The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891, August 01, 1876, Page 10, Image 10

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    THE WEST SHORE
jerked out the plug, and turned on hot was ob g' ""'' from maU.
Jad cold water? but though the water demands q, ,e bokP rf wMch
ran in, it would not run our; ami mm ...5 --v r, t f Tenny the
sne iiit ... .- ..,..
10
pulverizing salt for the table, and in
this I ground up my logwood extract,
and turned upon it hot water from the
faucet of the toilet-stand. I confess to
some rueful misgivings as I saw the va
rious tints which my mess assumed at
various stages of the mixture passing
cloudily from pale pink, through deep
crimson, to a dull and muddy brown;
hut I went on and leaving mv dye-pot
to settle, rubbed my pipe colorless again,
and applied the murky fluid. The re
sult was that the precious utensil looked
ns if it had been dipped by some mis
chievous boy into weak molasscs-and-watcr.
I was again disgusted and sur
prised, tint it Hashed upon me what
was needed the copperas. My drug
,.lm friend had told me that copperas
was used to lix and deepen the color of
various dyes, and particularly of log-
wood j and so I popped a lump ol cop
pcras into the put of my misfortunes,
and went at it with the pestle to grind
it up and make it dissolve the easier.
Again I rubbed mv pipe down to its
natural hue, and again 1 stained it. The
result was still far from satisfactory: it
was too pale and gray.
1 bad thus far got on without soiling
my lingers; but as 1 was giving my dye
another slir before applying it again,
there came a sharp hasty knock at the
door. I started a little, the pestle slip
ped, anil dashed half the mixture over
nie face, bands, shirt, waistcoat, and
Irowscrs all shared in the aspersion. I
laid down mv implements hastily, and
with eyes anil mouth smarting, caught
up a towel and alternately wiped and
sputtered, to relieve myself externally
anil internally from the disgusting hath.
I seized the water-bottle ami rinsed my
mouth and gargled my throat, nnd
amidst my bcwildcrment.minglingwith
the singing in my cars, the rush of wa
ter in my throat," and the stinging pul
sation in my eves, I heard the knock
again, sharper and iiuickcr than belore,
and a voice I recognized as Jenny's say
ing in an excited undertone,
"Mr. Kobinson! Mr. Robinson! do
come to the door!"
I would not have even Jennv sec my
clolhes in such a plight; and tlirowing
on my dressing-gown, which covered
me from head to foot, 1 opened the door.
Ii'iinv Klartt'd hack a moment, in seem-
ln.r i", iirlii. nnd then tittcrim?. ns onlv a ' rap on the door.
saucv woman can titter at a man, said, " What the devil do you want ?" '
Mr U.,l,i,inii. Miss lohnstonc "l'leasc. Sir, Mis Johnstone's com
sends her compliments, and she has plimcnts, and it's ten minutes; and she
waited ten minutes; and she bid me I won't trouble you for the honor of your
' ... .. . .!.! ... Sf A ..I-
vii'l .mi hir v lii sav was she to nave tne company mis unci iiinm. mi. a.iv
the cloudy shapings of the fluid, vary
ing Irom pneny oiacn 10 m) i
I discerned a jet-black, gummy glairy
substance, one end of which was fixed
in the vent-hole, while the other swayed
aliout in the brimming bowl. It looked
as if I had murdered a cuttle-fish, and
was endeavoring to conceal his man
gled remains by sending them out
through the waste-pipe. Had it been
a black baby instead of a black polypus,
I could not have been in greater dread
of detection. I seized hold of the viscid
mass, and tried to pull it out of the vent;
but it was very tender, and parted just
at the rim, and I only grimed my hand
and wrist. 1 thrust the loathesome
jelly down through the vent w ith my
hngers, aim nau inc siuisincuoii ui see
ing its inky heart's-blood follow It.
But now mv bowl was stained all the
colors of the rainbow, besides one or
two not seen in that bright bridge ol
hope. It looked like a polyphcmic
eye that had been blackened by a Ti
tanic Hecnan. I rubbed a moment at
its variegated sides; hut quickly stayed
my vain endeavors, to turn them to my
own face and hands, on which I found
the inky color even more unremovable.
1 applied soap; and again, O horrors!
the tint deepened and settled but the
more firmly. I flew backward and
forward between my mirror and my
wash-stand with constantly-increasing
apprehension. In vain; the color
would have immovably answered even
Mrs. Siddon's query whether it would
wash. I got my pumice stone, and
scraped away at myself in a frenzy,
abrading anil excorating my hapless
face and hands, and doing little else,
and in my excitement not knowing that
I did so; until, having heard of the
ctficacy of lemon juice in removing
stains, I seized one which lay upon my
mantle and cutting it in two, applied
the halves to my face, which now look
ed not unlike that of a pied negro.
Then I discovered with a jump, that I
had nearly flayed my cheeks, mv nose,
my forehead, and my knuckles. In the
midst of my despair, while my mottled
face nnd hands were smarting, nnd my
, I heard Jennys
talk of the house; which, by the way,
I left as quietly as possible after I saw
.hut mv fate was decided. I lost Miss
Johnstone and her fortune. So that
J m msh account in that affair
stood exactly thus;
JOHH RoMitiOH, Eso., in Armani M F0U.T.
One brier-wood pipe, meenclmum lined, M 00
One mnrl.le topped wash tnd Mill bowl 17 JO
one wcust-"""' "'"'""I: a no
One Omv ciwlniere vest e
(Jni ir-(ryi"lmerepunu............. J
One IhUiiofMUs Johnstone's fortune..
eyes running water,
honor of vour company."
And then the pretty, silly, good-natured
hussy looked nl my lace w ith a
quizzical expression and tittered out J
again. I heard from down stairs faint
ly, hut distinctly, the impatient sh-wack!
sh-vvack! of a riding whip upon n rid
ing. skirt, and Ibe click, click, of two
liltle boolhccis as they were brought
logeiher. I knew the wearer rose
upon her toes, nnd came down firmly
wilb her heels together ns she did it.
Could it be that mv hour had nil slip
ped away and more? 1 llew to my toi
lel table,' and there my watch continued
the ominous announcement. When
I thought I had been removing the
contents of the mortar from my face, I
had only been smearing the drops, and
spreading them wide upon mVheeks
and nose and forehead. The color had
dct'H'ned quickly as it dried, nnd my
w hole face was as striped as a zebra's!
I bad looked at my hands; they were
as black as a journeyman-hatter's over
bis dye-pot. Here was a predicament
for a gentleman to be in who had n
ihirty-lhousanil-doll.ir woman waiting
lor him lo keep his appointment to ride
wnn her:
..10,000 00
tree has sent for a horse, and he'll ride
with her."
Cursing my fate and folly, I sat down
hopelessly, upon my bedside, and as 1
ruelully contemplated the condition of
my room anil person, mm saw now
hopeless it was for me to attempt to
make the latter presentable tor days, 1
gave up the ertort for the present, ami
fell into a gloomy reverie, which was
soon broken by hearing two horses
start oil at a smart canter.
I conlineil myscll to my room, on
pretense ol illness, for a dav ; and com
municating by post with the pharma
ceutical friend who was nil innocent
link in the chain of my despair, 1 re
ceived from him the means of cleansing
the filthy witness of my folly from Ho
llands nnd face, and also nn ointment
very soothing in its lubrications. My
face was not so deeply scraped as 'I
thought at first; and in the course of
forty-eight hours I was restored to
something like my natural condition.
I again presented mvself before Miss
Johnstone, who received me and my
apologies and explanations, with ex
treme politeness, but w ith or else 1
fancied it the slightest possible curl
Leu vnlue'of dnmnied urler-wood pipe, WWA
Balance In fnvorof Folly 10,041
Mv experiment was a costly one; but
it taught me two lessons worth expendi
ture:
To let well alone;
vt tn bn diverted from n greater
matter by n less especially n .-
greater be the attempt to win a hand
some, spirited, independent woman.
THE IIAMMERAND THE PEN.
We read that the pen is mightier
than the sword ; reasoning metaphori
cally, the statement is true. Hut the
hammer is more powerful thnn either,
by the argument that deeds are more
cogent than words. The pen inspires
mankind to great cllorts ny tne glowing
words proceeding from it. The sword
hacks and enrves a brilliant name for
him who wields it; but, before its ad
vance the nations of the world shrink
back in dread, and the women and
children cower in fear. Bv the light of
the bursting shell, or the glare ol dwel
lings in flames, it stands out and gleams,
halefully against the sky, and only over
human anguish and agony docs it stride
to triumph and renown.
Who ever feared the hammer or its
deeds? Those who rush along the iron
roads of the lnt.ds those who plow the
waters of the river or the ocean these
experience the triumph of the hammer,
know well its power and how indispen
sable it is. The pen may stimulate and
incite to greatness, but it cannot achieve
it; the sword bends all things to its will,
hut it burns like a consuming fire, and
mankind writhes in agony before it.
Only the hammer is all powerful and
peaceful. By it thousands live and grow
rich. With it men amass wealth and
build up the bulwarks of the nation ;
hunger is kept nt bay, nnd famine is put
to flight; peace exalts her head, and
hard-fisted toil finds no time, leisure or
inclination to wreathe the bow of Mars.
The pen hpws to the hammer and docs
it homage. A man may live in physical
comfort without n book in the house,
hut he cannot exist without being in
debted to the hammer or its equivalent,
The pen sings the praises of the ham
mer nnd indites ctilogiums upon its nu
merous achievements; few are the mon
uments the hammer deigns to raise in
honor of literature. The pen is might
ier than the swonl, because it achieves
its object through reason nnd not force,
and also in that it is infinitely more civ
ilized nnd humane in its effects upon
the world ; but the hammer conquers
even more territory thnn the pen, nnd
is, in this wny invincible. No country
is too remote or w ild, too savage to re
sist its weight; nor any metal, wood or
vegetable powerful enough to defy it.
Without the hammer a symbol of toil,
as the pen is of thought and the sword
of violence the world could not exist
in comfurt and refinement.
August.
soil and climate to the rapid production
f this delicious fruit. Upon questions
of ornament, as well as those of utility,
Mr. Franklin has a full partner in his
every home enterprise his wife. It
was a matter of regret with us that we
could not stay longer with Mr. F. and
learn the modus operandi by which he
has accomplished so much in five short
years, and that too with his own hands,
without assistance. He erected his
own house, buildings, fences, etc., all
within himself and has only hired as
sistance when it was only a physical
impossibility that the work to be done
could be done by one person. To
voung men, who may contemplate or
have already commenced the business
of life by settling upon a ranche, we
would advise them earnestly and can
didly to visit Mr. Franklin, and see
what he has done (an old man too), and
receive from him hints and instructions
which will be of far more benefit to
them thnn, perhaps, years of experience
without advice."
Hut I could wash my face nnd hands downward of the deep-cut corners of
ami iiiess in less than ten minutes; ami ner mouth, t emieavoreil to resume
so 1 rushed hack to Icnnv, and said.
"Tell Mi Johnstone that I will lie
w ith her in fie minutes, nnd make my
iqMilogy for my delay."
"Yes, Sir te-he, te-he-he-he; but
please, Mr. Kobinson, do give me Ihe
mortar nnd pestle. James have Iwcn
a lookin' after Ihem ibis half hour for
Mrs, Maddux, and she'll come presently
and ask me nlmut it,"
1 horridly cmplic! the contents of
the nortar into mv wash-howl and
my former undefined position toward
her, but in vain. Without being in
the least degree a jilt, she had Iwcn
trembling, unconsciously almost, be
tween two men, as many a woman
docs, with such a slight and delicalc
poise that the merest accident deter
mines into whose arms she shall fall.
And that afternoon had settled the
question irrevocably against me and in
favor of Axletrec. '
When 1 came to look into the afliir
handed it to Jenny, w ho looked agast I found it rather an expensive one for
al its blackened condition, " Clean it me. Mv pipe was ruined, except, in
fur me, Jenny, there's a good girl; I've I deed, fur the purpose of smoking. The
spilled some ink into it." I shut the
door in her face, turned the key, and
plunged into my own purification. Hut
horrors! on going to my howl it seem
rd as if a huge Ulleful of the Kiver
Stvx hail been splashed into it. 1
elothes I had on during my fatuous at
tempt were also destroyed. Mrs. Mad
dux demanded a new "marble top ami
iwi uir me wasn-stami, ami a new
A MODEL FARMER.
The East Orego'uny of n late date,
has the following : J
''Leaving Hepner we made it a point
to remain one night with that old set-
uer, mouei larmer, expert horticulturist
and dairyman, J. C. Franklin. Five
years ago last April he settled on But
ter creek. To the stranger, his farm,
his house, his corrals, etc., would indi
cate a settlement of at least ten instead
of rive years. The grounds immediate
ly surrounding his house arc covered
with a profusion of flowers and shrub
Wry astonishing to behold the equal
of which may exist this side of Port
land, but we' believe not. There is not
a flower, shrub or fruit which will grow
in this climate and are convenient to
piocure, but that can he found on his
premises. 1 Ic has peach trees but three
years old from the seed which have
HOW A BABY WAKES.
Did vou ever watch a dear little baby
waking from its morning nap? It is .
one of the prettiest sights in the world.
There is the crib with its small propor- .
Hons and snow-white drapery that
covers something, outlined, round and
plump. There is nothing to reveal
what it is; not tne slightest movement
of the pillowed whiteness that is visible
no sound to indicate keenest actual
life, until the hour hand of the clock
that stands sentinel, like yourself, has .
twice made its circuit. Then there is a
slight pulsing in the white drapery, a
small, pink, tremulous hand, fair as a
rosebud, is thrust out, and from the nest
thus broken into appears a round di-.
minutive face, with wide open eyes
that have not speculation in them yet.
Soon, however, they cease to stare, and
become questioning, serious, as if won
dering what kind of a world they open
upon; and the head lifts itself up just a
little, and two snow-wnitc icet stand
up spasmodically, and with a simulta
neous movement, each one of which
has an attendant dimple. But the head
is too heavy it falls back on the pillow
with its own sweet weight, the hair all
damp and golden the checks "peachy
the mouth pouted, as if angels kissed
it in dreams. The first lingering gn-o-o
comes from its rosy depths, sweeter
than any bird's song, for it has a spirit
tone and yet retains a thrill of its na
tive skies. The chubby hands are lifted
imploringly, persuasively the baby,
awake, ceases to be an angel.
An Old Time Gmi.. We saw
her on Fourth street yesterday. She
wore a neatly-fitting, plainly cut and
modestly trimmed calico dress. Her
modest face beamed with youth and
beauty beneath the graceful folds of
a gauzy green vail, and her rosy
cheeks shone through it like a pair of
large cherries. She didn t carry one
half of her dress in her hands high
up to gratify the vulgar gaze of black
guards or to draw forth ludicrous and
ungentlcmnnly remarks of corner loaf
ers. Nor was she pinned back so tight
she couldn't step, and her heels didn't
kick her tiller as high as the broad of
her back. She didn't walk like a mule
with a loose set of harness on nnd flics
bad. No; she wasn't dressed in a style
calculated to attract the attention of any
but true gentlemen, and of these com
manded the utmost respect, and it was
paid her by nil who, in meeting, ad
mired her."
Worth Knowing. A correspond
ent savs: "It is not. unfortunately.
generally known that in case of fire in
buildings containing horses, if the har
ness be merely put on (however roughly)
the horses will quit their stables with
out difficulty. A knowledge of this
fact may be the means of saving many
a valuable animal from a horrible death. '
Little Willie having hunted in all
the comers for his shoes, at last appears
to give them up, and climbing on a
chair betakes himself to a big book ly
ing on the side table.
Mother says to him;
"What is darling doing with the
book ?"
"Its the dictionary; papa looks in
the dictionery for things, and I am
looking to see if I can find my shoes."
A man must feel very cheap when he
W..I . .... i - t i V" - men wnicn nave a man must tecl very cheap when nc
.he , . V' i V . u "? 1XMclT "" ""'"' nut in but is knocked down for nothing in an am
ine others were entirely spoiled; but 1 mough to prove the adaptability of the lion room.