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Bv R . S. HOWARD. VOLUME VI. J The Fly. I .nisi', as ’die dot ol an t I jv tie brain ol a little fly, I And jet tic can think; I dull rat and can drink; I jj,i tan hear and see i ;jje y u or l*ke me; He eft" My and walk. Can buzz but not talk; £., n climb up a wall, And thi:t is not all. As you lie in bed Look up over head, you’ll see him stealing Across the ceiling. W, to you to do that You’d tail down Hat. So that little fly, Outlie ceiling high, With his tiny brain, . May rightly he vain For surely ’tis true He’s smarter than you. go strong is his will jluit it you keep stdl And would like to sloe Hesl ivdy will creep 0 ; i your cheek or ear, a ,1 then I much fear, His wiil is so strong, It will not be long Oetore you will shako At i! lie will awake. II s w.il then you seo Tr.e stiongest will be. And on I might go Amt cause you to know Hut this little fly Iks h blighter eye, Is swittcr to act, Merc cunring in lact With his brain so small He yet beats ns all. J t Howler, in J\ r orristoivn Herald. IN’ / NUTSHELL. I o;.i !’k Sumi r-et, hale and hearty, Hj,;v:'l!-i:n)(l:n<r 1 1 is seventy years, I: i,; i.f a headache one morning; y;: !;i'i wi' 1 1 s' an dins Moilie Pore’s en h * ~lioull stay at home, he II going !() his office as usual. IF ■ vli ty years he had gone to I :: (m:i nor shine, every morning. ;"'v hr- scorned to have his first Ivmtiv caused by anything so trifling Hsahpadaclje. Si hi- patted Moilie on the cheek. I• " f ‘: white brow, and stepped into while the young girl stood wm! w ;tnd looked wistfull\ I •' ■ r, 'teiy after him, till she I O 11/, r see even the dust raised liyIiy dii' earring-* wheels. " I hereshe exclaimed, turning ' v ! 111 c window, “ I ought not r, w !i lied him out ot sight—they Hovit's unlucky.” I A ; 'd then, with a rather forced laugh cwn superstition, Moilie went Hwiiy to her room. I She was very fond of the old man ll! ju t ’eft the house, and with ; • ,vas °n. too, for he *'ad adopted ‘ when she was left alone in the ■ friendless and an orphan; and utliat h ur she had never known ■ the want of parents. | Heiov-d her as though he had been i r ami mother, too, feeling himself a place of both; and Moilie rewarded dutiful and tender a free ■wit of a daughter. I ’ i-t as the various city clocks marked |IOU; ’ ot noon, old Mr. Somerset was : [ rou ? ht h °nie, dead-the headache had ‘n a premonitory system, which.be '■ yarded, nature had revenged me ; f b >’ striking the old man with I ‘Poplexy. I J!'f heul fell f °rward on his desk, I “e never raised it again. I .°" rMollie W; is stricken to the heart, ■Mourned as one who refused to be I ftw forted. I .3' poor young and inexperi •'carcely knew what to do, but ' lu ‘b Presence of mind as she could I m uto b° r a id, gave directions that • omi'i set’s relatives should be tele ' ■n.id for; and in the meantime an a ' Us ‘ ness friend of the deceased mer - i undertook to superintend arrange ‘or the funeral. " it Moilie said was respectfully ,: n V f ‘ ta byihe servants, for she was -i. as the future mistress of the f; 'UM?hmont. ; >ollu 'rset had spoken of her as his ; ' :inc * S^ie had not been left L, 1 ' S ’ ler e were, at least, good •.,' U “l'' 1 -'Opposing that she had been ‘nnt:y provided (or. ; !( ‘ i 'div t sof Mr. Somerset arrived •''"rat day. ar * U °, l ! e . t ' urce persons— the cousin, > dying blood relation of the Ti !i ’ ihs wife and family, ju tOJ h U P their abode in the rich f a . ! ' Vl ? ant home, the head of the r ‘ ‘ blently feeling himself in his l! ; lawful ulace, and his w r ife no p, 1 lU1,; him in asserting her claims. > looked with much disfavor on j^. 1 ’ >ore but were somewhat at a . o treat her, and at times were i, , °dier times chilling, almost to th.; '■ * . 011 l^ie a^ter 'he funeral, 1 J s were made up to a steady ■p N ' (,! l he latter treatment. af . ’-nerai and all its melancholy n, T u ’ f ’ a; dments being over, it became 7-ry to read the will —but none I*.