9TKIQIIHOK.S.
BT 1. I. REXFOSLD.
Who's that a eomin' up the path ?
Run, Betsy Jane, an' are!
Ill bet it's hateful old Miaa Jones
A comin' here to tea.
Miss Perkins, ia it? Deary me !J
I'd ruther hear it thunder I
She's allun round a tattlin :
What brought her her, 1 wonder 7
2 hope she's only come to can.
Uon't ask her, dear, to .stay ;
Tot ef we urged her bard enough,
Shed nnw (o away.
Of all the tattlin' art I know.
Miss Perkins beats 'em holler;
She's comin' hear to spy around,
I'll bet a silver dollar !
Bhe's Kot that old ailk bnnnit on
It's older lhan tbe bills.
An' reallv looks ridiculous
All ruffles, tucks and Irilla .
Good jtraciotw me ! she's got her work ;
1 11 hev togitmykntttin".
I apose you knew Bill Smith had giro
Her darter Ann the mitten t
Come In ! Mies Perkins, it that you I
I'm dvrit glad you're come,
For, a I sed to Betsy .laue.
The Loune seems aufnl dumb.
Miss Perkins, take the rorkiu "-cheer.
An". Utv. take her bnnnit.
Be sun- vou put it where the flies
An' dust won't git upon it.
Bez I, uo. half an hour ago,
8ez I to Betsy Jane,
I wonder where Miss Perkins w I
Here. Betsy, baud that skein
Sez I. 1 bope she' H come to-day.
If nothiu's up to hinder.
She's cotniu' now, sea Betsy Jane,
A lookiu" out tbe winder.
Miss Perkins, take a pinch o' naff.
An' ftll me all the news :
I Haven't heerd 'em in so long
I've almost had the bines.
Miss Johnson's got a new silk drees?
Miss Perkins ! wall, 1 never !
I wonder if she really thinks .
Hex money H last for ever ?
Miss Perkins, yes ! I was at church.
Now, wa'u't you glad to hear
The preacher preach m plain on drees ?
It hit ittrmt folks so clear.
Miss Primrose colored like a beet
Ton knew she wore a feather
An Sary Grimes was awful mad
It hit 'em both together !
I wonder If Squire Pettibone
Hain ' got a bran'-new wig ?
1 really do dislike that man
He feels so awful big!
Ion see him walkin't'other night
Along with KatL'riue Snyder ?
Miss Perkins, that'll ma&ea match,
111 bet a pint o' cider.
The deacon's son is waitiu on
Miss Grimes' cousin Rose?
Way, no ! I hadnt heard o' thai.
"What for, do you suppose T
I hardly think he'll marry her;
His father wont be Willi'.
She's jest as poor as poor can he
She isn't worth a ahillin.
The doctor's wife his got a boy?
Wall, now, that's suthin new.
I a'pose she'd name it arter him.
should, an' shouldn't you ?
f course yon knew Mariar ?n.itii
Had nam d her darter I-illy.
-I'd name her Oabb2ge Hollyhock !
That aint one bit more silly !
Miss Perkins, what : Miss Blodgett leta
Her girls play plays an' dance !
Well. I declare, that takes k down.
An' brats tbe whole ' France!
I know one thing my Betsy Jane
Don't help 'em in their doin's.
I might as wed jest pint tier to
The narrcr read to ruin.
Miss Perkins, hev you heard about
That luss with Peleg Brown ?
You hain't ? Why, goodness gracious me !
It's all atont the town.
They think he cheats his customers
A seliin' saleratus ;
An' say they ketched his vonngest son
A stealiu' green tomatoes.
Of course you've heerd the talk that's round
About the Widow Hatch ?
They say she's after Thomas Sweet,
An' that "will t- a match.
Her hnsban' h'aL-.t been dead six months,
An now she wants another.
She'd never be my darter -in-law
If was Thomas mother !
Hev I heerd of the weddin'? No!
Who, underneath the sun ?
Johu Wait and Huldy Robinson?
Miss Perkins, you're in fun!
Why. he's as much as fifty-two,
An' Huldy isn't twenty ;
But then we know the reason why
The old fool's cash is plenty !
Hiss Perkins, lay your work aside
An' hev a cup o' tea.
This cake of Betsey Jane's is nice ;
Jest try a piece au'see.
I used to like to cook an' bake,
An I knew how to du it.
An' Betsy Jane shall lam it tu ;
I'll eddicateher through it.
Miss Perkins, are yon goin" now?
One thing I'd like to" know
Go bring her bnnnit, Betsy Jane
That's why you hurry so.
Your bunnit's jest as nice as new ;
I swan, it's right in fashion !
Xhem raffles an' these gethers here
Are really very d&sbin.
Oh. yes. Miss Perkins, I tthall come.
Yon must come down agin !
You haven't been here in a so long.
It really is a sin.
Good arternoon yes, Betsy Jane
Shall come an' see your darter.
There ! has she gone ? I really hope
She got what she was arter !
In all my life I never did
See sicb a tattlin' critter !
They'd ought to call her Scaudalbones ;
I'm sure the name ud fit her.
I a'pose I must return her call ;
But I wa'u't sociable at all.
RUNNING A LIVE NEWSPAPER,
I've been on the tripod. I've been run
ning a live newspaper over in Skewton
ville. The village of Skewtonville is
a savage little place where centenarians
die in early life, and where coffin mak
ers accumulate fortunes.
Last week I was informed that Timo
thy Johnson, late editor of the Skewton
ville Roarer, had suddenly deceased,
and that the Board of Directors had
chosen me as his successor, at a salary
of $80, drinks and shirt collars per an
num. I was requested to come at once
to attend Johnson's funeral, and get up
bis obituary for the next issue.
I tied a necktie round my throat, told
Pollv I was going to open a few gems
of thought for a paper, and started for
Skewtonville.
Three drunken ruffians-, smoking Ju
ii i sen weed in cob pipes, met me in the
suburbs of the town, informed me they
were the Board of Directors, and es
corted me to a house where the late
Mr. Johnson was lying in state, in a
pine coffin, with his booti on. They
told me that was the Skewtonville style
of funeral pomp. A melancholy look
ing fellow said the usual things over
the corpse, and assured the crowd that
Johnson's "spirit had taken its flight,"
of which fact I suppose nobody had
any doubt. , ...
Johnson looked as 11 ne naa Deen a
great sinner, and I guess he needed all
the prayers they gave him.
The funeral procession started. The
other folks walkejd, but out of respect
t0 my high position I was mounted on a
depraved mule. We laid the late ed
itor " 'neath the daisies," practically
"ThenT was escorted back to town,
and ushered into a dismal room with a
half-inch hole punched throughthe
wail, which I presumed waa a Skewton
ville window. I thought I had inad
vertently violated some city ordinance
and been put in the calaboose, but one
of the ruffians relieved me with the in
formation that I was in the office of the
.Skewtonville Roarer, a live newspaper,
S2 per annum, payable in corn whisky.
I told him he was a good jokist.
On the floor lay a copy of the Roarer
and next to it a jug of wte I co
not help thinking that they looked like
twin brothers. .. .
One of the directors, who said that
his name was Stufflestreet, raised the
bottle to his lips, and told me that he
was the chief proprietor of the poorer
If I had sold myself to the devil to edit
a paper in the infernal regions I conldn t
have felt meaner. He passed the bot
tle to me, but I told him I had a
brother named after Neal Dow and
John B. Gough, and I couln't indulge.
The trio gazed at me as if I was a wild
animal, pulled my hair, and poked in
my ribs, to ascertain if I had a tangi
ble existence, and then they said they
couldn't solve the mystery. I suppose
they thought all the angels were in
heaven.
The proprietor then handed me a slip
of paper and said :
Make your will. "
" Make what ?" I said, with a horri
ble chill creeping over me,
" Make your will," he repeated.
"Why? " said I, feeling my pulse in
alarm, "I ain't dying, am I?"
"No," he answered, " but an editor's
life is uncertain, and it is well enough
to provide for accidents."
Some conception of the danger of my
situation flashed upon me, and I com
menced to bequeath my worldly effects
to Pelly. Then he handed me a Der
ringer pistol, and said :
" Write Johnson's obituary."
" What am I to do with the Derrin
ger ? " I demanded.
"Write the obituary with it," he
said.
Then he explained to me that the pen
was attached to the pistol, so that if
any one came in while the editor is
penning his Billingsgate, and takes ex
ceptions tne editor is preparea to meet
him. f
I felt my courage oozing away when
the howitzer plan of journalism was
explained to me.
But I wrote Johnson's obituary.
Tte proprietor said Johnson had died
of "pistol-shot." Said he: "that's
the way editors wrap the drapery of
their coneb about 'em here."
I pronounced Johnson's taking-off a
" damnable assassination," and in the
course of the obituary slandered every
maiden, and remarked in general terms
that, with a few exceptions, every man
for miles around there was a horse
thief and a felon.
The proprietor after interlining a lit
tle profanity, said the obituary would
do, and told me to state at the bottom
that " I was personally responsible for
it and could be found on the street at
all hours of the day."
" Why," said I, " won't I have to be
in the office occasionally ?"
" Oh, yes," said he, "that is just a
figurative expression."
Then I signed my name to the obitu
ary which contained enough slander to
subject me to be butchered a thousand
times.
Then the proprietor bade me follow
him.
He led the way to the grave-yard
where he had put Johnson away.
" This," he observed, " is the ' Editors'
Cemetery.' Bead them boards," said
he.
I began "Tim Sniggles; age 28:
late editor Roarer ; bowie knife." " Tom
Jones, editor Roarer ; pistol shot," Arc,
Arc. , until I had read torty of them, and
all had died violent deaths, except one.
Only one died like a Christian, and the
proprietor informed me that he didn't
have any editorial ability."
' .Now, continued the proprietor,
backing up against a tombstone, "we
run a live newspaper here. We make
it hot and livelv."
" Yes," I rejoined, glancing around
the cemetery, " It may be a live news
paper, but I notice it has several dead
editors."
" Pshaw !" was his answer, " what is
life compared to independent journal
ism ?"
I had to give m.
" How long," I inquired, " dees the
average editor live here ?"
" Two or three weeks," was his reply.
I was thinking of my gentle Polly
who might never again behold me with
the bloom of health on my cheek.
Then dropping -one huge tear to the
memory of all "them dead editors," I
walked back gloomily. At the office I
was handed a dictionary yith the re
mark " We use this altogether. Webster
don't express our ideas."
The "dictionary" didn't have a de
cent word in it.
The office was well fortified. The
broom was half pitchfork, and we poked
the fire with a Spanish stilletto. At
midnight I arose from my couch, took
some chalk and wrote on the floor, " My
darling Stufflestreet, an revoir! Here's
my resignation. Take your newspaper
into the cemetery and employ Steve
Iiowery's ebost to run it."
Five minutes later a solitary fugitive
might have been seen going through
the darkness and gloom in the direction
of Oshkosh. That was this individual
fleeing from the sweets of " independ
ent journalism " to the bosom of his
family, and I propose to stay in that
bosom for a considerable length of time,
and Skewtonville journals can seek else
where for an editorial "corpse." Dan
bury News.
THE GRASSHOPPER.
Hlneue of tbe Plains Graphic
De-
scrlptlou of ills Devastations.
Richard Cordley (Lawrence, Kan.) in
Bev.
Boston Conerecationulist.l
I have seen many references to this
" plague of grasshoppers " in Eastern
papers, but no hint as to its extent and
tearfulness. Living in the midst of the
grasshopper region, I have taken some
pains to collect facts in regard to them.
Their invasion and ravages are as won
derful as anything connected with this
' wonderful" West. " The ' ' grasshopper
region " extends from the Indian Terri
tory on the south to Minnesota on the
north, and from the arid plains of the
Rocky Mountains on the west, whence
they originate, to the Mississippi on
the east. It is not often, however, that
they reach the latter boundaries, as
frost generally overtakes them on the
way. This year, however, they are
earlier than usual, and they reach the
rivers before frost comes. So their rav
ages this year will extend, with an occa
sional break and omission, over a region
nearly one thousand miles square.
Their number is simply appalling.
The national debt and the wonders of
geometrical progression are completely
ief t in the shade. Take your little pen
cil while I give you the materials of a
problem. An army of them is passing
over my house as I am writing, going
eastward. Looking up, the air is filled
with them as high as you can see. The
ower strata looks like snow flakes in
the air. Higher up they look like sil
ver dust sprinklsd on the sky. This
immense multitude has been moving
rapidly all day. On Saturday, two days
ago, another army, equally vast, passed
over the city southward, and were seven
hours going over. Now remember that
the army extends, with a few breaks in
the line, nearly one thousand miles, and
while your pencil and fagures may fail,
you can form some conception of the
reality.
Their destruction is as wonderful
as their numbers. When they light
they come down like a snow storm, cov
ering the ground. As soon as they
strike they begin to eat, and they keep
eating till food grows scarce, and then
they move on. In some places their de-
structiveness is more complete than in
others, as their stay varies from three
days to three weeks. They have excellent
appetites and a wide range of diet.
Onions, tobacco, peppers, cabbages and
other strong and oungent articles are
their favorites, but they can accommo
date themselves to circumstances, and
when these luxuries fail, can thrive very
well on such substantias as corn and
grass, or leaves of fruit or forest trees ;
and even as a last resource they devour
the twigs and bark of the trees and the
stalks of the corn, as the hard-tack of
the campaign. The rapiditv of their
work is almost incredible. The great
corn fields of these prairies seem to
melt before them almost while you are
looking at them : orchards and forests
exhibit the baldness of winter, and the
whole country looks as though a fire
had passed over it. A farmer told me
he had 100 acres of corn in one field, so
rank vou could not see through it. The
grasshoppers struck it about noon, and
in a few hours only bare stalks were
standing. " It just melted away before
my eyes," he said. And what they have
done for him they have done for all.
The bottom of the lands of the Kw
(Kansas) river, which for 100 miles west
of here are almost one unbroken corn
field, show nothing but bare stalks.
Where the corn is mature, they leave
the ear and stalk. Bat where it is
green, they sweep the whole away. In
this region much of the com was about
ripe and is safe. One hundred miles west
of us the grasshoppers come earlier,
and there is absolutely no harvest.
I drove several miles through fields
on the Kaw bottom tfhere the grass
hoppers were working. The sound of
their eating was as if a drove of cattle
were in the field. In my own yard you
could hear them distinctly, eating
among the trees. At any hour of the
night you could go to the door and hear
the work going on. It took but a few
days to strip the trees of their leaves,
the yards of their grass, the gardens of
their plants, and the fields of their har
vests. When food becomes scarce they
all rise together as if by word of com
mand, and pass on to " greener fields,"
if not to " milder skies." It is the best
appointed army ever known. They
move and camp and work in concert, as
if directed by some common voice.
They forage on the country as
they move. If one of them gets hurt
or killed, his companions at once eat
him up. So they need neither baggage
wagon nor stores, ambulance nor sur
geon.
The insect itself differs from the com
mon grasshopper. In addition to its
jump-apparatus, it is furnished with
tour white wings, which do not simply
help it to hop, but on which it flies in
definite distances miles perhaps hun
dreds of miles. It is no doubt nearly
identical with the locust bug of Scrip
ture. The second chapter of Joel con
tains a very fine poetical description
of an invasion of locusts. It might be
all literally applied to these Western
plains to-day. They come like "a strong
people in battle array " with a ncise
like " chariots on the top of the moun
tains or fire that devoureth the stub
ble." " They march every one on his
own way and do not break their ranks."
"They run up upon the wall, climb
upon the houses, and enter in at the
windows. isefore them the people are
"pained, and all faces gether black
ness. The land is as a garden of
Eden before them ; behind them a des
olate wilderness. Man is helpless be
fore them, as before the elements of
God. There is no resisting, or destroy
ing, or turning them. They come like
hre or Hood, sweeping all belore them.
