Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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The First Grandchild. *^Bnodmotbercalled the tanner, and there came Oat through the vine wreathed porch a blush ing dame, B—pi ised and eager at the strange new name. The dock within rang forth the chime for eight, **A mes-age? Read it—quick—how can you * wait?” Bor husband, smiling, leaned upon the gite, At arm's length bolding in his trembling hand The crisp, white sheet, while he the writing scanned. Then read once more, with voice almost un manned: ‘Baby doing “Tby granddaughter salutes thee, Ben,’” Bother and child, thank God, are _ well.” A moment's silence on the proud twain feU. She bro':e it soon. “Grandfather I con- grat”— “What, me?'’ the good man cried, lifting his hat— Grandfather?—me? I hadn’t thought of that. 1 ” —Anna A. Preston, in Harper’s. 3N THE NICK OF TIME. Miss Lily Somers, night telegraph •pcrator at the Flood wood station, sat before her table on which the telegraph instrument clicked busily, a thoughtful expression on her face. A face whose expression was its charm, that never could be called pret ty, but that, nevertheless, suggested a possibility—only a possibility—of being iumdjomc. For there is a vast differ ence between pretty an 1 handsome. Pretty people seldom know very much; but to be handsome a person must have brains, an inner as well as an outer beauty. Flood wood was a forlornly desolate spot, and one where any woman, except Lily, would have been afraid to come, much less to stay alone all night with nothing but the wind sadly sighing through the wires overhead and the shrill shrieks of the wild cats away up on the mountain side to keep her company through her nightly vigils. But to her there was something fascinating in the very desolation of the place. From ear ly childhood she had been accustomed to commune with nature in her wilder scenes, and played and wandered at will in the mountain glens and canons. With no foolish old woman or silly nurse girl to frighten her childish senses with sto ries of hideous ghosts and monstrous goblins, she had grown to womanhood naturally brave and fearless. In truth she did not understand the meaning of the word fear. Her office was nothing more than a roughly built shanty, seven or eight feet square, with a small window in each end and one in the door- which faced the ii.i mm ' ■' » together with green lumber while the road was in course of construction, -with the intention of only using it temporarily until a better one could be built, but, as usual in such cases, it had done duty for its original purpose ever since. The rough, unpainted boards were badly warpei and shrunken by long ex posure to the elements, and in many places large knots had fallen completely out. No doubt in the winter time the bleak mountain wind cheerily whistled through these many apertures, and while one aide of the unhappy operator was being nicely browned like a piece of toast by , the red-hot stove the other side would be refrigerated like a frozen rabbit. It was about 1 o’clock in the morning when Lily received an order from the train dispatcher, which read as follows: To Operator, Fi.oodwood:—Hold No! 21 until No. 22 arrives. E. K. C. On receipt of this order she immedi ately displayed the red signal light, which is furnished all telegraph stations for this purpose, in a conspicuous p’aec, in plain sight of passing trains, and also wh?rc it could be seen from the office window. The necessity for this order and posi tion of the two trains, briefly slated, arc as follows: No. 22 had arrived at Silver Creek, ten miles west of Floodwood, a few minutes after No. 21 had passed Red wood, which was thirteen miles cast of Floodwood. As No. 22 was late and could go no futher on the schedule, ac cording to the rules of the road, they would be compelled to lay at Silver Creek until No. 21 arrived there, unless they could get orders by telegraph to meet them at some other station. Flood- wood being the only intervening tele- ffreph office between the two trains, the dispatcher gave the above order to that station, and as soon as it was properly acknowledged by Lily ho sent another order to No. 22 at Silver Creek, which read in this manner: To Conductor and Engineer No. 22:— Beet No. 21 at Floodwood. Approach care fully. E. K. C. The intelligent reader will readily un derstand that by means of these orders the two trains would meet each other at Floodwood in perfect safety, notwith- standiag that one of them knew noth ing of the arrangement. To explain: If No. 21 should arrive first, they would be stopped by the red light* which showed that there were or ders for them at this station. The con- > doctor and engineer would immediately proceed to the telegraph office, where .the operator would deliver them a copy of the order to hold them for No. 22. This would be sufficient, and they 1 would wait until No. 22 arrived. If :Mo. 22 should arrive first, the execution of the order would be yet more simple. No. 22 would take siding, and as soon as they were clear Lily would be at liberty to take down the r*.d signal lantern, and allow No. 21 to pass without stopping. No. 22 having arrived, the object of the order was alread/ fulfilled. If both trains should happen to arrive at the same time, the red signal would stop No. 21,and as No. 22 bad instructions to “approach carefully,” they would do so, expecting to finl No. 21 occupying the main track. Lily perfectly understood the import ance of the order she had just received, and during the long hour which wore slowly away she kept careful watch of the signal light which, however, con tinued to burn as brightly as ever. At last she heard a rumbling noise away in the west which gradually became louder and louder aud more distinct. By this time she knew that No. 22 was coming and would probably get in on the siding before No. 21 should arrive. The rumbling became 'louder and louder each moment; the earth began to tremble, and the peculiar vibration in the air which gives warning of a rapidly approaching train hummed loudly iuher cars. She began to feel anxious, as they were evidently coming at a high rate of speed, and not approaching as carefully as their order had instructed them; she also had not heard the whistle which is always sounded by trains when ap proaching a station, and this omission increased her fears that something was wrong. But she w-as given no time for fur ther reflection, as the train now dashed around a curve not a hundred yards dis tant, running at full speed. Lily flew out and stood between the rails swinging her hand lamp wildly across the track and shouting at the top of her clear young voice. But no at tention was paid to her signal, the train coming madly on, with such a rattle and clash that it drowned the sound of her voice. The roaring, rushing trai n was now upon her, and she barely had time to spring from the track and escape with her life. With a rattling crash and an awful rush of air the hissing, throbbing monster sped swiftly past her, while the clang, clank of the car wheels passing over a loose splice near by was so rapid that it resembled the rapid hammering on the anvil in a blacksmith shop. For a moment Lily was unnerved and bewildered, ,but suddenly arousing her self to action she rushed into the office, and seizing a piece of firebrick that did duty for a stove leg, she turned and hurled it through the window of the caboose that w-as ju?t passing. An stant later the redBthts in the r-r\_ curve in the cut, andfthe rattle of the run away train quickly lessened in the dis tance. Lily’s heart throbbed painfully and she was seized with a sudden fit of shiver ing, which most persons of delicate or ganizations are subject to when under great excitement. As soon as she had somewhat recovered she went into the office, and calling the train dispatcher, who answered at once, she said: “No 22 passed at full speed and No. 21 not yet arrived!” “My God!” telegraphed back the dis patcher as swiftly as his frightened fin gers could form the letters, “the crew must be asleep. They will strike in that cut and pile up fifty feet high! Heav ens! This is horrible!” Lily thea went on to explain that she had attempted to awaken them by throwing a brick through a caboose win dow and on hearing this the dispatcher opened his key without waiting for her to finish and said excitelly: “Run to the east cud of the siding, and, if you see them backing them up, throw the switch and let them in on the siding. No. 21 is not due here five minutes, and there is a chance for them yet.” “I have no switch key,” said Lily. “Break the lock with a hammer, a rock, or anything,” was the quick reply. “Run, fly!” Lily seized an old ax that was lying handy, and, with a vague idea that she might also need the re l light, she took it into her other hand and flew up the track with the speed of the wind, at the imminent risk of falling and breaking her neck in the inky darkness. Once she stumbled and fell, and the lantern was dashed from her hand and went rolling along the ground far be yond her reach by the sudden impetus which her fall had given it, but without pausiug to regain it she sprang to her feet and bounded on. The switch at the end of the siding was fully half a mile from the oflice, and about the same distance from the beginning of the cut. If No. 22 could back iu on the siding in time they would be safe, but if they attempted to back down the main track past the telegraph office they were liable to be overtaken by No. 21 before going half the dis tance, as, according to the dispatcher’s figures, No. 21 should now bo very close. As Lily reached the switch a pair of gleaming red lights suddenly appeared around the curve in the cut, and she knew that the train was already rapidly backing up, aud that she had not a mo ment to lose. Feeling for the lock in the darkness, she then struck it several heavy blows with’ the ax, which she still retained. Luckily, one of the blows taking effect, the broken leek dropped to the ground. She then grasped the switch lever and ried to throw it over, but it resisted her utmost efforts to move it. The train was now only a short dis tance away, and with the energy of de spair she braced her feet against the switch standard, and, putting forth her strength in one mighty effort, the ob stinate lever came over with a sudden jerk and No. 22 glided safely in on the siding. The shrill scream of a whistle was now heard in the cut, and as soon as the train was clear she again exerted all her strength and threw the switch back to its former position. A headlight now flashed around the curve, and a moment later No. 21 rushed roaring along. Lily, by her bravery, promptness and presence of mind, had averted a terrible calamity. At the official investigation which took place a few days later the entire crew of the runaway train acknowledged that they were asleep, and that the con ductor had been awakened by a brick thrown in at the caboose window. The only excuse they had for their neglect of duty was that they had been on the road for thirty-two consecutive hours without sleep or rest, and that they were completely worn out. Notwithstanding the fact that the management of the road was responsible for requiring the men to run the long double trip, the entire crew were sum marily discharged for neglect of duty, as though man’s eudurance was an infal- ible bank, to be drawn on at pleasure 1 LADIES’ A QUEEN To the ($ueenj credit of re-estal tore of Burano almost wholly found an old w< stitch and had yountj women. Burano lace has aj of large revenue to * —Fori Worl TARTMEST. AN XNDUSTBT. Italy belongs the ig the manuilac- The industry had lout. The Queen who knew the ich a number of result is that become a source ieople of Burano. j. An in- v*o: le rear end stnc ■— The Tea of the Himalayas. The tea of the Himalayas is the best in the world, writes Frank G. Carpen ter, and I would advise housekeepers to try Indian tea. There is a tea in Thibet which has the flavor of milk to such a degree that when used it has all the properties of good tea mixed with the most delicious of Jersey cream. This Himalaya tea has the flavor of flowers. It is pure and clear and it is supplant ing the Chinese tea in the English mar kets. The tea plant grows wild through these Himalaya hills, and in some of the regions near here it attains the dimen sions of a large tree. Still it is now only about half a century since tea cul ture was commenced in India, and now there are many Indian tea men who prophesy that Indian tea will eventually push Chinese tea out of the markets of the world. The lower hills of these Himalayas are covered with tea plantations. The plants look not unlike well-trimmed box-wood hedges, and they rise in ter races up the sides \of the hills. Here and there you may see a gayly dressed man picking their leaves, and now d then a low_shed\jn which the firing ‘xrrra: scries in December <and January, and they are transplanted* between April and July. The ground has to be well drained, and I am told that the best tea soil is virgin forest land, which in In dia is very rich. The plants begin to bear about the third year, and they are at their best when they are ten years old. The Indian tea planters get about five pickings a year, and often seven. In China and Japan considered good. three pickings is LEASING PAINTIN^ FOR PARTIES. In Philadelphia, i/‘a fashionable tea party is to be givCj paintings or other works of art may eased for the occa sion from several f? is. They will put the pictures up in tL evening before the entertainment and"^ ke them away the next morning. In exi ange their changes are quite moderate. V.ny damage to the I paintings must be o course paid for, and as much rental« to bring the im porter a good percen ige on the capital invested. In the ca e of the summer hotels, the best cust< ners of the picture dealers, the hotel jepers insure the picture and pay for Its use during the season about six / psy cent, of its cost price. f I LADIES LIKE 1 O BE STOUT. There seems to isa an opinion pre vailing in some qua ters that ladies do not like to be stout. It is now known that this is a mistak . Any number of physicians in New fork will tell you that many ladies up ergo a special diet to make them stout. 