‘Wt'acoming. ■ *- douse was searched, almost from j to cellar — every possible place in s i! , a document could have been , * and was ransacked, but in vain! v , , customary legal ad t ; : !j t ing applied to declared that he a a V never drawn a will for his client, _ ugh he would not venture to say i * a -. n,, ne had been made, because, on ug broached the subject more than ■ out oi respect and admiration for liore, Mr. Somerset had always the forest news. assured him that his adopted daughter had been provided for. g -I ] U Z D r. is ‘thoroughly attended to teLt aMr U d “ fter MUS Dore ’ S *- n „ ® i M • Somerset had said, fre fi ntly always adding with a chuckle nntJhT 118 ® Batißfaction “It lies in a S! 1, my dear fellow—the whole u.ing bes in a nutshell.” But the will—if any existed—could >e ound; and the precise meaning the phrase which seemed to afford Mr. Somerset so much satisfaction re mained a profound mystery. As the natural heirs of the deceased, Mr Harwood, with his wife and family, took possession of the dead man’s mag nificent establishment and great wealth, the necessary legal preliminaries having been, meantime, properly attended to: and then poor Moilie Dore began to lealize that her lines had fallen in very unpleasant places. But for “the speech of people,” as Mrs. Harwood expressed it, they would nave turned the poor girl into the street to starve, for what they cared; but as it was they permitted her a small, mis erably furnished upstair room in the mansion where she had for years reigned .as mistress,while she was obliged to oc cupy the position of governess to the younger children to pay for her food and lodging. Indeed in any other house her duties would have been lighter, and she would have had a salary for her services be sides, for she was brilliantly educated and accomplished. Moilie was aware of this, and she more than once thought that she would apply to some of Mr. Somerset’s friends to interest themselves in her behalf; but she was too timid and retiring by na ture, and dreaded to go among strangers and away from the root that had from childhood been her home. There was another reason, too, why— like Hamlet—she preferred the ills she had to flying to others that she knew not of; one of the Harwood family had never treated her with harshness or even coldness; on the contrary he had striven by every delicate and manly attention to atone for the cruel neglect and indig nity which the poor girl was com peted .to suffer from the rest of the family. Edward Harwood had admired the sweet face and gentle eyes of Moilie Dore from the first; and as he observed from day to day the calm dignity of her manner and the beauty of her unselfish, uncomplaining character, he soon grew to love her even as much as he had ad mired her. And Moilie was not blind to the fact; sh ■ loved him ii return, as was natural; and notwithstanding the many eyes bent on them from morning till evening the two young people had contrived to make known and to mutually acknowl edge the love which they felt for each other. Then, as declared lovers are apt to do, they became a little reckless in the dis play of their attachment to each other; and one evening Mr. Harwood coming into the parlor found his son and his ‘•governess.” as he called Moilie, sitting hand in hand beside each other. The gas was not yet lighted, and t ie tender twilight had betrayed them into that piece of imprudence. Mr. Harwood could scarcely believe his eyes, and rubbed them pretty hard to be sure that he was not dreaming; and then he burst out in a fury : “You young scoundrel, what is the meaning of this? And as for you, miss, what kind of conduct is thi3 for a re spectable house, and what kind of a young woman do you call yourself?” Moilie instinctively raised her hands, and covered her ears to shut out the sound of some opprobrious words that she felt were about to follow; but Ed ward rose, and stepping in front of the girl he loved, confronted his father re spectfully but firmly. “ Please be careful how you address this young lady, sir,” he said in deep, quiet t >nes, “ for she is my promised wife, and I can allow no man to insult her. even by a thought.” “Promised fiddlestick!’’ blurted out Mr. Ilarwood, with increasing fury. “ Let me tell you, sir, this is my house, and I shall do and say what I please in it. Insult her, indeed! I guess a man’s thoughts are free, and I’ll think what I choose, ana say it, too, if l want to! And what I do say is this, that if you mean to marry the designing minx there you may under stand this —she can’t pull the wool over my eyes as she did over that old fool Somerset, and you may both of you clear out of my house this night and forever, if you are such a fool as to stand by what you say and marry her.” “Very well, sir. I am just such a fool as that,” Edward returned, with a touch of sarcasm. Then turning to Mollie, he added: “Go and put