The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, April 05, 1900, Image 1
* .
TRI WEEKLY EDITIGO.L WINNSBORO. S.C.. APRIL 5.900.,SALSH 84
- - -*
WHAT THE CAR
With a scream of the whistle our farewell I
said,
And into the blackness of night we sped I
On u"nd on,
Atthedawn;
k L. ir ci- > sky where the stars burned red; I
Past aills that stood where the snows were
shed, 2
Ghostly white as the shrouded dead;
On and on
To meet the dawn: 2
True-hand at the throttle and hope ahead!
The steel rails ringing
The swift wheels singing:
"To kith and kin, 0 hearts that roam- C
In vine-wreathed cot, and marble dome,
Over the world we bear you home!"
Whirled through the dark where the black
steed drives C
Are joys and sorrows of human lives;
Laughter and weeping,
And children sleeping
On the breusts of glad mothers; and wistful
wives :
The clank of chains and the grip of gyves!
Onand on
To meet-the dawn
Where Light the soul of 1hZDarkness I
shrives
The.steel rails ringing
The mad wheels sinring:
"To gloam or gladness,O hearts that roam
To darkened dwelling or marble dome
Over the world we bear you home !"
-Fran
BY A HAIR'E
Anm Ol0d M.jaid
Viss Selina sat knitting and hum- I
ming softly to herself in the tiny'
porch in front of the house where she I
dwelt supreme mistress. The golden t
sunshine darted through the rustling
vines and flashed upon the swiftly i
moving fieedles,sending dazzjing rays
in every direction. C
Oh, Miss Selina," cried a high, x
clear voice, "do stop knitting for a
minute. I am nearly blinded." Down -
dropped the work,as Miss Selina hast- e
ily spraug forward to meet this most <
welcume visitor. r
"Come in,dear; come in," she cried.
"It's nire and cool here on the porch, 2
and I have been baking those nice I
seed cakes you like so much." 3
"You're an angel," responded the
girl, as sh3 kissed the cheek where I
time had furrowed a few wrinkles as
-year posts for nearly half a century. t
"But even seed cakes won't console'c
me,for we are going home tomorrow."
"For the land's sake, child," ex- i
hostess;genuinely g--ieved; S
% ond:sy*&. N ought- thatN
u would.5e here. another month, at :
ast. Is anything the matter?" It
"6h, oil ohi- ..1d '.o ; L y
ma a has a tonh of eumatism
and'is afraid to 'h-ve any more east
winds. Oh, dt r, iow can I go and
leave all this bc.nd?" and as she
spoke the girl gazed over the cliff
where the little hotse stood like a sig
nal tower, n ross the smiling ocean,
where the a -ing waves were crested
with foam 4 uey frolicked with the
refreshing wind.
"Such a perfect blue and gold day
as it is. It seems to me it grows hard
er each year to go back to the prim,
sedate, old city. What shall I do
when there is no more fishing or row
ing or bathing'or anything?" and the
gir-l leaned bac-k, with a slight cloud
on the usually sunshiny face. "Where
area you going, Miss Se':"
"Aftsr the cakes, dear," and Mis
-Selina vanished, with a step as light
as a girl's.
But even the cakes fai!eI to banish
the girl's unwonted mood0(, and Miss.
Seiina felt at her wit's end.
"See here, dearie," she said at
last, "I know it is hard to leave now,
wh :n it is all so lovely, but you
wouldn't like to stay here all winter."
"Wouldn't I, though," put in the
go!.
*"That is easy to say, but sometimes
when I look out of the windowvs I
really wish I lived somewhere else. It
is gr'ay and white and angry, and the
clouds hang so heavy over it. Then
the surf comes to the shore,as though
it wanted to tear it away and drown
everybody it hadn't got already." Miss
Selina shivered, and the girl impulsive
ly turned toward her friend.
"Don't, Miss Se, please. It is aw-1
fully mean of me to make you think
of these things. I wonder that you
don't hate the sea, after all the harm
it has done you."
"Hate it? No, child; even though
it has my father and brothers in its
keeping, and somehow it makes me
feel as though I were doing something
for the daughters and sisters w ho-arel
watching e :d waiting everywhere, by
-outting my lamp where it will show
all night. They call it the Selina
light, you know. But come,we won't!
be solemn any longer. Tell me what
you are going to do this winter-, now
that you are a young lady."
"I don't know,I am sure. I wanted
to go to college, but mamma says she
cannot spar~e her only gili, so I will
have to content mysef at home. How,
I am not sure, unless I become a pro
fessional hail-dresser, which is really
the only thing for which I seem to
have any talent. Oh, Miss Se, won't
you please let me do your hair up for
you. You have such pretty pink
cheeks and nice hair that you will be
a beauty when I have finished it."
"For~ land's sake, child, what put
that ridiculous idea into your head?,
Why, I have done my hair this way
for 'years, and it wouldn't seem natu
ral in any other fashion."
"Then it is high time you changed,
-Mi ss Se. You want a pompadour in
stead of drawing it straight back.
--. Come and let me try. I won't touch
the seissors or,6curling tongs."
Miss '4elina never corld refase the
girl anything,and obediently went in,
with many inward misgivings as to
the result
-Sit down here, mum," cried the
girl, dragging a low seat before the
old-fashioned~ mirror and seating her
.Ctm theron. In a minute Miss
NHEELS SANG.
here are hearts that listen- with hope and
fear
or the signal shrill of the engineer:
That throb and thrill
At that signal shrill,
oes it bring them the rose or the rue to
wear ?
he song, the sigb, or the burning tear?
On and on
To meet the dawn
'he black night dies, and the hills stand
clear!
"What are you bringing,
O swift wheels singing
daisied meadow and dew-sweet loam?"
The hearts that hunger-the hearts that
roam
iver the world we bear them home !."
id friends, old lovers, in a rapture wild
:iss of the mother and clasp of the
child -
The night is gone
We have met tne dawn:
,ever so glaily the -;weet sun smiled l
;ever the spirit of Night beguiled
The hand so true.
That the throttle knew
;earing the burden of mother and uhild
On and on
To the joy o' the dawn!
Vith ever that song to the hearbs that
roam
-To vine-wreathed cot and marble dome
)Yer the world we bear you home !".
k L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitution. T
1 BREADTH.
S 1i Ulmance. $
elina's severely smooth plaits were
[own and the girl brushing the satiny
DCks with many an exclamation at
heir length and beauty.
In a quaiter of an hour Miss Selina
vas transformed.
"Why, yez: naughty woman," ex
laimed the gi, as she stepped for
rard for a u: inspection. "So one
rould take you for a day over 30.
Zow that you know how to do it prop
rly, don't let me see you with it any
ther way. It's like the poem that
einarked, 'They made believe to fancy
ress by the way they did their hair.'
ow I have got to go and help pack,
ut, dear Miss Selina, please leave I
our hair that way, and if you can't
et it straight in the morning I will
ix it when I come to say good-by."
When the lively girl had vanished,
he little house grew doubly quiet by
ontrast, and Miss Selina felt herself
trangely lonely. It was due to the
apending parting with her favorite,
he concluded, a.d strox..to console
Lersflydun inigher already imm-c-t
3ate house and eatin- her 'solitary
thof e night, broken only
by the monotone of the waves upon
the sand, grew a!most unbearable.
It was a great relief when about 8
oclock Miss Selina heard a heavy foot
fall upon her neatly swept walk, and
knew that the captain had come to
call, as was his custom twice a week.
The captain was like Miss Selina-one
of the aristocracy of the little seaport,
and boarded sinpe his retirement from
active life with a widow not far fram
the little cottage on the clifr. He had
sailed with Miss Selina's father on his
last ill-fated voyage, and this made a
keen bond of sympathy between the
lonely man and woman.
But th:s evening some intuition
made the captain pause and glance in
at the open window iefore entering.
The lhttle room with its collection
of quaint and curious objects, t!otsam
from a score of foreign trips, was the
sane, but his eyes were rive:ed upon
Niss Selina.as she leaned expectantly
forward waitingfor- his kno.ck. Some
indefinable change had passed o er
her, but without pausing to analyze
the change, the captain shook otf his
bewilderment and entered the parlor,
which was well nigh- filed with his
tall, portly form.
"G3oodl evening, Miss Selina," he
renarked, sealing himself in a big
rocker, which had by mutual co.nsent
been eeded to him. "I was feeling
lonesome and came here to find some
pleasant company. How very well you
look tonight,:) lhe finished gallantly.
Miss Sesina started,then thought of
her hair anid flushaed a most becoming
pink.
The captain always said that the
bush tinally settled the question that
for somec months had lurked in his
mind. For some occuilt ieason he
could not forget how charming she
had looked, and thoughts of Miss Se
lina intruded into every turn the con
versation took.
When he spoke of the sea it sudden
ly raade him recall how umuch sorrow
it had brnought upon her life. and was
the direct cause of her loveliness.
In discussing the shing'ing of the
minister's roof he remembered that
Miss Selina had said that her roof
leaked in the last storm, and that she
must hire some one to repair it,as she
could hardly di) it alone.
When the famous seed cakes were
brought out the captain thought of the
soggy gingerbread at his own table
and mentally drew invidious compar
isons. The very neatness of the room
made him recall how very careless h's
landlady was growing, and above all
he could not help contrasting the
frowsy widow with the tr-im figure and
pink tinged face before him, which
time and misfortune had failed to
change for the worse, and which had
suddenly become doubly attractive.
As the captain meditated upon these
matters a tiny caraway seed sta ted
the poor man choking in a startling
manner.
Miss Selina, who had the tenderest
heart alive, sprang up and hastened
to the closet,where she kept her rare
ly used restoratives.
Ujnfortunately, however, the little
lady in her excitement entirely forgot
that her hair was a trifle higher than
she had ever worn it befor-e, and as
she stood on tip-toe and reached for
ward to lift a bottle from a shelf, an
nnwaev movement brought her against
t projecting nail, and in an instanr
ihe was fi mly caught.
Poor Miss Selina was indeed in a
;redicament. One hand grasped the
big bo,tle, the other the edge of the
ibelf, and she could not touch her
ieels to the floor without fairly tear
Eng her hair out by the roots.
"Steady, steady," cried the captain,
is he re overed from his little misad
renture with the seed and realized his
hostess' pl ght. "Just hol Ion a min
ate till I get there," and he sprang
,oward the closet with a Lelerity which
5arprised himself.
"Can't you unloosen my hair?" fal
tered Aliss Selina, thank ul that the
-loset was dark enough to hide her
burning face. "I think you can get
it away from the nail wilho A much
trouble."
But the captain's clupsy fingers
made sad work with the tangled
'resses, until, finally, losing ratience,
he boldly lifted Miss -elina in his
arms and slipped her away from the
angerouspro.etion. It was no faint
rose jJush which swept over 'ise
Selina at that master stroke of policy,
but the captain failed to see any need
for an apology. In his own heart hE
thought he should apologize to himself
for putting her down so soon.
When Miss Selina felt herself once
more upon her feet she started for the
door with a hasty word that she would
be back in a minute, but, to her
aMazIment, the captain stepped in
front of her with a masterful air,which
somehow had a soothing effect upon
lthe little lady who for many long years
had had no taste of mas.:uline protec
tion.
"Don't go yet, Selina," he said,aud
Miss elina's heart fairly stoodstill at
his words. It was a long time since
anyone had called her by her name
withint the prefix, so strong was the
:Ustom.
.L want to say something that I
have been thinking of a long ti-ne,
and never seemed to have a goo
cha ice to say it. It isn't right fo':
you to be all alone here. Suppose
you had been caught when nobody
was around, you'd have likely b>een
hanging in the morning. I know I'm
groing old," the captain sighed, and
isq Selina involuntarily shook her
head. Speech was beyond her, and
he plucked up his courage again. "But
1 think I am good for some time, and
I come of an old stock. I have sone
money put away, and,and,well,Selina,
it may a und foolish for a gray-haired
man to say, but I lovq. you, au d1
waht7u to7-be-iy wiffe
Miss Selina, however, failed to see
anything either amu-t f .S
this middle-ag ance. he looked
before her, and read
in the kindly bue eyes a confirmatiou
of what the stony lips had told.
There was a second's silence, while
like lightning the th<.nght flashed
through her mind that never, even it
that censorious little town,bad a wore
been spoken against the captain, and
the thought of a long succession o:
lonely evenings like 1he one ju.
passed, with no hope of the comiuc
of a guest whose advent had beet
most eagerly anticipated, madeher fioic
out her hand.
"Captain," she said, slowly; "cap
tain,I like you very much."
"But nit enough to marry me?'
asked the capt.ain, in a tone of suel
deep disappointment that Miss Eel.nz
threw all scruples to the wind.
"Oh, yes, quite enough for that,'
she answered, softly.
QUAINT AND CURIOUS.
The largest stockyards in the worli
are in Chicago. The combined plant
repres.ent an investment of more tha:
$io,000, 000. The yards contain :2
miles of streets, 20 miles of wate:
troughs, 50 miles of fee ting trough
and 75 miles of water and drainag<
troughs. The yards are capable o
receiving and handling daily 20I,r:0
cattle 2o, 000 sheep, and 120,000 hogs
The Siran Thibetans' form of an
cestor worship is.oue that appeals t<
our sense of the ludicrous more that
it does to our sense of sole:nnity
T wiee a year they dig up the bone
of their ancestors and reve:'cntly sern
them. These bones are the oh ect c
great veneration, and are seized-upoi
by creditors or enemies, leaving 'ih
descendants shorn of honor till the;
1:o recovered. The larger the boner;
the greater the social status of th<
descendant. How fortunate it is fo
us that the honor of our lineage can
not be snatched fro:n us, by our cred
tors, in the bones of our ancestors.
IIn Prague there exists a goos
"bourse," where yearly 3,000,0
geese change hands. Its most activ
time lasts from the middle of Septen
ber till the first days of Novembei
During this time immense flockse
geese are driven into the suburbs
especially from the districts lying o
the left bank of the Weischer. As th
geese are driven in from long diF
tances they are "shod;" that is to say
walked repeatedly over patches of ta
mixed with fine sand. This forms
hard cru-t on the feet of the geese
and they are able to cover imnmens
distncswithout fatigue.
In Hungary they fish in the winte
as well as in the summer. The fishe:
man outs holes in the ice, puts ni
little frasnes, to which his fish line
ae fastened, builds a haystack in th
centre to sit upon, and waits for th
fish to catch themselves, when a littl
bell that is fixed on each frame ring!
A shellfish of the Mediterr anean ha
the poiver of spinning a viscid sill
which, in Sicily, is made into a ver
handsome fabric. The silk is spn
by the shellfish for the purpose<
attaching itself to the rocks. Tfh
matrial is gathered at low tid.
washed in soap and water, drief
saihtanned and carded
AMERICAN DIAMONDS.
CHILDREN AT PLAY MAY DISCOVER
VALUABLE GEMS.
Specimens Foun:l-bout the Great Lakes
-The Likelihood of Their Hav ng
Been Deposited There by Glacial Move
inent-L:,cation of the Original Fields.
A problem of great interest to geol
ogists is the occurrence of di'atonds
in the united States, and while it is
haiily possible. tnat these precious
stoawiil ever1e found in any one
locality in sucl. abundance as in
South Africi, yet, accordiug to au
thorities who have given considerable
thought to the sub,ect, there is no
ieason why they should not be ds
covered froa titne to time in certain
sections of the esantry.
Diamonds have t>een discovered
during the last few years in the neigh
borhood of the great lakes, princi. ally
in the state of Wis:onsin, and the
first discovery recorded was at Eagle,
Waukesha county, in 1876. Since
that time 17 well-identified dia
monds, weighing from -one-ha!f of a
carat to 21 1-4 ciarats have been found
about the great lakes, and ther dis
covery has given rise to considerable
speculation and the formulating of
theories which, if correct, not only
explain the presence of the stones,
but also indicate the possibility of ad
ditional finds in -the future.
The first diamond- to be found in
the region of Waake-ha was brought
to light in digging a welL. The stone
was given to tire wife of the farner
occupying the troperty, who subse
quently sold it to a Milwaukee jeweler
for $1. The I tter submitted the
stone to a minralogist for examina
tion, and it was found to be a dia
mond of a palejyellow color. It was
subsequently sold to Tiffany & Co.,
in whose collectioa it now reposes. A
later discovery pf note was made on
1-lum Creek, in Pierce-county, where
some prospectTrs looking for gold
found in 1887, 188 and 1889 a num
ber of dianVs varying from two
carats in weiiu& -to microscop,c size.
Several of these.arealso in the Tiffany
collection, and-re either yellowish or
white slightly ,inged with yellow, or
grayish green o 1-4irgest diamond
on record A .this'section weighs
21 1-1 carats t is of -a pale yellow
color. It wa und by a farmer of
Kohlsville, fington county, Wis.,
while p Jo iSaow0ned:by
is Widow; - cine wa .examinej
by Pr-oessor -. Hobbs of the Jni
ersity of \ onsin and was de
sdlf k by -in several scientific
--a Ic. rts
sOn -uaTs ' -al rep )rts
es un i3
In ad lition t es
Wisconsin, the ' also record of th(
discovery of d uds in Michigan
and Ohio. The chigan stone wa;
found at Dowa c, Cass county, ir
the glacial dri . The Ohio stone,
whi.h was disovered at Milford,
Clermont county, was of very fint
quality, and was cut as a brilliant b3
its purchaser. It was found by tw<
little girls and weighed six carats,
being of the purest water. DurinE
the last five years diamondshave be..r
-discover-ed at the rate of about one
y -ar, an:i the geo.ogists who are in
te -ested in the question believe th~
i people, particularly childr-en, woul
be on the look out for the stones
many more would be recoirded.
IAn examination of the localitie
where dianionds have been found an
the consider ation of the various geo
logic-al conditions have led to the con
elision th-at the diaads have t.eei
b ought to their present locations b;
the a::tion of great glaciers in pas
agae.
ThCie theory advanced is that the dia
monds in preglacial times were separ
ated from the matrix, or coveri
rock, anid were deposited in valley
fnear the source of the ice movement
According to the geological evidenc
there were two invasions of the ice
and as t1:ce have been no diamond
found in the material transpo.-ed il
the fir-st of these, it is l elie' el. tha
the material in which the diamond
.were embelded was not affected b;
the first, but was carried along by th
second movement. To locate th
origin it is necessary to follow th
fproi>able paths of the transported dir
mon ds backward, and it will be foun<
that they meet in a common centre il
Labrador, east of James Bay. Tb
eological survey of Canada has fixe
the centre of the ice mantle tha
efected .the glaciation of the grea
- lakes also in this locality, and it seem
- as if the two centres were in proxinu
ity. According to Professor Hobb
(to whom is due the collection of mne
of the informuation,-on this subject:
considerable original resear-ch and th
) examination and study of the dii
a monds alrea'ly found, there are sei
eral lines of inves:igation to be pui
. saied before the home of the diamon
fcan be located with accuracy. C
, vese the geological study of th
country surrounding Hudson ba.a
e -.a a view to determining the movi
', to the sou.h and east of the grei
*r lakes are moraines somewhat simili
to those on the west, and a searchifc
, diamonds should be made in then
particularly in the marginal moraine
the transported stones would be mo:
likely to be deposited. It is also
matter of importance to ascertai
whether there are dia:nonds in tia
moraines of Ohio, weste ni New Yor
s an1 western Pennsylvania, as in suc
an event it would prove that the fa
e of distribution extended further i
e the east, and that its apex must 1
- very near the centre of Labrador nev<
sor ice summit.
', With the growth of geological k-now
edge and the i-ease of the data 01
n :ained by the discove y of new spec
I uens or on field expeditions in norti
S e n Canadla, there ' wi 1 be an add
a tional amonnt of inte-est lent to sh
subject, and with a view to stimula
a pmens dwelling in the dintric
concerned, particularly children In
their play about brooks and with their
pebb!es, to use their eyes in order to
make new and valuable discoveries, a
statement ha- been prel:ared for cir
culation in which the present condi
tion of our knowledge in regard to the
lake diamonds and the manner of dis
tinguishing them from quartz pebb.es
is set forth.-New York Post.
CURIOUS NAVAL SToRES.
Remarkable Equipment of a Ship for a
Thrve-Years' Cruise.
Any of the vessels of the Unitel
States navy, if stranded on an islan.1,
would fina al nost enough material in
her general stores to e tab.ish and
maintain a community on shore. Each
ship is so well equipped with a ma-s
of diversified material that she is able
to go on a thr4e-years' cruisz without
replenishing supplies, except of pro
visions and clothing. A vessel of the
battleship class carries fully one hun
dred tons of stores, tue vaine of which
would be half a milli,n doilars.
The lisc of naval stores for each
ship is prepared in the navy de att
ment, where tne expe.ience of many
years determines the needs of the sir
vice. Tue weight o( diXerent artic es
is carefully ascertained and the re ord
faithially preserved. Tue books ..
the depa:tment show, for instance,
the we.ght of the crauk-pin bolt of the
forward starbuard engine of the Ore
gon, or the weight of the saf.ty valve
of No. 1 auxiliary boiler. It is pos
sible for a naval engineer to take the
dianeter of a smoke-pipe and to trace
out the dimensions and general char
acteristics of the ship, just as the
scientists will take a fossil bone of an
extinct animal and furnish a picture
I or build a skeleton of it.
For convenience in ledger acconnts
the naval stores are divided into -2
classes, and they embrace every con
ceivable article likely to be neetled
during a three-years' term on board i
ship of war destined to visit strange
ports and to eneounter unusual con
diions. The possible needs of a
I naval ship have been very apt y anti
cipated, although the list will sbow
many articles which will strike an
outsider as curious. For instance, a
man on the iarm, who knows a vessel
only as a thing of masts and ropes,
would hardly expect to encounter on
shipboard plows, pitchforks, rakes,
spade', chicken coops, carriages and
wagons, carriage whips, carry. oins,
horse coilars, and mules and o en.
tiomefidea 'of the diversity -of vari
ous ariaJes classed under one head i
afforded by the item of brushes, oj
which these varieties are requi ed
Iartist's dar, bench, black.
In il*ind, b
hair, -cattle, r chisel, ein
painter's, coir; co.or, dus
tory, feather, feather dusti
floor, line, foundry, frescoe,
tips, glue, graining-combs,
hearth, horse, kalsomiin.P'
lamp chimoey, let '
mottler, ie.>ulder's, painter's,painter
dust, paste, pencil, roofing, saUl4
sash-tool, scrub, shaving,ship's sea i
ing, shore, sten--il, steel wire, stov4
streaking, sweeping, tar, tooth, tub4
varnish, wall, whitewash, winndov
-wire.
Another subject with many sides:
that of oil,of whi h the different kin
are armorer's tool, belt, boiled au
raw liuissed, cleaning, carboline, ca
bon, castor, clock, cocoannt, cotto2
seed, carne, cyiinder, engine, fisi
gargling, gasoline, hard fiIzish, ke-r
sene, lar-d, Iigniid cooler, lubricati
machine, Mecca, mineral, naphth;
natural, neat's-foot, olive, paraffil
.e:i-oleum, polishing, sperm, spindi
sweet, synovial, tea, vacuum, valv,
whale.
Art c es with quite widely separati
utility ar-e closely associate 1 in ti
alphabetical classification, so-netit<
to an interesting degr-ee, as when v
find that collins, clothespins, clarine
and clapboards are together,or gr-ave
gravy boats, Greek fir-e and gridirol
are gr-ouped in aniother- p!ace. TI
other curious items w.iich hellp nma
up a ship's equipment are andiron
drums, earrings (rigging),letter boxe
rags, razors, lap robes, umbrella
bread boxes, box openers, cat mea
coal breakers, cravats, corset lacin:
diamond-tools, devil's claws, dog vane
dynamite, fireworks, hour glasse
j ewshar-ps (pertaining to the anchoi
Jacob's laddlers, pedometers and r
traps. -Saturday Evening Post,
tLamnps for Night Marches.
An ingeniously constructed lanm
-designed by Mr. Scott-Moncrieff, h:
been ac;.epted by the war o:lice anthc
ities for use at the front and a lar;
number are being hurriedly co
structed for immediate dispat h. T]
lamp will be used by the troops di
ing night marches, and is design
--with a view to k.eeping large bodies
men in touch with each other
means of red, green and white ligh
which will be seen by those on t]
right and left and in the rear, but
light will be shown in front. In ads
itien to the small lamps carried by
certain percenta te of the men, lar:
central lamps will, if the idea is fon1
to be practicable, be carried as guid
to the entire force. Lor-d Rober-ts 1.
5approved the design.--Pall Mall Gi
ette.
a Car Driver Kept WVarn.
aOne of the interesting spec'acles
Sa cold night re -ently was furnished
a horse car upon Amsterdam avent
A searching wind was blowing whi
made e'en the thick ulster of t
>driver seem a scanty cover-ing. T
Scar had only a single passenger a
he was the conductor. The dris
had abdicated the chilly front ple
I- form and was sprinting alongside 1
- horses-.So long as the car was
i- sight the flying figure of the -JeLn i
a- seen neck to ne-ck wit-h his steeds.
- "Tfhat's a q1uainit specc:aele for
a up to date comnlunity," re:ma-ke<
- iti,.en as he followed the odd char
s I rae with his gavm
BOER FARMER AT 1OME1
HIS MANNERS, CUSTOMS AND CHIEF t
CHARACTERISTICS.
A Recently Returned Traveler Says the
Boer Has Been 310ch Masirn.!d-A De
,cription of His Home and Fasnily
His Hearty Treatmeat of the Stran.-'r. C
C
A traveler who recently returned
from South Airica, in describing som .
of 'he characterlsiCs of the Boees and
their home ii.e, said: "I am surpri.ed t
at the ignorance displayed regarding 1
these peop e. Many of the de
scriptious oi their life and character r
which I ha e seen since my re urn
are extre.uely absurd. The boe:s
when properly appro.tched and treac,;d
are uily as c-.urteous a:id obligiug as
the average New Engiand fa me,,.
Ihe,r injuisitivenesr, which has been
so largely dweit upon, while no doubt
annoying to a fore gner, is due more t
to their isolated liie, in most cases, I
than to any inborn rudeness. t
"The men are, as a rule, magnifi- t
cent specim -ns of manhood. I have
kn,,vn families where the father
and from six to eight sons would all
exceed 6 feet 2 in he- in heigot and
Sary in weight from 1U to 21Opuuuds.
Wuile they are uften what we would
term c'umsy, in many respects, they
are a most im,.ervious to fatigue and I
the b azing sua and chilling nights of t
' 5outh Africa appear to maie but little C
i upre:-siou upou them. They are not
easily amenaule to the rig.dness of I
Swi.i ary life, and for that reason make t
poor soldiers Lom a European stand
II
1:oiut. But they- a--e, wi.-hout excep-I
tion, taken as a body, the best rile
shott I have ever met in my travels.
"A traveler approachin-1 the home I
of a fairly well-to-do Boer farmer will
at once be impressed with the unpre- t
tentiousness of the surroundin .ts. f
sually two or three thatched houses t
for the master or his married sons or i
daughters and a few reed huts for the
servants - mostly Hottentors - to
gether with the barns and outhous..s,'
comprise all the buildings in sight.
His arrival will be heralded,by the
yelping of a pack of dogs of all kinds j
and degrees and seemingly without
end. A few kicks heartily bestowed
causes the howling pa:k to lose all
int.-rest in the new arrival. A mutual
introduction, and perhaps a few ques
tions, will be followed by the coar
teous query, 'Will mrnheer off-zadel?' 4
(Will the gentleman unsaddle?)
The-advent of a stranger causes the
I entire family to assemble, and w
I greeting may tagruff, yet it h
I ring of genuine hea.tiness i
soon puts thetravel - ase. If the
g n ried to drink spirits
he is -- to take a cup of 'tea
water in place of the 'brandiwyn.'
~This 'tea-water' is a decoction rather
than an infusion of the Chinese leaf,
being di uted with boiling water with
? out the addition of milk and sugar.
)9 "During this refreshment the vis
itor will be plied with qaestions re
"garding his age, occupation, the ob
- Ject and extent of his present journey,
", the nu.nber and names of his family,
,1 and particularly about the political
conditions of the outside world and
its bear.ng on their .republic--some
S thi:ig the Boer never loses sight of.
Is While he is busy answering these
Iquestion~s, he will notice that the men
-wear loose tronsers of sheep or goat
- skin, probably home made, a check
, shirt of coarse frieze or cotton, ac
- co: ding to the sevecity of the weather.
, The.se, with the broad-brim hat, comn
, plete their costume. Shoes and stock
, ings are seldom worn, except when
, they go to church or to \ rolykheids
,(merry.nakings). During the -colder
season sandals of coarse country make
:are sometimes worn. They are made
efrom raw bullock's hide with an up
sper of dressed sheep or goat skin.
eThese are not very substantial, but as
s every man can make hi% own sandals
, and the leather-costs little or nothing,
is they hold their own against the more
emodern sh ;e store, especially as
e ecnomyis one of the chief character
5, istics of the Bes
~"To" -a -foieigner the house will
4 hardly appear as the embodiment of
: comfort, in size and shape it re
sembles a substantial barn. The walls
Sare thick and built of adhesive clay,
~which, when well prepared in the
manner of mortar, soon acquires in
at the dry climate the hardness and con
sistency of briek. These walls are
about eight or nine feet high and
fairly smooth and straight, and are
,plastered with a combination of sand
zs and then whitewashed with a sort of
-white clay. T1his gives the house au
eexceedingly cool and pleasant ap
. pearance upon enteririg it upon a hot
day. The ..roof is thatched with a
e.species of rush and from the rafters
aare suspended a numerous assortment
l of supplies and farii implements.
y The house is divided into three apart
, ments. One, opening directly into
he the air, is called the voor huis and
ac corresponds to our sitting-rootrn; Here
Ii- the family sit, eat and receive visitors.
a A room -at either end of the hall is
er formed by walls of the same height
ad and construction as the outer walls
es and is called aloap kamer, or private
isroom. The latter are used for sleep
.Iing purposes mostly. The floor,
which is made of clay from ant-heaps,
pounded into dust and then watered
and then well stamped, is hard* and
on smootfr.
y I"Little furniture is found in the
te average Boer hiouse. Perhaps a dozen
h stools and chairs, roughly made and
he with bottoms of thiongs, are scattered
he thoughout the three rooms of the
nd house. Two tables, one large and
er of rough plank, a9.d the other smaller
,t and with~ some attempt at finishing,
he will be found in the voor huis. The
in latter holds the brass tea-urn and the
as other apparatus used in making* the
'tea water.' Uitensils used in the
an housework are hung on antelope
1a horns fixed in the walls, as, for in
wo bowls of calabash, always founi
Lear the door.
"Jutside the house some little at
empt is m.-de in the way of a ga d n,
>ut the chief wealth of the country
soer lies ia his flocks, and agriculture
9 not carrie,l beyond the needs of the
ousehold. The garden will contain
abbage, Leets, mint, sage, garlic ard
uions. Sometimes, pumpkins, mel
OR and potatoes. In the or hard are
ound peach, apricut, apple, I ear and
lam tree!, bat outside of .hi pea-h
rees, from the fruit of which is ma; :
he 'bran-i%vyn,' they receive bu't
aLtle atteation.
"My impression of the Boers as a
esult uf the six mo -ths spent in their
euntry - sy be summed up in a few
ords. Taken as a who e, they are
,n exit e..ely religious and home lov
og people, close in their dealings and
>reudiced and sul e.stitious in many
espects. Bat wi hat they ha e
he courage of their convictio'is and
he dog:,el determination of their
)utcb ancestors and should not be
oo lightly estimated as a foe when
hey are fighting for what they cou
ider their homes and soil."
PLAINT OF THE FAT MAN.
fe Declare% That All Other Fat Men Are
I oolIlh, and Wonder.i Why.
"Of all the foolish fools in the
rorld," remarke.l the one known as
he proctor as he joi.ed a grou:> of
ourt ben hers in tae county court
Louse, "the fat man is the bigiest
o1 on recurd. Of ah kinds of fools
he fat man is the most foolish."
"Strange to hear you abuse fat
aen," said the solicitor as he lo6ked
-er the pructor's short, stout ignre
'you mnt weigh so..ething like 220
>ounds." -
".aike it 240," exclai:ed the proe
or, "bnt' remember I am stout, not
at. There is a marked difference ;e
ween a st ;ut man with good healthy,
auseles and a fat man. A fat- mav;4
reature with soft, fiabby. mu.-ces, al
ras has a fat, soft - brain. And it
.eems to me that all large men are a
rith unusually fat brains." '
"You ate the so'e exception, I sup
)ose," broke in the soicitor witlk-e
meer on his clean shaven face.
"I think I am," Calmty resumed the
)roctor. "I have made a study
at men and their foolish actions.,
"dive us the benefit of your obqer
ations of the fat man," sugge tedonil,.
f the benchers.
"We'l," said the -pro-to', as h
alled his chair. clser to the ~
amany lo
how foolish the ave: is
will merely give you afe ilsstrafi
, the foolish workings of afat man s
fat brain. The next time vo are iu.
an elevated road car, a street car,er
any other kind of a car just size _j P
the passengers. You will find that al
the fat men are seated toget.hel
shoulder overlapping shoulder.
er,.w led and unc.mfort.,ble, while all
the na-row-shouldered.men are -eated
in another part of the car with sve-.
ral inches between their tiodies. No
why is it that the fat men all get to.
getherin a b:neh?"
"We give it up," exclaimned several
of the ben hers.
"Of course yon do," growled the
proctor. ~"Your brains are not fats and
flabby like those o' the fat men."
"Whene'er I enter a ca-" contin
ed the proctor, "I always pick out a
small, narrow man or- woman. ,I take
a seat beside him or her, aad if .there
is a 'acant plaice on the 'other'sidle of
me an d 50o other unoccupied seats in the
ca-, or a few vacant pla es alongsile
of thin me 1, I feel certain that the
first fat man who comes into the car
will settle his :300pound body ne t to
me and that we will be uncom ortable
all toe rest of the trip. It's the same
thing in the theatre and at the -uick. ---
lunch counters where men sit on high
stools. The foolish fat men all sit to
getter with their shoulders so tizhtly
ressed to-gethaer that when one moles
the whole sine of fat shakes like so4
much jelly. I tell you that the fat
fool is the most foolish on earth. The
Legislature should p ass some laws to.
punish fat men who miake others so
uncomfortable. I tall you fat men
are-"
The proctor stopped sudlenly for -
the 1 enchers had all made their escape
-New York Sun.
Discounted a Friend's Criticism.
Fuseli, an-eminent historical painter,
who grew in fame after 1770, when he
first formed the resolution to'- devote
his talents to painting, was rather
fond of sarcastic remarks at the er-a
pense of 'his friends. ~
Northcote, a contemporary, exhib
ited his "Judgment of Solomon."
Fuseli looked at it with a smirk 'on
.his face.
"How do you like my picture?" in
quired Northcote.
"Much," was the answer. . "The
action suits the word. Solomon holds
out his fingers like a pair of open --
scissors at a child, and says: 'Cut it.'
I like it much."
Northcote remembered this when
Fuseli exhibited a picture represent
ing Hercules drawing hiaed.~rrow at
Pluto.
"How do you like my picture?" in-.
quired -Faseli.
"Much," said Northcote; "t: s.
clever, very elever, but he'll neve~r -hit
]him." "He shall hit him,"exclaipgd.
the other, "and that speedily." Aw;y
r.an useli with-his brush, and, as:- he.
labored to givethe arrowv'the -true di
rection, was heard to mutter: "Hit
Ihim! By Jupiter, but he shall bit
hi!"-New England Home' Maga
Izine. _ _ _
Probable Cause.
The husband of a woman who is
lecturing in Arkansas on "How to
Manage a Husband" commited suicide
a few days ago. No other cause is
assigned for the rash act.-Denver