McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 4 Oct 1876, p. 6

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r MI FOBS OF *ra nraa With the Miliary Lake, or Tank, which BT WILL M.»CABt.«TOM ;h Mi Thu<!'• >!II ••Him mi Garth can cotnpWwMk oor -* ••**! . w - • •" p^opSf <to fast as our people has pwni ^ Wfcsst ramntry <an. spread out such beautiful Jf&irtJOfci ? m , r c a n equal our own, in their charms? tiijii, iu tlie records of ago?, appears NLtewrai Kke Ohieago, in forty-odd years? Wlwa* in those forty-add years, can be found Ctaeh thriving young cities as oluptei around? Tfesmctent, slow coacht 8 are broken and gone: Aotf ttt* cry of our nation is " Onward, riphton!" «*»*«• factories that finish whate'er they begin, SSWR *0 engine and train, to the head of a pin; On railroads, ..V-r mountain and prairie-land ran f jwisnotivo t'.ie fastest onep under the nun I W«.V« BM.iiy sttuiicli men in (he different grades 'Of *U the professions, and all of the trades fit Hsureit'f- tmd schools, young America tniins, -o--:-~~iK to fuJre hold of the reins : "iMjd, tom*k« the long list of our ({lory complete, American babies, though scarce, are not beat 1 WTY, ORICRS--Alpha--the last and fhe first! OF everything known we've the best and die worpt Vfe>e land which, for richness, the world will defy tUtS o'er which e'en the bird* will not fly! We>« horses, the fastest on earth--by our meas- And lunlea ever ready to kick us with pleasure; W*'V« men for dispensing their thousands es- teeroed-- Aad ®3!-u wiW would "whittle * flint till it ecreaased;" fteve Christian young Men who are steady at • ' atoe'yards, a. And mart little boys who play encher and blll- .tards; For helpers to build up our national worth, We lay «naer tribute all parts of the earth. Our ladies--heaven guard them!--are nowhere surpassed - . - • *5^ lo «»«• several stations, from fl^t tinto last; ' sisters- who, howe'er their hearts find an- otter. Oaa never forget the pure kiss of a brother; iSrThe wives, who, if decked with love's glistening • ^ ^ctn, clow to the man who clings truly to them; Tlw mothers--what man was o'er favored with birth, unerase mother was not the best woman on earth ? -1 ' 21st sever a nation so miohty has been, . . . B i r t f o e m e n h a v e l o u n d i t , w i t h o u t a n d w i t h i n ; 3>t me mention some foes that are doing their ail To hnrry our land to inglorious fall; Xint steps oat the creature of Sham, covered o'er ' > With masks and with mantles full near half a WStfa » brhrlit solitaire on his bosom displayed, From Paris, the place where good diamonds are WRfe; A wig: curled to science his high head is topping; He% *8 oroiac repeater, repeatedly stopping. Sis wife grandly follows, arrayed, oa her part, With aO the resources of feminine art; •fiCer hair kas forgot its original red ; A kaapsack she bears at the back of her head; "WtmId hei* face I could paint, your approval to win with! , Bat tlf.en, she has done that herself, to begin with! teeth--« false eye--a false manner--too young-- garments--false jewels--false pride--a false tongue -- 3?*!(* all--Bare her falsity ; that iB too trne. ' 3*eed I, my dear hearers, have mentioned to yon, "That Che names of this couple, of dnplicate life, Are fiimplv sir Sham, and his sham of a -wife ? : I S»Kd 1 teii of the ravages they have been making? j, The eccsmon-sense laws they are constantly break- "The way that some people unceasingly trample Such truth as is in them, to take their example ? The question is not, with these folks, " What I am," Bat simply and constantly, " What can I sham?" : 2**, « 1 "What grace or goodness rests truly with jae?" «teV vVhat nnto others can I #?«m to be ?" "Siot, "How much may honestly fall to my lot?" Bot, " Hew much will people believe I have got?" Hot, " Am I. myself, taking the best Heawa gave me, and leaving God's mercy the rest? Acul arc I clow? following fhe geod and the true. . Jkud doing what 1 fain would bo seeming to do?" 5fot, •" Does the great God view my acts with a smile .' «MI fctie sweet approbation f bat, *' Am I Che style?" < •Ij&t n*. this Sir Sham, with Truth's sharp- pointed spear,* : >1*1 jtnow wbat we are, rather than how weap- • . pear; And if we see egiobs on the sun, let us know • Ttaat the sua has the spots, not the eyea that below Are«r<jrinir:fr his features, so daztling to view; Xet <n «onnu what is solid, and prove what is true; £ast oa know right, and be right, and do right, the best in na doih lie, and let God rim the rest. JSTB&NTIELY BETROTHED. It w Going »ut, Ellen, are yon ?" said my as he tightened the rein of his isfairdy hill-pony^ " Well, well, my I have to face the heat, too, and * shall envy you the shade of your favorite u treeH, befide the big tank. That Mala­ bar b*iadman I spoke of, who has just brongbt over a gang of fresh coolies from the mainland, has promised to meet me ' in, front of the joss-house in the Nal 'Ta&i-ee village, to see it' w ct.n come to " terixaL I shall be back be < n. tiffin time, I hope." And, wiiih a kindly nod nd smile, he xode off at a brisk trot; his i rsekeeper, T 4K barefooted Cingalese lad, ccgily keep- jin^ pace \fith the pony, an 1 running ^ awift and silent, like a brown shadow, ^ ibeHitie his master's stirrup. Times had "I'iihiij-igvuJ, and for the worse, since Mr. •y had been reckoned among the .-most thriving coffee-planters in Ceylon. • Our once-famous plantation, called Ttsfere after the family that had pos- .fsemed it for two generations, was not the eource of profit that, in my > gxAESidfather's time, it had been. The < xieh soil, worn out by over cropping and a^k*3t, no longer yielded its heavy har- • mmt- of red brown berries ; while to re- 'valaim fresh land from the jungle was bofi< toilsome and cosfly. The estate tgme- vis ilie means of maintenance, and » Mfcfcf© more. i ̂rwa an only child, and my father was % widower, s« that our actual necessi- ; rjiea, in that cheap and frugal country, 1--wmm easiiy provided for ; nor should I have bad a care in the world, save for die <&d, old story of love, the course of which hard circumstances would not scsflfer to run smooth. Our nearest v SMKjj^bor--and Christian neighbors, with • Caoes and Eoglisli-apaaking 1 tOQgaes, were scarce in Northern Ceylon --«« Mr. Forster, a planter, by far •weatthier than we were. Now ©swald Forwcer aad I were plighted lovers, but •fee very idea of an engagement between :bis odty eon and the daughter of his em- Iwmtsed neighbor was gall and worm- , wood to Oswald's father, a prouel, afe^og- willed man, who managed his j Unriving property so as to extract from . OyMJ beegab of arable land its utmost jiaJa pf fi Iver rupees. JE!ut«jj-oiis to efface from Oswald's mind tifrb iA«i «f marrying poor little Ellen Gravers, Mr. Forster, with bis wife's «mtmtr«a*e, proposed to send his son to .Europe, confident that foreign travel >3Ktd. ehange of scene would soon obliter- ' ofe f JWTJI his memory the image of the jbadr liltlo girl beside the great Tank of Miliary. And now a word concern- ? lag fee Tank itself, the name of which, I i feme, «K>siveys to European readers but a "Vurj iiuklequate conception of the stu- s' peodam rt^dity. The Tank of Minary, Justly reckoned among the marvels flw iskwd of Ceylon has still to ; 'tehew, ss perhaps the largest of the arti- Hidl laknfi ever planued by mortal en- gine<;r. More than two thousand yearn save passed since, before the Christian •eara, a Buddhist king bade his subjects ibail. to erect the massive walls of hewn fltocie and tough chunam, that environ £ha£ wast sheet' of water, twenty-five aailflaincircumferenoe. lay close to my own house, I Had been, from childhood, familiar; and I dearly loved the mirror like expanse of ite calm waters, studded with floating islands of the crimson-blossomed lotus of India, the red flowers and green leaves of which covered many thousand acres of the surface. Strange fish, of brilliant colors, glided in glittering shoals through the deep, clear water, rarely disturbed by prow or paddle; bright bird?, of every size, from the scarlet flamingo to the tiny oriole or the towering adjutant, haunted it; and all around grew in dense profusion the mighty trees and flowering creepers of the virgin forest, whence came at times the complaining qry of the mountain cat, the belling of the deer, the panther's snarl, or the crashing of the cane and sapling, as wild elephants forced their way through the trackless reoesses of the jungle. I am bound to admit that there were other tenants of lake and forest less at­ tractive than the brighfc-plumaged birds, and the pretty little lizards basking in the patches of yellow sunshine. Alliga­ tors were very common, snakes plenti­ ful, and the scorpion, the centipede and the tree-leech were often to be met with in the more swampy and tangled tracks of the woodland. But we, who were colonial-born, learn a disregard of the creeping things that surround us, which astonishes a new arrival from Europe, and I had never in my life known what it was to feel real fear of beast oi rep­ tile. I watched my father's retiring figure until it disappeared amid the feathery bamboos that lined the path, and then, turning my back on the white house with its groen verandahs, walked on, under the shadow of the great forest trees, till I reached the embankment of the Minary Tank. Half an-hour's walk­ ing brought me to within sight of a ruin­ ous summer-house, built on the edge of the lake by some former Dutch pro­ prietor, and yet surmounted by a large ball of gilded pith, perched on a pole. Near this summer-house it was my cus­ tom to meet Oswald. And it wouid be but very seldom that we were to meet, henceforth, since, poor fellow, he was to sail by the Lord Dalhousie, expected at Point de Galle on the 31st of the month. On my way I paused now and then, familiar as was the prospect, to gaze upon the wide expanse of the lake, the silvery waters of which rolled away so grandly that it was hard to conceive that what seemed almost entitled to take rank as an inland sea could be actually the work of human hands. Flocks of wild fowl, with white wings and shrill scream, hovered above the swarm of gorgeously- tinted fish that swam around the huge weed-beds, while here and there among the red lotus blossoms appeared what might have been easily mistaken for a floating log, but which I knew to be an alligator, drowsily basking in the glad sunshine. The heavy heat seemed to render ex­ ertion, even for the natives, difficult, for I saw no fisher, as usual, paddling his light canoe or preparing his tough nets, of oocoanut fiber; and the very Cinga­ lese woodcutters had deserted their work, leaving behind them a great heap of hewn timber, in front of which, im­ bedded in the spongy wood of a cypress, four or five short, bright axes remained sticking:. Some few paces from this heap was the ruinous summer-house, and beyond it there towered aloft the giant talipot tree, with its vast serrated leaves, that serve the Cingalese for sail and thatch and screen, beneath which Oswald and I were accustomed to meet. To mj surprise, and perhaps chagrin, I did rot at first see him for whom I looked, and began to fear that he had forgotten to keep his wonted tryst; but on drawing nearer, I beheld a sight that for the moment froze my very veins with horror, and caused the cry of anguish that rose to my lips to die away. Os­ wald, lying on the turf among the roots of the gigantic palm tree, seemed to be asleep, overcome, probably, by the un­ usual heat, while around him was loose­ ly coiled something that resembled a stout rope, curiously streaked with black, and orange, and white--some­ thing that caused the withered leaves and crisp grass to rustle, as it stirred, writhing. ^.1 had never seen a living tic palunga, but I knew at the first glance that the snake before my eyes was no other than a large specimen of that dreaded reptile, which in Ceylon takes the position that in Continental India belongs to the cobra, for the bite of which there is no known remedy. Twice within the last three years, laborers on my father's planta­ tion had been brought in, dying, from the venom of the tic palunga, but in each instance the skill of the native snake-charmers had led to the capture of the reptile, and it was not believed that any of tiiis species, rare as well as dan­ gerous, had been left alive in our imme­ diate neighborhood. This, however, was unquestionably a tic paluvga, many feet long, and it had wrapped its coils, as though in hideous sport, around Os­ wald's limbs as he lay there, uncon­ scious. The great fiat head of the enormous snake rested on the ground, among the flowers and fems. I could see its eyes, bright as jewels, fixed upon me. It showed for the moment, however, no particular sign of anger or of distrust, but contented itself with quietly contem­ plating the intruder upon its haunts. As I stood, gazing oa my sleeping lover and the monstrous creature that lay, wakeful but quiescent, so near to him, all the stories of snakes that I had ever heard or read came crowding in upon my quickened memory. I knew that the tio palunga, in common with most of the venomous varieties of its race, seldom employed its poison-fangs unless when attacked or aLnoyed; but I also knew that the hardiest elephant-hunter of the forests would sooner confront the charge of a herd of incensed tuskers, than face the lance-like dart and rancorous bite of this dread denizen of the jungle. The tic palunga, unlike the boa and the python, rarely, if fever, preys upon the larger animals, sucra as deer or cattle, confining its diet, for the most part, to birds, and frogs, and lizards. Some caprice, most likely, W caused it to twine a part of its surople convolutions around Oswald as he Jay, and, so long is he remained asleep i and motionless, there was little probability that the ser­ pent would harm himA My great fear was lest he shoul«J *- ",r>* "Vfl in awak- ing, by some hasty movement, arouse the ire of the resistless foe. Oswald was brave and strong, but it was a mockery to speak of strength or courage when so terrible an antagonist was in question. Suddenly, as if it had been a whisper from heaven, there came into mv mind a thought that promised hope, even in that dire extremity of need. I had often seen harmless snakes kept tame in colo­ nial households, and was aware of their habits, and of their love for certain kinds of food, and, above all, for milk. Could I but bring to that spot a supply of milk, and place it, before Oswald should awake, temptingly near to the tic palunga, all might yet be well. And yet to desert him--poor fellow--in such terrible com­ pany, seemed cruel; yet it was for his sake, and I felt that I must go. Very slowly, then, lest my footsteps should disturb the sleeper or irritate the huge reptile that kept watch beside him, I stole away, and, when at a safe di«fon<y», flew, rather than ran, along the forest path. The nearest European dwelling was Oswald's own home. There were Cin­ galese huts nearer, no doubt, where dwelt some of Mr. Forster's hired men, but I should not be able to procure what I sought, save from the planter's house. At another time I should not have will­ ingly trespassed on the domains of Os­ wald's father; but this was no occasion for scruple or punctilio. Life and death, as I knew, depended on my speed, There, at length, rose up Wore me the milk-thorn hedge, the im­ penetrable thorns of which are often useful in keeping out leopard amd jackal, which surrounded the planter's home­ stead, and, passing through an open gate, I entered the compound. The first servant that I met, and who lifted his hand to his snow-white turban with a polite "Salaam!" and a smile that showed the white teeth between his bearded lips, was a man whom I knew, a Mahratta groom, who had formerly been in my father's service, and whose child I had nursed through rfn attack of the Oeylon fever. " Lall Singh !" I gasped out, panting for breath, " do me a kindness for the sake of old bread and salt. Get me some fresh milk quickly, for the love of God, but ask no questions--bhai I" Something in my tone impressed the Mahratta, for without a word he hurried off and soon returned, bearing a jar of milk and a drinking vessel, or lota, which would contain something less than a pint, and which, at a sign from me, he filled with milk. This very act, slight as it may seem, was no small com­ pliment, for it was, doubtless, his own drinking-cup that Lall Singh was giving me, and should any lip not belonging to one of pure Hindu descent touch its burnished rim, it would hereafter be un­ fit for use. However, I Bcarcely waited to utter a word of thanks, but snatched up the brass lota and darted out. It may be thought singular that I had not given the alarm to the household at Mr. Fcrster's plantation ; but I bad resolved that I would not, if I could do my errand unquestioned, create a turmoil which might biing about the very evil against which I was striving. Oswald's mother and sisters loved him, but their nerves were not of the strongest, and their outcries, had they heard the news, would have had the effect of summoning a score of servants and coolies, and to seal Oswald's fate by sending a posse of volunteers to the place where he lay at the BDAke's mercy. As if on winged feet, yet carrying the precious draught of milk with jealous care I hurried back to the spot where, at the foot ef the huge talipot tree, lay Os­ wald, yet asleep. The snake? iiofcever, as though uneasy, was beginning to stir. Its monstrous head wagged slowly from side to side among the white wild flowers, and its slender tongue pro­ truded from between its grim jaws. But I was in time, and, as I poured the milk, or rather a portion of it, on the ground, so that a long trail should lead to tho spot where I set down the brass drinking-cup, with what of its contents remained, I was careful to avoid, by any abrupt gesture, inoensing the tic palunga. Then came a minute or two of ago­ nized expectancy, and then, to my great joy, I saw the reptile slowly uncoil him­ self, evidently making for the milk. First one wreath and then another of the snake's limber was untwined, and the great serpent, brushing through the forest grass and flowerets, stooped its broad head to drink. As I saw Oswald thus freed, and the unsuspected foe draw farther and farther away from the place where he reposed, I felt the strength which had hitherto supported me become weakness. My nerves being no longer braced by the sense of Os­ wald's mortal peril, the instinctive terror and disgust which I had from childhood felt for the serpent tribe overpowered me, and I grew giddy and weak, and could scarcely stand and scarcely see. What was this before my dim eyes ? The well-known porch of the Dutch colonist's summer-house, overgrown by trailing creepers, and all but choked by tall weeds. Mechanically I entered, and sinking down on a moldering wooden seat, once decked with silken cushions and gold leaf, I gradually regained the physical strength which had deserted me, and with it the capacity for thought. It is curious how. in such cases of ex­ treme exhaustion, the benumbed mind slowly resumes some train of abandoned thought, and thus it was with me* By degrees I remembered Oswald's danger, my own efforts to save him, and-- What was that rustling among the stems, and leaves, and buds of the luxu­ rious plants that festooned the shattered windows of the summer-house, in all the rank profusion of their tropical growth? Surely--surely not the rip- pling, undulating motion with which a huge snake drags himself through the brake and jungle grass! Yes; my fears were but too true, for there in the open window space--the broken trellis-work of which had been replaced by wild vices and dangling orchids--appeared, at a height of six or seven feet above the ground, the hideous head of the serpent that had lately menaced Oswald, and now confronted me. And then it flashed upon me that the deserted kiosk was probably the rep­ tile's actual home, and that, as though in the very irony of terror, I had ven­ tured to intrude into the lair of tho ter­ rible creature, from the sight of which I had--once that Oswald's safety seemed assured--reeled dizzily away. I had 1 often heard of the strange taste which snakes evince for an abandoned human dwelling, and how frequently they haumt the outbuildings of Europeans' abodes and the huts of the natives; and yet here had I rashly strayed into the lurk­ ing place of the deadly guardian of the Cevlon jungle. That the snake was perturbed there could be no doubt. It curved its grace­ ful neck like that *f a swan, and hissed slightly, while its broad jaws were part; ly opened. T fancied that I could see the curved poison-fangs--more to be dreaded than ever was Malay creese or Moorish dagger--while the jewel-bright eyes glistened ominously. One wild, piercing shriek I could not repress ; and then the futility ef resistance or of flight forced itself upon me, and I stood, motionless as a marble statue of em­ bodied fear, gazing at the emeraldine eyes, fixed with BO pitiless a stare on mine. The subtle, suffocating odor which large serpents exhale, when an­ gry, reached me; but already I gave myself up for lest, and waited passive till the tic palunga should make his fatal dart. The sibilant noise from the snake's half-shut jaws had grown louder, and the blight, baleful eyes more menacing, while the grim head towered high aloft, ready to strike--when, suddenly, some­ thing bright flashed through the flower­ ing vines of the creeping plant, and the snake's hideous head and lithe body dis- appeared, as if by magic. Then followed the sounds of a fierce struggle, repeated blows, trampling feet, and snapping boughs, and the accents of human voices ; and then Oswald came leaping through the doorway, clasped me in his arms, and bore me out into the broad light of day, where lay--writhing yet-- the carcase of the dead snake, hewn through by the sharp-cutting ax which Oswald still grasped in his right hand. " Shabash!" exclaimed Lall Singh, whose swarthy face gleamed with de­ light, as he spurned the body of the vanquished reptile. " It was well that first blow went home, or it would have fared but badly with the young sahib when this accursed slayer of men turned on him. Wah 1 I'd sooner have faced a tiger." To Lall Singh I was, indeed, in no slight degree indebted for my safety. Convinced, from the agitation of my manner, that something was wrong, he had followed me, and was in the act of arousing Oswald from his slumber, when the piercing shriek which fear had wrung from me re-echoed through the woods, and called attention to the immi­ nence of the peril. Then Oswald had snatched up one of the keen, short axes wliich the native wood-cutters had left sticking in a tree-trunk, and had been fortunate enough to disable the snake at the first blow. My story is now told, and I have only to add that I was overwhelmed with praises and caresses by the Forster fami­ ly--hitherto so cold--and that, on the following day, Mr. Forster himself rode over to my father's house tc entreat Mr. Travers, from whom he had of late been estranged, to accept his renewed friendship, and to ask for my hand on behalf of his son. Oswald lost his paps- age on board the homeward-bound steamer that was to touch at Point de Galle ; and when he did visit Europe he took with him Ellen Travers as his wife. We have long been happily settled-- far from tropic jungles and their dan­ gerous inhabitants--but never have either my husband or myself forgotten those few instants of bitter anguish and alarm beside the Tank of Minary. The Bonanza Kings ot California. Mr. James G. Flood, of the firm of Flood & O'Brien, is now on a visit to this city and the Centennial, after years of absence from here, his former resi­ dence and home. His partner, Mr. William O'Brien, has not yet arrived, but is expected during the month. Flood, O'Brien, Fair and Mackey are tho principal owners and trustees of the " Consolidated Virginia " and " Califor­ nia "mines, in the "Oomstock Lode," near Virginia City, Nev. These mines have yielded in gold and silver each over $3,000,000 per month for many months past, and arc believed to be the richest gold and silver mines in the world. The aggragate wealth of Flood, O'Brien, Fair ana Mackey is supposed to be $100,000, • 000. A few years ago each of these gentlemen were comparatively poor. Fortune has indeed showered her richest blessings upon them; and although each has become enormously wealthy, yet each has maintained " the even tenor of his way," putting on no aristocratic airs or "shoddy" habits, and the firm have the entire confidence of everybody on the Pacific ooast. Mackey is the miner, managing and working the mines; Fair is the financier and business manager in Virginia City and at the mines, and Flood & O'Brien are the business men and financiers, conducting their great opera­ tions at the Bank of Nevada (which the firm own), in San Francisco, probably the most substantial and elegant banking house in America.--New York Com­ mercial Advertiser, A New Explosive. A substitute for gunpowder has been invented in England, in the shape ef paper impregnated with a chemical com­ bination of chlorate of potash, nitrate of potash, prussiate of potash and chromate of potasn, coupled with a lit­ tle powdered charcoal and tinder. The paper is rolled around these latter in tiie desired sizes for cartridges, mo ad­ vantages offered are that no danger of explosion exists except from actual con­ tact with fire; the interior of tho arm is not soiled ; less smoke and less rebound are made than with gunpewder, and less damage takes place from humidity. Very satisfactory trials have been made of the new material. THE least pretentious and seemingly the least ambitious contestant in the premium examination in Borne this year was the recipient of the special gold medal, which has been taken by only one other student since the scholastio days of Cardinal Cullen. In order to get this prize a student must hold the first place in each of five classes. Each class numbers several hundred, all of whom have passed severe initiatory ex­ aminations. A young man from the mountains of Kerry, who up to his tenth year had only spoken his vernacular Irish, was the recipient of this most in­ frequent lienor. FILL TRADE IN BRY 600DS. The Outlook ot the Coming Season for the Men who Handle the Mannfactured Fabrics of the World--Cheaper Prices and Better Prospects. [From the New York 8tm.] Only a vague impression of the actual state of the dry goods market can be gained by conversations with our lead­ ing wholesale dry goods men this fall. Most of them seem to be feverishly over­ anxious to give a favorable report. Some of them asser{, in a tone that im­ plies the expectancy of contradiction, that 44the market is healthy;" "we have had a fine opening of trade " we have sold more goods this fall th»n any s e a s o n f o r t h r e e y e a r s p a s t o r , " w e think that we reached bottom last spring, and now trade has begun to take an up­ ward tendency that we believe will be lasting." As a set-off to the sanguine men, the bulls of. the dry goods trade, there are many sound, old importers and large dealers in home manufactured dry goods, men who have been known in the mercantile world of New York for years as "safe men," who will not hazard an opinion, or make any particular or gen­ eral statement as to the conditions of the market, Those who converse at all agree, however, on one point, "dry goods are much cheaper." To come down to particular lines of goods. In heavy woolens for men s wear the market i# improving. There was some room for this, as every line of these goods has been very low. In June the market was lower than it has ever been before in New York. The large auction sales which took place in June and since have had a tendency to fix prices. The goods sold at those auc­ tions commanded fair rates, and the bids were active. Among the buyers there was a spirit of competition to get the goods at the prices at which they were sold. The sacrifice was not so great as the holders anticipated before the sales took place; consequently the market has been healthier since, in every sense of the word. The bulk of the importations this fall has been in broken checks and plaids, mixtures, and narrow hair lines. In fancy cassimeres there has been a judicious importation in both low and high-priced goods. The market is steady, the demand fair. Dress goods for ladies' wear, both all wool and silk and wool, though reduced in price, are in steady demand. For black cashmeres of medium quality the demand is enormous, and, in fact, al­ most unlimited. This is a certain evi­ dence of the disposition to economize among all classes. Fine black mohairs and brilliantines sell.in moderate quan­ tities, but for the lower grades of al­ pacas there is little or no demand, tie cashmeretf having almost taken their place. The importations and home pro­ ductions of fine dress fabrics have not been in excess. The stocks have been comparatively light, and for the finest goods there has been a demand quite equal to the supply up to date. Tha average prices of dry goods, ho­ sieries and gloves, disposed of b^ per­ emptory auction sales in large lots dur­ ing the past week, were below the ordi­ nary rates. Extra fine wool overcoatings were knocked off at $3.12}, $3.20 and $3.70 a yard. Newest styles of West of England suitings brought $3.50, while others of the same quality but older pattern fell to $3, $2.55 and $2.05 a yard. Tho highest price reached was for a small lot of fancy worsted cassi­ meres, sold without allowance for manu­ facturers' imperfections, at $3.95 and $4.00 a yard. Superior gros grain silks went fer $1.35, $1.65 and $1.90 a yard. Lyons, all silk, faille, 60 cents a yard. Crefeld black velvets, heavy, at $1.25, $1.32, $2.12} and $2.37f, and long black ostrich plumes, single, at $2.12} and $2.37} apiece. At one sale a catalogue of 288 lots of kid gloves in a variety of shades and colors went off at from $2.87} per dozen to $9.00 per dozen. At anoth­ er sale a fine lot of gros grain silks found ready sale at prices varying from $1.47} to $1.80 a yard. In ready-made-suit departments there is a limited degree of activity. Prices are low. Many handsome long beaver cloth paletots are sold from $13.00 to $20.00 a piece, and these, too, trimmed w^feh black cony fur. Economy and caution are the order of the day every­ where. Yet the sanguine dry goods men assert that the market is firm, active and steady. The Returning Tide. If the United States takes from us the largest number of emigrants, they also give back to us the most considerable immigration. In the last three years nearly a quarter of a million of persons li ave come baok to this country from the States. The commercial crisis and depression of business in .the United States may have had much to do with this observed result, which it would be rash to con­ sider as other than a temporary modi­ fication of the main tendencies of pop­ ulation changes ; but it justifies the ob­ servation that either the number of emi­ grants who have gone to the United States for permanent settlement has diminished recently, or " their plaoe has been taken by emigrants of am older date or native-born Americans coming to this country." It is significant enough that last yea^the inward current almost precisely eqflBtied the outward in volume. More Wm 81,000 persons left our snores for the United States, and more than 80,000 returitod from the United States to the Bxitll% lal^a. London Times. Indian Summer. This halcyon period of our autumn will always in some way be as^xnffited with the Indian. It is red and yellow and dusky like him. The smoke of his camp-fire seems again in the air. The memory of him pervades the woods. His plumes and moccasins and blanket of skins form just the costume the sea­ son demands. It was doubtless his chosen period. The gods smiled upon him then if ^yer. The time of the chase, the season of the buck and the doe, and of the ripening of all forest fruits ; the time when all men are incipient hunters, when the first frosts have given pu*r gency to the air, when to be abroad oh the hills or in the woods is a delight that both old and young feel--if the red abo­ rigine ever had his summer of fullness and contentment, it must have been at this season, and it fitly bears his name. --John Burroughs, in Soribner for October. THE NIGHT-WIND. , BT THOMAS BAILY ALDBtOS. - iWalonely inn among the xrines ^'1 «t alone In the flre-ligBt^Wlow in the backlog's mines, V ; And hearing the night-wind come mdjge And now it threatens, an<\ now it grievedL ' i0e liDtol. or slasas a blind: , / prowlH' suMen, about the eaves ,2M This protean, bitter autumn wind. ' Fiercely it Bweeps on the rmw • As a vulture drops upon its prey' ** * !£ And now in the throat of the sSity fine Z hear it howl, like a beast at bay. it flies shrieking across the downs. , ind now, like a ghost, it wnlopers me < Of people starving to death iu town* . #nd of wreckR a 1ij • m- j, Pith and Point. A --Your wisdom tooth. PERSONS of extended views-^-Panora- ma painters. IN classic Italy they don't speak of " square meals "--they call them " seri­ ous repasts." A BECENT marriage notice ends wAh the singular expression, probably added by a waggish friend: "May their future troubles be little ones." A VERMONT youth at his mother's funeral said to the neighbors: "Me and my father are obliged to you «.Ht and hope soon to be able to do as much for you." ' " WHAT time is it," asked one passen­ ger of another in a Detroit depot the other day. "Ten minutes to wait," was the answer, as the man looked up at the time-table. A nriTLE 5 year-old, ot Dorchester, somewhat surprised his mother a few days since with the remark : " God is everywhere, he is all over me, send when you spank me you spank God I" IT is estimated that the famous Brazil­ ian diamond wedding will be totally eclipsed on the oconsion of the coming nuptials of a Philadelphia hackman and a St. Louis ioe-dealer's daughter. " GOOD for the crops," said a Salem man, looking out ef the car window into tho rain. "Yes," answered a Cape Anner, "our granite never looked more promising than it does thin morning." SUPPOSE. Suppose a tree's long-reaching arm t Should'gainst a window dash, In one of nature's breezy whims, And knock it all to smash; Amid the clatter and dismay, 1 i What, think you, would the fragments saT f • Angels and ministers of grace defend ost O, not at all. They'd cry tree-mendr-u* 1 • " ALPHONSO, dear, what is the differ­ ence between our Thanksgiving and those revolted Turkish provinces ?" " Really, Clementina, I can't say. What is it V " Why, you see, here we have turkey in Christians; there they have Christians, in Turkey." j " WHY," asked a pensive-looking! stranger, contemplating the ®ivision-| street improvement, of a brisk young! Burlington man, "why do they changel the grade?" "Because," replied t£ie| brisk y. m. of B., 44 the Council agradel to the change."--Burlington Hawk-Eye.^ Two FRBNOH ladies were looking aP the pictures in the Paris Salon. *' So I hear," said one, " a celebrated painter has finished a picture for you." "YSas, he has graciously consented to paint the portrait of my husband for my drawing- room," " Indeed!" said tho first speaker. 44 Well, for a room like'that 1 think I should have chosen a gayer sub­ ject" A iiABOBEtt of Hibernian extraction as not long since lamenting the hard mes, and drawing for a contrast a right picture of his home in the old ountry. 44Ah,"said he finally, "avl was only baok agin in me father's pal- lis." A jolly feilow-workman squinted his eye and replied: 44 Shure, an' av \e were there ye moight sthan' on the groun' an' reach yer han' down the chimUey an' open the door av it." 44 WHAT is my bill ?" anxiously asked a man who had stayed over night at & Philadelphia hotel lately. 44 Your bill ?" was the calm reply ; 4 4 how much money have you along?" 44Twenty-nine dol­ lars," gasped the innocent and retiring guest. 44 Well, that's it--that's your bill," remarked the considerate proprie­ tor. And as the Centennial visitor started out on foot for his home in Indi­ ana, he muttered thoughtfully to him­ self : 44 So this is the way that 4 tramps' are made." HAVING plenty of apples Mid pears, but having no dog, a resident of Cass avenue stuffed au old suit of clothes and stood the effigy up in his back yard to scare the wicked boys away. The plan seemed to be perfection for a while, but yesterday morning the " man" was dis­ covered suspended to the limb of a tree by a rope tied to his heels. The coat tails were cut off, the mouth filled with weeds, and the eyes and ears with mud, and the following note was pinned to the body : 44 This 'ere feller has got the kolic afful bad." The big bell pears and the rosy red apples had been thinned out until it looked like an off-year for crops, and the boys were far away.-- Free Press. • Thad Stevens as a Lawyer. A correspondent of the Baltimore Gazette, writing from Lancaster, Penn., relates the following anecdote of Thad- deus Stevens : 44 Many years ago, when Thaddeus Stevens was practicing law in Lancaster, he WM employed to defend two bank officers who had been indioted for conspiracy, they having used the funds of the bank in speculation. All the legal talent of Philadelphia and sur­ rounding ceunties had been engaged to assist in the prosecution. When the trial was opened Mr. Stevens rose, and, addressing the oourts said : 4 If it please Your Honors, presuming there are differ­ ent degrees of guilt attached to the pris­ oners, my clients, I move they be tried separately/ The Judge consulted for a lew moments with his associates, who consenting, the motion was granted and so recorded. Waiting some time for Mr. Stttghns to go on, the Judge at last becomflKpPPatient, said impetuously : 1 Proceed!^!^, Stevens, proceed. We are wailing fbf you, sir.' Stevens rose deliberately, and looking around the court-room for a moment, said : 4 Did Your Honors evffcjwtt of one man being tried for conspfptijyf' Then waving his hand to his cl go home ; you did go home. and the court adjot piece of legal stratef Thad Stevens re­ ceived $5,000."

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