There seems to be no limit to their
numbers or destructiveness. No mat
ter how rich a country maybe, they can
lay it waste while we are looking at
tuem.
Whence do they come, and whither
do they go ? They are not natives of
this country, neither do they perpetn
ate their race here. In the fall they
all nil the sou with their eggs, and in
the spring the young grasshoppers
come forth in numbers so vast that it
almost seems as if the dust itself had
been vitalized. But they proceed at
once southeast
" In the paths their fathers trod."
and are never heard of again. Each in
vasion is a new stock fresh from the
plains among the Rocky Mountains.
There they are born and brought up ;
but like btephen A. JJouglas with Ver
mont, find it " a good place to emigrate
from. " Their incursions are more usually
limited than this year. One year it is Min
nesota, another Arizona, another Kan
sas. But this year it seems to " thunder
all around the sky."
But will they not prove a fatal objec
tion to that region of country, and par
alyze its prosperity ? Many of our peo
ple, smarting under their terrible losses,
are now almost ready to say so. We
have our " Job Goodwins " here, " who
snuff calamity afar eff," as the horses
of Scripture do the battle. I have even
heard the prediction that this country
will be found uninhabitable in conse
quence.
A single glance will show the absurd
ity of any such conclusion. All coun
tries have their drawbacks usually in
proportion to their advantages. These
grasshoppers are one of the drawbacks
to this wonderfully rich soil. But it is
so rich that if the whole crop were con
sumed every Becond year it would still
support a dense population. But the
grasshoppers have only come three
times in twenty years, and twice they
came so late as to do little damage.
This year the ravages are fearful, and
the losses will count up among the mill
ions. The western part of the State,
which is new and dependent on the
corn crop, is completely destitute. In
the older sections, however, a fine wheat
crop haa been secured, and half the
corn was too nearly mature to be de
stroyed. So, doubtless, that country
will survive and prosper notwithstand
ing. The humors of the campaign are not
a few. At Topeka they said they "eat
the peaches from the trees and then
threw the stones at the people as they
passed." In Wisconsin they say '" they
stopped a train one morning, seized the
daily papers, and there learning that a
section had been missed by them, turned
back and finished up the job." Stop
ping the train is no joke. They have
frequently piled themselves on the
track so as to cause the driving
wheels to stick on their broken bodies.
The ladies have a special aversion to
them, as they cannot walk out without
capturing from fifty to two hundred and
bring them home. In church you can
safely assume that every lady has a few
score hiding m tne loius 01 ner rooes,
A sudden twitching ot the features, a
clutching of the fingers, or a faint
scream, will indicate that one of these
caotives has "struck for liberty."
The grasshopper is bound to play an
important part in hiBtory. He is already
an element in our politics, and parties
may vet ride into power on his back.
They are certainly a mighty people, and
whatever we may think of them, we
have ceased to despise them. We have
learned to fear them, and almost stand
in awe of them. We fear them for their
power, and we stand in awe at the evi
dent intelligence that underlies and
guides their movements.
Execution of au Extraordinary Mur
derer. "London Cor. New York Graphic
An extraordinary murderer was exe
cuted ew days ago within the walls
of York (Jastle. His name was Wil
liam Jackson. He was a soldier, and
he was hung for the murder of his sis
ter,Vhom he killed, although he loved
her, and for no other reason than that
she insisted on going with him to keep
him out of bad company. He made
the following confession a few hours
before his death :
I left Cartliorpe for Kirklington at
ten minutes past five o'clock with my
sister. We went to Kirklington togoth-
er, and when we got to Kirklington we
went to Mrs. Husthwaite's and stayed
there for half an hour, and then left for
Ripon, my sister saying she would set
me on the way. When we got to Kirk
lington Church I told her she had bet
ter go back again, as it was getting
rather late. She said, " No ; I'll go a
little further yet." She went with me
till we got to the other side of the barn
field. She then wanted to go with me
altogether. I said, " No ; i'ts no use
you talking, Lizzie ; you shan't go with
me at present. " But I said she could
come to me when I got work. She
said, " No ; I will go with you now ;
for when you get away you'll never
write any more." So I told her, "Yes
I will, you needn't fear ;" but she said,
"No, 1 will go with thee ; for X know
what thou is when thou gets away." So
I said "goodnight" to her. She com
menced crying when I shook hands to
part with her. So when I shook hands
with her and turned my back to go
away from her, walking as quick as ever
I could, she ran after me. Two men
passed us while this was taking place.
When she got up to me I turned around
and said, " Now, Lizzie, you had bet
ter go back. She says to me, "1 will
not go back ; wherever thou goest I'll
go with thee." So I made no more to
do. I opened my black bag and took
out my razor, and cut my sister Lizzie's
throat. She dropped on the footpath,
and I lifted her off. She muttered,
"O, Will," I think, and then I ran
away. My hand was bloody when I
opened the gate close by. I put the
razor in the hedge on the left hand
side of the road, about a mile from
Well, on the Masham road. I am very
sorry for what I have done, and can
not express my remorse as I should
like. I loved her dearer than myself,
and I hope that God will forgive me ;
and I am very sorry for not confessing
this great sin before this.
Moths in Carpets.
One can never be quite sure that their
carpets are not being consumed by
moths, except for a few weeks after
having taken them up and thoroughly
cleaned, unless something is used to
prevent their growth or to destroy them.
This often necessitates the taking up and
cleaning of a carpet that otherwise would
not need the renovation.
With an ingrain of Lowell this need
less labor may be saved by laying down
a damp cloth, and over it thoroughly
rubbing the edges with a hot flat-iron ;
this will kill the motns, if any have ac
cumulated. But with the tapestry,
Brussell, or velvet, the ironing is not
effectual ; besides it injures the carpet.
Much hard work can be saved, however,
by removing the tacks, one side at a
time, rolling back, and examining the
edges. If there are any moths, they
must be brushed off and burned ; and
to effectually destroy the life of all de
posits, the edges of the carpets must be
ironed, as before stated, but on the
wrong side. The edge of the carpet
lining should be thoroughly looked to,
and the exposed edge of the floor wash
ed, and while damp sprinkled with salt.
If .the carpet is to be folded under in
any place, sprinkle salt between the
folds and see that the floor is well cov
ered with salt for an inch or two under
the edge of the carpet all around. If
salt was always put under the edges of
carpets before tacking them down,moths
would have but slight chance to trouble
them.
A Monkey Doctor.
All previous narratives f intelligent
proceedings on the part of animals are
thrown into the shade by the following
account of a medical monkey described
by the Oriental correspondent of a Lon
don journal : He one day saw a monkey
holding a snake by the throat and rub
bing its head in the dirt, but, as the
ground was moist and damp, the snake
was not readily killed by this mode of
punishment. Every now and then the
monkey would look most knowingly in
the face of the reptile to see if it was
dead, and in the course of these inves
tigations the monkey received a severe
bite. This angered him and he speedi
ly dispatched the snake, but its coils
had hardly relaxed before the monkey
reeled and fell prostrate, apparently in
all the agonies of death by poison. By
this time an aged-looking monkey ar
rived on the scene, and after examining
the body of the snake and its victim, he
immediately started for some neighbor
ing bushes, where he collected some
leaves of the plant known as the red
cherchita. These he rapidly and skill
fully fashioned into a sort of pill,
which he administered to his snake-
bitten companion, who speedily revived
and walked off with his physician. The
story is declared to come from trust
worthy sources.
Horrible Murder in Calcutta.
A most atrocious murder has been
committed in Calcutta. In April last,
a goldsmith, both by caste and trade,
living in Amherst street, gave his
daughter, a girl about 9 years old, in
marriage, She remained at her father-in-law's
till a short time ago, when she
returned to her own father's house. The
wife of an opposite neighbor, who is
also a goldsmith by trade, asked the
girl to come over and show her wed
ding jewels. The two families were on
friendly terms, and the girl, with her
mother's permission, decked herself
with the jewels, said to be worth many
hundred, or, as some assert, a thousand
rupees, and went over, with female
pride, to exhibit to her friends her nup
tial presents. She had not been there
long, however, when she was seized, her
throat cut, and her body, being stripped
of all valuables, was buried, in a stand
ing position, in a workshop of the
house, the inmates of which consist of
the owner, his wife, and two workmen.
When the police, on getting informa
tion f the murder, went to the house
and questioned these persons, they
one and all declared that the murdered
child had never come to the house, and
in this statement they resolutely per
sisted tm tne body was exhumed.
Light Corn Bread. Four quarts of
corn meal, half . a teacupful of sugar,
one saucer of flour, with yeast, and
enough warm water to mix. Bake one
hour. Do not put it to bake till light.
Wales' Debts The Qneen Arranges
for their Settlement.
A London letter to the New York
World says: "The Queen has done
the handsome thing by her eldest boy ;
and probably no act of this good
Queen's reign was wiser than her some
what tardy resolution to pay the debts
of the Prince of Wales. This is what
she has now done or, rather, she has
made an arrangement with the credit
ors of the Prince by which thev will
get all their money in three vears. " The
amount of the debts, by a, judicious
examination of the claims, has been re
duced to about 600,000 a trifle of
only $3,000,000, you will see and I
believe that the claim of the Duke of
Edinburgh was the one that was cut
down the most. This sum the Queen
has agreed to pay in three equal annual
installments of 200,000 each, and the
first payment has already been made by
a check on Drummond'p, where her
Majesty keeps her money, or at least
some of it. The hand of Mr. Disraeli
has probably had something to do with
this wise arrangement. When Mr.
Gladstone was in power he was asked
to make an appeal to Parliament for
money to pay these debts, and he
rather encouraged the idea. One of
his Cabinet Ministers, however, rather
violently declared that if such an appeal
were made he should oppose it, and the
matter was in abeyance when the
change of government occurred. Mr.
Disraeli, whose good sense never de
serts him, advised the Queen that,
though Parliament would no doubt vote
the money, the appropriation would be
an extremely unpopular one, and that
her Majesty wouid do much better to
pay these debts out of her own re
sources. This excellent advice the
Queen has accepted.
Ancient Trees in Nevada.
The Virginia City (Nevada) Enter
prise says : "In the bottom of the
mam shaft of the Virginia City Coal
Company, El Dorado Canen, Lyon
county, has been encountered the trunk
of a tree four feet in diameter, a lone
relic of an ancient and extinct forest.
Where cut through by the shaft this
old tree is found to be perfectly carbon
ized turned into coal. Outside, the
log is completely crusted over with iron
pyrites, many of which are so bright
that the crystals shine like diamonds.
These pyrites also extend into the body
of the log, filling what were apparently
once cracks or wind-shakes, and even
forming clusters about what was once
the heart of the tree. This relic of an
old-time forest lies far below the two
veins of coal the company are about to
open. The finding of this ld trunk is
evidence that the country was at one
time, ages and ages ago, covered by a
forest of great trees ; though the native
timber growth, when the country was
first visited by the whites, and as far
back as the traditions of the Indians
extend, was but a scrubby species of nut
pine. A few miles from the shaft in
which the carbonized tree was found
are to be seen on the surface the petri
fied remains of many large trees. In
the early days of Washoe, before the
prospectors had broken them up for
specimens, pieces of tree-trunks two or
three feet in diameter were to be seen
lying upon the surface of the ground.
However, these trees, and even the one
found in the bottom of the shaft of the
coal-ruins, may have come from the feot
hills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains
may have drifted out when seas of water
everywhere covered our present valleys.
The water hues visible on the hills
show that the whole country was filled
with lakes and petrified trees lying here
and there on the surface of the ground
probably floated out on the waters of
the extinct lakes, and finally sunk to the
bottom in the place where' they now are
found."
A French Newspaper Office.
A Paris correspondent says in de
scribing the office of the Figaro :
" Opening upon the grand gallery that
runs around the Spanish paho, or ro
tunda, are the rooms or hails that lead
to the roor.es of the various employes.
These are all furnished in magnificent
style, with rosewood furniture, rich car
pets, tapestry, b-onzes and marble, stat
ues. Some rocms accommodate a sin
gle writer, others two or three. The
principal editor, De Villemessant, oc
cupies a small room on the ground
floor, to the right of the principal en
trance. There are also a richly fur
nished council-room, in which all the
literary force meets once each month ;
bedrooms, bath-rooms, and breakfast
and dining rooms for all of the liter
ary force of the paper, save the editor-in-chief,
eats, sleeps, and lives in the
building. There is also one very large
room whose sides are hung with masks
and glittering foils. Each day at two
o'clock all the employes assemble in
this room and receive lessons in fencing
from an expert. This is obligatory on
each one, for the reason that each indi
vidual is expected to hold himself in
readiness to call or be called to the field
of honor at a moment's notice. Any
hesitation in such a case would secure
the instant dismissal of the individual
involved.
A Classical Revival.
Curious to relate, from the conclu
sion of several surgeons in the German
army, that detriment to health and even
death itself have resulted from the
practice of wearing leather shoes in wet
weather, some of the scientific societies
of the Continent have recommended the
manufacture of wooden shoes for sol
diers, outdoor laborers, and others who
are obliged to be abroad without regard
to the elements. An experienced work
man from France was a short time
since called to Germany to superintend
the manufacture of wooden shoes on an
extensive scale in the latter country.
These are represented as being light
and easy to wear, and are provided with
a small cushion within the upper side,
to obviate any pressure on that part of
the foot; they are also said to be of
neat and pleasing appearance, black
ened or varnished ; are made large
enough to accommodate comfortable
stockings, and are furnished with leath
er straps.
When people go out turkey -shooting,
they should make themselves moder
ately certain of the kind of game at
which they aim. Inconvenient conse
quences are likely to follow mistakes,
as in the case of two men of Michigan,
Stoddart and Carver by name. After
separating, they made use of a call to
attract the attention of the game. In a
short time each hunter heard an answer
to his call, and each approached the
spot where the sound came from. Car
ver was the better hunter, for he kep
himself concealed, while at the same
time he observed a dark object moving
in the bushes. He took deliberate aim
and fired. When he ran forward to se
cure the turkey, he found that his bul
let bad perforated the head of his friend
Stoddart, who died in a few minutes.
People who cannot distinguish human
beings from turkeys ought not to be
trusted with a gun.
The Clay-Randolph Duel.
Although Randolph yielded to the
foolish and outrageous demands of th
duello, it illustrated more than an
other event of his career the true no
bility of his character. He expected t
loose his life as the result of his ac
ceptance of the challenge. He madt
codicils to his will " the bequesto
slight in value, but invaluable in ten
derness of feeling and beauty of ex
pression. " His namesake was sent tc
Baltimore to save " the boy" from the
sudden shock of seeing him brought
from the field dead. Both Gen. Jamet
Hamilton and Thomas H. Benton have
left assurances of the tender care and
thoughtfulness exercised on the part oi
Randolph previous to their engage
ment. " The night before," says Hamilton.
" Mr. Randolph sent for me. I found
him calm, but in a singularly kind and
confiding mood. He told me that he
had something on his mind to tell me.
He then remarked : ' Hamilton, I have
determined to receive, without return
ing, Clay's fire ; nothing shall induce
me to harm a hair of his head ; I will
not make his wife a widow nor his chil
dren orphans. Their tears would be
Bhed over his grave ; but when the sod
of Virginia rests on my bosom, there is
not one in the wide world, not one in
dividual, to pay this tribute upon mine.'
His eyes filled, and, resting his head
upon his hand, we remained some min
utes silent. Col. Tatnall re
marked : Mr. Randolph I am told you
have determined not to return Mr. Clay's
fire ; I must say to you my dear sir, if
I am only to go out to see you shot
down, you must find some other friend. '
After a pause Randolph, smilingly, said:
Well, Tatnall, I promise you one tuing:
if I see the devil in Clay's eye, and that,
with malice prepense, he means to take
my life, I may change my mind ;' a re
mark I knew he made merely to pro
pitiate the anxiety of his friend. " To
try the depth of his sincerity he was
told after some time had elapsed, of a
visit to Mrs. Clay the night before "of
the late sitting, the child asleep, the
unconscious tranquillity of Mrs. Clay;"
and it was added that the visitor "could
not help reflecting how different all
might be the next night. " The reply
which it brought "seemed to rebuke an
unworthy doubt;" he said: "I shall
do nothing to disturb the sleep of the
child or the repose of the mother."
Further accounts of the duel repre
sent that it took place on the banks of
the Potomac river, not far from Wash
ington, and that the sun could be seen
just setting behind the blue hills of
Randolph's own Virginia. He could see
no "devil in Clay's eye." He turned
to Hamilton and said, "Clay is calm,
but not vindictive ; I hold my purpose,
in any event ; remember,: this. " Clay's
bullet passed through his adversayr's
coat very near the hip. Randolph then,
discharging his pistol in the air, re
marked : "I do not fire at you." Mr.
Clay was affected when he saw tffat Mr.
Randolph had thrown away his fire, and,
approaching him, said: "I trust in
God, my dear sir, you are untouched ;
after what has occurred I would not
have harmed you for a thousand worlds. "
But it was evident, from the course of
his bullet, that Clay had intended to
kill his man. Is it possible to conceive
of a more happy termination to a most
unhappy affair. Sabine's Notes.
The Sewers of Paris.
The most novel sensation I have had
in Paris has been a visit to the cele
brated sewers. They are not equaled
in the world. With a partv of fitty we
went down from the " Place Chatelet"
by a winding stairway. We foun dour
selves in a long arched cellar, or tunnel,
about fifteen feet wide. Through the
center flows the water which comes
from the house-roofs and streets. Over
this water is a railway track and a half
dozen open cars, lighted by red lamps.
We all took our places on the pretty
cars, and four stout fellows, with ropes
attached to the cars, started off into the
dark passage at a round trot. We oc
casionally passed side-cuts emptying
into the sewer we were traversing. At
intervals red lamps are hung in the
archway above our heads. After roll
ing in the cars beneath the " Rue de
Rivoli" to the " Place de la Concorde"
our train halted, and we were all trans
ferred to a line of boats. Each boat
would hold twenty persons. Then we were
pushed along by men on a tow-path for
almost a half mile further through a
wider sewer than the first. " Was not
the odor intolerable ?" No ; not at all.
It was scarcely offensive. Pure water
pours into the sewer constantly, and
pure air likewise. The foulest efluvioe
of the city are carried off in other di
rections than by these more "genteel"
sewers which we used as a route for
pleasure travel. One use to which
these wonderful subterranean passages
may be put is that of military defense.
Troops may be moved through them by
the government in an emergency. They
are certainly marvels of masonry, aud
of sanitary protection. Nothing in
Paris is more worthy of study than
these wonderful labyrinths of stone
which underdrain the whole capital.
As I came up out of the sewers, one
thought that occurred to me was that it
would have been a capital place to put
the "Brooklyn scandal" (and some of
the actors too) about two years ago.
Rev. T. L. Cuyler in the New York
Evangelist.
Stop Coughing.
In one of his Boston lectures, Dr.
Brown-Sequard gives the following
simple means of checking coughing,
sneezing, etc.: '"Coughing can be
stopped by pressing on the nerves of
the Lip in the neighborhood of the nose.
A pressure there may prevent a cough
when it is beginning. Sneezing may be
stopped by the same mechanism. Press
ing, also, in the neighborhood of the
ear, may stop coughing. It is so, also,
of hiccough, but much less so than for
sneezing or coughing. Press very hard
on the top of the mouth inside is also
a means of stopping coughing. And I
may say that the will has immense
power there. There was a French sur
geon who used to say, whenever he en
tered the wards of his hospital, ' The
first patient who coughs here will be
deprived of food to-day.' It was ex
ceedingly rare that a patient coughed
then." Rural New Yorker.
The Thames Getting Disv. The
Londoners are getting scared over re
ports that the Thames is drying up,
and there appear to be grounds for
apprehension. The river is exceedingly
low, and the embankment seems to
have drained the upper part of the
stream. Unless a weir, or some other
means of prevention is constructed, the
days of boating on the upper part of
the stream are near their close. The
embankment, which has been regarded
as so grand an achievement, is thus
proving to be ,a more costly and more
troublesome affair than was at first ex
pected, but the resources of engineer
ing art are almost boundless, and a way
to cure the difficulty will ere long be
found.
The Colors of Animals.
Color is often the protector of the
life of the creature. In this respect
he principle of utility, which is much
-poken about by the partisans of the
oheory of indefinite transformations,
manifested in all parts of the organism,
requires little consideration to be
leemed indisputable. The hunter
readily believes that the animal has
succeeded in escaping from him in con
sequence of the gray or tawny color of
its fur, which was scarcely to be dis
tinguished from the so::, or of its
plumage, which was almost identical;
with the foliage of the trees. In num
berless cases, hares aud rabbits, flying:
over the naked soil, are able to evade
their pursuers from a similar cause.
The antelopes of Africa tiiid the kanga
roos of Australia have ccats that pro
cure for them equal advantages. The
lion may be citei as a irsagtiiacent ex
ample of the conformity ol coloration.
Lying upon the sand of t':.e desert, or
squatted among the roekf. the animal
at a short distance wonli e almost in
visible, and the gazelle would approach
him without fear of danger. The polar
bear does not stand out c- I'-p'-euonsly
upon the glaciers ; the arctic fox, the
ermine, the Alpine hare, which have
earthly tints in summer, have in winter
the whiteness of the fields of snow which
they traverse. Nocturnal beasts, bats
rats, and mice wear vestments which
are well suited to obscuritv. Although
the tiger, the leopard, the panther have,
it is true, very visible markings, yet.
they hide themselves beneath trees,,
where they spring upon their prey.
Among birds protective colors are very
common. Even without the testimony
of travelers we should have good reason
to suppose that paroijnets, touraoos and
parrots, colored with all sorts of beauti
ful shades of green, would be very diffi
cult of discovery in tropical forests. In
the desert, where there is no shelter,
and where neither tree ntr bush is to
be seen, swallows, quail!-, linnets, und
gangas, which inhabit such localities,
wear plumage of various shades of gray
and
Isabella similar to The sands
and gravel. In the mountains of En
rope the lagopede (a species of par
tridge) during the snmmer Las a plum
age which exactly harmouires with the
tint of rocks covered with Lichens. The
bird delights to harbor among such
rocks, and sportsmen say thht frequent
ly a large flock of them escape notice.
In the winter, however, the lagopede
changes his costume and becomes ae
white as the snows ; he again succeeds .
in warding off attention. The vellows,
browns, and " dead-leaf " tints of
grouse render the anima! almost invisi
ble when reposing among trees in the
woods. A species of goat-sucker found
in South America is of such peculiar
tints that when it is lying upon the lit
tie rocky islands of the Eio Negro it
cannot be perceived by the nearest
vision. Revue des T)eux ifondes.
The Country Uoss Jockey.
For a red hot speshia'ity yu Lav got
to hunt kreashnn cluss to rind un equal
to the country hoss jockey.
He iz most allwuss a mar ev plezant
temperament and urbane manners, vain
ov hiz opinyuns, often ov more fancy
than judgment, and quick to decide.
He haz but little real affeckshun for
a hoss, and only luvs him for the cheat,
that iz in him.
He iz alwuss reddy to trade for enny
thing, from a yerling colt to the cavelryr
hoss that Gen. Washington rode at tht
battle ov Brandywinc.
Me never knows when he gits cheated,
and invariably beleaves the last nag hi
got iz the best one he ever owned.
He iz not bothered with enny con
shence when it cums to a trade, and
would lay out a traveling preacher in
a swop just az quick az he would hir.
own brother, and do it without enny
malice, but just for the honor ov the
profession.
He allwuss fully beleaves he kan loot
rite thru a hoss from top to toe, but
thare iz no one gits cheated oftener, oi
wuss, than he duz.
Hiz cunning disarms him. and often
when he thinks he iz fairly trading hiz
opponent klean out ov a boss, the other
fellow iz not only trading hira out ov a
hoss, but a harness into tut bargain.
Thare ain't a village in America ov
200 voters but what haz it perrenial
hoss jockey, who kan be found at enny
time at the village inn, reddy to " odd
or even " for a whisky toddy, or swop a
spavined pelter for a wind-broken, crib
biting rantee.
I never knu one ov this fraternity to
git ritch, and i never knu one yet "but
what fully beleaved tht-re waz more
munny in it than in enny legitimate
bizzness.
I dont kno whi it iz that a man kan
swop cows and be pious, or kan trade
oxen and be a good deakon, or even
negoshiate dogs and be looked upon az
virteuous, but when he takes up the
hoss swop enterprize, if he kant cheat
he aint happy.
I never hav seen a hose jockey yet
who waz honest from principle ; i hav
known them, once in a while, to lie
honest from policy.
The man who iz simply honest from
policy needs more watching than a hive
ov bees who are gitting reddy to swarm.
Josh Billings.
Anaesthetics.
Anesthesia means "without feeling."
It is applied now to insensibility to
pain, by breathing certain kinds of air
or odors for the purpose of undergoing
operations without feeling the pain of
them. These are nitrous oxide, ether
and chloroform. The first, or laughing
gas, is entirely safe, and is breathed
pure, wholly without any admixure of
common air. Chloroform is the most
dangerous; it should not be breathed
unless there is ninety-seven per cent, of:
air mixed with it. In breathing ether
the throat should be gradually accus
tomed to it by sniffing it for a few
breaths, and then exclude the air alto
gether. General readers should ac
quaint themselves with a few facts
about the nature, uses and effects of an
aesthetics. No one should use them
who has any form of heart or luug dis
ease. It is better not to take them afe
all, in view of an operation, unless the
system is fully under its power. There
is danger if, while a person is breathing
an anaesthetic, the innpiration is hard
and short, or the expiration is feeble
and long, or the chest eases to move,
or snorting in the throat. Only chloro
form induces an arrest of the heart's
action ; then the danger of death is
most imminent.
Night Work. The standard au
thority in sanitary and medical matters,
the London Liancet, declares that work
by night need be no more injurious
than work by day, if kept within hours,
not curtailing the requisite period of
sleep, and pursued by a steady, white,
and properly powerful light. Faint,
flickering, or too diffused light pro
duces irritation of the brain through
the eye, and is one of the chief sources
of injury to the health in night work.