Home Song BT a. w. uvKoraixow. St AT, Uy at hoßin. MY heart and r**t ; Home-keeping heart, are happiest, For tho* that wander they know not where Are full of trouble and full of rare ; To ftay at home is beat. Weary and homeeiok and di.troa.ed Tliey wander eaat they wander went. And are haflind and beaten ami blown about By the * .Ida of the wtlderaeaa of doubt ; To atay at home ia best. Then atay at home, my heart, and rent; The bird ia aafeat in iia neat ; O'er all that flutter their wing, and fly A hawk ia hovering in the aky ; To atay at home ia bmV. Mrs. i onj and 1. Mrs, IAVRJ keeps a oarnage. So do 1, She has dapple-grava to draw it, None have I; She's no prouder *i'h her ooschiv.au Than am 1. With aiy b ue-evej laughing baby, Trnndhng bv. 1 hide hia face lent she should so. The ohenib boy and envv me. liir hue hualatv! haa white fingers. Mine has not; He eonld give his b ids a palace Mine, a cot. lie s comes home beneath the atar-1 gbt - Ne'er care-aos sN>; S'iie Pomes ui tho per pie twili, ht, Kisses uie. An I (iraya that Ho who turns life's aauda Wi. hoJJ his lo inl oiu in i l hands. Mr. Lofty b* her Jewe , So haw t; Sh.< wears her* IIJHU her bosom. Inside I; Rio will lesv. he s a d.-th s porta', By-snd-ty; I shall ben my tieasure with me When I die. For I haw love, aud she has gold— Sh< counts bar wealth-nuuecauT tw told. Si*- has those who love her -station. None have 1; rl I've one true heart me (Had am I. I J not change it fc>r a kingdom. No. not I; Gol will weigh it in His balance, By-aad-hy, Aud then the diflf r nee He'll define T.ixt Mra. l.ofty'a aea th and BUtie. LOVE AND FROST. T! ere was beauty enough to he found in Ma task* vullev. what with the river and the lake and the forest-crowned hills. .t least in summer time ; aud even tl># dry. cold rigor of a Minnesota win ter could not take it all away. Xcver ?l ele-hn Pinner had been generally quite ready to oblige his father by earrying it, and more than once he had even ventur ed on a brief call without any special errand. As for Panl Wood, on the other hand, either he hail no; sufficient cunning to invent errands, or his pride forbade any subterfuge, for he had positively and openly bra veil, more than once, even the harsh discourtesy of old Jan, in his un invited, unabashed intrusions. If Paul did not pretend to vie with John P.nner in dress, wealth or apparent prospects, he was certainlya fine, manly specimen of a young Western farmer, and his dark carls and almost swarthy feature* wore a pleasant contrast to even the ri:>e blonde Norse loveliness of Noma herself. One bit of strategy it seemed that Paul h*een " out a-hunting in that neighlmr hooilon the very days which old Jan had chosen for a bit of teaming on the furthest edge of his possessions, or a trip to the store at the village. Nobody ever knows how such things come to be common property; but, some how or other, Judge Pinner and his son were made aware that they had reasons f >r ihstrusting Paul Wood, and he had I-ecu made to teel the fact very sensibly, more than once. T x-re had been an added bitterness the 1 rn.it autumn, iu the fact that John Pinner's nomination to the State lejris -1 dure hail only resulted in showing the folly of the Matnska valley people, for t'ie stupid fellows hail known no more t van to choose Paul Wood instead ; and • '.*eu Noma Ericaon had said she was glad of it. There came a day, however, in the 1 irlv winter, when Paul would have riven his political honors aud his best h >rse, perhaps even his farm to boot, to have known why it was that Noma sud > enlv liec&me as distant aud repelling as old .Tun himself. Not a word would she vouchsafe him, 1 hontrh he met her a full half-mile from ihe house, and walked to the very door by her side. He did not give the matter up, even theD, half so much for the volly of bit ter ahnse with which the old miser greeted him, as for the icy look of imlif irente with whieh Norna marched etraigtit on into the house, and closed he door. There was really very little "give up" n Paul's composition; Vint he met John Pinner, before he had left the farm a •aile behind him, aud there was a look ■ m John's face that suggested a good many ugly thoughts to the sore heart of ' be discomfited youth. The next day and the next, and, in fact, a good many days after that, were iecidedly unfavorable to courting of any sort. It was weather to have "bred a cool ness" in a blast furnace. First, there • •anae a driving northerly storm bring * nntold freights of drifting snow from the Arctic regions, till all the country was buried nnder a genuine "Minneso ta blanket." No roads, no paths—no use in trying to make any, almost. And then there followed a cold snap, that utterly exhausted the expressive powers of the thermometers. The only way to get the mercury low enough was to hang it down a well Thirty, thirty tive, and some said forty degrees below zero—only, when people are half frozen, they are apt to exaggerate. Anyhow, there were terrible stories of suffering, bere and there, and nobody cared to stir far from home "until the frost should let go its hold a little." "John," said the careful judge, on the third day, when the abating storm l>egau to let in the frost—" John, don't you think you'd better go and take a look at the Erioeoas ? I don't believe the old man was ready for this." FRKD. KURTZ, 1 Editor and Proprietor. VOLUME XI. "What! Yon ain't in earnest?" ex claimed that ardeut lt\ er. " Teu miles through these dnlta! l>o you want me to bury myself ?" " \\oil, maybe you're right; hut 1 wouldn't wait t*a loug. They'll be breaking out the roads IU a day or no," replied the judge. ltnt more than " a day or so " wont by before the Mataaka j>©iile oarad to at tempt a gieen tis-d to in his youth, among the distant hills of Norway. That was a terrible day for Noma, aiul wheu another morning dawned, she looked out upon the white and more thau Arctic desolation around the house, with a feeling near akin to despair. Still, with true courage, the Beauty of Mataska faced her troubles, waded through the drifts, fed carefully her one feeble Are, attended to the querulous demands cf unreasonable old Jan, and wondered, now and then, if the people at the village would ever dream of send ing out to look after them. Then there followed another long, dark, miserable night, and Noma could not get a wink of sleep till toward morn ing, for thinking of what might come. She did not even rise at ouce when the tardy light began to come tlmmgh the thickly frosted jianes of her window. Why shoald she. when she bad nothing to make a fire with ? " Would it not be better to bnrn the fnraitnre than to freeze ? She could mAke a cup of coffee, at least, with the kitchen chairs." Just then she heard a slight sound in the adjoining room, and wondered if her father could be stirring. It was an effort even to rise and dress in that stinging cold; but Noma wo* brave, and in a few minutes more she was ready to face the lalxirs and perils of the dav. Her heart was heavy enough when she laid lier hand on the kitchen-dour; but when she opened it she fairly started hack in astonishment, for a blast of warm air, balmy with the breath of blazing pine, snnite her in the face. Not the cheerless, chill, deathly deso lation she had exj>eetcd wits the ample kitchen, bnt the high-piled hearth blazed and crackled with a most un wonted prodigality of pine, oak and hickory, while heaped on either side of it were ample supplies for at least that day's consumption, whatever might be the condition of the thermometer. Noma did not believe in miracles, bnt she thought of her bedridden father, about to lie frozqp to death bnt for that pile of wood, and she just sat down by the window for a good, wholesome cry liefore she set herself to work at getting breakfast reailv. The tea-kettle hail evidently filled itself, aud started for a boil on ita own account, and Noma's curiosity took her at onoe to the door, to see what solntiou of the puzzle might lie found outside. Not a sign of human life was there, but somebody hail been at work with a shovel, for there was a very dei'eut path way cut as far as the baru. Tracks, of course, here and there, but big boots are too nearly alike to tell tales to the eyes of any one less acute of vis ion than an Indian trailer. Still, Noma wondered and wondered how all that wood could ever have got tLere. Getting into the house was easy enough ui a region where wooden latches take the place of combination locks, but, whoever the unknown benefactor hail been, he must have possessed wonderful faculties for silence. Tin-re was magic in it, and Noma called to mind the old Norse tales she liad heard of gnod-natumi demons of the forest ; but, then, all that belonged to Norway, and not to Minnesota. Later in the day, as Noma paoed here and there among the drifts, she got one hint, at least, for those brood though deep dents in the surface of the snow drifts could only have been made by snow-shoes. When she finally fonml her wav to the stables, Noma saw that her work there had all been done for her, and a got d deal more, and that even an old wood sleigh had been dug out of the snow, as if in anticipation of future use. Inside the house the " food question " was fast becoming an important one, no closely had the narrow and stinting policy of old Jan permitted the current supply to run down ; bnt, for all that, Noma Ericson sang all day the quaint and musical rhymes of her northern an cestry, which her mother hail taught her years before. Bitter, bitter cold it waa without, but the bountiful provision of the unknown friend left little to ask for within, and the vsry dancing blaze itaelf seemed to laugh in mockery of Noma's curiosity. The long night came again, of oourse, and Norna tried bard not to go to sleep, so that she might listen. Youth and health forbade any such doings, however, and Norna woke in the morning, not to fiigl her fire alight, but all preparation made outside, iu the shape of heaps of fuel. It was evident, moreover, that Jan Ericson's remaining ox-team Lad been having a qight of it. Well they might be jaded and used up, for, not only had | some pitiless driver foroed them to help THE CENTRE REPORTER. him break a road to tho timber (trough a mile of drifts, hut to haul hum" again a'very resjwvtable load. "All* that wan a hilar discovert of Norua'a, hut tho first thing to (twt !n>r eves, a* alio swung tho door upWI, was tfu> carcass o( a goodly ikser that hung against it. aud ale know very well how mtioh licttcr veuisoO-atcnk* nre thau ut tor at*rvativtl. They aro a good deal l>ottor! The next ilny and tho next went by, and tho terrible cold aeoiued to have grijed everything with a hand uf frnwai steL Again and again did Vorna Kricaon shiver and turn pule, a* she thought uf what would aiirely lave been her fate, but for her unknown helper. Old Jan waa able to ait up now, and grumble at the *d necessity ui buruing so much good w.axi, j tat U> keep warm Lu reply to N'orna'a .peculation* aa to who had sent it, however, he teatily re plied : " I kuowred Judge Pinuer would keep ari eye on ua. That coffee you any WIH left tliia morning eaiue from Jones'* a tore at the village. 1 knoweil it fcan as I tasted it. It's what the judge at ways buy a, and it'a two cents a pound more tliau 1 want to give." True enough. Judge P inner bad by U> IBOIUiS forgotten li obeut, and at last he succeeded ii stirring up John's chivalry and his own, uow tU# roods were beootmug 4 turte lietter broken, and the mercury ventured a few poiuts higher uj> in tlie gins*. It was with nil>re than a little misgiv iug that they started. and they decided tn take aime tf their neighbor* with them, " in case they fooikl aiti thing bad had happened at eld Jan's." Bitter cold yet, hut when the double team of Judge Pinner pulled his com fortable, closely parked sleigh 111 sight of Jan Ericaou* homestead, the curling Mjn>k from tbe chimney promptly dis pelled all their fear*. " Hurrah for old Jan 1" exclaimed the judge. "Jack Frost didn't catch htui napping." tireat was the surprise of both and sou, however,wheu the old man hobbled out to meet them, to be greeted with such a torrent of what seemed t" lw genuine gratitude for the kind attention they had shown during his iltuess, and all they had saved him and Noma from during the oohl snap. Just at that moan lit a mail on snow shi>es cutiie plodding down the road, but nobody thought mueli alont him, and John 'PiuueT mustered self-ptiaeeasion enough to answer: " Well, of course, we were anxious about you and Noma, and we've come now to see if there's anything else we can do. How's Noma ?" "I'm prettv well, thank you," said that voting Imiy her-!f, from the door way. " Father, you should thuuk Mr. lhnner for tbe veuisou aud tbe coffee." The man on snow-shoe* had half halted wtthiu hearing distance, and could not Lave lost a word of Jan Eric son's thanks, or the dubious protesting and yet acknowledging acceptance thereof bv the Pinner*. "Is that you, Mr. Joneaf" again in terrupted Noma, addrf s-mg the "store keeper," who still sat muffled up in the sleigh. "I'm plod vou've o>me. I want you to read somethiug for me." " All right!" exclaimed the gallant merchant, springing ont luto the snow to take a large slip of brown paper from Noma's extended hand. " Where did that come from ?" " Bead it—read Tt !" said Noma. " Paul Wood ! That's plain enough ; and it's in my own handwrit.ng. Oh, I remember, 1 did np a whole lot of tilings that day for one and Another, and I put the names on 'em, *o's not to git 'cm mixed." '• Oh, that's it, is it ?" Said the beauty. "I see now. Father, John Pinner g>t Wojd to buv the cffee forhim aud tiring it out. Mr. Plotter, how much did von pay Psnl for working alt night in tie storm? Did you tell him not to forget about the venison and the rest ? Ft was real good of y >n. 'Twns good of him, too, to give up his courting 111 the village all through the cold auap." "What's that?" suddenly exclaimed the man on snow-shoes, untwisting a huge far muffier from his bead 11a he spoke—' whit's that about courting in the village ?" John Pinner was evidently chilly, judging by the way his teeth chattered, and it w really a very cold day; but Noma Ericaon's face was all iu a Wight warm glow. " Paul 1" she exclaimed " Paul Wood ! Come right in now < C ne and warm yourself by the Are that would have been out for ever if it hadn't been (or you. Father, John Pinner and the judge would have let 11* freeze an 1 starve. It was Paul that saved 11s. Come in, Paul. Mr. Jones, you come t->o, and the judge and Jolji may come if they want to.*' "John," dryly remarked the store keeper, "don't yon think we'd better go home while the'sleighing's good ? This isPanl'sdny. Elected again, Hire's you live!" There was no doubt about it. Paul Wood was Noma Eric soil's "elected." A Kite. In Chili therein an elderly farmer who is passionately fond of sport—especially fishing and hunting—and he has a Hon who is a chip of the old block iu that as well as in otoer respects. One day last summer the old gentle man left home, hut before going set Ins hoy at a job he was anxious to have done. Returning sooner than he was expected, he found that the Imy waa missing. " Where's Tom ?" he growled, as he entered the kitchen. " (lone fishing)" said the girl. "Fishing! the rascal; 111 flsli him when I catch him." And awny the angry ol 1 fellow went for the brook. Coming within hailing distance of his hopeful son, who was 1 lending eagerly over the stream, the father yelled: " Tom ! you somindrel, Tom !" There was a deprecating movement of one hand on the part of the lw>y, who did not, however, tnru his head. Htill more angry the avenging parent came nearer and bawled ont— "I'll learn you to stay home and work when—" "8h ! sh ! sh ! father," said young Isaac Walton. " I've got a bite." The old fellow's passion |ieroeptil)]y | cooled at that announcement, and, lucky I for the boy, the latter just then hauled !up a handsome perch. This was too much for the dad, who sprang forward and helped unhook the fish, and then— " Tom, have you got another hook ?' Victory perched On the boy's fish line, i _ RochnmUY (JV. Y.*) Sunday Herald. The Leech. R"'rent observations on the com para, tivc anatomy of this little animal, have made known to us that just within its mouth it is furnished with three little jaws, triangularly arranged, on each side of which are inserted a row f our economical, sia-ial, [s-htical, im-ral and eiluoatioual tloua. We have made a Houiewliat tedi otia scrntiuv of the Htatc of New York, and separated the entire towu |H.pula tion from that of the purely rural, aud fiud that the grand aggregate to have , beet! in 1.K70. 2.tfclt.yml, against l.tkVJ,- 317 iu >B6O. We have now the follow ing: I*7o. I*SO. I'uUil |k>puU|imi 1 l-i.7"-i S il'.'T t'.sl i t'rtiau po|>aUiM>:i . -Ji.'js-, 1 t,:.j 317 Kursl poptiUtlou t,5J7,773 t.4t5U77 llu- rv.v of I t*i p"pitUUU 1 2*-' ■"o lucre*M. of utban popul*t on 1 17a ti-rr**e of ror*i po|HilaU u ItaJW I iii-re**e |or cent. Tot*!, U, urlsn, . 1 j raral J>. A tlioreogli aualywht for tiie whole State of MiisswUiisett* gives a rural iu crease during the two decade*, of but t m-ven jver ceut, against an urban in cr.-rtse of ninety two per cent. Were all the town pi'pulaUoii of Pennsylvania gathered up, the rural iuoreaiw woulil !*• found to have l-eeti alvmt tell pr ceut., xtxi the urban I'Jt) jier ivuL In Illinois, a c iinjvaratively uew State that *a t clue fly e tiled dtiting the two decade*, we And thirtw-n cities and towu* of over T.lkk) |>eople in IS7O that can l>e o>m pansl W itu l<*>. The aggregate* arv: p7O. 1-vJO •UaW poinhi't u. JA-ivr't %1.*70 ProWi 4i *7f. t'g s l7 I Uarsl ■ ■ a.inl,4M 7*k.'ihS i Inrresv* of 8t .to pepelstteu. t < *7. til Itu-rrSM- of urtuni |*>ittlaUi'ii 3SX.J4* | of ruri isipuUiiim .. 1 Kurd, 106 per coot, til*, 17 J irt > ' ut. Were all the town* and villages of the State sifted out, the raral increase would lie found hi have lieen much loss than 1(16 |xT ceut. Ohio is a fair average be tween the old and the new States. After I scanning all the township* f the princi iial north western Sute* are as follows: • Iffk ls&o. IVn Stair- 2*i XS\7im IX.IM.QM :*v*uty citio* 5.111,925 H,IW\ IS7 I'lUas doJurt d li,M*,S4i 5'.r.t;1.75 I:t**M of population. ... 5.7'.1.T3.V 1 :.rr a *ef tiruwu population.... ■... 2.>*3 76* liKVaaar Of rur! popuUtioj i.'7 lncraaM. |wr cent. U>t*l populslkm, M ~ city, 137; rural, J. These States are New York, Massa chusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, Indiana, Iltiuois, Missouri, Wiscoumii mill Michigan. The great !••**porti m to tlie iiicrea**.' uf concentration. The |iliUrMumhrw iui-1 philanthropists can *'udy tne problem at their leisure, and the more they study the more they will find it uoresaorv to do in order to coun teract the unfortunate results of this tendency of population. Reekie*.* Competition. A couple of stationers living opposite b> each other in a seosido resort on the Muith c.vset of Kngland reomitly got at loggerheads. One o( tlietu, iu order to draw his neighbor's customers, piled his window with shilling packets of note paper msrked at elevenpence. People stared, walked in ami purchased. The { nejtt morning, when the other man's shutter* were taken down, the window was tilled w Ui shilling packets of note pa|>er marked eightpence. D.iJ by d*y tin* little game went on, one under telling the other nutil prioas gra lually drnpje.l to gixpencb, flvptnoe, four pe-ce, tlireepehoe ami twopeu'ie. By this timt? the town saw and en joyed the joke ; mel. not withstanding the efforts msi lu to kivp the sales down, by taking at leasi ten minutes to seal or tie up every pnrehas , > tle'twostationers were heavy sufferers, *iel every mnn, woman and child m the towu ws* stocked with en-ugh note paper to lonl. them half a lifetime. However, tiie fight went on, eu -h man devoutlv wishing lie lusl stuck to hi* legitimate trade, snd liwl not tried to undersell his neighbor. The following morning the "21. "day found the opposite window with the shilling pocket* Id. This was too much. Within ten minute* ou enormous pis card obscured the windows of