} I ' : ' : ^ ' I . ' 1 j WEEKLY EDITION. WINNSBORO, S. C., WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1882. ~~ ESTABLISHED UT 1844. jj r- J "When the Frost is on the Puntin. | When the frost is on the ponkin and the fodder]s4n the shock, Andyoanear thekyouck and gobble of the - /stnittin' turkey cock, ^ Ai$d the clackin' of the gniney3 and the ; cluckin' of the hen?, ^ And the rooster's hallylooyer as he tiptoes on the fence, mL Oh it's then the times a feller is a feelin' a wgjfljfch his best, fvVith the.risin' sun to greet him from a night : of gracious rest, As he leaves the house bareheaded and goes out to feed the stock, When the frost is on the punkrn and the fodder's in the shock. I They's somepin kind a' hearty like about the atmosphere "When the heat o' summer's over and the coolin' fall is here? Of course we miss the flowers and the blos* ' som on the trees, A Wi r aV _ t ^ oiiu uic uiuiuuia uj. tno uuiminn uirus ana buzzin' of the bee?; Bet the air's so appetizin', and the landscape through the haze ; Of a crisp and sunny morning of the early autumn days # j Is a picture that no painter has the colorin' ? to mock? When the frost is on the punkin and the fod- j; der's in the shock. 11 j 1 The husky, rustle rustle of the tossels of the ; com, l\' And the rasnin' of the tangled leaves, as ' 1 L V golden as the morn; ) t ^ ^ The stubble in the fairies, kind o' lonesome < C. like, but still < p. A preachin' sermons to us of the barns they .] . growed to fill: < The strawstack in the medder and the reaper in the shed; I The hosses in their stalls below, the clover * overhead; f ^ Oh it sets my heart a clickin'. like the tickin' c *'. ofaclock, I When the frost is cti the punkin . ad the fod- A der's in the shock! ^ ?Indianapolis Journal. C I -= - r i IBS, DUNBAR'S WEDDING DRESS. Is There is&s no getting away from the heat that day, although I had pene- ^ ^ trated into woodland glooms; the ^ fierce sun seemed to heat into the Sl heart of the forest with shafts of fire. The very ferns about me curled their ^ leaves, the dry air seemed to pulsate, n and the little stream tinkled along in a a: warm, complaining way. Under green p overarching boughs I was stretched out on the wan tliin grass reading Lord lc juuneruu s "L-etiers irora liign i^ati-1 e; j-. tudes," as something eminently adapted j S to soothe the heated victim of the dog n days. Sometimes my fancy returned ! h from those limitless fields of ice to the b< present, and I longed for a fragment b: of one of those cold opaline icebergs ft to cool my parched tongue. Suddenly I was aware of other rustlings in the fz neighborhood stronger than that stirred gj by languid breezes over weary leaves, w A soft swish of silken mate&5? and a hi girlish giggle betrayed the vicinity of Minnie Brice, a pretty little blonde, b( with an inane face and a tendency to a flirtation with anv available subject. I * remained perdu, 'it was too warm for I ?; " And she has the golden hair," in Bp answered her companion. "I saw some ^ *" of Lucretia Borgia's, and it was just n( * the "same color." m "Nonsense," said Minnie. "Why, mv haiVc t] " Oh, well, she might have got a ; divorce from the last man." I "But, don't you see, if she was ^ divorced she had" no object in murder- . ing him, and if she murdered him she 11 ^^had no object in getting divorced?" u vp At this the two girls burst into as ^ , f merry a peal of laughter as if they had * j' ^ been discussing the most innocent: * z* ? f/vnift in thA -wnrld-while I lav smashing! r*' 0 AM WMV - v.- w ^ & my teeth in ineffectual rage, for Miss j a f Dun^r was the woman I loved. I i ^ h^SSRfrer told her so. I had to admit a * that there was a mysterious atmos, ? phere of melancholy about her that a ke.pt me Out of the pale. She lived !' with a rough-featured, taciturn Scotchwoman, as her companion, and her chief sin was that she made no female ^ ?? friends. She had a handsome estab- I lishment and a pretty turnout, in which v she drove, with a Skye terrier for ! & company?a pert little lump of intel- j ligence, who had the good sense to ap- j I prove of me. I had met her at all the | c festivities of this summer resort and I her melancholy beauty had somehow \ ti fascinated me more than the care-; f; less jovousness of the two reigning ! s belles, whose talk I was overhearing ; T r in the wood. She was often abstract- o ed, and looked like a woman with a j history, although I could not believe y J^fcat she was more than twenty-two at j t ^SpSie most. She had a complexion pure j i: 'as a lily leaf, and *vith scarcely the ! y g faintest "tint of rose. Only I had noted, fc In talking to her, a faint warmth, like j it - the after-glow of sunset on Alpine r snows, would suffuse her cheek. Iler a pvps were frinsred lakes of an unfath- c ~ CP # > omed depth and darkness. Her: s If? mouth betraved a sensitivesoul, and I nfF had seen her hands make nervous r movementer^-t showed unrest. Long afttH the careless girls had dis-: t KjS app ared I lay there chewing the cud ; j Hp of sweet and bitter fancies. I longed :i WgP to penetrate the mystery, to be pos-: c sessedof her past, of her present?of 2* her. I was jealous of that past and s ' all concerned in it. I was-furious at s the gossips who tal<^r about it. j and yet I was powerless to defend her. 1 I feared to test my late lest i ungui, \ lose even the r.^ht to speak to her. I In this state of longing and doubt it s happened that I did not see her again 1 till the evening of a sort of masquer- ' ade gotten up by the proprietor of the j BeUeview for the amusement of his 11 visitors. I had selected her from the I; mass of figures at once, although I had j; ^ received no hint of her costume. She i "was a sea nymph in shimmering ma- : rine blue silk, with coral and sea shells i 1 on her dress. She wore a string of ' JT "V> rientil pearls about her neck, and i < ^|at pear-shaped ones like carven j^N^beaais in her. ears. I fancied v fa su^dued excitement as she Fet." ^ie room, like the hush before \orin. I felt the electricity j in the air, but had no hint where it would strike. I happened to be standing by the side of Miss Sterrit," a fierce and spectacled old maid, as I saw Miss Dunbar enter the room and make her wav in a graceful manner among the crowd. They seemed to fall back at her approach, and I was conscious of an audible snilf from my companion jl gitiuwcu ao iici " Look at her pearls?worth a queen's ransom," she said; "the first victim, I've always heard, was an Indian nabob." I fixed a stony stare upon this creature, but she went on: "Of course you know it's about that person who calls herself Miss Dunbar I'm speaking. I'm surprised at Mr. Bond's sending an invitation to such a doubtful person; but, mark my words, she'll never come here again. I turned savagely. " What do you mean?" I cried. She gave a little titter and blinked somewhat, as if she had" looked at too intense a light. " Oh, I daren't tell. I have vowed avow! But just stay here and you will see some fun; and serves her right, too?the brazen minx?sporting a Km 11" Vi pro u-itK lior 1 >1 an cn* that's what I call it, Mr. Breton, and I'm a plain woman." " Yes, you are," I cried, "about as plain as I ever saw; but I've a word ;o say to you, Miss Sterrit. If you lare to go on circulating slanders ibout that innocent woman I'll have rou brought up to sustain every :harge in court." The spinster wilted, but glared at ue wrathfully with her pale, goose)erry-tinted eyes. I turned away to ind Miss Dunbar, and saw her sudJpnlv st.rvr? and falt.pr in hpr wait A nan in the guise of a policeman, but j vearing no mask, had marched up to ier, laid a rough hand upon her shouller, and thrust a written paper before ier eyes. The young lady uttered a iercing scream and fell on the floor. I sprang forward and seized the ruf an by the collar. " "What do you mean?" I cried. " Part of the masquerade," grinned | he fellow. " A little surprise got up | y the ladies, I do assure you. " Who'd ' ave thought she'd have taken it so j erious ?" " Because the shoe fits!" giggled ! linnie Brice, near me, and I flung the lan from me and went out to the j nteroom where they had carried the , oor girl. I was near when she opened her >vely dark eyes. I assisted her to her image, and accompanied her home, j he did not speak, but drew loDg sighs ow and then that went to my very ear't. As we neared her door I could d silent no longer. " They are rutes; I'd like to horsewhip that i jllowj and as for the women?" "You are very kind," she answered, lintly; "but don't do anything to i ive more publicity to the affair. I onder why they should hate me ? I ave let them alone." "They hate you because you are *1 1 ' _1_ 99 T // Tr _ .aumui. ajuu ricxi, x saiu. * x ou are I shilling mark." " I must go away," she sighed. "Oh!" I cried, in a sudden .feiT0&4 [cannot let you go without tei>rpg Jshe cried, shrinking *away ] a sort of terror; "it hurts me." "But why?" I urged. "I know I I n a brute"to speak now wliile your ; ?rves are so shaken, only I hoped it ! ight be some comfort for you to feel i tat you had one friend ready to brave : le world for you, to shield you from i le world's sneers, to?" " But do you not know," she said, j ith a shudder. "Are you not very j aprudent ?" "I love you," I said; "forgive me ; >r telling you now. I have such a 1 ar that you may vanish and make no gn." " . " rvocf "Let the dead past bury its dead." " And you would take me on trust ?" le said, imconsciously drawing nearer ! > me, " even when you hear what was { 1 that paper which the mock police- i ian put before my eyes so brutally | ad suddenly." "You need not tell me," I cried, "I j ould rather not know." " Ah, I shall not take advantage of i 3ur trust," she said, sweetly; "you j lust know all. Come to-morrow i ight; I shall get over this shock bv j lat time." I went home in a whirl of rage, yet ! 'ith a gleam of hojfc in my heart- I j ad composed mys^tolerably by even- I lg, but wheniphe Scotchwoman j chprpH me into The orettv boudoir, I -ith its hangings of Sevres blue silk : nd bunches of late roses everywhere, j felt once more sweeping over me the de of doubt and fear that almost i mounted to terror. Who was this ' "Oman on whom I had set my hea-t, j nd what mystery enshrined her ? "Is your mistress quite well?" I sked of the kindly-faced woman, who j ad lingered a moment to throw open ! tie blinds. " Xa sa verra weel," exclaimed the j roman in broad Scotch, "but 3Iiss ' icth's na the lass to gie way to the j apors and sic like, so she bid me say j he'd come doon." " Yoi^ve been with her a long time, ! believe'?" I asked with a sudden j uriosity. "I nursed her, sir, a bonnie lassie, j x>: but I was beguiled away by a j ause loon into matrimony, and I erved a weary seven years for my sin. ; V'omen are aye weak-hearted, sir. I'm ! ? ^ A f 1*A Y\ r\s\ " Ill V UitCh. il HiUl tuc Juvv/. So she had been away during the cars so full of fate to her loving misress, and could tell me nothing even f I had stooped to question her. But ras I not to hear all from Beth Dunar herself'? "What a quaint, odd name i was. hut somehow it suited her a rely. She came in, looking very pale, nd the dark eyes were more melanholv than ever. But she smiled as she aid: "Perhaps, after all, you will laugh at ne when you hoar niv story. " An immense relief came to me with hese words. If it were within the >ossibilities that any one could laugh it her story there could not be any lark tragedy about it. " Let us go into the garden," she aid; "it is quite a pretty place. I am ;orry to leave it." " You are decided about leaving it ?" l asked. "Oh. certainly. The good people ><" ? >v>vm me." slie an ;wered. " I do nut care to explain to :hem, but I do want to set myself right with yov." The evening was delicious?one of those soft, balmy nights that makes amends for a scorching day. Beth wore :i pale blue dress, and carried a soft, fluffy blue fan in her hand. She looked jo sweet, so gracious and womanly, that I wondered at the fatuity of the people who could read dark mysteries of crime in her face. ' I have not had two husbands," she said, with a faint smile: "no, I have never been? Oh, well, I suppose the rumors have reached you. I was ig norant tui tnai oruie pui, tue paye* j before my eyes last night?with a posi sible accusation?and a sketch of a hanging where I was the victim." "I'll have him arrested!" I exj claimed, in a rage. I " Oh. it is over now. It will not i hurt me again," she said, "and we need not allude to it?only I want to tell you that, although I have never been married, I have been engaged?twice." Her voice faltered on the last words, I and my heart sank a little. I was I inolAlio V? r\ncf T AAYll/1 T* S\+ I jccuvuo vJL JICI pact- x iuuiu i?vo ucai to think that any other man had ! touched her hand, let alone set the seal | of betrothal on lief sweet lips. "Let it all go?let the dead past go i ?if it is really dead," I said. "If ! there are no embers left of those per; ished fires that a breath might kindle again." "You will know how impossible j that is when I tell vou that botii are? : dead." A faint chill went creeping through I my veins in a blood-curdling manner j at these words. "Was there a fatality I /vVv>s?4. ~ j rtUUUb WIS \\UUUUL, <*IlCr ersuaded me that the spiriting away of my wedding dress 1 was a a blessing instead of a bad omen. ] It had been kept from sacrificing my- i self to an old man. So I yielded. The day was fixed. I was not so childish about 1 my finery this time; still I did not ; resist the impulse to view it the last thing. Stiff and stately folds of moire under cloudy illusion. I locked the door more carefully than usual, and : sprung the bolt. Spite of all my rea- ' soning I had an odd tremor at my heart, and did not sleep for a long time. I was watclxinff for the strange j' wraith-like creature. If I saw it this I time I was sure I would break the; spell that had held me powerless be- j fore, and spring forward and "Seize her j and hold her fast. But, then, how can one hold a phantom ?" She paused, her hands dropped idly in her lap. I did not speak. I saw a strange ! look in her face. Her voice was very j Hollow ana weaK -vvnen sne asKea: " What chance has llesh and blood j against spirit? and, after all, what i made me powerless was an odd feeling ! that it was myself?this wan, weird j creature! At all events. I saw her walk eut^vf the door in my second wedding uress. She had arranged the veil at the glass as before. She seemed very particular about the wreath of orange-flowers, and I watched in' breathless fascination. I thought in the morning it had been a dream till I j ovaminoH mv rnnm. Thft dress and veil were gone!" "My dear girl," I said, "your maid was a thief." " My door was still locked andI oolted, and every -window fastened and i burglar-proof. So, you see, there is a j fatality pursuing me. I can never? never?bring that presence to my bedside again." j ' The third time will break the j i spell," I said. " I am not frightened, i I am ready to brave fate for you. Let j { us be married without the wedding I dress. Some afternoon we will quietly go to the parson and ask his blessing. Dear, I have no fever and I am not in j . a decline; but I love you, and. your j love will frown ray life!" I "You are interrupting my story," j she said, with a smile. " You do not! ask about Arthur?" " Tell me." " I think he was rather superstitious. j Perhaps he did not want a wife who ' was a selfseer, for when I begged delay i he did not urge the matter. * I sent him : to Pau for the winter, at all events, j and it did him good ; but a cold storm i here proved fatiil, and lie, too, died suddenly. I could not have saved him. j His fate was sealed. So this is what j ! the gossips build their tides upon.i | There were two, and both are dead." ; Xo need to recount the arguments I 1 used. Lovers may guess them and j others would not understand. I won i my cause. I was triumphantly happy. Not a shadow upon my bliss till the i >/*?? -nooT- on,! T rom?.mV>Arp morrow fin vp. trmisft i o ? y o? * w .1 'about here all night," answered Jean. | " Never tear, I'll prop me eyes open." But I could not sleep?too much de! pended on the issue ol' that night. I | paced the garden walks alone, and | waited? " The larkspur listened 'I hear, I hear,' And the lily whispered 'I wait.' " j Suddenly the door opened and Jean looked out. I sprang forward. " Ilush !" she said; " wait and look." In that moment a white figure | emerged. i saw at a glance it v. as my I love in her wedding dress. She had | her eyes wide open, but the vacant i look of a sleepwalker was in them, i She went straight on. "We followed her, and I read the mystery at once. She was a somnambulist! She wenv'to a certain part of the grounds wlurre there was an old well . half choked with weeds. She moved the cover. Looking down in the pallid moonlight I could discern a ghostly wreath of white, and guessed the historv. She be.s born in 1839. He a claims to be a Saiyid?that is, a lineal a descendant of the Prophet through his ( daughter Fatima?and by this title he ? was always addressed by his soldiery, t " r? .. ..J T1 A -jlior 1' lie SlllUieU J.U1 il 111UC at nit university, but before completing his a course there he entered the military t school at Cairo, from which he entered t the army as a lieutemuit. Arabi first ^ came into notice during the time of Ismail Pasha, when he was degraded I from his military rank because of cer- < tain charges against him. After a long legal contest he was acquitted and re- 1 instated. During the campaign in A bys- J sinia he gained the rank of j < major, and m J.5SU lie oecame a coiuuei., A speech lie made to the soidiers on ' ( the day lie became a colonel led some ; ' Egyptian officers and men to attack 1 the British controller. Charles Rivers '< Wilson, and other Europeans con- < nected with "lie finance department, t Tills was followed by Arabi's imprisonment. from which he was soon re- t leased by a mob. He at once became a strong leader of the national party, < and continued to keep alive the discontent with t he government, growing j chiefly out of the reforms in the army. At last Arabi overthrew the Clierif: ' Pasha ministry and established an-j other, with himself as minister of war. J Early this year Arabi was displeased j < * * * % - '-a ? i Witll tlie Knedive lor liuent-iiuj; mm | his orders, and the result was a threat: to depose the sovereign unless he ae- < ceded to his minister's designs. This i threat was followed by Arabi's resig- M nation and a demand from his army : i for his reinstatement. Tiie demand :. ; was granted and Arabi was again in : power. A month later the so-called | ! Alexandria massacre occurred, and in ' July came the bombardment of the j town and the flight of Arabi at the: head of his troop?. Nothing is more dangerous to men i than a sudden change in fortune. . I . '- ' -- . ~ - Life on a Slississlppi HaiboaL The malarial districts in the north' ern part of the city during the summer months have a large population that rarely ligures in the city directory. The persons referred to are the flatboatmen, who dot th2river bank during several months of the year. All of them live in the boats, most of them have a large family of small children, and every boat, has a contingent force of dogs distributed in the ratio of about three curs to every man, woman and child on the craft. The men are mostly sallowed and sickly and the women and children crawney and raw-boned. A PostDispatch reporter made a visit to the neighborhood this morning. Just at the foot of the waterworks a num ber of flats were found tied up. Approach to the boats was cut off for some time by a yelping and mangy, pack of hungry curs. A tall man made' his appearance and in a suspicious manner inquired what was wanted. He said he was willing to tell what he knew about flatboating and seated himself on a log. Six or seven of his children of assorted sizes deposed themselves around toiiiiJten, The man was possibly forty-live years of age and clad in garments which were equally remarkable for patches and varieties of color. lie stated that he enjoyed his semi-maritime life and thought it as pleasant as any other work he could get. " How frequently do you make your trips to Xew Orleans?" " Oh, not | more than once in three years. They do not pay, you see, and we rarely make them." " "What does it generally cost for a trip of that kind?" 44 Well, fifty-five cents to $1 per day. 44 What is your plan on such runs ?" 44 We generally prepare for the trip a month or six weeks ahead, and cut loose from, here or wherever we may je three or four weeks before the ;nnw rmri stnrmv wpfl.t.hp'r SAtj5 i*t> " " What is your firsfc landing-place ifter you leave this port ?" "We stop at Cairo to take observations and lay in extra supplies. I tell rou Cairo is the 'greatest of all places n this country for flatboats. On the rip we work more tfith the fishing ackle than anything|efee, and sell >ur catch to the to^T?. along, and 1 ometimes trade in knick-knacks." " IIow long does it take you to make ; >ne of your Southern trips?" " Sometimes four months and someimes only three." " If the trip is successful what does ' t pay you ?" , J "On my last cruise'south I made, lear of expenses, $200; hut then I 1 ras gone five months. The average 5 s $100 for a trip in the fishing busi- 1 Less." 1 " Are there many flatboats moving , outh in the fall of the year?" " I have known 200 or more going ? outh at the same time. Some of the > nrp sinorlp hilt. manvfif t.hpm hnvi* umilies, like myself. "When we reach 1 ae end of our trip we generally sell s ur boats and come" back on the deck ^ f some steamer." * " What work do you do when you T re stopping here ?" " "When we get back our first work } n~' logs that' nave"%3oT~i^i?y li'vui-^ bove. If tlie owners come we are c [ways paid and return the logs. "We J lso catch driftwood, cut it into cord- j ocd length and dispose of it to glass t tctories, mills, etc., at from $2.50 to | 3 per cord. When there is no wood * oacing we go in skiffs fifteen or ^ iventy miles up the river to some of * ie drift heaps, make wood rafts and t )w them down to St. Louis, and someines we pull lumber out of the river: * ut most always the lumber companies 1 ave their regular men to do the work, 1 ou know." ( The man declared that he and his M? ?.1.^. Kim W??*TC * amuy, wuu na>cicu ot often sick. He seemed to think 1 lie life he was leading as conducive * 3 longevity as any other. He said I hat he was sure there were as many 1 s 1,500 flatboatmen in the western ountrv, and at le/! a "Ki m Pnal TciCK OX JUCJUIIJ* 10 iiicm^ iizui j ;ood to think that the "World -was ; urning itself bottom side up because le had absenteassed like all ether nights. Xo one ippeared during the forenoon to plead vith him, and the afternoon passed vithout an Earthquake or Tornado. To nimnpntarilv exnected the advent )f a crowd to plead with him to come >ack to the "World and have faith and jcnfidence, but the crowd didn't show ip. After a long and hungry night !3ruin began to weaken. After much irgument with himself he crawled out )i his den, and was sneaking through ;Le woods when he met a Hare. "Is the "World yet standing?" asked :Le Bear. " Certainly, never more solid since I ?r,n remember." ' And is any one seareaing iui me " Xot that I know of." "Everything is going on just the same, eh?" "Just the same." " And didn't you hear that I had lost ill faith in human nature, and retired from the "World V" " Xever heard "a word of it. Tra-la, aid man, I'm off." The Bear sat down on a thistle and thought the matter over for a few 1 -1 onrl a lwa. I aiinutes, iUlU lUCU IWtauu iuhuv o | line for his usual haunts, telling every j anin:al he met on the way that he had J been off on a fishing excursion. MORAL: Ths cynic who flatters himself that i he is revenging himself on the world j by withdrawing his company forgets that he will he obliged to associate I with himself.?Detroit Free Press. - _ A FORTUNE IS SHELLS. | "Extent and Valne of the Sea-Shell Trade ofj Lom Augeles, cal. The Los Angeles (Cal.) Telegram | in a recent issue says: Away down j on Aliso street, in one of the quietest i parts of Los Angeles, there is an un-> pretending build nrder from one of my correspondents an n Paris for a lot of 'mother of pearl tei hells.' I was in San Francisco next ni; lay, and in three days filled an order th or shells amounting to $40,092, which D( vas shipped direct to Paris. tes " That basket you see there is full of thi learl oysters from La Paz, on the Hex- ab lyster" sold in our restaurants. These be. ? ? awa mAwA flnf or>rl t'arm- <7P' )*Zortion of the shell. "That little bas- ba :et of oyster shells is worth ?75," con- six inued Mr. Levy. ""What for?" "Oh, tai Or button making. They are used for th< lie surface of pearl buttons, and an ometimes are more valuable than at a 1 his time. Just now* the fashion or bo age for pearl buttons is not in vogue, wi ience we pay less and have smaller pr< lemand for pearl oyster shells." oil " Our trade is largely dependent upan po ashion, and when people want pearl lig mttons we send for more shells from gr< he Mexican coast and pay a better lit * J i f linrlif QA1 nice. jijrcstrjib liic ucuianu 10 nguv tnd the trade dull." m; . Noticing the large assortment of of ibalone shells on hand, the reporter pr isked for information relative to the rade. There are four varieties known :o the trade, one of which, the large jlue-green shell, is most valuable in :ommerce. Pa 11 ti These blue-green abalone shells are gC] 'ound upon the coast of Mexico and gu Lower California, and are gathered oy j, rading and fishing boats and brought ^ ;o this city via "Wilmington. They are arger and more beautiful than the j.. California abalone shells, and comnand a high price. Mr. Levy states ;, :hat he has a standing order from Paris for all these shells he can )btain of this variety. The black California abalone shell is the next most j ! iesirable of sea-shells in commerce. ?. rhis is gathered principally by China- ' Tien along the coast, who dry the L neat and sell the shells. These are jsed for inlaid -work upon boxes, fur- .' liture, knife handles and jewelry, and n ire bringing about ?1,000 per ton. Europe is the principal market for Lhem. There is the common gray abalone shell, which is annually gath- te ?red all along the coast and has a market value of $700 per ton. These v, shells are stored at San Diego, San ^ Pedro, Los Angeles and Santa Bar- j1( bara, and shipped as the trade de- ^ n'.ands direct to all parts of Europe. Several hundred thousand dollars are j annually invested in these shells, which ? are used in the manufacture of buttons ee on/1 nrnamariic fnr t>i>>+V>o o-??n fUnrv. I selves often used for illumination, i rhey are villainously dangerous?just j ;hat and nothing less. The most hor- l, ribie hdisehold accidents reported in y )ur newspapers are gasoline explo- o .ions, explosions arising in connection ,vith the stoves and lamps made to burn t' .his liquid. Gasoline is the gunpow- t! ier that has been removed from the d :artridge to make it safe to burn; yet g Ifrft we find nAfmlp hnrniTidr +>iia .li 6^^" l ti >owder itself! In addition to the! tl amps and stoves, another source of E [anger is that gasoline for supply b oust be kept stored somewhere in the o: louse. Now the slightest leak in the tl an or other storage vessel will permit t< he extremely volatile vapor to escape n ato the air, where a lighted 'match or imp will instantly explode it. n: There are three grades of naphtha G 1 the market. A light grade is called st enzine. Xaphtha is as dangerous as asoline. If a lighted lamp contain- Sc lg this substance breaks 'the entire cc )om will be filled with a flame in an f t istant. When good kerosene retails u] t twenty-five to thirty cents a gallon b( ad naphtha can be purchased at th .even and twelve cents a gallon by sc le dealer, the temptation to adulterate ej very great; and adulteration cheats le purchaser by giving him a fluid is at only dangerous to burst but also at : far less illuminating power. pc Do not imagine because you have ne 1 honest grocer that you are safe, sh '.e did not refine the kerosene; he Gi obably did not buy it direct from fo ie refiner. The only protection is to cr; ake a simple experiment yourself, w, ' is perfectly safe. We quote Pro- an ssor Macomber's directions: "With a little care any one can test th opccnutii ui uii auu ueiermme is hether it is fit for use. A common &[j ermometer, a tea cup, saucer and a iu] tie warm water include the appa- th< tus needed. First, remove all objects om the table which are inflammable, liti it some boiling water in the tea cup pe; id gradually pour in cold water until ?temperature is about 145 degrees. )ur a little oil on the warm water, 1 d stir well until the oil has the same 1 mperature as the water. Light a br< itch and nwe it quickly two or is < ree times over the surface "of the oik me ) not hold it still a moment. The the ;t is for the purpose of determining pla e presence of inflammable vapors sta ovethe liquid. Finally plunge the bui tivr.y. i -v:?TC tow the >standard and Vaan- -fro rous. To extinguish the oil when rac hted, place the saucer over the tea- sor p. If the oil is suspected to be very Th (1, pour a little on water at about flo( :ty or seventy degrees. If it con- hai ns naphtha or gasoline it will ignite cec 3 moment a match comes over it, j the d will burn furiously. Again, pour the ittle good kerosene "oil on a smooth roc ard and apply a lighted match. It ? 11 ignite with great difficulty and wh ubably go out. Now pour a little bre which contains naphtha, or a little try or naphtha, on a board, and apply a i inf hted match. It will burst into a j hoi eat name instantly, ana uiuess vei \ j ?>u tie is used the flame will rise upward we reral feet. All these tests should be err ide in a room where there is no fire an light near, as any specimen may by ove a dangerous one. tio ?? 0f 1 lie Inhabitants of Osliima. ffe] Oshima, one of the largest of the ?01 ands between the south coast of Jan and the east coast of "Formosa, sec s lately been visited and partially de-1 ribed by Dr. L. Doderlein. it is a^t bject to prolonged and violent ty- an, 100ns. Besides what appears to be C01 e aborigines, it is inhabited by the < ore robust and better-proportioned aril ipanese. The former have a narrow ^1( ce and pointed chin. Their eyes are rcrp their Tins thin, and the bridge n? ?X w ?.v the nose convex. All the body is jia otected with thick hair, like that mi Inch distinguishes the Ainos. The th< nguage is s sort of Japanese dialect. ev, tcept some veneration paid to a de- ^r, irted relative, the author could not -tK Ld that they had any re- f0] jion. Although the population jia fifty thousand, there is fli >t a priest or a temple on the island. a ] lie customs differ greatly from those the Ainos and the Japauese. A cjg arried -woman in Japan blackens her C01 eth, for example; the Oshima women f0] > not. A woman among the Ainos j}c is her lips tatooed; an Oshima girl, , soon as she is thirteen years old, has an ;r hands tatooed from the wrists to tic ie roots of the nails by experts, but fr< ie lips receive no tatooing. The 2:: ague of the island is a snake called on' liabu." It is amphibious, pursuing :1s in the streams and climbing trees re< strike its prey on land with equal ^ .cility. Death is inevitable from its roke unless the part affected be inantly cut out, or the limb itself amitated. Villages have been abanmed where the habu prevails. The mna of the island is Loochoo in laracter ffhnerally. Xo other traveler ; X om the west has hitherto described hi shim a. sp A Savage Elephant. ^ An Indian newspaper reports that m [r. Albert G. R. Theobald, of the i de >rest department, has succeeded in dr looting the famous rogue elephant of ! in le Poonasy hills, in the Kollegal; re aluk. Mr. Theobald was twice j m iiarged by the brute, which was a' ne uge tusker, measuring eleven feet in i to eight, and which kept the hill vil-1 p? igers in terror for a very long time, j ba 'he elephant was a few years back j tb n-ith tw-pntv-fnnr others, into I or lie Kollegal Keddah, at Allambady, I w ut he resisted every effort to capture j so im; #nd, being such a large tusker, j fe o pains were spared to secure him, j ot ut it was all in vain. It is said that j te ut of the twenty-four elephants cap- j st tired with him lie killed no less than | ui ineteen. and finally broke through the ; di Zeddah gate in spite of the shots fired : zc t him and the fires kept burning, j pi ifter his escape lie is known to have \ ot illed three, two women and a man, J la nd many others had very narrow j scapes from his furious headlong harges. Besides human beings, he has j illed several cattle and destroyed great1 ui uantities of standing crops, causing nimense loss to the rvots. : tl ? ! ti Tho French residents of Xew York ; is umb :r about 10,000. i D Africa and the Africans. Perhaps there is no portion of the | world with a history so interesting as that of Africa. A few years ago this great continent was less known than any other part of the world. The in- terior had never been mapped out and < settled by white men. The great desert J Df Sahara, with its wandering tribes 1 Df Arabs, and their camels and flocks; < the great Egyptian plain and the pyramids; the vast wealth of animal life 1 ibounding in forests and rivers; < myriads of birds, beasts and lishes, ningled.together in confused ideas? t ;hese were the general notions of this t ;hird great continent of the world. < fet the history of the earliest ages of t he world is laid in the north of J Africa. After the confusion of Babel, f \ oan s son, nam, went ana seitiea m s Sgypt. I The history of the children of Israel i n their bondage under Pharaoh and c assage across the Red sea under their c ?aders. Moses, himself saved from the e raters of the Nile, connects the history f Africa with the pages of the Bible. I Egypt was afterward conquered by i: lie Persians, and then by Alexander t he Great, king of Macedon, in whose c ays, two thousand years ago, the t reat cities and wonderful buildings on "v ie banks of the Nile were ruins, so u iat they must have been built by s: Ismtian kinsrs manv hundred -vears c efore. Ethiopa was another division h f Africa. It was once called Sheba, v le kingdom of that queen who went ii ) visit Solomon, and whose dominions li ow form Nubia ancL Abyssinia. b Then there were the countries colo- a ized by the ancient Phoenicans and o: recians, which are now the Parbary a ;ates. * ti The other regions of Africa have ii :arcely any history. The ancients P >ntented themselves with very fanci- a< il stories about the inhabitants of the f* iknown interior. These were said to b; ; people without noses, and some with fe tree or four eyes. Others were de- m ribed as giants without heads, but an se e in their breasts. b; One of the prettiest of these fables to of the Pigmies, a small people, hi >out twelve inches in height, sup- th isea to live in houses- like birds' er ;sts, built of clay and eggs and bird- Ti ells, on the banks of the Xile. th :eat battles are related as being C; ught between the Pigmies and the su anes, one of whom, sometimes, P< )uld snatch up a Pigmy in his beak m u lij a way witii mm. to At the southern point of Africa is sq e large colony of " the Cape," as it ta called; and northeast of this the re< Terent tracts of country, Natal, Zu- th iand and Transvaal, where, during ou e last year or two, there have been rel irs and continuous fighting, with tie profit or prospect of a lasting Ca ace su ? otl I Southern California Horse Farm* &e r, ? ^ th; Ex-Governor . Leland Stanford's 0f Jeding farm for horses at Palo Alto br; me of the most complete establish.- tin nts of the kind in the world. Of SU] 5 seventeen hundred acres in the saf .ce, one hundred are occupied by the ag; bles, barns and small paddocks." The rac ildings, at the foot of a gentle rise j^i m their business on the pastures and. - an* ;e tracks, and have two hundred per- ag is employed in their domestic service. affi e spacious barns are uniformly ag )red and ceiled up with redwood?a dr< idsome material, which resembles th< lar in effect, They are strewn with an t ctrnw q r> r? Vpnf*. -var. ' AX tCUVAJW i, ! most unexceptionable drawing- Wa >ms. ma scions from the stock here raised, we ich represents the best thorough- M< k! and trotting strains in the coun- the , are likely to be a most important wa luence in improving the breed of on rses throughout the Pacific coast. It wc s here that curious experiments re conducted, at the expense of Gov- ho lor Stanford, for arriving at a better de; derstanding of the speed of horses se1 photographing them in rapid mo- in< n. The photographer, Mipbridge, th< San Francisco, succeeded vy an in- re? lious arrangement of electrical wires, th( limunic&ting at the touch of the an- bu O1. (ioniar!i? nlrPflrJv nrMlftrpd. l'n -rat tu J r--x , ivv uring twelve distinct views of the di ferent stages of a single stride. The ter itudes are of the most unexpected ba i curious sort, some of them highly eo] nic. fiv Great pains are taken in the raising Coi d training of the young colts. From me 5 time of foaling the colts are han- frc *1 gently and constantly, and are ed ide as familiar with the touch of th< rness as chf.y are with that of hu- ne in hands. -i.s a natural consequence Coi ?y are perfectly tame, gentle and nti en affectionate, and never need ba: ?aking. The effect of this system of ho Lining has been apparent in the per- a ( miance of some of the colts wiucn bu ve been publicly speeded against time. ie first notable exhibition of speed by Palo Alto colt was made on the Bay th< strict association track at San Franco in 1880, when the two-year-old wc It Fred Crocker lowered the record yr r a one-mile trot to 2:25?. Last year an >nita, a two-year-old filly from Palo no to, cut the 'record down to 2:24J ; ]v. d later, at the same trotting exhibi- bu >n, "Wildflower, another two-year-old fei )m the same farm, made the mile in thi >1 . "LTimrlo T?nco q vparlinor fillv X , O.JJU lilliua ?* a J y . the same day added to the fame of e farm by cutting down the yearling :ord to 2:36|. It is asserted that th ere are colts on the farm which can nu even better.? ftr. H. Bishop, in in< xrper's. ph ? ca: Standing and Sitting. tr( fn Tlie London Daily Telegraph says: tir ature, while she specially built the ne iraan form to stand erect, has 0f eciallv decreed tnat men and women iat ould occasionally rest themselves by ca, suming a sedentary position. Al- fu ost every medical authority on the on fcrmities of the human body has gu awn attention to the fact that stand- ca g too long operates in a vicious di-_ ab ction, which, by elongating certain" 0f uscles, weakens them; that from the lit ;cessity of changing position, in order in rest the muscles, it occurs that when ^ jople are standing they alternately p0 dance themselves first on one leg and 0f en on the other, but most frequently an l tlie leit, ana inai a gin wnn a na eak spine, after standing upright for me time, generally does not keep her ar et in line, but places one above the tr< her. Curvature of the spine, albeit sj( mporary, is the result. The habit of tn anding on one leg, a habit almost . aj avoidable in standing too long, in- ^ ices the shoulders to lose their hori- ie. mtal level. The one opposite to the th ojecting hip becomes higher than the jjj her, and the spine becomes deformed ^ terally at this part. tij ? se ca T i'ontonorit Tempi Crppnp who com anded the detachment of United th :ates marines which battered down ie door of the engine-house and cap- fe ired John Browq, at Harper's Ferry, now a farmer living near Firesteel, fr ak. j, 5-5 - *' ' , ?"r ' I* A DESPERATE DEFENSE. How a Small Body of Chilians Defended Themselves Against a Large Body of Peruvian Guerrillas. The foL1 owing description of the heroic defense of Concepcion, a town of 3,000 inhabitants, in the interior of Peru, by a small body of Peruvians, is :rom a correspondent of the Mercurio, >f Valparaiso: It was about 3 p. si. when the nf frnprrill?<3 vprp firct. nli?Arvut of the town. "With the death of ;he three volunteers, all hope of assistmce from without vanished. The ;nemy fired down upon the Chilian ioldiers almost as soon as they ap>eared in sight, but the fire was not eturnecl. and the diminutive garrison :ollected in the barracks. The silence m the part of the Chilians led the nemv to suppose that the garrison wished to capitulate, and soldiers and ? ndians becan to rush down the hills . cl the direction of the town. Capain Carr?o Pinto took -xk>ssession_ v. ?? the four entrances leading'"into'v ' *"v*':" lie square in which the barracks rere situated, and when the en?iy was within musket range Lmultaneous discharges from the four orners of the square played terrible . " avoc in their ranks. A running fire | 'as then kept up for an hour, inflictig heavy loss on the Peruvians. The ttle garrison also suffered some losses, ut the enemy did not dare to advance single step. At length the condition f the cartridge pouches of his men,"" nd the open hostility of the inhabimt-s, who began to take an active part 1 the affair, warned Captain Carrera into that the time had arrived for iopting other tactics. The little band ill back steadily and in order to their arracks, which they prepared to de>nd with their lives. The Peruvians ' addened with liquor, which was :rved out to them in large quantities 7 the inhabitants, approached almost ? the very walls of the barracks, and indreds paid for their temerity with ' ieir lives. At about 6 p. m:. the enay was seized with a panic and fled, he besieged attributed their flight to .e approach of reinforcements, and iptain Carrera Pinto started in purit. In the meantime, however, the jruvian commanders h^l got their en together ag&g&and ajery housep, window anjp^ot commnding the 11*0 o rr*i o/-vl / ! i Pov* ? U(XL^ ?T OO ?T I 111 OV-ZiVXlClO* ^CfcJ^T* in Carrera Pinto and his men were ceived with a galling fire as soon as ey entered one of the streets leading t of the square, and they began to treat once more. At this critical juncture Captain .rrera Pinto and some of the few rvivors of the garrison made an:ier sally, and with sword and bayo- t cut down the enemy at such a rate at they cleared the front and sides the barracks. In the meantime the ive fellows inside succeeded in pnt.g out the flame, and in removing the rvivinor xrrmr>flr ety. Just as the sallying party sun reached the doors of the bar:ks it was received with showersof^^^g^fljj i -the hordes of savageS outside ain had recourse to the use of par- . ine. The building was soon on fire ain in fifty different places, and hun- : ;ds of the enemy were perforating : i walls at various points. Lieutent Montt, who was now in command, :eived a wound in the head, but he s soon at the front of the few reining men of the garrison. Sallies re organized under Lieutenants >ntt, Cruz and Perez, and in one of i earliest of these Lieutenant Montt s mortally wounded. At 8 a. 21. lf?> T.ipntAnant. Pprf*z fpll LiiVy XVViJ, >unded in another sally, and he - \J/, is immediately pounced upon by a rde of Indians, who lanced him to ath. At 10 o'clock, of the . enty-seven Chilians compos; the garrison only four, and two of. ?m wounded, remained to offer any listance. The rest were some of jin dead and the others dying. The ilding was now ablaze in every di:tion. Pour women, wives of solirs, who had been eye-witnesses of the rible tragedy m wmcn meir nuy nds bad per shed?one of them acmpanied by her son, a little lad of e, and another by an infant who had ne into the world at the commence:nt of the attack?after removing >m the burning building the woundwho still breathed, went out into j square, doubtless hoping and beving that, owing to their sex and idition, their lives and those of the tie ones would be spared. They had rely stepped outside of the building, "3 wever, when they were set upon by :rowd of savages and were horribly tchered. The little lad of five had > throat cut from ear to ear and was rbarously mutilated, and the body of - ; ; ;;| ^ little infant of a few hours only is found pierced with six lance )unds. Lieutenant Cruz and the surfing soldiers were also surrouuded d they fell one after the other, but t until they had sold their lives dear"When the remainder of the Chaca- * ; / co battalion arrived at Concepcion, a v days after the sad disaster, 291 of . 5 enemy's dead were counted. Parasol Ants, Trinidad. En the afternoon, after arriving at 3 island in search of the cashew ts and fruit, I found the path leadl through, the thick forest in many ices actually covered with the shews which had fallen from the ;es on either side. It is a delicious lit, sometimes of a red and someues of a yellow color, with the kidv-shaped seed on the outside instead the inside, like other fruits. This ;ter is roasted, and is esteemed a delicy by many people, but if not carelly prepared is apt to cause blisters the lips. We had no difficulty in ing our baskets with as many shews as we required, and were out returning to the boat when one Mr. B.'s sons, who had been some tie distance away sauntering about the bush, called to me to come back, d, on going to where he was, he inted to what seemed a broad band . moving leaves right across the path, d, on looking more closely, I saw we r? mpf- with nnp nf those enormous :arms of the "parasol ants" which e so destructive to plantations in the Dpics. They were crossing from onq^ le of the wood to the other, and were ~. : iveling in a column of more than foot and a half in width; and as each sect carried in its mouth a piece of if which entirely covered the body, ey presented a singular appearance, :e a Lilliputian grove in motion; and, though we watched them for some ne, still they came, their numbers . eming to be inexhaustible. coining n turn them from their course; and, though they may be destroyed by the ousands, enough will swarm upon .~~TTCrj? e intruder to make him repent inter- ,'J^S ring with them. On the mainland : South Africa I have known a fruit -JgB ee stripped in a single night by a varw of these ?nts.?London Field*