fiiiiif HENRY A PARSONS, J., Editor and Publisher, i?,A' COUNTY THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. : Two Dollars i-er Asinra. VOL. I. RIDGWAY, PA., THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 1872. NO. 47. poetr r.. (Original.) liBT EVERT OTfK SWEEP BEFORE HIS own DOOR. (i parapAriue.) Da we heed the homely .dafto, handed down from duya of yorei, " Ere you eweep your neighbor's dwelling, clear the rubblph from yonr door," Let no filth, no rust there gather, loave no tracea of decay, Pluck np every weed unsightly, brush the fallen leaves away 1 If we faithfully haye labored thus to wp without, within, Plucked up envy, eTll-spcaklug, malice, each beeettlng ln, Weed, that by the Mcred porta1 t " Inner temple grow, Poisonous weed the heart defiling, bearing bltternec. and woe Then, perchance, we may have lolsure e'er our neigh bor watch to keep All the work assigned u finished, we before his door may sweep ; Bhow him where the mosses clinging tokeas ever of decay, Where the thistles, thickly springing, daily must be . cleared away. But, alas) our work neglecting, oft we mount the ludgment seat. With his fallings, hi omissions, we our weary brother greet; In some hidden nook forgotten, searching with a care ful eye. We the springing weeds discover somo slight blemish there descry. For his slothfulness, his blindness, we our brother harshly chide, Glorying In our strength and wisdom, we condemn him in our pride ; Ask not tohy he has neglected thus before his door to sweep, Why grown careless, he has slumbered, failed his gar den-plot to keep. On the Judgment scat still sitting, we no helping band extend To assist our weaker brother his short-comings to amend ; For his weariness, his (altering, we no sweetcomrasnlon Bhow From our store no cordial bring hlm.no encouragement bestow. But, while busted with our neighbor, urging him to ceaseless care Calling to the thoughtless Idlers, to their labor to n. pair Lo ! nnsecn the dust has gathered, woerte are growing where of yore Klow'rets rare and sweet were blooming when wo swept before our door. Ah I how oasy o'er our brother faithful ward and watch to keep. But, alas I before our dwelling hard Indeed to dally sweep ! Harder than to share the conflict, "by the mud" at home to stay- Easier for to sit In Judgment than te humbly watch and pray. A. K. P. THE STOItY-THLLJJIt. RECOMMENDED. Aud so you are going to auswo absurd letter '" that " Of course I am going to answer it. Do you think I .would throw away so raro a chance lor tun ot toe nrst water r Rocoinmendod ! Hal ha I that is glori ous ! Now, for a young lady of twenty rive, not killingly handsome, I think my chances are looking up, don't you '" " I wish my chances were half as good," snid Lina, with slight pique. The fact is, Lina was a little jealous ot her mend. as jealous as was consistent with sworn friendshipon account of one Ralph Chester. " But, Amelia, you must not do this. The gentleman foolish as his action is is evidently in earnest, and you might excite hopes in him that you never meant to fulfill. Bosides, it is dangerous ; you will commit yourself and " Pshaw ! what a timorous creature you are, Lina ! It's fun, I tell you. And, oh, now I think of it, I am to send my photograph in response to this ;" taking up the " false presentment of line-looking gentleman of about thirty years of aero. " Let mo see that, Amelia," said Lina, eagerly. " You didn't tell mo about that." Didn't I ? Well, here it is. Not bad-lookinrr face, after all. More char acter in it than I should have given him credit for iuderinrr by his imbecilo act of seeking a wife solely on another's recommendation." " Upon my word. Amelia, he's a splen did follow. Not exactly handsome but what fine, earnest eyes ! and what a mouth so firm, and yet so gentle in its expression I W ere it not lor Ralph, should really expect you to fall in love with him. I'm half in love with him myself, and almost inclined to take him oil your hands, " Capital ! Lina, capital ! I have it !" exclaimed Amelia, clapping the prettiest imaginable pair of hands. " You shall send him your photograph, and I will answer his letter and thus puzzlo his consciousness by making two impres sions instead of one. What a lark it will bo !" and her merry blue eyes fairly danced with delight at the thought. " And what will Ralph Chester say i " asked Lina, demurely, vet with the faintest shadow of a blush on her face. Amelia regarded her quizzically for a moment, and then answered, "Uh, shall tell Ralph you know. He will en joy the joke as well as you and I. The only fear I have is, that you may fall in love with this paragon yourself." Well, and why shouldn't I 'f " asked Lina, saucily. ' Why, indeed of course !" said Ame lia, with a slight tinge of raillery in hor xone. Frederick Upton was a physician, who, having taken his degree at twentv-tive, had ever since been established in the thriving town of Auburn, and by dint of fine talent and solid acquirements in kis profession, had been steadily rising in nublio estimation ever since. Tlin-ni. tied and gentle in his manner, yet cheer ful withal, be was a lavonte everywhere and the only bar to his complete success as a pbysican was that be was a bachelor, There is a great prejudice in the minds of many against eaiploying an unmar nod physician. Now, Dr. Upton had many lady friends, any one of whom would have been only too happy to help him in his search after this great desideratum ; some ot tbem, indeed, would no doubt nave been willing to sacrifice themselves to him on the strength of their good wishes in his behalf." But his time was so muoh occupied with his profession, that ho really could could not visit peo ple except in tho excercise of that profes sion. So that, when Mrs. Smith invited her pretty nieoe Aurora to visit her house for the express purpose of making her acquainted with the doctor, and when Mrs. Brown sent for her own daughter prematurely from boarding school for tho saino charitable purpose, the Fates arranged it that both the Smiths and the Browns should be so re markably healthy that there was no oc casion lor the doctor s visits, and so both plans, like the demonstrations of Euclid's fifth preposition, fell through. And when the blooming widow, Mrs. Tance, suddenly loft off her mourning, and came to church in a perfect love of a hat, with her flaxen ringlets flowing temptingly about her piquant little faco, she was much disappointed to find that Dr. Up ton s pow was empty, in consequenco ol his having been called that morning to a very urgent case. x r T7..4 i, ,i t. 1 -f nun, il. litl'U uuu unu iiu-uu, iuis. Grant, on whose sound judgment he was much in the habit of relying. This lady said to him one day : " Fred, 1 am not generally in lavor ol recommending marriages ; but to ono situated as you are, I think the experi ment allowable, especially as 1 have thought of a lady every way calculated to make you a pearl of a wife, if you can persuade her to ' accept tho situation. In addition to her other charms and vir tues, she, as only daughter of a well-to- do lawyer, will one day como into pos session of a pretty competency that will bo no unwelcome audition to your in come. What do you sny, now, of writ. ing her a letter, inclosing your photo graph, and proposing a correspondence with a view to acquaintance, and por. haps future matrimony not mentioning my name, of course, as proposer of the scheme r " It seems indelicate, Mrs. Grant, with all apology to yon for the remark. I have too much respect for the sacrednoss of marriage to " To enter into it as a mere matter of expediency, you would say. My dear Fred, I don t a9k you to do that. I would not for the world havo you marry a woman if you did not love her. But since I believe your heart to be yet dis engaged, 1 really believe that an ac quaintanco with Amelia Fanshaw would ripen into love. She is really so lovely, that I am only able to account for her present single-blessedness on tho ground ot her extreme lastidiousness. " Fastidious, is she ? Then I suspect my chances would be poor," said Upton, with a grimace. " Ot course I can t admit that doubt, knowing you so well," was Mrs. Grant's flattering reply. I declare, Mrs. Grant, L wish you were twenty years younger," said Upton, gratefully. " I shouldn't have to look lar lor a wile then, and ne gallantly kissed tho cheek of the handsome old lady whoso widow's cap had not lost an iota ot its severitv in all tho years sue had worn it. " You will scarcely nnd a inoro ap preciative wife, my dear Fred, said she, with a gratified blush. " But now, to return to Amelia. I have set my heart on this match, because I love you both as well as if you wore my own children, and because 1 really believo that you would make each other happy. Well, my dear mend, said the doo. tor. after ho had sat a few moments in reflection, with, it must be confessed, a rather quizzical expression on his hand some face, " I would not take anybody's advice but yours in such a matter, 1 as sure you. But if you really and serious, ly recommend it " " I do in all truth aud soberness was tho lady's answer. Then, 1 will write. And the reader knows how the letter was received. Two days after its receipt by Amelia, Mrs. Grant received the following lettor from her : " A , September 24th, "Mr dear Mrs. Grant: I have just been favored with a very curious letter, a copy of which I enclose for 5'our perusal. Somehow I cannot help connecting you in my mind with this most singular procedure of Dr. Upton's in tact, 1 have no other mend in An burn that I could forgive for conspiring in a plot to interfere with my luturo in dependence. Of course I must regard tho whole affair as a joke and to carry it out to perfection, I have enclosed Lina Edward s photograph in my answer to his letter. Please do not undocoive him let him continue to imagine the pic. ture mine ; then, if he should happon to fall in love both with my letters and Lina's picture, wo shall bo able to verify the fact that a man's heart possesses ono of the common properties of matter dauduhty. iours, affectionately. "AMELIA FANSHAW " I don't like slang, as a general thing,' said Mrs. Grant, to herself, as she folded up this note, after reading it ; " but tho most expressive thing I can say now, is, thut I have decidedly ' put my foot in it' this time. Vt ell, tho only thing that re mains for mo to do is to keep my mouth closed and let matters take what course they will." " I have received the lady s answer, Mrs. Grant," said Upton, with a smile, us he seated himself that afternoon on her tete-a-tetc. " Well, and what does she say ?" asked tho old lady, demurely, as she picked up some stitchos sho had dropped in her knit tins'. " Oh. her answer is very nice and lady like, indeed exquisitely worded, in fact, She has handled the extremely peculiar circumstances as few ladies would have done. I admire her epistolary gilts ex tremely. " And how about her face Y Hasn she sent you her photograph f" Yes but I was going to reserve m judgment on that. The fact is, my first impressions of tho face are unsatisfac tory. There is an incongruity between it and the letter that puzzles me. " Not so obtuse as they imagine, thought Mrs. Grant. But she merely remarked : " Faces cannot always be understood at the first reading. " This is very truo. But some faces are much harder to read than others. I should imagine, for instance, from tho letter, that Miss Fanshaw is a sort of Beatrice ; and from the face, that sho is Hero. Now, a Hero would inako too tamo and sentimental ft wife to suit mo. nover could love a woman, however amiable sho might be, who hod no sense of humor. And the face depicted horo lacks the virtues of that. I- am sur prised that you havo never noticed this ourscll, observant as you ore. Of course he misunderstood tho smilo that played round Mrs. Grant's features in this remark. " You think I am hy percritical," said he, " I know. But I assure you that I havo no disposition to be so. 'lam altogether anxious to be pleased witli Miss Fanshaw." " Ah, well," said Mrs. Grant, " I think you will be pleased with her. Wait till ou see her ; photographs aro oiten ue- ceitful." The good lady had been re volving in hor mind a plan which she now resolved to carry out. Accordingly, about two weeks alter' ward, sho sent for Dr. Upton profession- lly. There was a young lady at ner she said one Miss Lina lid- wards who was sultering irom a severe . ' I headache. Sho had arrived from the city only t ho day before, and having but a short timo to stay in tho village, was anxious to be as well as possible so as not to lose her anticipated pleasure in er visit When tho doctor called, in the courso of tho morning, he was ushered up stairs to tho best room, and introduced to his patient. She sat in an easy chair, with a handkerchief tied round her head, which pushed the wavy red gold of hor hair away from the most attractive faco, Dr. Upton thought, ho had ever seen. A white brow, with a pair of tho sauciest blue eyes beneath it, rather noaror to gether than the strict laws of beauty dmitted, but lust near enough to mane her face all tho more piquant ; a noBo that the Fates had undertaken to make retvouste, but for beauty's sako had como short of it ; a mouth, the rosy roundness of which harmonized exquisitely with its extreme firmness. And when sho spoke, the soft gayety of her tone and the merry flow of her conversation, quite completed the capture of Dr. Upton's fancy. " I think your headacho will bo soon relieved," ho said, as ho took his hat to say good-morning ; "it is a slight neuralgic attack, and will easily yield to medicine. Hut 1 will call in ogam, to morrow." Miss Lina Edwards's behavior, on his leaving tho room, was rather odd for a patient. She tore the handkerchief from about her pretty brows, and, toss. ing her abundant " tawny" curls into shape, sho laughed a little mocking laugh, in which there was tho Slightest susnicion of sadness. Oh, Mrs. Urant, what a nirce . sue said, with two little tears of vexation gathering in her eyes. " Hut isn t he bandsome, ijiua t as. ed Mrs. Grant mischievously. " And don't you like him ever so much r liinas blue eyes Hashed, as though she would have made some saucy an swer, but tho gathering tears soon ouenehed tho fire in them, and sho hid her lace in her hands, sobbing Oh ! Mrs. Grant, what an indelicate thing for me to do ! What will he think of me when he finds it all out V Leave that to me, my dear, said Mrs. Grant. " I will take all the res ponsibilitv." Ol course JUiss .Edward s beaaaeno was deal better tho next morning; but, strange to say. Dr. Upton found it neces sarv to call every day lor a ween alter- ward. The last time ho called, Miss Edwards was out, aud Mrs. Grant receiv ed him alone. " Well," said she, after ordinary topics had been discussed, " what do you think ot our Lina f " It is nreciselv about Lina that I wish to speak, " said Upton, his lip trombbng a little. " X want to tell you irantiy that, after having seen her, I am quite sure that, in Miss Fanshaw's case, love will bo impossible. Now, what am I to do ? Miss Fanshaw has every reason to believe mo in earnest, and in good faith has answered my letters. It is very awk ward for me to have to break off with her, and looks very dishonorable: but my conscience will not allow me to do other wise. For, to tell you the truth, Mrs. Grant, I do most decidedly love Miss Edwards. Now, what ain I to do? You aro mv best advisor. " 1 have not proved so, it seems, in this case." said Mrs. Grant. " But it seems to ine, the straightforward way is the only honorable way. If you love Lina Ed wards, tell her so : and if sho loves you, marry her sho is well worthy of you. As tor Amelia b anshaw, 1 can answer lor her. Sho is a girl of good sense and fino teeung, and not at all ono to allow hor self to fall in love with a man that sho has never seen. In fact, I'm sure she is generous enough to be delighted with the choice you have made. " I wonder, said Mrs. Urant to her self, after he had left, "what he will think ot my straightforwardness, when ho comes to know the part I havo taken in deceiving him ? " A dav or two softer ward. Dr. Unton was driving along a country road leading to the village, on bis return irom a visit to a neighboring tarnihouse. Ho was driving slowly, and reflecting on the dubious position of his affairs. Did Lina love him ' was the question of all ques tions that came uppermost in his thought. Ho could not expect her to love him on so short an acquaintance, though ho needed no more time to make up his mind as to loving hor. He wished he dared muster courage to ask her the question. Just as he came to that wish for tho hundredth timo, he heard a door shut, and looking up, behold the very ob ject of his thoughts coming out of Squire TuthiU 8 house. " Good-morning. Miss Edwards." " Oh. good-morning, doctor," said sho, with a blush of recognition. u I have just been calling on Mrs. TuthilL" " A long walk for you." "It is only two miles, I believe. Just long enough for pleasant exercise this fine day." " The Fates have sent mo along just in time to drive you homo, though," said ho, alighting from his carriage. "Allow me to holn vou to vour seat." "Un, thank you l is win uu cuurming to drive back. And with a bound sho . n 1 t gainod her place, and the dootor seated himself by her si do. It was very awkward, it, always w awkward when' two people are loft by themselves, who have something very particular on their minds that remains unsaid, to undertake to say naturally the common words of courtesy. So they were both silent. After a while, however, Dr. Upton, as if ashamed ot his pusil lanimity, cleared his throat for speech. "Miss Edwards." said he, "I have changed all my previous opinions about love. "How so V" ' I used to think it was a plant of slow growth, but hnd 1 was wrong. U.x- perience is the best of teachers. I love you." v , " Un the contrary, you ought to des pise me. Ho looked at her in amazement. Her head was bent down ; blushes covered nor lace, and tears were starting irom ner eyes -rr . . 4 .1. lie toon ner noukorcuiei, ana tenaeriy wiped them away. " What do you mean, Lino '(" he asked. " That I am not Lino at all, and that I have burnt my own fingers with tho fire that I have been playing with," said she, with a burst ot mortmcation. "1 am Amelia Fanshaw. There, now, let me got out of tho carriage and walk home." " And whose nhotosranh was that vou sent me, then 'r " ho asked, as if unable to take in tho idea completely, " It was Liina Edwards si ou see, at first wo took youi letters as a joke, and sent her picture inclosed in my letter, iust to oonfuso vou. If vou want Lina Edwards, I'm sorry to say you can't have her, for she recoived a proposal from ono Ralph Chester just before 1 lett homo and accepted it. Do please to lot me get out ! Ur. Uptons puzzled lace cleared up rapidly, as Amelia went on with her ex planation. When sho came to tho final plea, ho burst into merry laughter. Lict you get out -No indeed 1 uo you suppose you are to go unpunished for ploying such tricks on a poor helpless doctor t" You are my prisoner now. Get un. Lirrhtfoot " and ho gavlv touched the horse with the end ot the lash, to accelerate his speod. Ho drove liko a whirlwind tor a while, seeming to enioy the sensation of feeling hertremblo at his side, finally, he slack ed up, just as they were nearing the vil lage, and bending bis lace down toward her, like one not to bo contradicted, said " A ow, Amelia, before we meet any one else while none but God is our witness tell mo that you love me !" " I do, she said, quito snnplv And so they rodo into Auburn together. just as they were destined to ride many a tune oiterward as lit. and Jlrs. I pton Truthfulness. Two country lads came ot on early hour to a market town, and arranging their little stands, sat down to wait for customers. One was furnished with fruits and vegetables of tho boy's own raising, and the other supplied with clams and fish. Tho market hours passed steadily decreasing and an equivalent in silver bits shining in his little money cup. The last melon lay ou Harry's stand, when a gentleman camo by, and placing his hand upon it said, " What a hne, large melon ! hat do you ask lor it, my boy '" " 1 ho melon is the last 1 have, sir : and, though it looks very lair, there is an unsound spot in it,' said tho bov, turning it over. " So there is, said tho man : " 1 think I will not take it. But," he added, look ing into the boy's fine, open oounto- nanoe, " is it not very unbusiness-like to point out the detects ot goods to cus. tomers '(" 'It is better than being dishonest, sir, said the boy, modestly. " You ore right, little fellow : always remember that principle, and you will find favor with God and man, also ; I shall remember your little stand in fu ture. Are those clams iresh r hecontin ued, turning to Ben Wilson's stand. " es. sir, fresh this morning, I caught them myself, was tho reply, and a pur chaso being made, tho gontleman went awav. ' Harry, what a fool you were to show the gentleman that spot in the melon ! Jow you can take it home lor your pains, or throw it away. How much wiser is lio about those clams 1 caught yesterday V Sold them for tho same price os I did tho fresh ones. He would nover havo looked at the melon until he had gone oway." " Ben, 1 would not tell a lie or act one either, for twice what I have earned this morning. Besides, I shall be better off in tho end, for I have gained o cus. tomer, and vou have lost one. And so it proved, lor the next day the gentleman bought nearly all his fruits ond vegetables of Hurry, but never spent another penny at the stand ot his neigh. bor. I bus the season passed, tno gen tleinan finding he could always get a good article ot liurry, constantly patron. lzod him, and sometimes talked with hiin a few minutes about his future prospects. To become a merchant was Harry's great ambition, and when the winter cama on, the gentleman, wanting a trusty boy for his warehouse, decided on giving the place to Harry, hteadily and surely ho advanced in the conhdence ot bis em. ployer, until, having passed through va rious posts of service, he became an hon ored partner in the firm. Journal of the Farm. ; A Detroit policeman lately lound a note book evidently belonging to a man who believes in routine business. The book is full of such sentences as these " Monday--Buy a gallon of whiskey to day, take four drinks. Tuesday Get a e-ttllon of whiskey at noon ot ; aiso get shaved : don t get drunk. e-et almved : don t get drunk. Wednes- day Soe if the whiskey is out, also, don't drink until after dinner; also, see about 1 more whiskey . STREET FLOWER GIRLS. The Trade In Flowere Where They Come From How They are Disposed of. The fashion of woaring bulton-holo bouquets came, liko most other fashions, from Franco. A young and very pretty girl conceived the idea of standing with a basket of flowers on the steps of the Jockey Club and presenting to eoch mem ber a single flower as he passed. The plan proved eminently successful, and Mile, lsabello became quito the rngo. She followed tho Club to all tha races, ond wore tho colors of Count Lagrango, the owner of the famous Gladiateur. From that time a flower in tho button hole bocamo quite on institution, ond finally devoloped tho button-holo bou quet, which is now considered dc rigueur for a wedding toilet. The poor littlo girls who accost tho theatrical visitor with piteous entreaties to buy a bouquet, arc tho true successors ot tho lamous Isabelle, but do not re. ceive quito such handsome pay for their blossoms. For sho often recoived a gold Napoleon for a Binglo rosebud, while the uttlo bouquets prollored by these chil dren aro sold for only ten cents. Thoso perishing wares are arranged on a board pierced with holes for their reception, and invariably appear very bright and blooming. A closer inspection bIiows tho critical purchaser that some of tho flowors, such os fucshias, verbenas, and heliotropes, havo faded, but these ore only tho sides of tho bouquet, the centre being almost invariably occupied by a largo tuberose or a blush rose. Next to this is generally a mass ot scarlet gera nium, and tho whole has a backing of scarlet geranium leaves. The stalks aro lett pretty long, so as to enable the pur chaser to pin tho bouquet to the inside lappel ot bis coat. Iheso flowers come almost entirely from New Jersey, and principally from Union Hill near Orange. The littlo girls buy them from the men ond women who keep stalls about tho Astor House, Vesey street, and the vicinity. These in dividuals are, some ol them, owners of nurseries and hot houses, ond in some instances worth several thousand dollars. During tho day timo they sell what they can themselves, and then toward tho afternoon they dispose of tho remainder ot their stock to tho children, irom whom they receive four, fivo and six cents a bouquet, according to the amount ot stock they have to get rid ot. Tho flower girls then orrongo them on thoir perforated boards, givo them a light sprinkling of water, and tako their sta tions along Broadway between 5 and 6 o'clock, when gentlemen are very good customers for flowers. Even among tho florists the greater part of the profit comes Irom the orders ot gentlemen, la. dies not purchasing, often apparently irom a leehng that flowers ought to be bought tor them, not by them. The ro. mainder of tho little girls' flowers they havo no market for, until the theatres are open. Then they present thejr boards to all the gentlemen accompanied with ladies as a sort of mute appeal to their gallantry. Generally the fair ones, either from motives ot coquetry or ot pity evince a wish for floral decorations, and tho flower-girls are mode happy. But on wet nights, and on wet afternoons, no one will stop to buy flowers, and tho lit tlo venders hnd themselves in straits of difficulty They then try tho largo lager-boer saloons ond tho concert-gar dens, but this they do with reluctance, lor the men in those places ore coarse and brutal, ond seldom will give more than five cents. Thoso children who are sent out by drunken parents to sell their bouquets have then a terrible time. Though dying with latigue and sleep, they duro not return until tho last one has been sold under penalty of severe boating. Littlo things of seven ond eight years may on such nights bo seen taking furtive naps under porticos and kitchen stoops, curled up in an uneasy ball, witk tho Uttlo board ot bouquets ly ing by their side. i. hey will otten pass a wet and cruelly cold night in this manner rather than face the brutalities of somo drunken father or fierce virago of a mother. All tho flower-girls, how. ever, are not so miserably situated Somo are warmly clad and well cared for by their parents, who send them regularly to school in tho afternoon Some ot these more fortunate Ones work in tho morning ot artificial flower inak ing or tobacco stripping, or some other occupation open to children. A ono ot those aro so remunerative, however, as tho flower-selling, by which tho neat and tidy girls can average f2 a day. Gentlemen like to buy of girls whoso at tire is decent, and whose hair is trimly arranged, and if they purchase from a shoeless, stockingless. ragged flower-girl. it is from motives of charity alone. But tho neat ones, especially thoso who are pretty, have regular customers who buy of them every atternoon, rain or shine, and who give them little presents on holidays. In tho winter timo tho out door flower business is almost entirely suspended ond tho florists have no com petition from tho little flower-girls. Then the respectable ones go regularly to their trades, and tho unkempt, ragged ones pcddlo matches and big mourning pins, ond sometimes tootb-picks. Up and down over tho frozen snow and cold pavements they wander, with their poor littlo naked feet, their faces blue and pinched, their fingers cramped with the cold. (Sometimes they get Irozen to death, m happened last year to a little French flower-girl, and sometimes their failing limbs betray them when they at tempt to cross the street, and are driven over. In either caso there is a hurried inquest and a careless verdict. The tor tured body, now insensible to pain, goes to the Potter's burial-ground, and the soul of the littlo flower-girl ascends to those regions where flowers bloom for ever and know no decaying, and where pain, cold and hunger never come. N. 1 . i'aper. A story is told of a lecture before tho agricultural college students at Amherst, on grape culture, in which tho lecturer presented a bottle of wine mado from his own grapes, and requested the class to sip it to test its quality. The bottle " lostea oniy to tne iiuru man. The Chinese Plot to Destroy tho Chris- tlnns. Tho Bov. J. E. Mahord, Church of England Missionary in China, has pub lished an Interesting account of a recent tour in China. He gives a brief history of the plot against Christians, and of his personal adventures. The plot origin ated in Canton, and had for its object tho general destruction of missionary work throughout tho Empire. About tho first of July last its execution began. Through all tho cities and villages in tho region of tho country around Canton small powders called Shan-Sin-Fan, or gods and genu powders, were distribut ed. These were represented to possess the power of preventing calamity and disease, and were taken by multitudes of people. On ond after July 12, pla cards, written and printed, were issued by thousands throughout the district, within a hundred miles ot Uanton, an nouncing that thoso powders were a subtlo poison, ond were circulated by tho foreign devils to ruin tho people, Tho placards said that thoso who had taken tho powders would within 20, or at tho furthost 100 days bo attacked with o dreadful disease. This disease, it was affirmed, would cause the bodies of thoso who had taken the powders to swell until they died, un less they obtained relief from foreign physicians. The foroign physicians, tho placards asserted, would demand largo sums of money from thoir patients, and compel them to outer their church bo- fore they healed them. Those who en tered tho church, and especially tho wo. men, it was declared, would bo required to join in the vilest deeds of shame. Similar placards were circulated m l(oo Chow and other treaty ports, and foi somo time the greatest excitement pre vailed among the people. The hrst victim ot this plot vas an unfortunate foreign seaman who hap pened to sit by a well in one of the sub urbs ot l'oo-Uhow. llo was accused by the people of having poisoned the water, and was severely beaten. After this things becnino quiet for a time, and tho authorities, assured the foreigners that the people were peaceable. Soon, how ever, intelligence was received that tho Christian places of worship had been destroyed in several localities, and that tho lives of those who attended them were in ioonardv. Manv Christians had hair-breadth escapes Mr. Mahord among the number and tho authorities, foroign and native, wero alike unable or indisposed to prevent the outrages. A Remarkable Canary. Tho Chicago Tributie says : One of the most remarkable instances of endurance and sagacity in tho ornithological line is at present to been seen on South Hal stead street, in the shape of an elderly canary that has now reached the age of twelve years, and is still as spirited a songster as he was ten years ago. What is more surprising in regard to this wee bit of melody is the fact that it has been stono blind for two years past, ond looks" down with contempt on its younger mates at their dearth ol music, and still warbles his delicious music from his own "song-book" with volume enough to compensate for their short comings. When darkness first came upon tho littlo fellow ho experienced much difficulty in locomotion, and wos constantly coming in contact with the wires of the cage or with tho perches ii p i ji i i inereoi. iy aegrees ins Dirusnip was taught caution, and now he is perfectly sure-lootQd. -He moves about with a method wonderful to observe. On going from perch to perch, ho climbs along by the wires, at each step putting out the foot as carefully as the blind man his cane, and when he has reached the desired position ho tunes up with great volubility as if in self-congratulation at his superior accomplishment. In walking ou the floor ot his cage ho uses tho same precau tions, and in his daily ablutions observes oil tho forms and customs in vogue among his more fortunate companions. In this performance it u noticeable, how- tor bo washes bis bead with the utmost care, always avoiding contact between his claws and any portion of the feathers in the vicinity ot Ins sightless eyes. Such sagacity in a bird so fragile is really astonishing, and this little blind musician is the pride of his owner, tho wonder of tno neignoornooa, ana, wo suppose, the envy ot bis leatberod brethren. Housb Power vs. Mule Power. Two farmers living near Galesburg got to bantering about whether a span of horses belonging to one could pull more than a span ot mules belonging to the other. It was decided to try it in tho middle of the main street of tho village, The mules wore bitched to one end ol a long, 6tout chain, ond tho horses ot the other end. At the words "lget up, quickly sprang each span, both sharp shod, gaining ond losing by hts ond starts, tho horses finally pulling tho mules after them. At another trial, tho mules went off with their load. This was followed by a long, cheering shout from tho crowd. But after various trl als, it was decided that the borses were the strongest, for in tho last trial they pulled the muv?s alter them, turning them about in their harness, amidst the great applause ot tho by-standers. LoumUU Courier-Journal. A SroRr with a Moral. A Ver- monter named McNumara was " confi denced" out of fifteen dollars in Troy, Friday. The victim had the sharpers arrested lor gambling, and, through tho exertions of a lawyer, recovered his money. Thinking, like many other in nocent persons, that justioe should never be rewarded, the Green Mountain man started out of the court-room without settling with his legal friend. The lat ter thereupon had him arrested for gam bling, and he was fined fifteen dollars, whick was remitted on' his agreeing to pay this amount to the lawyer. Moral- Never bet on another man'i gama, and keep out of Troy and th law.- Vttia r, Facts and Figures. Keokuk. Iowa, has established a ten contoourso of lectures by em ploying home talent exclusively. The receipts of groin at Buffalo last year were 78,000,000 bushels, against 49,000,000 in 1870. Trenton, N. J., owns the largest circu lar saw in tho world. It is twenty-two feet in circumference. A Sioux City paper tells of a woman there who "died, ond was dead two hours and recovered ogoin." Samuel Goodridge, of Canaan, Me., is tho oldest man in New England 105 years. His last farm labor was perform ed in his ninety-ninth year. His wife lived to be ninety-seven, and their oldest child is now living at tho oge of eighty- ono. Several ladies of Troy, married and single, ore talking about getting up a society to oppose tho organization ol any more "lodges" of any kind in that city. They claim thcro aro too many at tractions at the lodges every night in the week to suit them. Tho St. Louis Democrat is a Uttlo se vere on Tennyson's effusions in the New York ledger, and says that if it had been sent anonymously to a country editor, unaccompanied by a piece of fruit-cake, or a cord of wood, it would havo been unceremoniously consigned to tho waste paper basket. At a recent election in Greeley, Co lorado, to take the will of the inhabitants as to who they would wish for post master, tho women wero allowed to vote ninety-eight in all embracing the opportunity to express their preference. Both candidates had sleighs running for tho purpose of bringing in the lady voters. A thief stole the overcoat of one of tho reporters on tho Cincinnati Gazette last week. Tho paper announced the fact, together with the information that the owner ol the garment was iust recover- ing from an attack of smallpox of the most malignant type, it is to oe iearea the ruso ot tho despoiled reporter will prove to be " too thin." An ingenious Yonkeo was before tho Postmaster-General the other day with a postage stamp that had on its adhesive sido a taste ol choice candy, one sort had chocolate, another . orange, ft third lemon, and so through tho list of popu lar Bweetmeats. The inventor urged in creased sales and waste that would come from this improvement. The Postmaster-General reserved his decision ns to tho advisability of the Government buy ing out tho confectionery business. There is still a house standing in Greenland, N. H., which was built in 1GS8, and is consequently 2J.J years old. It is a two story-brick building, with high gablo ends. It is 30 loot in lengtn by '21 in width. Tho walls of tho lower story aro eighteen inches thick, and all the timber which enters into the construc tion of the house is of oak, massive and strong. This was for better protection against tho Indians. There is a serious rent high up in the east wall, believed to bo a traco of tho earthquake of 1727, or that of 1775. A Mr. Weeks built the house, and it has remained in the family possession ever since a rather remarka ble circumstance. Tho War Department, in addition to its weather-signal system, is about to establish an electrical system of storm signals in all tho larger cities ot tho country, by which every man who is on the magnetic belt can, Dy watenmg mo signals on his chimney-top or ridge board, tell iust the moment when it will bo safe for him to leave port (or cham- pagnej tor home. A black nag nying will Biguiiy "cross as a ucui vjpauuu approaching." A white flag "every thing is lovely ; sho is asleep." A red flag, with white centre "look out lor squaus ; baby just spanked." Whilo a white flag, with rpd centre, indicates snnpiy "cau tionary" measures on the part of the " Old man," who can go borne under ruu sail, but should roef his boots and dose the binnacle lamp before going up stairs. Titusviile Jlorald. A Kansas paper revives amusingly how Gen. Sherman failed os conspicu ously in law as ho succeeded brilliantly ... r. t ii.. l.. i. :..i. in war. xn iuu vnny Juj uawjuiig days, tho General mado a slender liveli hood in Calhoun county, and once, when he had prepared himself most elaborate ly, it is related that a " long, lank5 lean genius," leaving bis ox team, came be fore the court os his competitor. The General summed up grandly, quoting froely from an immense pile ot books placed carefully bolore him, and citing the English common law to prove his point. The " bullwhacker" followed him. ond ridiculed his precedents and scouted ot his books. He said it was an insult to the court to read from " tho common law of England," and declared that " if wo were compelled to tako any ot that aristocratic British law," he wanted the " very best Her Majesty had, and none of her common law." That was enough; the justice's faco was set, and the Gener al lost bis case. It was tne lost ue ever tried in Kansas. At a reunion of tho New England As sociation of Deaf Mutes, a few days since, dinner-tablo speeches were made in tha sign language by several persons in the company, and ono individual supplied entertainment and expressed the general sentiment by singing "We wont go Homo till Morning" with his nimblo fingers. The Philadelphia Bulletin thinks " it would be a fortunate thing for most persons who are compelled to' attend public dinners, if all the orators upon such festive occasions could be induced to fumblo out their eloquence with their thumbs and fingers. ' And the applica tion to church choirs of tho suggestion afforded by tho deaf-mute singer would bo productive of even more pleasing results. The services at many of our churches would be made much mora reverential 11 tne singers should sing only with their hands. Thcro wpuld be I small opportunity lot diBplaY of har monio effect, but the tad truth is that too often the larger tho Opportunity in, tnis respect vne worse w mult,"
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers