Newspaper Page Text
The Covington Star
j W. ANDERSON, Editor and Propretor.
t
Cloud and Sunshine.
Waiting in gloom and pain;
Weary, oh! so weary 1
steadily fall 3 Derain,
park the day, and dreary,
hitterest winds are wailing loud,
the funeral sky is clothed in cloud;
14 the sun ne’er shine again?
will
Courage! in heart and brain,
be dark .
Though the bay ning;
Waiting is not in vain,
I H for God thou’rt heark’ning.
dreariest weather will change some day,
L f n evcr a cloud but will pass away,
pul the suu must sliine again.
Be still, sad heart, nor mind
! Xhc heat of liory trying,
The mystery entwined
Lcostliest With sorrow and with crying.
gold, hv a method slow,
L lose its dross in the hottest refined. glow,
! But it someth forth
_[[>, Kelso Carter, in the Observer.
A RASH ACT.
ago you’ve been bounced?” said
|[rs. I Popover. Milman winced at the inele
L, Marian
word ; but she understood enough
(the Popover style of diulect to know
at no harm was intended. Mrs.
spover did not gauge her phraseology
i 1 MVebster’s Unabridged,” but she
ns a good soul, nevertheless.
•Yes,” she answered, meekly; “I’vo
sen discharged.”
Mrs. Popover was stout and short,
ith no visible waist, a black lace cap
bn the side of her head and her feet
trust into carpet slippers.
Miss Milman was slight and grace
hl, with ruddy brown hair and plead
L hazel eyes, and looked every inch
be lady in her shabby mourning.
Pity, ain’t it?” said Mrs. Popover.
mistime o’ year, tool”
Yes,” sighed Marian; “but I am
hoi the only sufferer, Thirty oilier
rids have gone, too. Business is so
pull after the holidays. Air. Meredith
toys we shall be re-engaged when tho
(tale of trade warrants it. But I
Haven’t much hope. yy
I "And what ye gom’ to do now?’’
wkeil Mrs. Popover.
I Marian drew a long breath.
I “I don’t know,” said she, piteously.
I Just then the door opened, and a
■looming young girl earno in, with a
Satchel in her hand.
I “Is this Airs. Popover's?” said she.
rDoes Alias Milman- Oh, Marian,
rou dear thing, I’ve found you at
last! Oh, how glad I am to see
ion!”
' Marian gave a little gasp,
j “Juliet Powers!” she cried.
“Yes, it’s II” beamed Juliet, “I
rot tired of teaching school down in
Holbrook Hollow, and the trustees
ksio so exacting, and (he children so
dreadful, that I made up my mind to
come to you and see if I couldn’t get
something to do in the city.”
“Well, I declare!” said Airs. Pop
jover. I “Here’s Miss Marian herself
just been throwed out o’ business. I’d
like to know bow she’s lo help any
kedy else?”
Marian gave the good soul an ap¬
pealing glance.
“i M ill do tho best I can,” said
And Juliet, an apple-faced, san
guine natured young country lass,
nestled close up to her.
“I knew you would help me, yy said
s ' le i “because you know all about the
city, And oh, Marian, dear, I’m so
■iced and so hungry!”
And thus Marian Milman became
charged with the responsibility of an
mother besido herself. And the days
by, and situations were harder
than ever to obtain, and tlie little
tonimon purse was exhausted, and
Mf*. Popover’s account became larger
*' lan ever for the vent of the back bed
l ' wni with ils hideous green wall
!
and its dispiriting outlook over
Uie roofs and smoky chimney
ttaeka.
‘‘Marian, said Juliet, “what arc
Wc to do?”
* lie bad como in tired and weary
* fler a I( ?ng day’s work at tlie old bus
Mess of looking for employment.
Marian sat gazing sorrowfully at a
c iinisy parcel that lay tlie table be¬
on
fore her.
Uiey have sent back my poor little
teens and plaques unsold,” said she,
"ith a polite nolo intimating (hat the
mark ■te! f°i* that sort of thing is over
•locked.”
hard ‘‘Dli, Marian I And you worked so
at them!” with a quick burst of
•PUpalhy.
Tlie more fool I! To tell you the
‘“'Ih, Juliet, -• said Alarian, with a
forced smile, “I begin to think that
the market for everything is over¬
looked— lif e included.”
fftiiiet threw both her arms around
me slig bt voting figure.
“Darli "g. you’re tired and discour
»gcd, said she. ‘-You’ll feel better
dinner. yy
< ® u b Juliet, there is no dinner,
Juliet tin- ew open tlie cupboard
doors, and gave one exhaustive dance
around its empty shelves. There were
the two china plates, the two cups
and saucers, the neat knives and forks,
the pewter spoons, the ninc-ccnt pep¬
per and salts—but that was all.
“I’ll go out and buy somethin nr ’ >>
n
said she, cheerfully—“a neck of
mutton to boil up for soup, or au end
piece of corned beef. yy
“You can’t make bricks without
straw,” said Marian, sadly, “nor buy
soup-meat without money. At least
I’ve never been able to do it.”
i . Is the money all gone, Marian?”
H All but five dirty copper cents,
Juliet.”
Juliet clicked her tongue softly
against (lie roof of her mouth.
I . Mrs. Popover will trust us for a
few of yesterday’s rolls or a loaf of
slalc bread,” she suggested, cheerfully.
“No, Juliet,” said Miss Milman,
resolutely. “AVe are already too
much in Mrs. Popover’s debt. I will
ask no more favors from her.”
<( Must we starve?” resentfully de¬
manded Juliet.
t . I would rather starve than sink
into the quicksands of debt,” Marian
firmly answered.
Juliet’s cheeks flushed; she bit her
lips.
“There is a pawnbroker on Sixth
avenue,” said she. “And I have got
my mother’s old garnet ring and a
mosiac scarf-pin which my father
brought from Florence when he was a
sea captain. I’ll go and see what I
can do.”
“But—a pawnbroker!” sobbed Ma.
rian. “Ob, Juliet, what are we
coming to?”
“No worse than many another has
come to,” said Juliet. “Cheer up,
Marian! Remember that it’s always
darkest just before daylight.”
And she kissed the pale girl and
wont cheerfully out.
The garnet ring and the mosaic
scarf-pin kept them for a week, Still
they were seeking for work—still the
same old answer was returned. For
every vacant place there was at least
a score of applicants.
They sought from place to place;
they traversed street after street, but
in vain. And on a dreary February
night, when the snow was turning to
discolored slush on the pavements and
a dismal fog hung over the streets,
Marian looked sadly up into her
friend’s face.
“The soles of my shoes are worn in
holes, Juliet,” said she. “My feet
arc soaking wet, and my head aches,
and—I don’t think I can go out any
more. It’s of no use. I think heaven
has forgotten us.”
Juliet, stronger and more courage¬
ous, brewed her friend a cup of weak
tea, and produced two soda crackers
from the cupboard.
“E-.it and drink, Marian, and yon
will feel better,” said she. “I have
heard of a woman who wants a book¬
keeper in her business, and 1 must go
there at once, this very evening, be¬
fore any one else has a chance to
crowd me out. yy
U You won’t get the place, Juliet. ft
It How do y u know?” cheerily.
“I don’t know it. I feel it.”
“Well, you’ll see. Eat aud drink, I
say, dear. Don’t sit so mournfully
there.”
“When you are gone, Juliet. ft
But when Juliet was gone, Marian
roso and put tho soda crackers back
into Hie cupboard.
“She thought I didn’t know they
were the two last,” said she. “ Juliet
was always a hearty eater, She is not
so good at starving as I am. But tho
end’s come at lastl”
She look from the mantle a little
vial of dark liquid, labeled “Lauda¬
num” (Juliet bad bad ague in (he face
a few days ago, and bad used a little
of it,) and looked at it questioning!}-.
<< I hope it isn’t very wrong,” she
murmured; “but—but it must be so
bard to dio by inches! Harder still
to go (o tlie pool-house on Blackwell’s
Island! Oh, no, I could not endure
that!”
And removing (he cork, she drank
(lie bitter draught.
Surely this would bo a dose strong
enough lo silence all the pangs and
woes of a dozen poor souls!
ti Will it be painful?” she asked her¬
self, nestling down among the pillows
of her bed. “Because I have not much
strength to endure. it
No, it was not painful, Heaven be
thanked for that!
A sweet drowsiness, like the breath
of poppies, overspread her being, and
with a half-murmured prayer on her
lips, Alarian drifted into slumber.
“Didn't 1 tell you it was always
darkest before daylight? Wake up
Alarian—wake aiul rejoice with me! |
Thrcugh a sort of clond, Marian
saw Juliet’s radiant face, Sho slrug
glcd into a sitting posturc, and tried
neniber what had passed. I
lo rei dream ?
Was it true? orw*s it only a
COVINGTON, GEORGIA. TUESDAY, APRIL 1891
.
“Who do you think the woman
was who wanted a book-keeper? Why,
my mother’s dearest school friend!
She knew my name at once, and she
says she should have known me any
whore from iny resemblance of
mother. Slie is in (ho perfumery
business—oh, such a nice big store!—
and she manages it ail herself. Ami
I am to be book-keeper, with a nice
salary, and you are to have a good
place there, too—right away, Marian,
dear I Ami wc can pay good Mrs.
Popover now, and live like Christians
again; and I’ve brought home such a
nice little supper of cold roast chicken,
and hot potatoes, and a pitcher of
smoking cofi’ee. A real treat, Marian.
Rouse up, dear, and enjoy it. t)
A faint, sad smile flickered into
Marian’s face.
llad all the sunshine come, now that
it was too late? And yet, how good
the little feast looked—how delicious
)y fragrant was the coffee.
With a feeble gesture, she pointed
to the little vial on the mantle. Juliet
would know what she meant.
a Why, yy cried the girl, “where is all
my cough medicine? I got the bottle
filled only yesterday, for I knew that
I kept you awake, coughing at night.
Mrs. Popover gave me some out of
the children’s bottle; she’s such a kind
old woman. Laudanum? Oh, yes, I
know that’s what the label says, but
the vial got tipped over long ago, and
all tho laudanum leaked out! Never
mind, dear—we can easily get more
now. We are not beggars any longer.
Here, sit up. Drink this hot coffee
before it has time to chill. Ana eat
the chicken—and taste this dear little
teeny glass of current jelly. You see
I’m getting extravagant, but wo have
been starved so long. yy
“What a coward I have been!” said
Marian to herself. “Oh, thank God
that He lias saved me from my own
rash will—saved mo to begin life
anew—saved me for new strength and
hope! Oh, I never, never will aban¬
don myself to despair again, no mat¬
ter bow dark the future seems!”
And Juliet never knew how near
Marian had come to the solution of all
life's problems. It was a secret be¬
tween herself aud heaven!—[Satur¬
day Night.
Telegraph and District .Messenger I5of».
Au army of 12,000 boys is employed
in tire telegraph and district messenger
service in and around the metropolis.
These boys get from $3.50 to $4 a
week, but the cost of their uniform*
and the heavy fines which are levied
upon them for trivial causes would
make their incomes very much smallet
were it not for the odd “tips” which
they get from time to time. TL.n,
again, the messenger boy is in the line
of promotion to sergeant, to clerk and
to telegraph operator, and with every
step his pay increases. In the up¬
town districts, especially in and around
the Tenderloin precinct, where the
district messenger service is only in
full blast in tho small hours of tho
night, the small boys do the day work
and the big boys serve at night.
These lads make more in presents in a
week than their wages would amount
to in a month. Tlie Stock Exchange
pays the highest wages received by
boys in the messenger service. Its
boys get from $4 to $7 a week, their
uniforms free, a yearly Christmas
present of $25, have only to work
from 9.30 a. m. to 3 p. m., and have
their Sundays and all public holidays
to themselves.— [New York Times.
All Firecrackers Made in China.
Firecrackers are not made at all in
this country, They are all imported,
and come principally from China.
About two years ago several manufac
turers of fireworks in New York intro
duccd the making of giant firecrackers,
but the industry has not increased to
any extent, No one in recent years
lias even attempted to make tlie email
firecrackers, The reason for this state
of things is a financial one. There is
no secret about the making of fire¬
crackers, and Americans are just as
well able to do it as anybody; but
Chinese labor is so cheap that it does
not pay r to manufacture them in this
country. The duty upon them is eight
cents a pound, which amounts to
something over 100 per cent, ad vale*
rein. — [Boston Cultivator.
Sentiment Gets a Setback.
They were walking out, on a per
fc-tlv fed > cloudless clo e- nidit, in tho light of
the big round moon j w c
unusually brigh ‘ * He
was of a dec J
perainent. she ■ nia tter-of
he claspea ms ,
fact. Suddenly ,
and cried out rapturously: “ >•
Maude look ‘
Jgn t it beautirui ‘ ‘
.
“Isn't it, Henry . !C
e'l" a! enthusiasm. -U look,
fried egg—don't it, dear: v»
a big
OYSTER SHELLS.
The Bivalves Put to Many Good
Uses.
Remarkable Evidence of the
Indian’s Liking For Oysters,
It lias been estimated that 23,000,.
000 bushels of oysters are opened an¬
nually in the United States, and that
this represents an accumulation of
shells amounting to not less than 21*,-
390.000 cubic feet, which if spread
out would cover a space of more than
450.000 yards square to a depth of
three feet.
No doubt the majority of persons
who have assisted in eating the oysters
contained in this enormous amount of
shells seldom give a thought as to
"'hat becomes ot these rough, uncouth
coverings. A few, perhaps, if ques¬
tioned on the subject, would be likely
to reply that the only way in which
they had seen them utilized was in
filling up and making roads, em¬
bankments and wharves. Nevcrthe
less, this is but one of their many
uses, as they are extensively employed
in making “stools” for new oyster
beds, by spreading them on the bot¬
tom of the bays and other bodies of
water in which oysters arc propagated,
thus forming a bed upon which the
spawn settles and grows into maturity.
They are also converted into lime,
serve as ballast for vessels, and made
into fertilizers. In addition to this
they play an important part in the
poultry yard, where, in a powdered
form, they are much sought after by
those engaged in raising fowls of every
kind.
The early colonists used nothing but
oyster-shell lime, and in many parts
of New England there still exist mills
and kilns devoted entirely to the in¬
dustry of converting the shells into
that material. They have been used
in making a hydraulic cement, when
mixed with clay and magnesia, and
gave perfect satisfaction, not only in
laying drains, coating cisterns and the
like, but also in making garden vases,
fountains and other ornamental ob¬
jects exposed to the elements.
That these shells have been used for
fertilizing purposes for hundreds of
years is'evineed by the fact that even
now, in some portions of Canada,
what is called “Mussel-mud,” is dug
out of tho remains of extinct oyster
beds by huge machines adapted to tho
purpose and spread in thick layers
over the land. This is merely a sur¬
vival of an old custom, as wc are told
that in early times they were labori
susly dredged out and used for the
same purpose.
Mr. Ernest Ingorsoll, a noted un¬
thority on the history of this favorite
bivalve, states that “along the l’umiico
Sound, in North Carolina, when tho
weather becomes warm and there is no
employment for their boats, the fish¬
ermen rake up boat loads of rough
and carry
them to tho farmers (o be sold and
used as a fertilizer, for which from
three to five cents a bu-hel is paid.”
These “coon’ oysters are seldom
eaten, but are found in immense quan¬
tities in southern waters, every stake,
bit of sunken log, or the branches of
fallen trees being loaded down with
them.
In the northern and eastern slates
the immense mounds of oyster, clam
and mussel shells found in various lo¬
calities along the coast prove inex¬
haustible mines for agriculturists, who
use them as atop dressing for their
firms. In the neighborhood of Damn
riscotta, Ale., there are mounds which
are estimated to contain not less than
8 000,000 cubic feet of shells—a lasting
,
monument to the red mai.’s partiality
for crustaceous food. Prior to being
us cd the shell must be burned, which
is done in rude, home-made kilns.—
[Detroit Free Press.
Billing a Buffalo.
Lcslcr V. Gridlcy, a North Pla'tc
(Neb.) stockman, tells a story of a
ride be once took on the back of a buf
falo near Fort Wallace, Neb. Return
iim from a hunt alone with the hind
quarters of a couple of young bulls be
had killed over his shoulder, lie acci
dentally ran into the herd again and
was s urrounded before he lealized bis
situation.
“My dodging in and out almost
ciuscd a stampede,’ he continued. “I
jf a ic took p] ac c among the
beasts ‘ 1 would be trampled to death,
. . . determined on a bold
stroke and, edging up close to a
’ bbed hold
,! W bnli; ' g ia of
* - °
Hie °"? K , • forcs i 10 «ul ors and
^1”'® . back Tbe
that came from the fellow made
mc '' - 1 gh that T hail not decided on such
. - i»wtv The bellow
ing « ras taken up v-
herd, and soon wo were flying along
at a terrific rate over gulches and up
hill and down. 1 was blinded by the
sand thrown by the hoof9 of the beasts,
hut with my eyes closed hung on like
grim death. For half an hour the
herd kept up a terrific pace, and dur¬
ing that time my legs were almost
crushed, out of my boots by the crowd¬
ing animals.
“1 began to think my time had come.
I was so weak 1 could scarcely keep
my scat, and was about to let myself
fall from (he back of my buffalo when
I succeeded in scraping some of the
sand out of my eyes. I discovered
then that we were running parallel
with the railroad track, and as tho
bank was high and steep the animals
had not ventured to climb the incline.
The beast I was riding was the closest
to the track, and I knew if I reached
the top of the embankment I would he
safe. I dragged myself together the
best I could and prepared for a spring.
I got my feet on his back and jumped
for (lie embankment. 1 leaped at the
right time, for the movement of the
young hull’s body sent me flying half
way up (lie bank, and there I was
safe in the sand. For five weeks after¬
ward I was confined to my bed. >> _
[Chicago Tribune.
Sea Flowers.
Although it may not bo generally
known, even to those who have lived
in tho seaboard cities and along the
coast of Great Britain, animal flowers
are there found in as great beauty and
variety as anywhere in the South Sea
Islands. They are repeatedly men¬
tioned by Sir J. Sinclair in his “Statis¬
tical Account of Scotland,” and by
Mr. Little, a minister of Covend.
Air. Muirhend, a minister of Urr,
gives the following interesting account
of some of them which had como
under his notice: “About five years
ago I discovered in the parish of Co
vend the animal flower, in even
greater perfection and variety than
1 had ever seen them in Jamaica. The
lively colors and their various and
elegant forms are truly equal to any¬
thing related by the naturalists re¬
specting the sea flowers of tropical
countries. To see an elegant flower,
perfect^ in every outline, of purple>
green, blue, red, yellow and many
intermediate colors, striving to catch a
worm or a fly, is really amusing.”
Ruv. Marshall, a minister of Brittle,
says: Till of late, perhaps, it lias not
been generally known that the animal
flower is even common along the shore
of Brittle, Covend, ami very likely
around the whole coast of Galloway,
The form of this creature is elegant
and pleasantly diversified. Some are
found resembling the sunflower,
some the hundred-leaved roso; but
by far the greater part of them ro
semble some species of poppy. Soine
times our Galloway animal flowers arc
purple, frequently of a rosy lme, but
mostly of a light red or fleshy tint.
Visitors to the coast often gather the
, most elegant forms of these creatures
and carr y them far into tlie intetior of
Gic country, where, if properly fed
on worms, (hey have lived weeks and
months. Same have even bred after
being removed from their native cle¬
ment, and might have lived for years
if it were possible to supply them with
sea water.— [St. Louis Republic.
The First American Railway.
The first railroad built in the United
States was three miles in length, ex¬
tending from the granite quarries at
Quincy, Alas*., to the Ncponset River.
It was commenced in 1820 and An¬
islied in 1827. The gauge was five
feet; the rails were pine, a foot thick,
covered with hard oak, which was in
turn strapped witii iron. In January,
1S27, a short coal road was completed
from the mines to Aiauch Chunk,
Penn. The rails on this road were
also of limber with flat iron bars. The i
first locomotive for use on a railroad
was invented by Richard Previtcek in
1804, and first tried in Wales. George
Stephenson built the first really stic
ccssful locomotive in 1814, and tested
it upon the Killingwood road in the
north of England. The first locomo
live for actual service constructed in
, America was E. I. Miller’s “Best
j Friend,” built for the South Carolina
Railroad Company in 1830; Peter
Cooper built a little experimental loco
motive early in 1830, before the
“Bcst Friend” was completed.
]
j The Middle Ages.
> “middle ages’ is a term of no
definite period, but varying a little
with almost every nation. In France
it was from Clovis to Louis XL (481
to 14C1). In England, from the Hep
tarcliy to the accession of Henry VII.
(409 to 1485). In universal history
it was from the overthrow of the
Roman empire to the revival of letters
(the fifth lo the fifteenth ceutury).—
i to , |onC „ 1|ivalor .
.
3
VOL. XVII NO, U
Old Time Songs.
The songs we used to sing? All me!
I love them, aud if I could bring
My voice their sad, sweet tones to sing,
The air should with an anthem ring
Of sweetest melody.
The songs we used to sing? Ah. me!
Their music fills my heart with tears,
For those lost hopes of long-gone years,
That Time’s eternal river bears
On to Eternity.
Tlie songs we used to sing? Ah, mo!
In dreams I hear each tender strain,
In mystic minor sung again—
I wake, and dies the sweet refrain
To all but memory.
— [New Orleans Times-Democrat.
HUMOROUS.
A receiving teller—A gossip,
A grave danger—Tho resurrection
is (.
Coming up to Hie scratch—The vac¬
cinator.
A little woman’s fidgets are four
times as big as she is.
An honest man pays up. The other
kind has to pay down.
“Oh, what a snap,” ejaculated the
tramp when the dog bit him.
Because a man has a silvery laugh
it does not follow that he has a rich
voice.
Charity covers a multitude of sins,
but most of them conlrive to kick oil
the covers.
i . Is Brown’s credit good?” “I
should say so; his best friends lend
him money.”
.Speaking of hydropathic cures, it
strikes us that well water ought to be
good for sick people.
Ethel—Does this picture do mo jus¬
tice? Maud—It does something nobler,
dear, it shows you mercy.
A fugitive poem is one that lias
escaped from its author after it has
boon doing time in a scrap book.
Husband—Six hundred dollars for
that sack? Dealer—But, sir, it’s a
perfect skin. Husband—A perfect
skin! Yes; I know it is. Coino on,
Clara.
If I ho farmer puts his fences up
high enough there isn’t any danger of
his stock running out. The same
thing may be said of the merchant if
he puts up His price.
Boy—Say, mister, please give me
five cools’ worth of castor oil and give
me very short measure, too.” Drug¬
gist—Short measure? Why? Boy—
Cos I’ve got to take it myself.
Why They .Make an S Backward,
It is n common thing to sec on home¬
made signs in various parts of the city
the letter 8 written backward. This
is often, also, done by children.
Speaking on the subject a distinguished
physician, who is in the habit of
knowing the whys and wherefores of
things, said: it The explanation is
very simple. The natural method of
most writing is to go ahead; to write
from you, but in making an S the
process is to start at tho top of the
letter and write backward. The child
or the person unaccustomed to making
letters, begins at tho top of the letter S
and writes forward, and then wonders
why it is that the letter looks so queer.
The engraver of card plates is obliged
to engrave his writing backward in
order that when printed it shall read
forward. The force of habit in en¬
graving backward is so strong tiiat
letter engravers of card plates or other
engraved plates often make mistakes
when called upon to make writing on
silverware. In this way a letter en¬
graver once put the inscription on a
whole set of valuable silverware back¬
ward and never discovered bis error
until bis customer found it out. In
(he same way spoons, watches, rings,
and so on have often been marked
backward by engravers. Such mistakes
are costly, and often make it necessary
to make over again the articles so
marked. Compositors arc obliged to
set up their mailer backward, and soon
learn lo read it eilher way with equal
facility.”—[New York Sun.
California’s Gold Treasure.
Never in any other country has a
change in the political dominion been
followed so promptly by so marvelous
al1 increase of wealth and population,
productive industry and general in
telligence. Never did a province rc
pay new masters more liberally
their trouble in its acquisition, nor
did any oilier conquered territory ever
receive g reatcr benefit from conquest.
The most notable instance in history
of triumphant invasions rewarded
with great sums of precious metal
were those of Babylonia by Curtis, of
lersia by Alexander of Alex.co by
Cortez, and of Peru by I izarro all
populous empires with wealth accn
undated through centuries of pros
perity. Yet not one of them yielded
to its conquerors, within a generation,
so much treasure as did desolate Caii
foini. to ,1,0 American.. —[CoUUirj.
THE PEACE DANCE.
Che Most Engaging of Indian Cere¬
monies Described.
The dance of the calumet, or pipe of
peace, is one of the most engaging of
Indian ceremonies. While preparations
Ire being made for this dance all is ex¬
citement in the Indian village—every¬
body talks about it. The chief bustles
iround buying ribbons aud Lo .ds to dec¬
orate the stem of the pipe of peace and
make ready for the rites soon to be per¬
formed. The chief who is to be hon¬
ored with tho dance keeps within the
lodge engaged in meditation and smok ¬
ing the fragrant uinniekinnick. Tho
young braves attire themselves as gor¬
geously as their means will permit, and
the young squaws add an extra touch of
vermilion to their bronzed cheeks. The
day finally arrives chosen by the princi¬
pal men of the tribe for the ceremony,
and about noon the chiefs appear in the
doors of the lodge gayly decorated and
painted for the suspicious occasion.
Chanting in a low tone an invocation to
the Great Spirit, and shaking their rat¬
tles, they wave their calumets with their
beautiful blue stems adorned with war
eagle feathers, making their medicine
first to the rising and then to the setting
sun, after which they descend and enter
the lodge, which is large in proportion
and covered with earth. At its farther
end four ot the principal men of the vil¬
lage sit engaged in ceaseless singing and
drumming. Before each lie medicine
Sticks. Two of them entering immedi¬
ately engage in dancing and waving
their calumets and shaking their rattles.
In the centre is a fire, over which a ket¬
tle of buffalo meat is boiling, engaged presided in
aver by a chief constantly
smoking kinuickinnick. These ceremo¬
nies, with little variations, are repeated fifth
incessantly for four days. On the
day the important part of the rites
begins. from tho roof of
After an invocation
the lodge and the dance within, a pro¬
cession is formed and ail proceed to the
prairie, carrying two buffalo skulls paint¬
ed red. The musicians scat themselves
in a long row, sing and dance and pass
the calumet from one to another, The
procession is then reformed and the pipe
borne to the lodge of a principal chief
of the tribe. After an introductory
song and dance a delegation depart of braves, tha
including the musicians, the to honor
lodge of the one upon whom
of the dance had been conferred to con¬
duct him to the place where the honors
of the occasion awaited him. After
marching several times around the lire
the honored chief is surrouuded by tlie
head men of the tribe, musicians and
others, and an address is now made by
one of the principal men, urging medicine.” nil be¬
fore him “to throw ter the
Each responds in turn, coining forward
blankets,calicoes, singly and bestowing scarlet presents and blue of cloth, guns,
beads, finely worked buffalo robes and
sverything within the possession When all of the a
Dacotah band of Indians.
presents are given the dancing ends, tho
music ceases and the crowd distribute disperses,
while the chief begins to
imong his friends the presents he has re¬
ceived. This dance of the calumets is
one of the most important of all the
dances and medicine feasts of the North
American Indians, and is always given
in honor of some member cf the tribe,
who ever after is regarded as one of the
most distinguished. / ijy this ceremony
hois especially confided'to the care of
the great spirit, who will henceforth
take particular care of and provide attend for all
ill his wants. Success will
bis efforts in the chase and on the war¬
path. Many scalps will hang from lus
girdle and adorn his lodge poles, lie
will steal many fine horses from his ene¬
mies; buffalo meat will be abundant, his
children will never cry for food and ho
rimself will forever after bear a charmed
presence in battle.—[Chicago Herald.
An Extraordinary Shot.
Reading of extraordinary shots by
sportsmen, 1 wrV.e to mention a wonder¬
ful shot made by a shikari, of India, in
my presence, writes “Wilbur, in the
Asian. While out shooting in a jhcel
near the village of Alhow, six or seven
miles from Agra, a dozen or so of snip¬
pets, the common chaha, were seen to
alight i>’ a low jhow swamp a couple consider¬ or
three hundred yards away, and
ing them beneath our notice, we allowed
a native shikari whose proclivities regardless were of
in the direction of shoots,
sport, to take a loaded, antiquated sin¬
gle-muzzled loader and have a “pot” youth at
them. He was accompanied The by a of
“to fetch and to carry.” cloud of birds report I
the gnu raised such a as
had never seen before and our surprise
was not lessened by seeing the two men
picking up here, there and everywhere all
without stint. They turned up with
four hands full, and counted down
thirty five snippets; .some wounded birds
must have escaped in tire jhoiv, or been
passed over unobserved.
••The Bible on Wall Coaling-n."
“And behold if the uobo in the walls
of the house with hollow streaks, greenish
or reddish, then the priest shall go out of the
house to the door of tho house and shut up
the house seven days. * * * And he shall
cause the house to be scraped within round
about, and they shall pour out the dust that
they scrape off without the city into an un¬
clean place.”
This matter of looking to the sanitary na¬
ture of wall coatings seems to be consi U-re 1
of much importance of late. A supplement
to the Michigan State Board of Health con¬
demns wall paper and kalsomine for walls,
and recommends Alabastine as being sani¬
tary, pure, porous, permanent, economical
and beautiful.
To each of the first five persons in every
cit y an q town, who write the Alabiskiae
Corapauyof Grand Rapids, Michigan, giv
ingthe chapter containing the above pass
age of scripture, will be sent an order on the
j Alabastine dealer in the town for a package
, of Alabastine, enough to cover fifty square
yards of wall two coats, tinted or white.
To test a wall coating, take a small q l-m
tity of it, mix in equal quantity of Iroiliog
, , ft .
the dish over night> and finaUy form. stone
Uke cement, without shrinking, It is o kaiso
mine, and dependent upon glue to hold it to
the wall, the feature so strongly objected to
hU sanitary wall-coatiug
f orm the Tribune offices bare been nicely
decorated with Alabastine. The effect is
! p!«ts,ng, anJ the rooms are very .wee, nod
clean.—Detroit Tribune.
