The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, October 09, 1880, Image 1
TRI-WEEKLY EDITION- WINNSBORO, S. C., OCTOBER 9, 1880. VOL. IV.-NO 12.
IN THE LONG RUN.
This old-fashIoned saying
So slightly expressed,
And carelessly uttered,
Is one of the best.
Oh ponder. young trifler,
With young life begun,
The deep, eariest meaning
Of " in the long rim."
For "in the lung run" boys,
The seed will spring up
That was sown in the garden
Or dropped in the onp.
Aid, remember ! no roeas
Will spring- from the weed,
And no beautiful fruit
From unw rthy seed.
How many- a striphng
In trouble to-day
By riotous living
With comrade so gay;
With character shipwrecked
And duties undone,
Will be sorrow's harvesting
" In the long run."
And " in the lung run,"
The toiler fares best
Who performs honest labor
-And takes honest rest.
Who, contented and happy,
Hasten not, in a day,
Or a year to heap riches
That will pass away.
The good and the evil
That bide en the earth
The joy and the sorrow.
The pain and the mirth,
The battles unheeded,
The victories won,
Will yield what was sown, lade,
"In the long run." -
The Fatal Quarrel.
"But I say you shall not!"
'-And I say I will!"
The speakers were husband and wife.
The former leaning on the mantle-piece,
and frowned angrily, looking down at
the latter as he spoke. The wife, still sit
ting by the tea table, for the meal had just
been finished, (lid not glance up as she an
swered, but went on talking to her lap dog
in terms of fond endearment, and feeding
it with sugar.
Yes; they were husband and wife. Seven
years before, Carrie Dayton, just eighteen,
freshly freed from the trammels of board
ing-school, had launched forth into society,
with a head full of romantic ideas of love
and marriage. There she had met with
Harry Ayiner. To her lie seemed almost a
god-so far superior to all others, that very
speedily she found herself thinking more of
bim than of any other admirer, and listen
lng with beating pulse to his manly tones.
Hie was verging towards his thirtieth
year, and was already somewhat world
worn; for, belhg wealthy, he had not been
confined to the dull routine of a business life,
but had roamed the world at large. travel
Ing In all lands, tasting every cup of plea
sure; but lie was still very handsome, and
his manners In socioty were perfect. Men
had envied him--women had loved him
and this man had grown weary of it all.
liut under the proud, cold smile was hid
den a warm heart, somewhat crusted over
with selfishness, It Is true, but it was there.
And when he met Uaroline Dayton, lie felt
that lie had encountered his fate. To him
there was something Irresistible in her bright
freshness and beauty. and In the winning
gaiety of her art less manners. Then the
polished marble of her fair skin; the golden
curls that fell around her shnouldters; the
bright blue eyes, full of light-these all pos
sessed rare attractions for this man, whose
hieari bad been so long untouched.
Day after day had found him at her side,
puitting forth every effort to make himiself
agreeable. So, after a few months, they
were married, and went forth to tread life's
journey together. They traveled fez a
while; and the young bride, delighted with
hardly conscious of the fact that his will,
Snot her wish, guided and controled all their
movements. It was very sweet to obey
one whom she loved so fonidly. At last
Sthey settled In a home of their own, replete
with every comfort and luxury-and aife
began in earnest.
Now came the crisis. From early child
hood, HAarry Aylmer had shown himself
possessed with an Iron will, stern and unn
yilding. Carrie, too, had a will of her
own. For the first few months of their
marriage It was very pleasant for her to
,have him will for her-and gracefully shne
Syielded, but at length the reins were drawn
too tight, the intese selfishness of the huns
~band became aparent even to CarrIe-and
"there began to grow up a spirit of rebellion
on her part, a desire to judge for herself
*sometimes, and ac' atccordingly.
Matters grow from bad to worse. This
opposition of wills, occurring 6nly at long
intervals at first, became frequent at last;
b~Ioth regretting it In cooler moments, yet
inithier confessing it to the other; ho think
ing shie ought to trust his judgemeiit entire-.
Sly; sihe carrying over tin her heart a sense
~'of Injustice (lone her.
srToee plen little courtesles which
sere t kep lveburning brightly o h
domestic alter, were by degrees utterly
neglected, and tihe lamp of love grew dim.
A fter the lpse of some three years, a
Sbeautiful babe lay on the mother's bossom,
a bright, wee flower, with its amber rings
Sof haIr, its pure white akin, and heavenly
blue eyes-a very minIature of the mother
who bore It. RleconcIliation ensued, net
Sspoken, but tacitly agreed upon. flume
baud and wife seemed drawn together by
A the little golden link, and while the little
angel gladdened their homne, happiness re
mained.
But a bitter time' came, which should
have served to unite those severed hearts
more closely. The child iened and
died. When the stricken parents bowed
over their dead, each mentally resolved to
be all all to each other, that no shadow
should come between them; but the lips
spoke not of the resolve imado i their own
ptreugth-pride kept themlileut.
As the months passed on; the old spirit
revived in each; and now, after a few years
or wedded life, [Iehold the pair whom "Glod
had joinet together," living in almost con
stant enmity-each, heart hardened and
cold, never a loving word or caress, only
silence or upbraiding.
So matters stood at the tine our story
opened. The handsome room, with its rich
furniture looked very iuviting. - Nothing
was lacking that taste could desire, 'or
wealth supply. But tile light from the
glowing lire fell upon th6 fair face of the
wife, where discontent lay like a dark
shadow, whi'e the red lips curled in appa
rent contempt or indifference. A heavy
frown darkened the husband's brow. the
firm set of the lips, and the curve of the
dilated nostril, showed his excessive anger.
Mr. and Mrs. Aylmer had been asked to
an evening party, and both had expected to
go. But the husband had come home out
of humor which he proceeded to vent on
his wife, concluding by saying that he
should not go to the party.
hirs. Aylmer, vexed at his manner even
more than at his words, had replied tartly
that she should go without him.
"The invitation has bgn accepted; we
have no good reasons torlaying away; and
I, for one, intend to go."
"But I say you shall not I" said the hus
band, pushing file chair angrily back from
the tea-table, standing up, taking a turn
across the floor, and then going to the man
tle piece, where he stood, as we have de
scribed, looking gloomily down on his wife.
"And I say I will" was the retort, as the
speaker turned away from the table, but
retained her seat, and began to tondle her
lap-dog.
This was too much for the husband.
The cool indifference cut him to the heart.
With a smothered oath lie flung himself
out of the room, put on his hat in the hall,
and went off to his club.
When the outer door was heard banging
after him, Mrs. Aylmer rose from her chair,
an angry light in her eye.
"1 only half meant it-," she said ; "but
now I will go. If he had only asked em
to remain kindly: if he had said he was
even ill or tired; if he had smiled on me, I
would have stayed at home. But I will
not be ordered.
Never had she dressed with more care.
Never had she looked more beautiful than
when she entered her carriage to go to the
ball.
After a couple of hours the husband
came home, for by this time his anger was
over and lie felt rather ashamed of himseif.
His rage returned, however, when he
found tiAt Mrs. Aylnar had really gone,
for lie had p-rsuaded himself that, after all,
she would remain.
"How dare she defy me thus?" he cried,
angrily.
But after awhile, came calmer thoughts.
Ills mind began to wander over past years.
He (ire amed of the bright in aiden he had
wooed so perseveringly, and who came to
him in all her young beauty. The stern
face sottened as the sweet vision caime up
before him, lie thought of the goldeni
head that had nestled on his breast, of the
blue eyes that had brightened at his ap
p~roach, of the warm kisses that had melted
away the ice that had crusted around his
heart. lie remembered how submissive
she had been untill lie had driven her to
rebellhon by his exacting selfishness. Then
camne to him the memory of their chukd, and
of the happy hours they had spent watch
ing its unfolding beauties. His heart
yearned for the mother of his babe. Memi
ory, with her busy tingers, had unlocked
the chambers of his heart, and her soften.
lug influence was doing Its work.
H~e hegan to see at last how lie had
wrongedI and injured the wife he should
have cherished. Hie sprang from his seat,
and walked rapidly to and fro.
"This shall he no longer I" lhe cried.
"I will beg her forgiveness, I will win back
my darlhng's loye. She shall lie on my
heart, as in the olden times."
The hour grew late, and he began to
wond~er why she (lid nmot return. Opening
the door lie looked into the deserted street.
A strange dread stole over him, for nearer
and nearer came the sound of wheels driven
rapidly. Hiasteni ng down, as the carriage
reached the door, lie was confrontedi by a
man who sprang' out, exclaiming lprcath
lessly :
"Mr. Aylmer, if you wvould see your wife
alive, come with mel"
And forcing the terror-stricken husband
into the vehicle, they were hurried away.
Returning froni the party, Caroline Ayl
nmer sat alone in her carriage, not thinking
of the gay scene she had left, but of her un
happy married' life. She was taking to
herself much blame that she had not been
more submissive and1 more forbeariing, and
wondering if it were too late to undo(1 the
evil. Tender thoughts of the husband, once
so dear were stealing into her heart. Suid
denly there came the sound of men running;
the cry of "Fire!" the whirr of the engine,
the rear and plunge of horses; the ineffectnmal
efforts of the driver to controll them; then
she was thrown violently forward, a'nd all
was darkness.
When thme repentent husband reached the
side of his wife, death had sealed her eye.
Some one had lifted her fsir form, and borne
it into the nearest house, but medical aid
was useless-the vital spark had fled. The
injury-was internal, and not a blemish broke
the pure white surface of her marble face.
Carohne Avlmcr never looked loylie
than now, when she lay there In her go
robes. IHer dress of pale blie sik with J
frost-work of lace and pearls, only ma,
more pallid the round form, lately so fi
of life and health. She had passed aw;
without pain, and very placid was t:
sweet lace, fast growing cold in death.
Words cannot picture this strong mat
agony. He flung himself beside the bod
and his voice grew hoarse with vleading I
one more look, one single word of forgh%
ness. Alas I none came.
Years afterwards, a grave was dug 1
strange hands in a far distant land. No
there know that the I'mly, broken-heart
man, whose last resting-place it was, hia
wheun alive, borne the name of Harry A:
mer, and had spent his days ever since th
fatal night, in vain remorse for that fail
quarrel.
Feathers of a mird.
Of a feather's lightness we may for
somne idea when we find that the large
quill of a golden eagle weighs only sixt
live grains, and that seven such quills ;
not weigh more than a copper penny-pleco
that'the feathers of a conunon fowl, wll(
weighs thirty-seven ounces, weigh on
tl rej ounces ; and that the entire pliumaj
bf an owl weighs only one ounce and
half. Meant as they are, some for cove
ing and some for strength, we shall fit
them, on examination, very differently pi
together. The light downy part, wh<
examined through a microscope, will I
found to bear little resemblance to the 11
part or blade of the quill. If it were n<
so, a bird would scarcely be able to fly I
all; for when the flat of the wing wi
pressed down, the air would pass throup
it, and yield no resistance. The fibres <
the downy part, we see, have little co
nection with each other; they have slo
and loose side shoots, just suflicient to in
them together when pressed close to .1
skin ; whereas, the side shoots of the quil
feather hook and grapple with one a,
other, so as to make one firm and unit(
surface. But others there are, muc
stronger and stiffer than the wing qui
feathers; as those, for instance, forinh
the tails of the wood-pecker tribe. An
the reason would be evident to any persc
who watched a woodpecker on the stem <
a tree feeding. Its food consists of grubi
usually concealed in the wood. In order t
get then, lie must therefore remain fixe
on the bark, and make a hole with his beal
a tedious, if not Impracticable operatiom
were it not for the wiry stiffness of the ta
feathers, wh ch press against a tree an
act like an additional limb. The tail, hom
ever, has another use, applicable more c
less to all birds; it is to them what a ruc
der is to a boat, and in many cases ac
like a third wing. If we look at a haw
hovering in the air, when he remauins I
one spot we shall see that the tail is spren
out like a ian, and it is in a constant stat
of quivering motion, balancing the birf
while the wings are keeping it afloat. I
is clear that if water could soak into th
soft feathery covering of a bird, ever
shower of rain would be the death of thori
sands, inasmuch as it would increase the!
weight considerably, and, at the same timc
by destroying the fine elastic nature c
their feathers, entirely disable them fror
flying, and they must remain in a helple
state upon the ground, either to peris
from hunger, or become the prey to me
or animals, who woild catch themn iviti
out trouble. But against such a possibilit
they are guarded by an abundant oily cc
vering, which is constantly renewed; a
that the rain, instead of sinking in, run
off, without remaining an instant; a(i w4
all know that if we take up a (luck, or an
swimming bird, we shall find, though i
might have been diving just before, that i
is perfectly dry and free from all dam11:
But thas prinlciple of life, if it may be a
called, in a feat her ceases with the life c
a bird ; for if we~ wore to throw a dea
duck Into the wgatei', we should flid thi
its coat had lost il power of resisting wtm
ter, and( becomes a spongy mass of moisi
uare. Th'le growth of (eathecrs in youn
birds in hot and favorable wveather is veir
remlarkable. It has beeni ascertamned by al
tending to nestlings, that In eight day
after their appearin'g from the egg in
helpless, naked State, they have acqluire
the first part of their feathers.
The Tolilt of tihe Fiy.
The- toilet of the fly is as carefully atten<
ed to as that, of the inost frivolous of humas
insects. With a contempt for the lookinj
glass-an article which hle reseryes for' tI:
imost ignoble uses-he brushes himself ua
and~ waibbles his little round head, cluc
fuill of vanity, wherever he hiaptiens to b4
Bometimes, after. along. day of dissipatic
and flirting, with his six small legs as
little round body all soikid with mruup an1
butter and caml, lie passes out of tI
dining-room and wings his way to tihe elea
whito cord along which the miorning-gloru
climb, and in this retired spot, heedless <
the crafty spider that is practicing gymna
tics a few feet, above him, lie proceeds I
purify and( sweeten himself for the retresi
lng repose and soft dreams of tihe bairn
sumiimer night, so necessary to one who
expected to be early at breakfast. It Is
wondeorfull toilet. Het aining himae I c
his front and middle legs, lie thiiows hI
hind legs rapidly over lisa bod&y, bindia
down his frail wings for an instant wit
the pressure, then raking them over with
backward motion, whichi lie repeats uint
they au'e beight and clean. Thon lie pimehi
the two legs along his body uindtr tlI
wings, giving that queer structure
thorough currying, every now and tihe
throwing the legs out anid rulbing them
together to remove what lhe has collecte
from his corporal surface. Next lie gota
to work upon01 his van. Resting on his his
legs and( middle legs, lie raises lis two fore
legs and begins a vigorous scrapung of h
head and shoulders, using lisa probosc
every li4tle while to push the accunmulatic
from his limbs. At times he is so energeti
that it, seenms as if he were trying to pu
his head off, but no fly ever committed su
eide. Some of lisa motions very much r<
semble those of pussy at her toilet. It
plain, even to the naked eye, that he dos
his work thoroughly, for when hie has fih
ished lie looks like a now fly, so clean as
neat has lie made himself withiti a fe
minutes. The white cord is, defled,. bi
Floppy is himself again, and lie bids ti
morning-glories a very good evening.
The man who exploded with laugh
ter probablydidni't know it wasloadet
Mount Washington.
The view from the top of Mount Wash.
ington-the highest point of New England
soll-is magnificent, and takes in a vast
area of mountainous and picturesque
country. It is generally stated that
Washington is the loftiest peak east of
the Rocky mountains; but the dine of the
Black mountains, in North Carolina, Is 6,
700 feet above the sea level, and has tn
elevation from base to suminit of 4,760
feet, while Mount Washington, which
rises to 6,285 feet above the sea level, has
an elevation of 8,617 feet front base to
summit. The difference, as will be seen,
is slight, and Washington is qiute high
enough for most n'en and women. More
over, the question of temperature aside, it
matters little whether one Is 0,000 or
12,000 feet above the sea, since the sensa
tion in either cases is almost the same, the
view nearly as perfect, and the sky just as
far away. Mount Washington Is the royal
head of the northern Appalachian chain,
and is the stronghold of eastern botanists.
scores of interesting plants having been
found upon its slopes; its temperature is
said to be that of middle Greenland, though
the weather is comparatively mild on a
pleasant August (lay. The view from the
suimnit is bounded by a horizon having a
circumference of 1,000 miles, the Green
and Adirondack mountains being visible in
the west, Canada in the north, the Atlan
tic ocean in the east, and the ridges of the
Franconia range in the south. The details
of this view a're innumerable, comprising
sone of the most interesting scenery in
New Ilaipshire and Vermont. Nea'r by
rise the rocky crests of Alounts Adams,
Jefferson, Clay and Madison, the former
reaching an altitude of 5,794 feet. But.,
after all, the chief and deepest pleasure to
be derived from this comprehensive view
is to be found, not in details of topography,
but in one'A own imagination; for on a
kingly summit like that of Washington
the soil and body of a man seemed to be
lifted above the coinnon level of earth and,
merged into an ethereal and gnmdiose
solitude. Here, more than any wiere else,
perhaps, one may look passively upon life
as a long and still unbroken dream, out of
which the ages have flowed in their wild
torrent courses, and from which, in a late
hour of the world, have been shaped those
spiritual atoms that we call .inen. Iiero,
too, the imagination is stirred as a strong
wind stirs the sunkei waters in a profound
abysmn, and one is ahnost temiped to
believe that the stands amid those ancient
islands, since overrun by the ice and snow I
of a glacial period, which are now the I
lovely altitudes of the New IHampshire i
ranges. This fancy is strengthened as ho
looks down upon the surrounding world,
which when the clouds hang low about the
horizon and over the ridges of the lower
hills, a(ding mistiness and vagueness to the
atmosphere, resemble a sea in a storm,
with waves beating against the sky-linea 1
and huge blue crests rolling hither and
thither as though disturbed by soine
tremendous internal force. Here in flue,
one feels himself placca amid that adjtust
ment of powers which rules every physical
condition, amid the intimate relation of
the kingdoms of n.ture.
Utility of UIght-llius.
If you have ever crossed the ocean and
have apiroached land in the night-time,
you know somethlng about the utility of
light houses. It was in this way that I
learned my first pIracticlI lesson on the
subject. I camie home from England in a
Guion steaier during the stormy December
of 1872. With ordinary good fortune we
should have been inl New York on Christ
inas Day, but instead of that we were 1,
500 milcs away, tossIng ubout in the wild.
est sea. Five dispirited passengers ate a
lonely Christmas dinner together in the
saloon, with our good old captain at the
head of the table. Tme steward hadi kind
iy sought to cer us with a tiny plaster of
Paris Sianta Claus, and as if to cast our
drooping hearts lower, a lurching wave
st~ruck thme vessel abeam, and threw the
smiling littlO figure to thme other end of the
saloon, breaking him into a thousand
chalky atoms. Then we all prayed to be
able to make our New Year calls as ustual;
but New Year's (lay caime, and~ still wve
were afloat in a driving storm, wvith the
wind dead against us the air fIlled with
snow, sleet and rain, and the decks ilooded.
We did not meet a passing ship in all the
long voyage. One day we were crossing
the banks of Newfo,imdiand, a dreamy lit
tie owl was wafted into the rigging, anid
was caught and giveni to thme stewardess,
who cried over it; but that was all we hiad
to remindl us that we were not in a world
without form. aiid wiihoiit landl for its
boundaries. In ou'tw niun d L1(ay out, the
reckoning shiowedl timt we were iiear Loing
Island. and the wind fell, onmly to he fol
lowedl by a dreary mist. Th'ie captalin was1
a mirth-loving old1 salt, b~ut, now his taco
wore an anxious lookc, and~ lie was not for1
a minute absent from the bridge. It was
time for a pilot to board us, and guide us
past the shoals heroabiouit into the port.
l'he night came on, and the qiverin g en
gInes that had becen p1 dding cc selessly
these twenty diays were order.:d "Jhead
slow." Men wer~e on the look-out, at the
bow and at time masthead. At intervals
was heard coining from the watch over
head, as out, of heaven, a long-drawn cry:
"AIl-l-l-l-'s well-l-l-l-." And oftener yet
was heard~ the cry of the quarter-amaster as
he measuredl with a line attached to a lead
en plummet, the imunbher ot' fathoms of
water in which we moved: "By the decep,
niel" "Bly the deep, tonI" and so on
through maniy changes. T1hie eaptam was
grave Qndl silent, almiost, rudle to those who
interrupted him. Tme fog whistle shrieked
discordantly every minute, and all ears
were awake for a response. Trho steamer
labored cautiously on1w rdl in the mysteri
ouis nuight as it uncertain of her position.
We passengers stood shiveiing in our
thickest wrappers near the wheel-house.
The mist caime downm sudd~enly, and sudl- I
denly it rose. "'Fire Jsland light ahiead" I
That was the glad soundi~ that we now
heard. WVe couild see thia hught, glimmering I
in the haze on tihe starboard bow. Soon, I
too, thereo appeared ahead of us the yet I
brighter beams of the IHighland light,. The I
capt ain then canie down from his chilly i
post on the bridge, with his ruddy storm I
beaten face wreathied. in smiles, anid howI
groat was the care that had been renmoved I
from his mind by these sentinel "pillars of
fire." Heo had crossed the ocean ten times
a year for nearly a quarter af a cenry,
and since toe Fire Isl and and Highland
lights were built, they have ever been the'
best of friends to him, throwing warmth
antd joy into lia hreat wh:.n is ,.are n,..e
Ia A Flower Farm In England.
.ts
10 In a corner'of the County of Essex, Eng.
land, the Messrs. Carter, renowned through
out Great Britain and her dependencies i
ly flori-culturlsts, have established a farm do
tie voted to the growth of flowers. Thew
plants are not destined to adorn the gar.
lie dens of the wealthier classes, but to fur.
nish seed front which flowers may be ulti
Yt mately obtained. A recent visit to the
or village of St. Osyth-pronounced by Itl
e- inhabitants "Toosoy"-dscloses a tract of
well-sheltered conutry, which, in its vari.
y ety of colors, reminded one of a stained.
tie glass window gone mad. In one place au
d expanse of the deepest blue is formed by t
few acres of .Nmophlila insignia. Next
d, to it appears a perfect sea of the purple
'l- saponaria. Then comes a dash of the
at deep-blue lobelia, and farther on one en
ters a space covered with the Venetian red
of the 1hdox Drumnmonli. These are
followed by smaller beds of sweet william,
the yellow oxalis, the pink eucharldiun,
the purple lOptosphIon, and these masses of
color are.relieved by the white nemophila.
"i Another portion of the farm is devoted to
at -petunias, with purple and white leaves
edged with green; these are followed by
o a yellow sea of Mechacholtzia crocca
and then comes a promontory of the odor
iferous sweet sultan, white lilac and yellow.
ly At the end of this appears an island of
,e verbena, surrounded by the blue lupi. A
a sea of the bright scailet goditia, naied
r- after the princess of Wales, and another
id pond of the same color is formed by the
It Piscaria cardinatis. Every color is
a found here; tihe blue of the Lobelia 8pe
ciosa, the pale blue of the campanula, the
it yellow of the snapdragon, the rosy tint of
A the sweet-pea, the deep orango of the
A Eschehollzi.t mandurin, the bright
s scarlet of the Tom Thumb nasturtium, the
old-fashioned Virginia stock, the French
gray and purple colored U ditia Witne-yi,
Ithe white Clarkia, dedicated to Ais.
7 Langtry. whilst Lord Beaconsfield and
it Mr. Gladstone's names are iinmortalized
It in different kinds of chrysanthemums.
- These flowers are not picked, but are
- allowed to run to seed, which is carefully
h gathered and sent to headquarters, where
it, is made tip into small packages, labelled
and sent out to their customers. One cor
g net- of the farm is devoted to the cultiva
d tion of the seed of less ornamental but
ore usef ul products. Here may be found
a bed of American parsley; and a plot of
the new mammoth wheat lately intlroduced
Sfrin the States is regarded with especial
interest. This cereal produces an ear of
immemte size, but bearded like barley.
Those "horns," as the bearI is called, drop
d off as the car ripens, leaving it perfectly
smt1ooth. The straw, too, is long and vigor
r ous and promises well for thatchiqg pur
poses and as bedding for animals. Next
to the extirpation of weeds, the gardener's
greatest difficulty is to keep the different
kinds of flowers in their own beds. T ie
small birds, on the other hand, do their
best to mix them up and seem to take -a
special deliglit in carrying the seed of sonic
t bright scarlet flower and dropping it into
the midst of a bed devoted to a flower of
another color, where next year It wil:1 ap
pear in all its pristine beauty, only to be
r ruthlessly eradicated by the hand of those
specially d.ailed to search for such in
itraders.
