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About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1882)
EIRMM. ..Th.t it voice-very!" said .unveil: 'nJ more cultv ''Sm, t unonei.l.t to Had among IhfiJwr-lraoof Itinerant minstrels" was standing on the corner of the 'flit wit'0 ,or au "J1'1011 G'where downtown thure was a hi" of vehicle. and the oar wan ',: in' making ' Plarance; bnt SS.M. Capt M.ye latened Mb evinisitely true young voice to J ' foal accompaniment of cracked ""i'liitle crowd had gathered around Jeorner. The blind old fiddler in Z Uttered velveteen coat and pietur Zl white beard.passed his hat around lthe singer, with bor faco bnlf veiled & folds of the black shawl which 2. passed over her head and fell iu lomr nun-like folds about her alight Btood holding the violin. A U large, lioniil eyea fell on Mayell, he . lvsneed, and holding out a silver coin, 0kesoa.e laughing sehtonce in the musical modulations of the Italian Ian mi.ae She took tho money with a murmnred word of thanks; bnt the shy. ,rprised glance donoted that alio bad not understood him. 'So they are uot Italians, after all," Mayell to himself, as he sprang on board the car. "I was sure that that alive-skin, and those deep, melting eyes, oould only havo got their glow under the skies of Italy. Well, it only shows ho easv it is to be mwtaken. At all vents, it was a fair, dimpled little face, and I bono her grizzly-bearded old friend will reap an ample harvost of And'ia searching for tho abiding ulace of his old friend, Mr. Castleton, the decayed artist, he completely forgot the little incident of the evening. "So. 41 Sea court," he said to him self "Yes, this must be tho place. And yet," glanoiug up at the mildewed brick wulla and iudHcribublo Hhabbiness of the old tenoment bourn, "who would have expected t lind Wardo Castleton here? Warde Castleton, the descendaut of a long lino of ancestry Wardo Castlo ton whom J can remember as the master of Castle Hall! Bad management, ex travagint living, mad investments is what they have brought him to. Poor fellow! one can scarcely offer charity to him; and vet, what is to be done?" And groping bis way into the hall, where a aort of Cimmerian darkness reigned, he managed to inquire his way t tho floor where Mr. Castleton lived. The majestio old artist oamo forward to receive him, in a tattered dressing gown which had been once ruby velvet, a cup of the samo material on his hoad, and a malil-stick in his hand. "Ah. Mayell, my old frieud!" he cried, grasping tho hand of the unex pected guest "or rather tho youug friend of my old days you aro welcome! You find me rather differently situated; bnt, we all know that genius is.at times, under a cloud. Walk in walk in! Here is Mrs. Castleton, and Beatrix, my eld est daughter. But whore is Miram? little Minim, the beauty and ruuaway of the flock. Call her, Trix. Tell bor to get us some supper. She will be hero di rectly." Mrs. Castleton, a little old lady iu a lace cap, who had lost the use of her hmhi, aat knitting, iu a wheeled chair, by tho sadly insufficient fire. Her poor nose was blue, and the hand whioh she held out; to Clarence Mayell wastis cold as an icicle. BeaUix, a palo young woman of twouty, drew au old screen before the table, npon which was a plate of cold uiush, and a pitcher of thin tea, and mado haste to adjust tho easel so as to hide the cot bed in the corner. Mr. Castletou pointed to the casol with a grand flourish of the hand. "You Bee, Mayell," he said, "that I still cling to the old habit. My hand is scarcely as steady now as I could wish, bat'it seems necessary to sell a picture now and thon. Trix, where is your sister? Why does not Miriam come in? We have some wealthy ac quaintances, Mayell," the old man con tinued, "who decline to buy my pic tares, and who contrive systematically to ignore us. But I am told that Miriam frequently goes to thorn. Well, well, 1 cauuot wonder the child is young, and this," glancing contemptuously around the room, "is hardly the place to at tract a gill's capricious fancy. Trixy here is trno to her old parents." "Papa," soid Beatrix, coloring, "do uot blame Miriam. She -" "Have I blamed her?" The old arlist shrugged his shoulders. "She is young she is very young that is all. As I was saying, Mayell, I sell a picture now and then, and so we manage to keep alive. J nst let mo show you some of the ideas I have sketched on canvas." While Captaiu Mayell turned over the old mau s portfolio, and cogitated within himself how he might best offer to purchase a picture without hurting ,the sensitive pride of tho artist, the si lent. Beatrix put more coal on the dying fire, spread n clean cloth on the table, and set forth a meal which had evidently been purchased in haste from tho shelves of the nearest cheap restaurant half of a skinny .cold dnck.a little dab of muddy currant jelly, a pile of bread and potato salad. When the nnapoetizing meal was over, and they sat shivering by the fire, the door opened and in glided a slight, small figure, like a shadow. "It's Miriam," said Mr. Castloton; "my youngest gul. Come in, pet, and peak to Captain Mayell." Miriam stopped abruptly iu the door way, and first turned red, and then pale before i-he advanced and held out an un willing hand. Mayell rose and bowed over it; but as their eves met he smiled a little. "Miss Castleton," said he, "I am very happy to meet you!" Miriam hid herself away behind her mother's chair, close to Beatrix, and, do what Captain Mayell won Id he conld not succeed in drawing her into the conver sation. "I will make her look up," he ssid to himself, a little chagrined at the stead fast nesa with which tho dark eyes were bent toward the fire. Turning to the artist he said care lessly . "Does yonr daughter sing?" "A little, in a mild way, like a lark or a nightingale,.' aaid Mr. Castleton. "She bad a guitar onoe, but it is loet or bro ken, or something. Cut you ing for us, daughter?" The ruse was successful. Miriam looked np in a frightened way, her eye glittering, her cheeks glowing in red spots. But when Captain Mayoll had taken Jeave for the night, and way groping his way down the stairs, he was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted by Miriam herself, wrapped in the black shawl, with Beatrix at her side. "Captain Mayell," exclaimed Beatrix, in a low voice, "what must you think? For our own sakes, we owe you an ex planation." "Ilnsli, Trix!" cried Miriam, excit edly. "All this preamble is quite un necessary. I will tell him all about it. Papa doesn't know that I sing with Bar timeo in the streets, but mamma does, and Trix. They know that Bartinieo tikes excellent care of me; and I wear his daughter's dress, and and we can not let poor papa starve." "And," soberly added Trix. "we give papa the money, and he thinks old Bartimeo has nold a picture for him to ho wo of the Italian dealers down town. Poor papa! and it makes him so happy! And, indeed, indeed.no one speaks to Miriam except in the gieatest courtesy and kindness. And we hope you will not betray our secret to poor papa, as he would nevor, never forgive us all!" "Pray," cried Mayell, genuinely touched, "do not imagine that I conld be guilty of such a dishonorable thing. Be lievo mo, Miss Castleton" Miriam, very white and cold.was look ing at him with eyes that flushed scorn ful lightning. "Here is the wretehe 1 coin you g ive me," said she. "Take it back!" "Why?" ho asked, confounded and hnrt. "Becanso I hate you!" sho answered, abruptly seizing her sister's arm. "Come, Trix, lot us go!" But he posted himself directly across her path, determined not thus to part. "But why do you hate me?" said he. "Because I rospoct your courage and good sense, and houor Your filial duty?" "Becanso you despiso mo!" she re torted. "Never!" ho oried, taking her hand in spite of herself, and then and there they became fast friends. "I am coming to morrow," he said, "to order a picture of your father. Will yon also bid mo wel come, Miss Miriam?" And she answered, shyly, "Yes." But sho went out singing no more. Blind B.irtinioo and his violin were un accompanied now. Warde Castleton died the next summer, entirely unaware of the deception that had been prac ticed upon him. Shortly after Captain Mayell asked pretty Miriam to be his wife. "Do you know, darling," ho said, "I have loved you ever sinco I saw you singing on the pavenieut in that pictur esque Italian costume?" Aud among her wedding gifts was a diamond-studded gold locket, in which was set tho tiny silver coin which he had given her on that bleak November after noon when tho twilight was verging into dusk. The Orlgm of icoclng. From the first invention of the sword down to ttie period when the fifteenth century was drawing to a close, thic woapoubad always been used as an arm of offeuse. The person wielding it thrust it or hewed it into the body of his an tagonist whenever he had a chance, and the only defense against it was stout ar mor or an interposed Bbield. It is not to be supposed that an ancient warrior, or one belonging to the earlier Middle Ages, never thrust aside or parried with his own blado a stroke of his enemy's sword; but this method of defense was not depended npon in those days; the breast plato, tbo helmet, or the buckler was expected to shield the solder while he was endeavoring to get his own sword into some unprotected portion of the body of his antagonist. Bnt about tho time of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, tho science of fencing was invented. This new system of fighting gave au entirely new use to the uwnrA it now became a weapon of de fense as well as offense. Long, slendor rapiers, sharpened only at the point, were the swords used iu fencing. Armed with one of these, a gallant knight, or bight toued courtier, who chose the now method of single combat, disdained the, use of armor; tho strokes of his oppo nent was warded off by his own light weapon, and whichever of the two con testants was enabled to disarm the other, or to deliver a thrust whieti could not be parried, could drive the sharp poiut of his rapier into the body of his opponent if he felt so inclined. The rapier; which was adapted to combat between two per sons, and not for geuoral warfare, soon became the weapon of the duellist; and, as duels used to be as common as law suits are now, it was thonght necessary that a gentleman should know how to fence, aud thus protect the life and honor of himself, his family and his friends. St. Nicholas. Wmidciful Longevity of Uur Widows. Tho widows of the soldiers and sailors of the war of 1812 are. fortunately for themselves and unfortunately for the publio treasury, blessed with marvelous health and strength. According to the latest official reports from Washington, twenty-six thousnd of these interesting ladies present themselves every three months before the accredited agents of the government and draw their pensions with a precision that shows a high con dition of financial discipline. Their ages, individually or collectively, no one of course will' be so nugallant as even to hint at. but tho date of the late war with Great Britain is pretty well back in the century, and is more trustworthy record than even Judge Speir's family Bible. In the darkness and uncertainly that develop the pension office at Wash ington, regarding the possible claims against the government arising out of the late war, the roll of the relic-U of the heroes of that patriotio epoch in our his tory may afford some light and iustruc tion. The total number of killed and wounded in the 1812 fifteen campaigns was a little more than five thousand. At the end of seventy years the pension lit of the widows alone outnumbers that of the casualties by five to one. If the widows of the veterans of the rebellion stand by the treasury as patriotically aa those of 1812, the commissioner of pn aions in 1950 will have a couple of hun dred thousand of them on their book. England Troubles. The troubles of England routinne to increase The Irish question is in as bad ooudition as can be, and whei the bill for the repression of crime is fioally passed, wo may look for a fresh crop of outrages which will tax the pa tience as well as the intelligence of the government to treat judiciously. If we may trust the news of the day, sho is on the verge of a war with Egypt, with but one ally and that ally so lukewarm and suspicions that she can look for no help from her, for tho old distrust and jeal cusy between England and France were never more appareut than now. And now upon the heels of these two ciubar rassments cornea a third, which, if not so grave aa the other two, will demand prompt treat nout at a time when she cannot wll afford to spare the meu and monev necessary to deul snccoisfully with it. South Africa is again in commotion, and every day's newa shows that it will soon be ablaze with war which will be dangerous to British aubjiicts, and may require greater efforts to put down than did iho revolt of Cetywayo. The w.etebed condition of JZululandJ ouly shows that a national injustice cannot be perpetrated without ontailing its punish ment. Hoaever much the oonqnest of Zululand may have been iu tho interests of civilization, tho manner of its con quest was not creditable to the English Government. Might made right iu its captnro, and Cotywayo was despoiled of his Kingdom by force, upon no other plea than that ho had defended his right to rule over his own people. The result is civil war all over the country. When hostilities concluded, in 187'J, Zululand was dividod up into thirteen little King doms by Sir Girnet Wolseley, and a large share of these are now ut war with each other. The prominent chiefs among thoso who have risen aro Obain, a brother of.Cetywayo, who was always opposed to him, Dabuko, an other brother of Cetywayo, and John Dunn. Dabuko has "t:kr n the field in Cetywayo's interests, and has already de feated aud routed his brother Obam.and is now manning his forces for an on slaught upon John Dunn. If ho over comes htm the eight little kings will soon bo disposed of, as they have no fol lowers or forces worth mention. In this event the English must interfere not only to restore their supremacy over Zululand, bnt to protect Natal. Meanwhile, after having compelled the miserable natives to submit a settlement, the Government left them to the mercy of thoso who could break it, and the re suit is massacre and pillago, ahioh will probably continae until it permanently occupies the country. Besides these intestine fends.the Boers of the Transvaal, who havo always hated their neighbors and regarded thera as their rightful slaves, are encouraging the war and improving their opportuni ties to seonro captives and pillage the territory, although it is hardly a short year atro that the English Government settled the Transvaal difficulties and de fined the exact relations which were to exist between the Boers and the neigh boring tribes. Tho entire situatiou shows the rank folly of such injustice as was perpetrated by Eugland in its half way measnrjs. One of two oourses seems to be imperative, either to lot the Transvaal and Zululand alone alto gether and allow thorn to take care of themselves, or to go in and occupy the entire Caffre territory and administer it under British rule. Meanwhile, how ever, injustice to the Egyptian people on tho one hand, and to the Irish peo ple on the ether, has placed England in a position so full of embarrass ments that sho may well hesitate.as she is now doinsr. what course to pursue in South Africa. If an occupation of it is to havo the effect that English occupa tion in India, Egypt and Ireland has had, namely, to reduoe tho people to a oondition of beggary, the South Afri cans may well beg to be let alono. and settle their difficulties at once. un cago Tribune. Facts About III lizards. "Tell mo about those dear, delightful, beautiful blizzards you have in your nniinirr " tuiil tlm ttronklvn ffirl. foldinff her hands, and looking up to him with a bewitchingly pleading glance. "I know they must bo just too swoet for . til anytning i nl, tlmir'rn awnntanorH 1" flinnnluled the Montana man, throwing one log over the other, and warming to his subject. "You once gut a blizzard after you, end vou'll wisn you hadn't any skirts on to bother von." "And did vou ever seo one?" she uulio.l nilli iirnfonnil interest. "." " . i - - "Well, I shonld fire a grin! 'responded i n In "I'm linen Kt-nlind when jW.lL. tT . - ' " our neck of the woods was toiling hard to save its county representation! Why, T uan a l.liviiir.l fill a tirnirin fire 111 inn, a " " ' " l right up on end, and it blazed a way, a streak of ere tiurty mues nigu i jusv tipped it right up !', Wlracioun !" sanealed the airl. "I should have thought it would have blown it clear over !" "That's where you catch my hetl ! You see. the fire struck agin a railroad lnnonintivn that was nassinn some eich teen miles up, and the engine held it perpendicular, exslaimed tue Montuna ran "Vnii ran'! ffxil a urttirio tire. much ! When it came down it k pt riht on blazing, and the melted engine drop ped on the tiack and ruu right t.i the round house in a liquid stream. They liad to pack it in ice so as to freeze i into shape again ! Oh, we have ice in our school district I" "I had no idea that a blizzard was so powerful I" murmured the girl. "Powerful 1 Well, you just shout, sister ! Only two months ago a blizzard lifted the Powder River straight up in the air aud carried it seven miles back in the wood ! Yon just deal your last giblet on the power 1 That river's np in the trrcs yet, and we're buildii g mills upside down so as to get the water privilege I You read atout tlee torna does 1 thev're only gusts ! ' "My!" exclaimed the girl. "A bliz zard must be something terrible." "Well, I should gobble dislinclUl' retnrord the Mnuna man wj'ti a quiet amila "Jnst beloro 1 left . Mtt old he blizzard struck my town, arid wuoopl 'us up about eight? feet I Town aud all 1 i We didn't come down for four wwks, I ami wouldn't have been down vet. only a Yankee threw a lariat over that streak o wind and started an elevator. Why, miss, yon don't know no more about i' than an old cock ! Whv, just south of us ono of 'em happened to hit a patch of country some fellows were surveying, and blew tho whole line of the road right through the surveyor's transit ! You bet! Aud tho company lost ita fran chise, Wcanse tho laud granted to it was just rolled nnht over, and they had to build the road straight up and down, or give it up !" 'I don't see how you ma'iago to live in such a country," aaid the astonished girl. "Oh, wo peg along." was the coura geous response. "It's the greatest coun try outdoors ! I remember one blizzard, though, that bothered us some. It hap pened to pop tho Crow iwervution plumb center, and blew tho whole business right over on our settlement, Indians, ground, crops, evervthing !" "On top of yon ! ejaculated the girl. "The same," replied the Montana man. "There we was, right under 'em I The redstius didn't dure go off their reserva tions for fear of war, and wo didn't dare climb up through for fear of violating tho treaty," "I'ait how did you get out?" queried tho girl. "Oh, you can t hold us fellows down long! Wo'ro wild, woolly and hard to curry, miss. Then we've got tho best soil in the world. Wo just planted a grain crop under that reservation, and in fourteeu days tho wheat had hoisted it up a hundred feet and thero it stood I lien tlio winter iroze it into Unit posi tion we gathered the crops aud moved out from under it. Then the thaw came in the spring, and. miss, you'd have jnst busted yoMr collar liand to liavo seen thera Crow Indians when their reserva tion dropped!" She siit aud looked at Mm iu amaze uient. ''But it isn t ul I tragedy, miss," con tinued tho Moutana mau. "Blizzards has a funny side, sometimes. I remem ber when a buck blizzard shimmed into Bud Kipplo's funeral. We mourners just laid right down and hung on with our teeth, lut tue ilolunct iiudu t our energy, and he was whirled up pretty near a mile! Wo never expected ho was going that way, and it must havo been something of an astonishertoBud! Miss, ho hasn't come down yet!" "And vou didn't bury him! ejaculated the horrified girl. "Oh. we planted him! Yon dout find any lamenteds hunting around our parts for the benefit of religion! A funeral is too good a chance for a fight! We just set to and built a grave right up to him, and he's sleeping his eternal rest iu the doggondest place yon ever saw, right on ton of that grave! He heedeth not the blizzard a howl, nor caretu lie a a a and the Montana mau pulled up sud denly in his pious reflections and rolled his eves. "What a curious idea!"' muttered tha girl. "You bet your sweot life!" conceded tho Montana man. "By tho way, the blizzard that strnck Small Pox linn was a teaser. The air was so thick nobody could see what was going on for an hour, and when they git around again thero was tho prettiest little old ledge you ever stuck your foot in.! Pretty lum en m! I reckon not! Twenty ounces to the pound and all wool!! The biggest find ever known in them parts!" "What was it?" asked tho bewildered girl. "A mine! A bonanza! And them fel lows worked it! Assayed two hundrod dollars to the onnco and no limit to the game! Bnt they lost it!" "How?" "Some preaehers from Minnesota came and claimed that it had blown from their State, and the Montana man had to give it up. The Minnesota men packed it on a wagon and took it home. "I didn t know they could carry a mine that way. What kind of a thing was it?" "It was a church debt! Thorn Min neaota follows had been living off it for years, and had n . had to sink a shaft The placer was as soft as your cheek and they hadn't touched the main vein I It was a bonanza, and Small lJox liun has never leen the same place since!" "I never heard a church debt called a mine before." siarhed the cirl. Then the Montana man rose tip and looked at her with mingled pity and con torart; for there are degrees of innocence mar even a aiouiuLm iuuu cau tuiciuiv. Brooklyn Eagle. The Matcbleis Liar of Chicago. "Tin .fn .Imilil me Mrrllo?" AS'J J"'! " " T J "Never!" excluinied the girl, putting nn HIT iuvihiuiu ni,u ni'"" luir.ilnlinn bottle where - - - sho would be suro to seo it in tho morn ing. The sun hud glared down fioreely all day upen the parched earth, and now that night had come tho heat was even more oppressive than ever, because the cool wind that hud lieen wafted from the luke during the day had died away. It wis a dreamy, sensuous, ono-gauze-un-.Kruliiri.unil no vest eveninflr. such as one often noticed while traveling in Pal "You have great faith in me, have you not, little one?" Vivian McCarty said, . i .i :i'.. ..ir :.. I.iu laKIPg me Kiri a uu nauit iu um. ' V .... " ruiil iV.l "if vrtle l"T hetinve in AC", ..j, yon with a childlike faith akin to fiat which enahles a boy to uiie a pie in me dark, and I love you with a deep tender fair Invultr lliat. ran never die." UtirM, ju '-'J J " "And would you believe anythiLg I A ll V'.m,iiw mnmn,iul IrtUulrifT IOIU JUIII TilII Uiuiwui'-i) - .f the dimpled hand that lay in his. Looking at him with her starry eves, in whieb there gleamed a holy love light, the girl replied slowly and with vliitA tiutttnii "I would believe your every word, no matter Ual you lOld we. Tl.on iui.1 ViTian. while a baleful liuht shot from his near eye, "there is no ice rreiim in iuicago F'ir an instant, dazed by the shock, Myrtle did not sjieak. but presently the voire of her heart fouod echo in word "I can never leave you now, she whis pered. "There cannot be another snub imr in all the wide, wide world." Chicago Tribune. "My cai-e is just here," said a citizen to a lawyer the other day; "the plaintiff will swear that J hit bim. I will swear that I did not. Now, what can yon law- em make out of that if we go to trial?" -Five dollar apiece," was the prompt reply. Our Xire Little Arm'. The armv appropriation bill, which passed the lion- of Kcpresentativc on I lie Rth of April, and is now in tb Sen ate, fills seventeen folio pages and is au interesting document. It appropriates in all SJti.raUnoo. Of this sum 812,ii'Hl,. MM) is for the pay of ono general, oim lieutenant-general, three mnjor generals, ixteen briitadior-Koncrals, JM nidus-de camp (in addition to their pay iu the line), M colonels, ho lientonaiit coloiieis, .'11 majors, ill I mounted capta'us, . captains (uot mounted), It 4 chaplains, 21 storekeepers. 40 ailjutaiils, W regimental quartermasters, an adjutant and quarter master of the Lugiticcr liiittallon (in ad dition to the line pay), tlrst lieuten ants (mounted), .'t'il first liouteimuta . . ' . n i i...... . IW llionuicil), ! mci'iiii lu-iiirimuio (mounted), ;HH second lieutenants (not mounted,) 18(1 acting assiht.int commissa ries of rulisisteuee.pavto tetired oftbers, and to enlisted men of all grade" not ex ceeding 2.",000 men; Ml enlisted men of tho Signal Corps; mileage-; hire of 120 contract surgeons and 'M hospital nurses; 04 paymaster clerks, at the rate of $1500 each; 11 veterinav Burgeons; commutation of quarters, and other little trifles. Now, by all this it ill be seen that it is no joke to keep up au ariny;and it will also lie seeu that to taKo care oi 25,000 enlisted men no less than 27011 officers of all grades are required, which is at the rate of lesa tlmu tn men to one officer. We aro not complaining about it, but are simply stating the fact. Cap tions critics might easily question t lie utility of the tliirtv-four clmpUiii; and others might ask why a man who in lit to be a paymaster ut all, etui whoso whole duty consists in paving off on un average about MM) officers un.l men otieeu nionin, should need a clerk nt tho cost of $1500 a year to do his work lor him. It may iu doed bo questioned whether tho service wonld suffer at all it the oince oi paymas ter were aWislied and the duty of pay- ncr the armv transferred to the colonels of tho regiments, or to the regimental quartermasters. For tho Minsistence liepuruurni vi the army $2,2(M)O,000 is appropriated, and this is to food the 25,(KHK) enlisted men, the laundresses, lHl.i civil em idovea. tlm contract siirceous. the hospi tal matrons, ninety-threo convicts and M)0 Iudian prisoners. To do this will require 10,177,595 rations, which are to cost 20 cents each, besides sundry extra items for .'hot coffee and cooked rations for troopa traveling on oars, ana soon. For the Quartermaster's Department, which provides fuol.light, fora?e,horsos, stntiouory aud so on $3,500,000 is neces sary. For incidontal exposes, whioh urn verv nu ncrous. ranging from post age to horseshoes and frctn the hire of spies and interpreters to ine approuen s on of deserters. 81,000,000 ia given For transportation of all kinds the large sum or Sl.lOO.UlKJ is required. i or uie hiro of quarters and repairs, $880,000; for elothinir and camp equipage, $1,- 400.000; for medicine, Ac, $2(M),000; for tho Army Medical Museum, 85000, an.l for tha manufacture of arms at na tional armories. 8100.000 is among the other items in this interesting bill. No ono grudges the army anything it ought to have, and probably thore is littlo, if anything, provided for in this bill that it ought not to unve. Illrdi F Jim lntne Mgtit. One of the phenomena which have been nouoou iu couneouuii wim mo the tast four weeks is the scarcity of some species of birds which usually make ttioir appearance irom urn lttt to the 15th of May. Althongh in the milder weather of last month tho early birds came thick and fast, passing on their wav to tho north, tbo tide of migra tion bus apparently been stayed by the uniavoranie weaiuer, wmuu as well the growth of vegotation in some waya. Many of our birds which may bo seeu bore regularly in nnmuora on cor tuin ,ii,ina oinrv Hmmon have not appear ed at all, or but few of thorn bavo boeu soon. , .... Tt ia well known that fliuhts of 1)1 1(1 8 occur quite regulurly iu autumn before the storms, and m spring aiier iiiem. x i uluo well known that many birds in their migrationa travel during the night, resting during the day. we were pre nro,i nn i nan of the mercury Hatur day evening to note a flight of birds during the night, and were not disap pointed. The early hours oftheovon ing passed without much having beou heard of the birds, except, now and thon the chirp of a warbler, or mo noise oi a small flock passing overhead. At eleveii o'clock, however, bird calls began to resound high iu the air aud on all sides, and from twelve to two in the morning multitudes of birds were heard pasiug overhead; some low, eoroe so high that their notes came back like a taint echo from tho darknesa. Occa sionally a flock of warblera or spar rows would puss, flying so low that tho rustling of their wings could bo heard. Now and theu a ilock of some small birds passed high overhead, mak ing their call notes a continuous musi cal ripple through the night. From the regions of the upper air, high above all, came back the tones of the plover and other shore birds, all tending towards the north, This vast multitude of birds continued to pass throughout the night. The notes of many, such as the bobo link, taiinger, Wilson a thrush and white-crowned sparrow, were recog nized; during a walk Hnnday morn ing these birds aud many others were found in numbors. Those who wish to observe the smaller 'and birds, now on their way to the north, should be on tho alert, for in a few days from this time very few birds will be fonnd here, except our summer residents. This flight of birds, which is probably not local, may extend over the entire portion of the northern United States, oast of the Missiusippl, or even further. Countless millions of birds aro now spreading through these States, returning from their wanderings in Southern forests to their old Homes ia the North. - - - . Statistics apear to show that Germany surpasses all other countries in the con sumption of matches, the number used there daily being as great as from ten to fifteen per bead of the population. This fact is attributed to the almost uni versal custom of smoking In Belgium the consumption is about nine per head; in England, eight; in France, six. O iris, like opportunities, are all more to yon after being embraced. ths Ideal Iidlani, Tho Osages are said to be the uearet toideil Indians in appearance union if the remaining trila-s of Indian Territo ry. Tho average height of the man is fully six feet, and their features are strongly characteristic "They retain the savage drefs," says a rorresKmlent ot the Providence Joiirosl, "shave their heads except a cock's comb, itreak their faces with red ochre, aud their lsnlios and arms with dark linen. When the three youths presentiuif this amtcarance dunned up on their ponies, it looked as though wo had got among the native ab origines at last. They extended their hands with a smiling greeting that dis played their white teeth, and littered their tallismanio 'Howgh,' to which we responded with au attempt at equally lecp-lunged emphasis, and then they cluttered on, sitting straight on their horses hack, and riding like centaurs. Iu the sumo letter, however, tho writer dcscrilxis something far less pictnrestine ami mom civilizm' tho spoctaclo of a native constable lugging a drunken In- I mil to jail, and clubbing him, lwdico- man fashion, on the wav. He also heard somo squaws singing selections from Pinafore in a most dreadful manner, to the accompaniment of a painful occor- lion. - . . hun. Nornrjjlan Uonfstj. Soon after starting we passed the sneter where Jens lives when ho is not hunting iu the mouiituins, and Esau, wishing to see what kind of snow-shoes they use in this part of (lie country, Jena ran np to tlm house and fetched his skier. lo give an idea of tho absurd honesty which prevails here, wo uot iced that though Jens had been absent from homo for tho last two mouths, aud the windows were shut up, vet tho door was ouly latched, and after the inspection of tho snow-shoes, Jens would uot troublo to take them back, bnt simply left them by tho side ot the road to wait his return three or four days hence. Another in stance illustrating the same simplicity occurred to us once when traveling in quite a dill'crent part of Norway. When changing csriolos at a station our bag gage was all heaped together on the roadside, and as we waited to stay theio an hour or so for diuuer, and thia was a mam road with a fair amount of traffic, we aiiKircstcd to tho laudlord that Oil1 goods had bettor 1m brought insido the station. He merely lookod up to the sky with a wos thor-wise eye and replied: 'Oh, no; I'm suro it won't rain." IThroe iu Norway. The Miner' I'rayer. Joaquin Miller, has the following in the Coutury Magazine for July: Whou they had finished the hymn for tho second timo, the man Irom Maine grasped the hands of Lazirus and Nut Crackers and oriod out: "Onco more, boys! Once more! And, boys, the p'nt and main thing in the prayin' and tho singin' is that tho kid gits well, of course. But, boys, chip iu a sort o' side prayer for the uiino. Now, all together. "From tirrenlsnd's icy meo-u-n fins" Yes, boys, heave it in for the mine, on the sly, like. Koep her np, now! 'From Injy'i cnral Hr-a-n', Whnrs Alric'i tunny fen u-n t'n Hull down their gnhlsti t-a-u'. Yes, boy s, keep weather eye on Iho mine; don't cost a cent more, you know, to come right ont flat-footed for the mine, so that she can't miss in tho niornin' nnder nopossible darned oiroum stances." II lot to Candidates. A oitiien who lately built himsolf a residence was the other day showing a friend through it, and when everything had been noticed and discussed, be asked : "Well, do you see anywhsre yon could Improve it?" "Yes, I noticed a bad error right at the start," was the reply. "You have no balcony in trout." "Bui I didn't want one." "Well, perhaps not, but when you ore running for office and the band comes np to serenade you and the populace calls for a speech, you will either nave to go to the roof or come down to tho ground to respond. A balcony is a sort of mid-. dlo ground just high enough to escape making pledges, and not too high to promise all sorts of reform. Ought to have a balcony, sir rogrot it if you don't. Texas Sittings. Oun notices. A gontloman near Winchester mado a rockery in front of . In'a Iwniaa in uliinh lin iduntad Sfime beautiful fearns, and, having put np the . . t. . in a following notice, jotinu more eiuciciit and less expensive than spring guns or man traps. Tho lear-inspiring inscrip tion was: "Boggais beware, Keolopen ilrinma anl 1'olvt.mlinms are set here." Tho wa 1 of a gentlemau'a bouso noar Edinburgh some years since exninneu a board nn wliieh was naiutod a threat quite as difficult for tho trespasser to un derstand as mo preenuniB; au.t pri son entering theso enclosures will be shot and prosecuted." An eccentrio old gentleman placed in a field on bis estate a board with the following generonsoffer painted thereon: "I will give this field to any man who is oontented." It was not long before he had an applicant. "Well, my man, are you a contented fel ln?" "Y ir: verv." "Then why do you want my field?" The applioaut did not wait iu repiy. 9 J. S. Clarke, the eminent American comedian, may be seen every morning driving his jony phaeton in from hia nlaeo at Huverstock Hill, tear London, down Portland place.nsually to the Hay- market theater, oi whten ue wa, ior many years, lessee. Mr. Clarke baa acquired a large fortune, chiefly in Eng land, where bis wifo, a sister of Edwin Booth, and family have resided for many years, preferring living in Eng land to this county. Mrs. Julia Ward Howe delivered an address before the Alomnta of Elmira Female college, a few days ago, giving reminiscences of Longfellow and Emer son. In ber closing remarks she said: "As the two sex marvelously influence each other, the age of groat men w essen tially the age of great women. My dear young sisters, prove your elves worthy to bave lived in the age which produced Henry Wadswortb Longfellow and Ilalph Waldo Emerson.