Hiram Crossley.
BY WILBERT P. CREAMER.
“Lazy” Hiram our hero was called. He
had earned his name. When but a child
he would “play sick” if his father wished
him to work. All through his boyhood
to get cut of work.
and to build air castles.
The children at school made sport of
his awkwardness and dreamy habits. His
father was rough with him and
tinually reminded him of his shiftless,
lazy ways, telling him that he would come
to no good end and that he wasn't worth
the salt that he ate and never would be.
Such treatment and lectures hardened
him, and, to make things worse, his
brother “lorded it” over him and was
encouraged to do so by his father, for
the reason that “them that does the work
oughter do the bossin’.” His
tried to offset the evil she knew w
me of this treatment by giving
indness and love in abundance
‘he mother helped matters a httle
just Hiram would [
would do something
mother
wuld
him
as
wrath of
his brother
what 3
his former
The
ed all his will
upon Hiram.
endurable to him
out to a farmer to
He fell into bad c¢
many bad habits. He
worse until he could
respect from any one.
loved him.
When he
War broke
father
Hiram
had to
self
his
they
father becan
enient
Lif
1iC
mmand
was
out,
yet a youl
The farmers t
poor and Hiram could sly fine
place to work for his board and lodgin
His brother's labor hardly
Crossleys. Hard as it was to get
a yet harder blow ]
brother was drafted
and the mother wept
brave. They thought
support would be taken av
The son tried t f
could do nothing, as
and grief were as
Just them Hiram’s
door, and he sa
that you have
come to gO as
mother, you needs
know that you
your boy called
and you have told
God's praise and
time to me, ‘Well
faithful servant,
Now I am going to
people in
some good of La
“I know you
ram,” said his mother,
was no such an occasion
it, my son.”
She wept.
“When were you to ¢
inquired. “I st
range pretty
“In an hour.”
‘Good-bye
SCATCH
stipnorted
ente
this world
1DD &
"wh
SOON
happy
“1
i
Davy, iil
gomg to war wa the «« Me as
he is v .
“Give my
as cause
mine, and
and
“Hinam.”
The mother wept softly and
looked solemn. Even the father
glad to receive news from his on
Many months passed before they re
ceived another letter, and they all began
to despair lest they had heard the last of
their soldier boy. At last a letter did
come, and Mrs. Crossley tore it
with trembling fingers and read :
“Dear sMother :—Since | wrote you
last we have had an awful battle in the
Wilderness,” as it is called. and
pany of us had a skirmish on the outer
lines. Poor Davy was killed and I
open
of my musket, some one shot me.
“1 must have lain unconscious Yor quite
o 1 !
a while. When I came to | dressed my
my wound and loss of blood
me. | ran but soon fell
gled up and again 1 fell,
this time unconscious
an angel was bending over me.
has nursed me these many days,
has golden hair and such tender blue
Southern army. They were drafted Oh,
the horror of war! Yet, sometimes,
pleasant my lot is, to be cared for by
such an one.
“I hope this letter will reach you, My
guardian says:
“*Tell your mother that you are get-
ting well and will soon be able to march
again, In time you will join your family
and tell them that a stranger's heart can
be kind. Do not let your mother worry
about your being captured or killed, [f
any part of our army comes here | can
hide you in a secret chamber, If my
father or brother comes | can appease
them. Tell your mother that I will purse
you carefully until you get well, and send
you home well and strong. Give my love
to her.
“1 have heard nothing of the war, as 1
have been here out of the world for
months,
“There has been a great deal of worry
in my mind as to how I can send this
letter, but my guardian tells me that it
will reach you all right.
{ “I will now close, hoping and praying
| that this letter may reach you and find
| you well,
| “Remember me to my friends and give
| my love to Dick and father. Your son,
i “Hiram.”
| News of the seige of Richmond, of the
battle of Five Forks, and finally of Lee's
surrender, and the disbanding of the
| Confederate army reached the Crossley’s,
{ but no news from Hiram, What
become of her boy? The mother could
but guess. Ah, what weary davs of un
| certainty for her!
i
!
| something either prevented him from
{ her.
{| her boy and how noble he
day from her dear, brave, wounded
This story of hers, with its pathetically
hopeful ending, was told so often
people came to regard her as “shghtly out
of her mind,” and to shake their
when speaking about it
heads
wisely to one
another
“1 did not take
d he die
said
aid
and, at las
p had bec
and that Mr. Crossley in
her to a lunatic asylum. People avoided
her Mrs
Danfor 10 had not
ended
$
ners
be the first
rmediately backed
walked rapid
danger
at
and
seeing he
not so great, con-
astire that the letter will
give your her. I hope to give her
greater joy by sending you to her soon.’
“Then | tried to tell her that it would
give you twice the pleasure if I could only
take her with me as my wife. Then |
Otherwise | did not know what would
become of me
“She simply said, ‘Wait until I have
considered it well, and see what time will
bring.’
“1 asked her about the war, but she
cast a sorrowful glance upon me and
would not speak of it,
“At last we heard that the war was
came and brought her a letter.
rade, he shook hands and said:
and turasing to her he contmued, ‘Miss,
I am sorry for you.
away.
“The letter was full of a rough sol-
dier's sympathy. It told of the father
mond, how they were carefully taker care
of by their comrades, and at last of their
burial in a little churchyard.
“After reading this letter she sat with
a white, quivering face for a few min-
utes and then broke out into the most
heart rending cries that 1 ever heard.
I tried to corfort her but my efforts
seemed all in vain. At last she put her
head into her hands and merely sobbed.
The next day she looked so sorrowful
that 1 thought my heart would break.
“A whole month passed before a smile
came on that lovely face so worn by grief.
It was a deautiful summer evening after
% rain. A bird was in a tree nearby,
singing with all its might A smile
spread over her face. It and the evening
harmonized so beamtifully that I was en.
tranced. 1 gained courage, however, to
step to her and implore her to be my
wife. She put her arms about my neck
and kissed me. What a beautiful an-
swer!
“Last night we went from our hidden
house, forth from the woods, to this
little town, ten miles away.
“To-night we were married. Alice and
I are happy. She sits by me now and
tells me to send her most obedient
to ‘our mother.’ And mother, I am sure
that you will love her dearly.
‘We will settle up some of her father's
affairs and then go North. We hope t¢
be with you before two months after
the date of this letter,
“1 will close now, hoping that this let
ter will find you well, Your son,
“Hiram
In about a month a handsome man,
who limped a little, and a tall, graceful
galden haired woman were added to the
Crossley home, and everybody was happy
In an hour's time Alice had gotten the
full confidence of Mr. Crossley. After
a while he said to her, "Who'd have
ever thought Hiram would have turned
out so well” She smiled and did not
take it ill
When Mr, Hiram Crossley grew to be
the leading citizen of the place, with a
income an@ family, the
said, “Who'd ever have
rossiey would have
love
"”
respectable
neighbors also
thought Hiram
1
ed out so well,
PRESIDENTS ARE GOOD RISKS.
The Majority of Our Chief Executives
Have Been Long Lived.
ldn't like to be the ruler of a
id the timid little woman 1
ec rd-Herald
Manna Found in India.
A remarkable incident is officially
reported from the central provinces of
India In connection with the famine
The bamboos in various districts were
“manna’ of a kind
and quality hitherto unknown to the
natives, who have been finding It a
valuable help to them in their fam-
ished condition. Samples have been
the government reporter
economic products with an unex-
Mr. Hooper finds it to
be composed of sacharoge almost iden-
on
being-—-sugar, 95.63; water, 2.66; ash.
96, and glucose, 75. Neither expert
officials nor natives ever before heard
boo, and it Is not surprising that this
is re
garded, under the circumstances, as an
act of Providence.—London Chronicle.
Circular Saw Made of Diamonds.
A diamond circular saw for cutting
stone is described in London Engineer-
blocks at the rate of five feet per minute
The saw has dovetailed recessses in
which are fitted steel blocks, each cone
taming a diamond. A hole is drilled into
the block, but stopped before running
through. A diamond is dropped into the
hole, and a steel wire peg driven in be-
hind it
The block is then put in an electric
welding machine, and when it is soft.
ened, pressure is applied until the dia-
mond 1s firmly gripped and the steel peg
is welded into place. The front of the
block is then filed away until the diamond
is exposed, and the sides are milled to fit
the dovetailed recesses in the saw, The
positions of the diamonds in the block
vary, so as to enable the saw to clear it-
self in making the cut,
————————— A —————
Ancient "Smooth Bores.”
Two of the old cannon which the Eng.
lish took from the French in 17435 and
threw into the harbor of Louisbourg have
now been bronght to Toronto, They are
astong a number recently fished out of
Lowishourg harbor and have been pur.
chased by the government. The cannon
have been iying at the bottom of the sea
for 150 years. Each cannon is about ning
feet lonw and weighs over 1.000 \ mde
an ——
WATER AND MALARIA,
A Physician Relates ths Results of His
Observations in Florida.
So much has been written of late rela.
tive to the cause of malaria—there being
stich a widespread interest among scien-
tific and professional nen concerning the
same—and, as it is a subject bearing upon
the life, health, and prosperity of a vast
number of people, 1 feel called upon to
offer for publication my
during the past twelve year
observations
mihitary
at the
navy,
Surgeons on duty
time, Dr. John W
and Dr. WW.
in the
Ross,
(Gorgas,
of th
of
pump (driven-well) water by the inhabi-
tants. People
drinking water obtained from their driv
drinking the
ferns in
pital
only wa
matter
the grows
I'he Ie
healthiul
year
Oo preva
purposes from brick cis-
ie navy yard and from the
ing, which spring furnishes
free frog bl
vegetal
] VOgela
ng for Cold in Australia
ailuvial has een wel
the
fort
i apd
second "pan the
iner's feet
vy ¢
mir
*
itands so as to face
placing
COArse
gold
of the
at right angles the wind
| the on a plece
catch
over the ¢
lower “pan”
| canvas, so as any fine
blown to one side ig
ART
“pan.”
The next stage Is to toss the dirt up
i and down In the pan, holding the pan
{ in a slanting position, away from the
operator, and jerking it back. so as to
throw the dirt from the
back of dish, thus winnowing ft
still further. Then once more shaking
the pan, with a vanning movement, he
the front to
the
them off When thus reduced to a
small quantity of “fines.” the aurifer-
ous residue is still further shaken
down, like the contents of a dish, when
panning it in water, and with the pan
tilted forward, the miner raises it to
his mouth and completes the process
by blowing
sand. After this process of concen-
tration is finished the gold Is seen
fringing the edge of the iron-sand;
any nuggets or pleces coarse enough
to “spec” are picked out, and the "fine
gold” is either washed out with water
in the usual way or collected with the
moistened end of the miner's thumb.
The Engineering Magazine.
Wane of Horsetail Docking.
Many a humane man will rejoice to
hear that the docking of horses’ tails
is on the wane, and the day is not far
off when the worst of stigmas—‘‘out of
fashion'—marks the unfortunate nag
| who carries that cruel sign of a degener-
ate age. It may be a winle yet before the
good news reaches the horse fancier ; but,
when it is understood that docking is
“bad form,” very probably some other
absurdity will be invented to give “style”
to the action of domestic animals, Every.
thing is for show, first; then for the
blood and breed. But let those who love
them be thankful public opinion is work.
ing round to mercifulness in this matter
of inflicting physical injury on the dumb
horse. Boston Herald,
London Bobbies.
The London policeman arrests on an
average of seven persons per year; the
Parisian twenty-nine,
When in gratitude barbs the dart of
injury, the wound has double danger
s In aL
PENNSYLVANIA NEWS. |
The Latest
All Over the State.
Bodies of Two Victims Recovered in the Bot- |
tom of a Heading in 8 Collizry Near Shamo- |
kin--Season of Success for the Pittsburg |
Orchestra--Delaware Conference fo Raise |
$100,080-- Young Soldier's Death.
After fifteen hours of the hardest
work, every ! of whic h wa full Oh
peri, the party
Mine Inspector Edward Brennan
Inside | Michael Readdy
ceeded in driving the deadly gas out of
No. 13 breast in the Lykens valley
at the luke Fid t
o'clock a. m the
of Anthony
sscuers, headed by
oreman
'
slope
three
Shur;
“rt
i
ethod
their sessi0f1
Twentieth
to raise $1ox *
ows: Fifty lars for the
present hu
ooo for industrial schools, and $10.000 t
be used by the publication departmem
thousand dol
rches, $0
indebtedness of «¢
The recent purchase of the Lake Su
perior ore mines by the United States
Steel Corporation has brought unex
pected wealth to many Sharon people
among whom is Hon. Alexander Mq
Dowell. clerk of the lower
Congress. Mr. McDowell
$200,000 in the deal
A special train from Bethlehem struck
a handcar containing the section gang
between Souderton and Hatfield, killing
Harry Detveiler, a laborer. Two others
named Morfet and Ziegler were slight
ly injured. There is a sharp curve
where the train struck the car which
prevented the section men from seeing
the approaching train,
Ira A. Danner. who, although but 2¢
vears old, has served two enlistments in
the United States Army, died at the
home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Geo
W. Danner, of Allentown. His death
was due to injuries sustained in the ser-
vice.
Rev. S. Nicholas, pastor of the primi-
tive Methodist Church of Girardville,
has resigned to accept a call from the
Primitive Methodist Church at Phila
delphia. He will be succeeded by Rev
8. Cooper, of Mount Carmel
A wing will be erected to the Allen
town Hospital. It will cost $35.000 and
the expense will be borne by a citizen oi
Allentown whose name 18 withheld, The
new addition will be devoted to surgical
cases,
By the will of the :
Grove. of Philadelphia, $3000 is be
queathed to the Church of God, at May.
town. Dr. Grove was a native of May.
town,
While at work on the Coleman saw
mill near Summerville, George Beck
was caught in the machinery aud
squeezed to death.
house of |
cleared up
late Dr. Johu
COMMERCIAL REVIEW,
Genera! Trade Conditions.
New York -R. G. Dun &
y's weekiy re { trade says:
‘Busine brisk for the
drawbacks
marked
(Special)
View
eaion
cause
however, show that,
PEs has been heavy, there
nust have been a well sustained volume
for the gains are
Du Ness
J iegitimate
New York, and 1030 per
and B40 over 1899 at
earnin make
ng
outside
10905
ent, ove
4
g%
* Mui
ent has ap-
st eed
h unfavorable ¢
regarding
to $28 Yet the
ping with
f pig iron and
After
advance in
change is only in
rece INCreases in prices
d period of waitiog
mar-
a pri
Pp new ne cereal
suddenly awoke to unusual activ
i -ased trading and
resulted mn
single
LATEST QUOTATIONS.
Baltimore.
ve B
taltym HB
Pe
xtra
1.1041
.2.00a2.70
2.60a2.70
: steamer
72aBoYscC.
meyl ”~
797K
MHEG wd IY
Dan-
new Flor-
Charles-
r. Flor-
per
abbage,
Maryland
per bushel,
primes, per bushel,
Ohio, per
Bermuda, per
o, do, No. 2
Florida, per bbl,
2, $4.00a%.00.
: kiln
weil
nd
and
Irginia,
de 3
7
Poultry Hens, 10Vec;: old
each, 20a3oc: young chickens,
winter do, 2 Ibs and under, 17a
spring. 1 to 13g Ibs, 24a32¢c. Ducks
Geese. apiece, S0absc.
Dressed Poultry. — Capons,
14a18¢
Butter —The market 13 steady. We
Creamery separator, 22a22V¢:
Gathered Cream, 1B8aioc:
Creamery Imitation, ryaiSc.
Eggs. —Fresh laid eggs, 13Vic
Dressed Hogs —Choice Western
Maryland and Peonsylvania light
weights, per Ib, 7ay%4c; Southern Mary-
land and Virginia, per Ib, 634c.
per Ib,
Calves. Strictly nice veal,
and Sheep Spring lambs
gaglsc
Lambs
choice, 8age per 1b; poor, small stock, 5¢
per 1b.
Live
22¢
choice
Philadelphia.
Philadelphia, Pa —Wheat 3c higher:
contract grade, April, 703a804c. Corn
steady; No. 2 mixed, April, goisasoc.
Oats firm; No. 2 white clipped, 3335c.
Butter firm, good demand; fancy West-
ern creamery, 210; do prints, 22¢; do
nearby prints, 23c. Eggs steady; fresh
nearby, 13Vic: do Western, 14¢: do
Southwestern, 13V:c; do Southern, 13¢.
Cheese quiet; New York ull creams,
fancy small. 113ga12c¢,
Live Stock.
Chicago, IL—Cattle-<Receipts, goo
head; choice steers firm: others about
steady; butchers’ stock, steady; good to
prime steers, §5.0006.00; poor to me-
dium, $300ag4095. Hogs—Receipts 20.~
ooo head; top, $6.12%; mixed
butchers, $5.7526.05.
Fant Liberty, Fa ule steady, ex
tra $5.00a8.7%; prime $5.2828.50.
Pr I and heavy Yorkers
18; Light Y or s. 05a6.10. Sheep
Rest wethers $4.400460. Veal calves
£5. 00nd 00,