New York dispatch. [volume], March 29, 1885, Page 6, Image 6

About New York dispatch. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1863-1899

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
6
TRUE WORTH.
BY L. E. B.
By the pleasant fire they sat one night,
Husband and wife alone.
And they talked of the changes they had seen,
And of how the years had flown;
Of the sons, now scattered far and near,
/nd the daughters wooed and wed;
•‘jWe’re only two in the house once mor®,
Oh, Mary, my wife 1” he said.
•• When wo were alone, forty years ago.
So young, and happy, and poor,
There wasn’t a prettier girl than you,
Nor a better one, I am sure.
I promised you then I'd make you rich,
If you’d only share my life;
I’m worth a million pounds to-day 1
A million of money, dear wife I"
•• How much am I worth?** she, smiling, asked.
He looked in her tender face;
He looked in her eyes, then closed his own.
And thought for a little space.
" You are worth the life I’ve spent with you,
You are worth its richest joys;
Yon are worth more gold than can bo told—-
You are worth my girls and boys.
•• You aro worth the years that are yet to come;
You are worth the world to mo;
O, Mary, there is not gold enough
To say what you are worth to me 1”
•‘Well, dear, I was worth the world to you
More than forty years ago;
A million is but a bagatelle
To the whole wide world, you know.
*• So, then, we have never been poor at allj
Now isn’t it nice to know
That you wore a million billionaire
More than forty years ago ?
We were happy then, we are happy now,
So tell mo the difference. Frank T*
•• It isn’t much,” ho said, with a smile;
•• I’ve gathered a million from the pile,
And locked it up in a bank.”
THE WHITE MAM.
BY ROGER STARBUCK.
Her name, or where she came from, was a
mystery to all aboard.
A strange but a beautiful little maiden she
was—picked up from a drifting, seal-skin canoe,
near Hudson’s Strait, by the crew of the Now
London ship “ Apollo.”
For many days, the lone ship, with iee-piated
bow, had vainly cruised in quest of the missing
sealing bark “ Walrus,” which was commanded
by the searching captain’s beloved young
nephew, Carl Reefer, who, it was now feared,
was lost, with all his men.
Queer enough it was to fall in with a girl-waif
afloat in this desolate region. But little she
seemed to heed the cold or the gloom of the
frosty clime. Merrily did she laugh when she
saw the ship; somehow her voice had the tink
ling sound of drops of ice falling upon the
waters of a crystal cave. She wore a coat of
white bear-skin, and, from a fur cap of the same
material, her long, light, flaxen hair, powdered
with the snow, which was falling, hung to the
hollow of her back.
Everything about her, except her eyes and
lips, looked white, from her jaunty round hat
to the soles of her gaiters, which were of white
seal-skin. Her complexion was like the snow
itself, her skin as smooth as ivory, and oven her
eyes were of a light blue, but soft, brilliant, and
full of expression. And yet they who caught
the starry glances of those eyes felt as if a shaft
cf ice had struck to their very hearts.
Why was this ? It was a hard question to an
swer, for never was maiden gilted with lovelier
features, or with a more shapely head and face
than she, and never was naivette, with child
like innocence of manner, more plainly shown
by a girl of fifteen.
“ How white she is 1” said the captain to his
second officer, Roberts—a dark, handsome
youth of nineteen.
“ How white she is I” muttered the boatswain,
uneasily.
“ How white! how white 1” echoed all the
•rew.
She could neither speak nor understand Eng
lish, but she clapped her hands, as if glad to get
.board that ship.
The captain, by signs, inquired if she was not
cold and hungry, and invited her to the cabin,
where she could warm herself, and where the
steward’s wife would procure her refreshments.
She scooped up a little snow from the rail, and
minced it with her pearly teeth. Then she
rubbed more snow over her fingers and cheeks,
as if to imply that she loved it, and was not :
cold.
“Eating snow!” muttered the superstitious ,
eld coxswain. “Does she mean she lives on it? ;
Ay, it would seem so, and she has the look of a
irost spirit, or something of that kind, come to
bring bad luck to us all I”
It was, however, soon shown that the White
Maiden meant she had an appetite ; but, before
entering the cabin, she picked up a quantity of ■
enow, put it on the capstan, and, to the surprise '
of all the officers, fashioned, with a skill truly ,
wonderful, a little snow-ship, with hull, masts,
jib-boom, and even some ot the rigging. Around
this she piled square' pieces ot snow, made to ,
resemble ice ; then, with one hand, she pointed
to the image she had made, and with the other
far way to the north-west, where fioes and col- ,
urnns of ice were dimly visible.
The spectators thought it was easy to under
stand hep meaning. ,
11 A gll’p—a wreck in the ice, off that way, and
she is from the wreck—come to tell us about it,”
said the captain.
“ Perhaps it is the very craft we aro in search ,
tn,” remarked the captain’s second officer,
Roberts. ,
"There Was no women aboard the bark ,
•Walrus,’” said the captain. “Still ilioro is
no knowing but that this girl may somehow
have got aboard. We will look for the craft,
and God grant that it may provo to be my
nephew's, and that wo may find him sa’o and
sound.”
Days passed ere the ship could make any
progress on Lor now course, owing to baffiing ■
winds and currents. The wind became colder, ,
and from truck to deck she was so sheeted with .
ice, that it was hard to work her sails and rig
ging. On the bow, tiro figure of the good
Apollo, which was made of wood, and was hol
low, became filled with salt water which had
frozen, and now threatened to burst the image
asunder.
One morning, therefore, the captain had the
statue brought to the atter-deek. It was how
ever, so badly cracked in many places, that the
carpenter said it was not worth repairing—that
it might as wall be thrown overboard. The
head with the ice in it had dropped off, split
asunder, as if by a wedge, and the rest of tho
image was almost ready to burst apart.
Meanwhile, tho white maiden was often on
fleck. Her childlike manners, sweet smiles
and sp»J ,<, ’ ns eyes, frequently drew young
RobertsToTer siaer When ho looked sad and
gloomy, on account of the little jmpression he
made on her, she would only laugh. «■
“ Roberts,” tho captain would say to tho sec
ond officer, “ she is too white to have much
heart. Take care.” •
But the young man, fascinated, still followed
her like a faithful dog. He seemed able to in
terpret her slightest wish. He knew by the
movements of her lips when she was thirsty,
and would bring the nicest snowballs when
they were to be had, for her to sip with her
dainty tongue. Sho did net seem to care lor
water. It was always snow, snow, snow, that
she wanted. At her meals even, she must have
a snow-cake on her plate.
cuo l?Y ed ths snow-ehe reveled—she laugh- ■
6d in it
Ohl how queer and yet how charming she
joiked, when the flakes were falling, standing
on tip-toe to catch them in her little mouth !
And it seemed as if the show loved her. At
times the sailors were startled to see thousands
of the white flakes circling about her head. Al
though this might have happened to any one
standing in a snow whirlwind, yet the super
stitious seamen would shake their heads, and
mutter something about irost spirits coming
to lead ships to their destruction in the ice.
Waiting often on the little maiden, Roberts
like to see her frosty shoes glimmer, as she
tripped about the deck in the snow. One
night his ardent words were poured thick and
fast into her white ear, and although she could
not understand a word ot English, she must
have heard the beating of bis heart, and have
known that he was declaring his love.
She moulded tho snow with her nimble
fingers, put something in his hand, and van
ished. He looked at the thing she had given
him, and perceived that it was the image ol a
heart made of snow.
No misunderstanding this ! she meant that
her heart was cold to him. He became pale
and thin—tbe ghost of his former self—and so
absent and thoughtful as to slight his duties.
Still he could not shake off tho strange spell of
the whito maiden, and ho followed her like a
slave. Tho captain, guessing the cause of his
sad neglect of duty, sternly ordered him to keep
away from the girl in future.
But the youth disobeyed them, and a few
nights after his rejection, he again stood by the
whito maiden.
The ship now lay anchored near tho coast of
an island, close to Frobisher Strait. She could
proceed no further at present, on account of the
ice ahesd of her, and Captain Robinson, tired of
his useless search, on tins course, had resolved
to change it for another, next morning.
“ Better throw that figurehead of Apollo over
board,” he had said to Roberts, who had the
watch as he went below.
The imago of tho wooden Apollo lay near tho
round-house, ait, but Roberts had forgotten
about it, the moment the white maiden came on
dock. All the other officers were below—tbe
ship being at anchor—and every one of tho
crow, save a lookout, who sat half asleep in the
galley, were in the forecastle.
The snow was falling, and the charming girl
wait stood anklo deep in it by tho capstan, as
the infatuated young sailor took his placo by
her side.
When, an hour later, a man came on deck to
relieve his shipmate, the lookout, Roberts, in
his long cloak and slouched hat, still was there
by the capstan, trying to talk to the white
maiden.
Twenty minutes later, peering ;rom the gal
ley, the watcher behold Roberts alone by the
capstan, his companian, probably, having gone
below. Struck by the motionless, statue-like
attitude of the young man, the lookout ap
proached him.
The rim of the hat and the high cloak collar
nearly concealed the face, but, by the lantern’s
light, tl>o sailor saw some of it, the ghastly, al
most dazzling, whiteness Of which otaiUod hint.
He pronounced the officer’s name, but, receiv
ing no reply, he drew nearer, and, lifting the
hat. to get a glimpse of the face, he sprang back
with a scream of horror.
That which he bad seen was not a face, but a
white, frozen ball ot snow, without features.
Up came o Heers and men, drawn by tho cry
of tho lookout.
Lanterns were brought, and tbe captain
pnlled aside Roberts’s cloak from the motion
less figure, to behold a man’s form, and yet
only tho image of a man.
Yes, there was the breast, with the form of
the ribs showing; there were the arms, the legs
and the feet, all perfectly shaped, but all of
solid ico I
Only the head was not perfect -was a mere
snow-ball, white and shining, which, in tho
opinion of some of the superstitious sailors,
added to the horror of the metamorphosis
which had been wrought.
“ Ay,” gasped the lookout, “ twenty minutes
before this I saw Roberts here alive, talking to
that white maiden, and now——”
He concluded by pointing at tile form of ice,
while the old coxswain, the most superstitious
of all aboard, shook his head ominously and
said:
“ There’s no way to account for this, mates,
except that that white maiden was, as I thought,
a frost spirit, and has changed tbe young sec
ond mate into ice, as you see, to punish him for
following her up, so 1”
The captain and some of the sailors laughed
incredulously; others solemnly-muttered that
there might be some truth in what the coxswain
said.
“ Pooh ! we'll soon find Roberts,” the skipper
remarked.
A search was made, but, although tlie ship
was ransacked, neither the second officer nor
the white maiden could be discovered. The
oanoe, however, which had been kept towing
alongside, was missing, and this looked as if
the twain had gone off together.
The old coxswain shook his head. It was his
belief that the frost spirit had gone alone, after
transforming her would-be lover into ice.
But when morning came, the white maiden’s
canoe, containing two young men, beside the
girl, was seen emerging from a channel in the
ice 1
It was soon alongside. One of the young men
was Roberts, and the other, to his joyful sur
prise, the captain recognized as the person he
had so long searched for—his beloved nephew,
Carl Reefer.
As he embraced his handsome young relative
the eyes of the white maiden sparkled brighter
than ever, and now, for the first time since they
had seen her, the men noticed that her cheeks
were suffused with rosy color.
Explanations were made by Roberts.
The girl-waif bad divined, by marks on the
captain’s charts, that ho was going to change
his course on this day. By signs she had,
therefore, ou the previous night, given Roberts
to understand that she wanted him to go to a
certain part of tho coast with her. Her wish to
him was law. He had consented, but, in order
that the captain might not too quickly notice
that he had gone off with the girl and start in
pursuit ho had resorted to a stratagem.
To execute this, ho had resolved to use the
wooden image of Apollo, lying near, but on his
lifting it with great difficulty and placing it up
right against tho capstan, tho wood all burst
apart and fell off, leaving the ico, which had fill
ed the hollow, uncovered. He had then thrown
the wood overboard, and the white maiden
having made a large snowball, placed it on tho
shoulders of the icy form to serve for a head,
after which he had put on his cloak and hat, as
already shown, thinking that, should tho skip
per happen to come up to take a brief look, ho
would not notice the deception, but would be
lieve the figure to bo that ot his second mate.
Having then donned another coat and hat,
which he had in the round-house, Roberts had
entered the sealskin canoe with the girl, who
paddled it through a channel in the ico to a
part of the coast not far off, where, to his sur
prise, he found an underground hut, containing
Captain Bronson’s nephew and fifteen men—the ;
crew of the bark “ Walrus,” which had been
stoven in the ice months before. Enough pro
visions and other useful things were saved,
however, to last the sailors lor a long time.
The white maiden, with her father, was '
aboard the " Walrus ” when it was stoven. Her
name was Catharine Laskotj and she was the
daughter of a Russian mate, whom Carl Reefer
had shipped at Halifax, where the vessel touch
ed for repairs a few weeks out from port. The
young captain took this man in place of his :
other mate, who had been lost overboard. The
Russian’s daughter accompanied her father, :
and as Carl knew a little of the language, he '
was able to converse with her. The two fell in '
love with each other, and were engaged to bo '
married.
On the day before she was picked up by the :
crew of the “Apollo,” the girl had ventured out
in the ice in the sealskin canoe, which had been
bought by Carl from a native. The lee closing
ronnd her had hindered her return, and she '
had lost her way.
When at last tbe “ Apollo,” with her aboard,
as described, reached its present locality, she 1
recognized the part of the coast near which the
castaways had their quarters, by a rock, the ‘
top of which was shaped something like a cross,
. She was therefore anxious to go to tell her
friends of Captain Robinson’s arrival before he
should leave the place, aud she took Roberts ■
with her in order that he might help hor in case
she should need assistance to work her light
craft through the ice.
There is little to add.
All the castaways were finally taken aboard
the “Apollo,” which then sailed foj; homo
Witeite Sufi Saiely arrived at last.
Not long after Carl Reefer married Catharine
Laekof, the white maiden, who proved to be an
excellent wife.
As lor Roberts, he pined for a while, but fin
ally consoled himself by marrying a prety, flax
eß-haired Prussian girl ot seventeen.
TALKS WITH THE BOYS.
BY M. QUAD.
Take the worst mud-puddle along the high
way, and when it freezes up the ice will be as
clear as that cut from tho river. Haven’t you
often wondered at this ? Wouldn’t it seem
reasonable to expect the ice to be the same
color as the water ? Why isn’t it?
That's the keynote of my subject. Dame
Nature has some very curious ways, my boy,
and this is one of them. In Summer she'helps
that mud-puddle to render itself offensive to
the eye and the nose—in Winter she alone puri
fies it. When her cold, frosty fingers begin to
dabble in the waters of the sloughs and ponds
and bayous she begins to purify. As the freez
ing process is carried on tho water is refined,
and when the ico comes you see it clean and
transparent. Nature may not be able to squeeze
out all the weeds and sticks from this nond ice,
but it would surprise you to see what’she does
cast aside in the process of purification.
The 'first hint of how to make artifloal ice
must have come from a man who had closely
studied. Nature s ways. Before the war all tbe
ice used in the South was shipped from the
North, afid it had a ready sale at $3 per 100
pounds. Many ships were engaged in the trade,
loading the ice on the New England coast and
delivering it at Charleston, Savannah, Mobile,
Galveston and other points. Much of this ice
was naturally lost in the handling, and the
high price made it ar; article of luxury. The
invention of a process by which ice could be
turned out in large quantities at very low rates
was, therefore, hailed with great satisfaction.
There is not now a city of any size in the South
without its manufactory, and ice can be had at
retail for $1 to $1.50 per 100 pounds. No North
ern ice can find a market except along the
seaboard. I have seen, ou three, different oc
casions, lumps of Northern ice and cakes of ar
tificial ice placed side by side in the sun, and in
each instance the artificial lasted much the lo‘ng
est.
And how as to the manufacture: There are
two processes, but we will take the simplest,
which is called the ammonia process. The
building may bo an old barn or rough shed, and
the engine ol from ten to twenty horse-power.
As I saw the operation in a Georgia town, they
pumped the r water from a canal, and it was
too muddy for a fish to live in. Fill a barrel
with it to stand over night and there would be
two inches of mud in the bottom of the barrel
next morning. .
The water is first pumped into a large con
denser, and is there purified and passed to con
denser number two. It is again purified, and
is then pumped into the baths. Each bath is a
huge square bin, provided with apertures lor
holding ninety-six tin molds. These molds aro
sixteen inches long, eight wide and four thick,
and are open at the top. Each can, when filled
with water, is placed in tbe bm in a compart
ment by itself, and a large lid shuts down over
all. As the water reaches the molds it is so
clear and transparent that you could easily
perceive a grain of sand at the bottom of the
can. Through the bins and around the cans
ammonia gas is constantly circulating in pipes,
and salt water is churned about and kept in
constant motion by means ot paddles worked
by machinery.
It takes seventy pounds of salt to make a
“ bath” for three bins holding 288 molds, and it
is renewed once a week. One barrel of ammo
nia will last a small factory like the one I am
describing about ten days.
Let the factory start with all the molds full
of water, and it is only about half an hour be
fore the men begin to take out iee. The molds
are lifted out of the bin and carried to a vat of
hot water and dipped. This loosens the ico,
and it is flung on a table. Each cake weighs
twenty pounds, and three of them are placed
together to freeze solid. This makes a cake
sixteen inches long, twelve inches thick, and
twenty-four inches wide. It is so perfectly
clear that it reflects your image like a glass,
and you can read newspaper print through
three feet of it.
There is the engine pumping up the muddy
water an one end of the old building, and the
men handling the purest, nicest ice you ever
saw at the other, while between them are only
a few tanks and pipes. It seems wonderful,
doesn’t it ?
In Summer it is a common thing in New Or
leans and other Southern cities to see blocks of
, artificial ice in the windows of restaurants with
quail, rabbits, aud other game frozen in them.
One who does not understand that it is artificial
i ice is fain to wonder how on earth the articles
i got in there.
, And in connection with this ice question I
want to drop a hint to the farmer boys of the
North. There is hardly a farm in any county
• on which a fish-pond cannot be made. You
I want clean, clear water to feed it. It the inlet
. is a creek, you must arrange matters in such a
, way that during high water, when the water is
NEW YORK DISPATCH, MARCH 29, 1885.
■ muddy, it can bo diverted from tho pond. A
• flume or race, or pipe from the creek to tho
pond can be closed up any time.
Perch, bass, mullet, suckers, bull-heads, pike
and other varieties will live and thrive in a pond
on the farm, and in time the farmer will have
fish to sell at the nearest market. There is
amusement, recreation and profit all in one, and
when Winter comes, this same pond will yield
all the ice wanted at the farm-house during tho
Summer. There are many of these fish-ponds
in the South, and the owners are making big
money from the sale of fish alone. I have seen
them fed by a pipe running from a windmill
and a tank a long way off, and again by a flume
leading off a creek. Any natural sink or basin
will make the lake if you can get water enough,
and the fish should be fed now and then with
bread crumbs. The farmer’s boy who will go
into this will have more sport than in hunting
and more profit than in selling eggs.
A BTUDY_OF_HANDS.
WHAT A FRENCHMAN THINKS.
From the New Orleans Times-Democrat,
The true character of the hands is to be sought
for in their movements. It is in their power of
expression that tho orator, the singer, the actor
find the inexhaustible source ot their finest ef
forts. In pain, in prayer, in joy, when tnan
commands or when he supplicates, his hands
uplifted, lowered, or hovering in space, seem to
be sowing his thoughts in air, just as grain is
scattered to the winds by the sower.
In all our social relations is not the hand the
veritable medium of exchange between hearts ?
It gives the welcome, it opens hospitality, it seals
friendship. It is by the hand that we convey
the visible sign of the bond which unites two af
fections or two destinies.
And what as to that still stronger feeling
which 1 dare not name ! If the hands were good
for nothing else, would not their value in this
regard seem to us inestimable as a talisman ?
Except the feet, which are a little too low and
too far away, tho hands constitute those parts
of the body which can be extended to the great
est distance; and when there aro two young
people alone, it seems that, by some providen
tial arrangements, their hands' instinctively ap
proach each other when extended.
We may look at other portions of the person,
but that is all I—while we can take the hand, or
can give it; in fact it is not simply a pleasure to .
do this, but an absolute duty, and under cer
tain circumstances politeness demands'that the
hand bo kissed.
Wo may therefore say that the hands are the
dragomans and the ambassadors of the soul;
and that to their kindly offices most hearts owe
their alliances, since,' at certain difficult mo
ments, they can express what the lips would
never dare to say.
There are very striking relations between the
expression of the face and tho part played by
the hands. Careful observations will reveal
the fact that an impassive face is never to be
seen in the same person whose hands are char
acteristically active in gesticulation; nor is a
highly expressive Jface ever seen in those whose
hands aro always motionless. Of course every
man makes more or less gestures;—of course
character, education, habit, race, all have more
or less influence in regard to the expressive
ness of gesture; but these same influences in
variably affect the play of the features also, and
show themselves in a similiar manner.
Before attempting to enter into any analysis
of the movements of the hand, however, we
must lay down one general rule: viz, that
usually tbe activity of the hands, as well as the
mobility of ths physiognomy (outside of all
special influences of character or surround
ings), is an almost certain sign of cerebral
activity, and consequently of intelligence. We
often meet in society persons who can never re
main a minute without handling something, or
who keep moving their fingers all the time if
they have nothing to handle; such persons are
nearly always persons of great intelligence.
Their hands, irritated by inaction, are like
those fine [thoroughbreds who paw the ground
with impatience to begin the race. And it is
highly important to notice this tendency in
children; lor it augurs well for their future in
telligence.
In regard to the movements of the hand we
can classify according to a few general princi
ples.
Whatever tends to open, to spread out the
hand, signifies clearness, breadth, truth, sim
plicity, facility.
Whatever feeling causes the hand to clench 1
itself, to close, to diminish its appearance, is
connected with obscurity, limitation, doubt, i
complication, difficulty.
The more energetic and rapid these move
ments are, the more violent and sudden tho
feeling or the intellectual action which inspires :
them.
There are certain gestures which have be
come so identified with certain sentiments that ■
their mere definition is equivalent to a verb.
We say “ show one’s fist,” for “ threaten;” we
say “ point one’s finger at a person” to designate
malice. The gestures of designation, of warn
ing, of precision, indicated by more or less ten
sion of tho index-finger, are too well-known to
dwell upon.
We press tho fingers flat upon tho forehead to
recall a memory; the open hand to concentrate
thought. We rub or scratch the forehead in
trying to think how to get out of a difficulty; a
man often scratchts his ear when he feels em
barrassed. And as one scratches also when
bothered by a flea, the saying “ he’s got a flea in
uio o»j” IS applied to a man who does not know
what to do.
To finger one’s chin, to caress it often in suc
cession, expresses, in common belief, ijelißera
tion, the search for means to fulfill a purpose.
Finally, to rub one’s hands together—a sign
of joy—has passed into common parlance (se
frailer les mains') as an expression indicative of
joy, self-congratulation. The same thing may
be said of clapping the hands, which has always
and among all people been accepted as the sign
and metaphor ot enthusiasm. The snapping ot
one’s fingers is also a mark of joy. [The Latin
verb applaudere signified orignally “ to* strike
tho hands together.”—T.]
To put one’s thumb to one’s nose (fairs la
nique) while the other fingers are vertically ex
tended and agitated, is a gesture of mockery
among nearly all civilized peoples. Why? I
think it is because the principal effect of this
gesture is to render the nose temporarily snub
bed—which is done by the pressure of the
thumb, white the other fingers are pointed at
tho person ridiculed. “Snubnose I—snubnose”
—that is tbe interpretation of this finger-tele
gram, which is equivalent to saying, “ You are
a fool I”
It is also interesting to note—as a vestige of
antique beliefs that have long ago disappeared
ih France—the gesture, which consists in re
taining the two middle fingers with the thumb, ,
aud holding up the index and little fiugers— •
what we call "fairs les eornes.” The ehilclren ,
who use the gesture for pure mischief or deri
sion doubtless never suspect that they are re- •
peating an ancient sign of adjuration to drive
away the evil spirits, or to conjure the Eoil Eye. .
This gesture is still very popular in Italy, ospe- •
oially at Naples, where many folks believe them- .
selves hopelessly lost if they had not about them •
a little amulet of horn, or a little carved hand ,
with two fingers open, to preserve them from
the jeltaiura.
Agony also has its gestures—the automatic ;
repetition of two or three movements, always
the same, and always tho infallible forerunners .
of death. Tho dying man pinches his bed- ,
sheets between the finger and thumb, or lifts '
up his forearm and moves it in a curve, as '
though trying Vo ward off something.
Such are the last gestures of this living statue
which we have summoned from its pedestal to
endow it with all the expression that nature and
soul can give. A moment more, and tho great,
vail ot death, like a stage-curtain, falls upon the
drama of the physiognomy. Reason is extin
guished; feeling has departed; the eyes are
blind; the mouth is dumb; buteven in those su
premo moments tlie bunds still move as though
they were trying to cling to life.
We shall make only a brief observation upon
the manner of turning the hand. In all expan
sive sentiments—such as frankness, confidence,
conviction, affection - the geeturer displays his
hands with tho palm upward.
Among the Mohammedans, who have the re
ligious feeling so strongly pronounced, prayer
is said with the arms extended upward, and the
palms turned toward heaven. The same ges
ture is made in the Catholic rite at the most
solemn moment ot tbe service.
The contrary is observable anywhere in the
ordinaav manner of giving one’s hand. While
a trank handshake is given with the hand offered
palm up, a coldly polite or reserved greeting is
the reverse; certain hypocritical or timid people
never open their hand in an open manner. Gen
erally speaking, to offer the hand palm down
wards is a sign of repulsion or distrust. This
may be fully confirmed by noticing whether the
arm refuses to bond, or whether if drawn forci
bly toward you the palm still remains turned
down by reason of the play of the articulations
of the bones of the arm and wrist. For wa
know that in all feelings of repulsion tho arms
are naturally drawn close to the body.
The palm is the face of the hand; it is the
principal seat of touch; it is by means of its
surface that we place ourselves in contact with
objects and with men; it is par excellence the
medium of communication with all that sur
rounds us. This is why the more such commu
nication is sympathetic and desirable, the more
we feel inclined to let that part of us most sen
sitive to impressions bear witness to our feelings.
It seems to me that what wo call “the zone
of gesture” deserves remark. If we consider
the degree of elevation to which each gesture is
raised, we can, perhaps, generally divine with
correctness the classes of thoughts to which it
belongs. If the hand, in making its gestures,
is elevated as high as the head, or nearly so, it
is because it is bearing witness to a purely in
tellectual operation. If it is lifted to the neigh
borhood ot the heart or the epigastrium, it is
testifying of feeling only, in order to give the
■ expression of that feeling more communicative
• power. If it is brought lower than the waist, its
, gestures simply emphasize determinations of
the will—actions or facts over which neither ia-
■ telligeuce nor feeling have control.
’ Beside the mere observation of facts which
i anv reader can verify for himself, I may add
. that the invariable law of symbolism finds a
I verv plausible application in this matter ;it is
i in (ho nature of every intelligent or sensitive
being to bring its instruments of expression
[ close to that part which is the seat of the feeling
i to be expressed, and man accordingly raises his
' hands to his head or to his heart to witness
i what he thinks or feels, precisely as an animal
t displays its graces to the best advantage when
, it tries to please, or licks its wound when it is
, hurt. Eugksb MpuTON.
, THE DETROIT SOLOMON.
A FAMILY ROW—HE WAS EMBAR
RASSED-CALLING HIS DOG.
I -
A FAMILY ROW.
“ This, as I understand it,” said his Honor,
as Mr. and Mrs. Cotton were walked out after
the latest Paris style, “ is a family row.,’
“ Yes, sir,” she replted.
Trouble—trouble—
Turmoil and trouble,”
replied Mr. Cotton as he worked his face into a
more solemn look.
“ Well, you both ought to bo ashamed of your
selves. If you can’t agree, why don’t you sep
arate ?”
“It isn’t my fault, your Honor,” said the wo
man. “ It's bad enough to have to live in pov
erty and want, having nothing to do with, and a
full meal only now and then, but when you put
his silly conduct on top of that I can’t stand it.”
” How vain this strife
In this short life,”
solemnly answered the husband.
“That's what makes all the trouble, sir. He
is constantly talking in that strain, and he can’t
' even ask me to pass the taters without spouting
a rhyme about it. I’m a hard-headed, sensible
woman, and when the children are crying for
bread I don’t want any poetry about it.”
" And yet how cold
And drear and cheerless
Would life be but for the poet/’
announced the husband.
“ Is he light-headed?” asked the court.
“ No, sir. Up to a few months ago he was all
right, but then he got theatricals on the brain
and began to talk this way. He says he was
born to be the king of all tragedians.”
“ Mr. Cotton 1” sharply exclaimed his Honor,
“ I want this nonsense ended 1”
“ I listeneth, oh ! king 1”
“ Bosh ! You want to drop this mockery and
go to work and support your family. If you
won’t agree to I’ll put you where they’ll cure
you within a week.”
” I’ll tread the boards, me lord,
Before a shouting multitude.”
Said Mr. Cotton.
“ No, you won’t! You’ll tread right up to the
Work-house on a thirty-day sentence I”
“ I tread, me Lord 1”
“ Good-by, William 1” called the wife.
“ Y’on’ve brought this on you by your own fool
ishness, and I hope it will provo a good lesson
to you.”
“if it doesn’t,” added the Court, “ I’Ll make
his noxt term six months I”
HE WAS EMBARRASSED.
“Is this—is this a court ?” whispered Samuel
Small as he balanced on the mark.
“This is a court,” answered his Honor.
“Do you want me to own up that I was
drunk ?”
“ Well, if yon would it would save me some
trouble. Why don’t you speak right up so that
I can hear you ?”
“I—l will, but I’m embarrassed—very much
embarrassed.”
“ Oh, well, you’ll get over that after being
jagged a few times. Haven’t you more sense
than to get drunk and lie down in the street
such weather as this ?”
“ Y-yes, sir. It was the first time in all my
life.”
“ Took something for the toothache, I sun
pose ?”
“ N-no, sir—it was for the stomachache. If
you’ll let me go I’ll never have the stomachache
again 1”
“Young man, beware ! you are standing on
the brink of a precipice 900 feet high 1 Don’t
fool with whisky any more I”
" N-no, sir.”
"Yon can go.”
“Thanks, sir. You are the noblest of
Judges.” .
The prisoner had been gone about two min
utes when the officer in the case came forward
and said:
“ Your Honor, that chap has guzzled more
whisky than any five men in Detroit I”
“ Shall I run after him and tell him you for
got something?” asked Bijali, but tor reply he
received such a heartless, stony, blood-curdling
look that he wilted away as fast as possible.
CALLING HIS DOG.
“ George Schmidt, you disturbed the peace.”
“ Vhell, 1 like to know how dat vhas ?”
“ You were making a great noise on a public
street.”
“ I vhas calling my dog, Shadge. If I calls
him in a whisper he doan’ come to me.”
“ Officer, how was it?”
“He was whooping and howling, sir.”
“ Oxouse me, Shudge, but my dog vhas half a
mile avhay, und if I doan’ whoop how shall he
know I like to see him?”
“ Mr. Schmidt, you must teach yonr dog to
come without whooping,”
“ Oxactly, Shudge. I buys a fog-horn und
he comes vlien I plows fur him.”
“I shall tine you three dollars.”
“ You vhill I Vhy I take two dollars fur der
dog !”
“ Makes no difference. Cash down or np you
go.”
“Vhell, I pays dermoneyund goes home und
kills two dogs ! It dis vhas some shustioo oh
mo I kill more ash ten dogs to get oven, und
doan’ somepody forget him 1”
LITTLE JACK’S STAR.
IN IMITATION OF CHARLES DICK
fcNS.
One night he was awakened by the gusts
which rocked the house and shrieked their
anger at not being strong enough to overturn it.
The boy sat up in bed and cried out in alarm,
but just then he caught sight of a star through
hisjwindow, a rosy-faced, winkin”, blinking star
which seemed to have dodged from behind a
gray clond on purpose to look at hi&i.
“If tho star isn’t afraid I won’t be !” whis
pered the boy to himself, and he was comforted.
Tho wind blew stronger than ever, and now
and then a cloud hid tho winking star for so
long a time that the boy feared ho had lost it
forever; but by-and-by it reappeared, and it
was smiling and laughing at him as his eyelids
grew heavy and he slept again.
Next night the heavens were at rest, and the
star smiled and frolicked and visited with the
boy until the bells tolled midnight before he
slept.
It was tho same night Sifter niglij, and by-and
by, if the star was hidden by tbe clouds, the boy
prayed that no harm might befall it, and that it
would not journey away and become some other
child’s star.
And by-and-by every one in the family spoke
of tbe star as Little Jack’s star, and as it blazed
forth in the heavens they said among them
selves :
“ Ah ! there is Little Jack’s star, and wo know
he is not afraid.”
As time went on the boy grew thin and pale
and weak, and the hour came when he could no
longer leave his bed. Tears filled the eyes of
those who bent over him, but the boy’s eyes
were dry. As the night camo on they even glis
tened with hope and enthusiasm.
“If my star will only come I” ha said; and
when the darkening night had brought it forth
he would whisper:'
“ Wasn’t it odd how you came to see me on
that stormy night? I have loved you ever since,
and if you will but wait a little while I will join
you up there - ?”
One night tho watcher at the boy’s bedside
heard him saying:
“ I thank you ever and ever so much, but to
night will be the last night. To-morrow night I
shall be with you, and together we will look
down upon the children ot earth and make
them our friends.”
In an hour the boy was dead. There were
eobs and tears and lamentations, and no one
thought to look for the star until it was too late.
When night camo again, however, tears were
wiped away that eyes might behold the star.
It was there, in its old place, but it seemed so
much larger and brighter that all cried out:
“ Little Jack is there with it, and he is look
ing down upon us with such happiness in his
soul that the star has become a blaze of glory I”
THE KISSING SHADOWS.
A Short Story of Stolen Sweets—Scenery
Just Too Lovely.”
From the Cartersmile (.Ga.) American.
I was coming up from Cedartown on the East
and West one afternoon not long since. In tho
roar of the coach I eaw a young couple who
seemed to bo very deeply interested in each
other. The young lady w’as well dressed and
had nice manners. Her eyes were bright, her
cheeks rosy, and her lips vermilion. The young
couple appeared to be much pleased with each
other, aud, in spite of their surroundings, were
indulging in soft speeches and melting glances.
After a while tho young tuan suggested that
they go out on the roar end of the coach and en
joy the beautiful scenery. The afternoon was
bright, and the sun was shining across from tho
west in a genial way, casting long shadows to
ward the east. The train sped along through
fields, over bridges, and around curves, and, in
my admiration ot the fine farms to be seen from
my window, I had almost forgotten the young
couple on the coach.
Tho train was gliding through an open field
when my eyes fell on the shadows of the young
couple reflected against the embankment on the
side of tho coach where 1 was sitting. I could
distinctly see the outlines of their figures and
the profiles of their faces—even the motion of
the young man’s lips and tho shadow of the
young lady’s eyelashes could be seen. It was
amusing to look at, and I called the attention of
my neighbor on the next seat to it.
Soon almost every one in the car was watch
ing the shadows. The young man seemed to be
i very earnest and the young lady very attentive.
; Gently, and as if by accident, the shadow of the
' young mau a arm glided around tho shadow of
' the young lady’s waist and the shadow of the
young man’s lips were seen to “ pucker ” and
i dive at the space between the shadow of the
I young lady’s chin and nose.
. The passengers in tho train became deeply in
i terested, and as the shadows would meet time
> after time a titter would run up and down the
i line inside the car. “ Dippin’ sugar,” said one
' old fellow down in the corner. It seemed that
i I could almost see the sparks of electricity fly
j out of the shadows ou the bank as the lips came
1 together.
i About the time the whistle blew for town and
s the young people came in looking harmless and
innooent-like and the young lady remarked.
" Wasn’t the scenery just too lovely ?” “ Sweet
would have been a better word,” said the old
fellow in the corner in a qniet undertone, and
everybody lauglfed like he had said something
funny.
THE BAY MULE.
Deacon Boker Dilates on His Kicking
Powers.
the San Francisco Post.)
The other evening, the old crowd, consisting
of Biteoff Bowdown, Possibilities Jones and
Clincher Hangdown, was sitting in front of Jake
Jbhnson’s corner grocery, on Pacific street,
talking of the chances to sell Totes at the next
election, when Deacon Boker came ronnd the
corner and took his accustomed seat on the pile
of grindstones, which Clincher Hangdown va
cated for his accommodation.
“I tele you what, gem’n,” said the deacon,
as he settled himself, “I jes’ seen a muelscrape
aroun’ dere, on de hill, dat brung back de
scenes ob my earlier days when I owned de
kickenest mule in all dese parts,” and the old
man bowed his head in silence, as if grave
thoughts were flitting through his brain.
“Caint yer tell we’ns about dat ar muels,”
asked Possibilities Jones, seeing a prospect for
a story irom the old philosopher.
“ Well, I reckin I kin,” replied the deacon,
“but it brings up berry harrowing scenes,
soch as yer caint see in dese ungoderate times.
I beliebe it war in de Fall ob ’62, data meek
lookin’ chap cum aroun’ and Wanted ter sell
me a bay mule for sixteen dollars. It wor a
port-lookin’ animile, an' I’saminedhim all ober
an’ found he war as sound as a peach-stone.
So I borrered some of wife Nichilobel’s wash
money (de bank being closed), an’ 1 bought dat
muel; but oh 1 it war a mortal mistake, kase he
war de dingdist kicker an’ striker dat eber
wore a shuck collar.
“Do day I bought him I rid ober to Parson
Brown’s for an afternoon chat, an’ de furst thing
I saw dat muel argy wid war Jim Wilson’s bull
terrier. He cum out at de heels ob dat muel
an’ barked. But, my frens, jes’ put it down as
a fao’ dat he didn’t yelp only wonst; den de bay
mnel squatted and reached fur dat pup. All I
remember ob Beein’ was jes’ a faint glamor ob
bulldog wafted ober Bill Bowen’s barn, an’ den
all was still.
“ I tied de muel at de front gate ob de Par
son’s, an’ we sot on de poach an’ smoked an’
talked about de scasity ob chickens an’ Oder
necessities ob life. De parson had a lineback
steer dat was uncommon pesky, mean, an’ sas
sy, an’ dat steer cum aroun’ an’ hauled at de
muel. De muel didn’t say anythin’, but jes’
dropped one eah an’ hel’ still. Den dat steer
cum cluster an’ reached with his ho'n fur dat
nruel’s short ribs. Do muel seemed kinder like
as if he was tiokerlish, fur he teetered aroun' a
little, an’ den reached forth an’ busted dat steer
in de stumffiick till de whites in his eyes was as
big as tea-saucers.
“ ‘ Yer better look out fur yer steer, Parson,’
says I, ‘ fnr dat muel is sorter bad.’
“ ‘Not any,’ says de parson; ‘yon jes’take
care of dat muel, fur dat is de rantankerest
steer in all dese parts.’
“We bof started fur de gate, an’ jes’ den
dere was a general caucus 6b muel an’ lineback
steer, an’ do muel seemed to hab the floah mos’
ob de time. Dis riz de parson’s mad, an’ he
yanked a oak picket off de fence, an’ begun
scumishing aroun’ fur dot muel’s rear. Putty
soon he diskivered whar was a openin’, an’ he
sorter reached fur dat animal’s posterior.
“ I neber knowed jes’ how it was, but de
Coroner’s inquiry brung in a burdick dat he
had exposed himself to de ravagesob debizness
end ob a active muel wonst too often. De
funeral was held de nex’ day.”
“ What about dwsteer?” asked Biteoff Bow
down.
“ Well,” replied the Deacon, in a musing
tone, “ we neber tuck de trouble to gadder him
Up, but we ’lowed dere was about a acre an’ a
half ob lineback steer when the muel ad
journed.”
“ What did you do with the muel?” queried
Jake Johnson, as he spit about a pint of tobacco
juice into the face and eyes of a yellow dog that
happened to venture too near.
“ Well, I mos’ly didn’t do nuffin wid him.
Ono day a yaller jacket stinged him on de tail,
an’ he was so powerful darned mad dat ho
kicked at his tail all de afternoon; an’when I
cum home dere was nuffin left but de e’ahs, an’
dey was a wigglin’. Dat muel was a pizen
kicker, an’ you can jes’ gamble on dat,’’ and
the old liar bowed his head and heaved a sigh,
while the others looked wild-eyed and ex
changed grins.
THE OFFICE HE WANTED.
A GOOD JOKE AT THE EXPENSE
OF SECRETARY GARLAND.
(From the New Orleans Times-Democrat.)
Col. Dick Bright, of Indiana, erstwhile Ser
geant-at-Arms of the Senate, has the honor of
getting off the first joke at the expense of the
new administration. Ho walked into Attorney-
General Garland’s private room after reeeption
hours, finding him terribly worn out after a long
day’s work. For weary hours he had heard
nothing but importunities for office and prayers
for influence. The sight of Bright’s beaming
face was as welcome and refreshing as the glow
of a green spot in the desert.
“How are you, Dick, old boy?” exclaimed
Garland, as he clasped Bright’s hand with
fervor; “ so glad to see a friendly face and have
a talk that has not got a petition in it. Sit
down.”
The two friends sat together on a sofa. Gar
land was thproughly exhausted and positively
reveling in the luxury of a quiet confab with an
bld chum. Bright drew a long face, looked
terribly embarrased and stammered ont: “But
—but—you know, I do want an office, and I
have some to you for help.” Garland bent on
him a reproachful glance, as one who should ,
say, Et tu Brute, then sighed and murmured,
“ Well, old boy, let’s have it. What can Ido ?”
Bright’s expression of solemnity deepened.
“ Well, I’ll tell you, Senator: I don’t want any
thing here, you know. I see tbe boys are hungry ■
and the removals are few. I want to go away. I ,
want to go to Palestine and ” —Here he leaned ,
over with an engaging, yet anxious gesture and
whispered, “ I want to be inspector of pork at ;
Jerusalem. It’s a small office. Nobody has
thought of it, and it is all I ask.”
Mr. Garland was already dizzy from hearing ;
similar applications poured into his throbbing ■
ear all day. He stretched out his hand and
said, mechanically:
“ Let’s see your papers. I’ll do what I can.” ;
Bright had it all drawn up in regular style,
from a solemn preamble and a set of burning
resolutions, and as Garland read, with Bright .
standing before him in an attitude of timid ex
pectancy, the fun dawned on him. Then a
Macedonian peal of laughter startled those
grave and reverend precincts as the two shook
hands and laughed in concert. Garland tried
to induce Bright to play it over on Secretary
Bayard, and offered to go with him, and to treat
to dinner afterward, but Bright declined the se
ductive proposition, and they compromised on
a jolly lunch.
Persian Marriage Brokers. —Persian
marriage brokers are old women who always
keep themselves in a position to quote the state
of the marriage market, which fluctuates. In
hard times even girls of good appearance are
comparatively a drug. In time of plenty they
“ rule firm.” The marriage broker is ever a
welcome guest where there are. daughters to
marry, and also in houses where tho sons wish
to find a suitable bride. The young people are
not consulted by the broker; she deals with the
parents, and generally with the mothers.
Crafty as a horse dealer, sho runs glibly over
tho various advantages—mental, physical and
pecuniary—of her clientele of both sexes. So
and-so is a quiet, steady man. Such a one has
brilliant prospects—has (important considera
tion) no other wife. As for Yusuf—how good
looking fie is I And Hasson—no man was ever
so good-tempered. Ol tho other sex she sings the
praises no less. The skill of Bebeas a housekeep
er, the wealth of the ugly’daughter of the banker,
the dangerous charms ot the portionless Zu
leikha, she can never say too much about. Her
main business is to bargain for tho sum to be
paid to ths father for his daughter’s hand—a
sum which is usually expended by that father
in pots aud pans—all of copper—and other uten
sils, which ne presents to his child as her sep
arate property. The details being settled after
much haggling, the young people are engaged,
and the marriage broker gets her commission,
both from tho parents of the bridegroom and
those of the bride-elect. Among the poor and
the laboring classes the bargain is arranged on
other grounds. The peasant takes a wife for
her thews and sinews, or her skill at weaving
carpets or making cheese, while the bridegroom
is or is not eligible according as he may be ca
pable of hard work, or may hold some small of
fice, or have a bit of land or a shop. Here, the
marriage broker is generally an amateur, who
conducts the negotiations purely from that love
of match-making which is such a blessing to
the world.
Rainbow in a Window.—ln Pendleton
county, Kentucky, about halfway between De
moss ville and Knoxville, lives a very worthy
old gentleman by the name of Stith. On the
three lowest panes of glass in the window next
to the ground is pictured a pioae ot rainbow,
which I am told has been written about several
times, though I have never heard of any at
tempt at an explanation. This case ot picture
taking is extremely rare—it never has occurred
before, so far as we know, and probably never
will again, and the true secret we may never
know. The great difficulty is to ascertain how
those panes of glass were made sensitive or
susceptible to the impression. Well, Nature
never fails to furnish ways and means when un
dertaking a piece of work. This house stands
nearfy north and south, with this window on
the east side of the house, near the south chim
ney, and no light admitted from the west side
of that room, and no obstruction on the east
side at that time. Then tbe bow was on the
east side, ot course. Mr. Stith says it was a
very damp time, and the probability, according
to my judgment, is that it was very warm and
> a good fire burning at the time. Now, it may
i be that at the proper time a heavy charge of
■ electricity came so near that it caught the plate
> thus prepared for it. The old gentleman closed
the window blinds and the picture was taken,
I which lam told was a dim amber color at first,
I but soon assumed all the brilliancy of a beauti
ful rainbow.
: Jarrah Wood.—The jarrah wood of
Western Australia is acknowledged by those
i who know its qualities to be about the next
thing to everlasting. Almost everything in
Western Australia is made of this tember—
work-boxes, piano-fortes, buildings, wharves
and jetties; it seems to defy all known forms
of decay and is untouched by white ants and
all other insects, so that ships built ot it do not
require to be coppered. It has been used above
ground and below, in almost every situation in
which timber can be placed, and is durable in
all. There are about fifteen varieties of the
timber, and it can be obtained of any reason
able length up to sixty or eighty feet, the trunk
of the tree having no branches whatever.
Another advantage is that it does not burn free
ly, but only chars, which makes it additionally
valuable for building. It is poisonous to all in
sects. This timber will not grow on good soil,
only where there is ironstone, tons’ weight of
which are sometimes lifted by the roots. The
more ironstone there is in the soil and the
higher the elevation, the better the trees grow.
It is one of the most remarkable facts con
nected with this timber that if you put a bolt,
no matter of what size it may be, into it, when
you take it out a bolt of precisely the same
size will go into the hole again. The effect of
the iron, apparently, is to preserve the timber
and of the timber to preserve the iron. Jarrah
is far superior to teak—it is less liable to split
and it will bend freely without being steamed.
Bridesmaids—They All Want to
Get Maiuukd.—lnstead of being only bo many
graceful ornaments at the marriage ceremony,
as nowadays, the bridesmaids in olden times had
various duties assigned to them. One of their
principal tasks was dressing the bride on her
wedding morning. At a wedding, too, where it
was arranged that the bride should be follow
ed by a numerous train of her lady friends, it
was the first bridesmaid’s duty to play the part
of a drill mistress, “ sizing” them, so that “ no
pair in the procession were followed by a taller
couple.” She was also expected to see that each
bridesmaid was not only provided with a sprig
of rosemary, or a floral posy pinned to the
breastfolds of her dress, but had a symbolical
chaplet in her hand. In many parts of Ger
many it is still customary for the bridesmaids
to bring the myrtle wreath, which they had sub
scribed together to purchase on the nuptial eve,
to the house of the bride, and to remove it from
her head at the close of the wedding day. Alter
this has been done, the bride is blindfolded,
and the myrtle wreath being put into her hand
she tries to place it on the head of one of her
bridesmaids as they dance around her; for, in
accordance with an old belief, whoever she
crowns is sure to be married within a year
from that date. As may be imagined, this
ceremony is the source of no small excitement,
each bridesmaid being naturally anxious to fol
low the example of the bride and get married
within a year.
A Grim Joke.—One evening, in the
principal gold-mining camp in the Transvaal,
nine or ten years ago, a man partially intoxi
cated, and supposed to be actuated byjcalousy,
attempted suicide. lie first took morphia, but
this not proving strong enough, he tried to
hang himself, but was prevented and handed
over to ths sheriff to be kept in safe custody for
the night, and to be tried before the acting Gold
Commissioner, a shrewd and solemn Scot, the
next morning. There being no law to prevent
him from committing suicide if he saw fit, but
it being considered desirable to punish him in
some way, it was decided to bring a charge of
drunkenness and disorderly conduct against
him., To this the prisoner pleaded guilty,where
upon the Acting Gold Commissioner, without
the ghost of a smile, delivered the following ex
traordinary judgment: “Mr. Blank, I shall fine
ye twa punds for your drunkenness; but I’ll
just gie ye to understand that I ken vera wool
what ye attempted to dae, and, had ye succeed
ed in your attempt, your poonishment would
have bin vera much more severe than it is I”
A Female Victim to Gambling.—The
death of another victim of Monte Carlo has to
be recorded. A clerk iu a largo counting
house in Germany was spending his honey
moon in Italy, and received 40,00l)f. in payment
of a bill due to his employers. On his way back
he stopped at Monte Carlo, and, fearing its
temptations, intrusted the money to his wife’s
custody. He was called away for a time, and
found on his return that his wife was missing.
He made inquiries to no purpose. At last he
learned that a young woman, after losing 40,000 f.
at the gaming-tables, had thrown herself into
the sea. The bride, it appeared, had entered
the Casino from curiosity, had staked some
small sums, and then, egged on by women be
lieved to have been stationed there for the pur
pose, had lost everything. The Casino authori
ses had ordered the affair to be kept secret,
and, but for one of the officials being touched by
the husband’s anguish, the young man might
never have known what had become of his wife.
Water tor Blasting Purposes.—The
use of water in connection with blasting in
mines and quarries is rapidly extending in this
country aud’in Europe. A tube filled with wa
ter is inserted in the bore hole next the powder
cartridge, the tube being of thin plate, or even
of paper. The usual tamping follows, and when
the explosion occurs the tube containing the
water is burst, the explosive violence being in
creased by the presence of the water, and ex
tended over the enlarged interior area ot the
bore hole, due to the space occupied by the wa
ter tube. A much larger quantity of the mater
ial to be mined or quarried is thereby brought
down or loosened with a smaller quantity of ex
plosive used, while the heat of the explosion
converts a portion of the water into steam,
which, with the remaining water, extinguishes
the flame and absorbs and neutralizes the gases
and smoke generated.
A Black Calculation.—lt has been
calculated by Sir Henry Bessemer that the out
put of coal for the single year 1381—154,000,000
tons—would suffice to build fifty-five great pyra
mids, or to rebuild the great wall of China and
to add a quarter to its length. In 1883 the out
put was 163,800,000 tons, which would forma
column a mile square and nearly 164 feet high ;
or would build a wall from London to Edin
burgh, 400 miles long and 45 feet 9 inches high
and thick; or around the world, 24,000 miles
long and 5 feet 11 inches high and thick ; or, if
the Straits of Dover are 21 miles across and 600
feet deep, would make an embankment across
them 22 yards wide ; while the total output for
the 30 years, 1854-’B3, would build a round col
umn 9 feet 4 in. in diameter, which would reach
249,000 miles high, the distance of the moon.
The Winter in Spain.—Tha oldest
inhabitant ot Spain, about as reliable a person
as our own uncle who cast his first vote for
Jackson, declares solemnly that there never was
such a severe Winter as the present. Skating
on the great pond in the Retiro ot Madrid is a
sport now practiced and witnessed for the first
time by the inhabitants of the Spanish capital.
The great Lake of Albufera, near Valencia, is
also completely frozen up, a solid cover of snow
is spread over the whole Peninsula, the orange
plantations and truck fields on the Mediter
ranean coast have suffered great damage, and
many poor people have died from the unwonted
exposure. Never, even in the worst times of
civil war, was there so much suffering in Spain
as there is at present.
A Cat’s Fishing.—Says the Charles
ton, S. C., News: Four miles from Johnston
one of our County Commissioners, Henry Gall
man, owns a mill and pond and grinds corn for
the public. He has a man named Pruit, who
attends to the mill. Pruit owns a large cat that
as soon as the mill is stopped, by shutting down
the gate, will immediately run down behind the
mill and get on a log just over the sheeting over
which the water is flowing. She will then look
very intently into the water, which is from
eighteen inches to two feet deep, until she spies
a fish ; she then plunges into the water, fre
quently burying herself under it, but almost
alwavs coming out with a fish. She then qui
etly sits down on a rock near by and enjoys her
meal.
An Age op Horn.—A variety of pre
historic objects in horn—such as amulets, cups,
knives, daggers, rings, buttons, bracelets, etc—
have been found in a stratum existing at a
depth of about five feet iu the mnd of Lake
Neuenburg, in Switzerland. The finder, Herr
G. Kaiser, believes them to be older than the
stone and bronze implements ot the same
locality, and he proposes to call the period to
which they belong “ the age of horn.” It may
well be doubted, however, whether the ancient
lake people ever experienced an epoch for which
such a name would be justified, as it is evident
that some implement—probably of stone or
bronze—must have been used in cutting the
horn.
The Fight
against that feeling of indolence and de
bility, common to every one in the
spring and summer months, is of no avail
without the aid of Ayer’s Sarsaparilla.
By its use, impurities are expelled from
the blood, and new life is infused into the
veins. It stimulates and strengthens all
the digestive and assimilative organs.
C. A. Wheeler, Hotel Clifford, Boston,
Mass., says: “A few bottles of Ayer’s
Sarsaparilla, taken in the spring, make me
feel well and strong the whole year.”
C. J. Bodemer, 145 Columbia st., Cam
bridgeport, Mass., says: “I have gone
through terrible suffering from dyspepsia;
but I have cured myself, and saved a
great deal of money in doctors’ bills, by
the use of
Ayer’s Sar
taparilla.” It will help you.
prepared by Dr. J. C. Ayer & Co., Lowell, Mass., U. 8. A.
For sale by all druggists. Fries sl} six bottles
Bulwarks Against Bullets.'
T « \ ai l u i Indians long since used tactics in
war that were unknown to civilized troops. Im
a former uprising they were attacked by Gen »
Pesquenas, who was much amused to see the
savages use blankets ns a shield against the
soldiers bullets. Holding up a blanket at both
ends, so that the edge just touched the ground,
the Indian riflemen marched boldly toward him
behind this apparently flimsy protection. Tha
Mexican general was soon alarmed, however t<3
find that his bullets did not stop the strands
advance, and the moving fort of blankets soon
came so close to him and poured in such a dead-,
ly fire that he was fain to fly the field in confu
sion and with great loss. The Yaquis had become)
acquainted with tho simple fact that, while a»
bullet will pass through twenty blankets strained!
oyer a frame or laid against a firm surface, iti
will not penetrate a single one if moistened andj
hung up so as to swing clear of the ground. Tho
bullets which Gen. Peequerias imagined worst*
passing through tho Indian blankets and thin-i
ning the ranks of the savages were all falling?
harmlessly on the outside of the woolen bul
warks. '
The Gold-Beater’s Art.— If a sheeft
of gold leaf is held up against the light it ap«*
pears to be of a vivid dark green color; thi fit
means that the light is transmitted through tha'
leaf. AV hen it is considered that this leaf is a>
piece of solid metal, a better idea of the extrem®
tenuity of thickness ot the loaf can be compress
nended than by any comparison by iiguross;
nothing made by the hand of man equals it iiv
thinness. The extreme thinness is
by patient hammering, the hammers weighing*
fiom seven to twenty pounds, the fighter hani-G
mers being first used. When the true method* •
ot this beating is understood, the wonder ex 4
pressed sometimes that gold-leaf beating should!
not be relegated to machinery, ceases; tho ar®
belongs to the highest department of human
skill and judgment. Apprentices have served,’
a term, and have been compelled to abandons!
the business, because they never could acquira,
the requisite skill and judgment combined nec«s
essary to become successful workmen.
An East Indian’s Bed.—The bed of
dweller in East India is spread upon the floor.’
an ‘\.?. r a is used a sort of blanket, whiohw
is Utilized at the same time for containing thffli
valuables of the house. The covering for tha:
sleeper is made of cotton, woven by band. Ther®
are no chairs, and tho occupants sic on the floor
with crossed legs, or in a reclining posture*;
with one leg over the other. There are no mu-*-)
sical instruments, no notes, no sei music. Thcrs/
East Indians lio down without undressing, an<s
on rising, roll up their bed and stow it away. .
I heir principal food is rice, which those wha. !
aro at the table eat with the sam.e spoon. Theren
}je no puddings, no desserts, and whoever iw
the last to rise from the table is compelled tc£
wash tho dishes. Woman has scarcely anyd
place in society, literature or art. Man is th«
master, and rules. The language is simple*i
consists of twenty-five letters for an alphabet, *
and can be learned in a year and a half by on®
associating with the people. \
Facts About Cancers.—Says ths(
Pittsburg Dispatch,: Nearly every case of can<t
cer can be traced to some exciting cause, suchy
as an injury to the part, a local disease in somoj
of the glands or a neglected warty growth. High?
living with insufficient exercise or the neglect]
ot the general health conduce to it. The most]
generally accepted idea of the
of the disease is teat it is th®
resultqf the morbid growth or developments’)
of white blood corpuscles, as the cells!
usually found in cancer resemble these mored
than any other. These eellw do not increase and};
develop like the cells found in pus and other more
bid conditions, but seemed to emanate trom a?
definite source, and are produced at a comparing
tively slow, but constantly increasing, rato. Th®J
increase has been noticed to correspond with ]
the decline in general health, and the decrease
to begin with the improvement ot health.
Life in British Columbia. —An Ameri
can visiting Victoria, 8.C., writes: The people!
up here take life very easy, and most emphat-l
ically are not in the habit af rising before dawn!
and working away hammer and tongs till mid-j
night. Such an action would at once stamp yonf;
as a crank or—an American. Hero the mer-,
chant strolls down to his business about nine'
o’clock, and gets fairly under way by ton. Atl
noon he takes an hour, or an honr and a half, i
for lunch, and then struggles through tho after
noon till four or six o’clock, when he shuts up
and goes home to his dinner, and does not open
shop again till next morning. When the stran
ger within his gates remonstrates at this meth
od, he is reminded, with true British courtesy,
that the Victorians just live as long, digest their l
food better, and enjoy far mor. pleasure, than
the American, who is a slave to his counting
house and an anxious student of his ledger.
Chinese Advertising. —Tha Chinese'
know the value of advertising. Here is ths
“ ad ” of an ink manufacturer of Canton, trans
lated: “At the shop Tae-shing (prosperous in
the extreme) —very good ink ; fin. I fine 1 An
cient shop, great-grandfather, grandfather, i
father, and self made this ink ; fine and hard, 1
very hard ; picked with care, selected with at
tention. This ink is heavy; so is gold. Ths
eye of the dragon glitters and dazzles; so does
this ink. No one makes like it. Others who
make ink make it for the sake of accumulating'
base coin and cheat, while I make it only for a
name. Plenty of A-kwantsaos (gentlemen) know
my ink—my family never cheated—they have
always borne a good name. I make ink for tha
‘ Son of Heaven ’ and all the mandarins in tha
empire. As the roar of the tiger extends to
every place, so does the fame of tho ‘ dragon’s
jewel.’”
The Gum Arabic Famine.—Says tha
Boston Advertiser: Gum arable has become
scarce on account of the war in the Soudan. The
gum comes from tho country now in possession
ot the Mahdi. In 1883 only about one-fiith ol
the usual crop was gathered, and nothing is!
known as to the extent of the crop of 1884. Ona
year is required to transport it from the country,
where it is gathered to Cairo and Alexandria,)
and even if a cessation of hostilities in the Sou-,
dan should immediately take place, no new;
stock could be relied upon for many months. A I
gum which is similar to the arabic, called gum- i
Senegal, is gathered on the west coast of Africa. '•
It is coarser and somewhat stronger, but has
found favor as a substitute. i
I
The Benefits of Irrigation.— The
country surrounding Paso del Norte, Mexico,
is covered with magnificent orchards, gardens ;
and vineyards, which are rendered productive '■
by irrigation. The acequias which conduct the !
water trom the Rio Grande were constructed 1
many years ago by the Jesuit Fathers who,
founded the city. The main acequia is about!
ten miles in length, and from it four branches ]
conduct the water in different directions. Each. ■
garden and vineyard is a network or gridiron of j
little ditches, and when water is needed, the
owner opens the acequia gate and all the little i
ditches are filled with water. Thea the gate is
closed and the water soaks away to the roots of I
the vines or plants. y.
Why He Ran Away. A dog belonging;
to a Wanaqua (N. J.) lad had, lor a long time/1
been in the habit of picking up his breaMasw,
and running away with it instead of eating itj;
The boy followed him one day and the dog led 1
him a roundabout trip, evidently to tire out his;
pursuer. Finally the dog lay down and waited I
for tho boy to go away. The boy started abrupt^- 1
ly, as it to go home. The dog then rau very
last and disappeared in a covert, where investi
gation revealed a deorepid and emaciated old 1
dog, who was eagerly devouring the breakfast, y
How Infidelity was Avenged.—lt is
related of the famous Buenos Ayres beauty, 1
Aimee Blanche, that she once loved a snake-'
charmer, who, as a proof of his affection, taught l
her to handle and at last to instruct a large co- :
bra. He insisted upon draw.ng the reptile’s
fangs, but she would not consent. She taught
the snake to strike at a redhandkerchief. Ob
taining proof of her lover’s infidelity, she spread!
a red silk handkerchief on his face while he was
asleep, and the cobra struck him repeatedly.
He died without speaking.
A Prolific Orange Tree.—An oranga
tree in a grove near Emporia, Fla., according ta'
tho Gazette of that place, has just had the sea
son’s crop picked from it and still contains four;
distinct crops, and is in full bloom tor the fifth.'
One crop is from last July’s bloom, and is just
beginning to ripen; ‘the second is from blooms
in September, and is about the size of a hen’s
egg; the third is from blooms iu November, and.
is about the size of an egg of a partridge, and
the fourth is the size of a bullet.
Renewed
strength and vigor follow the use of
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla. Mrs. Ann H. Farns
worth, a lady 79 years old, So. Woodstock,
Vt., writes: “After suffering for weeks
with prostration, I procured a bottle of
Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, and before I had
taken half of it my usual health returned.”
Thos. M. McCarthy, 36 Winter st., Lowell,
Mass., writes: “ I have been troubled, for
years, with nervousness, and pains about
my heart, especially in the morning. I
also suffered greatly from debility. I have
been cured by Ayer’s Sarsaparilla, and.
am now able to do very hard work.”
Henry H. Davis, Nashua, N. H., writer:
“ I have found relief from that feeling of
languidness, prevalent during the spring,
by taking Ayer’s Sar
saparilla.
I have taken it for years.”