. , NIU DESPERA3STDXTM. Two Dollars per Annirni. VOL. IV. RIDGAVAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1874. NO. 1). HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and - Publisher. i ' Money. Money goea, no one known ( Whore it gnotli, no one showeth i Here and there, everywhere ', Run, run ; dim, dun t upend, spend ; ; Lend, lend ) send, Bend ; Hush to-day, short to-morrow ! Notes to pay, borrow, borrow How it goes, no one knows ; Where it goeth, no one knowoth. THE MAGIC WAND. '' Nestled close among the green hills of Vermont Mi ere stood an old farm house, browned and discolored by the winds and tempests which had beaten against it for more than half a century. '.Tho low roof ami email windows added to its homely appearance, bnt the eye need hot tarry there, for in the general surroundings there was many a redeem ; ing featnre. Hero I had found a home and eventu ally my mission. For in three months after my arrival Aunt Lucy "had a " stroke," and I gave up my wanderings among the hills and woods, and turned my attention to the making of butter and cheese, in fnct became housekeep er, mirse, and maid of all work to my undo and Aunt Howard. Undo was a plain, shrewd man, thin and round-shouldered, and terribly methodical. In that first summer I used to wish that he would only forget jnst once, so that he would either be obliged to step a little quicker or else vary the dull routine for that one day. But nothing of the kind ever occurrell. "When I first used to go to church with uncle, spruce young farmers used to "help rco out," and sometimes the storekeeper's son or the schoolmaster would find -something to talk with uncle about of a Sunday evening ; but they were all married off long ago, and to the next generation 1 was, of course, " the old maid." . What wonder that I grow prim and precise. If it had not been for aunt's sickness and suffering I should havernn away, but that held me fast. Tiio spring had come and gone with its April rains and May flowers, and the rare days of June had again appeared, when ono morning Aunt Lucy told us, . . that " sure as wo were alive, something . was going to happen, for she had had a , warning in the night, strange noises, which foreboded ill to some of us." Uncle found upon going to the bara that the speckled cow had contrived to step into an opening in the floor, and in her vain, efforts to extricate herself had become strangled. That night, when my day's work was over, the milk strained and the pails washed, I walked out by the babbling ' brook; Time had been when I should have heard unwritten niuGio in the cou Btant ripple, ripple over the moss-grown rocks, but I was too antiquated for any thing liko seutimcnt then. I was startled from ray reverie by a carriage driving rapidly up to our gate, from which alighted two young ladies, who, to my. unsophisticated eyes, looked amazingly stylish and citified. Before I had recovered in the least, I was embraced by the girls, and in the midst of a shower of kisses, heard my self called ' dear cousin Jennie, "old darling," and other endearing epithets, which sent my heart into my throat in a strange way. They enjoyed my surprise immensely and hurried me into thehouse; theyflew at iinele, upsetting the three-legged stand, candlestick and Bible, and such a hugging as the poor old man received! Ho began to quote Scripture, but ended with "Did you ever?" . Aunt came in for her share, and by that time we had a light, and found out that our visitors were some down-country cousins. It did not seem very clear to which branch of the family they belonged, and I suspect our welcome must have been rather constrained ; but it made no difference, the girls had come for a good time, and were not to be deterred from having it. Aunt asked triumphantly, "Didn't I tell you that something was going to happen ? The noise wasn't for nothing, sure." The girls were as uniike as possible. Bella, tall and queenly, with hair which would rival the raven's wings for blaok ness,and eyes that should have belonged to some Egyptian princess. Kate was a regular hoyden, petite, pretty and light-hearted as a child. She upset everything which she came in contact with ; in three days she had broken through all our time honored rules, had gone whistling after the cows an hour earlier than usual, and upon being told by uncle that she " must not run them, because they wouldn't give so much milk," declared she " knew what she was about, it would not take so long to milk them." ' ''Whatever blandishments she used upon unde, to the surprise of us all, he harnessed up tho old mare and took her to the village and post-office, returning after dusk, a thing unheard of with us. She persuaded aunt to get off the bed that she might see how tall she was, and by dint of flattery and persuasion, had her dressed and out to the dinner-table. We should not have been half as muoli astonished if a ghost had walked in up on us. She asserted that she had wonderful " healing powers," and that she believed ehe " was sent to restore aunt to health, and that " she had wrought miracles all her friends knew," and she called upon Bella to corroborate her testimony. Uncle and aunt believed every word she uttered, and in two weeks' time she had aunt out-doors feeding the chickens and ducks, and unele had hired one of the neighboring boys to assist in the farm -Work, ' "The next stop was to declare that she " must have some butter and cheese made by aunt's own hands. Ever since a child she had listened to the most marvelous stories of what aunt could do, ( but seeing was believing.' " 1 ; Of course I was quickly deposed, and between aunt and the girls I found con siderable time upon my hands. " ) Kate told me, in great confidence, that sbf i'J&nd bropght Bella pff td give her tune to think ; she had been under the influence of a girl who was not true to her, and through her influence was likely fcntbtw wythe best part of her life. . . .. v . .,,) Couldn't I say something Lto lead Bella to decide on what was right and just?" I set me to thinking, and I watched for an opportunity to draw Bella out. She was more communicative than I expected, . though all her confidences were given in the way of asking ques tions. "Would you do so?'r or Would you advise such a step ?" I crew strancrelv interested in it all. What woman can keep her fingers out of a love affair when the chance is otter ed her? Ono evening I went into our little parlor, which had come into unwonted use since the advent of our visitors. The girls were sitting apart, as though resolved to be unsociable in the twilight hour that was fast closing around us. Kate was busy with bright worsteds, fashioning one of the pretty nothings such as ladies delight to kill time with. She greeted me with "I'm glad you've come, and, with a glance at tsella, " Tis so horrid dull here, you know." 1 made no answer, but looked to the end window, where Bella was leaning her head partly out. I could see her thoughts did not take us in, or any of her present surroundings. Kate exclaimed that she had "made a mistake, and worked in the wrong oolor for ever so far." Bella said, as though brought back to the present time by the words : " You are not the first one who has done that." I turned to her : "I have known lives to be entirely changed by a false color ; were you thinking of that ?" She replied indifferently : " No, there is no need, women do not die of broken hearts nowadays, and a man's life is not so easily wrecked, that is, if it is worth anything. I'll risk them." She stopped, held, perhaps, by my look, though she could only have felt it through the gatheriug darkness. I asked : " Were you going to add, that you will risk the consequence of the wrong colors you have been weav ing into your own and another's life?" Her head dropped upon her arm. Kate called to her " not to mope, but to bring her chair close to us." There was no answer ; so turning to me, Kate said : " You are my last refuge, the daylight has failed me, Bella refuses to be comforted, so I am left on your hands. Will you tell mo what you have been dreaming about since you came in. She sat down on the carpet by my feet and laid her head in my lap. How it caruo about I could never tell, but I opened my heart to that child, read her page after page of my life, turning the leaves backward for a while, then breaking off abruptly, commenced at the girlish years, and showed her the joy, love, doubt and despair which had left me tho silent, gray-haired old maid of thirty-five, that was foolish enough to review all this to a chit like her. The short curls under my hands were wet with tears which had somewhat welled up with my recital, bat 'twas Bella's arms which were around my neck, ond her lips touched my fore head iu mute sympathy. ,.I felt strongly comforted by their love and -caresses, but begged them not to worry about me, for there was a long distance between those early dreams and the prosaic now ; only I prayed that they might never let pride or dis trust come between them and the ono they might sometime love as I had once loved. I assured them my life had not been altogether bare ; none need be, I held, unless they so willed it tliems.ilves. . " But, Jonnie," andj the little head nestled close to my neck, " you said ' once loved ;' don't you love hirn now ? Wouldn't you ask him to forgive the past if you could see him again ?" Her words startled me. " Child," I answered, "yon know not what you say. He has forgotten me, and another woman holds the place I wasnot worthy to fill, it would be a sin for me to love lain now." ' "But you do, Jennie," she whisper ed, " just a little , you know you do." " God help me, Kate, for I am weak and sinful. The daylight had retreated, and we could not see each other, only I could fuel how -clouded over were the bright young faces. ' ' When they kissed me ". Good night," Kate had recovered her cheerfulness, and bade me to be of good courage, for all sorts of miraclea were in her line, and her faith was equal to the moving of mountains. As I took down my hair that night, 1 felt again tho touch of those hands which had loved to caress it in those vanished years, and in my dreams there came a face and voice which were won derfully like Bella's, and yet sterner and masculine. With one excuse and another, the girls drove me from the kitchen and almost from the house for the week that followed. They took possession of everything ; the windows and high post-bedsteads were draped with the long unused white curtains, with their netted and tasseled fringe. I heard aunt tell them that she had put them by in case of a fu neral. : ' Howl Kate's merry laugh .rang out upon thetiir. " You dear old fudge of an aunt, da you know I have brought with me the immortal bloom of youth ; talk to me of weddings and births, but not of the tomb." Aunt began a lecture upon the uncer tainty of everything here below, but Kate threatened to loave her if she didn't desist, and added, " You know what you would be if 1 should withdraw my magio; why, they would have to tuck you up in that bed and give you gallons of herb beer. Don't you know what a bed-ridden, forlorn old woman you were when I came, and jnst see what I have done for you I" She caught hold of the old lady and made her dance across the room, humming to her, " Where's my little dog, he will know if this is I." w -f u - v Unole laughed I yes, though I fancy it must have been painful, such an un wonted movement of the muscles. - The house beeaite bright with ever greens and flowers. All the quaint, old dishes cane, into sight and were made useful instead of vases, which we had not. The big, broad fireplace looked like the very, bower of beauty, and in fact, over the whole place passed the magician's wand. Sundry rides were taken to the Tillage, quite as much to the astonishment of tho horse ns any one. Kate informed me that " the old thing was tricky, for when out Of sight of uncle and tho farm she could go like sixty." " Owing to your wand," laughed Bella, " Doubtless," said I, while Kate gave me a pinch and a kiss. How quiet that Saturday evening came down upon us. The doors were thrown wide open and the house was filled with the sweet clover-scented air. - The girls had gone down to the brook, and in the twilight stillness and hush, I caught its faint gurgling, like the sound of some half-forgotten melody. I looked down upon myself ; the girls had persuaded me to " try on my new dress ;" it was their gift and fash ioning, so of course I could not refuse, though it seemed that tho coming Sab bath would have done as well. "Jennie," said uncle, "you look as you did when you first came to us, only the pain has gone out of your face. I believe it has done you good living here with us. Kate came up with a hop and skip ; she looked at mo keenly. " Of what are you thiuking, Jennie, dear? How becoming your blue ribbons are! If you had only worn blue that day in stead of pink! What a treacherous friend that woman was! And to think she took him away from you! Do you forgive her, Jennie ?" ' " I have tried to, Kate, bnt how oan I? 'Twas his wealth and position she wanted, while I oh! I loved him so much." Kate had drawn me out into the starry night. " Look out, dear, or you'll be sinning again." Bella came up upon the walk and together we saun tered down to the gate. Had I done well, to speak of these things to the girls ? Wouldn't they misunderstand me, after all ? Had E done more harm than good, and shouldn't I have all the old battles to fight over again with myself and my ideas of right ? " I wonder," said Kate, " if the best things in my life are the best in other people's lives. "Of course, it should be doing one's duty, everybody understands that, after which we may be eclectic, I suppose. I was going to ask Jennie but here comes some one up the hill do you think we are to have a caller ? Has the fame of our wonderful powers gone forth to the world of Chesterham ? Didn't I tell you, Bella, everything wore an expectant look here to-night ?" The girls stepped back, and it seemed to me I was left alone in the universe with that approaching figure. " Can you tell me where I can find Jennie Randall ?" I know not if I answered. I don't think there was time, before I was close folded in those strong arms and bearded lips took possession of mine. When I found breath and thought for speech, I tried to free myself as I whispered : " But your wife : I have no right to your caresses. She stole them from me." " Hush," Eaid ho; "she is resting under the sod, and I bear from her to you the confession she gave me. She sinned, and she repented. Let us for give her as wo hope to be forgiven." How long we stayed there, I cannot tell, but when we entered the house, uncle and aunt had gone to their room. The candles flickered on the mantel, and as.the girls came forward to meet me I came down from the seventh heaven to the realities of life. I stumbled over the introduction, but was put still more aback by seeing them acknowledge it by embraces which seemed ardent for strangers. When we were once more alone, I said, by way of explanation : " The girls have read some of the past chap ters in my life, and must have guessed who my visitor is, or they never would have given you such a reception. I am sure, however, they never heard your name until this evening." Ho brought the candles and looked me over. I dreaded to have him see how old and careworn I had become, but he assured me the only sign I gave of my added years was iu the failure of my sight ; that must be growing dim, or I wouldn't call him, with his gray hairs, " handsomer than ever." In the morning oh, that glorious Sabbath morning 1 How the sunshine filled my room when I awoke ! Did I kneel to pray ? I'm not sure. We offer prayer when we have something to ask for. . My heart was full, wanting nothing. Every breath must have been praise, for in that hour 1 forgot the past, and had no thought of the future. The present held all perfection to me. I wondered at myself as I looked in the glass. " Surely," said I, " it is the glory from my soul, touching up all my countenance, for this is not the face I have looked at all these years. I went into the parlor, but 1 doubted mv own senses at the tableaux I beheld There was George Vanhess, in uncle's arm chair : beside him stood Bella, with one arm round his neck and the other hand perfectly at home among those whiskers, which I should have claimed as my especial property. Kate was perched upon his lap, and was talking in a very rapid and animated manner. 1 - They all enjoyed my surprise, and George said, as he . shook them off : "Queer training, Jennie, you must have given these girls, to have them so pronounced in their admiration cf me." I looked from one to another ; " What does it mean ?"'. - i " Just this," said Kate,-"that I have stretched my wand over you all. W7ill the audience be seated while I ex plain ? "In the first place, Jennie, behold in your old-time lover and affianced husband I hope I am not anticipating matters Bella's half; brother and your crazy cousin s unfortunate guardian, t " You thought we were sisters, Well, we are by adoption and affeo tion." 1.1 . '.1.2 Hi .! Her voice fell. " When Amy. who used to be your friend, was sick, she told Bella of her duplicity,, and begged her to find yon; and act matters' right between George and you, if it wasn't too late. " Well, your being my oousin simpli fied matters a good deal. " Geerge had gone away on business, so we took matter ' in our own hands, and he knew nothing of our plans until he heard from us here. ' : . 1 , 1 " How much we have been obliged to urge him to make ' this visit you will never kuow," but Af 'this much be as sured, that tho day of wonders isu't over." , . .. After prayers that morning George told uncle that he should " have to de prive him of his housekeeper, but he would leave Kate awhile. Then he said, with a half glanoe at me, "After service to-night we shall have a quiet Wedding, and to-morrow I shall carry off my bride, for whom I have waited fifteen years." The last words silenced me, though I was glad of Bolla's bending caress to hide my rising color. - Only one month before I had called my life a failure. We are all too swift to- pronouuee upon ourselves and each other. What do we know of failure who see neither the end nor the plan ? Let ns believe in htfTUJihess thoutrh sorrow hath been learned well even by heart. Believe in light, although the night seems long. , . ' k The Drunkard's Cure. Some months ago a gentleman adver tised that he had discovered a sure specific for . tho cure of drunkenness. He would not divulge the secret of what compounds he used, but furnished the medicine at so much per bottle. He did not have so many applicants for his cure as he expected, considering the oxtent of the disease. In fact, the more malignant cases did not seem anx ious for relief ; they rather appeared to enjoy the maladyi A few, however, placed themselves under treatment, and some were cured whether by taking the medicine, or by not taking strong drinks, is not stated. ' One of the cured ones had faith in the medicine, rigidly carried out the directions of the doctor, and now has not the least taste for in toxicating drinks ; whereas one year ago he was an inebriate, and could not get along with less than a pint to a quart of whisky per day. He said that, at some trouble and expense, he had procured the recipe for the preparation of tha medicine, which he had pub lished for the benefit of suffering hu manity. It is as follows: buiphate of iron, live grains ; pepper mint water, eleven drachms ; spirit of nutmeg, one drachm. Twice a day. This preparation acta as a tonic and stimulant, and so partially supplies the place of the accustomed liquor, and prevents that absolute physical and moral prostration that follows a sudden breaking off from the use of stimulating drinks. It is to- be taken in quantities equal to an ordinary dram, and as often as the desire for a dram roturnB. It is estimated that there are in Eng land alone not fewer than six hundred thousand habitual drunkards ! Of these, sixty thousand die annually, and their places are supplied by sixty thou sand others, drawn into the vortex of ruin, from what many regard the safe and happy streams of moderation. So that every ten minutes some fresh vic tim becomes a drunkard every ten minutes some drunkard's soul is hur ried to a drunkard's eternity 1 A Secret of the Sea. The Portsmouth (N. H.) Chronicle reports that Mr. Hiram Tobey, one of the nr.vy yard watchmen, found on the beach of an island in that harbor a tightly corked bottle, which had ap parently been in the water many years, being completely overgrown with bar nacles and sea-weed. When broken it was fouud to contain a slip of paper, about four inches long and two inches wide, with marks upon it indicating that it had been part of a ship's log book, 'and bearing the following in scription : " December 14, 1861. Ship Jane, Arctic Ocean. I write this know ing that I shall never see land again, hoping that some one will pick it up. Yesterday the Captain died, whicli " I would write more if I could, but I am starving to death." Several words not legible ate expressed by the asterisks. The ink is very pale, and the paper somewhat discolored The writing, though indistinct, was easily read by the aid of a magnifying elass. The document is now in the hands of Commander McCook, at the Portsmouth Navy yard. An Iscidekt. A reader sends the following pleasant incident About eight years ago a young canary bird was found in the garden of a family resi ding in Baltimore. The little creature was caught, and claimed as the special charge of the mother in the family. The bird, however, failed to develop any gift for singing, and the family thought it useless to keep it ; but the mother had becomo too much attached to it to think of parting with it, and so it became her constant companion for years. Last December the lady died, and on the very day she passed away her little bird, so long silent, burst forth into charming song, as if to com fort the bereaved ones. It has eon tinued to sing ever since, particularly toward evening. The coincidence is re markable and pleasant. It should be mentioned that the lady herself was highly gifted with musical talents. A REQTJISITE FOR SCHOOL-KEEPINO. Mr. Weiss, in a lecture upon Theodore Parker, delivered more than a year ago, tells this anecdote, showing the quail ftcations necessary for a village school master less than half a century ago. Mr." Parker went to Lincoln to apply for the district school. . The old chair man of the committee, to whom gram mars were unknown, said gruffly, "What's your name?" "Theodore Parker." "Where do you belong?" "Lexington." "Be you the son of Captain Parker who fit the battle of kejungton?" "jno.j, am his grand boo." " What 1 be you Captain Park. era's ; grandson, who fit that battle t Well, then, I guess you'll do to keep our sonooi. u--. ;." Sweeden contains ' eighteen 'cotton mills, running one hundred and eighty ai a -ii.. vuuusaua ipinuiea. Stronger When Dead Than Alive, , It is well known, says Dr. Brown Sequard, that if a nerve has been di vided, after four days it loses its power. The muscles, however, remain perfectly active, and we can produce contraction in them. Unfortunately,' ' here, also, there is an element of nerve tissue, which is inside of the nerve sheath, ana it is not known whether it has lost its power or not. In the case of two de capitated men, I made an experimontof cutting off the arms. I found, after thirteen and a half hours in one case and fourteen hours in the other case. that all signs of life in the limbs had disappeared. Up to that time, either galvanism or a shock produced by a blow with my arm or a paper-cutter, caused the muscles to respond to the irritation. I then injected the blood of a man into one of those arms, and the blood of a dog into another. In both cases local life , was restored iu those arms. The muscles became irritable again, and the strength of. contraction was extremely powerful. Indeed, iu the arm in which the blood of the man had been injected, the power was im mense. It was greater certainly than during life. There was therefore a re turn of muscular irritability after it had disappeared, and nervous excitability had not come. The nerves remained quite dead. Therefore it seemed quite clear that the muscular irritability de pended upon nutrition by blood and the oxygen in It. ' The blood injected was richly charged with oxygen, and that was the reason . why the muscular irritation became bo great. There was more oxygen than usual. As the nerves had not regained any power at all, it was not through nuy influence of the nerves on the muscles that the part had re-acquired life. There also we find, however, that same objection, that we do not know whether the elements of the nervous tissue which are inside of the sheath of muscles had lost their power or not. ' Jiut there are other facts more deci sive. Professor Simpson, of Edin burgh, examined the power of contrac tion in the umbilical cord the cord which unites the footus to its mother. In that cord the contraction by galvan ism was made with great intensity. Some physiologists have thought that there are no nervous centers there. If there are any, they are very small. Id the iris of an eye I have found a sin gular fact. Long ago I had discovered that light can atlect the ins of the eye, even when it has been removed from the body for sixteen days and kept at a temperature of about 30 to 40 degrees i'ah. 13 ut 1 found that although the eye was In almost complete putrefac tion, the light still acted as au irritant of muscular fibers. There it was im possible to admit that there was ner vous action. The muscular fibers them selves were considerably altered, still thev acted. But there is a fact which is more de cisive to show that muscular irritability is independent of the nervous system for its existence. It is that if we strike a muscle that is dying away,-we pro duce a ridge at the place we strike. All the fibers in the musole contract at that place. And as it is impossible to admit that in those cases there has been a nervous action in every elementary fiber, because the parts I spoke of, which are inside of the sheath, are gen erally in the middle of the length of the hber, and any part of tho muscle may react in that way, it is, therefore, im possible to admit that there is auy nervous action in those cases. There fore, they show that muscles are inde pendent of nerves for their action. Tragic Narrative of Facts. The heirs of two brothers, named Jacques and Francois Lefevre have, through their attorney, presented a me morial to the Indiana Senate, which reads more like an epitome of a tragic romance than a narrative of actual facts. Jacques Lefevre came to this country about the year 1830, and set tled in Lawrence county, Indiana, near St. Francisville, on the banks of the Wabash. For fifteen years he toiled iudustriously on his farm,' chopping wood and selling it for fuel to passing steamboats. In 1845 he was murdered shot while standing near his wood-pile waiting for an -approaching steamer. An inquest was hold, but the mystery of the as sassination was not solved, aud the in cident gradually dropped ut of the recollection of the people in the neigh borhood. Eight years later Franoois Lefevre came over from France to coh lectwhat might be due the estate of his brother, and to live ou the farm ; but a few months after his arrival he, too, was shot on precisely the same spot where his brother fell, ahd his murderer was never apprehended, nor any clue obtained concerning his identity. The Lefevre estate consisted of, seventy-three acres, and since Jacques was shot, although the farm has produced nothing, the taxes have been regularly paid by the heirs. They have repeat edly endeavored to Bell the land since the murder of Francois, but notwith standing the fact that it was offered as low as 82.50 an aore, nobody could be found willing to risk his life by taking up his abode ou this ill-omened place. For this reason tha heirs petitioned the Legislature to accept the Lefevre estate ou behalf of the Commonwealth, to be devoted to any public use for the bene fit of the county of Lawronce, on con dition that the same will be known as " the Bloody Field, or by any other ap propriate denomination reminding the actual generation ot the impunity some what inexplicable of a double murder under more inexplicable circumstances at eight years', interval." . They also ask that the sum of the taxes paid on the estate from 1845 to the present time may be reimbursed to them, and a bill drawn in the interest of the petitioner is-now before the Indiana Senate for its action thereon. ! , .. 4 i; - 1 " " , i .Woman's Love. Bob Longley (with modest fervorW O. Jack 1 O. for woman's level O, for a true-hearted woman once, onoe ' in . one's life, to throw her arm round one's neck, and tell one Bhe loves one r ";" ' ' Little Jack Horner Ah I if yen'd had as much of that kind of thing as have had, old -man, you'd - be preoious bred o: the whole concern 1 AN EXTRAORDINARY CASE. A Mnn Utc Seventy Honrs With a llroken Neck. ' An inqnest held upon the body of Patrick Fannon, who came to his death, at Cincinnati, from injuries received by falling from an embankment, developed some very curious f aots in regard to the possibility of conscious life under ex traordinary circumstances. Patrick Fannon lived for seventy hours after sustaining injuries generally supposed to be instantaneously fatal ; his neck not only being broken in such fashion that the spinal cord was completely severed at the junction of the sixth and seventh cervical vertebra;, but the ver tebras also being fractured by the shock. The physician who attended him said he found deceased unconscious, breath ing heavily, and in a comatose condition. He was bleeding from the head aud the mouth; was perfectly immovable, in sensible to pricking or pinching of the limbs ; the pupils of his eyes were very much dilated, and he appeared to be laboring from serious injuries to the head. He had no power of motion ex cept that of breathing, and the latter was from the diaphragm, ana not irom the intercostal muscles of the chest. Although the symptoms pointed toward the brain for the cause or the conditions present, I did not feel satisfied, as there was not sufficient external evidence to account for the conditions of the symp toms, and 'I directed my search to in quire into the condition of the neck. I found that the head was somewhat thrown back, and that the neck appear ed shortened aud thicker than natural ; there was more fullness on the right side than on the left ; on bending aud moving the head I found more mobility than was natural, and I had a cork in troduced into his mouth, so that I could examine the back part of the throat, and I then found a dislocation ot the ver tebras of the neck, the body of one ver tebras presenting itself in front of tho other to the extent of half an inch. In trying to place the man in a com fortable position aud condition in his bed, his head was moved and his neck was dislocated again. The dislocation was reduced again by the same means resorted to in the first instance. He was then placed in a comfortablo posi tion, with orders that he should not be disturbed until I sa , him again ; saw him again in about au hour, and found that on account of bleeding about his head, it had been moved to put a piece of India rubber cloth beneath it to keep the clothes clean. I found that in doing so they had bent his head too much on his breast, and this had inter fered and caused difficulty in his breath iug. I at once regulated the position of his head ; his breathing immediately became easy and regular, and the man spoke so that he could be plainly un derstood. I saw that his head was properly supported, and left him for the night, expecting to find him dead in the morning. At my visit in tho morning I found the man, to my as tonishment, perfectly sensible, and in frill possession of his mental faculties. He was able to take food and drink ; but upon any motion being made of the arms or head, he complained of great pain in the neck. He died at 2 a.m., living seventy hours after the accident. The immediate cause of his death was asphyxia, caused by an accumulation of mucus in the lungs and air passages. I desire to add that fracture was known to be present at the time of the disloca tion. Dr. Muscroft says this is the third and worst case of broken neck he has had to deal with during the last ten years. In the first two cases the pa tients recovered, notwithstanding that one of them had sustained a fracture of the cervical vertebrie, in addition to dislocation. The latter patient had been injured in a fight : the former, a canal-boatman, by a fall from a barge into a shallow place near the nvor bank. In neither of these instances, however, was the spinal cord actually cut in two, as in the case of Patrick Faunon ; nor did the patients lose con sciousness, notwithstanding they suf fered from temporary paralysis of al most all the muscles, being unable to speak until after tbo reduction had been made. The injuries in Fannon's case were peculiarly aggravated, yet ho was perfectly sensible and able to con verse intelligently for many hours be fore his death, although the spinal cord had been completely severed a fact of considerable interest to professors of physiology. Royal Oddities. The King of Bavaria is eccentric. His engagement to marry, a princess is said to have been suddenly broken off because she persisted in refusing to ex press admiration for Wagner's music Among his freaks was the construction of a lake on the top of his palace, in which he Bailed about in a boat for rec reation. A few yeais since he took a notion that he wanted to see a repre sentation of an eruption of Mount Ves uvius, and immediately ordered a oourt pvrotechnist to proceed, regardless of cost, to produce such a spectacle on the mountain near ins seoluded palace. He complied with the order, but the repre sentation Was not satisfactory. The court pyrotechnist at Vienna was then sent for, and he made extensive prepa rations and gave entire satisfaction, and had an order for its repetition, the King expecting and thinking that he was and would be the only spectator. He, however, heard that the villagers had assembled at the foot of the moun tain and had .witnessed the spectacle also. On hearing this he countermand ed the order for its repetition, sent the Eyrotechnist home, and, ordering the urgomaster ef the village before him, severely rated him for allowing the people to approach the mountain. The Office Bore. Some one has got hold of the newspaper bore and Bot him to musio as follows :-: 1 ; , He drops into my easy ohair, . , i And asks about the newB ; . He peers into my mannsoript,' - i And gives bis candid views ' ' He tells me where be likes the line, And where he's forced to grieve, - -v He takes the strangest liberties, Sut never takes his leave 1 Items of Interest. Church singers are said to live by luck and chants. Never mind where you Work care more about how you work. , Au orange tree in vigorous growth yields from 500 to 2,000 oranges every year. ...... Duluth is said to have a city ordi nance which prevents a man from keep ing more than two tame bears. In some of our western rivers having lapid currents, a screw propeller has been fixed in the water, and employed in driving mills. Mrs. Partington wants to know if it were not intended that women should drive their husbands, why are they put through the bridal ceremony ? As in a letter, if the paper is small and we have much to write, we vrito close ; so let us learn to economize and improve the remaining moments of life. Tho Persians believe that all dia monds fell from heaven during tho earliest stages of the world, and are therefore entitled to religious venera tion. It is said that a careful computation shows the steam power of the Great Eastern steamship to be equal to the water power that drives the mills at Lowell. And now the Icelanders are begin ning to seek homes in the United States. They are said to rescmble tho Scotsh in appearauce, and are a bright, healthy-looking class. Prepay your postage. Bushels of printed matter on which postage is in sufficiently paid are every week deposit ed in the general post-office, and thero detained and ultimately destroyed. A custom house officer in San Fran cisco having casually mentioned that there was a case of small -pox next door to him, was promptly given a six weeks' vacation, to his great satis faction. Experienced Bheep men in different portions of California are of the opiu lon that the losses of sheep this winter have been so great that all the increase by way of lambs will be required to keep the numbers good. A boy in Greenfield, N. H., told his father that he guessed he could make that hen quit setting, nnd his father told him to go ahead. The boy's plan was to set fire to the nest, and in carrying it out he burned the barn and all its con tents. Tho question, What is a shyster? was raised in a St. Louis libel suit. Ac cording to one of the witnesses, the word was first "used in the Chicago Democrat, and was originally, as now, intended to designate a pettilogging lawyer. The time is with us when the femi nine dweller in the suburbs will say to her little girl, " Susan, go in and ask Mrs. Smith if she won t keep a few of those hens at home. I've just planted my seeds and can't have all those fowls here at once." The Richmond Journal has this : Wanted. A few hundred young men who part their hair in the middle of their craniums, to stand in front of tho First Baptist church, Broad street, to stare the ladies out of couutenaucc as they emerge therefrom. In the Yuba County Hospital, Cal., interesting experiments have been made with a magnet for the cure of rheuma tism and paralysis. A large hovseshoo magnet is used, and one case of paraly sis has been almost cured, and several cases of chronic rheumatism relieved. An old proverb says : Blessed ia ho That planeth a tree. To which we add : Alas for tho town That cuts healthy trees donu. A Boston tailor having reminded a debtor that he hadn't paid anything on account for a long time, and that ho (the tailor) mutt have some money, as he was very short, received this re freshingly cool reply: " Note received. If you ae very short why dou't you sell one of your horses 1 Would Not Believe. A correspondent rolates the following story of a coachman who had evidently never puzzled his head with chronology or any other kind of ology : "A friend of mine was riding a few years ago on the outside of a coach, when the driver said to him, I've had a coin guv me to-day two hundred years old. Did you ever see a coin two hundred years old ?' " Oh yes I I have one myself two thousand years old.' " Ah," said the driver, nave ye and spoke no more during the rest of the journey. When the coach arrived at its destination, the driver came up to my friend with an intensely self-satis fied air, and said, ' 1 told you, as we druv along, I had a coin two hundred years old. "'ies.- "And vou said to me as you had one two thousand years old.' " 1 Yes, so L have. " Now it's a lie.' " What do you mean by that ?' What do I mean ? . Why, it's only 1867 now !" Frightened. A cat which stuck its head too far into a tin can, iu a New Jersey town one night lately, was the innocent cause of a lively excitement. The family supposed a burglar must be in the kitchen, and while the ladies very properly fainted, the gentlemen armed themselves and began tiring wildly out of the windows, to let the supposed marauders know there were fire arms in the house. 1 The police and members of the fire department were anything but complimentary in their remarks as they journeyed homeward. . . . As Relics. rhe relics of the last saloon in Cadiz, Ohio, were sold at auc tion by the ladies of the Temperance League for the benefit of the cause. The government license sold for $100, an old funnel for 815, a pint flask $11, a corkscrew $7, a broken glass $5, and a large number offlasks and bottle at from 50 cents to $3 each.