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'T'RL-WEEKLY EDITION. W INNSBORO, S. C, FEBRUARY 10, 1881. - THE ROOT OF THE ROSE8. The loaves aro fading and falling, .'ho winds are rough and wild. ' The birds have ceased their calling, But lot me toll you. my child : Though day by day, as it closoes, Doth darker and colder grow,* 'ho roots of the bright red rosos Will AOop alive in the'bnow. And when the wint'er is over' The boughs 'will got now loaves, The quail come baok to the olover, 'The swallow back to the eaves The robin will wear on his bpsojn The vest, that io bright and now, And the liveoest waysido blossom Will shine with sun and dow. Ho, whon some'dear joy losos, Its beautoons summor glow, Think how the roots of the roses Aro kept alivo in the snow. From the Dead. One day Frank came home, with a look of triumph. "I have 'a perfect treasure' for you,' lie said, in the wia) of a nurse, Gerald Temple is going to take his famly to Europe, and when he heard what you wanted, offered to let. us have their nurse, whom they will not want." I heard a low sigh. Flora, Frank's only sister, had been sitting in the corner of-the drawing-room. She rose -now and slipped out. "How could you, Frank ?" I said, fol lowing her with sad eyes. "I never heard your sistei speak of the Temples since she bas lived with us; the very mention of their name brings baci the memory of Gerald's brother and all that sad tragedy." "I an sorry," said Frank, "but I did not know she was in the room. Poor Flora I " "Yes I Poor Flora, I said to myself. But once the bhthest, loveliest little creature I ever anew. It is something of a story,but 'uts 'an ower true tale,' and I will tell it in the shortest way I can." Floa and Frank were orphans, and old Mrs. Chichester, their grandmother, had adopted Flora amost from her infancy. The old lady had very ambitious hopes of niaking a splendid match for her beautiful grandchild. But Flora tl'ought otherwise; ani when she was just seventeen, at the time of my wedding, she and Lahgley Tem ple were insane enough to fall- desperately in love with each other. After awhile Langley was ordered to his ship (he was in the navy) but Frank waged battle with grandma until he obtained a viperish con sent that the lovers might correspond. G(ra1ndma took pahis not to let Frank know how Flora was tormented and tryinuized over, until the poor child consented to go out into society again; and there she met, and made ready conquests of the very man whom grandma had intended for her beauty --lorace Kent. Flora refused him; but grandma said, scornfully, "That made no difference. She would come to her senses Soon," and, to my utter aniazeiient, the tro'oU.wan went or,anti by-and-by we were bidden to the wedding-a quiet elegant af fair, where Flora talked and walked as If she were frozen. Kent and Flora were to sail for Europe within a fortnight of their marriage, and went to Washington and Baltimore to pass that time. Left alone, one evening in Balti more, with a severe headache, Flora re iemibered having some aromatic vinegar in her husband's dressing case. Kent was peculiar in his careful way of locking up his belongings, and she took her own bunch of keys to open the box, when, rather to her surprise, she found the key left in: the box. Some listless, vague einipulse, which: she could never afterward .a account for, pronmpted her to lift the upper S tray, aithough she had found the vinegar already. Underneath, to her surprise, she found papers, and was about, returmang the j tray to its place, without further examina ti m, when her eyes were caught by the words-' i1y own Flora," in a dear, a too well-known handwriting. WIhen Kent came back that night, lie found his beautiful young wife sense leas upon her bed, with two letters crum S pied between her cold fingems. One, the laist letter thatLangley had actually written . heir; and the oilher, the ba~se forgery, in which h~e asked to be released from: his on Sga~gement. They caime back to Now York for a sin.. gle diiy, Flora saw no one but h~er grand mother. The old1 lady, upon her death-bed, r 'aved of that interview, and vainly hnplor edi Flora's forgiveness for urging Kent on to h ls treachecry. The newly-wedded pair sadled in the ill-fated ship that, took lire off the coast of Nova Scotia,- and whose name still carr:ies terror to many a heart. Flora was one of the handful of survivors; herac unhappy h~usband fought for her 1)1 'ce in thme boat,, and remaining behind himaself, L"~perished with the ship. Then came the ncws that Langley's ship had gone down s.with all on board. Flora caime to live wvith: us about two years before the commecncement of my stoiy. Bhe seemed to feel a sorrowful re morse about her husband that -was not grid'' yet it cast a shadowv over her life. "le was treacherous and false," she said to me one (lay. "and he broke my heart but what right had I to judge hinm? hiarrie, I toldi him that 1 coulid never forgive. Andi lie died, thinking himself unforgiven." Of Lianglcy, as 1 told you, she never spoke. Well, the 'per'fect treasure' made her ap pearance. She was rather a young look. lng woman, with a pleasant, low, voice and very good manners, for one of her station. One night, Frank had taken a box at the opera in New York. We lived in SBrooklyn and as Kellogg was to sing, I Sbegged Flora to go with us., but she de-. cldined: She would stay at home and keel) Shouse, e said. liI he meantime, Flora, after our deC lpaituie, rat Icir somte time waiting letters mn lher' own roni; andi at last fell asletp. She niever knewv how long she slept, but she had a painful nightmare sensation, as if somiebody was tr3 lng to smother herl,and~ afteir struggling with the feeling for somic time, she slowly, and( with a great effort opened her eyes. Whiy,what has happened to the roomi 'Ilhe eas must have gone out --i stotally dark, save a flickering gleam i m te laig fire on the hearth, and wuhat a sickening smell there w as. With a llintning rapidity, which is more h~ke In rAinet than thought, it flashed upon her *what the strange scent was--chloroform I 'pihen, as she caught her frightened breath, afid shrank back Into her chair, a low sound of voices from the dining rooms reached her cars. The door between the rooms .%was ajar, and she saw a thread of light from It; the voice she flyst. heard was man 's 'Yer didn't give the young 'oman too much, did yer?" it asked anxiously'. "WiWh I had," answered Alice's low, stealthy voice. "1 hate her! She suspects ine.'" "Ha, u i" gurgled the man. 'The must ha' bei purty oncivil to yer; yer -usually gets on the right side of 'em. Is that 'er pitcherk silver or plate ?" "Plate. The silver is up stairs,"' Flora shook as shq heard the vchoim of that low volce. 'She was Mr. Langley's lady-love- till her old grandima stopped it." "And what were Mr. Langley to yer,my girl " said the mani. "Hush I you'll wake the chil'd. and I don't want to do him any harm. Mr. Lang ley-" The woman's voice softened, "111e never said a dozen words to me in his life I but, look you, Vincent, I worshipped "1hat's right. Tell me all, as'm your husband that is to be," lie said, with a coarse laugh. "Mrs. Kent has splendid jewels, too. I picked the lock to look at them. You can take as many of those as you like. Come." As soon as the sound of their footsteps died aWay, Flora snatched the deadly handkerchief from her head and staggered to het feet, though dizzily. She was a very spirited girl, and determined that the pair should not escape. But what' could she do? It was vain to think of getting the cook to alarmi their neighbors at the corner, for the next lot was vacant, and she must cross tli hall, and go past the stairs to find her. There would be no use in throwing up the window and screaming; the house was on Clinton avenue, far out, and the policemen (lid not cone past very often. Flora wrung her hands, when a sleepy murmur of ''auntie P " startled her. In a second her resolve was taken, and she was on her knees by Fred, kissing him and say ing "Fred I my darling, auntie is going to do something very fumimuy. You remember how papa juiped you dlown from the bal cony on Christnas day to run after the monkey. I'm going to jump you down now. Don't speak a word. Act like a man. There !" Fred was just four years old, but a great hoy for his age, und he always obeyed Flora implicitly; so he rubbed his sleepy eyes wide open, and was carried to the window. ' lie balcony, outside, was not far from the ground. As Fiora looked out, carefully, she saw, under the corner gas light, a tall figure with a gleam of brass buttons. "Fred,"' she whispered, rapidly, "run fast to the policeman, and tell him lie must come right here to auntie; then go to Mr. Motley's at the corner, and ring the bell with all your nihtt-it is low and you can reach it-and tell George and Harry Mot ley that Aunt Flora says there is a thief in the house. Don't be afraid, Fred; be a man like papal" Ovet; softly, gently,over the low railing; and then, with a good shake of his small person, Fred's fat legs trotted swiftly off toward the policeman. Directly under the balcony a voice said, very softly: "What's wanted, ma'ain ? Can you open the front door for me ?" "I cannot,'' she panted; "there are bur glars in the house, and I should be heard. Couldn't you get up here somehow ? Has the little boy gone to the neighbors?" There was no answer to this question, but the policeman easily followed her sug gestion, and climbed up over the balcony. The fire had now died out i the room, the only light wvas a faint glimmer from the hall. "W~ait !" whispered Flora, laying her cold hand on the policeman's arm as he mad~e a motion to go forwara. "They are uip-stair, in my room, lookinig for my jewels. If you will stand just be hind that (leer, 1 wvill creep up the back stairs and reconnoitre; if thme woman comes down to answer the bell, seize her. There is but one man; if I want help I will call, and then you must rush up the front stairs." "Are you not afraid ? asked the police man, with some surprise; but Flora was gone before lie had finished the remark. When she reached the stairs, she found by the sounds, that the man had evidently gone into the silver closet, which stood on the other sidle of the back stairs, and that now she was between the two-for shte could hear Alice wvalkinig about in her room. Quick as a flash, f'he little figure glidedl up the stairs, slipping off her boots on the lowest step; there was no light mn the hall, except that affordled by the burg.. lar's lantern, for the gas wvas turned dlown low, and the lanitern set inside the closet door. Th'lat door opened ouitward, ano the key was In it; a spring, a sudden bang,and then the cllck' of the key in Flora's nervous fingers, as she turned It in the lock. A tremendous curse caime from the cap tured thidf, as site leaned breathlessly against the door. The same moment the gaslight was turned on, and Alice con ironted Flora. "Yotu here, madam? Well, you aiid 1 are quits, anyhow. Open that door, or i'll send a bumllet right through your head! You didn't think of my having the revolver, did you?" "No," said Flora, looking in the girl's furious eye with her peculiarly calm smile. TIhen she shouted, "Ucelp! P~olce I" "You may splut your pretty throat call imig,"said Alico,seizing her savagely by the arm. "N cne wiil come; the cook's drug ged, and you're at oa mercy. Give mte the key ?" "PIl troublc, you fot that pistol," said a stern voice behind Flrra, as a thick, strong arm jerked the weapon awaiy fromi Allc'. Alice, with a shriek, fell on ti iiuor,for she realized all at once. IBut Flora gazed as if turned t'o atone, for It was .Langley Temple that she saw. "Ah, may Godi" she exclalmed. "'Flora, doii't be so terrifled," lhe ai, "It ls my very self, no ghost. Take my hand, love; see, it's flesh and blood like your own." Tihe Motleys, had time to think. that Flora was murdercd before the pair opened the door. Very much siirprised were they to see instead of the pollceman they ex peeled to find, a very tall, handsome man, a strangcr, in undress unifo~rm. Fred, now that his part of the fun weas over, be gan to roar. and Flora took him nn in her arms, while tho four gentlemen, assisted by the policeman, opened the closet and secured the prisoner. Langley's story is too long to be told here; suilce it to say that, being on deck when the Tecuiseh sunk,he had been able to strike out froim ,the sinking ship, and, under cover from the smooke and war of battle, swam ashoro. T'liere he was taken prisoner ' and kept in conflunement for months, finally making his escrpe. Langley and Flora were married very quietly soon after. Fraok gave away the lovelylbride, whose fair, girlish bloom had coi back to her, and who, under the in Iluence of love, seemed a different woman from the pale,sad creature who had moved so quietly about my house. A Tein of iteindleer. Each ldpoos hadI underhis or her charge five deer, and, except on these Live ani inals, they did not bestow a thought, leay ing the others to each capture his own in dividual five as best he could. Even the old W7apooe, Nilas by name, did not offer to assist his better half, nor did she seem to expect such help. The animals havinig been speedily got in order, the next thing was to harness them, which is done in this fashion: The deer has a skin-collar round its shoulders, to which is fastened a long strap, also of untanned akin, which, going between the legs of the animals, is tied to a ring at the prow of the poolk. The single rein with which iNe drive is made fast to the left side of the head, and is held in the right hand. In steering, you must, if you wish to turn to the right, cast, the rein over to the right shoulder ol the ani mal, and pull or rather tug a little. If you wish to go faster, you can strike with the rein on the animal's sles and back, though if you have a wild brute this is rather dan gerous, as it on being struck becomes ut terly unmanageable, and therefore it is generally quite sullicient to raise the left hand, as if for a blow, which will cause the deer.to run off smartly enough. The mo ment the foremost (leer starts all the others follow in a long line, winding in and out uccording as the leader's tracks go. All deer cannot be induced to lead the way; in fiact, very many are trained to follow only, as they then become much more easily managed as baggage deer. Over all Fin marken, and, in fact, all. Lapland, one never sees two deer harnessed together or witrh proper gear. In this respect the ba moyedesare-far more practical, and not only do they bring the aniial to the same state of subjection as the horse With us, but they mue entirolbucks for domestic pur poses, an unheard-of thing in Lapland, where even dogs are considered as too spirited to b)e safely used. A loorMh 15ath, A Moorish bath would not be a bad thing after such a mornutt, only we mnat hurry to take It before twelve o'clock as from that hour until six in the evening the establishment is sacred to the gentle sex. We willgo tothe "Etat-blajor,"where being accuslomed to the treatment of invalids, we will be handled niore tenderly. Notice on the threshold as we enter, that phleg matic-Bedouin kneading his feet as a fin ishing touch to his bath. He will remind you of Gordon's picture in the Museum at Marseilles, of voluptuous Tiberius manip ulated by an attendant. A simple curtain separates us from the chamber which serves at once as sit ting and dressing room.. Raise this, and if 'you are at all up in what artists call clarobscuro, I promise you an agreeable view. In the half-I ight produced by a unique lamp are softly defined columns of white marble, a cuckoo olock, Morocco trays, Venetian glass, and bathed in shadow a carved alabaster fountain with a gurgling jet d'eau, and1( the galleries and iysterious lofts strewn with sleepers and attendants wrapped in long robes, reminding one of the nun scene in the third act of "Robert is Diable. At a signial fromi the Chief there apphroachies a half-maked native, with girded loins aiid most peculiarly-arranged hair, who leads you by the hand to your disrob ing pla1co. H~e murmurs a few words, which you are to understand as meaning to perform this actioii. Thlie with a towel girding your loins, a turban on thie head, and yoiur feet in randlals, you proceed to the ordeal. The hieat assists your imagina tioii in thinkmng the young Moors about you ais s0 many cannibals with their flash ing eyes, reeking chocolate- colored skins and~ continual exhibition of white teeth. 'Tle usual kneading proccas ensues, wi which you are no dioubt familiar from trie ordiinary Tiurkish bath. Thie after pleasure of stretechmg off and enjoying your cof'ee and a pipe, or somne tea and a cigarietto, is inever to be forgotten except in the delici Otis sleep which followvs, and from which you are stililciently ref reshed, surely, for whatever occupation turns up for the rest of the (lay. Sikyiarks Disappemarizng. An enormous decrease of the number of skylarks in Scotlanid and inorthiern England has been commplained of recently. Mr. Ed wardis, a Scotch naturalist, has published an essay in which lie attcmplts to disp~rove the popular theory that starlings or meadow larks cause the niischief by breaking the eggs in the nest andi by killing the young. 'That the bill of the stamling is capable of diestroyling the egg lie adnuts, but lie ridi cules the idea of its dlestroying the young, and lie does not believe that the starlings are to blame. ie attributes the evil chiefly to the increase in eattle and the taking ini of waste ground for agricultural purposes. -"As a rule," lie says, "larks do not breed among hay, corn-or barley. For one nest I have knmowni In suich places, I have, I may safely say, found a diozen mi meadows, on pasture landits and on waste ground. Now, for oine cow or ox that there were years ago, there are about a score at present. Is it not p~ossible that the great Increase of these anials may have something to (10 withi the decrease of the lark by tramplling on their nests or nmaltreating them ? I have mnyself, while searching in clover fields for iiothis and in grazing grounds for beetles, coiie across numbers in recent years so destroyed. I'hcasants, partridges and oilier grounid breeding birds also sulfer severely. Biesides, we have cattle and sheep niow, but, miore particularly the latter, put Into wvoodhs and plantations to eat down the herbage there." In conclusion, Mr. Edwards protest's very earnestly against the destruction of birds'-nests and the trap ping of song' birds by men and boy., by which thousands of birds are destroyed every year. A Python. A sportsman who penetrated into the jungle lying between Buddoh and Stran goon came upon a lone hut, in a district called Campong Batta, upon the roof of which the skin of an enormous boa or py thon was spread out. The hut was occu pied by a Malay and his wife, who told the sportsman the following extraordinary story: One night, about a week previous the Malay was awakened by the cries of his wife. Supposing in the darkness that she had been attacked by thieves, he seiz ed his sharp parang and grdped his way to her sleeping place where his hand fell upon a slimy reptile. It was fully a minute be fore he coult comprehend the entire situa tion, and -when he did be discovered that the whole of his wife's arm had been dra'n down the monster's throat, whither the upper part of her body was slowly but surely following. Not daring to attack the monster at once for fear of causing his wife's death the husband seized two bags within reach and commenced stufUng them into the corners of the snake's jaws, by means of which he succeeded in forcing then wider open and releasing his wife's'arm. No sooner had the boa Icst his prey than he attacked the husband, whom lie began encircling in his fatal coils, but, holding out both arms and watching his opportunity, the man attacked the nonster so vigorously with his parang that it suddenly unwound itself and vanished thi'ough an opening be neath the attap sides of the hut. The Malay's clothes were covered with blood, as was also the floor of the hut, and his wife's arm was blue with tihe squeezing it received between the boa's jaws. At day light the husband discovered his patch ,:' plantain trees nearly ruined,, the boa hav ing in his agony broken off the trees at the roots, and in the midst of the debris lay ne monster dead. The lalny stated that he had realized $60 from Chinese, who came long distances to purchase pieces of the flesh on account of its supposed medi cinal properties, and that he had refused $6 for the skin, which he preferred to retain as a trophy. The Largost Alan in America,. Lewis Rockwell, aged 102 years, lives in a ricketty old house in Pike county, Pa., not far fron Tafton. He is the eldest of a family remarkable for the longevity of its members. Of the. Rockiweli family there are eight brothers and sisters yet liv ing. They are: Lewis Rockwell, aged 102 years; Abram Rockwell, 95 ; Mrs. Anne Wells, 83; liss Sallie Rockwell, 79; Eliza Rockwell, 77; Alrs. Phoibe Gainsford, 75; Mrs. Katharine Brown, 83; and Alre. Lu cinda Valentine, 80; The aggregate age ol this family is 643 years, or an average of over 80 years each. In spite of the fact that old Lewis Rockwell has many rich re lations, he has been thrown upon the town, and he is now nearly the only "town charge" in the county. Lewis Cornelin , - di . some vsra ago, - . of tihe Rockwell family. 11e was at one time the largest man in America, being considera bly larger than the celebrated Daniel L'ii 'bert, Barnum's giant. Mr. Cornelius' di mensions are entered upon the record books in the Prothonotary's. offlce, at Milford, Pike county, as follows: Lewis Cornelius, born 1794; height,- six feet; circumference below waist, eight feet two inches; circum ference above waist, six feet two and one half inches; circumference of arm above elbow, two feet two inches; circumference of arm below elbow, one foot nine inches; circumference of wrist, one foot three in ches; ciscumference of thigh, four feet two inches; circumference of calf of ldg, two feet seven inches; circumference ot ankle, one foot seven inches; weight, with out any clothing whatever, 0451 pounds. This is the only authentic record of Mr. Cornelius' size extant. As lie had been sick somepline, lie loat over fity pounds of his weight; lie was not weighed uiitil after his dheath, and in full health wiouild have tippied the scales at 700 hpounds. Ihis wife was a very slight woman and weighed just 100 pounds. Th'ley had three sons, whose wecighit wvas 8.15 pounds, an average of 272 pounds each. The only surviving son1, Jolhn Cornelius, now weighs S8t) A Test, of H~ullting Stones. Dr. Cuittmng, the State Geologist of Ver mont, has concludled the unique series of tests of the fire-resisting qualities of buildiner stones. lie declares, in substance, tiiat, no known natural stone decserves the name of lire-proof. Conglomerates auid slates have "nio capability" of standing heat; granite is injured beyond cheap or easy repair by even so mild a heat as that which imeits lead; sandstone, includinug the variet.1 called brown-stone, are better, and ihnestones are p~erhiaps the best in this respect. But even they are injtiud by continuous heat of 900 deg., andl at 1,200 are changed into quick lime. Tlherefore it would seem that no storne buildings are lnre-proof, and~ some of them, D'r. Cutting even says, are as much damaged by fire, as wooden structures are. Brick, on the contrary, is usually uninjtired and is of ten rather imp~rovedl by heat until it is melted. But as most buildings are trimmed with iron or stone, the damage is often considerable, even when the walls stand. Tro avoid this Dr. (jutling recomn mends soap-stonle trimmings, which are open only to the objection of expense. Bt ailithogh brick stands heat so well, it is ob jectionable bcause its powver to resist pres sure, without crumbling fromr dlampiness or frost, is less dhan that of stone. Neverthe less, as brick is in fact onily a kind of arti ficial stone, the search for an idleal building material Is not hopeless, but it must lie p~rosectuted rather by the maker than by the qtarrier of stone. Frize Tobacco. A young mafi living on thle 11111, In Jer sey City, who was in the habit of buyIng a p~articuilar brand of tobacco at a certain cigar store, eptered and called for a papher oft the weed, lie was followed as lie en tered the door, by another man. The young man in question picked lip the par cel, then laid it down, remarking that lie was uiiiucky with that brand aiid would change oif to another, when lie might prob ably secure a prize. H~e took a paper of another manufacturer, and the store-keeper was about to replace the first paper m its box, whenm the second man said he guessed that was good enough for him. The two men opened their papers, when the young man found in his paper a new three-cent piece, and the other man found in the paper whlich the first had rejected an ordler for a gold locket. The young man wasn't very mad, but he declared that hereafter he would never change his brand, cirowth of the lair. There are three reasons why wonen's hair is longer than men's. First, she has no hair growth on her face, and so has a larger supply of hair-forming material for the scalp ; second, the diameter of her hair being larger, It is less liable to break ; third, being usually less engaged in mental labor or business worry, she has a more constant und even supply of blood to the scalp. In nations where the hair of the men is usually worn short, the fashion, of long hair in the male is regarded as a protest against church and state, and against general customs, taste and thought ; in Austria it is made a political offense to be so attired. The growth of the hair is the most rapid in the young and middle aged, and in those liv ing an outdoor life. At the age of eighty, if a man lives so long, and if his hair and beard have been close trimmed, lie has cut off six and a half inches of hair annually, or about thirty feet in all. The hair is the least destructible part of the body. The hair of the ancient Thtebaus is, alter a lapse of 4,000 years, found to have survived the tombs. The Pyramids and the Sphynx are crumbling, but some of the wigs of hunian hair, exposed to the mold and imois ture of their entombed apartments, are less decayed than the monuments themselves. There are three coloring pigmenits to the hair--yellow, red and black, and all the shades are produced by the mixture of these three colors. in pure gold yellow hair there is only the yellow pightent ; In red, the red mixed with yellow ; in dark, the black mixed with red and yellow; in the hair of the negro there is as much red )igment, as in the reddest hair, and had not the black been most developed-perhaps by the action of the sun-the hair of all tiegroes would be as fiery a red as the red (lest hair of an Englishman. An Appeal to Honor. Several weeks since a prisoner was re ceived at the Detroit House of Correction who seemed determined to have his own way at every cost. In twenty-four hours lie was in disgrace for obstreperous con duct, and he was no sooner out of one scrape than le got himself into another. lie was locked up, tied up and punished in different ways, and the other day when lie committed somiie new breach of disci pline the deputy called him into the oflico in despair, and began : "John, how long have you been here?" "Two months." "llow ipany times have you been ptun ished V'' "About a dozen times, I guess." "And still you are lazy and impudent and quarrelsome?" "It isn't for me to dispute you, sir?" "I've been thinking over your case," colintiued the deputy, "and I have coin cluded to put you in charge of the small pox hospital. You are too lazy to catch Mu maeuse. 11m1i LUo miieana to let anybody else have what you can't. Uet your traps together." ''Say deputy," replied the man, as his eyes began to bulge, '"this is the llrst time since 1 ve been here that you have ap pealed directly to mly honor. When I was ordered and conmnanded and com pelled, I felt aggravated and obstinate. Now that you appeal airetly to my Sense of honor and dity, I shall cheerfully obey. I think I can paint more chairs than iny three men in the shop." S'You do ?" "I do, sir, and I'll prove it." 1le was given a chance, and lie basu't given occasion for reprimands since. J3rencriast Chocoiate. From its large proportion of albumen, is the most nutritive beverage, but at the same time, from its quantity of fat, the most dliileult to digest. Its aromatic qualiti( a however strengthen the dligestion. A cup of cof'Yee is an excellent restorative and iinvigorating ref reshmnent even for weak p~ersons, providled their dligestivye organs are nmot, too dlelicate. Uardinal Richelieu at tributed to chocolate his health anid hilarity duirine his later years. 'Tea and coffee (10 not afford this advantage. Albumen in Lea leaves, and legumin in coffee gr-unds tire represcnted in very small proponrtions. The praise of tea andl coffee as nutritive sub stances, therefore, is .haurdly wva ranted. Tlea andl coffee, thoutrh of theniseives not (dhflicult of digestion, tendl to disturb time dligest ion of~albumi nous suibst anices preci pi tating thenm from the dlissolved state. MIlk, therefore, if taken in tea or coffee, is more dillIcult of dligestion thani if takeii alone. Withiout, milk it promotes dligestion by in creasing the secretion of the'dissolving juices. The volatile oil of coffee, and the emplyreumatic and~ aromatic niatters of the chocolate accelerate the circulation, which, on the other hatid, is calmed by tea. 'Tea andi coffee stinmlato the activ ity of the brain and nerves. Teca, it Is said, icreases the p)ower of digesting the impilressions we have received, creates a thorough medlitatlin, and in spite of the movement of thoughts, permits time at tention to be fixed on a certain subject. On the other hand, if tea is taken to ex cess, it causes ain increasedi Irritation of the nerve'i, characterized by sleeplessiiess, with a general feeling of restlessness and trembling of the limbs. Coffee, too, if taken in excess, p~rodumces sleeplessness andl many baneful effects very similar to those arising from tea drmnking. Codtee also produces greater excitemenit, and~ a sensation of restlessness anid heat ensues. For throwing off this condition fresh air is the best antidiote. An iron Mountalin, Bince the earliest ages the Iron of Rio Elba, has been worked, without being in the slightest degree exhausted. It, is a mountain about five hunidred feet ini height, composed of iron ore. In the vicinity are other almost equally rich velins; and among thenm the Calaitt, which Is the true Mag netic MountaIn. The Etruscans were the first, to carry off the mineral ; they trans ferred at to Populomunm, to whose territory the island belonged, and there the iron was smelted. Theli want of wood prevented the operation being perf ormied in .Elba, and even at the present, day, the ore has to be carriedl to .1%ples, Genoa, Marseilles, or iBastla. The mines of Rio are richer than those of Prince Demidoff In Siberia, and probably their equal cautot be found in the worild. At present they are worked by a Tuscan company, and produce about 115,. 000 tens annnally. Up to the present there has not been a shaft sunk, and thus, in all probability, the iron supply will be un failingr. In a French Mad-liouse. Tli mad patients at 13icotre present a curious study. Those who have read the thrilling romances which have been written, and pondered over the stories told, about the celebrated well which goes down deep into tha bowels of the earth, may, perhaps, be tempted to imagnio that truth is stran ger than fiction. Dr. Legrand du Soulle, who has charge of the lunatics,might write memoirs \vhich, as far as sensational details are concerned, would place the works of Paul Feval, Emile Gaboriau and Ponson du Terrail i the shade. The general aspect of the wards does uotidiffer very materially fromi that of other asylums. There is the same strident laughter, the same heart breaking sobsthe weird singing and shricks. The sublime touches the ridiculous, anil Bicetre has its celebrities. There is one patient-an attenuated Italian-who be lieves lie is destined to become a great man, and that. wealth and honor will accrue to him from the clarionet he sucks at .for hours without producing a sound. lie was found wandering about the streets in a state of nudity. lie only speaks his moiher ton gue, at the warders say he is almost a ma chine, and that his brain is completely par alyzed. 'The old mau, with hardly a hair on his head, and madness in his eyes, who sidles up to the doctor, is asked to sing. The superintendent. keeus close to him, for lie is known to be very dangerous, and has to remain for days and days in a straight waistcoat. lie sings with a splendig tenor voice, reinding one of Garcia in his best days. The register of the innuites contains his name, that of a singer who in his time was a great favorite with the public, lie had his share of success at the opera house in the Rue le Peletierbut few of tliouc who applauded himl there would be able to re cognize him now. Another patient has had his reason unseated by spiritualism. lie sets faces in the air, and points up to them, while others of his c impanions perpetually hear the voice of some one caliing them, and sit ur stand with their heads bent for ward, as if anxious to catch the sound. 'The prevailing idea has remained. Every other feeling and sentienthiutis been blunt ed. Nothing can move niest of them from their stolid indiflerence to everything which is going oi around them until the one chord is struck, and then their whole being ap pears to become animated. Soic imiagine that they have become ma chines, others that they are dead, while one man is a confirmed monomaniac. Ilia mad nless onsists in an unconiquerabie desire to be buried alive and before h was sent to the asylum lie nearly mainiaged to cheat the doctors by feigning death. Now and then he lies motionless in his tied, with his eyes closed, refusing to take nourishment of any kind, lie his had to be fed by the stom.. ach-puip, and his joy is intense when the attendants iiimagie that lie is really dead. lie springs up from his couch and asks for food, which lie devours in a most ravenous manner, but he onl y renounces for the time being his favorite idea, Thte annals of Bice tie containeid the record of a man who fre quently simulated deatli for the purpose of rotting a little fresh air, as he said. Inl those days the mad were treated like wild beasts. 'l'here was only one bed for every eight patients, and four slept while four watched. Every now and then some poor creature, fascinated by the calm, mirror like appearance of the well, threw hiimself in and eided a long life of suffering. The man in question, more cunning than his colleagues,shiaimied death, and was sewed i) in a shroud-coillms were not then given to paupers-anid taken to the cemetery. When lie reached the grave lie gave uniis takable signs of life and was released. 1le managed to cheat the doctors and the su perintendents so cleverly that when lie (lied lie w as not buried until some days af terward, as it was though lie had imuito up his miindt to have another ccursi n. D-an. gerous lunatics arc shut by themiselves in cells approaced~ by a few steps, surround~ edI by stout iron bars, with a space between them suflict to give passage to the wari dlers. These cells remind one of the wild beast, cages in the J ardin (lea Plaiites. Now and then, when the lucid moments comie round, they are let out andt permnittedl to take exercise in the court-yard. Among the criminai lunatics is an unfortunate air tist, who some time since made a ni iuie for hinmselt in the annals of crime, 1ie enteredi a restaurant, orderedl his dinniler, and in the idst of lis meal plunmged his knife into the bosomn of tihe unfortunate wonman, his victim. She dropp~ed down deadl, and lie suffered himaselt to be (quietly airrestedl, ad( nitting that lie had niever seen her before, but had given wvay to an unconquierable de sirei to see her blood, lie sits sketching all day long. llis face is (drawnm, his hair unkempt, and his eyes arie dull and lustre less, while a sad sadle hiits about his mouth as his p~encil travels along over the papiler. The dloctor touched him on the shoulder and~ told him to bring oiie or two of his drawings, lie hunted for a mute or two undler the blaniket of h'is bed, and( then pro0 dluced thren excellent, designs of the heads of somne lovely woman. It, was upossible to pass over the talent dIislayedl without simic complimentary remark bieing made. A ilattering trIbute of piraise was paid to the amiet, wvho said that lie couldJ do even miore if lie had the good fortune to be free. 'What would you do?" asked the doctor. "1 would bleed Some amore women," re plied thme maniac, his head bending forward and his eyes illuminated with hiden lire. Tlhe case of this unhappy creature is not an isolated one, for among the patients who arc seat, by the government none ever forget the pienchant which, once givenm way to, caused their 80ocia1 ruIn. Arrtilohai Iudigo. Artinicial indigo is now prepar'ed, accord ing to Aberbach's niow and suiccessful mneth od, by mixing together andl heating mnod crately 0one part, of dry mononitroalizarin, live parts ,of concenitratedl sulphuric acid, andi one andl a half p~arts of glycerine 1,263 specIfic gravity. Rleaction coininenices att 107 degrecs.C. andi becomes violent, the temperature rising to 200 degrees; much frothring takes place, willh ovoluitioni of sul phluric acid andi acrolein. Thme whole mass, whieii frothing has subsided, is pouared into water, boiled up, and filtered, the residuie being boiled out three or four times with dilute sulphuric acidh. The mixture filtrates are allowca to cool, and blue separates In browni crystals; these are purilled, by mix ing with water, and addciing borax till the solution becomes brownish violet-the blue with the boric acid forming an Insoluble compound. 