Stephens City star., October 22, 1881, Image 1

About Stephens City star. (Stephens City, Va.) 1881-1883

Image provided by: Library of Virginia; Richmond, VA

                
HERE SHALL THE PRESS THE PEOPLE'S RIGHTS MAINTAIN, UNA WED BY INFLUENCE AND UNBRIBED BY GAIN.
' '■ — JZTL ". _ ■
CHARLES E. PAINTER, Editor. STEPHENS CITY, FREDERICK CO., VA., SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1881. VOL. 1.-NO. 16.
That Line Fence.
Old Farmer Smith came home in a miff
From his field tho other day,
While bis sweet little wife, tho pride of his
life,
At hor wheel'was spinning away.
And ever anon a gay littlo song
With tho buzz of her wheel kept lime ;
And his wrathful brow is clearing now,
Under her cheerful rhymo/
"Come, como, Uttlo Turk, put away your
work,
And lißien to what I say ;
What can I do, but a quarrel brew
With the man across the way?
' I have built my fence, but he won't commonoo
To lay a single rail;
His cattle get in, and the feed gets thin, '
I ant tempted to make a salo !"
" Why, John, dear John, how you do go on !
I'm afraid it will bo as they say."
"No, no, littlo wife, I have heard that strife
In a lawyer's hands don't pay.
"He is picking a flaw, to drive me to law,
1 am told that he said he would,
And you know, long ago, law wronged mo so,
I vowed that I never should.
" So what can I do, that I will not rue,
To the man across the way ?"
"If that's what you want, I can help you
haunt
Ttat mau with a spectro gray.
"Thirty dollars will do to carry you through,
And then you have gained a neighbor ;
It would cobl you more to peep in the door
Of a court, and as much more labor.
" Just use your good s.ense—let's build him a
fence,
And shaino bad acts out of the fellow."
They built op his part, and sent to his heart
Love's dart, where the good thought mellow.
That very same night, by the caudle light,
They opened with interest a letter ;
Not a word was there, but three greenbacks
fair
Said—the man was growing hotter.
HERMA, THt LION-TAMER:
It was in the begining of the year
1859 when tho famous Harsborg men
agerie came to Bucharest for the first
time. All the town was in a state of
great excitement about the number
and rarity of the animals, the beauty
of the lionß, and abovo all about the
tamer, who performed some remarkable
feats of strength, Herman Dalstren
was hor name ; sho was a young Swecd,
beautiful, distinguished, bold and un
approachable. It in true that the was
supposed to bo the mistress of the
owner of the menagerie; but tho rich
Boyards who lavished homage upon her
in order to win her good grace wero
met only by cold politeness and a sar
castic haughtiness which drove them
away. She livod with the llarsberg
family at the fiwlt hotel in the town,
went to the managerio and returned
rom it in .a carriage like a lady of
high degro..'; recoived no visits, and
was never seen alone either in tho
street or anywhere else. This vostal
severity puzzled the gallants as woll as
the ordinary mortals, so that the
Swedish lion-lamer soon became as
popular at Bucharest as La Catalina
and Lola Montez.
One night Princo Maniasko, the
spoilt child of tho ladies of Bucharest,
who had just returned from an excur
sion to Taris, came to the managerio
He reviewed the different animals in
company with some friends, was highly
amused by the explantions and by the
feeding, and at last stopped before the
lion's cage awaiting the arrival of the
beautiful Swetd with a special smile
on his lips. Suddenly a littlo door
opened in the back wall of tho cage
aud Herman appeared in the midst of
frantic applauses. She threw off, with
an indcsoribable movement of pride,
the large silk cloak that coveted her,
and advanced into tho cage dressed in
a costum ol white satin bordered with
ermine, a whip in her hand, tall, slen
der, with the nobolost faco in the world,
to which her golden curls and her fresh
color inpartod an irresistible grace.
The princo was at onco fascinated; he
followed each of her movements with
feverish agitation, His heart beat
whon she placed her pretty head iv
the terrible lion's mouth, and he trem
bled, half for pleasuro, half for fear,
when she began to harangue the dis
obedient animals and kick and flog
them.
Hardly had Herman left the cage
when tho Princo Manasko was bowing
down before hor while she put on hor
cloak with the aid of Edgar, Harsborg's
son, a young man or remarkable beauty.
Bhe fixed her blue eyes, astonished and
almgst frightened, upon the ideal of
a beautiful, almost femine figure ; she
did not reply to his questsons proudly
andjcoldly, but with embarrasment and
and with a smile of indescribable sweet,
ness.
The prince came every night, and
Herman received him not only with
affability, but sho even looked for him
with a rapid glance as soon as she en
tered the cage, and when she left it she
stampod her foot if the prince was not
there to help her on with her cloak.
But that wa* all the princo could
obtain, and the more untractablo she
showed herself to his prayers, the more
he was urged on by a diabolical desire
to possess her. An unexpected rival
came to his aid. Edgar said to Hcrma
one night with a trembling voico be
fore sho entered the cage.
"Until now I thought you were my
fathor's mistress, and I havo not spoken;
now I toll yon I love you, and I will
never consent to your lowering your
self with that Boyard who is already
aflianced to a princess, and who is only
making sport of you."
"It is true that you havo ajvmeee."
"It is true," ho replied; "but ai
soon as you please I will put a stop to
that tiresome romance, and prostrate ,
myself at your feet as your slave."
"But you do not love me?"
"How must I prove that I lovo you V"
She drew her self up before him.
'Como an hour before midnight to i
the little door of tho menagerie," she
said in a low voice and with courago- j
ous rsolution. ,
"I will come," was the reply. |
And ho came ; and when he left the
menagerie in tho midst of tho shades |
of night, two straining arms wero j
around his neck and two burning lips ,
were pressed against his own.
Socn tho talk in tho clubs wero of
nothing but tho liaison of Maniasko
with the beautiful lion-tamer, and the .
young prince's father, anxious for the
future of his son, hastened as much as
possible his marriage with the Princess
Agraflne Slobuda, to whom ho had been j
affianced when ho was a child. A vio- ,
lent scene took place between the |
father ami tho sou ; at last the latter |
yieled, aud one night he did not ap- .
pear at the menagerie. ,
Henna passed a night of anguish. ■
Two evenings she again waited in vain .
for her lover; then she worte to him
and received no auswer. .
The fourth night as sho was coining
out of the cage and wrapping herself
in her cloak, Edgar said to her, —
"Henna, shall I tell you why the
wretch comes no longer?" \
■ "Tell me," she said in a emotheriug
voice. "I am ready for everything."
"He will be married in three day's."
"You lio."
"Why should I lie ?"
"What is the namo of his bride ?"
"Princess Agraflne Slobuda."
"Is she pretty ?"
"Beautiful, young and rich."
A strident and hideous laugh broke
from Henna's lips.
' 'Will you shed a tear for me, one
only, if I die for you?" said Edgar.
"And if I avenge you and kill him—"
"No, Edgar ; you must not tjacriiice
yourself—not you."
"Must that villiau be left unpun
ished?"
, "Certainly not," she replied, tran
quilly and firmly.
"Then lot me kill him," Baid Edgar,
with trembling lips.
"No," said Henna, "leave him to me."
The next day Prince Minaasko was '
sitting in the charming little boudoir of
his bride and rolling a cigarette for her,
, whon the princess, with a mocking .
, smile, exprossed hor wish to see onco
i the celebrated lion tamer who was so
much admired by everybody. '
, "How can such an idea como into '
your head ?" asked the prince, and the
yellow tobacco slipped from between '
his white fingers.
"I have heard so many marvels about '
this person that I havo taken it into my
head to be present at ono of hor perfor
mences, and that, too, this evening, and
in your company, prince."
When Horma entered the cage that
evening she saw Maniasko, and at his
side a ravishing creature, who lixed her
opera-glass upon her in a provoking
manner. She felt it and started, but
only for a single moment, and then
began her feats with tho lions with her
accustomed haughty coolness. When
after a successful feat she reclined on
the back of one of tho big lions, whilo
i the others walked round her in proces
sion, the princess cried loudly "brave,"
• and threw a purse of gold into tho cage,
i A murmur of disapproval rose from
among the spectators. Henna began to
I tremble, and tears flowed from her
I beautiful eyes; she lost empire over
i herself and over the animals that snr
' rounded her; the big lion raised his
I head, looked at hor with astonishment,
. and suddenly grippled her left arm. A
cry ol horror sprang from a hundred
[ mouths, but Henna had already re
i covered herself ; a look and a command,
i and the lion loosened he* arm ; she
sprang up, seized the beast by the mane,
placed her foot on him and lashed him
until he was completely subjected and
lay docile at her feet.
Enthusiastic applanso and shouts of
approbation rewarded her courago.
"When will the wedding take place ?"
sho asked of Edgar when she had left
the cage
"Tho day after to-morrow."
"Will you undertake to give him a
letter yourself, and to him in person ?"
"If you command me."
"I beg you to do so !" nprma pressed
Edgar's hand, but he seized hors and
covorod it with kisses.
The next morning the lion tamer
wrote to the princo. Sho wished to see
him only once more, and begged him to
como to the menagerie at tho usual
hour, "promising, in return to leave
Bucharest on the day of his wedding.
Edgar gave the letter to the princo
himself, who read it, smiled and said,—
"I will come."
An hour bofore midnight the princo
appeared at tho door of the menagerie ;
it 02>ened noiselessly as usual. Hernia
appeared, dressed in a short fur jacket,
in the pale light of the stars and the
show. Sho took him by the hand anil
led cautiously along tho dark passage.
Am usual, a second door grated on its
hinges, and Henna, leading tho prince
into that completely dark space, put her
arms aronnd his neck aud kissed him
with savage tenderness.
Then sho suddenly disappeared; the
door was shut violently, and the prince's
foot touched something living which
moved. What was it ? Had she not as
usual led him into hor little salon ?
A moment afterward a bright rod
light appeared. Henna fixed a torch in
a ring in front of tho lion's cage, and in
the midst of the prison, in the midst of
the lions, was the princo. Henna stood
with he rarms folded before the bars,
and fixed the prince coldly with her
large bine eyes; a diabolical smile
played on her lips.
The prince with a rapid movement
tried to open the door, but in vain.
"In heaven's name, Henna, what is
your intention ?"
"I am celebrating my marriage with
you and my lions are to be my wed
ding guests."
"Aro yon mad?"
"I am in lull possession of my senses.
You have betrayed me. I have con
demned you to death. Now to wake
my friends?" And she woko up the
sleeping liens and excited them with
her whip, while tho princo cried for
help. But his cries wero drowned by
the wintry storms. Tho lions, irritated
and encouraged by Henna's cries,
sprang upon him. His blood was already
flowing. He supplicated and defended
himself desperately, whilo she, hor face
loaning against the cold bars, feasted
her eyos on his mortal anguish.
Some time passod before the lions
finished their horrible work. Whon
the prince lay dead on the floor of the
den, the lions slunk away frightened
and began to lick their bloody paws.
That very night the beautiful lion
tamer disappeared from Bucharest, and
she has never been heard of since.
How to take care of Harness.
A harness that has been on a horses
back several hours, in hot or rainy
weather, bocomes wet; if not properly
cleaned the damage to the leather i»
irreparable. It, after being taken from
the horse in this condition, it is hung
up in a careless manner, traces and
reins twisted into knots and the saddle
and bridle hung askew, the leather
when dried retains the shape given
when wet, and when forced into its
original form damage is done to the
stitching and the leather.
point to' be observed is to keep the
leather soft and pliable. This can be
done only by koeping it woll charged
with oil and grease. Water is a de
stroyer of theso, but mud and the
saline moisture from the animal aro
even more destructive. Mud, in dry
ing, absorbs the the grease and opens
the pores of the leather, making it a
proy to water, whilo the salty character
of the perspiration from tho animal in
jures the loather stitchings and mount
ing*. It therefore follows that to
presorvo harness the straps should be
washed and oiled whenever it has been
moistened by sweat or soiled by mud.
If a harness is- thoroughly cleansed
twice a year and when unduly exposed
treated as we have recommended the
leather will retain its softness and
strength for many year.— Boston Jour
nal of Cheimstry.
A street in Paris is to be named after
Madam Adam. Of course, thon, it will
be called Eve.
The Boy or the Age.
Have you seen him ? His age is
doubtful. Sometimes we thiuk him a
hnndred, so much sagaoity he develops ;
then again he is well characterized by
tho French as the enfant terrible. He
has a very inquiring turn of mind, as
when ho picked the chicken to see what
was undor tho feathers. He sailed his
little chip schooner on the half-hogs
i head, and finally tumbled iuto the swill.
He managed to tie a dish-towel o : the
calf's tail and lot him loose. "Nater
capered," and what gymnastics followed.
Even Bridget laughed until the colic
ensued. Oue day, in somo unaccount
able way, he climbed to the ridgepole
of tho barn and then roared for some
one to rescue him from death, and fat,
old, wheezy grandpa must nearly kill
himself in getting his son and heir
down. Ah, "that boy!" His red,
chubby face, his sang /raid, his torn
trowsers. And what a digestion he has !
The saints defend him I "Mary," says
grandfather, "that boy will certainly
kill himself," and grandpa is astonished
by the remark of his namesako that he
is "too previous." He looks at him
severely for a momont and then pro
ceeds to fill up the plate.
But when ho foil into the fish pond
back of the barn and they took him out
drenched and ashen faced, the sodden
ringlets about the still mouth, grandpa
was speechless. But when the life
came back the first word was "How aro
you, grandpa ? I had a bito. And when
tho tears caursed down the furrowed
cheeks, "that boy" remarked "This is
a pretty wet time." One day he ran
away. He had determined to become a
tramp. For two days tRe household
was in an uproar and grandpa said, "if
thoy over found him, they would chain
him up." When a good neighbor
brought him back he was grinning, one
shoe gone, hat invisible, jacket in shreds
and he had an appetite that was simply
enormous. But he was quieter for a
while. Abetted by Patrick, he drove
the donkey into the summer kitchen
one morning and tied him to tho pump
handle, and when Bridget found him
she just pnt her apron over her head
and ran screaming away. He cut a bar
of Bhavihg soap nicely out of a potato,
and his grandsire fumed and fretted be
cause "that soap wouldn't lather," aud
one evoning when the old gentleman
had got drowsy he tied him to his chair
and then rang tho bell furiously. He
told his aunt that his sire "swore a
great oath." He probably said "Great ,
Ciesar," as that was the favorite form
ula when the heavens were about to fall.
But that boy ! Who can catalogue
his pranks, his quaint conceits, his
sweet, exasperating wilfulnees ; who
can phase the gracious pssibilities that
bend over him ? What lovo finds its
inspiration in this young immortal?
What prayers and tears and hopes like
a halo wreathe themselves, around that
golden head ? He may have a genius
for getting into an awful muss and get
the neighborhood in a panic He may
lack in reverence and bo especially in
opportune in his remarks when stran
gers are present. He may be the scape
grace for all household sins ; but, after
all, the icons salute thee, thou child of
the century I Six thousand years open
their sepulchres of wisdom for thy
quest! Thou art a rogue, the embodi
ment of naughtiness, the twentieth cen
tury in breeches, the enigma which no
one can guess, a human maze, but we,
in common with godfathers and god
mothers, salute thee!
Limits to Belief.
There are limits to human belief.
You may believe what the candidate
says in convention ; you may believe
what Yennor says about the weather ;
you may believe what the old settler
says about the winter of 1852, or the
summer of 1853 ; you may believe what
a man tells you in a horse tiade ; you
may believe what a man says who was
at the Centennial; you may believe the
army liar, and you may [ believe the
snake liar ; but when a man takes his
cigar from his lips, and with a guileless,
simple prefix of a place and a date,
starts in on a trout story, bar and bolt
and lock and double lock the gates of
your belief when he gets to the place.
Don't believe a single solitary trout, not
though it weighs lees than a pound.
Under the shadow of the trout dies, and
the man who fishes four Jays and only
hooke, one lone trout, so small that ho
loses it in his empty basket, comes
home the biggest liar of them all.—
Hawheye.
An electric Light has been suc
cessfully used on a locomotive in Aus
tralia. It illuminated tho track clearly
, for 500 yards, but the atmosphere thero
is exceedingly clear.
A Shrewd Rascal.
A certain Hungarian countess, well
known for her riches and beauty (the
same spirited lady who Hist year
seconded her borther in a duel), grace*
with her presence the performance at
the Araea, or summer theatre. On
ono of her fair fingers my lady
wore two splended diamond rings
exactly like each other. I)uring
an intermission thero presented
himself in her box a big fellow in gorg
eous livery, six feet of the finest flunkey
imaginable. Quoth he, in the finoßt
Hungarian, "My mistress, Princess P—.
has sent me to beg of your ladyship
the loan of one of your rings for five
minuets. Her highness has observed
them from her box opposite, and is
very anxious to examine one more
closely, as she wishes to havo one made
after the pattern." Without an instant's
hesitation, the handed a ring
to "Jeames," who bowed with respect
ful dignity and retired, Tho perfor
mance over, the two great ladies met
on the staircase, and the countess beg
ged her friend to keep the ring at her
own convenience. "What ring, my
dear ?" Denouoment I Tabloan! The
" powdered menial" was no flunkey at
all, but a thief, and the ring was gone.
The police were informed of the im
pudent trick. Justice seemed to have
over taken the culprit in a very few
strides, for next morning the countess,
while still en rodeeleehambre, received
a letter informing her that the thief had
been caught and the ring found on his
person. "Only," added the more, "tho
man stoutly denies the charge
and declares the ring to be his
own. To clear up all doubts, pray
come at once to the police station or
send the duplicate ring by bearer." To
draw the second ring form the finger
and intrust it joyfully to the messenger,
a fine fellow in full police uniform, to
gether with a handsome "tip" for the
glorious news, was the work of a
moment. Only when my lady an
hour later betook herself radiant to
the polioe station to recover her jewels,
a slight mistako came to light, "well
my rings? I could not come myself
the instant I got your letter." "what
letter, madame ?" Denouement! Tab
leau No. 21 The thief had got them
both !
The Kmigraut's Baby.
There was a single group of emigrants
gathered in the long dreary passage
which leads down to the river at the
Central depot, and as tho passengers
waiting for the midnignt train strayed
that way they observed a stolid pathotio
look on each face, that told of some
greator sorrow than the lonolinoss of
a strange land. There was the aged
grandmother, tho father and mother and
a family of half-grown children—little
men and women —who moved and talked
and looked like their elders. But they
wero all silent, and sat motionless on
the hard benches on which their rude
luggage was piled. Between the father
and mother was a rough bed oxtom
porized from shawls and comforters and
a coarse cloth coat, and on that bed tho
youngest of the family was sleeping,
but there was that in the aspect of the
group that denoted such a deep sorrow
that one of the passengers approached
and asked :
"Is the child sick?"
The Norse poople shook their heads
—it was an unknown tongue to them.
But one of the boys had picked up a
few English words, and he answered
without moving a muscle of his face :
"Yesh—shleeps."
An hour later au official stopped and
looked at the group. Then ho turned
down with no ungentle hand the cover
lid from what he believed to be the
sleeping child.
"Why," he exclaimed, starting back,
"this child is dead."
"Yesh," said the boy who could speak
English, "schleep—dead."
And these people had sat by thoir
dead for nearly eight long hours racked
with anxiety as to what they should do,
distracted with grief, yet unable to
express a word of their trouble to
the many sympathizing hearts within
reach.
They left the little yellow-haired
girl-baby, consigned to a foreign grave,
and went on their way, but though they
shed no tears there was that in their
blue eyes that told of a deep wound,
and doubtloss in their new home they
will miss the quaint little figure in its
bine woolen dress and round white cap
and tiny wooden shoes—the little
Norse baby that lies alone under the
shade trees of Mount Elliot.— Detroit
Post.
The Baltimore Oriole was a decidod
success in every way.
ITEMS OF INTEREST.
The depth reached in the artesian
well ab Duaham, North Carolina, is
1,030 foot.
Coos, the name of a county in New
Hampshire, means, in tho language of
St. Francis Indians, Tho Pines.
Thirty murderers aro in iail in Phila
delphia. That is nothing. New York
was threo times that number.
W. F. Cody, known to famo as "Buf
falo Bill," was shot at threo times by a
crank at Council Bluffs, lowa. One of
the bullets grazod his cheek, and wa*
flattened considerably.
The authorities of the Ohio State
University have great difficulty in keep
ing tho sexes apart, and have issued
stringent prohibitory orders. A re
bellion is threatened.
New York fears a water famine. The
Sun says : " Unless copious rain* fall
in Westohester and Putnam counties
between now and tho Ist of November,
this city will find itself entirely desti
tute of Croton water."
A girl at Anderson, Kontucky, having
no money to trim her Sunday bonnet
with bright colored feathers, [killed a
neighbor's brilliant lined rooster, and
adorned her hat to her liking. But the
owner of the fowl had her arrested, and
she wore the hat in court instead of
hurch, as she intended.
It is given to some to work on objeota
that are great and striking, and to
others to fashion those which are
smaller and less conspicuous. But in
tho eye of the Master he who works on
the littlo is as worthy as he who devote*
himself to the large. Fidelity is the
test of his devotion.
What the Mormons Believe.
What is it tho Mormans actually be -
lieve ? It may be briefly condensed as
follows: When the confusion of the
tongues occurred at the building of the
Tower of Babel a certain clan of the
builders emigrated to the American con
tinent. How they crossed the Atlantic
is not stated. They gradually peopled
the new continent numerously, became
exceedingly sinful and had a great civil
war compared to which the "late un
pleasantness " was a mere unpleasant
ness indeed. In ono battle 2,000,000 of
combatants are said to have been slain.
The inference is that very few ex.-
Babelitios were left after the fighting
ended. During the roign of King Zede
kiah a tribe of Hebrews came over, and
for the second time the continent was
settled, vast nations sprang into being,
became grand and powerful, and fought
in gigantic wars. At length a terrible
cataclysm occured. Tornadoes of un
precedented violence and fearful earth
quakes made wreck of mighty cities and
ravaged the whole land. Entire ranges
of mountains were uprooted. Soon
thereafter Christ made His appearence
on this continent, and to the survivors
of Nature's convulsions He revealed Hi*
divine truths. Under more favorable
auspicos the peopling of the continent
was resumed. For a considerable period
virtue reigned and population multi
plied, but the fnations grew rich and
haughty and again tremendous war*
broke out. Two immense armies were
marshalled in line of battle one evening
at a point near tho present city of Pal
myra, N. Y. One army consisted of the
Nephites and tho other of tho Liim
anites (the latter now being known a*
the North American Indians). Fearful
of the result of the pending struggle
Mormon and his son Moroni that night
buried in the hill Cumorah certain
sacred [tablots having engraved upon
th.'in the records and history of the
Nephite race. On the following day
the rival armies met, a quarter of a
million men were slain and the Lam
anites remained masters of North
America. All this occured in the
neighborhood of 1,500 years ago. When
the prophet, Joseph Smith was quite a
young man an angel directed him where
to find these tablets, and, with divine
assistance, ho translated them and the
result was the book of Mormon. In
addition to the work there are doc
trines, mysteries and " rovolation*"
without end, constituting in the aggre
gate that strange jumble of religious
ideas known to the world as Mormon
ism. When Joseph Smith grew to man
hood and had collected a large follow
ing he engrafted upon tho new religion
the system of polygomy, claiming to
have bad a "revelation" commanding
him to do so. Not, however, until
Utah became tho home of the Latter-
Day Saints (a* they oall themselves)
was polygamy openly and defiantly
preached and practiced.— San Francisco
chronicle