1 ! They do not stop this diet even after .pcir figures have as sumed pronounced (roportians. They say they like to be :hubby and round and palpitating. T1 t favorite mixtures of these ladies is a ho ne-made decoction called “Dope.” It i ust be taken three times a day certai"1ta[ and some ladi.s who like the drl*Wake it more often. “Dope” is con, ^^Bd milk and hot water—a teaspfHH^I of the milk to a goblet of the wa n WOMEN REAfL ESTATE AGENTS. There is a new department in which the work of womln is beginning to be noticed. Bostol has two real estate agents of the six, and New York has one, and she is^iTTcfy business-like and successful me phy is her namj week one mayj the wards al buggy in spec j interesting ness men kn< active dealer who is seldoi and who ground. madoj AX) uuTzoT ol self-reliant, ble, and vei pAia Times. [dual. Miss A. K. Mur- every day in the ;jying. through re ^Hrlem, making i pro: _ istate parcels. Busi er as one of the most k the upper wards, one [eceived in a purt^kc, r s every inch of^Ehc ly weeks sinci She is clever, If/'ward and sensi - l/taining. —PhUadel- A WOMi A woman has a’ bestowing a favor The Hatching of Lobsters.. Mr. E. A. Brackett of the Massachu setts Commission on Fisheries and Game is making arrangements to commence the propagation of lobsters on the Mas sachusetts coast early in June. A steam launch has been purchased by the com mission and is now being fitted for this work. Mr. Brackett has made the drawings for hatching boxes, and they are now being constructed. He expects to be able to turn 4J, 000,000 young lobsters into ^Massachusetts waters this season. The experiment will be watched with a great deal of interest by every one in‘eresteJ in fish culture, as this is the first attempt made to propagate the lobster artificially. The lobster fisher men are interested in the experiment, and have promised to give all the aid and assistance in their power to help the project along, and it is from them that Mr. Bracket expects to secure the fe male lobsters, and, as a female lobster of twelve inches in length carries from 30,000 to 40,000 eggs, he will only re quire from 1200 to 1400 to furnish the requisite number or eggs to make up the enormous number he proposes to hatch this season. Professor S. Garmen will be detailed from Harvard College to assist Mr. Brackett in this great un- TRIBTJTE. lore excellent way of than a man. One day, in 1865, Rosa Bonheur, the famous French animal pkinteB| was surprised, while workiilg ^her ^udio, to receive a visit frqjn the Empress Eugenic, who entered'unannounced. 'I he Empress kissed the artist as she rose to receive her royal visitor, and, after a few minutes’ conversation, de parted as unceremoniously as she had entered. The woman artist discovered that the woman sovereign had pinned upon her working blouse the cross of the Legion of Honor. The Emperor, who had hesitated to confer the decoration on the artist be cause she was a v'oman, had left the Empress regent during his absence from France. One of drive over from Fo studio, and decorai li er first acts was to itainebleau, near the c Rosa Bonheur with her own hand. — Chicago Herald. dertaking. Grim Humor. It was at Tonquia. The young Count de T , who was serving as a private in a light iafantry French regiment, had his skull fractured by a bullet during an engagement with the Black Flags. He was taken up for dead, and removed to the ambulance. “He won’t recover,” said the surgeon-major; “one can see the brain.” At this word, the patient suddenly opened both his eyes. “You can see my braia?’’ he asked; “I beseech you, major, write at once to apprise my father of the fact; he made me join the army, because he pretended I had no brains. ’ ’—Argona ut. Not an Intentional Smile. Miss May Morningside—I’m very sor ry to hear of your brother’s death, Mr. Villers; but you’ll pardon me if I say that I see no reason to smile over it 1 Mr. Yorke Villers—Oh, dear, no! I’m not smiling, don’t you know 1 It—it— must be this eyeglass I’m trying to keep in! A COURAGEOU* YOUNG WOMAN. A daring act has just been performed at Montlucon, Fuauce, by a young woman of uineteon—Mademoiselle Jo- bard, who is the, daughter of a cafe keeper. She has 1 manifested a deep interest in Pezon’s menagerie since its arrival in the town, and it appears that the lion tamer, either through pure fun or because Mademoiselle Jobard made light of his exploits among the wild beasts, defied her to enter the largest of the dens with him. The challenge was accepted with a light heart, and all Montlucon turned out in order to wit ness the spectacle. Punctually at the time appointed the daughter of the cafe keeper appeared on the carpet attired in her best, and escorted by Pezon she en tered the cage amid the plaudits of those who had assembled in the vague hope of witnessing her demolition. Mademoi selle Jobard was slightly nervous at first, but after a few moments she walked around the cage with Pezon, the lion and lionesses watching her lazily from their corners. Finally the intrepid young woman stepped out of danger without a feather in her hat being damaged, and the spectators instantly clubbed together and presented her with two splendid bouquets.—London Tele graph.. WONDERFUL STRAW HVTS. The brims of the finest straw hats for young ladies, says a fashion writer, are certainly four feet in circumference, if not more. These are not to flare out roundly. Oh, no. They are lined, ruffled and frilled, and then bent and puckered and dented in every possible shape, and after the brim is thus bewild ered out of its own original symmetry, a few enormous bows of ribbon are stuck on and perhaps the entire adornment of the extremity of some wild and untamed ostrich is added to make it a thing of beauty and a joy for a season. Flowers of the field, orchard and gar den are added, whole families of tiny birds are placed as if in a nest, over wffi.ch hovers a larger bird, and a ruffled up “banty” hen gives realism to an other. Bugs, bees and flies also lend their attraction, but all these are noth ing tcfl^Hfe|^^‘style” Now the into which each the milliner's work soonsuccSI^n torturing it. The forewoman hits it a whack over the cor ner of the table and the errand girl bangs it over a tin pan; and other girls exercise their muscles on it, and the er rand boy hits it with a baseball, and then it is trimmed, each of these dents and creases forming a crevice to hold a little glacier of snowy mull or an ava lanche of plumes. PORPOISE CATCHING. A Successful Harpooner Needs Courage, Skill and Endurance. Methods of Securing the Fish and Trying the Blubber. FASHION NOTES. Trains are quite the rule for indoor wear. Butterflies are a specialty m millinery this season. Gray and smoke colored net is very fashionable. Sailor hats will be worn again by young girls and misses. A great deal of ingenuity is exercised in the matter of sleeves. Double chip hats are new, the lining being of a contrasting color. The smallest bonnets are more like dressy caps than anything else. The Spanish flounce is very much re vived for summer wash dresses. The Directoire redingote is a feature of many stylish morning toilets. Black is again a leading color for dresses, hats, bonnets and wraps. Moire ribbon is quite as fashionable as last year for trimming lace dresses. Hats with low crowns and broad brims, like scoops, are fashionable. Silk or satin petticoats will be de riguer with gossamer gowns this season. The finish of this year s light wools and homespuns is softer and finer than ever. Lace flounces of various widths arc used upon all medium and light-weight fabrics. ~ ' Lace that is to be put upon a washfng fabric should always be shrunk before^ it is used. When the season advances a li more we will see.tha revival of the horn fiat. e- mand for real this year. Circular cloaks wear, in old rose, camel’s hair. The flat of^^^^Hp&nd grandmothers is now^JPI^ffimplishcd fashionable fact. The newest card cases are of heavily chased silver, and are made to serve also as a pocketbook. The new gown stuff vcloutine has a silk back, and stripes of short pile velvet over the right side. Natural colored pongees will be sty lishly trimmed with white lace or em broidery laid on flat. A great deal of ribbon, both wido and narrow, is used in many eccentric ways on lacc gowns. Many of the new parasols have covers of lace or net, or thin gauze embroid ered in Persian patterns. A wide sash of rich texture and gay color gives the cachet of style to the simplest black costumes. A novel belt buckle is of bright sil ver, in imitation of wicker work, inlaid at intervals with pearl shells. Colored ribbons arc extensively used upon dresses of plain black net, giving them their only touch of color. B ack stockings arc still preferred for children, and girls under ten years wear buttoned shoes without heels. Ladies’ shirts of striped linen or palo silk, for wear with directoire coats, ap pear in the shops in almost distressing profusion. A Few Facts About Oranges. Few persons, even orange-growers themselves, are aware of the various sources of profit that may be obtained from an orange orchard outside of the sale of the fruit. A New York chemist has stated to au Eastern paper the result of his observations in Southern Europe, aud mentions the following processes as there in vogue: Extracting by pressure orange peel oil (oil Portugal), price per ounce, $2; distilling Heroly oil, per ounce, $4; distilling falling green fruit oil, per pound, $4; distilling leaves oil, per pound, $2; preparing wine, per gallon, 50 cents; preparing citric acid, per pound, 50 cents; preparing dry orange flowers, per pound, $4; preparing orange blossom pomade, per pound, $2.50; preparing orange-flower water, per gallon, $2.50. Of course some of the processes require the use of ma chinery, but from the high prices pre vailing of some of the products this cost would soon be repaid. "When low prices for the fruit obtain, orange-groweis might, by employing some or all of the processes mentioned, render their crop much more valuable.—Fresno {Cal.) Expositor. Along the coast of Maine there are several places where porpoise catching is carried on extensively, and affords the principal means of support for many of the people living in those localities. The Bay of Fundy is an especially good fish- ing ground, and Indian Beach, border ing on the waters of the bay, is more or less occupied the year round by whites and Indians who do little else. For years the Passamaquoddy Indians have made a practice of camping on the beach and applying themselves assiduously to porpoise harpooning and shooting. The winter fish are the fattest and give the most oil; that is the valuable part of the catch. The largest porpoises are about seven feet long, will girt five feet, weigh 300 pounds and over, and yield from six to seven gallons of oil. The blubber is an inch or so thick in warm weather, but in the winter double that. A fat fish’s blubber will weigh about 100 pounds. The Indians do their work in much the same way now as they did iu early years, the most primitive methods prevailing. In trying out the blubber the appliances are of the rudest kind. The fires are built among piles of stones, over which 'iron pots are hung. The blubber is cut into small pieces and slowly melted. The oil is skimmed into jars and cam, and when pure is worth 90 cents a gallon. The best oil comes from the jaws of the porpoise. The jaws are hung up in the sun, and the oil drops down into a ves sel, each pair producing about one-half pint. Watchmakers and others using a very fine oil take it in preference to all other, and it commands a big price. The blubber oil gives a good light, and for years w*s burned exclusively in the light-houses along the coast. In a good season an Indian will catch nearly 200 porpoises, each yielding about three gallons of oil, but most of them fall a good deal below this, as they are not over-partial to labor, and, as long as the returns of one catch will last, will loaf around the camp rather than go out again. The custom is to get a few gallons of oil, go to the near- j est market and sell it, then “rest” till forced by necessity to make further ex ertions. The porpoise’s flesh is much like pork when cooked, and is a staple article of food. The bravery, skill manded of the porpois work is almost unkn worm., InytEe fltyri are going “porpoisin’! ” the women and children turn out to bee the canoes off. Each boat has two ipen, and when a storm comes up while they are out, or they are unusually late comidg in, there is great anxiety among those on shore * It takes years of training to make a good porpoise-hunter, and the big boys begin by going out with the experienced men. No matter what the water’s condition, be it rough or smooth, if there is a trip contemplated, the start is made. In calm weather the blowing of the por poise can be heard a long way, and guides the Indian in the right direction. Shooting is the most successful method of killing the fish. Long, smooth-bore guns, with big charges of powder and double B shot are used. As the fish is floating, swimming, and diving about the water, first on the surface and then below, the canoe is paddled as near as possible. Then, as the porpoise lifts himself to dive the gun’s charge is let fly. There is seldom a failure to make a sure shot, but the fish is speared to stop his floundering about in the dying struggle. It is then landed in the ca noe by grasping the pectoral fin with one hand, sticking a couple of fingers in the blow hole, and dragging it over the side. In still water this is easy, but when a high sea is mining the under taking is hard and dangerous. Sharks are plenty, and their fins are almost always visible, cutting the water as soon as a porpoise is wounded, the blood attracting them. No end of stories are told of men having had their arms bit off by a shark while they were reach ing into the water to secure a porpoise, but old fishermen scoff at such a thins, and pay no attention to the dread ocean monsters, as they almost rub their noses against the sides of the canoes.—Ut. Globe- Democrat. The Wind Blnst of the Avalanche. I knew well, for an honest fellow told me that he was driving hU sledge with two horses on the Albula Pass, when an avalanche fell upon the opposite side of the gorge. It did not catch him. But the blast carried him aud his horses and the sledge at one swoop over into deep snow, whence they emerged with diffi culty. Another man, whom I count among my friends here, showed me a spot in the Schaniigg Valley (between Chur and Strela Pass) where one of his female relatives had been caught by the Lawinen-Dunst. She was walking to church when this happened, the people of her hamlet having taken the same path about a quarter of an hour before. The blast lifted her into the air, swept her from the road and lauded her at the top of a lofty pine, to which she clung with great desperation. The snow rushed under her and left the pine standing. It must have been an inconsiderable ava lanche. Her neighbors, on their way back from church saw her clutching for bare life to the slender apex of the tree, and rescued her. Many such cases could be mentioned. A roadmaker, named Schorta, this winter, was blown in like manner into the air bslow Brail in the Engadine, and saved himself by grap pling to a fir tree, else he would have been dashed to pieces against the face of a precipice; as it was he only lost his hat. I have been shown a place near Ems, in the Rhine Valley, above Chur, where a miller’s house was carried bodily some distance through the air by the Lawincn-Duust. Its inhabitants were all killed except an old man about sixty and an infant of two years. Again I may mention that the tower of the monastery at Dissentis was on one occa sion blown down by the same cause. Cases are frequently met with- where walls of houses, windows and doors, have been smashed in by the wind of avalanches falling on the opposite flank of a narrow ravine. I have myself seen a house wrecked by a Staub-Lawine, its roof removed in one piece by the blast, and its back wall aud one side stove in by the weight of snow and stone and tiles which followed. endurance de catchers in their to the outside Louis A Mysterious Deposit of CoaL Although attempts to mine coal at the mouth of the Kennebec river in Maine have been unsuccessful, yet every time a lump is washed ashore it excites some one w ith a desire to investigate farther. A Portland paper tells of a lump weigh ing about twenty-six pounds that re cently was washed up on Popham beach, and thinks that a Portland syndicate will make another effort this summer to find the source whence these pieces have come for the last sixty years. The opinion is frequently expressed that the lumps are broken from a rich vein be- beath the sea. An Exorbitant Charge. Convalescent— “Doctor, how much do I owe you for saving my life? ’ Doctor—“Sixty dollars.” Convalescent—“Sixty dollars!” (with an air of conviction) It ain’t worth it.” —Epoch. Romance of the South Sea Islands. A romantic story comes to Washing ton from Tahiti, in the South Sea Islands, in which the United States consul and a native priuc&s figure as the principals. The consul is Jacob L. Doty, a young man of twenty-two who was appointed to his present position about a year ago. Young Doty served for some years as a page in the Senate, and when he asked for a place in the consular service, all the members of 4he \ 1 body, Republicans and Democrats alike, gave/aim a cordial indorsement. Shortly aftqt his arrival in Tahiti, Mr. Doty, [om^voung .man, the acquaintance of the PriucesT Palona. The Princess is a beautiful and accomplished lady, about eighteen years old, and a perfect blonde. She is the daughter of Lord and Lady D’Arcy, her mother, Lady D’Arcy, being a native Tahitian princess, and her father an English nobleman of distinguished an cestry. Princess Palona has had all the advantages of a continental education in France and Germany as well as England. She is the possessor of immense wealth, being in her own right, the largest property owner on the island, with vast cocoa plantation, and pearl fisheries valued at millions of dollars and further receives a large annuity from France under treaty stipulations. As may naturally be supposed the Prin cess has not lacked suitors for her hand, but she threw them all over for the young American, and in a recent letter from Mr. Doty to his mother in this city the announcement is made of their be trothal. Lord D’Arcy, it is said, de sired that his daughter should marry in her own station, but like a sensible man waived 1 h objections when he saw what direction •matters were taking. The fact is, the young man can boast a lineage quite as long as his prospective fathcr- iu-law. He is a great-grandson of Lord Melbourne, who was half a century ago Queen Victoria’s prime minister. He is also related to the Wallaces and McPher sons and other families of note in Great Britain.—Boston Post. A Plentitudc of Meals in Russia. The Russian eats on an average onco every two hours. The climate and cus tom require such frequent meals, the d:« gestion of which is aided by frequent draughts of vodki and tea. Vodki is the Russian whi ky, male from potatoes and rye. It is fiery and colorless and is generally flavored with some extract like vanilla or orange. It is drunk from small cups that hold perhaps half a gill. Vodki and tea are the inseparable ac companiments of friendly as of well of business intercourse in the country of the Czar. Drunken men are rare. Rus sia and Sweden arc the only countries in which the double dinner is the rule When you go to the house of a Russian, be he a friend or a stranger, you are at once invited to a side table, where salted meats, pickled eel, salted cucumbers, and many other spicy and appetizing viands, are urged upon you with an im pressiveness that knows no refusal. This repast is washed down with fre quent cups of “vodki” That over, and when the visitor feels as if he had eaten enough for twenty-four hours, the host says, “And now for dinner.” At the dinner table the meal is served in courses.—New Fbri Star. Were the dead death? languages talked to