HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher,
NIL DESPERANDUM.
Two Dollars per Annum.
r
V
VOL. XII.
In the Mlnlnjy Tewn.
"Tithe last time, darling," he gently said,
Aa tie kisstd her lip, like cherries red,
While a fond look Bhone in his eyes of brown.
My own is the prettiest girl in towns
To-morrow the bell from the tower will ring
A joyful peal. Was there ever a king
8o truly blest on his royBl throne,
AI shall be, when I claim my own?"
Twasafond farewell) 'twas a sweet good
byes But she watched him go, with a troubled
sigh;
So into the basket, that swayed tind awnng
O'er the yawning abyss, he lightly sprung,
And the joy of heart seemed turned to woe
As they lowered him into the depths below.
Her sweet young face, Willi its tresses brown,
Wan the fairest face in the mining town.
Ixl the morning came s but the marriage
belt,
High up in the towot, rimga monrnma kneU
For tU true heart buried 'neath earth and
. stone,
Jar down in the heart of the mine-alone.
Asorro-.,.Peal on her wedding day,
For the breaking heart, and the heart of
clays
And the f.nee that looked from her tresses
brown
Was the saddest face in the mining town.
Thus time rolled on in its weavy way,
Until fifty years with thrir shadows gray
Had darkenod the light of hor sweet eyes'
glow,
And had tiirnod the brown of her hair to
1ow.
Oh! never a kiss from a husband's lips
Or the clasp of a child's sweet finger-tips,
Had lifted one moment the shadows brown
iim the saddest heart in the mining town.
Far down in the depths of the mine one d:iy,
In theloopeiied earth they were digging away
They discovered a face, o young, so fair
From the smiling lips to the bright-brown
nr.ir
Untouched by the finger of time's decay.
When they drew him np to the light of day,
The wondering people gathered round
To gaze at the man so strangely found.
Then n woman sprang from among tlio
crowd,
Wiih hsr long whitohair, and her slight form
bowed j
She silently knelt by the form of clay,
And kissed the lips that were cold and gray.
Then the sad old face, with its snowy hair,
On hi youthful bosom lay pillowed there.
Ho had found her at last Iiis waiting bride:
And the people buried them side by side.
A Curious Disposition.
Three ladies were seated in Agatha
Foster's parlor ; Miss Forteseue, largo,
ark and of uncertain age, who mon
opolized the most comfortable arm
chair ; Mrs. Keeker, shrunken and
sandy, who was constantly sliding
off the sofa and reinstating herself
with a jerk, and Miss Agatha herself,
who sat apart from the others, glanc
ing uneasily out of the window, as if
distressed by their garrulity. Mi.ss
Agatha was a fair young woman, with
a noble head and a countenance ex
pressive of all grace and goodness. Yet
at this moment she entertained feel
ings decidedly hostile to her callers,
who had run in, with the familiar free
lom of follow boarders in a family hotel,
to chat away the afternoon. At heart
they were immensely sorry that Miss
NannieFoster had not yet returned from
a suburb, where she had gone the day
before. Miss Nannie, Agatha's cousin,
companion and ehaperone in one, was
far more to their taste; she was more
attentive, more easily impressed, more
sympathetic, they thought. She never
sat looking out the window when they
'were retailing their choicest bits of
scandal for her especial benelit. But
then she was a woman of years. How
ever, they still lingered; it was a
pleasant place. The Fosters had the
handsomest suite in the building and
furnished with such taste! Such car
pets! Such decorative art! And the
Fosters we!e lip-top people. There
were four of them, Miss Agatha, her
two bachelor brothers, ten and a dozen
years her senior, and Miss Nannie.who,
since their parents' death, had kept the
children together. The winter day
drew to a close, the room grew duskv,
and still the ladies lingered.
Agatha could endure it no lonorer:
..11 .i.. ...... ... . o
hub, in an nays, sue was without pa
tience. She rose quickly.
"Ladies," she said, with an indig
nant quiver in her sweet contralto
voice, "you must excuse me. I cannot
listen to such conversation !"
There was silence a moment; then
Miss Forteseue lifted her cumbrous
frame. "Oh. certainly. I quite un
derstand. AVe will withdraw. We
do not wish to offend."
" Oh, certainly," f aintlv echoed Mrs.
Becker, sliding from the' sofa for the
last time and preparing to follow.
Agatha's impatience only increased.
" And allow ine to say," she ex
claimed, with no compunction, "that I
think ladies might be better employed
than with their neighbors' affairs."
"Good-afternoon," said Miss Fortes
cue, savagely.
"Good-afternoon," sneered Mrs.
Becker.
"Good riddance!" cried Agatha,
snarpiy, ere me door Had closed.
"To-day of all days," sl.e said, as
she walked to and fro in the dusk.
Presently the door opened.
"Ail in the dark, Agatha V" asked a
cheery voice,
y I thought vou
wo Id never come,
swift, unnerved re-
nnie," was the
" WllV. what is tli miitfpr mv
what is the
uear r
" I have just put Mrs. Forteseue and
Mrs. Becker out of tho room, and it
has annoyed me."
"Dear ine, what had they done?"
"The same old sickening gossip
Miss Bruce llirts on the street; Mrs.'
Gray holds her step-child to the fire to
burn it, and so on and so on."
"They get their ideas from the
morning papers," said Nannie, calmly,
unclasping her fur-lined circular,
.... - J
' The stepmother holding the child to
the fire is a favorite paragraph When
news is scaroo, Sometimes she heats
the flaj-iron. For my part 1 would
never go to t hat trouble'
But Agatha could hot respond to her
staid burnt;?. She helped put away the
wraps, and tnijuired after the suburban
friends.
"You look pale aren't you well?"
asked Miss Nannie when they Avere
seatedv
The girl dropped her eyes. Nannie.
I have some news for you," she said
with an effort. "I last night I
promised Mr. Peters--to to marrv
him." Then she sighed as if relieved
of a great burden.
The room was still, utterly still. If
Miss Nannie were surprised or shocked
she gave no token. She only sat quietly
looking at the girl and taking tinie to
collect. Agatha never lifted her eyes
until, after some moments, her cousin
cleared her throat and tranquilly in
quired : " Well, dear, are you satisfied
that you will be happy?"
Then the girl rose and threw herself
Upon the Sofa. " Oh "Y.lnnip T flnn't
know j I can't tell."
.-More silence. Then Miss Nannie
asked if she had told the boys.
To these women Oenrrrp nn.l T.o-ia
would be "the bovs" as Inn ft nq thpV
lived. ' 0 ,
I told Georffi at. nnnn " rnnliorl
Agatha, in a voice heavy with tears.
"Lewis was not here. I wish you
would tell him."
"And what did George say?"
"He OnlV said. T ennnrr.ntnlnt.A
Peters.' "
Miss Nannie leaned back in tho door
and meditated, bringing Peters' up for
a mental review. Poor little whiffet !
To be sure lie had money, some social
standing and a fair edi icntiim. Thru-
had known him a long, long time, and
even felt for him a sort of distant rela
tives' affection. They would do anv
t liing in the world for him. He often
took Agatha about, to places of amuse
ment, to church, or riding. But he
was at least fifteen years her senior,
and they had never dreamed of his as
piring to marry her. His appearance
was pitifully against him. Miss Nan
nie reviewed his bad build, his bowed
legs, his " wild eye," as she called it, a
suspicious eye that seemed to skirmish
about the room while its mate regarded
you with steadfast respect. Then she
turned her thoughts to Agatha Aga
tha perfect in face and figure and en
nobled by education and advantages
Agalha, for whom a senator had pro
posed and a congressman languished, j
to say nothing of her lesser adorers'
Agatha, who had rejected the senator
because he lacked principle, and the !
congressman because he was a wid
ower. ;
Nannie remembered that the girl !
had suffered and shed tears over re- I
fusing these and others. She had a i
curious disposition, as the bovs bad
said.
At length Nannie roused and spoke.
"I will tell Lewis; and now, dear,
you had better dress, it is near dinner
time. "
"Hark I" cried Agatha, "there he is
now gone into his room."
Nannie recognized the clumsy step,
Lewis had never yet come up those
stairs without tripping at the top ; the
rushing, impetuous way of his boyhood
would always cling to him.
"I am going at once to tell him,
before George comes," said Nannie,
rising.
" 1 es, do," sighed Agatha. And
when her cousin had gone out across
the corridor, and her tap had been
welcomed by a careless "Come in!"
the young girl stole after and listened
at the crack of her brother's door.
" Lewis, I have news for you," said
Nannie, gently, and there was a bid
den sob in her fond voice. " Agatha
lias promised to marry Mr. Peters."
"Oh Lord!" cried Lewis, in open
monthed disgust.
Agatha crept away from the door ;
her face was burning and her heart
beat hard.
But Miss Nannie remained awhile
in her cousin's chamber.
"Lewis," she said, gentlv, "I sup-.
lu.c o u leei uie same over this
matter? Agatha says when she told
George he remarked that he 'congrat-
uiuieu r-eiers.
" Well, this is too bad," said Lewis, i
indignantly. "It is a shame if a girl j
with her face and brains can't do bet- i
ter. She is altogether too soft-hearted, i
She would have married all the men
who ever proposed, if we had let her, I
and out of sheer pity, not because she 1
cared for them. That is why she ac-!
cepted Peters, couldn't bear to hurt j
his feelings didn't want his eyes to j
suffuse with tears I "We must do some-1
tiling to prevent."
Nannie smiled deprecatingly : "We I
must bo very careful. Agatha has a
curious disposition, and if she thought
wo were all against him she would
only pity him the more." .
" if there was onlv Rntnn wtxv in tic-
nrau.if l,l. 1..:.' .. . ' . . I
j... i mm, cAci.tiiiiuu i,ewis, grimly;
"no ui una, exclaimed .Lewis grimlv i Jw lu.maine, mat you
'if we could send him out with the ' niU-st liscontmue yur talk 01 m7 sis
iet Arctic KnraiiH.m I ter." lie cried, nnirrilv.
next Arctic expedition "
.Nannie rose. "You will be
careful what you say, Lewis?"
very
"un, or course.
She lingered at the door. "Agatha
has not a forceless nature by any
rrfeans," she said ; "she can get angry
if she cares to. She tells me she put
Miss Forteseue and Mrs. Becker out of
our parlor to-day, because of their vile
gossip. I have no doubt she did."
"Humph 1"
Agatha came down to dinner with
her face composed and her manner
gracious as ever. Her inward defiance
was not outwardly manifest. Of her
family, George was a shade more
dignified than usual, and T.nu'iu ap
peared annoyed, while Nannie put on
a jcgiebiui iook uuu signeu occasionally.
When thev left th ft dininor-roimi
Agatha swept haughtily by the table,'
tu v uiuu sab me ortescue aao Becker.
HLDGWAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THU11SDAY, NOVEMBEE 9.
She Was done with the twain and
intended they should seo It.
Up in their parlor, George sat down
by his sister. "Agatha," he said,
slowly and with an evident distaste
for the subject, "do you think you
did well to engage yourself to Mr.
1 eters before consulting your family ?"
"I was of age three years ago,"
she said, regarding him with serene
dignity.
" Yes, .yes, of Course. But there is
such a thing as advice. Mr. Peters is
our good friend, but is ho a suitable
husband for you?"
"What is there against him?" she
asked, unflinchingly. She was not
blind to her lover's bodily imper
fections. She had lain awake nil
night mentally endeavoring to straight
en his crooked limbs and control his
recreant orb. But with daylight they
had dawned upon her as uncompro
mising as ever.
But George would not stoop to per
sonalities. "Nothing," ho answered,
quietly. "Only we have looked very
high for you. We want you to be
happy."
"Then do not speak against Mr.
Peters," she said, in a way that seemed
to dismiss the subject.
George betook himself to his own
room, and Lewis took his place by
Agatha. "I suppose I tun to congrat
ulate," he said, with a careless disre
gard of Nannie's injunctions.
" You do not seem very enthusiastic,"
responded his sister, calmly, recalling
his secretly-heard exclamation upon
first learning the news.
" I can't help it if I don't," he a
o . t.n.-.,, utiu lllljiui.lt 111 J . X Ull KIIOW
how proud we are of you, Gath, and
we can't be expected to think any man
good enough."
She smiled.
He went on recklessly: " I don't be
lieve you knew what you vfre doing.
You don't love Peters, you only pity
him, just as you used to pity the sena
tor and all the rest. This crooked little
curmudgeon! Why, he is older than
(ieorge, and cross-eyed " '
She sprang up iii a rage: "Lewis,
you have said quite enough. Never
speak to me again. I forbid it!''
Then she sought her own chamber
and threw Ik rself upon the bed.
Nannie came to her after awhile
"My poor darling! Why are you feel
ing so bad V"
"Lewis has been saying such awful
things!"
" And are you quite sure you have
made no mistake?"
" Quite sure?"
She arose and arranged her toilet;
Mr. Peters was to come that evening.
He arrived early. Nannie endeav
ored to be gracious, but pxcuswd her
self, leaving Agatha to her lover, the
boys having both gone out. And
: Agatha, with Lewis' cool criticism
I still ringing in her ears, felt as if in a
; dream. Fortunately Peters made no
j inquiries as to her brothers' opinions of
the marriage. Mi.ss Nannie had con
j gratulated him as though all was satis
! factory.
! Agatha accepted his adoration quite
' passively,, and sit last, when he had
; gone, retired to her own room to pity
mui, aim ion nerseir. now mucli she
loved tt'iii.
But as the winter slinoed nn-nv tin.
I engagement was announced, andhav
: ing remained unbroken, Agatha's
J brothers even began to feel quite re
signed. The quiet, intense devotion of Nor
man Peters was touching. lie wor
shiped his betrothed j to him she was
a very goddess.
"If," thought Nannie, with a soft
ened regret, " if he were only not quite
so small ! If he yere only a half inch
taller, to be of even height with Aca
tha! fe
Meanwhile Agatha was fretting her
self to death. A thousand little heart
less sarcasms and glances of ridicule,
to which Teters, in his great happiness,
was utterly oblivious, 'were constantly
stabbing her. Night after night she
passed in wakeful agony, the idea of
breaking the engagement never once
occurring to her. She was an ciio
loved him, and she realized the depth
of his devotion. She endeavored to rise
above morbid sensitiveness, telling her
self that people would cease their cruel
ways when they saw that she was de
termined to stand by him. But she
gr w thin, and her face wore a hunted
expression. Mesdaines Becker and
F i tescue now began to circulate petty j
littlo stories about her ingeniously '
constructed, but untruthful romances, j
Nothing very bad, for Agatiia was a '
wo.nan to whom no doubtful mist j
clung for a moment; but whispers of
coquetry," "girlish folly," and "last!
IVSort." which worn lilnwn from H.. t I
lip on the dubious breath of friendship,
came at last to vex the ears of the
Forsters. Agatha only grew more
,iale. Stormy Lewis, however, one day
confronted Miss Forteseue in the hall
before his sister's room.
"I can tell you, madame, that you
ter," he cried, angrily.
Agatha came out. "Oh, Lewis,
dear."
He took her by the arm. " Go back,
Gath. I've a matter to settle with
this lady. She knows what mischief
she has been trying to work, and I in
tend the talk shall cease, or I shall take
measures she may not admire."
Without a word Mr3. Forteseue
turned and fled.
"I was sorry for her," said Agatha;
" she 'ooked so guilty and helpless."
" I declare I haven't much patience
with you," exclaimed her brother, " to
think that you would defend her, and
she every day assailing your good
name. But all your ways of late are
provoking. You are going to marry a
man you don't love, because you pity
him. For God's sake, why didn't you
pity some one suitable?"
She trembled with excitement and
passion.
" Lewis, if you have the least particle
of love or respect for me, you will
never speak so again. I do love Nor
man, and it will kill pie. if anything
should break the engagement i"
Lewis quit her presence crestfallen.
The days slipped by. There had
been no date fixed for the wedding,
nor was the subject discussed by the
family. ''
None but Nunnleknsw the terrible
tremor in which the girl existed. She
was moving about, her hands con
stantly occupied, i Day after day, rain
or shine, the two Jvomen were "out of
doors. They had always an errand,
usually one of merry. Nannie, how
ever disinclined, would have felt it a
sin to oppose, and so Agatha dragged
her off through the flitting sunshine,
the moodiness, the chill, of the storm
of the springtime, until one last morn
ing. It had been raining for three davs,
and so steadily that the sidewalk Jgs
were cleaned and whitened. .
Agatha said they would not be ham
pered with a carriage, and they took a
car for a mile or so, alighting to walk
a few squares to another line. The
storm hail abated, and the rain was
but a listless drizzle.
Agatha slipped and slid once, and
Nannie gave a frightened exclamation.
" My overshoes are useless," said the
girl, carelessly. "I must have another
pair. I have a good deal of shopping
to do soon."
" Your outfit" ventured Nannie,
and stopped.
Agatha sighed, but the sigh was
lost in the noise of the street ,
A poor little ye3ow dog limped out
from under a passing vehicle, holding
up one paw and yelping pitifully.
" Oh, see," cried Agatha, with her
eyes wet. "Poor," poor doggie ! I am
so sorry !"
.The yelps died away in the distance,
and the ladies went on.
A blind limn crrincr "fVimrli livon.
iit. r - "n
ges : upon the corner detained them
for a moment.
In the next block an old building
had been torn away to give place to a
new one. Careless workmen had loft
the sidewalk unguarded in one place, a
step from which would have landod
one in a deep cellar, where lay a num
ber of loose foundation stones.
Just as they had reached this spot
they were brought to a sudden halt by
loud cries and confusion. Down the
street, and directly toward them, came
a runaway team dragging a splendid
carnage. .-
Agatha took art irresolute step for
ward, and then sprang back as the
horsedaslied up against the sidewalk.
The women were thus separated,
arid in a second Nannie was reaching
forward, cold with horror.
Atratha 'she cried, but ton l.-it
I The girl had lost her balance, and had'
fallen backward from the unguarded
it. l . . .. .
smewaiiv nowu into uie deep cellar,
and there lay upon the stones limp and
unconscious.
She would live, sadly crippled and
helpless; the spine had been injured
iind one hip dislocated. So said the
best of surgeons. She would hence
forth require all care and tendernesss.
"Thank (Sod she is not poor !" cried
Nannie. As for the boys, George was
completely crushed, anil Lewis paeml
the floor for hours, erviiiir for his
" Poor, poor sister !"
Agatha insisted upon hearing tho
worst, and, when it was made known,
was silent. By-and-bye Nannie could
see great tears trembling under the
long, dark eyelashes.
" I would not mind," faltered the
sufferer, "but for him. Who will
love and care for him now ?"
Then she asked that he be sent for
at once. When he arrived Nannie
and the boys were in the room, but
they withdrew to the window. Peters'
face was as pale as Agatha's own.
" Norman, dear," she said, without
a preface, "I am a cripple for life. I
may never walk again, I sent for you
to give you back your freedom." "
A frightened expression overspread
his countenance ; his lip quivered
and he sank on his knees by the bed
and buried his face.
"Agatha, darling!" he cried, with
real pathos, "don't, don't cast me off
You are a thousand times dearer to
me now. All I ask is the right to
care for you" his voice brokQ, and he
fell to weeiiinir.
By the window three persons heard
it all. They looked in silence tit each
other, then Lewis strode swiftly across
the room.
" Peters," he said, " we haven't done
right by you. I, myself, have acted
despicably. But if you will forgive
and forget, it will lie very different in
the future."
Then Peters, who had risen, stood
silent and bewildered till. thrnnrii tim
mist, the room grew suddenly bright,
for they had encircled him ami were
clasping his hands with sudden warmth.
And as Agatha lay watching she
raised a feeble hand to stay the tears
that coursed her cheeks.
" I never thought," she sobbed aloud,
"I never dreamed 1 could bo so
happy!"
An exchange acknowledges the re
ceipt of two books called "Matri
mony" and " Heaps of Money" from
Harper & Brothers. The publishers
were very thoughtful. When a man
indulges in "Matrimony" he feels the
need of " Heaps of Money." Norris
town Herald.
A Norristown man, who couldn't
live within his income, was advised to
dispense with a few luxuries. He im
mediately sold his gun and hunting
dog and bought a share in a yacht.
Many a man would have smoked a
cheaper cigar and made his wife wear
her last year's dress. Herald.
Birds and birds' heads are much
used on hats and bonnets,
SCIENTIFIC NOTES
A French paper says : " H is a re
tnarkable fact that there are no rats in
the islands Of the Pacific ocean. Re
peated attempts have beeii made to
acclimatize the rodents there, as the
flesh is much esteemed by the natives
as an article of food. But the attempts
thus far have failed, as they invariably
die of consumption1."
Among the Instruments at a recent
scientific meeting was one exhibited
by Sir F. Bramwell, employed for
ascertaining the velocity of trains and
the efficiency of brakes. With this
apparatus it .was found that a train
weighing 125 tons ran five miles five
yards after steam was shut off while
traveling tit u speed of forty-five
miles an hour, The line was level and
the day perfectly calm,
Sensations are transmitted to the
brain at a rapidity of about 180 feet
per second, or at one-fifth the rate of
sound; and this is nearly the same in
all individuals. Tht brain requires
one-tenth of a second to transmit its
orders to the nerves which p-eside over
voluntary motion; but this amount
varies much in different individuals,
and in the same individual at different
times, according to the disposition or
condition at the time, and is more
regular the more sustained the atten
tion. Experiments upon over four hundred
Individuals of all classes, ages and oc
cupations show how great is the diver
sity of opinion as to the size of objects
seen through the microscope. The ob
ject Used in the experiments was a
common louse magnified to a theoreti
cal size if 4.G6 indies. The majority
of observers underestimated this
value ; two estimates were
only one inch j seven were over a foot,
and one was at least five feet. New
students of the microscope usually re
ceive an impression somewhat larger
than the real value, and adhere to it
for a considerable time.
Dr. Mittendorf states that Ameri
j can students are less afflicted with
j near-sightedness than German stu
1 dents. The affection is developed by
I sedentary occupations and lack of ex
I ercise, women being therefore more
liable to contract it than men. It
usually appears in childhood, rarely
after the twenty-first year. Weak
glasses of 6light blue tiiit should be
worn early to stay its progress, as
blindness often follows neglect of
treatment. In his paper on this suli
ject Dr. M. tells of a line horse in Ber
lin which became intractable and was
found to be suffering from near
sightedness, but was as docile as ever
after a pair of glasses had been fitted
to its eyes.
The Virtues of t'off. e.
The action of coffee is directed
chiefly to the nervous system. It pro
duces a warming, cordial impression
on the stomach, quickly followed by a
diffused, agreeable nnd nervous ex
citement, which extends itself to the
cerebral functions, giving rise to in
creased vigor of imagination and in
tellect, without any subsequent con
fusion or stupor such as is character
istic of narcotics. Coffee contains es
sential principles of nutrition far ex
ceeding in importance its exhilarating
properties, and is one of the most
desirable articles for sustaining
the system in certain prostrating
diseases. As compared with the
nutrition to be derived from the best
of soups, coffee has decidedly the ad
vantage, and is to be preferred in many
instances. The medicinal effects of
coffee are very great. In intermittent
fever it has been used by eminent
physicians with the happiest effects in
cutting short the attack, and, if prop
erly managed, is better in many cases
than the sulphate of quinine. In that
low state of intermittent as found on
the banks of the Mississippi river and
other malarial districts, accompanied
with enlarged spleen and torpid liver,
when judiciously administered it is one
of the surest remedies.
In yellow fever it has been used by
physicians, and with some it is their
main reliance nfter other necessary
remedies have been administered ; it
retains tissue change, and thus
comes a conservator of force in t'.iat
state in which the nervous system tends
to collapse because the blood has be
come impure ; it sustains the nervous
power until the depuration and reor
ganization of the blood are accom
plished, and has the advantage over
other stimulants in inducing no in
jurious secondary effects. In spas
modic asthma its" utility, is well estab
lished, as in whooping-cough, stupor,
lethargy and such troubles. In hys
terical attacks, for which, in ma'nv
cases, a physician can form no diagno
sis, coffee is a great help.
Coffee is opposed to malaria, to all
noxious vapors. As a disinfectant it
lias wonderful powers. As an in
stantaneous deodorizer it has no equal
for the sickroom, as all exhalations are
immediately neutralized by simply
passing a chafing dish with burning
coffee grains through the room. It
may be urged that an article pos
sessing such powers and capacity
for such energetie action must be in
jurious as uj articlo of diet of
habitual employment, and not
without deleterious properties; but no
corresponding nervous disarrange
ments have been observed after its
effects have disappeared, as are seen in
narcotics and other stimulants. The
action imparted to the nerves is natu
ral and healthy. Habitual coffee
drinkers generally enjoy good health,
cioine of the oldest people have used
coffee from earliest infancy without
feeling any depressing reaction, such
as is produced by alcoholic stimulants.
Philadelphia Times.
Corn is said to be late in ripening,
but when a fellow treads on your foot
you will find your corn is ripe, and
yell oh I
1885.
Tiger Killlaff in Jara.
l'he following is a translation of an
extraordinary report published in the
Jam Btidei the'6hief paper of Batavia :
" Yesterday, so says the Mtltaram, a
newspaper at Djoodjakatra", there took
place here the announced clearance
among the tig'efsj belonging to his
highness, the sultan, in ofder to make
room for a fresh Bupply when the hew
tiger pens will be built. At about 10
A. M. the sultan, the resident military
commander, assistant resident and
other spectators appeared behind the
Kraton and seated themselves in a
grand stand constructed for the pur
pose. Thousands of Javanese flocked
to the spot to see the combats. Soon
a fight between a royal tiger and a buf
falo together in a pen commenced. The
tiger was several times tossed into the
air and then gored to death by the buf
falo, which had beerJ made as furious as
possible by peppered water, burning
nettles and red-hot iron bars. The
combat lasted fully two hours. After
ward began the rampolsen or tiger
flight. On the plain alongside thr
Kraton stood Javanese armed with
stout spears fifteeri to eighteen feet
long, drawn up in rows Ctfe behind
the other, forming altogether ah e-'
traordinary large square. The two
foremost rows lay kneeling, the two
hindmost stood erect. In the center
of this open space were thirteen
straw-roofed rooden pens, in each of
which was a tiger. At a given signal
a musical instrument called the gam
clan begins playing a martial
air to slow measure. Three
tiger keepers then step out of
the ranks and approach the cage. Two
of them bear ertch n burning torch,
with which they set fire to the. straw.
The tiger, frightened by the shower of
sparks; is then forced out into the open
space, but knows not whither to turn.
It moves around and seeks whither it
can find an outlet, until it endeavors
either by a desperate spring to get
away over the human 'wall which
keeps it inclosed or tries to creep
through underneath. But it falls
pierced by the many spears 'which ha ve
struck it. It utters a savage cry, which
is drowned by the applause and shouts
of the multitude. In silent agony it
strikes around furiously with
its mighty paws. The shafts
of the spears often break like glass.
In such eases a single blow might cost
the life of any unfortunate within
reach of its claws. It is afterward
killed in due form. This scene took
jilaco in the same way thirteen limes
successively with as many tigers, the,
festivity closing at 2 p. m. Only a
few accidents occurred. One soldier,
by ill luck, received a spear thrust
when combating with a tiger, and was
severely wounded in the leg. A native
received a bite when one of the tigers
broke through the square and was
killed outside it, after causing great
commotion among the spectators. An
affecting scene presented Was that of
a large tigress bringing forth a cub
while she was being slain."
"Wire the Gentleman."
The new verbs which the rush of
progress brings into use are often
stumbling-blocks to the simple. The
fun comes in when ignorant persons
get frightened at them and go off with
out asking what they mean. The
Louisiana Commercial says :
Two young women entered an in
telligence ollice and one of them asked
if there was any situation open.
The agent said he had just received
a letter from a gentleman in Pough
keepsie, asking if they could send up a
servant girl. The agent explained
what work she would be required to
perform and the wages she would
Ret..
The girl consulted for a few mo
ments with her companion and then
said she would go.
The agent gave her tho necessary
directions and told her at what time
she would have to be at the station,
with the assurance that she would go
through all right. The girl listened
attentively.
"Now you must be sure and go
through all the way," said the agent,
" and not get off."
" Yes," said the girl.
" And don't let anybody talk to you
and ask you to go with them," said
the agent.
" Yes," said the girl.
" I will write at once what time yon
will get there and they will expect
you," said the agent. " You will get
there to-morrow."
" Yes," said the girl.
"if you have any difficulty when
you reach the railroad station, wire the
gentleman," handing her his card,
"and he will meet you at the station."
" I'll not stir a peg, so 1 won't. I'll
engage to wash, iron and plain cook
for the family, but I'll not do all this
and wire gentlemen for fourteen dol
lars a month, so I won't," and she
went out of the ollice.
How a Whale Breathes.
The windpipe does not communicate
with the mouth ; a hole is, as it were,
bored right through the back of the
head. Engineers would do well to
copy the action of tint valve of the
whale's blow-hole ; a more perfect
piece of structure it is impossible to
imagine. Day and night, asleep or
awake, the whale works his breathing
apparatus in Htich a manner
that not a drop of- water
ever gets down into his
lungs. Again, the whale must of ne
cessity stay a much longer period of
time under water than seals ; this alone
might possibly drown him, inasmuch
as the lungs cannot have access to
fresh ait. We find that this difficulty
has been anticipated and obviated by
a peculiar reservoir in the venous sys
tem, which reservoir is situated at the
back of the lungs. Frank Jltmkland.
To get up a dinner of great variety
cooks should have a wide range,
NO. 38.
.After a While.
Thare in it Ctrnnge, reet tolaee in the tiionght
That all the yom we suffer here below
May, as a dark and hidoons garment wrought
For ns to wear, whether we will or no
Be cast aside, with a relieving smil,
After a little while.
No mortal roaming but hath certain end)
Though far unto the ocean-spaces gray '
We sail and sail, without a chart for friend,
AboTe tha sky-line, faint and far away
There looms nt last tho one enchanted isle ,
After a little while.
Oh, when our cares" coma thronging tW"v
4ud fast,
With more of anguish than, the heart em
bear,
Though friends desert, and, as the heedlesa
blast,
Kren lote pass by ns with a stony stare,
Let us withdraw into some ruined pile,
Or lonely forest aisle.
And contemplate the never-ceasing change
Whereby the processes of God are wrought,
And from our petty ues our souls estrange
Till, bathed in currents of exalted thought,
We feel the rest that must our oares beguile.
After a little while.
Xathan D. Umer.
HUMOR OF THE DAT.
"Whefe re the men of 7G?" shrieks
an excited exchange. Oh, to Halifax
with the men of seventy-six. Give
us the women of twenty-three.
Hawkey e.
Who has any right to sneer at the
inventive genius of woman when one
in New York has discovered a process
by which cat skin can be made to look
like seal? Detroit Free I'reis.
A man in Elgin, Illinois, put on tt'
clean shirt with such energy the other
day that he broke an arm. It is a duty
which one likes to have off his mind
as soon as possible. Free Press.
Typhoid fever is now the fashion
able disease. Having it is prima facie
evidence that you are hi easy circum
stances and passed the season at a
summer resort. Philadelphia Neics.
A man never realizes the littleness
of his own abilities so much as when,
after blacking his own boots, he is
greeted by the first boy he meets with
the customary "Shine?"' Lowell Citi
zen. Several of our exchanges are de
voting considerable space to the im
portance of " cooking girls." It's no
use. We don't want them cooked.
The raw damsel, is good enough for
us. Hartford Timex.
Mrs. Partington honored us with n
call this morning. She is looking well,
and she says she is like the windows
of a renovated house all tho old.
panes are out of her, and the pneu-"
maties are tilings of the past. Huston
Star. j
"Pa, I'll be right sorry when you
get well," said a little Austin boy to
his sick parent. "Why, my. .son?"
" Because I won't get any more. empty
medicine bottles to sell. I sell 'em for
live cents apiece to the drug store."
Mftinys. '
" Few men are born to xule," and
that is what the bookkeejer thinks
when he comes in after lunch and
finds the old man has. been trying to
close an account on the ledger with a
spattering pen and a nickel ruler.
Boston Bulletin.
In the German army more' attention
is being paid to tho science, of aero
statics, and officers are being trained
to make balloon ascensions. This Will
fit them to come to this country and
amuse the population on the Fourth
of July. Boston Post.
A New York man says he keeps
chops iind steaks for several days in.
the hottest weather by burying them
in meal. Meal is a good thing in any
veather for steaks and chops. AVe
,more particularly refer just now to the
morning meal. Banbury News.
The ruling passion strong in death ;
" John," feebly' moaned a society lady,
who was about shuffling off this mortal
coil; "John, if the newspapers say
anything about my debut into another
world, just send me a dozen marked
copies." New York Commercial.
The Discovery of Porcelain.
Kaolin, a hydrated silicate of aluin
nia, is absolutely refractory and
opaque ; it constitutes the resistant
part of porcelain. Feldspars are sili
cates of alumina and potassia, fusible
at a very high temperature into a
beautiful transparent glass. If now
we mix a quantity of feldspar with
kaolin, cover the mixture with a layer
of feldspar, and heat tho whole at a
,very high temperature, the feldspar
,will melt and communicate to the
opaque clay a clearness greater or less
according to the quantity of it
present, and to the superficial part of
it that beautiful glaze with which all
are familiar. A part of the action in
this process is chemical, and consists
rh the production of a new crystalline
silicate formed by a combination of all
the substances present. The discovery
of porcelain in China is traced back to
a high antiquity. The Chinese have cer
tainly made it regularly for at least
a thousand years; many authors
fix the discovery at fifteen
hundred or eighteen hundred
years ago, but no evidence exists to
justify our going back further than a
thousand years. Tho first piece.? that
came to Europe were probably brought
by the Venetians at the end of tho
thirteenth century. Charles VII., king
of France, received a present of Chinese
porcelains about the middle of the
fifteenth century from the sultan of
Babylon ; but it was not till the sixteenth
century that the importation of these
Oriental products by Portuguese and
Dutch merchants assumed a real im
portance. Southern cotton mills now boast
1,237,400 spindles, and the consump
tion of cotton this year will reach
400,000 bales, or one-quarter of the
amount used North,