' ' sti.nu-Htm .... c. F. SOHWEIER, the ooisnrnnoi-TZB uiioi-aib tee EaTOionmrr or tee lays. Editor and Proprietor. VOL. XL. MIFFLINTOWN, JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 8. 1SSG. NO. 50 - - .n ...... ,.nMi.i ... ..i , K, ,.' n iii-tf ""r1" - " ,-- . .... ,,.. - r? : 1 iSS. i M M.i Site. s ( ciiSIL Just About night. jost fair enough to be pretty. Just penile enough to be sweet; jost snoy enough to be witty. Juit dainty enough to be neat. jnst tail enough to be graceful, Jost siirfnt enough for a fay: jn,t Ji,s.y enough to be tasteful, Just uu-rry enough t be gay. jnt wak enough for submission. Just liol J rnouijli to be brave; Just pri'le enough for ambition, Jost tliouglitful enough to be grave. jost fit provoke without harming just mischief enough to tease; Just piquant cnourh to be charming, j,i4t a proir desire to please. Jost glance for the falsely assuming. Just a pitying thonght lor the fool; jost contempt euougU shown the pre suming. Just a dignity tempered the rule. A carriage, though modest, half-royal Aquetu in her womanhood crowned; Kind-htarte.i. and loving, and royal But by Jove! Where's the girl to be found JOHN HAKYEY'S MISTAKE. A life was rassing away; softly and .i i rn did in? into eternitv. No renuj " a - - :.;.t rlivsifian watched its decav. ; jijj. - - - . go wealth rat-d its painful joltings ilong the road to death; yet no word passed Clara Liter's lips; no traitor juscrj that her burden was greater ian she could bear came from her i &-.rt Pain had traced manv a irrinkie ou Ler fair forehead, but her jrows bad never been drawn together a angry irupatieuce. Bei Uriuson, loving her sister de rotedly, and tending her daily, was tept in ignorance of her danger, and llirt ftlpnilprnp-s-i rif hpr aold on life. BA only saw that Clara wu your..? and beautiful and delicate, les, she was delicate; but then Clara ttd been delicate from her childhood, icd since that dr.-adf ul morning wbeu aejrs capie to them that the steani ibip Cawnpore had been wrecked jl the African coast, and Captain Uster's name had appeared among the passengers drowned or missing, his jomig bride, Clara Lester, had, as Margaret expressed it, never raised her bead. Death and her sister were, how rer, never associated in Bel Uruuson's mind. Clara was delicate and that fas ail. Three years had run their course nnce the wreck of the Cawnpore aud Captain Lester had never come back to Us wife; and now, she whispered to kerself, she was going to him. Before Bel had attained her eigh teenth year she was engaged to be mar ried to" Lieutenant Ueywood, a young jflicer in the th Hussars; but a nisunderstanding had arisen between ibem, and they parted. Clara ?ed to me foolish mistake between you, ind someday Lieutenant lleywood will come back to you, aud everything will be explained." But Bel had laughed scorn Tully at Clara's prophecy and lefused to place iny confidence iu it. Her disappoint ment had shaken her confidence iu hu nan goodness and integrity, and she became suspicious, reticent and sar castic But gradually Clara Lester's mfluence effected a change, and two years later Bel Urmson had learned to love a?ain and was once more engaged to be married. One morning Etl was seated on a low stool by her sister's couch, her chin resting on her hand and her eyes gaz lug vacantly on the floor. She had been silent for a long time, when sud denly she spoke. "I thought John ou-ht to know that I had loved before, and sol told him the story of my love. Was I right?" and she turned her dark, handsome face to her sister, while her glorious brown eyes seem to rcteat her ques tion, 4iTVas I right?" "Quite r.ght," Clara answered, you have ouly foresta.led the advice I intended to give you to da-'. And he, Bel what did Mr. llarvey say?" A blush crept up the girl's cheeks, aad her eyelids dropped for an instant ai she said : "I don't think hn liked it Clara; he looked so disappointed; but he said very Irttle; but I do love bim, and be has no cause for jealousy. But, he is jealous jealous as Othello " aud with a light, careless laugh, she turned awav. "I'm sure Bel does not love him.'l the sister murmured, squeezing her lingers totther in agony at the thought '1 have come earlier than usual," said John Ilarvev, who now entered. "The fact is, I imve received a tele gram from my father, informing ms of his arrival in England, and requesting my immediate preseuce in Southhamp ton, because, as he expresses it, he is ot so well. I do not suppose it is any thing serious; nevertheless, I am obliged to leave Sutton to-night." "I am sorry," Clara said, "I bope you wi.l and him better." "John," she continue 1. leaning over and laying her hand in his, "my lire Is so uncertain, I may never see you again. Don't start -tlie thought is not new to me. Promise rue, I will not ask yeu to wear it, for a man's word should be binding as his oath but promise me now, before I die, to be always kind to BeL" Startled and surprised though be was, without a moment's hesitation, be laswered: "I promise. To the utmost of my power I will be good to your darling." "Thank you, ' she murmured, as her fater and the nurse made their appear noe. "And now, if you will take Bel away, Margaret shall help me go to my room. Good bve, John." Be shook hands with her, expiws fcg hope that when he returned he hould find her stronger. Then he and Bel walked to the small iron gate which divided Mr. Lester's miniature garden from Sutton Common, and Wusing there he asked: "Bel, will you write to me while I in away?" They had been engaged only a fflonth, and this was their first separa tion; nevertheless, she answered with warm decision: , v MXo; you will live on my letters and be In no hurry to come back to ma That same night, Clara Lester found Uie release for which she had so long waited. "I will never listen to any of Bel's adprojjcts again." was John l" wy'a mental resolution as he stepped out upon the platform of Sutton bta tiorj. "I have been away only a fort night, and it seems an nge aince I bade ner good-bye at the gate." As lie approached Uie cottage oia a tention was attracted fey the figure 0r a gentleman walking before him he was the stranger who bad spoken to the porters at Sutton station. He was several yards in advance of John Harvey, not walking in the desul tory, purposeless manner of a stranger, but like one, who, having an object in view of the goal for his attainment. "A fine fellow!" was John's solilo quy. "But I wonder who he is and where he is going." Almost in answer to the query the stranger pushed upon the gate of the Home cottage and entering, closed it behind him. In a few seconds more John ITarvey gained the gate and, pausing outside, looked once more on the dear familiar scene. Tue fine old chestnut spread out Us branches i:i the suulight, and yielded the same cool aheMr under its leaves which it had yitlded a fortnight before, but Clara's couch was no longer there. Only the small, rustic table and wido garden seat were there, and on a low chair beside the table her face buried oa her crossed arms, was Bel Urmson. The stranger had walked silently and unnoticed across the greensward, and, standing within a few yards of hsr, was attentively regarding her. The girl raised her head and looked at him. then, grasping the back of her chair slowly rose to her feet. With a little cry of joy she ran to him and he folded her In his arms and kissel her. She did not shrink from his caresses; ou the contrary, she nut her arms around his nec'i and kissel him. Gently and tenderly he led her to the garden seat; and, seated there, their voices became an indistinct murmur to John narvey and he heard no more. "I know him now," he muttered be tween his clenched teeth; "Lieutenant ueywood the old lover!" With an imprecation still on her lips be turned hi back on the scene of his happiest hours. Ten o'clock was striking when John narvey returned to "The Griffin." and half an hour later he had left Sutton forever. Two days after his departure Bal Urmson held iu her hand a letter from him, bidding her farewell, and telling her that, though be could not but gratefully appreciate her endeavor to love nim, yet knowing as he did know, that she had never forgotten ber first love, he had decided to adopt the only course left open for him, and go away. W it!) a pale face and trembling 0 tig ers Bel read the letter, then Rhe folded it up and laid it away in her desk. At ten minutes to 8 o'clock on the tntrniiig of ti e 30in of June, five years at er Mrs. Lester's death, the bell over the porch of the village school at Chlp endale rang out its summons. Ding-' djiig,' ding-dong; pealed along High strtfrom end to end. over the play ground rolled the lusty tones and the children stopped their play as they rec ognized ;the familiar "iron-tongue'" and with one accord hastened to the do jr. Boys and girls rushed together, push ing, laughing, shouting, striking out at each other as one or the other gained a momentary advantage in the race to be tii st in school. "Good morning, children." The voice was full and pleasant, and the smile broadened into a grin on the little faces as the speaker left ber desk aul came toward them. She had a word and a s uile for each, for It was the openinz day of school after the mid summer holidays, and rules were re laxed aud a little license permitted by even so strict a disciplinarian as Bel Urmson. Yes. she was Miss Urmson still not quite the same Bel of five years be fore, for sorr.-w and care nau wasuea the roses from her cheeks; but no one eazing on her pale, beautiful face, ever doubled the f;ict that her spinsterhood was maintained from her own choice. She was standing up, the children gathered around her preparatory to their dismissal at noon, when the door oiened and the vicar of Cuipendale en tered, followed by a geniieman. Oool mornmir. Miss Urmson. ' he sa d, shaking bauds with her and nod ding to the children. "I m glad you have not dismissed your scnoiars, as wished mv friend to see them, I can not myself stay to give him any infor mation about them; but if you will kindly tell him about them, I shall feel very much obliged. Mr. Harvey, Miss Urmson." Startling and unexpected as the meeting was, Bel did not lose her self possession. The coldest, stiffest Incli nation of her head acknowledged the introduction, then she turned aside and tniiii Hilont. with a ringing in her ears that almost deafened her, and a mist before her eyes wuicn uunueu her to everything save the face of John iiarirpv Hut Dresentiy sne saw uy um children's movement that the vicar was leaving; sho heard his retreating footsteps, and, after a pause, she raised her head and said: Children, you may go.- r.,ipn nd decorously they trooped out of the room, but not until their footsteps had died away aia ouu bum to John Harvey. "why did you come ueicj asked. ... "I certainly did not como j Idea that I should see you," he re- '"''n'need hardly assure yon that had I known of your presence here I thou d have avoided coming to Chipendale al together." m "Then you wouiu uu , 'I would. It is the wisest, the only w sKhating Within her self whether to bid him go and pursue Same course again or fetjimtam and ask for an explanation of the letter still Kfawayin her desk. It was more d,gnifled.more consonant with her wlf-esteem to seua uim - , ,7 " weirding, womanly nature rebelled 3Sit the putting aside of probable .Sulentaletter some years ago " B-,e began, hesitating and blushing hke a gulS chUd. "I never understood it; will you explain it to me now? He looked at her and smJed. What CSS betwenthe old and le vears ago, when he had gone awlv Md lXber to be true, and bow to&fftaer still unmarried, working, struggling for ber daily bread, and e S to win him back, a desire as de- "Sf mlSfe to slumber.", he said. "I will wish you goodmorn m?Wt go," she said gently. "TeU n'SSSffi He, came back to claim his own, what could i do but abdicate?" "Lieutenant Ueywood?" she re peated, knitting her brows in perplexi ty. "I have not seen him." Terhaps not lately," be said and laughed. Then, becoming suddenly grave, he continued: "I wish you would try to understand me without forcing me to be more explicit." 'Speak plainly. I have nothing to fear in any revelation you can make." Troudly, fearlessly ber eyes met his, and for the first time there dawned on him the possibility that he had been mistaken in the identity of Lieutenant Hey wood; but no, that was not possi ble! Nevertheless his manner softened as lie said: "Then listen. On the Thursday that I proposrd to return to Sutton, I did return. At 'The Griffin' I bed of Mrs. Lester's death, filled wi tenderness and love for you; but soms one proceeded me thither a young, good-looking man, with the unmistaka ble military stamp upon bim. He went to you and I paused at the gate and caw you meek him. I did not blame you, child; to be true to him you bad to be false to me: but," with a flick ering smile, "perhaps you know I was very jealous, even from the first, of Lieutenant Hey wood." It was long since Bel Urmson's face had worn so happy and blissful a smile. "It was not Lieutenant lleywood who came to me that evening, but my brother-in-law, Captain Lester." "Captain Lestei 1 He was drowned before I met you." "So we thought, but we were mis taken. He was picked up by an Afri can coasting vessel and carried to Loango, and thence to several places on the Conga. lie was kept a prisoner for several years, and," with a little shudder, 'I cannot tell you all the cruelties they made him suffer. Final ly be effected his escape and landed In England a fortnight after Clara died." Her voice shook a little and she paused. "Do you blame me now," she asked, and then broke down in a wailing, piteous cry. "John forgive me, for I have been true in my love for you." "My poor love!" he whispered. Gcnosis of the Innkeeper. Hospitality was a duty among the Germanic races. According to Bur cundian law, the Roman who received a traveler was not allowed to do so crratis thA twtntr T?urninriian hfwt. won bound to pay the Itoman for the keep ui uie traveler u ue. was unauiu u ac commodate him in his own house. The honor of receiving a guest freely was too great to be conceded to a conquered people. When Theodoric with hi3 Os trogoths conquered Italy they were Mntiizpfl nt. thA Unman bivprn Rvatpm. and at the Iniquity of the taverners, who uaa oouoie measures, a just one for natives and an unjust one for (Vkrairnr WT h v t ha t rjvtpr fihnnlH be treated freely, the Ostrogoth argued; and Casslodorus, under the orders of the ting drew up laws to enlorce at loaar tSinpQtff if tia nmilrl nnt. ririna 'v " ww w - - o about liberality, in the Latin osteria. We are inclined to be over-bard in our judgment of the knights and barons of (iermauy in the Middle Ages, wnose castles are perched on every command ing rock by every road and river, but we are scarcely just. It is true that there were robber knights, but so there are at all times rascals among a class, and we are wrong in supposing that pvpt-v rillnpil kppn VX4 t hft npc nf A robber knight It was not so. The knights kept the roads in order, ana supplied mules and horses to travelers; tliptr utan nun tlipm frpfl hosnitalitv when they halted for the night. The travelers paid a small ton ior tue main tenance of the road, and also for the ma nt thA linrvq anil mulp which car ried them on to the next stage. On the navigable rivers tne uarous Kepi, tue tow-path, and supplied the beasts which wmiM dra? tlifl barees ud the stream, aud for this they received, aud very properly, a tou. Here and there an ill-conditioned bnltrhr. Arreted more than was his due. buthe was speedily reduced to order. It was to the interest of all the knights and barons along the highway to keep thp communication onen. and not to divert it into another channel; conse quently when one member of the con fraternity wfis exacting and trouble somo the rest combined against him, or his over-lord reuucea mm to reason. As the knights and barons had their nutlpa nn hpicrht.H for TiUrDOSeS Of de- feuce, and these heights were consider able, it was not conveniens ioruie way farers at the end of a toilsome journey In 1i-iva tn nrambla no the side of a mountain to the castle of the lord to enjoy his hospitality. Accordingly they were entertained uy mm ueiow m wo village built on the highway. As commerce increased, and the toads became better. It was impossible for the nobles to entertain freely. More f.A TiHrtv Years "War. azaln the S ive'n Years War, and finally the Na poleonic wars, had so impovensuea them that they were forced to charge for entertainment, and to derive a revenue from it. From one cause or another they lost their land, and then sank to be mere Innkeepers, Tkis was rarely the case in Germany, but it was not uncommon in Tyrol, where to this day the hotel and tavern keepers repre sent the best blood in the land. They have well-attested pedigrees, of which they are proud; and they dispense hos pitality, not now gratuitously, but with courtesy and kindliness. In the very bouses in which their ancestars have lived for three or four hundred years, and the sign which adorned the helmets and shields of their forefathers when they rode m tournament or battle. Now, this state of things in Tyrol is peculiarly Interesting, because it shows us a social condition which has passed into oblivion everywhere else, and of which, among ourselves, the only re miniscences are to be found in the heraldic signs of inns, and in the host being termed landlord. Tne lord of the manor ceased to be landlord of inns with us a long time ago. and probably very early put in a substitute to act as host, and kept himself aloof m his guests. He lived in his manor-house, and entertained at a guest-house, a hostelry. Height of Twilight. By observing how fir the sun has to sink beneath the horizon before the top most summit of the air is cut off from its rays, Mons. Bravais some years ago determined the greatest upward limit of twilight to be 37S.000 feet, or nearly seventy-one miles above sea-leveL By observing the earth's shadow on the moon during eclipses, astronomers had inferred that the atmosphere must be sufficiently dense to produce twilight for at least 240,000 feet away from the earth's surface. THE MEDICO B MAS. Who Tries to Frighten Disease Away from Sick Alaskans. The Shaman, or medicine man, Is an omnipresent living conundrum to his unsophisticated people. He Is a mys tery which they cannot comprehend, and a terror always, for while he is a handy sort of a personage to have in a community, and is supposed to have power to heal the sick, he Is neverthe less, believed to be in league with the devil. The malign influence of bis spells is a constant menace, and no one can tell when or upon whom it may momentarily fall. This is a hard rep utation to have, but the Shaman pro motes it. He is a self-constituted bug aboo, having duly qualified himself for the role by a course of trying ordeals by fire, water, famine, aud direst tor ture. It is probably his attested abil ity to survive inflictions which in ordi nary course would cause death, rather than absolute immunity from any phys ical injury, which inspires his people with a superstitious fear. At the same time be Is himself in constant appre hension of some clandestine influence at work to counteract his own. If his incantations and mummeries fall of suc cess, be charges its failure and itsb?ame to whomsoever he chooses. Many an innocent life has expiated an alleged interference in days gone by. Happily, his supremacy is now at an end. It is the professional business of the Shaman to scare people and to keep them scared. It pays. Whenever he wants money, instead of "holding a man up," he shakes his rattle at him. One shake will impoverish any ordi nary Siwash, two will clean him out. It is the same with bodily ailments. As a musical practitioner be despises the use of nostrums and discards all physic. His method is to frighten disease away. When summoned in a case of sickness be rigs himself out in a garb that would scare a hobgoblin and increase the pal lor of a ghost. An invalid must ba in giea extremity, indeed, when he will consent to send for a doctor. An ap pointment with a nightmare would not require half the nerve. The patient knows just what to expect. He lias prepared himself to be frightened by a l uig course of mental enervation , and he feels that it is merely a toss up which shall stand the Infernal racket the longest, himself or the ailment. In fact, if he should fail to be frightened at all, the enchantment is kultus no good and the doctor withdraws, a mortified and disgruntled Shaman. Such a dilemma is alarming, but the medicine man Is prepared to wrestle with it. He at once dons a frightful headgear of mountain goat horns, with a mask of hideous device, and down hi 3 naked spine a row ot horns, jet black and polished, extends in abnormal de velopment to the very base. Long pen dants made dried skunk skins am assorted Intestines dangle from -his head, armlet aud anklets equally re pulsive encircle his shriveled limbs, and hid whole body glows with ochre or green, yellow and red. Armed with a huge wooden rattle and coupstick, he advances into the room with a series of postures and jerks which impressively emphasize his aggressiveness, over powering the patient and leaving bim limp and paralyzed with terror. If. however, the disease should prove re calcitrant, the Shaman sits himself on the earth iu the centre of the room with his back to the fire and proceeds to beat the ground with his stick, shak ing his rattle and singing with all his might. He seems in dead earnest, and if there is anythlnz in the logic of sym pathy the patient ought to get well in stanter. But death too often plays the stronger hand, carrying off the victim aud the malady together, much to the disgust of the doctor. Ou the Alaska coast tue reputable dead are usually cremated, and the bones collected mto a box and preserv ed. The calcined remains are CLtaTcVy placed in miniature houses like the h vaian's; but, Instead of being isola ted from each other, the bouses are grouped in a common cemetery, as in civilized communities. The sites are chosen with picturesque attraction 011 a grassy island, shapely ridges of land, and curves of the shore. On a burial island near Meihlakatla the Indians have fashioned a number of fir trees into very artistic patterns. At Sitka there is a long ridge lined with several score of these mortuary receptacles, painted in gaudy colors and arranged in parallel rows, interspersed with fan ciful totem poles in quaint devices on the apex of each one of which is a bear, a raven, or an eagle, denoting the clan to which the deceased belonged. These houses are seldom more than five or six cube, with a pyramidal roof, sometimes surmounted by a carved image, and are very creditable bits of architecture, considering that the boards have been split with and smoothed with aa adze. There are cemeteries elsewhere which are enclosed with neat whitewashed palings, and you often see small jack staffs with pennants of white and col ored cotton cloth standing by the graves. This is where the method of interment has been adopted from the whites, the bodies being placed in the earth and carved slabs set up In lieu of headstones. There are no less than three other mod els of sepulture in Alaska burial in tents and canoes raised on staddles out of reach of animals, aquatic burial be neath the waves, and in canoes turned adrift. A Young Girl's Bravery, a unn na the f rast was out of the ground and there was no danger of being storm -bound .Liouis oiacy ieifc uu little home in Arkansas to go down the river with a boat-load of furs and skins. . , He expected to bring back a supply of provisions for spring and summer use, as wen as a uny uiuo num money as a reward fcr his labor during the winter in trapping and hunting. He left his wife and niece without even a shadow of a forethought of harm coming to them during his absence, for, living as he did, twelve miles from the nearest town, and remote from the road taken by travelers and tramps, they bad few visitors aud seldom saw a savage face; and then, too, both women were accustomed to the use of firearms, and Lewi3 knew they would not hesi tate to employ them if necessary. Just at this time a stranger was lying ill in the hnnter's cabin a young man who bad accidentally shot himself Mi, hnnt.inir in the woods, and to n uuw - r - whom Louis had willingly given shel ter and every attenuion. Ewo nnl Hpllrinm had followed Arthur Morris'' accident, and he had been confined m tne cams: six weess, kini now in a convalescent state. He said he was well off la the world's goods, and told Laura Stacy when he firsi met her that he wore a money belt about his waist and begged that it might remain there no matter bow 111 ba became. Louts had been gone several days and life bad gone on as usual hi the little cabin, which Mrs. Stacy and Laura had managed to make comfort able and home-like after much trouble and with many ingenious contrivances. Much of Mrs. Stacy's time was spent with Arthur Morris, who grew restless and feverish if left alone. Laura, too, frequently read and talked to the in valid, unconscious that his handsome, worn face and dark eyes bad caused a more, tender feeling than compassion to find a place in her heart. The cabin consisted of three rooms on the ground floor a main room, used for cooking, eating and general pur poses; bedroom, and a small room used' as a pantry. Beneath was a deep cellar, where provisions were kept in the summer, and even in the winter, for frost never enUc-ed the deep hole Louis Stacey bad dug.- Above was a loft, reached by a laddet from the pantry, and here the two women slept, giving their sick guest the pleasant room on the first floor. It was nearly midnight of the Gfth day of Louis' absence, when Laura was aroused by hearing a noise at the cabin. Not disturbing ber aunt, who was 'sleeping heavily, worn out by watching with the invalid the previous night, the brave girl hastily threw on ber clothes and descended the ladder iust as the door of the main room opened, and two men in bare feet en tered, carrying a lantern. They started a little at seeing Laura, standing silent and motionless with a lighted candle in her hand. One of them, a tall, burly fellow, with an evil eye, advanced toward her and shook his fist la her face. "Speak one word above a whisper," he said, "and I will put a bullet through your brain," flourishing a huge revolver as he spoke. Laura knew that if she disobeyed the command the threat would be car ried Into execution, and recovering from her terror she a&ked the men in an unfaltering voice what they wanted. "We want that money-belt on the stran-er you have here," was the reply in a hoarse whisper. "We know all about it, so you needn't lie to us. Tell us where it is, and be quick about it." "Surely you would not rob a sick man?" said Laura, trying to gain time and think what was best to be done in this terrible emergency. "It would certainly kill bim be roused in such a brutal manner," "We won't give bim any chance to speak, growled the man who held the lantern. "He'll never know what hurt him. Harry up, girl, we're wasting time. Is he up in the loft?"' Laura turned deathly pale. In that terrib'e moment she realized how dear to lef AiCtui-MoTrU'hal become, and she resolved to save bis life even if she had to sacrifice her own. "This way. eentlemen." she said. softly; and she turned toward a door ultuited midway between the bedroom of the invalid and the pantry. She opened it a little way. "Do you hear him breathe?" she asked. "Yes, yes," answered the ruflims; but it was the heavy breathing of Mrs. Stacy in the loft above that they heard. Laura threw the door wide open; it opened inward. Then the men saw a dark void and pressed eagerly forward. not even stopping to throw the light ot their lantern on the place. At this instant Laura sprang back and threw herself witU all her force upon the rear man, and the next in stant there was a heavy fall, a crash of t ie broken, lantern and a volley of oaths, for Loth men lay at the bottom of the cellar. But the danger was not over by any means. Laura knew mat tne men would mount the ladder at once and there was no way of fastening the door, and so Laura sprang to the fire-place and caught Louis' revolver from the rude mantel, while sue offered a prayer for courage and strength. She beard the deep cunes of the vil lains as they searched for the ladder. aud the next instant a head appeared above the threshold. The candle threw a faint light on the scene, but it was enough to enable Laura to see. "Back!" she cried; but the order was not obeyed. The robber raised his pistol, and Laura knew that unless she fired at onco she was lost Arthur, too. With these thoughts flashing through her mind, site leveled her deadly weapon at the man, and, as a suarp re port went ringing through the cabin, a deep groan and the sound ot a heavy fall came from the cellar. But the creaking of the ladder allowed that the other robber was about to dare his fate, and he appeared above the threshold, pistol in hand, liul Laura was too quick for him. A second report, and again came a groan and the sound of a heavy fall. The brave girl, overcome at last. sank to the floor just as her aunt came rushing into the room, frightened al most out of her senses, and the door of Arthur's room opened and he appeared. worn and chost-like. to inquire the cause of the shots which bad roused him from bis sleep. "Great heavensl" he cried, as he saw Laura crouching on the floor. "Are you hurt? Laura, my darling, epeak to mel Are you injured?" Perhaps in that moment ot terror Ar thur Morris' heart was revealed to him, and he knew he loved the niece of this Arkansas hunter. "No.no," faltered the girl, rousing herself. "I am not hurt. But I shot two men in the cellar and aud " But she could go no further, for her eyes closed and she lost consciousness. Perhaps Arthur's kisses were more efficacious in restoring her than h r aunt's dippers of cold water. But the taint was not a very long one, and she was soon able to tell the whole story of the assault. Fo there was a quiet wedding in the cabin one day in the early summer, and the girl, who had so truly earned her right to her husband, set out with him on a journey to a comfortable home