BABY'S BEDTIME SONG. Sway to and fro in the twilight gray. Tills is the ferry for shadow town; It always sails at the end of day. Just as the darkness is closing' down. Rest, little head, on iny shoulder, so, A sleepy kiss is the only fare; Drifting away from the world we go. Baby and I, in a rocking chair I . See, where the Are logs glow and spark, Glitter liie lights oi Shadow land; The pelt lug rains on the window, hark' Are ripples lapping upon its strand. There where the mirror is glancing dim, A lake with its shimmering cool and still; Blossoms aro waving above its brim. Those over there on the wiudow sill Roek slow, inore slow, in the dusky light. Silently lower the anchor down; Dear little passenger, say good night. We've reached the harbor of Shadow-town. —Frederick News. > , MY JOURNEY TO TEXAS. FOBT LINCOLN, S.ISTANA, Vegas county, Tex., April 2, 1879.—Dear Lis if.': I ventured to suggest a | year ago to our respected sister, lav iuin, that it would do you 110 harm, and some others a great deal of good, if you spent a summer with me. You remember the answer? You were delicate, Texas was the laud of chills, and 1 was nut a lit person to be guardian of so irrepressible a subject as my small but obstreperous si' ter. What you wished did not appear uulil it was too late, so my plans were ruthlessly crushed ami I.ovinia triumphed. Tills time I write to you, not Lavinia. You arc 19, my dear, and il' au American woman is ever going to have her own way she begins at 19. Will you come this ydar? And will you come at uueo? The i Wife wants you, I want you, and as for the boy, to see "Aunt Elgin" is the dearest wish of his heart. Ido not expect a favorable reply. I have too much respect for the power of l.avinia's will and authority Yet tins letter shall go. Your loving brother, ADDISON WYNNK. P. B. if you can defy the powers that bo, write at once, so that 1 may meet you at iSanl-ana. The cars will carry you there. I will corneas far as iiobart Junction if lean. Are you afraid of the journey? A. \V. Would 1 go? Of course I would. Did the foolish boy think there was only one I will in the family? The dear old fellow, if he really wanted his useless, frivolous minded little sister, lie should certainly have her. Lavinia was shocked at the idea, of Course, but it was of no use. I said I must go, and went. I sent word, as I was told, the next day, and two weeks later I was rolling out of Chicago in a sleeper of the Chi cago, Burlington and Quiucy railway, speeding westwards, fairly embarked upon a journey of five days and five > - nights 011 the cars and a thirty mile drive I' after that. How I was watched and cared for and waited upon by the .railway officials. Conductors of trains have faults, I sup pose. but they were very good to me. They got my tickets; they told ine where to change; tbev brought me coffee; and until 1 got to Hobart Junction, where I hoped to find Addison, 1 might have been—l really was—surrounded by an army of protectors and friends, 1 looked * anxiously up and down the platform at Hobart, but, alas! no Addison was to be i * seen. Well, I bad cpme more than 1,000 miles alone. Assuredly I was capable ot con- veving myself fifty, and he would not 'M fail to bo at Santana. So there was noth ing to worry about. Nevertheless, when I found that there was only one day car | going on from Hobart, that 1 was to be the only woman on board, and that the pace at which we were to travel would not be more than ten miles an hour, be cause the truck was unsafe, my heart sank a little, I confess, for it was 2 j o'clock in the morning, and I was very, very tired. There was a change of con ductors, too —a change for the worse. The "boss" of tiiis train was a large, roughly dressed person, with a hairy face, who stared at me as he arranged my bags and wraps upon a seat in front in away that was scarcely polite and not at all reassuring. When lie had finished his work lie growled out in a grutf voice: "Going to Fort Lincoln this trip, I be ' t lieve?" 1 replied with dignity that the commandant of the fort was my broth • er, and then, leaning back in my seat, closed my eyes and pretended to slum ber. This libit was sufficient, and to my great joy, after another prolonged stare, the man went about bis business. When I was quite sure of this I opened my eyes and looked about me. It was a very shabby car; badly furnished, badly lighted and badly ventilated; a smell of stale tobacco smoke about it, wbicli made me feel quite sick. I became very cross and gloomy. Addison ought to have met me before this. lie knew I was alone, and must be aware what an emigrant car was like, l'erhaps this ) was a practical joke—he always liked practical jokes—and lie hoped to fright en me. Well, he had not done that, at any rate. There was nothing to lie frightened about. The men hi the car scarcely noticed me at all, and though my conductor was gruff, his face was not forbidding—and he knew Addison. Soothed by these thoughts I closed my eyes in good ear nest and tried to sleep. I was accus tomed to traveling now, and soon dropped into an uneasy doze and began „ to dream. I dreamed of a face I had not seen for a long, long while—the r face of an old schoolfellow, Eric Proctor by name, who had gone out west some time ago, and was often mentioned by Addison in his letters. Eric was a nice boy before he went west, a clumsy, over grown youth, but very amiable and good uatured, with a great head of yel low hair, and simple, honest, blue eyes. I don't know why I dreamed of Eric now; perhaps it was because he was the only person I knew in Texas besides the family; but I did dream of hiin very vividly. I thought I had arrived at Santana, and found him * on the platform ins cad of Addison. He looked very much older than lie used to do, his face haggard and worn. He did not speak to me, but, taking my hand, led me away until we were out of sight of the station, and then lifted me onto a horse, which had appeared from I don't know where, and we were galloping away at a tremendous pace. I begged liitu to let me go, but lie shook his head and spurred on faster. I began t to feel cold and queer, as if lie were made of ice and were freezing me. All at once lie stopped with a sharp jerk, and with a cry flung me away, and I felt myself falling, falling as if from some great height—and awoke. The train was still. We had pulled up at a wayside station to water the engine, and 1 was shivering with the chill air. The dawn was at hand, and I slipped out of the train and walked briskly up and down to warm myself, and by the time the wants of the engine were satisfied the sun was rising, and I began to recover my spirits. At last a sliort, bluff whistle from the engine, like the bark of some giant dog, a movement among the passengers, and a jarring sensation beneath my feet. The goal of my desire was not far off. Now the door of the car was opened wide, and the conductor, who had kept away from me all the journey, came in from the baggage van to take tickets. Mine was the last. He examined it with unnecessary deliberation, and then de livered himself of the following ominous remark: "Now, say, why didn't ye write the colonel that yew were comin'?" The familiarity of this address would have disgusted me at any ordinary time, but now I began to feel miserably anxious. "I did write," I replied breathlessly. "Ho will be at the station to meet me." "He ain't!" The rejoinder cauio as sharply as the ping of an arrow. I jumped up with a lump in my throat, and looked out of the window. The train bad stopped and most of the passengers were leaving it. There was 110 station or depot here, only a rough platform on one side of the line, with "Santana" painted in tipsy black letters on the rail, and a solitary log house a few yards away with "Post office" in white letters on the door. Yet this was undoubtedly my destination, and the conductor was right—Addison had not come. There were several rough, rod faced creatures lounging on the plat form, wearing broad brimmed hats, great riding boots and prominent spurs; thero were our passengers disappearing one by one into the log house in search of breakfast, but there was no Col. Wynne. What could have happened? I turned from the window with a gasp, and met the eves of the conductor look ing down upon mo with the grimmest expression I had ever seen. "Well?" lie said, with an exasperating interrogatory inllectiou 011 that expres sive word. "lie cannot have received my letter," I observed, hurriedly, trying to keep my voice clear and steady, while the lump in my throat grew and grew, and I wanted to cry very badly indeed. To avert this catastrophe, I suggested that my belongings should be removed from tire train. The conductor instantly be came brisk and helpful, anil we were soon passing by the red faced men, who drew back to give us room, and stared with great round, stupid eyes, as if they had never seen a girl in a gray ulster be fore. We went straight to tlio postoflice, and were met by the postmaster before we reached the door. Ho was a tall, dark man, with only one eye; a dread fully ugly man, with a very dirty face and still dirtier hands—a wicked looking man, I thought. The conductor greeted him as if they wore old acquaintances. "Seen Col. Wynne lately. Hank?" "A week ago—came for his mail." "This is his sister." Mr. Hank nodded as if lie were aware of the fact, and stared very hard at me with his one eye. "Is—is my brother here?" I ventured to ask, just for something to say. "He's at the fort, miss." "And how far off is that?" "Thirty mile—bee line." My heart began to beat at a very un comfortable rate. A horrible state of things! "Would you kindly advise me what to do?" "Breakfast," struck in the conductor decidedly. "You've eat nothing for ten hours." "Thank you," I answered politely. "1 am hungry; but I want to know how 1 am to get to Fort Lincoln." This question was not to be answered at once. Neither of the men seemed to hear it, and without further ceremony ushered me into the house, through one long room full of men with a stove in the middle of it, a liquor bar, and sev eral small tables, toasmall room behind, where there were heaps of blankets scat tered about a rough bedstead, one cliaii and a table. "Sit down," said the postmaster, point ing to the chair. I obeyed, feeling very forlorn and helpless. It was a dreadful position to be in. There did not seem to be a woman anywhere. I was thirty miles from my brother, with no visible means of reaching him; and this dread ful one eyed man was master of the sit uation. A whispered colloquy, lasting several minutes, now took place between the postmaster and the conductor, aftei which the former, whose name I subse quently discovered to be Mr. Hank Wy brow, turned to me and cleared his throat as though he were about to address a camp meeting. "There's but two things to be done, miss, as far as we kin see, and you must fix on which road suits ye best. Kunnel Wynne don't expect you, I reckon, so you'll have to hunt him, or send and git him to come for yew. I can't poke up much accommodation here, and there ain't a woman nearer than the fort just now; but if you 'lect to stay I'll fix what I may to-night and send a boy to the kunnel. If this ain't good enough I'll see if any one is bound Fort Lincoln way with a wagon to take ye there. Think it out, will ye? while I dish breakfast, and iet mo know your mind in an hour." This was very fairly said. I thanked Mr. Wybrow for his offers and was able to bid farewell to the conductor, who had another ten miles to travel, with a stout heart. It did not take me long to make up my mind. I cannot say that I relished the idea of a thirty mile drive with a stranger, but while breakfast was in course of preparation a little incident happened that made this difficulty seem a very small one. The room I was in was lighted by one square window not far from the ground, and after the postmaster had left the room I saw three pairs of eyes, belonging to the rough faces of some of the men I had seen on the platform, star ing fixedly at me. They disappeared with great quickness when they saw that I was aware of their scrutiny; but the feeling of being watched was very unpleasant, and I felt that I would not pass a night at Santana on any account. Mr. Wybrow appeared relieved when I told him this, and when he brought up breakfast introduced a man who owned a wagon, and guaranteed to arrive at Fort Lincoln before sundown. I can see the fellow now, though it is ten years Bince that day. A very thin man, of middle height, dressed in neat, brown canvas clothes. His hair was very smooth, parted in the middle and carried back behind his ears as tightly as if it were" bound with rope. He had a small, round head, a flat nose, brown eyes, rather dull and expressionless, very high cheek hones and thick lips. An Ugly man, yet quiet and modest in man ner and speech, with a soft, well modu lated voice. He was inclined to be bald, stooped in his gait, and seemed a rather stupid and altogether insignificant kind of a person. A "doctor of medicine," he called himself, and added with some dignity that ho was a "friend of Col. Wynne's." 1 trusted him. His quiet voice was a relief after the harsh speech of Mr. Wybrow, and my one object in life just then was to get away front those horrible staring eyes. In less than an hour I was by his siJe jolting along the Fort Lincoln road behind a stout team of mules. I cannot remember now how far we went before I began to feel nervous and uncomfortable. I know that it was a long way, fori remember congratulating myself upon having left, Santana, be cause my companion told me that the safe postmaster had been murdered by cowboys a week or two ago—and this was doubtless how my letter miscarried —and that the station was known to be one of the worst haunts for rowdies in the county. But the time came at length when lie fell quite silent, and I then found that whenever I turned my head to view the prairie about us his eyes rested upon my face. Oh, how terrible it was! I edged away from him ,to the furthest corner of the seat, and felt more and more helpless and unnerved every moment. The suspense did not last long. When he perceived my fears lie boldly raisod his eyes and looked at me with a smile of the most horrible kind. Then 110 laughed softly a dry, hard laugh. I tried to speak now, but my tliroat was dry and parched, and my tongue seemed paralyzed. He laughed agnin, louder, and, stopping quickly, pulled up the mules with a jerk. I knew what was coming now, and, before lie could touch me, sprang from the wagon. He fol lowed me with the swift, silent move ment of a snake, and as I turned to meet him, for I could not run, he laughed for the third lime. Tlie sound roused me. I tried to seize his throat with both hands. I felt that I could kill him for that laugh. But. 0I1! the weakness of a woman! Why are wo not as strong as men? He caught my wrists in his hard, brown fingers. My arms were forced buck, pow erless and helpless, as if held in iron bands. I screaked now in good earnest and struggled against him with all my strength and soul, and all tlta time I felt his grip grow tighter and tighter. His muscles were of steel. Suddenly he relaxed his hold and stood still, and his flushed face became color less and livid, as if I had accomplished my desire and he was dying. Then he let me gt<starling from me as if I wore some poisonous thing; and, dropping on his knees, lie bent his head to the ground and listened. When lie rose to his feet a moment later lie reeled and staggered like a drunken man, looking at me wild ly with tlie expression of some hunted beast of prey. I stared at him dutu founded for a moment, feeling very gid dy and sick, and then I knew what he had heard. Wo were in a hollow be tween two rolls of prairie, and could not see far on either side, but sound carries a long way in this country, and even my unaccustomed ears now caught a low, rumbling thunder, becoming louder every instant—the flying hoofs of gallop ing horses. It came from behind; some one had followed us. Whoever it might be, the wretched man who had betrayed his trust was likely to get short shrift. He knew it well, and now threw himself on his knees at my feet, muttering in a hoarse whisper: "Come back to the wagon. They'll murder me in cold blood else, before your eyes. I swear I was only fooling. I had not a wrong thought in my heart. Save me, save me!" I was willing to do that, much as I loathed the creature, for he had not hurt me; but I could not go back to the wagon. I began to feel very faint and queer; the sensation of safety, after the horrible tension a minute ago, was a severe reaction, and almost too much for me. The poor wretch saw this, and his muttered supplication rose to a bit ter cry. "They are cowboys; they've heard your call. They'll tear me in pieces if you drop. Don't! Oli, my God! my God!" I set my teeth hard. I would not yield to my weakness. Bad as his intentions were, 1 could not let him be killed. With a great eifort I managed somehow to keep my head steady, and then my res cuers swept over the hill, and the danger was over. Twelve mounted men were there, rid ing at a tearing gallop, with free bridle rein. They gave a tremendous shout when they saw us, and there was a great flash of steel and silver, as twelve revol vers sprang from sheath and wore cocked and made ready for use. The poor wretch at my feet buried his face in his hands and crouched in terror, and I felt very nervous indeed, for these cowboys looked dreadfully fierce. On they came, silent now; many of them with bare knives between their teeth. No wonder this guilty creature was in despair. I went forward to meet them, and was about to speak, when a hat waved wild ly, a hearty voice greeted me and I saw a face that 1 knew. It was Eric's, pale and stern, as I hud seen it in my dream, but handsomer, very much handsomer; and in another instant he was off hin horse and shaking both my liands until my figgers positively ached. I was ia safe keeping now indeed! I have a little more to tell. It took all Eric's influence and my entreaties to save the wretched man. But it was done in the end, and we were soon on our way to the fort. There I found out that the very cowboys I bad dreaded so much at Santana were instrumental in causing the timely arrival of the rescue party. They had their suspicions, and when Eric—who rode into Santana half an hour after I left it—said lie should fol low me, they volunteered to a man. I may pass over Addison's astonish ment when wo arrived at the fort. He .had never received my letter. We had a most joyful time that day; hilt I think what interested mo most were sornt; words I overheard Addison say to Eric Proctor: "You must stay at least a month with us. We don't often see you. and now that Elsie is here!" Eric did stay; and 1 am bound to ad mit that he made tlie most of his time. Before I went back to Chicago we were engaged to be married.—English Illus trated Magazine. Chinese Conception of Hell. In this department of The Saturday Republic we gave a description qf hell as seen in the mind's eye of the Japanese. Below will be found the Chinaman's idea of the same torrid clime: The sixth court of hell is situated at the bottom of the great ocean north of Wuchiorock. Itisa vast, noisy gehenna, many leagues in extent, and around it are sixteen wards, or ante-hells. In the first ward the sinful soul is made to kneel for long periods 011 hot iron shots; in the second they are placed up to their necks in filth; in the third they are pounded till tlie blood runs out: in the fourth their mouths are opened with red hot pinchers and filled with needles; in the fifth they are inclosed in a net of thorns and nipped by poisonous locusts; in the seventh the flesh and hones are crushed to a jelly, all except the head; in the eighth the head is denuded of skin, and the flesh beaten on the raw; in the ninth the mouth is filled with fire; in the tenth the pounded flesh off of the body is licked and roasted by sulphurous flames; in the eleventh the nostrils are subjected to all loathsome smells known to their tormentors; in the twelfth tliev are to be butted by rams, oxen and buffaloes, and at last subject to crushing pressure by being trampled by horses; in the thir teenth the heart will be taken out and skinned; in the fourteenth the skull will be rubbed with sandstone until it has been entirely worn from the jellylike mass which was once tlie body; in the fifteenth the body will be separated in the middle and carried with the bare, bleeding ends sitting on rcdliot plates, to the sixteenth ward, where the skin will bo removed, dried and rolled up, after having written upon it all the sin ful deeds dune by the soul while an in habitant of the fleshy body; after tiiat the body will be consigned to the flames. —St. Louis Republic. Tho Westerner Ahead. lie was a tall, lanky westerner, and he stood yesterday afternoon ia the Tremont house talking with several new acquaint ances. He was a good talker, and they enjoyed listening to him. One of the party had just told a tale of a wonder fully perfect mirage he had once wit nessed, and the westerner thought it was his next lead, so 110 said: "Talking of illusions, I want to tell you of one in my own experience. I think it beats them all. An old partner of mine was with mo at the time, and we were riding over the Rockies on broncos. Suddenly we reached a high elevation, and below us, in a sort of a basin, we saw the most beautiful and fertile valley imaginable. Tho grass was green, the trees full of rich foliage and singing birds, and through the valley ran a clear and lim pid stream. '•We needed water ami we made the descent. I tried to slake my thirst from the stream, but to my astonishment 1 found the stream petrified. It was clear, and we could see petrified fish below the surface. Turning around I saw that our broncos were stamping furiously. The grass that they had attempted to eat was also petrified, and investigation proved that the trees and foliage were petrified. Even the birds were petrified 011 the limbs." The listeners had boenexchang ing significant glances during this won derful lie recital. "How about the birds singing which you spoke of;"' asked one of the party. "They were singing pet rifled songs," answered the westerner, and he strolled away, leaving the party to wonder whether he meant "White Wings," or "Down Went McGinty."— Chicago Herald. Solidification of Natural Gas. A new process for condensing natural gas is well spoken of. The process it self, as well as the machinery needed to carry it out, is very simple. Gas when transformed into solid matter is not dan gerous to handle. Its expansive force is very great, and when the substance be comes heated above a certain degree it will become very volatile and will burst an ordinary cask or can, but the effect is gradual and it does not explode. The inventor claims that with a 10-horse power engine he can reduce enough gas in one day to supply a city of 50,000 in habitants with fuel for twenty-four hours.—New York Commercial Adver tiser. Didn't Want Any Gusli. Many years ago a youtiiful man of letters arrived at Etretat with a letter of introduction to Alphonse Karr. He had been particularly told of Karr's passion ate love of the sea, and, finding the anthor of "Genevieve" seated on the beach, mending a net, ho immediately began an enthusiastic outburst of com monplaces about the grandeur of the ocean. , "Monsieur," interrupted Karr, "I love the sea; we have lived together a long time. But if you have come all the way from Paris to disgust me with it, I can only say it ia a wicked thing to do."— San Francisco Argonaut. ALL ABOUT THE TOBOGGAN A STYLE OF COASTING WHICH IS GROWING IN POPULARITY. Enjoyed in tlie Saiultvlch Islands llefore the Itob Sled Was Heard Of—The Natives Flayed a Sort of Game on Whleli They Frequently Fet Heavily. The toboggan may now be fairly ranked as a representative American amuse ment. It has been claimed by several notable writers on sports that it is essen tially of Indian origin and therefore may be classed as a purely American phase of upon. It is a representative sport among the best known nations, although no other civilized nation than our own makes a leading feature of it, or carries it to-such perfection. THE FIRST TOBOGGAN. The earliest mention of the primitive toboggan is found in the history of the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands, in the Pacific ocean. The game as prac ticed by them was called "holua," and was undoubtedly the forerunner of the coaster and the toboggan slide. It was participate 1 in by several players,'each of ".-11010 was furnished with a kind oi sleigh called a papa. This was composed of a couple of rather narrow runners, varying from seven to eighteen feet in length, according to the skill and caprice of the player—t ho runners being made of hard, sound, seasoned wood, about three inches in thickness, and curved up at one end so as not to catcli in the ground and to better enable the sleigh tc rise over small obstacles encountered in the "run," or slide. A curious point oi construction, however, was that these runners were not placed in a parallel po sition like those 011 a sleigh, but diverged slightly at the rear end, being about seven inches apart, and converged at the front where they turned up, until they were within two inches of each other. The idea was to render the sleigh more easy of guidance. These runners were bridged across with pieces of board tc render tbcin rigid, and the bridges were covered with n mat of native fiber. To form a slide tho side of a steep mountain was chosen and a narrow trench cut extending from the summit to the base, mid frequently a mile or more 011 the flat, tlie distance varying nc cordiug to the nature of the surrounding country. This trench was always kept clear of vegetation when not in use, and could he plainly seen from a considera ble distance. When the season came for tho game tlie trench was lined with dry grasses so as to make the sleighs run faster. The players assembled at the top of the mountain and one of them, drawing hack some little distanco from the trench, raised his sleigh in his hands, and t unning at full speed throw himself boJily into tho trench with his sleigh underneath him. Falling upon tlie slippery, dry gross, it shot forward down the incline at a terrific pace. As the angle was frequently as high as forty to forty-five degrees, it fs a mat ter of wonder that scores of riders were not killed in that headlong flight. Tho winner was the man who traveled the furthest. Ho excited did tho players become that they frequently wagered their huts, their lands—everything they possessed, even to their wives and chil dren—on the result of the 6port. Cases are recorded where, sixty years ago, men who liad lost everything also staked their own bones, to be made into fish hooks and arrow heads after their death. TIIE CANADIAN ODABOGGAN. The pastime has existed for centuries among these people, and tho history of its eventful introduction into America and its subsequent development is very interesting. The first use of the tobog gan in this country is said to have been as a band sleigh used by the Indians when on snow shoes on which to pack their pelts. These sleighs were used ex tensively in the early wars between the French, English and Indians, and were found invaluable in transporting camp baggage through the northern wilds. French writers call them the train sauvage, but the Indian name was oda boggan. The sleigh was turned up at both ends, while the modern one turns up at one end only. Sixty years ago the British officers at Montreal emulated the Pacific islanders by sliding on these oda boggans down the slopes of Mount Royal, and the pastime, becoming popular, spread until it finally crossed the Cana dian lino and located at Saratoga, N. Y., which may aptly be termed the "home of tho toboggan." Here was erected the first artificial slide, which still ranks as one of the finest in tho country, although many others have been erected at greater expense by clubs and private individuals. So popular has this sport become in winter that a modification of it will be adopted for the summer at Fort Hamil ton und Ocean Grove, N J. At bolli of these places a long, solid slide will bo built, extending from tho land over into the water, the end of it being slightly above the water line, so as to insure the toboggan clearing the slide in its run. Not having the smooth surface of the snow or ice to produce speed and easy transit, tiie flooring of the slide is to be fitted with a number of small iron wheels four feet abreast, and each row about two feet apart over the entire length of the slide. The toboggan is intended to be of the usual shape, and will run rapidly over these rollers to the water, turning over as it reaches it and upsetting the riders in all directions. A trial of this idea proved so successful that a leading feature will bo made of it at these two resorts. —Brooklyn Eagle. Itcinai kuble Somnambulism. Two remarkable cases of somnambu lism are reported from Berlin. A boy and girl, aged about 11, suddenly de veloped somnolency. While playing in school they suddenly fall asleep; also while walking, standing or speaking, so that they do not finish their sentences, if they are put to bed and afterwards awake, they try to continue the conver sation which was broken off by sleep, and answer questions whicli were then asked them.—Montreal Star. The Ilox on tl/ Platform. At the dinner station, where we stopped one day on a certain Tennessee railroad, almost the first sight which greeted the eyes of those who got oil was a rough burial bos 011 the platform, and seated near it was an old black woman with 9 handkerchief to her eyes. When kindly asked the cause of her sorrow she pointed to the box and replied: "Do ole man's in dar." "Your husband?" "Yes: died two days ago back yere ic the kentry." "And what are you doing with the body here'/" "f wants to bury it up at Charlestown. but I liaiu't got money 'nu(T to take it on de railroad." "What nonsense!" exclaimed a man. as he canto forward. "What's the dif ference where a nigger is buried? They want her to bury it here, but she won't. She's t! t mined to trlke it to Charles town.'' "For whet reason?" asked the passen ger who had put all the previous ques tions. " 'Kate. salt, all de fo' cliill'll is buried up dar'. en' his mudder an' sister, an' de poo' ole man will he lonesome down yere." "What bash!" growled tho kicksr. "Look here!" whispered the other, as lie went over to him, "I'd rather be a nigger with her soul than to bo a white man with yours! She's right. Let the family dead sleep together." lie entered the express ofilce, paid foi the shipment of tho body, bought the widow a ticket to Charlestown, and then dropped a'£lo gold piece in lier hand and said: "Give him a decent funeral, mammy, and this will put upa headboard to mark the grave." "Slay the good Lawd bress you for' But ho hurried in to snatch a bite to eat. While he was gone I made inquiries as to his identity, and finally found a man who replied: "Why, that's Col. Blank, of Alabama. Ho owned over three hundred niggers when the war broke out."' —New York Sun Our Native Trc?e Fruit*. Take our cherries to begin with. We have, first, the shrubby choke cherry, which unquestionably might become the parent of an improved dwarf irfmclaii fruit, either directly developed from the best among the wildings, or aided by crossings with foreign species. The dwarf lilack lliils cherry, probably the largest of our natives, would, perhaps, cross well with the choke cherry. Among the innumerable wild "bird cherries," oven in the wild state, selections could easily he made of trees producing very large and good fruit, with which tc make an advantageous start, while the black cherry might he made the founda tion for another race similar t > the for eign heart cherries. When wo come to the plums it is seen at once that nature has laid a broad foundation for us to build upon in out variant native species—east, west and soutli —selections from which are already widely cultivated. It is easy to believe that from these can he educed fruit far superior to and widely different from anything yet known." It would not IK surprising to see' plums from this stock reaching eventually tho size and quality of the apricot, with a vigor of tree far beyond that of any foreign stone fruit. With this abundant material, and ail the acquired skill of modern science, and with these natives and all their relatives from other continents to work with, our skilled horticulturists ought to produce remarkable results within a compara tively brief time.—Vick's Ma;fc'ziuo. Uses of Acts. Ants are terrible fighters. They have very powerful jaws, considering the size of their bodies, atul therefore their method of fighting is by biting. They will bito one another and hold on with a wonderful grip of the jaws, even after their legs hnvo been bitten off by other ' ants. Sometimes six or eight ants will be clinging with a death grip to.otie an other, making a peculiar spectacle, some with a leg gone, and some with half the body gone. One singular Tact is that the grip of an ant's jaw is retained even after the body has been bitten off and nothing but the bead remains. This knowledge is possessed by a certain tribe of Indians in Brazil, South America, who put the ants to a very peculiar use. When an Indian gets a gash cut in his hand, instead of having his hand sewed together as the physicians do in this country, be procures five or six large black ants, and, holding their heads near the gash, they bring their jaws together in biting the flesh, and thus pull the two sides of the gash together. Then the Indian pinches off the bodies of the ants, and leaves their heads clinging to the flesh, which is held together until the gash is perfectly healed.—lnterview in St. Louis Globe-Democrat. A 'Woman's Club. You men have numerous clubs to which you can go and spend your leisure hours, while we—poor creatures—are supposed to spend our spare time at home. I have been long thinking of forming some sort of organization for ladies where they may go in the after noon and have a good time just like the sterner sex. In the evening we could have receptions for our gentlemen friends. Of course, we would have no bar or smoking room, but would have tea and coffee rooms instead. A club of that sort would he heartily indorsed by numerous well known society leaders.— —Society Belle in St. Louis Globe-Dem ocrat. Always on Time. Tile rigid punctuality of Washington was illustrated by an incident during his visit to Boston just a hundred years ago. Having appointed 8 o'clock in the morn ing as the hour at which he should set out for Salem, he mounted his horse just as the Old South clock was striking that hour. The company of cavalry which was to escort him did not arrive till after his departure, and did not overtake him • till he had reached Charles river bridge. —San Francisco Argonaut.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers