HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NIL DESPERANDUM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. VII.
MPGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1877.
NO. 34.
The Home Concert.
BI MABT D. BRINK.
Well, Tom, my boy, I must nay good-bye.
I'rebad ft wondorful visit here ;
Enjoyed it, too, as well as I could
Away from all that my heart holds dear.
Maybe I've been a trifle rough
A little awkward, your wife would say
And very likely I've missed the hint
Of your city polish day by day.
But somehow, Tom, though the same old roof
Sheltered us both when we were boys,
And the same dear raotber-love watched us
both,
Sharing our childish griefs and joys,
Yet you are almost a stranger now;
Tour ways and mine are as far apart
As though we had never thrown an arm
About each other with loving heart.
Your city home is a palace, Tom;
Your wife and children are fair to sees
3 'on couldn't breathe in the little cot,
The little home, that belongs to tne.
And I am lost in your grand large house,
And dazed with the wealth on every sido,
And I hardly know my brother, Tom,
In the midst of so much stately pride.
Yes, tho concert was grand last night,
The singing splendid; but, do you know,
My heart kept longing, the evening through,
For another concert, so sweet and low
That maybe it wouldn't please tho ear
Of one so cultured and grand as yon;
But to its music laugh if you will
My hoart and thoughts must ever be truo.
I shut my eyes in tho hall last night
(For the clash of tho music wearied me),
And close to my heart this vision came
The same sweet picture I always see :
In the vine-clad porch of a cottage home,
Half in shadow and half in sun,
A mother chanting hor lullaby,
Hocking to rost bcr little one.
And soft and seot as the music fell
From the mother's lips, I heard the coo
Of my baby girl, as with drowsy tongue
8he echoed tho song with " Goo-a-goo."
Together they sang, the mother and babe,
Sly wifo and child, by the cottage door,
Ah ! Hint is tho concert, brother Tom,
My para aro aching to hear once more.
So now good-bye. And I wish yon well.
And many a year of wealth and gain.
Yon woi born to bo rich and gay;
am content to bo poor and plain.
And I go back to uiy country home
With a love that absence has strengthened
too
Back to tho concert all my own
Mother's singing and baby's coo.
MISS CUTHBERT'S BIRTHDAY.
"Miss Cuthbert, are yon au old
mnid?'' The governess looked up m
surprise from the columns of figures she
hml bpeii correcting, nml met the puz
zled 1I no eyes of little May Fleming.
" Why do you ask me that question.
May?"
The child flushed and hung her head.
"Nothing; only Inst night when .you
nud Mr. Kenneth enmo iu the rw we
were nil on the piazza, and manAn said
Mr. Kenneth seemed very sofflwthing
French; and Alice said that was too ab
surd, for you were only a governess, and
an old maid besides ; and Bertha
said"
" Never mind what Bertha said. Your
mamma and sisters would not like you
to repeat what you happen to hear them
remark. Your slate is correct," she
'j.lded, "and you can go now."
T"Have I said any tiling bad, Miss
iJuthbert?" and tho blue eyes grew
abashed and wistful as they noted the
unwonted flush on the governess's
cheek.
"No, dear, certainly not;" and she
smiled down in May's" doubtful face as
she gave her the kiss of dismissal.
But the smile faded ns eom as the
small observer vanished, and tossing her
scattered books together, the governess
hastened ont of the sunny, dusty school
room, nnu up 10 uer own apartment.
It was a wonderful September dayp
magninccnt in clearness ana color. Yel
lowing fields and crimsoning woodlands
were 6teeped in magic sunshine. Down
below her, iu the garden, tho flowers
giowea line jewels, and far away in
misty, glittering distance, hills, forests.
and ocean were bounded by a purple
sky. Was it tears in Amy Cuthbert's
eyes mat maue tne sunlight seem misty i
Impatiently she dashed them away, but
still they gathered and fell slowly," blur
ring the bright day.
Unly a governess ! Well, had she not
become accustomed to being only a
governess during nine weary years of
lonely struggle with the world ? And on
old maid besides yes, surely that, for
this day even now declining to its close
must be counted as her thirtieth birth
day. But that. too. was no new thought.
Why should a girl's careless, slighting
speech wound her so ?
" Do hope and romance never die in a
woman s heart? Bitting with glaspod
hands and bent head, the, .governess re
viewed the twajenontuB tbat had elapsed
since the mowing when Bertha Fleming,
smiling saucily at her sister over the top
oi an outspreau newspaper, had mquir
ed :
Say, Al, which of your Now York
Adonises do you think is in this neigh
borhood ?"
" How can I tell ?" and the golden
haired Miss Fleming went on carelessly
assorting her worsteds.
" I suppose you could tell by reading
this paper, but I'll save you the trouble.
It's nobody less than Mr. Carl Kenneth,
the 'young and gifted artist -Now as
you didn't catch him last season, aren't
you glad pa's country-seat is located in
this romantio spot ? Oh, don't trouble
yourself to blush, Al 1"
" Blush, indeed ! You aro too imperti
nent. If I were your governess, I
would teach you better manners."
"Good manners don't run in our
family," was the serene response.
" When I reach your age I'll begin to
cultivate them."
" But go on abont Mr. Kenneth," in
terposed Mrs. Fleming a matronly
lady, who loved bfcr ease too well to in
terfere with tho little passages nt arniB
between her daughters, "Is ho alone1
here V"
"No, mamma there are three otbtr
artists mentioned. One is that dried-up
Mr. Finnis, he's so fond of."
"Who, by the way, is an artist of
great merit," remarked Miss Alice, with
much asperity.
" Well, well, my dears, we must have
Mr. Kenneth here to dinner. He is a
very charming young gentleman, and a
great favorite of mine. And we'll invite
his friend, of course."
So it hod happened that the two artists
had been guests at the Flemings' for an
evening, which proved an introduction
to much pleasant social intercourse.
Having been prepared to see in Mr.
Kenneth only a handsome, fashionable,
self-conscious devotee of art, the gover
ness had been astonished to meet one
who seemed scarcely more than a boy,
with all the ardor and enthusiasm of
young life flushing his cheek and firing
his glance, who yet possessed that sub
tle refinement, delicacy, and dreaminess
which mark the true artist. Taking her
usnal place as a quiet, unobserved mem
ber of the family circle, she noted with
increasing wonder the simplicity and
frankness of manner of this much-praised
young pniuter, this pet of society, who
sat in the center of a group of children,
his face alight with interest and merri
ment, talking as vivaciously as if he were
a child himself.
That had been the beginning. From
that evening the sober governess, who
had thought her romance dead, hod be
come conscious of a new element in her
eventless life. Had it been only the
Innguago of Carl Kenneth's dark eyes,
that had so often sought her retired cor
ner, or had it been the novelty of receiv
ing numberless little attentions to which
she was all unused, that hod first glad
dened the dull days ? How was it that
the barriers of reserve and pride had
been leveled so completely by this
stranger's gentle courtesy ? How had
she mannged to forget 'that she was
only a governess, and he the heir of
millions I she a woman past the hcydey
of life, he in the very prime and glory
of youth ?
Ah, what a foolish dream ! And now,
awakened by that careless shaft of ridi
cule, she must pay the cost of her folly
,m these bitter tears, falling on cheeks
that bnrned at tho remembrance of her
presumptuous fancies. Young Mr. Ken
netli had been kind and chivalrous to
her, as it was his nature to be to every
woman. Porhnps he had been kinder to
her, ont of pity. And she well, thank
ueaven, no one would ever know of it.
this idyl of a dead summer, this idyl that
she would bury iu the sunset of her
thirtieth birthday !
Is it easy for a woman to see the glory
fade from her life to look forward
bravely over a waste of gray, cheerless
years that brighten only as the dawn of
ueaven breaks upon their close ? Yon
who think it easy, would have wondered
at Amy Cuthbert's haggard face as she
sat with tho dusk gathering around her,
gazing ont at the distant hills, and con
fronting that prospect of
" Long, mechanic pacings to and fro,
And set, dull life, and apathctic eiid."
It was late when a knock nt her door
was followed by the delivery of a mes
sage :
"Jf Miss Cuthbert is not indisposed,
Mrs. Fleming would be glad to have hor
come down. Miss Bertha can't sing with
out her accompaniment."
Bousing herself with an effort, the
governess was astonished to see moon
light already silverinor terrace and lawr.
The afternoon had long passed, and mer
ry voices below told her that, as usual,
the Flemings' hospitable parlors were
filled with guests. How could she go
down ? But mechanically she had said
"Yes" to the servaut-maid ; so as
she rose and dressed, removing as far as
Eossible the traces of tears, and saying
itterly to herself, as sho cast a last
glance at the pale face reflected in the
mirror, "What does it matter how I
look ?"
The maelstrom of gay life surged
around her as she reached the hall.
Bertha Fleming, followed by a noisv
party, rushed iu from the terrace, waving
a book over her head.
Oyez ! Oyes ! Come here and im-
.1 jjrove your chances. I've purloined Mr.
i fftenneth's sketch-book the same he re
fused to exhibit !"
The owner of the book, who had been
running over a light air at the piano,
sprang to his feet.
"Pray, Miss Bertha," was the vexed
remonstrauce wliich he tried hard to
make polite, "don't take advantage of
your discovery. Don't make public the
fruits of my late iudustry, I beg."
"Whafs the use of begging, Mr.
Kenneth? After being shameless enough
to steal the book from the pocket of your
blouse coat, you might know I would
also disregard your prayers."
'But the sketches are so poor," the
young man persisted, much discom
posed, " that I really must insist "
" no, you mustn t insist nor apolo
gize ;" and Bertha's voice was supported
by a chorus from the curious group,
"You're a genius, you know. Now, are
wo all here ? First comes a study of
foliage, and next the old bridge over the
creek. Very pretty. Foliage again
rocks moon shadows ; how peculiar
those are ! how light I oh, how lovely I"
and she paused, enraptured by an ex
quisite little color sketch of convolvuli.
