Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 12 Jun 1878, p. 3

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J. TAX SLTEE, HWw< yrtMrtir. ever John could have desired. Nannie *va£ the irwpst bewitching nyKden I had ever met, childlike and yet womanly, frank, bright and full of girlish freaks and boyis LITTLE TMAVELEB. ̂ flttBAiGHT down the city's crowded street i hurrying feet. X^NW UAU UICPMI J yel for Iili sake Wealth, thoughtful, stepped aside, Power waived a while ite right of place, And Bank forgot its pnde, While man;' s !*p4 f t -assent brat As on the little Traveler went. AStranrcrfr^ W^lar-ofthindjl ffl Spoke then in doubtful tone: "" 'Tit said your race bew not to Kings, » « But unto Worth akne. . , _i 11! Who. then. is tms.to whom all pur . f\ \ / Sflefi homage in the crowded wayjf' " A Traveler, more noble far Than Kings of noblest age; . Purer than any praying priest. Witter than any sage. B|> iVMifxi in vonii?!" ilOiV t>iftSBle Come, then, and look upon his face." The tender lights fell soft and dim; The air was thrilled with mafrna; I t > He lay in coffin white and small, fe - \V ith lilies ia his palms -- >( c *, Serenely peaceful, aa those sleem Who ba*e no longer watch to kel#, • •. 6 happy Traveler! thus to win, u, _ While vet unsoiled by tears. , The Home that we shall hardly Bad • » Through weeping, weary years. . Whose small, nnsandaled feet may stray On heights for which we vainly pcay! re vainly ptay! WteUf. - HJLNNIE* I cannot set down in so jhany words jiistwhtfn or hovt it caihe to be under­ stood betweea my partner, John Still- "What on earth Mat the- pappy tfome?" •>-* , *»•: ̂ " Lov6annie, I imagine. Come, , John, you won't be my father-in-law, mischief, and yet well edu- Kf»>r I will not many Nannie if you are ̂ • • peyer so tyrannical, but we can jog i usual, the best of friends- friends and neighbors thinking no party complete without her, whue the poor fairly worshiped her. John allowed her an almost unlimited sy, an<| she was from bMu|k«ts for fof <JM| men, to en, rtM Vide* on urchins. And she man, and myself that I was to marry . v\l his daughter Nannie when she was old Enough. I have a vague impression TV supply of p ocket-f lavilh in |0 charft p w t ' / . ( candies f<$r the 6hi horseback for the had a way of conferring favors that never ironiaded the pride of the most sensitive. W ,̂rd4b1tog#î «t*tH^niing; we walked in the cool evening hours; we spent much time at the piano, and dis­ cussed . our favorite authors*. a£d One day when I asked Nappie tq^my wife, she said/coolly: " Why, of course; I thought that was •All understood long ago." I lyqg rotjior S!QM9d &t SISCh wnttor. of-fact wooing, but delighted at the re­ sult. How could 1 expect any soft, blushing speeches? 1 suppose I ranked just where John and Nannie's grand­ mother did in her affections. But one morning, - when Mrs. Still- man was snipping ner geraniums in the sitting-room, ana John was reading the morning's newspapers, Nannie burst in, her beautiful face all aglow, her eyes bright with delight, crying: "Oh, grandma! Walt has come home! I saw him from my window riding up the road." She was going then, just as John exclaimed: s ' / 44 Confound Walt!*' . I Who is WaltP" I naturally in- $ vague impression that she was ifa lohg clothes at the time we first talked of it. . Her mother died, when she was a lit­ tle girl, and old Mrs- Stillmantook her home to .the family house at Owl's Cor­ ner, one of the prettiest little villages I ever had the good fortune to see. But Nannie was eighteen when I first met her as a. woman, and this was the scene <of our meeting. John had sent for me to come to Owl's Corner on a, certain July day, promising to drive over to the station and meet me, as my elderly legs cov­ ered the ground but slowly. We had retwed from business, rieh -men both, some five years before, and corre­ sponded regularly. But I had been abroad, akid this' was my first visit to Owl's Corner in ten years. I remem­ bered Nannie as~a romping child, fond of swinging on Che gates, climbing up frape-arbors* and imperiling her neck fty times a May, John always saying on each occasion: "$he*s a little wild, but she'll get over that." I waited, at the station for half an hour; then, seeing no sign of John, I started to walk home. It was midday and fearfully hot, and when I had ac­ complished half the distance I turned off the toad; and started tthrough a ®ove tliafcgave ufte A longer Halk, but thick shade. 1 was resting there on a broad stone, completely bidden (by the bushes on e\̂ ery*5pde, when,*!/' heard John's voice: "Where have you been?" <•' Thpre such dismay and astonish­ ment in the voice that t looked up in surprise, to find that he was not greet­ ing me but a tall* slender girl eoming toward him. Such a sight! She was dark and beautiful, dressed in a thin •dress of rose-pink, faultless about the face and throat, but from , the wai^t do\vn, clingiig to her oile mass of the greenest, blackest, thickest mud and « tJki^drlck p6ml,"» she answered with a voice as clear and musical as a chime of bells. "..Don't come near me" "You are enough to wear a man into his grave!" i "T'hefe. don't scold," Was the coax­ ing rfepjx; 4' little Bob Rjran fell in fjice do\4$. I It (hft ijojt make, any, in arterial •difference in'his Costume, but" I was afraid he, wQuld sn^pther, so I w<aded in after hirti. Th^' Water is not over two feet deep, but the mud goes clear through' to China, I imagine. It is rather a pity ̂ liawt rajr pew dress, .isn't it?" <4 A pity!" rpared John; "you'll come to an untimely end some day with your ireaks. As if there was nobody to pick a little brat out of the duck pond but you!" 44 There actually was nobody else about.... .There ̂ now, don't be angrjT. I'll go up to the house and put on that le.vitching white affair that came from Nevfr Yor^last wefek, and be all rtady to «ii-i{v& ojt.etiQjtte sta4oa.wUh at what time?" 44 About 3. Lawrence is coming on the 2:10 train." And I had come on the 12:10. This accounted for (he failure to meet me. I kept snug in my retreat until John and Nannie were well on their way homeward, wondering a little how many yqttng' ladifflr in* my QiTcle of ffiends would have« so ̂ recklessly sacrificed a new dress to pick up a beggar's brat out of the mud. When I, |n my tufr, reached the house, John was on the porch, waiting for Nannie's reappearance. He gave me a most cordial welcome, or rather a luncheon, called Nannie, his mother and a man to go for my trunk, all in one br«a«i, alid seemed really 'rejoiced to se4jMje% 1. ;, ' Presently a slender girl, with a truly 44 bewitching" white dress, trimmed with, dashes of scarlet ribbon, and smoothly braided" black hair, tied with scarlet bows, came demurely into the .room and was introduced. Never, how­ ever, in that first hour could the wild­ est imagination have pictured Nannie Still man wading into a duck-pond. But the half-^hy, half dignitied com Sany manner soon wore away, and i annie and I were fast friends before dinner. She sang for me in a voice as deliciously fresh as a bird's carol; she took me to see her pets, the new horse that was her last birthday gift from 44 papa," the ugly little Scotch terrier with the beautiful brown eyes, the bab­ bits, Guinea hens, and, the superannu­ ated old pony, who had preceded the new horse. In a week I was as much in love as Walter Bruce, the son of one of our neighbors. He has been like a brother to Nannie all her life, but went off to Europe two years ago, when lie came of age. They wanted to correspond but f forbade that. So he has turned up again." , , It was evident that John was ̂ terribly vexed, and I very sopn shared his an­ noyance. Walt, a tall, handsome young fellow, improved, not spoiled, by trav­ el, just haunted the house. He was generally off with Nannie as soon as he arrived, and blind to Mrs. Stillman's ill-concealed coldness and John's sarcastic speeches about boys and puppies, As for me, by the time my sleepy eyes were opened in the morning, Nan­ nie had taken a long ride with Walt, was at the piano when I came into the room, and Walt was walking beside Nannie when the hdur fof our usual stroll arrived. ^ ^ And the very demon of mischief pos­ sessed the girl. There was no freak she was not inventing to imperil her life, riding, driving, boating, and I fairly shivered sometimes at the pros­ pect of my nervous terrors when it would be my task to try to control this quicksilver temperament. But one day when I was in the sum­ mer no.use, a very rueful little maiden, wi€h ^ tear-stained ffrce, _ came to^iny side. * ̂ *' 44 Walt is going away/1 she Said. " " indeed. " * ̂ "Yes, and he says I'm a wicked flirt," with a choking sob; " I thought I would ask you about it»" .» " About what?" ** * v ' 44 Our getting married. You know papa tol£ mel was to; marry you ages ana ages ago." 44 Yes." " And I knew it was all tight if he said so'. But Walt says you must be a muff if you want a wife who is all the time thinking of somebody /else. ^ " And you know I cari't help it. 'Walt has bqert jny friend eter since we were always together. And when he was in Europe papa wouldn't let us write to each other, but I kissed his picture every night and morning, and wore his hair in a looket, and thought of him all the time. And he says ydu won't like it after we are married*;" 4* Well, not eiaotly," I «aid, i>4ryly. You'll hate to stop thinkiiig bf him then." ; '**1 don't believe I ever oafn.' Anil so I thought Fd tell you, and p©chaps-- perhaps you will tell papa we don't, care about being married after all. fVi-i-nlr T ovai* Vio anrlofa c don't think I Could ever be sedate and like an old lady, aî d of course I to be if I am to be an old man's grave ought wife."- • • 44 Of course." 44 And I am ifo rude- and horrid, I know 1 am not like nice city girls, and 1 am altogether hateful, but Walt don't care/1 " " • I rather. agreed with Walt as she stood in shy confusion before me. her eyes still misty, her sweet lips quiver­ ing. It was a sore wrench to give her up, but I was not quite an idiot, and I said, gravely: ii-But youf ffctherfr'r J f , ; * ^ feS, I kn6w; ji«*)li lb stofijt ' put tlien his storms don't last long,, aftxcl mftybe you would tell him that you have changed your mind. You have, haven't you?" 44 Yes; the last half hour has quite changed my matrimonial views." I could not help smiling, and the next moment two arms encircled my neck, a warm kiss fell upon my cheek, and Nannie cried: " You are a perfect, darling, a per­ fect darling, alia I shall tove you dearly all my life." So V hen I lost her love I gained it. She flitted away presently, and I gave myself a good mental shaking up, and concluded my fool^s paradise would soon have vanished if I had undertaken to make an 44 old lady" out of Nannie. John's wrath was loud and violent. He exhausted all the vituperative language in the dictionary, and then sat down, panting and furious. 44 Come, now," I said, 44 what is the Qui™*,;;™ to ycunc Bruce? Is he poor?" 44 No, confounS him! He inherits his grandfather's property, beside what his father will probably leave him." 44 Is he immoral?1' ' » 441 never heard so." 44 What does ail him, then?" " Nothing, but 1 hate set my heart on Nannie's marrying you." 44 Well, you see she has set her heart in another direction, and I strongly ob­ ject to a wife who is in love with some- bodv else." I pointed out of the window as I spojw. On the garden walk, shaded by ft great oak tree, Walter Bruce stood, looking down at Nannie with love- lighted eyes. Her beautiful face, all dimpled with smiles and blushes, was lifted up to meet his gaze, and both her -little hands were fast prisoned in his sjtrong ones. John looked. His {ace softened, his eyes grew misty, and presently he said: " How happy she is, Lawrence.11 " And we will not cloud her happi­ ness, John," I answered. 44 This is ri^ht and fitting. Nannie is too bright a May flower to be wilted by being tied uplto an old December log like me." So when, half fearful, the lovers came in, they met only words of affection, and Nannie ̂ faoe lost nothing of its sunshine. She was the loveliest of brides a few months later, and wore the diamond parure I had ordered for my bride at her wedding. And she is the most charming Tittle matron imaginable, with all her old freaks merged into sun­ shiny cheerfulness, and her husband is a proud, happy man, while I am Uncle Lawrence to the children and the warm frieftd of tlfe .whole family. The Recent Earthquake In Yenexuela. A PASSENGER who arrived from Puerto Cabello in the bark Rocket, yesterday, gives some additional par­ ticulars of the great earthquake in Venezuela last month. This gentle­ man was in Valencia at the time, and says that, although severe shocks were felt everywhere, no loss of life was re­ ported except in the valley of the River Tuy. This% valley lies between two ranges of mountains near the coast of the Caribbean Sea, and is very fertile, being used chiefly for growing sugar. The Town of Cua, about thirty-five miles southwest of Caracas, was entirely de­ stroyed on the 14th. A terrible shock was suddenly felt at about 8:80 in the evening. The ground seemed to roll like sea waves, throwing down the walls of the houses, crushing many, and entangling others in the debris. The roofs were made of light material, which caught fire from the lamps which were overturned, and a .general conflagration ensued. In vain the poor unfortunates who had escaped the fall­ ing walls endeavored to gain open ground. The flames spread rapidly, and the people on the outskirts of the village were unable to offer any assist­ ance. The shrieks of the dying were to be heard for a long time above the crackling of the flames. Fully 300 lives were lost at Cua that night. Repe­ titions of the earthquake were looked for, and those who had escaped were in a constant state of terror for a number of days. Word was sent to Caracas, and subscriptions were made in all the large towns of the neighborhood to aid the stifferers. Tfofe President of Venezuela started for the scene, and on the way was thrown from his carriage, owing to the roughness of the road, but was not seriously injured. Shocks were felt all over the country, up to about the 4th of May, when the Rocket sailed. Telegrams were sent out fre­ quently from Caracas to the towns with which there was telegraphic communi­ cation, stating that another severe shock was hourly expected. It was during Holy Week that the first shocks were felt, ,apd the inhabitants, who are super­ stitions^ seemed to" regard the occur­ rence as ominous. The wildest rumors were constantly afloat, The Town of O^um&De^ about twenty miles east of Cua, and in the same valley, suffered extremely, the houses being wrecked and a number of serious accidents oc­ curring, but the number of persons killed "or injured had not been ascer­ tained when the bark left. The busi­ ness of the -country was at a stand-still and thf greatest terror prevailed when­ ever telegrams prophesying the ap­ proach of a heavy shock were received. The people in the towns, on such occa­ sions, Would remain in the street through the greater part of the night. Thef shocks have severely damaged the industries of the whole country. Work­ men had -not the heart to work in the sugar factories, many of which had fallen in. The losses will be very large, but cannot,yet be estimated. The earth­ quake was the severest experienced in Venezuela for many years, it being con­ sidered n*uch heavier than that of 1812. --N. F; Times. A Shocking Gambling Scene. ! Bthfyffrh&ps the most soul-hafroWing sdene that ever took place at a gaming table transpired at a public house in Port au Prince some years ago. Several parties were waiting about the room for the game to commence. Among the crowd of loiterers was a Capt. St. Every, a noted gamester, deadly duelist and well-known man of pluck. Some One spoke up, 44 Who'll play?" 441 will play," said the Captain of a French frigate, which had just arrived in the harbor, and seizing a dice-box threw to win or lose the amount of a small sum of money that then lay upon the table. He was ignorant of the stake to be played. 4< Monsieur Commandant, you have won," said Capt. St. Every, pushing to­ ward him several piles of gold. Astounded at the sight of so much wealth, the Captain drew back saying, 41 Gentlemen, I should be wanting, not only in common honesty, but even in good manners, were I to appropriate the sums, the winning of which I never expected in the least degree, for I thought 1 was playing for the trifling stake laying on the table, I cannot- therefore, take the enormous sum as my own by right." 44 Sir," said Capt. St. Every, 44 you must take it, for if you had lost you would have been obliged to pay the same sum." 44 You are mistaken, sir, if you think so. I do not conceive my honor endan- fered in reference to paying a debt of onor which 1 never contracted, nor in refusing to accept of so large a sum which I never expected to win." " Monsieur le Commandant," shriek* ed Capt. St. Every, raising his voice to the highest pitojh, 44 if .you had lost yqn should have psM. I woald have made you do so." This was fire to the gunpowder, in­ tended to provoke a challenge, and it accomplished its purpose. "Sir," said Capt. St. Every, 441 don't wish to take any advantage of you, which my ac­ knowledged ability < in the use of the* sword and pistol gives me, so I offer you terms of equality. Bring a jristol here at once, load it, and the chance of the dice shall determine which* shaU blow each other's brains out." 44 Agreed," said the nothing-daunted frigate Commandant A shock of horror rin through the' veins of the assembled crowd at the blood-curdling affair. Some shrank from the room; others more hardened in sights of horror crowded near the gambling table, perfectly cognizant of the desperate character of St. Every and inwardly lauding the bravery of the unknown. Each party examined the pistols. The naval Captain firsl. threw Che fata! dice. He threw eleven. "A good throw," said St Every, holding for a moment his own; 44the chances are now in your favor; but listen, if it turns out as it appears to me it will, that fortune favors you and not me, I wish neither mercy nor pity, as I should think either a coward who would spare the other." *" Sir, I need vour impertinent remon­ strances to back me neither now nor at any time," replied the Commandant St Every took the box and threw f i f ­ teen. The company were paralyzed with horror. Monsieur le Commandant arose. "Your life belongs to me, sir," said St Every, throwing down the dice on the table. 44 Fire, sir," said the Commandant placing his hand on his heart, 44 an honest man is never afraid to--11 St. Every's ball scattered the brains and blood of the unlucky Commandant over the clothes and persons of the by­ standers, as his lifeless body feli to the saloon floor. St. Every deserted to the English, and soon after fell mortally wounded at the Battle of Orois, as the English were carrying the day. -- Cincinnati Commercial. A Workman Falls Into a Tat »f Seeth­ ing Oil. A VERY sad accident occurred on Monday at the Belleville Oilworks of Brosius & Co. Henry Hartmann, a man in the prime of manhood, and an experienced mechanic, fell into a caul­ dron containing eight barrels of castor- oil, which was heated to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and was so badly burned that death must finally ensue from the injuries received. It is only tobe won­ dered at that he escaped alive from the hot liquid. Mr. Hartmann is a man in ihe prime of life, about thirty-three years of ag«i. He i3 a carpenter by trade, but during several years of work, off and on, at the oil-works, has be- ooffle an expert ia the oil-refining busi­ ness. On Monday, he was engaged in steaming castor-oil. After the oil has been extracted it is heated by steam to a certain degree, and all the impuri­ ties are skimmed from the top. While engaged >n the work of skimming at one of the kettles, capable of contain­ ing about sixteen, barrels of fluid oil, but which was only half-filled, the man's feet slipped from under him, and he plunged into the cauldron head foremost. He righted himself in the hot liquid and came up with the upper part of his body above the sur­ face of the oil. He then grasped with both hands a steam-pipe which ran horizontally above the cauldron, in the center Of it. The pipe was charged with fsteam at about 220 Fahrenheit. The fleshy parts of his hands covered with oil soon became charred and com­ menced to smoke. He shouted for help, and the two sons of his employer, John and Henry Brosius, hastened to his aid as soon as they heard the cry of distress, but they were so bewildered that they could not ^rescue him. The engineer, Mr. Caster Knebelkamp, who heard the cry of distress from the man and the boys above the din made by the running of the machinery, after hastily shutting off the steam, ran to the chamber where the 'oil kettles were placed. He took the sit­ uation in at a glance, and, with almost superhuman efforts, reached over the edge of the kettle, grasped the suffer­ ing victim around the waist, and shouted to him to let go his hands. He succeeded in lifting him out of the caul­ dron though be burned his own hands and face in th6 act As soon as Mfi Hartmann was placed outside and came in contract with the air he felt the in­ evitable torture, and ran some distance before those around him were able to catch him and strip him of his clothing. He finally fell exhausted, and the clothes were cut off his body, and he was carried on a mattress across Main street to his residence. Drs. Rubach and Leifert were soon after on hand, and caused the body to be enveloped in cotton batting and every other aid and /Assistance which would ameliorate the excruciating pain was applied. That part of the body which had originally been clothed, was literally cooked, and the flesh and muscles fell off. The palms of the hands, which had grasped the hot steam-pipe, were so burned that the fleshy part fell off, and the bones, muscles and sinews were visible. Though the man plunged in head fore­ most, his head and face were but slightly disfigured, but the pain in the lower part of the body contorted the muscles of his face, while the medical gentlemen and neighbors wh<? did all they could to ameliorate his condition/ ana save his life, were busy dressing his wounds. Hartmann has a wife and two small c-bildren. and their distress was a sad sight to the sympathizing neighbors. Last night he was still alive, but it is considered that he can hardly recover, or that if he does he will ever be able to perform any manual labor. He is a member of the" Knights of Honor, and his brethren are doing all in their power to help him and his family.--St. Louis Republican. PBOE, H. B. PALMER returned to New York, May 28, from his European tour. Youths* Department. BID ih t- - - -.--ft..,' WHO tracked the mud acrum the floor-* . •«> A«<| through the hall, and up the atkljr? ; And left it clinging to the chair? • ' ' ^hose linger pxinto deface the door?:>., <: ' I Whose crumbs beneath the table lie? 1 Who smeared the batter on the cloth? Who spilled the efovy, slopped the bfeoth. And dropped a pickle in the pi«? : i Who Pnlled the curtain with a jerk, . „ And left it hanging all askeW, And broke toe cord ?- -'twan neartjr M#t I wonder if tww mother's wmt. •. ; • , Who^ knife m this, with handle stained. And open blade with rust so marred? . Twaa found this morning in the vud. Upon the Straus--last night it rainedT k Just now I slipped and newly fell-- A marble rolled a rod or more, And then I crushed an apple-core--- Whose was it, mother? Can you tell? „ Fact? downward on the dah, a book Lies open, leaves dog-eared and thombtdt And near, a handkerchief, be^umnad And stiff with tatty--only look! Upon the door-knob hangs a hut Tin passing strange it hangs at all; A tid in thA , ^ And on the HOIR testis a bat. I missed the hammer, yenterdajr; The hatchet vanished long afo; All winter, underneath the tnow, Behind the house the shovel lay. Are thing* bewitched? Do genii hide Within my closets and my drawers, And skulk behind the chamber doofft. And through the darkened attics «rMc|»? I often go from room to room, *' And sweep the floating cobwebs dotMu And wonder when the spiders brown Departed with their dainty loom;-- But then--wh6knows?--those films so file May once have lain upon my shelf wBaeatu the little bowl of (ielf; VTwas there I wed to keep my twine. The tiny tacks 1 lost last spring-- A paver full, with polished heads As black as jet and round as beads, Bttt deader tun a mummied king -- What do you think (hey did to-day ? 51 y sugar-bucket's sides th«y stormed,' Ani in.the sugar fairly swarmed--' Who turned tacks into ante, tell me, pray? TV elves art in the house, 'tis clear; I'd like to catch that one who took The clothes-brush down from off the hook And left it on the etasrere. Who was it, little Johnny Bell? Why do you stand m ahame-faced thete. And blush from chin to forehead fitir?-1- I think you know the culprit welJ. --Mrs. E. l i . Kvudail% in H'rf tr- rlirafrir. The Pert Chick. OLD CLUCK was a Cochin-China hen, and lived with her brood in a nice coop, a little apart from the barn-yard. Cluck was a dear old hen, very kind to her chickens, and very pretty chickens she had. There were Tee-Tee, and Wee- Wee, and Tu-Tu, and Twit-See, and Chee-Cheej and Peep-Weep, whom they called Peep for short--six in alfc-- six well-meaning chickens, although thev had their little faults. Peep's fault was pertness. He was always answering back to his mother and say­ ing sharp things. He wasn't a bit afraid of Ms brothers and sisters, and thought it a joke to tell Tee-Tee she was "a fluffy little fool," or call Tu-Tu •'young goose." And when Tu-Tu would ruffle his pin-feathers and show he was a game little chicken, and not a goose at all, old Cluck would say Peep was only witty, and liked to talk, but meantno harm, and her chickens must not light. Peep was always the last to come under Cluck's wing to bed at night. He would play about and say, "I won't go to bed," and even^ory out to his mamma, in a saucy way, "Go to bed yourself, Mrs. Cluck." "Oh, how naughty, Peep!" Cluck would say; but she never stopped his nimble little tongue. She couldn't bear to scold or punish him, for she loved the bright little fellow. His feath­ ers were getting quite long and glossy now, and he was growing tall. At meal-tijnes Peep had a way of pecking at hijs brothers' and sifters, and while lie ate arf much as anybody else, he called^hem all "pigs," anji laughed, at them. , . At last, when Cluck told him .quite gravely, that a good chick must mind his mother, Peep said, "Oh, go away! mothers don't pay," in a manner that was very naughty; bdt Cluck found it so bright and clever for such a fledge­ ling. Peep had his own will in his fam­ ily. He said and did whatever he liked, and grew quite big and handsome, and thought himself the fihest fellow in th6 worla. Well, one day Peep kept running far away from the coop, and his mother was afraid some of the barn-yard fowls would hurt him, so she called him back. " Don't you fuss," said Peep; " I'm going to take a walk;'1 and he looked so bright, and spoke up so sharp and funny, that Cluck was quite lost in ad­ miring his ways and his fine tail leath­ ers, proudly waving as he strutted off. " Surely," she thought, " if they see him in the barn-yard, all the hens will envy me such a clever chick." To the barn-yard Peep went, and be­ gan scratching about*for his lunch with the rest of the fowls. Pretty soon an old bird gave a crow that was really a very fine loud noise, and sounded far ana wide over the fields. " I can do as well as that, and better, too, old chap," said Peep. Now Peep knew he couldn't, but he had a way of saying pert things. To his wOnder, nobody laughed; but a big hen--the crower's wife--said, " Can you, indeed, do as wellP Let us hear you." She looked quite fierce at him, not a bit like fond, good old Cluck, and all the fowls gathered around Peep. " Pooh', said he, " I don't want to, but l ean." Still nobody seemed to ad­ mire him, but instead, said the old Tooster: " You cian brag, young fellow; but you shall show what sort of a crow you have, or I'll peck you to death." Peep was very much scared, and tried his first crow. It was such a feeble, foolish noise that all the hens and roost­ ers, and even the turkey-gobblers and ducks and guinea-hens and pigeons; laughed at him and despised him. Peep was not daunted yet, but he strutted off among the younger fowls. He struck right and left with his bill, as he did at home; he laughed, and called names, and bragged, and at last a fine tall young rooster, as big as himself, and as handsome, said: "Come, Mr. Chicken, I don't like your airs." " You don't aniount to anything," said Peep, just as he spoke to his mother. * * ^ 8 a i ( * t h e young rooster; and before Peep knew what he was About- the stranger had strewn the tail feathers,' poor Cluck's pride, all over the ground. Peep was strugglimr fill vain; the young rooster pecked pecked till the blood came. One of Peep's eyes was gone, one leg was use­ less, and not until he lay qaite still and fairly beaten did the enemy hold off. Over Peep's body the fowls all said, "It served him right for his imnn. dence." , After a while Peep hopped home very feebly on one leg, and lay down quitejhumbly under old Cluck's wing. "where uas my poor Peep beenF' asked Cluck, with toe tears running down her bill. " Been out in the world, mother," •aid Peep. " And didn't the world admire youf* " Not a bit. Oh, my little brothers •fad sisters," said poor Peep, "chicks must not be pert and rude and unkind at home among their friends, for when witt them they meet their match and come iy grief;! ana Peep kicked once . with his one leg, rolled up his one eye, and--died. ^ All this happened in tho land IKf Cochin China. Of course there are no Sirt chickens in our country --Harper'9 azar. • -r - r Over in a Minnie. ̂ . * - h KITTY had constructed a new airing lor her doll's entertainment; but it {>roved unsatisfactory; for that wooden adv slipped from her perch and latlded with considerable violence upon the ta­ ble, overturning an ink-stand upon a picture Walter was copying. In an in­ stant Walter sprang to his feet, snatch­ ed up the doll and threw it into the fire, and marched out of the room, leaving Kitty in tears and the table in confusion. In half an hour he returned, gay and sunny as ever, bringing a handsome doll to replace Kitty s loss. She was easily comforted, and was more sure than ever that Walter was the best brother in the world. " If a fellow is quick-tempeted, why, he is; I suppose that's all there is of " Are you sure of thatP" asked fch' grandfather, gravely. "Oh, yes. I'm not one of the sort to go sulking about over nothing; I flash up quick enough, but never bear malice." "But the consequences--can you be sure that they are all over in a minute or twoP I never hear anyone speak carelessly of that fault without recalling one scene in my boyhood. I was quick­ tempered, too, Walter, and, as you say,* quick over it--flying into a rage one minute and ready to laugh at my own tempest of passion the next. I held a high place in my classes, and one day had spoken rather boastingly of my po­ sition and how long I had kept it; but that very afternoon, through some care­ lessness, I failed, and gave an answer so absurd that it was received with a burst of laughter. Mortified by my blunder, vexed at having lost my place, I passed an uncomfortable afternoon; and when school closed, I walked out moodily, inclined to speak to no one, and pretended to be busy whittling. " ' Here comes the infallible! Here's that fellow that never missed!' called a teasing voice of a schoolmate in front of me, and then he mockingly repeated my absurd answer. " With all the force of sudden fury I threw my open knife at him, It just missed his head, and in an instant it was quivering in the tree beside him. The sight of it, and of his white, startled face, recalled me to my senses, and I sank down upon the ground, cov­ ering my face with my hands. The boys gathered about me kindly, even Charley, the one at whom I had aimed the blow, saying that the fault was more his own than mine. But I knew that only God's mercy had saved me from seeing my schoolmate dead at my feet, and my M hole life darkened with the stain of murder. " For weeks afterward I lived it over in horrible dreams; and to this day, Walter ungoverned temper can nev­ er seem a light thing to ipe. Anger that is • over in a minute' may be like a spark of fire on powder, and give you cause for shame and sorrow all days.--8. S. Visitor. Notre Dame Cathedral. THE Cathedral of Notre Dame is one of the great historical curiosities of Paris, which, of course, must be seen by all new-comers; but inside it is dark, dreary and cold, so much so as to make the flesh creep, on a dark day, on enter­ ing it. We found at the door the old beggars sitting, with their tin cups, and rattling some sous in them to attraci at- tentiori, some of them stalwart-looking men and others old crones, who seem to have the permission of the church authorities to sit on the benches inside of the doorway. Others, holding out their hands for pennies, were further inside, regularly installed in seats, ap­ parently prepared for them. They were old and ragged and dirty, but, suppos­ ing that we might " be entertaining an­ gels unawares, we responded to their mute appeals, hoping that they would use the money to buy soap to wash themselves. There is a solemn grand­ eur aboutNotre Dame; its massive stone columns and high altar, the vastuess of its interior and the loft}- arches that sup­ port the roof, all being calculated to im­ press the beholder with a feeling of awe. Here and there, among the small side altars, worshipers were kneeling, and at a small altar in the center a sa­ cristan was busily at work decorating it with flowers In a room behind the altar, for a small fee, is exhibited the gown and vestments worn by Archbish­ op Dubois, of Paris, and the four priests, at the time they were massacred* by the Commune.-- Cor. Baltimore American. --A fashion item says "puffs and false braids are being dispensed with;" but when you sec a woman drowning and reach the spot as she is going down the third time, you want to grab her pretty close to the skull, or you may have seven dollars' worth of false locks and your labor for your pains.--Norrifr- toxvn Herald.

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