' ' ' I'' ' '
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher,
Nit, DESPERANDUM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. XII.
Tim Parting.
Hot "Farewell 1" Oli, openk it never !
Time will dintnnce in it find
Ximit never flying ever
Leaving dnrkened hope behind.
Soon yon quiot vessel's motion,
Soon shall yonder rolling ocean,
Throw my spirit o'er the past
Closing now between us fast.
Bid me, then, if nnght be ppoken,
Eid me cheerily, "Oood-niRht;"
So that, w akinjr. nye unbroken
Memory link it with the light.
Thns Rhnll every morning cheer me,
Bring thine image ever near mo,
With that word that seems to say,
"Part wo only for a day."
Yet I know not why I ask theo
Now to play a hollow part:
No, I will not, will not task thee
Tims to vail an aching heart.
Truth and thou were never parted;
Part not now, though, broken-hearted,
Truth thy faltering tongue compel
Bitterly to say, "Farewell !"
Spenk it, then, nor stay the sadness
Brimming now within thine eyes:
ecp, oh weep nor think it madness
Thus thy burning tear to prize.
Mini to woe was ever plighted;
Then be mine with thine united.
Oh, 'twere bliss, to him unknown,
Mourning for himself alone.
Washington Allston.
Bread Cast Upon the Waters.
After threescore years and ten spent
in accumulating fame and fortune
Colonel A'iniiig had lived ten inoretosee
liis fame a tiling of the past and his
fortune take to itself wings and ffv
iiway. Ten years too long, said the
worldly-wise ; but not so thought the
treat reaper, for lie often leaves liis
fruit to be mellowed by the early frosts,
and in those ten years the ambitious
man became even as a little child. Of
the vast landed estates once liis, onlv
enough was left to defray the expense's
of his burial. The friends who had
gathered around liiin in his day of
power had all gone before him to the
spirit land. The grass grew green
over the graves of two noble sons and
three lovely daughters, and the sole
scion of his race was Edward Yining
Coulac, the son of his best beloved
daughter Margaret. "With her wit and
beauty she had been the pride of his
heart ; but in an evil hour she had met
Henri Coulac, an unprincipled adven
turer, and in suite of tl
friends and the prayers of her father she
trusted iier fate to his keeping. Ere
tiiu honeymoon had waned the man she
- had sworn to honor had earned her bit-tere-t
contempt; and after squandering
her property and humbling her pride,
lie deserted her when her situation
would have excited tint sympathy even
of a stranger. A few months after her
return to her old home a wailing infant
was placed in her arms; she scanned
liis features eagerly, then with a mur
mured " Thank (loci, he is all mine,"
pi iced him in her father's arms and
found for herself the rest of the
broken-h irted.
Deprived of father's and mother's
love, in the midst of poverty and sor
row, the boy yet throve like' the mag
nolia of his own southern swamps,
which hides with beauty and fragrance
the deadly miasmas of its birthplace.
, His ambitious spirit 'and buovant
temper cheered the last days of his
grandfather; when the trembling hand
was laid upon his head in dving bene
diction he felt that he was indeed
Messed, though he turned from the
grave a wanderer; for the ancestral
home was sold by eager creditors ere
the days of mourning were at an end.
Kith or kin there was none in the
world to whom he could turn, and as
lie sat in the ollice brooding over his
lonely condition his sad face touched
the heart of Major Legere.
"Yining," said he, "life in this
sleepy town of ours is rather a dull
thing for a young fellow like. you.
How would you like to get away and
see something of the world ?"
"Like it," said Yining, in a tone
meant to be cheerful, "why don't you
ask me how I would like to go to
heaven ?"
" I don't wish you so well awav as
that, but if you can content yourself
with a shorter journey I will help you
on the way. 1 have business in New
York which requires personal atten
tion for the coming year, and there is
no one to whom 1 can so confidently
intrust it as to vou. AVill vou go y"
" I should like to go if "and Yi
ning's glance rested sadly upon his
rusty clothes.
" Then the matter is settled, and I
expect you to leave here the first of
next week. Here is money to defray
your present expenses, and I will give
you a letter of credit to my banker.
Take it," he continued, noticing the
doubting curve of the sensitive lips.
' it's a small part of what I shall owe
" " r.... .
you for transacting this business. Had
vonr crrandfather been a man to boast
of his good deeds you would feel it I
was vour
due, for he made a man of
me. So count on one friend as long as'
Bob Legere lives." The lawyer's rug
ged face softened at the recollection
of the old days when he had cherished
a hopeless passion for the beautiful
Margaret Vining.
At the appointed time the voting
man, wnn a nearty uou mess
Y-s.11
from Hob Legere, was speeding north- j
ward. New York, with its Babel of j
tongues, its rush and roar of human
life, its squalid poverty and glittering '
splendor was a revelation to Yining, ,
splendor was a revelation to Vining, j
accustomed as he had been to the de- '
caying gentility of a southern town, !
wnn its iiorror oi modern ideas and its I
aevouon to uie traditions or a dead
past.
At an early day Vining presented
hW&elf at the banker's, Mr. McEach-
O.II II'QU Ul-llVlittl 1,1 I i.-
n. duu n an mwiui lcu iiiLti inn ill I v;n H
ph I iim ill w-f'fi ihii riirim u'irri tiiq
nr. kithw mj TMinnv rnrinrrh inh.
v o " "
webbed windows, the dying coals in
the grate emitting a feeble glare, nnd
the opened letters scattered around on
dusty desks, formed a fitting frame for
the central figure, a small, spare man
with iron gray hair; erect as porcupine
quills, a face like a withered crab
apple, and keen blue eyes, in which
twinkled a gleam of humor, as he
caught the critical glance taking in the
appointments of the room. A puzzled
expression deepened the wrinkles in
his forehead, as he looked from the
card in his hand to the face of his
visitor.
"E. Y. Coulac," repeated he, as if t
himself. "F.xcuse my curiosity, sir
hut, your face is strangely familiar,
though I am sure I have never heard
your name before. "What is it in full?"
"Hdward Yining Coulac."
"Any relation to Colonel Yining, of
liel Air?"
"lie was my grandfather, sir," said
the young man,, drawing himself up
proudly.
The banker grasped liis hand eagerly,
exclaiming, with a tremor in his voice' :
"Mr. Coulac, for his sake vou are wel
come. 1 hero is no human beinir tbnt
was near to him but what has a claim
on John McEachin."
. Then in a brisker tone than usual, as
if ashamed of the emotion into which
lie had been betrayed, he resumed the
conversation on business topics ; yet
his gaze lingered almost fondly upon
the bright face turned to him, iind as
Yining rose to go he said: "Mr. Coulac,
to-morrow is an anniversary with me,
and if you will dine with" my family
and a few guests 1 will explain to you
why the sound of your grandfather's
name after a lapse of forty years sets
my heart beating like a schoolboy's tit
the mention of his first sweetheart."
The invitation was courteously ac-
i-i-oieu aim uie morrow saw Vining in
the banker's parlors. Mr. McEachin
received him cordially, and presenting
nun io ins oaugiiier f lora, said: "Mr.
inlae has special claims on our hospi
tality which vou will iladlv ni-L-nnu-1
edge after the story I tell you -to-day."
A soft hand was extended in friendly
greeting, and a pair of merry blue eye's
shot coquettish glances of welcome
from under brown' fringed lids. lie
was-beguiled into such forget fulness of
time and place that when, at the close
of dinner he whs rnnl l.v -fr "f.-
I-.aclun s voice, he felt like one waked
from a dream.
"Mr. Coulac. I have loinr promised
my family a story of your land forty
years ago, and if you will not think nie
rude I will tell it in your presence."
"You can say nothing, sir, to make
iiieiovemy country less, as I believe
you would say nothing to wound the
feelings of your guest."
The banker nodded with an amused
mile as if to say, "We'll see about
that," and proceeded:
"It is now some forty odd years
since a jvihller could be seen plodding
i:is way through one of those prairies
whose rich land has given the name of
I ae black belt' to many counties in the
southern part of Alabama. Xot that
the appearance of these travelers was
i i unusual occurrence, for it was in
tltegood old days when the planter
ruled his domains like a feudal lord,
linl extended the hospitality of ids
home to the passing stranger, and the
P'-ddler with his pack served to while
away the leisure hours of the ladies of
the mansion, and to vary the monotony
of the plantation life for the dusky
Dinahs of the quarter. This particu
lar tourist carried all his worldly pear
in his pack, but he was rich in 'youth
in health and in Yankee pluck, shc
tiudged along under the October sun
he whistled as joyously as the mocking
birds in the magnolia groves near the
great house he was approaching. It
was near the hour of. noon, and as he
was near the quarter he thought he
would rest there, and perhaps secure
some savory additions to his scanty
lunch. As he opened the gate a tow
headed urchin called out : 'If vou uns
comes in hyar I'll sie mv
yaller Vlrl on you.' Just
then a woman, whose shining black
face and portly figure could belong to
none other than the cook, sallied round
the house carrying a rough, unpolished
horn. Upon this she blew a blast so
loud and long that the traveler fancied
the walls of another Jericho
tumble at its hoarse summons. Seeing
the stranger at the gate, her native
hospitality prompted her to accost him,
whereupon the boy again called out:
' You ole Chine, if you don't makethat
'ar beggar go away from thar I'll tell
my par. Xow the recollection of sun
dry dimes, tied up in an old stocking
leg in her ' chist,' made her very sen
sible of the duties the community
owed to this class of pilgrims, so set
ting her arms akimbo and muttering.
' You shut up your gab, you poor sand
digger,' she proceeded to arrano-n -vi itli
the peddler for bis nnnnil.iv rennet
The overseer rode by and 'regarded
them with a scowl, which in nn wicn
: " ""i, muni in no wise
interfered with Chloe'sgood humor for
she reimiil l.in. n-iti. .
tempt. With a keen eve to br ,.
interest she had not failed to eon-
sider the irood of her f,.n,.,-a
and had arranged for an ex
hibition of the peddler's wares
while the overseer enjoyed his
evening siesta. So a merry group
gathered in front of Aunt Chine's cabin
at uie appointed hour, and a brisk
barter was being carried on with much
lively chatter when they were
rupted by the gruff voice of the
inter-over-
seer : 'Git out (
peddler, with yi
These chaps head
'Glt out Of
here, you rascally
These chaps heads are so full of your
nonsense that they are no manner of
account.' Then turning to Chloe:
You black wench, you, when
my
family orders vou to do anvthi no- von'il
better do it.'
" She bounced into her cabin, her
frame quivering with indignation as
she replied : 'Mas'r didn't send me here
to be ordered round by the likes of that
tow-headed Billy.' Meanwhile, the
HIDGrWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THUllSDAY, SEPTEMBER
peddler wasleistirelypaeklng his wares,
when the overseer, his wrath increased
by'hloe's impudence, ordered him to
'trot up.'
" 'I walked on to your land and I'll
walk off, and nothing you can say or
do will make me trot,' was the cool
reply.
" 'I'll make two of these chaps take
you down and beat the life out of you,
you impudent rascal,' said the overseer,
in n voice choked with passion.
"'You'll have one negro the less,
then, for while they are doing it I shall
certainly kill one of them,' replied the
peddler, straightening up and taking a
calm survey of the brawny Samsons
around him.
'"Cyrus! Major! tie that Yankee
sneak down ami give him lifty,' came
the order.
"The negroes slunk back, affecting
more fear than they really felt, for they
rejoiced in uie opportunity or paying
oil old scores against their brutal
tyrant. ' I das'ent to touch that white
man,' said Cyrus, trembling, 'fur he'll
kill me shore.'
" 'I'll show you how to come here
teaching these black apes sass,' said the
overseer, almost beside himself with
rage and seizing the peddler ; where
upon ensued a scuffle in which his brute
strength was no match for the youth
ful agility of his rival, anil he soon
cried lustily for quarter. The peddler,
seemingly well satisfied, released his
hold, and with a friendly nod to the
negroes went on his way. lie had
reached town in the afternoon and was
exhibiting his wares when he was
roughly seized and a sheriff's warrant
thrust into his hands. He was arrested
upon the grave charges of inflicting
the slaves to resist lawful authority
and a murderous assault unon the ner-
son of their overseer. In the midst of
strangers, and almost penniless, he was
thrust into jail to await his trial before
the ensuing court. Humors of his dan
gerous character and incendiary mis
sion floated like thistle-down upon the
Wings of every wind ; for it was at an
era when the seeds of sectional distrust,
destined like the teeth of the fabled
dragon to spring up armed warriors,
were being sown broadcast.
" A few days before the trial he sat
in his cell thinking sadly of his far off
home and his widowed' mother, when
he was roused from his reverie bv the
grating of the rusty bolt of his 'door,
which swung open and admitted the
jailer. He was followed by u man in
the prime of intellectual and physical
vigor. Aristocrat was stamped 'upon
every line of his finely chiseled face,
and he carried himself proudly as ona
bora to rule. 'Colonel Yining,' said
the jailer, 'has come to see bat la
can do for you.' A sudden hope sprang
up in the heart of the prisoner as he
looked into the calm dark eves and noted
the confident bearing of his visitor
They were left alone, and after a con
ference that lasted far into the night
they parted with a fervent, 'Cod bless
you, sir,' from the peddler. 'If my life
is spared," said he, 'I will repay your
kindness.'
'"Understand, young man, I don't
espouse your cause for the sake of a
fee. 1 have iust heard tlmt
these pettifoggers would defend vou,
i. ..i.-.ii , . ... .
.oui n : sn.ni iieer lie said Willie Kd-
ward Yiniii'f lives that. :i lieii,ii
stranger could find no advocate in the
courts of Alabama. It's not the first
time by many that I have done what
tliev don't dare to do.'
" The day for the trial rolled round
and public excitement was at fever heat.
'I reckon Yining will hardly get a jun
to his liking from this crowd,' said a
lawyer, looking over the sea of surging
angry faces. 'I don't know; I've
never seen him fail to bend them vet,'
was the reply; 'but if he succeeds
here, I think there'll be an appeal to
Judge Lynch before yonder sun goes
down.' The jury was impaneled, and
the witnesses examined. The whole
weight of evidence bore heavily
against the prisoner, for tl
and his family were the only witnesses
whose testimony could be received.
The prosecuting' attorney summed up
the evidence, then painted him as a
midnight assassin sharing the hos
pitality of the sinmlo nl aritpr mil
stealing from his fireside under cover
of darkness to array his slaves against
him. A hush like that of the grave,
broken only by the labored breathing
of angry men, fell upon the room as
he took his seat. This ominous si
lence was broken bv a 1 OW murmur
like the sweep of the distant tornado
as Colonel Yining rose and began to
njican. JMtin tne low, nute-like voice
stilled the rising tempest, and the au
dience with impassive faces settled
themselves to listen.
"'He's got 'em dead now,' whispered
the lawyer. 'Nobody ever listens to
him without going his way.' He too
.summed up the evidence, anil with such
clearness did he present it as a tissue
of falsehood that men hung their heads
for having accepted it. With wither
ing sarcasm he tore into shreds the
character of the plaintiff, his petty
dishonesties, his'known intemperance
anil his unvarying cruelty. Then the
silence became more intense, and men
leaned eagerly forward, as with a touch
of pathos in the silvery voice he re
counted the leading facts in the pris
oner's life. How a mere bov, he had
left his New England hills to earn a
living for a widowed mother, who even
then was watching for his return, little
thinking that her boy was in jeopardy;
attracted to Alabama by reports of her
warm-hearted, open-handed children he
had learned to love them for their kind
ness to the wandering stranger. Then
in glowing words, each one as a nail
driven into a sure place,' he appealed
to them by the memory of their own
struggling youth to show mercy to the
boy. One face softened, then another,
and another, till under the spell of his
matchless eloquence many a heard-fea-tured,"
grizzly-bearded man saw himself
once more in the young prisoner. Then
a hand would steal quietly up to brush.
away a tear from a furrowed cheek, and
even the keen gray eyes of the judgo
were dimmed by a siupicious moisture
- m nen uoionei v in;ng sat down such
a storm of applause shook the house as
had rarely waked th echoes of that
sleepy burgh. When the jury brought
in the verdict, 'Xot guilty,' he led ids
client through the crowded room, en
tered his carriage and drove home.
There they sat down to a bountiful re
past, aiter wiuen uoio.iei Vinfngordered
liis biiL'irv. nnd linintirur In it uniil
"There, my young f riitnd, is your chance
for safety. Jerry wi'J drive you to the
next town and nere h f to Help you
out of the State. Your baggage is all
in there. These people are brave and
Iencrons. but. likp n lnt nf flrv wnml
" '
only needing a spark to set them in a
maze, ami your enemy is an unscrupu
lous rascal ready to furnish all the tin
der they may need. Let me hear from
you as soon as you reach a place of
safety, for I had a hanl pull, for your
life to-day." ;
" '(iod liless you, sir; if He spares me
i snau sureiy repay you ior this day s
work,' said the peddler.
" 'Ten thousand dollars wouldn't
have tempted me In do what I havi-
done for you to-day, so don't worn
about the debt; but while Edwaril
ining lives it shall never be said that
a stranirer was houn.lcd to iluntli In
Alabama and not a voice raised In bis
defense. But go ndw. for time hastens
nun my wont must not lie undone.
'"Mav.Tolm MeF.ni'hin'a riirlit lmn.1
forget its cunning, if he ever fails to
..,.... .1.... - i ii
i iin-iiini i hum uiiv, sain me peouier,
as looking his last upon the face of his
preserver he rode away.
"You see, Mr. Coulac, you needed
no letter of credit to my house; your
name is a passport to mv home nnd
heart. Let us rise now and drink to
the memory of Colonel Edward Vining,
1... 1 4. X 1 1 . ,V
uie iuiiest man i nave ever Known.
Beverently the guests rose and re
sponded to the toast. This tribute to
the nobility of his grandfather gave an
added luster to Vining's dark eyes and
a prouder grace to his lithe figure,
Little wonder that Flora McEachin
saw in him the hero of her girlish
fancy; and as the davs lapsed into
weeks and the weeks into months, to
gether thev conned the old. old storv
With Mr. McEachin's assistance Vining
estaiuisiicd luniseit In Ins profession
and rapidly won friends and position.
When another Christmas tide rolled
round the marriage bells of Vining
Coulac and Flora McEachin bore their
part of the burden of peace on eartli
and good will to men. Sprinyjlehl
K Son Captain's Heveiirro.
It has often been said that there is no
despotism in the world equal to that
exercised bv the captain of a vessel
when at sea.. This, of course, does not
apply to yachts, tor those are not regis
tered vessels, but sail under a license,
and tlje captain of such a craft could be
discharged by the owner when in mid
ocean if for any reason the owner found
fault with bis iii;in:irpii)i.nt Hut witli
merchant vessels when once out of port
the authority ot the captain is, by the
laws of every nation, supreme. It is
necessary that tins should lie so. A ship
when at sea represents a number
of different interests ; those who
own the vessel, those who own
the cargo, those that insure the
hull anil its contents nnrl tlwii l:it
but not least, are the lives of crew and
possibly of passengers. There must be
a responsible directing head, armed
with the legal power to enforce any
order he may think necessary for the
protection of these different interests,
and this authority could bo lodged no
where but with the captain. His judg
ment may be at fault, but if at the end
of a voyage he can make oath that he
considered what he did to be necessary
for the protection of the interests in
trusted to his keeping, it is almost im
possible to punish him for his mistakes.
An example of this arbitrary nower
was given some years ago by the cap
tain of a merchant vessel sailing from
one of our Atlantic ports. The ship
w.is 1 lound on a voyage to the west coast
of South America, and her owner in
vited one or two of his friends to
go down the bay in her and re
turn on the pilot boat. When outside
the weather became somewhat threat
ening, and the pilot boat was not imme
diately on hand. The captain had long
cherished a grudge against the owner
and saw in the situation an opportunity
of revenging himself. In spite of com
mands and then of appeals made for the
owner, his friends and the pilot, he put
his vessel upon her course and sailed
out to sea. His involuntary passengers
were, of course, in a wretched state of
mind, coming, as they did, wholly un
prepared for a voyage around Cape
Horn, and well aware that their rela
tives and friends would have doubts as
to their existence. This led the owner
to resort to methods which led the cap
tain to construe to be mutinous, and
hence he had the former placed in con
finement, while the entire party, with
the exception of the pilot, were treated
very much as if they had been com
mon sailors, so far as their food supply
was concerned. AVhen the ship arrived
at her port of destination thtr captain
was instantly dismissed ; but that was
all the punishment that could be visited
upon him.
AVhen an orchard requires fertilizing
it is best to do this all over the ground
and not to apply manure only near the
trees. This produces a large growth
of roots close to the trees, for roots
grow where soil is richest. Orchards
need lime and ashes more than manure,
and these soon produce healthy, smooth
bark.
Penn Yan, X. Y., is said to have got
its name in this way : Two colonies
settled there.one of Pennsyl vanians and
one of Yankees. Each wanted to name
the new settlement after their old
homes. They finally compromised on
Penn Yan.
BULL MIX.
How Ifrnry J. ltnvinoml nml Dr. Knssrll
of the London "Thneii" lloile I.lko Mini
lor Wnli1iiKon Kiunnrs of the Occa
sion. Probably the best description of the
wild stampede which followed the bat
tle of Bull Kun ever printed appeared
in the Pittsburg Dfsjmtvh recently.
The historian is Kennedy Marshall, of
Butler, Pa., a prominent lawyer. Mr.
Marshall at the date of the battle was
a member of the Pennsylvania legisla
ture, and with hundreds of persons
followed the army to see the rebels
crushed by McDowell. Mr. Marshall
was accompanied by Henry J. Kay
niond, editor of the New York Times,
and Dr. Bussell, the famous war corre
spondent of the London Times.
"Haymond, Bussell and I," began
Mr. Marshall, " were seated on the
roadside, taking lunch, at 3 o'clock in
he afternoon. AVhile we were talking
together we heard locomotives
whistling over on the Manasses rail
road. The trains stopped in a cut, out
of sight. Pretty soon out marched a
lot of soldiers in gray, witli a stand of
brigade colors, and came at a double
quick across the field. It was Kirby
Smith with the last installment of
Johnson's army from AVinchestcr,
which had eluded Patterson. The
panic which seized our troops when
these fresh fighters hurled themselves
at the Union lines, already tottering
with exhaustion, was wilder than
anything in military history
since three Austrian soldiers, com
ing out of the woods to surrender
after the battle of Solfcrino, put tin
whole French army to rout for a time.
Kegiinents that hail stood up to their
work bravely since 9 o'clock in the
morning, incited awav in a few min
utes at the sight of the gray charging
columns. There was no" knowing
what lorce was behind Smith, and
Hunter's men did not wait to s
J hey took the road to Centreville pell-
mell, every man lor himself. The in
fantry charged their own batteries, cut
the horses loose, jumped on their
backs and went to the rear at a gallop,
Bussell disappeared on the tide at tin
top of his speed. Bayinoncl drifted
away from me, and I did not let
many pass me in the race mvself. It
was the further the faster, and after
covering what seemed to me about
live miles, I dropped exhausted besidi
the road to rest.
"By-and-bye Bavmond came along,
He had found his barouche and he took
me in. AVe whirled along in the crush
of ambulances, artillery horses, pri
vates, officers and camp-followers on
foot, ladies and politicians in carriages,
and WW or ;iUU steers, all making the
best of their way to AVashington. A
drove of cattle had been driven out be
hind the army to be slaughtered after
the battle. They were stampeded with
the rest and added to the confusion.
Tnere we; e inary amusing incidents.
Earlier in the day I had noticed L. L.
MctJuffin, of Xew Castle, since judge
in this judicial disttrict, now dead. He
was carrying water to one of the field
hospitals, lie had been one of the 'On
to Itichmond ' crowd, had come down
to stiffen up the President's spine, and
was loud in advocating a vigorous
prosecution of the war.
" He was a large man, ami wore a
long linen duster. AVhen the rush in
the rear began he ran with the rest.
lie was fat, and as the crowd gradu
ally swept past him he at last began to
think the rebels must be almost within
grasp of his Hying duster tail. Blind
with sweat and dust, he tripped on a
log and fell flat on his stomach, or as
flat as he could fall on such a round
stomach. A zouave, who was hard at
his heels, came down with emphasis on
top. Mr. Mediiflin was certain that
the Philistines were upon him. and
with a weak endeavor to roll his eves
aro.md that he might see his foeman's
face, exclaimed: 'Great heaven, gen
tlemen, can't this thing be compro
mised?
" Before Haymond and I had driven
far an ordnance wagon crushed intoour
barouche and demolished it. I
mounted one of the carriage horses.
Haymond was in despair.
" '(let on the other horse,' I cried.
"'But I can't stick on.'
" 'Then good-evening; I'm going to
AVashington.'
"Hold on; I can ride behind the
nigger, exclaimed the distinguished
editor, and he was about to climb up
iieiiind uie colored driver when a car
riage drove past with some Congress
men whom he knew and he got in with
them.
'I galloped away, but before I had
gone far 1 saw a regiment drawn up
in line across the road, with lixed bay
onets, stopping the fugitives. I took
to the fields, executed a Hank move
ment and got past with a few others.
AVhen I came to the little field tele
graph office, near Fairfax Court House,
was ruling ahead of my party. A
wire had been laid out thus far and
dispatches from the field were carried
here and wired to AVashington. The
last messages sent had told how our
troops were driving the enemy.
"' hat news trom the field? cried
the little operator, with his finger on
the key.
" ' Our men are routed. They are
running this way,' I shouted back to
him as I galloped pitst. He cut loose
his instrument, tucked it under his arm
and took to his heels. AVhen the nex't
orderly came with a dispatch he found
the battery dismounted, and that was
how I came to be the first to carry the
news to AVashington.
" I overtook Bull Kun Kussell, and
we rode together for a while; but his
horse was fagged and mine was fresh,
so I soon left him. After that I rode
foremost and alone. At Ball's Cross
Koads I was challenged by a Dutch
sentinel. Ben Morgan had my pass
through the lines, but I had an annual
pver the Pennsylvania railroad, signed
14. 1882
by Tom Scott. I showed the sentinel
the name of Scott, told him it was
General AVinfleld Scott, the Commander-in-chief,
and he passed me
through. I got over the
Long bridge at AVashington at 9
o'clock, just as the countersign was be
ing given out for the night. I rode
up to AVillard's hotel through streets
thronged with people, wild with ex
citement over the favorable dispatches
that had come in from the front. The
brass bands were out in force, and
soinbody was making a rousing 'On
to Biehniond' speech from the balcony
of the hotel. I walked Into the office
under the sound of his inspiring words,
knowing how soon those cheers would
be hushed to whispers of affright.
Chadwick was keeping the hotel then,
and as I pushed up to the desk he
stared at me, bareheaded and stream
ing with dirt and sweat as I was, and
finally recognizing me, asked me where
I had been and what was the matter.
" ' I come from the front. McDow
oll is licked out of his boots, and the
wreck of our army is not far behind
inc.'
" Chadwick dived back into his pri
vate office with a scared face, and in a
few moments came back and took me
in with him.
" There sat General Mansfield, who
was in command of the troops around
AVashington, with a bottle of cham
pagne before him.
" ' Mr. Chadwick informs me, sir,
that you report our army retreating.
Are you a military man, sir?'
" ' Xo, sir.
" ' Then, how do you know, sir, that
they were not merely making a change
of front or executing some other mili
tary maneuver, sir?'
" ' AVell, general,' I replied, as calmly
as T could, while the gray-haired oil I
martinet eyed me sternly, ' I saw whole
regiments throw down their guns and
take to the woods. I saw artillery
men cut their horses loose from the
guns and caissons and gallop away. I
saw officers, men, Congressmen" and
Texas steers running neck and neck
down the road toward AVashington,
and steers were the only things that
had their tails up. It may have been
a change of front, as you say, but '
" ' I don't believe a single word of
it,' broke in the general, who had lis
tened to me with evident impatience.
"'Good-evening, I replied, and
walked out of the door. The crowd
had got the news by this time from
Chadwick, and I was almost pulled to
pieces. Somebody noticed that I was
wearing a gray suit, and shouted :
' lie's a rebel.' There were several
suggestions that I be lynched for try
ing to stimulate arising of the rebel
element in the city. General Mans
field hurried off to the war depart
ment, and pretty soon a sergeant and a
squad of soldiers came for me and took
me to the department. President
Lincoln and his entire cabinet were
there, with old General Scott, anxious
ly waiting for news from the front.
Simon Cameron had known me as a
member of the legislature and vouched
for my loyalty. There was very little
said while I told my story briefly.
" The President sat with his head
bent down upon his hand, and was evi
dently very much depressed. Simon
Cameron, then secretary of war, was
the coolest head in the cabinet. He
immediately consulted with Scott as to
hurrying reinforcements across the
Potomac, and orders were issued to
stop all fugitives at Long bridge. They
asked me very few questions, imt after
1 had told my story and was dismissed,
the newspaper correspondents nearly
devoured me. Just as I came out of
tin' war department I met one of Gen
eral McDowell's aids bringing in the
report of his coinmander'sdel'eat."
Amber.
The best pieces of amber are now
taken in the rough by Armenian mer
chants to Constantinople, where they
are carved and chased and polished bv
the hand of the engraver, as mouth
pieces for pipes. In the nine bazaar
of the great Byzantine edilice which
contains mosmies. fountains and a
labyrinth of arcaded streets, each a
separate bazaar are hidden awav
umber mouthpieces of fabulous value.
in every shade of color, lustrous n
crystal, and set with diamonds and
rubies. Supported by sculptured col
umns, and decorated with iirabesones.
this dimly lighted city in the heart of
Mamiioui is lull ot marvels and treas
ures. Through its narrow thorough
fares camels and carriages and horse
men force their way, among a dense
throng of people of every nation and
type Turks in muslin turbans, Per
sians in pyramidal bonnets of Astra
khan fur, Hebrews in yellow coats,
with Greeks, Armenians and running
footmen in gorgeous liveries; and in
this shifting crowd aro dignitaries of
the court, who spend perhaps 50,000
francs on their pipe collections; and
harem ladies wrapped in long white
veils, who come for gray amber, gold
embroidered bags of musk and sandal
wood, and the sweet - scented gums
made by the women of Chio, which
are sold in the perfumery bazaar of this
great oriental fair. Amber, little es
teemed as it is at the present time in
Europe, and although no longer the
important source of wealth that it
once was, still has a place in the lux
ury and religion of the East.
According to the Hochester Union
a boy called at the side door of the resi
dence of a gentleman of that city re
cently and begged for something to eat.
The servant said they had nothing.
"Give me only a piece of bread," said
the boy. A white terrier dog that had
stood beside the girl was momentarily
missed, but quickly returned, bearing
in her mouth a large piece of bread
that had been previously given her to
eat. The dog went directly up to the
boy, extended her paws, with the bread
in her mouth, and offered it to him.
NO. 30.
Harvest Homes.
Says the Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch:
Tho old-time harvest home picnic
which, like so many other excellent old
customs, has dropped out of general ob
servance, Is just now receiving a great
revival. A couple of years ago it sud
denly Rprang into usage again among
Rome nf the famous farmer of Middle
Xew York, and has rapidly spread be
yond the confines fif that State, and be
yond the limits of the farminfi class
alone. In the rich farming country of
Eastern Pennsylvania, and in Ohio and
Illinois to the" west of us there have
been notably large gatherings.
The farming folk have not been able,
if they so desired, to make these pic
nics exclusively farmers' affairs. It
has become quite the fashion among
city and townspeople as well. The
festivals being under the management
of representative men from the coun
try, have insured a respectability and
decorum which does not always attend
picnic parties which go from the city
to the country. It never degenerates
into a carouse, buretains its charac
ter as a decent, orderly gathering for a
day's enjoyment in the woods. Parents
with large families of children, of the
inconvenient size that tumble out
of boats, gather stray toads to
their bosoms, get beetles down their
neck and squall have seized upon this
new enterprise as an opportunity for
taking them for a day of merry
making at a picnic whtre there is no
drinking and no lights. Besides, there
is a fragrant suggestion of red apples
and broad slices'of bread and butter
about a real farmers' picnic that is
very taking to city-living people. Of
course, the farmers and their families
constitute the largest part of the at
tendance, for the obvious reason that
they can see more of tiieir neighbors
there than at .Tiiy other place.
Many a horse trade is con
summated at the harvest home
and new varieties of seed wheat
exchanged. The wives and daughters
go partly for the fun, and largely be
cause it is the latest fashion.' The rail
road companies have not been slow to
promote an enterprise which cultivates
sociability, and hence conduces to vis
iting and consequently traveling. The
rates of fare to and from the harvest
home are usually lower than on any
other occasion.
The custom of celebrating the gath
ering in of the harvest by a feast or
merrymaking is older in England than
the introduction of Christianity, and as
formerly practiced had many features
of the old Druid dispensation. In Eng
land generally this festival passes under
the name of the " Harvest Home." In
the northern counties it was called the
" Mell Supper." In Scotland it was
hailed under the designation of the
" Kirn " or " Kirn Supper." And there
were perhaps other local names.
In the old simple days of England,
the harvest home was such a scene
as Horace's friends might have expect
ed to see at his Sabine farm, or as
Theocritus described in his Idyls. In
these days the working people of a few
contiguous farms only united in. the
celebration, but subsequently whole
counties came together. The grain last
cut was brought home in its wagon,
called the hock cart, surmounted by a
figure formed of a sheaf with gay
dressing, presumably representing the
goddess Ceres. Sometimes the figure
on the cart, instead of being a. mere
drcssed-up bundle of grain, was a pretty
girl of tlie reaping band, crowned with
flower umd hailed as " the maiden," or
in Scotland -"the har'st queen," Of
this we have a description in a ballad of
Bloomfield's:
"Home came the jovlnl hockey load,
I.ny of the whole j'curV crop,
And (iraco 111110111; the green boughs rode,
ltijiht plumi) upon the top.
" Thi way and that way the wagon reeled
And neer (ueen rode higher";
Her chocks were colored in Iho lleld,
And ours before the fire."
Herrick describes the harvest home
of his day, the earlier half of the sev
enteenth century, and chronicles tho
cheering virtue of the "all-tempting
frumentie," the "smirking wine" and
the " stout beere" which lloweil freely
upon the occasion.
A custom obtained at the close of
harvest of " Crying the Mare," as it
was called in Hertfordshire, the "Xack,"
as it was termed in Devonshire,
"Goobbir Bhacagh" or "tho Crippled
Goat," as it was named in the- Isle of
Skye. The last handful of grain cut
by a farmer who got through his har
vest first was tied up in a bundle,
tricked out with ribbons and sent with
some rude preliminary ceremonies to
tardier neighbor who still had som
grain still standing. He in turr
when he completed liis harvest work
passed it on to the nearest tardy one
and so on until all the
grain being cut in a neigh
borhood it was time for har
vest home. The last man holding the
handful of grain, which constituted the
Mare Xack or Goat, was esteemed a
sluggard all the year through. In Scot
land this last handful received more
honorable treatment. It was cut by
the bonniest lass in the district, tied
up with ribbons and usually preserved
in the fanner's parlor for t ho remainder
of the year.
The modern celebration of the in
gathering of the harvest is by no
means the rude festival of former
days. The progress of tho farmer
socially is yery well illustrated by a
comparison of the festivities mentioned
above with the amusement resources
provided for at a picnic next
Tuesday. There is to be a band of
music on the grounds, and fat men's
races, sack races and a boat race on
the Ohio river opposite the ground.
Swings, flying horses, croquet, base
ball and the like amusements will
make glad and tired the young genera
tion. Altogether, the farmer of to-day
provides his family with a decidedly
greater variety of enjoyments than his
remote ancestor in the days when "the
Mare" was cried from one end of a
county the other.
I