The Approach ef Christmas. The Urn. draws near the birth af Christ; Ths moon is hid, the night is still; A tingls church below ths hilt la peoliae, folded la ths mist. A single peel of belts below, That wakens si Shis hour of reel, A stngls murmur in ths breast. That these are net the bella I knew. like stranger's voice, her. th.j soar.!, la land, where not a memory .tray.. Nor landmark breathe, of other daya, Bat all it new via hallo wM ground 7>nnyon'> " In JfsmerMm.* little fierly. tVe a iwcetheart Withe and gay, Fairer far than fabled fay. Light and airy. She in bright snd debonair, Softly fall, her golden hair ; I all other lorn fore wear ; Little fairy. liUl* deity swears .he's true, Gives me kisses not s few ; Do ! doubt her ? Heart, are often bought and sold Is it glitter, is it gold f Half my grief could not be told Were I without her. Oerty eoold* me if [ nam, Wonders what I want from home, With sly glances— Looks that wens to me to say, " I have waited all the day ; Yon wars very wrong to stray, Naughty Francis. If I whisper, "We must part," Gerty, sighing, breaks her heart: Awkward, rery. When I say that IU remain. All her smiles return again. Like warm sunshine after rain. We are merry. If my sweetheart knows her muid. Love is mad as well as blind. Little Gerty flays she means to marry me ; She is only six, yon see; I—alas, that it should be 1 Am twoand-Uurty. THOMAS BUMBLE. now BI GOT UiKBIID. Blumble boasted of being a confirmed bachelor, and took pride in being called a woman-hater. I mean Thomas Blumble, of the importing and jobbing house ot "Hood, Stiver fc Blumble." He was very fond of letting people know that he din regarded the charm* of the softer sex, and was frequently heard to saj that he would like to see the woman that could get hiin under her thumb. There was a time, of course, when Blumble was susceptible to the overtures of Cupid; because when he was plain "Tom," of fifteen year* of age. and left "Rock Cove," came to the city and entered the epmloj of "Mensor. Tigby A Hood," he left behind him a young "Polly .Ann," with many a sigh and tear, and more rows than both put together, to be true till death. For two yeara he wrote constantly to hia Polly Ann, repeating the manifold rows of boy hood love; then he waa promoted from boy to entry cle-ik. and soon after was introduced to a very bewitching young lady whom we may be allowed to oafi Hat tie Ellon. Then he forgot his Polly Ann down in Rock Cove, and became very attentive to Miss Elton; he ac companied her to the theater and made her presents; he got trusted for his new coat, and with the money that ahould have paid for it they took a sleigh-ride to Brighton, and feasted on hot chickens and champagne; to please her he learned to polka and waltz; the schottisch and varsovienne were not in vogue then. Things had aped along very smoothly for about a year; so Tom, thinking he might as well have the matter settled at once, popped the question. Miss Elton appeared very much surprised; for a moment she remained silent, then lilting up both hands she exclaimed; "Why, Mr. Blumble," —she had con stantly called him "Tom" for six months previous—"l've been engaged these tivo years—didn't yon know it!" "Know it f No," replied Blumble, in ntter astonishment. "Why, yea I've been engaged to Charley Dudley for a long while, and I thought yon knew all about it, and was only paying attention to me out of polite ness. Cha'ley is in New York now, but we are to be married next Christmas.'' "Married next—" We may guess what Blumble was about to say, but we shall always be in doubt, for, instead of finishing his sentence, he took his hat and rushed out of the houe, not even-waiting to make the parting sa lution of "good-evening." Perhaps he was afraid to trust his gnashing teeth, for fear they would change his well-meant words into some wicked expression. Tom, in the privacy of his own chamber, with his door locked, his elbows npon his light-sttnd, and bis face quite buried in his hands, reverted to the year's time and the many dollars he Lad thrown away on Miss Elton; then be thonght of poor Polly Ann, whom he had "cnt" so shame fully. down in Rock Cove, and he decided to write to her, to offer pressing business as an excuse for'nftt having written before, to sue for pardon for past negligence, and to assert that his affections were still on altered and nnalterable. So he unbailed hie face, and penned the tender miaaive fall of falsehoods and stale love, which he j dispatched with the fullest confident* thatj Polly Ann wonld be very happy to receive it. But alas for poor human expectations! Polly Ann's letter came. It was brief; she told Blumble she had heard of his attentions te the city lady, that she had almost forgotten him, and was going to marry Jerry Smike, the village blacksmith the next week. She returned to Tom his earliest efforts in love-letter writing and a lock of bis hair, and requested him to return to her sundry articles in that line tl*at be had received from her. From that day Blnmble announced himself to the world az a woman-hater. He bad been false to one woman, and one woman had tricked him. So he cried down the whole aex. The time which Blarable had heretofore divided between lgve and business was now de voted to bnsiners exclusively, and in consequence he received one promotion after another, until he had the pleasure of seeing his own name the third on the sign over the Moor which he had first entered as an errand boy. I don't be lieve he remembered that there were any snch perrons in the world as Hattie Elton and Polly Ann, the first day that the new sign was raised. It was as the junior member of the firm that Blnmble had travelled through the New England States two years ago last Fall with samples, receiving orders. Daring his tour he remained in the pret ty village of P., N. H., one fine night in October. He sat in the bar-room after supper, smoking his cigar, until it be came filled with the villagers, discussing politics, Amoking their pipes, talking of their crops and ogling him ; all of which was quite uninteresting to him, so he concluded to walk out anil view the village by moonlight. He had hardly stepped into the entry, and before he could close the door, ere he heard a voice inquire: "Who is that gentleman ?" " His name is Blnmble, he's from Bos ton," replied the landlord. "Blumble, from Boston ?" chimed in a third voice, and then added, " You don't eay so !" followed by a long low whistle of astonishment. Blumble stepped off the piazza and walked up the village street. He bad scarcely walked twenty yards before he •was aware of being followed. Giving the matter but little thought, however, he turned from the road into a pleasant lane that wended its way toward some half-dozen farm-houses, until he came to a rustic 6eat, upon which he threw him self, and was soon oblivious to all the world excepting the business affairs of "Hood, Stiver & Blumble." He sat until his cigar was consumed, when he was aroused to the world around hiin by the village clock striking outteu. But toning lus coat closely around him, he FRED. KURTZ, Editor and Proprietor, VOL. V. hurried down tho lnue toward the hotel; a* ho turned from the lane into the grout road ho was suddenly and not very aoftlv seized hr the throat, by the shoulders, and by the coat-tails, by at least a doaoa baud*. He wae rattier Uxi much sur prised to apeak, eren if he had a chance to; the hands so tightly clenched around hia throat would huto pr, vented his speaking if he bad not Iwen so great ly surprised. As ho could not sjx-ak ho listened rory patiently to some half doion exclauiatious of " Now we've got you I" Something desperate must lc done, so lUuiubk* struck the fellow that held j him l>y the throat full in the face, knock ing him down, and then cried out as though he expected that this would be the last chance he ever would have to speak " What the deuce are yon slwnt ?" The striking question had a miraculous effect upon the uuiucronn hands dis tributed about his person, and Blumble was free. He waited a few moments to regain his breath, then looking around him. asked very energetically : • What does alt this mean ?" •• It means that if yon don't promise to leave town and not go to nee Mary Gay again, we'll just hide you, and then ride you out of town on a rail," said the young man, the recipient of the blow, who bad regained his leet. " Leave town ? Mary Gay ? Why, I do not understand what you mean," remarked Blumble, considerably mysti fied. "Well, air," interrupted another voice, "we mean that you've come here from Beaton to court Mary Gay, and you mean to cut out Billy Higdy here; now if yon dou't give np Mary, and leave town to-night we'll pitch you into the mill-pond." " Hold on a moment," said Blnmble; " I think you must have got hold of the wrong person, aa I have not the acquain tance of Miss Gay, nor in fact of any other lady in this place. But I want you to understand one thing distinctly, and that is, I shall not leave town until 1 get ready. Something abont Blumble'* manner seemed to convince the vcung men that he was in earnest, for tLey uttered var ious expressions, such as, "That's a like ly story !" "He's gassing !" "I don't be lieve that." etc. Men invarihly express doubts when being souvinecd of sumo thing they had rather not believe; Fur a few moments the wboki taurty remained in silence; then oue of the yonng denizens of P. broke the spell by asking: " Aintyour name Blumble ?" " Yes, sir." " And you are from Boston?" "Yea, sir." "And don't know Mary Gay ?" " No, sir." " Well, that's strange ! She said hi* name was Blumhle.and that'* your name; he belongs to Boston, and so do you ; now you've been rif;bt up by her house, and we believe you've been there to see her. Dou't we. Bill ?" " Yes, we do," replied Higdy. "Well, oung men," said Blnmble, " if you don't believe me, go ask the young lady herself.' 1 This proposition was met with ap proval bv the whole party, so Blumble started back up tbe lane, accompanied by a large escort before, behind, and on each aide of him. They filed into the yard, aud crowded on to the steps of a neat looking farm house, and Higdy knocked at the door. In a few moments one of the chamber windows wa* open ed and a protruding head asked : " Who's there ?" "Come down to the door a minute, Squire, will yon ?" asked BHI. " Why, what do you want ?" inquired the voice in the chain lie r window above. " We want to see Mary a minute," re plied a voice from the crowd below. " Why, she has been abed these two hours. Is it anything important ?" "Yes, we want to see her just a min ute." " Well, 111 speak to her." In a few minutes Mary appeared at the door. She was very good looking, not withstanding being culled out of herTnil at such an unseasonable hour—and so thonght Blumble. For some moments the whole company remained speech less ; at last Blnmbifl, tiring of his con spicions situation, ami the " nothing-to say" spirit of the party, broke the silence by asking the young lady if she hail ever seen him before. " Nfft that I remember of," she re plied. "I only asked you to satisfy these young men," said Blumble. " Then hie ain't roar eity beau ?" ask ed Higdy. "No f" as short a* though it had been bnt one letter. "Then we were mistaken" said a voice | in the yard and two or three of tlie par ty slid out at the gate. " I am very sorry that I have heqn the indirect etuse of this annoyance W yon, but it was no fault of mine. This gen tleman," pointing to Higdy, "and hia party seized me and would not allow me to proceed to mv hotel until I hail proved to them that I had not been visiting yon. I must now leave them with you to make their own explanations, and bid you good evening." "Good Evening," said the young lady in a very sweeot voice. Somehow Blumble didn't sleep very sound that night; be was in a strailge place, and ho kept constantly thinking of his strange adventure, and of the good-looking, strange young lady ; and the more he thought, the mora he won dered who she waa ; and when at last he determined to inquire about her in tbe morning, he fell a.dcep and dreamed of BlumbJe IM an early rier—bachelors* Cnerally are—md the neit morning, fore the villagers were astir, he had walked out and passed the house of Squire Gay ; bat he did not see Mary, so he returned to the hotel and inquired of the landlord concerning her. The landlord must have praised the girl for the bachelor decided to remain another day and be introduced to her, then to remain a third, and finally he concluded he might as well stop the week out, and no wrote to his partners, informing them that he should remain there a few days to rest himself. The professed woman hater walked up that same luno each evening, and walked into the house, too; He was not disturbed again by Bill Hig dy, for the Squire had threat* ned if be came within gnu-sfeotwf tbe house again to put a dose of sold lead into lifm. 80 the wise but jealous Iligdy kept out of the way. nK ' " There was a great reform in the man ner and habits of Thomas Blumble, merchant. He left his bachelor clubs, notwithstanding the jeers and taunts of his former companions, and he became very circumspect in his remarks on female character. For a number of months be spent his spare hoars writing to Mary, and choosing appropriate gifts for her, and for a long while tire Boston and P. Express considered him one of their best customers. But ere long there was abrilliant wedding-party at the house of Squire Gay, and P. lost its most charm ing belle, for Miss Gay became Mrs. Blomble. A few weeks ago Mr. and Mrs. Blumble went down to Rook Core and visited the old Blumble homestead; while there Mr. Blnmble introduced his wife to Mr. Jerry 8 mike, and Mrs. Polly Ann Smike, and the little Smikea. It would be impossible to tell which are the most contented with their lot, Tho- THE CENTRE REPORTER mas or l'oll) Ann. One thing more and lam done. In answer to Hhtmhle'a ad vertiseiuent for a chamber-maid, who would aasirt iu plain aewing.wlu doyou think appln-d for the situation? Yon would never gnesa, so I'll toll you. It a.i* Hattic Elton! Her New York bean had heard of her flirtations with Blum ble, and for that reason broke his en- Kgo incut with her; snd she, who might WE IHOU Mr*. Thouiaa Blum hie. must ■ bo content to be Mrs. Bluuible's servant. The Yuka Hot 11. t>u the reeervatioo there ence lived an 1 udian who was so tbotvoghly bad in every respect that he was generally known by the sobriquet of The Yuks Devil, lie 'omuntted all the seven deadly sin* and a good many more, if not every day of his life, at least as often as he could. One ; day he wandered oil a considerable way I trom the reserve, accompanied by two ol i hi. tribal hrethren, and they fell upon and wantonly murdered three squaws, without j any known provocation whatever. They I were pursued by a detachment of the gar ; risen, overtaken, captured, carried hack ' manacled hand ami loot, and consigned to the guard house. In some inexplicable manner, The Devil contrived to break his letters asunder, and then be tied them on ajriiu with twine iu such fashion that, when the turnkey came along on a tour of inspection, he perceived nothing amiss. Being taken out for some purpose or other soon afterward, he seised the opportunity to wrench off his manacles ami escape. But he was speedily overtaken again and brought down with a bullet, which wound cd him alightly, taken back to theguaid bouso heavily ironed, and cast into a dungeon. Here he feigned death. For lour days be never swallowed a crumb of nutriment, tasted no water, breathed no breath that could be discovered, and lay with every muscle relaxed like a corpse. To all human perception he was dead, ex cept that his body did not become rigid or cold. At last a vessel of water was placed on a table bard by; Information ol that fact was casually imparted to him in his native speech; ail the attendant, with drew, the dungvou relapsed into Mleoce, and ho was secretly watched. After a long lime, when profound stillness pre vailed, ami when the watchers had l>pun to believe be was in a trance, at least, he cautiouriv lifted up hit head, gated stealth | ilr all aiound him, scrutinised every cran ny and crevice of light, then softly crawled on all fours to the table, taking care not to clank his chains the while, took down the pitcher and drank deep and long. They rushed iu upon him, but upon the instant —so fatuous was the obstinacy of the sav aye—he dropped as if he bad been shot, and again simulated death. Hut he ws* now informed that his play was quite too hallow for any further purpose*, and as soon as the gallows con Id be put in order, the executioners entered and told him plainly that the preparations were fblly compietcd for bintaking-off. He made no sign. Then, half dragging, half carrying the miserable wretch, tbey conducted him torth to the scaffold. All limp and flare;d and nerveless as he is, tbey lift him npon the platform ; but still he makes not the * least motion, snd exhibits no conscious ness of >ll these stern and grim prepara tions. He is supported in an upright posi tion between two soldiers, hanging a life less burden on their shouldera ; his bead is lifted up from bis breast, when* it droops in heavy helplessness; the new bournt rope, cuid and hard and prickly, t* coiled around bis neck, and the Luge snot properly adjusted at the side ; the mem tu! cap, which shuts off these beart-.ickcn lug prepaiations from the eyes of the faint and shuddering criminal is dispensed with ; and everything is in perfect readiness. The solemn stilhtews befitting the awful rtaclc about to be enacted tails upon few spectators; the fatal sign is given ; the prop swiftly descends; the supporting soldiers FEVHR. —A relic of the first gold excitement in California kas just been brought to light by tho removal of the old Niantic Hotel iu San Francisco, and is none other than the ball of the ship Niantic, one of the first vessels that arrived in that I*rt after the discovery of gold. She WM fitted out in New York for a whaling voyage, and wa* commanded by Cap. H. Cleveland, of Martha's Vineyard. After a few weeks at Rhode Island, where oil ber whaling apparatus was put on board, the Niiratir set sail. On her vpyage she toil on ed at Palta, above Oaflao, una there learned of tho discovery of gold in Cali fornia. Captain Cleveland was iufonned Unit thousands! admits rare weft" wait ing eagerly at Panama for some means of transportation to the gold fields. This appeared better than whaling. Casks, boats and all surplus freight were put on shore, and the Niantic steered for Pana ma. Ber arrival was Mh'fl willxjhj by the gold seekers. They jiotfrdd ou board by hundred*. No pricf was deemed too high for apoWiqgii to the new HI Dorado. Captain Cleveland towni ! a#aj as many as his vessel would bold, aud forwarded 845,000 in gold coin to hia owners., the amount of the passage money collected. The cost of the Nantic was about $30,000. This was paying for herself with interest, anil besides exceeding the entire expense of her whaling outfit. On her arrival at ■San Francisco, not oly we Be Urn I*au m: • passengers put ashore, Imt all ber crew, as a matter of oonrse, deserted for the diggins. Nor fcculd money procure a handful of men sufficient to work her home; a>, like many other ships, the Nl antie liecame a permanent fixture. Cap. Cleveland, therefore, sold her to a man who used it as a a tore-house. Houses wore erected on tho deck, and lodgings let at rates that go far beyond the tariff of our first-class hotels to-dav, and many a weary miner, sad ana disappointed from the months of unsuccessful labor, has lain down to rest in the shelter of tbe timbers of this old ship. FISHES' JSRAU—TB eys in tl:# lancalH and the liag is of the shhplest form, con sisting of a nerve termination coated with blcV pigment, and capable of p#r etfvlirg the presence of light. In yomig lampreys while thry remain hurted in the sand the eves are very minute and undeveloped; but when they reach the adult period these organs are developed to an average size. In the majority of fishes, the eyes are admirably adapted to the purposes of vision in water; and in the four-eyed fish of South America not only are the eyes very perfect, but they are also divided into an upper and lower portion, giving them the appear ance of two pupils, aud enabling the fish to pursue its prey when out of us well as when under the water. In the cat fishes the greatest variety it found in the size and arrangement of the visual organs, from the large eves on the Hidea to mi nute oues placed on the upper surface of the head. In some of the members of this family they are so buried under the skin as to be of little or no use. A terrible accident a eirens show in Sheffield, England. A gallery crowded with people fell with its liTing freight upon the heads of those below, and it is reported that seventy persons wore injured by the accident and the panic which followed. CENTRE lIALL, CKNTIIE CO., PA., FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1872. I'srd t'p Money. A correspondent who visited the Foi led States Treasury Department at Wsh --j itigtoti, says ; I made a tour of one of the rooms the used up money wa t lieiug counted a few days since, and one lof the ladtea showed me a pocket-book i which was sent to the Department by i nu of ths officer* of the who stated that tt had been lout tlirce j real* and just turned up in the *ha|M sent. He said the man who lost it claimed that it held 815 when lo*t. It was forwarded with the hope that, not withstanding the seeming impossibility of deciphering the mass of pulp remain ing of the nioncv, something might lie made of it. As I looked at it not * line, mark, or figure denoting Its value could lie traced, and 1 asked the lady to whom it was assigned for verification if she could do anything iu the way of deci phering it. "O ves," she replied, turning over some or the fragments, " there is a flvo dollar legal tender." I looked into her face, expeetlug to are a smite at the joke she was playing upou me ; but she was instead earnestly put ting the fragments together, to see how in any legal tenders she could make. To me tliU seemed a display of genius not to be altaiucd by many members of the human family, and the successful few must belong to the female aex. This lady has remarkable akill m this particular direction, and has saved mauy hundreds of dollars to the Government, as well as gladdened the hem to of num bers who would, except for this ability on bar part, have lost large sunn of money. The loser of the pocket-book will, from the wreck otherwise total, nave perhaps hi* entire 845 through her. WASIUNO BTTTSK.— We copy the fol lowing from the Fmibaoi Grruar: Tin* practice is by some butter-makers looked upon as injurious, and it ia a (Kant ujwn which diver* opinion* are held. One says, "I never allow a particle of water •o" touch my hotter." It is claimed tliat by this practice tlie !>uttcr has a richer flavor, that washing takes away. If but ter could be entirely freed from casein, which even washing will not do per fectly, it wonld keep almost an in definite time with good care. But we are told that unwashed butter Contain* about five or six percent, of casein, while that which ia well washed will retain only about one per cent, of it. Wo be lieve that it is belter to wash tho casein than to work it out, even if working would o broken off. A parson is to lie looked upon AS idiotic who wiil delilieratcly adopt the practice of baking snch an injurious and dangerous drug, merely for the 'purpose of w uitouing the skin. But there arc other substaoces much more commonly used than arsenic I for their eflocton the complexion, which sro also highly deleterious. Many of tho cosmetics vrhioh are sold contain ! lead, and there are few poisons which prodnce results more to lx> dreaded than those occasioned by lead. Even as used in hair dyes, it occasions neuralgia, pars lysis, guttering and death. Seek good looks by seeking good health : by early rifling, ont-door exercise, whole some food, a clear conscience, and the cultivation of a cheerful temper; and not by the nse of arsenic or any other poi* son. DRYIXO PmrziN#.— Wo hav# tried all modes of drying, hut no plan is equal, we think, ta this : Take the ripe pumpkins, pare, cut into small piqees, stow soft, tnash and strain through a cullender, a* if for making pies. Spread this pnlp on plates in layers not quite an inch thick ; dry it down in the stove oven, keep at so low a temperature a* not to scorch it. In about a day it will become dry and crisp. The sheets thus made ran be stored away in a dry place, and they are always ready for nse for pies or sauce. Honk the nieces over night in a little milk, am! they will return to a nice pulp, as delicious at the fresh pumpkin—we think much ruoro so. Tbe quick drying alter cooking prevents any portion from slightly roaring, as it is always the case when tho uncooked pieces are'dried ; the flavor is much better preserved, anil after cooking is saved. This tilnn is quite a* little trouble as the old mode, to say nothing of the superiority in the quality of the materia) obtained. Try it snd yon will not return to the old method, we are sure, and you will also become a great lover of pumpkin pie all the ysar round. AN EXCKIAENT VABNISII ro* IIAHM'NN. —Procure half a pound of gum shellac, break the sealee fine, and put tliem in a jug or liottle; add alcohol sufficient to cover the gum; oork tightly and place where it will bo kept warm. Iu about two days, If shaken frequently, the gum will be dissolved and ready for use. If the liquid appears M thick M thin mo lasses, add more alcohol. To one quart of varnish add one ounce of good lamp black and an ounce of gum camphor, such varnish will not render leather hard but wil| keep the harness from becoming soaked with water and the surface clean and neat for a long time. A coat of it will effectually prevent the oil in the leather from soiling one's hands. Nothing is better to render a farmer's boots water proof than an occasional coat of this lea ther varnish.— llomt Journal. A Fragment from Spain* At the eluaa of the year 1808, when the victorious English were advancing iu all directions toward Madrid, sud the hittierto invincible French legion* were falling Imck toward* their own frontier, a Hpauioli farmer, on* Jo*e de Salvador, was captured by a squadron of French i'uiranaient who were covering the rear of Hoult'a main body. At that time, as is now well known, the French were accustomed to shoot on the spot every Spaniard taken prisoner with anus in his hands ; aud the unfor tunate farmer, when surrounded by the French, hud unfortunately with lota hi* fowling-piece, with which he had just shot one of his horses, which had an hour before broken hi* leg while at work in the field*. The Hpauiard vsa at ouee drugged before C'aptoin Mar ins de Yiol lea, the commander of the Cuirassier*, and wa* immediately ordered by hiui to be hanged to the nearest tree. The wretched farmer iu vain ploadod hia iunooonee. llie hands were tied, and he was on the ;>oiut of Iwing exo entcd, wlu'U the sound of a horse gallop ing wa* heard in the disUtucu, and in a few uioiuuula a liesutiful girl was eoeu coming towards the party at full SINWMI. She galloped into the midi of the Frauch, and, diauiounting and nulling towurdatbe captain, infplored him to KIMI re her father. But alaa ! all in vaiu the enptaiu waa iuexoralile ; aud in a moment the uuiortuuato farmor was no more. Ilia daughter, who had watched the proceeding* with a firm gaze, after she had found all her entreaties of no avail, then turned to Captaiu de Viol lea, aud snatching oue of tbe pistols from his belt, shot nim through the head ; and thru, jumping on her borer, was already at some hundred yards' distance before the thunderstruck Cuirassiers could re mount to pursue her. A volley from their carbines only had tho effect of iucrraaiug her distance, and it waa more than an hour before the Freuch reached the farm whore alut lived, aud found it barricaded on all shies. They called npon the inhabitants to surrender, hut a storm of bullets was tbe only reply they received from the des perate in mate*. At lad, after firing without result for some minute*, the Cuirassier* were on the point of retiring, when the door* of the courtyard of the farm were sudden ly thrown open, aud a large body of the servant* of tho estate, headed by the young lady, charged th* Cuiraaaiera. These being attacked unawares, and having expeuded the whole of their ammunition, where, after a desperate fight, (Jain to a man, but not before they had killed more than thirty Span iard*, and had severely wonutled the gallant girl who had frmgnt bravely at their head. She, however, after a long illness, recovered, married happily, and one of her sou* lias lately, alter being for several years one of the leading men in hi* country, perudied by tbe hand* of aasaaaina, regretted by nil hi* country men. We allude to the lab* Don Pahlo f the Mandarin who presides at their trial, who may torture or sentence them to death a* the whim takes liini. The written law is laJ enouglt, lint the scope 1 given to the judge* make* it ton times worse. It ia shocking enough to find a law which declare* that, in ca*e of trea son, "all the male relatives in the first degree of the (leraun convicted, hia father, grandfather, and patera*] uncles, as w.-ll aa hia n>u*, grandwutia, and tna of hia uncles, shall bu indiscriminately behead ed." But the following ia productive ol far more practical injury: "Whoever ■hall art in away that ofleud* propriety, and thai ia contrary to the spirit of the laws, without special infraction of any of their provisions, shall be punished with forty blow*, or eight v if the impro priety lie very great." The Mandarins ara. of t-oaras, the judge* of the impro priety. Chinese punishment* vary from the well-known tunym, or woodcu collar, to the "alow and painful death." Tloa ia inflicted by an executioner, who hold* a covered basktt containing a author of knives, marked with the names of the various limbs and parts of the body. He put* hia hand in the basket, draw* out a knife, and cut* of ths part of the body marked on it; then another, and doe* the name; attd *o on till he chances to light ujMn a knifs destined for a vital part. But whipping is the commonest form of punishment, in ordinary oase* bamboo* are used; bat great criminal* are flogged with thongs fastened to ban boo handles. M- Hue chanced one day to step into a court, where a Mandarin was trving the case of a noted robber and SSsaiTiTii Ttie judge aked tbe prisoner a question which he stubbornlv refused to oiiswsr. Tim Mandarin took a pise* of bamboo from lit* table, and threw it to ths executioner standing by. It bora tbe figure fifteen. By bl* wriats aud silkies, the prisoner wa* swung by cards to the ceiling, *o that hi* body wa* twisted into tlie shape of an arc; and while thus unamended. the executioner administered thirty stripe#—twice fifteen, according to custom. .Strip* of flash, and atrrem* of blood, dripped from the poor wretch at every stroke. Even wit n ram* and prisoners before trial arc treated as barbarously. It is quite usual wh n tbe Chinese police catcli a au*pect ed tbirf and hate not a cord at hand to hamper him, to noil him by the hand to the cart in which he U conveyed to prison. Vf Terk H Hhant Harset. New York aaya a city journal, suffer* from tho public calamity which, in the •drape of epizootic influenza, befell thia i <4ty * me daya since. e quite unable to remove the garbage tram the afreets, as at the present time the large number of afflicted liomw interferes aerionaly with tho contractors performing their work thoroughly. The terrible spread of the disease in certain stables waa shown in tbe reduced number of cam running, aud the total withdrawal of rolling stock on several ot the railroads. Tlie afreets of tho city were deserted. New York baa not experienced ao great a trial for year*. What Tobacco B IU 80. Tbe effect of the use of tobacco upon the system is thus told by a correspond ent We onco had two acquaintance who were remarkable for tbeir abuse of the weed. To snch an extent did they use it, that their constitutions were seriotudv impaired, and they determined to abandon tlie I*l at. to tweape from a premature grave. It so happened that they made their pledges of abstinence at night, aud tin- following morning thev were some miles in the country on a fishing excursion.. Aftor the excite ment of arranging their taeklo and throwing their books into tie water had sulauded, there came the qniet nntici patorv of "a bits." " Presently," satd ono of the geuliemon, who afterward re lated the incident, " the log on which I sat commenced whirling round, the just rising snn grew dark in the heavens, and all nature dissolved in a death-like tremor, thst seemed to divide my soul from my body, anil I fell head-long into the lake. Fortunately the cold bath brought me to consciousness, and, reaching the shore, I found my friend pale and insensible on the grass. Bous ing him from hi* stupor, we jumped in to our buggy, leaving our rods, reel*, and lunch disregarded on the gronnd, and galloping like mad down the road, never stopped until we reached a coun try store, aud seized, with the avidity of starring men, upon some tobaeoo, but it WHS a long time liefore our systems were restored to qniotness. snd we were •opable of cohernently explaining tbe oaiises of our, for the time-being, appar ently insane conduct." Tim I'snaUM*- It is strange how closely men read the pa tiers. \V e never say anything that anybody don't like hut we soon boar of It, and everybody tells us about it. If, however, we once in a while happen to say a good thing, we never henrof that ; nobody seems to notice that. We may pay a man a hun dred compliments and give him a dozen puffs, and lie takes it as a tribute to his greatness, aud never thinks of it, never thinks It does him any good. But if we happen to say something this man don't like, or something ho imagines a reflection on him or his character, see bow quick he flares up and gets mad about it. All our evils are daily charged to us, but we never, apjiarently, get any credit for what good we do. HOT WATEH FOB PUANT INRKOTS. — Most plants in vigorous health, it is currently statcd,will bear an application of water heated to UO degrees Full., and most insects infesting thorn can lie killed by water heated to 120. Hot water is easily applied to house plauts.and hence a ready means is furnished for destroy ing large numbers of plant vermin. A thermometer thrust into the water will qoickly show the degree of heat, and by immersing the plants into it for a minute or two, the insects will be cooked into harnilessnees. . The Kilkenny fata. I have *!Va woaderad why awe* af year *wrr*ponj*M but two tails. Tliis is manifestly aa Irish exaggeration, ami when your raadn* shall have teamed the \ true anecdote connected with the two ante, they will understand why only two tails were found, the unfortunate owners having fled in terror from lit* acwae of their mutilation 1 am happy In bring able to slate that net the* Ireland nnr Kilkenny ia at all diegraoad by the occurrence, which did take take place in Kilkenny, bat which might have occurred In any other place in the known world During tbe rebellion which look place in Ireland in 179ff i or may be in DM; Kilkenny was garri aunod by a regiment of Hessian soldiers whose custom it was to tie together is one at their barrack-room*, two rata be their respective tails, ami then to throw them face to face aensa a line generally used Im drying clothe*. Tbe cat* naturally became Infuriated, and scratched each other in the abdomen until death ensued to one or both at Ibeta, and terminated their iflWing* The officers of the corps were ultimately made acquainted with three barbarous art* of cruelty. and they reeolrod to put an sud to them and to punish Die offenders. In order to effect this purpoa* an ofltorr WM ordered to inspect each barrack room daily, and to report to the commanding ufliot-r to what stale be found tbe room. The cruel sold eta, determined not to lose the dally torture of the wretched rata, gener ally employed one of their comrade* to watch Utf ippiwli of tiAcw, it urtkr 'hi l (bt est* might bt liberatod and take refagw to flight before the visit of lb* nf&cwr to th soeoe of their torture. On one occasion the " took-out man" aegtortorf hia duty, and to* oflkrr of Lbt dijf was htmnl aafiiuli ng; the barrack-stairs while toe cats were usdergotag the custoiaary torture. < toe of the troupers immediately seised a (word from the arm rack, aad with a single blow divided the tails af the two oata. ih* caw, of coora*. mrapeii through Lb* upon windows at the room, which was entered almost immediately afterwards by the officer, who inquired what was the esus* at tba two btowding cats' tails t -iag suspended on the clothesline, and w* i U in reply that " two rata had been fighting to th* room ; that it wa* fonnd imponfltde to separate tb*m ; aad that they fought *o desperately that they bad devoured each other up with the excepttom at their two tail* wbah may have aaUsfled Captain .Shumnmlkrtll* but would net have delmted any person but a beery Prussian. Fnnenda In New York. All the pomp, unwecMiary expense, and useless show bestowed on the dead, ia ao much lost to tba Uinq says Prof. Wells. Here in New York it not un frequently happens, that "one's little all, ia onaumed on an ostontafious funeral. A poor man, who baa a wife and children, sickens and die*. The wife, almost destitute, to be **in fashion," must incur tbe useless expense of hiring five, ten. or more carriages from a livery •table—kept for the purpo**—si an extra caah cost of from 825 to tSO, and upward, to help form a grand procession, ami go ewp'y, at they often do—or be filled with j 'aanre-seekere who care nothing for tbe departed. For one in ordinary circumstance*, a funeral cost# here from fl&OO to £SOO. aad for one •ho has wore means, from 81.000 to 82,00 ft, and upward, besides the oast ot ground, tombstone, sts.. on which several thousands more are sometime* expended. There are graves in Greenwood which have co*t more than $50,000. Is not this a kind of idolatry? A coffin or casket may be made of ootid roue-wood, ! lined with ths finest silk aad silk vchrot, mounted with solid silver, and this en closed in a metallic (leaden) case her radically sealed, and the whole enclosed ia a pins box, all to be buried from four to six feet in tbe ground. In tbe country, funerals are leas showy and hvs costly. But a change for the lietter ia coming over the spirits of the living in our cities, and we attribute it iu large measure to the Father Mathew Temper ance Societies of New Y'ork. These societies are composed chiefly of those who were once Irish, lrat are now natu ralized American citizen*, who, seeing the folly of Old Country customs, anch, for example, as "wake*" and expensive funerals, have dropped them, and are adopting more sensible ways. A decent respect for the dead consists in a qniet ami modest buriaL It is the living who most need assistance, sympathy, and care. , Lime a Preserver af Weed. Lime is likely to be used largely as a preserver of wood. It ha* lately been discovered that roasels which oarry lime last much longer than others. For a block psvement it is said that an apply cation of lime can !>c successfully made. In frame-housts, tbe space between the lath and aiding could be filled compactly with lime, and tbe usual decay prevented at no very large expense. 1 n regard to lima in connection with ship timber, tbe experience ot an old ship-builder, on tbe coast of Maine, published iu tbe Me chanics' Magazine, is of interest. He had been iu the habit of filling up tbe *pace* bat ween tbe timbers with lomr hard alone lime, and ramming it in calculating that slight leaks would causa tbe lime (o expand and fill tlie Long observation bad lad him to con sider lime a good preservative. A coast ing schooner, built of Maine timber, unseasoned, and loaded with lime, hail gone ashore and bilged. Being raised and repaired, the schooner remained sound for thirty year*, with the excep tion of the wood that haria of heaven to ahina in," ah# odd. •• And their splendor makaa evw thia 1 iitila pool beautiful and noble," ha aa I awwwd, " Where ia the light tt come , from that ia to do aa much for our f> oar i human Urea ?" ! : ■ i A amiple question enough, hut the young girl felt her color change aa ahe [ answered, "Prom friendship, 1 tii.ck.** Gracing only na yet— not atriking fail 1 —hardly hitting at ad-—hot there art ' questions and anowt-rfc that come m> very near thi wind of them alone ahnust takaa the "breath away. . ill , There waa an interval ofailonae. Two , young pereons can stand looking at wa i terfor a long lima without testing th* i uecanaity of speaking. especially when [ the water ia aiira with staa and the young persona we thoughtful atsd'im • jireaaible. Tha water aaema to do half 1 the thinking while one ia looking it it ita movement# are felt in the brain efts . much like thought. When I waa tw full ' tmining aa a fttmrm I could ahead aw ; the Paint NVuf with th other expert* in * the great aeienea of lahhcatino and look at the river far half an hour with ao bt i tie mental articulation that when I not- I ed on it seemed aa i! my thinking mar -5 row had beau asleer. and waajwt waking ! up refreshed after it# nap. So the reader can easily aeeownt for ' the interval of aftene*. It la hart! to tail how long it would haw* bated, wwt just then* labberly, intensive boy threw a great atowa, whwtooomUeod the Arm a rrirat the one at tin*, feet 1 turon- The aix Pleiad* disappeared aa If in Miarrb of their Loat si#ter; th# bah of Orion waa broken maunder, and hna dred worlds dissolved into oheoa. They and turned awayatoayed oi into one of the more open paths, where tha view of f tha uky over thorn waa unobstructed. For some reason or other the aatronanxi cal leasoo did not get on very fart this evening, • Presently tha young man asked hit Tto'yno know what the eootoeUattonj directly ovwr ou® heads ia I Ia it not Caaeiopca f ah* asked a little hesitatingly. - - No, it ia A Ldn.me.la. Too Wtht not to have forgotten her, tor I remember showing yon a double star, the ooetn brr right foot, through the equatorial tekweope. Ton have not forgotten the doable star —the two that ahoas for each other and a little world by the®- B#, indeed—she answered, and bill ed. and felt ashamed because she had said indeed, as if it had been an emo tional recollection, ■' The double star allusion struck another dead alienee. She would have given a week's pay to anv invisible attendant that would have cat her slay lace. At last; " Do you yoa know the story ot Andromeda V be ated. " Perhaps I did once, but suppose I don't remember it?* He told her toe sfoiy of the unfor tunate maiden chained to a roek and waiting for a are beast that wan coming to devour hr, and ho* Peruana came and set hur free and won her love with ber life. And than be began soaieih-.ug about a young man chained to Ilia roek. which waa a star gaaer a tower, a prey bv turns to ambition and lonely self eon tempt and unwholesome acorn of the life he looked down upon after the serenity of the firmament, and endless question - iaga that led him nowhere and now he had only one more queteian to nek. He loved her. Would sbo break his cha-.ns ? He held both hi# hands out toward her. the palms together, aa if they were fet tered at the wrists. She took hold of them very gently; parted them a Sttle; then wide—wider—and found bereetf at onoe folded, unresisting, in her lover's arm*. So there was a new double star in the living firmament I u■ i.-jwudewt Peknaltea. A New York fashion journal aaya: In dependent Polonaises of grey OT brown camel's hair to wear with rations skirt# are ao covert*! with silk and wool em broidery that the fabric is almost con >Wed. * They axe edged with thick wool fringe or with yak lace. Sometimes wide Dolmen sleeves are added to these. Polonaise patterns of Carmelite—un dreared gray cashmere—and of oagMd'e hair are imported unmade, bat bordered with embroidery. They coat from $75 to 8125 unmade- Black cashmere polo naises are brilliant with fine jet, em broidery, aad guipure. A rich fabric for polonaises is brocad- , ed Sicilienne, the fine iepped oaali mere we have already dewcribed- In all the antique colore, * withr satin strina and raised figure of the same shade, it costs | from 83 to $5 a yawl. It ia three qnar- < tars of a yard wide, and from eight to ten yards are required for a polonaise. The skirt with which it is worn is silk or velvet of the same shade or else black. Plain repped SiciUaane resembles Dish ! poplin, but is mow supple and finer. In 1 double fold it coats 810 a yard; five- 1 eights of a yard wide, it Is $2,50. i Black velvet polonaises are longer < tkan ever, of simple shape in front i voluminously draped behind, and are 1 richly trimmed with embroidery, jet i and lace, or else a band of tha expansive < silver fox fur. S4OO to S6OO ia not an ' unusual price for these garments. To t be well worn a velvet polonaise should ] have a dress skirt of black faille with I velvet trimmings ; such a suit is consid- 1 ered more styliih than if made entirely 1 of velvet. Colored silk skirts are seldom I worn with black polonaiaea; the reverse 1 —a black skirt with colored over dress— l is now in favor. • -' i Thk T*aksit o* V#*t!t,—Forth*pur pose of doing justice to the transit o Venus, which is to take place in December 1874, England is preparing eight helio- I photographic apparatuses on the model < of that at Kew. Russia has threa of the ] same model, and has ordered a fourth-; ' Germany also will have four; Portugal| ( one. Those of the United States will be ' ef a different make, ahd those nsed by ! the French will be constructed according 11. the plan of the late M. Delaunary. The vonog lady whs thought she could j make her voice cfear by straining it, made 1 1 a great miftak* m \U; -V i } A . |T*t hm n ii 67§ Tlere are 4y forly-cCht Indians ia, lowa, Tba laird Btanlny scarf luteins to Ig going out of fashion. The beat grindstones are made in Crawford county, Kanaea. Three tbremnd women in Philadel phia work on boots and shoes. Tea rosea and Iftie* of tha valley ap poar to be the favorite flower# thk Win- V you wonhl not have affliction vtait listen at oaeo to what it Hwaden has tlirec qucrtioa aatoog tha towns using iL Wk was tha indigna tion of the tmmsmtm to find that tha teamster* stayed at home that day. The Hfosvifle Htnld thus epitomises one of the early chapters of ita Uogn eiy: "Tobacco dances are the laat new ing In Vireinia, aaya an exchange. We remember attending a tobacco dance in Ohio, 30 years ago, when our father caught us smoking a cheep cigar behind the barn." The San Franckeo f.iff aays that not leas than fourteen pereons are lying iu the evils of the prison of that city await ing trial for murder, and adda, aa a coroHary to tha statement, that the hut manner in which the laws of the State are enforced k the true reason of that state of thfnga. The town of Sterling, HL, haa hit upon an excellent tetnpenuire measure. It lias pawed aa ordinance providing that if the windows or doom of drinking sa loons shall be obscured by meaaa of screens, paint or other devices to con ceal what k going on within, the propri etor shall ba liable ton fine of from five to twenty dollars. Several young ladiaa of New York ha* formed an anti-tobacco society, and amuse themselves by indncinw their gentlemen friends to sigs a pledge not to use the weed, which they do unani mously. aad smoke wa much aa ever. i*o all parties are pleased, and the reform line still mores forward unbrokec. A letter baa been pubtkhed by the Count de Chsntbord pretesting against the establishment of a republic ass per manent form of Government for France. To his monnremal mind it ka monarchy only whkh can save France. He k ex trembly •overs in hi* reference to the parQ to power, whom he accuses of pronxtkuig peace to man while it declares war oa Qoo. A strong minded woman in Detroit made the following gentle reply to a politician who had called at uer house to get her husband to go to the polls and vote:—" No sit, he cant go! He's washing now, and he's got to iron to morrow, and if be wasn't doing any thing 1m oouidnt go. 1 run this 'ere house, I do, and if any one votes it'll be thk same Mary Jane." Prinee Napoleon is determined to show fight He has already appealed to the Procureur- General of France lot re dress against the Minister of the Interior and others who took part in hi expul sion. Should this appeal be rejected the Prinee proposes to commence personal proceedinps in the courts to regain his rights of citizenship and also to procure the punishment of his ejectors. Trntpauxcn STATISTIC*.— An emir en T English statistician, wholly unconnected with the temperance movement, has pub lished a aeries of tables showing that the mortality among temperance men insur ed in a number of lifa insurance offices in Etogland during the last five years, was twenty-six per cent, below the aver ages upon" which the tgblaa are calculat ed, whilst in the "genaral aaqtion," which k open to the public, It was only seven per cent. The general average of iwcuuiary results for ten years, as shown by tha reversionary bonus declared on the premiums, was fifty-three per cent, from the amount of premiums paid in the total abstinence section, and thirty four in the general; an advantage of nearly one-third in favor af temperance as compared with even moderate drink- Pqisojj.— The Countess BrinvlHlers Is an example of the poison mania of early days. She poisoned over twelve persons by bfueine at different tiiies, hut she did it once too often, and was caught t last. She denied ber guilt, * and was nut to the questlou by water - a terrible Expedient for forcing a con fession. She was, strapped down *o a plank and forced to swallow watet until her abdomen became frightfully distended, and ber .agony waa worse than death. e>be gave way at ke% : 1 told her guilt, aud wa# executed In Park. - 1 NO. 40.