Bradford reporter. (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, March 31, 1859, Image 1
,:)PLUR PER ANNUM INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE. TOWANDA: finrsday Morning, March 31, 1859. jstledtb |)oetrn. NOTHING IS LOST. Xotbinff i lost; tbe drop of dew Which trembles on the leaf or flower fi but exhaled to fall anew In maimer's thunder shower; perchance to shine within the bow flat fronts the sun at fall of dajr Perchance to sparkle in the flow Of fountains far away. Nothing is lost; the tiniest seed, By wild birds borne or breezes blown, finds something suited to its need, Wherein 'tis sown and grown. The language of some household song, The perfume of some cherished flower, Though gone from outward sense, belong To memory's after hour. go with our w rds : harsh, or kind, Uttered, they arc not all forgot; Tbev leave their influence on the mind, Paw on, hut perish not! go with our deeds ; for good or ill Tbet have their power, scarce understood ; Then let us use our better will To make them rife with good! glisttllantotts. [From the Knickerbocker Magazine.] A SCENE OF ARKANSAS LIFE. TRStIT OF HOSPITALITY UNDER DIFFICULTIES. In the early settlement of Arkansas, a tra cer, after riding some eight or ten miles without meeting a human being, or seeing a :>,MQ habitation, came at length, by a sud jtn turn of the road, to a miserable " shanty," the centre of a small clearing, in what had been a " Black-jack thicket," wheuce the only (Mud that proceeds is the discordant music of a broken-wind fiddle, from the troubled bowels ; which the occupant is laboriously extorting the monotonous tune known as "The Arkan <i, or Rackensack Traveller." Our traveller rides up to within a few feet of the door, which m ouce the bed-frame of a cart-body, now co ■ rered with bear skins, and hung upon two big Wooden hinges. After much shouting, the in flate appears, fiddle in baud, and evidently I wrathy" at beiug interrupted in the exercises I J his art. The following colloquy eusues, the ' iadefatigable fiddler still playing the first train of " The Arkansas Traveller," which in | fact he coutinues, at sudden intervals, until the dialogue, as will be seer., is brought to an conclusion. If this be not " seek ne lodgings under difficulties," we should like irokuow what might be be legitimately socon j udercd : Tnveller —Friend, can T obtain nccorumo | dation for the night with you ? Arkansaic —No, sir, 'nary accommodation. Tmrrller —My dear sir, I have already tra -elied thirty miles to-day, and neither myself sor my horse has had a mouthful to eat : why ant you accommodate me for to-night ? I Arkansate —Just 'case it can't be did. We're piam out of everything to eat in the house : Bills gone to mill with the last nubbin of corn on these premises, and it'll be nigh onto the shank of to-morrow eveuiu' afore he cuius Some, unless suthin oncommon happens. Traveller —You surely have something that 1 can feed to my horse ; even a few potatoes *onld be better than no food. Arkansaw —Stranger, our eatiu'-roots gin out about a week ago ; so your chance is slim liar. Traveller —But, my friend, I must remain with you, any way. I can't go any farther, whether I obtain anything to eat or not. You will certainly allow me the shelter ot your roof ? Arkansaw —lt can't be did, old boss. You Roe we've got only one dried hide on the pre mises, and me and the ole woman alius occu pies that : so whar's your chance ? Travoller —Allow nie to hitch my horse to that persimmon tree, and with my saddle and blanket I'll make a bed iu the fence corner. Arkansaw —Hitch your hoss to that 'sim montrec?- 'in a horn, ?' Why, you must be 8 nat'ral fool, stranger ! Don't you see that's me and the ole woman's only chance for 'sim mon beer, in the fall of the year? If your hoss is so tarnal hungry as you say he is, he'd girdle it as high up as he could reach, afore morning'. Hitch your hoss to that tree? I not ; no, no, stranger, you can't come nar J sich a dodge as that! Our traveller, seeing that he had an origin ai to deal with, and being himself an amateur performer n pon the instrument to which the settler was so ardently attached, thought he w ould change his tactics, and draw his deter mined not-to-be " host" out a little, before in forming him of the fact that he too could play f" e " Arkansas Traveller," which once beiug n owu, he rightly conjectured, would be a pass- P° r t to his better graces : Traveller —Well, frieud, I can't stay, how i #r 1S R to the next house ? Arakansair —Ten miles ; and you'll think ie . v are mighty long ones, too, afore yon get thpKi <vame i| igh outo forgcttin' to tell you, ig creek is up; the bridge is carried off ; ' mr * V . yeartb 'y chance to ford it, yer'll ln e i' , a^ out sev eti miles up stream, to ole th*. "i j S P unc seon bridge, through one of r „,. , ' arn , bam boo-swam [is ever you see. I (V- • ' 8 standin' yet—'twas yester ) moruin' : though one end had started Jwn stream about fifteen feet or sich a mat \^! rr r ' en d, you seem communicative: von \ ! S ,10 I .°^ eace ' I'd like to know what you do for a living here ? Arkansaw—^ o offence on yearth, stranger: * e Just keep a grocery. b ' of groc ery ! Where in the name come r ,S mercant 'le do your customers disU'' Ur DCarest nei gbbor is ten miles THE BRADFORD REPORTER. Arkansaw —The fact is, me and the ole wo man are the best customers yet ; but we 'spect these diggins will improve, aud in course, busi ness will improve too. Hows'ever, we do suthin now even. Me and the ole woman tuk the cart t'other day, aud went to town : we bort a bar'l of whiskey : and after we come come, and 'gin to couut the balance on hand, we found that thar want but jist one solitary pic ayune left, and as the ole woman alius carries the pus, in course she had it. Well, we sot the bar'l agin the side of the room, and short ly arter, the ole woman sez : " Snpposin' you tap your end of the bar'l," and I did ; and she bo't a drink and paid me the picayune. Pretty soon, I began to get dry, aud says I : " Ole woman sposin' you tap your end of the bar'l ?" —and she did ; and then she sells me a driuk : and the way that picayune has traveled back 'ards and for'ards over the bung of that bar'l is a cantion to them as loves " red eye." But stranger, losses is apt to come with every bu siness ; and me and the ole woman has lost some in the grocery line ; and I'll tell how 'twas : That boy Bill, is our oldest son, he see how the licker was goin,' and he did'nt have nary red to jine in the retail bisiness ; so one night he crawls under the house, and taps the bar'l atwixt the cracks in the puncheon floor ; and I r'ally believe he got more than me or the ole woman either ; the good-for-nothing vagabond, come to " giraff"' over his nateral born parents : it's enuff to make a mau sour agiu all creation ; that boy'll be the ruiu of us yet. lie takes to trickery jist as nateral as a hungry 'possum takes to the hen-roost. Now, stranger, what on yearth am I to do ? He beats me and the ole woman entirely. Traveller —lt would be difficult for me to advise iu regard to your sou, as I have no fam ily of my own. You say it is ten miles to the next house ; the big creek is up ; the bridge is carried away ; no possibility of fording it, and seven miles through a swamp to the only bridge in the vicinity ! This is rather a gloo my prospect, particularly as the sun is just about down ; still, my curiosity is excited, and as you have been playing only one part of the . " Arkansas Traveler," ever since my arrival, I would like to know before I leave, why you dou't play the tune through ? Arkansaw —For one of the best reasons on j yearth, old hoss—l can't do it. I huint larnt ] the turn of that tchuue, and drat me if I be lieve I ever shall. Traveller —Give me the instrument, and I'll see if I can't play the turn for you. Arkansaw —Look here, my frieiul, do you play the turn of that tchuue. Traveller —l believe I can. Arkansaw —'Lite, 'lite, ole hoss I— we'll find place for you in the cabin. Ole woman ! ole woman ! (a " hallo !" within the shanty was the first indication the traveler had of any oth- \ er human being on the premises,) the stranger plavs the turn of the "llaekensack Traveller." My friend, hitch your hoss to the 'simmon tree, j or any where else you please. Ole woman call Sal and Nance up from the spring-house, and cut off a good large piece of bar-steak, to brile j for the stranger's supper : tell Sal to knock j over a chicken or two, and get out some flour, and have some flour doin's and some chicken- j fixin's for the stranger. (Bill just heaves in sight, twenty-four hours earlier than he was expected a half hour before.) Bill, O Bill, there's a stranger here and he plays the turn of the " llaekensack Traveller go to the corn crib aud get a big puukin, and bring it to the house, so the stranger can have suthin to sit on, and skin a 'tater 'long with me and the ole woman, while