within the borders of civiliza tion, where there was no danger of being murdered by border desperadoes. Tobacco tea will kill worms In flower pots and is also good for the plant, rvinacioncn la a. coward, and those faults it has not strength enough to prevent, it seldom nas justice enougu w excuse. livery man has waited a whole cen tury to be born, and now has the whole eternity waiting to see what he will do when born. VALUABLE SPACE. The Conning; Story of an Inch and a Half of Land.' In one of the streets of New York running west from Broadway, two stores stand side by side with a space of one and a half inches between the walls, an unusual sight in a metropolis where land is valued by the inch. The curious story of that vacant space is this: Fifty years ago these lots were owned by two persons, whom we will designate as A. Merchant and D. 11. Ogg. Business was creeping into the street rapidly, and the demand for more storeroom induced Mr. Mer chant to pull down the old building on his premises, and erect a store aud warehouse commensurate with the de mand. A well known architect was em ployed, a contract for material given, and the building was put up by day work. In the most substantial manner. The foundation had been set extra deep the bricks being laid, not after the manner of modern days, but with the best or material. Mortar was not spared between the bricks on the sev eral courses. The beams were heavy and keyed mto the walls. An Iron vault was set in solid masonry on the ground-floor, and a heater placed in the basement, the flues of which tan up to the third story, aud the appoint ments throughout were of the most elaborate sort. When the store was completed, Mr. Merchant had no diffi culty in finding a Grst-class tenant, to whom he leased it for a brief term of years. The tenant toyk possession, the stoie was Oiled with goods, business soon commenced to thrive, and both tenant and landlord were happy. Mr. Ogg, somewhat jealous of his neighbor's success, also concluded to rebuild. His old buiiding wa torn dowu and excavations for the new were made. At this point Mr. Ogg called on Mr. Merchaut and informed bim that- his (Merchant's) wall extended one inch and a half on Ogg's land. This was a great surprise to Mr. Mer chant, who did not hesitate to tell Mr. Ogg that be doubted the fact. "Have it surveyed, then," was Ogg's reply, "and find out for yourself." The survey was made, and Mer chant's building was found to encroach one inch and a half on the land of his neighbor. "Well," says Merchant, "I'll pay you for the ground. How much do you want?" "I don't want your money. I want the ground," was Ogg's ungracious an swer. "Oh, pshaw! you are Joking,'" said Merchant. "You certainly don't in tend to have me pull down my wall for the sake cf an Inch and a half of ground!" "I mean just what I say," replied Og. "It suits my plans to have that inch and a half I icifl have it!" Neither the appeals of mutual friends, a sediment of neighboniness. or offars of money, could budge the bhylock. So at a heavy Ios3 Merchant settled with his tenants, tore down the wall and rebuilt It on his own ground. In the meantime Ogg's building went up. He strove to outdo his neighbor in solidity of its masonry; he went one story higher, aud in finishing the store was even more elaborate in the ap pointments, lie completed it, found a tenant, and executed a lease; the ten ant moved in and filled the building with merchandise, and Mr. Ogg .as happy. The busy season came around again. and Mr. Ogg received a call from Mr. Merchant. "I have come to inform you Mr. Crg, that your building is one and a halt Inches oa my lot," sa:d Mr. Mer chant, which, of course, Mr. Ogg dis puted. "Have it surveyed then, aud lind out for yourself, Mr. Ogg." The survey was made, and it piavcd that Mr. Merchaut was right. Ogg's store was on Merchant's land one and a half inches. In rebuilding. Merchant had set back his wall three inches, and Ogs's masons had built close up to it. The sequel is very soon told. The man who showed no mercy to others could find no friends to intercede for him. It was long before be recovered from the loss his selfishness had en tailed upon himself. Not only was it a heavy expense to change his wall, but his tenant made him pay dearly for his broken contract; while Mr. Merchant's tenant was lenient with bim, and upon the expiration of his short lease was glad to renew it at a rent that in a lit tle while more than compensated Mer chant for his loss. Arctic Soil. rcmierAl Sir .T IT- T-pfrov communi cated to the British Association at its t mpet inc the results, so far. of researches to ascertain the depth of the permanently irozen sou in tne Aruiic regions of Siberia aud British North America, The depth of the "perpetual Kround-ice," as It is called, has been found to be, near 1 aicuisK, Siberia, oiz feet. But few actual measurements have been recorded In North America, for the people who possess a perpetually frozen soil do not like to speak ot it, for fear that it may be regarded as a stigma against their climate-. The greatest thickness of "ground-ice, yet actually measured in America is 40 ieet, auu raA hi Sir John R'r.hardsnn in latitude 64 degrees, 20 minutes, aud longitude in degrees, 1 minutes wesu There Is good reason to believe, how ever, that within the Arctic in Amer ica, a thicknesi of ground-ice is at tained much exceeding that at Ya kuts. Lieutenant r. ii. nay, u. a. A., sank a pit near Point Barrow in 1SS3, to a depth of 33 feet. At 2S feet hnm thA anrfxcpthn tpmnerature of the 1-2 dp?. Fahr and it was the same at 3S feet. Taking the unit of increase of temperature per unu 01 ripiitti nmler cround as 1 dezree Fahr. for 64 feet. Lieutenant Bay provision ally computed me rotai uuunueM ui the ice at about 1,300 feet. The depth to which the summer thaw reaches and its rate of progress are more variable, ior mey are mo im pendent on the season and the expo mra than Mm dpnth of the frozen soil. They must greatly influence the agri cultural capabilities 01 ine puice. iu some respects the existence of a frozen stratum underground may be regarded as rather an advantage than otherwise. The cooling of the surface soil which it effects appears to be a provision to counteract the intense heating power of the sun in the summer months, and to secure a supply of moisture to the roots of cereals when they most require it; so much so that General Lefroy be lieves that agricultural experience in the Northwest would be In favor of re U?ynz it, even if it were possibla to get fid "t it. Two 'Wonderful Clocks. Two clocks of great Ingenuity and elegant workmanship were made in London in the last century, and pre sented to the Emperor of China by the East India Company. Each clock was made in the form of a chariot, in which ! was placed the figure of a lady leaning 1 her right hand upon a part of the I chanot; and under it was the clock of ; curious workmanship. It was smaller tnan a silver twenty-five cent piece, would repeat and strike the hours, and go for eight days. Upon the finger of the ladv sits a bird, finelv modelled, set with diamonds and rubies, with its ny wings extenaeu in a nying pos ture. By touching a diamond button the bird would actually flutter for a time. The body of the bird, although it contained a part of the wheels that gave motion to the clock, was not more than one-sixteenth of an inch in size. The lady held in her left hand a gold tube, not muck thicker than a large pin, on the top of which was fixed a cir cular movement set with diamonds and not mnch larger than a ten-cent piece. Over the lady's head was supported by a small fluted pillar a double umbrella. The pillar was no larger than a qullL Under the largest umbrella a bell was fixed at a considerable distance from the clock, with which it seemed to have no connection; but in reality communication was secretly conveyed to a hammer that regularly struck the hour, and repeating the same at pleas ure by the touching of a diamond but ton fixed to the clock below. At tin feet ot the lady was a gold dog, aud be fore it, from the point of the chariot, were two birds fixed on spiral winds, the wings and feathers of which were set with jewels of various co'.ors and appear ed as It flying away with the chariot. From another secret motion the chanot was made to ran in a straight, circular or indeed in any direction. Above the umbrella were flowers and ornaments of precious stones, and it terminated with a flying dragon, ornamented In a similar manner. The whole clock was made of gold, most delicately executed and embellished with rubies and pearls. A Useful I'lanr. A Mexican globe cactus Is about eighteen inches in diameter at the largest part, some Inches above the sand in which it grows, and is about as many inches high, tapering from the bugle to a cone-like tip. It is com plete covered with two distinct varie ties of thorns one kind slender and straight, the others longer aud curved almost like a fish-hook, the tips being brownish or yellow, exceedingly hard and tough. The plant is simply a huge branch of green vegetable matter, the surface being highly cornijated, the ridge3 running spirally and thickly pro tected by the thorns descnbeJ. It grows on the arid sand, drawing it subsistence fro"n the scanty materials It contains and from the air and dew, for rain seldom or never falls uion its desert home. The plant is anything but handsome, but it is extremely useful. The Japan ese could as easily spare their universal b.imlxx) as the poor primitive Mexicans could this cactus. The long, straight fiorr.s are ustd by the native women as needles; the curved ones are often and successfully used at fish-hooks; the tough, strong fibre of the plant, when freed from Its ether matter, is an ex cellent substitute for our flax, and al most the only one known among the Mexicans; and, lastly, the sap sup plies the people with their national drink. The flowers are a beautiful yellow, about four inches in length, and form a veritable crown of gold to this unique plant. It is the ouly plant whit can be held up to the public observation when in bloom without the warning chestnut-colored placards Hands oft. No Memory lor I.ittlc Things. A train was moving westward over the popular Michigan Central route. The passengers had hardly finished talking of the beauties of the Falls of Niagara as seen from the cars when a middle-aged, rather infirm man, walk ing with some difficulty and a cane, ap proached a pale-faced lady passenger who wore an enormous hat, and spoke to her familiarly. "I beg your pardon," she exclaimed, icily, dropping her novel and looking up with a crushing glance. "Don't you remember me?" queried tHe middle-aged, rather infirm gentle man. "I never saw you before, sir." "What? Don't remember me? Is it possible?" "I am sure that I never saw you before, sir." "Why, eleven years ago I was your husband." "Eleven years ago? Let me see. Now that I look at you more closely, aud you remind me of it, it seems to me that I do reniviuber something of you. We only lived together a year or so, did we?" "Only a year." "Ah. I see. But It is not strange that I should have forgotten you. I am an English actress, and I couldn't be expected to remember every little thing like that." Ihe Niagara Whirlpool. The whirlpool, well called "the an griest bit of water In the world," U three miles below the great Falls of Niagara. At this point the river, ben ding toward the Canadian side, is con tracted to a width of about two hun dred and twenty fet The waters rush violently into a deep depression in the steep cliff that rises on the Canada side, then they emerge, turning back almost at a right angle, to the Ameri can side. The spot seems to be a part of the bed of an ancient channel. Here the angry waters boil and churn with a fierceness almost incredible. The wavs are never at rest. They toss and whirl and toy with the heaviest timber. It makes one dizzy to look at the fierce tumult of the waves. The great mael strom covers a space about one-quarter of a mile square. Its depths are enor mous and unknown. One thousand feet of cord was found too short to reach the bottom. The whirlpool Is in the form of a large circle. The aver age force of the water movig through the canyon above is 1S5.000 feet square. This compact mass of water moves with incredible swiftness, entering the whirlpool on one side, spinning round like a top and then passing madly on. Wild Cane tn Nevada. W lid cane grows In abundance about the lakes of Nevada. Of this cane the Indians make their sugar, which is said to be quite superior to that made from beet root or produced in the south. NEWS IN BRIEF- There are only 120 prisoners in the Nevada state penitentiary. 1 Competition has reduced the fare iu London busses to one penny. A perfectly petrified roiebud has been found at Valiey Head, Ala. Agricultural clubs are being form id in all parts of South Carolina. In cities in India pigeons are often aumerous enough to darken the air. Divorce cases will hereafter be held in open court in Rhode Island. The erection of a $100,000 opera house is talked of at San Diego, CaL There are 104 men in San Francis :o, CaL. who are worth over 51,000,000 each. Buffalo B';il earned his title by kill ing 4,230 bu2a!os, besides several In dians, Joseph Pulitzer's profits this year is proprietor of the New York World will be 5000,000. An almond tree that bears fruit regularly is one of the curiosities of Newberry, S. C. Japan is manufacturing jackets ot paper, linen thread being introduced to jive them strength. A Deadwood, (D. T.) man has made 530,000 by gathering up and sell ing empty beer and whisky bottles. A rich Norwegian lawyer left all ais money to lie used in buying bicycles Tor the Christiana school children. Squirrels are so numerous and tame in the woods of Concordia, La., that they can be killed with sticks. A German entomologist declares that spiders destroy more insect enemies of trees than do ail the insect-eating birds. The American schooner Henrietta and her cargo have been confiscated by a Russian cruiser, because she traded in Russian ports. There is au artesian well 1,000 feet deep in Aberdeen, Neb., that throws out numbers of fish that look like the ordinary brook minnow. Among the treasures of Orange county, N. Y., exhibited at its recent fair, was a parrot which Is known to be at least eighty-six years old. From September Gth to October 9th, -210,242 rations were distributed by the Charleston earthquake relief com mittee at a cost of 51 l.WO.M. An Eldorado, la., man by mistake paid out a $20 gold piece for a theatre ticket. The ticket-seller hunted him up in the audience and restored tLe money. Among several articU-3 advertised to be sold under chattel mortgage by a Panama City, la., constable are one dozen poker chips and two packs cf cards. Archbishop Elder, of Cincinnati, has written a letter in which lie says the next diocesan synod will act on the much discussed matter or his predeces sor's financial mistakes. The old Sleepy Hollow cemetery in the region m ule famous by Washing ton Irving, h.is just been enlarged for the accommodation of those who lay down to await the last trump. A stranger asked J. lHnnelly, a Chicago diamond merchant, to show him a tray of diamonds. lie threw red pepper in the jeweler's eves and got away with a handful of diamonds. There are hundreds of idle sailors In San Francisco unable to obtain em ployment, and the return orthe whalers from the north iu a few weeks will throw 1,'jOO more men on the market. There are more daily papers in Philadelphia than in New York city and Boston combined, whiloNew York city has more places of amusement than Bosten and Philadelphia com bined. A pair of quails flew into a Nor wich (Conn)., residence on a receut evening and took up quarters in the parlor. They were captured, and an attempt will be made to domesticate them. The type-writer, now In such com mon us", "dates back to 1714, when Ifenry Mill got a patent for it in Eng land, but it was hot really made prac ticable until 1SC7. it now seems indispensable. A dispatch from Albuquerque, N. M., says General Miles has issued an order formally announcing the close of the most famous Indian campaign on record, and congratulating the troops on the result. The live stock trade of Montreal this year to date has been the largest on record. A total of 2.Vi,i;0O animals were received at l'oint St. Charles, be ing 170,7'JO mure than duriag the cor responding irlod last year. A Wisconsin hunter named Wex ford shot at what he took for an extra large squirrel ou a limb aud a w ild cat came down and clawed him in forty two places to convince him that his eyesight was a good wvs ofX. Maggie Green, of iSodus, Mich., aged ten, ought to be a lucky little girl. She had on exhibition at the Benton Harbor Fair 2,liio specimens of four leafed clover, picked with her own hand and arranged on cardlo.trd. An oak that was cut before Shak speare's day furnished a bit of timber now in use as a bench in an English farmer's kitchen. The timber did duty as a roof beam Iu a church for 301 years. It is still as sound as can I. Hereafter Dirm.tadt, Geriaauy will be a poor place for a patent medi cine man. By a municipal law. just passed, all such medicines will be ana lyzed, and the ingredients of which they are composed made will be public. At the present moment, so says an English paper, fortune telling is one of the most flourishing system of im posture in that country, and there is scarcely a town or village without its resident or visiting cheat af this descrip tion. A band of regulators in the neigh borhood of State Mills, Rappahannock county, Va., are re;orted as doing many ugly things, such as burning property and administering whippings to persons of doubtful moral propriety. The geological survey proves that the Hoosac mountain. Massachusetts, is as little understood by scientific men as any other range in the country. Five different specimens of rock are found there, xnd their formation Is complex and intricate, so the surveyors say. Frozen bouse plants will revive if sprinkled with camphor water. r ; Nt, 1 iii-i y)'vJ..tfii,;,-, n 1 inii nasi 11 in 1 1 M
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers