lite ... . I ,i 1 1 ' ' " HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESPEnANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum. ' 2 ... , . ; .- 1 1 i . ." ' VOL. III. EIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1873. NO; 34. . . " - K Tho Dark. Where do the little chickens run When they are afraid ? Out ot the light, ont of the sun, Into the dark, into the shade, Under their mother's downy wing, No longer afraid of anything. Dear little girl, dear little boy, Afraid of the dark, Bid you good-by to the daylight with Joy, Be glad of the night, for hark ! The darkness no danger at all can bring, It iB the shadow of God's wing. Where do the lit tle violets creep In tho time of snow ? Into tho dark, to rest and sleep, And to wait for tho spring they go Under the ground where no storm can reach And God takes tendor care of each. OFF THE STAGE. I'm a super. I suppose yon knows what that is ? If you don't, and ain't theatrically inclined, I'll tell you. A super's one of them as takes the small parts in the play, where the "bnsi ness " is important and tho " cackle " particular. That's a super. When Shakspeare wrote A man in his time plays many parts," he must have had n "super" in his eye, if supers was in vented in those days, which I suppose they was, or Shakspeare ain't the man I took him for. Bless you, our role is unlimited we does every tiling. Why, in one piece sometime I takes a matter of half a dozen parts, if not more. Sav " Hamlet " is put up; first I'm a gnaril n-walking on the ramparts of the castle; then I'm a courtier attending on the king; then I'm a recorder (which ain't got nothing to do witli the law, as I thought at one time, but performs on a sort of flute); then I'm a sailor; arter that a mute nt Ophelia s funeral; then I'm a soldier again, or a courtier, as the case may be. And there I am. A su per's more important than anybody may think. I gets a shilling a night, and flndsmy own color, which, being a saving man, I usually manages to scrape enough tip from the waste in the painting-room form the matter of lime and ochre art ists is pvodigals; and if I'm hard up for black for a eyebrow or a moustache, for instance I gets the needful from the chimney-pipe of the- stove in the property-room. I have worked my way up to tho top of my profession in my line, which is heavy'lead of supers; and I've occasion to know that at particular times, say the first night of a new piece, I'm looked up to by the management to carry the play through; and I generally contrives to satisfy the most sanguinary expectations. I'm proud of my profes sion. I ain't only actor for the sake of the filthy lucre (which I suppose means coin), but for tho literature and art 'specially the art. I've studied it, really studied it; you mayn't thiuk so, but it's a fact. I've been married, and lmd one child a girl and I'm a widower. I was married young, like most professionals. She was in the third row of the ballet, and inclined to be stout ; but she didn't last long, poor soul ! She had an apo plectic fit one night, and died in my arms in the green room. I was verycut ' up at the time, because she was as good a wife as ever wore a ring. My darter Wis as good-looking a girl as you'd meet anywhere ; quite different from her mother not in the beauty line, because she was nice-looking, too, but in size. Rose was very thin. She followed in the same steps as ray old woman ; and I got her an engagement at our theatre. Of course she fell in love girls always do at that age, seventeen with as rising a young fellow as I'd wish to see. I was proud of Rose, and I was glad it turned out so ; and, what's more, he wasn't ashamed of me, although I was only a- super, which made me proud of him too. He was very jealous of Rose, and wanted to take her off the stage and marry her at once ; but I objected on the score of age. I naked him to wait a year, till she was a little older, and he took my advice rather unwillingly, I suspect, if his face was to be believed ; but he didn't say bo, for he always gave way to me, because I knew what was better than he did. One night Rose gets a letter sent round to her from a gent in the boxes a-asking her to meet him outside after the performance. She was very much hurt about it, for it vas the first insult she'd received they gets used to these things in time and brought the letter to me. Just as I was a -reading it up comes Charley that's her young man and Rose snatches the letter out of my hand and puts it in her pocket ; but not before Charley had seen it. He looks rurprised, and he says: " What's that ?" says he. " Oh I nothing," she says, playful like, and runs away ; and he turned away too, but not in the same direction. When I saw Rose again, 1 says : " Why didn't you show it to him ?" I says. "Oh, father!" she says, "he's so jealous ; and if he'd seen it he'd have thrashed the fellow," she sayst " and perhaps got into a row, and I didn't want him to do that." Sue give me the letter, for fear he should ask for it ; and I put it in my pocket, never a-thinking no niorp about it. When work was done for the night, me and two or three others used to take our pipe and pot which was half a pint o'forepenny at a little pub. round the corner, close to the theatre, where we was known and respected. There we used to talk over the events of the evening ; and sometimes, when things was slow, we'd even condescend to talk politics, but not often we left them frivolous subjects to people as hadn't . the sense to appreciate art. While we was there that night, in comes a gent rather mopsy ; he swaggered up to the counter, and calls for a bottle o' cham pagne, and then asks us to drink, which we did we never refuses that. Well, he was a-going on about one thing and another, and at last he says : " That Rose is a nice girl !" I pricks up my ears at this, and I puts down the glass of champagne as I ".was just a-rising to my mouth the glass as he paid for but I never says nothing. Then he goes on a-boasting, and says as he was a-going to see her home, I jumps up, and I says : "I'm that lady's father, and if I wasn't a old man I'd knock you down." Then I turns to my mates and tells 'em of the letter business ; and takes it out of my pocket, and hands it to him, and gives him a bit of advice as he wanted. He was in that rage that he was jutst a-putting up his fist to hit me, when Joe Palter, one of us, floors him. Then we handed him over to a polico man. We was rather excited after wards, what with having an extra half pint and the champagne we drunk nfore we knew who we got it from. Charley used always to see Rose home after the performance, and stay with her till I come ; but he wasn't there that night, and Rose said he hadn't come with her as he always did, and laid the blame on the letter. " She was naturally cut up about it, and said : " I'll tell him how it was in the morn ing." Rut she snys : " No !" she says, " if he can't think me true to him without proofs, he sha'n't at all." I see'd it was no use a-arguing with her, so I gives in. My little beauty was very proud and I liked to see it ; but I never thought as how pride would turn love over as it did ; although I ought to have known better, a-seeing so often how Pauline had a narrow es cape of it. She was very pale next morning, and her eyes looked like mine do sometimes, when I ain't got water enough to wash with comfortable, and I leaves the color round under 'em; but it wasn't from that, I knowed, be cause Rose was a very tidy girl. I never says nothing, but I goes on a-eat-ing, and not pretending to notice any thing different ; and by and by we goes off to the theatre. I was very curious to see what Charley would do ; but he only just takes off his hat Charley al ways was a gentleman and turns away again. This here made me feel very queerish, and I didn't know what to make on it. Things went on in this hero unfor tunate style for a week. Rose was too proud to explain, although I wanted her to ; but no, not her ! and there we was. One morning she didn't come down to breakfast as usual, so I gees up to her bed-room and says : " What's the matter, my beauty ?" "Oh, father," says she, "I don't feel very well just now. I dare say I shall be all right to-night." But her hand was a-trembling like a leaf, and her eyes was sunk; and when I come to look at her close, I wad stag gered to see how Bhe'd altered in them few days. It flustered me more than I should a-thought; so I gives her a kiss, and tells her to lie down quiet, and oft I goes to a doctor. He comes and feels her pulse, and such like; then he calls me out on the landing, and says she's in a high state of fever, and must be kept very quiet, or he wouldn't be an swerable for it. Then he began a-asking me about myself, and my profession and cetera. "Not very rich, I suppose?" says he. '.'Oh, well!" he says, we sha'n't quar rel about the money." And s'welp me goodness! as I'm standing here, he never charged me a blessed h'pcnuy for physic or nothing not a ha'penny and found the bottles besides! When Charley sees me by myself, he didn't know what to make on it. He fidgets about me for ever so long, and at last he comes up and asks where Rose was. I was very short with him, a-treating her as he was, though he didn't know the damage he'd done; so I says stiff "My daughter's at home, sir not bo well as she might be." "I hope she isn't ill," says he, quick. "It don't much matter to you," I says, "whether she's ill or not," and I turns away, choking like, a-thinking of my little deserted beauty a-lying so quiet at home. I hurried back as. soon as 1 could, and goes up to her room ; and, God help me ! she was in that state sho didn't know me, and wanted to know if I'd brought a message from Heaven from Charley, as she was certain he was dead, because he hadn't been to see her. I tried to soothe her, but it was no good ; there she kept rambling on about one thing and another, a-pretend-ing to be talking to him, and a-telling him not to be sorry, as she'd soon join him. It made me feel quite queer like, and moist about the eyes ; and I remembered I was an old man, and be gan to think how I should feel when I was alone. She lay in this state for a week, a-living chiefly on sop victuals, as I was obliged to force down her throat. It was a hard time not be cause the money was short ; I didn't mind that ; but I couldn't abide to see my darling in pain. I never went near the public then, but hurried home every night as soon as the performance was over, a-hoping always as she'd be better, and would know me again ; but she never did till about an hour before it come. It was a Sunday night, at church time. I used to like to think after wards that my little darling was carried up to Heaven on the sound of the bells, as it died away on the breeze. I was a-sitting quiet at the window, melancholy-like, a-keeping my eye on Rose to see as she didn't want nothing, and, somehow, the night my poor wife died came into my mind, and I couldn't get rid of the thought nohow. The more I tried, the more it would come. I remember as well as if it were yester day, when I had her in my arms in the green-room, her a-looking up into my face as though she wanted to Bay some thing. So I says : " Is it Rose, Mary ?" I says, and she smiles, and I promised asl'd be a kind father to her. She smiles again at that, and lays her head on my shoulder. Then I see her eyelids a-closing, and that told me that the Great Prompter had rung down her curtain. I was a-looking out of the window, and I sees somebody turn the corner and stop in front of the house; but it was a-getting dark, and I couldn't make out who it was I thought I knew the figure, too. Just as I was a-puzzling myself a-thinking how it could be, I heard my little darling call " Father I" I runs to her quick, for it was the first time she'd knowed me since the fever took her. I had such a clad feelinsr at my heart as I can't tell here it comes so fresh to me after waiting bo long, although it seemed to choke me, too, and I couldn't speak at the moment. I sits down by her head and takes her hand iu mine, and tliere we was, for a matter of a minute or two before either of us said a word, a-looking into each other's faces, joyfnller than we'd been for some time. Then says she: " Father," she says, " I want to see Charley." . I says: "You shall, to-morrow, my darling." "Let me see him to-niglit, father," she says, beseechingly "let me see him to-night, because " And there she stopped. I gets up not having it in me to tie her want for anything as I could give her, though I couldn't make out why she was in such a hurry leastways, I couldn't then ; I do now. I puts on my hat, and just outside who should I see a-eoining across the road from the other side but Charley hisself. When he knew he was wanted, he runs faster than I could, and by the time I got in the room there she was, with her arms round his neck, a-smiling up into his face, and ho was a-kissing of her, as happy as birds. So I says nothing, but goes and sits on the stairs outside, n waiting till they had made it up. I felt almost jealous of Charley, and I thought God help me ! as how he would take her away from me as soon as sho was well. She was took away from me, but not by him not by him. I sat there for a matter of half an hour in the dark, when all of a sudden Charley gives a cry. I rushes in, and there was my darling, with her head a laid quiet on his bosom, and her eyes shut ; and I could see, by the scared look on his face, that my little beauty would never cheer my poor old heart again. English paper. How the Chinese Play "Tan." An officer having caused the arrest of thirteen Chinese gamblers iu San Fran cisco, found it necessary, in order to make out a case against them, to be come acquainted with the mysteries of tho game, and accordingly sent for an expert, who showed him all the tricks of. a game he did not understand. The game may be described as follows: The game is an intricate and hazardous one, and difficult to describe to one who has not witnessed its operation, but its chief points can easily be given. There is a table upon which are pasteboard checks, Chinese copper cash, chinaware but tons, and a pewter instrument, tunuel shajjed, and so arranged as to cover a pile of cash when desirable. The cop per cash lies in a loose pile at the left hand of the game-keeper. When bets are made the gamblers place their checks, representing coin, on the right of the squnre of plate-glass in front of the keeper, and others place checks on tht left. Tho keeper grabs a handful of the loose copper cash, which only figures as an article of furniture and and has no real or fictitious value, and places it under tho pewter instrument before mentioned. The gamblers who have placed money on the left side of the plute-glass bet that there will re main under the instrument one piece of cash after the keeper with an abbre viated wand has drawn away the cash at the rate of four pieces each draw. Four pieces is the regular number to draw whenever the game is played, and the bet is always upon the number left, f only one piece remains the gamblers on tho left side win, and those on the right side lose. Sometimes great odds are given by the keeper to his patrons. The principle of the game has been given ; the minutiro is intricate. It is hampered with all sorts of rules. The balance of power rests with the keeper. Such is his familiarity with the game that he can tell at a glance, knowing the total number of cash coins, what will be the result of the game, and can make a winning by cleverly sliding a coin be tween his fingers and dropping it among those to be counted as he raises the in strument of .pewter. After Her Money. But one woman succeeded in fairly melting the heart of one of the direc tors of a Chicago Bank during the panic. She was a young woman, not particularly pretty, perhaps, but inter esting, and she had tears in her eyes and 850 in the bank. She rushed frantically to one of the directors, and asked if she could not draw her money. " I am very sorry, madam," said he, "but I can't help you to it just now." "But I must have it immediately," she returned, passionately. " It's all I have iu the world." " Well, my dear madam, you must have patience as well as the rest." " But mine is an urgent case, and I can't wait, because " " Well, because what ?" " Because," said she, with a smile on her lip and a tear in her eye, "because I'm going to be married, and I've got to get some things. The man I'm going to marry has not a cent to pay the min ister, and he has only one leg, and so I've got to see to everything myself." The benevolent director dove down into his pocket and produced his pri vate purse, out of which he paid her the amount. And she went on her way rejoicing. Waiting for Ills Frieud. An eccentrio and partially insane old resident of Brooklyn died recently. He had long been known as the " Twelve O'clock Man," for reasons thus stated by a city paper: But the "Twelve O'clock Man" was known by sight by many persons who. daily passed the City Hall at noon. For seven years he had stood near the City Hall, within sight of the clock, from 11 o'clock until the first stroke of the noon-day bell, when he had slouched vway to his home. For more than five years his daily position was at a partic ular part of the railing, .against the pickets of which he leaned, and looked mournfully at the clock. If spoken to lie would mumble out an answer to the effeot that he was waiting for somebody: " He'll come by 12 o'clock; he said he would." It seems that the old man had earned a sum of money by hard work, and had at some time loaned it to a person who had promised to pay it by 12 o'clock on a certain day. The promise was not kept, and the ld man's disappointment drove him crazy. The Abnttolrs of Paris. The following description of the abattoirs of Paris is from the pen of the Hon. Jackson 8. Schulte, and was first published by the AT. '. Shoe and Leather Chronicle: Tho Abattoirs of Paris are not es sentially different from those of other important European cities particularly resembling that at Munich. The latter I have had occasion to speak of before, and it has many small conveniences which are not found in tho one at Paris. But for extent and variety of work done, these Abattoirs ef Paris far ex ceed anything found elsewhere in the world. Nearly two millions of people are provided each day with all their large meats, such as bef, mutton, veal, and pork, from this establishment. Tho extent of tho business is not more re markablo than the nice economy which is studied iu all the manipulations of the establishment. But this Abattoir is only a part of n complete system by which the people are supplied with food in Paris. First, They have a cattle-market with most extensive and commodious accom modations, not only for housing and caring for the animals, but also con veniences for all classes of persons who have to do with their management, such as offices, an enclosed exchange, i-c. It is quite within the truth to say that the cattle-yards of Paris are as clean and free from all disagreeable smells and nuisances generally, as the best regulated publio square- in an American city." The construction of the buildings, the water supply, the thorough paving of all the yards, streets, and passageways leading to and from it, are all topics on which much could be said to guide any effort which should be made at imitation iu our own country. Doubtless in any such at tempt we should find that practically we needed to make alterations ; for in stance, the condition and temper of our animals are very different from thaso accumulated in these yards. These are " domestic " animals in fact as well as in name while our " Western steers " aro wild and could not be readily brought under the restraint to which these animals submit. The latter are gentle from having been handled and even fondled from birth, and can be led into their bath and washed, as is their custom, but not bo our wild Western steers ; such an undertaking with them would be im practicable. Let this hint serve gen erally to indicate that differences do exist which would render it quite im possible for America to adopt all of the methods and systems here in vogue ; and when, therefore, I speak with com mendation of any plan which seems adapted to the wants of this people, I would not have the inference drawn that 1 would recommend its adoption by our own people without modifica tion. Second, Tliere is an Abattoir or rather a series of them near by these cattle yards to which are transferred all these cattle as soon as they are bought by the slaughterers. Each one of these slaugh terers continues the same care and ten der treatment of the animals after they come into his hands as while in the hands of tho cattle dealers, drovers, or farmers. They are tied singly in clean apartments, well supplied with clean bedding each day, and fed with as much care as if their value depended upon each meal they consumed. How different in this respect do our butchers treat their animals ! Third, They have a public market not a private, fore-stalling affair, such as disgraces too many of the cities of America. Beside several thousand private mar kets and stalls where meat, fish and vegetables are sold in all parts of Paris, this one public market stands out by itself unliko all the rest. Here all that enters into the consumption of the city finds place, both at wholesale and re tail. During the early hours of the morning I should judge the wholesale dealers do the most of their business. Most of the supplies are sold by auc tion, under the most stringent regula tions as to quality, weight, etc. The rapidity with which these sales are ef fected would astonish the most expert auctioneer in our country. These sales (at auction) are extended to fish of all kinds as well as meats, and vegetables too at most seasons of the year. The manner of conducting these sales is pe culiar, requiring a very quick judg ment, particularly where the sales are in lots without reference to measure or weight. But the French market women seemed to enjoy the excitement, for. there was just enough uncertainty and risk to make it a mild substitute for gambling. The three institutions above referred to belong to one system, and should be considered together. Without their joint action the results which we ob serve in Paris could not be secured. All of these institutions are owned and controlled by the Government, i. e., the ground and buildings are theirs and the regulations are made without consul tation with the occupants, although we may suppose that their convenience and experience has had ranch to do in es tablishing the laws relating to the whole subject. What will most interest the tanners to know is the manner of taking off the hides and skins, and their disposi tion and cure afterwards, and to this subject I propose to oonflnemyselfnow, reserving the more minute consideration of the whole subject for another occa sion. All hides and skins are " blown off." This practice is supposed to be adopted in order that the pelt may be removed without flesh cuts, but I have reason to think this is a subterfuge. It is rather for the purpose of " blowing up the meat" (at least that is the effect), rather than to "blow off the pelts." The pelt does become thicker (more swelled) under the operation, and both the meat and pelt look much improved, but whether the result is finally any im- Erovement is very doubtful. Every ody has puffed wind bloated meat and pelts, and every body understands that they will lose these qualities before they can be used or consumed. Beside, does not the presence of so mneh air in the vessels of these substances tend to decay them much sooner than if this air was not forced in ? This was the judg ment of the butchers of New York many years ago, when they procured an ordinance to be passed which prohib ited the " blowing " er rather "bloat ing " process. Very much of the " enlarged plump ness " which the carcass shoavs is the result of this injection of air, and per sons not familiar with the process are apt to ascribe it to the superior growth of the animal. But this effect is avoid ed in America because it is supposed to superinduce decay. The process of blowing off tho skins and hides may be thus described : After the animal is dead a small opening is made at various parts of tbo body, al- woysi on a line where the skin is finally to be cut. In the first place a round iron rod, about three feet long and half an inch in diameter, is inserted between the pelt and the flesh, and shoved in all directions with a view of making passa ges for the air. Then a pair of ordi nary bellows, made large and strong, is used to force air into these openings; generally one opening under each fore leg will suffice, but if not other open ings are made. The blowing up is the work of only one or two minutes; tho effect is to bloat the whole carcass to nearly double its natural size, ana what will seem unreasonable is that this effect is continued long after the bellows is withdrawn ; the air does not leave by the passages through which it enters. When the carcass is thus bloated the iron rod aforesaid or a wooden stick is used to pound the outsido surface of the animal, for the purpose of disturb ing the ligaments which hold the hide and the flesh. The theory on which all this process proceeds is the same as that known to exist fn the peeling or wringing of bark from the willow or chestnut tree in the spring of the year. A slight pounding or severe rubbing of the outer surface will induce a separa tion of the sap formation, and thus limbs and branches of considerable size can be peeled off. I doubt very much whether the same eflect follows in the skinning of animals ; I know it does not to the same extent, for the knife is ttsed near!) or quite as much by the French skinners as with tis, with this differ ence : in France the surface of tho meat is sacrificed, and with us the hide. This is the key which unlocks the secret of all skinning of animals. In all large cities of America the butchers are tenacious of the appear ance of their beef ; the outside cuticle must be preserved. No mark of the knife must be seen. But with the packers the case is different and hence their hides are much freer from flesh cuts. Their beef is not exposed for sale in tho ' carcass. The butchers of France, Germany, Austria, and Switzer land are unmindful to a very great ex tent how their outside beef surface ap pears. Thev always exoose the inner side to view, and dress this by overlay ing with fat in the most artistic man ner disregarding nil considerations but the preservation of the pelt. Of course there are, for this reason, but few cuts. Whenever a slip of the knife is made it takes the direction of the meat and not the pelt. The result is that both hides and skins are freer from flesh cuts than either in England or America, where a different estimate is put on the relative value of hides and beef. Slavery Among the Ants. Among ants the habit of slave-making as discovered by the Gorman naturalist, Uuber, is one of the wonders ot tne animal kingdom. This habit belongs to the Amazons, or red snts of South Africa. These leave their own dwelling in the evening, go to that of some tribe of black ants with the intention of making captives. The assailed are, however, not to submit so tamely. They organize for the defence and resist their assailants furiously. The battle is long and fierce, sometimes one side some times the other having the advantage. We have read of and admired the bra very of the Old Guard in their charge at Waterloo, but here are charges and counter charges as fierce as any on that famous field. We admire our Revolu tionary fathers for defending their homes against foreign invasion, but what shall we say of the onts defending theirs until all the adult members of the tribe are killed or wounded. But, not" stopping to dilate upon the con test, we can say the Amazons may be defeated, but they will prqbably con quer, and after killing or rendering helpless all. their adult foes, descend into the dwelling, make captive, and convey the larva . and young to their homes. This done, and the slaves being trained to perform the duties of their new condition, the captors give them selves up to a life of ease and beoome so enervated and imbecile as to be un able to care for themselves. If after a short . period their slaves are removed, the tribe will",die for want of food. The distinguished naturalist to. whom I re ferred took a colony and removed their serfs. The result was the tribe were dying rapidly, when a single slave was introduced, and was immediately set at work supplvinsr fod. rearing young. and in every respect caring for the body, so that in a few hours me ana vigor flourished where had been only indications oi innrmity and tleath. How the Old Hone Died. Gen. Otto Frederick Marshall, of the town ol Wheeler, Steuben county, N, Y., owned for twenty-two years a horse that died a short. time since, apparently because he felt himself injured- or slighted by his master. The horse was twenty-eight years' old, and appeared as well as usual. Gen. Marshall ". had driven him to the post-office & distance of one mile and a half, once a day dur ing all' that time Every day, unless it was Sunday, the old horse made his regular pilgrimage, driven by his owner to the post-office. At -length one. eve ning -a short fime age,-the General thought he would drive another horse and leave the old. horse at home. On his way back from the. office he met the old horse, who evidently surmised that something Wrong had happened, and had broken out of the pasture. The old fellow made his trip as usual to the post-office, and returning, entered the pasture, lay aown, ana aiea. Pnnl and Virginia. It was during the French occupation of Mauritius that the terrible shipwreck took place which furnished Bernardin de St. Pierre with the motive for his beautiful and touching lore story., " Paul and Virginia," the scene of which is laid in this island. In 1741 drought and a plague of locusts had occasioned a ter rible scarcity in Mauritius, then called the Isle of France; and the following year the St. Geran was sent out.from the mother country, richly laden with provisions, to the relief of the starving colonists. About four o'clock one fine afternoon Round Island was sighted from the ship, and the captain, M. De la Marre, wished to profit by a fine moonlight night to enter what is now known as tombeau Bay, or the Bay of Tombs, but was persuaded to lie out side until morning, ignorant of tuo sea-coast, tho officer allowed the sn.p to drift during the . night upon a dan gerous reel boom a league irom wnu. The sea always runs high there, and the St. Geran was driven with great violence among the breakers. Every effort was made to lower the boats, but some were crushed by the falling masts, and others were swept away by the waves. In a short time tho keel was broken in two, nnd the ship became a total wreck. At the captain'B request tho chaplain pronounced a gen eral benediction and absolution, and the "Ave Maria Stella" was sung. Then ensued a sceno of indescribable confusion. Numbers of the crew flung themselves into the soa, grasping planks, oars, yards ; but the heavy waves tore them from their frail supports, and nearly all perished. A brave sailor namea uaret matte great efforts to save the captain, whom he implored to take off his clothing ; but M. De la Marre, who displayed in this catastrophe much greater personal courage and pity than seamanship, re fused to do so, en the ground ttiat it did not become the dignity of his posi tion to land without his uniform. Caret at length succeeded in placing his cap tain on a plank, nnd by swimming along side endeavored to get him safely to land. Encountering a raft on which some of the crew had sought refuge, the captain thought he would be safer with them. He left the plank, and succeed ed in reaching the larger support. Caret plunged to avoid collision, and on rising to tho surface again was hor ror-struck to hud that the craft with all on board had been ingulfed. On board tuo St. Geran were two levers, Mile. Mallet nnd M. De Peramon, who were to be united in marriage on reaching the island. The voung man. as anxious and agitated as the girl was calm and resigned, when the others left, was making a sort of raft on which to save her who was dearer than his own life. On his knees he implored her to descend with him on the frail but sole hope for safety ; and to insure a greater certainty, he begged her to take off the ' heavier part of her garments. This she steadily refused to do. When he found his most earnest solicitations vain, and all hope of saving her lost, though she entreated him to leave her, he quietly took from a pocket-book a tress of hair, kissed it, and placed it on his heart. With his arm round her to shield her as far as he could to the last, calmly awaited the terrible catas trophe at her side. Isor had they long to wait, for they were soon washed from the deek. Their bodice were picked up the following day, clasped in tho close embrace in which they awaited death. This touching incident formed the ground-work of the beautiful story over which so many tears have fallen. Mauritius was then but little known, and St. Pierre's pictures of its life nnd scenery were all drawn from imagina tion ; but the story has invested the far-off island with an atmosphere of ro mance. Two structures at Pample- mousses known as the tombs of Paul and Virginia are still shown to visitors two dilapidated piles of brick,, still betraying traces of whitewash on their crumbling sides. When visited by Mr. Pike, who had been asked by a roman tic young lady to gather for her some flowers from the tombs, he fouud the surrounding grounds converted into an impassable swamp by recent rains. Ro mance is evidently at a discount in Mauritius. Finding a Boofjack. A housekeeper writes tho following plaint to the Cleveland Leader : When the average husband of the period wants to flud a bootjack he steps to the buttery door, and leaning against the door-way with his hands in his pockets, whistles meditatively as his eyes wander along the upper stieives. When a break in the tune occurs, you may know he has found the cake, which he devours absently, still looking for the bootjack. Being now deprived of that aid to reflection whistling, he executes a waltz in slow movement, sus tained bv a large piece of cake in one hand, and a sizable pickle in the other. After a while, as the bootjack does not make its appearance the husband does, at the door of the room, where you are Kettinor the baby to sleep, and shouts " Jane," at the top of his voice, under the impression that you are up stairs, an impression speedily removed. To cover the oonf usion of his retreat, he steps on the dog's tail and bumps the bird-cacre with his head, then wants to know what you have done with that bpotjack, and why it is that you never keep things in their place. If you are wise, and simply and calmly point, like Columbia, to the object in question hanging ' on its accustomed nail, he seizes upon it wrathfully, with the solemn vow that it was. not there when he went through the room before. The offending boots are' finally left in the doorway where it is. convenient to trio over them, and serenity transpires. unless you have occasion to go around them,' when you will at once see their value as a natural means of obstructing a passageway. It is estimated that one pair of boots judiciously ' disposed about an apartment of medium size, will prevent either a well-disposed per son or a professional burglar : from quietly making his way about it. At tea time the average husband does not care about any cake ; it isn't much like that his mother used to make. Items of Interest. Salmon have been introduced into many of the New Zealand rivers with success. The Indianapolis bankers refuse to let men who have " run " them deposit their money again. , ' . It is stated that 50,000 pilgrims have passed through Paris since August on their way to shrines. Johnstown boasts of a man who "never enjoyed a day's sickness in his life. He would be a remarkable man if he had. " .... The cashier of the Merchants Na tional Bank of Lowell, Mass., is said to be a defaulter to the amount of 850,- 00- The Ashantee nation is a great Africau power. It numbers three million souls of whom some two hundred thousand are warriors. A poor man, who was ill, being asked by a gentleman whett any remedy, replied, auv remedy, I?ut I had taken aiu't taken taken lots of physic. Tho will of the Empress uowager oi Austria directs that 5,000 Soly masses should be read for the repofiS of her soul, and 5,000 florins aro set apan for this purpose. The amount of land devoted to wheat culture iu Great Britain is only one half larger than that devoted to the same object in tho State of Illinois. Illinois has 2,500,000 of people to sup ply j Great Britain 33,000,000. Since the year 1848, in which gold was nrst aiscovereu m vjuuiiuuk., mnu State has produced 81,380, 700,000 worih of the precious metal. The greatest yield was in 1853, when the product was $G8,000,000. A correspondent who professes to have tried the experiment, says tnac a strong solution of carbolic acid and water poured into tne noies kuib uu iuu ants it touches, and the survivors im mediately take themselves off. John T. Irvinor savs that he cannot be convicted of the burglaries for which he has been indicted, and tho JNew iorK police agree with him in that opinion. There is sometning very butujbd tho way the dete?tives have acted in the Nathan case. TTelmhold. the frreat Buchu buster, is now living in Paris, supported by his relations in Philadelphia. A few weeks Rince he was arr jsted and imprisoned for cutting his wife in the head with a carving knife, when he was on one of his periodical tares. He has become a poor, miserable, drunken wretch. Tim Telmranl. of Shreveport Ija., learns that nearly all tho candidates for Governors iu the Western States have publicly announced their cordial friendship for the Patrons of Husbandry, and about inis time are givju iuuio in tention to agricultural matters than ever they did before in all their lives. Ah old man at Ivry, France, recently died of joy. He had been very poor all his life, whenho was suddenly informed that ho had fallen heir to a large for tune. The old man was greatly agi tated bythejnews, andvas hastening to the Mayor's office to sign some neces sary papers, when he fell dead in tho street. The Evancrclicnl Alliance, which has held a session in New York, is an asso ciation of Protestant Christians who have organizod for the ostensible pur pose of promoting harmony among the several elements of Protestantism, and of combating tendencies hostile to the unity and integrity ot mat Diancii ox Christianity. Sceno in a Cincinnati court (charge, nssault upon a housekeeper)" Did she ever ask you to marry her ?" "Yes." What did you say ?" " 1 told her to wait until her teeth wore grown. What did she say then?" " Nothing. "What did sho do?" "Went down town and bought a new set of teeth. Case dismissed. An iuvestication into the affairs of the suspended Merchants' Union Bank, of Dubuque, Iowa, by the directors, shows that a system of frauds have been perpetrated upon the stockholders and patrons by tho officers of the bank, which has never been exceeded in any concern of its size. The amount ab stracted reaches 8329,478. Most good farmers practice tying up the cows in the barn every night throughout the summer season, and those who do not ought to begin now. They are better off in the barn t han out, to say nothing ot tuo great economy oi manure. This gives an opportunity to feed more or less in the barn and not only to keep up the. condition but, to a considerable extent, the yield of milk. Miss Mary P. Smith, of Norwich, Conn., has sued Lewis A. Hyde, of the same town for 8300 damages. It seems Mr. Hyde, who is a prominent citizen, was carrying home a piece of lead-pipe in a horse-cur and leaned it against the seat. A sudden jerk of the car caused it to fall, and unhappily it strucli' Miss Smith's foot, causing her, as alleged, serious injury. Hence the suit, which will be ably contested. A lady suggests that if the church going ladies were to dress in calico nud wear sun-bonnets, scores pi her sex would attend divine service who stay away because they can not dress like their fashionable sisters. She says she has often asked lady members of her congregation why they absented them salvcs from the house of worship, and the reply in nearly every case has been that they " had nothing fit to wear," or that they were " waiting until their hew suit was finished." - j At a county fair the -other day, my curiosity was excited by the following mysterious inscription over the door of a booth: " Walk in and seethe Dancing Tree 1" Curious to witness such a phe nomenon, I paid my mJney, went in, and presently found that I constituted tne emir -uuuieuoe. ouuu alter my en trance, a . puny, sickly-looking being, dressed as a wild Indian, appeared, and, placing himself in an attitude, asked me in a melancholy voice to look at him. "Well," said I, "but the dancing tree 1" " That's the name given me by the chief of my tribe," replied the sav age. "The Dancing Tree is a great chief." And he sat down apparently well satisfied with himself.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers