The Elk County advocate. (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, June 15, 1876, Image 1

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HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor "and. Publisher.
nil desperakdum:
Two Dollars per' Annum.
VOL. VI.
EIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, JUNE 15,-1870. ;
BNVV
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Strolling In (lie Lane.
Tbe daisies istar thesummer grass
And, ltb the dancing leaves at play,
AdowD this lane the breezes pass,
In pleasant masio, all tbe day.
I lore the sweet, sequestered placi,
Tbe gracious roof of gold and green,
Where arohlng branches interlace,
With glimpses of tbe sky bsttveen.
I see tbe drooping roses trail
From tangled hedgerows to tbe ground j
I bear the chanting swell and fail,
Of fond love lyrics, all around.
And here, adown tbe sbady walk,
In days divine now passed away,
Entranced, I listed to the talk,
That evur held myheart in sway.
In days when birds began to sinir.
Beo&use they found the earth was fair i
In halcyon days of happy spring,
None aught but us our joys to share.
But pleasure past is present pain ;
Tbe petals of the rose are ehed ;
The piercing thorns alone remain ;
I live to sorrow for tbe dead.
THE EDEN OF WILDW00D.
Paul Renford was thunder struck.
For once in Lis life he was aroused to
something .like consideration of a sub
ject in hand.
Paul was four-and-twenty. At the
age of eighteen he had been left an
orphan, and heir to an estate worth a
million ; and his uncle his mother's
brother had been appointed his
guardian, This uncle was Anson Bet
terman, en enterprising merchant, and a
true hearted mail. After Paul came of
ago, and became master of his property,
through the advice of his uncle he em-
Eloyed a lawyer Darned Lrvett to act as
is agent to look after rents, and so
on and gradually this Lovett, who
E roved to be an apt and ready man of
usiness, had gained into his hand the
entire control of the whole property ;
ana so implicitly had i'uul trusted hiru
tnat lie had not even demanded vouch
ers for his bank transactions.
In fact, Paul Renford had degenera
ted into a listless, aimless being. His
natural abilities, of the very highest
order, had been prostituted to the most
useless of all pursuits the more seek
ing of pleasure for the purpose of lin
ing time. At tlrst no hod lived moderate
ly ; his youthful vigor had held him
aloof from the need of stimulants ; but
of late a loug continued round of dissi
pation parties, ball, clubsand billiards,
iu which night was appropriated to
wakefulness aud the dny to sleep had
so reduced his physical vim that with
out stimulants he found no comfort.
And now Anson Betterman had come
to inform him that Porter Lovett had
loit the couutry with every available
eorap of his property.
"Do you mean," gasped Paul, when
ho could breathe, " that he has taken
nil?"
" Yes everything. You had allowed
him such unlimited sway that he found
no difficulty in getting every dollar into
his bunds."
"Aud I am penniless!" '
"You know best whether you had
any of your property invested in busi
ness. "
" Not a penny."
' Then I fear that you have little at
hand which you can call your own."
'In Heaven's name, Uncle Anson,
what shall I do ?"
Really, Paul, I see but two ways
open to you. You can lie down, and
wither and die under the stroke, or you
can do as thousands of others have done
in misfortune arouse yourself, put on
tho armor of true manhood, and fight
the battle bravely."
I must earn my own living f "
It would seem bo."
"Aud how ?"
" I can give you a place in my store."
"No, no, I cannot commence the
battle hero not here in the city, where
I have led the van of folly and dissipa
tion. Let me have time to think."
AH right, my boy; and meantime I
will be thinking too."
On the following day Mr. Betterman
called again; but Paul had not thought
what he would do.
What have you thought, uncle ?"
' I'll toll you what I have thought,
"my boy. Back in the country and yet
not very far from the city are the mills
owned by my friend Sargent. They are
in a quiet, secluded village, the inhabi
tants of which are mostly his own opera
tives. Mr. Sargent will give you a clerk
ship there, and the pay will be ample
for your sapport."
" But," said Paul, ' may we not find
Lovett?"
' As yet we have been able to gain no
clew to his whereabouts. He is a man
not easily to be entrapped. But we can
try further, if you please."
"I will go up and look at the mills."
And so Paul Renford went up to Wild
wood, as Mr. Sargent had named his set
tlement, and he found it rural aud re
tired enough. But it was a beautiful
spot, nevertheless, and ho had a strong
inclination to accept the proffered situa
tion. Ho returned to the city on the
day of the evening of Mrs. Spuiteustin
ger's grand party. He was wondering
if he had better go, when ha learned
from a servant of the house that no in
vitation had been sent him. On that
very afternoon he met the Misses Spuit
enstinger on the avenue, and they did
not acknowledge his salutation.
So, bo I" he muttered. And that
is all I am worth to them I"
For a little time his heart sunk, bnt
be rallied.
Come, come, my boy," he exclaimed,
smiting himself upon the breast, ' there
may be something in lifo yet. Be
brave 1"
And on the very next day he accepted
the clerkship at the Wildwood mills,
and entered at once upon his duties.
For a time he found it dull, hard work;
but gradually his health improved, and
the vigor of youth came back to him ;
and under eimple living his muscles
grew and strengthened, and his whole
frame came into perfect tune of manly
beauty and elasticity. And now his
duties became light and cheering, and
he sung and whistled at his work.
The overseer oz tne rniua was Mr.
Grayson, and with him Paul found a
home. Mr. Grayson's daughter Delia
WBS a healthful, light hearted, true
spirited girl of nineteen. She was one
of those blonde beauties whose whole
presence is sunshine, and her merry
laugh rippled like the musio of dancing
waters in the pebbly brooklet. The
student of human nature who heard that
laugh would trahesitatingly declare that
only a heart of native purity and gentle
ness could underlie it.
At first Delia Grayson, when she saw
that Paul Renford was weak and de
jected, sought to cheer and entertain
him. She had heard the story of his
great less, and she pitied him. She
played for him upon the harp and upon
the piano, and she Bung to him, and
talked with him. But by-and-bye, when
he had grown strong' and vigorous, and
when ins innate manhood had mani
fested itself, she grew shy and taciturn,
and finally sought to avoid him.
And then, for the tlrst time iu his
lifo, Paul knew what true love was. For
the first time he experienced that sense
of devotion which leads the heart to
offer itself upon the altar of faith in the
woman loved. He asked Mr. Grayson
it ne mignt sees; nis daughter s love,
The overseer did not object.
And Delia? Had Paul been as versed
in reading the human heart in its native
truth as he had been in translating the
siren song of flattery, he might have
Known that tne love of the beautiful
girl was all his own.
So, when Paul Renford had been a
year at Wildwood, Delia became his
wife, and he wps happy happier far
than ne had ever been. And he was ad
vanced in tho mills from a clerkship to a
responsible agency; and thus ho had
frequent occasion to visit the city; but
there was nothing iu its din and glare
attractive to him, and he always came
homo with a deeper and more abiding
love for his own fond hearthstone at
Wildwood.
During the first year of Paul's mar
ringo a branch railroad was opened to
Wildwood, and thua they were within
an hom of tho city; and tho mill prop
erty was greatly enhanced in value.
"An," said the young man one day,
as he stood upon the piazza of his cot
tage, and looked off upon the rolling
landscape of hill and dale that stretched
away beyond the river, "if I only own
ed that sweep of land I"
y It is certainly a pleasant prospoct,"
said his Uncle Betterman, who had
come up to pay him a visit.
"Aye," added Paul, "and how it
must increase hi value now that the rail
has opened this way."
At this juncture Delia came ont and
called them in to tea. She took Uncle
Anson by the arm, and told him he was
her prisoner. - And he . bent over and
kissed bet , a nn;,i ;t ..,-,ui bo a most
blessed imprisonment.
"Dou't you find it so, Paul ?"
"It is heaven where .she is 1' was
Paul's answer.
And upon that sho loft Uncle Anson.
and threw her arms about her husband'u
uecK
" Dear Paul ! you are a blessing to
roe 1"
Shortly afterward the old merchant
t-aid to his nephew: .
" Paul, do you ever find yourself long
ing for the old life in the city?"
" Docs tho saved mariner look back
with longing upon tho fearful death he
has escaped, and willingly return to
storm and wreck ?"
"I think not, my boy."
" Aud can a man. iu his full sense.
long for the dazsle and glaro of the
empty life that brings only pain and un
rest, when a bright spirit like this holds
watch and ward for him over an earthly
heaven ?"
He held his wife by the hand as he
spoke, and his eye was radiant with a
light supernal.
it was on the following day a beau
tiful day in early autumn that Paul
and Doha walked out upon the gentle
hill that sloped up from the cottage.
And again he looked off npon the grand
spread of landscape beyond the river.
" An, he said, " if 1 owned that land
I would do a great work, Delia."
" What would you do V asked a voice
bohind him.
Paul turned and beheld his uncle.
"If you owned that land, what would
you do with it?"
" l would make it bloom with life I"
replied the youth, eloquently. Think,
now that the rail is laid, how near it is
to the city. Think of the toilers there
who might find light and comfort in
these healthful shades. If I owned that
land, I would invite capital to open it to
the life that ought to occupy it. I
would lay out streets, and portion off
lots for dwellings, each with its garden ;
and I would call it The Eden of Wild-
wood."
And suppose yon had the capital of
your own, my ooy ?"
"The Jiden of Wild wood should be a
verity."
A shadow passed over the old man's
face, and then came a shining light.
He reached out and took his nephew's
hand.
Paul, the- capital is yours the land
is yours!"
Paul would have laughed if his uncle
had not looked eo solemnly npon him
while he spoke. As it was, he simply
exhibited bewilderment.
' I heard you express an earnest wish
to own the land, and secured it for you,"
continued Betterman.
"Uncle I This is a serious jest."
" It is no jest, Paul. In one word
Porter Lovett has returned."
Lovett I returned I"
"Yes and your fortune is safe."
Paul Renford was not sure that he
was in his waking senses. His uncle
was not the man to ntter such language
jestkigly.
" It is true, my boy. Lovett has re
turned, and every dollar that he ever
bad of yours is not only safe, but the
amount is well nigh doubled."
Uncle Anson What is this f"
Do you not guess t"
I dare not. Tell me."
Again the old man took his nephew's
hand, and after a brief pause, he an
swered :
"Paul, you may blame me if you
please you may heap wrath npon my
head if you like but you must know
that Lovett has only acted at . my bid
ding. I sent him away, and he staid
away until I called him back. I saw
you failing and sinking, my boy. I saw
my sister's son wasting and dying of a
disease which could not be cured except
he could be lifted np from the pit into
which he had fallen. I saw his young
manhood so full of native power and
goodness bowed and
" Stop I stop I" said Paul, raising his
other hand. " i sec it all.
"And do you blame me."
"Blame yoal"
"Aye, do you blame me for the hard,
harsh remedy I applied?"
" Blame you, uncle 1 Shall I blame
you for my salvation ? Shall I blame
you for my manhood's health and
strength and vigor J Shall I blame you
for this? And he let go his uncle's
hand, and drew his wondering wife to
his side. "I only pray to God that the
return of the lost wealth may not cause
may wife to love me less. It can never
overshadow with its bulk theso other
joys which have grown up from the
bettor life !"
It was all as Uncle Betterman had
said. Lovett had gone away at his
order, having hrst secured the property
so that no harm could befall it and it
had all been done that Paul might be
thrown upon his own resources, and
thus saved from tho sloth that was eat
ing away his young life. And it had
worked well.
A nd when Paul Renford had received
back his great fortune he was true to the
promise ho had made concerning the
beautiful tract of land beyond the river;
and this is the true story of how the
toil rs of the city came to be blessed
with those pleasant, healthful homes in
The Eden of Wildwood.
Dreaming to a Purpose.
In the Boston Traveller we find this
statement: The brigantine Fred Eu
gene (of Portland, Me.), Capt. Adam S.
Smally, sailed from Bordeaux Nov. 24
for Key West, iu ballast. On the night
of tho twenty-ninth, when about six
hundred mile3 from land, Capt. Smalley
dreamed that he saw a number of men
in peril, and could save them. He went
on dock, and ordered a sharp look-out
kept, but saw nothing; then he went
below again aud turned in and slept!
The dream was repeated, and again he
turned out. It was still dark, tho vessel
was going free, but he -changed her
couri-e two points nearer the wind. At
daylight he went aloft and saw a vessel
to windward with a signal of distress
flying. He immediately close hauled
his vessel; the wind was blowing a gale,
but ho increased sail and commenced
beating to windward, but what he made
on one tuck ho lost on the next, for his
vessel was flying light. At last he de
termined to make a long stretch, calcu
lating on tne driltiug toward him.
After considerable time he had an im
pression to stay, and shortly afterward
ousei ved three boats pulling toward him.
He hove to and received twenty-one men
on board, tho crew of the ship Sparken
hoe, of Dublin, which they had aban
doned, unmanageable in a sinking con
dition. A fierce gale followed, which
continued four days. When it abated,
Capt. Smalley put into Gibraltar and
landed the men, but by doing so lost
twenty-seven days. Freights during
this time declined, much to the injury of
the owners of tho brig. The British
government mado Capt. Smalley a pres
ent of a chronometer gold watch and
chain, with this inscription on the watch:
" Presented to Captain Adam S. Smal
ley, of tbe American brigantine Fred
Eugene, in acknowledgment of his hu
manity and kindness in rescuing the
crew of the Sparkenhoe, of Dublin, on
the thirtieth of November, 1875." Capt.
Smalley is a native of St. George, Me.,
and went to sea when only eight years
of age. At nineteen he was captain, and
since then has never experienced any se
rious accident to any vessel under his
charge. He has sailed many years for
Hon. Nehemiah Gibson, of East Bos
ton, who speaks of him in high terms.
Buying a Mexican Plug.
In his lecture Mark Twain tells this
story of a speculation of his in Nevada.
He said: I bought the horse at auction ;
they called it a " Mexican plug." I did
not know what that was, but supposed
it was all right. The brother-in-law of
the auctioneer took me to one side and
said: Now, I could cheat you, but I
won t ; 1 see you are a stranger. Now,
that horse is a genuine Mexican plusr.
and, besides, he can outbuck anything
in the country." I did not know what
' bucking" was ; but as 1 wanted a horse
that could excel in something, I bought
him. The next afternoon I thought I
would ride him ; bo I brought him out,
and two men held his head and another
hold him down to the ground by his
tail, and I mounted, and just as soon as
they let go, that horse brought all his
feet together in a bunch and lowered his
back aud then suddenly elevated it,
throwing me some feet iu the air. I
went straight up and came straight
down, and lit on the saddlo, and up I
went again and still again. This time I
lit on the neck of the animal and hung
fast. Then he rose on his hind feet and
went through with all tho gymnastic
performances he knew of, and finally
ended by throwing me up again, and
while I was in the air I heard some one
Biy-: "Ah, how he bucks 1" So that
was "bucking." Before I got down
some one hit that horse, and when I got
down he was not there. Plenty of
mends gathered round to oner me sym
pathy. They always do when you want
to be alone. I wanted to sit down, and
I did sit down, and I was so sore and
bruised and shaken' I put one hand on
my head, the other on my stomaoh, and
if I had sixteen hands I could have
found places for them. One friend said :
" Why, you might have known he was
nothing but a Mexican Diner." Yes. I
did know it. And another: ' Why, you
could see that that animal bucked."
Yes, that was what I bought him for.
Very Close. A wit was dreadfully
bored by a stupid fellow who persisted
in talking to him on natural history.
There's the oyster," at last said the
bore ; what's your notion as to the idea
that the oyster is possessed of reason f "
" I think it may be true," said the wit,
" because the oyster knows enough to
hut its month."
WHAT CHINA SHOWS.
Article at Orrnt Ar Fnrnltare of Kara
penn Uealin..The " Lost ArU.
On the opening day at the Exhibition
the display of the Chinese empire was
quite incomplete, but the past three
weeks workmen have been busily en
gaged making pagodas, arranging show
cases, and placing in order constantly
arriving exhibits. China's display,
though smaller than that of Japan, con
tains much that is curious, and will give
the observer a much clearer idea of the
national handiwork than could be con
veyed by any published description.
Ono remarkable fact, shown by the
chinaware on exhibition, is that the
work of GOO years ago can be distin
guished by the superiority in its pure
coloring from that of recent date, thus
demonstrating that this nation bo an
cient is to be numbered among those who
have their "lost arts." A much higher
price attaches to these ancient pieces.
A plain globular china jar about twelve
inches in height is sold ot $20, while one
precisely like it except in coloring is
valued at $400.
The pavilion of this great nation,
which is on the south side of the Main
building, is readily found by the visi
tor, owing to the large number of cu
polas and pinnacles that tower to the
roof. On the right of the peculiarly
Chinese entrance are the exhibits of Hu
Kioang Yung, one of the richest men in
the country. His collection consists of
large China articles, highly ornamented
in enamel of great age. ' The figures
are grotesque, and tho pieces are japan
ed in the pure colon which modern
Chinese art cannot reproduce. One of
the articles is a peculiar formed bowl
of large dimensions and most elaborate
ly wrought. It stands on three fowls
representing cranes, and has extending
from opposite sides square spouts, giv
ing the idea of an immense teapot. It
has been sold for $2,500, its value being
derived from its ago, which is fixed at
500 years. It is stated that every arti
of this description iu the exhibit, ex
cept one, has been sold.
The showcases are very peculiar and
striking in appearance to the Occidental
eye, tho center case at the main entrance
being & facsimile of the Tokien Guild
Hong or Merchants' Exchange at Ning
Po. It is filled with beautiful silk pat
terns, the plninest being valued at $16
per yard. In the collection of high
priced wares further along is a small
plain green glass about four inehes high,
and resembling' a vase for holding
flowers, it looks like some old orna
mented worth fifty cents, but has out
lived 500 years aud is worth 25 at the
lowest. 'J'here is a very rich set of
chessmen made of Ivory", and repre
insr figures, one within te other, and ,
yet so separate that one cannot cease
wondering how human skill could fash
ion them. There are also several brush
handles, elaborately finished with ornate
pieces of silverware. Some of these
articles are said to have been purchased
by the Pennsylvania museum and school
of industrial art. Tables of mosaic
wood and bone work are much admired.
and is a collection of modern end an
cient chinaware which cannot fail to at
tract attention. Tho designs of the lat
ter are less fanciful than those of the
former, aud flowers and birds are the
chief subjects of ornamentation.
