lb
ELK COUNTY-TIIE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
VOL II.
RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 1872.
NO. 43.
pojstr r.
SKBEJIADE.
Still .lumber on, nor l.t thl ions
DUtnrb thy oalm repot.
Mar watohfnl anreli found thee throng"
Till morning's jtt anoloie.
T, lnmber on, bat through thr dream
May mule gtnUj (lido,
HVe ranllftht Into shaded atrtami,
Or itarllght o'er the tide.
Sweet be thoM drcami till morning break
And raurlM flool the plain,
Then memory like a bird will wke,
And iinu my tons ajuln.
ItlE 8TO BY 'TELLER.
THE DEATH PEXALTF.
I had served twenty-five years on
pward an i,ast Indiaman, and for the
last ten years had commanded the Belle,
one the finest crafts that ever floated.
I was an old sea dog, and had dwelt so
long on salt water that I felt almost a
hatred for the land.
On the 20th of Octoher, 1824, 1 re
' oeived orders to put myself in readiness
for eayenne. I was to transport seventy
five soldiers and a convict. I had orders
to treat this individual well, and the let
ter I had received from the directory
enclosed another, with a huge red seal,
which I was not to open until between
27 and 28 deg. west longitude, that is,
just before we were about to cross the
line.
The letter was a long packet, s well
closed on every side that it was impossi
ble to catch the slightest glimpse of its
cpntents. I am not naturally supersti-
: tious, but there was something in the
look of the letter that I did not alto
gether like, though I oould get no reason
why. However, I carried it into the
cabin, and stuck it under the glass of a
little shabby English clock, which was
fastened above my head. I was busy
fixiug the letter under the clock, when
who should come into my cabin but the
' oonviot and his wife ! This was the first
time I had seen either of them, and I
may say that a more preposessing couple
I never met. The woman was scarcely
more than fifteen, and as handsome as a
. pioture ; while the. husbandlwas au intel
ligent, magnificently formed man, on
whose features nature had never written
" villian."
His crime, to be plain, was the mis
... fortune of being a hundred years ahead
of his age. He and others had attempt
ed something which our government
called treason, and which it punished
with death. It therefore occasioned me
considerable wonder that he should be
place under my charge ; but more of this
afterward.
" He had, as I said, his wife hanging on
his arm. Bhe was as merry as a bird ;
.. - she looked like a turtle dove cooing and
- nestling beneath his great wing.
Before a month had passed over cur
heads I looked upon them as my own
children. Every morning I used to call
them into my cabin. The young follow
would sit writing at my table, that is to
say at my chest, which was my bed. lie
would often help me at reckoning, and
soon learned to do better than I could.
I was amazed at his ability. His young
wife would sit upon one of the round
stools in my cabin working at her needle.
une day wo were all three sitting in
this way when I said :
" Do you know, my young ones, as it
seams to me we make a very pretty
family picture ? Mind, I don't mean to
ask questions, but maybe you have not
much money to spare, and you are, both
of you, I think, too handsome to dig in
the burning sun of Cayenne, like many
a poor wretch before you. It's a bad
country a bad country, take my word
for it. I, who have roughed it through
tempest and sunshine till I've the skin
of a rhinoceros, might get along there ;
but you I am afraid of you. So if you
should chance to have a bit of foolish
friendship for your poor old captain,
I'll tell you what I will do. I'll get
rid of this old brig ; she's not much bet
ter than an old tub, after all ; so I'll set
tle myself down there with you if you
like. You see I have not a living soul in
the world to care tor, or that cares for
me. I want relations, I want a home.
I want a family. I should like to make
my home with you, my pretty ones.
What say ye 't"
They said nothing at all, but sat look
ing, first, at each other and then at me,
as if they doubted whether they under
stood what I said. .
At last the little bird threw her arms
around my neck and cried like a baby.
"But," said she, suddenly pausing,
you haven't looked at the letter with
the big red seal."
' Hang it !" I exclaimed, " it had slip-
phd my minu entirely.
With a cold, dreadful sensation, I
went to my chest to see where we were,
I found that we had several days re
in sining before we should reach the
proper longitude for opening the letter.
Well there we Btood, all three of us,
looking up at the letter as if it could
have spoken to us. As it happened the
sun was shining full upon the face of
the clock case, and fell upon the great
staring red seal of the letter. I could
not help fancying it looked something
like a big monster, an ogre's face, grin
ning from the middle of the fire; it
looked horrible.
Could not one fancy," said I, to make
them laugh, " it's great big eyes were
staring out of it's head?"
" Ah, my love," said the wife, it looks
like blood."
Pooh, pooh 1" said the husband ta
king her arm under his, " it looks like a
letter of invitation to a wedding. Come,
come, leave the letter alone if it troubles
you so. Let's go to our room and pre
pare for bed."
And off they went. They went upon
deck and left me with that beast of a
letter. I remember that I kept lookiag
at it as I smoked my pipe ; it seemed to
fix its great red eye upon mine, fascina
ting like the eye of a serpemt. It was
red, wide, raw, staring like the maw of
a fierce wolf. I took my great coat and
bung it over both clock and letter and
went npon deck to finish my pipe.
We were now in the vicinity of Cape
de Verd Islands the Belle was running
before a fair wind at the rate of tea
miles an hour. It was a splendid tropi
cal night tbe stars large and shining;
the moon rising absve the borizen, as
large as a sun of silver, the line of ooean
parting it, and long streams of bare,
shimmering light falling upon the
waves, which, as thsy broke, sparkled
like jewels. I sat npon the deck smoking
nry pipe, ana looking at them.
, All was still, except the footfall of the
officer of the watch, as he naoed the deck.
gazing, as I was, upon the shadow of the
vessel, stealing over toe sileat water.
I love silence and order I hate noise
and confusion. The lights should have
all been extinguished by this time ; but
wnen l looked upon the deok 1 thought
I saw a little red hue of light beneath
my feet. At another tome and place this
would have made me angry ; but know
ing that the light came from the cabin
of my little deportet, I determined to see
what they were about.
I had only to look down I could see
into the cabin from the skylight.
The young girl was upon her knees,
she was saying her prayers. A lamp
swinging from the ceiling lighted her
room. Hhe had on a long white night
dress, and her fair, golden hair floated
over her shoulders, and almost touched
two little bare feet which were peeping
from under her white dress, so pretty.
I turned away ; but pshaw ! said I, I am
an old sailor I What matter it K So I
stayed.
The husband was sitting upon a little
trunk, his head resting upon hii hands,
losking at her as she prayed. S he raised
her face to heaven, and I then saw that
her eyes were filled with tears. She look
ed like a Magdalene. As she rose he
said :
" Ah, my sweet Laurette, as we ap
proach America; I cannot help being
anxious I do not know why but I feel
that this voyage has been the happiest
part or our lives.
" So it seems to me," she answered.
" I only wish it might last longer."
Suddenly clasping bis hands in a trans
port of love and affection, he said:
" And yet, my little angel, I see you
cry when you say your prayers, and that
I cannot stand, for I knew what causes
it, and then I fear you must repent what
you hnve done."
" liepent," she said, in a sad, rebuking
tone. "liepent of having come with
you. Do you think because I have been
yours only such a very short time, that
I should nat love you i Was I not your
w,ife ? How can you he sorry that I
should be with you, t live with yon if
you live, and to die with you if you are
te die r"
The yoaug man began to tigb, striking
the floor impatiently with his feet, while
he kissed repeatedly the little hand and
arm which she was holding out.
Ah, Laurette, Laurette I When I
think if our marriage had been delayed
only five days, that then I should have
been arrested and transported alone, I
cannot forgive myself."
At this the little one stretched out her
round white arms, clasped his head,
pressed his forehead, his hair, his eyes,
smiling like a cherub, and murmuring
all sorts of women's fond things. I
was quite affected, and considered it one
of the prettiest scenes I had ever wit
nessed. " And besides, we are so rich, too !"
said he, bursting out laughing. " Look
a1, my purse, one gold louis d'or, all my
worldly wealth.
She began to laugh too.
" Yes, dear, I have spent my last crown.
I gave it to the fellow who carried our
trunks on board."
" Ah, poor 1" cried sho, "what matters
it ? Nobody so merry as those that have
nothing at all ; besides I havo my two
diamond rings that my mother gave me:
they are good for something all the
world over ; we can sell them when you
like ; and besides, I am sure that the
captain meant kindly by us, and I sus
pect he knows very well what is in the
letter. It is recommendation to the Gov
ernor of Cayenne."
" Perhaps so ; who knows '("
" To be sure it is," continued the
charming little wife. " You are so good,
I ami sure the government has banished
you only for a short time. 1 know they
have no feeling against you."
It was high time that the light should
be stricken out, and now I rapped on the
deck and called them to do so.
They instantly obeyedl and I heard
them laughing and chattering like two
innocent schoolfellows.
One morning when I aweke I was
surprised not to feel the slightest motion
of the vessel. Hurrying on deck I found
that we were becalmed. Latitude, one
degree north, longitude, between twenty-seven
and twenty-eight degrees west.
I waited until night, when I descend
ed to my cabin and opened the letter,
with a dull, a wful feeling. I held my
breath while I broke the big red seal, and
read :
" Captain Fontainbleau : The convict
Antoine Hindsclear stands convicted of
high treason against the Republic. The
directory order that he bo shot, in mid
ocean, and you are hereby instructed t
see that these orders are carried into
effect."
