Bit1'
i
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
ELK C.OUXTTTIIE REpUBLlCAtfrARTT.
Two Dollars pkb-Akkoic,
VOL. I.
RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1871.
ISO. 7.
MT OLD COAT.
HT MonTIMEll COLLINS.
This old velvet com has grown queer, 1 ad
mit.
And changed Is the color, and looeo Is the fit ;
Though to beauty It certainly can not neplre,
i tuzj oia coat lor a scai ny me lire.
When I first put It on It was awfully swell :
I went to a picnic, met Lucy Lepel,
Jlado a hole lu the heart of that sweet little
. . (fin,
Ana disjointed the nose of her lover, the
We rambled away o'er the moorland togeth
er:
-My coat was bright purple, and so was the
ueamer;
And so was the sunset that bluzcd in the
. west,
As Lucy's fair tresses were laid ou my breast.
Vie plighted our troth 'ueath that sunset
anamc,
But Lucv returned t W Fml nil ti.n .,.. .
She's a grandmamma now, aud is going down
hill,
But my old velvet coat is a friend to me still.
It was built by a tailor of mighty renown,
Whose art is no longer the talk ol the town ;
A magical picture my memory weaves
hen I thrust my tired arms through Its easy
old sleeves.
1 see
In my fire, through the smoke of iny
Sweet maidens of old that are long overripe,
Aud a troop of old cronies, right gny cava
liers, Whose guineas paid well for Champagne at
Watier's.
A strong generation, who drank, fought, and
kissed,
Whose hands never trembled, whose shots
never missed ;
Who lived a quick life, for their pulBes beat
high
io remember them well, Sir, my old coat
and 1.
Ah, gone Is the age of wild doings at court,
Rotten boroughs, knee-breeches, hair-triggers,
and port ;
Still I've got a magnum to moisten my throat,
And I II drink to the Past In my tattered old
ME AXD MY PAL.'
A Tale of the Cnbnn Rebellion,
My associates through life havo been
many and various. I have hobnobbed
with " noblemen, gentlemen of property,
heirs to entailed estates, officers on full
fap, and other responsible parties :" and
have fraternized with grooms, game
keepers, jockeys, trainers, and touts.
Nay, on one occasion, being belated in a
heavy snow-storm at the Bald-faced
Stag at Finchley, I so won the heart of
an inebriated hearse-driver returning
from Finchley Cemetery, that with a
blind confidence, born of our host's good
rum, he thrust whip and reinB into my
astonished hands, and climbing into the
receptacle but recently vacated by his
" fare," prayed me to pilot his sombre
chariot home. Which, first stipulating
for a temporary exchange of hats and
cloaks, I did, to the admiration of all
Camden Town the mutes attendant on
the sad cortege following, appropriately
speechlessly drunk, in a tour-wheeler.
But of all the strange companions into
whose society I have over been thrown
by a perverse fate, or whose companion-
snip a nave sought from what my friends
are pleased to denominate " a taste for
low lite (no idea could be more errone-
ous ; I only thirst for knowledge), the
person whom I am going to tell you
aooui was, par excellence, the strangest
ana tne most inscrutable. 1 am coin:
to tell you a tale without a hero. Its
" leading gentleman" (if such a term be
applicable! is alluded to in my title un
der " the first person singular, nomina
tive case me (Mr. bqueers is my uu
thority for this grammar) ; and the iden-
tity of myself moi qui vous parte is
merged in the endearing epithet of " my
pal." This is rather perplexing ; but as
tne wooie title forms an expression which
constantly fell from the revered lips of
-tin wnen, in tne intervals or protes
sional discipline, he had occasion to al
lude to the unworthy narrator, I have
chosen to preserve it in its entirety, in
memory oi tne most extraordinary man
i ever met.
His name was Jonas Baxter, aud he
was the most intrepid, desperate, and
skillful burglar that ever laughed at
bcotland Yard, or goaded the New York
ponoe to anger by his sublime indiffer
ence to the terrors of the Tombs.
At the time of which I write (very
recently), he had long been an absentee
iroin iiUglaud, having "quittted his
country for his country's good," and ar
rived in New York tia Australia, after
Holding a temporary position under Her
juajesty s government in that colony
"When my story opens, Mr. Baxter ap
pears before the publio as a filibuster.
having (with a view to insular depreda
tions; volunteered to aid the oppressed
m redeeming tne " ever-laithlul isle
from the stigma of slavery; and the
writer, tired of doing nothing, had also
ttiKeu service under the "Lane btar'
Hag, and was appointed second in com
wiaud of the expedition which had the
honor of numbering that true patriot,
Mr. Baxter, in its ranks;
I was ignorant, however, of the great
ness thrust upon me by his enrollment
ln ,mv command until the day after we
.had loft New York, when I had reason
very heartily to be thankful for his en
listment. The rank and file of the expedition
were, as may be supposed, a "highly
mixed-up lot Cubans, Swedes, Ger
mans, Irish, Danes, Irish-Americans,
Yankees, a very few English, and no
Scotch.
Of these the most unruly and thor
oughly brutal were the Irish-Americans,
the sweepings of New York, the very
scum of the Bowery. .One of these fel
lows was standing, half-drunk, under
the break of the poop, indulging in a
string of such meaningless and awfully
blasphemous oaths as can only be heard
in the " down-town" spirit stores of New
York or Chicago. I could notice the
intense annoyance, almost terror, of the
commandant s wife (a Cuban lady), who
was on the poop, unable to escape be
yond ear-shot, and I accordingly ordered
the ruffian to go forward. Excited by
wnisKey, lie turned on me, and strewed
sucn flowers of speeob, in Bowery argot,
on my head, that, lax as our discipline
witn tne men was, 1 was bound to pun
ish him, and I accordingly ordered him
to be confined. Immediately drawing
his formidable knife, the rascal (as the
Yankees say) "went for me." I was
standing on the after-hatch quite un
armed, having left my sword and pistols
in the cuddy ; and, providentially, as he
hurled himself on to me, his foot tripped
on the combings of the hatchway, and
he fell almost at my feet, the murderous
weapon aimed at my breast just grazing
my tnign. lie was up again in an in
stant, with arm uplifted for a second
and more fatal stab, when n crack like
the smash of a carriage panel was heard,
and Private Felix O'Gorman dropped
with a fractured skull on the deck before
a blow from a handspike, wielded by
Mr. Jonas Baxter, burglar and Cuban
patriot. There was no mistaking the
man s nationality for a moment, even
before he spoke. Such cordurovs I may I
adopt the vernacular, and say "kick sees!'")
were never made out of Whitechapel;
and when he said, in a drawling, quiet
tone so common to his kind, that he'd be
blessed if he d see the captain bested by
a Fenian, my memory flew back
over the Atlantic ; 1 was again in lie'
gent street at 4 r. sr. on a sunny after
noon in May, and the persuasive chant
or "Buy a little dawg, captain r once
more rang in my ears. Scoundrel though
the man might be, lie was an English
man, and lie Had saved my lite ; and my
heart positively warmed to him as I
gave his hand a grip that made the big
knuckles crack, and swore that I d stand
by him to the end of the war.
At my request, Colonel D'Olivarez
made the expatriated " cracksman "
sergeant an accession of rank with
which he was hugely pleased, entering
on the duties with all the glee of a child
who acquires a toy drum, and rendering
mine much less irksome by the whole
some awe he inspired among his luckless
subordinates, who feared us much as
they hatei him. Do not think, how
ever, that Mr. Baxter had any intention
of following soldiering as a profession.
He held the calling ot arms in the most
unqualified contempt, and did not scru
pie to enlighten me as to his roal inten-
tions. (In explanation of the apparently
undue tamiuarity with which my " dash
ing white sergeant " treated me. I should
here mention that we had been advised
to use no more authority than was neces
sary for the suppression of mutiny while
on board ship over men who were used
to no sort of control, and who valued
human life at its lowest possible cost.
There they were, probably food for Yel
low Jack or Spanish bullets, and thev
knew it ; and while prepared, ruffians as
some of them were, to fulfill their part
of the contract, and " fight till hell froze,
and then fight on the ice," would have
mutinied to a man had we worried them
too much on the voyage.)
Mr. Jonas Baxter, therefore, was good
enough to express his approval of my
being an Englishman, and to favor me
with several episodes of his extremely
chockered career, some of which may
possibly prove amusing to my readers.
In justice to this child of fortune, or ill
fortune, 1 should, however, mention that
with his garb and cockney accent his
likeness to the stereotyped burglar
ceased. His face was not that which has
been rendered familiar to us in the pages
of Punch as that of the gentl mian who
performs the office of "the nasty man "
in garroting circles. On the contrary,
had Mr. Baxter been introduced into
society clad in garments built in Savile
Row, and been bidden to hold his tongue,
no superficial observer could have dis
tinguished him from the most llase fre
quenter of the Burlington Arcade save
by the massive squareness of his lower
jaw, and the coarseness of his firm,
sinewy hands.
But let him speak for himself.
" I saved your life, cap," quoth ho ;
" and glad I am to have done it. I only
wish I had had a pal like you in my
business."
Feeling that a uouioliinent was im
plied, but being uncertain as to the
branch ot commerce hitherto pursued
oy my preserver, 1 made bold to ask him
i. . , , , , . , . . ...
m wuut ne una nirnerto devoted his ap
parently inaoinitaDie energies.
" Well," he replied, with a reluctance
for which I could not at once account,
" 1 open safes and and houses. Come
with me," he added, with real zeal. " and
1 11 show you as I m no dufter." So sav.
ing, he dived 'tween-decks, myself fol
lowing', wnere ne opened a small brass-
bound box, and disclosed to my astonished
gaze a" jimmy," a small saw of exquisite
workmanship, a centre-bit. and a quan
tity or. otner tools, tne names ot which
it would puzzle me to recollect. " These,"
he said, " were tho traps of poor Jim
V , who was hanged emhteen vear
ago at the Old Bailey. His widow, she
were in Short Gardens, and I eave her
200 for the lot. D the Cubans !"
he added. " In the bank at P are
6,000,000 dollars in gold. Let's fight
till we get tnere, ana then let g turn up
patriotism, and go straight for thebanl."
"But," I said, "the cause sacred
cause of Cuba, Sergeant Baxter."
"Oh," said be, ' that's all played out."
York, and confided to the joint execution
of some four or five gentlemen ot burg
larious habits among them my model
sergeant but he, with true nobility of
soul, had resolved to prevent the dissen
sions that would probably arise from the
division of the spoil by anticipating
their arrival in the land ot promise, and
as he expressed it, " taking tbe wholo
pile."
" And that," said he glancing with
disgust at the tunic ho was altering to
fit his burly figure, " is the reason you
see me faked out in these here togs.
On the same principle, I suppose, that
the old Indian braves used to stimulate
their children to future deeds of heroism
and "hair-raising" by narrating to them
the exploits of the former warriors of
their tribe, Mr. Baxter sought to in
crease the ardor for house-breaking with
which it had pleased his fancy to invest
me by toiling me ot Ins past achieve
meats.
" Do you remember," said he, " when
the D mail was robbed of G0,000
in specie r 1 was 1 that did it. Bev-
enty-four times did I travel down first
class by that very train from Victoria
Station before I got the chance I wanted,
There were four of us in it ; and a very
tew more journeys would have broke us
lor what with railway lares, cigars from
Pontet's, and brandy, such as Baron
Rothschild drinks, at seven-and-twenty
shillings a bottle, for the guard, it cost
us a tidy lot before we landed. My pal
he got seven years, he did, he added
reflectively ; but suddenly remembering
that the sinister late ot his former as
sociate might have a depressing influence
on my budding enthusiasm, he hastily
added, " liut he was a fool be was.
With Machiavehan subtlety the worthy
non-commissioned officer allowed me no
time to reflect whether the folly of the
gentleman on whom misfortune had ful
len did not primarily consist in becom
ing the comrade ot so desperate and
skillful a villain as himself, but plunged
anew into anecdote.
"'Twas I," he said proudly, who dis
covered how to split the Bank of Eng
land notes by placing tbem between
steel plates covered with a strong cement,
to which each surface ot tbe note ad'
hered ; so that each half formed a per
reel note, almost imperceptibly toiuner
than the entire one. I should have made
a fortune then." he sighed, " only, while
I was passing the notes at the rate of
tiuu a day, and olten more, at Tatter
sail's, my partner he went and rounded
on me, he did.
" Did you ever commit mur That
is, did you ever take human life .-
asked him one day.
" is ever but once, said he ; " and that
was in self-defense. I had cracked a
crib, alone, tip on Sixth Avenue, near
the Central Park, and I was making my
way down toward the river, with a
basket with the swag in it ou my arm,
when 1 came full-butt on to a policemen.
His revolver was out in a moment, but
was as quick as himself; and as his
bullet whistled through my hat, mine
went right through his brain. I heard
afterward that he was the best shot in
the force ; but on that night, his own
revolver being out of order, he had bor
rowed that of a brother officer, which
he threw a little high, and he was not
aware of it, or I shouldn't be here now
telling you my adventures."
in.
IL
No assurance on my part that mv
feelings were opposed to the unlawful
annexation of the Spaniards' gold could
persuade Mr. Baxter to forego the pleas
ure of mapping out a programme for
our mutual aggrandizement. To my
surprise I found that he was much bet
ter posted in the geography of the island
than myself : and he was also informed
whether accurately or not I never had
the opportunity of determining as to
the strength of the garrison at P ,
aud the exact number of sentries who
guarded his El Dorado, the bank 4 so
that I found myself, under protest, pledg
ed to join in one of the most gigantio
gold robberies ever contemplated out of
wan street, ,
With artles. candor Mr. Baxter inform
ed me that his project had not originated
in his own brain, but had been conceived
by one of the largest speculators in New
Thus the voyage passed away, each
day leaving me more astonished at the
extraordinary mixture of good and evil
in this man s character. Hut tor the
sacra fames I really think he might have
been a respectable member ot society.
He never gambled, or quarreled, or
drank, and seldom ever swore : but for
gold he hungered and thirsted. He used
to dream of it all nicht. he told me. and
by day certainly his only theme was gold
and its acquisition. Ou this point I am
sure he was a monomaniac. For the
paper currency of the United States, he
had the greatest contempt. The yellow
metal itseii was his darling ; and even
while conversing he would keep nervous
ly twisting in his strong, sinewy fingers
a great twenty-dollar gold piece, which I
am sure no privations would have in
duced him to change. But to the very
last moment of his life for I regret to
say tnat poor Mr. Baxter, as you will
hear, " died in shoes" my property was
sacred in his eyes. When my watch was
appropriated by one of the enlighten-
to patriots under my command, they
had a very rough time of it betweeu-deck
until my indignant sergeant recovered
the missing property, but eave the un
lucky thief such a practical homily on
the tenth commandment as I am sure he
never forgot; and when subsequently
our privations rendered the men so des
perute that they stole and fought for
eaoh other's food, my ration always re
mained intact in the watchful care of
poor Jonas Baxter.
l am not writing a history ot the Revo
lution, so 1 will pass over all the details
ot my campaigning in the island, mere
ly remarking that tbe men proved
amenable to no discipline, and that
they fought independently, . ,as only
reckless, desperate men. inured to
bloodshed and the sight of death, in
every form, could hght. As for Jonas
Baxter, he was a host in himself. Everv
day s march brought him near the goul
ior wnicn ne panted, uis precions tools,
I was well aware, were concealed in his
knapsack; and when he pillowed his
neaa upon it at nigbt. woe betide the
man who should attempt to deprive him
of one of those aids to boundless wealth.
But, alas.
" The best-laid schemes of mice and men
Gang alt aglee."
Mr. Baxter did reach P , and so did
I: but it was as prisoners of war.' tnbnn
in arms against the Spanish government,
and with a pretty acute perception that
scant eourtesy from our captors would
be afforded us. . r. .. . ; .'.... ..
We were lodged with other prisoner
in a large cell in the town iaiL which
occupied one side of the principal place,
and from the closely barred window we
could . see the very bank that had
lured my poor, covetous comrade to his
doom, lie was almost grand in the
sublimity of bis despair. " Six million
dollars in gold !" he would repeat gaz-1
ing fixedly t the fatal building Six
million dollars in gold!" I thought of
Napoleon at bt. Helena. But though
his dearest hopes were frustrated, and
all chance of escape was denied him, he
oenavea who a gameness and pluck I
rarely saw equaled, never surpassed. I
had been wounded, and was in a verv lan
guid state not improved by the thought
that I had been rather a fool to get into
bucq a mess ior no reason at all and to
SKETCHES BY A COSMOPOLITAN.
Tricks of the Trade
" For ways that are dark, and tricks
that are vain," Y asbington market deal
ers are rather " peculiar." It may in
terest larmera and fruit growers to know
how their produco is manipulated by
these clever operators, more especially
at iDis time, when tue railroad enter
prise promises to facilitate matters, so
nroe.iirA nm Rome lit.tla nnrnftivl. trt? n.lt.
he persistently refused to partake) this that ,R no distnn day we may be en.
uaroened thiel parted with his beloved R"1,
twenty-dollar piece Neither of us son- the inl
posed for a moment that our lives would An(l first as to the cherry buyers, who
be spared, and though I escaped (how 8(,em to be a class by themselves. They
and why need not be detailed here), not nake their appearance during June and
many days nad elapsed alter our arrival ulyi iurnisueo witn cpriug balance
in 1' when they took poor Jonas
Baxter out to be hanged. The gallows
was erected in me large place on which
our wmoow looked, and, led by a hor
rible fascination, I drew near to it, and
warn- - a the awful proceedings.
Good-by, captain," said he, as they
led him out ; " though I'm to swing, I'm
right glad to think that you'll swing
char. I played for a big stake, and I've
lost; but it I could, I'd do it as-ain
Just think, six million dollars in gold 1"
And away he went, his irons clanking
ueavuy, out ms aemeanor as unconcern
ed as if ho were merely going to smoke a
pipe with his friend Mr. By kes, of Tiger's
nay.
He died as he lived, deGnantly. His
last breath was used to chaff his execu
tioners and beg tbem to make haste, - as
he " had an appointment, for which he
did not wish to be late ;" and as the drop
ieii, ana nis Douy swung slowly round,
now facing his beloved bank, and now
turning the swollen, blackened face to
ward the jail, 1 am not ashamed to con-
less that bitter teurs rolled down mv
cneeKS ior tne sad late ot the poor re
probate who was what crime and crim
inal laws had made him. but who. under
different circumstances, might have been
worthy ot a better end.
An Amerieun Arcadia.
in tne AjUKe 01 ireten is an island on
which stands the little isolated town of
Hores. Of its inhabitants M. Morelet,
in his "'iravels in Central America,"
translated by Mr: and Mrs. M. ' F,
Squier, draws an engaging picture :
in tne streets ot iloris there are
neither shops nor artisans j there is no
market even j every one depends on his
own production, or on such exchanges as
he may be able to make with his neigh-
bora, for his food. " If any one has need
cf uioney, he prepares some article of
domestic consumption such as chocolate,
bread, or candles, and sends his children
about with them, from hut to hut, in
search of a purchaser. At long inter
vals some enterprising man among them
takes a cow or horse to Belize, and ex
changes it there lor a petty puckage of
Englih goods. ' Very little suffices for
a population whose only ambition is to
live without labor. European activity.
which unceasingly applies itself to the
accumulation of woalth, could not be
comprehended by the inhabitants of
Peten ; but, on the other hand, they are
ignorant of the infinite annoyances
which follow on tho laborious formenta
tion of the Old World. No one here
ever thinks of speculation as a means of
acquiring wealth. Destitute of ambi
tion, and without strong passion 01 anv
kind, the certainty of a sufficiency . for
scales, lanterns, attendants, etc.. and es
tablish themselves at various points in
the market, and throughout the entire
night they lay in wait tor game. Their
men are sent out in the streets to inter
cept the countrymen as they cross the
u 1 iierem xerries, or drive down lrom
Westchester county. Soon thev begin
to arrive, and then all is bustle, contu
sion ana rascality.
1 he modus optrandi is as follows : Af
ter making the price as low as possible
(and being all combined, and bavins- a
perfect understanding, the price is about
wnac tney please), they then begin to
weigh. The principal takes his place at
tne oesit to enter tne weights, a good op
erator engaged from year to year, and
who is very Bkillful in this peculiar line.
commences to weigh the baskets of lus
cious fruit The countrvman. intending
to uo very watoniui, keeps his eye 011
the scales, but, bless your heart, he
might just as well look at the back as
the face, for, in the first place, the scales
are "fixed" tor the purpose; and be
sides that, they are carefully hung just
the proper height that tbe operator, by
clapping his foot under the baskets, his
heel resting on the floor, and the basket
resting down on his toe, so that it is
made to weigh lust what thev nleaK ;
and by this means, together with some
wild figuring when the account is made
up, why. the chorrv trade is well wnrr.h
looking after; more especially as thev
frequently buy up several tons in one
night during the height of tho season.
"Tubbing up" is a very interesting
procefcs that may be witnessed any morn
ing before trade is commenced ; it con
sists in emptying the greater part of a
barrel of potatoes, apples, onions, etc..
in a large tub, taking out the largest as
they run out; then empty the tub care
fully back into the barrel, and place tue
large ones on the top ; by this means a
barrel not nearly full will be rounded
up nicely, and look quite as good as it
is. When potatoes are carried to the
stands from the boats or cars, where
they are in bulk, the dealers seud good
largo barrels, and thoy feel aggrieved if
uy using small, barrels thev cannot make
an extra barrel on every ten when they
are sold out again.
Indeed, the business is transacted for
the most part in a manner peculiar to
tho place. When a lot of peaches urn
lauded on a stand, being covered with
muslin covers, they are immediately
turned upside down, and then the fruit
is allowed to settle back again very care
fully, and they are set down very care
fully, and must not be disturbed. You
see them clap a hand over the mouth of
a strawberry batket (holdiner about n.
handful), turn it over, and jar it slight
ly, ana set it carefully down, and thus
bare existence is all thev reauire tomaka
them happy ; and this certainly is as- everything is topped off, loosened up.
sured to them by the extent and the fer- uuu maue tue most ot. Jue good church
tneir neaas, pelted them from every
point, ana tne rabble finally returned it,
with interest, until it became a scene of
wild disorder, that would tax the pencil
01 nogartn to depict or the pen of Dick-
ens to describe. The Jlnale was that we
were obliged to clear the docks to sive
further depredations, and that was no
easy matter by any means. It was d
ring Buch a season of plenty, when the
market was overstocked every day, that
uut in i.ua commission dealers snowed
me the following bill rendered to a fru
grower:
: ' New Tobk, Oct., 1800.
Messrs.
Sold for Mr.-
150 BnsketB Peaches 15c.,
4 Barrels Marion 8quashes SI,
cuir.CES.
Commission ou 150 baskets Peaches,
" " 4 barrels Squashes,
Freight and Cartage,
$13
40
8 94
as 09
uaiauee uuc, l.o'J. ricse remit.
It is but lust ice to the dealer to sav.
however, that the shipper was but a
transient customer, who would not have
sent to him under other circumstances j
but he confessed to having sold some of
the fiuit as high as fifty cents per bask
et, and from that to tho price rendered
in the bill. The request for a remittance
was a bit ot humor that pleased him iui
mensely.
A few scenes more embodied in per-
nnps one suetcti, and ere we becom
tiresome, wo will bid adieu to the classi
locality known as the Washine-ton Mar-
ket Docks, with its rude sheds, among
which we have wandered, and over
which we have watched so many dreary
nights ; and then, reader, with your kind
permission, we may betake ourselves to
"other fields and pastures new." We
may not even conhno ourselves to the
city of hew York, but, by virtue of
roving commission issued by our an
cestors, may journey to other cities, to
the country, perhaps to the praiiies of
tne tar West, and compel them to fur-
nih material for theso " sketches " bv a
citizen 01 tne world, lor
" No pent-un Utlea contracts our nowers.
1 ne wnoie, me nounuicss comment, is ours."
L. R. T,
tuny 01 tne lanus oy which they are
surrounded. Possession is the only title
to the soil which they recognize. Any
one who clears a piece of ground, makes
use of it us he pleases, aud if any dis
pute arises as to its ownership, it is sjon
settled by the paternal authority of the
corregidor. However, there is this ad
vantage in Flores, that instead of one's
ear s being deafened by the discordant
sounds ot tho hammer and the suerar-
mill, they are filled constantly with the
nurmony ot musical instruments. As soon
as the sun goes down and the evenins
breeze sets in, the town is full of sounds
ot mirth and hilarity, which continue
until the night is tar advanced. And
thus life ebbs away in the midst of per
fect quiet, and in utter indifference as to
what the future may bring forth. The
desire for novelty, improvement or
change never enters into tho thoughts of
the inhabitants. Every one bavins re
ceived the same amount ot education,
and enjoying in an equal decree the
privilege ot doing nothing, the most
perfect equality exists in society, which
is not troubled by the pretensions of its
members on the score of birth, learning
or loriune. .
Few days pass consecutively in
Flores without the sound of the marimba
inviting its inhabitants to some new fes
tivity. No other form of invitation is
extended. The door is open for all. The
spectators assemble in groups around
the entrance, looking on with democrat
ic freedom, and making their comments
aloud. There you see the aloalde or the
corregidor alternating in the same faiu.
dango with the meanest citizen. The
mother succeeds the daughter, the ne
gres the white woman; rank, age,
caste all the conditions which else
where separate society seem to ba con
founded here. Persons giving parties
do the honors of the house in the most
unpretentious manner possible : a dozen
caudles, a supply of chairs collected from
a dozen neighboring houses, a few home
ly ref reshments, and tho engagement of
one or two performers on the marimba,
constitute the entire preparations. Our
notions ot delicacy occasionally receive end un bv dumpinar the balant-A off ihn
oumeiuiug 01 a suocm. irom ceitain cus- aocit Dy cart loads, to get the empty
tonis here, which, to say the least, are of baskets aud make room for fresh arri
an extremely primitive character. The vals. This I have seen done rpniatoi1 1 17
same glass, for instance, circulates among during the height of the season : not bv
tbe guests until drained, while a spoon any means worthless fruit, either, but
man was asked on one occasion, " How
can you reconcile your plan cf doing
uuowitaj wim your proiession 01 relig
ion this putting the finest fruit on tho
top, and shaking them up so that the
baskets and barrels may auoeur fuller
than they really are f Is it not a decep
tion '(" " Why, bless your simple heart,
no," said he : " our customers know iust
how the matter is, and would be greatly
ueceiveu ana disappointed if they did
not find them topped off." And when
the women who sold apples and other
fruit on the sidewalk by the post office
and elsewhere would come flocking
urouuu tne 01a "aeaoon- to replenish
their stock. I have overheard them ask,
" Arrah, thin, honev. tell us the thrnth.
for a daceut ould man that ve arn.'
" Well, Mary (all apple women are Ma-
rys), they're no larger or better in the
bottom than you see them on top." And
that was a safe assertion for tho " deacon."
One word as to the commission deal
ers, bomo ot them are honest and un.
right in their transactions, but a greut
many are quite the reverse, being as ar-
'rant a set of knaves as can be found in
any line ot trade ; and, it. one is dis
posed to be dishonest, opportunity is not
wanting. The usual commissions al
lowed were five per cent for selling beef
and hogs, one shilling each for sheen.
one shilling per basket for peaches, aud
for poultry, eggs, butter, cheese, and
general produce and fruit, the rate was
ten per cent., the consignee paying
freight and cartage. However, the pro
ducer was often at some remote place ;
perhaps in the far West, or South ; and
the dealers were, many of them at least.
aufait in making out bills, so that their
ten per cent, would be doubled, and in
some cases trebled. When there is a
glut of perishable fruit in the market
(which is often tbe case with peaches),
then a wide margin is offered, that dis
honest commission dealers are not slow
to take advantage of. Peaches may be
worth one dollar a basket in the morn
ing, half a dollar at noon, and before
night a drug at twenty-five cents, and
alternates from hand to hand, ,with the
same jar of sweetmeats. Nor da thn
ladies, after the fatigues of dancing, hes
itate to recuperate their energies through
just such as would bring a dollftr more
per basnet under other circumstanoes.
One night in particular. I remember
that the denizens of Washington street
the aid of a glass of rum. at tho sama and vicinitv vnt wind nf rl.
. . J o uuiyuiuic
time lighting a cigar of size and strength process, and literally swarmed the place
sathoient to turn the stomach of our to get their supply; men, women and
hardest smokers." children, with baskets. tm,la
iit . O '
Was it at a rattle that
the publio ear ?
the man won
aprons ; and the good natured bova that
were busy clearing out not only filled
their vessels, but dumped them over
Going the hounds.
Once in a while a paragraph or an ad
vertisement appears in some out-of-the-
way newspaper that somehow or other
seems to tickle the American journalist.
who sets it a-going in such a way that it
speeony travels all over the countrv
For example : Some little time since s
" broken-hearted woman," as she calls
herself, Mrs. Laura Hunt, of Broadalbin,
Fulton county, New York, notified tho
publio through the Airmterdam Intelli
yencer that her aear huuband, Josiuh
Hunt, had left her bed and board, and
strayed to parts unknown ; and she for
bid all girls, old maids, and widows to
meddle with or marry him under nenaltv
of the law. She earnestly entreated all
editors " throughout the world " to lay
this information before their readers.
" Mrs. Hunt will please perceive that
, .... r . . . -
wo nave complied with her request.
courier. Ana we (WOJ too. 1 rnnxc.ript.
Ana we tnree. Utncinnati Mirror,
1 A 1 J I, rv. , ? ...
Ami w iour. oianaara. " Ana we
hve. Western Methodist. " And we six."
Aion s jieraui. " And we seven.
M.iine Free Prtst. " And we eitrht."
Mobile Free Press. " And we nine."
WoodstocK Whig. "Leave her bed and
board, the villian I And we ten." Na
tional Fugle. " And strayed to parts un
known, tho vagabond I And we eleven."
Daily Advertiser. "He left her bed
and boa-d, the vagrum !" Statesman.
"And we start him again." Miner's
Journal. " Break a woman 3 heart, the
fiend I Take that I" Telegraph. "Go
ahead, and hunt him, Laura." Sentinel.
" Pats him around, ani start him again."
hcer -to- many " ibids." Editor's
UiiAWER, in Harpers Magazine for April
Critical Tei iod of Human Life.
From the age of forty to that of sixty
a man who properly regulates himself
may oe considered in the prime of life.
His matured strength of constitution
render j him almost impervious to the at
tacks ot disease, and all his functions are
in the highest order. Having gone a
year or two past sixty, however, he ar
rives at a critical period of existence;
the river of Death flows before him, and
be remains at a standstill. But athwart
this river is a viaduct, called The Turn
of Life," which, if crossed in safety, leads
to the valley "Old Age," round which
tne river winds, and then flows beyond
without a boat or causeway to affect its
passage. The bridge is. however, con
structed of fragile materials, and it de
pends upron how it is trodden whether
it bend or break. ; Gout, apoplexy, and
other bad characters, are also in tbe vi
cinity to waylay the traveller, and
thrust him from the pass ; but let him
gird up his loins, and provide himself
with perfect composure. To quote a
metaphor, the " Turn of Life" is a turn
either into prolonged walk or into the
grave. The system and power, having
reached their utmost expansion, now be
gin either to close like flowers at sunset,
or break down at once. One injudicious
stimulant, a single fatal excitement,
may force it beyond its strength :
whilst a careful suppIv ri nmt ,t,a
the withdrawal of all that tends to force
a plant, will sustain it in beaut and in
vigor until night has nearly et in. . . .
Nrrao Glycerins
day morning, March 12th, seven hun
dred pounds of nitro glycerine exploded
in a small wooden building on th went
side of the Hoosao tunnel. The buildine
was of course blown to splinters. The
cans, in which the glycerine was kept,
.17.11-1. ,n. rnA i. - - 3 . 1 .
" nfiMu uuii u raggeu Bnapes. A
young growth of birch and mania via
cut through for a distance of twenty
rods, the path being six rods wide. The
trees, three inches in diameter, were
torn and twisted into withes. The vil
lage of North Adams, two and a half
miles distant, was shaken as if by an
earthquake. No lives were lost, hut t Via
explosion was terrific.
SlCELIiASEOl'S HEMS.
A writer in the Golden Age says that
Miss Kellogg Bings " Sweet Home " at if
sho lived in a hotel. -,1, ' ,
A clergyman in the West, seeks dama
ges of a journal which published a re
port of his lecture, Mind and Matter,"
under the head of " Wind pnd Wator.," ,
"Pupmatio" is' suggosted as a . pew
word admirably adapted to "desoribe
those individuals to whom the applica
tion of " dogmatio " would be too digni
fied, , ,
A' man ' from the country visitedall
the stores in Jasper, Ind., recently, t
buy a divorce. He was told they were
just out of divorces, but would have a
4' . . 1 1 - 1 I - r . j .1 , ,3.
