VOL. II.
OS TGI' OF A CHIMNEY.
As I was leaving the yard one evening
to trudge buck to the bits of rooms we
xvcrc forced to put up with since I enme
to London in order to pot better wages,
l was culled into the oiliee bv the fore
mRUn your preseut'job.Lind-
sny ? he nsked, and I told him.
"Humph! thnt cnn stand over for n
lay or two, can't it ? Stubbs him fullcn
ill ngnin, nud you must take his place."
I didn't care to be shifted before I d
finished what I was nbout, but n jmr
neyman bricklayer, with n wife nnd
children looking to him for bread, can
not afford to be too particular, and so I
iield my tongue.
" You must go to Cool's Brewery to
mm row mor-llirig ni)ll finish that chim
ncj, inc. foreman told me, He cuVe
me n few more directions bi'sid.'ts, Iui
then went his War while 1 went mine,
not Very well pleased at the. prospect
iofore i
I t-nppose I never ought to have fol
lowed the trade, for though I'd gained
myself a good character M II steady
woikmnn,l Jiad licVrv been able to over
come, u how ht being perched nt any
fcVeat height. In the couutrv, where
buildings were low, I managed well
enough, but in this great, rity there
were roofs on which I could not stand
without thi1 Ul'eud oppressing me, nor
Jook down without feeling as though
Something below was tempting melo
fling myself, over and end at once the
miserable sensation which no effort of
mine could shake off.
This huge chimney the foreman had
ordered me to finish was reckoned one
of the highest and best built shafts in
London. We were all proud of the job,
wuch had been carried on so far without
a single mishap, but I had earnestly
been hoping that I might not. bo sent t'o
it, and it wasn't till the workmen had
got almost to the top thnt I began to
breathe a bit more freely, and trust that
it would be finished without any help of
mine.
Once nt homo with the youngsters'
merry prattle in my ears, i' forgot my
Uneasy feeling nbout the morrow's jol!.
but the moment I dozed of to sleep it
came bnck upon mo in a hideous dream.
I thought I was falling down, and just
ns the crnsh of my body striking the
earth seemed inevitable, I woke up with
n start to find myself bathed in a cold
perspiration, nml trembling in every
limb,
No more settled sleep visited mvpillow
that night, and it was a relief when the
booming of the clocks dispelled my
frightful visions, and warned me that
it was time to face n reality.
The morning was bitterly cold and
boisterous, scarcely n soul 'was to be
seen in the deserted streets at thnt early
hour, nnd the dull thud, thud of my
footsteps sounded mournfully in the
stillnes reigning around. At 'last the
great chimney loomed in sight, and,
gazing up at its immense height, I shiv
ered at the thought of being on top of
it, nnd forced to look down on the sick
ening depth below.
If it had not been for the name of the
thing I should have gone back ; but the
thought of Bessie and the children
spurred me on ; so, buttoning my jacket
tightly around me, I began to ascend
the staging. In my journey upward I
passed many cosily-curtained windows,
and remember thinking, ratlin envious
ly, how nice it must tie to be rich and
sheltered on such a morning from the
biting cold in' a warm-furnished bed
room. Some fellows would'nt mind the least
bit if they were perched on the top of
St. Paul's on the coldest of mornings,
provided you supplied them well with
beer ; but I wasn't over-strong limbed,
nny more than I could pretend to be
strong-minded; so what to thorn was
nothing, to mo was nlmost death itself.
The higher I went the more intense
the cold appeared to be, and my fingers
became quite numbed by the hoar frost
that was clinging tothe sidesand spokes
of the ladders. After n while I stood on
the few boards forming the stage on the
summit of the shaft, nnd, giving one
glance downward, my blood turned
colder than it was already ns I realized
the immense depth to the yard benenth.
Giving myself a shake to get rid of
the dizzy sensation that came over me,
nnd unhooking from the pulley the tub
of mortar which my mate, waiting be
low, hnd sent up, I nt once began my
solitary work.
I hud been hard nt it for more than an
hour, nnd was getting a bit more recon
ciled to my position, cheering myself ns
I whistled nnd worked, with the thought
that ench brick I laid was bringing me
nearer to n finish, when nil at once n
fiercer nnd colder blast than before
came shrieking around the chimney.
I was nearly overthrown, and, in the
endeavor to recover myself, I tilted thp
board of mortar from' off the edge of
the shaft on to my frail standing place.
In a second, to my intense horror, I
felt the boards and all that were on them
gliding nway with me from the chimney,
nnd, in a few moments I should have
been lying, n mnngled corpse, below, if
I had not succeeded in flinging my arm
over and into the hollow of the shaft,
where, us the scaffold and its load of
bricks crushed downward, I was left
hanging, with certain death awaiting me
the moment I loosened my hold.
My first impulse was to throw my
other hand over nnd draw my body up,
so that I could lie partially across the
top of the shaft. In this t was success
ful, and continued to balance myself,
half in the chimney nnd half put.
There for some time I could only
cling with frenzied desperation, praying
earnestly to be saved from the horrible
death threatening me; but at hist I sum
moned courage to peer cautiously over
the outside of the shaft.
Not a bitof scaffolding remained with
in many yards of me and that but the
poles, with a few boards dangling to
them and there wns nothing to break
my full should I quit my hold.
Shudderingly I drew my lieJd over
the shuf t, for there the darkness hid my
danger, while to guze on the scene with
out brought the old feeling of being
dragged back to me in full force.
Then I began to think tf the wife and
little ones whom I had left snug in bed,
and bitter tears came into my eyes as I
wondered how they would live if I were
taken from them. The thought brought
me back to more selfish ones, and I
kept asking myself, " Must I die ? How
long can I hold on with this fierce wimd
besetting me ? Is there no hope? Will
no one, seeing how I am placed, strive
to rescue me ?"
Again I turned my ryes downward.
In the court-yard of tile brewery ami in
the Btrert below people Were fust collect
ing ! windows Were being thrown tlpoli,
and women and children, shrieking flint
soVbing, wore Suzitij fruM them nt im
the crowd below thickened, running
hither nnd thither. A large kite flutter:
ed nearer and nearer. How 1 tried In
RteadV myself with iiaiid, that I
might jtrHsp the cord with the other ns
soon as it was within reach, comes vivid
ly before me now. But it never did
come within rench, a gust of the breeze
carrying it far away, and dashing it to
the ground,
An hour pnW on, and though ding
ing to the brickwork, it was almost un
consciously, for cold nnd fear hnd so
worked upon me that I became quite daz
ed, nnd the chimneys, the people, the
confused noise from the streot", nnd
my own perilous pomlioli, KOellied to be
jumped together" in a tangle which I
Could not put straight. While in this
half-sensible state I heard a voice shout
my mime. But it had to be repeated
twice before I could rouse myself buM -eieiitly
to bend what Walt Raid.
'' Bill, Bill Lindsay 1 cheer up, mate !
help is coming !" were the words which
rumbled up the shaft.
After this there was a pause for some
minutes, and scarce uble to control my
excitement, I tried to think how this
help could come. Then there was a
warning shouted to me to keep my head
back, followed by a whizzing, hissing
sound, nnd looking within the shaft, I
saw a bright shower of golden sparks
lighting up the well-like hole, nnd
knew thnt a rocket hnd been fired.
But it struck the brickwork in its ns
ceut nnd failed to rench me, so that once
more I was left to wait and hope until
the voice again shouted for me to keep
clear. A moment after n fiery tail of
sparks shot upward far above me, and
an earnest ' Thank God !" came from
my heart us I grasped a thin cord that
fell by my side as the rocket descended.
By this communication n stouter nnd
stronger rope was r.ent me. But my
j danger was not over, for in my wcnkeii-
I ed nnd numbed state, it was a perilous
I slide down it. At first I could scarcely
i .... f
i niiLi- iu,y nerves lip sumcienuy to launch
myself over the brickwork, and my head
turning dizzy for a moment, I thought
myself gone, but, conquering the feel
ing by a great effort, I slowly descended
until nbout half the distance, was ac
complished. Then the horrid feor seized me,
"What if the rope should break or not
be securely fastened !" and dreading
each second that my fears would be ful
filled, in feverish haste I slid on.
Within a few yards of the bottom,
overtasked nature would bear the strain
no longer, and, loosening mv hold, I
dropped into the arms of those who hnd
been breathlessly waiting my descent.
Other hands than mine finished the
shaft in calmer weather, nnd, on n more
securely-fastened scnffold ; nnd I, well
cared for by the best of little wives,
soon got over the shock of my accident ;
but, ns I go to nnd fro to my work, and
look up to the huge chimney, I often
recall with a shudder the hour when I
clung to its summit, counting the mo
ments, each one of which seemed to
bring me nearer to n dreadful death.
Waste hi Siciiin Engines.
This waste arises from a variety of
causes : 1st, bad firing, which means
bad combustion ; 2nd, insufficient sur
face to absorb the heat ; 3rd, an unclean
condition of that surface, either from
internal or external deposit or both ;
1th, n faulty proportioning of the parts
of the boiler to each other and to the
work to be done, which causes heated
water to be carried over with the steam
a cause of deficiency of evaporation,
which, however, so far from being ns a
rule detected goes to swell the nppnrent
duty of the boiler.
But firing may result in the fire being
too thick or, too thin or irregular. If
too thick the carbonic acid that is gen
erated by the combustion of the lower
j part of the fuel with which the nir first
j comes in contact is changed in its pas
i sage through the upper part of the fuel
I into carbonic oxide, by absorbing from
the fuel a second equivalent of carbon.
If this gas, carbonic oxide, does not
meet with free atmospheric air, nnd
meet with it at a suitable temperature in
the upper part of the furnace, it must
remain unconsumcd, and will pass
through the flues or tubes of the boiler
and make its escape into the air, carry
ing with it the valuable unconsumed
carbon of the conl in a gaseous form. It
is commonly said that smoke is nneon
snmed fuel. This is true ; but it is not
commonly recollected that there maybe
invisible smoke arising (even from a
coke-fire) which shall contain the highly
combustible ingredient carbonic oxide
gas. When it is remembered that every
pound of coal burnt into curbonic aeiil
is capable of evaporating about 13 lb. of
water from 212 deg., while a pound of
coal, converted only into carbonic oxide,
is capable of evaporating but i lb., it
will be seen how necessary it is thut lift
mismanagement of the fire should cause
a portion of the fuel thus to escape un
burnt up the chimney. Another defect
in the management of afire (an opposite
defect, ns it were) by which coal may lie
wasted is the admission of too much
air ; and this arises when the fire is too
thin in relation to the chimney-draft, or
when (a more common evil) it is thin in
places, owing to the negligence of the
firemen in keeping it properly levelled.
The way in which waste arises from
these causes is that unnecessary air is
introduced into the fire nt a temperature
of, say, CO deg., and that this air has to
be heated, and then (even if the heat
bo obstructed from it, ns far as practi
cable by the boiler) it will escape up the
chimney at a temperature of from 200
deg. to 300 deg. in excess of that which
it liad ; and the whole of this excess re
presents wasted coal. Thus, en the
one hand, it is of importance that there
should bo a proper amount of air to se
cure the perfect conversion of the car
bon into curbonio acid ; and, on the
other hand, it is most desirable that
this amount should not be exceeded, in
volving the necessity of uselessly heat
ing air not wanted for combustion.
Such a happily balanced state of things
it is almost impossible but not nboslute
ly impossible, though only attained at
competitive trials, and when these trials
are conducted by highly skilled men.
PIDGAVAY, PA.., THUKSDAY, JAXUAKY 1), 1878.
Matrimonial lnooiiin1allllty,
The Nev, Dr. l'eabody, in a' late es
say, touches upon this delicate subject
after the following fashion I
, The truth is that the greater propoN
HoU of the sil-Cnlled incompatibilities
and nneongeninlities of domestic life
which nre so often litndc the fjrnitnii for
the .disrliptioil tif ttic' iiintKliirtiiiiil bond;
rii'tS iiladmissible as n justifying ground
for nny such dissolution, and could bo
readily overcome nnd blotted out of ex
istence if the pnrties most concerned
hnd only the will to do it. A couple
nro no sooner married than they find
that differences of opinion and mutual
Jars ensue, niul all is not gold thnt
glistened ; nnd then one or both
straightway imagine that there is no
remedy but in ruthlessly breaking the
solemn, sacred tie thnt iinds them. A
vngue, restless feeling seizes upon one
or both, producing discontent, engend
ering a certain thought of present bond
age which exists only in fancy, and
creating a feverish desire for otlier as
sociations and spheres v which nre sup
posed to bo more fitted and providen
tially doighetl for the inliid nnd heart,
No escape but in cutting the knot. It
is n delusion. The marriage relation,
in all its history, wns never expected to
be entirely free from misunderstanding
and discords. Foolish to think that
the whole mutual life can flow on, like
the early stream, without a ripple or an
eddy. Home is n school, a discipline,
whereby husband and wife nre to grow
into each other, getting rid of their an
gularities, harmonizing their peculiar
characteristics, and more and more be
coming one in thought, sympathy nnd
life. The true blessedness of wedded
souls is not insured bv a simple ex
change of plighted faith. It conies
through nnd nftcr many n self-denial,
ninny a crucifixion of tho will, many a
scourging of the resentment, nnger,
pride, . vanity, nnd passions f the
heart. It is true here, as in other rela
tions, that he who saveth his lifo shall
lose it, nnd he thnt loscth his life shnll
save it,
A Iong Diiiicot
Jimmy Kennovan finished his thirty
one hour's dance at 2 o'clock at night,
says a Vnlligo, California paper. Jimmy
kept in locomotion throughout the
whole time nnnonnced, only taking a
brief recess for the purpose of bathing
his feet and having n brief respite. At
this time he showed few symptoms of
over-exertion. His feet were slightly
swollen, but he otherwise seemed ns
fresh ns when he commenced. His ex
tremities were bnthed by hi trainer
with brandy, which proved u most ex
cellent specific for tho purpose for
which it was used. Before the expira
tion of the ten minutes allotted Jimmy
began to feel sleepy, nnd was glad to
begin his exercise ngnin ns soon ns
possible. At frequent intervals he
drank wine with raw eggs ns nn invigor
ant. His appetite was nlso keen during
the trial, nml he nte heartily. When
the last twenty minutes before the el
apse of the thirty one hours had come,
Jimmy, who it seemed, hnd husbanded
his strength for the close, " let himself
out." He seemed ns fresh nnd more
vigorous than when he first began, nnd
he danced the last three dances with nn
energy and n heartiness which would
have put to blush a youth of sixteen.
Jimmy, in fact, did not stop when 3
o'clock struck, but kept on going for
nearly ten minutes longer. When the
feat was finished he departed with his
trainer for his lodging, whero ho was
placed in a hot bath, rubbed down, and
put to bed The spectators during the
evening enjoyed themselves in singing
ana uuncing, ana passed the time very
agreeably. Jimmy slept calmly and
peacefully until 7 o'clock the next morn
ing, when he arose and dressed himself.
He made his appearance upon the street
that forenoon, apparently as fresh ns
ever. For a person sixty-years of age,
the feat which he hns perform; dis truly
remarkable.
Haw to Deal Wit 'i Black mailers.
The Journal of Contnirri'c very sensi
bly says: We do not undertake, to advise
a person exactly what to do when a
blackmailer culls to try his game upon
him. We would not deliberately recom
mend throwing him out of a third or
fourth story window into the street. If
an honorable man is so transported with
just indignation at the sight of a black
mailer as to be attacked with " tempor
ary insanity," and should hurl the fel
low through the window, sash and nil,
we think it would be hard to convict him
of homicide. Similarly, if he should
kick the scoundrel down three or four
flights of stairs nnd give him a parting
" raise" ut the door, which would land
him in a mud puddle in the middle of
the street, we could safely insure him
against excessive damages for assault
and battery. Much must be pardoned
to the glow of righteous wruth; and
these summary processes do have
the advantages of neatness nnd dispatch
but we will not gravely commend their
adoption. The black-mailer should be
handed over to the police. If he at
tempts to escape arrest, he should be de
tained, with whatever force is necessary
to keep him quite nnd docile. Some
people would employ more force nnd
others less. Those uufortunntety impul
sive persons who cannot restrain them
selves, would possibly mark him with a
blnck eye nnd that would nssist in his
identificution but the greut object is to
keep the scoundrel fast and tight till the
policeman responds. In the present
public humor, we think that jurors and
judges would make short work with
these ciawling pests of society.
A great botanican work by Prof. De
caisneon the genus Pfrus, or pear-trees,
has just been published at Paris, in the
French language of course. There are
fourteen hundred varieties of this fruit
in the Jardon des Plantes. The author
regards all cultivated pears as belonging
to one species, divided into six races,
which he names : 1st. Celtio ; 2nd. Ger
manic ; 3d. Hellenio ; 4th. Pontic ; 5th.
Indian, and 6th. Mongolian. The pears
of France, which it seems are used ex
tensively in the manufacture of cham
pagne at Epernay, belong to tho Ger
manic race, which also includes our own
common pears. Thus far a natural clas
sification of pears has been found im
practicable, and the arrangement adopt
ed is that of grouping them according
to the period of ripening.
Casablanca.
When I wns a boy, nothing ever nf
fected me so much ns the story of Cns
nbinii(. My boyish brenst wns rent in
twain, torn in two, broken asunder ns it
were, and tho epions"ycs, that's the
word--eopioUs teniM rolled from my eyes
mcntnractsi anil you coma see ine course
they took for a whole dny, by two clenrt :
strenks down my cheeks. I
I hnve nttempted to recite it drnmnti- j
cnlly on the stage, but I would be so :
overcome by the terrible story, that I
invariably broke down and never suo- :
ceeded in getting the boy off the burn-1
ing deck, whence nil but him had the i
guild SClifiP to flee.
1 longed to emulate him, and once,
fired by rending it, I rushed out nnd set
the pig-pen nfire, and got upon the roof ;
and stood there, " beautiful and bright j
ns born to rule the storm," and I called
aloud, " Sny, father, m:it I stay ?" nnd j
my fnther enme running out nnd snid !
he guessed not, nnd jerked mo down so i
suddenly, nnd went to work on me with
a bnrref stnve, thnt I thought the deck
hnd blown up, and the enemy's hundred
pounders Were still blnzing away.
This boy- thnt- stood - on- the- deck's
name wnsn t Gnsnbiancn, but plain Tom
Pickenhara; and dnring the battle his
father had told him to stay where he
wns till he enme bnck, nnd he stayed
there. He had probably tried that 'lit
tle game of disobedience before, nnd
knew what it would result in. Now, in
my boyhood I have often done n good
many things which seemed heroic, when
in fact, I was constrained to be heroic
for fear of getting nn unmerciful liek
idg; nnd, after nil, I never got into the
school-renders ns n model. I don't
think I ever hnd justice done, while
other boys who have been brave and all
thnt, have got themselves killed and
done up in poetry for the benefit of
other children, who nre learning to
rend. Never mind, I am gettiig up a
new Whitehorn Header, in every chap
ter of which I will appear to great ad
vantage nnd npplnuse.
As I wns going on to sny the boy
stood on the burning deck, all alone, uud
kept the battle up himself ; nil the rest
had jumped overboard, and swam ashore
ns fast ns they could run, for they knew
that, "He who fights nud runs away
will always live to draw his pay." This
little bit of n boy would load n big can
non all by himself, take.j it up in his
arms, nnd fire it right into the other
vessels ; and all the while the flames
rolled up on all sides of him nnd made
him sweat ; they completely enveloped
him, nud he found that it was absolutely
necessary to pull off his cont ; still he
would brush the flumes nway, and load
mid fire the cannon so rapidly that it
got red hot, nnd thut wns what he want
ed, for he then could fire red-hot balls,
and make a general red-hot time, while
he was at it.
The cannon-balls flew .rmd hi'-i,.
One of them struck him on the mour.li,
nnd nearly knocked a tooth, a front one
down his throat. When he ran short of
balls, he would reach up nnd take in
one on a fly, and nil the time he would
shout, "Say, father, must I stay?"
The flames burned nil his clothes off
him, but he snid he didn't care n cent
for the loss of them, as he could get
plenty more nt a second-hnud store. The
flames wrapped around him, but he re
marked thut he didn't care for that as
he was getting mad, and even if he did
run away, the old gentleman would half
kill him any way.
A mast fell, nnd he picked it up and
piched it over into one of the ships,
and it mashed in the deck and killed a
great many ; nnd he said he could do
without a "mast, anyhow. And still out
above the booming of cannon nnd burst
ing of bombs, his voice was heard,
" Sny, governor, don't you think it
would be consistent with the nature of
things I say with the nature of things
for me to get out of this here?" but
no answer enme. A 15-inch shell pass
ed through his bosom, nud nt the same
time a bull took off both his arms, but
he continued to put in his time nt load
ing nnd unloading the cannon as if no
thing had happened, until it melted
and ran over the burning deck, upon
which you have been informed, he stood
whence all but hiia, etc.
At lust nil the ship wns burned up
except the magazine, and the powder
which had been burng for some minu
tes, took a notion to go off on a sudden,
Well, the last that ever seen of him he
was about four miles up, still shouting.
" Say, father, is it incumbent on mo to
stay t
A Chlhl Seized by a Panther and Saved by
a jog.
A panther recently attempted to carry
oft a clnlil, mrsevaUu. 1 he child, wind
was a little girl three years old, was
playing before the open door, while its
mother wns sweeping. The panther,
which hnd crept near, suddenly leaped
upon the child, seized her by tlie shoul
der, nnd turned to flee with her, when n
powerful imd ferocious mastiff that was
sitting in the house, near the open door,
dashed out nnd seized the panther by
the throat. Tho wild beast dropped the
child, which wns not hurt, nnd then n
furious fight ensued between the pan
ther nnd the mastiff. The dog tore open
the panther's throat with his teeth, and
the panther tore the flesh from the dog's
sides with its claws. The mother of
the child rushed out and rescued her
darling from beneath the feet of the
maddened combatants, curried her into
the house, and then seizing a loaded
rifle that was standing in a corner, she
hastened to the help of the mastiff. She
fired almost at random, but the bullet
struck the panther in the shoulder and
passed clear through his body. He fell
to the ground, and the dog, now utterly
furious with the rage ol combat, soon
nnibhed him.
Horrors of Cuban Warfare.
A correspondent of the New York
Herald, writing from the battle-field of
Viamones, in Cuba, where the Spaniards
lately defeated the uuoans, gives a ter
rible picture of the horrors of the War
now desolating that island. No prison
ers are ever taKcn. ihe enemy s
wounded left upon the battle-field are
all slain by the victors. Their throats
are cut; their arms and legs are cut off
in some cases the top of the head is cut
off with with a machete a large heavy
knife resembling a broadsword; and in
some instances, the bodies are too
shockingly mutilated for description,
Such treatment of wounded men is a dis
grace to civilization.
The Origin of Words-
Most men, and women, too, desire
fame, or notoriety. Yet a great name
may come to base uses. St. Etheldre
da's nnme became shortened to St.
Audrey, from whence came the word
" tawdry," signifying cheap and gnudy.
It is Paid Unit the iinnges of tho saint
were So much over-di'cswd by her Vota-1
r'iesj that they Unconsciously furnished
the English language with this very ex
pensive term. And further endorse
ment was given to the word by the fairs
held on St. Etheldreda's day, nt which
articles of female finery "were sold.
Another sainted lady, who lived in the
snme century, the seventh, gives n
household nnme to tho cnt. " Tabby "
is snid to come from St. Abbe. Two
towns in England nre nnmed in her hon
or, Tnbley, but come from the corrupted
name " Tab." " Boston," ns some few
people know, is St. Butolph's town,
shortened ; jmd there is in the American
ns well ns the English Boston, a street
named " Butolph," after the saint.
Among the most curious deviations is
the Turkish name of Constantinople,
Sti'inboul. The colloquial phrase among
the Greeks to designate the place wos
" eis ten polin," " to the city. Of this
the Turks make " Istam'poul," nnd,
finally, Stnmboul. In nn effort to pro
duce English words in Turkish form,
a Turkish scholor could get no nearer
to "scoundrel" thnn " Aseonderel."
The transformation in this enseis as curi
ous as Stnmboul, from "eis ten polin."
York, from the Latin Eboraeum, would
seem to present at the first glance little
resemblance to the original.
The process of change in common
usage was something ns follows : Ebo-
I'ueuui, l-.tracu, Loriorwie, Lone, lork.
This is nlmost ennui to the derivation of
tho name of a pickle from Jeremiah
King ; Jerry King, Jer King, girkin.
Jut colloquial changes are not always to
e despised. They mean history. The
common expression, " a game leg, lor a
lame leg, would nt iirst seem to be mak
ing game ot n misfortune, me true
word is "gam," old English meaning,
defective. We have Oambridgcs in
great numbers in the United States, in
laces where there is neither n river,
am, nor a bridge. LiVery machinist
knows that a " cam " is the name given
,o a piece of machinery which causes
nn eccentric motion. I he river Jam is
n crooked river.
Names of places in this country are
meaningless in their application, except
ns in the case of old towns, showing
where the first settlers enme from, like
Chester and others. There nre many
Nottinghnms, but those who date their
letters in those towns do it without con
sciousness that they are noting the fact
that the respected ancestors of some of
ns were troglodytes and lived in caves.
Snotincgaham, the original name of
Nottingham in England, signified "the
home of the dwellers in cavesj" and an
tiquarian examinations have found
traces ot the residences ol these cave
dwellers.
Such are a few of the curious trans
formations to which words ami names
are subject, while as yet people were
unable to read. The sound changed
the orthography, ond thus nearly every
trace of the original disappeared in the
course of time. If the world were in
like condition now, with no printed
books nnd newspapers to preserve the
correct spelling, wild work might be
made even with prominent names. Fel-
ilel-fy would hardly be recognized by
the founder, could he return. Buwlt
mer would be a puzzle to Lord Balti
more. Two other leading cities, when
mentioned together, seem to have in
the sound of their names a distinction
as to age, namely, New York and Newer
Leans, though the latter loses a syllable
in the second word to the enrichment of
the first.
Second Sight.
When I wns n child and read fairy
tales, I used to wish that I had the
' invisible cap, that 1 might go where
I chose without the knowledge of any
other mortal. I can't suy I wish it now,
for if people use me as they do other
folk and what more likely ? I should
be apt to hear no good of myself, and
to be in a chronic state of ruge on ac
count of the ten, fifteen, or twenty
years added to my ago by my dearest
'friends, who knew mo first when "I
was a married woman and they were
only school-girls." I should hear criti
cisms on my dress, nnd my " tricks nnd
manners," nnd hear old bachelors speak
of me us a designing widow, on whom
it wns dangerous to cnll in Leap-year.
No, I've given up my desire lor the
invisible cup, but I really should like to
liuve second sight. It must be con
venient. If I hud an old Scotch uncle
or mint possessed of the accomplish
ment, I should sit down and write to
him or her, nnd say:
" Make your abode with me for life.
Live in my heart nnd pay no rent. You
will be more useful than the washer
woman, and more necessary than the
cook." And I should not set that aunt,
if it was an auut, to washing dishes. I
should provide her with a big arm
chair and a Dottle ol whatever is neces
sary, and set her to " speeriug " forth
with. There she would sit in her chnir, nil
handy, nnd when I said, " I'll have cod
fish for dinner, she would say :
" Don't do it, Mary."
And I would say, " Why not ?"
And she would say :
" All the Topslices nro oming to din
ner. I see lira."
And then I should mnke a preparation
of roast nnd boiled, and of dessert and
of after dinner coffee, to say nothing of
before dinner soup, and not writhe with
ausruish when tho smell of codfish and
the Topslices burst into the hall to
crether.
When I put on that light silk dress
and that new bonnet, and took that new
narasol in the fanners of my new gloves.
with a blue sky overhead, perhaps
Aunty would begin to groan and would
say :
" Beware ! bide at home."
But wouldn't thnt be better than to
be caught iu the rain ? I should think
so.
She would have visions of Biddy giv
ing awav the cold mutton to her cousin
at the area gate, and would know why
we always had so little butter and so
much soap-fat.
In fact, she would be better than any
private detective, and no ena ol a com
fort to everybody. Ledger,
A Sail Scene.
During the progress of tliel Mcfivation
of the ruins of the Centre Btreet fire" in
New York, where seven lives were lost,
relntives of those who were missing also
crowded about the ruins, and with enger
nnd wntchful eyes pounced upon every
object which they thought resembled "a
bumin figure. Among others wns the
ycrtfng man, McGrnth, whose sister is
among the missing, nnd who remained
in a position abote the workmen the en
tire afternoon. At intervals of nn hour
he would lenve the ruins nnd hurriedly
cross the stret. where wns sitting shiv
ering with the cold nn "Id woman, thinly
nnd poorly clnd. Approaching her n't
one time with tenrs in his eyes, he snid,
his voice quivering with emotion,
" There is no sign of her yet, mother;
I'm nfrnid we'll never find her."
"Oh, Mike, don't say that; let us
place our trust in God."
The young man walked quickly across
the street nnd wns ngnin nt his post
watching ns intently ns ever. The pres
ence of the old lady, together with her
violent sobbing, nttrncted many around
her, but she seemed to take no notice of
what was going on, keeping a steady
gaze upoj) her son. When it began to
grow dark he left the building, and
coming over once more to his mother,
nsked her to go home, ns nothing more
could be done. At first she wns un
willing to comply, but at lust went off
in the direction of the ears. When she
had left the son turned around, and in
a low voice, scarcely nndible, snid :
" God help her." In conversation with
the writer, Mr. McGrnth said that his
sister nnd himself kept house for his
mother that she might enjoy the latter
days of her life in comfort. '" I know,"
said he, " she can never bear up with
this loss, nnd what is most troubling me
now is that she as well us my poor sister
will soon leave me.
Mrs. Donohue, who lost her two oldest
daughters (her main support) nt the fire,
was unable to benr up under her loss,
and lost her mind. Around her bedside
clung her four remaining children, who
were crying, but who nre yet unnble to
realize the critical condition of their
mother or the sad and untimely end of
their older sisters. The uiotlier wns
slightly better yesterday, nnd spoke
very rationally, but it is believed if she
is permitted to view the remains of her
two girls that she will never recover.
Her entire cry yesterday was : " Oh !
the worst is to come yet." Fnther
Mooney, of St. Bridget's Church, made
allusion to the unfortunate girls yester
day, and asked the congregation to pray
for them.
After dark the scenes in ond around
the station-house where lav the body of
Fanny Stewart were appalling. Mothers
who had lost their children, audVho
had watched the labors of the workmen
all tlie nlternoon, with their feet im
bedded in the cold, damp snow, called
on the Captain to procure information
ot " what would be done on tho mor
row?" "if he thought nil the other
bodies were ns disligured .ns the one
found ?" nnd hundreds of other ques
tions' which he answered as best he
could.
X New-Mexican Love Chase.
In New Mexico, where young ladies
are scarce, five men wooed tho same
damsel. The lovers, it seemw, were
all equally poor nnd disreputable.
The girl didn't love any of them, but
she feared all of them. As the wooing
waxed wnrm, the lovers begnn to in
dulgo in threats of shooting and throat-
cutting, ana one ol them, more savage
than the rest, declared he would cut the I
throat of the girl himself sooner than
see her the wife of nny of his rivals.
This so frightened the girl that she re
solved on flight. Making ample, but
secret preparations, she fled one morn
ing, on horseback, to the ranche of a
friend, distant nearly a hundred miles
from her home. The next day her flight
was discovered, and the five lovers set
out in pursuit, every one of them de
termined to catch her and marry her, or
die. They rode in company till the
horse of one began to full behind. wi:en
he insisted that the others should slack- i lime of his injury he was engaged to be
en their speed, so us to give him nn equal i murried to a young lady, and nt the dc
chnnce. This they refused to do, where- sire of both parties the couple wero
upon he drew his revolver nnd begnn to
fire nt their horses. This so maddened
the four other lovers thnt they opened
fire on their assailant, and shot him and
his horse, but not till ho hnd wounded
nnd lamed two of their horses.
The owners of the two wounded
horses, seeing thnt they would be dis
tanced in the race, demanded that their
comrades should give them an equal
chance by allgoing on foot. I his pro-
position being declined, a second light
was immediately begun, which ended in
the deuth of two of the combatants, and
the wounding of tho other two bo seri
ously that they could not proceed.
After two days ot Buttering, the
wounded men were found by a party of
explorers, and sent to a cabin whur they
could have such help as the limited re
sources of a frontier settler's family
could supply. There one of them soon
died, and the other, after a long illness.
convalesced sufficiently to ride away on
horseback m search of some old com
panions, fie aid not propose to go in
pursuit of the girl again, as he had
heard of her marriage to a cousin who
was skillful with the bowie-knife, and a
dead shot.
Beware of Poisoned Tea.
A physician from the country was
passing a down town restaurant a few
days ago, and feeling a little famished
after a long ride in the cars, he stepped
in and ordered a cup of black tea. Al
most immediately alter partakinsr of it
he felt sick at his stomach, and soon he
commenced vomiting, which continued
through the night, lwenty-four hours
afterward he had not fully recovered.
The doctor attributed the effect to ver
digris in the tea, which may have been
used as coloring matter, or derived from
the copper pans on which the tea was
dried, or from the vessel in which -it
was drawn.
We have heard of other instances in
which verdigris was discovered in black
tea. Exchange.
A pumpkin pie, ten feet in diameter
and four feet deep, was the chief feature
of a California dinner recently. The
enjoyment of the guests was somewhat
marred by a child falling into the pie
and drowning before their eyes.
JfO. 45.
Items of Interest.
A thirsty farmer in Madison, Ind..
has drunk the value of a loud of hay
once ft week for sixteen yenrs.
There hns never been a senson when
the Connecticut tobacco crop promised
so many Havana cigars as this.
A Maine breach of promise suit, four
teen venrs old, hns nt Inst been termin
nted by the dentil of both pnrties to it.
A Belgian, to whose mad love for his"
servant girl n wife, sister-in-law nnd sou
wero obstaclos,removed them by cutting
their throats.
A Chouteau avenue (St. Louis) girl
frankly confesses thnt her advocacy of
the woman's rights movement is due U
an insane desire to wear red-top boots
and a pistol pocket.
Mrs. Mary C. Must, widow of the hte
register of deeds of Leavenworth, Co. ,
Kan., has been appointed by the Board
of County Commissioners to succeed
her late husband in that office.
A Georgia woman is credited with
having raised n large family, although
not out of her teens. It was her mother-in-law's
family, and she did it with a
keg of gunpowder planted in the cellar.
The Khedive of Egypt has ordered
the wedding outfit of his daughter to bo
made in Paris. One of the items of the
order is flounces of point d'Alencon nt
S800 a yard, and $30,010 of other laces
are to be odded.
A parent in New Albany, Ind., who
had fifteen daughters, has poisoned hi
dog, taken the locks off the -doors nnd
hung rope ladders over his dooryard
fence by the dozen, nnd still the pro
vision bill is ns ever.
Miss Florence Biiney, a daughter of
General Birney, has been learning to
set type in the office of the Dedhnm
(Mass.) (dzrffc for the past six months,
and last week she went South to assu t
in editing n newspaper.
A maiden of sixty latclv died in West
moreland, England, and left f5(H,(M)0 to
a gentleman who had captured her ma
ture affections. The will is now being
contested on the ground of irregularity,
incapacity, and ignorance.
An ill-used husband around the loin
(Kan.) Jlrtinfn' office makes this obser
vation: "If Susan B. and her conferees
get shut up in prison for illegal voting,
we know lots of men who will urge their
wives to try voting next time. 1
Nettie Clauscr, a young woman of
sweet fifteen, in Algelica, Shawano Co.,
Wis., will give her left hand to her hus
band in marriage, if she ever gets one.
Her right hand was shot off last week
while she was gracefully caressing a
revolver.
A young woman in Virginia, feeling
socially inclined toward a neighbor tho
other sido of a formidable vivov, aatl
having no horse convenient, made the
transit in snfety nnd dryness recently
by taking two chairs nnd using them -as
stilts.
The Cleveland girl who shot Henry
Priuz, otherwise known ns Hnny May
nard, the gymnast, whoso home was nt,
Syracuse, gets off with no punishment
at all, the grand jury before whom the
case was called believing the shooting
to have been accidental and refusing to
indict her.
The great-grandfather of Thomas
Edwards died ut one hundred and four
teen ; his grandfather at one hundred
and four ; but the father died at tho
early ago of sixty-seven. His young
son," Edwurd, now only ninety-five,
recklessly committed matrimony with a
chit of seventy. This is what comes of
being an unadvised orphan. .
There are in Austria twelve prisons
for men nnd six for women. The num
ber of prisoners nt the end of last year
was 10,422 of both sexes. Tho number
of persons who died in prison during
the year was 552. Every prisoner is
obliged to attend aciool regularly, and
popular lectures are delivered to tho
prisoners on Sundays and holidays.
Albert C. Abbott, fireman, f Chnrles
! town, ininred nt the crent fire, died in
1 the hosoital. aged thirty-three.
At mo
married three days before the young
's denth. His brother was buried iu
the ruins nt t'ie same fire, nnd tho
mother died from grief ut her bereave
ment. Noblo county, Ohio, n county of 400
square miles, with a population of 20,
000 persons, has not one single grog
shop. The liquor nuisance was abated
1K70 bv the enforcement of tho
Liquor Law. "Not a felony has been
; committed, liot a glass of liquor sold,
not one person in prison, in thut county
for two years; nor have the criminal
courts had a solitary criminal to try for
any offense.
Innumerable butterflies lately visited
the city of Florence, in clouds so dense,
say the Italian papers, that the gas
lights were obscured, and the streets at
u,..la,l nlitxiuf iipvt'ep.tlv dark.
I The municipal authorities immeius.wvy
ordered fires to be lighted, which at
I tracted the insects nnd burned off their
wings, so that in a short time the streets
were covered with their white bodies to
the depth of half an inch, as if with a
fresh full of snow.
The term horse-power, as applied to
steam boilers, is so indefinite that it has
come to be regarded by many engineers
as practically valueless. A committee
recently appointed by the Franklin In
stitute of Philadelphia, recommended
that its use be discontinued. One of the
members said that horse-power, hs tho
term was used by different engineers
and boiler-makers, indicated an actual
power, which in one cuse sometimes
varied one hundred per cent, from thut
in another.
The Panama Star and Jferatd gives a
striking illustration of the vigor and .
rapidity of vegetation in the tropics, by
referring to the bushes nnd trees grow
ing in the'mins of the burned Aspinwall
Hotel -nt Panama. It is scarcely more
than two years since this conflagration
took place, and yet there are now grow
ing within the walls trees at least thirty
feet in height. They belong to what
are called trumpet trees (rcn us C'ecropia)
and the brunches are said to be crowd
ing out of the highest doors and win
dows, so as to render it probable that in
their further growth they will throw
down the walls with whicbthey are
interlaced.