rpsfC ; i A' A' n i is mm hp tie ooiBTrnmoi the trnoi-AJD the espoeoemest or the laws. Editor and Proprietor. SCHWEIER, XXXVIII. MIFFUNTOWN, JUNIATA CX)UNTY. l'EXXA.. WFDNKSDAY. XOVKMHKR 19, 1S31. XO.17, u.F. VOL. & be tr-ia. " r Zi bv n-okl rurttrors, turn away w .i,iiiwinrl dv trernai turoj f'31 d Vart shall never go astray. '' " , .VJ,. whose un-dlrected Lie i rirtwJ l" strife of wind or e, I, a!M:t,lru .. ..! ,ri, devotion sMllmJ ' ,,val uuto thee. The fickle ti Je divided I w ' wooiug shores in wild nn- rf!-' i fr.. iiifl. alwavs uudecided. H-tu .... ,,.!- ..i iaslou in my breast : ot ? , llf-.m- rasuitlegs the it""' n" . .. ....,. X- ,! .nd liurrift- on. J'.Vl UI IfU'll-mj ...... ka. ... , - .,.1 iik.Iu lis waters io ueiicr. j, my u.. Light barks may be be- ! 1k triie. . r-'.rued -'' l-y every breeie at play well manned ana ia.e W ith 1-ria.i a:h nyiiii, anchor safe in Lie firm rk, that, teadat and s-i'!d 'a'uimK'V.-d, when ebbing billow t heart stau-1, faithful, if for 4, ..u:ii thou art falne to air. nir roit a i.mtiu It was Harold Pleasby's last day at Oxford. H? had taken his degree, paid ta bills, aud packed UP the odds and -. ulik h had adorned the room. where be had spent the better part of a not too industrious but merry university ca Whilst lls scout was gone to f-tr-i, him change for a live-pound note. which was to enable him to give his parting til's to porters and cads, Harold .at down ami wrote ou paper embossed with a cardinal's scarlet hat these two titers: "Christ Church, Oxford. "Vv T.oKli. Mv uncle, Mr. John Pleasby, has allowed" me to hone that you would be tad enough to apioint me your private secretary if 1 could produce certificates nf mv titntTS for the post. I enclose :T!iri,ni-..ils from the Iean and from mv coilcue tutor ; although they can not sitak eiy highly of my attain mfiits. thev av enough of my charaC' tf to auie you, I hoi, that you will uot fiiid me ungrateful, nor backward in trviur to deserve the honor which art to bestow on me. I am v.uir lordship's faithful and obliged i vaut, Harold Tleasby. "To the Hl-iUT HOJf. VlSCOCST Hi"XM"Vin, St-cretary of State." "Ufai: 1st i.K. I have just written to old Hux- mouth a- vou advised ; but I don't be lt vc a bii'that I shall get the appoint ment, for pidgin from all you told" me lout h:m, l e is one of those loose old tali who maVe more promises than they jitei.a to kct'p. It's very kind of yon 11 tie same to Lave recommended me. In the probable event of my services teing declined on the ground that I have not graduated in honors, I wish you would give me another proof of your affection by trying to get me an easy berth iu a Government office, with a rising salary and that kind of thing. To tell you the truth, 1 shant be sorry if old Huxmouth throws us over. After what you have told me of his temper, Lis stillness, and bis habit of canting koDidies (I have not forgotten that an-ecdotr-alH.ut his having been mistaken for a Mrthodist parson), I expect he mid 1 should quarrel before I had time to diiest one of those bad dinners of his which so much disagreed with you. "i'our affectionate nephew. "Harold. "To Jons Pleasby, Esq , M. P." The scout returned just as these let ters had been written, and Harold gave him that to Lord Huxmouth to post; but he put the one destined to bis uncle Uito his own pocket, because he meant to add a postscript by-and-by, stating what exact sum he had had to pay for debts, eic, ou leaving Oxford : this with a virw to justifying a demand for a cLnj;;e, which he had lately made upon Mr. Johu Pleasby, whose spoilt nephew he was. Harold spent another Lour iu college settling his dues ; then, lieina rather pressed for time, he sent for a hausoin, jumped into it, and was driven fast to the station with his port manteau. The rest of his luggage was to follow. The railway porters knew Harold hit-ashy, late the crack batsman uf the 'varsity eleven, and they bustled forward with silver-seeking smiles, to usber him into a compartment where be should be alone with his cigar. Har old appreciated Uie service, for he wanted t make iid bis accounts. As soon as the train had started, he laid out bis bills on one of the carriage seats, made a reckonine of their totals, and tben drew out the letter to hia uncle to add bis iostseript in pencil. It was lucky tl at nobody was in the compart-in-ut with him at tuat moment, for he suddenly turned red as if he were go- ihgto have an ainrtdectic seizure, ex claimine : "WelL this is a pretty go 1" and allowed the letter U flutter out of Lis bauds. He had bv mistake put the note in tended for his uncle into the envelope directed to Ixird Huxmouth. and kept the If tier to the peer in the emvelope which uow lay on the carriage floor I A pretty rt&ii in lite this for a young ihau who. having misused his opportu nities at tullege, had now only patron aze to rely on for the means of earning his bread ! Anybody would have been dismayed by the blunder; but, to do Harold Justice, he thought more of the serai: into which lie was sroinir to drac his uncle than about that into which he had gut himself. Harold had received cunttaut and most mnerous kindness from I. is father's brother, and he was sincerely attached to him, while being quite aware that the old gentleman had his foih'es. Honest John Pleasby dearly loved a lord. He was one of those men 'bo, even past the prime of life, remain perennially young a dandy, a friend of ieeresses, a popular club cliatterbox, and an intrepid diner-out. The smiles of sx-iety were as necessary to him as sunshine is to a lizard ; but the more so .... io mm now than ever, since he liaa ately tukeu to himself a voumr wife. who was ambitious of shining in the 'ond. Now Lord Huxmouth, besides "eing a Cabinet Minister, was a man of very potent social connections, and. what k more, he ruled supreme in the county pt which John Pleasby sat in rarliaruent. At a mere nod from him the latter might lose his seat ; for Mr, Pieasby's oulv raixnn d'rtre as a legisla tor was that he always voted straight wilu uovernment and enjoyed the con- uueuce or lis patron. He was, unfor tunately, not a man who could have done anything for himself unassisted. Confound it I" muttered Harold, in real chagrin, as he picked up his letter, "I shall cause uncle to lose his seat,aud he'll be getting all sorts of dining-room doors slammed in his face. It's cruel hard lines, considering all he has done for me. He'll never trust me again. either ; for he told me those facts over an after-dinuer bottle at his club, and 1 ought not to have been such a fool as to remind him of them." Thus did Harold Pleasby soliloquise, pondering with consternation over the terms of that very private letter which was go ing to fall under Lord Huxmouth s eyes. The tram stopped at Didcot. and Harold had to change trams for Lon don. His first impulse was to hire a trap and post back to Oxford, to try and get his letter from the post -office authorities ; but a moment's rejection convinced him Unit he should be too late. On makinguquiries of the guard he learned, indeed, that his letter must be actually in the train by which he was traveling, for the bags had been collected half-an-hour before he had left Oxford. There was nothing for it then, but to go on to IxmUon, and, once there, to try whether the letter might not be stopped by hook or crook from being delivered at its destination. Harold was a bold fellow, who bad woii manv an uphill cricket-match by steady blocking without losing his nerve ; but be could make free nits too, when occasion required it, and he re solved to make such a one now. He dismissed the idea of going to Grosve uor Square, where Lord Huxmouth lived, waylaying the postman, and at tempting to bribe that official, tor he thought it would be of no use ; and he disliked the notion of corrupting one of Lord II uxmouth's servants, because he knew that secrets which get into the ears of menials are like water poured into a percolator. Having made up his mind that his uncle would be ruined if his letter reached Lord 11 uxmouth's hands, he thought that his simplest course would be to drive straight to St. Martin's-le Grand, and confess bis dilemma straightforwardly to one of the high officials there. He happened to kno one of the ornamental upper clerks of the establishment a pleasant fellow, named Gosling, who had been at school and college with him ; and he felt sure this functionary would give him the letter if he could do so. At Paddington, Harold made but oue bouud across the platform, without claiming his portmanteau ; and scram bled into a hansom. He saw the scar let curricle of the post-office standing apart from the row of cabs, and he con gratulated himself that be should have a good start of that vehicle. But alas! his hansom had scarcely got well under weigh, before the bright two-wheeled trap, so light on its springs and drawn by such a capital little trotter, came dashing past him. Harold rattled his umbrella against the trap-door or cis cab, and shouted to the driver to bestir himself if he wUUed to earn an ext.a halfcrown. The cabman did bis best. but the mail-cart, with its gut cipher and emblazoned crown, the fast gray trotter, and the sedate driver in blue. were quickly vanishing into a tricoiorea leck. At a turn in the road the speck melted ; and Harold, on arriving at the post-orhee, felt that he must be at least rive minutes behind-hand in the time- race which be had been running. The driver pointed significantly to the steam ing sides of his horse, who looked as If he had been taking a Turkish bath, and remarked that it was useless trying to beat the Queen's mails. Harold Hang him his fare and ran breathless Into the office : 'tMr. Gosling ?" he asked of the first messenger he met. 'Over the way, sir, in the new Duua- lnirs." answered tne messenger ; -out I doubt whether you'll find him now, it's iust struck four. "Doesul ilr. Gosling stay after rour then ?" "No, sir ; all the young gentlemen leave as soon as they can. 1 hank you. sir. this is the war. He said "thank you" because ne uau received a two-shilling piece ; and, tak ing Harold over the way to the new buddings, he consigned him to anotner messeuger, who, on receipt of a similar gratuity, put John Pleasby's nephew into a waitmg-room and left him there for ten minutes. When he returned Harold was fuming and stamping' his foot. "Really I must see ilr. Gosling at once," he said, before the messenger had oitened bis moutu. Mr. Gosling asks if you'll Kinaiy wait live minutes, sir." was the reply. Hang it. no; not a minute !" snouted Harold. "Take me to Mr. Gosling im mediately, wherever he is;" and he pushed the messenger so delilierately out of the room that the latter ran down the flagged passage in some fear, as if he had a tipsy customer at nis ueeia. Luckilv the pair met the ornamental clerk coming down a staircase. He had a crutch-stick and an eyeglass and was chewing a toothpick. "My dea-ar I'leasbv " be began : but Harob cut him short, clutching him by the cuff and drawing him aside to explain his errand. Then Mr. Gosling dropied his affectation of manner and flung away his toothpick. "You're just Ute tne others " he remarked seriously ; "you people of tne pnonc nave tue uuueai Ideas about the post-office : just come here." He reascended the staircase and opened a door. Harold, following him in the hope or recovering nis leixer, fouud him-elf in a glass cage, or box. where a couule of watchers were sur- vevinu some eight dozen clerks, sorting letters ou a long table below. There u.-a another cage of the same sort on th niinoftite side of the room, and every movement of the sorters could tie dis tinctly seen from them. The thumping made bv the instruments with which the stamps were defaced and the post stroke was Incessant, As fast as a letter-bag was emptied on to the Uble, its contents were dispersed in a likn a snow-wraith in a high wrmd-'and the letters that had been .timmi were sweut away in heaps to farther end or the table, where they were classed in citegories and tied up into bundles. The bundling process done, thev were transferred to baskets, and from the baskets they went mto ridrt.mnutlied bags of coarse canvas tht tvn all blotched with sealing-wax Xo mach'ne worked by steam and cut rrw into chaff would have dis posed more quickly of a mass of papers than this two-huudred-handed postal mechanism of human agency. "Vnn aa it's hooaless." observed Mr. i,i; .nmrvKwionatelv : "by this time your letter is In oue of those baskets, and before I could get downstairs it would be in oue or tnose nag .mntnt Tnu have the bag stopped "And delay the delivery in a whole district for an hour I I like that," an swered Mr. Gosling amused. "Besides, before I could get the Postmaster-General's leave for the delay the bag would be in the mail-cart, and the mail-cart gone to the district office." "What need is there for all that beastly hurry about letters 1" exclaimed Harold, in disgust. "Come, I'm wast ing my time here ; you might have told me so before." "Walt a moment IU give you a crumb of conifoit," replied the orna mental clerk. "Ird Huxmouth is out of town for the Whitsun holidays. The letter you are chevying will be delivered in Grosveuor Square about five, and either lie there till his return or else be sent down to his place hi Eastshire by one of the servants traveling down with other letters to-night ; so you will be in plenty of time it you go down into Eastshire yourself and try to in tercept the letter there, or else make your peace with old II ux before it ar rives." "What sort of a fellow is old Hux ?" a-skexl Harold Pleasby wretchedly. "Crusty as a loaf, dull as a Dutch man, and hard as nails," replied the or namental clerk sententious y. "n ell. that s promising." answered Harold ; and if it had not been for his uncle he would have given up the chase. But he thought with concern of the pickle be was preparing for hi worthy relative, and resolved that at all hazards he must persevere. So half an hour later he was pacing the pave ment in Grosveuor Square, waiting for the postman to arrive. lie was dusty, thirsty, and tired. V hat a weary vigil it seemed in the heat of a June day 1 and when at Last the postman came. what a time he took to distribute his letters 1 He stopped at every door. hammering his double knocks, and at some houses he rang as well, because of letters that were insufficiently prepaid. This caused repeated delays and conse quent exasperations to Harold, who saw how the day was shortening, and reflected with fury on the prospect of having to spend a night with this trou ble still hanging over his head. But when the postman reached No. 90, the Oxonian saw the letter In his hand, and this gave him a moment 'scourage. The postman ran up the steps, shot his let ters into the door-slip, gave his knock, and went off ; the next minute Harold plied the knocker in his turn, and tbe door was opened by an old woman, who, without being spoken to, feebly said : .Nobody's at home, sir." "When will Lord Huxmouth return to town ?" asked Harold, "les. sir." responded the old wo man, with a curtsy. "I'm hard o' hear ing, sir." she's deaf as a post," muttered Harold ; "but so much the better for my purpose ; and suddenly tottering against the wall, he dropped his um brella, uttered a moan, aud let himself glide, seated, on to the marble floor of the hall. It bad occurred to hi n that if he simulated a fainting-fit, the old woman would run off to fetch assistance and he should be left alone with the letter-box. Happy thought aud happy resmt I The woman bustled off, iu effect, screaming, aud Harold was on his legs in a trice, fumbling at the letter-box. lie found It locked. Scarcely naa ne had time to throw himself on tbe floor again, thau a churl of a hall porWr, coming stealthily up the kitchen stairs, emptied a pail of water on to his face. 1 ah-ah." said he. "I suspect it's one of the swell mob come sneaking here to see if there s anything to steal." "Confound you, man, what do you mean by that 1"' gasped Harold, rising half choked and thoroughly saturated by the violent douche. .ow be off, my man!" criea me porter iieremutorily, as he stood in a defensive attitude with his bucket. . "I expect you're the chap that came and stole master's overcoat last winter." You rascal, you shall smart for this!" exclaimed Harold, raging at per. celving what a mess be was in. Yes. yes. 1 know what you're at," shouted the porter, undaunted. "I saw yer fooling round that letter-box just uow. If yer don t slope l'u can tne perl ice." Harold Pleasby, who had tne srrengin of a "bruiser," could not resist the temptation of catching the faithful ball porter by the scruff of the neck and bundling him down the kitchen stairs, with such force Oiat he and his bucket went clattering to the bottom, with the noise ot an ironmonger s suop ueiuu pitched down a shaft. But after this exploit the Oxonian thought It prudent to stampede. He made good his exit into Duke Street, turned into a reaay made clothes shop which happened to be handy, aud bought himself an over coat to cover his soaking garments. After this, he took a cab and drove to the Victoria Station. He bad been waiting about hair an- hour in the refresliment-room of this terminus, when he saw the sorrowful figure of his late enemy, the ball-por ter, hobble on to tbe platform, with a bandage over bis left eye, and his right arm in a sling. The poor wretcn car ried a black bag under bis other arm. "That rogue is going aown to Hux mouth with tbe letters. 1 shall still be iu time if I travel down in the same train with him I" mused Harold : and he despatched a waiter to fetch him a first-class ticket. Just as be was about to leave the buffet, however, he was seized with a bright inspiration. Buying four eigh- teeu-peuny flasks of brandy, he bestowed them into his pocket, and walked lei surely down the platform, concealing his face with his handkerchief. Lord Huxmouth's servant bad got into an empty second-class carriage, and sat sulking there solitary. Harold waited till the guard's wnistie naa sounaeu, then swung himself into the carriage beside him. But he took care not to disclose his features till the train had fairlv started. The porter's indignant shout of re cognition was drowned by the suortings of the engine. IL It had been a fine day in Eastshire and Lord Huxmouth, who was resting from his ministerial labors, had been enjoying a happy afternoon, strolling amongst his flower-beds and kitchen garden, to see how his roses promised and whether there were any signs of coming melons. He could be as earnest about his fruit and flowers as about the members of the animal kingdom over whom it was bis province to rule con jointly with others of her Majesty's ministers ; and perhaps in truth he liked his lettuces and cauliflowers better than be did men. After a saunter through his grounds. Lord Huxmouth had spent a pleasant hour or two with bis favorite classic, Macaulay he did not pretend to read Tacitus in the original, as so matt do, yawning and then he bad dined to his heart's content off duck and peas with a gooseberry tart as sequel ; for he wfs Euglish in his tastes, aud bad no fancy for long diunersof kickshaws. Having dined, the Secretary of State tuade him self comfortable in an armchair with a bottle of port at his ellxiw. Through the ojieu window he could admire the slopes of his park, richly tinted with tbe rays of the setting sun ; and watch the clouds group them-selves in glorious masses of orange and scarlet to grace the pageant of the sun's departure and herald a splendid morrow. On tlie lawn Ijord Huxmouth's daughter. Miss Itiv erdale, was gamboling w ith her big re triever. Lion, whose shaggy muzzle she was peltiug with rose-leaves. This com bination of beautiful pros(ects sent Lord Huxmouth into a gentle snooze, from which he awoke every two or three minutes with a start, to brush flies away and murmur a benisou on those insects. Seeing her father asleep, Miss Itiver dale a pretty brunette of eighteen said to her mother: "Mamma dear, it seems to me that Jeremy is late with the letters. 1 will go down to the bel vedere, and see whether there are any siirnsof him on the road, for I am anx ious to know whether the modiste has been able to match my Chinese, blue silk." "Very well, my dear," said Lady Huxmouth, a buxom lady, who had been half-dozing on a garden-seat ; "your lather is impatient for the mail too, as he expects a letter from a young man who Is to be his new private secre taryMr. Pleasby's nephew." "Is that young Mr. Pleasby whom we saw play at Lord's iu the Oxford and Cambridge match, and w ho batted so well V asked Miss Kiverdale de murely. "Yes, I suppose so; he is a very well conducted young man, an J his uncle is proud of him." "And is he to be papa's secretary "Yes. Mr. 1'leasby promised he should write and send his testimonials ; but that is a mere form, for your father baa made up his mind to take him for his uncle's sake. Ma'id Riverdale tripod off lightly with her dog, and sang to herself as she went. She knew far more about liar old Pleasby than she pretended, for she had seen pictures of him iu the illus trated papers, aud had heard bis uncle describe him as a merry fellow ; so that she was glad of his coming, for Iord Huxmouth's last secretary had been a dull youth, who never smiled and was always studying blue-books. Crossing the lawn aud entering an avenue of leafy limes, Maud made her way to a belvedere which stood on the outskirts of the park and commanded a view of the fields and highroads for miles. As soon as she had attained this coign of vantage, she saw a sight w hich struck her motionless with surprise. Staggering across a hay -field, in wild zigzags, came Jeremy, the ball-porter of Iiord Huxmouth's town house, with his arm aud eye bandaged as already de scribed. Beside bim walked a gentle man in a long gray overcoat, w ho was : atkina- i.rabs ai. a Ja.Kbich .'ererjiv nourished over his bead out or arm s reach. As the pahr drew nearer Maud heard Jeremy crying vehemently: "Xo, no !" The stranger expostulated, and their dialogue, growing louder, became distinctly audible, when Jeremy, all unconscious that he was seen by his young mistress, tottered against the wall of the belvedere, exclaiming: "Ijot, how drunk I am 1" "Come, give me that letter," a;d Harold Pleasby inipatieutly. "I've told you all about it, and you shall have five pounds if you render me this ser vice." "So, no, sir," maundered Jeremy , vou're a gem'mau, I know : you've made me very drunk, and you've given me a sovereign fur kicking me down stairs. A duke couldn't have behaved handsomer ; but I can't give you any of my lord's letters.' "I shall have to take the letter from you by force if you don't" said Harold, wbo was angry. Well then I shall hollar, sir," drawled Jeremy, with a hiccough. You'll never have heard such a hol laring as I'll set up if you try to touch that ere bag." At this moment- Lion, whom his mis tress had with difficulty held in by the collar, broke growling from her hands aud leaped ou to the window-sill, where be barked furiously. Harold, looking up, saw a pretty girl eyeing him se verely, and one may judge of his mor tification when she addressed him in bold language, which showed that she thought him a common thief : "What do you want with my father's post-bag sir r" she asked, speaking loud tecause of the dog's barking. I really a beg pardon," stam mered Harold, who bad turned crimson. "Are you Miss Riverdale ?" "Yes. I am," answered Maud, start ing and blushing lu her turn, for Har old had bared bis head, aud she recog nized John Pleasby's nephew. 'Well, Miss Riverdale, I must throw myself on your generosity," said Har old desperately. "1 have written to Lord Huxmouth and enclosed by mis take a letter not Intended for his eyes.' "Why dont you tell my father so? and be will return you the envelope un opened," replied Maud quietly. "To be sure ; I might do that. I had not thought of it," faltered Harold. "If you will allow me I'll come through the gate ;" aud he came. But now an untoward incident oc curred. Jeremy, in his shame at be holding Miss Riverdale, dropped the post-bag, and Lion, who had leaed through the window, picked it up and decamped with it. This intelligent dog bad been taught to carry all sorts of things ; and appearing to divine that there was some dispute about the lag. he probably thought to content all par ties by making off with it as fast as he could to the hall. "Dear me, what a mishap ! Lion 1 Lion 1" exclaimed Maud, clasping her hands ; but the dog paid no heed and galloped all tbe faster. "Well, I'm done for I" cried Harold, with forced resignation ; "and it serves me right," 4No ; perhaps we shall still be iu time," ejaculated Maud, pitying him, "Come with me this way, Mr. Pleasby we will take a short cut," But the expedient was of no use. It was a five-minutes run to the hall, and the short cut made it longer. Wheu Harold and Maud arrived breathless on the lawn, they saw Lion resting on the terrace, with his tongue lolling out and Lord Huxmouth was coming down the steps, reading, through his double eyeglasses, a letter which he held at arm's length. "Oh papa I" cried Maud, running forward, "bare is Mx. rieaaby, who has sent you. by mistake, a letter which he wants returned." "This epist'e, I presume." said Iard Huxmouth drily, as he banded the let ter to the culprit. Then he glanced for a Moment at the Oxonian with a twinkle in his eye. "If you will take my advic, Mr. 1'leasl.y, you won't tell your uncle this letter fell intomv hands. or he w vald lose all his good spirits. I tuippo he expressed these opinions of n,e ar time wio'ii.' I had refused him something ; but ministers can't always please even their own friends." My bird, you have my humblest apol ogies, murmured Harold contritely. Oh, you wrote what vou bad heard there's no harm in that," said Lord Huxmcuth, laughing. "As to bad din ners, ym know your uncle is rather a gourmand ; but we'll see if we can't ; give yf u a good supper to-night. Ix-t ; me introduce you to luly Huxmouth. ! My der.: this is Mr. Pleasby ; you will j show him the room he is to occupy. He , writes a good hand, though hU episto- ! lary st; ie is a little peculiar." j Some three mouths after this Lord Huxui M th's secretary and bis daughter were talking very confidentially under the treesof Huxmouth Park, and Maud said : "Harold, you have never told me what was iu that letter w hich you did not wish papa to St", when you first came here V ! "A pack of lies P answered Harold bluntly. "Your father is the best man : alive; there's only one irsou here I like more than 1 do him." ' '"And who might that be, sir!"' asked Maud innocently. "Hen name begius with an M," suiJ Harold. oterlliruwiuK m TjrauU Dr. Samuel Parr was a learned, ' course, self-willed man. Iu society be was a tyrant wbo found such was the awe excited by his learning aud the fear of his satire ready made slaves, eugei j to wo.-s-iip him. "I have seen." writes an English au thor, ".he daughter of a Duke light his pil-e at his command, and beheld the proudest olli. ers quail under the dread of his s-tire." The doctoi's self-will was never al lowed to rust. It was used every day. He con. man-led, ami never said: "Will it, lie agreeab'e to you to do this?" The doctor's wilfulness once encoun tered a lady's "I won't," aud was de feated. tne was a gentle winning lady, so intuitively jKilite that she could uol help being com teous to a st reet-sweeper The d ctor was an ineveterate smoker, and brought his pie into every compa ny where he was invited. He would call I'p'-u the prettiest girl in the room, usir.- t!.e course epithets "jade," "bus ey," "wench," to light his piie, and she humbly oleed him. Tbe d.x-tor admnt-d the gentle lady, and o.ie day at a pirty where she was an honored guest, ordered her with: 'Come hither, weuch. Light my pipe; nay, lirst clean it out with thy tapei ftiiiicr.V. She t slifiras iT-she bad iiot hinl the order. "Come, hussyl"he sa'd. "Dr. Parr commands thee." "ro, doctor, I do not choose to obey you," answered the lady, in silvery tones. fhe company stared; the host looked as ir she had broken the social eoue. "Choose!" exclaimed the doctor, his brows lowering over his deep gray eyes: but I comma ud." "You have no right doctor, to com mand. We are free here; and I, for one, will not obey," answered the soft. low voice, as gently as ir conveismg. "Then depart!'' exclaimed the doc tor, waving his hand toward the door. while his face was suffused witti tin brick-dust redness of mortification aud passion. "I shall uot. sir. ou have no rig in to tell me to depart," replied the mild voice. A deep silence followed. The other guests treuilded in apprehension of the bursting of the storm. The doctor looked at her, and then burst into a loud, long laugh. He had met oue wo man who did not quail berore tne avjui Dr. Parr, and over whom he could not play the social tyrant. "Thou art a wench," he iegau, try ing to make ins retreat. "Xo, doctor," interrupted the swei voice, "1 mast decline those apieiia- tious. You have no right to apply them tome." Why, then, you are my eneniyl" he cried, not knowing what to say, Unless, doctor." she responded. softly, "you give me better reason than pets produced at Irak are called phara you "have done to consider you my ghans, and are firmer thau other Per- lriend." From that dav she went bv the name of Dr. Parr's enemy" he himself giv- ing her the title. lut lie never went carjieiea sometimes wim laurics ir-m to a party among their mutual friends Kerwanshab, Uowadan and the dis but he asked that his -'enemy" should tricts of Laurlstan. Also for this pur be invited to meet him. A curtly re- jnise the carpets of Mech-Kabad, lu spect marked his manner toward her. : Khorassen, are available, although of She was taken ill. Jivery day tne haughty, self-willed person rode up to her door to ask the house-keeper solemn questions about the invalid, and showed generosity as well as affection toward her. A Wonderful cluck. The most astonishing thing I ever heard of in the way of a timepiece is a clock described by a Hindu rajah as be longing to a native princess or upper India, aud jealously guarded as the rarest treasure of her luxurious palace. In front of the clock's disk was a gong, swung upon poles, and near it was a nils of artificial human limbs, lbe pile was made up of the full number of parts for twelve perfect bodies, but all lay heaped together in seeming confu sion. Whenever the bauds of the clock in dicated the hour of one, out from the pile crawled just the number of parts needed to form the frame of oue man, part joining itself to part with quick metallic click; and, when completed, the figure sprang up, seized a small mallet, and, walking up to the gong, struck one blow that sent the sound pealing through every room and corn- dor of that stately castle. lien two Ud design will last ior ages, ana ac o'clock came, two men arose and did tually improve with use such as this. likewise; and so through all the hours of the day, the number of figures being the sauie as the number of the hour, till at noon and midnight, the entire heap sprang up, and, marching to tbe tables, or hang as tapestries and por gong, struck one after another.each his tieies. This explains the extreme fine- blow, making twelve in all, aud then fell to pieces again. Between eix and seven hundred dwellings are burnt every month in this country. A I-ondoB Carlaalty. Iu 1713, on-) hundred aud seventy-one years ago, a eel tain Henry Mouck, a genial soul, took borne with him from St. Bartholomew's fair a horn tobacco box, for which be had paid the humble sum of four pence. This Monck was one of forty overseers of the parish of St. Margiret's, Westminster, and it is not difficult to picture him a full-bodied, jovial, good fellow, fond of his pi i and glass. So the happy thought occured to him to present it to his thirty-nine colleagues, and year after year it was produced at their weekly meet ings well filled with the choicest and most fragrant leaves of the tobacco plant. Forty overseers relaxing after business was over, each puffing from a long church war leu. must have been a goodly sight, though It does occur to one that thetolacco box, which is about two inches square, must have hail some of the properties of the widow's cruse. If the ghost of the genial Mouck ever walks the earth aud looks in on the convivial gatherings of his brethren in the year of our Lord 1(W4 the custom now Is to produce the box twice a year he would feel highly flattered, and . perhaps a little surprised, at the growth I or his gift For.to put it plainly, what could once be carried to the meeting iu bis breeches pocket is now a goodly burden for a four-wheeled cab; and ; even then, it is said, the driver asks for a double fare. At first a modest silver : rim, with Mouck's name inscribed thereon, was placed around the old box; i and year after year it became the cus tom to record ou a silver plate or a sil- ver band the important event of the year, sometimes national, sometimes i purely lecal. sometimes au emblemati ' cal device, sometimes a portrait of the ' hero of the hour. Then a dainty to j liacco stopper of mother-of-pearl, at tached by a silver chain to the box, was added. 1 Time rolled on, vestrymen were born, vestrymen were laid quietly lu their graves, ami a Velvet lined silver case was added, iu w hich reposed the origi j nal, now a coruscation of silver orna tneuts, richly chased and embossed; i then annther aud another. And uow ; this singular trophy consists of seven ' distinct parts.each fitting into the other like the pieced of a Japanese puzzle. Of these one is horn.four are silver.and two of oak. The last one, it is estima ted, will cover a period of eighty or ninety years. The earlier plates aud ' various inscriptions are most exquisite ly Migraved; iu later days the art seems to have been lost. In the second case the famous Wilkes whooddly enough, was a church-warden of St. Margaret's lu 1709 squints up at one from the bottom of the box; then we have a me dallion of George III, an altar-piece, an eugravirg of the overseers administer ing relief to the poor, Westminster Ab bey, au engraving executed by Hog g nth, battle-fields and naval engage ments, such as Waterloo and Trafal gar, the trial of Queen Caroliue, por traits of George IV'., of Pitt, Fox and other famous statesmen. The queen and the members of her family figure prominently In later days, and one of th last plates is an engraviug of Mr. Bolt's statue of Lord beatoniicld. But iuthe small space at our disposal it would be iroiossible to give even a cat alogue of the curious records nere to ne found. As we have said.it is produced twice a year to the body of assembled overseers, and during his office one of them Irresponsible for its safe custody. ' "This box," so runs the charge, "aud the several cases are the proirty of the Past O.erseers' society, and delivered ' into your custody and care upon condi tion that they are produced at all paro chial entertainments which you shall , be invited to, aud shall contain three pipes of tobacco at least, under penalty of six bottles of w ine." Claret is the tipple prescribed, but no instance is re corded of a failure to obey the Draco nian law. Once or twice Indeed the relic has been in jeopardy; once in its useful days from a thief, a second tim from a recalcitrant and angry vestry man. Intrinsically it would not melt down for much. As a curiosity, it is to be cherished and cared for with ven eration. Tertian Carpet. I The far famed rugs aud carpets of Persia are largely made by peasants in their homes and are in reality a sort of needle-work. United States Cousul General Benjamin, at Taheran.haa sent to the State Department a long account of the business. He says there are four classes of these carets the large size, the rugs, the ghileen. or knitted goods. ' and the namads, or felt carpets. Car- ; sian carpets, lirge-sizea carpets must be made to order. Besides tbe phara- ' ghan carpets, he says, floors are also inferior texture to tne pnaragnan. i ue , carpets of Kerwau have tlie texture fitted to the rough usage required iu covering floors; but while perhaps of 'superior quality to the pharaghan, they are always small anu proportionately more expensive. The Persian carpet par excellence is tbe rug. Tbe Persians use those in preference to large sizes. First covering the floor with a hasseer or matting of split reeds, then lay over it many rugs, which completely con ceal the mat. This arraugement.when composed of rugs of harmonious de signs, is very rich, while the cost is ac tually less than if one large carpet were 'employed instead. The varieties of , Persian rugs are numerous, Iu some sorts, like the lurkowan, there is a 1 general similarity of designs, although no two rugs are altogether identical. But iu other classes, such as tbe rugs of Kerw an, Dyochegau or Kurdistan, there is endless design in variety and texture. A point to be considered Is that while the small carpets of Persia go under the general designation of rugs, it would be a serious mistake to consider them all as merely carpets of small SRe intended to be trod on by heavy shoes. In the first place, Per sians when at home take off their shoes and thus a carit of fine, delicate wool in the second place, a large proportion sf the rugs ot Persia, and especially the Quer grade, are never intended to be laid ou the floor, but to cover divans or nei of texture and velvet surface which many of these rugs display, and also ac counts for tbe fringe at the ends. Some of the rugs of Kerwan are about as fine as cashmere shawls. The designs of these rugs were formerly of a large pat- tern, with a general ground of red, white or some other uniform tint, with borders and details of minute tracery, harmonizing w ith, rather thau disturb ing the general effect. Theae patterns are unquestionably of higher artistic importance, exhibiting a quality desig nated by artists as breadth. At pres ent, while there is apiwrently no differ ence iu texture, there is au evident ten dency toward smaller designs which lose much of the effect unless seen with close insectioii. l'ei ha-s this is only tlie result of a reaction from long-established custom, and it must be conce ded that the modem desigus of Persian rugs are more popular with the average American aud European buver. The colors formerly employed in the rugsot Persia were imerishable. rings one hundred years old show no deteriora tion in the tint, but rather a softness such as old painting assume. The in troduction of an aline dyes at oue time threatened to ruin the manufacture of texture fabrics in Persia, but the law against the employment of anallne dyes enacted by the Persian government is enforced with vigor. The namads or felt carpets of Persia, although prxlu ced by a process which, perhaps, exclu des them from the list of strictly textile fabrics, may yet proirly lie considered in this reiiort. The uainad is made by farming a f rameof the thickness intend ed, or excavating a place iu the ground of the size aud depth equivalent to the uarcad intended. The hair is laid in this aud beaten with mailets until the original disjointed mass has obtained cohesion aud is reduced to the dimen sions of the frame. A design of color ed threads is beaten into the upper sur face, sometimes quite effectively. The namad, however, is desirable less for its beauty than the complete sense of comfort it affords. It is much thicker than other carpets, and the sensation to the tread is luxurious. Xo caret has ever been manufactured that is more suitable for tbe comfort of a sleeping room in winter. Of course there is a difference in the quality of these na mads, but the dearest are far cheaper than the same surface of carpets or rugs woven in the usual styles. The great weight and clumsiness of the namads must unfortunately prevent their ex portation to auy extent until the means of transport are unproved. The best quality of uauiad is made at Aspahau, but the most massive are produced at Yezd. One would imagine that the size of the namad must necessarily It limited. But, ou the contrary, the re gular Persian carpets rarely eq-.ial aud never exceed the dimensions of some namads. The namad is, more often than the earpcts, intended to cover au entire floor, elegant rugs being laid over it in places. 1 have seeu a uainad seventy-five fett loni by nearly forty wide iu one piece. There is one species of rug special to Persia often spoken of, but rarely seem I refer to the rugs made of silk, it is uot uucoiumon to see rugs of the finer types with silken fringes, and sometimes with a woof of silk in the body of the rug. But all silk rugs are rare, aud rarer now thau formerly. They are generally small, and intended for luxury rather than use. The price Is necessarily very b!gh. The chief ot the merchants of Teheran told me of one he tini seen over a tomb; it was barely two square yards in size; but he said that 2 tomans, or :!W, would be a low price for it. Onljr a Little Wlule Ao. Our youthful readers can scarcely form an idea of the world as their grandfathers saw it, in the days when John yuiucy Adams was President. Uoys who went to noarumg-scnoui ov miles from home, had a stae ride of five or six hours to endure or to eujoy, according to the weather; for boys were apt to perch on the outside seats. In muddv seasons, the ave or six uours would stretch out U teu, w ith a possi ble alleviation of a dinner at the Half way House. If they were homesick, or wanted a box of good things for solace, they paused before writing a letter to reflect that their "honored parents- wouni have to pay twenty-five cents postage on the epistle. Now, honored parents who paid so much ror a letter, expected it to contain a good deal of matter.cor rectly spelled, ou a large and clean sheet of paper. Envelopes were not then used, because they would have made the letters "double,' which doubled tne postage. Each and every inclosure was charued oue rate. Thus a letter in au envelope inclosing a dollar bill, would have cost seventy-five cents. Hence very large sheets of letter paer were used-, esc- lally by affectionate mothers when wri ting to their sous at school. Ofteu when the tender soul had filled four Immense pages with family news and good advice to "my dearest boy," she would still have something more to say and then she would cross her writing to save postage. Tbe crossing was a sore trial to the iniiatieiit youth, who did not in those days rea l any w riting with perfect facility. It was a high art to loid a letter nice ly. Years elapsed lielore a boy could tuck in the outside lap without any bulge at the ends, and make a neat. compact, well-sbaed packet. Niaie clumsy-fingered fellow never couia get the knack of it To all such, the en velope was a precious boon. It was considered a frightful vulgiirity sixty years ago to send a letter with anything but sealing-wax. This was a very awk ward article lu a Southern or tast In dian mail-bag, as the heat melt aud stuck the letters together. It was ouly the envelope that ended the wax nui sance. Everything was more difficult than now. In 18J4, the daily stage for the city of Washington left New loik at three in the morning, and a man went round the town at two to call up the passengers, so that when the stage came for them it might not be kept very long waiting. If all went well, passengers reached Washington the next morning soon after sunrise. At that remote period, before the Erie canal was finished, what was the largest Inland town of the United States? It was Lancaster If Pennsylvania, with a population of somethiug less than four thousand. A Tocsa laxly la St Louis reeeutly doused a young man with a pailful of water while he was on bis knees beg ging her to be his bride. It ia always the custom, we believe, in some parts ot the west, to wet a new suit One of the best methods, says M. P. de Oaspann, of preventing the ravages of the phylloxera is to keep the soil of the vineyard continually moist, and in the south-east of Franoe this is effected by keeping the vineyard submerged daring the Winter, NEWS IN BRIEF. Oregon's recent State fair was not a success. Helena, X. T., has the Brush elec tric lights. There are 5Su Icelanders) iu Maul- tota engaged as farmers. Louisiana has about eighteen bil lion feet of pine in her forests. Chicago is complaining of the over crowding of its wide sidewalks. There are 1k,U"o, mjre men in tha United States thau there aie woiuen. Electric tricyeles, it is evpecbid, will soon be iu common use in Kng land. Vermont has buried sixteen repu ted centenarians during the past threo years. The average sale of postage stamps in this country last year was 24 for each person. Louisiana's rice crop for 1SS4 will be 20 per cent, short, and the sugar crop about 2.. There are over 5,0v0 untenanted houses in Havana, Cuba, aud neighbor ing towns. A "horse-swappers" convention w;is aunouueed to meet at Ann 1st on, Ala., on the 17th. L'lm Cathedral, after remainiug unfinished for nearly -h") years, will soon be completed. On the Pacific road there are towns where Sunday is said to !e "the busiest day of the week." It is announced that the total uum- lier of known Australian tishes now amounts to l,2'.l species. An underground stream ilows be neath the city of Birmingham, AU. It is to be used for a sewer. Some sectioim of the Smth. are suf fering from what are declared the worst drouths in their history. Over JW.Oi O,0 0 is said to ha Ix-en seiit in attempts to solve the pr blem of H.-rpelual motion. Instead of designating single ladles as old maids, the Indianapolis Jourmd calls them "barbelHtes.'' An Essex (Conn.) diuggist poisoned his baby the other day by giving it su gar of lead for sugar of milk. Winnipeg, the metropolis of Mani toba, Ls a go-ahead city, sure enough. It has a debt Of 52, .jH.UUO. Sarah Bernhardt has to pay 300 francs dally to her creditors from her salary to avoid the sale of her effects. The latest ceusus of Pai ls show s a Populatiou of 2,2."'.i.92X. of whom lt), T'.'S are English aud j,'.'"7 Americans. Fully Uo.l.'t per ceut.of our export.- or bread and breadstuff's consists of wheat, wheat flour, com and corumeal. KidiTermiuster, Kng., is suffering from au epidemic of typhoid fever. Tba moitality is chiefly among young per sons. A young medical student of Mis sissippi has been rendered temporarily insane by the sights m the dissecting rooui. The City Council or Thomastowu, (ia.. has raised the liquor license to JjcMO, and the license on billiard tables to 5500.' ' V - - . Bears are so plenty in some parts of New Hampshire this season that they are seen hi couples by daylight oc- " casionally. A coup!e lu Oxford, Miss., married ou a month's probation, and at the end of that time dissolved by consent of all concerned. The price of the two Rulwuse sold to one of the Rothschild family from the Blenheim collection is said tJ be i2.")0,UU0. The electric light will lie tried lu the Evening High School of New York next winter, as being steadier and bel ter than gas. Tlie profit of the cattle busiuess of Texas this year, the yield Wing esti mated at from .'hXI.ihk) to 7"o, head is ; 10,000,000. Since the development of tree cul ture the forests of Europe have In creased from one-sixth to one-fifth of the entire territory. The area of the coal-fields of the world is estimated at 131,000 geogra phical miles. One twenty-fifth part i in the United Kingdom. Xo less than twenty-two pers.iu.-i ascended Mount Blanc during Angust. the largest number of ascents, it is said ever made in that month. Goetz's posthumous opera, "Fran cesca de Rimini," Is t be brought out in Loudon this season, with Mile. Min nie Hauck iuthe title part. The exhibition of lustoi ic relics of their line of business is becomnig a somewhat popular mode of advertising among London storekeeiiem. A few years ago the women of lu dla were not allow ed to Iearu to read. Xow there are l2o,:51S girls attending schools established for them. Damages amounting to over 24, 000 have been paid by les Moines, la., during the past four years for accident caused by defective sidewalks. Tlie district around Galena, Kan sas, is credited with being the largest zinc producing locality in the world. Last year 70.UO0 tons were mined. The new Japanese Minister lit Washington, Kuiuhi Kuki, is ouly i years old, but is regarded as the author of Japan's present school system. Jefferson Davis has hail returned to him the saddle ou whieh he rodo while endeavoring to make his histori cal escape through Georgia in lVi. Assaults on policemen are quite a common occurrence in London, uo loss than 2-'!00 people having been arrested there the past year for this offence. The Sutlej, a large river in British India, with a descent of 12,Oxl feet iu ISO miles, or about 67 feet per mil, is the fastest flow ing river in the world. Russia possesses l'.,flM.72l horses, and yet ls so alarmed at the expoit w hich has risen from iJ.Oihi iu 1S7 to 35,000 in 1382, that a tax is talked of. The average yield of wheat iu the United States is about 14 bushels per acre. In England, according to the best authorities, the yield is 23 bushels. The United States possesses 63,000 clergymen, who yearly preach '.7t,00 sermons. Their talk iu book form would make 1V2,220 volumes of .VX) pages each. The exporU of maunfacttuei from France in 1372 amounted to 183,080. 000. In 13&2 they d;d not exceed .74, aOi.000, diminution of about 10 per cent, lu 10 years. India contains about JoO.ooO.Oui people, classed as follows: HW,000,Oi" of Hindoos of all castes, oO.ooO.OOO of Mohammedans, aud 1,000,000 Chris tians of all denomination.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers