Illinois News Index

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 9 Apr 1890, p. 6

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ft* KAIDEX AMD A lOOLtgBI OSfE. J»T H. r ponujc. W a voting woman. an t have been told, Worriod for fear n\ie wan !>>okiiig too old. day ahe tiidfoveroil n tiny pray hair * little wco vriukLH-whicli ou£hl to bo thira. : • - r ' ' . nil in a panic, the hastened to try ®*ir wa*he», and tonics and t woezers and dye, •bo plastered her features lotions and cream And put on a mask when she ventured to > dream. Rmmiels and balms and skin-powder she tried, All atufi* that "rejuvenate" too, were applied. Bat, somehow--as hap: ens to all In that case, quicker got rid of her beauty and grab*. jfench gaze in the mirror showed plainly the truth, Instead of restoring or holding her vonth %be made herself older aud shortened her days Ay trying thodearts liuU are usloss always. Another young woman, as I have been told, <Jave lu vcr a thought to herself growing old; t»he didn't go hunting to find a stray hair Or wrinkles or "crow's feet" that, may be, were there., SJbe looked on the merry, blight side of life, Whe didn't seek troubl cor worries or strife, W« courted the sunshine, she never repined -And always kept bnsy in body and mind. ®einp true to Dame Nature, that ever good dame, "5fce truest of friends and protectors became, And KO that young woman, as I have been told, •fcived nigh to a hundred--and never felt "old." " How, of these young women, 'tis easy to say which chooses tne only and happier way keeping the health and the beauty and grace 'phMrgoaBg 'gainst Nature so soon will "tip-top gentleman," too. He must be muddled. But the brown eves were looking coellveuough at him, aud their owner was saving: "Well, what do you say?" 1 "Yer don't know what I be; I'm a bad lot! I've been in quod oft euongl," blurted out Jim, feeling somehow he eonld not take his new found patron in. "I dare say you have, and you de­ served it, too. But 1" believe you can pull round yet if you like; and, as I said, I will give you the chance of reg­ ular work and pay. Will yon take it?" In the deptli of Jim's warped nature there glimmered something like a spark of gratitude and a dim longiug after a work, the animal tell heavily* and the ' driver throws '.•*** his balance by the shock, shot out into the snow. Befote he could rise the men were upon him; but somehow he managed to shake them clear and struggle to his feet. He faced them boldly, and met their rush with a right hander which sent one to the ground, bnt the other two closed in upon him. Jim looked on with languid interest. Evidently it was some magistrate way­ laid by three men who had a score to settle against him. It was no business of his anyway, and though three to one was hardly fair he was not g^ing to in­ terfere. The gentleman fought well, new life for u moment; but old habits j whoever he was, and again sent an as- were too strong for him, and the clouds | sailant backward with a well-got-in : AN OUTCAST. ̂ ' . V * ~ He was a bad lot! Magistrates, jail chaplains, and police had all at various times told him so; and he quietly ac- -t»pted their judgment, knowing it to be "pretty near the truth. An outcast from •lis very babyhood, what chance had he ever had ? Left by an unfeeling mother to die in a roadside ditch, he bad been taken to the nearest Union to l>e brought Up a workhouse foundling', until he was -eld enough to be bound 'prentice and ^tbe guardians could wash their hands fcf him entirely. A drunken saddler covenanted to clothe, board, and teach him his trade, and at his hands poor -Jim had a dog's life, until, goaded to tnadness by every species of ill treat­ ment, he struck his master and fled. For awhile he tried hard to get work in the villages through which he passed; kut no one would take on the strange, -friendless lad, and so he made up* his >aiiind to enlist for a soldier. If only he had reached New York an liour or two earlier Her Majesty's army had gained a useful recruit, and poor Jim would have had a chance to rise -*nd become a credit to the service. But all luck would not let him go. He was routed out of an old stable by a zeal­ ous member of the city police, and •charged next day with sleeping out at night or some equally heinous crime, the result being that he was committed to prison for seven days. This broke *down his last shred of self-respect, and "when that happens to a man or boy ieaven help liim, for his doom is sealed. Jim came out of jail utterly reckless, •with a wild hatred of everybody and •everything. Yes there was no doubting it; he ~was an out-and-out bad lot! And fee looked it, too, as he slouched «long the country lane with bands deep in his empty pockets and his head bent to meet the rain which the November wind drove in his face. But he was too much used to discom­ fort to heed the weather and plodded willenly on through the puddles in the •deepening gloom, half asleep, and so Utterly careless of everything abound ; closed darker agajn as he shook his head and said in tones which tried to be civil: "No, guv'nor; yer mean well, but it's no go now. I'm no good for anything but cadging aud tramping, an* I dean want to work for any master-- an' won't, nev- ther." | He expected an angry lecture and j round abuse for refusing; but the other ' said quietly, stroking his boot with the handle of his hunting crop, "That is a dangerous way of thinking, my friend, and will get you into trouble again. You are a fool not to try and pull up a bit; but you know your own affairs best. Well, here