The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, January 25, 1893, Image 4
Ou the Threshold,
'The new year dawns apace;
What of the night?
The battlers for the race,
Won they the fight?
The laggard Time doth tread
On hosts of valiant dead ;
Bight slain by might
The old year heedless dies.
What of the day?
A world for succor cries,
Long on the way
Through darkness, greed and crime;
When cometh that new time
For which men pray?
* ? . ?**..
Head backward through the yea rs.
Impatient soul!
More smiles and /ewer tears
White ages rofl;
Truth leading still the van;
Man helping fellow-man.
Illumes the scroll.
Then hail the coming day,
Anti bravely press
Untroubled on the way ;
Heal some distress.
And count as victory won
Each nearest duty done,
And that shall bless.
The Squire's Preserves
BY MAKLTON DOWNING.
? Joiham Howes had always been
considered a rich man. His broad
acres, spacious faria-building?, and
blooded livestock went to -prove that
- he-was such. Then again the presi?
den t of the country bank had often
said that he wonk! not hesitate a mo?
ment to accept Squire Howes' paper
to the amount of fifty thousand dol?
lar*, or perhaps more.
Joiham appreciated his worldly
blessings, and ont of the goodly store
with which the Almighty bad endowed
bim he was ever ready to assist the
needy and relieve the wants of others,
who were lesa f oriana te or frugal, of
bis fellow creatures.
When still a yoong farmer and just
beginning life, he married the daugh?
ter of ose of his neighbors.
The youthful bride proved 'to be a
helpmate ia every sense of the word,
and it. was through her energy and
prudence that Jot ham ere he reached
middle age found himself above
want
That is, all material want Still
lhere was one blessing which the All
wise Ruler of the Universe had denied
the loving couple. They were child?
less.
"If we have no children of oar
own," remarked the farmer one day.
?we can at least assist some parents
who have many, by assuming the re.
sponsibi li ty of rearing a portion of
their flock."
. Consequently it was determined to
?dopt a boy and a giri.
"I tell yon what we will do, hus?
band,9 said Sofronia Howes. "We
will make a short journey away from
this village, and find some homeless
ones in another part of the state, so
that when the youth and maiden grow
. up they may not be annoyed by any
recollection of former associates."
This plan was settled upon, and ere
many weeks the old farmhouse was
enlivened by the laughter and prattle
of a girl of four yeirs of age and a
boy of six.
Time passed, and the little waifs
grew into the heart* of their foster
parents.
At length when Kath was fifteen,
and Albert, the boy, was passing his
freshman year in college, the woman
whom. they loved as a mother laid
down her burdens of this world and
was borne to rest leaving sad and
aching hearts behind to mourn her
loss.
With the death of his wife a change
came over the worthy squire. Though
too good a Christian to rebel agaiust
the will of Heaven, he nevertheless
felt his bereavement heavily and be.
moaned the departed bitterly, refus?
ing to be comforted.
After the funeral Albert returned
to his studies, while Ruth resumed
her household duties, and strove her
utmost to cheer the drooping spirits of
the more than parent who was left to
her.
With the alteration in the demeanor
of the owner of the Howes Farm,
there was also apparent a marked !
change in the establishment itself. !
Head by head the cattle and horses |
were led away and sold.
The hay in the fields and meadows
was converted into money, even as it
stood awaiting the coming of the
reaper.
Jotham put no seed into tue fertile
soil, but leased his grouud to his
neighbors,
What could this mean?
Some of the village fo'ks whispered j
that Albert was the cause. That the j
boy was squandering his benefactor's
gold in riotous living, and a few of
the more officious begau to feel it
their dnty to remonstrate with the
squire ere his whole property should
be swept away by, as they claimed,an
?.ungrateful reprobate."
Jotham heard them thro ugh, calmly,
his face never changing from its ha?
bitual, unruffled expression. When
they had fiuished he looked up and
replied:
"My friends. I am convinced that
in your coming to me, you have been
actuaied by kindly feelings for my
welfare, and therefore forgive you
for so cruelly maligning the absent
youth. But you will pardon me if I.
at this moment, positively forbid any
of yon to interfere in my affairs, and
assure you it would be very pleasing
to me if yon would, in the future,
mind your business."
The astonished visitors, rendered |
almost speechless by the squire's re-1
caption of their presumption, with- j
drew, and bv ominous shakes of the ,
' t
heads signified their disapproval of
their townsman's action.
Left atone with Ruth, the old farm?
er tock the maiden'* hand, and with [
"My child, y OK do not believe wfca
these people hint in regard to Albert
do you?"
??No, f ather,, no indeed. My broth
j er is too honorable, and too deepl]
; impressed with your kindness to hin
I -and to me-to abuse your cou fide nc;
and trust in him."
??Yon are right, Ruth. Instead ol
squandering my money the boy aclu
ally disobeys me in not using enougl
of it to place himself in the social cir
. cle which I want him to fill. But yoi
must not call him your brother, Ruth,
for he bears tto such relations to you,
I oilier than by association."
I Here the farmer glanced quickly nj
into tho beautiful face before iii rn,
j and as he detected a slight blush
! mantling the fair cheek, he smiled
for he thought he read the heart ol
the gentle one aud it pleased him.
He changed the subject, saying :
??Do not allow the idle prattle ol
our neighbors to disturb you. The
disposition of my property may seem
strange iu their sight, and perhaps iv
yours also, but be assured, that when
I am gone-/' here Ku th placed her
hand quickly on her adopted parent's
head as though to check him-.
??Nay," continued Jo thain, ??do not
interrupt me. I repeat that when I
am gone, yon and Albert will have
enongh and to spare."
Time continued its flight, and the
squire's ouce beantifnl farm had
dwindled iuto insignficance, until one
summer month when Albert waa called
home to attend the funeral of the man
who had reared him from childhood,
the place bore the appearance of a
complete wreck.
The squire's funeral was largely
attended, for he had been greatly
loved and respected by hts neighbors,
despite the eccentricities which he had
displayed since the loss of his wife.
When the sorrowful party returned
to the old homestead, after placing
the remains of thc squire beside those
of the companion of hit youth, they
fonnd the notary waiting their arrival.
In his possession was the last will and
testament of the deceased.
It was no wordy document that
Jotham had left It simply read:
* ?After paying my just debts, I give
aud bequeath all my property real
and personal, to my beloved foster
children, Albert and Ruth Howes."
Of debts there were none save those
incurred at the funeral, and to liqui?
date these sufficient money was found
iu the antiquated desk of tiie farmer.
But search as they would not a scrap
of paper could be discovered to indi?
cate that Jotham Howes had left more
than his acres, now run to weeds, and
the buildings, which were rapidly fall?
ing into decay.
??lt is strange," remarked Albert
that evening, after Rnth had re?
lated to him the words of their adopted
father.
?.There must be some money some?
where about this place. I cannot be?
lieve that our dear parents could have
disposed of it ali."
"Let us think no more about it,
Albert, for the present, at least. 1
would rather have the dear old man
back with us again than al! the wealth
in the world." And here the giri took
from the table the Bible to find con?
solation for her sorrow in the words
of its pages.
Turning the leaves she was aston?
ished to find two pinned together.
??Who could have done this?" she
murmured, carefully separating them.
To the astonishment of both, a
sealed envelope fell to the floor.
Albert picked it up and read the a?
dress
??To my children."
Hastily tearing it open,they saw en.
closed a slip of paper, ou which was
written :
"Search, and ye shall find."
JOTHAM HOWES.'*
??What does it meau?'' asked Rurfi^
in bewilderment.
??That our father has converted his
property into cash, and hidden it
somewhere about the house. lu the
morning we will follow his instruc?
tions and search diligently."
As the sun arose the fo'lowing day,
Albert and Ruth joined each other in ?
the large old-fashioned sitting-room.
'.Let us take a walk out into the j
fields. Ruthy," said the young mar?, j
"I feel perplexed, and wish to collect j
my thoughts, and then we must make ?
plans tor tue future.
As the two wended their way across j
the broad pasture?, a long silence en
sued, which was finally broken by Al- I
bert, saying;
uDo you realize that we ure now
alone iu the world?*'
"Yes." was the faltering reply.
?'And how dreary your life will be j
for vou, when 1 am obliged to return i
to r: v duties in the great city."
?'Can you not remain here Albert?" j
asked the young girl, quickly, an ex- j
pression of pain flitting across her
countenance. j
"1 am afraid not, bul we will see."
Then, after continuing their walk a |
little further, the two returned to the j
house, prepared to carry out the last j
instructions of Squire Howes. j
"Tiie most likely place that father j
would choose to hide anything would j
be in the cellar, it seems to me," said
Albert, as they entered the roomy
kitchen, and the young man's eyes
fell upon a trap door in the floor.
?'Remain here, and I will desceud
and search."
So saying, he lifted the planks by
means of au i rou ring, sud stepped
down upou the ladder, and began to
ransack the cellar.
Ruth stood by the aperture quietly
awaiting her companion's reappear?
ance ; she ?eeuaed to take but little in?
terest in the matter, her thoughts
dwelliug on the one who had gone
rather than upon what treasure he
had left behind.
Presently she was lUtUod uv an or,, j
Qim?ln of wwii* &m&ff fte? U* j
cellar, and soon Albert was heard
ascending the steps, carrying in big
hand a glass preserve jar.
??What think you of this, Ruth? A
very frail receptacle for anything of
value."
"It contains nothing but somo
ruined jain that should have been
thrown away months ago," replied the
girl, indifferently.
"There, yon are mistaken* lt Is one
.f a number that I have found, and
stiey are all lilied with money. Look,"
aud the young man unscrewed tue
metal top and turned out upon the
flour several gold pieces.
