t
i
5
SCHWEIEB,
THE OOISTmmOI-TEE TTHOI-ATD TEE EfTOEOEHUT OP THE LAWS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXXVII.
MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 17. 1SS3.
NO. 42.
V ' I I 1 av av av III ., V m. . L l OKV I V VV
pi e if tie! jjife gepi mm.
it" ' .
19
I
9
V
I
n
MT MCltiHBOB'i GAEDKN.
lu ihe bound of mine own enclosure '
The flowers are fair to see;
Kut the rose in my neighbor's garden
1, fai.erthau all to me.
So white and slender and stately,
So gt-iumed with sparkling dew-,
Tin rose that bloms for another,
Ji the sweetest that ever grew.
Jly heart to its grace and beau y
tJiws forth as to a shrine;
Anil I sih to it mystical fragrance
"If it w ere only mine!"
Anl yet if not my neighbor,
But I, in f-e and thrall,
HrlJ a!l that marvelous glory
On the other side of the wall.
I iui(;ht, erhai, grow weary
of its royal pomp ai.d grace.
And love with my love some daisy
With a sby, up.ifled face.
For since the gates of Eden
Were chut on Atlaiu and Eve,
The flowers we have are never
so sweet as the flowers we leave.
And rich within my garden
Though many a flower might be,
The roe that bloomed for another
Might seem the best to me.
I P THE ri.CE.
"You umst liave some rare experi
ences to tell us, Mrs. Boswell," said
persuasive Lieutenant Kussel, while
we waited for the mail stage. "You
have been at this frontier postver
since Captain Boswell was stationed
here?"'
-Yes; we have been here eight
ears,"' she replied, with the rare smile
that glorified her face. "I have passed
through many trying ordeals here, but
I really think I had an adventure in the
east, before I married the captain, equal
to anything that 1 have experienced."
"W ill you relate it, and oblige us?"
urged Bussel.
".Mrs. Boswell, v said Dan, the Irre
pressible youngster of our party,
"Jim," jerking his thumb toward the
lieutenant, "is out west on purjose to
spill ink lor the New York tapers.
You can become a heroine of romance
if you wilL"
"Thank you," said our little.hostess.
"I don't mind accepting the honor."
Three of us were sittmg in an inner
apartment of the small frontier hostel
ry. The bar-room was packed with
miners, and we had chosen to have our
supier served by ourselves, as we had
appointed to go on to Custer City In
con pany.
Mrs. Boswell was much below the
medium size, quick of speech, light of
movement as a bird, and graceful as a
fawn.
"It was in 1? ," she began; "I had
just made the acquaintance ot Captain
IJosweil, he having some business mat
ins to arrange w ith father, had called
at our place several times. Finally,
there came a rare day in autumn, and
he and lather were closeted the greater
part of the day, overhauling papers,
memoranda, deeds and receipts, My
father at that time was doing a great
deal ol business as an attorney.
"At teatime father said to me: 'Bess,
you won't mind an evening alone, so
long as Thomas is about, will jou.'
"1 said no, for although there were
many robberies being committed in the
neighboring cities, private families in
th aubuibs felt no fear. Our house
was a mile from the city proier, and a
halt mile from neighbors either way.
"'We rind,' he continued, 'that the
captain has got to hunt up some more
papers concerning the estate before he
can give Barron a satislactory title.
We shall go to Judge Whiiconib's of
fice, and our search may 1 so success
ful that 11 o'clock will find us home
again. Still wemay be detained longer.
Shan't 1 call and tell our Cousin Muly
to come down and spend the night with
your'
" 'No ves,' I contradictorily an
swered. 'Do as you plea.-e; laiu not ti
mid in the least, with I nomas auouu
" 'But Cautaiu Boswed is going
to
leave ?5.0U0 here until he returns,
-lfc.es anv one know aboui
about tlie
money?'
"'Only ourselves.
"'ihen 1 am not afraid. Derides,
you are likely to 1 back befor graye
vards yawn andthievesdo walk abroad.
Thwnas brought the horse lound,
and while tathersiketohim, I touched
the captain's sleeve:
" 'W i.eie is your money lem
" ln your lather's desk m
i..,,, i,o lo.Lwl with ;
the Iib-
w ith a tender,
ii iii.m oiMiu-fi into mv face (bow me
litUe woman's cheek flushed at the me
nion ) and said: 'little girl, u u
m tne least alraid we will not go to
night, although it, is absolutely ueces-
"I told him, honestly, that I was not
afr-.,.,i I had tliatsuataot timid
ity in my make-up peculiar to woman
kind; and so they rode away.
-I" ...,t i-.nt mv work as I put
ti.i,.., i.. ?,.a, uroimd the room, and
viewed" the brilliant sunset; without a
fear or care. ,.
"Thomas, our new man of-all-worK,
was very busy puttering
grounds, tying ui; grapevines and mul
cuing eveigreeua. "r" " tl. loll
some coarse aftermath upon the wu
that father was anxious to uac v
the strawberry beds, and f fPJ
mas go up there witn am .'--
a trurf nlvr mv head. IOOB
basket, and went up to help him-
"As'l passed up the bill I b?
. . . ..i- tn him. 1 nesi-
m uie uiguway - ..,Aa
tated abJut going on, but tbenmade
only a moment's pause, and theu eut
down the hiU, and was soon concealed
bv a turn in the fcignway. - ,
........ .i.... rri.m:uiV'Imaojreu,
- no was unn., - , - , i.
" -Oh, miss, it was a man from the
....ii . . mv brother has u"
iiiuiM, ms , , iMowine
a bad fall on the dam, and is
. . him. leB3
lUl UltJ LU CI wa -
aie broken entirely. '
.... ....ii rii?'
. . :V V,' ?. 1 J. " T .ld not come
told the man i cou' -:
h.u to-day-but if 1 ent nus
.Id sure to be back by H of "e
to ste
I would sure to
"fi-1."" ,!: Thomas, if your
. " I'aa will not
oroiuer is uuii. w
1 away loug.' ,
"But.myyomiglady--
. " Xyer a md me
this.' I always w a v - bt
ed. 'You may go, audi uirun'
back to the house, . wa3
"He talked a lew inmates rnore
profuse in his thanks tor my twdn e,
and then started down foi fWJ
took up the two baskets, and ent sing
ing to the house. window.
"I sat an hour by Sone, anJ
ZX?TTLl autumn
ana me aimpica - siniring
mouth, "but litue birds were singm,
'a
a new song in mv heart .... - . .
let me hear the sweT quiet .
But directlv I YL.,, . .
in rather care has as T the rnd 1
t iAMnd.... lue road was a
thoroughfare, and
lme. I arose, closed mv
'd, obeying some strange
Power I walked through'
the lllirurtr - . .
. . j iwn iuv lain
f !y. ?rom Its customed place qu
lockedhw desk, found the pacge f
.theiiJor, aSd
lioirt . i r?mg Toota- 1 di,i not.
iglit a lamp; I had no need of a ike as
that from the fcitel,., ... '.a;
;lf,rtlins room sul"tl in this mild
"The llOUSti Vk-ASK nl.l f.-j.;...!
with a tueplacein the sitting r,w....'
owning up into a chimney of capacity
suthcient for a foundry stack, w'e had
cheerful open tires later on; but the
uouse being an ancestial pile, was get
ting somewhat dilapidated, and the
partition separating the flues in the
large chimney had fniiMn in v,.
been sent out to clear the rubbish and
luokc rejwirs, but the work, half done,
was suspended on account of the arri
val of Captain Boswi '11 Ulld tliia iiiirwtt-t.
ant business affair.
1 would have enioved inon..iij..nr t
kmdle a sparkling tire in the huge wide
tireplace, but as affairs were I could
not. So 1 mused in dark iiess f or hour
I really took no heed of time, until mv
quick ear caught the sound of a foot
tall approaching, close up to the door
step, 1 could have taken mv oalli. It
was so light an echo that I sprang to
my feet, thinking that my Cousin Millv.
absent when my father called, and re
turning later had come down to stay
with me.
"I sprain? up with a smile to answer
her knock, albeit I was a bit jealous of
her pretty face, but no knock came,
and tlie echoes died out, and altogether
1 concluded that I had deceived myself
in regard to them. Anyhow I would
light the lamp. I did so. and was star
tied to find it past 10 o'clock. I had
gotten sufficiently aroused from my re
verie to want a book from the library
shelves. 1 took up my lamp and went
singing into the room.
I obtained the desired volume,
stepped down from the stool, and
"If ever any one felt themselves dy
ing, 1 did at that moment. Aiy song
died on my lips, while a thousand
thoughts seemed to flash into my mind
in one instant. Involuatai ily I gasped,
and tnen with a strong effort of the
will power, for which 1 am famous, I
took up the song again and sang it to
the close.
"Among other things I remembered
that the lock was off the library door
lor repairs. I remembered the late
ness of the hour and the probab lity
that all the people were iu bed and
asleep. I remembered the footsteps in
the dooryard, and there was a fresh,
pungent smell of tobacco smoke in tne
room. A scent of smoke that was not
the room when I was there and
placed the package of money m my
bosom. . .
ro vou wonder that my brain reeled
and my heart stopped beating for an
instant? Besides, whoever the robber
was. he would soon begin work, not
' . 1 K,
know ing how eariy my iaiuer uu iuc
captain might return. And 1 should
be murdered. Somewhere within a few
yards, or a few feet of me, the robber
assassirf was concealed either in the
recess behind the cabinet, or under tue
long, draped, paper-strewn table.
"A taint souna ouisiue nctnj mtuc
mo rimn th himD: still I had uncon
sciously left my first song and was sing
ing:
-For his brio a soldier won her,
And a winning- umfue luvl
I knew that temporary salvation
nower and liberty to leave that room,
even depended upon my appearing un
conscious of tlie robber's proximity.
I got out of the library aim iouuu
myself in tlie sitting-room, a uij
glance at the door showed the key ab
sent from the lock.
"Treachery?
"I wonder that this new revelation
did not sunocate me. ine man on me
hiebway the lnjureu orouier uv
had beu-aved us. lie had overheard
about the'money. A robber was in the
house and another was outside. My
retreat would be cut off. Howthoughw
ran riot tlirougti my minu. u
thevkillme? Would 1 suner iouSr
mcj " . . i...i I a
that instant 1 was u: - -
faint creak of the library door at the
far end of tlie loug halL
-One swift, deiiring glance around
me. one wild idea of escai, and 1 ex
linguished the light upon the table, and
crouching in the fireplace 1 rested one
foot upon the anairou, ' "
on crane, stepped the oilier foot upon.
strong support, auu ul ...y
the flue. Jjouieimng wucmu
Thank God! It was the rope with which
out. uraspius u"3 , " :
uands 1 held 1uyse.11 fe- -
Z!in,. If 1 had envied huge, noble-
r1 , ..r......,u.i u-fore. 1 now had rea-
rn to be tlianktul for my dhninutive
form and ninety ouu
dupOlS. K.urovr to Cim-
1 .1.- mmtnunt
smer ""f M,t. ,,f
z ....rtlillllT aVXCfUL U1C luiuiu.v...
diuizer 01 aisioujjuiB , .
u.uij,ri ....a thus riisrnvermz
briclL or monai ,
... iiiiimcr-niace. " --o
Uiw c
omus ials to strike eleven.
with
Undercover of its echoes there . were
?" .P outer door was withdrawn.
1. a, A t RT 111 U1C uau.
must have acted like a
A"eJ fhlard every sound with
rTdlstmctness. First, there was
a nause by the door of the sitting-room,
l . in it fi.n wins eriuir.
then urer.iuuiB " -"I
heard Thomas distinctly, wher
JrtLue isn't here; she's gone to bed,
but the money is in the library.
.it cautious . advised a si
strange
. ,i..t liavp tit hurt
voice, 'ana -ber.Vi.
.orofnllv retreated, and my
heart struck off the seconds against my
i. ...... . It Tal
I knew that their search would soon be
over, aud what then?
"lu less than five minutes they were
ribs in a way iu - rr
whispering in the room again.
- Confound herl' aspirated Thomas
Mie took the money with her.'
. n.on 'll have it if
tTii muse meat 11 an inai. woiua
.... ,.,
C""'" ' . ,: ,.t l
.1.1 iitiVPV-
nf mv bodv. The dust of
the creosote had penetrated my mouth
" ,wtriis. and I had to take one hand
th rone in their absence and
place a finger upon my lips to prevent
annezintr.
" HJome, huiTy,' was the angry
-otrhwoid exchanged between them.
and I heard the stairs creaking as they
my chamber. Thomas was
Iam.1 !ar with all the house.
" hy d,d 1 "ot droP Iow" Jlu'1
carm nnt.,i.
"First, then, thev hail lorrked th
outer door and withdrawn the key to
prevent a surprise from without Se
cond, there miifht be a third confeder
ate .iiitsi le. But the most important
reasju of all wa?, it seemed to me, that
I never could set out of the aperture
that had allowed me entrance into the
chimney. I ran the risk of discovery
and death in any case.
why did not my father and his
companion return? It misjht be hours
nrst.
"They had found me absent from
my chancier and the adjoining rooms.
They no longer used extreme caution.
They hurried from one aoartment to
the other. I could feel the jar of mov
ing furniture, and closet doors were
opened hastily. The upper part of the
house was ransacked, and theu they
came down stairs upon tlie run. Time
was precious to them now. W Ith dire
ful oaths they rumuiairod the lower
floors, and finally returned to the sit
ting-room.
"1 saw the lhilit here la-t.' said
Thomas, moving with his lamp across
the room, 'and here is the lamp on tlie
table.
'!he must liave got out.'
" Xo; I watched for her. and every
window is fastened on the inside.'
Then he continued: 'Curse her! site's a
witch:' and bulled they stood and
iioured oaths after me. 'I'd like to catch
and knife her . myself now.' How he
ground it out bet reeu his teeth.
" 'Miall we search morer
"'It's no use; we've turned over
everything under which a mouse could
hide.'
" 'What, then? Shall we waylay the
old man and fix him?'
They haven't the worry; it was
left here.'
' 'The cellar,' suirijested the voice.
"Once more they dashed out, only to
return in hot haste now, for there was
the trot and rumble of a horse and car
riage on the bridge betweeu us and tiie
citv.
" 'stay,' ur,;ed the str tiier, 'trump
up some' kind of a story, aa I we may
secure the money yet.'
I would.' returned 1 nomas, but
the girl's a witch, and I am just as sure
that she is somewhere near us an tue
time, and would hau 1 me over to jus
tice' Theri was a scamper outside and
the sound of feet nuining toward the
river came down the wide mouth at the
top of the chimney. Father and Cap
tain Boswell drove into the yard and up
to the door, just as the clock struck
twelve.
" 'Thomas!' callel my father, in his
rimriiii tones, 'come and take care of
the horse.'
"Iteeeiviiv' n. resiMiise from his uu-
al ituucttiid factotum, he siirau ' up the
steps, and uttered an exe.amatiou oi
horror at find in ' tlio door opea.
" 'IJosweil,' said he, 'we certainly
saw a lihl here when we came down
the hill.'
" 'Quick, Jasou,' said the captain,
there has been foul play here.'
'"Foul pUiy? My God! my poor
little girL'
" 'Father,' I strove to call, but tue
first attempts, choked in the dust and
soot, ended in a hysterical hiccough.
" -VYhere is tliat? What is it?' called
mv distracted father, aud both men
dashed for the library.
"I now strove to descend, but the
movement brought down bushels of
mortar and broken bricks from all sides,
and closed up the flue. I bethought
me of the roi, and by sticking my toes
in here and there I went up the cnim-
Dev hand over band.
"Acile as a cat. when I reached the
too of the low chimney I sprang down
upon the roof and began calling loudly
for father.
You should have heard them run
throuch the house and halloo before
they located my voice. At last the
cantain came out of doors.
" W ill you get me a ladder, please,'
. ... . .
said I, 'I want to get down from here.'
'A ladder, Jasou,' shoutea tne cap
tain, 'the little girl is on the root.'
'For the love of heaven, girl, how
came vou there?' said my father, as I
landed upon the ground ana began
sliakinz the soot from my clothes.
"1 went up there through the chim
ney, pajia. uut you naa oeiier put, up
the horse you will have to groom him
yourself to-night and then 1 will teu
vou all about it.
"T he captain led me into tue nouse,
for 1 was trembling violently,
'Now,' said father, being absent
only a moment or two, without letting
me have time to mop tne smut irom
mv face and hands; 'now tell. us what
this means my little girl climbing the
ridgepole like a cat at midnight ( '
"In a few moments matters were ex
Dlaiued.
.Thrttnoo tl.A villain ?' colMllAtod
auvuu.?, v KU ......... . j . -" --
my father; 'IU have him if 1 have to
hunt tne two continents ior uuu, auu
he shall have his deserts.'
lie kept his word. Thomas got a
term in the state prison.
"W ben 1 gave the captain bis money
I should have burst out into hysterical
sobbinr only I remembered the soot in
time to prevent shading myseii m oiacx
crayon; and captain iiosweu oenevea
that stature and duik were nos always
certificates of the best materials, and "
"And." finished Dan, our jester,
may be said, Mrs. Boswell, that you
actually flue to his arms."
She smiled and bowed as tlie
sonor
ous tones ot the driver came in
among
us :
Stage ready, gentlemen."
Th Irish Baxp.
The old style Irish harp was about four
feet hiitli, bad no peua t, and was strung
u the back with ctraps. The one belong
ice to King Brian Bsroihme, killed at the
battle or Clontaif, id 1014, still exists In
the museum of Trinity College Dablin. Ii
Is black with age, and polished, but now
corm-ealea, and adorned with silver orna-
inents. It was taken by bis son league
10 Home after the battle and presented to
the I'ope with the crown and regalis.
siicceeding Pope presented it to Uenry
VIII. with the title of "Defender ot the
Faith," and Uenrv gave it to tbe trl of
Clmncide, in wboce family it was heli
until tbe beginning ol t ie eighteenth ceo
tury. It then passed through several
hands uutii 1790, when tne college became
Us owner.
Mont animals drink by suction, as tbe
ox, and a few by lapping, as the dog
tbe elephant pumps the water up with
its trunk, and then pours it into its
throat. Birds excepting doves, fill tbe
beak, and then, wising the head, allow
the water to run down.
H was no Sloucu.
Tue otter day Bill Hig?ousoa, a well-
known character of the White Springs
neig'uborh xxl, came to the city in com-
Danv w.ta several young ladie. to one
of whom he wa eugiged to be married.
Bill bas always thirsted lor notoriety.
He wan's to be known by the leading
men in town, aud to show paopls of his
community that. al'bongU born in ob
scurity and reared on the farm, he can
address promiuent men in a familiar
ay. While the yonug laches were at
the hotel Bill went luto a wholesale
tore, and approaching a man whj sat
in the cfiise, sail:
"Cap'n, yju cau do me a big favor.
if yon will. I've got a lot of gals ia
town with me, aa' I winter show 'em 1
ain't no slouch. I waut 'em to go
home an sav that Bill that's me
coine to town an' was knowed by the
biz bugs. Now, I want to make this
agreemeat with you. I'll go away, aa
putty soon wdl come around with the
gals au come in here, slap yon on tbe
houlder aa say, "Old cUp, now ao
you hold oat?' Thea you slao me, aa
say, 'Why, Bdl, old boy, I'm glad to
see you.' Tha'. will be bloire 1 ad over
my country, aa win De wuiu m mejr
character to me, lem me tell you.
The euutlKman said that be did not
object to helping a young feilow along,
and th.it the aspiring YVilliiin migut
come in aud slap him, wuou he would
ffi through with his p irt ol tue pro
gramme!.
Bill, highly delighted witn tue ar
rangement, went to the hotil and told
the girls that he wanted them to use
walk with him. As uiey walk! along
toward the store, Bill said.
Sow 1 in Rom to show yo 1, liiza,
that yon ain't goiDg to marry no alonch.
11 show you that yonr own jj-u u
looked np to an' Lke.l by tbe be it o.
em."
The girl laughed self-conipliccntly,
and declared that it was nice to marry
mm that "wau't a stranger au a
slouch."
Wuen thev reached the store, B;ll con
ducted the ltdies to the ofliee, where a
man sat looking over accDunta, he was
not the man with whom the arrange
ments had been made, but Bill did not
reoognza the aiffjrenee. Advaucing.
be strncK the man a pretty heavy siad,
and exclaim!:
"Hello, .U ch ip, how are yon holl
' out?"
The geutlman sprau? to his feet and
glared at William, but William, with
out embarrassment, punched him
among the ribs aud suid: "Oil cusp,
how are yon h 1 tin out
Ljok out, herel aat do yon
meau?
Xo foi I'm, old boy. Don t you re-
me u',er the agreement?" bj aided in an
undertone. It's me; don't yon re.neui
oer ihe man what see4 you je-' nowi"
as he fancied he saw a change of coan.
euauce, he j ilted tue geutlem ia aui )Jt
tbe truncate ribi and eic aimed, "now
are you hojdm' oat?"
The gentleman "naoiea on witn an
ink bolt e aud knocked Bui down.
The girls screamed and ran awav, and
Bdl, as soon as he was able to regain
his feet, sulked awy. Vueu he reachtd
the hotel with his face a 1 Ik smeared
with ink, his betrotued ran to him,
pouched him iu the side and sail:
"UjIIo, old chap, ho ara yon noiaiu
outr"
This settles it with ut," he said
sadly, regarding the girl with a lojk
that spoke of trie meiincuoiy yeuow
leaf. "Jest at the time 1 need yjur
sympathizm' the most, when oil frien's
go back on me and m ics ma uowa,
you jine the eneaiy. O) aud pay your
hotel bill an' go home."
"Am t you goin to pay my b.b.'
"Nary red."
"Would vou see me disgraced right
in a place whar there's so many folks?"
T'uat am t my lookout. 1 am t a
goin' to py nary red cent for yjo.
"Then I'll take all bock au' 1 am s
i sorry
that I ma le fun of you."
"J uff said. Coma an put yonr neaa
on this here manly bh julder,
Timber la SMje,
Throughout the isles timber is a rare and
precious t rticle, most irequ.-ntly the gift ol
ocean. The man wuo secures a go ju ;oit
uf driftwood has o'jtalucd a prize worth
h&vinar. It mav have been a brave old
tree, tempest torn from its home in come
distant forest, carried to the sea by rushing
torrents, and perchance tossad by the
waves and watted to aud in by many a
current, ere it drifted to its rest oa these
far isles. Or it may be tne mast or spars.
or perchance the cargo of some wrecked
vess-l whatever us story 11 is ireasure-
trove, and most aeepiy vaiueu. 1 aoua
ncrasted with barnacles or riujiea dv
oholades it can all be turned to good ac
count; the smallest piece will make a stool
or a settle, or box. or part of door;
while larne timbers become ratters pre
cious heirlooms, for a young couple cannoi
wed uutU tbey have accumulated enough
rafters to support theu thatch, and should
ibev have occasion to "mt tne only part
of their bothy that commands any pecuui-
rv compensation is the roof; not the
woodwork oily, out aiso tne neavy taaicn
saturated with thick greasy peat-reek (in
other words with a thick coa'.in j of soot).
Tms. when broken up, forms a valuable
manure Ior the unieru:e croi.s. 1 oor,
ndced, are many of tnese island homes,
generally consisting only of two rooms; an
niter byre tor the cameanu an mn.r room
for the family; and untd recent years all
uch bothies had a fireplace in tue middle
ot the fijor. around which tbe whole tarn-
dy might gather and equally share its com-
ort. liul now most nouses nave tne nre-
plixj at one end of tbe bouse, and though
tbe smoke general I v contrives to wander at
nil amooir the ratters (forming a blue
haze stinging to unaccustomed eyes, and
at last resolving itself into the rich browns
so dear to tbe artistic mind), it does sjme-
dmes And a wide, open chimney prepared
for Its escape. But more frequently a bole
in tbe thatch is the only means ot egress,
a hole perhaps crowned with an old heiruig
barrel in lien ot chimney cap; this, now
ever, is an elegant eupetfl Jity, to whuh few
aspiie. All, however, must lake toe pre
ctuuon of lying on the.r roots with
uetwoik of ropes, and weignt them with
laree stone in order to resist tbe wild
easts of wind, which would carry of any
ordinary cottage roof. As a general tule
these bothiea are too wretched to be even
picturesque, yet here sod there 1 recall
one which, happily rendered on canvas,
might yield to the artist m re gold than
the inmates ot the hut might hope to earn
in all their lives.
Troy's (X. Y.) assessed valuation
has been reduced 200,000 by the recent
assessment.
A recent day's buzziness at the
1 Dead Letter Office included the open-
ing of a box of live and lively bees.
Alive at IOI.
The town of Wilton, Conn., enjoys
the distinction of having among its un
usually large number of aged citizens,
a person who lived bevond five score
years, and who is probably the only
centenarian at this time in Fairfield
county, and probably in the btate.
This is not new to the community in
which she dwells, for everybody knows
and reveres Mrs. Clarissa Davenport
Raymond, who, humanly speaking, has
fair chances of reachinz April ao,
13S1, when she will celebrate her 102d
birthday and enter upon her 103d year.
Mrs. Raymond resides opposite the
Congregational church in Wilton of
which she became a member oeiore
most of those who surround her were
born, in a mansion which has ab3Ut it
lines of antiquity just such a spot as a
centenarian would choose as an abiding
place, "ller girl," as Mrs. Raymond
familiarly calls her, Mrs. Nathan Corn
stock, now drawing nigh to seventy
nine years and a well preserved matron,
keeps house, and she is assisted in mat
duty by a son, Mr. John Cohiscock,
nearly sixty years old and his wife,
and when his son, Mr. Frank Corn
stock, aged thirty years, and his wife
and children come up to the old home
from or walk to spend the day, as
they frequently do, the scene under the
old roof is one peculiarly interesting.
Mrs. Raymond takes upon her knee
children of the fifth generation, and
talks to them of events occurring a
great wuile ago, when she was a child,
like them years before ueorge w asu
iugton had been thought of as a candi
date even for President of the United
States. By chance she might tell them
of his first inauguration as President
n .New York, in 17U2. when she was
10 years old, of his death and the sor
row which accompanied iu announce
ment, in 17'JO, when she was 17 years
old. Favored ones are they indeed
who can enjoy the privilege of listening
to the intelligent narratives of their
great, great grandmother, and this
veteran, amiable in the lingering twi
light or the evening of a life so pro
tracted, can interest those who are
older by calling to their minds events,
some of them historical, which she
actually observed, but which they knew
nothing of save in books, and she has
frequently been known to correct the
errors made by those who have gone
into print as historians wearing the
garb of authenticity. Mrs. Raymond
is very genial, and rarely iorgets a iace
she has oiice set eyes on. She hears tol
ably well, aud her sight is so acute
that she can thread a coarse neeaie ana
read coarse print unassisted by glasses.
She moves about the house with a fir
mer step than many who are fifty years
her junior, and when conditions of
weather permit calls on her friends
residing near, walking to their houses,
bbe attends church seldom now, but
her interest in the church has never
flagged, and no mre welcome visitor
is on her list than the Rev. Frank
Thompson. A few days since she
called on Mrs. George. A. laenport
and vividly described a thunder storm
which took p'ace seventy years ago.
One secret of Mrs. Raymond s lon
gevity may be compliance for untold
years witn the rule, "Farly to bed,"
etc. In this particular her habits have
been regulated, as it were, by the
clock, aud as a consequence each
morning's light, to her, means glad
ness, and "day's decline and d..rkness
sombre" bring neither dread nor sad
ness.
When asked a day or two before how
she felt, she said, "Well, as usual,
though I believe I'm getting old."
Mrs. Raymond has no lack of visitors,
many of whom call simply that they
may look upon the face of a centena
rian, she has a pleasant word ior
each, and she never forgets to express
an affectionate personal regard ior au
her real friends.
Fishing la ths Ueraars.
"Speaking of fish," said the smiling
stranger, ' if the President wants to
have some centime inn. be wants to
cast a line in some o them geysers.
Tuat's where you get fish. I got in
there once abont a year ago, and
kttchod 1,000 smelts m an hour an 1 a
uaarterl And trout! Well. I should
whn-per m an undertone l im snout
ing, gentlemen, wnen 1 say a man can
take trout out o one o them gtyjers
that'll weigh half a ton. I ve done it.
"I thought tho water in tne gtyn-rs
was warm, chipped in an unbelieving
listener.
Hot. stranger, hot, protested the
unabashed Wyoming man.
"And vou pretend to say those fish
lire in hot water?"
"I never alluded to the possibility,
stranger. I don t even think of it.
Tueui li h I ketcned was dead, every
ash of 'em was dead and cooked. There s
were you get the bnlge on all other kind
n aim'. lou get tne nan au reauy
for the tabM"
'That aounds reasonable, observed a
keen-eyed man. "I taink he's telling
tho truth. I sar. how do yon catch
those fish?"
"With worjas, stranger" respoalai
the Wvonung man, eagerly, rejoiced to
find a friend in the crowd "Xou bail
your hook with angle worms, and the
nsh takes right noiu as soon as your
sinker toucuea bottom.
"Than we are tJ understand that
dead and cooked fiih will bite at a hook.
are we?' asked the keen-eyed man.
"In them geysers, stranger, lhey
won't do it anywhere else. In them
gevbers they are hungry for worms, and
beside that they tun t cojked until von
land 'em. Yon see, the water at the
bottom o' them geysers is cold, and it's
the hot water at the top, together with
the friction, that cooks 'em. You don't
see it anvwhere bat in the Ktysers but
there you never muss it?"
Mar KumII MItlord.
Many years ago some Americans
who were traveling in England took a
p3st-chalse, after the old-fashioned way,
and had a morning drive to pay their
respects to an old-fashioned woman
who was living in poverty with her one
servant in a cottage not far from the
tiinrn nf flreulin?.
The word "cot'
I taire" must have a little explanation,
for wita us it is so often made to mean
a quite capacious house, almost a man
sion, or a villa on a moderate plan, therefore, tnese iouneen uajs were
This cottage was far enough from being called "halcyon days," or days of cairn,
ample; it was small and poor; to be pleasant weather. On this account
plain, the rooms in it were not much the ancients regarded the halcyon as
bigger than closets, and were close and the symbol of tranquility, and because
stuffy, and in heavy rains the roof it lived near the water it was con
leaked. As the mistress of it once secrated to Thetis, a sea-nymph. The
wrote about it to a friend it was a bird about which such wonderful stories
tight "squeeze," and she added, "In-
deed my great objection to a small
room always was its extrems unbe-
comingness to one of my enormity,
1
I really seem to fill it like a blackbird 1
in a goldlincb's cage. 1 lie parlor looks 1
all me. Nevertheless, 'the cabin u
convenient,' as I said before. Its
negative merits are very great."
She had managed to make it as
some women cau make the poorest
place a "very nest of comfort;" and
this is the cheery way she describes it
in one of those sketches of hers which
so many thousands of persons have
read:
A cottage no a miniature house,
with many additions, little odds aud
ends of places, pantries, and what not;
all angles, and of a charming in-and-outness,
a little brick court before one
half, and a little flower-park before the
other; the walls old and weather
stained, covered with hollyhocks, roses,
honeysuckles, aud a great apricot trei;
the casement full of geraniums (ah,
there is our superb white cat peeping
out from among them); the closets (our
landlord has the assurance to call them
rooms) full of contrivances and corner
cupboards; and the little gardm behind
full of common flowers, tolipi. pinks,
larkspur, peonies, stocks and carna
tions, with an arbor privet not unlike
a sentry-box, where one lives in a-deli-cious
green light, and looks out on the
gayest of all gay flower-beds. That
house was built on purpose to show
in what an exceedingly small compass
comfort may be packed.
And that description shows the
poetic side, and what a happy faculty
she had, like Uudfrand'3 wife, ot mak
ing the best of everything. It does
not look as if the place were poor, but
it was; though very picturesque with
that old shed and granary overrun, like
all the rest, with untriui-ued and un
trained things as pretty a subject as
an artist could desire.
The American visitors found her
that morning in the bit of front yard
which kept her house from shutting
right on the turnpike road. She was
walking along a passage between two
rows of geraniums as tall as she was,
snipping off the decaying leaves with a
pair of scissors. She wore a cap, and
a snowy white muslin handkerchief
was pinned across the bosom of her
cheap black gown; aud on her plump
hands she had mitts such as our grand
mothers used to wear (and they have
come into fashion again), where the
fingers were all free while the thumb
had a little compartment by itselt; it
seems to me that they were 01 inick
black crape with rows of white feather
stitch down the back, and they did look
so quaint, like the antiquated gentle
woman who wore them. Mie was snort
aud stout, a "duinpting of a person,"
with a face as round and good-natured
as Phebe Cary's; and as she slowly
walked and snipped she was chirping
like a canary to a silky-hairei spauiet
who kept close by her gown, aud au
old house-cat on the window-ledge.
Her voice was sweet; her manners were
charming.
Th Last Survivors.
Beavers are now so scarce that it
seems hardly credible that their dams
once lined all the river shores irom
Hudson'sbay to the Gulf of Mexico. Like
the Chinese gardeners who live on artifi
cial river islands, they certainly tried
their best to be in nobody's way; but
at the current market value of their
skins they could not be permitted to
survive.
And what has become of the wild
pigeons that once darkened the sun
with their endless swarm? There are a
few "roosts" left in Arkansas, one or
two in southern Missouri aud West
Virginia; in northern Ohio they are
still hunted toward the end of the
year, and fly from county to county In
flocks of four dozen or so; but what is
that to the legion that once traveled
through the beech forests of the Ohio
valley? The naturalist, Audubon, once
saw a swarm eight miles wide, as nearly
as he could estimate it, flying overhead
at the rate of at least fifty miles an
hour; and after sitting five hours with
his watch in hand, hoping to see the
end of the phenomenon, he got tired of
waitiuz any loneer. for as yet tue
swarm had not perceptibly diminished.
Of their total number hardly one in
ten thousaud is now left. How many
pounds of powder must it have taken to
exterminate the rest?
Still, our last wild pigeons will out
live the last buffaloes and last grizzly
bears for in the warfare against a su
perior foe caution is a belter weapon
than strength. T he forests of northern
Europe were once inhabited by a fight-
iiiK ox. the Ur. or Auer-Ochse, an ex
tremely fierce brute, that otten turned
the tables against its would-be hunters.
But the invention of gunpowder ueci
ded its fate, and the only wild speci
mens are now found m the deep forests
of eastern Caucasus.
The grizzly bear has been driven
back to the Pacific slope, aud seems to
disappear faster than his black brother,
who has more talent lor tree-cumbing
and cave-digging. Wherever gunpow
der is used in the warfare of man
against the beasts and birds of the wil
derness, the art of hiding is their best
hope of escape, and of all the iortst
creatures ot this continent the lat but
vivors will probably be the raccoon and
the squirrel.
llaleTva Dajs.
According to the ancients, the king'
fisher, called in Greek, Halcyon (from
"the sea" and "brooding upon"), was
so named from Halcyone, a daughter
ofiEolus. and the wife of Ceyx. The
story goes that Ceyx was drowned
while on his way to consult the oracle,
and that, in a dream that night, Ilal
cvone was informed of the fate of her
husband. Xext, morning, as she wan
dered disconsolately on the shore, she
found his body washed up by the waves
and. overcome with grief, threw her
self into the sea. The gods, in admir
ation of their mutual affection, changed
them mto kingfishers. The kingfishers
were supposed, at that time to make
their nests during the seven days pro
ceeding the winter solstice (about De
cember 21st), and to lay their eggs
during the seven days directly f ollowing
it; and it was a popular superstition
that the sea remained calm and tranquil
- ; while they reared their young. And,
were told was probably nothing moie
than the common kingfisher of Europe,
the habits ol whicn are very mucn like
thost of the belted kingfisher.
B Rvls la Ooltlaa Laxarr,
The ruler ot the two hundred and flftv
millions of which tbe Chinese nation prob
ably consists is now within Bve years of
his majority, a:id is au occupant, wuile yet
a minor, of the same appirtnients in wbicu
lived the Empsror who preceded him on
the Dragon Thronf. There be ea's with
ifold-tipped chopstieks of ivory. There
he sleeps 00 a large Xingpo bed-tead.
richly carved and oruameated with ivory
and e ld. the same on which the noble
minded Z nperors Kanz Ha and Chien
L ing ud to recline after the day's fatigue
last century and the ceatury before. Like
one of those living Bud! lias who may be
seen in a la'ua-tery on tha Mongolian
plateau, he is kne't to by all his attendants
and honored at a e d. There is this differ
ence, that the respect felt for him if more
profound than for them. The secl'ision in
which he is kept is also far more complete
The bud ling in which the Emperor resides
is called fang lisia Tien, and is a little to
tae we t of tbe Ca'ien Cb'ing Men in the
middle of the pi.ace. At the back of the
ceutral g Ue, on the southscie. is the itrea
reception hall. When Ministers ot Siaie
and others enter for an audience at four,
five, or six in the mornirn;, according to
cufetom, tnsy have t go 00 foot to the
ceu're of the palace over halt a mile, if
they enter by the east or west gate; and
when the get oa in years they can appreci
ate the Eaiperor's favor, which then by a
decree allows them to bs borne in a c'uur
instead of walkm. Ihe rooms of the
Emperor consist of seven compartments.
They are provided with the divan xk'ang,
the peculiar institution of North China.
The k'an are covered w.lh red felt 01
ntlive manufacture, and tbe flxr with
European carpets. The cushions all nave
eoibr n.leretl on them the dragon aud the
pi os iix. Pretty thing) scat'.ered through
tbe looms are endless In variety, and are
changed in accordance with any wish fx
pressed by the Enperor, The rooms are
in all thirty yards ions hy from encht to
nine yards deep, and are divided into tnrec
apartments, the Throne-room b.iag the
inidd.e one. folding doors ten leet in
height ojien into each of taese apartments
to the mirth and south in the centre o
each. The upper part of these doors is in
open-work in which various auspicious
characters and flowers are carved. At the
bict paper is pasted to admit light into
the rooms, Tbe !pnt is ornamented with
gilding, sculpture, and varnish of vari us
colors. Th doors remain open even in
winter, because during that season a thick
embroidered curtain of damask is huug in
the doorway, which by its weight keeps its
place close to the door post and prevents
cold air fr m enteriug. Iu summer this is
replaced bv a curtain admitting tbe brecZ-:
on account ot lis being made of very thin
strips of Iaui'kjo. The 8:1k threads used
in sewing the strips ot bamboo together are
ol variots colors, and passing through the
whole texture of the curtain irom toe top
to the bo loin are very agreeable to the
eye. Tucae summer and winter curtain;
are ro.led up to give air to the rooms
when required. Exit aud entrance are ef
fected on each s de ot these curtains by
side doors. Along the while front ot
thirty yards there is a covered fliubt o
steps 0 teen feet wide. Ihe root over
this rests on two rows of pillars. Ine
pillars shine with fresh vermilion, both
within tbe rooms and on tbe steps outside,
and are decorated with sculptured work,
partly gilt and partly varn.shed. Tbe
Uoppo who la'ely returned from Lantoa
ave the r-uperr a present va.ued ai
S,000. It consisted of chande.iers hold
ing 500 wax candles each. 11.9 Majesty
bas also some electr cal machines and
nuinbtr'ess foreign curiosities.
The a nperor was vaccinated when an
infant, before his high destiny was thought
o'; otherwise it would have been difficult .
to vaccinate htm. for bis person being
sacred when E nperor, no lances can touch
him. Uism'Aher, the Princess ot Ch un,
who is a sister of the Empress of the West,
will be raised to the rank of Express
Dowager when he is sixteen, and his
father will alio be made T'ai Shang Huang.
At least this is to U expected by prece
dent, so that after three years we shall
again have two Expresses Djwager, but
in this cae they will be sisters. The
Princess, his mother, g es in to see him
once a month, and kaeeis wue.i sue nrst
speaks to him. but rises afterward. II s
lather does so too. The tmperor studies
Chinese daily for an hour and a ba f, and
Mancbu also for an hour and a half, lie
pemts two hours in archery and tiding.
and in winter amuses himself in sledging,
lie has a little brother of five, whom it
may be hoped the mother takes with her
when ate goes to the paiaie. 1 be teachers
who instruct him kneel to him on entering,
but aferarda sit. The Emperor nas
eight eunuchs who constantly afend hui,
besides an indefinite number Ior special
jeeasions. He bas his ineali alone, and
the eight eunuchs wait around him, re
training him if be takes too much of any
one thing. His school room is at the back
ot tbe 1 ang lisin l'iea already described,
and the hall for conference each morning
with Ministers is a httle to the east.
A Rival f Xtwcarw.
Two Dinahs capitalists and a baaker, of
Butte, Montana, nave embarked in no less
an enierpn-e man iue purcuasr 01 a
waterfall tbe Big Shoshone in Idaho.
Until six months ago the property was not
in sight" and its exigence was only
known through the report ot an occasional
hunter, who, reaching the edge of the
basin which surrounds the approach to the
falls, peered at them cunonsly at a distance
of three-tourths of a mile and gained only
an unsatisfactory impresuon of a vast body
of water, much spray and more roar.
From the' edge of this basin there was no
sure tooting to a nearer point of view.
Siaatinz and picking have cut a path
through the rocky sides to the water's edge
and tbe falls can now be as easily viewed
as Niagara.
The Snake river, which forms these
falls, is at this point a deep stream, run
ning for twenty-five miles through lava
rocks hundreds of feet in height. At the
falls, which are 1,500 feet wide and have
a descent of 210 feet, the rocks l-m up
grandly to from 500 to 1,000 feet in height
Their brown walla are utterly bare and.
except for a grassy plot ot a few acres.
with a coil tp- ing and a shadv grove,
which border the falls, the scene is one ot
ulter desolation. For miles beyond t ie
lava b'ds sfe'en away, with only tbe sae
brush and cactus to relieve their barren
w.ista.
Three miles above are tbe Twin Falls,
with a descent of 180 feet and cloven by
a huite rock. The rivr is broad and
tleeo between the Twin Kallaasd the Big
Shoshone aad a boat ride along this
stretch is exciting, but not nece-sarily
dangerous. Perpendicular walls rise on
either tide and a "hello" or a comet
peal echoes and rebounds a dozen times.
Several tourists who have visited the place
within a few weeks declare it a wonder
and do nit hesitate to draw comparisons
witb3igtva.
Columbus (O.) parents are petition'
ins for the tuacbrnir ol Uerinan in
the
I public schools of that city.
NEWS LN BPJEr
Gold, when coined, becomes h ird
money though it is (leg-il) ten ler.
Ferrets are said to ba r.ipiJIy Jviu
off In this country, of a disease some
thing like the epizooty.
Thirty-five total abstainer sn s:iid
to have membership in the British
House of Commons.
London, Eng., consumes, it is esti
mated, about ten and a half million
tons of coal annually.
Frank Carpenter of Sodus, X. Y.,
pared sixty-five bushels of apples in
nine hours.
"A million bats" are said to In
habit the dome of the Bienham (Ga.)
Court House.
The "hot water cure" a glass of
hot water sipped before breakfast !i;h
spread to England.
The Weather Department Drotnises
Xew England rains from tima to time,
but the drought reigns there arMly
By the aid of the American idea
of using refrigerator cars, Lm loners
now enjoy fresh herring from S-'otl in I.
The Peruvians can travel for as
long as three days without other fool,
solid or liquid, thtin the 111 ite leaf, it is
said.
California's oraue crop will lie
the largest in her history, it is report
ed, but the lime crop is smallsr than
usual.
Watermelon rinds and banana skins
are not in themselves fall goods, but
they frequently cause displays i:i that
line.
David Huikley, of La Grange, Me.,
is over 01 years old, but he drove about
00 miles iu one day recently, on a visit
to an older bother.
Senator Bayard will give the citv
of Wilmington, Del., the grove adjoin
ing his home it the city 'ill ac.pairethe
rest of the square for a park.
The largest cow In America is le
lieved to be the one that John Pratt, of
Chase co.. Kans.ts, owns; she is 3 vears
old, 2-l bauds high and wei '!is 33011k.
Russia has decide I t use petro
leum as fuel for her B'.tick S.m fleet.
Russian vessels iu the Caspian Se t have
for some years used n.i;htli i refuse for
fuel.
An exhaustive re;xrt 011 the dis
eases of plants, and of the parasites
that infest tiieui, is to be 111 l ie to the
Swiss Government by D. Johu E.-iks-son.
Itev. Sydney Gedge, wao die I at
Cromer recently, was one of the oldest
clergymen of tha Church of E:i,'l.m-1,
of which five of his sons were also
clergymen.
The winner of the recent interna
tional swimming match at Berlin swam
a statute mile in 41 111 in. 3 sec. The
champion diver remained under water
?1 seconds.
The female mackerel, it isase-tod,
is fatter, sweeter aud lunch superior in
flavor to the male fish, and may be dis
tinguished by the distinct dark line of
the backbone.
The Paris Ttmps reports that the
Count de Chambord left GO,nk,000
francs, which are to be divided be
tween the Duke of Parma ami the
Count of Bardi.
A good brick will absorb a quart
of water, it is said. There is also a
certain kind of brick, not good, that
may be absorbed with less tlian a quart
of liquid, not water.
The lives and property of soui-s
20.000 persons in Houston, Texas, have
been guarded until reeeutly by thres
policemen. The force h;is been in
creased ti eight men.
Prairie fires are annoying ranch
men in southwestern Texas. Incen
diarism is charged, certain persons hav
ing been offended by the ranchmen's
fencing in their pastures.
Patti will receive $o0iX for each of
the concerts she is to sing at in Bir
mingham and Manchester, it is under
stood the highest price ever paid for
such iierformances iu England.
Munkacsy's picture, '"Christ be
fore Pilate," has met with an enthusi
astic reception in Manchester, England,
no fewer than 1-'J0,0W people having
seen it within the space of a few weeks.
According to a Lorraine newspa
per, it is intended to collect tilt scattered
bones ot ail tnose uermans wuo reu 111
the battles around Metz and to deposit
them in a hugo ossuary, with a suitable
monument.
A newsboy of Cincinnati, John E.
Flynn, is said to have drawn from bank
22,000 the other day to go into the ho
tel business 111 Denver, Col., with, the
money Lav ng been sill made at new s
paier selling.
There are over 520,000,000 acres of
land in the South of which 70,000,000 are
in cultivation. In 182, these cultivated
lands produced crops valued at $'JJ),
000,000, an increase ot $214,000,000 in
value over the production ot ltso.
The total number of iension claims
pending iu the Pension otlice at Wash
ington on the .50th of .1 11110 last, was
244,ooT, of which 14-s,81'i were for ar
rears, nie number ot claims from
Pennsylvania was 24)9o;5, of which 10,-
MJ were for arrears.
General C. P. Stone estimates the
cost of tne Florida ship canal, l !7l
miles in length, and sutficieutly wide
to allow the passage of two sea-going
steamers of the first class, at $ 10,000,
000. The saving of distance between
Xew York and Xew Orleans will be
oOO miles.
The First Comptroller of the Trea
sury reports that the total amount of
money in circulation 111 the Liutert
States is $1,575,101,042, of w hich $74.';,
317,573 is coin aud $1,757,0VJ paper.
Assuming the total population of the
country to be 52,000,000, the distribu
tion per capita would be &J0 2t.
The revised figures for marriages
in Paris during 12 are as follows:
Between young men and young women,
17,570; 7oung men and widows, 1,2-Xi;
widowers aud young women, l,17v
widows aud widowers, 'J04. Tne num
ber of divorces is given at 12. The his-,
is an instructive figure which Xe.v
England iwpers might tlo well to copy.
An estimate, which seems to have
been made with considerable pains,
says that the number ot melons raised
in Georgia this season was not far
from 0,5oo,001. About 1,200,000 were
eaten 111 Georgia, mano into syrup,
opened for tlie seeds, or left ou tha
vines. Three acres of land produce
two car loads. There are about 1,200
melons ia a car load. The cost of rais
ing a car load is not far from $14, and
that of gathering and loading Is $15.
' The average net profit is about $15 to
I the car load.
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