Raftsman's journal. (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, January 26, 1859, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    t
BY S. B. ROW.
CLEARFIELD, PA, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 26, 1859.
VOL. 5.-NO. 22.
LOVE AND THE LILY.
: As lore one day was out at play,
He met a blooming lilly.
And on its bosom ha asked to 1st
His cheek it was so chilly.
"6oto," the wary lilly said,
'I lack not for politeness,
JBut on in j word. ore, I'm afraid
Your cheek may soil my whitODC&i."
'NaT, nay, not so," Love soft replied,
ou only talk for leading.
'Ti summer unliht at your (id
EUe everywhere is freering."
Celieving not Love's seeming toil
Was half he represented.
The pitving liliy all the while
Kefujing still consented.
But when the moon with downy tread
Came round to wake the flowers,
Alas! the lilly's drooping head
Itoso not to greet the hours. m
And tho' the bees aronnd its cup
At noon as usual dallied.
Oh ! never more were lifted up
The leaves which Love had sallied.
A It EM ARK ABLE DUE AM.
'-Dreauif are lut children of an idle brain,
Eejjot of nothing but vain fantasy."
So snith Shakspear; but what m.-iy hold
.good in somo cases (loos not hold good in all
cases, otherwise there would be general rules
-without exceptions and that is held by logi
ous ti be in orally impossible. With me a
Irvuin u ia dream, and there is an endon't;
but not so with everybody. There are some
men in this world who attach considerable im
lwrtaiice to tho "baseless fabric" of a dream
which flits unbidden through the brain ; and
I believe as a general thing, it Is conceded
that the female portion of humanity lias an
abiding faith in dreams whether they be of
good or of evil import. Why this should be
so, 1 am not prepared to say, and leave the
question to those deeper versed in human na
ture than I am, for a solution, but I do say
that the mot intelligent iady that I ever was
ncqnainted with was a firm believer in the
foreshadowing of dreams.
Coii.e to think of it, the greatest affront I
ever gave a lady was oing to a dream. She
was past a certain age, and used to annoy me
l.y asking me what "sign" it was to dream of
this or that just as it 1 was a second Joseph,
whose special mission it was to interpret
drcatr.s. I bire it with great good humor for
a long time, but my patience finally gave way
a. id I ended the nuisance summaiily.
OfM? evening I was one of a select company
assembled in a parlor, and wo were having
a lime of it" generally. When all the ordi
nary topics were exhausted, and conversation
bec'fTi to flag, the lady in question turned her
vinegar face towards me and said :
By-the-bye, I had a most singular dream
lat night. I actually dreamed that I was
tntrried to lico husbands ! Now can you tell
ie what sign that is ?"
Certainly, nuss. It is a sign that you arc
' enough to fulfil half the dream at least."
iu:i..r! What a malicious rascal I must
liivo '.'eta in her estimation ! She said noth
ir..iwt her eyes flashed like those of a hyena,
while her thin white lips quivered with rage.
She never asked me to interpret another
dream ; in fict, if I recollect rightly, she did
not speak to nie at all for several years alter
tiiis rather free interpretation.
Hut to my story of a remarkable dream;
and if there be truth in the tale of the dream
er and there is no reason to doubt his word
ther., liidctd, it was a remarkable dream.
Sme years ago, in a little city of the West,
lived Richard Mi Her. an honest, industrious,
soVr shoemaker. He had emigrated from
Philadelphia a fc;w years previous to the open
ing i-f rry story, with' his w ife and child ; and
ly economy of the closest attention to busi
ness, hr n.an.-igcd to lay up six hundred dol
lars. This sum he would have undoubtedly
o increased as to place himself and family
bevond .! reach of want in a very few years,
had it not been for that insidious monster,
Conmsuptiou. The fell destroyer came to hint
as is oiual in such cases, in a bad cold, and
for a long tir-e he flattered himself into the
belief that it was only a lad cold ; but, like
a k ill f"l appr and miner, it soon under
mined his constitution, and he soon began to
liave some faint glimmering of his real condi
tion. .
There was no use staying any longer in the
"West, so ho sold out his stock and fixtures,
and returned to Philadelphia, where lie took
up his permanent abode. Having become en
lirelrto weak to work," he spent his days in
that "inactive, but petulant state so common
to consumptives.
One dav he tok it info his head to consult
an eminent pbvsician ono of the Trofessors
of a medical collegs in order to ascertain
his true condition. Ho called upon him and
stated his case, and underwent the customary
examination.
