fMfP-r r-r T ill in ,
-".v:-
HENRY A. PARSONS, v Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NIL DESPERANDUM,
Two Dollars per Annum.
MDGAVAY, ELK COUNTY, F A.,. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 1881.
VOL. XI.
30.
W e Can Make nome Happy.'!
Turnigh w. y not Wga the cottage
For mansion, tell and gTudr
Or excliango the little grass-plot
For ft bound'ess str.toh of laud :! f j ,
Tet there i. something brighter, dearor,
Than the wealth we'd thu commind. '
Though we have no mean to purohase .
Costly plctnre. rich and rare ; YJ !
Though we have not silken hanging.
For tho wall, so col 1 and bare, t T,) . t ;
We can hang them o'er with garland.,
For flower, bloom everywhere. -
We dan make home very cheerful,
Ifthe right ooarae we begin J ' , '
We. can make it. inmate, happy, j
And their truest blowings Win ;
It will make a .mull room brighter
If we let the sunshine in.
We can gather round the fireside
When tho evening hour, are long ; j
We can bleud our heart, aud voice.
In happy social song ; 1 . !
We can guide some erring brother
Lead him from the path of wrong. .
We may fill our home with music,
And with .UDBhine brimming o'er,
If against all dark intruder.
We will firmly close the door ' .
Vet should the evil shadow enter,
We must love each one tho more.
Thore aro treasure, for the lowly
Which the grandest fail to find ;
There', a chain of sweet afloctlon
Between friends of kindred mind ;
We may ronp the choicest blessing. '
From the poorest lot assigned.
T
puppy I ehcrald have been sure he was
going to prove a naiuruiiHi, no um uuu
a mania for "specimens, i usea 10
find a Bniall mnseum on tlie front galle- y
every morning several old bones, a tin
can, a discarded sun-bonnet and. gigan
tic shoe of Jaointhy's, besides a dead
particular
she had never allowed to feel the. lofof
a mother. The colonel was 1 a tall,
soldierly-looking man, who told me
Hooked like my grandfather,, ana in-
sisted tipon rehearsing pBges of. my
family history, while I ws long'.ng to
talk to ' sweet Annie." Ho migb.t have
been talking still had not the patter of
feet made itself auuioie, ana wno
Vi.,1 Tl.Ja liir1 in narticnlar Was
wuu. . .. i . .. - . .1 .
always turning tip nnerpeotedlv in tue should come prayiy mio iue room dw,
malodorous COnui lion, roraoi UBgQiT)Bi luiMug B
he jumped tnto ner lap. inw was ,he
first thing that puppy ever aia tiiai -gave
me a respect for him. .
"Oh, law I oh, gracious r a unifj cried,
Jumping np and spilling Iiim on the
floor.
" Please excuse the httl e wretch," I
fiinst i
arguments could, never persuade Lagni-
mnn th at it was offensive, lie had a
7". . . ii i - I.J.
fashion oi preeenuug it w uio, unci um
more flagrant misdeeoji, as an aoi oi
propitiation, until it re solved itself Into
nun win? ma a lew naturs.
His delicht was to snatcn tne iooa
LAGNIAPPE.
Why do I wear a dog's tooth set In
gold fur a watoh cbarm ? Ah, boys, it
in to remind me of an infirmity that.
Lai brought Jack Campion trouble ever
since he learned to talk.
To becin at the noht end: I was
just twenty-live when my father bonght
me a ilaiitation no in the swamp
where fortune are still to be made in
spite of the changps of war.
You Ncithrn folks don't know much
abont life on the banks of the old Mis
sissip, that's a fact.
Su-auge that nature should make it
easy in the swamp to do everything but
live! S me people say you must be
half alii at or to g-t along there; but
as for me I wax always tough Cotton
and corn grow higher than the head ot
a mau on boi nebauk; the soil U so fertile
that a Nuv'UHjn farmer in the midst of
Mm stony fields would call the tilling it
receives mere child's play; and in addi
tion to thn8U lil.-MsiriKK, j.ur brains ai
soniH raf'iiH are nearly jolted oat ol
your h-ad ly ' the chills."
My lion.' stood behind the green
l-tv. p, hicib from the river made th
ti'fi 8 lo k as if they had no trnnks.
A uilit the fou f 11 and fell upoi
the low muddy banks, like aome on
c.irdinecntton. and 1 could seethe head
lig.it of some steamboat now and then
loom in? up thronph the dusk like a
great red eye. and hear the wild ciies,
half musical, half uncouth, of the roust
abouts. Then came the whitle-low
and hoarse at first, and deep as the base
notes of a tremendous organ, aud
riKinor and dbrillinc into a wail of
acorw. Ilow nnntteraolv melancholy it
uxed to sound, ding hopelessly on the
dead, unchaneinff flats beyond 1 Plenty
of sport, too, up there for a huntiog
man herds of deer, foxes, wild hogs,
and humbler came, such as 'coons and
'nnHcnms.
