f- - .
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPERANDBM. Two Oollars por Annum.
YOL. VIII. BIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, FA,, THURSDAY, MABCH21, 1878. NO- 5.
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7
The Dying Wire.
Lay the gem upon my bosom,
Let me feel her warm breath,
For a strong chill o'er me pauses,
And I know it Is death.
I wonld gaze upon the treasure-
Bcaroely given ere I go
Feel her rosy, dimpled fingers
Wander o'er my cheek of snow,
am passing through the waters,
But a blessed shore appears ;
Kneel beside me, husband, dearest,
Let me kiss away thy tears;
Wrestle with thy grief, my husband,
Strive from midnight unto day;
It may leave an angel's blessing
When it vanishes away.
Lay the gem nAJJjiWm,
"Tis not lo&f.f. . There ,
Fee! howtoj i&estles,
'Tis the pearttjiroar.
If In after years beside thee,
Sits another in my ohair,
Though her voice be sweeter music,
And her face tban mine more fair ;
If a cherub call thee " Father,"
Far mure beautiful than this,
Love thy first-born, oh I my husband !
Turn not from the motherless ;
Tell her sorat tliiirglAfher mother
Ton may call Bay my name !
Shield her from the winds if sorrow !
...
If she errs, oh ! gently blame. ,.
Lead her sometimes, where I am BleepUtg
I will answer if she calls,
And my breath will stir her ringlets,
When my voice in blessing falls;
Then hor soft black eyos will brighten,
And sball wonder wbonce it came;
In her heart wh n years pass o'er her
She will find her mother's name.
It is said that every mortal
Walks between two angels hero ;
One records the ill, but blots it,
If before the midnight drear
Man repcntolh if uncancelled,
Then the right-hand angel wcepetli,
Bowing low with veiled eyes.
I will be her right hand angel,
Sealing np the good for Heaven ;
Striving that the midnight watches
Find no misdeeds traforgircn.
Yon will not forget m, husband,
When I am Hleeping 'neath the sod ;
Oh, love the jewel to us given,
As I love thee next to God !
A CLOSE SHAVE.
"Another step, and you are a dead
maD."
" By what anthority do yon bar mj
pasfcofrojV"
' Authority ? Ha, ha 1 If this ain't
enough," holding out a revolver in each
hand, with a hideous Jeer in his evil
fticp. "I reckon I'll have to explain
f urthcr. By the authority of the Bo&d
Ageuey of this great overland route.
It was in the days when Ben Halliday
and the pony express served in lien of
locomotives and telegraph lines. When
might was right throughout a region ex
tending over nineteen hundred miles,
from St. Joseph to Sacramento; when
the pf nge run the gauntlet of road agents
and Indians, and bones, many of them
human remains, grinned np at the trav
eler unexpectedly as lie crossed the
plains; when to bo quick on the trig
ger" was worth more to a man than all
the wealth, all the culture, and all the
courage in the world.
Diek Hartford looked into the man's
fiiee calmly, looked into tha muzzles of
the pistols, smiled and uttered a single
word : "Well?"
"Don't you aggravato me, or I will
fire, and serve yon right."
" I never flinched in my life. I won't
flinch now. What do you want ?"
" Throw down your revolver. Now
turn round, and if you budge a hair's
breadth I'll blow your brains out."
Hartford obeyed. He permitted his
hands to be tied behind his back. He
saw his pockets turned inside out, his
money appropriated, his watch pocket
ed, and only remonstrated when his cap
tor felt for a money bolt. "Don't cut
me, there's no belt on me."
" O ! you did feel it then. Thought I
had a bank to pry open. Now then,
march. There's good ground here, and
plenty of it. It will do you good to
stretch your legs. Keep right on to the
clump to the left, and mind you, don't
stumble, for like as not yon'll never get
up. There was one fellow stumbled here
about six weeks ago, and be never got
higher than his knees. I'll show his
bones d'reckly."
Was it a lie, a threat ? Hartford cursed
himself for refusing to listen to the ad
vice of the conductor of the stage who
warned him to beware of the road agents.
He had answered that he would take the
risk. He desired to see for himself if
the stories' told of the robberies and mur
ders on the route were true. And he was
learning.
" A little faster, stranger. My horse
is reether restive, and, beside, Jim Por
ter would like to see you."
The road was unbroken, but the dust
was stifling, and it blew from the horses'
feet to the captive. The captive kept
his head up, and strode on.
"Bough, isn't it f Now, I suspect
yon came out to capture some one. Like
as not Jim Porter ? '
No response from the captive.
" They do say there is a party looking
for us. 'Porter is anxious to see them.
This yer's a god-send. Never thought
to meet ye this way. Got tired riflin', I
supposn. Thought you'd lay over, do
np a little business, and take next stage.
Now, I never knew a man to lay over
that didn't rue it.' There was a man
from Illinoy laid over about three months
ago. Had some instruction. Ho was
mighty sly, that Illinoyian. I reckon
he'd furnish a regiment of Vigilantes
with cunning. Kind o' sauntered oat of
same town yon left an Lour ago, but he
had some company. lie wasn't such a
fool as you. And his company went back
on him. Shot him through the spine,
then tickled his ribs th a knife. He
was a powerful, active Vigilante, was the
company. He was too -much for the
Illinoyian." i
" Jnst as yon were too much for me,"
" I like your pluck now. You do keep
a stiff upper lip. But it'll be all day
with you the moment Porter claps eyes
on you. He makes short work of spies,
I reckon that's your line."
The oaptive did not reply. At that
moment his thoughts were on home. A
mighty throb rose in his throat a suffo
cating throb wrenched from him by
that one thought of home. His wife
and child, his boy that he wonld never
Rce again. It was hard. He hod played
a bold game and he had lost. The Vigi
lantes were in league with the road
agents. He had been outwitted. The
stage company would ba short another
man, und the road would be under tri
bute as before. His plans, so carefully
concealed in his own breast, were known
to the murderous gang. Perhaps in less
than an hour he would be dangling at
the end of a rope. He half turned as he
thought of the end.
" None o' that, unless you want your
early pill, in which case I'm bound to
accommodate ye. Porter didn't say we
were to run risks. He does like a friendly
chat, and he pumps some people as dry
as a limekiln. "
" I'll make you an offer."
" Crack your whip."
" I'll fight yon fair, like a man. Tie
one arm down, give me a pistol, and let
us take shot about, you the first. "
Vlo', now."
:Qril allow you two to one."
UunVtout unless you move right on, and
keep jnovin', I'll make short work
of je."
.Acoyote rose slowly from a sage
bj-tssb, looked at them sneakingly over
iis shoulder, then trotted slowly away.
A noisome bird of prey rose slowly from
the carcass of a mule, flapped its wings
lazily, sailed slowly through the air,
thou settled down upon a rib that pro
truded from the sand. The sun's rays
poured down upon the pbnn until the
dust and snnd seemed to melt in the fer
vid heat. And, to cKr4Ql, tho captive
suddenly experienced the agony of ex
cessive thirst.
A faint sound in the distance arrested
his attention. Was that not the sound
of horses' feet ? What if it should prove
t.i De ins mends the vigilantes? 1m
possible. His morning stroll was un-
known to them. The sound camo nearer
ind nearer to him. Then he observed
'or the first time a rocky defile further
to tne leit, as though a chasm lay there,
or a stream chiseled out its course across
the plains. Now there could be no mis
taking the sound . The steady trot of
horses feet and tho clanking of spm's
could do neard. auddomy Jiali a dozen
horsemen swept around a low rock, at
sight of whom the captor grunted.
"Here's Captain Jim. Mind your
'Banners n w, for he's the perlitest man
you ever met."
The captive shivered. When a boy
iie was detected in on act that brought
upon the wrath of the teacher of the
school in the New England village he
would never see more. The eagle eye
if tbe teacher Eingled him out from a
score of mischief makers, and he shiver
ed os he felt that the punishment award
ed incorrigibles was unavoidable. But
ho braced himself, walked out promptly
to the middle of the floor the moment
his name was called, and, to his lasting
surprise, was let go with a mild rebuke.
In much the same manner Dick Hart
ford braced himself for the intervied
with the leader of the most desperate
gang of miscreants that ever levied a tax
upon tho travelers who crossed the
plains. This was the man he had
dreamed of cirenmventing. The case
was reversed.
The road agents rode forward without
order, and surrounded both horseman
and captive.
" What have yon got, Barham ?"
" Make your bow. It's captain Jim,"
said Barham. Then to Captain Jim's
query: " That's for you to find ont. I
obeyed orders."
WIat a magnificent front tho captive
presented. His gaze was as clear and
steady and level as though he were look
iug right through Captain Jim, away
beyond the ranche, and off to the moun-'
tains in the distance.
What have you got to say for your
self, auyhow ?" Captain Jim's sinister
face clouded still more as he met the un
wavering gaze of the captive.
"Nothing," replied the captive, as
he walked in front of the leader.
"Yon are locked up, and the keys
lost," said Captain Jim, sneeringly. " I
think I know your business. I've a
mind to send Ben Halliday your ears.
No, I'll send him your heart. This
trip's a failure, and Ben ought to know
it. If yon won't talk"
" I'll die first !" The words were flung
at him so passionately that even Captain
Jim was moved to admiration.
"Die it is, then !" exclaimed one of
the gang.
" You are seven to one," said Hart
ford. "We are in the majority mostly,"
said Jim. " Bnt I'll give you a chanoe.
You are plucky. Now, what does a
milksop life do for you ? Come along
with us, share and share alike, and we'll
give you excitement, and opportunity to
show the stuff you are made of."
" To make one of a gang of murderers
who are afraid to cope man toman,"
said the oaptive. .
One of the gong at that moment level
ed his pistol at Hartford's head. But
the leader ordered him to keep his fire
until there was need for it. " Let us do
this thing in order," said Captain Jim,
as the scar on his cheek became livid,
then a dul' red. " We'll ride down to
the old place and pull him up like a
dog. Yon got what was on him?" to
Barham. Barham nodded. There was
not a word said further. The party
rods on perhaps twenty minutes, when
the defile deepened, narrowed, and the
rooks shut over the horsemen's heads.
Then at a word from Jim the men dis
mounted. . Advancing to Hartford, he
said, with a cruel smile :
" Bay yonr prayers, you have got five
minutes to live. , Mount that stoue."
There was a ledge above the captive's
head, with a jutting point, over which
a rope was thrown, and a nooso made at
the end of it. ,
, " Will you allow me to speak ?"
" Blow away," answered Captain Jim.
" I may as well tell you we know all
about , you. You've traveled fifteen
hundred miles to trap us. Ban Halli-
day tried that game often. You gave
yourself away. You expected to master
the road, and the biagest booby among
os mastered you. Now fire away. "
" Well. then, let me predict what your
end will be," said the captive. With
the noose around his neck, and gloating
eyes and fierce faces for his audience,
he spoke out clearly, defiantly. " When
you've murdered me, yon may prepare
for the hereafter. There will be no rest
for you. A man will come after me who
wui Aunt you down like the cownrajy
dogs you are. He will never rest until
you are driven out of the country, and
his roach will sweep to California. Once
lie marks a man, that man s late is
sealed. He is not my friend. He knows
my mission, and, if it fails, he will shoot
every man down with his own hand
whom he suspects of knowing anything
abont me, or my death. That's all. I'm
ready now."
" What's that 1" exolaimed one of the
gang listening.
" Up with him," The rope tightened
around Hartford's throat, he felt him
self strangling, the color faded out, he
was in a void, then shooting pains
Eiercedhis temple, myriad sparks played
efore his ees, blended into brilliant
colors, and still he could hear the voice of
Captain Jim. Now it was a stream of
oaths, an exclamation, "The Vigilantes
are upon us I" a blurring of sounds, as
he swam, or rather floated ont upon the
great void, and then all was over.
It was true. A cloud of dust rolled
up from Overland City, swept down to
wards the narrow defile from the rear,
and sent a shiver of fear through the
road agents, who scrambled hastily to
their saddles and galloped off in the op
posite direction. All but one, Captain
Jim, who deliberately approached Hart
ford as he lay on tho ground where he
fell when the crowd dropped the rope,
and placing a revolver against his tem
ple, pulled the trigger. The pistol
snapped fire, and Captain Jim rode off,
turuing in his saddle and aiming a sec
ond time at the apparently lifeless body
of the prisoner, shot him in theBrm.
But it would have been better for Cop
tain Jim had he never met the prisoner.
For another party, also Vigilantes, armed
to the tetth and superbly mounted, en
countered the rood Agents os they
emerged from the defile, and although
the hitter put their steeds to the gallop,
urging them on with oaths and spurs,
the Vigilantes surrounded them with
lightning-like swiftness, and standing
up in their saddles opened fire upon the
gang, who returned it and died like
desperadoes as they were, either in their
saddles or dropping from their horses'
necks. Captain Jim proved the most
cowardly of the lot. He begged for
quarter, but for answer was riddled by
a dozen bullets.
When the fray was over and Dick
Hartford sat upright, listening to the
account of the fight, and of the severest
and sharpest the Vigilantes experienced,
he was complimented upon his courage,
and, in turn, thanked his resouers. In
reality, he had performed his mission,
but not in the manner he had planned.
That he did not succeed in carrying out
his plans was owing the merest accident.
Tho Vigilantes had been summoned at
his instance, aud were in time to save
his life. " A close t,have," as Bris Mar
tin, the captain, remarked. "However,
a miss is as good as a mile."
Hydrophobia Cure.
I can give some facts which may be of
use to somebody, thereby saving life.
The time between the biting of an ani
mal by a mad dog and showiDg signs of
hydrophobia is not less thau nine days,
but may be nine months. After the
animal has become rabid, a bite or
scratch with the teeth npon a person, or
slobber coming in contact with a sore or
raw place, would produce hydrophobia
just as soon as though he had been bit
ten by a mad dog. Hydrophobia can
be prevented, and I will give what is
well known to be an infallible remedy,
if properly administered, for man and
beast A dose for a horse or cow should
be about four times as great as for a
person. It is not too late to give med
icine any time before the spasms come
on.
The first dose for a person is one and
a half ounces of elecampane root, bruised,
tut in a pint of new milk, reduced to one
half by boiliug, then take oil at one dose
in the morning, fasting until afternoon,
or at least a very light diet after several
hours have elapsed. The second dose
the same as first, except take two ounces
of the root. Third dose the same as
last, to be taken every other day. Three
doses are all that are needed, and there
need be no fear. This I know from my
own experience, and know of a number
of other cases where it has been entirely
successful. This is no guess work.
Those persons I allude to were bitten
by their own dogs, that had been bitten
by rabid dogs, and were penned np to
see if they would go mad; they did go
mad, and did bite the persons. This
remedy has been nsed iu and about Phil
adelphia for forty years and longer,
with great success, and is known as the
Goodman remedy. I am acquainted
with a physician who told me he knew
of its use for more than thirty years,
but never knew of a cose that failed
where it was properly administered.
Among other cases he mentioned, was
one where a number of cows had been
bitten by a mad dog. To half of this
number they administered this remedy,
to the other half not. The latter all died
of hydrophobia, while those that took
the elecampane and milk showed no
signs of that disease. J?. C. Shoemaker,
in Country Gentleman.
Lucky Spanish Bull-Fighters.
Spanish bull-fighters find their dan
gerous calling a very luorative profes
sion. Thus the favorite matador of
Midrid, Frasouelo, possesses a fortune
of $400,000, a magnificent house,
and a wife considered the pretti
est woman in Madrid, and i a member
of oue of the most aristocratic clubs in
the city. On the day of a bull-fight, he
sends a messenger to his wife after each
of his performances in the arena, the
destruction of six bulls being his usual
task, and twice he has been brought
home seriously injured. Frascnelo took
part in the late bull-fight before the
king and queen, and his costume was
literally covered with diamonds. Most
interest was felt, however, in the ama
teur matadors cavalry officers chosen by
the different provinces, and who showed
themselves fully as skillful as tht pro-
I fessionals.
A Royal Marriage Procession.
A correspondent in Madrid who wit
nessed the recent marriage of the King
of Spain to the Princess Mercedes, de
scribes the marriage procession in the
following terms: The procession was
headed by the " shawms and tymbals "
of the palace. The tymbals were car
ried on horseback, one on either side of
the horse, and covered with tupestry
that bore the unmistakable stamp of an
tiquity. They were beaten from time
to time by a quaintly-attired attendant
who walked . beside the horse. Then
came the heralds, richly dressed, with
bronzed maces over their shoulders;
then a number of Palafreneros, and
these were followed by twenty led
horses, some with saddles and others
with side-saddles, all with rich, strange
housings. A part of the royal guard
came next, and after these the ambassa
dors in their respective carriages, all in
state, and after these many of the Span
ish aristocracy, in their magnificent state
carriages, used only on such ocoasions.
I noticed that of Medmaceli coachman,
footmen and ontriders in embroidered
green and gold livery, the horses wear
ing immense clusters of ostrioh feather
plumes on their heads; thatof the Dr.ke
of Alba, with bine ond white livery and
plnmes; thatof the Duke of Sesto; that
of Fernau Nunez, and of the newly
created Duke of Santona. Next came a
long line of carriages with the ladies
and gentlemen of the palace in the or
der of their rank, followed by another
section of the royal guard, whose uni
form is scarlet and white, with steel
helmets. The horses are jet black.
The royol family followed. First
came the Infanta Cristina, Her car
riage was drawn by six horses, with
white and crimson ostrich plumes; it
was preceded by two ontriders, and two
gentlemen-in-waiting rode beside the
carriage. Next came the Connt ond
Countess of Paris; their carriage was
also drawn by six horses with outriders
as well. And next came the young in
fantas iu a beautiful blue and gilt
carriage drawn by six cream-colored
horses, with pure white ostrich plumes.
This carriage looked for all the world as
though it had come straight from fairy
land; for what with its being all gold,
white and blue outside, with horses that
looked like magnified kittens, and in
side all white, pink and blue tulle,
snowy blonde veils, huge bouquets of
natural flowers and sweet youug faces
with great blue eyes, nothing more ex
quisite, fantastical and unreal could be
imagined. Next came, with the same
number of JiorsM and outriders, the
carriage of the Dnko and Duchess of
MontpeiiBier, who were accompanied by
their son, Don Antonio, and daughter,
Dona Cristina. The Princess of Asturias
came next, accompanied by her father.
Don Franoisco do Asis, in a magnificent
carriage drawn by six horses with white
aud crimson plumes, and preceded by
four outriders.
Then followed the empty carriage
which always precedes the royal carriage
on Etate ocoasions. This carriage was
drawn by eight horses. And last of all.
the superb tortoise-shell and silver-gilt
state carnage, lined with white satin
and looking like an immense bonbon
nlere, and in it came the royal bride and
bridegroom. The eight horses that drew
the carnage were pure white, the in
raense cluhters of ostrich feathers on
their heads pure white, the harnesses
scarlet aud gold, and the mounted
jockeys in scarlet and white nnifnnns.
The Human Body.
The number of bones iu the frame'
work of the human body is 246; sixty
three of which are iu the head and face,
twenty-four in the ribs, sixteen in the
wrists, fourteen in the ankles, 108 in the
feet and hands, there being in each
twenty-seven. The heart is six inches
long, and four inches in diameter, and
beats seventy times per minute, 4,200
times per hour, 100.8UU per day. 36.792.
000 times per year, and at each beat two
and a half ounces of blood are thrown
ont of it, 175 ounces per minute, 656
pounds per hour, seven and three-fourth
tons per day. All the blood in the body
passes through the neart in three mm
utes. The skin is composed of three
layers, and varies from one-fourth to
one-eighth of an inch in thickness. Eaafa
square inch of skin contains 3,600 sweat
ing pores, each of which may be likened
to a little drain-pipe one-fourth of an
inch long, making an aggregate length
of the entire surfaoe of the body of 201.-
166 feet, or a little ditch for draining the
body- almost forty miles long. The
weight of the blood in the body is from
thirty to forty pounds. The blood per
forms a complete circuit, in the system
in 110 seconds. In twenty-four hours
11,000 pints of blood are sent to the
lungs. The hair grows in two years twelve
to sixteen inchos. a man grows twenty
years, lives to 100 years, or more. Eight
hours sleep is the maximum required by
man. Napoleon slept four. Wellington
six. The food of man is regulated by his
own experience which agrees or dis
agrees with him. The average time of
the stomach for digesting mixed diet is
three hours and a half. Exercise, clean
liness, and a cheerful and contented
spirit are Nature's best medioine for
sound health and long lite.
Fashion Note.
New velvet mnffs are edged with black
lace, ;
Leg-of-mutton sleeves have been re
vived.
The novelty for bonnet trimming is
dyed grebe.
The cut-away jacket supersedes the
polonaise.
Neigeuse, or snow gauze, is the novel
It for ball dresses.
Chip hats and bonnets will be worn
almost to the exclusion of other straws,
Spring styles proclaim the fact that
everything is beaded.
Exquisite pearl fringes and headings
ere shown for twnmwg bats and ben
nets i
Kn.inn OT.ana . I XfonUat. I
ffAiug nmuD, Miiwiwjcw,
are square in tha back, with long ends in
front. j ' .
Ivory and felt jpy ore the new shades
for dress goodB, rbbons and hats for the
coming season. i
Summer mantl are of ooarse block
uet, entirely covered with rows of uar
row black lace. .
Summer dressei
are to be trimmed
with embroidered Jounces in the Russian
colors, red, black,
blue and yellow.
FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
BP rly Teaetablea.
Tomatoes. Sow in hot beds in March;
when two inches high transplant into
pots or another bed, and attend them
carefully until all danger of frost is
past, then transplant them permanently
into a warm situation, fully exposed to
the sun. Support with brush to keep
tbe fruit off the ground. Pinch the ends
off, to hasten ripening, nfter the fruit
has begun to set.
Lkttuob. Sow in hot-beds for early
use, in February, and for general suc
cessive crops sow every two or three
weeks in the opsn ground, commencing
as early in the spring as the grouad can
be worked. Cover the seed one-quarter
of an inch deep, in a well-prepared bed,
or in drills. Water liberally in dry
weather. Thin out and transplant to
one foot apart into the richest soil, for
heading. The more rapid growth the
better quality.
Cauliflowers. For general orop.sow
the seed in hot-beds in March or begin
ning of April; for late crop, sow in the
open ground in May. Transplant into
rows two and a half feet apart, leaving
two feet distance between the plants.
Cultivate as cabbage. Aid the growth
by liberal watering, and protect from
the sun by breaking its leaves over the
head when in flower. Cauliflower suc
ceeds best in a deep, rich, moist soil.
One ounce of seed produces about 2.UU0
plants.
Celery. Sow seeds in hot-beds, or
verv early in the open eronnd. half an
inch deep, in drills one foot apart.
Transplant when three inches high into
rich soil, finely pulverized, four inches
opart. Water and protect until wen
rooted, then transplant into rows five
or six feet apart, either on the surface
or into well-manured trenches, a foot in
depth, using thoroughly-rotted manure.
Set the plants from eight to twelve
inches apart, then give a good watering.
To blanch them earth up two or three
times during their growth, holding the
leaves close, while the earth is drawn
np, so that none of it falls into the cen
ter of the plant, and taking care not to
cover the lop of its oentral shoots.
Cucumbers. For early spring use,
sow in hot-beds, leaving three plants in
oue hill to each sash. For general crop,
sow in May or beginning of June, after
the ground has become worm, iu very
rich soil, in hills four or five feet apart
each way, elevating the hills a little
above the ground. Put eight seeds in
each hill; having buried some warm,
half-rotted manure therein, cover half
an inch deep with fine soil and lightly
press the earth over the seeds with the
back of a hoe. Keep the ground loose
and clear of weeds; in dry weather water
occasionally. Thin out, leaving four
turilty plants in each bill, when insect
danger is past. Sprinkle vines with
plaster, soot or air-slacked lime to pro
tect from insects. A warm location is
most suitable.
Cabbages. Sow early varieties in
hot-beds from February till April, thin
out the plants to hasten developement,
1 - 1 ii , i mi , i
ana aumiD pieniy oi nir. ine jarer va
rieties nre sown in Mar, for general crop
iu the open ground. Transplant, when
six inches high, into well-manured sou
during the month of June, if sufficiently
developed. For early kinds, one and "a
half to two feet each way between the
plants, and two and a half feet apart for
the late varieties, are the respective
proper distances. Transplant beforo a
shower, or in motet weather, giving each
plant water occasionally, when needed.
at the root. The ground must be well
worked to produce good heads. Hoe
often and draw the earth up around the
plants. (Ja linage should not follow cab
bage or tnrnip successively. Boston
uiooc.
Cultivation of the Pen Crop.
In a reply to a qnery in regard to
raising peas, presented to the Elmira
(N. Y.) Farmer's Club, the following
reply was elicited from B. D. Button,
of Madison county, N. Y. : "Peas are
as sure a orop as any .other, ond leave
tho ground in the best of order for
wheat. The yield will vary with the
soil, forty bushelsbeing a large yield.
In preparing tho land I aim to fall
plough and fit with cultivator in the
spring; although the best crop I ever
raised was on corn stubble, spring
Eloughed. Peas are better if drilled,
ut can be sowed broadcast on the fur
row if rolled afterward. Peas like a
flue, dry loam or sandy soil best, but
will thrive well on a clayey soil, if well
fitted. I never have threslied peas with
a machine, as it splits them badly, and
sheep will not relish the straw as well
as if threshed with the flail. If the
vines are very luxuriant sheep will not
eat them very closely; but if out before
all of the top pods have grown white,
sheep will not only eat, but relish the
straw exceedingly. Tf the straw is fed
at night sheep will eat more than if fed
in the morning or at noon. We have
been troubled with bugs which sting the
peas while yet soft, leaving small eggs,
which are hutched; the wonn feeds np
on tho pea, leaving but a thin shell by
.i . 1 1 m ) i , ,
i lie following epring. xuis is ouvuuea
by early sowing, so as to have the ma
jority of the pods so hard by the time
the fly arrives at maturity that it is im
possible to pierce them. If the season
be backward and this cannot be done,
very late sowing will secure the same
result. Good crops have been raised
when sown as lute as the fifteenth or
twentieth of May, The quantity of
seed will depend on the soil. If 'it is
very fine and rich, sow one aud one-half
bushels to the acre; an ordinary soil,
two; and on very poor, three bush
els, or, bettor still, not any."
Things Not to bo.
Never believe much less propagate an
ill-report of a neighbor without good
evideuoe of its truth ; never listen to an
infamous story handed to you by a man
who is inimical to the person defamed,
or who is himself apt to defame his
neighbors, or who is wont to sow dis
cord among brethren and excite dis
turbance iu society. Never utter the
evil which you kuow or suspect of
another, till you have au opportunity to
expostulate with him. Never speak
evil of another while you are under tho
influence of envy and malevolenoe, but
wait till your spirits are cooled down,
that you may better judge whether to
otter or suppress the matter.
REFORMING A THIEF.
A Novel Metkod Put In IKxecntlnn by fi
Tennessee Merchant.
A certain prominent grocery firm lu
this city had been missing little articles
quite frequently of late, and suspicion
fixed npou a certain young man, who
visited the store often in passing, occa
sionally making small purchases. They
agreed to watch him the next time he
came in, one partner outside and one in
side. They tried in vain for three weeks
or more ; still the articles disappeared
and the young man made his visits ;
thongn be nad never Deen seen laaing
anything. One day last week the part
ner who was watching from the outside,
pretended to be reading a newspaper,
and by looking over it, caught him in
the act. The inside partner collared
him and led him back to the reor to
counsel him.
"Now." said the merchant, "you
have been stealing from me for several
weeks, and I want to know how much
you think you owe me? Be honesi
abont it ; you have oeen both cierK and
customer.
The young man stated the omonnt he
considered justly due, and wasonxions to
pay it
The merchant said : "Well, sir, you
know the law doesn't allow a man to
steal, and yon must take your choice,
to pay me all you owe me and submit
to a whipping, or go to the penitentiary.
Which will yon do ? Yon are young and
may be reformed, and I don t want to
disgrace you publicly, but I feel that I
would do a great wrong to let you go
without a whipping to remind yon of it."
The young man said he would receive
the whipping and pay np ; while he ap
preciated the kind motives of the mer
chant he would like very much to have
the whipping omitted. The merchant
invited him to walk down in the cellar
and see what a fine stock was stored
there. When they reached the bottom
and the door was olosed, the young man
said :
" You won't whip mo, will you ?"
The merchant said he certainly could
not do otherwise and satisfy his con
science. "What ore you going to whip me
with ?"
"That piece of board," replied the
merchant, pointing to a strip some three
inches wide.
"Buck yourself across that chicken-
coop, and I'll do my solemn duty, young
man. It's a serious matter, and I am
truly sorry to have to do it, but, my con
science reauires it."
The customers heard a noise for about
a minute that they mistook for some one
knocking the bung out of an empty
barrel, or splitting kindling. After ten
good, hearty strokes the merchant let
him np.
" How do you feel now, young man ?"
" I feel very bad, sir ; very sorry."
"I, too, feel sorry and bad, and I
think you had better get down on your
knees, and ask God to forgive your
sins."
The youug mon prayed a feeling
prayer, and shed copious tears of repent
ance. When he arose the merchant said:
" How do you feel now ?"
"Awful," said the young man.
" Then, in order to impress this oc
casion on your mind, and that you moy
never forget the conse of it, just bend
over that chicken-coop again a minute."
He bent over, and the sound of split
ting stove-wood was heard again ten
more.
Then when he got up he wanted to
cry, but the merchant insisted that it
was too scrions a matter for that, and
suggested that he lead in prayer again.
The young man complied, and he hod
so much improved in that stylo of com
position that the merchant released him.
"Now," said ho, "you are a young
man, you aro respectable, and move in
respectable circles; you have kind and
honorable parents; this would disgrace
you and them if made public; you have
submitted to the chastisement and re
pented; pay me what you owe and go
your way as usual, leaving off dishonesty,
and I'll not molest you." He went, but
he hasn't paid the money yet. This
stylo of reformation foryonng men beats
the penitentiary. He did not live in
Jackson. Jackson Tenn.) un.
White Hair.
" Is it possible for a person's hair to
turn within a short time ?" There are
so many instances now on record that
there ought to be no longer any doubt
upon the subject. In the late Arotio ex
pedition nearly every man's hair become
grayer, and in some cases white, bnt
assumed its natural color when the men
returned to lower latitudes. In many
cases the human hair is said to have
surned gray from grief, extreme care, or
sudden fright. During an outward pos
tage to Australia (says a correspondent)
tho ship I was in suffered greatly in the
British Channel; twice we were nearly
wrecked, having lost three anchors and
two cables. The pilot who had charge
was oonstantly on watch, only snatching
a few minutes' sleep here and there, as
opportunity afforded. On the whole, he
hod a very anxious time indeed, ond
when he eventually left the ship off the
Isle of Wight he oertainly looked twenty
years older. I thought his hair had de
cidedly turned grayer; this may, how
ever, have been only imagination, and
uiereiore ought rather to be considered
as an impression than actual fact
Within the last few months a fresh ease
of the possibility of the color of hair
changing has come nnder my notioe.
An old gentleman, aged eighty-nine, re
siding in my immediate neighborhood,
lately died, For many years his hair
has been perfectly white, but a few
days before his death some of his hair
beoame black, giving the apoearanoe of
nis having dark brown or black hair.
Here it is interesting to note that in his
younger days his hair was light. After
the death of this gentleman the tips of
his hair for about an inch assumed
the original color, becoming white
again. I have heard of another instance
where after death the hair tnrned from
white to black. Dogs seem to be affect
ed with regard to their hair iu like man
ner as human beings. I lately read cf
a case where a black Newfoundland dog
became gray in a few weeks, and 1 he
writer declares that the only cause for
this sudden conversion waa grief.
Items or Interest
A green grocer One who trusts.
There are 2.000 barber shops in New
York and 7,500 barbers.
A littlfl hnv will never willingly re
linquish any of his' cakes except his
spank-aches I
A 200-pound bear can hug a new pork
barrel to splinters, which takes o press
ure of 1,000 pounds.
A Bnffalo sparrow recently carried off
a whole lamp-wick in his beak, and he
had to beak-wiok about it.
Many poor families keep a coat. If
they are denied the luxury of bread,
iney always nave weir miner.
One of the saddest incidents of the
recent German royal marriage was the
Prince of Mecklenburg Schwerin.
A curt Chinese aphorism suggests that
one day's work was worth three to him
who does everything at tne proper wme.
" What is wisdom ?" asked a teacher
of a class of small girls. A bright-eyed
little creature arose and answered : " in
formation of the brain. "
The French artillery having discarded
bronze ordnance for steel breech-loaders,
England is the lost country left
which clings to the bronze muzzle-loaders.
Milsson asks six hundred dollars a
night to sing in Paris during tho exposi
tion, ond the manoger of the Grand
Opera House is not eager to sign the
contract.
The seedless orange of Brazil is tho
best in tho werld. It cannot be shipped
on account of the thinness of its skin,
and will not grow anywhere in the
United States.
The position of the English women
engaged in Bussiato teach, says a writer
in the Pall Mall. Gazette, is one of com
fort and dignity. They are handsomely
paid ond courteously treated.
" Ma 1 did you know corn could
walk?" "No! my boy--I never heard
such a thing." "You didn't? Well,
com stalks." " Nurse, give Johnny
some ipecac, and put him to bed."
As a party of gentlemen aud ladiea
were climbing to the top of a monument
one day, lately, a gentleman remarked :
" This is rather a spiral flight of steps."
To which a lady replied: "Yes, per
spiral I" and she wiped her brow ns she
spoke.
FATHOMS DEEP.
Fathoms deep may drift the know,
It iny hail, aud it ntay Uo,
"3 ill my windows groan and nhake,
Moau for that I ne'er will make,
For, while in my hrcast I hear
My darling'K image, npring is there.
From the Herman of IIei)te.
The death of Cardinal Brosiais-Saint
Marc ond the elevation of Cardinal'
Pecci to the pontifical throne rcdnco tho
numbers of the Sacred College to sixty-
two. According to the Roman proverb,
cardinals always dio in threes, and
during the last twoycari, at leaf-t. tho
truth of the saying has been attested in
a remarkable manner.
A citizen of Elkton, Md., recently had
a dog that behaved in a very pcculiat
manner. He supposed that the animal
was getting hydrophobia raid Bhot it ;
but a post-mortem examination revealed
a snake ten or twelve inches in length
coiled aronnd the animal's liver, and
would, no doubt, in a short time have
caused the animal's death.
" Gentlemen," said au auctioneer, who
was selling a piece of land, " it is the
most delightful piece of land; it is the
easiest laud to cultivate, it is so light,
so very light. Mr. Parker here will
corroborate my statement. He owns
the next patch, and ho will tell you how
easy it is worked." "Yes, gentlemen,"
enid Mr. Parker, "it's very easy to
work, but it's a plaguy sight eosior to
gather the crops."
The Real Hero.
Iu 1793 the Prussian officers of the gar
rison of Colberg established an economi
cal mess, of which certain poor immi
grants were glad to partake." They ob
served one day an old major of hussars,
who was covered with the scars of
wonnds received in the Seven Years'
War, and half hidden by enormous gray
mustachios. The conversation turned
on duels. A young stout-built cornet
began to prate in an authoritative tone
on the subject.
" Aud you, major, how many duels
have you fought ?"
" None, thank Heaven," answered the
old huBsar,in a subdued voice ; " I have
fourteen wounds, and Heaven be praised,
there is not one in my back ; so that I
may be permitted to say that I feel my
self happy in never having fought a
duel."
" But you shall fight one with me,"
exclaimed the cornet, reaching across to
give him a blow.
The major, agitated, grasped the table
to assist himself in rising, when a unani
mous cry was raised :
" Don't stir, major."
All the officers present joined in seiz
ing the cornet, when they threw him
out at the window, and sat down again
at tho table as if nothing had occurred.
A Feline Nurse.
Culling at a farm honse the other day,
says a writer iu on English paper, I was
told I was just a day too late to see a
very wonderful sight a cat nursing
some little chicks. It appears the cat
had a family of dead kittens a few days
before, and the same morning some five
or six chicks were hatched. As there
were others to come ont, the lady of the
bouse took the just batched chicks into
the honse till all were hutched, and
placed them before the fire in the sitting
room, or, os we say here, the keeping
room. Pnssy, greatly to the horror of
the good laJy of the house, took a great
fancy to them, aud could not be kept away
from them. Wishing to see what would
take place the owner allowed her to come
near, when she began to stroke them
down with her paw in the most affection
ate and tender manner, and, after awhile,
lying down, gathered them well under
her. There she lay all the day ; in the
evening they were taken from her, bnt
the next day she did the same ; but the
third day, fearful of accident, they were
taken away from her and put nnder their
proper mother, who had now hatched
out her whole brood. I wonder what
pussy would have done with them?
1