is a supper and bed for you anyway. Look out." He tossed a half-crown to Jim with . careless, easy good-nature, and, shaking np his horse, trotted off with a nod and "Good luck." How costless a word of two of sym­ pathy are, and yet how priceless they may become! How easy to be gra­ cious. and yet how far-reaiching the re­ sults! We suatter kindly greetings here and there as we journey on life's roadway, and lo! they spring up bright flowers to gladden some sad, weary wayfarer. We perform thoughtlessly now and again trivial services of cour­ tesy and forget them, but they shine. in lone, loveless hearts as glittering stars to cheer the midnight sky. Hugh Boynton, smoking his high- priced Havana after dinner that even­ ing in the luxurious" ease of bis favor­ ite Jounging-chair, had utterly for­ gotten all about, the few words and the silver coin which he had ! thrown to the tramp whom he had | overtaken as he rode home from hounds. Jim, cnrled np under the lee of a clover rick, turned the half-crown over and over in his hand and thought how for once in -his life he had been spoken kindly to by a real gentleman. Five dreary years passed over Jim's luckless head--their monotony broken by police-court, prison-cell, and va- grant-ward experiences. He had wan­ dered up and down some dozen coun­ ties, and seen the inside of most of their jails, and now, as Christmas drew near, had drifted toward York; not that he had any particular reason for getting there, but because it lay in his way north, and he happened to be making in that direction; why, not even he himself knew, for north, Bouth east, and west were alike to him. He had had a run of bad luck lately. Once or twice he had found a casual's wel­ come and slept under cover; but he had a rooted objection to its concomitants, and chose rather the cold and expos­ ure of the open air. He had scarcely tasted food for a week, and had almost forgotten the feel of a copper coin; for somehow the near approach of the fes­ tival of peace and good-will seemed to have shut up men's pockets, and sharp blow. But the odds were too heavy and the cudgels told. He began to stagger and give ground and a blow on the head beat him down. "Give it him, lads, if we swing for't," cried the tallest of the three villains, jump­ ing upon him, mad and bliad with rage. A ray of moonlight fell upon the up­ turned face of the fallen man; it was that of the geutleman who five years ago had talked with Jim in the lane. In an instant he was over the gate and at the men like a tiger-cat, and so sud­ den was his onset that they gave ground, then seeing he was alone they rushed at him with oaths and tlireats. Weak from want of food and half dead with cold, poor Jim had never a chance. For a few seconds he held up doggedly against the shower of blows; then, feel­ ing he was done for, stooped suddenly, flung his arms round the senseless Squire, and with one last effort man­ aged to roll into the deep ditch, keep­ ing himself uppermost. The brutes jumped down and strove to make him loose his hold of their victim; but, j stunned and blinded with blood, he clnng fiercely to Hugh Boynton, shel­ tering his body with his own. The world began to spin round--an­ other and another heavy blow--a chim­ ing of far-off bells--a hollow buzzing-- and then--black night forever! Next morning they were found to­ gether in the trampled, blood-smeared ditch--one living, the other dead. Hugh Boynton often wonders, as he looks at the white cross which he put up over a nameless grave, who his pre­ server was. But the recording angel will one day tell how Jim the Tramp, the "out-and-out bad lot," gave his life for the man who once spoke kindly to him.-- Chambers'-Journal. GINSHOr WOUNDS, " lecovrriff* (rem the Kffiwti Ball and Shell. , Capt. Tip Harrison's office at the Cap­ itol is the room where the veterans of the late war are wont to congregate. Wh**a several of tfhe old soldiers who bear the scars of many battles meet, reminis- rences of the great struggle are in or­ der and some of the stories are verv thrilling. Recently the subjectunder discussion was the remarkable manner in which some men were wounded and recovered and were wounded again. Capt. Tip Harrison Was responsible for the following: "Lieut. Mtracie of the Sixty-first Georgia .Regiment," said Capt. Tip, "was one of the most remarkable men I ever knew. He was a slender, cadav- he never heard the beat of hoofs i refusals and scornful silence were all he a cheery voice cried, Now. my j got from those of whom he asked help, fellow, ifyou «Wtwant the whole The afternoon was closing as he to voorself, perhaps you will let | found himself in the long, straggling village of Marston, footsore epass. Ma never looked around, but slunk ""closer to the dripping hedgerow, ex­ pecting tbe horsman to ride on without another world, but something quite un- * expected happened, for the cheery •Wee said, "Thanks!" Xfc was the first time that any one had * «*er thanked the good-for-nothing, and * ^e stared up in blank amazement, and ' saw a man of about his own age in red- ^oeat and top boots, plentifully be­ spattered with mud, looking down at liim from the back of a weight-carrv- ing hunter without the least gleam of Aversion or suspicion in his pleasant, fresh-colored face. "You look rather done up: been lonir •on the road?" "A week an' more!" The reply was wurly enough--not that Jim resented the question, but simply because he was so used to insults and" rough speak­ ing that the idea of a "blooming swell" •peaking civilly to such as he took him utterly by surprise. ."Going home?" ^Tim gave a contemptuous mint. **Never ha yan. guv'nor!" " "Poor chap! But you live some- ~where. I suppose ?" "Oh, yes," with a grim chuckle; "I live somewhere--anywheres. I'se not 'like some folks, must have everything tip-top. No, that's not my style." Ye've -•big house, in course, and lots of eiaves to wait on ye. I lives just where I can, and has to fend for mysen, and •^lon't often get rny meals reg'lar." And the cruel contrast between him- «elf and his companion filled the tramp's heart with bitter thoughts. Why have and done up. The lights at the grocer's shop threw a broad band of brightness across the road, and Jim could see a man in a white apron busily piling up a pyramid of loaves which a bov had just brought in crisp and hot from the bakehouse. The sight was too much for the fam­ ished fellow, and he pushed his way into the shop. "Now, then, what is it?" cried the shopman sharply, as he scanned Jim's tattered appearance. "Will ye give me van of them little uns, guv'nor? I'm nigh clemmed," and he nodded toward the bread pile. "No, certainly not; I never give to beggars or tramps." "I've not tasted bite nor sup thi* blessedday, God knows." " Can't help that! Come, get out of the shop, do you hear? or I'll set the constable onto you. The likes of you ought not to be allowed to go about the country. Come, off with you." Three times did Jim try his luck down the village street, with np better success, and then he gave it up and bitterly left the houses of his fellow- creatures behind him and faced the bleak, open country again. \ He dragged himself along for a few, Weary miles, then openirg a gate crawled into a half-ruined cow-shed and flung him­ self down upon some bracken and straw litter in the farthest corner, and dozed off. When he woke up the moon had risen and was shining in through the Chinks of the roof, . and Jim could see the country side was white with snow. He shivered and buried him­ self completely in the bracken, and tried to sleep again and forget the cold ^erin^^L^ tt Ug" °f UfeaUd I and hunf?er- He had almost succeeded, otters none ofthem? Here was a man | when the sound of voices • no older than himself with fine clothes on his back and a horse to carrv him, r„ carry ' while he, poor fellow, had to trudge •along ankle-deep in the mud, with scarcely a whole thread to cover him. Why, the very horse was a long wav • lietter off and more cared for; it at least bad a warm, dry stable and plentv of food waiting for it, while he had never u • resting-place nor a crust of bread to *«at. Again the cheery, kind tones startled "(aim: "But you have friends, some- ' where, I suppose ?" 'No--not me! There's came to him on the still night air, and a minute later three men entered the shed. "Curse the cold!" groaned one as he drew back just within the shadow. "Curse him, you mean," said another, as he leaned a thick oak cudgel against the wall and began to blow upon his numbed fingers. "I'll do more than curse him when tli' time comes," answered the first speaker. Av, he'd best not have taken us i' band. Says he, when with the rest of t beaks he sentenced Tim and Jeff, ^o--not me. I here s never a! 'The pouching rascals shall be stonoed' «ngle soul, guy nor, in this wide world if I have to do it sintrle-hande.1 ' " cares a rdp for me; and, when I lies down some day and dies in the ditch, there'll noan be, man, woman, or child, as'll miss me. None'll, be sorry, 'cep- 4in' the parish-bumsX.i'11 have to put ttfl underground, and they'll gfudge "doing of that even." Jim gave a short, ' Ugly laugh and slouched on--the water squish, squish, squishing out of the gaping rents of his old boots at every- «tep. He quite expected the "swell" to cide off now and leave him to the rap- idly deepening gloom and the wild, - cheerless night, but the horse was kept *teadi!y alongside of him, aud the rider ' spoke again. "Can't you get iuto regular work aud Mbave this tramp business?" v "No; there's none'll have the likes of ^«*e. I don't look respectable enough." , "Nonsense, man. Don't get down on lyour luck, but pick vou* self up. Now, look here; I will give you a chance my- *elf. if you will take it." Jim could not believe his ears. Some ' "We actually talking to him as if he was ' *•& honest man, and not some sort of t single-handed. JSell, hell be single-handed to-night anyways, for he's no groom wi' him. So he can try what he's good for wi' three ov us. eh, Jack ?" He 11 find it tough job, I'm think­ ing." "Is't wire right, Bob?" "Surely! His mare steps high; but I ve lowed for it, and she'll catch beau­ tifully. Its past 12 now; he oughtn't to be long. "Hist, mate; there's wheels. Now for't! Come on." The three men werit out quieky, and Jim, following to the door, saw them leap into the road and hide in the hedge on the opposite side; then he stole down to the gate, out of mere curiositv, to watch what their game was. Iu a" few minutes the ring of hoofs grew louder, and a high-wheeled dog-cart spinning round a corner came rapidly down the lane. It was occupied by one figure only, th,A red glow of whose cigar gleamed in the trosty air; and just as the scent of it reached Jim he saw the horse suddenly pluge and stagger for- ward. Th» wire-snat* had done its All the Gold In the World. People as a rule are greatly given to exaggeration. We hear of armies "count­ less as the sands of the seashore," "mountains far above the clouds," "un­ fathomable lakes," and so on. In regard to money, the popular no­ tion is wonderfully erroneous, and seems to be founded on fairy stories, which speak recklessly