A (Vrr , , , HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL DESt'tbANDTJM. Two Dollars per Annum. VOL. X. EIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1880. NO 36. V My Little Woman. A homely eottnge, quaint and old, In thalcb grown thick with green and gold And wind-sown grasses) Unchanged it stands in sun and rain And seldom through the quiot lane A lootstep passes. Tet here my little woman dwelt, And saw the shroud of winter melt From meads and tallows; And heard the yellow-hammer sing a tiny welcome to the spring From budding sallows. She saw the early morning sky BluBh with a tender wild-rose dye Above the larches; And watched the crimson sunset bnrn Behind the eummor plumes ot tern In woodland arches. My little woman, gone away To that lar land which knows, they say, No more sun-sttting! I wonder il her gentle soul, Secu-ely resting at the goal, Has learnt forgetting! My heart wnkes np and cries in vain; She gave me love, I gave her pain While she was living; I knew not when ter spirit fled, Hut thoeo who stood beside her said Sie died iorgiving. My dove has found a better rest, And yet I love tho empty nest She left neglected ; I tread the very path she trod, And ask in her new home with God Am I expected? U it were but the Father's will To lbt me know Bho loves me still, This aching sorrow Would turn to hope, and I oould say, Perchance she whispers day by day, " He comes to-morrow." I linger in the silent lane, And high above the clover plain The clouds are riven ; Across the field she uaed to know The light breaks, aud the wind sighs low, " Loved and lorgiven." Good Worth. SOUTH BRANCH FARM. The Taneys bad lived on tbe South Branch farm since colony times, and no Taney had ever cheated a man of a dol lar. "They lent no money, and they borrowed none; they never sat at any man's table, or asked n guest to theirs. The Taney pew front one was filled every Sunday, come rain or sun. Sirs. Taney, a iniddle-ngcd woman, with Iter gray hair in a tight little knot behind, and wcarinz the same rusty, black gown and bonnet fur a dozm years, was al ways like the others present. But some Utiles she was asleep. For this was the one hour of the whole week when phi could sit down on a cushion and fold her hunt's. The air was warm; tin music soft and sweet; no wonder site slept. Sometimes tho works that wen read stirred her soul; it seemed as if ber ch Id hood woke, as if the tears must come to her lo'g dry ejes. But they never Cid. By the time she had walked home with her son W illiam, ths story of Bethlehem, or heavenly glory to come, had faded into a doubtful dream, and all tbat was real was the South Branch farm, the price of pork, or the fall of totatoes. After church, dinner must be ready (piping hot, too, on ac count of the boarder), in half an hour ; then she had the sheep to look affrr, and the poultry to feed ; then milking The Taneys never had kept any "help." Mrs. Taney had brought up six children, been sole cook, seamstress, tailor and dairymaid ; yet her husband, old Ben. always had said : " Sarah's not a capable woman. No Taney blood in her." Ben had been 'eaf five years, but his wifo went on carrying a groaning load on the back which lacked bone. William was a harder master than his father ha J been ; the very oxen felt the lash oltener. and their corn fell off one half. He sat in the kitchen now, with a book before him, while his mother and youngest sis'er, Letty, were cooking supper. "Take that butter oil the table," ho said, suddenly. "Molasses will do. What are you cooking meat for? It's not necessary. Put it back in the cel lar." " Yes, William," replied his mother, submissively. "Only I thought the boarder " " We can't afford to keep him like a lord. You'll have to exercise economy, mother; I can't be always here to look after things. How am I ever to pay for the meadow lots if the money is going away in tbia style?" "In what way, William?" Mrs. Taney's scared eyes wandered over the spare kitchen, the smoldering coal in a corner of the grate, tho half-starved face of her little girl. " I try to save, I am sure. What way do you mean, sir P" "Oh, every way!" closing his book with a bang. " There's a leak at every corner. Why, 1 toil and slave the year round. But with such a lot of mouths to feed-" He glared at Lsttv, who shrank into the pantry. She did not come out dur ing supper, and her mother dared not call her. The girl was crying as usual, and her te ns always exasperated Wil liam. Poor Letty felt the horrible guilt of her hcaity appetite sore upon her. She was always hungry ; hungry enough to faint now. Mrs. Taney forgot to eat her dry bread, or drink her milk. The meadow lots! It was to buy those lots that her husband bad made their lives bare and hard and wretched from their wedding day. Tho good wholesome produce from the farm, which should have fed the children, had gone to market, while they ate the refuse; the money which should have educated them had been put in the bank to buy these lots. When her baby was so ill no doctor was brought, and her child died; the money saved went to the lots; the mother had begged for a headstone for the grave. TLera was Letty, growing to be a woman, half-clothed, without a sparkle of fun or pleasure to lighten her young life; while poorer girls dressed and went out. and had comnanv. and en. joyed, as the girls should, days tilled with comfort and happiness. Everv penny thus saved William laid by for the lots." Yea! those twelve actors hid come to be the absolute God (for these people. Not a happy life, nor uoa, nor heaven. After supper his mother followed him out. "William," she said, desperately, " how many years will It be before you can buy the lots?" "Years? The lots?" in unfeigned amazement. " I how on earth can you understand business?" It was the first time she had ever spoken in this way. "I don't know. But I'm afraid 1 will not live to see it. It is so long She went back 'to the kitchen. The dishes stood untouched upon the table and Letty was seated upon the steps, a basket ot red peaches beside her, which the boarder brought down from his room. He was a young man, a teacher in a Virginia country school, who had come up to these hills geologizing in his sum mer vacation. " I brought them from the McBride farm, Mrs. Taney," he said. " They are a very common kind in the Shenandoah valley," handing them to her. Mrs. Taney's features grew warm. " 1 remember a tree just like these at home," she said, " by the old mill. My old nurse used to hold me up to pull them for myself." "Your little girl tells me that you came from Fauq iiier county. It is a tine country." "It is the most beautiful in the world," said Mrs. Taney. She stopped and went i t hastily. She felt the tears choking her. She could hear Mr. Burke tell the child that his school was in Fauquier, and that he had often passed her grandfather's house. It was for sale now, with a dozen acres about it; would sell very cheap, no doubt. Land had depreciated sitce the war. "A quiet comfortable little homestead, too," he said, "as any in the State." Mrs. Taney paused in her work. "Oh, if I could only show it to Letty," sho said to herself. "The dear old farm. The sunny porches, and tbe Bourbon roses, and the great oaks, cen urips old." She had never spoken of her old home to her other children, but to Letty she had talked of it often when they were alone. Letty was like herself ; the othets were all Taneys. She came to the door. "Do you know, Mr. Burke, if there is an old negro on the place a gar dener?" "Uncle Tod? Oh, everybody knows the old man; and his stories about the CleveJands, de family, as he calls them." " We were the Cleveland. A nd old Tod is really living yet?" she laughed for the first time in a year. When Letty had gone in Mr. Burke paced up and down the porch. He was a manly, large-natured fellow, and his heart ached with pity for the poor, pinched lives of this child and her mother. All he could do to show kind ness was to lend books to Letty, which she devoured eagerly, for she was fond of reading; in fact sue tiad obstinately per sisted in staving at the tree school until she had educated herself. William Taney waited until the young man had gone, and then he went into the pantry where his mother was strain ing milk. Something in his manner made her set it down, trembling. 'You have bad news to tell," she said. " No," with an uneasy, stricken laugh, "mcst folks call it good. Fact is. mother, I've made up my mind to marry " 'Oh, William." her old cheeks color ing. "1 made up my mind three months ago. And the girl s courted, and the wedding's to be to-morrow. There now. No need for you to look in that way. I am generally pretty close-mouthed about my own business ; you might know that. And I don't choose to have the matter cackled over at home. The girl is Miss ausie Crawford." His mother came toward him. He was her son after all, and this was the turning point of his lifo. She DUt her arms about him and kissed him. "God bless you, my boy," she said. But be stood as immovable as a log. " Don't let us nave any fuss," he said. You had better sit down. You're shaking all over. Well, that's all. I here' ll be no wedding hubbub here. I don't hold to spending money in feeding a lot of guzzling fools. The Crawfords have a regular blow-out in the morning. But you don'; want to go, I reckon ? " uneasily. I should like to see vou married." she said, timidly. Uh, nonsense. There s no sickly sentiment about me. I'll have Sophy home by supper time . You'll have to see to things here " tie lighted his candle and turned to " by the way, she was here a month ago." i es. Mrs. Taney remembered dis tinctly the gross-featured, black-eyed young woman who had swaggered through the farmhouse in her cheaD silk and gilt jewelry. "She came just to look at her new home, and well, she rather took a fancy to the south chamber. You had better fix it up for her." "My room, wiiiiamr" " Yes. It's all the same to vou. O course you can go up to Lnty. letty, wiio bad been at work inside, came out, sobbing, and threw her arms about her mother. She knew that this had been her mother's room for thirty years. All Mrs. Taney's children were born in it the baby died there. William stopped and came back, say in?: ' Now look here, it's iust as well tn speak plainly at ones. I'll have no op position to my wife from you, Letty. uor num irom any otaer woman. 