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B. F. SCHWEIER,
THE CONSTITUTION THE CSION AXD THE ENFORCEMENT OF THE LAWS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXVIII.
MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., JANUARY 7, 1S74.
NO. 1.
Pootry.
The Merlins.
Brllo, Bob! Hiw are 50c. DaaT
I'm r lad to Me yu to-dav ;
It's bn uaav a lomg year sow
Sines yon and I were at play.
Let's fro and hava a day of it,
Aad imagiae onrslves bsya again,
Wnea we aaed to play around the o!d chwl-boaa
That stood tbere ia the laae.
A luaf, long time ago it'a bora,
Aad we've both gone through a lot ;
I'to beea right saceassfol ia bU,
a ad yoa, 1 belieTe, have dm.
Well, I believe thia lift's picked oat (or a,
"It's bat a game of card,
I'vs bald one of the winniag baada,
80 here goea my regards.
Ya're all the same to me, Bjb,
The aame aa yoa were yearn ago ;
to fill them ap agaia, landlord
There that'e enough J aat ao.
I went to Califoraia, Bob,
When the "gold raver" broke out,
lad had a little aaasnal lack
That's bow I got my start.
Toa had a good business, I boilers,
Bat It fetched yoa in flfly-asvea ;
Lost eeerytoUg yoa had, yoa aay,
F.fty taoasaad and elesea ?
Those panics are fearful things. Bob,
Aid I dua't sea) why they should be.
In a great coaatry like onrs,
Whsn every one's equal and free.
Bat yoa and I are b ti to-day.
So we'll lease the subject pass,
And tbisk of oar ly-goae days
Ome here, and fill ap your glasa.
We'll go and hant the '-boys' ap.
That Is, tbo-e that are alive ;
We've outlived a f x4 many. Bob,
Let's sea, we're sixty-fiver
Rest.
Rest la act quilting
This bay career ;
Beet Is not Biting
Of self to one's sphere.
'Tie tbe brook's motios.
Clear without au-ife.
Fleeing to oceaa
After lis life.
'Tls lov'.ag and serving
Trie highest and best ;
'Tie oa ward, aaewervlcg ;
And this is trmt net. CoctW.
3Iis-;oila.ny.
Sermons by the Hoar.
"After the Reformation," says a wri
ter, "long sermons came into fashion.
The medieval and pre-Reformation di
vines contented themselves with a
homily varying from ten to thirty min
ntes in length ; bnt the Hcguenots,
Waldenses, Puritans, Covenanters, In
dependents, and other protesting bod
ies, conceiving it their duty to assert
and maintain those relating to doctrines
and discipline, made tueir sermons ar
gumentative, and sometimes spnn ont
tbe argument to an inordinate length.
The hour-glass literally corresponded
with its name, for it ran for one hour
before the 6and had all passed through;
and the preacher claimed his full sixty
minutes. Sometimes he was provided
with a half-hour-glass, which he used
when a shorter sermon was to be
preached. It was about the middle of
the seventeenth century, when i'untan
sermons occasionally reached the enor
mous length of two hoars, that the
honr-glass limit was applied. Many
pulpits were furnished with iron stands
for the reception of tbe honr-glass.
One such is still existing at Comton
Bassett Church, Wilts, with fleur-de-li
handle for turning the glass when
the sand had run out. Another, at
Hurst, in Berkshire, has a fanciful
wronght-iron frame, with foliage of oak
and ivy, and an inscription, "As this
glass runneth, so man's life passeth."
At Cliffe, in Kent, is a stand for an
hour glass on bracket affixed to tbe
pulpit. The parish accounts of St
fcatherine, Aldgate, contain an old en
try, 'Paid for an hour glass that hang
eth by the pulpit where the preacher
doth make a sermon, that he may know
how the hour passeth away, one shil
ling;' and another relates to a behest
of 'an hower-glass, with a frame to
stand in.' One preacher had exhausted
his sand-glass, turned it, and gone
through three-fourths of another run
ning ; the congregation had nearly all
retired, and the clerk, tired ont, audi
bly asked bis reverend superior to lock
up the church and put the key under
the door when the sermon was done, as
he (the clerk) and the few remaining
auditors were going away. Hugh Peters,
after preaching an hour, turned his
hour-glass and said, I know you are
good fellows; so let'a have another
glass.' Daniel Burgess, an eloquent
Nonconformist divine in the early part
of the last century, let his hour-glass
run out while preaching vehemently
against the sin of drunkenness. He re
versed it, and exclaimed, 'Brethren, I
have somewhat more to say on the na
ture and consequences of drunkenness ;
so let's have another glass, and then
,' which was regular toper's
phrase. A rector of Bibury used to
preach two turns of the glass ; after the
giving ont of the text the squire of the
parish withdrew, smoked his pipe, and
returned to the blessing."
Youug Female Clerks.
A London paper says : "The experi
ment nf omnlovinc vonrur ladies as
clerks in an insurance office has been
tried and found eminently successf ul in
the case of the Prudential, on Ludgate
HilL For more than a year and a half
tbe little band, beginning with ten, now
reaching thirty-six in number, and in
truded to be still further reinforced,
has been working steadily, and giving
entire satisfaction to the managers. The
rooms occupied by them are light and
airy, separated altogether from those
occupied by the male clerks in the es
tablishment, and furnished with conve
nient chairs and desks. The lady clerks,
who are of various ages, from eighteen
to thirty, seem to eDjoy excellent health
and spirits, and are unanimous in agree
ing that regular employment, if moder
ate, is peculiarlv salutary. They are
extensively ladies, strictly so-called, , the
daughters of professional men. They
arrive from their various homes at Lud
gate Hill at ten a. h., stop work for an
hour at one o'clock, and leave the office
at five r. m. Several holidays in the
year are allowed. The work is chiefly a
simple kind of copying, requiring only
careful attention, good handwriting,
and intelligence to decipher names of
persons and places the Welsh one es
pecially affording a limitless field for
conjecture. The salary of these ladies
is small, beginning (inclusive of certain
fees) at 32 per annum, and being raised
10 each year np to 60. It would
appear, however, that there are abun
dance of candidates to be found for
each chair ; and of course, as the work
is as well done as by male clerks, the
advantage to the Company must ;be very
great indeed. It should be added that
all directions for the work pass through
the hands of a lady superintendent
THE POWER OF PRE J r DICE.
" AX WAT 8 HEAB BOTH 8TDCS OP A 8TOET.
"And so Mr. Burton is really going
to marry again," said my cousin Caro
line, as I took my work-basket and
seated myself beside her.
"And who is the happy person ?" I
asked.
"Happy, indeed ? Who would think
or expecting happiness where step
mothers are concerned ?" she exclaimed.
"But is not the lady amiable. Caro
line?" "As to that I do not know," was the
answer ; "I am not acquainted with her.
But I really think Mr. Burton a cruel
man. He cannot have his child's hap
piness at heart, or a strange woman
would not be brought into his familv to
destroy the merry days of Clara. I do
not believe that a good stepmother ever
existed.
"Why, Caroline, you speak very
warmly, and without much experience,
I fear," said Mrs. Marshall, a friend
who was visiting in the family, and
overheard the observation. ;
"Perhaps I do," replied Caroline,
"But candor compels me to say that I
have witnessed more discord and nil
happiness produced in families by step
mothers, than from any other one
cause."
"But you should recollect, my dear,
that your remark might be qualified
somewhat There are exceptions to
every rule. Do yon not suppose that
there have been stepmothers who loved
children not tbeir own, and were equally
beloved by them in return?" asked Mrs.
Marshall, earnestly.
"I will not dispute that yon may
know of such eases, but I cannot say aa
much for myself," said Caroline, firmly.
"I may be prejudiced, perhaps."
"I think I could convince yoa that
yoa are, somewhat ; but I fear my re
marks on this disagreeable theme would
not be listened to with much pleasure,"
rejoined the visitor, looking archly at
Carolina
"Ton wrong me, Mrs. Marshall,"
said the latter, with warmth. "I am
perfectly willing to be convinced that
my sentiments are erroneous on this
subject And look Maria has laid
aside her work, aud I know will listen
glaiily. Is it not ao, cousin ?"
Having signified my assent, Mrs.
Mara hall commenced :
"For the sake of convenience, I shall
put my relation in the first person.
When I was ten years old my mother
died. I did not realize her loss : bnt
when I saw her borne to her last resting-place,
and the earth thrown over
her, I sobbed as though my heart would
break. Her health had always been
delicate, and I was petted and indulged
quite too much for my good. Being an
only child, I was almost idolized by
both parents ; but the beneficial influ
ence my mother ever exerted over me,
prevented evil consequences. Was I
dutiful, and unusually attentive to my
lessons, her affectionate words, a fond
kiss or a smile of encouragement was
sufficient reward. Was I remiss in duty
or careless, the grieved and reproachful
glances from her mild, expressive eye.
would immediately soften my feelings
ana make me obedient. iat tne pure,
disinterested and fervent love of a fond
mother is never valued until we are de
prived of it by death.
"The sorrows of childhood are not
lasting. My father turned to me in his
grief and loneliness, and for a time I
was happy. 1 was confided to the care
of a woman who had lived in the family
since my mother's marriage. She had
acted in tbe capacity of nurse and com
panion to the latter, and was very fond
of me. It wss probably this circum
stance that prevailed upon my father to
leave me so much in her society. She
was rather an ignorant woman, and had
many superstitious notions and preju
dices, one of which was a violent anti
pathy to stepmothers.
"How this dislike originated, I know
not ; but her ideas on this subject were
repeated so often in my hearing, that
naturally I also imbibed the same
opinions. I was taught to dread noth
ing so much as a stepmother ; one that
would usurp tbe place of my dead
mother, and no doubt treat me un
kindly. "One year passed away. My father
began to absent himself oftener than
formerly. His absence would have
passed unremarked by me, had not the
suspicious looks and changed manner
of my nurse awakened my apprehen
sions. Suspicion soon became certainty.
A rumor spread abroad that I was soon
to have a new mother. Although I was
but a child, I was unhappy. This,
however, was kept from my father.
" "Alice,' said nurse to me one day,
'people say that your father is going to
bring home s new mother for you. I am
very sorry, for he has forgotten your
poor, dear mother sooner than I could
bave thought But do not cry, Alice ;
I shall stay, if they will let me, on pur
pose to take your part, and onoe in a
while put by little cake and a few
sweetmeats. You shall have one friend
to look after you,' she added, kissing
my cheek, down which the tears were
slowly coursing.
" 'O nurse, I cannot will not like
her I Why should father do so ?' I ex
claimed, sobbing bitterly. 'She will
not let me sit in the parlor, nor read
any books, nor'
" 'But you can sit with me darling,'
interrupted nurse ; 'so don't make your
head ache with crying, it win ao no
good.'
"While I was thinking of this
thoughtless and ill-timed speech, my
father entered tbe room, and affection
ately kissed my forehead.
'What is the matter, Alice ? What
has gone wrong ?' he asked.
"I made no reply, for I did not wish
to tell the truth.
" 'Come and sit on my knee, Alice ;
I want to talk with yoa,' he continued.
"I rather reluctantly obeyed.
" 'Since your dear mother left as,
he resumed.'! know you have been very
lonely and unhappy. I have been
thinking, my child, that if yoa had
some one to love and care for you with
a mother's affection, it would be much
pleasanter. Should you not like a new
mother, my dear Alice ?'
" 'I do not want another mother! She
will not love me, and I shall not love
her,' I sobbed, burying my face in my
hands.
"Mrs. Hammond, who has been talk
ing to the child? asked my father,
sternly. 'Such feeb'ngs come not with
out cause.
"The person addressed did not dare
speak her mind, and therefore made
some evasive answer. It did not seem
to satisfy my father, for he sat quite
silent for a long time, looking distressed
and disappointed.
"Alice, he resumed, smoothing
down my hair, affectionately, 'be always
good and obedient, and no one can help
loving you. Mrs. Hammond, I trust
I need not remind you that I wish the
lady I shall bring here aa my wife,
treated with due respect'
" 'He need not expect that I
give np my authority,' mattered nurse,
as my father left the room. 'If he does.
he will find himself much mistaken. I'm
not used to being dictated to.'
"Thus were my dislike and fears aug
mented. The dreaded day came. I was
sent for to see my new mother for the
first time. X went down reluctantly.
fearing, I knew not, and timidly entered
the apartment Had I heard nothing
to her disparagement, I must have been
prepossessed in her favor, She
young and beautiful, and her bright
black eyes sparkled with good-humor
and happiness as she sat by the fire,
gayly chatting with my father.
" 'And so this is Alice.' she observed.
as I slowly advanced. 'Sit by me, my
dear, and tell me all about your books
and lessons. We shall become very
good friends, I think, when we are bet
ter acquainted.' And my stepmother
gently took me by the hand, and pressed
her lips to my forehead.
"I could not have disliked her. I
could not have resisted that winning.
pleading way, had I not made np my
mind not to be pleased with her at all
vents. I drew back without a word of
greeting or response. My father looked
surprised and mortified, and my mother
somewhat disappointed.
'"Can yoa not speak, Alice? Yon
are not usually so silent' said the
former, as if excusing my taciturnity,
" 'Do not urge her, Edward. I am a
stranger, you know, and she is not
aware I loe her even now,' she replied ;
while a smile, which must have been a
sad one, played over her countenance.
"My father gave me permission to
retire, and I availed myself of it with
more pleasure than I dared manifest
Days and weeks passed away. My
mother endeavored by every means in
her power to gain my good-will. She
interested herself iu my employments,
smiled pleasantly upon me, and spoke
words which are ever acceptable to
young and confiding hearts.
"But all in vain. We had no feelings
in common, and I was indignant that
she should ask or expect that I would
regard her with other sentiments.
" 'Why do yoa shun me, Alice ?' she
said to me one day. 'Will yoa not love
and regard me as a mother ? You are
tbe same to me as my own child. I
would do anything to make you happy.'
'You are not my mother ! Mrs.
Hammond says so ; tny mother is dead !'
I exclaimed, bunting into an agony of
tears. 'I shan't try to love you, for it
is very wicked. Oh, why did my mother
die?
"And flintrins the arm which was
passed around my waist from me, I ran
to my own room. I wept oh, how bit
terly 1 Jealousy of my father's divided
affection mingled with my indignation
at what I termed her unjust demands.
I thought until my brain seemed on fire,
my head whirled, my eyes grew dim,
and I knew nothing more.
"When reason returned, I was first
conscious of a soft hand arranging the
Eillow, and bathing, with cooling
quid, my fevered brow. The clothing
was lightly and carefully placed over
my emaciated form, and the soft step
and gentle voice told of a discreet and
attentive nurse. The weakness ol in
fancy was upon me ; I could neither
speak, nor raise my heavy lids, which
seemed of leaden weight But I dis
tinctly heard every sound ; each word
of suppressed conversation was balm to
my ears.
" 'Thank God, Edward 1' said a voice,
in a whisper. 'The physician has just
gone, and he says there is a favorable
change. Do not despair, my husband ;
Alice will yet be restored to us. Hope
for the best Continued watching must
have fatigued you why not try to ob
tain a little sleep Y
" If my child lives, to God and you
will she owe her life,' replied my father,
with solemnity ; for I recognized his
voice. 'Her own mother could not have
watched her with more untiring assid
uity and disinterested affection, For
nearly two weeks you have scarcely left
this sick chamber ; let me prevail upon
you to take some rest Alioe seems
easier now, and I will remain alone with
her,' he added earnestly.
" 1 am not fatigued, Edward.' was
the gentle rejoinder. 'I will remain
until evening, for she might awake and
find no one near her. I hope she may
yet regard me with different feelings. I
must try and win her love.'
"Was I dreaming, or did my step
mother speak ? Could one whom I had
disliked, alighted, and repelled, think
and feel as she had spoken ? The tone
expressed sincerity, but her actions
testified more than words. Yes, the
truth came home to me with powerful
force, that I had grieved and wronged
a loving and affectionate heart ; I bad
allowed bitter and revengeful thoughts
to take root in my bosom, and poison
the peace of my young life.
"I sighed unconsciously, and with an
effort opened my eyes. My stepmother
sprang to the bedside, and with look
of anxiety took my hand within hers,
and bent over me. Our eyes met I
could not resist the impulse whioh com
pelled me to raise my arms and clasp
them about her neck, as she bent to kiss
me. My tongue waa loosened. The
tears rained from my hitherto closed
eyes, as I murmured :
"Forgive me, forgive me I You are
my good, kind mother I
" 'Do not talk, my dear Alice,' she
replied, soothingly, wiping away the
tears. 'You have been very sick, but
with good nursing will soon be well
again. I see you will love me yet and
that we shall all be happy in future,'
she added, smiling ; but this time it was
anything but sad smile.
"'And how can I see my darling
Alice safe again, aud hear her asking
your forgiveness, without following her
example?' exclaimed a voice. It was
Nurse Hammond, who had entered nn
peroeived, and thrown herself at my
mother's feet 'It was I who have done
all the mischief,' she continued. 'I
taught her to dislike yon and ail step
mothers. But your kindness to a
motherless girl has won my heart You
are not so heartless aa I imagined. I
will not get up until yon forgive me,
too.' And her earnestness attested to
her sincerity.
"I forgive everything, Mrs. Ham
mond. Let all this be forgotten be
tween us,' replied my stepmother, while
tears dimmed the lustre of her beautiful
eyes.
" Trooa leeiing is resiorea, ana i leei
quite satisfied,' said my father, stepping
forward, with a countenance radiant
with happiness. 'But we must not for
get our patient our darling Alice.
Sleep will be the best prescription for
her
"Another kiss from father and mother
and I was left alone with Nurse Ham
mond. In my excited and nervous
state, aleep waa absolutely necessary. I
waa weary and exhausted ; but in the
course of two hours I awoke much re
freshed. I grew better rapidly, and
soon left my bed. I daily became more
and more attached to my stepmother.
Aa the dark veil of prejudice fell from
mv eves. I saw her worth : and. child
as I was, appreciated her self-denying
attentions. Nurse told me of the days
of care, and sleepless nights ol anxiety
that she passed at my side.
"Need I tell you, Caroline," resumed
Mrs. Marshall, after a short pause,
"that the identical Alice was myself,
and the dreaded stepmother was my
own?
"And you learned to love her ?" asked
Caroline.
"As an own parent Gratitude and
love took the place of dislike and aver
sion. To the day of her death I expe
rienced nothing save kindness at her
hands. Her memory is revered, and
her virtues remembered."
"You have nearly convinced me, I
must confess," said Caroline, thought
fully. "I shall view the subject in a
different light in future."
"Do so. And when you hear step
mothers disparaged, and their conduct
censured, hear both sides ; for in nine
cases ont of ten they are blameless.
Kest assured, Caroline, they are more
sinned against than sinning.
Boils.
A boil is generally very small at first
snd a fellow hardly notices it; but in a
few days it gets to be tbe biggest of the
two, and the chap that has it is of very
little account in comparison with his
boil, which then "has him." Boils ap
pear mysteriously upon various portions
of the human body, coming when and
where they "darn please," and often in
very inconvenient places. Sometimes a
solitary boil is the sum total of the affiic
tion.but frequently there is a "rubishin
lot ol em to help the first one. If a
boil cornea any where on a person, that
person always wishes it had come some
where else, although it would puzzle
him to tell ust exactly where.
Some persons called them damboils,"
but such persons are addicted to pro
fanity, the proper name being boiL If
a chap has a boil he generally has a good
deal of sympathy from others "in a
bom." Whoever asks him what ails
him laughs at him for his pain to an'
awer, while many unfeeling persons
make game of his misfortune, or boiL It
is very wicked to make fun of persons
with boils; they cannot help it, and often
feel very bad about it Physicians
don t give boil patients very much satis
faction as a general thing, although
young physicians just beginning to
practice are fond of trying their lances
on them.
Boils are said to be healthy." and
jndging from the way they take hold
and hang on and ache and burn and grow
and raise Cain generally, there is no
doubt they are healthy and have strong
constitutions.
They are generally very lively and
playf ull at night and it is very funny to
see a chap with a good large one. pro
specting around his conch for a place
where his boil will fit in "without hurt
ing." Boils tend to purify the blood,"
strenghten the system, calm tbe nerves,
restrain the profanity, tranquilize the
spirits, improve the temper, and beau
tify the appearance.
They are good things for married men
who spend their evenings from home,
as they give them an oppertunity to rest
their night keys, and get acquainted
with their families. It is said that boils
save the patient a "fit of sickness," but
if the sickness is not the best to have, it
must be an all fired mean thing. It is
also said that a person is better after he
has them, and there is no doubt that
one does feel better after having got rid
of them. Many distinguished persons
have enjoyed these harbingers of good
health. Job took the first premium at
the county fair for having more acbers
under cultivation than any other person.
Shakespeare had them, and meat boils
when he said, "One woe doth tread
upon another's heels, so fast they fol
low." Anecdote or Jlaeready.
One of the few anecdotes relating to
the life of Macready, the actor, is the
following, printed in the London Or
chettra : Half a century ago, while
playing in Birmingham, England, Mae
ready passed a burning house in a poor
neighborhood. "While the flames as
cended," says the narrator, "a cry arose
that there was a child asleep in one of
the upper stories, but no one tried to
save it The representative of Corio
lames. 1rginius, and Holla instantly
doffed his coat which he gave in charge
to a bystander, and rushed into the
burning dwelling, returning in a few
moments with the almost suffocated in
fant Nobody knew him, and the event
would probably nave been forever con
cealed had not the holder of the coat
disappeared with it An act so noble
succeeded by a theft ao disgraceful
found its way into the Birmingham
newspapers ; and while the whole town
was ringing with praise of the rescuer
and calling for his name, public execra
tion was directed against the mean
thief. While curiosity was at its height
the thief entered a pawnbroker's shop
in the town for the purpose of pledging
the garment Happily the person to
whom it was tendered, having seen an
account of the fire, examined the coat
minutely, and discovering something
to fix the ownership, detained the pos
sessor of the stolen property, and thus
the good Samaritan stood revealed."
Boston Flower Mission.
They have a delightful charity at
Boston, called the "Boston Flower
Mission," the object of which is to
lighten up tbe sick wards of hospitals
with gifts of flowers, aud by their pres
ence to cheer tbe heirts of the poor
suffering patients by their fragrance and
beauty. Daring the past five months
the ladies of this mission have received
nearly eight hundred contributions of
flowers and one hundred and thirteen
of fruit snd in the same period the
number of their flower distributions
exceeded thirteen thousand, and the
fruit distributiens nearly reached six
teen hundred. The wealthy in Boston
sent liberally of the flowers and fruit
from their conservatories for this gra
cious charity, and great numbers in the
adjacent cities joined to swell the beau
tiful and heart-gladdening gifts. One
person, who is known in Boston as "the
Pansy-man," during the past flower
season, brought in over six thousand of
the beautiful purple flower after which
he ia named, which were distributed
among the sink "for thoughts." This
ia a graceful charity, and certainly is of
the kind that ia "twice blessed."
A Cemetery that Lacked Symmetry.
Some people have a ghastly way of
blending business with sentiment One
of our residents who waa ahowing our
cemetery to a visitor, in answer to note
of observation, observed : "Yea, it ia a
very fine place, considering its age and
opportunities; but there are not enough
graves to give it symmetry and tone,
ut that will be overcome in time, we
hope."
Dnmava at School.
The first day of going to school was a
moat impartant occasion. A new suit
had been ordered, made out of a riding
coat of his lather s, which was of a cafe
au lait color. He expected that it would
produce a remarkable effect and thus
attired, proceeded, at eight o'clock on
Monday morning, to make his first
visit The anxious mother had fitted
him out with school books, also new
the "Epitome Histoire Sacre," and
others those little primers, half-bound
in dark marble papers, familiar to all
who have had their schooling in France.
He had entered the court through the
large archway, when the door was sud
denly closed behind him, and he found
himself among a noisy mob of school
boys, who at once proceeded to make
him go through the new boy's probation
of practical joking of a very rash kind,
lie was hustled, deluged with water.
and played other tricks which had the
effect of destroying all his new finery.
Utterly mortified at this reception, he
could only sit down and cry bitterly.
Presently entered the abbe, having
come from saying mass. He found all
his pupils gathered round the new boy,
who was sitting crying on the steps, and
asking each other with an appearance of
genuine wonder and interest what could
be the matter with him. The abbe
pushed through the ring of little hypo
crites, ana, nxing his glass in his eye,
bent over the sobbing child to ask what
ailed him. Alexander looked up. and
was about to tell, when he suddenly saw
a whole range ol menacing fists threat
ening from behind the master, and
checked himself with an abrupt cry.
The abbe turned round sharply, and
found them all smiling. "Tell me what
it is all about," he said. "We cau't
make out," they said ; "he has been
crying in that way ever since he came."
Indignant at this misrepresentation,
Alexander then blurted out the whole
story of his treatment, and appealed to
the state of his new clothes in proof.
"Very well," said tbe abbe, "I shall
punish you for all this ; you shall have
no recreation to-day, and plenty of fer
rules too." These were at once admin
istered amid groans of Buffering ; but
there were fierce glances directed at the
new boy. while muttered denunciations
of "Informer," "Spy," came to his ears
and began to alarm him. There was no
mistaking these symptoms: a heavy
reckoning would have to be paid for his
indiscreet revelation. Four o'clock
came and the end of school ; the abbe
said a short prayer and dismissed the
class. Alexander for a moment thought
he would invoke his protection or get
the humpbacked sister to take him
home ; but he felt that this would only
be temporai-v aid the ahhe or the ni li
ter could not always see him home. The
school poured ont into the street With
a beating heart he gathered up his
books as slowly as he could, in the faint
hope that they might have gone away
home before him, and then descended
into the court He found the whole
school gathered on the steps in a sort
of semicircle or council, evidently wait
ing for him, while a young champion,
named Bligny, to whom had been de
puted the duty of avenging the school,
was standing at the steps, coat off and
sleeves ready turned np. At this alarm
ing spectacle the new boy was seen to
falter and stop short, on which a yell of
execration burst forth. He felt himself
ready to drop, and a cold sweat burst
out on his forehead. The situation was.
however, desperate ; there was no es
cape. With a sudden impulse be re
covered himself. Cowardice often finds
bravery its most effectual resort, and in
many of his duels, when he was grown
np, Alexander behaved courageously
from much the same motive. He de
scended the steps, addressing his
enemy; "So that's the way, is it?"
"les, that s the way it is, said tbe
other sneerirnrlv. who waa a ann of a
cloth-seller in the town. "And to you
want to fight?" "Yes. I do." "Oh.
you do, do you?" "Yes, I do." "Well,
then there I lie had got to the bot
tom of the steps ; in a second he had
laid down his books, stripped of his
jacket, and had fallen on his enemy.
Ah, so you would, would you 7 take
that and that 1 and that, and that?"
Surprised and taken aback at this rea
diness, where he expected to find
"shrinking, the cloth-seller s son was
staggered, overwhelmed, and finally
borne down, receiving a blow iu tbe
eye, and another in the mouth. The
day was gained, and the victor charac
teristically saluted by his lately hostile
companions with shouts of applause.
As they respectfully made way for him
to pass ont they neard him muttering
"vVhenl'm when I'm ," which they
interpreted significantly. He was never
persecuted again.
The Belles of Seville.
Seville women justify the reputation
tit beauty more thoroughly than those
of any other Spanish city; prettiness is
a more appropriate term to specify their
personal attractions. They resemble
each other to a surprising degree, as in
all pure races of a marked type, iheir
eyes, fringed with long black lashes,
produce an effect of white and black un
known to our colder, less passionate
clime. It teems as if the sun had left
its reflection in those magnificent orbs.
equally noticeable in the face of some
two years old child and in the gipsy
girls of France. The gleaming and glan
cing and the burning of these eyes has
very expressive word in Spanish
called ojear, which is full of subtle
meaning, (although these eye-thrust,
so embarrassing to strangers, have noth
ing particularly significant The large,
ardent velvety eyes of a young Sevil-
lane glance upon a dog in the street
with the same intensity she would be
stow upon some more worthy object
The exquisite smallness of the ladies'
feet ia too well known to dwell upon;
many could be easily held in a child's
hand, and the fair Andalusians are last
ly proud of this quality, and wear shoes
accordingly, not differing so very much
from the Chinese shoes.
Belgravia.
Belgrave square, though its man
sions are tenanted by the old nobility
and gentry, is comparatively new. It
is, however, the most gorgeous, if it be
the youngest of Ixmdon squares. I he
central space is large, the grounds well
planned, tbe waits and water well dis
posed, and the shrubbery of smooth-
leaved evergreens, so common in .Eng
land, and very beautiful. It is situated
between town and country, Hyde Park
lying behind it St James' Park be
tween it and the city, ana tne great
thoroughfares in the vicinity being
more like roads than streets. Tbe
massive, protruding porches of the
houses, the effect of which ia heavy,
are made into hanging gardens, from
which, even in winter, breezes come
down redolent of a hundred varieties ot
flowers. But the whole place is stiff
and dull. Let us leave it As Leigh
Hunt's cobbler said, "What's the use
of walking in such fine places ? Let us
turn down some back court"
A Spanish Slanxhter-bouse.
A gentleman in New York city, who
was lormerly a resident of Santiago de
Cuba, thns describes the slaughter
house there, and the manner of exe
cuting prisoners : At a distance of
several hundred yards from the harbor
is the prison where the captives are
confined. It is a low, gloomy looking
structure, only two stories in hight, and
is built of stone or granite. From this
place the prisoner often goes forth to
execution. These executions always
take place in the slaughter-house, about
three-fourths of a mile distant It was
there the Virginius victims ended their
lives. On the morning of an execution,
the battalion of volunteers are sum
moned at an early hour from the bar
racks, and proceed'to the prison. The
prisoners are led forth, bound, and the
solemn procession then takes up its
death march. In the van are the musi
cians, whose only instruments are the
drums, which are beat with a low, omi
nous sound and measured regularity.
The slaughter-house is a low white
washed structure of forbidding aspect
an adobe house with a steep roof, which
projects far beyond its walls on either
side. Around this building is a trench,
into which the waters from the roof full.
It is about two feet deep. Ou the
upper side of this building the proces
sion halts and forms a hollow square,
with the prisoners in the center. The
side next the slaughter-house is opened,
and the victims are led to the border
of the trench. Here they are bound
band and foot, though their eyes are
left uncovered. They are often re
quired to kneel along tbe trench with
laces turned toward the wall. In the
midst of the hollow square stand the
Colonel and the priests. The duties of
the spiritual advisers being at length
performed, they retire with the Colonel
and at a signal from the latter tbe
whole company fires. The uufortunate
victims fall forward into the trench,
some dead, some dying, others only
slightly wounded. The artillery force,
who have been stationed in the back
ground, now advance and drive their
clumsy carnages carelessly over the
victims. Several times is this part of
the ceremony repeated and it is by that j
time supposed that all are dead. The
dead Wiigjus are then heaped with
corpses auioug which is sometimes seen
a still quivering body. A half mile
away they are buried, and trie soldiery
disperse to their barrack. 1 he slaughter-house
is scarred and battered with
bulleU on its northern side. Here are
inhumanly slaughtered persons of ail
ages and both sexes. The Spaniards
show no mercy to gray-haired patri
archs, to women, or to children. Three
years ago a little girl 4 years of age
was led forth to her death. The offense
was a refusal to make known her
father's hiding-place. The days of ex
ecution are gala days in the city. Hun
dreds of men, women and children
pour forth from it9 streets and press
forward in the throng. As the victims
fall dying in the trenches these crowds
push madly forward to view the bleed
ing bodies, the military give way for a
moment, and not until that moment
arrives are the appetites of the blood
thirsty spectators sated. Xcut York
Tribune.
Postage Stampei.
As soon as postage stamps emerge
from the hydraulic press, they are
gummed. The paste is made from clear
starch, or its dextrine, which is acted
upon chemically and then boiled, form
ing a clear, smooth, slightly Bweet mix
ture. Each sheet of stamps is taken
separately, placed upon a flat board,
and its edges covered with a light metal
frame. Then tbe paste is smeared on
with a large whitewash-brush, and the
sheet is laid between two wire racks and
placed on a pile with others to dry.
Great care is taken in the manufacture
of this paste, which is perfectly harm
less. This gratifying fact has been
conclusively proved by an eminent
chemist After the gumming, another
pressing in the hydraulic press follows.
Then another counting ; stamps are
counted no less than thirteen times
during the process of manufacture.
The sheets are then cut in half, each
portion containing one hundred stamps,
this being done by girls with ordinary
hand-shears. Next follows the perfora
tion, which is performed by machinery.
The perforation is first made in a per
pendicular line, and afterward in a
horizontal line. Another pressing fol
lows this time to flatten the raised
edges on the back of the stamps made
by the dies, and this ends the manu
facture. Peruvian Way or Keepingdn
Appearances.
A writer says the Peruvians in Lima
resort to the most remarkable means to
make both ends meet Daily, and al
most hourly, there knocks at the door
of our house in the calle-hone, or side
entrance to our back-courtyard, a little
Chinese or Cholo boy, with a mysteri
ous bundle under his arm. This boy is
the "small servant" of some (hitherto)
well-to do native family. Asking to see
the mistress, or the young ladies, or
even addressing himself to tiie head of
the house (which, I claim, is, or should
be a man), he opens his bundle, tied np
in a shawl or table-cloth, and exposes a
dress, well worn and soiled ; a white
skirt, befrilled and beflounced, and
having been worn since it last saw the
laundress ; a pair of child's shoes ; it
may be a diamond ring or pin ; under
clothes of all kinds ; a manta or veil
for the head ; every conceivable article
of wearing apparel, even to a set of
false teetb, and false curls, and liquid
cosmetics ; and, in a solemn, genteel
manner, he relates that Signora or Sig
noretta Somebody (fictitious name), his
mistress, has been very ill, and has be
come entirely out of money for present
necessities, and desires you to purchase
this little article, that sho can easily
disperse with, for the trifling sum of bo
many soles. He will generally take
anything yoa may offer him iu cash.
This same programme is enacted over
and over again daily. I have often said
to these family servants, "Why do yoa
always say your mistress is sick ? Why
not tell the truth, and say that they
need money to keep np appearances ?"
But they have been taught too well and
practiced too often. There is nothing
under heaven that these Peruvian wo
men will not sell to keep up the pecu
liar style in which they have been liv
ing. They will have but one dress and
one manta in all the world, and not a
bed or chair in the house ; but that
manta must be of as fine quality, and
the embroidery and lace on it as per
fect as if they were not driven to all
these petty meannesses and lies to keep
np appearances.
A raitrnArl (rain in F.no'uml ravntlv
ran through a flock of sheep, killing ! the salary of the Lord Mayor is to be
thirty of them. The train was running ' increased from $35,000 to 850,000. The
at the rate of fifty miles an hour, d j Lord Mayor, however, is expected to
according to an English paper "con- spend all his salary in municipal enter
tinued its journey uninterruptedly." tainments,
"Votitlis Column.
Tub Scarlet Tufted Woopfeckes.
Tap, tap, tap !
What a busy little creature, 1 the
brown birdie with a scarlet crown 1 See
her running up the trunk of the large
elm by our door, striking the rough
bark with her long beak tap, tap, tap !
stopping a moment, her pretty head
held sideways as if listening, then hop
ping so fast half around the tree, and
tapping again, with now and then a
blithe chirp. Pretty, useful little wood
pecker ! While she gets her daily food
she is keeping, tiny as she is the great
elm sound and fair. Well may we love
the birdies, one and all, for their beauty
and song and the many sweet lessons
they bring us, as they wing their way
from bough to bough, seek their daily
bread and nurse their tiny broods in
wind-rocked cradles lessons of love
and kindness and industry and trust in
a Father's care.
There is a northern legend of the
woodpecker that though it is hardly
fair toward the bird, is yet a pretty
story. It runs in this way :
Long ago, when St Peter was trav
eling about and teaching tbe people, be j
was poor, and often went hungry. One
morning at sunrise he came to a cottage
where a woman in a brown dress and
scarlet cape was making cakes. He asked
her for a single one, and at first she
said yes, and rolled out a small cake.
She put it down to bake, but kept look
ing at it, and soon concluded it was
more than she wanted to give. So she
kneaded out another, a smaller one;
but when it was baking, that, too,
seemed large to her. All this time
Peter was waiting quietly, patiently,
though faint with hunger. She took
the tiny bits of dough, put them to
gether and rolled out a tiny cake, thin
as a wafer ; but when it was baked, she
wanted even that
"My cakes seem small when I eat
them myself," said she, "but they are
too large to give away, for all that"
So she put even the wafer-like cake on
the shelf.
Then Peter made indignant answer :
Thou art far too selfish, too mean,
to wear a human form, to have a home
to shelter thee, clothes snd food and
fire. Thou shalt live hereafter as the
bird.-! do, build iu the trees, and get tby
living by const int labor, boring, boring,
all day in hard, dry wood."
Then up through the chimney went
she without a word. Out from the top
flew a woodpecker. The little scarlet
cap was still on her head, and her dress,
changed to feathers, was covered with
soot And from that day to this so
runs the legend she has been in the
wood tapping trees for a scanty living,
and every child knows her sooty dress
and scarlet hood.
Now, though it is only a legend, and
the woodpecker is as good as she is
pretty, it will be worth something to
us, when we see her, to remember the
story, if it lead us to shun every form
of selfishness, and pity and help the
needy as far as in our power
You may Lot be changed to a bird,
though yon live as selfishly as yon can,
but you will be changed to a smaller
thing, a mean and selfiih man. Chil
dren's Hour.
Magical Box. A magician has lately
been giving a series of performance,
some of which are as surprising as they
are entertaining and amusing. One of
them is as follows : A common empty
packing box, with a lid hung by iron
hinges, is placed upon the stage, and a
committee from the audience asked to
examine it They report that it is a
firmly made packing box. After a
thorough examination, outside aud in
side, they take a rope and tie it up,
passing twice around the ends and
sides, passing it through the staples
for the two padlocks, and then tie the
ends firmly, and seal them with sealing
wax. They then envelop the box in a
canvas, which covers all six sides, when
another rope is added, tied and sealed.
Surely the box is safe from any attempt
to get into or out of it without removing
the ropes I
The assistant then comes forward
with a canvas sack, open at one end.
This is examined by the committee and
by the audience It is then placed over
the head of the assistant, and tied be
low his feet and the knots sealed. He
is then laid on the box, and the box
surrounded by a screen. In two and a
halt minutes the sack is thrown over
the screen, the knot and seals un
touched. The screen is instantly re
moved, and the committee, after exam
ining the seals and finding them un
broken, commence untying the ropes
and removing tbe canvas. The box is
opened and the man found inside 1
Kin-dero.uitex is a term applied to
Froebel s method of teaching children.
Its object is to combine instruction
with amusement so skillfully that the
child shall be developed harmoniously
in body and mind without fatigue and
with only pleasurable effort This is
accomplished by what is called object
books, but things, and is taught to give
the name, the shape, the qualities, tbe
colors, the uses, aud perhaps the origin
ot the various objects around him. This
method of teaching is admirably set
forth in "Caikins's Primary Ooject
Lessons." There are object-teaching
aids, consisting of forms, cards with all
the tints and shades of the various
colors, aad a great deal of like material
that can be obtained at educational
agencies. The system is gaining ground
iu our large cities, and there are Kin
dergarten schools in New-Yurk and
Boston, where teachers
are trained in
this new method.
Ponco, on Italian Blind M.ui"s Brrr. !
Several persons, male and female,
join hands so as to form a circle, and
one person, who is blindfolded, is placed
in the center, with a small stick in his or
her hand. The players dance around
the hoodwinked person, who tries to
touch one of them with the wand, and if
he succeeds, the ring of people stops.
The player then grunts like a pig
hence the name of the game crows, or
imitates some animal, and the person
touched must endeavor to imitate the
noise as closely as possible, without
discovering his or herself. If the party
touched is discovered, then the hood
winked player transfers the bandage
and the stick to that player, and takes
the vacant place in the ring of persons,
who onoe more resume their dance,
until another player is touched.
Not anything should I destroy
Which others may for good employ;
Not even tread beneath my feet
A crumb some little bird might eat
Children Hour.
SSSSSBBBaSBBaSHHBBBBSWaSBS
The corporation of the city of Lon-
don is arranging a salary gb. by which
"Varieties.
Be cheerful, but not light ; familiar,
rather than intimate ; and intimate with
a very few and on good grounds.
How many think to atone for the evil
they have done by the good they intend
to do, and are only virtuous in the pro
spective. A good thing about the coffee-and-cake
saloons. You can't get any liquor
at them ; and the coffee is not strong
enough to hurt anybody.
A Mrs. Hayden, of Sharon, Vt, has a
peony root in her garden that is over
eighty years old. She has seen it blos
som seventy consecutive years.
The wife of a man in Paw-Paw, Mich.,
who left home, threatening to commit
suicide, will probably soon be discov
ered to have only been to her pa-pa.
Two young ladies in Michiaran have
done all the housework of their homes
and supplied themselves with handsome
new winter dresses by picking sumac.
If a man would keep both integrity
and independence free from temptation.
let mm Keep out ol debt. Vt. t ranklin
says, "It is fcard for an empty bag to
stand upright"
To read the superscriptions on coins:
Lay your coins upon a piece of hot iron;
the dates will be so visible as to be
plainly read. The iron must be red hot,
and the coins must be read while hot
Seraphinnis is a Russian monk who
latterly foanded a society to which wo
men were admitted on condition that
they cut off their hair. The beautiful
appropriateness of this will be per
ceived when it is stated that his brother
was an enterprising hair-dresser.
Jones was thrown into a state of won
der by the sign "ladies' felt slippers,"
which he discovered when passing a
shoe store. He can't understand it. He
says children felt slippers in bis day
I often enough, bnt ladies generally wjre
them, except when they were removed
for cause.
A gentleman, while walking in his
garden, caught his gardener asleep
under a tree. He scolded him soundly
for his laziness, and ended by telling
him such a sluggard was not worthy to
enjoy the light of the sun. "It tsd for
that reason exactly," said the gardener,
"thut I crept into the shade."
Mistress (Suding the housemaid for
the third time hanging about tha drawing-room
d -sor) "Miry, what are yoa
here listening at the door for ? Haven't
you any work?" Mary "Oh, if you
please'm, I don't mean no 'arm it's
that 'eviugly music !" X. B. The man
was only tuning the piauo !
The San Francisco Chronicle declines
to answer a correspondent who asks
where Cain got his wife, because, "Cain
died some time before many of u were
born, and such idle curiosity regarding
the family affairs of a deceased prson
we regard as reprehensible, and calcu
lated to offend the sanctities of domes
tic life."
We hear a good deal of an elastic cur
rency, but nothing that seems to more
nearly meet the requirement than that
suggested by a correspondent to the
Journal of Commerce, which is at onoe
simple and efficacious ; it is this print
all the money on India rubber. No one
can say that we should not then haye
an elastic currency.
Anthony Trollope made speech re
cently in presenting prizes to the suc
cessful students of the Liverpool Insti
tute in which he stated "novels to be
the sermons of the present day, or, at
any rate, the sermons which were lis
tened to with the most rapt attention.
They are tbe sermons in the hands of
all young and poor, rich and old.
The whaling fleet on the Western
coast has had a successful season in the
Northern Pacific, where there are about
40 vessels engaged in whale fishing.
Thirteen vessels have returned to Sau
Francisco with 9550 barrels of oil, 100,
900 pounds of bone, and 10,250 pounds
of ivory. The average take was 800
barrels of oil, 8000 pounds of bone and
8iX) pounds of ivory. The success or
failure of whalers is largely dependent
upon the season, and the extreme open
ness of the Northern seas during the
last season not only secured safety for
the vessels, but enabled them to follow
the whalers into the higher latitudes.
The reason why an assembly for dan
cing is called a ball is now believed to
be found in an old German cnstom,Iong
since obsolete, and from a German pa
per we make tbe following extract:
"This custom consisted in the assem
bling in the villages during the Eister
holidays, of all the marriageable mai
dens, in order to present to each new
made bride at whose wedding they had
danced, a beautifully ornamented ball.
When this ball, after being borne on a
gaily decorated pole in solemn proces
sion through the village, had been pre
sented to tbe young bride, she was
thereby laid under obligation to furnish
free music for the evening to all who
might wish to dance. From this fes
tive custom is derived the expression
to give a ball.'"
Persimmon coffee is much preferred
to tbe burned bean variety, in Georgia.
A gentleman of that State has taken out
a patent for making it and describes
his process as follows: "My mode of
preparation consists of steaming the
fruit for half an Lour iu a boiler, aud
after cruHhing them, I throw them into
a tank of water, and the seed are easily
washed ont, as their own specific grav
ity carries them to the bottom, and the
pulp can be floated off. The seed should
then be spread ont in tbe sun to dry lor
three or four weeks, an I then parched
! and ground similar to any other coffee
care being t-iken to have them parched
sufficiently to grind easily. The seed
by this process can be obtained where
the fruit is plenty, at a coot of two cents
per pound, and if properly prepared are
equal in all respects to good Java
coffee."
The New Bedford Mercury tells the
folloiring wonderful tale of college haz
ing: it oecnrred, u we rememoer cor-
rectly, in lSfrL It was noticed by some
sophomores mat two country poys naa
begun their housekeeeping in a room on
halls, with a miserable apology for a
bed, no carpet, no table, and only two
chairs as the sum total of their outfit
It was learned, also, that they proposed
to board themselves, and had only a
few dollars for their food daring the
term. Oa this hint they acted. One
night the poor, trembling youths were
summoned by a soph," who waa not
over-courteous, to go to a room up
stairs. Up-stairs they went, expecting
to be dealt with without mercy. They
were detained there an boor or so, not
being molested, bnt only quizzed by one
of the 'sophs' in the room. Then they
were dismissed to their own room.
When they entered it was over a niea
new carpet There was a tasteful bed
stead and appurtenances, a study table,
chairs, a lamp, a book-case, a stove,
to., and in a closet they found provi
sions for several days."
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