"Poor father!" murmured Kath.
??He has left this for us."
??And a great deal more. Wait and
I will bring it all up."
One after another the jars were
brought to light, and their contents
carefully examined. Among the bank
notes aud certificates of stock was
found a letter written by thc testator
to his heirs, explaining to them his
object in thus converting his property
into Cish. It was that he felt he could
realize more upon the stock and equip?
ments of the farm thau inexperi?
enced Albeit; and when he became
possessed of the money he feared to
entrust it to the keeping of any bank,
and had consequently taken care of it
himself.
Following this explanation Jotbani
Howes delicately made known his
last and only wish, which was that
the two whom he had loved so much
ia life would journey along hand in
hand until called to join him in the
t4her world.
"ShaU we comply with this request,
Ruth ?" asked the young man tender?
ly, looking into his companion's face.
?.If you so desire it;" was the mnr.
mured reply.
"I do, my darling, I do. I had in?
tended to ask you to become my wife
before long, and this communication
has orly hastened the words."
Though Albert had been educated
for the law he abandoned the pursni1*
of that prole sa ion, turning his atten?
tion to the farm, and before many
seasons were passed, the fields and
meadows resumed their wonted look
of prosperity.
The rejuvenated barns were again
stocked with valuable cattle and
horses, while about the hearthstone of
the young farmer were gathered a
happy aud loving family who long
bad occasion to remember with heart*
felt gratitude, the foret bought of the
venerable squire, Jot ham Howes,
who had stored away for hi? beloved
children an enormous wealth iu glass
preserve jars.-[Yankee Blade.
Sacred Pigeons of Venice,
The "Holy Pigeons of St. MarkV
hsve been recognized as such by the
authorities of Venice for more than a
thousand years-ever since the year
177. In olden times it was the cus?
tom of the sacristans of St. Mark's
Church to release doves and pigeons,
fettered with paper, after the re?
ligions services of Palm Sunday. The
paper fetters partially disabled the
poor birds, and such of those as did
not escape were caught by the people,
who fatted them for Easter dinner.
Sometimes one and sometimes a dozen
.f the poor, fluttering- creatures would
manage to break the paper thongs
which bound wings and feet together,
whereupon they almost invaribly
sought refuge on the roof and in the
steeples of the historic old church. All
of the escaped birds assumed a certain
sacredness, aud, it being against the
law to kill or harm them iu any way,
increased to enormous numbers. Dur?
ing the time of the Republic the ??Sa*
cred Pigeons of St. Mark's" became
objects of national solicitude, tons of
grain being annually supplied for
tknir maintenance. After the fall of
tnt Republic thousands of them starved
(o death, aud alt would have died but
for provisiou made by a pious old
lady, whose will perpetually provides
for them.-[St Louis Republic.
The Ravages of Cholera.
The discovery of a method that
would protect an individual from
cholera would be of great usefulness.
For in India, the home of that disease,
bite average animal mortality there?
from in tuc cities is 3.32, and in the
country ?..32 per 1000 living. The
army statistics show that 2.49 per?
cent, of thc European soldiers are ad?
mitted to the hospital for cholera,
while only 0.95 per cent, of the uative
soldiers are admitted for thc disease;
hut the mortality, 33.69 percent, for
the former, 35.5 per cent, for the lat?
ter, is almost equal. In the various
epidemic manifestations of cholera in
various parts of the world the mortal- ,
ity has ofteu exceeded 50 per cent, of
those attacked. lu 1881 aud 1885
cholera was epmeni'c ia southern
Europe, and in Spain iu thc latter
year the official report states that
there were almost one lutndred and
twenty thousand death*. There were
fifty-one persons affected in each
thousand living, and the mortality
was per cent. These >iatistics
stimulated investigators to attempt to
polve the problem of affording im
IIIunity to cholera.-[Popular Science
Monthly.
A Watch in a Shirt Stud.
A watchmaker in Newcastle, Eng?
land, recently completed a set of three
gold shirt studs, the second of which
contains a watch having a dial which
is only three-sixteenths of an inch in
diameter. The three studs, when
placed in a shirt front, are connected
from behind by a delicate ?ilver tube
containing winding and setting
tuechuuistn. To wind the watch it is
necessary lo turn the upper stud. &?A
to adjust the bauds the lower sur' is j
turned.- rJewelerV We*?k v.
>f JV? thaw i#0,(H;0 ron? of IWfiie ?ts !
THE NORTH POLE.
Another Attempt to Explore th?
Arctic Circle.
