The Christmas Gift.
BV X. D. BRINE.
Around the Curustmaa tree we stood,
. And watched the children's face.
As they their little gift received
With childish aim and graces.
We grows folks had our share of fun
In making vee ones merry.
And laughed to see the juvenile
Kiss 'neath the ' holly herry."
Beside me sat sweet Bessie Moore.
A lovely dark-eyed maiden.
While near her Htood our little Eve.
Her arms with love-gifts laden,
Until around the room she went,
The blue-vyed baby, shyly.
And, blushing red, into each Ian
Her offerings dropped slyly.
But when to nit the d&rling came
All empty-handed was she.
And when I asked, " Why slight me thus :
She answered. Oh, betause we
We dlnna know you. turamhig here !"
And then, with blue eyes shining,
To sister's side she went, her arms
Her sister's neck entwining.
But sotiirthing I must have," said I.
"My Christmas heart to gladen."
A shade of tii'night the baby face
Seemed presently to sadden.
Till all at once, with gleeful laugh
" Oh ! I know what I'll do. Sir !
I've only.sister Bessie left.
But I'll div hrr to yon, Sir !"
Amid the laugh that came from nil
I drew my new gift to me.
While with flushed cheeks her eyes met u
And sent a tiiriil ill through me.
"Oh! blessed little Eve !" cried I:
" Your gift I welcome gladly !"
The little one looked up at me,
Half wonueringly, half (aiHy.
Then to her father straight I turned.
And humbly asked h:s blessing
Upon my Christmas gift, the while
My Im.'g-ntored hopes confessing.
And as his aged hands were raised
Above our heads, bowed lowly.
The blessed time of Christmas ne'er
Had seemed to me so holv.
THE SAILOR'S RETURN.
A t'urtimti iur .
It w.is Christmas eve. For an hour
or more I had been seated before the
chimney-place gazing into the fire, in
dulging in a retrospection. I am a
bachelor. But - Christmas is not the
only day I devote to dreaming; for I
am one of thoseindividuala who live
much in the past, and often, as twilight
deepens into -darkness, I sit peering
back into the hazy past, in fancy snatch
ing again scenes pwhich bring to my
vision a sweet childish face,, framed m
j a profusion of yellow ringlets, a face
that made an impression on my boyish
heart, which time can never efface,
That awoke within me the first wild
thrills of love trne, indulging love. A
face too heavenly for this world, so
God called it away early. When I
looked upon it for the last time before
the coffin lid shut it forever from my
view my young heart chilled within
me, and I fervently prayed that I, too,
might die. From the moment that
heard the harsh earth thud upon the
coffin that contained the form of my
child love. 1 became something of a re-
cluse. I had come to Cliffville on busi
ness a few days previous to the opening
Jf my story, intending to return on the
following day; but before I had been
in town two hours an old acquaintance
of mine the gout took it upon him
self to pay me a visit; I was obliged
to forego all business and remain in
my room in the Cliffville HoteL Christ
mas eve found me much improved.
But the prospect of spending the day
at a village tavern, where I was a total
stranger, did not present to me an un
pleasant aspect, although a sense of ex
treme loneliness stole over me, and the
- silence and gloom of the room (for it
was not quite dark) oppressed me
put some wood upon the fast expiring
' coals and lighted up my lamp. I paced
up and down the narrow room to keep
warm. By degrees my thoughts drift
ed into a strange channel, and suddenly,
and for the first tune m my exist
ence, I realized what a useless, selfish
being I was that I had been looking
at life through a detective glass.
was simply Isaac Alderton, a moody old
bachelor, with an intellect in no way
superior to the average, but possessing
a goodly stock oi this world s goods.
which I had managed and used for the
gratification of my own selfish whims
and fancies, never for a- moment think
ing' of the want and suffering around
me. I would turn over a new leaf and
date it Christmas eve, 1855.
A. few moments later round me care
fully picking my way over the slippery
pavement 01 tne main street; 01 tne town,
In the store-windows, which were illu
minated as brightly as a plentiful array
of oil-lamps and metal reflectors would
permit, articles of every description
were displayed m the most enticing
manner. Groups of men, women, and
children were collected before the most
attractive windows, gazing admiringly
at their alluring contents, while others
hurried hither and thither laden with
numerous packages, containing articles
destined to make both young and old
hearts bound with pleasure on the mor
row. The jingle of bells, as the merry
sleighing parties dashed over the crisp
snow, the peals of laughter that reached
my ear, and the happy smiling faces
trial met my gaze at every turn, com
bined to almost convince me that f care
had been vanquished for a time,' and
mirth and happinets had usurped its
place.
, I had been walking quite briskly for
some moments, humminghalf aloud odd
lines from old songs, having qui e for
gotten my mission, when the distance
between store-windows, and the infre-
?nency of street lamps, notified me that
was approaching the suburbs of the
town.
Going back away, I had stopped op
posite the show-window of a little con
fection and toy-store. Before this win
dow, looking with longing eyes at the
wonders within, stood a little girl, thin
y and poorly clad, and by her side
holding a hand in his, an old man with
a sorrowful, careworn face.
" Oh ! grandpa, arn'tthev beautiful !"
exclaimed the child. See that doll
with light hair. Isn't she lovely ! How
I wish she were mine; but you can't buy
her for me, can you?"
" Not to-night," replied the old man,
with a half-suppressed sigh. "But
some time, perhaps, my little Aggie can
have a far finer one whenrrandpa gets
rich." . -
He smiled faintly then turned his
eyes from the window and gazed away
into the darkness. The light fell upon
his face, when I could easily discern
the deep traces of care, disappointment,
and age.
" Oh I how I wish I had some of those
candies, and the doll, and that wagon
with red wheels, and but I forgot. It
is wrong to make such wishes. Aunt
Maria has told m& that I must not covet
anything that to do so is very wicked.
Come, Grandpa." And she turned
away sadly. Let us go home. I don't
want to be wicked, but I can't help it
whfn I see so many pretty things."
The old man permitted himself to be
led from the window by the child, and
hand in hand they walked slowly away.
For a moment I stood looking after
them, then, acting upon the impulse, I
started in pursuit. After proceeding a
short distance along the main thorough
fare, they turned on into a narrow
street, and following I saw them enter
a small and rather dilapidated house,
which stood some little distance back
from the street, with a courtyard before
it. I noted it i appearance carefully. It
was built of wood, two stories high,
and looked to be considerably older
than a century. A picket fence minus
many of the pickets with a rickety
gate, wnicn swung backward and for
ward in the strong wind, discoursing
the most excruciating music imagin
able, divided the plot of ground upon
which it stood from the street. Satis
fied that I could find the house again
without difficulty, I retraced my steps,
and was soon standing before the coun
ter of the little store, into whose win
dows the old man and child had gazed
so wistfully but a few minutes previous.
When I stepped out into the street
again it was with a large brown paper
bundle in my arm, the contents of
which consisted of the coveted doll,
several sugar soldiers and peasant girls,
a miniature cradle, the wagon with red
wheels, a white woolly dog, with pro
truding glass eyes and a red paper
collar, a cat that mewed when squeezed,
and numerous smaller toys, together
with several cornucopias of sweets.
Though the package was a cumber
some one, and on several occasions c:ime
near being knocked out of uiy arms by
some careless or excited passer-by, and
the tongue of the wagon would persist
in o-ottiTio- into complications with my
letrs T must snv I never felt lighter
heart , or better able to contend with the
ordinary annoyances of mankind, than
on this peculiar occasion.
Back to the old-fashion bouse I strug
gled, but 1 was not destined to reach it
without two complete " tipnps, Irom
which I suffered 'no inconvenience, how-
wr bevond a slight bruise upon a
rather prominent portion of my ana
tomy, in consequence of my coming too
suddenly and violently in contact witu
the pavement, in a sitting posture. I
pushed open the vociferous gate, cross
ed the courtyard, and knocked at the
door of the house. An aged female,
wearinar a frilled cap. answered the
summons.
"Good evening ." I remarked. " My
call may strike you as somewhat singu
lar, but this being (Jnnstmas eve, J
have undertaken, for the hrst time, to
enact the agreeable role of St. Is icholas,
and in that character I have tapped at
your door."
She looked rather perplexed, and con
siderably alarmed.
" Step aside, Nancy, and let me do
the talking." And pushing her gently
aside, the old man 1 had followed
stepped forward. 'What is it, sir?'
he asked eyeing me rather sharply:
The fact is, 1 replied, 1 saw
child, to-night, gazing into the window
of a store, and heard her express a de
sire to possess some of its contents, and
here they are," and I extended the bun
dle toward the little pale face I saw-
peering timidly out from behind the old
woman s skirts in the background.
One glance at that countenance, as
the expression of perplexity and doubt
gave way to that of extreme joy, as the
child seized the bundle and tore an
aperature in the wrapper, paid me ten
fold for the bruises 1 hau received m
conveying it to her. The old man
looked first at the child and then at me,
as if debating in his mind whether it
was advisable to permit the little one to
retain the package, so mysteriously and
unexpectedly presented ; but the female,
regardless of his hesitation, again came
forward, and with a low "God bless
you," bade me euter.
Accepting the invitation, I found my
self within a good-sized room, upon
the large old-fashioned hearth of which
sparkled and blazed a cheerful woed
tire. The furniture, which was antique
in style and much worn, consisted of
several cumbersome maple chairs, a
huge mahogany bureau with diminu
tive glass knobs and claw-like feet, and
a tall clock almost resembling a coffin,
which stood in a remote corner solemn
ly telling off the passing seconds, with
its measured "tick, tick." ' Upon the
walls, hung several highly -colored
prints of scriptural-scenes. There was
no carpet upon the well-scoured floor,
and everything wore an air of the most
scrupulous cleanliness and respectable
poverty. The occupants of the apart
ment were four in number the old
man and woman, the child, and a short,
withered up piece of female humanity,
who retired to the utmost extremity of
the room immediately upon my en
trance, and, burying her face in her
hands, gave vent to the most astonish
ing and unaccountable outburst of
feeling, in the form of unintelligible
utterances and hysterical sobs, I ever
heard. The old man motioned mo to a
chair, and when the excited female had
somewhat subsided, said: "Sir, you
have brought happiness to one little
heart to-night, and God bless you for
it. But how happened it that one of
our household should be the object of
your genrosity ? "
" Because Providence so willed it," I
answered. "I can assign no other rea
son." I related how I chanced to over
hear the conversation which prompted
me to assume the role of St. Nicholas.
The child fairly glowed with joy.
eyery doll brings to its possessor the.
happiness my gift did to this little one,
doll-makers should never be forgotten
in children's prayers. At last, wearied
with play, the child clambered up into
the lap of the diminutive female, and
sank to rest with the doll pressed to her
Heart, in a thoroughly maternal manner.
Happening to glance at the wall, near
where I was seated, I noticed suspended
in a rude frame a family register. The
bright border that surrounded it, to
gether with the highly-colored and rath
er ludicrous pictures intended, no
doubt, to be suggestive and appropriate
- which headed the respective columns
of births, baptisms, marriages, and
deaths, at first attracted my attention,
but I was still Trtore interested when my
eye fell upon the following entry, the
last but one under the , latter heading:
" WilUam Hemphill, youngest son of
Aaron and Nancy Hemphill, aged
twenty-six years, sailed from Cliffville,
August 16th, 1849, in the brig Starlight.
Neither he, the vessel, or any of her
crew were ever heard of afterwards."
"It's a sad story that paper tells,
sir," remarked the old man; as he
noticed me looking intently at the register-
" A story of long ; waiting, disap
pointment, and mourning."
"He was your son?" I ventured,
after a moment of silence.
"Yes," he replied, with something of
a tremor in his voice, j " The only one
left of three. The others died when
they were children. He was a noble
lad, and a good seaman. I was so proud
of him, sir, so proud, and used to look
forward with pleasure to the time when
he would command his own vessel. "
Tears ran down the old niau's cheeks
and his lips tvitched convulsively.
Alas! the dream of his old age was
dispelled his idol lay buried beneath
the waters of the cold cruel sea.
And the little one." I asked, " is
she his child ?" "
He did not appear to hear me. i He
was gazing aDstractedly into the hre
with a peculiar, far-off expression. His
wife answered in his stead, " Yes.
" And her mother V I resumed.
"Died," answered she, "three years
ago. She never was very strong, and
when she realized that all hope was
vain, she seemed to lose interest in
everything. We did all we could for
her, but as the doctor said, there was
no medicine in this world that could
save her. One night she called us v
her, and told us that she was going to
leave us, and wished to bid ris all fare
well; and when she saw the tears rise
to our eves for we loved her as if she
had been our own she looked up, and
smilingly said Father, mother, don t
mourn for me: 1 shall De nappy, very
happy, soon for I am going to meet
him. mv husband, in a land wnere
nothing can ever part us.' We lifted
her child up to the b dside. She kissed
her tenderly, and with its father's name
unnmsned on ner ups passeu quieuy
awav,
. ... -, -i
1 was much moved ny tnis recital,
and it was not without difficulty that I
overcame the choking sensation I felt in
my throat, and suppressed the moisture
tliat came to my eyes. The old man
having roused from his reverie, was
gazing sadly at tne sleeping child. x
telt at desire to know more of Wiilian
Hemphill than the sad entry upon the
family register told. I listened to the
wind moauingthroughthemtked branch
es of the trees outside, and whistling
through everyhole and crevice in the
old house, satas. wondering
must feel who hear its
screeches through the rigging of a
doomed ship, far away upon the ocean
beyond the reach oi aid. tor some
moments, no one spoke no sound broke
the stillness except the ticking of the
clock, the cracking of the tire and the
heavy breathing of the little woman in
the corner, who, following the example
of the child, had gone to sleep. I was
the first to break the silence.
" Where was the Starlight bound ? "
I ventured, hoping to draw forth the
story.
" To the northern seas," replied the
old man. "She was a whaler, and as
pretty a craft as ever sailed. Why, sir,
it was considered an honorro be one of
her crew. For four years, William had
been first mate of the Dolphin, a staunch,
slow-sailing brig, that could stow away
a larger cargo than any craft that sailed
from California, yet he had often ex
pressed a wish to sail on the Starlight.
The Dolphin got in on a Sunday about
sundown. We were seated around the
table in this very room, that evening, a
happy party, listening to William s de
scription of the strange and wonderful
things he had witnessed far away in the
Arctic seas, when there came a knock
on the door. Maria, there" and - he
pointed to the slumbering little woman
" opened the door, and who should
step in but Nathan Ross, the captain of
the Starlight. He drew up a chair and
joined the party, and entered into con
versation and told us many strange in
teresting stories. At last, as he arose
to go, he turned toward William and
asked whether it was true that he had
made his last voyage on the Dolphin.
' les, replied, our boy. lhree voy
ages on a slow tub like her are quite
enough for my temperament' 'How
would you like the Starlight ' inquired
the captain. ' ihere s not a craft that
would suit me better,' he answered. 'I
want a mn.te.' the captain went on to ex
plain. ' Isaac Uenton is down with a
fever, and as I know you to be a good
sailor, I dropped in to-night to know
whether you will ship with me ?' Wil
liam's face lignted up a3 he answered,
With no man sooner than yourself, and
on no craft with more pleasure than the
Starlight. '
" The next day everything was ar
ranged, ajid William was the first nrslt
of the handsome little brig, whichjsaii-
ed two days after upon a six months
voyage. There was a crowd on the paer
when she left, composed of fathers,
mothers, sisters, brothers, wives, and
sweethearts, collected there to say
Good bye ! God speed, and a safe voy
age ! ' Days rolled into weeks, and
weeks into months, and, at last, people
began to speak of the return of the
Starlight, and to look toward the hori
zon, expecting each day to sight her
sail, but no sail appeared except that
of some fishing-smack or coasting ves
sel in the distance. So six, seven,
eight, nine, and ten months rolled
away, and yet no news of the overdue
vessel reached us, and the peeple be
gan to display anxiety and to scan the
sea oftener, but the trim little vessel
never showed her peaks above the hori
zon. It was not until two years had
sped by, that all hope died. Oh, sir !
sad faces and broken hearts were nu
merous then ! Our home was no longer
the same; a heavy cloud hung over it,
casting a gloorfl where everything had
been bright and happy before. We saw
the face that had been the brightest of
all, growing each day pale and thinner.
It was a long time before I fairly real
ized that our boy had gone from us for-
then uttering a terrific screech, she sank
to the floor.
Hastening forward, I was confronted
by a tall mau, with a f nil shaggy beard,
dressed in a half civilian, half sailor
costume. He stepped by me, and
crossing, with extended arms, toward
the old couple, exclaimed "Father!
mntlior t don't, von know me?" At the
sound of his voice they rushed forward
with a cry of joy, and fell upon his
breast. He hsd returned, as from the
grave, the son they had mourned as
dead, to be the stay of their declining
years. But the wife he had so tenderly
and truly loved I vv nere wan ouc
Alas! beneath the frozen sod of the
near-by churchyard she lay, wrapped
in that deep sleep that knows no
waking. Sadly, but fondly, he clasped
his motherless child to his breast, and
seated there before the ample hearth,
he told his story. The Starlight had
foundered in the Arctic sea, but ne
and two others succeeded in reaching
an icefloe, upon which for three en
tire days they drifted over a trackless
sea, until a Danish bark hove in sight,
and rescued them his comrades m a
dying state, and he almost. On his
arrival at Copenhagen, he found an
English vessel about to sail for Liver
pool, and succeeded in obtaining pas
sage on her. His great desire was to
reach home as soon as possible; but as
he was without means he had no alter
native but to work his passage. Beach
ing an English seaport, he at once went
i'i quest of a vessel about sailing for
some American port. The Virginia
was an American ship. She would sail
in a few days for New York, and wanted
a few good seamen to complete her
crew, the captain informed him where
he made his application. It was not
until the Virginia had 'been two days
out that he discovered she was
slaver. Jboniid for the coast of Africa.
how they After a tedious, stormy vcyage the ship
demoniac I put in at Ouitta, a little town on the
Atlantic coast of Africa. He succeeded
in effecting his escape to the interior,
where he remained several months
among the natives. He recounted the
strange things he had seen, and the
danger he had encountered in the jun
gle. At the expiration ot two years he
again found himself upon the coast, at
Old Calabar, where he shipped upon
Brazilian vessel, and m due course of
time arrived at Bio de Janeiro. , Years
of toil, seeking for gold in the mountain
districts, found him a poorer man than
when he left home to seek his for
tunes at home again, a weary wan
derer, with little pleasure in the sound
of the Christmas bells a-nnging.
head
has
the
The bald space upon mv
increased in circumference since
Christmas eve I heard that story told in
the little old house, and now 1 am
very old bachelor. It is just two years
ago last New Year since I retired from
active life, leaving my partner, William
Hemphill, to manage and conduct the
business. The wound occasioned by
his wife's death has never entirely healed
over, so he is a widower and I a bach
elor, live together in a quiet neighbor
hood in the suburbs of the town. On
would scarcely recognize in the pretty
and handy little maiden who presides
over our establishment the pale child for
whom I made my purchase of toys that
Christmas eve. logether, once or twice
a year, William and I run down to Clin-
ville to look after a little homestead
which is now his property, and visit the
little plot, in the picturesque villagi
churchyard, where his father, mother
and wife are sleeping. There is a small
upper room in our dwelling, which our
little housekeeper keeps as a sort of
sanctum. In one corner of it I have of
ten noticed a small green chest. I had
occasion to pass through the apartment
a few days since, when I discovered that
the lid of the chest was left up, and cu
riosity prompted me to take a peep at
its contents, which I found to consist of
the remnants of a doll's cradle, a doll's
wagon, with a solitary red wheel, aud
the head, body and one leg of th: doll
herself.
ever. I have of ten found myself gazing xplanatiout ensued.
? D ! w?i?' t w "TT. f e.ei",g been delayed ina lo
ftt mv neart. tnitiKini? halt nlonrl
at my heart, thinking half aloud, ' Per
haps she 11 heave m sight to-day,' but
the remembrance of those two years of
vain waiting and hope would flash upon
my mind tnen my heart would sink.
with a dull sinking pain. After Marie
-tij his wife, sir died, the clouds seemed
to fall thicker about us. I should have
lost all heart, had it not been that the
child was left us. Each day some new
trouble overtook us, and last year I was
obliged to mortgage oar little home
here."
The fire was dying down only a few
coals smouldered among the ashes.
The wind sang dolefully, and shook the
old house till doors, sashes, and blinds
beat in chorus a loud tattoo. I was
much affected by the old man s story,
His wan face, so deeply furrowed by
age and care, and sunken eyes now
moist with tears, were thrown out in re
lief by the light of the oil-lamps on the
mantle, maiing a sad and almost weird
picture. He had fallen into ono of his
thoughtful moods again, his eyes fixed
upon the floor before him. His wife
sat rocking backward and forward, in a
iow cnair, nervously picking at the
thread m the hem of her apron, while
the mysterious female and the child
slumbered peacefully. Suddenly a
gust, stronger than any which had pre
ceded it, snook the house from founda
tion to roof, so that even the dishes in
lhe pantry added to the general clatter
oi doors, windows and blinds. All at
once, the door through which I had
Be Careful About Your Part.. Invita
tions.
At the wedding of Gen. Llierman's
daughter, the guests fell short by 400.
It was subsequently ascertained that, to
gratify some "practical joke," the invi
tations had been purloined from the
Post Office. A similar instance occur
red not very long ago in England, with
a difference, which resulted in a very
laughable denoument. In this case, a
very grand lady had made the most ela
borate preparations lor a garuen par
ry." Confectioners, tent-pitchers, Ty
rolean minstrels, and a whole army of
footmen .and assistants at such festivi
ties had been engaged. But nobody
came! The lady was chagrined, as
might be supposed, and kept retired for
a week in a fit of sulks that's the plain
Enclish for it. The very day week of
the disappointment, as she was languid
lv sinning her chocolate and munching
her toast abW noon, with a ravished
little nie-htctio perched knowing over
one. and thinking of getting up by and
by, carriagejs were heard rolling up the j he is not at work.
ilVtlllil. Jl- XA HT v.- -
swarms. Pink bonnets, light muslins,
brilliant neqkties, and all the minutiaB
of the moist exquisitely fashionable
morning neglige were set off by the ra
diant countenances of the expectant
guests. The lady arose, and hurried
lue invites
local Post Office,
and having been issued merely for
"Wednesday," or whatever the day
was, had been accepted in good faith,
a week after the affair. The lady
thenceforthj had all her invitations
printed on Commercial blue post. J3he
preferred business to fashion after the
contretemps.
MARRIED LIFE IN NEVADA.
The Coufidcntinl Talk a. Yntinn 'ni.. h.. j
About 1 units, and What Came of It.
From tlie Virginia City Enterprise.
After having been married some
weeks, it came into the head of a young
husband m tnis city, one ounday, when
he had but little to occupy his mind,
to suggest to his wife that they should
plainly and honesuy siaie tne iauits
that each had discovered in the other
t.hev had been husband and wife.
After some hesitation tue who agreeu
to the proposition, but stipulated that
the rehearsal should be made in all sin-
eeritv and with an honest view to me
bettering of each other, as otherwise it
would be of no use to spe. ox ura
faults to which marriage- had opened
heir eyes. The husoand was oi tne
same mind, and his wife asked him to
begin with her faults. He was some-
what reluctant, . out iuo wuo
that he was the first to propose the mat
ter, and as he was at the head of the
house it was his place to take the lead.
Thus urged, he began tne recisai.
said: . .
TVTv dear, one of the first iauits x
observed in you after we began keeping
house was that you a good deal neglect
ed the tinware. You didn't keep it as
bright as it should be. My mother
always took pride in her tinware, aud
kept it as bright as a dollar."
" 1 am clad that you nave menuoiieu
it, dear," said the wife, blushing a lit
tle; "heieafter you shall see no speck
on cup or pan. Pray proceed."
1 have also observed, said tne nus
band, "that you use your dish-rags a
long time without washing them, and
then fiually throw them away. Now,
when at home, I remember that my
mother always' used to wash out her
.Hsh-rags when she was done using
them, and then hang them up vhere
they could dry, ready for the next time
sh- would need them."
i flushing as before, the young wife
pr nised to amend this tault.
ue husband continued 'with a most
formidable list of similar faults, many
more than we have space to enumerate,
when he declared that he could think, of
nothing more that was worthy of men
" Now," said he, " my dear, you be
gin and tell me all the faults you have
observed in me since we were married?"
The young house-wife sat in silence;
her face flushed to the ternjiles, and a
great lump came in her throat, which
she seemed to be striving hard to swal
low.
" Proceed, my dear; tell me all the
faults you have observed in me, sparing
none.
Arising suddenly from her seat, the
little wife burst into tears, and throwing
1-oth arms about her husbands neck,
ci'ied
" My dear husband you have not a
fault in the world. If you have even
one, my eyes have been so blinded by
my love for you that so loDg as we have
been married I have never once ob
served it. In my eyes you are perfect,
and all that you do seems to me to be
done in the best manner and just what
should be done.
" But, my dear," said the husband,
his face reddening and his voice grow
ing husky with emotion; "just think,
I have gone and found all manner of
fault with you. Now. do tell me some
of my faults ; I know I have many ten
times as many as you ever had or ever
will nave. Let me hear them."
" Indeed, husband, it is as I tell you;
you have not,a single fault that I can
see. Whatever you do seems right in
my eves: and now that I know what a
good-for-nothing little wretch I am,
shall at once begin the work of reform,
aud try to make myself worthy of you."
"Nonsense, my dear, you know
sometimes I go away, and leave you
without any wood cut; 1 stay up town
when I ousjht to be at hoiue I spend
my money for drinks and cigars when I
ought to bring it home to you; 1-
' JNo you don t, cried his wife; "you
do nothing of the kind. I like to see
you enjoy yourself; I should be unhap
py were you to do otherwise than just
exactly as yon do !
"God bless you. little wife!" cried
the now thoroughly subjugated hus
band; " from this moment you have not
fault in the world ! Indeed, you never
had a fault; 1 was but joking aon t re
member a word I said!" and he kissed
away the tears that still trembled in the
little woman s eyes.
Never again did the husband scrutin-
ze the tinware, nor examine the dish
ag never so much as mention one of
the faults he had enumerated; but soon
after the neighbor women were wont to
say:
" It is wonderful how neat Mrs.
keeps everything about her houe. Her
tinware is always as bright as a new
dollar, and I do believe the not only
washes, but irons her dish-rags !" And
the neighbor men were heard to say
" What a steady fellow M has got to
One of the Pyramids of. America.
A correspondent of the Louisville
Courier-Journal, from the.ity of Mexi
co, gives in that paper an interesting
account of a visit to the ruins of Xochi
calco. The place is described in Lip
pincott'sGazeteer as" a ruined pyramid,
50 miles S. by. W. of the citv of Mexi-
The ruins." savs the corresnond-
- i 1
The Indian Territory Blots.
Information is received that the re
cent mnrrW and rirt at. TalannaK the
capital oi fhe Cherokee nation, was a
wanton an4 cruel murder on the part
of two members of the mounted guard
detailed b the Chief, Wm. Boss. It
seems that two of the guard got drunk,
went down street shooting off their pis
tols, and declared that they wanted to
kill a Dojwning man. The first one
they came to was working in a stable.
They kill id him, and joined their
comrades, and formed in a
line near the postofiice. The Down
ing partv formed further down
the street and they began firing at
each other More than 100 shots were
fired, and two persons were severely
wounded, afad several slightly, f The
murderers were protected in the post
office on Sunday for several hours, and
no efforts 1 vere made to have them ar
rested. They finally escaped to the
country. The whole riot grew out of
the intensa and bitter feeling between
the two pa rties known now as the Boss
and Down ing parties. The excitement
- d a fl i rtn nillTW la hah a
entered the apartment dashed open, and to break oUt at time. Major Ingalls
iaiixiK wilu x, n lled
the
quantity of drifting snow, rushed madly
in. lue sudden change of temperature
awoke the small female in the corner
with a start. Pushing the child from
her lap, she sprang up and rushed
toward the door. For a moment she
stared fixedly out into the darkness,
with a look of terror upon her face, and
His
proved by
teen years;
on to investigate the matter.
recommendations were not ap-
the Chief, and he left Tala-
quah miicl disappointed with things in
the Xndiaq lenitory.
Canpy ISam. who has hung around
the college buildings at Yale for nine-
has gone to England.
be of late; he don't spend a dime where
he used to spend dollars, and can never
be kept from home half an hour when
He seems to worship
that wife of his.
A Remedy for Neuralgia.
A'remedy named " acqua puncture'
has been introduced in France for the
treatment of neuralgia. It may be de
scribed a5 a force-pump which can be
carried about aud placed on a table
with a small flexible tube about two
feet long, so constructed as to deliverja
thread of water from its extremity with
such force as to pierce the leather. In
operating on a patient afflicted with neu
ralgia the piston is worked a few times
to expel the air from the tube; the point
is then held about half an inch from the
painful spot, the pump is worked, and
the thrend of water nlftvs on th skin
Presently a white vesicle appears on the
spot where the water strikes; and any
rmnnr of punctures mnv bo . mad" at
the discretion of the operator and in
proportion to the extent of the pain. At
first the skin around the vesicle becomes
red; but after a few hours the vesicle
and the redness disappear, leaving only
a small black point, which is the crust
formed by the drying of a drop of blood
in the puncture. The operation is de
scribed as painful, but the relief it pro
duces is so great that patients always
call for a repetition whenever their neu
ralgic pains return.
The Proposed Caughnawaga Ship Canal.
A Belleville (Ontario) (paper learns
that the directors of the Caughnawaga
Ship Canal Company have, we believe,
resolved to construct the canal at their
own expense, without the Government's
interference. The company has fixed
it capital at $5,000,000, and many of
the wealthy men of Montreal have taken
shares to the amount of $100,000 each.
They expect to be able to recover the
whole expenditure in a few years after
the completion ,of the canal, out of its
revenues, and afterward to pocket large
dividends.
That Iowa invention which is to ef
fect " a perfect revolution in the sawing
of wood" has been explained, it is a
circular saw.
Marriage is often the end of man's
troubles but which end ?
CO.
ent, are situated for the mot. nurt
upon a single hill, which, although not
more than 300 feet above rolling plateau
uumcumwjiy around, owing tothe eleva
tion on the latter may be seen from a
great distance, save in one direction,
where the mountains approach within a
few miles. So completely is it covered
now, however, with stunted trees, shrub
bery, vines, and weeds, that we could
discover no evidence of artificial woik
upon it until we reached its very base.
Here we crossed a deep and broad ditch.
waned with cemented stone, and ex
tending entirely around the hill, a dia
tance of about three miles. The walls
oi this trench are for the most part
broken down, or so overgrown with
vines and brushwood as to be scarcely
accessible except with great labor; but
in many places tney are as perfect
as wnen ixtbi constructed, and measure
upon the upper sid six or eight feet in
height. Above this point the slope pre
sents a series of four or five high ter
races, supported by slightly inclined
walls, composed of large, rough masses
of porous volcanic stone called tepite
closely cemented with mortar.
" It has been satisfactorily determin
ed by archneologists that the original
monument or temple was a five-storied
truncated pyramid, constructed entirely
of hewn stone, and measuring about
fifty feet in height. Of this only the
base or' lower story now remains, which
is rectangular in form, its lines cor
responding exactly to the profits of the
compass, and measuring along its up
per edge sixty-four feet from north to
south and fifty-eight from east to west.
Ti. U.. -T 3
blocks, some of them eight feet m
length, and nearly three feet in breadth
and thickness. These are most accu
rately fitted without cement, and form
in position an inclined wall ntteen aud
a half feet high; which presents a well-
hnished plinth below; then a broad
surface, divided into two
long panels which extend the
whole length of the wall; next a friezes
also divided into two panels; audj lastly,
prominent cornice by which it is ter
minated above. The whole of the
frieze, which is three and a half feet in
width, and the two broad panels are
crowded with figures in bas relief, hav
ing a projection of four or five inches,
and, as they extend from one stone to
another, it is more than probable that
they were sculptured after the wall was
erected. It is impossible to give an in
telligible description of these carvings
without the aid of illustrative draw
ings. They consist, however, for the
most part of the human form, with front
view of the body and face in profile, a
tunic around the loins, heavy necklace
1 round balls about the throat, arid a
profusion of curved lines drooping
from the head, and supposed to
represent feathers. Some of the figures
terminate below in a kind of feather
brush or scroll: some are reeling, some
standing, and others apparently walk
ing, holding erect in the right hand a
club shaped, like a cricket bat. There
are also well-defined rabbits, heads of
nondescript animals like alligators, with
drooping lines from the interior of their
open mouths and the tops f their
heads, hieroglyphic letters, circles in
closing a cross, and near the last a fig
ure like the letter V on it side (thus ),
which A have fancied were intended for
a pair of dividers. Nearly the same
figures and groupings are repeated upon
each of the two broad panels and upon
the four sides, and another sot upon the
two halves of the frieze, and the same
upon the four sides. Among the latter
is a very remarkable representation of a
man sitting cross-legged, with a cap
upon his head, irom which projects for
ward the head and half the body of a
snake, and over his eyes what appears
to be a pair of spectacles without
glasses.
In the sides of the hill, a short dis
tance from the summit, are three or
four large openings leading to subter
ranean excavations, two of which we
followed to the distance of twenty or
thirty yards, where they terminated ab
ruptly in moderate sized halls, ten or
twelve feet high, but without any stone
facings or cement. A third one, which
was explored by Dr. Skelton and Mr.
Drees, led to a large vaulted hall, par
tially walled with cemented stones, and
supported by pillars left in making the
excavation. In the centre of the
arched ceiling they observed a large
opening, occupied by a hollow cylinder
of earthen-ware, the upper orifice of
which was closed, as if by something
having fallen into it. This hall is said
to be situated underneath the pyramid,
and its opening to communicate with
the interior of the latter. The floor of
the tunnel leading to the hall is cemeut
ed, and a short distance within the en
trance I found the root and shaft of a
small deer's horn, about eight inches
in length. Other small structures, to
gether with fragments of ancient pot
tery, were found around the spot."
The writer continues:
"Whoever may have been the builders
of the pyramid of Xochicalco, it is
quite evident that they lived before the
time of the constructors of the pyramids
of Teotihuacan, for the reason already
stated that they did not understand the
use of obsidian, which was so largely
employed by the latter in the manu
facture of cutting instruments, arrow
heads, and the like. That they pos
sessed great taste in architecture, won
derful skill in some mechanic arts, and
a tolerably clear knowledge of scientific
engineering, no one can doubt after an
examination of the ruins. When it is
ouit) in auiui tiu; ie u:ita o gran
ite, of which the base of the pyramid
is formed, were brought i from
a great distance for there is
no appearance of this species
of rock within many miles of the spot
that these were carried to the top of a
steep hill 300 feet high, and they were
elevated into a stately edifice, and that
they were beautifully sculptured, all
this without the use of iron or steel, and
so far as we know, without the knowl
edge of any of ths modern contrivances
for moving heavy masses, Sreven beasts
of bnrden. we cannot deny them a high
rank in the arts and refinements of civi
lized life. They possessed copper and
tin, and probably compounded them in
to a species of bronze, of which they
constructed tools.". '
These ruins are considered the most
remarkable yet discovered north of Yu
catan and Guatemala.
Through Life.
We slight the gifts that every season bea
And let them fall unheeded from our
In our great eagerness to reach ana cla-i
The promised treasures of the comiug year .
Or else we mourn some great good pa t d
away, : j
And, in the shadow of our great grit'
hi, , . . j ' j .
liefuse the lesser good we yet might wi.i.
The offered peace and gladness of to-day.
So through the chambers ot our life we pass,
And leave them, one by one, and never stay,
Not knowing how much pleasantness there was
In each, until the closing of the door
Has eounded through the honse and died
away.
And in our, hearts we sigh, " Forevermore."
I " Chambers' Journal.
A Rescue.
A few years ago, on any Bunny morn
ing, a heap of hi thy tags might be seen
stretched on some of the bales of a pa
per warehouse in a neighboring city,
with a strong smell of stale tobacco and
whisky hanging about it. Turning it over
(winch you could as though it were a
log any time -after ten o'clock in the
morning,) you could find the swollen
lace of what had once been a handsome "
young man: but there was little hope
that the bleared eyes or thick tongue
could give an intelligent answer. The
porters, passing by, would push him
aside, but not roughly. The time had
been when he had been a jolly, gener
ous young fellow and a favorite in the
office. "Young liodgers" some one
would give you his history in five min
utes: " Taken to rum no chance
poor devil. Stokes (the proprietor)
could not turn him out to starve, so he
still gave him a nominal salary, and sut
ler eu him to hang about the house,
lest he should take to worse courses
than drinking." There were hints,-
too, of a widowed mother, away
off in the country, who had been de
pendent on him, and a sweetheart, a
pretty, clinging little girl, both of whom
long ago he had abandoned. But there
was' nothing ; to be done. 1 he end,
through the usual horrors of delirium
tremens, was apparently not far off.
One day, as liodgers was creeping, to
the nearest bar for his morning bitters.
a man whom he baiely knew by sight,
took him by the elbow, and walked with
him into a quieter street. " They tell
me you are Bichard Bodger's son,'r he
said. " Dick liodgers was the only
friend I had for years, and, for his sake,
I'd like to save his boy. Are you fil
ing for me to try? " " Oh! you can try,
muttered the lad, with an imbecile
laugh. . :
This nameless friend, nothing daunt
ed, took him to a chamber in his own
house, and put him to bed. There he
and his sons kept watch and guarded
this poor wretch for months like a pris
oner, keeping liquor from him, and try
ing to supply it by medical treatment.
A physician he employed, but he was
not able to pay for a nurse. Any one
who has had to deal with a victim of
manla-a-polu can guess how difficult
and loathsome a task he had set himself.
Ungrateful enough it was at first; for
Rodgere struggled against his tormentors
with the ferocity of just what he was
a starving animal. As reason began to
return, and his unnatural strength to
vanishhe would beg them iu his inter
vals of reason not to fail him, but to
work out the experiment eitner to suc
cess or death. " It is my last chance,"
he would cry; " for God's sake, be pa
tient." This friend, with his son, did
work it out through all the foul, unmen
tionable details, and the end was .not
death, but success.
"How soon," asked a friend of
Bodgers afterwards, "were you trusted
alone?" "Not for two y?ars,"he an
swered, laughing. "I was out of jail
bounds. Do yon remember that lank,
muscular fellow who had a desk beside
me iu the office ? He took it with -the
condition that he could leave it to dog
me night and day, to my .meals and to
my bed. That was the ton of the man
who saved me. He was "taken from a
lucurative situation in order that he
might become my jailer. God bless
him ! How I used to curse him 1
'Can't you trust my honor!' I would
cry. 4 I'm not convinced that your
honor has not the consumption,' the
Scotch-Irishman would say. 'We'll
put no burdens on it until it has re
gained its health.'"
"Your friend was a wealthy man, no
doubt.and so able to give both time and
money to your case ?"
" On the contrary, he is but the own
er of a small hat store, and supports his
family out of that. He is rich or noble
only in the deed and spirit of friend
ship.
All this was, years ago. liodgers is.
now an industrious, honorable man,
married to his old love, with his grey
haired mother by his hearth, bringing
to it tne perpetual benediction of benig
nant old age.
His friend sells hats makes" '
speeches nor bruit of any sort in
world. Nobody has recognized in
a hero. Yet who, for the sake of a
dead or living friend, would go and do
likewise i JCx.
TT r a r ,
J.UJS luuuu itaiure oi a new plan on
tnai m tne rkntisn navy, tor raising
sunken ships, is closing hermetically
iiic uuMjiiBB uu Hu openings in i lie xn
,,i , .lii.l i . .1 ....... r i .
air thus introduced rises toward the un
der side of the deck, and not being able
to escape, presses the water down
out through the holes made in the ship's
bottom. The vessel by this means will
be rendered buoyant and rise to the sur
face.
A Dissolving Playmate.
A family removed from a country vil
lage into Boston, and occupied a house
comparatively new and in a modern
of the city. The children soon began
to tell the'ir parents of a boy who came
to play with them in the street or in
their play room, and of what he said
and did, and how he looked. The
parents never saw the boy, and finally
bade the children bring him in some
day to see them. The answer was'
" Oh, we can't;" he goes right away."
Being told the next time he came to the
house to let them know, the children
did, so, but as they baid, lie had "gone
right away" when the parents reach
ed the play room. This Tont on for
some time, greatly to the wonder and
perplexity of the parents; the children,
simple and matter of fact, thought noth
ing strange oi n. une day they report
ed to their father that their playmate,
now well known by name, told them his
latner and mother were going to Europe
in a few days, and he gave their names
and the vessel they would sail by from
ew xork. xne gentleman without say
ing anything, went to New York, found
Bucn names on the steamer list, went to
the dock on the day of sailing, sought
out tne persons,, ana inquired if they
had a boy of such age and description
tw nis caiiaren naa related to him.
With greht emotion they replied "We
t. .3 l , , . , - -. -. , -
uu bucu: ooy, out ne is oead; wny oo
you ask i Further conversation con
vinced them and the Bostonian that the
spirit of their darling boy never seen by
those whb knew and loved him, was tl e
frequent! visitor to the house of perft-i-t
stranger, und seen and talked with by
tho children of oihera.-r-J$urlington, Vt. !
Free J'lf.tH. .
A SENSATION novelist speaks of
"wife of three years standing." It is
replied that a man who keeps his wife
standing three years must be a brute.
But she! used to keep him dancing at
tendance on her for ever so long.