The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, October 23, 1890, Image 1
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VOL. XLIX. CAMDEN, S. C., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1890. NO. 17.
HAPPINESS.
"Thou shalt be happy'" So I told my heart
One summer morning many n year ago,
"Thou shalt bo happy; thou shalt have thy
part
Of mirth and f eastings in the great world's
show;
Thou shalt have health and wealth, high
fame and praise;
f Thy place shall be with those who sit above;
Thou shalt have suushineon the dullest days;
And, best of all, my heart, thou shalt havo
love."
Thus, in the morning of my days, I spake
Unto my heart, and gladly it replied:
"The world is all before us; we can mako
' Joy for ourselves, a never-ebbing tide."
Bo we set out, my heartland I, in mirth,
To seek for happiness?upon the earth.
God gave us health and wealth; and wo wcro
glad
Thus, for a season, waiting joys to come,
God gave us fame and praise; a little sad
We were, my heart and I, amid the hum
Of voices lauding ns, till one, more dear
Than all the rest, spako gentle words and
sweet.
Then we grew jubilant with right good cheer;
And happiness came on with flying feet,
Drew near?but passed. Alas! inv heart
and I,
TVe could not hold the radiant wanderer
fast,
One rose-touch of her lips in fleeting by
Was ours?one precious look?the first.
tho last
She will return, wo said, with love's new
birth;
Thero must bo happiness for us on earth.
We lost fair health, my heart and I, and fell
Sore sick; wero sorrowful, found dreary
ways.
We lost our wealth, and none drew- near to
tell
Of comfort waiting us in better days.
But where is happiness? Alack! we find
She is not ours to beckon as we list;
We have no magic spoil wherewith to bind
This rare, bright visitant to earth. Wo
missel
The royal road to happiness; but lo!
Something is saved us from the wreck of
all;
We have content, though doubtful blessings
?0,
Ar d peace entwines our crosses groat and
6mall.
Wo learn, my heart and I, the world's truo
worth.
And seek for happiness?but not on earth.
?All the Year llouml.
m-Mjm
THE LIVING CHESS-MEN
BY OEOUOE E. WALSH.
; "This game reminds me of a great
cbess-gair.e that I once played," said the
- Caplnkvos he check mated his opponent's
king, aud drew back his chair to
bpgin a story. "It was the great game
of my life," he contiuucd, "and I shall
never forget it. In fact, we were playing
with living chess-men. You don't
believe it, eh? Well, just listen to my
story, and you'll think such playing as
this nit-re fooling."
We had been playing for nearly two
hours, aud the Captain's skill had won.
His love for the game of chess was only
second to his love for his profession, and
his life as a soldier had given him plenty
of opportunities to gratify his passion in
this particular.
"You remember I spent a couple years
in India, when a young fellow, and during
that time I met with many adventures
that none of you have ever heard. Although
I have seen considerable service
since then.and some bard work and fighting,!
think, on the whole, that these two
years were the most exciting of my
life. We were on the constant go,
then, and if we weren't hunting men,
we were hunting wild beasts in the jungles.
My friend Captain Ravrdcn was an
English officer stationed at Calcutta at
the time he invited me to visit him. He
had just taken a wife in that far-olf
*untry, and they were living happily in
neat little nlare a short rlistanee nntnf
I ?? " ?
he city. ITe wanted me to come out
unci see him, and, above all, to select a
wife frotn among the English ladies that
were living there at the time. Jack always
took a fatherly interest me in this
^vay, but unfortunately his plans never
worked out well.
"Well, to make a long story short, I
went out to Calcutta one year, and found
everything just as my frieud represented
it. It was a delightful place for hunting,
and wo did some pretty rough riding
over the country and through the jungles
in pursuit of game. I managed to secure
my first man-eater shortly after iarrived,
and several other tough customers. Jack
roamed over the country with ine when- '
ever he could get away from his duty, !
and together we succeeded iu having a |
pretty lively time. Jack's wife was a |
pretty, piquant-looking lady, the duugh- !
ter of an old English officer who h id J
died in* the East Indian service. She
took a great friendly interest in me, and |
I returned her feelings with interest. !
AVhen we were not hunting we would j
spend hours listening to Evelyn's playing j
or singing, which was truly delightful
recreation.
"Mutual friendship thus grew apace, j
and wc all three began to look ahead and ?
regret the time of our parting. My duty j
called me back to America in a few |
months, aud I was almost as loath to leave j
as they were to have me go. Jack vainly j
implored me to enter into business in C.al- j
cutta, and take up my permanent abode .
there; but I told him that I had other
ties and interests to draw me away; yet I i
chould have almost decided t.o stay with
them longer, if an incident had not oc- ;
curred which made me rather tired of j
India.
"One day rumor? came in that there
was trouble w'th the Hindoos. They :
were risings in various par *1 of the coun- j
try, and the British residents began to '
tremble for their Iive3. Jack, as Captain
in the army, had to leave his home to
'help quell the rebellions. I, of course,
was left to protect his home an I wife, i
There was little or no disturbance around i
Calcutta at the time, but the insurgents
soon rose up around us on every side, '
until we were completely hemmed in, i
t
k
Th'? soldiers were off in another part of
the country, and Jack's home was left in
a helpless condition.
"The result was that one day we were
surrounded, and after a brave defense
we were captured by a party of natives,
nuc: carried away a hundred miles or so
into the interior. After our capture I
did not get auothcr glimpse of Jack's
wife for a long time, and I felt considerably
worried about, her fate. I was carried
before a Rajah, or nat-ve Prince,
who had rebelled against the British
rule. The Rajah was a great chessplayer,
and he had been indulging in his
favorite game before I was brought iuto
his preseuce. The chess-board was
standing before him, while a member of
his court was studying out the problem
of checkmating the Rajah's king. In
fact, the Prince's men were cornorod,
and the game seemed to be lc^t. I had
always taken a lively interest in chess,
and wheu I saw the predicament in
WIU'wU I C lliljiiu IK'Ai ^V/WWU IIIO iuvtM *
begin to study the positions of the pieces
while the rest of the prisoners were being
examined.
"Well, in my eagerness I forgot my
position, and wheu I discovered an avenue
of escape for the nearly checkmated
king, I stepped forward and made a
move with tho Rajah's bishop. Tho
court player looked at me in astonishment
for a moment, and then moved
one of his pawns. I followed it up with
another move, and in less than fifteen
minutes I had his king checkmated. I
clapped my hands iu triumph then, aud
ou looking up saw the Rajah watching
rae closely. He had been an interested
spectator of the game.
"That gnrnc of chess saved my life
for a short time. I was sent to prison,
but not condemucd to death. The next
day, and in fact every day for several
weeks, I was brought out of the prison
and commanded to play chess with the
Prince. lie was far from being a poor
player; but after I had met him several
times I felt confident that I could beat
him. From policy's sake, however, I let
him win most of the games, which
seemed to please him irumeuscly. This
sort of thing went on for a long time,
until I begau to get restless and anxious
to learn what my fate was to be. I began
to look around to discover some
means of escape; but the prison was
guarded so carefully that my chances
were very poor.
"One day I was callecTinto the Rajah's
presence earlier in the day than common,
ami I instinctively felt that I was going
there to learn my fate. 1 was led into
another part of the royal quarters,- a place
that I had never entered before. I was
conducted betweeu two lines of soldiers,
until a spacious balcony, where the Rajah
was sitting w?9 reached. The balcony
overlooked a great court-yard, which was
thionged with people and native soldiers.
In the centre of the court-yard wa3, a
large vacant space, divided up into large
squares of alterating black and white
marble. It was, in fact a huge chessboard,
laid out in the most costly way.
"As a great lover of the game, I iustinctly
uttered an exclamation of surprise
aud pleasure. 3Iy position was such
thc.t I could see every one of the sixtyfoi.r
squares. While I wa9 still lookiug,
the crowd at one side fell ba.-k, and four
elephants, two draped with black and
two With white, entered, and took their
places at the four corners of the strange
chess-board. Small castlc-sbaped structuies
were on their backs, which made
them look like the castles of the chc33i
1 TI? ?.i.?
uutiiu. i nun tainu in i/iiv; m w
horsemen on white steeds, and two on
black. These also took their proper positions
on the chess-board. Fools, or
clows, then took the places of the bishops,
which is the custom in the Oriental
countries. Two were Hindoos, and the
other two were captured Englishmen.
Then eight lliudoo soldiers took the
places of the pawns on one side, and
eight English soldiers were placed in a
row on the onpositc side. The two kings
next entered, one a white man, and the
other a Hindoo, and both richly dressed
in magnificent robes. The two queens
followed, carried in on sedan chairs. One
was a Hindoo maiden, and the other?
well, ouc glance was sufficient?was
Evelyn, Jack's wife!
"The whole matter was getting pretty
interesting by this time, and I felt myself
worked up to a feverish heat. The
chess-men were all living ones, and they
were in position, ready for the players.
The Itajnh then told me that 1 had but
one chance for my life. If I won in
this game of chess I could have my liberty,
aud also that of the white Queen, if
I saved her.
"My heart jumped intc my throat, so
to speak, and I began to study out the
game, determined to make it the game
of my life. I felt more cmlident than
ever that I could defeat the Rajah, and
so I summoned all my courage to steady
my nerves.
"The play soon began. The Rajah
had the first move; and one of his pawns,
or English soldiers, lie having chosen
the whites, came out two squares. I
followed with one of mv Hindoo soldiers.
After three or four moves there was an
exchange of pawns. The two soldiers
were c irrie4 out, and in sight of everyone
they were executed. This bloodthirsty
act unsettled my nerves so that I
could hardly collect my thoughts; but
when 1 was informed that the Hindoo
soldiers were traitors condemned to
death, aud that the English soldiers had
likewise been sentenced to execution, I
partly recovered my composure.
"The game then proceeded. Tiic
white queen of the Rajah soon began to
make great havoc with my black men,
and it seemed necessary to take her if 1
intended to win. Then the terrible
thought tiiat if I took her she would be
executed the same as the rest of the living
chcss-ineu made the cold sweat stand
ouc on my forehead. I could not seutcr.cc
.Tack's wife to the executioner's
sword, not even if I lost the game aud
my life with it. The Rajah seemed to
understand this, and lie m-ived his queen
around recklessly among my men, taking
pawn after pawn. The game became
doubly dilfi mit, for I felt that I could
not take the Rajah's strongest piece.
"I bent my whole mind to the game,
and tried to lay some trap for the Rajah's
mer. After little mnnmuveriug I succeeded
in taking two of his bishops, one
castle, and both of his knights; but the
reckless queen was still hedging me in
on every side, putting herself in positions
where I could easily have taken her if
it had not been a question of life
or death with her. Evelyn's face was
pale and anxious as she watched ine play,
and I tried to give her a reassuring sinilo
now and then. But she saw how difficult
it was for me to avoid taking her off the
chess-board and having her executed so
that I could win the game and thus save
my own life.
"The Rajah, seeing my difficulty, soon
became reckless in his playing with his
other pieces. I studied to take advantage
of his folly. I suddenly saw an advantage
that his reckless playing had
given uic, and 1 worked it up carefully.
t marie a move: ho fell into the trap with
the very next move. Two or three swift
moves followed,and the Rajah's king was
checkmated.
"It so astonished the native Piinco
that he jumped to his feet and made a
circle or two around his head with a
heavy sword. But he was a niau of his
word; and after looking at the chessboard
a minute or t\Vo to convince himself
there was no cheating, he turned to
me and told me that I had played well.
In reward of my good playing I was to
have my liberty, along with'the remaining
white chess-men on the board. These
consisted of the queen, Jack's wife, and
three English soldiers.
"The Rajah was true to his word, and
that afternoon we were conducted out of
the Iiijah's territory, and started safely
on our way to Calcutta. The rebellion
had been quelled there, and the Euglish
were agaiu iu power. When we reached
the city we had no difficulty in finding
Jack, who was nearly desperate over the
loss of his wife.
"You can easily imagine the meeting
that took place between them; and it is
needless to say that I was their ideal
hero ever afterwards. They heaped all
sorts of kindness upon me, and made me
really ashamed of myself. Every Christmas
I am now remiuded of that game
with living chessmen and of Jack and his
wife, by receiving some elaborate present
from India. The present, though, that
I value the most highly, is a small ivory
chessboard witn pieces in exaoc nmuiuou i
of those living chessmen who played in
that memorable game. Whenever I play
with it I think of that critical time iu
my lifo when there was only a straw
between me and death."?DemorcsVs
Magazine.
Mali in? Canes and Umbrella Handle.
The art of making walking-sticks apd
umbrella handles has been greatly developed
during the last forty years. Formerly,
only a few native woods and sonic
foreign species were used for these purposes.
There is now hardly any limit to '
the material that can be turned to account
for the purpose ur.dcr consideration,
and manufacturers keep a keen
lookout for new sources of material and
novelties in sticks und fashion. The cultivation
of sticks for the market has
been taken up as a bus ness at some
places in continental Eurooe, and special
attention is often paid 1o making the
roots grow into shapely forms for the
handles. A London manufacturing establishment,
the lloor space of which
nearly covers an acre, have extensive
storehouses filled with native and foreign
sticks, from which stock is drawn as it
is wanted, for the shops. These, as tiiey
grow, are of'en very crocked, and have
to be straightened. A heap of sand is
provided on the top of a very hot store,
into which the sticks are plunged, and
kept till they have become pliable. "The
workman then takes the crooked stick
i wane it is still not ann inserts it in a
notch cut in a stout boar J, placed at an
angle inclined from him," where lie
bunds and strains it. "When it lias become
perfectly straight it is thrown down
to cool, after which it becomes rigid and
permanent in its lines. Heat is an important
element in this matter, and produces
different effects on the several
kinds of wood, the degree of heat necessary
to straighten one kind of stick being
often sufficient to spoil another kind.
The same power which makes a crooked
stick straight is applied to make a
straight one crooked; so wc lind that the
rigid stems of bamboos, partridge canes,
and all the various kind of sticks that
are required to be curled or twisted, are
by the application of heat made to assume
almost any kind of shape or form.
Thus wc often see ladies' sun-shade handles
twisted and even tied iuto double
knots. 13y far the largest number of
sticks used are those known as natnrnl
sticks?that is, saplings of trees or
climbing plants, when the roots have
sufficient character to form handles or
knots. These arc always more in demand
than sticks cut from solid wood. The
finished cancs arc sometimes mounted
with preeious metals, stones such as onyx,
i jasper, marbles, cveu precious stones,
ivory, ana Horns or an Kinus.?ropumr
Science Monthly.
California Prune Orchards.
There aro several prune orchards east
of town that are really a sight to behold.
So heavily loaded are the trees that all
their limbs are bent t the ground, interlapping
with each o ler, so that the
whole ground between id nround thorn
is a mass of fruit, so to speak. In a oneacre
orchard up there the trees arc badlybroken
down, which is more a pity because
its crop lias been sold on an estimate
of fifteen tons, at $30 per ton, or
$150 for the one acre. This crop was
contracted for early in the season. Auothcr
acre of prunes, ad joiuing this one,
is equally heavily loaded. Just across
the street is a scveu-acrc prune orchard,
which was sold last winter for $450 per
acre. The crop this year has been
nought at an average of about $100 per
acre. Such a.e some of the advantages
I aud profits of fruit raisiug this year iu
j this valley, nnd from henceforth it is safe
to say similar experiences will reward
i the fortunate owuer of a well cared for j
| prune orchard.? Vomona {Cal.) Times,
I ALGIERS.'
THE 01,0 HOME OF PBIAOY AS
IT EXISTS TO-DAY.
A Picturesque City, Inhabited by
75.O00 Quaint aii;tl Not Over
Cleanly People?The Surrounding
Country.
Algiers contains in rountl numbers,
75,000 inhabitants, and is tlte capital of
the largest French colony. The French
occupancy dates from 1830, when an
nrniy was landed and forcible possession
taken of the city of Algiers. A3'he reason
for this action was found in the injuries
inflicted on French commerce, but even
more in a personal outrage 00. the French
Crmeiil In? (Tin r>f Alrrlftrs;snmft three
""'I1"" ? ---->?*
years previcusly. Attacks n$d a blockade
from seaward having, droved incf*
fectual, the shore expedition was resolved
upon, and in less than a' .month after
lauding wns effected the Dei* had fled to
Naples and French rule begajl. At first
the French ostensibly sought only satisfaction
for injuries reccived^ibut \n 1833
they declared their intentioiSpf retaining
the country acquired. Amqtg the benefits
which their possession? conferred,
not alone on France, but nrrpumanity in
general, was the suppressions Algerine
piracy forever.
if?
ARAB WOMAN ANT' CHltDREN. ?
There are two towns in Algiers sido
by side?the French town and the Arab
town; the former cloan, regular .and
modern; the latter filthy, ;'hsookeU and
antiquated. The casbnh,^df citidcl, is
located on the highest- pan., of the city
within the walls. It has suffered much |
from time and neglect; part fc used as a
barrack. It gives i&liafuc to the* Arab
quarter, which is often spoken of as tho
casbah. Its principal street mounts the
hill for half a milo by steep flights of
stairs, and leads to the citadel; it is
called Iiuc de la Casbah. A perfect
labyrinth of streets, or, rather, of
crooked and dirty passages, branches off
on cither side of the street, and tho
routes defy orientation. There is, however,
a safe rule given to strangers by
French residents. Having mounted as
long as 3 011 wish or are interested, you
have but to descend and keep on going
down and you will again reach the
French town. This Arab quarter, a
remnant of the old civilization, is the
greatest curiosity of Algiers. Its shops
and cafes, its nngles and arches, its
houses meeting at tho top across the narrow
lanes, its motley collection of inhabitants
of both sexes nnd every age,
and almost every southern aud eastern
nationality, with the Arabic or Moorish
predominating^; its draped and shrouded
figures of mcu and women twining m auu
nut of unexpected passages or low doorways;
its tilth and gloom?this oucesceti
is always remembered.
French writers divide the inhabitants
of Algiers into several classes. It must
be said, however, that rules are of no
value in assigning this or that man to a
certain race. Habits of life are undcrgoinga
slow, gradual change toward European
methods as an ultimate end; costumes
are being partly replaced, partly
interchanged, and the stranger who
would decide by eternal characteristics
would be often misled. Especially is
this true the case of the inhabitants of
the city. If, however, we go outside, or
watch at the gates the people coming
into Algiers to trade, we shall soon separate
them iuto two, three or more classes,
according to the time over which our observation
extends.
There is the native, commonly called
the Arab. He lives on the plains, camps
out in tents, a number of which constitute
the douar, or hamlet; he is seen coming
into Algiers with his fruits or vegetables,
barelegged and dirty, with a bernousc
on his head. After transacting his
business he wnuders aimlessly up and
down the streets of the city or seeks the
solemn precincts of a Moorish ca fe in the
cabasli before returning home.
The Kabylc, brown, shart and thickset,
was originally the inhabitant of tho
mountainous districts, lives in houses
which assemblage constitutes a dcelira,
or village, and comes into town vigorously
prodding a small mule loaded down
with immense baskets of charcoal or
leather bottles lilicu witu country
produucc. His head is covered with a
simple chachia, or skuil cap, once red?
now dirt lends the principal color. He
wears a shirt originally white, long ago
become gray or black with total abstinence
from washing.
The Moor is the inhabitant of the city;
he is the owner of the cafes and native
baths, or of n tobacco stoic; his com
plcxion is a dead white.
The M'znhitc comes from M'zab, a district
south of Laghonat, the most southern
city in the province of Algiers, on
the very borders of Sahara, whence lie
emigrates to Algiers to make his fortune
and then return to his own country. He
keeps the stalls, which arc supplied with
groceries, vegetables, charcoal and
kindling wood. His dress is a kind of
sack, brown in color, striped with red
Mid blue. The negro, the son of Central
Africa, once a slave, is now the favorite
shoemaker; his wife bakes the littlQ
fount! buns, Covered with aniso seed, u
delicacy which sells to the Arabs "like
hot cakes."
Spaniards and Italians aro generally
called Maltese by the residents. A number
of the latter are transient sojourners,
coming for the fishing season, returning
to Italy when It is over. Jews are numerous;
some wear the French, some tho
Arab costumes.
Most of the native dress is white? i.
c., the material when uew was doubtless
white?but such is the uucleanliness prevalent
among the lowor classes that tho
color docs not last long. The women
wear the same baggy trousers as do the
men, only more ample still, and in their
case the whole figure and face are con*
n/^nlnd kr o f^nirinrf rrtko rvr mfinfln If'l V.
ttmcu uj r? uuniu^ iui/v wi iuuuviv} <-? ? ing
only a peep hole for the eyes. Seeing
nothing but these dark, gazelle like
eyes, of - which extreme earc is taken to
render them as Inrge and lustrous as art
can make them,one might fancy the owner
beautiful, were it not for a process of
analogy which forces us, from the appearance
of the children or of faces accidentally
ox posed, to believe them in most
enses to have little worth hiding. Still,
enough exceptions can be found of beauty
of form nnd figure to prove the rule
of general ugliness.
Mosques are naturally a fenture of the
city, and a visit to them serves to stimulate
as well as partly to appease curiosity
regarding the Moslem religion. One of
these, the mosque of El-Djedid, is a
prominent landmark on entering the
nnrbor, as, indeed, it is .conspicuous in
nlmost any^view of the city, on account
of its tall minaret, its largo and elegant
dorao nnd spotless white walls. It is
situated at one end of the boulevard, and
covers an area of two thousand square
yards. Neither on the exterior nor the
interior are there any attempts at decorulion.
The whole is masonwork, pure
snd simple. It is after sunset as we enter
and take oil our shoes to tread the matting
with which the floor is covered.
The interior is dimly lighted by many
small night lights, giving a rather pretty
;ffect iu themselves, but entirely inefficient
for purposes of illumination.
Tho interior is singularly bare. Chief
xt_ i. it. n i tir
lruong me mosques is uie vrrcui. mosque
In the Ruo de la Marine, the most important,
as it is almost the oldest in Algiers,
dating, it is stated, from the
jleventh century. But they are all disjointing.
There is little to interest in
;he simple service. The congregation
itnnds in two ranks facing the mihrub or
oiche, and therefore have their faces"
turned toward Mecca. The mibrab
of the Imam, or Chief Priest, is?paved
with tiles and adorned with plaster casts
on the walls, aud usually look out
iioonrsn l\dy in outdook costume.
through windows on n gallery of stone
colonnade with ogival arches. The
Imam conducting the service has hi3
baok to the devotees, his face toward
Mecca, like they. The prayers are
chanted by the priest in nasal tones, nnd
the congregation follows him in the great
number of curious attitudes required by
the faith.
To gain nn insight into the wonderful
beauties of the country surrounding Algiers
we took a drive to the northward
and westward, with the line modern observatory
as nn objective point. The
road is known as that of IJouzarea via
El-Biar. The carriages and corricoloj
of Algiers are generally clean nnd th".
horses good. The drivers arc eaii'y keb.j
to one tariff, or established rv.trs, o
which they must possess a printed iiapy.
At a brisk pace we soon leave behind us
the European part of Algiers, clean and
alive, and the Arab part, dirty and dead,
and make our exit by the Port du Sahcl.
Here a Zouave guard is stationed; the
soldiers arc conspicuous objects, with
their red baggy trousers and large turban,
as they pace up and down on post,
or lean on their rifles, on which figure
the old sword bayonets. Here is one ol
the prisons of Algiers, the prisoners
being put up in tents in the bed of the
moat surrounding the fortifications. The
institution is certainly clean and cheap,
and is said to be efficient. As we pass
through he gate our ascent begins, and
MOOllISII JiADY IN INDOOn COSTUME.
stops only on reaching the observatory,
although a few level tracts intervene. As
we begin mounting the hills n fine view
is had of the Bay of Algiers, in which
our four white ships moored to the molo
are prominent. The Chicago's guns
peal forth in a salute to the GovernorGeneral,
who had just left after an official
visit. The tricolorcd banner flutters
at foretriick in his honor. We pause at
a bend in the road to tako in this seem
and a glance at the region roundabout.
On one of the hills is a palace of the
dey, now occupied by the captain of
artillery. Below us is the casbah, the
citadel of the dey, which contained also
his officinl residence and harem. The
casbah occupies the apex of the triangle
which 'inclosed the old city, and
was itself built in triangular shape,
fortified so as to command the couutry
and also the city, a standing menace
to the doy's subjects as well as enemies.
There was an interior square court,
which the windows of his liviug rooms
overlooked. Under one of the galleries
in this court the dey was accustomed
to receive shippers and merchants, and
to levy an impost, amounting to from
s* 1 J- _ t it _
nvo 10 rcu per cent. oi uicir cargoes, us
iiis fancy suggested. The result was an
accumulation of goods from all quarters
of the globe, which must have given this
court tho appearance of an immense
bazaar or curiosity shop. In the court
was situated also the treasury, where, it
is said, at the time of the French
conquest thirty-eight millions of
franc-* were found and turned into
the French coffers. In tho upper
story were long galleries affording
communication between the diy's
apartments, from which a low-walled
passage led to 1 hose of the slaves of his
harem. Their rooms faced on a small
court, the ground of which was here
level with the lloor. They were shut off
from any view of the outside world, and
could thus resign themselves entirely to
their thoughts of slavery and personal
jealousies, while awaiting the tyrannical
pleasure of their lord and master. As
sole recreation they were permitted to
promenade in a small garden, reached by
a labyrinthine series of passages, and
surrounded by the highest of walls. This
garden is now converted into a gymnasium
for the soldiers quartered in tho
casbah. On the upper galleries is shown
the spot where the dey'slapped the face
of the French Consul, an act which led
to the loss of his possessions.
r? Wo reach EI-Biar, the village of wells,
containing nearly three thousand inhabitants,
which is also the village of gar
dens, of picturesque modern vines ana
Buperb Moorish houses. Kitchen gardens
arc abundant; reinaius of windmills are
seen, long aga^eplaced by steam.
A shprt^B&fi' at El-Biar gives the
.^J^racs a Drsnthing spell and the vivacious
coachman an opportunity to air his
experiences. He explains how, as a
guide, he excels his confreres, who are
an ignorant lot; he himself, about forty
ycara old, was born in the country and
kuows all about it. He is certainly a
curious mixture of u French base with an
Arab coating taken from the climate and
the surroundings.
As we turn in leaving wc catch sight
below of the level plain, the large drill
ground of the soldiery, capable of giving
room to 20,000 troops on a review. Behind,
too, in the dim distance aro the
snow capped Atlas Mountains. Leaving
the city of Algiers and penetrating into
the country villages, the austerity of the
city disappears. The inns resort to devices
which would appear undignified in
the city. There is, for instance, the
cabaret at El-Biar, whose sign is labeled
Aux deux Entctes, and carries a shield
on which a lady in green and a mule in
blue are pulling in opposite directions;
both are obstinate and the result is
doubtful.
The Arab women at home or in the
villages do not cover their faces; it is
only when they go into town that tho
forehead is hidden and the impenetrable
vail drawn over nose and chin; they assume
this apparel, then, much as tho
Parisicnne dons her gloves for the prom
j cuadc. The faces exposed to our gazo
iu tliis Kabyle village, although one or
two were interesting, did not lead us to
modify the conclusions reached above.?
Illustrated American. ? >Not
a Great Teat.
f ' ^ ' j
First Girl (proudly)?"Our bnoy ciUi
say pa and ma."
Second Girl?"Dat's nuflin. My
cousin, wot's rich, us got 'er wax ouO
wot kin do dat."?Life.
Consolation iii Adversity.)
Professor Noodles (whose new
dollar lmt has been sat upon)?''.Now
an interesting illustration of the laws of
gravitation and of the compressibility of
| matter under a superimposed body of
superior ponderosity 1"?Muntey's Weekly*
THE SONG AT THE.
My neighbor sits in her opeu door.
Under the leaves of the locust tree;
Ana the joy of life grows more and more
For the song she sings to me.
The so.tg she sings is a song with wings;
And the blasts may beat and the floods
may pour,
But the skies are blue in the song she
sings
As she sits in her open door.
My neighbor's cottage across the way
Is cpziiy builded of straws and strings.
Of stiWs and feathers and love and clay
And the beautiful song she sings;
But never a nest, tho' ever so blest
Could hold her heart's divine outpour,
And Heaven bends dovfn to the low
brown nest
. As she sings in her open door,
I wonder oft as I hear her sing:
"My little neighbor, have you no care?"
A cherry ripe artd a raoth a-wiog
Are all her dainty fare.
Fiiin would I do some service truo
For the song that has ble3t mo o'er and
<>*&, ,
But* Heaven does all that love can do
For .the bird at the open door.
?Ida IK. Benham, in Independent.
PITH AND POINT;'
^ v *
A state controled by a ring?Marriage.
A preferred creditor?One who never
presents his bill.?Texas Siftinqs.
In a cat-fight the victor generally wins
by a scratch.?Philadelphia Times.
"YVe are troubled by house-flies in summer;
iu winter snow flies.? Washington
Hatchet.
Before a girl i3 married she is pensive.
After marriage sho is expensive.
Statesman.
We suppose a noso may be said to be
broke when it hasn't got ascent.?tanghamten
Leader.
A man is not only known by the com*
pany lie keeps, but by the cigars he gives
away.?Someroille Journal.
The trouble with the milkman is that
he i3 not willing to let well enough
alone.? Washington Hatchet.
The waves aro about the only thing
that enjoy the sands of seashore resorts
gratis.? Chicago Inter-Ocean.
Teacher?"Freddy, how is the earth
divided?" Freddy?"Between them
that's got jt and them that wants it."?
London 7 it-Bits.
Ma?"Why did you thrash Tommy so
brutally?" Bobby?"I wuz playin' I
wuz perl iceman, an' I had to do it or
spoil the game."?Epoch.
He (looking at the clock)?"Blessme,
how time flies I I had no idea it-was co
late." She (yawning)?"Better late than *
never."?Texas Biftings.
Sophia (engaged to Angelo yesterday)
?"Oh, don't say you aro going, Angelo,
you've only been here thirteen hours, and
it seems so louely without you 1"?Life.
How wise and good the world would be,
I'm sure we'd all bo happier far,
If heaven had but created us
1 * ?* J 1 ? nra
AS wise anu guua tw ?o i>um> ..u v..
?Muntiey.
Miss Frostique?"Beautiful children
invariably become ugly as they grow
older." Miss Caustique ?"What a
beautiful child you must have been!"?
Jfunscj/. .
Mrs. Gummey?"Edison says that no
experiment which he has tried at night
ever failed." Gummey?"Then he never
tried to walk his baby to sleep."?New
York Sun.
Old Mr. Grump?"You seem to be
fond of sweet things, Bobby." Bobby
?"Yes, pa, but I suppose I'll be fond
of my bitters when I'm as old as you."
?Ten is Siflingt.
Aunt Thco?"Tommy! IJmsurprised
you forget your Bible so quickly! Now,
when the raiu descended and smote the
earth for forty days, what was it called?'"'
Tommy (promptly)?"Mud."?Beacon.
"WANTS BUT LITTLE."
Man wants a great deal here below;
He always cries for more.
"* - ? 1? *?.i ii?i.
1110 miiu wuu nuurou muo
Died long boforo tbo war.
?Boston Courier.
Stern Father of tho Girl?"I saw you
kiss ray daughter as I passed the parlor a
while ago, and I want you to know I
don't like it." Young Man (smacking
his lips)?"You may not, but I do."?
Epoch.
Young Staylatc?"Dear me, Miss
Amy, I'm afraid there's a robber iu the
house. Do you hear that noise upstairs?"
Amy?"Don't be alarmed, Mr. Stay late.
That's the cook getting up to prepare
breakfast. It's early yet."?Light.
A PAINFUL TRUTH.
It seems it ought not to be true.
But just as certain as you're born,
The smaller you may get your shoe,
The bigger you may grow your corn.
?Chicago Post.
"Have you Buy paper collars?" asked a
man, as he entered a Chicago furnishing
store. "No, sir," replied tho clerk,
affably; "we don't keep them. You see
nearly all our visitors from St. Louis
bring their collars with them."?InterOcean.
A CLINGING WEAKNESS.
You can scold, you can lecture.
The cirls if vou choose to.
But they'll niasticato guin
Just tlia same as they used to.
?Chicago Post.
Tomdick?"Do you know that this
| country has coined more than three
I huudreduud forty-nine million silver dol|
lars since 1788?" Ilojack?"I don't
I believe it." "Why?" "Because they
are so scarce when I try to borrow one."
? Chicago Inter-Ocean.
A child has becu sent to congratulate
his grandmother on her birthday.
"Grandmamma!" he exclaims, "may you
live until the cud of your days!"
"Alasl" replied the old woman resign|
edly, "at my age, I can scarcely expect
to live as long as that."?Etati- Unit.
????-_ .
In London, recently, a large collie dog ?
saved a girl's life by seizing her dress A
aud swiuging her aside just as she was ^
about being run down by a horse.
Ig