An Expedition Will Leave Nor*
way Next June>
The Norwegian explorer, Dr. Frid?
jof Nansen* is about to s'art. On an?
other expedition in search of the
&orih Poe. Ile returned in 1889
from a remarkable voyage across
Greenland. Dr. Nansen recently
came from Norway to London, where
he has lectured before the Royal
Geographical Society on his proposed
expedition. The explorer is over six
feet tall, finely built aud of the ideal
Scandinavian type. Speaking with
an English interviewer of his new ex?
pedition, he ?aid:
.?The object of my expedition is of
course purely scientific. The expedi?
tionary party will consist of twelve
meu all told. I shall be in absolute
command, and everybody on board,
scientists or sailors, wiil have to obey
me implicitly. There cannot be more
than one will in such an undertaking
as this. I shall have two engineers,
and perhaps five or six sailors. I shall
choose as many of my scientific people
as possible from among men who are
likewise accustomed to a seafaring
life. 1 s?mil also have ice-pilots and
harpooners for sealing and hunting.
It will be for them to provide
us with fresh food. The ice v:kings
are admirably fitted for the work lu
! view. They live all the year, from
? spring to winter, iu Arctic solitude?.
Born and bred in the north of Nor?
way, they spend most of their lives iu
a form of toil which exposes them to
all the rigors of a frigid climate, and
are thus iuured to the very hardships
which the members of an expedition
to the north pole will have to encoun?
ter. Some of them are masters and
owners of small sealer.
"With this party I shall leave Nor?
way early in June next and sail direct
to Nova Zembla. Here we shall stop
to reviclnal and to examine the state
of the ice. So soon as the condition
of th's permits we shall leave for the
Kata Sea, probably early in July.
Skirting the Siberian coast and pass?
ing Cape Tscheljii9kin, the most
northerly poiut of the Old World, I
shall pass on so far as the month of
the River Lena. Leaving the coast
at this poiut I shall start in a north?
erly direction aloug the western
coast of the Island of Kotelnni, the
most westerly of the Liakov,or New Si?
berian Group,aud shall continue in this
direction until the pack ice renders
further navigation impossible. We
shall do our best io force the si:'p
through the ice, but we shall at las t
reach a poiut where we must stop.
This will probably bring us to Sep?
tember, and we shall in this way gel
to some distance north of the New
Siberian Islands, but I cannot say
how far, as no one has ever been lhere
before. When navigation becomes no
longer practicable, I shall have
nothiug left but to r~:u the ship into
the ice as far as possible and stick
there. Having rammed the ship into the
ice for the winter-possibly for ever,
as I don't expect we shall be able to
move until we reach open water om
the other side of the Pole-we sha! j
have to be contented for thc time be?
ing with a p ??cy of masterly inactiv?
ity. We shall be continually moving
in a northerly direction. Assisted by
nature, instead of fighting against
her, we expect to be taken by thc
drifting of the icc floes right across
the Polar region down into the East
Greenland Sea, between Spitzbergen
and Greenland, having in this way
reached and passed the Pole.
"We take with us provisions for
five years, and it is possible that this
may be the period during which we
shall bc at the mercy of ice. On this
point, however, I cannot say anything
of a definite character. Entirely de?
pending upon the current, we shall be
drifted first lo one side aud then to the
other, but always in a northerly di?
rection, until, as I have already said,
we emerge into the Greenland* sen,
whence we shall return to Norway.
A Quaint Scene in Gotham.
Between C..md street and Ensl
Broadway, Norfolk street is one of
thc most picturesque thoroughfares of
the eily, lt is in thc heart of ihe
Jewish quarter, and is a great mar?
keting place Every night the stores,
the street stands, and the peddlers1
wagons do a lively business, ind on
Friday afternoon, just before the first
three stars in the sky proclaim the ar?
rival of thc Sabbath, the scene has
some of thc aspects of Saturday in
the big markets of thc town. Tue
basement stores are really noshing
more than cellars, having been origi?
nally used as such, and only recently
remodelled for their prcseut pur?
poses.
Nearly all are occupied by bakers
and the proprietors can bc seen hust?
ling around attending lo their custom?
ers with their sleeves rolled up above
their elbows and their persons and
clothes covered with flour. There arc
also bread stands upon the street.
Nearly all of the bread used in this
quarter is made of rye flour, and the
crust is baked very hard and brown.
The loaves, which aie round or ob?
long, shade from light yellow to a
very dark brown, and thev look clean
aud appetizing.
The street i? rilled with children,
from toddling i ufan I s to boys and
gills twelve and thirteen years oki. i
Tei'y few boys above the age of ?hir- j
toen can he ?een at play, because after
a Jewish boy arrive* at the ;ige of '
fhir cen he ls supposed lo IIKV.? [nkow j
on nun " r?; <*o and willi i! 'he cares j
i
?inj .iijiuiiy ul a mal?, Mw*i vf ti**'* ;
which usually look? questionable.
These and the meats and fish cause
occasional raids on the part of (he
Board of Health.
The Sex of the Moon?
In archaic times the moon was re?
garded as a male god. "I*rimativc
mau," says a well-known writer;
"saw the moon as a most conspicuous
object, whose spots, at periods, had
the semblance of a man's face. Its
waxing and waning increased thei1*
wonder, its coming and going among
the still and solemn night added to
the mystery, until, from being viewed
as a man, it was seated, especially
when apparently augry, in a mist or
an eclipse, and so reverenced and
worshipped as the beaven-mau-thc
monthly god."
We learn from Max Muller that
.'moon" is a very old word, and iu
Anglo-Saxon, where it was used ns a
masculine aud not a feminine, was
"mona." lu all the Teutonic lan?
guages the sun wa* feminine, and it
is only through the inflneuce of clas?
sical models that in England moon
has been changed into feminine and
the sun into masculine. Even in com?
paratively recent limes the Germans
were fond of calling the sun and
moon "Fran Sonne" and "Herr Mond."
The practice prevailed in ancient
Egypt.
"Another reason," says Sir Gardner
"Wilkinson, "that the moon in Egyp?
tian mythotogy conld not be related to
Bubastis is that it is a male and not a
female deity personified in the god
Thoth. This was the case in some re?
ligions of the West The Romans
recognized the God Linus, and the
Germans, like the Arabs, considered
the moon masculine and not feminine,
as were the Selene and Luna of the
Greeks and Romans." In Slavonic
as in Teutonic mythology, the moon is
male.-[Pearson's Weekly.
Language of the Dog's Tail.
There can be no question that the
chief delight of wild dogs, as wilh
modern hounds and sporting dogs, is
in the chase and its accompaning ex?
citement and consequences. One of
the most thrilling moments to the ?
human hunter (and doubtless to the
canine), and one big with that most
poignant of all delights, anticipation
of pleasurable excitement combined
with muscular activity, is when the
presence of game is first detected. As
we have seen in watching the be?
havior iu a pack of fox-hounds, this '
is invariably the time when tails are !
wagged for the common good. The
wagging is an almost invariable ac- j
compauiinentof this form of pleasure, ?
which is one of the chiefest among I
the agreeable emotions when in the !
wild state. Owing to some inoscula- ?
lion of the nervous mechanism, which I
at present we canuot unravel, the as- j
sociation of pleasure and waggiug has
become so inseparable that the move
ment of the tail follows the emotion, |
whatever m iy call it forth.
An explanation of a similar kind
can be found from the fact that dogs
depress their tails when threatened or
scolded. When running away the tail
would be the part nearest the pursuer,
and therefore most likely to be seized.
It was therefore securely tucked away
between the hind legs. The act of
running away is naturally closely as?
sociated with the emotion of fear, and
therefore ibis gesture of putting the
tail between the legs becomes an inva?
riable concomitant of retreat or sub*
mission in the pretence of superior
force. Popular Science Monthly.
How Nature Crows a Tree?
Nature invariably does two things
when she tries to grow a tree-she
protects the bark from hottest sun*
shine and the roots from severe
changes of temperature. Both thcae
points are almost invariably over?
looked by man. Observe a maple ot
elm or birch as it shoots up from the
ground ; its sides are clothed all the
way with small twigs, unless removed
by knife or browsing. Any tree
started in an open lot is thus protected
from the sun. Otherwise thc ex?
treme heat will rupture cells and the
b:;rk will dry or split. As far as pos?
sible there must be equal development
of cells on all sides of the tree. But
care of thc roots is even more impor?
tant. The feeding of a tree i* at un?
equal depths, but most of it is near
thc surface. If the sun be allowed to
strike directly on the soil the finer
rootlets that do the foraging are de- i
stroyed, and extreme droughts will
affect the roots for a fool in depth.
What is worse, the extreme changes
of temperature also affect the tree and
6uck iis life away. In some cases
such conditions are produced as en?
courage the development of luugi or
othor enemies to plant life. Nature
guards againit this by laying down !
each autumn a layer of leaves to j
cmulch her forests or solitary pei?.- j
[St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
Paid Dear for a Good Deed.
Some of ihe parliamentary contests j
in the recent elections iu England
turned on very insignificant incidents?
This was particularly the case in thc
defeat of Captain Ponton, which was
brought about by a child which un?
luckily sprawled beneath a paesiug
carriage and received slight injuries.
The carriage belonged to a lady wh^ j
was conveying three voters to the i
polls, and who, on obse-ving the acoi- |
dent, took *he youngsters upon the sea: {
:iud drove to A neighboring hospital.
It was then late in the afternoon, anil
by the time titi carriage reached tho j
pol'* they had closed. So close wa* j
thc v? t* that these three ballots wou;?l j
have made the race between Captain j
Peiiton and the Parsec merchant who j
defeated hint, a dead heat, to br, ile- j
otded by the returning otijoar'* Qftstfug !
THERE SHE BLOWS!
Thrilling Adventures of the Old
Time Whale-Fishers;
? Former Great industry of
New England ?orts;
?t was in 1838, when I was a pretty
smart youngster about 19 years of age
-I was born in 1819-that I first
went whaling. My father was a Mas?
sachusetts farmer, and wanted to make
a farmer of me. but I thirsted for a
life of adventure, and at the age 1
have named I ran away to New Bed?
ford and shipped on board the whal?
ing bark Atlantic for a 36 months'
cruise in search of whales-whalers
always estimating the length of their
voyages by months, and not years.
The whaling industry was then at the
height of its prosperity, and New
Bedford was its centre. The wharves
were crowded with whaling vessels
arriving, departing, loading, unload?
ing and repairing. No matter where
the visitor wandered, he saw on every
hand oil cask?, whalebone, harpoons,
lances, or some similar objects per?
taining to the whale and its capture.
I obtained my place on the Atlantic
through an individual called a "ship?
per," that word then signifying, in
New Bedford parlance, a mau who
made a business of "shipping" or ob?
taining crews for whaling vessels.
These men were usually "land sharks"'
of the worst possible kind, not only
reciving a commission from the vessel
owners for providing them with a
crew, but alsooxacting $10 from each
sailor they "shipped." This gentle?
man turned me over to an "outfitter,"
who charged me $75 for two cotton
shirts, two undershirts, two pairs of
drawers, one pair of woolen pants,
two pairs of thin ones, two jackets, a
tarpaulin hat, two pairs of stockings,
one pair of shoes, a jackknife, comb,
looking-glass, paper of needles, a
quarter of a pound of thread, five
pounds of tobacco, a keg of oil soap, a
tin cup, pan, spoon, husk mattress
pillow, and two blankets. For the
money to pay for this beautiful outfit
-which the outfitter assured me would
last mc five years-I signed an order
upou the vessel's owners to be ad?
vanced .from my prospective pay.
Every whaling 6hip carried a "slop
chest," from which the sailoi'3 could
purchase, at enormous prices, such
articles as they needed when their
shoddy "outfits" had proven worthless.
The crew being all on board we
weighed anchor the afternoon of Sep?
tember 23, 1838. By 6 o'clock we
were at sea and I was fairly embarked
as a ?" aler, a calling that I was des?
tine 'O follow for forty consecutive
years. All hands were called on deck
and the captain rr.;ule us a speech
the invariable custom on every whaler
- stating that we were to be together
for thirty-six months and that he ex?
pected every man to try to make our
relations mutually agreeable, as he
promised to do. He said we should
have plenty to eat and that as loug as
we behaved ourselves we would be
well treated, but if we misbehaved,
"why then,17 he concluded, "look out
for squalls."
This formality dispatched, the cap?
tain and chief mate then proceeded to
choose watches, the ship's company
being divided into two equal portions
-one known as the larboard or mate's
watch, and the other as captain's or
starboard watch, usually "headed" or
commanded by the second mate. Our
voyage was now finally inaugurated,
and we sailed for five weeks before
we saw our first sperm whale.
Throughout a whaler's entire voyage
a man is kept at each masthead look?
ing out for whales, being relieved
every two hours, lt was a welcome
sound when at last one of those mast?
head men called out: "There she
blows!"
"Whereaway?" queried the oiUccr
of the deck. The direction of the
whale and its probable distance were
named, and soon the captain was at
the masthead with his glass to his eye.
It the whale is to leeward thc ship is
headed in that direction; if to wind?
ward the boats are lowered at once
and pulled toward him. A whale
boat is manned by the captain, or one
of the males, and five men. The offi?
cer in comnr.aud is called the "boat
header," and the man who st iuds in
the bow and handles the harpoon is
called the "boat steerer." Four boats
arc usually lowed and there is arreat
rivalry among them to bc the hea<*
boat or ..first boat fast." Each "boat
header" urges his men to pull to their
utmost in such terms as these:
"Pull, pull, my hearties' Pul!, can't
ye? Oh, my children, pull with a
will. Pull till your eyes burst There!
Now she move?. A few more strokes
like that and we'll be first boat fast!*'
Meanwhile the whale keeps spouting,
and it is very desirable to re ich him
before he stops and descend*. He wil
generally spout sixty or seventy times
and then go down and remain for fifty
or seventy minutes. If he disappears
before being struck the boats are
pulled in the direction ho is supposed
te have taken. When a boat is suffi?
ciently near the whale, the boat header
gives the boat steerer or harpoon man
the command, ' Stand up." The boat
steerer does so and poises his harpoon.
?.Give it to him," is the next command,
and the harpoon plunges np to its
pocket in thc whale. A deafening
ekeev hails the fact that we are "first
b?at fast."
The whale now hishe? the hitherto
quiet sea into foam. "Stern all,'
r<surs thc boat header, and the boat is
backed out of immediate (langer. The
boat header now dikes tire head of
the boat, ami the boat steerer replaces
him in the stern to manage the steer
jug uar- The ?SOO feel of line coiled
*?> lu A uib at the bow ii rpjjnjngom
with fearful velocity, and the tu?
oarsman constantly dashes water ott
it to keep tue friction from igniting it
Now the line stops running and
slackens; The whale is rising. All
hands Miaul in line;" The whale ap?
pears On the surface; and the boat is
drawn up to him. Another boat
sends a harpoon into him. He tries
io descend a gain but weak from loss
of blood he soon reappears.
The officer of the first boat now
draws his lance and plunges it into
his vitals just behind the fin, and the
whale goes into his * .flurry," as his
death agony is technically called. He
beats thc sea with his tail till the foam
rises all around him. He darts hither
and thither in circular courses with
lightning speed. He gradually grows
weaker and weaker, gives one last
terrible throe of agony, and, (urning
his head to the sun, gives up the ghost.
1 have never, in my forty years' ex?
perience as a whaler, seen a sperm
whale die without having his head
turned to the sun.
Life being extinct, a hole is cut in
the whale's head, the line is made fast,
the other boals "hook ou," and he is
lowed to the ship, where by a "fluke
chain' passed around his (ail brought
to the forward part of the ship, passed
through a hawse hole and made fast
to the i 'bowsprit bits," he is brought
into proper position for "cutting in,"
with his head pointed aft.-[Chicago
Times.
Hottest Place on the Globe.
The hottest region on earth's sur?
face is on the southwestern coast of
Persia, on the border of the Persian
gulf. For forty consecutive days in
the months of July aud August the
mercury has been known to stand
above 100 degrees iu the shade night
and dav; and to after run up as high
as 130 degrees in (he middle of the
middle of the afternoon.
At Bahriu, in the centre of the most
torrid part of this most torrid belt, as
though it were nature's intention to
make thc place as unbearable as pos?
sible, water from wells is something
unknown.
Great shafts have been sunk to a
depth of 100, 200, 300 and even 500
feet, but always with the same re?
sult-no water. This serious draw?
back notwithstanding, a comparative?
ly numerous population contrives to
live there, thanks to copious springs
which burst forth from the bottom of
the gulf more than a mile from the
shore. Thc waler from these springs
is obtained in a most curious and
novel manner.
"Machadores," whose sole occupa?
(ion is that of furnishing the people
of Bahriu with the life-giving fluid,
repair to that portion of the gulf
wliere the springs are situated and
bring away with them hundreds of
skin bags full of the water each day.
The water of (he gulf where the
spring bursts forth is nearly 200 feet
deep, but these "machadores" (divers)
manage to fill (heir goat-skin sacks by
diving to the bottom and holding the
mo it ? h-J of the bags over the fouutain
jets; this, too, without allowing the
salt water of the gulf to mix with it.
The source of these submarine foun?
tains is thought to be iu the hills of
Osmand, 400 or 500 miles away. Be?
ing situated at the bottom of the gulf
ii is a mystery how they were ever
discovered, but the fact remains that
(hey have been known since the dawn
of history. - [Philadelphia Press.
Twelve Golden Bales for Children.
1. Shut every door after you and
without slammiug it.
2. Never shout in the house.
S. Never call to persons upstairs
or in the next room ; if you wish to
speak to them, go to them.
4. Always be kind and polite io
servants if you would have them the
same lo you.
5. When (old to do or not to do a
thing, by cither parent, never object,
but obey cheerfully.
6. You may tell of your faults
and misdoings, but not of those of
your brothers and sisters.
7. Carefully clean your shoes be?
fore entering the house.
8. Bc prompt at every meal hour,
especially so iu the morning, and thus
cultivate the habit of early rising.
9. Never sit down at the table or
in the parlor with soiled bauds or
disheveled hair.
10. Never inlerrnpt any conversa?
tion, but wait patiently your turn to
s pc ak.
11. Never reserve your good man?
ners for company, but be equally
polite at home and abroad.
12. Let your first, last and best
friend be your mother.-[Defrolf
Free Press.
People Who Fall Safely.
A fall, as a rule, injures a drunken
?nan much less than a sober one be?
cause, the controlling power of the
mind being rendered nii through in?
toxication, tho body falls as an inert
nias-, and thus the chances of injury
arc iesseued, for, strange though it
may appear, it is no less a fact that
the most numerous cases of injury
arising from a fall are caused by the
effort, voluntary or otherwise, to a?ert
the consequences, thus straining the
muscles and tendons. Very rarely
are injurious cflccts from a fall known
in a lunatic asylum for the same sim?
ple reason-the mimi has no influence
over the action of the body. Aud it
is a remarkable and well-known fact
to (hose who have to deal with such
cases that whatever injuries are sc
caused heal much more rapidly than
in the case of sane people, thc niiud
having more to do with retarding or
assisting nature's efforts than is gen
eral ly known or realized. - [Boston i
Herald. _ !
The United States exported prov!?
*ioii? in isyi to the value of #139.0)7??
*0J,
?iklo? Leave;
Whsn the thrash brief anstehe, sa?^
Of hi* wondrous tune,
And the woods iib longer rang
With the joya o? June;
Then we knew that day by day,
Sumni< f's f?ce would turn away.
