GHEQo 3 ] JB'SrfflllSJ<&iaiß <2s Whole No. 2776. I Cash Kates of Advertising. Administration or Executor's Notiees $2 0 If published in both papers, each 1 & Auditor's do 2 Sheriff's Sales. 12 lines 1 e Lan ■ cy held up was elegant and without doubt | costly. It was natural that more than one of . the girls should have felt a strong desire i jto pos.-ess it. \et most hoped against ex ' pectation, feeling that there was only one j : present who would probably bear off the j s coveted prize, much as they might exen : themselves. This fortunate one was Miriam Hamil j ton, a brilliant, dashing girl, with consid ! erable beauty, and not a little talent.. She j was generally considered a 'genius,' being ' able to make a showy recitation after a slender preparation in truth, she was little disposed to exett herself, confiding in her readiness, and making it her boast. It could hardly be said 'hat she was a favorite, tdie was too imperious, and too ; exacting of admiration tor that. Yet, by a sort ot tacit consent, the chief place in j the school was as-ignjd to her. At recess, she remarked to a companion J who expressed her -idiuiiation of the puz . I •Yes, it is very pretty. It will be ju.-t the thing for me to wear at my birth day ! 'When will your birth day come ?' i 'On the twenty seventh, thiee days alter ! the exhibition.' •T>en of course you will exert yourself i to get it ' •1 shall write for it." said Miriam, proud j ly, 'but I conceive that it will be hardly necessary for me to exert myself purlieu j larly, Marian Trevor.' I 'O no, certainly not, said her compiai- - salt friend 'Everybody knows you me the best writer in school.' | Standing at the distance if a few feet, sufficiently near to hear every word that was said, was a plain girl, dressed in a cheap calico, whose appearance contrasted strongly with the rich attire of the bril liant Miriam. An expression of pain swept over the face of Jane Ashton, as she heard these words, and she said to herself, despondent- ; ly. 'Of course Miriam will get the prize. : \\ hy should I he foolish enough to hope for it? And yet I would like to get it It would please L)r. Herman so much.' Uhe fell into a reverie We will im- : prove the time of self communication by mentioning briefly the outlines ot her history. In the first, place, she was poor. It j needed only a glance : t her plain dress to assure one of that. How then did she happen to be in attendance at Madatue De I Lancy's fashionable boarding school ? She was not there as a boarding scholar. A lew day scholars were admitted, and she was one of these. Even the high rate ot tuition would have been too much for her ' slender means, but this was defrayed by a WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 1864. young physician, Dr. Herman, who hid taken an interst in her. She had at first with cousideratde independence, declines his generous proposal, but he promised hei that when she became a teacher—the goa of herambi'ion —and had saved enough to make it perfectly convenient, he would permit her to repay him Oil this condi tion she accepted his offer, with grateful thanks, and entered the school. Yet none the less did si e feel grateful to the kind physician who had extended her the help iug hand which no one else would have been inclined to do None the less did she pray for his health and happiness every night upon her knees And now she was ambitious to show him that his kindness was not thrown aw-iy For this only, and not to gratify any ambition of her owu, she hoped to carry of! the prize. She was not very hopeful of it Miriam Hamilton had enjoyed the advantage of the school twice as long as she. Miriam had talent and brilliancy. Jane was not sure whether she had or not She knew that she was not brilliant nor quick. She could not get a diffii ult lesson m fifteen minutes, as Miriam had frequently done Whatever succiss she had achieved had cost her hard ami persevering labor Hut as she began to feel despondent in caleu lating the chances ot success, this passage came into her miud : 'The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong'— Besides, if she did not win the prize, she would at b-au going to write for the prize, Jane? a-ked one of her school fellows. The questioner was Marian Trevor, al ready mentioned as a sycophantic admir er of Miriam Hamilton. She ran straight to her idol, to tell her of Jane Ashton's intention. 'Let the beggar write!' 9aid Miriam, in accents of strong contempt. -It'll amuse her, and I flatter myself it will not inter- j fere particu'arly with me. i>o you think there's any chance of gaining the prize ov j er my head, Marian?' 'Gain the prize over ! She might as I well undertake to climb up to the moon j with a ten foot ladder!' Miriam smiled a smile of self satisfied approval of this adolation, and dismissed the subject from her mind. Meanwhile, Jane Ashton lost, no time in selecting a subject for her essay. She lelt that in order to stand any chance of suc cess, it would be necessary to do her best. After considerable reflection, she decided to make choice ot Selt Reliance, and its important hearing upon the individual character and upon success in life. Her design was to weave in as many prominent instances of this trait as her reading should supply, and enforce her view oy appealing to their examples, it ! was not long before she became interested i in her self chosen task, and when at length • she completed it, it was not without a de gree of pardonable pride, that she survey ed her work. Meanwhile, Miriam Hamilton did not hasten to undertake her task. She was riot disposed to exert herself. When the i question was asked why she delayed so j long, she answered with confidence, 4 One day wiii be enough to write mine. I don't i pretend to 'dig' iike Some folks Thank i goodness, I am a rapid worker.' Finally, she selected as her suhject the ' n >t uncotliim n one— 4 A parallel between Washington and Napoleon ' She was in flue need in the selection chiefly by the thought that it would be less trouble to wri e upon this subject than any other. \ Certainly her heart was not in it, nor was she one in any way fitted to comprehend and appreciate the character ot Washing ton However to do her justice, it must he I a< kiiowh dged that her essay was a very good one, considering the amount of time j and labor she had expended upon it. (She < had the lacul'y ot easy and smooth ex prt-ssion, and to the supeificial reader her essay would seem very good. Only the day before the essays were to be handed in, rumors reached Miriam that Jane Ashton had written a very superior essay. tSotue ot the girls had seen it, anil were confident that she would gain the prize. Until this time Miriam had not felt a doubt of her own success. Even j now. she thought that the merit of her rival s essay must be very much exagge- i rated, still the possibility of Jane's suc cess was enough to fill her with uneasi ness, and she determined to find out through her flatterer, Marian Trevor, how good it really was Accordingly, Marian borrowed the essay, and secretly showed it to Miriam. She read it with ill con- ! ceal d dismay. It was much better than her own In spite of her self love, she couid not help seeing that, nor did Ma- I rian's deprecating remarks at all blind her to the fact. Without, however, betraying | her disquiet, she requested Marian to re- ; turn it, and then formed her plans. She remembered that Madame- De Lan- j cy had warned her that a blot would exclude an essay from competition The thought inspired her with a design of un utterable meanness. That evening ahe stole into the school room, and creeping to -Janes desk, took out the essay whicn Jane had written with s ich great eare and neatness, and daubed one o* the inside pages wi'h ink This o in_ done, she histily left theschool room, -nd without one thougnt of her u eanness. thinking only with exultation that the prize was now hers beyond a doubt, she retired to bed. i he next morning the essays were hand ed in Jane did not again open hers, and therefore was not aware of the fatal mark which disfigured one of the fair pages. She was in excellent sp : rits, tor she knew that she had done well. Mtriain might indeed have d >ue better, but at all events she had done h< r best, and that conscious ness wouli remain, even if she friled to ob:aiu the prize which she so ardently desired. Day succeeded day, and at length the morning arrived when the prize was to be announced. All eyes were fixed on Ma dame De Lancy, when she arose, and said : 'Young ladies, you are aware that three weeks since, I offered a prize of an ele gant gold pencil to the writer of the best essay. 1 am very glad to find that there has been such an interest manifested, as is indicated by the number presented lbirty essays have I ecu handed in tome —all of which lam glad to say, indicate more than ordinary pains on the part of the writers. Hut the first n point of ex cellence, is one on the subject ot 'Self-Re liunce,' by Jane Ashton.' 'there was quite a sensation. Jane blushed with pleasure, while poor Miriam turned white with astonishment and mort ti cation 'I thought,' she said aloud, ilut a blot was sufficient to exclude an essiy from com petion ' 'Well,' said Madame De Lancy. calmly. 4 W as not Jane Ash ion' 3 essay (dotted !' 1 How i/o you know?' inquired M adauie De Lancy, with -tartling emphasis. Hi' Kid Heavens! I have bretrayed my self ! thought Miriam, appalled. 'Young ladies,' said the teacher, 'a rays tery is unraveled ot which I have beeu seeking a solution. A week since, in passing the door of the school room, 1 saw a girl at Jane Ashton's desk, in the darkness [ could not distinguish the per son, but supposed it Jane herself. W hen, however, I examined her essay the next day, and saw the fresh blot, i was led to suspect a plot. Not until this moment, however, have I guessed who had the meanness to conspire against her. I as signed dor the prize, because the blot was not due to her carelessness. Jane Ash ton, c.mie forward and receive the prize you have so richly merited. Miriam rushed from the room in blend ed rage and m irtification, and the next morning sent for her books. Sheco ildu't endure the ill concealed contempt with which many who had once flattered, now looked upon her. •Jane Ashton wore her honors meekly. Her school girl days are now over, and she is the beloved wife of a young piiysi cian at whose expense she was sent to school. MORAS amisions True Test of a Christian. The test of the indwelling of the Eter rial spirit is, that u man regards bis life as a pilgrimage to worlds unseen, and es timates events and appliances according to their bearing on the success of his journ ey toward the invisible home. Those who have not the spirit of God. and who Consequently believe in no home in God beyond, necessarily look upon the present as the only real world, and do their uttermost to settle themselves on the earth's foundations. They are constantly dreaming of a rest at ihe end of earthly labor. Put rest there is none for sintul men. All here is quicksand, uncertainty and rapid decay. There is no rest tor tre soul in the world o! sense. He only who has 'made the Most fiigh his habitation' is superior to the changes and chances of time. He only who thinks ot his dwelling as a 'tent' may look forward to a 'bidding of God eternal in the heavens.' He only who has been cured of leprosy and blind ness and mortality, by washing in the 'foun tain of living waters,' can set foot witl in the shades ot death with firmness, or, 'know in himself (hat he hits in heaven a better and an enduring substance ' And when be has achieved this independence of the visible creation he sees around him a world 'walking in a vain show,' 'disquieted in vain,' and ceases to desire any longer to form part ot the gay phantom procession to the grave. If poor, he knows that he yet 'possesses all things;' and if rich in this world 'rejoices as though he rejoiced not,' because the fashion of it is passiug away. — Christian Spectator. The Conflict. The Christian life is not easy. St. Paul found it a severe lite. He bad to train for it. He had to fight with his own body day by day. His enemy was (in one sense thiugh not in another) flesh and blood new what weariness was, what lan guor was, what an ailing body was, what a lonely, saddened spirit was, what a hardly SsSWHESSWSJa IPdSJ-STo bestead and tempted heart was. We must he men. if we would be Christians. While we call in the arm of grace, we must also 'liit. up the hands which hang down, and confirm the ieeble knees.' The Christian conflict is not a dream : it is a reality.— Every one is against us, except One. The flesh is against us; making duty a dailv difficulty, and nature itself a daily snare The world is against us; our own little world—small and insignificant, but not weak for us—the worlu of our own cc ; quaintance, our own househo'd. nnr own nearest and most chosen friends. All lu j their own way; are a snare to us; eitl er making heaven less real, or the world more real than it wuuld be without them. Hut what then ? Brave men are only roused by difficulties: if the Gospel demands cour age, it is all the more a Gospel for men. Ours is no languid, dreamy, delicious re : ligion; lying still now, and to rest forever i then ! It is a religion of activity, of en terprise, of ambition; a religion which wears armor, and which wields weapons, and which points onwards to a crown In the very same degree it is a religion which offers to make them what they ought to be. ; 'I train myself,' St. Paul says, 'for my high calling.' A Novel Plea. A judge relates the following incident that occurred in his practice: lie was trying a petty case, in which one of the parties was not able to pay counsel lees, and undertook to plead his own cause. Hut he found, in the course of the trial, that the keen and adroit attorney who man aged the case for the other party was too much for him in legal strategy, eyidently making the worse appear the better cause. The poor man, Mr A., was in a state of mind bordering upon desperation, when the opposing counsel closed his plea, and the case was about to be submitted to the justice for decision. 'May it please your Honor,' said the man, 'may I pray?' The judge was taken somewhat 1 y surprise, and could only say that he saw no objec tion. Whereupon Mr. A. went down upon his knees, and made a lervent prayer, in which he laid the merits of his case be fore the Lord in a very clear and methodi cal statement of all the particulars, plead ing that right and justice might pre vail. 'O Lord, thou knowest that it is so and so'—to the end of" the chapter. Ar guments which he could not present in logical array to the understanding of men, he had no difficulty addressing to the Lord, being evidently better versed in praying than pettifogging. When he rose from his knees, Esquire \V , the opposing counsel, very much exasperated by the turn which the case had taken, said: 'Mr. Justice, does not the closing argument belong to me?' To which the judge repl'ed : 'You can close with prayer if you please ' Esquire W. was in the habit of praying at home, but not seeing the propriety of con necting his prayer with his practice, wisely forbore, leaving poor Mr. A to win his case as he did, by this novel mode of pre senting it. A fu Remarks by Josh Billings - I have offen bin tole that the best is tu take a bull by the horns, but I think in many instances I should prefer the tail hold. I never seed eny good in naming wood en gods mail and feinaii. Tha tell n,e femails are so scarce in the far west, that a grate menny marred wiui min are already engaged to thare second and third husbands. Josh further says : That John Brown has halted his march a fu days for refreshments. That most men would ruther say a smart thing than dew a good one That backsliding is a big thin, eshpesh si la on ice. That there is two thing in this life for which we are never fully prepared, and that is twins. That you kant judge a man by his re ligion enny more than you kan judge bis shuat by tha sise ov the kollar and rist bands. That the devil is always prepaired tew see company. That it iz treating a man like a dog to cut him oph short in hiz narrative. That 'ignorance iz blis,' ignorance of sawing wood for instance. That menny will fate to be saved simply be kauze they haint got enny thing tu saive. That the virtues of women are all her own but that her frailties have been taut her. That dry pastor are the best for flocks — flocks ov sheep. That men of genius are like eagles, tha liv on what tha kill, while men ov talents are like crows tha liv on what has benn killed for them. That some people are fond ov bragging ov aosestors and their garte decent, when in fack thier grate decent iz just what's the matter with them. That a woman kant keep a secret nor let anybody else keep one. That 'a little laming is a dangerous thing.' This iz as true as it is common; tho littler the more dangersome. New Series—Vol. XVIII. No. 41. That it iz better tew fJI in a noble en terprise than tew suckseed in a to an one. That a great uienny lolks have been edika'ed oph trom their feet. That luv in a woman's harte is a good deal like a bird in a cage, open the door and the bird will fly out and uever wants ! tew come back again. ! \ mmm m m - Spoons. In those good old times, when Dickey Rikor was recorder of New York, a man by the nauic of Wilstn was taken up on ; the charge i stealing some spoons. He bad no counsel to defend him, but Mr. Graham getting au opportunity to have a word with him in private, agreed to get the fellow acquitted for ten dollars. The lawyer told him not to say a word but j 'spoons' to all inquiries put to him. Wilson was arraigned. 'Have you any counsel?' the Recorder now asked 'Spoons,' said Wilson. 'Have you counsel?' the Recorder de manded, srill louder. 'Your honor perceives that this man is a fool, and by no means is ho in a fit state of mind to be tried.' The clerk put the usual question: 'Guilty or not guilty?' To which the prisoner steadily answered: 'Spoons!' Tha Recorder asked what the man waß up for, and finding that it was for stealing a lew spoons, and thinking the fellow was only halt witted, told him to go. Graham followed him out and demanded the ten dollar fee. 'Spoons!' said Wilson, and to all the lawyer's demands he answered only 'Spoons!' A Dog Story. —A yery intelligent pointer dog, belonging to George (J. Wil son of Springfield, Mass., was given away and taken to New York about ten weeks ago, but nothing could make him content ed thc:c. He was tied up in all sorts of ways and found as many to release him self. He was taken to Williamsburg, but misbehaved himself just as badly there. A few days ago he was missing and a let ter was written to his old master in Spring field, stating that such was the case. Two days after the receipt of the letter the identical dog appeared there, pretty well worked down by reason of his long travels, and overjoyed to get back again. There is no doubt that he -footed' the whole dis tance, and how he fouud the way is a ques tion we won't answer. Four Children Smothered. —The Cleve land Herald relates a shocking occurrence, which reminds one of the well known story of the 'Old Oak Chcs u .' On Wednes day, a man named Schoger, living near that city, went with his wife into the field to get a load of hay, leaving in the house their four children : Mary, aged 7 years; Charles, 10; John, 4; and Catharine, aged 1 year On returning, the children could not be found. Search was made every where for them, but withyut avail, till next morning their corpses were discovered in a huge old German chest, in the corn house. They had got into it in play and shut down the lid, which closed with a spring-lock, and they were speedily suffocated. A Commandment Cracked. —A little girl, who was tempted by the sight of a basket of o-anges, exposed for sale in a B'ore, and quietly took one; but afterwards, s'ricken by concience, returned it. After her return home she was discovered in tears, and on being asked the cause of her sorrow, replied, sobbing,' Mamma, I haven't broken any of the commandments, but I've cracked oue a little.' ■ ■ nmrnmammmm—mmmmmmimmmmmmmmmammmmmmm SADDLES, HARNESS, &c. — -/jk The subscriber having now on hand one of the best and largest stocks between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, in order to accom modate business to the times, offers for sale complete assortment of Saddles, Harness, Bridles, Collars, Trunks, Whips, Hanies, lallses, Carpet Bags, which are offered for sale low for cash, or ap proved credit. Among his stock will be found some high ly finished sets of light Harness equal to any manufactured, Let all in want of good articles, made by experienced workmen, give him a call. JOHN DAVIS. Lewistown, April 19, 1860. A GREAT IiATTLE Is Expect*d lo lake Place in Virginia, BUT notwithstanding this the people must have 2£®£ffi3 ESBBIESk and wa would respectfully set forth our claims to public attention, first, because wa keep a large and well assorted stock of Boots and Shoes for men and boys. Gaiters, aod all other kinds of shoes for women and children. We are prepared to take measures and complete work of all kinds at short notice. Repairing done at short notice, at £. C. HAMILTON'S;, West Market street, a few doors west of Col Butler's, and nearly opposite Daniel Ei senbise's Hotel. mh3o-'64 BEST Note and Letter paper at march' 2. SWAIN'S.