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_ _ ^ lewis m. grist, proprietor.I ||n Independent Jamil]} gletcspaper: Jor the $romotion of the ?olitital, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the ^outh. |terms?$2.00 a year in advance. VOL. 36. YOEKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 97, 1890. USTO. 35. ?be fttrtw lellcr. ;* TBE MYSTERIOUS LIGHTT A BORDER ADVENTURE. The close of August, 1840, found n:e, by one of those strange freaks fortune is ever playing 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 occurrence of events that led me to take this trip to the far West, as it in no way concerns my story. Suffice it 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 had to pass was infested by a band of lawless desperadoes, 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. ' i - ^ 1. ~ 'AUOOg Uie Dana OI UUUUWS wjiu unrated the route was & wild, swarthy halfbreed, known as Red Guilmont: 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 Burkesville, 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 be readily expected, served to place me more on my guard; and I had reached the half-way point of my 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 thirty miles from the last halting-place. As yet I had noticed nothing that had excited my suspicions, save, indeed, a solitary horseman, who came on behind me at a slow pace, now 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 Burkesville. Having thus settled this point, I dismissed the subject altogether from my mind, till the low growl of thunder behind me gave warning that 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 w the day, a feeling of grave suspicion crept over me. What had become of my fellow-traveler? Stay ; perhaps he had halted at some of the lonely cabins that were scattered along the 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 little straggling settlements that had thus far cheered my route, seemed to have vanished, and nothing met my gaze save a ' j__i j j._i_ r?l! lung, uhtk streicn ui uiium^ lunngcu wuvu, 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, I rode smartly forward, solely intent on gaining some place of shelter. I nad proceeded but a short distance in this way when my horse started sharply back, pricking up his ears and snorting wildly. I drew up the bridle check tightly, and looked carefully around me in the vain attempt to learn what had startled quurteed.so violently. Dismounting, X lea my horse slowly ahead, cautiously pulling aside the bushes that skirted the road on either side, and peering through into the forest. Nothing of a suspicious character met my. gaze, and coming to the conclusion 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 on 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 ? Ha! This might be only a trap to get me into danger. I will turn at the fork of the road. Come, Rover," I kept on, as I vaulted into the saddle, "we must wait here no longer. There is a storm gathering 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, precursor of the coming storm, greeted us from behind, and touching Rover slightly on the side with my whipj we bounded forward into the fast gathenng darkness. I intended to reach the "Three Oak Inn," if possible, before the force of the tempest came upon us. Hardly 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 of action. It might be, as the strange message said, that there was danger or. the straight road; but the more I thought of it the moi? I became convinced that it was only a decoy to draw me from my direct route for no good purpose. This hastily formed conclusion I acted upon, and turned the corner and again dashea on. On through the raging tempest ; and though I was almost sure I had passed mo**e than two miles, still there was no sign of the inn I had so confidently expected to find. I gradually percieved 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-for tavern. Picking my way slowly on, I suddenly saw the bright light gleaming before me; and cheered by the sight and by the thought that I should soon be out of the storm, I urged my horse on to a little quicker pace. The light did not seem more than half that distance when it suddenly disappeared, leaving me in more thnn "Porvntion r1?rlrnpe*5 Thinlfinr thnt 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 tne 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 mvself 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'-the-wisp, I groped my way through the trees. But stay! I now had a clew to the mysterious light. I had been lured out there in the darkness by a lantern in the hands of a villain, and for none of the best purposes. I thought of the message I had found on the road and of the solitary horseman, and almost unconsciously connected them with the wandering light. Ah! it was no Jack-'o-lantem. I had been a victim of some foul play. I wished I had kept to the straight road now. No doubt tne villain, whoever he was, knew I would follow his direction, and he gave me the road he did not wish me to follow. While forming this conclusion I had unconsciously wandered on, and a few minutes later I came suddenly to what seemed to me to be a rude hedge, and, pushing through I found myself on the verge of a large clearing. The darkness that had thus far darkened the night was spent, and the torn edges of the moon drifted swiftly on her pathway. There came a stealthy step close behind me, and before I could place myself in an attitude of defence the cold muzzle of a pistol pressed my brow, and a cool voice said: "Well, my friend, your turn in a road has led you into the wrong box, eh ? Can't you tell a turn from a straight road ? But we will help you out?0 yes! But first let us relieve you of that belt. Come, Bill, take the stranger's horse while I see to the chink." As the man spoke three men sprang from the hedge and grasped my horse by the bridle. The first 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 consequences. Which do you choose ?" "I will yield my treasure but with my life!" I cried, as I drew my hand from beneath my cloak, disclosing a sturdy sixshooter, which I immediately leveled on the two who held my horse. Grasping Red Guilmont's pistol hand firmly in mine, I pulled quicicly; and as the sharp reports rang out on the stillness of the night, two burly ruffians sank to the ground. Dealing the outlaw a heavy blow hpnrl T snnrred mv horse and went off like the winch Another moment and Ited 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, dismounted, ran back a few paces, and awaited the approach of the outlaw. Just as he arrived opposite to where I stood he attempted to rein in his horse, knowing that l must either have gone over the precipice or was somewhere near. I saw the movement to rein in, and sprang from my hiding-place with a terrific 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 Burkesville, 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. THE MISSING PAGES. "Have a paper, sir? Somethi g to read in the tram, ma'am? Herald, Journal, Globe. All the magazines! But the people hurried past John's little stand into the station, as they had done all the morning. Only two papers sold, and here was noon ! Profit two cents. On sunny days his sales were pretty brisk ; but it was drizzling. The thick air was full of falling soot, and nobody cared to stop to buy. "No wonder they want to hurry out of this horrible place," muttered John, looking about at the wet, dingy houses, the pools of black mud through which the horses tramped, and clouds of smoke rolling through the streets. He thought of the sunny farm on which he was born, and felt that he never could grow used to this place. Two cents profit! Not a enough to buy a loaf of bread. John thought of his mother, and of the scanty breakfast which they had eaten together in