A ROMANTIC KTOItY. A dispatch from Port Jervis, N. Y., to tlio New York Times, relates this: Joseph Morse, of Stroudsburg, l'a., made $50,000 in 18o() ot of a con tract on the Doloware, Lackuwana and "Western railway, which was then con structing. Ho removed to this place and purchased a fine residence. His family consisted of his wife and two daughters. His wife's maiden name was Cotlin. She was a me in her of a prominent New Jersey family, and had two younger sisters. Mr. Morse gave both of his daughters a fine edu cation. Frances was a graduate of Seward institute, of Florida, this coun ty, a school founded by the father of the late Secretary Seward, and which has always been conducted bv mem bers of that family. Miss Morse was a fine musician and linguist. Afh-r returning home from school she henuv. • a contributor to New York periodica! . While at school, she, with her thought less companions, inserted an advertise, ment in a New York newspaper solie iting correspondence with some gen tlemen, with a view to matrimony. The advertisrmcnt was answered by F. I. •Jenks, of Boston. A corres pondence was carried on between Mi-- Morse ami Jenks for sonic time, and finally they became engaged without ever having seen each other Some time after the Morse family came to Port Jervis, Mrs. Morse die 1. ller.husband subsequently married one of her sisters. In 1854, aft r Frances returned from school, her be trothed husband mime >a from Boston to see her. She disliked him ns s-n n.s she saw hint. 1 ler stepmother, how ever, fancied the young man, ami through her influence Frances wa- in duced to reconsider a determinati n * she had made to break off her engage ment, and site and Jenks were mar ried. They went to Boston. Mrs. Jenks remained in that city only a short time, as she and her hu.-han I did not live happily together. .Jenks came to Port Jervis subsequently ami lived with his wife for six mouths, when a separation was agreed upon between them, and Jenks went away. Meantime, Morse had squandered his fortune. During a severe illne— about this time Mrs. Jenks took as medicine large quantities of opium. Wlieu she recovered she accepted a position as teacher in one of the New York schools. It was there that she discovered that she had acquired the opium habit. She became such a slave to the habit that she was compelled to give up her situation in New York. In 185U her stepmother died, and her father aft* r ward married the reinniug one of the three Coffin si-tors. Mrs. Jenks grad ually obtained control of her appetite for opium. In 18(54 her father took the contract for building the Hawley branch of the Erie railway and remov ed from Port Jervis to Hawley. There Mrs. Jenks married a man named Mc- Kay, and the two removed to Connec ticut. It docs not appear whether a divorce was ever obtained in the first marriage. McKay died a year or two afterwards. Morse somewhat repaired his fortune by the Hawley eontrni t, and removed to St. Louis in where he amassed a large fortune, and where, it is said, he still resides. His widowed daughter joined him in that city, and by her accomplishments and beauty, took a prominent place iu so ciety. llic Morses, in 18i8, spent the summer at .Saratoga. The young will ow captured a young Southerner nam ed George 8. Henry, who was aiso staying at the springs. She married him, and they took up their rasidence on his plantation near New Orleans. They lived there happily for three years, when Henrv died. After lie died it was found that his affairs were in such shape that his wife and child would be left penniless. The chi'd died soon afterwaeds, and Mrs. Henry fell soon afterwards into her old opium eating habit. Bhe came to New York city. Friends aided her in securing work on the press. The habit of opium-eating grew on her, uml she was finally compelled to cease writing. She then engaged iu drem-making. From that time her friends in this place lost trace of her. A few days ago it was announced in one of the morning papers that Mrs. Henry had died at No. 17 Clinton Place, and that she had been so addicted to use of opium that she required from four to five ounces of Inuilanurn a day. This unfortunate woman proved to he the former society belle at Port Jervis, Frances Morse. HHE CAME DOWN. A young lady gave her skating rink experience as follows: "You ought to have seen me," said the vivacious young ladv to the min ister. "I'd just got the sltntes on and made a start, when down I came on f ray — "Maggie 1" said her mother. "What? O, it was too funny? One skate went one way and the other t'other way, and down I came on my —" "Margaret 1" reprovingly spoke her father. "Well, what? They scooter! from under me and down 1 came on my—" "Margaret?" yelled both the pa rent*. "On my little brother who had me by the hand, and liked to have mash ed him. Now what is the matter ?" The girl's mother emerged from be hind the coffee pot, a sigh of relief es cajted from the minister, and the old gentleman adroitly turned the conver sation in a political channel. (JKEATEHT WAI.K ON RECORD. A COLORED MINUTER AT WASHING TON TKLIJ) THE STORY. Brother Bells, of the Colored Bethel Congregation, a few nights since, at a prayer meeting, took occasion, in the course of an exhortation upon the du ties of life, to fire a passing shot nt the walking mania, now so prevalent, and developed sonic facts in relation to pedestrianism feats that seems hith erto to have escaped notice, lie said : " My beloved bredrcn and sisters, dar is one ting I'm bound to say to you hofo' I close do exercizes dis nit*', and dat is, don't you lake no stock in dis here walkin' business. Isd dem white tramps men and wimmin, alone; don't you spen' your money or your prcshus time runnin' 'round arter tlem ; and for do Lord's sake an' your own, don't you try to make fools oh yourselves by trying to do likewise. You men will find plenty of exorcize in attending to your work, and you wiinmen etiuff to do ober your wash tubs and nussin' your babies, instead of trampin' roun'an' ronn' de sawdust, day on and day off, jess to please a passel oh fools and ruin your own lielf. Besides, my beloved frens, all de brnggiti' dey duz about dere long walks, long times and what dey cull* fi/./.ikle ondoorin-e ain't wuth shuck when you comes to compare dem wid one pufforinancc dat tuk place thou sands of years ago, and de reason dey don't mention it is heku-e none of desc sportin' folks ober reads dere Bibles. Well, I'll tell you what it waz, and it's de greatest sportin' match, as dev culls it, dat ever come off on de lace oh dis ycarf. None of your hippy drum bisue.-M henh. No, sab 1 No, sah! Fair Ins l-au'-toc walkin', judge* iippintcd, track measured, time kep', aecordin' to *ie Hkrijiturs, an' a ree kord made—yes, anil a rce-kord dat can't lie denied, 'cause here it is—ves, here it i-, in dis prcshus hook! Now, je-s turn ober your Bibles, mv fren-, and hsik at *le fifth chapter oh Gone si*, twenty-jx-eond va-*, an' what lo you fin'? Why you fin'dat 'Enoch — walkid— wid —God! —(after he licgat ted Mcefooxaly t three hundred— yean*!' Three —hundred —years? Dar war a walk for you! Jos shut your eyes an' 'fleet on it! Tlir**- —hundred —year*! Besides, de rcc-kord snvs • lat when de ole man made dat match, an' had dat chile ( who kep' on living until he was nine hundred and sixtv nine years old —mousiis good stuff in dat family !) —I say, when de old man made dat match, and had dis chile, he was sixty-five years oh age, an' den walked —thro*' —hundred years! Talk 'bout yo' 'fixziklc otuloorinse' arter dat! Talk 'bout vo* 'pluck' and 'grit' arter dat! Why, de ole man lias done laid out all oh dine nowadays blowers as fiat as a dead shad ! So much for di's ' strordinary pufforninncc.' But dat ain't all oh it. Di re's mo' yet. If you'll jess look nt •le twenty-fo'rth va** oh take wnrniu' hy dis orful lesson ; let all ills kind of foolish ties* aloue, an' 'tend to yo' proper callin's like good Christ shun*. An' now let us prriy !" Seen** at Pike's Peak. .Some curious natural phenomena are witnessed from the summit of i'ike's I'onk. Electric storms are so remark able there thnt those who have wit rii sscd them are eloquent a* to their splendor. Little thunder nccompa nic* them ; hut the whole mountain seems to lie on fire, and the top one sheet of flame. Electricity come* out of every rock and dart* here and there with indescribable radiance. An ob server says that it played around him continuously; shot down Jiis back, glanced out at his feet, and so com pletely filled him that he became charged like a I/cydcn jar. lie could not retain his foothold; he bounded and rebounded from the rocks after the manner of an india-rublier hall; lie felt as though a powerful battery were throbbing and thrilling through his frame, ami, fearing consequences, he hurried into the signal station. The signal officers stationed at the peak sec some wonderful sight*, and if they had as much imagination and rhetoric a* they have patience and power of observation, they could furnish some very vivid descriptions of what they witness. Heveral men of science who have watched electric storms from the head of the mountain think the phe nomena the grandest and most impos ing, and that they can hardly be sur passed anywhere. The peak com mands a view of 100 miles radius, a wild mountainous region, containing many lukes, and tho sources of four great rivers—the I Matte, Arkansas, Ilio Grande, and Colorado of Cali fornia. NO COLOR-LINE IN HEAVEN. Perhaps no sermon that was preach ed Sunday, says the Ban Francisco Alia, surpassed in fervor and eflective nesss the late plea of Rev. Plato Johnson to his congregation to lead a goodly life. Ho said m'part: "Brud ucru.thu lubobde Isird am a wonder ful ting. Nobody would link dat a pore old darkey's life was wufi* much ennyhow ; but de script" r says dat dc fust shall be last and vice vcrsy, and dat is de chief hold wo lmh; for I 'elude from that savin' dat de cullud pti.-.-ou wot shines boots and charge.- only tbf regular price lues a tol'ldc show fur tlie next world, tho' lie hain't much ob a chance here. From a Migious point of view it's jest as 'portant to shine boots well as to run a fir.-t-ela-s saw-mill. I)e Lord he tuber axes you wot you Is n doin', but how you ben doin' it. An' when you get to de judgment day, wane ob you pore washerwomen who wasn't j mean 'bout en door of the kitrhen the colored wife could IK* seen directing the servants and cook* who were preparing the evening meal. In the parlor, how ; ever, was the most enchanting feature, for at a grand piano was poi-ed the lelle of the household and lto*tde the piano where she was playing stood her , coloreil lover devouring her with his eyes while he abstractedly turned the leaves of her music. Just to one side of the dwelling ap|K*ared a commodi ous barn and carriage house and work men busily engaged iu putting in or der their reapers and mowers for the following day. In one of these pictures the "Old Auntie" sitson the veranda knitting stockings while she gaze* on the herds of hufTalo and anteloiK*, which an* feed ing on the prairies beyond the wheat fields. Approaching the gate a hand -1 some young colored man is seen com j ing in from a hunt, with a dead buck and n string of wild turkeys slung over his shoulders. These agricultural car toons, in vivid coloring, the writer re ports are doing much to influence the minds of the more ignorant negroes. Aw exchange says: "Arthur B. Mann, local of the Coudcraport Jour nal, recently sold his farm in Potter county for 17,000,000." Only got seven millions for his farm, eh ? Newspaper men seldom haveanv luck. We had a niggardly offer of six millions for our farm in Bradford county a few years ago, and have the refusal of eight millions for our summer palace and grounds at Chest nut Hill, in Philadelphia county. Because a man is connected with a newspaper it is necessarily supposed that lie is " hard up" for money and will accept almost any trifle for his property. — Norrirtoum Herald. WHY is beefsteak' like newly-made hay f Because the cat'll eat it-' THE LATE MADAME HONAI'AKTE. A correspondent of the Boston 'lrannrript writes : Since tho rooerit death of Mine. Bonaparte calls forth many incidents characteristic of tho woman, perhaps it will interest your readers to know of one or two of her personal peculiarities. Bho was, as a (Cirl, willful, high-spirited, beautiful anil imperious. When I was a little girl I remember hearing that she boasted among her companions that she would marry a Bonaparte, and left her father's sick-room after a vio lent quarrel, to go t<> Baltimore, meet and capture him. She seemed t> me a wonderful personage, because of the romantic and trying incidents of her life ; also, because of the great ambi tions ami powers ascribed to her, her sharp, cutting speech, her disdain of women in general, and her great de sire to place her family in high posi tion iu Kurnpc. She attended to her business, and as I I lived oppo-itc her I could see her at Ixr deck writing busily, then going out with a green hag *tn\a the at torneys carried. Bin- had grown very 1 stout, although tin* traces of her beauty were left, in general, she dreasod shabbily, eared for no one's opinion, and seemed engrossed in the ac cumu lation of money, going several time* t< r.uropc to attend to her busine-- affair*. When occasion required, and she chose, she would dress handsomely and be the fascinating woman of old. She had a beautiful hand and arm, of which she was proud, ami which she j lik< d to display. After a busy day, about four in the afternoon, lie would pay great atten tion to li<-r hand , seemingly poli-hing | and earing for them ; then would h • sceud to the parlor and seat herself at I the window, with baud and arm well {displayed. And now, after so many yearn (it is nearly thirty *. when 1 know that she lias passed away, I think of her always in that position, as the cold, haughty, proud woman who lmre so much for ambition's sake and whose dearest hope* were never j realized. In chur< b I sat where I could look directly uprn her son's face ■ and that of his beautiful wife.* He bore a strong resemblance to the jsir traits of Napoleon, and was an inter esting study because of the resemblance. He did not seem to inherit his mother's force of character nor her ambition. STATISTICS FOR HlltLS. A young Fngli.-ii statistician who ' paying court to u young ladv, thought to surprise her with hi- immense eru dition. Producing bis note book, she thought he was about to indite a love sonnet, but was slightly taken aback by the following question : "Howmany mealsdoyoti eat a dav?" "Why, three of course; but of all the oddest questions—" "Never mind, dear, I'll tell you all about it in a moment." His |>encil was rapidly at work. At lost fondly clasping her slender waist: "Now, mv dnrling, I've got it, and if you wish to know how much ha* passed through that adorable little mouth in the la"t seventeen years I 1 can give you the exact figures." "(soodnes*! Gracious: What can voir mean ?" "Now just listen," says he, "and you will hear exactly what you have been obliged to alnmrb to maintain those charms which are to make the happi ness." "Don't you want to hear ?" "Ah, you are surprised, no doubt, but statistic* are wonderful things, .lust listen: You are now seventeen vears old, so that in fifteen years you liave absorbed—oxen or calves, . r >; sheep and lambs. 14: chickens, 327; din ks, 2<>l ; geese, 12: turkey, 100; games of various kinds, *24; fishes, 160; eggs, 3,120; vegetables, < hunch es,) 700; fruit, baskets, 003; cheese, 103; bread, cake, etc., in sacks of flour, 40; wine, barrels, 11 ; water, j gallons, 3,000." At this the maiden revolted, and, jumping up. exclaimed; "i think you are very impertinent ami disgusting besides, ami I will not stay to listen to you," upon which she flew into the house. He gaxed after her with an abstract ed nir and left, saying to himself: "If she kept talking at that rate twelve hours out of twenty-four, her jaws would in twenty years travel a distance of 1,332.124 miles." The maiden, within two months, married a well-to-do grocer, who was no statistician. •MiTOP THE TAP." Hir W||(r*4 la Nin t*-ntb CMtirf. "Let roe conclude by relating what occurred at a meeting in one of our northern counties. It was a species of tein|>eranec meeting, Three excellent clergymen spoke. They harped on the clastic and indefinite worn 'mod eration, condemning intemperance, but setting up Timothy as their model man, morally and constitutionally; lauding and magnifying sobriety, but commending the temperate consump tion of alcohol. When they had con cluded, an elderly farmer rose and said : 'l've heard that kind of talk for tho last forty years, and I can't see that people arc a bit more sober now than when it commenced. It reminds me of what 1 once saw take place at a retreat for imbeciles. It U the cus tom there, after the patieuta have been in residence for a certain time, to put them to a kind of a test to see whether they arc fit to leave the asylum r girl's address, in case he {should want to buy another at the same rate. lie is only d liration of '.i:c set of wishes but pre pare* the unsatisfied soul fur the con ception of another. The child of a year old wants little food and sleep; and no sooner is he supplied with a sufficient supply of cither of these thing**, than be iK*gins whimpering or veiling, it may IK* for the other. At three, the voting urchin becomes enamored of sugar plume, apple pie* and confectionery. At six, his imagination runs on kites, marbles ami tops, aixl abundance of playtime. ! At ten, the IKIV want* to leave school, and have nothing to do but go bird | uesling. At fifteen, he wants a beard, and a watch and a pair of boots. At twenty, he wish** to cut a figure and ride horse* ; sometimes his thirst ( for display breaks out iu dandyism, ami sometimes in poctrv ; he wants sadly to Is* in love, and takes it for granted that all the ladies are dying | for him. The young man of twenty-five wants a wife; and at thirty he longs to he single again. From thirty to forty he wants to IK* rich, and thinks more of making nion ey than spending it. Almut this time he dabbles in jNilitics, and wants an office. At fifty he wants excellent dinners ami considers a nap iu the afternoon indispcnsible. The respectable old gentleman of •ixty wants to retire from businc** with a smtg independence of three or four thou-and, to marry his daughters set up his sons, ami live in the coun try ; and then, for the rest of his life, lie wants to be young again. Tin: SAUHATH. —We are more and more sure, by experience, that the reason fur the observance of the Bab bath lies deep in the everlasting ne cessities of human nature, and that as long a- a man is man, the hicsscdnc** of keeping it, not a a day of rest only, hut as a day of spiritual rest, will never be annulled. We certainly feel by experience the eternal necessi ty of the Babbath. The soul withers | without it. It thrives in proportion to its oliservancc. The Sabbath was made for man. God mndc it for men in a certain spiritual state, because they need it, lhe need, therefore, is deeply hidden in human nature, lie who can dispense with it must IK* holy and spiritual indeed. And he who, still unholy and unspiritual, would yet dispense with it, is a man that would iaiu be wiser tliau his Maker. I* a late German story the hero gives rhapsodical description of " the first kiss ' in these ebullient words: "Am I really dear to you* Sophia?" I whispered, and pressed my burning lip to her rosy mouth. She did not say yes; she aid not say no; but she returned my kiss, and my soul was no longer in my body; I touched the star*; the earth went from under my feet." All of which is very pretty and poetic, but very indefinite. What the practical American reader wants to know is, if that is the transcendant German way of saying that he was at that particular moment lifted by a paternal boot-toe. — Louieville Courier Journal, A furl WIN ClrramNtancf. A well-known lady of Alhanv, New York, awoke from n sleep last Monday and ul onere broke out into a (It of vio lent weeping, which attracted the at tention of all in the house. When quieted, the enid that her husband, long wince dead, had appeared to her in a dream ami told her that her daughter wan dying. This incident was related to (tenon* in another part of the eity, during the same day, and before the ponton who told of it had any knowledge of what in recited hereafter. That the mother, who knew that her daughter had Iteen for some time sick, should become im pressed with the idea that she was dy ing was not singular, as that migfit easily have resulted from apprehen sions which had no doubt been enter tained. The remarkable fact is this: On the same day, and as near as can be ns'< rLnined, at the exact time when the mother was manifesting elislrews or mind, the daughter roused herself in a bed of sickness, in a house- on Ar bor Hill, and said to her attendant, "W by how ruy mother is crying!" and a moment later, " Don't you hear her cry?" The nurse heard nothing, and was obliged to say so, although the sic k woman repeatedly asserted that her mother was crvitig, ami en deavored to convince- the ijiir-o tliat she? he-arel he-r. The young laely elied 00 Wednesday au. A Mujtiel IVltwte. 1 In- stupidity of some witnesses, ami the- pe-rph xity occasioned by the "savs 1 ami "says la" are- thus illustrated: In are eent trial at Winchester, a witne-.ss failing to make his version of a conversation intelligible by reason of his fondness for "says he," was tak en in hand by Baron Martin, with the following re-ult: "My man, tell us now exactly what passe*!." 'ft a, my lorel; I said I would not have the pig." "And what was his answer?'' "He said he hail Ix-eti ke-e-jting it for inc. ami that he —" "No, no ; he could not have said that; he* sjeoke in the first pe-rson." "No, my lord, 1 was the first person that sjxjke." "I mean, don't bring in the third person ; repeat his exact words." "There was no third person, my lord, only him ami me." "My gcxxl fellow, he did not sav he hod lx-e-u kex-ping the pig; he said 'I have l*x-n keeping it.'" "I assure you, my lord, there- was no mention of your lordship at all. Wo are: on elifTe-reut stories. There was no thin! person there; and if anything had be-e-n saiel alrnut your lordship, I must have heard it." The Baron gave in. ' • One Ilrop of Ink. "I don't w-e why you won't let mc t'av with Will Hunt," |x>utoel Walter [irk. "I know he does not always mind his mother, and smoke# cigars, and once in a while swe-ara just a lit tle ; but I have been brought up bet ter than that. He won't hurt mc, ami should think vou would trust mo. Pcrhana I <-nn do him some good." "Walter," said his mother, "take this glass of pure, cold water, and put just one drop of ink into it." " Oh, mother, who would hnvo thought one drop would blacken a glass so!" " Yes, it has changed the rolor of the whole, has it not ? It is a shame to do that. Just jmt one drop of clear water in. and restore its jniritv," said Mrs. Kirk. " Why, mother, you are laughing at me. One drop, or a dozen, or fifty won't do that.' " No, my son ; and, therefore, I can not allow one drop of Will Hunt's evil nature to mingle with your care ful training, many drops of which will make no impression on him." ♦ Tm: shrewelest of men arc some times taken in. Barn urn. wanting to he shaved went into a barber shop. The plaex- was pretty full of customers, and anxious to save time, Barnum got an Irishman to give him his turn on eonnition that he paid for both. Next day he found Bat had made the most of the opportunity, the knight of the razor presenting the following little bill for payment: To one shave, 20 evnts: to one hsir-cutting, 20 rents; to one shampooing. 50 cents; to ono hair dyeing. $1 ; to one bottle hair dye, $1 ; to one bath, 75 cents; total, fd.ts. Barnum settle*! up and turned the bargain to nrcount by having a pic ture painted for his museum repre senting the Irishman as he appeared before and after he had passed through the barber's hands. A t.KARJZKt) clergyman in the State of Maine was approached in the fol lowing manner by an illiterate preach er who despised relocation : " Sir, you have liecn to college, I suppose?" " Yea, sir," was the rrnly. " I am thankful," rejoined the farmer, " that the Ixirei has opened my mouth to preach without anr learning." " A similiar event," replied the clergyman, "took place in Balaam's time, hut such things are of rare occurrence in the present day." Thr man arho was tossed over tha back of*an irate bull was reported aa , not dead, but ouly gone beef o'er.