$28 60 Duppiy 111 a jew uays.
liichtor says! "A man takes contra
diction and advice much more easily
than people think, only he will not bear
it when violently given, though it will
be well founded. Hearts are flowers ;
they remain open to the softly-falling
dew, but shut up in the violent down
pour of rain." 7
" You haven't got such a thing as a
pair of old trowsers, have you i" ' No,
my man," said the merchant; "I'don't
keep my wardrobe in my counting
house." " Where do you live rejoined
Pat, "and I'll call in the morning ior
the. ould pair you've got on."
A minister once gave -a Commentary
to an old Scotch lady who was well
versed in the Scripture. He thought she
would enjoy the explanations of her fa
vorite passages. Calling on her a few
days afterward, he said: "Did you like
the book I gave you '" " Ay, mon, it's
a gude book, and the Bible explains it
amazingly." -
A beggar asking alms under the name
of a poor scholar, a gentleman to whom
he applied himself asked him a question
in Latin. The fellow, shaking his bead.
said he did not understand him. "Why,"
said the gentleman, " did you not say
you were a poor scholar Y" " Yes," re
plied the other, " a poor one indeed, sir,
for I do not understand one word of
Latin."
In one of tho pleasant villaces in
Western New York, the other day. a
certain worthy housekeeper thought she
would can on her nearest neighbor. Khe
was about entering the door, but hesi
tated, thinking tbut the family might
be taking their supper. , " Come in,"
said the hostes", " we are having tab
leaux." " Yes," replied the visitor, "I
thought I smelt 'em."
A resident of Taunton. Massachusetts. -
has obtained his ice for summer use, for :
several winters past, in the following
manner : rrocunng about fifty empty
flour-barrels, at a cost of twenty cents
each, he gradually pours in water until
each contains a solid mass of ice. The
barrels are then put away in his cellar
and entirely covered with sawdust. As
ice is required, a barrel is tapped.
A negro boy who went to church was
cautioned to remember the text, which
was : " Why stand ye here idle 'i Go into
my vineyard, and whatsoever is right I
will pay thee." Tommy came home,
and was asked to repeat the text. He
thought it over a while, and cried out :
hat d ye stand round here doiuer
nuffinfor'r' Go into my barnyard and
work. I'll make it all rieht with vou."
The following recipe for the cure of
inflamed eyes is given : " Take a potato,
and after quartering it, grate the heart
as fine as possible, and place the gratings
between a piece of cambrio muslin.
Place the poultice over the eyes in
flamed, and keep it there fifteen min
utes. Continue the operation three
successive nights, and a perfect cure en
sues." It is worth trying by those
afflicted with sore eyes.
It has been found by experiment that
animals die in a few weeks when fed
upon fine flour alone, but would live -long
when fed upon the whole flour. .
There is wisdom in the old-time prac
tice of restricting prisoners to coarse
bread, as when denied all other food.
life could not otherwise ba sustained
for any great leneth of time. Coamn ;
bread is also necessary for the proper
gmwiu uuu penuction 01 toe teeth. ,
In the Arctic regions, the Esouimaux
and Greenlander live principally on the
fat of seals, boars, and whales; by such
food only are they enabled to endure
he extreme cold without see minor to
Buffer more than we do in our severe
winters the resident of the tronica .
lives chit fly on watery fruits and vege- '
tables, with very little oilv food. From
this we may learn to eat more of the .
oleaginous elements in winter than in .
summer, in order to keep up our animal
heat.
A prize of ten dollars was recent.lv-.
offdrred to any member of the Georgia '
Teachers' Institute who would' write '
and spell correctly the words in the fol-
lowing sentence : " It is an agreeable
sight to witness the unparalleled em.
barrassment of a harnessed pedlar at- '
tempting to gauge the symmetry of a '
peeled onion, which a sibyl has stabbed -
with a poniard regardless of the innu
endoes of the lilies of . the loornelian
hue." Thirty-eight teachers competed 7
for the prize, but not one was success
ful. ' - ' '
A pretty good story is told of an Irish.
man named Billy, who had long been ,
tmployed as a teamster by the occupant
i a ooai wnarr in rmiadelphia. ue 1
as a fixture, and the owner thoueht he i
could not get along withouk Billy., But I ,
as both employer aud man were the pon.
seasors of more or less irascibility, frei-. ..
quent were their explosions, and Billy '
was aiscnargea at least once a day; out '
though frequently discharged, he never '!
went off. One day the employer, durine
one of these passages, burst out 1 1, ,
" it I no sort of use, UUly ;, I can't .
earn you anything at all, and hav"l
been trying for years." . 1 ou.,;.i.a
" bhure and ye nave, then, lairnt m i
wan thing," said Billy. - . 1 , ( :i'tl .
" What is that r"'Wa asked 1 -Iakall 1
be glad to hear of anything you have
learned."
" Shure, sir, yea have lairnt Til A Tliafc
fifteen hundred makes a ton 1"
uuiy mew too much to be spared.