Among the most curious features of
tho department is a suite of furniture
strictly European in design. It consists
of a double tete-a-tete two-arm chair and
two center tables. The wood used in
manufacture is ebony, and very elaborate
in carvings. The chair and tete-a-tete
cushions are covered with a dark blue
silk with a raised figure running through
it, making the combination quite a deli
cate one. The tables are of the usual
circular pattern, and neatly ornamented.
There is a bedstead, exquisite as well as
peculiar in its carvings. It is made of
a light colored oiled wood, the legs be
ing elaborately carved in frightful look
ing figures. Instead of the usual slats
a finely woven cane bottom is stretched
across from the posts, and rising in
graceful semicircle from the head to the
footboard is abea.ntifnl frail framework.
Over this is ttretched a white silk cover
ing, and upon it, in bright colors, are
stamped Chinese scenes. A large bed,
with high posts and solid top, is gor
geously carved in 3owers and small
figures. This carved work is one of the
most interesting features of the Chinese
exhibit. Thore are many other articles
on exhibition well worth describing, and
considerable time may be profitably ex
pended in looking at the wonders of the
Celestial empire.
Injurious Qualities of Sugar.
Dr. Cutter, in the Boston Journal of
Chemistry, suggests that the free use of
caudy may be injurious to the eyes, be
cause the injection of BUgar under the
skin of a frog causes blindness within
half an hour. Sugar, he says, is wanting
iu nutritive qualities, though starch, the
basis of sugar, contains them in large
quantities. Dogs fed on sugar live
forty days and die of ulcers ; therefore
sugar largely partakeu of by humans is
likely to produce similar results. Sugar,
like auy aliment, will, doubtless, when
taken in excess, be injurious, but we can
see no reason for the scare proposed by
the doctor. There is a decided differ
ence between Crude sugar iujeoted into
the blood or tissues, and sugar digested
and assimilated. It is said that milk,
one of the most harmless of dietary
agents, injected as above, will cause
speedy death. Are we, therefore, to
conclude that milk is unwholesome ?
His Handwritlug.
The handwriting of the late Mr.
Bross, of the Cincinnati Enquirer, aoor
reppoude.it says, was a terror to all com
positors. It was probably the most fan
tastic chirography that ever found its
way to a composing room, and no one,
not even himself, would pretend to read
it after it got dry. I say no one, though
there are four or five men who are em
ployed on the Enquirer who can de
cipher it, and for possessing this accom
plishment they aro given the "fat" of
the advertising, I believe. While writ
ing he always hummed in a soit of sing
Boug way, not in words, but in tone, and
if hu were interrupted in this he would
immediately give up work, saying that
he must write and sing or not do either.
Where it Comes Fi oni. ' ,
Tho vat used in the New York market
all comes from Dutchess, Columbia,
Orange, and Suffolk counties, N. Y., and
from New Jersey. The best mutton is
supplied by Canada, where the sheep
are largely fed on pea meal, but a great
many good sheep also come from Ken
tucky and Ohio, and a few poor ones
from Texas. Hogs come from every
where that cattle are procurable, stock
raisers averring that neither can be
profitably raised, without tho other, so
that the New York market gets as its
supply the widest varieties of pig, from
the smooth, round, snub-nosed Berkshire
and Suffolk the poroine aristocracy
down to the gaunt, fleet-footed, alligator
snouted "beeoh nut," acorn and rattle
snake fed hog of Indiana and Iowa. The
hog business may be deemed better
systematized, in a commercial way,
than any other branch of the meat sup
ply. Pork dealers receive hogs shipped
to them direct from different parts of
the country, have them dressed at once
by expeditious machinery, and then sell
the carcasses on 'Change by their repre
sentations, on their guarantee of the
quality of the stock. Poor, mtasley
hogs and boars, which fall below the
general standard of tho lot so sold, are
sent down to market and there disposed
of. The rest go to the packers who
have bought them on 'Change, and who,
after taking out the loins, which nre
sold to butchers all over town, speedily
transform them into hams, shoulders,
bacon, lard, etc, etc., so that scarcely
an ounce of the hog is wasted. The
best pigs New York gets for local use,
fresh, come from New Jersey, where
farmers raise and kill a few each for
market in cold weather.
The Flying Bridges of the Himalaya.
A. Wilson, in his recently published
account of a journey through the upper
valleys of the Himalaya, says that these
bridges are constructed of twigs, chiefly
from birch trees or bushes twisted to
gether. Two thick ropes of these twigs,
about the size of a man's thigh or a little
larger, are stretched across the river at a
distance of from four to six feet from
each other, and a similar rope runs be
tween them, three or four feet lower,
being connected with the upper ropes
by mere slender ropes running at an in
terval of about five feet from each other.
The unpleasantness of a inula is that the
passenger has no proper hold of the up
per ropes, which are too thick and rough
to bo grasped by the hand, and that at
the extremities they are bo far apart that
it is difficult to have any hold of both at
the name time, while danger is incurred
by the bei.d or hang of the jhula, which
is much lower in the middle than at its
ends. He has also to stoop painfully to
move along, and it is seldom safe for
him to rest his feet on tho lower rope,
except where it is supported by the
transverse ends. To fall into the raging
torrent underneath would be almost de
struction. The high winds which pre
vail in the Himalaya during the day
make tho whole structure swing about
frightfully.
At the Quebec Fire.
It would be hard to conceive of a sad
der sight thau the ono which presented
itself as night closed down upon us after
the fire, says a correspondent. Hun
dreds of poor families had fled with
their few pitiable savings to the Cove
Fields and the Cricket grounds, and
there were huddled down upon bits of
carpet, beds, or the bare ground, and
falling asleep, hopeless, supperless, and
exhausted. It is wonderful to noto
what people save at such a time, and
whether it is sentiment which comes to
the surface under strong excitement or
merely absence of mind, I could not de
cide. I saw cats lying securely in the
arms of frantio women who rushed past,
and house plants, canaries, bouquets of
wax and paper flowers, pictures, etc.
One little fellow whom wo met looked
as if he were willing that the worst
might come, since he had a beloved and
demure old rooster safe iu his arms. An
aged grandmother seemed satisfied that
an unkind fate had left her several rolls
of wall paper to begin life anew with,
and a weary and discouraged-looking
man was struggling along with an arm
load of light but uuwieldly stovepipe.
Coral Fishing.
The total quantity of coral annually
brought up from the bottom of the Medi
terranean sea by Italians is estimated to
average a ..weight of about 100,000
pounds, and to represent a value of
$1,150 000. Of the above amount less
than 12,000 pounds is valuable for
jewelers' purposes. The Spaniards ar3
tho only rivals of the Italians iu coral
fisheries. They employ about sixty
boats and obtain somewhere about 25,000
pounds per annum which is valued at in
the neighborhood of $160,000. This
coral is not so fine as the other, however,
and has its special markets. After the
coral is gathered it is sorted and that
which is considered as merchantable "
is sent into factories where women are
employed to clean it, reassort it, class
it out according to color and make it
ready for tbe use of the trade. Only a
very small quantity finds sale in Italy.
More than nine-tenths is sent to foreign
markets, and the total revenue from it is
estimated to amount to $2,000,000 yearly.
Most of the fishermen are convicts.
Hence the proverb: "To be a coral
fisher you must be either a rogue or a
vagabond."
A Satisfactory Prayer,
The Rev. Mr. Spurgeon tells this
story : A poor man who had a large
family gave them a very comfortable
living while he was in health. But he
broke his leg, and was laid np for some
weeks. As he would be for some time
destitute of the means of grace, it was
Eroposed to hold a prayer meeting at
is house. The meeting was led by
Doacon Brown. A loud knock at tho
door interrupted the service. A tall.
lank, blue f rocked youngster stood at the
door, with an ox goad in his hand, and
asked to see Deacon Brown. " Father
could not attend this meetiiisr." he said.
" but he sent bis prayers, and they are
in the shape of potatoes, beef, pork and
corn.. The meeting broke np without
me benediction. ,j -
! " ESCAPING FROM PBIiOX. ;
The Sin Sln Prlnoners who Mtale Ioc.
motive and Ksnaped The Knclneer'a
Story. y -.! ..
The prisoners at Sing Sing have a
great notion of : taking possession of
passing looomotives and escaping in that
way. Recently some of them tried it
and the engineer, William Powell, tells
how it was done :
We left Albany at about half-past ten
o'clock in the evening with a long train
of freight cars. We ran slowly, aud did
not reach Sing Sing until after eight
o'olock the next morning. We switched
off on a side track so as to allow the pas
senger train from Poughkeepsie to pass
us. Before we started a gravel train
also passed by, going south, and then
we whistled and started on after it.
The convicts must have been well in
formed in the going and coming in of
trains, and our whistle warned them to
get ready. We worked up speed slowly,
and when we were passing the prison we
must have been going at the rate of
about fifteen or sixteen miles per hour.
The first intimation 1 had of anything
wrong was the ususuai numuer oi
prisoners lounging about the yard and
the offset wall between the two tunnels,
and the absence of guards. Just as the
locomotive was opposite them they made
a suddon dash for the tender and the
roof of the cars. They came tumbling
down like a flock of sheep, and the first
thing I knew three men were in the cab
with me, and a fourth had unloosed the
coupling between the locomotive aud
the oars. I instantly closed tho throttle
and shnt off steam, but one of the gang,
who evidently understood tho manage
ment of a locomotive, threw open the
valvo as quick as he struck the cab, and
then the locomotive went spinning into
tho tunnel. . " Get out of here," said
one, a brawny, red-whiskered man, pre
senting a long navy revolver at my
bead, " we're going to run this train for
awhile.'' : . . ') ' , .
As we passed into the smoke and
darkness of the tunnel I ran out of tho
cab and. held on to the side furthest
from the prison, for I - feared that ng
soon as we issued from the tunnel the
guards would fire upon us. . The con- ;
victs foresaw the same danger aud drop
ped to the floor to cover their bodies
with the Bides of the cab. The tall fel
low with the red whiskers seized the
fireman by tho neck and, thrusting him
upon the seat, used him as a cover for
himself. Suddenly the revolver that ho
held close to the head of the fireman
was discharged, and the ball whistled
through the side of tho cab and just
grazed my face. Thinking that the fire
man had been shot, 1 ran back into the
cab, and shouted : " Who's in this cab,
and what do you want?" I made a
movement to close the throttle lust as
we came out of the tunnel, but the large
man put up his pistol and said : "Look
a hero, boss, none of that; we're run
ning this thing now." Then there was
a discussion as to whether I should be
put off or not. It was at length settled
hy the big man, who said: xes, let
him run the machine, and take her
through as we want." Then the four
men stripped off their prison garb, tear
ing it into rags in their haste, and thrast
it into the red hot-furnace. They all
had complete citizens' suits underneath.
Two were armed, the big man and an
other follow, who carried a derringer.
The locomotive had attained a ternuo
speed. She rocked and crashed on, and
I expected that she would leave the rails
at every moment. I was also afraid of
running into the gravel train just ahead.
I told the men bo, but they refused to
let me shut oil steam. Then 1 explained
to them that I would be soon in Tarry-
town, and that there a switch would
throw us off the track and they would
certainly be captured. At this they
oonsonted to stop at a curve about four
miles from Sing Sing and two miles from
Tarrytown.
They sprung off the locomotive and
dashed up the hill through the woods,
catching at the brush and often falling
fiat on their faces in their hurry. As
they reached the brow of the hill they
turned and shouted : " Will meet you
on Tenth avenue and make this all right,
boss. lief ore they went off they took
my hat and stole the coat and vest of the
fireman, with seventy-four cents in the
pockets. They disappeared in the woods,
and I went back for the train. Over
sixteen iu all attempted to escape, and
most of them would probably have suc
ceeded if the locomotive had not been
uncoupled so quickly.
Wypsy Wisdom.
The man who his not the whip hand
of his tongue and his temper is not fit
to go into company.
When the wind is high, move your
tent to the other side of the hedge ; i.
e. , change your side according to cir
cumstances. Never buy a handkerchief or choose a
wife by candlelight.
It's like a. kiss, good for nothing un
less divided between two.
Don't ask for a thing when you can't
get it.
It is always the largest fish that falls
bacx into the water.
There may be adversity in a larcre
house as well as in a small one.
Keep it a secret in your own heart
and no oody will Know it.
Clean water never came from a dirty
piace.
Behind bad luck comes good luck.
There is a sweet sleep at the end of a
long road.
An ass that carries you is better than
a horse that throws you off.
Gold Coinage. .
The total gold coinage for the month
r f May, as appears from reports by Dr.
Linderman, the director of the United
btates mint, was $3,176,160; trade dol
lar coinage, $318,100; subsidiary silver
coinage, $2,iftj,iU5 ; minor coinage,
$12,475; total number of pieces struck,
10,215,634: total value of the coinage.
$5,696,840. This is regarded as a very
large coinage. . ui tne amount, r,757,
518 pieces, representing "$1,301,680.
were coined at Philadelphia; 2,061,000
pieoes, reprinting $3,814,000, at San
Franoiseo, and 1,797,116 pieoes. renre-
I LI iiri) fr i "
btntuig pooi,iou, at uarson. .
j ' ! ti Iioms of Interest. . .
! Domestio magazines Wives who blow
up their husbands. ' ' '
There is gold in the Black Hillf, bu
the men who get it don't come home, i ' "
' It seems that baso ball is an old He
brew game, as Solomon refers to the
pitoher being broken at the fountain.- ,-
' Judge Have you anything to offer
to tho court before sentence is passed
on you?" Prisoner " No, judge; Ihad
$10, bnt my lawyers took that." - , ' " " ''
Till we have reflected on it we are
scarcely aware how much the sum of '
human happiness iu this world is in
debted to this one feeling sympathy.
Seep your promises to the letter ; be
prompt .and exact, and it will save you .
trouble and care through life, and win .
for you the respect and trust of your
friends. - -
A father, bent on instructing his three-
year-old son, said : " If you had three
apples and should give me one, now
manv would vou have left ?" " I
wouldn't do it, pa," was the prompt
reply.
The latest device of the circulators of
advertising cards is to place them iu
envelopes inscribed: "To the lady of the
house For your life do not open this
before eight minutes past eight to
night."
They say it is impossible to cheat with
one of the turnstiles used at the Centen
nial Exhibition ; yet one of the gate
keepers turned in $50 more than his
registering apparatus calledfor the other
evening. ,
Fashionable tailor I can't help fit
ting a figure like yours, sir, and I'm
willing to lose money for the soke of
the advertisement, sir." Freshman is
delighted, and pays au extortionate bill
without a murmur.
From London Fun (on the hat and
cloak fashion) : Shocked and astonished
verger ' You bad and wicked boy, why
don't you take your hat off in church ?"
15ad and wicked boy (overcome with
guilt) " If yoa please, sir, I'm a little .
girl." ;
Roberts, the man who killed and de
capitated the California bandit Chavez,
has a cheerful relic on his hands. He
has to wait for the next Legislature to
authorize a roward for the head of the
noted villian, and all the time he has got
to keep by him and preserve the head.
The following is clipped from the
London Guardian: A widow, a great
invalid, wishes to place two of her
daughters, aged twelve and thirteen
years, under the charge of a lady who
would, when necessary, administer the
birch rod, as they are extremely troublo
some. Terms liberal.
A story is printed in Paris that the
czar, while at the bedside of his dying
younger Bister, told her how much it
pained him to see her die bo premature
ly. She replied: "You know they
don't live longer than sixty years in the
Romanoff family. This speech made a
deep impression on the czar. He is new
fifty-eight years old.
On the arrival of a circus at St. Croix,
Wis., a family who lived twenty-two
miles distant sold their only stove to
raise the money to attend it. Their
method of traveling was by means of
an ox team. Ouo day was consumed in
going, another in witnessing the enter
tainment and a third in returning.
Happy and contented they arrived at
their stoveless home and voted the cir
cus the best thing they had ever wit
nessed, and the money well and advan
tageously invested.
Opium eating deranged a young man's
mind so much that he fought imaginary
foes with his revolver at midnight in his
room in London, England. The fright
ened inmates of the house ran out into
the street, and two constables proceedt d
to the maniac's room up stairs. " They
are mesmerizing me," shouted the mad
man, and shot the two officers, wound
ing them severely; one, however, struck
him a blow with his bludgeon right
across the nose and felled him. He was
secured with great difficulty.
It is recorded that a gentleman resid
ing in one of the large towns of Eng
land, whose face exceeded tho ordinary
dimensions, was waited on by a barber
every day for twenty-one years without
coming to a settlement. The barber,
thinking it about time to settle, present
ed his bill, in which ho charged a penny
a day, amounting in all 31 16s. 9d.
The gentleman, supposing too much
charged, refused to pay the amount, but
agreed to a proposal of the barber to pay
at the late of 200 an acre. The pre
mises were accordingly measured, and
the result was that the shaving bill was
increased to 73 8s. 8d.
They Would Grumble.
A colonel of a British regiment was,
according to the Times of India, lately
muoh distressed by the complaints of
his men respecting their rations. The
beef was tough and Btringy, the bread ,
coarse and tasteless, the tea had no '
strength in it, and the sugar was largely
composed of sand. The colonel,
although he was unable to arrive at any
other conclusion than that these com
plaints were unfounded, at last sent for
the sergeant-major, and, confiding to him
the trouble he felt at the grumbliug
which went on. asked him what could be
done to stop it. " Grumble about
rations," said the sergeant-major; "why
of course they do, sir ; and bo they
would it you was to leed them on toast
ed angels I" - -
Take More Care of the Mind.
If persons of both sexes would pay '
more attention to the care of the mind,
our lunatio asylums would be less full
than they are now, and the health of
the body would be much better pre
served; for, as Schiller truly says,
mental, pleasure is generally attended by
animal Measure, mental pain by animal
pain. It is too much the custom for peo
ple to live in one nrrrow groove of
thought and action. They consequently
have no iuterest or sympathy for matters
outside their little world, and having one '
Support to lean on they become utterly
demoralized .when it fails them.. A
change of occupation is as desirable and .
beneficial for the mind as walking is ex-
eroise for the body. Saturday Jieview,