B. F. SCHWEIER.
TEE G0I8T1TUTI0I-THE TmOI-HD TIE EVTOSOEKEIT OF TEE LAV8.
Editor and Proprietor.
vol. XXXIX
MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA., WEDNESDAY. DKCEMJJKll 23, 1SS5.
NO. 52.
Tin- .To-.ii nali-t-
...rManJ toeininig brain,
r Tmn dole thee
I St! . .'Yr aita: of t'av years of
vour, ye: sc-Ta 100 tree
, ,. f . .v-::re of thy nervous
I tti-'-vofJniwil and heart.
cry, -It is not art:"
,i r , jwsir:- Quick read, quick
24 tie tr.-a.4nre that it carries
I .5 ur.J.r feet, who count thy
'"""'Yar-e.ved Intelligence?
, ihe uaiievs best-loved host! I
?V .it rwalls more than one vanished
- ' fiun r.ii.k of tellers early lost
A2J Iciin; r.ut a traco.
I.. -rr, of r.e.vs young martyrs of the
?T of ivins from largeness of
. t " f st.-ep-t in tenderness,
"" 'VaVe ', O early slain.
. . .1 11.. tin richft oliwurfl i
JJ aaiu-j.4 can hold forever
Jc't.:"T: i:-i ye blew a&r are sure
1 To sj-rici -niJ five at last.
.-.y wa:.-,. within the swarming
ls. a:'jiv.i-:i, in specking deeds of,
i-iaiUi 2ic-.t :i m f:ou your deathless
Your ti'j':;h;s will live again.
. .,vv .ti- r.iui!, thi4 thy fate;
'-vVn.t:i 1- w-iili, swi.nj
u. 'h,'. loves Ills kind does, first and
A r.orl: tuo .ireat for fame.
R.oi) kobix
Br wav of gratifying a long-cherished?
Ivhiaof ni'.i:e, 1 determined to spena
Ut sorxraer holiday, if possible, in a
.-rMaiold-fa-diioned house situated tar
Lrayfrom tht busy hum of men, where
!' coia ew-'i' -.i-ii'iaie peaee ana recre
ioii at theViuie time that I rode my
Lisarisn l.s'bby as much as l UKea
I "or long time such a desideratum was
the ruaiket; tliere were country
.pctiiieuts a-il V ieeu Aim nouses ana
rtf.onesand firm-houses by the dozen
:wry paper, but nothing that ap-
raaclied i:iv real requirement. At
ash, after soras weeks' miniate study
2e tapers, an .1 iiancing aitenuance
thouse-acents, I tlattrred myself that
; lad tot "the very thing" and read
rertomy vife, with almost the ling
ine delight of a jo'i?ihU
''Afineo'.d Tudor mansion to be
etif jr three months from July, replete
r.;h even- modern convenience, but
at it the expense of its antique char
jf.er, wxle-1 k:tL-!ien-aarden, flower1
arJens. lawus, siirubberies, about foui
jrasof meadow-land, and stablin, H
wjnireJ. Apply lr. X.,' tt-otierai
3c'Ja rea i i-ettei ! I salu.
"Staani!!;! ' exclaimed Bobby, Lorna
from staou'. "Sareto be a ghost, and
laprs, aiid secet duncoons, and
ill Uioe thinss we real abourin Alus-
wr.h "
-rt:ie:ous!"' t.iid
the sentimental
I've 'ong wau-
and Arcadia in a
Hnen, aged sixteen.
4to read .1. trr.i .1:1
aiubie place."
''Ye?; but we ca:m-jt he too careful
jbout these old houses," I said as a sort
dfcjeck L'.).m too exuberant antisipa-
Kiuaid imagination. "I shall not con-
icSt-ar.j arrac;e:iie!:l3 until 1 liave
sea the Lous-.''
So I went down, air.1 was received at
laenttie counlrv-station by the X '
itle jjverLis(-!jei:t, a iiroiterous, con-
testtd-ioukin-; KentUii farmer, in whose
itt;;? the e.viau- bad been for centu-
hs, w.hi-sy wiio had U en ordered
chmze of air, a: l who, bcins a farmer,
ffaaUed a', t.'ie bad times, and bad re-
I solved to let the old house, during his
limtt, to a refutable tenant.
lue lioue cane quite up to my ex-
?t.wi! as formed from the wording
if the advertisement.
"I can leave an old family man ser-
tt.it," &i:d the fanner, "if you like.'
He is a queer old fellow; but, being au
old retainer v:io was born on the estate;
youotist not mini his little ieculiari-
ties. 1 uji:,t warn vou however of one
ifcik-uess l-e has that of satisfying his
cat-.r.ir (1r animal atid liquid food at
nsks and ha7,irds.
"By which 1 suimose vou mean." I
Bid "that his ideas of m um and tuum
irpjaids bodily sustenance are a little
ix?"
u"lrccise!y," answered the fanner,
Bat, mind, if you catch him in the
Kt, or have reasons to suspect him,
jack him off to his friends in the vil
lage without a::y delay. lie is under a
warning from me; but it is more
atey than no: that vour being a new
mm wdl eaue him to break out a;a!n
o'-t here he js you can take stock of
t:-n without his seeing us."
So y.-e slipped bi-hind a laurel-bush,
ti;e subject of our conversation
6151(1 view, i I e was a jovial-look-&i
o.u-fel'ow, standing considerably
er six feet, with a ruddv face and
p aad a 1" 'e oeve'.opinent of the
wer mrt of ins trunk which sufficient-'
'JP"('C.a;rced long and intiiite ao
Ji-ALtauce v:th the good things of this
Ash" roiled alonir almost with
,a :r 0,f Proprietorsliip, lie trolled forth
ai i rich voice the words of an old Ken
m fc.resoii!'
'-a nave l n i a:, i ;,onse in Kent
ir,'jq .-i:.i:.
me, ..ve me now;
:.; njv my rent.
toun; every day lo woo.1
, 14 1,341 c:,tle 13 r"ui: Hayden
Uiefarmei; -but Iwcauso of his
aittd corpulence lie is universally
onas i:.,ua Ujbin. He's off to
kL nzV I10w' auJ. if e cannot
ihttii alive theie, no oneelsecan.,r
J e "'S'e-'ted the house and gronnds,
tni?'1 t:'e necessary formalities,
'went home thoroughly HatisGed
1 had f0.tU.a what I wanted.
u oia not tae us long to settle down
ciclr 1 nmwas invaluable as a
tomr?e' aJ3v-s!ns u- as to the best bed-
PtilTtit11! , ,v'iuUn" 0ilt with
tte-- Y"Qi-- a:il larder arrange
ItTt pa,tr0Sil:a5 the servants whom
iicTr .Wouht. and immediately lnstal-
lwT? i:i lhl,il' c-d Peaces.
tZ so far with the result
, ",Jrlriinent, for the bouse was
jS'-uiiie reiic, with scores of rooms,
&prases. oak panelling, and a
door,?0.1 ? filmi!v portraits, within
tie..'; ,1llst, althousih the scenery of
sottn' ll00(1 waa charming, I was
loraui , 5a)'ne1 away from the quaint
tod rt J1 Z1'. with their terraces
ttd dagrf s v'ias tljt'ir &Ladv walks
fewf ,6hruI,,ries. My wife was
WerT' , ?or the kitchen arrangements
Mch :trable' esPtcially the larder,
f " blgea0U2hto bold nrnvi5t.-inl
oa.rinient of soldiers, as likely'
"si it had m the old days, and which
: juuging from its height and its groined
for another purpose. The children were
delighted, for the bouse, with Its gal
leries and broad landings, was a splen
did playground in wet weather, whilst
tuo four acres of meadow gave them a
capital place for cricket in fine weather
further, there was the attraction of the
fruit-garden, which was a veritable
Eden for productiveness.
For a week or two 1 think my wife
must have been too generally ecstatic to
notice that the consumption of food
and drink by our household was too
great to be satisfactorily accounted for
as the mere result of change from town
to country; but, when, in the course of
ten days, it was found necessary to or-
I der a new cask of beer (our servants
were all teetotalers), tnd when the
! butcher 's and baker's books came to
be examined, her suspicions werearous
hi. Then, and not until then, did 1
recall what the farmer had said about
Round llobin; so I called Jhim into the
room which every coustry gentleman,
although the title may be but temporary
Tcsls bound to call his study."
"Kobin," I said, "it is very disagree
able for me to be obliged to find fault at
such an early stage of our acquaintance;
but my wife tells me that things disap
pear trom the larder in alarming quan
tities." "Dear me, sir," sail the giaut, with
out moving a muscle of his setting sun
like lace, "that's exactly what my mas
ter never did find fault with. ' Kobin, '
be used to say to me, I can't for the
life of me make out how you sustain
that big body of yours upon such mod
erate eating and drinking. Why,' he
would say, sir, 'I'm not half your size,
Kobin, snd yet I eat more at a moai
than you do in a day!' "
"Well," I returned, amused at the
serious impudence of the fellow, "it's
incomprehensible; but there's the fact
the meat goes, the beergoes, the bread
goea, the puddings and pies go."
"Excuse me, sir," said Kobin, "but
have you asked your servants, sir?
Town servants require a powerful deal
cf feeding so my brother( who's a
I,u:mon policeman, says.
"My servants," I answered, "have
lived in my family for years, and my
wife knows almost to an ounce what they
eat, and, as to leer, they neyer touch
ic"
"Weil, sir." said llobin. with the
light of a discovery on his face, "I tell
you what it is! It's an old house, sir,
ain't it? And rats and mice is uncom
mon fond of old houses, sir. Depend
on it it's the rats and mice!"
"But," 1 objected, "rats and mice
don't drum beer.
"Xo, sir: that's very true," said
Robin, not in the least disconcerted by
what I flattered myselr was a clincher,
"Xo, sir; nut, if you'd been born and
bred in the country, as I have you'd
know that, if there's' one thing rats tnd
mice like better than another, it's the
moist wool of a beer cask, and they
bores and bores, and the beer escapes. "
lie seemed to think that I was satis
fied. becs:s,deswte all my efforts. I
could not keep my seriousness up to tke
proper pitch: so I said
"Weil. I shall lock up the larder for
the future, and my wife shall keep the
key."
-Do, sir!" he said earnestly. "I've
never teen suspected afore, and, if you
have reason to suspect me again, send
me out of the house, and I'll go like a
innocent lamb." And be waddled out
of the room.
When the door was closed behind him
I was obliged to give vent to my feel
ings in a hearty laugh; but, all the same
I was convinced that he was at the bot
tom of the pillage system.
Baited traps were put in the larder,
of which the door was kept constantly
locked. Still the viands sndthe beer
disappeared. Cold fowls went and
tht-re was nota cat in thehouse; cheeses
appeared at the table with systematic
wedges cut out of them; the beer had
to be renewed as frequently as before.
Then one or two strange circumstances
occurred.
The children, who were of course all
over the house at all hours, were con
stantly finding out new nooks and cor
ners; and one day they hit upon a new
playground amongst the gables and
chimneys on the roof, which they insis
ted I should see. So I went up with
them to the top of thehousa. But when
we arrived amongst the garrets, I was
at a loss to perceive how we were to
pr-Tceed farther.
The children pointed out a small
trap door in the ceiling, which could be
reached only by standing on an old
oaken press. It was so small that I,
although cot a big man, could with
difficulty squeeze myself through it;
but, when I had, and found myself on
the lroad stretch of leads, 1 was as de
lighted as were the children, for before
me wa3 mapped out a lovely panorama
stretching from the dim Bell Harry
Tower of Canterbury, on the one hand,
to the distant glitter of thechaunel near
5andwicti, on the other, whilst far be
low lay the estate, with its gardens and
greenery, and the little brown-roofed
vliiage nestling at th j lodge gates.
I walked about admiring the view,
when I saw the broken fragments ot a
tobacco-Dipe, an empty match-box, and
a piece of newspaper. This was curi
ous, for I had never been here before
and Kobin could not have squeezed
himself through the trap door to save
his life. Hooked about in vain for
another means of approach to the leads;
but there -was none apparent. Tne
children then insisted upon my playing
with them at "castles," as they called
it, a square leaden place in the middle
serving as a "keep," which I was to
defend. The "keep" was not a very
solid affair, tor, when I struck it with
my foot, it sounded hollow. I exam
ined it, but it was tightly enough fast
ened down. Then it occurred to me
as old houses are constantly being re
paired, the workmen last engaged might
have left the relics I had found; but.alas
the newspaper was dated within the
past fortnight! The whole affair was
very mysterious, and for some reason
or other I did not feel comfortable.
The next occurrence took place one
evening. 1 was In my "study," when
the children came hurrying in one after
another with fright depicted on their
a"Oh, papa!" they began in chorus,
end then stopped to take breath.
"Well, well," I said, not very pleas
el at being interrupted in the midst of
a most teliing sentence 1 was writing,
'now what is it?"
"There are ghosts herel ' was the re-
Pl"Xonseusel ghosts in these days?
You're old enough to know better," I
said. "I thought you had something
iniportantto tell me!" .
"Well, papa, we were playing m ibe
Ion- gallery," said Bobby, "and we
helrd fSeps overhead quit dtatlact
ly all ot us, didnt we?"
"Yes," waUhe corroborative ensrus;
"and there's nothing above the long
gallery but the leads."
Rats, children that's what It is.
Now run away and play," I said. But
all the same, I was not at all as assured
as I seemed; and there are lew things
more unpleasant than to be convinced
that there is a way of getting into your
bouse of which you know uo.hlng.
The next day my wife said that real
ly something must be done, or we should
find that the cost of our living at this
out-of-the-way rustic spot would be
considerable more than we were accus
tomed to spend in town; the victuals
went as fast as before, although, since
the tap of the lieer-cask had been re
moved for safe custody, the rats had
not indulged in moist wood as they had
hitherto done.
tw I was resolved that Bound Kobin
should be got lid of, for it was very
evident that he, and no one else, was
responsible for these mysterious pro
ceedings. I called him into the "study."
"Rabin," I said, "I gave you fair
warning last time, and I did not think
you would continue your depreda
tions." "My what, sir?" said the injured in
nocent. "My dilapidations? I haven't
broken a single thing, sir!"
"Xo, ne; 1 mean your Well to
put it in plain language, yonr larcenies,"
I said impatiently.
"My largeness, sir? I can't help; it,
sir; if I don't carry my largeness, sir, I
don't know who wonld," he answered,
with the utmost simplicity.
"Well, I think you had better live
with your friends in the village," I
said; "my servants ate quite sufficient
lor our wants."
"Very welt, sir," lis said; "you'll
find that things will go oit 'xactly the
same when I'm gone; and then you'll
say, Toor old Robin, I treated him uu
common bad, and I'll ax his pardon.'
HowJomedever, sir, I'm off;" and, with
a profound salute he left the room.
Robin had been gone a week, yet the
disappearance of viands continued.
Evidently 1 had been unja.st to him,
and 1 sent to the village to find him out
but nobody had seen him.
JlWehelda council of war; the ser
vants were called up, and. said unani
mously that nobody could get to the
larder without their lelng aware of it.
The larder itself was examined, and
the only possible means of ingress for
the leanest of cats supposing it could
have climbed a perpendicular wall some
twelve feet high was by a small grated
window near the roof. The village
locksmith examined the bolts and locks
j of the entire establishment, strengthen
ed some, and put in new ones, in fact
we did all, so we thought, that could
be done to render the house impregna
ble. One night there was a violent storm
of wind suid rain. My "study" abut
ted on the long gallery, and in my med
itative moods I used often to stroll up
and down amidst the pictures. At
about eleven o'clock, when the storm
was at its height, I was startled by a
tremendous crash. It ok my reading
lamp to see the cause, nnib four.d that
one of the large pictures, hung but a
few inches above the floor, had fallen
face downwards. I placed the lamp on
the floor, and stooped to raise the pic
ture, when 1 felt a piercingly cold
draught of air. Bringing the lamp to
the panelling, 1 examined it, and saw
what was evidently the crevice of a
door immediately behind where the
picture had hung. Examining it fur
ther, I saw a very small iron knob,
scarcely noticeable amidst the orna
mentation of the wood-work. Pressing
this, the door flew inward, a rush of
cold air came in, and, peering before
me, I beheld a flight of steps leading up
and down into utter darkness.
I began the descent, and, to my hor
ror, I had hardly taken three steps
when the doer by which I had left the
gallery closed gently behind me, and to
all appearance I was literally walled up.
However, I thought the steps must
lead somewhere, so 1 continued my de
scent. I went straight Uowa for a long time,
and then came a sharp turn to the left.
''Evidently leads out into the garden,"
I thought. Suddenly I was face to face
with a blank wall. I was about to re
turn when my eyes caught a small bolt
I moved it, and d;scovered that half
the stone slipped back, making a tiny
aparture. Up to this I brought my
lamp, and by its light I looked directly
intotbo larder. Notwithstanding my
position, I almost shouted at the dis
covery. This was evidently Mr. Robins
watch hole. Now how did he get in?
And, although I searched every inch of
the will, I could find no appearance of
an entrance.
I retraced my steps iast the gallery
door, which was fast closed, and ascen-.
ded. The stairs made a turn to the
right; I was walking on planks, and
guessei that I was over the gallery,
and that after all, there was reason iu
what the children had said about hear
ing footsteps alwve their heads. Then I
came to a small wooden door ajar. I
pushed it noiselessly, and my astonish
ment may be imagined when I found
mvself in a fair sized room, in which
were a bed and, snugly snoring in it,
Mr Robin! On the floor at the foot of
the bed were the Kin tins of a cold leg
of mutton and an empty beer-bottle
my luuttou and my beer-bottle ot coursei
A ladder In the corner led dp to the
roof, and by the sound of tbe wind and
the rain I cuesscd that thereby was ac
cess to be gained to the leads, so that
the appearance cf the smoking adjuncts
thereon was sufficiently explained.
Xow what was tt be doner l must
awaken Round Robin, or else make up
my mind to be immured for the night,
very much to my own discomfort and
lnconvenienC3 ana, wnar, was more, io
the alarm of my wife. Suppose, when
I awakened him. he should grasp my
situation at once, turn ferocious, and
Well, at any rate, I put away the
knife lying beside the mutton.
I touched Rouud Robin on tne snoui-
der. He muimurel thtf it wasn't his
turn to sing a song, as Mike Hedges
hadn't sung his dreams were of the
tarlorof the "Plough." J toucneu mm
again; this time he started with a snort
and Si tup.
Gradually, as ins returning senses
mrf:rpd the fact that there was a man
standing over him with a shaded lamp
the expression on uis lace cnangeuiroui
irritated boredom at having been dis
turbed to the mMt genuine astonish
ment I have ever seen on human fea
tures before or since. At length he
exclaimed ...
"Why, Mr. 1 No. hang it, it can i
be! I'm adreamin'l Hallo, though it
Is! Why, how in the name of all that's
wonderful did you find your way here?
There's not a soul livln' as knows thli
but me no, not even the farmer. 1
say, when you've got a good thing stick
to tt ear"
I was somewhat relieved that the
sleeping Hon should have changed into
a lamb: so I said
"Xow look here, Robin; I want to
get out. You didn't think I should
bowl you out, did you?"
He looked at me quietly and said
"More you haven't, sir, yet. You
want to get ont. Well, get out if you
can without me! No, sir we're quits;
so we'd better keep so. Ycu've found
out my secret I've got you in
my power. Very well, sir. If you
promise as a gentleman, not to say a
word to the farmer about this, I'll let
you our,"
What could I do but promise?
As Kobin was putting some clothes
on, he said
"Vou see, sir, in the old days, when
this house was built, in Henry's reign.
j It was a rough time for the i'apists; so
uiey comriveu in 13 ere convenience.
Your larder was their private chapel,
and the stairs led to it, and, when they
wanted ai? and exercise, they could go
up yon ladder to tbe roof, where they
could see every thing and not be seen.
Thai's where I has my evening 'bacca."
I followed him down to the larder
wall, and he showed me a ring in the
floor, by raising which a step was seen
leading down to a square bole from
which another trap opened up 111 the
middle of the larder. We retraced our
steps to the gallery door.
"And now, sir, you ve seen al!,"s.fld
Robin, touching a spring, whereupon
the door flew inward. "Hallo! The
door is precious easy to-night!" he ex
claimed. "Well, iu course, if the wind
hadn't blown Sir Geoffrey down, you'd
have never found me out, sir."
To cut a long story short, Rouud
Rubin made no more depredations upon
our larder, but turned out an honest
good fellow, so that It was with genu
ine regret that, at the end of three
months we packed up to return home
and said good-bye to him.
We occupied the old hou t'.ue
years in succession in the same way
When we arrived the third yeir Round
Rabin was missing. We asked when
he was.
"1'oor fellow," said the fanner, "In
met with a sad fate fell down a si
cret staircase near the long gallery an-1
broke his neck!" 1
'T discovered that secret staircas;
three years ago," I said to the farmer;
"and it leads where do you think? Iu
to your larderl"
'And that s how all the things used
to disappear!" exclaimed tbe farmer,
astonished. "Well, he paid dearly for
it, did poor old Round Robin!"
A Vl-.it l'rom Captain Kiil.
"Iiord John Gardiner one June even
ing observed a mysterious sloop with
six guns riding at anchor off Blockisland.
It was Kidd's last vessel, the Antonio.
This Lord John was a large, hearty
man, who lived generously, 'was clever'
to the Indians and squaws, and had so
much ability in affairs that, although
he married four times and spent a great
.deal of money, he portioned off his
daughters liandsomeiv ana left a iani
estate at his death, ne was not a per- j
sou to be scared by a mysterious armed
sloop; so, after she had lain in sight two
days without making any sign, he put
off in a boat, to board her and inquire
what she was. As he came up over the
side. Captain Kidd till then unknown
to him received him with the tradi
tional politeness of a thriving despera
do, and asked after the health of him
self and familv. Then, in answer to
Lord John's inquiries, he said that h j
was on his way to .Lord Beuomont at
Boston: would Gardiner do him the
favor to carry two negro boys and one
negro girl ashore, to be kept there un
til he returned or sent an order for
them? Gardiner consented, and went
back to tbe bland. The next morning
Kuld resumed intercourse by sending
ashore a request that Gardiner should
come on board at once, and bring six
sheep with him. This was rather for
cing the acquaintance, Gardiner may
have thought; but he compiied. There
upon Kidd promptly ripened acquaint
ance into Intimacy, and asked him if he
could spare a barrel of cider. Lord
John once more proved neighborly, and
found that he coM spare the cider,
sending two of his men ashore to fetch
it. While waiting for their return,
Kidd got out from his cargo two
pieces' of damaged Bengal muslin, a
rare and valued fabric iu its pristine
state, which he put into a bag and re
quested Gardiner to take as a present
to his wife. It Is likely enough that
the captain, seeing in Lord-John a ca
pacity for such things, produced some
of his fifty shilling ruin, or three hun
dred pound Madeira to be tasted. Some
thing, at any rate, warmed him up to
increasd generosity, for 'in about a
quarter of an hour' ho presented the
Lord of the Isle with some muslin for
his own use. When the men came back
with the barrel of cider, he gave them
four pieces of gold for their trouble.
Furthermore, after getting ready to
sail, he offered to pay for the cider; but
Gardiner protested that he was suffi
ciently rewarded by the present to his
wife. They parted at last, and Kidd,
gallantly firing a salute of four guns,
stood for Block Island.
"His purpose in lingering in these
waters was to get rid of his suspicious j
ireigui oeiore going 10 uosion. xurmij
his stay near the island two New York
sloops took off part of his cargo; and
three days later he returned from Block
island in company with another nefari .
ous sloop, which relieved him of chests
containg plate and gold aud other goods.
This time Kidd again sent for Gardiner
and committed to his charge a chest, a
box of gold, a bnndla of quilts, and four
bales of goods. The box of gold, as
Gardiner afterwards solemnly deposed,
was destined by Kidd for Lord Bella
mont All the treasure and merchan
dise was buried in some swampy land
near Cherry Harbor, beside Home
I'ond, within a mile of the Mauor
houp, to be kept for Kidd or his order.
" 'If I call for it and it is gone,' Kidd
declared to Lord John, I will take yonr
head or your eon's.' "
He bowed, and ventured to say,
"Excooz me, I dink I haf met you at
Brighton; my name is Moses." She:
"Really, I do not recall your face; but
your name has a rather familiar
souud.
A Railroad Disastei:. Dumley
was telling bow narrowly he escaped
from being run over by a railroad
train. "Why." he went on, "it fairly
took my breath away. "
"Did you say the train had two en
gines?" asked yoang Featherly, very
much interested.
"Certainly not; 1 said nothing about
two engines."
"Well," responded young Featherly,
"I don't see how a train with onlv one
engine could take your breath away. '
SMAOmCK XVGEXT.
Imv a Man IjOok AVI10 is 125 Years
OM He Don't Drink or I'nn
Tobacco.
fdiadmck Nugent is a light-skinned
mulatto, 'who has lived in New York
ainee t war of 1812. He was Dorn,
ue says, in 1700, in Frederick County,
MJ., near t'of present town ot Freder
ick. He owns a couple of houses, and
is rather well provided for. He is uni
versally respe'-ted by both white and
colored and In a steady church goer.
II 9 uses a care only when he goes out
at night., and while rather shaky be
walks well enough for a man half his
age, whatever it is. He cannot read or
write, though he sticks very carefully
to datei.Sud; seldom gets mixed up in
his reminiscences. He i3 known as "the
Moon Mail" for the reason that he has
devoted vnru.y years to observations of
the moou rind tbe relations of the moon
to the ctrwtes of the weather. Of labj
yews S'JfldracK has seldom gone very
far ron; us home, which is on M street,
between Twenty-second and Twenty
third streets. The sight of one eye has
goue entirely, though the other is nearly
as good as it ever was. He has never
worn any beard on his face, shaving it
almost every day. His hair is some
what longer than most colored people
have. It is pure white and but little
kinked. ' He talks remarkably well,
though Jie has lost most of his front
teeth, ind delights iu talking of King
George' days and what he heard about
them in h's boyhood days. The old
man claims to bav seen all the Presi
dents since James Madison, and to have
talked to tliem all with the exception
of rre-ider-t Cleveland. He is going
to the White House soon to talk with
President Cleveland. He says lie was
not a lx-dy servant of General Washing
ton, ti t claims that he was a servant
of Lieutenant George Graff who served
iu tbe devolution. Shad rack's ideas of
mo;
liTv can be gleaned from his word s
that 10. ow: "l smoEeu wnen 1 was a 1
"I smoked when I was a
boy and for rome time after I grew up,
but-1 ytjs never much of a smoker. I
never '-hewed tobacco because 1 was
not allowed to. Mr. Graff said it did
not loo irood for a boy to chew, and I
did not chew. He chewed, and the
rufSjs'of his shirt were dirty all the
time w ,th tobacco juice. I believe that
was th reason he oppoccd 1110 chewin.
Yes, I have drank some liquor in my
life, bi;t very little. 1 haveut touched
a drop of any kind of liquor since Gen
eral Lafayette came to this country.
1 was awful drunk the night he arrived,
but pr that no more. My experience
has be.n with white and colored peoj lc
that l.quor causes more trouble than
everything else put together. Regular
ity in everything is beneuciai, ana es-
peci2.'V so about paying
all bills that 1 ,
are c. a.
If
you ain't got anything
anything
donV
money
romise, only pay when you have
Idttle Jkr.
PTISv&u'i Wi.-.t hft always was called.
in a big dry goods establishment, he'
" ",, ?w , lli,t 1 "v ir,
uTre- '!
"Where's the man that runs the ele-'
vator'"
n-i. ' iitfi t..i- 1 1 .... (-,,.,
his corner:
tV JL:C" .
1.,m t bnt . r, f e;,nhinfl lil.t ii ,
if sunshin
Ta,,T,
a dark place.
He was of such lowiy
statue that when be was in his corner
there seemed to be nobody
r mere.
gradually tbe small, earnest, cheerful
face grew visible, and as you looked it
brightened into such a happy smile that
the little man seemed to till the whole
elevator with sunlight.
give him a nod or a word as they went
up and down absorbed in their purcha
ses will miss him now and speculate a.
to what has become of the quaint little
fellow who was ever smiling, helping,
always doing his duty bravely?
He went home sick one night and
said "Good night" bravely, swallowed
a lump in his throat and ran off. The
day after this his father came in.
"Ue was petter, nicoch petter," his
fa. her said.
Then his mother came; they wanted
the place kept for the boy.
"Ob, so sick. He is tx much sick
here," the mother said, laying her hand
on her breast.
"Tell him to get well and he shall
have his place," said his employer.
"To-morrow we shall come to sje him. '
But on the morrow the father came
into the store and his eyes were red and
swollen.
"Mine leetle Jake," he began, and
then broke down and said no more.
It went the rounds of the store like
wild fire the news that little Jake was
dead, and you would have thought at
least that he bad been the proprietor.
And he was, In his small way, pro
prietor of the hearts of the people be
served; of their esteem, their good will
a dividend that will serve him better
than money in the land where he i3 to
day.
They sent, every one or them, beauti
ful flowers to little Jake's funeral; he
was covered with tbe last offerings oi
good will from those he served.
"We wish we had known that he was
so ill. We might have ministered to his
wants or perhaps saved him," his em
ployers said with sad regrets.
But there Is nothing to regret. "It's
well with the child. " And its no long
er "Guten nacht" with thee, but "Gu
ten morgen," Little Jake."
Tbe Pip.
This is not a disease in itself, but the
result of a feverish cold. A dry, horny
scale forms on the end ot tbe tongue,
preventing the bird from eating. The
bird becomes weak, its feathers grow
ruffled, its beak turns yellow at the
base, and, without attention, it dies.
The cure is simple. With a sharp knife
remove the scale at the end of the
tonge, and give two or three grains ot
black pepper with fresh butter thret
times a day for a week.
A Cobeect AxswEn. Teacher
"Cant you answer that question?"
Little Nell "How can I? I never
saw a wall built."
Teacher "Well, I will put it in an
other shape. If it takes one servant
nine hours to do the entire housework
of a family, how long will It take three
servants to do it?"
Little Nell "Oh! I can answer that.
I heard mamma speak of it this very
morning."
Teacher "Well, how long will it
take then?"
Little Nell "Three Unies as long.'
THK WOKIJVw KEMXRKABLE
KIVEIW.
Stream- Tiiat Present Uniiie and
Curious Features.
A number of rivers that can be found
in almost any atlas possess remarkable
characteristics which entitle them to
rail . among the natural curiosities of
the world. In Algeria, for instance,
there is a small stream which the chem
istry of nature has turned into true ink.
It is formed by the union of two rivu
lets, one of whic.li is very strongly im
pregnated with iron, while the other,
meandering through a peat marsh. Im
bibes gallic acid. Letters have been
written with this compound of iron
and gallic acid which unite to form the
little river. In Colombia there is a
liver which, by admixture with sul
phuric acid, becomes so sour that it is
appropriately named Rio de Viaagre,
or Vinegar river. Many varieties of
fish abound in the large Orange river
of South Africa until the river passes
through a rocky region containing cop
per ores, below which the water ii said
to be poisonous and to kill the fhh that
venture Into it.
"China's Sorrow" is a uame that hr.s
been given to the great Hoaug Ho,
which rises in the mouutains ot Thibet
and follows a wouderfuly circuitoa
channel for 2,5o0 mile? to the sea. The
waywardness of this might- volume of
water makes the rivejr a constant source
of anxiety and danger, instead of
wealth, to 170,0iX,tJ of people inhab
iting the central part of China. It is
known to have suddenly changed its
course nine times. It has moved its
mouth over -1 degrees of latitude each
time, emptying its va3t Hoods in differ
ent directions and digging a new chan
nel for itself where scores of villages
had stocd. It has greatly changed the
physical character of a wirtn area,
turning fertile regions Into a sandy
waste or making shallow lakes of them,
.. n.t . : ,.1. ... t, ; .. ... - .. .. 1 ...
1 ,," '.i. :, :
"u u . ' "c l'"r' . "'
this great, plain from disastrous over
l.iws and changes of the river bed is a
tuestion that has Ieen considerably
iiscussed in K-igland of late years.
Some recent explorers of Alaska tell
us that the Mississippi can 110 longer le
resarded as the largest river of the
North American continent. They claim
that distinction for the great Y'nkou
river, which, acording to Mr. Ivan
Petroff, who spent two yeais in Alaska
collecting materials for the last census,
empties into Norton sound one-third
more water than the Mississippi pours
into the Gulf of Mexico. The Yukon
basin comprises the most of southern
Alaska, and is a mile wide OX) miles
from its mouth. Many centuries before
it was visited by white men it very
,, -inr . .,," i.Vu.vi tn
iave crosae,, from Asi;i t0 this conti.
! llPIlt,
A
very curious river is the Webbe
Shebcyh of east Africa, a deep and
rapid stream, abounding in fish and
crocodiles. Though it lbws for bun-
I ditus of u.lit J tliroiili fert
lands, j
immense volume 01 water never
reaches He sea. A little north of the
lm'MT t,lfi river Io8 ,tselr 1:1 a ',wrt
$n a from llie
1
! Very few great rivers
have ever
i been thoroughly explored by
going up
stream. Travelers tried for I'.OOO
I years to find tho source of theXiloby
! aBCSIiUlUg UIH TlVer. luj llllir.lliry
: . 1 ii. . t v- i a i i.
cbed the difficult part of
the
stream their stores and energy were
1 ..... , ,, ,,,
r-
. ... i .,..:., ,1,
i""Viin heads first bv overland routes
!? tTnt ?hv
l Yrt ttZ
. Ii1" hl!f tiT.t -!5ifM? li
, 0" "d 9k0 30lve1 t!,e S9"
! ther. It was only by seeking the
A C.AMBhKKS Sl KIIlE.
Staking a Fortune on an .Vi e and
Irfxinij. A Tragedy r Tlirillin;
IiitereM.
"There used to be in the neighitcr
hood of Camargo, an old and wealthy
ranchman who was ridden by one of
the most singular gambling hobbie3 I
have ever seen. HU name was Refu
gio Garcia. He was devoted moute
player, and his idiosynorasy was the
ace ot diamonds. Ue had a tremen
dous reverence for that card under all
conditions, bnt when it lay face up
ward on tbe table, flanked on either
side by a spade or clnb, his faith in
it knew no bounds. He was said to
have obtained bis superstition from a
dream of his dead wife, who was
scalped by Lipans three years before
I knew him. It may have been so and
it may not. Anyhow, ho clung to his
card with a reckless love. And the
most singular part of it was that it
rarely won. He had wasted away
many a fat cow on it when I first saw
him, but threw away more afterward.
When the first gambling booth was
opened and before the trainmen had
fairly prepared for the opening night
liefugio was there, gasing patiently at
the dealer and waiting for the game to
commence. 1 knew him, as I said,
when he had money. I was with him
daring a part of his long chase after
fortune and I was to be with hiui at
the death. The train, under command
of Jaau Nandez, arrived at Camargo
and pitched its tents. It was a big
one and brought lots of goods and
money.
"There were several gamblers con
nected with it; in fact, they were
nearly all gamblers by instinct, but
tke loudest and the wealthiest aud the
fanciest the man with the finest booth
and the greatest quantity of money
spread on the table before him- was a
Frenchman named Antoine. Ue was
the first man, tx. who was ready for
business, and, of course, he caught R
iugio. I had learned that the old man
bad sold bis last ranche a few weeks
before, and ho was supposed to have the
money with him. Be entered the tent,
stooping low at the entrance, and I fol
lowed him. When heaUightened up
in the glare of the lamp3 1 saw that his
face was very pale. His lips twitched
nervously and his hands shook as he
dived beneath his vest and unfastened
a broad belt. He spilled a few gold
coins on the table and carefully replaced
the remainder.
'I wiU play only a little to-mgbi, he
said; 'but, Antoine, I dreamed of Jiili
anna lst night aud I shall win froa
you.'
The Frenchman showed his white
canine teeth, and said, in sibils Spanish:
'Glad, very glad to see yon, Ssnor
Garcia. The fair has only commenced.
We will bavj a lo.:g sUting. In two
weeks' time yon should be able to win
back all yonr ranches.' and be langhod.
"The deal began, the ace of diamonds
rustled to the table, Garcia played bis
mocey on it and lost. Contrary to
my expectations, he arose and strolled
lUtlessly from the tent. 'I will play no
more to-night,' he said. 'You may not
believe it, friend, bnt I am directed.
'I saw no more of him for a few days,
but learned that he had lost a few gold
pieoes every night, waiting patiently
1 for his loved ace of diamonds, seeing
the money swept iu by the harpy lingers
of the dealer and then turned qnietly
away. On the last night of the fair I
walked over to Autoine's tent. On
every side tbe hum of trade, the flash
ing of lights, the snapping of castanets,
and twang of guitars were accentuated
by the sense that on the morrow the
vast caravan would bo Rone, and the
great prairie lie bald and bleak in it
loneliness. Inside the large booth ex
cited players were grouped around tbe
table, and the clink of dollars was in
cessant. Antoine was dealing and his
usually impassive face was flushed with
mescal. Refugio sat almost in front of
him, with a strange, drawn look on his
features, anJ his great, heavy belt in
front of him.
" 'I have here,' he whispered, patting
it excitedly, 'the bill of sale of five
hundred mares aud three hundred gold
gold eagles, Sll.000 in all. I am wait
iug for my fate and I shall win.'
"Antoine glanced across the table at
him nervously, I thought, and raked to
gether bis cards for a fresh ileal. Uis
fingers trembled as they felt Refugio's
yes on them. The sards were sho tiled,
cut by the right hand man and the first
two were laid face upward ou the table.
They were the deuce of hearts and the
king of clubs. A few pesos were placed
on the deuce and turning his pack face
downward, the dealer drew the bottom
card and with a slight, graceful motion
flipped it on the table, I: was tho
fateful diamoud ace. Rifugio reach!
over and showered a haudful of gold
pieces upon it. The next card wa tho
lonr of spades and it fluttered down by
tbe ace. Refugio's painted vhihboth
was flauked on either side by the club
aud spade.
" !). you lake a tap?" ho said to Au
toine. "'Rjtail you like, said the latter,
savagely, and pulling out a drawer of
his table he showed t'te ranged columns
of com.
" 'Eleven thousand pescsou tho ace,
said Rjfugio, emptying his lelt.
"The game paused, while slowly aud
quietly Antoine counted the money,
lie exunined tho bill of sale carefully,
expressed his natixfaetiou, said tua
money was correct, and whiio the black
aud bine eyes of the assembled Mexi
cans aud Americans were fastened on
his wiry fingers with an eager interest,
resumed the deal. Yon know Mexiosu
mnnt of course? In placing bis money
ou the ace R3fugio simply wagered that,
the deck l-eiug turned face np and tb
top cards removed successively and
placed on the tab(e, an ace voaid fchow
up before a fonr. Tito tin lamp rih-k-ered
fitlully, the figures around the
greeu cloth soemcd carved of stouo aud
the deal went on. Refngio sat with his
face hidden, his hwd resting ou bis
hands. Tho bnrly Trench man sliowej
no emotion. Suddenly, as the cards
stik one by one to the Ixiards, there
was a universal exclamation from the
watchers. The top card slipping mwu
disclosed an ace.
" "Yon have won,' said Antoine. aud
he cou u ted nut the money. It left his :
drawer and table bare. 'I am a ruiucd j
man, he added simplv, aud walked out I
of the tent. A moment later wo board j
a pistol shot. Wo found htm not tcu
paces from the spot oi his ruin, with
bullet 111 his heait. A tiny, jeweled
r. i a t ..I wnmoj,.'. VHnn!i lav niir li i 4
- " . -t ( ...j .
outstretched and nerveless hand. O.J
the handle was chased in letters of j
silver the single word 'Jalinuna.'"
"Had he known Refugio's wilt?"
I think not. Simply a coincidence, j
I suppose.''
Vanity Fair.
Iii personal appearance, Turkish
women present a type as icu!iar and
remarkable as any under heaven. Their
complexions are generally fair and of
the most delicto softness, owing,
doubtless, to the constant use ot the
bth, as well as the protection of the
(osi.iictJl-, or veil, without which they
never go ahead. Their features are
regular, and their almond shaped eyes
bright and black, and so valued for
the;r size that great-eyed ladies ar
promised by the Prophet as one of the
suWimest joys of paradise. Beauty
spots, or moles, are considered of great
value. Their costume is as peculiar as
their iersonaI appearance. It con
sists of two parts the tiUarry and the
.ihnhnr. The tnlo.rrij, or dress, is a
long robe, trailing about a yard behind,
ami resembles much the morning dress
of a European lady, only the tit'irrj is
composed of three skirts, as it were,
opeu in front and on the two sides, the
latter openings extending to the hips.
The front skirts are not thrown open,
as Is the European fashion, but brought
together and buttoned up, the ends
gathered between the limlisand thrown
back, which, pressing upon the skirt
behind, serve to form the train. When
the ladies are under no restraint of
etiquette, the trains of their dresses are
either tucked up to their girdles or
held in their bands, and thus they walk
about the house in a free aud easy style,
whether rollicking, chasing each other,
dancing, strolling in the garden or en
gaged iu household work. A lielt or
a scarf encircles the waist, a coquettish
coiffure surmounts the bead and em
broidered slippers adorn the feet. These
slipiers are worn slipshod to facilitate
their leaving them on the floor when
they ascend and seat themselves on the
scfas. Their movements are graceful,
their forms being under no artificial
restraint, as that instrument or torture,
yclept the corset, is never worn by
them. Their gait is also peculiar.
They do not move about on tiptoe, or
walk in measured and firm steps, but
glide about softly in a dieuilied manner,
as if "bkimming the earth" In a sort of
j?i'..it(f, which is considered lady-like
in their estimation. The bang is purely
Turkish, having originated with them,
as is the square cut of the neck ot a
dress kuown as the "Poropailour,"
which style th:.t lady had doubtless
iwrrowed from the Turkish lxdles.
Sometimes the t.itnrry is worn high
neck, and at others decollete, exposing
much of the bust, but never the
shoulders.
Ax American paper says snuie gi to
church to weep, while others go to
sleep. Some go their wives to please;
their conscience others go to e-.
Sum go to bear the preacher; others
like the solo screecher. Boys fro to re
connoitre; girl3 go because they oughter.
Many go for saga reflections, precious
fe'jr to help collections.
NEWS IN BKIEF.
Russia is building a $2,300,000
ram.
South Carolina has C13 lunatics la
her asylums.
General Kilpatrick's widow is to
nave a pension.
London, it is estimated, has about
"?I,K'1 paupers.
There are about .1,0(10 Chinese iu
Xew York state.
Pickjiockets have been "working" .
Newark (X. 3.) churches lately.
There were 3,310 houses built In
London and the suburbs in lS?i
Professor Agassiz is said to be tbe
wealthiest of American scientists.
Diamonds are reported to have fal
len 7." ier cent, in price in London.
The !ast )ensioner or the war of
'12, reading in IOwell, died a few days
ilRO.
Pocket handkerchiefs came into
use in the lime of Henry IV of Eng
land. Vienna officials rigidly exclude the
use of velocipedes or bicycles on the
streets.
The four-track system on the Penn
sylvania railroad now extends a distance
ui eleven miles.
There have been sixteen suicides
and two murders at Monto Carle since
the 1st of January.
Genera! Beauregard came out of
the war a comparatively poor man, but
he is now wealthy.
Iu Xew Orleans heads offish are
dried, mounted and sold tor table and
mantel ornaments.
Thirty-three of the ieadinz ciiiti
of Edgeiield, S. C. are under indict
ment Tor lynching.
An old companion of Scii-uz and
SeRel is woiking contentedly as a bar
ber in Atlanta, Ga.
Sulphur is i!es:ted hi the ti.p of
.Mount Popocataptl at the rate of a ton
a day. It is stated.
Ten novels are written and rejected
in England, it is stated, for everv one
that is published there.
Nickel is a letter conduct or 1 13.11)
than lead (s.:!J). is lighter than lead.
and does not oxidize so much.
There is a "slave corner'" in all old
N'ew England graveyards, where th
blackamoor chattels were buried.
Georgia's penitentiary now contains
1332 prisoners, the largest iiuuiber ever
recorded on the registry at one time.
England lias an insurance society
which makes a specialty of insuring
against damage done by hail storms.
At an exhibition of cage birds in
London recently, one of the great at
trartions was a bullfinch valued at
According to the last census, then
Is one milliner toevery 37 women, while
there is only one tailor toe-very 7'J men.
Sixty-four counties in Texas did
not vote at the last Presidential electiou.
Many of them have siree been organiz
ed. A dog belonging t- a Cincinnati
shoe dealer chews tobacco, using up
about a quarter of a ten-cent plug every
day.
Guatemala encourages cattle farm
ing by prohibiting the slaughter of cows
and severely taxing the exportation of
heifers.
There are said to b only about
1 members of the Soc iet y of Fr ieuda
(ijuakers), now in Great Rritain and
Ireland.
Indies iu the Cadet Club of the
Sate University, Mo, arc said to drill
with guns and to Is- "making excellent
progress."
San Jose (Oil.) dry goods dealers
were victimized last, week by an insane
woman, who ordered an expensive wed
ding outfit.
Roller skating is indulged in with
great ardor at tli-American Institute,
X. Y-, with over a thousand skaters o'i
the floor iu an evening.
Senator Gorman and Congressmen
Townsend (of Illinois) and W. U Scott
I Pennsylvania) are said to hav:; served
as pages in the House.
The distance from Trinkitat to
Tokar is twenty miles: Trinkitat to
Suakiin, twenty-iive miles; Tokar to
Suakiro, forty-eight miles.
Xew Yolk City has u;ht hundred
rag-pickers who gather $7i,0in) worth
of nigs In the streets and roads. The
pickers are mo--tIy Italians.
An old farmer living near linliatia
poiis has just lost his fourth w,f- The
first three died and his latest has eloped
with the old man's bachelor son.
The tueen of Madagascar is saiu
to have oignnizeil a police foree to pre
vent the manufacture, importation or
sale of intoxicants in her dominions.
A dividend authorized a few days
ago ou the eld account of the JXewark
(X. -I.) Dime Sivings Bank brings the
total paid depositors up to !."0 per cent.
Scientists affinn that diseases such
as typhoid fever pee in many cases dis
tinctly traceable to the milk of cows
who have had only impure water to
drink.
A young Jew in St. Petersburg has
invented a watch which goes by elec
tricity. The watches are made without
any springs, and consist solely of two
wheels.
The combined ages cf a family of
three brothers and three sisters living
in Auburn, Me., aggregate ."Of; years.
The eldest 13 a sister, aged 0f, and the
youniresl is a brother, 73 years old.
At a library sale in Xew York, the
other day, JOM was the sum paid for a
copy of the second edition of the "John
Eliot Bible," being Eliot's translation
of the Bible into the Indian language.
Oiea Bui!, the 12 year o!d daughter
of Ola Bull, the famous violinist, is
alxvit to visit Xorway with her mother,
and it is thought will appear in concerts
there. She possesses some of her
father's talent as a violinist.
Crystals of oxygen have recently
lx-en obtained in Paris by first hquefy
iug the gas under great tuessure, and
then suddenly renioviuit tlwr pressure.
The temperature of th liquid mass is
thus greatly lowered, und crystals of
oxygen arc formed in i.
Non-poisonous organic acids aid
digestion. Hence the ise of vinegar
as a condiment is bnvii on good rea
sons, but with the condition that the
quantity must not be . great as to irri
tate the stomach itself.
During the present year, forty fe
male students have entered upon a
course of study at the Paris hospitals.
Only three or four of the?e are French
women. There are some English ajd
Americans and a lew regresses, but
Russia is the natioi.ality most numer
ously represented.
t
.JE1-