'The residue is washed, de composed with an acidl, and the pure blue obtained by this means as a violet silky naste NEWS 1 BRIEF. -A now railroad io proposed between Beaver and Somerset, Pa. -it cost Philadelphia $50,000 to sup. port its almshouse patients. -Gustave Dore is working hard at illustrations of Shakespeare. -Gotha In Germany has a crematory where a cremation cost but $10. -T'he grain crop of Italy is this year larger by one-third than in 1879. -in the United States there aro 532, 550 Freemasons in good standing. -1ni the international billiard match Vignaux beat blosson by 39 points. -Texas is adding about one thou sand personi to its population daily. -Fine specimena of pure plumbago have been found in Cherokee County, Go. -One hundred and forty-eight mil lion copies of the Bible have been printed. -An ordinary elephant eats five bushels of corn and 400 pounds of hay per day. -Kansas made 16,905,344 pounds of butter and 708,447 pounds of cheeso last year. -Pttsborg glass factories send their wares to China and Japan in large quantities. -The turritory of China Is nearly six times greater than that or the United States. -Louislana has set aside $20,000 to supply her crippled soldiers with wooden'limbs. -It is proposed in Allegheny city to elect one womai in each ward as a school director. -Tie American Union Telegraph Coinpany has contracted for two new Atlantic cables. -A vigilance committee is forming at Nevada City to rid the place of no torious characters. -Over one thousand printing presses have been shipped from Philadelphia to France since 1870. -Christian K. Ross, father of the missing Charley, has spent $60,000 in trying to find his ,on. -John MleCullough, it is said, sent Miss ihelen Tracy a Ciriutnas present in the shape of $1,100. -Senator Hamlin Is one of the oldest and Senator Bruce the youngest of the members of the Senate. -The Duke of Aosta. once King of Spain, now lives in Turin, and is a widower with three little sons. -'ihe Caniidiains are startled by an Increase ot' $9,500,000 in tie public lobt of the Dominion for the fiscal year. -Du ring the tlical year ending June, 1380, 75,430, Gnadilans crossed the bord"% and settled in tle United States. -Unra' nationai debt, In silver dollars, could be removed by rail only with the a Id of 5,660 cars, carrying 10 tons each. Queei Victoria has erected a memor ial to her daughter the late Princess Alice In the mna.leum of Frogmore. -Jay Gould's latest acquisition gives him control of 10,000 mi les of railroad, one-niith of all we have in the coun try. --Tie disturbed condition of Ireland hus induced the empres3 of Austria to give ip her hunting box in the Green Isle. --Conneaitville, Pa., shipped thirty 'ix thousand pounds of cheese to Pitt - )II'g the week ending December 31. 1880. -The fund of $100,000 raised by the Philmadelpiais for General Grant is completed and awaits the General's order. -The new Academy of Muie at Shenandoah wvas opened by Wood's d ratmntii combination, from Philadol p~hia recently. -Th'le large number of 11,115 head of Amernican cattle, enr'oute f'or 10nglish iports, were lost at sea, in three months ending Oztober 31. -Mirs. Jecssle Fremont has organ irzed classes in history among tihe grown imp sons8 and daughters of Door settlor.s in Arizona. -Notwithstanding the ticket war, the Illinois Central road has hpaid into tihe State treasury $202.500098 for the six months ending Odt. 31, -Joseph Sellgman, the New York hanker, gave away $25,000 on Christ mas day $1,000 each to ten p~ublic chari ties, anid $500 each to thIrty. -The Wesalovan Coiiferenoe of Eng land reports 438,711 members, 37,245 on trial, 2,023 mInisters, besides 3*1 super nutmerarios, andh 328 on trial. -Young Wilhelm smsiark, the son of the German chancellor, is about to mamrry Counitess Irma Andrassy, the daughter of the Austrian statesman. -A rough estimate of the extent of the trade in wild game of St. Louis for the past year places the total aniount, of' transactions at $1,000,000. -Los Angeles County, with 5,073 torus of laind in vines, raised In 1880, 53,000,000 pounds of grapes, making 2,500,000 gallons of wumle and 3J0 of brandy. -For the week ending Dec. 18th 1880, the number of standard silver doullar's distributed was 418,902. For the corresponding week in 1879 thme number wvas 434,900. -Large cotton factories are to be bull t at Charleston, Vioksburg and Louis ville, Southern capitalists are becom lng convinced that they can nmnuf'ac tiure as well a's raise cotton. -Th'le British Postal Tieegraph Ser vice,which was estimated to produce a net revenue of ?450,000, is now likely to turn in at least ?500,000, which will yhiid 5 per cent on the whole invest muen t. -Tihe annual savings of France are sstimiated at $000,000,000, and those of Ctreat .Britain and~ the United States at $1,200,009,000 ouch, making for the three countries $3,000,000,000 por an n um. --Preparations for the coming cen sus of 1881 in London are being active ly pushed. it is antibipated that the returns will reveal a striking increase in the nopulation of tihe metropolis, whieh .as:.ot now be far short of 1,000,000. --The St. Gothard tunnel was to be ready, according to the origlnndi eon tract, on Out. 1, 1880; bust untooked-for difflculties have caused the contractors to petition for a delay ot' two years and the lines of access to its mnouth will not be completed until July, 18$2,