Astray. t Unvoted a forbidden rood, Which first appeared so flowery lair That onward eagerly 1 strode Till—to my horror and despair— All biuls and blossoms blooming thore, All I endor boughs and twigs ot green Stood changed to burrß and nettles koeu, Whose angry points my garments tore, And pricked my hands till they were Bore. Bewildered at the wondrons change, That should have warned mo from the place, 1 kept my course with swifler pace, And saw a marvel still more strange; For cruel flints sprang thro' the ground To meet my leet at every bound, With gash on gash tliat made them bleed. Then time it was that I should hoed' Just at the moment of my need, A shining man stood at my side— Whose luster tell on all aiound. And spread n glory tar and wide! " And who art thou ?" I trembling cried * dive ear," said be, " to what I say; t am the guide ot all who stray. To point thetn back to virtue's path, The guardian ot thy erring way; And, step by step —in love, nol wrath— These angry flint# and briers 1 strew, To warn thy leet lrom wandering so." I knell and kissed the garment's hem, And cried, "Oh, angel, sent front heaven! Make sharper yet each thorny stem! Increase the flints to seven times seven! Fulfill thy purpose in my pain— I will endnre and not complain'" He fled, and I, with deep remorse, Tamed back from my forbidden course- But, Ob, how many weary hours ! traveled o'er those blighted bowers, Kehloomed with all their lonner flowers. Thtodort Til ton. JAKE MUGGINS' COURTSHIP. •'Wliew, but it's hot!" ejaculated Jacob Muggins as he threw down the turnip hoe and commenced mopping his face with a huge bandana handker chief, onesultrv day in early autumn. " I do wish this patch of turnips was dug, and safely housed in the old gran ary," heoontinued, gazing around upon the immense piles of green topped veg etables, " orelse that the weather would cool down so that a fellow could get something done in a day. Here Ive been hard at work all day, and am not half through with my job yet; and what's more, it will take me 'till plumb noon to-morrow to finish if I keep on this way.". And with this muttered soliloquy Jake resumed his hoe, com menced digging vigorously that one might suppose he stood in dread of be ing called a sluggard if he failed to per form two day's work during one revo lution of the diurnal axis. The truth was, however, he had al ready accomplished a good day's work, although it was not more than three o'clock in the afternoon, and the shadows of the trees in the grove hard by liad nut yet token tbot lonp, pwnliar slant which marks the declination of the sun to the western horizon. Jacob Muggins was a tall, brawny son of the sofl7 with hands and feet just a little too large to be termed classic, and a handsome, though sunburned countenance, which could assume a very eomicai expression when its mas ter willed. To-day he was arrayed in a coarse homespun garb of pale, richly colored blue, with rough cowhide shoes and a broad palm-leaf hat. around the crown of which waa tied a bright rrecn ribbon—tied there by two fairy hands that Jake would nave given worlds to call his own. How Jacob rver came to fall in love with Jenny Weatherby. the wealthy ojuire's pretty daughter. Jacob did not know. But the thing had been done, and although Jenny had done nothing to discourage Ids shy approaches, lie had summoned sufficient resolu tion to make a proposal for her hand. t>n several occasions he had, 'as lie thought, s'-raped up his courage to the sticking point,but, each time, upon being ushered into the presence of the fair charmer, his resolution gave way liter ally, as he afterward expressed It, " eked out at his fingers ends," so that he could only stammer a few common place remarks concerning the weather and crops. Worse thnn all, a certain dashing young cousin of the Weatherby's had been down from the city the past few weeks, and had been making himself quite plentiful aliout the squire's, walk ing, rowing and fishing with Jenny almost every day. while he was com pelled to be at work in the field. This was gall and wormwood to poor Jacob, not because he minded the work, hut, inasmuch as his rival was of clever ad dress and polished manner, he stood in great danger of being displaced in the affection of Jenny, by the fascinating allurements of the city fop. and in con sideration ol this impending calamity, Jacob determined to press his suit upon the very first opportunity. Financially. Jak j wa< quite prepared to enter into a state of matrimony. His motto had always been. " work and win," and. in consequence of strictly adhering to this rule of honesty, he had by diligence and industry accumulated the sum of five hundred dollars, earned by teaching the village school winters and working on the fnrm summers. The possession of this sum very naturally elevated him in the opinion of the country folks, who looked upon him ns a capitalist, and of course lie was considered quite a catch by the match making mammas of the district Already he had begun to look around in search of a suitable investment for his money, and he decided in favor of a little white cottage situated in the val ley, over whose low, thatched roof the woodbine and morning glories grew in profusion. This could be had for the five hundred and the marriage portion which Jenny would receive from her lather, would be sufficient to purchase a small farm adjoining the cottage, which would enable them to commence life in quite comfortable circumstances. But, as lias been before stated, the great difficulty with Jacob was to con quer bis untoward bnshfulness, which he termed hereditary, and secure the w . . . "'°, r in consequence of which failing he was placed in quite a quandary. " Wliew, but it's hot!" and again Jake throw down his hoo, and commenced mopping hi.i fiice with the rod lmndkor " I would give anything for a good cool draught from the Spring, and a pocket fullGf the squire's best apples," lie soliloquized, gliuicing wistfully in the direction of the orchard, bent down with its load of ripe red and yellow fruit, "and as the distance is not far, I be lieve I'll run over for a few moments, anyhow." And with this he started off, and having allayed his thirst at the spring which bubbled out below the or chard, lie mounted the fence and betook himself ofthe favorite family tree, whose liuge gnarled trunk supported a leafy caronet of interlacing limits and brandies, so dense as to preclude all possibility of the sun's rays penetrat ing througli them. Into this delightful shade Jake threw himself, and for a moment forgot his tolls and troubles. The sky was so light, the grass so green, the luscious fruit and gay flowers so fragrant that he could not licln but fool their benignant influence. The dull droaningof a beetle and the hoarse eawing of some crows in a distant cornfield, mingled witli the ripple of the water over the stones by the roadside, lent enchantment to the scene; and poor Jake could not help but think how sweet life must be to those who have nothing to do but while away their time in pleasant places, in the shadow of green trees and overhanging houghs. Thus lie mused, helping himself to the fruit in the meantime, until, before lie was conscious of the fact, lie had fallen off into a light doze from whidi he was suddenly awakened by hearing voices approaching from the direction of the house. In an instant lie was on his feet, and peering through between the trees who should he see but Jenny and Mr. Kldridge, the dandified ciiy cousin, leisurely approaching the tree under which he stood. Hero was a dilemma, indeed, to be caught trespassing would be disgrace- Mi in the extreme, and besides Jake could not bear the thought of living his lady-love in his old, faded, home spun frock, especially before the critical eyes of Mr. Kldridgo. What was to bo done? For a moment a wild thought of flight took possession of him, but he immediately realized that should he adopt that mode of escape his discovery would l>e certain, inas much as they were already nearly upon him. Poor Jake was all in a tremolo. What could be done? If he could only tind a safe place in which to hide until they should pass by! He glanced around, nervously.but nothing presented itself that could afford him a secreting place. The voices approached nearer; something must he done, quick! He cast his eye up into the tree, and won dered if its thick branches and dense foliage would not protect him from the eyes of a casual observer. Yes, he would try it at any rate; better avail himself of their proffered covert than lie found standing there like a trembling culprit. And without taking a second thought Jake scrambled up the tree, and stowed himselfaway in the remotest part,amid a thick cluster of green boughs. A moment after he regretted the act. for lie realized that should he be discov ered in his present position, his situation would bo oven more ridiculous than be fore. Hut it was now 100 late to indulge in vain rcgrebH-or, ratlier. in any hope of altering his situation, for Jenny and her escort now advanced to the tree, and to Jake's intense chagrin and mortification, seated themselves directly under the spot where he was concealed, " A pretty pickle you're into, Jake Muggins," muttered Jacob, as with flushed face he viewed the couple be low, and wondered if they couldn't hear iiis heart beat; for it was bounc ing so convulsively