Well. I went to work with a will, de
terniined to be a model planter. Among
other transactions I swapped my rifle
with JnleH Bastien. an aged and dried
ud creole. for a stout-bnilt Texas cob.
" Vait a meenit," paid Jules, hobbling
to the back of his cabin. "I geeve you
lacniaoDe: I trow heem een."
Lagriiappe (pronounced lanyap), let
me explain, is what the vulgar American
calls "boot" He returned, brinping
wit,h b,im a brown paper bag that might
have contained cbincapms or pinaars
Then, as it squirmed slightly, I was
i.tiuok by the fear that this present
might prove to be crawfish, and that
Jules would force the repulsive delicacy
upon me. I was comforting myself
with the thought that I could toss them
into the nearest mud-hole on my way
home, when out of the aperture popped
a brindled head, all eyes and ears.
"Eetees a fine leetle puppy dogue,"
said Jules. " Take heem; he keep off
de tief bv de night."
I thanked the old fellow, and was
really erateful: for I had no dog. and I
fancied that Lwniappe so I ohiis-
tened him would prove good company,
As time developed him he became a
character study. He was part bulldog
and part bound, with more than a strong
dsb of cur, I suspected. The bulldog
strain made him hold on Hie grim d eat a
to'' anything in which he fastened his
teeth, and from his hound ancestors he
derived thbabit of howling systemat
. ically for an hoar at a stretch if you
wounded hi feelings.
He bad the largest, brightest eyes I
ever saw. and a trick of rolling them as
comically as a negro minstrel. For the
rest he had drooping ears and a tail with
a perpetual curl in it, like a pot-hook.
He was not much of a beauty, and he
AiA tint, nun Ilia hr&ins to eood DUrOOSe.
On certain occasions he showed his
low degree most plainly. There was
thu bnncer of generations in bim. No
well-bred dog ever went into such coo
wnlsions of delight ' at feeding-time,
Harold, my father'a old setter, i would
sometimes condescend to a dignified
gambol, but he never turned double
somersaults at sight of a piece of meat.
' 4 s Lacmiappe crew older Jacinthy,
ocinion that he was "a debbil," and,
indeed, bis conduct warranted the oom
nliment Everything tearable he tore.
When he found that he could not climb !
.i avis naimiv raoar. u m itrt rr tha iroo.
. . a i il r .. .
cushions, loweis everyming movauie,
in abort be conveyed under the house.
It was part of Jacinthy'a regular morn
ing work to make pilgrimage thereto,
emerging each time with loud groans
and declarations that her . back , was
" bios' broke."
horse; leaping into the ti ongh and acat
tr nir the corn lar ana wiuo.
As for having a dog to intlmidato
thieves, X often wished for a few thieves
to intimidate this dog. He possessed
an incredible impndenne. The only
thine- that ever tnt him out ol connten
" - . . . .11 T . 1
ancewas a concertina own ea oy o ocinmy,
rom which She could draw Dlood-
nnrrllinir strains. At the urst note he
would utter a howl, anil retire under
the house, with his tail between his leg s
Among the members of my househo Id
was a lean, ghostly white turkey, with
whom Lagn iappe waged perpetual war.
It was not Miat he was opemy auiBive,
but he bowed and scraped aronjid it
with such atnrd airs of exaggerated
civility that tho turkey never could con
sole Its temp r. J.nis creature wasai'
most as fond f me as Lagnia ppe was
and sometimes,, after going to ny room,
I wonld hear a ghotuy cnucjue over
bead, and looking up, there would be
mv feathered friend roosting on the
tester of the old-faeh'oncd bed.
With all bis faults Lagninppe was af
fectionate, aid loved to sit beside me.
snuorulina Ilia black xauzzie Into my
hand. After a.11, there's no friend kike
a faithful dog. It never makes any m
rcrence to him. whether you grow ld
and uelv or lose all your money. He
bears your kick s and curses patiently,
and presently, when yon are in a gfl.od
toiL'Per again, Jie is reaay 10 wpg xau
Ami frisk about yon
. - . . . . .
Poor Iia!rnia,ipe 1 ho Drought rie one
of tho bt.st things in my life. I wish I
had been n.-ore gratcf nl, but at th at time
my violent tamper often carried me
" m 'a .1.. a 1 - 1; .
away, iliewoi hw it wan iui ,i no uiu
not conune ins aepreoauoim in my own
domion, but son letimes made raids upon
our neighbors, o that I was several
times under the necessity of restoring
stolen articles.
All this time I had been very busy
cetting things into- running genr, when
one tine day I eaw LnKDiappe trot Into
he yard with ,otaetLir,g in his mouth,
which he secreted under the front bteps.
I followed him, and discovered iho ob-
cct to be a thin blue und gold volume
of poems. The pnppy having b ecn dis-
misi-ed with a enn on uio ears, j. jooaeu
it tho fly-leaf, and saw written there :
Anne Pane The Uaks.
Under this a masculine ham had ap-
oended the words. " Sweet Araie Page"
a compliment snubbed by the severe
marginal note, " Htnu ana nc msense."
Then I rememuerea imu. my latner
had given me a letter of 'introduction
to a Colonel Page no doubt this young
lady s papa. I pistured her tail and
slim and fair, with a face like a white
rose, and an air of gentle and gracious
dignity.
I intended returning me dook ira
mediately, but e:ich duy something pxe
vented mo from doing so, until in the
mean time I became quite familiar with
its contents. Here and there I found a
word or a line underscored, and there I
read with redoubled interest.
At lust I found a leisure afternoon.
Lagniappo showed an inclination to
follow me, out I sternly ordered him to
stay at home. Seemingly he bowed to
fate, for he lingered beside the hedge,
sniffing at the leaves, and giving a pass
ing tweak to the turkey', tail almost
humming a tune, in lact, the bettor to
express carelessness and a good con
science. Ho 1 leic mm.
On my way toward Colonel Page's
plantation I took a cut-off through the
fields, but I soon discov-ored that it led
me to a side gate. J low-ever, J went in,
and followed the bridlft-path until the
sound and voices told me 1 was near the
house; so I cheoked uy horse behind a
clump of j'aponicas in order to recon
nuiter. Peering through the branches, I
could see jutting out from the side of
the mansion a little portico, on which
a silvery-haired edd lady was' standing,
with a young girl beside her. uch a
girl I What a gypsy she was I Heavy
masses of dark hair, a pomegranate
bloom on her chocks, and the wildest,
brighest, sauciest, most laughing eyes
but I will not enlarge, as the preachers
say. Before tbcm stood an elderly negro
in a deuantattitude. . .
" Abram, the old lady was saying,
1 really cannot sian I this any longer.
Three times in one week you have come
home in a state of intoxication.
" Now. ole mistu, jes yon shot np,
was Abram's astounding rejoiader. "It's
Missv Anne what 1m addressin'."
" Well, hurry ur and say what you
have to av." retorted the young lady.
" Row, Alissy Anne, uoesn 1 1 always
drive you out nioe, an' go whar you
sends me? An you Know yon, aon
min aendin' me ont any time o'- day er
night, no matter of it's rainin' rattle
snakes no, nor scarpenters, neider.
An when I takes you out in de o'r'age,
an' you whistles an' sings an' behavea
like a young lady didn't oughter act,
does I ever make any 'jections wid you?,'
" jno, . Abram; 1 should hope yon
know your place better, said the girl,
suppressing a giggle with seventy. r
"Well, den" in a conclusive tone
"what fault has you got to and o" me,
name o gracious r
"Oh. go along, Abram," said the
elder lady. "You are incorrigible.
Only don't let me see you again in such
a condition."
No. mist is: I won't, mistis. But
you' doesn't 'pear to 'member dat I can't
fnl n' anvthin' 'tlinnt its
makfn' me riaht down sick."
And he departed, shaking hi head
over her lack of charity.
Feeling - something of ' a sneak, I
thoueht it biRh time to emerge. I re
eeived a oordial reception from Mrs.
Paze and her pretty grandchild, whom
nnf nf the very month of Max. my said, when I had thrust hbja cut forcibly.
"Ana 1 nave anomor ay oiogy to make
for him," I added, prodt.cip.g the volume
of poems.
' My book I Why, 'ran'ma, you know
I have been wondering where It has
gone. Do you Burpoae he stole it out
of the summer-no ase, Mr. Campion? '
" I'm arraia r,e rtid," said I " Hia
name by rights, should be Barabbas."
"What a d.ear cunning thing he must
be!" she cied. "Give him to me;
won't you, please?"
fo, .nne: not another dog shall
come in'to this house," the colonel an
swered, in an aggravated tone. " One
can't move at present without tumbling
over one or two. That great brute of a
St. Bernard takes pleasure in making
himself look like a door mat, because he
knows I am nearsighted."
"Oh, but this is such a smart, inter
esting puppy," urged Anno, giving an
eostntio spring upon lier cnair.
'My dear Anno," said Mrs. Page, in
dulgently, " what will Mr. Campion
think of you r
" I can't help it, gran'ma," replied
Miss Anno, blushing np to the curls on
her forehead, but laughing at the same
time. "Even if I should be prim now,
Mr. Campion would find me ont sooner
or later. I shock every one; but it is my
nature, juntas dogs delight to bark and
bite. Evon Abram why, Mr. Campion.
I can see disapproval in hia very back
at times.
" He must be hard to please," said I,
trying not to look guilty.
"lhe truth is, repid Mrs. 1'age,
" he is an old family Bervant. and we
endure a good deal on that account"
tome a totally unnecessary explanation.
My acquaintance with "sweet Anno"
prospered finely. She had a whole
regiment of Urst, second and fiftieth
masculine couains, who visited her in
platoons, presented her with the latest
sentimental ballads, and were never
weary of chronicling tho smallness of
her gleve and slipper. There were
moments when I hated them. For a
time "time, and quickly too, when the
cut-ctflf seemed the length of an eternity,
and Max's fleetest pace could not keep
btcp with my desire. -
As for Lagniappe, he became her ab
ject, slavo, testifying his adoration by
rolling his eyes and lolling out an inor
dinately long red tongue when she held
him in her arms and addressed him as
"an old precious," and "too cute to
live." His greatest breach of decorum
was to bite the ends of her long braid
as it tossed over her shoulders, and to
tar.e rides on tho train of her gown.
Iirniappe's heart was in the right
place, that was clear. But all the
world was not of our mind.
Ou one occasion I found Abrum leis
nrely sc tting a " figger-fo trap among
the cotton as 1 crossed the neiu.
He looked up, and remarked, as he
pulled his grizzled forelock: "Howdy,
Mas' Campion? 1 hopo I see y will.
I's jes lookin' everywhere fer you."
" So it seems," said I, with sarcasm
He was obtuse.
Yes," said he, artlessly, "dat's a
fao. Missy Anne she sent me ober in a
big hurry wid sumpin now what was it
Rhe gimme? A boon or or no,
'twas a letter; 'n where'd I put dat air ?
Clare to inussy I hope I am t loss it.
Won't she skin me alive 1"
This was soothing to a lover s ear.
"You had better try to find it," I ad
vised him.
" Well, ain't I a-tryin' ? Law shucks !
won t missy be rampagiu 1 like writ
an tore up, an writ an tore up, forty.'
'leven times, I reckon."
As he said this he fumbl6d wildly in
numerous pockets too ragged to hold
anything, up his sleeves and in his hat,
and at last produced it from one of the
glgantio brogans that adorned his feet.
I improved the occasion by a few
words of advice; but he replied, calmly,
mopping his forehead with a dingy
bandana: " I knowed i d put it some ers,
only I disremembered prezackly
whar. Mighty lacky I loun' dat 'ere,"
he added. "Tell you what, I don't
like to git little missy in my wool. Ole
mistis she'll do pooty good, ef y' let her
be; but Missy Anoe, she a mi-lghty per
nickety. An' headstrong. Don' I pity
de gen'leman what marries her I She's
little, but, oh, lawdy I"
" Abram," said I, with all the dignity
I could summon, "be kind enough to
keep your opinion to yoursel?,"
les, Bah yes, Bah yes, Bah sar-
tainly, sab," responded Abram, oblig
ingly ; but he did not seem to be
crushed to earth,
The note was merely an invitation to
a little dance" at The Oaks; but to
me it proved a momentous occasion,
for before 1 lelt the house sweet Annie
Page was my promised wife.
From that time I worked with greater
Will than ever, inspired by happiness.
Meanwhile ljaguiappe grew apaoe,
not losing a jot of hia impudence and
tnckiness with his increased growth.
Hpring was drawing near, and aa it
had been a hard winter trouble was ex
pected from the breaking-up above,
Colonel Page's house was situated on i
slope, so I felt tolerably sure ot Anne's
safety ; but she, on the contrary, was
certain that she should awake some day
to find me swept away by a flood.
Although I lantthed at her fears, I kept
a sharp eye on the levee,
One; afternoon I was making a tour of
inspection, and I felt generally out of
sorts. In the first place, I had not been
able to nnd my mud boots, and natu
rally their disappearance was laid at
Lagniappe a door, although his inno
cent and cheerful countenance as he
frisked about Max heels should hav
duarmed suspicion. (I must remark
here that Jacinthy blamed Lagniappo
for evey loss, from the frying-pan to
nor S nnday bonnet.) In the second
phw,( fh whole day hod been filled
with, a stifginff rain, and a chill, damn
air that went to one's bono, until just
! jfore a inset, when the west broke up
'into ragged clouds,from which streamed
a garoisu yellow glow. A clump of
willows beside the tarbid bayou was
half obscured in a cloud of fog. Max's
hoofs made a Bucking sound in the
heavy Boil, and left spongy marks be
hind them,
Lagniappe was ranging a few feet
ahead of me, when, just as I had crossed
the " branch," he startled np a covey of
partridges right under Max's nose.
Well, that was the only shabby trick
Max ever served me. " But 'twas
enough; it sufficed," as the fellow in the
play says, for he pitched me off against
a tree, and then made tracks for hoifte.
I was . conscious of a grinding pain in
my left leg, and when I tried to get on
my feet I found that usciai member was
broken.
This is the deuce of an idea," I
said.
Laeniappe was walking round and
round me curiously, and as I looked at
him an inspiration seized me. With
some trouble I took a pencil and a
scran of paper from my pocket and
scrawled a few lines upon it. Then I
called the dog coaxingly and showed
him the slip, pointing in the direction
of The Oaks, which was not more than a
mile away. He seemed to understand.
for he grabbed the paper; but he had
not gone far before he tore it up and ran
back to me. I coaxed, commanded,
threatened in vain. He looked rrguish,
and wagged his comical tail. Then I
lifted up my voice and woke the echoes,
but there was no answering shout. I
fired my pistol several times, but no one
came.
" Very woll then," said I. "I sup
pose I must lie hero till morning."
I removed the comforter from abont
my neck it was some of Anne's handi
work, by-the-bye and began to roll it
np into a cushion for my head, deter
mined to be as comfortable as possible,
when Laeniappe, with a wicked look,
bnatched it out of my hands and darted
off into the underbrush, to tear it into
ribbons. I never doubted.
Abandoned by even my horso and dog,
you may believe that my feelings were
not enviable, ine pain oi me iracinre
was intolerable a violent throbbing,
varied by a grinding agony whenever I
moved a hair's-breadth. I had also the
consolation of reflecting that this long
delay might make an amputation necen
sary. and I quailed at tho thought of
being a cripple. Fever and the want of
a proper support had sent all the wood
to my head, and between rage and pain
I was well-nih crazy. I longed to
strangle Lagniappe.
I was alone in the horrible silence of
a winter night. That silence, pregnan
with half-uttered sounds, whispered
suggestions of evil ten times worse than
the broad reality. JNot tho chirp oi
bird, not the stir of a green leaf, only
the Bonohintr of the wind across the
naked Hat and the river booming
threateningly against the levee. Thevo
was ro moon, but a pole watery light
spread itself over the sky. Soon I ex
pected to feel the ram cn my upiurnea
face.
Then it seemed to me that tho
thoughts in my brain began to buzz like
bees with an ever ciuaung ana aecreas'
Bachelor Quarters.
The New York correspondent of the
Buffalo Courier writes: Bachelors as
tll as Benedicts have to live, ami
there is probably no place where they
eon live more comfortabh than in New
York. Up to a few years ugo they had
to make out with hotels and boarding
houses or accommodate to the fur
nished room plan. Now they can do
better. Homes for bachelors are among
the " institutions " of to day. Tho un
married man need no longer wander
disconsolate abont a hotel or poke
himself away in a musty room in a
boarding or lodging house. If his
purse affords it he can set up bachelor
quarters in good stylo in a house es
pecially designed for his class. Four
or five handsome houses of this kind
have been built within a few years,
and they seem to pay very well. They
are called apartment houses for bach
elors, and they are arranged much like
French flats, the chief difference being
that the number of rooms Is less. In
some cases the bachelor's apartment
consists of two rooms, in others of
three, and in no case of more than four.
The cost of living in this way is consid
erable, but the life itself is comfortable
and pleasant. The fact that there- is a
demand for Buch houses is shown
pretty forcibly by the fact that among
the present building projects is a bach
elors' apartment house that is intended
to cover four lots, ana win cost about
$110,000. Its location is on Forty-first
stroft, near Broadway. This house is
by far the largest bachelors' hall yet
projected.
How a Fog Whlsllo Works.
Tha fog whistle, heard afar for ten
miles, consists of two distinct whistles,
operated by two engines in a building
separate from the lighthouse. Fifty
pounds of steam is the force earned
while at work. Every blast lowers the
mark four pounds. Shavings and
kindling wood are laid all ready to
start np steam when a fog comes on,
and tho engineer can heat up for work
in thirty-five minutes.
The whistle gives a blast of eight
seconds duration every minuto a dole
ful sound, but invaluable to steamers
and passing sailing vessels. We could
hear it the other night booming dis
mally through a fog five miles off. Tho
captain starts in when the fog is such
that he can t see Ooose Island, one
mile distant. The whistle is produced
by a wheel with a cam affixed; the
wheel, a solid piece of work, regulated
by a governor, revolves once a minute
tho cam fixed at one point on its pcriph
ery, opens a pipe, which lets off
steam in the prolonged booming wail
we had heard.
To supply water for steam a big tank
nnder the same roof and supplied by
the min from it is kept pretty full,
Forty feet long by eighteen wide and
six deep; it in not likely to run dry in
any fog; but a caloric engine nnd pump
at the well will supply water in caso of
emergency. Hartford Time..
SCIENTIFIC NOTES.
Experiments byM. Pateur in vaccina-
ino tor splenic ttver have proved en-
lrely s fce'siuU The new vaccine
matter can ba cultivated at pleasure,
transported without injury, and pre
serves the animals into which it Is in
troduced from a mortal disease..
From the photographs of the comet
which has recently disappeared in spaco,
Dr. Henry Draper infers that the hy
pothesis of the presence of carbon in
the constitution of such bodies reosives
corroboration, and he adds, with appar
ent cautiou, that a part of the spectrum
may be due to other elements.
Cyclones aro observed to extend over
a circle from 100 to 500, or, sometimes
1,000 niilos in diameter. In the West
Indies they are sometimes as small as
100 miles in diameter, but dilate to 6(H)
to 1,000 miles on reaching the Atlantic.
They aoraetimes however, contract, in
creasing greatly in violeuce during the
process.
Some interesting observations con
cerning the comparative longevity ot
men aud vomen in Europe, have been
made by the director of the Vienna
Statistical bureau. Ont of 102,831
individuals who have passed the age of
ninety years, only 4'1J'2H are men and
(iO.ilUj are women. Ho also nnds tuat
there are but 141 malo centenarians to
211 women who have reached a hundred
years of i ge.
Some remarkable and suggestive
peculiarities are found in a human jaw
bone from Schiuka cave of Moravia
Stone implements found with tho bono
indicate that it belongs to the stone
ago. in development the jaw is mat oi
child, but it is of creat size, its
shape indicates the absence of any chin,
and has other peeuliarties found m
greater or loss degree in the higher
apes.
It may not, perhaps, be known that a
man wearing dark clothes is more liable
to infection from contagious disease
than ho who wears light-colored gar
ments, because particles which emanato
from diiieased or deenjiug bodies are
much more readily absorbed by dark
than by light fabrics. This is easy of
proof. Exposo n light and dark coat to
tho fumes 'of tobacco for five minutes
and it will be found that the dark
one fruells strouger than tho other of
tobacco smoke, and it will retain the
odor longer.
Some Common Superstitions.
There is scarcoly an article of dress,
scarcely an article of furniture or scarce
ly an articlo of food about which do not
clunter numerous superstitions. AO
cording to a well-known pieoe of folk
lore most persons wear new clothes on
Easter day, mindful of the old admoni
tiou :
At F.nslcrlot your clothe, he' now,
Or tiso be sv.ro yon will it rue.
ing sound. " Oodl if I could faint, or
die I" I gasped.
Thero was a crackling in the dead
leaves, and looking up I saw Lagniappo.
His sides heaved and foam hung on
his lips. I felt for my pistol; there was
still one cartridge in it. My hand was
unsteady; he wavered dizzily before my
eyes; but tha Bhot sped true to tho
mark. A sharp howl rang out on tho
Btill air, and he fell quite cIoho to me.
The sound sobered me. " Lagniappe 1"
I cried, in horror at my own deed, and
I flung the pistol as far aj my arm could
send it.
At my voice his large eyes rolled, and
he wagged bis tail leeDiy as ne araggea
himself nearer and tried to hck my nano
Then a auiver ran through his body. 1
felt him; he was still warm, but he was
dead.
Well. boys. I don't mind telling you
that I cried like a baby. A moment
afterward I heard voices and footsteps.
Licrhts flashed through the dark, and
soon a crowd of people came out from
behind the trees. In the midst of them
was sweet Anne herself, the dark ten
drils of hair curling up with the damp
around her faco, that bloomed like a
rose under the shadow of her white
hood.
" Anne !" I criod, bewildered,
fori ii no In tlioir liavincr some nnluckv
Yes. my dearest Jack," she said; "it individual on board, and by burning his any young lady who is too fond of the
..' -J . . ' , ' .a: ,i i.ij i, i,;., wiv in. I lnbincr-olddB will ha unfortunate when
bm nil i .(icrinamie s wors. lie came ""kj j umcTu m " 1 0
; -,;ti, mn nnmfnriAr. and I flaence is cot rid of. ' I married.
1U11U1UK U 1 " - 1 1 ' . . , .
knew something had nappenea you. inumoBnupupuiM mu iu.iio.uii,
to. oi Vinmn. so I namft mvelf. is generally picked upon as the offend-
onA wafnilnwnd Iiaffnianne." intr party. Sometimes two or three
ti T fnla miHST free nr fn' times Pictures are PUlTiea. one Bitur nuuiui
dat I could boss dis yer job myself; but if luck is very bad, and on an average
one is Durneu in eauu uuu ruij nvaij
season,
A Snake as a Teething Ring.
Mr. Robert James, who arrived in this
city yesterday from Chicot coanty, tells
of a horrifying incident winch ho stated
has jast taken place in that county. A
farmer returning at noon from the field,
whilj pasting through the yard, discov
ered his little boy, about a yeur old,
fitting near the fence with one end of
what seemed to be a leather strap m his
mouth, while with both hands he held
the strap near tho middle. Approaeh
ing tho father was horrified to find that
that the child held a snake, and the
snake squirmed, but the little fellow
pulled end closed his mouth as tiphtlv
as though ho were trving to bite off the
serpett s head. The father seized the
child and tore the SDake from bin hands,
The snake was of the black species, and
though not poisonous, might have
wound its body around, the boy and
choked him to death. This would seem
to settle the old dispute as to whether
or not a human being a fear of a snake
is innate or the result of education. It
may have been that the child was teeth
ing and wanted something to bite, and
in the absence of rubber or a painted
stick adopted the snake as a substitute.
Those who naturally feel an interest as
to the fate of the snake, may rest as
sured that it was killed. M&nphi
Tenn.) Appeal,
Superstitions of Whale Fishers
At the present day it is the common
est thing in the world for whale liMhers
to burn an eiligy in order to "bring
luck." If the ship has fallen in with
few whales the crew attribute their bad
Compensation.
For every leaf of green,
A golden leaf I
: For every fd ng flower,
A ripened theaf.
For every parching hewn,
A drop of ra.'n (
For every sunny day,
The .tar. again.
For GTery warring wave,
A pretty sliell ;1
For every Round of woe,
A Joyous bell.
' For every passing enro,'
A mother's Ides :
And what could bettor be,
Pear child, than this ?
HUMOR OF THE 1M Y
In Yorkshire, when a married woman'i
apron falls off it is a sign that some
.. . . . ...
taing is coming t vex her; wnen, now.
ever the apron of an unmarried girl
drops down she is frequently the object
of laughter, as there is considered no
surer nign than thnt the is thinking
aVout her sweetheart. Muny angtiries
are still cathered from the shoe. Thus
young girls on going to bed at night
place their shoes at right-angles lo one
anulll'Jl, ill lutj i'jiui ui hue a, ic-
peating this rhyme :
Ilopiiig this nlKl't my true love to oe,
I place my eliocs in th. form of a T.
It is frequently found that even
strong-minded persons aro not exempt
from tho prejudice against sitting down
to dinner when thero are only thirteen
present. Many amusing anecdotes are
recorded oi tno devices rosoried to lor
avoiding the consequences supposed to
be incurred by tho neglect of this su
perstition tho notion bemg that o:e of
tte thirteen, generally the youngest,
will die within the next twelve mouths.
To urset the salt cellar indicates ap
proaching trouble ; to drop a Kniie
means that a visitor is coming.
It is the he ght of ill-luck to see the
new moon reflected in a loomng giass
or t hrou ch a window-pane ; and some
mothers studiously prevent theiryonng.
est child - looking in one until a year
old. It is also associated with mar
riage and death. Thus, in the south
of En eland it is regarded as a bad omen
for a bride on her wedding morning to
take a last peep in the glass when she
is completely dressed in her bridal
attire before starting icr tho church.
Hence very great care is generally t-
ken to put ou a glove or some Blight
article of adornment after the final lin
srerine and reluctant look has been
taken in the mirror. The idea is that
The sorrel nag is a horse reddish.
What is that which no man wishes to
have, and no man wishes to loso? A
bald head.
What word is there of five letters,
from which, if you take away two, you
leave six? Sixty.
" Watnr-melon-eholy scone, said the
small by when tho farmer's dog chased
him out of the patch. Modern Argo.
It is a grave offence to rob a soldier
when on duty. The other night, how
ever, a sentry was relieved of his watch.
Be careful about trusting a secret lo
old father Time, for there is a proverb,
you know, that Time will tell. Somet -
vMe Journal,
Some men when they go to church,
never think of studying the frescoing on
the ceiling nntil the collodion plate is
being passed around. -NorrMown ier-ahl.
The ' Washington Monument.
Some time sitie information was ro-
ceived by the government authorn ics ,
that the kingol biaui was about sending
a stone as a contribution to tho Wash
ington monument. Tho king has fol
lowed out his good intention, aud tho
stono has arrived. Tho letter occoinpa- '
yiug it states thnt it was excavated by
his majesty's orders from tho quarries
in tho Korat hills, distant about one
hundred miles from tho city of Jlausok.
nis majesty, during his yontu, whilo a
prince of the realm, conceived a pe
culiar fonduess for America Rud her
liberal institutions, derived in grent
part from tho instructions oi onr mis-
sionaries resident there, and a-wimed
the title of "George Washington." For
many years prior to his elevation to tlio
throne ho was familiarly ndihvasid as
"Prince George Washington, aiiJ eve n
to-day enjoys a reference to that circum- '
stance. The king left it optional with
his agents to have tho iuwriptiou on
the stone engraved in EugUhh or
Siamoac. As it was found dilUc.nl t te
correctly engrave the Siamese characters, .
the English were adopted. Tho orig
inal of tlie inscription in Siamese lan
guage is, however, inclosed on a slip of
paper.. The full name and title of the
royal doner is : "His Majesty Krom Phra
llatcha Wang Berwang. Satan Mong
kong, Second King of Siam." The
atone is small, being about six inches
by twelve, and is of a peculiar yellowish
rown color. The inscription naysbe '
Presented to the Washington Monu- .
mont Asoociatiou by His Majesty, the
Second King of Siam."
Mr. Lark in O. Mc-ade, sculptor, who
is now in iiorenco, some years ago
made a proposition to embellish the
monument by four bronze panels on
the sides of the shaft near the base,
giving base relief representations of
scenes marking epochs in Washington's
life. Mr. Meade has already made de
signs in clay for two of these panels.
The first represents the surrender oi
Cornwallis. The second has juri peeu
completed, and Mr. Meado has sent
a photograph of the design to tho Mon
ument Association, it represents uia
inauguration of Washington ' on tho
portico of the old custom house in New
York. The proposition to place these
panels or. the Mdes of the shaft has
. ... il t
met with somo iavor, iuounn no omciui
action has been taVen. Work on tho
monument is progressing favorably,
the shaft is now 227 feet high, sixty
feet having been added since the work
was resumed. It is expected that bo-
fore tho first of next January at least
forty feet more will be added to its
height. Washington roL
she'll hab her own way er bust," was
Abram's characteristic rejoinder,
And. ob. Jackl" cned Anne, "1
know Bomething dreadful is the matter
with yon."
Broken leg," 1 managed to say.
Well, we mutt take yon home" as
soon aa we can. And wnere s jjaginappe
dear little hero ? Jack, he s dead 1"
I had to tell a he. "Anne," I said,
"he came running through the bushes;
it was dark, and I fired
I knew nothing alter that. Ameroiiul
faintina fit saved me from the jolting of
the rough litter, improvised of rails
and boughs, on which they placed me,
with Laniappe s dead body by my side,
I was taken to The uaks ana nursed
back to strength by, Anne and her
grandmother; but always in the bottom
of my heart lay the cold thought that I
had murdered my menu.
The worst of it was I discovered af
terward that Jacinthy's son a gay young
bachelor had borrowed my boots to
wear to a party; so, after all, Lagniappe
had been blameless
I've been a fortunate man in my life,
happy iu my wife and family and friends;
but yet sometimes when. 1 think of the
look in Laginappe's eyes the night I
hot Jt)iin . Let's talk. of something
tlte.IJarptr'i Batar,
Trunks.
One of the porters of the Fifth
Avenue hotel. New York, has been talk
ing about trunks to a reporter. He says
the Booret ot handling a trunK saieiy
lion in tVi knnwlpdirn nf the fact that
The practice is a very old one, nd is I iie corners are always dovetailed and
. .1 . n t.lr.n muA frnm A similar I , i . , . ... T T - a 1 . 1 .
Bironeiy uraceu wun iron, xjbv u uuu
the corners and it s ail rigui
said to have taken riso from a similar
custom which prevailed among the her.
A . . T, VI' 1 -A
ring nshers oi uanubuire, uy wnuiu it
was introduced on board tno retemeaa
whalers. A century or two ago not
merely effigies, but living men and
women were burned ou au&picion ot
castinir a bliRhtupon tue nernng usu
ery. Land and Yi'ater.
Chains and linked rings are among
the new designs in satin and velvet bro
cades. They are 'prettier than the
spades, cluba, hearts and diamonds of
last year.
The Mexican government has now is
sued orders that no soldier guarding a
nowdfer magazine can smoke while on
duty, and some of the Mexican papers
support the aruurary rui.ug.
Adam is the patron aaint of the West
ern pork raisers, because he had the
first spare rib. , . .
There Is no thunder and lightning in
the Arctio circle.
down on
Big trunks are not what porters drcat
" It Iookh tremendous, sam mis prau
tical philosopher, "to kee a man tako
one of them and trot up to the top story,
but you want to remember this all
through life: Whenever a woman is
ooncerned, things are bound to be light;
bo when a woman a truuk and only
women have big trunks comes along,
a porter picks it np easily. With a
man, though, it s different. Old travel
ers are apt to cary books, and books
are mighty heavy, while a drummer
will pack hall the fctock of a dry goods
store iu his trunk, which is usually
small, and then make funny remarks
when you nearly break your baok lift
ing it."
A Gorman statistician reckons that
the world contains 1,455,020,000 inhaba
tants, or 10,778,000 more than it did it
quarter of a century ago. lie allots
83t,7tJ7,000 to Asia, 1115,020,000 to
Europe, 205,670,000 to Africa, 05,405.
000 to America, i, 121,000 to Australia
Polynesia, and 62,000 to tha Polar
regions.' '
A ' Model Farm Iu Dakota.
Twelve miloa northwest of Fargo,
Dak., is a farm which is declared by
every ore who has seen it to be a model
in equipment and management, and the
claim is made good by the splendid
crop which it has produced this year.
The owner is John B Itaymond, United
States marshal for Dakota, who went .
to the war when he was sixteen years
old, and served till it was over. The
farm is only two years old, ana mis is
the first crop. Mr. Raymond was re
cently requested to furnish a few totals
from his account book, and the reckon
ing stands as follows; " Before we
receive a return from onr crop we
shall havo invested $55,000. Thnt
includes the purchase of our land, the
erection of five barns, a dwelling-house,
an elevator capable of holding 100,000
bushels of wheat and oais, all the stock
and machinery necessary to run the
farm, aud all the cost of breaking the
land, planting and reapirg the crop and
delivering it at tho market. We have
,000 acres in wheat ana enougu oais 10
keep our utock. We ehall get about
twentv flve bushels to tho i.ere, which
will be 60,000 bnsheU from the entiro .
place. We nhall save out onr need
wheat for next year, ana can men ei
the crop for about $50,000." This is a
return of about ninety per cent,, upon
the investment, or a dividend of lurty-
flve per cent, a year, for the farm lay
idle the first twelve months after its
purchase. To the question, "Do you
consider it an advantage to owu juu.
own stock, and do your own work?"
Mr. Raymond replies: "There are as
many wyaa of farming aB there are of go- j
ing to heaven, and you win n.iu iu
every farmer likes his own method best. t
I consider it twenty-five per cent, j
oheaper -to own my machinery and ,
stock, and believe it i more economical
to borrow money to buy stock and
machinery than to tire the work, done."-'