of mountains of gold and silver and rooms full of guineas. To these people who think that all the gold in the world if gathered in one heap, would make a respectable-sized mountain, it will be a surprise to hear that it would not make a small hill. It is quite easy to find the figures which justify this conclusion. At the commencement of the Christian era, there was in the world $427,000,000 in gold. This is an estimated basis on careful calculations, and must be very nearly correct. But gold is very soft and wears away to an astonishing ex­ tent; in consequence, this amount had diminished to $57,000,000 at the time America was discovered. Then it began to increase. Peru and Mexico added to thg world's supply, California increased it still further, and finally came Australia and South Africa. With all these sources of sup­ ply, the amount of gold incresfted, un­ til at the present day it is estimated a $6,000,000,000. Six billions of dollars! And1 is not that a mountain of gold? you ask. No; nothing like it. Taking gold at $18 an ounce, which is belew its coin value, a cubic inch is worth $210; a cubic foot, $362,880; a cubic yard, $9,797,760. Thus the total amount of gold is about 613 cubic yards. Now, suppose you had a room twenty- six feet each way, length, breadth, and height--that is ta say, a cube of twenty- six feet. This cube would contain 651 cubic yards, within a fraction, and in this room you could put all the gold in the world! * # Of course, the gold would have to be in one solid mass, but even with that proviso, does it not seem wonderful, and almost incredible? Yet it is absolutely true. As to silver, that is a different affair. In all the world there is probably a very respectable hill of silver, but all the gold, as you have seen, might be easily stored in an ordinary dwelling. Alaskan Demoralization. The condition of the Alaska natives is most demoralized. The native house has one room, where the entire family sleep on the floor, cook around a hole in the floor, and eat from an iron dish standing on the floor, into which each one reaches his wooden spoon. To open the minds of these people and teach them to desert their filth without at the same time training them to some means of earning money to support a cleanlier style of living would only increase their wretchedness. Missionary work en­ counters serious obstacles in native cus­ toms, which are demoralizing, especially to the girls. The custom of the natives is to buy their wives. A boy frequently has a wife bought for him by his father within a few weeks of his birth, and the chil­ dren are then raised together until they are grown. Since the white miner 'has come this custom has been extended to sales or leases to the white men, and girls are such a source of income that parents will not allow them to go to the mission school. The courts sustain the right of parents to control their chil­ dren, and girls who beg to be let into the school cannot be taken without the parent's consent. Native husbands and wives adopt young children and raise them for the position of second husband or wife when the first dies. In tW way boys of fifteen or sixteen become husbands of crippled old women and young girl? become the wives, and fre­ quently the plural wives, of old men. Scores of people are annually murdered as witches under Alaskan superstition and hundreds of thousands of women are ruined, becoming drunken and wretched squaws. A MKS. MARSHALL, of Dubuque, Iowa, laughed so immoderately at a joke she heard that her jaw became set and a doctor had to break the bone to get her mouth closed. WHEN a girl gets married and has a hard time we all feel sorry for her, but we really ought to fell soszow mother.--Atchimn Globe* said. "'Well?' " 'Go back to the stage, sir, and wait for your exit.' " 'I guess not.' " 'I tell yon I won't have a man in my company who is so easily discon­ certed. Go on with the scene, or leave the company to-morrow.' "That was serioiis. To be stranded in that forsaken town was calculated to make the heavy man appreciative. " Til go back," he said. "He tore off his wig just before going on and, stepping down to the footlights with an injured expression of counten­ ance, he said: " 'Ladies and gentlemen (there were no ladies there, but that didn't matter), with your kind permission I will resume the scene. Before doing so, however, I want to call your attention to the fact that the young lady and myself are merely acting parts. In reality we are the best of friends. I l»ear you no ill will for your display of heroic chivalry. I trust, however, that you will curb your generous sentiments, for if you should hit me the play would be inter­ rupted. If any of the gentlemen will meet me after the show at McCarty's they will find out I am not a bad fel­ low.' "Loud cheers greeted this speech and the play was resumed."--Denver Trib- ' - Childhood and Age. How different the world seems to us now than it did in the davs of our child­ hood! Then we painted the future with glowing colors and longed for the time when we should take our place in the great drama of Life. We prayed for the day when no longer subject to parental authority, we could "paddle our own canoe." And how very slojvly the seconds braided themselves into iays, months, years!--and how often we caught ourselves wishing old Father Time would try and jog along a little faster! We can remember well, when a child, ti trying to hurry up matters by tearing three months out of the almanac, and when we were scolded about it, how in­ dignant we were! Ah, we do not tear out any leaves now! By the way, we do not know whether those torn out months have bean made up to us, but erous looking man, with apparently no physical strength, yet he lived through what would have killed a dozen ordi­ nary men, and is alive to-day. In the early part of the war he was shot through and through. The ball struck the breast l>one and shattered it, passed through his body, and came out within an inch of his spine between two ribs. After a desperate struggle for ' life he recovered, and regained his reg­ iment. At the battle of Monaccasie Creek he was again wounded, the ball entering between the corresponding rib3 on the other side of the spine and issuing at the same hole that the first ball had entered at. The second shot must have taken the passage inside Muncie's body that the first ball made in going in the opposite direction. He was in prison with me later and appeared to suffer no unusual pain." _ The case of Sergeant B. F. Curt- right, who is now on the Atlanta police force, was cited as another remarkable instance. Sergeant Curtright was wounded in the right arm, the ball passing through the limb from the front. The muscles were badly lacerated, and When he recovered he found that though he had perfect use of his hand, he could not lift his arm above his head. He was not disabled from using his weapons, however^ and returned to his company. Later in the war, at the battle of Winchester, he was shot in ex­ actly the same place, except that the ball traversed his arm in the opposite direction. When the inflammation subsided he found, to his surprise, that the stiffnsss of the muscles had al­ most entirely disappeared, arid he was Booq able to use his arm as well as ever. Lieut. Leath was another man with a remarkable experience. He was lead­ ing his men into battle when he re­ ceived the order to charge. The noise of the guns and the shrieks of the wounded made it necessary for him to give his orders at the top of his voice. He had his mouth wide open, calling out the order charge, when a sliver from a shell struck him. in the cheek. Ifrpassed through his mouth without touching a single tooth, and came out through the other cheek, leaving on each side of his head a gash as clean as if cut by a razor. The wound became inflammed and Leath, who was at the time near his home, was given leave of absence for two or three days. When he rode up to his mother's house his head was tied Up with bandages. The old lady rushed out when she saw him coming and cried: "Oh, my son, where are you wounded?" "Right through the head," he replied. His mother, thinking the wound must be fatal, sent for a doctor without waiting for explanations. When the medical men arrived he found Leath sitting at the dinner table eating a hearty meal.--Atlanta'Constitution. A. Theatrical Star Explains IIis Position OB the Stage. "We were playing in a small town back in the seventies," said a theatrical man, "when our leading heavy man had a rather tough experience. All the miners were in the theater. Well, the heavy man had been persecuting a poor maiden through two acts. In the third act he came to the powerful scene of the play. 'At last,' he said,'I have you in my power and nothing on earth can save you. I, who was the slave, am now the master.' So saying, he advanced toward his trembling victim. 'Mercy!' she moaned. 'Mercy!' ho retorted. 'You bad no mercy for me, and I will have none for you.' "At that moment a gruff voice was heard from the gallery: 'You blamed varmit, I'll settle with you.' There was the crack of a pistol and a bullet whizzed near the heavy man. 'Plug the son of a gun, boys,' continued'the voice, and a shower of bullets saluted the stage villian. He didn't stop long, but fled from the stage. "In the wing he met the stage mana­ ger, who was white with anger. , " 'You have broken up the s<^ne,' he Military Discipline. A group of army men were discuss­ ing the other day the reverence which Gen. Sheridan at all times exhibited to­ ward Gen. Grant. To illustrate this trait of Gen. Sheridan's one of the com­ pany related the following incident: "Gen. Grant and Gen. Sheridan were traveling in a steamboat together, accompanied by other officers. Among the passengers was a young English­ man who frequently used to take a hand at poker with the distinguished travel­ ers. The limit usually was fifty cents. On one occasion the Englishman wanted to get up to light a cigar, and requested Gen. Sheridan to play his hand, which consisted of four jacks pat, for him. On the Englishman's re­ turn he asked how his hand had panned out. M 'Oh,' said Sheridan, 'the General (meaning Grant) bqt me fifty cents, and I called him and won you the pot.' "The Englishman looked at him in amazement, and then stuttered out: "'Well, I've heard of military disci­ pline, but I'm hanged if I ever heard of it going that far.'"-- Washington Let­ ter. The Snail's Tenacity of Life. The snail is blessed with vory great powers of vitality. A case is recorded of an Egyptian desert snail which came to life Upon being immersed in warm water, after it had passed four years glued to a card in the British Museum. Some specimens in the collection of a naturalist revived after they had ap­ parently been dead for fifteen years, and snails frozen for weeks together in solid blocks of ice have recovered on being thawed out. The eggs of this creature are as hard to destroy as him­ self. They seem perfectly indifferent to freezing, and have been known to prove productive after having been shrivelled up in an oven to' the aem- blauce of grains of sand.