The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, December 23, 1879, Image 1
TRI-WEEKLY EDITION. WINNSBORO, S. C., DECEMBER 23, 1879. VOL. III.-NO
SADDENING DAYS.
The saddening'sunsline shone upon the fatlln
oexves;
The fa!len leaves we re orlp. and deal, and
sore;
The noisolens wind, still like a hoart that
grivos,
Yet motled he loaves of the waning year.
A soothing madness, tho adn as of beautiful
thinas,
Came with the brooe, the siu4Huo and the
loaves.
How many things were down. or gone, like
kings
Uncrown'd, or glistening empty sheaves!
'That I should figh, and sadly se0 these an
tumn days,
Now ripo, now sadly i'im fado and fall.
As falls the leaf,as falls the flower,I promise
Were not strange to one whoso life is past
recall
[From Our second Century.)
TIE BLUE STONE.
BY MAY H. MAO KCS2M2.
My grandmother was a Gypsy. Think
3f it I One of those miserable, wandering
ne'er-do-weels that have infested the earth
for so many ceituries. But since I am in
no way iesponsible for my grandmother's
nativity any more than for my own, she
might hve been the prime tattooed Belle
of the Cannibal Islands, or first heir to the
British throne, and I have been equally in
different, at least in respect to her birt li.
I was educated a thorolin Deiocrat,never
theless I had an imagination-which was
not wonderful considering the fact which
I preliminarily announced. This iiagina
lion led ine to gaze very often upon a small
painting of my grandmother, takenl when
my grandfather first met her and loved
Jier.
They told me I resembled her. I had no
dark hair or olive skin; I was slight and
very blond, with the faintest color. How
then could I resemble her, I used to won
der. As I grew older, and the repeated
comment led me to study myself, I knew
why-1 was naturally restless, and I had
dark, nervous eyes, the Iris of which were
small compared with the large, full ball of
white. In truth I had caught glimpses of
myself in the mirror, while under some
strong feeling, when it, would appear that
my eyes were smail live creatures, ready to
leap from their sockets.
I say I was given to dreaming over the
romance of my grandmother's life, for my
grandfather imet her under peculiar aus
plces. Sitting by his favorite trout-stream
fishing, the English boy suddenly heard an
altercation in the woods behind him. Turn
ing, lie saw a tall, dark nian vehemently
menacing a forlorn, little, shrinking girl,
miserably clad, thin and wild looking. She
ieldi a book, old and soiled, in one hand by
.her side. At last the man struck her
-violently, and left tier.
The girl sank at the foot of the tree and
wept. The young fisherinan was over
powered with indignation at such treatment
aind sympathy for the girl. lie knew they
were of a Gypsy tribe then haunting the
-neighborhoed. Ile went to the girl, who
was about thirteen years of age, and drew
from her this statement, timidly, wildly
given, that thu man was her father who
was always angry if tie found her off with
this book, which was an old school speller
she had found on the road, and which,
doubtless, one of the school children had
dropped. "Why did she like the book?"
Sie ilked the pictures.
The young man was not then his own
master; but he there resolved to get the
girl away from her people and educate her.
ie prevailed with her, and shortly after
ward effected her clanaestino departuro.
In two years she was greatly civilizedl and
sobercd. Remarkably intelligent she had
nccomplished wonderful results In that time.
Innocent and pretty as she wvas, the young
man at last foil dleep~ly in love with tier and
married her..
One thing besides thme painting puzzled
and interested me. A small block of grey
blue stone, about four Inches square, smooth
and ordinary looking .enough, which my
grandmother had always kept with her, and
at her death gave It i~o my mother, who
was also dead now, and in turn had given
It to me with my grandmother's words,
which were these: "My mother, the Gyp
sy, gave me this, and bade me never resign
it till my death, then let It pass only into
the hands of my children. 'In one hun
dred or one hundred and fifty years' my
* mother, said, 'It will tell its own story.
T1ho oneowho steals, destroys or loses it,will
have no peace thereafter, for my spirit will
haunt, and torture him for the rest of his
life.' " A mysterious thing, indeed, I
thought, as I held It in my hand--a home
ly, square-eat stone.
My father, after my mother's death, took
me with him to 1Rurope. Business do.
tained him in London for a year. There I
mingled in society, and at last met Cecil
Castenwell, a man whoi, despite his con
nection with one of England's best families,
carried himself- with an unostentatlousness
which at once attracted me. My regard
was reciprocated, and 'within two years my
gypsy grandmother's grandchild was marr
ri- ed Into the family of Castenwoll, of
-aYorkshire, England. I was quito
as indifferent, however, to the fact that I
had made a fine connection, as I was to the
alien birth of any maternal ancestor. I
loved my husband for himself.
One day, about a year after our mnarriage,
* 1 opened the box, which, with other vaiu
able relics and trinkets, contained my
grandmother's stone. I had not looked at
it since my marriage, hiad not' even anon.
* tionaed the fact of their being any such pe
culiar article in my possession. My huts
band stood by amy side as I opened the box,
* and as I lifted the stone I began ana ex
planation, but stopped midway with a
startled ejaculation. Trho Atone had parted
* horizontally, and the upper halt only was
in my hand. Cleanly, evenly it was halved
* and in, the centre a hollow roughly hewn,
* in which was fitted a rough ball of plast&r
I liasilly ecounted the story of the steno,
as I took out the ball, which-we now sur
mined must contain something~ withiin itself
"Mye he-r mthersbonhesy do
story. Verily, it hath revealed Itself. But
we mrnst npt destroy it, Cecil, the old Gyp.
By forbiade that, so after all we cannot open
lightly-sce," andi he struck it softly as it
lay in his palm, and, marvelous to behld,
it cracked and parted a1s tie stone had done,
directly in the middle of the sphere. In i
th centre of the ball (whose surface was
very thin", was a small flat roll of rough
paper.
Upon i nfolding it we found that it had
writing vp m it. Something hard was in
its folds which slipped otit and rolled over
the table. It was a jewelled ring. We
seized it, looked upon it, and wondere'l.
. very hirge brilliant diamid in the form
of a stir., ill in (uaint old setting, surmount
Cd the ring, anld we turned now and read
the serawled writing, which it was dillicult
to decipher. Cecil at last read it aloud.
"This is to certify that I, Leftic Skrlne,
wife of liale Skrine, stol from the house
of Leohard Castenwell, of , York
shire, England, this family heir-loom, the
crown star diamond ring, commonly worn
by the proud daughter of the house,
Amelia Castenwell. I stole it to revenge
myself for her haughty treatment of ime
and milne who sought to predict to lher the
fortunes of her house. I wish to make
confession before I (lie, but wish it only
known by her descendanis that I (lid so. I
repeat hero my prediction, uttered to her,
and which will prove true, ,s time will
show, thoug she saw fit to gaiisay it. The
blood of the Castenwells, of , York
shire, will mingle with that of our tilbe
within the next hundred years.
[Signed] "LEFTIE KinxaE"
At the coneblnion of this reading my
husband sat down aghast. "'his then is
our family dialmond, the loss of which my
grandmother, the haughty Amelia Casteni
well, mourned i) to the time of her death.
It is of great intrinsic value, and was pre
sented to one of our remote titled ancestors
by a member of the royal family, as. the
reward of valiant action in their delense."
"And the Gypsy's prophesy has provei
true, yor blood has mingled with that of
her tribe, an1d within one hundred years."
My husband smiled, ahd looked by no
meaus miiserable at this reminder.
"liow strange that you have never sub
mitted this Stonie to a chemist. 1 think
lie could have dibcovered the line of
division. "
"My father once did, but though the
chemist was an eminent one, he made no
discovery, but pronounced it a solid
stone."
Later on, my husband exposed the stone
to a friend of his, a geologist, who told
hii it had beeh rendered thus firmly ad.
liesive by the use of an invisible cement,
which, On account of its enduring qualities,
ought, a humidred years ago, to have been a
fortune to Its Inventor. le also said, had
it remained in the mome humid atmosphere
of England, it would, without doubt, have
separated much sooner, and that its return
to that atmosphere had hastened that ac
tion.
'he Traveler's Trunks.
There was.an odd genius, but not at all
odd as to his utter disregard of an econom.
ical preservation of his income, who was
once ornamental, and to a certain extent
useful upon tihe Philidelphia stage. Il is
now .C of the "'highly clticient" attaches
of th police of Baltimore. Jack come
from an express oflice upon the stage. Ho
was an Incorrigible joker. One Summer
it was his last Upon the stage-being out of
an engagement, he came here In scarch of
a "snap." Of course lie wasn't flush of
funds. But hI was well dressed and as
airy as a prince. le "gunned" around for
a hotel or place whereat lie could abide in
comfort. ie tonui'l one, genteel and reason
able In charge. The laudlord was all smiles.
He gave him a fine room. "Where Is your
baggage-your trunks?" "They'll be here
this evening." For a fortnight Jack fared
sumptuoi sly. Thme landlord had again and
again suiggested payment, until at the end
of two weeks ho became obstinato and
savage. "1 want your bill," said the irate
host. "No more promises-the money or
your room. You havo decceived me, sir.
WVhere are your trunks-the baggage you
said1 you had ?" "Sir,"-said.Jack, ''my trunks
are heroe! They've been hero over since I
havc." 'lEh--oh, ho I Well, sir, where
are they ?" said the landlord a little mnolli
fled at the prospect of security. "Ask
your c k, sir, at the office; said Jack, lor
tily. "Andl, sir, you can retain themi for
your beggarly bill --If you choose."
"Wolet," said the landlord, starting for his
oflco. "lie hasn't any baggage, " salid the
clerk, "except this paper, which lhe left
hero the day lie came." "The lying,
swindling-let me see that parcel." The
landlord grasped it, tore it open, and sawv
the "point." It contained a pair of old
velvet stage trunks--part of a shape suit.
These wvere the "trunks" Jack called bag
gage. Next day Jack caught a "snap,"
and started, off on the road, lie seat a
note to the landlord requesting him to be
careful and not break the locks of those
trunks, as ho might '"want to wear 'em
some day."
Hlousohold System.
The sooner a young housewife rememn
bers that there are .but seven days ini the
week, and that in that period of time con
sists one revolution of the household,
washIng day being the central sun, and
baking day and aweepm: (lay being, as It
were, planetary affairs, but exerting tIdal
influences, tho sooner she will come into
her kIngdom and reign undisturbed by her
people. Custom fortunately fixes one dl'y
of the seven for washing day In this land,
although In somo lands across the sea that
fearful epoch arrIves, with a fifty times
mltiplied power, btit once or twlce a year,
with an Importation of white-capped wo
men Into the family to celebrate Its rites
through an unnamed .porlod till all Is
over. And washing being fixed, of course,
ironing day Is its moat hnmnediate, satellite.
If for the rest, the young housekeeper
makes up her mind thatono day shall never
infringo upon the orbit of another, that
baking day shall be a fixed feast, nud
sweeping day an Immovable feast, and that
the ailver and theo clos shall now and for
ever be cleaned upon their own day and no
other, there wlll be a code established that'
will keep things straight as long as she lives
and rtiles her house. 11cr work will roll
off her hands, if she does It herself, with
half the wear of body and *oul thiat.It usu
all taes;andif she hos servanta, she may
fal le, hemay goaa~semay hv
a cr fdistractions or' of other odeupa
Lti6ns-t4li'h'ouse will never'show it; and
whst iether, good wom~an of tho Pte
b gthalidhau rei olothig
On the Helleroplion.
In Fulton county, (ai., there is now living
anl old mnan who enljoyattie distinction of
having giuarded the great Napoleon dluring
his short captivity on tile Ik-llerophon, pre
vious to his departure for St. I lelena. Mr.
( regg, for that is tle name of (lhe old man,
is now eighty-flve years of age, but i still
in the enjoyment of good health, and his
memory seems to be unimpaired. In the
course of a conversation with the veteran
s011e ilnc ago, a few facts were elicited
which will doubtless be of interest to the
many admirers of the French Emperor.
Gregg., according to his statement, was
one of the Britisl marines on tIle Hellero.
ph1on. After tho Emperor Napoleon, or
Ge.hneral Bonaparte, as lie was studiously
called by the ofilcers of the vessel, camte Oil
board and surrendered himself to Captain
Maitland, claiming the hospitality of Eng
land, he was assigned a eibin an( one of
the marinecs always oil duty at the door,
This post fell to Gregg's lot a nutuber of
-ities, and (e soon1 began 1o feel a fri'en-dly
interest in the illustrious prisoner'.
"low did Bonaparte look and act ?" 1
asked.
"lie was the granliest looking muan I ever
saw,"' replied Gregg. "le had a splendid
head, dark-bronn hair, and at face like mar
ble. His eyes were a light bile, and when
ill high spirits his smile was the sweetest
Imaginable.
"lie was cheerful at all tunes, vas he?"
"Oh, yes; sometihes he(11 would speak to
mne and to the Colmon sailors as, pleasantly
as you please. lie wouht utter i few words
of English, and then ask if what lie said
was correct, and when we would poilt out
his mistakes as well as we could, Ie would
laugh like a boy ; and then lie woudl turn
the tables by picking flaws in our French.
011, he was a rare one, sir.
"Always !in good humor, then ?"
"Well, no, sir. Sometimes hie wats very
blue, and then again lie Would get miad,
an(, Lord, sir, how he would swear.''
"Swear I The gmeat Napoleon swear!"
"Yes, sir, that lie did. lie would swear
by the hour at anybody or anything that
crossed his path."
''How did h pass his thiie ?" I queried.
"Ilie read sonie, and talked with the olli
cers a good deal, and then lie was very fond
of pacing the deCk. 8omet imes lie would
shut himself up in his cabin all day, but
gelnerlally lie Was was walking about, lotic
ing everything. Nothing Seemjfe(d to escape
him, and he was in the main very willing
to talk to anybody thlat came along. Soime
Ilmes lewas unassulinig, and then ainm,
considering his position as a prisoner, mid
all that, it did look as if he was a little too
haughty."
"Did lie ever appear at all cowed ?"
"Cowed I Not a bit of it! Why, sir
lie walked the deck as though he owned the
vessel and everybody on it. lie would get
blue and mad, as I said before. but Ie ail
ways carried himself grandly, and every
body, from the Captain down, showed him
the greatest possible respect. In fact, we
all took a liking to him, and that's the truth
about it,"
"What was Napoleon's height, as near
as you could guess ?"
"Well," replied old Gregg, meditatively,
*'they tell iC that he was a little man, but
I (id not think so when I saw him. It was
because I was a raw youth, I suppose, and
the sight of tile ptreatest man in the world's
history dazzled mie. But, thon, his man
ier was always so dignifled and impressive
that we never thought of his smiall
stature."
"What, was the opinion of those Oil tie
Belleropholl in regard to the Emperor's fi.
ture ?"
"Why, sir, we all thought that he would
be recelved as England's guest, and by some
provjsion in tle trealy be allowed a pension
on condition of not again taking up arms.
Weo had no0 idea of anything else, and, sir,
our mn shed tears of humihnation whlen
they learned thlat Bonaparte w~as not to be
p~ermlitted to land on English soil-thoy did,
sir, and our oficers, too, were -a great deal
ruflled--and they felt that the British Go
verniment was doing something that was
mean, petty and n alicious."
Pai!nting.
Here is the foundation for two or more
coats of p~aint. The first coat upon the
wood is called the priminag. This may be
miado a little thlinner than thick cream by
thle-addition of more linseed oil. Some
painiters add spiritl turpentine to the pri
miing, but It is not best for outsid1e work,
even in-the priming coat, and it ia ruinous
for the outer coats, as it causes the p~aint
to soon1 cut all to pecs In the weathcr and
rub off like lime whitewash. Spirits tur
penltine Is often p)ut largely in outside work
by dishlonest pinters, (1), if they furnish
the pait themselves, because It cost less
than Iinscdd oil, and( (2), because it makes
their wvork dIry with greater raptdity. The
farmer doing Is own painting will not be
apt to find himself in any great hurry about
the dr'ying, but if hie does lie can make the
paint dIry fast and yet bo all right by adding
to It, at the mixing, a 91mal1 quantIty of
what they have for sale at the plahIt shoeps
unider the namle' of "Japan gold size."
The second coat of paint must never he
put on until the first coat or prhning Is en
tIrely diry and hlard. If you desire to p~ut
on a third coat prepare your paInt exactly
as for tihe second coat. lie very careful
nlet to get your paint too thin; and before
putttling onl thle third coat, make1( sure that
the second coat is perfectly dry. For In
slie work you take your lead franm the keg,
an~d mix it to the conlsistency of cream with
turpentmne alone. Seime painters apply It
in this condition; but i it be used about
the house, great advantiage will be0 found to
come of the adlditioni of one-half plot lIght
colored coach varmash to every gallon of
paint. ThIis gives it a peculiar hlardness,
and nmakces it so that one may wash It thor
oughly with soap suds artd not damage it
in thme least. This, it imulst be borne in
mInd, Is for a second or third coat ; the
wood must first h~ave been prlimied the
same as for outside work, though the pri
miung may be mixed with turpentine Instead
of linseed oil, yet a small puroportion of oil
improves It. A very beautIl'ul finishing
paint for inside work is made by mixing
zino' whIte (which Ie something sImilar to
white lead) in damar varnish, and reducing
'It to workIng consisteoncy with tuirpentine.
This Imparts 'a bright gloss to the work ;
but -you will find it more troublesome to
put on snmoothi1f than any of tlhe other prep.
arations.
* '2la1 said that look# wt h slidlen and
dfyb~ s hAys for 999ttfl' is.'boeja nudo
Spongen.
The sponge may be found in the variou
subtropical waters of the world. Th
principai BI)olging grounds of the Unite(
States are the waters around Key ve
and along the western coast of Florida
from Tamjpa Hily on the south to Pensacoll
on the northeast. The sponge schooner
have two places to clean the ir sponges whi
coast sponging. One at Auclote Keys, th
other at Rock Island. Of the sponge ther,
is several varieties, chused according t(
their marketable value as "'sheep wool,'
"'yellow," "fox glove," "grass,"- etc.. be
sides one class, "'loggerhead, " which ha
no valie, and is not thought worth plickin
up. The first-named is the Variety im(ostly
sought, as it biears the best market price
The most of the vessels enga'ged in ti
sponge trade are owned and fitted out at
Key West. The outfit of a sponge schoone
consists in a number of long poles witi
hooks fastened on thle end for gathering
and from three to seven small boats called
Dingys," from seven to fif.ven men, with
provisions from eight to twelve weeks,
water-glasses, &c. i having a curiosity to
see actual sponge gatherin-:, last a brighi
morning found me aboard the schooner
"Saitilier," spinning towards the bars;
but owing to light winds during the (lay
we did not arrive till after hightfrah. The
next morning, however sponging comn
menced In earniest. Shortly after sunrise the
"'dingys," manned by two men eacb, Willi
water glas-se, sponge hooks, etc., set off in
quest of sponges. One ot the men in the
'dingy' sculls the boat nout here and
there, while the other, lying across the
boat's thwart with his head in the water
glass, scans the bottom for sp:>nges. Tile
Wiater glasq used by the spongers is noth
ing but a common deep woodei pil, with
a circular pane of glass for a bottom.
Placing this upright n the water, and put
tiling the head in far enough to exclude
most of the light, one can easily see an
object on the bottom in six or seven fath
onis of water. The sponger, when Ihe sees
a sponge, by the waving of his hand directs
the sculler how to go, and when in a (e
sirable position lie thrusts his long pole
down and hooks his spongs. The vessels
usutuly remain out upon the bars from
Monday until Friday evening of each week,
coming into the Keys Friday night, in
order to clean the sponges which thef had
gathered the week previous, put those gath
ered the present week Into the crawls,
put their wood mid water on boatd:
and prepare for the next week. The sponges
which they gather one week are put in
crawls or pens, made by driving posts into
the sand, where, at low water, they will be
quite or almost. dry. iere they are left
until the next Saturday to be washed by
the tides. On the following Saturday they
nre cleansed by striking them one or two
light blows with a paddle. When the
sponges arc cleaned, they are taken abonrd
the schooner and strung on strings usually
about five and a half feet long, when they
are thrown upon the besch .to bleach and
dry. The number of vessels cngaged In
sponging from Key West probably reaches
125, gathering sponges to the valuo of
about $100,000 annually. Besides the
Key West schooners, we have about forty
or fifty fitted out from Cedar Keys and
Oglockncy.
Ti Finot. Diamonin im thO WOrt.
Western sovereigns are not the posses,
sors of the finest diamonds in the world, for
the lajahs of Manton, Borneo and the Shah
of Persia have the largest hitherto known.
The one belonging to the Emperor of the
Monguls weighed 279- carafs (about four
grains eaci), and was vaelu at 12,000,000
frnies. The famous Orloff, the property of
the Russian crown, is one of the most re
markable diam onds, on account of the
well-known circumstances under which it
was brought to Europe. 'The large stone
belonging to the Emperor of Brazil, which
weighs 1,730 carats, would be wvorth many
millions were not its brilliancy (dimitishied
by certain defects. The Sultan of Nizamn's
(diamfond weighs 400 carats; that of the
Emperor of Austria 20 grains ; and that of
the King of Portugal 25i) gzalns, The fa
mnous Koh-i-noor,- or Mountain of Lighit, is
the property of the Queen of England.
The one which adorned the tiara of Pius
IX., andl was bequeathed by him to his
successor, Leo XIIH, is one of thre finest
stones known. 1t, camne from the treasury
of the Duke of Burgnndy, seized at Gran
som. 1t was sold1 after the~ battle to a Jew
of Berne, for 3 crowvns, then successively
for 5000 and 0000 ducats, andI afterward
purchased for 14,000 by Luigi Sforza, from
whomi it passed into the hannds of Pope Ju
lius II. for 20,000 ducants. Every one
knows that the "Regent'', of the wveight
of 130 carats, Is tihe finest diamonds belong
ing to tno French regalia. Conniolsseuri
consider it to be worth 12,000,000 france.
soeds. --
At the last. meeting of the Blritish associa
tion, Sir Johin Lubbock readh an interestine
paper on seeds. Hie commenced by calling
atteution to the difference presented b~y
seeds, some1 being large, somec small, somc
covered with hooks, somel provided with
haIrs, some smooth, some sticky, etc. Hie
gave the reasons. of these pcculiarities, arid
then spoke of the modes of dispersion, by
means of which seedssecured a sort of natui
ral rctation of crops, and In other cases wvere
enabled to rectify their frontiers. Somne
plants actually threw their seeds, some were
transportedl by the wid, an~d ninny wvere
provided with a wing which caught the
wind. Dispersion was also effected by the
agency of animals. This means,was divid.
edh Into two classes, where seeds adherbd
to animals by hooks, and where -the same
purpose was effected by sticky glands. The
next point touched uipon was, that seeds
found themselves in spots suitahlo for
growth. Most seeds germinated on the
ground, but there were instances, as the
mistletoe, where they were parasitic on
trees. Such seeds were embedded in s
viscid substance, so that It dropped by a
bird on a bough they adhered to it. In
some eases plants-burled their own seeds,
and In other instances the seeds buried
themselves, the means by whIch these
pme~iesses were effectpdi being fully explain
ed by Sir Jd'mn, whon, in con.
elusion, called at tion to mimick
ing seeds, such as thre s rpiurns, the pedt
of which did not op~en, ut looked so ex.
actly like worms that bi de were induoed t<
peckt at threm and thrus f cc the seeds. Thai
thIs was tire purpose of he resemblance h(
would not assert, but ho throw it out as s
matter for consideration
Our Ciihiized In0iln1.
There are in thto United States about
300,000 Indians; 55,000 in the five civiliz
ed tribes-the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws
Chickasaws ad Seminoles- 20.000 more
belonging to other tribes in the Indian
Territory, and the rest are scattered In the
western part of the United States, with a
few remaining in New York, North Caro
lina and other States. The civilized tribes
have forms of government more or less
similar to that of the States.Tho Cherokees
have a constitution .and code of laws. The
Creeks have a constitution, but their laws
are not yet codified, although efforts have
been made in this direction and a code pre
pared. Tle Creeks have a chief, elected
by the people every four years, a house of
kings and a supreme court. The chief
justico of the Muscogee nation is a Baptist
preacher, and is now a missionary to the
wild tribes two hundred and fifty miles
west of his home. I met him the other day
at the Muscogee Baptist association, Oil his
way from his missionary labors. Ile came
back to preside over the Supreme Court at
its next session, in about two weeks. The
lRev. John 1clintosh, is his name
grandson of General William Alelintosh.
whom the Creeks killed in 1825, on account
of the treaty of Indian Springs. Thie pres
ent. chict is Ward Coochman, born 'i Ala
bama. and who remained there until about
1848. lie was a delegate to the Baptist as
sociation at Nowoka. Ile is a stout-built
iau, about 55 years old, black hair, black
eyes, thin whiskers, will weigh two hun
dred pounds, and was dressed in a citizen's
dauk gray suit. le is a mantn of ability, and
has an alfable address. I took ten with him
-coffee, rather. The Presbyterians nad
.1ethodists haveeacih a mission selhol on
the manual labor system, and the Creek
nation pays the board and tuition of a cer
tain number of pupils. The Baptists are
contemplal-ing the establish:-: i-nt of a mission
school this fall. &
There are twenty-eight pulihic schools,
kept open ten months in the year, and under
tie supervision of a superintendent of public
introduction who is also superlntendent of
blacksmith shops I The nation pays for
sharpening both mental and agricultural
tools. They pay *40 per month to teachers
and pay for school books. The Indians
enjoy religion. I atteneled an all-night
prayer meeting on Sunday. They say
they used to worship God ' all night too.
Thei meeting began at dark, and ended
about, sun-up, or a little later. Imagine at
savage crowd of Inidianls singing in Creek
at the top of their voices just before day
light, and suddenly a bugle blast sounds on
the air-wouldn't you think of Gabriel ?
The Creeks have no moriinge laws, but
the Baptist association adoptedi a memorial
on the subject, urging the next council to
pass a i.roper marriage law. The writer
had the honor of drafting the
memorial. Their custom allowed several
wives, but the churches have so altered
public opinion that it is rare to find a man
with two wives.
"How did you punil a violation of
of marriage vows ? I asked the Indian
lawyer.
"You see that man there ?"
"Yes."
"Well, his wife was taken by another
man, and one night lhe 1 'Went with some
othur men, arresid (lie betrayer, beat him
senseless, and then eut his ears off with a
dull knife?"
"1 low did they treat the woman I"
"The same way. Sometimes they let
her off easier than the man."
"What became of the man and woinn?"
"They are living together is man and
wife, and the injured husband got him an
other wife."
"Was that your custom ?"
"Yes ; the chief made the law, and
everybody followed it."
Sometimes they emit the woman 's nose off
by way of variety.
If the criminal could hide out, until after
"Busk," the annual festival, lie wvent free.
Some of the tribes had .cities of refuge, as
the Israelhtes had.
D3uftioes anmd Miltary Tracice.
"Yes, sir, caught these buffaloes wvhen
they were calves ; got the prairie dogs when
they wvere pupp~ies ; the antelope when It
wvasn't as big as a kitten, and the p~rairic
wolf whien the eyes were scarcely open.
They are all over four years old now, andl I
trained thiem myself."
Tihie speaker was John Richardson, who
for tea years had been serving Uncle Sam
as a private soldier at Forts D). A. Russell,
Harker, Wallace andl other outp~osts on the
Ind(ian fronties. lie variedl the Idleness of
garrison life by'studying the habits of the
prairic aniimals, and~ as a result lie has been
able inot only to make pets of thrmee buffa
loes-a cow withi twvo calves, a bull and a
leifer--an antelope, a prairio wolf and a
prairie dog, but also to bring them Into a
tolerable condtion of training. Recently
he landed themi In this city and
proceeed withthemn to the farm of James
Archer, near Fordham, where they will be
kept unmtil lie cami give an exhibition.
"'What can the buffaloes do ? asked the
Her~iald reiporter.
"Well, I would hate to tell you without
proving it; because you1 thinig l'm boasting.
WVell we have a little exhibition sooni as I
fced 'em. You see they've been on the
cars since Tlhmnsday, when I started from
Lecavenw~orthi. I had the buffal.,es out at
Rochester, and like enough they're scared
and won't obey first-rate"
Th'le prairie dog nestled on lis master's
shoulder, the wolf sneaked at his heels and
the antelope walked alongsidhe thme buffaloes,
all of them responding to their master's
voice by following him through the stock
yard of the New York Central raIlroad.
Thea they were fed-the buffalo with
hay, the antelope with twIgs of spruce and
grass, the prairie wolf with a great bone
andl the (dog wvith a apple.
When they were through with their meal
Afr. Richardson called out "Fall In I" At
once tatb buffaloes stood facing him and
formed in line accordingly to size. The
antelope took posItion as fille closer, while
the wolf,.refusi ng tojake paist in the drill,
got a beating, and slunk off into a corner,
where lie wh ineCd piteously.
"ie is very disobedient, and will parade
only occassionally. .I control him by fear.
The rest, except the~ antelope, are very do
ohio, aed lie Isn't wild. I taught hultn to
stand always behind the line. Now you
see I got'these things, and I niade pets of
them. I didn't Intend - to train (hom ~for
anything but fun.
"Being 'myself a 501klier .1, matur~ll.
otlough. taurh thiem Unton's teetie oa
and Meadow Grass. Tho helfer is Meadow
Grass. Fours right-I say fours, but its
really threes--march!"
Immediately the unwiedly Meadow Grass
began to wheel, the others keeplig the
allignment by moving more slowly u1ntil
the front had been changed. "Halt I right
dress " and the great slaggy beasts turned
their heads and eyes to the right, and
waited for the order "Front !" Thon came
"Fours left !" I"ours right about V'
"Two left and rights I" "Threo, step to
the rear !" and a score of orders intelligible
only to a military man. All obeyed with
promptitude and intelligence. Finally,
the order was given, "Forward, double
tprn, march I" and at once the trio, follow
ed closely by the antelope, started off at a
sharp run, and halted a the word.
"lerquita,'' said ilehardson, speaking of
the prairie (log, is sick. lie has been sick
ever since lhe got out of Kansas. But he
shall turn a suiniersault for you. Here,
Perquita; over . march I"
At the word tle quaint little animal
throw ia Iailf handspring that would have
done honor tQ a trained athlete.
It is Hieliardson's intention to give ex
hibitions of the chase of the bulfalo, as the
Indilans do it with bow and arrows, and to
that end he has -brought with him a mus
tang and a bow, with blunt arrows. "I use
blunt arrows beeause I wouldn't hurt mfy
Meadow Grass, would I?" and the mastel
put his arin caressingly over the shaggy
ieck of the heifer, while she responded by
aftectionatly rubbing his hand with her
nose
Tito Miatinig Mile.
The fire-in the Butler coil ery,a short dis
tance from the Lehigh and Susquehanna
Iailroad, on the outskirts of Pittston, Pa.,
continues to burn fiercely. At present it
is estimated that ten acres of anthracite
are glowing inl the upper vein, and the
most startling phase of the affair is that the
miners in the employ of the company are
working the vein beneath. A visit to the
workmen in their subterranean oven gives
some idea of the Intensity wiith which the
lire Is raging over their heads. Although
separated from then by seventy feet of
solid rock, yet the heat Is so great that they
are compelled to work without a particle of
clothing upon them excepting a light pair
of drawers or overalls. )'lhe perspiratioin
pours constantly f r om their bodies, and the
temperat ure is continually much the same
as if they were at work in the presence of
a roaring furnace. It is very seriously
questioled by those understanding the situ
ation whether the men should be permitted
to work inl this Intensely p1rilus position.
The fire in the Butler mine has now. beer
burning upwards of two years. It origi
nated in the old work-shop of an abandon
et or worked-out mine, near what was
known as the outcrcp of the fourteen-feet
vein, and oin the very highest ground of (lie
pioperty of the Butler Coal Company. The
destructive spark was first kindled by a
poor, degraded woman, who having been
driven from the shelter of tile lown to')k
refuie ill one of the nmnerous caves on the
outskirts. I lere she made a fire for the
purpose of cooking uch stray crults as
she could pick up ainid to keep her warm at
night. One nilht she was alarmed by
seeing the entire side of th cave on fire,
and she fled in terror from the rcenie. Su
perintendent llennett, one of (lie most
practical and careful managera in this
region, had his attention called to the fire
early in June, 1877. ly that tine it had
made a good deal of headway northeast of
the pitch dlong the pillars, and the course
It was taking indicated that it would shortly
exhaust itself. There was nothing to give
rise then to the apprehension that it would
work its way down the pitch or declivity,
aind immediato steps were taken to cover
the ''cave holes" by whien the air was ad
mlitted to feed the flames. The innnediate
vlilmty of the fire at that time was hioney
combed with three cave holes, causedl by
the caving in of the surface whlere the
mine had been worked out and 1no pillars
left to support the roof. The stopping up
of these prevented in a measuire thme pro
gross of the fire, but owing to the eca
vatedl character of the place It was 1impos0
Bible to obtain water in sufliciont quantity
to be effective. All arrangemlent, was mnade
with a party to open and1( clear out en old
chamber In the imine, Intending thel by to
cut off the flames, but the wvork wa' (done
ini a bungling mianner and failed to io vL.
was intemitedl. Seeing the, threatening eli~r
ncor of the element, thle company at length -i
adopted a pulan at, ani enormous Iepese,
whbich it was hoped would prove effective.
A po(int was selected about eight hiundired
feet from the fire, at which aln 01pen cut was
begun from (lie surface down to the old
woikings. It was Intended that this cut
shiould be 350 yards In length, 20 feet wideo
it thec bottom, and( ranging from 12 to 45
feet In depth. Theli plan wais thamt of Engi.
acer (C. TI. Conrad, who contemplated at
thme outset the removal of 50,000 cubIc feet
of earth, rock and coal in the conlstrumction
of this magic circle about tile fire. lHe
tunneled a p~art of (lie way, and, in the
lace of obstacles apparently insurmiount
able lie worked steadlily day anld night with
a strong force of 1m1en until his lian was
effected. The progress of the fiaames has
sinace been slow, but now they seenm-to have
galined a great 11(ld(, and not oinly the coaI
lbmt the sup)erIncliumbent rock is red with
lire. The (danger lies in the tunneled part,
where It is feared glowing rock will carry
destruction over the archway and commu
nilcate It to thme adjoining property. The
great dlanger from the liro would arise
from its ext ension linto the workings of the
P'ennsylvania Coal Company, and once there
no0 power on earth can provent it from
working Its way uunder the town of Pitts
ton. Hero indleed wold lbe'a poetic and
terrible revenge on the part of the outcast
who was denied shelter by the town and
fled, like Ilagar, to tile wilderne.
The Sarcastie Tramp.
On the wail of th.e woodshecd which con
stitutes the statlon at Doracy's, on the
Balhnore and Ohio railroad, thle following
has recently been written in a fair con'
mercial hand: "Bound for Virginia in
search of. employment. Lodged hero one
night and breakfasted on dandelion salid
and peas-a delightful. dish. Thoapolite
attention of thie waitere at this establish
ment I efm noj, too highly commend to m
folloiyers, )ydgar A. Wilkins, of Blrlso,.
E~ngland." Tiheo sarcan~ of this carj
apreiate(We wbit hi rieboed ta
fromvinlh~omii ii1 i~t
ill ely:1
FOOD FOR THOUGHT.
The greatest losses arlse from neglect
of sial lest opportunities.
Never tall attention to the features
or forms of any one present.
How few faults are seen by us which
we have not otrselves committed.
Do good to all, that thou iajekt keep
thy friends and gain thine enemies.
There are vices which do not deprive
us of frient, -and virtues whlich do.
Love mocks all sorrows but Its own,
and damfps each joy It does not yield.
Your benevolence should seek the.
poor before the poor seek your benovo.
lence.
Men who believe they will die like
beasts are apt to live in the same man
nier.
The sourest temper must sweeten in
the atmosphere of continuous good
olutnor.
Ile that cannot forgive others breaks
the bridge over which he must pass
himself.
It Is counted an honor to live like
princes. but it Is a greater honor to give
like princes.
Nothing ever touehed the heart of a
reader that did not come from the heart
of thte writer.
i.,ere is an alchemy In, a high heart
which tranismuites other things to its
own qualty.
Some people think it an excess of
Ilagnanimity to fUrgve those whou
th1ey have ljured.
A sincere confession. of our ignor
11ce is one of the fairest and surest tes.
ti)ontes of our own judgment
I know of no manner of* speaking so
0i'onsive as giving praise and qualify
Ing it with an1 exception.
Exemption froni (.are Is not hlppi
ness; oil the contrary, a certain degree
of care is essential to enjoynent.
The poorest educatits' Chat teaches
self-control is better than the beat that
neglects it.
Of learning the most diflieult part Is
to unlearn, hence tihe necessity of be
gininug betimes.
Ligratitude is a kInd of mental weak.
ness. We havo nover seen any able
man who was ingrateful.
Man ought alwayi to have something
that he prefers to life, otherwise Ilto
itself wiIl IaJppetar tiresome and void.
Don't pin your faith on so-called
great ilen. You will 1111d most of themn
very small a.$ You approaeh them.
A 1m who has duly ebasIdered tile
coolt1n033 of his being, will eo.itented
ly y1eld to tile course of things.
Secret kindnesses done to your tel
low-creatures are as beautiful as secret
injuries tire detestable.
Without the virue of humility one
nn ineither be hionesc in poverty nor
contented in abundance.
It takes less tie to got over one's
10sfortlines t.han to he reconciled to at
neighbor's good fortunme.
Not that which 111en1 do worthily,
but that wh1l they (10 successfully, is
whit history is eager to record.
The only passion that does not blunt
Il avarice, and which the longer we
live oiily becoiem kteeioer.
There is no state of life so anxious as
that of a m3an who does not Ilvo accord
b..g to the dictates of lia own rea1son0.
The oblect of all ambition should be
to be hIppy at home; if we are not
halipy there, we cannot be elsewhere.
If you want knowledge, you must
toll for it; if fooul,you m1ust toll for it;
and if pleasire you inust toll for it.
Don'.t expect to earn your living
without labor of hand or head. lon
nust eat your own bread oir someibody
.3lso's.
It is a most imorifying reflection for
11ny man11 to conalider what he has done
Joimpared withi what lhe might have
lone.
'They asked Lokmnan theo fabulist from
w~hiomi did you learn manners? lHe anl
;wered promptly: From the unman
iierly.
$13) ia never at a stay, if we do not
retreat from it, we shall advance ia It;
11d( the further we go, the mnore we
llave to come balck.
lieware of anger of the ton gue; Conl
~rol the tonlgue. illuvare of anger of
he minud. P'ractice virtue with thy
'onigue and with thy 3mi1nd.
Sow not wishes in othler people's gar
iens; wish not for thaut which you are
iaot, but earnestly desire to be tihe very
Laest of whazt you really aure.
Ihcalth is thme onily riches that a man
mighit to set a value on ; for without it
all men01 lre p)oor, let theIr estates be
wha3t they wili.
If any one saiy that hie has seen a dust
nan in wanllt of broad, we answer thlat
1 was i~n somie plsco whiere there was
10o other just man.
Jfustice lasa duty-generosity is avli
nie. Yet tihe whlole is too apt to regard
hie first as a favor, and tihe latter as a
rliard words are like hailstoles in t~
mmimer; beating down anid destroying
what they would nourish if theoy were
inleftte into drops. .(
Every human creature is sensible to
30ome infnrnpities of temper, which it
should be his enre to correct and' sub-.
Imie, partieularly in thle early period of *
life.
The p)roper eremeant of man is cope
stan3t activity. The waters of life. ar -.
Ilke thiose of the Biethesda pool--It is
tmliy when thley are ngitated that'th y
it. is better to set a frugal andwo.,
come table before the guet instantl ~a
11han1 to keep h11ivaiting- a long time
mn order to p~rovlde for him 'a spl~ndd
repast, perhaps grudgingly.
Reticeence is a .valuable poWei, bo:u
0one in the use of wvhih groate dia~~,
then is required ' and it~ leses alJ g Y
uity all its digity as ei~ai
deced without anfithent cau~e ,J
Never let a lie go to se0ed in yopu'
.lf you should hiappen to bet
to telling a falsehQod, lett b6pKw
o?.dby a pt'ouder. oonfessiomio'
f4ult as quickiggy possible. -'
Life 1slilko aggefs
holds his rankn~coriot
bjut, Wlie the a tPV~
q9 o~ o ttf~Nal*~