TIIK TIMES, NEW BLOOM FIELD, FA., FEBIIUABY 25, 1879.
would, but would first of all JiiHt shake
hands for llie respect lie bore tne. Touch
lug iny rifle significantly, I pointed to
the stick lying across the hearth be
tween us. ' That's your boundary line,
my man,' I said ; " don't go stretching
your hand over that This sent lilm
into a fit of sulleuness."
" What came of ItV"
" We must have remained In this po
ftltlon till midnight. Several times I
beard slight sound outside the fort, but,
though he too listened, he dared not re
pond to them : he could do nothing.
After u while these sounds ceased; his
associates, lightly Judging that some
thing had gone wrong and spoilt the
scheme, had no doubt made oil', tired of
waiting. The fellow's head whs bent,
his chin rested on his breast. His shag
gy beard spreading over Ij like a man
tie. lie suffered martyrdom. By and
by we got lo talking, but I didn't relax
in uiy vigilance for an Instant. Once
stultid on his own history, the subject
reined to have a fascination for him.
He had been honestly 'raised,' he said,
by good and loving parents In the State
of Missouri had passionately loved a
young plil In the town where he lived;
and Ids description of her was so pretty
and vivid that I declare it brought Into
my mind Hint other girl who was wait
ing for me down in the Wallumet Val
ley. To get the means to marry her he
resolved to go lo California. He went,
was successful, and, full of Joyful antic
ipations, n turned to llnd that she hud
nun ili (I another. The man, the hus
band, had played tlieni false, told the
gill that her lover was dead, and mar
ried her himself. When he came out of
the brain-fever which tills news had
given him he was invited to mi eve
ning party In the town. To tills party
came Ids love and her husband ; unci
when he put out his hand to welomue
her their eyes met, and both knew then
how they had been betrayed. From that
hour the man took to evil courses, and
his first victim was the false husband.
He became a desperate outlaw. Once
-again he saw hi love he met her In
the street of Sacramento ; she was mar
ried again, mid she turned from him
with n cry of aversion. . Yes, he might
be n desperate man now, be added, hut
he had hi trial. I suppose 1 should
have done society a benefit hud I shot
blni as he sat there, but I did not. Per
haps you won't believe that 1 felt a sort
of pity for the fellow, but I did. Well,
morning came at last. I sent Edwards
to get the gate open, and escorted my
visitor out, telling him that there was
not room for him and me in that part of
the country, and that he had better quit
It for another."
"And did he?"
" I suppose so, for he never attempted
to molest me again. Not long after I
heard of his death. He met ills fate east
of the mountains."
"And what of that pretty Amazon,
Joseph? I'm sure she was almost us
good to you as a gmrdlan uugel,coming
on horseback to give you warning."
" Was she not V And I bad returned
it by behaving so unhandsomely to her.
But now, I Just ask you. Would it have
been proper lo let her come in on that
weeks visit, and I a young man with a
reputation V"
" At any r ite, you did not. But have
you ever seen her since ?"
"Once : it was In 'Frisco. She was
married and staying at the same hotel
with nie. Her husband was a tall,dah.
log man what with you would be called
a gentleman and very wealthy. She
had been lucky, you see. I knew her as
soon as she came Into the dining-room,
and in a few minutes I saw that she rec
ognized me; but she did not take any
notice, and neither did I. She told me
with her eyes that she remembered, but
there wus an appealing glance lu them
which I interpreted rightly. After din
ner we got into conversation, the three
of us, just as strangers will do in a hotel
and I found the husband very Intelligent
aud well-informed. In parting I got
just a word aside with her. ' I urn glud
to meet you again, and thus,' I suld.
' Hush 1' she answered. ' I thank you
for your reticence. In the past of u life
that has been composed of upg and
downs there is generally something or
other lying on tho memory that we do
not care to recall or proclaim to tho
world.' "
"And about that young girl In the
Wallumet Valley y"
"I never found her," replied Joseph
plaintively. "Truth to say, I never
started fairly to look for her. Perhaps
it's us well." LlppincotCa 3Iuuzinc.
The Ravajc3 of The Plague.
IF we glunce at the history of the
frightful devastations that have
niurked the visits of the plague to the
earth, mankind bus reason to tremblo
before the dread spectre whoso appear
ance the , Russians evoked on their
pleasure , trip to Constantinople, aud
which now threatens all Europe.
Plague epidemics are recorded of almost
every century. In the first year of the
Pelopoimesian war the pligue raged
with terrible violence In Athens, and
Greece's greatest statesman, at that time,
Pericles was one of Its victims.
But not until the fourteenth century
dhl It become a scourge to the entire
world, traveling as It did then, from the
eastern boundaries of Asia through
China, India and Russia, and punishing
with equal severity the Inhabitants of
thePyrean peninsula and the hardened
people of Scandinavia and Ireland. And
If the western hemisphere hud been dis
covered at triat time, aud active com
muiilcatlou and tratllo with It had
existed, there can be no doulit that the
grim destroyer would hare visited
America also. It Is, Indeed, by no means
certain hut that the plague did reach
this continent, since there are legends
which speak of a time of great mortali
ty long before the advent of Furopeans.
It Is estimated that no less that 6.2,000.
00(1 persons fell victims to the black
deatli In Asia and Europe toward the
middle of the fourteenth ceutury. Of
these: 15,000.000 are supposed to have
perished In Europe, 24,000,000 In Asia
Minor, India, und the adjacent coun
tries,' and 13,000,000 in China. One
historian writes concerning the appear
ance of the plague in Europe: "Terri
ble omens in the heavens overwhelmed
the nations with dread. In BI37, a large
comet appeared : in following years
came immense multitudes of locusts:
but lu 1I1IS the end seemed at hand.
An earthquake devastated Cyprus,
Greece, Ituly and t he Alpine valleys.
Mountains cuved in. In the province
of Cartlieu, in Austria, thirty villages
and a town were utterly destroyed. The.
atmosphere became thick, fetid und con
fusing. Wine became turbid in the
barrels. Fiery meteors Illuminated the
sky. A pillar of flume was seen over
the Papal palace ut Avignon. These
terrors were followed by a murderous
plague. It originated in China, wus
carried through the whole of Asia, and
In Germany received tho name of
"Black Deal h," because it covered Us
victims suddenly wllli black pustules,
und often killed them instantaneously.
It spread over the whole of Europe, and
it I said that it did not rage most viru
lently In Germany. Nevertheless 14,
000 person died In Basle, 10,1100 in
Strusburgand the same number In Er
furt, and they perished In all other
places In similar proportions. In Osnu
bruek only seven families are said to
have survived. .
For twenty-five years (he awful epi
demic muinUdued its annihilatiiigsway,
while ut the same time drouths, famines,
Hood, und earthquakes destroyed city
and country, and vast swarms of locusts
everywhere inflicted the direst ravages.
Meantime the whole order of nature
seemed reversed. In midwinter the
severest rains was experienced, and in
summer long continued aud severe
frosts, and volcanoes that had been long
thought extinct opened their craters
unew. Some have attributed the origin
of the epidemic; to the atmospheric chan
ges produced by the convulsions of the
earth, combined with the decay of
organic matter the myriad of locusts
und the unnumbered dead bodies of ineu
and unimuls.
Some have also attributed that fright
ful epidemic to the then recorded ap
proach of several planets to the sun.
Inasmuch us four' plunets enter the
perihelion In 1881, we have ut leust this
similarity between the present time and
that dreudful period ; and this circum
stance, combined with the sudden out
break of the plugue that is reported
from Europe, may give rise to the fears
that the coming pluuetury proximity to
the sun is perhaps to have an evil Im
port for poor humanity.
The Dead Letter Office
Mr Curletou Hughes lectured lu
Washington, recently, on the "Mysteries
of the Dead letter Office." Mr. Hughes
wus for some time a clerk In the dead
letter office, aud relates some luterestiug
experiences connected with the delivery
or ilead letters. About 10,000 are opened
daily, aud the money contained lu these
amounts to about $31, GU0 a mouth. Au
Interesting case was where a gentleman
traveling on business sent a letter con
taining $1,500 to his wife ut home. By uu
uccouu table neglect he sealed the euvel
ope and deposited it In the mafl without
any address whatever. After the letter
Was opened ut the dead letter office w e
found that he had written but u few
lines, announcing his determination to
go further south, not mentioning uny
probable destination, and (signing the
name "George." There wus no clue
to truce the wife and but a slight one to
find tho writer. After a long tearch
"George" wus discovered on the hotel
register, the only person out of thirty,
two of the same name who had merely
signed his name without saying where
he was from, or whither going. An
other cise, somewhat similar wus the
following: A letter wus written, duted
Astor House, New York.signed "Chaun
cey," Inclosing $2,000 to a lady as are
munerutlon for care with which she had
treated his parents. The Inter stilted he
whs going to Europe. The letter was
misdirected, aud was opened at the dead
letter office, the postmaster of New
York was Instructed to make Inquiries
at the Astor House for Clinuncey, who,
after some trouble was found and the
money returned to him the same after,
noon he left for Europe. The following
are some of the singular superscriptions
on dead letters s " Please hand lo my
mother and oblige, Mr.v;" "H d, If you
want to hear from your bo, you had bet
ter come and get this letter;" " In this
letter there Is $-'() for Boh. and I Rend
It this way so that the postmaster won't
steal It:" "Postmasters, please deliver
this to the young lady living In the
rlMt house beyond the wallet factory,
that wears a black dress aud sack, white
straw hat and brown face trimmings.
Now don't make a mistake." Several
letters are received addressed to the devil,
Santa Cluus und other like personages.
Often these letters, with there foolish
superscriptions, contain money.
Why he Used American Locks.
Mr. James Hill, being Invited to ex
pluin why he used American locks on a
large building for the War Department,
hu given the English working-classes a
very pluiu tulkiug to. The distress which
exists among them is, he says, largely
due to the Injurious action of trades
unions, the drunkenness und improvi
dence of the nun, their antipathy to the
use of machinery, tiie existence of low
wages and short hours, aud the obtuse
lies of musters who are content to repro
duce the same cluss of goods from gener
ation to generation, instead of adapting
themselves to suit the requirements of
theuge. Foreign competition, be says,
would not be possible if the trades unions
would employ their funds in educating
their members instead of lighting their
musters. He cites one ca-e where an
ironmaster, whose men were getting
about 0 u week, was offered a large
itiisslau contract at a rate lower fhan he
could uflbrd to go, hence he culled the
man together uud said if they could le
duce the cost of labor he would take the
contract, if not it would go to Belgium.
"Bet It go to Belgium; we'll follow it
there und liuve a lilt of an outing," they
answered. They are now living on
ineul uud water. Mr. Hill says that the
greut hulk of bis locks came from this
country, to which he wus driven by the
Inferiority and high prices of Englsh
workmanship aud the unwillingness of
masters to entertain his ideas of im
provement. He visited America last
year and opened up business relations
with two lli'ius that have taken pains to
curry out his views. As u consequence
he is putting American locks on the
greut hospital at Walsall, within a
stone's throw of factoiies that cannot
produce them as cheuply or yet as good.
The freight from New York eveu Is less
than the freight from Willenhall.
An Anecdote of Astor.
rPIIE shrewdest business men often
l overreach themselves by petty
meanness towards their employees.
Perhaps there never wus a better illus
trutiou of tills than an incident lu the
lite of John Jacob Astor, or, to speak
more truly, in the life of one of his cap
tains, a man who, in early yeurs, wus
the beau ideal of u seamuii,and through
out his long life had the love and esteem
of all whose good fortune It wus to
know hiii).
He hud sailed six voyages to China
without a chromometer, depending on
" dead reckoning" and "lunars." Just
before starting on his seventh voyage
he suggested to Mr. Astor that It would
be sufer to have a chromometer.
11 Well, get one," said the merchant.
The cuptulu did so, and entered its cost
in hi account current. When Astor's
eyes fell upon the item he drew his pen
cil through it. The captain expostula
ted ; said Astor : " I tolt you to get one ;
I tldn't suy I'd pay for it."
The captain severed his connection
witli Astor then and there, went into
Wall street, engaged with other owners,
and before night wus in command of as
line a ship as ever floated In New York's
beautiful buy. lu three days she wus
ready for seu and set suil.
At the same time Astor's ship, under
the command of a new captain, set sull
also. They bad a race for Hong Kong,
but the captain who, as he used to put
it, had discharged John Jacob Astor, by
keeping the men ut the braces look ad'
vantage of every putt' of wind, and won
by three days. Then there wus lively
work. The ship wus loaded lu . the
shortest time osslble,und before Astor's
vessel, which hud urrived meantime, wus
half loaded, our captain weighed anchor,
and, with a full cargo of tea, set sail for
Hundy Hook, arrived In good time, got
his ship alongside the wharf, und begau
hoisting out his cargo, which wus sold
by auction on the spot.
This glutted the market, for the con
sumption was comparatively small lu
those days, and when Astor's ship came
In the price had fallen. Two days later, as
the captain wus sauntering down Broad
way, he met his former employer.
" How much did dat chronometer oost
you V" asked the latter.
" Six hundred dollars."
" Well," said Astor, " that was cheap.
It cost me sixty tousand tollars."
The merchant and the captain have
long since paid the long reckoning, but
that chronometer Is still a good time
keeper and a treasured relic as well.
Conduct of Young Girls.
AN EXCHANGE pertinently re
marks: Many young girls like
nothing so much as what they call " au
adventure," or In other words.attraotlng
attention of some male specimen of the
baser sort whose admiration Is an Insult.
The repression of this spirit In young
girls Is Important, for It Is almost dis
reputable for a young woman to be In
sulted. Sober people are Inclined to
think thut there must have been some
Imprudence, perhaps unconsciously on
the lady's part of the insulter. If a la
dy Is quiet and Inclined not to make
herself conspicuous In public convey
ances or elsewhere by talkingand laugh
ing, we do not think she need fear any
rude familiarity at all approaching an
Insult. She might travel in safety from
one end of the continent to the other, as
free from molestation or annoyance as
in her own father's house. But we
have noticed with puin, very often, the
boisterous, unladylike maimers young
glrla, or young ludies, as they doubtless
term themselves, Indulge in when truv
ellng. If they take occasion to enter
tuin each other witli jests and recituls
quite too near coarseness In public
places It is not strange that persons of
the baser sort should feel that they were
safe in tuklng liberties of speech or look
thut they would not dream of were their
deportment quiet and ladylike.
Insults can be guarded against, if not
entirely avoided. Let mothers warn
their daughters against courting rude
ness by bold, noisy and unladylike be
havior, both at home and abroud, but
most particularly when going to school,
shopping, riding or going to places of
publio worship, and they will escape all
molestation. When a woman forgets
her imtive delicacy and modesty of de
portment she challenges Insult.
A Bashful Bridegroom.
THE wedding guests were gathered
all, the minister was In the parlor,
the marriage feast was piping hot, and
the bride was peeping out of her win
dow and blushing the while, but the
bridegroom was missing. They waited
two hours, and then dispatched a broth
er of the bride to find the bridegroom ;
and roeau while, lest the the victuals
should spoil, they all sat down to din
ner. Now, the bridegroom was the most
bashful man in Goshen township, and
possibly In Ohio. He was discovered in
his room with his every-day clothes on,
and with one side of his fuce shaved.
When asked why he had remained
away, he replied that he hud attempted
to shave himself but was so scared and
nervous that he could not accomplish It.
He finally told the brother that if he
would finish shaving him, and help to
trim him up, he would go and report for
duty. The brother kindly assisted, and
the two then started for the home of his
anxious bride. When within a short
distance of the house, the young man's
heart again fulled him. He declared
that he could not fuce the crowd, and
reluctantly retraced his steps. The
brother went home and reported the re
sult of his lnvestivation.und the preach
er, turning to the lady, said :
" I'll never tie you to such a man."
On the following Saturday the father
of the young lady was met with the
same plea:
"I can't stand to face such a crowd,
but If you will get a 'squire, and let us
get married after night, I will try It
again."
The old gentleman declared that the
ceremony must be performed In the day
time. Finally, the bashful young man
was led Into the parlor by the arm,
cooped up In a corner, and brought face
to fuce with maiden and minister.
For Husbands.
DON'T think that your wife hag less
feeling than before marriage. Her
relation to you is changed, not berna
ture. Don't think that you can dispense
with all tbe little civilties of life toward
her on marrying. She appreciates those
things quite as much as other woman.
' Don't be gruff" and rude at home. Had
you been thut sort of fellow before mar
riage, the probabilities are that you
would be sewing on your own buttons
still.
Don't make your wife feel that she is
an incumbrance on you by giving her
grudgingly. What she needs give as
cheerfully as if it were a pleasure so to
do. She will feel better, ami o will
you.
Dou't meddle In the affairs of the
house under her charge. You have no
more right lo be poking your uose into
he kitchen than she has to walk Into
your place of budixfs and give diuc
llons to your employees.
Don't find fault with her extrava
gance In ribbons, &o., until you have
shut down ou tobacco, cigars, beer, &o.
Don't leave your wife at home to
nurse the children on the score of econ
omy, while you bolt down at nights, to
see the show, or spend a dollar on bil
liards. Don't bolt your supper, and hurry off
to spend evenings, lounging around
away from your wife. Before marriage
you couldn't spend your evening enough
w ith her. ,
Don't prowl In the loafing resorts till
midnight, wasting your timeln culpable
Idleness, leaving your wife lonely at
home to brood your neglect and her dis
appointment. "Don't think that board and elothes
are sufficient for all a wife does for
you.
It will do husbands no harm to read
the foregoing over a second time, then
cut it out, aud paste It lu their
hats.
Sleeping In Church In Olden Times.
ONE of the customs of our fathers
was the habit of going to sleep dur
ing church service, and various and
singular were the expedients adopted by
tbe minister and the deacons to keep
them wide awake. Here Is an account
of a funny scene in a Lynn (Mass.)
church in 1 646, during tbe preaching of
good old Rev. Samuel Whitney, D. D.
It Is taken from Obudluh Turner's jour
nul :
" 1040, June ye 8d : Alln Brydges
hath been chose to wake ye sleepers in
meeting and being much proud of his
place must needs have a fox taile fixed
to ye end of a long staff wherewith he
may brush the faces of them yt will
have naps in time of discourse; like
wise a sharp thoru wherewith he may
prick such as may be sounde. On ye
laste Lord his day, as he strutted about
ye meetiDg house, hedid spy Mr. Tom
lins sleeping with much comfort, hia
head kept steadie by being in ye corner
and his hand grasping ye rail. And soe
spying Allen did quicklie thrust his
stuff behind.dame Ballond and gave him
agfievous pick upon ye hand. Where
upon Mr. Totaling did spring up much
ubove ye floor and with terrible force
did strike bis hand against ye wall, and
also to yegreate wonder of all, prophan
lieexclulm In Aloud voice, 'Cuse the
woodchuck,' he dreaming, as It seemed,
yt a woodchuck had seized and bit his
bund. But on coming to know where
he wus, and ye greate scandul he had
committed, beseemed very much abash
ed but did not speake. And I think he
will not soon again go to sleep in meet
log. Ye woman may sometimes sleep
and none know It by reason of their
enormous bonnets. Mr. Whitney doth
pleasantlie say yt from ye pulpit
he doth seem to be preaching to
stacks of straw with men jotting here
and there among them."
Tho Darkey's Algebra.
" Looke hyar boy," said Gabe to. his.
boy," I'g gettirt' 'bout tired ob buyin
new books all de time. What's dis yer
olgemebray you am talkiu' 'bout eny
how ?"
"It's a sport ob 'rithmetic," said the
boy. " S'posen you say how much tm
leben times leben, diwided by seven;
stld of taken de figgers, I say dat x mul
tiplied by y and diwided by a equal z
plus y, minus a."
" De harry you do," said Gabe.
"Yessah. We let x equal eteben,
and y "
" Dar," suld Gabe, waving his hand,
"dat's nuH of dat. We'll Jis let x equal
de whitewash bucket multiplied by y,
which am de brush, and diwided by r,
which am de stick, equal x, which am
you, plus y, which am six bits for de
Job you does to-morrow, de whole equal
to p, q, which am me. which will break
your black head ef you doan go to
work early in de mawnin'. Dese yer
algemebrays and latin, and Jographys,
am spileiu' good niggers, an' makin' a
mighty pooah artikel ob secon' han
white men obdem. Ef dares anything,
I hates It am a scallopy darkey puttin'
on frills an' biled shirts. Dats nuft,"
he continued as the boy waa about to
speak. "Consider yourself as cu9eti
from furder remarks. You hab gradua
mated, an' I'll take you in partnership
in de business to-morrow, you do de
work an' I'll handle de cash an' keep de
books."
C3T At Jamacia. L. I., the other day,
a man shot a quail In violation of the
game law. His neighbors threatened
to inform the authorities,, but he got tbe
start of them by going before a magis
trate and himself lodging information
against himself. He was fined $10,
which he paid. He then demanded
half the fine for giving the information,
and So was returned to hiai.