1 am the head of this house. My dear wife shall be mistress of it. She brings me a snug bit ot money, and I'll not have her nor her family insulted in it." "jay son." But he had stalked off to bed. There was no time the next day for Mrs. Taney or Letty to even think of the coming trouble. They were up as usual, two or three hours before day. kindling fires, milking and getting breakfast for the six harvest hands, Then came washing, a dinner at noon, all the work of a farm, in short, which falls on a woman, in addition to which was the cleaning and preparation of the room which the bride had chosen tor her own. Mrs. Taney moved sluggishly through the latter part of the work. "What is the matter with you, mother?" asked Letty. Mrs. Taney laughed feebly. "I don't xnow; I feel like a clock tbat is nearly run down." Letty made no reply. The child had lately been absent, almost indifferent, while her mother talked, apparently in her own thoughts. Could it be, the mother thought, that Letty, also, was forsaking her? Mrs. Taney had only had one other daughter tho baby who died. The other children were sons, all of whom, except William, had gone to the West and married there. She had often wished they would ask her to visit them, that she might see their children. But they never did it. While they were hanging out the clothes that afternoon, Mrs. Taney heard a tap, three times repeated, on the orchard fence. Letty's face colored. She dropped the clothes and ran behind the apple tree. As she came back ber mother saw her thiust a note into her pocket. Mrs. Taney grew suddenly sick at heart. Letty with a secret. Letty carrying on a clandestine love nf fair. While Mrs. Taney stood, doubting whether to ask the child for her confi dence, Letty had disappeared. A tew minutes later the girl went down the road in a clean dress and sun-bonnet. It was but a trifle, yet it stunned the jaded woman, as a sharp blow would have done. Mr. Burke, coming over the fields that afternoon with a natchet and a bag of specimens, was amazed to see Letty standing in the road in earnest conver sation with a man. "A coarse, red jawed, beery fellow," was his angry ver dict. The fellow talked long and earnestly; then took Lettic's hand and pressed it reverently. Burke turned his back on them and struck across the bills. The girl's mother should hear of this at once, lie said to himself, decid edly. Then he slackened his speed. What was it to him? Why should he vex himself about the girl? Or meddle with ber affairs? He went slowly bask to the hills. But the hot blood rushed with a strange beat through his vein). In an hour Letty was back and nt work with redoubled vigor, to make up for lost time. Her mother scanned her innocent, meek face with a breathless terror. Surely there was no guilt there. She would not doubt her ; she would not ask a question. " I have dressed the table with flow ers," the mother said, " and made a cake a real bride's cake. I hope William won't be angry. But this is so different from weddings in Virgin! t. Oh, Letty, if you and 1 could only go to the old house and sleep for one nigbt in the room which was mine when I was a child, 1 think just that little thing would give me years of life." "There they come!" cried Letty, as the big Crawford carriage was seen dashing up the road. She grew very pale and shrank back. The girl had always been alraid of her brother Wil liam; and his wife, she suspected, would be as hard a ruler and a more vulgar one. But Mrs. Taney led her to the porch . " You mutt welcome them, Letty," she said. The bride watched them from the carriage window with keep, jealous eyes. Her father had given her a hint a to her future course. " You've made a good match, Sophy," he said. "Bill Taney's got as l.ng a purse any man in the country, and hi old farm's comfortable. But the old woman an' her da'ater will be a draw back. They'll try to run over you roughshod, likely. Just take your stand at once. Let 'em see you will be mis rees in your own house.1' "Trust me for that, pappy," said Miss Sophy. The whole Crawford family had ac companied her to see how she ,. would hold her ground. When poor Mrs. Taney stepped for ward, therefore, her thin face reddening, and her hands held out, the brido re ceived her welcome with a careless nod. "I hope you will be happy in your new home, my dear," said the gen tie lady. Oh. no doubt, ma'am ! I generally hold my own pretty well. Come in, papy. Come, hue. 1 want you to see my house before it. is dark. Here is the living room, liul must nt that up into a parlor double quick, too. D'ye h?ar, Mr Taney?' laughing loudly. "Yon l.cedn't trouble yourself, ma'am, toshow the way. Come along allot you." William stopped and '.coked with sudden pity at his mother, than followed his wile, who went talking loudly up the stairs. Mrs. Taney and Letty ph ced the Eup- per on tbe table, the bride came m, the noisiest of the noisy party. She went hastily to the head of the table, saying: "ibis is my place, i believe." William gravely motioned his mother to a seat among the strangers! His wiie bore herself as though she had been mistress for years, and found fault freely when the humor seizea tier, me bread was dry as chaff, tho butter was bitter with salt, she said. "That s your idea of cooking, mother Tanney, eh? I'll give you a hint or tw to-morrow, we young people have progressed, you know." ' Not that I mean to take the work out of their hands." she said to her sis ter aside. "No, No! It we feed 'em, they've got to earn their bread." Letty overheard the whisper, and her scared face grew a shade paler. "Very nice old silver. William." said the bride, directly, weighing tbe spoons on hei finger, and then reading the mar. " Cleveland, eh ? You must have that altered, please, to our initials. I can't use spoons with strange naruej on 'em." William glanced uneasily at his mother. But the latter did not speak. Very well, my dear, il shall be as vou please," he said. as the aavs lengthened into weeks. tbe bride found her sway becoming more absolute. It occurred to William, sometimes, that she might share in the work, uut like most farmers of his class, be used to see his mother drudge, from morning until night, and vaguely supposed it was her natural condition of lite. Sophy carried the keys, and dealt out the provisions. Her ruddy, animal beauty pleased him; it was a pity, he thought, to mar it with bard work. Meanwhile, Mr. Burke hid taken lodgings with a neighboring farmer, lie kept a close scrutiny on Letty, solely, for her mother's sake, lie told himself. She met the "beery fellow" twice, and took long walks with him; she received letters from him by mail. The geologist found this matter inter ested him more than his fossils, even. One morning. Lettv came into the room. William stood joking with his wife, before going to the field. They looked at her with astonishment, for the gin was always silent and shy. "Brother. 1 want to speak to you,' she said, catching her breath. "WelL go on." said SoDhv. im patiently. "What are you afraid of?" wttjr spoke directly to William, ignoring her. "The potatoes and apples must be picked over, and the cellars are damp. Could one of the hands do it?" "Good gracious! Po you want har vesting to stop?" cried Sophy. "You and mother Taney can do it at your bisure. Do you suppose your brother pays men such ruinous wages to wait ou a lot of women ?" "You have always dono it," said William. " Mother is not well, William." " W ell, mana ge it as you like. I can't be bothered with the kitchen work," he burst out. Letty left the rocm hastily. " That's right, William. The truth is, you're too open-handed. You can't afford to keep a parcel of able-bodied women in idleness if you ever, mean to buy the meadow lots." " That's a fact!" The mention of the lots keyed his courage. When he came back that afternoon he found Sophy resplendent in a pink flowered muslin, entertaining half a dozen girls in the parlor. He stopped to joke and romp witn them. The next moment the door opened, and Letty stood like a ghost on the threshold. " Come to mother!" she said. "What is the matter?" "You have killed her, I think," quietly. The poor old woman had sunk down on the floor of the cellar and lay as if dead. William trembled as ho lifted her. The doctor of the village happened to pass at the moment. "No, she is not dead," he said, after examining her. "Great exhaustion. It will be a long illness. She must have rest and careful musing." Letty stepped forward. " She will have both. Mr. Burke, will you carry her to Mrs. Wright's, across the road ? one has promised to give me a room." The crowd about her were so stunned at the child's action that they did nothing to oppose it Mr. Burfco promptly lifted the thin figure in his arms, and had laid her in Mrs. Wright's shaded spare room be fore William had recovered his senses. " Don't vou see how disgraceful this looks?" Sophy cried, shaking him. " Your mother turned out! What will folks say?" He hurried after Letty, scolding and ordering them back. But Lstty did not answer him. "Mrs. Wright will chareo boarding. D'ye hear?" " I shall pay her,"satd let y, quietly. Mrs. Tancv's illness lasted for weeks. William's wife smoothed the matter over to the community as best she could. " The Wright house was more quieter than hers. She was willingto pay the boarding to insure comfort to dear Mother Taney." etc. Secretly she re joiced to escape the trouble ot the sick woman. When Mrs. Tanev waj able to come down to the porch of the cool farm house lor ttie lirst time, she sent tor William and his wife. The doctor was there, t.nd Mr. Burke and Judge Wright, and little Letty and a man whom Mr. Burke at once recognized as "the fel low," and so he turned his back on him contemptuously. " iou ve got quite a color, Mother Taney," said Sjphy. " You'll soon be roady to come over. Help with the canning, chP" " Mrs. Taney," said the doctor, grave.y, " needs a long season ot re.- t before her health is restored. I have recommended a change of air, a jour ney" William exchanged alarmed glances with his wife. " Whv. vou must takes U' for mil lionaires, Doc." she cried. " Change i airP Journey? That sort of prescrip tion suits city fine ladies. But farmers' wives, who have to earn their living, can't take time for such folderols." The doctor would have answered, but Lntty put her hand on his arm. Ttiero was a faint pir.k on her cheek and her blue eyes sparkled like steel. " Fortunately my mother," she said, gently, " is not in such a strait. I have made arraneemcnts tor her to take the ournev. We are going to-morrow to Virginia. 