that he was fearful lest it should knock all the apples from off the limb upon which he sat And then he thought what a beauty Jenny was as she sat there with her dark hair gathered into a graceful coil, her sweet, expressive eyes containing such a depth of tenderness, and cheeks like pink rose-buds, and wondered if it were possible for such a fairy creature to ever think of loving a great, ungainly, awkward chap like himself. In the meantime Jenny and Mr. Kl dridge were enjoying themselves be neath, little dreaming of the close prox imity of a third party. Mr. Kldridgc had opened and commenced reading from a small volume of Tennyson, which Jacob recognized from the bind ing. After some time had lieen consumed in this way the two proceeded to par take of the fruit witli which the ground was strewn, conversing meanwhile and amusing themselves by spelling out the supposed name of each one's lover upon the seeds of the respective apples of each. By some strange perchance, Mr. Kl dridgc caused the seeds from Jenny's apple to spell the name of Jacob Mug gins himself, almost every time. This seemed to afford the city cousin great pleasure, for he laughed incessantly.and aeked Jenny If she ever hoped to la able to capture such a shy creature as Jacob Muggins. Although Mr. Eldridge was very much amused over the coincidence of the seeds, Jenny seemed to look upon the matter uuite seriously, und when her cousin jokingly inquired if she did really love this faint-hearted country man, she replied with a defiant toss of the head and a perceptible deepening of the rose-tint on her cheeks, that she " liked him quite as well as any of her other acquaintancesP' And poor Jake, who can describe his f.clings upon hearing this frank avowal? For if his face had been red bdTore, it was now almost purple in hue, while his heart beat ten times faster than be fore. Yet he managed to hold on to Ids seat, and watch the progress of events down below, for Mr. Kldridge, who had listened to Jenny's declaration quite seriously, had seated himself by her side, and was apparently a Unit to pro pose on the spot. But just at that mo ment Bounce, tho big wntch-dog, came running down from the house and with hoarse growls commenced smelling sus piciously around the base of the tree, all the while casting furtive glances into' the branches where Jacob was seated in mortal dread lest the dog should dis close hii position to the couple be low. The strange action* of the (log could not help but attract the attention of .1 ~nny and Iter cousin, who were at first unable to assign any reason as to the cause of it. Presently Mr. Eldridge suggested that there was a squirrel in the tree, and to investigate the matter mom closely he arose and peered up into the dark foliage. "I imagine that I see something seated up there among the branches," lie nl length replied, shading Ids eyes with hi* hand and easing intently at the tree, " but as to whether it is mnn or beast I cannot i*njr. However, just to satisfy Bounce, 1 11 run up to the house nnd bring the gun, and perhaps we may suc ceed in having some sport with the creature, whatever it may be." And with these words lie started oif in tiie direction of tiie house, leaving Jenny to her own reflections and Bounce to claw sway at the bottom ot the tree. And, now, what was Jacob to doP Should lie sit still and he shot like a thief or a wild beast, or ihould he tnke advantage of his rival's absence, come down like a man and confess ins love for Jenny on the spot. Ho must take one of the two alternatives, and must choose quick. For a moment lie faltered, not knowing what apology to make for his awkward position; hut lie de termined to do the best he could, and quietly commenced the descent, think ing it 1 ctter at any time to face his lady-love than a loaded rifle. No sooner did the dog recognize in Jacob an old friend and benefactor than lie relapsed intosilencc ami quickly per mitted him to land; and Jake did not fail to notice that Jenny was much less surprised at his sudden appearance than lie laid expected she would be. How he ever did it, Jacob could never tell. But he went down on his knees before Jenny, and in such language as hiui never before been heard to flow from his lips poured forth his love into the willing ear of his adored, while Bounce wagged his tail nnd looked on, apparently well pleased with the turn events had taken. And, although the newly betrothed lovers remained in the shade of the old apple tree until the sun haeen employed to bring about a declaration of his love. He then learned that the flirtation be tween Jenny and Mr. Eldridge was all a hoax, gotten up by the artful cousin for the purpose of bringing the tardy lover to a propoil. On the day in the orchard they had seen liirn when he first climbed into the tree, and were iwnre of his presence all the time thev wee seated beneath. Eldridgc's seeming intention of pro posing for Jenny's hand, as well as tiie device of going in search of the gun, were only continuations of the conspir acy against him. Jacob's opinion of his wife's cousin has now been vastly improved, and fie has quite forgiven the hard tilings which he said in regard to him on that memo rable day under the apple tree. Jacob now look* unon him as his greatest benefactor, who helped him to acquire the most valuable treasure in his posses sion.— (Juinn/ Afo m Aryo. * untunes in Texas Thirty Tears Ago. The word mustang is a corruption of raesteno, tiie Mexican name for a wild horse. Many years ago there were thousands, no doubt millions, of these animals in Texas. In lbt'.l, and for sev eral years thereafter, they were numer ous in the region between the Nueces river and the Rio Grande. They were found further north. Gut not in such numbers. Immense herds of wild horses could be seen grazing on the prairies. When they saw anyone ap proaching the leader would often move to the Iront and make a reconnoissanee.. If things did not suit him lie woul t give his head a peculiar toss, wheel and sound the note of alarm. These demon strations would be followed by prompt movement on the part of the herd, sometimes to the front, but more usu ally to the rear. They would wheel into line, change front, move in line or in column with as much preciirton and order as cavalry. It was w. ndcrful to witness how well they were drilled and disciplined. In the event a retreat was ordered the leader wouid move in the rear for a while. If any logged or strag gled they were very apt to feel histceth, il not liis heels. On some occasions a movement to tiie front was ordeied. It was a change in line or in column, proudly headed by the leader. This was the case sometimes when mounted men were in sight. The Texas rangers operating in that country were followed by pack-mules in charge of a guard. It wo* necessary at times to form a hollow square, plaoe the mules inside, and to throw out skirmishers to fire into the animals. If the leaders could be struck the charge would be broken. Tiie horses would retire al once. The mustangs were hunted by Mexi cans. and the finest ones singled out and lassoed. Wliole herds were driven at a ton into pens having extended wings, aliich contracted as they approached Ihe gate. As many as 400 mustangs have been penned atone "run." They were sold at almost nothing, five dol nrs being a high price for a choice horse. These mustangers were a wild set, often no belter than Indians; some of them were honest, good men. Thev wen guilty of many murders and rob"- oeries. The Com,'inclus made many visits to that region. They would pounce upon the mustangers, set them afoot or kill them, as caprice dictated. T lie Comanche wanted the mustangs to ride and to eat. Horseflesh is a great delicacy with them. The choice part is the fat immediately under the mane. I he section In question was very hot in those days for Americans. A Texan was considered an hereditary enemy by both mustangers and Indians. His only protection was the tlflc and the six shooter and a horse of st rength and bot tom.— Texas Mule Hanger. Fire-Fishing, Captain Rquyer, of St. Johns, Florida, recently gave to a party of Northerners an exhibition of Hre-tishing at mid night. Four men and two women were •towed away in a small boat, which was propel led by means of a pole. In the now of the boat stood the captain with a lighted lightwood torch in one hand and anarpoon or four-prongcrt spear in the other. A fat-pine Are also burned in the bow. casting a brilliant light on the water. The boat wa pushed along In water from one to two feet deep. and its occupants were able to see the smallest flsh much better than though it were midday. The glaring light seemed to blind the flsh, who lay motionless on the sand. A well-directed thrust with the harpoon would be sure to land a flue fellow Into the boat. Many interesting sights were seen on the sand-flats, among them numerous sheepshcads last asleep on their backs. The sheepslieail, as seen at the bottom by a turpentine light, looks like a little white streak. His head often rest* against an oyster shell for a pillow. The married editor is reminded of his l courting days every tin e he goes to pi ess. TIMELY TOPICS. An Ohio mining company lias dis charged forty employees because they are single men. The alleged objection to the unmarried is that they do not re turn as much money to tiie cor|>oration store as marticd men. Whether this is an argument in favor of getting married docs not appear, as the married em ployees of the company struck on ac count of the discharge of tiie bachelors. Ohio had sixty-three blast furnaces in operation last year employing 5,9fi5 workmen, and capable of turning out 1,937 tons of iron manufacture. There are forty-seven rolling mills in the ! Btate, thirty-one of which are in oper- j ation, employing 7.7H4 persons. Tin i production of coal during the year in | estimated at 5,000,000 tons, employing 14,000 persons. There are sixteen glass ! manufactories in operation employing j over 1,000 persons. Gas works are in ! operation in sixty-five towns, with a capital invested of nearly $9,000,000 j A review of the horse and mule j market in St. Ixiuis shows an unpre- j cedcnted increase in that branch ofhusi- ; ness. The receipts for tiie last month, by river and rail, were 19,000 head, against 4,000 the corresponding month last year. In addition to these receipts, it is estimated that enough animals were driven into the city to swell the ! total arrivals to 1.0,000. Buyers were j present from all parts of this country, ' Canada, Mexico, the West Indies, France, Germany and England, all of whom bought liberally at prices satis- j factory to the sellers. The shipments by rail alone, for the time mentioned, wprc Hon head. As evidence of extravagance in fash ionable life in New York the present season, it is stated in Forney's Progress I that the amount of money spent in balls, I parties nnd receptions in New York during a recent week was about $lOO,- 000. This estimate included entertain ments in aid of deserving and charitable objects, in which many fashlonabh ladies participated, and especially one in which they arranged a tableau de picting the presentation of Benjamin : Franklin at the court of Louis XIV., j and employed in this undertaking a i large amount of untiquc costumes and j glittering diamonds, which were more j costly than those displayed in the orig- j inal scene. A writer in the Hour, who lived at I Naples from IH7O to 1*73, says that lie j found all through that period that the s molten lava iu the OTMCr <>f Vesuvius 1 rose and Ml witli the phases of the i moon. At the time of new moon the lava almost disappeared from the era- j tcr and the flashes of fire were few and far between. As the moon grew toward her full phase, tiip height of the lava j and brilliancy and frequency of the j flashes increased, and after she had ! passed that point they gradually do- ; creased. He suggests that these' facts j tend to strengthen the theory held by | some scientific men that volcanic erup- . tions arc caused by an inflow of the sea to the bowels of the earth. Glass sleepers for strest railways are | now under trial. They are made by tiie Sienian's glass toughening process. ! which differs somewhat from the well- ! known I/a Bastie process. Under care ful experiment they have been found to have very considerable strength, or, at least, sufficient for light railway*. So far they have been made of a rather small pattern for longitudinal sleepers, but there seems to be no reason why tliey may not le made of the usual size for heavy railway ties. The glass is of j the cheapest quality. Tliey may even ! be made from furnace slag, as cheap ! bottles are already manufactured, and once in tiie road -bed thfy would last for centuries, as far as mere decay is 1 concerned. The city of Tokio, capital of Janan hos been burned down for the third time in seven years, though, considering tiiat it is constructed of the lightest and flimsiest material, it might just as well been the seventh time in three years. ; Although 1.4,000 houses were destroyed the low is not so severe as these numbers would indicate, for they are cheaply and r|Uickly built up again. In Japan a Arc is checked by pulling houses to pieoes, and the firemen instead of pumping j water on the burning building, keep soaking the men who are demolishing the houses. Evidently, however, when j SO,OOO people nre made homeless and 100 1 perish in tiie flumes tiie blaze lias got as much beyond their control as tiie fa mous one in Chicago. The year IWO-will he memorable in naval and commercial annals for the promulgation of a new rode of sea sig nals and road ruins. Great Britain France, Germany, Hu-sia, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden. Denmark, Belgium, Spain. Portugal, Greece, Chili ana the United States have agreed to these rules, which include, besides sig naling with colored lights, a set of blast* from the strain whistle or fog-horn, whoso numbers ami length oT duration talk plainly. For example, a steamer sighting any vessel gives one short blast to denote that she is keeping to star board. two il she is keeping to j>ort. and three if she is going astern. Other blasts have fixed meanings. The new rules should help to diminish tiie num ber of disastrous collisions which have been steadily increasing with the in crease of shipping. A company lias been formed in Glas gow, Bcotland, says an exchange, to operate in the forest lands of Oregon, and Washington Territory, for the pur pose of utilizing a process of clearing forest* by steam, introduced into Scot land a few years since. A traction en gine of twelve-horse power is stationed some distance from the wood, and a wire chain is fastened to a tree. Steam is then put on, and tiie tree is pulled forcibly out By the roots. Upward of 900 tree* per day of ten hour* ran be pu'led out by this process. The com pany will begin operation* with fifty engines, which are now being manufac tured for them, to be located and worked in different sections of the country, and It is calculated that In the rourte of a few year* the whote northwest ol the United State* will be cleared aod opened up for settlement- An amusing application ol the won ders oftlie telephone as an assistant de tective ot crime reaches the San Diego (California) Union, from Julian. Hev< ral horses were stoltn in that neighborhood, and suspicion fell upon a certain Indinn as the thi< f- Some one having imro durod a telephone there, it. cm urn d to the owner of the stolen horse* to get tho Indian to step in and henr the " tlieat Spirit" talk. The Indian took one of the cupg and wax thrilled with astonish ment at lieing apparently so near the tlreat Keeper of the happy hunting ground. After gome little time stunt In wonderment, the Indian was solemnly eommanded by the (ireat Spirit to "give up the stolen horses!" Dropping the cup as if he had been shot, the Indian immediately confessed to having stolen the horses, and tremblingly prom ised, if his life was spared, to restore the " eaballos" at once, and he did so. • The present condition of the Pacific ! railroads maybe summed upas follows: I Complete or in more or less advanced stages of construction are: First, the ) Union and Central Pacifies, from ; Omaha to Kan Francisco; second, the ! Texas and Southern Pacifies, from i Texarkana to Ix>s Angeles and San | Francisco; third, the Atchison, Topeka ■ and Santa Fe, from Kansas City to | Cuaymas; fourth, the Northern Pacific, | from Duluth to Puget Sound and I'ort ! land; fifth, the Canada Pacific,extend- J ing through the Brttish Territory from 1 Fort William on I^tikeSuperior, to some point on Ihe (Julf of Georgia. To these may be added two other important out lets to the Pacific, viz.: Jay flould's Northwestern line from Ogdcn to the Columbia river, and the proposed branch of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe from the Rio flrande to the Pacific, on ; a line at or near the thirty-fifth parallel, , after a possible ex tension of the Kansas 1 Pacific from Denver to Ogden City. The genera) opinion of scientific men ns to the possibility of a change in the position of the earth's axis lias undergone, recently, modifications somewhat anal ogous in character to those which, in tlio opinion of some geologists, the posi tion of the axis itself has undergone. Instead of the fixed law or rules sis to the impossibility of change, there is ; now a divergence of mathematical ! opinion—all agreeing in the theoretical I possibility of a change in the geographi | eal position of the earth's axis of rota- I tion being effected by a redistribution 1 of matter on the surface, but. a* to the ! extent of such changes, there are dif j ferent opinions. Some hold, for in ! stance, that the elevation of a belt ; twenty degrees in width would displace ! the axis by about ten miles only; oiler* | maintain that the elevation of t wo such : continents as huropc and A "in would i displace it by about sixty-nine miles; ' and some, again, regard it as highly ! probable that the poles may have ix-en, | in ancient times, very far from their | present in "graphical position, and may have gradually shifted through 10. 20, 30, 40 decrees. A Itailroad Bridge on Ice. A Montreal corre hpondcnt of the Ron ton Herald desci ib-s the passnge of the first train on rails laid across the frozen surface of the St. Lawrence river: At the hour appointed for the trial trio an immense concourse of citizens lined the | river banks on both sides, many, no I doubt, being attrac ted by morbid c-uri ; osity to witness the spectacle, which ! many predicted as likely to take place. 'of a terrible disaster wherein several ! bund red people would be swallowed up I in the cold waters of the St. I^iwrem-c. Fortunately, they were disappointed, as ! the experiment resulted in a grand tri umph. Invitations had been issued and accepted by the ministers of the pro vince, the city corporation, judges, i members of the press and others, and at i noon almut 200 persons got on two plat form cars, upon which seats had been | improvised, and tlio start was made under favorable circumstances, a ring i ing cheer from the shore sending toe j voyagers off on their exploit. At first j the ratv of speed was moderate, so as to I ascertain the durability of the founo.-i -j tion, but. as the city was gradually left | behind, the rate was Increased until, at I midstream, a speed ot twenty miles an ; hour was attained without in any way detracting from the pleasurable sensa tion of the trip. As the train slowly emerged from under the shade* of the lloelielaga highlands a visible depres sion in the ice was apparent. An omi nous cracking, followed by the appear ance of water on the surface, impressed the pnssengers with a sense of their dan ger. All fear, however, was dispelled by the announcement from one of the managers that the water was only the | superficial deposit occasioned by last night's rain. Thus reassured, jollity | and mirth again reigned supreme; but, j as the swinly-gliding ears passed the several fair-holes, close observers per ceived a slight defection on the surface in midstream. A stoppage of ten min ute* was made so as to allow a photo graph of the train, with its living freight, to be made. This concluded satisfaclnr i ily. steam was once more applied, and : the opposite shore was soon reached without anything occurring to militate against the pleasure of the voyage. A sumptuous lunch'was sprend at the sta tion at longucuil, and a good time spent there by the company in feasting and speech-making. There-turn journey was subsequently made with as much safety and satisfaction as the first crossing. The " Little Joker." One of the "old style " of commercial travelers was Jack llazzarri. of New York. Jack was passionately fond of the " pasteboards," and would occasion ally even indulge in a .Ittle game with the boys in the basement or the store, when not upon the " road." One morn ing when thus engaged the " old mac " was heard Approaching, and Jack stuffed his last triek tn hU pocket. chucked the rest of his park into an empty ease, and the company broke up. The cause of the intrusion was sor>n explained by Jack receiving an order to start for Philadelphia at once with sam ples of a new line of goods. Jack flung the samples into a TmUtO, put on a clean paper color, bought ten cigars for a quarter and started at once. Arriving in Philadelphia his first call was on an old Quaker house on Broad street. Pulling himself together. Jack marched in. and laving a card before tbe senior partner, who was busily engaged at his desk, said in his mojt sanctimonious manner: " That is the p irty I have the honor to represent." The old follower of Penn looked carefully at the card, and then, fixing his stee.'/ biue eyes on Jack, handed it hack, saying: "If thai Is tin party that thee represents, thee will And Philadelphia well stocked with his goods." Jack cast one horrified look at the card. It was the " little joker," on which a fellow clerk had strong I > sketched the head nd horns of lib satanie majesty, and the bold salesman, for once discom tilted, heat a hasty re treat to his hotel.— Bo*ton VomrusrcMi Bulletin SIX YKARM WITHOUT A SPA LP. A Ctrl If** Her Mralp Torn off In * VVI ■lnMhlnale Sflllantl Survive, Nl Irars. A late issue of the Osbkosb (Wis.) Norlhireblfrn has the following account of un interesting esse: Ameiiaflrumal] died at her home in thiscityon Monday. She was the victim of one of the most singular accidents on record, and her case will be read witli interest by aii students of physiology and anatomy for a long time to come. On the 6th of ; September, 1K73, while at work in the ! shingle mill of Buckstaff Bros. A Chase ! as a shingle packer, she passed under a shaft, whf-n her hair caught upon a joint of the machine, and in an instant tier whole scalp was taken completely from her head. The wound extended from the nose in front to the first dorsal 1 vertebra? behind, and also took off on" ! of her eyebrows, her left ear, and apart of her right ear. The scalp was left at the place of the accident, and could not i be replaced, as it was cold, stiff an i full of sawdust and dirt when the medical assistance arrived. Dr. C. Linde took charge of the ease, and although*',lu- ur fortunalc sufferer was expected u, die, everything possible was done for iter! She was nineteen years of age, and up to ; the time of the in cident in good health. Und'-r careful medical treatment *| l( . rallied, and an attempt was made to graft new skin on the wound. but|ll,< surface exposed was so great that natun was unable to cover it with new fb-||. Particles of skin were taken from Un arm* of several persons in this city and attached to the wound, in the hope that a graft might be sprouted and tie wound healed up, hut the attempt w.i* not a success. The skull was laid so completely hare that there was not mf fi dent life left to start a new growth. After treatment by Dr. Linde tln patient went to Milwaukee, where- sin -1 entered a hospital for a course ol treat ment, hut although she improved m,m what the wound did not heal except around the edges. Up to tin- time of her death there was a large circular on her skull which was raw and ur healed, and required constant daily dressing by her attendants. Her gen eral health soon returned to a certain extent, and for the paM four year- (-in ha* been able to do light hours-work ar d to walk out. Within the tinn Hated site had a severe- attack of typhoid f< v r, through which she patscd fully. A bout ten days ago, on taking a - v< r ' cold, she was attacked with inflamm.v ; tion of tin- brain, superinduced no doubt by the peculiar condition of ) r head, and after an illness of al*>ut n week death put an end to her suffering wiiich must have been horrib > even t. oontemplatv. National Debts. From n article in the Chicago I Orcau, fre>m the pen of Robert P. I*< • • we extr -.i t the following tail I the debts of the civilized nationsof th< world in PCH • JS'alian. ]), ■ ' China 53,25 - 0.0 San Salrailor ... • .... 5,000,009 I Germany 90 0 0.0 0 I Natal ] ■,. . Swoden and Norway . (.2.000.U00 | CapeofUood Mo)>c 2-5 > (<0O,OO0 Nicaragua 1".000,000 Switzerland ... 6,50 Kcuador 10.3.90,0(0 Colombia 52,0 | Japan 't06.000.000 Greece. 75,000.0(8) I t 'ay-lon 4,000 000 ! 11 ond lira* and Guinea 000 | British India 1 170.000.000 I Chili 56,0 0 Paraguay 260,000,00 I Canada 100,' 0 I Costs Kica .. 17 i Belgium 210.(00,000 j Brazil 273.000,(100 Peru 230,000.0(4 | Russia 2,300.0 (. Austria . 1 ..WO.onn 003 I Venezuela U 0.000 036 i itoumaniu 103,000 o; 0 ] Denmark 50 000.006 | Argentine republic ~ 42 000.(00 i South Australia 27,00 >• Mexico 400,000,000 I Spain 2,050,00\0n® | Netherlands 400.0(0 I Italy 1,001,090,000 , Tasmania 70 • j Portugal ... 400 • Kngland 3,989.907.9*6 France 4.677.743.406 Iyp4 400,1-1 o,<|(>O j New South Wales "3,000,000 | ft uguay 45,000,000 j Victoria 100 00 > 0 0 New Zealand 105,000,(06 (Juoenaiand 32..900.000 Western Australia 1,000,006 Total 925,631,139.211 In 1700 the national debts of the civil ized nations of the world were alsiut $1,500,000,000, while the population was about 300.000.000. In !§7o the population had reached 600.000.u0u. hut the indebtedness had reached $19,500.- 000,000. The above table shows that in eight subsequent years the debts of the civilized world have increased about $6.000,000.000. Wulklug Sticks. A walking stick ha* always I icon eon sidrred a useful and graceful present, likely to be of pleasant service and long possessed. Some are inelined to think , that the pilgrim's staff, the bishop's i iTosier, the drum minor's gorgeous mare j and the usher's wand have a common ! origin with the walking stick; at least. ( we know that change of habit, and that most unaccountable change of fashion, lias in our own time worked some curious results; the various materials called into use are alone sufficient to cause surprise. Walking sticks have been made of tortoise shell, the back bone or vertebne of the shark, the tusk of the rhinoceros, and woods of every eonre ivnble variety, and lately one was exhibited made entirely of champagne cords, with a wire passed through them The handles have many more source* to boast, as there are man v materials not large enough to make whole sticks, such for instance as the teeth of the giraffe, the walrus, the elephant; and, in fart, most large teeth and all IK rns are use ftal for the purpose. It is a remarkable fact that women are seldom employed at stick making, and boys hut little, there being so much knowledge and skill required lor the various proeesse* that nn-n are chiefly employed; it is also singular that steam power la not in u*c to any large extent; marhinery has the power of turning out larga quantities of goods all alike.hut cannot vary them; tills is the reason of its not being gener ally adopted, for the verj charm of * stick is its natural peculiarities. There must not be two alike, and if nature is humored, as it is by a skilled workman, they cannqt be; it will readily be seen that a fixed method cannot be applied to all, as each stick must receive treat ment peculiar to Itself.— Hattcrt' QaxitU.