the oilier man/ bearing in huge letters, the words: "(to to the fool opposite," But the "fool opposite" had hiul enough, lu a few minutes the penny ticket disap peared, and in its place the old price, one shilling. Iu a twinkling down came the jus-tor benring the obnoxious words, and an exactly similar placard appeared, announcing that " the pri e of a -hilling packet of note paper i* one shilling." Ami thus the wnr of extermination ended. The KnglUli (liuunel Tunnel. < Iporation* connected with the sub murine tunnel have already LH -H eorn ineoced on the French side of the chan ncl, several pits having been sunk to a depth of 1 li) yards. At the same time the French and English committees have definitely drawn up the conditions of working for the route. The >roperty of the tuum-l is to lie divided in half by , the length ; that is to say, each company is to possess half of the line, reckoning the distance from coast to coast at low ti. Each company will cover the ex |wmses of its portion. The gcuertil work of exenvut iott will be doue, on the one hand, by the Great Northern of France, and oil the other by the (Jludbiun and Hoiit eastern compftnies, the two latter having each a direct route from London to Dover. All the materials of the French and Euglish lines will pass through the tunnel in order to prevent unueccHsay expenses and delay of trans shipment, as in England ami in France railway companies use each other's line, and good* can jiass from one lino to another without changing vans. It is understood that nu arrangement will be established for a similar exchange of linea between all the Euglish and conti nental railway companies wheu the tun nel is completed. The tnnnel will be long to its founders. At the expiration lof thirty vears tbe government will be able to take poseasion of the tnnnel upon i certain conditions. — Mining Journal. Xillikcas* Grief It was too bad, ;uat after these uiee ram. haii filled the cistern tip so finely, too. It had leeu perfectly emptv, ami Mr. Mllllketis hail just got it eleaneil aud ttxed up in time for the weloome showers which filled it with uit übuud unce of nil*' pure wider. And the next morning Mr. Milllai. < delivered hia faintly a Umehiug lecture oil the ble suigH of water, and m his beautiful and vivid imagery, he tjnite surpas.ed the 1 luridaon fountain. And then when lie stopped the e*.r at Maide street night la-fore lust mill Walked rapidly to hm Itaopy hoUie, (low do you alip|aiae he felt when in* staring children met him at the gute ami yelled in excited chorus : "t>h pa, pa, pn, Mrs. Mtiggiidgers' eat went ami fell down our cistern ami drowned !" Mr. Millikf-us always did hate that cat of the Muggridgura'. A great brindltwl monster, with only tine eye and the hair scalded olf lta tail, it hud killed more little ehickeua ill the Milll keua'coops than there are rate in lowa, and many a time ami oft, she luul found her way into the Millikeu*' cellar and fillid her bloated form with cream and sirh iu Hteak*. And Mr. Mdhkens could Uot remember the uumtier of time* he lnnl sprained hi* arm and nearly threw hi* shoulder out of joint iu tnirbng briokw at that cat, which would ait ou the back f -nee, Hinging serenades and winking ph cully at him vvith It* lout- eye, and wondering what all the racket wa* about. Tiint eat had been the chairman of the anti midnight district central committee for three v imuw, and had attended more caucuses and called more couvriitious iu MHi kens' back yaivl tliau it had hair* on it* lull-;, li had made the summer nights a burden to Millikeu* all lta life, and no* it had drowned itself iu In* cistern It was a piece of iletilouiacal spite work. You couldn't make Milliktui* lielieve otherwise ; there was a terrible, tieudlsh i itelhgt net- iu tlial cat, and its desire to torment Millikeu* had lieeil greater th.,u it* love of life. Ever since Millikeu* had M-alded the ball off it* tad lie hall n* he gol llie water out, and would dig another one Dug gone the eat, lie said. He Uuleil manfully on, and the water grew lower with terrible *l-ivmis. He felt the bucket strike the holy of the floating cat several time*, but lie hadn't hanle fit np yet. lie kept on tugging at the bucket rope till hi* ann* ached. And hi* back. Ami In* leg*. And hi* bead. No, he snappishly told Mrs, Mdlikn s in answer to her tenth summons, that he wasn't cmiiuK to supper till he had emptied this cistern. He didn't can- if it was spoiling. What f Weil, let the tlie* cut everytiung up, he didn't care ; he could eat the the*, he nvtumwl u lastically), couldn't lie? lley! Well, he didn't care if It did take hiui S week, he was going to keep at it till it was emptied. 11 g gone the cat, he wislnsl h was Milggridger hiui*oH that wa* in the cisU-ru. Blast a cat, anyhow. How he did haul water, and splash hi* clothes and aw> ' ami swear, slid how the thlK>r' wives lmng over the front fouee uud tklked glibly to Mr*. Milli kena sU>ut the catastrophe, and how he wuhed they wer' al! iu Willi tlie cat. And Mr*. M iggnder catue and hung over the femn l ainl wept, and told won derfut atorie* of that cat's sagacity aud its affection for children. "Affections fir mv chickens," Millikejis muttered. Ami tne women talked and jabbered, and pitted Mr*. Muggrider more than if it had been one uf the children that had i>een drowned. .Millikens toiled o, hi* fiioe very hot at lictug ma.ie the focus of *. nufny eyes, llog gone the dog-g>>nne*l eat to ttiuudcr, he said, with considera ble asperity. How he did hate cats, lie said. The cistern wa* getting pretty low now. The sun had goue down behind the western lulls, in a glory of peaceful splendor, ami tlm ruddy tints uf the dy ing day touch*! the clouds and sky with s aereuc, i*>lemn b-anty, almost t*> ethereal to hang over * world tainted with the blight of siu aud one-eyed cat*. The noisy iirsttters at the front fence f.-lt the ltallowis 1 influence of the hour, and Silence la ol her fingers on their Iqm. < >nlv M.lliken's stertorous breathing and toe plash, plash of the backet broke the oppressive silence. Thank heaven, Milli ken* sighed, it is nearly empty. " Mian-ow-ow-oow!" A weird, unearthly sluriek that curdled the blood in the bravest heart, and made Milliken* drop bucket, rope and every thing down into the cistern. Ho stood up ami glared in spoechlev* aniaaement ♦ Muggridger's cat, on the back f.-nce, which winked pleaaautly at him with it* lone eye, and went ou calling the names of tlie delegate*. There w :v*n't damp hair on it. When Milli ken* could speak, he called his children atid savagelv demanded what they m<>aul by telling him that, lie altotit the cat. • Well, pa," they said, "we thought it fell down the cistern, anyhow; but wa xildn't iwe very well just where it diil ao, and maybe it onlv run around the IHIX. " Them was weeping am! wailing in Millikens' house that night, but Jong utter the sobbing children had found u place they could lie on without howling, t IO voice .if Muggridger's cat wa* dis tinctly heard closiug the delate, which had been unusually long aud stormy, in uu eloquent argument against the ad i fission of violin strings free of duty. Millikens hoard every Word of it, anil lie |Hmnded his pillow and flopped over b> a netr position. " Dog gone that cat!" he sifid. tiur lin'/fnn I taw key e. • The City of Lions," A correspondent of the New York 77 me*, who dates his letter from yiugu jsre, in the north-eastern part of Asia, writes: The Hons of Siiißupore (which means " City of Lions ") are not numer ous. There are two gardens, one be longing ti tin 1 corporation and one be longing to a Chinese merchant, both of thera well worth a visit. The luxuriance of tropical growth is well illustrated, end one sees new ami curious tn>es that would require much space for a descrip tion. Each girdcn has an orang outaug, one of them the largest I have ever seen, and so human in appearance that my heart warmed toward nun, though I kept it carefully out of his reach. There are pretty drives around and over the island, and one may now and theu meet a tiger in the portion of the jungle nearest the mainland, and indulge in discussion with him. The mainland is infested with tigers, and they occasionally swiin over the channel in search of prey, which is plentiful, as the island is well peopled. The number of natives and Chiuese an nually eaten by tigers varies from year to year, but it is always unhappily large, and there seems no way of reducing it. The tigers only attack people on foot, and for that anil other reasons (not un connected with heat and heaviness) I shall make no pedestrian excursions to distant points. I.lXuls MH'TIIERX lU'F.Ui. I I l*tiitu an lUrartiurk i'truiiu nh4 T* >lui ahnll % |Vnul llcwlii!rr*rt, (her tlif signature <>l " ti." some uD k<'Uilh the following letter to the Now Y<>rk ,S'mm • The A'mii has recently pub lished litiiilit interesting rcuunisomioo# of Uotod iliit-U iu tiie S 'utii, but the record ut by ut> lut'itiix exhausted. A long resi dence in the South hid I West has made ■ mit fnimliai with Uin hmtorv of tunny of thfiui encounter*. One of the most aing uliir, which hnpp<-n<-d at Sew Orleans, • itt fought between a gentleman recent ly In-fore the public, ill a suit to inani tion or recover hi* commission and emolument* in the United Hute* army, (.'apt. iSchtnubeig, and it Mr. Chevalier, 1 he coiuhut took place at tin- ruce track near New Orleans, on horseback, with sabre*. .HchemlM-rg's horn , n line uni mal, waa killed, and, I believe, Hint waa brought by the owner to recover dam age*. So other harui waa done. The duel bctwceu the great orator, Sergeant S. I'rentiaa, of Mississippi, ami e\-tJov. Henry 8. Foote, occurred near Yickaburg. A large OTOVrd waa preaeiit, and after one t two hanultaui eh.a* had liet-u exchanged, I'rentiaa, with hi* in imitable good humor, called out to aouie yoiiugatcra who were |iercbed ou a tree near by, "Take care, boy a; the gov ernor la tiring very wild to-day." Foote wua finally wounded. I'rentiaa waa one of the coolest and bra vent, it* well aa the moat magnanimous men I ever met. He wa* one of the counsel for the de tt-iiae iu the cclehnttctl Wilkiuaou and Murdaugh trial for murder in Kentucky. The cbac ww. removed to llarrodabiirg ou account t>l the prejudice again*! the uceu*cd at letuiaville, where the killing occurred. When I'rentiaa arrived at the tialt House ou tua way to the court, aouut one wartn-d him of the bitter feel ing t-staling agiuiiat hi* client*, remark ing at the aaute tunc: " They will tie hunting you, Mr. I'rentiaa, if they fiud out you are iu the city." "Ah!" *aid he, reaching over the counter for hia travelling bag and taking out a pair o( pistol*, which he jilaccd in bin pmkvla, " Well, I atu a hunter my tell whentliera i* game nr.mud," No pur m'-lest-d hiui, however. The MlrbritfJ Thomas F. Marshall, of krlltuc'.T, (iHiiilil trtHTl] duel*; that with OJ. -lame* Wilson Webb is famil iar to mi*. northern readers. Tun nooc told the mw-i that i( Webb hail not t.d cr< <*• legged and disconcerted his aim, he would have killed hiui; that be had meant to have another fight with hi tn, but the colonel, unfortunately, t K.k the pleilge io Out, Hftnml. Au •'thi'T ol Tom's duel* ** with John R 'Wtiii, of Kwtnrkr, a crack abut, but our of tio* I1).M uUiiable and grnth-muulv ot tb<- oh! •• tin* eaters," Turn mwivh a bullet in tht? leg, and, a* Rowan, who dnl Hot urtah to kill hitn, Walked Up to express his regret, .Marshall, lying ou the ground, exclaimed: " Xlt. Rowan, iot shoot a fellow and then apologise tor it with more grace than any mau in Retituekv." With one ot these Kentucky affairs, which uocirml in 1 H4't, 1 was unfor tunately connected, and the course it ' took mnv illustrate the stab* of feeliug on the subject at that tune. The princi pals wkji lir. T of Hamdsburg, and Counselor Hbrothers-in-law. The ame of offence was a family affair. I n-n l.*t in Lcxmgtou at the time, ami was induced to interfere, in tlie iuwnt of l-ce, on behalf uf Dr. T., who wm *t ranger to me. After several days' dis Winston on the part of the doctor's friends, and canvassing as well as I <* uhi the view* of the other party, 1 found uu amicable adjustment impossi ble, and having goue so far, there was i nothing left for me but to carry a chal lenge. The elder brother of the doctor, himself ati eminent lawver, the brother- I in-law of the latter, and even the vener able mother—-the last two atrict mem lier* of the church—were consulted by rue, but lite feeling among them all was that their relative had been grossly in suited, and must vindicate his honor in the usual manner. The meeting was p|Miiutod to take place at a retired spot in Boyie county, but was prevented by the authorities, and I remember well we had a scamper to get beyoctd their juris diction and avoid arrest. In the meantime I rrceiriyl a request fn>m a reverend gentleman, wiioae death I saw noticed last year, to withdraw the challenge for an accommodation which he hoped to bring (IswL I glally agreeil hi comply provided tlie opposite party consented to , sml, as there was lint oue liost to cross tlie river, the constables wait mg for ns on the side we occupied, uud oi.lv kept back by a wholesome fear of bur friends, tlie boatmen, we were oom ' jielh-d to watt uutil the wounded man had hi en transported across. I never saw a man suffer more meutal agony than the doctor did during the time, ' having Iteen informed of the result He had not wished to kill liis opponent, only to inflict a wound such we might euii the affair. We both left the State, going in different directions, lie to Mis -1 sonri aod I to Louisiana. From what I subsequently learned of | his history, this affair wrought the most singular change ill the character of l>r. T . Prior to tlie fight 1 hail found > him amiahlc, inoffensive, and averse to bloodshed, though truly brave; but afterward i heard that lie was frequent - I ly engngixl in desperate encounter*. in one of which, I lieheve, he was killed. This duel created considerable excite ment at the time, aud the Ixmisville i Journal having published au accouut derogatory to Dr. T , Mr. Geo. D. Prentice, the editor, was called on to correct it, which he did. Italian Superstitions. The superstitions existing among the continou people in Italy is thus strik ingly illustrated in s Florentine letter to the Philadelphia 7V Irgraph: "Mr. George P. Marsh has just returned from Home, where he lias been busy looking for an apartment for this season. His return was delayed after having found a desirable and very handsome residence liy an amusing circumstance. The msr chese front whom Mr. Msrah rented the apartment refused to sign the contract on Friday, that dny beiug tabooed in this country. So the United States minister was obliged to stay another day in Home to satisfy tfec scruples of this superstitious nobleman. Tris m itter is earned to excess in Rome, woere no one will light three randies or sit in a room where three caudles only are lighted. Here in Florence this deep-rooted hor ror of certain numbers ai d days takes quite a comical form. In many streets aud squares there is no No, 13, hut 12) has lieeu *ulstitnted, so that the num ber* run 11, 12), 14. In this ingeuious way the dread number is completely done HWHV with. Houses booring the unlucky 1J rarely find any Italian lod ger*." TKIiMB: $2.00 a Year, in Advance. 'l'hr king of Hmnkrrs. A year or two ago there died ui Hot Lerdaiu a iwrtain Mvnberr Van Ktaea, to whom ia onrUmly lue the title of " The King of Hmokera." To gain this dm tiuetiou in the greet nation of puffer* must require almost superhuman pw era and a love for the Indian weed that I leasee human uuderwtaiiduig. But Van Klaee was ever superior to the emer gency. It took no effort on hia part to gain the smoky crown and wear it while he lived. He did net even die young, as we might hare autirij#ted from hi. immoderate use of the weed, but both enpiyad life and satokiug nntil after he lied passed Ida eighty ttmt birthday. llnriug the long vutto of smoking veers iu winch he reveled in his pipe, Van Klae* consumed four tona of tobav co, well wetted down by 590,(Mt0 ijuarta of ale which he dnuik, not to mention Schiedam sctmap|ia aud othf national leveragea. In Mynheer'a house was a anmptuou. ii))artmcnt, entirely devoted to pipes and tobaivo. Kvery variety of wriwl grown oh the earth'a surface was to lie found there, in the plug, cat up or shredded, cigars, cigarette* and cigarillas were grou|M*l aUmt iu taatefn! display, lint, above all, Mynheer'a pipes first riveteil the visitor'a eye. Iu tliia choioe aoUee tiou every branch or variety of the pipe family hod its representative; one could , trace the whole evullitiou of the race, I from the clumsy bowl and thick statu of Bir Walter Keletgb's clay to the carve 1 meerschaum from Trebutond. In tin* temple of tobaar-o the veteran would ait, puffing prouigioua volume# of smoke from hi* weil-filled pipe, only tiaUMUig now and then to w<-t hia tlnraty lips with a drink of ale. It la aakl that hi* last reflecting breath waa borne from In* life!***! body ou a cloud of smoke A few hour* liefore bi* death Van Klaea called for a notary to make hi* will. Puffiag vigorously, ami after tak lug a pull at hi* Schuslam, Myuheer gave jirevise dirort. About two week* ego s shabby t ramp entered a wall-known music-store ou Main street, and asked for permission to use a piano for a short time. The proprietor refnaed at first, but afterward consented because the man's manners were much better than bts clothes. The tramp sat down and played a difficult oompoaition with grest ease and brilliancy. Tbe pity and con tempt of bis listeners were at once changed to admiration. Friends sprang around bim, aud tli< y are trriug to get him once more on his feet. His history, as told by tbe Farmrr, is as follows: He belongs to a titled t*ermaa family, and bad for his godmother and psfcruuees no Iw* a jieraonage than the Queen of Wurtemburg. He received a nuiveraity education. and tieeame a lawyer. He was at one time consul to Paris from Wurteraburg, aud moved in tbe highest merle* of the capital wb*n Napoleon and Eugenie were ou tne throne. The cause of his fall from all this high estate was dissipation of the wildest kind. As a result of his wild and reek less course*, be lost his official position and standing in society, and not only squandered the income from hia family estate as fast as it came to him, but, in order to raise money, sold hia claim to wliat should be due him for twenty seven years ahead. When he had ex hausted his resources at home he came to th*s country and engaged in some kiud of business or occupation in New York. His ignorance of the language, or the dishonesty of his associates, or both, caused him to fail, however, and left him utterly destitute. It was then that he *uu-ted out from New York on the tramp, pa-king up an odd job now and thru on the nwul, but gn>wiog all the while more ragged and wretched. ♦ His aimless tramping journey had brought him so lar as Brhlgeport on the morning when he passed the music store. aud was irresistibly impelled, by a sight of the pianos, to go in and ask to lie allowed to play.—iVetr Ifavm Palladium. An Inhuman Father. Frank Lynch, a would-be suicide, *M myotlv >rri while he was preparing to jump. On Iteing takeu to the atation house Lvncb ooofcijsed to having mur dered hi* little boy, two and a half years old, by throwing him into the river one uight about air week* previous. At that time Mr*. Lrnch waa bring at Glen Held, a few utile* .Vrau the river, having sepa rated from her huaband ami reUimitg the child. She came to Pittsburgh, bringing the child with her, was uiet at the station by her huaband. and on their way over the river thev quarreled. Lynch knocked hia wife down, aud, seizing Uie child, fled. He secreted hiiraelf until dark and theu started over the river. On liia way over the tbonght struck him that now was the time to end the little one's troubles, and, lifting him in hia arms, dropped him into the stream. He got work on a steamboat the next day and went down the river, but bis con science troubled him, and he came home a few daya ago. He went to hia wife and oonfeeaod the deed, and while she was overcome with the tidings he again made hia escape. An information for murder was made against him, and the officer following him to Pittsburgh was just in time to prevent self-murder. Iu some parts of Maine huge flocks of geese feed by day iu tbe fields with only a small boy to attend tbem. Returning home under his charge in the evening, as they march down the roads they drop off by detachments without confusion, and proceed soberly of their own accord to the honsee where they lodge. NUMBER 8. PARI, UAKDEN AND HOt SIIHOLII. Ksa>.>d Wn mt ■'** Tks. l>r. fed ward HmiUi aaya: It wonld nort be {Miaeible to exaggerate the value of rgga as au article of food, whether freeu I heir uni vernal nee, or the convenient form tu which the food aa preserved, presented and cooked, and the nutnineut they contain. Again he Mja: There it no "egg of a bird known which i not good for food, or which would not be eaten by a hungry man. The white of eggs constats of nearly pare albumen, oils, sulphur and water. Albumen it considered the most important single element of food. It is found in all com |M>unded animal structures, and in the vegetable productions moat ralngbi* for food, though in a modified form. There is great difference in the value of different cgg, a* there ia in their suu and flavor. Wet! fed domestic fowla yield far richer food in their eggs than common wild fowla. Many suppose that raw eggs are more easily digested than tkoar that are cooked, bat for the moat persona thia ia not the case, if the eggs are not cooked improperly. l>r. Smith thinks it ia a mistake to give a mixture of raw eggs and milk to tie vahils, such a mixture tending more to hinder than t> promote digestion. I>ya peptics often think that they cannot eat egga at all, and it is tlie esse that delt <*Ue stomach* do aometimes suffer greatly from eating sny but the freshest of eggs. When we cannot be sore of the age of the eggs provided, it ia altrgys safer to break them before cooking. For invalids the very safest way ia to drop lite egg from tne aiieii without dis arranging its form, into water boiling in a shallow dish. A few minutes boiling is sufficient, and no dressing ia neces sary, except a trifle of salt for tiioar who est' anything sally. though, of course, good butter ami pepper may be added, or die egg may tie carefully laid ujxm tat. For a family of children, it ia often mors convenient, in all reapeute, to serve eggs IU scrambled form, or in ome lets, than to ouok them separately, .tome children are notional, and will net cat the white of an egg, others think tliev dislike the yolk, lint whan both ace txaikad together tlicy think nothing altont it, bat eat with pleasure all they .can ge'. In most receipt hooka, the directions for scrambling egg* advise s* guod pasce of Wntter with which to cook the eggs, seasoning thein with salt and |M-pper, and with chopped parsley, if you chouse. But if for any outer reason yon prefer it, voa can use milk instead of butter, and for children, thia ia beat The proportions used for an omelet are very good—a cup of milk for six eggs. 'Oil* increases the quantity. The egg* are broken bnt not beaten, and are stirred simply to mix well, and to pre vent burning while rooking. IIMM-Mi Htata. PXHTE von CIJUKINO METALS. —One part of oxalic aciJ and nix of rotten stone; mix with equal parts of whale oil and spirits of turpentine to .H paste. To CLEAN MAKBLK. —Take two parts common soda, one jiari pulverised pum ice stone, one part finely powaered chalk; sift the mixture through a fine sieve and theu mix with water: rub it thoroughly over the surface of the mar ble, and the stains will be removed; then wash the marble over with soap and water. Sua vigo boar.—The !>ruggit* Cir cti lor gives the following formula for a sharing soap: Take white snap, four ounces spermaceti, one-ha IT ounce; olive oil, one-half ounce; melt them to gether and stir till nearly oohi;ecent with such oils as may lie most agreeable. USBTCL ISROKMATIOS. —The washer women of Holland and Belgium, so pro verbially clean, and who get op their linen so beantuuily wh'te. use refined borax aa a washing powder instead of nods, in the pmportaaa of a large hand ful of pulverised borax to about ten gal lons of boilimr water. They save in sbap nearly one half. All other large wash iug establishments adopt the same mode. For lace*, cambric*, etc., an extra quan tity of the powder is nsed, and for crino lines (required to lie made very stiff), a strong solution is necessary. Borax being a neutral *alt, dows not in the slightest degree injure the texture of the linen; ita effect ia to soften the hardest water, and therefore it should lie kept on every inlet table. To the taste it is rather sweet, is used for cleaning the hair, is an excellent dentifrice, aud in hot ooantrics is used with tartaric acid and bicarbon ate of soda as a coaling leverage. Oo>4 tea cannot be nude from hard watr; all water can be nude soft by adding a tea spoonful of pulverised borax to an ordin ary sited kettle of water, in which it should baiL The saving in the quantity of the tea used will be at least one-fifth. —le American. A MinlPM< Hole!. A Farmingtrm correspondent of the Baa|>ort Sentinrl write* *• follow*; •• I rode to the tirst-clawi h<*4 ; it was a covered frame on Stilt*, and barelv pe titioned off in*ide with lath*. Every one washed from the same tin diab, nod wiped upiui the same towel ; the fare wnn tough steak ami tougher biscuit ; the Iwsl* were mere boxes on leg*, and filled with coarse meadow hay. No door* to the room*, nor uails to hang a coat, no stand or even chair to pnt a lamp u ; but mine boat just drooped aome grease from lita dip upon the floor, into wliieh be inserted liis candle, tutd bade me make myself comfortable. Now I had hire*! the " private room ** at an extra price, with no understanding that, it waa to be all ray own for the night, and, of course, the' only aafety for the money waa to put it to bed. 80 you may imagiue my aereuity when at twelve midnight in bonnoed a straggler in loug hoota ; the laudlord hal sent him up, he said, aa mine WRS the TIULY bed with but one in it. In the" morning I found that about forty peraoua hail leeu lying right across the loug entry Itetween the rooms, with only here and there a blanket among them, and they snored (Hi ua I walked over them. After breakfast the landlord told ua all to come out aud equate tlie house into place—it hail l>eeu moved on its bed in the night by the wind. Leaning on a long mil as a lever, we all bore onr weight npn it. and the first-dam hotel came into place again. But now, mark me, that place la a county seat, lias a court bouse and other fine buildings, with churches, two newspapers, and really more than one " first-class " hotel. And this ia a sample of Imndreda of place* on the prairies. Married in Haste. The North Carolina train arrived at the depot at Charlotte one Tuesday night recently on time, anil the brake mau shouted "All oat for Charlotte." A lady, who occupied a seat in the car and was traveling alone, stepped out on the platform aud glanced wistfully at the crowd. A man elbowed hia way through the throug and joined her on the platform. They shook hands and stood there with folded arms. Then another man emerged from the crowd and, standing in front of them on the lower step, said something to them in a low tone. He wus a justice of the peace, aud hail made the couple man and wife. "All aboard!" shouted the conductor; he magistrate jumped off, the two figures on the platform bolted into the car, the bell rang, the whistle sounded, and the train-boy started on the lozenge round, The we lding journey bad ba* gnn. IteUM mt Interval. What ia atoeh t It'i snow roattrr. f The F>mpfre mt Japan.is mad* of 8,800 < Three am 11.800 fee* oo tha London police foroe. The governor ol Missouri offer* 810.000 far i store remedy against ho* atom*. j Tha oldsst bona# to New England m ■aid to be in Ouilford, Oonn. It was kailt in 1880. A hone*bolder in Charleston, a C., ; vu fined the other day for allowing hia chimney to taha fire. It ouat the Northampton (Mass.) bank $30,000 to arrest and convict the mrn who robtied ita mfe. Printer* seldom follow the honnda, and yet the oliae* takes an imposing form wi tlioat them. The Central Pacific railroad ompany ' ' litre onlered 700,000 tress to be aet ont | along the line £ their road the coming ' | Hcason. Turkish soldiers have recovered from their wounds in • marvelous manner, in i | many instances, owing to thutr strictly I temperate lives. | "Did you ever know of a crack that was too small for a spying old woman to peep through, Tom ?' " Yea, John, the j crack of a whip." The first interviewer in the United MUte* was Mrs. Ann Royal, who edited the Huntress and Paul Pry, in Wash ington, fifty year* ago. Bv a Michigan court it has been de cided that oysters are fish; but very few imople, however, will think of going fishing when they want oyster*. A number of superb seal sacques have besa floating in Newport harbor. The reals had 'em on, and no furrier could ' have improved on the fit. Ooealna mdirus, a virulent poison, ia largelv imparted into this eoantry, yet it u ut known to he used in any manu , facture except that of lager. The beat paaapkin-pta* and healthiest girls are raised in the ooontry. Any • >u can tell this ia so the minute be tantes of one. The pies we mean. Japan baa no system of patent laws. The Japanese, with their native skill and ingenuity, copy very successfully many of the machines sent to that ooontry. Living fifty-four yuan in amm village and daring that time repairing 18,000 watches, lor each of which he received pay, is the history of a jeweler of Handy Hilf, S. C. A gentleman cooling into the roomtof 1 the late Dr. Barton. ToM him that Mr. Vowel was uead. " What!" said he, u Vowel deed! let us he thankful it was ..either n nor L" The prfafVpel articles exported from 'the United States to Europe are gram, pork, laid, savings bank president*, •iff—*, butter heiresses, wesihar predic- I lions and horses. The Tuck has an horror ot amputation, preferring death. Few a long while Osman Pasha refused to allow the surgeons to drem or even examine the wound in his arm. The fanners of Mania Ami, Lot „ Angeles county, CeL, are building a ..-anal fifteen miles long by km feet wide at s cost of 850,00(1. by which 15,000 seres of land will be irrigated. John Fletcher, of Tennessee, fired at his nephew with e double- barreled shot gun a few days ago, and shot out nearly < all of hia teeth, destroyed both of his eyes and shot hia noee off. The phy ' stciaa* tlunk that the Tonth will live, thus disfigured and totally Mind. Captain Boyton has achieved another jrreat feat in swimming, having descend ird the Loire from Orleans to Nantes, where he was received by an enthnaiaa , tic crowd assembled to greet hia arrival. He seemed quite wore .mt from excess of fstigue and hia wrists were swelled and painful. The very litest **Turkish atrocity " is to be seen in Cheapside, in London, (where a peripatetic vender of penny wares ia oarvjing about e trayiul of . Bulgarian <**, mwle of ficah colored india rubber, and imitating, with frights ' fnl fidelity, a tinman ear severed from a br-man head. What's tn a name? A Chinaman in Man Francisco foond there ware thirty days. He stole e Frisco man's door piste end fastened it to hia own door aa an ornament. He didn't know that the ' name woald betray him, w be thought that was merely euhred oe for the beauty of the thing. The Cm r wan now lan guishes in the Itsetilm. another victim to the mysteries of English orthography. AOOAOBAJW EFITATH, 4 A utorieal friend ia Golorado sends na tha following, oupiad from a grave-stone at Fairfax, in that State. Alter giving 1 the name and age of the defunct, follows this verse r • iltest (tod ' what sorrow* I must test. Ossssdhrajtashfurktom. Wtacfawoui* my poor husband stash And died in dx weeks' time * ——JShtrpfr "tt HfrrjariTir Pliav and Paladhw Rntfhns, in their writing*, 4ecribe reaping maohines to have I >**u used by the Gauls. It has been thought by some tluit. the Pha raohs of Egypt were acquainted with the application of steam aa a motor to ma l ekmerv. sad that they even had their steam carnages; but at thia there ia no sufficient proof. But that the reaping machine, m some form or other, was nsed as earlv as Christianity there can be little doubt The identity at the machines deaeribed by tha two writers is manifest, IA appears that in the lapee of over fourteen hundred year* only some slight modification of the original has been effected. A cruel outrage wasperpetatod on two Chines* ganksner* a* Freak town, OaL, recently. Two deeperadoe* stacked them one evening at their cabin, bound their hands and feet, demanded that they should reveal where their money was secreted, nod on refusal cut off the right ear of each ami hia cue. The Chinamen were theu gagged, and the villains proceeded to search for the money, which they found, and made off with 81.200, which had been secreted in a mattress. The poor Chinamen had to pass the night iu their gagged Mid muti- Inted condition, but were discovered and relieved in the morning. The thieves were masked and cannot be identified. In northern China, people of all ages are dving or artuaS starvation by thou sands. The famine extends over a dis trict which inclndes at least 5,(W0 villa ge*, and it ia said that at least s