vithlikmud kvest nunAV. nv. .
. O 1. I j. V A IS OIjK V K ...
ALBANY,
OREGQN.
TmnKlated from the Grrmui of Frlefcricli Ho
mann.
The Christmas Trees.
4 Christmas Greeting to tlie German Mothers
, of America.
Begirt by Winter's ice and enow,
The farmliouBO stands the forest near;
From one room frolic laughters flow,
And glad-eyed, red-cheeked children peer;
Within the next the mother fares
The door secured against detection
And blithe the Christmas tree prepares
For these heart-buds of her affection.
The father's gone, their guests to bring, '
This day's approach he waited long,
To hear his Christmas fireside ring
With genial German speech aud song.
'Attuned with his in will aud ways,
Her soul with kindred feeling yearns;
And while her hand the tree arrays
To home's sweet vale afar returns.
" Oh, can it be this Christmas air,
The waxen tapers, cakes in season.
Can childhood's memories thus repair
And to the cradle bow our reason ?
Despite the new home's thrift "and gain,
Children and husband loved, this tree
Conveys me back o'er years and main,
My native hearth, again to thee'
Once more I view the scenes of old,
The high-roofed cot at Christmas-tide,
Where children we were wont to hold
Our watch the garden-fence beside. .
How strove we through the panes to stare
When twilight from afar came shyly !
Was not, forsootli, Christkindlein there
With sack of good things larking slyly ? s
Bright, brighter sparkle lights within;
At length kind hands the bolt remove
'Come, children dear; come in; come in ! '
I hear it still as from above.
Ye, from those realms where ye abide,
Maternal heart paternal brow;
Though from your graves dissevered wide,
JTour loving breath is on me now!
xe see my welfare, and ye share
My joy that God has blessed our striving;
The pan;.fs we gave your hearts to bear
Repaid in your grandchildren's thriving.
Wood, smiling fields and house are ours,
More than in wish we dreamed could be;
Yet none of these can match thy powers,
Home-bliss beneath the Christmas tree !
Thou tree ! by love benignly plann'd,
Most precious of the 1 okens dear.
Which from our German fatherland
We brought to bless our children here !
Thou canst alone thou fairest good, .
With pride expand the mother's bosom,.
The tender wife's of German blood,
When for her babes she chids thee blossom.
To Christ's pure faith's enduring reign,
. The Christmas tree affordeth aid
More staunch than any earthly fane;
For naught can cause that tree to fade."
Hark ! hoof s and bells, and grinding sleighs!
Comes father with his German friends
Load roars the log, and 'round its blaze
The song of young and old ascends;
" From heaven above I come to ye"
Then flow the tears without restraining,
And benedictions cross the sea
To those in fatherland remaining.
Oh! hallowed tree, of wonderoe seeds !
The pine-twig grown to stature grand !
Now feels each heart at home, indeed,
As in the olden fatherland. "
HUNGRY ON CHRISTMAS DAY.
A Trie Story.
BY ELIZABETH DtDLEI.
On the alternooe of ecember 21,
185-, though the light .tta fast failing,
a weary looking little lady sat close at
her -window, painting rapidly yet care
fnly as she finished a delicate minia
ture portrait on porcelain, for she was
employed by dne of our largest photo
graphic galleries, at that time just in
the beginning of its existence.
' Two children played lovingly and
merrily at a table near, her room was
unusually pleasant and comfortable
looking, her own dress and the chil
dren's good and suitable there seemed
no cause f or the look of sad and weary
care upon her face but this dear little
woman was one who loved her neighbor
and conscientiously lived for others,and
these were her thoughts:
"I have not seen my young neigh
bors for nearly a week until to-day, and
then the hnsbaad looked so pale and
thin, I fear they are in trouble, and
yet I hardly dare venture in. Oh, this
life in large cities is cruel. Where they
pack us so, utter strangers, in separate
rooms adjoining, and we know nothing
of each other. Our neighbor on the
other side of the partition may be
dying- of grief or loneliness, or want,
while we are careless and gay, until
some morning the janitor comes in
with a scared face to say that the man
in the next room is dead died in the
night alone his body lies there on
the other side of the walL ,Oh, it is too
horrible. Such a thing happened once
in this house before I came to it. It
must not happen again. I will get
paid to-day for this picture, and when
the children are asleep I will run round
to the market and buy a trrkey, with
all the accompaniments, and then I will
invite Mr. and Mrs. Wilson to eat with
us to-morrow, and I will learn if they
are in trouble."
. Inenired bv kindly thoughts, . she
worked faster than ever, and soon the
last touch was gently placed, - the min
iature rigidly scrutinized, and with a
satisfied smile wrapped up. Then tell
ing the children to tret their coats and
bats thev all three hastened away to the
photograph gajlery. One young clerk
was there, having been left in charge
. while the others went home earlier than
. usual. - .y5
"Mr. Poser exnected vou. said he.
7, , "M wnen you Drougns iu
wife s picture to shut up the place and
bring it to his house. Said he knew
you wouldn't disappoint him you
never do." , ... , .
w ' v - " house, Johnnie;- I
!fritakeAm7Be" (and get paid," he
uuou uieiufuiy ).