Mount htsia *-till Active.
.I - _ _
Profesor Silvestri, of Catania, reports
- that since the shower of ashes on July 15,
f Etna has shown various signs of activity.
- The latest manifestation is a phase of mud
) eruptions at Palermo, on the southeast of
a the mountain. Two craters have been
violently ejecting abundant torrents ot
r mud, more conistent than usual, and of a
t higher temperature (140 degress Fahren
t helt.). Thils mnudl, accumulating in the
-basine In large macses, finally oroke
o throug~h all barriers, overflowed and de
f stroyedl the adjoining fields, and burled
dl several mills and farmhouses. In this
t er-uption there was an abundant develop
-- nment and pressure of gaseous matter, of
such force that it produced oseillations
E strong eniough to tear up the old lava, form
Y ing rents out of which the gas rushed with
-the noise of a bnilor letting off Its steam.
s CoincIdent with these phenomena, clouds
a of vapor issuedl fromn the eruptive fissure of
d last year, contlrmmng the opinion that this
fissure, lying bet ween the two principal
craters of 1879 and the great central one,
is still in comnunicatioii with the central
ce-uptive axis, for- vapor, mixed with ashes
le which fell all over the cone, also issued
n f rom the centi-al crater. Tis activity con
- tinued during several days, and still con
e tinues with deciceased intensity, seen from
p Catanla in tihe shape of dense clouds coy
k ering tihe whiole summit ot Etna i a clear
.sky. Changes have also faken place which
n have entirely altered the for-mof the centr-al
d crater. The old ravine, which formerly
dI crossedi the crater, and made two-thirds
e of it into an ample and easily accessible
a basin, a natur-al laboratory for the sttudy of
~ the prodlucts of the volcano, now exists no
f longer. l'he central crater, from the effects
~. of violent, commotions, has crumbled, and.
o with part of its sides and tihe high poimt
-whence it was formerly possible to enjoy
y the sunrise, lhas been precipitatedl into the
5 ravine, diminishing the height of the moon
a tain by about 40 feet, while the circumnfer
n enice of the crater has become wider by
a half a kt'ometre. Tile general dlestruction
g of r 't sides has in a certai way rejuven
lj az d the crater, which has regained Its
a characteristic form of a tunnel, at the bet
Ii tom of which is now the eruptive month.
e luurmese UmnI,rottas,
n In Stinm and iBurmaht, China, Annama, and
n Cochina China, the umbrella is not, only the
d necessary pi-otection against the intrusive
s rays of a vertical sun, hut It hats functions
d of its own, to discharge, which are qu'.te
3- foreign to it even in those countriea where
is t -is as it was, intended to b~e, a "little
is shade." it is a distinctive feature in the
ni lve<4 and characters of the natives of those
c patrts. and their kings and emperors, when
I writing to one another, allude to their sub
- lects as "wearers of the umbrella" In con
- 'r a i 4hi c :oa to the ignorant and mis
15 guided people of ther chimes, Gold or
as gilded umbrellas which in the Provinces
i- may be carried by anybody, are reserved
d in the capital for princes of the blood
Wv ai" nc an I red un.brellas are a tectcd'by
it the gay spiarks of Burmese society as being
'e the next thing moat gaudy ini appearance.
Etiquette has also fixed the exact number
of umbrellas that Burmese nobles may dis
-play when tihey approach the "Iord of the
I. onlrdnnen ae
heaviest. Many other vessels were beating
towards our coast on that bleak January
night. with its deceptive milet and angry
seas, and many hundred mariners were
seeking in darkness for the lights that point
the way to safety. It 18 the same every
night in the year, winter and suimmer. The
ships have their compases, and the officers
their sextants ant quadrants. When the
sun is in sight they can determine their
position with tolerable certainty. But
sometimes the sun is hidden under the
clouls for days together, and they have to
depend on what they call a "(lead reckon
ing," which is not so certain. The mys
terious currents of the ocean may carry
them miles out of their course without a
warning.
Halt a Dozen of EmW
At a store in Virginia, Nevada, is a
patent fly-Ilapper, fly-frightener, or what
ever it might be called, that is ai appara
tus of rather unique appearance. It rises
somewhat in the shape of a tower or light
house from a central pedestal, and from
the top extend large vanes covered with
canvas. Inside the apparatiu is a clock
work, and when this is wound up it runs
for ain hour or two, whirling the fans rapid
ly through the air. rho horrizontal arms
of the fans are of sutiicient length to effec
tually protect a large tablb. from flies.
Recently the machine was put in motion,
anud had not long been in operation before it
attracted the attentlon of a ranchnan who
was passing the door.
"ilellol What you got there?,'
"The model of a new style of wind
mill," said a bystander.
"Alh, yes, I see. I supposed as much,"
maid the rancher, "suppposed as niuci,"
ind lie walked round and viewed it from
various points.
"'A big one after that style would be just
lie thing for puiping water on a ranehe,"
suggested the bystander Who is somethting.
>f at wag.
"Va-ms," hesitatingly replied the rancher,
flancing towards the door and holding
ip his hand to see if he could feel a breeze
-oming mn-"ya-es, but how in thunder
Lioes it go without any wiid?"
"Ah," said the wag, "Linitt is the beauty
)f this invention--that is what I got the
mtent oil.'
"You!" cried the rancher, and lie sir
reyed the wag from hiead to foot with an
.xpressioLn of mingled awe aid admira.
ion.
"Yes, I got it up. I studied oii that
ifteen years. Many a night I have lost
rom twelve to eighteen hours sleep figuir
ng on that little machine."
"Well, well! And it goeA without
viudl?''
"Most assuiedly. Any fool can get up
L windmill that will Lto with wind, but
rou don't always have wiid, and often
vhen you want water worst-when your
hirsty crops are all perishing for want of
mater-there is no wind and your pump
lon't work."
"Wonderful!" cried the rancir-"won
lerfull And you got the thing up and it
Poes without wind?"
"I am proud to be able to say that I in
rented the machine."
"And so you should, young man-so
rou should be proud, and you deserve to
nake a fortui out of your invention.
low, I've been acqu lint ed on the Comstock
bout twenty years and that is the first
.hing I ever saw in Virginia City that went
vithout wind-and a sight of wind!
k'oung mnan, you have this day given me
t great pleasurel You have
But the young mitan-the wag-was
roie.
. "Nice game that rooster was given me!"
ah(ld the rancher. Why, I'm running four
eon of them fly.flappors down on my
auni at the Sink of the Carson to keep
lie flies off my hay-makers, anl I wait to
let about half a dozen more of 'emi''
Eccomitric Anhulsi.
I'Te subject of a depraved taste in animals
s an interestin'g one, which has niot been
;tudied ase much as it might. In human
eiigs it would seem to depend oni ill-health
>f either body or mind, but Iu aninials it
vould seem as if it miight be present and
lie animals enjoy good health. One re
narkable instanice in a herbivorous animal
ye can vouch for. Itoccmirred in a sheep that
ad beeni shipped on board one of the P. anid
). steamers to help to supply the kitcheni on
ioard, b~ut while fattening it deovelop~ed mun
nordlinate taste for tobacco, which it would
at ini any quantity it was giveni to it. It
hid not care much for segetrs, and altogeth
r objectedl to burnt ernie; but it would
~reedily (devouir the half chewed cud of a
allor or a handlfull of roll tobacco. While
hoewinmg there was ap~arently iio undue flow
if saliva, amid its taste was so peculiar that
nest of the piassengers on board amiused
hemsnelves by feeding it, to see for them
elves if it wvas really so. As a consiqiience
boughi in a fair condition the cook was
afraid to kill the sheep, believig that the
nutton would have a flavor of tobacco.
i.nother very remarkable case hats just been
uommunicatedl to uts by Mr. Franicis Good
ake; tIs time a fleshi-2ating animal in the
hape) of a kitten, about flye months 01(1,
viio shows a p~assionate fondness for salads.
t eats no end of sliced cucumber dlressedl
vith vinegar, even when hot with cayenne
>epper. After a little fencing it has eaten
piece of boiled bee01 with mustard. Its
nether was at least once seen to eat a slice
>f cucumber which had salt, pepper, and
rinegar ont it. Thme kittoen is apparently in
;oodh health, and its extraordinary taste us
tot easily accounted for. Even snpposing
t got a feed of sahnon mayonnaise, why
houild it now select to pirefer the dIressing
o the fishi
The Iluior' Clain,
WVheni the tide is out, one may find the
azor fish, so called because the siheli re
embles thle handle of a razor. If laid
mold of suddenly, the chances are that be-,
ore he can be drawn out he will slip out
>f his shell, leaving that empty in the
tand, while the "soul and essence" of him
tao gone down half a fathom into the
.andi. Yet lie is not more slippery tihan
nany an individual, who, when pressed
0 (10 some magnanimous deed in behalf of
he community, slips out of his shell, and
osing thme grip, you can no more find the
Cl atid essence of hhn than you can find the
oul of this razor fish, whieh hiss gone deep
nto the muck and sand. In either in
tance, the empty shell is the only sign of
he thing wanted.
T1hie househo~ld that keeps a baby can
It'ord( to sell Iithaarua nlonk very cJtap,
Mark Twain's Story of the cats.
When I was fourteen years old, I lived
with my parents, who were very poor and
correspondingly honest. We had a youth
living with us by the une of Jim Wolfe.
He was decidedly a fine fellow, seventeen
years old, and very diffident. lie and I
usually slept together-virtuoutsly-and on
one very cold winter's night a cousin Mary
-she's married now and gone-gave what
they called a candy pulling li
those days, in the West, and they
took the saucers of hot pandy outslde
of the house in the snow, under a sort of
old bower that came out from the eaves
it was a sort of an eli then, all covered with
vines-to cool this hot candy in the snow,
and they were all sitting around there, and
in the meantime we had gone to bed; we
were not invited to attend this party-we
were too young.- The young ladies and
gentlemen were assembled there, and Jim
and I were in bed. There was about four
inches of snow on the roof of this ell, and
our window looked out on to it, and it was
frozen hard. A couple of tom-cats-it Is
possible one might have been of the oppo
site sex-were assembled on the chimney,
in the middle of this ell, and they were
growling at a* fearful rate, and switching
their tails about, and going on, and we
couldn't sleep at all. Finally, Jim said:
"Fr two cents I'd go out and snake
them cats off that chimney."
So I said, "Of course you wouild."
Ile said, "Well, I would."
I said again: "Of course you would."
Hie said: "I have a mighty good notion
to (to it anyhow."
Says I, "Of course you have; certainly
you have: you have a great notion to do
it."
Finally I got his ambition up, and he
raised the window, and climbed out on the
icy roof, with nothing on but his socks
and very short shirt.
lie went climbing along on all fours on
the roof toward the chimney where the cats
were.
In the meantime those young ladies and
gentlemen were enjoying themselves down
under tie( eaves.
When Jim reached the chimney lie arose
to his feet, leaned around the corner, hold
ing on by one hand, and made a pass at the
cats. lie missed his aim, lost his hold on
the chimney, his heels flew up, and he shot
down and crashed thro' those vines, and
lit in the midst of the ladies and gentlemen,
and sat down in those saucers of hot can
dy.
There was a general stampede, of course,
and lie came up stairs dropping pleces of
china ware and candy all the way up, and
when he got up there-now anybody in
the world would have gone into profanity
or something calculated to relieve the mind
but lie didn't--he scraped the candy off
his legs, nursed his blisters a little, and
said:
"I could have ketched then cats if I had
had on ia good ready.
A Bilion liasected.
It would be curious to know how niany
readers have brought fully home to their
inner consciousness the real sigulidance of
that little word "billion" which we have
seen so glibly used.- There are, doubtless,
many thousands who cannot appreciate itsa
true worth even when reduced to fragnmenis
for more easy assimilation. Its arithmeti
cal symbol Is simple and without much
pretension; there are no large figures
just a modest one followed by a dozen
ciphers, and that is all. Let us briefly take
a glance at it as a measure of time, dis
tance and weight. As a measure of
time, I would take one second as the unit,
and carry myself in thought through the
lapse of ages back to the first (lay of te
year one of our era, remembering that in
all those yearn we have 8615 days, anud in
every clay just 80,000 seconds of time.
Ihence, in returning Iu thought back again
to this year of grace 1880, one might, have
supposed that a billion of seconds had long
sluice elapsed ; but this is not so. We have.
not, even passed the one-sixteenth of that.
numiber in all these lonig eventful years, for
it takes just 81,087 years, seventeen (lays,
twenty-two hours, andi forty-lIve minutes
and flve seccnds to constitute a bIllion of1
seconds of time. it is no easy ma~tter to
bring under the cognizance of the human
eye a billion objects of any kindl. ILet us
try in imagmnation to arrange Lbis numbeir -
for inspection, and for This purpose I would
select ai sovereign as a familiar object. Let
us put one on the ground and pdle upon it.
as many as will reach twenty feet in heig~ht;
then let us plaee numbers of shiiar
columns lai close contact formiing a straight
line, and makiug a sort of wall twenty ,1.eet
high, showing only the thin edges of .the
coln. Imiagine two such walls running
parallel to each other and forming, as it
were, a long street. We must then keep
on extending these walls for miles-nay,
hundreds of miles, and still we shall be rari
short of the required number. And it is
not, until we have extended our imaginary
street, to a distance of 2886i& miles that we
shall have presented for inspection our One
billion of coins. Or in lieu of this arrange
ment, we may place them fiat upon tihe
ground, forming one continuous lhie* like a
golden c'main, with every link ini 'elose con..
tact. But to do this we must pass over
land and sea, mlountain and, valley, desert
aind plain, crossmng the equator, and return
ing around the southern hemipphere through
tihe trackless ocean, retrace our way across
the equator, then sI~Ill on ani op, un j) we
again arrive at our starting point, tin ,'en
we have thus passed a goldoQ chuI~n argunid
the huge bulk of the earth, we shall be but
at the beginning of our task.. We muast.
drag this Imaginary chain no less than.753J
timies round the globe. .
lie Winl Not, Vomeo Back..
"A ytoung mother, for two years a whul
ow, was 0n the point of ingrrylpg again.
One evening.4lio was sittig by the bedj of
her son, *ho was of a wpek and aflkly
habit, and- the child said to her, ' Pa Is.
dead, Isn't he t'
"'Yes, my pbdr boy.' .
" 'Then ho won't come baek agala l',
" 'Alas, no, mny darlinge .
" 'Very well, z~amma, .1$ W all rIgitt that
he Is ddadl, b6 a.I love onso much
yon seg mlaih, i4ft -1 lo1ve
yotu for both otf (ychz Ahould
come; back 'I coulti 'p ny mome
at all, '4A,
"9e'whispered 'th mother softly
after some "inutes of sorrowful &stience.
'Sleept lie will not conic back.'