1 have bought her old home and we shall live there. She will have a long change of air." William turned ghastly paic. " Bought! What money had you?" " Her own share of the estate." said Judge Wright, calmly. " Letitia is o. ae. bhe seems to have been always under the impression that she and her mother were dependent on you. She camo to ask me about it two months ago, and I, as guardian and executor, had nothing more to do than to hand her over her share, which was. you know, in bonds. She has chosen to in vest it in Virginia land. Mr. Hipps made the purchase tor her," nodding to the beery lawyer, who nodded gravely back. Mr. Burke move! suddenly over to his side, with a beaming recognition. ' How do you propose to live on this farm?" said William. " My mother will withdraw her por tion of the estate," said Letty. "She is entitled to a third, you know." " Withdraw? Thirds!' Why.I'veuse for it. I f she does that I have done with the meadow lots!" His voice was like that of an enraged dosf "You seem, William," said Judee Wright, "strangely to have fonrotten the position of your mother and sister. xouhave drawn me interest ot your mother's money. It must all, of course, be refunded. Little Lettie has a clear head. Sho will manage very well. By the way, she has suggested to mo that your wife should send over the Cleve land silver, and a.l other household property belonging to your mother be fore her marriage." When William aud his wife went out of the gate he seemed to have shrunk into a smaller and older man. The last words heard from btm were "lots: it's all your fault," in a fierce bitterness. The Journey of the Pens A rapid penman can write thirtv words in a minute. To do this he must draw bis pen through the space of a rod. sixteen and a halt feet. In forty mini. utes his pen travels a iurtong. we make, on an average, sixteen curves or turns ot the pen in writing each word. Writing thirty words in a minute, we must make 489 to each minute; in an hour, 2S,H0O ; in a aay oi only h ve hours, 144.000: in a year ot 300 days. 43.200.010. The man who made 1,000,000 strokes with bis pen was not at all remarkable, Manv men. newspaper writers for in. stance, make 4,000,000. Here we have, in the aggregate, a mark of 300 miles long to be traced on paper by such a writer in a year. Noses Classified. Francis Grose, in his appendix to Hogarth's "Elements of Beauty," de lineates eight typical noses. Ttiero is the angular; tho oquiline or Roman; the parrot's beak ; the straight or Gre cian; the bulbous or bottled; the turned-up or snub; and the mixed or broken. Of the latter, by the way, the noses ot at least two illustrious men may be taken as illustrations Tycho Brahe and Michael Angelo, the latter of whom owned his ungraceful appen dix to a violent blow lrom a companion with whom he was at variance, and who thus disflgured the great artist for life and instantly fled. To these may be added the orator Cicero, upon whom nature seems to have bestowed a nasal organ of a type decidedly "mixed," if not broken. Plutarch in his life of the Suerulous Roman, says that be bad a at excrescence on the top of his nose in resemblance of a vetch cicer in Latin from which he took his sur name. Pliny says, with more prob ability, that the name originated in an extensive cultivation of vetches, just as others had previously been surnaaied from crops ot other kinds. However this may be the fact of Cicero's snub nose may no doubt be accepted, and it accords with the traditional belief that this description of noses is usually indicative of a fiery, quick, impetuous temper. Cicero having possessed this characteristic in a marked degree. Horace seems to regard the short nose, with a little turn-up at the end, as the mark of a person given a good deal to jibing and jeering. Martial calls it the rhinoceros nose, and says that it was hiahly fashionable in his day, every body affecting this kind of proboscis as an indication of a satirical humor. The " angular" nose, as Grose calls it, is the lone, clearly-cut, pointed organ, and was no doubt, the type to which Horace al ludes when he says that it is indicative of satirical wit. The "parrot beak " is the nose with which Mr. Punch usually adorns his caricature of the sultnn or khedive, and is nkin to the typical Jew ish nose all over the world. The t ight types given embrace every description of the feature, and students of carica ture are strongly recommended in the treatise alluded to to make themselves perfectly familiar with the simple lines by which these curiously comprehensive sketches are effected. A very singular fact has been ob served with rogard not so much to the shape of the nose as to the setting of it in the face, so to speak. To .be strictly correct from the artist's point of view, the nose should be accurately in the middle of the face and at right angles with a line from the pupil of one eye to that of the other. As a matter of fact, it is rarely or never found thusphced. It is almost invariably a little out of " the square," and the fact of its being so is often that which lends a peculiar expression and piquancy to the face. A medical writer points out tbat there are anatomical reasons why a slight devia tion from the true central line may be expected, and that the nose which is thus accurately straight between the two eye3 may be considered an abnormal one, and that the only absolutely cor rect organ is that which deviates a little to the right or lef t. London Globe. Old Saws Reset. A bad thing never dies. A bad lock invites a burglar. A bald head is soon shaven. A clean hand wants no washing. A bad day never has a good night. A black hen will lay a white egg. A constant guest is never welcome. A blind rtnn would be glad to see it. A bankrupt apothecary, a new doctor. A contented mind is a continual feast. A careless watch invites tho vigilant foe. A charitable man' is the true lover of God. A bad workman quarrels with his tools. A boaster nnd a liar are cousin-f er mans. A book that remains shut is but a block. A bad bush is better than an open wild. A clear conscience laughs at false ac cusations. A common jeerer may have wit but no wisdom. A courageous foe is better than a cow ardly friend. A bird is known by its note, and a man by his talk. A voung barber learns to shave by shaving fools. A civil denial is better than a rude compliance. A broad bat does not always cover a venerable head. A bird may be caught with a snire that will not be shot. A broken friendship may be soldered, but will never be sound. A bridal for t he tongue is a necessary piece ot i urn i Lure. A Relic of the Ancients. A Roman villa has been discovered near trading, in the Isle of Wight. The external walls, as at present cleared. measure about fifty-two feet by thirtv- seven feet, and inclose about six or seven chambers, with passages, etc., con nected, there is reason to believe, with manv others. In addition to tessellated floors, remains of hypocausts, flues, fresco paintings, roohng tiles, coins pottery and other interesting relics. there are the remains ot a mosaio pave rrent. with a design upon it of unusual character, and one which is worthy of careful study and attention. The de sign, though grotesque, is doubtless symbolical, and may.be connected either with the mythology of the ancients or the early introduction ot Christianity Moreover, a new chamber bas been opened up, inclosing an interesting mo aic, the central design ot which is representation of Orpheus, playing on the lyie, and surrounded by animals, as usual. The border is an unusually good example of what is known as the guil- loche pattern, l'ottery. glass and coins have been also found ; among the latter several brass coins ot tbe reign of Vic torintu, a. u. vwj. West Dayton, Iowa, comes forward wnu iuj vumupiun linage oi uie season T) C. IV Itrnwn nnfl R Piamtn am that by the use of chloroform and drugs whose length is twenty-seven feet, an d wuicu ia icu incuen in diameter, lie is five inches between, the eyes and eyes are fiery red. the Some Singular Delusions. The police central office in this city, as well as the courts and the newspaper offices, appears to have its special mono maniac. As in the other cases the de luded person is a woman, and like the others she is a poor harmless creature who excites pity notwithstanding the absurdity of lier disordered fancies nnd the sincerity and earnestness with which she narrates her imagined wrongs. She believes herself to be under the espionage oi 2,000 detectives, who follow ber in the interest of the tier man consul, who she thinks has secret flices in police head quarters and deep designs against her peace and comfort, sue tells alt this with a rational air and quiet manner until she perceives that she is not cred ited, and then grows a little excited and becomes noisy. Some vears ago a man with a similar maria infested the station houses nnd newspaper offices. He imagined that he was pursued, not by detectives, but by doctors who wanted his body for dis section; and be would narrate to nny one who would listen long tales of the methods they pursued to capture him. As proof of the truth of what he would relate he would produce on old ropy of the London Times, in which was report of the trial of a physi cian of London on a charge of conspiracy against him. Ot course the report only disclosed that he was insane, but this the poor fellow could not recognize. He disappeared several years ago. His natural successor seems to be the unfor tunate creature who appe red at head quarters recently. Another unfortunate, familiar in the newspaper offices, is an old man who claims to know where Stewart's body rests, but who says that the executors refuse to take possession of it, not to escape paying the reward he will tell you with great earnestness, but because one of them wants the grand mausoleum which Mrs. Stewart built at Garden City ireserved for himself! He tells his story with such plausibility of manner and incident and detail, too, that one hardly suspects bis sanity until he reaches thisastoundingclijiax, when his manner changes instantly to fierce ness. Tho little Miss Flite. of the court house and city hall, is a woman of forty -five or fifty, and evidently very poor. She visits the public buiiuings once every month and makes formal demand of the various officials lor her rent for the uso of the buildings. Her mania is that she is the owner of the public prop erty of New York. In her demands for her money she interrupts proceedings in the courts and other offices, hut she is never violent, and is easily induced to go away. She accepts anyth'ngin the form cr shape ot a check as payment, but if refused this tender sho threatens a writ of ejectment. New TorZ Tribune The Ruquet. TUe latest thins in dances is called the "raquet." and is neither a waltznor a poika, tnougu the best parts of both are preserved. The girl is taken around the waist. The music strike i up with a crash, as though a now volcano had broken out, and the girl will clin.- tightly as though frightened, if she understands the dantc, and the young man will reassure her by a gentle pres sure, if ho understands the dance, or knows anything at all. At the second crash '.hey dodge, as though some one had t'irown a blacksmith shop at them. anu i.ucy start in. They begin by im itating tne struggle tor me, representing a per&on who is drowning, but at each crash of the cymbals and bass drum they dodge and scoot to one side, then dart back again, .jam each other side ways, and than as tho crashes of music become more tcrnticar.d deafening, they try to drive each other throuzh the floor, by main sirength, get desperate and claw and tear nnd pull, and all at once tney go raving muu with, hydro phobia and the delirium tremens, and gnash their teeth nnd rave, and suff-ir the most terrible agony and it is all over. It is a short dance, as the desisrn is amttfcmcnt at d not murder. But phort as it is, it is said to be very sweet. here it has been lnirtuuccd it seems to give the most perfect satisfaction. many young peoplo preferring it to the siow ana solemn polka, or the cold and treeztng waltz. ftc's Sun. Statistics of the Production of Beer. Some official tables connected with the production of beer in all the Euro pean countries and the United Slates have been lately issued under auth.irirv of the Austrian government. The fol lowing is a summary ot the m-oductinn aunng iB7u: The whole (German em pire pronucea ia.aiu.aio hectolitres, or a J,B1 1, 1 17 British barrels ; Great Britain, 36,597,550 hectolitres, or 22,375,019 bar rels; tho United States of North America, 15.400.000 hectolitres, or 9 435.. 252 barrels; Austria-Hungary, 11,184,681 hectolitres, or 0,838,000 barrels; France, o,sii,iK!U hectolitres, or a barrels; neigium. v.BOLuru nectoilires. or 4.BU1.. 778 barrels; Russia, 2,300,000 hectolitres, or 1,406,174 barrels: the Netherlands. 1.6(0,003 hectolitres, or 978.2(8 barrels: Denmark, 1,100,000 hectolitres, or 673, 518 barrels; Sweden. 930,d00 hectolitres. or 568,583 barrels; Italy, 870,000 hecto litres or oil utiu oaneis: iswitzerianei, 721,000 hectolitres, or 448,753 barrels; Norway, 615,000 hectolitres, or 376,000 Dari-eis. Tho greatest production in proportion to the copulation is in Belgium, where 167 litres, or a little over 341 gallons per head, were manufactured ; ana tne smallest production was in Russia, where the ratio was only three litres, or a little more than tive'and one- quarter pints for every inhabitant. Tree Culture. A correspondent of the New York Tribune remarks that when we know what the future will require, it is wise economy to provide for it. Ten years hence not less than 20.000,000 railroad ties will be needed annually; fence posts by the million will be wanted: while tbe immense consumption of lumber of all kinds will be largely increased. The farmer should provide for this certain demand for ttie future. There are millions ot acres of rough land, bill sides and untillable spots which could be clothed with forest trees growiqg into money. Trees also mate the coun trv more fertile by drawing down more rain. M. Fautrat, of France, after four years of observation, reports that pine and resinous iorests extract a greater rainfall from passing currents than any other description of words. His ob servations also show that the foliage of some trees intercepts one-third, and that of other trees one-half of the rain fall. IIUMOROUS. What the editors throughout the country want is a more lib'.ral supply ot anti-lean ppeketbooks. " Love," says a writer, " lightens the heart." It has been known to have pre cisely the same effect upon a pocket book. Knowledge is better than wealth, yet how many people in this wicked world who prefer the inferior article. Keokuk Gate City. All I know about good or bad lukiz this : Our good luk we attribut to our shrewdness; our bad luk we charge over to somebody else's akount. Josh Billings. The other day two Milwaukee cooks got to fightin g and upset a stove and a table covered with dishes. Professor Bjorenstern Bjornson, who happened to be present, arose and asked who was calling his name. At a London bazar recently a lady banded round her baby to be kissed at sixpence each. If it were a girl baby ' we would have paid tho price and taken a due bill due in sixteen years. Go wanda Enterprise. Among the newest hats for ladies is one called " Sunrise." So called, prob ably, because a man has to get up be fore sunriso every day for a week to earn enough money to pay for one. Norris town Herald. This is game season and we want to caution our tportsmen that it is just about as safe tj pull a gun over the fence by the muzzle it is to lead a mule out. of the stable by the tail. iltcf dletown Transcript. There is one enterprising woman in Indiana who deserves a medal. A prize was otlered for tho mother who pre sented the greatest number of her chil dren at the State fair. Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Line were each accompanied to the fair by nine, but Mrs. Lino gave birth to a tenth on the eroundn and so took the prize. Quincy Modern Argo. For the Corious. Mezzotinto owed its Invention to the simple accident of the gun barrel of a Bentry becoming rusted with dew. The swaving to and fro of a chande- ier in a cathedral suggested to Galileo the application of the pendulum. The process of whitening supar was discovered in a curious way. A hen that had gone through a clay puddle went with her muddy feet into a sugar house. She left her tracks on a pile of sugar. It was noticed that wherever her tracks were the sugar was whitened. Experiments were instituted, and the result was that wet clay came to be used in retming sugar. The art of etching upon glass was dis covered by a Nuremberg glasscutter. By accident a few drops of aquafortis feu upon nis spectacles. He noticed that the glass became corroded and softened where the acid had touched it. That was hint enough. He drew figures upon glass with varnish, applied the corroding fluid and then cut away the elass around the drawing. When the varnish was removed the figures ap peared raised upon a dark ground. The shop of a Dublin tobacconist, bv the name of Lundyfoot. was destroyed by fire. While he was gazing dolefully into tho smoldering ruins, he noticed that his poor neighbors were gathering the snuff from the canisters. He tested the snuff for himself, and discovered that tho fire had largely improved its pungency and aroma. It was a hint worth profiting by. He secured another shor, built a quantity of ovens, sub jected the snuff to a heating process, gave tho brand n particular name, and n a few years became rich bv an acci dent which at first he thought had com pletely ruined him. blue-Tinted Paper. Tho oi'icin of blue-tinted naner canio about by a mere slip of tho hand. The wire oi w uiiam Jv.ist.an English paper- maker, accidentally let a blue-bag fall nto one ot ttie vats ot pulp. The work men were astonished wheu they saw tho peculiar color ot the paper, while Mr. East was highly incensed at what he con sidered a grave pecuuiaty loss. His wife was so much frightened thut she would not confess her agency in the matter. After storing the damaged paper for four yea? s, Mr. J ast sent it to his a sent nt London, with instru-aioES to sell it for what it would bring. The paper was accepted as a '"purposed novelty," d was di3posod of at auite an advance over the market price. Mr. East was astonished nt receiving an order from his a?ent foi another large invoice of the paper. Ho was without the secret and found himself in a dilemma. Upon mentioning it to his wife, she told him about the accident. He kept the secret. and the demand for the novel paper far exceeded his ability to supply it. Ll.hographing, Tho art of lithographing was per fected through suggestions made by cldent. A poor musician was anxious to know whether music could not be etched upon stone as well as upon cop per. Alter he naa prepared his slab, lis mother asked him to make a memo randum of such clothes as plie proposed to send away to be washed. Not hav ing pen, ink and paper convenient, he wroto the list on the stone with the etching preparation, intending to make a copy of it at leisure. A" few days later, when about to clean the stone, he wondered what effect aqua fortis would have upon il. Ho applied the acid, and in a few minutes saw the writing stand ing out in relief. The next step neces sary was simpiyto ink the stpne and take off an impression. The wifoof Charles Barret, of Strath- roy, Canada, was walking with her husband through his wheat field, when she was attacked by a monstrous blow ing adder. Thehrst blow was on ber leg, at the knee, and the second lelt tho snake fastened to ber skirts. She en deavored to shake him eff, nnd ran. but fainted before she bad gone ten feet. Her husband then caught the reptile by tbe head in a hay rake and it was killed. When inflated it was six inches in diameter and five feet long. The date of the earliest eclipse of the sun, recorded in the annals of the Chi nese, when " on the first day of the last month of autumn, the sun and mo"n did not meet harmoniously in Fang," or in that part of the heavens defined by two stars in the constellation of the Scorpion, has been determined by Pro fessor Von Oppolzer, of Vienna, to have been the morning oi October 23, 9,137 B.C. - "I
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers