McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 17 Apr 1878, p. 3

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rJh l. YAK ftUitE, mm* %&****' A ILLINOIS AfHENRY, =• VPs parted one eve at the garden gate . When the dew was on the heather. And I promised my love to come back to bar • < Ere toe pleaaan^autumn weather-- " " *31 That we twain might wed When the l«yuaw<vre wwi- ̂ m, TT^nr' • ->»« L ~ «She 9im«V«aJrom £* 1afaM>rown hklr, THN4FF4IHIEVOL4 ' , be nfcfojftaM WCii"*'? ** ̂ As clear and blue -- -- -- Aa her eyes were true-- Sweet eyes, so bright and merry! * • The wealth of my love ia all I have To give yon," she said, in turning: The gold that w* ̂ ' " fit yonder blue1 And 1 took the trust As a mortal must ^fh<»e wml fe>r lore is yearning, v • IFkte kept usapart for away yew, •Ana tne Dine se» rolled between qs, " * Though I kissed each day the njft-bfown trow. And made fresh vows to Venus-- Till I sought my bride. And Fate defied. That had failed £rom love to wesu war - - ~- In the pleasant autumn weather; M And the gold that wean •.Now soothfcUft* cares, Xp «re W&TfoVe together. " --Philadelphia THntt. «»* "fi •5 , ̂ TBE BEAD ALIVE. to , .. 'HM nUnlsht Visit l« a Family Vault --Tine Body>SAatcher'( Recret. MIUNDREDS of stories are related of tltt horrible deeds of tlie body-snatch­ er; but among tliem all none is more more remarkable and soul-harrowing tliim the one just about to be nar­ rated. The facts were given to the writer recently, and it is believed that th^y ($ye published for the first thk ^(ftrtoof Kilinare, in the northN •of Ireland, reside many families of dis- tibction. The head of one of these was a Mr. l^eLL, a young gentleman of twenty-five. He inherited a large es­ tate from his uncle, and soon afterward removed ffom Ms former abode to take possession of the family mansion in Kilsiare. He married the only child of a wealthy East India Merchant re­ siding in Liverpool, by whom he had two ojhi|di:en. the fourth year of thelf"weeded life' Mrs. Bell was taken suddenly HI, and expired the next day, The svmotoms .were of a peculiar na- ttflfe, smtf the limbs so increased in size immediately after death that a magnifi­ cent diamond ring of great value could n<t tofreiiG^ed <f rem the lady's finger, . airfStjp.s ®i*ied vfith her. Of course, tms fabt was-well known to the inhab­ itants of Kilmare, as Mrs. Bell was the wife of the most considerable man thereabout, and naturally, therefore, all concerning her was matter of con­ versation ana rumor. The old churchyard of Kilmare stood on the ,'fl4f erf a hill, and immediate­ ly in theteajppf the church and ad- . joining w oimleel was the tomb ol the Bell family. Here, in accordance with immemorial usage, the body of the de­ ceased lady was to repose, and there it was deposited on the third day after her demise. After the ceremony the key of the vault was put in its usual place by the sexton in the vestry of the church. The day had been gloomy, and as night drew on a thin rain tell, which increased at about midnight to a smart shower. Mr. Bell* who was about re­ tiring, went to an open window, and as he did so fancied he saw » white figure cnMBra^lte law in front of the houses ITOrnlxt tiib'tfs'ent it disappeared, and, satisfying himself that he was the sub­ ject of a delusion, he commenced to un­ dress. Suddenly the clear tones of the door-bell rang through the building. Mr. Bell paused, and moved toward the door of the apartment to listen. In a few seconds the sound again reverber- the hoiwa, and Mr. Bell of)ei%Hh#llooT «n4 stepped out into the corridor. At that moment, as he flanced down the stairway, he saw the ogsciarepgr •m-oring' toward the front door. Then he heard her set the small lamp shf earrifdon the table, and open the of the massive door. Then a Hft||vfl tend 'prolonged shriek followed} (aid |t the same moment Mr. Bell'sfwwHiMwi^longtlt© hall toward the front door. Mr. Bell had reached the head of the stairs, and was in the .act of descending when the butler reached the spot wnere the housekeep­ er lay on the floor apparently in a imbfiii Wipf iirir 1>f" ""T" surprise &ise his hands» fi* bis gaze upon UlP door, and then sink to ttarfiporfis pough struck dead. „ Twellf bawildered and confounded. Mr. Befy hastened down stairs. The sttif that met his gmta when he reached tM the hall almost froze his blood. There stood the figure of his wife in her grave clothes, leaning against the pillar Of the door, with one hand thrown across her breast. For a moment Mr. Bell was almost overcome. Tfen he remembered the white figure w*^i |e paw crossing the lawn a few seconds before the bell rang, and an- • other glance showed him that the gar­ ments of the fij£i(r§ bpfore hipi w$re dripping with rain. "Julia, my darling, my Wife!" Mr. Bell exclaimed, and stepped toward the figure. * It made a ujofenient toward him, anc^ the next instant it was enfolded in his arms. The scene that ensued baffles all de- It was indeed the wife, but tfeaBaaJl Buried, who was restored to the atms of the bereaved husband and children. The explanation which she •offered wasTerr imperfect and unsatis­ factory. For a short time after her supposed death she was aware of all liurt went on around her, but before site was placed in the coffin she lost all consciousness. She said that the first [munition of consciousness she had was o£e of pain. Then she saw an indis­ tinct glimmer and finally a severe pang shot through her frame. With a pow­ erful effort she rose and saw a woman standing by her side. The woman shrieked and fled, and then Mrs. Bell discoveredthat she was tying in a coffin in the family vault. »4Tresh strength came to her every -- lent, And, ^releasing herself from the shroud, she stepped to the ground and passed out of the vault, the door of Which was wide open* |)own the churchyard path she passed t© the main Street, along which she walked for half a mile, until she reached her late home. Fortunately the large gate to the park was unfastened, and she hastened up the roadway to the dwelling. The rest the reader knows. She., rapidly re­ gained her health, €n<$ lived to a g*|od old age. But who was the woman who stood by the Side of the coffin when the corpse suddenly arose and startled Her into Ridden flight? , Next day the lamp was found extin- fipgulaiicd oa the of tfee Vmili. II Was identified a& which usrhaily stood in the vestry, and was used by the sexton. It had doubtless been re­ moved at the same time when the key of the vault was taken. Beyond that W Was mystery,. > fs I " The object of the woman, however, was easily discovered. As already stated, Mrs. Bell was buried with a Valuable diamond ring on her finger. The design of the woman was to steal this from the supposed corpse. Find­ ing it impossible to remove it, the dar- 4«g> thief had raised the hand of the dead woman to her mouth, and in her attempt to withdraw the ring with her teeth, caused the pang Which went through the frairie of the evident vic­ tim of a trance, and aroused her to consciousness. On the finger, just be­ low the ring, marks of teeth w:ere dis­ tinctly visible tor several days after Mrs. Bell's resuscitation. Every effort was made to keep this Temarkable circumstance a secret from the gossip of the neighborhood, never­ theless every exertion was used quietly to ascertain who the robber of the tomb was. The general impression was that the garb of a female was assumed as a disguise, and that the depredator was in reality a man, and prqhably a pro­ fessional body-snat<jher. It was thought that the remarkable circumstances attending Mrs. Bell's supposed death had aroused the desire of some medical expert to possess the body for the purpose of an autopsy, that he had employed a person to steal it, and that the body-sttatcher, discov­ ering the valuable jewel, had resolved to gain possession of it for himself. Soon after this extraordinary occur­ rence the Vicar of the parish resigned his living and removed his family to England. Several years passed away, and the incidents herein recorded were almost forgotten. Mrs. Bell's father died, and Mr. Bell and his family quit­ ted Kilmare and took up their residence at Toxteth, near Liverpool. .*• • TJTFE SEQUEL. -- - Durfiag fiie Chartist riAts, ii 1840, Jauies Binns wis arrested for njurder and lodged in Lancaster Jail. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to be handed. ( Before the last sentence of the law was executed he made a confes­ sion of many crimes, and among the rest of his exploits as a professional body-snatcher, in which business he been engaged for many yegrss,' The following factil are taken from his con­ fession* In July, 1820, he was living in Bel­ fast, having fled from England to es­ cape punishment for his offenses. He had done several small jobs in Belfast for the doctors, and on the night of July 20, in the year named, a well- known physician of Belfast sent for him, and told him that he had a very delicate piece of work for him to per­ form. A Mrs. Bell, a lady of great beauty, and the wife of a rich proprie­ tor, had just died of a very peculiar disease, and the doctor and his associ­ ates desired, the body to-investigate the cause of death* The aoptor paid him so much money down, anil dispatched him to Kilmare with such instructions as were necessary. He was to secure the corpse, and a coach would be ready at the church-yard gate, in which there would be two assistants, who would be ready to assist him at a given signal. He went to,Kilmare ©a the day of the funeral, at which he was present. He examined the lock on the door of the vault, and was satisfied that he could easily remove it. At ̂ nidr'ght he went to the chureh-yard, armed with a wrench, a pair of ^shears and a pick­ lock. First satisfying himself that the coach was in waiting, he entered the grave-yard and proceeded to the vault. The night was datk. «»d mm was falling. Creeping up by the side of the church, he approached the tomb of the Bell family. To his surprise he saw that the door was open, and a faint light burning in inside. Stealth­ ily drawing near, he glanced in. i He saw the coffin lying along the marble slab, and in front of it a woman was standing. A second glance showed hiai that the wopian was at work try­ ing to remove a ring from the finger of the dead. . A i sudden thought struck him, and slouching down he reached in at the door, and with his shears, which he had brought to rid the corpse of its cumbersome shroud, he cut pi** from the skirt of the woman's dress and retired unobserved. As he re­ mained for an instant peering into the strange scene, to his horror and aston­ ishment, he saw the corpse arwe and raise the hand which the woman was apparently in the act of putting to her mouth. The woman gave a shriek, rushed through the door, and fled, leav­ ing the lamp Durning or the floor. The body-snatcher guessed at once the woman's design, and, impressed with the conviction that she was a per­ son above the ordinary rank, he re­ solved to follow and see where she went to. He had no difficulty in track­ ing the rapidly retreating figure. It passed out of the church-yard at . a small wicket on the north side of the church, and entered the parsonage. Satisfied that lie possessed an impor­ tant secret, out of which he could make money, he returned to the vault. The light was gtill burning, and he sig­ naled the men in waiting. They were soon on the spot, but on entering the vault they discovered, to their utter amazement, that the coffin was empty. The body-snatcher kept his secret, and the mysterious disappearance of the body was a matter of unmixed sur­ prise. Extinguishing the lamp, the men quit the churcn-yard, the body- snatcher returned to his quarters at a small inn, and the assistants going back to Belfast in the carriage. The next morning the news of Mrs. Bell's restoration to life was abroad in the town. The body-snatcher lingered in the neighborhood until he ascertained that the clergyman had quitted home for a friend's house. Then he called at the parsonage and asked for the lady of the house. It was with some diffi­ culty that he obtained an interview, as the domestics informed him that the lady was. indisposed and confined to her room- , '• My business," life said, " is of very great importance, and it is absolutely necessary that I should see her." After the lapse of half an hour, a mid­ dle-aged. handsome, stately lady en­ tered the parlor, and, with con­ siderable dignity at her visitor, said: "What is your business with me, sir?" ** Let me shut the door, ma'am," he 8aid» and, quickly stepping behind the lady, closed the door. 441 think we have met before, ma'am/1 he said, in a firm but respectful tone. •rS!r!" the lady exclaimed, in offend­ ed accents, " { ttfn sure we have met before, ma'Mb,1' Ihe fian said. N "Tou are mistaken, sir," th$ lady replied, 44 utterly mistaken, sir; you will oblige me by quitting the house immediately." ' ^ . 44 You forgot last night, ma'am, in the vault," the man said, in a lowtone. The cheek of the lady evidently blanched, and she gave a gasp for breath, Instantly recovering herself, she said: 1 441 don't understand you, sir. r You are laboring under a mistake." " Well, fmay be," the man replied; 44 that's a fact; but my impression was that I saw you last night.in the vault when yon were trying to remove the ring from the finger of what ybu sup­ posed to be a corpse." The lady had sunk into a chair, and was deadly pale. By a powerful effort she overcame her momentary weakness, and said in strong tones: 441 don't know, sir, what you speak of. You are either laboring under a mistake or you are a lunatic." " D o you happen to havQ a dress like this, ina*ktn ?" the man asked, drawing from his pocket the piece which he had cut from the dress of the occupant of the vault the night before. The lady's lips grew white and dry. She tried to speak, but her tongue clove to the roof of her mouth, and utterance was impossible. 441 am reasonable, madam," the man said:, "I know your secret, but I will keep'it if you will make it worth my while.'* * 44 How much do you require?" the lady asked, acquiring the power of speech by a great effort. 44 Twenty pounds down will satisfy me for the present," the man said, 44 and more at another time when I need it." The money was paid, and within a month the man returned and demanded more. The lady evidently revealed the story of her disgrace ana crime to her husband, for he paid the money, and soon after resigned his living and re­ tired to England. This part of the condemned man's confession was made known to Mr. Bell. All1 the parties to this strange transaction are not yet dead, and hence the names used here are fictitious. The writer's informant, however, vouched for the truth of the story, and there is no reason to doubt his veracity.--Chi­ cago Inter-Ocean. r J» ; T T ; • > Women in ihe London Telegraph" J ; ;•'< ' J : Office. t ,• I ' IGHT HUNDRED voung women at work, all in one room, alllonking com­ fortable, me>8t of them looking pretty, earning fair wages at easy work--work fit for women to do; work at which they can sit and rest, and not be weary, with a kitchen at hand and a hot din­ ner in the middle of the day, with leave of absence without stoppage of pay every year, with a doctor for sickness and a pension for old age--for the young women as years roll on will be­ come old--with only eight hours of work, never befora eight o'clock in the morning and never after eight at night, with female Superintendents, and the chance of rising to be a Superintendent open to each girl- This is a Govern­ ment office, under Government surveil­ lance, and all this has sprung into ex­ istence during the last eight years. The General Postoffice is in St. Martin's-le- Grand, near St. Paul's, and there are now two great Postoflices at the same place, facing each other, the elder one having been found altogether insuffi­ cient fertile purpose required, although when it was opened, about forty-five years ago, it was supposed to be al>- surdly large for any possible require­ ments which the country could have for such a building. Those who pass from Cheapside into Newgate street, after the lamps have been lighted, may ob­ serve, on looking up. that the whole top floor of this new building is illumi­ nated. It is here that the 800 young women are at work, and their business consists in the receipt and dispatch of telegraph messages. After discover­ ing that at least £00 women can keep a secret (secrecy is essential there) Mr. Trollope asked: How many dismiss­ als did you have during last yearP For 1 had known mueh of the Civil Service myself, and had been aware that, in dealing with large bodies of men, the exercisers of discipline must have re­ course to that fast means of declaring that obedience and order are indispen­ sable." 44 Dismissed?" said my friend. 44 Yes, we have had a dismissal. Miss was dismissed. But it seems to me a long time ago. I'11 get the books." The books were produced, and it ap- Eeared that the unfortunate one named ad been sent away at some time in 1873. From a body of public servants as large as a regiment, there h^d been no dismissals in four years.--Anthony Trollope, in Otood Words. Youth's Department. i tU?QSTO& .fJ?n ,r TVAS the first day of April. Isalafemy wtak, a Bo faraiiqiu}.--far school WAS not out-- At my wttmg-room door there came a low knock, I (use to see what 'twas about. . - TP. • A ran email child asked with pitiftfl voio£ * Have you any cold wittles to spare?" t u Her cloak inside out, and a tiny oldveil * * 13 Hid Her tace---though 1 knew it waa fair.n roiji * 44*Ti«ione of my principles nrvpr to rive **• T9 bejrtraiM who come to mv door, , , I said, quite severely • But tell where you live And your name. Have 1 seen you before• " Fffl»yery pear woman--we live in a home i And 1 ve seTen^small children who cry Every minute I'm gone! P.aagive iue ******* bread, n V l Or they ll starve all to pieces and die!" s "S?*no.' away ! I have nothing to spun; * There a a law against beggran. you know; And don t come again! Toe policeman is a44rt He paseed but a minute ago." Mam A i nt you 'shamed ? How yoq feie To poor folks, I'm sure I don't seel If!I was a really beggar-bow sad I Did guess all tne time it was mef" , .< , --ley Aflisoru, in 1'oath's CompaidpH,,,, --About the time barometers became so cheap as to indtice agriculturists to purchase them a Scotch farmer having been persuaded to become the posses­ sor of the instrument, on one occasion, in spite of a rising barometer, it con­ tinued raining. The farmer, losing all patience, carried the instrument to the door, held it up toward the sky, and exclaimed: " In the name o' guidness, will ye no believe your ain een?" CHARLEY'S ICE*FL(KE. THE " river," as the children called it, had been frozen over. It was not much more than an overgrown brook, and usually stupid and slow-going, as overgrown creatures are apt to be. But a warm spell had 'come on, and brought with it a two day's rain; and in the night the river had grown restless and unruly, and had thrown off the ice that had been keeping it under, carrying most of it away to the sea, but leaving some of it in large cakes upon either bank. And there it was when., the children f'otupin the morning, mnd with its iberty and tearing down toward the sound as if fearful lest it might be caught and again imprisoned. What a shout Charley raised" as he drew aside the shade and peeped out! That was always the first thing he did in the morning; no one could imagine why, for not a half dozsen times in his life had he discovered anything re­ markable. There was always the same meadow, the same creek', the same rail- track winding along beyond, and in the distance the little stone church. Hattie said she could see it quite as well in bed with her eyes shut, as to get up and stand shivering on one foot look­ ing at it. But on this particular morning Char­ ley was able to make an annonncement that put an end to all napping on the part of the little girls. *• Goodness me, ain't the river raised, though! ijook on the banks, too! 4Six months on an ice-floe!' What a chance for a fellow!" Hattie bundled out of bed and rushed to the window, and little Sue followed, straining her eyes in vain to discover, up stream or down, any signs of the wonderful party of voyagers she had so often heard her brother tell about. Charley had been much interested in Capt. Tyson's account of that journey on which the explorers' most dreaded enemy had furnished them a safe con­ veyance, without engine, mast or rud- ,der, for so many months and miles; and he had often longed for a chance to know by experience the sensation of floating on an ice-raft. Here, he thought, was the opportunity. But he would bo prudent and say nothing about it for the present, at least. Mam­ ma was "dreadful 'fraid," he com- Slained to himself. She never was a oy, and somehow he couldn't convince her that boys could be trusted to take care of themselves. " I'll go out and look around," he ' thought. "The river looks pretty lively from here. If it doesn't run verv swift, and I think she won't object, I'll ask her; but if 1. think she will, why. Til go it on the sly." Charley was dressed and out to re- connoiter in no*time, and the little girls weie not >much behind him; but they were shortly recalled by their mamma, whom they found in street dress and with bonnet and cloak at hand. " Hurry in* children, I've decided to So into town, and we must make aste with breakfast. I trust they will keep out of danger to-day," sddedMrs. Rae to her husband. "There's no skating now*, so I shall not worry about Charley." Charley's face was so red about this time that his mother noticed it and thought he was feverish; and when he asked to be excused she began to be anxious, and looked at his tongue and his throat, and half doubted whether she had better go. But there really seemed no cause for alarm, and again expressing her relief that the skating was over, Mrs. Rae put on her hat and cloak. As for the creek, it never once entered her mind to consider that as an agent for danger or mischief any more than she would one of the little black turtles that had their home -somewhere between its banks. " Now Nor*ah," said sho to the good- natured girl, "try and keep an eye on Sue till Mr. Rae comes back. She can play out-doors; I don't see anything that she can get into, Mid I shall be home to dinner." The little ones were kissed and the wagon drove off. Norah sat down to her breakfast and^n a chat with Mike thought no more of the children, who, after a few minutes, ran into the meadow where they could see Charley and Will Cummins, the boy next door, pushing small ice-cakes off into the river. Charley seemed to be coaxing Will into something to which he objected, but as his sisters came up he stopped; and all Hattie heard, though her ears were wide open as usual, was, " Keep dark!" " What is it?" asked she; " what are you going to do?" "Nothing," said Charlev; "just you look up there on St. Helena and see what a pile she's caught." St. Helena was a tiny island. Mrs. Rae was an object teacher, and the children had taken a good many geo­ graphy lessons on the banks of the creek. The shores leaked as if they had been cut out by " a big jiggering iron," Hattie said; and nearly every irregularity was dignified as cape or bay, isthmus or harbor. It did not matter in the least that Baffin's Bay was in close neighborhood to Florida, or that West Point with its brick fort, which had fortunately es­ caped destruction, was just opposite Cape Horn. Even little Sue' could de­ fine all the " natural divisions of land," as the geography savs. Charley nad hoped to get rid of- the girls after a time; but, as is generally the case, they wouldn't be got rid of. As the morning passed by Sue became hungry and went in to Norah for a doughnut, but Hattie suspected that some project was on foot, and remained on the field. The sun shone very warm, and Charley could see that the ice was melting: if he waited to tire Hattie out ii might be too late. So as a stroke of policy he took her into part­ nership, thereby cutting off the possi­ bility of her running to tell. > • " Let's have an ice-floe, HattieJ* "Real, do you mean, to get ohj" "Yes, of course." ' ; " Oh, I'd be afraid." "Pooh! didn't those folks go hun­ dreds of miles on one?" "Yes, but it was bigger than any of these," " So Is the ocean bigger than the river; it Wasn't any bigger for the $ee»n." " How far would we go P"' " Oh, we could stop most I'd take that pole there and push in to land any time." " It runs too fast, don't it?'* u No, not for a long pieoe-.4 We'll do It; will you go, Will?" ' > : i No. Will was too cautious; he would rather stay on land. "We'll have to take Sue," said Hattie, and Charley saw the need of that immediately. Sue always had the last bit of news she had heard or the last sight she had seen right on the end of her tongue, and no matter what the consequence was, it always would slip right off on the first occasion. That fact decided Hattie that she herself had better go to the house for Arethusa, Sue's baby, whom she insisted should be added to the party. It proved quite a difficult matter to find a suitable cake of ice in a place where it could be launched. But at last the boys selected one on the banks of the " Bay of Biscay" as the best fitted to their purpose; and after much prying and pushing it was put in position just in the edge of the water on the sloping bank, where it was thought the girls had better get on. "What do you want of those things?" asked Charley, as Hattie came forward to embark with a door-mat and an im­ mense old muff of her grandmother's. The old muff had seen considerable of the world since the day when grand­ mother went to the city with a purse full of Mexican dollars to buy it, and rode home again, forty miles in a sleigh, half hidden behind it. But the muff and the money and the style of trav­ eling had all gone out of fashion long since, and now it did duty as a foot- warmer when the girls went sleighing, and served as a drum-major's hat when Charley's home guard paraded. On this occasion it was the only thing to­ ward an Arctic outfit that Hattie in her haste could find. The door-mat she spread upon the iee for a cushion, and she and Sue seated themselves upon it. "Aren't you coming?" she asked as Charley made no move to step on. "Who'd push you off? Will and I will float you and tnen I will get on at • Cape Cod' there before you get out into the stream. Now hold on to Sue in case she gets scart if it tips a little." It did "tip a little;" not much in­ deed, but sullieiently to soak the cush­ ion and the children's dresses pretty thoroughly. Sue screamed and nearly threw Arethusa overboard, and Hattie, in her effort to keep herself and her little sister on their seat, forgot her furs, and grandma's muff unnoticed slipped into the water and was not seen again till it was picked out of the brush below some days afterward. But Charley tipped more decidedly than the ice-floe; for as. it suddenly fave way and slid into deeper water, e lost his footing and followed it as far as his length would go; and by the time he was on his feet again it had rounded " Cape Cod" and, caught by tho currcnt, was Rapidly slipping down the creek. It was not Sue alone who was scared now. She, poor little body, sobbed and clung to Hattie, who, though white as a sheet at finding her strange craft without a pilot, now spinning round as some whirlpool caught it, and again rushing witn speed on its way, still had presence of mind to hold on to Sue and sit quietly. Charley did tho screaming as he ran along the bank, ^hom to call he did not know; his faflier he had not seen since he drove away with his mother after breakfast. So he kept along shore, as near the girls as possible, while Will hurried for help. Just at that moment, in full confi­ dence that the children "wouldn't get into anything," Mr. Rae was comforta­ bly talking town news in the Postoffice, as he waited for the returning train. And just at that moment the train whistled and came in sight, and Mrs. Rae, looking toward the house for the usual salute of handkerchiefs and hats, had her %ye exught half-way by some­ thing on the river, she did not know what. She did know that she had tied those little red and blue hoods on two little brown heads that were very dear to her, and that they were in great dan­ ger; further than that, after one pierc­ ing scream, she knew nothing, Mr. Rae, as he stood on the depot platform, was shocked to have his wife handed out to him as helpless as the brown paper bundles that the sympa­ thizing passengers hurried after her; till some one of them, whose attention had been 'called to the adventurers on the creek, was able partly to explaia the cause to him. Meantime the ice-floe rushed toward the bridge. If only some one might be crossing! It was the one hope poor Hattie had, ahd she was sick witn ter­ ror as they slid underneath and no call of rescue reached them; only Charley s hoarse cry, "Help! help!" _ But no nelp came, and had it not been for the "Gulf of Mexico" I am afraid the trip would have been a trag­ edy. But the gulf, which was just at the sudden bend of the river, held out the two capes at its entrance, like two arms, and the ice-floe glided straight into its embrace, and the little girls were safe. There was no danger of their floating out again, and theymigl* have landed successfully, but in their haste they forgot all caution, and botfc got a thorough ducking. ^ It was a sorry party that walked dripping into Norah's clean kitche* through ontf door as Mrs. Rae wa» hetoed into it through another. For a moment there was a tableau* ' Mrs. Rae was speechless through sui£r prise and joy; the children, with terror at their mother's pallid face; whili Norah, who was preparing dinner, stood motionless with amazement, holding suspended over a kettle what looked like the bolster of a doll's bed stuffed to its utmost. Charley never saw a "roly poly" pudding" afterward thai he did not recall the scene, and howt Norah plunged the pudding back into the pot, and picked up Sue and un­ dressed and comforted ner. The next day they were all as briglSi as ever except Arethusa. Her loss wii not noticed for some time, but though she was found and every effort made to bring her to herself, It was of BO usf. Sue said she never would have know* her; so her mamma hung her upon tlit wall, and said that her usefulness wf# not yet paet; every time they looket at her she could preach them a ser­ mon. • Charley ventured to inquire as to the text, and his father suggested "Fool­ ishness is1>ound in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him." WThereupon he was sorry that he had inquired, and trem­ bled in his shoes for some days; but his mother thought that the fright had taught him a' lesson, and the rod re­ mained on its parent tree unout. And this is the story of Charley's Ice-Floe.--Emily Adams, in Sunday Afternoon. FACTS AN^FLIUBBS. DEADWOOD is 4,823 feet above the sea. 1 SBVEN Massachusetts persons died, from hydrophobia last year. THERE are now seventy-two Post­ mistresses in the United States. THE daily consumption of flour ia Boston amounts to about 6,000 barrels, THE silver produot of Montana tttft present year will reach into the mill­ ions. THE English newspapers purchase their paper by the mile. The London Standard recently advertised for 265,- 208 miles. THE authorities of Tennessee report that the State has reoeived 2,008 set­ tlers from the North during the past ten months. IT is the calculation of the New York Sun that the liquor traffic of that city can be made by the Moffett law to yield $12,000,009 a year. THE official designation ol the new silver coins is " standard silver dollars.'* They are shipped from the mint in kegs, each keg containing five bags, and each bag $1,000. THE Germans are the healthiest class of New Yorkers. Vital statistics show that the mortality among them is near* ly 88 per cent, less than that of other citizens, while their increase by births is larger. THE San Antonio Express estimates the Texas spring cattle drive, in round numbers, at 283,900 head. This, at th#r estimate of $10 a head, would giv# nearly $3,OCX),000 for cattle alonlL , driven to Kansas, not computing thosi- shipped out by rail and steamship ACCORDING to the recently-published Statistics of the German Imperial Tele­ graph Office for 1877, the system ha* been greatly extended. When the tele? graph office was united with the Post- office there were 1,688 telegraph sta­ tions in Germany. At the end 01 1877 they numbered 8,287. THE Columbus (Ga.) Enquirer says: " Of the 36,000 people in Atlanta, white and black, there are about 6,000 out of employment or without visible means of support, and ot this number proba­ bly 15,000 of them are males, and ol these 1,000 are black. The principal' suffering is among the women and chil­ dren, and it is intense." THE United States Consul-General at Berlin sends to the Department of State a copy of the last annual report of the Commissioner of Emigration of the German Empire for 1877. The to­ tal number of emigrants is stated at 41,759, as against 50,577 in 1876. The immigration to New York, Baltimore and New Orleans was 80,088. One- half the immigrants were Germans, and the remainder Were made up of Russians, Austrians, Danes and Swedes. DR. FOOTE, in his Bwlth Monthly, says outhouses in the country should be nearly surrounded by a double row of trees, which send out large spreading roots (such for instance as the locust) closely around the building, for those trees will take up any quantity of mate­ rial and gases which* are deadly to the animal organism; plenty of shrubbery planted closely around and between the trees will add additional aids to this end, and both shrubbery and trees should be kept weii trimmed. A BILL for the abolition of capital punishment in England was recently rejected by the House of Commons, on March 13, by a vote of 268 against 64. Notwithstanding this vote, the senti­ ment against the death penalty in En­ gland is very strong, when a murder^ er was to be hanged lately, at Dolgelly, the inhabitants of the place refused to have anything to do even with the preparations. No local carpenter would erect the gallows, and when the materi­ als for the structure had been got from • Chester, no carter could be persuaded to fetch them from the station.- Out of eighty-four persons convicted of mur­ der in England in a single year, only eighteen actually reached the gallows. In France, during the ten years ending with 1865, there were 1,084 convictions^ and only 121 executions. m m --The Utah Legislature has made It a " misdemeanor for any one to " salt a mine," or give it a false assay, or ea®» hibit a false sample applying to* a give* assay, or change an assay. This brings the offense within the jurisdiction Justices of the Peace. --Two heads are better than the secom| head has not been pat a bruiser.

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