" Oh, beautiful !" and " Mr. Kenneth,
how could you deny us the pleasure of
seeing that ?" were tho outcries that fol
lowed. "Oh, now we come to tho character
studies I Here's a Goliath to beein
toads 1"
A laugh rose and trrew as head after
head bent over the paper. But it was
checked by an exclamation from Bertha,
who had turned a leaf :
" Why, here's St. Cecilia, and. as I
live, it's the imago of Miss Cuthbert !"
Every eye Bought the srovernesa face
as she stood by tho balustrade gazing
out at tho moonlight with absent eyes.
Confuted by the geuerol notice, she
said, hastily : '0f me!" and glanced
from the picture upheld by Bertha to the
face of the artist. The latter met her
look with another, half eager, half do
precatiug, and a dark red flush rose to
his check as he tried to stammer a
formal apology.
I cannot excuse the liberty I have
taken, but I oan beg Mian Cuthbeit'it
pardon. Her attitude and expression ae
iviiu, uuu uu Airy r airy .Lillian on the op
posite page. What a contrast ! And oh,
here's tho funniest charcoal studv of
she sat at the organ the other evening
struck me and haunted me until I mode
a sketch nnd christened it St Cecilia,"
" Excellent 1 That heavy coil of
hair, that sweep of drapery, and that
absorbed iook are all perfect. "
" And so like her I"
" Mr. Kenneth must have mode quite
a study of tho lady's face and fieure."
Alice Fleming said, with a somewhat
derisive smile. " He ought to have a
vote of thanks."
"But I am afraid Miss Cuthbert, on
the contrary, is displeased with me," the
proprietor of the sketch-book remarked,
doubtfully.
" Indeed, no," the governess hastened
to say. " I am very glad you thought
my lace worth sketching, it has never
oeen so much honored before."
"She owes you more substantial
thanks, Kenneth," said Mr. Finnis. with
a laugh. " She ought to toko the very
attitude you navo depicted, and repay
you Dy giving us a song. Ah, JU.1
Cuthbert, don't say no 1"
The governess shrank back.
"You must excuse me. I'm not in
the mood for singing."
" Must one be in the mood ?"
'Tray oblige Mr. Kenneth, Miss
junioeri, saiu uertna, maliciously.
"I really can not."
"When she says she can not, she
means she will be nrgej."
The importunity, half joking, half
serious, was continued, until Alice Flem
ing, who was already annoyed by the
umiir oi tne portrait, quite lost patience.
"I never before." she said, coldlv.
" have seen Miss Cuthbert attempt the
role of the prima donna in society. She
does it very well ; but I really think we
nave naa enough of it.
Utter and amazed silence followed this
speech. No one knew what to say. Amy
outuoert crimsoned to tho temples, and
walked straight to the piano, struggling
hard to keep back the tears that threat
ened to overflow..
Still possessed by the sadness and ex
hausted by the excitement of the after
noon, the effort of singing had seemed
impossible. But no sooner had she
touched the keys than she became con
scions of an imperative desire almost a
necessity of expressing her mood in
music. Stopping abruptly in a 'light
prelude, she tossed aside the sheet of
music before her. Only a few days be-
ioro sue uau Bee to musio a little poem
that had struck her fancy.- and now.
without premeditation, she began to
sing it, feeling as if all the sorrow and
despair in her soul were floating out on
tne notes.
Higher, sweeter, the voice rose
freighted with infinite sadness and
yearning, startling the careless listeners
into attention. The passionate tones.
soaring above them, seemed singing the
dirge oi nope.
Upon my word." said Miss Fleminor.
looking around the circle of- astonished
faces, as the last note died away, "Miss
Cuthbert seems to be tho sensation of
the evening 1
"By Jove!" exclaimed an exquisite
oesiuo her, remembering to raise a - fan
ho had dropped hve minutes before,
" you may well say that. She'd make a
sensation any where.
Tho singer was surrounded, and eager
ly complimented.
"What is that song?" one after
another inquired.
" Only a little poem called a 'Woman's
Birthday.'"
" Surely yondon't mean to stop. Sing
sornetmng else.
But Carl Kenneth, at her sido, said,
imperatively, "Come out into the air:
you look really ill. Pray don't ask any
thing farther of Miss Cuthbert," he
said to the others. " She has given mo
my song ; mat ib enough."
Only to glad to get away from the
crowd and the lights, tho governess ac
cepted his offered arm. Ill enough she
felt, indeed, as they paced down the
garden path in the waning moonlight.
All her excitement had passed into in
tense languor a weariness bo great
that she was glad to sink down on a
garden seat at the end of the walk. But
remembering her resolution of the after
noon, she half rose as her companion
threw himself on the grass at her feet.
"I ought to go in. I forgot that
Mrs. Fleming sent for me to play
Bertha's accompaniment."
"Ah no; don't go back amongst nil
those people. Stay here in the moon
light, and let mo talk to you."
Another wave of the setf-soorn whioh
had humilated the governess that after
noon seconded his entreaty. "Why,"
Amy Cuthbert said to herself "Why
should she not sit down and talk to Mr.
Kenneth as any friend or acauaint-
nnce would do? Why need she be so
foolish she who had buried romance
forever ?
"I shall be glad to have you talk to
me ; and tell me about that last pic
ture you were so much interested in,"
she responded.
" I have not touched it for a week. I
am tired of attempts in art ;" and the
young aristocrat moodily tossed his
heavy hair away from his brow " I be
lieve I shall keep only ono picture of all
those I have painted this summer."
"And what is that?" she asked, un
suspectingly. "A St. Cecilia."
Amy Cuthbert could not repress a
start at this unexpected reply. Neither
could she at once find a fitting rejoinder.
She sat in silence, idly pulling to pieces
a blossom of Virginia creeper, thankful
that shadows hid her face.
"No, I will not keep that piece
either," her companion continued, im
petuously. " I do not want to remember
you with that cold, pure, rapt expression
I have depicted. I will rather paint you
as a Madonna a happy, radiant, beau
tiful woman."
" You flatter my face ; it suits neither
of those .characters."
" How might I paint you, then?"
" As Elaine, pernapa, she answered,
with a sigh " if I were young and beau
tiful enough."
" Elaine I No ; if I painted you thus,
I would paint Lancelot kneeling before
you, aa the
Hed-croM knight forever kneeled
To lady, in his shield.'
And you, if Lancelot were kneeling be
fore you, would you srailo upon him ?"
Something in the voice, something in
the flushed face uplifted in the moon
light, thrilled her strangely. Why did
Mr, Kenneth talk to her eo ? She forced
herself to answer, with laugh i
" I could not bo the lily maid of
Astolat ' if I did not smile on Lancelot."
"But I cannot paint you, fori have
rarely seen you smile have never once
seen yon look glad and care-free. And
yours," he added, in lower tones, " is
the face of all in the world that I most
wish to see happy and bright."
Involuntarily the listener started, at
the words, and a quick heart-thrill dis
turbed the even answer.
"Like most of the race, I am neither
very happy nor extremely miserable."
" Bnt is not happiness possible f Let
mo make yon nappy by the effort of my
whole life. Miss Cuthbert. why will
you not understand me? I want to tell
you that 1 love you.
The last leaf of the blossom she had
ruined fell on the grass. The hand that
hod held it was prisoned in two others,
and the moonlight shone on the earnest
dark eyes that were trying to see her
face. Amy Cuthbert's resurrected
romance, warm and glowing with life,
stole back into her heart and fired her
pale cheeks with blushes. Half incred
ulous, she listened, as the voice went on
passionately :
" I love you. My darling, my rose of
life, what will you say to me because
I love you ?"
Reader, what do you think Amy Cuth
bert answered? On the one hand lay
the desert of life, unsunned and .un
varied ; on the other waited love, joy,
light, and beauty. Could she turn away,
when
"From lands of bliss enchanted, over wastes
of sunset sea,
Bnowy-sailed and crimson-tinted sped ft won
drous argosy ?"
In the woning moonlight, amid the
dying year, she read another pace of her
idyl an idyl destined to grow fairer
and dearer through many a coming year,
So ended Miss Cuthbert's birthday.
Haiyier's Bazar.
An Ant Fight.
An interesting account of an engage
ment between a party of red and of black
ants is related by a correspondent of the
Forest and Stream : " Last week, as I
was coming in thefiate, says the writer,
" my attention was attracted by seeing a
stream of ants moving across the walk,
going in different directions. They were
traveling in a belt about four inches
wide, and moving very rapidly. Of
those going in one direction, each had a
large ant egg m its mouth. I followed
the empty mouthed ones and found they
were robbing a neBt of red ants. The
nest was about ono foot across, and was
covered with red and black nnts engaged
in a most desperate battle the reds try
ing to defend their home from their
thievish enemies. At times tho ants
would form in their little hills, sliding
and roiling over the ground. I observed
that the black ants that were" engaged in
stealing iook ne part in the' fight, but
would siczo tho eggs and make for their
own hill, leaving the fighting to be done
by the rest of the band. Tho black ants
iu making these depredations hod to cross
one carriage drive, two plank walks, and
climb up a terrace two feet in height
the distance between the two hills being
152 feet through the grass of an ordinary
lawn. Out of curiosity I killed one of
the black ants, and took it to a jeweler
and had it put on the balance with the
egg it was carrying, when the ece was
the heaviest ; which shows tho remarka
ble strength and endurance of these
interesting insects. I once noticed a
small red ant trying to carry a worm,
several times as heavy as itself, up a
small mound on the top of which was its
nest. After trying severol times without
success, it ran up the hill and disap
peared in its hole, and presently returned
with quite a number of companions, who
easily carried their captive into the nest
in spite of his struggles."
Wheat Production.
The. following table gives the annual
production of wheat in the United States
for twelve years, together with the an
nual exports and the home consumption.
seed and wastage :
Crop (hit. ) Export. VimnumnHon.
1802 177,'J57,172 6G,915,i21 122,041,651
1H8 173,677,928 39,689.773 133,988,155
1864 160,695,823 14,657,641 146,038,182
1865 148.522.827 15.359.187 133.172.688
1866 151,199,906 10,171,692 141,028,214
1867 212,441,400 23,556,319 188,884,481
1868 224,036,600 21,136,029 202,900,571
1869 260,146,900 60,026,612 209,220,288
1870 235,884,700 49,794.432 186,090,268
1871 230,722,400 35,484,101 195,288,239
1872 249.097,000 48,929,069 200,167.931
1873 281,372,000 87,393,648 193,978,357
1874 308,000,000 70,466,890 237.533,110
1875 290,000,000 71,028,340 218,971,654
1876 250,000,000 65,008.758 194.990.242
This season it is known that the re
serve has been cut down to the minimum
by shipments of 30,500,000 bushels irom
the West since Jan. 1, against shipments
last yearof 29,000.000 bushelsfrom a crop
40,000,000 larger. At five bushels per
capita, the home requirement would be
about 235,000,000 bushels, beside the
quantity needed to replenish the reserve
which figures of yearly consumption
indicate may be roughly estimated at
20,000,000 bushels. Hence, if the com
ing crop is as much as 325,000,000 bush
els, and the price is not unusually high,
consumption and replenishment of re
serve will take about 255.000,000 bush
els, leaving 70,000,000 bushels for ex
port. If the price rules high, both con
sumption and the quantity taken for re
serve will be diminished, and the sur
plus for export may then be as much as
08,000,000 bushels. New York Tribune,
A Nose Fashioner.
Dr. Cid. An invfintivfl tmrfrArm nf Paria
noticed that elderly people who for a
1 . i rr ;iv,n - .. .l
miud uuvo wuiu ej'o-t$iuscB sup
ported on the nose by a spring are apt
to have this nronn Iniiir ami thin Thiu
he attributes to the compression which
tne spring exerts on the arteries by
which the nose is nourished. Not long
afterward a voiinc Wlv of fiftAn
suited him to see if he could restore to
moderate dimensions her nose, which
was large, fleshv and nnsio-liHv TTa
took exact measurement, and had con-
Btruoteo. ior her a " lunette prince-nez "
a spring and pad for compressing tho
artery which v&H vfirn nt nirrbf on.1
when she conveniently could in the'day-
j-u uircu wee&s a consolatory dim
inution was evident, and in three months
tho young lady wa8 quite satisfied with
the improvement in her features. This
etory tsall Captain Marryatt'B phreu
ologioal developer. .
W0MAS.
What the Pacts Think of llrr-The Days of
I hlvnlry. Home Noted Women.
Oh, woman 1 lovely woman t Nature made thee
To temper man t we had been brutes without
youl
Angels are painted fair to look like you
There is in you all that we believe of heaven,
Amazing brightness, purity and truth,
Eternal Joy and everlasting love. Oheay.
Woman, dear woman, thon "rt Btill the same
While beauty breathes through soul or frame j
While man possesses heart or eyes,
Woman's bright empire never dies. Moore.
The bleakest rock upon the loneliest heath
Feels in its barrenness some touch of spring
And in the April dew or beam of May,
Its moss and lichen freshen and revive :
And thus the heart most sacred to human
pleasure,
Melts at the tear joys in the smile of woman.
Beaumont.
Oh, woman 1 in our hours of ease
Uncertain, coy, and hard to please,
And variable as the shade
By the light, quivering aspen made :
When pain and anguish wring the brow,
A ministering angel thou 1 Scott.
Poetic lays of ancient times were
wont to tell how the bold warrior return
ing from the fight would doff his plumed
helmet, nnd, reposing from his toils,
lay bare his weary limbs that woman's
hand might pour into their wounds the
healing balm. But never a wearied
knight or warrior, covered with tho dust
of battle-field, was more in need of
woman's soothing power than ore those
careworn sons of mental or physical
toil who struggle for the bread of life in
our more peaceful and enlightened days.
And still, though the romance of the
castle, tho helmet, the waving plume
and the
" Clarion wild and high,"
may all have vanished from the scene,
the charm of woman's influence lives as
brightly in the picture of domestic joy
as when she placed the wreath of victory
on the hero's brow. Nay, more so, for
there aro deeper sensib'ilities at work,
thoughts more profound and passions
more intense in our great theatre of in
tellectual and moral strife, than where
tho contest was for martial fame, and
force of arms procured for each com
petitor his shafe of glory or of wealth.
Aspasia, the wife of Pericles, was a
woman of the greatest beauty and the
first genius. She taught him his refined
maxims of policy, his lofty imperial elo
quence nay, even composed the
speeches on which so great a share of
his reputation was founded. Tho best
men in Athens frequented her house nnd
brought their wives to receive lessons of
economy and right deportment. Socra
tes himself was her pupil.
Guyot, the statesman and historian,
owed much of his success to his wife's
co-operation.
The wife of Louis Galvani (daughter
of Professor Galezzi, under whom he
had studied anatomy), being a woman
of quick observation, noticed that the
leg of u frog, placed near an electrical
machine, became convulsed when touch
ed by a knife, and a series of experi
ments ont of this led to the discovery of
a new system of physiology, ever since
called "Galvanism."
The wifo of Lavoisier, the French
chemist, not only could perform his
scientific experiments, but even engrav
ed the plates which illustrated his "Ele
ments." Hubcr, tho blind man, who wrote the
best book on bees, derived his knowl
edge of their habits and instincts from
the observations of his wife.
Mary Cunitz, one of the greatest
geniuses iu the sixteenth century, was
born in Silesia. She learned languages
with amazing facility, and uuderstood
German, French, Polish, Italian, Lntin,
Greek and Hebrew. She attained a
knowledge of the sciences with equal
ease ; she was skilled in history, phyBic,
poetry, painting, music, nnd flaying
upon instruments ; and yet they wero
only an amusement. She more particu
larly opplied herself to mathematics,
and especially to astronomy, which she
made her principal study, and was rank
ed iu the" number of the most able
astronomers of her time. Her astro
nomical tables acquired her a prodig
ious reputation.
The wifo of Alphonse de Lamartine,
the French poet, was mistress of many
languages, and excelled both in musio
and painting, and was also a brilliant
writer. In the stormy days of '48 her
husband wrote diligently to free him
self from debt. She Buffered acutely
for him, whose honor and fortune then
seemed trembling in the balance. The
delicate face became wrinkled nnd the
sweet voice was often tremulous with
v 1 AIM. T . '. l
uuaiclj, iieu j-miLuu iiiio wua liuisn-
ing an article on Beranger, at a time of
great political excitement in Paris, she
was nearly beside herself, lest bv any
verbal imprudence he should get himself
into trouble, tier husbands printer
was also greatly alarmed at the political
allusion in his article ; but Lamartine,
obstinately deaf to all their entreaties,
vowed that every line should go to the
public just aa it -7as written, or not at
all. Madame Lamartine was at her
wit's end. Finally a gentleman, a
mutual friend, got leave from her hus
band to read over the proofs and modify
the offensive expressions. All the long
night that this gentleman was occupied,
Mudnme Lamartine sat up, sending into
the library to him little suggestive notes
of her own. At last tho poor, weary
friend was so overpowered with fatigue
and sleep that he was obliged to desist
and go to bed j but, when he awoke
next morning, ho found a small pnper
pushed through the key-hole of his door
a last idea from the indefatigable
Madame Lamartine, who had not herself
slept a wink all night. This gentleman
friend took all the credit of the altera
tions, while the good wife kept silence
and sent her husband's article to the
press. Madame Lamartine was often
tho amanuensis and proof-reader of her
nusband. Troy Times.
Japanese Proverbs.
Better avoid blame than seek praise.
A beaten soldier fears a reed.
Great men are spoken of for seventy
five days.
The 'lower part of the candlestick is
black. (The nearer the church the farther
from God).
There are people who have read Con
fucius and Btill have not read him.
The skill of a poor man is not much
believed in.
When there are too many boatmen tho
boot o'imbs mountains.
Until polished the precious stone is
not brilliant,
A FIGHT FOR LIFE WITH IUTS.
An Army nt Rats Attnrkln a Hlnnnl Hrr.
vice Officer nnd Ills Wife Connnerlna
the Koifpnts by Electricity Terrible Fate
of a Child.
The vast number of rats inhabiting
tho rocky crevices and cavernous passa
ges at the summit of Pike's Peak, in Col
orado, have recently become formidable
and dangerous. Those animals are known
to feed upon a saccharine gum that per
colates through the pores of the rocks,
apparently upheaved . by that volcanic
action which, off irregular intervals of a
few days, gives to the mountain crest
that vibratory motion which has been
detected by the instruments used in the
office of the United States signal station.
Since the establishment of the govern
ment signal station on the summit of the
Peak, at nn altitude of nearly 15,000
feet, these animals have acquired a vora
cious appetite for raw and uncooked
meat, the scent of wliich seems to impart
to them a ferocity rivaling the starved
Siberian wolf. The most singular trait
in the character of these animals is, they
are never to be seen in the day-time.
When the moon pours down her queenly
light upon the summit they may be seen
in countless numbers, hopping around
among tho rocky boulders that crown
this barren waste ; and during the warm
summer months they may be seen swim
ming and sporting in the waters of the
lake, a 'short distance below the crest
of tho Peak, and of a dark, cloudy night
their trail in the water exhibits a glow
ing, sparkling light giving to the waters
of the lake a flickering silvery appear
ance. A few days since Mr. John T.
O'Keef, one of tho government opera
tors at the signal station, returned to his
Eost from Colorado Springs, taking with
im a quarter of beef. It being late in
the afternoon, his colleague, Mr. Hobbs,
immediately left with the pack animal
for the Spriugs. Soon after dark, while
Mr. O'Keef was engaged in tho office
forwarding night dispatches to W ashing
ton, he was startled by a loud scream
from Mrs. O'Keef, who 'had retired for
the night in an adjoining bedroom, and
who came rushing into the office scream
ing, " The rats I the rats 1" Mr. O'Keef,
with great presence of mind, immediate
ly girdled his wifo ith a scroll of zinc
plating, such as had been used in roofing
the station, wliich prevented the animals
from climbing upon her person ; and,
although his own person was almost
literally covered with them, he succeeded
in incasing his legs each in a joiuis of
stove-pipe, when he commenced a fierce
and desperate struggle for the preserva
tion of his life, with a heavy war-club
preserved at the station, among other
Indian relics captured at tho battle of
Sand Creek. Notwithstanding hundreds
were destroyed on every sido, still they
seemed to pour with increasing numbers
from the bedroom, tho door of which
had boon left open. Tho entire quarter
of beef was eaten in less than five min
utes, which seemed to only sharpen their
nppetites for an attack upon Mr. O'Keef,
whoso hands, face and neck were terribly
lacerated. In the midst of the warfare
Mrs. O'Keef managed to reach a coil of
electric wire hanging near tho battery ;
and, being a mountain girl familiar with
tho throwing of the lariat, sho hurled it
through the air, causing it to encircle
her husband, and spring out from its
loosened fastenings, making innumera
ble spiral ways, along which she poured
the electric fluid from the heavily-charged
battery. In an iustant the room was all
ablaze with electric light, and whenever
the rats came in contact with the wire
they were hurled to an almost instant
death. The appearance of daylight, mado
such by the coruscation of the hcavily
chnrged wire, caused them to take
refugo amoug the crevices aud caverus
of the mountain, by way of the bedroom
window, through which they had forced
their way. But the saddest part of this
night attack upon the Peak is the des
troying of their infant child, which Mrs.
O'Keef thought she had made secure by
a heavy covering of bed clothing ; but
the rats had found their way to tho in
fant (only two months old), and had left
nothing of it but the peeled and mum
bled skull. Drs. Thorn and Anderson
thought at first that the left arm of Ser
geant O'Keef would have to bo amputa
ted, but succeeded in saving it.
A Rattlesnake's Attack.
When a rattlesnake is disturbed it
sounds on alarm, and then, if compelled,
it will fight When the victim is within
reach the jaws of the snake me separated
and the head thrown hack no n hi lu-inn
the fangs into a favorable position to
penetrate the object. The head is then
darted rapidly forward, the unsheathed
tooth penetrates the body of the victim,
and the poison is injected into the flesh.
Tho some muscular acts whioh open the
wcuud inject the venom through the
duct, and into thn rnrt nnnofvnfo,! I.t.
the tooth. The divergence of the fnng-
poiuts wiien tne suane bites often causes
a considerable distance between the two
wounds. The power with wlnYl, Hx
venom is ejected from the tooth depends
Homewiiut upon me amount contained in
the gland and its ducts. If tho suako
fails to strike the objecl aimed at, the
poison is sometimes projected several
feet ; and a case is on record where it
was thrown into the eyes of a man who
was b x feet from tho snako, when it
struck upward at a stick held above its
coil.
School Population of the United States.
White males, 5,264,635, colored males,
8U.576: total. 6.08(!.87'2 whit fomnloo
5,157,929; colored females, 806,402; to
tal, 5,968,561; grand total, 12,055,443.
Aiieuuing school White males, 3,
326,797, colored males, 88,594; total, 3
415,391; white females, 3,087,943, col
ored females, 91,778; total, 3.179,721:
grand total, 6,595,112.
Not attend inc sclinnl Wlu'f
824; colored, 1,330,606; total, 6,458,977.
rroin mo auove it appear that of the
white children of the whole country, be
tween the ages of live nnd eighteen
years, thirty-eight per cent, aro not at
landing school; of the colored children
eighty-eight per cent, aro not attending,
while an aggregate of forty-five per
cent, of both classes are not under in
struction. Tho money presented to the Pope by
pilgrims during the jubilee amounted to
83,300.000. Of this sum $1,840,000 wee
in gold ) the remainder in paper,
Items of Interest.
Cuba has been fighting for freedom for
nine years.
The first newspaper in England was
issued in 1588.
The wealthiest farmer in ebraska ia
Isham G. Chicken. He certainly should
always have a full crop.
In Bath Abbey is to be seen the fol
lowing epitaph: " Hero lies Ann Mann ;
she lived an old maid aud died nn old
Mann."
If all Russia and nil Turkey should
come to engage in the strife, there would
be 87,000,000 Russians fighting 43,000,
000 Turks.
A Spanish proverb says : " The man
who on hia wedding day starts as a
lieutenant in the family will never get
promoted."
It is a question worthy of careful in
vestigation, whether a person whose
voice is broken is not all the better com
petent to sing " pieces."
A young lady in town, who does not
pride herself particularly on being a
political economist, thinks the sooner
greenbacks reach " pa," the sooner she
will be able to invest in a new fall bon
net. Rutland Herald.
The following is all the space given in
a Texas newspaper to a lynching :
"Dudley Hansford was hanged by a
mob of forty men this morning, near his
home, two miles from Perry, in this
county. Too much cattle. ' '
Such is the glut of money on the Lon
don Stock Exchange that any man in
good credit can obtain the loan of almost
nny sum for, say, a fortnight, nt the rate
of 1J per cent, per annum. Yet even on
these terms there is scarcely any de
mand. John Taylor, the president of the
"Twelve Apostles," and acting presi
dent of the Mormon Church until a new
president is elected, was shot at Nauvoo,
111., at the time when Joseph Smith was
killed, and is a most bigoted and bitter
fanatic.
The war correspondent of the London
Kcivs says that at the battle near Kaze
levo, where the Russians were defeated,
" a Russian officer, who was observed
gallantly endeavoring to rally the men,
was killed, nnd the body, when subse
quently discovered, proved to be that
of a woman. Sho was buried where she
fell."
An Englishman who has made a bet of
50,000 that he will in six years walk
through France, Germany, North Rus
sia, and Siberia to China, has started
from Calais on his journeying. His bet
obliges him to return through Persia,
and Southern Russia, and from thero
over Greece and Italy to France. He
must be in Liverpool by July 1, 1883.
According to a Louisiana paper, most
desirable lands in that State, fronting on
navigable streams, and capablo of pro
ducing from 2,000 to 5,000 pounds of
sugar and 120 to 320 gallons of molasses
per acre, or crops worth from 200 to
8500 per acre, can be purchased for the
low sum of 815 to 830 per acre. Further
inland, and within a few miles of naviga
ble water courses, laud can easily bo
bought for So to $15 per acre. Excellent
sugar lands can bo had nt very much
lower prices than even tho above in
Texas, says a Galveston journal.
Fashion Kotos,
Simple aud pretty wraps for autumn
days aro square shawls of India or of
French cashmere of solid color, lightly
fringed, and worn iu fichu fashion
crossed on the breast nnd tied behind.
Long slender sacqucs, of medium
length, mado of tho new rough cloths,
double breasted, buttoned thei.r entire
length, and with coat flaps behind, will
be favorite wraps for fall and winter.
Tho f!:irrink nloulc n lnnir TTlisfoi'
shape, with three small round capes
ish overall. It is seen in rain cloaks
made of water-proof cloth, and in the
English cloths of gray invisible plaids
used for traveling cloaks.
Jilouy beaded ornaments are used in
bonnet fliA vifAVPrmfl haiiicr ftw
, " v ..--
blue-gray flair de lune beads ; there aro
i .... . .
uiho many jet irmges, urops, and netted
pieces, while for brown, maroon, moss,
olive, bronze, and other colored bonnets
the mordore or golden brown beads are
U6ed.
The majority of tho new bonnets nro
small cottage shapes and close-fitting
capotes, but there ore many large Marie
Stuart bonnets, with pointed front and
flowinff rlimif nml flirA nra nler. iIpaccv
Bergese hats, with little crown and
spreading brims gay and dressy shapes
for young folks.
Xew ornnmentnl limrn for tlm tliwinf
ore, of ribbons of two contrasting colors
ijjuk a sinau cluster oi nowers on shells
of Valenciennes lace, nud from thence
the ribbons hang in ends a yard long.
Vulcan red ribbons contrasting with pale
oiue or with mandarin yollow ninko
petty bows.
The moftt Rtvliuli n.nlnra bon.l nan
are m'Msse, or moss green ; Vulcan red,
more brilliant thnu scarlet, nnd contain
ing much of the mandarin yellow shade ;
vlair de lune gray, with blue tinges, and
she old-fashioned silver grey ; rose coral,
a delicate shade for brightening sombre
hues, nnd the dark myrtle green of last
year.
The hair is dressed with reference to
the shape of tho bonnets. For bonnet a
to be worn on dressy occasions, the coiff
ure is high soft loops and puffs on top
of the head. For the close shapes tho
bock hair is arranged in a flat chatelaine
loop very low on the nape of the neck,
or else the chatelaine is braided iu wide
basket braids of seven strands or more.
Feathers and flowers are more beauti
ful than in any former season. The bird
of Faradise, with its golden plumage, is
the choice for expensive bonnets. There
are, however, the pretty feathera of the
heron, wings, guinea-hens' breasts, pea
cocks' breasts, and many other stiff and
slender feathers for less costly hats.
Ostrich tips and tho long Marie Stunrt
plumes are used in profubion.
The materials for the new bonnet are
plush or velvet trimmed with satin. The
plush may bo plain or striped. Some
brocaded silks in Marguerite pattern are
used for crowns of special bonnets. There
are also some kid bonueta like those in
troduced last year, and there are very
tine felt bonnet with plain cut edge,
while othere are wrought with let or
with clair dt lunt bead.