E——————— 7 71 - AN OPTIMIST. Shall 1, by Life's close commonplaces hedged, Misrate the casual sunbeam, or, aus- tere, Regard the wild flower pale, chance- rooted here, Scorning the song-bird thicket fledged? Nay! Heart's sase, Fortune, I never pledged, A hostage for thy favor all too dear. Ah, Heaven's light strangely near, When outward view hath long been casement-edged. this dull have conspire, The balanced soul they oversway, shall bar. They vex me not, the lamps of cld de- sire, Unlighted in the bare room of To-day. Somewhere the morning waits! Meanwhile—a star. Lulu W. Mitchell, ANS SINS NJ in Century. A Goldfield Reminiscence. “How colony?” The answer to my inter given by my 0.3. handsome young fe and-twenty, or thereabouts, wh been my traveling companion on top of Cobb and Co.'s coach during transit between Melbourne tlemaine. He was a Welshman I inferred, and one of of recruits who had rush great battle-flelds where strife for gold was waged ately and bitterly. Of course, he had all the enthusiasm of a new h looked at his fair, des blue eyes, | enough, how many come a dispirited failure mining desperado. was in the first bat through f neighbor, a fart the la I asked long it = like others, he any lack of indu perhaps because of of the latter quality, the might have told you. It was not the prospect rado that had lured me to t I had been sett.ed there ing. before the world-fam: saw nuggets in the creek; ! by the mania that turned peaceful zens into ravening once happy homesteads desol: rid of my stock and im; ruinous and decami ing « beasts prices, listricta. e, 1 had the usu the but make ere, and that 1aq race passion they and spondency toil-fliled and VYY'S brie the lox ex t CoOmpens.. home g« as and to ours kept pou: rapacity, and plague, I do not things were d« borne, now and again, | its lowest depths, some stamp of the div + antly confess ne that these memories are matter of traditi not of personal experience with Any one w mining rizst understand not be carriéd on single-hande for the processes of digging and 3 ing alone, not to speak of protecting cooking for, and servis least four partners a: sity, and, could so many work to harmoniously, each claim could run a gang of double that number. But these partnerships are the main difficulty of the miner's life, choice of a kindred spirit being limited, and the strong probability that the first gleam of prosperity will turn his mate into a swindler drunkard, so very disheartening. For some time past had been working in a gang of three, two did miners, far more experienced in the life than { was, having picked me up; but, our late washings having been more profitable than usual after the rainy season, | knew Rogers and Smith were on the lookout for a fourth hand. but a man of their own would be unfavorably received by them, and feeling much drawn towards my young companion on coach, and friendships being rapidly cemented here, | made him acquainted ho has ever thot the scope for his il 80 or a we chance of gold and the certainty of hard work.” 1 concluded: “but such as it 1s you are welcome to it, for the present, at any rate.” “I'm your man, and thank heartily,” he sald, grasping my hand with British warmth; and then, as we neared Castlemaine, and the sun, like a red ball, dipped towards the east, 1 enumerated to him the tools he would require, and narrated as cldsely as 1 could what our life would be together, The more I talked to Rameey the more | liked him. His spirits were go good they scemed to rouse my own, and tse drawbacks to our claim, that I rather suggested than described, were pooh-poohed in the cheeriest way. “We were far from the créek.” “Well. he was strong enough to car- ry the clay any distance.” watch it armed all night.” “Well, he could do with sleep as any man." “On the whole, I had not very much confidence in Rogers and Smith.” “In that case how fortunate that we were now two and two!” So, encouraged in spite of myself, we advanced to the claim together. But as met with soon intimated to and the did not my arrangement, of the first evening diminish tile gang of four fell into two com- tirely to themselves, and leaving Ram- of life I had bestowed on Ramsey clothes wet, claim he and I keeping and dig- as would have ired eight men to be of any service, and the prospectors Our remained and our miner. backs or but those night be, flooded, he night while shift, mnstantly baled, we ¢ and it worked the shaft c¢« on wuld; 1¢ ground was s0 heavy But t! erord 38 ng 80 deep claim was not y we tolled like slave 8, }§ Ving that if we struck in large hope and dead gold at all quantities, Ramsey ¢ { irday beat the energy, on Sat hours night and hould the others vely? We made but it was re ion that I ing to reduce our our For i 4 aereaq Lo having « kind was able than inaction, way to to the any likely ana we our 50 our rem settlement, tent when on old Bal- were pack- ing up their belongings for a start to a new rush in the Gympic ranges. The claim they ranking had not been unpromising, like an ignis fatuus, lured them and their forty-foot shaft was about to be abandoned “These brilliant out of much value,” I said, warningly, from the depths of my past experi- “better stay where you are”; but shrugged their shoulders, declar- Ss vag way new ran acquaintances, we ACTORS Lwo who were {« wholly but bettar luck, ahead £0 things never tur: ence they 80 left us. “Suppose we settle down here? 1 suggested, thinking the deep shaft more promising than the shallow ground, “1 dare say it's much the same here ly, and so, before sundown, our tent by our friends. For five days we worked, and such work! One with pick and shovel at with the success of our old chums, or told us how some new arrivals had struck gold on the very piece of shal- 1o'v ground we had meant to peg out on the hillside. “You had better leave me, Ramsey, bad leek sticks to me” 1 told him, “Just as likely I have brought it with me,” he answered, with a dash of tis old cheerfulness: we'll have one other fling into the old hole on this last day of the week.” “Well, it must be the very last” 1 answered, taking up my pick listless. ly, and descending. There Is a certain comfort in the thought that you are doing a hopeless a cortain satisfaction in the knowledge that there are still other corners of the world open to you. Perhaps it was this that lost me new energy; ai any i hours with a will, and none the less en- crgetically as 1 discovered that the character of the ground was changing. | It was gravel I had lald bare, gravel | before many hours, of what walue which, to us been. “Now then, that must prove | our labors had decides it one way or another,” 1 sald, as | sent the first bucketful to the surface. “If there is | no gold there | shake the mud of this claim off my feet for ever.” So determined was I In this resolu- tion that I intimated my ascent after the bucket, and taking my pick aad shovel with me, cast what 1 expected to be a last look into the depths as | mounted. And yet, in spite of myself, “If there Ig nothing here, we'll shake hands and part,” 1 told Ramsey, as, with our burden between us, we start- ed for the creek. He nodded without answering, and then in silence we bent over the gravel, washing it as for dear life. Two—three--ten minutes passed, and then we stood erect and looked at each other. A thimbleful | yellowish lay at the | of substance bots ym of the pannikin Vhat is it?” Ramsey asked huskily. | “it's gold!” I answered, with white | lips I don't what we did then. We dared not h other, for | were enough to | i demonstration, | know embrace ea there neighbors close obs unus think gazing at and interjecting 1 +r rve any ual we stood our treasure, | brief comments hoars: athered up our tools and claim, feeling all at 3 Samson, and young with gind of After all, moments do compensate for | the youth. many a month of toll and privation! had keeping our Pp a the wisdom st experience taught of counsei but, in efforts on understood along the line | had bottomed and sand. A miners ICCERFILALeRE Lhe us own i now spite of our best WAS 80 we wash. | were fee gr wv whe v ¥ is - . ing off certain esprit de corps among com - r helng made I oen mace ' k + managed ) haft we had sol fore we left that 8 wusand pounds worth the as of gold 3 no other claim on 0 creex » treasure amounted to many ds. The explanation ¥ All the gold was ur claim lay a ledg in past ages, had formed a | descent of the nuggets as the ® 3 ’ washed thor fo them ff: ym the re * wie ’ tw SOULh ior 10 rE i and We ana a here thin ore I SREF & hat there is 3» * nd that y s sooner or | Waverley Maga- COLOR OF COLD COINS. Reasons For Differences in Tint of Coins of French Mintage. Some time ago a Frenchman placed number of gold roins of mintage of the beginning, mid- end of century. He HH they together a French die the last was much to see that differed in © He about find- | ing out tae reasons for this difference, and the his Investigations | have been published in La Nature. There is a paleness about the yel- | and surprised olor got results of bear the effigies of Napoleon 1 and louis XVIII that is not observed in the gold pieces of later mintage. One admirer of these coins speaks of their color as a “beautiful paleness” and expresses regret that it is lacking in later coins. The explanation of it is very simple. The alloy that entered into the French gold coing of those days contained as much silver as cop- per, and it was the silver that gave The coins of the era of Napoleon III were more golden in hue. The silver had been taken out of the alloy. The gold coins of to-day have a still warmer and deeper tinge of yellow. as that in London, melts the gold and the copper alloy In hermetically sealed boxes, which prevents the copper from being somewhat bleached, as it always is when it is attacked by hot air. So the present coins have the full warm- ness of tint that a copper alloy can give, if the coins of to-day are not so handsome In the opinion of amateur The | double operation of the oxidation of the copper and cleaning it off the sur: er emploved, and the large elimination of copper from the surface of the coins formerly practiced made them less re sistas under wear and tear than are the coins now in circulation A NEW TRANSPORT WACON. Can Carry Rations for Forty Men on Oute post Duty or Serve With a Battery. The old idea of taking few measures for the comfort of the in the ficid, because they are com ficid, pelled by the force of circumstances to 1 troops usually long ago and to-day every good officer tries to bring his men to the field of battle in as fresh a condition possible. One the most arduous duties (other than actual fighting on the fir ing line) is outpost duty, and any means that will lighten this service in the fleld will be welcomed by the army Wagon transportation will not always be available far to the front, and yet the South African campaign has showp that even at the outposts it can oftep come into play, and would be of ines timable value in sparing the men un necessary labor. A new military transport and shelter ae of experience in the Transvaal. It was designed by a volunteer artillery colo England. The and i858 mounted wheels. The facilitate the req is built of wood or springs and four eight inches soft tires are wide, to travel over ground, and wheels are on a broader gauge those in front. It is arranged for or traction draft The top by which is platform engine of the stout the floor is a water wagon box wire netting of platform One each si wagon are hinged doors, closing which a canvas up This canvas out in a few held up the wag posts cesses in shelter kept rolled can run when very by planted out at the othe: tent for the on them when in use thes: WARONE Now The Dragon Flag of Wales, “Quarterly azure, and gules lions ed.” Welsh people desire added to don heralds say that passant gardant counter-charg the armas the st arms, these are heralds correct? ain figures in Tennyson, and the dragon Was £3 y of Ron God Prince agai He nry IV. and it under the Red Dragon that {who claimed to be heir of Arthus nat marched to Bosworth flag subsequently Westminster, There is istorical justification Eng Cadwalion) That hung up at however, some h Gragon was 0 the lish standard to represent however, be interesting the the flag Britons borne before Charles | as Prince of Wales he kept Ludlow Castle —The Saturday Review exact device on of the Wealth of Western North America. It is beyond the limit or any merely human desc Fi} the timber wealth of the Pa. cific coast it has been calculated with reference to British Columbia alone that at the present rate of con- sumption it would take 700 years to exhaust the more available supplies of timber; and as, under the husbandry of nature, forests will renew them: selves in lese time than 700 years, the calculation is merely a way of indi cating that the timber resources of the Pacific coast are practically inexhaust ible. It is not too much to say, then that for all trade and commerce into which wood and the products of wood enter, and for all manufactures in which wood and the products of wood are consumed, the Pacific coast pos. gesees resources incalculably greater than and other portion. of the globe, civilized or uncivilized. As regards the products of the mine, the territory under consideration al ready produces no inconsiderable pro- portion of the world's annual supply of gold, silver, copper and lead. It is besides infinitely rich in iron, coal and petroleum, of which ils stores are hardly yet comprehended, much lose utilized. And what is known of all its mineral resources is as nothing in comparison with what is not known. David B. Bogle, in the Engineering Magazine. to Marconi has expressed skepticiam concerning some of Tesla's theories. Mepicion of professional jealousy. From All Sources. | COMMERCIAL REVIEW. (encral Trade Conditions, i { Stirs the Town of tor the Church was Set on Fire, through the | uty and Frank shot in prot neighborhood constaie, the bowels The gypsies of Duncans last week, where, i 3 ville county, they ter the committe nto Dunca foyr fll i oliowed He arrest o question at Str i ’ court in Berks « i with, viz: is the Ounty WW wrest sucker a f game John Short, a 12-year-old was struck by a north-bound Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Ry. freight train at the Welsh street crossing, Ches ter, and fatally mmjured. Short was halted at Welsh street by an accommo dation train, southbound, and a¢ the rear car cleared the crossing he darted under the gates and ran into the freignt tram The coach works and blacksmith shop of L. M. Stoner, at Mountville, destroyed by fire boy fire to the barn of John Kitner and it was also burned reach $7000, is partly covered by insur ance. Workmen passing through a gang way in the Evans colliery at Beaver Meadow stumbled over the dead bodies of John Falke and Andrew Bore. [It is supposed that they were killed during the night by a blast which exploded pre maturely. John Gabauer was killed by falling coal in the Laurel Hill mine, The German Catholic Cemetery af Wilkesbarre was damaged by fire, sev eral of the tombstones being cracked and many blackened. The grass and shrubbery caught fire and the fire de partment had to be called out, While sitting in the presence of he eight children and invalid husband, Mrs Leonard Strunk, of Ashland, wa stricken with paralysis and died almos instantly. John Koincsko, a Hungarian who las November shot and killed Francis Shat fer, a bartender at Northampton, wa found guilty of murder in the secon degree at Easton, LATEST QUOTATIONS. Baltimore. 12. s Hest | 16a 200 i$ steady We Creamery Separator Gathered Cream 23224 200 ‘uw 18aig 1321350. Western hight- Fresh laid eggs Hoge " ice and Dennsyivania per lb. ray¥ic: Southern per 1b. 634c veal, per 1b., 6a Eggs.~ Dressed Strictly nice choice, Rage per ih. poor, small sto 5¢ per 1b. Philadelphia. Philadelphia. —Wheat firm, 3c higher ; ontract grade, April, srayyizc. Corn. firm. 4c higher; No. 2 mixed, April | RNagBize. Oats steady; No. 2 white, 331ac. Butter firm; fair demand; ancy Wester: creamery, 22%¢; dc prints, 22V¢; do nearby prints, 23¢ Eggs firm, good demand; fires nearby and Western, 14c: do Sou quiet but steady. Live Stock. Chicago, I-Cattle; choice cattie steady to strong; good to prime steers $5.0cab.00; poor 45 medium, $3.80a4.00; stokers and feeders slow. $27%a47s: cows, $27sa450. Hogs: mixed and butchers, $58cab.07V5; good to choice heavy, $5.0000.12%5. East Liberty. Cattle steady: extra $5.00a5.75; prime, $5255.50; common, $31.25a4.00. Hogs steady; prime mediums 25, light Yorkers, §6.10a6.20; pigs, hp 4 6.00: skits, $500a5.50.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers