Carlisle herald. (Carlisle, Pa.) 1845-1881, February 28, 1862, Image 1

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    A. K. RIIEEIII, Proprietor.
Wm. M. PORTER, Editor.
VOL. 6
TERMS OF PUBLICATION
The CARLISLE Malan is published weekly on s urge
sheet containing twenty eight columns, and tarnished
to subscribers at sl.bu If paid strictly In advance:
$1.15 If paid within the year; or $2 In all ...tees when
payment is delayed until after the expiration of the
year. No subscriptions received for a less period than
lit months, and none discontinued until all arrearages
are paid, unless at the option of the publisher. Vapors
tent to subscribers living out of Cumberland county
must be paid for In advance, Or the payment assumed
by some responsible person living In Cumberland cella-
Ey. Those terms will bo rigidly adhered to In all
Cases. .
ADVERTISEMENTS,
Advertisements will be charged $l.OO per square of
trielve lines for throe insertions, and 26 cents for each
thbsequent insertion. All advertisements of less than
twelve lines considered as a square.
Advertisements Inserted before Marriages and deaths
8 cents per line for first insertion, and 4 cents per line
for subsequent Insertions. Communications on sub
jects of limited or individual interest will be charged
6 cants per limb The Proprietor will not be responsi
ble In damages fOr errors in advertisnmants, Obituary
notices or Marriages not exceeding five lines, will be
it:limited without charge.
...--..-a..
JOB PRINTING
The Carllsie liarald JOll PIUNTING OYFTCH Is the
argertand most completeestablishment in thecounty.
Pour good Presses. and a general variety of material
suited for plain and Fancy work of every kind. enables
us to do Job Printing at the shortest notice and on the
most reasonable terms. Persons In went of Bills,
Blanks or anything In the Jobbing 11a.,, will find it to
t heir Interest to Ovens a rail.
(Correspondence of the tientld.]
'fincrimortn, Feb. 22, 1862
DEAR HERALD:
A stranger who forms his idea of the archi
tectural beauty of Baltimore, from the ap
pearance of the "down town," or business
portions of the city will have very erroneous
impressions in regard to it- In the Northern
and Western sections, the increase of new
buildings within the last twenty years has
been' remarkable. The Washington Monu
ment, which comparatively a few years- ago,
stood a solitary sentinel on the outskirts of
the city, is now the very centre of the "Court
End," surrounded on all sides by squares of
elegant buildium rivaling in taste and mag
nificence, those of any other city I have yet
seen. Prominent among them may be seen'
the large marble building, known as the Pea
body Institute, erected through the munificence
of George Peabody, Esq , the American hank
er, in London, who donated 300,000 dollars
for that purpose. When completed it, will
embrace a public library, free lectures, a gal
lory of art, and a department of music. It is
under the direction of the Maryland Historical
Society, and the Rev. Dr. Morris, formerly of
.the Lutheran church in Lexington, is the
Librarian. By the way. Dr. Mceron, who
was at one Ume a resident of Carli-le. has
succeeded Dr. Morrie, as the pastor of that
church .
Among the public institutions of Baltimore,
none is entitled to more honorable mention,
than the Mercantile Library. It occupies a
spacious building at. the corner of Saratoga
and St. Paul's streets, and now numbers nearly
1900 volumes, in the various departments 91
literature, embracing many rare and costly
books. A reading room is also attached to
the library, where the members have access
to all the best Americsn•and European papers
and magazines. This association was first
organized in 1839, by 16 persons, it now con
sists of 1200 members, wi th an annual revenue
of over 4000 dollars A stronger, on the in
troduction of a member, can have the free use
of the library and reading room, for four
weeks.
The "Paid Fire DePartment," is another
important feature of Baltimore. It has been
in existence about three years, and its prac
tical workings are attended with great success.
The force consists of 117 officers and men,
with seven Engines and two Hook and Ladder
companies. The men are pied an annual
salary of from 200 to 900 dollars. and the
yearly expenses is about 50,000 dollars. The
department is governed by a board of Fire
Commissioners, and the small amount of loss
by fire since itti - organizalion, is the best evi
dance of its superiority over the old system.
A few days ago, the ladies of South Balti
more presented a splendid garrison flag to the
sth N. Y. Regiment, (Warren's Zouaves,) at
Federal Hill, with appropriate ceremonies;
the Regiment was formed on three sides of a
square, when the flag was brought forward
and presented by John Willis, EN., in a neat
and forcible address, concluding as follows:
"One of Maryland's gifted eons, whose
spirit now, perchance, looks down from high
er spheres, has interwoven this standard with
garlands of poesy and given it immortality in
song. Presenting it, therefore, in behalf of
our Monumental ladies to the gallant officers
and men of this regiment, in appreciation of
their soldierly bearingand gentlemanly deport
ment, allow me to say, as I hope and believe
the author would now say, were he yet living
amongst us:
"The Star Spangled Banner, 0 long may St wave
O'er the land of the tree nod the home of the bravo!"
No higher compliment can bo desired than
to know it has been bestowed by fair hands
and true hearts upon those who are ever ready
to preserve and protect so priceless a gift.
Obedient, therefore. to the pleasing trust
conferred upon me, it becomes my high privi
lege to present your noble regiment, in the
name of the ladies of South Btikimono, with
this—Olnt COCNTICIN FLAG!"
The flog was received by Colonel Warren,
thanking the fair' donors in eloquent terms,
-and,the,Zollavep gave the ladies of Baltimore
three cheers and'a "tiger." 'At the close of
the presentation, the regiment gave an exhi
bition of the bayonet exorcise, resembling, in
many respects, the drill of the Ellsworth
Zouaves,, but-far more practical for service.
. After the drill, the officers entertained the
ladies and their friends at Head Quarters. .
On Thursday evening last,. the Baltimore
College of Dental Surgery, held its 22d nn•
nual commencement, in the New Assembly
— :Itoom. The Hall was crowdPd in every part,
'by an audience of aver 15Q0 persons, a great
imajority of whom were ladies. The grmida
ting claAs consisted of ten gentlemen, only one
of them being from Pennsylvania. The vale
dietory address was delivered by the Rev. Dr.
- Bond, and, the music for the occasion was
furnishedby Baltimore Blues Band.. Dr
Gorges, 'mir former townsman, is a member
.'of the fabillty of this useful and popular .
in
stitution.
The news from Fort Donelson, coming on
the heels of other victories, seems almost to
have crushed out thelopes of the spossionists,
especially the more demonstrative class, who
talk treason, tOr the same reason that crack
.brained fools preach: inftdelity, and school•
toys learn to swear—because it is "naughty."
The. Union men, are jubilant, and many of
those who. were "on the , fence"
,are getting
down on the Union aide, and say they are now
on the JaPicedn the Union , mwst
,sod shall be presetied.'? Youre , Truly, .
STEREOSCOPE.
TIME GAL TIiAT TO= ROOT.—A good
story is told of a Bostonian's first ap
pearancein polite society in Arkansas.
'The eompany were engaged in dancing;
arid the loveliest female present occupied
a chair near the window without a part
ner. Stepping up to the lady, with a
palpitating heart, he exclaimed
"Will you do, me the' honor to grace
no with your comettny for the next set?"
-Her lustrous eyes. shone with unwon-.
ted 'brilliancy,„while_ her pearly teeth
glistened, her heavy, snowy bosom rpse
and fell with joyful rapture, - as she re
plied -
"Yea, air-reo 1 'for Pso sot, and set
and sot, till I've 'bout tuk root 'X
[From the Russian of romichltin.]
ROW THE DUEL BEGAN, AND
HOW IT ENDED,
Our regiment was quartered in a small
and miserably retired place. There was
no society, no enjoyment, no open house ;
we were left to our own resources ; noth
ing remained but to collect together at .
each other's lodging, where, except our
uniforms, there was nothing to be seen. ,
There was only one person that joined
us who did not belong to the army. Ho
was a man of about thirty-five years, an
age which, we felt, fully justified us in
considering him an old man. , His years
and experience induced us to look on
him with no little deference; while his
'ordinary moroseness, austere manner,
and bitter sarcasm, Worked a powerful
influence on our young minds. A cer
tain mystery, too, was mixed ,up with his
fate; he appeared to be a Russian but
had a foreign name. At one time he had
served in a regiment of hussars, but it
was evident that he did not regard his
term of service, or some circumstances
,connected with it, with any degree of satis
faction. Notne knew the reasons which
had induced him to give up his commiss
ion, and settle in such a miserable place
as this which he had chosen. Here he
lived, at, the same time, wretchedly and
prodigally; he always went on fdot, clad
in an old worn-out overcoat, yet kept an
open table for all the officers of our
regiment. It is true, his dinners consis
ted only of two or three dishes cooked
by an old discharged soldier; but cham
pagne flowed like water. No one knew
his circumstances, or. the ..source of his,
income, nor did any of us ever venture
to question him on the subject. His
library consisted of a number of volumes,
mostly on military subjects, and novels.
He willingly lent them, and never ex
pressed any wish to have them returned.
His chief amusement consisted in exer
cising with pistols, and the walls of his
house bore sufficient evidence of his par
tiality for this exercise, for they were
completely covered with the marks of
bullets The skill to which he had at
tained in this his favorite occupation
was incredible, and if he had offered to
shoot an apple from the cap of any of us,
none would have shrunk from exposing
his head to his unerring aim.
Our conversation often fell on duelling.
Silvio (for that was his name) never
joined with us on these occasions. To
the question if ,ever it had faller. to his
lot to be engaged in one he would simply
answer that it had ; but with that he
ended ; he never entered into any details,
and it was evident the subject was disa
greeable to 'him. We supposed that
there were on his mind unpleasant recol
lections of some victim of his deadly
skill. With regard to his courage, it
never entered into our heads to suspect
him ii- 4 of anything approaching to timidity.
There are some people whose appearance
alone forbids our entertaining such sus
picions.
It happened that ten of our officers
one day dined with Silvio; we drunk
very deeply, as usual, and after dinner
used all our endeavors to induce the host
to play a game at bank. For a long
time he refused, for he very seldom
played; at length he gave way to our
entreaties, and produced the cards; he
then strewed on the table fifty ducats and
sat down to throw. We arranged our
selves arround him, and play began.
While playing, Silvio always observed the
most strict silence; he never engaged in
any disputes or explanations. We knew
his peculiarities, and threfore never dis
turbed him in any of his arrangements.
On this occasion, it happened that among
our numbers was a young officer who had
lately joined the regiment. While play
ing he had unwittingly made a false
calculation ; Silvio took the chalk and
squared the account according to his own
reckoning. The officer, thinking he had
made a mistake, endeavored to explain to
him. Silvio, disregarding the interrup
tion, continued to throw. The officer,
losing,his patience, took the chalk, and
altered Silvio's account, thinking it to be
an intentional miscalculation.--Silvio ev
idently did not approve of the conduct of
the lieutenant, and immediately replaced
the original figures. The officer, heated -
With wine, excited by the game, and pro
voked by the laughter of his companions,
considered himself violently insulted. and
in the height of his passion,
.seized a
brass candlestick which was near him, and
hurled it at Silvio, who barely succeeded
in escapinglhe dangerous missile. Silvio
rose up, his countenance grew pale with
rage, and with flashing eyes he said :
" Sir, oblige me by leaving this place, and
thank God this has occurred in my own
house."
The officer departed, but not before he
had acquainted the host that he was ready
at any time to answer fir the affront,he
had, given. We did not doubt the con
sequences of such an affair, and already
looked upon our companion as a dead
man. Tho play continued for a_ short
trine ; but feeling that, after what bad
passed, Silvio could not be in much hu
mor to play, wo dispersed, each one to
his quarters, where we occupied our
selves-in reflecting on the events of the
evening, and on the-changes that Would
ensue from a vacancy. Tho, next Morn
ing, at•the mancge, we were already spec
ulating on the probability of Our com
rade's existence, when he himself .appear
ed among us;
we . were all eager -to
know by what lucky stroke, of fOrtutie he
had escaped. To our questions he an
swered‘that he bad not, as yet, received
luny coutteunioation from This
very, much astonished us.' We went to
him soon after ; and,found him .in the
-yardi - emiding - ball - titelball into a card
which he bad nailed to the great door at
I the entrance of the •yard. He received
usin his usual. manner, hut didnot men;
tion a word of the oceurrence of the
preceding 'evening; Three -days passed
by, and the lieutenant was still alive., We
asked' one( another with astonishment :
is it, posSible that \Silvio will not fight ?
Silvio did , not fight; he contented him
PaMER WOM 'TEEM IFaln ELT VER,6113.
self with a slight explsnation, at.d made
friends.
The termination of this quarrel pro=
duced an immense effect oil our young
minds. The want of courage is excused
by young people less than the lack of any
other of those qualities which excite
their adnairaton ; for courage they con
sider the most worthy of human virtues,
and even a palliation for all possible fail
ings. However, by degrees, the whole
affair was allowed to pass Ly, and Silvio
once more acquired his former ascenden
cy._
For my own part, I could no longer ap
proach him with the same feelings of
confidence and pleasure with which I had
hitherto done. Naturally of a romantic
disposition, I, at first, felt an irresistible
inclination towards this man, whose life
was such a riddle, and whom I believed
to be the hero of some secret and tragical
tale. He liked me,- at,l'east I thoughtso,
for I alone was free from the attacks of
his never failing sarcasm, and he often
conversed with me on various subjects
with great freedom and extraordinary,
gaity. But after that unfortunate even
ing, the idea that his honor had been
compromised; and that he bad taken no
steps to retrieve it, I could not shake off,
and it prevented me from behaving to•
wards: him as I had formerly done. Sil-
Yin Was too keen and experienced not to
oliserve the change in my behavior, and
also to guess the cause of it; and it evi
dently' vexed and pained him.
The inhabitants of the capitlil and the
other great cities have no idea of the many
trifling circumstances which produce an
ineredible infl eau Dia th e minds of those
far removed from the more civilized
world, as, for instance, the anxiety and
excitement attendant on post days. On
Tuesdays and Fridays our Office was filled
with officers, some expecting letters, some
money. others newspapers. The fortu
nate recipient of a packet of these. last
generally opened it on the spot, and
com
municated the principal news to an eager
audience , The office at such times 'pre
sented a ficture ofAlm most enlivening
and exciting character. Silvio was, gen
erally found among us, for he received his
letters through our regiment. One day
lie received a packet, with the greatest
impatience he tore it open ; his eyes beam
ed with delight as lie began to run over
its cements. All the officers, being en
gaged in devouring the contents of their
'respective letters, did not observe the
influence which SEvio's correspondence
had produced 'on him. It was not long
before be drew our attention by sudden
ly exclaiming : "Sirs, circumstances Itaxi N e
rendered my speedy-departure necessary.
I set off to-night; consequently I hope
you will not refuse to dine with rue for
the last time. I shall expect you with
out fail," said he, turning to me With
'these words, he hastily retired, anti we,
having all agreed to meet at, his house,
returned to our several duties.
I arrived at Silvio's at the appoinCed
hour, and found almost the whole regi
ment assembled. He had already packed
up all his valuables; there remained
scarcely anything but the bare perforated
walls. We sat down to the table. The
host was in extraordinary spirits, and his
good humor soon extended itself to all his
guests. The corks were flying constantly,
the glasses were frothing and hissing
incessantly. We drank to his success
times out of number, and showered over
him our good wishes.
It was late in the evening when we
rose from the table. When Silvio had
taken leave of all, and we were preparing .
to depart, he took me by the hand and
led me aside, and said'quietly : "I wish
to speak to you."
The guests left, and we remained alone.
We sat opposite each other, and for a
long time smoked our pipes in silence.
Silvio was much embarrassed ; already
all traces of his convulsive merriment
had disappeared. A deadly paleness,
glistening eyes, and the - thick clouds of
smoke issuing from his mouth, gave him
the appearance of a perfect fiend. At
last Silvio interrupted the silence. "Per
haps," he said, "we shall never see each
other again. Before we separate, I wish
to unburden myself on asubject of which
the particulars are well known to you.
You have no doubt observed that I care
very little for the opinion of others;'but
you I love and respect; and it would be
very painful to me, to leave on :your mind
any wrong impressions .as to my conduct
on the occasion, to the particulars of
which I have just referred."
He stopped, and began to fill his pipe,
which had gone out. Meanwhile, I sat
perfectly silent, with my eyes cast on the
ground.
"It seen •il he continued,
"that I diii i flit Il• 21 , sfietinn from
that drunken, i
1 I 1 It 1, , t.teuau l Botha.
You agree that ight the
choice of weapons, his life was in my
hands. while I was comparatively free
from danger. I could ascribe any moder
ation to generoi=ity, but I do not wish to
deceille you, If I could have punished
him without exposing myself to the
slightest injury, I would not, on any con-•
sideration, have allowed the matter to
pass by so easily." •
I looked at Silvio with astonishment.
Such a confoSsion utterly confounded me.
He continued really mean what I
have Indeed, I 'should not,,be jys
tilled in exposing ray life to any danger
for, six years ago, I received an insult,
and my enemy is still tilivo?' ,
• My curiosity was - excited I.o.the ut
most. "Then'you'did not fight with him ?"
inquired "Cireunistances
,- must have
prevedteu you ?" •
"I did fight ;with him ; and hero is
something which wilt beer witness of
the affair," he •answered.
'Silvio rose, opened a small 'box, and
took from it,a red cap. — It was ornamen-•
ted with a tassel made of gold 'fringe,
and trimmed with galloon. He put it on
and' I observed that 'it bad. been shot
through at about an inck . and a half.ficim
thp,forehead. . • •
"You know," be said, "that I served
in the—Hussars; you know also my
CARLISLE, PA., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1862,
character. In whatever society I have
ever - been thrown I have always been the,
ruling genius. From,rny youth up, it
his always - been my ruling passion to be
pro-eminent. In my younger days, ex
travagance of conduct- was in vogue;
irregularity and wildness-of behavior was
the day; and in this J. was second to
none in the army. WarbOlsted of drun
kenness. I drank deeper than %chus
himself. Duels were constantly taking
place in our regiment ; -and on every oc
casion I acted either as second or princi
pal. My companions idolized me, and
although my proceedings were' not openly
countenanced by the commanders, I was
looked on as a necessary evil.
"I was revelling with a feeling of un
disputed security, in tlnYenjoyment of my
accquired reputation, when 'a young man
of very rich and celebrated family was ap
pointed to a vacancy in the regiment.—*
Never before or since have I ntet:--with
such a brilliant prodigy of fortune.
inlm
agine to yourself a young man the
flower of youth, intelligent, posessing a
most handsome exteriors
.unbounded gaie
ty, cotirage the most .:darino., a high
sounding name, and riches of which he
did not know the extent, and you may
form some idea of the feelings with which
I regarded a rival who possessed such
prepondering advantages. It was note
long before I began to feel that my fan
cied security was only - it delusion ; my
popularity began to decline. • influenced
by the high opinion - aittrtained of me,
the new arrival at - first - sought to culti
vate my acquaintance; but . I received
him coldly, he had without any apparent
regret,.left me to myself__..l. thoroughly
hated him ; 'his success in the regiment,
and especially in the, society of the la
dies, drove me to desperation. 1 endeav
ored to find a quarrel with hilt). I wrote
epigrams : to these he replied with epi
grams which always appeared to me more
unexpected and much sharper than my
own, and which were ckrtaitily incoufpa
rably livelier. Ile jested; I retorted
with an irritation - which I could not con
trol.
" At last we both happened to be at a
ball given by a Polish gentleman. Here I
saw him the centre of attraction of the
whole of the ladies, and, above all I saw
the hostess assiduous in her attentions to
wards him : all seemed : to render him
homage; all attention seemed direeted to
him alone. A comparison of my present
position with what it had - 7 been not king
ago was sufficient. Aly4:solulion was ta
ken ; and meeting with `hint, afterwards
in n side-room, I whit red red hi his ear
some meditated instil:4' Ve flew' into a
rage, and struck mea I;fcit iii'illn l'aCe ;
we drew our 'swords; then followed a
scene of confusion ; the ladies fainted,
the gentleman separated us, and we has
tened that very night to settle the dis
pute in a more satisfactory manner.
" It was at daybreak that I arrived at
the appointed spot, with my three sec
onds. With the utmost impatience, I
awaited the appearance of my , opponent.
The sun was risen, and was already getting
hot, when I saw him in the distance.—
Ile was coming on foot, accompanied by
one assistant. We hastened to meet him,
and as we approached-, I saw that his cap,
which he held in his hand, was filled with
cherries. The seconds *ensured twelve
paces. It was my place to fire first; but
I was so agitated with the desire of re
' venge that 1 felt there was no dependence
on accuracy of my aim; so in order to
gain time enough to cool my fevered
' brain, I proposed that he should take the
' first shot; to this he would not agree ; we
were therefore obliged to cast lots. Be,
the ever fortunate, drew the lucky num
ber. We resumed
• our places ; he took
I his aim, fired, and sent the bullet through
my cap.' It was now may turn ; his life
at last in my hands. I gloated over my
victim with a fiendish de4ight, and eager
ly looked at him, endeavoring to catch if
only a shadow of agitation ; but there he
stood, stoically indifferent, helping him
self to the ripe eheries which he had
brought with him, and spitting the stones
from his mouth with such force that sev
eral of them reached the place where I
was standing.
• " His equanimity perplexed and en
raged me. Of what use is it, to try to
punish a man who does nye care a • pin
whether he is dead or alive ? I reflected
a moment, and lowering my pistol, said :
" It appears that you are very uncon
cerned about death - just now ; pethaps
you would like to take breakfast first; if
so, I have not the slightest wish to disturb
you." ~ .
" You do not disturb ape in the least,'
said he. 'Fire, if you please; andif you
do not wish to fire now you can reserve it
for any future occasion. I shall hold my
self at any time at your service.'
14 1. turned to my seconds, explained to
them the uselessness of revenging myself
ori r an individual so indifferent to life ns
my opponent, and with that the duel end
ed. . .
" I left the service, and thenTouud my
way to this place. From the time I came
here, not a day has passed in which I
'have not thought of vengeance; and now
my hour has. come."
Silvio took from his pOcket - Otteletter
which he had received in themurning,
and gave it to me to read. Some one—
it appeared to be an agent of his--Aul
writton from Moscow to inform him that
ce, certaire . person whom he knew vas soon
about to marry a young and beautiful la
dy;
" You guess,'' said Silvia,." who that
certain person is who ho is abci . ut to mar
ry. I am going to Moscow; and we
shall see whether he will regartl death
with such indifference, on the eve of his
wedding day, as he did'on a former occa
sion, when feasting on those cherries "
With those words ks.ilvio roSe; flung his'
cap on the floor, and began to patio the
floor backwards and forwards like tiger
in his cage. 4
During, time he 'had
been speaking I sat, quits, motionless,
'while strange and °minimal% ethotiono vi
nlently agitated me. . -
The servatit, entered,, aitd announced
that the horses were, ready. Silvio vary
warmly pressed my band, and wo took
leave of another very affectionately. He
jumped into the telega—a small wagon
without wheels—in which were , deposited
two boxes, one containing his whole col
lection of pistols, and the other all his
movable property. We bade adieu once
more, and he was soon far away on his
long journey.
A few years had passed away, when
domestic circumstances compelled me to
settle in a miserable country residence in
in the district of Ijolova. This kind of
life was not at all suited to my tastes;
and while initiating myself in my new du
ties, I cast many a lingering look on my
former boisterous and careless life; but
the most difficult task of all was to accus
tom myself to spend the long winter eve
nings in complete solitude. I generally
managed, in some way or other, to em
ploy myself until my dinner-hour. I
chatted with the old people who lived
near me ; I rode about, inspecting new
works which had been sent on foot; but,
with the daylight, those resources failed
me; nothing remained for me but to sit
idle for the remainder of the evening.—
A small number of books, which I found
in a cupboard and in the storehouse, I
read so many times, that at last I knew
them pretty well by heart. When these
sources of intellectual enjoyment were ex
hausted, I had recourse to the services of
my housekeeper, who related to me all - the
tales she could remember. Although
well stocked, she could not last forever;
when she did fail, my - weariness and vex
ation became insupportable, that I re
solved to drown my cares in the less in•
nocent bottle.... This .only increased my
wretchedness, by adding to it the weight
of bodily suffering. I confess, also, that
I was afraid of becoming an habitual
drunkard, of which I saw many deplora
ble instances in our district.
About three miles from me was a fine
estate beldiging, to the Countess B—s--;
but the beautiful mansion on it was owl
pied only by a steward. The Countess
had only visited it on one occasion, and
that was 'with her husband, directly after
their marriage, and then had only 're
mained a month. ll6wever in the sec
ond spring after I had taken up my resi
dence in my solitary abode, a report be
came current that the Countess with her
husband intended to pass the summer
there ; and in the beginning of June, the
report was verified by their appearance.
The arrival of a rich neighbor is an ep
och of great importance to the people who
live in the country. It is the talk of the
neighborhood for some months before.
band, and it furnighes theprincipal t4ie
of conversation for at least three ycals af
ter. I longed with the greatest inipai
, tense to see them, and, on the first Sun
day after their 'rrival, I set out ininidi-1
ately after dinner, to pay my best respects
to their excellencies, as their nearest
neighbor and most obedient servant.
The servant showed me to the Count's
cabinet, and went to announce my ar
rival. The immense cabinet was fitted
up most sumptuously ;, around the walla'
stood cupboards filled with books, and on
each cupboard was a bronze bust ; OD the
marble matlepiece was a splendid mirror;
the floor was covered, with green cloth, )
and on the cloth were placed several small ,
rich carpets. Living as I had fur so long'
a time in such an iii-ignificant
I was, quite unprepared for such a sud•
den change. I began to feel very ill at i
ease, and awaited the appearance of the
Count with just as much diffidence as a !
country solicitor would the arrival of a
great man of state. The door opened,'
and the Count, a fine, handsome man of
about thirty-two years of age, entered.--- 1
He approached me with a look full of can
dor and affability. I began
rsto take cour
age, and was beginning to recommend my
serif when the Count interrupted me, and;
prevented any further apologies. We sat
down, and I found his conversation en
free and perfectly unconstrained, that in
a short time I conquered my uneasiness,
and had just recovered my selfpossession
when the Countess entered, and all my
embarrassment returned with renewed
force. The Count perceiving the state
of my feelings, and in order to give me
time to recover myseltbegan to speak to
his wife, thus treating me as though he
wished td lay aside all ceremony, and re'
Bard me as a respected neighbor. In the
meantime, I moved about here and there,
examining the books and pictures. -I-an,
no connoisseur of pictures, but one at
tracted my attention ; it represented 'a
scene in Switzerland. I was not struck
with the beauty of the scene, or with the
skill of the painter, but my attention was
rivited by seeing the marks of two balls
which had been shot -through it, the
mark of one tall very nearly correspon
ding with the mark of the other. "This
is a good shot," said I, turning to the
Count.
"Yes," he answered; "that is a celi- .
Irrated shot. Do you shoot well ?"
" "Pretty well," I answered, delighted
that the conversation had fallen on a sub;
ject with which I felt perfectly at home.
", At thirty paces from a card, I will not
Miss, provided I have a trustworthy weap
on."
Really," said the Countess, with a look
of great attention. "Arid you," said'she
turning to the Count, ""could not you
shoot with equal accuracy, at thirty pa
ces ?"
•" Some 'day wo will try," ho - ,. replied.
".Loriger ago, 1 did not shoot badly ; . ,but
four years:have-passed,since I took a pis.
tol my band.' , • . • .
Oh, if that be the, case," I observed,
al will lay your excellency a wager that
you, will not hit a card even at twenty,pa
ces, for . the pistols require daily practise.
Thisl know from experience, for p was
reckoned ono of the "boost shots:in our reg.
iment; and on' ono occasion; I boa not
fired_awhole month, as 'inY r(isiols were
undergoing repair. What do you 'think
was the consequence? Thet. , ;first time'
tried, „I, missed 'a bottle at twenty five.pa
ces, four, times running. -.No, your ex
cellency, to attain-to perfection in theme
&the pistol, one. roust, • not neglect to
practise. The best shot whom it has ev-
er been my lot to meet practised every
day at least three times before dinner.—
His practise seemed as natural to him as
the glass of wodky which he drank to
sharpen his appetite."
The Count and Countess were pleased
that I had at last got into a humor for
talking.
" And at what did he fire ?" inquired
the Count.
"1 will tell your excellency. When
ever:he happened to see a fly on the wall
—you may laugh, Countess, but I can
assure you it is true—whenever he saw a
fly on the wall, he called out : I Couza, my
pistol !' Couza always brought him a l'6ad
ed one. He took his aim—bang! and
the remains of the fly found a - resting
place in the wall:"
" That is extraordinary," said the
Count. " And what was the name of this
prodigy."
" Silvio, your excellency."
" Silvio !" shrieked the Count, jumping
out of his seat. "is it possible that you
know Silvio ?"
" And how should I not know him,
your excellency ? We were all on terms
of intimacy with him : in our regiment
he was treated as a brother officer, but for
five years I have had no intelligence of
him. From your manner, I suppose your
excellency also knows him ?" • •
" I know him very well. Did he nev
er mention - to - you anything of a very
strange occurrence ?"
"Do you refer to an insult lie received
from some -hair•brained young 'officer ?"
" I do. But, did lie mention •to you
the name ofthat hair-brained individual 7"
" Be did not, yo-ir excellency.„..._Ohr.
I continued, as the truth began to draw
upon me, " pray excuse me—l had not
the slightest idea-----L4s it possible that
you are the person ?"
1 am the very person,' said the Count,
with a look'of great embarrassment ; " and
that picture, which has excited your cu.'
riosity, bears witness to our last meeting."
" Oh my dear," interrupted the Count-'
ess, " do not on any account enter into the
details of the afiiiir. It would be very
dreadful for me, to be obliged to listen to
the particulars of that distressitr. event."
It cannot be helped," replied the
Count. " I shall relate the occurrence :
he knows how I offended his friend ; now
let him know how he revenged himself."
The Count drew .his chair towards me,
and with the most excited curiosity I
heard the following account :
About five years ago, I married. The
honey-moon I spent here, on this estate
In this house 1 have spent some of the
happiest moments of my life ; but it has ,
been also the scene of an event of the
most painful remembrance. One evening'
we went for a ride on horseback ; the
horse on which my wife rode became res
tive, and she, being alarmed, gave me'the
reins, and having dismounted walked
home alone. On reaching the yard, I
saw a travelling teTcyci. illy servant in
formed me that there was a man in my
'cabinet who wished to see me ; be refused
to
give his name, saying simply that he
had some business of importance to I
transact with run. I hastened to the
room, and saw in the gloomy light a man
covered with dust, whose outward ap
pearance gave evident tokens of careless-,
ness and neglect. - lle stood here by the!
chimney-piece. I went up to hint, and
endeavored to recognize him. "You do'
not know me, Count? said he with trem
bling voice. At the sound of his voice
which I well remembered, I was struck
motionless, and my hair seemed to stand
on end. With an effort, I exclaimed,
"Silvio !" "I ant Silvio," he replied. "I
am conic to settle an account which has
long been standing between us. Are you
ready 1" I measured twelve paces, placed
myself at that corner, and begged him to
fire quiekly,before my wife returned. He
-lingered and, after some hesitation,
asked me for a light. I procured him a
candle, and shut the doors again, after
ordering that no one should disturb us.
1 once more begged him, to fire. He
took out his pistol, and aimed it. I
counted the seconds—l thought of her—
O the terrible agony of those moments !
Silvio dropped his hand. "I am sorry,"
he said, 'that my pistol is not loadedg with
cherry-stones; you will find this bullet
very hard. But it appears to me that
this is not a duel, but a mere assasina
, tion. Where is your pistol 'l lam not
accustomed-to fight an opponent who is
unarmed. Let us begin from the bo
ginnino ; we• will cast lots for the first
shot. 1 was giddy with excitement, and
at first :refused ; but dreading to prolong
the barroWing scene, I at last loaded an,
other pistol, tore off two hits of paper,
and threw them into his cap, which I re
membered having shot throiigh on a
previous occasion. On drawing, I found
that I .11nd again the first number. "You
aro still os lucky as ever, Count," ob
served Silvio with a smile which I shall
never forget. My excitement was so
great; that I know not how I did it, but I
fired, and hit that picture." The Count
pointed to the picture in question, his
thee burning with the excitement caused
by the recital of this most momentous
circumstance. Tho Countess was paler
than the white handkerchief which she
was holding in ter hand, and I could not
refrain from giving vent to my feelings
of astonishment.:
"I fired,'!•continued the Count, and,
thank God, I missed. Silvio was taking
his aim, when, on a sudden, the door
opened ; my wife rushed in,. and with a
shriek fell on, my neck. With her pres
ence, all my former courage returned.
"My dear" said, 'do you not see that
we are only-jesting. Why are, you, so
alarmed? Go drink a little water ;,„calm
yourself, and,return r and thenj will in
troduce you to this'iXentleinan,:who is an
old fricuttand'compnnion of mine." My
wiksetireely; credited all this, and tuyn
ing,to Silvio,'Whese stein and rigid coun
tenanee- was.not calculated to produce a
very favorable impression, she .said:
"Tell me, is it 'really true that you are
.only. joking ?'' .".116 always jokes, Oeun-.
tens,"• answered Silvio. "On-ono owe-,
hien, ho gave me a blew on.the check—a
$ll. 50. per annum In advance
Is 2 00 If not paid In advance
joke ; .. in another joke he sent a bullet
through this cap which I wear; and in
a joke he has Just now fired at me and
missed me; and now is iy turn to
joke." With this, he was about to take
his aim, when my wife threw herself at
his feet. "Rise, Masha ; disgraceful,
disgraceful 1" I roared, in the madness
of my rage. "And you, sir, cease your
trifling - ith the feelings of this afflicted
and terrified woman. Will you fire or
not ?" "I will not," answered Silvio.
"I am satisfied ; for now I have seen your
agitation, your dread Of my presence, and
your lack of courage. This is enough."
With that he turned, and was going out;
but stopping in the doorway, he cast his
eye on the picture through which I had
shot, and almost without taking an aim,
he put a bullet through the same hole I
had made just before. He immediately
disappeared. •My wife lay in a swoon ;
the. people of the house were filled with
horror, and none dared. to interrupt his
retreat. He went out on the steps, called
for his driver, and was on his journey
before I had succeeded in recovering my
senses!'
Thus I heard the end of a story, tho
beginning of which had so moved me on
a former occasion. With the hero 1
never met afterwards; but I have heard
that, during the rebellion of Alexander
Ipsilanti, he re-entered the army, held
the coniinand of a detachment,' and was
killed in a battle near Scoolani;
THE "FATE. OF A LOYAL MAN.—OUT Clenerala
and other officers commanding the Federal
forces in Mayrland, have repeatedly returned
slaves to rebel.m.natere, ,Sarauel.Cos, a..rank
traitor and slave holder, at Port Tobacco
Md., is one of these lucky recipients of this
official negro catching. One of his slaves
esei ped, and, informed the Federal comman
der at that place, that Cox, had a large
(inanity of arms secreted with which to fight
the union 'men. The commander received
this valuable information, found the arms
and area sitrr eudcred the loyal slave fa his
rebel master! ;A Corresinindent of the Alba
ny, N. Y., Slalesman, writing from G'irn.
Hooker's division, gives thejollowing sequel
to this betrayal of a faithful friend of the
Union - into the hands of the oppressor:
"Cox tied the man to his horse and rode
at a rapid rate, the poor slave running to keep
up behind him. When he left the regiment
he had on a good pair of shoes, but when be
reached his master's house his shoes were
gone, and his bleeding feet were found to be
bursted open from coming in contact with
pebbles and stones. He had been dragged
eleven miles behiud his master's horse I They
arrived home in the evening about 11 o'clock
on Friday. Ile tied him to a tree and called
his overseer, Franklin Roby, and a man by
the name of John Robinson. They com
menced whipping him about twelve - o'cloek
and whipped him until three o'clock, three
hours, taking turns with the whip, when one
was tired and breathless another would ap
ply the lash.
"The only words he uttered up to 2 o'clock
were, shall not live after this.' 'Oh, no,
you rascal, I intend to kill you I' said Cox.
'Mr. Cox,' said Robinson, he is dying.' No
he is not. lie is stout-hearted and able- hod•
ied. H•s can stand as much more. Howev
er give me the whip, let his blood be upon
my head,' replied Cox. The lash was then
applied until about two hours before day.—
About three o'clock he .was cut down and
sank to the earth insensible. He bad on a
new cotton shirt when they began to whip
him, and when they were done 'there was
nothing left of it but the collar band and
wristbands. Then commenced the rubbing
down to bring back sensibility, but all of no
avail. Their unfortunate victim breathed
his last before sundown on Saturday evening
Thus perished a loyal negro at the hands of
a traitor."
PETROLEUM OIL AS VALVARLE AS COTTON
—An English market circular speaking of
the Petroleum or Kerosene oil, which is so
largely produced iu Pinnsylvania, predicts
that if the rocks and wells of Pennsylvania,
Canada and other districts continue. their
exudation at the present rate of supply, the
value of the trade in this oil may even equal
American cotton. Montreal.] is now lighted
with this oil and the ''Circular" says there
is no reason .-why London and Liverpool
should not be, for the oil gas distilled from
the raw petroleum is immensely superior,
and much more brilliant than English coal
gas The writer in the circular says;
We have sent coalito America for gas
works, and it will be a singular freak of
events if she and Canada should now supply
us with a better expedient. Invested inter
ests will, perhaps, stay it for the moment,
but will they ultimately ? In my first circu
lar it was stated that some 7000 barrels of
crddiCand. refined_were on_the_way to this
country. and the London Times of the 13th
ult., mentions 8000 barrels on their -way to
London. There are 10,000 barrels coming
to Liverpool, and 2000 barrels to Glasgow
in all about 20,000 barrels (worth £lOO,OOO
sterling, and the trade not six months old),
a simple tithe of what we want ; American
hostilities and the ice in the St. Lawrence
(although we have still St. John's, New
Brimswick,) may stop supplies-to some ex
tent, hilt I have no doubt the future will
vindicate the expectations I have so fro.
quently expressed.
livery day _discloses more and more the
value of this great natural production of
qur State, and it is by no means improbable
that it the supply of oil holds out that it
will be £l3 groat a source of wealth to the
State as cotton is to Soutli Carolina or
Georgia.
seirA Genius has conceived the brilliant
idea of pressing all the lawyers into military
service—because their-charges are so grant ,
that no one could stand them.
k7A:,..Whenever you hoar a man, pity that,
the Republicans brought on this Nrai, be, a*.
sured,that manla-a-traitor at. heart: • '
A it& excused himself for rnarrYing.
by saying' that his friends declared' ha
drank to much= for a niagla man.'
Iv A petticoat governinent is not morn
oppressive now than formerly, it . i f 's con,
lowly dduble in extent. ' • .• .
A MAN'n own good breeding is tile best ,
security against otlier
nom
TWENTY years 'of age the will
reigns; at thirty the wit; and at forty the
IT COSTS a groat ijeal more to IV 010.
orablo than to• bo
NO 9.