Spring.
In leafy woodlands hud* are mnjring.
Throatls* calling through the dell ,
In ope a field* freih flower* are tprir *ing
Violets bloom on hill and fell.
In ahady wood* and unnlea* placet,
lire hard, forest, field and plain,
Oowtlip* tbow their modest face*,
March leave* *mg through April'* ram.
In the Spring the earth rejoice*
All the tnnefnl feathered throng.
With one iuatinot lift their voice*
Rural with rapture into *ong.
"Ti* the time of joy and glailnea*.
"Tt* the creecent of the year
Winter * paat with gloom and tadnet*.
Snow and sorrow, frost and fear.
-VoAa
Fire.
" Rut a week i* so long I" he sani.
With toss of his curly head.
"line, two, three, four, five, aix, *eve*i!
Sewn whole day* I Why, in six. you know
(You tali) it yourself you tohl u;e to).
The great Hod uj> tu he* veu
Made all the earth and the i-e* and *hie*.
The tree* and the hitd and the hntterflie* '
How can I wait for my seed* to j,fow
" Rut a month i* *o long !" he said.
With* droop of hi* boyish head.
" Hear me count one. two, three, four—
Four whole weeks, and three days more ,
Thirty-i>ne day*, and each wi:l creep
A* the shadow* cr*wl over yonder sleep
Thirly-oue night*, and 1 shall lie
Watching the star* climh up the tky '
How can I wait Ull a mouth is o'er
•• Bat a year is *o long ' he said.
UpUfUug hi* liright young head.
" All th* seasons must come and go
Over the hill* with footsteps *low
Autumn and winter, summer and spring .
Oh, for a tmdge of gold to fling
Over the chasm deep aud wide.
That I might cross to the other aide.
Where she is waiting -my love, my hrtde
•• Ten year* may be long." he said.
Slow raising his stately head.
" But there'* much to wiu, there 1* much to
lose ;
A man must labor, a man must choose.
And he must he strong to wait !
The year* may be long, but who oouU wear
The crown of honor, mast do aud dare'
No tune has be to toy with fate
Who would climb to manh-Ksi a high estate ""
"Ah ! life it not long!" he said,
Bowing hi* grand white head.
" One. two, three, four, five, six, seven !
Seven lime* ten are seventy.
Seventy years ! A* swift their flight
A* swallows cleaving the morning light
Or golden gleaius at even.
Life ia short as a summer night-
How long, 0 God ! is eternity!"
—iktrprr's &uar.
Two Saints of the Fout-Hills.
BY BRET HASTY"..
It never was clearly ascertained how
loug they had been there. The first
SBttl r of R mgh-and-Readv—one. Low,
playfully known to his familiars as "The
Poor Indian declared that the saints
were afore his time, and occupied a cabin
in the brush when he " blaxed " his way
to the North Fork. It is certain that
the two were present when the water
was first turned on the Union Ditch, and
then and there received the designation
of Daddy Downey and M immy Downey,
which they kept to the last. As they
tottered toward the refreshment tent,'
they were welcomed with the greatest
enthusiasm by the boys ; or, to borrow
the more refined language of the Union
Recorder, " Their gray liair* and bent
figures, recalling, as they did, the happy
paternal eastern homes of the spectators,
and the blessings that fell from venera
ble lips when they left those homes to
journey in qnet of the Golden Fleece
on Occidental Slopes, caused many to
burst into tears." The nearer facts that
many of these spectators were orphans,
that "others hail enjoyed a State's guar
dianship and discipline, and that a ma
jority hail loft their paternal roofs with
out any embarrassing preliminary
formula, were mere passing clouds that
did not dim the golden imagery of the
writer. From that day the Saints were
adopted as historical' lay figures, and
entered at once into possession of unin
tenmpted gratuities and endowment.
It was not strange that, in a country
largely made up of ambitious and reck
less youth, these two —types of con
servative and settled forms—should be
thus celebrated. Apart from any senti
ment or veneration, they were admirable
foils to the community's youthful pro
gress and energy. They were put for
ward at every social gathering, occupied
prominent seats on the platform at
every pnbiic meeting, walked first in
every procession, were conspicuous at
the frequent funeral and rarer wedding,
and were godfather and godmother to
the first baby bora in Rough-and-Ready.
At the first poll opened in that precinct,
DadJy Downey cast the first, and, as
was his custom, on all momentous occa
sions, became volubly reminiscent.
"The first vote I ever cast," said
Daddy, " was for Andrew Jackson ; the
father o' soe on you peart young chaps
wasn't bora then, he! he'—that was
'way long in "33, wasn't it f I ilisremem
ber now, but if Mammy was here, she
bein' a sehoolgal at the time, she could
say. But my memory's failin' me. I'm
an old man, bora ; yet I likes to see the
young go ahead. I recklect that thar vote
from a sucknmstance. Squire Adams
was present, and seem' it was my first
vote, he put a goold piece into my hand,
and, sez he, sex Squire Adams, 1 let thai
always be a reminder of the exercise of
glorious freeman's privilege !' He did ;
he! he! Lord, boys ! I feel so proud
of ye, that I wish I had a hundred votes
to cast for ye aIL " •
It is hanilv necessary to ssv that the
memorial tribute of Squire A lams was
increased tenfold by the judges, inspec
tors aud clerks, and that the old man
tottered back to Mamrav, considerably
heavier than he came. As both of the
rival candidates were equally sure of his
vote, and each lial called upon him and
offered a conveyance, it is but fair to
presume they were equally beneficent.
But Daddy insisted upon walking to
the polls—a distance of two miles—as a
moral example, aud a text for the Cali
fornia paragraphers, who hastened to
reoord that such was the influence of the
foot-hill climate, that "a citizen of
Rough-and-Beadv, aged eighty-four,
rose at six o'clock, and, after milking
two cows, walked a distance of twelve
miles to the polls, an i retnrned in time
to chop a cord of wood before dinner."
Slightly exaggerated as this statement
may have been, the fact that Daddy was
always found by the visitor to be en
gaged at his wood-pile, which seemed
neither to increase nor diminish under
his ax—a fact, doubtless, owing to the
activity of Mammy, who was always at 1
the same time making pies, seemed to
give some credence to the storv. In
deed, the wood-pile of Daddv Dowr ey
was a stauding reproof to the indolent
and sluggish miner.
" Ole Daddy must use up a pow'ful
sight of wood; eveiy time I've passed by
his shanty he's been makin' the chips
fly. But what gets me is, that the pile
don't seem to come down," said Whisky
Dick to his neighbor.
" Well, you fool!" growled his neigh
bor; " 'spose some chap happens to pass
by thar and sees the old man doin' a
man's work at eighty, and slonches like
vou and me lying round drunk, sod that
chap, feelin' kinder humped, goes up
some dark night and heaves a load of cut
pine over his fence, who's got anything
to say about it ? Bay ?" Certainly not
the speaker, who had done the act sug
gested, nor the penitent and remorseful
hearer, who repeated it next day.
The pies and cakes made by the old
woman were, I think, remarkable rather
for their inducing the same loyal and
generous spirit than for their intrinsic
exoellenoe, and it may be said appealed
more strongly to the nobler aspirations
of humanity than its vulgar appetite.
Howbeit, everybody ate Mammy Dow
ney's pies, and thought of his childhood.
"Take 'em, dear boys," the old lady
would say ; "it does me good to see
you eat 'em ; reminds me kinder of poor
FKED. KURTZ, Kilitor and Proprietor.
VOLUME XI.
Sammy, that, >f he'd lived, would he?
been cj strong aud big ea yon be, but
was taken down witli lung fever at Sweet
water. Ikm e t him yet ; that's forty
year ago, dear ! ootniu' out o* the lot to
the Iske-honne, aud amiliu' sneh a lawn
tiful smile, like yours, dear (toy, as I
handed him a tniuoe or • lemmiug turn
over. Dear, dear, how I do run ou!
and tin we days is past ! but I seeius to
live in you again !" The wife of the
hotel-keeper, actuated by a low jeal
ousy, had suggested that she *• acemed
to live o/V thorn," but as that jer*on tried
to demonstrate the truth of her state
meat by reference to the \*t of tl>e raw
material used by the old lady, it was
considered by the camp as too practical
aud economical forconstat ration. ••Be
sides," added Oy Perkins, •• ef old Mam
my wants to turn an honest penny iu
her old age, let her do it. How- would
you like your old mother to make pies
on grub wages, eh ?" A suggestion that
so affected his hearer i who had no moth
er) that he bonght threw* ou the spot.
The quality of those pies had never been
diaeusaeal but ooee. It is related tliat a
voung lawyer from San Francisco,
diuiug at the Palmetto restaurant,
pushed away one ef Mammy lh>wney's
pies with every expression of disgust
and dissatisfaction. At this juncture.
Whisky Piok, considerably affected by
his favorite stimulant, approached the
stranger's table, and, drawiug up a cliair,
sat uninvited before him.
" Mebbee, young man." he legan
gravely, " ve don't like Mammy Dow
nev's pic* ?'
The stranger replied curtly, and in
scnic astonishment, that he did not as a
rule, "eat pie."
"Young man," continued Dick with
drunken gravity, " mebl>ee you're ao
customed to Charlotte rusks and blue
mange; mebbee ye can't eat utile** your
grub is got up by one o' them French
cooks ? Tet tee- us boys yar in this
iamp—calls that pie—a good—a oom-pe
teat pio !"
The stranger again disclaimed any
thing bnt a general dislike of that form
of pastry. *
" Young man," continued Dick, utter
ly unheeding the explanation,—" young
man, mebbee you onet hail an ole—a
very ole mother, who, tottering down
the vale o' years, made pies. Mebbee,
and it's like your blank epicurean sou!,
ye turned up your nose on the ole wo
man, and went hack on the pies, and on
her! She that dandled ve when ye woz
a baby,—a little baby ! Mebbee ye went
back on her, and shook her, and played
off on her, and gave her away—dead
away! And now, mebbee, young man
—I *would*ut hurt ye for the world, but
mebbee, afore ye leave this yar table,
TE'U. KAT THAT PtK !"
The stranger rose to his feet, bat the
muzzle of a dragoon revolver in the un
steady hands of Whisky Dick, caused
him to sit down again. He ate the pie,
and lost his case likewise, before a
Rough-aud-Ready jury.
Indeed, far from exhibiting the cyn
ical doubts and distrusts of age. Daddy
Downey received always with child-like,
delight the progress of improve
ment and energy. "In my day, long
back in "the twouties. it took ns nigh a
week —a week, boys—to get np a barn,
and all the young ones—l was one then
—for miles 'round at the raisin' ; and
vers you boys—rascals ye are, too—
runs tip this yer shanty for Mammy and
me 'twixt sun-np and dark ' Eh, eh,
you're teachin' the old folks new tricks,
are ye ? Ah, get along, you !" and in
playful simulation of anger he would
shake his white hair anil his hickory
staff at the " rascals." The only indica
tion of the conservative tendencies of
age was visible in his continual protest
against the extravagance of the boys.
"Why," he would sav, "a family, a
hull family—leovin' alone me and the
old woman, —might be supported of
what you young rascals throw away in a
single spree."
There was little donbt that the old
couple were saving, if not avaricious.
Bnt when it was known, through the in
discreet volubility of Mammy Downey,
that Pappy Downey sent the bulk of
their savings, gratuities, and gifts to a
dissipated and prodigal son in the East
—whose photograph the old man always
carried with him—it rather elevated him
in their regard. " When ye write to
that gny ami festive son o' ypnra,
Daddy," said Joe Robinson, "send him
this yer specimen. Give him my com
pliments, anJ tell him, if he kin spend
money faster than I can. I call him !
In vain wonld the old man continue to
protest against the spirit of the gift ;
the miner generally returned with his
pockets that much the lighter, and it is
not improbable a little lees intoxicated
than he otherwise might have been. It
may be premised that Daddy Downey
was strictly temperate. The only way
he manage*! to avoid hurting the f-s-lings
of the camp was by accepting the fre
quent donations of whisky to be used
for the purposes of liniment.
" Next to snake-oil, my son," he would
say, " aud dilberry-juice—and ye don't
seem to pro-duoe em hi reaboats—whis
ky is good for rnbbin' onto old bones to
make 'em limber. But pure cold water,
• sparkliu' and bright in its liquid light,
and, so to speak, reflect a' of God's own
linymeuts on its surfiss, is the best,
on less, like poor ol' Mammy and me,
ye gits the dumb-agurfrom over-use."
Praised by the lip* of tlistinguished
report, fostered by the care and sus
tained by the pecuniary offerings of
their fellow citizens, the Saints led for
two years a peaceful life of gentle ab
sorption. To relieve them from the
embarrassing appearance of eleemosy
nary receipts—an embarrassment felt
more by the givers than the recipient#
—the postmastership of Rougb-and-
Rcady was procured for Daddy, and the
duty of receiving and delivering the
United States mails performed by him,
with the advice and assistance of the
boys. If a few letters went astray at
this time, it was easily attributed to this i
undisciplined aid, and the boys them
selves were always ready to make up the
valne of a missing money-letter and
"keep the old man's accounts square."
To these functions presnntlv were added
' the treasoreshi(M of the Masons' and
Odd Fellows' charitable funds—the old
man being far advanced in their re
spective degrees—and even the posi
tion of almoner of their bounties
was superadded. Here, unfortu
nately, Daddy's habits of economy
and avaricious propensity catne near
making him unpopular, and very often
needy brothers were forced to object to
the quantity and quality of the help
( extended. They always met with more
generous relief from the private bunds
of the brothers themselves, and the re
mark "that the ol' man was trying to
set an examnle— that ho meant well." —
and that they would yet tie thankful for
his zealous care and economy. A few, I
think, suffered in noble silence, rather
than bring the old man's infirmity to the
public notice.
And so with this honor of Daddy anil
Mammy, the days of the miners were long
and profitable in the land of the foot
hills. The mines yielded their abun
dance, the winters were singularly open,
and yet there was no drouth nor lack
of water, and peace aud plenty smiled
on the Sierrean foot-hills, from their
highest sunny upland to the trailing
falda of wild oats and poppies. If a
certain superstition got abroad among
the other camps, connecting the fortunes
of Rough-and-Ready with Daddy and
Mammy, it was a gentle, harmless
fancy, and was not, I think, altogether
THE CENTRE REPORTER.
rejected by the old people, A oert du
large, patriarchal, Itouutihil maimer,
of late visible m Daddy, and the in
crease of much white hair aud beard,
kept up the poetic ilaisum, while
Mammy, day by day, grew more and
more like some! nifty'* fairy godmother.
An attempt was made by a rival catup
to emulate these paving virtues of rever
ence, aud an aged mariner was procur
ed from the Sailor's Snug Harbor in
Sau Krauciaco, on trial. Hut the unfort
unate seauian was more or less diseased,
was not always presentable, through a
weakness for ardeut spirits, and dually,
to u*e the |owerful id nun of one of lus
disappointed foster-chi dreu, "up and
died in a week, without slinging ary
hlceaiu'. M
Hut vicissitude reaches young and old
alike. YouUiful Rough-atid-Heady and
the Samts had eliuiled to their meridian
together, and it seemed tit that they
should together ilechue. The first
shadow fell with the unmigratiou to
Rough-ami-lteadv of a sccoud aged nair.
The landlady of the Independence Hotel
had not abated her malevolence toward
the Saints, and had imported at consider
able expense ber grand aunt and grand
uncle, who bad been enjoying for some
years a sequestered retirement ill the
poor-house of East Machiaa. They
were indeed very old. Hy what miracle,
even as anatomical sjiecimeua, they had
been pros- rved during ttieir long jour
ney was a mysterv to the camp. In
some respect* they had superior memo
ries anil reminiscences. The old tuau —
Abner Trix—liad shouldered a musket
in the war of 1812, his wife, Abigail,
had seen Lady Washington.
t Whether it waa jealousy, distrust or
tinuditv that overcame the Saints, was
uever known, but they studiously de
clined to meet the strangers. When di
rectlv approached ujHn the subject,
DadiW Downey pleaded illness, kept
himself in ch>se seclusion, and the Sun
day tUat the Trixes attended church in
the school-house on the hill, the triumph
of the Trix party was mitigated by the
fact that the Downey* were not in their
accustomed pew. " Yon Iwt that Daddy
and Mammy is lying low jest to ketch
them old mummies yet," explained a
Dowueyite. For by this time schism
an 1 division had crept into the camp;
the younger ami later meml>cra of the
settlement adhering to the Trixes, while
the older pioueers stood uot only loyal
to their own favorites, but even, in the
trite spirit of partisanship, l>egan to
seek for a principle uuderlving their
personal fecliug. " I tell ye what, boys,"
observed Sweetwater Joe, "if this yer
camp is goiu* to be run by greenhorns,
and old pioneers, like Daddy and
the rest of ns, must take back
seats, it's time we emigrated and
shoved out, and ttik Daddy with
us. Why, they're talkiu* of rotation in
offiss and of putting that skeleton that
Ma'am Decker sets up at the table to
take her boarders' appetites away—into
the post office in place o' Daddy." And,
indeed, there were some fears of such a
conclusion; the uewer men of ltough
and-Ready were in the majority, and
wielded a more than equal iuflueuoe of
wealth and outside cnteq>rise. " Fris
co," as the Downeyite bitterly remarked,
" already owned half the town. " The
old friends that rallied around Daddy
and Mammy were, like most loyal friends
in adversity, in bail case themselves, and
were beginning to look and act, it was
observed, not unlike their old favorite*.
At this juncture Mammy died.
The sudden blow for a few days seemed
to reunite dissevered Itongh-and-Ready.
Roth factions hastened to the l>eroeved
Daddy with oondolements, and offers of
aid and assistance. Rnt the old man
received them sternly. A change had
come over the weak and yielding octo
genarian. Those who expected to tlnd
him mandlin, helpless, disoonsolate,
shrank from the cold, hard eyes and
truculent voice that bade them " lie
gone," and "leave him with his dead."
Even his own friends failed to make
him respond to their sympathy, and
were fain to content themselves with his
cold intimation that both the wishes of
his dead wife aud his own instincts were
against any display, or the reception of
any favor from the camp that might tend
to keep up the divisions they had inno
cently cr • ated. The refusal of Daddy
to accept any services 'offered was
so unlike him as to have but one dread
ful meaning ! The sudden shock had
turned his brain ! Yet so impressed were
they with his resolution that they permit
ted him to perform the lastsad offices him
self,and only a select few of his nearer
neighbor* assisted him in carrying.tlie
plain ileal coffin from his lonely cabin in
the woods to the still lonelier cemetery
on the hill-top. When the shallow
grave was filled, he dismissed even these
curtly, shut himself np in his cabin, and
for ilars remained unseen. It was evi
dent tliat he was no longer in his right
mind.
His harmless aberration was accepted
and treated with a degree of intelligent
delicacy hardly to be believed of so
rough a community. During his wife's
sudden aud severe illness, the safe
containing the funds intrusted to his
care by the various benevolent asso
ciation's, was broken into and rob
bed, and although the act was clearly
attributable to his carelessness and
preoccupation, all allusion to the fact
was withheld from him in his severe
affliction. When he appeared again
before the camp, and the circumstances
were oonsiileratey explained to him with
the remark that " the boys hail made
it all right," the vacant, hopeless, unin
telligent eye that he turned upon the
speaker Hhowed too plainly that he had
forgotten all alont it. " Don't trouble
the old man," said Whisky Dick, with a
burst of honest poetry. " Don't ye see
his memory's dead, aud lying there in
the coffin with Mammy." Perhaps the
speaker was nearer right than he imag
ined.
They took various moan* of diverting
his mind with worldly amusements and
one wan a visit to a traveling troupe,
then performing .in the town.
The result of the vinit was brief,
ly told by Wliinky Dick. "Well,
sir, we went in, and I sot the old man
down in a front seat, an d kinder propped
him np with some other of the fellers
round him, and there he sot as silent
and awful ez the grave. And then that
dancer. Miss Oraoe Somerset, comes in,
and blame my skin, if the old man didn't
git to trembling and fidgeting all over,
as she cut them pidgin wings. I tell ye
what, Ijoys, men is men, way down to
their Imots—whether they're crazy or
not! Well, he took on so—that I'm
blamed if at last that gal henwflf didn't
notice him ! and she tips, suddenly, and
blows him a kiss—so! with her fingers!"
Whether this narration were exagger
ated or not, it is certuiii that old man
Downey every succeeding night of the
performance was n spectator. That
he may have aspired to bo more than
that was suggested a day or two later
in the following incident. A number
of the boys were sitting around the
stove in the Magnolia saloon, listening
to the onset of a winter storm against
the windows, when Whisky Dick, tremu
lous, excited and bristling with rain
drops and information, broke in npon
them.
"Well, boys, I've got just the biggest
thing ont. Ef I hadn't seed it myself,
I wouldn't liev believed it!"
"It ain't thet ghost ag'iu ?" growled
Robinson, from the depths of his arm
chair ; " thet ghost's abont played."
"Wotghostf" asked a new-oomer.
" Why, ole Mammy's ghost, that
CENTRE HALL, CENTRE CO., PA.. THURSDAY, APRIL IK, 187 H.
every feller about yer aeea when lie'*
half full aud out late o' night*."
" Where t"
• W here f Why, where nhoulil
ghost lie f Meander in' rouud her grave
on the lull vouder, in iwnirwe."
" It * sutliiu bigger uor thet, pard,"
waul Dick, confidently j "no ghoat kin
rake down the pot agin the keerda I've
got here. Thi* unit no bluff 1"
" Well, go on I" *aid a dogen excited
voice*.
Dick panned u moment, diffidently,
with the hesitation of an arti*tio racon
teur.
" Well," he said, with affected delib
eration, " let's nee I It is mgli onto un
hour ago ex I was dowu tliar at the
show. When the curtain wn down lu
twixttheax, I looks round fer Daddy.
No Daddv tliar I I goes out and aaka
muue o' tlie boy*. ' Daddy was there a
minuit ago,' tliev aid ; 'imi*t hev gone
home.' Beiu" kinder reajHiuaible for
the old man, I hang* around, and gqps
out iu the hall and see* u passage lead
in' behind the scene*. Now the queer
thing about this, boys, ex that sutluu ill
my bones told me the old man is thar.
1 poshes in, and, sure a* a gun, I hears
lit* voice. Kinder pathetic, kinder
pleadiu', kinder—"
" Lovc-makiu'!" broke in the impa
tient Robuiaon.
" You've hit it, |>erd, —you've rung
the bell every time ! Hut she says, ' 1
wants thet money down, or I'll '
end here I couldn't get to hear Uie
rest. And theu he kinder coaxes, aud
she says, sorter sassv, but li*|ruiu' all
the time, —women like, ye know, Eve
end the sarpint! end she says, 'l'll
nee to-morrow.' And he aaya, 'You
won't blow on me?" ami I gets excited
end peeps in, end may I be teetutally
blame,l ef I didn't see "
" What t" yelled the crow,l.
"Why, Ikidiltj on hit it oft to that
therr dancer, Grace Somerset ! Now,
if Mammy'a ghost is meainleriu' round,
why, et's alamt time she left the ceme
tery and put in an appearance in Jack
sou's Hall. Thet's all !"
" I*>ok yar, bora," wud Robinson,
rising, "I don't know er. it's the square
thing to spile Daddy's fan. I don't ob
ject to it, provided sheaiut takiu' in the
old man aud givin' him dead awav. But
ea we're his guard eens, I propose that
we go down tliar and aee the lady, and
find out ef her intentions is honorable.
If she means marry, and the old man
persists, why, I reckon we kin give the
yonng couple a send-oft thet won't dis
grace this yer camp ! Hey, boys ?"
It is unnecessary to say that the
proposition was received with aoclama
turn, and that the crowd at once departed
on their discreet mission, lint the re
sult was never known, for the next
morning brought a shock to Rnugh-and-
Beady before which all other iuterest
paled to nothingness.
The grave of Mammy Downer was
found violated and dea J*>l led; the tsiflln
opened, and half filled with the papers
and accounts of the robbed benevolout
association; but the body of Mammy
was gone ! Nor, on examination, did it
appear that the sacred and ancient form
of that female had ever rejajtuxl in its
recesses f
Daddy Downey was not to lx found,
nor is it necessary to say that the ingen
uous Grace Somerset was also missing.
For three days the reason of Rough
and-Ready trembled in the Iwlanoe. No
work was done in the ditches, in the
flume, nor in the mills. Groups of mm
stood bv Uie grave of the lamented relict
of Daddy Downey, ss open-mouthed and
vacant as that seruloher. Never since
the great earthquake of 's'i had Rough
ami Ready IsH-n so stirred to its deepest
foundations.
Ou the third day the sheriff of Cala-
Teru-> quiet, gentle, thoughtful man
—arrived in town, and passed from one
to the other of excited group©, dropping
here and there detached but oonciae and
practical information.
" Ye©, gentlemen, yon are right, Mr©.
Downey i© not dead, l>ecaue there
wasn't auy Mr©. Downey! Her part wa©
played by Gen. F. Renwick. of Sydney
—a 4 ticket-of-leave-man,' who wa©, they
say, a good actor. Downey ? Oh, yes !
Downey wa© Jem Flanigan, who, in '52,
used to run the troupe in Australia,
where Mis© Somerset made her debut.
Stand back a little, boy*. Steady ! ' The
money?' Oh, ye©, they're got away
with tliat, sure! How are ye, Joe? Why,
you're looking well and hearty 1 I ra
ther expected ye court week. How'©
thing© your way?"
" Then they were only play-actor©,
Joe Hall ?" broke in a dozen Toicea.
44 1 reckon !** returned the sheriff,
coolly.
"And for a matter o' five blank year*,"
©aid Whisky Dick, adly, 44 they played
this camp !*'—Aoriftnrr's Afagaibte.
Ingenious Shoplifting.
An elegantly dressed female lately en
tered a jeweler'© ©hop on the Imulevard
in Paris, and asked to see ©ome valuable
gold pins. While ©he wa© examining
them a man began playing a barrel
organ before the door. The music seemed
to annoy the lady, and stepping to the
door she threw a piece of money to the
man and told him to go away, which he
did at once. On returning to the counter
she said that none of the pins suited her,
but that a© some eomiwnsation f>r the
trouble she hail given she would buy a
brooch. She accordingly chose one,
paid ten francs for it, and was leaving
the shop, when the jeweler missed a
diamond pin of great value from nraong
those ©he hail beeu looking at. He ac
cordingly ©topped his customer, who
seemed highly indignant, and insisted
on the jeweler's wife searching her,
which was done, but no pin win found.
The jeweler therefore allowed her to
leave, but sent his sister to wateh her.
The woman was s>sin seen to enter
another jeweler's shop, and was pre
tending to make a purchase as before,
when the orgnn grinder again made his
appearance. A© soon as he began play
ing she again threw him some money
and ordered him to move on ; but the
|>erson who was watching her perceived
that with the money she had also given
the man a piece (if jewelry. This was
nt once made known to some sergent© de
ville, who arrc©ted both of them, and
found on the man several article© of
jewelry which had been obtained in a
similar manner. The thieves were sub
sequently taken to the prefect of Police.
"The blarney Stone."
We all know, says a writer in Cham
hrr's Journal, wbat blarney ia—that
aoft, sweet si>eoeh in which the sons an<l
daughters of Erin excel. Huclt speech
ia well named blarney, and carries na
back to the hero that made it a household
word. He wax one " Oormuck Macar
thy, who held the Oaatle of Blarney in
1002, and oonelnded an anniatice with
Carew, the Jjord President, on eondi
tion of (turrendering the fort to the Eng
lish garrison. Day after day hia lord
ahip looked for tbe fulfillment of the
terras, bnt received nothing except pre
tocols and soft speeches, till he became
the laughing-stock of Elizabeth's minis
ters and the dnpe of the lord of lllar
ney." The Blarney Stone is a triangu
lar stone lowered from the Castle about
twenty feet from the top, containing on
it the inscription: " Cormuck Macarthy
lords mr. fieri fecit, A. D., 1440." Who
ever kisses this stone is supposed to be
.endowed with irresistible powers of
: persuasion.
Faidtlou Noles.
Cut jet lusad* are very much in de
mand.
Rich articles of lace are growiug into
I favor.
I iuoheaae lace ha* taken the place of
point lace.
Sleeves are as amall as may l>e worn
with comfort.
The plauient and simplest of drxporie*
are preferred.
Laces and fur trimming* are beauti
fully studded with pearl lioad*.
Among the choice novelties of lingerie
are " Duchesne ends " un Mull uecktiea.
The latest style of dolman has short,
square Hungarian sleeves and a |>eleriue
front.
Yokes ami pleated aud gathered waists
are very becoming to tall, slender wo
man.
Many |M>lonaiaes are accompanied with
a pelerine dolman, to lie worn on Cool
morning*.
II al f - bloHMomed Rower*, with scant
foliage i* the latest transition for bridal
garniture*.
Very tine colored embroideries are
*eeu on many of the newest styles of
handkerchiels
Yokes, or trimming* producing yoke
effects, are very jaipular for very young
ladies' dresses.
Colored embroideries appear on many
of the haudaoiuest *et of white collar*
and deep cuff*.
Scarfs of creje base, with the end*
embroidered iu silks of Oriental colore,
are pretty novelties.
Handsome wedding droaaea of conled
js-arl white silk, are trimmed with pleat
ing* of English crape.
Wnr wide linen collar* and deep ruffs
are richly embroidered end trimmed
with frills of flue Torchon lace.
Yellow, of ell shades, is very much in
vogue with bloudee and brunettes, white
with yellow, is accepted, instead of black.
Tiuael galloons and "cloth of (fold "
ere trimming* now woru in Pari* but
will uot uow appear here until the fell
season.
Maci'ame lace work, in the form of
tidies, bureau mats and chair covers, is
the favorite fancy work for ladies at the
moment.
Gold embroidery, in fringes, lace,
tassels, balks ins, passementeries, in ev
erything, in fact, i worn in Paris, both
111 the morning aud evening, but it is
vulgar for all that.
Cardinal capes, dolman mantles, and
Helm mantelets are trimmed in tnanv
macs with several rows of fluted black
Spanish or French lace, headed with
moonlight aud nunlsiw jet galloons.
Combination suits are verv much liked
—observe that in the imported suit* of
this character, one of the colors is al wars
dull, while the rest are brilliantly dis
tinct ami ofteu of the tie ' delicate
tints.
Utile Johnny on the Upossum.
If there is anything in name* this
animal comes frotn Ireland, but them
thata here calls theirselfs jeas P.issnroa,
like they was natif born. Possums
hss a sharp nose and a long, bald-heded
tale, wieli is always cold, never mind
the wether. Its jess like their talcs was
ded and no money for the funeral
nformanee. The obi ones has got n to
bacco |sinch on the outside of their
stummiickse*, and wen the little ones is
afraid they snuggles iu and don't care a
eopjier wot becomes of their old mother
wich is outside. When a dog finds a
jHissoni snd it cant g"t to a tree it lays
down and pretends like it was ded. One
time there was a dog, wich didnt kno
poasoms found oue a lrin like dol ; after
rollin it over a wile an smellin it the dog
winked his ear much to say : " Mity
good job for yon, ola feller, that you
was dead fore I come along." And then
the dog he lay down and went a sleep.
Wen the possum see the dog a sleep it
stood up on its foeta to go away, but
jest then the dog woke np. Hncli a
friten possum you never see, and sech a
a friten dog you never six- too, but the
dog most. It got up, the dog did, and
made for home yellin like iU heart was
brok, and fore it got home it hail
changed with acaro from black Nn
fonndland pup to a ole bull, wite like
< iaffer Peters.-* bed ! A man wich had
a pet she possum and a little chicken
wich he thot ever so much of was a set
tiu at his table one day ritin, wfcn he
seen the possum come in at the dorr and
try to sncek under the led. So the
man he sail : " Oleopntry," wich was
the jvMwnm's name, " come here ai.d do
some tricks on the table." But the
j>o*aum took lota of coaxtn, and at last
wen it was a settin np on 'the table l>eg
gin like dogs, the man hesrd his chicken
go " Yocp, yeep, veep ?" Cleonatry she
started, ami stared ol around the room,
like she sai.l: " Wv, hlcsa my sole,
were is that poor chicken?" But the
man he knew were it was well enongli.
Then the chicken went " Yeep, yeep,"
a other time, and Cleopatry she ran to
every side of the table and lookt over
the edge and come back to the middle
a shakin her bed, like ahe said : " I
can't make it out at all; it l>e*t me 1"
But wen the man he went "Cluck
cluck," like a hen, the chicken stuck
its lied out of the tobacco pouch on
Cleopatry's atnmmnck, were it hail been
put away for to l>e ot.
An I'Dinvited Wedding finest.
Another industry of Paris was lately
revealed. It seems there are a number
of men here who enjoy good dinners at
th© expense of their neighlwrs by an
ingenious trick. They watch for mar
riages, mingle with the bridal party and
take their seat© at the lunch and dinner
table. The bride's family make ©ure he
i© one of the groom's friend© anil treat
hini witli profound respect. The
groom's family seeing oourteaie© shown
him by the bride's family think he must
lie ©ome rich uncle, who will leave n
©liee of hi© plum-cake to the bride, and
then redouble their attention to con
vince him he is not going to lose hi©
niece by the marriage. Hut—it some
time© fiappen© that marriage dinner©
here are not found by the families. It
i© agreed with the guest© that each per
i ©on ©hall pay hi© or her ©hare of the
! dinner's cost. Into just such an enter
| tainment Monsieur Pique Assictte fell
j theother night. He must have gotton
out of bed with his left foot foremost
' that morning. When the waiter handed
: around the plate for each person's scot,
Monsieur Pique A©siette, fumble a© he
might in his jioeketa, could find only a
ten cent piece—the waiter wanted sls.
The bride's family whispered t<> the
groom's family: "Hliali we advance
the s.l to your friend ?" "Our friend 1
why isn't he yours?" 44 We never laid
eye© on him before." Monsieur Pique
AHsiettn looked like a sneak-thief, hard
caught in a ©toel trap. Explain! All
ho could do wm to stammer incoherent
nonsense. The jiolioe were abont to be
called wlien the bride interfered and
©aul she ooiild not liear that the first act
of her married life should l>e to send a
man to prison, so she would pay the un
bidden guest's sent. Although his heart
wa© in his b<*>t©, he hod no heart for
daring, but took to his heels the instant
he saw the door opey. This incident
made the wedding one of the merriest
seen in Paris this long while and every
body agreed that the B't worth of fun
bought by the bride was very cheap.
THE FROST KING.
Trrrvra •! llir I Im >f•*•!•• *!•• f
• lir I'lirMcmttitM r Arrllr Ulllr Til*
Hll *i il c.f i Itr Nui i!• A Trapper's Mra*
ll>T>P<W.
A correspondent lu British America
writes from Winnipeg, Manitoba to the
New York A.Wniny /''ft, giving a read
able iMWMiiit of the ltri<ml]r Oold
i Mouther whirli prevails in that region
j during the winter mouths. W quote :
j The still days are the coldest, We have
avenr winter a dozen or more lay ao
magically still that ail the unuai sound*
of nature aeeiu to he nuiqieiolod ; when
tlie toe crook* miles away witli a rejairt
lik* a Mimun: when the breaking of a
I twig roaches one like the falling of a tree;
when one's own footsteps, clad in aoft
niiMvasins, oome hark from the yielding
| snow like the crunching of an iron heel
through gravel ; when every artificial
sound is exaggerated a hundred fold,
and nature aeeuis to start at every break
in the intense silence. The atmosphere
is as clear as crystal, and the range of
vision seems to be unlimited. Keen from
a window, from the cosey limits of an
almost hermetically sealed room, the
clear sunshine and crisp freshness of the
.lay ap|>ear to invite one forth to enjoy
its seeming mildness. But the native
knows better than to venture out. A
fifteen minutes' walk iu that clear ether
is a fifteen minutes' fight for existence.
A sudden prick and one's nose is frozen;
uext go both cheeks; one raises his hand
to rub awuv the ghastly white apota,
only to add his fingers to the list of lev
member*. Hub as you will, run hard,
swing your arms—all to no purpose ;
tbe little white spots increase in aise,
until the whole face ia covered with the
waxen leprosy. The breath congeals al
most upon leaving the mouth, and the
icy vajsir falls instead of rising. Hpit
and instantly there is a lump of ice where
the spittle fell. Ah, it is oold beyond
belief I The spirit registers a tempera
ture away down iu the forties. I have
seen a stalwart man, after two hoars'
ei|sure on such a day, walk into the
room where every footfall clanked upon
the flor like blocks of wood clspping
together ; bis feet frozen solid as ltim|>s
of ice. I rememlier going sixty yards
to shoot a rabbit'and returning with fin
gers froxen fast to the trigger guard.
(hi such a day one may stand for
hours in the snow with moocaaiued feet
aud leave no trace of moisture behind.
The snow is granulated like sand; there
is no adhesiveness iu it. It is difficult to
draw a sledge through a bed of sand.
Hlipjtenneas has gone out of it. A
horse gives out in no time. And yet
the u*pct of all nature is calm, still,
and equable as on a May da v.
One of Lheae stikj nights upon the
pnune is nna|>eakalffj awful. The cold
is measured by degrees as much below
the freexiug jaunt as vour ordinary sum
mer tcmpcrattire is ata.ve it. Scraping
away the auow, the blankets and robes
are spread down. Then you dress for
bad. Your heaviest coat is douned,
and the hood carefully pulled up over
the heavy fur cap upon your head; the
largest moocaains and thickest sucks are
drawn on (oommon leather boots would
freeze one's f<*'t in a twinkling); huge
leather mittens,extending t<> the elbows,
and trebly lined, come next; yon lie
down snd draw all the available robes
and blanket* abont yon. Then begins
the cold. The frost cornea out of the
char gray skv with still, silent ngor.
The spirit in the thermometer placed by
your head sinks down into the thirties
sn.l forties below zero. Jnst when the
dswn liegins to break in the east it will
not unfreqneatly be at fifty. You are
tired, perhaps, and sleep comes by the
mere force of fatigue. But never from your
waking brain goes the consciousness of
cold. Yon lie with tightly folded arms
and up-gathered knees snd shiver be
neaUi all your coverings, until forced to
rise and seek safety by the fire.
With the advent of a "blixxard,"
however, all the still life ends and chaos
begins. A blixxard is the white squall
of the pnurioa, the simoom of the
plains. Like its brother of the Sahara,
when it oimea all animate nature blows
baloM H. Tlie traveler prostrates him
self in the snow, if he is of the initiated,
and, covering his head, wait* until it
pauses by. To pursue a different course
and journey on is to be lost. In con
versation Pierre Bottineau, tlie noted
guide and trapper, related to me the
following incident, illustrating tbe
power and rapidity of the blixxard
storm. Bottineau was engaged, some
years since, in guiding two gentlemen
from Pembina to Georgetown daring
the month of February. The country
was an unbroken wilderness, and the
*now tav very deep upon the plains.
The party traveled on snow-shoes, and
to carry their provisions used tobogans,
or bond-sleds—mere slips of board
turned up £t one end. Shortly after !
midday, toward the ehweof the journey,
when all the party were walking close
together, a blixxard came up. The
timber skirting a small stream lay be
fore them at the distance of not more
than a quarter of a mile. It hail been
intensely cold before, and the wind
l>earing the storm on it* wings, now
made it terrible to face. They at once
started at a run in order to gain the
shelter of the forest before Immng over
taken by the storm. Accustomed to
travel from infancy, an.l an expert in
tbe use of snow-sin**, Bottineau passed
I his companions in the race, never think
ing'for s moment but that they could
find their way with the timber fall in
view before them. Notwithstanding j
the hardest running, however, he was
tiuable to gain the skirt* of the wood
before the storm was upon him. It wa*
iof the most terrible description ;• no j
man could face it; nothing could be
distinguished at the distance of a yard.
From long experience in plain travel
Bottineau knew it was a fight for life—
I every man for himself. Lying down
upon the snow he crept upon hands and
knees toward tlie wood. After infinite
toil and difficulty he reached its friendly
shelter, and took refuge under the lee ;
!of a fallen log. Hoping his companions
might have reached a place of safety,
but not daring to go in search of them,
he lay shivering for an hour.
At the end of that time the storm
abated somewhat, and Bottineau startd
ito the rescue. About five nxls from the
edge of the timber, upon the open plain, ,
1 he found one of the unfortunate gentle- J
men wrapped in a winding-sheet of
snow and drift, and sleeping the sleep
that knows u<> waking ; frosenstiff while :
.in the act of crawling on hands and
knees to shelter. A more extended
search revealed the unfortunate man
wandering through the timber, with
hands, feet and the greater part of his
face frozen solid. A man of quick con
clusions and ready resource, the old
gui le knew his patient could tramp no ,
more. So he made him a bark hut in
the forest, snptdied him plentifully with
wood, placed tlie provisions near him,
t hen sped off to the nearest military post
for a conveyance and the post surgeon.
He was gone three days. He returned i
only to find that the poor victim in
some sudden craze had torn the band
ages from his frozen limbs, east off his
clothing, and wandered out in the snow
to freeze to death.
The older class of houses in the terri
tory are practically impervious to oold.
They are built of logs, with the founda
tion" either flat UJKIU the ground or
slightly below it, so that no air can pene
trate from beneath. Even the cellar
way ojiens inside the house, the cellar
! being a limited aperture immediately
I under the center of the building;. Tlie
TKRMS: SU.OO a Yoar, in Advance.
log walls are daulntd thickly with mod
outside aud inside, and, backed by
double doors and windows, safely defy
tlie oold. There arc many bouses of
four to eight rooms where one stove
heat* the whole building the year round.
Merle* of a Miser.
Mr. Cooke, tlie muter of Peotouville,
aa he wa* called, wa* * great annoyance
to gentlemen of the faculty. He us *d
to put on ragged clothe*, and go as a
pauper to Mr. Ssundera and other gen
tlemen, to have gratuitous advice for hi*
eve* ; get * letter for the diapenaary and
attend there as * dcraved tradesman,
for several weeks, until Selected. H*v
| ing a wound in lit* leg, he cmp.oyed a
Mr. Pigeon, who lived ucarly opposite
to him, in White Lion street, Peutou
vdle. to cure it.
" llow long do yon think it will be
before you can cure it t"
•• A mouth."
" How mush must I give you ?"
Mr. Pigeon, who saw tbe wound was
not of any great importance, answered,
j " A guinea."
" Verv well," replied Cooke; " bnt
mark this : a guinea is an immense sum
of money, and when 1 agree upon sums
of such magnitude, I go upon tbe sys
tem of no cure no pay. Ho if lam not
cured by the expiration of the month, I
pav you nothing."
Tliis was agreed to. After diligent
attention, the wound was so near bettig
healed, that Cooke expressed hime< If
satisfied, and would not let Pigeon see it
any mom However, within two or
three day* of tlie month being com
pleted, tlie fellow got aome aoi. of
plaster, with cuphorbium on it, from a
farrier, and made a new wound on tlie
place where the former had been, and
neudiug for Pigeon tbe last day of the
mouth, showed him that his leg was not
well, and that of ooume the guinea he
bad agrees! for wa* forfeited. Till* story
the old fellow used to tell of himself
with great satisfaction, and call it
"plucking a Pigeon."
When on hi* death-bed, he sent for
several medical men. Home of them
would not attend, but among other* who
went to see bim was Mr. Aldridgf, of
lVntonville. At oue of the interviews,
he earnestly entreated Mr. Aldridge to
tell candidly how long he thought be
might live. Tlie answer was, he might
probably live six dava. Cooke collecting
all his strength, and starting up in bed
exclaimed r
"Are von not a dishonest man, a
rogue an if a robber, to serve me so ?"
•• How so ?" aaked Mr. Al.lridge, with
surprise.
" Whv, sir, you are no lietter than a
pickjiocket. to go and rob me of my
gold by sending in two draught* a day
to a man that all your phyaic will not
keep alive above six days. Get out of
mv house, and never oome near me
again."
Nationalities and Ages af the Pepe*.
The jtmrnnl of the French Statistical
Society publishes aome curious statistics
c>norruing the Popes which may not be
without interest. Pins IX, wa* the
'252.1 Pope. Of these fifteen were French,
thirteen Greek*, eight Syrians, six Ger
mans, five Spaniard*, two Africans, two
Savotsiens, two Dalmatians; England,
Portugal, Holland, Switzerland and
('snails furnishing one each; Italy
provided the rest. Since 1523 all the
l'opca have been selected from Italian
Cardinals. Seventy Bishops of Borne,
lielouging, with very few exceptions, to
the epoch preceding the establishment of
the temporal power, have been proclaim
ed saint*. The last ten centuries have
seen nine Popes judged worthy by the
Popes themselves of being sanctified.
Of the 252 Pontiffs, not including St.
Peter, eight died within s month of
their elevation to the Popedom, forty
eight within a year, twenty-two were
seated between cine and two years, fifty
four from two to five years, fifty-seven
from five to ten year*, fifty-one from ten
to fifteen years", eighteen from fifteen
to twenty year*, and nine more than
twenty year*. Pin* IX,, in the years of
his Pontificate, surjia**vl in 1874 all the
Roman Pontiff* except the Spanish anti-
Pope, Benedict XIII., of Luna, who,
elected at Avignon in 1394, died at
Penaacola, near Valencia, 1424. In
respect of age he ha* leen surpassei lly
a very great number of his predecessor*.
There died at the age of over eighty-two
rear* Alexander XIIL (1689 91) and
Pin* VL (1775 99); at eighty-three
vears, Paul IV. (1555 59), Gregory
XIIL (1575 85), Innocent X. (1644-55),
Benedict XIV. (1740 58). Piu* VII.
(1800-23); between eighty-four and
vears, Paul 111. (1534-49),
Boniface VIII. (1294-1N0S), Clement X.
(1670 76), Innocent XIL (1691 1700),
between ninety and ninety-two Tear*;
John XIL. Pope of Avignon (1316 -34),
Clement XIII, (1730 40), at the age
of 100 year*.
Climate of the Arctic Region*.
That * comparatively warm climate
prevailed in the Arctic region*, at a
period not very remote, geologically is
one of tlie most interesting conclu
sions which h*vc heen established by
the researches at modern geologists.
From tlie abundant remains of plants
preserve*! in rocks occurring in North
Greenland snd in Spitsbergen, the geolo
gist feels warranted in oonclnding that a
Itixnrions vegetation flimriahad there
during that age of the earth's history
known as the Miocene period. The char
acters of the fossil plsnts found in Green
land, indicate that North Greenland en
joyed, in Miocene times, a climate
warmer than at present by at least
thirty degrees. In fact the Miocene
flora" of this locality includes several
species of oak, poplar, chestnut, and
vine, with sequoias akin to the fanions
mammoth-trees of California. On the
whole, this flora of Greenland points
to a climate which, according to Pro
fessor Hcer, must have been something
like that of the Lake of Geneva, at the
present day.
Going further back in geological time
we obtain evidense of a yet warmer cli
mate than This, even. Thn*, in the
Lower Cretaceon* period, the flora in
cluded fern*, and conifer*, resembling
species which exist in temperate or even
sub-tropical zones. Indeed, Professor
Heer eonelndcs that the climate of the
Arctic regions, at tlie beginning of the
Cretaceona age, mnst have resembled
the present climate of Egypt, or of the
Canary Isles.
Train's Bill of Fare,
George Francis Train, from the lofti
est rooms of the Palmer House, Chica
go—tlie location being in entire con
souanoe with his own exalted flight* of
intelleot-r-orders a meal fit only for snch
lofty mind, thus :
sour.
Gruel, one gill.
BOTL.
One peanut.
One apple.
ESTHERS.
Two baked bean*. ,
Cold boiled Hoe, two grains.
One alioe dried apple.
One alioe Pomme de terre firltea,
One pea.
One raw peannt.
EHTREKSTS.
One glass water.
One oraokor.
MUST.
One orange.
One lozenge.
Water. Peannt shells. Apple parings.
Crumbs. Tooth Pick.
—.Yer York Graphic
NUMBER 16.
FARM, HARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
HssisbslfcHtel*.
Tea. —A French one mist aaaerta that
| i f tea be ground like coffee, hot water ia
Soured upon it, it will yield nearly
onble the amount of its exhilarating
qualities.
Unuawtsr or Dnooira.—lf brooms
are wet in bojlwg soda once a week they
will become vary tongh, will not cut the
i carpet, laat much longer, and always
' sweep like a uew broom.
Kami'in Brrrue.—Batter that baa be
come rancid may be reetomi by washing
it thoroughly in good now milk, and
then working it over with cold spring
water. Butyric acid, which, when pres
ent, causes rancidity, ia soluble in fresh
milk, and run be removed in the manner
stated.
Cinvkd Cipxr —Older may be pre
served for years, try putting it np in air
tight cans, after the manner of preserv
ing fruit. The cider should be first set
tied and racked off from the dreg*, bnt
fermeutation should not be allowed to
commenoe before canning.
To Hasb Holder*.—- Window aaabas
may be retained at any desired height,
by itoring three or four Poles in the side
of the tush, and inserting into them
common bottle corks, leaving them to
project about the aiiteenth pari of an
inch. Three will preaa against the win- ,
dow frame and hold the sash at any
height required.
Caxraos It*.—Melt slowly together
white wax and spermaceti, each one
ounce : camphor, two ouaoea, in sweat
almond oil, one pound. Next, triturate
until the mass becomes homogeneous.
Thai allow one pound of rose water to
flow in slowly during the opaUoo.
Then perfume with attar of rosemary,
one drachm.
Tm4> Is Ikr tiarSrs.
Many persons have a loathing of these
really interesting, if not handsome,
little animals of the genus Bufo (Bu/o
vulgaris). The toad is perfectly harm
less, and ia often useful in gardens by
feeding on noxious insect*. One ;
writer gives it as his opinion that they
are Worth more per head to the horti
culturist than chickens, even allowing
that chicken* did not scratch. Dr.
Harris tells a very interesting story of
these insect devonrera, which we think
ought to put the reader in good humor i
with them. He suptxieed the odor of ;
toe squash bug would protect it from
the toad, and to teat the matter he offer- '
ad one to a grave looking liufa, under a
cabbage. He seized it eagerly, but
spit it ont instantly, reared upon hia
hind legs and put hia front feet on top
of his head for an instant aa if in pain,
and then disappeared acruas tha garden
in a senna of the greatest leaps a toad
ever made. Perhaps tha bug bit the I
biter. Not satisfied with thia Dr.
Hams banted up another toad which
lived under the piaixa, and always sun
ned himself in one place in the grass.
He offered him a squash bug, which be
took and swallowed, winking in a very
satisfied manner. Twenty other fine
bog* followed the first in a few min
utes, with no difficulty or hesitation in
taking or swallowing, though, frutn the
wriggling and contortions, it appeared
their corner* did not fit well within.
Htm ntaMaa.
Dark stables are an abomination and
should not be tolerated. There ia no
necessity to sacrifice comfort, either in
winter or summer, to secure enough
light A horse's eye* are enlarged—the
pupil of the eve ia—by being kept in a
dark stable. He has the harness put an
him, and suddenly brought out into the
bright, glaring sunlight, wluch contract*
the pupil so suddenly a* to cause extreme
tain. To see jnst bow it ia to face a 1
bright light after having been in the
dark, take a walk some dark night for a
abort time, till the eye becomes aocna- .
tomad to the darkness, then drop sud
denly in some wall-lighted roam, and
you will scarcely be able to sea fore few
moments in the sudden light. A dark *
stable is invariably a lamp one, ami
such stables we ere not yet willing to
pot either a valuable or working horse
m. Give good ventilation, let the sun
shine and the air have a chance to effect j
an entrance, and your stables will be j
purer and more healthy.
Pat Haras*.
There ia a tendency at this season to
feed too much grain and get the horses
too fat This ia done at the expense of
muscle, because an animal kept con
stantly at work will not got •' hag fat,"
the food going to fnrniah tissue and :
muscle used up and destroyed. Not so
with an ammal kept iu a stall and given j
no exercise, except, perhaps, that ob- I
tamed while being lad to water. Tha
amount of grain fed should be reduoed, ;
and a plentiful supply of hay kept in
the racks at all times. When possible,
the horses should be giwpn the free run
of the vard every .lay. If only given
their liberty oocaaionly, they are liable
to run and jump to excess. Many vain- j
able animals have been lost by rupture
or a fall obtained through giriug exer
cise to exuberant ammal spirits.—
Western Stock Journal.
Pesetas Pawls.
In a state of nature fowl* run over a
great extent of ground before they get a
crop fnlL They pick np tneir food
grain bv grain, and with it small pieces
of dirt. bla.lea of grass and other thing*
that all help digestion Placed before
the fowls in boxes filled with grain, the
birds do in five minute* that which
should be the work of two hour*; they
cat s gree.lv fill, and, suffering unnat
ural repletom they have recourse to
drink ; the corn then (wells in the crop,
and the sufferer*, instead of walking
about cheerfully, hide in corners and
squat about, to the detriment of their
health. This applies to the equally
bad practice of throwing down the food
in heaps.
Ha alas
Between the bonss of the ankle and
the wrist there are muscles. When by
accident theee are drawn oat of their
places, whet we oall a sprain ia prodnoed.
When one ia aware that he has suffered
this specie* of derangement, the first
thing to be done ia to keep the part in
jured, perfectly still, and by no meana
use it in the least. The muscles left to
themselves will return to their places
gradually. Hops steeped in nuegar
and applied hot to the injured part will
.quiet tue anguish and restore wholeness.
But more important than any applica
tion is perfect quiet
Cartons Reservoirs.
One of the hottest regions of the
earth is along the Persian Qulf, where
little or no rain falls. At Bahrin the
arid shore has no fresh water, yst a
comparatively numerous population con
trive to live there, thanks to the copious
springs which buret forth from the bot
tom of the sea. The fresh water is got
by diving. The diver, sitting in his
boat, winds a great goat-skin bag around
his left arm, the hand grasping its
mouth; then be takes in his right-hand
a heavy stone, to which ia attached a
strong line, and thus equipped he
plunges in and quickly reaches the bot
tom. Instantly opening the bag over
the strong jet of fresh water, he springs
up the ascending current, at the same
time closing the bag, and is helped
aboard. The stone ia then hanled up,
and the diver, after taking breath,
plunges in again. The souroe of these
copious submarine springs is thought to
be in the green hills of Osman, some
five or six hundred miles distant.
Items ef Interest.
E vary dor* has a eote, and aj dof
pnnte.
Tha mm* roita at law the lass suite go
on your boak.
Counterfeiting ailw coin* baa begun.
Look ont for them.
Whom did tha pastry eook marry?
Hia sweet-tart. of oouraa.
Franc* amokad 180.000,000 cigar* laat
year, and 183 tona of cigarettes.
" If mankind oouldn't sneese, what
would happeu to tham when tbay want
tor
Buroa people ttee glaaaea for tha eyea.
Other* oar not get tham above the
aoaa.
In 18T2 there were tbirty-two eirtraa
•how* on the road. Tkia year there are
bnt thirteen.
Thia ta a world of senood-hand good*.
I Every pretty girl haa been aome other
; fallow's sweetheart.
• An editor oat Went, peaking of a
! blind sawyer, aaya : " Although ha
cannot sea he can aaw."
Rice ta mora largely grown and eon
snmed aa human food than any other
nereal. It ta aaid to be the main food of
one-third of the human nee.
Chicago haa 3,800 liquor aaioooa for
her 800,000 inhabitant#, giving one sa
loon !• every 178 psople, or one to
every thirty-Ave adult males.
Tha number of children lost daily in
the city of Mew York ia very large. Over
thirty found temporary qnarter* a* the
police central station one day recently.
It ooeta jnat mx rente to peete a
printed slip on a pastel oard and aeod
it through the mail*. The aender oon
tributea .me cent and the receiver the
other Ave.
Josh Billing* aaya laeting reputo
shnna are e alow growth. The man
who wakes up famoa sum morning ia
quite apt to go to bed sum night and
sleep it ail off.
Food father: " Well, my eon, how do
you like your college ? Hbe haa turned
out some greet men." Young Hopeful
(jnat expelled i Yee, air, she has jnat
turned me out."
In a Mew York druggist's window a
placard announce* : " Indie* afflicted
with pale, feded eye* can now have
them tattooed black, brown, or dark
blue with India ink.
In Kentucky vagrancy ia puniahad
with involuntary servitude, and a colored
offender was sold on the block at auction
for six months t • the highest bidder at
Hickman, in that State, the other day.
Life is not ao fall of attractions to tha
•mall boy of to-lay as it was to hia
father. A generation ago there werw
neatly fifty circus shows on the road,
and this year there are only thirteen.
It ia when a man is carrying a pound
of hoocv an one arm, and a bag of eggs
on the other, and lending a bulldog by a
string, and attempt* to brush a fly oA
his ear, that ha feels ao man caa be an
expert in all thing*.
Queen Victoria, hao seven palaces.
Three in Ixmdon—Buckingham, St.
James, ato Kensington. Her ootof
town palace at* at Windsor, at Osborne,
Isle of Wight, and at Balmoral, in the
Btti*h Highlands.
ToS much reproach " o'er leaps itself,
and falls on t'other aide." Pricked too
sharply, the delinquent, like a goaded
boil, grows sullen and aavagi., and tha
persecution continuing, ends in roahing
madly on tha spear that wounds him.
Tb* Is no grows on asrt*'s broad obsrt
Bat has nn bed to efaacr it;
Bo Hope stags on ia avsry bssit,
Although w* nsv not hear 1L
And if u>-4*y thsbasvvwtng
Of sorrow Is opfMwswng.
l <*ebano* to-morrow's SOB will brag
The wsery heart sons* iilsssing
A man was soared to death is Berry
villa. Mo. He was passing a graveyard
at midnight, when two men sprang from
behind a monument and shouted at him.
He ran borne and went to bed, bnt was
so nervous that he could not sleep: and
l>efore morning he died in amvulmona.
Dr. 0. B. Eddy of FinebriUe, Kt.,
who has recently imported from Canada
s drove of Berkshire bog*, ha* erected
for them the finest pen in the country
It is made of heavy stone, and through
I it run* a hallway aix hundred feet long,
traversed by a stream of water. Per
fect light and ventilation have been se
cured. aad the entire coat haa been
830.000.
A popular doctor of Utk while aaoort
ing a lad* home tfa# other evening, at
tempted to retiree bar oough and aorc
throat b* giving her a troche. H-* told
her to allow it to dissolve gradoall.* in
bar month. So relief waa experienced
and the doctor felt quite chagrined the
next da* when the lad; aeot him a pan
taloon button with a note easing he moat
bare given ber the wrong kind of troche,
and might need this one.
A fanatic Mussulman at Constanti
nople attributes the Saltan'* disaster* to
the fact that Baron Teeeo, a former min
ister of Italy in that capital, fraodalent
1* purchased for a mere song the
Prophet's •acred flag and aent it to
Turm. Tbe flag certainly is in the poa
srvwinn of the Royal Museum of that
city, bat it* sacred*character and magic
al Value are entirely ignored by iti pres
ent owners.
A fearful cetaetropbe occurred at Par
ma. Italy. An artillery officer and six
men weie trying to uproot an old horse
chestnut tree by the nee of dynamite in
tbe public promenade when, owing to
the officer'* carelessness, an explosion
occurred, killing the officer, two soldi err,
two children and another person, and
wounding sixty-three. Among the sen
oaaly wounded were four noblemen and
several gentlemen who were out for an
afternoon walk, and were attracted to
tbe spot from curiosity to see the
experiment
or mown*.
Tbars were ao rosss taU the Aret child disd,
So riolaU, nor balmy-breaths! tasrt'a-sem,
So heliotrope, nor. hods so dear to boos.
The boeey-bseited aarkla. no fold-eyed
And lowly dandelion, nor. (trstefauw wide,
Clover and oowUp-capa. like rival seas.
Mooting and parting, as the young spring
Bon* cidtr races playing seek and hide.
For all flowers died wfaso Eve left Paradise.
And ah the world vasfloweriesa a while.
Until a little child waa laid in earth ;
Then from its grave grew violets for it* oyee.
And from ITS 1-P- ose-potnl. for to mflw,
And ao all floea.S from that chfld t death
took birth
_ Ver<* r. Kfan >* StrOmr.
A New ring' mil paper tell* a curious
etorv of a d ig and a yoong pig, who are
in the habit of foraging together on the
opposite aide of a small near
their owner's residence. The dog dis
covered that there was good feeding on
the other aide of the stream, and oom
tDnnieated the intelligence to the pig.
who wns PU T two months old. As the
pig could not swim, the dog waded into
the river, crouched down, the pig
scrambled on hit back, and then the dog
swam serosa, carrying his chum. Reg
ularly everv morning the two crossed
the "stream" m this way, returning at
night in the same manner. .
The ancients had neither pen, ink,
pencil, nor paper; bat their needs were
small and their necessities of publication
slight, so that their primitive methods
sufficed. They out upon stone, and
sometimes blackened the letters after
cutting; more generally and loqgeet.
they used a scratching implement called
the "stylos." For materials, they had
bronxe, trass, leaden sheets, palm-leaves,
skins, bark of trees, tablets covered with
a thin sheet of wax, and as convenient as
the modern slate for erasure, and the
layere of the stalk of the papyrus. The
brittle papyrus would not endure fold
ing, ana so the book was' a continuous
I1L
There is no nationality on the face of
the globe that can compare with the
Chinese as vegetable gardeners, with the
exception of the Italians. The gardens
of the latter south of this city are mar
vels of order and economy. This nation
ality is spreading its gardens over the
State everywhere, and day by day, dime
by dime, strip by strip, adding to their
moneyed and real estate possession#. In
the vicinity of Antionh they have become
well-to-do in a few years. As fishermen
they can make a living where others
would starve. They are making little
spots of Paradise wherever a rich piece
of sod is fonnd. They are frugal, ener
getic and hard working, and even the
Chinese find it difflcnit to keep np with
them.— Sacramento Be*.