a .tit .
MI
wm
1 HH
Y1IV MJ IVIV III MV
B. F. SCHWEIER, IHI CONSTITUTION TH I VSIOIT AND IU ZNFORCIMIKT 0 THI LAWS. Editor and Proprietors
VOL. XXX. MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA.. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 29. 1876. NO. 48.
THE WIND'S PLAIXT.
BT MABT THOMHOS.
Mj rosetrea abivera u th wind
8obe through Ma learee in sndlen pet,
Where coaung it had hoped to find
Borne lata, sweet bloMom lingering yet.
tied wind ! in Tain the blooma of fail
For him their richest hues nndoae ;
ihsdainf ally he slights them all.
And aeeka hia vanished lore, the rose.
The rose, the rose ! whoae lovely face
Looked op eo bright bnt yesterday ;
Ah ! it i be who mouroa her graoa
That bore her bloom of bps away.
He held ber kiaa bis royal right.
He dallied with ber fragrant leaves.
And wore lore's faTors.all too lisbt,
And learns it late, and lonely grieves.
Wild lever, wind, go seek in vain ;
Blow back the clouds from wooing son.
Till all the world glow glad again.
Thy lady roae not then were won.
For abe is dead sad wind be still !
But up and down the land he goes.
And mourns with griefs impetuous will
The rose ! the roae ! my love, the rose.
Buried in a Gold Mine.
I am an old miner. Not one of the
now-a-day Washoe and Nevada stripe,
but an old forty-nine California miner.
I have been engaged in all descriptions
of mining transactions, except the new
fangled one of mining stock in compa
nies "feet" I believe they call it.
Among my varied undertakings was
one operation in a tunnel, in which I
and my partners engaged in the Sum
mer of 1852.
One afternoon in that year, as I was
carrying up a bucket of water from
the river to our tent at the top of the
bank, my feet caught uuder a large
stone, and my perpendicular was at
once changed to a horizontal posture,
while the water from the overturned
bucket spread itself in various direc
tions. With a few expletives of rather
forcible character, quite customary and
common in that region and period, I
raised myself to my feet again, and
picking up the bucket, was about to
retrace my steps to the river, when
my attention was attracted by a
folded paper, which had been plac
ed under the stone causing my fall,
When my foot tripped, the stone
was overturned, and the paper.
folded in letter form, lay exposed to
view. Bendiug over, I picked it up,
and proceeded to examine it. It was
written with pencil, in characters very
irregular and stiffly formed, as if made
by a person with a wounded hand,
The contents were as follows :
"If this letter should fall into the
hands of any person, I wish to inform
them that I have been attacked and
mortally wou tided by my two partners
who wished to obtain my money. Fail
ing to discover it, after wounding me
they have fled, leaving me here to die.
Whoever gets this letter will find
buried in a ravine at the foot of a
blazed 'tree,' twenty-five paces due
north of this, a bag containing five
thousand dollars in gold dust. That it
may prove more fortunate property to
him than it has to me, is the hope of
Andrew Forrest."
I stood for some minutes alter read
ing the letter like one awakened from
a dream. I could not convince myself
that the letter in my hand was a gen
uine document, and read it over and
over again, thinking I might get some
clue from the handwriting to the real
author. It might be a trick got up by
my partners to raise a laugh at my ex
pense. No; the place where it was
found, and the purely accidental dis
covery, rendered such a surmise very
improbable. I sat down on a log, and
turned the matter over and over in my
mind for some time. At last I got up,
and pacing off the required distance in
the direction mentioned in the letter, I
came to a large tree. Carefully exam
ining it, I discovered a scar, clearly in
dicating that the tree had been 'blazed'
at some remote period. This was "con
firmation strong as proofs of Holy
Writ;" and I immediately went to
work to discover the locality of the
ravine. Here I was at fault. Nothing
of the kind was to be seen. To all ap
learances a stream of water never had
passed in the neighborhood of the tree.
This was not encouraging; and I sat
down on the ground and read the letter
again, to see if I had not mistaken some
of its directions No; I was in the right
place; but where was the ravine?
A tap on the shoulder aroused me
from my meditations, and on looking
up, I saw my two partners, who loudly
abused me for having neglected the
preparations for their supper. As an
excuse. I showed them the letter, and
detailed the manner of finding it. To
my surprise, they were as much ex
cited by its perusal as I had been, and
we all looked around pcrseveringly for
the ravine, but without eflect for some
time. At last Jack Nesbltt, who had
been a miner since '48, said.
I think there has been a ravine here
but it has been filled up by the rains."
On close examination, we decided
that his suspicion was correct, and
after some consultation we determined
that the next morning we would com
mence digging.
Morning came and we repaired to
the spot with pick and shovel- Jack
proposed that we should follow the
course of the ravine, which appeared
to run into the body of the hill, rather
than to dig down In any one place.
The result was, that in a few days we
had formed quite a cave in the side of
thehilL
We worked at this tunnel for four
days without finding the bag. On the
fourth day, Jack proposed that he
and my other partner, Bill Jennings,
should carry the dirt down to the river
and wash it, leaving me to dig in the
tunnel. In that way, they thought we
wight at least "make grub," while
searching for the hidden money. I
thought the idea foolish, but m they
had entered so eagerly Into my views
regarding the buried bag of dust, I
made no objection to the plan, and dug
way with redoubled energy. In fact, I
had tnought so much about the object
of our search, that I had become utterly
regardless of anything else. I had
dreamt of it when sleeping, mused on
it when waking, and it had obtained
complete control over my mind. Day
after day we worked I digging and
my companions washing; yet, strange
to say, I did not become discouraged.
They said nothing about the bag of
gold dust; and I asked them nothing
about the result of their washing the
excavated soil.
We had worked about three weeks,
and had formed a tunnel extending
aoout nrteen feet into the bill, when,
on one afternoon, completely tired out,
I sat down to rest in the cave. I had
only intended to sit a little while, but
five minutes had not elapsed before I
was fast asleep. I was awakened by a
crash, and found my feet and legs com
pletely covered by a mass of dirt and
stones. The front part of the tunnel
had fallen in, and I was in a manner
buried alive. About ten feet ol the
tunnel remained firm, and from my
observation of its structure prior to the
accident, I was convinced that I had
no reason to apprehend any danger in
that quarter. My partners had carried
dirt enough to the river to keep them
busy there for the rest of the day ; so I
had nothing to hop from their assist
ance. The quest n that first pre
sented itself to my mind was, How
long can life be sustained in this con
fined state? I had read a dozen differ
ent times, statistics in relation to the
amount of air consumed hourly by a
human being's lungs, but, like almost
every body else, had merely wondered
at the time, and then forgot the figures.
How much would I have given then
to have been able to recall them ! The
next thought was, How can I proceed
to extricate myself? The question was
difficult of solution. If I went to work
wirh a shovel and pick to clear away
the dirt that had fallen It was extremely
likely that all which I could be able to
remove would be Immediately replaced
by that which would fall from above.
This was pleasant! I racked my brains
to devise some means of liberating my
self, but without effect.
Leaning against the wall in utter
despondency, I was about to throw
myself on the ground and await my
fate, when I observed that quite a cur
rent of water on a small scale was mak
ing its way down the side of the cave.
At first 1 was alarmed, as I thought it
might loosen the earth above, and
bring another mass down on my head.
The next moment the thought struck
me that it might be turned to my ad
vantage. hy could I not so direct it
that it would wash away sufficient
earth in its progress to the outlet of
the cave to make an opening large
enough to allow me to crawl out
through it? Even if it only succeeded
In making an air-hole, it would enable
me to exist till my partners could come
to my rescue. Carefully examining
the course of the water, I succeeded in
finding the spot where it entered the
cave, and to my great joy ascertained
that I could easily direct it, by cutting
a channel out of the side of my prison
to the mass of earth that blocked up
the entrance to the tunnel. The air at
this time was quite hot and stifling and
I became aware that whatever was
done must be done quickly, or 1 should
perish for want of oxygen. After I
had cut a channel for the water to flow
towards the entrance, I enlarged the
opening by which the stream entered
the cave, and delighted to observe that
it flowed with redoubled force. Tak
ing my shovel, I pushed It through the
moistened earth, as far as I was able,
and then awaited the further action of
the water. In a few minutes I was en
abled to push it still further, till at last
it was out of my reach. Then placing
my pick-handle against it, I pushed
both, as far as I could. With what
eagerness did I watch to see the first
opening made by the water, and I was
soon gratified by observing that it
flowed in a steady stream in the direc
tion in which I had pushed the pick
and shovel-
In a few minutes I discovered a faint
glimmering in the distance, which
might be an opening or the effect of an
excited imagination, I scarcely knew
which. But the doubt soon resolved
itself into certainty, and an opening
some five inches in diameter speedily
disclosed itself. Larger and larger
the opening grew; lump upon lump
was washed away by tne stream tintil
the channel became large enough for
me to place my hand in and halloa lus
tily for assistance. Just as I was draw
ing my head back, I caught sight of a
buckskin bag. Hastily seizing it, I
found it was the one we were in search
of, and which, but for the accident, I
would never have found. Wishing to
surprise my companions, I concealed
it, and redoubled my cries. In a few
minutes they came running up the
hill, and soon liberated me from my
unpleasant position.
"Well, Ned," said Jack, as he shook
me by the hand, "I'm glad to see you're
safe, old fellow the more so as Bill
and I have been deceiving you a little.
You know we have been trying all
the summer to get yon into a tunnel
ing operation, and you have only
laughed at us."
"Yes," said I, wondering what would
come next.
Well, when you got that letter,
Bill and I made up our minds that we
would go into the job with you; not in
hopes of finding any bag, but because
we knew you would work twice as hard
with such an inducement, intending,
meanwhile, to wash the excavated
dirt. This we have done; and, my boy
we have never made less than three
hundred dollars any day since we com
menced." "Then you think that bag is a hum
bug, do yon ?"
"Why, of course," said he. '
"Well, I don't, and I Intend to go on
looking for it," said I.
"Now, what is the use of being fool
ish?" quoth Bill Jennings. "We have
got as much dirt as we can wash for
some time, and it pays. I can't see the
use of continuing such a wild goose
chase as the bunt for the bag."
'Still I intend to follow it up," said
L
Bill and Jack conferred together for
a while, and then the former said.
"Well, Ned we might as well tell
you first as last. I wrote that letter in
order to go into tunneling."
"And the 'blazed' tree," said I; how
about that? The 'blaze' is certainly
two years old."
Jack hesitated.
"Why, you see." said he, "we found
that tree and wrote that letter, to suit
it."
"Then what do you think of this?"
I asked showing him the bag I had
found in the cave.
Jack was nonplussed. On opening
the bag we found about three thousand
dollars worth of gold. Jack would
never confess, but always insisted that
variance between the statement in the
letter and the amount in the bag was
proof enough that there was no con
nection between the two. I don't
think so, however, and I believe that
Jack's assertion of having written the
letter was untrue. We could never as
certain anything about Mr. Forrest, so
we divided the money among us.
Wekster sis aa Urster.
It was my good fortune often to hear
Webster at Faneuil Hall In his palmiest
days. I have seen him when every
nerve was quivering with excitement,
when his gestures were most violent,
when he was shouting at the top of his
clarion voice, when the lightnings of
passion were playing across his dark
face as upon a thundercloud. I marked
the terrible effect, when, after repeated
assaults, each more damaging than the
preceding upon the position of an op
ponent, he launched with superhuman
strength the thunderbolt that sped
straight to Its mark, and demolished all
before it. The air seemed filled with
the reverberations of the deep- mouthed
thunder.
In a speech which he delivered in
Boston shortly after "nullification"
times, I remember his referring to
Hayne's speaking of "one Nathan
Dane." Mr. Webster always considered
Dane as the author of the celebrated
North western Ordinance, by which that
large territory was consecrated forever
to freedom. He exclaimed, very scorn
fully : "Mr. Hayne calls him one Na
than Dane? I tell yon, fellow-citizens,
that, as the author of the Northwestern
Ordinance, Nathan Dane's name is as
immortal as if it was written on yonder
firmament, blazing forever between
Orion and Pleiades. " It is impossible
to give an idea of the eflect which Web
ster's delivery of these words produced.
Throwing back his head, raising his
his faee toward the heavens, lifting
both arms in front of him, and pointing
upwards to the overarching sky, so
magnificant was his attitude, and so
thrilling the tones of his voice, that we
almost seemed to see the starry charac
ters shining in eternal luster upon the
firmament. The effect was sublime. I
have never seen it equaled upon the
stage, not even by the greatest actor.
American Law Eeriew.
The I n ! Aleaaal.
A correspondent asks a question which
is pressing for a reply in many minds:
What quantity of alcohol may be taken
daily, in perfect temperance and with
advantage, by a lady ? The answer to
the question cannot be an absolute one.
Alcohol has two uses, if we are to ac
cept what seems the clear teaching of
scientific observation ; it is a food and a
stimulant. To some extent it is con
sumed in the system and yields force;
it also directly affects the functions
of the nervous system. It is its lat
ter use alone which must decide
the question of how much must betaken.
The quantity which can be utilized in
the system as food is so considerable as
to be certainly deleterious by Its over
stimulating action on the nervous sys
tem. Moreover, as a food It has not
been shown to have any special advan
tages. This part of its use may be thus
neglected. As a stimulant the quantity
really needed is very small, especially
when a sedentary life is led. It is prob
able that in most cases two glasses of
wine a day, according to our customary
regulation of the size of the glass by the
f tiength of the wine, is as much as can
be taken with, advantage. By many
this is more than is needed. An estimate
by the sensation produced is beset with
allacies. The pleasurable sense of
stimulation is absolutely misleading.
The use or stimulants is to facilitate
work, and the ease with which work
can be done, and the state of body and
mind afterward, afford a surer test. If
the sense of stimulation be the guide,
use establishes tolerance, and a larger
quantity can be taken without the sense
of pleasant stimulation being over
passed, but not without permanent
damage to the nervous system. What
ever is taken, however must be taken at
meals, once or twice a day. One large,
perhaps the largest, part of the benefi
cial action of alcohal is to aid digestion
by Its direct action on the stomach, and
by its action on the stomach through
the nervous system. Alcohol effects
most of Its evil and least of its good
when Uken alone. All use of alcohol
between meals should be absolutely
prohibited. "
Hat AsaasMtf af War.
Two of the most agreeable girls we
ever met, kept a grocery store yes, and
kept It well, though they bad been a
rich man's daughters. When that father
lost his wealth, and became a confirmed
Invalid, did they sit down and wring
their hands? Did they go moaning all
their days, begging men to give them a
little sewing, a little teaching, a little
copying? Not they. They began, in a
small way, to keep a dry goods and
grocery store. Tbey gave fair measure
and right change. They kept what
people wanted: and If anything was
called for which they bad not, they put
it down in the list of their purchases.
Thev had the cleanest, the nicest groc
ery for miles around, hired a clerk,
bought a horse, built a bouse, and are
at this moment independent property
holders, as well as piquant and agree
able women. It paid them to step out
of the beaten track, and find a new
road to fortune.
The expedition which is to be sent
out by the Dutch Geographical Society
to explore the Interior of Sumatra will
start in about three months.
Uaalstaa- la Laadaa.
The good people of England are no
torious for their love of what is fre
quently called a "Hon" while their
attachment lasts it Is always at fever
heat. At one time a Shah is the lion
at another it is the Claimant. In the
month of June, 1814, there was a whole
menagerie of this description of animals
in the persons of the allied sovereigns
and their most distinguished Generals.
They had come over to pay a visit to
that ally whose powerful co-operation
had enabled them to hurl from the
throne the mightiest tyrant with which
the world has been afflicted in modern
times. I formed one of the crowd that
assembled on Westminster Bridge to
witness the arrival of Field Marshal
Von Blucher, or "Blucher," as the
Londoners used to call him. We bad
been waiting a good hour and a half,
when we heard loud cheering from the
Surrey side, intermingled with cries of
"Blucher for ever." The object of this
ovation turned out to be a fat, greasy
butcher, mounted on a sorry nag, and
carrying a meat tray on his shoulder.
Shortly afterward Marshal "Forwards"
appeared In a barouche drawn by four
horses, which from the density of the
crowd were obliged to go at a foot's
pace. We gave him a most enthusias
tic reception, and he returned our
greetings by holding out his hand to be
shaken by the men and kissed by the
women. The next great object of at
traction was Count riatoff, General of
Cossacks. Our idea of the troops of
which he had command was derived
from prints of them in the shop win
dows men of colossal forms, with red
lank hair, high cheek bones, and snub
noses. My mother took me with her to
Covent Garden, not so much to see the
performances as to have a sight of the
renowned Hetman. We were in the
Duke of Bedford's box, which was next
to the Prince Regent's, and, forming an
obtuse angle with it, we could see with
out being seen. There was Count ria
toff, sipping his coffee, but instead of
a semi-barbarous giant, I beheld a little
narrow-chested man, with regular fea
tures, an olive complexion, black hair,
eyes, and mustache, and teeth to match.
The Emperor of all the Russias paid a
visit one morning to Itean's Yard, and
preserved his incognito so well that he
was nearly going away without being
discovered by us Westminsters. Lean
ing on his arm was the lovely Grand
Duchess of Oldenburg, aud it was her
big hat that gave us a clue to her Impe
rial brother. At the time of the arrival
of the allied sovereigns, English ladies
wore straw bonnets fitting close to the
head somewhat in the shape of a bee
hive cut in half, but the pretty Grand
Duchess had not been with us a week
before the "beehive" disappeared, and
the "coal-scuttle" usurped its place.
I went one uiht to see Elliston in his
best character Vapid in the "Drama
tist." When the curtain dropped Vapid
seemed to be so busy making notes for
his new play as to be unaware that he
was left alone. After trying both stage
doors he declared that the '-rogues had
shut him out," and, advancing to the
front, iu formed the audience that he
meant to dramatize them all. He begau
by addressing some clever verses to the
pit and gallery, and then pointed to a
very pretty woman sitting in the dress
circle and coiffe a la Oldenburg. All
eyes iollowed the direction of his pen
cil. The lady at first appeared uncon
scious of being the object of such uni
versal observation, but suddenly arose
to escape, when Elliston called out :
"8top! Mmdam, atop! you lady in the bonntt,
I'll lure you down, yon may depend upon a."
The whole affair was of course a pre
concerted coup de theatre. Lord Albe
marie' Recollection'.
lalae rasBtaasaad Xaaeallae
"Pray, sir," said a fair anonymous
correspondent of the Spectator, "what
have you to do with our petticoats?"
The substance of the same question is
very often asked in these days by
ladies who are called to task for their
extravagance or want of taste in dress.
Not long since a long and certainly elo
quent complaint was made by an ardent
"women's rights" advocate the on
slaught made by masculine critics on
each new fashion as it comes into vogue.
Yet it may be doubted whether our
wives, sisters, and daughters, in gener
al, would be any more inclined to echo
the complaint than to follow its auther
into the heat and dust of the conflict for
woman suffrage. Our ladies, undoubt
edly, like to have their male kind take
notice of their toilets and attire; they
are frankly pleased when their carefully-prepared
devices to array themselves
are complimented; and we suspect that
they would rather be criticised on this
score than have their pains go for noth
ing. The author of a book prays for a
"clashing criticism" in preference to
being utterly ignored ; and, for a less
mercenary reason, Ophelia is better
satisfied to be told that pink is less
adapted to her complexion than magen
ta, than she is when her husband tells
her next morning that be really
thought she wore blue. It is to the
credit of the ladies that they dress, in
very many cases, to please the sex of
blunter tastes; and, as to extravagance,
the domestic chancellor of the exche
quer has assuredly the right and the
sensible ladies freely accord it to al
lude to the annual estimates.
Besides, the young lady who so sharp
ly took the Spectator to task was possi
bly ignorant or forgetful of certain men
who have, and always must have, a
great deal to do with our "petticoats."
For some of these, Worth of Paris, is a
brilliant example. Is It not a fact that
not only the makers, manufacturers,
jobbers, and sellers of laces and silks,
are men, but that the fashioners of these
fabrics into elaborate, grareful, and in
genious robes, the people who measure
for them and cut them out, are men
also? Not only so, but the mysterious
creators of the often bizarre and start
ling fashions which lends new life to
trade and feminine ambition every
month or two are a little coterie of fashion-draughtsmen,
bid away In some
street of Paris. We know that in Shake
speare's time men-dressmakers were
extant, for it was such a one who came
to take the measure of the shrewish
Katharine; nor has the custom, as is
pretty well known, quite gone out yet.
Some critics, in their heat, blame the
ladies for the sometimes uncouth fash'
ions that invade society ; as a fact per
sons of their own sex are the culprits.
The ladles bnt submit to a long-estab
lished and very obstinate depotism. It
Is but a matter of justice to declare that
the 'pull-back' and the 'bustle were
the products of some masculine brains,
It saves the reputation of the gentler
sex for taste, and all that can be said is
that the ladies have not the masculine
trait, courage to defy the fashion
ky rants. History records that a French
medical student invented the bustle,
and an American gentlemen the crino
line; and we suspect that every fashion
that has been decried as a deformity
may be traced to a masculine source.
The Parisian despots must be unearthed
and deposed before we can hope for
reform in the creation oi fashion. We
are quite sure that, if they were super
ceded by a fashion-court of intelligent
ladies, dresses might vary in form, but
would never cease to be graceful.
PawMarntaaeol "Spirits.
"Spirits," though still refusing to be
captured like ordinary mortals, have
consented to allow themselves to be
photographed. They now obediently
follow those over whom they watch to
the studios of photographers, and there
falling into a graceful attitude, allow
those who believe themselves to be ac
companied through life by a "guardian
angel" to satisfy their vanity (and cred
ulity) by having a carte-de-viaite taken
of themselves and their "attendant
spirit." The resulting carte gives such
an air of reality to the affair that it is
considered rank folly to doubt any lon
ger, when the spirits can be actually
photographed, and thus brought within
the ken of the most hardened skeptic,
Such piteous folly on one side and ar
rant deception on the other are more
prevalent than ordinary folks generally
suppose. A case brought to our notice
from Paris will illustrate the way in
which this class of photographers im
pose on the public. The police, hearing
that a certain photographer of that city
was pocketing large profits by taking
these photographs for credulous people,
dispatched an emissary to discover the
fraud. On making known his wish to
be photographed with his guardian
spirit, he was requested to leave the stu
dio for a short time for the purpose of
the spirit being invoked. During his
absence, a plate, prepared in the ordi
nary way, was exposed to light for a
few seconds opposite a screen whereon
a vague ghostly image was figured. The
man's photograph superposed gave, it
Is needless to say, the required effect.
The photographer, on a hint from the
Police, ceased to - take spirit photo
graphs. These photographs may also
be produced by the photographer's
common process of printing from two
negatives; one negative takes the sitter,
the other the '.'spirit" as before; on
printing from both the effects are com
bined. Another method depends upon
a curious electrical fact. If a tinfoil
device be laid between two sheets of
glass, and tinfoil be laid on the outer
surfaces of the glass, and then electric
sparks passed between the tinfoil coat
ings, It is found that an image of the de
vice is formed upon the two glass plates,
caused by a molecular change in the
glass. This image is at first invisible,
but on breathing on the glass it becomes
visible, and a photograph can then be
taken of it in the ordinary way. But
the cleverest plan of all is that which
utilizes the lately-discovered optical
principle known as fluorescence. Paint
on a white screen with sulphate of qui
nine (which is colorless) something
shadowy to represent the "ethereal be
ing." Expose this to bright sunlight
for a short time, and then place your
unsuspecting believer in "guardian an
gels" before this screen; photograph
him in the ordinary way, and at the
same time you obtain a picture of your
painting, about which he is ignorant.
Finish the photograph in the ordinary
way. The quinine drawing will "come
out" hazy and indistinct as part of tbe
picture, and then your believer in
spirits who has longed to have bis "at
tendant spirit" manifested to him, re
ceives it tremblingly with gratitude.
Chamber' Journal.
Shabby VeaUllty.
I pity, more than all other unfortun
ate people, the shabby genteel. Their
dignified suffering is what poets call
exquisite agony." There is something
in the battered hat, the threadbare coat,
and the disordered but highly lustrous
boots, which the flintiest of natures can
not deny. Poverty does not always ad
dress Itself to the sympathies, and sel
dom, if ever, in the ratio of its degree.
The poor homeless vagabond In tatters
and filth, the shivering mendicant
whose empty pockets cannot afford him
more than a mouldy crust to gnaw, ex
horts charity more frequently than he
Invites. But shabby gentility seduces
the finer instincts of the charitable man,
and wins upon human nature insensibly.
It is not the number of tatters, or the
hideous minutiae of privations, but that
which lies beneath the threadbare suit
the mental suffering, of which this is
the evidence and symbol. In this lies
the vital principle on which the pathe
tic quality of shabby gentility Is based.
They mj f
What's the use cf minding what "they
say ?" What's the nse of lying awake
of nights with the unkind remark of
some false friend running through your
brain like forked lightning? What's
the use of getting into a worry and fret
over gossip that has been set afloat to
your disadvantage by some meddlesome
busy-body who has more time than
character? These things can't possi
bly injure you unless, indeed, you take
notice of them, and in combatting them
give them character and standing. If
what is said about you is true, set your
self right at once ; If it is false let It go
for what it will fetch, until it dies of
inherent weakness.
Only one Smith signed the Decla
ration of Independence; and his name
wasn't John, bat James.
A Levere farewell fa His BlTaL
BT XMILT K. STEIXESTEL.
"Cremated Caesar I Me go see any
thing in petticoats? Not if this rooster
knows himself. Much obliged for the
invitation, but no female in mine If you
please."
"Well, you needn't scalp a fellow, If
you don't want to go; I don't know as
anybody will be the loser y your non-
acceptance except yourself," was the
piqued, Indignant answer.
The first speaker, a rough-looking,
middle-aged man, with a sunbrowned
face, and a pair of steel-gray, restless
eyes, blew a cloud of smoke Into the air,
and as he watched it circle higher and
higher and hfgher until it was lost to
sight, his manner became grave, and
the lines about his mouth deepened into
sadness.
"See here, my boy," he said after a
short silence, "when I was about your
age my ideas of womankind were just
about what yours are to-day. But I
tell you it was something little short of
an earthquake that completely took all
tbe nonsenee out of me. I never loved
again."
The last remark was uttered in such
a ludicrous manner, and the sentiment
eemed so out of place, from such as
source, that his youngand rstherelegant
companion could not refrain from smil
ing, as he said :
"Why, Uncle, were yu ever in
love?"
"You bet, my boy; I had it mighty
bad, too. There was not a better dressed,
or nicer spoken chap ever knocked at
fair lady's heart than this same old rus
ty coon sitting here, with his feet on
the stove, taking his comfort out of a
pipe but that was twenty years ago,
and I was mighty fond of the girls
them days. Go on, boy, have all the
fun you can ; life's short, and if you
don't make the most of It, I'll make the
most of you. Go and see the girls. Let
every dog have his day, say I !"
"Thanks, Uncle, for your permission.
I shall avail myself of it, never fear, but
excuse me, I protest at the implied pup
py love."
O, dry up! Can't a man use a figure
speech, without treading on somebody's
corns. I didn't mean any harm, boy.'
I wish you would tell me about that
love affair of yours if the wound is not
too sore, that is."
"Sore? Wound?"
Another short silence, and a second
cloud of smoke circled away above
the bronzed visage, after this peculiarly
repeated query.
"Ahem ! Well, I really don't know
about the 'sore,' but I've no objection
to telling you how devilishly I was
duped, and what an ass I made of my
self about it."
She was the prettiest girl in town !
Her father was a wealthy dry-goods
merchant so was mine you know ; all
parties thought the Wise One bad crea
ted us for each other. I was madly
smitten, "clean gone," as they say in
the territories, and jealous as a butcher
boy of every fellow that came near her.
She had scores of admirers, but she told
me time and again that she didn't care
fig for anyone but me. Lucky me,
how I swallowed the lies, and strutted
about, feeling as if I bad conquered the
universe! I who had won this prize.
I speak of the girl ; I didn't care a cent
for her father's money. I bad plenty,
and was ambitious enough to make a
million for her sweet sake and pile it
all at her feet to walk over If she wanted
to. Well, we billed and cooed after our
engagementfor several months, while
I was fitting up our house, and she was
under the hands of five hundred dress
makers, and corset makers, and bonnet
makers, and shoemakers, and the Lord
only knows what other makers. I bad
my wedding-suit ordered from New-
York and a nobby fit it was let me tell
you."
The speaker drew a long breath,
heaved a sigh of inexpressible regret,
and continued:
The day before the happy one I
drew up before her door in my new
buggy with my high-stepping grays;
in my vest pocket I bad a litte parcel
that cost me just one thousand eight
hundred dollars. It was intended as a
surprise for my pet. Good God ! boy,
did I say 'pet!' I must be getting fee
ble!" The older man started from his chair
as if he had been shot. Sat down again,
his whole frame in a quiver. The
word that had escaped him so unexpec
tedly, seemed to bring up the most tor
turing emotions. He laid aside his
pipe aud covered his face with his hands.
'Ye.8, boy," he muttered hoarsely,
"the wound is sore. I don't see how I
came to make such a blunder," he add
ed, recovering himself.
"Christopher Columbus! how I did
worship that girl. Its astonishing how
a woman can work herself into a man's
heart, until Its very beating is depend
ent on her will and action. I confess
must have been a sentimental cuss;
but I'm all over It, I swear I am,"' he
exclaimed with emphasis, as if to settle
the troublesome memory that made his
face a ,ray parlor and gave his voice a
ring of uncertainty.
Happy as a fool, I bounded into the
house without the cermony of being
announced, opened the parlor door.
She was there in the arms of some trif
ling son-of-a-gun, who bad been, as I
supposed, vainly trying to cut me out.
Why the devil she played such a double
game, is more than I can guess.
"The fellow wanted to leave In double
quick time, but I bad seen enough to
convince me that she was a treacherous
huzzy, and he a miserable scoundrel.
With one step I had him by the throat,
and the hugging he got was not of the
nature a man expects when he goes to
see his girl. The whelp, how he squirm
ed and begged; I pounded him no til my
knuckles bled. Tbe frightened girl
tried to make me release him and said
that I was murdering "the man she
loved!"
" 'I was bidding him an eternal fare
well !' she cried, imploring me to stop.
'So am I,' was my reply, as I left
him mopping his bloody nose, scarcely
able to rise from the floor at her feet
where I had sent him, with a furious
oath.
"I rushed from the house.drove home
like some lunatic, and without giving
any explanation of my conduct packed
a few clothes Into a valise and left town.
I never knew or cared what reasons the
parties Interested gave for my disap
pearance.
"I went to California. The country
was new then; I worked in tbe mines;
I lived the life of a madman. Talk
about roughing It, that was tbe country
for it, I tell you! But lucky? You
never saw such luck as I had ; every
thing turned out gold. I tried to for
get that I ever bad borne or friends ; but
there were times my boy, when that
scene the girl and her lover the girl
that was to have been my wife, the
mother of my children Pshaw ! even
now the memory of it seems to turn my
soul into a demon's and my heart into a
burning hell ! but it will force itself
upon me.
"Go II nd an honest woman if you
can marry her, and be happy. Some
of these days my toes will turn up for
good and all. You shall have my money
to buy all the feathers in Christendom
for her. But, see here, my lad, don't
you ever go ask me to go visiting among
the sex. I took an eternal farewell of
'em the day I took an affectionate leave
ol my rival."
Refinement is not fastidiousness. It
is not luxury. It is nothing of this kind.
It is far removed from excess or waste.
A person truly refined will not squander
or needlessly consume anything. Re
finement, on the contrary, Is always al
lied to simplicity and a judicious and
tasteful employment of the means of
good and happiness which it has at
command. It seeks to divest itself of
superfluities and aspires continually to
the utmost possible purity. Refinement
leads to personal cleanliness and ele
gant neatness, good taste and simplic
ity in dress. All "loudness" or "flashi
ness" is repugnant to its spirit. In its
home and surroundings whether pal
atial, affluent, or humble the same
chasteness and natural grace is main
tained. The abode of genuine refine
ment and a mere pretender to It are very
different. In tbe former you will find
no excess, gaudiness. or false glittering ;
out tne latter aDounds In it. In per
sonal manner, refinement is most con
spicuous. A man of refinement is al
ways polite without flourish, gentle
without efieminancy, and considerate
without stiffness. Display and cere
mony are not identical with refinement,
and are poor substitutes for it. There
Is of course no refinement like that of
the heart, which impels its possessor to
show on all occasions a thoughtful and
kindly regard for the feelings of others.
No adherence to etiquette can compare
with it for the spontammus observation
of true and gratifying politeness.
Trae as Uoapel.
When I run against a man who pro
fesses to be a Christian, and yet who
has a foul mouth and a foul mind and a
foul lip, whose wit is vulgar and whose
speech is coarse, whose imagination is
like a duck whose necessities compels it
to play in a dirty puddle, I feel that the
man needs a cellar of decency under bis
professional superstructure. A vulgar
mouth is sure evidence of a vulgar
mind, and I cannot conceive of any
thing more distasteful to God's pure
spirit than human vulgarity. I think
profanity hurts the fine edge of pure
existence less than coarseness. For
myself, speaking from my innermost
soul, I could sooner hear a man swear
than to hear one tell a nasty story. I
would sooner be struck by lightning
than to be killed by stench.
Ptma Will Marrr.
It doesn't require any astrologer, or
medium, or gipsy with a dirty pack of
cards. It is very simple, lies in a nut
shell, and can be expressed in a very
few words. The plan is this. If a girl
expresses a fondness for majestic men
with large whiskers, make up your
mind that she will marry a very small
man with none. If she declares that
mind" is all she looks for, expect to
see her stand before tbe altar with a
very pretty fellow who has just sense
enough to tie a cravat bow. If, on tbe
contrary, she declares she must have a
handsome husband, look about for the
plainest person in the circle of her ac
quaintance, and declare "that is the
man,"for it will be. Men are almost as bad.
The gentleman who desires a wife with
a mind and mission marries a lisping
baby, who screams atastghtof amouse,
and hides her face when she hears a
sudden knock at the door. And the
gentleman wro dreaded anything like
strong-mindedness, exults in the fact
that his wife is everything he detested.
If a girl says of one, "Marry him! I'd
rather die!" look upon the affair as
settled, and expect cards to the wed
ding of these two people. If a man re
marks of a lady, "Not my style at all,"
await patiently the appearance of his
name in the matrimonial column in
connection with that lady's. And, if
any two people declare themselves
"friends, and nothing more," you may
know what will come next.
Csary la ladla.
The people of India are a very im
provident race if a story told by the
Pall Mall Gazette is true. Some years
ao a Christian capitalist advanced to a
Lurasian co-relitcionist tbe sum of $
on the borrower's personal security, the
interest paid to be at tbe rate of 7. per
cent, per annum. At the end of two
years, no interest having been paid.
the debtor trave his note for tbe
amount then due, the rate of interest
being fixed at 130 per rent. Three
years more passed ana there was a
fresh settlement. About this time the
debtor obtaining an increase of salary.
began to devote a moiety of bis salary
to the extinguishment of his debt, suc
ceeding so well that at the time of his
death a few years later, be bad reduced
tbe amount due to the comparatively
small figure of five hundred dollars!
Quite recently a Hindoo sued another
of that race for $20, the balance due of
$40, which was tbe principal and inter
of 10 advanced two years before.
From 75 to 200 per cent, are not at all
unusual rates of interest, and tbe re
sult is that the land is rapidly passing
into tbe hands of tbe usurers, tbe peo
ple being poor and generally in debt.
HIWS EI BRUT.
The average Englishman eats 205
pounds of meat a year.
A barber's shop is termed a "ton
sorial academy" in Halifax, N. S.
England began the cruelty to ani
mals movement as far back as 1760.
The keel of the British privateer
Dart, captured during the war of 1S12,
can now be seen above ground at New
port. A Lebanon county, Pennsylvania,
judge refuses boys admission to the
courthouse. He doesn't want them de
moralized. The widow of General Robert An
derson, of Fort Sumter fame, has taken
rooms at the Ebbitt House in Wash
ington for the Winter.
The Mayor of Savannah writes a
letter expressing gratitude for the aid
rendered the yellow fever sufferers, and
states that it is no longer required.
Vergennes. Vermont, the oldest
city in New England, is called the
smallest city in tbe world, its area
being less than two square miles.
Buffalo Bill, as a rifle shot, don't
appear to be a success, he having made
only thirteen out of a possible thirty
five, at Rochester recently.
Smith College, Northampton. Mas
sachusetts, is so crowded with young
ladies that the price of board for young
men has been doubled in that vicinity.
Potter Palmer proposes to make
good nse of the immense rcof of bis
Chicago hotel by turning it into an or
chard and raising fruit for the hotel
table.
The American silver water or ice
pitcher is such a useful invention that
the Swedish Commissioner has bought
twenty-six of them for as many home
friends.
Fifty thousand dollars as a fund to
aid the Jewish mechanics in Jerusalem
to build houses outside the city, and to
promote agricultural pursuits, has been
raised in London.
Some of the New York churches
are reported to pay their pastors weekly
nu tne enect is said to be a great Im
provement in the sermons and in the
fervor of the preachers.
It is notice'! as a singular fact that
New Y'ork City contains no statue to
Alexander Hamilton, and it has been
proposed that a public movement be
organized to provide one.
A New Jersey farmer has raised
the present season thirty tons to the
acre of spring sown onions, some of the
precious bulbs weighing two pounds.
It makes our eyes water to record such
a statement.
A clergyman at East Bolton, Quebec,
recently seized a bride as security for
the non-payment of his fee by the im
pecunious bridegroom, and the husband
bail to give security for the f 1 .25 ere he
could obtain bis spouse.
An amateur bull-fighter killed two
bulls in the presence of 1(5,000 people,
several weeks ago at Barcelona, lie
was serenaded at night, and gave bis
share of the proceeds of tie fight to
the hospital at Barcelona.
The number of French Marshals is
limited to six iu peace and twelve in
war. Only four Generals are now hold
ing that high rank Baraguay d'Uil
liers, Canrolwrt, MacMaLon the Presi
dent of the Republic, and Le Boeufl.
Brentano, the famous newsdealer
of New Y'ork, arrived in this country
in 1853, and began business by peddling
newspapers at retail. He is now, at
the a-;e of forty-seven, one of the best
known characters in New York, and
has a fortune estimated at $500,000.
Mrs. Susan Clarke, a venerable dame
who was one hundred years old last
December, gave a reception to seventy
five of her descendants at her home in
New Sharon, Maine, last week. Her
mother lived to be ninety -six years old,
and her grandmother died at tbe age of
one hundred and two.
The German Government in pur
suance of its schemes of coin reform,
has railed in the old two-thaler pieces,
of which $10,000,000 worth are said to
be now in circulation, and will subse
quently proceed to call in the one
thaler pieces, of which $271,368,000
worth are supposed to be circulating.
It is estimated that there are now
in operation in the United States no
less than 800 paper mills, which are
valued at $40,000,000 of capital invested
with a total production of $70,000,000.
These mills give employment nomi
nally to 20,000,000 people, whose earn
ings are looted up at $10,000,000 annu
ally.
The British co-operative societies
now aggregate more than 400,000 heads
of families, representing 2,000,000 of
individuals; their collective capital ex
ceeds $20,000,000, and their annual
consumption constitutes one-fourteenth
of that ascribed to the whole nation.
The system was devised by the cele
brated pioneers of Rochdale.
The statement that Charles Sing of
Ncrth Adams, Mass., Is the first China
man who has taken out naturalization
papers in this country, is incorrect.
Mr. Charles Ar Showe', a well known
tea merchant of Boston, and a native
of China, was naturalized in 1800, and
has voted at every presidential and
state election Since that time.
During the last 20 years the British
Government has added 573 ships to the
navy by Dunning, ana has purchased
44 more. It has sold 110, broken no
125, and 31 have been lost. Tbe num
ber of Gatling guns in nse Is being
rapidly increased. The large iron-clads
are now all armed with them, and sev
eral have lately been sent to Malta for
tbe Mediterranean fleet.
Last June a schooner sailed away
from New London, Connecticut, carry
ing mining implements. No hint of
her destination was given. She Is now
back with about 30,000 pounds of mica,
worth from $5 to $12 a pouud. It was
dng out on tbe shores of Cumberland
Inlet, on tbe west side of Davis Strait,
and just beneath the Arctic circle. The
party brought away the entire deposit
of mica.
There will be shorn in New South
Wales this year, 1876, upwards of 25,-
C 00.000 sheep, yielding approximately
above 125,000,000 pounds of wool equal
in value, at Is. per pound, to 4.6,2o0,-
000. Every year wool is increasing in
quantity and rising in quality, so that
by tbe close or 1880, four years pence.
New South Wales ought to have at
least 30,000,000 of sheep, which with
horned cattle and horses ought approx
imately to represent in money value -
upward or Jtoo.ooo.uou.
The biggest tree in California is
not in the Yosemite Valley. King's
River Valley, in Fresno county is 5,000
feet above the sea, and its walls, which
are about three thousand feet high, are
very precipitous, in tnis valley a new
grove of colossal redwood trees has .
been discovered. One of them eclipses
all that have been discovered on the
Pacific coast. Its circumference, as
high as a man can reach and pass a
tape line around, is a few inches less
than 150 feet. This is beyond the
measurement of any tree In the Cala
veras grove.