SlMfif til Ira ifer Mil
JWwWW www
IfMlMfil ill fflilTMf
13. F. SCIIWEIER,
THE COJTSTITIITIOS-THE TJHIOff-ASD TEE EUPOECEMEHT OF THE LAWS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXXII.
MIFFLIXTOAVX, JUNIATA COUNTY, PEXXA., "WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1878.
NO. 37.
RIGHT AND X0RNHG.
I ptood alone in the porch last night.
And witched the moon riaeoTer the Iml,
Till the rhrdowe wared in the silver light.
And the niht wind aighed to me.
And down in the garden path I knew
That laet rear's leave were lingeringyet
Leaves that had taken tbe eon and dew
4 'f days 1 would fain forget.
I found no peace in the Hammer night;
-Old joys," I said, like the leaves lie low
And i cauuot rest in this tranquil Ugl-t;"
So I wept, and turned to go.
I stood again in the porch at morn.
While the boughs shook down their spark
ling npray.
And the suu rose over the springing corn
And the fields of scented hay.
A wain went by with its fragrant load;
The wagoner whin tied loud and clear.
But I beard a step on tbe quiet road.
And knew that my love was near.
Blow, morning wind, o'er the sun-lit slope.
And carry the dtad leaves out of s ght!
For my heart teats high wi h its new-found
bope
Ali ! why did I donht last night ?
Gormley's Adventure.
ld Hiram Gortnly was an individual
whom Fortune had not forgotten in her
distribution of the good things of this
world. He had a fine fortune, a mag
nificent dwelling, and a plump, good
tempered wife. Moreover, he had a
rreat reputation for sanctity and up
righrnessand was an elderof the church
to which he belonged. A very good
man and a thorough Christian, old
Hiram considered himself, for he had
family prayers every morning, went to
church every Sunday, and allowed the
cook to give all the uneatable scraps of
bread which remained in the larder to
any beggar who applied for them. A
judicious parent he believed himself to
be, and a jut one, for when his only
daughter had married against his will
he had cast her off forever, and refused
to see her when she stood weak and
trembling at his door to tell him that
her husband lay on the verge or death
and starvation stared them in the face.
"As she sowed so she must reap," he
muttered, as he saw- her turn away,
hiding her grieved face in her shabby
bonnet. " She might have had old
Grimes and lived in clover, but she
made her own choice and must abideby
it." Anil so saying he went back to
his account book and banished his
daughter from his mind as soon as
might be.
Old Hiram Gormley was. as I have
said, very wealthy, but he yet clung t
trade with the utmost pertinacity.
Money geuing was his life, and he was
never so happy as w hile making a bar
gain. Among other things, he had
speculated in flour, and had made more,
perhaps, in that line of business than
in any other. How old Hiram and his
brothers in trade chuckled as the poor
man's loaf decreased and the store in
their own coffers augmented, is best
known to themselves.
It was at such a season that Hiram
Gormley sat lefore his parlor fire,
bar-king in its blaze and sinking gently
into an after-dinner nap. His portly
form filied the huge velvet chair, and
his Krtrait looked from its gilded
frame upon it drowsy original with a
bland smile entirely of the artist's own
invention. Mrs. Gormley had gone out
to dine, and the carriage w as to be sent
for Ler at an appointed hour, so that
the old man and his portrait were alone
together in the comfortable room.
They w ere alone, at least for many
minutes. Cut as the silvery-toned
time-piece rung out the hour of seven,
the outer door was opened, and a small
man. clad in a faded green velveteen
coat, entered the room, w ith .the soft
tread of a stealthv cat. He was a
queer-looking individual, so withered
and wrinkled that he might have re
sembled an old goblin, and his white
hair stood out, strangely enough, on
either side of his brown forehead.
Upon his meagre lower limbs he wore
great, mud-stained boots, a world too
wide for him, and in his hand he car
ried a cap of the same color aid material
as his coat. He looked first at old
Hiram, then at his portrait, then back
again to the original, and finally
stepped forward and touched him on
the shoulder.
Hiram Gormley awoke with a start,
and, springing to his feet, regarded the
visitor w iih astonishment.
" Who are you, and what do you
want here?" he asked, in a manner
sufficiently imperative.
Who I am is a matter of no imports
ance," said the stranger; " but I am
here on business. I believe you are
buving up flour?"
"I am." said old Hiram, becoming
interested and gracious in a moment.
" Take a seat. sir. and let me under
stand your business."
He pointed to a chair, and the visitor
seated himself immediately, crossing
his muddy boots, and folding his elfin
arms upon his bosom, as he. bent down
his head and peered from under his
drooping brows nraight into Hiram
Gormley's face.
" We have flour to sell," he said.
"We?" said Hiram, Interrogatively.
" I and my partner, or more politely
speaking, my partner and I," re
sponded the little man.
"Oh," said Hiram; "and my I ask
the name of the fi rm ?" '
" I'd rather not mention names until
I'm sure that we shall come to terms."
said the little man. "But let me tell
yon, Mr. Gormley, that such a chance
has never been offered to one man be
fore. If you accept it, bread will run
up this year to such a price that a loaf
of bread w ill be w orth its w eight in
gold, and rich men will pay great sums
for what they now esteem as nothing.
How many barrels do you think we
have on hand, my partner and I?"
The little man bent forward and
whispered something in his ear which
made him start to his feet once more.
"So many!" he cried; "why, the
very speculators themselves will be at
my feet ! I shall be the richest man in
all the world. I'll bur It all la 11,
all ! When can I see it when can
sign the contract Be quick tell me
where the store is hidden !"
In our office," said the little man
v hat office could contain such
quantities?" asked Hiram.
"Hush '"whispered the little man;
"there is an underground passage and
cellar or vault capable of containing
ten times the amount it now holds. As
for the time, you may come with me
to-night, if you want to; all hours are
the same to my partner and me."
The words were scarcely out of bis
mouth ere Hiram Gormley had hurried
on his overcoat, dashed his broad-
brimmed hat over his eyes and seized
nis goiu-neatieti cane with a nervous
grasp of his right hand. " Lead the
way," he said; "lead the way; I'd fol
low you if you were going to the moon
The stranger only grinned and passed
out of the door before him.
At the gate stood a small vehicle,
black as ink, and capable of containing
only two persons A small, elf-like
pony was fastened to iu shafts, and a
little black boy held the reins. Hiram
glanced doubtfully at the shabby turn
out, but in compliance to a nod from his
fellow-traveler, stepped in and took his
seat beside him. If the shaggy pony
was small and unpromising to look at,
he was nevertheless as fleet of foot as
any racehorse, and the dingy vehicle
spun along at a rate which made old
Hiram cling to the sides with both
hands and shut his eyes that he might
not grow giddy, until passing from the
village it turned down the broad coun
try road and paused at the margin of a
little piece of woodland.
" Your office seems to be in a strange
locality," muttered old Hiram, suspi
ciously.
" Xot at all," replied the little man
in green ;" only we are going by the
underground way, so as not to attract
attention."
Ah!" said old Hiram: " well, this
does seem to be an underground pas
sage, sure enough !" for thev were
turning now into a sort of cave, and
only one faint ray of light in the far
distance saved them from being
wrapped in utter darkness. " I shall lie
glad w hen I am safe home again," he
added to himself. " How do I know-
where this fellow is taking me?"
But even as he spoke the distant light
grew larger, and the carriage stopped
at an iron-bound door with a grating on
top, through which fell a red glare,
like that from the flame of a chimney
of a pottery on a dark night.
This is our office," said the little
man in green; and old Hiram followed
him as he leaped from the crazy vehicle.
w hich suddenly disappeared in a most
mvsterious manner.
A rap at the door summoned a dark-
visaged man who admitted them w ith
out parley, and Hiram Gormley stood
in a veritable counting room, the most
spacious which had ever met his eyes.
He glanced down the rows of diligent
clerks, all dressed iu black, and all en
gaged in making entries in immense
iron-bound volumes; at the huge fire,
which he could see reflected on the
roof through a wide grating in the dis
tance, and which rendered everything
in the way of la.iips and candles unne
cessary, and then turned towards a
all, dark man, whostrode towa'ds him
from the very centre of the glowing
light. He was dressed in black, and
his hair was bound together in an old-
fashioned cue. There was a sort of
supple, snake-like ease in his move
ments, and his feet were singularly
shaped, and that suggested the gout or
bunions.
Mr. Gormley," said the little man
in green, Mr. Gormley, partner. He
has come to inspect our stock of flour;
he'd like to buy it in."
" He would like to buy it in, would
he?" said the tall man. "You are
very welcome, Mr. Gormley. I have
no doubt we shall come to terms Gen
tlemen, this is Mr. Hiram Gormley,
with w hose name you are so well ac
quainted, and w hom 3'ou have expected
so long."
As he spoke, the long rows of black
clad clerks arose with one accord, and,
bowing, turned upon him their hollow,
blood-shot eyes, filled with alight which
must have been reflected from the fire
beyond, it was so red and horrible.
Old Hiram Gormley shuddered in
voluntarily, as, addressing himself to
bis two companions, he said : " Can I
see this flour of which you have been
speaking?"
" Certainly, sir," said the taller of
the two, as he flung open a narrow door
to his right and beckoned Hiram to ap
proach. "Light up, boys, light up!"
At these words a myriad of torches
flashed down a seemingly interminable
vista; and Hiram looked upon myriads
and myriads of barrels, stretched away
until they faded into mere specks in
the distance.
" Full of flour, from the very first
brand down to the poorest ; not another
barrel left in the market. You can
have the tipper haad of the whole of
them, Hiram Gormley ; when you can
starve ten million if you like to do so.
Do you close the bargain, or shall we
send for some one else ?"
" Hush ! I agree. Tell me your terms,"
gasped Hiram, nervously.
"They are very easy," replied the
tall man in black. " Sit down if you
please. Here are the pen, ink and
paper, and the document."
Hiram seized the paper and conned
it rapidly, growing white and cold as
he read on. At last he flung it from
him and screamed :
"My soul! Promise to give you my
soul! Inthe-name of the fiend, who
are you ?"
"Your humble servant," said the
black creature, bowing, and Hiram
Gormley sa-x a cloven foot peeping
from the queer boot, and distinguished
the perfume of brimstone.
"Let me go!" he cried, "Let me
go!"
" Softly," said the creature at his el
bow. "Softly. Why do you care for
that which you have already mort
gaged ? You are half mine already ; do
you know that ?"
" It is false !" cried old Hiram ; " I
cheat no man ; I belong to the church
and 1 subscribed 50 to the missionaries
a year ago."
The dark being smiled contemptu
ously, " Bring me Mr. Goi mley 's box,
be said.
And he who had conveved old Hiram
to the spot where he now stood, set
upon the table a box like that in which
la wyers keep the papers of their clients,
labelled "Hiram Gormley, Esq."
t rom the depth of this box he drew
pile of parchments, and read from
thence : " A mortgage on the soul of
Hiram Gormley, given from the day
when he turned his daughter from the
door. Another, when he seized old
Widow Potter's furniture for rent. An
other, when he took advantage of a flaw-
in the papers to evade the payment of a
just debt of his own. Another, when
he first began business, told fifty lies a
day and gave false weight and measure.
and one tremendous mortgage for pass-
sing through the world without one
loving, tender, sympathizing word for
mankind."
" Your soul bah ! What is it worth
now ?"
"I'll take it all back. I'll have my
daughter and her husband home. I'll
pay "
" 1 oo late !" said the dark creature;
"Too late, Hiram Gormley, too late
Hiram Gormley, too late!"
But the old man stretched out his
hands, screamed aloud in terror, and
fell back into unconsciousness.
When Mrs. Gormley returned from
the dinner-party, she found her hus
band stretched upon the hearth-rug,
with a blue lump upon his forehead as
large as a hen's egg.
When lie related his adventure she
considered it a dream, and laid the
blame upon the old port in the decanter
on the sideboard; but dream or reality.
it had a strange influence upon old
Hiram, for in a week he was reconciled
to his daughter, had ignored the flaw
and made the settlement, performed
various unw onted acts oT charity, and
was iu fact an utterly changed and bet
ter man.
A Disjointed Can.
As he sat there, strapped to a three
legged stool and with an old barrel organ
before him grinding out " Oh ! Susan
nah," he was an object of great pity,
Both limbs were off above the knees,
the right arm was missing above the
elbow, half of the left ear was gone
and the right eye in gloom. He wore a
mouse and a iatigue cap, besides a re
duced pair of trousers, and, as he sat
there, he stopped right in the middle of
Oh ! Sue " to wipe the sweat from
his scarred forehead, and in doing so
showed that two fingers of the left hand
were wanting.
In front of the organ was a weather-
beaten placard with such names as
"Chancellorville," " Lookout Moun
tain," "Fredericksburg," "Manasses,"
and a dozen other memorable fields. As
the crowd stood gazing at him 1'eter
I'arker one of the oldest residents of
town remarked : " Well stranger 'pears
s though you'd seen service, eh ?" The
veteran wied his chin, took a piece of
tobacco, and in opening his mouth to put
it in showed that twenty-seven out of
out of his thirty-two teeth were gone
somewhere or other. In fact, there
wasn't much of the man left.
In answer to old man Parker, he re
plied, " You struck the nail on the
head that time, pard, 'cause the facts
are, I'm beiu' buried iu instalments,
and there'll le a lively time gittin' me
together again on the gettin up morn
in'. That 'ere right leg, what used to
tit on tnat stump is decently buried
down at Culiepper Court House in a
little grave just beyond the bars. The
bovs plant flowers on it every sum
mer. The left leg which you see is
gone, is down in old Virginia, near to
Richmond, and has a tombstone over it
sayin, "'Here lies Pete Jones left leg,
which he lost in the Seven Days' fight.
Kequiescat in Pasem.
'They put a little flag on it on Deco
ration Day. That ere right arm is pre
served in alcohol in the army hospital at
Washington, and them two fingers
which is off is buried close to a big tree
at Gettysburg, where an appropriate
mark has been raised. I was down to
see my little graves last fall and was a
weepin' over 'em for some time. Them
'ere teeth is buried in Georgia, and I'm
afraid nobody is takin' care of 'em, and
that 'ere piece of ear was shot away to
nothin' at Old Oaks battlefield. You are
lookin' at my eye, are you ? Well, that's
doin' good service in a pertato field in
Albany, and " His remarks were
cut short by a plentiful supply of nick
els dropped in the tin cup, and the same
organ ground up the rest of "san-
nah."
Toilet Box.
The foundation of this pretty addition
to the toilet table is a very strong
card or wooden box: on the lid of this
are arranged five smaller boxes. The
foundation box measures twelve inches
long, teven inches wide and two inches
deep. The centre one of t V small boxes
on the top is larger, than the four others ;
the latter are all one size; they must be
carefully fixed to the lid of tbe founda
tion by strong glue. The boxes may
be made by glueing pieces of thin card
board into the required form and lining
them with tin foil ; they with the foun
dation are next covered with the sepa
rate petals of fir cones fixed with glue;
acorns, oak galls, the shells of beech
nuts, small fir cones, and seed vessels,
are arranged on tbe lid ot the foundation
according to taste. A small round pin
cushion is fixed to the lid of the centre
box which is ornamented to correspond
with the foundation. The outer cover
ing of a beech nut with a little of the
stalk attached is glued to the centre of
the lid of each of the little boxes to
form a handle to lift it off with. The
center box serves as a receptacle for
small articles of jewelry; the others for
powder, lip salve, pins, Jfcc. The foun
dation will answer for a glove or band
kerchief box after the whole Is com
pleted it should be varnished with good
copal varnish.
Closets.
So deeply rooted is tbe feminine pas
sion for closets that it Is doubtful if any
woman can live when totally deprived
of closets. There was an arrogant and
brutal husband who once built a house
without a single closet, merely in order,
as he said, to convince his wife that
closets are unnecessary. That unfortu
nate woman was well and strong when
she moved into the house, but three
days afterward she began to droop.
She would walk aimlessly from room to
room with a spare dress hanging on
her arm, and would make futile efforts
to hang It up on flies or casual spots on
the wall. She grew rapidly worse, and
at the end of the week a physician was
called In, who soon discovered what
was the matter, and Informed the hus
band that his wife's gyBtem Imperative
ly required closets. The cold-blooded
mousier explained that the house was
finished and that It was too late to fur
nish it with closets. Tbe physician felt
the force of the argument, and there
upon recommended "wardrobes" or
similar devices, not with the hope of
curing the patient, but as palliatives.
The brutal husband would not buy a
single wardrobe, and unfeelingly said
that his wife could put her things on
chairs. Being a conscientious man, the
doctor at once threw up the case, and
in a fortnight tbe woman died. There
is not the slightest doubt as to her dis
ease, and tbe doctor always main
tained that had her system been toned
up with two or three large closets she
would have recovered. What is the
origin of this intense devotion to closets
on the part of women? It does not
take any very close scrutiny to discover
a religious element In this peculiar
passion. Closets are worshipped, so to
speak, by women, not because they are
neoosary for man has demonstrated
that trunks, bureaus and chairs, meet
all the requirements of home life but
because they are the modern represen
tatives of the ancient and forgotten
shrines of the houshold divinities. Tbe
Roman matron had a closet, but she did
not use it for skirts and corsets. It was
sacred to her private god and goddess,
whose statues it held, and was really a
domestic temple. Heathenism died out,
but the custom of building a closet In
every house, exclusively for female
use, survived. In time the meaning of
tbe closet was forgotten, and it became
a depository of female garments. The
spirit of reverence, however, still lin
gered in the sex, and every woman felt
instinctiuely that the closet was sacred.
To-day no woman has the slightest idea
of the true meaning of her love for
closets, and would be surprised were
she told that a superstitious reverence
for the household temple, inherited
from distant and heathen ancestors.
still survives in her bosom. Tbe true
way to combat this feeling among wom
en is to expose iu origiu. Yi hat con
scientious woman is there who would
not turn in horror even from her best
parlor closet or her pet china store
room if she knew that her reverence
for closets was a remnant of heathen
ism? Let the real nature of the closet
passion be fully set fcrth, and we shall
soon find that good women will turn
from the closets of paganism and fix
their affections upon the bureaus.
trunks and chairs of the Christian
world.
Italian Brigandage.
Brigands aie liberal enough with
their money when they have got it.
St me times we fared well. We took
possession of a deserted house or we
quartered ourselves on the 'Manuten-
goli, and were very comfortable, but at
other times a cellar would be our habi
tation, or a deserted sulphur mine."
And are the brigands honorable and
just among themselves?" "Highly so;
more civilized communities would do
well to imitate them. They treated me
with the utmost kindness. 1 declined
sharing the booty on the ground that I
did not want money, and managed to
dissuade Leone from a marauding ex
pedition from which he hoped for much
piofit." "It must have been an tin-
pleasant position." "Yes, indeed, if I
had let word or gesture betray me,
my end would indeed have been horri
ble. How 1 -slept I know not. 1 knelt
at night with my eye at any opening I
could find in my nocturnal habitation
and my finger on the trigger of my
gun." "And had you no feeling of
compunction at the thonght of betray
ing these poor people, your hosts, after
having lived with them, as it were, en
famiHef" "Xone at all. What would
become of us carabineers if we were to
be afflicted with any sickly sentimen
tality?" "But the plot was discov
ered?" "Yes, alas! just as it was ripe
for the grand finale. Tbe ship was in
the harbor ; Leone had agreed to em
bark, when some ver-realous carabi
neers. Ignorant of the plot, fell upon us
that is, a small party of us and cap
tured us, myself and my men, with a
few of the brigands; the rest, with their
leader, escaped and we were of course
obliged to declare ourselves. I must
confess to a feeling of tremor when
circumstances obliged me to revisit
Sicily after that, Leone was still at
large and very powerful.' He swore
that if he captured roe he would leave
nothing of me but my finger nails, and
it did so happen that he had laid his
plans to waylay the very coach in which
I traveled, al thought he did not know
that I was in it- It was by the merest
accident that we took another road and
so escaped. Xow he is dead. All my
brigands.are dead." "Did any one of
them die a natural death?" Xo, not
one; they all met wi:h the fate they de
served." Forty years ago the Romagna was
much infested by brigands, and it was
at a little town caiiea ronmpopoiu,
which travellers sometimes pass in tbe
railway, that the famous Passatorl exe
cuted one of his most daring exploits.
All the rank and fashion of tbe place
were assembled at the theatre In eager
expectation of the rising of the curtain.
It rose and disclosed to view a company
of brigands with their guns pointed at
tbe audience. There was rapturous
applause. The thing was so lifelike.
But a change came over the audience
when the foremost brigand stepped for
ward and made tbe following startling
announcement: "Ladies and gentle
men, my name is Passatorl. Tbe thea
tre is surrounded, the actors and ac
tresses already secured. Seek not to
escape or resist. The first who moves
will be shot." Xot a sound was heard.
Tbe terror-stricken audience seemed
turned into stone. The ladies, who a
minute before had been coquettisbly
fluttering their fans, all smiles, chatter
and animation, now looked like so many
waxwork figures, still as death with
stupefied faces and staring eyes; the
men not all scared, but pale and motion
less, aware that there was nothing for
it but to submit. "Now, then," said
the bold brigand, "the Marquis of S.
will just go home and fetch me 10,000
francs; the Count of R. will bring me
8,000; their ladies will remain as hos
tages for their return." Tbe orders
were obeyed; and Passatorl, when sat
isfied that he had obtained all there
was to obtain from the aristocracy of
this little town, ' thanked his victims
withcharmlngafTibility : "Good night,
ladies and gentlemen; I am charmed to
have made your acquaintance. I leave
my guards at the doors, and you will
have the goodness to remain where you
are for another two hours that is, un
til I am safe off." That brigand must
have had a strong sense of humor.
Another prided himself on being a per
ftct gentleman, and when he kidnapped
a proprietor kept him well supplied
with cigars and pocket money, and on
the arrival of the ransom, speeded the
parting guest with thousand francs
for the journey and many regrets that
he had been put to so much inconven
ience.
The filial piety of brigands is prover
bial. One old miscreant being at last
captured, after a long life of successful
crime, his prison was besieged by a
troop of children and grandchildren,
all in the same line of life, who could
not rest until they had obtained his
blessing. The sceue was affecting: the
old man blessed them aud trusted they
might bring credit on the glorious name
which bad become illustrious through
him. They promised to follow faith
fully in his footsteps, and tore them
selves weeping from his embrace. Tbe
darker side of tbe picture Is illustrated
by the story of the brigandess, who,
having conquered the heart of her jail
or, fled from prison in company with
him. They traveled together to join the
brigand camp which she ruled, and
where the jailor, thought he should be
made tbe happiest of men, loaded with
rewards and overwhelmed with grati
tude. He was mistaken. Safe with
her own people, the first order given by
the chieftainess was that her deliverer
should be shot.
Taste in the Selection of Colors.
Public taste in flowers, as in fruits,
animals and dress, is undoubtedly gen
erally in sympathy with strong colors.
A bouquet strong in its blue, red and
yellow gorgcousness w ill catch the eye
and oien the purse of the average
man and woman, while the more lovely
blendingof subdued tints will be passed
unnoticed. Animals of bright color
will often find a purchaser, when those
not fashionable as to color, but far bet
ter in all that constitutes val'ie, will be
passed unnoticed. Thus red apples,
red-cheeked pears and peaches, high
colord plums and cherries, will outsell
their more sober colored relatives, al
though intrinsically the lighter colored
fruits may be far better to the taste. In
flowers, however, there are but two
things to be considered, elegance in
shajie and color, and perfume. In nine
cases out of ten, except among the edu
cated tastes, the masses of bloom will be
found to be composed almost entirely
of blue, red and yellow. The more
tender colors, the neutral ones, and es
peciilly white, are often kept entirely
out, or very sparsely used. Even among
such common flowers as candytuft, an
nual phlox, verbena and petunias, we
seldom see beds of pure white. They
are not only elegant to true taste, but
indispensable for bouquets, especially
in subdued lights, or for evening par
ties. The ileal Xaines of Actors.
The Real Names of Actors, Actresses
aud other professional characters are
often very different from those by which
they figure before tbe foot-lights. E.
A. Sot hern's right name is Douglas
Stewart; John T. Raymond's, John
O'Brien; Barney Williams's, Barney
O'FIatherty. Adelaide Xeilson is Mrs.
Lee; Lydia Thomson, Mrs. Alexander
Henderson; Mme. Janauscbek Mrs.
Frederick I'll lot; Clara Morris, Mrs.
Fred. Harriott; Lotta, Charlotte Crao
tree:MmeModjeska, Countess Bozenta;
Adelaide Ristorl, Marchioness Cap
ran ica Del Grillo. Mrs. Scott-SIddon's
married name is Canter, but her hus
band took the name of Scott In deference
to family prejudices, and the wife, un
willing to lose her maiden name, joined
the two. Mme. Eugenie Pappenbelm is
Mrs. Ahrens; lima di Murska, Mrs.
Hill (her fifth marriage); Blondin, tbe
rope-walker, is Emile Gravelet; Ole
Bull, Ole Borneman Bull; Texas Jack
is John Omohundro, and Mile Mor
lacchi, the dancer, is bis wife. Josquin
Miller Is Charles Miller; Ell Perkins,
Melville D. Landon; Josh Billings,
William G. Sbaw. " '
, A Phenomenal Tramp. - '
A seedy-looking tramp called at Hor
ton's Hotel, at Jericho; L. I., last
Christmas, registered bis name and was
warmed and fe. ' The ho-t was amused
when he asked for bis bill, protesting
that he might have money some time,
and if he did he would certainly pay.
Mr. Hortou was surprised a few days
ago by the reception of the following
note, dated at Plalnfleld, X. J., and en
closing a twenty-five cent stamp:
Jfr. Jlortnn.
Dkab Sir: As true as living, this is
the first twenty-five cent bill I have
been able to get a hold of since I owed it
to you last Christmas. Please excuse
my neglect and accept an apology. You
will find my name on your book.
F. A. PrarriR, 45 years old.
Lost in the Pantechnicon.
The London Timet, in giving a rtmme
of the losses by the fire which destroyed
the .Pantechnicon, says: "A gentle
man writing from Nice informs the
proprietors that he has most unfortu
nately, as it happens, left bis jewel-case
in a large black leather box In the room
which he had hired at the Pantechni
con. The case contained, among other
things, a most valuable diamond neck
lace, a diamond Priuce of Wales plume;
a diamond, emerald, and opal bandeau ;
several diamond brooches and earrings;
a three-row pearl necklace, with a large
cluster of diamonds in the centre;
rings, cameos, snuff-boxes, all of great
value to him. All these are believed to
be lost. Mr. Authur Westmacott, a son
of the late Sir Richard Westmacott, bad
in the building some small, but valu
able, bronzes of a date long before the
Christian Era, a large marble statuette
of tbe Venus de Medicis, some splendid
copies of Virgil on vellum, and a large
quantity of valuable books. Tbe
brouzes and the statuette, though some
what damaged, have been recovered,
but the rest of his property is destroyed.
For many years past the proprietors
have bad on their premises a large
painting, 20 feet high by 15 feet wide,
by a painter named Day, representing
the slaughter of the Holy Innocents,
and the Flight of Joseph and Mary,
estimated to be worth 4,900 guineas.
This, also, was among the things de
stroyed."
The British Climate.
The climate of the greater part of
England is never seriously cold nor
uncomfortably hot barely cold enough
in winter to be thoroughly disagreea
ble, and not warm enough In summer
to give a good variety of vegetable pro
ducts. Snow seldom falls to a depth of
more than two or three inches, and
rarely lie upon the ground twenty-
four hours alter it has fallen. Ice,
thick enough for skating is a luxury
that may be enjoyed once or twice in
tbe course of a whole winter, and even
then it must be promptly made use of,
for it never tarries loug. The sound of
the merry sleigh bell is quite un
known, and juvenile England finds
sleds and skates not very useful prop
erty. In the fall, frosts come early, and
deciduous trees soou drop their leaves,
vet the English laudseape never looks
dreary in w inter. The meadows look
greau and fresh, even in January and
February, aud holly, English ivy, box,
and other evergreens are so abundant,
that midwinter is anything but a dull
and cheerless season. The English ivy
seems almost omnipresent. Old chur
ches and walls are covered with it; the
hedge rows are alive with it, and even
the trees are often green to their very
tops with dense masses of the clinging
ivy. The average daily temperature of
the month of January for fifty years
past, at Greenwich, has been about 37
deg., aud the thermometer rtrely sinks
as low as 20 deg. A temperature, in
the locality ol London, of zero, or even
of ten degrees above that point, is some
thing that is known only to the ''oldest
inhabitant." During the whole of last
winter no ice formed of sufficient thick
ness to bear the weight of a boy of 12
years, and snow at no time fell to the
depth of as much as two inches. That
wa an unusually moderate winter,
however.
When spring approaches, the trees
begin to bud early, but their advance
ment is very slow, and, though the new
leaves give the trees a faint color of
green, even in March, it is fully as late
as in our own climate before they are
in full leaf. This slow growth ot vege
tation is one of the remarkable circum
stances connected with this peculiar
climate. Wheat looks green and thrif
ty in March, and in the early part of
July still shows no signs of ripening.
The wheat harvest in the south and
central parts of England rarely begins
before the first weeks of August, in the
north, September finds them taking in
their grain, and in Scotland a large
part of the wheat is not harvested un
til the e: rly part of October. Potatoes,
which, in the I'nited States come up in
three weeks after planting, here take
seven or eight weeks in getting above
the ground. There is a wonderful dif
ference in the approach of spring iu the
United States and in England. In the
former, when the cold weather is over,
the forces of nature, which have been
chained for a season, burst forth almost
impetuously, aud everything rapidly
takes on a new life. Vegetation advan
ces by leaps, as it were. In England,
plant life creeps toward maturity. Win
ter is a protracted season of our March
weather, and when March really comes
the change is not a great one. April Is
raw and disagreeable; May is cool, but
pleasant; and June is merely warm
no more. In every summer there are
numerous days in July, the warmest
month In Great Britain when over
coats are positively comfortable, and
there are very few days when fires are
not needed at morning and evening.
Captain 8eth Barney.
During the war of 1812 Captain Seth
Barney, resided at Erie, Pennsylvania.
He volunteered and was in the service,
and while the British had command of
the lake, before Perry's battle, Septem
ber 10, 1813, he would sail his little
craft from port to port, and evade the
vigilant British cruisers, and had seve
ral narrow escapes of being taken pris
oner. He made, however in safety many
trips to Buffalo, and brought sup
plies for the American fleet then build
ing at Erie. One shareholder of the
Diligence having no home ot his own,
spent much of his time on the vessel,
and was always exceedingly anxious to
stand his watch at the belm ; but while
the Captain was willing to indulge
him he was afraid to trust him. One
night after reaching Detroit River, with
a head wind, it was found that no head
way could be made, Barney went to
the bows and dropped anchor, deciding
to lay by until the wind should be pro
pitious and told the watch to "turn in."
Then he approached his proprietor and
told him he could stand trick if he
wished, as the boys were very tired
The new wheelsman was soon dressed
and stationed at the helm, and was told
by the captain to steer by a certain star
in full view, and keep a sharp lookout
for lights, and if any were seen, to call
him. Barney then turned in and took
a good nap uatil he heard the breeze
rattling among the sails and riggings
wheu be got up and going on deck,
asked the steersman how he got along
" We must be near Detroit," was the
reply. "Call the boys, says the cap
tain. "Oh, never mind," said the
owner; " let them sleep; they are very
tired, and I can do anything you want
done." " Very well, then," says Bar
ney," go to the bows and raise the an
chor.. This was too much aud the
would be sailor after that never wanted
to hear of his standing trick at the helm
for four hours, while the schooner lay
at anchor, and never liked the skipper
after that. Barney boarded several
winters with one of the owners of the
schooner and was always in debt to him
before winter was half over. Tbe
landlord was a good horseman and as
a Judge of horse flesh had few
equals but he knew very little about
oxen. Finding it necessary to buy a
pair for his own use, he employed Isra
el Miller, a cattle dealer and customer
of his, to secure him a good voke. A
few days after that Miller drove into
the yard, aud called the landlord out to
examine his purchase. The landlord
was highly pleased and paid for tbe
oxen, and Miller took his money and
went down street While this was be
ing done Barney went to look at the
cattle(of which he was no judge) came
back to the bar-room and asked the
owner what he paid for them and
how old they were? Being told they
were six years old, he asserted that
they are a great deal older than
that for they had not a single tooth in
their upper jt!" The landlord in great
haste went to the barn, made the exam
ination, and found the Captain had told
him the truth, and in a great rage
started after Miller, and gave his opin
ion of him in words harsh and severe.
Miller, who had been posted by Barney
told him an ox never had single teeth
in their upper jaw. The other said that
was a lie and be could prove it by Cap
tain Barney ; but w hen called upon him
they do say he discovered that he had
been sold. Barney's habits were not
good, and sailor-like he ever lived up
withhis income,aud after driftingon tbe
lakes many years, drew a land warrant
from the government for his services,
and located it in Wisconsin, and proba
bly ended his days there as be has not
been heard from for some time, but he
was in his day known to almost
every resident of Erie and vicinity.
Wood Cutting.
The English are not a singularly in
ventive people, but when a new idea
does strike them it is painfully elabor
ted. A portable steam saw which re
quires four men to lift, and several
minutes to adjust it to the tree, has re
cently been tried near London. It is
said to be capable of cutting down an
elm of three feet thick in eight min
utes, and some sapient gentleman pro
nounced their opinion that it was a
perfect success, and would be of great
service, particularly in clearing Ameri
can, Indian and Colonial forests. We
wonder whether these judges have any
idea of the short time that it takes four
Canadian axmen to drop a 3-foot birch
or maple, and of the accuracy with
which it is made to fall w herever the
choppers may please ? Even a couple
of expert axmen could, we imagine, fell
a "3-foot elm" in less time than it
would take to get this new machine in
to position. Yet tbe sage of Hawardeu
chops away with an implement some
thing like a cross between a bill lunik
and a meat axe, and has only very re
cently heard of the "American chop
ping ax," which, he is graciously
pleased to remark, "seems well adap
ted to its purpose." What the lumber
man who knows the "points" of an
axe as the trainer does those of a horse,
and who keeps its edges as keen as a
razor, would say to such a dilettante
member of the craft might be amusing
to us and instructive to him.
Don't Judge.
Don't judge a inau by the clothes he
wears, for God made one, and the tail
or the other.
Don't judge him by his family con
nection, for Cain belonged to a very
good family.
Don't judge a man by his failure in
life, for many a man fails because he is
too honest to succaed.
Don't judge him by his speech, for
the parrot talks, and the tongue is but
an instrument of sound.
Ikn't judge a man by the house he
lives in, for the lizzard and tbe rat
often inhabit the grandest structures.
Don't judge him for his activity In
church, for that is not unfrequently in
spired by hypocritical and selfish mo
tives. Don't judge him by his like of dis
play, for the long eared beast is the
humblest of animals, but when aroused
is terrible to behold.
Don't take for granted that becanse
h carries th contribution box be l
liberal he often pays the Lord in that
w ay and keeps the currency.
Earrings.
The Roman ladies of olden times used
earrings of pearls and precious stones,
and not unfrequently, like some of the
North American Indians, they had three
or four of these ornaments pendant to
each ear, which, uulike the Indian trin
kets of the present day at least were of
immense value. The Moors of Africa
were also noted for the use of the same
ornaments. Many of the busts of the
heathen gods have been found to have
earrings, or holes pierced in the ears for
that purpose. Some investigators of
antiquity have considered this to be
characteristic of the busts of divinities.
but this opinion does not appear to be
well founded, as there are many well
known statues of mortals which have
the ears pierced.' The fine bust of
Caracalla, in the Villa Borghese, which
Is affixed to a statue of Hercules, has
only the right ear pierced.
A Moonlight Ride mad Iu Reralta.
Many years ago, when the city of
Providence was quite a village, an oH
honse stood in a lonely place a couple
of miles from town It was iu the centre
of a large tract of land that had one
been laid out in walks and garden spot,
and miniature lakes, for the occupants
of the house had cultivated tastes, and
the money with which to gratify them
so you may be sure it was a very beauti
ful place.
But one dreadful night a murder was
committed there, and then it was
vacant for years, for tbe people,
more su(erstUious in those days than
they are now, believed that ghosts in
habited it, and no one could be found
who would live In it. There it stood
year after year, uninhabited and alone,
the lovelydowers choked with weeds,
the once well-kept walks overgrown
with clover and grass the fruit ripening
and falling ungathered to the ground,
for no school boy however daring ven
tured to enter those walls.
At the time my stories opens, a party
of young men, my grandfather among
the number had planned a moonlight
excursion, on horsebeck, to a neighbor
ing town, aud alter some debate as to
the place of meeting, they decided wu
the front yard of this old house, as they
did not believe in ghosts aud the selec
tion of the place exactly suited them.
My grandfather arrived first at tbe
place of meeting, and tying his horse.
he sat down on the door stoop to await
the coming of his companions. It was
very still. Xo sound was to be heard
save the occasional note of the whip
por.will.or the chirping of some insect,
He had sat upon the step some min
utes, aud had become quite lost in medi-
tatiou w hen he was startled by three
loud raps, breaking the stillness of the
evening air, followed by a deep sepul-
.hral voice saying: "Arise ye dead.
and come to judgment !" My grand
father jumped to his feet and looked
around hut could see nothing. He
pinched himself to make sure be was
not dreaming, and peered around the
corners and into the windows of the
house and finally concluding it was his
imagination playiug. him a trick, be
seated himself again on the door stone.
He had not sat long however, wheu the
three loud raps ran out again sharply
aud tbe same deep voice said after
them, in measured accents, the words
uttered before.
This time my grandfather was con
vinced that he was not dreaming. Great
drops of perspiration stood out upon
his brow. He arose and looked all
around him as before, but could discov
er nothing. He then went to the gate
to look for his companions, but none
of them were in sight.
I should not care to tell them, if
they were here, he muttered to himself
as he returned to the house, and com
mence to pace back anil forth for he
could not again sit down.
"What could it have been?" he sud
denly exclaimed, in a resolute tone, as
he stopped in bis walk. "If it is a
ghost it cannot harm me, and come what
will, I am determined to solve this mys
tery." So saying he opened the door
and went into the hall, but there was
nothing to be seen save several bats
flapping their wings in the damp air.
The paper hung trom the walls iu long
shreds ami was covered with mould
and the accumulated dust of years.
The noise had seemed to come from
above so he began to ascend, the stairs,
which were very old and rickety, and
threatened to give way at every step.
As he got near the top. the moon shone
out suddenly from behind a cloud with
astrangebrilliancyth.it gave a weird
ghostly look to everything around. My
grandfather stopped, uncertain whether
to proceed or go ba ,-k before it was too
late. His heart beat so loudly he could
hear it, and his knees knocked together
so he could hardly stand. Just here the
three loud knocks began again, and de
cided him. He bounded forward and
just as his head appeared above the
landing, he saw sitting on the floor by
a window in the hall, a poor old man,
with long whi:e hair was streaming
over his shoulders ami a stick with
which h; gave the t! r: raps.
My grandfather recognized him as an
old man who had wandered about Prov
idence and vicinity for years sometimes
begging his bread, sometimes living
upon the fruits and nuts he gathered In
the woods.
He was slightly deranged, but as he
had no friends, anil was perfectly harm
less, the city authorities had allowed
him to go his way unmolested. This
poor old man had taken up his abode in
the uninhabited house, and in his crazy
fancy, believinghimself the judge of the
dead, he had given the raps and spoken
the words which had always been attri
buted to ghosts.
Of course the discovery exploded the
ghost story, and my grandfather was
quite a hero for some time among the
young people of Providence and what
was better still, the poor, half crazy
old man was taken care of by the citi
zens ever afterwards.
Calculations For Whlut Playing.
The chances against holding seven
trumps are 100 to 1 ; against 6 it is 20 to
1 ; against five, 6 to 1, and against four,
nearly 2 to 1. It is 3 to 1 against
holding any two particular cards. The
chance is equal in dealing cards that
every hand will have seven trumps in
two deals, or seven trumps between
two parties, and also four courts in
every deal. This is so certain on an
average of hands that nothing can be
more superstitious and absurd than the
prevailing notions about luck or ill
luck. The chance of having a particu
lar card out of thirteen is 13-53, or 1 to
5, and the chance of holding any two
cards is 1-1 of 1-4, or 1-10. Tbe chances
of a game are generally inversely as the
number got by each or as the number
to be got to complete the games. And
to tbe above it may be added that the
chances are about 2 to 1 that your fair
partner will put the thirteenth trump
on your ac.
i n
i t