I read the loiter backward and for'
ward. I went on deck. There they
were, sue looking upon the ocean, and
he gazing upon her with an expression
of unutterable fondness. Catching his
eye I signed for him to come into the
cabin, and, bidding her good-by, he came
down, his face all smiles.
I was bathed in a cold sweat ; I felt as
if deadly sick. I handed him the letter,
and he read it, together with the death
warrant, which was drawn up in due
form and attached. I gathered voice as
be finished.
He colored slightly and bowed.
" I ask nothing, captain," he said, in
the same gentle voice that always char
acterized his speech, "no man can bo ex
pected to swerve from his duty. I only
wish to speak a few wards to Laurette,
and to entreat you to take care of her if
she survives me, I hardly think she
will."
" All that is fair, my good fellow," I
cried. " If you request it, I will carry
hwr back to France, to her family. I will
never leave her until she wishes to be rid
of me, but I do not think she will sur
vive it"
He took my hand and pressed it
" Most kind captain, I see you suffer
more in this business than I do but
there is no help for it I trust you will
preserve what little property of mine is
left for her sake, and that you will take
care she gets what her poor old mother
may leave her. I put her life, her honor
in your hands. She is " (and bow fond
ly low his voioe became) " a delioate lit
tle creature, her chest is often allected ;
she must keep it warm ; and if she could
keep the two diamond rings her mother
gave her, I should be glad; but t
cor rite, if money is Medd, they nrottj
go. My poor Laurette, how pretty she
looks."
It was getting too muck for me, and 1
began to knit my brows.
" One word is as good as a thousand,"
I said. " We understand eaoh other. Go
to her."
I squeezed his hand, he looked wist
fully at me, and I added : " Stay a mo
inant, let me give you a word of advioe.
Don't say a word to her ; be easy ; that
is my business. It shall be managed in
the best manner."
" Ah 1" said he, "I did not understand ;
yes, much" better. Besides this leave
taking 1 this leave-taking I"
"Yes," said L "don't behave like a
ohild much better. No leave-taking if
you can help it, or you are lost"
I kept my seat. I saw them walking
arm in arm npon the deck for about half
an hour.
I called the mate to me, and when he
had read the letter, I said :
" Oarley, that is bad business bad
business. I put it in your hands. I obey
the orders, but remain in the cabin until
it is over."
" How do ysu wish the thing done "r"
he asked in a nonchalant manner.
"Take him in a boat out cf sight;
do it as quick as pos ible ; don't say any
thing of this till the time comes."
Oarley sat five minutes looking at me
without saying a word. He was a very
strange fellow. I didn't know what to
make of him. He then went out of the
cabin without saying a word.
Night came at last. " Man a boat ; go
a quarter of a mile ; be quick."
' o obey a slip of paper, for it was but
a slip of paper after all. Something in
the very air must have urged me on. I
saw the young man kneel down before
his Laurette, kiss her knees ! her feet !
her gown I I cried out like a mad
man :
" Part them I Part them this instant I
Part them curse the republio curse
the directory the directors I I quit the
service curse the lawyers you may tell
them if you will."
She was dragged into her berth, and
the boat rowed slowly away in the dark
ness. Some time afterward a dull volley
came over the sea to the vessel. It was
all over,
" Fool, madman 1 how I paced tho deck
and cursed myself. AU night long I
Faced back and forth, and all night long
beard the moaning of the poor btricken
bird.
Often I halted and was tempted to
throw myself into the sea and so eud this
horrible torture of brain and heart. Days
passed; I saw nothing ot Laurette. I
would not see her. She avoided me, and
I was glad of it I could not bear the
sight of the woe-stricken face.
The mate, Oarley, how I hated him.
He was as cool and unconcerned as
though he had no remembrance of shoot
ing the poor wretch.
At Cayenne I resigned my ship. On
going to the city I made all my arrange
ments, and took the steamer for New
York. I placed ample funds in the hands
of a trusty friend and told him to send
Laurette to me at the end of six months.
I could not see her until her grief had
lost its edge.
Weary, sick and careless of my life, I
wandered oft' into New York State, and
finally bought a little place where I
hoped I should lie down and die. I sent
for Laurette. Poor bird, I must see her.
I could wait no longer.
One summer night 1 sat on the porch
of my hoase smoking my pipe, and gaz
ing down the road. 3oon tho rumble of
wheels was heard, and tke stage halted
at the gate.
The next moment a pair of soft arms
was round my neck, and the head of my
sod Ding laurette was on iny besom.
" Oh, you olear excouent captain "
" Ileavens ! who is that person behind
you r
There stood the manly form of Antoine
Hindsclear, the convict.
" What does this mean," I demanded.
hardly knowing whether I was dreaming
or not.
" Are you glad to see me 'r"
" Thank God, thank God," was all I
could ejaculate.
I understood it all. The mate Garlev
had read my heart better than I did my
self. After leaving the brie: in the boat
he arranged the whole affair. The vol
ley was fired but no bullet touched An
toine Hindsclear ; he was smuggled into
his berth again and took care to avoid
my sight. I he whole crew were in the
plot, and, thank God, I was duped.
I sent Garley a thousand dollars as a
reward.
I am now an old man, but I am hap.
py. My children and my grandchildren
(I call them nothing else) seem to think
old Captain Fo.untainbleau is not such a
wretch after all.
Sale of United States Vessels.
By an order from the LTnited States
Navy Department, a number of vessels
ot war have been disposed ot by auction.
Among these are the Guierrere and Al
bany, both of which have histories. The
first importamt battle of tho war ot 1812
was fought between the English frigate
Guierrere, Captain Dacres, forty-nine
guns, and the United States ship Consti
tution, Coniodore Hull, forty-four guns,
in which the latter, after an action ot
thirty minutes, compelled his antagonist
to singe ms nag. xne engagement took
place off the American coast August 20.
1812, on the route Xiow taken by steam
ers running between New York and
Liverpool. The vessels fought at half
pistol shot distance. A prize crew was
placed on board the captured ship, and
next day it was found that the Guierrere
had six feet of water in her hold. Bhe
was set on fire and abandoned. Commo
HulL in his report says that " so fine a
ship commanded by am able and ex
perienced officer, had been totally dis
masted and otherwise cut to pieces so as
to make her not worth towing into port
in the short space of thirty minutes,"
was a matter of praise to the country.
To perpetuate the memory of the victory
a fine forty four gun frigate, christened
the Guierrere, was built in Philadelphia
and lounched in 1814. The Albany was
built towards the close of the war and
was last employed in the North Atlanrin
fleet ; the Guierrere was also built to
wards the end of the war. Bhe was the
flagship of the South Atlantio fleet in
187, and was sent to the European sta
tion in 1870. Her last cruise was rather
unfortunate, having gone ashore several
times in the Mediterranean,
A Horrible Execution.
The small city of Masos, in Monten.
egro, one of the Northern European de
pendencies of the Sultan of Turkey, was.
on the 2d of November last the scene of
the truly frightful punishment whieh
was meted out to five hardened high
waymen and murderers. By the laws
of the country the death penalty is in
flicted for the smallest offences, and it is
on the statute books that for serious
offences the following penalty shall be
inflicted 1
""The bones of their legs fcnd their
knee-joints Bhall be broken by the pup
lio executioner with an iro club, and
upon their foreheads shall fc imprinted,
with a red-hot iron, the vord 'baro,'
meaning felon.' "
Five highwaymen were captured and
8ntenced to the above penalty.
Close to the granite bloods stood an
iron pan filled with live coal, and in it
lay the instruments, red-hot and hissing,
that were to leave their imprints upon
the foreheads of the criminals. -
There was a breathless and anxions
silence in the vast crowd when the exe
cutioner drew from the pan one of the
branding irons, and slowly approaohed
raoio reruzzi, one ot me criminals, witu
it The latter watched him steadfastly,
and, upon perceiving the red-hot iron,
thick pearls of perspiration gathered on
his brow. His hair seemed to stand on
end, and there was in his eyes an inde
scribable expression of terror. The ex
ecutioner now put the iron on Peruzzi's
brow, and in the next moment the enra
inal burst into loud lamentations. He
writhed and struggled to remove his
head from the instrument of torture, but
the executioner held it firmly to his fore
head for upward of a minute. There
was a sickening smell of burned flesh
when he withdrew it and Peruzzi's face
presented a ghastly Bight The other
fastened criminals writhed uneasily dur
ing the operation, and, when their turns
came, they all howled with pain, Neri
and Daviso screaming in heart-rending
tones for mercy. But their shrieks elic
ited only the derisive sneers of the nu
merous spectators.
And then followed the still more hor
rible part of the tragedy. The execu
tioner drew from a curiously shaped
scabbard a heavy iron club, resembling
a druggist's pestel, and, running toward
the stones on which the first three crim
inals were Btretched out began to strike
furiously npon their legs.. The scene
which now ensued was sickening in the
extreme. The tortured wretches cried
at the top of their lungs while their low
er extremities were thus being beaten to
a jelly. Streams of perspiration ran down
the cheeks of the executioner when he
stopped, at last and motioned to his
assistants to remove the crippled men
from the blocks.
The last two were then treated simi
larly, Daviso. howling in the most des
perate manner while he underwent the
torture. Then the wretches were fraed
of their fetters and carried back to the
jail, moaning in agonizing tones, and
Montenegrin justice was satisfied.
On Wall Street.
Stock-gambling has not been a dis
tinctly recognized career for as long a
period as thieving; so, naturally, the
terms ef art are fewer. Besides this, the
words, having come into use recently, ore
not generally used as yet in remote sen
ses. There are no'such bewildering; terms
as " kinchin lay," " ben cove," or " fly,"
or " pad the hoof," " stowing the lush,"
"shoving the queer," and "fogling a
wipe." We gave a description ot the
term " corner" in the last number of the
Nation, and it is not difficult to perceive
that the word conveys merely a highly
picturesque and speaking description of
the attitude of those who are " short" of
stock to those who are " long " of it. Be
ing " short " of stock means obviously
having less stock than you ought for
some reason to have ; so, tho sale of a
" put " is the sale of tho right to " put "
(deliver) stock, while a "call" means the
opposite the right to demand the de
livery of stock. The explanation of such
terms as " bulls " and " bears " is not so
simple. Whether to "bear" -stock (to
speculate for the depression of the price)
meant originally to beur down on the
stock, or something of that sort, or
whether it came from a supposed resem
blance betweep the disposition of the
bear who roams Wall Street and the ani
mal of the same name.it would be difficult
to find out. Whether a ' bull " (a person
who speculates for a rise of prices) re
ceives the name on account of a resem
blance between his habits and those ot
the animal, or whether he is so called ou
a reugh principle of classification for
the sake of distinction only we cannot
pretend to scy. But the lingo is worth
studying, as all dialects and argots are.
Like the Chinook, the scientific examina
tion of it may serve to throw some light
on other fields of linguistic or philological
study. The Nation.
A French Kitchen.
Such a kitchen 1 We fell in love with
it immediately, and were disposed to
eavy its future tenant; for when a
housewife understands her business,
cookery, in a kitchen like that, becomes
an artistic pleasure not mere drudgery.
This wonderful room is so small that it
seems like a toy menage, and yet every
convenience is found there in nicest order
without the least crowding. The small
ranga and boiler is set into one side, with
two stationary square tubs in soapstoue
or black-walnut filling up the row, a
two-foot sink and a drop-table under
the large window, a shaft for ashes and
refuse, well closed when not in use, an
elevator for sending up supplies, and a
glass cupboard on the remaining side
so compact that there is all the room one
can possibly need without wasting steps
in a large apartment. This cabinet
kitchen, with its sparkling glasses, and
burnished oven, and shining brass stop
cocks, seemed an ideal place which no
mortal hands were able to keep np to its
primitive excellence. To give so spot
less a nook to the savage rule of a Bridget
would be pitiful. She could hardly turn
around with her distended crinoline
without rubbing the grease off her
skirts on these shining panels. It is the
closet where a Lucy Snowe might take
down her dinner service of green and
white china, prepare a salad, and turn a
outlet some day when she had given her
servant a holiday, without more change
wan covering oer root gtu with a white
apron,
k Terj Bad Indian.
On a reservation says the Overland
Monthly, there once lived an Indian who
was si thoroughly bad in every respect
that he was generally known by the sou
briquet of the " Yuka Devil." He com
mitted all the seven deadly sins and a
good many more, if not every day of his
life, at least as often as he could.
One day he wandered off a considera
ble way from the reserve, accompanied
by two of his tribal brethren, and they
fell upon and wantonly murdered three
squaws without provocation whatever.
They were pursued by a detachment of
the garrison, overtaken, captured, carried
back manacled hand and foot and con
sigded to the guard-house. In some in
explicable manner the Devil contrived
to break his fetters asunder, and then he
tied them on again with twine, in such
a fashion that when the turnkey came
along on a tour of inspection, he per
ceived nothing amiss.
Being taken out for some purpose or
other soon afterward, he seized . the op
portunity to wrench off his manacles and
escape. But he was speedily overtaken
again and brought down with a bullet
which wounded him slightly, taken back
to the guard-houBO, heavily ironed, and
oast into a dungeon. Here he feigned
death. For four days he never swallow
ed a crumb of nourishment tasted no
water, breathed no breath that could be
discovered, and lay with every muscle
relaxed like a corpse. "To all human
perception he was dead, except that his
body did not become rigid and oold.
At last a vessel of water was placed
on a table hard by ; information of that
fact was casually impacted to him in his
native speech ; all the attendants with
drew, the dungeon relapsed into silence,
and he was secretly watched.
After a long time, when profound still
ness prevailed, and when the watchman
had begun to believe he was in a tranoe
at least he cautiously lilted up his head,
gazed steadily all round him, scrutinized
every cranny and orevice of light, then
softly crawled on . all fours to the table,
taking care not to clank his chains the
while, took down the pitcher, and drank
d5ep and long.
They rushed in upon him, but upon
the instant so fatuous was the odstinacy
of the savage he dropped as if he had
been shot, and again simulated death.
But he was now informed that his play
was quite too shallow for any further
purposes, and - as soon as the gallows
oould be put lm order, the executioners
entered and plainly told him that the
preparations were fully completed for his
taking off.
He made ne sign. Then, half drag
ging, half carrying the miserable wretch,
they conducted him forth to the scaffold.
All limp and flaccid and nerveless, as he
is, they lift him upon the platform ; but
still he makes not the least motion, and
exhibits no consciousness of these stern
and grim preparations.
He is supported in an upright position
between two soldiers, hanging a lifeless
burden on their shoulders ; his head is
lifted up from his breast, where it droops
in heavy helplessness; the new-bought
rope, oold and hard and prickly, is coil
ed about his neck, and the huge knot
properly adjusted at the side ; the merci
ful cap, which shuts off these heart sick
ening preparations from the eyes of the
faint and shuddering criminal, is dis
pensed with, and everything is in perfect
readiness.
The solemn stillnesz befitting the aw
ful spectacle about to be enacted falls
upon the few spectators ; the fatal signal
is given ; the drop swiftly descends ; the
suppoiting soldiers sink with it as if
about to vanish into the earth and hide
their eyes from the tragedy. With a
dead, dull thud the tightening rope
wrenches the poor savage from their up
bearing shoulders into pitiless mid-air,
and the Yuka Devil, hanging there with
out a twitch or shiver, quickly passes
from simulated to unequivocal and un
mistakable death.
foo Much Credit.
Mr. Keene, a shrewd and thrifty far
mer of Allenborough, owned a large
flock of sheep, and one Autumn, when
it came housing time, he was greatly an
noyed npon missing a number of his
finest muttons, among them three or
four wethers which he had raised and
fattened for his own table. He was sure
it was not the work of dogs, and the
most he could do was to await further
developments. ,
On the following Spring, when his
sheep were turned out to pasture, he in
stituted a careful watch, and ere long he
tected Tom Stickney, a neighboring far
mer, in the act of pilfering a sheep ; but
he made no noise about it at the time.
Stickney was a man well-to-do, and
Keene did not like to expose him.
Autumn came again, and upon count
ing up his flock, Mr. Keene found eight
sheep missing. He made out a bill in
due form to Thomas Stickney for the
eight shefp, and presented it Stickne
choked and stammered, but did not back
down. Like a prudent man he paid the
bill and pocketed the receipt.
- Another Spring time came, and Mr.
Keene's Bheep were again turned out.
Another Autumn came, amd the farmer
again took an account ot his stock, and
tliis time fifteen sheep were missing. As
before he made out the bill to Thomas
Stickney for the whole number missing ;
but this time Tom objected.
" It is too much of a good thing," said
he. " Fifteen sheep I Why, bless your
soul, I havn't had a fifth part of 'em."
Mr. Keene was inexorable.
" There is the bill," said he, "and I
have made it out in good faith. I have
made no fuss when my sheep have been
missing, because I deemed your credit
good and sufficient"
" Well," groaned Tom, with a big gulp,
" I suppose I must pay ; but" he added.
emphatically, "we'll close that account
from this time. You have given me too
much credit altogether some other ras
cal has been stealing on the strength of
it" Pittaburg Chronicle,
A SAD CASE. Mr. Kiliove I'm an
glad you've come, Dr. Bland ! I want
to consult yeu ahout my poor wife."
Dr. Blandr" What's the matter with
herr
Mr. Kiljoye" Such fearful depression
of spirits I"
Dr. Eland - Depression of spirits 1
Why, she's the life of the party 1"
Mr. Kiljoye- Ah I she always bears up
in company, poor thine 1 But von ahnnM
only sfee her when we are together alone !"
The Christmas-Tree.
In Germany, many yean ago, when
the houses were decorated with ever
greens for the Christmas-tide, it was the
custom to select a large bough for a con
spicuous place, and on it were hung the
presents for the children. After a -time'
the bough became a tree, dressed with a
symbolical ornaments, and adorned with
the gifts for the household, of whioh
the children had much the largest share.
The eustom was imparted into Eng
land and this country, and has become
almost universal, and each year adds
fresh marvels and delights to the magieal
fruits of this tree.
The mystery of its preparation is half
of the charm. The bright eyes of the
little ones turn wistfully towards the
locked doors of the room that contains the
wondrous tree ; they long to take a peep,
and yet they would not " for the world."
Not they.
Some still retain the Christmas-tree
in its old form that is, after tke orna
ments are on, space is left for children's
presents; others place all tho family
gifts on or under the tree, and, after
those of the children are distributed, the
little ones discover and present the gifts
of the older members of the family, and
.4-1,. : 1. - r it : r. i
uiuciD ngam iutnu ui luou uuruf'i
trees mere show-pieces, on which to ar
range artistically the. glittering baubles,
the stars, angels, etc., acd these are often
accompanied by such coBtly ornaments
that such a tree, without a gift on it,
will cost hundreds of dollars. Such
magnificence must of course, be on ex
hibition, for it is entirely too artistio and
costly an affair to be thrown away on
the children alone, so it is advertised
privately, and all the acquaintances of
the family visit it between Christmas
and New Year's. It is, in trnth, a tribute
to family vanity rather than to family
affections.
The second plan seems to be the more
desirable. The Christmas-tree is what
it should be the Home Center sacred
te the family, around which gather old
and young, linked to each other by lov
ing remembrances. It is understood
that the tree belongs especially to the
children, but it is well that they should
feel that this festival is not entirely their
own, and should be led to take an inter
est and pleasure in the gifts and the
Merry Christmas of the grown-up folks,
and, in some sort, share their Christmas
tree with them.
But the greatest perversion of the use
and beauty of a Christmas-tree is to have
it appropriated exclusively by adults.
Last year we knew of a family where
the young people were all grown, but
they had their Christmas-tree as if they
were still children ; and we know of an
other case, not much more preposterous,
where a married couple had a handsome
Christmas-tree for a poodle I If these
two families had no nephews, nieces,
cousins, or little friends to help out in
CUristm&s-trees, they surely oould have
found little children whose Christmas
perhapB had not so much as a broken
toy to make it glad, to whom the whole
yeartoceme (possibly many years) would
have been changed by a warm Christmas,
made bright with a glittering Christmas
tree, happy with gifts, and merry with
games.
Learning to Write.
Says Henry Ward Beecher : The very
best beginning whioh a child can make
is by letter writing. He will naturally
speak of things familiar to him. He
will, too, have an object to accomplish
by writing. Ho will naturally find topics
in the company, the events of domestic
life, the barn-yard happenings, the gar
den, the school, the mishaps or blunders
which are always going to those who
have aw eye to see them. There are three
kinds of writing, judged psychological
ly : descriptive writing, the fruit of ob
servation, or the perceptive faculties;
reflective writing, or the fruit of the rea
soning power ; and emotional writings,
or those which give expression to the
feelings. Of course, the" best composi
tion is that which mingles all of these.
But in learning to write, it makes a great
difference which of these modes of com
position, the perceptive, the reflective,
or the emotional, is attempted.
Descriptive writing is the most nat
ural for one beginning to write. Re
flection comes much later than percep
tion. But in order to descriptive writ
ing must be the habit of accurate ob
servation sharp, discriminating, minute.
One must not write what he has read in
the books about nature, but what he has
seen and made sure of. For example, to
speak of the milkmaid's song, which is
so pleasing an element of old English
poetry, would be absurd in a land where
men do the milking, and where women
almost never sing out of doors, being ac
customed to only indoor work.
The "whistling plowman" has quite
died out in America. Thatched cot
tages, and woodbines in the hedge, and
crimson-tipped daises, and the larks that
sing at heaven's gate, are all foreign.
Men do not see such things in America.
We do not " dance on the green," nor
bold revels under the vast old oaks. Let
one begin by learning how to observe ;
let him put down in writing nothing
that he has not perceived ; if he is in
doubt about an epithet or a fact let him
go out and ascertain stick to jour own
eyes. Let what you write reflect truly
your ewn sensations, observations and
reflections. This may be rude. But be
rude and crude while learning to tell
just how nature looks to you, and not to
somebody else very differently constitu
ted. The habit once formed of honest truth
ful description, will gradually open into
all the other kinds of writing.
It would be well for one to have a
composition book, and every day write
in it, at his best the sights and events
of the day not a long history of insig
nificant nothings, but some going and
coming, some curious story heard ; a
ludicrous scene, if one has happened ; an
errand ; how a tree looked at sunset
against the blazing west ; the way the
doves whirled in the air going north,
breaking up suddenly and rising high
up, whirling eastward, and after miles
of sweep corme back to the roof of the
barn, as if that was what they meant to
do at the start Begin to write. Keen on
writing. Write about things of which you
know. See to it that your composition
is sharply true. Observe and think
Plows- A correspondent informs the
Practioul Farmer that he cleans and
polishes his plows with muriatic acid.
This searching stuff does the work in
short meter, bat should not be allewe4
to remain on the metal.
Facts and Figures,
Where he mouth is sweet and the eyes
intelligent, there is always the look of
beauty, with a right heart.
Mri Mar .T. TTnlmM. a recular oon-
'tributress to the publio journals, is a can
didate beiore the people ior tscnooi ibi
tor in the Eighth Ward of Memphis,
Tenn., with fair prospects, of election.
A Banbury resident about to depart
West desires to sell a sitting in one of
the most eligible groceries in town. The
stove is one of the moBt powerful in mar
ket nd the cracker and sugar barrels
are within easy distance.
Mr. Bonner has at present in his New
York 'stable, Dexter, Startle, Jo. Elliott,
Pocahontas, Mambrino Bertie, Bruno,
Peerless, Lantern, and a few of Edward
Everett's colts, a calaxy ef speed une
qualled in any stable in the world.
An analysis of cow s milk tainted wJW
contagious typhus is given bv.t.'Ius
son in Comptee Rendu, wjth the conclu
sion, among otliers,-il such milk can
not transmit the phus to man, but that
it should -r,t"be used as food for young
chil.cn.
" The Lord Chief J ustice Kenyon once
said to a rich friend, asking his, opinion
as to the probable suceess of a son, " Sir,
let your son forwith spend his fortune ;
marry, and spend his wife's ; and then
he may be expested to apply with energy
to his profession;"
A correspondent of the Country Gen
tleman writes : The most profitable feed
for cows giving milk during the winter,
and that used in nearly all the best dai
ries producing milk for the New York
market a good quality of wheat bran
and corn meal, mixed as follows : Eight
pounds of bran and two of corn meal
for each cow daily. If the above can be
thoroughly cooked with cut hay, it in
creases its value about one-fifth by actual
experiment. I produced from fifty cows
60ft quarts of milk daily on ten pounds
of feed mixed as above and thoroughly
cooked.
The Italian Brigands.
A correspondent writing' from Italy,
says : What is most talked of at present,
here in Naples, is the daring and success
of Manzi and his band of brigands.
Your readers, perhaps, remember that, a
year or more ago, this desperado, having
been captured by the troops, was tried,
oonvicted of innumerable robberies,
brought under grave suspioion of several
murders, though not proved guilty of
them, and in consequence was sentenced
to confinement for a long term. As is
not uncommon in Italy, his bribes prov
ing stronger than the bolts and bars of
i' ustice, he soon broke prison and betook
limself to his pld calling among tho
mountains around (Salerno, thirty miles
from Naples. Shortly after, partly to
wreak vengeance on one whose evidence
in court had helped to convict him, and
partly to refurnish his empty purse, he
descended to Salerno in broad daylight
seized upon Signor Mancusi, a rich
property owner of that place, and car
ried him off, almost from his own door
step, to the mountains. The next day a
note was sent to his family demanding
an immense sum for his ramson. This
demand was refused and the protection
of the authorities invoked, out after
these had prosecuted for many weeks an
unsuccessful search for the victim and
his captors, the family, in despair, agreed
to pay the brigand the equivalent of
f 24,000 for the safe return of Mancusi.
The affair, made publio in the news
papers, led to Buch on outcry against the
inefficiency of the Government that the
latter, in self-justification, resolved to do
ita best to capture the bold brigand
chiel A reward of $4,000 was put on
his head, the payment of the raaison for
bidden, company after company of reg
ular troops and militia was sent into the
mountains, and the whole of the district
in which Manzi's band was known to be
was so completely surrounded and guard
ed night and day that their escape seem
ed impossible. Manzi meanwhile found
means to cdlnmunicate with Mancusi's
family, and threatened the immediate
death of his captive if the ramson was
not paid. They, anxious to save his life,
raised the money as fast as they could,
and sent it in small sums whenever they
could manage to elude the vigilance of
the troops. Manzi, hearing from a trav
eller of the reward offered for his head,
laughingly said that it was too little
that he spent that much every day in
bribing the peasants to protect him and
give him information. Once the troops
discovered that the brigands lay con
cealed in a certain cave in the mountains
of Prato, and had almost cut off all re
treat when some well-paid spy gave the
signal of danger, and Manzi and his men
were soon out of reach. A tew days
later thoy were placarding a neighbor
ing village with " Down with Victor
Emmanuel the usurper 1 Vita Francetco,
il nottro re V
The efforts of the Government crad-
nally grew feebler, and finally, the other
night the ransom having been paid to
the lost farthing, Signor Mauousi was
conducted by the brigands to a place
called Acqua Albeta, near Eboli, and,
after six months captivity, was set at
liberty. During all this time the unhap
py man had been given only the coarsest
of food and had slept on the bare ground,
tninking himself only too fortunate it a
thick trSe or the vault of a cavern pro
tected him from the open sky.
Despite its success, however, and its
apparent immunity from punishment,
this robber band has been much dimin
ished of late by desertion. Four of the
men have Within a day or two volun
tarily surrendered upon rather easy
terms. Two of them were not over
twenty years old, and brought with
them sf veral rir.gs and a little money,
which they begged the authorities to re
store to Mancusi. The latest newspaper
report is that the Minister of the Inter
ior is treating with Manzi, trying to in
duce him to aocept a free passage to
America ; but I suspect this is a canard
invented to ridicule the weakness of the
Government
Washington Society. Among the
fair debutante in Washington society the
coming Winter will be Miss Nellie
Grant Miss Madge Dent daughter of
General Dent; Miss F-ish, daughter of
Seoretary Fish ; Miss Sophie Radford,
daughter of Admiral Radford ; Miss
Kilbourne, who hag jwst returned from
Europe, after twe yean' absence ; and
Miss Bartles , daughter of Judge Bart
ley end niece of General gturman.