Newspaper Page Text
The Covington Star.
J, W. ANDERSON, Editor and Proprietor.
Two Lows.
Two lovers by a moss grown spring:
They leaned soft cheeks together there,
Mingled the dark and sunny hair,
And heard the wooing thrushes sing.
O budding time!
O love’s best prime!
Two wedded from the portal step:
The bells made happy carolings,
The air was soft as fanning wings,
l\ r bite petals on the pathway slept.
O pure eyed bride!
O tender pride!
Two faces o’er a cradle bent:
Two hands above the bead were locked;
These pressed each other while they rocked.
Those watched a life that love had sent.
O solemn hour!
O hidden power!
Two parents by the evening fire:
The red light fell about their knees
On heads that rose by slow degrees
hike buds upon the lily spire.
O patient life!
O tender strife!
The two still sat together there,
The red light shono about their knees;
But all the heads by slow degrees
Had gone and left that lonely pair.
O voyage fast!
O vanished pastl
The red light shone upon the floor
And made the space between them wide:
They drew tlieir chairs up side by side,
Their pale cheeks joined, and said, “Once
morel”
O memories!
O past that is!
—George Eliot.
FINDING A COMPANION;
“Wanted, a Companion, for an Elder¬
ly Lady.”
That was the advertisement that ap¬
peared in a newspaper of a rainy Monday
morning in November, 18—.
Glcnville v;as nothing more than a lit¬
tle country settlement, with a red brick
Town Hall and a labyrinth of narrow
streets which seemed to have been laid
out with special reference to the bewild¬
erment of any chance passer, who might
find himself involved in their maze. A
quiet, dreamy, Rip Van Winkle sort of a
place—and yet before noon of that Mon¬
day morning, a swarm of anxious aspir¬
ants for the office of “Companion for an
Elderly Lady,” had made their appenr
; n e in the best parlor of the Glenville
House.
Mr. Reginald Chillingfield, who had
been out for a walk iu the street, was
met on the threshold of the hotel by the
boot-boy:
< ■ 0, please, sir, there’s a lot of ’em all
a-askin’ for you.”
“A lot of what?” demanded Mr. Chil¬
lingfield.
Reginald Chillingfield was tall and
slender and handsome, with bright blue
eyes and a straight nose—which latter
feature be rubbed as be stood staring at
Mike Updown.
“Of ladies, sir. Come to answer the
advertisement.”
“O!” said Mr. Chillingfield, “I recol¬
lect now.”
And little reckoning of what lay be¬
fore him he pushed open the door of the
hotel best parlor.
Only for half a second, however. The
array of feminine fnces, all expectantly
turned toward him, was enough to awe
the stoutest bachelor heart, and Reginald
Chillingfield closed it again with a bang.
“Jones,” said he to bis familiar friend,
who had just lighted a cigar in the read¬
ing-room, “what shall I do?”
“In respect to what?”
“My Aunt Polly’s companion. There’s
a dozen of ’em there, apparently all ages
from sixteen to sixty. My Aunt Polly
don’t want twelve companions.
“Take the best-looking,” suggested
Jones, with revolting levity.
“And be scratched by all the rest.”
“Take toe worst-looking, then. Ten
to one she’s best fitted for a ‘companion’
to an old lady.”
“My Aunt Polly is an excellent judge
of beauty. She’d send me back with the
article in less than two hours,” retorted
Chillingfield.
“In that case,” said Jones, meditative¬
ly eyeing the end of his cigar. “I don’t
see how you’re to get out of the dilemma. ”
“Jones, don’t prove faithless in such
a strait as this. Be a man and a friend!
Suppose you had advertised for a com¬
panion for your Aunt Polly, and a host
had responded, what would you do?”
“I slieuld engage one of ’em and send
the rest about their business.”
“Yes; but which one? Be practical,
there’s a good fellow.”
1 The one whose appearance seems best
adapted to the emergency.”
“Jones, you’re a fool!” cried out Chil
lingfield. 4 . Am I to go into that room
and stare about as if they are a lot of
winter apples or prize pumpkins on ex¬
hibition?”
"Have ’em admitted one by one,” sug¬
gested Jones, and on this hint Mr. Chil¬
lingfield promptly acted.
hou sit and pretend to be reading
the newspaper,” whispered Chillingfield,
and if you like the applicant’s looks,
cough! If you don’t, crackle the news¬
paper ! Dear me, my shirt collar is wet
already; my face is burning. Why
couldn’t Aunt Polly have hunted up
her own companion? Yes, Mike, all
ccady. Ask one of the ladies to walk in 1”
And with a grin, Mike announced:
“Miss Zerinah Hall."
Miss Hall was tall, scant-haired and
spectacled, in g robe of gingham and a
drab silk hat.
“I am seeking a situation, young
man,” she said, “not from necessity,
but because in middle life one feels the
lack of companionship. I hope the
elderly lady mentioned in the advertise¬
ment is a church member?”
Crackle! crackle 1 went the newspa
per. Chillingfield glanced guiltily at
his friend.
“No, she’s not; that is—I think, per
haps, a younger person- You did
not say how old you were, Miss Hall.”
“No, I didn't,” said Miss Zerinah.
“And I don’t mean to. I don’t think
you’ll suit, young man. No gentleman—
what is that other person rattling his
newspaper so for?—ever thinks of asking
impertinent questions about a lady’s age.
Good morning, sir.”
Miss Zerinah went out, closing the
door behind her with a bang.
Mrs. Ilawkesbury, the next candidate,
was a clairvoyant and spiritualist.
“I think I could amuse the old lady
with foretelling the future,” said she.
“That was the way I did at my three
last situations. 11
it Three!” repeated Mr. Cliillingfield.
i. Jones, my dear fellow, don’t rustle that
paper so vehemently. (An instantaneous
silence ensued, and Jones stifled a giggle
behind the columns of the Mercury .)
“Did you say three? How did you hap¬
pen to leave those situations?”
“The visitation of Providence, sir, i,
said Mrs. Ilawkesbury. “They all died
—the respected ladies whom it was once
my duty and my pleasure to-”
< i Oh,” said Mr. Chillingfield, “I am
afraid my Aunt Polly might die, too.
Clairvoyance and second sight mightn’t
agree with her.”
“Sir,” said the lady, “you are spiritu¬
ally blind.”
4 • Very likely,” said Mr. Chillingfield.
t 4 But I prefer to remain so.”
The next was too deaf, the next too
fleshy, the third was unwilling to live
with any lady who did not keep a man
servant, the fourth wanted too high a
salary—so on, ad infinitum, until the
newspaper was fairly crackled to pieces.
Until, at length, there was, so f o speak,
a “tie” between the last two candidates.
Ruth Coxo was just nineteen; pretty as
a sweetpea blossom, and ready to under¬
take any description of service, to escape
from a step-mother and nine turbulent
half-brothers and sisters. Helen Howard
was a queenly young woman of live and
twenty, who read like Mrs. Scott-Siddons,
sang delicious Scotch ballads, and frank¬
ly owned that she needed a home 1
Mr. Jones coughed himself purple in
the face over both of them.
4 . You couldn’t do better, Reginald,”
said he, “than to take-”
“Which one?”
“Both!"
“Do talk common-sensei”
“But they are both splendid girls!”
4 4 Granted—but you must remember
that I have only got one Aunt Polly 1 A
choice must be made.”
“Toss up a copper. ”
“You irreverent villain!”
“Draw cuts, then. Look! I write
‘Helen’ on one, ‘Ruth’ on the other.
Presto! Change 1 Now draw! Ruth has
won the day 1”
So Mr. Reginald Chillingfield took
Ruth Coxc home with him to the domi¬
ciliary abode of his Aunt Polly by even¬
ing train, leaving Helen Howard very
sad and quiet.
. 4 You are disappointed,” said lie. “I
wish I could have engaged you both.
“Yes,” said Helen; “I am disappoint¬
ed, I confess. Life is very hard and
stern to me.”
Reginald Chillingfield thought over
her words. They haunted him—and not
only her words, but the garnet-brown
shadows of her eyes. And just a week
afterward he went back to Glenville.
“Yes, Miss Howard is at homo, said
the shabby maid-of-all-work, at the third
rate boarding-house where Miss Howard
lived. “Walk in.”
And Mr. Chillingfield walked in, to
find Miss Howard tete-a-tete with Mr.
Jones. would
“Hallo!” cried Jones. 4 • Who
ever have thought of seeing you?”
“I might say the same,” laughingly
retorted Chillingfield, as he took Miss
Howard’s hand, “But I have news for
you, Miss Helen.”
“I have heard of an excellent situation
near my aunt’s—an invalid lady, whose
husband——
Hang tbe invalid lady and ber hus
band!” interposed Jones, “I was just
going to write you about it, old boy.
We’re engaged. Wt are to be married
to-raorrow.
“No!” cried Reginald. “Then I’ll
stay to the wedding. But-”
“Well?”
<( Isn’t it rather a sudden arrangement?”
“Life is full of sudden things, said
Jones, philosophically, . 4 Helen is will
ing to run the risk.”
And so the troublesome question was
settled satisfactorily to all parties.
An Embarrassing Situation.
A little girl whose father had been
reading to her a story of a child who was
eaten by a bear, could not seem to
up she said:
forget it, and at night
4* Oh papa, wasn ’t that a dreadful
story? And then the poor child coaldn t
go up to heaven 1”
(C Why not?”
“Whv, there she was inside the bear.
—Boston. Record.
COVINGTON, GEORGIA, WEDNESDAY, JUNE, 2, 1886.
Promoted.
One winter, says General Dan Maoaul
ey, in his recent address before the Loyal
Legion, we were for many days on a
Mississippi River expedition down below
Helena, Arkansas, with a fleet of steamers
under General Willis A. Gorman. The
weather was most inclement, and the men
suffered very severely from cold and ex¬
posure. Under such conditions,a soldier’s
bump of reverence for anything he can
worry suffers great shrinkage. Sam Irick
had taken a violent dislike to General
Gorman, because, forsooth, that gallant
gentleman had been forced to join in the
famous retreat from the first Bull Run
battle-field.
Why Sam should have considered that
General Gorman had any special rnonopo
ly or responsibility in that great national
footrace, or that he had developed more
speed than was absolutely necessary to
keep up with the procession, is hard to
understand; but so it was, and several
times during this expedition, as I after
ward learned, when our steamers were
sufficiently near, Sam would electrify the
General by howling at him most deris
ively:
“Hello, Old Bull Run!
Once he made a mistake. Ileadquar
ters steamer was brought alongside of
ours and within a few feet, for consulta
tion, and on the upper or hurricane deck
stood the General himself.
Sam was on the lower forward deck of
our vessel, out near the bow, and, brae
ing himself, be yelled up into Gorman’s
very teeth:
“Hello, Old Bull Run!”
The General was too quick for him;
leaning over the side, he shouted down
to the guard: Throw that man on my ;
boat here, quick!” And, sure enough,
they did. Sam, sprawling through the
air like a frog, was pitched headlong
onto Gorman’s boat, and during the re
mainder of the day, at various distances,
near and far, we could see him, long,
and lank, and lean, tied up like a flutter,
ing scarecrow, to the jack-staff of the
steamer. It was a cold and gusty day—■
for Sam—and no especial attention was
paid to waffles and quail for him, and so »
when along toward night the boats were
brought together again, aud he was
chucked back to us stiff as a wooden In¬
dian, it might reasonably be supposed
that for once the great irrepressible wa?
squelched.
No, not the least in the world,
lie gathered himself together, and,
chilled, blue, aud starved as he was,
came creaking and grunting up stairs to
me in the cabin.
“Colonel,” he groaned, 4 . I wish you’d
please have my discharge made out right
away!”
‘Your discharge! Your funeral, you
mean if you’re not more careful 1"
“No, my discharge, Colonel. I’vf
been put on Gorman’s staff 1”
The Spiders Appetite.
