Democrat and sentinel. (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, March 10, 1854, Image 1

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XHH BLES5ESG3 OJf QOYERNMEXT, LKB lUH DSWS OP BEATKX, SHOCLD B8 DISTEIBUTp ALIKE UPOW THE mr;u AND TEE LOW, TOE ETCH AXD THE POOR.
KBW SERIES.
EBENSBLRG, FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 1851.
FOL. 1 NO. 26.
TGHSIS:
16 DEMOCRAT & SENTINEL is published every
maay morning, in tDensDurg, uamona county,
ra., at l bv per annam, j?aid in advance,
not $2 will ba charged.
if
ADVERTISEMENTS sill bo coospieuously inscr
tea en tne f ollowing rates, vn i
1 square 3 Insertions 1 00
Etery subsequent ineertkiu 25
1 square 8 months 8 00
v 0 6 00
" 1 year 8 00
column 1 year 18 00
80 00
Janainess Cards with t copy of tha Democrat
A Sentinel per year 5 00
. Letters must be post paid to Secure attention.
3dttt pottrg.
OUR LITTLE SLEEPER.
BY HELEN BRCCB.
With white hands folded o'er a Einless breast,
The little sleeper laid him down to rest.
An angel visitant from Heaven,
Whose folded wings we could not see.
To cheer our home awhile was given.
With charming grace, and frolic glee.
Afiweet and gentle cherub guest.
With loving eyes, and shining hair
Bat earth was not his chosen rest.
Not kis earth's life of wasting care.
Joy that those little dancing feet
Were not to bleed o'er thorny ways
That guileless heart, of wellsprings sweet.
Wait not to prove how hope betrays.
White rose of beauty, o'er ns still
The perfume of thy love is shed
The fragrbnee long thy home shall fill,
Though thy bright presence hence hath fled.
Too fair and bright for earthly bowers.
Transplanted to thy native skies,
Thon 'rt blooming 'mid celestial flowers,
In the blest clime of Paradise.
alcs anb hcttjjcs.
From tht Knickerbocker for February.
TRANSCRIPTS
F20H THE SOCKET OF A LATE SHERIFF,
BT FREDERICK L. YTLTB.
Spotting a Gentleman.
"TisB, I have some important business in at
tend to, and which at present, engrosses all my
thoughts, let us forget, for the time, your achieve
ments, and proceed on our voyage of observa
tion with my writ of 'nt exeat ;' and mayhap you
may figure more extensively than ever. But if
yon fail to observe my directions to the letter in
this matter, doubtless the whole thing will end
in a manner not very agreeable to me, I assure
you." And for the purpose of reassuring the
eld man. I Said, "I expected nothing but a favor
able turn, bo far aa snch things could be termed
favorable ; 'What 'a my meat is another's poi
son l and recounted to him that I had a writ of
ne extat republica' against John Stopford, who, it
Was intimated, bad received from Government
an appointment of Consul for one of the Carrib-1
bean islands, and who was then busily engaged
in preparing for his departure ; but that the
Writ, if it struck him, would prevent that 'con
Bammation devoutly to be wished,' an entire ex
emption or freedom from arrest, by being beyond
the reach of his creditors. .
Stopford," said Thison, meditating ; 'pears
to tae I heerd of hiin afore. Stopford who is
be, Mr. Sheriff? ain't he one of the twin-broth-trt?
I think I got it."
"Yes, my old friend, he is one of the twin
brothers, and therein consists the difficulty ; you
know they resemble each other so closely that
One is not distinguishable from the other : their
Cress, their manners, speech, in fact, their toute
ensemble &nd I am at a loss how to proceed ; I
might, and I might not arrest John ; and then
In case I arrested the wrong one, how can I be
SSsnred that I have not got the right one, the
veritable John 1 Full of difficulties, can 't you
perceive V
"Oh yes, I perceive : I kin see as clear as
though my eyes was fifty years younger than they
am I can manacre dat part of it. on V you leave
It to me. But dere's something 'bout it I can't
see $0 very clear. 'Spose, Mr. Sheriff, you find
tem both together when you won't know John
from William, nor the t'other from John ; an'
il you should ask for John, nary one of 'em
Would answer, bekase they both would know, if
you asked for either, dat John was wanted.
Kow we mnst work together, and this is my
Ulan : IH scoot roun and play ehy, keeping, of
course, my eyes wide open to see if I kin find
them ; I won't say nothing, nor do nothing, but
fceep a good look-out. I know where they drop
in ; and if I should find any one of 'em alone,
yon must be at some partickler place clus by,
where I kin find yon easy, so as to git him nice
and sure. How do you like it ? ain't it a good
plan?"
. - I assented at once to the plan af operations
laid out by so experienced a hand ; and I bade
him, without delay, proceed to carry his plan in
to effect, giving him notice at what place I would
be found ; and at the same time I enjoined him
to strict performance, on his part, of the detail
of attack and final capture.
We parted ; and scarce an hour had passed
the time passing wearily and heavily with me,
tor I mnst admit my mind was so intent in this
a2ir, lest my assistant should fail, that time and
circumstances wore on most heavily, lazily, lan
guidly : I wa9, nevertheless, watching eagerly
tot a signal from Thison, and busily observing
the hand of eld Time on the dial of the clock of
St. Paul's as he moved on steadily, surely, slow
Iy, and as it would only appear to move to one
watching for the end ; yet the end did come, and
with it old Tise, (not old Time,) who appeared
all a-glow with success on his brow, written with
as sure a hand as Nature could impress ; and
the old man said, in a slow, solemn manner
"Come ! come ! all right ! come !"
i ccompanied him ; and as we went, Tise in
formed me of what had transpired since I last
parted with him
"I started," said he, "fust to a drinkin'-shop,
where the brothers is generally 'bout from leven
to twelve o'clock but they was n t there ; then
I went to the corner of Wall and Nassau-street,
and shyed about, thinkin'I might meet 'em
there ; then ag'in I went run down to the
Exchange ; and they was n't there, nut her ; and
then I felt as though I would n't see 'em at all ;
and I felt ugly, bekase I thought I should n't see
cm at all ; and then thikin' 'bout the confection
er's shop in Broadway, just below Cedar-street,
where 60 many gentlemen go to get their leven
o'clocker, may be dey might be there j I posted
dat way ; and afore I got there, bless you, Mr.
Sheriff, I seed 'cm comin'."
"Both of them 1" said I, interrupting him.
ics, Mr. Sheriff, both ; and den says I to
myself, dat's oulucky ; but howsoever, I said no
thing, and let 'am pass ; and den, ag'in, I did n't
know nothin' ; and I follercd 'em, but I wasn't
clus by, on'y I was there ; and dey went fust to
one place and den to another place ; and I kep
my eyes on "em all de time ; and one of 'em left;
and I den begin for to feel good ; and den I wan
ted to see you, Mr. Sheriff, for I did n't know
which one to go after ; but says I to myself, I
can't foller both, and ary one of 'em will do ;
so kep on de track of one : and I went after him ;
and I follercd on ; and he stopped ; and den he
went on ag'in ; and den he stopped once more ;
and he talked a little while with some one he
met ; and he pushed on ; and biiacby he went in
a house where there is lots of offices ; and I fbl-
lered him werry near then, but he did n't know
nothin' 'bout it ; and he went in the back office
on de fust floor, and I guess he's in there now."
By this time, we had reached the place where
I had hoped Tise had caged the bird ; and so
thinking, we opened the door, and true enough,
one cf the twins was there, but which one, and
whether he was the one I wanted, I could not
tell. But Tise, on whom I relied in this vexa
tious emergency, solved the problem at once by
going up to him, and announcing, in his peculiar
manner, that "he had a writ for his arrest."
"My arrest ! arrest me ! what for f " said he,
in amazement. "You must be mistaken. Sir !"
"Ain't mistaken. Sir," replied Thison. "Your
name is William Stopford ; and I guess I got a
writ ag'in you ain't mistaken, Sir."
But you arc mistaken, Sir. You say you
have a writ against William Stopford ?"
'Yes, Sir !" and he mumbled out "sir," that I
thought I never should hear the end of it. "Yes,
Sir ! ag'in William Stopford."
Well, then, my ancient Theban," replied
Stopford, with a great deal of assurance, "If you
have got a writ against William Stopford, all I
have to say is, that I am not ho ; and you will
have to go a little farther to find him, for I am
not William Stopford ; so you see you are mista
ken." "Well, I might be, but I guess I ain't," retor
ted Tise ; "let's see :" and he drew the writ from
his pocket, quietly put on his spectacles, looked
at me, and then at Stopford ; and then he seem
ed pleased, and gayly observed to Stopford "that
twas n't often he was mistaken, but he was in
this case." And then addressing me, he said :
Mr. Sheriff, I'm blamed if I ain't mistaken.
I thought all the time I had a writ ag'in William
Stopford ; but it's John I want, and not William.
Why, how in nature could I be so mistaken ?
Yes, yes ; l'want John, and not William. Bless
my soul ! bless my soul ! I believe I'm gittin
old !"
'Let me see your writ !" cried Stopford, in
. i i i , ii
horror : "let mo see it : pernaps ana mere
was a very weak hope in that "perhaps" "you
may be mistaken again."
"I can't be mistaken twice, replied 1 hi son,
where there be on'y two people consarned ;
once is enough ; but it s excusable in me now ;
I'm frittin' old." And he handed the wnt to
o
hin j
Stopford looked at it : read it ; re-read ; ex- i
amined it thoroughly ; and then, being satisfied
that it was all right in fact, but wrong to him, !
intimated to Thison "that he would at once fur
nish the required security as soon as his brother, j
whom he momently expected, came in."
At this announcement, I feared that all diffi
culties I had conjured up in my mind, and which,
of necessity, by the brothers being brought to
gether, must exist, so closely did they resemble,
"the one so like the other as could not be distin
guished but by names," that I should most like
ly then meet with my greatest extreme in keep
ing them distinguished ; and in this great ex
tremity I called upon my assistant to advise me.
"Never you mind, Mr. Sheriff," said he, with
the off-hand manner usual to him when perplex
ities, doubts, and troubles, had all been mastered
by him ; "leave that to me ; I'm all right ; I'll
keep posted ; now I tell you, never you mind :
I've got him right, and IH have him righter
bimeby."
"But, Tise," observed I, "yon know they are
dressed alike in every particular, even their
white pants, shoes, and coat, and hat ; ay, the
the hat with the crape-band on each. Tise"
and I spoke to him with some alarm ; 'should
they desire, when the other brother comes, to re
tire in a room to confer together privately, when
they come out again, you cannot tell which is
your prisoner. LTave yon thought of that, and
of the uncertainty of finding your man ?"
"Yes, I have ; but 111 fix it ; you kin 'icnd
on me," he answered ; and I was somewhar. re
lieved when the old man announced to me, in so
determined a manner, that he would "fix it,"
and I might "depend on him."
Stopford John, I mean came toward tie,
and observed "that his brother was expeckd
every minute, and he hoped that I would extnd
a little courtesy to him by waiting ; and lie
doubted not that the business would be arranged
speedily and satisfactorily to me in the way of
sureties. But, Sheriff, your old friend here, Sfr.
Thison, does n't make such mistakes as in tiy
case frequently, docs he ?" and I thought there
was a bitter sneer in his manner. - - -,
Mr. Stopford." I replied, "such mistakes are
sometimes very necessary, as in this matter, fri
example : but, coming directly to your question,"
he does very frequently make such mistakes, and
takes, too, under them : he very rarely misses
his man and his object : he has a keen percei
tion, also, as you have already witnessed."
At this point of our conversation, the other
brother, William, came in, and, seeing Thisoa
and myself, concluded there was "something
out," and addressed John with the question
"Who is the plaintiff, and what amount of bail
is required ?"
"Will you allow me, Mr. Sheriff," said John to,
me, "to have a few minutes private conversation'
with my brother? We will retire in this room
adjoining for a few minutes."
The question thus frankly put, was about be
ing answered in the negative by me, as that wa
a state of things I desired most to avoid, becaust
of my inability to distinguish my prisoner : am
was about answering it in as delicate a denia
as I could give, when I observed Thison makinr
all sorts of motions with his head and hands
and he, fearing, doubtless, that I was going t
grant the request, interred his objections untf
the bail-bond was signed ; and he begged me, it
a whisper, to make out the bond, and he would
let me "know, bimeby, the reason why he insi '
tea on this being executed at once. j
At Thison 's suggestion, though I could not tel
what was passing in the old man's mind, I sd
down, and prepared the bond ; that concluded
I intimated to my prisoner, that all was ready,
and he had better sign at once, particularly, as it
was a darling object of my assistant, and I rare
ly crossed him in any thing.
"Yes, Sir !" said he, seating himself alongsido
of the table at which I sat ; and I handed to
him my pen, and he wrote his name, in a bold,'
dashing hand.
"Perhaps," he continued, "my ancient The
ban, here, would like to witness the bond. Hw
is it, would you ?"
I'm goin' to do dat," said Thison ; and he
moved toward me, and I vacated my chair, and
gave it to him.
"Thank'ee, Mr. Sheriff ; much obliged. I'm-
gittin' old. Oh ! oh ! that rhevirnatiz, how it
bothers me !" and Tise took the pen, and dipped
it in the ink-stand, and he tried to write his
name : he could n't ; something was the matter
with the pen ; no, it was the ink ; it was toe
thick. He tried it again ; a hair had "got on de
pint." He picked it off: he guessed it was right
now, and he dipped it in the ink again ; he could
not write with sich a pen and he dipped it in
the ink again ; and then ho tried to write again ;
and then he thought he had too much ink in his
pen ; and he held the loud pressed with the left
hand, as it lay on the table, and seemed intense
ly interested in reading its contents, and the pen
still in his right hand. lie tried again, and he
found he had his pen too highly charged, so giv
ing it a double motion downwards, and a repeat
er, and still another
"Why, why! what the devil are you about ?"
cried John Stopford ; "what do you mean, eh ?
what the devil are you about ?"
Tise, thus interrupted in so abrupt a manner,
affected entire innocence of what was charged
upon him.
"You blasted old heathen ! look at my white
pantaloons ! See what you have done ! You
have shaken all the ink out of your pen on my
pantaloons ! What do you mean, h ? You bias-
fed old heathen !"
'Did n't mean to do it. I ask your pardon,
Sir. You see, Sir, I was n't thinking of any
thing but the bond ; and I hope youH excuse
And I looked, and beheld the blackness of dark
ness on the white trowsers ; and great was the
arena or tne dark spot tne oia gentleman naa
cast on John Stopford's pantaloons.
"Sheriff," observed Stopford, "I will procure
bail immediately. 1 do n t like this black busi
ness. I have sent my brother, and he will be
here with good and sufficient bail in a few min
utes. I am exceedingly anxious to get nd of the
company of that old friend of yours as soon as I
can : blast him ! ink-spot !"
Thison, although I could scarcely keep my
gravity I was satisfied, had done this thing in-
tentially put on the best face he possibly could
and took the denunciations of Stopford very cool
ly ; and, coming up to me, he whispered :
Did n't I tell yon, Mr. Sheriff, I d make him
righter bimeby ? and I tpotted him fust-rate.
Now, let de twins git mixed up, 60 dat an old
man can't tell 'em apart ! "Old Theban ! old
Heathen !" eh ? 1 11 let him know he ain't going
to come any of his games of hit and miss with
me. No ! no ! no ! he's spotted for all day, any
how : and dat's what I call spottin1 a gentle
man ! He ! ho ! he !" and be smothered his
laugh, lest Stopford should hear him.
The sureties soon after appeared ; and, having
executed the bond, I took my departure with
Old Tise," and we left the twins to the enjoy
mcntof that sort of feeling consequent upon an
attempt to foil an officer of the law, "by getting
themselves ied up," as Tise said ; and to tht
contemplation of his system of spotting a gen-
man
From the Athenaeum.
Pnneral of a Buddhist Priest
& . .
a young priest a mere boy came running
breathless one morning into the house where I
was staying, and called out to my host, also a
priest, " Come with me, make haste, for Tang-a
is dying." We hastened to the adjoining house,
which was the abode of the sick man, but found
that the king of terrors had been before us. and
the priest was dead. By this time about a dozen
persons were collected, who were all gazing in-
xy on the countenance of the dead man. A Sw
allowing Blew minuia topKe. trs Wre
given to have the body washed and dresset.. d
removed from the bed to a small room with au
open front, which was situated on the opposite
side of the little court. Mosquito curtains were
then hung round the bed on which the body was
placed, a lamp and some candles were lighted, as
well as some sticks of incense, and these were
kept burning day and night. For three days the
body lay in state, during which time, at stated
Imtervt
robes,
third
intervals, four or five priests, decked in yellow
chanted their peculiar service. On the
day I was told that the coffin was ready,
and, on expressing a wish to it, was led into an
adjoining temple. " Are there two priests dead?"
said I, on observing another coffin in the same
place. " No," said one, ' but that second coffin
belongs to the priest who lived with deceased,
and it will remain here until it is needed."
On the evening of this day, when I returned
from my labors amongst the hills, I called in
again to see what was going on, and now a very
different scene presented itself. And here I must
endeavor to describe the form of the premises, in
order that this scene may better understeod.
The little house or temple consisted of a centre
and two wings, the wings being built at right
angles with the centre, and forming with it three
sides of a square, a high wall connecting the two
wings, and so a little court or Chinese garden
was formed, very small in extent. A square
table was placed inside the central hall or temple,
one in front of it, and one in front of each of the
two wings. Each of these tables was covered
with good things such as rice, vegetables, fruits,
cakes and other delicacies, all the produce of the
vegetable kingdom, and intended as a feast for
Buddha, whom these people worship. This of
fering differed from others which I had often seen
in the public streets and in private houses, in
having no animal food in any of the dishes. The
Buddhists priesthood profess an abhorrence of
taking away animal life or of eating animal food,
and henc no food of the kind was observed on
any of the tables now before me. On two strings
which were hung diagonally across the court,
from the central temple to each end of the front
wall, were hung numerous 6m all paper dresses
cut iu Chinese fashion, and on the ground were
large quantities of paper made up in the form
and painted the color of the ingots of Syoee silver
common in circulation. The clothes and silver
were intended as an offering to Buddha, and was
certainly a cheap way of giving away valuable
presents. A rude painting of Buddha was hung
up in the centre of the court, in front of which
incense was burning ; and these, with many oth
er objects of minor note, completed the picture
which was presented to my view. "Is not this
very fine?" said the priest tome; "have you
any exhibitions of this kind in your country ?
You must pay a visit in the evening, when all
will be lighted up with candles, and when the
scene will be more grand and impesing. I pro
mised to return in the evening, and took my
leave.
About eight o'clock at night an old pnestcame
to inform me that all was lighted up, that the cer
emonies were about to begin, and kindly asked
to accompany him. On our entrance, the
whole court was blazing with the light of many
candles, the air was filled with incense, and the
scene altogether had an extraordinary and imjo-
sing effect. A priest dressed in a rich scarlet
robe, and having a sort of star-shaped crown on
his head, with four others of an inferior order,
were marching up and down the court, and bow
ing lowly before the images of the gods. At last
they entered the central hall, and took their seats
at two tables. The high-pnest, U 1 may call
him so, occupied the head of the room, and had
the others, who were exactly in front of him.
A servant now placed a cup of tea before each of
them, and the service began. The high-priest
uttered a few sentences in a half-singing tone,
making at the same time a great many motions
with his fingers as he placed and replaced a num
ber of grains of rice on the table before him.
Two little boys, dressed in deep mourning
(white,) were engaged in prostrating themselves
many times before the table at which the high-
priest sat ; and, as a singular contrast to all this
seemiing devotion, a number of Chinese were sit
ting smoking on each side, and looking on as if
there was a play or some other kind of like amuse
ment. The other priests had now joined in the
chant, which was sometimes slow, and at other
times quick and loud, but generally in a melan
choly tone, like all Chinese music.
A priest, who was sitting at my elbow, now
whispered in my ear that Buddca himself was
about to appear. "You will not see him, nor
shall I, nor any one in the place except the high
priest, who is clothed in the scarlet robe, and has
a star shaped crewn on his head: he will see him."
Some one outside now fired three rockets, and at
once every sound was hushed ; one might have
beared a pin drop on the ground ; and the priests
at my elbow whispered " Buddha comes."
" Prostrate yourselves : ah ! pull your caps off,"
said one of the young priests in white, already
noticed. The boys immediately took off their
little white caps, and bent lowly on the straw
cushions placed la front cf the varirc? alUri, and
knocked their heads many times on the trround.
At this particular moment, the whole scene was
one of the strangest it had ever been my lot to
witness, and although I knew it was nothing else
than delusion and idolatry, I must confess it pro
duced an almost superstitions effect on my fee
lings. " And is Buddha now here in the midst
of us ?" I asked the gentlemen at ray elbow.
" Yes, he is," he said : " the higbpricst sees bim,
although he is not visible to any one besides."
Things remained in this state for a minute or two
and then the leader of the ceremonies commenced
once more to chant in that drawling tone I have
already noticed, to make various gyrations with
his hands, placing and replacing the rice grains,
and th others joined In as before. My old friend
the priest, who had brought me in to see these
monies, now presented himself and told me I
Sv" all that was worth seeing, that services
were nearij fj and thftt u WM jefy. J&ie and
time to go homt. 0n Qur tQ ouf rtcrs
U informed me the wouJd ukfl ,ace
early next morning just -
if I wished to attend he would c . ....
ne at thepro-
per time.
Early in the twilight of next morning, ana rf
before the sun's rays had tinged the peaks of the
highest mountains, I was awakened by the loud
report of fireworks. Dressing hastily, I hurried
down the to the house where the scene of the pre
ceding evening had been acted, and found miself
among the last of the sorrowful procession.
Looking into the court and hall, I found that the
sacrifices bad been entirely removed, the tables
were bare, net a morsel of any kind remained,
and it seemed as if the gods bad been satisfied
with their repast. The silver ingots, too, and
the numerous gaudily painted dresses which had
been presented as an offering, were smouldering
in a corner of the court, having been consumed
by holy fire.
As the funeral procession prececded slowly
down, inside the covered pathway adjoining the
temple, the large bell tolled in Blow and measur
ed tones, rockets were fired now and then, and
numerous priests joined in as we went along.
Having reached the last temple of the range, the
body was deposited on two stools in front of one
of the huge images, and, China-like, before pro
ceeding further, all went homo to breakfast.
This important business finished, the assembly
met again in the temple and performed a short
service, while the Coolies were busily employed
in adjasting the ropes by wich they carried the
coffin. All being ready, two men went outside
the temple and fired three rockets, and then the
procession started. First went two boys, car
rying small flags on bamboo poles, then came the
chief mourner, dressed in white, and carrying on
a small table two candles which were burning,
seme incense, and the monumental tablet, After
the chief mourner came the coffin, followed by
the young priests of the house to which the de
ceased belonged, also clad in white, then the ser
vants and undertaker, and last ofall.akng
train of priest.
I stood on one Bide of the lake, in front of tho
temple, in order to get a good view of the proces
sion as it winded round the other. It was a beau
tiful October morning ; the 6un was now peeping
over the Eastern mountains, behind the monas
tery, and shedding a flood of light on water,
shrubs and trees, while every leaf sparkled with
drops of dew. In such a scene this long and stri
king procession had a most imposing effect.
The boys with thcrr flags, the chief mourner
mourner moving slowly along with his candles
burning in the clear daylight, the long line of
priests with their shaven heads and flowing gar
raknts, the lake in front, and the hills, covered
with trees and brushwoed behind, were at once
presented to my view. As we passed a bridge.
a little way from the temple, a man belonging to
the family of the deceased, and who carried a
basket containing cash s Chinese coin presen
ted a number of the followers with a small sum,
which they received with apparent reluctance.
Most Of the priests louowea toe oier uuv ouuiv
distance from the temple ;but the chiefmourner
the intimate friends, and servants, with a band
of music, followed the body to its last resting
place. The spot selected was a retired and beau
tiful one, on the lower side of a richly wooded
hifl. Here, without further ffrfmonUf thma the
firing of some rockets, we left the coffiin, on the
surface of the ground, to bo covered with thatch
or brickwork at a fatuie opportunity.
BXcFudd's Irish. Letter.
Dere Muther,
I'm wundering what the divil kapes the veshil
whitch Peggy is comin over in. Ef that blag-
gard Kaptin has run off wid her, be the powers o
Moll Kelly 111 take the kurl out ef his wig, tf iv
er I lay me hands an him.
Ef Peggy was to be taken from me, I shud die
wid griefe, and be berryd in the arms uv widdy
Casey. If the ralerode they re taukin nv bildm
cross the say, betune here and GaFway.wus red
dy, I'd snne se what's keepin my darlint.
But its my own fault, ef enything happens to
hur, fur instid uv lettin her cum in may be sura
onld tub. why dident I sind a balloon, and bring
hur over in stile. Bad cess to me for a numskull
I niver think iv enything till it's 2 late.
Ye see, muther avick, I wouldn't karesomnch
about the delay, but that I hav, gisht an Teggy's
account waned mesilf aff from loving the widdy ;
and bavin noboddy to bestow me aflecshun, an I
hav to kape it bottled up in my buzzum, till her
arrival, and I'm nearly kilt wid de preshnre.
Kape yerself warm, muther dere, fur I sup
pose it's gettin to be as cowld wid yn as wid ns.
I send you two blankets to warm yer outside, and
a keg of potheen to kape yer inside from freeung.
Make a warm place under the bed fur the pigs
and ehicktns to portect then from the eowM
the crarorM.
I am going to pe marryd the moment Peggy
arrives ; and Father FUil sea hell marry me fur
nauthin, barrin a peece nv the kake nothin mor
or less thin a round uv bafe. Wontyer month
water when ye beer it minshuned, for its a lang
time I suppose, since ye tashted the likes.
In addishun to what I towld ye I had bawt for
house kapin, I have layd in a half dozen iv trying
bal.ys. What dy'e think iv that 1 Shore it
musht he a conveyn't country that will furnish
ye wid a family reddy made, and that, too before
yer married at all. Yours,
SflAMCS-
A Fracticle Joke.
At Long Wharf, Boston, the fishing smacks'
thrtw thtir fish into pits, with aides perfectly
water tight, and rising to the decks, while the
bottom of the vessel, is perforated with holes.
A couple of Irishmen who wanted work, suppo
sing those pits to bo sanken vessels, asked the
privilege of pumping them out.
The two tars aboard, who were first class Jo
kers, perceiving the mistake of the Hibernians,
replied yes, and asked their price for pumping
the smack dry. A bargain was struck for a dol
i'ar and a half, a pump was procured, and at work
bailed wen, one pumping wane iio siner
. j1" a bucket.
. -ed oa and still they worked, oc
casionally wondoi. .
, , how deep the hole was, ana
how much water remik.. A, ,
. still m tho vessel.
The two sailors in the mcau . . .
, . . ."e had gone op ta
tht wharf, as they said on busu. Tlx can
tain, who was absent at the time the u.
made, came on board, and finding the m
hard at work, with the perspiration pouring &.
their faces, inquired what they were about.
" Pumping out the ship," was the reply.
"Pumping out the ship," said the captain.
" Yes, sir, an' a mighty dope oao she is entire
ly," said one of the perspiring Emerald ers, as be
canted away at the Dump handle. " Sore I'm a
thinkin' it'll be night before we gtt her dhry.n
" Night !" said the captain, beginning to roar
with laughter as he discovered the joke that had
been perpetrated during kis absence. " Night,
why, you will not get through till yon have
pumped out Boston Harbor V
He then explained the matter to the laborers,
who resumed their coats, vowing vengeance opon
the sailors who had " desavtd" them.
The inimitable, and soul-stirring Knicktrbodtr
for March, has made its appearance, and cannot
be surpassed for literary attainment; and produc
tions that would do honor to the most able au
thors of this age. From its "Little People'
Side-Table," we extract the following choice pie
ces for the amusement of our young readers :
"I believe you do like children, even if they
are not your own. Did you ever teach Echool ?
did once, 'out west.' A precious time I had tf
it, too ; half boys and, consequently, half girls
One day I reprimanded them for playing togotbwr.
Out spoke a little 'chap' of four :
"What harm is there in playing with the girls.
I'd like to know ?"
"One of the prattlers of our family once said,
on first observing the moon :
"Oh ! there is a lamp in the sky."
'A baby brother, looking up the other evening
and seeing Venus beside the moon, told bis
nurse that 'there was a little star, and the moon
was the father of it."
A little girl here, after repeating her osnul
prayer which her 6ick mother had taught her.
asked if she might say "words of her wa"
Leave being given, 6hc went on :
"O Lord ! don't let my ma die, nor my pa,
nor gran'-pa, nor gran'-ma, nor any of my un
cles and aunts, or any of my cousins ; and don't
let onr hired die ; hot, O Lord, you may wb
else die you are a mind to !"
When "our Gus," was a "three-year-old," Le
had been for some days anticipating with great,
delight a visit to his grand-parents, who reside i
a half-day's ride from onr home. But it stormed
day after day, so that he could not go ; until
'hope deferred" made his little heart sick. A:
his mother saw him to his bed, she Lade him re
peat his usual prayer ; which he did, with a
slight variation, as follows :
"Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take
Xe Danbury, to-morrow morning.
A grandson of the present Governor of Virgin
ia, a child of some four or five summers, was oil
a visit to his maternal grand-lather, who is
wealthy landholder in Ohio. One day, after m
king his first visit to a Sabbath-School, and W
ing duly impressed with the religious lessor
taught there, he took his grand-father down c
the farm to 6bow and gather the fruit of a lar
walnut-tree, which was ripe and ready fitf ti
harvest. On the way, the little follow, with t
phylosophy which, "reads sermon in EtoncsJ
Said :
"Grand-pa, who does all these woods and flclJ
belong to ?n
'Why," said the matter-of-fact fjeutlcn
lema
chili
"to nre."
"No, Sir," emphatically responded tho
"they bdoug to God."
The grand-father said nothing till they read
ed the richly-laden tree, when he said
"Well, my boy, whom does this belong to
This was a poser, and for a moment the hi
hesitated ; but, catling a longing look cpoa t
nuts, he replied :
"Well, Grand-fathertho tret belongs to G
but the walnuts are ours.
The victurc drawn of intemperance, la one
human nature moulded into the uifit filthy tj
1 def Tred life aad rnisery.