HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher. NIL. DESPEKANDUM. Two Dollars per Annum. VOL. X. RIDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1881. NO. 50. The Farmers' Bonner Upheld dy hands umdo brown with toil, And hearts both true and tried, Ob, patient tillers ol the Boil (The nation's heart and pride), Rend o'er hi.h hills and valleys wide The (-'adsi'ine woid ol right, l'lint limtii'i s in their humble home. H A-e mauMy and might. Then inonnrchs proud shall honor, And hlo-!-ing3 on you shed, For to tbi' 1 timblo Inrmer They lrok lorduily brend Vet need yo not to covet The pi inct-'a power and wealth, For cowns contain no jewels Compared to peoco and health. Vour wetilth contis's ol meadows green And fields of waving grain; Vour homes made neat by labor sweet, Piove you've not lived in vain. Then hail to the tanners' banner, From wnrand bloodstain free! May pence, good-will and charity Its motto ever be. A QUEER VALENTINE. " Piisl kin, plimhkin, prliean gee, Wo ihink no liiuU so tlnftVas we; I'lii-hUn. pluslikin, pelican gill, . e thii.k fo then- woihoughtso still. ' Girli'KU V, intlirop looked rathei be wi !lt x ! us i! t ie si itmls irtued from the door " bii ! '.!i Ffivar-t oppned for her. " 'i h 'n tun) ones," whispered the girl. Two pliiliirii) were bepping about the io. iu :if ii ey Kutif ll.c strange gib berish givi n hl-ove. One was a keen, sallow lac-i il noy of nice; the other a pretly, (air-haired girl ol seven. The boy hurl n bar. c n with a bunch of di lapiibitrd ci.c k t ii niln rs in it. The girl wore iv lowi ostrich plume, and various straps r-f rrd llaui.il pinned hero and there cn l it firws, " Oli,' l.iil'i'! wi-'re pelicans," cried tUebo, in no vw-v abashed; " that's the relii nn churns."' " You ii' prf'i-iiiU pickles, that's wot you tsre,:1 said .Jai.e. ' ltever I see sich limbs of ti e " She ln:i;it'd out of respect for the etrauger. GertiU'H s-'irveyed her charges, and they in nun bt -stowed on her an unflinching stare. "What me your narxusP ' she asked, Foftly; "I ura gin to be with you, and ti ii'li J ol;. ' mi know." " (K:i.v !"" paid I hu boy, " wouldn't it be hit if you never lotnd out! then you conn n't riia us, jou know. And it c u i i' l.'t us we wouldn't have to come." " Hut 1 can easily lind out," said Ger trude, with a luugh; "so you had better be geritli'mnr-iy nnd nuswer my ques tion." "My name's Rciieriek, but tbeycal. me Kod, lier uuaie's Nina, but 1 call her Nini). Vos bin 's a numbskull all girls sue. LUiab.-kuiiS." "This is your room, ma'am," ex claimed Jai-c. otei-iaga door and going in hen Gertrude stood r.t her side She tnri.ed the key. "Sell jou tin iio thiswl.en you want to be U'Oiit', nrd youl bless the min utes yi.u Kit from Hint pair. I'm etiin' to leave to-morrer as I i-ive w.-rnen regular an' my life woifi ui wiih Hit m wn young imps- savin' urpitrrnsi wLieh jou'Jl tino 'eruoui , u xi t r.t ueh ; and 1 wouldn't prejudice jiu ngin 'tni bi forehand ; and that rantankt ivus o.d cut, cither, down below i b. thej're a twitt lot" "llipsti!' said Gtitrucle. "I cannot listen to MH'h " " Will, I'll. -ay a food word for Maxtor Eric," miu Jane, turniug to go; "be knows h w t- mat a poor girl. He's a genliemai, u-uie the pity he's to be thrown away on that tli liberty gibbet Mis? Francii. as i i.o bette r nor a " "There. there!1 ciied Gertiude, as the vbildnn were puiiuueling at the door, " ou nujTO now thank you." There were two or thne si latched up desks and tome lorn books, a. so a globe over whii'ii strange maps had been smeared with ink and rua p-unt. " Well. Roderick," shu said, turning to her In tie subjects, w no baa mos, mu tinous liees. " wiiet do sou study r" "On! when I feel like study, i like Roman history best. I'm goin' to be a heathen nnd worshm JUPiur. I DUlil an altar to him the other day; got one of Francii Dormers white boxes, and printed ' Jupiier Ave Imperatore' on it, and made a pi.c of sticks and matches and Dcuied colog ne over it for incense. and. golly ! ho .? it burned I That was a sacrifice, you see; and cranciti says she 11 sacrifice me tue next time i med dle with her thiniM. 1 said t her: 'trauda, you've got no f Jtlicjc tor Ro man history.' " "1 aiu a Leatl.en, too," ci led Nina. " Vou ain't; you'fo i C'lristiau," cried Rod. as it he vwre iiunin at her a most opprobrious epithet. "I I won't b:' a Christian all alone!" cried Nina, with a roar. "Hullo! Whit's the rumpus P What's . the row T' criui a good-natured voice, and a very handsomo young man en ; tered ratuer hurrieuly, ana stopped short at the sight of Gertrude "They want to be heathens," said Gertrude, with an emburrassed smile. " Well, I venture to say it wouid be hard to find two greater young heatnens in our enlightened country. Excuse me for bursting in so uncermoniously. I wanted to' quench these y utigsters' noise. My mother" "Oh, I forgot," answered Gertrude, nervously ; slie especially spose of her dislike to nLe. I a lictlu time 1 bhiil learn " Eric -as frettin' eviryiaing-1 v. n the two j ouug savages ho wer;swarui icg upon rim m looking at tue wou deifui beauty of this young girl's hicu. Sureiy. if Mrs.Ohuinhiigh uadseen that faja iu uuything but the half darkness in which she delighted, she wouid never have brought Gertrude Winlhrop into ha boune. " V.'eil, Erio, whU are you about P" cried a -.nerry voice. " Goin to woilop Hod P I'll goin lor that, a-t he used up a good bottle i f my Franipaiii in his slut ii.i'i-ntation.'' And a ii'-tie dark, brilliant-looking crcaturj, in b; ick g-iuzs aud amner, fluueied in, am. cured rather super-jili-omly at Gertrude. Shu reminded our heroine somehow, . of some brilliant .South American insect, there wai to much flash and color abjut her. iler only real beauty was in her eyes, which were large, intensely black and shining, but also, at present, a little ruaiieii.us; for Francia Dormer took in at a irlanre Gertrude's beauty, and she was nut yt t secure of Eric Churuleigh's hunt. Slip) nodded carelessly. "Tbi? rr'iverness, I suppoie? Come, E ie, li e count is downstairs, and wants to cunsult you about something whether tomatoes will grow in S;ixonv. I believe. He has. learned to dote on I hem, and wishes a garden of them around his castle." Eric took have with a polite bow, and Rod, who had been silent for the spfice. of tive minutes, siicl : , " 1 ba'e Francia Dormer. She's a snake! ' Gertrude kept the Irrepressible ones quiet till their tea timp with her inven tion;! She had some talent in that line, acd felt glad and relieved to find that she held a most potent weapon to be umhI in lier new kingdom Rod had really nn active mind, a:i 1 she won him by her praise; Nina fal lowed his example; and when he found hecouid gain the pleasure of hearing a story by diligence, he began to apply uuueeji. Eric said the children were crowing so tolerable he quite enjoyed looking in on them or.ee in u while; to which Rod replied; "What makes vou look nt Mis? Gertrude all the time, then !" Gertrude blushed, nnd began to feel uncomfortable fibout the visits. Sometimes Geitrurle was requested to come down in inc evening to play, nnd then she saw Bertha and her betrothed. The elder sister was too busy just now to look into the schoolroom. Her in tended, Von Arnheiia, who was an officer in the Prussian army, was a rather stolid-looking German, with scant blonde hair, good natured blue eyes and a beaming smile. Bertha was sallow, but had tine dark eves and dazzling white teeth. Sometimes Francia bestowed her company and confidence on Gertrude; at others she nssumcd haughty and CU tant airs. She delighted iu ouue toilets, wore the most wondtrful com binations, glowed and glittered like some rare tropical bird. So the months I went on of that winter, and the wedding ' day orew near. " How do I look?" ex claimed Francia one night as she opened the schoolroom door. "GoodP I hoped the imps were in bed. Heavens and earth how I hate cuildren! I pity you, Mis3 Winlhrop! 1 suppose you dream of an escape some day I some fairy prince will open your prison with a golden key!" "No; I expect nothing," answered Gertrude. "I am trying to cultivate the spirit which Tennyson eulogizes ; " 1 J'ot to desire or admire is better by lap limn to walk all day like the sultans of old in a garden of spice.'' ' "Go away, FYancia Dormer," cried Rod, from tne next room. "You ke.p me awake with your chatter, i'ou'ie worse than a nightmare " "Oh, you angel! are you awake?" cried the girl. ."Then good-bye. Miss Winthrop. Comfort 13 at an end. You'll have the house to yourselves to-morrow ; we're off on an excursion, all of us. The mow ii juit right, so hard and white bh ! what a poor Cre you have." And she disappeared. " She has everything,." thought Ger trude, "beauty and fortune " (she had heard fabulous accounts ol Fmncia's estates in Cuba), "and she will win Eric at last who can doubt it P" Still Gertrude, remembering certain words and looks, did doubt it iu her heart. The next morning, when the party whirled away and she saw Eric tuck in the sables about Francia, and heard the cheery sound of their voices, the old schoolroom looked very co aud bare; and she took up the dog eared history very absently. Enter Betsey with a note and a bouquet cream white camelias, blue heliotrope and crimson bouvardia. "Sure they was both left thegitlier, but they're not after belongin' thegither, as the post by brought the lelther." Gertrude dropped the history and gloated over the flowers in delight. She had never owned a bouquet of hot-house flowers before, and then she knew whose kind heart had remembered her when all the others were absorbed in their own peasuie. Ik seemed as if they would make the whole day fra grant. She had almost forgotten the note. There was only one person in the world to write to her, so she opened the note leisurely as those do who have little to hope or fear. But as she read she started anxiously. Betsey had not left the room. " Oh, I must go," she said, decidedly. " I shall have to give the children a holi day ; I shall have to leave them in your care. My aunt is very sick ana alone. I will return this evening if I can ar range things. You will explain to Mrs. Chumleigu if I am not here." " Sure and I wull that, ' said the girl good-naturedly, " and a holiday wil . do the young wons good." "Golly, a holiday!" cried Rod, in great ecstasy. "Oh, I've got a famous plan 1" "No michief," said Geitrude, anx iously; "IshaU think of you." "Oh, we'll be quiet; you'll be so plea led !" exclaimed the boy, with a do cility that would have alarmed Gertrude if she could have stopped to tuinliubout it. As it was. she hurried her prepara tions only remembering to take the flowers with her, as she thought they might cheer the sick room, to say noth ing of her own reluctance to lose sight of them. Her ride in the cars lasteu onlv half an hour, and she found herself before the little brown cottage which was the only home sho remembered, as she bad hem left an orphan to this aunt's care in hijr earliest childhood. Poor and plain bs everything appeared ii thrill fame over her at sight of it, and she hurried with real anxiety into the house, whose door stood open. Aunt Richel was in bed, and a neigh bor's gin had come in to wait on her. The old woman bad a sweet, patient face, and her eyes lighted up as she saw the young gin in whom all her love .tiid earthly hopes weie centered, "I feared I had done wrong to send for ycu," she said, but there was a little business to settle. Do you know, mr iove, the age of miracles is not overP" Gertrude smiled and held her aunt's wasted bind very fondly. " I've toid you that the house all I have mialit betaken awayfrom me any time. What do you think of my having a couple of thousand sent me yesterday -enougu to pay on ice mortgage, ana leave me live hundred doliarsP ' I should.say you dreamed it, auntie." Look in the top bureau uiawer, and you will see the check, I thins the sur prise and joy of it has been too much for me. To think Jamie has remembered rrt no that his fortune is made in India! My godson, you know." Gertrude had the check in her hands, end viewed it with delight. " You see, my love, the action fo fore close tiie mortgage iiasjur commenced, and I could not rest n moment till this business was arranged. You can do it for me, and Bess beie will keep me com pany. ' Gertrude was auite relieved to find that it was anxiety more than illness which had prostrated her aunt; and she at once set about performing her task, which she did by calling on an old friend a lawyer to aid her. She had the satisfaction of leaving the old lady calm and comfortable in the evening. Sho found it quite dark when she reached the house, and felt a symptom of relief that the family were not yet returned. The children, toiler surprise, verc in bed, a state of affairs which she did not doubt had been accomplished by bribery. But the silence and rest were never theless s-eet. and she sat down to the hemming of pome interminable rutllts with which Mrs. Chumleigh kindly kept her employed. After a time shut ting of doors, laughter nnd gleaming lights woke up the quiet house, but no on" disturbed her. The next morning F'rancia swooped in just as lessons began. " wen, you iook Berene, sue said. 'Do you kiio there's an earthquake downstairs P" " Oh, what a fibber you are, Francia Dormer !'" cried Rod, indignantly. " If there was an earthquake it would hove us all up ." " Well, look out ! Bad boys get swal lowed the first thing," said Francia. "This, however, is a financial one. Th?y've est ten thousand dollars in coupons." " F-ostP" questioned Gertrude. "Ttsjjust fancy Bertha's dowry! It's beiu stolen, and, what's worse, Vou Arnheim won't be married without it. He is desolated, but firm; it's the law of Vaterland." Francia was just as careless, as in souciant and smiling, as she talked of this loss, as if it iiad been a pleasant bit of eossip. Ger'rudc. with her ready sympathy, was on the point of asking several ques tion!', when she noticed the open-eyed childten. ' Oh, I forgot. I was to ask you to slop down into the library," exclaimed Fiancia; and then, after popping a sugar plum into the children's faces, she danced away. Gertrude went down with a feeling that sho was to be called to account for her absence the day before but quite convinced that her reasons would sat isfy any right minded person. So she niei Mrs. Chumleigh with a lace so se rene that the aforesaid lady was some what staggered in the beiief to which she had tapidly come wiihin the last hOlK. "I hear aud must sav I am exceed ingly anvoyed to hear Miss Winthrop," the ldy began, with extreme acidity, " that yon absented yourself the whole of yesterday from your duties without leavi'. Was this a premeditated thing?" "Certainly not," Gertrude began, impulsively; and then as rapidly as possible explained the affair. "Do you know what has happened in re?" asked the lady. " About the coupons P" asked Ger tiude. " Yes; it's a robbery, you know." "I scarcely understood. I am sorry it is a great loss," said the gii 1. " It was taken by some one in the house," Mrs. Chumleigh went on, ex citedly. " My desk was opened, the coupons taken aud the desk relocked, the key put iu the usual place." and she fixed a penetrating glance ou Gertrude's face as sho spoke, and adr.ed, after a second's silence: "It was taken yester day after we left the house.'' Even then Gertrude listened with a polite sympathy, without feeling any direct reference to herself in the case. "My servants I know thoroughly," Mrs. Chumleigh went on. " Even Bet sey , the last comer, has lived with me before, aud I cannot suspect them, only of course they must all be seaiched. You must feel, Mrs. Winthrop, that cir cumstances are somew hat against you you leave the house in such an account able manner" Gertrude's face flushed. "Shame on you, Mrs. Chumleigh. You insult me because I am poor, be cause I have no one " Eric opened the door with a mad burst at this moment, and caught the sound of these last words. ' No one?" he cried. "You have me! I have heard these insane suspi cions. Mother, you are mad! I stake my life upon this young lady's honor. W hy do y ou not suspect me P " Mrs. Chumleigh faltered and turned pale. " My son, what have you to do with this young person'' "I have this to do with her," he cried, impetuously. " I wish to make her my wife, if she can care enough for me." "My God!" exclaimed Mrs. Chum leigh, falling back in a half faint. "Nice time for your declaration," cried Francia Dormer, who had heard these words, and now hurried in with restoratives, her own face ashen pale, but still with a malicious gleam in the eyes; " at ail events you won't oe able to get a recommendation for your wife from Ler last place! " By this ti ;.e Von Arnheim Lad come in, and Bertha. To Gertrude the room seemed full of staring, talking people. She stood among them like a queen, tall, erect, with undaunted eye, but a tierce pain at her heart Mrs. Chumleigh opened her eyes to say, tragically: "S-'aroli her tliiufcs I" and then sank away again. Von Arnheim, with true politeness, said : " It vill not be veil to suspicioned someone mit not no grounds to stand on," which was very lucid, but not niu h calculated to console Gertrude on the whole. Bertha sat crying in one corner husband and fortune and core net a 1 to disappear liko the baseless fabric of a vision. Oh, it was too much ! Von Arnheim, who was really not mercenary, strove to comfort her. Go'rituiii) wa.ked up to the nursery unchallenged, and sat down iu the empty room. The children had been spirited away somewhere the whole house wasln lOoiiEOtion. Eric's worts, so btrangely eweet, seemed somehow to span this sudden storm like a rainbow but never, never would she listen to him while there was a shadow on her good name. It was not hard to search the meager contents of Gertrude's trunk; but every thing was tumbled out in a summary way, pockets 'examined, even linings ripped, and she heard some one say, V1- ,!, .rt aliA Vflhf Alii flaln-. u'.fco IMC u:-, nut .w.u uuu , ..on i day," with a feeling of desperate ex anerat.ion. She laid back her clothes, all of them. sadly, for there was nothing now to do but to go. She strapped her trunk her self, and did not wait for leave-taking Only she had a kindly feeling for the imps, after all, and looked about for mem as sue went aownsiairs. She left also a note for Mrs. Chum leigh, merely giving her address. Then with such a feeling of desolation as had never yet wrung her young heart, she startea out. The childien were not about; but when she reached the corner Rod darted out at her. His face was smeared tnd tear-stained. "They say you're goin' away,'1 he cried out, "nnd I wasn't, to see j ou again ; but I've cheated 'em buhy. 1 want to give you this valentine. To-dny's the fourteenth, you see, and I like you bet ter than any other girl I know. I fixed it yesterday painted it all myself there's two hearts on a meat skewer and an altar and a bride - all right, you'll see." "Thank you, Rod," cried Gertrude, with a sob in her throat as she stooped to give the boy a kiss. " I do not ex pect any other valentine." And she smiled through the tears that dimmed h r eyes as she looked at the hug envelope with its official-looking seals, to which Rod had confided bis treasure. A moment after a quick stencumc be hind her. Then some one look the lit tle traveling bag out of her hand, ani, looking up. she saw a friene'lv hand some face looking down at her reproach fully "Going without one word for me?' cried Eric . And from that moment kt-'t her bur den seemed lifted. She found herself actually smiling as she reached her aunt's door; " What is that billet-doux vou are carrying so carefully?" exclaimed Eric, as he caught sight of the huge envelope . " My valentine," answered Gertrude. Then a moment alter she added : " Rod's work ." They stood in the little parlor, then. by the window, as the young girl turned over the epistle, and finally opened it with a half-hysterical laugu . Such a villainous-looking couple as Rod had executed; but he had gilded a rirg on the bride's finger which obliterated her hand, and had al-o a cable of the same burnished metal on her neck . "By Jove! what's this?" exclaimed Eric, seizing the paair; "do you sec what the rascal has tiea ou with blue ribbon for a fancy cover my mother's coupons, by all that's jolly !" lyertrude stared in speechless sur prise. The child had nicked a whole sheet of coupons and used them us a cover for his chef d'leuvre. The neat little squares and numbers had evidently taa.cn his fancy. The e were only a part, to be sure, but he could probably give an account of the rest. Of course he had no idea that the beautiful paper lie had found in his mother's desk was so valuable. Gertrude gazed at it a moment, and then joined in the laugh. Sue looked up to see Aunt Rachel in the doorway regarding them with mild wonder. . "My first valentine!'' she exclaimed, in some embarrassment. But Eric told the story for her, and added his own conclusion. He was his own master, free to choosa where lie would; acd iu the happiness that fol lowed Gertrude forgot the misery of the day when she had received her queer valentine. One Hundred Tears Ago. The Paris Figaro recently issued a paper" hich contained Clippings from the newspapers of 100 years ago. It was h retrospective glance at 1780. Prominent among the news details we have several columns devoted to the " War in America." We read that on February 28, after taking leave of the king and the royal family, the Marquis de Lafayette left on his second voyage to America not as a fugitive this time, but as a duly commissioned major-general of the American army, and so recognized by his king. The Count of Rochambcr.u took leave of the king on March 18, preparatory to setting sail for America. So great was the desire of the troops to partici pate in this expedition that private sol diers who had been granted leave of absence went at their own expense to Brest in order to embark with their comrades. The news from America gives a rep art of an interview on the twentieth of September between Wash ington and Rochambeau at Hartford. Rohambeau wrote to France as follows : " While going to this conference in company with Admiral Tcrnay, who was infirm, the vehicle broke down. I sent Fersoa, my first aide-de-camp, to find a blacksmith, who lived a mile from where we were. He returned and informed me that he found the man sick with ieyer, and he assured my aiCo de cam p that a hatful of guineas would not induce hiui to work at night. I ordereo the admiral to accompany me, and told the blacksmith that General Washington would arrive at Hartfo-d that night to confer with us tho day following, and that the conference would not take p Ince unless he repaiied our vehicle. ' You are not liars,' he said, ' lor I read in the Connecticut papes that Washington was to hold this conference; it is tie publio serviie in which you are engag ed you shad have your vehicle mend ed at the hour iimued.' " His Uaol Points. A young man who 1b n it very bright, but likes to affect the sporting charao ter, recently bought a horse, and te thinks he is the handsomest bone in the United States. The ycuni man was showing tbi animal to a man who rea'ly knows 8ome;bingabout hor.-es, pointing out all the animal's good points. When he got through prtising the beast, the other spoke up and said:." All you say about the animal is to, but you have omitted two of his very best points." " What are they F" "Well, in the first place, nobody is ever going to steal the animal from you. and, secondly, it uny body should steal him, you would have no trouble in overtaking him on foot." The swaying to end fro of a chandr lier in a cathedral suggested to Galileo the .plication of the pendulum. The Manufacture of Soap. Fancy soaps, which pre made in great variety lor tne toilet, nre usu.tlly scented with some aromatic oil. For this branch ol the trade the ordinary commercial soaps nre used after under going a process of refinement, or a soap is specially made for thj purpose, from almond oil, or the like. Much taste is shown by the best American manufac turers in the selection and combination of tho perfumes which, along with the coloring matters, such ns vermilion, yellow ochre, aniline, etc., are usually boiled up with the soap. To facilitate the operation, as a well-dried soap does not readily melt, it Is usually cut up in fine shavings, and after boiling is well worked under rollers until it presents a uniform appearance. If the soap is in tended to be highly-scented, or very expensive perfumes are to be employed, the cold process is adopted, as much of the strength of the scent is lost by boiling. Iu this case the snap is shredded as beforr, and the perfume and coloring matter well amalgamated with it by being worked in a mortar with a pestle. It is then divided into lumps, and roughly molded with the hand into something near to the shape it is finally to assume. After being left on the rack tc dry for about a week, it is pressed into a mold, which imparts to the enke the form and device which may be re quired, and when taken out the edges are trimmed and the surface polished with the hand. Transparent soaps are prepared bv taking an ordinary hard soap and dissolving it in hot alcohol, after having stored it for the purpose of driving eff all the water. Soap being completely soluble in this medium, any extraneous matters which it may con tain can be readily separated by filtra tion, care being taken to keep the solu tion hot during the process. The alco hol is then evaporated outof the filtrate, and on cooling it hardens into a trans parent soap. Theso soaps are colored, according to fancy, with vegetable colors dissolved in alcohol. Soft soaps are made with either potash or soda and the drying oils, the most familiar of which are those extracted from hemo- teed, and sometimes cotton seed. These oils are deficient in stearine, and on that account ave not available for hard boaps. In Europe potash is much more frequ' utly employed as the alkali in- sleiid cf soda, potash being compar atively cheap in those countries whore wood abounds; but it has such an afiiiiity for waiei that even wheu com bined tallow or the non-drying oils, it will not make a nrm soap such as will retain its character in a moist atmos phere. A Hindoo Festival. A San Francisco Chronicle correspond ent at Calcutta says : The annual fes tival of Sal Deue, " Ued Diy, is con temporaneous in principle, if not in age, witu our custom ot snow-bailing, ex cepting the fact that it is symbolical of a religiovs rite. If anger is displayed by those who stand in the locality where the water falls, it is a certain augury of apostacy, and clearly evidences the fact that these demurrers do not sub scribe to the doctrine of Sal Deue. This is certain to bring forth from the en foldments of the Hindoos a fresh sup ply of red powder, on which lie drives more water from out of a little brass pot, and if the victim is out of range he fires it on to the next comer perhaps in the interim having b.'eu the recipient himself ot the con tents of a half-dozen other active squirts Tiiis is continued for three or four days, and at the expiration of that time every naiive in town has his clothes bedrag gled with red water. Until the British authorities interfered, the Europeans were not exempt from this practice, and in consequ?nce collisions aud probable loss of life ou both sides during these festivals were inevitable. We saw, leaning aimlessly against the cor ner of a oalauquin, one of those curse-ridden wretches afflicted with elephantiasis. Suffering was writ ten deeply in every lineament of his unnaturally full features, and his voice was full of woe as he with painful effort extended his hands to us and bogged for money. There is no cure for this curse of India nothing to hope for but death. This scourgo of the Hindoos is attributed bv physicians to the pernicious water and excess of fruit. Here also were bullock carts, palkees, gharry s, trucks, shouting cool ies, barking dogs. Screaming kites above and shrieKing steam whistles be low, beggars for backsheesh, the ayah, the lordly rajan, the ever-important chuprassie and the ubiquitous bheasti wallah (or water-carrier). This excess of black skins would grow monotonous were they not inter uingled with Eu ropean faces, which we meet with pleaiing freauencv. and vou mav hear on Hoogly bridge from the lips of some Eurooean tourist: "This is awful jo ly." Sardines, These little funny creatures are caught in nets, and after beiug well washed, the heads are cut off and the fish are sprinkled lightly with salt. After lying for a few hours they were placed on girds, in rows almost perpendicular. The n ames are then placed in pans con taining burning olive cil. The oil is changed as soon as it becomes too black and dirty for continuing the cooking process. As soon as the fish are con sidered sufficiently cooked they are with drawn rom the pans of oil, and girds are placed on the tables covered with zinc, the surface of the tables inclining toward a groove in the center. The oil is thus carried to a vessel prepared to receive it . Around the tables stand the women whoso business it is to pack the fish closely and uniformly in boxes. The boxes being full, the fish are cov ered with fresh oil, and the lids are then soldered down. Thus hermetically sealed, they are placed In iron baskets and immersed in boiling water. The smaller boxes are thus boiled for half an hour and the larger ones somewhat longer, in proportion to size of box. The tisli are then ready for tin market, and being packed in cases, are sent to the ends of the eaith. It is stated that in consequence of the great success of the Belgian national extiibition, two projects are now under discussion one for holding at Brussels in 1B83 or 1881 a universal international exhibition, and the Universal Educa tional exhibition. A vicious Indiana boy met a little seven-year-old schoolgirl, and as he h.;i a dead bltjcksuake he ruthlessly wrapped it about her neck. The physi cians report trial sue ii incurably in sane. Life In Tangiers. The first appearance of Tangiers is certainly not a cheerful one to the late sciourner at Gibraltar. The visitor cannot amuse himself, or rather her self, by gazing at windows nnd ap praising ware. The shops are mean to a degree. Those in the only square, around which are the various legations. are wretched. Here is the well-defined short upon which the sea of barbarism breaks a line of civilization merely The rest is all barbaric a dead sea of unknown extent. But if the asccct of the citv be dull during the day, what shall we say of it atnigbtr uny illuminated by a re fulgent moon, which lights up the white wnlls with almost dazzling splendor. Tangiers is a city of the dead. The cloaked specters have disappeared into the whited sepulchres the house?. A bundle of rags will stir at your feet; it i an Arab. You trt3id upon the skeleton of a cat. a d recoil. Your foot steps echo in the deserted lanes, and probaoly the beatirgof your own heart will be all the sound you will hear. All is mute and lifeless around you. Apropos of the " bundle of rag." nothi-g will surprise tho visitor to Morocco mora than the extraordinary manrer in which the native will curl himself up in a corner, or lie down against a wall. In a spot where we should laney a boy or n bundle would una lnsuflicient nnd unccmtortabie space, an Arab will sit or crouch in perfect happiness. " He spreads him self on a wall like a bass-relief, and flattens himself upon the ground like a sheet spread out to cry.'1 And in all these attitudes he appears alternately headless, legless, or trunkless, a ball, a cube, or a nondescript. His adapta bility is wonderful Ihe dress of the people is very pic turesque. That, of t he men is ordinarily a white mantle, but on gala days is more elaborate. The women cover their faces with the end of their long mantles, under wnicu tuey wear a wide-sleeved garment bound round the waist with a cord. Nothing but the eyer, fingers, nnd bare feet thrust into slippers is visible. They are a sad, weary race, prized till twenty, then they get old ind withered, and are treated like beasts of burden till they die. Iu the who'e town there is not a cart nor a cairiage. No itinerants go round wv li wares, no street occupation absorbs pfii's' riatis, no movement to speak ot, no bells, no cries, no invitations to nur chnse. Repose ha? settled upon all; even the active-minded visitor will suc cumb at laht, and sit for hours doing nothing, not kuowiug what to do. And in this somnolent city you can wander about at will, nnd will lose yourselt.no doubt, in the hopeless maze of little houses and lanes and alleys. Every lane is like every other lane, all the al leys and tiny square are fac-similes of other ailess and squares, and one might very easily disappear never to return. In this labyrinth you may, as a Chris tian, watder unharmed and almost un noticed. No pickpocket of civilization will molest you, and foreign ladies carry their purses in their outside pockets witliout fear of low. Outside the town one may find many curious features. For instance, all around the city walls is a "girdle of gardens," rich in a sort of vegetation, but too neglected. Aloes, Indian tigs, oaks, oleanders and numerous shrubs grow thickly, and intertwine their brandies with the ivy, vine and cane. .'Clink and luxuriant grass, quantities of flowers, in places growing two fect high, a small white house, a wheel, a well by means ot which irrigation is carried on at times through trenches, but not a living being is to be seen All is rank nnd luxuriaut in vegetation, but ail is dead and lonely fo lar as the people uro concerned. Heie the cultivation ends. Bojond tills zone of verdure there are r.o trets, nor hedges, nor boundaries to be seen. Ilollin j hills, undulating plains. and verdant valleys stretch away, but scarce any tilling of the ground is at tempted. Plowing is carried on in the most primitive manuer; a small so called plow guided bvone hand, while the other wields the whip, carries us at once back hundreds of years, when our Lord's rebuke "No man having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit lor the Kingdom of God " must have been literally applicable to the lm plement mentioned. The mode of using this plow is curious. Any animal is pressed into tue service; a goat, or a mule, or both together: even a donkev and a woman arc sometimes yokrd, and puu togeiner very wen in Morocco, Agriculture is of an extremely primitive older, for were the laud in any degree cultivated as we understand the pro cess tue grounc would vieid a hundred iota increase to tne possessor. -Harper s weekly. TOO fold Tor the Fish. A remarkable circumstance in con. ncction with the recent cold snap was tueeuecc on tue nsii aiong tue coast, large schools being driven in shore and in shallow water. Strange as it may seem, it Is asserted that the fish, uar- ticularly baas and tro.it, were observed to tlirow themseivos bodiiy out of the water on land. Au old negro caught thirty-one very fine large bass ia this way at Kaccoou Kev. near Warsaw. On Saint Catherine s a net thrown in the water was almost instantly filled by tine large fish, and fishermen found some difficulty in hauling the nets in. Others were observed to kill them in the water with oars. This novel occurrence was witnessed generally ailalong the ulanis to the southward aud in the rivers near the coast. &u mnah (67 ) New. Progress in Language. The progress of languages spoken by aiujrent pecpie is saiu to oe as loiiows English, w luoii at the commencement of the century was only spoken bv 22 000,0(10, is now spoken by 0 000,000 RusMan by 63,000 000, instead of 30, 000 000; German by 66 000,000. instead of 38.000,000; Spanish by 44,IP0.000 in stead ol 33,000 OdO; Italian by 30,000 000 instead ot lU.ROO.oni); foitugueseby 13 ooo oiio, instead ot b,uto,ooo. This is for England an increase of 310 per cent. : for Germany, seventy per cent ; for Spain thirty-six per cent., etc. In the case of Franco the increase has been from 34,000,0011 to 40,000,000, or thirty six per cen Elisha Gray, the inventor of the tele phone, is said to be receiving an "enormous revenue" from his inven tion. As be is a remark My generous man, no nnda no difficulty in getting rid oi a gooa aeai oi it. End or the Conrtsnpt. Though Harry know! the time f lute, And dre ids her an;ero1 ire. He hates to leiva his charming late, Or rather leave Ihe fire. "What "happy, soet, I spend," He 8ighn, "nlono with tre9." ' It's all," she a j s, ' ycu ever pend " Good evening!" shvs he. H. C. Dodg. HUMOROUS. "Thel ap of luxury" is when the cat gets at the crjam. Goes anainst the grain The reaping machine.- Yau cob S:raus. Ont of everv 109 inhabitants in the United States, sixteen live In cities. The man who has ea'Jiercd a big ice crop wants to keep it Bhady. -Ficayune. He sighed for the wings of a dove, but had no idea that the legs were much better eating. Wn wnnld rather hire a mule thsn own one, on the principle, "Of two evils choose the leased." Boston To.. "When I die," said a married man, I want to go where tiiero is no snow to shovel." His wife Eaid that she pre sumed he would. Ohio papers are discussing why quail freeze to death. It is simply bet aise tbev can't afford to pay 87 a ton for coal. Philadelphia Chronicle. Those who believe that the world owes them a living don t stop to con sider how many bad debts the old globe has to shoulder. tsaturaay juiym. A middle-sized bov. writing a com position on "Extremes," remarked that "wo alinu Id endpavor to avoid extremes, especially those of wasps and bees." An Eastern scientific journal has an article on "Heating by l notion." If memory serves us correctly, our mother n-n-i to warm us up that way. j1c- Givycr Netvs. Advertising ii a good deil like fishing the more lines you tlirov out the more you are apt to catcu. wut dc juoicious; do not throw out bait that cannot be swallowed. Stateunan. ' What hnp,y hours, sweet, I spend," He sighs, "nlone with thee." " It all, ' she eava. "yon ever speii I" "Good evening!" says he. Uciroit tree PrttH A naitv of 150 Chicago lawyers, gam blers, board of Hade men ar.d shoulder hitters, went out to Crystal Li'ie to wit ness a fight between acoupleof roosters. Nodisarace. however, is attaciiua.io tue roosters. Milwaukee bun. A mipstion of idetiti'.v: "Did the prisoner at the bar sinke your" " Eye ihink so." replied ihe mm with the decorated optic "Eye tee," smiled the justice; " eye-dent il.y established; three dollars an J trimminfcs." Kcckuk. Ujf, CHy. A youngster, while warming his hands at tue tne, was remonstrated with by lr.s fuller, who said: "Go away from the tire the weather is not cold.' "1 am c neaiing iue weauiur. I'm w.trming inv h ads," the lit' io fel low demurely replied. In the houooi onuer woman thinks least ot herself," s-iid Madame tv.ael. Triu ! Wheu tho thunder roars and the vivid lightning flashes, nnd the big rops come down, the woman wno is nnrht. rjiit ill ihe btoim devotes her agony to the thought that her hat and die s will bi ruiaod. An editor may write himself "we" in his editorial:'., and fiel therefore doubly Piou ! and doubly strong; but wiien he gets home to dinner an nour or so late, and forgets to hrin.i something home to lai ii r than oue louuli of one person. Keultu ky ti'att Journal. A tru eit aud lar-seeing mother innrrL'ii tier t wo daughters some years ago to a plumber and an iceman, and now, no matter wuesucr more is a aiuu winter or a severe one, sue nas a dox at tho charity ball, and spends the next suuiu-e: at JNc.vport or goes 10 Europe, with some o;.o or the other ot tiersons- la-x.Nc-o York Chic. "George Peabody," says a New York paper, "was never marriua, nna lor a singular reasou." Then n goes on at some length to eive tne reason, because the girl married another man. And we have read that article a dozen times and have pondered over it deeply, and handed if wa can see yet why that hr.uid be called "a tiBgular reason." Wc think it was a very beu-.ibie, matter of fact reason. Durdtue. A tramp was being escorted down Gilve ton avenue by one ot tne most stylish policemm on the force. "I bate to walk along arm-in-arm wnn n i(-iiiinnin'' said the tramp. "You ought to be used to it by this time," re plied the policeman. "I can't get used to bearing people on tue ireei dhj. 'Just look at that vagabond!' wiien i know they must mean one ot us. Galveston News. 1'hey both went sailing down the walk, ArrayoJ in taultlesa Keating, lioth engaged in pleas mt talk, Each smiled on eaeti unaeurmg. fie said: " My love, thU bhtbeaome day, Ttiia bracing, glorious weatlier, fhie oliiirmiug wulk Whoop! slop 'er say " lny botli wont down umetner. Tuey picked them up, snail boys ki-yi-ed, When sue resumed with uippery: " Dear G .-oi-ge, I think it is not douied, the se oharinm j walks are slippery." A curious dispatch annouuees tho marriage ot the Crown Prince Rudolf, ot Austria, aud the Princess Stephanie, " has beeu further postponed, owing to the inclemency of tho weather." We suspect it wa? deterred at the instance of the princess. With snow two feet deep, and the thermometer below zero, it is pretty tougn on a woman, wno nas had no previous experieace, to oe obliged to get up first in the morning and make the fires, sieve coal ashes, and perhaps wade through the snow In the back vard to get an armful of kindlings. Miss S tephanie does well to wait until tho weather moderates. Norrutoum Utrald. The Ten Biggest Cities, Following are the ten largest cities In the United States, under the new cen sus: Rank, t irat . . . Second.. Third... CMa. PopviaUo. New York 1,206,690 , Philadelphia 846,084 Brooklyn 666, 6b9 , Chicago 603,304 Fourth. Filth Boston 362,636 Bixth St. Louis. 860,521 Seventh Baltimore 332 190 Eighth CinoinDali.... 265,708 Math San ITranotsoo. . . 233,959 Tenth New Orleans ... . 316,140 V. -A