VOL. LVJ.
HAULER,
AUCTIONEER,
REBERSBURG. PA.
J C. SPRINGER,
Fashionable Barber.
Next Door to JOURNAL Store,
MILLHEIH, PA.
•gUOCKERHOKF HOUSE,
ALLEGHENY STREET,
B KLLKFONTE, - - - PA.
c. O. McMILLEN,
PROPRIETOR.
Good Sample Room on First Floor.
19-Fr BUM to and from all Trains. Special
rates to witnesses and jurors. 4-1
IRYIN HOUSE.
(Most Central Hotel in the City,)
Corner MAIN and JAY Streets,
Lock Haves, Pa.
S. WOODS CA.LWILL, Proprietor.
Good Sample Rooms for Commercial
Travelers on first floor.
D. H. MINGLE,
Physician and Surgeon,
MAIN StreeJ, MILLHEIM, Pa.
JQR JOHN F. HARTER,
PRACTICAL DENTIST,
Office in 2d story of TomUnsoa'a Gro
oery Store,
On MAIN Street, MLLTHKIM, Pa.
BP KINTF.R,
. FASHIONABLE BOOT A SHOE MAKER
Shop next door to Foote's Store, Main St.,
Boot*. Shoes and Gaiters made to order, and sat
isfactory work guaranteed. Repairing done prompt
ly and cheaply, and in a neat style.
8. R. PEALS. H. A. McKxa.
PEALE A McKEE,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
Office opposite Court House, Beliefonte, Pa.
C. T. Alexander. C. M. Bower.
a BOWER,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Office in Garm&n's new building.
JOHN B. LINN,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Office on Allegheny street.
QLEMENT DALE,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Northwest oorner of Diamond,
J-J H HASTOON,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Office on Allegheny Street, 2 doors west of offloe
formerly oocup:e<l by the late firm of Yocum A
Hastings.
C. HEINLE, "
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Practices In all the courts of Centre county.
Spec al attention to Collections. Consultations
In German or English.
F. REEDER,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA
All business promptly attended to. Collection
of claims a speciality.
J. A. Beaver. J W. Gephart.
JgEAVER & GEPHART,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW.
BELLEFONTK, PA.
Office on Alleghany Street, North of High.
~Y° CUM & harshbergeb,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
BELLEFONTE, PA.
JQ 3. KELLER,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
BELLEFONTE, PA,
Consultations In English or German. Offloe
In Lyon's Building, Allegheny Street.
Jjj H. HASTINGS,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
BELLEFONTE, PA.
Offloe on Allegheny street, two doors west ot
office formerly occupied by the Una of Yooum k
Bastings. ..
SLIPPING AWAY.
They srs slipping away—those sweet, swift) Mrs,
Like a leaf on the current cast,
With never a break In their rapid flow,
We watch them as one by one they go
Into the beautiful past.
As silent and swift as a weaver's threa<
Or an arrow's flying gleatn;
As soft as the languorous breeze* hid,
That lift the willows long golden lid,
And ripple the glassy stream.
As light as the breath of the thistle down,
As foud as a lover's dream;
As pure as the flush in the sea-shell's throat.
As swest as the wood-hlrd's wooiug note,
So tender and sweet they sceui.
One after another we then pass,
Down the dim lighted stair;
We hear the sound of their steady treat!
In steps of the centuries loug since dead,
As beautiful ami as tarr.
There are only a few years to come,
fchall we trample them under our ruthless feet
These beautiful blossoms rare and sweet,
By tat dusty way of life T
There are only a few swift years—ah, Ist
No envious taunts be heard;
Make life's fair pattern of rare design,
And flit up the measure with love's sweet wlue,
Mat uever an angry word '
▲ SKWIXG-GIHJL.
- "Now, girla, this won't do!" said
Madame Melini, pouncing iu upon the
six pale sewing-girls, like a wolf into a
flock of lamb a. "No it will never do
ill the world! I'don't pay you all exor
bitant wages to oit with your hands
folded like flue ladies. Miss Sedgowick,
we ara waiting for that lavender silk
polonaise. Lucy Lisle, why do you not
go on with those buttonholes? Miss
Fox, you will be so good as to change
your seat from the window to the mid
dle of the room at once!"
"But, Madame I can't sec there to lay
on tlieae line bias folds!" pleaded Miss
Fox.
"You mean you san't see the carts and
carriages in the street, aud the type-set
ters at the windows opposite!" retorted
Madame Molini, whose true nomencla
ture was 'Mullens,' aud who nad been a
Milliner's apprentice, iu the goodly city
of Cork, before she set up ou Sixth ave
nue as a Frenah modiste.
Lucy Lisle caught up her work.
"I stopped iust a mirnute Madame,
with that bad stitch iu my side/' she
said aud began to stitoh away with
eager haste.
"If you're siok/'said Madame,severe
ly "you had better go home aud send
for the doctor. While you are here
your time is mine,bought and paid for!".
While Miss Sedgewick,iu self-defense
urged that she had not enough silk
gimp to trim the polonaise and was wait
ing for more.
"Not enough," shrilly repeated mad
am* —'not enough 1 I measured that
trimming myself, and I known there is
enough. You may just rip that off again,
and srw it on higher up, and more eco
nomically; and I shall deduct this morn
ing's lost time from your wages! What's
that, Flora Fay—the mode colored silk
dress? Finished? And where are the
two and a half yards which were left?"
"1 folded them up with the dress,ma
dame,said Flora Fay an innooent, blue
eyed young girl recently from the coun
try, who stood, in an unconsciously
graceful attitude, before the fat and flor
id dressmaker.
"Then you were a goose for your
pains, "shortly retorted |iadame Molini,
as she unfastened the parcel, abstracted
the piece of glistening uncut silk, and
whisked it away upon the shelf. "Two
yards and a half isn't much, but it is
better than nothing."
Flora Fay opened her innocent blue
eyes wide.
"What is she going to do with it?"
she asked Miss Fox, in a whisper, as
madame rnstled off to scold the errand
boy for putting too much coal on the
grateflre.
"Don't you know little silly?"laughed
Miss Fox. "It is what she cabbages 1"
"Cbbages?"repeated Flora, in amaze
ment. "I don't understand you.'
"You will when you see the mode silk
made up into a sleeveless basque for
madame," said the other, 'trimmed with
the gimp that was left from Mrs. Au
brey's dinner-dress, and the pearl fringe
from Mrs. Ossett's white damasse ball
costume."
"But you don't mean," said the
breathless Flora 'that madame takes the
silk that is left from the customers'
dresses?"
"Ooosiel" cried Miss Fox, "don't
tvilr nonsense any longer. It is what
every fashionable dressmaker does, and
"There's the reception-room bell,"
shrilly called madame. "Miss Fay, an
swer it at oncel"
Harry Drake was standing in the
room, all glistening with satin drapery,
gilded mouldings and huge mirrors,
when Flora same in—Harry Drake, the
young sea-captaim who boarded at the
same quiet and inexpensive house where
Flora was allowed a hall bedroom at a
reasonable rate,on account of Mrs.Dodds
having once boarded a summer at the
old Fay farm-house up among the Berk
shire bills, and still retaining a kind re
collection of Mrs. Fay's kindness during
an illness which overtook her there.
"Oh, Miss Fay, is it you?" said Harry.
"Do you work here? Upon my word,
you seem to be in very oomfortable
quarters."
"But I don't stay here all the while,"
said Flora, noting how liis glance wan
dered from gilding te fresco, Axminis
MILLIIEIM, PA., THURSDAY. MAY 18,1882.
tor carpet to bronzed chandelier. ' I now
in a little dark room, where there in a
stifling smell of cotil gas aud no carpet
on the floor."
"I've come for a dross," said Captain
Drake, plunging headlong into his sub
ject, after the fashion of men in general
—"my sister's dress. She is to be mar
ried next week, and some of her friends
coaxed her to have her dress made here.
Miss Fortoscue —she's only my half-sis
ter, you know,' in answer to Flora's
look of surprise; "but she is going to
marry well, I hope."
"Its the mode colored dress," Hoid
Flora with brightening eyes. "I helped
to trim it myself. "Yes. it's all ready.'*
And presently rnadame came smiliug
in, with the bill, and the dress folded
neatly in a white pasteboard box, and
Captain Drake departed with a dim idea
that Mtodame Moliui perfectly oompro
bonded the art of high charges.
Miss Fortescue herself came the next
day. She was a lady not lacking in
quiet resolution. She knew her rights,
and was prepared lo defend them.
"Where is the material I sent?" said
she to Miss Fox, who was in attendance
in the reception room "It is not made
up in the dress. I had purchased enough
for a new waist and sleeves, and it is not
all here.'
"You must be mistaken,' said Miss
Fcx with au aspect of polite impossi
bility. "The bias puffs and folds cut up
the material shockingly, and—"
Hut at this moment, little Flora Fay
who was packing some tulle capos and
Melius into a bandbox, at the back of
the room, rose aud came forward, with
deepening color.
"There are two yards aud a half of the
mode-colored silk, Miss Fox," she inter
rupted—"don't you remember? on ths
shelf in the hack rocm."
M isß Fox colored and bit her lip.
Madame Moiim,with ominously dark
ened face, twitched the two yards nd a
half of silk off the shelf, folded it into a
paper and handed it to Miss Fortescue,
muttering womething about a 'mistake
made by one of her young women;' aud
the young lady departed,a little dubious
as to who her or nol the fashionable
dressmaker had intended to cheat her.
She had hardly clos- d the door be
hind her, however, when Madame Mo
lini turned upon poor Flora Fay, with a
scarlet spot glowing in each oheek and
lips closely compressed.
"Young woman," said she, "ycu are
discharged!"
"Discharged!" echoed Flora. "For
what?"
"I waut no one in my service," said
madams, "who is too conscientious to
fulfill mj wishes. You have intermed
dled unwarrantably iu the matter of that
silk, and I repeat that you are no longer
in my employment!"
So poor little Flora wcut oryiug home,
with a vague comprehension that she
had besu discharged because she had
spokeu out the truth.
It was nearly a fortnight afterward
that Captain Drake uoticed the absence
of Miss Fay from the table of the board
ing house.
"Is your little blue eyed lodger ill,
Mr 3, Dodds?" he asked. "I dou't think
I nave seen her of late."
"No, she's not ill," said tholandlady.
"That is to say, not exactly sick. But
she will be if she dou'i look out. She's
boarding herself, Captain Drake, on
bread and crackers, and such like, poor
dear ! and wasting awaj like a little
shadow, because she's lost her situation
at that dressmaking place, and don't
see her way clear to another. Aud she
won't run into debt, slis says, not even
for a meal of victuals. Ah!" the good
woman added, "I can remember when
she was the pet and darling of the old
folks at home, before they lost their all,
running about among the daisies and
buttercups like a sunbeam."
'But hiw did she come to loss her
place?" asked Captain Drake.
And Mrs. Dodds, who iiked to hear
the sound of her own voice, told the
wliQle story,
"It's a shame!" oried the captain.
"Just what I say myself," nodded the
laudlady.
And the next day, Miss Fortescue
(who was Mrs, Awkright now) oame to
see Flora Fay.
"It was all my fault," she said, with
affectionate vehemenco, "that you lost
your situation —and oh, if you would
come and stay with me. and help me
with the sewing for my new house, I
should esteem it such a favor ! Would
please?"
"Are you quite sure that I can make
myself useful ?" said Flora, a little hesi
tatingly.
"Yes, quite ," said Mrs Awkright.
And. in the sunny atmosphere of the
bride's pretty home, the young country
girl seemed to expand into a different
creature. Captaiu Drake, the most de
voted brother in the world, came there
□early every day; and little Flora, all
unoonscious of her own feelings, began
to watch for his daily visit as a helio
trope- blossom watcnes the sun.
Until at last, there was talk of anoth
er long voyage to Japan, and then Flora
grew pale and nervous again.
"I—l have been here long enough,"
she said. "If Igo to the Exchange
Bureau, they will perhaps tell me of a
new situation. And I need a change."
"Flora," said he, "are you unwilling
that I should sail to Jeddo?"
"I always had a terror of the sea,"
whispered Flora, hanging down her
pretty head. "Hut or course Captaiu
Drake, yon must do as you please."
"Yes, of course," he answered, ab
sently. and when he was gone, Flora
shed a tew quiet tears over the table
linen she was hemming for Mrs. Awk
rigfat.
"How bold and unmaindenly it is of
me," she thought, "to let myself care
for a man who does sot think twice of
me ? If he had cared one iota for mo,
would he not have said BO thetif"
Hut the next evening, at dusk Captain
Drake sauutered in with that swinging
gait of his, as if he were still treading
the deck of an outward-bound vessel.
"Don't run away, Flora," said he, as
the girl caught up her work, and pre
pared for a precipitate retreat.
"Did—did you want to ppeak to mef"
she faltered, with downcast eyes.
"Don't I always want to speak to you.
Sit down, Flora," said he, "aud hear
what I've been planning."
"Now it is coming," thought Flora,
with a sick feeling at heart. He is going
to be married, and he is (joining to tell
me se."
"I have decided to give up the sea
fariug business," said Captain Diake.
"Have you?" muttered Flora, faintly.
"I am so glad."
"And I've bought a farm in Connecti
cut," he went on—"the old Berkshire
farm, Flora, where you were born aud
brought up. I'm going to be a farm
er 1"
Bhe looked up at him, the rose and
lily following each other acioss her
oheeks.
"Oh!" she cried, involuntarily, "If I
oould only see the dear old place once
more!"
"Hut I won't go there to live." said
the captaiu deteimiuedly, "unless you'll
go there with me, Flora, as the farmer's
wife ! "What do you think of it, little
girl ? Shall it be a partnership ?"
Aud when Mrs. Awkrvght came in,
the papers were all sealed, signed and
delivered, the "partnership" was a fore
gone conclusion!
"I don't know how I shall succeed as
a farmer," said Captuin Drake, to his
sister; "but if little Flora here iu only
with me, there's nothiug iu all the
world that I haven't courage to under
take."
And when Mrs. Awk right look Flora's
hand in hers, the girl whispered:
"I think 1 am the happiest creature
iu all the wide world to-night. Because,
dear Mrs. Awkwright, he loves me?"
London Nainvi.
So far from Slough being a corrup
tion of "slow, "th® plaoe, as might have
been expected, had a nam® long before
a coach, or even a wagon, trundled
through its rutty street. As far back as
1412 the villiag® was (tailed "Lee
Slowe,"aud the bricks with which Eton
College is built wcr® made, according
to authentic documents still extant, at
"Slow©." Thus the local derivation °f
the name of this ancient hsmlet, which,
at the first blush, could have deceived
no one, falls to the ground. Etymolo
gy, indeed, is a dangerous pastime for
unpractised hauds to play at. It some
times leads to awkward consequences.
At ono time the railway authorities in
sisted ou naming a station not far from
Cambridge Oakington, though the
country folks in the immediate vicinity
knew the locality as Hockingtou. This,
however, was deemed a Cocknoyism
until a sceptical, antiquary discovered
that the name was derivod from the
family of Hocking, and that iu reality
the rustics were right and the railway
wrong. Again, no belief has been
stronger than that a court of Ludgato
Hill was named in honor of Pocohontas
—"La Beile Sauvage." Unhappily,
however, further research proves that
the spot has no association with the
beautiful daughter of Powhatan, "Em
perour of Virginia," but was the
quondam site of the "Bell aud Savage"
publio bouse.. If the world was to be
dominated by scholars of the Slough
type, Harapstead, instead of being a
corruption of the Saxon "hamstede,"
or home place, would be named from
somebody who once lived there, and
preferred pig's flesh to mutton. Again,
Hoi born is "Old Bourne" or d
Hackney has nothing to do coaches
plying for hire or tales twice told, but is
a long-descended memory of Hakon,
the Danish Jarli, who, following the
wuye of his race, 1,500 years ago ap
propriated the "ey," or island. Clap
ham looks, at first sight, to the etymol
ogist well read in old chronicles easy to
associate with one of the old lords of
the soil, Osgod Clapa, the Dane, at
whose daughter's marriage feast Hardi-
Canute drauk himself to death. But we
are at once silenced when we find that
in the Chertsey Register the place is
named Clappenliam as far back as the
reign of Alfred, and that by the time
the Domesday Book was compiled the
name bad become transformed into
Clcpeliam. Piccadilly is in no way con
nected with pickles. But after settling
this point, there is left us a wide choice
among '-peccadilloes," a word which
Butler ai plies to the collar in the pil
lory; Picoadilla Hall, a shop for the sale
of "pecoadillas," or turnovers, a once
fashionable artiole of dress; or "pecca
dillas," a cake formerly hawked in the
fields now covered with a province of
houses-
The Iluauitn Nihilist*.
The trial of the two men concerned in
General Sreluikoff's assas*ination ter
minated very quickly. The following
facta are gathered from the evidence
given:—The deceased was sitting on a
seat m the boulevard quietly contempla
ting the sea. when his murderer ap
proached and fired a revolver. The
General was shot through the neck, the
hall entering his brain. He expired in
a few moments afterwards in the arms
of some persons who had hastened to
liis assistance. After committing the
crime the murderer jumped into a
droshki winch was awaiting him on the
bqjilevanl. He was stopped, however,
by a man called Korriga and was arrest
ed, together with his accomplice, who
acted as coachman. A citizen named
Labsiue, a soldier named Nekrasson,
and u Custom House clerk named Igna
tovitch also played a part in the capture.
Labsiue and Nekrassau were wouuded
by the murderer in the struggle. The
droshki had been hired by the two men
for a day and a half. The horse had been
bought for 25 roubles two days previ
ously. On searchmg the assassins
three revolvers, three daggers, and
several flasks of poison were found on
them. One of them was stopping at
the Hotel de la Crimee, where General
Streluikoff also stayed. The accused
declared that the General's death had
been resolved on because of his activity
in prosecuting inquiries into crimes
against the State. He was an obstacle
to the successful propagation of revolu
tionary doctrines among the working
classes of Odessa. The two captured
oriminals, who gave false names, were
brought before the military tribunal at
Odessa, and on the 21st of April were
sentenced to be hanged. General
Strelnikoff's funeral took place with
great pomp on the 2d instant, at the
Cathedral. The hearse was escorted by
a large detachment of infantry and ar
tillerj', and was followed by thousands
of spectators.
The execution of the murderers took
place the next morning, after the sen
tence had been approved by General
Gourko. At 7 o'clock on Monday morn
ing the prisoners reached the place of
execution, wearing oa their breasts
placards, on which was the inscription
"State Criminal." The hangman, who
had, as usual, been brought from hia
prison at Moscow, aud had arrived
during the niaht, according to custom,
was dressed iu the red shirt of the Rus
sian moujiks, the wide trousers vucked
into high boots. The scaffold, which
was approached by five steps, was a
rough platform resting on trestles.
Two gibbets rose above it and two blaek
posts. The local authorities were sta
tioned in a circle around the scaffold.
The arrival of the prisoners was herald
ed by the shrill sound of fifes and the
beating of drums. Each prisoner was
attended bv a priest. On ascending the
steps, they were received by the hang
man and bound to the posts. In three
minutes the execution was over.
A Clever Chinaman.
Sim Cbanglo, a Cuincsc laundrym&n In
St. Louis, is something of a genius. He
possesses a knowledge of painting, clock
making, cngmeering, eugraving, fancy
sewing, and is well up in the ails ana
sciences, including chemistry and other
branches of learning. At present Cbanglo
is engaged in completing what be pleases
to term the "World's Kair." Tins curi
osity consists of a miniature Chinese
house containing towers aud veraudas,
and possessing other features peculiar to
Mougolian architecture. The structure
rests on a table. It is about four feet high
and five feet long, and its rooms arc all
open on one side, in order that the spec
tator may see what is taking place within.
Directly in front of the bouse is a yard in
which two Chinamen are represented as
playing a Mongolian game, and two otners
in the act of building a brick wall. On
the steps two ladies are standing face to
face, in the act of saluting each other.
Three Chinese ladies sit on the veranda
engaged in close conversation, while two
men on the veranda directly over their
heads are leaning forward and endeavoring
to o/erhear what they are saving. About
the building butterflies, that look as natu
ral as life, are seen with wings outstretched
in the act of flying. This is what the ob
server nods on tne exterior of the build
ing, but he becomes more deeply inter
ested when he inspects the contents ot the
apartments within. In one apartment he
stes an army of soldiers mounted on horses,
in another a solemn procession of priests,
and in another a lot of wild animals, etc.
When the clockwork that operates this
vast establishment is wound i p and
started, the effect produced is decidedly
striking. The butterflies tremble on invis
ible wires, and appear to be flying about
in the air; the mou at the brick wall work
vigorously, the characters in front of the
main entrance bow gracefully, with their
iiands clasped before tbem.Ciiinese fashion;
the soldiers move around briskly, the ani
mals run swiftly, and the women on the
vcraLda over the main entrance vociferate
wildly. In fact, everything connected
with the establishment is natural and life
like.
"How long did it lake you, Mr. Changlo,
to make that concern?"
"Oh, it took me not longer than a month.
I work very fast and can make such things
very quick. The house, you see, is com
posed of wood. All the trimmings are of
silk. Tho?e pictures you see on .the table
clsth hiding the legs of the table, I
painted. They are oil paintings. One
1 ©presents a Chinese castle. The other
two are landscape representations of moun
tains. There are in the building and yard
in front of it just 150 figures, whi jhmove
when the house is wound up."
Two Captains in one ship will surely
sink her,
A Nigh* With A Knt Catcher.
One of tho most expert rat catchers In
New York is a little man with a thought
ful face.
"I constantly thinks about 'em, sir," he
says, "and 1 lose no opportunity for a
findin' out their curious ways, which is
quite remarkable, 1 do assure you, sir." ,
"Are theie many in your line here?"
"There is many, sir, which has the auda
city to call themselves rat catchers, which
they ain't, notwithstanding. 1 snould say
there is about ten of 'em."
His hair is long and tangled; he has a
scraggy moustache, and his hands are un
commonly large, with monstrous knuckles
aud long nails; they are scarred m many
plsces. He is much under the average
height, and as quick as a rat in his move
meuts. He does everything with abrupt
gestures. When putting on his h&t his
hand moves with great rapidity. He walks
leisurely to within two feet of a door, and
then his baud flies out and the door opens
like a flash His speech is as slow as his
movements are rapid, and the muscles of
his face never seem to change. His ruling
passion is his great pride in his calling.
"Which it's looked up to on the other
side," he says, "as it should be, bein' a
perfession requirin' unusual abilities."
He invited the reporter to go with him
on one of his expeditions against his en
emy, the rat, and a few nights later they
met at a stable in West Fortieth street.
The rat catcher wore a pair of light cloth
slippers, heavy trousers, flannel shirt, and
vest. He had a kit of tools with him, and
at abwut 11 o'clock he went to work.
First he went carefully around the edges
ot the floor, and learned every rat hole.
There were a number; some at the edges
of the partitions between the stalls, others
at the wasbstand, and a number in the
harness closet. The rats had ruined val
uable harness. Many efforts had been
made to exterminate them, but without
•UCCtBS.
"1 guess I'll get 'em out, sir. I just
cleared 217 rats out of a private residence
on Tenth avenue in three night." he said.
He then took a number of little wire
doors out of His bag. They were about
four inches square. One of these was
screwed over each rat hole at an angle of
forty-five degrees, so that the rat could
easily raise it on coming out of the bole,
but could not get back into the hole again
after it had dropped in place. When
every hole had been thus covered the re
porter retired to the top of a shelf of a
long step ladder and smoked, while the
rat catcher turned down the lights and
cleared the large floor of the stable of all
ihe small objects that could be readily
piled in the carriages or on the shelves.
"Are you sure the rats will come out?"
"Uh, yes, sir. Thsy comes out every
night. Be me men professin' to call them
selves professional claims that they nave
a poison that will make rats come out o'
their hole an' die, but it can't be done.
They claims, also, as how they can cbaroa
rats; more lies, I assure you. Phospho
rous poison causes most horrid thirst, an'
the rats comes out of their holes an'
drinks, an' then gosa back an' dies. Then
there's a pretty how-to do, an' whole
floors must come up at great expense."
lie was moving about in a most siealtfiy
manner, now trying one little gate and now
another. A large bag of coarse material,
with a string with which to close the
opening, hung on a harness peg, and he
had sprinkled a little powder down several
of the holes, which was designed to make
the rats thirsty and cause them to come
out for water. He lighted a stub pipe
and perched himself on the bottom of the
step ladder with his chin in one hand,
while he slowly opened and closed a pair
of tongs, nearly two feet long, with flat
biades.
Everything was quiet for a few minutes,
and then there was a slight scratching at
one of the little doors, and a monstrous
rat, as fat as an alderman, slowly came
out. The door dropped to behind hiui;
he turned quickly, tried to get back, aud
ran squealing along the wall
"He's a good one," remarked the little
man in a whisper, gomg out into the
middle of the room, laying his pipe on the
step and turning up the gas. "I'll tell
you what I'll do; I'll catch this one in uiy
hands."
He began to squeak through his teeth,
making a noise like the squerking of a
rat, and slowly approached the tat intru
der. The rat backed luto a corner and
stood with his little eyes gleaming and
tail swishing rapidly from side to side.
The rat catcher slowly drew closer until
tne rat suddenly shot off along the wall.
In an instant the little man had sprung
forward with a bound that was entirely
reckless, and went, head first, for the rat.
Both his hands were outstretched, sod he
pinned it to the floor with a force thai
made it squeal. The bound was like that
wmch a cat would make.
"He is indeed a fat one, sir," he said,
getting on his feel; "you'll observe "
**Keap him away I Ain't you afraid
he'll bite?"
"Afraid, sir? 1 do assure you nothing
is further from my thoughts. Besides, it's
very rarely that they bite if you know
how to handle 'em. You might let this
one run all over you and not get hurt."
* "Yes; 1 might, but 1 won't."
"1 wiil, then," he said, calmly, and be
fore the reporter could interfere the little
Englishman had thrust the rat inside his
clothing, aud the creature emerged from
bis right trousers leg and shot like a me
teor beUind the step ladder. The reporter
rai-ed his feet one step higher, and the
iat catcher crept up toward the rat with
the same quiet movement that a cat dis
plays. The badgered animal shot one
way and another until it reached the
corner, when the little man pounced on
it and dropped it into the bag. There it
tqueaied for a time and then became
quiet, while the little rat catcher resumed
nis pipe.
"Were you ever badly bitten?"
"Several times. Once I suffered long,
but I deserved it, for I let the beast bite
me through, carelessuess, you know. His
bite poisoned my arm, an' I had a dread
ful unhappy time for four mouths or so.
It was in Pittsburgh, Pa. Rats? Well,
there was rats there an' no mistake. In
the St. Clair hotel I caught 120 in one
night, and 437 m six nights. I caught
169 in the Severnh Avenue hotel in two
nights, and in five I got 211 out ot the
Monongehela hotel,"
"The hotels there seem to have been
very fairly stocked.*'
"Well, yes, sir, but it's almost as bad
here. I've been live years empioyed by
Earle's hotel, cleared out the St. Stephen,
an' get regular jobs at the Fifth avenue,
Windsor, Brunswick, on' Metropolitan
hotels. Rats in abundance u not de
sirable."
He laid his pipe on the step again and
said, reflectively:
That's as ugly a lookin' customer as I've
seen this many a day. He'll fight, but
I'll get him bare-handed just to show you
the sport."
Another rat, much larger than the first,
with scrawny legs and an emaciatel body,
was standing by the hole he had just
emerged from, and trying to open the
little wire door. W hen the little man ap
proached him the rat slowly retreated, but
did not go as though frightened, as his
fat predecessor had, but rather as a savage
cur retreats, turning half around toward
his pursuer every few steps. When he
bad reached the corner he stood at bay.
The man edged up toward him, but be
fore he got within jumping distance the
rat shot off along the wall He was
driven back several times, and he oecame
nglier at every defeat, until at length the
littls man was ready to spring at him,
when the rat made a noisy squeak aud
j ntuped straight for his throat. It bounded
irom the floor with a spring of extraor
dinary strength, and shot at the man's
throat as though driven from a cannon
with its teeth all showing and its long tail
straight. The rat catcher threw up his
arm, hitting it a savage blow, which drove
it against the wall, whence it fell to the
floor with a thud. In an instant it got on
its feet, and made another furious spring
at the rat catcher's throat. This time he
dodged it. The rat, when it came to the
floor then, started for its hole, but, failing
to get in once more, ranalong to the corner.
The little man was circling about it, con
stantly uttering the squeaking call through
his teeth.
"111 get him this time," he said calmly;
he's a bad one, but I'll get him."
He slowly approached the rat, which
was again at bay in the corner, but when
ever the animal showed any disposition to
jump he would retreat. These tactics
were kept up for some time, till the rat
started once more toward its hole. That
was the fatal step, for the instant it started
the catcher threw himself forward and
pinned it with both hands to the floor.
His recklessness in diving forward was as
remarkable as his success in always catch
ing the rat.
"Ah you big villain, you!"
"Will you keep away from here?"
"Ail right, sir. He won't hurt you now,
will yon, me boy?" and he gave the beast
two or three vicious slaps before he depos
ited it in the bag with its fellow, "i've
tackled many, but he was as ugly a house
rat as 1 ever seen, an' a man who don't
understand handlin' of 'em would be ap',
to get hurt, sir. I'll show ycu now how
X catcaes the most of 'etn."
The reporter noticed that nearly half a
dozen big rata were on the floor, huddled
behind the harness closet. They had
slipped out of the holes unnoticed, and
slurried around for concealment during
the fight. The catcher took his long tongs,
and crept toward them with the implement
open and held well in front. Oae of the
rats started along the wall, and the catcher
sprang after it and caught it by the tail as
it ran along with his big tonga, and held
it dangling up to view. This wgs thrust
into the bag, and the others soon joined it.
'•Now we'll have the pleasure of
waitin'," observed the little man, as he
sprinkled more of the thirst-inspiring
p ;wder in the holes, relit his pipe, and.
turning the gas almost out, seated himself
on the lower steps of the ladder and fell
into deep meditation. For an hour he sat
thus, without speaking, and, while the
reporter roosted, listened to the occasional
clicking of the little door and the monot
onous patter of the rats' feet as they scam
pered to and fro on the bare floor. When
the little man turned up the gas, there
was a sight! At least naif a hundred
black and brown little animals were scud
ding arouDd on tne floor. The repugnance
that men naturally feel for rats soetned to
have no place in the feelings of the stumpy
little rat catcher, who sailed into his work
with great vigor. Ouly twice did he en
counter any opposition, and then it was
short lived. At the expiration of half an
hour they were all squeaking together in
the big bag—a turbulent mass of r&'s.
He went outside m the yard, and brought
in a little terrier to guard the place till
morning, and then, swinging the bag on
his shoulders, he went out into the street.
"What do you do with them all?" we
asked.
"I have a number of degs for ti&inui',
an' they're very fond of rats."
The little man went trudging up the
street in the early morning, with his huge
burden of scrambling rats overshadowing
his figure-
Tlia Tamarind.
This tree is indigenous in various parts
of Africa and ludia, and it grows wild in
several parts of the East Indian Islands.
It is a handsome tree, 60 to 80 feet in
height. Its compound leaves of ten to
twenty pairs of small oblong leaflets form
a dense foliage. The flowers are white
when they first open, but soon turn yel
low. The fruit is an indehisceat legume
or pod, 8 to 6 inches long, straight or
somewhat curved, and with a hard, brittle
ex tenor shell. The seeds, from four to
twelve in number, are each surrounded
by a tough, peppery membrane, outside
of which, between it and the shell, there
is a firm, juicy acid pulp, traversed by
strong woody fibers, which start from the
fruit stalk. The ripeness of the fruit is
known by the bnttleness of the outside
shell.
In tho West Indies its fruits is picked,
deprived of its shell, and packed in casks,
aud boiling sirup is poured over them un
til the vessel is full; when cool, the pack
age is headed up aud is ready for market.
A better kind, rarely found in market,
is prepared by packing the shell fruit in
stone jars with alternate layers of sugar.
The pulp has a brisk acid laste, modified
more or less by the amount of sugar used;
it contains tartaric, citric, and other acids,
and some principle not well ascertained,
which gives it a laxative property. Tam
arinds are used in tropical countries to
prepare a refreshing drink by pouring
boiling water over the fruit. This drink
is also used as a laxative and refrigerant
in fevers. The wood is useful for timber,
and makes a fine charcoal. The shell of
..he seed contains tannin, and the kernels
are used as food in India in times of
scarcity.
A fly is nothing, but it spoils the ap
petite.
NO 20.