V H
Willi
HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NIL DESPERANDUM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
VOL. IX.
BIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, FA., THURSDAY, JULY 31, 1879.
NO. 23.
Watchwords.
Through gathering clouils and stormy seas ol
fiite
Two golden -watchwords guide and comfort
me;
Toiling along my path, early and late,
I cling to patience and fidelity.
In nil the weary clinngos ol my day
I strive to follow duty faithfully;
And when I falter, tainting ty the wny,
With sulitlo inlluonco patience strengthens
me.
So onward, through what sufl'cring God may
send,
I walk with faith, and feet that shall not
tire,
Trusting with patience, strong unto the end,
To reach at Inst, oh, Lord, my soul's desiro.
Helen S. Conant, in Harper's.
A Midnight Struggle.
In the parly autumn of the year 184!),
about half an hour of sunset, I drew
rein in front of a large double log house,
on the very summit of the Blue Ridge
mountains of Eastern Kentucky.
The place was evidently kept as a
tavern, at least so a sign proclaimed,
and here I determined to demand ac
commodation for myself and servant
Hose, a dark-skinned body-guard, liose
and I had been playmates in child and
boyhood, and 1 need hardly say that
the faithful fellow was attached to nie
as I was to him, and on more than one
occasion lie had shown his devotion.
There had been a " shooting match "
at the Mountain House that day, and,
as I dismounted, I saw through the
open window of t he barroom a noisy,
drunken, and evidently a quarrelsome
set of backwoodsmen, each of whom
was swearing by all possible and im-
fiossible oaths that lie was not only the
ost shot, but that he could out-tight,
out-jump, out-wrestle, run faster, jump
higher, dive deeper and come up dryer
than any other man " on the moun
tains." '"I say, Mara Ualph," said Bose, in a
low tone, as I handed him my bridle
rein, " I don't like the looks of d'em dar.
S'pose wo goes on to the next house:
taint fur."
"Nonsense, Boso," I replied ; "these
fellows arc only on a little spree over
their shooting. We have nothing to do
Willi tliem nor tliey with us. Take the
horses round to the stables and see to
them yourself. You know they've had
abiiril day of it."
And throwiny; my saddle-bagsvor
tny siioulders. I walkd up the narrow
;itll to the house,
I found, as t have intimated, the bar
room li ! i' 5 wi'.h a noisy, turbulent
crowd, who one and all stared at me
without speakin-.' :is I went up to flic
bar ami instiled if I am! my servant
co'iid have ,i: i ivniinodat,ion for the night.
K 'Ci-ivinsr an allinnative reply from
the landlord, a little, red-hended,
cadaverous-looking man, I desired to hi
at once shown to my room, whither I
went, but not until I had been compelled
to decline a score of requests to " take a
drink," much to the disgust of the slal-'
wart bacchanalians.
The room to which I was shown was
at the far end of a long two story struc-
tu re, evidently but recently added on to
the main building, which it intersected
at right angles. A gallery extended
along the front, by means of which the
rooms were reached.
I found my apartment to bo large and
comparatively well furnished, " there
being, besides the lied, a comfortable
cot. half a dozen " splint bottomed"
chairs, a heavy clothes press, and a
bureau with glass.
There were I wo windows, one along
side the door, anil the other in the oppo
site end of the room.
The first mentioned door was heavily
barred wilh stout oak strips, a protec
tion, I presumed, against intrusion from
the porch, while across the latter door
was drawn a heavy woolen eu'-tuin.
In the course of half an hour Bose
entered and announced that the horses
had been properly attended to, and a few
minutes later a bright-faced mulatto
girl summoned us to supper.
Supper oyer, I returned to my room,
first requesting to be roused for an early
breakfast, as I desired to be on the road
by sunrise.
Thoroughly wearied with my day's
ride, I at unee began preparation's for re
tiring, and had drawn oil one boot, when
Bose came in rather hastily, looking
furtively over his shoulder, and then
cautiously closing and locking the door.
" Mars Ralph, dars gwino to be
trouble in dis house afore morning," he
said.
And I saw in a moment that some
thing had occurred to upset the faithful
fellow's equilibrium.
"Why, Bose, what is it? What do
you mean?" I asked, barely restraining a
smile.
" I tole you, Mars Ralph, we'd better
trabbel furder." was the rather mysteri
ous reply. "You see dat gal dere tole
nie dar would be a muss if we stayed in
this old house all night."
By close questioning I elicited the fact
that t he girl had really warned him that
four men whom I hatt noticed together
were a desperate set of villains, and
probably had designs upon our property,
if not our lives.
The girl had seen two of them at the
stable while I was at supper, and by
cautiously creeping into a stall, next the
one in which they stood, had heard
enough to convince her that they meant
mischief. Subsequently to this she also
saw the landlord in close confab with
the entire party, and from his actions
judged that he was urging the men to
their nefarious work.
"I tell you, Mars Ralph, dem people
ain't arter no good now you heard me,
persisted Use.
I had brgim to think so myself; but
what was to be done. The situation
was full of em harassment, and I felt that
nothing could be done save to wait and
watch, and, by being on the aleit, defeat
their plans by a determined resistance.
I found that from the barred window,
in which there was a broken pane of
glass, a good view of the stables could
be had.
Then for the other window.
I crossed the room, drew aside the
heavy curtain, and, raising the sash,
looked out.
A single glance was sufficient to caus .
me a thrill of surprise, and I gave a low
exclamation that instantly brought Bose
to my side.
. Far below I could 6ee the faint glim
mer of water, the low murmur of which
came indistinctly up from the depth
while on a level with what should have
been the ground, I dimly iuw the waving
tree-tops, na they gently swayed before
the fresh night breeze, and knew that
the window overlooked a chasm, the
soundings of which I could only guess
at.
In other words, the house, or that por
tion of it was built upon the very verge
of the cliff, the solid rock forming a
foundation more lasting than any that
could be made by the hands of man.
I leaned far out, and saw that there
was not an inch of space left between
the heavy log on which the structure
rested nnd tho edge of the precipice ; Mid
then I turned away with the full con
viction that if escape must bo made, it
certainly would not be made in that di
rection. There was nothing especially
strange in this ; there are many houses
so constructed I had saen one or two
myself and yet when I drew back into
tho room nnd saw the look in Bose's
face, I felt that danger quick and deadly
was hovering in the air.
Without speaking I went to my saddle
bags and got out my pistols a superb
pair of long double rifles, that I knew to
be accurate anywhere under half a hun
dred yards.
'Dar! dem's what I like to see!" ex
claimed Bose, as ho dived down into his
bag and fished out an old horse pistol
thatiad belonged to my grandfather,
and which I knew was loaded to the
muzzle with No. 1 buckshot. It was a
terrible weapon at close quarters.
The stables in 'which our horses wer
feeding could be watched, and by events
Liaiispuuig in uiat locality we wouict
shape our actions. I found tho door
could be locked from the inside, and in
addition to this, I improvised a bar by
means of a chair leg wrenched off ana
thrust through a heavy iron staple that
had been driven in the wall. Its fellow
on the oppoiste side was missing.
We then lifted the clothes press before
the window, leaving just room enough
on one side to clearly see, and, if neces
sary, lire through ; dragged the bureau
against the door with as little noise as
possible, and felt that everything that
was possible had been done.
A deathlike stillness reigned over the
place, broken only once by the voice of
I he colored girl singing as she crossed
the stable yard.
I had fallen into a half doze, seated
in a chair near the window facing the
stables, where Bose was on the watch,
when suddenly 1 felt a slight touch upon
my arm and the voice of the faithful
sentinel in my ear.
" Wake up, Mars Ralph; dey's foolin
'bout de stable doo' arter do horses,
shuah," brougl.it me wide awake to my
leri.
Cautiously peeping out . I saw at a
glance that Bose was right in his con
jeetuie there were two of them one
standing out in the clear moonlight, evi
dently watching my window, while the
other nnd I fancied it was the landlord
was in the shadow near the door,
which at that moment slowly swung
open.
As tho man disappeared within the
building, a low, keen whistle out the
air, and at the same instant I heard the
knob ofiny door cautiously tried.
A lew hiss from Bose brought me to
his side, from tho door where I had been
listening.
" 1 ey's got de horses out in de yard,"
he whispered, as he drew aside to let me
look out through tho broken pane.
"Take the door," I said, " and fire
through if they attack. I am going to
shoot that fellow holding the horses."
"Lordy, Mars Ralph, it's de tavern
keeper. He ain't no count. Drop the
big man !"' was the sensible advice, which
I determined to adopt.
Noiselessly drawing aside the curtain
I rested the muzzle of my pistol on the
sash where the light had been broken
away; nnd drew a bead upon the tallest
of the two men who stood, holding the
three horses, out in the bright moonlight.
The sharp crack of the weapon was
instantly followed by a yell of pain, nnd
I saw the ruffian reel backward, and
measure his length upon the earth, ami
then from tho main building there rang
out :
"Murder! Murder! Oh, help!"
hike lightning it flashed across my
mind. There were three horses out in
the open lot! There was, then, another
traveler besides ourselves.
"A heavy blow descended upon tho
door, and a voice roared :
Quick ! Burst the infernal thing oppn,
and let me get at him. The scoundrel
lias killed Dave!"
. " Lot them have it, Bose," I whis
pered, rapidly reloading my pistol.
" The second panel."
With a steady hand the plucky fellow
leveled the huge weapon and pulled the
trigger.
A deafening report followed, and again
a shrill cry of mortal anguish told them
the shot had not been wasted.
"Sabcus! how it do kick!" exclaim
ed Bose, under his breath.
The blow had fallen like an unexpect
ed thunderbolt upon the bandits, and' a
moment later we heard their retreating
footsteps down the corridor.
" Dar'll bo more of 'em heah 'fore long,
Mars Ralph," said Bose, with an omin
ous shake of the head. "I 'spects dese
b'longs to a band, and if dey comes an'
we still heah, wo gone coons tor shuar."
This view of the case -was new to me;
but I felt the force of it. I knew that
such bands did exist in these mountains.
Stunned for a moment, I turned round
and stared hopelessly at Bose; but ho,
brave fellow that he was, never lost his
head for an instant.
" Bound to leab here, Mars Ralph," ho
said, quiteconfidcntly. " An' dar ain't
no way gwino 'cept tro dat window ;'"
and he pointed to the one overlooking the
cliff.
I merely shook my head, nnd turned to
watch again, hoping to get a shot at the
rascal on guard.
Bose, left to his own devices, at once
went to work. I heard him fussing
around the bed for some time, but never
looked to see what ho was after until he
spoke.
" Now den for de rope," I heard him
say, and in an instant I caught his
meaning.
. lie had stripped the bed of its cover
ing, dragged off the heavy tick and tho
stout hempen rope with which it was
" corded."
In five minutes he had drawn the rope
through its many turnings, and then,
gathering the coil in his hands, he drew
up the sash and prepared to take sound
ings. Jt failed to touch the bottom : but, no
wise disheartened, he seized the cotton
coverlet and spliced on. This succeeded
and tiio cord was drawn up preparatory
to knotting it in place of cross pieces.
In the meanwhile the silence without
had been broken once. A shrill, kn
whistle, such as we had heard before,
was given by the man on the watch, and
replied to by some one seemingly a little
way off. Then I heard footsteps toft,
cat-like ones on the veranda outside,
showing that the robbers were on the
alert at alllpoints.
At length Bose announced the " lad
der " ready. It was again lowered from
the window, and the' end was held and
made fast to the bed wo had dragged
over for the purpose.
"Now, den, Mas'r Ralph; I go down
fust and see if 'um strong enough to
bar us."
And lie was half way out of the win
dow before I could speak.
" No.Bose ; you shall not," I answered,
firmly, drawing him back into the
room. " You must "
The words were lost in the din of a
furious and totally unexpected attack
upon the door.
The dull heavy strokes of the axe were
intermingled with the sharp quick clat
ter of tho hatchets as they cut away at
the barrier, and once in a while I could
hear deep oaths, as though they had been
rendered doubly savage by our resis
tance. " Here, Bose, your pistol! Quick!" I
whispered, and tho heavy charge went
crashing through, followed by shrieks
aid curses of pain and rage.
"Now, then, out with you! I will
hold the place," I said, rushing back to
the window. Come, Bose, hurry, or all
will be lost."
The fellow now wished to insist cm
my going first ; but he saw that time was
wasting and glided down ..the rope, grad
ually disappearing in the heavy sliadows.
me tan of one oi tneir number had
caused only a momentary lull, and I
heard them renew the assault with ten
fold fury.
I dared not fire again", for I felt that
every bullet would be needed when af
fairs were more pressing.
It seemed an age before I felt the sig
nal flm below that the rope was ready
for me ; but it came, and I let myself
down, pausing an instant, as my eyes
gained a level with the sill, to take a last
look into the room.
' As I did so the door gave way, and the
bloodthirsty demons poured over the
threshold.
I knew that I had no time for delib
erate movement. They would instantly
discover the mode of escape, and either
cut the rope or else fire down on me.
I hr.d taken the precaution to draw
on my lieavy riding cloves, and my
hands, thus protected, did not sutler as
much as might have been expected.
With my eyes, fixed upon the win
dow, I slid rapidly down, and struck
the earth with a jar that wrenched every
bone in my body.
Quick as lightning I was seized by
Bose, dragged some paces on one side,
and close against the face of the cliff.
Not a secord too soon, for down came
a volley ,'tearing up the earth about the
toot of the rope, where, a moment be
fore. I had stood.
"Thunder, they will escape! After
them, down the rope!" yelled a voice al
most inarticulate with rage.
And I saw a dark form' swing out nnd
begin the descent.
"Now, Mars Ralph," whispered Boso,
significantly, and with a -quick aim I
fired at the swaying figure.
Without a sound the man released his
hold, and came down like a lump of
lead, shot through the brain.
Another had started in hot haste, and
was more than half way out of tho win
dow, when suddenly the scene above
was brilliantly lit up by the glare of a
torch.
Again the warning voice of the watch
ful black called my attention to the
figure now struggling desperately to re
gain the room, "and, as before, I threw
lip my pistol, and covering the exposed
side, drew the trigger.
With a convulsive effort the wretch,
springing far out into the empty void,
turned once over, and came down with
a rushing sound upon tho jagged rocks
that lay at the foot of the precipice.
A single look to see that the window
was clear we knew there could be no
path leading down for a long distance
either way, or they would never have
attempted the rope, and we plunged
headlong into the dense forest that
clothed the mountain side.
We got clear, it is true ; but with the
loss of our animals nnd baggage; for the
next day, when we returned, with a
party of regulators, we found the place a
heap of smoldering ashes, and no living
scul to tell whither the robbers hail
fled.
It is Better.
It is better to look up and take pleas
ure in contemplating the good 'and
great, than to find happiness in low de
vices and mean acts. It is better to tell
the truth than to tell a lie ; to do good
than to do mean ; to save a reputation,
than to blast one; to have charity than
to be critically severe: to love your fel
lows than to hate them ; better to lilt up
tho fallen than to null down those al
ready up; to speak kind words than to
hiss out the gall of bitterness; to keep
pure than to reek with filth; to be on
the losing side of right than to be on the
triumphant side of wrong; to be honest
than to cheat ; to have honest piety than
to be a flaunting hypocrite ; to lie indus
trious than to be an idle vagrant; to be
a air and square human being than to
be n.n uncertain quantity. With your
virtue worship the true and you may at
tain unto greatness, but you can never
do it in the eyes of justice by trampling
upon, or by despising what is under you.
The poor have as bright eyes Bnd as ten
der hearts as the rich. Tliey are not be
low your consideration. Nature's wil
low will bend over them with the same
grace and beauty they will over the
proudest son and daughter of earth. Con
cerning being true in life, Grace Green
wood says : " Never unsex yourself for
greatness. The worship of ono true
heart is better than the wonder of the
world. Don't trample on the flowers
while longing for the stars. Live up to
the full measure of life, give way to your
impulses, loves and enthusiasms ; sing,
smile, labor and be happy. Adore poetry
for its own sake; yearn for, strive after
excellence ; rejoice when others attain itf
feel for your contemporaries a loving
envy; steal into your country's heart;
glory in its greatness, exult in its power,
honor its gallant men, immortalize its
matchless women." How much better
to do these things than to go sulkingand
skulking through Hie like some dishon
ored cur! It is better and easier to do
right than to do wrong. You go straight
forward to the right, but you approach
the wrong by devious and doubtful ways.
Quincy Modem Argn.
Mr. John B. (lough is in his sixty
second year, has traveled about 420,000
miles and delivered nearly 8,000 lectures
within tho last thirty-seven years, and
vet lie has not betyt in bed a whole day
from illness since 1846.
TIMELY TOPICS.
Prof. Bencke, of Marburg, Germany,
after measuring 970 human hearts, says
that the growth of that organ is greatest
in the first nnd second years of life. At
the end of tho second year it Is double in
size, and during the next five years is
again doubled. Then its growth is much
slower, though from the fifteenth to tho
twentieth year its size increases by two
thirds. A very slight growth is then ob
served up to fifty, when it gradually
diminishes. Except in childhood, men's
lienrts are decidedly larger thin those of
women.
A French minister of finance has a
good word for toads, moles nd birds.
For toads because they live mtirelv on
insect food, and are entirely harmless;
for moles because they live on grubs,
larvm, palmer worms nnd insects injuri
ous to agriculture, it having been pret
ty well demonstrated that the true mole
docs not eat vegetable food. Of birds lie
says: Each department looses several
millions annually through insect. Birds
nro the only enemies able to contend
against them vigorously. They nro the
great caterpillar killers and agricultural
assistants. J
" The Americans endeavor to combine
strength with lightness," says tlu Ion
don Economist, "while we look enly to
strength; notice the locomotive anl cars,
American implements and tools, Which
have beautiful finish and lightnejs, and
arc -more convenient than ours, i Take
American and English scythes, as an in
stance. I find that tho American weighs
a little over two pounds, and hiving a
good curve and polish under the lunaee,
are handier ana out easier and closer
than the English, which weigh nearly
five pounds, and are broad, straight anil
rough, just as the hammer leaves them."
A Paris correspondent tells a strange
story of tho Zulu war. In 18G3 Captain
Lambert, of the Fourth Voltigeurs of the
French Imperial guard, was caught cheat
ing at cards and was expelled from li is
regiment. He decided to drown him
self, but his godfather convinced hini
that it would be better try his fortune in
foreign lands. So lie went to the Cape of
Good Hope, learned the native (ialeets
nnd became a purveyor of iimnunition
to the Zulus, nnd afterward obtained a
commission in the Zulu army, of which
he finally became commandor-im-hief.
Ho died in the service, but it is sai( that
to him the Zulus owe their knowlclge of
military tactics. i
.In-
In St. Petersburg more than six
dred persons of the noble or privileaed
classes are under arrest to be deported to
Siberia without trial. In one of the tem
porary governor-generalslups in the
south of the empire (Odessa) sixty
privileged persons have been already
sent to Siberia without trial, and wo
hundred persons of tlus class are under
arrest to be judged. So great is the nuiti
ber of persons of this category to be ex
iled that a practical difficulty is sait to
have arisen in connection with their de
portation. A nobleor privileged person,
who has not been judicially sentenced,
when sent to Siberia, by the orders of
tho Thiid Section, or Secret Police, nust
ho escorted by two gendarmes, it lfing
against tho laws to manacle a privileged
person who is uncondemned. It appears
that there are not gendarmes enough
tints to escort the number of persons to
be deported, and the Ministry of Secret
Police has proposed to get rid of this
difficulty by sending the" privileged per
sons fettered like ordinary criminals.
On the other hand, the officials nri op
posed to any such course.
The Giant Cue 1 1 or Aiizn.ii.
A writer in the Philadelphia Time,
describing atrip through Arizona, says:
We soon entered the land of giant
cacti. I was never more surprised than
at seeing the wonderful development of
this plant in this region. I am satisfied
that nowhere in the world is such sie
attained. The species called Swatara
grows to tho enormous height of sixty
feet, nnd measures six feet in diameter.
There are tens of tltousands of this
species. Most of them viil measure from
eight inches to two feet in diameter and
reach a height of twenty to thirty feet.
Some have no limbs, and resemble a
high post; others have from one to three
arms. Tliey seem to stand on the top of
the sand, with scarcely any root, and
must receive their nutrition largely from
the atmosphere. They nro capped wit ha
beautiful Mower, and later with fruit. Tha
Indians remove the fruit with a long
spiked Dole, and use it in large quanti
ties. Tho center of this cactus is pierced
with a hard, tough rod, which supports
it in times of storm. So firm is this sup
port that one is seldom found broken or
blown to the earth. When in a state of
decay you can extract tho centre, which
resembles more than anything else a fishing-rod.
There are fifteen or twenty different
species of caeei growing in this region.
'I he pole cactus grows much like a Targe
corn-stalk. Each year's growth is indi
cated by a joint, and a rich, tenacious
gum exudes from the surface, causing it
ta burn like pine when it is entirely
green. There are two varieties of what
is called the bulb. These grow in tho
form of a ball and nearly the size of a
pint cup. One variety is armed with
thorns half an inch in length, the other
with a different kind of thorn, much re
sembling a porcupine's quill. These
thorns are as sharp as needles, and re
quire but little pressure to penetrate
their entire length into the foot of a man
or the hoof of a horse. The variety hav
ing the short thoins bears a red-colored
fruit, about the size of a small peach ; it
is very sweet, and the juice flows from a
gold pen as heautilul red ink. There is
another species which bears a different
kind of fruit, resembling a cucumber
about two-thirds-matured. The pulp is
of the consistency of the banana, but
much sweeter, and very full of black, flat
seeds, the 6ize of a dime. As far as I
have been able to ascertain there aro
three kinds of fruit growing on as manv
different species of cacti in this desert
land. Another kind, prized nioro than
all tho rest by the Indians, very much
resembles our century plant. The wild
Apaches have for ages depended largely
on this for sustenance. They boil the
root, make it into mush nnd tlnm out it
and from the rest of the plant make a
our arinK, wfiicfi tliey greatly enjoy.
The Charleston (111.) Flaintlealer says
that the farmers of that vicinity have
discovered a ew cure for hog cholera.
When flip nhnlni-fi nnnpnra
animals they cook a dead one and feed it
to the others, and it rarely fails to effect
a cure.
FOR THE FAIR SEX.
Fashion Notts.
Vegetables are now seen on bonnets.
Lawns of a pale green are fashionable.
Mexican filigree jewelry is the coming
rage.
The last novelty in fringe is made of
pack-tliread.
Carefully-made flies are worn as ear
rings nnd pins.
Linen serge slippers are cool for home
wear in hot weather.
Dressmakers say that alpaca will be
much worn this fall.
Feathers prevail wherever tliey can
be used with propriety.
The yoke waists have been superseded
in Paris by tho fan waist.
Silk nets are more popular than ever,
especially for young ladies.
The costumes of grenadine over silk
are usually made with a polonaise.
Cover a Japanese fan with a bit of
pretty silk and it is quite "chick."
High colored stockings are the rago
still, and especially for young misses.
A new sort of goods. Glace Mar
guerete, of silk and wool, is mucli worn.
Linen costumes much embroidered are
worn for morning dress in the country.
A profusion of knife-plaited ruffles
weighs down the new cheese clotli
gowns.
Dresses are worn much shorter in the
streets abroad than they are in this
country.
The flower that a lady wears at her
throat should give tho keynote of color
in her dress.
Dresses of the same material as those
worn by tliei mothers are made up for
young girls. fc
Ribbons with spotted strines are tho
latest importation, and take the fancy of
nearly all the ladies.
Imitation pearl beads nre coming into
fashion this fal., and large importations
from Italy will be made.
Tidies made of pink and blue silesia
and bordered witli laco are considered
quite tho thing just now.
Pointed waists, botli back and front.
are being revived, but are far from heini?
a becoming style for the figure.
Barege dresses for voting girls are
trimmed with cascades of Breton lace,
with loops ol rinnon in each fold.
Imitation Lislo thread gloves, costing
but ten cents per pair, are just as hand
some as the real, which cost ten times as
much.
Some walking suits have lone waist
extending nearly to the knee in front
These can be worn without any outside
wrap.
Sewing beads on black Liee would be
a profitable amusement for idle hours.
Beaded lace is to be fashio.iablc in
tho winter.
A Paris idea is to wear flesh-colored
stockings under open-worked ones.
Preposterous as this is, it is fashionable
on the boulevards.
Velvet is more used for trimming now
than at the beginning of the summer,
but it is placed on cotton materials
rather than on woolens.
A new hat called tho Princess Louise
lias made its appearance in London and
New York. Il is of delicate straw and
turned up one side and back.
To Mend Slocking.
A lady, who finds in the practice of
the homely art that she brings comfort
to her family, gives these suggestions as
to stocking-mending:
Given a dozen pairs of woolen ribbod
socks. Select from them the two or
three pairs most worn; cut away the
heels and toes, nnd lay by the better
parts for use in mending well, yes, for
patches.
From tho best hose retained to be re
paired, cut out the worn heel, and from
the patches cut a new heel precisely like
the old one.
First sew the bottom of the heel, then
sew it into the place made vacant. Use
soft cotton, or else tho fine, soft mend
ing yarn, which comes, of all colors, on
spools.
Sew the raw edges " over and over,"
about as close as a nice overcast ; so that
wnen tne new neei is worn out, vou
have only to pull the thread nnd insert
another.
Tho thread must not be so tight but
that tho seam will flatten and become
imperceptible to the foot. To sew in
such a heel will require nbout one
minute.
If the toe is worn, so that tho new
dans seem to take from the old, and the
rent is made worse, cut it off so far from
the instep as it is thin.
rroni the top of the sock put aside,
cut a new toe like the old. Sew across
tho end, nnd then around the foot, ob
serving to make the seam, as before,
flat and soft.
When again worn out, repeat the pro
cess, till the entire dozen, like tho fabled
ducks, have eaten one another up.
Hypochondria.
There are mild forms of hypochondria
which never receive that specific name
from tho doctors who attend them, but
nevertheless give their victims much
trouble. The nervous man who is visited
with a pimple magnifies it into a malig
nant pustule, and his imagination tor
tures him with the morbid picture ol
the suffering and sudden death which he
will be called to undergo. Many people
are haunted all their lives in this way
without anything serious ever happen
ing, and when tliey reach old age have,
for solo compensation, the opportunity
of congratulating themselves that not
one of tho disagreeable omens they had
was ever realized. But after tho hypo
chondriac is cured of ono of his un
healthy fancies he is sure, sooneror later,
to acquire another. As Dr. Maudesley
points out in his "Responsibility in
Mental Disease," though the patient
may seem to go away entirely disabused
of his sick fancies, they return to him. or
aro supplanted by worse.
In very exceptional instances, indeed,
the hypochondriac may tako a new de
parture and with a dailv sum-erne effort
of will shake off the enenmbrance that
weighs upon fiim. But this is so sel
dom the case that statistics scarce make
mention of it; and it may generally be
taken for granted that when hvnochon-
dria is cured a change of surrounding
conditions is more responsible for it than
is the direct exercise of will on tho part
of the patient, his environment remain
ing unchanged. Few men thus afflicted
have the perseverence and the strength
of will necessary to lift off every day the
incubus which fastens them down and
to think nnd act like well men merelv
because they choose to do so.-JVu J'ori
Telegram.
Little Johnny's Philosophy.
There was a dog, and there was a cat,
nnd tlierewas a ox. The dog it sed to
the ox, the dog did :
" That's a mighty long tail you pot
there, mister, with a nice tossle to the
end, but you can't waggle it when you
meet your master."
Then the cat it sed to tho ox :
"No, indeed, and you can't bio it up
like a bloon when you git mad."
Then the lam it sed :
"You ain't able for to twinkle it,
either, wen you think of something
funny."
The ox he thot a while, and bime by
ho spoke up nnd sed his ownself :
" I plade hooky wen I was a little boy
so much that I dident learn them vain
accomplishments, that's a fnck, but I got
a tolably good bisness edecasliun, and I
gess mebbe you fellers wude have to cum
to mo for to hellep you out if you had to
fil a order for ox-tail soup."
Wen Mister Gipple was in Africa lie
seen sum natifs, wich is called Hotten
tops, nnd they likes t heir beef raw, like
dogs, and lie see em cut it orf of the cat
ties wilo they was a life and bellerin.
And sum of the catties had ben cut up a
good deal that way, but not tied. One
day the King of tho Ilottentops ho see
Mister Gipple, and he sed, the King sed :
"Did you see any catties 'long the
road you cuniP Cos mine have strado
away, and I can't find 'em."
Mister Gipple he sed :
" Yes. sir. iest over bevond that, hill 5s
a porter-house stake with one horn broke i
orf, and 'bout a mile further 'long yule
uno a ni) roast eattn tne wiiers, and near '
by I seen two houtches of bull fitin sum i
soop hones, nnd onto the other side of
the spring I gess yule see a liver and sum
tripe a lay-in in the shade and a cheivin
their cuds."
But Mister Brilv. tho butcher, he nock
em onto the lied witli axes and cut their
throte in a minnit, nnd me nnd Billy we
say hooray.
Cows is beef, and a calf it is veal, but
little pigs is mutton.
One time I was in Mister Brilv's shop
and lie had cut orf a pigs bed and set it
on the top of a hard, and ole uatier
Peters he cum in and seen it, nnd he sed,
old Gaffer did :
"Mister Brily, your pig is a gitting
out."
Mister Brily he luked, and then he sed :
"That's so. Gaffer, you jest take that
stick and rap him onto the nose fore he
can draw it in."
So Gaffer he took up the stick nnd
snook up real sli, and fetched the pigs
lied a regular nose wipe, hard as ever lie
cude with the stick, and nocked the pigs
lied orf the burl, and you never seen sceh
a stonish old man. But Mister Brily he
pretended like he wasent lookin, and old
Gall'er ho sed :
"Mister Brilv, you must xcuse nie.
but wen I struck at that pig it dodged
and cut its lied orf agin the cdje of the
barl."
Wrapping Food in Paper.
It is a matter of daily experience on
the part of every one who purchases
such common necessities of life as butter,
bacon, cheese, sausages, etc., that these
goods are. almost invariably wrapped up
in printed or manuscript paper. Per
haps we might also say that provisions
for picnics and other hampers are stowed
away in similar coverings, and it will,
therefore, not be amiss if we call atten
tion to the fact that danger has been dis
covered to lurk in these newspaper
wrappings.
In the ease of printed paper, the char
acters have often been transferred to the
cheese or butter, and either they are cut
away by the observant cook, or they are
unnoLiced, and in due course become as
similated in the process of satisfying
hunger. It is supposed that the ink or
the paper itself may possibly by some
chance contain something deleterious.
Rut written paper is even more likely to
be hurtful, inasmuch as in writing the
inper has been in close contact with the
land, which not improbably may lie
giving i ff a perspiration, that may enter
the pores ol the paper and may there
ferment, not with advantage to health
in the event of any portion of the manus
cript being allowed to accompany. the
food down unsuspecting threats.
This subject has called forth some
correspondence in German papers, and
though we wouid not attach absurd im
portance to it. it may still lie said that
clean unused paper is so cheap that
retail dealers have small excuse lor
using cither printed or written matter
for wrapping up their commodities.
hxeiuinye.
The Queen of All.
Honor the dear old mother. Time has
scattered the snowy flakes on her brow,
plowed deep furrows on her cheek, but
is Hue not, s weei anil oeauuiui now r no
lips are thin and shrunken, but those are
the lips which have kissed ninny a hot
tear from the childish cheeks, and they
are the'sweetest lins in all the world.
The eye is dim, yet it glows with the
soft radiance of holy love which can
never fade. Ah, yet, she is a dear old
mother. The sands of life are nearly run
out, but feeble as sho is, will go further
and reach down lower for you than any
other upon earth. You cannot walk into
a midnight where sho cannot see you ;
you cannot enter a prison whose bars
will keep her out; you can never mount
a scaffold too high for her to reach that
she may kiss and bless you in evidence
of her deathless love. When tho world
shall despise and forsake you, when it
leaves you by the waysido to die un
noticed, tho dear old mother will gather
you in her feeble arms and carry you
home and tell you of all your virtues un
til you almost forget that your soul is
disfigured by vice. Love her tenderly,
and cheer her declining years with holy
devotion. Exchange.
Where He Stored His Money.
A few days ago there died in the town
of Vernon, Winneshiek county, an aged
farmer named Carpenter, who left a will,
bequeathing to his son an old chest that
had been an heirloom in tho family. On
opening the chest tho son was surprised
and incensed to find that it contained
nothing of value. He so reported to the
remaining members of the family, when
they persuaded him to make further in
vestigations, which he did in taking the
chest apart. In doing so, two cleats,
each half an inch thick and perforated
with auger holes, were discovered. Tear
ing off these cleats the young man found
that they were hollow, and that the
space between tho lid and the bottoms of
the cleats had been tilled with gold coins
by the thoughtful parent. How long
they had been stored in such a singular
manner in that old chest is a mystery.
Iowa btate Register,
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
What an oarsman likes "A real good
time."
The total number of American patents
extant nnd expired is more than 210,000
The man who runs up large bills is a
man of somo account. Yonkers Slates
num. The mosquito almost always succeeds
in getting a speech from the person it
honors with a serenade.
Next year will be a very prosperous
one for dealers in smoked glass. No less
than seven eclipses are advertised.
"Those whom the gods love dio
young." That's what he"omcs of all the
honest advertising agents. Middlctotvn
Transcript.
Fort Wayne, Ind., has a professional
frog catcher, who works the canal from
that city to Defiance, Ohio. Ho some
times catches as high ns 5,000 frogs on a
single trip, which retail from twenty-five
to seventy-five cents per dozen.
There are very few feminine criminals
in India. The average prison popula
tion in Bombay is 1 to 1.815 of the total
population, hut that of the female pri
soners is only 1 to 23,500. This is at
tributeJ to tho subjection of women, nnd
tho absence of drink.
There wns a moment's lull in the dp-
bate, nnd then a member known as
" Old Reliable " spoke up : " u hv. down
to Arizona, when I lived thar, it wns so
hot that they used to have to splice two
thermometers together so's to get nny
irtea of the heat, and even then the quick
silver would spurt over the top one
sometimes."
" Walter, do you think the stars are
inhabited?" she said, glancing at him
with an expression that showed what
confidence she had in his superior wis
dom. "Clara," he replied, "your father
only allows me ten dollars a week, and
you can't expect nny but a high-priced
clerk to answer thnt question." An
drew's Bazar.
CASAniANCA.
The hoy stewed on the burning deck
Whence nil but him hnd fled;
And when they shouted, "Leave the wreck!"
He turned and hotly siiid,
"I'm goin' down with this 'ere ship
Hulk, musl, jibboom and spanker;
And, when I've made my briny trip,
You'll nnd Casa-by-anc-lior."
American Punch.
A London paper describes the assegais
used by the Zulus, stating that the name
"assegai" or " liassagaie " which is
nearer the native word is derived from
the tree from which the wood used in
making those weapons is usually taken.
This wood has peculiar properties, being
brittle and at the same time slightly
elastic, and spears made from it quiver
in their flight, a movement upon which
the accuracy of their aim and their great
penetrating power depend.
" Say, mister," said an urchin to a gal
lant protector of the peace, "there's a
fellow just been struck with abeam what
fell a 'fearful way!" "Where is he?"
asked the excited peeler. " Just around
the corner!" And it wasn't till he
rushed madly around and discovered a
man sitting down nnd wrestling with
the sunbeams with a pocket handker
chief that he took in the situation.
Meanwhile the boy remembered that he
had been sent on an errand just two
hours nnd a quarter previously. Ton
I crs (lazctlc.
A Mmsl'MMKIt IDYL.
Thou art so near and yet so far,
O filmy, pule mosquito bar !
In silent watches of the night,
When owlets moan and bills disport
And cnts upon the woodshed court,
We stretch our hands to thee so white
To pluck thee 'round us all oliout.
l.cst Hies blaspheming find us out
lly dawning morning light.
Thou art hb near and yet so fur,
(.'orjuetlish, v r. mosquito bar!
Some imil have cached thee on the flnoi
Pevcliance somo hook upon the wall
Impedes thy grncelul, sheltering full;
Yet when the dreary night is o'er
We Unci thee splattered on the bed
Kntwineil about our ieet and head
O clinging, gauzy bore!
Dr. F.uward G. Loring speaks in Har
per's Magazine of persons not taking
proper care of their eyes as follows:
Whatevci an. ounce ol prevention may
be to other members of the body, it cer
tainly is worth many pounds ol cure to
tho eye. Like a chronometer watch,
this delicate organ will stand any
amount of use, not to say abuse, but
when once thrown off its balance, it
very rarely can be brought back to its
original perfection of action, or, if it is,
it becomes ever afterward liable to a re
turn of disability of function or the seat
of actual disease. One would have sup
posed from this fact, nnd from the fact
that modern civilization has imposed
upon the eye an ever increasing amount
of strain, both as to the actual quantity
of work done and the constantly in
creasing brilliancy and duration of the
illumination under which it is per
formed, that the greatest pains would
have been exercised in maintaining the
organ in a condition of health, nnd the
greatest euro and solicitude used in its
treatment when diseased. And yet it is
safe to say that there is no organ in the
body the welfare of which is so persis
tently neglected as the eye,"
Just Like a Man.
Mrs. Cligho went down to the Sand
wich Springs the other day with some
friends, and after she had departed her
husband looked around the house to see
what he could do to busy himself. The
front steps looked rather brown and he
Eulled off his coat, hunted up paint and
rush, and in an hour ho had completed
a,s nice a job of painting as any house-
wile would care to see. lie Had a right
to chuckle over it, and to imagine how
pleased his wife would be; but no ona
could tell what an hour may 'iring forth.
t.vea before sho bad opened the gate on
her return the wife got red in the face,
flourished her parasol around, and called
out:
"You great big idiot! Won't you
never learn anything?"
"Wh-what's the matter now?" he
gasped.
"Matter! Why, I have invited a
dozen people to come in this evening."
"Yes well, can't they come?"
" Can they? Hasn't every blessed ono
of them got to come in at tho side door
and see that sitting-room carpet all full
of holes, nnd the hack hall all torn up?
I'll Jio before I'll let 'cm. and If you
don't get soap-suds and a rag and take
that paint off I'll hire it done!"
Mr. Cligho was just an hour and a
half at the job, and when men went past
and asked him what he was doing, he
softly replied that he was usingsoap
suds to exterminate red ants. Jidroit
Fret Frets.