The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

BA.N0P of the imp. fti air and streaming hatt, a ? M'ltflk of bone and brain, JMliwiTand round the winding • ** He wild te rail amain. , ^ <$ siiiwt" aim may miaa flu " " chip go dOWII, ,-, • ..fisffiCJS one mistake will bring to Nil* *•" Tbo wisest man ill town. * •' - 'M •*<Jl thu* it run , thai <Vu iB£ RUB,. .- Who ww thought to C4M, •' y ^ $ . At last, 111 cpite of every Went i gliding off the rail. servants then, milac^ lalt, !'• - Began to laugh and grille * Which, like a lion in it* dan, Aroused that mandarin. „ ^ ̂ j, \ 0 Hn, ho!" mid he, " yon laugh at .Wow, slaves, you each shall slide V* • " knd, when they an had met* fa*, Hi Hf<M He laughed until he cried. IMW Ow, in .St. Xif holaa. iti if/ 'j "Parley MKHURSI; TBie story of Charley Parkhurst, the anted California stage-driver, reads more Eke a romance than it does lie a verified trie of real life. San Francisco papers •arre ns very interesting sketches of Charley. He first appeared on the box •cat of the stage-coach running from ^Oakland to San Jose; after that, driving bom Stxx'kton to Mariposa, and again fnm 8aii Juan to Santa Cruz. The stout, •ooattpttct figure of alwnit five feet six jiaehw. broader across the hips than •MKZfcm the shoulders, the stuibrowned tisoe, beardless save a few straggling •«lowny hairs, the bluish-gray eyes and «h»rp, Mgh-pitohed voice, the set but Bofc Biipleasjrot features, moved now and then with a rare smile, the deliberate movement which seems to be a fashion •at the fraternity, were as familiar to the pmengers on these routes as the chuck- fales in summer. How he drifted to Cali- ionna in the first days of the gold-min- jQg fever is not exactly known, for in itlia& time erf hurry, bustle and struggle "the ordinary unassuming man was very likely to be overlooked. His true name, even, in the light of nresent circumstan­ ceB, has become a maker of conjecture. Tfce generally-accepted story of the late Charles Parkhurst is, however, as fol­ lows: He was born, it is staled, in New Hampshire, and worked on a farm with lus imcle until a quarrel arose between the two, when Charley moved to Provi- •denoe, R I. There he remained for •me time as coachman in the employ of • Mr. Childs. From Providence he went foGeorgia, and became a stage-driver, ootitimimg in that State and occupation far two years. He used further to state .that one Jim Birch, noticing his capabil­ ities as a driver, brought him to Califor­ nia and placed him upon an opposition ! line to drive from Oakland to San Jose. Whatever question there may be about this story, there is none as to his effi- demay on the driver's perch, nor as to the_ unfailing nerve that lay beneath his ordinary exterior. An incident in his eariy career as a stage-driver will illus­ trate this. Once in winter, when the ruin was coming down in sheets, as it • Jsad fcees for three days past, and the j disp -ooach was laboring along through mud j my. .efoost to the hubs, Parkhurst was " bailed by a stray t^yfinr ̂ told that : the bridge across the* Tuolumne river -wafe in a shaky condition, and that it ! not be wiseto risk driving over it. * answered never a word, but, njj» the lines with one hand, i cut the swragsand wheelers across the iuwnehes with the other, and pushed on There are other stories told of Park ̂ hut^to'show the daring conduct erf the man in of djfieultiee and dan- San Jose, the teaui Tan away so suddenly as to throw Parkhfcrst from the box, Still retaining his grasp on the lines, he Was dragged along until he succeeded in turning the runaways into the chaparral, whore they caught among tbo bushes nn«| •fcqwetl. To show their admiration at the dr iver's pluck, the passengers mado up and presented him with a»purse of $20. Again, when drivers were scarce he did double duty by (having both ways over the road, keeping on the box night and I day, and earning double pay for months. During his career as stage-driver he was kicked by a frisky horse in the left eye so violently as to destroy the sight. It was front the loss of this organ that he received the nickname "One-Eyed Charley," by which he was commonly called. Leaving the Calaveras road, he took the pqpition of boss driver on the Oak­ land and San Jose stage road, where, as on the Calaveras line, lie made himself a favorite with all who traveled with him: by his pleasant, quiet behavior and cool resolution. He added to his reputation on the San Juan and Santa Cruz road, where he was known 4fe one of the crack drivers and beat whips in California. Altogether he sat on the stage-coach seat for fifteen years, and oaiy aban­ doned his petty throne when the steam- horse invaded his province and he saw jfrf MAX ADHJtR. " u'"I wtis detailed over Sundaj^'ti^BftSS- bury, and on Sunday morning I resolved to go to church. The first church I came to, a small frame structure with a wood­ en steeple, had the doors and windows tightly shut, but there was a man on the front steps whittling a stick, and I said to him: "Are you connected with this church?" he said, "I'm the sexton." , " What iskit clpBed for?" . "Well, inostlyvon account of Bantoi' WTBIES." * * \ 'MJabies?" ^ " Sit down, and Til tell yon ftbont tl You know Banks; he come to this town to live a few weeks ago, a perfect stranger, and he rented a pew in this church. It seems that Banks had three little bits of babies, triplets, not more*n 2 months old, and then, besides these, he had twins about a year old. So no­ body knew about the babies, but Banks wanted to have the little darlings bap­ tized, and he allowed to Mrs. Banks that to rush the whole five babies into church on one Sunday morning might excite re­ mark, you understand. So he settled that he'd have 'em christened gradually, so to speak. Accordingly, the next Sim- day he fetched little Jimmy, one of the triplets, and all went off well enough. On the followin' Sunday he came a promenadin' up the aisle with George Washington, another triplet, and Dr. Binns, our preacher, he fixed him up all right. People thought it was queer, but f when, on the next Sunday mornin', that Ichabod was* written over the ! B^ks and his wife come into church Barely the honored projectors of the ft*** the successful complet- ,0° ̂ celebrated that day, and woxkers upon deaî t builded more wisely kfcew, *nd helped to accom- , J tat beyond and deeper than they dreamt ot.~~Cmcinnati Commer­ cial. plish A I)et<<etive's Ruse. A man was wanted by the the London Sporting and firm News, and his skill in* the arts of " mak- n»g up" and dodging his would-be captors was so considerable that, for a long time, he escaped detection. At length a clever detective was put on his track, and first of all he began to in­ quire about his associates. Ojje of the most intimate of them was, itwppeared, a certain young woman, and alwut her he first of all found out everything. He had reason to suspect that she was ac­ quainted with the fugitive's hiding-place. So the first thing to be done was to fol­ low her on a Saturday afternoon, when she was free from her employment. An innocent young detective in the guise of a carpenter, was told off to watch, and endeavored to strike up an acquaintance, in which design he was not very success­ ful, though he ascertained that Kingston was her destination that afternoon. To Kingston he went, and traced her to a house occupied by an old man, about whom the neighbors knew no more than _ _ _ „ that he was an old man. He was an the shops, the factories, commerce and An Irfefe Farm. Imagine a level, country, with a few trees and no forests, cut up into very small irregiiW ftalds by stone walls, it is of such laud that Ixish fen&s are com­ posed. In most counties tfaxe is a great deal of boggy, swampy land, from which the farmers cut peat, which serves them as fuel. An Irish farm is generally about as large as an ordinary village green of New York or New England, say, from ii\o to fifteen rcivs. In cfiHtrict-s a farm of ten acres is considered rather krge, and it is often the sole support of an immense family--father, mother, ten children, and, perhaps, an old grand­ mother. Boston Common contains forty-eight acres of land. It would make six good- sized Irish farms, which would maintain fifty or sixty human beings, half a dozen cows, a horse or two, some donkeys and mpny pigs, beside paying about $800 a year to the landlord, and something to the priest. In good seasons all this teeming and swarming life can just be maintained. But suppose a crop fails ! Suppose the peat cannot be dried! Then what ? Why, hunger and starvation, of course. And remember there are no factories or other business to fall bade upon. If the crops fail all fails. If the crops cf New England should be as poor this year as they were in Ire­ land last year it would be a great ca­ lamity, but very few persons would go hungry oil that account The fisheries, balmy days of staging. Even while driving, Parkhurst had occasionally in winter time varied his employment by following the trade of lumberman. In the woods, as behind his six-in-liand, he gained the name of being expert and thoroughly reliable. The heaviest work was never shunned. He wielded the ax with such vigor and skill that he was reckoned an A No, 1 woodman. Farm­ ing, too, was a calling which he seemed at home in, so when he stepped down from the stage-coach for the last time it was not to be shiftless and idle for want of any other employment. About the year 1858 he dropped the whip and reins, and opened a station and saloon on the road between Watsonville and Santa Cruz, at a point about half way between the Aptos Laguna and the first heavy Band hill as you go toward Watsonville. At this place he furnished the hay and grain for the stage horses on contract, got also fair wages per month for taking care of the teams, etc., Mid kept his bar and stopping-place be­ side. He smoked, chewed tobacco, drank moderately, played a social game of cards or dice for the drinks, and was "one of the boys." Parkhurst, however, was never addicted to loose life. Though usually cheery and agreeable with those into whose society he was thrown, he was always inclined to be reticent about his affiurs. That is, he was social, but never communicative; a pleasant bat never a joyful companion. He had no particular friends either on the roads on in the fields, and was not >ed to be what is known 3s chum- ! Especially was he not a love-mak- I er; and petticoats, even when surmount | ed by a trim bodice and a pretty face. I with another baby, William Henry, cry ' ing like a Pawnee war-whoop, sQme of the folks couldn't help snickerin'. " Howsomdever, nobody complained, and all might have been well if Banks hadn't come along the Sunday after with Elijah Hunsiker Banks, one of the twins. Everybody laughed, and Mr. and Mrs. Banks they were furious--mad as any­ thing, you know ; and when Elijah Hun­ siker Banks hauled off, accidentally, with his hand, and hit Dr. Binns, who was holding him during the ceremony, a whack in the face, and the doctor dropped him in the water, the congrega­ tion just fairly roared with laughter. Mrs. Banks turned as red as fire, and looked as if she would like to murder somebody. " Well, you know, we all thought this was the last, and public feeling kinder simmered down on toward the end of the week, when who should come boom­ ing up the aisle on Sunday morning but Mr. and Mrs. Banks with Tecumseh Aristotle Banks, the remaining twin. Well, you ought just to've heard that congregation laugh ! I never seen noth- in' like it in all my experience. Even Dr. Binns had to smile. And the Bankses they were perfectly wild with rage. Anyhow, they baptized Tecum­ seh ; and after meeting some of the elders got to jokin' about it. One said they'd have to apply to the Town Super­ visors for an extension of the water­ works ; another allowed that arrange­ ments ought to be made to divert Huck­ leberry creek, and run it down the mid­ dle aisle of the church; another made some kind of a joke about business be­ ing good because so many banks were in town ; another said that Banks would elderly invalid, never went to the door, never went out, saw nobody; and how was he to be caught and examined? There was nothing known about him to justify the police in entering the house, and the detective walked roimd the place, in company with the' 'carpenter," wonder- ing wliat to do next. At the back of the house was a garden, in which was a ken­ nel containing a big dog, or rather not containing him, for he was lying out in the sun at the end of his chain. No sign of life was visible in the house. "Jump over the wall and kick that dog; then hide behind the summer-house," said the detective to the "carpenter." In a moment the young man was over the wall, and the dog was howling from the effects of a kick in the ribs. Neigh­ boring dogs joined in the chorus, and at the window appeared the old gentleman. No one was about; the dog continued to howl, and incautiously the owner came down the garden to see what was the matter. Beneath the well-made gray wig the detective's keen eyes recognized the object of his search, and in a mo­ ment the arrest,was made. *e savings banks would go on about as usual, and the people would buy their food from other States. oepttoa of literature Be fcad no notion of the pleasure or proftt to be got from reading; theivorld of books was abso­ lutely beyond his imagination, and he could not conceive what people found in it. The professor at length induced him to read one of Scott's novels, but the boy found it a very tedious and uninter­ esting occupation. These two instances are extreme, but only in a degree; a taste for literature is not common, and ignor­ ance of it is common even emnng "•"llngp undergraduates. -- C. D. Warner, in Christian Union. , An Extraordinary Diving Snit. A good deal of curiosity has been ex­ cited in London by the extraordinary exhibition of a new diving process at the Royal Polytechnic Institution. The inventor is a young Englishman named Fleuss, 28 years of age, who was for­ merly an officer in the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company's service. He is a short, slight man, of fair com­ plexion and pleasant appearance. The peculiarity of his process is that the diver takes down with him a good sup­ ply of air, and is quite independent of any supply from above, so that there is no pumping required, and no help needed except a signal man and a cortL The dress in which Mr. Fleuss de­ scends is like an ordinary diver's dress, and consists of a helmet and breast­ plate and the common water-tight arm­ ings and leggings. He bears on his shoulders a weight of ninety-six pounds. At the depth of twelve feet he moves comfortably in the water under this pressure. From the helmet there pro­ ceeds a light cord for signaling to the man above. Before the helmet is fixed TEHPTED. Only • P'UDM, • quiver, a pUafa ; A cfretln* iddy, a Httlc cfcuth Of the troubled wave*, and I'll be frflt From thia cruel world and Its miser?. I u Here there i« nothing for me trat Nothing but ncoru on my poor head is hriipcm' Clasp me HO clone in your kind arms, oh, wsSr Bear my tired soul to eternity. Out 'neatb your waved I know there'a a bed Softer than earth's for my weary head. There are fairy nhells; and the pea-grMa *wiH , With Eioates, a ahrond for this body of ninii^ j The wild birds' song will my requiem bo, Ae I lie •noath your crystal depths, oh, seat Bright coral eprayii I win have for my bier. ' - . - And earth'a verdict will be: " Slipped from tfaepKe.'n*- W ^ They never can know how you beckoned me r*4 * To your pMceful depths, oh, friendly Bea, It tell HO tale?, u vnn Ian tfiA hnai* Irish farms do not all lie along a high i111 ie ma8k closed it is seen that the - 1 • -- . . . . i n v e n t o r w e a r s f i r m l y tied over his mouth and nose an ordinary mouthpiece, from road, as with us. Farms are behind farms and a great number of them can , * , only be reached by a donkey path three ' ^ ® breathing tube of an inch bore or four feet wide. All the work is done 1 P.roc®e downward. When he is on no tale?"as you lap the b£ih, : Of the friendless creat ure that's out of their rw °r J!?e reac? ^ world's crnol aneen. 2E*, / ,e reach of thelr Piti'esB jeers, Gma to clasp arms with the deep, wide Ma Bather than trust har&h humanity. Ah I tnoJj of the graw that mifferrth long, • w That «hould be tender with those who d!o wwiW 1 our world> ttat be so faiZTr, ^ ulBlnfiiaMddes*»ir- PITH AND POINT. jiving** P»8» mwt root for their^Qj THE age of a policeman cannot be ioH ̂ by his rattles. {^ ' A WAG says of a toper: His nose.has- f K| passed the rubicund. , > WOMEN resemble flowers. They shut, , * up when they sleep. . m , |J? AN undertaker get»;s3df living whewH- - ^ ' another man dies. J • • ' . were without speeial attractions. There j need about twelve pews when his family was, at one time, an owner of both pet- I grew up. ticoat and face who seemed to have made ! "Somebody must have told Banks a little deeper impression than the rest of her sex. Near the ranch on which Parkhurst first settled lived a widow with an only daughter. Somehow or swollen stream came in j other they did not prosper, and misfort- it. It wasswashinjg and roaring like j une at last overtook them in the shape about it, for what does he do to avenge himself? He sends down to Clarion county, to his two sisters, to come and bring their children. So they had a couple of babies apiece, and, as soon as ~ , ; they