on your hat, darling, and come with me.” The girl looked at him wonderingly for a moment, then rose and left the room to obey. Edward sat down and waited for her, while Mr. Harwood alternately fumed and exploded with rage. When he had ordered his son from his house he had not contemplated the pos sibility of the young man taking him at his word. And his promptness in doing so had placed the father on the horns of a dilemma. He could not retract his words and bid Edward stay; in fact, he determined he should starve rather than marry the girl he had chosen without his consent. But Edward was his mother’s darling, and Mrs. Harold ruled in the house of that name. What should he do? how withstand the anger of bis wife? But then, as he speedily reflected, “Matilda would be as savage as himself at the their son marrying that penniless, impu- JEFFERSON, GA., FRIDAY, JULY 2, 1880. dent upstart.” Happy thought. He would go at once and tell his wife, and take her advice on the subject. Mean time he did not greatly fear that Eaward would leave the paternal mansion at least that evening; for the very good reason that he was quite dependent on his father and had no place to go. But Mr Harwcod was mistaken. Ed ward quite intended to take his father at his word; and, worse still, to do so immediately. As Mr. Harwood left by one door, Molly Dore entered by the other. The preparations were simple, and had taken but a few minutes to make. All her fine dresses—in which her adopted father had so liked to see her— had been folded away in trunks when she put on mourn ng for him; and the few articles she had since acquired had been easily packed away in less than five minutes. She left her trunks to be sent for, and of all her belongings she carried in her hand only a little jewel-case, containing many costly trinkets given to her by Mr. Somerset, and which—since they were undeniably her own property— Mrs. Harwood had not dared to take from her although she would have liked to do so. Edward took charge of her jewel-case, and the lovers immediately left the house together. Although their affairs had been brought to a crisis with un expected suddenness, they were not wholly unprepared, for Edward had already spoken to a clerical friend in view of just such an emergency. So they walked directly to the Rev. Mr. Marnor’s and were speedily made man and wife. From there they went to a hotel, and the deposit of Mollie's jewel-case with the proprietor was a sufficient guarantee, although they brought no baggage; but the young wife immediately sent for her trunks. In opening her jewel-case, that the proprietor might take an inventory of its contents, before giving her a receipt for it, Edward’s attention was attracted by a little article of carved wood, and he pointed it out to Moilie. She a3ked him to take possession of it, and then, when they were in their room, she an swered his questions about it. “ I don’t know what it is, dear,” she said ; “Mr. Somerset gave it to me a long time ago, and I locked it in my jewel case, because he said it contained some thing very precious. He made me promise not to open it as long as he lived, and I never did; but I know how —he showed me this little silver knob to press on. Isn’t it beautifully carved? It looks like the shell of some curious large nut.” “Like a nutshell?—and so it does,” said Edward, his heart beating wildly, for he happened to be aware of the phrase used by Mr. Somerset when his lawyer had spoken to him about making a will. “Open it, Moilie, dear; open it now!” he cried, eagerly. “I am dying to see the inside of it.” Moilie laughed and pressed the little silver spring, and the nutshell opened just in the middle. A paper, very closely and neatly folded, was inclosed ; and this paper Ed ward caught at with a degree of anxiety that caused Moilie to smile But she, too, became interested and then a little anxious, when her husband cried out: “ It is the missing will—Mr. Somer set’s will, that couldn’t be found ! Come, my darling, we will take it to the law yer at o.ice. Make no objections—of course I know it’s after office hours, but f know where his house is,” and he helped Moilie to tie on hat, and put on her mantle. The paper was, indeed, Mr. Somer set’s will —drawn up by a strange law yer, but properly witnessed, and correct n every particular; and by it Moilie iDore, now Edward Harwood’s wife, was declared sole heiress to nearly a quarter of a million, to the fine house she had just been turned out of, and, in short, to everything which her adopted father had left. Well, Moilie was a good and forgiv ing girl, and she did not exult over the downfall of her enemies; but Mr. and Mrs. Harwood felt that retribution had come, and spent the greater pa rt o their future lives in mutually upbraiding each other for their treatment of Moilie and Edward. The Dandy Crab. Society and occupation in the world of the sea are represented by masons, builders, marauders, usurpers and plun derers, and all have their distinguishing peculiarities. A fancy of the quaint spider crab, or “ dandy crab,” as he is sometimes called, is to decorated him self with algfe and sponges, and none but the most brilliant in color seem to please him; this, however, not for vain display, but, primarily at least, for per sonal protection. When wishing to array himself, he finds a brilliant sponge and pinches off piece after piece with his long, slender claws; these when broken, are dipped in a glutinous fluid contained in the mouth, and are carried to the back and fastened se- curely. Sometimes after he has at tached a particular fragment hp reaches back his claw a second time to satisfy himself that it is secure. This practice is indulged in only when the crabs are young and in the fall, and its object is to obscure the crab from hungry stur geons and skates. When placed in a tank with many animals the crabs take the same precaution against possible enemies, and often cover themselves. A correspondent wants to know how long bees live. About the same as short bees, we suppose. FOR THE PEOPLE. FARM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD Recipes. Gikger Nuts.—A pint of molasses, three-quarters of a pound of butter, three-quarters of a pound of sugar, a teaspoon of soda, two ounces of ginger, a little nutmeg and cinnamon; flour enough to roll into sheets. Spiced Beef.— Five pounds of the shank boiled five hours with celery seed. Drain off the gelatine; then chop the meat very fine. Add pepper and salt to suit the taste, and pat it into a cloth on a plaster. Cover it with the cloth and press it. ShortCake. —Prepare thi dough as for biscuit, only much richer; roll two crusts nearly as thick as for pie crust; put them together, spreading a little butter between them; bake in a quick oven. When done, place the fruit or preserves between the crusts. Wuen it is notin the fruit season, dried fruit or preserves make a very good substitute. Homint Fritters.—Take hominy that has been well boiled (the large hominy is the best), mash it fine, and add to it three eggs, well beaten, one cup of flour, two tablespoons of milk and a little salt. Make it of the con sistency of hominy baiter, and fry in hot lard. These proportions need about a quart of hominy after it is boiled. A very nice breakfast dish. Nuremberg Pudding.— Three cups of flour, two-thirds of a cup of suet chopped fine, one cup of molasses, one cup of stoned raisins, one cup of sour milk and one teaspoon of soda in the milk. Mix well, and put into a but tered tin basin, then into a steamer, and steam for three hours. When done, you can try it by running a straw through it. Set it into a hot oven for five or ten minutes. Permitting; Tonne Pruit Trees to Bear Eirly. It very frequently happens that young pear and other fruit trees blossom and, if permitted to do so, bear fruit the same season that they are planted. We have had the blossoms and fruit of such trees pointed out to us as evidence that the trees were thriving particularly well. Such evidence, however, is indi cative rather of weakness than of vigor. There is nothing more harmful to young trees than to permit them to bear fruit the year of transplantation. Even for dwarf pears, the third year is soon enough for them to bear, and the sixth year is soon enough for the generality of standards. Our readers will find that if they sutler young trees to mature fruit the first or second year, their vigor will, in most cases, be impaired forever nfter, and having borne at this early age, they will not, as a rule, bear again in five or six years afterward. The temptation to inexperienced fruit growers to see their young trees in fruit as soon as may be, is considerable. It it because we yielded to such tempta tions, that we are now able to guard our readers again.st falling into the same error. Fruit-bearing is an ex hausting process, and only trees that have arrived at a certain age or maturity can exercise the function without en dangering their health and strengtq (lot; Pens and (lot; Cholera. Many a farmer keeps his pigs in a little or pen, often near the house, where the mud is as deep as they can wallow through. He throws their feed in the mud, from which they must pick it as best they can, and clean water is something that they do not get from one year’s end to another. Yet such a man will wonder why his family have the fever and his hogs the cnolera! I have seen hogs kept in this way, or, worse yet, in floored pens which were never cleaned, until at killing time their bel lies were full of small ulcers; and such meat is packed and shipped to the East as prime mess pork! Places where filth always reigns supreme are the fattening pens connected with distilleries. I be lieve that such places have as much to do with spreading disease among hogs as among cattle. So far as I have known, when cholera makes its first appearance in any district, it has nearly always been among the swill-fed bogs of distilleries or flocks treated as described above. I do not claim that in great cleanliness we have an infallible preventive of cholera; but I do claim that with cleanliness and proper variety of food, the appearance of the malady would be less frequent and its victims fewer; that farmers by little care and attention might save themselves much loss. Men shut a pig up in a filthy pen and give him filthy garbage to eat, and then abuse him because he is an unclean animal; but let them give him a clean place to stay in, clean food and clean water; in short, treat him as well as other animals. Now, farmers, try a little wholesome cleanliness with your hogs and see if they do not pay better. — V. J. Emery, in Rural New Yorker. Materials for Mulching. Professor W. J. Beal, of the Michigan agricultural college, gives the results of several experiments to determine the best materials to mulch strawberries and other plants, and arrives at the con clusion that the best is chopped straw. He finds a thick coat of manure excel lent for bedding plants. He tried old clover hay, and had a fine crop of clover plants to kill the next spring. Hay gives a similar result in a young crop of grass. Straw badlv threshed furnished in the same way a young grain crop in the garden. Forest leaves held down by cornstalks gradually blew away dur ing winter, and the cornstalks alone re mained in the spring after an open win ter. Pine shavings worked into the soil have proved a nuisance. Tne same objection existed with tan bark. Clean straw, old or new, or corn fodder cut two inches long, less or more, answered I the best purpose. Strack by Lightning. Near Lampassus, Texas, lightning en tered the house of a farmer named Con nett, who was sitting reading with his four children. One child, a boy, was instantly killed. The rest were knocked senseless, and so found by Mrs. Connett on her return home. At Baraboo, Wis., the house of a Mr. Cheek was struck by lightning, and his oldest son Robert was instantly killed At Athens, Ga., lightning struck a large tree close by the Rev. Mr. Bing ham’s house, and the whole family were knocked senseless, but finally re covered consciousness, though suffering terrible nervous prostration. Near Nashville, Ind , a dissolute wo man named Mary Fleetwood, returning home from the deathbed of an associate who had died of drink, was struck by lightning at the door of her own house, and fell dead on the steps. Henry Thomas, a much-respected gentleman, living about a mile east of New Canton, Pike county, 111., was killed recently by lightning. His team was killed at the same time, and his barn set on fire and destroyed. His wife was a witness of the dreadful event, and was just able to drag his body from the barn in time to save it from the flames. Mr. Thomas was in the act of hitching his span of mules to a wagon when the lightning struck the barn. Mr. John Stroll, a well-to-do farmer of Milford township, Ohio, while fish ing, took shelter beneath a tree, and was instantly killed by lightning. He was about fifty-eight years old. Frank Shupeter, of Madison township, lowa, was killed by lightning while sitting by a window. The building was nearly destroyed. J. H. Work and wife, living near by, were severely in jured at the same time. In Brown township, lowa, Henry Davis, who was at work in a barn, was struck by lightningand instantly killed. A Strange Ceremony. The strange ceremony of plowing around a village in order to drive away the cattle plague recently took place in one of the villages of Russia. The Russfry Courier describes it thus: ‘ 4 The cattle plague broke out in the village of Ozerek, in the province of Kaluga. In a ew days thirteen cows died, and the peasants were panic stricken. After warm discussions, it was decided to drive out the plague after the manner of our forefathers in similar emergencies— that is, by ploughing around the village. At midnight, all the women of the vil lage assembled at a spot, to which were brought the things needed for that half pagan, half Christian ceremony, to wit, a holy image, a plough, harness, a bag of sand, and a pail of tar. A strong young woman was liar essed to the plough, and, with the assistance of two other girls, proceeded to pull it along. A young girl carrying the holy image (ikonn) headed the procession; she was followed by an old woman with the sand bag, who threw the sand right and left, the ploughing party trying to cover the sand in ploughing, while the woman with the tar pail besprinkled the soil with tar. A crowd of girls and women ollowed ; each carrying some article with which to make a noise, scythes, tin cans, iron pans, boilers, basins, pokers, and other utensils. Though the noise made was indescrtbable, and the women’s yelling and shouting incessant, they were ineffectual to frighten off the plague spirit, for its ravages in that vil lage are undiminished.” Premeditated Murder by Rats. Mr. George Clayton, residing in the village of Lansingburg, was the pos sessor of a white rat, of which he made a great pet, and keDt him housed in a snug cage. Last night the pet rodent was foully murdered, and the evidence gleaned from a vie w of the surroundings this morning tends to show that the homicide was committed by other rodents of a darker hue that had not been petted. The box or cage of the pet rat had been literally gnawed to pieces, and the pet torn to pieces as the marks plainly show. There must have been quite a number of rats concerned in the murder, as the incisors of one or two could not have done the work in a week that was done last night. The destruction of the animal will furnish food for speculation as to the motive for the massacre, and adds a chapter to the statistics on rats.— Troy (N. F.) Press. Fooled Into Fatness. In Italy wealthy connoisseurs are very ond of fat ortolans, and this is the de vice by which they obtain them: They shut the birds up in a dark chamber (knowing that in their natural state it is their habit to feed at sunrise). They then arrange artificial lights which can be cast at will into the dark prison of the birds, on seeing which the ortolans immediately seek the food which is pro vided for them; the light is withdrawns and they go to sleep; after a few hours it is again introduced, and so the process is repeated five or six times in the twen ty-four hours, so that the birds are kept constantly feeding or sleeping; the con sequence is that in about three days the ortolan become a delicious ball of fat, and ready for the table. —Popular Science Monthly. The custom of the Fijians, that when a man dies his widow must be strangled by her brother, resulted in the arrange ment by which she is told to expel her breath as long as possible and give a signal, when the cord is tightened and lmost immediately all is over. So<ne or the Beauties of Polygamy. A letter to the Salt Lake Anti-Polyg amy Standard says: In Sugarhouse Ward, two miles north of Salt Lake City, lives a good Danish saint who, of course, lives his religion, and has sev eral wives. It was the duty of one of the plural women to work on the farm and take care of the cattle and the mules. When not engaged in other saintly avocations, it was the husband’s custom to sit on the fence, holding a horsewhip in his hand, and oversee the woman when she was at labor in the field. If she failed to perform the work according to his ideas or instructions, he used to lash her like a refractory horse or mule; in fact he often whipped her more severely than he would his animals, for he held a mule in far higher estimation than he did a woman. “He could get another wife any day, but it co>t money to get a muie.” Occasion ally, when there was not enough to keep her busy on the farm, he hired her out as a house servant, and always col lected her wages himself, asking quite a high price for her services. She hap pened to be hired to a neighbor of mine, and one day when he came for her wages he demanded an extra dollar a week because he had to hire a man to do her chores in the field. This saint believed in polygamy, because when one woman wore out or outlived her useful ness as a laborer, he could easily re place her with a fresh one. A few miles further from the house, on what is called Mill creek, lives an other polygamist, whose three wives are held to the strictest account for every pound of butter, every chicken or egg on the place, and woe to the adven turous one who dares to dispose oi either without the consent of her lord and master. The first wife, who is old and crippled with rheumatism, once longed for a cup of tea, a luxury for bidden the women, who are required to keep the word of wisdom, although the husband frequently indulged in that and material comlorts. She watched an op portunity when he was absent and traded a few eggs for the wherewithal to make the coveted beverage, which she enjoyed, as she thought, in secret. The husband, however, found it out—a man in polygamy has no lack ot tale bearers —and he dragged the poor old woman to the creek, plunged her under the water and held her there until he thought her sufficiently punished for her sin in breaking the word of wisdom, as well as for meddling with his eggs, and until she promised never to repeat the offense. I have suppressed the names in both of the above cases, although I could have given them, because I under stand that it is the policy of the Stand ard not to shnw up individuals, but to expose the workings and the debasing effects of the system. The first incident shows in what estimation the majority of men hold the women, and to what depths of degradation the system can reduce a woman who allows herself to be placed in such a position. Historic Doubts. It has been strongly doubted whether Joan of Arc ever suffered the punishment that has made her a martyr, though de tails of her execution and last moments grace the civic records of Rouen. Sev eral boots have been published discuss ing the question. A Belgian lawyer is the author of one of these. He contends that the historians—who have done nothing but copy each other in the nar ratives of her death—err exceedingly in saying that it took place on the last day of May, 1473, the fact being that she was alive and well many years after that dale. There are good grounds, too, for believing that the pretty tale of Abelard and Heloise is a pure fiction. Nobody has yet unriddled the mys tery of the Man in the Iron Mask, and nobody seems likely to do so, while the identity of the writer of the “Junius” letters is as far from being settled as ever. These are two insoluble enigmas, impenetrable mysteries that baffle solu tion, and about which, perhaps, the public has become tired of surmises. An extremely witty and characteris tic anecdote told of Lord Beaconsfield will bear repetition. An adherent from a distant county brought his two sons to the then Mr. Disraeli, and asked him to give them a word of advice on their in troduction into life. “Never try to ascer tain,” said the illustrious statesman to the elder boy, “who was the man who wo.e the iron mask, or you will be thought a terrible bore. Nor do you,’ turning to the second, “ask who was the author of ‘Junius,’ or you will be thought a bigger bore than your brother.” Walpole wrote an ingenious work to show—taking for his base the conflict ing statements in history and biography that no such person as Richard 111. ever existed, or that if he did he could have been neither a tyrant nor a hunch back. Historic doubts relative to Na poleon Bonaparte was published in Lon don in 1810, and created widespread amusement because of its amazing cleverness. Napoleon, who was a cap tive at St. Helena, admired the compo sition greatly. Archbishop Whately and Sydney Smith were botn reputed to be the author. Since the publication of that skit numerous imitations have been issued, but none have shown much originality or literary skill, and have therefor vanished into the darkness of merited obli^on. — London Globe. It has been discovered that persons who work in petroleum, if they have any bronchial troubles are at once relieved of them; pulmonary affections also yield before the same influence. PRICE—S 1,60 PER ANNUM. NUMBER 4. The Cradle. How steadfastly she’d worked at itf How lovingly had drest, With all her would-be mother’s wit,. That little rosy nest! How longingly she’d hung on it! It sometimes seemed, she said, There lay beneath its coverlet A. litt'e sleeping head. He came at last, the tiny guest, 3*>e bleak December fled; That, rosy nest he never prest— Her coftln was bis bed. • — E. C. Steadman. ITEMS OF INTEREST, A low story.—The basement. There are 3,000 births every week iu London. Motherly wisdom—Stick to your flan nels until they stick to you. A gentleman named his dog Penny because it was one sent to him. Naturally enough, the spat moat dear to cattle is their fodderland. There are 6,000 miles of telephone and telegraphic wires in New York city. Water, when it becomes steam, is ex panded 1,700 times its original bulk. The ordinary strength of an elephant is calculated as equal to that ot 117 men. The area of arable lands in the United States is [.estimated at 1,500,000,000 square miles. There was a law enacted in Massachu setts in 1646 lining any one who made a long speech. Since the beginning of the present century ten general famines have pre vailed in Ireland. The acknowledged version of the Christian Bible has been translated into 226 different languages and dialects. Rev. Louis Wazawcanayana is a Da kota clergyman. He has one satisfac tion, however. Nobody opens his let ters by mistake. It is just now the study of the age to see how many words can be crowded on to a square inch of postal card. — Wattrloo Observer. We are told “the evening wore on,’ but we are never told what the evening wore on that occasion. W*s it the close of a summer's day? The only difference between a pig making a glutton of itself and a man making a pig of himself is, that the pig, at some future day, will be cured. Three days after a baby is born every body says, “ Ketchetty, ketchetty,” and digs its ribs with a forefinger. Hence the prevalence of ill-temper in adults. The United States produce 7,800,000 gallons of cotton seed oil a year, ?nd a share of it gets around to aristocratic pining tables lablled “Huile d’Olive.” Philadelphia contains 103 distinct iron factories, giving employment to neariy 12,000 hands, without including those employed at the Baldwin locomotive works. Chickweed is an excellent barometer. When the flower expands fully, we are not to expect rain for several hours; should it continue in that state, no rain will fall. Japan has a surplus of rice equal in value to $25,000,000, but which it can not realize upon, in consequence of the exclusive character of the navigation laws of the empire. Thirteen years ago nine brisk young fellows went into the torpedo business n the oil region. Only one, Tom Wal ley, is left. The others were all killed by their own torpedoes. The sun shines down In red-hot beams, And starts the sweat In trickling streams; While we, until the thing will stop, Must mop, and mop, and mop, and mop. A man was asked the other day how many children he had, and he replied: “ Five boys, and each boy has two sis ters.” This may be called the new puzzle of fifteen for those who think he has an unusually large family. How doth the busy little fly Improve each chance, to light Upon the tip end of your nose, And dance with all his might. —Danielsonville Sentinel. An editor whose office was taken for the den of a taxidermist, had some trouble to explain that so far from stuff ing birds, and minx and things, he had to “ hustle around pretty lively in order to get enough stuffing for himself.” There is little fear of a famine in this country if the reports from the great producing regions may be believed. Out along the iine of the Northern Pacific, where last year the yield was 6,000,000 bushels, the promise now is of 10,003,- 000. A few months ago the Emperor of Morocco gave President Grevy, of the French republic, six splendid horses. The animals proved so refractory and restive that no use has been made of them, and they are eating their heads oil' in the presidential stables. There are 7,000,000 of tubes or pores on the surface of the body, which in health are constantly open, conveying from the system, by what is called insensible per spiration, this internal heat, which, having answered its purpose, passes off like the jets of steam which are thrown from the escape pipes, in puff's, of any ordinary steam engine; but this insen sible perspiration carries with it, in a dissolved form, very much of the waste matter of the system, to the extent of a pound or two, or more, every twenty our hours.