1
. . ...... - i - i - . . -
.ISNRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher.
NILi DESPERANDTIM.
Two Oollars oar Annum.
UIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA.', THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 1879.
NO.
JL
.. .1 , , -.- - I - w
H ti?
. f5.rit,macuriir
Uh the rsuvi
Tr the musio '.
Christmas..
, merry rhymed,
chimM.
tailing,
4 $y memories recaM'
tfct ourWOdhood' Chrietmas tin
A.r. Wools W.y"
mpos old rim
.uihoodbeftctt to r" i'".
,Us out tvHD"H,0,omo measares.
Jfolo, (riorums dawning-
Ifroaoe jUuabfrod-in to men.!'!";..
T .. ' M
y a' blessing, A A
Vttdh IJOIllnftatnrr
1 ho cnoice.
r'i- the
f (irSil-Uvf JJglnss" one.
J ve buforc tl;
I In the basdi
.3 . 1 1 i 1 1 ! I.
tzi was on me poini 01 uunnn hit bo
ilien that cruel machinery grasped his
arm.
But I must give her up now, Susie,
lie said to ine we had no secrets from
each other" though I love her more
than ever. ,T would have been no matcli
in a worldy sense, for her before a
printer with only whnt he earned from
week to week, and a pretty young widow,
owning houses and lands suflicient to
eive her nn income of a thousand a year.
But now it is simply impossible. Dis
abled for life. I must make up my mind
to be a burden on you, and see her
mnrry "
" You'll do no such thing, Nathaniel,"
cried I. " What lias come over you? It
stems to mc that the people who are the
jolliest wlien tliev are jolly are the bluest
when they are blue. One would think
you'd lost both arms and legs to hear
you talk. . Do you forget your favorite
motto, 'Nil despernndum,' to say noth
ing of Up, guards, and at 'cm?' "
But Nat continued very low in his
spirits, all I could do or say. And this
1 now auaiwtooa ip our noum; 1110
.liristuiRS eAriefore that Christmas
lo
1 Hi:
call
iVCWyrw.-mtfAil-
nenl-uws innitoTwue.
en of Wrs:tH(to'w1ih their dolls
V 1alelJJ PwevEral weeks, nav
Wfirst tfjunto death, and their
A2'fthcr was hovering about
fulness anu-.joy, amen a
otiil : .Tl across u. every - now mm
vrn' rfir thought of tbfi. debts con-
r.j.jiv.s,. ...... ,,.vr,
1 ivtthe present moment Mr. Kose
'A)een out oj WQt Kjor tnree long
i,-F,Ue. had but the faintest hope
,fc boine able to r.ay. -
J he first floor ilrs. MoChjlly old.
ate and well, to speTHTplainly
SMi-p. Mc-jhilly spectacles on
Jld tod held close to the lamp,
llribkinsr over for the fiftieth tune
bondswilled her by her brother.
o h-.d iatelv died in San JtYryncisco
, aiW rcteived by her a few dafyje.
s makihfii l'.er already in comfottable, very
FJ- .' rn....1!n ..fi.iiitiLtnn(rB whflt 111
j ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n 1 1 li 1 v v.. I.'.....' w -
...'uniixrn nf life would be considered
rin. HcrgirlishMooking granddaugh
ter, by marriage", "was dinning the old
lady's stocking and. thinking of the
Aw. niprrv. . voune brother-in-law,
Vianislird from his liome .half a year ago
a home which had never been so sun-
shiny since because lie Had nareu 10
fall fn love without his grandmother's
consent, and the DoviMuiWiing 111s
Vn.irl nf f linrrrnnddTi IiiaiTlUge,
was writinir tffAfukWlcctionijie
letter tot ho ohnfthed one, under cover
" of the daily account-book. '
nn th spmnd floor nrettv. crav-eyed.
,Mj-. vavnanT was nusn-
1 3
V
'J is how
' ' V'Tisti
tl nnv.
th(T kettle had just began to boil next
mornigr'and I had just called out,
"Akr5y (aEJnias" to Nat, hearing him
ptirifr liis own room, wlien Widow
Wintcrpippin's- blue-eyed little maid
knocked at the door, with a "Merry
Christmas," a giggle, and a note from
Her mistress. The note read :
m
'VjAuVed Winter pippin sends her
TOfcusie and Nathaniel Bracket.and
bciMthut they will, as a great tavor, give
her their. com pt)y in her rooms this
evening ateven o'clock."
k ki A nit T'tt irnfc n nntn fnr pvnrvbodv
JTbAIiouso, and there's to be a supper,
'jtfv-fiSo don't cook no dinner.jniss,"
saJtSie little maid, laughing on Vigil t.
(luis litUe maid ws jilnost always
lAuL'hiniAi-wht'ii respect she much
I rese'n.ihu'r iler black-eyed mistress.
r Mro'll nnnmirilll nlnnfini'iO. 'Vjinnip."
rfai'd I. " Yes, miss," and away she
flew.
And at seven precisely the invited
guests were assembled in the widow s
pretty pnv lor. Dear me! How pretty
it was. Christmas greens were festooned
all around the walls, and anchor Jp(l.
wreaths, and hearts, ana crosses were
lung wherever they could, be nunc, nnd
above the mantel, ' Merry Cliristmas,"
in large dark preen letters, brieiiteued
bv crimson berries greeted us as we en
tered the door. And there were stands
filled wilW 1or!y geraniums and be-o-nnifi.4.
find liliutun each window, nnd
a splendid lire in the rate and the most
charming or an mere was inu wuiow
lu'i-cnir in n neurl-erav silk with scarlet
ribbons at her throat and scarlet flowers
in her hair.
When Nathaniel poor fellow, now
his empty sleeve annoyed him and I
arrived, Mrs. McChilly and. her grand
children were already more me. oiu
lady in the easiest chair in the room
nearest the lire, with a glass oi lemonade
of which Hhe was very fond (how did
Vt.lnw W iiilerninDiii niannee to nnd
out even-body's little weaknesses in the"
way of eating and drinking?) on a small
round table bv her side, and the grand
son and his wife looking over the photo
graph allmm in a cosy corner.
Mr. and Mrs Kose and t:ic three rose
buds, as vc called the children, .wee,
darling, auburn-haired girls, came in at
the same, time we did, and Mr. and Mrs.
Summer, be looking worn and uaggaru,
and she with traces of tears around her
beautiful eyes and the baby made
their nppeavyec a few moments later.
"And wSf th-it we are almost all
here " s; Widow Wlnterpippin we
wonder' irho else was to come-" we'll
have & IrTuceto begin with. You will
nlavjrlrt- Summer? Nannie can hold
thctaby."
But Mrs. Summer blubhed and said
she "never played, now." ...
" But vou can," insisted the widow in
ilier genial way. ? '.' ou surely have not
forgotten, '-miuo urar juu pinjuiK
so mucl and so well when you first
1 .i i.fd n-! filr. Summer sans
ihpn Sim. ' Many a happy hour have 1
And they began to arrive m the clock
struck seven. First came Mr. and Mrs.
Rose and the rosebuds, looking so smil
ing and happy that I said at once,
' You have good news to tell me.1
- " ' Mrs. McChilly dear, kind Mrs.
McChilly (Mrs. McChilly sat bolt up
right in her chair and closed her lips
firmly as her name was mentioned), has
paid the doctor's bill,' Mrs. Rose began,
1 And promised, she having so many
business acquaintances, to look out for a
situation lor me,' said Mr. nose. Ann
she is going to love us nnd be our friend
always as kSnit as we arc good- said the
children, beginning to sing the Sweet
By-and-Bye so loudly that we did sot
hear Mr. Aubrey come in : but there he
was, his face glowing nnd his eyes spark
ling (Mr. Aubrey was the grandson with
whom Mrs. McChilly had quarreled);
and he cried out, 'God bless her! my
mothers mother. 1 knew sue couion t
stay mad long. She's forgiven me nnd
kissed Alice.' (Alice was the young
eirl with whom lie had fallen in love
without the old lady's permission.)
" And all ot a sudden there was Mrs.
McChillv amone them, being welcomed
iviili lnv'inir words and huirs and smiles
the eldest rosebud had a glass of
lemonade readv for her and savin
' Dear, dear, what is a little money to
gratitude and affection like this?'
"'Nothing,' answered Mr. Summer,
who was there all of a eudden, too,
with his wife and baby, looking iv
handsome as he did wlien I first p-w
him nearly two years ago, and s for
Mrs. Summer, her eyos were '.ke stars
and her cheeks like roses, an she stole
softly to my side, while he was tossing
the baby and singing a mc.Ty song to
it, nd whispered : A pronise lias been
my Christmas gift, a pronise worth all
thB irnlil.niir'.iATwiJriit Hie world. And
then Susie Bracket danced in and slyly
held up a letter from somebody jar
away, that I might see and rejoice with
her. And Nathaniel what a ridiculous
part of the dream that nbout Nathaniel
Bracket was. Renlly, I don't think I
can tell it."
" Oil. but you must, I cried.
" Indeed vou must." thev all cried.
"Well, it I 'must, I must," snid the
widow, with a sweet, little nervous
nugh. " I thought Nathaniel followed
WrSntothe drnine-room, where I had
gone to take n last look nt the supper
table oh, it's too ridiculous.".'
' Nothing of the sort," said Mr. Sum
mer. " I don't beliMve it. I've no doubt
it was the most sensible thing Nathaniel
ever did in a dieam."
Ami nlense uo on."-be22ed his wife
" And he took my hand," the widow
went on, "and said oh! 1 can't tell you
all I dreamed he said, but he ended by
Riivinir: 'And so. of course, I must
think of you no longer a poor, crip
pled fellow like me." And I said"
uie baby to sleep, and dronriiy.! se(j jiijt(min,, t0 you both." And
tears on its little, golden Mr. Summer, with a conscious contrite
Wl, WIJ it'll Xlh TVClJf uutn, niiu ft"u.
L' lfusbiind who lay snoring on me
...a lxivrinor if-n. a convivial inariv
. that afternoon to. stagger home, as
md done many tiuies durirrgthe last
kaPDV year, wiv wujiiR'm-iw uu
bty pockets.
)n the third: floor joljf, plump, black-
d, rosy-checkeo, generous vout ui not
mil p nf a
thousorjv year she gave
av at least one-eijronr) Widow Win
' . 1 ... 1 .InAn.niT In lini
UiPPm WiW VJtlLUlJ Dlt-3IIUA. ... .
1 thnmiifftiiv iireo our ov a iiuru
v's work, ani Nannie, her little maid,
th the eat In her lap, was dozing in
snasniodio iwnner in a rocking-chair
tiio kitchenlire.
And on the furlli fl
mil and 1
uso 1 ha
Wr tban
vks clerk, it
I'JErtlOYL'l w
day week (i
extra pay)
I' there never c
r brother no,-
a a late supper
)lieed to remain
13 store where 1
custom of our
servicoall holi-
kout. however thinking
it n&cessary iojequitesuch services with
ere urn
i hevn. Jf
Lft cvluli
dear Nat than whom
Id be a kinder brother
f , -. 1. jl.TiK Via liActrail6n)illtli7PV
11 1 was iiiuit: w jimrec
eat sun per I
ahd pour 01
much better
used to say
'., Nathaniel
been a tine,
rellowjfjintil
il'?' C .ttemb'sFwhe
fit Wli
M . it-9 KtL'iebt .ri
MS ! it, ! Since the
. r lief, ntiil cm
more. W
. juoney sa
t
the tea. " It .tastes so
am your hand, sis," he
fas a printer, and had
iwart, singing, whistling
int dreadful day in Sep
ic met with (he terrible
1 resulted in the loss of
a liiul been on the invalid
and whistled and joked no
had, fortunately, some
when this misfortune
Aunn nnmJiia. but it was now ainiosi
ii..,t,i I a ,1 Kt heiran to worry
about tlmtnmong other things ; but I
never Wheart. Why. should I? I
had youtl. health and strength and
twelve dJlars a week. ' And we could
manage nit to starve or freeze ou twelve
dollars afveek. and Nat's overcoat and
my cloak'could both be turned, and
8omebodyUva9 coming home noon.
!.' Widow Winterpippin-Ood bless her
i'i-prvedan angel of goodness du mi g
i. our trouDie. coining m o. " - T
jyL jeJfwlien his arm was at tie worst ; I
rf . . . fr ilm first few
naa 10 go 10 nyr." ',: , j
days, or the salary wobhw ""v"-'i
though thev did, for a wondeivgive me
har imiir at, nnon when 1 went
home to lunch sending Nannie to wait
on him when lie whs getting better, an4
.making all sorts of nice dishes to tempt
bis appetite, ana lending nuu n me
nicest books and keeping the room
bright witli beautiful tloweiB. But it
wasn't this kindness which made Nat
fall in love with her. Oh, no! lor he
bad fallen jn Jove with her long before,
look in his face, put hisnrm around his
wife and led her to the piano.
Then Nathaniel took the widow, and
Mr. Summer Mrs. MsCliilly's grand
daughter by marriage, and Mrs.
McChilly's grandson Mrs. Rose, and
Mr. Rose me. and we had an old-fash-iotved
quadrille dance in the old-fashioned
way and a jig to end with. And
Mrs. McOliilly declared it made her feel
like dancing herself, and she would have
danced, too, i believe, if it hadn't been
for hir rheumatic foot. As it was, she
beat time to the jig tune with her cane
until her arm was so tired she couldn't
beat anv longer, and Nannie and the
Kflhv trif.k it. nnd heat awav. utterly re.
rrurrl lew nf time, until all the ladies had
made their linal courtesies to thiir
nafhlftt l-
After the dance we had a lovely bal
lad from Mr. Sumwer. who had a fine
iunnr voice, nnd a comic sons from Mr,
Itnsp. who had a voice suited to it. The
comic song had a silly, rollicking chorus
in which the company all joined with as
much earnestness .18 though their lives
depended upon their doing so.
" Tiii-la-la-tra-la In
Tm-la-li anil llmt will do."
And then supper. Such a supper
rin.-mt turkev. uranberrv sauce, mince
nip rristi eclerv. home-made bread.
pickles, tongue, stewed oysters, candies
and wax' dolls (the dolls beside the chil
dren's plates.) And when we wire all
through nnd back to tlte parlor again
silting iua half-ciicle around the grate.
(ire. ii cuii of fnierrant tea or cotlce in
every hand, Widow Winterpippin, who
s:tt in the center of the half-circle, said:
' "'And now. if no one has anvobieetion
Tl would like to tell you a wonderful
dream I had last nisrht."
"Anv objection !" "No, indeed!"
"Deliirhted to hear it!" from all sides
And, while the Summer baby crowded
itself to sleep in its mother's arms, and
the Rosebuds, on the floor at then-
father's feet each with a new doll
clasped to their breast drooped their
sinning heads until mey sanK upon me
pillows Nannie had thoughtfully placed
near tly'in, the chairs in the half-circle
were drawn closer and all eyes wen
fsis toned on the Widow Winterpippin'i
sunny lace,
" 1 went to bed last night," began the
widow in a low voice, " very tired
"I sliould think so," said every
woman listener
"What did vou sav?" cried Nathaniel,
springing to his feet and looking eagerly
toward her, totally forgetful of the rest
of the company.
' Nathaniel Bracket, you are an
idiot!" '
' . .".Just sis I expected," murmured poor
Nat., sinkine into hiscbair again.
"'If you have lost 3 our arm your
right arm, ' me wiuow caimiy pro
ceeded, " ' you haven't lost your head,
and that head, as I happen to know, con
tained the usual, perhaps little more
than the usual, amount of brains, ahd if,
as I hear, a thousand or two will give
-' ..-. .. . !h 'I A linn's: I.iijIii.ilju
yuu an iiiit'iviii, iu xuu. a wi3.ii-.t,
why what is to prevent me, mtvum a 111
tie money nt my command and no one
to take care of but myself, lending it to
. . x f
you for the sake 01 your sister, 01
whom I am very fond ? Or if you won't
look at it in that way, why can't I be
come a partner, a very suent one anu
ou manaee for me, taking a fairequiva-
ent for your services:"' And that s the
end " . .
" Never! shouted Nat, springing from
his chair once more and taking a few
steps toward her, " 1 he dream .never
ended in that way, Nathaniel maoesome
further remark, I'm sure he did."
I believe lfn did," said the widow,
knitting her pretty brows, though in
thought, while a rosy blush overspread
her face, " but dreams grow so shadowy
at the last and this becamo so very in
distinct after I had spoken of going into
the printing business myself that I can
scarcely remember "
"ThatJNat isracKet said. " prompted
Nathaniel, " ' Ood bless you for a darl
ing! and I'll accept the ottered load on
eendition that you'll ndd to it a Christ
mas gift a gift above all price your
precious self.' "
"Well, well, how did you ever
know?" exclaimed the widow in pre
tended surprise.
"Can't imagine," said is at, jus eyes
sparkling with fun for a moment, and
then, as she rose lrom ncr seat, ne came
and stood before her and said, entreat-
inirlv. " But I don't know what answer
you dreamed you made."
" JSor 1." laugneo tne wiuow.
"But I do." said Mrs. McChilly. with
an emphatic rap of her cane;" I do-
Mrs. Nathaniel Bracket.
And we all shouted and clapped our
hands like a parcel ot children, and
then we all (not one of us,. I 111 sure,
could have told why) cried a little arid
were quietly feeling for our handker
chiefs to wipe away the tears, when the
old lady spoke agum, looking down on
ttie Kosebuos, wno were still sleeping
I will be a lnend to these little ones
and their parents." she said. " a'sood
friend. That part of tin.' dream shall
come true. As for my grandson "
" Here lie is." screamed Nannie, with
hysterical lauirh. as she flung open the
door that led into the dining-room.
And there he was, to be sure, Willi
his sweetheart on his ami, and in an in
stant they were both kneeling neiorc
their grandmother, witli one of her
wrinkled hands in blessing on eacn
bowed, young head.
Mi- jsiimiTipr turned from the pretty
tableau and bent and kissed his wife,
and softly whispered something toner
that made her " eyes like stars " indeed,
assho exclaimed in a voice trenioling
with joy, "My part of the wonderful
dream has already come true."
" And mine came true tins morning,
said I, as I took the letter from my
P" And mine." stammered Nat, as his
only nrm stole around the widows
waist, "can it come true?" . ,
" It can," said Widow Winterpippin.
Trails of Animals.
A cat was sent by express,' carefully
boxed, from Dansville to Rochester, a
distance fifty miles. Not many days
afterward, tabby wime walking into
her old home. j
When a irood hoisewife of Kirkaldy
went for a ham tils, had hung from the
rafters, it had a fair exterior, but it was
a perfect shell, skty and bone only re
maining to show hi form, while the rat,
after living so sumptuously, had built a
nest in the centcr.'nnd was easily cap
tured. 1
A narrot beloneitur to Capt. Eichel-
berger, of Baltimore, was always present
at family prayers. (i)ne morning, when
in the garden, a hak flew down and
seized the parrot, when it shrieked:
"Oh, hord, save u! Uh, ixira, save
usl" which so frightened the hawk
that he dropped hisiprizo.
At Triest's ' - '7,.ihe road from
Calaveras Gi5aaJr08emito, in
California, is dog who che hour before
the arrival of the stse goes leisurely
down the road to meet it, then bounds
back to the pou.'try yard, catches chick
ens, bites thnr heads off, and takes them
to tliacoolf. He takes one chicken for
each gerv'ieiunn in thestage, n?ver mak
ing a mistake.
Ai expert in antique coins in Paris is
piioodle. The money being placed upon
a table the dog is introduced, and after
nosing among them will knock off the
table all the bad pieces with his paw.
After acquiring great fame it w:is found
the whole thing was a trick. His mas
ter took care to handle only the bogus
coins, and the poodle's decisions were
arrived at by faculty oi scent.
A wandering " chippy " waa picked
up by a St. Louis lady and placed in the
cage with her canary. In the morn-
ing it was reieaseo, wnen tne canary
mourned as if it had lost its mate. In
the evening the chippy .returned, and
was allowed to nestle on the cage, wnen
the canary struck up one of the liveliest
notes and seemed gtatilied. This was
repeated for three days. Then chippy
failed to return. The canary drooped
and soon died.
A eoimlo of seals, tiie property of
Major Urch, of Portsmouth, N. II., were
kept in a tank, and were as tame us
dogs. One of them died recently, nnd
Major Urch concluded to give the other
its liberty, it spomed to grieve so much
at its loss. He took the tank to the
river bank and released the seal, think
ing it would swim out to sea. It swam
all around the viver, but soon returned
crying in distress and flapped into its old
quarters on the bank, and stubbornly
refused to be ejected.
A monkey beloiging to a gentleman
of the south of Fi ance often helps the
cook. Being given a pair of partridges
to pick one day, he sealed himself in
an open window. A hawk flew down
nnd snatched one of the birds, when the
monkey tricked the hawk by secreting
himself, and, waiting, soon saw him
come for the other, when the monkey
caught , the thief... Plucking both the
haw k and the remaining partridge, lie
Whnt We Mean by a " Boom."
This word, now in such common use
by all classes of politicians and trades
peoples, and used to signify that politics
are in a ferment and trade rushing, was
probnbly used in the time of Noah, if
not anterior to the date of that old patri
arch. We do not care, however, to in
vestigate Noah's record, nor to ascer
tain just what words were in use about
the time lie was gathering his great
family into the ark, but having once
got them all safely in, and the doors and
windows closed, it Is quite safe to as
sume that when he heard the rushing of
the mighty waters, and felt the ark ris
ing with the tide, he could not but, if
he did not, exclaim, there was a big
" boom " on somewhere! Here arc some
definitions of the word which we find
in Webster, Worcester and elsewhere :
Boom To rush with violence, as a
ship under a press of sail. Webster.
She comes booming down before it.
Tolten.
The bittern booms it in the reeds.
Cotton.
And even Tennyson in one of his
poems says :
At even the beello boomoth
Athwart the thicket lone.
Our own Washington Irving, in one
of his fine, descriptions, speaks of
Alarm guns hoomiDg through the night air.
IlillHouse, in one of his finest poems
speaks of
The hoarse waves booming to the ocean shove.
Falconer, also, in one of his earlier
poems, says :,
() cr the sen-liput ship booming water, roar.
When used by lumbermen, a " boom "
is understood to meau a chain of logs, or
rather a succession of logs fastened to
gether by chains and used in a stream
to intercept logs in their passage down.
Worcester says :
Boom To rush with violence, as
ship under press of sail Nautically,
lo boom along, means to move rapidly,
etc.
We think we have given sufficient
number of definitions of the word to
explain its full meaning, without deem
ing it ne essary to inquire into its den
nation. It is certainly, just at this
time, an expressive word, wlien applied
to business, for in every department and
in all directions trade is certainly rush
ing along like a torrent, like a shin
under fuil sail before a stiff breeze, and
its roar in this and other great com
mercial cities is not unlike that of tem
pestuous waves, when heard at a dis
tance, us they dash against some rock
bound shore. It is a very good and
expressive word; will have its day ns
one of common usage while the present
trade boom lasts; and, ns we have
Bhown its use by many distinguished
poets and prose writers, we feel like
saying something in its behalf. It rep
resents force, strength, flow, vigor,
energy, and all that, and so does trade
and commerce nt this time. Let thorn
boom! Coal 1'rade Journal.
took them to the cook, and the change
was not discovered until the game (?)
was served at table.
An enormous eagle in Georgia swept
down upon two little girls aged three
and live years, throwing them to the
ground. It buried its talons in the face
and arm of the eldr and attempted to
carry oft" the child, hut was prevented
by her struggles. Aliltie Dromer seven
years of age came toiler assistance with
a carving" knife, slashing the eagle's
Ipjtb. when it turned uuon the bov. who
was soon released by the appearance of
Joe Betzler, a neighbor, upon the scene,
who shot and killed the bird. It mea
sured seven feet fro.n tip to tip of wing.
A spider is agluttm, as was evidenced
by an experiment recently made. A
gentleman arose nt caybreak and sup
plied a spider who had an extensive
web, with a fly. This was at 5 :50 o'clock
. m. The.spider was men ieeoing on
an earwig, fie came lor the ny, roneo
him up, and returned to his first course.
At seven o'ciock, his earwig had been
demolished, nnd the fly at eight o'clock.
At nine o'clock he gave it a daddy-longlegs,
which he ate at noon. At one he
greedily seized a blue-fly, nnd during
the day he-counted 120 green flys, or
midgets, all dead and fast in his net.
A Pyramid of Snakes.
Two Pictures.
Miss Blanche Murray is a very proper
young lady. Last week she caught her
little brother smoking.
"You terrible thing," sue insseo, 1
am going to tell father on you!"
" This is only corn-silk," murmured
the boy patiently..
' I don't care what it is. I am going
to tell on vou, and see that you don't
get iuto that beastly horrid, degrading
habit; I wouldn't have anything to do
with smokers."
11.
It is evening. Miss Murray is sitting
on the front stoop with Algernon. It is
moonlight, and the redolent spirits of
the honeysuckle and syringa nre waft
ing bliss to their already intoxicated
souls.
"Would little bird object to my
smoking a cigarette?"
"None at all," rep'.ied Miss Murray.
" I like cigarettes, they nre so fragrant
and romantic, I think they are just too
delicious for anything."
" Then I'll light one."
" Do, and blow some ol the smoke 111
my lace, it is so soothing and dreamily
Paradisic."
Then he lights a cigarette, nnd they
tafk about the weather for two hours
and a half.
In the savannas of Isaeubo. in Guiana
I saw the most wonderful, the most
terrible spectacle that can be seen, and
although it be not uncommon to the in
habitants. 110 traveler has ever men
tioned it. We were ten men on horse
back, two of whom took the lead in
order to sound the passages, while I
preferred to skirt the great forests.
One of the blacks who formed the van
guard returned at full gallop nnd called
torne: "Here, sir: come and see ser
pents in a pi e!" He pointed out tome
something elevated in the middle of the
savanna, which appeared like a bundle
of arms. One of my company then said :
"This is certainly one of these assem
blages of serpents which heap them
selves on each other after a violent teui-
ptst. I have heard of these, but have
never seen any. Let us proceed cau
tiously, and not go too near."
When we were within twenty paces
of it. the terror of our horses prevented
our near approach, to which, however
none of us were inclined. Suddenly the
pyramidal mass became agitated ; nor
ribie sounds issued from it: and thou
sands of serpents rolled spirally on each
other, shooting forth out of the circle
their hideous heads nnd presenting their
envenomed darts and herv eyes to us.
own I wa-t one of the first to draw back.
But when I saw that this formidable
phalanx remained at its post, and np
peared to be more disposed to defend
itself than to nttack us, I rode round it
in order to view its order of battle,
which faced the enemy on every Ride.
I then sought what could be the de.
sign of this numerous assemblage, and I
concluded that this species of serpents
dreaded some colossean enemy, which
might be the great serpent, or the cay
man, and that, having seen this enemy
they unite themselves in order to resist
him a mass. Jlaron 1 un Humboldt.
AN ELECTRIC SPRING.
The Most Wondrrrnl IVaturml ICurloalty
Tet Dlfio4iTerct.
The beautiful Buffalo valley the
mountaineer's paradise, and one of the
most romantio spots in Tennessee lies
along the eastern bank of that lovely
mountain stream, the Caney Fork.
Three or four miles from the mouth of
this valley stands Jan old water-mill,
whose huge iron-hound wheel, it is said,
performed its last revolution somewhere
ibout the year 1818. The mill in its
day was no doubt a wonder in that part
of the country, forjudging by its pres
ent appearance, it must have been the
most wonderfully constructed building
of its kind ever erected in that vicinity.
It is now the home of rats and owls, and
the ashes of the jolly old miller, who
long years ngo was the life and light of
the plaw, sleep peacefully on a neigh
boring hill, Under this old mill is tl e
most wonderful, spring of which the
world has ever heard. Among the in
habitants it is known as the "Devil's
Spring." No one seems to know how or
when' it received this unpleasing, i n
portunate nppellnlion. Few people,
other than those living in the immediate
neighborhood, know of its existence, and
they rarely visit it, from the fact that it
is believed to exert a powerful and evil
influence over all who nre rash enough
to venture sufficiently near its confines
to allow a single drop of the bubbling,
boiling fluid to fall on them or their
garments. Besides, the old mill is said
to be haunted, and this alone would
keep those superstitious people from
risking their lives bv frequenting the ac
cursed place. Notwithstanding the
harrowing tales related by the natives of
the loss of fortune, reason, nnd finally
death to those who had ventured in too
close proximity to the unhallowed spot,
a gentleman recently visited the mill
and the spring, the latter of which he
thoroughly examined, pronouncing it
the most remarkable natural curiosity
he had ever seen. The spring is de
scribed as boiling up from the center of
a solid rock, its" shape being very like
that of a bushel measure and about ns
large. The sides of this basin or hole
are perfectly smooth, having the appear
ance of having been polished by the
hand of man. Its depth is not known.
The people who reside in the immediate
vicinity say it is without bottom. How
this mav be we are not prepared to
state, but true it is that an iron wedge
and three hundred feet of cord failed to
reach it. The water is ot a narK oiue
color and boils up with great force so
great that it Bpouts up several inches
ibove its proper confines. Ann not oniy
does it -boil up with immense force, but
it wliirU around witli tremendous veloc
ity, something after the fashion of a
whirlwind.
The gentleman who describes it says
that he dipped nn ordinary tin dipper
into the snrinc tor the purpose 01 pro
curing some of the water for a closer ex
amination of its qualities, and that the
moment the dipper touched the water it
was wrenched lrom his grasp as though
it had been struck lrom hia hand by a
stroke of lightning, and indeed, ho
stales, that his arm felt very much ns if
it had been suddenly paralyzed, in en
deavoring to regain the dipper, whien
did not sink more than six inches below
the surface, but which kept whirling
round and round so fast that it was
almost impossible to see it, lie placed
his hand into the water. He says that
the sensations he experienced at the in-
tant las lingers touched the water were
iiiL'uhrlv strange, causing him to think
that thousands of needles had pierced
his body at one time. But he didn't
succeed in gelling the dipper out. He
tried time and "gain to wrench it from
its fastenings, but the greedy waters
seemed loath to give up their strange
captive, to which they clung with more
than a vise-like grasp. Giving up all
hopes of rescuing the dipper wit 11 111s
hands, the gentleman iietiiougni nimseii
of an empty flask which he carried in
his companion. Witli this he again at
tempted to lift some water from the
spring, and was rewarded with success,
not, however, without a considerable
effort, for it required his entire strength
to prevent the angry waters ironi snatch
ing the flask from his hands. Pouring
a single drop of the strange fluid in the
And I began to ' dream directly
And everybody in this house was 11
thiit dream," the widow went on. " Yes,
children and all. I thought it was
Christmas night, just as it is now, and
Nannie and I were waiting, just as we
did to-night, for the company to arrive.
Bells woro first si t up in churches as a
defense against thunder and lightning.
The first bell hung in Lngland was in
045 Chimes were invented in Belgium
iu H&7.
The eaon'i entertainments have been not.
ubly tree from annoyance by oouidiing. Dr.
BuU'i Cough Syrup does this. Pnee 25 cent.
bottle.
The Great Advance In Puper.
Tho paper-makers seem to have be
come crazy upon t lie subject oi prices of
paper, and are rushing things in a man
ner most remarkab'e. Within a period
of sixty days the prices of print nnd
book papers have advanced over fifty
Cer cent. Paper since September has
een put upon tno combination price-
list nt au advance ot forty per cent, per
pound. At a meeting of the Chicago
division of the American Paper-Makers'
Association, held in Chicago- recently,
the following prices to dealers wero
fixed upon.
No. 1 news (3U,erceul. wo;).9o per pound
Kxtia news (all ra) lHc per pound
No. '1 book (.machine finishi tl) . 1 1 Jo per pound
Sized and mipcr-oidendered boot,
124o per pound
These are the manufacturers' prices
until the next meeting of the associa
tion, at which time another advance of
from one and a half to two and a ha'f
cents per pound may be expected.
Sunday hi Japiin.
1 ho hanks and foreign newspapei
ofiices are ciosed: hankers and lourua
lists are proverbially pious men. The
larger hongs, owned by foreigners, ar
closed also. So too, are the consulates,
of course. But all the small nativeshops,
even those within the foreign concession,
are open. Carpenters and blacksmiths,
and stono-masons, and shoemakers, and
tailors, nnd tinkers are all at work its
usual. Two-wheeled drays, laden with
I stono did building material, and mer
chandise, drawn by slalwart, hall
naked men, who accompany each sicp
with tho '.monotonous he-how," or
half-song and half-ejaculation, are
lumbering tli rough the main tliorough
fares. The bar-rooms nnd billiard
saloons are all open and having a line
run. The puppet shows are in lull blast.
The club rooms ate thronged with a gay
rollicking class of middle-aged men. The
hotels have their usual quarto o
loungers, who come hither to exchange
the local gossip ot the week. We listen
to their conversation partly because we
could not well avoid it if we would;
partly b;;causo it is a good opportunity
to study the moral and intellectual fone
r.i. Jri . 1 t 1. !.!.. .. .....1
ui inu piuce. vimi.i umuii- iiiurn it iiiui'
titude ot icibles. No one seems cross or
in ill humor, though the un unt of
"cross words" and obscenity i appal
ling. There seems to he an ah:.ost uni
versal laxity in monls, without the
slightest care to conceal it. People live
extravagantly, nnd often beyond their
means ; "and when a fast man breaks
down in purse, tho next thing in order is
a change of residence or suicide. -Japan-ese
J.ttltr.
pa'm of his left hand he examined it
minutely with a magnifying glass with
the most satisfactory results. He statf s
that the drop of water closely resem
bled a flake of snow viewed with the
same instrument. He examined several
other drops, and, strange to say, each
presented u marked difference inappear-
ance. The first assumed the shape of a
star, the second that of a crescent, the
third a dagger, the fourth a comet, and
so on. Alter concluding his examin
ation, the gentleman resolved to further
test tlie qualilies of the water by tasting
it. Letting a drop fall on his tongue, he
was surprised and delighted to find that
it sparkled like the best brand of cham
pagne. He then concluded to swallow
a portion, which he did with the most
delightful effect. He says the moment
the water began descending his (hroa
ho enjoyed tho most pleasant sensation
of his life. It was indeed as if ho were
truly sipping the nectarof the gods. The
draught seemed to divide itself into a
million parts the moment it passed his
throat; a portion passing wim me speeu
of lightning along every vein of his
body. So delightful was the effect that
he forgot for the time where ho was, and
Uttered peal alter peal of tho wildest
possible laughter. Owing to the pecu
liar effects which the, water has on the
human system, the gentleman before
leaving the place christened the spot
" The Electric Spring." He claims that
this name is peculiarly appropriate, for
there is no doubt but that the water is
heavily charged with electricity, lie
will endeavor next fiimm'T to form a
company for the purpose of merging the
place into a summer resort, as it is be
lieved that the water of the spring will
cure any and all ills that llcsh is heir lo.
Nashville (Ttnn.) llianc.r
Accidents in the deep shalts of Ne
vada mines tre usually caused by fall
ing; but there was an exception re
cently. The iron cage in which men
and metal are hoisted out of the Union
mine is raised witli a wire rope seven
inches thick by an engine of a thousand
horse power. Six men started on the
rise of over a quarter of a mile, and for
hall the distance were lilted at the or
dinary safe speed. Then the cage moved
faster and faster, until it was shooting
upward at a rate that took their breath
away. The 1 ngineer had lost cont j ol of
the machinery, which was running with
frightful velocity. Ou reaching the
surface the cage broke through the roof
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Pleasant .uarlere- Twenty-five-cent
pieces. .
The Utah delegate in Congress, Mr
Cannon, has six wives. ,
' Truth lies When it is crushed to
earth- New York News.
" I liko your impudence," as a pretty
irl said when her beau kissed her.
A single property in California is half
the size, of Rhode Island.
Five children of Charles Dickens sur
vive him three sons nnd two daugh
ters. To take out a patent in the United
States, costs about 60, of which about
$25 goes to the solicitor.
Mi. Mori, who was once Japanese
minister nt Washington, has been sent
to the cort of St. James'
A salmon caught near Vancouver
island, on the Pacific coast, weighed
ninety-eight pounds.
It is indeed a brave man who has
courage enough to peer into the future
nafrr ns spring house-cleaning time.
Thirty-eight thousand five hundred
and lorty one persons by the name of
Smith draw pensions from the United
States government.
" Day-Alter-To-Morrow " is the "name
of a Cherokee Indian chief. He is the
brother of Procrastination. Wa'crloo
Observer.
Every kind of leather of oak and
sumac tannage is produced in Cincin
nati, there being thirty tanning estab
lishments there.
As many women learn to know their
husbands, they wish they had learned
to "No"them when they were only
sweethenrts. Sieubenville JJei aid.
The Cane-Growers' association fin
ished its deliberations at St. Louis yes
terday. The other association for rais
ing Cain is still in session nt Washing
ton. Vli icago Journal.
The roses of p.easure seldom last
long enough to adorn the brow of him
that plucks them, and they nre the only
roses which do not retain their sweet
ness after they have lost their beauty.
IIo that embarks in the voyage of
life will always wish to advance rather
bv the impulse of tho mind than tho
strokes of the oar, and ma.iy founder in
the parage while they lie waiting for
the gale.
Turning for the moment from a (lairs ot
State lo sporting matters, we note Jint
a Cincinnati gentleman yesterday broke
9U8 glass bails out of a possible 1,000,
with the but end of an army musket.
Cincinnati Enquirer.
A fashion letter says "pinched waists
are now thought vulgar." Fashion let
ters may say 'what they piease, but as
long as the owners of the waiets don't
make a fuss about it, young men will
continue to pinch 'ein Norrislown Her
aid. A walnut timber boom is going on in -Tennessee.
Every water-mill nnd 11
saw-iniil is sawing it fast. Already
!:i0,000 worth has been shipped lrom.
I.ewisburg. There is a large demand
for it in London, and Tennessee people
expect great things of the European
market.
A man fell through one of Ihe win
dows of liis boarding house on West
bill the other day, and his distracted
landlady speaks of him as "n panefu!
roomer." But then Bhe hardly knew
what she was saying, poor thing. Iiur-
Uii'ton Hnwkeye.
The Norrislown lieraui regards ap-
i.rnvitu'lv the maintenance of the old
custom o'f flinging an old slipper after a
bride, but holds the practice 01 Hinging
after n would-be son-in-law a heavy
boot containing the foot of a girl's
father as despicable.
Tlu re are over 15,000 carriage manu
facturers in tho United States, who' em
ploy upward ot 100,000 hands, pay
out from S'.'R.OOO.OOO to $31,000,000 for
labor annually, and produced during
the past twelve months upward ol
1,500,000 carriages, amounting in
value to .15!5,000,000.
The number tf paper mills in the
United States have increased to 815J, em
ploying 52,000 hands, nnd their aver
age nnuual product is estimated at
317,387 tons of paper, vaUud ut !j7,
000,000, nnd the capital invested in
them is placed at S I3,.r00,000.
The position of the Chinese in Brazil
is a peculiar one. The government eu
cou nges their introduction witli the
view of more extensive tea and silk
culture, while tho people oppose Mon
gols on the ground that their immigra
tion will prevent that of the more de
sirable Europeans.
Juries sometimes give very curious
verdicts. One of the most- remarkable
was found by a Washoe jury in a ease
of milk-steniing. The prisoner was
tried on a charge of stealing milk from
another man's cow. It was proved that
ho had frequently milked the cow at
night, thereby causing his neighbor
at. vexation and annoyance. nn-
jurv desired to express in meir veruici
I heir sense of t he aggravated nature of.
the offense. They therefore louno me
I"
I
- A correspondent asks us: "What is
your ideaol the saddest thing on earth?"
Easy enough! A tailor with a good
memory. Wheeling Leader. .
of the sheltering house as though it had
been paper, hurling the men into the
air, and breaking tho great cable. No
lives were lost, but thirteen bones were
broken.
irisoner " guilty of milking the cow in
he lir-t deree." Waco (Texox) Tt It-
phone.
What lie Mistook for it Hog.
A young man who had recently nv
ivrd from ihe East was engaged at the
United States lish-liatcliing establish
ment on Mt Cloud river. One day last
week he took a row boat and puued up
the river a horl oistance, crossed to the
opposite side, and prepared to go ashore.
Justus he was stepping out .of the boat
the young mail iooklu on on uw i
over his head, and saw what he thought
was a large niiWliil dog. homo 01
those Indiana have stolen him," ho
thought to himself, "nnd I will take
him home with me." unmning me
trail with difficulty, he was soon face to
face with his mastill". IIo whistled, and
snapped his thumb and fingers, coax
ingly, but instead of taking his advances
kindly, the nnimal uttered a lew growl.
and oscillating his tail lrom side to side,
prepared to go for that young man.
Tho latter, now terribly alarmed, started
for his boat, tumbling headlong down
the hill, mid just managed to get into his
craft and push it into the stream as an .
immense specimen of theCalifornia lion
landed upon the shore. Ot course, the
iou would not take to the water, so the
young man was safe; but he says he
shall be careful how lie makes overtures
to strange dogs in a utr.inge country
after this. He was entirely unarmed nt
the time, and after, lie got into his boat
heard tho growls of another in tho bush,
showing that evidently there was a pair
itf the " creatures." Portland Oreyottian.