The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, May 20, 1879, Image 1
TIRI-WEEKLY EDITION. W INNSBORO, S. C., MAY 20, 1879. VOl. . 7
THE INCH BEFORE THE SAW.
Only fromn day to day
The lifo of a wiiho man runs
What matter if soapons far away
Have gloom or have d, ublo sunt,?
To climb the unreal patli
We stray frotu tho ioadway here,
We swim the rivera - f wra I
And tunnuol the hills of fear.
Our foot on the torrent's brink,
Oir eyes on the cloud afar,
Wo fear the thing we think
instoai or the thizigs th.t, are.
Liko a tido our work -hould rise,
Each later wayo the best ;
To day is a king In d sguiso.
To-day is the apocial tott.
Like a sawyer's work. in life
The present iakeA the i.tw,
And the only Iiold.for strife
In the inch hofore the #aw.
Two "Iimortelles."
How differently the prizes of fame are
distributed ! A Leonidas falls at Thermo
pyie, and the. world rings with the deed
forever. A Naoluheon ravages half of Eu
rope, and because lie is a conluerer is exal
ted, by his ivorshipers, into a demni-god.
On the other hand, 4'mc sailor or soldier,
or other-obscure 4ero in the ranks, dies at
the post of duty, in a straight even more
desperate, and yet is never heard of' again.
We were talking of tis the other night
at dinner, when Colonel Markham said:
"4Apropos of that, I have been to.day, to
lay a wreath on the grave of one of that
class. With your permission, I will tell
his story.
"Charley Benson," he began, 'had been
im my regiment, and was so faithful and
true, that, when the war was over 1 exerted
muyself to get him work. lie was only a
private, remember, the son of a poor, lull
farner ; with very little education. The
best I could do for him was to get him a
position as engineer on the Sweetwater
railroad, to run one of the locomotives.
lie gave such .sat ist'act ion, wits al
ways so reliable, that Ie soon got it promise
of advancement. On. this he determined to
miiarry. lie had long been engaged to at
good girl, the (angihter of a mechanic in
our employ, but they were both poor.
"'You see, colonel,' he said to me, one
day, when I met him at the depot, and
slopped to ask kim how lie was getting ni,
'it's at serious thing, this taking the respon
sihility of marrying. Besides, Nellie is a
girl above the ordinary kind ; she was linl
imhed at the Normal school ; and I should
like to surround her with some of the reline
maeims of life. I don't want. to live every
thimr coarse iand rough about lier, ais a very
poor ian must, no imatter how muencli Ie
loves his wife. That's the reason we've
put it off. But, now, thanks to your good
word-l'm to have a raise. This is my
last trip, as perhaps you know.
"le raised his hand to his head, in the
old military salute. . 'You may feel perfeet
ly safe,' lie said, 'for even if I didn't know
you were on botird, I should do my dnty,
no imatter what came of it.''
"'The words were spoken as if of cotise,
and without any annecessary eiphalsis ; but
1 hey asstmed an iniportance subseiuently,
and 1 can never forget them. I think 1 sec
thema now, lookiiig its he looked when lie
uttered them, his figure drawn fip to its full
height, his hand at his cap, his cheeks
slightly flushed, his eyes gleiaming like an
eagle's.
'Suddenily the eyes softened, and a smile
stole over his face. 'Excuse nie, please,'
he said ; 'but, there's Nellie, God bless her,
conie to see mc oil l I nmiust shake hands
with her before we start, and there's just
tine.'
"'it. was a b~rightl, sunishiny fauce, that tof
a young woman of about twenty, thmat I saw
welcome him ; handsomle, everybody wotuld
have said it was ; but, there was a look of
couirage, and1( high resolve ; soul anti intel
lect were both there.
"I could niot act as on the parting, so I
turned away, and songht a seat ini the cars.
"'I found an old friendl on the train, Gen
eral Powell, after wc had run about twenty
miles or so, and discussed business and
politics, I proposed a smoke. 'Thmey all
know me on this line,' I sid, 'and we il go
luto tihe-baggage car, whiere we'll be alone.
"I exchanged a wVordl or two with the
baggage-master, asking after his family, as
.I always did, and then took a set near' the
front of the car, so its to get, thme air from
thieopen door, for the day was sultry atnd
warm. The coal and( water tank wams just
ahead of its, and beyond that the locomo
tive, for wve were atthie front of time train.
I couhti see the tall, so'dierly figure of Chlar
iey, as lie stood at, his post1, wvith his haind
on the rail, and beside himi, his assistant,
looking like Cyclops, begrhumed withi dust
adtd smobke."
"Trhe *weetwater road as you know,
rWtB. through a very Icmturesqlue region,
Wrinding, for the most part, by the banks of
the Sweetwater itself ; frequently terraced
al6tig -low hills ; with, .hiere and there a
tunnel ; and, 'what is more to the point of
my story, innumerable cuirves. We were
rattling and suirging on, when, sudd~enly, I
daiV, net far ahead, a puff of smoke around
a rocky curve, -anid direetly afterwards, an
e &~press train caine rushing into sight, headh
ifig for us,:-at full speed.
*"Thei pecular shriek which Is tihe signal
\toF iown brakes,' was instantaneous from
bothi" trains; bitt 'I saiv, at once, that it
wogl'beusbles; the velocity~of each was
tedistance so small,' that collisioni
rtymils a horanid the express at
a o:of [btty, the two together miaking a
,speedoaf seventy mailes an hour ; it wia
shold crash Into each other.
"I started to my feet, not with any inten
tion of flighltr, but with a sort of Instinct
*,that, sio I was to die, I would tie standl
..ing4. .I havo been in ,twenty battles, as you
all know ; desperate ones most of them.,
have had'shot and shell falling ab~out me
beforo eltthgt I whN cei'taui to dlie, thaft
kore was nio hope whatever, as I felt, that
"fter on6 quick look at the approaching
sAilocomotife, thigt,'eVen In'that- single iustant,
ii" see .ed-to.grow, fr6M its rap~id approach
'eI '4, the 'Me it had been at first,- I
lance at .Charley,'anxipito see'h6w he,
niI *h&&A d be tfi fir ib taik Wouk1
46 -hkdwti hed lihuuder' fire,
ei'n
singly, in a inarrow breach, than any'tlin
eke 1 but it was even worse thai that; ther
imight be one chance in teln thousand, there,
of escape ; here there was none. I did iiot
expect Charley to jump from his engine, as
imay would have done. I knew he was
too brave for I lit. Bit I did look for some
sign of ellionou, though not exlct ly of fear.
There wis none, however, except the tiglit
eiling of the HIps, and the eagle-like look
1tha1t came into his eyes. I I is - cleek never
paled. Not one eye lash <flivered. But
that intense gaze did not leave the other
locomotive for an instant.
"All this pased ill i moment, iuicker,
if possible, than a light ning hash. 'liat
stern tightening of the lips, tha gleaInI of
the eye, were the outward indications of
the ciuick, compreliensive decision Ih came
to ; for, in one moment, lie had reviewed
the whole situat ioll, 1and in the suingle chance
there Was4 for escape ; ihiiance I did not
see, but which he( did. Eseape for t lle rest
of us, however, but not for him. lie was
doomed, in- any event ; lie realized that 1
perhaps we all were, but there wras a possi
bility of saving the passenlgers; and it was
his duty to do that, "come what might" to
hillimelf, as lie said.
"Do you 1tiderstan1d the exceplional
bravery Of this? Napoleon Ilned to say,
that very few m11en1 had four oclock cori a.g'e.
lile meant by that, Ihat whaen 11en1 were
roused from sleep, suiddenly, in he tray
(lanVll, by a surprise, it took some time to
get their wits about them ; they were dazed,
they lost their presence of mind. Now
this was even a more crneial trial. 1lere
was a train off its time. nol. signaled, unex
pectedly coming round a corner, not half a
mile off, and, therefore, lit lie rate at. which
both trains were going, with but thirty
seconds left, not merely to determille what
to do, if anything coild be (done, bilt to do
it. Nine mn out of tell, yes! Iliity-11nm
out of a hundred, -would have lost their
presence of mind. Even most of those,
who Illiglt have retaiied it, woouild have
sacrificed that thirty seconds inl weiginlg
the prhs and cons of the situation. .ltit
Charley not only kept his nerves finn, 111and
his intelilect cool, but reviewed iIe stale in
affairs in i iolitalt, and decided as instanl
taneoisly.
'Jump, back, Jin,' lie cried, addressing
his attendant, but not even looking around,
while his voice rose, stern and sharp, over
the thimler of the two trains. 'Uncouple
mile from the baggage car. Quick It's
the only chance !'
"It was tile oinly chance. Why had I
not thought of it., If the locomotive and
tender could be unfastened from the rest of
the traill, the two former would dash for
ward, with accelerated velocity, would be
the first, to meet the shock of the collision ;
wolld act as a buffer ; and would check,
slightly, the speed; and thms, when the rest
catle inl C on0tailct, would, perhalps, caluse but
little loss of life, if any. It Was Leonidas
.--0 himself hin1y4)the nass, but I.eoid
Ilas alone, and Leomidas that might save the
three hundred.
" J im wits only an ordinary stoker, but.
he 111(1 ilso been a soldier, where he had
learned habits of implicit obedience. Ie
said to ie, afterwards, that lie did not stop
to think. 'To tell the truth, colonel,' were
his words, 'I was too soared to-tikiilk u
I did as I was told, hardly knowing I 11d
it ; you saw me, you and General Powell,
doni't you remember ; and how I un11coupled
the baggage car just in time i'
"I do remember. I behold it all again,
as vividly as at tlhat- m11omlellt. I seem to
hear the ( quick, sharp words of command,
like nothing so milch as the crack of a rifle ;
the 1 see Jim, black and begriinned, leap
backwards, tug at a coupling; theni the
loco'motive and tender dart, ahead, 118 if shot
from at battery ; then Camle a wild thlid, the
crash of iron, aind splitting of wood, two
locomotives leaping up in the ilir a gush of
fire, ain explosion that shook the earti."
The colonel passed ils hand across his
eyes, as if to shut. (out the sight, dre'w a1
dleep breath and1( went on1.
"'in anloth~er second1( we were upon01 themt.
At first, 1 thought tihat we, too, were lost.
But aplart from the fact that the brakes had1(
lit last, begun to telli, our Inmentum had1(
been further dimiishled iby thie detaching
of the tendel(r, and1( wheln we dalshled against
the mass of ruin, thle shock w~as only snill
cienit to throw us oll' our feet, and1( crush in
the forward part of thei baggage car. There
had been just timei for us8 to r'etreait to thie
rear of the car, before the crash."
The coionel resumed, more qjuietly, after
ai liOmenCt.
'-'Chairley was found, a few feet from (ho
tragedy, 01n a ban11k, wvhere the force of the
coilision had flung him. lie had died in
nattely, hie wva~s not (lisfigured in the fitce at
least.
"'lie wvas buried lat the cemletery, where
I went to-day. A few of us united to erect
ai simple mlonumeni~it over himi, andii every
y'ear I go.there and1( lay a wreath of immor
I heard, afterwards, I may say inceiden)
tally, that the nmonumnent lad been pult up
alnost entirely at the colonel's expense.
"A few of us" was his modest figure of
"'And the poor girl who was to have
miarried him?" said our hostess, with a sigli.
"Life was over f-r iher," answered tie
colonel. "Her's was one of those natures
that.can love but once."
"It wvould fiave been ai profanation to
have loved any one else, after a hero like
that."
"Yes!" Hie was silent for a momnent.
"But she was one. that coulid not live
without some object In life, so she, became
a hlospital nurse, andl when the yellow fever
broke out1 has} year, went do~wn1 Soth.
She was one of the first to go, and," hesi
tatingly "one of the first to (die, She died
at Memn jhis."
"Poor, poor thing!I"
"When the frosts came, hier frlends had
her brought North, and laid beside Char
,ley," stid the colonel. "And tihis year, ]
.took out, ab I shall, always, -hereaufter, 'rwe
IMThMoflT)Li.s."
Olven Up by Doctora.
"Isitposibe tatMr. Godfrey Is up
rem~edyV"
"I' assure you that it is true thMt he is
-enthrely cured, anid with nothing. but
Hop Bitters; and only ten days ago his
doctors gave hIm up and said he must
( Iidj -4'! 'h' I~ reniarkablg
I will gQ thip day an4 get gom~e for mty
ppor George. I know hops are good.'
FOn prosperit~y :-Look ip the Mletion
ary
Ouar Surpilus Savings.
With successful return to specie pay
mlenits at (1uest ionl which hals beeni coinn
more and more into )rolllilcnice diurili
the last live yeats, reqpiires to ie aiswered
I low shall we invest our surpim capital
For many years it wis qiite the fishioi
for tll workingiian and wollial t 10t)1
upon the saviigs bianiks of the couti ry a
Ahe chief hul wark aginist hard tiie.., aiu
from i sixpence, uip, deposits could b
made fit Interest secured.
Blit lite long periol of depression, ai
the lesson it has taugh, has chnliged al
that. 'T'le vist mher of failires moiini
the savings istitutions of tihe conitry, am
the wrecks of little forunes that wer
numberedI-C~ amlonig theo hjoardmsj,8 ha1vt
shIow) 1ilo4 conceltisively that sote othe
way in which surplus money could in
safely invested, aind yet paty iln interest, is
a necessity of the hotur.
Witiout reverting to lhe tunpleiisait
banking history of the patst ten years inl de
tiliI, it is enollgh to say that it lias heei
abunldantly proven that -no priviate instit u
tion, of whatever 111me or chiIaCler, ca
piay an interest oil deposits that are sibjec
to cleck at sight. Nlonley, to pay 11 prolit
mui1st lhe profitlily ilivested: .it this (ln
not be done by savinigs banks, Where if is
liable to bv enlled for atfiany miomentil. Il
brief, it is impossible to loant lioney, alm
itt the sante timnie keep it oa Ioil as th<
recordls of all h lie defunlet aid HlsspeIde
anking inistittiions show. 'T'lis fa(t 1111H
come to he well uidertood, since th<
ancial aigitaitionl first be'gan its career.
What, then, shall we )do with our sirphu
Ravings ?
in England there is nll advantageotm
opening for Ilivetmients inl lie Postal NaV
ings, and in France there is a somewlini
sinjiair institition, of which working men
and1(1 Wom)I(ei hairgely avail themselves; hul
ill tile Unlited States the nearest parallel i.
Ie GJovernimient loan. What the depositol
waints, primarily, is safety - aibsolut<
slilety ; and this Ie secures in the Govern
ment bond. The whole wealth of th<
iatiol is pledged for pakylient. Tle htonor
of our people is staked on their redemp
tion. No private institution can compar<
for a moment with the advantages offere(
by the (G'overnment ini its boids. Th<
e ople have ailrealy proved this, by tl
Wa3' in whiich they lalve subscribed to th<
Foir per Cents. -Triie, the amount of inl
tereat is not lrge, as coltristed witi the
rates offered by many savings- hanks, lilt
it is certain, aind (te printcipill is safe,
That Congress has done wisely in author
izilig the pltting on the market. of bondI
of.iamall denomi natioli is nlow Conceded,
and it is in (his direction that our siuliults
savings w%-ill gravitate.
Long tncit Short Sireeltrs.
LaNo a t o , ikvi.I mldier.i rrom habit, call
sleelp when they will and Wiake when Ihey
will. Captain iBiarelay, when performnin
his w(oldelfll lent of walking 1,010 ilmiaile
im als m11anY Consecutive hlrs, obtaineed
such a ma10'stery over hims11elf tlhait ie fel
asleep the mihite lie lay down. The fat
culty Of renminiing aisleep for a length o
Such was the caise with Quin, tle ce;rat
ed player, who would slumb1I~tr for twenlty
four hours successively ; Wi lizabel
Orvin, who slept thiree-fourths of her life:
with Elizabeth Perktins, who slept 1Ir :
week or a fortniglit at a time; wih .il Nar
Lyell, who did the same for successiv<
wveeks; and With many others, more ir les
remarkable. A plienomeon of an opposite
character is solietines observed, for there
are other inlividuals who clni sulbsist oil a
surprisingly small portion -of sleep. Tih
celebrated General Elliot was an instaiun<
of tihis kind; lie iever slept more than foull
hour out of the twenty-four. In all otie
reslects he was sitrikinigly abstinent, hi:
food consistinig whiolly of breadt, water ant
vegetables. Ini a letter coniuuniicatedi t<
Sir John Sinclair by John Gordon, Esq1. ,
Swine, mnent ion is miade of a 1)erson iinm(
Jlohn Mackey, oif Skerry, wvho died ii
St rathinave, in the year I179t7, aged ndinety
one ; lhe onily slept on an average of fou1
hours in the tw~enty-four, and( wias a re
miarkatile roibust andit healthy man. lFrede
riek thle (Great, of Prussia, anad the illusti
huts surgeonl, John llunter, only slept fiv<
hours dlurinig the samie period. .The cele
b rat ed French general, l 'ichegro, in formie
Sir Gilbert Blaiine that during a whioli
y3ear's camnpaignl, lie had not allowedi him
self above oiie hour's sleep ini the t wventy
four.
Tenx Terilame Sconids.
literally, the life (of young A rchib
Fergus.wiis hanging, for ten terrihie see
hns y a shiude tlareaud. Il wa vis a shoep
hrlad,(dweing ini a valley near Dun
bar, and familiar with every Imouintauin paitl
and towcring ciff of that picturesqutie loeni
lity. lIn one-of his hillside rambhles hi
keen eye dliscovered signs8 of an eagle'
cyrae upon01 ai urrlow edlge that jultted oul
from the face of a steep- precipice. 11
summoned four or five of his youni11
compantionts, and, having provided them11
selves with a1 strong ropme, they proceedec
to climib the mnounltaini with the purpose t,
capture the eaglets. Tlo scale the pr0c1ic
was impossible, but they, by a clrcuitou
route, succeeded In reachIng the top (of it
anad from the overhanginig brink they couli
look dowvn upon01 the ledge belowv, wvhere th
eagle lad built its iibat. TIh6 only way t
reach this ledge was for one of the party t
.be let dIown till its level wais reached; f
the edge of .the rock fairly overhunag It
base, aand there was not so1 much as a shru
or crevice to wvhich to cling. Archibald, si
the leader of the expeditIon, assumed th
perIlous task of the descent; anid loopin
one end 6f the rope so as to affordI huimsg)~
a scat, lie secured the other end around a
ihnmense boulder and permilttedl himself
be0 let diowni by the stronag hlmds of his conl
panlons, who had performed thalt servki
for him on many a similar expeditIon.I
that way he had descended to within a fe'
feet of the ledge, when lie heard the whlii
of wings aind the, rush of heavy bodh
thr'ough the air, and he knbi4that the plal
ent birds weore hastening to thie rescue <
their young. An 'eagle, mnahe or feniali
knows no fear when its cyrio Is, attackei
but-enters at once Into con bat wifh the ii
truder. Archlbakq knew this well enoufgl
and lhe had taken thel precaution to thiru
his dirk Into lis gltdhe, -with Whiph be
quite ablo td defend himself pgnijnst thiy '
riOus "onsinupght pi .the' fetuthered o
Drawing the trusty weappli hie awtlIted ti
attack and.,1(a40t long to watt; wl
beramusof "rage (he. eggles, iunoed uj
htfn. Pritecting lisee, s yb
with the sleeve of his coarse shirt he rur
rapid and well aimed blows at his winged
assailants, and succeeded in thrusting the
keen blade into the throat of one and into
the bosom of the other, so that, after a few
swoops, they abandoned the contest and
chng, bleeding an(.-dying, to the ledge
where there eaglets were waiting thei.
Archibald sheathed his dagger; and look
ing up, shouted to lisa friends, who had
paised while the fliglt progressed, to con
tiliue the decent. But, inl lookiig up1), a
terrible sight was revealed to hin, for he
perceivetd that, while thrusting at, the eag
les, the keen etlge of his dagger had (lt the
rope so that all the strAnds except one were
severed. 'Tlie strain upon that single
strand was such that he could see that it
was yielding, partiig, about. to be snapped
asunihder. lie grew faint inl expectation of
being dashed to pieces oil t lie rocks a thouis
and tleet below ; and in another seconil, he
would have been so dashed to death, but
tlat, liefore the second was over, and just
as lie rope parled, he was lowered sutil
cienil lo 1 be able to spring upon ihe ledge,
which fortunaitely he istrnck and aInnII'X(ed
to maintain his baulace there, although it
affor.ded himl scarcely: a foothold. itow
ever, his companions) aware of what had
happened, speedily readjiisted the rope,
lowei ed it to him) again, and le was Woon
hauiled up in safety, not (vein forgettinbg, in
his fright, to capturethe two eaglets and
hear them wit Ii him triutimpliatly as me.
inientons ot his advel ire.
An I eigenionk 1n1-Trap.
lHow is the eunning- little creature to be
caught I The answer is simple; a mian's
brain is bigger than a rat's; set your cun
ning against his, and you will win. l lere
is oine plan adopted by at gentlemaiint who
had tried the usual traps in vain. In a
store-rooni wia a barrel of nutize-flour, of
which the rats were enormously tond, and
their habit was to clinib up1 to a shell', run
along it, leap down on tihe head and feast.
Good. Our friend took another barrel, and
of the head lie made a trap. lie took it
out, and treating it as a globe, he made a
wire North and South pole, which, when
placed in corresponding holes in the cask,
allowed the lid to spin rouid easily on its
pi' ots, and return directly to its natural
hiorizontil position. When realy this eask
wias placed in the-stead of the filour cask,
its head fixed firmly, and covered thickly
with the sweet. Indian mi-al. h'l'e rats eate
leaping down as usual, teasted, and went
away. 'I'lis was kept upi) for a couple of
nights, fresh )lour being placed on the head,
and duly eaten. Then caim ie the Nemesis.
Th'le next night that barrel was half-filled
with water, the head glued and thickly
sprinkled with flour, and then left loose,
sWinging so easily that on tlie first. leaping
down there was n slip and a scraible, fol
lowed by a hollow splash, but the lid re
suned its position, covering the drowning
enemy, and placing itself ready to entirap
the next. For months that trick succeeded
well, four or five rats being taken each
night, aid the place was at last cleared.
LIit in a Snow Eliut.
Profeassor L. Liuunlein, of Wisconsin,
naturalist. of the Arctic expeditioin on board
ing letterto> a frienil in Mi inif. ii
St. Johns to Cuimberland Sound we encoun
tered only), four terribfe gales making the
pa -i lin fifteen days-going over the same
*istanee in thirty-filve hours that took tis
sixteen days last year, w'hen we were forly
one days to our first harbor. When we left
our winter harbor (July 7th, or more pro
perly the 19th, as this was the dato.we fairly
got underway) we took the ice and worked
through two hundred and fifty miles of it.
It was here that the schooner got jamned
and sprung a leak thaxt closed after we got
to itaIcior on the Grecenland coast, and re
opened on tie 19th of October off Sable.
As you know there was no expedlition to
*meet us, so we had to go back again to Ciun
bterland with ouir sixteen Esqluimnaux and
thirty dogs, with all their accouterments.
WeC11( had bt got fairly startedl when the
w~ind sprung up from the southeast. It
soon1 increalsedl to aL fair gale, anid kept in
creasing. We were in close proxiimity to
thu heavy hlafiln's Bay back (the heaviest
ever known-no vessel got through), and
dlriftling right into it. We lay hove to four
days, andl wheni it cleared we found our
selves in -the mouth of Exeter Sound, two
hundred miles to t he westwardl of our course.
'We had driiftedl all -this tIme among hundreds
of Iceblergs without' getting foul of any.
The pCloor Esqutimaux were battened down
In the hold alt this time, anid thirty wild
dlogs running the dlecks. This was the
'heavlest gale we have encountered, and
came wihnan ace of trippi~ng the schooner
many113 tims. in sea swept everything off
the (lecks andI one the house, hbut we only
lost four do(g8. So muich, briefly, for the
passage. My compa~tnlin andi I lived ini a
-snow hut eight months on a small Island.
No light bujt a tin box wit~h an oil burnier ill
it, and burning seail oil. Our .allowance of
fuel gave out t wo months bef'ore the cold
cahe i. Our greatest cold was In Jian
uary, 1t was fifty-two degrees, oi eighty
twvo dhegrees below freezing point. Th'e mer
Icury exposed hi a (d1sh froze solid, so as to
he htandled like a chtp, at forty-tw'o degrees.
Tlhc heaviest snow fell on ,June 5th, 61th and
7thm,.andt I wvalked ashore on the Ice on the
1441h of'Ji'dy. -On thed last dhy of April 1
undertbok a long journey with sonte Esqul
maux n ith (log teamts, and while sleeping
Salongsidelof the shed, thtirty-Ilve mileas fromi
la1nd(, wIth a forty mile-north wind blowing
r and a lenib1eratuireo f -forty-one degrees, I
eIther froze or daugh~t cold i the first finger
of mny left'Iuand,- whleh let't mec a criled~l(
hand until the end of July, and I now have
a muchb deformed and nearly useless finger.
I froze 11ny nose tithes withot nutubler, even
after I nmadec a thlek covering of some heavy
cloth youlfr mother' glive tue for thd pttrpose.
I sustitut~ted fine reindeer skin wvhlo tra vel
inlg, .which answeredl better. One of the
sailors froze a fodt.~Ao badly that he was
Ilid11 up for set'en mionthis. ThIs was In
November, while trying to take caire of a
r tyhaile.' -I have n'ot been sIclk a driy since I
left Now 1aondon/i ~y bunk i just alx feet
long, ttdo and'om hhl f efeet' wide, And the
same heIght. In this space I slept, worked
andt studied.' In It- I kept three grips, all
'my clothes, bedding, forty-two~ hooks, pIpes,
tohbacco and -a hundredt dther thIngs. Yoit
shako your 1elul,1 w'ould s'y, ,if ytou
q igiw qutaxd Innati ebn ithahgt
t ledn hlt %(ho -fact.
E. uterI p '0 lltlte daulmter' called
o umpon' for a. tuasLggyde " The health of
paaaoinn Palu all tph 4yort"
n Bt se sdd iff dorreeted &'If# *entl
161 tN Not 1trfd"Wor'6 then
k papaWould have hospktion'tsL"
An Amenic Mine.
A man, armed with a long iron hook,
pulls open an irotn door, 1111( you gaze with
awe into the ihmatesque heirt of a huge fur
n)ace, the whit e-lot contents slowly t urnilng
round, an1d over falling inl cas4catdes of vel
lNw fire. It is fonid that at the works on
Devon, 8lphtr in tihe pyrites is enough tc
keep the furnace, when once heated, burn
ing without other fuel. The products ?
I lore it is, a white heap of several tols of
it lying int an opent shed, where everybody
passes by. It is sonething like finel lotin.
One of tho men dips his thumb 111and inger
loosely into tihe( white powder, puts a qlan
tity ito the palm of his ottier lintid, and
brings it to be looked at precisely as a mil
]er shows it samplo of flour, smoothing it
with his foroinger. One expects every
momnItCIL to See imt1 test it with his tolni' ;
a child probably would, but tit nminer
knows better. All this white heap is ar
sonic. More than 2,41u.1 tons a year te
sent out from this one mine, to be used
mtatly in those brilliant Itodernt dyes by
which our womien and children can (idazzle
the uinie att ai cheap expense. Are they
safe to Wear ? My chemistry books do not
plainly sa1y yes or no. Iht in one hook I
chanced to open, I finld 1t1 foillowiig re
marks: "Arseiieus neid-white oxide of
arsenic, or white arsenic. This subh1sinnCeo
is of tit highest importance as beilng ithe
frequent aigenit of criminial or -eeittntl
poisoning. fTere ire few substances So
much to be feared, it being alimos tasteless.
It cll be iixed withi artic.les of food 114nI
swtl lowed withIott discovery, an11d Itere is
no practically ellicient anlidotc." This in
ntocent looking white powder, (his potent,
attl fatal sublotlance ..f which your clteIist
mut not sll you a lose witlhout elnteriig
your address inl it bthook, (if which three
grains' welght. will kill a1 mat1n, wtas lyingt4
by one f thIe orditnary oad'14s Of tie tine,
in tle opent sted, inl heaps breast -htigh I
was assured tlat no kind of hmm11111 ever
comes of ill this, save skin eruptions to tte
work people, atdl these rarely, but it gave
otto it siiver to se those white toiutds.
"The lanted 11n114n1e."
The time of m1y natrati've (lates; hack to
the year 1870. Ile evets occurred in the
city of Sprintgleld, ()hio.
Situated i the very centre of ilth city
wats at 111ans.on, old and lonely aispect, the(
property of at Mr. Foos. It had been for
several years unintitabited, whei striantge re
ports begant to circulate. Persons who
passed there at 'nidnight, and other itncan
nly hours, oftenI I4aw strang1,e lightsg and1
heard stranger soids, until Ieople l
lieved thatl it. Was haun111ted.
A lenglt two yoig mcin of tit(- ltowi
resolve(d to see whethtr it was haueilid or
not, inld thu11s put. tite fears mnl gossipings
of the i towi's peopl to an (rl.
Accordingly they took ilt Iiteir ilarters
at the mansion. About eight o'clock they
lit t-heltr CatIes0, and male It eSCl4ve t n
fortable to receive their ghtosily visitors.
The clock struck ine, te, Vlevet, 111141
now Iearly twelve oelock, the ittie for
g1hosts to appeir. 'The great clock int St.
Raphael 's church beganr to strike onev, Iwo,
three, four, five, six, sevein, eight, nilne,
'n, eleven, /we/ce, aid then-No sooner
d ell t tVnstliill "Ial
they were left in darkte'ssm. After a few
ll. alts a bright, ci rcIlart' light becae
Visible near one of tiel walls, and whatt a
terrible spectacle wts brought. to view!
A man wits stretcied froma it tree witi a
rope around his neck, while ta box lay it
iis feet witlini teachi-le wa It elde.
IIs distorted featulrltes and glaring eyes
were plainly visible, while his tongic,
black and swollen, hung it least hatlf a foot
from his mouth I To complete the horrible
picture, hundreds of demons were daicing
around his contorted figure. Then followed
a wild burst of latigiter and lihe appritiion
vanished.
The yotung men had1(1not expecled ii.
W~hile this strange sceite wasI ettact.itng t.ecy
sat stutpefled wihth feari, their hatir atutally
stantdintg Ott ettd.*
At length tiheitr horibile spell wits brokent,
and withou. even stoppintg 1o snatch thteir
hats, they fled thte htouse.--As thtey were
fleeing along thel str'eet, tey rant rightt into
thte armtt of' a tall, notseular' main, wh'lo see
ing thteitr tffrighted conditioni, tightened htis
grasp tipon them, and~ asked themti to ex
platitn their fright.
''Tey totld him ailt.
After thtey htad finished their stotry, thte
detective (for' it wats no oter thtant I )eeec
tive Johtn turitside, of New York, whto
was visiting frIends Lhetre) tok1( thtemt "'I
say3 ntothiing about it, butt wait itndt htope,
and1( he woldl discover' theo miysterty if pos.
sile.
About two weeks aftetr thte detective re
turntod htomte-so is ftriends thotughit.
Int eourse of time the yountg men'i .dis
covered thIat they couldl no loitger keep t he
secret, andl( so they d1 iulged it.
It raised a gr'eat exitemtent, of courlse,
and the peop~le of Ithe city gav'e the place ti
wide betht.
Theo strange sounds and)1 sights were con
tinued, uttttl thte peole bl2ieved withotut a
dIoubIt thtat the htotuse wats hatunted.
We will pass over a year'.
One morrdng a ponne of police, hieadedl
by a tall man in plain11 clofthes, appr'oatched
the Foos mansion, untlocked thte door', andil
passed1 it.
In a few mnuttes theC sotund of pistol
shtots was hteardl and1 then all was still.
In a few inutes the posse emtergedl fron
the hotuse, looking mtuch larger. WVhal
could it meani
Atnd now, little Ants, my narrative is al
an end, and1( Detective iutrnside will fIislI
the story.
After I left the( two yountg mten, sai(
Dietective Buraside atfterw~ards in tellittg th
story, my mitndl was mtade upl-I would (ha
cover the mystery.
Accordingly, the nest evening, I p~roceed
ed to the mansIon. It was a mere repetitiom
of the story of thte young men, as far as tlu~
apparitloon. As sooni as thte clock struci
twelve mty candle was blownu otut by a gus
of' wind, I kniow, caused1 by the slammnint
of doors. And whtat a terrible sightt mae
my eyes, I shutdder nowv when I think of It
so terribly rcaleit looked.
Thtere In the same spot that .te younj
man had described, I saw a young aum
beauiful e1rl on heor kcnees. A form wva
.bending over her, its hand clasped her lonj
golen hair', while a keen, bloody knif
Maa drawn *across, her fair, wvhite thuroat
whtile torTen$sof crImson blood drippe
upomi the 11o00, -
I rega ned hy seIjpossesson enough t
dra* 'pistol, 'ami, -aund fire. A wIl
laugh folowed, an'd mny bullet' was hear~
rsIn. ?Hsihte aiscig-T
to turn aroutd-I discovered the imiystery.
It wats at gang of some sort. I was sure,
and I was resolved to 'apture them. A
few weeks after I Joined the gaig, lby
meas kniown only to myself-it professio
n1ati secret. Tllere were eouiterfeiters,
turglars, and everything among them. I
will not weary the readers witlh at deserip
tion of the anerous burglaries they comn
mitled, or of the various ways inl which
t(-y natiufancttr<-d id "' 'ovett'd their
(qu eer ' mneny,
A fler staying with them for about a
year, I resolved to break ulp the gang, for
I had Iow am1ttple evidence to convict them.
A ccordinagl-y, I ohitinled I e posS of
police, and raided -ithe house. A fler a
slight resistance they were captured.
When they found ou who their captore
was they threatented le with venigeance
dire, if they ever estan i but they never
did, for wntr was nacol one of themt blut had
committedl enough ti ( oidein
them for life.
A few weeks after the ganag wer' sent Ito
prisima I took opportility to slow solc
visitors Ohe lihVse, iad exIublain he secret of
the ghtIst. lit the roomta where the appari
t ions appeared I showed them a secrel.
lor, anaid behildi it was atnl atletov. ''lhis
wis Ohe plice whe're tile robblaaers la11 I lid
denl Ilatmselves every aight, atid, when tie
eutaionas camine to see O ghoss, they fright
ened them-111 away ly maniviats of at ma-i lan -
tern. My title is done.
A ii Hhtt (Ciaaeiag luta,a
Among the quiet little manuaatafnttires of
the (conllry is that of hiewiaig gum. OivI
one factory exists in l'hila., Pa., and the few
others ate inl New Eangland, New York, Ohio I
Illinois and Tenanessee. The gumaa is sold
by druggists, grocers and confeetioaaers inai
cities, ad anay country graocery thla. la' I
it. is coslidered inconpah-te. (41iumi from i
sprtce trees was exelhisively used until re
cently, whena it foind a rival inl giim matst ic 1,
It wihite atd attractive ara'ticle miatde from i
t1t11111arafin, which is sweelelled. The con
stumaiptilon of this clewianggitn in thi United 8
Slatles is aboult thirly tolns yearly ; thlatl of I
8l iit'C gianua stoml ewhI liat less, aud t liat( of gum t
maitt inl Tennaaesset' froma hatisatiat Ioli, atnid a
sld in the Southernla Statles, about t wenty
tons. I,2at cy at aill erial hains beei uised st yh-l I
"rualhber gttaan. " It is flraoma the sap of' the I
sapota' Itre of S Iuth 1entral A merica.
'Tlie sap like Ihal of Ithe India ruaaher trec, a
hats a mtilky look. The gaim was first im- I
ported ilnto fihe I'naited Stialtes with a view I
of nmeha ing it with inlia rubber, in aorder to I
proadlce a Cheaper article t han af lt litter.
11 wias foind to he unaapliable, andl therefore
uaselss fior' that purpos'. It haid loang been
athowed by Smuth and ('eral Ameriani In
dianos, and fonid to i' usefil in allaiyiig
thirst. I'xperimnaits wvecr therefore matle a
here ia Itirifying it for chewinig, andtat with <
linial sucess5. It is tlstlhess, and hats flt a
whiela more quickly dissolve atd crIm'ble
ian the IotIa. So gralt is its aiduetility ihiat
at pie'e half an ine, aifter beiag heated i
lte ilouth, can ha streted into at threadt a
hunred feet long. Its consumption isabout it
fifty touns at ye'nar. Chiniig grim does nlot,
like toaceco, require that the saliva shall be
expectorated; it does not-, lake 8iaoking 'x
.--.... .-.-. . -' e a- su-, @ x ralhulndance
of food, or drinak, Jtir Ifully overload the
stoallch.
Sh1uattlig lAIgst li Nevada.
A clite is laid from the river-'a brink ip
the steep iounaitaint to tle railroad, and,
while we atre telling it, the monster logs
are rushing, tlitialring, flying dwan the
declivity. They come with the speed of at
thunderbolt and somewhat of its roar. A
track of fire fand asmtoke follows themt--fire
stitick by their friction with the clitte logs.'
''lhey descend the 1,700 feet of the chute
ini fouriteent seconids. it (doinag so they drop
70t0 feet p~epedicuilarly. Tlhey strike thae
dleep) wa'ter of the poniid with a report that
cain hae heatrd a mnile distatnt. Logs firedl
front a catnnton could scarcely haive greater
velocity than thecy hauve at the foot of the
chute. Tlheir' aiveriage velocity is over onte
hundrea'ad feet in, a secoand, thraouaghouat the
ent Ira distatnce, 'atad at the instaant they Ileap
fr'oam the mnouth thetir slpeed amust be flly3
2110 fe'et per scondl. A s.agar pino. log
somtet iames weighas teat tons. 'W lint a mtis
sile ! llow the water' is dashed into the
*ala' I Like a granad plumae of dliamoauda and
rai nbows, thle feathery spr'ay is buraied ito
lie ar to thle height oif a htmndr'ed feet. 10
formts the grandt~est fouintain ever behiold.
I low Ithe waters of the poind foanm anal
seethe anud lash against the shor'e ! One log,
haviang qptent its faorce lby its mad pluinge in
to) the deep waters, haas Iloated so as to be at,
r'ighit aigles with the pauth of the descend
iang nionsters. The amouath of thec chute hs,
periihtaps, fifteen feet aboive the suirface ot'
the water'. A hutge log huirled fr'omu the
chute clhealves the alar and alights oat the
floatig log. Youa know howit a butllet glantcs,
but call you imaagine a saw-log glaacng?
Thel end~ strike~s withI a heavy shock, hbut
glides qnickly panst for a short distaance,
then a cash like the reverberationa of aitil
Iery, the fatllinag log spriangs 150O feet verti
cally hnto the aIr, and, wvitht a curve ik
rocket, falls inuto thae pond sevet~y yards
fromt the log at struck.
TI ~u~a~olh oI tI o
A geilntan fromt D~evonshire, goinag in
toa the Morris wareroomus in Loandoan, not
loang since, usked to see the book of draw
laags fa'oam which amodels of fuarnitture mtay
be selec c. Wheni It wuas placed before
hhla~ 1'xeter mant tornted over the pages,
saying lie wvantedi a anatei; nd, coiming
at last uapoan the drawving of at exquilsite
tharee-stor'led mantel with twisted sides, Iho
saidh, carelessly: "Il like thant; wvhat will
you make that for?"
"I~ beg your pardon, sir,"' said the clerk,
p~olitely, "we anever' execute anay order
without knowing first the. proportions of
thec room aand thec sutrrouindlngs.
a" Proportions!" exclaimed thue Devonitan.
"W~htat does that matter to you? I say I'
wsant your conufoutnd neow-fangled chinney
p)1ece, aind that's all about it.
"We alw a conasider the surroundings,
sIr, and what as to go on the shelves."
"Go~ on the shelvestl" shouted theo wrath
a ful customer,. "Shelhs are going on it, and
waxwork under glass, and stuafed birds,
and,--konfound your impudence, sir what,
busIness'Is'it of youtrs, anyhowi Mg wife
will put whtatever 'shelk'es 01nitt, br' ; and
out he walked in lierce indlgnauitin
- -TIsll 1- %t' to ilstrate Mr. Motils
1 idea.' He does not lateond~t solid ot work
I slrnply o~ip it Is' the ~Ah~i"ut'ou
a teoet bwiall ho93f
( uefulh. ' . a
A Malte Cleopatra.
Gresham is a good suhject to i)egiu a his
ory with, for it has what is earlier than his
ory-tradition and romance. The story of
hew Grasshopper is a pretty one, only the
mide hand of the antiquary sets it all aside
')y sternly proving that Giresham was no
"oundling, but born in wealth. There are
)lenty of tales left. How is it with this(
It is gravely related in at work called "1,aw
,on's i listory of Banking" that the Spanish
;itltmhassador to the English ('ourt having
xtolled the great riches of his King, the
naster of the Indies, and of the grandees of
ipain, before Queen EIlizabeth, Sir Thomas
reshain, who was present, told him that
he Queen had subjects who at one meal
!xpellded not only as much as the daily
-evenues of the Kinr, but also of all th'e
raiundees, and added : "This I will prove
my day and lay you a heavy wager on it."
,o ('resliam outhragged the Spaniard in
I!s own line. The Emubassador, bi'iing his
hie, came uiawares to the mansion of SIr
lhomas in IlishopEgat e, and dined witi
mitim, when, finding only an ordinary meal,
ie said : "Well, sir, you have lost vour
itake. "Not at all," answered Sir Thomas,
'and Ithis you shall presently see." lie
hen pulled a box from his pocket, and tak
mmg out one of the largest and flrest Eastern
'carls, showed it to the Iabassador. After
Oheli he ground it downi and drank the
list inl a glss of wine to the health of the
ueen, Ihis mistrems. "3'y Lord Enihassa
or, " said Sir ''homaus, "you ktioir I have
if.ten refused ?156,000 for this pearl. I lave
lost or woo "' "I yield the wager as
1st, " said tile EImbassidor ; "and 1 do not
hink there are four subjects in the world
htit would do as much for their sovereign.''
jgend tracks the man. lere is one that
vould do for a media-val saint, and also
rolm |Lawson. It must he horne in minli
hat the st 'et before the (G. rasshopper-t hat
Six--was t i-n tased as I he hliours of ILon
lon, which is not unlikely, Gresham,
raditng to lie least Indies, by which he is
eported to have made munch money, at one
till. was dis-colicerted 1y3 the nol-arriv il or
ome ships, wiielh, it is alleged, had cauitse"u
lim nmehuc embarassmemnt.. While desponld
ngly walking in Lomillard street, a sailor
ame up to him and presented a letter
vliich conveyed the joyful intelligence that
wo of the slips had arrived, and, that the
iox tihe hearer woul deliver contained some
liamonds and pearls of great value its a
ample of the riches the ships had brought
sme. Perhaps it. wNs a large pearl out of
his box or out of the two ships which
Igured in the other tale. A fler getting the
'ood news on the bourse, (reshuama could do
to ot her than'found, at his own) cost, anl
xcalnuige, laying the first stole on .Jtine 7,
6661 ; and on Janiuary 27th it was opened
>y Quee' Elizabeth. Tihe Queen's majesty,
itended by her nobility, entered the'hourse
m the south side, and after she had viewed
very part. thereof, and seent a kind of in
1. #.-!. ..* .. ',t - - .
vares in the city, site caused the smue
)ouirse, by a herald a trumpet, to be0 pro
1laimed "''The Royal Exchange," and to be
io called thenceforth and not otherwise, and1
lo it lias been.
Why Flowers Turn to the Sun.
Wiesner had presented to the Vienna
tndemy a monograph upon heliotropism
md geotropism in plants. After a histor
cal sketch, the author treats on the lifhli
%srv %f light on heliotropism, and shows
hitl with iintt-Al'l intensity of light the
itrength of the heliotropic elree tuicases
0 i ertalinii point, and beyond this polt
leereases. The lower limit of light inten
ity coiides with the lower limit of hello
ropic effect for the stop)page of growth in
ciigth, while the upper limit does not coin
ide, or only occasionally coincides, with
he upper limit of heliotropic effect for
;rowth in length. In the case of very sen
utive hieliotropic planlts, the uipper limit of
ight intensity for stoppage of growth ini
ength lies higher, and i less sensitive
)hints lowecr, than the upper ihnit for
frowt~h in length. Hie next considers the
'elation between the refrangibility of rays
md their heliotropic effect, and shows that.
>ortions of very sensitive heliotropic plants,
is Viciasativa, curves in all lights, 'even ini
he ultra-red and uiltra-violet,'-except the
ellow. Experience on the joint action of
ioitropisim and geotropism are next dles
~rihed, and the author concludes that thu
hleniomneon of heliotropisnm is duo to unie
luna growth tupont uinequailly lighted sides
1 the pllant. -
A Comiic~al icene.
There was a comical scene at a railway
ttation in I3irminghamm a fortnight ago. A
young English couple had.bee'n in the habit
>f meeting together on one of- thrplaitformns,
in order to exchange words. of ,tender im
port. 'They met, as some young ladles and
gentlemcn have a way of doing, without
thme knowledge of their parents or guardians,
and an irascible aunt of the damsel, hearing
:>f the clanidestine courtship, wont tiown to
the station in a towering rage, determined
to ferret out the whole matter, and chastise
the offenders in a mannet' that they would
not forget. The fond lovers cameltogetheri
as uual and p'rmenaded over the well
known and( to them alnmoet ,Qaaregground.
hIut just when the young, man was appar
ently breathing his tendel'est sentimnents into
the willing car of the blushing ialSd, whack
caine a gingham umbrella on the top of his
hecad, and the ardent swaini had a narrow
escape from npeasuring his length pp op the
pavemenit. The old lady,'tgo$ co'ttent with
assaplting the lover, turned tpoi( er niece,
and servedl her in a similarnTuhnner, the
ginigham being flourished vigorously for
several mniutes, to the.. intqnse etmusemenmt
of a crowd of spectators.
.The Indians say that, after.the general
stampede, Custer tried tp ral~ly.d hincme
around him. He wave4I his pil in the.
air and shot it off twilce to attf lei men.
Two or thureO gathiered Aro 14d but as.
the Indianas stil~conted~ (6 linee, one
of the solers tried to. tun aw&dyt Custet'
tired at-him and killed hip intlpn eeing -
the, case quito hoppa, miapgather
ing around from al i re
vver on. himdeIf, pr ~~'~~iby hls
own hand, . The #ndI4 s 9ythat they
thin10this person was he~~~ was *a
gpule4M ,the tact.
R tsoner, '
but w he1 on91
killI the