. 'J V,R fortieth street, but you
hZ? ihMre' Lox, forhe
tMngl Ma.!. near
." Very well, Johnnie; don't undo the
Oh, I'll look out; Merry Christm
- " - ooo ou to-moRav "
" Merry Christmas Johnnie; I shall
. not iorzet you on the . 25th.' hi
. turned sadly away and went slowly home
. . with tue children, trying to share their
enjoyment of the brilliantly ; beautiful
shop windows, where so many things
were displayed that sbje would like to
own. But she scargely thought of that,
her disappointment in not gettinsr the
expected ten dollars that evening, had
quite aerangea ner pians, tor now no
. turkey could be bought.
" Lunch, mamma, lfcugh ! Don't be
so still ! " cried out little Bertie as he
glanced up at her sad face. The mother
smiled to please him, a tender, loving
smile such as an angel's face might
wear,:md both the childrenlaughed out
right. " Dear innocent? ! They know noth
ing: of life's trials aud disappointments!
Neither shall they know; I have always
made them happy and I will still do so,
whether we have a Christmas dinner or
not!" ' ' -
New energy animated her, she joined
with her darlings in admiring beautiful
and wonderful toys, books and all the
various holiday gilts so temptingly dis
played, and only took them home when
they were ready. As she helped little
Bertio up the long, tedious flight of
stairs that led to their two rooms,
while Madge tripped lightly on ahead,
she met Mrs. Wilson, her neighbor
coming down, and exchanging a pleas
ant greeting, saw that the young wife's
eyelashes were wet with tears, while
her voice sounded unnaturally cheer
ful. o the artist, who had Deen a young
wife herself once,and was now a patient,
quiet little widow, fell a-planning again
as soon as she had given the children
their supper, and after a merry game of
romps put them to bed.
" Only one dollar beside the money
for rent !" she sighed,- "and four meals
to provide before I can see Mr. Poser.
Well, I haveaome stores in the pantry,
I will see what there is and then go to
market. I must manage to share my
dinner with my poor neighbors at least
to invite them or 1 shall be troubled
all day ! How glad I am that I bought
gifts for the children three weeks Bince,
when they were cheaper nd I had the
money; now they at least will not be
defrauded of their expected enjoyment
on Christmas day I"
Among the lessons which the vicisis
tudea of life had taught this brave little
woman, was that of the true art of cook
ery how to provide a delicious meal
from cheap and simple materials; so
when she had looked through her pantry
she tripped off to market with a self
satisfied and happy smile, as if she had
been going to buy the largest turkey
and best bunch ot celery to be found
there, though her basket was small and
her purse held only one dollar.
The Wilsons, her neighbors, occupied
but one room, which was warmed by
tire in a larsre open grate,' and Mrs.
Lenox knew that the young wife was
accustomed to cook a simple breakfast
by this fire, every morning. But for i
two mornings past there had been no.j
fragrance ol beefsteak and coffee, or any
other good thing, coming through the
cracks of the nailed up door that led
from her pantry into their room, and she
could not help fearing that they were
living very frugally.
So, on Christmas morning Mrs.
Lenox went with her children to bid her
young neighbors " Merry ' Christmas,"
and when the Wilsons' door was opened
one quick glance showed her that ho
cooking had been done that day, : nor
was likely to be. The husband sat by
the window looking out, while the wife
was sewing near a very small, carefully
built fire.
- Both responded politely at her greet
ing, but they looked pale and sad. ;
The artist hurried back to her room
and wrote a friendly little note inviting
them to share her Christmas dinner,
because her other friends were not com
ing and she did not like to dine alone.
But they wrote a delicately worded,
friendly refusal, on the ground of pre
ferring to spend their holidays , with
each other only.
The kind little woman sighed, i but
went on with her preparations for din
ner, while her children enjoyed the
pretty gifts that had made them happy
since morning. By and by she wrote
another note which read
Don't be annoyed, dear Mrs. Wilson, if I beg
you to accept one little dish from my table
since you prefer to remain at home, because I
am dreadfully superstitious and I believe in the
old Saxon "proverb: "The family whose
Christmas dinner is unshared, will be unlucky
all the year." Bo please do taste a morsel, just
to save me from misfortune. Yours truly,
Kate Lenox.
Then on a china platter she arranged
almost appetizing little filet, tender and
brown and juicy, flanked by sliced po
tatoes browned in gravy, amber Like bits
of carrot tender as jelly, sippets of toast,
and over the whole a gravy that would
have compelled the praise of a French
man. All round these she placed ten
der heart-leaves of lettuce, and put : the
dish on a pretty tea tray with a saucer
ofcranberry jelly beside it, and her lit
tle note edgewise between them, and
softly opening the door looked out.
No one was in the hall, so Mrs. Lenox
noiselessly put the tray close to her
neighbor's door, rapped loudly, and in
stantly darted swiftly back to her own
room, softly shutting herself in. Then
with her children she enjoyed juBt such
a dinner as she had given her neighbor.
There came no sound from the adjoin
ing room, for the walls were thick
enough to muffle ordinary noises, and
Mrs. Lenox did not know if the Wilsons
were pleased or not, but solaced herself
with the saying " no news is good news,"
and took her children out for a walk.
That evening, when the little ones
were asleep and the artist in her pretty
studio reclined on the sofa enjoying a
book, she heard a timid rap, an d Mrs.
Wilson came quietly in. ; She tried , to
speak but could not; her cheeks grew
crimson and her earnest eyes sparkled
with moisture; then as Kate Lenox rose
to receive her neighbor with a pleasant
smile welcome the .young wife fell into
her arms sobbing:
" Oh, you angel. God bless you."
, The artist felt her own eyes grow
dim, but endeavored to speak lightly as
she drew her guest to sit by her on the
sofa, saying: ' - i i'-
. " You are very good not to be vexed
with me for wanting you . to taste my
filet. .Do you know I rather pride my
self on my cooking?" - -
"Ah, God bless you ! ' " You saved
us ! We were hungry ! "
" Hungry ! " cried Kate Lenox, hor
rified. ''Hungry on Christmas day!?'
; Mrs. Wilson could only nod in reply
for her sobs came faster. The . two
ladies sat clasping each other, and Kate
Lenox kissed her neighbor and com
forted her by repeating holy words of
promise; while her own tears fell fast
and her heart stopped beating for a
moment at the thought, ." What if my
darlings should ever be hungry t"
. Mrs. Wilson was not a weak young
woman-only unnerved just then by ex
citement; she composed herself soon
and explained. , . . ., ....
"Yes,"' she said, in low, thrilling
tones, "wo had only a loaf of bread and
bit of cheese all yesterday, and to-day
only a few biscuits, until ; you placed
that delicious dinner at' our door. Oh t
'J it was Xiye. Ihe heavenly manna. W hen
x was eating l tnouyirs x w 'sci
in this world-". , ''
"I am so glad that you were not
angry at me." " ' J
" Harry, was angry at firB.t. He wish
ed me to carry it back at once, and
when I implored him just , to taste a
little, he said we were not beggars, and
ordered me to return it. I think i he
was really out of his mind, he went on
so dreadfully, and reminded me that I
had promised to die with him to-night."
"Oh!"
"Ah, yes don't condemn us too se
verely. He has been sick and out of
work; we have been poor a loner time.
All our clothes are wearing out you
know that is hard on a lady and gentle
man i w e have been used to live well.
Now people owe Harry who don't pay,
and at hist iiis money and courage
went together. But you saved us! Poor
riarry! he had lost his faith in God,
and I, too, have been sorely tried; but
I kept telling him that we should not be
allowed to perish so miserably, that a
ministering angel would be sent, and
you came God's angel! Oh, I love
you! "
tone could say no more for a while,
but Kate Lenfx presently entreated,
" And now you must really let me be
your .friend. I have plenty in the house
for breakfast, that is if you like French
pancakes and coffee."
"Ah, you have given us all we need!
I coaxed and pleaded with Harry till he
ate with me, and presently he rose and
said he felt like a fhan again, and went
out to one debtor , whom he got fifty
dollars from, and this gave him new life;
so that he went 'to a gentleman whom
we know and got an engagement of work
to begin with the new year ! "
"Oh, I am glad ! " d ,
The faces of both women shone with a
radiant happiness, then the young wife
asked:
" May I look at your sleeping chil
dren? " They went in the inner room
where she bent above each little bed a
moment in prayer, and softly murmured
aloud, " May they know happiness as
intense as I have known misery ! "
At the door of the studio, kissing
Kate Lenox with a tender and reverent
grace, she said: ' '
. "You could do only one little deed of
mercy to us, which will last us our lives.
You must minister to others now God's
angel!"
Japanese Imports.
The Pall Mall Gazette says: "Some
interesting remarks on the causes of the
decrease which has occurred . of late
years in the imports of J apan are con
tained in the annual report of the Ger
man Consulate at Nagasaki. It is evi
dent, says the writer, that the Japanese
merchants have greatly over-estimated
the requirements of the country, in con
sequence of which there is a superfluity
in all the markets of European manu
factured and other goods, and prices
have fallen accordingly. It is certainly
singular that a country of about thirty
millions of inhabitants should not be
able to consume a greater huantityf
European goods than it has hitherto
done, and this can only be accounted
for by the fact that the majority of the
people are very poor, wearing but little
clothing in winter and often none at all
in summer, besides which the hand
woven Japan cotton stuffs are very du
able and wear a long time, so that
many Japanese would rather buy them
than European stuffs, though the latter
are cheaper. It is also to be remarked
that the Japanese take great eare of
their clothes, and consequently do not
often require to buy new ones. The
Japanese merchants, too, are very tena
cious in keeping down the prices of im
ported goods ; the competition of Eu
ropeans has accustomed them to low
prices, and they do all they can to pre
vent a rise. The overstocking of the
country with European goods of all
kinds caused very heavy losses last year
both to foreign and native traders, and
has produced a feeling of stagnation
and apathy in business which has never
been observed before."
A Remarkable Adventure.
From the Beaton Globe.
About five , weeks? ago a son of Dr.
W. H. Eldridge, of this district, sud
denly disappeared, and was not heard
from until last Saturday. The boy says
that on the evening of October 19, as be
was leaving the apothecary store on
Bunker Hill street, where he was em
ployed, he was approached by a man
who informed him that a) fire was raging
in the vicinity of Chelsea bridge, and
asked him to go down and see it. Ar
riving at the bridge no fire was to be
seen, and ivhen just on the point of re
turning he was seized around the neck
by the man, who choked him until he
became unconscious, robbed him, and
then threw him into the waters of the
Mystic. The chill which the plunge
into the river gave to his sys
tern restored him so that he was able
to attempt to save himself. The
tide was running out, and he, being a
skillful swimmer, kept from drowning
and floated down the stream until op
posite East Boston, where a friendly
spar which was floating in the water
came near to him, and gaining this he
floated out to sea. He subsequently
became unconscious, and when he ral
lied again he was out of sight of land,
still clinging to the log. After remain
ing in the water nineteen hours, he was
rescued by a brig bound for Greenland,
and as he did not care to visit that coun
try he was placed on board an English
steamer, the name of which he states
was the Norman, and carried to Liver
pool. He improved the first opportu
nity to return home in the steamer
Smyrna, which arrived at this port last
Saturday. ' , .
The Sense of Smell in Insects.
From the Popular Science Monthly tor December.
Entomologists maintain that scent is
very delicate in most insects, and rely
on plausible conjectures on this sub
ject; but they do not as yet know what
the seat of smell in insects is. When
meat is exposed to the air, in a few mo
ments flies make their appearance in a
place where none had before been seen.
If refuse matter or bodies of animals are
left an the ground, insects flock to
them at once, feeding on such sub
stances and depositing their , eggs
in .' them. Scent- alone seems to
guide them, exclusively of sight even,
for, if the object of their desire is hid
den, they easily manage to find it. A
curious fact as to the scent of insects is
furnished by those; kinds that prefer
decaying substances. A beautiful arum
is found - in ' our woods, the cuckoo
pintle, whose white flower diffuses a
disgusting., odor, Now... the inside of
this flower is often, filled with flies,
snails, and plant-lice, seeking the putrid
source of this fetid smell. We may Bee
the little creatures, in qust of their
food or of a fit place to lay their .eggs,
move about in all directions, and quit
most unwillingly the flower whose scent
has misled them. . . . -.
Artificial Nests for Birds.
One of the methods adopted by the
authorities of Paris for the encourage
ment of birds in the parks of that city is
the manufacture and placing of artifi
cial nests so cunningly constructed that
each variety of the birds will recognize
its own home at once, and - suppose it
to be the vacated mansion of a bird
family just moved, out. These' nests
are made by women, and "Llllustra-
tion Bays "they make them for the
theivish and quarrelsome sparrow," the
titmouse, the warbler, the kingfisher,
the chaffinch, cuckoo, blackbird, mag
pie, and others. Three thousand of
these nests have been put up, the plan
having been suggested by a professor of
the Jai'din des jPlantes. The Galaxy.
TERRIFIC POWER OF
DER.
GIANT POW-
Two Men
Killed
and a. Wooden ItniltlinK
hgruercd.
A powder explosion took place re
cently in a small blacksmith shop at the
eastern end of the Delaware, Lacka
wanna and Western Railway tunnel, -used
for the purpose of repairing the
tools of the men employed in the con
struction of the tunnel. As there was
no one about the premises except John
Harvey, the blacksmith, and James
Horn, his assistant, both of whom were
killed, it is impossible to ascertain the
cause of the explosion. The men em
ployed in the tunnel state that the ex
plosion was probably caused by "warm
ing" giant powder. It appears that the
blacksmiths were in the habit of hold
ing the cartridges over the fire for a few
seconds before giving them out; and it is
thought that Harvey was engaged in
this daring occupation when the explos
ion occurred; or that fire had fallen into
the package containing half a dozen
cartridges, ef-ch charged with two ounces
of powder. The explosion occurred be
tween nine and ten P. M., a few min
utes before a train of blasts was fired
inside of the tunnel, and was heard at
a distance of a mile from the tunnel,
but the other succeeded at regular in
tervals, it was at first supposed that an
unusuitily large blast had taken place.
The men in the tunnel rushed out and
found that the blacksmith shop had dis
appeared. They began at once to. search
for the bodies of the men who were at
work there. The shop and its contents
were scattered for a distance of 200
yards, aud the trestle-work of the
North Hudso.i County Bail way Com
pany, which passes over the shop, was
partially destroyed by fire. John Har
vey's body was found on the rocks, a
short distance above the shop. The top
of his head was blown off, and the body
was horribly mangled. His assistant
was found a short distance from the en
trance of the tunnel. His body was also
horribly mangled. Both men were dead,
had apparently been instantly killed.
The bodies were conveyed to their
homes in Jefferson avenue, near Bonner
street. Harvey was thirty years of age and
leaves a wife. Horn was sixteen years
old. He leaves a widowed mother who
was dependent on him for support. A
gang of carpenters were employed yes
terday in building a new shop on the
site of the old one. The blasts at the
tuunel have been so unusually, large on
account of the use of giant powder, that
the explosion on Wednesday night did
not attract the attention of the police,
aiid no report or notice of it was received
at the Police Headquarters or any of the
sub-stations until yesterday morning.
County physician Stout has ordered an
inquest to be held by coroner Rein
hardt. Sheridan and the Horse Thieves.
From the Leavenworth Commercial, Nov. 21.
The night after Gen. Sheridan left
the Cheyenne agency, a band of horse
thieves, headed by the notorious des
perado, Jack Dunnigan, invaded the
place and succeeded in running off 75
head of fine Tndian ponies belonging to
the agency. Sheridan heard of the bold
exploit the next fhorning, and . sent
orders to Fort Dodge to pursue the
thieves as soon as possible, and when
found to "plant them on the prairie"
without any further ado. Acting under
these orders, two detachments started
out from Fort Dodge hard on the trail
of the flying thieves, who, burdened by
the unmanageable herd of ponies, were
making slow progress toward the north
east. About eighty miles north of Fort
JJodge, on the north fork of the Jf awnee,
the military came upon the thieves, who,
seeing that their time had evidently
come, prepared to fight. ' There were
only three one having left before the
appearance of the military with part of
the ponies but they- thought not of
surrender, and calmly laid down in the
" buffalo wallows," with their rifles, to
see the thing out. For nearly an hour
the skirmish lasted, and there was no let
up till the horse-thieves had been rid
dled through and through and yielded
up the ghost. Then the military ap
tujed the ponies, scooped out a hole in
the prairie, and literally " planted" the
villains, as directed by the stern and
inflexible Sheridan. Alter this they re
turned to the post. Meantime another
party, under the direction of Agent
Miles, were spreading about the coun
try to cut off the retreat of Dunnigan,
the chief of all the offenders.' They fol
lowed him to Hutchinson and thence
across the country to some point near
Leavenworth, but he succeeded in es
caping capture, and is now secneted
somewhere in Platte county, Mo. Agent
Miles says Dunnigan is the most cun
ning and deliberate horse-thief on the
frontier, and affirms that $500 will read
ily be given for his capture,
A Puzzled and Indignant Witness.
A paper in Pittsfield, Mass., relates
the following:
They were trying a "horse case" in
court the other day, and the lawyer was
questioning a witness in reference to
the animal's habits and .disposition.
"Have jfou ever driven her ?" was
asked. "I have," was the reply. "Was
there any one with you at the time ?"
was the next question. "There was a
lady with me," the witness answered,
and he blushed a little. " Was she a
good driver?" was the next question,
the lawyer referring to the animal; but
the witness understood that he meant
the lady. ," She was," he replied. "Was
she gentle and kind ?" asked the legal
limb, and the reply was in the affirma
tive, though the witness, still thinking
of the lady, looked a little surprised. '
" She didn't kick?" waa the next inter
rogation, and a decisive "No "was the
answer. " She didn't rear up or kick
over the traces, or put her hind feet
through the dashboard, or try to run
away, or act ugly, or" the witness was
boiling over . with indignation by this
time, and interrupted the lawyer with,
" Do ycu mean the horse or the . lady ?"
" I mean the mare we 're .talking about,"
thundered the counsel. Oh !" was the
response, "I thought you meant the
gal. " And with this explanation the
pursuit of justice was resumed.
The Great Fire at Cronstadt. !
A St. Petersburg letter dated Nov. 5,
says: ' ' !-..::. , .
"The great fire at Cronstadt is still
the universal topic of conversation here.
It! .1. ..
(jronstaat, as everybody Knows, is on
an . island . at the - very mouth of ' the
River Neva. How. therefore, a fire in
such a place can be allowed to spread so
as to destroy the dwelling places of
from 10,000 to 15,000 people puzzles
manv wise men here. The local rarer.
the Cronstadt Bo ten, of to-day gives the
following details: 'Nine squares or
blocks of houses, including the Gostinui
Dwor; or Bazaar, have been completely
destroyed. .The mass of nouses thus
laid in ashes was inhabited by 15,000
people. The buildings consist
ed of 101 wooden and 18 stone
houses, one church, two chapels, fifty
shops in the Gostinui JJwor, and
seventv-eifrht shops attached to the
marine barracks.' It will, perhaps, not
appear bo extraordinary that a consid
erable part of Cronstadt has been de
stroyed by fire when it is remembered
that it has not yet been supplied with
any civilized system of water works
People wiio require water in Cronstadt
have to fetch it from the river whi ih
washes its shores, and as such an opera
tion can hardly keep pace with the de
mand in case of a conflagration, it is
only astonishing that the result has not
" i i m . - r : . jT
been more disastrous, iue aiuuswr
of the Interior has sent 3,000 roubles
as a first installment of government
help: committees are being formed for
private subscriptions, and the rich of
St. Petersburg will, no doubt,
give liberal contributions. But
the misery and "destitution, according to
all accounts, seem great, the frost and
sleet which are now setting in will be
hard to bear, and I rejoice to hear that
steps are about to be taken to obtain aid
in England also. Cronstadt, as the
principal port of Russia, has many
claims on English sympathies, and Rus
sians particularly apprecite any mani
festations of kindly feelings from other
nations. A . great concert, of which
Nilsson is to be the start, will be given
next Sunday for the benefit of the
houseless of Cronstadt, and I hope for
their sake that the result will be bril
liant." Bonner's $250,090 Worthof Horses.,
From the New York CorreHpoudence of the Boston
Times.
Robert Bonner owns $250,000 worth
of equine property; spends five or six
hours out of every twenty -four in his
stables or on the road. He loves horses,
thinks horses, talks horses. Neverthe
less, if he wants to drive to a neighbor's
house, or to a distant part of the city in
the evening, he always hires a carnage
from a livery stable. Dexter and the
other noble steeds are altogether too
fine for ordinary employment. Bonner's
bill at livery is said to be some, $1,500 a
year, while the interest on the value of
his horses at the legal rate is $17,560
per annum. He paid $25,000 for Dex
ter, and he is pronounced profoundly
foolish therefor. He could have sold
him again for $50,000, although he
would not take $100,000. It is one of
his idiosyncracfes, that he never sells
anything. He is only a buyer. Of all
the real estate he has purchased he has
never disposed of a single foot. He
keeps whatever he gets and gets more.
It is said he has made up his mind to
own Goldsmith Maid; and doubtless he
will do so if the mare can be had for
money. Bonner can afford to be ex
travagant. His entire property to-day
cannot be worth less $5,000,000; and
yet it is only a few years since that he
was a toiling printer, delighted to earn
$30 a week.
A Railroad over the Sierra Madre,
Colorado.
In July last the construction of a road
over the Sierra Madre, in Colorado, into
Middle Park, was begun, and on Novem
ber 18 a six-horse coach made the ascent
for the first time. The road runs from
Empire through Berthoud Pass, a gap
in the mountain chain 500 feet below
the timber line, and 10,000 feet above
the sea, with Mt. Russell towering
3,000 feet on the other. From this
point the road descends the Pacific
slope eleven miles to the edge of the
timber, where, crossing Vesques Fork,
it enters a dense grove of young pines
on level ground extending a mile and a
half to the head of Middle Park, which
is an elevated valley 8,4.00 feet above
thfe sea, entirely surrounded by th
lofty chains of the Rocky Mountains
and abounding in magnificent scenery.
This is one of the most famous of the
natural parks of California. A regular
line of f stages from Georgetown to the
park will be erected upon the road next
summer.
A Xew Enterprise.
For me nothing is more interesting
than to sea a man in the first intense
strain of a new enterprise; it may be a
new cider-mill; it may be a new news
paper, it is a great crisis in that man s
life. He has thirty days m one. Old,
trite proverbs take on new and startling
meanings. He looks upon all men and
all things with regard to the accomplish
ment of his one supreme design. Dur
ing a certain time the stars in their
courses fight for him; then the very
universe changes its direction, and
pushes with all its weight against his
tottering walls; another change, and a
thousand accidents are in his favor. He
does not know till years afterward with
what concentration he labored in those
days of beginning. He smiles at him
self, and tells pleasant stories of his
make-shifts and absorption; and now
when he sees another and younger per
son starting his cider-mill, with the
old, outworn enthusiasm,' he looks on
with the same half sympathetic, half
cynical interest with which an. old mar
ried couple contemplate two young peo
ple who have just fallen in love. Scrib
ner'sor December.
Disastrous Failure of the Efforts of
Englishmen to Rival Barnum.
The Colosseum, situated on Broad
way and Thirty -fifth street, New York,
which started last January under such
favorable auspices, with the " Great
Cyclorama of London by Day," has
been closed up under the auctioneer's
hammer. The institution was couduct
ed bv two Englishmen, T. WT. Kennard
and his son, and the building alone cost
$246,000, the loan of which they had
obtamed in jLngland. The Colosseum
was a paying concern until frequent
disputes led to frequent changes in its
management and consequent heavy pe
cuniary loss, the receipts diminishing
down from $1,000 daily to $300. Final
ly, to escape credi tors, Kjennard departed
hastily for Europe, and subsequently
the building and fixtures were sold at
auction and bid in by the creditors.
Rising from its Ashes.
A letter from Greencastle, Ind.,
which .suffered so severely from fire
some weeks ago, says:
I doubt if Greencastle has shown half
as much energy and enterprise in ten
years as it is exhibiting at this time.
The business men did not know how
much pluck and courage they had till,
sixteen days ago, they saw half their
city ih ashes. Now they have gone to
work as if they meant business; have
already cleared away the debris and laid
the foundation of six or eight stores.
The second-story walls of one or two ofH
them are up. The whole block on the
south side of Washington street will be
rebuilt before New Year's. The fire de
stroyed six entire blocks in the heart of
the city, and part of the seventh. The
total loss was about $358,000, of which
about $150,000 'was covered by insur
ance. , The city will be wholly rebuilt
in two or three years, and be hand
somer than ever. It is a city set upon
a hill, with a erood deal of pride as well
as pluck, and has no thought of sitting
down m its ashes and weeping to death
over a net loss of $200,000.
I ..i. in. ii. i i imi. mi........ '
The French keep up their little jokes
"An Alsatian woman goes to confess
'Father, I have committed a great Bin.'
'Weill' I dare not say it; it is too
grievous.' 'Come, come, courage. 'I
have married a Prussian.' 'Keep him,
my daughter. That s your penance.
The Action of Wind-instruments on the
Lungs.
In a series of experiments made to
investigate this matter, Dr. W. H.
Stone first measured the extreme pres
sure that the muscles of the lips could
resist in ordinary persons, and in those
accustomed to the use of wind-instrument.
"The difference-between dif
ferent individuals was very great, some
untrained persons having naturally con
siderable muscular power. About six
feet of water was the ordinary maxi
mum when a small tube was inserted
between the lips." When the hps were
supported by a cupped mouthpiece
such as is used for brass instruments, a
greater height of the column could be
obtained. The great majority of un
trained persons could not support more
than three or four feet of water. It was
to be noticed that the lip muscles in
variably gave way long before the ex
piratory power of the thoracic muscles
was exhausted."
In a second series of experiments a
small glass tube was introduced into the
mouth at an angle, and connected with
a rubber tube which passed over the
shoulder to a pressure gauge placed be
hind the person; by this device the
pressure attending the production of a
note on any instrument by a perfoimer
could be measured. The following
pressures in inches of water were found
to produce an ordinary orchestral tone :
Oboe .lower note?, 9 in. highest, 17 in.
Clarionet.:... ' 15 " " 18 '
liansoon ....-" " 12 " " 24 "
Horn " " 5 " 27 "
Cornet . " 10 " ' 34 "
Trumpet " 12 " 33
Kuphomium.. " 3 " " 40 "
Bombardon. .r , " 3 " 30 "
"It is to be noticed that the elarionet
in this as in some other respects, dif
fers from its kindred instruments, and,
also, that most of the pressures are
small, not exceeding, or, indeed, attain
ing the pressure of a fit of sneezing or
coughing. They are, therefore, very
unlikely to injure the lungs, or to pro
duce the emphysema erroneously at
tributed to them."
A Nice Little Story.
A rich landholder of La Beauce ar
rived with his wife and two daughters
at the Grand Hotel in Paris the other
day. Room No. 117 was engaged, to
the father and mother, and No. 1W to
the young ladies, who retired about 11
o'clock on the evening of ther arrival.
After they had gone to bed the elder of
the two girls left her room, wishing to
get more air. The hall was lit, but she
had no candle. She returned after a
few minutes rather sleepy, and jumped
quickly into bed. "I am frozen," she
said to her sister, - "warm me up."
" With pleasure," responded a bass
voice. The young girl gave a shriek
and bounded from the room. She had
entered No. 121, having mistaken it for
her own room, No. 119. For the next
eight days she did not dare to leave her
apartment..- Finally, venturing to go
down to the table d'hote, she found her
self placed by the side of a military
gentleman. of distinguished appearance.
The joint was brought, and our heroine
asked her neighbor, the military officer,
to pass the salt. " With pleasure," an
swered the voice she had heard in her
night adventure and she fainted away.
Her marriage to the officer will soon
take place. .
An Honest Peddler.
The story of the frugal wife who
trades her husband's old pantaloons for
china to find that he had left a well
filled pocket book in the pockets is not
a new one, but Hudson furnishes a case
with an unusual ending. The wife of a
well-known grocer there made such
sale m J my last, and learned, whenThe
informed her husband of her "bargain"
that the pantaloons contained a wallet
in which were notes to the amount of
$1,500, and other valuable papers. No
clue to the peddler was obtained uutil
a few days ago, when a citizen who had
heard the story recognized the second
hand vender in the street. He was
taken to the grocer to whom he at once
acknowledged that he had found a
pocket book in his purchased clothing;
upon arriviner home, but was not aware
of the value or ownership of the papers
it contained. He said, however, that
they were safe, and that he would re
turn them if the owner would send a
man with him to Albany, where he re
sided. This request was complied with,
and the papers are again in the posses
sion of their owner.
A Scheme of Plunder.
The New York Sunday Mecury savs
application will be made to Congress
this session to incorporate the
United States. Land and Emi
gration Company, with a nominal capi
tal of $10,000,000. The object of the
Companv is denned to be to facilitate
the settlement of the public lands and
of all other unoccupied lands that have
been or may be hereafter crranted by
Congress to aid in the construction
of railroads, canals, or other works
of public improvement or edu
cational institutions; to establish
colonies, and to make regulations for
their- government under the supervision
of an agent. The company may also
enter into any contract with land-grant
railroads for the settlement ol tneir
lands on such terms as they may agree
upon, and to have power to sue its
debtors in all courts, but itself is to be
sued by its own creditors in the United
States Courts only, while its properiy
and franchises are to be exempt from
all taxation, national, state and local,
and, in bleu of taxes, it is to pay annually
1 per cent, of its net income into the
Treasury of the United States.
, Fifty-nine Days Without Food.
From the Macomb (McDoDoufrh Co., III.) Journal
There occurred a death near Industry.
in this county, last week, the patient
living forty-nine days without taking
any food or nourishment, xae person,
a woman by the name of Noper, has
been for years a firm believer in Spirit
ualism, and was, we believe a medium
in that - faith. Something over two
months ago she conceived the idea that
she was possessed with an evil spirit,
and that it was necessary to starve it to
death. Accordingly she began to ab
stain from food of any kind. She re
fused all offers, and when after several
days had elapsed, and from exhaustion,
she was confined to her bed, neighbors
prepared the most savory dishes, hop
ing to tempt her into eating; still she
utterly refused all" offers, informing
tnem tnat sne v s tea by a more appe
tizing food tb in the one they offered.
She supposed that her strength was
miraculously kept up, and in this belief,
singular to relate, she lived within a day
of two months without dying, and was
sensible to the day of her death.
A uldy and her eight-year-old daugb
ter were among uie passengers on a
Woodward avenue car, in Detroit, a
few days ago, and presently the little
miss observed a man take but his hand
kerchief, flourish it around, and then
wipe his nose. J. ne cima leaned over
to her mother, and whispered : "Mam
ma, that gentleman is trying to flirt
with me, uxa x suau give mm we hand
kerchief signal that I distrust his mo
tivesl"
A Nocturne.
BY SAMUEXj WAKD.
Maiden ! while thy fairy fingers
Free those prisoned harmonies
While thy left hand gravely lingers,
And thy right skims o'er the keys.
Darting as hussars manoeuvre,
Skirmishing in mazy drill,
8wift to scatter aud recover
Order, at their leader's will.
' Dreamily I hear two -voices rmma&f
One in fervent tones of prayer,
One that sparktes and rejoices f
As a skylark in the air, , nwJKWi
With bo wild a Jubilation
That its carol seems a taunt. '
Till a sterner modulation
Drops it to the dominant.
Then a dialogue more tender,
Twixt the wooer and the wooed.
Where the latter vows to mend her
Wayward petulance .of mood :
And the manly voioe responding,
Breathes a rapture-bf content.
As through chords with joy resounding
Both in unison are blent.-.
Through the moonht fir-treen, playing
Murmurously, the roving breeze
Kisses the white fingers swaying
Pensively the ivory kers ; I
Cools my brow and soothes tHe beating ...
Of this scarred and crippletl heart,
Still, despite experience, cheating
Me with fond delusion's art)
Me it cheats with phantoms thronging
Dimly up from days of yore,
Shapes of loveliness a d longing.
Dead and gone forever more ;
And as wizards, from the ashes
Of the rose, evoke its graoe,
I recall the spectral flashes
Of a once all-radiant face !"
Kossie, August, 1874.
Odds and Ends.
Doo music barky-roles. ,
The origin of Easter eggs--A hen !
Otstebs are having a r'd tme of it.
A Confectioner edvertiser "paroxis
mal kisses." . .
The fourth of a manA quartee
master.' ...
Bored, yet happy A jgirl with her
first pair of earrings. r
When Noah made the arlfast with a
coble tow, there was a tied in the affairs
of men taken at the flood.
When a man nearly breaks his neck
trying to get out of the way f a "light
ning bug," supposing it to lie the head
Light of a locomotive, it is time for him
to sign the pledge. - -j
A cotrpiiB of fellows wh rere pretty
thoroughly soaked with Bad whiskey,
got into the gutter, After0111161
for sometime, one of them-said: "Let's
get to another house : this hotel leaks."
The Arab chiefs of Algeria who cher
ish quite a rabid devotion to Louis Na
poleon's memory, have subscribed 200,
008 francs for a jeweled decoration to
be placed over his tomb.
The Sherman House, Chicago, recog
nizing the necessity for "retrenchment
these close times, has made a material
reduction in its rates. But there has
been no reduction in its merits as a first
class hotel. Com. ..,!
As two members of the darkey confer
ence were passing down Pennsylvania
avenue in Washington recently, when
one trod on the indigestible portion of a
gear, and as his number elevens went
upirhfe rest of his being was' correspond
ingly lowered. "Ki-yah, Bnidder Jones,
you fallen from grace r chuckled his
companion. "Jot prezaclyi deacon;
I'se get tin' on - de ragged edge of dis
pear."
.Mrs. Jitma A. Perkins, of Cincinna
ti, the child murderess and would-be
suicide, 'has been so far restored to rea
son that she has brought mit against
her husbaud for alimony." It seems
that upon his compulsory retirement
from the firm with which lie was con
nected he received as his share 'of the
business about $21,000. which Mrs. Per
kins alleges he is about to., spend on'
his mistress, and naturally enough, she
desires a small share of the" money her
self. . j .
There is a curious case in Detroit. A
colored man having latelyT)een married
for a second time, no funeral having in
tervened since his first, is .accused of
bigamy. His defence is that the first
wife, so-called, was a white wipman- that
it was illegal iyr a "negro to marry a
white when he did . so, and therefore
that he has now at last only m-cured hia
first legal partner. The judge has laid
the case over for meditation;,"
The Paris Figaro relates the tragic
history of a magpie. It syis a great
favorite of the butcher who, owned it;
but a boy Avho had " received notice,"
and who was to leave in ajsliort time,
taught the bird to say, "ilt's cow's
meat." These provoking words it an
nounced whenever the butcher showed
to his customers his prettiest cuts, and
the juvenile Iago thus compelled that
butch-eito murder his favorite.
T.i-r-rx V... "1 1 ... r 1LA 1 .1
and other pirate crafts of a dozen years
aKt gntJ tms appredative,jiotice in the
London Figaro: " On Thursday last died
Mr. Tiaird, the Member of Birkenhead.
The public life of Mr. Laird was with
out reproach; in private . life he built
and dispatched the Alabama. His
memory will be long kept Wreeri in the
budget, and he has an enduring monu
ment in the taxation of In country
men. V -
A fair and buxom widowki Portland,
who had buried three husbands, recent
ly went with a erentleman. who paid her
marked attention in the davs of hia
adolescence, to inspect the graves of her
dear departed. After contemplating
them some minutes in mournful silence,
she murmured so her companion. "Ah.
Joe, you might have been in that row,
u you only had had a little more cour
age." . . V
M. Henri Robert claims to be the
original inventor of a curious clock,
which consists of a transparent glass
dial suspended by two cords from points
in its border. It has the two usual
hands, but these are 'apparently free
from any machinery to carry them. If
either be moved and then let go it re
turns to its former position alter a few
oscillations. The hands are moved by
mechanism, within " them, by means of
which their centre of gravity is continu
ally displaced.
r The subscriptions to the memorial
statue of the late William H. Seward,
which is to be placed in the Central
Park, have nearly been paid.; The
Committee on Funds, which consists of
George J. Forrest, ".William H. Apple
ton, and Lawrence R. Jerome, have re
ceived about $20,000, which has been
deposited with the Farmers' Loan and
Trust Companv. " Mr. Randolph Rog
ers, the sculptor, who has the order for
the statue, is making very satisfactory
progress on it at Rome, and it is ex
pected that it will be completed before
another year has passed, . The statue
will be made of bronzes, sixteen and a
half feet high, and is to be delivered
and put up in the Centrrl Park for 25,-00.