l)c imc0, New SBloamftclir, $Ja.
3
Thrilling Adventure.
by n. m. iirarxix.
"T7"IIEN the ill-fated steamer Lnrly
V Elgin went down on Lake Mich
igan, drowning three hundred gay revel
era, on- that tempestuous morning of the
Nth of September, 1800, the Hon. Win,
Farnsworth, of Sheboygon, Wis. a pi
oncer of the Northwest, and a gentleman
whom his acquaintances delighted to hon
or shared her disastrous fate. Nearly
sixty years ago, lie settled in the wills of
Wisconsin, the only white man, who in
that part of the Union, preferred a life
in the Hidst of the aborigines at that
early day. Ilis business was that of a
trader, and his primitive storehouse con
tained such articles of merchandise as
benefitted the fancy and necessities of his
dark skinned customers, and served os a
barter for the rich furs and peltries in
which they dealt. It was not long be
fore his dignified and upright character
as a dealer succeeded in producing the
desired result, and his business rapidly
increased. For a time all went smoothly
mid satisfactorily ; but the treacherous
Indians soon found in him something
which not only made him offensive to
them, but led them to seek his life. This
last measure, however, was secretly form
ed, and it was through the agency of a
friendly native that he was enabled to
discover their design.
There was no noisy commotion among
them. All was still and serpent-like,
with a stern determination. No threats
or menaces escaped their scaled lips, yet
there was a wicked expression in every
eye.
The shades of night had fallen, and
Mr. Farnsworth stood behind the counter
in his store, which was dimly lighted by
two candles, while the door stood widely
open to permit free ingress. A single
Indian entered, armed and blanketed,
passed him, with a grunt of recognition,
and silently stalked to the rear of the
apartment, where he squatted upon his
haunches. Another followed in the same
manner, and, singly, came others ten,
twenty, forty all full armed, each seat
ing himself ou the floor beside the first,
in rear of the store. Mr. Farnsworth
felt that a crisis had arrived, and with
an active mind and a fearless heart, he
quickly determined upon a course of con
duct, which if it did not succeed in re
leasing him, unharmed, from the dilemma
in which ho was placed, would completely
route and destroy his enemies with him
self, at one fell stroke. To show the
slightest degree of fear or anxiety would
but hasten a denouement which had un
doubtedly been agreed upon. In the
mean time, one by one, more than a hun
dred of the Indians had gathered in the
store, and ominous murmurs began to
reach his cars. One Indian spoke : " Big
warrior mo ! Ugh ! fight at Tippecanoe ;
me no 'fraid !"
" Me, too me fight at Tippecanoe ;
me fight more, bymeby !" added another,
with an air of mysry. " Me. too mo
no 'fraid ughlxyuaw 'fraid. Warrior
no 'fraid !" said a third ; and similar ex
pressions fouud a general utterance among
them.
Mr. Farnsworth saw that they were all
" blowing, or boasting, tor some undo
lined purpose, for he knew that none of
them were present at the battle of Tip
pecanoe, lo humor them, aucl to gain
time and a more definite idea of what
awaited him, ho pleasantly joined in the
conversation, with as little truth inj what
he said as there was in what ho heard :
" I'm a warior, too." ho said. " I killed
big Indian Tecumseh, I'm a pale-face
brave." There was not a tremor in his
voice, nor a shade on his features as he
spoke nothing, indeed, to indicate
suspicion that ho knew aught of the im
pending crisis.
His empty boast and manly bearing,
however, were not without their effect,
for ho saw at a glanco that the Indians
had suddenly relapsed into silence, or
were conferring together in whispers.
Jlo teit that the time had arrived ior lm
mediate operations on his part. Beneath
the couuter was a keg nearly filled with
gunpowder, from which the head had
been removed, and within his reach stood
a lighted candle. Stooping down, with
his finger he formed an impromtu candle
stick in tho very centre of the mass of
powder, theu Bnufling tho liirhtcd wick
very closely, he placed tho edges of his
hands, with tho palms upward, around
tho candlo in order to catch any accident
al sparks whieh might fall while ho was
moving it. Lifting it in this manner
from its receptacle he placed tho candle
in an upright position into tho hole pre
pared for it in the powder, and carefully
removed hia hands. Then ho raised
himself up from his porilous task, and
stood calmly near it to await tho catas
trophe.
But his movements had been noticed
jy one of the Indians, who being act
uated by tho characteristic curiosity
which at times overpowers every other
feeling in the savage breast, leaned over
the couuter and saw the candle burning
brightly in the keg of powder. Not a
sound escaped him, but with a wondcr-
ng glance at the pale and intrepid mer
chant, ho walked rapidly and silently out
of the store. His sudden exit attracted
tho attention of another warrior, who al
so peered cautiously over tho counter,
saw the danger and stalked out of the
door as silently as tho first. A third, a
fourth, and all successively, each ior
himself, saw the impending catastrophe.
md passed out without uttering a word.
As the last one left the store, astonished
at the stolid bravery of the pale-face, the
merchant followed him to the door, and
hastily closed it, fastening it securely.
Then, carefully approaching tho keg of
powder, he lilted out tho candle in the
guarded manner in which ho placed it
there, and felt that he was saved.
And he was saved. The daring alter
native which he had chosen assured tho
Indians that he was no trifler, and pro
duced a revulsion of feeling in his favor
that led to a friendly arrangement of tho
difficulty which had estranged them from
him.
Mr. Farnsworth remained among them,
was married to one of their number.
and at the time of his death still resided
in that vicinity.
Why He Smoked.
In the reign of James I, of tobacco ha
ting notoriety, the boys of a school acquir
ed tho habit of smoking, and indulged it
night and day, using the most ingenious
expedients to conceal the vice from the
master, till one evening, when the chaps
were together around the fire of their
dormitory, indulging each other in a
vapor of their own creating, lo ! in burst
the master, and stood in awful dignity
before them.
How now ?" quoth tho dominie to the
first lad : " how dare you be smoking
tobacco:
" Sir," said the boy, " I am subject
to headache, and a pipe takes off the
pain."
And you ! and you : and you ?
inquired the pedagogue, questioning
every boy in his turn.
One had a " raging toothache ; another
cholic ; a third a cough ; in short, they all
had something.
" Now, sirrah," bellowed the doctor, to
the last boy, what disorder do you smoke
for?"
Alas 7 the excuses were all exhausted :
but the interrogated urchin put down his
pipe altera iarcwell whin and looking up
iu his master's face said, in a whining,
hypocritical tone, " &tr, I smoke for
corns.
A Word to Boys.
Make yourselves indispensable to your
employers ; that is the golden path to
success. Be so industrious, so prompt,
so careful, that if you are absent one
hour of the usual time you will be miss
ed, and he in whose service you arc sliall
say, " I did not dream W was so use
ful. Make you employer your friend,
performing with minuteness whatever
task ho sets before you, and above all, bo
not too nice to lend a hand, however re
pugnant to your sense of neatness it may
be. The success of your business in af
ter life depends on how you deport
yourself now; if you aro really good for
anything you aro good for a great deal.
Bo energetic, put your manner!) into bu
siness; look, as well as act with alacrity.
Appear to feel an interest, lnake your
master's success your own, if you havo
an honest one. Let your eye light up
at his request, and your feot be nimble.
There are some who look so dull and
heavy, and go with so slow and lazy a
pace, that it is irksome to ask what it is
your right to demand of them. Bo not
like these.
BgkA Welsh clergyman, who preached
from tho text " love ono another" gave a
national turn to his subject by illustrating
it with an anecdote of two goats who met
on the middle of tho ono-plank bridge
that crossed the littlo stream in their par
ish : But did they fight and try to push
each other into the water ? Oh no ! but
ono laid himself down while tho other
stepped over him. Hero was friendship!
hero was love ! Oh, my brcthern, let us
all live liko goats.
For The Bloomfield Timet.
A (icogrnphleal Enigma
My 1, C, 11, 13 ami 7th Is a City In .Spain.
My 2. 8. 6 and 12th Is a County in Texas.
My 3, 12, 4 mid 11th, Is a Illvor In ltussla.
My 4, 6, 0. 7, 8, 0, 10, 11, 5 and 13tli Is a town in To,.
My 6, 1"), 12, 6 ami 17t.ll Is a town In France.
My 0, 2. 15 and 7Ui Is one of the United States.
My 7, 4 and 11th Is a ltlvcr In Siberia.
My 8, 10, 13, 13, 5 and 11th Is an Island In h. Huron.
My 9, lr), n, 5 and 13th Is an Inelosurc of Land.
Sly 10, IS, 8, 15 and 13th Is a town In Turkey in
Asia.
My 11, 5, 4, and l"tli Is a river in Kuropc.
My 12, 11, 17, 13 and 3rd Is a town In England.
My i:C 11. IS. f, and 7tli Is a town In Nebraska.
My 14, 0, 12, 3, 13 and 7th is a town In Ohio.
My lr, fi. and loth is a river In Siberia.
My li), 11, 1. HI, and IS isa river in Canada.
My 17, 5, 12, lo, and 18th is a liay in the Gulf of
St. Lawrence.
My 18, 3, 4, 0, 7, 10 and 18th is a river Maine.
My whole Is something you have recently
seen.
1 Di-.ixvil.lb, December 28th, 1809.
A Practical Application.
Nicholas Wain, though a regular Qua
ker preacher, a great wag, was ouce trav
eling on horseback in the interior of Penn
sylvania in company with two Methodist
preachers. They discussed the points of
difference in their respective sects, until
they arrived at tho inn where they were
to put up for tho night. At supper,
Wain was seated between the two Meth
odists, and before them was placed a plate
containing two trout. Each of tho circuit-riders
placed his fork in a fish and
transfered it to his plate, after which
each shut his eyes and said audible grace
before meat. The quakcr availed himself
of the opportunity to transfer both of the
trout to his own plate, merely remarking,
when the others opened their eyes, "Your
religion teaches you to pray, but mine
teaches me both to watch and pray."
JtiS Three brothers, bearing a remark
able resemblance to one another, are in
the habit of shaving at the same barber's
shop. Not lonir ago one of the brothers
entered the shop early in the morning,
and was shaved by a txermau who had
been at work in the shop only for a day
or two. About noon another brother
came in and underwent a similar opera
tion at the hands of the same barber.
In the evening the third brother made
his appearance, when the German drop
ped his razor in astonishment and ex
claimed : "Veil, mine Gott? dat man
hash do fashtcst beard I never saw. I
shaves him dis morniu', shaves him at
dinner times, and ho gomes back now
mit his beard so long a3 it never vash !"
Water-Proof Goods. Probably few
of our readers know how water-proof
goods aro made, or rat her how the goods
aro made water-proof. The process,
brieflv described, is as follows : Tho
cloth is first submitted to tho action of
moderately strong sulphuric acid, the
time of such action varying with tho na
ture of tho fabric, but never exceeding
two minutes. A thorough washins- fol
lows, and when dried tho material is
roadv for use. The action of tho acid is
to decompose tho wool or cotton fibres
into a clutinous material, the cum Cllins
up tho spaces between the threads, and
thereby preventing the passage ot water
B " What did you come here after?"
inquired Miss Susan Draper of a bache
lor iriend, who made her a call when tlio
rest of the fanulv had crono out.
" I came to borrow some matches," he
meekly replied.
" Matches ! That s a likely story.-
Why don't you make a match ? I know
what vou came for." exclaimed the de
lighted mis, as she crowded tho old bach
clor into a corner ; " you came to kiss
me and hug me almost to death ; but you
shan't, unless you are the strongest, and
the Lord knows you are.
Jsa?" I comparo tho art of spreading ru
mors to tho art of pin-making. Ihere is
usually some truth which I call wire ; as
this passes from hand to hand, ono gives
it a polish, another a point; others make
and put on the head, and at last tho pin is
com pic ted . hewton .
tKU Spiders have four paps for spin
nin; their threads, each pap having ono
thousand holes, and the lino web itself tho
union of four thousand threads. No spider
spins more than four webs, and when tho
fourth is destroyed, they seize on tho
webs of others.
Jfta7 Oaths are vulgar, senseless, offen
sive, impious ; liko obsccno words, they
leave a loathsome trail upon tho lips, and
a stamp of odium upon the soul. They
gratify no sense, while they outrage taste
and dignity.
Anecdotes of Frederick the Great.
riIIE king was scrupulously clean, wash-
JL ing five times a day. Ho would allow
no drapery, no st ufled furniture, nor carpets
in his apartments. They caught dust. Ho
sat upon a plain wooden chair. He ate
roughly, liko a farmer, of roast beef,
despising all delicacies. His almost invari
able dress was a close military blue coat,
with red culls and collar, bnff waistcoat and
breeches, and whito linen gaiters to tho
knee. A sword was belted around his loins,
and, as wo have said, a stout ratan, or
bamboo cano cvcV iu his hand. A well
known, battered, triangular hat covered his
head. lie walked rapidly through tho
streets which surrounded hit palaces at
Postdam and Berlin. If ho met any one
who attracted his attention, male or femalo,
ho would abruptly, menacingly inquire,
" Who are you?"
A street lounger ho has been known to
hit over tho head with his cane, exclaim
ing, "Home, you rascal, and go to work."
If any one prevaricated or hesitated he
would sternly dcrnand, "Look mo in the
face." If there was still hesitancy, or the
king were dissatisfied with tho answers, the
ono interrogated was lucky if ho escaped
without a caning.
Tho boorish king hated tho refinement
and polish of the French. If ho met a lady
in rich attire, sho was pretty sure to be
rudely assailed ; and a young man fashion
ably dressed could hardly escape tho cudgel
if he eamo within reach of tho king's arm.
Tho king, stalking through the streets was
as marked an object as an elephant would
have been. Every ono instantly recognized
him, and many fled at his approach. Ono
day he mot a pale, threadbare young man,
who was quietly passing liim, when tho
king stopped him in his jerking gait, and
demanded, in his coarse, rapid utterance,
"Who aro you?"
"I am a theological student," tho young
man, quietly replied.
"Where from?" added the king.
" From Berlin," was tho response.
"From Berlin?" the king rejoined ; "the
Berlineis are all a good-for-nothing set."
"Yes, your Majesty, that is true of many
of them," tho younjr man added; "but!
know of two exceptions."
"Of two?" responded the king ; " which
arc they ?"
" Your Majesty and myself," tho young
man replied.
Tho king burst into a good-humored
laugh, and after havinir tho young man
carefully examined, assigned him to
chaplaincy.
A Boy who Could bo Trusted.
A LFRED was missing ono night about
XjL sunset. Mother was getting anxious.
for sho always wished him to bo home
early. A neighbor coming in, said a num
ber of boys had gone to tho river to swim,
and ho thought Alfred was safe enough to
be with them.
"No," said tho mother, "ho promised
mo ho would not go there without my leave,
and ho ahenvt keeps his word. He never
told mo a lie."
But seven o'clock came, then eight, and
mother was still watching and listening for
tho step of Alfred ; but it was half-past
eight before his merry shouts and whistle
were hoard, when ho ran into tho gate.
"Confess now," said the neighbor, "that
you have beon to the river with the other
boys, and so kept away till lata."
How tho boy's eye flashed, and the crim
son mounted to his cheeks !
"No, sir! I told my mother I would
never go there without her leave, and do
you think I would tell a lie 1 I helped James
to find tho cows which had strayed in tho
wood, and did not think I should bo so late,
James, coming up the street just then,
came in to tell us he was afraid we had
been alarmed ; they had beon so far in tho
wood it made them lato in getting homo.
"I think," said tho neighbor, turning to
tho mother as he took his hat to go homo,
" there is comfort in store for you, madam
Such a boy as that will make a noble man.'
YW An Ohio clergyman sovoral years ago
received a bright new cent as a wedding
fee. Tho other day he met tho bridegroom
who mentioned the circumstance, and said
"My wife was a comparative stranger to
mo at tho time wo were united in wedlock,
I havo learnod her value, and paid accor
dingly. I find hor a jewel so here is an
additional foe," at tho same time handin:
the astonished minister a $20 gold piece,
13T He who in every man wishes to meet
a brother will raroly encounter an enemy
SUNDAY READING.
What it Cost Him.
" What is the value of this estate ?"
said a gentleman to another, with whom
he was riding, as they passed a hue
mansion surrounded by fair and fertile
fields.
" I don't know what it is valued at ;
know how much it cost its lato pos
sessor.
" How much?"
" His soul !"
A solemn pause followed his brief an
swer, for the inquirer had not sought first
the kingdom of God and his righteous
ness. Tho person referred to was tho son of
a pious laboring man. Early in life he
possessed faith in Christ and soon ob
tained a subordinate position in a mer
cantile establishment in that city. He
continued to maintain a reputable relig
ious profession till no became a partner
in the firm. Labor then increased. He
gave less attention to religion, and more
to his business, and tho cares of the world
choked the Word. Ere he became old
he was exceedingly rich in money, but so
poor and miserly in soul that none that
knew him would have suspected that he
lad ever borne the sacred name ot Him
who said : " It is more blessed to give
than to receive."
At length he purchased the largo land
ed estate referred to, built a costly man
sion, sickened and died. Just before he
died he remarked : " My prosperity has
been my ruin."
Oh what a price for which to barter
away immortal joy and everlasting life,
yet how many do it ! "When I have
finished the house then 1 will seek the
Lord ;" said one man. " Years after
ward," said the narrator, ' I passed that
way ; the house was not finished, but the
man was dead."
" What shall it profit a man if he shall
gain the whole world and lose his own
soul ?"
JS Henry Ward Beecher has a very
plain way of speaking. Tho following
occurred in one of his sermons :
There are sitting before mo in this
congregation now, two hundred men, who
stuff their Sundays full of what they
call religion, and then go out on Mondays
to catch their brethren by the throat,
saying : It's Monday now, and you need
not think that because we sat crying to
gether yesterday over our Saviour's suf
ferings and love, that I am going to let
you off from that debt, if it docs ruin
you to pay it now."
flf, I would not give much for your
religion unless it can be seen. Lamps do
not talk, but they do shine. A light
house sounds no drum, it beats no gong,
and yet far over the waters its friendly
spark is seen by the mariner, bo let
your actions shine out your religion.
Let the main sermon of your life bo illus
trated by your conduct, and it shall not
fail to be illustrious.
ftaF Here's a gem from Dombey that
will never grow dim : ." She died," said
Polly, " and was never seen again, for she
was buried in the ground where the trees
grow." In the cold ground 1" said the
child. " No, the warm ground," replied
Polly, " where tho seeds aro turned into
beautiful flowers, and where good people
turn into angels aud fly away to heaven.
SeS" There is nothing purer than hon
esty ; nothing sweeter than charity ; noth
ing warmer than love ; nothing brighter
than virtue; and nothing more steadfast
than faith. These united in one mind,
form the purest, the sweetest, the richest,
tho brightest, and tho most steadfast hap
piness.
JEST" The fear of God is mingled with
hope : " The eyes of tho Lord are upon
them that fear him, upon them that nope
iu his mercy." Fear is to hope, as oil is
to the lamp it keeps it burning. The
more we four God's justice, the more we.
may hope in his mercy.
Beautiful was the reply of a venerable
man to the question, whether he was in
tho land, of tho liviug : " No, but I aih
almost there."
86y- God writes the gospel, not in the
Bible alone, but on the trees and flower',
and clouds, and stars. c ; .
False friends will treat us, as they
do their worn out garments, which, whon
they become' old are cost aside.
i