111
mum i i
i'iMiii'l!:;HilHlill'ili.illik?.
VOL. Xtll.
1STEW BLOOMFIELD, !P-A.., TUESDAY, J UN ill 3, 1870.
NO. 23.
THE TIMES.
An Independent Family Newspaper,
18 PUBUSUHD BVBHT TUBSDAY BT
F. MORTIMER & CO.
0
SUHSCKIPTION I 11 ICE.
(WITHIN THB COUNTY.)
One Year fl 2"
Six Mouths 75
(OUT Of TnB COCNTT.)
One Year, (Pottage Included) II N)
Btx Months, (Postage Included) 85
Invariably In Advance I
W Advertising rates furnished upon appli
cation. $eledt Poetry.
ALWAYS LOOK ON THE SUNNY SIDE.
Always look on the sunny side,
And though lire checkered be,
A lightsome heart bids care depart,
And time fly pleasantly.
Why sit and mourn o'er fancied Ills,
When danger Is not near?
Care la a self-consuming thing,
That hardest nerves can wear.
Always look on the sunny side,
And though you do not find
All things according to your wish,
Be not disturbed In mind.
The greatest evils that can come
Are lighter far to bear
When met by fortitude and strength,
Instead of doubt and fear.
Always look on the snnny side
There's health In harmless jest,
And much to soothe our worldly cares
In hoplug for the best.
The gloomy path Is far too dark
For happy feet to tread,
And tolls of pain and solitude,
Of friends estranged and dead.
Always look on the sunny sldo,
And never yield to doubt,
The ways of Providence are wise,
And faith will bear you ont,
If you but make this maxim yours,
And in its strength abide,
Believing all is for the best)
Look on the snnny side I
HOW I WAS SOLD.
A YOUNG MAN possessed of a small
XI. lortnne desires to open a corres
pondence with a young lady of good appear
ance, with a view to matrimony if mutually
settled. Address Armand Trevor, Barcourt
P. O."
The above advertisement caught my
eyes aa I glanced rapidly over the coun
ty paper, In the skimming way women
have a fashion of gleaning the news. I
read it again and again, growing -more
and more fascinated. Armand Trevor.
What a beautiful name I A name which
to this day I cannot hear spoken with
out peculiar sensations in the region of
my heart. I determined to write an
answer to this young man with the small
fortune. N ot that I intended to reveal
my real name. Judith Lubby had a
commonplace sound, and might shock
his sensitiveness. I must choose some
thing which should be equal to his
own.
I could not reasonably expect any
thing from this correspondence ; but, at
the least, it would be capital fun, and,
oh 1 1 was dull In stupid little Stapleton,
where there was never anything to in
terest or amuse anybody.
I knew that if fate willed it that this
Armand Trevor and I should meet, he
could And no fault with my present ap
pearance. Why, Hiram Bung had told
me on an average once a week that I
was the prettiest girl in Stapleton. Not
that I set much value on Hiram's opin
ion, for a man who owned bravely to the
name of Bung could not have an opin
ion worth a thought. Yet in spite of the
contempt I had for Hiram's verdict it
was rather pleasant to be told that I was
pretty. After mature deliberation of
about an hour, I decided on the non de
plume of "Pauline Irving," which in
my estimation equaled in beauty the
name of Armand Trevor.
My friend, Annie Towers, lived In
Barcourt, and to her I decided to send
my letter, asking her to post it there. I
did not dare post it in Stapleton, for it
was such a small place that my scheme
would have been discovered directly. I
wished, also, to keep my earthly abode
a mystery to Armand Trevor, and allow
him to search for me in Barcourt if he
wished. There was a singular pleasure
to me in imagining him searching day
after day for the fair being who had an
swered his advertisement.
What a length of time I took to write
that first important letter! I wasted
nearly the entire contents of a box of
French note paper before the epistle was
completed to my satisfaction. I had
asked numberless questions, and request
ed my unknown Armand's photograph.
Ills letters to me were to be directed to
Barcourt; for Annie readily agreed to
take them from the post-oillce and for
ward them to me at once. I could never
have taken letters from the Stapleton of
fice directed to " Pauline Irving," for
the postmistress was a great gossip and
knew me well, and the whole thing
would'bave been over Stapleton In half
an hour, and I should never have heard
the last of it.
After the letter was at length sent.per
fumed with heliotrope, I grew impatient
and nervous for an answer from Armand.
No matter what I was doing at the time
the dally mail came in, I would leave It,
and rush to the post-oillce.
Of course I made a mental picture of
Armand, and gave to him a face and fig
ure suited to Ills aristocratic and melo
dious name; and I endowed him with
every lovable and manly trait of char
acter. Indeed, so loose a run did I give
my wild fancy that long before I receiv
ed my first letter from him, I had im
agined myRelf Mrs. Trevor, and furnish
ed my future home the earthly paradise
where I should reign as Armand's
bride. "
Although pretty, I had but few lovers
and only one suitor Hiram Bung. Sta
pleton was too small a place to support
many young men, and those who did
manage to wring a living from the ex
hausted farm-lands, or from the small
stores, were not to my taste. Bed hair
predominated in Stapleton, and freckles
were universal. Since the death of my
parents I had lived with my sister Han
nah, who had married Jonas Oubbens,
the proprietor of the largest variety
store in the town. He was a man of
fifty, with a florid complexion, portly
form, and a bald spot on the top of his
head. If Hannah had had a spark of
romance in her composition she could
never have wedded Jonas Oubbens. But
she was made of a different mould from
her sister Judith, and thought more of a
comfortable home and filling her store
room shelves with preserves and pick
les, than of Itomeos and Juliets, dark
eyed Apollos and love's young dream.
She considered that I had done a very
unwise thing in refusing to become Mrs.
Bung, and expressed her wonder every
day that I should expect to do any bet
ter. " There are so few young men in Sta
pleton, Judy," she would say, "that
you cannot very well afford to say no to
the best of 'em all. You'll live and die
an old maid, I expect, and there is no
chance of your ever getting out of this
little village."
Hannah knew my aversion to having
my name corrupted into "Jude," but she
never took the trouble to pay any atten
tion to it, much to my wrath and vexa
tion. I was dependent upon my brother-in-law
for my daily bread and the
coarse clothes he was so loth to spare
from the stock in the store. This de
pendence was galling to me, but I saw
no way by which I could free myself
save marriage. The advertisement in
the "Barcourt Register" had struck me
as a means of escape from my despotic
brother-in-law, dull, gossiping Staple-
ton, and the distasteful admiration of
Hiram.
Hiram came to call on me two days
after I had written my answer to the ad
vertisement. We sat In the prim, little,
stuffy parlor which was Hannah's pride,
and while I crocheted very industrious
ly, Hiram gazed out of the window into
the darkness of the garden.
Hannah and Jonas, under the mis
taken belief that two would be company
and more a crowd, remained in the
kitchen the entire evening, much to my
chagrin, for I detested a tete-a-tete inter
view with Hiram.
He was a tall, fair, slender young man
with stooping shoulders, thin limbs, and
sandy hair. His manner was nervous
and awkward, and his bands seemed al
ways in his way. At first they would
be sprawled out on his knees.then stuck
in his pockets, and then clasped above
his head.
" Hiram," I said suddenly, this even
ing, as I made a scallop in crochet work,
" are you ever going to marry and settle
down 1"'
He blushed up to his eyes. Even the
roots of his hair turned a dull crimson.
" I hope to, someday, Miss Judy," he
replied.
" For heaven's sake, don't call tne
Judy," I almost screamed. "If you
can't call me anything."
" I would like to call you something
belter yet," he said hesitatingly. " I
should like to call you my wife," and
a wan smile flitted over his pale face.
" But you never will," I said, won
dering, even as 1 spoke, how Armand
would ask the one important question.
" You say positively that there never
will be the slightest chance for me, Miss
Judith f"
"Never the slightest chance, Mr.
Bung."
" Then I won't trouble you any more,
since you are so certain," he suhl, In a
sad tone, which touched my heart in
spite of my determination not to be
affected by it. " I hope you will meet
with some one able to win your loveaud
better Calculated than I am to make you
happy," he added, and rose from his
seat, bowed in a stiff, constrained man
ner, and left the room.
The next day my eager hands receiv
ed from the postmistress a letter directed
In the well known handwriting of
Annie Towers, and bearing the Bar
court postmark. I hurried home, gain
ed the seclusion of my own room, and
tore open the precious missive.
There was indeed a letter from Ar
mand, and in it he told of his delight at
hearing from me, and the consciousness
he felt that we would yet rejoice over
our acquaintanceship, and begging me
to write soon again.
The style was elegant.the handwriting
beautiful and legible, and there was not
an error in the whole letter.
I could not resist the temptation to
sit down and answer it at once, while
all the beautiful expressions I had in my
mind were fresh ; but I dated it three
days ahead, and mailed It on the day It
was dated, so that my Armand should
not think me too eager to reply.
I could not help missing Hiram just a
little. True to his promise, he did not
come near me any more. Several pic
nics took place in the beautiful Septem
ber weether; but, lacking an escort,
I could not attend them. Then when
the Lyceum lectures and spelling match
es began, I missed Hiram greatly, and
felt regret that I had not given him just
enough encouragement to keep him
dancing attendance on me all winter.
It was very nice to be in correspondence
with the elegant Armand, but I wished
most heartily that he lived In Stapleton,
so that he could escort me to places of
amusement.
I sat in the little prim parlor through
the long winter evenings, crocheting
mats and tidies and thinking of my un
known lover in Barcourt. The mats
and tidies I sent to Annie Towers, who
sold them to a store-keeper in the town
for me. I carefully saved up my money,
thinking that the time might come
when I would need every cent of my
hard-earned hoard to buy a wedding
gown.
My sister Hannah rang the changes
on my rejection of Hiram, and the prob
ability of my being an old maid, until
my ears ached. She dwelt with peculiar
sadness on my obstinacy to be Mrs.
Bung after an adventure which occurred
to Hiram during the winter. At the
risk of his own life he saved that of an
old man who had broken through the
ice into the river. Hiram plunged in
after him, and after desperate efforts
rescued him from certain death. I con
fess that I admired the courage of my
quondam lover, when I heard from
Jonas the story of his bravery, and
would have been glad to praise him
had he allowed me to do so, but when
we met on the street he Invariably
passed by with a nod and pleasant
smile.
Armand and I corresponded regular
ly twice a week until June came with
its soft breezes and fragrant roses. I
had been careful to give him iu my
letters no hint of my identity, and had
never mentioned my place of residence,
allowing him to suppose that I lived in
Barcourt. We had not exchanged pho
tograpbs, though I had described for his
benefit my face and figure. Our letters
grew very lover-like as the summer
came upon us, and he had written that
Fate had intended us for one another,
and begged me to appoint a day of meet
ing in Barcourt.
How my heart throbbed 1 I felt that
to Barcourt I must go, no matter ho w
great the difficulties in the way, for my
future happiness hung on my ratifying
the vows we had made through the
"silent medium of the pen."
The sixteenth of June was the day set
for our meeting, and my beloved wrote
me that I must be under a large apple
tree in Hampden Lane, half a mile
from Barcourt Centre, at three o'clock
in the afternoon. To irlake sure of there
being no mistake made in Identity, I
must wear in my dress a rose, and he
should wear one in the button-hole of
his coat.
My greatest difficulty lay In inducing
Hannah to permit me to pay Annie
Towers a visit. Barcourt was only
twenty miles distant, but it seemed a
long journey' to Hannah, who never
went beyond the outskirts of Stapleton.
But finding that I had the money to pay
my stage fare she at last consented to
my going.
I reached Annie's home on the fif
teenth of June, and we lay awake that
night until nearly dawn, pouring into
each other's ears the tales of our loves
and hopes. The dear girl appeared to
be as much interested in my Armand
as myself, and said she could hardly
wait with any patience to know how
our meeting would terminate she hoped
in a wedding a few months later. In
return for my confidence she told me of
her engagement to a Harry Chesley, a
fine young hardware merchant of Bar
court. I was Impatient for the hour to come
when I should meet by beloved Armand
and I set off for the trysting-place before
the clock struck two.leavlng my smiling
friend in the doorway, nodding good
wishes after me.
I found the tree easily, for there was
no other of its kind in the lane, and
seated myself to await my lover's com
ing. I felt nervous and anxious, and as
the clock struck three and he had not
made his appearance my heart sunk like
lead In my bosom. But just as I had
given up all hopes, I heard a step on the
road, and looking up quickly saw not a
tall, handsome, raven-haired Apollo.but
strange coincidence I Hiram Bung.
What unhappy thought had sent him
here t and by what strange fatality did
he wear in the button-hole of his coat a
large red rose of the cabbage variety ?
I sprang up, and we stood face to face,
confusion and embarrassment in the
manner of both.
"Hiram Bung!"
"Miss Judith I
Then there was a dreadful pause.
"Strange we'should meet here," from
him.
"Why do you wear that rose?" from
me.
"I might ask the same of you."
"I came here to meet some one," I
faltered.
"So did I."
"You cannot no ! you cannot be Ar
mand Trevor ! "
"And you cannot be Pauline Irving!"
" Yes, I am. I see it all. We have
been making geese of ourselves, Mr.
Bung. Will you be kind enough to ex
plain your part of the affair ?"
"Certainly," he replied. "I found
you would not have me, and there
wasn't any other girl in Stapleton I
would have. So I advertised, partly in
fun, and partly in earnest. I didn't
want luy letter to be post-marked Sta
pleton, bo I bent them to my friend,
Harry Cuesley,to post them in Barcourt
He also sent me all the letters I received
from Pauline Irving and others. But I
preferred Pauline's above all the rest,
though I assure you I was not aware
that the writer was Miss Judith Lubby
of Stapleton."
" If I had only known your handwrit
ing, Hiram," I burst out, " but I had
never seen it, and so this ridiculous,
wretched mistake occurred," and my
tears began to flow freely.
" Will you explain your part in this?"
asked Hiram very gently.
I managed to sob out the details, and
when I mentioned Annie To wers,Hiram
Interrupted me.
" Miss Towers is engaged to my friend
Hiram Chesley; and I have not the
slightest doubt but that they have talk
ed us over, and mean to have an excel
lent Joke onus. Judith, suppose we
give them no chance to laugh t I said I
should never ask you again to marry
me, but if you will do so, I will enter
into business at Barcourt, and you need
not spend the rest of your life in dull,
little Stapleton. What do you say,
Judith V"
" I like you very much, Hiram. It
was very brave in you to save old Mr.
Pitklns from drowning last winter; and
I don't want Annie to have a chance to
laugh at us," I stammered, lather Inco
herently. "Then you shall be my wife, Judith,
and you shall learn to love me. I feel
sure I can make you happy."
My dreams of the elegant Armand
were gone, and In their stead reigned the
reality of my engagement to Hiram
Bung. But there was so much romance
connected with It, that I was almost
satisfied with the way matters had ter
minated. It was nearly dark when we
at last reached Annie's home, for there
had been so much to talk about that we
had lingered under the old apple tree in
the lane until the dusk of evening came
upon the earth.
We found Harry Chesley with Annie, .
and both were prepared to laugh at us
heartily. Of course they were astonish
ed at the news of our engagement, but
congratulated us, nevertheless, very
warmly.
True to his word, Hiram began busi
ness In Barcourt, and, long before I
became Mrs. Bung, I learned to love
him very dearly, which he certainly
deserved.
My sister rejoiced at my "showing
some common sense at last," but she
never knew " how I had been sold."
The North of Holland.
IN THE north of Holland the farms
are not over a foot above the level of
the sea, and some are lower. The land
is loose, spongy muck, and is very rich.
It is sub-divided into small parcels by
canals. There are thousands of wind
mills which are used to pump water all
the time. The dwellings are as neat as
they possibly can be. They are built in
small villages, clustered closely togeth
er. The roads are all paved, and not a
particle of dust is ever seen. They meas
ure distance by the hour, saying that
from place to place is ten hours' walk,
four hours by boat, or two hours by rail.
The bouses are built as nicely as any in
our cities, about fifty feet square, with
about eight teet between the joists upon
the first floor ; all above is used for stor
ing hay. On the other side are the sta
bles for the cattle,and they are models of
neatness. The floors are all paved with
stones of brick. In these stables where
the cattle are, they make butter, cheese,
do the washing, ironing and baking and
the general household work. It is not
an uncommon thing to see hundreds of
cheeses there; they weigh about four
pounds each. The bedding is always
clean, and lasts a good while. When the
cattle are put into the stable they are
put there for the season, and tied with a
rope to the corner of the stall. The air
is always chilly, and the cows are
blanketed in the summer, and of course
are warm in their stalls in winter, for
fires are quite generally kept burning in
two stoves throughout the coldest of the
season. The calves do not need to be
blanketed in summer because nature has
provided a very thick coating of hair for
them, and in winter they are shed.
A Beautiful Illustration.
" Gentlemen," said Mr. Lincoln one
day during war-time, to several western
men who called upon him to criticise
the Administration, "suppose all the
the property you were worth was In
gold, and you had put It in the hands of
Blondln to carry across the Niagara
Falls on a tight rope, would you shake
the rope while be was passing over it,
or keep shouting to him, 'Blondin,
stoop a little more,' ' Go a little faster ?'
No, I am sure you would not. You
would bold your breath as well as your
tongue, and keep your hands off until
he was safely over. Now the government
is in the same situation, and b carrying
across a stormy ocean an immense
weight; untold treasures are in its
hands. It Is doing the best it can ;
don't badger it ; keep silence and It will
get you safely over."