. .- ' - ' 1
, HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPERANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. IX; BIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, MABCH 6, 1879. NO. 3.
The Khan's Devil.
BT 1. O. WHITTIBB.
The khan oame from Bokhara town
To Hamza, eanton or renown.
" My head Is sick, my hands are weak)
Thy help, oh holy man, I geek I"
In tilenoe marking for a spaoo
The kban's red eyes and purple face,
Tblok roloe, and loose, nnoertaln tread,
Ihon hast a devil I" Hamza said.
"Allah forbid 1" exolaimed the khan.
v " Bid me of him at onoe, oh man 1"
" Nay," Hamza said, " no spell of mice
Can slay that cursed thing of thine.
" Leave feast and wine, go forth and drink
Water of he&hug on the brink,
" Where olear and oold from mountain snows,
The Nahr tl Zeben downward flows.
H Six moons remain, then eome to me;
May allah's pity go with tbee !"
Awestruek, from feaBt and wine, the khan
Went forth where Nahr el Zeben ran.
Roots were his food, the desert dnst
His bed; the water quenched bis thirst.
And when the sixth moon's oimeter
Curved sharp above the evening star,
He sought again the santon's floor
Not weak and trembling as before,
But strong of limb and olear of brain;
"Behold," he said, " the fiend is slain."
"Nay," Hamza answered, "starved and
drowned,
The curst one lies in death-like swound.
" But evil breaks the strongest gyves,
And djins like him have charmed lives.
" One beaker of the Juicy grape
May call him np in living shape.
" When the red wine of Badakshan
Sparkles for thee, beware . oh khan !
" With water quench the fire within,
And drown each day thy devilkin I"
Thenoeforth the great kban shnnned the cup
As Bhi tin's own, though offered np
With laughing eyes snd jeweled hands,
By Tarkand's maids and Sarmacand's. .
And in the lofty vestibule
Of the medrees of Ranch Eodul,
The students of the holy law
A golden-lettored tablet saw,
With these words, by a onnning hand,
Graved on it at the khan's ojmmand:
" la allah's name, to him who hath
A dovil, Khan el Hamad saitb:
" Wisely our prophet curst the vine;
The fiend that loves the breath of wine
" No prayer can slay, no marabout
Nor Mecoin dervis can drive out.
"I, Eban el Harotd, know the uharin '"
That robs him of his power to harm.
"Drown him, oh Islam's ohild.l the spell
To save thee lies in tank and well."
Youth's Companion.
ROSE OLAVERING ;
Or, A Leap for Life.
AN ADVENTURE IN THE BLACK HILLS.
" And where does this fair lily of the
Blaok Hills reside, Dick ?"
" About an honr's gallop from our
camp hero, leftinint. She is with her
father a qiuer old stick by the name of
Cluvering. He keeps by himself, and I
am afeered be will yet come to harm.
The cursed Sioux are about, and Rose
would be a fine prize for some daring
brave. It is said that the old man has
dug piles of gold. He may have made
his pile, or may not, but his darter
she's purtier than a prairie flower bend
ing afore the mornin' breeze when
sparklin with dew."
Bravo, my old soout! You have
poetry and the love of the beautiful in
your soul if you have never seen the in
side of a sohoolhouse."
" It's leetle book larnin' I have picked
up, leftinint But the works of nature
and the handiwork of God I love," and
the old man removed his slouch hat for
a moment, exposing his gray locks, as
he allowed the light breeze to fan his
broad brow.
Diok, what do you say if we gallop
down to the camping-spot of your friend.
You have excited my curiosity regarding
this mysterious beauty. I will tell the
sergeant to look out during my absence,
and he is fully competent to manage
fifty meo. We have been stationed here
in 'he hills for over six weeks. I am
tired, and must have a little recrea
tion." Yon may git more than you bargain
for. There's Injun signs about, and
there's no tellin' what moment you may
run into a Sioux camp among these in
fernal hills."
'Well, we'll take our chances. We
are both well armed."
A sharp gallop of an hour brought
the army officer and bis companion to
the banks cf a small stream, and riding
to a group of stately trees, the soout
reined np with a sharp cry of astonish
ment and alarm.
The tent of the solitary miner had dis
appeared. Naught remained but smok
ing ruins, and the unmistakable evi
dences of a desperate struggle having
taken place.
Dismounting, the soout carefully went
over the ground, while the officer watch
ed him with a face expressive of stern
ness and a desire for vengeance.
There's only nine of 'em. But
hark, there was a groan. If it should
be Rose 1" and rushing toward a clump
of grivHH, the scout beheld the tall, gaunt
form of a miner, from whose gaping
wounds the life-blood was rapinly ooz
ing. "Clavering, poor fellow 1 has it
oome to this ? I was afeered of it, and
my words have come true."
My time is short. I wohW speak of
my darfghter. The Sioux have captured
her. The young chief of a war party
tore her from my arms and dealt me my
death blow. But who is that with you?
my eyes are growing dim ?'
'It is Lieutenant Paul Welch, of the
cavalry."
" Your hand, sir. Men of your pro
fession are gentlemen. I once occupied
the position of one myself. I have a
package in my breast pocket that will
explain all. If von recover my daughter
give it to her, otherwise Durn u as is is,
It can interest no third party."
He was rapidly growing weaker, the
eye was fixed, and the -hoarse voice
faltered :
" Ohase the Sioux, recover poor Rose,
She is a lady," he muttered, then with
an effort he roused himself. I have
n-old for her look great rock, cross.
full moon, shadow dig " and with a
rattle, a terrible gasp, and the stout
heart ceased to bear.
Possessing himself of the package, the
officer briefly penciled the vague and
unsatisfactory words of the dying man
on the back. It might have been the
wanderings of a mind unsettled by the
near approach of death, but be was de
termined to investigate the matter when'
ever an opportunity should occur.
" Now for work, Dick. We'll bury
poor Olavering, then follow on the trail
of these red fiends, and Rose shall either
be rescued or avenged."
Mounting their horses the two sadly
turned away, sallying forth upon the
dark and silent prairie.
Suddenly the soout halted, and his
hand pressed the arm of his superior
with a nervous cm ten.
"Look there, lieutenant. Do you
know what that means ?"
Just under the horizon a faint glow of
light was perceptible, above which hung
a black threatening cloud, which rapid'
ly spread over the heavens. Gradually
the stars disappeared, while herds of
wild mustangs, buffaloes and deer swept
furiously by.
Then it was the lieutenant realized
(lie danger he was in. The Sioux had
fired the dry grass from three different
points, and with gigantic leaps the bil
lowy flames were rolling, hissing and
rom-irg toward them.
But old Dick had not been idle. He
was too old and experienced an Indian
s' gb tor to bo outdone in the peculiar
warfare of the frontier.
Leaping from his horse, he struck a
light and set Are to the prairie in his
turn. Rapidly the fames spread, dart
ing onward, sweeping everything in its
path. Leading their horses forward the
two men followed close upon the track
of the counter fire, while every moment
tue number of half-frantic animals in
creased. Stretching far away in front and be
hind them, the terrible crescent rapidly
closed in upon the men. The glowing
billows of writhing flame roared and
thundered in their ears, smothering the
cries of the poor animals, who perished
by hundreds.
The air became very hot, and thr
eddying volumes of smoke made it all
but impossible for the two to breathe.
Their horses became almost unman
ageable; they were obliged to cover
I their own-heads, as well as their beasts'.
wuu ujimueis. j. i wus uu uwiui moment
of agonizing darkness, with the terrible
heat blistering the exposed portions of
their skins.
The earth shook beneath the mighty
tramp of an immense herd of buffalo, as
they buret suddenly forth from the sur
rounding smoke. A muffled, indistinct
cry of warning from Dick echoed for a
moment in the ears of Paul Welch, and
then he felt himself borne fnriously
along, his horse hemmed in on all sides
by the frantio animals.
Hours elapsed before he succeedod in
extricating his gallant animal from the
ranks of the buffaloes, and as he stood.
half suffocated, his eyes all but power
less, the officer realized that he was
alone in the smoking waste, hopelessly
lost, surrounded by gloom and stifling
odors, which rose incessantly from the
blaokened earth.
It was agony to remain stationarv.
and in hopes to gain a position where
the smoke would be less blinding he
slowly urged his horse over the prairie,
waiting and hoping for daylight to ap
pear.
Uraduaiiy the atmosphere became
clear, the stars peeped timidly forth
above his head, while a long gray streak
along the distant horizon gave token
that daylight would soon dawn.
As objects became more and more dis
tinct, the voung officer was finally en-
abled to make out the rugged outlines,
deep gullies, thick underbrush, and pe
culiar formation of the Black hills, into
the lower portion of which his horse had
wandered. Carefully he looked about
him on all sides, but failed to reoognize
a single object. Everything was strange;
but the fact occasioned no disquietude
to the officer. He had every faith in
the judgment of his scout, and it would
not be many hours before the old vete
ran would be on his trail, followed by
his faithful oompanions-in-arms.
He had allowed his horse to browse
on the fresh green verdure whioh had
escape the traok of the fire, while he
plunged into a profound reverie over
the events of the last few hours, and was
oblivious to what was passing around
him.
The rumble of horses' feet, a ferocious
yell, aroused the army offioer to a full
sense of the peril into which his absence
of mind had partially betrajed him.
Pressing his regimental hat well
down upon his forehead, loosening the
sword in its scabbard, and feeling for
bis trusty revolvers, he dashed the spurs
into his horse's sides, while in his rear
followed half a dozen half-naked war
riors, yelling like so many fiends.
It would have been madness to have
turned back and galloped on to the
burnt prairie, where no cover was to be
found, but by penetrating deeper into
the hills a chanoe was barely possible
of escaping the painted fiends.
The animal which Paul Weloh be
Btrode had the reputation of both speed
and endurance, qualities that were now
likely to stand him in good need. The
turf was soft and springy, the asoent
gentle, and, having every faith in the
well-tried animal, Paul allowed the
howling rascals to gain upon him. He
had emerged on to a small but level
plateau that enabled him to take a sur
vey of the surrounding country, inter
spersed here and there with scattering
shrubs and trees.
Cantering leisurely toward him, from
opposite directions, were two bodies of
Sioux, .and with the band clattering in
his rear, but one pathway remained
open to the offioer- who began to feel
decidedly uncomfortable as he found his
chances rapidly narrowing down.
Dashing the spurs into his steed, he
for the first time urged him to his speed.
Bounding over a broad and level space
of ground, which led to a small valley
lined on either side by rough, jagged
rooks, the gallant animal struok sparks
of r re as his hoofs spurned the light
graveny Dotcom oi inn guicn.
A shout of triumph, a fe-oo'ous cry
of joy burst from the throats of the war
riors as they somewhat leisurely fal
lowed the broad trail.
Paul Welch did not understand the
meaning ol that hoarse indication of
satisfaction which was wafted to his ears
by tbe light, cool breath of the morn inc.
He thought it strange that no at
tempt was made to pick him off with
heir rifles, with whioh the Indians were
all armed, and turning the matter over
in his mind as he plunged deeper and
deeper into a country to whioh he was
an utter stranger, he asked himself the
question how it was all to end.
The path grew steeper with every
bound of his panting steed; the aspeot
of the country had undergone a de
cided change, and in plaoe of verdure
and shrubbery, rocks, gravel and over
hanging bowlders had taken their
places.
The rush and sullen muttering of a
deep mountain stream fell suddenly
upon his ear, mingling with the yells of
triumph which now Durst incessantly
from the warriors as they urged their
ponies forward, rapidly narrowing the
oiroie.
Halting for a moment on a smooth.
level ledge of limestone, Paul took a
rapid survey of the dangers which sur
rounded him on all sides. His stout
heart all but failed him as he realized
the trap into whioh he had run.
On three sides of him the painted
Sioux were rapidly advancing, while be
fore mm yawned a precipice fully sixty
feet in height, at the bottom of which
flowed the dark waters of the stream
whose mutterings he had heard.
Now he understood the meaning of
those yells of triumph, realized why
they had forebore from using their
rifles. They anticipated an easy cap
ture, and a victim was wanted to tor
ture, whose ashes might be offered up
as a sacrifice to the spirits who were
supposed to reside amid the hills.
This was to die a thousand deaths, in
preference to which he determined to
run the risk of being dashed to pieces.
On came the warriors, eager to pluck
the fruits of their triumph, while the
othcer, with a hasty prayer, pluuged his
spurs into the smoking flarks of his
charger, guiding him to the edge of the
precipice.
The warrioH paused m wonder and
amazement as they saw the net. They
had calculated on the precipice pioving
an insurmountable obstacle to the escape
of their intended victim, and they could
not believe it to be the intention of the
white man to attempt the awful lean.
wlrtt;ti Lit -all - rr ririnmm -rn . wao i tnin
death.
With his Ions hair streaming over his
fhonl.lers, feet firmly pressed in the
stirrups, his left hand waving defiance
t i lm foe, Paul urged the noble animal
forward, encouraging him by his voice,
until they reached the edge of the bank,
when again opplying the spur, they
made the fearful leap.
Down, down they went with terrible
velocity, without resistance or impedi
ment. A plunge, a shiver, and meeting
the full force of the torrent, the steed
was swept away, while Paul despite his
efforts was carried clown the stream as if
be had been a feather.
His horse had disappeared amid the
foaming rapids, the steep precipitous
sides of the rocky cliff debarred him
from all hopes of effecting a landing,
and floating on his back Paul held his
strength in reserve.
The Indians bad disappeared: the
rough sides of the rocky gorge and a
strip of the blue heavens above were all
that he could discern as the current bore
him he knew not whither. He thought
of his distant home, his parents, the
many friends of his youth, his brother
officers, the soldiers under his oommand,
the old scout, and the murdered miner's
daughter in the power of the savages.
Long forgotten facts and reminiscences
of the past crowded through his brain,
and he could not believe that he was to
perish in the unknown depths of the
lilacK bills, his fate enveloped in mys
tery.
A sudden sharp shock recalled him
to himself, A whirling eddy had thrown
him roughly against the sharp proieet-
i : i t il. - -l : op i i i
tug Biue ui uto uuu, nuu utuuumg at a
crevice, he succeeded in gaining a foot
hold. Slowly and cautiously he drew
himself up from point to point, soaling
the smooth sides of the gorge, until
his head was on a level with the edee
of the bank.
Cautiously he reoonnoitered before
drawing himself over the brink, but
he saw nothing that gave evidence of
an enemy, and ence more he found him
self in an unknown region of the Black
hills, minus his horse, with only his
saber and one revolver upon which to
rely.
The high ground where Paul found
himself gradually sloped toward the
broad and rolling prairie, forming a
succession of ridges skirting the "steep
sides of a hill. A confused hum, a low
hoarse cry reached his ears, and with
faculties sharpened by the danger
through which he had paseed, the army
offioer reoonnoitered the depths below,
of whioh he bad an unobstructed view.
An Indian encampment with a num
ber of warriors departing upon some
expedition was revealed to his impatient
gaze, and as they disappeared, brand
ishing thefr long lances in the air, Paul
determined to have a nearer look at
the lodges.
Bringing into requisition his some
what limited knowledge of woodcraft,
Paul cautiously wormed his way through
the tall grass until he reached a spring
on the outskirts of the camp. It was
surrounded by a thick growth of bushes,
from tbe midst of which he could ob
serve everything that transpired before
him.
A number of warriors left to guard the
camp lounged carelessly about, and
Paul was on the point of withdrawing
to the heights above, when he perceived
a figure, evidently that of a woman, ap
proaching in his direotion.
Hue carried a calabash in her hand,
walking slowly and deliberately, the
neart of ?ne army otnoer beating with
inoreased rapidity and excitement as he
perceived that her costume was not that
of a Bioux ncmaw.
Looking Over her shoulder, the woman
quickened her movements as she per
oeived that a number of warriors were
watohing her. A shout, a yell of rage,
and the braves started in pursuit.
The fugitive, for suoh she undoubted
ly was, immediately dropped the oala
bash, and sprang away with the swift
ness of an antelope.
Paul noted the pale golden hair, beau
tif ul features and rounded form of the
fugitive, who he made up his mind
could be no less than Rose, the far-
famed daughter or the slaughtered
miner.
There was little time to think, as the
fair fugitive sped rapidly along, her long
hair streaming in the wind, and the war
riors in close pursuit.
Swift though she was, the foremost
warrior had all but overtaken her as she
reached the opposite side of the spring,
and he was in the act of hurling his
lanoe as Paul leveled his revolver and
fired.
The brave passed to the happy hunting-grounds
of his people without a crv;
but the shot had alarmed the camp, and
for a few moments all was confusion.
Rose had uttered a faint cry as she
caught a glimpse of Paul, but never re
laxed her speed, while the army officer,
as he beheld the Indians mounting and
preparing for a fight, rapidly retreated
in hopes to find a more advantageous
position where a stand could be made.
He had but little hopes of saying his
life; the odds were far too great; but if
he could cover the retreat of the girl,
who evidently knew the country better
than he did, and enable her to reaoh a
place of safety, he would die satisfied.
His saber flashed in his right hand,
seourely fastened to his wrist by a
leather strap, upon whioh he should de
pend after exhausting the contents of
the revolver.
He had reached one of the ridges
along which ran a fringe of bushes,
when a low familiar voice reached his
r:
Keep on. leftinint: don't turn vour
bead. We are here, sergeant and all.
The gal is safe. So here they come."
On swooped the Sioux in all the glorv
of their war paint and feathers. With
lances in rest, uttering shrill cries, they
rapidly closed in on Paul, when a sharp
word of command, the flash of rifles.
followed by the riderless horses gallop
ing wildly to and fro, and all was over.
Charging upon the lodges, the sol ¬
diers encountered the body of braves
wno nad turned bactt alarmed by the
noise that they had heard. A short, but
sharp engagement followed; the band
wa3 completely broken up, lodges
burned, after which the troops prepared
to bivonao themselves and rest awhile
on their laurels.
"Who mourned the loss of her father, and
to whose care Janl delivered the sealed
packet containing the secret of the old
miner.
By the fitful blaze of the camp- fire.
amid the solitude of the frowning Black
hills, Roger (Jlavenng's true history
was at last revealed.
He had once been a wealthy and re
speoted merchant of Chicago, but a
yonpfor brother forged large amounts
in his name and tied, leaving him to
face the storm alone. The younger
brother had been his mother's pet. and
on her death-bed Roger had promised to
protect and shield him. Nobly he re
deemed the word he had given. The
brother came out of the trial broken in
fortune and reputation, his wife dead,
with naught left him but the little waif
of a daughter.
With her he had removed to the far
West, beyond the pole of civilization.
pursuing the occupation of a hunter and
Indian trader, peacefully gliding down
the stream of life, watohing his daugh
ter blooming into handsome, and by
no means uncultivated woman. Then
the excitement of the Black hills spread
far and wide, he followed in the tracks
of others, and the sad finale has already
been told.
Dick then related how he had been
separated from the lieutenant, and
knowing the danger he incurred by
scouting over the prairie alone, he re
joined the soldiers, starting on the trail
of his superior.
everything was plain up to the very
verge of the precipice, when it was evi
dent rani bad made the desperate leap.
Then Dick was in doubt whether his
superior wus alive or not. But follow
ing the course of the river as a forlorn
hope, they had fortunately reached the
ambush in time to save both Rose and
Paul's life.
Nothing now remained but to find the
treasure which Olavering had obtained
at such a sacrifice, and many an hour of
anxious thought had Paul expended on
the subject. There was but little to
guide him a vague hint that might
mean nothing still, for the sake of the
orphan, he persevered. Great rock
cross full moon shadow dig."
Hose was consulted, but she knew
nothing of the haunts of her father, and
absolutely nothing of a great rock or
cross.
Accompanied by the entire force of
cavalrymen, under the direotion of Dick,
a thorough search was instituted in the
vicinity of the old miner's lost resting
place. In a small cully running into the side
of a precipitous hill, a huge rock was
nnauy found surmounted by a huge
representation of a cross.
At the full of the moon Paul and Dick
secretly repaired to the spot prepared
to unearth the buried gold; and noting
the extremity of the shadow cast by the
rough cross, the two men oommenoed
their labors.
They were crowned with success, and
four largo canvas bags of gold dust and
nuggets were dragged forth.
it was the fortune of Rose Claveim?:
and Paul, with his escort, conveyed her
to the nearest military post, where she
was to reman until be could obtain
leave of absence, and travel with her to
the East in hopes of finding some of her
relatives.
Months elapsed before he was en.
abled to carry out his plans ; but when
he reached Chicago no trace of the name
of Olavering rouuLUted. The machinery
of the police and law was pnt in motion,
but with no satisfactory result.
Every moment of his leave was ex
pended la the search, and when he
sought Rose, at her hotel, his heart
heavy and sad at the prospect of part
ing with her, she listened" in silence to
Paul's regrets at his failure to find her
friends, but started impetuously to her
feet when he added that, with the dawn
of another day, he must return to his
post and duty.
Her face flushed and paled as she
strove in vain to speak, her bosom rose
and fell convulsively, and but for the
strong arm of the officer Rose would
have fallen to the floor.
His visit was prolonged. What pass
ed between them is known only to them
selves ; but soon after the war depart
ment received First Lieutenant Paul
Welch's resignation, and in plaoe of re
turning to his post amid the savage
Sioux, he engaged double passage for
the more congenial climate of Europe
with Rose as his young, blushing brid e
The Fuel Supply.
There is one point in household econ
omy upon which the landlord and the
guest will never agree. It is on the
quantity of wood required to heat a
room. Now the landlord is firmly con
vinced, and he grounds his convictions
upon a long series of actual tests and
practical experiments, extending over a
term of years whioh date back to the
year he begin to "keep tavern," that
two sticks of wood, about two inches in
diameter and somewhat longer than a
match, will, if properly used, keep a
bright fire, snapping and roaring, in a
large stove all day, and then, if you
cover them up carefully when you re
tire, they will smolder all nightlong,
and you will only have to open the
damper to have a nice warm room to
dress in the next morning. He knows
this, because, he tells the guest, he has
tried it, and does try it, very successful
ly in his own room every night. I
never heard the guest dispute the land
lord, but I can't remember ever having
seen him look convinced . When I order
a fire in my room I usually have about
this kind of a circus. I say to the boy,
in commanding tones :
Bring np some wood.
The boy looks amazed, goes away
slowly and just before the fire goes dead
out returns with two armfnls of wood,
one stick in each arm.
The sticks are short, but thin.
I seize them gladly and thrust them
both into the stove.
Now then." I cry cheerfully, bring
up some wood I"
The bov disanrjears. and I catch a
passing glimpse of his white, terror
stricken face as he slides down the balus
ters. In due time, comes to the room,
not the frightened boy, but with heavy,
solemn tread, the landlord. There is
trouble in his face.
"What do you want? '.he asks, sus
piciously.
Wood," I say, "wood I wood I My
cry is still for wood I Fuel I Combus
tibles I Inflammable substances I Vege
table growth and development I Wood I"
" Why, he asks, with a puzzled ex
pression on his face, didn't the boy
bring you up some wool ust now V
"Yea," I reply, truthfully. Audit
sounds kind of oddly to me, but after
all, I am glad I told it under the circum
stance. The landlord looks wonderingly around
the room, glances behind the stove.
stoops down and peers under the bed.
" Well, why," he says at last, in a
perplexed tone of oonntenance, " where
is it 1"
" In the stove," I say.
An expression of incredulous bewil
derment spreads over his questioning
face. He asks, feebly and falteringly :
" xes, but the rest of it?"
" In the stove, too," I say.
"What 111" the good man shouts.
"all of it?"
And there aren't enough capitals and
exclamation points in the news room to
convey his emphasis and expressions to
the types. I regard his indescribable
amazement with pitiless composure.
" All of it," I say.
He doesn't believe me. He stoops
down before the stove, opens the dowr
and looks in. His worst fears are real
ized. With a hollow groan he closes
the door and shuts the damper with such
an easy, quick, long practiced turn of
the wrist that an inexperienced man can
never detect it, and rising to his feet
goes feebly down stairs, holding one
band to his bewildered head, and the
other to his throbbing heart. By-and-
by he comes back into the room, with
the wan, silent face of a specter. He
bears two sticks of wood, somewhat
thinner than the ones the boy brought,
but, on the other hand, considerably
shorter. He shudders as he walks past
me, and lays them down in the bottom of
the wood-box, and covers them up with
a piece of an old envelope to hide them
from my extravagant eyes. But I seize
them from under his hands even while
he is hiding them, and not heeding the
tremulous hand he reaches forth to stop
me, I thrust the sticks into the stove,
and say, calmly and sternly :
send the boy up with some chunks."
The landlord presses his hands over
his eyes and goes reeling out into the
halL He sayB, in a ghastly whisper :
wen, er you can t crowd more wood
into that stove than any man I ever
see."
And as he goes down stairs I can hear
him sobbing, and telling the hall-boys
iney 11 nave to keep an eye on the crazy
man in No. 72 or he'll set the house on
fire. Burdette in Burlington Hawk
eye, Lnkens' " Pith and Point"
An Indiana woman of eighty-eight is
cutting her third set of teeth with as
little gnaws as possible.
If you can't be generous without
being garrulous, keep both you pockets
and your mouth closed.
An active mind is excellent medioine
to a seared heart.
"The bubble reputation" is nsnallv
bolstered up by empty compliments.
Waifs of humanity, that have no pa
rents living, orphan and orphan feel the
need of them.
Csasar thrioe refused a orown. because
he thought the Romans owed him a deal
more than five shillings. New York
Newt. -
TIMELY TOPICS.
Francois Grilhon, a rich Frenoh farm
er, quarreled with his son-in-law, and
set his mill on fire. He then went home
and burned his own house, and as the
flames devoured it kept tbe neighbors
at bay with a double-barreled shotgun.
He then proceeded to throw a large sum
of money in gold and notes into the
blazing ruins, and finally blew his
brains out in the presence of the horri
fied crowd.
Natchez, Miss., is threatened with
the fate of Yicksburg, namely, deser
tion by the river. The recent rise of
the Mississippi river has thrown the
towhead near the Louisiana shore, and
there is now a current running on the
Louisiana side which threatens to out
away the bar there, and throw it upon
the Mississippi side direotly in front of
Natchez.
The inhabitants of Finland (Russia)
bury the dead only on Sundays. To
preserve the bodies for the day of funer
al they are put in the cellars where
milk, butter, cheese, eggs and other
artioles are kept. The doctors have
taken ground against this custom, and
have given alarm by deolaring it to be
one of the surest ways of propagating
suoh contagious diseases as cholera and
typhoid fever.
The Russian newspapers complain
that the fluctuation in the grain trade
of Russia and the rapid change in
prices, are caused by competition from
the United States. As soon as Ameri
can supplies are brought to market, sale
of the Russian grain decreases, and
hence many Russian farmers are im
poverished and cannot pay taxes. As
the prosperity of Russia depends large
ly upon the grain trade, it is important
that full information concerning the
crop of American cereals should be ob
tained; and it is suggested in St.
Petersburg journals that Russian con
suls in the United States be required to
ascertain the state and prospects of
the American crops, and to assist in
promoting the grain trade of Russia.
The oft-repeated story "that the
Quakers area decaying body does not
seem to be true, for an English journal
asserts positively that not only has the
falling off in the number of members of
the society been checked for many
years, but a comparatively rapid growth
has also occurred during the last few
years. This is marked by the increase
of some of the older " meetings " of the
body both in England and America, and
by the spread of the denomination into
otbei countiipp, if even on a small scale.
Notwithstanding emigration, there is an
addition to the small number of Quakers
in Norway and Denmark, and a
'monthly meeting" his been estab
liahed iu Syria. Some time ago a
Friends' mission was begun at Mount
Lebanon, and there are a score of mem
bers there.
The trial of a Chinaman for assault
and battery iu the police court of San
Franoisco has brought out a strange
story of a Chinese girl's unhappy ex
periences. Shu said that her parents in
China had sold her to a gray-haired
lady ' for twenty dollars when she was
ten years of age. She was resold to a
Chinese doctor in San Francisco named
Lia Po Tai. This doctor has several
wives, one of whom sold her to a China
man for $40. Her market price gradu
ally increased to 8160, and by the
time she was twenty years old she had
changed hands a dozen times. Recently
she heard that she was to be sold to a
Chinaman living in the interior of the
State, and it was in consequence of her
refusal to go that the assault was com
mitted and the disturbance created that
brought the case before the public
Quickened Conscience in a Dog.
A correspondent of the London Spec
tator tells the following story: "A
young fox-terrier, about eight months
old, took a great fancy to a small brush,
cf Indian workmanship, lying on the
drawing-room table. It had been pun
ished more than onco for jumping on
the table and taking it. On one occa
sion the little dog was left alone in the
room accidently. On my return it
jumped to greet me as usual, and I said,
Have you been a good little dog while
yon have been left alone I ' Immedi
ately it put its tail between its legs and
slunk off to an adjoining room and
brought back the little brush in its
mouth from where it had hidden it. I
was much struok with what appeared to
me a remarkable instance of a dog pos
sessing a conscience, and a few months
afterward, finding it again alone in the
room, I asked the same question while
patting it. At once I saw it bad been
up to some mischief, for with the same
look of Bhame it walked slowly to one of
the windows, with its nose pointing to a
letter bitten and torn into shreds. On
a third occasion it showed me where it
had strewn a number of little tickets
about the floor, for doing whioh it had
been reproved previously. I cannot
account for these facts, except by sup
posing the dog must have a conscience."
Filthy Habits of Afghans.
The Afghans are not a cleanly people;
in this they present a striking contrast
to the Hindoos, who are, perhaps, the
most cleanly race on the earth. The
olimate of Afghanistan is oold in winter,
and perhaps the wild life which is so
much the fate of all may have some
thing to do with it. They have such an
abhorrence of water that they never
bring it in oontaot with their bodies.
Being Mohammedans they are bound to
do certain ablutions by their faith, but
they find substitutes which are allowed
instead of the water. There is one
tribe who are said to get three new
garments only in their lifetime, the
garment being in each case a blanket
The first is given at birth, the second
when they are married and the third
when they die. Each blanket is under
stood to have been ceaselessly worn till
events entitle the wearer to a new one.
Clean clothes and the washing of them
are not entirely unknown in Afghanistan,
for they have a term by whioh they im
ply a gentleman, and it is characteristic.
They call him a Suffaid Posh," whioh
mea&a white, or in this case olean drees.
ITEMS OF IKTEREST.
A matter of cores Apple sauce.
A check eied career A convict's.
A man of pluck The fowl-stripper.
To ascertain the age of a tree Axe it.
Flags are employed for signaling at
sea.
Every baker's shop has the stomach
cake.
William Tell was an arrow-minded
man.
A shot tower is usually about 180 feet
high.
There are 107,000 Hebrews in New
York.
There are about 600 newspapers In
Russia.
A man of push The wheelbarrow
trundler.
The latest thing out Oats on the
back shed.
A capital letter One containing a
remittance.
The Bank of England has a capital of
$72,765,000.
There is a small oommunity of Mor
mons in Paris.
The Scientiflo Monthly says snoring
is an aoquired habit.
A sitting hen is a nuisance when yom
would prefer her to lay daily.
Whioh is the best of the four seasons
for arithmetic ? The summer.
A pair of ears that go on a head of
civilization Pioneers and frontiers.
In the year 1828 there were but three
miles of railroad in the whole United
States.
A Chicago baby began early to rise in
the world, having been born in a hotel
elevator.
Nothing does so much for people's
looks as a little interchange of the
small coin of benevolence.
"That's the long and short of it," as
the street Arab remarked on passing a
tall wife and a little husband.
" Pa," said Pet, "may I det up and
twot on your knee ?" " Certainly," was
the ready reply, " let the little gallop."
A somnambulist in Fountain City,
Wis., cut off his finger with an axe
while asleep, a felon being the incite
ment "You ought to husband your coal
more,", said the charity woman. "I
always does. I make him sift ashes and
pick the cinders."
Beware of prejudices, they are like
rats, and men's minds are like traps.
Prejudices creep in easily, but it is
doubtful if they ever get out.
Have you'ever observed how mad it
makes a man with a sore throat because
he can't swallow about 250 times every
four or five minutes ?
To know a man, observe how he wins
his object, rather than how he loses it ;
for when we fall our pride supports us
when we succeed it betrays us.
, Plletier, the French chemist, discov
ered quinine, the active principle of
Peruvian bark, about sixty years ago,
and was awarded a prize of $2,000.
A wag brought a horse driven by a
young man to a stop in the street by
the word "Whoa," and said to the
driver, " That's a fine horse you have
there." "Yes," answered the youDg
man; "but he has one fault; he was
formerly owned by a butcher, and al -ways
stops when he hears a calf bleat."
Elias Black, a farmer near Doyleston,
Pa., has sixteen harvests of hay and
grain rotting in stacks on his farm.
When farm produce began to rise with
the breaking out of tbe war.be held his
crop for still higher prices. When prices
fell, embittered by disappointment, he
kept on stocking until be has $20,000
worth hay and grain on his hands.
A Terrible and Deadly Affray.
In the annals of deadly affrays in this
State, says the Vicksburg (Miss.)
Herald, we know of no occurrence so
fatal in its results as that whioh occur
red on board the steamer Sunflower,
while lying at Johnsonville, the county
seat of Sunflower county.
Col. D. A. Holman, while in Johnson
ville, on entering Dr. W. L. Lowry's
store, was accosted by Dr. Lowry, who
ordered Holman out, remarking, it is
said, that Holman was no gentleman,
aud did not keep his word, or something
to that effect Holman'departed, saying
in substance he would see Lowry again.
On the morning of the affair Col. Hol
man engaged passage on the steamer
Sunflower for Vicksburg, accompanied
by his father-in-law, Dr. G. O. Walker.
The boat arrived at Johnsonville some
what earlier than usual, and Col. Hol
man and Dr. Walker together went on
shore, but in a short time returned.
Perhaps a half hour later Dr. Lowry,
as was usual with him, came on the boat
to transact his business, and while en
tering the cabin was caught, it is said,
by the left arm or back, by Col. Hol
man, who turned Lowry half way around
and putting his pistol to his breast fired.
Lowry started down the cabin, but in
stantly turned, and seeing his clerk,
John C. Arnold, start from his chair
(being shaved at the time), said: " Kill
him, John; kill him, he has shot me."
Arnold ran out of the cabin to attack
Holman, and Lowry, walking to the
cabin door, cocked his pistol and fired
at Holman. At the same instant of
time, peroeiving Dr. Walker with a pis
tol in his hand, he pointed his pistol at
Walker with deadly effect; Walker fall
ing and expiring almost without a strug
gle. Lowry then walked in the cabin
staggering, and fell, and in about two
minutes expired also.
In the meantime Arnold and Holman
were fighting outside the cabin. Arnold
received a wound in the chest, and died
shortly after being removed from the
boat, OoL Holman being wounded in
the left arm and side.
All the parties engaged are very high
ly respected. Dr. Lowry was a brother
of Gen. Robert Lowry, and leaves a
widow and six children. Arnold was a
brother of Judge Arnold, of Columbus,
Miss., Col. Holman being a prominent
and talented lawyer, and respected in
the community in which he lives.
Dr. Walker was one of tbe oldest resi
dents of the county, and we believe had
no enemies. - OoL ' Holman, the only
survivor, was immediately arrested.