their bare garret, with its windows opening on the sooty roofs. If he could but have had a good trade he might have carried a nice little treat home to her. But the crowd hurried past, and nobody stopped. "Magazine, ma'am ? Something to read on?" The lady stopped. "Ah, your books are dirty!" she said, dropping the sooty mag azine witn asnrug. As if he could help that! But he began blowing away the soot for the twentieth time that day. It was four years since his father died, and he and his mother had come down to town ; and in time he had done nothing but fight weekly against soot and starvation. He opened one of the story papers for boys. There was a sea story in it; a boy goes off in the first chapter as a stoaway ; in the third, "the gallant lad leaped upon the deck, and the commodore clasped him in his arm!" On the next page was an account of a boy going home from work, who arrived in time to scale the walls of a burning house and rescue a chfld, for which daring act he was the nextday taken into partnership by the child's father, a millionaire. "Some fellows have such splendid chances!" said John, laying down the book with a sigh. "Now I've been here for years, and nothing grand or noble ever turns up for me to do. Buy twenty-five papers daily; sell them if I can. On Saturdays buy the weeklies; once a month the magazines. That's the heft of it, year in, year out. How's a fellow to make a living at that sort of work ?" An old gentleman who had missed the train sauntered up, and began idly looking over the boy's stock. John watched him anxiously. If he should buy one of the six bound books! Profit on each was a quarter of a dollar! If he should buy one of those, he could take home a little treat to mother, after all. The boy's eyes fairly glistened. For, besides being fond of his mother, he was hungry; and the smell of fried oysters and coffee from the stall near was almost more than he could bear. The old gentleman took up one of the books. John thought he was certainly going to buy one. What should the treat be? A bit of fresh meat? A mince pie? He decided that steak would be the best. "Ah ! here is a book which I have wanted for a long time," said the gentleman. "What's the price of this, my boy?" "Those are one dollar each, sir." "I'll take this. No, you needn't wrap it up. I'll read it on the train." He laid down a bright new dollar. John could almost smell the delicious steak, and he thought of his mother's thin, starved face. They had not tasted meat for days. But a glance at the book, as the gentleman dropped it into his satchel, caused him to say, faintly: "Stop, sir! I did not see which one you had taken. This is an imperfect copy. There are four leaves missing in the middle." "Too bad!"?throwing it down. "The money, please." "Will none of the others suit?" said John. "No. I have wanted this book for some time." "You can have it for half price," said John, eagerly. "I don't want a mutilated copy at all." John handed him back the money ; and, closing his satchel, the man walked on a few steps, and sat down in an open doorway to wait for his train. He was a ruddy, fat old gentleman, with a kindly, shrewd blue eye. Having nothing to do, he thought the occurrence over leisurely. "That's an honest lad," he said to the proprietor of the store in whith he was. "He might have cheated me just now, but he did not." "Who ? John M'Tavish ? As honest as steel. He's been under my eye now for four years, and 1 know him to be as truthful a lad as ever was born of Scotch blood." 'Tin, um!" said the old gentleman. But he put on his spectacles, and eyed John from head to foot. The next day he stopped at the same shop, and walked up to the proprietor. "How's he for intelligence, now?" he bejran, as if the conversation had stopped the moment before. "Stupid, probably ?" "I don't think he's very sharp in trade," was the reply; "but he's a very handy boy. He has made a good many convenient knick-knacks for the neighbors?that bookshelf, for instance." "Why, that's the very thing I want in a boy! Well, there's my train. Good-day, sir." "He'll be back again. Odd old fellow!" said the store-keeper, laughing. The next day he was back, and he came at the same hour. "I like that boy's looks, sir, I've been watching him. But, of course, he has a dozen relations?drunken father, rag-tag brothers?who would follow him?" "No. He has only a mother ; and she is a decent, God-fearing Scotch woman?a good seamstress, John tells me, but can get no work. Times are dull here just now. Pity the country folks will pour into the cities. Mrs. M'Tavish has nothing but what the boy earns at his stand, yonder." The old gentleman made no reply. But the next day he went up to the boy's stand. John was looking pale and anxious. Some of his regular customers had refused to take their magazines, times being so hard. They would be a dead loss on his hands. "Paper ? Magazines, sir ?" he asked. "No. A word with you, my lad. My name is Bohnn. I am the owner of the Bordale nurseries, about thirty miles from here. I want a young man to act as clerk and salesman on the grounds, at a salary of thirty dollars a month, and a woman who will be strict and orderly, to oversee the girls who pack flower seeds, at twenty dollars a month. I offer the positions to you and your mother, and I give you until tomorrow to think it over." "But you?you don't know me, sir!" gasped John. "I know you very well. I generally know what I am about. To-morrow be ready to give me your answer. I will take you four weeks on trial. If I am satisfied, the engagement will be renewed for a year." All the rest of the day John felt like one in a dream. Everybody had heard of the Bordale nurseries, and of good old Isaac Bohnn, their owner. But what had he done that this earthly paradise should be open to him ? "You'll come, eh?" said Mr. Bohnn the next day. "Thought you would. When can you begin work ?" "At once, sir." "Good! By the way. there's a vacant house on the grounds which your mother can have rent free, if she remains with me. A mere box, but big enough. There's my cart. Suppose you come out M'Tavish, on/1 l/-vntr oKrmf vnil Yftll CJin (fimfi auu IUUIV MMVUV J WM? A ? back at night. John locked up the stand, sent a message to his mother, and then went with Mr. Bohnn. He had not told his mother of this change in their affairs. He was verv silent when he came home at evening, but oddly tender with his mother; and she noticed that he remained a long time on his knees at prayer that night. They had only a little bread and milk for breakfast the next morning, and John scarcely tasted it. "You look as if you could not bear this much longer, mother," he said, coming up to her, and putting his hand on her shoulder. "You need good wholesome meals and the fresh air and the hills and trees instead of this!"?looking, out at the piled stacks of chimneys belching forth the black smoke of an iron foundry. "Don't talk of them, John, lad!" "Well, I won't." And he put on his hat and went out. An hour later he came back. "What is wrong? Why have you left the stand ?" asked his mother, in alarm. "We are going to have an outing, mother. Don't say a word. I can afford it." She had never seen the boy so full of excitement. He hurried her to the station, and soon they were gliding among beautiful rolling hills and acroas lovely meadows that were sweet with the odor of newmown hay. At noon they came to stretches of rising ground, covered with nurseries of young trees of delicate green, and with vineyards, and field after field of roses, mignionette, and all kinds of sweet-smelling flowers. "Why, John, this is fairy land! What is this place?" "The Bordale nurseries. We will get out here, mother. I want to show you a house that ?" He trembled with agitation. His face was pale as he led her down to the side of the broad, glancing river, near which was nestled in the woods a cosy little cottage, covered with a creeper. There was a garden, a well, and a paddock for a cow. Inside, the rooms were clean and ready for furnishing. The river rippled drowsily against its pebbly shore. The birds darted through the blue, sunny air. The scent of roses came in upon the breeze. "Mother," said John, "this, I hope, will be your home now." And with that lie began to laugh and caper about her like a boy, but the tears rolled down his thin cheeks. John M'Tavish is now foreman of the Bordale nurseries, and a man of high | standing in the country. Not long ago lie j said to old Mr. Bohnn: "I owe this all to a friend who said a good word for me that day in town." "No, John," said the old man, "you owe I it to the book with the missing pages. The chance came to you as it comes to every boy, to be honest. Honesty and industry, John, are what did it; and I am inclined to think that they never fail to command success in the end." { PRIMARY ELECTIONS. The following is the act of the legislature protecting primary elections in this State: An Act to Protect Primary Elections and Conventions of Political Parties and to Punish Frauds committed thereat. Section 1. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of the State of South Carolina, now met and sitting in general assembly, atui by the authority of the same, That every "political primary election held by any political party organization, or association for the purpose of choosing candidates for office, or tho election of delegates to conventions, shall be presided over and conducted in the manner prescribed by the rules of the political party, organization or association, holding such primary election, by managers selected in the manner prescribed "by such rules. Such man agers shall, before entering upon the discharge of their duties, each take and subscribe an oath that he will fairly, impartially, and honestly conduct the same according to" the provisions of this act and the rules of such party, organization, or association. Should one or more of the managers appointed to hold such election, fail to appear on the day of election, the remaining manager or managers shall appoint others in their stead and aduiitiister to them the oath herein prescribed. The managers shall take the oath herein prescribed before a notary public or other officer authorized to administer oaths ; but if no such officer can be conveniently had, the managers may administer the oath "to each other. Such oaths shall, after being subscribed by the managers, be tiled in tho office of the clerk of the court for the county in which such election shall be held, within live days after such election. Sec. 2. Before anj' ballets aro received at such election, and immediately before opening the polls, such managers shall open each ballot box to be used in such election, and exhibit the same publicly, to show that thereare no ballots in such box. They shall then close and lock or seal up such box", except the opening to receive the ballots, and shall not again open the same until the close of the election. They shall keep a poll list, with the name of each voter voting in such elections, and shall, before receiving any ballot, administer to the voter an oath that he is duly qualified 10 vote according to the rules of the party, and that ho has not voted before in such election ; and at tlioelose of the election they shall proceed publicly to count the votes and declare the result; they shall certify the result of such election, and transmit such certificate, with the poll list, ballots, and all other papers relating to such election, within the time prescribed and to the person or persons designated by the rules of the party, organization, or association holding such election. Sec. 3. Every such primary election shall be held at the time and place, and under the regulations prescribed by tho rules of the party, organization, or association holding the same, and the returns shall be made and the result declared as prescribed by such rules, but the returnsof the managers, with the poll lists, shall be tiled in the office of the clerk of the court for tho county in which such election is held, within four days after tho final declaration of the result thereof, and shall remain there for public inspection. J A iiuninrnr wlm uhnll llfi ITU i 11 V Of wilfully violating any of 'ho duties devolved upon such position hereunder, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall he punishod by fine not to exceed one hundred dollars or imprisonment not to exceed six montlis; and any manager who shall ho guilty of fraud or corruption in the management of such election, shall he guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall ho fined in a sum not to exceed five hundred dollars or imprisonment for a term not to exceed twelve months, or both, in the discretion of the court. Sec. 5. Any voter who shall swear falsely in taking the prescribed oath, or shall personate another person and take the oath in his name, in order to vote, shall he guilty of perjury, and be punished upon conviction as for perjury. Approved December 22nd, A. D. 1888. Kvkkyhody Weighed.?It would astonish many of us sometimes, if we could know what our neighbors think of us. Every man has some kind of a standing in the community where he lives, and he is sized up a great deal closer than he has any idea of. You may set it down as a fact that that there isn't a twelve year old boy in your neighborhood who hasn't got his opinion of you, and he wouldn't be slow about expressing it either, if a stranger should ask him for it. Every man is always making character, whether he is doing anything else or not. gjiocrtliutcous fUadiMg. A DAY IN CONGRESS. THE EXACTING EARORS OF A REPRESENTATIVE AT WASHINGTON. The work of many a congressman is never finished. His duties are usually proportioned to the proximity of his district to Washington. Even with the aid of a stenographic secretary, the work will accumulate. Those whose means forbid the employment of such a secretary are in as sad a predicament as was Sisyphus. They are ever on the jump to clear away the work directly before them. Each day piles up a new mail and dams the stream of congressional life with fresh requests. A morning's mail may require a visit to each department of the government. Such visits necessitate either absence from committee meetings or neglect of duties of the house of representatives. There are tedious waitings at the doors of cabinet ministers and tiresome conferences with their subordinates. Frequently the official wanted is not be found. Kepeated calls are thus required before any information can be secured nr the renuest filled. An absence from a committee meeting entails the loss of the run of business before the committee. Bills in which the congressman's constituents are directly interested may be stifled or referred to sub-committees, sure to report against them. Nearly every congressman is a member of two committees. They usually meet once a week, but frequently more often. The congressman will also find himself a member of two or more sub-committees, which also meet once a week. These meetings are commonly held at 10 a. m., and last until noon, when the house is called to order. Thus at least four mornings a week are required for working committees. In addition to this the representative may land upon an investigation committee. This may eat up his remaining morning hours and will probably consume a few hours bordering on midnight. The house is sure to be in session until after 3 p. mM when the departments are closed. It is thus utterly impossible for a member to seek offices, hunt pensions, beg for discharges and do similar work without neglecting his legislative duties. MEMBERS WITH A PULL. Old members always have the pull with the departments by virtue of their superior places on committees. They know the value of time both in the Capitol and elsewhere. To avoid a conflict of their political with their legislative duties, they usually secure an adjournment from Friday until Monday. This gives them Saturday to make a round of the departments. The new member, with his insignificant places on insignificant committees, stands a poor chance on Saturdays, unless he has the backing of some powerful State or national politician. A few congressmen take the bull directly by the horns. They either turn their backs on the House and its committees and devote themselves entirely to the rlcnorfmonts nr thpv shnkp r>ff t.hfi office V?V|/tlA V* - ? seekers and try to become real statesmen. The man who aims to fill both bills usually fails. The man who never misses a meeting: in committee and who is always in attendance at the house, will, in the end, become so powerful that he can command patronage instead of begging it. His colleague who shirks-his work in committee and attends the session irregularly, will always remain a place-seeker, and finally loses what little influence he may have had when first elected. He becomes of no benefit to either his constituents or the politicians who placed him in nomination. The sooner political leaders understand this the better for themselves and their country. IN TIIE HOUSE. When on the floor of the house it is difficult for a member to concentrate his attention upon the business in hand. Momentarily cards and letters of introduction are brought to him. Many of the cards are from total strangers, and at least half of the letters from casual acquaintances. If he begins by answering every will, he will quickly lose truck or legislation ana ne entirely at sea. "What are you voting on ?" "How are you going to vote?" "How shall I vote ?" and similar questions are asked whenever a yea and nay vote is taken. The lobbies are clotted with congressmen enticed from their seats by visitors. The old members, 011 their return, usually "vote with the committees." In other words, they ascertain what the chairman of the committee who reported the bill wants, and vote as he wishes without hearing a solitary fact or argument. This comity of committee has great influence in legislation. It may defeat a most meritorious measure, and it may shove through a mighty bad one. Iron-clad veterans of the house, like Ilolnian, and several others, answer 110 cards unless the business is of the utmost importance. Holman watches legislation like a cat does a rat-hole. He is up to all the tricks and traps of the lobbies. Many a man whose objection would have defeated the conssderation of a bill has been called from the floor at a critical moment by the presentation of a card from a visitor. The new member is almost always the victim. If he courteously responds to cards he is quickly overwhelmed. Women beset him from all quarters. One wants a place in a department, another implores his influence on behalf of a page, a I third will seek his aid for a private claim, a fourth wants his vote and a fifth has a petition for him to present, and so on until the inevitable book agent is reached. Nor are these the only visitors. Schoolmates of long ago and transient acquaintances pester him. Confidence operators probe his pockets and cranks fill his cars with pet theories. A man might as well try to do a mental sum in multiplication and keep track of the buttons 011 a keno card at the same moment as to hold the thread of legislation under such circumstances. VARIOUS DISTRACTIONS. Nor are these cards the only things that distract the attention of a member while at his desk. He is inundated every day with applications for bills, reports, and other public documents. Many of these date back for years. It requires a keen nose and much finesse to secure some of them. The member, may not be entitled to them. If so, he must ascertain who owns them and trade other documents for them. Then there are inquiries concernin the status of bills, public and private, in committee. All must be learned while the house is in session, because it is the only time when you are reasonably certain of finding the persons who can give the information. Add to this the noise and contusion accompanying legislation, incidental conversation with fellow members, the charm of the story-teller, the halfhour for lunch, and parliament, any intricacies, and you will begin to see how difficult it is for a new member to understand what is before the house. A greenhorn on the stock exchange would do almost as well. The house may twist itself into committee of the whole, and become untwisted a dozen times without attracting his attention. When night comes, and the liag is hauled down, his mind is confused and he is really dependent upon The Congressional Record of the next morning for a clear idea of what has been done. NO HKST AT NIGHT. Darkness ends the work of a common laborer. Not so with the work of the scrupulous congressman. After supper there are his mails. They are proportioned to his term of service. Few men, like Charles O'Neil, of Philadelphia, have the happy faculty of answering letters while at their desks, without losing track of legislative business. Replies are usually made at night. With those who employ typewriters or stenographers this is comparatively a small matter. It robs others of from one to two hours' time in the evening. Even then interruptions are frequent. Acquaintances and others who fail to find a member in the house in the afternoon hunt him up at night. His continuity of thought will be broken. If of a sociable turn procrastination follows. Work will accumulate from night tonight, until finally he is compelled to hide himself to clear it away. Nor is this all the work to be done. The government printing office pours hundreds of volumes into congressional laps. Some congressmen sell them outright and pocket the money. Others distribute them among their constituents, where they belong. It is no small job to direct and frank these volumes. This work is also done at night. The plodding congressman will not be found in society circles. He is not a conspicuous guest at receptions and he does ndt appear at conversaziones. The time left before midnight may be devoted to reading newspapers or to writing reports on bills in committees. He seeks his l>ed tired and exhausted. With the break of di\y he resumes his place on the political turnspit and treads the same weary round until bedtime. DIVERSION'. Very few congressmen, however,do this. Even the most studious are finally overcome by a desire for recreation. They cannot always refuse delicious dinners in*delicious company. Card parties are ever attractive, and stories of the luck of old Thad Stevens and Ben Wade are still to be heard. The millionaire member rarely forgets his poor brother in affliction. He invites him to his club and bowls him along the road to the Casino, or to Cabin John's. Such pleasures, however, bring their own punishment. The indulging congressman is forced to work all the harder after them. At times his troubles are increased by night sessions. These may enlarge his knowledge of human nature and open ms eyes to tne possiointies 01 parliamentary practice, but they never lighten litis burdens. He is ever haunted by the ghosts of office-seekers and he makes desperate spurts through the departments in an effort to dispel them. His back is humped in trying to fill the demands of his committees. The pension building stares at him morn, noon and night. His sanity is daily tested by the fellows who are eternally expounding the constitution on the floor of the house. His patience is hourly tried by the attendance at the White House and in the departments. Like a physician he is subject to calls at all hours. There is a steady drain on his courtesy and an undeviating pressure upon his pocketnerve. When he retires from office the glories of the future are behind him and glories of the past before him. If he has done his duty to his colleagues he will retire with an adamantine cheek and a nerve of chilled steel. If he has not done his duty to his constituents he will retire with a heaving heart and suffocating sense of rectitude.?[Amos J. Cummings. THE DUGS OF ANTIQUITY. The record of the association of dogs with men as protectors, servants and companions, goes back to the time of the ancient Egyptians, who had scavenger dogs in great numbers in their cities, and who exalted the dog to the rank of their deities. The Forest and Stream, in a recent article, gives an account of the dogs of this and subsequent periods. Upon the Egyptian monuments, it says, two distinct species only are depicted : one a tall, stronglimbed greyhound, either spotted, black and white, or of a dun color? and the other a dog suggesting the terrier breed, and very similar to tne jackal, but with a different characteristic tail. The Assyrians were great sportsmen, and in their fearless chase of the lion and tiger, the game was brought down with no other weapons than the bow and arrow and javelin : but the huntsmen were accompanied by huge, fierce dogs, resembling the gigantic Thibean mastiff, on whose courage they greatly depended for safety. Relays of horses were necessary to enable the companions of Ninirod to follow these large dogs in the chase after the swift-footed wild ass, which they hunted as well as the lion and tiger. Probably the dog, sent as a present to Alexander the Great, by the king; of Assyria, belonged to the same breed as these Assyrian hounds. The dog sent to Alexander, when turned loose before bears, wild boars and stags, refused to attack them. Alexander ordered the animal killed. The king of Albania, hearing of this, sent him another, recommending him to put before the dog antagonists worthy of its strength and courage. Thereupon Alexander had a lion procured, and the dog was loosed. In twenty seconds the back of the lion had been broken. The ancient story goes on to say that the dog next killed an elephant, which, bewildered by his antagonist's ceaseless and lightning-like attacks on all sides, gradually became giddy and finally came down with a crash, the ground shaking with the fall, to the intense delight of Alexander. In ancient times dogs served with soldiers. There is an account of a king of Garamantes (the modern Fezzan, in Africa), being brought back from exile by two hundred dogs, "which he maintained to comlrat against all his opponents." NONSENSE ABOUT BLOODHOUNDS. Bloodhounds are inseparably associated with slavery in the South. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and other stories and dramas of that character would lose half their interest without the horror inspiring bloodhounds. Since the war the bloodhound has been associated with the recapture of escaped convicts. These convict catching bloodhounds are a myth. There are no such dogs in this section of the country. The dogs used in trailing escaped prisoners are very small fox hounds, insignificant and harmless animals. At Pratt Mines, five miles from this city, there are 1,200 convicts leased by the State to the Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company. To capture those who escape the company keep a large stock of hounds. These dogs are small red foxhounds. A few of them are spotted, hut the majority are a solid dull red color. They are small, slender limbed animals, capable of fair speed and endurance, and they can without difficulty follow a trail five to eight hours old. The dogs are kept in a large stockade a short distance from the prison, and never taken outside the inclosure except when wanted to trail escaped convicts. To get the dogs on the right trail a coat or hat helonging to the escaped convict is obtained, if possibe, and held to the nose of each dog, while Trainer Crosswell, by signs, makes them understand that it is the scent they are expected to follow. They are then taken to the point where the convict made his escape from the mine or prison, or to the place where he was last seen. The moment they scent the trail they recog nize it and give a short yelp. Their leashes are then slipped off; they are told to go, and the chase begins. Guards on horses follow close behind Trainer Crosswell, who rides a fleet horse and keeps right with the dogs. Trainer Crosswell is proud of his dogs. Once fairly started on a trail they never lose it, unless thrown off the scent by a hard rain or the convict taking to water. They have trailed men through the principal streets of this city, where thousands had passed over the trail and finally run the fugitive down. They never make a mistake. If they are started on the right trail they follow it to the end. When several convicts escape together and separate in the woods when pursued, the dogs are divided and the separate trails all followed. On several occasions these dogs have done good service in trailing down murderers and burglars. Trainer Crosswell says ho can take any ordinary fox-hound when young and teach it to trail men. It is entirely a matter of education and not of breed.?[Birmingham (Ala.) Correspondence Philadelphia Press. The Census in the South.?All the Southern States will show a gratifying increase in population. The following figures are the result of rough calculations from census returns: Alabama now has a population*>f 1,520,000, against 1,202,505 in 1880; Arkansas has increased from 802,525 to 1,1K2,000; Delaware from 140,008 to 175,000; Florida from 209,403 to 300,000; Georgia from 1,542,180 to 1,840,000; Kentucky from 1,048,000 to 1,870,(KID; Louisiana from 030,040 to 1,115,000; Maryland from 034,043 to 1,400,000; Mississippi from 1,131,507 to 1,205,000; North Carolina from 1,300,750 to 1,040,000; .South Carolina from 005,557 to 1,187,01X1; Virginia from 1,512,505 to 1,700,000; West Virginia from 018,457 to 774,100; Tennessee from 1,542,350 to 1,810,700. Texas has increased 000,000, having now a population of about 2,175,000. The increase in Missouri has been 400,000 and her population is 2,057,000. The tide of foreign immigration still sets steadily toward the Northwest. The South is gaining heavily by a movement from the older States of the North and East, and is getting a more stable and satisfactory growth.?[Philadelphia Record. t ABOUT GOLD COINS. FACTS CONCERNING TUEM OF INTEREST TO EVERY JiODY. Coin Clerk Vassar sat in his little wirework cage at the sub-treasury recently. To the left of him and to the right of him, and, in fact all about him, were stacks of yellow glistening coin. They were the deposits of the day, and had come in from the hanks which had become overburdened with the precious metal, merchants and custom-house. In a big brass scoop were many hundred of $5 pieces, which, after being carefully weighed, were dumped in a white canvas bag, the mouth securely fastened with a heavy hempen cord, and then taken to one of the vaults, where they were to remain until wanted for commercial purposes. Perhaps they might lie for twenty years, if there was no extraordinary demand for gold. "What is the handsomest coin made?" inquired The Boston Herald investigator. " wen, i snouiu say me American uoume eagle. Of course I don't see all the coins of the earth here, as we are not allowed to receive those of foreign countries, but as far as my experience goes, I place our $20 gold piece at the head of all others for beauty of design; in fact, all the gold coinage is handsome money. The government devotes a great deal of time to perfecting it. The metal is burnished to perfection, and if a sheet of it were hung up in your bed room it would serve all theJiurposes of a mirror. From these sheets the disks, or planchetts, as they are technically known, are stamped, after which they are placed under the dies and receive the pattern of the piece they are to represent. Sometimes we get one or two of these blanks, which have escaped the operator, in an invoice of gold from the mint." "When is a coin unfit for circulation ?" "I will take a $20 piece to aid me in answering that question. The government provides that all coins of this denomination shall weigh 516 grains when they leave the mint, and will receive them so long as they tip the scales at 513.42 grains. This is the limit of toleration, or minimum weight. The government is willing to stand this loss, which means about nine cents on a double eagle. It is the practice, 1 believe, in some of the sub-treasuries to pay out coins of this weightj but we have made it a rule here not to again place them in circulation, as it would take out a very short time to wear them down below the minimum, and the holder would then have to dispose of them at their bullion value. We have now on deposit $400,000 of minimum weight coins, some of which have been in our keeping for the past decade awaiting an appropriation by congress that will admit of their being melted up and restamped. There is another class of coins that is never paid out, it being known as dead pieces. They are the result of imperfect metal, and are absolutely without sound. People who get hold of them run here to find out whether they have been swindled, as they believe the value of metal money depends upon its ring." "What is the loss to the government on its gold coinage?" "About one quarter of one per cent., or $2.50 on $1,000." "There is a popular fallacy that gold is not counted by the government ?" "It is not only counted, but every piece is carefully inspected. We could not go by weight, as there are many plugged pieces, and sometimes a counterfeit finds its way tiere wnicn is up to weignt." "What is the finest gold counterfeit you liave ever seen ?" "It was a $5 piece. I remember receiving one of them from a Portland bank and sending it back for a good one. They claimed I had made a very big error, and were very enthusiastic in their criticism of this office. The piece was finally forwarded to Washington, and after a careful examination of it, I was sustained. The Portland bank sent an apology to me for its hasty action. The piece was one of a number issued in 1872, and bore the imprint of the Carson City mint. It contained 129 grains of gold and was 18 karats fine instead of 22, the legal standard of fineness, and was worth just $4.43. The other ingredients were silver, copper and platinum. The mystery to me is now they made the business pay. The counterfeiting of gold coin in this country began in 1800 and has continued until the present day." "What is the life a gold coin ?" "About thirty years in the United States, but in England and other countries, where it is largely used by the people as a medium of exchange, it lasts a much shorter time. It costs England $100,000 year to keep her sovereigns in good order, and that was one of the reasons why the report went forth that the Bank of England proposed issuing ?1 notes. I come across pieces once in a while that have had an existence of half a century or more, and look as fresh and bright as if they had been issued but yesterday. Here is a $2.o0 piece that was turned out in 1826 that has not yet lost its polish. It is a very rare coin and is worth at auction $20. It probably belonged to some one who kept it as a relic or in remembrance of some dear friend, or it may have fallen into a crack and remained for years in its place of concealment, or until the inarch of improvement brought it to light. Sometimes a thief robs a 'crank' of his treasure and disposes of the rare and almost worshiped coins at their face value. Eventually they find their way into the sub-treasuries, where their career is again stopped, as we are always on the alert to catch these choice mintages." "When you receive a coin deposit how do you guard against loss to the government?" "The redemption clerk first takes it and gives a receipt for the amount it is said to contain. Then it is counted. All the light pieces are thrown to one side and so stamped across their face. The counterfeits are cut in halves; and, in fact, all pieces which are not fit to place again in circulation are deducted from the original sum brought here. When the owner comes to get his receipt cashed he is given all the rejected coin, and after he has paid back a like amount in perfect money we square up with him. The light pieces are worth their bullion value, and if they are sent to the mint in Philadelphia their exact worth is returned to the owner. Sometimes they are taken to a broker, but, of course, they have to make a profit, and will deduct about 10 per cent, for their commission. I don't uphold the government in compelling a person to stand losses of this kind. The people with whom this coin circulates take it in good faith, and they have no means of determining its true value." "Do you receive many counterfeits?" "It is very rarely we find one. You see, the banks have experts, and in counting and examining their gold deposits the spurious pieces are detected and thrown out. It has to be an excellent imitation to slip past the keen-eyed counters. We have never received a single counterfeit gold coin from the leading local banking institions, which shows that they handle their specie deposits with great care." "If the treasury found a counterfeit in a lot of gold sent from here, upon whom would the loss fall ?" "Your humble servant. I would also be called upon to make good any shortage found by the experts who come around once a year and count our stock. If one of the vault clerks felt so disposed he could ruin me by abstracting a portion of one of the bugs, as I am held strictly responsible for their contents at all times. It is impossible for the government to lose a cent through the carelessness of its subordinates." "When did the government begin its gold coinage?" "The first return of gold coins from the chief coiner was on the .'list day of July, 17f)o, and consisted of 741 half eagles. The first delivery of eagles was on the 22nd of September, 1795, and consisted of 401) pieces. The double eagle was authorized to be coined March 3, 1849; the eagle, April 2, 1792; the half eagle, April 2, 1792; $3 pieces, February 21, 1853; quarter eagle, April 2, 1792; $1 piece, March 3, 1849. There is a mystery connected with the half eagle of 1801, and eminent mumismatologists are at variance in their histories on the coinage of the country. It is claimed by one authority that no half eagles of that year was struck, while others are positive that the government minted 2(5,000 of the pieces, and that they were all sent to Tripoli to pay the United States sailors who were subjugating the Bashaw of that country. The fact remains, however, that the collection of coins in the mint at Philadel- 1 phia contains no specimen of the half eagle 1 of 1801. There have been a large number ' of private gold coins issued since the es- i tablishment of the government, principal * among which is the eight-cornered <juin- 1 tuple eagle, valued at $50. In the private ( coinage of California there was a half-dol- 1 lar, a 40-cent, a quarter dollar and a 20-ceut 1 piece. The Mormons also put out a pecul- \ lar piece, having the value of $8, and the legend on the obverse: "To the Lord Ho- f liness." Georgia and North Carolina have 1 olcn rlnnn n li+tln iti ttio rmli-l-pninnfrfi line 1 The former State in 1849 issued a piece ' worth $2.87, while the latter coined a dol- ] lar that was worth but 93 cents." 1 HERO-WORSHIP. One of the most marked and healthy features of the Civil War in this country was the devotion of individual soldiers to their leaders. The American?matter-offact, shrewd, afraid of ridicule?has yet a deep vein of romance underlying these J traits, and there were instances of self- \ sacrifice among the men on both sides to J their leaders which equal in devotion the loyalty of Scottish clansmen to their chiefs. ! General W?, in the Southern army, was followed throughout every campaign ' by a half-breed Cherokee, who had fought { with him in South America in the revolution in Buenos Ayers. "The scout," as he was called, seldom ; spoke to General W?, but managed to ' keep near him in every battle. If he 1 could render him a service, however slight, 1 he was cheerful for days afterward. No ( one knew the secret of the bond between the two, further than W?, when a young ' man, had rendered some signal aid to the 1 Cherokee. General W? was shot through the heart while leading his men into action in the Wilderness. The scout saw him fall, and finding he was dead, threw himself into the thickest of the fray. His body was 1 found under aheap of slain that night. "Billy" was the colored servant of one of the major-generals in the Union army, and was almost as well known in the departments as his master. Having been familiarwith the hero at home, he felt justified in giving advice when the general, in his opinion, risked too much for his country, forgetful of family claims. Billy was said to have watched a battle from a safe tree, and to have received the veteran on his return with a sharp,? "Well, Mr. ?, I tink you done forgot Miss Maria 'n' de chillen altogedder cZw day!" ' The most pathetic story of this kind was that of a lad of fourteen, who begged General Garnett to take him into his ser vice as secretary, valet, anything, so that he could but follow the general. When he was refused, he tramped on foot with Garnett's division through the mountains of Virginia for months, keeping his hero in sight with the fidelity of a dog. The soldiers could not discover his name or history, though they questioned him incessantly. General Garnett was killed in action duing the first battles in the Shenandoah Valley. His little henchman stood motionless beside the dead body until one of the shower of bullets brought him down. He was buried by some of the Union troops. The next morning a rude wooden cross was found above his grave, and written upon it with charcoal, "My boy." Who the father was that risked capture to leave this poor memorial was never known. GELATINE. A great many who use gelatine and who are very fond of it when made into tempting jellies and other delightful dishes, which prominently appear at all parties and receptions, are not aware of what materials this substance is made. A great many dealers, who sell hundreds of pounds of it annually, are wholly unaware of its nrocess of manufacture. When pure it has very little taste, and to be made palatable must be mixed with wine or other substances. Properly prepared, it is a very agreeable food product, and is recommended for invalids, not only on account of its "masticability," but its easiness of digestion. It is recommended by physicians as being nutritious and healthful, giving vital action to the blood and strength to the body. The purest kind of gelatine is obtained from the refuse of the sturgeon. This has a clear, almost a colorless appearance, and great thickening power, and produces a jelly much superior to the ordinary gelatine, which is manufactured from hoofs, skins and bones of animals. But let it be said that the materials used must be perfectly fresh and the most cleanly processes employed in producing gelatine, and in purifying it, in order to make it sweet and palatable. Great skill and care are required to separate the pure gelatine from the other substances which are generally found with it. The character of gelatine is very much thesame as the white of an egg, though it possesses less nutritive material. A substance somewhat similar to the gelatine is found in seaweeds. In China it is made of bird's nests, and is considered a great luxury. A knowledge of chemistry and ingenious methods nave brought to the use of the world many economical and valuable food-products that in primitive days would haveheen allowed to go to waste and decay. The use of gelatine is constantly increasing in the larders of our principal hotels and restaurants, and our leading caterers would hardly think of getting up a feast without using it in some of their choice preparations one way or another. Xo Burials Alive.?Very comforting news is brought to those who stand in a daily dread of being buried alive, in the current number of The Medical and Surgical Reporter, which in an editorial says: The fear of being buried alive haunts the minds of so many of our fellow-men that it may hardly be regarded as strange, in some respects, that it was recently reported that a number of physicians in a city ( near Philadelphia had banded themselves . | together to devise means to prevent such a catastrophe in their own case. And when ; physicians could take such measures in , view of a supposed danger, it is not re- ' markable that the community should have j a special and exaggerated horror of being , buried alive. But this horror is as without reason as is the timidity of the physicians referred to. ] There seems to be no good ground what- i ever for supposing that it is possible in this enlightened age for any person to be committed to the grave while yet living. Sto- , ries reporting such occurrences are by no i means rare; but any one who examines \ them closely will certainly remark that they are wholly lacking in originality, and ] that there is in fact so strong a resemblance . between them as to excite the suspicion ( that one has been copied from another. Investigation will show, too, that this sus- i picion is a well-founded one; at least such \ has been the experience of the editor of , The Medical and Surgical Reporter, who has for some years followed up every story ] of burial alive which came to his notice, and always with the result of learning j that they were false, or of failing to. learn anvthimr about their origin. i Manners.?I make it a point of morality never to find fault with another for his manners. They may be awkward or graceful, blunt or polite, polished or rustic, I care not what they are, if the man means well and acts from honest intentions, without eccentricity or affectation. All men have not the advantages of "good society," as it is called, to school themselves in all its fantastic rules and ceremonies; and if there is any standard of manners, it is r founded on reason and good sense, and not c upon these artificial regulations. Manners, s like conversation, should be extemporaneous and not studied. I always suspect a man that meets me with the same perpet- t ual smile on his face, the same bending of ? the body and the same premeditated shake 1 of the hand. Give me the hearty?it may c be rough?grip of the hand, the careless a nod of recognition, and, when occasion re- g quires, the homel v but welcome salutation, j, "How are you old frieud ?" t <- $ Intelligent Horseshoeing.?Most j: people recall the "learned blacksmith" of t Massachusetts, who was regarded as a phe- a nomenon because he acquired a half-dozen fi or more languages, and furnished his in- d tellectual machinery in a striking way. t< No reason appears why the blacksmith c should not be as intelligent and cultured as a any class of citizens. His vocation is ii one that requires skill, tact and brains, ii The health and usefulness of a horse may a be affected very seriously by inartistic work upon the hoofs. lret it requires some consideration to avoid surprise that in England influential public meetings should oe held to promote the elevation of the farrier's art to the rank of licensed vocations, with examinations and grades of proficiency in the science. One of these meetings in London was presided over by the lord mayor and patronized by the Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The object as ?et forth is to secure a parliamentary act that will not allow a man to shoe a norse unless he has been found by an examining board to have mastered the intricacies and profundities of the vocation. There is no reason why this humane movement should not take root on the Western continent. BEGINNING A LIBRARY. There comes a time in the life of most young readers when he or she is anxious to own a library. The desire is often frustrated, sometimes by poverty, but as fre jueuuy uy \x wiung mea aa iu wimi iimnes i library. Middle aged readers gaze somewhat sadly, now and then, upon a collection of books which, years ago, they labelled "My Library." It has not grown ; it lias been little used: and the owner is seldom drawn to it. It is simply a number of bound volumes placed on shelves. When the reader began it, he thought that a collection of books made a library. He added volume after volume; felt a., pride in seeing the collection increase, and one day woke up to the fact that he had no mental use for a lot of books gathered without a purpose and arranged upon no plan. If a young person would own a library, he should begin by gathering books which he can, will, and must use. His pocket-money may amount to only a few aollars; but he will act judiciously if he spends every penny of it for one book, which he will use frequently, rather than for a dozen books, the only parts of which he really admires are the backs and covers. Nine boys out of ten will act wisely if they make an unabridged dictionary the "corner-stone" of their libraries. To purchase it may devour the savings of a year, but the dictionary will prove a good investment at that cost. Let the next purchase be a good atlas, one that represents the earth, and not merely that portion of it known as the Un ited States of America. There are some things happening every day outside of this country, which is not the only stage on which tragedies, melo-dramas and farces are enacted. The dictionary and atlas should be supElemented by a Biographical Dictionary, y a Dictionary of Dates, and by Brewer's "Dictionary of Phrase and Fable." With these five books a boy is prepared to read intelligently the newspaper and monthly magazine. To be sure, the library is very small, but if it is daily used it will increase in value. The intelligent reading of a newspaper or magazine includes the habit, which every young reader should form, of consulting the library of five volumes to learn the meaning of words and allusions, the position of places, the time of historical events, the peculiarities of persons mentioned in the periodicals. Then let no one of these pass without challenging it to stand while you learn all about it. Reading in this way, you will soon find it necessary to increase the small library bv adding to it an encvclonsedia. Zell's will give information in a* few words; Chambers's is excellent in those topics associated with Great Britain; Appleton's is full of instruction put in a popular form; Johnson's is strong in science, philosophy and politics, and the Britannica is itself a library for the thorough investigator. Some of these may seem too costly for the ordinary purse, but the least costly will be an acquisition of the right sort. The library, thus increased by a healthy growth, may be enlarged by adding, from time to time, any book which responds.to the reader's bent of mind, or gratifies his desire for knowledge or for mental exhilaration. There are times when every reader desires to be taken out of himself and away from his surroundings. The book which enables him to fly away and be at rest, and then returns him without injury to his every day life, is a serviceable book. "My library," says an intelligent writer, "should grow with my mind, my taste, and my desire for knowledge. It thus becomes my serviceable friend, to whom I may turn for instruction, refreshment and exhilaration. I know it; and it seems so real a companion that I muse if it is not the substance of what is, and 1 only the shadow of what may be." Alien Landlordism.?A bill was introduced in the house of repreresentatives a few days ago to prohibit the owership of land in this country by aliens. The committee presented the bill and made a careful examination of the subject, and in their report say they have ascertained with reasonable certainty that "certain noblemen of Europe, principally Englishmen, have acquired and now own about 21,000,000 acres of land in the United States." The committee say farther: "We have not sufficient information to state the quantity owned by aliens, nor is it so important, as it is generally held in smaller bodies. This alien non-resident ownership will, in the course of time, lead to a sy?* J rvof JKId With fhA ItfJII U1 iillltllUl tllSlll XUV/Uiiipai/iu4v tw a tit vi*v best interests and free institutions of the United States. The foundation of such a system is being laid broadly in the Western States and Territories. The avarice and enterprise of European capitalists," the report continues, ''have caused them to invest many millions in American railroad and land bonds, covering perhaps 100,000,000 acres, the greater part of which, under foreclosure sales, will most likely before many years become the property of these foreign bondholders, in addition to their princely possessions." The bill declares all foreign-born persons who have not been naturalized incapable of taking titles to lands anywhere within the United States, except a leasehold for iiQt exceeding five years, and it has no retroactive, but a prospective, operation. It also contains a provision which will compel alien land-owners to cease to be such or to become citizens of the United States within ten years.?[Kansas Farmer. The Latest Measurements.?The highest mountain range is the Himalayas, the mean elevation being estimated, at 18,000 feet. The loftiest mountain is Mount Everest ir Gauirsauker, of the Himalaya Range, * 1 # t* AArt laving an elevation 01 za,uu^ ie? uuuve the sea level. The largest theatre is the new opera louse in Paris. It covers nearly three icres of ground. Its cubic mass is 4,237,)00 feet. It cost 63,000,000 francs. The largest pleasure ground in the lTnited states, and one of the largest in :he world, is Fairmount Park, Philadelohia, which contains 2,745 acres. The largest city in the world is London, [ts popu-.tion number 4,621,875. New iTork, with a population of 1,500,000, comes ifth in the list of the great cities. The largest island in the world?which s also regarded as a continent?is Ausralia. It is 2,500 miles in length from last to west, and measures, 1,950 miles from lorth to south. Its area is 2,984,287 square niles. ' The largest cavern is Mammoth Cave, n Edmunds county; Kentucky. It is lear Green river, six miles from Cave ?ity, and about twenty-eight miles from fowling (Jreon. The largest inland sea is the Caspian, ying between Europe and Asia. Its greatest length is 760 miles, and itsgreatist breadth 279 miles, and its area 180,000 quare miles.?[Golden Days. Not "Worth a Sacrifice.?"People >uy everything except books," said the mthor of Queen Money. "They draw the ine at that extravagance. Say a book osts SI, SI.50, $5?nobody can atford such n outlay. They will wait six months to ;et a soiled copy from a library?will humiliate themselves to the last degree to torrow it?meanwhile, will spend $10, $20, 30, $40, $100 and $500 for greenhouse ilants, or cut flowers; they will purchase rumpery, dishes for tables and walls? dorn their own persons with dead birds, gathers, bits of tinsel, glass; they will eat, rink and be merry; take pains to gratify o the fullest every sordid and sensual inlination they feel. But books!?books rc out of the question. Books, representig, as they do, not the material out the ldestructible essence of human life and rt, are not worth making a sacrifice for." A