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\ lini' of CARBON. Tell mo, Jo.^p of carban burning IjurW in th.< glowing grate, Whilathy flames rise twisting, turning, yaenck in m* this curious yearning, Ages part elucidate. Toll mo 01 the time when waring High above the primal world. Thou, a giant pahn-troo, lifting Thy proud hvud al»ovd tho shifting Of the storm-cloud's lightning hurled, WIOlo tlie tropic sea, hot laving, Koirifl thy roots its billows carled. Tell iv ■, did the mammoth, straying Near ttiat mighty trunk of yours, On th«» WdBM stop and &ux\, Which th.v ample Iwise display*, Or his w<»ry liiulis down laying. Sleep away the tardy boon? IN-rcharnv mom iiioiistrnwuatiriau, stilting, \Va.lilUsl up the neighboring strand. Or leapt into its native. .-m.» With Mini tiring of anility, Thouuh -i.. ungainly on tlw land: While M*r your roots, iv l>!<v>J-.(taiued fray, Mayb«> tw.> ichthyc beaxtd colliding. Bit vi: fought their liv*** away. Tell we, i.i.-.ont paJm-corpoe, was then In that world at yours primeval, Aught .1: may la perfect shape? Was there .•.•>klV and mm t!)er\> evil Vcs ther" u»n? or was i: ipe? V ■:! me, . :inj> of eatbon, burning I.it : i -i the glowing grute, I.ios ■>•■!•■ in each human fane S nettling of the monkey* traco ? Tell UK- haw we lost a link? Stir thy coaly "frail; lad think, Whllo thy >yl-flatu«>B rLs- and .auk, A^i-m .Kwit elucidate. — Ctuim'ttra' JvarnaL just in Time. Dinner '.v.1.-; over at la.st, aud Mr. Wal ter Oum..\ English Commissioner at the up-country station, at Hutttuvßagh, in Northern India, had gone upon the ve r.mda with his wife and his two guests, the Colonel and Major of the th light infantry, bo enjoy the cool of the even ing. On three sides the house was snr rounded by iks compound, a large in closed space serving the purpose of a pard, '"'it the fourth was only sep aratedby i small patch of garden.from Hie road, along which a number of native women « re passing with their little pitchers <::: their heads. The sight of thc-m naturally turned the conversation upon \ favorite subject with all Anglo-Indians, viz., the char act< i of the natives and the best mode of dealing with them. "There 8 only one way," said the Colonel, emphatically. "Tell'em what they are to do, make 'em do it, and thrash 'em well if they don't. That's my way " Well, [venture to differ from you there, Colonel," said Mr. Currie, quietly. " I had bo do some thrashing once or twice, I own, but most of my native ser vants get along very well without it, and they seem to serve me excellently, I v 8 you. "I wi.sU you had been in my place, then," retorted the Colonel; "you'd have changed your opinion, I warrant. Why, the year before last, when I had charge of two battalions of the rascals down at Suttepoor, because there wasn't another Queen's officer within reach— just like my confounded luck !—there was no getting anything done unless I did it niy&olf. By Jove, sir! I had to be everything at once—my own Quarter master, my own Sergeant Major, my own caterer, and—" "And your own trumpeter, Col. An nesley ?" asked Mrs. Ourrie, with an arch smile. The Colonel's broad face reddened ominously, and au explosion seemed imminent, when a sudden clamor of angry voices from the road below drew them all to the front veranda. The cause of the disturbance was visi ble at-a glance. Two haif-drnnkcn En glish soldiers, .swaggering along the road, had oome into violent contact with a native wlio was runn;ng past; and (me of them, enraged at the collis ion, had felled the poor lad to the ground, and was unclasping his own belt with the evident intention of }>eat ing .'lim unmercifully. *' Served the young whelp * right,'' shouted the Colonel, rubbing hishands ; " that's just what they all want." The other officer, Maj. Armstrong— popularly called Maj. Strongann—was a huge, brawny, silent man, whose forte, lay in acting rather than talking. During the whole discussion he had sat like v great bronze statue, never utter ing a word; but, at sight of this man ill-using this child, he woke up rather stiirtliugly To leap to the ground twelve feet be low, to dart across the garden, to vault over the high stockade beyond, was the work of a moment for the athletic Major, and in another instant he had raised the boy tenderly from the ground, while say ing to the foremost soldier, in the low, compressed tone of a man who means what he says : "Be off with you." ** And who the deuce are you, shovin' yer nose in where you ain't wanted?" roared the infuriated ruffian, to whose eyes the Major's plain evening dress bore no token of his being an officer. " Jist you—" The sentence was never finished. At the sound of that insolent defiance Armstrong's sorely-tried patience gave ■way altogether, and the j>owerful right hand which had hewed its way'through a whole squadron of Shiv cavalry fell like a sledge-hammer upon his oppo nent's face, dashing him to the ground as if he had been blown from the mouth of a gun. " Well.done, Maj. Armstrong,"shouted Mi*. Currie from above. '' You deserve your name, and no mistake." At that formidable name the soldier took to his heels at once, and Armstrong, without even looking at his prostrate an tagonist, proceeded to look at the hurts of the boy." The latter was sorely bruised in many places, and the blood was trickling free ly over his swarthy face ; but the little hero still did his best to stand erect, and to keep down every sign of the pain which he was enduring. " You'ro a brave lad, and you'll make a soldier some day," said the Major to him in Hindoostanee. " Come with me, and I'll see that no one molests you again." The lad seized the huge brown hand which had defended him so bravely, and kissed it with the deepest reverence; and the two walked away together. Six months have come and gone, and Mr. Cmrie's hospitable home presents a very different spectacle. The pretty garden is trampled into dust and mire, ■nd the bodies of men and horses are lying thick among the fragments of the half-destroyed stockade. All the. windows of the house are blocked up, and through the loop-holed walls peer the muzzles of ready rifles, showing how steadily the besieged gar rison stands at bay against the counties*, enemies, whose dark, fierce faces and gUttering weapons are visible amid the lialf-ruinod building and matted thick ets all around. The Sepoy mutiny of 1807 is blazing sky-high over Northern Twrjia, and OoL Annealey is blockaded in Huttee- Bagh, with a certainty of a hideous death for himself and every man of the few who are still true t<V him, aitfass help comes speedily. Day was just breaking when two men held a whispered council iv one of the upper rooms. "No fear of the water mniung short," said Maj. Armstroug, " buty even upon half rations, the food will be out in four days more." "And then we'll just go right at them, and cut our way tlirough or die for it!" growled the old Colonel, with a grim smile on his iron face, for, with all his harshness and injustice, Col. Anu^sley was "grit" to the backbone. "Wt> mustn't say anything to them about it, though," added he, with :v side glance at Mr. Currie, who, standing in the further corner, was anxiously watching the thin, worn face of his sleeping wife. At that moment a loud cheer from below startled them both, and the next moment Ismail (the "Major's boy," as everyone now called him) burst into tho room with v glow of unwonted ex.oito nient on his dark face. "Sahib,' 1 cried he, "there is hope for ius yet! A detachment of IngleeK (En glish) are coming up the other bank of tbe river; if \w tan send word tv them as they pass we are saved." "How do you know?" uaked the Major eagerly. "I heard the Sepoys say so, while 1 was lying hid among the bushes yon der," answered the lad. "Among the bushes yonder?" roared the Colonel, facing around. "Have you really been in the midst of those cut throat villains listening to what tliey said. Whatever did you do that for'?" "I did it Cor Sahib Armstrong's sake," replied the boy, proudly; "because he was good to me." The Colonel tnrned hastily away to hido the Hush of not unmanly shame that overspread his hard face; and Arm strong smiled .-.lightly as he hoard him mutter: *'By Jove! these chaps arcu't so black as they're painted, after all." "Bnt 9. the troops are beyond the river how can we communicate with them?" asked Mrs. Carrie,who, awakened by the shouting, had arisen and joined the group. "They rmnr not pass near enough to hear the nrSg, and we have no means of sending them word." "Fear nothing for that, mem-sahib" (madam), answered the Hindoo boy, quietly. "I will carry them word my self." '•But how can you possibly do it?" cried Mrs. Currie, thunderstruck by the confident tone in which thi^ mero child spoke of a tusk from which the hardiest veteran might well have shrunk. "Ldsten, S;tliib," answered Isniail <; I will slip out of the house and make a dash into the enemy's lines, as if I were deserting from you to them, and you can tell your people to lire a shot*or two after me with blank cartridge as I go. Then the Sepoys Avill receive me kindly, and I'll tell them that you're all dying of thir.st, jmd that they ikusfconly wait one day more to make sure of you, so that they won't care to make another attack. Then, when they have no sus picion, and think I'm quite one of them selves, I'll bt^ai away and Blip across the river." " But are you quite sure tho Sepoys will believe you?" aaked Maj. Arm strong, doubtfully. "They'll believe this, anyhow." re plied the- boy, deliberately making a. deep gash in his bare shoulder and stain ing his white frock with th£ blood as he glided from the room, followed by Arm strong. The plan was soon ejfilained to the men below, and a moment later Ismail's dark figure was seen darting like an ar row across the open space in front of the building, followed by a quick discharge of blank cartridges from marksmen at the loopholes. The sound of the firing drew the attention -of the Sepoys, sev eral of whom ran forward to meet him. In another instant he was in the midst of them. "I can scarcely see for those bushes," said Col. Annesley, "but lie seems to be showing them the wound on his shoulder, and telling them it was our doing." At that moment an exulting yell from the enemy came pealing through the air. " That's the story of our being short of water, for a guinea!" said the Major; "it was a very good thought of his. If it only delays their attack two days lon ger, there may be time for help to arrive yet." Slowly and wearily the long hours of that fearful day wore on. The heat was bo terrible that even the native soldiers of the garrison could barely hold their own against it, and the handful of En glishmen were, also helpless. Had tho Sepoys attacked them, all would have lx-en over at one blow ; but honr passed hour, and there was no sign of an as sault. At length, as afternoon gave place to evening, a movement began to show itself in the enemy's lines. Then curls of smoke rising above the trees showed that the evening's meal was in prepara tion ; then several figures with pitchers in their hands were seen going toward the river, among whom the Colonel's keen eyes detected IsmaiL " By George !" cried the old soldier, shipping his knee exultogly, "that lad's worth his weight in gold ! There's bis way down to the river right open to him without the least chance of suspicion. Why, lie's a born gentleman—nothing less!" Every eye within the walls was now turned anxiously upon the distant group, fearing to see at any moment some movement which would show that the trick was detected. How did Ismail mean to t accomplish his purpose? Would he' plunge boldly into the river, without any disguise, or had he some further stratagem in preparation? No one could say. Suddenly, as Ismail stooped to plunge his light wooden dipper into the water, it slipped from bis hands and went float ing away down the stream. A eiy of dis may, a loud laugh from the Sepoys, and then the boy was seen running frantically along the bank and trying in vain to catch the vessel as it floated past. " What on earth's lie up to ? grunt ed the Colonel, completely mystified. "I see ! " cried Maj. Armstrong, tri umphantly; "there's a boat yonder among the reeds, and he's making for it. Well done, my brave boy!" But at that moment a yell of rage from the Sepoys told that the trick was discovered. Luckily those on the bank had left their pieces behind, or poor Ismail would soon have been disposed of; bnt the alarm instantly brought up a crowd of their armed comrades, whose bullets fell like hail around the boat and its gallant, little .pilot. " Let us fire a volley .and make a show of sallying out," said the Colonel; "it'll take their attention from him." But in this he was mistaken. The first rattle of musketry from be hind the house did indeed recall most of Ismail's assailants, but at least a dozen were left, who kept up an incessant fir ing .striking the boat .again and agaia. All at oneo the Colonel dashed his gliiss to (ho floor with a frightful oath. Between the two gusts of emoke ho had seea tho boat turn suddenly over, and go whirling down the river, keel upward. " There's an end of the poor lad," mut tered the veteran brokenly. " God bless him for a brave little fellow. And now, old friend, we must just die hard, for there** no hopo left." 'Bhe first few hours of the night passed quietly, and the exhausted defenders, utterly worn out, slept as if drugged with opium. But a little after midnight the quick ears of the two veteran officers —the only watchers in the whole gar rison except the sentries themselves— caught a faint stirring in the surround ing thickets, which seemed to argue some movement on the part of the enemy. Listening intently for a few moments, they felt certain that they were right,' and lost no time in arousing their men. The scanty stores of food were opened once more, and, crouched together in the darkness,. the doomed men took what they fully believed to be their hist meal on earth. " They're coming !" said Maj. Arm strong, straining his eyes into the gloom through a loop-hole. *' I hear them creeping forward, though I can't see them." "What the deuce was that?" ex okkhued the Colonel, suddenly. "It looked like a liery arrow flying past." "It's worse than tliat," said the Ma jor, in a low voice. " The rascals are shooting lighted chips of bamboo out on to the roof to set it on fire. Send the women up with buckets to riocd the thatch; there's not a moment to lose." M I'll go and see to it myself !" cried Mrs. Carrie, hastening out of the room. But the power of this new weapon had already become fatally manifest. The house wae an old one, and dry as tinder from the prolonged heat, and as fast as the flames were quenched in one place they broke out in another. When the day dawned the fire had al ready got a firm hold of one corner of the building, and a- crushing discharge was poured upon all who attempted to extinguish it, while the triumphant yell of iao human tigers below told them that they felt sure of their prey. " It's all over with us, old fellow," said the Colonel, grasping the old comrade's hand ; " but, at least, we shall have done our duty." " Give mv one of your pistols," whis pered Mi's. Cnrrie to her husband, in a voice that was not her own. " I must not fall intdrtheir hands alive." At this moment Maj. Armstrong was seen to start and l>end forward, as if lis tening intently; for he thought—al though he could scarcely believe his ears—that he had suddenly caught a faint sound of distant firing. In another instant he heard it again, and this time there could be no doubt, for several of the others had caught it likewise, and a gleam of hope once more lighted up their haggard faces and bloodshot eyes. Louder and nearer came the welcome sound, while the sudden terror and con fusion visible among the enemy showed that they, too, were at no loss" to guess the meaning. Then liigh above the din arose the well-known " hurrah ! " and through the sxaoke-ckrad#broke a charging line of glittering bayonets and ruddy English faces, sweeping away the cowardly mur derers &b tho sun chases the morning mist. " That boy's worth his weight in gold," said CoL Annesley, as, a few hours later, lie listened to Ismail's account of how he had dived under the boat and kept ifc between him and the Sepoys, that they might think him drowned. " He's the pluckiest little fellow I've seen, and, although he belongs to the Major, I'm going to take my share of helping liim on, by Jove !" How Famous Writers Work. It ie carious to recall the manner in which "The Great" seek inspiration and how they work. M. Alexandra Dumas, fils, is a morn ing worker ; the dawn finds him already up. He salutes her with a genial coun tenance. His habitual good humor proves that his health and his mental faculties are in complete equilibrium. He is hungry immediately on rising and attacks a good plate of soup with the eagerness of a rustic. After that he seats himself before a large secretary and writes until noon—in negligent dress, aa you may suppose. M. le Comte de Buffon, before entering his study, al ways put on his court dress, did not for get his sword, and did not deign, except in lace cuffis, to occupy himself with the humble animals whose history he was writing. There are few coats more threadbare than those of the master of all. I have namod M. Victor Hugo. M. Hugo is also an early riser, but he does not live on Boup. Before noon he lives only on his thoughts. He writes a great deal and his heart is in the work. In his long walks ho prepares the work of the mor row, and as his memory is prodigious he has only to write out what his faithful memory dictates. He has often related to his friends that in his youth, during a rainy winter, he was* occupied with his " Marion Delorme." He had chosen as a place of exercise, under shelter, the Passage dv Saumon. The first act, a marvelous commence ment, full of passion, poetry, and fire, was the work of two afternoons spent in promenading in the passage of dingy shops, where were sold, side by side, stockings, straw mattings, and butchers' caps. Lamartine, another early riser, com posed his most beautiful verses on horse baok. That was a habit worthy of an aristocratic poet, a lover of the open air and of heaven, who, not possessing the Pegasus of heroic days, gave wings to an English saddle horse. Byrpn showed this sportive taste, probably because he had a club foot. The poet, beloved of lovers, Musset, adored the reveries of evening. But it was not under blue heaven, by the splen dor o£ the stars, thn.t ho evoked, the muse of night, whose' voice still vibrates in young hearts. It was in the glare of candles, at the angle of a table reddened by overflowing cups. George Sand always wrote at night. Lady of the manor during the day, de voted to her guests, making preserves and engaged in needlework, it was at 1 o'clock in the morning, when the cha teau was fast asleep, that the genius awakened and gave to us "Mauprat," "Francois do Champi," " Consuelo' 1' and a hundred other works.— Paris pa per. 4 — —**. * Mother Eve copied Satan. Satan ate, and Eve ate. And the daughters of Eve have acted like Satan ever since. This was handed in by a wretched bachelor. Oar first thought was to de stroy it, but we concluded to print it in order to show to what depths a man outside the reigning influences of wife and family may descend, —Boston Trajn^ script : c. ,: A TATjF< OF TBIE VAT-TAIL. Down in a swamp where the aldcrg bloom A wary cat-tail hung Ita head. My heart is wrapped around with gloem; I would, 1 would, (.hut 1 wern dead { Lifohero is never hilarious, And alwayu somewhat mahtrious,'' Said this discontented cat-tail. " Wljy am I not a fair moss-rose, ' That a pout's strain might teU of mo, Or a maiden press mo to her noso, And gently, tenderly, smell of me ? Oh, how I bemoan in} humble walk] " And a largo tear trickled down tiro stalk Of the sorrowful, weeping cat-tail. M But sinco my lot with grief is rife, Since fate, cruel fate, so decrees, I'll do my bunt, aud the orango of life I will most thoroughly squeeze; And I'll lift my head—l will, indeed— And put off for a period going to seed," Said thin very virtuous cat-taii. So it pushed aside the green- loavcw that Surrounded it like a olosot, « And the neighboring plants wore astonished it ltH great adipose deposit. . On other cat-tails it quite looked down, For none grew mo plethoric and brown As Cub noble-hearted cat-tall. logger and browner tb« cat-tail grow,. Till at last, ono summer day, A maiden fair, with eyes of blue, Came driving along that way. Sho had studied artistic decoration, And gave a delighted exclamation When sho saw the noble cat-tail. She spared it not; in its noble prime -Bhe cut jr. chort on Ilia spot; Bat it know it was near ita seedy time,. And it won hi rather be- cut than not. And it almost erupted it.* sleek fat Hide With it* fervid joy and its honest pride, This stout but modest cat-tail. Th maiden showed to all her friends Her captured cat-tail, brown and tall ; Sho mad.' it a bow with loops and ends, And hung it up against the wall. The humble cat-tail w:w much elated. In its position BO elevated, j A3 a decoralivo cat-tail. For by its sido there hiu'g ia state • Some Kensington-work on flannel, 'While a one-leggt-d stork looked for ilia inato From a pleasing neighboring panel. ' And the«i with a. gorgeous peacock's feather And a Japan eso fan all hang together, With the now aesthetic cat-tail! —Harper's llazar. Terrible Adventure, In the spring of 1876, Mexico was in a tumult. Lerdo, the Chief Justice, succeeding to the Presidency at the deatii of Juarez, and afterward elected for a second term, announced himself a3 a candidate for the third. Hi 3 political opponents, enraged at the thought of a third term, uprose in all directions and declared for Diaz. In March of tliis year only the rumblings of the rebellion were heard, but society was daily becom ing more and more disturbed. Armed men were everywhere about, and many bands of lawless ruffians were scouring the outskirts of the cities and towns, stealing from the farmers, and leaving behind them desolation and dospair— truly a peculiarly dangerous and un fortunate time for a foreigner to set out on a journey. On a lovely morning in early March, a young American gentleman left the town of Matanzas to travel to Jalapa. The narrow .road at first winds up the side of the mountain, turning sharply around sudden bends, where a single misstep of the horse or mule would hurl the rider far down into the valley below. It is as if the great mountain had been hollowed out, and the jagged sides left standing, with a rude path trending from the base to the summit. The American was accompanied by six na tive horsemen mounted on mustangs similar to his own, and four footmen. The whole party were armed. After passing about half way up the mountain side the traveler baited, and motioned to his followers to do the same. For a long time he sat motionless in bis sad dle gazing out at the exquisite picture before him. In the distance, far below, lay the wonderful valley of Matanzas, the '' Garden of Mexico." The rich, ex cessive vegetation could plainly be dis cerned, and a few light and graceful clouds hung drifted against the tower ing rocks. The beams of the lately risen sun were pouring over the hill tops and illuminating the vast plain l>e neath with a fresh and rosy light. He must have been indeed a prosaic and unappreciative man who would pass carelessly by such a woudor-work of na ture. His reverie was suddenly broken by a shout from above. Looking up he saw a single horseman picking his way care fully toward him. He was soon "recog nized by the men as a resident of Mat anzas. When lie drew near he spoke rapidly and excitedly to the escort in their peculiar patois, gesticulating vio lently all the while. The effect was immediate and startling. The entire body of native horsemen, with one exception, and all the footmen, turned sharply around and made their way rapidly do-n-n the mountain side, without a word of explanation or fare well to their employer. The only one who remained was Filomeno, who had been sent by his master, a friend of the traveler, to accompany him to Jalapa, and who understood English after a fash ion. He sat motionless in his saddle, gazing after his countrymen, now fast disappearing around the curves of the pathway. "What's the matter. Filomeno ?" asked the American at length, rising in his saddle as he spoke, and shading his eyes with his hand, as he looked after the de serters, " what did that fellow say that has made all this fuss 7* "He said," replied the Mexican slow ly, " that revolution had already broken out at Jalapa ; that the terrible soldiers of the plains are before us, and that if you proceed ycu will be surrounded and killed." "Stuff," said the American, "I am not afraid. Filomeno, let us go on." And, as he spoke, he tightened iis hold on his horse's rein, and was about to proceed, when he saw that Filomeno had not stirred. "Come, Filonieno," said he, " time is slipping by and we must be off. Surely you are not afraid to accompany me ?" "Nomatter," answered the Mexican, "but I cannot go as I am. All these robbers know Filomeno, and would give a good price for my head. If Igo with yoiflmustgo disguised. Wait;" and, turning around, he scrambled lightly and quickly baok from the road toward a little hut near by, whence a thin wreath of smoke was curling lazily up through the clear morning air. He was gone scarcely fifteen minutes, and when he again drew near the American hardly knew him. Filomeno had disappeared under the guise of a charcoal-burner. "Now I am ready; I have left my horse where it will be taken care of," he said, and now on foot he fell into his old place close behind the American's mus tang. And so they journeyed on, up into the clouds and then down again, over the »ich breasts of valleys which are only found in the tropics, and along the tracks of old watercourses, and through brooks and little rivers of a peculiar greenish hue. Around them was nature in all her wasteful luxuriance, but no sign of anything human to help or hinder them. That night they encamped in a small valley, and resumed their journey at daybreak. At 11 o'clock on the morn ing of this day they were drawing near Jiiiapa. Tlijfiran was beating down out of a cloudless sky; the heat was in tense; and a deep stillness seemed to Imvo set tled over the great plain. Before them was the Valley of Jalapa; on the right the Volcano; of Orizaba, its cone white with snow and ice its sides covered with that luxnrianco of foliage only known where eternal summer reigns. The American, too tired even to no tice this, was nodding in his saddle, and for a long time had not spoken to has companion. He was aroused by a low cry from Filomeno. Turning toward him and following the direction of his eyes, he saw a large body of horsemen galloping toward him.' He could see at once that they were hot regular soldiers. They advanced in "confusion, and no two men seemed dressed alike. It was a squad of the dreaded guerrillas on a for aging expedition. With a terrible (eel ing of despair the American again looked around for Filomeno. He had lied. The American was alone, with a hundred wild and lawless Mexican robbers bear ing down on him, like a rushing wind across a placid lake. In a moment, as it seemed, they were upon him and around him. Resistance was useless. A score of pistols pointed at him, a score of 'swords, were raised above his head, and a score of long sticks with knives on the ends, called mcttchez ies were pricking him in all directions. He was pulled off his horse in a twink ling, stripped naked in the midst of a dense circle of howling savages,' who were cursing and fighting for his various articles of dress. At length lii« clothing, arms and valuables were divided. ■ The leader of the band, with the American's watch dangling from his belt, shouted out an order to his men. Two troopers armed with mafchezies rode up to the prisoner and commanded him to walk before them. "You American devil," they exclaimed in Spanish," you dog of a spy, be off to Jalapa. When we get you there we'll teach you to" sneak around our lines. March ! " . And in order to add emphasis to their words they prodded the prisoner with the points of their matchezies till the blood started from more than one wound on his arms and legs. Angry, faint and sore, and half blinded by the fierce rays of the sun, the American wheeled around and upbraided the leader for these in dignities, and especially for depriving him of his clothes. lifreply, one of the soldiers pulled out from under his saddle a piece of coarse and filthy matting which he carelessly tossed to the pris- oner. " Take this," he said: "it is toohmall for you, but the fleas in it will keep you warm." And .so, wrapping this dirty covering about his shoulders, our countryman started on his painful march to Jalapa. At 3 o'clock in the afternoon they reached the town. The American was hustled into a wretched adobe hut on the outskirts of the village, and the Mexicans, after posting a guard around the place, tied their horses under a shed and gave themselves up to rest and bois terous recreation. Inside the lint on a rude bench the American sat silent 'hoar after hour. At length he walked to a little window and begged for water. There was no respon.se. The bare walls only echoed his cry of "Aqua f aqua I" All the next day, too, the prisoner was kept without food or drink or clothes. At times bis mind wandered a little. At sunset the cool evening air somewhat re vived him. He moved his bench under the window of the hut, and stretclring himself under it listened carelessly to the, idle conversation of the soldiers out side. Suddenly h?s heart gave a terrible throb ; a cold perspiration overwhelmed him, and he fainted. What he had heard wa3 this: The soi dicrs were talking about a fair that was to open in Jalapa on the morrow, and they were detailing to a new-comer some of the amusements that had been planned for the occasion. "We are going to have a shooting match at noon," said one ; '; we havegot an American spy in that box yonder, and we are going to tie him to a stake and shoot at him with our revolvers. Whoever kills him will get five 3ilver dollars. The dog's hours are num bered." ♦ These were the words which had fallen on the American like a pall. It was probably much less than a hour that the prisoner lay insensible. Then he roused himself, and, like the brave man that he was, looked his doom in the face. So he was to die, and die the death of a miserable cur ; he, the inhabitant of a pleasant Northern city, with youth, health, kind friends and fortune. To bo tied to a stake in a Mexican market place and shot at for a paltry prize. These thoughts were maddening. He called fiercely to his captors to liberate him; he strode furiously up and down the room ; he rushed to the window and rattled the bars ; and finally from sheer exhaustion he sank down on the floor in despair. He lay still for a long time. He could not mark the hours, but at length he knew by the cool wind that crept in through the bars, that day—his last day—was not far away. Then he heard a cock crow ; and then he saw a bright ray of sunlight come flasliing into his miserable hut, and he was sure that he had but a few hours more to live. He made up his mind that he would die bravely. He rose to his full height, stretched his limb.s, and raised his head proudly. As he did so he heard a sound of horses galloping toward him. He rushed to the window and looked out. A cavalry officer, in a fine uniform, with flashing arms and equipments, and followed by a squad of men, was coming every mo ment nearer and nearer. The lounging guerrillas around his prison started up and stood respectfully aside; several who lingered were knocked over by the hurrying hoofs of the horse men. The officer rode close up to the hut, and, pulling his horse almost on to his haunches, he leaped to the ground. With a quick and angry cammand to the guard at the door the bolt was drawn back. The American, entirely naked, was standing in the middle of the room. Advancing, and speaking iv English, the officer said: "Who are you, and where do you come from?" "I am an American traveler from the State of Massachusetts," was the reply. "Massachusetts!" said the other; "thatis near Connecticut. I went to school in that State years ago. I like Americans. Yesterday I heard, in this city, that some rascally devils had cap tured an American and were gohig to torture him at the fair to-day. It is fortunate for you that I liave come." Then taking off his coat he insisted on the American wearing it, and, in re sponse to his call, other garments were soon obtained. "Now/ said the officer, "take this horse and come- to my quarters." Then, turning around, he shouted out, in Spanish, to the chief of the- guerrillas: "Francisco, if I hear of another prank like this, I shall send my orderly to blow out your brains. " At the officer's quarters, in the city, our countryman jreeeived every possible attention, and as soon as he was rested and refreshed he was furnished with* horses and money and escorted safely to Vera Cruz. Cold Snaps. " We're havin' some pretty wintrish weather," said old Daddy Wotherspoon to Uncle Sammy Honniwell, as the two gentlemen met near the City Hall. " Right for'ard weather for the season." "Jist so; jist so," conceded Uncle Sammy. "Reminds me of the fall of 1831. It commenced long the fore part of Noveml>er, and froze stiff till March. Good, smart weather, too. I remember that it wan so Gold in Brooklyn that November that bilin' water froze over a hot fire." Daddy Wotherspoon looked at him and braced himself. "Yes, yes." aaid he, " I mind it well. That's the fall the milk froze in the cows. But the cold season waa in 1827. It commenced in the middle of October and ran tlirough to April. All the oil froze in the lamps, and we didn't have a light until spring set in." "Ay, ay," responded Uncle Sammy, growing rigid. •' It's just like yesterday to me. I walked 140 miles* due east from Sandy Hook, on the ice, and slid back, owing to the convexity of the earth, you know. It was down hill oomin' this way. But that wasn't as cold as the winter of 1821. That season commenced in September, and the mer cury didn't rise a degree till May. Don't you remember now we used to breathe hard, let it freeze, cut a hole in it, and crawl in for shelter ? You haven't forgotten that?" "Not I," said Daddy Wotherspoon, after a short pause. " That's the win ter we used to give the horses melted lead to drink, and keep a hot fire under 'em so it wouldn't harden till they got it down. But that was nothin' to the spell of 1817. We begun to feel it in the lat ter part of August, and she boomed stiddy till the 30tii of June. I golf through the whole spell by living in an ice-house. It was too cold to go out doors, and I jist camped in an ice liouse. You remember that season of 1817. That's the winter we wore un dershirts of sand-paper to keep up a friction." "Well, I should say I did," retorted Uncle Sammy. "What! remember 18W? 'Deed I do. That was the spell when it took a steam grindstone four days x to light a match. Ay, ay! But do y<Ai know I Was uncomfortably warm that winter ?" "How so?" demanded Daddy Woth erspoon, breathing hard. " Runnin' around yonr ice-house to find out where you got in. It was an awful spell, though. How long did it last? From August till the 30th of June ? I guess you're right. But you mind the snap of 1813, don't you ? It commenced on the Ist of July, and Vent around and lapped over a week. That year the smoke froze in the chimneys and we had to blast it out with dyna mite. J think that was the worst we ever had. All the clocks froze up so we didn't know the time for a year, and when men used to set fire to their buiid in's so's to raise the rent. Yes, indeed. I got $3,000 a month for four burnin' buoldin's. There was a heap of sufferin' that winter, because we lived on alco hol and phosphorus, till the alcohol froze, and then we eat the brimstoue ends of matohes and jumped around till they caught fire. Say, you—" But Daddy Wotherspoon liad fled The statistics were too much for him. Brooklyn Eagle. A Trapper's Encounter with a Panther in Maine. Dave Mosher, a trapper and guide in the North Woods, Me., had a terrific encounter with a North Woods beast recently. Three miles from Sacondaga Lake there is a wild, rugged pass between the mountains, known as the Black Cat Valley. The mountains on either side are very steep and rocky, and are covered with a heavy growth of black balsam and spruce timber. A.s the snows deepen and the weather becomes cold, many deer and animals tnke shelter in that locality. Among the rest are the rock-marten, hav ing a valuable dark-colored fur, known among trappers in those regions as "Black Cat." They seldom move by day, keeping concealed in trunks of trees or between the fissures of rocks. Owing to the uncertainty of finding one twice in a place, and their natural shyness, it is quite difficult to trap them. However, when they become pinched with hunger they will jump at the bait without hesitation. A keen, strong, steel trap is set and cov ered with snow or leaves, directly under a drooping branch that the animal can reach by rearing; upon this is secured the bait, and in the effort to reach which it is pretty apt to step in the trap. Then comes a sys tem of desperate manoeuvres, and the only way to hold them is by having the trap-chain attached to v small sapling that will spring and lift them off the ground. This sleek" fine-furred animal is about the size of a red fox, and, as David used to express it» "they're a sassy varmint to get holt on." As Mosher was going the rounds of his traps he saw throu<fi the bushes ahead a terrible commotion under a large white birch, where a trap had" been set. As he approached, a long, gaunt, tawny-colored, fierce-looking animal, whose wild scream upon the mountain-side at night will send a thrill of horror to those who are safe in the cabin, sprang upon a lower limb of the birch, and bid defiance with glowing eye*. It was driven to desperation by hunger. Had David quietly backed out he could have enjoyed his supper of venison and pan cakes. But no, he raised the old rifle and fired. In one fourth of a York minute, Bill Stewart's exact time for skinning a Mon tezuma bull-head, all the clothes upon him would not have made a bib for a china doll. He directly found himself beside a log, partly scalped, with his lower limbs looking as though they had been through a threshing machine, while, at the same moment, with a spit and a scream, a panther disappeared up the mountain-side. When he came up the panther wn.s en gaged in killing and devouring a marten wjhich was caught in the trap, and his ban ger being partly appeased was the means of the trapper crawling off with bis life. • The editor wrote "An evening with Saturn," and it came out in the paper "An evening with Satan." It waa mighty rough, but the foreman Hfiid it was the work of the "devil." And it looked that way. After friendship and love come benevo leiioe and that compassion which unites the leuo to the unfortunate. PJfE FAMILY IHHH'OK. Ip wo add a pint of pure water to a pint of impure water, we dilute the im pure water, and it is made that much tho more pure. If we add a dozen pints of pare water to it, we dilute it still mere, and bring it nearer purity yet; but if we add a certain number nu»se, instead of the impurity becoming di luted, it in absolutely destroyed, and Dr. Letlterby, of London, says that the water ia perfectly pure. It is tho samo way with impure air. A certain quantity of pure air added to it, dilutes the bad air and makes it lean noxious, while if a certain quantity more is added, the im purity of tne air is destroyed, an in the case with impure water. Any person can judge of this from the good effect of much pure air upon bad air. The following hints concerning the use of tea may prove useful: L Whosoever uses tea should do bo in great modera tion. 2. It should form a part of the nieal, but never be taken before eating, between meals, or on an empty stomach, as it is too frequently done. 8. Tke best timo to take tea is after a hearty meal. 4. Those who suffer with weak nerven should never take il at all. 5. Those who are troubled with inability to steep nights should not use tea, or, if they do, take it in the morning. G. Brain workers should never goad on their braias to overwork on tho stimulus of tea. 7. Children and the young should never use tea. 8. Tho overworked and underfed should never use tea. 9. Tea should never be druuk very strong. It. It is better with considerable milk and sugar. 11. Its use should at once be abandoned when harm cornea from it 12. Multitudes of diseases come from the excessive use of tea, and for this reason those who cannot use it without going to excess should not use it aft all Dit. Day says in a late lecture : What ever fee the plan of treatment decided upon rest is tho first principle to incul cate in very severe headache. Rest, which the busy man and anxious mother caimot obtain so long as they can man age to keep about, is one of the first remedies for every hcadaohe, ami we should never cease to enforce it. The brain, when excited, a3 much needs quiet and repose as a fractured limb- or an inflamed eye ; it is obvious that the chances of shortening the seizure and arresting tho pain will depend on our power to have this carried out actually. It is a practical lesson to keep steadily in view m that there may lurk behind a simple headaohe some lesion of unknown magnitude, which may remain stationa ry if quietude can be maintained. There is a point worth attending to in the treatment of all headaches. It ia that the head be elevated at nigbt, and the pillow hard; for if it be soft the head sinks into it and Incomes hot, which, •with some people, is enough to provoke an attack in the morning jf deep has been long and heavy. Except a Turkish bath, nothing is more efficacious in. tho sore throat of children or .adults than a wet compress to the throat. Doublo a towel two or three times, so as to make a pad that will fit snugly under the chin and over the throat, and let it extend around irom ear to oar. Then bind a thickly folded towel over tho wet pad, having JJig towel wide enough to overlap the edges of the pad. It is best to pa-ss this outer covering over tho head, and not arouud the neck after the btyl& of a cra vat, the object being to exclude the air so as to keep up a por.-piratioa over the diseased part*;. But if the 6oreness in low down on the throat, tho outside towel may be passed around tho nock ; yet, when this is done, it ia much more difficult to exclude the- air. The wet compress may be put on cold or warm ; but, when eoid, it soon becomes warm from the boat of the skin, and L* really a warm vapor bath. Wl>en tho pad ia taken offi^ tiie throat should bo washed in cold water to close the pores, and then well dried with a towei. This ia appli cable to croup and to all kinds of sore throats, and will be found more cleanly and equally zs efficient as grandmother's stocking filled with ashes. Loss of Sight. A Kttlo accident, carelessness and ignor ance in regard to the condition, strength and power of the eye to tiiduro, has give» to many an early biindn&ss. It may not he generally understood that writing <m the cars, steamboat, coach, or anything in m» tion, is intended to impair the eyesight. The sculptor Crawford, was accustomed all hia life time to read lying down. To this, very largely, the physicians attribute tho Joss of hLs eye. Very soon a cancer formed in the other, which caused his death. The great historian, PreacoU, lost his eye-, sight when a student, by a bit of bread thrown in sport by a fellow student at the table. A pair of scissors or a fork thrown in sport or anger, has caused the loss of an eye which the wealth of the world cannot re place. A friend who was very ambitious ie finish a set of linen for her brothers, spent almost a winter in the stitching, sitting up often late at night over tho. work, in which she took great delight. The result was, the nerve of the eye was so injured that she was obliged -wholly to give up sewing, knitting and reading, under penally of becoming per fectly blind. A young lady, who lived but ten miles by train from twhool, used to spend the time in sfcndying a certain lemon while she was rid ingdown in the morning. The* result was a severe affection of the eyes, which dbabled her from study for a long time. It is al ways hurtful to the eyes to read in the train, tho-ngh we may not soe the effect so plainly when it happens only occasionally. A steady practice like this, young ladies, may produce even worse results When the system is in a bad state. Never rend by twilight, nor before eating in tlie looming. The little you gain in time will ba doubly lost before lilo's sundown. I know a young clergyman who is a re markably well-bred man, but whose eyes are a perfect deformity. He said he rained them by reading at night, long and intently, when be was getting his education. He seems to have no control of the lids, which twichand move in a most grotesque manner. Don't fancy you can do what 3*oll please with your eyes?, and yet havo them serve you faithfully. Take good care of them as you would of gold, for gold can never re place lost foresight. When once wo lose our eyesight, wo lose tie greater part of the light, and joy of oar life. Ax-teb the stage manager had exhaust ed liia patience and fifteen minutes' time in endeavoring to teach a couple, of supea to repent a few lines, ho broke out with: "It is of no u.se; you fellows are like the Siamese twins—you can never * got a part.'"