Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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f.. - --r. -4*:W E E K L Y E' - TrRI-WEEKLY EDITION. WNSOO .C, COE ,18 WIXNSBO-RL. I0..-NO.119.OB THE BRAVE AT HOME. The maid who binds her warrior's sash, With smile that well her pain dissembles. The while beneath her drooping laah. One starry tear. drop hangs and trembles, Though Heaven aldne records the tear, And fame she never knew her story, ler heart has shed a drop as dear An o'er bedewed the field of glory. The wife who girds her husband's aword 'Mid little ones who wisep or wonder, And bravely speaks the cheering word, What though her heart be rent asunder, Doomed nightly in her dreams to hear The blots of death around him ratile, Hath shed as sacred blood as o'er Was poured upon the field of battle. Thi mother who conocals her grief While to her breast heil son she presses, Then breathes a few brave words and brief, KMssieg the patriot brow she blesses, With no one but her seoret God To know the pain that weighs upon her, Sheds holy blood as o'er the sod Received on freedom's field of honor. A Runaway Match. "Nothiig ever happens here or ever will, it seems to me," murmured Edna Bruce, looking over he damp, gray fields and leafless woods, which stretched themselvoE as far as eye could reach around the bare. looking old farm-house owned by her grandfather, Enoch Nailor. it was a lonely region, with houses scat tered at Intervals of a quarter of a mile, and about nine miles from the nearest vil lage in sparsely populated Northern New York. When, live years before, Edna, then a tall slip of fourteen, came to live there, some little attention was paid to her ''That strange gal from the city - up at 'Pop' Nallor's" was formally inspected and and criticised by the neighboring gossips, at the little -white Methodist meeting house'on the hill her manners and gar ments monopolized more than their imeri ted share of comment from the younger and gentler portion of the good pastor's rustic congregation. In a few weeks however, all the nov elty of the new arrival wore off, and the orphan girl's life settled down into a dull, unvaried routine of helping her grand mother about the house every morning, and reading to her grandfather, whose eyesight was failing, every evening. True there was a maiden aunt, the soured vie tim of an early disappointment wno as sumed the task of finishing Edna's limited education, and who made her life a hur den by requiring her to darn the family's hose and table-linen with great exactness and to practice Czerney's exercises two hours daily on the ancient cracked cottage piano, upon the possession of which the Nailor family greatly prided themselves. At the few social gatherings permitted by the long distances and hard agricultural work, Edna was by no means of a shining light. Lacking in actual beauty and the pretty talent of vivacious, meaningless small talk abhorring dancing and caring little for the opinions of the rustic belles and beaux of the neigborhood, it was no wonder that, though naturally of a cheerfuil, contented spirit, the monetony wearied her far more than the toil engendered by a self-surport ing life would have done. "Draw the curtains and close the shut ters, Edna, and dont stand dreaming any longer. You know your grandfather always likes his toast browned by the time the tea is ready without waiting for it," screamed Aunt Sarah from the pan try's mysterious recesses. Edna listlessly obeyed, and soon the "quiet humdrum family,"' as she mentally styled her rela tives were taking their evening meal. A roll of carriage wheels heard approaching the house caused a slight stir in our party, which was increased by three sharp suc cessive raps on the hail door, Mliss Sarah Nallor quickly responded, and came face to face with a tall (lark-eyed young man, bearing in his ai ms a girl's mufiled and dripping form. Behind these two figures a bluff, hearty voice rang out: "See here, Pop, the bridge at Rock point Crink, just besoend, here has given way-busted-clean gone; and these here parties being strangers, and knowin' noth ing of thme occurrence, caine rushing along horse a litle to fresh-and pulled up just In time to find themselves splashing about the cold shallow river. "I reined up this sido of thme crik, and helped this young felc w get the lady out. We wrap~pedl her up in my buggy robes, and fastened the horse behind. 1 thought It more likely you would be able to give these half-drowned creatures house-room till morning, than the P'artridge folks; thoe they live nearer the scene of this here acci dent." "Why, whey, why, Squire Phelps," re peatedl Urandfather Nailor, "'you dion't say the bridge has gone after all the taxes we been paying the selectmen to keep the roads and p~ubiic works ini proper rep~air? Last night's storm, I suppose; thoe' the dear knows we never hear anything here. No one has called the whole (lay, and1( one might as well live in Trerra dc-l EFuego as in this desolate, isolated place," querulous'y rambled the 01(d man. Meanwhile Edna and her aunt lhad as sistedl the gish to the antique, high-back setter which filled almost one side of the common living apartment, which was half (lining room and half kitchen, as Is the custom in most country houses in the North nd~ West. Speedihly they removed her shoes and wet stockings, and turned her white feel to the blazing fire. Miss barah's hurried whispers to leer, father which thme keen eyed, middle agedl man styled Squire Phelps by 01(1 Enoch was quick to notice, resulted in the withdrawal of the nmahe por tion of thme assemblly from tihe room. * Quick the wet garmients were removed from the young stranger and dry ones sub stituted, while she, at the polite instance of tho symnpathectic old grandmother, managed to swallow some hot aromatic herb tea hastily concocted. By thia time the gentlemen re-entered, the man who accomp~aniedl the lady being clad in some 'of Pope's baggy, clumsily made habilments, while his partner herseli looked no less comical dressed In a comb~in ation of grandmother's and aunt iBarah'u spare eloteo. "My first duty, Mr. Nailor, is to thank4 you for your hospitelity, upon which I . I have so suddenly trespassed; and my second, to introduce my companion and meaaolf an Miss Bogort nda i... r......, said the gentiman, bowing and smjlinj with the careless ease which at onee 1 trayed his city breeding. "You are quite welcome, I'm sure," r turned Enoch," and I trust you will mOa my home your own as long as possible. M little grand-daughter here isoften lonely fe the want of congenila compRny. She wi born in New York, and her father wi head book-keeper for the well known fin of Taylor & Co. Three yews after b death, her mother, a brilliant, adedmlisht woman even if she was my only daughter, (he added, with a deprecating shake of tt head,) "passed away, leaving this dea shy girl to me." "Well, Pop," exclaimed the Squir with the mixture of Western slang, effroi tery and civilized language which charai terized all his quaint idiomsatic speeche "I must be off Mr. Drury's conveyance at the bottom of the crik, and to-morr6 if fine, we will see what we can do towai fixin' the smashed concern. I rect-on ti shafts is done for, and I'll take the hon home, as mayhap, you've none too muc room in your stable with all the cows lal calvin', and soforth. Good-day. Wi see you all again, friends." Hasty adieux were exchapged, and earl country bed-time directly ensuing, Edu led her young guest up'to her room, whic was the most commodius in the h'use. Aunt Sarah slept in a small back chan ber, and Mr. Drury in a spare one adjob .ng; while the old couple, disliking to clim stairs, occupied a similar room on tt ground floor. This being the first time oi heroine had been intimately associate with any one of her own age and acquir ments for many years, they bade tare t talk all night concerning people and scen( in the dear city where Edna had burle her parents and so many glowing schemei Youthful, healthful sleep after a whil overpowered them, and somewhat late th next morning they aroused to Bnd breal fast already prepared. During the confidences exchanged in th night Edna told her new friend how h mother's sudden Illness and death by pnet monia had deprived her of the chance c attending a celebrated college where it wa planned she was to enter the next term pai eventually graduate, and how thxe littl home and few comforts Mrs. Bruce Ia striven to keep together were broken uli This was Edna's great grief. Her friend, it appeared, had received in struction at the very seminary where Edn wished to study, and instead of remanin to graduate, had on her way back to schoo after Christmas holidays, run off wit youig Leonard Drury to be clandestinel married. This was told with many promi ses of secrecy and blushes. The breal down occurred just as they were on th road to the parson's house in the 'villiag of Waverly. Never having participate in any active romance before, a feeling c intense interst pervaded Edna's mind an, she was immediately alive to the necessit of concealing the facts from her aunt's penc trating umoio.a 4d aold, marplot waya But the heavy drifting snow of the thre subsequent days not only completely vt toed the consummation of the clandestin wedding ceremonies, but prevented all ac cess to the Nallor domicile from the worl outside. At last poor Edna was happy Emancipated from the light nousehol duties she regarded as drudgery, her sol task was to devote herself to the entei tainment of her impronitu lover gueste and suppress all knowledge of their d( lightful glorious'secret. The old crackei piano rang with such melody and the pai lor with such musical voices, that the age homestead seemed turned into a veritabl orchestrion. "Pop" Nailor, too, who was a ma of some education, and had studied th rudiments of medicine in his early youti was delighted to exercise his profession knowledge on the partially drowne young folks, and to discuss the moder scientific and politIcal themes of interei with Mr. Drury. To all lisa advice an somewhat arbitrary opinions both submii ted with graceful complacency, and auc cessfully defied the persevering curiosity c Aunt Sarah. On the fourth day Squire Phelps calle with his large family sleigh with capacit: for holding ten or a dozen slender youn people. "I r'eckon as yer wanted to go to Waverly you'd better come night along- with m'c and you too Edna,", bawled the squire "There's room for all, and I'll bring yo back all right." Ten minutes waiting sufmied to fin our party equipped for the journey an assisted into the vehicle by our burly friend who boasted while er doing that he mad two fortunee and lost one, and would b wilhnig to risk the remainder on the bc that he never saw a couple more suited t each other than Miss Rilla and Mr. Lec nard were. SPeeding over the snow, they were al tracted by the sound of sleigh-bells clans ing resonantly in the frosty air somnewher in the rear. "it's my mother," gasped Rlilla. "I se her scarlet India shawl, and papa is wit lier. They've found us out, and are follou ing. Hurry up! oh! slo hurry up! des squire. "Oh! What's all this, runaways, hey; we I've a sort of sympathy that way myseli If I'd runa off with the~ gal I loved at yota age, I wouldn't have wasted the fifteel best years of my life In the fnines ani b~acks-woods of the far West, and returne the rough,unpolished coon ,I am at preseni Say, how old are yer, ais?" "i'm seventeen next month, and this the second of February," replied blushin anxious Avarilla. "Andi what prospects have you got ft keeping a wife?" questioned the squire c young~ Leonard. "I came of age last Chrisi mas, and then inherited $20,000 and twm houses left me by my mother. JBut the say Rilla's too young, and want her to wal for some richer men," replied Drury. "That's all rIght: you've youth an brains and muiscle besides. Now yout ji look hero. i've lost no time whime we's been talking. As soon as we get around thu bend in the road, I'll take you over a shoi cut across my own farm and lesson th distance considerably. "We'll have mol half an hours' start of those chasin' ui and that will give you time to get marrne twice over if you're smart." Silence ensued. The brave horses dii their best. Our three young folks held thel treathm with excitement and antietpatior while the driver, with a knowing twinki in his kepn eyes, drove at breakneck apee across the country, reaching Wavehly juu as some trustees meeting for itl -transa< tion of church business emege kom th vestry-door of the nninal snatusae , P, very tow words sufficed to enlighten th ?- minister, and the nuptial pair joined hand while the reverent solemn words wer - uttered wktkh made them man and wife e "Something has happened at last eve' y in this sagnant rural existence," though w Edua, sighing as she remembered hov is monotonous her life would again becom< Us now that her new friends were ready t< n do art, Is Jst then the breathless, indignan d parents entered the church. "Ton minute 11) to late by te clock," ro~red the squire e then turning, fis ruddy 'cheek' alightl1 , paled. Hasty exclamation followed, an it was discovered that Rilla was the daugh ), of the fondly loved Mary of his youth, fa t- whose sake his long self-imposed banish - ment was Incurred. His father, Achlei i; Bogert, was the friend and rival to whosi is claims he deferred twenty years p reviou r, to the commencement of this story. d Boon the recognition and meditation o e Squire Phelps resulted 1A the bestowal o i1 the time-honored parental blessing, an h the whole party- drove back to "Pop" Nai e ]or's house to deposit Edna on their returi U1 home. "Well, I do declare," emphasized Aun y Sarah, after the final departure of th a guests. "If that don't beat all. Whi h knows but Squire Phelps will be taking i wife himself pretty soon after meddling it matrimony in this style?" and she smirket . consciously. It was currently reporte< b that the 'maiden-meditatien-fancy-free .e condition of Miss Sarah was caused by Mr r Bogert's faithless desertlon of her shrIni d for the worship of Rilla's mothe'r. At an . rate, Robert, or "Bdb Phelps, as he wa o familiarly known, had never given her i a thought, and three months later on a sun d shiny May morning no led quiet, tender 1. hearted Edna Bruce to the alter. 0 Frequent visits are -interchanged betweei e the Drury'scity residence and our heroine'i present home. Edna is no longer subjec to misanthropic attacks of the "blues" an( e is resigned to country life, which the littl r olive branches who gather round he: hearthstone render joyful. Lord Wilbury', Stoney Lesson. 0 General Do' Courcy' had 'jhet finiahe speaking and tying up a number of busi ness papers with red tape; Mrs. De Cour cy was crying; and young Lord Wilbury - the General's nephew, was sitting moodil puffing 'a cigar and looking foolish. Hii uncle at that nigment had informed hin that he was ruined. Then Wilbury, wit: s some emotion, threw his cigar away, an. r strolled out into his park, and spent- a - hour roving in dismal meditation througl C the avenues and glades which would soor a be his no longer. It is not pleasant to hi a ruined, when one is peer a accustomed t< : enjoy ?20,000 a year. - f Wilbury was not one of those perverst I clubs whose minds are warped with con. r colt, and as'he mused he felt less sad aboul his own rin for himself than for the griel whiuh Ihe knew It caused his father'g u Droue, n. %#% ...--- - -- - While in this humor of self-reproach Wil. a bury saw his cousin, Lucy De Courcy, i - bright girl of eighteen, cantering down th I road that bordered the park with a groon behind her. On catching sight of him si< alighted, took her habit with one hand, anm joined him. "Well, Willie, what makes you look a< glum ?" "Because I am ruined;" lie answerc quietly, as he made room for her to sit be side him on the stile. I "You're jokirig, I suppose ?" D "No; l'm quite serious. Hasn't youl fathefr told you ?" "No; he never talks to me on business a Though of course, sir, I have heard of you' wild goings on at horse races and cards 1 Oh, Willie I why do yougamble like that ? Lucy glanced on the ground; she ha( a turned quite pale; and she said not a wor t more 1rhile her cousin and she said not I word more while her cousin and shi .walked sadly towards the hall. But, al .of a 'sudden, she put her handkerchief ug f to her eyes, and drie'd some tears that were trtckling fast, and said, "iow for the oht :t gallery at the Hall, where the atinor o: many brave Do Courcys is kept-his fav orito place of retirement for working o1 reading." The dinner on this evening was a ver' sorrowful affair, and nobody joined Wil bury whon he went io the gallery afte1 1dessert. A servant brought him coffee and there lie sat alone by the fire of logs ir the huge chimney. whose andirons were Spair of metal dogs of the size of mastiffa ,Presently, when lhe had smoked out 'hi e cigars, the dejected peer dug his handi ~,Into his pockets and gazed at the faces ii t the fire--laces of creditors mostly; ant yet Lucy's pretty features would oftei .shine olrt to among the blazing coals, an< her cousin kept recollecting how she ha< -cried on hearing' that those old' coats o: .armor which ornamented the wall aroun< a him were to be sold. t3iddenly lie heard a clank, and the nex e' moment a sword, shield arid lance camn clattering down altogether froi the ped .estal above the the wainscot -'on whic] r stood the lay figure of GIuy do Courcy,cla< in armor that had borne the brunt of Agin i edurt. .'-There was no light in the gallery, excep r that of a large moderator lamp burning oi i the table, but moonlight streamed throug) j the Windlows, niaking the armor glen d and the helmeted figures wear a grim, lhart ,look, Staggered at first by what he ha< seen, Wilbury, who belonged to a genera a tion skeptical of miracles. suspected that.i trick was being played on him, and he ap proached tho Wall, prepared to find tha r somebody had been donning Sir Guy' ,f atmor to frighten him. But this was no . theo case. He ascertained the fact by draw o hag a table .to the wainscot, piaeig y chair on it, and cliubing until he could seo t. th'e ptesentinent of Sir Guy quite closely touch It, and feel Its limbs, it was truelj ri a wooden figure, and Lord Wilbu~ty couk t only account for the threatening gesture o: e its arms by conjectung that the hands i which had been weighed clown by holdinj i the lance, shield and sword, must have go e jerked back when those weights had beei itwithdrawn. ,But he was a little unnerved at the sami d and was glad.whlin he climbed down to firu that his cousin Lucy had entered the gal. Ilery, her bed-room candle in hand, anid wal y. staring at hin with oursosity. ;"Oh, Willhe, whatever have you beet e doing ?" she exclaimed. "I came In t< d bfgdoid blght, But are you taking al t those shielda.and lances down 2" woao w , heir ow, a, du~st off his hands, a "And what is this ?" asked Lucy, stoop s ing to pick up a paper from the floor. a "Why, it's a sealed packet ?" . "Sir Guy must have thrown it ddwn k with his shield," laughed the young lord, t rather uneasily as e took up the parcel. r "Why, I declare It's addressed'to me;Guy, 3 twelfth Earl of Wilbury." M'Oh, Willie, how strange I" niurmured Lucy, as she and her cousi drew iear to the table, and examined the seals by the light of the lamp. The girl trembled, the young knan's hands were not very steady as he .turned the parcel over. At length he'proje the seal, and drawing out.a paper from the outer wrapper, uttered'an exclan. r ation on seeing the writing and signature of his dead father. . This is what he read: -*' SDAn BoN-Fo'rmiies 'which it taskes cQnturies to build up, are often lost in. a sWort while by those $lib do not un. f derstand the duties of a great heritage. It may happen that you - will squander your tortune and bring our estates to the ham mer, so this is to inform you that I have placed in 6the hands of qarfamilly Jawyers a samof X50,000 as a ft tve fund. If B twenty-five years after mny death you should not have needed this money to, save you from ruin, it will bepid - to yota all the same with accumulated interest at four per cent; but in any case I desire. the 9x Istance of this fund to be concealed froin you, either, as I have Just said, antil 'a quarter of a century has elapsed, or until you want it to save you from falling into poverty. One copy of this letter will be with the lawyers, the other I shall place in the shield of your namesake and favorite, Sir Guy de Courcy. Your affectionate father, WIu.nunY. "Oh, Willie," exclaimed Lucy, who had been reading over her cousin's shoulder; "tjen you are not ruined after all I" I "No; and the armor shall not be sold," 3 answered the young peer, as he gravely r pressed the letter to his lips; "never, so long'as I live.e Perhaps General de Courcy, who knew something of the reserve fund, had a hand in arrangiug the dramatic method where by Lord Wilbury was made acquainted witlit. Anyhow, the whole affair had a salutary influence on the young peer. There is not much to add, except that lie shortly afterwards married his cousin Lucy, and is now a reformed character. His wife takes care) of his money for 'hin. Taking A Swordfnsh, It was some time before we could distin guish the speck, rising and falling with the sea, which had attracted the old whale man's attention. Soon he pronounced it a "fish," and after putting us on the other tack to run down partly to leeward of it, went below to bring up the irons. When we had worked perhaps a mile be fo it. we lay to for our head on if you can," and the one who held the air tight barrel was told "'When y're sure I've struck him, over with it." He was as cool as a cucumber as he took the harpoon and cutting spade forward, colling in the line (one end of which was fastened to the harpoon, the other to the barrel) care fully on deck, with the caution: "Ware when it flakes out," and taking only enough with him to his roost on the bow sprit end t6 give him ample elbow room. His station reached, he fixed the spade in support ready to receive it, laid the iron in front of hin across the cage, waved his hand, and we filled away, close hauled. Never was a mile more slowly sailed by the little group in the pit of the .White Cloud. Never had our hearts beaten faster than as we neared the fifteen feet fish, roll I ing, asleep, in the trough of the sea. Now ! the pilot is almost over him; slowly he Sraises the iron, braces himself, and hurls it with all the strength of both sinewy arms. I 'The iron sinks deeply into thesleeping fish; there is a mighty surge, the line flakes overboard as quickly as thought, the float I splashes as it disappears beneath the Water, then all is still. We luff and wait. Pres ently up bobs the float. The,. fish finding the strain of the air-tight barrel too severo Is coming to the surface. Now the water bubbles and.boila just under our lee, and the swordfish breaches half his length 'out of his element, shakes himself savagely, and swims at lightning speed for the barrel. He strikes it again and again with lis sword, but It rests so lightly on top of the water that he cannot injure It. Then he stops, looks at us an instant, and darts toward tile boat. Wec have not time to bring her head around, and li he strikes it I will be amidships. The pilot comes quickly aft, bringing his longhandled three corner I ed spade, and as the fish comes within I striking distance, aims one syrift, unerring blow full at his forehead. The terrible sword I drops harmless, the upper muscles at its base are severed, and he passes niader us, t jarring the boat and splashnig us with 3 water as he sounds. Again the float 'goes - under and is out of sight a longer time '. than before. Again the fish th,rowvs him I self out of water, showing his sword hang - ing clown at an angle of forty-five degrees. le swims once or twice around the barrel, then starts to windward itt too furtotis a speed to last with tihe float ylouighinmg be 1 hind him. When we beat up lhe is feebly fighting it. He sounds for a short tIme, I but comes up exhsausted. Onice or twice I lie rolls over on lis side, but recovers him self anid' swims on lin shoit tacks. We i press him too closely, and he charges us -again, but we make no effort' to avoid him, knowing that now he is powerless .to in I Juro us n~r does lhe try to strike, apparent ly realizing that his weapo)n is powerless, but goes uhder, cdmiing up the other side. i And so lip solunds and swims, fights and rtins, uintil at last ho succufpib' to exha~ugt I'gn and lies still. We work ub~ a'iongslde, Sand as we luff the pilot pitt a lance into I lia very life. There is a shudder along his whole body, his fins .wor~ coivtileively' a , oment, and then, he lie motionless and Sdead. We rig a tackle to.ouir mamn-mast, and after considerable labor get him aboard Swhen we can ekamino at our leisure his peculiar shape, and admire his graceful, 3 "clipper* build."* Oui Nantucketel estimates I his weight at between 600 and 600 pounds. 11 Hssword is over three feet in leiigth, its a brokei point and nickced edges froving that its owner was ait old as well as a fighting r fibli. Our fish is on board, 'aid ,after re' > serving a rew 'choice' duts, tuirled over to I our pilot, who asks that we illin to Martha's Vineyaird thmat lie'niaf dispose of him bei fore he soii. nd sowe set qiaffanjb i topsnais hi b6 e th6 'Wiid, ad Jib ou ahdoa EngUsh Plate Marks. Articles of plato in England are exempt ed from the capricious desire of the maker to see his mark upon his goods. The Goldsniths' Company. -associated as early as 182'7, and regularly Incorparated seventy years later, In the reign of Richard II, at present undertakes this duty. As the law now stands all articles of plate manufactur ed in or near London must be sent to Gold smith's Hall to be tested and to be marked. For this assay they receive from the manu facturers fees amounting to some five or six thousand a year, and from the govern ment a fixed salary for collecting the ex cise duty on gold and silver, and paying it into the Bank of England. The assayers exercise their functions with skill and im partiality. Small particles are in each in stance scraped off the goods to be submit ted to the test, and these are duly analyzed. The assayers do not know, and are not al lowed to know, from whose manufaetared goods the particles have been scraped off, but additional severity in the test is adopt ed where any manufacturer is fouind to have often sent goods below the standard. The marks adopted by the Goldsmiths' Hall are five in number, and each has its own spe cial significance. There is the sovereign's head, which indicates plainly enough the reign. Next follows the lion passant; this is the standard mark, and is known to have been in use at the commencement of Queen Elizabeth's reign, but was probably intro duced in Henry Viii's. The price mark is impressed next to it, and was fixed by one of those numerous acts which were passed in William Ili's reign to regulate and improve the condition of the coinage. Two other impressions remain unaccounted for. One is the leopard's head, which is par excellence the hall mark, and the other is the maker's mark, which from long cus tom is added to the remaining four. ' But the period of the manufacture Is not left to the mere vagueness of the sovereign's reign. The "date letter" supplies the missing in formation. Twenty letters of the alphabet are used for this purpose, the series com mencing with the first, oniitting J and ter minating with U. On the 30th of May every year the letter is changed, and the shape of the letter every twenty years. Thus, from 1790 to 1810 ordinary capitals were employed. The letter D would indi cate that the article passed the Goldsmith's Hall in 1799. With 1816 commenced the series of small letters, so that a date letter of d would Ox the year as 1820. Old Eng lish capitals followed till 1886, and the next series commenced with small English let ters. These various alphabetical series are of very old date, the earliest known commencing with the year 1488. ' But. though London is the chief seat for the manufacture of plate in England, there were other towns which had their own as say olices and halls. Birmingham and Shefileld did a hirge trade, and constant re lations were established between the local hall and Foster lane. For this purpose &kp3}& cagd a "diet box" passed at the the capital. The assayer at li-inigliali scraped eight grains from every troy pound of manufactured plate. Four of these lie retained and at once assayed; the other moiety was carefully deposited in the diet box, which contained specimens from all the articles manufactured. Once a year thu box was sent up to the capital. The assay master of the royal mint would then take a fair average of all the small portions it contained, and solemnly make his assay. If the. average reaehed the standard the local assayer received a certificate; if not, lie was flued. Extraordinary Shooting. Dr. John Ruth and his wife from the far West, gave specimens of extraordinary shooting at the Brooklyn Driving Park re cently. Mrs. Ruth began the banging and the hitting by aiming with a pistol at glass balls and they were shattered in almost every case. With the latol held sIdeways there was a miss or two more, but gener ally every shot told. When the p~istoi was inverted and the aim taken below instead of above tfie line of fire there was no a parent loss in the percentage of lute. When the ball was Jmng by a string and set swinging Mrs. Ruth stood eighteen yards off and made a clean break on her first elhot. 'The rifle was then handled .through the same series of shots and the usual want of grace with whichi all women handle guns was apparent. When the balls were thrown up in the air Mrs. Ruth stoodl a good distance off andl shattered a dozen out of the fifteen and this feature when encored was equally as good. While the lady shooter chatted with the lady spectators, Dr. Ruth began to show his abmility as a sharp shiot. T'he sights of the rifle seemed to be of noe special assistance to him, for when they were covered by a cord he used the weapon on balls placed on a stand and again at time glass spheres thrown into the air, with wonderful effect. Some balls were thrown on the ground a dozeni yards off and the doctor, aiming at the ground below a ball, would send it spinning up into the air andl then rapidly unloading and 16ading his piece, would lilt the ball on its descent. This double shooting drew out plenty of applause. Again, when the balls were thrown up the rifle was given a turn about after the manner of a flail-han die andl it fell into position soon enough to enable a breaking shot to be made on the ball. Balls thrown from side to side were hit, whether coining from the right or left. When tired of breaking,glaissvafe Dr. Ruth picked up a fragment of glass and' stepping off a dozen paces held It off in his lingers, while Mrs. Ruth picking up a small-bore rifle, took careful aim and the glass was shattered into powder. With an ordinary vIsiting card hel in his mouth, and turned so as to show a side, Dr. Ruth permitted his wife to put several bullets through It, the pair joking .ntanwhlle withi each other, the shooter toiling tihe. target to draw back his nose a hittie, as it was too shining a mark and distrieted her sight. *Dr. Ruth wishied to put a glass ball on his head and allow his wile to break it with a bullet, but she declared she was tired of standing in the sun and this very ordinary William Tell trick was emitted. A loaded cart ridge-was laid on a bit of plank some yard. off, and Mrs. Ruthtfired a bullet at.it and exploded it. Dozens of other similar ways of'testing the quickness of sight and steadi ness of nerve of the shooters. were; Ampro 'vised and generally it was found that enyv thing fired at wMishit almost every time. --Oneqhialf of. all .who are born, die before reachipg the age of 17. AL~iThO fli'e 'tressbf' California will yieila very largre cron ii 1880, The Game of "Golf." It Is said that some of the athletic club. intend to introduce the game of golf, or goff, I confined hitherto mainly to Scotland, where it has been common for generations. The name Is derived from the club (German, kolbe ; Dutch, Ko(f,) with which thg game Is played. The exact time of its in troduction Into- Scolland Is uncertain, but it seems to have been played by all classes K during the reign of James L Charles I. was much attaqjed toIl,., and, on his visit to Scotland in 1641, he was playing it on Leith Linko, when he first td4 of the re bellion in Ireland. He it 'ely threw down his club in treat ex and re turned to Holyrood House. duke of York, afterward Janes II., .. very fond of golf, and Prince Leopold, who often plays, was elected several years ago cap- ' tain of the St. Andrews Royal club. Of late years. the game has been played in a England and many of the British colonies. It is played oh links, as they are 'called in Seotland,-that is, tracts of sandy soll doy- e ered with short grass, frequently found ' along the East coast. A number of small round holes abbut four inches in diameter I are cut in thd turf from 100 to' 400 or 500 r yards fromh each other, so as to form a cir cult or -round. The rival players are either two, the *C simplest arrangement, or four-two against two-in which case the two partners strike a the ball on their side alternately. The I halls, weighing some two ounces, are gutta percha and painted white, so as to be read- r ily seen. A golt club general consists of a two parts-shaft and head-spliced together, the shaft being made of hickory or lance wood and the handle covered with leather. The head is heavily weighted behind with lead, faced with horn, and made of well. seasoned beach or apple-tree. Every play er has a sot of clubs, differing in length and shape to suit the distance to be driven and the position of the ball. The object of the game is, starting from the first hole, to drive the ball Into the next with as few strokes as possible, and so on round the circle. The player, or pair of players, whose ball is holed in the fewest strokes has gained that hole, and the match is usually decided by the great number of holes gained in one or more rounds. Some times it Is made to depend on the aggregate number of strokes taken to hole ode or inure balls. To play the game well needs long practice, and very few excel in it who have not played from their youth. Eugenie in Zululapa. When Eugenie, the ex-empress of France, was in Zululand, recently. she Proceeded I on foot into the South African valley, t where her son's b'ody was found, following precisely the track taken by the officers who went, in search of the corpse. The t road was stony and rough, but she persisted I in walking. In the, distance gleamed the 3 white monument, thrown into a sharp re lief by the dark background, but. It only t Then she lifted. her hands as in supplica tion toward heaven, the tears poured over her cheeks, worn with sorrow and vigils, she spoke no word and uttered no cry, but sank slowly on her knees. A French priest repeated the prayers for the dead, and the servant, Lomas, who had been an eye-wit ness, went through the sad story of what had happened last year. The tents were pitched . in the valley, and the empress j stayed there for two days. - On the follow tig day she went to Fort Napoleon, and thence to Rourke's Drift, and on the .fifth day visited the field of Isandula, and prayed there with. the English women wo had come there to mourn their husbands and brothers. Home Decorations. Whatever the thought be in the decora. I tions of a room, let there be a preyg[}{n idea to which all others are to be subordi- < nate, leading up to and harmonizlngwith it. I Thus in color, if the leading color be crim- ] son, the others need to be such as harmo- I nize and contrast well.- Blue or green, or perhaps a dash of fellow or black, wjll g serve -to heighiten It. force and yet subdue, 1 it. Or if it be a favorite picture, or a piece c of china which takes the place of honor- e the best light-it needs support and con trast to disclose its merits. Amid the be. wildering choice of things of beauty, the novice may find it difficult to select what may serve her purpose best; but bearing in mind the cardinal principals that underly art in the household-simplicity and harmony she will never go far astray. What would be in accord in one place, in another might be manifestly in harmonious. The carpet which was appropriate to the large rooms and elegant turnishings of a mansion, would certainly be an incongruity in the cottage. As carpets are so essentially decorative in their nature, there should be great care given to theIr selection. No ilowers or .bird's n'ests, or anything it would be inappi-opriate to walk upon; but, rather some,. simple design-as graceful scrolls, in quiet, colors, which should be brighter or dtrker than the wills; following * the al'tist's niethod which makes the 'fore- .t ground or background run into the figure- 3 though our own preference, both on the score of health a ad of beauty, Is for polish ed hard wood floors, with oriental -rugs. Walls and ceilings shotild have a good amount of color en them, not so much, however, as to be glaring; and where there i are hangings, let them differ enough to avoid monotony. Throw in a bit of effec-, tivo contrast in a chair or rug, then a spot 1 of vivid color, as brightly painted plate or glowing picture, will produce a charming g effect. A Uoat Soeiety. . t TIhere is a British Goat 8ociety,. ahdt from the report of a pneeidng of the aso , elation, which was held recently we :lbatk i that the Earl of Rlosslyn, is 1President, thae 4 Baroness Burdett-Coutts is a patroness and the Duke of Westminster and the Earlf gi Shaftesbury ,are Vicp P'resident.We learn further, that the object of the society j is to direct attention to the Importance of the goat as a source of milk supply. In 1 Ireland the goat is regarded as the poor h man's cow, nd one go at could supply milk 1 enough for tlerequiternents of an ordinary household ~uing'the greater p~rt df the t year.' TIhe expene for keep would b6 al most nominal, for thd goat to ever kind i isa r~i fi~o ~vry delii &ikgid and the sceyresolved to glo s id din- 1 ner in the Aricultural Hall dairing the a fortheonlingd*iyshowr in October, The , Aoti art beoedme a po 4t'udi BRIEFS. -A-tmall colony of settl'rs for Utah 1erritory left Washington county last reek. -Until 1776, cotton spinning was 'erformed by the hand-spinning wheel. -Italy. imoorted durifi the first six months of 1880, 256,000 tosefot cereals f all'kinds. -Mr. Jay Gould, has donated $100, 00 to be used for the relief of distressed armers li Kansas. -A tablet with the names of nine een Princes of Wales has been placed n Carnarvon Castle. -Protestants constitute sixty-two nd a half per cent, of the population f the German Empire. -Mr. John C. Hamilton. son of Alex nder Hamilton, is in vigorous health, espite his eighty-six years. -Parliament in England has in reased the grant for solehtific'exper ients from $5,000 to $26,000. -There were over 100,000,090 tons of reiglht carried bvor thie artous rail oads in Penn4 ylvania, in 1879. -From 1874 to 1880 Chicago had 139 aurders, 22 of them occuring on July ays and only seven in'February. -A ,ea ing ecclesiastlpal proprty gent in iEgland ostitiAtes that about 0 livings are yearly offered for 'ale. -Ulyeses drant, Jr., is said to have iade' $800,000 for himself -in mhing peculations and $40,000 for his father. -The Rev. Phillips Brooks is said to le the first American who has preached a Westminster Abbey, before the lueen. -It is said that 1000 mountains that re defined'and named on the maps can ie seen from the summit of Mount Vashington. -A statue of Christ, out out of a >lok of ivory, the work of tbe eleventh entury, has lately been, found in An alusia, Spain. -This year's yield of tea in India to stimat nA at 70,000,000. pounds, nearly ouble that of 1878. - Ten years ago it ras under 14,000,000. -The new house at Marshfield which couples the site of Webster's old home, ehleh was burned, is nearlycompleted, t a cost of about $10,000. -Last year the South produced 600, 00,000 pounds of tobacco, which ex eeds the production of any previous 'ear by 12,000,000 pounds. -Odd Fellowship is strongest in 'ennsylvania, which has 85,000 mem. ers. Ohio comes next with 44,000. ud New York next with 40,000. , -In the tenth century the nations of he Baltic used ropes of twisted raw ide thongs. They are etill used in restern Scotland for boats and draft. -From an ofilcial return it appears hat Id1 June last there were 3,011 fires D & #iW~0aA4..95 A11j99 .39Jf7Qy$d -Coffee in France is now mixed rith beet-root instead of chicory, rhich is more agreeable to the taste, nd does not require half the quantity f sugar. -Pope Leo XIII, has been slightly 11 owing to the undshpl heat of the toman fummer and'tidriapplication n preparing thes.1&dycluki .pa, the eilgman troubles. .-Oaliferoks million Iatrm Aa ted n the tax lists there as. ~ :' har es Crocker, $34,495,458; Sleiand tan ord, $34,643,808, and Mrs. Mary F. 1. )IOpkins, $25,280,972. -The mines in Great Britain and reland employed 523,871 pdftbns last ear, 848- fatal accidents causin'g 1037 eaths among the number, or 453 daths 8ss than the year before. -Mrs. G. Leasure died near Uihllli othe, 0., recently, aged: 100 years. Ihe has been counted in every census. Ler widowhood has lasted sixty. years, ,nd she leaves a son aged eighty.. --San:Franeisco during the year en ing. July 1, 1880, spen t $6,978,00 on as city goverment; thie heaviest e pen iture iI1 proportion to its size ofi any if the larger olties In the~nited States. -It is announced that' Salv'ini, the talian tragedian, has signed a contrac t rhereby he engages to plpty five months n this country, beginniiag NOv4I ber 9. Ho will be supported by an Anr an company. -A bout one hundr ed men are;i now mployed at the Watervliet (N, Y.) trsenal in the manufacture of army qulpments. Twenty-seven Gatling usa are to be furnished by the middle f September. -Native Christians on the islands of 'ew Hebrides recently shipped to Lon on some 3700 pounds of arrowroot to ~ay for an edition of the Old Testament LOW being printed for them in their iative tongue. --A gentleman writing of the tobac o 1r1 be tLan' saton vcwy Pa , say his yeaf inver'eutin'that -1'gia In perks county the value of the op is uc at $1,000,000. -fimtmigration at the port of.. New rork i'or the first six months of 1880, hews a larger total by 19,000 than the ame period in 1872, which until now ad stood as the highest digure for the ast twenty-five years. -The late M. Pereire, the 1inacier, oft a fortune amounting to$*10,4000. lf this sum Madame Pereire inerits 0,500,000-half of this absolutely and 40e other half for life; while each of hep three ch ildren receives $1,3b6,p00. -Crop reports from the WsI con intue to indicate the largest wies har 'ist known. Wisconsin 4x4ec to har 'eat' 18,009,000 'bushelsyr Minnesota 4000.000 bushels; Patota wfm .multi ly her best forgier yield, by three on my four, and so forth. --Bishops Xfarris and 1la4i of the. fethodist (in urch, are near Nh~ewYork, liahop Wiley has passed through.Eng and, and is now in Germany, where ie will preside over a .cohfe ence. iishop Sirnson has resiiled-his ).our. oy'to Japfn and China, which was in. orrupted by Mrs. Simpson's illness. .--Professor Spencer F. Baird of the Inited Statps Fishery Comm ae op, has een thae reoipep of the first zeis of onor fro te EKnpei'oiol 'ti erlin 'Iehery Expdaition. Th6 prize con lets of a beautiful crystal ep9 gne,