From tb? ripened thistles went
Floating we? balloons:
All seemed on a journey bent:
In those August noons.
But lake and sky wore deeper blue,
To ?bow that Summer's heart wai true.
Soon the birches .could not hold
Back their yellow leaves ;
Royal roads must shine with gold.
Though the forest grieves.
Lighting now their torches red.
Maples in the pageant le?l.
Shrillest herald of the fall.
Piped the busyly ;
Annies, mustering at his call,
Winged their silent way:
Drowsy crickets chirped good-bye;
Lingered lost, one butterfly.
Kot un guarded.** the throne:
Chickadees are left;
Pine and fir-trees hold their own;
Can we feel bereft?
Kay, amid the snow and frost,
Summer's colors are not lost
-[Mary T. Higginson, in Youth's Com?
panion.
HUMOROUS*
A fruit-jar-The one you get whea
you slip upon a banana skin.
"I feel quite justified in claiming to
be a man of deep research," said the
marine diver,"
Jagson says the only thing in his
house that doesn't seem to collect dnst
is his boy's savings bank.
"Your sealskin sacque ls rather
short, is it not?" "Yes; when I got
il my husband was short."
Cousin Kale-Sue, whatever induced
you to marry that little 'Squire?
Cousin Sue-I wanted justice.
"Aye! There's the rub!" said the
grease spot to the cake of soap. "Aw,
come off," responded the soap.
"Goithard is a little wild, isn't he"
"Wild! I should think so. Why
eve*u the clock in his : oom is fast."
"I say, waiter, Pve dropped a six?
pence. If you fiud it let me have it
back; if yon don't you can keep it1*
She looking 'neath the bed for a burglar;
She found one; and now it is plain
Sbe'H be a bit wiser and never
Go looking for burglars again.
The worst waste of physical effort and mind
Is searching for what you would rather not
find.
A man never realizes how much
furniture he owns until he tries to
walk rapidly through Iiis house in. tb?
dark.
"I see yon always examine the bot?
tom of a chair before you sit down?
Fellows." "Oh, yes, I've often taught
school."
Stranger- Can yon direct me to a
dentist who administers gas? Citizen
-No, bat I can direct you to a barber
who does.
Bellows-Is she your daughter?
Fellow*-She is my grand daughter.
"Your grand daughter?'1 "Yes, my
prond and haughty daughter."
Wife-Do you think Tommy di?*
turba our neighbors with his dram?
Husband-I'm afraid so; they made
him a present of a nice new knife to*
foy. t
Prunella-Did you tell him I wai
out, Marie? ?Her Maid-Yes. ma'am.
Pranella-D|d he seem to believe yon?
Her Maid-Not until I said yon told
me to tell him so.
Fitzleigh (calling) : Is year mis?
tress engaged, Bridget? Bridgett
Well, sir, if yer want to know, I be.
Heve she is from what I heard over
the transom last night
"Lo-ve, I d-r-ea-m of thee," he
warbled beneath her window. "Then
I wish you wouldn't try to sing in
your sleep," ?he murmured, at she
buried her head in the pillows.
Mrs. DeGoode - Why ate you
throwing stones at that little boy?
Answer me that, sir. Small Boy
(very good at excuse)-'Cause his
folks doesn't b'iong to our church.
They used to sing about the farm,
That loveliest of spots.
But now the place, devoid of charm.
Is sold as building lots.
"I wish yon wonld pay a little at?
tention to what I am saying, air,
"roared an irate lawyer to an exas.
perating witness. "Well, I am pay?
ing as little as I can," was the calm
reply.
First Masher-Well, did you make
the acquaintance of that strange girl
you were raving over? Second
Ditto - Ye6; followed her home.
First M.-How did she strike, yon?
Second Ditto-She didn't at all ; she
got ber big brother to do it
"Have you becu reading poetry
lately?" said the bank president to the
cashier. "Why, yes," was the reply,
"1 have been troubled with senti*
mentality of late." "Well, I wish
you'd give it np. You are getting
that ?far away look' in your eyes, and
it worries the directors."
Miss Maudie (to instructor in lan?
guages) : Professr, with your know?
ledge of French, do you thinfc sitter
and I could safely venture upon a trip
through France? Instructor: With
perfect safety, my dear young lady.
You and Miss Mabel could go any?
where itt France and speak your
minds rn entire freedom-in French
without the slightest offense.
One After Result.
Banks-I dou't mind tho grip itseli
io much-its the after effects Vt?
afraid of.
Rivers-The af* er effects is whal
ails ute.- Pm *til) standing oft the
doct r for $65.-[Chicago Tribnue.
A student at Bates College is Soma*
yon Clayan, a prince Of the Baasa
friba of western Africa, wi. >*e nam*
is on the *o?!e#e bool** ?? U*\\\i J*,