McHenry Public Library District Digital Archives

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 19 Jan 1881, p. 3

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liumlraln I. VAJISLTKC. McHE-NRY, ILLINOIS. I 'HINGS WORTH KHOWHre. tSTRAW meal flyings through a thin oth; keep in a cool place, yon nave a cheap shortening for "every­ day " pastry. KEEP a blank book with a THFOY oarer in the kitchen, and copy any bits of in­ formation that may likely be of use at some time. Be sure and write a larae. •clear hand. DIPPEB-OOURDS make excellent things to keep salt in for kitchen use. Cat a hole in the side large enough to admit the hand and to remove the seed; also •cut a small hole in the handle to up by. HOUSBKKSPKBS are often greatly "troubled and perplexed by mildew from damp closets and from rust. By pat­ ting an earthen bowl or deep plate full of quick-lime into the closet, the lime will absorb the dampness and also sweet­ en and disinfect the place. Bate, mice and many bugs that are apt to congre­ gate in damp places have a dislike to lime. As often as the lime becomes .slacked throw it on the compost heap if in the country, or into the ash-barrel if .in the city. Asr exchange, gives the following re­ ceipt to remove Wrinkles : To one fluid •ounce of tincture of gum benzoin add ;seven fluid ounces distilled rosewatey and one-half ounce glycerine. Bathe face, neck and hands with it at night, letting tit dry on. Wash off in the morning -with a very little pure white castile soap and soft water. If the water is hard, add a little dissolved borax. This is a •famous cosmetic, and has been sold under various names. It is an excel­ lent remedy for tan, sunburn and freckles also. The latter, it is said, may be removed by using the following de­ coction : Put a quantity of elder flow­ ers into a jug, pour boiling water on them, let the mixture stand twenty-four hours, and strain through muslin. Wash the face every morning with the decoc­ tion. It is good also for sunburn to beautify the skin. THE following is an excellent method -of preparing boots to stand the snow and water: Put half a pound of resin .and a. pound of tallow in an earthen pot, and melt and mix them well to­ gether over* a slow fire. Warm the boots well for some time beforehand, so "that they will be thoroughly dry, and, while as warm as may be found -convenient for handling, apply the hot mixture with a brush until neither the sole nor the leather will absorb any more. By using care the leather may A>e made very hot without burning it, .aud it should be warmed through that the preparation may till all the pores. "The resin gives the mixture an antiseptic quality, preserves the leather, an I pre­ vents the tallow from rotting the stitch­ ing. For a polish, dissolve an ounce of wav and a tejwpoonful of lampblack in a little turpentine. A day or two after the boots have been treated to the tallow and resin apply the polish, but not be­ fore the fire. This gives the exterior a coat of wax that will shine like a mir- Flanting Oak Trees. The most common trees throughout the Western States are oaks of different varieties. They are found growing on hillsides, along the banks of streams, on the prairies. The soil and climate are favorable to their production. The oak thrives here as the beech does in New Eugland, the chestnut in Maryland, the pine in Northern Michigan, the cotton- wood on the banks of the Ohio and its tributaries, and the magnolia in the Gulf States. It dees not suffer from root-rot, sun-scald, or the attacks of insects. It is hardy and long-lived. It requires no .pruning, no protection, no transplant­ ing, no manuring, no cultivation. It furnishes most of the wood employed as timber, a fair proportion of the posts .and rails used for fencing, and all the tan-barks we produce. The trees are stately and highly ornamental. They throw up no sprouts or suckers. They afford admirable shade for all kinds of . stock,/while their branches make excel­ lent f roosting places for fowls of all kinds. They produce large crops of acorns, that are readily eaten by smne .4»nd sheep. * N. Still no one engaged in the culture <n trees for timber or fuel plants oak trees. They generally experiment with trees that are "f.ir brought and dearly bought," and make a complete or par­ tial failure. Millions of dollars have been spent for no purpose in buying or setting out the European larch and •other trees raised in nurseries, which require protection from the sun and cold, a large amount of cultivation, and considerable training. To raise a good crop of oak trees it is only necessary to plow the land or dig up portions of it, to drop the acorns, and to leave them to germinate and grow. They will come up without any pains being taken to prepare the seed, and will require no care. "The fittest survive" and be­ come objects of worth and beauty. In Englanu a larger number of oaks are planted than of all other kinds of forest -•trees. An effort is now being made to -cover all the barren hills with them. Land planted with oak trees is regarded as very valuable on account of the crop •of acorns annually produced, which are devoured by sheep, goats, and liogs* Children's Ideas. The natural philosophy of children is •very interesting; they invent just such theories of the universe as the wild na­ tions have, with a sweet unconsciousness that they are originally myths. During :* tremendous thunder storm a little fel­ low of four year old was overheard ex­ plaining to another child that lightning was just "red water that runs out of the clouds," and the thunder "the noise it makes when it goes into the ground." He lost bis oourage concerning thunder in one of the showers, and afterward had to be comforted a little when one oo- • curred. One evening, to calm liis ap­ prehensions, his father assured him that the lightening he saw was a great way off, and told him that if it were near, he could hear the thunder at once after the "flash, but this time he could notice that there was quite a while between the two. The boy mused over this a little, and -then queried: "Papa, what makes the thunder speak long after it's got through?" A question which might be asked of dnany a public speaker. Prolongation of Life. Rome ye trs ago the French Ministry -addressed a circular to all the Prefects, desiring the«n to institute inquiries as to the conditions which appeared to favor longevity i;i their a-vend districts, and •he replies are said to have almost unan­ imously in boated as the leading «le- aaents or influences great sobriety, regu­ lar labor, aud usually in the open air, 4aily exercise short of fatigue, early hours, a comparatively well-to-do life, j calmness of mind in meeting troubles, i moderate intellectual powers^ and a fam­ ily life. The beneficial influence of mar­ riage on the duration of life is univer­ sally admitted, and remarriage does not seem to be unfavorable. The Prefects also indicate heredity as a frequent caqpe, and the influence of climate is likewise admitted ; this 1 itter, however, is separable with difficulty from other causes which may be operating simulta­ neously ; but, if all things were other­ wise equal, it would seem tfiat southern are less favorable to longevity than northern climates. Course of Trae She came tripping from the church door, her face flushed with emotion by the just-uttered discourse, and her eyes bright with loving expectation. He shivered on the curbstone, where for an hour he had shivered impatiently, with a burning heart palpitating in his throat, and frozen fingers in his pockets. They linked arms aud started for the resi­ dence of her parents. After a few moments' hesitating silence, he said: "Jane, we have known each other long. You must know how I feel. You must have seen that dear down at the bottom--O, Moses ! " He had slipped down on the ice with so much force that his spine was driven up into his hat, and his hat was tipped over his nose, but she was a tender­ hearted girl. She did not laugh, but she carefully helped him to his feet, and said: "You were saying, John, when you slipped, that the foundation--O, good­ ness !" She slipped herself that time, and saw j little stars come down to dance before I her eyes, but he pulled her up in haste, I and went on: I "Yes; just as I said, clear down at the bottom of my heart is a fervent love, on which I build my hope. That love has helped me to stand face--thunder! " He was down again, but scrambled up before she could stoop to help him and she said, breathlessly: " Yes, yes, Jolm. You remember you just said a love 'that helped you stand and face thunder. And that you found­ ed your hopes on--this pesky ice ! " There she sat. John grasped the loose part of her sacque between the shoulders and raised her to her feet, a* one would lift a kitten from a pail of water by the back of the neck. Then he paid, with increased earnestness: "Of course, darling, and I have longed for an opportunity to tell my love, and to hear those whispers--whoop !" Somehow John's feet had slipped from under him, and he came down like a capital V, with his head and feet point­ ing skyward. She twined her taper fin­ gers in his curling locks and raised him to the stature of a man, set his hat firm­ ly over his eyes with both hands, and cried, in breathless haste: "I understand, and let me assure you, John, that if it is in my power to lighten your cares and make brighter your jour­ ney through life to--Jerusalem !" "O, my precious, and thus it shall be my lifelong pleasure to lift you from the rude assaults of earth and surround you with the loving atmosphere of--Texas !" And there they both sat together. They had nearly reached the gate, and hand in hand, and with the bliss of young love's first confession, they crept along on their knees up the front door­ steps, and Were soon forgetful of their bumps on the softest cushion of the par­ lor sofa. A Bnsiness Proposition. In Galveston there is no coin of a lower denomination than a nickel in cir­ culation. This is, of course, a great in­ convenience. For instance, yesterday two men quarreled on the avenue. The bigger man of the two said to the smaller man: "For three cents I'll give you the eon- foundedest licking you ever got in your life." The little man looked wicked. He had his coat off in less than a minute. Then he took out a nickel and tendered it to the other party, who said: "I sidd I'd lick you for three cents, and I'll do it. That's five cents. Gimme three cents, and I'll fix you so the Cor­ oner will have to hire a hack to get enough of you together to hold an in­ quest." "You can keep the change," said the little fellow, edging up. ! "I'm like the country. I don't want j any cliauge. I stick to my proposition. ! Gimme three ocnts, and I will destroy j you." • "Here is fifteen cents. Suppose you I lick me five times, and then it will come i out even." j "After I've licked you once there won't : be enough left for a dog to lick. I'm not going to rob your widow and orphans of twelve cents. Gimme three cents and the trouble can begin right now. It's not my fault that there are 110 copper cents in circulation.--Galveston Newt. His Best Points. A young man who is not very bright, ! but likes to affect the sporting character, J recently bought a horse, and he thinks j he is the handsomest horse in the United I States. The young man was showing the animal to a man who really knows something about horses, pointing out all the animal's good points. When he got through praising the beast, the other spoke up and said, "All you say about the animal is so, but you have omitted two of his very best points." "What are they?" "Well, in the first place, nobody is ever going to steal the animal from you, and, secondly, if any l>ody should steal him,„ you would have no trouble in overtaking him on foot."--Exchange. Brutal Conduct of a Husband. A fashionable Gidveston woman wanted to impress her husband with her house­ keeping abilities; so, when the cook left, she went down iuto the kitchen and cooked breakfast, and she made an awful mess of it. They sat down to the table, and her husband noticed that she had a rng on her finger, so he asked what was the matter. "I burned it while frying the steak," she replied. "Well, any woman who would put such a breakfast as this on the table ought to be burned at the stake," re­ plied the brute. * His Late Honrs. "See here," said a fault-finding hus­ band to his wife, "we must have things arranged in this house so that we shall know just where everything is kept." "With all my heart," she sweetly an­ swered; "and let us begin with your late horns, my love; I (should dearly like to know where they are kept." He lets things run on as usual. IT is not what we earn, but what we save, which makes us rich. It is' not what we eat, but what we digest, that makes us strong. It is not what we read but what we rememl»er, that makes us learned. It is not what we intend, but what we do, that makes us useful. It is not a few faint wishes, but a life- long struggle that makes as valiant and successful FARM NOTES. . ODTHBSR.--"This variety of raspberry has done so well with me that I think it worthy of general cultivation. It is the most vigorous plant of any red raspberry I have ever cultivated."--M. Palmer, Ohio. RAISING ONION SEED.--"To raise seed I select some of the smallest bulbs of the spring crop and set them out either in Octolier or January in rich, mellow soil. In the spring I keep them free from weeds and draw the earth tip about them to keep them erect. In April they begin to throw up their seed stalks. The seed ripens in July."--C. J. lioyers, Terreu, Texan. I'EABOPYBHANCHING CORN.--"I planted a little of this variety May 17, one grain in a hill, two feet apart in row on new ground, rich, sandy loam. Greatest number of ears produced from one grain, 11; greatest number of grains produced from one grain, 3,978; average number of ears per stalk, 8j. Quality of corn not above medium. Ears usually ten- rowed and, aside from culls, average about 460 grains each."--Asa Pirn, ItoeJicsfcr, O. EARS OF WHEAT OK AX AORJS. -- In answer to a question, the agricultural editor of the New York Times says that the usual number of ears of wheat grown upon an acre of ground is about 1,250,- 000, and this number varies but little, whatever quantity of seed is sown. Maj. Hailes, an English seed-grower, who has produced some ̂ excellent varieties of wheat, gives the "following statement on this point. Seed »own per acre, Ears on a Ears on an Bushel, aqtoareyani, acre. 1 ........... S68 1,872,25X3 2 .....283 1^867,920 S f*'« 886 . 1,282,600 2 870 £806,800 3 289 _ 1,801,860 LICK ON STOCK.--A number of letters ask for remedies for lousy stock. Ver­ min of some kind very frequently infest domestic animals; they are mostly of the louse type--small parasitic animals that must be removed by the application of some insecticide. A number of substan­ ces have been used to greater or less ex­ tent, of which a few are mentioned be­ low: One pound of tobacco and six ounces of borax boiled in two quarts of water, to which soft soap is added to make a thick paste, has proved a vermin salve. A mixture of carbolic acid aud soft soap in the proportion of one to four makes a compound easy to apply and very effectual. Shortly after the parts to which the soap mixture has been ap­ plied should be washed with pure water and a non-drvnig oil rubbed 011. Oil of turpentine, and lard oil, equal parts, with a little carbolic acid, is perhaps the most convenient mixture to make, aud effect­ ual in its application. Animals that are affected with vermin need better caro and higher feeding in order to overcome the drain that these parasites make upon the system. --Exchange. CtTTTCNO AND GLUNDINO FODDER,-- While some ' go so far as to claim that it pays .to grind straw to a tine powder, others affirm that for beef cattle it does not pay even to cut any fodder. Cattle are fully provided by nature with means for masticating their ordinary food, and we need not be surpised to find that lwth ordinary experience and careful experi­ ments agree in showing that little if any­ thing is gained my cutting. In fact it appears from some experiments that positive damage is done, as the fodder is not so thoroughly chewed and impreg­ nated with saliva, a portion even passing at once into the scoond Btomach. C'ut- ting alone can do bnt little good, even with old hard-stalked fodder, without the softening produced by cooking, for it cannot open the fodder to digestive action, nor save much labor of mastica­ tion. By far the greater part of this is expended on chewing the cud, and it is best that the animal should perform thin entirely natural operation for itself. PROFITABLE: FARMING.--Among the influences contributing largely to render farming profitable in the Middle aud Western States, besides that of cheap transit by railroad, perhaps the most im­ portant are the rapid multiplication of grist mills, grain elevators, butter fac­ tories, cheese factories, canning factories, cider mills and similar industrial works. Of these the grain elevator may be said to have originated in the West. And though these establishments are often spoken of as centralizing in the great cities, they really exist at every import­ ant village or town along the lines of the railways in the grain-growing States. At .these elevators the farmers from tho whole surrounding country obtain good cash prices for their grain, and this is the influence that renders the ascendency of the grain interest in the West per­ manent. The operation of grist mills, cider mills, butter factories, cheese fac­ tories and canning factories is very simi­ lar in rendering profitable dairy farming, the production of fresh vegetables and fruits, orchard fanning, etc. The in­ fluence of this is seen iu the magnitude of the dairy interest iu consequence of the large number of butter and cheese factories in successful operation in the States. The canning interest flourishes at the present time over a wide extent of country in the New England. Middle and Western States. These arc the agencies that chiefly contribute to increase the agricultural wealth of the North and West. SECRET OP LABOR CROPS IS ENGLAND. --One of the strong points in Euglish farming was emphasized as follows by Professor Roberts, of Cornell University: "Herein,"' he says, "I am satisfied, lies the secret of England's success in raising larger cspps. It would take away the breath of a prairie farmer to hear even an Englishman's enumeration of the 'spuddings,' the 'grnbbings,' the Switchings,' the harrowings. the cross- harrowings, the rollings and crushings that a heavy clav field is subjected to be­ fore it is considered ready for wheat. What is all this for? Simply to unlock the full storrt-house of Nature. That it is full has been proven time and again. By actual analysis it is found that an average of soil contains, in the first six inches, plant food euough for from flftv to 150 fnll crops of grain. I do not de­ sire to discourage the purchase and use of fertilizers, but what I do protest asrainst is, purchasing on time commer­ cial manures at per ton, which are really worth enly $25, to enrich cloddy fields already fairly rich in plant-food, locked up, it is true, but Mu>re none the less, only waiting a little judicious ap­ plication of brain and muscle to set it free. If these hastily jotted facts and impressions are the means of inducing my fellow-farmers to remove some of the useless trees and fences, or to give the fields an additional eross-harrowing or two before casting in the seed aud askin? the Lord to bless the lalx>r of their hands, my object will have bean at­ tained.'* A Walkiug Automaton. After long and patient la'oor. a very ingenious automaton, says the Sy.lney (Anntralia) Ifera/d, has been complete by Mr. Hor.ib r , of Sydney. It* spe­ cialty is that it wa ka--walks in the same style, and with much the same motion, as a human being does. The place oc­ cupied by lungs, heart, and other indis­ pensable organs in the human frame are represented in Frankenstein--Mr. Hamburg's creation--by machinery; and the rattling and gasping sounds which emanate from him would be any­ thing but reassuring if they followed the exertion of gentle walking when under­ taken by an ordinary person. Franken­ stein is about five feet six inches high; his motive power is steam, supplied to him by means of a horizontal tube, on which one hand rests. This tube is con­ nected at one end with a tall upright ex­ haust pipe, into which the steam from a little engine close by passes. As the automaton man moves, an eccentric in tho hip revolves, and lever action bends the knee, raises the toes from the ground and throws the foot forward. Then the foot drops, and the other one repeats the action, the imitation of walking be­ ing very good. HOUSEKEEPERS' HELPS. BREAD FROM GROWN WHEAT.--Scald the flower when making sponge and let cool before adding yeast Knead the dough a little stiffer than for good flowr. ROASTING CHESTNTTS.--Cut a small piece off from each shell--just enough to show the meat--and put a cupful into a corn-popper. Shake over a clear fire until they become mealy. LEMON BREAD PODDING.--One pint of fine bread crumbs, yelks of four eggs, one quart of rich milk, two tablespoon- fuls of melted butter and one cup of sugar. Flavor with lemon. Cover and bake about one-half hour. Beat the four whites to a stiff froth, mix with it a tea- cupful of powdered sugar and the juice of a lemon. Spread over the pudding and return until slightly tinged. APPLE AND BREAD PUDDING --Put a layer of apple sauoe in the bottom of a pudding dish, then a layer of bread crumbs, sprinkle with sugar and little bits of butter. Another layer of apples and a second layer of bread crumbs are added with sugar and butter, and a cup of rich milk to wet the top layer of crumbs. Bake in a good oven three-quarters of an hour. Eat with sweetened cream. Flavor with nutmeg. MCTTON HAMS.--Allow one-quarter of a pound of saltpeter to half a pound of sugar. Put into an oven to heat, and while hot rub thoroughly into the legs of mutton. In the morning rub well with common s&lt. Place something under the mutton to raise it from the drippings. Let stand three or four days, then give another thorough rub­ bing with salt, and after a week hang up to dry. You may smoke them, if you please. When dry, keep in canvas bags. HABD SOAP MADE WITH WASHING SODA.--Pour five gallons of boiling water over six pounds of washing soda and three pounds of unslacked lime. After it settles aud Incomes clear, pour off. You may turn over it two gallons | of clear cold water, to be added from time to time as the soap is in danger of boiling over. To five gallons of soda aud lime water add six pounds of per­ fectly clean fat and bod ul>out two and a half hours, or until it begins to harden. Throw in a handful of suit just before taking from the fire. Pour into a tub and let stand until solid. To PREPARE HULLED CORN.--Take about three quarts of wood ashes, put iuto a large kettle, and pour over six quarts of cold water. Let come to the boiling point and boil five minutes, skimming several times, lake from the fire and }»our in a kettle of cold water t« help settle it. Put three quarts of shelled corn into another kettle and pour over the strained lve. Now let boil half an hour, then skim out the corn and rinse well with several waters, rubbing with the hands until the black chits come off. Put back into the kettle with clear water and boil until soft. Salt and eat with milk, or bntter, pepper, aud salt. CURING HAMS.--I have used the fol­ lowing for a long time for my hams and think it preferable to putting the hamB into brine, for I think brine has a ten­ dency to make lean meat hard and taste­ less. For a commou-sized ham take one ounce saltpeter aud enough fine salt to rub the ham twice. After rubbing the hams thoroughly lay them in a cask with a hole iu the bottom, or anywhere, so that the brine -may run off. After one week, take up and rub on remainder of salt and saltpeter. After a week or ten days l'Miger, take up and rub over with salt alone. After another week they are ready to smoke.--Cor. ltural New Yorker. London Fogs. Fifty years ago, when we first became acquainted with them, London fogs were •>ad enough; but they were on a com­ paratively limited scale. They have since attained marvelously grand dimen­ sions and intensity, according to the in­ crease of houses and population. What we ordinarily call London, but is more directly styled the Metropolis, has spread and spread till it covers a space of about 120 square miles. In the winter months every house has a coal fire, some of them two, three, or four, and there are numer­ ous manufactories and pub tic works with furnaces and toll chimneys, all of which less or more emit qnantities of smoke. This smoke mingles with what fog there happens to be, and produces a curious mixture, that is now only beginning to be rightly understood. Like every other mist, the fog which rises and is wafted along the valley of the Thames is com­ posed of small particles of water that ought properly to be dissipated by the sun's heat Only with difficulty is the sun able to undertake the duty. The smoke poured out from hundreds of thousands of chimneys does not merely mix with the fog; it coats each watery particle with a tarry,* a.ly film, giving it an unnatural character, and preserving it, so to speak, from immediate disper­ sion. A genuine London fog, therefore, is something more than a fog. It is a prodigiously large volume of mist, held in a kind of thrulldom by oleaginous in­ gredients floated frotn the tops of chim­ neys. ' When we say «>leaginous, we, for convenience, take the reudiost word to express a condition that would involve some cliemica explanations, which need not be gone into. Every one will un deretand that the smoke from the coal 1m s somehow unites inextricably with the particles of mist, and keeps the whole thing hovering in a dense cloud over the metropolis. Not only so; the dingy cloud darkens aud pollutes the air, tills the streets, aud to a certain e& tent the houses and lungs of the inhal)- itauts. On such occasions the darkness even at noon is so great that dwellings and places of business have to be lit with gas as at night. As the Loudon gas is more remarkable for its volume than its purity, it aids in deteriorating the atmosphere during fogs, already suf­ ficiently tainted with the exhalations of domestic sewage. At times it is ad dif­ ficult 10 get a breath of fresh air as it is to procure a good dsink of }>alaittble water.--Ctunmber«' Journal. » WHEN Mr. McGinnis* attention was called to tue molten lava flowing from the crater of Mount Vesuvius, ou hi* fiist and only visit to tho laud of hand- orgaus, he very naturally asked how the *' poor erator earns to overload its stom­ ach so dridfuily." ENGLISH KISSES. to wt The women of England (says Polydore Virgil), in the Pariman, not only salute their relations with a kiss, but all per­ sons promiscuously; and, this ceremony they repeat, gently touching them with the lips, not only with grace, but without the least immodesty. Such, however, as are of the blood-royal do not kiss their inferiors, but offer tiie back of the hand, «? men do by way of saluting each other. Erasmus writes in raptures to one of his friends on this subject "Did yon but know, my Fanstus," says he, "the pleasures which England" affords, you would fly here on winged feet, and, if your gout would not allow you, you would wish yourself a Daedalus. To men­ tion to you one among many things, here are nymphs of the loveliest, looks, good- humored, easy of access, and whom yon would prefer even to your favorite muses. Here also prevails a custom never enough to be commended, that wherever yoa come everyone receives you with a kiss, aud when you take your leave everyone gives you a kiss; when you retnrn, kisses agaiu meet you. If anyone leaves you they leave you with a kiss; if you meet anyone the first salutation is a kiss; in short, wherever you go kisses everywhere about; which, my Faustus, did you once taste how very sweet and how very fragrant thev are, you would not, like Solon, wish lor ten years' exile in Eng­ land, but would desire there to spend the whole of your life." Antonio Perez, Secretary to the Embassay from Philip H. of Spain, writes thus to the Earl of Essex: "I have this day, accoiding to the custom of your country, kissed, at an entertainment, seven females, all of them accomplished in mind and beautiful in person." Dr. Pierius Winsemius, his­ toriographer to their Mightinesses the States of Friezland, in his Chronijck van Pricslandt, printed in 166*2, informs us that the pleasant custom was utterly un- practiced aud unknown in England (just as it is this day in New Zealand, where sweethearts only know how to touch noses when they wish to be kind) until the fair Princess Rouix, the daughter of King Hengist of Friezland, "pressed the beaker with her lipkius" (little lips) and saluted the amorous Vortigern with a husjen (little kiss.) Reminiscences of Henry Clay. Eli Grant is an aged negro living in Louisville, Ky. Wnen Eli was al>out 13 years old he went on a trip to New Orleans with his master, Edward Carter, a wealthy planter. There he had occa­ sion to act for a few days as the valet of Heury Clay, who was then visiting in the CreScont City. He was a bright, sprightly boy, and the statesman be­ came so much attached to him that he bought him from his master, paying the rather-stiff price of $1,200. In a short time he went to his new master's home, at Ashland, and lived as the favored ser­ vant of the man " who would rather be right than be President" for a number of years. "I kin remember old Mr. Clay jest like it wur yisttyday," said Eli. "I allers loved him, and I allers love to talk about him." Theu the old man went on to talk al>out some of Mr. Clay's char­ acteristics in domestic life. He said that he was exceedingly fond of his wife, and in addressing her always called her "my dear." He was kind aud indulgent to his children, and generous in his treat­ ment toward his servants. His favorite child was Anna, the wife of Mr. James Irvine, whose death was announced to him wliile he was at a fashionable din­ ner party in Washington. The news caused a fearful shock, aud Eli thinks that it was the prime cause of his m;is- ter's death, which occurred a short time afterward. His hobby at home was his stock. He was passionately fond of fine horses aud cattle, and would always see per­ sonally that they had the best attention. Eli tells of a fine Nefoundland dog that was presented to his master by an ad- inirmg friend who lived in Nova Scotia. The dog was very intelligent, and the "Sage of Ashland" trained him with his own hand to perform a number of wonderful tricks, one of which Eli re­ members to be as follows : In one of the pastures in which Mr. Clay allowed his finest stock to run was a fine well, with a large trough attached, by means of which the cattle were supplied with water. The water was drawn from the well by the bucket and spindle system, but it required a great deal of manual labor to keep it in operation. To avoid tuis, Mr. (Jlay constructed a small tread mill, attached it to the spindle of the well with an iron crank, and then trained the dog to walk the treadmill. In this manner the trough was kept constantly filled with waier, and the clever dog be­ came so accustomed to the performance that, without the necessity of being bid­ den, he made it his duty to watch the well constantly, and see that the trough always had in it a sufficient supply of water to keep the .coppers of the blooded stock cool. Mr. (Jiay loved the dog, and was very fond of watching him go through with the treadmill p rlormanee. In speaking of Mr. Clay's fondness for horses, Eii tells of a fine race mare the statesman owned called the Golden Cup. Upon a oertain occasion the mare was matuned to run a four-mile race against a famous horse owned by Col. Sidney Burbruige. The race oaine off at Lexington, and everybody in that part of the country was present. Col. Abe tfulord, old man Shy, and other distinguished turfmen were backing the mare, vliile CoL Burbriclge, Gen. War- field, and other well-known horsemen were pia/ing the lu rs^. " The race wur run,' said Eli, " lroni eend to eend, and when doy come out a puffin' and a snortin' at de end of de four miles de Golden Cup was just de length of her inane in de lead. De old niarse he jest fell on do mar's neck an'he laughed like he had gone clean mad. He kissed de GolOeu Cup au' sent her home, an' after dut nebber allowed her to do another hck ol work. An' I teiiyou," said old Eli, growing confidential, "Marse Clay just won on dat race, 'case I heed de money ail in big bank bills, and de very next week he went to work hisself and guv me a pair oi brown-lined store shoes dat cost hiiu free dollars in. Lexington." --jLouinviile Courier-Journal. Selen a v Habits. The alarming increase of late years, says an exchange, in the proportion of sudden deaths is beginning to attract the attention of statisticians. It is largely .lue, no doubt, to more general mental activity without a proportionate increase in bodily exercise. The bmv life of the jge demands a constant hurry and ex­ citement, and taxes the physical pow. r - to tho utrno t to keep up in the race for /nouey-gettinsr. One of the disadvaut ;iges of introducing facilities of trans­ portation is the t^mptati >n to cut shor Mpifl and distance by the habitn 1 1 w steam cars and hor-e cars even in the daily transit from the dwelling to tfe office. A sedentary occupation l>egets an almost nnconqner- ible aversion to regular exercise, and the result of 5 ielding to the indisposition is that the moutnl powers, kept at a sudden tension for years, will some day suddenly relax and leave their abuser either lifeless or a helpless para­ lytic. To literacy and professional men is vigorous and regular exercise es­ pecially needfnl, and the example of its effects in a hale old age will suggest themselves to every one. The exercise needed to keep the mind in tone and the physical force unabated, up to the four score years and ten, is not a daily spin behind a fast-stepping horse, bnt. the long, swinging gait wh'ch puts tLe walker over a country road at the rate of four or five miles an hour, and sends the blood pulsing with invigorating life to every portion of the system. Two hours such exercise a day. so far from beinsr a wattj of time, is a positive economy,sup­ plying the nervous force for more and better work in ten hours than the of street cars and caniages can get out of twelve. wife >1 MWI» •. haw* fron iny wbMlow. and whitai. My {Mwrt in turning backward Uuiraril ft* Of cold, dark ywathat ~ " Ma and Id, dark ;«n that fctervaaa, •ieepiri* KWMtoMa, ail Inlaw nd the- wondroaa baaatlaa of ttataltftt. ilt th* Sn warn markUs* to«rfnl, aa they *1* t<MdcM i~ " J kiawd m, to tbeir glaa. ' The ujm of alt tfca Hot dim and t Aod, when he kiawd •», to tbeir glaaT Thajr laughed acd daaoed and beekcaad Oh [ they were fairer than an The aoo* ahaae with a brighter, pit jgfcL The Bower* wareaweeter than ttiej anto^aft The world, with all ita waary rin. Was far away; the ckmda wore thin, And baavea aeemed nearer than it Aoea 1 SniLL CIT Y, MO. ALL SORTS. "M:k 4- A Crime of Forty Tears Ago. The details of the murder of Samuel Adams by John Colt in 1841, on the cor­ ner of Chambers street and Broadway, New York, and the excitement caused thereby, which continued during the trial and culminated with Colt's suicide on the day appointed for his execution, are fresh in many minds. Colt, who was a brother of Col. Samuel Colt, of revolver fame, was a man of varied tal­ ents and promiscuous undertakings. In 1841 he was engaged in preparing a treatise on book-keeping, and had an office in the building above referred to, over the apartments subsequently occu­ pied by Delmonico. Adams was a col­ lector of rents, and had so persistently annoyed Colt, who was in unrests, that the latter was unable to restrain his temper whenever Adams made his ap­ pearance. On the fatal day Colt was boxing up some books when Adams came on his oft-repeated errand. The collector refused to leave until the tenant's arrear­ ages were paid. Words waxed warm, and Colt's blood boiled, until, in the frenzy of the moment, he struck Adams with a hatchet he had been using; The blow was a fatal one, and Adams dropped to the floor a dead man. The consum­ mate coolness with which Colt boxed up the remains of his victim and shipped them to a convenient vessel was only equaled by his remarkable presence of mind when his terrible crime was discov­ ered and brought home to him. Great efforts, legal an'd otherwise, were made to save Colt from the gallows. Much public sympathy was enlisted in his behalf. The muraorer was of fine personal appearance. He had an ex­ tended acquaintance in the best society of New York, and he was reported to have been engaged to a very prepossess­ ing young lady of excellent family con­ nections. He lacked no money or legal advice in the defense of his case, but, after repeated efforts to secure a new trial, ho was convicted and sentenced to be hanged on the 18th of November, 1812. Even after sentence had been Sronounced the friends of the con-emned man did not abandon their hope of saving him from the gallows. The most startling scheme was one which two young doctors, who took rooms at the then notorious Shakspeare Hotel, were identified. The police discovered that one of the employes in the Tombs had been, or was to have been, bribed to cut down tho body while it was yet warm, that life was to have been re­ stored by the use of a galvanic battery, and another body substituted for that of the resuscitated murderer. Even the discovery of this scheme, which the doc- tots averred was only to have benefited science, could not dissuade"some people from the idea that Colt had escaped from the Tombs. That he escaped the gallows is too well known. He was up early on the day appointed for his death and conversed freely with his brother and the late Dr. Anthon. He spoke calmly of his approaching fate, and bade his visitors an affectionate farewell. Blieriff Hart had made careful prepa­ rations for the execution. The gallows in the jail-yard had been carefully tested, and all was in readiness before the ap­ pointed hour. A few moments before 10 a. m., the officers went to Colt's cell, and found their preparations had been in vain. The man whose escape from the gallows had been so strenuously fought for had accomplished it with his own hand. He was found dead on the floor of his cell, the blade of a knife buried deep in his heart. How Colt obtained possession of the knife is a mystery to this day. The news of his suicide spread like w:lifire and the excitement was in­ tense and universal. Iu the Special Ses­ sions room, at that time occupied by the firemen, a stove was upset and a slight fire added greatly to the excitement of the hour. This circumstance gave rise to a story that while the tumult was at its height another body was in some way exchanged for that of Colt, aud that the attempted scheme of resuscitation had been really accomplished. The fallacy of the story was completely established by subsequent events. The young lady to whom he was engaged was constantly shadowed by private detectives for some time after the suicide, aud these officers convinced themselves and all others that Colt was indeed dead.--New York Timet. Wickedness of Blondes. A writer in the Atlantic Monthly says: I have found the worst femi­ nine qualities almost invariably allied to the blonde style; not the green or gray eyed blondes, with straight, abundant hair aud fresh coloring, but the swallow or pallid being, with light blue eyes and limp or waving hair--an innocent-looking creature, with feline manuers, patte dc velours, and such claws I These are the women who delude and destroy men; who never forgive an injury or forget a slight; who smile and tiilk sweetly, aud put on airs of meek piety or high art and refinement, but under all are scheming, unprincipled, falno to the core. Did not Lucretia Bor­ gia have golden hair? Was not Lady Macbeth a Scottish woman, presumably with lint-white locks? Two of the worst and most brilliant woman I ever knew had this style of complexion, aud the lovely being whose picture was my child­ ish adoration, who sat simperiug over the library shelf in dear old UucleW.'s house, roi»ed iu satin aud sables, her gold hair curliug like a child's, her sap­ phire eyes as inscrutable as a deep spring, her rosebud lips soft and fresh as a baby's, aud her taper white fingers crossed iu her lap, was a virago, a drunk­ ard, a womau without a symptom of principle--the mystery and the curse of the old aud honorable family she mar­ ried into. Black-haired and dark-eyed women are quick-tempered, electric, generous, jealous probably, but full of relenting, aud capable of being coaxed into or out of anything. Weak as to their affections, s mppy as to their tem­ per; warm of heart and hot of head, they are never very bad or very good, aud are the delightful torment of every luau who loves theui and whom they do not love too much; but love makes slaves and fools of them, and they are ridiculously constant Tns elephants sloep about she hows at night, sometimes getting op for a lit­ tle lunsk. They alao anors awfully.. ith beaKtafolgy of a marsh fli new Kusana a girl on the cbeekislik*ail­ ing the skin of MI orange and throwflH- the juicy pulp away. THE Eastern publishers have contrib­ uted nearly 4,000 volumes for a publi* library at the new settlement at Bngfagr, Tenn. Cot. WiMiiAM P. JOHNSTON, a son c( Gen. Albert Sidney Johnston, is Pr*afc» dent of the Slate University of iana. Fiaran have ben compiled <0 l that a lasy man will live no longer i a worker. He simply sees more processions and begs more tobaccot. IN Venice there is no wealthy nisi, and, as the only manufactures seem to bs of fancy glassware, travelers aometisMft wonder how the 130,000 Venetians lim. A BLACK ash tree with figured groin, taken out 1 C&nads, when cut up sold in New Todl for f3,000; the stump was sold for The product was nsei fos veneering. WHBK a boy walks with a girl al­ though he were afraid some one see him, the girl is his sister. If walks so close to her aa to nearly cjutwdl her against the fenoe, it is the sister aff some one else. A BOYISH novice in smoking turasi deadly pale and threw away his cigar. Said he: "Thar's something in that air cigar that's made me sick." "I know what it is," said his companion, puling away. "What?" "Tobacker." PARENTAL affection suffers a pang when children marry. "Wouldyou ba laving your poor old father?" said aaa Irishman to his youngest, "you who ara the only child I ever had who struck me when I was down?" ST. LOUIS owns eighteen parks and squares, embracing *2,107 acres, costing $1,405,000 originally; and on which $2,- 072,000 have been spent. Forest Park, the largest of the lot, contains 1,371 acres, but Tower Grove Pqrk, the gift at Heury Shaw, and improved under hi* personal supervision, is far the finest. A MTTIIB boy, having heard a mis­ sionary tell how the natives of Sootkt Africa live, on going home said, " Ma, I wish I was a little South African boy F " Why, Georgio," exclaimed the mothr- er, "whatever put such an idea into your head?" "'Cause their mothem don't wear slippers," said little Georgia. IT is beautifully remarked that • man's mother is the representative of bis Maker. Misfortune and mere crime aeft no barriers between her and her soau While his mother lives a man has oas friend on earth who will not desert >»!•* when he is needy. Her affection flows from a pure fountain and ceases only afc the ocean of eternity. MB. O'RAFFERTY is sitting in Mi room with his head tied up and his arsa in a sling, when a little boy stioks has head in and asks, " Me feytlier sint torn to inquire how yer eye was ooming at this morning." " Tell ver feyther to ai- tiud a ward meeting himself, and call Che Chairman a liar, and he will foind it all out widout uakin'." IN a sailors' meeting in a rough pact London the sailors, however uncultured they may lie, are permitted to take put iu exhortation and prayer. At a recent meeting a man thus expressed himself in prayer: " Lord! some o' these *er© peo­ ple say as how thev were brands pludkt from the buruin'. Lord! I was a.Uan.* tar barrel, I was; but Thou didst fetch, me out. Lord." DB. WM. SHARSWOOD, of Philadelphia^ is giving his time and efforts toward founding a great museum of practical art and applied science in connection with the University of the South at 8a- wanee, Tenn., owneu and controlled by the dioceses of the Episcopal chnrdi comprehended in the ten States lying south and southwest of Virginia aaa. Kentucky. QCKKN VIOTOBIA still shows herself heartily interested in art and invent**. In Scotland she happened to drive past a field in which a new reaper and bindsr was being tried. She stopped her car­ riage immediately, making inquiries as to the working and construction of the machine, and expressed herself greatly pleased with the opportunity of knowi^f something about this implement. THER* is some pleasure in superstition when one can have a gildod horseshoe aa an ornament and at the Bame time keep all bad spirits away. And when a brida is about to leave her home it does n» harm certainly to throw an old ahoa her. As Tennyson sings: F<>r this thou sl.all Crura all thiagtank M trruw of mirth and laughter; " /.ml wrb«r€9<*t'er tliou Uuud Idttk ' 9hail thruw her old shoe alter. THK paper-makers are importuned LI^ big printing-houses, and otiier couoerna using a good deal of paper, to put up twenty-five sheets to a quire, or in soaaa way make a ream consist of 50# sheeta instead of 480. The printers and hook. and magazine publishers make their contracts by the thousand, and find it necessary to c rrv too many broken reams. Much of the book paper is now sold in reams oi 500 sheets. IT was his first appearance at chuafc» and in order that he might sit perfectly stiff aud keep his little chatter between his teeth, he was told that a big dog would bite him if he didn't keep thai quiet. The little fellow cast severs! glancea up and down the aisle, and at last, just in the most interesting part mi the minister's prayer, startled the congre­ gation by piping up: "Mamma, wltaca is the dog?" TITERS is a aoond reaaoa why than am bones in our meat and atones in oar land. A world where everything easy would be a nursery for babies, not at all a fit place for men. Celery im not sweet until it has felt the frost, snl men don't come to their perfection t3l disappointment has dropped a half-hw^ dred weight or two on uieir toes. WW would know good horse« if there wsaa uo heavy loads ?--John Plmighnum. THK Scier,tific Amtricati urges th* adoption of the telephone on the battle­ field as a means of oonveyiug iu forma­ tion and transmitting orders rapidiy aSMl accurately, Without exposing the Gen­ eral in couimund to the lire of tha enemy and thus imp riling not only hia own life but poa&iuly tne idtuuate ra- bUit of the CiUutMUgn. Of course, spe­ cial modifications are necessary to run der the telephone available for such ttn hut theae. are quite within Uw poWMK ĵp inventor aud mechanician. •

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