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STi VOL. IY. NO. Earth'8 Noblemen. We're of that band that till the land. And draw from earth her store; Right happy indeed is the life we lead, While our days are passing o'er. Many there are in riehes far Surpassing the farmer's parse, While other pursuits may yield more fruits. Yet often produce much worse. sion, however, my ooniemp* ior wie prophetic words of the Indian came near costing me dearly. Approaching the foot of the mountain, I beheld full in view, and only a short distance away on a small eminence, a pack of wolves, twenty-seven in number, devouring the remains of a dees. This was rather an unpleasant position to be in, and the only recourse for safety was retreat or to climb a tree. The former I decided on without much delay, but on turning about i found that the two Indians had gone. I Baw to my revolvers as my best friends immediately, and found all right I determined to live as long as I could, and to sell my life as dearly as possible. I began the retreat however, with all the haste that my physical powers were capable of, but was soon alarmed by hearing the howling of the wolves in pursuit. I have always prided myself on my fleetness of foot, as I have seldom met my equal, but in this race with wolves I lost ground very fast I quickly realized that the attempt to escape was vain, for at the rate of going I could not hold out long, and therefore, believing that "prudence was the better part of valor," I concluded to climb a tree, and though it took me a very few moments to reach a convenient bough, I was none too quick, for the pack was nigh on hand, anxious for a fresh dish after disposing of the deer. They drew np in line, abont ten yards from the tree, and considering the opportunity a good one, I commenced to blaze away ^t them, with deadly eOect, no less than four falling in answer to seven shots. This destructive fire did not abate their fury in the least, and I proceeded to draw my second revolver, when, unfortunately, it caught in a twig and was jerked out of my hand to the ground. I now felt my predicament a worse one than ever, fearing that they would remain and starve me out, or until I should become benumbed with the cold and fall an easy prey to the ravenous pack. My buffalo coat I had left in the cutter, and, being very thinly clad, I began very soon to experience the effects of the cold. The wolves, I believe, realized my helplessne&s, and became bold accordingly. They walked up to the foot of the tree, which was a very small one, and as they could not reach me by leaping, they began to gnaw it down. I had been in mauy a tigjit place before, in whale fishing and other perilous positions, and flatter myself I have never bet n mnch of a coward; but on the present occasion, with a hungry pack of wolves methodically at work, one after the other, gnawing away the tree on which I bad taken refuge, I began to feel loose about the jaw, and my spirits went down to forty-five Fahrenheit. However, an idea occurred to me ; I decided upon a plan. Taking out my knife I cut the longest limb I could reach, and leaving a hook on the end of it I caught hold of a large cedar tree aboflt ten feet off, and as the wolves continued gnawing, and my perch got more and more unsteady, 1 pulled on me pole ana arew the tree over toward the cedar. With a desperate exertion, . and after several minutes of Jeep anxiety, I succeeded in gainiog the cedar, and took up a safe position amoDg its branches. The wolves uttered p, fierce howl and took their departure, but I did not venture to descend from my perch until the last sound from them was faintly heard from the distant w hills. On reaching the place where I had left my horse, I found that he had got frightened and had gone. . I was about striking out in pursuit, when I espied the two Indians, who were endeavoring to secure two young moose, which thev had got into a kind of crevasse at tne base of a high rock. I turned iu with them, and we succeeded -0 We envy not the statesman's lot, Still clamoring for hie class; Nor hie that fighte for glory's rights, At some redoubted pass. No risk have we on boisterous sea, No fears lest tempest whelm And we possess without redress, While laboring at the helm. The fruitful field in bounties yields, A rich reward for toil; Be ours the trade to ply the spade. And deeply plow the soil; Wo walk abroad o'er carpet sod, And flowerets kiss our feet, Whoee odors rise to scent the skies? A tribute pure and sweet. To ail we give the means to live, As brother shares with brother, And thus fulfill the holy will That bids us love each other. OK I fa BAAnrA frnm anil a And nnrA To thee our love clinge ever. With all its might and fond delight? To chaoge from thee, no, never ! A WONDERFUL WOLF STORY. A Lumber Inspector in Caaada ha< a Mar. raw Escape?He Passes Several Hours In a Tree Surrounded by Hungry Wolves. The Ottawa Free Press prints the following account of an adventure by Mr. John A. Gunn, in the township of Blake, Quebec:. I set out in company with two In.dians to ascertain if any trespasses had been committed on a limit owned by our firm, tlie said limit being northeast of the Gat infill river, and running parallel with the Duievre. The district is remarkable only for its mountainous character, the range being called Mont Diable, < r Devil's mountain. I took my horse al< >ng with me so long as a beaten track t nablcd me to do so, when I tied him up, aud continued the jouruey on snowshoca We had gone only about four miles, when one of the Iudians, a very cuuniDg and experienced hunter, solemnly warned me to turn back, as there were unmistakable indications of wolves being in close proximity; but, not heeding the voice of the dnsky son of the forest, I made up my mind to keep on my way, as it is a principle of \ mine never to look back until my work is accomplished. On the present occa* i il KNDA in taking them alive and unhurt. The Indians had courage enough to go back and skin the wolves. My horse I found at the jobber's shanty, about seven miles distant. The Rescue of the "Donner Party," Readers of Bret Harte's "Gabriel Couroy " will remember the following foot note which occurs in connection with the author's description of scenes in Starvation Camp : "I fear I must task the incredulous reader's further patience by calling attention to what may, perhaps, prove the most literal and thoroughly attested fact of this otherwise fanciful chronicle. The condition and situation of the illfamed 'Donner Party'?then an unknown, unheralded cavalcade of immigrants?starving iu an unfrequented pass of the Sierras, was first made known to Captain Yount, of Napa, in a dream. The Spanish records of California show that the relief p?rty which succored the survivors was projected upon this spiritual information." In the thorough scrutiny to which everything relating to the heroic age of California has been subjected, there are, probably, few beyond the mountains who are not familiar with the details of the above expedition. There are many in the East, however, who will be interested in Captain Yount's own version of this strange occurrence, as related by him to the late Rev. Dr. TT T> V. 11 ITa /,nAlA fwtm ottier nrst-ciaas snots aro rcaciy to cuui- 3 pete. No shot, a resident of Scotland, , who can go, has held back. The deputa- , tion of the Irish rifle association, which j interviewed Major Leach in regard to the organization of an Irish team by that , gentleman, included nearly all of the i 1875 international team. Capt. Mildmay, secretary of the national rifle association, thinks the action of the Irish team definitely settled in the negative the question of the national association's ; representation, though Sir Henry Hal- ( ford has not yet received a reply from Col. Gilderslceve to hi9 communication asking that no team should be accredited unless under the auspices of the national rifle association. A Jiew Trial, In July, 1874, a Chicago merchant named Staaden, having heavily insured his hardware store and removed his stock, saturated the floors with oil and heaped them with rags, then placed several kegs of powder on the shelves, attached trains and lighted them. This was at noon, on a crowded street. The Are was fortunately discovered and extinguished. Staaden was only brought to trial last winter, and sentenced to a year's imprisonment. He has secured a new trial, and will probably bo set fre?, XlUrUUU JL> UOUiiCil TT o ljuvvu iivui Nature and the Supernatural ": As I sat by the fire, one stormy November night, in a hotel parlor, in the Napa valley of California, there came in a most venerable and benignant looking person, with his wife, taking their seats in the circle. The stranger, as I afterward learned, was Captain Fount, a man who came over into California, as a trapper, more than forty years ago. Here he has lived, apart from the great world and its questions, acquiring an immense landed estate, and becoming a kind of acknowledged patriarch in the country. His tall, manly person, and his gracious, paternal look, as totally < unsophisticated in the expression as if : I he had never heard of a philosophic < doubt or question in his life, marked him as the true patriarch. The conver- ! sation turned, I know not how, on i spiritism and the modern necromancy, ' and ho discovered a degree of inclina- , tion to believe in the reported mys- ] teries. His wife, a much younger and < apparently Christian person, intimated that probably he was predisposed to this kind of faith by a very peculiar experi- ( ence of his own, and evidently desired 1 that he might be drawn out by some in- ^ telligent discussion of his queries. i At my request, he gave me his story. { About six or seven years previous in a j mid-winter's night he had a dream, in which he saw what appeared to be a J compauy of immigrants, arrested by the < snows of the mountains, and perishing 1 rapidly by cold and hunger. He noted 1 the very cast of the scenery, marked by a huge perpendicular front of white 1 rock cliff ; he saw men cutting off what appeared to be tree tops, rising out of ^ deep gulfs of snow; he distinguished j the very features of the persons, and the look of their particular distress. He ? woke, profoundly impressed with the J distinctness and apparent reality of his ( dream. At length he fell asleep, and j dreamed exactly the same dream again, j In the morning he could not expel it j from his mind. Faffing in, shortly, f ?:ii. ? -1J 1?~ 1 WIU.I tUX U1U UUUIiCI WIUIOUC) uo wiu him the story, and was only the more deeply impressed by his recognizing, without hesitation, the scenery of the dream. This comrade came over the Sierra, by the Carson valley pass, and declared tha; a spot in the pass answered exactly to his description. By this the unsophisticated patriarch was decided. He immediately collected a company of men, with mules and blankets, and all necessary provisions. The neighbors were laoghing, meantime,at his credulity. "No matter," said he, "I am able to do this, and I will, for I verily believe that the fact is according to my dream." The men were sent into the mountains, one hundred and fifty miles distant, directly to the Carson valley pass. And there they found' the company, in exactly the condition of the dream, and brought in the remnant alive. A gentleman present said: "Yon need have no doubt of this; for wo Californians all know the facts, and the names of the families brought in, who now look upon cur venerable friend as a kind of savior." These names he gave, and the places where they reside, and I found, afterward, that the California people were ready, every where, to second his testimony.?Scribncr for April. The Centennial Rifle Team. Capt. MacDonald, of the Scotch rifle team, writes to the Volunteer Service Gazette that six members of last year's Scotch Elcho Shield team?all who are able to go to America to participate in the Centennial matches?intend to shoot for ulaoes in this team, and at least nine ? "1? A _ I , POK RD A A TTTTOTJT ft. JLM JLJ U. ft. ft--' -ft. V -ft. ft A Story of Daniel Drew. Hundreds of stories have been told about Uncle Daniel Drew's way of doing business. Here is one I heard in Wall street some time ago that will do as a specimen. Once while sitting in his office Drew was approached by a clerical looking personage, who introduced himself a3 a clergyman from a town up the Hudson. Uncle Daniel wanted to know what he could do for him. " Well, I thought, Mr. Drew," said tho parson, "that you might put me in the way of making a little money." " Thinkin' of bnyin' some sheers, eh!" "Yes, sir, I've got something saved up, and if you'll be good enough to tell me what is best to do to increase it you'll oblige me very much." "Well, now, it's kind a resky, ye know, but p'r'aps ef ye tried a little Erie"? " Thank you, Mr. Drew, thank you. Now, will you be kind enough to tell me a good place to buy ? You see, I am not acquainted down here at all." Drew sent him to one of his own brokers, who had orders to sell Erie right along, and when the parson was leaving the good old man said to him : "Now, don't ye go an'tell any of the folks up there that I've been givin' ye any pints, for I don't want 'em to be comin' down here an'specklatin'." The parson ordered some Erie, put up the margin, and went home, and in less than a week every one of his neighbors who could command a thousand dollars had come to New York and bought Erie in the same place. But thej were all surprised to find stock falling instead of rising, and when more margin was called for the dominie came down in hot haste to see Mr. Drew and find out what was the matter. "Mr. Drew, my dear sir, how is this? - - ** AL* '1. Ion told me Jtine was a goou imng w buy." "Well," paid Uncle Daniel, with his Egyptian mnmmj smile, "it has turned out poorty bad, that's a fact. But of course I don't want yo to lose any money. Let's see; how much are ye out?" The dominie named his loss, and Drew told a clerk to fill a check for the amount. It was handed to the visitor, who became quite profuse in his thanks. A.s he was leaving the office, however, lie stopped and said : " Mr. Drew, some if my brethren have also lost a large sum in Erie." "Seems to me," answered Mr. Drew, [< I told ye not to sav anything about that pint on Ery to the folks up your way. Lots of 'em's been down yer buyin', an' I fear they haint made nothin'. Sorry, but it haint my fault, for I told pe not to tell 'em." They had been buying the stock that Drew was selling, and the check to the fiergyman was only a small part of what 10 had made out of the clergyman's riends. Reorganizing the United States Army. The committee on military affairs of ihe United States House agreed upon a Dill to reorganize the army, it being Representative Banning's bill, with ome amendments, and ordered it to be reported favorably *to the House. It loes not reduce the present effective force of the army, but reduces the number of infantry regiments from twontyive to twenty, and the cavalry from ten o eight, thus reducing the number of nfautry officers fifty-five and of cavalry iflicers fifteen, and increases the size of lie companies and regiments. It does iway with the regimental organization of he artillery, reducing the field officers >f artillery seventeen. It consolidates ho quartermaster and commissary deinirx nirta rl QC1 rm o fori Ofl flin JUL lUiUli UO 1UIV VUUj UVU4gWMWV? W vmv lepartment of supplies, making a large eduction of officers. It provides for a x>ard to examine officers and for the discharge of all worthless and inefficient )fiicers, and for an examination of the condition of retired officers. All officers dio lose their places uuder the bill are placed upon a list of supernumeraries, md are permitted to resign with one rear's pay for each eight years of scrrice, or remain in service to perform >uch duty as they may be assigned to. It provides for the education of noncommissioned officers and soldiers by ;he commissioned officers, and for the promotion of non-commissioned officers ;o commissioned officers. It abolishes he office of judge advocate, fixes the Day of first sergeants at $10 per month, nakes the headquarters of the general )f the army at Washington in time of leaoe, and provides that he may act as secretary of war in the absence of he secretary or temporary vacancy in ;he office. It provides that sutlers aud post traders shall be first elected by a council of he administration, approved by the department commander and the general of the army, and appointed by the secretary of war. It reduces the staff ot all general officers, and requires the general the army to report reforms to Congress annually and to look to economy in all branches of the army. The bill is approved by the testimony of many cf the officers of the army. It is a reduction of about two hundred officers, and proposes reforms which, if adopted, will, a Washington dispatch says, it is claimed, add greatly to the efficiency of the army: Poisonous Trees, The leaves of the gumbo trees, which grow in the West Indies, when eaten by any animal, will cause all its hair to drop out,.and I have seen horses and cows both without a liair in mane or tail from eating its leavep. The manchenillo tree is quite common on some of these islands, and is very poisonous. The wind blowing through it directly upon a person sensitive to poison will take effect in a few moments. The smoke from its burning wood has the same effect. I saw a horse which had taken shelter under one of these trees during a shower, whose hair was taken off wherever the drops of rain from its boughs had touched him, and years afterward bad this mottled appearance. A man who a^ept under one of them in midday was awakened nearly unconscious, as if under the effects of a powerful narootio. I have known several cases of severe poison and two deaths from eating crabs poisoned with this tree. T IFtO" lND ( C., THURSDAY, A Fasliion Xotes, Ball gloves are worn very long, often reaching to the elbow. Feather trimmings of all varieties will be worn until midsummer. The Rubiria polonaise furnishes a graceful model for this leading garment, which buttons in the back. Fringes were never more elegant in design and finish than now. Graduated fringes, woven very wide in the center < and narrow at the sides, are seen on handsome tabliers. < Small crochet buttons, both in black 1 and colors, and smoked pearl ones are in style. i The Byron collar, which the manufac- I tnrersare trying to introduce, has not ] proved successful. The English collar 1 with ends sloped off and the upright col- 1 lar with ends slightly pointed and rolled ! over are popular. < Flowers are lavishly used for evening ! toilets. ] Waists of evening dresses are laced at ! the back; are generally high on the < shoulders, with low, heart shaped Pom- 1 padour or high necks, as the figure re- I quires. The sleeves arc either very 1 short or else reach to the elbow. ] Cameos are in unusual demand, with i a preference for ancient designs. < The Toque bonnets, with small brim < and loose crown, are worn; some, in- < deed, have no brim, a long curled \ feather being fastened all around the ( crown. They have tulle strings attached < to the back of the bonnet, brought for- i ward and loosely tied in front. 1 Combs, not very high ?nd forming a < square rather than oval band, designed 4 in an open pattern, are adapted to the 1 present style of wearing the hair. ] BuntiDg dresses of creamy tint will be J popular this year for seaside wear, as < will be blue bun tine ones for yachting ; purposes. t Expensive sets of underclothing oome < iD ecru or rose colored silk, elaborately 1 trimmed with Valenciennes lace. i Visiting cards of medium size in un- 1 glazed Bristol board, with English ( script, is the popular style. t Bright colored plaids, intermixed with ( grays, are brought out in spring woolen fabrics for house dresses and children's suits. Whitby jet is the only jewelry appropriate for deep mourning. t The heating comb is a new invention t for drying the hair after the head has 1 been washed; it is also claimed for this ( contrivance that it keeps the hair glossy, i prevents its falling out, and is in many i ways a benefit. 1 White is this season known in several i shades: blanc rose?also called month 1 of June?a white, overcast with pink; ] blanc creme, a creamy white, and blanc e mat, a dead white. . < Fans of Russia leather remain fashionable. t t Thoughts for Saturday Night. j To bear is to conquer fate. ^ The sweetest pleasure is in imparting * it. fi Choose such pleasures as recreate much and cost little. c Poverty persuades a man to do and suffer everything, that he may escape 1 from it. t Devote each day to the object then in t time, and every evening will find some- a thing done. a Pride is a vice which pride itself in- J clines every man to find in others and ? overlook in himself. v Suffering becomes beautiful when one s bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility, but through 0 greatness of mind. f Lost wealth may be replaced by industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by temperance or medicine, but lost tim^ is gone forever. There is no less merit in keeping what o we have got than in first acquiring it. ? Cbanoo has something to do with the 1 one, while the other will always bo the a eiTect of skill. b Socrates, when informed of softio de- 8 rogating speeches one had used concern- 0 ing him behind his back, made only P this facetious reply: "Let him beat 0 me, too, when I am absent." n The skeptic,[when he plunges into the ? depths of infidelity, like the miser who j leaps from the shipwreck, will find that j tbc treasures which he bears about him a will only sink him deeper in the abyss. Over the time thou hast no power; \ to redeem a world sunk in dishonesty ti lms not been given thee; solely over one 0 man therein thou hast a quite absolute f< uncontrollable power; him redeem, him a make honest. ti It is at the approach of extreme dan- tl ger when a hollow puppet can do noth- tl ing that power falls into the mighty b hands of nature, of the spirit giant o born who listens only to himself and a knows nothing of compacts. a I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one's self on this earth is not a hardship, but a pas- 'l time, if wo will live simply and wisely, P as the pursuits of the simpler nations * are still the sports of the more artificial. 81 Man is subject to fate solely in himself, not in others; he soon hardens his mind against all fear, and prepares it for all events. A little philosophy enables a him to bear bodily paiu, or the common t infirmities of flesh; by a philosophy p somewhat deeper, he can coDquer the g ordinary reverses of fortune, the dread 8 of shame, and the last calamity of n death. ii A Mexican (Irons. o A curious thing is a Mexican circus, g One, at Puebla, came up from old Mexi- t co. The managers have some sections u of canvas, and with these and such t pieces of lumber as they can pick np in p the town in which they exhibit, they s construct a sort of tent or corral. The s patrons of the show must provide their h own seats. Each cabal lero may be seen t: going to the show with a se.iorita on v one arm and a conple of chairs or stools d on the other. The advance agent spurns t the regular printer's ink, using instead a c musliu poster, on which is printed au p advertisement of the circus. The per- i: formance consists mainly of tumbl ng v aud horizontal bar exercises, though an o educate d pony and some trained dogs a play a part in the programme. The a performers are wonderful athletes, and o their feats are well worth seeing. s 3omn PEIL 27, 1876. SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL PRIZES. Good Chances for Kaisers of Bis Potatoes ana uwneis ol men (flooded Uogn. The only department of the Centennial exhibition in which special prizes have been offered to any extent is the agricultural. These prizes will not be awarded by the Centennial commission, but by individuals, and in the agricultural department are, according to the corrected list just furnished by Chief Landreth, as follows : $1,000 by the Jersey cattle club for the best Jersey herd ; $1,000 by the Pennsylvania agricultural society for general prizes ; I $1,000 by the Memphis cotton exchange for the best bale of cotton from any of the States of Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama and Tennessee; $200 by Messrs. B. K. Bliss & Sons for the beet display f potatoes in pecks ; $100 by Messrs. D. Landreth & Sons, for the best display of vegetables at a stated period; S75 by Chief Landreth, of the agricultural bureau, for the best essay on forestry; $50 by Messrs. Henderson & Sons, for the best essay on tho cauliflower, and $50 by the same firm for the best essay on the cultivation of celery; $150 by the Philadelphia produce exchange for the best cheese; $150 by tho Northwestern dairymen's association for the best butter and oheese ; a prize bv the National dairymen's association for the best cheese; $150 by the Pennsylvania poulary society for general prizes ; $100 by he New York Forest and Stream for a dog prize; two $50 cups, one by the Chicago Field and another by O. 8. Westcott, for dog prizes; a prize by the Northeastern beekeepers' association ; $200 by the proprietors of the " American Pood for Cattle " in four prizes of $50 each for each class of horses, cattle, heeD and swine, the owners being re juired to certify that they have used the food, and a silver cellar by Frank Roan or the best Dachshund or German oeagle, of any age. The New York agrimltural society offers free transportation 0 and from Philadelphia for all flrstjlass prize animals from that State. Marion's Dinner Party. A British officer was at one period of he Revolutionary wftr dispatched with 1 flag of truce to General Marion. 5Vhat was his surprise on being coniucted into Marion's presence to behold n our hero a sw ;rthy, smoke-dried little nan, with scarce enough of threadbare lomespun to cover his nakedness! Havng recovered a little from his surprise le presented his letter to General Marion, who perused it, and soon settled everything to his satisfaction. The )fficer took up his hat to retire. "Oh, no," said Marion, "itis now ibout our time of dining, and I hope, sir, hat you will give us the pleasure of rour company to dinner." At mention of the word dinner the British officer looked around him, and o his great mortification could see no igns of it. "Well, Tom," said the general to one >f his men, " come, give us our dinner." The dinner to which he alluded was 10 other than a heap of sweet potatoes hat were snugly roasting under the em>ers, and which Tom, with his pinetick poker, soon liberated from their shy confinement, pinched them every tow and then with his fingers, especial y the big ones, to see whether they rcre done or not Then, having leansed them of the ashes, he piled ome of the best on a large piece of bark nd placed them between the British fficer and Marion on the trunk of the alien pine on which they sat. A New Hampshire Town Meeting. Space would fail me to tell half the ddities of election customs in this itate, writes a Concord correspondent ?hey call an election a " town meeting," nd that's what it really is, for the whole own turns out in the morning and 4-Ks-v 4/\nm A f ninn UliUCls iu wo iunu umii uv <uuv 'clock the three selectmen take the latform and announce that the election f a moderator is in order. Each party lakes a nomination, and if the town is lose there is a division?the Democrats oing on one side of the hall and the Republicans on the other to be counted. Jither side, if dissatisfied, can demand ballot, and sometimes the whole foreoon is consumed in getting organized. 7hen they get a moderator they put it o vote how long the poils shall bo kept pen. Sometimes they closo the poll ir representative at one or tvo o'clock, nd keep on voting for the general icket until six. Usually all voting in lie country towns ceases at three, but liere is nothing to prevent keeping the oxes open until midnight, and this is ccasionally done in the cities. If there re three candidates for representative, nd neither gets an absolute majority, tiero is a second ballot had and often a bird ; or if night comes on, and the irmers want to go home to milk, they ostpone the business until next day. 'he town, being a petty sovereignty in nch matters, can do as it pleases. Where to Bny.# A Vermont lady sends a protest gainst an article which appeared in he eolnmiiR of a citv uaper advising leople to go to the city to purchase their ;ood8. She thinks country merchants houl<t be encouraged; that their judglent and taste in the selection of goods 3 better than the average housewife's; i hat the time and trouble she takes in < oing to the city to do her own shopping ;ives poor returns; that she might bet- < er give the merchant a list of what she rishes, and get him to purchase for her, i ban go herself; that the practice of deending upon neighboring cities for I hopping facilities tends to make towns uburban, and keeps them from refcainog their distinctive character as oounry villages; that the ladies of her town i ?ho make their purchases in large cities io no better, so far as she can learn, I ban those who buy of the country merhant. She conoludes thus: "I agree erfectly with what you say about buyog by the quantity, but we can do that i rithout going to cities; and just think f the loss of trade to country dealers nd the personal discomfort of husbands nd children if women, on the strength f your advice, flee to the city stores to pend their money this spring." i * IERCI $2,00 per J MONEY IN COAL DIRT. Hnlvinff a Problem that has Puzzled Many a Miner nod Many a Savant. All over the coal country, says a Pottsville (Pa.) correspondent of the Sun,are to be seen mountains of coal dirt. It has been piled up ever since mining begun. Thousands upon thousands of tons are packed away in tbe mountain gorges. It has always been considered useless and valueless. Coal operators dumped the dirt along the streams, in the hopes that spring freshets would wash it away. A portion of the upper section of the Schuylkill canal was thrown out of use because the expense of dredging coal dirt from the bottom was too great, and the company accordingly abandoned it. Suddenly all this accumulated coal dirt has been brought to a market value, and every ton of it is worth money to the steam power manufacturer. Superintendent Wootten is one among twenty inventors who have been considering his great problem and trying to solve it. Few scientific men have ever witnessed these immense mountains of coal dirt without asking the question: "Cannot this stuff bo put into some shape to be burned ?" At least twenty different parties and companies have been organized for the purpose of making a fuel out of the dirt that would burn. In nearly every instance the parties took the dirt, mixed it with coal tar, lime or other material, and then pressed it together in lumps or molds. The stuff would never burn satisfactorily. The ooal tar, etc., would ignite, but after that the dirt would appear like dead cinder and emit no heat at all. One man took a preparation of buckwheat meal and mixed it with the ooal dirt. Afterward it was pressed into blocks the shape and size of a brick. Samples were shown to Superintendent Wootten by the inventor for inspection. After thinking a moment the inventor was asked whether he had ever considered that the flour alone wonld cost much more per ton than the beet anthracite coal? The reply was "no" that he hadn't thought that far. Mr. Wooten labored considerably, and at last came to the conclusion that the only way the dirt could ever be used satisfactorily would be to burn it the same as other coal is used either by locomotive or stationary engine. The trouble was it would not bum, because it was too compact, and woul4 smother rather than ignite. For fifty years that has been the one great impediment, and scientists could not overcome it. Finally, however, Mr. Wootten thought of introducing a steam blast through the coal from the bottom, in the hope of penetrating the mass and supplying plenty of air. He built a furnace specially fof it, and placed it under a stationary engine boiler. Instead of using grate bars, he employed a perforated iron plate for the fire to rest upon. A pipe from the boiler conveyed the steam, and the necessary pressure supplied the blast, and this stroke proved to be the key note of the entire coal dirt problem. It burned freely, and threw out an immense heat. The oldest dirt was used to see if it possessed burning qualities, and it was found that it was oonsumed freely, the same as the best of coal. It was next tried in the furnace of a locomotive engine, and was found to bum equally weli The other day when the wind was blowing at a velocity of forty miles per hour, a ccal dirt burning engine took up a train of one hundred cars through the valley with the same ease and with as little labor as an engine burning the very best anthracite coal. This certainly is regarded as a great revolution in the coal and iron country, because it transforms at least a million of tons of heretofore useless coal dirt i into a fuel worth at tho very least one , dollar per ton; and provides a way, to consume all coal dirt that may come to the surface in the future. The Drying Rivers of Enrope. It is a well known fact that as the set- ; tlement of a country becomes general, and the forests are cleared, or the open , country brought into civilization, the < effect is quickly seen in the diminished j water supply of rivers during the sum- j mer. ' , In Europe this diminished water sup- , ply is yearly more felt. Attention is again called to the subject in Austria, | aud a circular, accompanied with a re- ( port, has been addressed to the scien- ( tific societies of Europe, by the Vienna , academy of science, inviting them to \ unite in observations for the determina- j tion of the causes of tho decrease of the j water iu springs, rivers and water j courses. For a certaia number of years the waters of tho Danube and other large rivers have been diminishing. The Austrian engineers' and architects' union have i taken up the same question, and ha ye 1 appointed a hydrostatic commission to t collect facts and prepare a report. Two < members will observe the Danube, the I Elbe and the Rhine; and two others will 1 study the meteorology of tho subject, < and the influence that the Alpiuo gla- | ciers and torrents may bear npou it. < The commission regards the dcstruo- j tiou of the forests as the prime canse of i the disastrous decrease of European wa- J ters, aud urge an immediate adoption of 1 measures to remedy the evil. % Centennial Races. Major J. D. Ferguson, secretory of the Maryland jockey club and also se cretary of the running meetings of the Point Breeze Park Association ot Philadelphia, announces the entries closed, with the following nominations for the Centennial races: Inaugural sweepstakes, for all ages? twentj-one. Reform club stakes, for three-year-old fillies?twenty-one. Grand Exposition stakes, for colts and fillies, three year-olds?twenty. Leamington stakes, for two-year-olds? twenty. Philadelphia club cup sweepstakes, for all ages?twenty-three. International handicap stakes?thirtyone. v1j Association stakes?ten. Centennial stakes?seventeer. Ladies' stakes?sixteen. Total?179. The first meeting occurs June twenty* 1 fourth, ' '*> AL. Innnm. We Copy 5 Cents. 1 Items of Interest. Men who go ont for a " lark " are [apt to make it a "swallow." Naturally enough " Truth is stranger than fiotion," because it is not so common. An observing man has discovered that the sun sets jnst before early candle lighting. One cent per bushel makes a difference of $10,000,000 in the value of the annual crop of corn in the United States. Little Harry, five years old, was called to see the new baby. After & moment's contemplation, he turned to his expectant papa with : "We didn't need that." The Chicago Times wants to know / " we fellows whose grandfathers fought in the Revolution are not going to have our expenses paid to the Centennial ? A Fitchbu/g woman applied to the town overseers for help. They sent her a bag of meal, but she soolded at them, saying: " What is a bag of meal to fat two large hogs with?" A man who contracted a debt of $1,143, promised to pay it in two installments. Last week he forwaided $11, and promised to send the other $43 as soon as the times got better. A prominent broker had on his office door the following interesting legend : "If you owe me and cannot pay me employ some one who wants to owe me, as he can find me in thirty minutes." As an evidence of hard times it may be mentioned that a young man in New York State wrote to every bank in. Detroit offering to "be your kasheerfor $20 per month and board ? and no bank oould give him a place. John Harrop, aged eleven, has been , ' ~" " - ' * * ? i #_ indicted for wiuxui muraer oj a ooruuer a jury at Boston, Lincolnshire. Ho had quarreled with another boy named White, aged ten, and had pushed him into a pit, where he left him to die. Widows in India are now permitted to marry again, instead of being burned. This will have a tendency to increase the list of widows in India; bat no donbt many of them, after living with a second husband a few months, will yearn for a restoration of the dd law. A prudent Chicago mother of wealth and respectability has brought up her accomplished and beautiful daughters te do washing and ironing. When questioned as to the cause of this somewhat unusual proceeding, the prudent mother replied: "Oh, it is always well to prepare for any emergency. Perhaps some of the poor children may man y . an Italian count" In the town of Hartland, some twelve or fifteen years ago, lived an old fellow who was not noted for his fondness for good books; he liked good liquor better. An agent called one day and asked if the house was supplied with the Bible. "Oh, yes,"he said, "they always had it" The agent was a little inoredulous, and decided to see it The old man searched the house through, and at last produced a few stray leayes, saying, " he had no idee thev were so near ont' of Bible." - V Mrs. Fitch's Diamonds. The revenue authorities are puzzled to know what to do with the khedive of Egypt's famous gift to General Sherman s daughter.* The diamonds are locked np in the big vanlt in the subtreasury. They were placed there in June last, and unless they are taken away before next June, they will be classified as unclaimed goods, and sold by auction to pay the duties and storage. If this should happen, the money, after the deduction of the official charges, would be paid to Drexel, Morgan & Co., in whose name the diamonds are consigned. The trouble is that Congress in authorizing Lieut. Fitch to receive the present to his wife, neglected to relieve him from the payment of the duties. The necklace and earingB which compose the gift were first (aid to be worth $250,000, bat sxperts have since appraised them at $75,000. The dnty on this amount would be about $10,000. Gen. Sherman feels that he is too poor to pay this, and he is unwilling to appeal to Congress far an exemption of the payment of the duties. Neither the secretary of the treasury, the collector, nor any of his deputies are disposed to exercise their power of granting a free permit for the diamonds, aud the Turkish ambassador, who has the official prerogative of receiving them w in his name, will not ask for their release, because the khedive is only recognized by his government as a vassal. A Coat Story. For some time past the cleiks at a station in Louisville have been annoyed by goats that infest that immediate locality. Not satisfied with the other devilment these sly rascals are guilty of they chew all the tags off the cotton bales cent there for shipment, thereby cans ng a great deal of trouble in shipping the cofctoi. The other day the clerks surrounded abont a dozen of the goats and succeeded in driving them into i box car alongside the platform and fastening the door. That night there was a carload of goats going north, bitched to a freight train. The car was left at Indianapolis, and the next day the door was thrown open and the gouts rushed oat and made a raid through the town, npectting and batting clerks, bands, boxes, bales, etc., as they esjaped. Not being apprised cf the shipment hv wav bill the Indianapois clerks 3hased them all over town, endeavoring to catch them, of course believing the jompany would have to pay for them as "lost freight" if they were not caught. By night all were canght and put back in the car. A dispatch was sent to th<; station man in Louisville : " Send on four way bilL Got all the goats." A dispatch went back in reply : " Don't want any. Let'em go." The race in [ndianapolis is said to have been very axciting. ^ ^ Lost His Lifb.?A local wit oT Lafayette, Ark., undertook to fool Dr. Wegbrook one dusky evening into the belief that a ping of twist tobacco that tie pointed at the doctor's- head was a pistoL He suooeeded admirably, and was shot dead before he could explain that it was all a joke* ???? - r i irtll