The Daily Astorian., November 11, 1877, Image 6

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What Little Tot Does.
Monday I take my little tut
And fill with soap and water;
And my dollies' clothes I rub, rub, rub;
Ma oalls me her good daughter.
Tuesday I heat nvy tiny iron,
And Finooth ray dollies' dresses;
Dress them up nicely in clean clothe?,
And comb their silken tresses.
On Wednesday mamma cuts some work,
And I sew it neat and tidy;
And mamma comes and kisses mc
And sn-s I'm a little lad'.
Thursday I to the kitchen go,
Help mamma do the baking;
And bread or cake, or pies or turts,
I make what she is making.
Friday I give m3T dolls a feast,
Then take them all out walking;
You'd laugh to hear the funny things
They say when they are talking.
Saturday we have a merry time,
Some game or merry frolic,
Unless a doll' is taken sick
With toothache or the colic.
Sunday I read some little book
Until the bells are ringing,
"With mamma goto church and hear
The sermon and the singing.
Brown's Sweetheart.
Brown was a bachelor a sad, silent
man, who, instead of having passed
through the frivolities of youth, had
passed them by, and was now safely
landed on the other side. His age was
an undetei mined problem, not to be set
tled like that of a horse, by his teeth,
for they were aitificial, nor by his locks,
for they were dyed, while, by brushing
forward bis back hair &o as to form a
false crown several inches below the nat
ural one, a certain incipient baldness Wrs
dexterously concealed.
"He will never see five-and-forty,"
darkly hinted Tabitha Skim ply, who,
after setting her cap at Brown for many
year?, at la-r,like iEsop's fox, found con
solation for baiiled hopes in undervalu
ing their object.
Though at most times sad and silent,
Brown was not unsocial. He enjoyed
the company of friends, in a circle of
whom, with a bottle of wine to help, he
would often thaw out perceptibly.
"It's a wonder Blown never married,'
remarked Peleg Kiiile, on oue of these
occasions.
Brown sighed.
"What a model head of a family he'd
have made,"' added Jotham Tiunnel!.
Another sigh fiom Brown.
"A perfect pattern of the domestic vir
tues," returned Peleg Bifile. "Upon my
word, Brown, you've sinned against so
ciety and yourself in hiding your light
under a bushel."
"You," put in Jotham Truunel, "who
should now be setting a bright example
of connubial bliss to the rising genera
tic n !"
"Alas !" said Brown, "it was not to be."
"Can it be true," iuquired Peleg, "that
you once proposed to Tabitha Skimpley,
and were rejected, as she says, on the
score of age"
'As for my age," muttered Brown,
"she's old enough to remember it, at any
rate. But," he continued, "I don't mind
telling,once for all, the story of my heart,
just to prove how little Tabitha Skimpley
had to do with it."
Jotham and Peleg set themselves to 1
listen, and thus Brown began :
"It was a case of love at first sight."
"Wouldn't it be more methodical,"
suggested Jotham, "if you first told us
how you came to see the lady?"
"But I didn't see her."
"Come, that's a paradox."
"A truth, none the less; I found her
picture." :
"And fell in love with that? Ah! I
see," replied Jotham.
"I picked it up from where it had been
dropped in the street. It was a minia
ture, done on ivory, and set in a hand
some locket none of your trumpery
photographs, which give to -all the same
eyes, hair and complexion, but a match
less painting, representing a face of
exquisite beauty, whose white rivalled
the lily, and its red the rose. Kinglets of
shredded gold fell on shoulders of ala
baster, and "
"Hold on, Brown !" interrupted Peleg.j
"isn t that going it rather strong?"
"Strong! I tell you it was an angel's
likeness, improved by leaving out the
wings. '
"To find the original of that celestial
shadow, I vowed thenceforth forward to
devote my days. J .bought an opera
glass of extra power, and visited in suc
cession the most frequented places of
amusement. I promenaded the fashion
able thoroughfares, went the round of
the highest-toned churches, sauntered in
the parks, aod lounged in the picture
galleries. If I saw before me a cataract
of golden curls flowing from beneath a
jaunty hat, I would hurry forward and
look back to find, alas! that the face
was another's.
"I began to despair at last. I felt that
my fate, like that of the Wandering Jew,
was to 'march ! march !' for evermore.
"I resolved to accept my destiny. If
I could do nothing else, I could at least
manifest my devotion by 'marching on.'
One day, however, I was brought to a
halt."
"By what," asked Jotham Trunnell.
"By the yelp of a dog.
"I know not what mysterious influence
there was in that yelp. At any rate, it
startled me from my revery, and turning
abeut, I saw "
'The angel of your dreams !" eagerly
anticipated Jotham.
'S"o a big dog worrying a little one,"
proceeded Brown.
"Let go, you brute!" was exclaimed in
a silvery voice. A torrent of golden
, tresses rippled down the speaker's back,
which was toward me. Siic was vigor
j ously punching the assailing cur in the
ribs with her. parasol, i he scene aroused
all the hero within me. Unduuuted by
the horrors of hydrophobia, I sprang for
ward, giasped a jaw of the jellow ag
gressor ia either hand, like Samson
when he rent the lion, and set free the
almost strangled victim.
'Turning to place the rescued poodle
in its mistress's arms. I caught sight of
her face. It was "
"Hers?" cried Jotham.
'Hers!" cried Brown, hollowly, "The
picture, it is true, flattered her a little,
but in all essential respects the likeness
was perfect.
"She courtesied, thanked me, and hur
rying up the steps of an adjacent man
sion, disappeared within.
" 'Who lives there?' I inquired of a
passing policeman.
"Glaucing me over, probably to assure
himself that I was not burglariously
bent
" 'Mr. Penswarth,' he answered.
"I noted down the name and number,
took a night to reflect, and resolved upon
ray course.
..At a nroner hour next morning I
called at
Mr.
Penswarth' and rang
the
bell.
"'Is Miss Penswarth at home?'
I
en
the ouired of the seivant who came
to
door.
" 'She is, sir.'
' Tell hex a gentleman wishes to
see
her.'
'I was shown into the reception-room,
and soon a rustle of f ilk was followed by
the mistress of tho little dog.
"I have called.' 'I said, rising
" 'To inquire after Fido's health, I sup
pose,' she inleriupted. 'It's very kind
of you, I'm sure. Except the shock to
his nerves, he has suffeied no injury.'
" 'It's not that I have come to speak
of,' I said, 'but a more serious matter.'
"I threw myself upon my knees a
stroke I had long preconcerted with my
self and clasped her hand.
" 'Your image has haunted me for
months,' I began.
"'My image?' she replied; 'why you
never saw me till yesterday.'
" 'But nearly a year ago I found this?
I answered, placing the locket in her
uau(.
Oh I my poor nrandmotJier's picture,
which it grieved me so much to loseP she
cried. 'She's been dead these twenty
years. They say I do resemble her, but
am not half so pretty.'
"I rose and took my leave," concluded
Brown, "a sad and disappointed man;
and now you know why "I've remained a
bachelor, and howr little Tabitha Skimp
ley has had to do with it."
Cost of Transportation Before the
Itailroad.
That there was .no" need for new
methods of intercommunication, the in
creasing population made every day more
apparent. In 1784 the cost of transpor
tation from Philadelphia to Erie is stated
to have been two hundred and forty
nine dollars a too, the method being by
pick horses principally, which were
uriven in lines of ten or twelve, each
horse being tied to the tail of the pne
preceding, so that the train was under
the management of one driver. Each
horse carried a pack weighing about two
hundred pounds. In 1789 the first saw
mill in Ohio was built by the New Eng
land and Ohio company, about sixteen
miles from Marietta, on Wolf Creek,
about a mile above its junction with the
Muskingum. The crank for this mill
was made in New7 Haven, Conn., and
weighed a hundred and eighty pounds.
It was carried by pack horses over the
mountains to the Yqughiogney river, at
Siinrel's ferry, and thence shipped by
water to Marietta. This same 3 ear the
first wagon-load of goods is said to have
been transported, by the southern route
through Virginia, from Hagerstown,
Maryland, to Browsville, Pennsylvania,
whence, by the Monongahela, water com
munication was had with the Ohio river.
A train of four horses could take a ton
from Hageratown and return in a little
less than a month, tho. distance being one
hundred and forty-miles, at a charge of
three dollars a hundred weight or sixty
dollars a ton.
The operations on the- lakes during the
war of 1812 called attention 4igain to the
cost of transportation, and in 1818 the
House directed the secretaries of war and
of the treasury to report at the next ses
sion a list of the internal improvements
in progress, and plans for aiding by ap
propriations. In the discussion upon this
motion it was stated that the expense for
the transportation of each barrel of flour
to Detroit was not less than sixty dollars,
while for every pound of ammunition
and other material it wa3 not less than
fifty cents. Harpers Magazine.
A French Anti-Tobacco Society offers
the following prizes on competitien: 1.
A prize of one hundred francs to the
schoolmaster who will write the best pa
per in view of warning youth against the
dangers of prematurely indulging in the
use of tobacco. 2. A prize of two hun
dred francs to the medical man who will
relate the greatest number of interesting
and unpublished observations on diseases
arising fiom the use of tobacco. 3. A
prize of three hundred francs to the au
thor of the best paper relating to the in
fluence of tobacco on studies, especially
in universities, civil and military schools.
.
Old age is a tyrant that forbids the
pleasure of youth, on pain of death.
JRouchefoucauld.
"interrupted Table Talk.
The other evening the Rev. Mr. Philacter
sat down at the tea table with a very
thoughtful air,and attended to the wants
of his brood in a very abstracted manner.
Presently he looked up at his wife and
said:
"The Apostle Paul"
"Got an awfullumpon the head 'safter
noon," broke in the pastor's eldest son,
"playing base bail. Bat flew out of the
striker's hands when I was umpire, and
cracked me right over the ear,an' dropped
me. Hurt? Golly !" and the lad shook
his head in dismal but expressive panto
mime as he tenderly rubbed a lump that
looked like a billiard ball with hair on
it. The pastor gravely paused for the in
terruption, and resumed :
"The Apostle Paul"
"Saw Mrs. O'Gheminie down at Green
baum's this afternoon," said his eldest
daughter, addressing her mother. "She
had on the same old everlasting black
silk, made over with a vest of tilleul
green silk, coat-tail-basque pattern, over
skirt made with diagonal folds in front,
edged with deep fringe; yellow straw
hat, with black velvet facing inside the
brim, and pale blue flowers. She's going
to Chicago."
The good minister waited patiently,
and then, in tones just a shade louder
than before, said :
"The Apostle Paul"
"Went in swimmin' last night, with
Harry and Ben, pop, and stepped on a
clam shell," exclaimed his youngest son;
"cut my foot so I can't wear my shoe;
and, pleasc,can't I stay home to-morrow?"
The pastor informed his son that he
might stay away from the river, and then
resumed his topic. He said:
"The Apostle Paul says"
"My teacher is an awful liar," shouted
the second son ; "he says the world is as
round as an orange and it turns round all
the time faster than a circus man can
ride. I guess he hain't got much sense."
The mother lifted a warning finger
toward the boy and said "sh!" and the
father resumed :
"The Apostle Paul says"
"Don't bite off twice as much as you
can chew," broke out the eldest son, re
proving the assault of his little brother
on a piece of cake. The pastor's face
showed just a trifle of annoyance as he said,
in very firm, decided tenes:
"The Apostle Paul says"
"There's a fly in the butter!" shrieked
the youngest hopeful of the family, and
a general laugh followed. When silence
was restored the eldest daughter, with an
air of curiosity, said :
"Well, but, pa, I really would like to
know what the Apostle Paul said."
"Pass me the mustard," said the pastor,
absentlv.
Then the committee rose, and the sen
ate went into executive session and soon
after adjourned. HattJceye.
Influence in the World.
Who can estimate the power of per
sonal influence? The careful, industrious
mistress of a house has an influence on
her circle the extent of which she herself
cannot calculate. So has that fast and
frivolous wife, to whom pleasure is as the
breath pf her nostrils, her fine clothes
dearer than her children, and of all sor
rows work and duty the most sorrowful.
Sow many young minds has she not
warped by her pernicious example, so
brilliant In its setting and so seductive in
its lines? It is so hard to work, so pleas
ant to play. . Has a bold, slangy girl no
influence over her comrades? If a good,
pure and modest girl who neither flirts
nor idles, neither talks slang nor affects
improper subjects; who finds no pleasure
in silly little intrigu.es, and abhors all
degrading little false"hodd; who believes
in duty, and acts as if she believes if
such a girl as this is a friend which every
wise mother desires her child to make,
so, on the other hand, is the Jbold and
idle, thriftless and undutiful girl the one
whom she would wish to be avoided, be
came of the power -of influence. Every
man and woman living has influence for
good or evil. Our personality has influ
ence; our habit9, our modes of thought,
our fashion of dress, our method of
speech, each circumstance of our individ
uality, makes its mark, and either' repels
by the distaste or attracts by the admira
tion which it inspires; there is no .one so
small and Insignificant as to be destitute
of the power of stirring, to some extent,
the world in which he lives.
Queer Pets. There is a curious case
at Rockport of the singular attachment
sometimes instituted between man and
the lover animals. A Mr. Hale has been
for a long time accustomed to throw bits
of food for some eels in a little brook that
runs across the back of his lot. Latterly
he observed that they seemed to be wait
ing for his visit, and with a little training
they were induced to eat food directly
from his hand. They were learned to
play and fondle about his fingers, held in
the water and enjoyed his caresses. More
recently the largest one of the four, a
huge old fellow over two feet long and
very large around, allows Mr. H. to take
him entirely out of the water, slide him
about freely from hand to hand, appar
ently enjoying the novel gymnastics.
When Mr. H. goes to the brook he calls
them with a peculiar whistle, and they
soon come rushing briskly from down
stream. Not long ago he brought them
his usual lunch of "fish and mackerel,
when only the large one came. The eel
waited a few moments, then turned down
stream and soon came back, bringing his
tardy family to supper. This shows
there is no touch of the human in them,
for any ordinary biped boarder would
have pitched in without waiting, and
cleared the table ! Boston Globe.
At every birth a funeral is announced.
The Cigar He Did 3Jot Smoke.
During the great war between France
and Germany, Prince Bismarck, "the
man of blood and iron," was the actor in
an incident of a most suggestive nature.
The prince is said to be a bmoker, ardent
ly attached to the "weed." He is re
ported to have said, "the value of a cigar
is best understood when itis the last you
possets, and there 13 no chance of getting
another." Most devotees of tobacco in
any form seem to delight in their bond
age to it, and to be miserable if deprived
of it. It is said that Bismarck had cher
ished his last cigar all through a battle,
in giaa anticipation 01 the luxury in
store for him, when he suddenly and
gladly deprived himself of the smoke
giving solace. In his own words, "I
painted in glowing colors in my mind
the happy hour when I should enjoy it
after the victory. But I had miscalcu
lated the chances. A poor dragoon lay
helpless, with both arms crushed, mur
muring for something to refresh him. I
felt in my pockets, and found that I had
only gold, and that would be of no use
to him. But stay, I had still my treas
ured cigar ! I lighted this for him and
placed it between his teeth. You should
have seen the poor fellow's grateful
smile. I never enjoyed a cigar so much
as that one I did not smoke."
This is a charming little story, and re
minds one of the still finer unselfishness
of Sir Philip Sidney, who, at the battle
of Zutphen" gave the water brought to
him, parched with thirst though he was,
to a poor wounded soldier. Both illus
trate the great truth of the "luxury of
doing good" a phrase as true as itjs
beautiful. It is a luxury within the
reach of all, even the poorest and hum
blest, and is one, too, which does not lose
its charm by repetition, but increases the
more it is indulged in.
Sir Philip Sidney denied himself the
draught of wTater, almost a necessary of
life, to his humble companion in arms.
Bismarck surrendered a luxury that per
haps cost him nearly as much self-denial
as that of Sir Philip Sidney. Both knew
a pleasure that was greater than the one
they had foregone, for eternally true are
the sacred words, "It is more blessed to
give than to receive."
"I never enjoyed a cigar so much as
that one I. did not smoke." Might not
this sentiment be uttered by many a man
who has relinquished his daily wine or
beer for the sake of others. The new
found pleasure of Bismarck is one that
has gladdened the hearts of thousands of
unknown men and women, who have dis
cerned that teetotalism has yielded them
a joy incalculably greater and more last-
ling than the one "glass" ever gave. At
first, perhaps, they experience a physical
discomfort and social inconvenience, but
as the saw lost men and women rescued ;
ragged and half-starved children clothed
and fed aching hearts made glad ; and
wretched "homes made joyous, and have
traced this human prosperity and glad
ness to their own teetotalism, they have
borne about their hearts a quiet but a
genuine satisfaction which has repaid
them a hundred-fold for the "sacrifice"
they have at first.
"That cigar I did not smoke." How
many, looking back upon the time when,
l after hesitating between two opinions,
they decided for the safe and noble side,
and left untouched the glass that waited
their lifted hand, can say that that glass
they "did not" take was the most joy
giving glass they ever knew? In almost
every town and village there are men and
women whose hearts are gladdenedby
the sight or the memory of the good
work done. In the quiet church-yard
rests one man, once a nuisance to the
neighborhood and a curse to his home,
and an outcast from society. A brave'
man tried to rescue him, and by the glass
of wine lie "did not take" reached his
heart, and won him to sobriety and, god
liness, till his wife and children wel
comed him they Jiad on,ce dreaded;- the
wretched home became bright with plen
ty and love, and the neighborhood found
that the man who was its disgrace and
annoyance had become a respectable "and
useful citizen. ' '
In a pulpit in'a great town stands a
wise and Christian preacher, whose influ
ence is mighty on the side of Christ and
humanity. Years ago he was in danger.
His'personal. attractiveness, his talent and
geniality were perilous gifts, for .the
"glass" was his growing- resort' in aid of
sociality, endurance, and brilliance. A
wise and womanly woman saw it and
trembled for him. She stood well in so
ciety her table was the resort of i lie
culture of the neighborhood, and the elo
quent preapher was one of hernlost wel
come guests. To save him, she not only
uttered words of tender warning, but set
the example of personal abstinence. By
reason of her oatreaties and example, he
became an abstainer. He sees the peril
he so narrowly escaped. He sees men
abler and nobler than himself who have
fallen to degradation by means of the
tempting snare, and by his gratitude for
his own salvation he has won hundreds
from a like peril. And she--his good
earth angel, old in years, but young in
spirit rejoices gratefully and daily in
the good she wrought by the glas she
"did not take."
Ever it is so. The happy are those who
give happiness. We doubt if anybody is
wretched who makes other lives glad.
Those who suffer from ennui and feel
that life is prosy and dull, may find a
remedy for the dullness in loving effort
for others, and especially in the great
temperance field. JSText to direct re
ligious effort, no work is so fascinating,
so fruitful and so joy-giving. And those
who relinquish their "glass" from a sense
of duty and love will find that the results
of their apparent sacrifice are such as
will repay them a thousand-fold for the
loss of the wine they do "not take."
Eruption of Cotopaxi.
The last eruption of the volcano of
Cotopaxi (the tenth, according to my
computation) took place on the 26th of
June last, with every circumstance that
could increase its horror utter darkness
in broad day, thunder and lightning,
fearful explosions that made the earth
tremble, subterranean noises and wild
gusts of wind, accompanied by a rain of
ashes. An eye-witness told me that the
volcano poured out a cataract ten times
the bulk of Niagara, which carried ill
before it in its headlong course, and su?
..-'- jm
merged the whole sui rounding country.
The torrent divided itself in two opposite
directions, as if to give greater scope to
its devastation and to make the confusion
still more dire. One branch took a
southerly course toward the city oT Lata
cunga, situated twelve miles from Coto
paxi. On its way the torrent converted
the plain of Callao into an immense lake.
There is but a faint hope that the ruins
of the palace of the Incas, described by
Humboldt and all other travelers through
the central valley of the equatorial Andes,
have escaped the ravages of the flood.
Near Latacunga the furious current tore
up from its very foundations the cotton
factory of Don Jose Villagomez, whose
value was estimated at 300,000; crops,
cattle, buildings, were swept away ; the
massive bridges of Cujuche and Pansal
vo were destroyed, as well as a part of
the fine carriage road (scarce equaled
even in Europe) which connects Quito
with the tovus in the south of the
republic.
The branch that headed toward the
south of Cotopaxi devastated the pros
perous and enchanting valley of Chillo,
ana in particular the estate ot the Senor
Aguirre, noted for having been the resi
dence of Humboldt. There, too, as in
Latacunga, arose the building of a thriv
ing factory, which, only the year before,
had been destroyed by fire and had just
been repaired at great expense. The tor
rent rooted it from the ground, and bore
it away in a thousand fragments. It is
asserted that a mill of Don Manuel Pa
lacios floated on the water like a ship at
sea until shattered by the current. The
loss in the valley of Chillo alone is esti
mated at over two millions of dollars, and
the loss in other sections ia equally great.
It is likewise calculated that the number
of the dead exceeds one thousand. Alj
though the surroundings of Quito have
been laid waste, the city itself suffered
only from a rain of ashes and a complete
darkness, which began on the 2Gth f
June, at three in the afternoon. At Ma
chache and other places the nigHt lasted
for thirty consecutive hours. In the
midst of this opaque gloom one could
hear the bellowing of the cattle and the
cries of other animals who, deprived of
their usual food by the shower of
ashes, sought, in a species of frenzy, for
the means of satistying their hunger.
Other beasts, frantic with terror,
careered hither and thither as if in des
pair, and the piteous howling of the
dogs pierced the air "with its ominous
sound. In Quito the darkness was as
that of night; it was like that described
by the younger Pliny in p. .letter to Taci
tus, in which he relates 'the eruption of
Vesuvius, and the destruction of Pom-
pen, "it was," ne says, "as 11 tne lights
m a room naa oeen extinguished. At
Quito the shower at first was of coarse,
heavy sand, which subsequently turned
into ashes so fine and impalpable that
they penetrated not only into apart
ments, but into the most carefully closed
receptacles. In the depth of the dark
ness men and women, braving the rain
of ashes, sallied forth into the streets,
screening themselveswith umbrellas and
lighting their way with lanterns, and all
the while these' strange' apparitions rent
the air with their cries and prayers for
mercy. The umbrellas, as well as the
green eye-glasses used here 'on journeys,
were no superfluous precaution, although
they afforded but scant protection against
the subtle power, which it was remem
bered had in many cases produced blind
ness 'during theTeruption of 1843, and the
rain of ashes of thirty hours that attend
ed it.
From the outset the people had unan
imously ascribed the disaster to a chas
tisement of heaven, brought down by the
irreligion of the Government, which had
arbitrarily closed the churches and de
prived the people of those spiritual con
solations that were made doubly neces
sary by the sad 'condition of thingsin
general. The. idea of a t)ivine-punishment
spread like wildLfire, ani-as the
tempest ragUd nioi-e wildly- this convic
tion gathered " interaitv, until at last
groups of men, without a leader, without .
any concerted plan, and witllont.arms,
threw themselves upon the guard at the
military hospital, while others attacked
the guard stationed at the powder-magazine
on the hill of Javira. There were
but few troops in the . garrison, the
greater part having been sent to suppress
the insurrection in Imbabura; but the
assailants, lacking arms and direction,
were promptly overpowered, with" no fur
ther loss than that of two soldiers and
two citizens. On the day following, be
fore the city had recovered from its con
sternation, and while clouds of ashes
still hovered in the air and pervaded the
streets, five of the unhappy prisoners who
had been taken during the tumult suf
fered the barbarous punishment of five
hundred lashes. Some-have died incon
sequence. The fact needs "no comment.
A number of respectable citizens have
been arrested and are to" be subjected to
a court-martial. In the present wretched
condition of Ecuador, ruined as it is by
a series of disasters, the recent eruption
is tne culmination 01 113 wuea. iea
years of peace and prosperity, of which
there is faint prospect now, will not suf
fice to repair the evils which a few hours
have wrought in this unfortunate land.
s
J-.