It is not everybody who knows how
muoh a spider can eat. Most of us havs
derived amusement, and perhaps instruc¬
tion, from watching the subtile arrange¬
ments and devices of the little tactician,
with a view to capture some dainty little
insect, and many of us would ,, , know ex
actly where to place this interesting creat
ure in the classification of animal life,
but probably very few of us have any
idea what a voracious gourmand the
spider is. A gentleman, scientifically in¬
dined and luxuriating in the rare posses¬
sion of leisure, has recently given to the
world some very curious and startling
statements in regard to the Archimedean
appetite. He captured a spider and kept
it in confinement, supplying it liberally
with food, and carefully recording his
observations. He estimated that the crea¬
ture ate four times its weight for break¬
fast, nine times its weight for dinner,
thirteen times its weight for supper, fin¬
ishing up with an ounce of food. In the
same proportion, a man of average weight
would demolish an ox for breakfast, two
more for dinner, a couple of bullocks,
eight sheep and four pigs for supper, and
then ft hundred weight of fish to prepare
the way for an alderinanic banquet before
retiring to bed.— Christian Journal.
Canine Pets Iu Gay Attire.
. 4 Furnishing decorations and clothing
for dogs is developing into a great trade,”
said a manufacturer to a reporter for the
New York Mail and Express recently.
. 4 In Paris alone nearly 2,000 persons arc
engaged in this business, and the trade
represents nearly $1,000,000 capital. The
rage for dressing canine pets has now
reached New York from Pans, Every
variety of dog has his peculiar dress and
proper toilet and toilet case, with pow
der sponge, comb and so forth. It would
be a rank breach of dog manners for a
bulldog to appear on the street in the
dress of another, indeed, the dog would
pine away from sheer mortification.
Smooth terriers wear bracelets on some
of their legs, and bear in mind always
put the ring on the left leg. That is the
fashion. As to collars, blankets for cool
weather, netting for warm weather, the
rule holds good—every one to his own
and no other, We’ll very soon have
aristocratic dogs appearing on rainy days
in long-legged boot* made of doeskin
and fastened on with rubber rings, At
certain seasons of the year dogs must be
muzzled, and this calls for fancy and
decorated muzzles.
HORSE “SHARPS. n
Swindling Unwary Country¬
men in New York.
A Single Worthless Animal that has
Changed Owners Many Timas.
Everybody admits that prevarication,
to put it mildly, is a never absent factor
in a horse trade. But there is a limit to
shar P P ,a >' there - A certain combination
! of individuals, that might very appropri
atel y be cal ed “ a are operating
plst now ver y successfully on the other
side of the limit, and gentlemen who
think that mankind is naturally prone to
j be bonef d are being seriously affected by
i 11 ever y da y.
d'ho victims are generally men who
wear s °ft f*dt hats. Men of that kind
are ncd indigenous to Manhatten Island,
They are the noble sons of agriculture,
"" bo are the mainstay of the blithesome
bunc0 man. They come to the city to
bay horses, and they go home firmly con¬
'* nced that there is ..othing between the
Battery and Harlem River that will ever
get into heaven.
The “gang” have stables in two streets,
Ad one ^ always announced that seven
borses are for sale, while at the other the
num ber is nine. Perhaps these numbers
are eh 08611 because they are considered
^ uck y n °t because they represent the
num ber of horses, as each stable can
boast of but one animal, and that of such
a kind that in a good fair count it would
be set down as only half a horse.
When the unsuspecting purchaser ap
pears at the stable he is promptly “spot
te d.” and half a dozen gentlemen, who
have previously been lounging around
the corner with their' hands in their
pockets suddenly become very deeply in¬
terested in the prospective purchase of
the one horse. Nobody pays the least at¬
tention to the real purchaser at first. He
thinks business must be very brisk indeed
and his chances of getting a horse at
what he begifis to believe must be a bar
gain quite as slim. Finally he edges into
* be conversation and becomes the central
figure.
“Where are the other horses?” he asks,
“Just sold four this morning, and the
res * ; are out 011 trial. A gentleman is
coining around WT1-y this one in an hour,
if he is not sold before," replied the
dealer.
“All right; let me take him out on
trial?”
. 4 I am sorry, but I can#. I promised
to hold him for that other fellow unless
eome one bought outright.”
At this point the decoys evince further
signs of purchasing, and the result is that
the victim makes an offer. After a little
haggling the price usually settled on is in
the vicinity of $100. The money is paid
and the countryman drives off, happy in
the consciousness of having a good bar
gain. Wheu about two blocks distant
his joy wilts down to several degress be¬
low freezing point. The horse begins to
wheeze and cough, and finally chokes and
falls down. Then the sad faced farmer
leads the horse back to the stable and de¬
mands bis money. At first he gets no
satisfaction whatever. The dealer insists
^ ^ horse was all right whenhele{t
^ he ^ understand it . At last n
compromise is made and the victim
tWnkg h5m8elf lucky in getting $50 of his
money back.
“I tell you what,” said one of the de¬
coys to a Herald reporter, “that old horse
is a dandy. He’s got that choking rack¬
et down to a fine point, and plays it ele
gant.”
. . Has he been sold many times?” asked
the reporter.
“Many times? Well, I should cough
up a cat. Every day, sure, and some¬
times twice. Oh, you can gamble on his
knowing his business now. Funny, now,
ain’t it? That horse, as a horse, ain’t
worth two cents; but as a piece of prop¬
erty, I’m a gilly if he don’t bring the old
man in $50 a day, easy. Yes, sir; he
don’t look it, but he’s one of the most
valuable animals in New York.”
At both places the same modus operan
di is pursued and with the same profita¬
ble results to the dealers. They have now
been carrying on the fraud for some months
and as yet have not met with any serious
setback. The average man does not like
to admit that he has been “played,” and
prefers to pocket his loss and keep quiet
rather than air the affair in court. A
few victims, more brave than the rest,
have caused the heavy hand of the law
to drop on the dealers. The heavy hand
clutched savagely • enough for a while,
and then, after the usual manner, let go
and the dealers serenely went back to
their business and their faithful old trick
horse.— New York Herald.
Making Money.
4 . Hello, Frank! Where have you
been? I haven’t seen you for a great
while?”
“I have been in San Francisco.”
“Making any money down there?”
. . You bet. I make more money in a
day than you do in a year.”
“Great Scott! You are foolin, ain’t
you?” truth.”
“No, I’m telling the
“Where do yon work?”
“In the San Francisco mint.”— Pacific
Jester.
wind instrument—The weather Tane.
Monitor and Merrimac.
“Lieutenant Jonea having occasion to
visit the Merrimac’a gun deck, saw a di¬
vision standing at ease, and inquiring
of the officer in command why he was
not firing that individual replied: ‘Aftei
firing for two hours I find I can do the
enemy about as much damage by snap¬
ping my fingers at him every two min¬
utes and a half.’ ”
“As Lieutenant Jones found he could
make no impression on the Monitor with
his shots, he determined to run her down
or board her, and for nearly an hour he
maneuvred for position, but his ship w: i
too unwieldy for that kind of work,
The Monitor danced around her like a
yatch around a three-decker, pouring in
her shot and endeavoring to find a vul
nerable point.
I. At last Jones thought he saw a
chance of ramming the Monitor, and he
gave the order to go ahead at full speed,
but before the great vessel could gather
headway the agile Monitor turned, and
the disabled prow of the Merrimac gave a
glancing blow which did no harm what
ever.
<1 Again the Monitor came upon the
Merrimac’s quarter, her bow actually
against the ship’s side, and at this dis¬
tance fired twice. Both shots struck
about half way up the Merrimac’s armor,
abreast of the after pivot, and so severe
was the blow that the side was forced in
several inches. The crew of the after
guns were knocked over by the concus¬
sion, bleeding from the nose and ears.
*
“Thousands of spectators with beating
hearts watched the conflict from Fort
Monroe, and from the ships. It seemed
to them as if the battle would never end,
but at length the confederate commander,
thinking it useless to try his broadsides
on the Monitor any longer, steered off
toward the Minnesota, which opened on
the Merrimac with all her broadside,
guns and the ten-inch pivot.”— Admiral
Porter.
Shark Fishing.
Shark fishing is carried on to a consid¬
erable extent especially on the north and
west coasts of Iceland, both decked vessels
and open boats being used in this fishery.
The species of shark caught is the
Sgualus carcharias , and it is pursued
solely for the sake of the oil yielded by
the liver, the rest of the carcass being
usually thrown away, though sometimes
the flesh is preserved for food. The
sharks vary much in size, running up to
eighteen or twenty feet in length, and
four to five feet in diameter through the
thickest part of the body, the yield of oil
from each liver varying from four or five
up to fifty gallons. Rich livers yield
two-thirds of their bulk of oil, poor ones
only about one-half.
The vessels used in shark fishing are
for the most part small schooners of thir¬
ty to fifty tons burden, manned by eight
or ten men. The usual fishing season is
from January or February till August.
During the winter months the sharks
frequent shallower waters, and are found
about twenty miles from land, in fifty
fathoms of water or thereabouts; in sum¬
mer they seek deeper waters, and are
caught one hundred miles or so off the
coast in a depth of two hundred fathoms.
It having been ascertained by sounding
that the ship lies in water of a suitable
depth, preferable with a sloping soft mud
bottom, the vesselis anchored, and fishing
commences. The hook used is twelve or
eighteen inches long, baited with seal
blubber and horseflesh and attached by a
couple of yards of strong chain to an
inch and a half line. As a rule the
sharks are shy of taking the bait at first,
and the fishers may wait long for their
first bite; but once the sharks commence
to “take,” they crowd to the spot, and
may be hooked in quick succession; they
then take the bait greedily and with lit¬
tle caution.
It Cnred Him.
Some years ago a certain Methodist
congregation in Chicago was presided
over by a minister who had formerly
held a pastorate in Springfield, 111. The
preacher was a very good man, but he
subjected himself to severe criticism by
constantly comparing his surroundings
with those in Springfield. Nothing was
so nice as it was in Springfield; the
church was fine, but not so fine as the
Springfield church; the congregation
was zealous, but it was not Springfield
zeal—and so on, all the time, Springfield
being perfected perfection. At last one
of the sisters hit upon what she thought
might prove a remedy for her pastor, so
at the next “class” she gave in her ex
penences. 4 . I have,” said she, “found
the path dark and rough, and at times
have been on the point of falling by the
wayside and giving up in despair; I have
felt that my earthly nature was uncon¬
genial with that heavenly one I have
been taught to seek in the closest associa¬
tion, and there have been seasons when I
thought I should never be able to reach
that'better brethren‘and land lying beyond the Jor
dan -but sisters, since our
1
dear , pastor , has come among us, y I
new
feel to rejoice that although I may fall
short of attaining the heavenly kingdom,
bless tbe Lord, I shall at least reach
Springfield.”
The minister tells the story on himself
and acknowledges that it cured him.—
Merchant Traveler.
VOL. XII, NO, 28.
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
A German chemist concludes that, on
account of its great digestibility, cheeso
is the most nourishing of all foods, meat
aud eggs excepted. Of eighteen varieties
of cheese tried, Cheddar is most readily
digested.
In the mining centres of England and !
Scotland are to be established danger
signals in connection with the weather ■
service, for the purpose of making known j
such atmospheric changes as may effect |
the workings of the mines.
A doctor who has much experience in
treating laborers in gas works says, that
persons who have become insensible from
breathing illuminating gas, will usually
revive after the administration of a few
drops of acetic ether in water,
In Holland the horseshoes are so made
that the toes do not touch the ground
when on the horse, the weight being sup¬
ported by the middle and heel of the
shoe. The shoe is nailed perfectly flat
to the hoof and has no spring. This
leaves the hold of the nails undisturbed.
An unusual number of white varieties
of animals have been noticed in Germany
the past winter. A white chamois was
shot in Totengebirge, a white fish-otter
was caught near Luxemberg, white part¬
ridges were shot near Brunswick, and a
white, fox was killed in Hessen.
A meteorological station is about to be
established among the highest mountains
of Mexico, an elevation of nearly 20,000
feet above sea level. An access to such
a place is difficult and often impossible,
the recording apparatus will have to be
made almost independent of human at¬
tention, and as far as possible, all the in¬
struments will be made to run a year
without stopping.
In the construction of a tunnel
of Stockton, cold air has been
applied in a novel manner. In pas¬
sing under a hill of light wet gravel it
was found practically impossible to un¬
derpin the houses overhead. It was
therefore decided to freeze the gravel by
means of cold air, and put in the lining
while the material was solid, the under¬
taking having been successfully carried
out. None of the houses passed under
have been injured.
In a late paper read before the Scotch
Institution of Engineers,Mr. Peter Carmi¬
chael stated that all qualities of iron be¬
come hard and brittle after servico in
boilers for more than a dozen years, es¬
pecially whore exposed directly to the
fire. In the furnaces even the best iron
becomes as brittle as common iron in
that time, and great care has to be taken
in making repairs to prevent the plates
from cracking. For this reason sixteen
or seventeen years is long enough for a
boiler to be in use, at a pressure of forty
to forty-five pounds. If used longer the
pressure ought to be lowered. In two
boilers which had been used nineteen
years even the rivets were so brittle that
their heads flew off on being struck.
Gough’s First Temperance Speech.
In a New York letter to the Troy
Times the writer thus alludes to the late
John B. Gough, the gifted temperance
orator: Gough was probably the most
gifted orator the world ever saw; at any
rate, we have no record of any other man
who had equal power over an audience,
This was a born gift, which was as^ great
a surprise to himself as to all others,
The last time I met him I referred to the
time he made his first temperance speech,
and the allusion brought a smile to his
wearied countenance. He then gave ms
j Borne additional information on the sub¬
ject, and the incident may be mentioned
! as follows: Gough had been drinking
and got out of work (book binding), and,
iu fact, had sunk to so low a condition
that he was obliged to keep his ragged
coat buttoned and pinned as closely as
possible so as to conceal the lack of a
1 shirt. While in this condition he was
led . , to enter a temperance meeting, and ,
°
, being . 6 very cold ... he got ° .. as near the stove .
as possible. During the meeting an op
portunity was offered for volunteer re
^ an< i the poor loafer felt moved to
ventU re a few words. In a short rime
the whole house was electrified, and the
cry was heard, “Fetch him out, ” “Put
him on the stand,” etc., but Gough did
no t dare move lest the coat should burst
and disclose his condition. He continued
to speak until bodily excitement and the
heat of the stove threw him into a violent
perspiration. The sweat streamed down
his face, his body trembled and bis tale
0 f misery moved all to tears. Such was
Gough’s entrance into public oratory,
and they cleaned him up and he became
the world-renowned apostle of temper
ance . Painful as this memory may have
been, Gough always loved to allude to it.
It W as the crisis in his life.
- 11 -
Wich One?
Johnny had a baby sister who was a
particularly bright child. Afer a short
time on earth the little one went back to
her home beyond the blue, One night
shortly after her death the children were
looking at the stars, when Johnny cried
out. nu t
“Oh see the pretty stars; and one oi
them is baby sister.”
“Which one?*’ asked another of the
children.
“The brightest one, of course,” proud¬
ly answered Johnny iettLing all further
questions .—Merchant 1’ravelier,
My Hero.
What signifies the outward show!
What signifies his weal h or place!
When we the heart have learned to know,
What do we care for form or facel
And what care we for name or oreed
That buried ages may unroll,
If under all we clearly read
The record of a dauntless soul I
If loyal to his sense of right,
If prompt and sure at Duty’s coll,
He walks, as walking in God’s sight,
Win aim the manliest man of all;
If helpful as the sunbright day,
If pitiful of other’s woes,
He follows iu the master’s way
And bears a blessing where he goes;
If, gaining much, he loses all, /
While summer friends go coldly by,
He proves his courage by his fall
Resolved to win the day or die;
With hope alive, in God his trust,
He keeps a spirit kind and true,
And rises bravely from the dust
To fight his weary battle through;
If, working on through pain and loss,
His earnest soul be not cast down;
He beareth patiently his cross,
While winning steadily his crown;
The man’s hero! and we give
The meed of love, which is his due,
No idle praise 1 but while we live,
The wreath of bay 1 tbo knot of blue!
—Helen Keith.
HUMOROUS,
A pawnbroker i3 a loanly man.
Always comes out on top.—Your hair.
If you cannot lick a man, be lenient
with his faults.
People who wear pepper-and-salt suits
are always in season.
The selfish man has most presence of
mind. He never forgets himself.
“Buffaloes are bred in Kansas it is
6aid. They are meat elsewhere.
u This is my sphere, ” said a happy wife,
as she patted her bald-headed husband
on the pate.
A rule that works both ways—When
a fleet goes out on a cruise the crews go
out on the fleet.
“Brass bands are on the increase
throughout the country." Even the dogs
wear them on their necks.
Little Boy—Pa, why does the world
moYe { p a (thinking of something else)
—Because it finds it cheaper than to pay
rent.
Thoughtful young lady (to college
graduate)—Who, in your opinion, Mr.
Muscle, was the noblest Roman of them
all? College Graduate—I used to think
Hanlan was, but I wouldn’t bet a cent
on any of ’em now.
A journalist went into a barber shop
the other day to get his hair cut, and fell
asleep during the operation. The barber,
who awoke him when he had finished,
said to him: “You are tired, I under
stand it. It’s the same way with me when
evening comes. Ah, this head-work is
something terrible 1"
Apache Characteristics.
The Apaches and kindred tribes aro
among the most cautious fighters on
earth, and also among the most desper¬
ate. Near the close of last year a band
of Chiricahuas numbering eleven killed
twenty-one friendly Apaches living on
the reservation, and twenty-five whit*
men, women and children. Their supe¬
riors as prowlers in war probably never
existed. The army officers in Arizona
declare that the Apaches are the ideal
scouts of the whole world, with their
hawk eyes, stealthy motion and sensitive
ears. Though undersized, they have
broad, deep chests, muscular limbs, and
small, wiry hands and feet. They march
about four miles an hour, halting a
few hours’ tramp long enough to smoke
cigarettes. If no matches are at hand
they bring fire In from eight to forty-five
seconds by rapidly twirling between the
palms a hard, round stick fitted into a
circular hole in another stick of softer
fiber. They will march forty miles a
day J on foot across dry plains and precip
itous mountains regardless of the fiercest « .
. heat. . The Apache finds , food , . where , the ..
Ca “ ca8lan . w “ uld ,, ®* , arve He T . can catch . ,
'
turkeyB > ’ rabblts > d ° Tes ’ fi * ld mce
and praine dogs; feast off a dead horse;
gat her ae ° ras rom the stunted mountain
oak; roast the Spanish bayonet or cen
‘ ury pbint ’ and s * np 6 an Se
roa * * e 1 Eac US ’ lg ' ., * T* 1 P ° a !° ,° 6 r
u ° ue, ra 6 ues 0
. .
g rounc " ee ? or » 1 nven / ee ^ -
down the pangs of hunger with the inner
bark of the pine tbe roots of wild
P lants - With the nfle and bow he has a
We training. “Every track m the trail,
mark in tbe grass Rn SCTatcb on ^
bark of tree explalES . itsclf t0
s 1111
Apache ‘ He Cfra te to an bour almost
when the animal . making them
man or
passed by ’ and ’ bko a hound - wil1 keep
011 the eceat untl1 he catches ap the
object of his pursuit. ’
A Ycry Successful Case.
First Lawyer—Ah, Dobkins, how did
come out in that case you were just
beginning when I went East?
Second Lawyer—Gloriously. It was
a perfect success. Created a great sen
sation. Papers full of it. Got lots
of advertising . out . of ,.. it. T I think • j it was
the making of my future.
“Good! Glad to hear it, old fellow.
I knew you had stuff in you. And by
toe way, what did they do to your cli
ent ?
<4 Oh, they hanged him.
