Sle if nit' Mfficate. "
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPERANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. IV. RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, JULY 23, 1874. NO. 21.
Xobody's Dog.
Will nobody pity nobody's dog t
Will nobody hide mo away ?
Or givo me at least one meal in the year,
And that on a July day 1
For hunger tempts to an evil oouree ;
And if I've no soul to be saved,
Why should I shrink from stealing a bone,
. Or try to be better bohaved ?
Truo, nobody's dog no wiBdom affects
ITo feels he's a vagabond thing,
With a hang-dog look and a tail depressed,
Always prepared for a fling I
Never surprised by a blow or kick
Yet. if he were somebody's own,
Not a tail would be curried wi'h loftier air,
Nor a trnor dog be known.
THE COQUETTE OF AUL03,
In very ancient times the inhabitants
of Arlon worshiped the moon, and the
learned maintain that the same Arlon
is derived from the two words ara luna;,
signifying " altar of the moon." It is
perhaps lor this reason that the younpr
women of this ancient town now and
then had odd fancies. Apropos of this,
I propone, to relate a story whioh Mr.
Adolphe Deehamps must hava listened
to when he was Governor of Luxem
bourg, for it is one of the traditions of
that province. All the Arlonese know
it, and I write it down for the benefit
of those who have not been governors
of provinces, and whose ancestors have
not worshiped the moon.
It was said that abont one hundred
years ago there resided in Arlon a
yonng girl named Gertrude. She was
eighteen years of age, and was gay,
frank, and good-natnred, always smiling
and happy, and full of life and activity.
She was the daughter of Charles Stock,
a wealthy proprietor of the lit'le town,
and generally designated as Stock, Jr.,
to distinguish him from his father and
grandfather, who were yet living.
' They Inst long in that family," was a
local expression.
Gertrude had many admirers, but
none of them appeared to make any
impression on her heart. This, to
gether with her fascinating manners,
gave her the name of the "Coquette of
Arlon." Do not take this appellation
in its hardest sense, for her father and
mother allowed her to do as she pleased,
having the utmost confidence i her.
And it was not misplaced. Among the
many who sought her hand in marriage
were four young men of the town who
deserve special mention. Their names
were Sigismund de Vletler, Gilles Col
lin, Wonceslaa Stroobant, and Lambert
Von Moll. The first named was so
calm and undemonstrative that the
other three did not give themselves any
uneasiness about him. They, on the
contrary, were so pressing that the
neighbors all expected that she would
certainly marry one pf them.
The four suitors pressed their claims,
each one in his own way urging her to
decide in his favor. So one day in
September, 1743, the devised a strata
gem by which to test their courage and
affection. Her parents once more al
lowed her to have her own way, for as
she never undertook anything without
first consulting them, we may suppose
that they were not the stern and tyran
nical parents that usually fall to the lot
of the unfortunate heroines of modern
romances. About a quarter of a league
from Arlon, in a field belonging to her
father, Gertrude had eften noticed an
old Roman tomb, which no one dared
to approach on account of its ghostly
reputation. All sorts of strange and
mysterious stories were told about it.
This tomb has now disappeared I
cannot say how. Gertrude resolved to
make it the centre of her batteries.
Gilles Collin came as usual and ut
tered more ardent and passionate pro
testations of love than ever, declaring
that he would willingly walk over burn
ing coals to please her.
" I am not so unreasonable as to re
quire that of you," said she ; " all
things considered, I do not refuse to
marry yon, but I wish to have a proof
of your devotion, and at the same time
of your courage."
" Very well," answered Giles, " I will
give you any proof of that you can de
mand ; only say what it shall be."
" You know," replied she, " the
ancient tomb which is situated on a
knoll, a quarter of a league from
"Yes," replied the puzzled Gilles
I have seen it from a distance ; there
is nothing remarkable about it.
" Well, this evening, at nine o'clock,
I want you to go, without saying a word
to any one about it, and lie down in the
old tomb.
" In the witches' den ? What a ca
price !"
" And yon must remain perfectly mo
tionless until midnight."
" But, Gertrude, what are vou think
ing of? What is your object?"
" You area coward, you are trembling
already. Perhaps it is a caprice, but I
have my project, and I wish to try you.
If you do as I wish, I shall know that
I can trust you, and, providing that
you remain there from nine o'clock un
til midnight, my heart is yours. If you
refuse, I t-hall marry some one else."
Struck by the deoided tone of the
young girl, Gilles dared notoflVr further
objection, but he thought of the freez
ing recitals to which he had listened ;
of apparitions from another world that
were seen gliding around the tomb, and
of the witches who held their nocturnal
meetings and made it a place of deposit
for their unguents and diabolical com-
Eounds. In truth, fires had sometimes
een seen burning near there through
the night, and surrounded by groups
of sinister or grotesque looking faces ;
but they were undoubtedly gypsies,
with which Luxembourg and Limbourg
were at that period infested. But some
persons professed to have seen super
natural beings, and thousands of won
derful stories were related about them.
For a year, however, nothing bad been
seen there, and though Gilles was more
afraid than he would have cared to ac
knowledge, he was so deeply enamored
of the young girl that he accepted the
condition, and promised to do what was
required of him without divulging his
intention to any one.
Shortly afterwards, Wenceslas Stroo
bant came in his turn. Gertrude gave
him a very gracious reception. He was
handsome and rich ; and, fully con
scious of these advantages, he felt con
fident of the success of his suit.
"It is not your fortune that tempts
me," said Gertrude to him, greatly flat
tered. Wenceslas bowed, as if he would say,
"I understand I have other attrac
tions." "I feel a deep interest in yon," pur
sued she, "and would willingly give
you my hand if you will render me a
service that will prove your courage."
"You have but to command me," said
the handsome young man ; "lam en
tirely at your service."
" Well, then, yon must know that one
of my relatives hns been killed in a
dnel. He is in the woods, and we are
making every effort to secure him an
honorable burial. In the meantime
the body is to be placed in the Roman
tomb at nine o'clock this evening. As
the tomb is neither covered nor en
closed, we very greatly fear it may be
disturbed ; therefore I beg of you to
go there at half-pat. t nine."
"To the witches' den? What an
idea !"
"You are afraid already? MonDieu,
how faint-hearted the young men are."
" I am not afiaid, but you are giving
me a very queer conmission."
" Call it a fancy if you will, but I can
only confide this to one who is very de
voted, for it is absolutely necessary to
conceal this mysteiy from everybody.
You must go there at exactly half-past
nine, and you must dress yourself to
personate an angel of light, and carry n
torch in your hand. The fearful stories
of whioh the tomb has been the sub
ject, will be of service to you, and
those who may be scheming to carry
away or rob the dead, will, upon seeing
you sitting at the foot of the tomb with
your torch in your hand, be so terrified
that none will dare itpproach. At mid
night vou may return home. Will you
do it?"
" I will," said Wenceslas, who feared
to displease her.
"I must be certain that you have
performed this service ; but remember,
not a word about it to any one, and at
this price, my hand is yours."
Wenceslas regained his usual com
posure, smothering as best he could
those superstitious fears which some
times assail the strongest minds. He
swore that he would be both obedient
and discreet, and that at half-past nine
precisely he would be at his post, where
he would watch the dead bo carefully
that not even a bat should approach.
He soon took his leave in order to make
his preparations.
A few moments afterward Lambart
Von Moll, also faithful, appeared to
render homage to the young lady. He
was a lawyer, and everybody predicted
a brilliant future for him.
"If you really love mo," said the
coquette, " 1 am koidbt to prove it,
Some of the neighbors whom vou know.
and who are our enemies, wish to injure
us. f or this purpose t.uey have placed
a dead body in the Roman tomb, which
belongs to our family. I wish you to
make every possible effort to carry off
the corpse.
"II" interrupted Lambert.
"Certainly. I know that you are
brave.
"That is truo, bnt this is such a
ridiculous commission."
" The body will doubtless be guarded
by mere children, and in order to dis
perse them you must blacken your face
and make yourself as ugly as you are
handsome ; in short, disguise yourself
as a demon. (Jail it a ridiculous com
mission, if you will ; but go to the
Roman tomb at precisely ten take up
the body and bring it here, and you
will gain all my gratitude."
Lambert Von Moll reflected for a
moment, and deciding that it was not
too great a price for the heart of Ger
trude, he, like the two others, promised
punctuality aud discretion, and accord'
ingly withdrew to make his prepara
tions. Sigismund de Vletter then came to
pay his respects to Mr. and Mrs. Stock;
he wished Gertrude good evening, and
conversed a lew moments with her,
while taking a turn in the tardea
Having drawn him aside, Gertrude.
who had her projects, proposed he
should in his turn assume a character
in her comedy. But Sigismund, who
perceived some malicious intention in
spite of her grave tones, told her that
tor anything serious or important she
might command hio. ; but that such
childishness was onlv proper for child
ren. The coquette, not finding him
very complaisant, leit him.
The night was very cold, and at 9
o clock Giles Collin arrived at the Ro
man tomb. He had furnished himself
with a small lantern, not being very
courageous. He went all around the
tomb, and carefully examined the
bushes and every place in which he
thought any one might be concealed,
and then, not at all reassured by the
silence and solitude which surrounded
him, he extinguished his light, and en
veloped himself from head to foot in a
long white sheet which he had brought,
concealed under his coat, then extend
ing himself at full length in the tomb,
soon became as gloomy and motionless
as the object he personated. Very
lugubrious were the thoughts that
passed through his mind while lyiBg
there on his winding-sheet. A very
long quarter of an hour had elapsed
when he was startled by the cry of a
Bcreeoh-owl. He uacovered his eyes
and looked around, but could see
nothing except some vasrue reflections
of light in the direction of the town.
Soon, however, he heard, through the
silence of the night, footsteps whioh
were evidently coming toward him. tie
raised his head : rays of light caught
his eyes, and he saw not far off a mys
terious phantom, habited in a long
robe of cloth of silver whioh was con
fined by a blue girdle. The head of
this apparition was crowned with stars
(made of gilt paper), while from its
shoulders floated two large pieces of
muslin, representing wings.
Poor Gilles. who had not forseen such
an incident, cowered down under his
sheet, utterly unable to explain the
meaning of what he saw.
" It u an angel," said he to himself.
But the angel coughed.
' it is not an inhabitant of heaven.
thought Gilles, " if it is one of the sor
cerers, I am in a very bad situation."
The angel, on his part, appeared to
be ill at ease. He cast an oblique
glance at the winding sheet that cov
ered the dead, and did not appear
anxious to make a closer examination.
Holding the torch in his hand, Wences
las Stroobant, thus transformed into
an angel, appeared to make a great ef
fort to seat himself at the foot of the
tomb, and if the dead had not been iu
6uch a state of perturbation, he would
have noticed that the angel was trem
bling with cold, or something else.
Wenceslas seemed to have contracted a
very bad cold, which was manifested by
a severe fit of coughing and sneezing,
and being unable to hold his handker
chief, he wan obliged to use one of his
wings to wipe the moisture from his
none and mantle.
"That is not an angel, certainly,"
thought the dead ; " it must be a sor
cerer. Who knows if he be not master
of ceremonies ? He is there with his
torch to call the others, and I shall find
myself in the midst of their revels, and
if the devil presides over them, what
shall I do ?"
While making these disagreeable re
flections he was struck by the sudden
agitation of the angel of the torch, who
appeared to behold a fearful object. It
was the third personage approaching.
This latter (Lambert Von Moll) was
disguised as a spectre of darkness. As
he drew near, the light of the torch,
which beamed upon him at intervals,
gave him a fearful appearance. He
did not appear greatly terrified, but
probably from motives of prudence he
approached in a zigzag line, pausing
now and then, as though he saw some
thing he did not expect. The silvery
robe of the angel glittered in the torch
light, and Lambert could not account
to himself for this singular costume.
As the angel, whose trembling re
fused to support him, remained fixed
iu his place, Lambert decided to make
a flank movement, and accordingly he
passed around the other end of the
tomb.
His disguise was frightful ; he was
muffled in an ox hide, which was
adorned with the long horns and ears ;
hiti face was blackened, and the lower
part of it concealed by an immense red
beard. In his hand he carried one of
those wooden forks which are used to
spread new mown hay. Wenceslas, whe
had never lost sight of the demon, now
signalized himself by the greatest
effort of courage he had ever made in
his life. He suddenly advanced, with
the torch at arms-length before him,
aud the spectre recoiled. But the
flame touched Lambert's great beard,
and iu an instant it was in a blaze. He
quickly tore it off and sprang on the
angel, whose torch fell and was ex
tinguished. They seized each other by the hair,
mutually astonished, perhaps, at find
ing each other palpable.
The corpse who had seen all, and had
begun to question whether it was really
a scene among the witches, now took
Wenceslas and Lambert for a good and
a bad angel who were disputing pos
session of him, and overcome by a ter
rible fear, he suddenly sprang out of
his tomb with his winding sheet around
him, and took flight across the fields.
The two companions, seeing the dead
rush forth, were seized with the same
terror, and letting go of each other by
common consent, they fled as though
pursued by all the witches.
The three lovers returned to their re-
spective lodgings, utterly overcome by
what they had seen and passed through;
and the next day none of them were
able to leave their beds. To finish
their adventures, Gertrude sent word
to them that they must have very little
esteem for her, since, instead of fulfill
ing their promises, they had run away
in such a ridiculous manner. And she
married Sigismund.
Hydrophobia.
Auother imitative disease is the much
dreaded hydrophobia ; for it has been
provea oy meuicai men oi no mean
reputation that in mnnv iiph vr
four or five people have been bitten by
a mad dog, only one of the number has
uieu. some times since a man was
bitten by a dog that was known to be
penecuy wen. xne victim, However,
brooded over the idea f lint, unnnpr ni
later he would die from the effects of
the wound, although there was no mani-
lestations oi a serious character. But
his apprehensions made him anxious
and restless and almost frenzied, and
in a few days he brought upon himself
fits of an alarming type. From all the
circumstances it was evident that 'the
man was in a dangerous condition, and
needed meJioal attention. Physioians
were called, but he soon expired in great
agony. j;rom beginning to end, this
man's case, so far the dog was con
cerned, was one entirely of imagina
tion. A celebrated German physician
savs that he reearrls hvilrnnVmliia aa a
morbid affection, induced by fear, and,
in support of his opinion, cites many
interesting cases. A notable instance
is that of A nh vninifin rtf T,otna mkn
- -".J -"-" "
having assisted in the dissection of sev
eral victims oi the disorder, imagined
that he himself had become inoculated.
On attempting to drink he
with spasms of the pharynx, and in
this condition roamed about the streets
for three days. At length his friends
suooeeded in convincing him nf tl.o
groundlessness of his approhensions,
and he at once recovered. If anybody
questions the effects of imagination,
let him turn to the history nf vitnli.
craft in New England, where supersti
tion was xostered to the extent of taking
life. People sickened and died under
imasrinarv spells, and niona nlArfrvman
and wise magistrates countenanced the
hanging of innocent victims. But we
of the nineteenth century should be
wiser than our predecessors, and care
fully secure ourselves from imaginary
ills of all kinds.
Self-respect Cook (to fellow servant
who has been after a new place) ;
"Well, 'Liza, will it suit?" Eliza:
" Not if I knows it I Whv. whn I ant
there, blest if there wasn't the two
young ladies of the 'ouse both a-usin'
of one piano at the same time ! ' Well,'
thinks I, ' this hit a oomin' down in
the world 1' So I thought I was best
Bay good mornin' 1"
The Spanish Pretender.
' A letter writer says : " The present
pretender to the throne of Spain, styled
by his followers Charles VII., arid by
the world at large Don Carlos de Bour
bon, Duke of Madrid, is 25 years of
age. He is a powerful-looking man,
about six feet one, and in his frank but
somewhat curt manner reminds one of
the Emperor Alexander of Russia, when
he was some twenty-five years younger.
His face, since ho began to wear a full
beard, has become quite handsome,
though a slightly slobbering aspect of
his mouth, and the deficiency of teeth,
hereditary in the Spanish Bourbon
house, not being in harmony with his
manly physical appearance, spoil the
first pleasing impression. He is easy
of access, and without any trace of
haughtiness. His bearing in private
life resembles that of the younger sons
of the English nobility who have enter
ed the professions. Like them he has
the capacity of enduring lor a wnue any
amount of hardship with great serenity
of temper. Of the sovereign, the
statesman, or the warrior, there is ab
solutely nothing in him. But he is
very fond of playing the part of a king
that is to sav. of tiiou-ing evervbodv
in the old fashion of Spanish kings, not
excluding even his councillors, some of
whom are thrice his age, and of sur
rounding himself with a large number
of chamberlains, aides-de-camp, secre
taries, and similar people, all of whom
have no other merit or duty than that
of flattering his pride. I saw genuine
Spanish noblemen carrying away slops
after Don Carlos had washed himself,
and busily engaged in seeing that his
top-boots and spurs were properly pol
ished. He is undoubtedly a religious
man ; but there is much less bigotry
about him than is generally supposed.
Like the majority of Spaniards, he is a
bad horseman, and in about a month's
time I saw him ruin three excellent
horse's. At the same time he evidently
imagines that he looks a fine cavalier,
with his glistening black beard, his
dark blue hussar uniform, his stars on
the breast, his red trousers, his high
circus boots, and his red cap with the
gold tassel. His political notions seem
to be of a very unsettled character. At
an events, each time L happened to talk
to him, or listen when he talked to some
one else on political subjects, I was
never able to make out what was the
substance of his views. Sometimes he
seemed quite a commonplace liberal of
our own day ; at other times his utter
ances appeared to be the produce of the
old-fashioned traditions of Spanish ab
solutism. On the whole, I think he
would make a pretty fair constitutional
king, if properly restricted by law. As
an individual he is brave and kind
hearted ; he is an excellent father, and
is polite and amiable to everybody. He
sleeps much and smokes much, and is
rather " henpecked" by Dona Margari
ta, Duohess of Parma, whom he mar
ried in February, 1867, and by whom he
has two daughters and a son.
" Dona Margarita has the reputation
of being a very clever woman. Hand
some she is certainly not, although in
her stature, fair hair, and blue eyes,
there is on the whole something rather
attractive. But surely no one would
take her for a Queen of Spain. She
looks much more like a German or an
English middle-class lady, of that slim
and delicate appearance so often met
with in Northern countries among
women who marry at an early ace. and
have more children than they ought to
nave, iseing a year older, and much
richer than her husband, and of a more
decided caste of mind, she exercises,
unfortunately, great influence over Don
Carlos."
An Appeal for Aid.
Governor Davis, of Minnesota, has
issued a circular to the granges of that
State, in whioh he says :
I am compelled to ask the co-opera
tion oi each grange of your powerful
organization in relieving the destitution
of our fellow citizens iu the southwest
ern counties. That region has been
traversed by trustworthy men and they
report unanimously a state of destitu
tion which has no parallel in our history
as a State. The time for silence as to
this condition of affairs hat passed by
and the time for prompt and liberal ac
tion by all who are willing to do as they
would be done by has arrived. The
counties of Martin, Murray, Jackson
and Cottonwood and portions of Noble
and Watonwan, and, possibly, to soaie
extent, other communities, have been
swept by grasshoppers of all crops as
completely as if by fire. Women and
ehildren are suffering for want of food.
The implements and stock of the set
tlers are under mortgage, given in order
to tide over the privations of last year.
I have told the people that their fellow
citizens whom a kind Providence has
blessed with abundance will stand by
them in this their dire extremity. Con
tributions in money are most desirable,
provisions and clothing scarcely less so.
Send contributions to General H. H.
Sibley, St. Paul, Minn.
Although the Governor has not asked
for assistance from outside the State,
the contributions of the benevolent, ad
dressed as above, will be gratefully re
ceived, and will be sure to be used in
relieving the distress of people suffering
for food from no fault of their own.
Not Afraid.
The Emperor of Russia, during his
recent visit to Ems, lived in a large
old bnilding called the " Castle of the
Four Towers." He put aside all cere
mony, and walked about quite alone.
stopping to shake hands with one per
son, and to talk with another, and had
something like the looks and behavior
of a lord of the manor in his own vil
lage. No visible polioemen are ever
seen on the watch when he is abroad,
and though several attempts have been
made to assassinate him,' he has evi
dently no fear of danger. There was
only a single footman in attendance at
the Castle, bo that a man of enterprise
would have had little difficulty abont
walking into his presence at dinner
time, or questioning him as to his in
tentions respecting British India and
the liberty of the press.
A tour of Europe on vlroinA1. .
shortly to be undertaken by a party of
English excursionists.
THE RUSSIAN SERFS.
How They Married and were Ulven In
Marriage.
Yakovi Gorovitch was engaged in
carving a little wooden figure. He
showed considerable artistio taste in its
execution. He was sitting on the out
side of his log hut, and from time to
time raised his head and gazed at the
scene before him, which was not re
markable. The country about was
slightly undulating ; dark woods in full
foliage filled the background ; a large
river, from which constant supplies of
fish came, flowed peacefully along ; and
beside him there was a gardeu filled
with vegetables and fruit trees. The
water-melon was abundant in blossom,
and cherries hung in tempting ripeness
from the neighboring standards.
Flocks of geese cackled and hissed,
cows grazed on the banks of the river,
and in the distance a horse or two might
be seen dashing along in the wild en
joyment of freedom. As you looked
more narrowly at the youth, you were
struck with the long masses of dark
hair tied back from the forehead with a
red band, the handsome profile of his
thoughtful face, and the expression of
sadness and absence which marked his
whole appearance. Evidently it was an
effort for him to continue his carving.
He seemed to want something which he
did not possess. Hours passed away,
and the sun was touching the horizon
when his mother came and sat down
beside him.
" My son," she said, ' what aileth
thee ?'"
" Oh, mother, dearest I I hardly
know. I feel a want and sorrow and
sadness, so that I could almost cry."
" Are you ill, my son ? My child,
your mother loves you ; tell her what
thy sorrow is."
"I know not, indeed, my mother, if
it be not Marie Lavovna of the next
village."
" Ah, my son, is it so ?"
" I believe, dearest mother, that I
love the girl."
" And would you marry her if I could
arrange it?"
There was hesitation. At length
came a bright smile, and Yakovi an
swered, " Gladly, dearest mother."
No more was said. The old woman
kissed her son, and left him to his
thought and his carving, and as quickly
as she could, walked to the neighboring
village, and entered the home of Marie
Lavovna. The party of serfs were en
gaged at their evening meal, and of
fered, as a matter of course, the cup of
tea and the piece of bread to the stran
ger. She sat on, and remained till the
party had dispersed, with the exception
of the father of Marie, who seemed to
guess what was coming.
Finding him alone and looking for
some explanation of her visit, she com
menced : "I have a dove at home, and
he is very sad, and the head hangs
down, and the feathers droop. He re
fuses to eat, and he will not drink of
the water, but all day long he nits on
hiB perch and mourns. I have caressed
him and placed him in my bosom, but
he heeds me not. I have taken him in
the free air and in the midst of the
flowers, but he moans all the more. I
have gathered other doves beside him,
and he regards them not, but he looks
at me with weary eyes. I love my dove
my gentle dove and I fear he will
die, so I came to you to save him."
" Save him I How can I save him,
mother ?"
" He has seen another dove, and his
eyes have followed her. He is always
looking toward her. She is gentle, so
beautiful ; her feathers are so soft, and
her eyes so tender ; her wings plume
themselves so peacefully, Bhe walks
with so humble a tread, and the music
of her note bo enchants him, that he
will die if she come not beside him."
"Bnt, mother, has your dove a nest ?
for mine has been tenderly nursed, and
she cannot go to the cold in the night,
nor bear the bitter blasts of the frosty
air. She sleeps warm and eats well.
Has your dove a nest ?"
"My dove has a beautiful nest. It is
warm and sweet ; the wild flowers grow
round it ; and the hands of those that
love it adorn it with all that doves
most delight in."
"Ah, well, mother, but has your dove
the corn and the water and the sand ?"
"Betouchka, my dove has everything,
and if your dove will come beside him
she shall fare as well as with you. As
well, did I say? aye, far, far better."
"But, mother, perhaps your dove
pecks. He may tear the feathers from
the wings, and flap them in anger. My
dove is very gentle, and very easily
frightened."
"No, my father, my dove is loving to
his mother and gentle with his father
and his sisters. His brother speaks
kindly of him, and all praise him. My
beautiful, beautifnldove I"
"If it is so, my mother, you may
hring your dove here for two days, and
if my dove should like him, then, per
haps, the doves may build them a new
nest in a beautiful field, and coo to
gether in the Spring."
Thus the matter was arranged. Ya
kovi Gorovitch was taken by his mother
to the house of Marie Lavovna, and in
the presence of the parents they saw
each other twice. And it was then ar
ranged that the marriage should take
plaoa.
Some weeks have passed, and Marie
stands in her father s house in all the
beauty of youth and health and hap
piness, decorated with the jewels of
her mistress for every Russian lady
will lend her serf-girl tke means of ap
pearing to the best advantage on the
wedding day. A long procession forms
itself to the village church, where the
parties meet. In the sacred building
there is a kind of desk in a small chapel
off the large nave. On this there are
three candles burning, to represent the
Trinity Father, Son and Spirit. On
this desk one of the relatives places the
picture of the patron saint of the family
on a cloth. The priest removes the
cloth and places the image properly on
the desk.
Before the image and before the
three candles the young couple stand
in order to be united tor life. Then
the priest meets them dressed in bis
splendid robes, and now, after many
prayers and some delioious music, the
ring is to be put on. In the first place
there are two rings, and these are
changed three times. The man places
the ring first on the woman's finger,
then the priest changes the man's ring
and places it on her finger, and then
again the priest and the man join and
place the ring where it is to remain for
life.
Again prayers ascend, again a beauti
ful hymn is chanted, and then crowns
are held over the heads of those who
have bein married. The priest ioins
their right hands together and leads
them three times round the desk on
which the painting rests, and on which
the three candles are burning. There
is much of crossing and bowing.
Then the Lord's Supper is adminis
tered in a strange way, with a cup
spoon ; three times the wafer and the
wine mixed are administered to each,
and they arise from their knees.
The ceremony so far finished', the
friends of the bride and bridegroom
congratulate each other, but the young
couple are beckoned to the altar by the
priest, and with them alone he whis
pers prayers. At length, the whole
service finished, the bridal party return
home, and a sooue of much enjoyment
follows.
We have described the marriage of
the serf under ordinary circumstances.
It is generally well known that there
are peculiarities in the marriage of the
Russian priests. They are only allowed
to marry once, before they become
priests, and then they are obliged to
marry into a priest's family. There are
many customs in the Greek Church
which are derived from the Jewis
system.
Some Facts About Horses.
It seems to be the fashion just now to
record the good qualities of particular
horses. We are told of one animal
which, abandoned in a California snow
storm, was kept alive with food fnrnish
ed by the railroad men at a desolate
station near, and finally brought out of
the snow safe and sound after a three
weeks' imprisonment. So much for
endurance. As for gratitude, here is
an animal in Kentrcky which recently
became painfully and dangerously en
tangled with a cart, and which, after
being rescued, considered the matter a
moment, aud then quietly rubbed his
nose against the shoulders of the one
who was most active in helping him. A
horse with a memory is described as
having been in the habit of going to a
river about one-third of a mile from his
stable and there bathing, afterward
rushing off to a common to roll on the
grass, and then with the freedom of air
starting for home. If he met his mas
ter he would show some coltish pranks,
bound for the stable, pull out the
wooden pin that fastened the door with
his teeth, and rush to the manger where
he expected to find his food. One night
the horse was stolen from his stable,
and after sixteen years his owner saw
driven up to an inn door one which
looked exactly like him. The driver
agreed to give him up if would go
through the performance detailed above.
Accordingly he was taken to his old
yard, looked over the premises a little
while, then started for his old bath-tub,
then for his green towel on the common,
then to bis old stable, pulled the wood
en pin, won for himself a good meal and
his old master his favorite horse. If
longevity be a good quality, then here
are several animals deserving recogni
tion : One living at Bradford, N. H.,
is forty-nine years old, and doesn't look
like departure yet. Another, exhibited
last fall at the Pennsylvania State Fair,
is a white headed veteran of forty-one,
which has never been sick s single day.
Another in Kentucky is thirty-three
years old, and might "live to be a great
deal older were it not for entire loss of
teeth. An excellent old pony in New
Haven has come to thirty-five summers,
and is still active and useful, though
somewhat gray. iV. Y. Tribune.
St. Camilla,
A writer ou St. Coooilia says : " It
was Nero who had her put to death.
Her head was ordered to be cut off.
The lictor struck at it three times and
failed to complete his work, only in
flicting awful wounds upon her neck.
According to Roman law if the head
was not struck off at the third blow the
victim was considered pardoned. So
Ctecilia remained alive, though cruelly
wouuded, for several days, during'which
time she was- visited by the faithful,
who came to soothe her dying hours,
and to dip their linen into her blood,
which they preserved as relics. , She
lingered three days, and finally, over
come with pain, tnrned her face to
wards the ground and breathed her pure
spirit into the bosom of the Bride
groom. That evening her sacred re
mains were placed in a coffin of cypress
wood and buried in the cemetery of
St. Calixtus. Here they were discov
ered in the sixteenth century, and her
beautiful statue by Bernini, now in the
Church of St. Creoilia, is modeled after
the attitude in whioh the sculptor found
the body. The faoe is turned to the
ground, and the hands and the whole
attitude is expressive of a person that
has fallen suddenly either dead or in a
faint. It is by far the finest work of
soulpture produced in that oentury of
aecaaeuce in art.
A Bloody Freak,
The Troy Press savs : Mr. J. W.
Palmer, a lawyer of this city, met with
a most extraordinary accident, that at
one time threatened very serious conse
quences. ' He had been using a steel
pen of rather large dimensions, and on
finishing his work had plaoed the pen
behind his ear, using that delicate
organ as a pen-rack. At length, the pen
being in Buoh close proximity to the
brain, evidently became charged with
the subtle essence of. thought, aud gave
a sudden spring. To prevent it from
falling on the floor, Mr. Palmer brought
his knees together with quick, strong
movement, and in so doing drove the
pen its whole length, about an inch and
a half, into the fleshy part of the left
thigh, piercing an artery, it required
all his strength to draw out the steel,
and when he did so the blood spurted
clear across his offloe. The wound bled
most profusely, but at length by the
assistance of friends the blood was
stopped, and a doctor was called, who
dressed the wound. No real danger to
the limb is apprehended.
Items of Interest
The City of Chicago has a debt of
$21,000,000.
" Grasshopper prioes" is what they
say in Ohio when they mean cheap.
" It costs less to take a weekly paper,"
argues the Cape Ann Advertiser, ' 'than
a diligent hen can earn in a year at the
market price of eggs."
Sir John Astley, an English M. P.,
attended a meeting of his constituents
recently, when a man in the crowd
called out : " What about the Liquor
bill?" " Well," said Sir John, "mine
was uncommonly high last year, how
was yours ?"
One of the largest brick manufactur
ers in Groat Britain, Mr. George Sweed,
was fined 20s. the other day for em
ploying a girl under 16 years of age in
his brick field. His counsel contended
that a brick yard was not a factory
within the meaning of the act of Par
liament. A Japanese has a string of names
awful to contemplate ; for besides the
name he receives at birth, he takes a
second on attaining his majority, a
third at his marriage, o fourth if he be
appointed to any public function, a
fifth should he rise in rank and dig
nity, and so on to the last, the name
given after death, which is inscribed
upon his tomb.
Capt. Nicolich, the agent of the Aus
trian Lloyds, who died in Constanti
nople the other day from a wound in
flicted by an assassin, left a provision
in his will that in the event of the cap
ture of the murderer and his sentence
to death, or a long term of imprison
ment, the snm of 50 out of Captain
Nicolich's estate should be given to the
criminal's family.
The following is a simple mode of
rendering water almost as cold as ice:
" Let the jar, pitoher, or vessel used
for water be surrounded with one or
more folds of coarse cotton kept con
stantly wet. The evaporation of the
water will carry off the heat from the
inside and reduce it t a freezing
point." In India and other tropical
regions where ico cannot be procured
this is common.
Alluding to a recent event in San
Francisco, where two editors indulged
in the amusement of shooting at one
another, a local journal says : " We
think that one was quite justified in
trying to kill the other, and we believe
it unfortunate for the community that
the effort was not successful, as in that
case the public would have had an op
portunity of getting rid of that second
nuisance by Btriotly legal means.
Justice is sometimes swift iu Oregon,
even when administered according to
law. A brawling fellow named Gib-
bens tired a pistol at a woman in Port
land. An officer interfered, and Gib
bens killed the officer. The next day,
Monday, an inquest was held, and on
Tuesday Gibbens was committed for
trial. On Wednesday he was indicted,
and on Thursday he was arraigned, on
Friday he was found guilty, and on
Saturday he was sentenced to be
hanged.
Au Extraordinary Courtship.
One of the celebrities of New Jersey
is a Trenton colonel, banker, editor and
patron of literature, the fine arts, fine
horses and fiances. A widow lady re
cently moved to Trenton, who owned a
fine horse, which the colonel saw and
became desirous of possessing. He
visited the fair owner, but she would
not part with the valuable animal. The
colonel, being a widower, after a short
reflection, determined to possess both
the fine horse and the fine lady. He
pushed his suit with such ardor that in
three weeks from the date of his first
visit to see the horse, he and the widow
were engaged to be married. Two days
before the time fixed for the wedding
the colonel had a carriage filled with
flowers of the cheicest varieties, and,
accompanied by his intended, he vis
ited his former wife's grave and decor
ated the grounds and the handsome
monument he had erected to her mem
ory, in the most tasteful manner. The
next day the loving couple in a like
manner visited another cemetery,
where they handsomely decked the
grave of the lady's dead husband, and
after having made these appropriate
peaoe-offerings to the names of their
departed loves, the colonel and the
widow were next day married, and
started upon their happy wedding tour.
Who but the colonel could do up a
thing in style like this ?
Gambling.
A professional gambler in Chicago
recently " bucked the tiger " for fifty
straight hours, without a pause for
sleep or refreshments, and managed in
that time to lose $11,900. The case is,
perhaps, without a parallel ; though
men have done many things for twenty
four or thirty hours at a stretch, no
case is before recorded of so long a
labor. It shows also, as the Times re
marks, the absorbing power of gambling.
One watching by the bedside of a dying
child would succumb in less than that
period. A man who has the certainty
of living but fifty hours would probably
spend one-fourth of it in sleep, and
would give due attention to his food.
One escaping from a deadly foe would
not fly for bo long a time without
snatching new and then momentary
rest. In short, one can conceive of no
other cirenmstanoes in which a man
would give fifty hours to a single task
circumstances mere especially whioh
should tear the chief actor with hope .
and fear, and harrass him incessantly
with the operation of the most destruc
tive of emotions.
Not tbu Season. Statistics drawn
from the communal reports in France
the only country where statistics
have been taken show that the great
est number of cases of hydrophobia
occur in the spring ; winter and Bum
mer being about equal, and autumn
showing fewest of all ; so that the in
sane dread of the disease in hot weather
is most illogical and unreasonable, and
the muzzling of dogs in warm weather
is directly promotive of siokneBS which
may result in the disease.