VOL. 1.
ALBANY, OREGON.. SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1869.
NO. 35.
SATU.HDAY, MAY 8, 1SG9.
M ay Iaj-.
IT B. F. CBORLET.
The sun, already from the skies
Above the belfry gleaming,
Peeps in at many a maidou'. eyes,
And laughs her from her dreaming.
The wind, that all the night was low
Among the chestnuts on the brow.
Begin to carol nay, and merrily to say,
"Ye boys and sirla, who love the spring,
Troop out, troop out to dance and sing.
Ye shonld not be so flow,
On glad May lay."
The hall must lay its grandeur by.
The hamlet cease its labor,
, As squire and Liud aroe to try
The worth of pipe and tabor.
E'en helpless age, in elbow chair.
Sits by and nods its thin gray hair,
To hear the music play, and merrily to say,
. "The nimblest dancer on the greun,
Is far less brisk than he bath been,
When he the sport did bharo
. Of glad May Day."
There's no one here, who, grave and stern.
Our revel would be scorning,
Save owlet grim, who needs must turn
From mirth, and song, and linruing.
The more the cares our hearts have known
The fitter 'tis we lay thum.down.
When spring-time points the way ;
Then merrily while ye may,
Let all who love to dance uud sing,
Go rouud and round in bliib.-ooio ring,
And mnke ac least your own
One glad May Day.
A Fearful Adventure
The prairies ia certain parts of the
Southwest, during a drought, sometimes
become as dry .and parched as a tinder,
.ana a fire once started among them flies
with thefleetness of the wind and the
fury of the volcano. Woe to the man or
beast caught in its path without the
means of escape.
.Some twenty odd years since, a party
of three hunters were encamped in a
small grove in the far Southwest. They
were on their return from Santa Fe; but
having had a sharp running fight with a
party of Apaches, they had been driven
far out of their cour.se, and had now
paused to rest their weary animals.
They were all expert marksmen and
when the red skins turned back from the
fruitless pursuit, it was with such a loss
of numbers as effectually to cripple them
and make the hunters feel safe from dis
turbance. Two of the trappers were brothers.
George and Ned Williams, whilst the
third was a life-long companion by the
name of Parker.
They had kindled a small fire, and
having cooked a goodly sized piece of
buffalo meat which they had cairied
with them, they were now smoking their
pipes and chatting, t.nd resting them
selves. "Do you know," remarked PaTker,
after several minutes' chat on other mat
ters, "that we've drifted into a part of
the country where water is mighty
scarce V
"No. Have you ever been here be
fore?" "I was here ten years ago, and had
just about the worst time you ever heard
of. For the best part of three days . I
hunted for water without finding a drop.
My poor horse moaned and staggered
until he fell down and gave up the ghost
and I kneeled over and concluded that
Tom Parker bad his last hunt and got
throwed at last. But just then, as the
good Providence willed it, I was found
by a party of traders, and they poured
about a quart of whiskey down my throat
and soon put me on my legs again."
"That was during a dry season, I sup
pose?'' "Just about such a season as this
not a bit dryer, and its my opinion that
we had best get back on the regular trail
as soon as we can. Have any of you
seen any signs of water since we com
menced that race with the Apaches ?"
"I believe you're right," replied the
elder Williams; we aro indeed in a bad
part of the prairie, and I believo the
only fluid among us is a pint of whiskey."
"That stuff will do for the men, but
the animals would make rather hard
work with it," laughed Ned.
"Yes; a man and hog, I believe are
the only creatures that you get to take
the stuff.",
V Sometime after this Parker rose to his
feet and began snuffing the air.
"Seems to me there is something that
smells strange' be remarked "haven't
jou noticed it?"
"Yes," replied George; "I thought it
came from our fire."
Parker shook his head.
'It isu't that; I believe that the
prairie is on fire.
His companions started involuntarily,
for they understoood too well the meaning
of such a calamity. If such prove the
case, they could save themselves by the
common resort of fighting fire by fire;
but the desolate blackened prairie, and
the charred corpses of buffaloes and wild
horses and the barren waste that would
be left were sights which they had no
desire to witness, and necessitated an
experience on their part which they all
dreaded.
The three now walked out from their
grove to take a look at the horizon. They
scanned every portion of it in quest of
the dreaded element. At first they
could see nothing alarming, but Parker
was sure that away to the northwest there
was an unusual appearance of the' sky.
It had a faint redness aud glow which
is witnessed when we look toward a dis
tant conflagration, and the smoky appear
ance was more perceptible than ever.
"The infernal Apaches have set the
prairie on fire," said Parker; there is no
need of being mistaken about it."
"How far away?"
"A good distance off. Our horses and
ourselves need a good rest, and we can
lay down until daylight without fear.
It was now quite late in tho evening
and as the hunters were very much
exhausted, they stretched themselves in
their blankets and were soon lost in
slumber.
Parker was the first to awake, and
when he did so, the first thing he
noticed was that the heavy smoky smell
noticed during the night was rrore in
tensified. At the same time he heard
the horses neighing, stamping and giving
evidence of an unusual alarm.
"Quickly, boys!" he shouted. There
is no time to lose the prairie is on fire !"
Several miles to the northwest they
could see fully a fourth of the horizou
one mass of seething, roaring flame.
Great arrowy points of lire shot upward,
swn3'ing swiftly with a serpentine motion,
while vast volumes of thick, heavy smoke
rolled overhead, and millions of sparks
filled the air. ;
It was a fearful sight, one well calcu
lated to strike terror in the strongest
heart.
"Shall we set fire to the grass?" in
quired the brothers.
"It seems sparse and thin hereabouts,"
replied Parker. "Yonder is a cieek,
which, if I am not greatly mistaken, is
broad enough to stop the fire in this di
rection. That will be a better plan
than to undertake to fire the grass, which
may burn too slow. But the brothers
objected to this course, as the creek or
river referred to was quite distant, and
after what Parker had said about the lack
of water in this region, they had strong
doubts of its existence; and besides, their
horses had not yet recovered from their
severe exertion of the day before to make
them equal to a rapid ride, even if only
a fe"w miles in extent.
"You may try it if you wish," 'added
George Williams, "but we ain't quite
such fools as that."
Parker felt somewhat touched at this,
and was driven into what he would hard
ly have done had he taken time to delib
erate. Mounting his horse, he turned his head
toward the southwest, and bidding them
good-by, started off at a gallop. The
last glimpse he had of his friends was to
see them gathering tufts of grass pre
paratory to setting them on fire, when he
turned about and attended to his own
safety.
"Now, Jack," said he cheerily, ad
dressing his horse, "you have need of all
your speed. Bear me to the creek as
fast as you can. It is the only water
in this section, and we need it."
The noble animal seemed as if he
understood what his master said; but he
had gone scarcely half a mile when his
rider made a most alarming disoovery.
The creek, whose borders were marked
by a line of trees, was considerably furth
er than he imagined, and the labored
progress of his horse showed him that he
would give out before reaching his desti
nation. The hunter glanced : anxiously back to
where he had left his friends, and was
half resolved to turn about and joiu theiu ;
but pride prevented, and moreover, he
still saw them darting hither and thither
busy at work, but as yet they had failed
to set the prairie on fire. Their danger
was equal if not greater than his own.
About this time, also, he saw that
thousands of buffaloes and wild horses
were thundering frantically over the
prairie in a direction which would lead
them into the grove.
His friends could not wait much lon
ger before they would be compelled to
take to the trees to avoid being trampled
to death, aud by the time this danger
was passed the other would be upon
them.
With a shudder, Parker turned
back and urged his horse to its utmost
speed.
The great desire of the hunter was to
get out of the path of this surging mass
of animals. He was riding at right
angles to their course, and if he could
reach that portiou of the creek toward
which he was aiming, there was no fear
of being ovtr-wheliued by this panic
stricked army of dumb animals.
Striking his heels against his horse's
sides, he bent all his faculties and ener
gies into the one great idea of escape.
It will be seen that two great dangers
threatened the hunter that of the burn
ing prairie, and that from the stampeding
animals. Were it not for the latter, he
could have dismounted in the tall, dry
grass, and by means of the flash of his
rifle started a flame that would have
speedily given him safe ground to gravel
tipon. But there was do time for this,
and he had no thoughts of making the
attempt.
The horse did his best, panting and
toiling as he had never done before ; but
swiftly as he went, it seemed to the im
patient rider that the distance between
them increased rather than diminished.
But on, on he sped, impelled by hi3 ter
rible peril, while that terrible swarm of
bellowing buffaloes and snorting horses
thundered tumultuously onward. A few
hundred yards from the creek stood a
large solitary tree, its trunk and large
limbs already glowing with the reflected
light from the glowing volume of flame.
Toward this Parker directed his horse's
head, and the brute straindd every nerve.
On, on he sped, gasping and panting. A
few minutes later he was beneath the
rree, he staggered and fell upon his
side, while his rider had barely time to
free hi3 foot from the stirrup. ,
The trapper had fallen off in the haste
of his flight, and as he involuntarily threw
out his hand he felt the warmth of the
fire upon it. His horse flung up his
head and neighed piteously, as if implor
ing his master not to leave him.
"God help you," exclaimed the latter,
his heart full of pity, "but I can do you
no good, and must leave you."
Tears streamed down the hardy hunt
er's cheeks as, with rifle strapped to his
back, he started on a full run for the
creek. He had not a moment to lose.
He was just beyond the line of fleeing
animals, but he was still in danger from
the near approaching fire, and he did not
pause to behind him although, in
that moment of frenzy and despair he
fancied he heard the tread of some ani
mal close in his rear. A few minutes
later he was on the bank of the creek.
To his delight he saw that it was wide
and tdeep. Without a moment's hesita
tion he sprang in, sinking peveral feet
below the surface before he touched bot
tom. As he came up a mass of smoke
rolled over the water, almost suffocating
him, but he struck out boldly, and shortly
after touched land, where he crawled out
and rested himself.
As he gazed back, to his surprise, he
saw that his horse had struggled after
him, and was already swimming the
stream. He shouted and encouraged
him, and the brute pressed forward until
he fell exhausted at his feet.
"Noble Jack," exclaimed the trapper,
affectionately patting his neck. "You
are saved, and here we will rest"
The fire swept furiously onward, and
by this tiuie had reached the stream.
Fortunately, the wind blew parallel with
the current, so that there was little fear.
Had it blown across the creek it would
have communicated to the grass upon
the other side, and made the situation of
the hunter uncomfortable, if not abso
lutely perilous.
The sun was past the meridian before
the fire had subsided enough to make it
safe for tho, hunter to cross. By that
time his horse had secured a good rest,
and his bath had refreshed him not a
VUom Do Great Men Marry t
little. But
his master swam back with
him, and upon reaching land did not re
mount him Taking his bridle in his
hand he led him with a sad and forebod
ing heart 1o the grove where he had
parted wirh his friends. The prairie
was almost is black as ink, while here
and there Were stretched the smoking
carcasses ofjthe animals which had been
overtaken and burned in their desperate
attempts to escape.
His fears were too sadly realized. In
the grove were found the charred bodies
of his friends and horses, while fully a
hundred buffaloes and prairie wolves
were scattered among them. It looked as
if they had persisted in their attempts
to fire the prairie until trampled under
foot by the rushing animals many of
whom fell exhausted, when they all per
ished together. It was a fearful sight,
and while mourning the loss of his com
rades Parker could but be thankful at
his own Providential escape.
CnANOED Her Mind. Dicky was
poor ; Katy had a rich mother. Katy's
mother was "down" on the measure, and
Dicky was forbid tho premises. Notes
were exchanged through a knot-hole in
the hi;h board fence which inclosed
the yard. One day the old lady went
out "calling," and Dicky being duly in
formed of the fact, called on Katy, but
remained too long. The old lady return
ed suddenly, and there being np chance
for him to escape, at the instance of
Katy, Dicky popped into a closet. The
old lady saw that Katy felt confused, and
guessed that Dicky had been about ; she
supposed, of course, that he had made
good his escape, and thinking that the
young couple had agreed, perhaps, to
elope together, determined to be too smart
for them; so she shut Katy up in the
same closet where Dicky was concealed,
and giving her a pair of quilts and a pil
low, locked her up for the night. She
didn't see Dicky.
The next; morning she went to the
closet to let jKaty out.
"Oh, Lord 1" she screamed, and could
hardly get her breath for a moment. Fi
nally r !
"Ahem ! ! Dicky, is that you ?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Dicky, you must stay to breakfast."
"Couldn't, ma'am."
"Oh, but you must."
Dicky concluded to stay.
At the breakfast table the old lady
spoke up and said :
"Dicky, I've been thinking a great
deal about you lately."
"So I suppose, ma'am very lately."
"You are industrious and honest, I
hear." j .
"I never brag, ma'am."
"Well, now, upon the whole, Dicky, I
think you and Katy had better get mar
ried." , !
Use op Lemons. When persons are
feverish and thirsty beyond what is nat
ural, indicated in some cases by a metalic
taste in the mouth, especially after drink
ing water, or by a whitish appearance
of the greater part of the surface of the
tongue, one of the best "coolers," inter
nal or external, is to take a lemon, cut
off the top, sprinkle over it some loaf su
gar, working it down slowly, squeezing
the lemon and adding more sugar as the
acidity increaces, from being brought up
from a lower point. Invalids with fever
ishness may take two or three lemons a
day in this manner with the most re
markable benefit, manifested by a sense
of coolness, comfort and invigoration.
A lemon or two thus taken at teatime, as
an entire substitute for the ordinary sup
per of Summer, would give many a man
a comfortable night's sleep and an awak
ening of rest and invigoration, with an
appetite for breakfast, to which they are
strangers who will have their cup of tea
for supper, or relish and cake, and ber
ries or peaches and cream. Journal of
Health. '
Charles B. Stevens, in the March
number of the Phrenological Journal,
answers this question as follows :
Women, of course. But they show,
the same diversity of taste that is seen in
the lower ranks, and on the whole make
worse mistakes. They, however, gener
ally show the same sense in choosing
wives that they show in managing other
people's affairs, whether it be good or
bad.
Johu Howard, the great philanthro
pist, married his nurse. She was alto
gether beneath him in social life and in
tellectual capacity, and besides this was
fifty-two years old, while he was but
twenty-five. He would iot take no for
an answer, and they weio married, and
lived happily together until her death,
which occurred two years afterward.
Peter the Great, of Russia, married a
peasant girl. She made an excellent
wife and a sagacious Empress.
Humboldt married a poor girl because
he loved her. Of course they were
happy.
Shakspeare loved and wed a farmer's
daughter. She was faithful to her vows,
but we could hardly say the same of the
great bard himself. Like most of the
great poets, he showed too little discrim
ination in bestowing his affection on the
other sex.
Byron married Miss Milbank to get
money to pay his debts. It turned out a
bad shift.
Robert Burns married a farm girl,
with whom he fell in love while they
worked together in the plow field. He,
too, was irregular in his life, and com
mitted the most serious mistakes in con
ducting his domestic affairs.
Milton married the ; daughter of a
country squire, but he lived with her but
a short time. He was an austere, exact
ing literary recluse ; while she was a
rosy, romping country las3, that could
not endure the restraint imposed upon
her, and so they seperated. Subsequent
ly, however, she returned, and they lived
tolerably happy.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
were cousins, and about the only example
in the long line of English monarchs
wherein the marital vows were sacredly
observed and sincere affection existed.
Washington married a widow with two
children. It is enough to say of her
that she was worthy of him, and that they
lived as married folks should, in perfect
harmonv.
John Adams married the daughter of
a Presbyterian clergyman. Her father
objected on account of John's being a
lawyer; he had a bad opinion of the
morals of the profession.
Thomas Jefferson married Mrs. Martha
Skelton, a childless widow, but she
brought him a large fortune in real estate.
After the ceremony, she mounted the
horse behind him, and they rode home
together. It was late in the evening, and
they found the fire out. But the great
statesman bustled around and rebuilt it,
while she seized the broom, and soon put
things to rights. It is needless to say
that they were happy. Jefferson died a
poor man on account of his extreme lib
erality and hospitality.
Benjamin Franklin married the girl
who stood at her father's door and laugh
ed at him as he wandered through the
streets of Philadelphia with rolls of bread
under his arms and his pockets filled with
dirty clothes. - She had occasion to be
happy when sho found herself the wife
of such a great and good man.
It is not generally known that Andrew
Jackson married a lady whose husband
was still living. She was an uneducated
but amiable woman, and was devotedly
attached to the old warrior and statesman.
, John 0. Calhoun married his cousin,
and their children were neither distressed
nor idiotic, but they do not evince the
talent of the great ""States Bights" advQ;
cate. ;
Edward Lytton Bulwer the English
statesman and novelist, married a girl
much his inferior in position, and got a
shrew for his wife. She is now insane.
Gen. Sam. Houston lived happily with
a squaw wife, while Gen. Butler was di
vorced from an accomplished lady.
Edwin Forrest, the great tragedian,
married a beautiful actress, from whom
he was divorced.
General Fremont married the daughter
of Thomas II. Benton against the latter's
wish, which obliged him to elope witb
her on a stormy night. The union proved
a happy one in spite of the equally be
ginning. . - i
Horace Greeley married a school mis
tress whose beauty was questionable, but
whose sense and goodness satisfied one of
the greatest men of his time. ; :
General Sherman married the daugh
ter of Thomas Ewing of Ohio, who was a
member of Gen. Taylor's cabinet.', This
alono would have been a good start in
life for any young man. , r
General Grant married a Miss Dent of
St. Louis. She apparently has more
sense than show, and is therefore fit for
a President's wife. .
A writer writes : "Putting up the hair
of children in curling papers . breaks it
and checks its growth ; often pulls it out
by the roots. Curling irons are fatal to
the hair to both children and grown per
sons. The heat saps up the juice out of
the fibers as effectually as fire or frost
saps the vitality of a green branch, leav
ing but a dry withered skeleton.' lne
practice which hair dressers have of friz
zing out the hair with a comb, to make
the most of of it, is one of the most cruel
injuries that can be inflicted on the living
hair. The comb cuts it in the act of
frizzing it. You can test the truth of
this by combing out the hair after it has
been dressed. The hair sometimes comes
out by the.bandfuls; and further, this
process tangles up the hair, and a great
deal of it is broken and pulled out in try
ing to comb it straight again."
A spring wagon has been invented by
a gentleman in Mayslick, Ky., which he
proposes to run without any kind of an
animal or steam power. He has already
perfected a small model, which runs up
or down hill very rapidly. The power is
received from an immense coiled steel
spring," which will run for half an hour
without being wound up. In' going up
hill the spring exhausts itself, but in
going down hill it winds itself up. The
inventor claims that he can carry very
heavy loads over any ordinary road.
During the present year there will be
two eclipses of the sun. The first will
take place on the 23d of July, but will
be only partial, and invisible in this
country. On August 7th, a total eclipse
of tho sun occurs. This will be the most
interesting that has been witnessed in
the United States for years, and will not
happen again until the last of the century.
The shadow of the earth will commence
crossing the sun's disc about half past
four in the afternoon, and will not entire
ly pass over it until half past six.
The New York Journal of Medicine
says that Dr. Hickman, Demonstrator of
Anatomy in the University of Pennsylva
nia, has met with a case of complete trans
position of the internal organs in the dis
secting room of the University. The
apex of the heart is on the right side ; ia
fact, every organ occupies exactly tbo
opposite side from what is natural. This
may be cited as a 'good case of total
(physical) depravity.
A tall Eastern girl, named Short, loved
a certain big Mr. Little, while Little,
little thinking of Short, loved a little, lass
named Long. To make a long story
short, Little proposed to Long, and Short
longed to be even with Little's shortcom
ings. So Short, meeting Long, threaten
ed to marry Little before Long, which
caused Little in a short time . to marry
Long. Query Did tall Short love big
Little less, because Little loved Long ?. ;,j
! A little girl was very fond of preach
ing to her dolls. She reproved one the
other day for being so wicked. : . "O, you
naughty, sinful child," she said, shaking
the waxen limbs, "you will go to that
lake of brimstone and molasses, and you
won't burn -up you'll just sizzle 1"
A German wrote an obituary on the
death of his wife, of which the following
is a copy : "If mine wife had lived .till
next Friday, she would have been dead
shust two weeks. Nottings is poshible
with the Almighty. As de tree falls, so
musht it stand'. ; , ;
The Emperor of Russia gets $25,000
salary a day; the Sultan 18,000; Napole
on 14,219; the Emperor of Austria 810,-i
000; the King of Prussia $210; Victor
Emanuel 86,340; Victoria $6,270;. Leo
pold of Belgium $1,643; and President
Grant $68 50.. ' -r ; c: ;i
The members of the Illinois Legishv,
ture have invented a new way of increas
ing their salaries, which is simply draw
ing $300 each for "room rent", , : ; I
Three of Grant's Cabinet appointees
are of foreign birth.