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TAILOR ABRAHAMEN. Now that I come to think of it, I never was able to find oat what his real voca tion was. Even to this day I am igno rant of it All that I can positively assert is that he first made his appearance at my residence in the capacity of a tailor; and one thing I can not deny is that he made me some clothes?such clothes. I had lately returned to my native place after several years spent in travel, und was living ou my*uncle's little estate in Galicia. which was situated near the chief town of the district and uot far from the Russian frontier. When the weather was fine I used to hunt. When it rained I read Walter Scott. And as there were.some days when the weather, although not rainy, was anything but agreeable, these were usually passed in paying visits to such of the ueighboring families as had the good fortune to possess some part icu lar attraction at their residences in the form of a pretty woman or a graceful young girl. In order to make such visits, a new suit was indispensable; Abrahamek was accordingly summoned, and commis sioned to make it for me. When he came in and bowed to me, he did not impressnie in the least as a man at all worth while noticing. He was small, Bikinny, insignificant. He had a narrow face, a hooked nose; and from beneath his velvet jiimurka some thin locks of black hair descended to curl about his temples. He wore, like all Jews, a long, black talar, and talked through his nose like his co-religionists, who are as numerous in our little town as ants in an ant-hill. He puiled from his pocket some strips of dirty paper, took my measure, listened to all my instructions without moving a mus cle of his face, and then sat down opposite me, at my own table, without so much as asking leave. "So you come from Vienna, young mas- j ter?" he began. "Yes, from Vienna." "Fine city, eh:-'' "Yes, a very fine city." ? "And you are going to stay here now, with your honored uncle ?" "No." "Ha, ha!?you do not enjoy yourself here!-" "That is not the reason." "But you enjoyed yourself better at Vienna." ? "No, not exactly." "The young lord is studying at Vienna, of course!-" "I have finished my studies." "Finished your studies! So young! What intelligence! Then the young lord is probably interested In some business at Vienna!'" "No." "Or perhaps he holds some official posi tion there*" "Yes?something like that" "In office! So young and such intelli gence! The young lord will certainly be come governor of a district or councillor of state, if God grants him health. And then, of course, a bride will be found for the youug lord, a beautiful and wealthy young girl; or perhaps the young lord has already obtained what his heart de sires?" And this went on, went on?an outpour ing like a cascade; and all the time he was asking questions, Abrahamek kept search ing me with his little gray eyes, which penet rated, like two gimlets, into the most secret recesses of my mind! "Goodness!" I said to myself, "here's a man who indeed possesses rare qualifications for the office of examining judge. If he possesses equal aptitude for muking clothes, I will have, good reason to congratulate myself." But next dav. fljj T pnt^fH i^hinnn,. _' store to buy some cigars, a novel and ca rious spectacle met my eyes. Abrahamek my tailor?this time without his talar.and in his shirt sleeves, was seated upon a low stool near the door. Before him a plan k, planed perfectly smooth, was set upright against a chair; and with the aid of a big brush, some pots of paint, and a saucer of water to rinse his brush in, he was paint ing the plank. And what was he paint ing? A Turkish woman, with big black eyes and an apple-green turban, clad in a red caftan bordered with ermine, and smoking a gigantic chibouk, as she sit cross-legged on a blue cushion. "Abrahamek, what are you doing there?" "You can see for yourself, young mas ter," replied Abrahamek, evidently an noyed, "I am painting." "And what is it for?" "What is it for? It Is a new slgu for Mme. Barnoka." [That was the name of the seductive widow who kept the tobacco store, j "Is this your first masterpiece?" "I painted long ago the sign at the cus tom house," replied Abrahamek straight ening up with all the offended dignity of a Raphael; "and also the sign of The Beau tiful Polish Girl in Limburg street, and the sun-dial for the parish-priest. Say! did you ever see a sun more like nature than my sunl Or if you did It must have been in Vienna." AndreaUyl must confess that A.bra hamek had a talent for painting. The smoke which the Turkish woman allowed to escape from her rosy mouth looked more like a wreath of grimy shavings than like real smoke: but her face was very dainty; and The Beautiful Polish Girl also was worthy of her pompous, epi thet. Nevertheless the noble art of paint ing was not the finest of all the talents Which had been vouchsafed to this lucky ! Abrahamek. ???? ?*?? On the occasion of a certain marriage in wealthy Jewish society. I had a chance to see Abrahamek in a totally different light. He had accepted the employ of jester at this wedding, not, he declared, for pe-! cunlary consideration, but just for gcod ] will. And what a humorist he was! All the jokes that had ever been made seemed to live in his memory: he might have been taken for TyU Eulenspiege in person risen from his sarcophagus. He did not confine ! himself to ordinary jokes; he respected custom as little ns he did the rank or dig nity of the guests. No one was safe from the shafts of his sarcasms, which flew in all directions, double-edged and keen. The least of his rhymed couplets wus a I veritable blossom of grotesque wit And j how he recited them! with what vim! With what astonishing modulation ol: ?'olce, indescribable gestures and facial contractions! In short, it was enough tc make anybody hold his sides. The vast and luxuriously decorated room seemed itself to shake with laughter at the jests he set off like fireworks?which fluttered through the air like so many imps, anil whirled about, and always hit in the right place without ever really wounding any body. Finally he turned toward tht pretty bride; and aU held their breath eager to hear what was coming. "Woman is sour, yes; 'tis a proverb ol j ancient times which Is often repeated in j our own. AB evil comes from woman i She Is more to be dreaded than fire or tho sea. When the rabbi Is on his way to teach his class, he must not gaze on any female face. Yes, ladies, however beauti ful you are, however passionately loved, not one of you is really worth a copper. Ah! how much I pity this young man, who can no longer hope to escape the torments which await him! Pity him, and why? The question seems important! Is it because this reputa tion given to woman is true? I say no! And I am going to prove it to you forth with. I am sure the women are all going to be fervently grateful to me! Woman was created from one of Adam's ribs, was she not? If one of man's ribs, only one, mind you! is so bad, I have every right to affirm, the whole man mast be mucli more bad than one of his ribs." "What! that little Abrahamek has a tal ent for poetry, too!" I exclaimed, while all around me roared with laughter^and the women, rind the pretty girls whose eyes glowed like charcoal, were applauding the amiable jester with their most gracious smiles. Next day I again met my tailor on the imperial highway. He was driving a [ troika in which two ladies of rank were seated. The vehicle shot by as quickly as an arrow. It was a fantastic spectacle to watch that puny little man, with his skinny arms, driving the frail vehicle and checking those fiery horses?one moment turning to avoid an enormous hole, at an other grazing the very edge of a steep precipice, or passing deftly between two immense mud-puddles. The troika was executing a veritable egg-dance. "Abrahamek!" I cried out, "though you had no other talent whatever, you are at all events an admirable driver! What a pity I have no carriage and horses of my own!" If he heard any compliment, he was not disconcerted by it in the least; for he merely nodded his curly head to me, with ! a proudly dignified salute of recognit ion. OnJ.he Sunday following I found a to tally different Abrahamek outside the city, at one of the suburban villages. It was in a tavern where some peasants were having a dance. This time I saw none of the serious calm of the painter, none of ! the wild gayety of the wedding-jester, I none of the grand style of the fast-driver. I Abrahamek was evidently suffering from I some profound melancholy. Not a mus ! cle moved in Iiis face?it was rigid us mar | ble. There was no perceptible trembling ; of his eyelids, yet his tears were falling j continually; not always streaming, how ever, down his wan cheeks. They also j dripped, bitter, dolorous, and as if mingled j with harmony, from the uurface of tho cymbals before which he was seated, and I which he kept tapping with two little I drum-sticks covered with greasy leather, tappiug sometimes gently, in a caressing way?as if coaxing a petted child: then, again, strongly, furiously, as if punishing some scolding wife with a good drubbing. The other instruments were shrieking, rumbling, moaning around him, like a menagerie before feeding time; and the heavily-booted peasants jumped about un couthly In the dance, and peat-aut-women with them, iu one great whirl of petticoats and plaited hair. And all this in a cloud of dust, smelling of garlic, brandy, and new sheepskin. Abrahamek was wholly unimpressed by it: with set lips and glistening eyes, he noted nothing except the melancholy tones whiGh the plaintive cymbuls were sending through his very soul. He was at that moment an artist; and God knows what celestial harmonies he was hearing in his dreams! A supernatural harmony as suredly, for his face was lightedasbv^ radiance from above. "The ikSH said to?jtf,vself. , "AhraLTO^cy.fflraflciaii too! And what a soul of fire he has in that apparently insignificant little body of his!" My Abrahamek thus continued to paint, to drive, to compose farcical rhymes, to play music, and my clothes were not forth coming! I had no choice but to call in person on Abrahamek, and see how niat ters were progressing. The pretty little house he occupied, and in which he had opened his taflor's-shop, belonged to him. It had come to him as part of his wife's dowry. He himself had begun life as a poor Tnlmndic scholar; and he still preferred to hold scholastic disquisitions with his old fellow-students than to make frockcoats and uniforms. When I went in, I found him sitting cross-legged on a big table, and sewing away with furious zeaL "You see I'm working at it," he cried: "to-morro%v I'll have it all ready." "Well, I should say it was high time!" "High time! Why, have I not got the coat already done? Veigele, where is that coat? I want to let you see it Veigele!" I was curious to see thi? man's wife. She came in. A brunette of medium height, quite plump, with features adora bly sauve as those of the wife of Ahas erus. whose witchery proved mighty enough to bring wretched Haman to?the scaffold. She wore a little jacket of red fire velvet, lined and trimmed with black rabbit fur, and a Jewish diadem of gold, sparkling with jewels, whose brilliancy and color could not vie with the dazzling splendor of her eyes and the satiny fresh ness of her complexion. Her round white arms as they protruded from tho soft,, fur, seemed chiseled out of Greek marble. She saluted me with a mischievous smile, and walked directly to her husband. "What do you want now?" she began, in a quick impatient tone, like a little queen disturbed in the midst of some highly im portant occupation. "The young muster wants to see his coat." She went for it. unfolded it before me with an air of satifaction, und exclaimed with a triumphant smile: "There's work for you, eh? That's the way that wretch can work when he wants to; but, good God! when does he want tof , He devotes himself to painting, poetry, to j music, so many fine arts which never bring j us in so much as a crust of bread! We j might be able to ride in our own carriage . if he wished, but?" "Has man need of horses and of car riages?" said Abrahamek, "If God desired that man should be driven in a carriage, Ho certainly would have created him without legs." "Now you hear him!" cries Veigele in ex asperation, putting her arms akimbo, with her little flats propped upon her rounded hips under the fur-lined jacket. "That is the way he is! All day long he goes about like a man in a dream, talking about fol lies of some kiud, each worse than the other. I suppose I ought to keep his store and sew for him; but God knows I won't do It! I've enough to do to look after the house. You will have your suit, young master, even if I have to beat Abrahamek like an ass to keep him at work." She gave him a violent thump in the back with her little fist, and ran out with a great fluttering of petticoats. "Pretty woman," I remarked. "Yes, she is pretty, that is true," re j plied Abrahamek, speaking as if to him j self. j "She seems very Intelligent." "She is very intelligent." "But bad tempered, eh?" "That depends how one looks at the ? question," said Abrahemk: "As a general rule it isnot worth while to r.ttach much importance to what women say, nor worth i whde to bear them any ill-will for it. But with her it is different. She can not be re fused consideration. And, you know, , when a man aUows himself to be ill treated by a woman, that woman must be , worth the trouble of it. Veigele Is : worth it!" "Then you are quite content with you : wife?" "Why should I not be l ent? Who is happy in this world? Oniy the man who is ; content with Ins lot. And she is a good ! wife! Even Count Skarbek always kisses , her hands; weU, why should he not kis3 j them? She has a pair of Uttle hands as j soft as velvet and as white as ermine. How the nian ever managed to woo anc : wed such a little love of a wife, I can net I imagine; but as I left Abrahamek's house. ; I could not help reflecting that this greatly I and variously gifted artist was also a j philosopherl He absolutely represented the "Klaus" type of Jewish Socrates. Any how, with such a Xantippe as that, I felt I should be quite happy myself. I do not know to what further brilliant destinies my Abrahamek may have been called in after days; and I still keep ask ing myself what was really his special tal ent. Most nssuredly it did not lie in the art of making clothes! Next day he delivered my suit, thanks to the influence of pretty Veigele, no doubt. But alas! there was one thing she could not prevent, namely; That, even while he was cutting and stitching, her husband's mind should have been occu pied with a thousand golden or rose-col ored reveries, or absorbed by some ingeni ous poetical composition, or lulled into day-dreaming by a host of touching and harmonious melodies. The frock coat was I wrinkled iu the most awful manner, bc i sides being a great deal too long._^On the : other hand, the pantaloons did nofaven i reach my ankles; and I found it utterly : impossible to button the vest. \ ; And nevertheless, my good Abrahamek, j I do not wish to pick a quarrel with you, j if it is only for the sake of that adorable j little wife of yours, whose smile is so gracious, whose eyes are so lovely, and whose dainty hands are soft and smooth even as the softest and silkiest of velvet Times-Democrat Translation. Cluirmlng Hours with Kngllsh Hosts. The interval between tea and dinner was to me one of the most charming per iods of the EugliSh day. If it is autumn, the afternoon light is fading, the curtains are drawn, a few caudles brought in, and the newspapers are spread upon the tables. People who really want to talk with each other seize this opportunity, and you can have a cosy chat in a corner with a clever woman or a discussion with a celebrated man in politics or people, or society, or art. I often at this hour made more acquaintances with my host than at any other time; or perhaps with some distinguished guest, who was w?ling to bestow ins attention on a stranger. The newspapers suggested the themes of the day, and the flood of illustration that men who knew English life thor oughly would pour upon questions and events that were tmfamiliar to me, was very acceptable. The elder women, too, sometimes lingered in the firelight, and when they found me curious about history would unlock their storesj ealogical lore, give ma. the^ ixg in the Bot _ ? the establishment the scandals of the company. There j an intimacy about the hour and the com parative seclusion that provoked revela tions, and then and there I learned my earliest and my latest lessons in English customs and character. I was always sorry when wo separated to dress for din ner.?Adam Badeau's Letter. Spanish Irreverence for the Dead. WTierever one goes in Spain the irrever ence for the dead, and as a matter of course the recklessness of life, are what most prominently strike a traveler. The people seem actually to be indifferent to manslaughter. On the slightest provoca tion blood is shed, and the moment a re volver is heard in the street or a shriek from a murdered man, every door is shut and there is a scurrying of feet in a direc tion opposite to that in which the assassin has fled Everybody is afraid of being seized as the criminal Not a night during the hot, dry summer passes without the cry of Are being heard In a Spanish town. Any person in the street at the moment can be pressed to aid in extinguishing the flames. But it is rare that any one is found to perform this duty, for at the first cry of fire, prudent citizens take care to get under shelter. In the interior, and even in the large cities on the coast, the cemeteries are in a de plorable condition. It is not an uncom mon spectacle to see a body flung across a mule, or even two being carried in this fashion to their last resting-place, amid the. heartless, often brutal, comments of the bystanders, who, notwithstanding, always doff their hats, out of a half-super ej^tious feeling, the exact character of which never costs them a thought. These traits refer mainly to the country folks, I or to the towns-people of the poorer class. ?Foreign Letter. Lopez, the Tyrant of Paraguay. Wrhen Lopez conscripted the men of a district he drove the women and chUdren from their homes and compelled them to sustain themselves in the woods as best they could. This was done that the sol diers might have no homes to lure them from the ranks. The Inhabitants perished of exposure and hunger by the hundsed thousand. StiU, the soldiers endured all things in order to resist the invaders. At the close of the war the population was reduced to less than one-fourth of what it was before the war. Some sections of the country suffered much beyond the aver age. In the district of Villa Rica a popu lation of 109,776 in I860 was so cut down that even in 1877 it had only come up to 11,779. In the department of Villa del Filar the population of 109,444 was reduced to 10,002. Even in the capital the 50,000 were so reduced that now, in spite of the fugitives and refuges who gravitated there after the war, there are only 18,000. These figures tell the stories of cruelty, suffer ing, and courage that need no comment.? Bishop Fowler in Chicago News. Labor in the Sundwich Islands. The labor problem in the Sandwich islands has always been perplexing. Tho government is now encouraging Japanese immigration, but the people are found to be unable to endure the hard work on sugar plantatKSns. There is said to be great dissatisfaction among the Portu guese, who were brought to the islands under five years' contracts, and large numbers whose contracts expire in a few months are preparing to go to California. ?Frank Leslie's. 1836! 11 SWIFTS SPECIFIC. 1111886 8SB SSjS sss s s s 'A EEMEDY KOT FOE A DAY, BUT POE WtW BALI A CiarTTJEY[SjSlS EHJEVING SUFTEEIKG H?1IANITY! SISIS s.s.s. sss SSS? i |j AN INTERESTING TREATISE ON BLOOD AND SKIN DISEASES SENT FREE TO ALL APPLICANTS. IT SHOULD BE READ BY EVERYBODY. ADDRESS THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., ATLANTA, GA. JOHN C. WHETSTONE, rowesville. s. c, Practical Machinist and Millwright, AGENT FOR THE SMITH IMPROVED GIN, FEEDER AND CONDENSER. ALSO AGENT FOR THE TAYLOR AND RAY STATE ENGINES, GRIST MILLS, &c. STWill order Machinery of any kind when requested to do so. igt?'Repairing of all kinds of Machinery a specialty. All orders promptly attended July l-3m to. Address as above. STONO ?Phosphate Company. ESTABLISHED 1870. ?o HIGH GRADE FERTILIZERS! HIGH GRADE FERTILIZERS! ?0' SOLU RLE GUANO (highly ammoniated.)" DISSOLVED RONE. ACID PHOSPHATE. ASH ELEMENT. PHOSPHATE FLOATS. GERMAN KAN1T. HIGH GRADE RICE FERTILIZER, James Van TasseL, CHOICE FAMILY GROCERIES, Wines, Liquors and Segars, A T MY ESTABLISHMENT CAN RE FOUND ALL THE STANDARD jCX nrriclcs of GROCERIES at Rock Bottom Rices, as well apurest and bcsl WINES, LIQUORS, &c, sohl anywhere. Also the choicest SEGARS AND TOBACCO to be found in the market. Will-:* LOOKING AKOl'.?D GIVE ME .1 CAM.. JAMES VAN TASSEL. li'or .*>:*!<'. rpiIOKOUGIIB II K D J E U S E Y I Calves. One yearling registered Jer sey Bull. Registered Ayrcshire heifers. Several grade heifers a< also several Milch Cows in milk. Apply to E. N. CIHSOLM, Rowesville, S. C. To IllC 1'nblir. I TARE PLEASURE 1N AX X nouncing that I will run the Ice Uusi uess from May 1st, 1S.S0. Customers please reserve your orders and oblige. Yours truly, an-* CHARLES P. RRUNSON. JOHN A. HAMILTON, DEALER IN COTTON GINS, Machinery Sillies, Olis, to, ORANGEBURG, S. C, OFFERS The GULLETT STEEL BRUSH, COT TON BLOOM, ami Improved TAYLOR GINS. Prices as low as In the State, Work guar anteed, Terms accommodating. Also, fur nishes Saws, Ribs, and parts-of Gins for repairs, Bristles, &c. IN STOCK, Brass CHECK VALVES, Piping, Coup lings, Round and Sheet Gum Packing, Babbitt Metal, &c, &c. SUGAR MILLS, and SYRUP KET TLES furnished at factory prices. John A. Hamilton. JOHN~C~ PIKE, ORANGEBURG, S fi. DP-AT.ER IN CHOICE FAMILY AND Heavy Groceries. ALSO Willow Ware,. Glass Ware, Crockery, &c, -o Call anil examine my Goods before Xwchasing. They are first class .?>"d my prices are as low as the lowest. JOHN C. PIKE. ESTABLISHED 1877. Twenty-five Years Experience. T. DeCWavette, Watch Maker and Jeweleu, And dealer In Watches, Clocks, Jewelry Spectacles, Silver and Plated Ware and Musical Instruments. All work warranted for one year. Orangeburg. . C, Charles A. Calvo, Jr,, BOOK AND JOB PRINTER ?a2jd? BOOKBINDER, 69 RICHARDSON STREET, COLUMBIA,S. U. \ LL KINDS OF PRINTING, RUL J- \- ing and Binding done at low figures and in the very best manner. Catalogues of Schools, Colleges and Church Associa tions a specialty. Lawyers' Briefs ?1 per printed page for 2." copies. Old Rooks Re bound and Repaired. Cash Boeles, Ledg ers, Day Books, Journals, &c, made to order at Short notice. Orders solicited and satisfaction guaranteed. %3T Subscribe for the COLUMBIA WEEK LY REOlSTEll?eight pages of fresh reading matter?the latest telegraphic news?clear largu print. Only one dollar a ycar_._ Notice. X Roads Bellville amj State Road. I I A VING BOUGHT THE RIGHT I 1 to sell the AMMON'S PATENT PROW GL'AGE AND GUIDE in Orange burg County I am prepared to furnish them and solicit the patronage of ;ill the fanners n the county. ' M. M. METTS, April 1 .j-:;nm_St. Matthews, S. C. For Sale. ONE TEN HOUSE POWER EN gine and Boiler complete. Also one Circular Saw Mill. The above can be bought on vorv reasonable terms. jViir. ' HARPIN RIGGS ?Votice. I LL PERSONS HAVING CLAIMS 1 V against the Estate of Thomas H. Zimmerman, deceased, will present the same duly attested t<? tin-undersigned, and all persons indebted to said Estate will make payment to Moss & Dautzler. Attor ney^ at Law. Orangeburg. S. C. IRVIN II. ZIMMERMAN. Qualiiied Eecutor of Estate of Thomas H. Zimmerman, deceased. July S-3t