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<Llic .onunnnnh Sritmnc.
Published bv the Twrrcwa Pnblishhu 00. 1
J. H. DKVEAUZ. Maxiob* >
VOL. 111.
Sleep, Sorrow, Sleep.
Sleep, sorrow, sleep!
For I have watched thee weep
Till all the purpose of my days is riven.
Her quest forsaken, shall the soul be shrivon?
My vows are melted with unceasing woe,
As April rainfalls waste the winter snow.
Rest, sorrow, rest!
For thee a curtai ed nest
Os faith and truth and lulling tendernesses
Is shaped within the spirit’s dim recesses,
Where all the tumult of life’s eddying stream
Sounds hollow as the rivers of a dream.
Rest, sorrow, rest!
Upon thy heaving breast
White poppy leaves I strew so heavily
scented
I deem that pulsing heart will be contented
To droop on dull oblivion awhile,
As sinks the spent wave on a tropic isle.
Sleep, sorrow, sleep!
Heaven send thee trances deep,
Too deep for dreams, till -weary night hath
ending
In rosy dawn, when Love, above thee bend
ing,
As sunshine floods the long-enshrouded skies,
Shall kiss into a smi e thy waking eyes.
—[Katherine Lee Bates.
A CONJUROR’S FEATS.
Y BRANDER MATTHEWS
The French have ha 1 as much trouble
•with the Arabs of Algeria as wo have
had with the Indians in the far west.
There are frequent risings and revolts,
there are constant skirmishes and long
truces, and there is rapid alternation
of hostility and friendship. Every year,
in the fall, there are feasts and enter
tainments at Algiers, to which all the
leading Ar ib chiefs are invited. Among
the Arabs the marabouts, or native ma
gicians, have great influence—greater
than that exercised by the medicine
men of our Indians. It was to discount
the paltry wonders these marabouts
were able to do that the French au
thorities invited Robert-lloudin to go
over to Algiers and to perform his
most startling feats before the assembled
chiefs and the most important Arabian
medicine-men. They hoped to show the
Arabs that, besi lo Robert-lloudin’s
marvellous feats, the pretty tricks of
the marabouts were altogether too in
significant to be of divine origin, as
the more ignorant believed them to be.
Toward the end of October, in the
middle of the autumn festival, and after
the Arabs had performed their wonder
ful Fantasia on horseback, Robert-llou
din gave his performance i:i the theatre
of Algiers, before all the chosen Arabs,
who came with their chiefs, tribe by
tribe, until the little auditorium was
absolutely packed. It must have been
a most interesting spectacle to see these
children of the desert, many of whom
had never been inside of a theatre be
fore, seated there in seried columns,
wholly ignorant of the surprises in store
for them. In the balcony, for example,
there were sixty chiefs, each wearing
the red cloak which is the sign of their
submission to the French authority. All
the military and civic dignitaries of the
colony were also present in the full pomp
of official uniform. Interpreters were
scattered through the house to give the
natives all needful explanations.
Robert-lloudin recordi that became
forward solemnly and with a heavy
sense of responsibility, for he was not
now merely to amuse, but to astoniih,
to awe, to terrify, to impress powerfully
the imaginations of his savage specta
tors. And they were as solemn as he;
they received him with true Oriental
gravity, giving him courteous attention,
but sitting stolid and making no sign for
a long while. It was only by picking
out an Arab here and there, and paying
special attention to him, that the per
former was able to thaw the frigidity
of the assembly, and to break the ice of
Oriental impassivjnesi. The taking of
a huge cannon-ball from a borrowed hat
was the first trick which aroused gen
eral excitement.
As the Algerians are forbidden by
Mohammed’s law to drink wine, Robcrt
lloudia substituted for his inexhaust
ible bottle an inexhaustible bowl, from
which ho poured numberless cups of
coffee, smoking hot. The first cups
were tasted most timidly, as perhaps of
evil origin, but courage scon came, and
there was a general desire to try the de
licious beverage.
Three tricks Robert-lloudin had ar
ranged specially to impress the Arab
imagination, and these three he re
served to ths end. Then ho said that
the strange powers they had seen him
exhibit enabled him to deprive any man
of his strength, and he invited any
Arab who dared to step on the stage.
A solidly built Arab, with massive
muscles in perfect training, stepped
forward and stood beside the magician.
Robert-lloudin held in his hand a little
box well riveted together, and having
a stout handle. Holding this box for a
minute swinging on his little finger,
Robert-lloudin placed it on the floor.
“Are you strong?’’ he asked.
“Yes,” answered the Arab, with con
fident carelessness.
“Are you sure of remaining so al
ways?’’
“Always,” the native replied.
“Lift that little box,” said the ma
gician.
The Arab lifted it, anl said, coldly,
“Is that all?”
“Wait," returned Robert-lloudin.
Then, making a solemn gesture, he con
tinued, “Now you are ■weaker than a
woman;” and this to an Arab is the
final degree of weakness. “Try to lift
the box again.”
The strong man seized the box once
more, and made a vigorous effort to lift
it But now the box resisted, and de
spite his utmost exertion he could not
raise it from the floor. After many vain
attempts ho paused as though to ac
knowledge the influence of magic be
yond his ken; but this would be to con
fess himself beaten, so he braced him
self for a final furious effort. But
scarcely had he seized the handle of the
box than a sudden shock shook him.
He dropped on his knees, trembling and
shrieking with unexpected pain. Then
ho rose hastily and fled from the the
atre, throwing his cloak about his head,
as though to conceal the shame of his
defeat, while the faces of the remaining
Arabs became grave, and they gazed
fearfully at Robcrt-Houdin as though he
were really a sorcerer.
The explanation of this startling trick
is simple. The little box had an iron
bottom. When it was placed on the
floor of the stage it rested over a pow
erful electro-magnet. After the Arab
had lifted it the first time the electric
circuit was completed, and then no man
who ever lived was strong enough to re
move it. The cause of the Algerian’s
spasm of agony was a shock of elec
tricity, which Robert-Houdin by a sig
nal had had sent through the handle of
the box from an induction coil out of
sight behind the scenes.
The second of the special tricks fol
lowed. Robcrt-Houdin announced that
he had a talisman which made him ab
solutely invulnerable, and that he defied
the best shot in all Algiers to hit him.
At this a marabout, who had shown
great excitement all through the per
formance, sprang on the stage, saying:
“I want to kill you!”
Robert-lloudin handed him a pistol,
bidding him examine it. The Arab
blew through the nipple and scrutinized
the weapon carefully. “It is a good
pistol,” he said, “and I will kill you.”
“Since you insist on it," replied Rob
crt-Houdia; “and as a double precau
tion, put in a double charge of powder
and then a wad. Now here is a leaden
bullet; mark it with a knife so that you
will know it again. Then drop it into
the pistol and put in a second wad.”
“It is done," said the marabout.
“You know that the weapon is good,
and that it is well loaded,” Robert
lloudin continued. “Have you no scru
ples in aiming at me, even if I authorize
you?”
“No,” answered the Arab; “I want
to kill you."
The Frenchman took a pear and thrust
it on the point of a knife. Then going
a few paces from the Arab ho bade him
take aim at the heart. Tho marabout
fired and tho marked bullet was seen in
tho pear.
Tho magician does not explain the
secret of this trick. Probably ho made
use of a device familiar to all who have
SAVANNAH, GA., SATURDAY. MAY 12. 1888.
I studied comjuring. After tho powder
and wad were rammed home, and while
tho Arab was engaged in marking the
bullet, the Frenchman had slipped into
tho pistol a little tube, tho lower end of
which was closed. Into this tube the
marabout dropped tho bullet, and as
he thrust down the wad with tho ram
rod, tho tuba fitting snugly to tho ram
rod, and polished on tho outsido to re
semble it, was withdrawn at tho end of
the stick without attracting attention,
thus giving Robert Houdin possession
of the marked ball.
The third and last of the Frenchman’s
special feats for tho Algerians, although
no doubt most effective when performed
before them is le s easy to describe. A
young Arab was asked to step upon a
table, whero ho was covered with a
huge extinguisher. This cxtinguishei
was then brought down to tho foot
lights, when it was found to bo empty.
The young man had vanished. So hor
rified were tho assembled Algerians at
this most mysterious disappearance that
they jumped to their feet and began to
fly from the theatre in terror despite tho
utmost endeavor of somo of the calmer
chiefs to control them. At tho door
they found, to their still greater sur
prise, the young Arab, none the worse
for his temporary vanishing, and wholly
unablo or unwilling to explain what had
happened to him.
Nor does Robert-lloudin explain the
secret of this trick. And we had best
follow his example. Perhaps some of
the readers of this paper, voluntary ap
prentices in the art and mysteries of
magic, may be able to suggest an ex
planation.—[Harper’s Young People.
Some Advantages of a Fruit-Diet.
“Fruit and fruit-culture,as related to
health,” was the subject of an address
by Professor 11. W. Parker before the
lowa State Horticultural society, in
which working among fruit and living
with it arc commended to a population
who become bilious on excess of moat.
In temperate zones, the author says,
“the dire experience of almost universal
disease, and the evidence of those who
have freely used fruit, point to this as a
most needful article of diet; and when
we come to the tropics we find that men
must confine themselves mostly to fruit
diet, a practice that should be largely
followed in our long, hot summers; yes,
■ with our present habits of unwhole
some living, especially in respect to
confined air and cooking, must be ob
served in winter as well. In the warm
temperate climates there are
enough examples of muscu
lar, long-lived people who live
on a minimum of animal food, such as
those of the Grecian Archipelago, who
subsist on goats’ milk, figs, and maize
bread. Individual examples are to the
same effect. Dr. Winship began as an
invalid, and by athletics and diet at
j tained such vigor that he could lift
> twelve hundred pounds. He indulged,
| we are told, occasionally in sardines,
I and for the rest depended on fruit and
farinaceous (that is, starchy) food. The
recovery of health in grape cures shows
what may be sought in that direction;
| the peach cure has lately come into no
tice, and doubtless any ripe, fresh,
juicy fruit, if not of a kind too astrin
gent or laxative in certain cases, would
do as well. I can testify that a quart or
two of strawberries, twice or thrice a
I day, soon recovered me from torpidity
of the liver and consequent constipation,
I increasing for a year or two; and yet
; this is spoken of as not of an aperient
) sort. Since then my only medicine is
fruit the year round."—[Popular Sci
ence Monthly.
A Long Walk.
She was very stout, very jolly and a
little sarcastic, and she was chiding Mr.
: De Dood for not speaking to her at a
reception the day before.
“Aw, Miss Laura," bo pleaded, “I
| wanted to, but you wouldn’t recognize
me. Really don’t you know, I walked
all arouad you, but you wouldn*t see
me.”
“Clear around me, Mr. Do Dood?”
she said sympathetically. “How tired
it must have made you."—[ Washington
: Critic.
Virginia Oyster Shuekenu
morhlng at tho
His Ute before tho pungies W 9
forbuaiH<u 0| B ay 9 tho Washington £ tar -
Tho men gq putting in
a hard week # Me glad when
Sunday morning comes. They can
sleep late and somo of them can sleep
all day, for thero are captains who will
not open their boats on Sunday. It is
late in tho morning when tho smoko is
first seen curling up from a small stovo
pipe through tho cabin door, and tho
cook appears and bogins to prepare the
break's t. Tho cooking is soon done
for there is no great variety of food,
nor are there any fancy dishes to pre
pare. Breakfast over, tho hatchway is
opened. Then the colored and white
shuckers begin to appear, to pick up
nn odd job. Soon persons can be seon
straggling toward tho wharf from all
directions with tin buckets. These
shuckers strive to get tho first cus
tomer, and frequently they quarrel
over tho first comer, but they’ seldom
come to blows. After an hour or more
every shuckcr has had a job and has
change in his pocket.
“How much do shuckers make a
day? a cd the reporter of one of tho
shuckers.
“That depends entirely upon tho
shuckcr,” ho answerod. “If tho
shuckcr is a good one ho can make from
two to fivo dollars if business is good.
When we shuck for dealers wo aro paid
by tho gallon. Sometimes we receive
as high as twenty cents for shucking a
gallon, and then, again, wo aro not
paid so much. When wo shuck for
persons on tho wharf, who only pur
chase a bushel for family use, wo usual
ly charge 25 cents, but then we have to
wait somo timo between jobs, and in
that way wo do not make as much as
when we shuck for dealers. Sometimes,
of course, wo catch a customer who will
not pay more than 20 cents, and if bus
iness is dull somo shuckers will take a
job at even loss than that. Sundays
are usually our best days, for then wo
catch gentlemen who buy a bushel or so
of oysters and want to eat them on tho
half-shell. We pay tho oystermcn for
tho oysters and then charge what wo
please for them. If there aro four or
five men to eat them, wo will chargo
them, say 25 cents each. They aro
ustd to eating oysters in restaurants,
and, of course, paying good prices for
them.
The Number of Siberian Exiles.
The chief paper of Ekaterinburg pub
lishes somo interesting information
about the number of persons exiled from
Russia to Siberia for political and other
offenses. On January 1 of the present
year tho number of these prisoners of
both sexes in the provinces of Irkutsk,
Yeneseisk and Yakutsk amounted to
110,000. Os this number 42,000 were
in fixed places of residence, 20,000 w<«o
employed on different works, and
48,000 had escaped. In Western Si
beria it appears tho number of prisoners
who evade their custodians was still
greater, for a census taken in the towns
and villages showed that tho enormous
proportion of sixty-seven per cent, of
the prisoners were missing. Tho paper
throws no light on what become! of
these unfortunates. —[Pittsburg Chroni
cle.
Valuable Papers.
Wife (to second husband, who is
rummaging in a closet): “Don’t dis
turb that bundle of letters, John. I
wouldn’t have anything happen to them
for the world.”
Husband (fondly): “Oh. dear, then
you didn’t burn those foolish love let
ters of mine after all, as you said you
IM.”
Wife: “Yes, John, I burned yours;
but these letters are from my first hus
band.”—[Epoch,
Trained Down Too Fine.
Landlady (to Dumlcy): “You are not
looking v ry well of late, Mr. Dumley.
I think you ought to take more exer
cise.’’
Dumlcy (struggling with his steak):
“There is such a thing, Mrs. Hendricks,
as too much exercise.' —[Epoch.
(91.2 S Prr Annnm; 75 cents for Sis Months;
J 50 cents Three Months; Single Copies
( I cents'-In Advance.
PEARLS OF THOUGHT.
Even a cur may bark at his own gate.
Dig two graves before cursing a neigh
bor.
The silent man is often worth listen
ing to.
Every duty which is bidden to wait,
returns with seven others.
Good credit £ business is often bet
ter than a fat bank account.
Every lane has a turn, but many of
us got tired before wo reach it.
Tho consciousness of integrity gives
ease and freedom to the mind.
That what people imagine to have
makes them happier than that they
own.
To tho cynic: if you desire to com
pose a satire write down your own do
ings.
In waiting for rich relations to die
don’t wait so long as to lose all your
energy.
Grand temples aro built of small
stones, and great lives aro made up of
trifling events.
He who loves to rend and knows how
to r< fleet, has laid by a perpetual feast
for his old age.
Wo must not hope wholly to change
their original tempers, nor make tho
gay pensive and grave, nor tho melan
choly sportive, without spoiling them.
Ono of tho best rules in conversation
i°, never to say a thing which any of
tho company can reasonably wish wo
had rather left unsaid; nor canthero
well bo anything more contrary to tho
ends for which people moot together,
than to part unsatisfied with each other
or themselves.
Indian Justice.
In the early history of this country,
Appalachce was for a timo tho dividing
lino between the whites and tho Chero
kees. There was constant trouble be
tween tho two races that required
friendly adjudication to prevent blood
shed; there was a justice on duty named
Tuinlin to whom those issues were gen
erally submitted. Hj soon got tired of
tho frivolous complaints of tho Indians,
and concluded that he would have an
Indian justice and bailiff to settle their
disputes. He accordingly had one ap
pointed who willingly undertook to dis
pense justice. Soma time afterward
Tuinlin met the Indian justice and
wanted to know how ho was maintain
ing tho dignity of the law; the old In
dian replied that ho was doing finely,
but had tried but ono case.
“What was your decision?” inquired
Tuinlin.
“I sentenced the plaintiff to receive
fifty lashes and tho defendant fifty, and
made tho bailiff pay the cost.”
“Doyou think that was right?” asked
the white.
“Ooh!” grunted tho savage magis
trate, “no more cases to try.”—[Gui
nett (Ga.) Herald.
The President’s Conclusion.
“Daniel,” called tho President sharp
ly to his private secretary this morniag,
as he heard that worthy talking to aa
applicant in the outer office.
“Yes, sire,” responded Daniel, com
ing in trembling.
“Didn't I hear you talking to some
one?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Who was it, Daniel?”
“He wants help, sire. He says he is
a poor democrat.”
“A poor democrat, Daniel?”
“Yes, sire.”
“Well, Daniel, he must boa mug
wump. They are the poorest democrats
I ever had anything to do with.”—
[Washington Critic.
Judging from the Outside.
Tramp —“Will the gentleman give a
trifle to a poor m m?”
Gentleman—“ How do I know you aro
a poor man? ’
“How do I know you are a gentle
man? It is only by the outsido that «
either of us can judge the other.’’—
,Z/j
NO. 30.