the gals is gettin' supper : and Bill, take the hoss and give him plenty of corn : no nubbins, Bill : then rub him down well : and then, when you come to the house, bring up a dried hide and a bar-skin, for the stranger to sleep on : and then, I reckou he'll play the turn of the " llaekensack Traveller " for us. The "punkin " was brought ; the " 'taters" were " skinned " and eaten; the turn of the " llaekensack Traveller" was repeatedly play ed, to abundant edifieatiou ; and the " gals " finally announced that " supper was ready and although instead of "store tea," they only had " saxifax-tea-doiu's," without milk, yet the repast was one to be long and gratefully remembered. The traveller remained all night, and was safely piloted over the " big creek" early the next morning. Of a truth, " music has charms to sooth the savage breast." How COFFEE CAME TO BE L'SED. —At the I time Columbns discovered America, coffee had never been known or used. It only grew in Arabia and Upper Ethiopia. The discovery of its use as a drink is ascribed to the superior of a monastery iu Arabia, who, desirous of preventing the monks from sleeping at their nocturnal services, made them drink the infu sion of coffee, upon the report of some shep herds, who observed that their flocks were more lively after browsing on the fruit of that plant. Its reputation rapidly spread through the adjacent countries, and iu about two hun dred years it reached Paris. A single plant brought there in 1614, became the parent stock of all the coffee plantations in the West iDdies. The extent of consumption can now hardly be realized. The United States alone annually consume at the cost of its landing from fourteen to fifteen millions of dollars. You may kuow the Arabia or Mocha, the best cof fee, by its small bean and dark color. The Java and East India, the next in quality, is a larger bean and of a pale yellow color. The West ludia Rio has a blue, greenish grey tint. WOULDN'T BITE SUCH BAIT. —Onr friend Jones has been doing homage to a pair of bright eyes, and talking tender things by moon light, lately. A few evenings since he resol ved to " make his destiny secure." Accord ingly he fell on his kness before the fair dulci nea, and made his passion known. Mach to his surprise she refused him outflat. Jumping to his feet he informed her that there were as good fish in the sea as ever were caught. Judge of the exasperation of our worthy swain, when she coolly replied ; " Yes, but they don't bite at toads !" PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH. " REGARDLESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANT QUARTER." General JLckson's Duel with a " Dead Shot" We extract from a cotemporarv's account, the chief items of interest connected with the extraordinary duel between Gen. Jackson and a notorious gambler named Dickinson, which occurred on the 29th of April, 1807, near the State line between Kentucky and Tennessee. It appears that Jackson and Dickinson had staked five hundred dollars on a horse race, and Jackson proved winner. He took Dickinson's note for the amount, and was satisfied with the endorsement. Jackson had many enemies who feared as well as hated him, aud they natu rally crowded around Dickinson, and laid in wait for the first opportunity that might pre sent itself to briug him iu collision with the latter. This was the first occasion, aud they made use of it, in violation of all truth and mercy, for they forced Dickinson—who it seems was, in some respects, of an amiable and cred ulous disposition—beyond his own animosity aud suspicions, to believe that Jacksou hud disparaged the character of his note in some way or other ; and hence the challenge. Jack son denied the charge entirely, but it failed to conciliate Dickinson, or even to be believed by him, against the representations of those who were thus usiug him to got their enemy out of the way ; and the challenge was accepted.— The two principals were accompanied to the fatal spot by teu or twelve friends each. Six teen feet was the distance at which the duel was to be fought, which will be better appre ciated by reflecting that it is only five paces and one foot. Now couple this with the fact that Dickinson, the day before, practicing at the image of a man, fired four balls instanta neously after the command each time, into a space capable of being covered with a silver dollar, and some idea can be formed of the bar barity of duels iu those days. It is said, also, on the same good authority, that Dickinson was so confident of killing Jackson, that he was induced to authorize bets to the amount of three thousand dollars that such would be the case. All that now remained was for the attendants to retire to a safe position and give the words of command. They fired, but no one fell. But an instant revealed the state of affairs, and Dickinson's friends ran forward to sustain him. A dark stream of blood spurted from his side, and an ominous indication was afforded in the fruitless endeavors to staunch it. A bendiug paw-paw bush, standing hard by, afforded a convenient place to recline him while undergoing the process of examination. It was found that the ball had entered the side above the point of the hip-bone, and be low the ribs, and, passing entirely though the body, was retarded by the opposite hip bone, and lodged just within the skin. The smull difficulty of extraction but showed the great danger of the wound ; and all hope was soon destroyed by the discovery of mingled hemor rhage and purgings. The first thing, on dis covering the nature of the wound, was to dis patch a courier to Dickinson's wife with the intelligence that he was " dangerously wound ed." He was then conveyed back to his lodg ings. Here he was placed in a room, and on two feather beds, underlaid by two mattrasses. He writhed iu unremitting torture until he was too far gone to exhibit his sufferings, and gave vent all the while to his agony iu the most aw ful blasphemy. So profuse was the flow from the wound, that it passed all through his bed ding, and required it to be cleaned up every few hours. Thus he progressed uutil nine iu the evening. The bed stood in the middle of the floor, and a brilliant light illuminated the room, when the clock struck nine ; just then he asked, complainingly, why they had blown out the candle and left him in the dark. The surgeon shook his head, for he knew the infal lible omen. He had gone completely blind.— The last spark of light went out to him on earth. Again he commenced cursing, and with in five minutes from the time of blindness, his spirit had fled from that suffering body. Dick inson was a man of great wealth, aud was the husband of a blooming wife of twenty-five.— He lived in Nashville, now, as then, the capi tal of Tennessee. He arose several hours be fore dawn on the day he left home. His wife was ignorant of the duel ; and being aroused by his restless pacing to and fro, asked what was the matter. He told her that he was to start that morning, on business, across Red River, in Kentucky ; but that he would be sure to be back "by to-morrow night." Then ap proaching the bed, and taking her checks be tween his hands, he kissed her for the last time, remarking tenderly, "Good-by, darling!" and immeaiately set off with his party. With what soul-crushing effect the dreadful tidings fell up on her heart we may endeavor, at heart to im agine. Suffice it to say that her carriage had accomplished the long day's ride while it was yet early in the evening of the day following his death, and she arrived in the neighborhood before the news had spread more than a few miles on the road along which she came. She first heard of his death about three miles from where he was ; and at every breath uttered a piercing shriek, until she reached the object of her deep distress. Iler youth and beauty ad ded much to the great sympathy all felt for in her sad bereavement. When she reached his lifeless form, she rushed upon it in a frenzy of grief, aud gave vent to her feelings in kisses, embraces and wild lamentations. His coffin soon arrived from a neighboring village, and, after passing the lonely vigils of the night in holding an affectionate guardianship over his mortal remains, she set off, next morning, to conduct the mournful cortege. Gen. Jackson was also wounded, Dickinson's ball having ploughed across his breast to the depth of one half its thickness. teTlf yon love others they will love you. If you speak kiudly to others they will speak kindly to yon. Love is repaid with love, and hatred with hatred. Would yoa hear a sweet and pleasing echo, speak sweetly and pleasant ly yourself. It was observed of a celebrated phy sician, that be never said in company, " I drink your health," but " My service to you." CURIOUS ATTACK OF ANTS. —One morning, during my residence in Trinidad, I observed an uncommon number of chasseur ants crawiing abont the floor of the room. They did not crawl upon my person, but it was surrounded by them. Shortly after this, the walls of the room became covered by them, aud next, they began to take possession of the tables and chairs. I now thought it necessary to take re fuge in an adjoining room only separated by a few ascending steps from the one we occupied; aud this was not accomplished without great care and generalship; for had we trodden up on one we should have been summarily punish ed. There were several ants on the 6tep of the stairs, but they were not near so numerous as iu the room we had left; but the upper room presented a singular spectacle ; not only were the floor and walls covered like the other room but the roof was covered also. The open rafters of a West Indian house, at times afford shelter to a numerous tribe of in sects, more particularly the cockroach ; but now their destruction was inevitable. The chasseur ants, as if trained for battle, ascend ing in regular, thick files to the rafters, and threw down the cockroaches to their comrades on the floor who, as regularly marched off with the dead bodies of cockroaches, dragging them away by their united efforts with amazing ra pidity. Either the cockroaches were stung to death on the rafter, or else the fall killed them. The ants never stopped to devour their prey, but conveyed it all to their store house. The windward windows of the room were glass, and a battle now ensued between the ants and jack Spaniards, on the panes of glass. The jack Spaniard may be called the wasp of the West Indies ; it is twice as large as a British wasp, and its sting is in proportion more painful. It builds its uest in trees and old houses, and sometimes in the rafters of a room. The jack Spaniards were not quite such easy prey, for they used their wings, which not one cockroach had attempted. Two jack Spaniards, hotly pur sued on the window, alighted on the dress of one of my children. In an almost inconceiva ble short time, a party of ants crawed npon her frock, surrounded and covered the jack Spaniards, and crawled again to the floor, drag ging off their prey, and doing the child no harm. From this room I went into an adjoining bed chamber and dressing-room, aud found them equally in the possession of the chasseurs. I opened a large military chest of linens, which had been much infested ; for I was determined to take every advantage of such able hunters ; I found the ants already inside ; I suppose that they must have got in at some opening of the hinges. I pulled out the linens on the floor and with them hundreds of cockroaches, not one of which escaped. We now left the honse, and went to the chamber, built at a little distance ; but these also were in the same state. I next proceeded to open a store room at the other end of the house, for a place of retreat, but to get the key I had to return to the under room, where the battle was now more hot than ever ; the ants had commenced an attack upon the rats and mice, and strange as it may appear, they were not a match for their apparently insignificant foes They surrounded them as they had the insect tribe, covered them over, and dragged them off, with a celerity and union of strength, that no one who has not watched such a scene can comprehend. I did not see one mouse or rat escape, and I am sure I saw a score car ried off iu a very short period. I think it was about teu when I first observed the ants j and about twelve the battle was formidable ; soon after one o'clock the greatest strife commenced with the rats and mice, and about three the houses were cleared. Iu a quarter of an hour more the ants began to decamp, and soon not one was to be seeu within doors.— Sketches of the I i est Indies. A DILEMMA. —The following example of ni cety of conscience is as good a jest as it is a model of truth : Dr. Adam Clarke, the author of the celebra ted "Commentaries on the Bib'e," on being admitted into full connection with his religious denomination, was asked, as usual, certain questions. Among other questions always ask ed at that time, was the following : " Are you in debt?" Through rather a whimsical inci dent, this question was likely to have deeply puzzled and non plussed Mr. Clarke. Walk ing in the street that morning, with another preacher, a poor man asked a halfpenny. Mr. C. had none, but. borrowed one from the preach er who was walking with him. The preacher happening to go out of town, he could not see him during the day to pay this small sum.— When he stood up with the others, he knew not what to sav, when the question "Arc yon in debt ?" should be proposed. He thought, "if I say 1 am in debt, they will ask me how much! and when I say I owe a ha If-penny, they will naturally suppose me to be a fool. If I say I am not in debt, this will be a lie ; for I owe one half-penny, and am as truly under the obli gation to pay as if the sum were tweutv pounds, and while I owe that, 1 cannot, consistently with eternal truth, say lam not in debt." He was now most completely in the horns of a di lemma ; and which to take he knew not ; and the question being put to him before lie could make up his mind—" Mr. Clarke, are you in debt?" he resolved the difficulty in a moment, by answering— " Xot one FENNY." OS?" They who have loved have not existed in vain. Whenever and wherever this affection has been bestowed, the noblest privilege of life has been exercised—its highest ordination ful filled. It may be that the responseless depths of the grave have received the form of the lo ved one—that there is mourniug and blackness where all was once so joyous and beautiful, that clouds have settled down npon onr pathway, in such a manner as to leave us but few joys— but there is something superior to all these mu tations in the sweet recollections of having once been all the world to another : yea a com fort which ever remaineth even when the cold realities of life threaten to make ns think that we have been but dreamers of au oldeu ! dream ! SOMETHING ABOUT ICEBERGS. —Few sights in nature are more imposing than the huge sol itary iceberg, as, regardless alike of wind and tide, it steers its course across the face of the deep far away from land. Like one of the frost giants of Scandinavian mythology, it is sues from the portals of the North armed with great blocks of stone, l'roudly it sails on.— The waves that dash in foam against its sides shake not the strength of its crystal walls, nor tarnish the sheen of its emerald waves. Sleet and snow, storm and tempest, are its congeni ul elements. Night falls around, and the stars are reflected tremulonsly from a thousand peaks, and from the green depths of " caverns meas ureless to tnan." The visible portion of an iceberg is onlv about oue-ninth part of the real bulk of the whole mass; so that if ouebeseen 100 feet high, the lowest point may, perhaps, be a way down 800 feet below the waves. Now it is easy to see that such a moving island will of ten grate across tbe summit and along the sides of submarine hills ; and when the lower part of the berg is roughened over with earth stones, the surface of the rock over which it passes will be torn up and dispersed, or smoothed and striated, while the boulders imbedded iu the ice will be striated in turn. But seme bergs have been seen rising 300 feet over the sea ; and if their submarine portions sank to the maximum depth, must have reached the enor mous total bight of 2,700 feet. By such a mass any rock or mountain top 2,400 feet be low the surface of the ocean would be polish ed and grooved ; and'succeeding bergs tle|K>si ting mud ami boulders upon it, this smoothed surface might be covered up and suffer no change until the ocean bid should be slowly upheaved to the light of day. In this way sub marine rock surfaces at all depths, from the coast line down to 2,000 or 3,000 feet, may be stretched and polished, and eventually en tombed in mud. It is upon this theory only that we are able to account for the inanv huge boulders that lie scattered about upou the mountain, valley, aud plain. CAUSE OF THE FIRST MURDER. —We are in formed in the Sacred History, that Cain slew- Abel because of the preference shown to the sacrifice of the latter ; but we have no intima tion given us of the reason for that preference. There is, however, an Oriental tradition still extant, which accounts for it in this wise. It says that Cain and Abel, hoving each of them a twin sister, as soon as they all became mar riageable, Adam proposed to them, that Cain should marry the twin sister of Abel and Abel the twiu sister of Cain ; alleging as his reason for the proposal, that as their circumstances obliged them to marry their sisters, it was pro per that they should marry those that were seemingly the least related to them. To this proposal Cain would uot agree, and insisted on having his own twin sister, because she was fairer than the other. Adam displeased at his disobedience, referred the dispute to the deci sion of the Lord ; he ordered his sons to bring each an offering before him ; and told them that the offering which had the preference would be a declaration in favor of him who presented it. On the offerings being brought, aud that of Abel accepted, Cain, stimulated by jealousy and resentment, as soon as they came down from the Mount where they had been sacrificing, fell upon his brother and slew him. Forney's I'ress. IDLE BOYS. —He who is idle and vicious in school, is still more so when he leaves it. He who fires squibs will in time fire pistols. He who plays cards for sport, will, if he turns not, play ere long for money. He who robs hen roosts aud orchard*, will probably some day rob safes and pocket books. He may not do it in the way to expose himself to the peniten tiary ; he may have his wits so sharpened as to rob legally, by setting up a wild-cat bank, or betraying the confidence of his employer; or obtaining possession of property without the means of paying for it; or by getting his hand upon the public coffers, that he may fill his own, under the soft appellation of "breach of trust." I would that you could see with my eyes for a little ; yon would think with me, that he who when a boy could not be trusted, cannot now when he is a man. It would not be proper for me to mention names, or 1 could illustrate this by numerous painful examples. But they are not necessary. Effects will follow causes : as a mar. sows, so shall he reap : boyhood is the seed-time of which niunhood is the harvest. As, therefore, you love yourselves form the habit while young of employing all your time usefully. Never be unemployed. The land is full of idlers striving to live without labor. It is not to be supposed that yon are never to take recreatiou ; this is useful, it is necessary ; but if it come after hard study or productive labor, it will probably lie healthful and moderate.— An honorable mind, in the desire for relaxa tion, will not go forth in forms of mischievous exertion. It is not to be supposed that a boy is to be a man, much less an old man ; but in the midst of his mirth and hilarity he may be iunocent aud amiable. Asa?" In 1082, Galileo, then a youth of eighteen, was seated in a church, when the lamps suspended from the roof were replen ished by the sacristan, who, iu doing so, caused them to oscillate from side to side as they had done hundreds of times before when similarly disturbed. He watched the lamp, and thought he perceived that while the oscillations were diminishing they still occupied the same time. The idea thus suggested never departed from his mind, and fifty years afterwards he con structed the first pendulum, and thus gave to the world one of the most important instru ments for the measure of time. Afterwards, when living in Venice, it was reported to him one day that the children of a poor spectacle maker, while playing with two glasses, had ob served, as they expressed it, that things were brought nearer by looking through them in a certain position. Everybody said how curious, but Galileo seir.ed the idea and iuveutcd the ' first telescope. VOL. XIX. NO. 43. I CURIOSITIES OK HUMAN FOOD —Mankind has been wonderfully ingenious from its in fa cy, in the concoction of edible varieties. Apart from baked human thighs in Feejec, and boiled fin gers in Sumatra, there are sundry culinary fash ions still extant which must be marvelously un intelligible to a conventionalized appetite. Not that it appears strange to eat duck's tongues in China, kangaroos in Australia, or the loose covering of the great elk's nose in New Bruns wick. Not even is it startling to see an Ksqui manx eating his daily rations, twenty pounds iu weight of flesh and oil, or the Yakut compe ting iu voracity with a boa constrictor. But who would relish a stew of red ants in Bur mah, a half-hatched egg in China, monkey cut lets and parrot pies at Rio Janeiro, and baf s ! in Malabar, or polecats and prairie wolves in | North America? Yet there can be littlo ■ doubt that these are unwarrantable prejudices. Or. Shaw enjoyed lion ; Mr Darwin had a ; passion for puma ; Dr. Brooke makes affida vit that melted bear's grease is tbe most re freshing potion. And how can we disbelieve, after the testimony of Hippocrates, as to the Havor cf boiled dog ? If squirrels are edible iu the East, and rats in the West Indies—if a sloth be good on the Amazon, and elephant's paws iu South Africa, why should we compas sionate such races as have little beef or mut ton ? fjr we may be quite sure that if, as Mon tesquiu affirms, there are valid reasons for not eating pork, there are reasoos quite unimpeach able for eating giraffe, alapaca, mermaid's tails, bustard and anaconda. MISK IV A BACKWOODS TAVERN—THE LAND LORD SMELLS SOMETHING. —A short time since a gentleman and lady were traveling in Michi gan, and having missed the stage, were com pelled to take a private conveyance from the town of Scudcri to Thomnstown. The lady had with her a beautiful little lap dog, which she carried on her lap on an embroidered mat. During the ride the husband discovered he had no handkerchief, when the lady lent him hers, which was fashionably scented with mask.— About half way between the two towns the carriage broke down, in the mindst of hard rain, and they were obliged to take refuge in the half way house—a "one horse" log tavern, consisting of t%vo rooms—a bar-room acd lodg ing room. The lady laid her lap-dog on its mat before the fire, and lur husband and her self took seats. In a short time the gentleman had an occasion to use his handkerchief, and took it out, leaving it lying on his knee when he got through with it In a few moments tho landlord opened the door, put his head in, look ed arouiid, went out, came in, gazed at the dog —his nostrils a!! the while upturned in intense disgust. He finally appeared satisfied, went to the outside door, opened it, came back with a bound, seized the lap dog by the tail, and hurled him howling through the open door full ten rods into the forest. The wife fainted ; the husband rose to his feet, terribly enraged, and wanted to know what did that for.— " That's my dog," continued he furiously.— " Don't care a cuss whose dog it it," said the man gruffly and impetuously ; I aiu't going to have no such blasted smeliing varment around my tavern." The husband and wife evacuated the house instantly, and proceeded on their way in the rain. teJ- It has been well remarked, that no man can judge of the happiness of another As the moon plays upon the waves, and seems to our eyes to favor with a peculiar l>eam one long track amid the waters, leaving the rest in comparative obscurity—yet all the while she is 110 niggard in her luster ; for though the rays that meet not our eyes are to us as though they were not, yes she, with an equal and un favorable lovliuess mirrors herself on every wave, even so, perhaps, happiness falls with the same brightness and power over the whole expanse of life, though to our limited eyes alio seems only to rest on those billows from wliuh the ray is reflected back to our sight. FIDELITY. —Never forsake a friend. When enemies gather around—when sickness falls ou the heart—when the world is dark and cheer less—then is the time to try true friendship. They who turn from the scene of distress, be tray their hypocrisy, and prove that interest only moves them. If you have a friend who loves you aud studies your interest and happi ness—be sure to sustain him in adversity. Let him feel that his former kindness is apprecia ted, and that his love was not thrown away. Ileal fidelity may be rare, but it exists in the heart. Who lias not seen and felt its power ? They only deny its worth a-d power, who ne ver have loved a friend, or labored to make a friend happy. Doctor Lardner says it is a startling fact that if tlie earth were dependent alone upon the sun lor heat, it would not get enough to insure the existence of animal and vegetable life upon the surface. It results from the re searches of Fouilit, thnt the stars furnish heat enough in the course of a year to melt a ernst of ice seventy-live feet thick, almost as much as is supplied by the sun. Hallow the universal heart of man blesses flowers! They are wreathed around the cra dle, the marriage altar and the tomb. Tho Cnpid of the ancient Hindoos tipped his ar rows with flowers, and orange flowers nro a bridal crown with us—a nation of yesterday. Flowers garlanded the Grecian altar, and hung in votive wreaths before the Christian shrine, j —Mrs. Child. ta&~ Love is like music. Some instrument* can go up two octaves, some four, aud some all the way from black thnnder to sharp light ning. As some of them are susceptible only of me'o ly, so some hearts can sing but one song of 1 ve, while others will run in a fuil choral j harmony. Jtjr Tears of beauty are like clo ids floating over a heaven of stars, bedimraing them for a moment that they may shine with greater ln.- tre than before.