"Young man," said the Frofessor, "your
lungs are ludlv affected, and I am only deal
ing frankly with rou when I say that, in my
opinion, vou are not long for this world 1"
Miller'i heart sank within him as ho heard
Ida doom. He had the most implicit con
fidence in the Piofessor ; and, as he thought
of his wife and child, he felt very much as if
for the future the world would be a blank to him.
Did you ever drink whiskey ?" inquired
the Doctor, as he paced tho room.
"Never, except upon one, or perhaps two
occasions," said Miller.
"You can keep yourself alive two years
-robably three by the moderate use of whis
Kv It is S dangerous prescription, but iu
civinz it to vou I have reason to believe that
vou will not let it obtain the mastery over
Vou. Get the best whisky you can buy, and
irtnk a pint of it a-day."
Poor Millerf ready to grasp at the merest
shadow of relief, went to a liquor store and
purchased a demijohn of Bourbon whiskey .and
commenced to take doses of it at intervals
throughout the day.
A year rolled away, and Miller was much
Improved. Ilia cough was easier, nd .Vla
stimulus appeared to impart a kind or art m
cial strength to his body ; but I regret to say,
his appetite, which never before craved alco
cd an abnormal condi
tion, to appease which it now required not
i K.-.-rt .rdiem. He felt that he
was not doing much toward retarding his
march down to the grave ; but the heavy doses
of alcoholic stimulus invested the past, pres-
i r ith a. feelinr of obliviousness
CUb A 1 114 IU1U1V " , , - ,
that wis quite a relief to his melancholy brood-
Ings over his misery wu:u ... t-t
iicu iii wiia staic, iiiuivr tuicu uuiuuur
and he frequently walked as far away from
home as his strength would permit him gen
erally in the neighborhood of the brickyards
in the southwestern part of the city.
One day, having extended his walk beyond
his usual limits, and being overtaken by a
thunder-storm when he reached the brickyards,
he took shelter under the shed of one of
them. Having drank an unusual quantity of
whiskey during the day, he fell asleep upon
the wheelbarrow on which be was resting,
while the storm was still raging ; nor -did he
awake until the dawn of next day, a mild,
beautiful morning. . At first be was mystified;
but he soon recalled to his rccolleetiou the
atorm and the brick-yard, and feeling some
what drowsy, he composed himself for another
nap. It is uncertain how long he slept pro
bably not over half an hour but during that
time he had a remarkable vision. He dream
ed out tho principles of a machine for the
manufacture of brick a machine that would,
in a great measure, supersede all hand labor.
Every wh?el, cog and casting passed through
his brain, and in his dream he even saw the
machine in practical operation. When he
awoke it was quite light, and he hastened to
ward his home. His mind was entirely taken
up with the machine, his dream having evi
dently made an impression upon him as indel
ible as any idea ever conceived in his most
wakeful hours. Long before he reached his
home, he resolved to carry out the spirit of
the dream. After breakfast he made the ne
cessary preparations to work out a model.
The obstacles that interposed were legion,
but he overcame them all. Tools that he
could not borrow he bought, and it was now
that he went to work most patiently and per
severingly, paying very little attention to the
whisky, as his whole soul appeared to bo wrap
ped up in one grand object.
His wife, from' the very beginning of his
work, thought that his mind was giving away;
and the poor, patient, enduring woman, find
ing their stock of money rapidly decreasing,
took in sewing, while he sawed, planed anil
chiseled at his model. He grew morose, and
seldom spoke. Sometimes he would gaze ab
stractedly upon the model for a long time, and
then, as if reassured, he would go to work
again with renewed .energy ; and so be con
tinued for many long and weary weeks, until
the model was finally completed, and stood
before him in all its parts. As he worked at
it in the presence of his wife, a gleam of sat
isfaction sat upon his countenance, and he
smiled. It was the first smile that had illu
minated his countenaco since be had been at
work on the model. He carried it off to a
finished mechanic, who engaged to make a
fine duplicate for twenty dollars ; and when
he had finished his job, the wife saw him take
that amount from their slender store more in
sorrow than in anger, but she knew tho utter
fallacy of protesting.
Richard Miller now for the first time consult
ed a friend in the matter; and that friend hav
mg had some cxpuience in procuring patents,
gave him the benefit of his knowledge. To
procure tho patent would cost thirty dollars
more. This alarmed Miller; but the patent
must be had, and that amount went. In due
time letters patent arrived, and he had the
rough model and thedocument nothing more.
0::t of them it would be next to impossible to
realize anything. No, he must have a machine
capable of working. lie felt satisfied that
nothing short of a machine would enable him
to dispose of his right. But how to get a ma
chine built was a question which puzzled him
sadly. No one capable of making a perfect
machine would undertake the jeb for less than
one hundred dollars. Alas ! he had no longer
that sum of money in his house. Miller was
almost bordering on despair, when one of the
mechanics to wiiom he had spoken, called up
on him in order to make a more minute exam
ination of the model. He was eminently a
practical man. and be made a most thorough
examination, at the end of which he dc'clared
that his firm convtction was mat tne maciiinc
was a great invention. At all events, he would
be willing to build one on a contingency. If
it failed to work, he would charge nothing;
but if it answered the expectation of the in
ventor, then he would charge two hundred dol
lars tor machine and risk. This was virtually
taking an interest in the success of tho inven
tion, and Richard closed with him. The me
chanic was prompt and energetic, and, putting
his whole force to work, in a few days turned
ever to Miller a complete machine.
His next business was to give the machine a
trial. He went over to Camden, where he had
an acquaintance in th brick business, and pre
vailed npon him to let the trial take place at
his vard, next day at 11 o'clock. The propri
etor had very little faith in the machine, but,
as he had a "large lot or brick lor sale, ho was
willing to submit to almost anything jo attract
attention to his yard. To this end he slyly
inserted an advertisement in severalof the
daily papers in Philadelphia, announcing the
trial of a wonderful patent brick machine,
naming the time and place which, of course,
he thought would only be another addition to
tho long catalogue of failures in that line of
inventions.
Next daj' Millar partook of an early break
fast, and then possessed himself of the last
dollar in the house to pay current expenses.
He bade his wife to be of good cheer that he
thought ho should return before night with
not less than five hundred dollars. The poor
woman thought it more likely that he would
return dejected, broken-hearted and ready to
die ; but she said nothing.
From his house he went direct to tho ma
chine shop, and had bis invention taken to the
ferry-boat, and had it safely landed, put up,
roady to operate at the appointed honr. He
knew nothing of the adv.rtisement in the pa
pers, and was therefore a little surprised to see
upwards of a hundred persons congregated in
the yard. Ho did not like it, for in case of fail
.... iho mnrfiftVation would onlv be the great
er; but be consoled himself with the belief
that in case ot success competition nns"i"'"6
no and enable him to realize one thousand dol
lars for his right, instead of five hundred dol
lars, at which moderate figure be held it.
The clay having been elevated, tho horse
was started and the machine moved. It was a
moment of intense anxiety to every one, .and
nainfully so to Richard Miller. Eureka! it
was a triumph I Mould after mould of beauti
ful brick wero carried from it, until in an in
credibly short space of time, a thousand were
lirvinjr in the yard !
Bni"uu " ,h.rd Miller. Rszing upon his
invent on- U was the fall realization of hi.
dZ h Its minutf st particulars. It was the
tTf..n 1 I. : - ff : 1 1 1 X 1 : J
happiest moment in his life.' lie was just en
the point of oOering the right of making and
vending the machine in the United States to
the highest bidder, when an old Yankee tap
ped him on the shoulder.
Young man," said he, "that's a rery good
machine of yours.but I see where a very impor
tant improvement can be made. Under such
circumstances. 1 will give you fifty thousand
dollars for your right, title and interest in it!'
Miller grasped one of the levers or bis ma
chine to keep from falling. No ! it could not
be ; the whole thing must be a continuation f
the brick-yard dream.
How much did you say t " asked Miller,
in doubt. ...
, "Fifty thonsand !" said the man, evidently
ready to increase the amount, it Miller de
manded it.
"I'll tako it !" gasped tho inventor.who still
could not believe the evidence of bis senses.
Then come with pie."
A few moments more, and they were on their
way toPhiladelphia; and, in crossing the river,
Richard Miller paid the last sixpence he had in
the world fcr ferriage. Once arrived in the
city, they went directly to the office of a law
yer, where the necessary papers making a full
assignment were drawn up, Miller all tho while
doubting the possibility of the roan having any
thing like the amount of ' money he -offered ?
but he still resolved in his mind that he was
sate if he got but a single thousand in cash, and
the balance in worthless promissory notes. At
length the assignment was finished and Signed,
and the man handed Miller a check, payable at
one of tho principal banks, for the entire a
mount.on the back of which the attorney cer
tified to Miller being the owner of the check. -
The patentee was still incredulous ; but sat
isfied that if the check was worthless it wonld
be evidence of fraud, and the sale not valid ;
the papers were exchanged, and he left the of
fice, lie hratened to the bank and' presented
his check to the paying-teller. That gentle
man scrutinized it a moment, and then asked
him how he would have it 1
Richard Miller was again nonplussed. He
stoed like a statue, gazing upou the teller un
til the question was repeated. '
Gold and silver I" said Richard.
"Gold and silver 1" said the taller, in sur
prise "have you a dray ?"
"Beg your pardon," said Miller. "Let me
have a bag of a thousand dollars in gold and
silver, and the balance in bank notes."
A bag with that amount of mixed coin was
soon placed before him, and forty-nine pack
ages of one thousand dollars each were laid
upon the counter. Miller had by this time! in
a measuro regained his self-possession,, nnd,
after stuffing the notes . into his pocket Jhe
shouldered his bag of coin, an?! left the ban.
As soon as be saw an omnibus he hailed it
and rode to within two squares of his home.
When he reached the latter, he staggered in
beneath his load, and walking dir :ctly to the
bed, he emptied the bag of glittering coin up
on it to the infinite amazement of bis wife!
But what was her astonishment when he drew
from his pockets packages of bank notes ! He
contained himself until he had thrown the last
package upon the bed, when he gave way to
the wildest and most extravagant feelings.
"Ha! ha! ha!" he laughed hysterically
'ray dream is out ! The machine works I Fif
ty thousand! Ha! ha! ha!"
Then snatching up his child, he continued,
pacing the room
"My boy you are no beggar ! Fifty thou
sandha! ha! ha!"
In this way he raved, shouted and stamped.
Large beads of peispiration stood upon his
brow, his face looked haggard, and his eye
had the wild glare of the maniac. In vain
his wife tried to calm his agitation ; be raved
until he ruptured :i blood-vessel. Ho sat
down in his chair with his child in bis arms,
tho blood gushing from his noe and month,
lie drew back his head to indulge in anoth
er hysterical laugh, but it was checked by a
gurgling noise, and the next instant Rich
ard Miller was a corpse ! His spirit had pas
sed away, in the language of Longfellow :
'-Like a glorious roll of drums,
In the triumph of a dream !"
The reader will note that we have used fic
titious for real names. The machine, which
went nnder the name of tho purchaser, made
him an independent fortune and is still in
use ; but others, better adapted to the age in
which wo live, have nearly crowded it out of
tho market. Sunday Dispatch.
ConRir-Tiox at Wasuisotox. We see it
stated that certain parties who were given a
contract by the War Department, about a year
ago without advertising for proposals as the
law requires to transport provisions and mu
nitions of war ta Utah, have made, clear pro
tit, over ont million and a half of dollart, mi
nus the amount paid into the hands of some
body, for the purpose of carrying Lecorapton
through the House. If all the facts involv9d
in this contract, and its connection with car
rying Lecorapton, or the English bill, last ses
sion, could be spread before the world, it
would present one of the most nefarious pei
ces of corruption and violation of law ever
perpetrated under any government, or else our
information is grossly erroneous. But inves
tigations are nothing more than legislative
farces aud white washing operations now-a-days,
and the facts will probably never, be
brought to light. We learn further that ex
plicit charges of corruption have been sent to
a member or members of Congress, in regard
to the furnishing of the steam machinery for
one or more of the sloops-of-war ordered to
bo built. Bids were advertised for, and the
party to whom the contract for furnishing the
machinery lor one of the sloops was awarded,
bid $102,000, but have been paid it is alleged,
$130,000.' Whether an investigation into this
subject will be made remains to be seen.
A dangerous young widow of 30, in Ludlow,
Mass., with four dead or discarded husbands,
has torn a young lad of 18 years from his af
flicted parents in the same town, and taken
him to bed and board as No. 5. The parents
bad locked up the boy, but the widow wss too
smart for them, got him out, and fled with
him to Palmer, where they were married.
She was clearly one of the widows.
With four metalic qualifications, a man may
be prettv sure of worldly success-they are,
gold in iis pocket, silver in bis tongue, brass
in bis face, and iron in bis heart.
The city of New York is bankrupt. Hun
dreds of honest creditors are demanding pay
ment, but can get "nary red."
DEMOCRATIC WAYS OF SUCCESS.
The first symptom of the decay and down
fall of republican governments, says the N. Y
Tribune, always has been the employment of
violence and fraud to carry the elections, and
thus to substitute, in place of tho voice of the
citizens, the basis upon which all despotisms
rest. Such was the case in Rome, and such
has been the case in every tepublic that ever
existed. The choice of the people thus set a
side, all the quiet and timid, who form in all
communities a very numerous body, terrified
at these annual scenes of violence and tumult,
soon become ready to aid in abolishing' the
whole system of popular elections. They re
gard, and not altogether without reason, a
usurpation once for all as far better than a n
surpation occurring annually, and attended
with scenes cf violence and uproar dangerous
to life, and, what they dread still more, dan
gerous to property. They think it better to
be under the surveillance of a military force
which the interest of its head requires to be
subjected to a certain degree of discipline,
than to be exposed to the unrestrained violence
of a act of rowdies, like those who are begin
ning to play so conspicuous a part in some of
our American elections, against whom there
is neither protection nor redress ; since, even
in the plainest cases, partisan Judges, placed
on the bench by the employment of this same
machinery, are certain either to acquit them
altogether, or to let tbem off with a merely
nominal punishment. The decent citizens,
from the moment this' system of violence and
intimidation is introduced, rapidly withdraw
themselves from the polls. So far from risk
ing their lives and limbs in the effort to get at
the ballot-boxes, they are unwilling to risk
oven their coats. And why should they T
Even if they succeed in polling a majority of
votes, it does not avail them. Cheating In
spectors, fraudulent Judges of elections, un
scrupnlous boards of Canvassers stand ready,
when force has failed, to supply the deficiency
by fraud, and thus to render unavailing the
courage and perseverance of tho decent and
patriotic majority. In this state of things, it
is not to be wondered at that the great body of
the industrious and productive citizens, more
intent upon order and security than on liberty,
should hasten to surrender up the dangerous
and now unavailing privilege of voting, and
should look with complacency on the assump
tion ot all political authority by some small
self-constituted association like our Tammany
Society, to be superseded in due time by a
single despot like Louis Napoleon.
Our people are possessed of a very arrogant
self-confidence in their exclusive ca acity to
maintain their own liberties. But, however
true that might have been of the original An-glo-"Saxon
stock by which this country was
settled, bringing with it, as it did, the English
habits of respect for constituted authorities
and submission to the laws, we must recollect
that of late years we have had a very large in
flux into this country of population who have
no other instrument of freedom except vio
lence, who, in fact, know nothing of freedom,
confounding it with the idea of having every
thing their own way, irrespective of the wish
es, interests or rights of others. Pride, saysa
high authority, goes before a fall, and there
are but too evident indications that, unless
this nation arouses itself to a desperate exer
tion to re-establish the purity of its institu
tions, our fall is near at hand. Violence at
the polls, and, where that will not serve, pal
pable fraud in declaring the result of the elec
tions have become a regular part of the tactics
employed by the pseudo-Democrati party to
keep itself in power. These frauds, barefaced
and atrocious, are not confined to any particu
lar section of the country. We see them now
in Minnesota, as a means of controlling the
State elections and securing to the party two
United States Senators; noil in Kansas, em
ployed with a like object in view ; now in St.
Louis, with intent to deprive tho troublesome
Mr. Blair of his seat in the House of Repre
sentatives; now in Maine, in hopes of gaining
a Democratic representative ; and now in the
City of New York, employed to exclude Re
publican Common Councilmen from theirseats,
and to keep the city a little while longer un
der the control of thieves and plunderers.
Nor does this system of cheating confine it
self merely to the original elections by the
people, nor is it limited to the returning offi
cers of those elections. It has been adopted
by those very bodies in which alone lies the
power of applying an adequate remedy to these
frightful outrages. Thus we see the pseudo
Democratic members of the Legislature of In
diana combining together to give false certifi
cates as Senators of the United States to a
couple of imposters, and that very Senate of
the United States, whose first great duty it is
to guard our republican system against such
attempts to destroy it, making itself a party
to the fraud, and welcoming these impudent
cheats to a seat in their own body. Indeed,
what else could be expected of a Senate which
had already disgraced itself in the eyes of the
nation and the world by giving its aid, coun
tenance and support to the Border-Ruffian in
truders from Missouri, who had driven the
people of Kansas from the polls and returned
a Legislatujc to suit themselves 1
But this horrible conuption, this attempt to
substitute fraud, false voting and false returns
in place of the freedom of choice on the part
of the people, lias ascended even higher than
the United Statea Senate. The Federal Ex
ecutive Administration has fully come into
this scheme of keeping itself and its party in
power by the use of these infamous means.
The whole project of the Border Ruffiaa usur
pation in Kansas, if it did not original in
President Pierce's Cabinet, was fully indors
ed and supported by it ; while President Bu
chanan, intent upon forcing opon Kansas the
bogus Lecompton document, which pretended
to be the draft of a State - Constitution sanc
tioned by the people of that Territory, turn
ed Robert J. Walker out of the office of Gov
ernor because be refused to aid this scheme
by becoming an accomplice after the fact to
the forgery ot election returns. -
Compared with this system of frand, mere
violence at the polls, even though carried to
the extent of riot and murder, is but a trivial
occurrence. Violence may be repelled. Force
may be met with force. The very atrocity of
such acts excites the public horror and indig
nation, and tends to prevent their recurrence.
The system of cheating which the pseudo
Democratic party, after amply trying both vi
olence and frand, seems now inclined to adopt
as peculiarly its owa, Is ot a far more danger
ous character. Tb remedy aajnat it by ap
peal from the falsa returns is, a best, very
slow, and expensive process, and when the
body to which the appeal is made is itself
corrupt, an a party to tne very irauas
pealed against, what hope can there be of re
dress ? There is, in Tact, no nope eiccpi m
n pnpi-o-ptie. riaingr of the DeoDle. snd in the
hurling from power an unworthy set of
men, who, no longer trusting to the support
of a majority which they have ceased to have,
are now attempting to prolong their ill-used
power by undermining the Tery foundations
of republican government.
.MAKING A TEETOTALER.
A short time since, a young man living in
Ogdcnsbnrg N. Y., w hose name we shall call
George, took to drinkirg rather more than
usual, and some of bis friends endeavored .to
cure him. One day, when he was in rather a
loose condition, they got him in a room, and
commenced conversing about delir.um tre
mens, directing all their remarks to him, and
telling him what fearful objects, such as snakes
and rats, were always seen by the victims of
this horrible disease. When the conversa
tion bad waxed high on this theme, one of the
number stepped out of the room, and from a
trap which was at hand let a large rat into the
room. None of his friends appeared to see
it, but the young man who was to be the vic
tim seized a chair and hurled it at the rat,
completely using up the piece of furniture in
the operation. Another chair shared the
same fate, when bis friends seized him, and
with terror depicted on their faces, demanded
to know what was the matter.
" Wiiy, don't you see that cursed big rat ?"
said he, pointing to the animal, which, after
the manner of rats, was making bis way a
round the room, close to the walls.
They all saw it, but all replied that they
didn't see it "there was no rat "
"But there is!" said be, as another chair
went to piecea in an ineffectual attempt to
crush tho obnoxious vermin.
At this moment they again seized him, and
after a terrific scuffle threw him down on the
floor, and with terror in their faces, screamed,
"Charley, run for a doetor !"
Charley started for the door, when George
desired to know "what the de'il was up."
"Up !" said they, "why, you've got tho de
lirium tremens !" .
Charley opened the door to go out, when
George raised himself on his elbow, and said,
"Charley, where are you going?"
"Going !" replied Charley, "going for a
doctor."
'Going for a doctor!" rejoined George, "for
what 7"
"For what?" repeated Charley, "why, you
have got the delirium tremens !"
"The delirium tremens have I?" repeated
George. "How do you know I've got the de
lirium tremens ?"
"Easy enough," says Charley; "you've
commenced seeing rats."
"Seeing rats !" sarid George, in a sort of mu
sing way ; "seeing rats. Think you must be
mistaken, Charley."
"Mistaken !" said Charley.
"Yes, mistaken," rejoined George. "I ain't
the man ham't seen no rats .'"
The boys let George up after that, and from
that to tnis he hasn't touched a glass of liquor,
and "seen no rats" not the first rat.
Smiles. A beautiful smile is, to the female
countenance, what the sunbeam is to the land
scape. . It embellishes an inferior face, and
redeems an ugly one. A smile, however,
should not become habitual, or insipidity is
the result, nor should the mouth break into a
smile on one side, the other remain passive
and unmoved, for this imparts an air ot deceit
and erotesoueness to the face. A disacreca-
bio smile distorts tho lines of beauty, and is
more repulsive than a frown.
There are many kinds of smiles, each hav
ing a distinctive character some annonnce
goodness and sweetness, . others betray sar
casm, bitterness and pride some soften their
countenance by their languishing tenderness,
others brighten it by their brilliant and spiritu
al vivacity. Gazing and poring before a mir
ror cannot aid in acquiring beautiful smiles
half so well as to turn the gaze inward, to
watch that the heart keeps unsullied from the
reflection of evil, and is illuminated and beau
tified by all sweet thoughts.
Then there is a woman's sweet laugh, than
which there is not a natnral grace more be
witching. Its sound has been pleasantly com
pared to that of flutes on the water. It leaps
from her heart in a clear sparkling rill, and the
heart that it reaches feels as if bathed in a
cool, exbilirating spring. It runs the prose of
lips into poetry ; it flings showers of sunshine
over this darksome world in which we are
travelling, and it gilds with light and bright
someness all that it touches. ..
Judge Taylor has ousted Lewis Fisher as
Commissioner of Cambria county, and de
clared Abel Lloyd elected. According to the
testimoney, the Jndge of Election ot Wash
ington township was a postmaster, his deputy
a clerk (both ineligible by law) ; the inspec
tors were both Germans, neither or whom
could read or write English, and one of them
not naturalized ; they were sworn in by a
justice of tho peace whose commission bad
expired : no lists were kept who voted on
age, on residence of ten days or payment of
tax, yet 279 not on the list of Uxablcs must
have so voted; and-the tickets were put in
an old cigar box without a lid, without tally
list, fee, and so produced before the court.
Worse thai Leap Year. The ladies of
Schuylkill county, New York, have a way, pe
culiarly their own, of intimidating the men
into matrimony. The Kushville Times says
that one day last week, at lluntsville, a young
woman, who bad, or pretended to have, some
claims npon the hand and heart ot Mr. Thom
as Watt, called at his store and demanded that
he should either marry her or submit to tne
effects of the bullet. Mr. W. refused either
born of the dilemma, when she banged away.
The ball struck very near bis centre, but hit
ting a rib, passed around and oat, doing no
material damage. The young Udy was arrest
ed and tried, but Esquire Benson dismissed
the charge and let Jier go. .
Th. Chicaeo Press saya that a young lady,
now a sewing girl in that city, has received a
latter front an uncle in New York, stating that
herself and two uncles in New York bad fall
en equal heirs to the comfortable snm of
27.000,000, or about slBoJXJU.000, bv the re
cent death of an uncla at Calcutta,' India,
where be had accumulated, bis immense for
tune in mercantile pursuits.
COURT LADIES AT WASHINGTON.
The N. Y. correspondent of the Springfield
Republican, evidently a woman, writes i
When I think of '.Mr. Douglas's straggles,
labors, anxieties, for the last few months, ta
order to secure bis re-election, I conclude
that he must hare at least a weary life of it.
So much was staked his fortune, his fame,
his hope of the Presidency. The time had'
come when he must rise or set, brighten or go
ont in the political world. He sold his house
at Washington, mortgaged his large property
in Illinois, and during all the burning summer
"electioneered" abroad, while his wife elec
tioneered quite as successfully at home. On
the Sabbath she attended the Catholic church
at Chicago, while, during the ;week she grace
fully propitiated the Protestants. - At , the
Lake View House she exerted a marked perso
nal influence over the gentlemen congregated
there, who, as usual, were quite willing to be
led by a young, beautiful and brilliant woman.
Educated at Washington, long a "copyist" for
the "House," she is thoronghly initiated into
the chicanery of political life, and knows how
to touch, with a sure and delicate - hand, its
most intricate wires. That Mrs. Douglas will
do her part toward making herself "lady of
the n hue House," no one, who knews her,
doubts. Give bcr all wifely honor. Sbe has
rescued Mr. Douglas front at least some of his
low associations. He becomes drunk less of
ten, and in social life is now admitted into so
ciety from which he was once excluded. That
he is to-day the gfeat man of thje political
world, be probably owes to himself. - Bnt if
only through the lowest sycophancy, the mean
est subterfuge, through the pools ot craft and,
falsehood, one is to wade to "greatness," let
us all pray to be little, Apropos of female
politicians, Mrs. Douglas is not alone.-- lfrs
Conrad, a young, rich and iyely widow, "who
(another has sid) has too god sense to mar
ry," is catted tne greatest conrtivcer in Wash
ington, and exerts no small influence 'over
state affairs. Her lull-length photograph, with,
those of all the other beauties of grandpapa
Buchanan s court, is to be seen at Brady's, in
Broadway. First stands Mrs. Douglas; her
physique is splendid not soft and pliant, but
proud and queenly, after the Roman model
dark hair, bright eyes, classic features, brilli-,
ant complexion, with a commanding rather
than winning expression. The picture does
not do her justice. Her dress of black silk is
not becoming, and Is made in a fashion which
robs somewhat the grace of her perfect form.
Next stands Mrs. Conrad, all grace, clad id
black velvet w ith pearls. A wily, subtle, a
beautiful Greek, with iar-aearcbing eyes,
peach-tinted check, and wavy, golden-brown
hair. . Beside her stands Madame Le Vert, of
Mobile, long an habitue of Washington, who
for her social genius fs pre-eminent above alt
American women. Madame Le Vert, without
being beautiful, either in form or feature, baa
reigned as a "belle" since she was ten years
old. She has traveled widely, has visited
nearly all Foreign Courts, can carry on con-'
versation in six different languages at one time,"
and be equally charming in all. Yet not in
her talents, nor in her accomplishments, lies
her fascination, but in the genial sweetness,
naturalness, and perfect simplicity of her man
ners, which seem to give her possession of all
hearts. Her clear, blue eye overflows with ex
uberance of kindness, wbile around the serene
mouth all gentle affections seem to have found
dwelling. She wears a dress of brown silk
with gorgeous bordered flounces, and a crim
son rose in her hair. The sweetest compli
ment I ever beard for Madame Le Vert, was
uttered to me by one of her personal friends :
"She is like a flower out in nature." Next
her is Harriet Lane of the "White House"
Mr. Buchanan's niece a blonde, cold and
statuesque, pure and passionless as marble
one's very admiration gives them a chill. She
stands in a verandah, the Capitol in sight. A
spray of flowers in her hair falls low upon her
bare and beautiful neck. She looks a model
of repose; the rery Miss Lane whom the pa
pers assure us "receives with great dignity."
And then, Lady Gore Ouseley, the Yankee .
English woman, who had seen fit recently to
dip her fingers into Nicaragua affairs ; who
rules not only her dear "Sir William," but :
our lady-like old President. Weil, she is
coarse and homely enongh ; and, according to
the notion of your "Own Correspondent," is
dressed in horrid taste. She wears a string of
jets around her head, of the size of walnuts;
another around her neck, of equal rotundity.
She does not seem to care for an ample skirt,
and has utterly discarded the "line of beauty'
in its "fall," for it is "skimped," shorter be- '
bind than before, and the flounces curve upon
the sides. But she has a falcon eye, and her
wholo bearing indicates, in even more than an ,
ordinary degree, the woman's penchant power
to "rule." , :
W. II. Fry, Esq., discoursing at the New
York Typogtaphical Society dinner, upon the
wonderful brevity of expression brought abont
by the use of telegraph, says that a Irteod of
his went last week to St. Louis, and familiar
ly telegraphed to his wife in New Yotk
What have yon for breakfast, and how is the
baby ?" She telegraphed back "Buckwheat
cakes, and the mease Is !' -r
An old man in Williamson county, Tcnn.,
who is now eighty-five years of age, aays ho
never took a chew of tobacco, though making
millions of ponnds of it, In his life, never
smoked a cigar or pipe, and never wore a pair
of boots. Queer codger, that. '
The story abont the discovery of an ancient
Egyptian Hotel Register, upon which waa
found the names of "J. Cobb and E. Sau, Mes
opotamia," is a fabrication. Jacob and Esau
were not accustomed to writing their names )a
that manner. - .
The ladies sometimes call men Jack-o'Lan- -terns.
Yes, ladies, that's exactly what they
are. If you run from them, they are Terr
certain to follow you ; If too run after them
they are likely to retreat all the faster,
Santa Anna, the ex-Dictator or Mexico, has
recently purchased an estate on the Island of
St. Thomas for $40,000. His -wife, disgusted
with his brutalities, has left . him and gone to
Havana.
Game seems to be plectyoitt .west. OneH
firm at Chicago contracted to sood 100,000 lbs. -of
quail and prairie chickens to the east this
aeraoa, and baa already ee dad that amonnti
The "Punctuation Train, on tbe Esdaoat.
Rirer Railroad, is tho eve that makes, all th.
stops. ...
I
himself. . - - -
J1