i jlflllll B. F. SCHWEIER, THE COSSTITTJTIOK-THE TTSIOI-AOT THE ESrOEOEMEHT OF THE LAVS. Editor and Proprietor. VOL. XXXII. MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1S78. NO. 43. 1 THK PATH THROUGH TBI CORS. Warm and bright In the summer air. ' Like a pleasant aea when the wind blows fair. And its roughest breath had scarcely cnrled The green highway to a distant world. ' Soft whispers passing from share to shore. As from hearts content, yet desiring more Who feels all forlorn. Wandering thus down the path through ths corn. A short space since, and the dead tear ay Mouldering under the hedgerow gray So hnm of insects, nor voice of bird. O'er the desolate field was ever heard; Only at ere the pallid sdow Blushed rose-red in the red snn-glow; TilL one blest morn, 8bot up into life the yonng green corn. Small and feeble, slender and pale. It bent its head to the winter gale, Harkened the wren's soft note of cheer, Hardly believing that spring was near; Saw chestnuts bad oat. and cham ions blow. And daisies mimic the Tarnished snow Where it was born. On either aide of the path through the corn.' The corn, the oorn, the beautiful oorn. Rising wonderful, morn br morn. Then just in reach of a child's wee hand. Then growing, growing tall, brave and strong. With the voioe of new harvests in its song; While in fond aoorn The lark out-carols the whispering corn. A strange, sweet path, formed day by day, How, when and wherefore we cannot say. No more than of our life-paths we known, Or whether our eyes shall erer see The wheat in the ear, or the fruit on the tree; Yet, who's forlorn ? Ue who watered the furrows can ripen the oorn. Mrs- Primkins' Surprise. Mrs. Primkins was alone in the house, and she licgan to talk to herself over a letter whicn she lielJopeu in her hand. It was from the mother of Xini- h. a little girl who was boarding with Mrs. Primkins, and it contained a ten dollar bill. "Wants to have a birthday party! Humph: I must say I can't see the good of pampering childrens' folks now a days ! v hen I was young, now, we had something to think of besides tine clothes, unwholesome food, and world 1 v dissolution ! I must say I think Mis' Kievor has some very uncommon no tions! Hows'ever," she went on, con templating fondly the bill she still held in her hand, "I do' know's I have any call to fret my gizard if she chooses to potter away her money. I don t see my way clear to refuse altogether to do w hat she asks, as long as the child's on my hands. Ten dollars. Humph! She 'hopes it'll be enough to provide a little supper for them !' It's my pri vate opinion that it will, and a mite over for for other things," she ad ded, resolutely closing her lips with a snap. "I ain't such a shiftless mana ger as all that comes to, I do hope. It won't take no ten dollars to give a birthday party in my house, I bet a cookey '" That night when supper was over, Ximpo sat down with the family by the table, which held one csndle that dim ly lighted the room, to finish a book she was reading. Not that the kitchen was the only room in the house. Mrs. Prinikius had plenty of rooms, but they were toochoice for every -day use. They were always tightly closed, with green paper shades down, lest the blessed sunshine should get a peep at her gaudy red and green carpets, and put the least mellowing touch on their crude and rasping colors. Ximpo thought of the lest parlor with a sort of awe which she never lelt toward rny room in her mother's house. Ximpo," said Mrs. Primkins at last when she had held hack the news till Ximpo had finished her book, and was nbout to go up stairs, "wait a bit. .1 got a letter from your ma to-day." "Did you!" exclaimed Ximpo, quite alarmed. "Oh! what is the matter?" "Don't fly into tificks! Xothing is the matter," said Mrs. Primkins. "Is she coming home?" "Xo, not yet" fell like cold water on her warm hones. "But she says to morrow is your birthday." "Why, so it is!" said Ximpo, reflect ing. "I never thought of it." "Wal, she thinks perhaps I'd best let you have a few girls to tea on that day, if it won't be too much or a cnore me." Mrs. Primkins went on. for Ximpo's face was radiant. "Oh, Mrs. Primkins. if you will!" But it fell again. "But where could they be?' for trespassing on the dismal glories of the Primkins' parlor bad never en tered her wildest dreams. "I've thought of that," said Mrs. Primkins. grimly. "Of course, I could not abide a pack of young ones tranip- inr up my best parlor carpet, ana I thought mebbe I'd put a few things up in the second story, and let you have 'em there." The second story was ua furnished. "Oh, that will be sple.idid," said Xiinpo eagerly. "But but," she hesitated "could they take tea here?" anil she glanced around the kitchen, which was parlor, sitting room, dining room, and, in fact, almost the only . really useful room in the house. The front part Mrs. Prinikius enjoyed as ojher people enjoy pictures, or other beautiful things looking at them but not using them- "Xo; I shall set the table in the back chamber, and let you play in the front chamber. We can put some chairs in and I'm sure a bare floor is more suit able for a pack of young ones." Mrs. Primkins always spoke of chil dren as wild beasts, w ho must be en dured, to be sure, but carefully looked ' after, like wolves or hyenas. "Oh, yes ! We wouldn't be afraid of hurting that! Oh, that'll be splendid !" continued Ximpo, as the plan grew on her. "I thank you so much, Mrs. Primkins! and we'll be so careful!" "Humph!" said Mrs. rrimkius, not thinking it necessary to tell her that her mother had sent money to cover the ex pense. "You're a master hand to promise." '. "I know I forget sometimes," said Ximpo, penitently. "But I'll rettty try to be "careful this time." "Wal," said Mrs. Primkins, in con- elusion, as she folded her knitting and brought out the bed-room candles, "If you don't hector me nigh about to death I'll lose my guess. But as I'm in for it now, you may as well briug the girls when yon come home from school to morrow. Then you'll have time to play before supper, for their mothers will want them home before dark." "Do you care whom I invite?" asked Ximpo, pausing with the door open on tier way to bed. "Xo. I do' know's I do. Your inti mate frieuds, your ma said." "Uh, goody," said Ximpo, as she skipped tip stairs, two at a time "won t we have fun! now nice it'll be! The next morning she was off, bright ana early, and, before the bell rang, every girl in the school knew that Xim- po was going to have a birthday party and was wondering if she would be in vited. At recess she issued her invita tions, every one of which was prompt ly accepted, and in the afternoon all came in their best dresses, ready to go home with Ximpo, At four o'clock they were dismissed and impo marshaled her guests and started. Now, the truth was, that the girls had been so verv lovely to her when she was invitiug, that she touud it hard to distinguish between intimate mends and those not quite so intimate so sue hud asked more than she rea lized till she saw them started up the street. However, she had not been limited as to numbers, so she gave her self no concern, as she gavly led the way. Meanwhile, the Primkins family had been busy. After the rooming work was done, Mrs. Primkins and her daughter Augusta made a loaf of plain wholesome cake, a couple of tins of biscuits, and about the same number of cookies with caraway seeds in them After dinner they carried a table into the back chamber and spread the feast. Xitupo's mother had sent, as a birthday present, a new set of toy dishes, it had arrived by stage while Ximpo was at school, and been carefully concealed from her, and Augusta, who had not yet forgotten that she was once young herself though it was many years he- tore thought it would be nice to serve the tea on these dishes. Xot being able to think of any serious objection, and seeing advantage in the small pieces re quired to till them, Mrs. Primkins had consented, and Augusta had arranged a very pretty table, with its white and gilt china. The biscuits and cookies were cut small to match, and, when ready, it looked very cunning, with tiny slices of cake and one little dish of jelly from the top shelf of Mrs. Prim kins' pantry. During the afternoon a boy came up from the store ( N'iiiipo's father was country merchant) with a large basket, 111 which were several pounds of nuts and raisins and candy, which her father had ordered by letter. Everything was prepared, and Mrs Primkins had put on a clean checked apron, to do honor to the occasion, and sat down in her rocker, feeling that she had earned her rest, when Augusta's voice sounded from np stairs, "Ma, do look down the street." Mrs. Primkins went to the window and looked towards the village, and was struck with horror. "Goodness gracious! Why, what under the canopy? Did you ever came from her lips in quick succession, for there was Ximpo, the centre of very mob of girls, all in Sunday best, as Mrs. Primkins' experienced eye saw at a glance. Ma!" exclaimed Augusta, rustling down "I do believe that young one has invited the whole school." The trollop !" was all Mrs. Trim- kins could get out in her exasperation "I'd send 'cm right straight home!" said Augusta, indignantly. "It's just a burning shame!" "Mercy on us! This is a pretty ket tle of fish !" gasped Mrs. Primkins, "I wouldn't stand it! So there!" said Augusta sharply. . "I never did see such a child ! I'd just send every chick and child home, and let Ximpo take her supper in her own room to pay her off. Things have come to a pretty pass, I think." . "I never did!' ejaculated Mrs. Prim kins, not yet recovering her ordinary powers of speech. "Shall I go out and meet them, and send them packing?" asked Augusta. "Xo," said her mother reluctantly, remembering the unbroken bill in her "upper drawer." "I don't know's I have a right to send them back. I did not tell her how many, but, mercy on us. who'd dream of such a raft! If there's one there's forty, I do declare!" "That's the meaning of those enor mous packages of nuts and things from the 6tore," said Augusta, "that we thought were enough for an army." "But the table," gasped Mrs. Prim kins. "For such crowd ! Augusta, fly around like a parched pea, and lock the doors of that room, till I think what we can do. This is a party with a vengeance!" Augusta obeyed, and was none too quick, for the girls crowded Into the front chamber before she had secured the doors. Being a "party," of course they had to go Into the house. But as soon as they had thrown off their slat sun-bon nets which was In about one second and began to look around the bare room, to see what they should do next, Ximpo was seized with a bright idea. "Girls, let's go out in the yard and play till tea time," she said, and the next moment sun-oonnets were re sumed, and the whole troupe tramped down the back stairs, Ximpo not dar ing, even on this festive occasion, to disturb the silence of the solemn front hall, and the gorgeous colored stair carpet. In two minutes tney were deep in the game of "Pom-pom-peel- iwit," and now was Mrs. rrinikins' chance to lay in extra supplies. For an hour the games went on In the side yard, while a steady stream came in by the front door the grand front door and up the august suits, carrying bread, cakes, dishes, saucers, ( etc".', etc., till there was a tolerable sup-( ply, and Mrs. Primkins was in debt to the neighbors for numerous loaves of bread and cake, and dishes of "pre serves." At five o'clock the girls were called In, and, before their sharp young appe tites, everything disappeared like dew in the sunshine. It was a queer meal bread of various shapes and kinds, and not a large supply; .cakes, an equal! miscellaneous collection, from cupcake which old Mrs. Kellogg had kept in jar two months, "in case a body shonl drop In unexpected," to bread cake fresh from some one else's oven ; cook iesof a dozen kinds; doughnuts and ginger cakes, ami half a dozen dishes of sweet-meats, no two alike. But all deflcieuces were forgotten when they came to the nuts and can Dies, for of these there was no lack Augusta had filled every extra dish In the house witn these delightful things and I sadly fear the children ate a very large amount of trash. But they had good time. I lie entertainment was exactly to their liking little bread and butter, and plenty of candy and rai sins. It was incomparably superior to ordinary teas, where bread predomina ted and candy was limited. ' After eating everything on the table, putting the remainder of the candy in their pockets, as Ximpo insisted, they flocked into the front room, where Mrs Primkins told them they might play a while, if they would not make a noise as a little sprinkle of rain had come up, To insure quietness, each girl took off her shoes, and played in stocking feet on the bare, rough floor, "blind-mac i huff," "hunt the slipiier," and other games for an hour or more. Suddenly Ximpo held up her foot "Girls, look there!" and Ximpo's tone was tragic. 1 he soles of her stockings were in awful holes! All eyes were instantly turned on her, and forty feet were simultaneously elevated to view. The tale was the same; every stocking sole was black as the ground and worn to rags. What will ma say ?" rose in horror to every lip. This awful thought sobered them at once, and, finding it getting dark, the shoes were hastily sought out of the pile in the corner, suu-bonnetsdonned and slowly the long procession moved down the back stairs and out again into the street. Ximpo flung herself onto the little bed in her room and sighed with hap piness. "Oh ! wasn't it splendid and I know mauima'U forgive my stockings. He- ides, I'll wash them myself, ami d:irn them." The St, Gotluu-a Tonael. The greatest tunnel now being bored s the St. Gothard, under the Alps, to connect Germany with Italy, as the Mount Cenis tunnel connected France with Italy. The money Is furnished by Germans, Swiss and Italians. A Lou- don paper gives the following account of the present condition of the great work, which will be eight miles long when compleied : On the north side of the mountain a length of tunnel of 11,053 feet was pierced, of which 3,326 feet was made p.-acticable, being 1,50 metres less than was calculated on in the estimates. Difficulties in the work- nig account for its falling off. Ip to November the rock has been gneiss mi' ca of easy working, but at that time the workmen came on beds of serpentine, which required thirty-three kilogram mes of dynamite per metre double of what was needed for the gneiss for blasting. The faces of the tunnel pro ceeds at the rate of 200 metres per month on an average. On the south side 4,381 feet have been pierced, in stead of 5,100 as estimated, and in the tunnel of Airolo there is a falling off of 1.0C0 feet from the estimate quantity for the year. Here the rock met with has been chiefly quartz, rendering the perforation very difficult. On the whole, therefore, the progress has been nowhere so great as was anticipated, but the directors hope still that the line may be completed by the end of 18S1, n the case of non-completion in that time the extra expense will be about ,000,000 francs a year, which they are naturally desirous to avoid. Seventy of the Ferroux piercing machines are constantly at work at the great tunnel, and sixty-four other machines are at hand in case they should be needed. The number of workmen employed va ries considerably with the year; thus in February there were only 1,176 at the north end and 1,542 at the south, while in September there were 1,655 at the north, and in July 3,224 at the south end. These workmen are directed by from 48 to 150 engineers. The black list shows 31 men wounded and CO killed in the tunnel since the begin ning of the work. Morning Work. A bad custom is prevalent in many families, especially among farmers, of working an hour before breakfast, at tending to "chores," hoeing the gar den, cutting wood, mowing, etc. This is convenient on many accounts, but is not conducive to health. The preva lent opinion is that the morning air is the purest and most healthful, and bra cing, but the contrary is the fact. At no hour of the day is the air more filled with dampness, fogs, and miasmas than about sunrise. The heat of the sun gradually dissipates these miasmatic influences as the day advances. An early meal braces up the system against these influences. Every one knows the languor and faintness often expe rienced for the first hour in the morn- ng, and this is increased by exercise and want of food. We do not agree with the boarding school regime, which prescribed a long walk before break fast as a meant of promoting health. Probably the best custom would be to furnish every member of the family, especially those who labor out of doors, a cup of coffee immediately after ari sing from bed. Simple Watr Testa. ' The complete analysis of potable water requires much mechanical skill but the more common impurities may be detected by comparatively slmpli tests, certain deleterious salts may thus tie recognized. Among these are the nitrates, whose presence Is chlefl significant as showing that organic matter has been acted upon and may be present. The danger is not in the alts themselves but in their source which , should. If possible, be ascer tained." To examine water for nitrates, put a small quantity of it in a test tube add an equal quantity of sulphuric acid, using care so that the fluids shall not mix; to this add carefully a few drops of a saturated solution of sul phate of iron. The stratum where the two fluids meet will, if nitric acid be present show purple, afterwards a brown color. If the nitric acid be in minute quantities, a reddish color will result. The presence of ammonia, if in excess, can be determined by treating the water with a small quantity of po- tassic hydrate. Ammnonia, if present, will be liberated, and may be recog nized by its odor, or by the white fumes of choride of ammonium when a glass rod wet with muriatic acid is passed over the mouth of the test tube. chlorine is present in any form in water used for drinking, it is eviden mac sewage contamination tu some form exists. The presence and amount of chlorine may be ascertained by the following simple method: Take grains of nitrate of silver, chemically pure, and dissolve in 200 units (say cubic centimetres; of distilled water, One unit of the solution will represent 1.100th of a grain of chlorine. Take a small measured quantity of the water to be examined and put it in a glass vessel more than large enough to hold I). Add to the water a small quantity of the solution ; If chloriue be present a white precipitate will result. Repeat the addition, after short intervals, until no precipitate results. The units of the solution used will determine the hundredths of a grain of the chlorine present. If more than a grain of chlo rine in a gallon be present, reject the water, unless it can be clearly deter mined that the excess does not come from sewage. The water should be slighly acidulated with nitric acid be fore the test is applied. Several years ago the Journal of CAeiry described and commended Heick's sugar test for the presence of dangerous organl.) matter, hut it is worth repeating in this connection, being at once simple and trustworthy. Place a quantity of wa- ter in a clean, glass-stopM:rad bottle ; add a few grains of pure suger and ex pose it to the light in a window of I warm room. If the water becomes turbid even after exposure for a week, reject it; if it remains clear it is safe, Proverbial Philosophy. A short horse is soon curried, but a mule, short or long, will kick you into the next township. A wise man reflects before he speaks; a fool speaks, and then reflects while his eyes are getting well. hen war begins, hell s gates are set open, and it is the same when Con gress assembles. Who hath a cold hath sorrow to his sops, especially if his handkerchief hath starch in it. Who wants to beat a dog, soon flnds a stick, but already has the dog shot around the next corner yelling 'kiski.' Trust not a horse's heels nor a dog's tooth, neithera man who says he'll pay you Saturday. That which is mine is all my own; that which is yours I go halves in. will also take up a collection. The wolves eat the poor ass that hath many owners, but not until he gets the rheumatism in his hind legs. The second meal makes the glutton, the second ill word makes the quarrel, and the second-s load the pistols with blank cartridges. The fiddler of the same town never plays well at their feasts, because he is too full to distinguish between the "Ar kansas Traveler" and the "Dead March in Saul." A fool never thinks higher than the top of his house, and peuneth the fes tive joke at the expense of the lightning-rod agent. Raise no more spirits than you can conjure down, say, at four swallows. Rather go to bed supperless than rise ii debt, now that the bankrupt law has expired. A spendthrift lets go the bridle, grabs his steed by the mane and yells "Whoa Emma!" Bards and rarswn. Some time ago, while at work near a wheatfleld, my attention was called to the fact that some of the wheat bad been picked from the heads, in certain parts of the field. As my neighbor seemed to think that the mischief had been done by yellow-birds, I procured a gun and killed one of the supposed offenders. Although interrupted while taking his breakfast, we found in hu stomach only three grains of wheat, and by actual count three hundred and fifty weevils. Some years ago, a person brought me a turtle dove to preserve. "Why did you kill them?" I asked. ''Because it along with others, was found eating some fresh town peas," was the answer. I opened its crop to tee If tucn was the case, but instead of peas I found In it over one thousand seeds of weeds, prin cipally dock. I took them to a large retailer of teedt here, but could find none In hit shop to which they corres ponded. One day last season, as the barley in my fields was ripening, the blackbirds began to gather about it, and my father began to anathematize them at thieves and robbers, feeding upon what they did not tow. "Why they come," taid he "in clouda from Xanshon, and all about us. Notwithstanding, I told him that I was satisfied that they did more good than barm, and that they were welcome to their share. The har vest began, and at the mowers reached the middle of the field they found th stalks of the grain very much stripped and cat np by the army worm. When the barley was down they commenced to march out of the field in a compact stream through the .bar way into the next one, and here we taw clearly what the blackbirds were after. They pounced upon them and devoured them by thou sands, very materially lessening their numbers. The worms were so numer ous that they could not destroy them all but they materially lessened them and their powers of mischief. AH honor, tben,to the blackbirdt,which are usual ly counted mischievous, and are destroy ed by farmers like vermin' Afrieudof mine, an animal preserver, lived at Southwell, wheu a gardener used to bring him ludaily a number of thrushes. At last he taid to him, "why do you keep bringing me in so many thrush es?" "Why," said the gardener, "they are eating all my strawberries." don't believe it said my friend, "I will come in and see." So in he went accor dingly, and found the gardener, gun in hand, ready to shoot a thrush that had dropped in among the strawberries. There," said the gardener, "you see don't you, what he Is doing;" and suit ing the action to the word, raised his gun to shoot. "Stop"' said my friend. let us see if It is as you say;" when presently the bird rose up with some thing In its mouth and flew over the wall into the adjoining grounds. Now," said my friend, "let us go and see what he has got." They went, and found the bird breaking a snail's shell, "There," said my friend, "you tee that it it the enails that eat your strawber- net, and not the birds;" as a more care ful examination subsequently proved. Xeed I say ne killed no more thrushes on that account. Ihe fact was, the summer being dry, the snails harbor ed there, the thrushes found them, and were taking them as food to their young ones. Oar Colliery Cat. "trolly," lor short, we called our large biack-aud-white cat, but I want to tell you why we called him our 'Colliery cat;" it wasn't because he lived in a colliery, but because he used to help to pay the colliers, or I suppose he thought he did. You see the mountains in South Wales contain a great deal ot coal and Iron ore, and limestone, and on our large tract of mountain land we had a good share of these "precious stones." Our colliery was eleven miles from our house, and, the colliers used to meet every Saturday night in a room at the Laaib and Flag" Inn, which was only two miles from the mine and about nine miles from our house, so E., one of the members of our family, used to ride over oil that night to meet the men and pay them their wages. As sure as he mounted his horse. Colly," who was very fond of him, would run after him and spring on the pommel of the saddle, riding the nine miles over that rough mountain road in all weathers; then would wait by the kitchen fire at the inn, sometimes until midnight, and then jog home with his master, perhaps in a heavy rain orsnow. It seemed as if he thought that at night his master especially needed his company and protection ; for at other times he was not anxious to ride with him, though when he was absent from home, always insisted upon occupying his chair at meal times. A Mutual Violence. A Danbury grocery firm have taken the ageucy for a hammock. One of the articles they have hung at the front in .1. - 1 rri I uie siinoe oi uieir porcn. i ney nung u thereat an advertisement, but numer-1 ous people have got into It to see bow it worked. It hung so low they could easily sit in it and undoubtedly the mo tion was agreeable and comfortable But the grocers didn't fancy this per formance, especially as the hammock sitters were not hammock buyers. Sat urday afternoon they removed the loop to one end from the hook and fastened it by a bit of twine instead. Shortly a man came in fortwoquartsof molasses. It was put up in pail and a paper tied over the top as he had forgotten to bring a cover. When he passed out he saw the hammock. His curiosity was aroused at once. The grocers were busy Inside, so he thought he would in vestigate on his own hook. With that keen tuition peculiar to a Xew England man he saw at a glance that it was some thing to getjnto. Ueknewitwas nothing to wear, and was equally sure it could not be arranged for cooking. He sat down in it, Then he swung backward and lifted bis feet up. Then the twine fastening gave away. It was a dread ful affair. He had the pail of molasses ttiug on his lap, and there was a dog sitting under the hammock, Xeither the dog nor the molasses expected any thing, any more than the man himself did. It was a terrible surprise to all of them. The man and the dog lost their presence of mind, and even the pail lost its head. The molasses went into his lap, and ran down his legs, and swashed p under bis vest, and insinuated itself In some way In between himself and his clothes. And when he went down be bit the dog with his heel on the back and the dog was to wild with terror nd amazement that It tent up a bead- splitting yell and fled madly down the street, having first taken the precaution to bite him in the leg, and tip over a tier of wooden water pails. When the pails went down a lot of hoes were car ried over with them, and that started a parcel of garden seeds mounted on a box and theyin turn brought away a pile of peck measures, whose summit was crowned with a pyramid of canned to matoes. It was a dreadful shock to the man and nearly paralysed him ith its magnitude; but when one article fol lowing another came avalanching atop of him he thought the evil one himself had burst loose, and he just screamed as loud as he could. The molasses was all over him, and the garden seeds had adhered to the molasses, and be looked more like a huge gingerbread atuck full of caraways than anything else. In this awful condition he waddled home, and swore ery step of the way. The Seven Heroines. In the year 1479, Pisa was one of the most flourishing cities In Italy. Xot powerful as Venice or Genoa, nor famous for its literay and artistic cul ture as Florence ; Pisa was noted for the wealth of Its merchants and for Uie surpassing beauty of its women. In fact, Pisan commerce extended all over the Old World, and some of its mercantile Anns counted their riehe by millions. As for the women of Pisa, their beauty was of a peculiar style. Their hair, as a rule, was auburn ; their com plexion very white, delicate, and trans parent, and their forms tall, slender and graceful. In short it was then common saving throughout Italy, "As pretty as a Pisan girl. for years considerable mercan tile rivalry existed between Flor ence and Pisa, and when the merchants of the latter city, in the above-mention ed year, learned that the Florentines were negotiating a treaty of commerce with the Dey of Tunis, they immediate ly resolved to enter into au active comiietition with them. So they dis patched, on the 1st of June, 1479, small galleon to Tunis. The vessel was freighted with a great many valu able presents for the Iey, and the pa: sengT were six prominent citizens of Pisa, who were if possible to persuade the Dey to cut loose from the Floren tines and to conclude a commercial treaty with their own city. Thegalleon reached Tunis a few days later, and the the six Pisan envoys lauded, solicitiu an early interview with the Dey. The Dey was Laman Ben Uarueddin, still a young but a very bad man. Ue was pirate, remorselessly treacherous, cruel and 'greedy in the extreme. When he heard of the arrival of the Pisans he or dered them to be brought before him without delay. They were ushered by two Moorish attendants into a small apartment, furnished after the gorgeous but semi-barbarous Saracen fashion On a low throne sat Harueddin. who fixed his eyes with a curious expression upon the PUan envoys. They knelt before him, for he was as proud as the Sultan himself. What do you want?" he asked at last. "Most gracious Iey, owerful ruler of Tunis," replied the spokesman of the envoys, "we come with presents for you from the city of Pisa to solicit from you the conclusion of a commer cial treaty with us." "What is the value of the presents you bring tome?" demanded the dey Tliay are worth at least 50,000 gold ducats." "Fifty thousand gold ducats !"echoed the Dey, scornfully. "Why, the pres ents I received from the Florentines, amounted to more than double that Gracious Dey- 'Silence, Infidel dog!" thundered the irate Cey. "You have come to in sult me ! You shall be punished for your idsoience! I shall take your presents, but you, too. One of you may go back to Pisa and inform your citizens that unless they send me at once 100,000 gold ducats and- the seven most beauttful girls in your city for my harem, I shall cause you to be impaled So saying, he ordered them from his presence. 1 hey selected A mire .lienor to go back to I isa. I lie rest of them were loaded with chains and thrown in loathsome duugeons. Alenori was sent on board the galleon, the valuable cariro of which was confiscated by the eree,iy dey. WhenMenorl reached pig, anj ,0 Pisa, and told his doleful story, the people were filled with the utmost con sternation. One hundred thousand gold ducats was at that time an almost fabulous sum. And what girls could be induced to surrender themselves to the foul embraces of the Tunisian tyrant? Yet it was out of the question to leave the captive envoys in the clutches of the dey. A opular meet ing was called. There, under the presidency of the podesta, the whole painful subject was taken into consid eration, but the meeting adjourned without coming to any definite under standing. In the evening the podesta was pacing the room in a state of ex treme depression, when suddenly a beautiful maiden was ushered into his presence. "Margherita Pezzi!"he exclaimed; "what brings you here?" "I am ready to go to Tunis," she re plied, with flushed cheeks. "To Tunis!" cried the podesta, in surprise. "To become an inmate of the Dey's harem ?" "It may turn out otherwise," she said with a mysterious smile. "But you, alone are not enough " "Six of my fair young friend-4 are ready to accompany me." "This is very strange " "Freight a small vessel with 100,000 gold ducats, conceal in the bold twenty well-armed, courageous men, put us on board and send us to Tunis." The podesta shook his head. "We shall all return, slay Harueddin and bring back the captive envoys." X'ext day the counsel of Pisa accept ed the proposition, and twenty-four hours later a small galleon, freighted in accordance with MargherithaPezzi's demands, sailed for Tunis, where they arrived after a stormy passage. When the Dey heard that the gold ducats and the seven fair maidens had arrived from Pisa he was overjoyed. He caused the girls to be taken to his room. Only a black eunucb was present. He feast ed his eyes upon the virgin charms of the beautiful ncaidens and finally put his arm around the slender waist of Margherita Pezzi. When he tried to kiss her she drew his sabre from its scabbard and struck him twice across the face. The Dey mortal ly wounded, tank howling to the floor. The black eunuch stood spell-bound with terror, but Margherita cut him down to. This bloody scene had been enacted to quiekly and nolslessly that the per sons in the ante room did not suspect what had occurred. The eunuch was disarmed. He had a yataghau, tw daggers and a pistol. Four other Pisan girls armed themselves with these wea pons and rushed into the ante-room where they fell upon the attendants with indescribable fury. The Tunisian courtiers were thunder struck at this unexpected attack. Be fore they were able to offer any effectual resistance, they had been either killed or severely wounded. The victorious girls had no difficulty In over powerin, the palace guards. They then sallied out into the street, shouting: "Harueddin is dead ! Long live the Reprbllcof Pisa!". Then they hurried to the galleon from which the twenty Pisan soldiers emerged. They were armed with the best firearms then in existence, and tney easily overcame the resistance which the few soldiers then la Tunl were able to offer them. The captive envoys were liberated, and then the sum of 200,000 gold ducats was extract ed from the people of the town, while Harueddin's well filled treasury was rifled of its valuable contents. When the strange little expedition returned to Pisa, the people received its members with the utmost enthusiasm. A public mounment was erected In honor of the affair, and a hospital was founded with the contents of tne Dey's treasury. Harueddin's successor swore he would revenge himself terribly upon I isa, hut he never was able to do so. A KlflieakHu Marriage. " Is the reporter in ?" The inquirer was informed that the reporter was in. ell, sir," said he. "I want to be set right before the public-" The reiorter designated a chair, but the visitor, evidently from the country would not sit down. Ue raised his left hand, and with many a gesture told his tale. 'that boy of mine the same that you writ up before married agin my will. He is not yet nineteen and the thing he married is nigh on to forty nine. She made my boy marry her I did all I could to stop him. I agreed to give him nearly $1,000, but he would do it. I told him if he's bound to mar ry to go to Shepherdsville, get a good gal, one of the kind uie and my wife could honor and cherish. Told him if he'd do this I'd give him the front room and $1,000. Do you believe it, he did no such thing, but went right off and married that thing in Jeffersonville?" When ?" Last week. I liked that boy; he was a good-looking boy just as good- looking a you are. sir." and down went the stranger's fist with satisfac tion, on the writer's desk. Again he continued : "She is as ugly as they make them Forty-nine, too, thereabouts; soon will lie, anyhow; been married twice; had small-pox, too, and dashed if she ain't deeply pox marked. Ih you wonder the boy vexed me ? Why, sir, she is the ugliest man I ever saw. and would scare the devil on sight. Xo wonder my wife couldn't eat anything, and I thought my head would give me brain fever. I told him I'd beat the life out of him, and I tried to do it." Why did your son marry her?" ven tured the reporter. 1 ne i xiru knows, two men came and told my boy not to, but still he would. They said they knew as much about her as he ever would, and this made him cry." 'Did he say anything?" "Yes; he said he'd put his foot Into the mess so far he didn't see how he could get out." "Why did you assault him?" "They had my squirrel cage and sil ver watch. I sent for them and they nswered I couldn't get them anil nei ther could the 9quire. I was vexed, so laid out to leave hardly life in him. Your puiier blamed me for using a base ball bat. I couldn't get anything else. Me and my wife and sixteen-year-old son hunted for my black walnut stick, hich is smaller than the base-ball bat. Twasn't my fault I didn't find the black walnut cane. The three of us unted, as I tell you, but there they ere, my boy and the thing with him, both armed and going towards their house. It was my only chance, so I took the bat and went for him. I hit iui on the head and he fell over. She laid all over him, and 1 could see nothing of him except his thigh. 1 aimed at this, but believe I hit her. She was so astradle of him I couldn't elp it. I saw he was playing 'possum. ud aimed again. He had a pistol and whole load of gun sat bis house. His wife threw two rocks at me. They had said they wre going to Virginia. I was anxious to act. That's the whole tory, sir, and the truth, too." All A boat Milk DIaS. The nutritive value of milk, as calcu lated from its elements, is very large. and its price is low, as compared with meat. According to the Kensington Museum Catalogue, one pound of milk can produce at the maximum four-fifth of an ounce of dry muscle or flesh, and if digested and oxidized ia the body, It capable of producing a force equal to 300 tons raised one foot high. One pound of lean beef is reckoned as a force pro- ucer as 900 foot tons. Calculating the dry muscle as flesh, 25 pounds of milk are equal to 4 pounds of lean beef nu tritive value, or in other trords.l pound of beef is equal in nutritive value to 9 quarts of milk. When milk is 7 cents a quart, it is cheaper than beef at 21 cents a pound. Fads Worth Knowing-. There never was a woodcock seen on the Pacific coast. There never was an ocean steamer that burst her boiler. There never was a dog that went mad west of the Rocky Mountain. There never was a beech or sycamore tree struck by lightning. There never wis an eel caught on the Pacific coast, - Jerry's Ljtnt .Slaves. There are still living in Jersey City. X. J. three colored men who were born slaves, and continued so up to a com paratively late date. They are William Johnson. Old Sip, or "Zip," as he is familiarly known, and John Jackson. Johnson was born on the farm of Merseles Park, which was situated near the old Dutch KefonneiT Church, in Bergen, some time about the beginning of the 19th century. He dues not ex actly know his.age, butaayshe is "hard onto" 70 years old, as near as he can get at it, but from his recollection of events occurring before, .that date, it is safe to reckon his age at about eighty. Johnson worked on the Park farm until his 30th year,' during which time he witnessed some of the stirring scenes of the war ot 181:1. Ha says he would like to have taken a hand in it, but he was too young to be of much service. He remembers the drilling of recruits and the departure of soldiers for the scene of the war on the Canadian frontier. When 30 years old he was sold to Jacob Van Winkle. The price paid for him was $500. After serving two years with this master he was again sold to John M. Vreelaud. of Stonv Point, which wis situated near the present site of Communipaw, at an ad vance of $100, which showed that he was pretty valuable. He attained his freedom with this master, and cele brated the event by joining the close communion Baptist Church, and was duly immersed in the waters of Harsi mus Cove, which was the baptismal font in those days. During this period he was frequently rented out to various parties, and on two or three occasions Commodore Vanderbilt became his temporary master, and used him in shad fishing and oystering, at which Bill was an expert. He says the Com modore was a bard boss, and the only way he could get square with him was to bag his game chickens occasionally, which brought a ready sale In Jersey. Johnson says he has often laughed on de back ob his neck" when he looked at the placard (which he could not read) ofierlng $25 reward for the rascal that stole those chickens. On joining church, however, he dropped all these proclivities. In appearance Johnson is purely African, with a. slight tinge of yellow, caused probably by "reflection of his ante-natal surroundings." His voice is peculiar and resemblesa t queak. Ue is still straight and active and can do his full share of whitewashing, in which art he is a proficient. By hard work he had accumulated a little property on the Hill, but owing to-the hard times and low prices of property, he says it "ain't worth nuthin'." The incidents in the old slave life would fill a volume. His reminiscences of Lafa yette, Andrew Jackson, and others of the good old times are interesting, and he takes great delight in detailing how he shook hands with them, and com paring them with the class of men we are ruled by now. Burning Iiamouds. In the year lti'.4, it was discovered. by actual experiment, at Florence, that a diamond would burn. Cosmo III, had one fixed in the focus of a burning glass, and after some exposure to the rays of the sun, it cracked, corruscated and finally disappeared like a ghost, leaving no traces behind. Experiments of this kind were costly. They were long In yielding any scientific n suits. was only a sovereign prince who could afford to see his jewels vanish like the gifts of a fairy godmother. Another potentate, the Emperor Francis I., tried number of valuable diamonds in the heat of a smelting furnace, and may have felt some gratification in finding they had disappeared. This was in 1750, and about twenty years later a magnificent diamond was burned in France. A jeweler named Le Blanc denied the possibility of burning diamonds, and suspected some nnfair play on the part of Macquer, the chemist who conducted the operation. Ue had often, he asserted, exposed diamonds to great heat, with the sole result of in creasing their brilliancy. Mr. Streeter has done the tame, with success. But Le Blanc only knew half of what Mr. Streeter knew, and when the chemist demanded that he should enclose some diamonds in coal in a crucible, he rashly assented, and in three hours they had all disappeared. Then another jeweler, Millard by nauie, who seems to have had a suspicion of the truth, put three diamonds into an earthen-bowl pipe, packed in powdered charcoal, and ex posed them, without injury, to intense heat. Lavoisier, who was present, proved, in 1776, that by shutting out the air the diamond was preserved in a furnace, but that the admission of oxygen, with which the carbon com bines, allowed the diamond to burn like piece of coal. A Wonderful Cariosity. One of Peoria's prominent lawyers went home the other day to dinner, and found that his little boy had had is head clipped in accordance with the prevailing style. Affecting not to notice it, he began to speak of a won derful curiosity on exhibition in Wash ington City in the shaie of a living creature in a form somewhat like that of a living being. Its head was as round as a pumpkin, its ears stuck out like clam shells on a cocoanut. its nose projected like a figure four from what seemed to be its face; it walked up right and its head was covered with a growth of bristles about one sixteenth of an inch in leugth, and for want of a better name the creature bad been called the " W hat is it ?" A nd placing his hand on the boy's head, the father said, "Why here it is now. Here's the very thing I have been talking about." The boy replied, as He buttered a piece pr Discuit: "iueyvegoi a blamed sight worse thing right here in Peoria!" ".What kind Ca Iking, js it?" said the lawyer. It is the. father of the- What la it ?'," retorted the lad. . The subject was dropped. ail 8b 1 1, ft
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers