iiiiti .11111 ' 1HNH fll wr.vVWV ..saw TERMS-PAYABLE IS ADVANCE, ) ' TTTvTT,,TkT,,Tn1','T1 hctt T-r,iTT;r.Ti'";nT ( TERMS PAYABLE IN ADVANCE, r,ij 5 AN INDEPENDENT EAMILY NEWSPAPER. , pt. ....,., $1.25 per Year ; 75 Cts. 6 Months.) ' . ; . . ($1.60 per Tear; 85 Cts. 6 Months. Vol. VIII. New Bloomfleld, Pa., Tuesday, Decemt)cr 8. 1874. TVo. 49. 18 PUBLISHED EVERT TUESDAY MORNING, BY . FEA1TZ MORTIMER & CO., At New Bloomfleld, Terry Co., Ta. Being provided with Steam Power, and large Cylinder and Job-Presses, we are prepared to do all kinds of Job-Printing lu good style and at Low Prices. ADVERTISING ItATKSl 1 Trantitnt 8 Cent per Mdo for one insertion 13 " " twoinserttons 15 " " "three Insertions Business Notices In' Local Column 10 Cents per line. .For longer yearly adv'ts terms will be given upon application. , , , THE DUTCHMAN'S SERENADE. Vake, lady, Take, the moon are high, The twlnklln' stars Is beamln', Vhile now and then across the sky, A motc-or are slreamln'. Vake, lovely von ! the sky are clear, Refreshing Is the breezes ; It blows my nose, vhlle I sits here, A flddlln' 'ncath the treeses 1 Vake, Sally dear 1 the bull-frog'e note Are heard In yonder rashes, And the warbling tree-toad swell his throat, Slngln' In them 'ere bushes I Vake, Wenns, mine ! the vlppervlll Sings on the rail-fence yonder, Vhile the owl pipes forth his hootln'-shrlll ( Vhy don't she vake, I vonder !) Softly on the grassy lea, The moon her beams are ponrln' The stars looks down and vlnks at mo , (By gam I if 8al ain't suorln' !) Vake, Sally, vake, and look on me Vake, 'Squire Norbln's daughter , If I'll have you, and you'll have me (By George 1 who throwed that water I) Oh I cruel Sally I thus to slight- " (Here comes the bull-dog now !) " Bow-ow I bow-ow 1" he' -got a bite, G-e-e-t out! "Bow-ow 1 bow-ow I" , MY CHRISTMAS REVENGE. ISO not think there is any neod of ex plaining how it happened, that I, who when born had expectations of quite a fair fortune', should have found myself, when womanhood came, obliged to earn my daily bread. But so it was ; and in one of tho large sewing-machine emporiums (bo mat ter which one) of a leading1 Amorican city, I held a position as a teacher for several years. My duties were very ' monotonous ; but I 4ised to extract a considerable amount of interest and amusement, while - engaged in giving instruction, from learning the histories and they were very varied of my scholars. If the proverbial up of tea unlocks the female tongue, 1 Xouud that a lesson on the machine, and initiation into the mysteries of setting a needle, winding a bobbin, and regulating a tension, were evon more conducive to communication. . I do not wish to appear egotistical; but I must confess to quite a power which I seemed to possess of gaining the confidence of my pupils, through my habit of taking an interest in them ; also that I was very fond of an "ower true tale ; " porhaps some malicious critio would call Jiiy pro pensity by no higher '' name than female curiosity. ' Even bow, though time has brought its changes to me, and I no longer haunt tho familar places, I often find myself recalling one and aaother among the many romances and stories in which I figured as an inter ested and ..sympathetic listener, and oc casionally aa nn suspected actor. The present recollection always comes back to me at the Christmas time ; and therefore '-when the season rolls around again, with-it merriment1 and cheer, its mistletoe and holly, its written and unwrit ten tragedies and comedies of life, I feel like reoountipg it to others. The position of instructress brought me almost entirely in contact with juy own sex. Sometimes I had a male pupil one of a mildly i tneohanicat turn; who would wish to become familiar with the machine, so as tq ,b nble jto assist om wife or sister j, but tho Uittrw;lLon-room, as a rule, was usually quite free from frequent visits of the sterner sex. During (he full, of a special year I be came 1 conscious, however, that a certain Mr. Harry Loe, a gentleman whom I knew to be an intimate acquaintance of one of my employers, and whose face was quite well known to all in the establishment, be gan to occasionally drop into my depart ment and looked on during instruction hours. He was rcry pleasant and gentle manly in his manners, and gave as an ex excuse for tho interest he took, that ho was a born Yankee and therefore very fond of inventions. Although there were other teachers, I discovered that he lingered most frequently in my vicinity, and seemed more interested in my conversation than that of my com panions. I was young at the time, and no doubt had the usual desire of my sex to please. I felt flattered, perhaps, at his respectful attention, and took particular pains to make my observations on "what I knew about sewing-machines," as intelli gent aa my limited powers permitted. ' Ho soon become a frequent visitor, and some times when business was dull would linger and converse on other subjects besides the technicalities of the trade. I found that he was well educated, and traveled cousid erably in his own country, and knew, as they say, "men and things." His iuti mato friendship with one of the firm pro- vented any remarks as to the frequoncy of his visits ; and he made the additional apology for possible intrusion, that he was very much at his leisure, and sometimes thought of connecting himself with the business. I must admit that I was quite interested in .him, and felt pleased when sometimes he would briDg mo some favor ite book about which wo had conversed and exchanged views, or ask my opinion on some magazine article that was engrossing public attention. I had never given a thought to bis relations in life whether he was married or single ; he had simply been to me a pleasant episode among my daily labors ; and the flash of his blue eyes aud his frank smile, when saluting me, I at first considered as merely among the other usual incidents of my daily life. It was during a somewhat extended con versation, one day, some weeks after our first acquaintance, that the thought flashed across my mind that he had seen trouble and was unhappy in connection with his affections. . His opinions of the female sex, I discovered upon probing him a little, were not very enthusiastic or rose-colored. Sometimes, when speaking of marriage and its relations, I thought his remarks rather cynical and bitter ; and once or twice he criticised some of my young and fashionable pupils very severely, seeming to have a very poor opinion of them as to their usefulness as probable wives and mothers. I naturally always ' defended my sex ; and once when I laughingly expressed my belief that if I ever should see the woman destined to be his wife, it would no doubt be one of those same pretty, useless, fashionable creatures against whom he railed so bitterly a look of pain passed across his face, that set me to thinking that I had touched a sore spot in his export ence. ' " i We had become very good friends, event ually ; indeed, I am' afraid that should I confess the truth, we indulged a little in harmless and pleasant flirtation. I know that I was always pleased to see him ; and I am sure that be often lingered beside me in a manner savoring a' little of devotion Still this was only on the surface; and I grew more and more certain from a melancholy that often possessed him, that there was some secret connected with his domestic lifo, of an unhappy character. ' At last, from an accidental remark of one of my employers,! discovered the "skeleton in his closet." He was a married man, but separated from bis wife. I think that I felt a little patued at the information ; and I certainly could not help the coldness of my manner when next I met him. He saw the change, and asked with his eyes for an ex planation, . though not with bis tongue. Had he taken tho latter liberty, it is very possible that I might have told him, and the this story would never have been written t As it was, a few hours thoroughly calined mo ; showed me something of the imprudence of which I had been guilty, in making so close an acquaintance with a man about whom I knew literally nothing; and roused all the woman within me, in prldo aud a dim snsplcion of revenge. That revenge was much nearer than I could possibly have dreamed j and unlike most revenges, no sorrow is entailed by the recollection. But of that anon. Following the ' discovery, the first thiag I did was to enlarge it by ascertaining particulars how, is si matter of no consequence in connection with the Listory. What I additionally dis-W covered, however, it of consequence. , - -Ho had married a petted, way ward, beau tiful' girl the only child of wealthy parents who had by injudicious management fos tered every wenkness of her character. He hud formed her acquaintance, and married her after a short courtship, while on a visit to her native town, and after a fow months removed to the city whero he now made his residence. He had brought her home to the house of his mother, who, with his sister, was of the true New England type. They were thorough-going, practicaljwomon, notable housekeepers, slightly Puritanical in their beliefs, and holding very little sym pathy with youth lind inexperionce. The young wife was impulsive, unused to dis cipline of any kind, careless, ignorant of any habits of industry, but warm-hearted and affectionate. No doubt a very trouble some relative to the staid, methodical wo men with whom she took up her lesidence. Unfortunately for the wife, also, her hus band had been taught to look up to his mother and sister as the best of women, and had fondly fancied that when his new treasure came under their control all those little weaknesses of which he had soon be come aware after marriage, would be cured by their example and advice. But his san guine hopes were doomed to early disap pointment. Instead of his wife growing docile aud yielding, she becamo more willful and intractable, rebelled with a high spirit against , any rule, and looked upon her husband more as a companion with whom to enjoy tho amusements of fasbion ablo society, than as a helpmate and friend with whom to pass through the trials and cares of life. Still she had a kind heart and warm affections ; and had more lovo and sympathy been exhibited in connection with efforts to change her habits, and less cold, sovcre exactions shown on the part of her husband's relatives, the event might have been better for all. At last the usual result followed. Quarrels became of fre. quent occurrence ; estrangement grew up between husband and wifo ; and it was only a year after their marriage that the young wifo, one day, after a passionate outbreak and most unhappy scene with her husband, left his home and returned to that of hor parents. ' Hero she was not only received with open arms, but condoled and sympa thized with to her great injury a divorce proposed, and all chance of reconciliation dostroyed. Such was the painful story, as I gathered the particulars no rare one in the world, I am quite aware, and yet sad enough as embodying the wreck of two lives. Perhaps a knowledge of tho whole softened my pride toward Mr. Lee a trifle , though it by no means cured my woundod self-respect or put me more at ease with myself. What more acquaintance might have followed is uncertain ; perhaps nono whatever, under tho changed conditions ; nor have I the clearest idea how my revenge would have been accomplished, had I not been favored by new and unexpected circumstances. It was in the month of . Deoember that one very cold and blustering morning a lady was ushered into the , instruction-room by one of the salesmen. She was a young and remarkably pretty woman, as I discovered at the first glance, anil dressed very becom ingly in the prevailing mode. . The usual remarks that "she was afraid she would be stupid," and my re-aBsarance that I had taught pupils from twelve to eighty in age and from Irish Norah to the Hon. Mrs. Highflyer in position, passed between us ; and then, after feet were comfortably warmed, aud gloves removed, the losson began. Upon the raising of her veil, as she seated herself, I discovered that her beautiful brown eyes showed traces of rB- cent tears ; and several times as the lesson progressed au unconsciously long sigh or sob proved very plainly that she had lately passed through some strong emotion, and that nature was kindly restoring the equi librium. In the course of the lesson, that day, she told me that she was married and the moth er of a little boy somewhat over a year old. She hinted at trouble in connection with her marriage relations, and of .late news that had caused the past night to be spent very unhappily. She seemed low-spirited, and deeply ashamed of her Ignorance as re garded all knowledge of sewing or the con struction of the simplest garment. I en couraged her told her that patienoe and application only were necessary, as she showed very, good natural abilities and would learn easily. , But sbo replied sadly that she was afraid that those were virtues she had never cultivated, nor even until lately deeraod at all necessary. She assured me that I could form no idea bow useless aud helpless she had been. She had never liked to sow, , and , , her mother had never wished her to do so, tolling her that there plenty of poor people who would be glad to do such labor instead. She hoped I would not laugh at some of her no doubt trifling and silly questions, as she had never even mode a garment of any kind in her lifo not even a little one for her baby 1 I laugh ed good-naturedly ; I could not help it ; and told her that she took too severe a view of her deficiencies that there were plenty of other ladies just like her ; but she said, smiling a little mournfully in return, that if I knew how bitterly sho had lately begun to understand what an uneducated woman in useful matters she was, and how incon venient she had found the position, I would not wonder at her desire to do hotter. This first lesson was succeeded by others, for several days following, during which I learnod that she had been married between two and three years ; that she had always before her marriage led a gay and luxurious existenco, perhaps because she had never known of any other, her parents being fashionable butterflies ; that she had passed through a great sorrow, been very sick when her babe was born, and now was just be ginning to appreciate some of tho realities of life. She confessed that it was when re covering from a sick-bed, and among the new and strange feelings that came with the birth of her babe, that sho had awaken ed to the truth, and listened to tho prompt ings, always before ignored, of her more practical nature. That it was through the advice of a kind friend who bad been with her through her sickness, that she bad purchased a sowing-machine, tho friend be lieving that it would be a good beginning in her efforts to do something useful. All this my new pupil did not toll mo in so many words, but it was the substance of what I gathered by degrees. I was very much interested (as usual) ; and one day, as she was leaving, casually remarked that her husband was, no doubt, pleased at her progress in mastering the mystery. Thon I heard what I had almost before suspect ed, as with tears filling hor eyes she said that she had no husband in one sense- that Bhe had separated from him that it was her own fault an act dono by herself in hot anger and rage, but now bittorly re pented. She indicated that there were others to blame, but did not excuse herself; and said that she had spent tho night pre vious to the day on which she had taken her first losson, in great grief from learn ing that he was very soon to sail for Eu rope, and tho thought that they would then be utterly and forever separated had nearly driven her to distraction. I felt very sorry never more so for any human being ; her ropentance was so sin cere and her sorrow so hopeless. : A dim suspicion had been creeping through my mind during this last relation, that I had heard a story something akin to this before; and as she was about leaving I reminded her that although we were well acquainted as teacher and pupil, I bad never yet heard her name. Apologizing for her remissness, she handed me a oard as she left tho room. I will not say that . I was very muoh sur prised, for I bad half guessed the ooinci- deuce by intuition, when I read on the oard ,1 held in my hand, "Mrs. Oracle Lee." Yes, it was Harry Lee's wife who had been my pupil 1 A great many strange feel ings were at work within my breast during the next ten minutes. I had not seen Mr. Lee for some time : he had avoided the instruction-room a course of conduct for which I had been thankful. I had heard nothing of his intention of going to Europe and felt sure it must ba a new project, very suddenly thought of. And why ? Had my actions anything to do with it? I folt sorely distressed before I had done thinking out the whole matter : and I might have been even more so had I not possessed a resource always so doar to women and children that of doing something. ' Now the rest of this is going to be very brief. ' On my bed, that night, the desire to "do something, " born of the necessity, took practical shape, and I saw my way to my revenge on Harry .Loe. Dickons' Christmas stories were then iu the height of their popularity ; I had been fascinated by them, and to their influenoe and that of the approaohing holy season perhaps my plans were chiefly due. I hope my imagi nary blushes may be spared, when I say that to accomplish it I took occasion to throw myself into Mr. Lee's way (of course by apparent accident), and that within a week I had won him back to the instruc tion-room, and the renewal of our friendly chats, though at such hours (late in the af ternoon) that there was no chance of his meeting his ' wife. .That I never labored harder with any pupil than with that will ing but nervous little lady, to enable her rapidly to become not only proficient at the machlue, : but to seem so. Then that I progressed by making an appointment with Mrs, Lee, on some excuse as to my con- venlonce, at four o'clock on the afternoon before ChriBtmas (Christmas Eve at a vory early stage of the anniversary), and meanwhile gained a character for benevo lence by tolling my companions in teaching that they had hotter go home early and thus enjoy the gay sights and sounds pre sented by the streets on that fostlve sea son. And then that I crowned the whole by making another appointment with Mr. Harry Lee, for the same place, half an hour later, having in view the necessity of bringing him unexpectedly upon his wifo at tho very moment when she should be sewing away at tho top of her ability. Once upon a time.I kept an extraordinary bug that I had captured, under a glitss tumbler, for days, to see the change by which it would become something else. It effected the change one night when I could ' not see it, and I was loft very littlo wiser than before. And I know not much more about the meeting between Harry Lee aud his wife, over the sowing machine, that evening before Christmas ; as (confound it 1) I felt myself obliged to leave them alone together just at the interesting mo ment, and they had made it all up before I thought it propor to return 1 Howover, I had my revenge. Mr., Lee (I wish to be understood and believed on this point) never flirted any more with me,how ever mildly "never no more." Ho went to Europe, but a littlo later, and took his wife, leaving his little son with his notable Now England mother, who was sure to take good care of him though sho might, not permit him to romp too hilariously. They were kind enough to believe that I had beon of sorvice to them ; and I was the re cipient of certain rings, one of which Harry Lee gave me with what I thought wo rather a conscious look, and the otlior of which Oracle Lee gave me with no shame facedness and a hearty kiss. I saw them together, and at homo, in a pretty new home over which, taught by some mistakes in the past, tho wife was solo mistress, apparently vory happy, tho next Christmas ; and I think that Mrs. Lee, under some sort of idea that she owed tho recovery of her husband to her sewing-machine, looked upon that useful article as a species of good fairy, and hor seat at it as a place of refuge, aud always was to be found sowing when things went at all crooked in the household. My after-acquaintanco with ihom, at all events, showed that the indolent, useless, and self-willed wife had become the busy, useful, and gentle one ; and that the hus band, who had begun by misunderstanding her, had come fully back to bis senses, and grown much wiser as to the quality of tho woman with whom he had been intrusted. And something of this, if not all of it, was the result of a little flirtation nipped in the bud, and of My Christmas Kevengo. kldine. Why He Couldn't. Last week in the Court of Sessions at Now York, a boy pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing clothes. He had beon sentenced to the House of Kefuge, and an olllcer was leading him out. The robbed boy timidly suggested that ho wanted the clothes. "Oeorge," said Justice Otterbourg, se verely, " you must return the things you stole." " When ?" queried Oeorge. "Have you got them with you?" asked his honor. "Yes, sir," said Ooorge. "Then return them immediately." "I can't." "Why can't you?" "Cause" "Cause what?" ' ' " Cause they're trowsers, ' and I've got 'em on." "Sergeant," shouted his Honor. rar- plng vigorously, "Btop the laughing in this court room." tW A Oentleman who purchased a box of peaches recently looked around for a boy who would carry them homo, and presently he found a ragged lad seated on ' a bench, eating the last remnant of a pour. The man asked him if he wouldn't like to earn ton oeuts by carrying the box to such ' a number and street, and the boy prompt ly replied that ho wouldn't. "Why?" queried the man. " Why ?" echoed tho boy, " because dad died the other day, and I'm the bead of the family, aud how'd I look lugging poaches around?" . The daughter of Mr. Sharon, the . millionaire, of the West,' has just been married at San Francisco. Five thousand dollars were puid to Bishop Allemaunyfor performing the marriage ceremony.
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