VOL. XW 11
IfefflASm * ♦
ch
hb< ' 30 ST #
1 ■ BSKSHSBP'"
HENRY IJIKIIL
I I NORTH MAIN STREET.
BT3 TXjS'R ----- IP. HUM N'A
DIIALEU IN
Hardware and Ilonsr Furnisliiug Goods.
«E
11
Stitciie.s L'er Minute.)
Agricultural Implements,
Kramer Wagons,
Buggies Carts, Wheel Barrows, Brammer Washing Machines,
Now Sunshine and Howard Ranges, Stoves, Table
and pocket Cutlery, Hanging Lamps. Man
ufacturer of Tinware, Tin
Roofing and Spouting A Specialty.
WHERE A CHILD CAN BUY AS CHEAP AS A MAN.
There is no Doubt
As to where you should buy your new dress, it economy is the
object you have in view, and you will agree with us, after you
have examined our line and prices in Silks, Satins, Cashmeres,
Serges, Jlcnrettas, Broadcloths, Flannels, English Suitings in
plain and novelty plaids.
TJ N 1) E R W E A. R
For Ladies, Cents. Mitsts and Children which we know
can not be equaled anywhere for value and price.
Blankets, Flannels, Yarns, Plushes, Velvets, Ribbon, Hos
iery and Notions of all kinds.
CARPETS,
OIL CLOTHS,
AMD LACE CURTAINS
In all the new fall patterns and designs.
Wo arc showing the grandest line of Ladies, Misses and
Childrens
C=L=O A:K==S
Ever brought to Butler, to convince you that the place to do
your trading is with us.all we a.sk is that you call and examine
juices and be convinced.
T ROUT MAN'S.
Leading Dry Woods and Carpet House, Butler, l'**
J. R. GKIEB. PROF. R. J. I AMB.
GUIEB & LAMB'S MUSIC STORE.
NO. 16 SOUTH MAIN ST, BUTLISK. PA.
H* Sole Agents for Jiutler, Mercer and Glar
-3 ion counties for Behr Bros. Magnificent Pi-
New by & Evans' Fianos, Smith
|r American anil Carpenter Organs, Importers
i|ot the Celebrated Stanmeyer Pianos, and
Dealers in Violins, Bruno Guitars, and
All Kinds- of Musical Instruments.
SHEET MUSIC A SPECIALTY
Pianos and Organs sold on installments. Old Instruments
taken in exchange. Conic and Fee us, as we
can save you money.
Tuning and Repairing ol all kinds of Musical Instruments
Promptly attended to.
IF YOU WANT
A WRAP
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A Bargain
COME IN.
THE BUTLER CITIZEN.
THE SALMON IA (iUOSTS.
UfcOkOE .V. iJi'tSIEB IN iiAKPfett'S VVIEKLT.
I
On the i<-i> <>i South itountaiu. as wo
drove the gray fellows tvoiu pillar to post,
the atone walls there matting exceedingly
tough defences, we came to one very bad
place in the line. There was a tittla old
stone farm-house inside the angle ioruied
It) tw» stone wall-, the house being on our
side of the fence. Gray infantry tired at
us 1.V.1 l.otli lilies of wall; tut our fellows
to the right ai.d left Soou got alt entilading
tire along the other side of both walls, and
the infantry thcrj skipped, lint the fellows
in the house held on. TV <* could see that
they would he supported in order to =top
our headway, for we were close upon the
heels of a retreating division. There were
evidently as many fellows iu the house as
it was convenient to have there; and our
artillery wa n.«t handy. Some of our fel
lows got axes and battjred the door down,
hut fell in front of it. And then there was
a critical moment. Inside wa • a cool and
resolute crowd of old rebs. every man with
his gun pointed at the doorway and his
linger on the trigger, all resolved that the
first-comers should pay for the house.
'•Who'll draw that tiref' said the cap
tain.
"1 will,' said Talbot, of our right com
pany —a bright stripling of a fellow, slight,
handsome, and very daring.
'•llayonets, boys!" said the captain; uud
the fellows inside the house could hear the
jingle of the steel as we fixed bayonets as
plainly as we could ourselves, and under
stood what was up, and made ready for it.
"Now, then, Talbot," said the captain; and
Talbot dashed forward at a run, and up the
two little steps into tlie doorway, tint on
the second step he put his foot into a pool
of blood that had come from one of the
men killed there, and slipped, so
that his figure was for one brief
instant upright in the doorway, and
lie I'.-ll with his face to the door.
J tut every trigger inside was pulled at the
instant he was seen in the aperature, and
because he fell they all lired over him. As
the sound of the volley ceased, the captain
shouted "Forward!" and our boys went ih
with a rush, and we had the house. Talbot
had xiot a scratch, but this fact did not dtj
tract from his glory, for ho hail gone as it
to certain death. From this incident, and
others not unlike it that occurred from tiuie
to time, we came to know what kind of a
fellow Talbot was; and when there was
any tough job in hand, we were very apt
to imagine Talbot as one especially fitted
;t» do it. There grew around him an at
mosphere of this Bprt of opinion, and this
atmosphere went with him in his promo*
tion all the way up to the division stall'. It
seemed, therefore, a very natural thing
when the general said one night, "Hpnil
Talbot to find those fellows."
This was in May, 1863. We had retreat
ed from the south side of the Rappahan
nock liiver. Just why we had retreated,
nobody knew then, and probably nobody
knows now. We had the First, Second,
Third, Sixth, aud Twelfth corps all iu good
lighting trim. Stonewall Jackson's corps
had collided with our Eleventh Corps, uud
hurt it, but even if the Eleventh Corps had
been annihilated we had a magnificent
anny without il. Yet the army had re
treated, and our division, which had had
no fighting, had lo t a brigade somehow.
Either in the haste of the movement orders
were not sent to that brigade, or the man
bearing the order Lad been killed on the
way by a ehunce shot. We only knew
when our division went into camp on the
north side of the river that the Third Brig
ade was not with us. Brigades were not
very large then, but they were good. Hard
lighting and hard marching all the year be
fore had worked us down to a fine point; so
that what was left of the old force was ol
the best quality, and the recruits sent to
us bad been judiciously spread through
veteran regiments,and the force was pretty
even. There were at least 1500 good fellows
in the lost brigade, ami an effort to com
municate with them before the enemy
learned of our retreat had to be made.
This was the service upon which Talbot
was sent that night. As he rode, away
over the pontoon-bridge ou his hardy buy,
tlie officer asked him to try and pick up a
couple of his fellows who were astray
somewhere —Major Ingersoll and Lieuten
ant Crane; but we all feared that the pick
iug up had beeu done by the enemy, and
that Talbot wis only one more good man
to lie milled to those lost by this mis
chance. f rom the bridge t<> Catharine
Fumace, near where Hie regiment hud
lii'i'ii left, was a good seven miles; part of
the way by fiti 1* roads. That part was easy
enough. Prom any hole by the road aide a
bidden rebel might, have taken a chance
shot at the single officer without fear of
discovery or punishment, but there was
seldom any danger ol that sort in Virginia.
Talbot went safely and easily enough until
he eould not keep in the road, and then his
trouble began. Occasionally he caine bolt
up "against an abandoned wagon, crippled
by having been driven into a mud bole; two
or three times he was nearly plunged over
his horse's head by the annual's sudden de
scent into the road side ditch to avoid
some obstacle in the road unseen by his
rider. It seemed the darkest night the
world bad ever known. There was a dense
opacity in the air that waa not diminished
by the littlest ray of light from any source
whatever, and that human vision could no
more penetrate than it could a black
marble wall. Not a glimmer id' a road side
tire allowed anywhere. .Not a dim candle
from a negro hut was \iaiblc. There vm.i
neither moon nor stars, and that general
reflection from the whole heavens which
sometimes lessens Hie total gloom of bad
nights was not on duty. Talbot, having
the ordinary proportion of human nature
in liim, did not neglect tho opportunity
afforded by the occasion for a dress parade
of maledictions, involving in them bis own
ill-luck, the military system of marching
up bill only to inarch down again, the
Southern Confederacy, ami the nights id
"the sunny South." He did, however, get
on lor perhaps three miles, and then be
discovered that he was off the road. Or
diuarily a horse may he relied upon to
keep in the road, but even' this trait of
equine sagacity has no mine in war. Man
depends npoii the horse in this particular
because the horse's instinct teaches him
the way to his home In war be hus no
home If even his instinct as to the road
in o| any value apart from the relation of
the roiul to his home, war, ill our country
at le.ist, so m arly obliterates roads that
even the keenest instincts might be at
fault. In that country there were always
roads enough, and they all ran crosswise—
through fields, over rough hills and broken
bits of woodland, and through the rivers;
and the fences that are sometimes a guide
had long since fed the bivouac fires. .Vp
pareuliy the captain had reached some
point where the road turned off at u right
angle, and he had kept straight on, not
perceiving the turn, lie found that lie was
in the fields, and in pretty wet ground, for
his horse went to the fetlocks at every
tep. If he could have gnessod whether
the'road ont id which he had turned had
twisted to the right or the* left, he would
~ave had some vague Im.,is for the effort to
tind it uguin, bat as hu could not guess oat
this problem his uncertainty gave him a
choice of directions as far as the poles
apurt He might he pieseotly laboring up
the front of the fortified hills, or he might
before he k lie A it be tumbling t-wer twenty
feet of hlutt into the river. Finding his
ho, >e distressed a hit by the ha.l ground,
he halted lo breathe that excellent auiuial
and bait his own imagination
In this moment he formulated a lev. si
lent objections to the glory of the loan
who invented the compass "For,' he
-aid, "the dogs, the wolves, the panthers
and other night prowlers do not get lost
across the country. Why? Because they
Lave iu their brains some instinct ot direc
tion that is a living equivalent ot the com
pass. Man must have had that once in
his braiu also. He couid hardly be inter
ior to ull the beasts. But some fellow
without confidence 111 himself made a ma
chine to have things easy, aud all the rest
ot us Lave acquired so much the habit o 1
depending upon the machine that we have
lost that secret of nature. But coiue. old
Cinnamon, we must get 011
He gave a light touch to Lis horse, and
thus called upon, the honest animal re
sponded by turning abruptly to the left,
and making a rush up an almost perpen
dicular bank, eight or ten feet high, aud
forward from the brow, apparently through
u strip of woods, fir Talbot received many
a stroke from the low hanging branches.
Half blown, the horse stayed Lis short
course iu what was evidently open ground
again, which the captain naturally thought
might be the road, because be imagined
the horse would not have taken this iuile
pendent initiative without some reason.
'•Well done, old Cinnamon," he said, as
he patted the horse's neck; "that was a
good move."
But here aguiu all was gloom, silence,
and desolation. Yet as he sat and listen
ed he could imagine that he actually did
hear some faint sounds. Was it imagina
tion only, or were tliere voices? Imagina
tion has a ready way of working often
without facts, and he could not determine
whether the voices he seemed to bear were
in the air or altogether in bis brain, but lie
pushed cautiously forward, giving tLe
Lorse tlie rein. Presently lie was reusona
bly sure that he beard men talking, and a
few seconds later he caught a glimmer ot
light.
Here was perhaps a camp fire, ami some
of onr stragglers around it; yet it might
be an advanced post of the eneuiy. lie
went forward, therefore, with the precau
tion that the case called for. Because to
stumble upon the enemy's outpost in these
circumstances would involve very ugly
incidents, (iuided by the difference in the
air that even a remote and perhaps very
little tire made, he heurd the talking dis
tinctly, and recognized that it was the con
versation of Northern men; for, as betweeu
our men and the Confederates, accent, dia
lest, and intonation made distinction ao
easy as would the apparently broader
difference of another language. He got
so near without attracting attention as
to see the men und heur what they said
They were three stragglers of our army,
rather more than half tipsy, and ill the
pleasant indifference to time aud chance
which it is the virtue t.f commissary whis
key to produce, and were holding u pro
longed consultation over the « use of a
horse that one of them had in his charge,
ami which La.l gone down iu a Hole where
they were, having broken or otherwise
crippled one ol Lis legs iu tLe tail It was
u battery Lorse, und two ot the men were
artillerymen, the other au iulaniryu.au;
apparently the chance comrades of this
gloomy way.
"Boys, I don't like to leave that horse,"
said one artillerymen.
"Well, we got to leave him or our
selves," said the other.
"Why's only one more old hoss, said
the infantryman. -Haven 1 we lett em
everywhere, all over? Haveu t we filled
Virginia with 'em?''
"No," said the first battery man, you're
viong, parduei*. That ain't only one luoie
old boas: that wasn't no coinmou horse.
He's a pood soldier ot the I niou, that
horse. Him aud me's been in many hat
ties together."
"Well," said the other artilleryman, "1
wish it v>us his mate, the black one. That
black horse didn't care a eusa for the I u
ion. But this was a good one. He'd pull
like a soldier when the gun was in a hole;
and how he would swing things when his
gun was wheeled to iiulimber! lie was a
hero."
"Ves, he was a good one," said the oth
er. It's a great wrong to call him only
one more old boss. There wasti t any
nonsense about him. He was a veteran.
Ho was just like an old soldier. An old
soldier don't get np and yell for enthusi
asm, like a youngster, but when the tough
times come, he's there; and it was HO with
that horse. ITe faced the music at Fair
Oaks, at Gaines Mill, at. Malvern Hill, and
There's many a man would expect to be
Governor of his State if he had done half
as much for the TTniou as that 'ere horse
has done."
Talbot now went ahead, and as he came
close to the fire, the boy a started to their
feet, and the infantryman put up bis piece
and cried: "Halt! Who goes there?"
•'Attention, company!" said the captain;
and the soldier, with the promptitude of a
piece of machinery in which yon have
touched the spring, brought the butt of his
piece to the ground, aud placed himself in
the attitude of attention.
" You are staying out late, boys," said
the captain. "Our aruiy is all over the
river, aud the enemy may he here at any
moment."
"That's w hat 1 been telliu' 'eui for an
hour," said one of the battery lellows,
' hut they say they can't find the way."
"Captain," said the infantryman, "lem
me tell yon how it is. You see, 1 belong
to the Twenty-second Indiana Regiment."
"Where is your regiment?"
• That's jis what I want to find out. 1
wan out iu the woods 'a afternoon and hud
a pood sleep, when I waked up, went into
caiup; but there wasn't any camp. The
camp was there, but the army was gone.
Then I started down this wa>, and over
hauled some fellows on the road thai I
knew. They was nest to us out iu trout.
Theylold nie all the army was moved
'eept our brigade. Said they saw luy reg
iuieut but there. So I turned around aud
went that way. H was awful rough, and
dark as pitch; but f got there, and the
regiment wasn't there neither
"Sure you were in the canipf"
"Sure as sbootin', captain.
As this soldier's regiment was iu the
lost brigade, tins information was impor
tant.
"And the regiment was not iu its
camp'"
"Regiment was gone. My colonel ain't
the kipd of a man to get left 1 know that
if there's any inarchin', or any or
auy thing else, he's a fellow to he up and
hiinlliit'. lie's a good man as good as they
make 'cm. Now, captain, I'll do jist what
you say If you tell niu I ought to go out
to the lines again, I'll go."
"Why, (..lie enemy's there now," said one
of the battery follow s.
"Shoot Ihe enemy! I Want to get to my
regiment.'
"Well," said Talhot, "you'd better rash
lor the river, all of you."
BUTLER. PA., FRIDAY. JANUARY 17. 1800
"That'sJi= what Major Ingersoll told
me "
■ \\ here did you aeo \lujof lugers-dlf
• Just along the road here a little ways.
The Uiuj.ir aud Eieut count Crane are on
the of a Utile house waiting tor tl.e
moouiise tu find their v, aj,
"And it a my opinion," said the aitil
lcrymau who had grieved over his hoi-c -
it s my opmiiiu that a Confederate rnnou
ain't to he depended upon "
Ingersoil and Crane Wore the fellows
Talbot had been usked to look out tor.
They, it appears, had beeu outside the
lines when the troops moved making a
..all upon some ladies Talbot very
glad to get this news of them, and felt sure
they could give bin) a straght account of
the brigade, as they were the last from
the front, for he did not know just how
much he could believe of the straggler's
story. But before going torward lie in
sisted that the three stragglers should get
iu motion, tor he understood that halt tip
sy felloes once started are as persistent 10
going ahead as they are iu staying when
once at rest lie was very much surprised
to see them take the road in what seemed
to Lita a wrong direction, but found upon
touching this point that they knew just
where they were, uud that he, when he
found them, had been actually going tow
ard the river.
As he had iu the directions ot the sol
diers a reasonably sure guide to the place
where the other officers were, he jogged
along conndeutly and with a light heart,
for the accidental encounter with these
tipsy comrades hud lightened Lis labor.
11.
Half a mile from the poiut where he left
the soldiers, Talbot came upon lugersoll
and Crane in the road. An unknown
horseman, approaching at night on doubt
fnl ground, is watched, upon the theory
that he may be an enemy, it is safe to as
sume that he is one until the contrary is
shown: and thus the others prepared for
defence, but hearing them near, Talbot
hailed theui by their names, and was rec
ognized at once. They could give him
good news on the subject of his errand.
They knew exactly the position of the
brigade. They had gone through its lines
in the alteruoou. They had returned at
the same yoiut only an hour ago, and the
brigade was uot there. They did uot know
what road it bad taken, but nothing could
be more certain than that it had tollowed
the army.
But now how wire they all to get to the
river the easiest way?
"Well," said Ingersoll, "that is what
has troubled us ever since siuce it became
so very dark. We have in the road here
an ancient person of African origin who
ptoposes to help us out of our scrape, and
bis plan seems to us a good one. We are,
it appears, near to the Saldaguia ruiu, aud
an easy road goes the whole distance,
while from the ruin to the river there is al
so au easy way. We propose to wait at the
ruin until inonnrise, which is only about
an hour, and then, if we cannot reach the
shore, we can swim our horses over. The
rebs won't push iu here uutil daylight."^
Talbot agreed to act with them ou this
plan, and they went on together, talking
over the experiences of the night, the col
ored man keeping exactly in-front of the
nose ol iugeisoll's horse, ami showing the
load. They rode for some time iu that
Way, aud then Talbot made a singular dis
covery. He perceived that a fourth horse
man was ridiug with them. The guide
Was Oil foot, but another hurseiUau vs as lu
the company It was a bewildering fact
that made a strange, unpleasant irnpres
si on on the mind. The captain made this
discovery by observing that ut the very
moment when the voices of Ingersoll and
Crane showed that one was iu front of him
and the other behind him, there was yet
one more rider, almost keeping step with
him, close at bis side.
Talbot could not make up his mind what
to do about Ibis. Perhaps this other
horseman was not the only one there.
There might be u party; tbey u.ight have
some evil intention, aud it mifiht be dan
gerous to give an an alarm that would
ceitainly precipitate whatever wa.' im
pending. flow could he give notice to the
others without informing this fourth rider
that hi,s presence was obseivedf Before
he could determine this point a solution
came.
•'Gentlemen,'" said a loud, clear voice,
"T would like to say a word, if you please."
There was u sudden halt ot every one.
"Who said thatt" said Ingersoll.
"Stranger has the floor," said Talbot.
"But who in the deuce is he, and where
does he come from#' said Crane.
"Gentlemen, 1 will answer your ques
tions. M v name is Wrayburu I am a
civilian, and u peaceful citizen of Virgiuia.
I have been at the house of u relative on
the north side of tbe river, and the armies
were between that place and my own
house. Taking advautage ot the military
movements the other day, 1 started to go
to my home, for I thought your army
would he by this time far south of this,
uud that this region would be clear. As
it has not turned out that way, my ride
home is not so easy. 1 am an old man,
aud have a pass from the commander of
your army. J nut now, on the road here,
1 found myself suddenly in your company.
You did not perceive me; and as I heard
that you were going by tbe way of tbe
Saldagnia ruin I was glad, for I am going
the name way. But I discovered that 1
was hearing conversation not inteuded
for my ears, and I determined to declare
myself, first that I might not unintention
ally play the spy upon you, and next that
I might not put myself iu a false position."
"Why, that's all right," said Ingersoll.
"Does anyone object*"
•'I do not," said Talbot.
"Nor I," said Crane.
"Gentlemen, you are very courteous
and kind," said the old gentleman; aud
they rode on. In a very short time they
reached the ruin, as the colored man had
promised Ingersoll; and the arrival any
where without un accident on such a
night. was good reason for a feeling of
satisfaction. The ruin was a sort of land
mark iu that regiou. it was all that was
left of a house that had apparently been
as large as an ancient abbey, aud built
iu that style There were ranges of ruin
that indicated the geueral plan of the
outer wall, and across, in one direction
or another, truces of wall which divided
the ground covered iulo the semblance
oi grant, halls or cozy chambers or secret
towers. Here aud there wus enough left
of the main walls to show the full sweep
of Gothic windows. The edifice had been
of hewn stone, aud its remains covered
the ground in such a way tlmt uu effort
to ride in or around it without a guide
would have been dangerous to the horses'
legs. They had all seen tbe rulu often
enough and visited it, but only the color
k.l man knew all the paths, and they fol
lowed him into a part of it pretty well
surrounded by high walls He ha.l chos
en this place appalclitly in the Ullcon
p. ions exercise of a secretive instinct, loi
they had all reached the agreement that
there was no reason to appieliuud the up
pearance of the eliemy before daylight
Here they dismounted and hitched their
lioisus, while the colored man kindled a
little lire, for iu tbis May uigbt a little
! tire was a comtortable thing to be near.
! Si they gathered around the little aame
j &uJ got sight ol one another the V irgiu
mil vlre« forth u very re-assuring-looking
tiask, with a metal cUp fitted on the oUt
! aide at IL.C bottom tie poaied a small
portion ut the contents ot the flask into
the metal cup and drank, hy way of
allowing it was not poison, and then pass
ed the disk and c.ip to (he major, uuJ jo
it went around and they became ac
qnainted. As a..on a, the Colored man
hud dune wuat he coald in these various
ways to make the ofceer# coratortable.
he asked civilly if they needed hiin any
more. As they did uot expect to move
until there would be light enough for them
to liiul their way out. they let him go.
the richer for some loose change.
M aj■ 14 Ingersoll, as seen by the light ot
this little fire, or by auy other light, was
a fellow of reassuring aud pleasant aspect.
He was a man of iorty, with gray hair and
beard, all cut very close, the gray making
a happy harmony with his blue eyes, and
not leas happy contrast with the smooth
brown of his skin. He was a man of
sturdy rather than of graceful person, with
that repose in act and speech—that total
want of the element of irritability—which
is a guarantee of sound nerve and brain:
a fellow used to looking death in the face,
aud uot to be much moved by lighter rea
sons: yet amiable at that, and ready for
any fun that was on foot.
Crane was a queer fellow. His name
was not Crane, and all those who daily
called him by this name were well aware
that it was not Lis: yet this was a camp
compromise. He was a Kussian or a Pole,
aud was possessed of a name pronouncea
ble only in his own country, aud being a
very practical fellow, Lad adopted a name
that should be easily to the ears aud
tongues ot our people, and while he was at
it, chose the eaisest he could find. He
was a short,* louud, tough fellow, very
brave, and very superstitious, polite, cere
monious, proud aud haughty. Crane said,
as he sut ou a convenient atone beside the
lire, ''Mr. Wrayburn, I wish to request
from you a favor."
"Ceituiuly, sir; 1 shall be happy to do
you any In my power.
"In my country there are also utiuy
ruins just like this, aud to every ruin there
is a story. This ruin lias been a palace.
Splendid people have lived here—hue gen
tlemen, beautiful ladies: that is very evi
dent. This ruin must have a story, and 1
have all the time a great curiosity to know
it. Can you tell me this story.
■Well,sir,l aui sorry to disappoint you,"
said Mr. Wrayburn, "but these ruins have
no story. It was,as you have said,a grand
old house, and the home of a notable fam
ily which came to a very melancholy end,
and the country people say the ruins are
haunted by the ghosts of those who lived
there, as they say of all ruius, but there is
no story in all that."
■'There I told yon 30. That is the be
ginning of the story—the melancholy end
of the family- -the haunted ruins I»n you
believe in ghostst" said Crane
"Why, no, sir: I cau hardly say that 1
believe in ghosts as visible realities Ido
believe in ghosts as part of the machinery
of the popular imagination; as things or
fancies that affect the common mind, as
part of the common religion or superstition
of ages Some strange aud unexplained
appearances have beeu seen in these ruins.
What they are, I know not The people
in such a case always say ghosts, and the
people are very apt to be wrong in every
case."
"Who were they that lived berei" said
Ingersoll
"The name was Saldagnia, air. ft does
not sound like an English name, but is
rather Portuguese or Spanish. They were
not Virginia people, indeed —that is, they
were not of any of our known V iigiuia
families Only two generations of them
lived here."
"Where did they come frouii"
"That was never known with uuy cer
tainty. They came to us here from New
Orleans, from what place before that, it
was found impossible to learn. There wao
a story, however, that their enormous
wealth had leeu acquired iu the slave
trade."
"Then they were very richi'
"Oh, yes; there as no fortune in these
parts that would compare with theirs. In
deed, to have built this house would have
impoverished any Virginia family."
"Evidently it was a great house.'
"Everything was on the most uiaguifi
cent scale, sir; a stone castle, or palace
rather, as the gentleman said, built by for
eign artists, furniture ht for the houses of
kings, and a hospitality on a footing with
the rest of it. The whole valley was al
ways astir with the entertainments and
festivities here when the owner was here;
but a good part of the time he was away,
at New Orleans, Pari*, London or else
where."
"And you lnentiouad that all this spleu
dor came to a melancholy end," said Tal
bot. "What was that end?"
"Well, sir, Air. Saldagnia had one son, a
fine young fellow, with the samo lavish
extravagance and generous tastes us his
father, and the same ardor iu his love for
horses But this young gentleman was
not so popular with the other youngsters
of the neighborhood as his father would
have liked. lie had not grown up here,
you see, and bad some contempt, perhaps,
for the simplicity ot Virginia life. Mr.
Saldagnia's wife was never here, she had
died before the lather had determined to
make his home permanently in Virgiuia.
But there was u great deal said übout a
Very beautiful slave woman who was part
ot (he household, one of those women that
are very nearly white, and though there
w as not a trace of such pai antage in young
Saldaguia's appearance, the opinion be
came accepted as the truth th at that wo
man was his mother Nothing can be
more hurtful than such an opinion of a
taint in the blood, and this opinion became
known to youuft Saldagnia himself, and
poisoned his life "
"Retribution for the slave trade," *aid
Crane.
"Perhaps sor, si," said the old gentle
man
"On a certain day young Saldagnia ap
peared at one of our local race meetings on
one of the finest horses ever seen iu the
country. Some ladies, admiring this
horse, asked his name Saldaguia said he
had no name, and gallantly requested the
lady to naiue him. 'ihe, at a loss, asked
Mr. Spark.-*, a genteiuau near her, to sug
gest a name. 'Why,' said Sparks, 'you
might call him Sambo,' and they all laugh
ed. Sambo was, you know, formerly a
name for a half breed person, and that
laughter yent to the heart of young Sal
daguiu, who preteived that every one ob
served the sneer
"Well," said Crane, "he should have
shot that fallow as ooou as he could get
hitn av.ay from where the ladies were.'
"lie challenged him that ulternooU,
! sir."
"That w».' good."
"Some of Sparks' fiieuds sutd it there
Was any reason for Saldagnia to take of
fence at w hat syt ks said, it must lie that
lie was the sou ot a slave; and it he was
the soli of a slave, Sparks could not meet
him. -iiat Sparks declined to argue the
case. lie said be would fight, and chose
rides for the weapons There were both
deudshots, and Saldaguia s seconds object
ed to the *eap..u Negotiation toltuwed
instead of a tight aud on the last day of
the race meeting Sharks posted saldarfnra
as a coward They all went to Richmond
that afternoon and that night in that city
youug Saldaguia hrst learned this fact that
his opponent ha.l posted him lie so ught
him immediately, tound him. uuJ shot
Sparks dead on sight.'
"Weil, ha should hara fought with ri
des " said Craue
And what followed mem said Inger
soll
"Saldaguia was indicted tor murder, and
tried on that charge His lather's vaH
wealth came into play iu feeing great law
yers to defend him The jury disagreed,
and he was tried again and then there
were appeals, uud so forth, an interminable
litigation that entirely exhausted the old
geiitlemun's wealth, and he died lieie with
a broken heart Young Saldaguia was
never hauged, but he disappeared. Then
this house stood for a long while un
occupied, and one night in a great storm it
was struck by lightuing and burned, leav
ing the ruins about us you see them.
Naturally the imagination of those living
hereabout has peopled these ruins with the
spectres of the old man aud the slave
mother, aud the festal array of visitors,
and all that, for superstition gloats over
an> opportunity to indulge the imagination
in that way."
"Well, Mr. Wrayburn, you began Ly
saying there was no story, yet you have
told tis r. very interesting one about all
tbo:e people."
'•These incideuts are so weli known heie
that it did not strike me they conld be new
to any one."
"Well, I never heard a word about all
this before; and a hundred thousuud men
have been near here all winter, and 1 do
uot believe one of them ever heard of it.
This is a big country, sir."
"Yes, air,' said Mr. Wrayburn, rising;
"but I can distinguish, gentlemen, that
there is a little difference in the color of
the atmosphere—the effect of the coming
moon. In half an hour 1 shall have plenty
of light, and therefore witli your per
mission, 1 will take tlie road "
Aud so, with a few ceremonious words,
they hade him good-uight, and the old gen
tleman rode away
111
And now the moon, as it struggling to
keep Mr. Wrayburn's appointment for it,
was above the horisou, but hidden by the
heavy clouds that bad made the gloom of
the early night so deep Thiough rifts iu
these clouds au occasional gleam cast a
Vanishing veil of light upon the ruius, _ud
once or twice the moon shone in full
splendor upou the tumbling architecture
for several minutes at a time Our friends
had never seen it by moonlight before, and
its beauty as thus seeu was like a revela.
tion to them of the glory of decay Per
haps the romantic story they bad heard of
its history-heightened the charm, for the
mind and the moonlight have the same
witchery to give dignity aud poetical
grandeur lo what iu plaiu daylight is only
a broken stone or a shattered column
There came a moment when the moon
was dimmed again, but not altogether hid
den; aud Ingersoll stirred the. dying fire,
so that it flared up into a little flame, by
the light of which they could see each
other's faces, and a glance passed betweeu
as if each needed to be reassured by the
comfort of some familiar association of
humanity.
Suddenly t race's eyes became fixed upon
a distant point of the ruin; there was a
change iu his demeanor, Le said, or almost
gasped, "There; what is thatf"'
"He sees ghosts now," said Ingersoll
And they would have laughed, but did not
feel very merry, and saw that Craue, be
tween the ghost stories and the moonlight,
was very uneasy.
"No, boys; this is no fun What is that?
It is very queer."
At that moment the glimmer of moon
light iu the upper air did not penetrate to
tnose wells of gloom, the recesses of the
ruin, aud in the depths of one ot these was
seen what might have beeu a light, if or
dinary light Were blue and ghastly and
illuminated a perspective trail rather tbau
u point in space, for this was a queer, un
real, ghostly sort of a glimmer that seemed
to come out of the heavy dead-wall, aud
trail arouud at the foot of it iu the great
hall of the ruin.
And tbeu there was stranger still, for in
the dare of the light they could *ee moving
shadows; but the shadows had a demoniac
and unreal demeauor, ior Ingersoll, whose
common-sen3e hud not beeii driven from
its position, tried to explain the appear
aucu by a thought of tbe enemy, and saw
upon scrutiny that that would be folly.
111-defined iu the dim gleam that seemed
to go with it. aud not clearly seen when
tbe moon came to its best, a mass o 1
grotesque forms moved under the iuflucnce
of some law, aud disposed itself iu a half
circle at one end of the great hall, and
there was stationary; and then some sounds
arose from it--strange, wailing, rnelan
choly, moaning, pathetic sounds.
And then the mass was agitated, but in
unison, as if it might be dancing; but the
movement had not the spirit or vigor or
guyely of a dance, it swayed the mass to
and fro; it swept it iu a slow whirl around
aud Mound, uud above the ma.-s swinging
arms seemed to strike tbe air, and a
monotonous wall aiose almost like the
death cry at an Indian funeral—a
poignant, affecting sound of very human
soriow
Crane was on his knees, his eyes bulging
from their sockets, speechless with a dread
he could neither understand nor control;
Talhot was uneasy, and Ingersoll puzzled
to his wits' ends.
And now the moon, freed for a little
from the drapery of clouds, Ht the scene,
and they could see things really in tbe
form of human figures before them, and
one figure became somewhat defined. It
seemed to be a woman —a very tall woman,
made taller in appearance by a high per
pendicular coif or fantistic head-dress. Sbe
seemed to come out of the gloom, and to
advauce to a point between the ends of tbe
semicircle At that point was a remnant
of the base of a stone column about four
feet h igli and flat on top On that stone,
as it if were an altar, she placed what
seemed to fie a box, and then she with
drew to some distance, aud wcul around
this stoue with a measured pace, vaguely
lesemhling the movement of a minuet,
sw iug ing ber arms iu grotesque motions,
like a witch at an iutaulalion, and each
time that .ihe weut around it she intoned
that surne moaning wail they had heard
before And then the whole company
seemed to come into her tiain and move
with her, making strauge gesticulations:
and as tbey did this they became apparent,
and our fiieuds could see them, hut yet
could not see what they were, for the most
notable thing about them* was that thete
were no faces; they were in human form
hut not a human face was to be seen. The
geneial outline gure a place for human
beads, hut the places whele the faces
might he were covered as if with veils or
other light di apery
Crane. «J a man sensitive to ghastly
things, gave indication ot their presence
I Never were tbe magnetic rods tfcat indicate
I lie jubteirancan location of * murdered
man • siobcy UiroiFu into such a terrible
condition of agitation as be had shown,
uud tbe .lute of collapse thai he bad now
reached impressed painfully the others.
Neither Ingersoll nor Teibot had ice
auinc fiUttl ks ( itug, aliJ ILe) WTcSllcd
with the case a little, but found no rational
••vui to account for it. Speculate a* they
** otild the poooibllllles ul iLillffJ that
might make this appearance, they could
Cud lio natural explanation, and were
forced upon the conclusiou that they were
in the picsence .if the supernatural. Fur a
time-—they bevei: knew how long- they
remained thus fascinated hy the
sceue. and then there w*s a sudden
change. There arose a commotion. The
company of spectres loot its lelulion of
harmony. For the orderly measured
movemeuU und tense of dignity of the
priestess, or whatever she was, there was
substituted an air of alarm, and the
decorous demeanor of the semicircle of
spectres lapsed a* if under mi impulse of
dismay. They swept swiftly out of the
open in which they had displayed
themselves, into holes, crannies, or
crevices of the wall; and iheir departure
was more surprising even than the first
appearance for our friends hail only
time to observe this effect of commotion
and consternation, aud, lo! they were gone.
The officers themselves seemed to re
cover the power of speech at the same
time.
"If they are gliosis," said lugersoll, who
was not entirely sure but that Orano and
tbe people were light—"if they are ghosts,
why should they skedaddle iu that way 1"
"Yes; what should they feari" said Tal
bot. "I never heard that ghosts feared
anything hut daylight; and certainly they
were frightened, and there is no daylight
now."
"No," said Ingersoll; "hut there is
moonlight enough for us to move by. Let
us get away, because, if they are not
ghosts—"
"Yes, if they are darkies on a voudoo
spree—"
"They may have been frightened by the
coming of thiugs that ought to frighten us
also "
As Hits was said, aud they got tbe half
paralyzed Crane on hid feet, their earn wcr*
tilled with uoises that were unmistakably
military—the word of ccmmaud, the
hurried moveiueut of horse*, the jangle of
anus. From the windows just above, aud
very near them, substantial figures point
ed long arms at them in a rather ghostly
way, but at the end of each arm was a very
uughostly revolver, aud tbe whole room
tilled up iu a uiiuute with Confederate cav
alry.
They drew their swords,stood upon their
defence, and were sainted with the sharp
and peremptory demand, ''Surrender!"
There never was a more complete surprise.
If tbe ghosts, or whatever the things were
that they had B<>eu, had been planned to
paralyse their perceptions while the ene
my's uieu crept down under them, the sur
prise could have beeu lu.ne successful, aud
Talbot was for a lubjKual iuciiued to the
faucy that that was the truth ol the case.
Hut here they were caught, surrounded,
aud cot off by a force of cavalry so large
and so ready that there was not even a
chance to tight, and they accepted their
fate.
Ingersoll und Tulbut made out from v, hat
they heard in the course of tbe next half
hour, as the enemy's fellows talked among
themselves, that this cavalry had beeu en
camped on tbe high grounu back of the
river at daylight, that they had seeu the
light-, had heard the voices from the ruin,
and had recognised in ail this a voudoo
u ight; that the colored people ot the couu
try ronud had gathered to celebrate the
strange rites of snake worship which their
ancestors had brought from Africa, and
that the cavalry bad stolen down to sur
prise the darkies, and bad thus caught tbo
prisoners by accident. There was not any
consolation in this, but they could not re
pioach themselves for tbe failure to under
stand the siugular scene they had witness
ed, because neither ot thein had ever had
much experience of the ways of Southern
darkies. But Ingersoll nnd C'raue felt
much worse over their capture than Tal
bot did for hi) part, as they had good rea
son to. lie had been on a perilous service
under order*, and was captured while uu
duty; they ha.J left tbe lines oil a lark dur
ing the day, aud were takeu while absent
without leave. They did not know how
they would bo carried on the roll*, aud
they gnawed their hearts in silence as they
lay for half an hour under guard. They had
been promptly robbed as soon as taken,
lor their horses were superior to any iu the
cavalry, and were confiscated for that rea
son, and troopers, under the pretence of
searching for arms,had taken their watches
aud money, lor all had been done so aud
deuly that they had not eveu had the
thought to resort to the ordinary soldier's
device of hiding their valuables. Prepar
ation were made about half past two to
send the prisoners to the rear under guard,
as the cavalry were about to go forward,
aud then there was another sudden
change.
With a sudden ettect like that of an ex
plosion, there was a rattle of gnus iu a
half dozen points at once, all aruuiul the
outside of the ruiu, and the drums sounded
that quaint, half lilting, rapid movement,
the advaui-e in double quick time. Our
fellow's hearts were iu their throats as the
cavalry fellows stopped aud looked each
other iu the lace, aud wondered what this
might mean. They did not wonder loug
Some of the cavalry outside saw infantry
iu motion, saw what infantry it was, and
put spurs to their horses Others caught
at this hint, aud there was a general ske
daddle iu the dim light, and iu live liiin
utea the ruin was iu possession of the lost
brigade
The brigade had come ou slowly through
the early uight, when tbo commander dis
covered that he had been left, and made a
long halt witnout fires on the road half a
luile above the ruin, because the fellows
in advance discovered that there was a
cavalry camp on the road ahead of them,
and the time bad beeu employed in the
endeavor to find auother road leading to
the rivei They did uot know how much
ca>ali) there was aud supposed that they
had gotten iu between the advauce gaaid
aud the mam body of s.iiue rebel division
on the march
While lu-re th ey aUi heard the aoLe of
the darkies, and thi.> helped theiu to n
knowledge of theit position
A.j they wat. lit.l the cavali) camp l lifev
#aw Hit cavalry move, and wero able t»
count it, and discovered that they weic
about two iuiuil oompauies Then, sup
posing that the object ut the cat airy was
to etteot some *iirprise, it was thought
that it might be a happy chance to wake
it tk double surprise party.
I't.ui the hiigade had moved stealthily on
the jatne line with the cavalry, its com
tnauder clearly perceiving all the op put
tnuilies of the occasion, and so they had
happily arrived, and lugcrsoll, Talbot
tti.il Crane were \ cry happy fellow s, though
they had a night somewhat paiutully
trammed with eiperimce.
they all rode over the bridge togeth
er, Crane said to the commander of the
brigade, "Jo«, *h, Joe, you utuvtri scP
. muck in tu right pteorteyeur lite a
I wL«n you were lost!"
The New congressman.
' Turner, the iceman recently ele.ud to
congress I'row one of the >ew York dis
tricts, La* confessed that be does not feel
a» cwiiitk.ruLle Iu Li. uew >a[ in coug;e»s
as be did upon Lis ice wagon i'Lereupon
tLe funny papers bare already fcegijn tell
ing him to keep cool
Ames Cuuimingj bu written iu tLe Sun
a vivid sketch of tLe voes ui the member
iu his hr»t term. which doubtless Mr.
Cummings draws up iron) tfco deep salt
well of experience. There are 120 new
congressman this year.
ilnuths will be required before the new
member learns the staircases, labyrinths
and passages of the huge Capitol building,
and even after months he will sometimes
need u guide to show him the way. v This
will °l>r more apt to occur after a
luuch iu the senate restaurant with "some
of Lis constituents. It will take more'
than months foi Lim to get the hang of
the rules of the house. If be attends to
business strictly be will have almost no
time for social pleasure.- t
He will be put on a committee, perhaps
two, and he can tell no more than a dead
man what committee it will be If Le is a
skilled lawyer, perhaps he will be one of
the gentlemen appointed to look after our
great American navy. • • -*
Stick c lose to your desk and never -go to
sea, •>.
And you'll all be the ruler of the queen's
uavee.
During the first term be will be snubbed
and sat upon from the word go by exper
ienced members, lie will not be permit
ted to make a speech, even though the
question is one about which he is the only
man in the house who knows anything
A general who commanded the troops that
destroyed a certain property duriu* the
war was serving his second term. A bill
came before the house in which this very
-matter was involved. The general, who
alone knew about it, wished to give some
information to the house. He pot the case
to the chairman of his committee, and ask
ed to address the house half an honr. His
chairmau replied in that loTdly manner
loug official residence at 'Washington gives:
"When we want you to talk we'll let
you know."
The new congressman tiuds himself up
on a bed of coals and not of rosea, siys
Mr. Cummings. He will be awfully *au
uoyed by women, lor one thing. Bat
the end of bis first term, balancing ac
counts, he concludes that oo the whole b*
ha? had more fun than bother, he goes iu
for it again.
Host of them do go in for it Again, in
cluding Mr. Oammings.
A New Treatment and Possible
Cure for Cancar.
The anonymous correspondent of -the
Lancet, whose suggestion of the combined
use of papain and tballin in canew was
noticed in a recent nnmber ot the London
Medical Etci/rdtr, turns out to 1>« Dr: J
Mortimer Granville fie had since -sup
plemented his first statement by a furtter
communication, in which he says tbatoif
the solvent or digestive power of the p*
pain is to be brought to bear en Ae
morbid growth, it must not be esfcaaetW
by being fiist mixed with food.- He there
fort recommend* very frequent ardminie
tration of the papain aud tballin and their
combination iu tLe form of pills The aim
is to get absorption of the drug, sot loifal
action on the stomach. In cancer of fntt
organ, Dr Mortimer Granville gives, be
sides the pills, papain suspended in water
with thallin and au alkali. "With, the vies
lof further preventing exhaustion of this
papain, he directs that the patient shall be
fed us exclusively as possible on a vege ,
tulle diet, aud that the pills shall be tak(n
before meals or iu the interval between
them. He Las not found that the thalltt* ~
given as described exerts any injuriously -«
depiessiug effect ou tLe organism as a T •->
whole. TLe vitality of tLe morbid growtlf <»■
jtems (the italics aie Dr. Mortimer i
ville's) to be depressed by saturation witti •:
the thalliu and papaiu locally, this 'is : >
cflecttd by applying a stiong paste of the '.
two drugs in combination, or, where prac
ticable, by their inunction The results • ■
obtained so far are said to be encouraging, f>
I and "make it dear that the method will *
\ deserve a lull and fair trial by the pro- •
fession."—London Medical Recorder.
A Cure for DiphtheiTa. _
The following remedy is said to be tM£
best known, at least it is worth trying.
the first indication of diphtheria iu th*>«<-
throat of a child make the room closaf* '
then take a tin cup and pour into if a
quantity of tar aud turpentine, equal parts."*
Then hold the cup over a fire so as to 'fill
the room with fumes. The little patient,'*
on inLaling tLe fumes, will cough up' and *
spit out all the membranous matter, and *
the diphtheria will pass of. The tunes of •*
the tar and turpentine loosen the matt*f
the throat, and thus afford the relief 'that* *»
has buttled the skill of pliysiciaus. ' ,r
He got Even. (
Young Wife- I um going to make a nice «.
cake for supper. \
Young Husband, with recollectiou of the
last one- Ahem, 1 did iutend to bring a j
friend home to night. ' •»'
Young Wife—Well, so much the better.! - '
The more the merrier. *
Young Husband—All tight 1 will fetch"-**
him along. lie served me a rneau trick
himself once.
Couldn't Get Out of It. «T.
She—Tf I were to die would you marry
again.
He-—No. A Lurnt child—that is—l
mean - no, darling, of conrse I wouldn't ~
marry agaiu. _
But he poured his own tea at -upper just
the same /
—' Mid pleasures aud palaces thouigh •
we may roam be it ever so humble/there's --ee
no specific fot paiu like Salvation Oil, *
Price 25 cents a bottle. - ft
' The mo3t troublesome companion a • «•
person ean have while being away from »
borne, is a cough, and 1 would adviae •>
everybody to procure Dr Bulls Cough
Syrup before starting. ' (Drummer.) . «
| —The newspapers aie noting that old
I gnui shoes are manufactured into a a very *
[ nue quality ot chewing gum, the delicious * ■*'
I flavoring extracts entirely obliterating the
| odor of feet. ' "J
The gum chewing babit is evidently
on ibe iiuresise. The owner of a chewid£
guiu fac tory in Indiana, one of the smallest "
iu the i.ouutry, lecently j*id: ' Thus far '*
this year (1659.) we have made and sold ' ,
S4OO, uOO worth of the stuff. We employ ' *
lf>o uien and giils, and we ship to' Jobbing ,
Louses in every large city iu the country.
There aiein the United States atone full) r
a large factories, employing a. many
persons u< we do, aud iu most cases more.
't he annual output of these factories Will
average $16U,000 per year, making a total
production of moie tL&u ouo,OuO, and
! there are enough smaller Coufectio&Ctj
I e-ttablisLments to increase the genual pro-
I duwtiom to at leaat 10,090,090."
i l . ■;»
#Oll