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THE STANDARD AND HXPRESS
m/ ■ r ' •
A. lI.IRMTMiK 1 . ..
VV. A. MAKSCHALK,) Edi,or * a “ d
TIIJB NIGHT HAVE BKUK.
Whom first we love, you know, we seldom wed ;
Time rule) us all; and life, indeed, is not
The thing we planned it out ere hope was dead;
And then—we women cannot choose our lot.
Much nms "be borne which it is hard to bear;
Much given away which it were sweet to keep.
God help us all! who need, indeed, His care;
And yet, I know the shepherd loves his sheep.
My little boy begins to babble now
Upon my knee his earliest infant prayer.
He has his father’s eager eyes, I know,
And, they say, too his mother’s sunny hair.
B it when h‘ sleeps and smiles upon my knee,
And I can feel his light breath come and go,
I think of one (heaven help aud pity me!)
Who loved me, and whom I loved, long ago
Who might have been—ah, what, I dare not think!
We are all changed ; God judges for us best.
God help us do our duty end not shrink, ♦
And trust in heaven humbly for the rest.
Bu* blame us women not, if some appear
Too cold at times, aud some too gay and light.
Some griefs gnaw deep; some woes are hard to
bear;
Who knows the past, and who can judge us
right ?
Ah! were vro judged by what we might have been,
And not by what we are—too apt to fall!
My little child—he sleeps and smiles between
These thoughts and me. In heaven we shall
know all.
JOE RATTER’S LIFE INSURANCE.
BY H. A. BERTON.
Good ? He was the model boy of
Bnngfield. While his idle school-mates
were flying kites aud playing marbles,
the prudent, Joseph was trading Sun
day-school tickets for strawberries and
eggs, which he converted into currency
of the republic. As he grew up, and
his old school-mates purchased cravats
and hair oil at Squire Tackey’s store, it
was the industrious Joseph who stood
behind the counter and took their
money. When the same boys stood on
the street corners and cast sheep’s eves
at tho girls, the business like Joseph
stood in the store door and contemplated
these same boys with eyes such as a
hungry cat casts upon a brood of young
birds whom he expects to eat when they
grow older. Joe never wasted any time
at parties ; he never wore fine clothing ;
he never drank nor smoked : in short,
Joe was so industrious that by the time
he reached his majority he had a thou
sand dollars in the bank and not a soli
tary virtue in his heart.
For Joe’s money good Squire Tackey
had an earnest longing, and soon had it
to his own account; while the sign over
the store door read “Tackey & Gatter.
Then the Squire wanted Joe’s soul too,
and so earnest was he that Joe soon
found it necessary to remonstrate with
his partner.
“ ’Twon’t do, Squire,” said he; “ re
ligion’s all very well in its place, but
when a man loses the sale of a dozen
e gB B profit seven cents, because his
partner is talking religion with him so
hard that a oustomer gets tired of wait
ing and goes somewhere else, then re
ligion’s out of place.”
“ The human soul’s of more conse
kence than many eggs, Joseph,” argued
the Squire.
“That’s just it,” replied Joe, “money
don’t hit the value of the soul anyway,
and there’s no use trying to mix ’em.
Aud while were talking, don’t yon
think we might be mixing some of the
settlings of tho molasses barrel with the
brown sugar?—’twill make it weigh
much better.
The Squire sighed, but he could not
help admitting that Joe was as good a
partner as a man could want.
In one of Joe’s leisure moments it
struck him that, if he were to die, no
body would lose a of nt by the operation.
The idea was too exasperating, and soon
the local agents of noted insurance
companies ceased to enjoy that tran
quility which is charac l eristic of busi
ness men in that country. Within a
fortnight two of the agents were ar
raigned before their respective churches
for profane brawling, while Joe had
squeezed certain agents into dividing
commissions to the lowest unit of devi
sibih*y, and had several policies in the
safe at the store.
The Squire, his partner, was agent for
the Patagonian Mutual, and endured
his full share of the general agony Joe
bad caused. But when he had handed
Joe a policy and receipt, anu taken the
money and counted it twice, and seen to
it carefully that all the bills were good,
the good Squire took his revenge.
“ Joseph,” said he, “you ain’t through
with insurance yet; you need to insure
' o,ir B °u! against risk in the next world,
and there’s only one agent that does it.”
The junior partner stretched himself
on the counter and groaned. He knew
the Squire was right. He had heard
iiiat same story from every minister he
iad ever heard. Joe was so agitated
that he charged at twelve and a half
cents some calico he had sold at fifteen.
Only one Agent! But the shrewd
-Joseph rejoiced to think that those who
represented the Joseph Great Agent dif
• ered grealv in the conditions of the
insurance, and that some made more
favorable terms than others, and that if
he could get the ministers thoroughly
interested in him, he would have a good
opportunity for comparing rate®. The
good men all wanted Joe. for he was a
rismg young man, and could, if the
spirit moved him, make handsome sub
scriptions to good purposes. So in their
-?oal they soon regarded each other with
zealous eyes ~nd reduced their respect
-IVe cr eeds to gossamer thinness. They
• greed about grace being free, and Joe
accepted that promptly, as he did any
' ung which could be had without price.
- b foe was a practical man, and
though he found fault with none of the
octrines talked at him, he yet hesitated
' 0 attach himself to any particular oon
gregation. He finally ascertained that
| e ~ sv - Barzillai Driftwood’s church
ua * debt, and that its contributions
to missions and other religions purposes
Were very small, so Joe allowed himself
lube gathered into the fine assortment
°f crooked sticks which the Rev, Bar
zillai Driftwood was reserving unto the
day of burning.
Great was the lejoining of the congre
gation at Joe’s saving act, and sincere
was the sorrow of the other churches,
who knew their own creeds were less
shaky. Bat in the saloon and on the
street Joe’s religious act was discussed
exclusively on its merits, and the results
were such as only special spiritual labor
would remove. For no special change
was noticeable in Joe. On Sunday he
abjured the world, but on Monday be
made things uncomfortable for the
Widow Macnilty, whose husband had
died in the debt of Tackey & Gatter. A
customer bought some gingham, on
Joe’s assurance that the colors were
fast, but the first wash-day failed to
con firm Joe’s statement. The proprietor
of the stage line between Bungfleld and
Cleopas Valley traded horses with Joe,
and was afterwards heard mentioning
his new property in language far more
scriptural than proper.
Still, Joe was a church member, and
that was a patent of respectability. And
as he gained years and building lots,
and horses, and commenced discounting
notes, his respectability grew and waxed
great in the minds of the practical peo
ple of Bangfield. Even good women,
real mothers in Israel, could not help
thinking, as they sorrowed over the
sands in the bottoms of their coffee
cups, and grew wrathful at “ runney”
flour bought for “A 1 Superfine” of
Tackey & Gatter, that Joe would make
a valuable husband. So thought some
of the young ladies of Bnngfield, and
as young ladies who can endure the idea
ot such a man for a perpetual partner
can also signify their opinions, Joe be
gan to comprehend that he was in active
demand. He regarded the matter as
he would a sudden demand for any
commodity of trade, and, by skillfully
manipulating the market, he was soon i
enabled to choose from a full supply. J
Thenceforward Joe was as happy as a
man of his nature could be. All his in
vestments were paying well; the store
was prosperous, he was successful in
all his trading enterprises, he had pur
chased, at fearful shaves, scores of per
fectly good notes, he realized on loans
which would cause a usury law to
shrivel and crack, his insurance policies
brought him fair dividends, and his
wife kept house with economy and
thrift. But the church—the church
seemed an unmitigated drag. Joe at
tended all the chnrch meetings—deter
mined to get the worth of the money he
was compelled to contribute to the cur
rent expenses—he had himself appointed
treasurer, so he could get the use of the
church money, but the interest even at
the rate Joe generally obtained, did
not balance the amount of his contribu
tion.
Joe worried over the matter until he
became very peevish, yet he came no
nearer a business-like adjustment of
receipts and expenditures. One day
when his venerable partner presented
him a certificate of dividend from the
Patagonian Mutual, Joe remarked :
“ Never got any dividends on that
other insurance yon put me up to taking,
partner—that ’gainst fire-risks in the
next world, you know. ’Twill be tough
if there’s any mistake—church does
take a sight of money. ”
“Joseph,” said the Sqnire, in a sor
rowful tone, “I’ve always been afeard
they did’nt look enough into your evi
dences when they took yon into that
church. How can a man expect to es
cape on the day of wrath if he’s all the
time grumbling at the cost of his salva
tion ? Mistake ? If you don’t know in
your heart the truth of what you pro
fess, there’s mighty little hope for you,
church or no church.”
“Know in my heart!” cried Joe.
“That’s a rretty kind of security. Is
that what I have be£n paying church
dues for ? Better have known it in my
heart in the first place, and saved the
money. What’s the use of believing all
these knotty points, if they don’t make
a sure thing for a man ?”
“If your belief don’t make you any
better or happier, Joseph,” rejoined the
Squire, “ you’d better look again and
see if you’ve got a good hold of it;
those that’s got a clear title don’t find
their investment as slow in making re
turns, while those that find fault are
generally the one’s that make a mistake.”
Poor Joe ! He thought he had set
tled this whole matter ; but now, if his
partner was right, he was worse off than
if he hadn’t begun. He believed in
justification by faith ; now, wasn’t his
faith strong—first class, he might say ?
To be sure of being safe, hadn’t he be
lieved everything that all the ministers
had insisted upon as essential ? And
what was faith, if it wasn’t believißg ?
He would ask his partner ; the old man
had got him into this scrape—now he
must see him through.
“Squire,” said he, isn’t faith the
same thing as believing ?”
“ Well, said the Squire, adjusting his
glasses, and taking from his desk the
little Testament upon which he admin
istered oaths “ that depends on how yon
believe. Here’s a verse on the subject :
• Thou believesfc iu God ; thou dost
well; the devils also believe and trem
ble.’”
Ugh ! Joe shivered. He wasn’t an
aristocrat, but would any one fancy such
companionship as the Squire referred
to?
“ Here,” said the Squire, turniog the
leaves “is another passage bearing on
the subject: *O, generation of vipers,
who hath warned you to flee from the
wrath to come ? Bring fortfi, therefore
fruits meet for repentance.’”
Vipers ! Joe uncomfortably wondered
who else the Squire was going to intro
duce into the brotherhood of faith.
“ Now, see what it says in another
plaoe,’’continued the'Squire: ‘Notevery
one that saith unto me Dord, Lord,
shall enter into the kingdom of- heaven,
but he that doeth the will of thy Father
which is in heaven.’”
“ Yes,” said Joe, grateful for hearing
of no more horrible believers, “but
what is his will bat believing on him ?
Don’t the Bible say that they that be
lieve shall be saved ?”
“Joseph,” said the Squire, “when
yon believed in my store, you put in
yo ;r time and money there. When yon
believed in hoss tradin’ you devoted
yourself to practising it. When you
believed life insurance was a good thing,
you took out policies and paid for them,
though you have complained of the
Patagonian dividends. Now, if yon do
believe in God, what have yon done to
prove it?”
“I’ve paid over a hundred dollars a
year chnrch dues.” said Joe, wrathful
ly “not ooanting subscriptions to a
be.l and anew organ.”
“ That wasn’t for God, Joseph,” said
the Squire; “'twas all for you. God
never’ll thank you for running an
asylum for paupers fit to work. You’ll
find in the twenty-fifth chapter of
Matthew a description of those that’s
going into the kingdom of heaven—
they’re the people that give food and
clothing to ihe needy, and visit the sick
and prisoners ; those that don’t do these
things don’t go in, to put it mildly.
He don’t say a word about belief there,
Joseph; for He knows that giving away
property don’t happen till a man’s be
lief is pretty strong.”
Joe felt troubled. Conld it really be
that his eternal insurance was going to
cost more money? Joe thought envi
ously of Colonel Pang, prisident of
the Bungfield railroad company—the
Colonel didn’t believe in anything ; so
he saved all his money, and Joe wished
he had some of the Colonol’s courage.
Joe’s meditations were interrupted by
the entrance of Sam Ottrey, a poor fel
low who owed Joe some money. Joe
had lent Sam a hundred dollars, dis
counted ten per cent, for ninety days,
ana secured by chattle mortgage on
Sam’s horse and wagon. But Sam bad
been sick during most of the ninety
days, and when he went to Joe to beg a
few days of grace, that exemplary bus
iness man insisted upon immediate pay
ment.
It was easy to see by Sam’s hopeless
eye and strained features that he had
not come to pay—he was staring ruin in
the face, and felt as uncomfortable as if
the amount were millions instead of a
horse and wagon, his only means of
support. As for Joe, he had got that
hundred dollars and horse and wagon
mixed up in the oddest way with what
he and bis partner had been talking
about. It was utterly unbusiness-like
—he knew it—he tried to make business
business, and religion religion, but he
could not succeed. Joe thought
briskly; ho determined to try an ex
periment.
“ Sam, said he, “ got the money? ”
“No,” Sam replied ; luck’s agin me—
I’ve got to stand it, I suppose.
“Sam, ’said Joe, “I’ll give you all
the time you need at legal interest.”
Sam was not such a young man as
sentimental people would select to try
good deeds upon. But he was human,
and loved his wife and children, and
the sudden relief he felt caused him to
look at Joe in a manner which made
Joe find a couple of entire strangers in
his own eyes. He hurried into the
little offioe, and when his partner looked
up inquiringly, Joe replied :
“ I’ve got a dividend, Squire—one of
those we were talking about.”
“ How’s that ?” asked the old man,
while Joe commenced writing rapidly.
“ I’ll show you,” said Joe, handing
the Squire the paper on which he had
just put in writing his promisa to Sam.
“Joseph,” said the Squire, after
reaing the paper several times, to as
sure himself that his eyes did not de
ceive him, “ it beats the widow’s mite ;
she gave the Lord all she had, but you
have given Him more than you ever
had in all your life until to-day.
Joe handed Sam the paper, and it was
to the teamster the strongest evidence
of Christianity he had ever seen in
Bungfield. He had known of some hard
cases turning from the saloon and join
ing the church, but none of these things
were so wonderful as this action of Joe
Gatter’s. Sam told the story, in strict
confidence, to each of his friends, and
the good seed was thus sewn in soil that
it had never reached before.
It would be pleasant to relate that
Joe forthwith quit saving notes and sell
ing antiquated grease for butter, end
that he devoted the rest of his days and
money to good deeds, but it wouldn’t
be true. Those of our readere who
have always consistently acted accord
ing to their own light and knowledge
are, of course, entitled to throw stones
at Joe Gatter ; but most of us know to
our sorrow why he didn’t always act
according to good promptings he re
ceived. Our only remaining duty is to
say that wheD, thereafter, Joe’s divi
dends came seldom, he knew who was
to blame.
A district conrt in Texas has made
a decision worthy of the sharpest days
of special pleading. Tne respondents
were indicted for stealing onions. This
fragrant fruit was converted while grow
ing in a gardeD, and had not been de
tached from the soil previous to the
takiDg. It was held by the ccurt that
while growing the onions were a part of
the realty and not an object of larceny,
while as soon as they were detached
they were in the possession of the re
spondents, never having been in the
possession of the complainant after be
coming personal property. Hence, the
respondents were simply guilty of tres
pass on real propertv. Jess so, judge !
A Scientist has begun taking a cen
sus of the fools of the United States.
He stays iu a city until a fire breaks out
in the daytime, and then he puts down
the number of people he sees running
tit.
CARTERSVILLE, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY IS. 1575.
AN EXTRAORDINARY DUEL.
Its Cause tine Hauglug ot a Man as , a
.‘Py Ourliig the W ar-One ot the Prln*
cipals Attempts to Commit Suicide.
From the San Francisco Chronicle.
A duel, in which were shed a few
ounces of chivalrous blood, was fought
according to the code of honor on the
beach near the Ocean House yesterday
morniDg. The principals were Paul
Zecehi, of Oakland, a high-toned south
ern gentleman, formerly hailing from
Georgia, and a persor by the name of
Ives, a northern man temporarily so
journing in San Francisco, and who has
been stigmatized a “Georgia carpet
bagger” by the southern shivaliy
among his acquaintances here. The
two gentlemen met in this city about
three weeks ago, and their meetings
have been anything but pleasant,
finally culminating in the encounter at
arms yesterday.
The incident which led to the duel
grew out of the war of the rebellion.
Zecchi was a commissioned officer in
the confederate service, and Ives had a
brother serving in the ranks in the
Union army under Sherman. This
brother had volunteered to do duty as
a federal spy, and while thus engaged
was captured by the confederates. He
was tried by a drum-head court martial,
sentenced to death, and ignominiously
hanged on the morning after his arrest.
Zecchi was the officer who captured
him, and he also played a prominent
part in the execution of the youthful
spy. The surviving brother remem
bered Zeechi’s name with detestation
and hatred, and upon accidentally
meeting him in a ball-room in this city,
accused him of the murder of his
younger brother. He called him an
assassin, murderer, and by other oppro
brious epithets. Zecchi retaliated by
calling him an infamons carpet-bagger.
Friends interfered and prevented them
fiom coming to blows.
THE CHALLENGE.
They met again at an Oakland ferry
boat a few days ago, when abusive ep
ithets were once more freely exchanged.
Ives finally flourished a pistol, but he
was seized by his friends and the
weapon taken from him. Ives deter
mined that he would have the satisfac
tion which one gentleman demands
from another. So he penned a chal
lenge to mortal combat and sent the
same by the hand of a friend to Zecchi.
The challenge was at once accepted,
Colt’s navy revolvers fixed upon as the
weapons, and a secluded part of the
beach rear the Ocean House determined
upon as the place of the meeting, which
wa.o aj./£nnmea iui t u ciutiv yeaterfinv
morning.
The principals, attended by their sec
onds, were promptly on hand at the
hour and place designated. They were
driven to the locality in dose carriages,
and the preliminaries were promptly
arranged upon the ground. Col. Jno.
Breckenridge officiated as Zeccki’s seo
ond and a gentleman named Williams
acted in the same capacity for Ives.
Ten pacee were measured off, the weap
ons examined and leaded, and Zecch
and Ives took their respective positions.
A third gentleman in the party was to
give the command to fire, and he accord
ingly stationed himse f where both Ives
and Zecchi oould see and hear him.
THE DUEL.
Both principals are slender-built,
small-sized men, and appeared cool and
collected. Not a tremor could be seen
in either. After they had stood a few
seconds, waiting for th; word, the gen
tleman before mentioned said :
“ Are you ready, gentlemen ?”
“We are,” firmly replied Ives and
Zecchi together, both speaking in clear,
firm tones.
“One.”
Both men raised their arms to aim.
“Two.”
The outstretched arms of the two men
were as steady as a rock, and the weap
ons were directly aimed at each other’s
breasts.
“Three.”
The seconds lielfl their breath.
“Fire.”
A little puff of white smoke curled
upward from Ives’ revolver as the re
port of his shot was heard. Zecchi had
received the bullet in the fleshy part of
his left arm immediately below the
shoulder. But he gave no sign that he
was hurt. Ives dropped his arm after
firing. Zecchi slowly raised his revol
ver while i?s muzzle pointed upward,
when he discharged its contents into
the air. To the surprise of those pres
ent Zecchi demanded a second fire.
The revolvers were agaiu reloaded, but
Ives declined to tire again, and Zecehi’s
second labored to disenade his principal
from proceeding any further, entreating
him to retire from the field so that his
wound could be dressed.
THE WOUNDED MAN ATTEMPTS SUICIDE.
Zecchi stubbornly insisted upon an
other shot, and finding himself unac
commodated, to the horror ef all pres
ent, placed the muzzle of his revolver
against his own breast over the region
of the heart and pulled the trigger.
The cap fortunately missed fire, aud
just as he had recocked his weapon his
second disarmed him and prevented him
from committing suicide. The two
parties thereupon returned to their car
riages and were driven back to town.
Dr. D. E. Richard, of 512 Sixth street,
also a southern gentleman, who was to
have joined the party as Zecchi’s i ur
geon, but who did not reach the ground
in time, subsequently dressed the
wound, which proved to be a very
slight one, though the ballet was firmly
imbedded in the soft part of the flesh.
Zecchi was afterward driven to bia
lodgings in Oakland. The duel excited
much comment yesterday iu those cir
cles in the city frequented by southern
gentlemen.
ZECCHI’s STRANGE CONDUCT
in firing into the air the first time, and
subsequently demanding a second shot
—failing in which, he attempted to
shoot himself—shows that he really de
sired to die yesterday. He has been
very dejected for a long time past, and
had, it is believed, grown weary of life,
The opportunity which the duel afforded
him of escaping “the ills which flesh is
heir to” by dying by the hands of an
other, he gladly and readily sought.
Zecchi oomes from one of the proudest
families in Georgia. He lost all his
property in the war, and since its close
he has been a penniless wanderer all
over the world.
llousebolil Uiut.
Hoarseness. —Whoever will try alum
and honey—a small portion of each
will never suffer from hoarseness.
Smell of Painx. —To get rid of the
smeli of oil paint, plunge a handful of
hay into a pail full of water, and let it
in the room newly painted.
Ham Toast.— Chop some lean ham
fine, put it in a pan, with a little pepper,
a lump of butter, and two eggs beaten ;
when well warmed spread on hot but
tered toast, and serve.
Castor Oil for Corns.— The South
ern Medical Reoord says that castor oil
applied to theoorn, after paring closely,
each night before goiDg to bed, softens
the corn, and it becomes as the other
flesh.
For a sovereign remedy against
bleeding take linen, or other rags, and
burn them to charcoal. Put the char
coal in the wound and no more bleeding
will come, For bleeding at the cavity
of an extracted tooth, pack the alveolus
fully and firmly with cotton moistened
with alum-water.
Too Much Camphor.— The Scientific
American cautions people against the
too frequent use of camphor as a medi
cine. It says the nature of oamphor is
that of a nervous stimulant, similar to
opium or alcohol, and when taken in
large doses causes irritation of the nerv
ous system, and produces convulsions,
often fatal in their effects.
Asa moth preventive, mix half a pint
of alcehol, the same quantity of spirits
of turpentine and two ounces of cam
phor. Keep in a stone bottle and Bhake
before using. The clothes or furs are
to be wrapped in linen, and crumbled
up-pieces of blotting-paper dipped in
the liquid are to be placed in the box
with them, so that it smells strongly.
This requires renewing once a year.
To Make Hair Curl.— The method
employed by professional workers in
curled hair is as follows : Wet the hair
to be curled, wrap it smoothly around a
tie it in place, and then put it in irate,
and boil It two or three hours, remove
it from the boiler, wrap it carefully in
newspapers, and bake it in a moderate
oven for an hour. Thus treated, it will
stay in curl permanently.
Cabinet Day in Washington.
Save the Boston Post correspondent:
Wednesday is Cabinet day in Washing
ton, and there is a terrible flutter among
the ladies on those days, says the gos
sips. As Mrs. Fish is supposed to be
the most elegant in manners, her hand
some residence is filled during calling
hours by the foreign and best home ele
ement. Mrs. Fish is a great favorite
with foreigners. They consider her
manners the most finished and courtly
of any official lady in America, and they
pay great court to Miss Edith, the fair,
slender, qnie'-eyed daughter, who will
in time mature into a likeness of her
mother. At these reoeptions a carpet
stretches from the carriage stone to the
hall door, over which the dainty feet
aud apparel of fashion’s favorite child
ren pass. At the entrance liveried ser
vants open the hall door, take the cards
on silver salvers and announce all en
trances to the hostess, who stands just
inside the drawing room ready to wel
come her guests. You say “good
morning,” make some trivial remark
and “pass on” to the ladies assisting,
thus giving those following an oppor
tunity to repeat the same polite noth
ings. If these arduous attempts at
conversation prove too much for one’s
fortitude and strength, coffee and choc
olate, with a little bouillon , or roast
fowl, solved in the further room, may
revive one sufficiently to enable proper
adieux to be made. Apropos, a fem
inine correspondent says: “A Mrs.
Noble, of New York, is making us pine
and die from sheer envy of her toilets,
they aro so magnificent. I use tlie
word advisedly, well knowing its oft
repeated use has nearly worn off its
significance, but imagine me emphasiz
ing magnificeut as oniv a woman can,
and maybe yon will take in what I
mean; you will if you are a woman,
but will not if a man, for men are so
very stupid.”
Hose wood.
It has puzzled many people to decile
why the dark wood so highly valued
for furniture should be called rosewood.
Its color certainly does not look like a
rose, so we must look for some other
reason. Upon asking, we are told that
when the tree is first out the fresh wood
possesses a very strong, rose-like fra
grance ; hence the name. There are
half a dozen or more kinds of rosewood
trees. The varieties are found in
Sonth America and the East Indies and
neighboring islands. Sometimes the
trees grow so large that planks four
feet broad and ten in length can be cut
from one of them. These broad planks
are principally used to make the tops
pianofortes. When growing in the
forest, the rosewood tree is remarkable
for its beauty; but such is its value in
manufactures as an ornamental wood,
that some of the forests where it once
grew abundantly now have scarcely a
single specimen. In Madras the gov
ernment has prudently had great plan
tations of the tree set out, in order to
keep up the supply,
“NAP.”
“ Lie down, lie down, sir.”
“ Oh, never mind him, Frank; he
won’t hnrt you ; go right in.”
“Oh, yes,” said I, “it’s all well
enough for you to say ‘never mind
him,’ but, by George, he looks as if he
would bear a good deal of minding.”
“Nonsense,” said Alick, laughing;
“ I tell you the dog will not touch you;
but if you will not believe me. wait a
moment and I will go with you.”
I certainly was afraid to go into the
room alone, and I think you, my reader,
would have thought discretion the bet
ter part had you been in my place.
Alick was talking with his agent as
I came to tho hall door, and I had
walked toward his library to await his
pleasure ; but when I opened the door
a large black dog that hai evidently
been lying on the floor, started to his
feet with a growl, and exhibited a row
of teeth that would have made a good
stock in trade for a first-class dentist.
He was a villainous-looking brnte, and
I declined trusting my self to his mercy,
as I told above.
Alick finished his business ; then took
me by the arm and led me into the
room ; the dog slowly dropped on his
hauncließ when he saw his master, and
paid no more attention to him until I
had finished the business I had in hand.
“ What in the world do you want of
such a vioious dog ?” I inquired, as I lit
my cigar my friend gave me.
“I don’t think much of your judg
ment if yon call him a vicious-looking
dog,” was the answer.
“ What breed is he ?”
“ He is a cross of several breeds.”
“Yes, I should think from the way he
showed his teeth that he was all cross.”
“ Come, come, you must not run down
my ‘Nap.’ He has been too good a
friend for me to listen to anything but
praise for him.”
“ What did he ever do that was par
ticularly friendly ?” I inquired.
“ Nap? I’ll tell you what he did ; he
saved me $50,000 during the war times.”
I was about to give an unbelieving
chuckle, but a glance of Alick’s face
told me he was in earnest, so I begged
for the story.
“It was about the middle of the
war,” said Alick, “ when I was treasurer
of the Gratton drilling company. Oar
office was unsafe as a pine box would
have been, and I disliked to leave a
dollar in it. There were several bur
glaries about the place, all of which
were skillfully planned and executed.
“One night our office was visited, the
sate pried open with wedges and the
found but a few hundred dollars, but
the worst feature of it was that they
hit upon a night when there ought to
have been a large amount of money
there. We had received a large cash
payment the day before, but instead of
trusting it to our old safe I had taken
it home with me.
“We wondered if tha burglars had
any knowledge of this payment. If
they had, then they mu6t have extraor
dinary means of gaining intelligence,
and would know whenever we received
any large amounts again, and would
they not come at once to my house now
that they had seen I did not trust the
safe ? The question was a ve?y per
plexing one, and I had an angry debate
over it with some of our directors. I
was in favor of getting a reliable safe
and employing a night-watchman, but I
was out-voted.
“Old Evans, indeed, 196111 bo far as
to say that lightning never struck twice
in the same place, neither clid burglars
visit old safes the second time. And he
was inclined to think our money would
be safer if left in the office than if car
ried to my residence. And he talked
so many others into his way of thinking
that a resolution was passed declaring
it against their wishes to have any of
the company’s funds kept anywhere
except m the office safe !
“ Of course the effect of this was that
if I carried the money home and lost it,
the loss would fall heavily on me indi
vidually, and not the company.
“I was angry enough to have resigned
my place, but my interest in the con
cern was too large to be trifled with,
though I determined there would be a
change in the board of directors
another year.
“ About a week after this our secre
tary returned from Boston on the
evening train, and brought with him
$50,000, and all in greenbacks, the pro
ceeds of our monthly bills receivable.
He brought the money in bills because
the following day was our pay-day.
“ I was in the most perplexing state
of mind when he handed me the money.
I knew the office safe was no protec
tion whatever, and yet if I carried the
money home I was assuming a great
responsibility. Without saying a word
to any one, I determined not to keep
the money in the office, and carried it
home in that ottoman.
“ You may be assured that I did not
feel very comfortable that evening. I
thought of every nook and corner in
the house, and wondered where would
be the safest. At last I determined
upon dividing it, leaving half here and
the rest in my room. I d.d not men
tion the matter at home, not even to
my wife, but plead a headache when
reminded of my pre-occupied air.
“I came in here and placed twenty
five thousand dollars i that ottoman
at your feet. See ! the top is on hinges
and is fastened by thi* hook on the side.
ottoman was pushed near ‘Nap.'
The balance I carried to my own room
and put it in the stove, thinkiog it to be
the last place where any one would
look for it. I went to bed, hut it was
nearly midnight before I fell asleep.
“I was awakened by a man’s hand
on my mouth, and to be informed that
he did not intend to harm me if I kept
qniet. My bauds were then tied be
hind me, a towel fastened to my mouth
and the mnzzle of a pistol placed
against my head. Another man was
treating m y wife in a similar manner.
They had a dark lantern and wore
masks.
“After seenrirg us, they began to
search the room. First my clothes,
then the bureau drawers, under the bed
everywhere but where the money was.
I began to think I outwitted them,
when o"e said to the other, * How’s that
stove ?’ Another minute and they were
pulling ont the money.
“Im igine my feelings if yon can.
Even if they left with this amount, it
was no small sum to lose. I oould
almost have cried then and there. One
ran over the amount and said to the
other, ‘only half here.’ My heart grew
colder than before. They went to the
easy chair and cut open the stuffed
seats ; they picked up the ottoman, ex
amined it, and went out of the room.
“ I was trying to get np, when one
came back—the other had the money—
he pushed me back into the bed, saying
I had better be qniet. I heard the
other man walk down stairs,and I k ~w
my money was gone. They
knew how much money I had, and from
the way they had ripped open chairs
and cushions in my room, they would
not be long searching for that which
was down stairs.
“ The fellow must have come straight
to this door. I heard him tarn the
latch and then a most unearthly scream!
I knew that * Nap ’ was doing his
duty. In a flash I jumped to the floor,
and in doing so gave a wrench to the
band about the wrists that broke it,
and then, before the man on guaid could
Are, caught his revolver. He made a
stroke at me; I dodged it, caught him
by the_legs and threw him. As he fell
he gave up his hold ou the revolver.
“I cared nothing for him. I wanted
the man who had the money; so I
rushed down stairs only to see him go
ing out at the hall door; I fired but
missed him; fired again, and heard a
sharp cry of pain; I fired once more
and broke his ankle, and down he
dropped. The other man jumped out
of the window and escaped.
“Of course, I secured my man, recov
ered my money, and old Evans had to
admit that he had been wrong, for the
robbers had first gone to the office, and
came to my house when they found the
safe empty. Another revelation that
the morning brought was a confession
from my prisoner that our bookkeeper
was one of their gang, and posted them
not come to work that morning, nor
have we ever seen him since.”
“ And the dog ?” I asked.
“Yes, the dog had all the credit—you
see the thief supposed by the silence
that there was no dog about the prem
ises, and he thought he was done for
when he opened the door and Nap
sprang at him.”
“But,” I said, “he was frightened
rather easily ; these fellows do not usu
ally care much for a dog.”
“I guess he never saw quite such a
dog as Nap was that night,” said Alick,
laughing. “I had rubbed his eyes and
month with phosphorus, and put on
the strong spring. I don’t blame the
fellow for imagining the evil one was
-before him.”
“ Phosphorus and strong spring ! ’
What are you talking about ?”
His eyes are glass, you know.”
‘‘ G! ass! Have you been drinking, or
have I?”
“ Why, old fellow, don’t you see that
Nap is a fraud ?”
I jumped to the dog, and sure enough
had been badly sold—the dog was India
rubber! Alick laughed long and loud
at my sheepish face.
“Oh, the ftory is as true as preach
ing. I bought ‘ Nap’ when I was in
Paris ; I have springs fixed on the floor
and on the door, so when the door is
open the dog stands up, and when he is
np there is an arrangement in his throat
that makes the growl you heard. By
pirtting on that upper lever he is made
to jump as high as a man’s head, and
that jump was what frightened the
burglar.”
I sympathized with that burglar, and
I hope he did not lose caste among his
professional brethren for certainly the
dog was a most unmitigated swindle.
A Darwinian Conundrum.
An Irish correspondent writes to Na
ture combating the Darwinian theory
that this bright coloring of many ani
mals is accounted for by sexual selec
tion, and concludes his letter as fol
lows : “If the love of beauty is an
animal instinct, then Darwinian prin
ciples would require that the struggles
of the males for thu possession of the
most beautiful females should develop
beauty in the females by natural selec
tion. But we see that the contrary is
what takes place—beauty is developed
in the male, the fighting sex. Were a
Darwin among birds to watch the wajs
of the human race, he would probably
feel certain that the love of dres and
ornament among woman is altogether
due to a desire to become attractive to
men, and he would think thoßO natu
ralists unsatisfactory, and perhaps mys
tical, who guessed the truth, that the
love of ornament is a natural and
healthy human instinct, not confined to
either sex or to any age, but stronger
in youth tban in age. and stronger in
woman than in man.”
The cock of a hotd iu Glencoe, Min
nesota, on opening the door of the large
kitchtn oven one morning, found the
favorite cat of tbe establishment re
duced to a beautiful browu roast. The
local editor who makes,tins statement
thinks it needless to ray what became of
the eat, but the boarders hava demanded
an explanation.
VOL. 16--NO. 8.
SAVINGS AND DOINGS.
Mrs. Peter Wat err, of Chicago, re
(ntly gave birth to four daughters.
Only three guests were bid, and thirteen crowd
the hall;
P jur water in the soap, and bid them welcome
all.
Were a man but to think of it, the
responsibility of not acting is some
times infinitely greater than that of the
most rash act.
The total number of locomotive steam
engines in the world is said to be 45,-
6(17, of which 14,213, or nearly one
tldrd, are in the United States.
A woman of pure taste never fills her
fi agers with rings. She is content for
the world to know that she has the
means for such vulgar display, but not
the taste.
A circuit preacher in Missouri prayed
ft r rain one night at a farmer’s house,
and the farmer, who had a horse race
ai ranged for next day, was so mad that
ho turned the good man out of doors.
The only vacant seat in tb: San Fran
cisco stock board has been sold for §30,-
(KO. This i.’ the highest price ever paid
for a seat, and is §20,000 higher than
the price about a year ago.
Mrs. Wm. B. Astor, whose husband
pays §350,000 in taxes, owns a million
dollars worth of diamonds. She wears
rosettes of diamonds on her slippers at
parties.
Laying the corner-stone for a wing to
his manor was the only foundation for
the new “story” that Disraeli was
about to take a wife, and as he has since
begun a second wing it is presumed
that he purposes bigamy.
The new building of the Western
Union telegraph company in New York
is ,’ust completed at a cost of §1,000,000.
It :s 150 by 75 feet in dimensions, and
is perfectly fire-proof. The main cor
nice is 226 feet from the level of the
sidewalk. The batteries weigh 100
tons, and the consumption of zinc is
55, )00 pounds per annum.
Visitors to Pennsylvania graveyards
can get all the information they want.
Here is a quotation from a Pennsylva
nia tombstone: “John L., Wilson’s
wife, took sick on the 15 November with
a chill her sickness had been dropsy
and lung fever or the consumption Died
June 4 1872 her age is 71 year 9 mos &
4 cays her youngest brother had to
HANDLE her for 7 mos & 24 days and
nights.”
The ability to procure luxuries often
wh ts the appetite for them, until per
sons who are brought Dp in most ex
[ttflW. niyphejfcy and frugality become
costly pleasures. Amongst all classes
of society we see extravagance keeping
pace with posterity, and, indeed, out
stepping it; realizing Archbishop
Wl ateley’s paradox, that, “ The larger
the income, the harder it is to live with
in it.”
A New Jersey editor wrote a long ar
ticle entitled, “ Why are Women Deli
cat a?” and marked it “ No. 1.” Then
he went home and threw his overcoat
over the lounge, in the inside pocket
of which, after a brief exploration, his
wife found a letter which concluded in
these words : “ Don’t let your skinny
old wife see this. Ever your Maggie.”
Then she seized the poker and chased
her talented husband eleven times
aronnd the house before she knocked
him down the area steps. It is thought
that No. 2of “ Why are Women Deli
cate ?” will never be written.
Vain attempts are being made in de
fiance of the teachings of the past, the
lav s of animal life, and the admonitions
of present and painful experience, to
the mental and moral work as though
the body were “spiritual” and not ma
terial. The time necessary to sleep is
grudgingly given; ingenious experi
ments on the possibility of working
both night and day are tried ; food is
hurried down the alimentary canal as
though the stomach had committed a
capital crime and deserved to be stoned
to death; exercise is neglected or hur
riedly performed, aa if the body could
retain its strength without it; confined
and impure air is habitually breathed,
as if there could be good thinking and
healthy feeling without good blood. —
Bvckley.
Jewels From the Orieiit.
Tli 5 Hgyptlnn ltuier’a Koyal Gilt lo Gen.
Sliet man's Daughter.
The wedding gift from the khedive of
Egypt to the daughter of Gen. Sliermau
has reached Now York.
The preseut is a parure of diamonds,
necklace and ear-drops, said to be tho
most magnificent and valuable in this
country. The necklace is composed of
four strands of diamonds, each of which
is e brilliant. Not ODe of them is worth
less than SI,OOO. The chain is 'studded
with the gems, and they are set so closely
together as to hide the gold. There arc
so many of them that the deputy col
lector of customs tired in the count. Ho
cor nted three hundred and fifty, which
is only about half of the whole number.
The strands are joined by ten immense
Btones, each of which is encircled by
smaller gems. The one in front is the
size of a hickory nut, and is worth $20,-
000. Pendant from the front a fes
toon of brillianls with five big pear
shaped stones of finest water lustre
haiging from it. Tho ornaments for
the ear are single ptones equally as
large as the rest. Tho entire set is ap
praised at from $260,000 to $300,000.
T re case for tho jewels is plain moroo
ce, without inscription. As soon as the
secretary of tbe treasury orders a free
permit for them, under the Bpecial act
of congress, they are to be delivered to
the Turkish minister, and by him pre
sented to the fair bride on behalf of the
Egyptian potentate, recognition of
valuable advice giver by GenTstiei mau,
when in Egypt, as t> the reorganization
of t he khedive’s army.