name; or had the drift of it impressed him in a general way, without his coming to remember it accurately? Magdalen felt a hot inward flush?it did not color her cheeks?but she only smiled a little and said, "You have made a mistake, but it does not matter. My name is not Snow, but Frost. In one sense they are a good deal alike." Burton was genuinely vexed with himself. "Pray, pardon me," he said sincere f ly. "I am never good at recollecting names, but I shall be quite certain of yours in future." And he held out his hand, which at first he had not intended to do. She took : it pleasantly, feeling that she was becom! ing more assured of her ground. But she J was still a novice, and was conscious of a nervous sensation when she was again alone : with Mrs. Fairfax. The latter, however, j was entirely taken up with other thoughts. ; When she spoke, it was merely to suggest ! that as it was growing late they had better : go to bed. She bade Magdalen good-night, ! kindly expressed a hope that she would { sleep comfortably, and said she would have j her called in the morning in timetoprej pare for breakfast. And Magdalen went to bed?but not, for ! a long time, to sleep. [to be continued.] GEORGE GRAHAM VEST. The claims of Dakota, to be admitted into the Union as a State are exciting universal attention. Heretofore the United States Senate, and particularly the Democratic members thereof, have opposed the aspirations of Dakota. The leader of the opposition is George Graham Vest, Senator from Missouri. In her anxiety to become a State Dakota elected a legislature which in its turn chose two United States Senators, who are anxious to take their seats in the Senate. This action has been stigmatised by Vest . .?C! nfiAnor\r onfl hp is lisinf PVPFV ?0 igvuiuuviiiu j ?<v...n ~ - V means to prevent Dakota's admission. The friends of the Territory however claim that the course taken is not without precedent and that the situation is analogous to that of California, Kansas and Michigan, when those States applied for admission. George Graham Vest, of Kansas City, Missouri, was born at Frankfort, Kentucky, December 6th, 1830. He graduated from j Centre College, Kentucky, in 1848, and at the Law Department of the Transylvania University at Lexington, Kentucky, in 1853. During that year he removed to Missouri and began the practice of law. He was a presidential elector on the Democratic ticket of 18G0 and a member of the Missouri House of Representatives, 1860?Gl. He was a member of the Confederate House for two years and the Confederate Senate for one year. He was elected to the United States Senate and took his seat March 18th, 1879. His first term expired March 3rd, 1885. He has been reelected. Beecher's Tribute to the South.? At the last "Forefathers' " banquet, in New i York, Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, in rej sponding to the toast "The Day We Honor," jsaid: "Not alone in the North were the | Puritans to be found. There were a great I many Puritans in Georgia (they were ignorI ant but they meant right,) and in Alabama, I in North Carolina, and 1 think there were j some in South Carolina and all the way ! through the South. I have no doubt there | were a multitude of men there who thought | they were upholding the cause of liberty, I and they gave themselves to upholding that ! cause as I almost think no other people did j on the face of the earth. When 1 see what j the South dared and strove to do, and saw 1 everything passing away from them?their | sons slaughtered, entire families of wealth ! growing poor, everything that could make | their land attractive disappearing, yet j struggled to the last?I say that there was | a heroism there that, when party lines are I effaced and party feelings have gone down, j the historian will delight to celebrate. [ApI plause.] They acted under false lights, but I *Uin In fhn ! llitry m.'icu nwuitv in liiv.1i .ipuviv.. xii him | presence of my fellow-citizens of the North I wish to pay this tribute to my fellowcountrymen of the South. J, that was an abolitionist; I, that fought slavery as old Putnam fought the wolf in the fold ; I, that urged on the war, and relaxed no whit until victory was assured ; I, that stood at the ' reconstruction of this land?now, after I twenty years, I desire to go on record as saying that since the human race existed ! on earth there is not a spectacle of a great, proud people spread over some twelve or fifteen States that, after a war, accepted | this condition?not without some remnants ; of passion, to he sure?but, taking them at , large, the facility with which they came together again in a substantial and assured I amity presents a spectacle that the histori! an has never before recorded. [Applause.] ' There are Puritans at the South ; there are j Puritans at the North, and the Puritans of t&e North, in God's providence, proved the ! stronger in the contest, thank God !" Loxgstkekt's Story About Stepii; ens.?General Longstreet tells the following ! good story: "On one occasion certain of : the Confederate leaders were discussing 1 the matter of putting the negroes into the army. I was against the policy, but those 1 above me sent ine over to Aleck Stephens I with instructions to try to convert him to ; the policy of putting the negroes in. I rode j over from the camp to whore Mr. Stephens j was, and after a short conversation brought ! up the subject I was to speak with him on. | No sooner had I done so than he hopped up and made me a speech of over an hour's length. You can imagine my feelings. When he concluded and sat down we talked ' of other matters for awhile, and then I j casually mentioned the negroes again. Up jumped little Aleck and made me another speech of an hour or so's length. I, a lone auditor, sat it through. lie finished, sat i down, and we had a short conversation on ; some other topic. A third time I ventured to speak of the negroes, and up hopped the great commoner and made me another speech. When he sat down I stole a-glance ; at my watch. It was 2 o'clock in the morning. I bade .Mr. Stephens good night and rode back to camp. I reported that I was perfectly willing to go on with the war. but it anyixKiy wanieu -vic-uk mtqniuus urguju j into anything they'd have to send some one else?not me."?Atlanta (Ga.) Constitution. Thk Peiu'KTI'al Candidate.?Judge David Key, of Tennessee, who was President Hayes' postmaster general, after he had served a short term in the Senate, told ! a good story of a man in the mountain region of his State, who was a stereotype candidate for local offices of all descriptions, but who would nevergive a decided opinion I upon any question. On one occasion when he was a candidate for the position of sheriff' there was great excitment on the enforcement of the school tax. He addressed quite a gathering at a muster, but evaded the ; only question that the audience wanted to hear about, and just as he was closing a fel; low shouted: "Tell us about the school tax. j Are you for it or are you not ?" The crowd cheered, and the orator, thus pressed for a | declaration of opinion said: "Gentlemen, 1 you have a right to ask for an answer. 1 ' have 110 concealment to make. I am a | frank man, and to you I say in all frankness, if it is a good thing I am for it, and if it is a bad thing I am agin it."?Ben Perley Poore. ^ttsccUaiteflus ?eadiug. AARON BURR. THE JtOMAJiCE OF THIS It EM Alt K ABLE MAX. Those who desire to ascertain the truth and will judge as men desiring to do right, who believe charity to be a virtue and who consider that their judgments of characters of men ought to be formed in that merciful spirit of justice which they themselves may require in passing down the uncertain road of life, may not believe that Aaron Burr won crniltv r?f "hierh treason." It is not a single act of right or wrong which should determine the character of an individual. Mis true character can only correctly be understood by following him through life, analyzing his deeds and discovering whether or not the principles which governed him were virtuous. Few men in this life will bear a critical examination into every act and if every man is to be damned in public estimation because one or two dark spots may be found in the midst of many bright ones, then we venture the assertion that few will be found i??any country passing safely the investigation of every ordeal. We find in the history of Texas by Gen. Moseley Baker, a Texas veteran, one of the Spartan band at San Jacinto, who gives the particulars of Aaron Burr's purpose in his intended expedition against Mexico not in the way as intended to settle the disputed intentions of Burr, but as a part and parcel of the history of Texas. He makes use of the Burr incident among other responsibilities of the United States government in respect to the Texas revolution. He does it to clearly represent other important occurrences and other important personages. Gen. Baker was a student of William Craven, who had been associated with Burr, and who, with Burr, was arrested in the vicinity of the Tombigbee Itiver, in Alabama, and conveyed to Richmond, Va., for trial. Richmond was at the time the very focus of Jeffersonianism and the public mind was already prepared for Burr's conviction. Never, perhaps, in any country was there a greater unanimity of opinion upon any subject than of Burr's guilt of high treason. Never, perhaps, was there a greater display of talent and eloquence and never was there a more patient, fair and impartial trial. Had Chief Justice Marshall never before, or after, performed a virtuous act, the decision of the court in Burr's case ougnt. to nave immoruuizeu him. Rumor, with her thousand tongues, had been busy, and President Jefferson, with all his noble qualities, possessed some of the frailties of men, and he perhaps, received as truth the created fictions concerning Burr's intended treachery. William Craven was Baker's preceptor, and was a gentleman whose veracity among those who knew him was well like unto Caesar's wife's?beyond a suspicion. From Craven, Baker learned the following: Mr. Craven had been one of a large firm in London who was engaged in the Mexican trade ; had resided many years at the City of Mexico, and had daily opportunities of witnessing the degradation to which the mass of the people had been reduced by the haughty and tyrannical aides-de-camp of the Spanish government; that in consequence of heavy losses he was compelled to emigrate to the United States. At the city of Washington he, among other distinguished citizens, was introduced to Mr. Burr, with whom he contracted the most intimate acquaintance, and their intercourse was characterized by a frank and cordial friendship. Burr inquired of him very particularly touching the political, moral and social condition of the Mexicans, and received all the information which many years' experience in Mexico had enabled him to collect. He informed Burr that the mass of the people were ignorant, superstitious and unacquainted with their rights, but that there were many among them destined for distinction, and among them there was scarcely a man that was not restless and discontented under the reigning government, and only needed some encouragement from abroad to enable them to undermine the Spanish dynasty and prostrate its already crumbling columns to the earth. He stated that Burr believed that his reputation was lost in the Unite'd States if he remained in the country; that he was a man ' * * ! 1... K ~ oi rare raienus ana acquirements; mat ue was ambitious in the extreme and was ripe for any enterprise that promised even a hope of retrieving his character, and in any attempt for that purpose. Burr intended to signalize himself elsewhere, not doubting but success would blunt the malice of many of his enemies, and that this would in the end enable him to atone for the death of Hamilton, for whose memory he cherished the greatest respect, and declared that Alexander Hamilton had been used by worse men for the purpose of getting rid of one or the other, or if possible, both. Burr's first step was to open a correspondence with some of the leading men in Mexico, and then to traverse the Western States, for the purpose of sounding some of the most influential citizens of the Mississippi valley, and that success in both undertakings surpassed even what they had been wont to expect. It was found that many men in the western country had ideas of conquest and fame. There were many such men in the valley of the Mississippi, and in all the Spanish dominions in America besides, while the patriots in Mexico hailed them as disciples of freedom and furnished the outline of a systematic plan for future operations. It was suggested by citizens of the United States that Burr should approach the frontier of Mexico and establish his headquarters on the Washita, within the limits of our country, but that he peremptorally declined. It was finally arranged that they should float down the Mississippi and go on a vessel at the Balize, which the king pirate of the gulf, Lafitte, was to have in readiness, and sail for Galveston island, then in his possession. It was further understood that trading houses were to be established among all the surrounding tribes of Indians, for the purpose of buying their friendship, and that, if possible by any peaceable means, the inhabitants of the old Spanish towns of Sun Antonio, Nacagdoches and others in Texas. The inhabitants were to be conciliated and enlisted in the cause by agents who, under the pretense of selling goods, were to reside in these places. Shonld this ultimately fail the fortresses in Texas were to be taken forcible possession of and used as depots as soon as the patriots in Mexico were ready to co-operate effectually. It wasclearly understood that no attempt whatever should be made to dismember the United States or interfere in any way with her people or her laws further than the fact of concocting a scheme in the country for the above-mentioned purpose. Circumstances rendered it necessary to get out of the Cumberland river much sooner than time was afforded to complete all arrangements, and no sooner was there an appearance of danger than many of those who had been most active in preparations withdrew their support and forwarded information to Gen. Wilkinson, then in command at New Orleans, which, together with instructions from the government, would ! have made it impossible for Burr and his party to pass that place. Under such circumstances it was proper to leave the Mississippi and go to Florida, where Burr hoped to meet assistance from abroad and ingratiate himself into the good graces of influential persons there, who were known to be extremely tired of the Spanish yoke and ripe for a revolution in the government. But after undergoing many difficulties and privations they were captured and all their golden dreams vanished in thin air. Some of those who had been dreaming of honorable immortality were transformed for a time into criminals and objects of almost universal execration. The circumstances were not sufficiently strong to warrant Burr's arrest, if taken in connection with his enterprise against the dominions of a nation with whom we were at peace. President Jefferson from rumors, but certainly not from proof, believed it was possible for Burr to form a combination for ; the purpose of dismembering the union. Why People Were Buried.?When men began to bury their dead they did so in the firm belief in another life, which life was regarded as the exact counterpart of this present one. The unsophisticated savage, J holding in that equal sky his faithful dog would bear him company, naturally enough had the dog in question killed and buried with him, in order that it might follow him to the happy huntingground. Clearly, you can't hunt without your arrows and your tomahawk; so the flint weapons and the trusty how accompanied their owner in his new dwelling place. The wooden halt, the deer sinew bowstring, the perishable articles of food and drink, have long since decayed within the damp tumulus; but the harder stone and earthenware articles have survived till now, to tell the story of that crude and simple early faith. Very crude and illogical, indeed, it was, however, for it is quite clear that the actual body of the dead man was thought of as persisting to live a sort of underground life within the burrow. A stone hut was constructed for its use; real weapons and implements were left by its side, and slaves and wives were ruthlessly massacred, as still in Ashantee, in order that their bodies might accompany the corpse of the buried master in his subterranean dwelling. In all this we have clear evidence of a very inconsistent, savage, materialistic belief, not indeed in the immortality of the soul, but in the continued underground life of the dead body.?Cornhill Magazine. A Story of War Times.?"I thought this was the land of Tar, Pitch and Turpen-* tine,"said a Northern gentleman the other day to the Headlight reporter, "but I don't see any?and right here beside the Tar river, too ?" "It is here, though you may not see it," we replied, "and your remark reminds us of a similar one made by a Connecticut Regiment which came down here during the war?" "Plow was that?" "Well, when you Yankees captured Washington the citizens rolled all their turpentine into the Tar river, and this regiment continually referred to the absence of our natural product. ' One day, however, it occurred to those soldiers to take a bath in the river. Six of them dived headforemost into the water simultaneously, and never appeared again. Six more went after them, and were absent at the next roll-call. The citizens chuckled and the remaining soldiers wondered. A week afterwards the river fell, and there the mystery lay bare. The faithful tar had securely held the invaders and there were a round dozen Yankees sticking feet upward to the sun! No further reference was made to the absence of turpentine." "Hum," remarked the Northern gentleman, "isthat a fact?" "It is; and they had to use a donkey engine to pull those Yankeesout."?Battlehoro, N. C., Headlight. The Children are Courteous.?In Mexico a group of lads from seven to twelve will meet, and each boy will decorously lift his hat and salutations of extreme courtesy will be exchanged, and then comes the boyish chatter, the fun and the laughter, the same as anywhere. Boys here treat their elders with respect. An old man or woman is not the butt of the youth of Mexico; i rather for the old people is reserved the shadiest seat under the trees in the parks j and the best seats in the family sala. A Mexican girl or boy on entering a room walks around among the company, shaking j hands with all, and on leaving the room doesthesame. "Urbanity" is taught in the I public schools as arithmetic is at home. There is no one jostled on the street; the best seat in the horse-car is promptly given up to the ladies, who never fail gracefully to acknowledge the favor. I have never seen a Mexican gentleman fail to give his seat to a woman, whether she was richly or poorly | dressed.?Boston Herald. a 1 t* . ijiium ruin,' t> a u'p l\tar/?k 178:" X\. utiivr r iiiu x i I'Autvii) "The assembly of North Carolina passed a bill for raising ?8,000 for assisting the colony of Virginia from the encroachments of the French." We learn from an old magazine of August, 1785, that North Carolina is bounded by Virginia on the north, the ocean on the east, by a fine line drawn in 84 derees from theovcanto the mountains on the south, and by that part of Florida possessed by the Indians on the west. It is divided into 14 parishes or townships; but we do not hear of any church or town of note in the country. In the same way South Carolina is bounded on the west by the Indian country. * * * * "It is thought there are more inhabitants in North than in South Carolina, though no significant towns." We are apt to forget that the products of the country are now very different from 1780, when "we are informed that in that year they shipped from Charleston, S. C., 200,000 lbs. of indico (as they spelled it then) to P^ngland."?Slafesville Landmark. - -O- - > Remarkable Coincidence of Events in tiie Lives of Two Famous Men.? There was a remarkable coincidence of events in the lives of .Jefferson Davis and Abraham Lincoln until each approached the climacteric of his public career. They were both born in Kentucky, Davis in 1S08 and Lincoln in 1800. They were both removed from their nativeState in childhood, Davis being carried to the Southwest and Lincoin further on to the Northwest, then socalled. Roth of them began their political careers at the same period, in 1844, Davis being then a Presidential elector for Polk and Lincoln an elector for Henry Clay. Roth served in the Indian wars of the West, and both were elected to Congress about the same time, 1845 and 1840. And lastly, in the parallel, in the same year, and almost on the same day, they were both called upon to preside over their respective governments, Davis as President of the Confederate States and Lincoln of the United States. I Louisville Courier-Journal. A Great State.?What a tremendous State Texas is! It has territory enough to make seven or eight South Carolinas. It contains 870,000 square miles. It has 40,000,000 acres of timber and 7,800 miles of railroad. Its crop capacities are simply marvelous. The estimate of her crop for 1885, has been made and it is put at i.auu,000 bales of cotton and 82,000,000 pounds of wool, 80,000,000 bushels of corn, 4,000,000 bushels of wheat. It has 282 varieties of grass, and grazes annually 12,000,000 head of cattle. Its population is now estimated at2,500,000. In 1870 its wealth was placed at ?150,000,000, in 1885, it is now given at the enormous figures of ?603,900,000. Each county has 20,000 acres of land for school purposes, and each university has 220,000 acres. The school fund has already ?7,000,000 in money and securities. Truly a wonderful State. A Snake Charmer.?"One of the jugglers, a Mohamedan from Belgaum, is also a snake-charmer. His charming of the cobra is a curious performance, though not nearly so convincing or so interesting as many of his feats of pure conjuring. He is in all respects a very vivacious and amusing character, and his repertory of tricks is scarcely more amazing than the eloquence of his gestures and the humor of his patter. All his incantations are accompanied by the music of a quaint reed instrument, and sometimes he will sing a low, desultory chant, the song by which the serpent charmer charms the serpent. The effect of the wild, strange music upon the snakes is certainly remarkable, considering the depressing influence of our climate. They rise in great agitation, swaying some three feet of their own length to and fro, and occasionally strike at the charmer, or fall prone before him. j J / A BATTLE WITH WILD HOGS. EXCITING ADVENTURES OF A HUNTER IN ARKANSAS. Few men are aware that there are such things as wild hogs in this country, but such is the case, however, little the fact may be known. Not long since Jim Raynolds and myself were on a deer hunting expedition on one of the numerous bayous that jut into Red River, in the Southeastern part of Arkansas. We had with us two dogs, and were trailing along the bank of the bayou?the dogs some two or three hundred yards in advance. All at once the dogs began to bark and there arose the greatest consternation imaginable. It did not take us long to determine the cause of all this commotion, as the dogs soon hove in sight, fighting and retreating toward us. Attacking them was a drove of wild infuriated hogs, some of them so large and ferocious that a grizzly bear would be little more formidable. To say that they would strike terror to the bravest heart is but to make an assertion that would receive immediate credence of the reader should he ever be brought face to face with them. What was to be done ? Here they caine, with a deafening and unearthly noise, their every bristle projecting forward, eyes reddened with rage, froth dripping from their long tusks, ready to rip open any one or anything that offered combat, We stationed ourselves by the water's edge so as to be ready to take to the bayou in case of our guns failing to check them. When they were about fifty yards from us we encouraged the dogs to stand their ground, and so they did for a short time until one of them was struck by a very large boar, and literally ripped open, the poor creature's entrails falling to the ground before *lie expired. The other dog then beat a hasty retreat toward us, closely followed by these maddened monsters. We were armed with double-barreled breech-loading guns, one barrel rifled and the other shot, rifles 88 calibre and our shot cartridges contained No. 2 shot. The remaining dog had been so disabled that we could expect but little if any assistance from him. It was all he could do to take care of himself, and rather questionable about his being able to do that for any considerable time. I suggested to ltaynolds that we give them a volley from our four barrels at once, and perhaps it would so discomfit them that they would retreat. This we did when they were about two rods from us, and, although we felled some three or four to the ground and crippled others, they seemed moreenraged than ever, and were on us before we could reload our guns. The only thing left for us to do was to take to the water (and very fortunate that we had water to take to) which we immediately did. Abandoning our guns, we plunged in and swam to the opposite shore, the live dog taking kindly to our example. The bayou at this point was about four rods wide. After crossing, we each selected a tree which would be easy to climb in case the hogs should cross after us. Several times I imagined that they were about to cross, but the dog now having ceased to bark and lain down, while we concealed ourselves behind the trunks of large trees, their rage seemed to assuage, and they presently moved off down the bayou. Some little time after they had disappeared among the thick timber of the bottom, we swam back to our guns. After making an examination of the hogs we had dispatched, we concluded that we had had all the bottom hunting that we desired that day, and 9truck out for the uplands. we learned that these wild hogs abound in considerable numbers along the bottoms of Ited river and tributary streams in this locality. These hogs belong to the "razor back" breed and grow to an enormous size, feeding principally on the mast of the bottoms and adjacent uplands. We were also informed that had it not been for our dogs they would probably not have given us any trouble, but would quietly have withdrawn on our approach. The tusks of the largest one that we killed (an old boar) projected fully fourinches from the jaw, curving outward and upward from their base on the upper jaw, and upward and outward on the lower jaw. They are frequently hunted in the fall and winter after the mast has fallen, and they have become fattened on it, and make, it is said, fair bacon. Were it not for the fact that the hog cholera makes frequent ravages among them, the bottoms would swarm with them, and it would be dangerous to travel there. As it is, one feels safer ata distance than among them, especially if you have dogs with you, which they are certain to attack if they come within sight. In the drove that we encountered there were fully thirty, the greater number of them large, and must have been four or five years ola. I presume, also, that overflows destroy very many of them. If there is anything to be dreaded more in the woods than an attack of wild hogs in considerable numbers, I have yet to learn what it is. Source of the Mississippi.?The newly found source of the Mississippi is a sparkling little gem of a lake situated above and beyond Lake Itaska. It nestles among the pines of an unfrequented and wild region of Minnesota, many miles from the nearest I white settlement, and just on the dividing I ridge which forms the great watershed of North America. Within a few miles of it can be found lakes and'streams whose waters are tributary to the Red River of the North and the Yellowstone, thus reaching the sea thousands of miles from the mouth of the mighty Mississippi, which flows in a trickling brook from Lake Glazier. This lake, discovered to be the true source of the i greatest river of North America by Captain Willard Glazier, on the 22nd of July, 1881, is about a mile and a half in greatest diameter, and would be nearly round in shape but 1 or a single promontory, whose rocky shores give it, in outline, the shape of a heart. The waters of the lake are exceedingly clear and pure, coming from springs, I some being at the bottom, but the three most prominent rise a few miles back in I low, wet land, and flow into the lake in lit| tie rills. On the very point of the promonj tory is a spring whose waters are as cold as ! ice, and at which Captain Glazier's weary party slaked their thirst while exploring the shores of the new lake. So lonely is the region around the lake that for fourteen days not even a redskin was seen, and wearied j by the hardships of this rough country, yet I with a feeling of having added something ! to geographical knowledge, Captain Glazier and his party were glad to come into conI tact again with their fellow-creatures.? j Philadelphia Times. Joiix Adams' Wife Abigail.?Mrs. I Adams, by the way, Abigail Smith, was I the daughter of a Presbyterian clergyman, ! who had a poor opinion of the morals of the j legal profession and objected to John bei cause he had been intended for the ministry j and wilfully turned aside to law. His prej tensions were not favored. He was not even j invited to the family table when became | on some of his visits. The match was fixed, | however, and agreed to. When her sister i Mary had married, the father had preached a sermon on the text, "Mary hath chosen the good part." Now it was Abigail's turn. 'You preached on Mary's text when she was married and now you will preach upon mine?' 'Oh ! certainly. Whatisit?' Quick as a flash, remembering the opposij tion to her lover, John Adams, she replied : I 'John came neither eating nor drinking, i and they say he hath a devil.'" She was a | woman of great force of character, figuring ! largely in his correspondence, a frequent adviser on affairs of state and it is even credited to her that she first suggested the Declaration. 83?? That virtue which requires to be ever guarded is scarce worth the sentinel.?Oliver Goldsmith. DEATH VALLEY. A CALIFORNIA VALE AS FATAL AS THE . GVEVO UPAS. The name is fearfully suggestive, and yet few places in the world deserve their appellations so well as does the Death Valley of California, nor is it easy to find any other locality in any other country whatever which gathers about itself so much that inspires horror and dread. A region where a man can die of thirst w.hile he has water within his reach, more than he can drink, may well bear the most terrible title that can be given it; and this name?Death Valley?given from the first known event I-!-. ?,;11 ill lis jusiury, iniriy-iivc yc?ia agu, nm doubtless cling to the spot to the end of time. In the southeastern part of Inyo county, California, and the point at which the meridian of 116 degrees 45 minutes west crosses 36 degrees 10 minutes north as nearly as possible is in its centre of horrors. Probably only one other spot of which we have any knowledge, the Guevo Upas, or Vale of Poison, in Java, exceeds the fatality of Death Valley. The valley itself is forty miles by eight, running nearly north and south, and every portion of this is desert and barren in the extreme, as is, in fact the entire surrounding country; but a narrow central space along the eastern side about fifteen miles in length, embodies the typical features of their highest intensity. Into this very few persons have ever gone, that is, who returned to tell the tale, and what is here related pertains to the higher and comparatvely moderate parts toward the borders of the valley. The dangers are the result of atmospheric conditions solely. Lack of water may be a fatal evil, but this can be avoided; supplies of water may be carried, or better still, it is now tolerably well ascertained that water is available by sinking even shallow wells in much the greater extent of the upper portion of the valley. But the water fails to afford its usual life giving value from two causes. The first of these is heat. Of course this is moderated during two or three of the winter months, ana for that space of time a residence on the borders of Death Valley is possible without any exceeding great risk. But this soon passes away and the furnace is in blast. By about April the average (of day and night) is about 90 to 95 degrees; and a little later it averages over iuu degrees, reaching often 120 to 125degrees in the coolest place that can be found. If this was with a damp atmosphere it would stifle any human life with great rapidity, but a certain amount of dryness enables it to be borne with more safety. Here, however, comes the second of the two evils which have been indicated; the intense dryness of the atmosphere. This is so excessive as to be in many instances fatal, in spite of every precaution. The writer has never tastechthe full severity of this feature in Death Valley itself, but his experience along its immediate border renders him ready to give full credence to the statement that many cases of death have occurred "when water was plenty but could not be drunk fast enough to supply the drain caused by the desiccative power of the dry, hotair." In fact, in one instance he himself nearly reached that condition, and a few hours of the heat and dryness would have placed his own name among those of its victims. It has heen said that birds drop dead in attempting to cross the valley. Mr. Hawkins, who visited it in 1882, says that he picked up at various times, two little birds, a mile or so from water, whose bodies were still warm, having just dropped dead." The bodies of men and their horses are liable to be encountered at any time; they have been found within a mile of water, and in one case with water still in their canteens, and a supply of food as well, showing that the climate was the cause of death. With these facts in view, it is not unreasonable to say that the name of Death Valley is well bestowed. And if this is the state of things on the elevated borders, ranging from 1,200 to 2,000 feet and more, above the sea, what must be the heat and the dryness in the very focus? For one of the additional wonders of Death Valley is that its central region lies away below the level of the sea. There is, perhaps, no other spot on the globe which at so great a distance from the ocean reaches such a depression?150 feet. The dead sea, with the gorges of the Jordan and the Arabah, of course greatly exceeds this, but it is not [ widely separated from the eastern parallel border of the Mediterranean. The Money Value of Women.?"For every man who lives a single life, caring only for himself, there is some woman who is deprived of her natural supporter," says Henry George. . It is a cool and unwarranted assumption on the part of society that wives are supported by their husbands. The persons who assume this will seldom deny that wives usually work as many hours a day as their husbands, and frequently more. "But then," they will say, "the wife's labor is unproductive; it has no money value.'' Such a position needs no very close analysis to prove its utter absurdity. Lot the wife fall sick, and it is immediately discovered that her labor has a money value, for it takes money to hire help to take her place in the household. To take her place did I say! But who can take her place? The wife's labor is not unproductive. It is as necessary to cut and sew cloth into garments as it is to produce the material of which it is made or to weave that material into cloth. It is as necessary that food be cooked as it is that it be provided in readiness for cooking. A house-keeper is as essential as a house-builder. It is not a "supporter" that a self-respected woman asks for in society, but justice?equal pay for equal work.?Industrial Appeal. Food and Conscience.?Never go to bed in any danger of being hungry. People are kept awake by hunger quite as much as by a bad conscience. Remembering that sleep is the essential force which the whole scheme starts, decline tea or coffee within six hours before going to bed. If the kind women insist, you may have your milk and water at the tea-table colored with tea; but the less the better. Avoid all mathematics or intricate study of any sort in the last six hours. This isthe stuff dreams are made of, and hot heads and the nuisances of waking hours. Keep your conscience clear. Remember that because the work of life is infinite, you cannot do the whole of it in any limited period of time, and that, therefore, von mav as well leave off in one Dlace as another?Edward Everett Hale. 8ST Nearly everybody has heard the story ot the painter of olden times who exposed his picture to the public criticism, and put a paint brush handy that anybody might paint out any particular feature he did not approve. Of course the stupid man soon found that everybody had some fault to fiud and his picture was totally obliterated. Just as it was with that artist's picture, so it is with the life-work of the majority. Somebody will be pretty sure to take a crooked and distorted view of our characters and doings, however meritorious they may be. Some will do this willfully and maliciously, others through misunderstanding. Whatever be our purpose in life, if it is a good and true one, we may rest assured we shall promote it best, not by seeking for large and impossible views of it, not by waiting for the clouds that obscure it to pass wholly away and leave it in untempered light, but by cherishing every glimpse that is afforded, by discovering all that is thus revealed, and by so conducting our actions and our life as to embody in practice that which we have realized in conception. AST Increase of knowledge is increase of power, to the evil as well as the good. '- . $ '': -Mi