arrived, Banks he begins to bring • » •"ie "ridge was next seen, J of a Sheriff's sale. Parkhurst bought s them to church gradually, like the oth- y Parkhurst, clearing the rain from ! the place and gave it back to the widow; i ers. You never seen such meetings as "M"1° 4 "* * 1 • and, though it was said at the time that! them! The church was jammed full, aSid j the good deed was promoted bv the j people just roarin'. And when Banks | daughter's good looks, the report is nul- ! come in on Sunday, with the fourth and ' lified by the feet that soon after he left > last of his sisters' children, the trustees j the neighborhood and settled near Wat- ) thought it was time to interfere. Gfettin' | sonville. , {to be a farce, you know. Parkhurst's celibacy was not j " 80 Deacon Smith he stepped up and ; by poverty, as the neighbors very well j 8ai4 something to Banks, and Banks, kn<*w, for, being of a saving disposition, | a w^k, laid down the baby and 1 7 ' " " . . . . 1 ! ) a n g e d t h e d e a c o n w i t h h i s f i s t . A n d s o , I dunno how it was, but in a minute | there was Banks and Deacon Smith and Deacon Hubbard and Banks' sister's j^eyes, perceived that, in a very short there would no longer be any ias it was already shaking on its ^ The solitary passenger Parkhurst not to venture on asking structure, but Charley, j his teeth together and gathering reins with a firm grip, sent the long ^lash curling about the leaders' ears eyes with s© vicious a swing that, a wild leap, they plunged for- on to the bridge. The planks under the horses' hoofs and beneath the wheels, but, with a effort, a cheering cry from Park- and a flying lash, the opposite p© was gained in safety ; gained only tin time, though, for, looking back fte tum of the road, the further fend tbe bridge was seen to sway over the for a moment and then go turn- *0 the waters. were otter dangers cm this ckion and Mariposa road than those E food, for highwaymen abounded, and could never tell wive progress • be stopped by a leveled shot-gun, man grabbing the loader's and the hoarse command to o*it the treasure-box, Parkhurst I not long been running when such iafcerruptiou occurred. The choice islend him, in the gloaming of a evening, between receiving the its of two double-barreled shot- delivering up the contents of a ; chest. Parkhurst looked at the disguised with hideous-looking and masks made out of legs of B, pulled down over the face, with les cut in them for the eyes, and sposed to parley. The ominous of two triggers, and the knowl- lat his little gun was inaccessible, early decided him, while a pistol- inserted in the near leader's off ' afforded him convincing proof that, " nonce, discretion would be the part of valor. The box was but with it Parkhurst gave the ig that he would not let matters liere, and that some time or other gentleman, or any of the kind, hear from him in a less pleasant j he had amassed a comfortable fortune of j some thousands of dollars; that is, a ; comfortable fortune inasmuch as it was ! sufficient to insure bin> a competency. ! In course of time he rented out his sia- j tion, and went into the cattle-raising business. After raising quite a herd of cattle, he sold out of that business, and, being a sufferer from sciatic rheumatism, he sought a less laliorious avocation, went to raising ehickens in the hills bock of Aptos. In this last occupation he continued for some years, but finally G" elded to his rheumatic troubles, Sold s ranch to a Portuguese, deposited the proceeds, or a part of them, in the Bank of Watsonville, and retired from active life to live on the interest of the money. Near the Seven-Mile House, out of Wat­ sonville, is a little cabin, and there, dur­ ing the latter years of his life, Parkhurst has resided. He was well known to the, townspeople and those on the surround­ ing farms as a quiet lit Lie elderly gentle­ man of about 60 years of age, badly afflicted with rheumatism; not given to talking much, but apparently contented to live unnoticed and alone. This rheu­ matism was the natural result of the ex­ treme exposure and hard work to which he had been subjected all his lifetime. The winters' snows in the woods, the years passed with his face turned un­ flinchingly to the wind and rain, and his general carelessness as to results, played baby and me all a-rollin' and a-bumpin' over the floor, hittin' and kickin' and wlioopih' in a manner that was ridicu­ lous to behold. "And when we all come to and got straightened out, Banks picked up the battered baby of his sister and quit, and the trustees held an informal meetin', and agreed to close the church for a month, so's to kinder freeze Banks out, so now we've shut up; but I reckon it's no use, for I hear Banks has got his back up, and gone and joined the other church. So I said good-day to the sexton, and went in search of another sanctuary. 4 Seme at the vonthern Raiirsad Km* quet ln Cincinnati. There occurred a grand and thrilling episode. The great orchestra, under the puissant baton of Michael Brand, struck up the stirring old air of "Dixie," with its soul-thrilling associations and mem­ ories. For a moment there was a hush. The old soldiers of the North and the old soldiers of the South looked at each other, and the vast throng was still. But before the second bar was struck the e amotions cf the gallant Southerners over­ came them, and almost simultaneously they sprang to their feet, more than a that Parkhurst was not only for- ' on his guard, but was always on the for a chance to get even with the its. The chance was not long g. There was at that time a desperado known as Sugar Foot, here and there, terrorizing the srs on a dozen routes. Sugar last decided to change nis base itions to the Oalaveras road. It •ble that he had heard of Park- s threat, fear he associated with •If for the enterprise