The Western advance. [volume], June 20, 1874, Image 1

About The Western advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1872-1874

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VOLUME II.
fctyted $$liMelkinti.
THE LITTLE LWHT-KEEPER.
BT CHARLES 8. SMITH.
JlnnR is the story of a little child
Who, wiih her father* lived beside the eea,
On alone island, from whoHe rocks was piled
A lighthouse tower of stoutest masonry
A sleepless sentinel, whose beaming eye
Watched through the night to wars of danger nigh.
One day her father, who had gone ashore,
Failed with the early twilight to return
And so she sat, and wondered more and more,
Until the evening star began to burn,
And thought, Our light should shed as true a ray,
Lest ships should be misled and cast away."
And so she sat, perplexed with snxiqna care,
And listened to the ocean's restless moan
What can do? Indeed, I cannot bear
Through all the dreary nieht to stay alone
Nay, not alone," she thought and, undismayed,
The little creature then knelt down and prayed.
Then she arose, and with a trembling hand
Slow dragged a chair beacath the well-trimmed
light
Fcrched her slight figure on the trusty stand,
And Mtrctched on tiptoe to her utmost height.
And then reached up—alas 1 her heart grew sick
The lighted paper did not reach the wick.
What should she do in this her hour of need?
Naught could whe And to make the pile more
high.
Till the big Bible, kept with careful heed,
And read at ni«ht and morning, met her eye:
But still cho pa'ixcd for, with a reverent dread,
Upon the Book of God she feared to tread.
And yet she thought, "What if our light could
save
Some i»hip from wreck upon the rocky shore!"
And go. wiili resolution strong and brave,
The heavy volume to the pile she bore.
The deed was done the light's benignant ray
Beamed o'er the boiling breakers of the bay.
Her father sat upon the chore meanwhile,
Detained by cruel wretches, who had planned
To keep the light unti'iidcd, and beguile
Some passing vessel on ihe rocky strand.
And, whuu the cries of drowning men were o'er.
To steal the cargo as it washed ashore.
And as they sat there, plotting evil schemes.
Hoping the midnight honr would bring them
luck,
True as a star the light's reproachful beams
Flashed o'er the waters. Foiled and panic
struck,
They rose together with a sudden start,
And gruffly bade the keeper to depart.
Soon o'er the waves the little boat he steers,
Its white sail gleaming in that grateful light
And now the strong man's eyes are full of tears,
To see efar that face, so wan and white,
Tciring through darkness from the slippery rocks,
The night-dews falling on her flaxen locks.
Glad was the daughter when her father came
Proud was the father as he kissed hid child
But when she asked, with bln»h of bashful shame,
If her young feet the Bible had defiled,
"No, no," he said there never is abuse
When sacred things are put to noble use."
And so he soothed her till her thoughts grew
calm,
And brought the Bible when she was in bed,
And read the glowing language of a psalm
Until her heart grew warm and comforted
And, listening to the roaring of the deep,
The little lighthouse-keeper fell asleep.
—Oliver Optitft Maqatlne,
AUNT CHARLOTTE'S STORY.
44
Now, Ida, my dear girl, take my ad
vice," said Aunt Chariotte to her giddy
young niece, "and don't imperil your
own Future happiness nor be guilty of in
justice by slighting the man to whom you
have given your troth or by foolishly teas
ing him in order to test his affection.
There is a story in my own memory that
I have never told you and I could not
now bring myself to do so only that I see
you don't like me to lecture you, and I
wish you to learn wisdom by an easier
method than that of bitter experience.
When I was a young girl we lived, as
you know, in Canada, in one of the small
lake-shore towns between Toronto and
Kingston. Your grandfather was a man
of note in the town, and 1 was a good
deal sought after. I was giddy, too, and
selfish, though I did not then consider
myself so. I had many admirers and
suitors, among whom the one I liked best
was Harry Vane. From my very infancy
Uarry had been my gallant, and though I
sometimes pretended to be, and sometimes
really was, jealous of him or otherwise
oilended, and he the same with regard to
me, we always made up again and were
better friends than ever. There was not
really any engagement between us, though
Harry had asked me to form one, but my
parents objected to long engagements, and
we were not ready to marry. Matters
stood thus when, early one spring, we had
an addition to our list of beaux in the
form of a dashing young fellow, an En
glishman, sent out by a wealthy firm of the
mother country for the purpose of estab
lishing an agency in their line of business.
His headquarters had been in Montreal,
but he now announced his intention of
making our town his home during the
summer.
He had a good deal of leisure, and
spent no inconsiderable part of it at our
house, or in promenading the streets with
me. I could hardly set my feet on the
sidewalks without encountering him.
His name was Bowns, and he claimed to
be of aristocratic parentage. He was
handsome and affable, though rather su
percilious, withal very distinguished in
appearance so no wonder the girls
our set wished to attract his attention and
were envious of me. Of course I was
proud of my conquest, and perhaps carried
myself a little haughtily inconsequence.
For some time Harry pouted, then open
ly remonstrated, even pleaded but, as I
angrily asserted my independence, he
finally desisted from all apparent notice
of the matter and whenever we met he
treated me with indifferent courtesy, and
altogether showed a manly self-command
which I did not fail to note and admire.