--Longman's Magazine. Closely Belated. "Ont again, Mr. Lushley ?" "Yesh (hie) m' love." " Where have you been all night?" "M' (hie) dear, 'twash a case of noshes' ty." "I suppose so" (very sarcastically). "Yesh, m' (hie) onliest. I wash keepin' up my p'iitioal pull." " Well, judging from all indications, a political pull seems to be very closely related to the old-fashioned kind thatia used in oonnection with a jug,"." we believe they have not, though,---for heaven knows, tiie years have been go­ ing by faster an^ faster since a long time, until of later days we shudder as we think how old we are, and how so little has been accomplished Ift all the dead years! Ah, where have the days of Auld Lang Syne vanished? , We are almost inclined to believe that we have been talcing a Rip Van Winkle nap, and dur­ ing the interval have changed from joy­ ous youth to sedate middle age. We have no fault to find with the hours dragging now. Oh, no! They go with lightning-like rapidity, and our only trouble is to keep pace with St. Louis Magazine. * Phosphorescent Fishes. » s Of the various phosphorescent creat­ ures which abound in the warm waters of the tropics, the pyrosovia, or fire- body, is amon^ the most curious in its form, its habits of living, and its won­ derful power of illuminating the water. This little lantern of the sea is so care­ fully described by Dr. Gardner, as he paw it on his voyage to Brazil and to Ceylon, that his account cannot fail to be of interest. On hi8 passage from England, and while about two degrees of south latitude and twenty^-six degrees of west longitude, he was called up by the Captain about half-past 10 o'clock at night. When I reached the deok one of the most magnificent scenes imaginable presented itself. All round the ship to as great a distance as the eye could reach the swell, which was running pretty high, was emitting from its sur­ face at short intervals long, broad sheets of phosphorescent light, which continued bright only a second or two, and then disappeared. The continued glare of these long streams of light, their sudden appear­ ance and disappearance, as if detached portions of sheet-lightning were flash­ ing from wave to wave, gave a wild and terrific aspect to the surface of the ocean. The reflection from it was so great that the sails of the ship were il­ lumined by the glare. The ship's wake for about fifty yards was one continuous stream of pale yel­ low light, upon which, ever and anon, were floating away and becoming ex­ tinct curious masses of a circular shape, varying from half a foot to two feet in breadth, of a livid hue, similar to that which burning sulphur emits. These masses retained their livid, flame-like appearance till they were about six or eight yards from the ship, when they gradually became extinct, their beauti­ ful color contrasting singularly with the pale yellow stream on which they floated. This curious state of the sea lasted only about a quarter* of an hour, after which the water assumed its usual as­ pect, the foam at the ship^Tbow present­ ing only the sparklv appearance which it usually exhibits within the tropics. It is well known that the ciroular masses of light which I have described are produced from aggregated masses of very small marine animals, to which the name of Pyrosovia is given. I did not, however, capture any, as my tow- ing-net was at this time out o| order, but during my voyage to Ceylon I was more fortunate. On the 25th of November, in three or four degress of north latitude and twenty-three degrees of west longitude, with cloudy weather and the thermom­ eter at eighty-one at noon, we came shortly after dark into a field of these animals, and though the brilliancy of their light was not so great as on the former occasion, they were more numer­ ous, for the ship sailed through them for several hours. They were seen in broad shoals at great but irregular distances from each other. The towing-nefc soon procured me a large supply of the extraordinary animals of which these shoals were composed.' They gave out a bright, pale, yellowish green light, which they retained for some time after they were brought on board. Each mass was shaped not unlike the finger of a glove, being hollow, and closed at one end. They varied a little in size, but were generally about four inches in length. The little animals of which these masses are made up are placed horizontally, and lie closely packed over each other, their heads being toward the outer surface. When kept in a glass in salt water, they soon separated from each other, and, being very transparent, were then scarcely to be distinguished from the water. They taste exactly like fresh oysters. Hen. Hssen on Stamps. hi conversation with a representative t>f the Washington Post, Gen. Hazen Sfiveslsome in teresting details concerning the stamps used by the United States. The ultra-marine blue one-cent stamp bears the vignette of Franklin, who was thus honored because he was the first Postmaster General. Singularly enough, too, he is the only Postmaster General who has been thus honored. Washington's bust, which ornaments the new carmine stamp, is a tribute to one who) was first in war, first in peace, *nd first* in the hearts of his country­ men. A change has been made in the three- cent stamp, which formerly contained the head of Lincoln, but out from the purple tint now peers the rugged fea­ tures of "Old Hickory," as Andrew Jackson was called by his admirers. Lincoln's familiar countenance is shown on the four-cent stamps, which are chocolate colored, and his contem­ porary, Gen. Giant, adorns the brown five-cent stamps, which are used for foreign postage. Shortly after the international poatal ioS!iei?nce at ®erne» Switzerland, in *"74, Postmaster General Jewell wanted to place Gen. Grant's face on this stamp. Upon mentioning the matter at a cabinet meeting one day; the Presi­ dent vetoed the proposition in the most emphatic manner, and it was reserved for another administration to do honor to him. Claret-colored is the term that should be applied to the six-cent stamp, upon which appears an excellent likeness of Garfield. The ^ famous utterance of Webster, the union one and invisible, was thought entitled to a place on the green ten- cent stamp. Henry Clay has been honored with a place on the fifteen-cent stamp, which is very appropriate, as the blue tint is strongly suggestive of the grassy slopes of Kentucky, OH the black thirty-cent stamp there is a reproduction of the face of Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. Probably the handsomest, as well as the most valuable stamp, intrinsically considered, is the orange-hued ninety- cent stamp, upon which Commodore Perry, the hero of Lake Erie, ia de picted. Broken Ribs Were Extra. When a man gets sick or meets with an accident in a Canadian lumber camp he neither expects nor receives anything like good nursing. If he is patient, the men will do what they can; but if he shows a disposition to whine, he is not considered worth any extra trouble. At Camp "B" two or three winters* ago a man named Peters was hurt by a falling tree--badly hurt. The camp was forty miles from a town or doctor, the snow three foot deep, and all they could do was to rub the man with whisky and put him in his bunk. While no bones were broken, it Beemed certain that he was internally injured, and that he could not live beyond a day or two. Basiness was driving, «nd there were no men to spare, and after Peters had been rubbed down, the boss said: "Now, Peters, you understand how it is; you'll probably die.'.' "Yes." "Probably die within" twenty-four hours." "Yes." "And so, you gee, anything extra will be a dead loss to me." "I see, but in case I die you'll have manner^enough to knook the men off for half a day, won't you? I also want a good square grave." "But Peters, we are rushed, and to do that will cost me $50 worth of time." "How much will you give me not to die?" "I'll say $35 that is, if you'll forego a funeral if you do die." "That looks fair," said Peters after a little thought, "and I'll do it. Shake. They shook; and Peters set his teeth hard and determined to live. His only medicines were kerosene oil, whisky, and vinegar, and his only delicacies fat pork amf bean soup; but in three weeks he was o^itf and at work. "Couldn't you make it $30?" asked the boss as he came to settle. "For why?" "Because if you had died £ should have had to wrap the body in a"$3 blanket, and tho boys would have in­ sisted on a drink ail around after the job." "Couldn't possibly tbink of it," re­ plied Peters. - "After I made the bar­ gain with yoq I found three broken ribs, and I had to splice and grow 'em extra." Don't Misjudge the English. I learned, also, that the English have acquired the virtue of delibera­ tion, and never are in a hurry or fret, writes Marshall P. Wilder in Lippin- cott's Magazine for March. It is not necessary for me to inform the reader that England is the greatest business nation in the world; yet all the business is conducted in a quiet, leisurely way that seems to an American like child's play, but is dead earnest all the same. Your English banker will be found in some little building not at all like an American bank, and with very few clerks in sight. Nobody rushes breathlessly in or out; yet the amount of business transacted daily in that dingy little building'is enormous. In­ stead of being glum and unhappy, as most of our tourists imagine them, the English give more time and attention to their enjoyment than any other respect­ able people in the world. They do not crave excitement, like some Americans; but the genuine enjoyment--rest for the body, and gratification for the eye, ear and palate--they do love, and they spare no efforts to obtain it. Because they do not go wild over good work at the opera or theater, and make a noise with their hands and feet, Englishmen are supposed by Americans to be un- appreciative or listless; but they are nothing of the kind, as you will find out for yourself if you sit beside one whom you know and talk with him between the acts. When judging an Englishman by his appearance and manner in a crowd, don't forget the old saying: ?Still waters run deep." LIGHT AND BRIGHT. A Mean Husband's Rerenge. Mrs. De Pride (anxious that her daughter shall make a rich match)--I wonder why Mr. Richfellow doesn't come to see ,our daughter any more. Mr. De Pride--I don't know. The last time he was here he borrowed my clock-work phonograph to have some music played into it. He brought it back to my office the next morning, saying that the musician was sick or something, and that's the last I've seen of him." "Was the phonograph empty?" "Um! now I think of it, I believe it did have in it your reception of me when I came home lace the night before. Maybe he's ch»t>g«d his mind about marrying." ToNotrK-tDKB--A flew of speech. DKINK for a railroad brakematt---• bumper. , ^ • • • ' " A cHEElpr :'|̂ ooee !̂̂ Basrinî » pretty girl. TIME flies, yet the orchestral loader sits still and beats time. EVE was the first girl to get a fall "sack" if we remember rightly. HAROLD (musing)--She said she liked the kiss. I got it from her own mouth. A MAN is like an omnibus. When ho is full of drinks he thinks there is room for one more. . LIFE is very short, but it doesn't seem so when a fellow is waiting for all overdue train at a country rail wav sta­ tion. " KRANK (sitting up in bed, watch in hand)--Here it is 6 o'clock, and nobody comes to wake me up. I shall be sure to miss the train. "PAPA," said the little one, "will there be newspapers in Heaven?" "Perhaps, my child, but there will be a new set of editors and reporters." ' A POET asks: "What is warmer than a woman's love?" We infer that ho never picked up a newly-coined horse­ shoe fresh from the forge. "MEET your wife with a smile on your lips," says an exchange. Better wait until the odor of the "smile" haa abated somewhat, though: MRS. SMALL (to Star Boarder)--Won't you have some pound cake? Star Boarder--Thanks, no. I forgot to put my bottle of pepsin in my pocket. EDITOR---We can't run .your poetry because it s a little lame. Aspiring con­ tributor--What do you mean by lame? "Why, I notice its feet are slightly un- en." SHE sang--"Take Back the Heart that Thou Gayest" very sweetly and ef­ fectively, but he said he was a news­ paper man and never took anvthuur back. FIRST Pullman Porter--Whad's yo' ser nervous 'bout Johns'n ?--Second Porter--I'se a quartah out. Dat's what I'se nervous 'bout. Done blacked a pay ob my own boots by mistake fer dat na­ bob's in d' fo'th suction. QUITE TRUE,--Mamma to Maud-- Your tastes are really becoming quite too expensive, my child. Remember that fine feathers do not always make fine birds. Maud: No, mamma; but you'll admit they make fine bonnets. MR. COUPON--Consider again, Miss De Vere. It's true, I am rather old, but, on the other hand, I have no family and am very wealthy. Miss De Vere--No, Mr. Coupon; I can never be your wife, buk--I will be pleased to be always an adopted daughter to you. *""" ' A TOT. " ^ They bad a quarrel and she Bent, . His letters back next day; HIR ring aud all iiis presents weiw* To him without delay. , m "Pray, send my kisses back to me P He wrote: "Could you forget them?" She answered speedily tnal he Must come hiinsetf and get them. --Judge. THE following pathetic remarks wfttfife overheard by a small boy at a picnic : "Darling, I'm going to let go your hand for a minute, but you musn't be angry. I wouldu't lose it, only some kind of a caterpillar is creeping down my back and I can't fix my thoughts upon you and the caterpillar at the same time; LONG MEASURE--"It strikes me you. have got the longest miles in the world," said a pedestrian, as he wiped the per­ spiration from his brow. "No," an­ swered the intelligent native, taking his pipe from his mouth, "it' isn't the fault of the miles, but as they were making the road they ran short of mile­ stones, so they only put one down for every two miles." PAPA was giving the children a little lesson in arithmetic one eveniug. "Re­ member, you cannot add numbers un­ less they are of the same kind," said he. "Now three cents and two cents and six cents make . eleven cents, but if you tried to add three apples and two oranges and six sticks of candy, what would you have ?" "A treat!" answered 6-year-old Winny, with sparkling eyes. Women's Estimate or Bachelors. All women are in league against the bachelor--the married woman from sympathy with their unmarried sisters, and the unmarried from a desire to les­ son the number of spinsters. With this league against him, offensive and de­ fensive, the unmarried man may find peace in heaven, but he can Scarce hope to find happiness on earth--this side of marriage. However, once married all the bachelor's troubles are over. He is no longer the subject of interested or designing attentions--except the atten­ tions which proceed from love. True, the bachelor becomes on his marriage, if not the object of commis­ eration to the knowing ones, an object of comparative indifference to all women but one^ but the superior love of that one atones for all, and his added dignity and completeness as a man and citizen make him wonder how he previously existed as one-half of a pair of scissor* without the other half.--Woman'9 Cycle. Why Stanley Came Bade* * When the great African explorer was by many persons given up for lost, and even the most sanguine were full of fears for his safety, there was one wo­ man in London who never doubted that he would return. •< The woman was Stanley's landlady. Whenever any one suggested the pos­ sibility that he might never be heard from, she replied with perfect confi­ dence : "It is impossible. Mr. Stanley has not given up his rooms, and 1 am sure he will return." Stanley did return, thongh the wosld in general has not till recently been aware of the imperative engagement which made it impossible fpr hjLffiL^p do otherwise."--Irish Ne\on. * ; ii * He Had Traveled* ̂ ̂ Enthusiastic Proprietor--What . you think of the new hotel. * J _ Prospective Guest (diffidently)--* Bather fine. E. P.--Fine? Grand I think? Did you notice the fresco-work in the dining- room and the new furniture in the hall? P. G.--Yes, I noticed them. E. P. (persistently)--Well, what von think? 7^. P• G. (gloomily)--Oh, I suppose PU ' have to pay for them before I leave. --- Lippinvott'ii Magazine. STRANGER--How much do you get the golden rule? Jeweler (wearily)W Young man, stop right there. I reeosp- nize you as the desperado who wants ie price a pair of ruby lius. As FENCING is such a manly art* it. %;.r. odd that there is so much feinting In f --Baltimore American. ,Jr ^SSlIiaSi iJIO»

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