quite a posse •Hwaymen. * j moment of attaok was chosen, the being influenced by the report of ~ booty to be obtained, and while urst was one day driving back irom Mariposa to Stockton, Sugar d his band leaped into the road. the usual demand, the usual of wicked muzzles pointing at the and a rough hand at the leaders' But there was a changd from the amme when Parkhurst, draw- , let fly right and left, and, on the reins add a call to the I sent them flying thnragli the dis- tobbers. Charley had aimed at who to I the pless^of seeingllim clasp i breast and tumble back- shot was fatal to Sugar My excursions, for, while ied, l*» cmwiea uuoa matism grew from bad to worse, until it resulted in the withering of the mem­ bers, and he fjrew almost helpless. Then, as if his ills were not crushing enough, he became afflicted with a can­ cerous tongue and mouth. This was his death-wound, so to speak; and, feeling that this world was slipping from his | grasp, he very quietly hired a man to ! | attend to his needs; and, telling a friend that he was going to die, directed bim what to do with his belongings, and waited patiently for a relief to his suffer­ ings, whiclriiad new: become most acute. That relief came on Sunday, Dec. 29, when Charles Durey Parkhurst, reputed native of New Hampshire? voter of the State of California, aged 67, departed this life. With his last breath Charles Park­ hurst, the daring driver, the fearless fighter of highwaymen, the strong lum­ berman, passed out of existence, and in his place was found something gentler and more tender. With the death of one who was always more or less a mys­ tery, was born one that shadows the other into utter insignificance. The i dead man was being prepared for lus last resting-place, when the astounding battle cry made the lofty arehes ring again. Side by side with them stood Northern hosts and cheered with them Again and again the men of the South broke forth as the gay measures woke their enthusiasm, and the strains of the orcheatr t were fairly drowned by their united voices. A promintn*. gentleman of Cincin­ nati, and a famous soldier, turned to Gov. Marks of Tennessee, and said: "That is the old rebel yell." *Yes," was the reply, "and now hear it raised for the stars and stripes," for just then the orchestra struck up that grand old patriotic air. The scene that followed is indescribable." Such an one was never witnessed before. As the full orchestra poured forth the grand old strains of The 8tar-Spani?led O lon« may U wave O'er the laud of the trm And the home of the "brave-- ' the great organ burs* forth in glorious unison with all its magnificent power, and the old Union cheer blended with the old rebel yell to the notes of the national air for the first time since the dark and bloody years of the great civil ------'» ifuvM UQWVUUUiilU , •• - V * m , U '"••• discovery was made by those fulfilling ! war" •Men w'10 had faced each other " " ~ - * - « - - - • oamacyg crimson battlefield--under the stars and stripes and under the scars and bars--clasped hands Mid waved handkerchiefs until the great level of the hall was like a white sea. All the sound of the orchestra and organ was lost in the exultant shouts of reconcili- the sad office that the clay beneath their hands was that of a woman! With as­ tonishment at a deception so marvelously carried out comes the sad thought of all she must have suffered. It is useless to waste time in conjectures as to what led the dead to take up the cross of a man's laboring life, but whether from necessity i ation and common patriotism, and the or phantasy, the certainty remains that in the latter years there must have been many dark Jiours when poor Charley Parkhurst longed for a little of the sym- pathy wfakh is accorded to every woman. great wave of enthusiasm swept over the vast, glowing concourse, and carried j everything before it. It was a scene never to be forgotten by those who participated--* moment that was ear- ' f - ' •r, What a Crow Ig Worth* A gentleman giving evidence before a Parliamentary committee said that in some districts the number of crows up­ on a farm would average at least fifty; that the birds were of great service in destroying wire-worms, and where they did not exist the farmer was obliged to hire boys to do the work of the crow, paying them at the rate of 3 half-pence per 100 worms. Mr. Bright inquired how much a boy could earn worm-killing, and was told | 9d.; but when asked if a boy made 9d. a : day at the rate of 3 half-pence 100 wire- | worms, how many of those noxious : creatures he destroyed in a day, the wit­ ness, turning restive, replied that he did not come there to answer arithmetical questions. Mr. Bright, however, was : not to^be put off in that way. He asked if a bey did the work as well as the crow. " A crow is worth fifty boys!" was the rash reply. Then, quoth Mr. Bright: "If a boy is worth 9d. a day, a crow worth fifty boys, how much is the crow worth to the farmer in money ?" Not unnaturally, the gentlemai/^ lost his temper, but in vain. Paper, pen, and ink were handed to him, and, after battling with the figures awhile, he an­ nounced that a crow was worth just 37s. 6d. a day to the farmer. He was then asked to inform the committee what, at that rate, was the yearly value of the bird, and, of course, could not make k less than £684 7s. 6d. His persecutor next reminded the badgered man that he had given fifty as the average num­ ber of crows on a farm, and desired him to find the aggregate annual value to the farmer of his proper quota of the useful aids, thereby eliciting the startling in­ formation that the farmer must be a gainer of over £34,000 per annum by his half-hundred crows. Thus was the gen­ tleman taken at his word, with a ven­ geance. Latitude of European Cities. In reading dispatches relating to the temperature and storms in Europe, per­ haps additional interest would be given them if we bore in mind the relative latitude of the places mentioned as compared with places in this country. The following statement is near enough oorrect for this general purpose: Borne in latitude a little to the south of Detroit. Yierna, Paris and Strasbourg as Isle Boyal, Lake Superior. Berne as Keweenaw Point, Lake Su­ perior. Frankfort and Brussels as Cape £t. John, Newfoundland. Berlin and Amsterdam as Manitoba lake. London and Dresden as the northern extremity of Lake Superior, v Prague as Vancouver i»lan ,̂ Milan as Ottawa, Ontario. Lisbon as Baltimore. Edinburgh as Sitka. Dublin as Strait of Belle Isle, New­ foundland. St. Petersburg as center of Hudson Bay. Madrid as Columbus, Ohio. A Blind Man's Pleasures. Prof. Fawcett, the blind Member of Parliament, says that when at 25 he lost his sight there were many things of which he was passionately tond: and he resolved that those pursuits which lie could follow he would. No one enjoyed salmon-fishing in the Tweed or the Spey more than he did; no one mora enjoyed throwing the fly in some quiet stream in Hampshire or Wiltshire. He enjoyed it as much as any one did a gallop oyer the turf in company with some friend. He appreciated all the health-giving vigor of a long TOW from Oxford to London; and, although the late severe frosts nipped up 11 great many people, no one in the whole country enjoyed better than he with a friend did a fifty or sixty-mile skate on the fens. He referred to these facts in no spirit of egotism, but as showing that there was still lor the blind a store of happiness and pleasure if only they had the courage and determination to avail themselves of it. ROBEBT HEATH, of West Gxoton, Vt., was recently attacked by a hog while at­ tending to a litter of pigs, and was' trampled upon, his clothes torn, and one hand frightfully chewed. His life was probably saved by his son-in-li *w» who beat the infuriated animal away; » bv hand. The fields are, dug, not plowed, and many farmers have no im­ plements but a spade, a hoe and a turf- cutter, and no vehicle except a small donkey-cart. The farm-house is generally one story high, and very often consists of a single large room, with, perhaps, a recess for a bed. It is commonly built of stone, with a roof of thatch, but many of the houses are made of earth, with a hard floor of home-made cement. In this one foom the dairy work is done and all the family live, the pig coming in and going out as he pleases. Are the people then miserable and de­ graded ? By no means. When the har­ vest is good and the rent reasonable they are among the most cheerful peo­ ple in Europe, and in all the world there is no land where the women are more modest and pure. The children are ruddy and robust. The ̂ houses are gen­ erally clean and neat. The people en­ joy life so much upon those little black, boggy farms that, when they emigrate to America or Australia, they sometimes almost die of homesickness. In many instances a poor Irish girl among ua never goes to bed for six months, after leaving home, without crying a little for the old house of mud and thatch and the old folks within it.-- Youth's Com- pimion? A Remarkable Family. A ride of an hour over roads not of the best brought a Times representative to the little village of Norton, in this coun­ ty. Norton contains a remarkable fam­ ily. In the doorway of a small, low- roofed dwelling stood a tall, well-pre­ served woman. "Iam looking for a woman 84 years old, who has raised twenty-four children and is still in vigorous health," was the first query. "I suppose you refer to me," she said; "I am of that age." She was apparently enjoying the best of health. In all her long life she said she had been sick but one day. Brought up on a farm, and inured to the rough work incident to farm life, this woman had reared the extraordinarily large (fam­ ily of twenty-four children, twenty of whom are still alive. The oldest is 65, and resides on a cleanly-kept farm a mile or two distant from the homestead. The youngest is 30, and is engaged in grape culture at Hammondsport, N. Y. The entire twenty Children are in splendid health. Of the four who are dead, three met their death by accident, while the fourth died of yellow fever in Memphis two years ago. The mother still does all the housework, milks four cows daily and takes the produce to market. She is the financier of the family, and de­ clares that she needs no lawyers to keep her affairs in order. Every Sabbath finds all quiet about the farm, and every mem­ ber of the circle is required to attend the quaint old Methodist Church morning and evening. " Is your husband living ?" was asked. " No, sir; he died five years ago." "Who is the man, then, of whom it is reported that he is 81 years old and yet cuts two cords of wood every day ?" "Oh," said she, as a smile lit up her face; " that must be Brother Jake. He's out yonder chopping away for dear life." The visitor went "out yonder," and sure enough a tall, strongly-built man, with white locks streaming over his shoulders, was bending over a wood pile and wielding an ax in a manner betok­ ening no lack of vigor. His four-score years have all been spent within a radius of twenty-five miles. He had never been outside of Hunterdon county. "I care nutliin' about seem' the world, sir. My own little village here and my small gathering of true friends is all I de­ sire. I read the papers regularly, and I find that there is a neap of bickerin' and strife outside which we avoid in our quiet home. I remember a good ways back, and have watched many changes since I was a boy, but all my affections and asso­ ciations are 'round here. I do not have to chop wood; oh, no, sir, but I like the exercise, and it keeps me movin'. I've never l>een married, and have laid aside a tolerable neat sum in the French town Bank for old age," and at the words "old age" the sturdy farmer chuckled, as though 81 years did not bring him into the period of hoary hairs ana declining days.--Lambertsville (JV. J.) Cor. Phil­ adelphia Times. the floor of the tank in which the ex­ hibition takes place Mr. Fleuss moves about as he pleases, apparently with­ out any impediment. He can pick up coins, can sit down, and can even lie down. He breathes, he says, just as easily as when he is in the air, and quite as freely. The process by which the breathing is effected remains a secret, but is, according to the inventor, ex­ tremely simple. Dr. Benjamin Ward Bichardson, a well-known London physician, who sends to Nature a long account of his observations of the experiments, says that in whatever way Mr. Fleuss gets breathing room under the water he has without a doubt achieved a great prac­ tical success. He has some method of getting rid of the product of respiration, which would otherwise suffocate him, and *he is able to live a long time shut off completely from all external access to the air. In some of the exhibitions Mr. Fleuss has remained under water a full hour, and has shown no signs of asphyxia on coming out of the tank, and but little change from his normal condition. Dr. Richardson suggests that a man who can carry his air-supply in his pocket could go into fire as weil as under water, provided he had on a proper fire-proof dress, and that the new invention will be found specially valua­ ble in wells charged with fire-damp or choke-damp. Dogs and Weather. Dpgs are not without their weather- lore. Thus, when they eat grass, it is a sign of rain; if they roll on the ground and scratch, or become drowsy and stupid, a change in the weather may be expected. As, indeed, in the case of the cat, most of their turnings and twistings are supposed to be prognostications of •something. There are numerous other items of folk-lore connected with the dog, to which we can only incidentally al­ lude. Thus in Ireland it is considered unlucky to meet a barking dog early in the morning, and, on the pther hand, just as fortunate for one to enter a house the first thing in the day. They are commonly said to possess a wonderful instinct for discerning character, gen­ erally avoiding ill-tempered persons, and making friends with any stranger who happens to be of a kind and cheer­ ful disposition. The life of a dog is sometimes said to be bound up with that of his master or mistress. When either dies, the other cannot live. It is curious that this faithful companion of man should have become a term of reproach, and be used by most of our old writers. Thus we find various phrases such as " dog-bolt," "dog's face," " dog's leach," "dog-trick," etc., all of which were in­ tended to convey the idea of contempt. In days gone by it was a common prac­ tice in the country house for the dog to turn the spit at the kitchen fire, a cus­ tom which is described by Dr. Caius, founder of the college at Gam- bridge, which bears his name. People Who Do Net Bead Those who have to deal with the edu­ cation of the young get revealing glimp­ ses into the state of culture in the house­ holds of our highly intelligent country. A professor in one of our leading colleges told me, not long ago, that a Freshman came to him, after he had been recom­ mended certain books in the literature class, and said he had never read a book in \islife. This was literally true; ex­ cept his text-books, he had never read a book; he had passed a fair examination, but of reading he knew no more than a Ka&r. Another professor in another college, also one of the highest in the country (both of them are Eastern col­ leges, in the center of the best culture in America), told me more recently that a Sophomore who stood well in his class came to ask him where he obtained cer­ tain facts which he referred to in the class-room. It came out that the young man never had read a books didn't know what the sensation waa, or how to set about it, and had not the faintest oon- Circassian Story of a Kiss. A man was walking along one road,, and a woman along another. The roads finally united into one, and, reaching the point of junction at the same time, they walked on together. The man was car­ rying a large iron kettle on his back; in one hand he held the legs of a live chick­ en ; in the other, a cane; and he was leading a goat. They neared a dark ra­ vine. Said the woman: " I am afraid to go through that ravine with you; it is a lonely place, and you might overpower me and kiss me by force." Said the m»n; " How can I possibly overpower you and kiss you by force when I have this great iron kettle on my back, a cane in one hand, a live chicken in the other, and am leading this goat? I might as well be tied hand and foot." " Yes," replied the woman ; "but if you should stick your cane in the ground and tie your goat to it, and turn the kettle bottom-side up and put the chicken under it, then you might wickedly kiss me in spite of my resistance." " Success to thy ingenuity, oh woman!" said the rejoicing man to himself. "I should never have thought of this or similar expedient." And when they came to the ravine he stuck his cane into the ground and tied the goat to it, gave the chicken to the woman, saying: " Hold it while I cut some grass for the goat;" and then--so runs the legend-- lowering the kettle from his shoulders, he put the fowl under it, and wickedly kissed the woman, as she was afraid he. would.--Chambers' Journal. Experiments with Opium Smoking. One Herr Mac-lay, in the course of a stay at, Hong Kong, made an experiment upon his own body which would appear to be pretty conclusive as to the effect of opimm-smoking. After fasting eighteen hours, he smoked twenty-seven pipes, holding in all 107 grains of the opium used by the Chinese. It is interesting to know that after the third pipe he ceased to feel hungry, and the fifth pipe left him unable to walk about comforta bly; the seventh brought his pulse down from eighty-six to seventy; the twelfth caused singing in the ears, and the thirteenth a heavy fit of laughter. Twenty-five pipes affected his hearing, but, within an hour after the trial, which had only lasted ajltut 160 minutes, he was able to go home and go to bed, where he slept so soundly as to wake up fairly fresh and hungry the next morn­ ing. During the whole experiment, he had no dreams or hallucinations of sny sort -whatever. THK selfish man cafes for ' ̂ andl? often no one cares for him. - • k THE hen knows the man who robs her . . nest. She is always laying for him. "DEEB at any price!" yelled the hungry traveler; who ordered venison for dinner. « THE placidity of expression worn by a man who is "next" in a full barber-shop cannot be counterfeited. " WHAT is Heaven's best gift te man?" she asked, smiling sweetly on him. "A boss," he replied, with prudence. WHEN you have got through nwing your puzzles give them to the poor. We might get nd of the poor some way. THE hornet and the mule are too ten­ der-hearted to look upon suffering. They always turn their back when they strike. HE married a maiden named Eva, And said that he never would leave her, "Do you really mean never?" . , , "Well," Baid he, "hardly Eva." A FAMILIAR instance of color-blindness is that of a man taking a brown silk um­ brella and leaving a green gingham in its place. THE little bit of a baby has his bur­ dens--all the good-looking girls kissing him. He kicks against it now, but. in- after years--well, let him do his own an­ ticipating. THE leading Methodist Church in To­ ronto dismissed the choir because they had been singing "Pinalore." Only "dismissed" them! Why didn't they kill 'em? PATTI gets 99,000 marks for singing in Berlin nine nights. We remember get­ ting about that number at a boarding- school once for singing one night--and we didn't sing long, either. M., AGED 4 (her kitten being dead)--• "Has pussy gone to heaven, papa?" P.--"No, darling." M.--"Why not?" P.--"They don't want cats in heaven." M.--"Would they scratch the angels?" A LADY said to a little boy, aged 4: "Don't stand up in the carriage, be- . cause you miglit tumble oat, and tlicu there would be no Harry." " Oh, yes," replied he, " there would be Harry on the road." A STRANGER asked a resident in Mil- ford, Del., "Are you always troubled with mosquitoes here ?" " Mosquitoes !" , was the answer, "swing a pinttaoasure around all day and youH catch a quart of them." IN a certain Massachusetts normal school the word "Eucharist" was given out not long ago to be spelled and de­ fined. More than three-fourths of the gir--beg pardon--young ladies wrote " eucherist, a person who plays eucher." THE cooks employed by the clubs of New York receive larger salaries than a large majority of the New York editors. But the cooks don't get free passes to the circuses and minstrel shows, and the "in­ side matter" they prepare don't mold public opinion, as it were. MOTHEB, newly bereaved of a baby, to surviving child, aged 6--" Tommy's an angel now, Mary.' "Like the angels in my picture-book, mamma?" "Yes, dear/' "With white wings, too ?'* "Yes, dear." "Has he got fleas in them, like m^ pigeons ?" '• AN old bachelor was courting a widow, and both had sought the aid of art to give to their fading hair a darker shade. "That's going to be an affectionate couple," said a wag. " How so ?" asked a mend. "Why, don't you see they are dyeing for each other already?" " WEMJ, Harry, how did you like the preserved cherries?" Harry (on his 5th birthday had preserved crystallized fruits for the first time): "Oh, auntie! I liked them so much that if I could have made a hole in my throat I'd havo taken Jthem out and eaten them over again. IN the middle of one of Boland Hill's sermons he was disturbed by a commo­ tion in the gallery. He exclaimed, "What's the matter there? the devil seems to have got amon" you." _ A countryman replied, " It arn t the devil's a doing it, it's a lady wots fainted." Hill rejoined, " I beg the lady's pardon andf the devil's, too." A 4-YEAR-OLD Sunday-school girl did the best she could with a question that was asked of the infant class. Said the teacher, reading: " 'And it came to pass, when King Hezekiah heard it, that he rent his clothes.' Now what does that mean, children--he rent hia clothes ?" Up went a little hand. " Well, if you know, tell us." " Please, ma'am,'* said the child, timidly, "I s'pose ha hired'em out." A 8PBINO POEM snnnro. The cow gainbolH over the green, And the tuniipH pprout in the soil: While out stepH the buckwhrat cake, And 111 atepti the red ropy boil. " ( The awuingx are yawning at»ov» us, The whitewa^her laugh*tli in glee; And the lailicx are bobbing around * To see what new styles they can aee. • ' ' April bills are just ready to bloswom, , The corn-dnetor hovers around; , While the merchant t-tirn up his trade, Ami the farmer likewise the ground. The bees are beginning to bumble, • < *. ..,t The haw-tree gives out a haw-haw; The beer trade conmienccB to brighten, '4 And the free-luncher gettetu Hiaw. Then soon will the hand-organ grind "Oentle Annie" and "Grandfather* atoek," And the festive cat will yell on the feuee-- Alan, auctioneers Belling old stock. But with all these joys there are sorrows. And the worst, we desire you to know it, a the budding of that incomprehensible Ming, > That is known as the gentle spring poet. WHEN Prince Bismarck goes to VaT» zin for rest he will not open any letter unless it bears the vise of Vice dhanoel- lor Stolberg. Even the Prince Imperial had to secure that functionary's mark when he wisAed to enter into correspon* denoe with the Chancellor. \