Still I must confess that at that time I
gave .very little thought to Harry or to
any of my old admirers it seems won
derful to me, how completely I was fas
cinated by the prepossessing s'tranger.
To be sure, he flattered my vanity not
a little, and my empty head was turned
by his lavish, adulatory style of compli
ments. He raved" about my eyes of heav
enly blue, the golden color of my mer
maid locks, my swan-like neck, and an
endless flow of bathos that ought to have
disgusted me, but did not and so I
listened and he ranted. About the middle
of August we made up among our set a
picnic party to drive out to Rice Lake
Plains and spend the day In boating on
the lj.ke, gathering huckleberries, wild
flowers, etc., and generally amusing our
selves.
You must know that there is an irreg
ular chain of small lakes extending trans
versely from the Bay of Quinte, near the
eastern end of Lake Ontario, to the east
ern end of Superior. Rice Lake is the
first of the chain counting from Ontario,
and it lies at a distance of from two to
four hours' drive from several small
towns on the frontier. We had an early
breakfast, and set off at eight o'clock, so
that we need not be on the road during
the hpa*,/f the day. There were several
carriages the one in which 1 rode was a
handsome barouche hired from a livery
stable for the occasion, and by my side
sat the all-conquering Mr. Bowns.
jjPSfc^.. ^it^Jgfr'^bW,,.*^ *, 4
For some unexplained reason Harry
Yane did not go in,any of the carriages,
but was mounted on horseback, and he
rode gayly by the side of first one vehicle
then another. When we had gone a little
distance out of town the country air,
sights and sounds were so exhilarating
that we in our carriages began to sing.
Harry, hearing us, rode up and joined in
the song, he being particularly fond of
singing. Shortly we struck off into an
old ditty which he and I had sung to
gether countless times when we stood
each first in the esteem of the other and
no gay stranger had come between us.
For a stanza or two Harry sang bravely,
but when we came to the retrain sudden
ly his horse bolted and he rode off,
catching at his hat with one hand and
seeming to "draw rein, with the other.
The remainderof the-party thought his
horse bad shied and run away with him,
but I saw thoroughly the whole maneuver,
and a sudden pang shot through my
selfish heart.
On reaching the lake at the point
agreed upon we separated into little
companies and wandered about at will,
but keeping within the vicinity of the
camp until the horn sounded for dinner.
We were all, as is usual at picnics, in
hungry mood, and we did not dine minc
ingly.
44
After dinner we lolled about on the
grass for awhile, then formed plans for the
afternoon's campaign. There were near
by several canoes or row-boats that were
kept for hire, and a fair proportion of our
band decided in favor of an excursion on
the lake, some parties going in one direc
tion, some in another. The boats would
accommodate only four persons each, the
rowers and two others. Three boat-loads,
twelve individuals in all, determined to
pay a visit to the tower on the opposite
shore of the lake and about three miles
farther up. As we divided ourselves into
parties of four, 1 felt an irrepressible de
sire to have Harry Vane, who had de
clared for the tower, in our boat, so I
called out:
Harry, are ycu coming with us?'
meaning by us, Bowns and myself.
44
I shall never forget the look of min
gled pain and pleasure with which he re
plied: No, Charlotte George Law is
quartered in your boat.'
"It was half-past three o'clock when
we landed near the tower and drew
the boats up on the beach. This tower
was an octagon building three or four
stories in height, consisting of only one
room to each story, with a narrow
spiral staircase leading from base to sum
mit. At the top was an observatory not
much larger than a good-sized bird cage,
which had once been furnished with a
small telescope mounted on a swivel, but
.was now reduced to a very commonplace
spy-glass. The basement was a deep,
dungeon-like hole, with a grated door
through which one entered a subterranean
passage leading out to the shore of the
lake. This tower, with its lean tokitchen,
or, rather, cook-house, was built on a hill
at the distance of about 300yards from the
water's edge, and it was the product of a
Quixotic Englishman, an old bachelor's
fancy. The whimsical man did not carry
out his original intention of making a
complete miniature castle of feudal times,
but suddenly abandoned the enterprise
and went as he came, nobody knew
whither. This odd little tower had been
surrounded on all sides, save the deep
bank next the water, by a diminutive
moat, which was now a dry ditch filled
with weeds and wild flowers there, too,
was the wreck of a toy-like drawbridge,
and within the inclosure were several
quaint-looking garden-chairs cut into the
stumps of trees. There was a fam
ily residing in the house, at least they
made it an occasional residence during
the summer, but that day they were ab
sent, and the garrulous old servant in
charge showed us over the premises.
"We stole down by thelight of a lantern
through the underground passage to the
opening on the lake we climbed the steep
stairs and peeped through the old spy
glass sat in the grotesque chairs, and
gathered bouquets from the quondam
moat. All these vagaries consumed so
much time that, before we were aware,
the sun was going down the westward
slope in away that when we noticed it
sent us to our boats with speed. We were
soon gliding over the water in jovial
spirits and at a fair rate of motion toward
the camping place on the shore next home.
The three boats kept near together, and as
we went we sang Tom Moore's Canadian
boat song. Just as our voices were ring
ing out—
Row, brothers, row, for the stream runs fast,
The rapids arc near and the daylight is passed,1
a sudden breeze almost took the light
umbrella with which I was screening
myself and companion from sun and
wind (we had left ourbonnets at the camp)
out of my hand. The breeze subsided for
a moment, then came again more vigor
ously than before, and held on steadily.
Generally, or frequently, a stiff breeze rises
on those lakes about or soon after sunset,
but now the sun was certainly half an
hour high. Sudden squalls, especially
when thunder clouds are hovering near,
accompanied by dangerous disturbance
of the water, are unpleasantly often the
concomitants of boating on those shallow
lakes.
Looking around the horizon we dis
covered the cause of the suddenly-rising
wind. A heavy pile of black clouds
coming up behind us in the northwest
were spreading themselves along the
northern horizon and extending upward
almost to the zenith and at the same
time we began to hear the thunder mutter
and see the lightning play, though not
very near. The1 weatherwise ones of our
party said the shower was spending itself
north of us but we might get a sprinkling
from its skirts, and the wind was sure to
be troublesome.
Meanwhile we had crossed the lake
and were making our way down tn the
landing adjoining, which was our camp,
keeping close in shore to avoid the com
motion of the water.
There is a peculiarity in that lake.
The wild rice, from which, it takes its
name, grows over almost the entire bot
tom of the basin, and when at its tallest
the grain lies floating on the surface of
the water, and the Indians, when it is
ripe, paddle round and gather it into
their canoes. This, however, makes navi
gation to ordinary rowers rather difficult
and where the basin is particularly shal
low or when the waters are agitated by
storms the passage is perilous.
"I soon perceived that Bowns and
George Law were by no means masters of
the situation and oh, how I longed for
the tried and trusty arm of Harry Vane
to steer our giddy little skiff. Just then
Harry, who was ahead, called out to us
%o make for an islet, a little way out in
the lake, on one side of which there was
not much rice, and whioh had been used
by the Indians as% landing place, as it
sloped gradually into the water$ he said
we had better land there and wait for the
squall to pass over.
"The rowers'turned the boat toward
the islet and pushed out vigorously, I
meantime holding the umbrella low like
a tent or awning over my own and Nellie
Morton's heads, for now it was raining.
Again Harry called to us to shut down
the umbrella, lest it should jcatch the
wind and upset our skiff, and the next
moment Bowns, who had not said one
word to us girls since the wind sprang
up, snapped out, «Yes, certainly, down
with that umbrella!'
What with a sense of danger, and what
with sudden consternation at being
spoken to in such a tone and manner, I
had no self-command, and in shutting the
umbrella I somehow lost my balance, and
the next instant I was sinking in the
blinding waters.
44
I must have rfsen very quickly, for
the boat was there and I laid my hand on
its side, but quick as a flash Bowns*
hand came down on mine, and though he
afterward said tha* he tried to lay hold of
me to assist me 1 know that he dislodged
my hand. True, I should have upset the
boat, and just as true he flung me off to
perish. As I sank again, even through
the gurgling in my ears I heard the voice
ot Harry Vane:
4
•oming.'
4
44
44
Courage, Charlotte, I'm
Again I rose and again sank. Then I
ceased to struggle and the pain of suffo
cation was gone. I knew that I was dying,
and like electricity ail my past life flashed
before me. I had no terror of death, but
I longed to ask Harry's pardon. Bowns
I seemed to have forgotten. The tall rice
was all about me, and I knew no more
until a deadly sickness and great pain
woke me to consciousness. Was it the
gurgling water or human speech that
rumbled in my ear?? I did not know, I
did not care I only wished not to be dis
turbed—not to suffer.
Slowly my comprehension returned
and I found myself on abed in the log
cabin of the man who kept the boats on
hire, and it was night, for candles were
burning. Some of my companions of
the picnic were there, but I was too ill
and weary to ask questions.
When next I opened my eyes it was
daylight and my father and mother were
bending over me.
44
Suddenly I remembered something of
the drowning and I cried out,4 Where is
Harry He said he was coming.'
44
They hushed and soothed me and I
suppose administered a narcotic, for I have
only a faint recollection of lying on a
bed in a covered conveyance and of being
annoyed by the jolting.
14
The next time I awoke my mind was
clear. I recollected all and begged to be
told how I was saved. My friends evaded
this question, and my suspicions being
aroused I demanded to see Harry Vane.
Finding they could no longer put me off
they told me that Harry rescued me and
swam with me toward the islet, where
one of the boats had just landed. An
other gentleman waded out breast high
to meet him and drew me to the shore,
supposing that Harry was following.
But Harry did not follow, and in the ex
citement about me he was not missed
until too late. Whether he was exhausted
or whether he took cramp no one could
tell. This only I know and never shall
tfbrget: Harry Vane was drowned in
saving my life. This also I know: I
shall live and die Charlotte Kemp. As
for Bowns, I hated then, I hate still, the
sound of his name. He left our town
almost immediately after the occurrence,
and I never saw his face again after the
day of the picnic."
Twice Married*
M. H.
B4.
publican:
WHITES to the St. Louis Re-
I
There are tragical, comical
and common-place divotfte suits, and the
following certainly is as comical as any
on record. A young couple ten years ago
agreed to disagree, and she of the firm
went West to the Eldorado of discontent
ed wives in those days, Chicago. Then
she commenced suit, but before it was
granted he went on, made up the peace
between them, and hand in hand they re
turned. Before the year was out, how
ever, they quarreled again, and this time
he didn't reach her quick enough the
bill passed, and as a divorced woman she
resided in Boston for five years. Then in
an idle hour she answered a matrimonial
or a personal in a New York paper, cor
responded some months, journeyed on to
this city to meet the Adolphus of her ma
ture dreams, and found in him the Icha
bod of her early days. They had iied so
faithfully in their letters and so unani
mously that neither had discovered the
other's identity. Whether the deception
had cast anew light on the subject, or
whether they were convinced that in all
the world they couldn't each find a fool
like the other, at any rate once more they
mated. A second wedding and a second
hand honeymoon ensued. But the hus
band speedily began to rehearse to his
charmer what he considered her folly in
answering anonymous advertisements,
and, instead of retorting, as she properly
could, to the anonymous advertiser, she
wept and he bullied, and on time dragged
till last summer, when they separated,
and this spring a suit for divorce was
commenced. The parties are both
wealthy Mr. lives in fine style at
an up-town hotel and attends to his law
business Mrs. stops with a sister
in Brooklyn. Four hearings in the suit
have taken place before a referee. At the
close of the fourth, behold the belligerent
pair went to Delmonico's to lunch togeth
er. The anxiety and excitement of the
lawyers were something dreadful to wit
ness. This case has so much money in
it, has already dragged its slow length
over so much time, has so many beautiful
features, and perhaps that nightmare of
the legal profession, reconciliation, may
step in and spoil all."
—The Western Spirit, published at
Paoia, Kan., contains some statistics of
the growth of that State, which shows
astonishing results. Twenty-four new
counties have been organized since 1870,
containing last year 75,000 people, ac
cording to the compilation of the State
Board of Agriculture. Sedgwick, Sum
ner, Cowley, Harvey and Reno Counties,
which five years ago were unrecognized,
and had hardly a settler in their limits,
now have an aggregate of 35,000 popula
tion. In 1860 there were no people in
the Arkansas Valley. Now it has twelve
organized counties and a large popula
tion.- The total population of Kansas in
1860 was 107,206 in 1870 it was 364,899
and in 1873 it was 605,063. At this ratio,
when the national census is taken in 1880,
Kansas will count over 1,000,000 people.
—In Naples a barber will shave, cut
hair, comb, brush, black boots, and give
you a cigar, and call it square for ten
cents,
A N I N E E N E N N E W S A E
WORTHINGTON, NOBLES CO,, MINN., SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 1874.
Six Dog Stories.
44
DR. PRIME, in one of his Irenaeus Let
ters in the New York Observer, relates sev-received.
eral anecdotes of dogs that have exhibited
an intelligence almost human. Some of
these tales of dogs, it is remarked, are
quite well authenticated. The first is
about
A RELIGIOUS DOG,
and is thus told:
Dr. S. S. Marcey, of Cape May City,
writes to me of one known to the summer
visitors as44 the Presbyterian dog." He
was raised," said the doctor,
41
and owned
by one of my neighbors, living nearly
opposite the Methodist Church. The
Presbyterian being about four blocks dis
tant, on the ringing of the second bell on
Sabbath morning he would quietly and
orderly walk to the church, and after the
congregation had assembled and services
commenced he would quietly walk into
the middle aisle and lie down. When the
congregation arose for pjyyers he would
devoutly rise to his feet ana remain until
the close, then recline to his humble posi
tion. At the close of the services he
would walk out of the church and quietly
return to his kennel. On a funeral occa
sion, near the close, he has been known to
follow the congregation up to the coffin,
stand upon his hind feet, elevate himself
high enough to view the corpse for a mo
ment, and then quietly retire. These cer
emonies he performed for several years,
as I have often been an eye-witness.
On one Sabbath the sexton, not having
the fear of the dog before his eyes, ejected
the quiet and inoffensive animal from the
church with several kicks. The dog so
resented the ungentlemanly treatment
that he abandoned the church entirely
and attended the Methodist Church op
posite his home during the remainder of
his life."
A DISGUSTED DOG.
Mr. Walter Chester, of New York city,
writes to me that the following atory was
related to him by Dr. S. B. Woodward,
formerly of Wethersfleld, Conn., and after
ward principal physician of the Insane
Asylum at Worcester, Mass
Dr. Woodward had a fine Newfoundland
dog, which always accompanied him
when driving his rounds, and frequently
rode on the boat as he crossed the river
to Glastenbury. As the doctor settled his
ferriage on one occasion, he remarked:
44
That makes our account square," to
which the ferryman replied Yes, unless
you pay fare for your dog." Instantly
the dog plunged into the river and would
never put his feet upon the boat afterward,
but swam the Connecticut whenever his
master crossed on the boat, which he did
for several years.
A REASONING, REVENGEFUL DOG.
Deacon Henderson, of Berkshire
County, Mass., started on a journey with
a horse and carriage to visit his friends.
He'soon discovered that his small dog
accompanied him. After staying at a
hotel one night he resumed his journey,
but missed his dog. One week later he
returned over the same route and stopped
at the hotel. Dr. Prime thus continues
the story:
He made inquiry for the dog, and the
landlord told him the first day after the
Deacon left the dog was running around
the piace, making every expression of
loneliness, and was several times attacked
and bittJH by other dogs, and then disap
peared.
Within a day or two thereafter the little
dog made his second appearance, accom
panied by a much larger dog, and they
finally made a furious attack upon every
resident dog in the neighborhood, ana
gave them a thorough thrashing. When
that work was done both dogs disap
peared.
The good Deacon was delighted with
the lanalord's recital ot the affair, and
explained the matter by guessing that the
little dog went back home, some thirty
miles, procured the assistance of a large
dog that was his associate, and returned
to the tavern to punish his enemies and
when the worthy Deacon reached home he
found his conjectures were fully justified
by the fact that the dogs had been ab
sent, and on returning home showed
signs of hard usage.
PATHETIC FAREWELL OF A DOS.
Dr. George Smith, of New York, Dr.
Prime says, is responsible for the story of
a dog owned by a friend of his in Con
necticut, which was one day poisoned bv
the bite of a snake. The account thus
concludes:
Medicine was given him, but he grew
worse, and at length the family began to
fear that he would die. He lay one morn
ing in their midst moaning with agony,
while they sat watching and questioning
what they could or ought to do. Suddenly
they noticed a change for the worse, al
most as perceptibly as in a human being.
After a paroxysm of pain he^Slowly arose,
went to each member of the family, tried
to wag his tail, licked their hands, and,
their faces, and tenderly laid his head for
a moment against their cheeks. Having
thus bidden his pathetic good-by," he
feebly crept out into a grove adjoining
the house (the family following to see the
end), looked pitifully over the familiar
spot, lay down, and was dead!
A *4RING" ORGANIZATION.
painfully lifting himself up until his dear
old paws rested on thflir shoulders, licked
At Little Falls, N. Y., some years ago
two gentlemen had been hunting with
Mr. McKenstry's hound. Returning to
the village a large cur sprang over the
fence and attacked the hound, injuring it
severely, but was beaten off. Mr. Mc
Kenstry was advised to shut up the hound,
but soon after he reached home he left
again, and it was decided upon to follow
him and see what he would do. The dog's
conduct is thus described:
He trotted along some two miles, then
stopped at a house where two hounds
were kept with whom he often hunted.
Arriving there he fondled around them,
and by intimations understood by them
the two were induced to follow him. The
three, returning to the village on a good
round trot, heads and tails up, went di
rectly to the yard where the cur was, and
jumping over the fence fell upon him
and never let go their hold until they had
killed him.
A SOCIAL, VISITING DOG.
Several years ago a gentleman and
wife spent a few weeks in the family of
my friend, Mr. John G. Tallman, living
at Nyack, on the Hudson. They had with
them their dog, remarkably good natured
and intelligent. He was kindly cared
for, as is everybody and everything—man
and beast—who comes within range of
that hospitable home made himself as
one of the family and had a good time
generalJy. At the close of summer, mas
ter and dog returned to the city. About
six weeks later who should trot into Mr.
I
Tallman's house one day, soon after the
boat ai rived from New York, but old
Towser, He evinced signs of great plea*
uie at the meeting, barking and frisking
about, and doing all he could to express
gratification at the hearty welcome he
44
The family of course thought
he preceded the arrival of his owners but
as they failed to appear, his presence
created no little surprise. Still that did
not disturb Towser. He ate and drank,
basked lazily in the autumn sunshine by
day and crept into a warm, cosy corner by
night, evidently enjoying his visit won
derfully well. At the expiration of three
or four days he quietly trotted out of the
yard one morning about the hour of the
arrival of the boat for New York, found
his way to the dock, went on board the
steamer, remained there until she reached
the city, and then wended his way home
like any other traveler.
In commenting upon the last-mentioned
dog, Dr. Prime says his master lived in
Hudson street and that in those days the
Nacky steamer started from the foot of
Robinson street. The questions that arise
are, how could hefixupon the time of the
boat's starting, find his way there, and"
why did he not stop at some other place
instead of Nyack? How did he know
when to leave Mr. Tallman's to secure a
passage home? These questions which
occurred to Dr. Prime he does not pre
tend to answer except by asking another,
as follows:
Does there not seem to be a near ap
proach to the divine gift of reason in all
this? I believe it, and that coming ages
will develop stranger facts upon this point
44
than we have dreamed of in our phi
losophy.'
Desperate Fight with a Burglar.
FARMER SAMUEL BOND lives with his
family eight miles from here. On Satur
day night last he awoke in the middle of
the night and saw a burglar in his room.
He jumped from his bed and grasped
him by the throat and whiskers. The
whiskers, a lone pair, were false, and
came off in the farmer's hand. The burg
lar struck Mr. Bond in the face, but he
did not release his hold. His wife re
sponded to his call for help. The burg
lar, unable to release himself, started for
the head^of the stairs, dragging the farmer
with him. Mrs. Bond seized the burglar
by one leg. He knocked her down. She
jumped up and seized him again, while
her husband showered blows on his face.
Reaching the head of the stairs, both the
farmer and the burglar rolled to the bot
tom. The noise made by the struggling
men aroused a son of Mr. Bond's, who
joined his father and mother in their at
tack on the burglar. At this juncture the
burglar drew a pistol and would have
shot the farmer dead had not Mrs. Bond,
seeing the movement, pushed the pistol to
one side. The ball took effect in the
groin of her son. The burglar fired again,
hitting Mr. Bond in the right arm, near
the elbow. The farmer's wife seized
hold of the pistol, while her son ran out
and got a club. The weapon was dis
charged twice while Mrs. Bond held the
barrel, but doing no damage. Young
Bond returned with a club and broke the
burglar's right arm with one blow. The
pistol dropped to the floor. Mrs. Bond
picked it up with the intention of shoot
ing the burglar, but before she could use
it her son had knocked him senseless to
the floor with two heavy blows on the
head.
All of the Bonds were badly injured.
The farmer was terribly beaten about the
head and face. The pistol ball had made
an ugly flesh wound in his arm, and his
body was bruised by the fall down stairs.
Mrs. Bond had a long, deep cut over her
left eye, where the burglar had struck her.
Her son's wounds were confined to the
pistol shot in the groin. The ball entered
near the hip joint, and was imbedded in
the flesh. They were all covered with
blood, as were the walls and floor in the
hall.
Mrs. Bond attended temporarily to the
wants of her husband and son. She then
bound the senseless burgiar so he could
not escape if he came to. Mounting a
horse, she started as fast as it could carry
her for this place. Arriving here she
aroused Dr. Billings and Constable Watts,
and started them both for her house. In
an hour and a quarter after leaving home
she arrived back there, and was soon fol
lowed by the Doctor and the Constable.
Mr. Bond and his son were found to be
suffering severely from their wounds, but
their injuries were pronounced not dan
gerous. The ball was extracted from
young Bond's wound with little difficulty
The burglar was found dangerously in
jured. The fall down stairs had broken
three of his ribs. The blows from the
club, besides bi caking his right arm, had
fractured his skull in two places. He
was also badly cut and bruised. The
ropes with which Mrs. Bond had tied him
were removed, and he was placed on a
bed. He suffered intensely. Dr. Bill
ings gave him every care, and in an hour
or two he felt easier, and gave an account
of himself.
He was one of a gang of three profes
sional burglars from Philadelphia. His
name is George Myers. His comrades
were Jake Schell and William Fry. They
traveled through the country disguised
as umbrella menders and peddlers. Their
plan of operation was to enter a town
and work" it thoroughly. They always
got information of places where good
hauls could be made. In Milton they
learned that Farmer Bond had received a
day or two before the attempted burglary
a large sum of money, the proceeds of a
snie of cattle. They determined to make
an effort to obtain it. From various par
ties they had received a good idea of the
interior of the house, the habits of the
inmates, etc. Fry unlocked the front
door with a false key. Myers was to
search the upper part of the house, while
his companions were to take the lower
part. When the noise up stairs warned
the latter that Myers was discovered
they fled, leaving him In the lurch.
Myers said it was his intention to kill all
three of the Bonds at the foot of the
stairs, and he would have done so but for
the young man knocking him down with
the club. On Myers' person was found a
pocket book belonging to Mr. Bond con
taining $500. This had been taken from
his pantaloons before the burglar was
discovered.—Milton (Pa.) Dispatch to N.
Y. Sun.
—A getitleman whose probocis had suf
fered amputation was invited out to tea.
44
My dear," said the good woman of the
house to her little daughter, I want you
to be very particular, and to make no re
mark about Mr. Jenkins' nose." Gath
ered about the table, everything was
going well the child peeped about,
looked rather puzzled, and at last startled
the table: Ma, why did you tell me not
to say anything about Mr. Jenkins' nose?
He hasn't got any!"
GREENFIELD (Mass girls have taken
to "the national game" with success.
CURRENT ITEMS.
INTERESTING MAN—A bank clerk.
A MAN is thinnest when he's a shaving.
MANY a man with means is a mean
man.
THE love for office is the root of much
evil.
To KEEP food on a weak stomach—Bolt
it down.
MOONLIGHT is merely the beautiful old
age of day.
DEEP waters make a still noise. So
do deep men.
RATS are known for the cellarity of
their movements.
DARK rooms are unfit for the dwellings
of human beings.
AN unpleasant sort of arithmetic—Di
vision among families.
HAPPINESS is where it is found, and
seldom where it is sought.
No matter how ignorant a man is, he
can at least make his mark.
THE season for sleeping on window
sills and rolling off is here.
MONOGRAM buttons are introduced on
some of the new walking.suit.
WHY should a magistrate be very cold?
Because he represents just-ice.
A PORTLAND (Me.) railway crossing is
called the gridiron of death."
LITTLE girls should remember that
murderers die of dancing rope.
COLORADO claims to yield sapphires,
one ot which was sold recently for $500.
THE Washington Star says every ap
proach to both houses of Congress is
blocked with pie-stands.
TnE Jackson Whig and Tribune has
been presented with a hen's egg which is
the perfect shape of a walrus.
IT is proposed to try cremation on the
dogs. Well, they would burn easily on ac
count of the quantity of bark in them.
A VIRGINIAN is under arrest for pawn
ing his wife's corset for a pint of whisky.
He believed that tight-lacing would kill
her.
AN Atlanta child, only three years old,
makes its parents proud and happy by
carrying forty-eight pounds of meal fifty
yards.
A DELAWARE man, arrested for murder,
proved that on that night and at the hour
of the murder he was at home mauling
his wife, and this fact saved him. A
word to the wise is, and so forth.
THE strike of the omnibus-drivers in
New York has gone far to convince the
people of the city that the omnibuses are
a nuisance any way, and may safely be
abolished.
THE Grand Trunk Railroad authorities
have decidea to change the line to narrow
gauge east of Montreal in September. It
will then be of uniform gauge through
out, and correspond with its American
connections.
ON a recent Saturday afternoon George
Mead, nine years old, while playing with
several other boys in front of a black
smith shop, near Boston, accidentally ran
against a piece of wood which was prop
ping up a wagon, and, knocking it down,
the vehicle fell upoc him, killing him in
stantly.
A NOVELTY, is the handsome $4.50
field Cioquet Set that the Excelsior Mag
azine is giving to new subscribers for 90
cents, through a special arrangement with
a large manufacturing company. They
furnish sample copies of the Magazine for
25 cents, from their office, Room 59, No.
157 La Salle St.. Chicago, 111.
THE Detroit Free Press says that recent
ly, while a runaway horse was going up
Michigan avenue, having a saddle on his
back, a horse and buggy crossed the ave
nue in front of him, and he made a flying
leap over the horse and continued his
flight. One of the flying stirrups
knocked off the hat of the man who was
driving, but he forgot to get frightened
until the runaway was a block distant.
A STRANGE robbery was recently com
mittcd at Louisville, Ky. A young lady
who had an unusually fine head of hair,
which she wore in two braids, awakening
during the night with the idea that some
thing was wrong, arose and examined the
door, and finding it was locked was about
retiring again, when she perceived that
one of her long braids had been cut off
close to her head. The thief had entered
through an open window, but left no trace
to aid in his recognition.
THE historic $7,000 package which Col.
York flourished in the memorable joint
convention of the Kansas Legislature is
again engaging public attention. Mr.
Francis, the new State Treasurer, has re
ceipted for it, and reports it among the
list of valuable papers in his keeping.
What to do with it is the all-absorbing
question. York, who surrendered it as
bribe money, will have none of it. Pom
croy claims that it was given to York in
trust for Page, who has relinquished all
claim to it. Hence there appears to be no
owner.
STRAWBERRIES.—Never wash straw
berries if it can be avoided. If it must be
done, do it before they are hulled. Use a
large bowlful of water, put in a few
berries at a time, stir them lightly with
the hands until clean, skim them out and
hull them at once, putting them into the
saucers in which they are to be served.
Sprinkle sugar over them if needed, and
send to the table without further hand
ling, or leave them to be sugared by the
eater. Every time they are handled takes
something from their freshness, but if it
is preferable for other reasons to place
them in one large dish on the table put
them at once into the dish as you take
them from the water and hull them,
sprinkling on the necessary sugar as you
proceed, so that they will need no stirring
afterward. They need no draining. The
little water that clings to them will melt
the sugar, and with the juice of the fruit
will make an exquisite dressing.—Herald
of Health.
A GEORGIA paper describes a Southern
beauty as follows:
,4
Among the many vis-
itors who came to our city on Saturday
last to sell their country produce was a
young lady from an adjoining county
who had chickens, eggs and butler for
sale. Her beauty was of transcendent
excellence. Bright, flashing, intellectual
eyes and face round and rosy, while her
calico dress was plain and neatly made
and fitted beautifully. Her rich, black
hair flowed in luxurious richness. High
ly educated, she conversed fluently, and
deported herself with becoming modesty.
She wore no purchased complexion had
no top knot on her head, but stood in the
majestic beauty of a created intelligence
that would not yield to the despotic dic
tates of frivolous fashion. It has been a
long time since we gazed upon such a
sight. The young men crowded around
her wagon with curiosity in their eyes and
admiration in their hearts. The old men
wept for joy that there was one who had
NUMBER 41.
not bowed to Baal. She sold her country
produce, went home, milked the cows,
cooked supper for ten farm laborers, and
went to church that night with her sweet
heart."
Tortures of School.
CHILDREN are naturally graceful, and
when allowed to act freely will generally
assume such attitudes and make such
movements as are most favorable to ele
gance of carriage and justness of propor
tion. When noticed during their unre
strained moments of play, nothing is more
beautiful in animal lite than the vigorous
boy and girl in action or during their
rare moments of repose. Their rapidity,
facility and precision of movement are
marvelous to behold. Anatomy has been
termed a hymn to Deity. Its display in
the full vitality of childhood gives the
highest expression to all its sacred music.
Divine harmony and order are most
strikingly illustrated by the free action of
the young, whose muscles, great as they
are in number and various in purpose,
are worked with such accuracy and
quickness of alternation that the only re
sult seems to be a unform flow of grace
ful motion.
Children, naturally so graceful in free
dom, become exceedingly awkward un
der constraint. No sooner do they ob
serve the eye of authority upon them
than they are changed creatures. Their
heads hang, their eyes blink, their ex
pression assumes a scared look, their step
becomes hesitating, and their whole body
stiff and angular in movement. So great
is this change that the frank and flexible
child, so beautiful to sight in the play
ground, seems only a shy and ungainly
booby in the school-room.
The constraint to which the young are
ordinarily subjected in school is unneces
sarily severe, and is apt to have a very ill
effect not only upon their bearing, but
upon their health. The fixed postures
they are expected to assume are so repug
nant to their organization that, however
disposed to comply, they are forced by na
ture to resist them. The very effort they
make to obey leads to the most ungainly
variations from the perpendicular and
rectangular requirements of school de
portment. The grotesque movements ob
served in a class of pupils while reciting
under the eye of a master are so many in
stinctive protests against his rigid rule
that they must stand, like a platoon of
soldiers, erect to their work. Fastened to
a certain spot, and forced to keep their
heads more or less upon a common level,
their natural elasticity, unable to find the
vent it require, bulges out, as it were, in
strange and irregular movements. Some
will swing like a pendulum, some twist
their twolegs into the semblance of a
plaited whip-cord, some vex the leaves
of their books into dog's-ears, some
wrench off the buttons of their waistcoats,
some torture their pockets into holes,
some devour their handkerchiefs, and the
rest will be cither squirming their bodies,
squinting perpetually, or be seized with
an irresistible fit of coughing.
Again, behold them at their forms, with
the desk of unvarying height and the
seats without a back. Who would recog
nize the graceful child of the play-ground
in the crumped deformity, with tongue
lolling out, rounded shoulders, twisted
spine, sinking head, arms akimbo, and
fingers cramped over the slate or copy
book?
A continued subjection to a system of
school constraint of the kind is, of course,
destructive of all the grace with which
the young may have been naturally en
dowed. This, however, unfortunately, is not
all the mischief. There frequently result
some serious deformities which not only
disfigure the subjects of them for life, but
greatly impede their usefulness, imbitter
their happiness, and prove not seldom
fatal to their health. Curvature of the
spine and short-sightedness arc among the
most common of these deformities, and
are generally developed during attendance
at school. There is no doubt that they
are directly caused by certain conditions
common in the schoolroom, and which
are highly favorable for their develop
ment. Both of these serious deformities
are to be attributed to constraint of
posture.
Short sightedness is the consequence of
an undue lengthening of the axis of the
eye, and this during the period of child
hood, when the ocular apparatus is es
pecially endowed with a power of adap
tation to distances, is frequently pro
duced by habitually exercising the* sight
upon very near objects. The child
kept bent to his book or copy
for a long period, and either for
bidden to rest his back or unable to do it
tor want of proper means, has no alterna
tive in his weariness but to bend forward
and droop his head. In thus seeking a
rest he cannot dispense with, his eyes are
brought close to the page where he is
reading or writing. This habitual prox
imity of sight to its object causes the
fluids of the eye to jut forward, lengthen
its axis, and permanently shorten its
vision.
The awkward postures assumed by the
child under the ordinary restraints of
school discipline are the main causes ot
the crooked spines so common, especially
among growing girls. Whether assumed
while standing or sitting, a habitual con
tortion of the body is sure to result in
permanent deformity of the back. The
act of resting on one leg, which will be
found as general in a class of school chil
dren as among a flock of geese, sets at
once the figure awry, and if persisted in
day after day for along time, as it gener
ally is, will be sure to result in what the
surgeons term lateral curvature of the
spine. The constrained posture at the
desk and piano is also a frequent cause
of the same affection. This is not merely
a deformity but a disease. The frame, in
losing its symmetry, is deprived at the
same time of one of its main functions.
It can no longer, as it was designed, af
ford space for the free exercise of the
functions of the internal organs. The
lungs, the liver, the stomach anrl the bow
els are pushed away from their original
sites and thrust one upon the other in
such a way as to hinder all justness of
action. Thus comes disordered function
and finally organic disease and premature
death.
No school, whatever maybe its scho
lastic merits, is fit for youth that is not
provided with these two essentials to ease
of posture, the chair or seat with a back,
and a desk or form that can be raised or
lowered as the height of the pupil may
require. A larger liberty of posture and
movement, within of course the limits of
decorum, should be allowed to children
in school. They ought not to be too se
verely drilled according to any perpen
dicular, rectangular, or other mathemat
ical idea of propriety, but permitted to
assume often the waving lines of grace
and ease to which nature inclines them.—
Harper's Bow.