Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

VOLUME vl j HE WATER THAT’S PAST. r oF laWBENCE BARRETTS RONG6 IN “THE MILL OF AIRLIE.” Listen to the water mill Through the live-long day, How the clanking of the wheels Wears the hours away. Languidly the autumn wind Stirs the greenwood leaves, From the fields the reapers sing, Binding up the sheaves. And a proverb haunts my mind, Ah a spell is cast, “ The mill will never grind With the water that has passed.” Take the lesson to thyself, Loving hesrt and true, -Golden years are fleeting by, Youth is passing too. Learn to make the most of life, Lose no happy day, Time will never bring thee back Chances swept away. Leave no tender word unsaid, Love while life shall last— “ The mill will never grind With the water that has passed.” Work while yet the daylight shines, Man of strength and will. Never does the streamlet glido Useless by the mill. Wait not tiil to-morrow's sun Beams upon the way, All that thou caust call thy own Lies in thy to-day. Power, intellect and health May not, cannot, last— " The mill will never grind With the water that has passed. ” Oh, the wasted hours of life, That have drifted by, Oh, the good we might have done, Lost without a sigh. Love that we might once have saved By a single word, Thoughts conceived but uever penned, Perishing unheard. Take the proverb to thine heart, Take, oh, hold it fast, “The mill will uever grind With the water that has passed.” MISCELLANY. OUlt LOVE LETTERS. BY B. H. I was betrothed in infancy to Miss Gertrude Duval. There I pause Ihe statement sounds romantic.— may doubt the facts, but who can tell to what length a romantic wo man may go ? 'lliere were three romantic women in our family ; my mother, Gertrude a n<l a maiden aunt, who had property u hicli she wished to* bestow upon us “jintly,’’ ala Captain Cuttle. , Circumstances separated Gertrude and I before wo were old enough to ta'k. rh,, y drove me and my small affi aneed, then att red in dresses three hints her own length, to Kingston. I believe I have a dim remembrance 01 her as she appeared while sucking ai > orange; hut when my mother would say : “Dh, Effingham, don't you remember J 'Ur sweet little wifey V —another ro n|antic blight in the shape of the name J ‘ hdinghain had been bestowed up-* on me—l auswered : ‘No' as a matter principle. this, 1 would generally add: i hate her ! All girls are hateful, she is the hatefulest/ There is an age at which all boys niake this declaration with perfect case. In after years, had they not lost that for from fascinating frankness peculiar youths of fourteen, the same boys w °nM not unfrequently change their So,l g and declare tbat they loved all k’irls. At 18 I confessed to myself that ifos was the case. The thought that a young beauty "as Saving herself up for me," really touched my soul; and when one day, there arrived by mail, a small box con** taiuiug a photograph of a fair-haired young lady with dark eyes and dim ples in both cheeks, which my mother presented to me as the likeness of Miss Gertrude Duval, my affianced wife. I fell iu love with it at once, as I should have falleu in love with any other pas fcibly pretty portrait of a lady. Aou are now eighteen, Effingham,' aa id my mother, ‘Gertrude is seven t' en. You will be of age in three years, luoue more 1 intend to send you away 4,11 a visit; but before you meet, I fwjl /Eastman tpratei. trust you will gain some knowledge of eucn other by correspondence. Of course a betrothal in infancy is no lon ger bind : ng. You need not gratify the hopes of your parents unless you choose to do/ —here my mother sighed —‘but lam sure you wiii at least, cul tivate the young lady’s as I have sag*, gested. It is your place to write first.’ All I said was ; *Yes ma’am/ But that night T went early to rav own room # took half a quire ot note paper under my hand and began : “Dear Madam./’—that was too for mal. ‘‘Respectfully Miss—” how ridicu lous. “My Darling Gertrude—" she‘d be insulted. How would it do to commence with out any formal beginning? But if so, what should Isay ? I sat with ray head between my hands and my elbows on the tabic, when a knock sounded on the door. I knew by the sharp sound that it was Ohed Drake who applied for ad* mission. Obed was a young man some ten years my senior, who had been left at an eaily age upon the hands of the world in by the disappearance ol his father and the death of his moth er, who had had recourse to the gin battle to comfort her in her affliction. Handed about from neighbor to neighbor, lie had finally taken root in onr house, where, discovering that, having split wood, draw water, milk the cows and run errands all day, he sat up all night to study geography and battle single-handed with geometrical problems, my father’s scholarly heart was drawn toward him and lie became a sort of adopted son. Despite his unpromising antecedents he was a wonderfully worthy young man, and now' a hard-Working and ris ing lawyer. Many scrape had he helped me out of. Now,as 1 heard the knock upon the door, one that knuckles less bony could never have made I called ‘Come in’ in tones of relief. Obed Drake could assuredly advise me as to a “beginning" of my let ter. ‘Come in/ said I, and as the door opened a long, thin form advanced and hall retreated. ‘Oh, if you are writing I'll not dis turb you,’ said the voice belonging to this apparition. ‘No, no,’ said I, ‘not at ail. Come in ; I want you. Obed, I'm in a dil emma. Sit down.’ Obed sat down and I confided the facts of the case to him. ‘You see,' I said in conclusion, I am obliged to write a letter to a young la. dy I never saw, on whom I desire to make a favorable impression, and I can't imagine how I ought to begin. U's really the most difficult task. ‘Difficult 1' cried Obed, with a curi ous jerk peculiar to him when he was excited. ‘Difficult! no such thing Not at all difficult. Most enjoyable tusk—most enjoyable. I only wish 1 had it to do. But really, do you find it difficu’t, EiT? ‘Terribly so,' I said. Sec this is her picture. Beautiful, isn’t it? ‘Yes/ said Obed ‘But I like dark girls It wouldn't inspire me particu larly. No, do you know if I were go ing to write, 1 should imagine t > my self quite another girl. Do you know I should think you'd like to corres pond with an unknown young lady.— Here, I'll show you how I’d begin. lie sat down to my desk ; I lit a cigar ; he took up my pen. Instantly it began tjfly over the pa per. With his shoulders to his head and his nose on the lines, Obed worked away. I liuished one cigar and lit another ; still he wrote on. At last three sheets of note-paper lay in a pile before him. ‘ There,' said Obed with a long breath, ‘that is a little of what I would say. He selected a cigar for himself and puffed in silence while 1 read his pro duction. ‘lt's very fine letter, Obed,' I said. ‘I couldn't do anything half so good. Bless my soul, how many quotations? Where do you keep them stored away? I say, Obed, would you mind my just copying this and sending it? ‘Do as you like, Eff. I'd have taken more pains, however, if I had thought of that.’ I took advantage of his permission, copied his letter and sent it to Miss Gertrude Duval, In less than a fortnight I received a reply. It was long, poetical and as full of quotations as O bed's had been. In fact, it was a complete answer to his epistle. Of course I took it to Obed. ‘Fine letter/ he said, as lie turned its pages for the third time. 'I say if this was to me, I would get up a fa mous reply. This remark now about men and their want of appreciation of women, and quotation, twisted to Hiiit herself; now I'd say—' ‘Ob< and/ I cried, ‘do you say what you like. The young woman is too opinionated for me ; she knows too much; she is too sharp I cai/t write to a girl like that. And who would think it from her picture V Nobody/ said Obed. She looks like a bread and butter miss/ Then he once more seized upon pen and paper, and this time an enormous p icket made its way to Kingston. To cut a long tale slnnt, Ohed and my young betrothed were soon ex changing not so much letters as parcels of manuscript. They wrote regularly, and touched upon every subject under the sun, from love to electricity They had read every aulh r who ever wrote, and had opinions on every ‘ism' that bewildered peopl es brain. Of course I knew' that Ohed, who was at least eight-and-twenty, had dabbled in everything ; but. 'hat a girl of seventeen should have gone as far as he, was a myst-ryl could not ex plain. It did not attract me B”t for that beautiful portrait, I should have returned to my youthful opinion ol Miss Gertrude and declared that I had hated her; but the face was prettier than any I knew, in my eyes. Sometimes mother perused what she supposed to be our c irrespondence, and complimented us on our flowery expressions. But one or two letters were too hea vy for light leading and once she re marked, having folded the many sheets ol Gertrude's last with a heavy sigh : ‘There is so much about the doctrines of Confucius, my dear. 1 hope that he is not one of those liberal preachers silly young people are all running af ter nowadays and that if you do mar ry You’ll t&ke a pew at Dr. Crosby's. 1 hope she doesn't go to hear this Con fucius regularly. However the poetical epistle pleased her, and when the corresp mdenoe had been going on for a year it was de cided in family conclave that I had better go and visit my brother. It was decided also that Obed should go with me. With a new' wardrobe, a full pocket book and my parent‘s blessing, I start ed on my romantic journey. I left the letters at horn", but I took the photograph. Obed attended to such practicable matters as baggage and lunches, tack led cabmen, and saw that we were not sent into the roof ol any hotel we pa tronized. I must confess I felt that he was not ornamental, with his tallow-colored complexi >n and bean-pole aspect, his wil 1 sweep of greenish-yellow hair and his large knuckles; but he was useful, and l was very fond of him, and it might hurt his feelings to explain to him that bis grey traveling suit was three sizes to small lor him. We reached Kingston and made our way to a most respectable house with a laige garden, where dwelt the par ents of my affianced. Having attired ourselves for a call, we engaged a cab to take us hither, and arrived in middle ot a fine summer afternoon. To our inquiries, the little servant who opened the door, rep ied that Miss Gertrude was in ‘the arbour,' and as we had heard much of ‘the arbour/ in the letters, and it was in lull sight 1 suggested to Obed that we should approach unseen and surprise the lady by our appearance. It was an impudent tiling to do,but considered myself privileged. We aeeordingfy followed the wind ing Avalk with careful steps, and arriv ing at the ardor, peeped through the vines and saw, not one young lady, but two. The youngest was the original of my picture, fair with golden hair, dark eyes, dimples and a rose-hud mouth. The other w is about thirty, sensible, shrewddookiug, and very dark. She was writing. The sheets of note paper on the table looked familiar. ‘Finished/ she said, laying down her pen. ‘And as lie's to come soon, tbat, EASTMAN, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14, IS7B. Cats. —Of all the nations of antiqui ty, the Egyptians were most noted for their appreciation of the useful quali ties of the eat, whose protection was indispensable against the multitude of rats and mice with which the country was infested. It accompanied them in their fowling expeditious; it was a capital offence to kill one; and when'a cat died, it wms embalmed buiied at Babistis—the city sacred to the moon —of which divinity the cat was con sidered the symbol. I suppose, is my last letter. Heigh-ho! Gertrude, he is much too sensible a a man for you How’ such a boy can have acquired so much information I do uot know, but I've acquired my share of the correspondence/ ‘And I'm much obliged, Martha/ said the other. ‘I never could think of anything to write to the prosy thing. If he is like his letters, I can't like him; but his photograph is over so nice look ing. May be he won't talk as he writes.’ I looked at Obed; he looked at me. We tiptoed our way back to the house, found the servant and sent her out with our cards. * * * * * * ‘Do you know, Effingham ’ said Ger tiude to me a week later, ‘I have a confession to make? I didn’t think I’d like you a bit.' ‘Why? 1 ‘Don’t be offended. Your letters were so—so solemn—like improving works we ought to read and never do—at least I don't/ ‘Gertrude/ said I, ‘I have a confes sion to make too. I never wrote one of those letters; Obed did them for me.‘ ‘Oh!‘ said she, ‘do you know that Martha wrote al mine?* Afterwards I told her that I did know it, but not then. ‘Mr. Drake is a very nice person, isn‘t be?‘ asked Gertrude very soon. ‘A splendid fellow/ said I. ‘I am very glad ‘ said she, ‘fin* Mar tha is engaged to him; and she told me she did not believe you ever wrote a word of those letters/ So I returned home with news that made my mother happy; but Obed stayed behind. He married Miss Martha, and set tled down in Ki ngston. He is a suc cessful lawyer She occasionally lectures, and both seem to be as happy as Gertrude and I, and only for our love-letters they might never have met. Says my wife Sometimes: ‘Well, they were our love-letters, af ter all/ —Sunny South. —• ■*. Curious Facts About Bliiul Tom. An exchange Las these interesting I facts about Blind Tom, the celebrated Colored pianist. Blind Tom's birth place is Georgia, and he began to ex cite attention as a musician at the age oi tour years. All sounds afforded bin? delight; even the crying of a child caused him to dance about in a state of ecstaey. When at home he often bit and pinched his brothers and sis ters to make them emit cries ol pain. If kept away from the piano, he would beat against the wall,drag chairs about the room, and make all sorts ol noises When iu London a flute was produced for him of a very complicated pattern, and having twenty-two keys, lie fre quently rises up at night and plays this instrument, imitating upon it all sorts ol sounds which lie may hear at the time. Once, when an agent at tempted to make him stop playing a piano at a high-toned hotel at three • /'clock in the morning, Tom seized him and threw him through the door. Iu Washington he threw a man down stairs who came into his room. When at home in Georgia Ire lives in a uuild iug about two hundred yards fiom the house-and there remains alone with Ins piano, playing all day and night, like one possessed with madness. Bad weather has an effect upon his music. In cloudy, rainy seasons, he plays som- II re music in mmof chord; and when the sun shuies and the birds sing, he indulges in waltzes and light music. Sometimes lie will hummer away for Lours, producing the.most humble dis cords imaginable. Suddenly a change comes over him and he indulges in magnificent bursts of harm my taken from the best productions of the masters. He played nearly as well at the age ol seven as he does now. But j now his repertoire is much larger, as ■ he can play anything he has eveiohearJ. ! He now plays about seven thousand | pieces, and picks up new ones every where The Teacher and her Critic. An intelligent gentleman, who was a religious skeptic, visited a Sunday school out of curiosity, and happened to take his seat near the infant class, where he waited till the exercises were over. The lady who had charge of the class was telling the little ones about the Saviour, in the familiar language which all children understand, and the skeptic heard her words. Ilia fixed attention deceived the teacher, and she supposed him to be in full sympathy with her work, until at the close he spoke to her, an 1 then his remark, and the half sneering smile that aceompa-N nied it, caused her to see her mistake. ‘Pardon me, madam but are you not throwing awav your time, teach' ing these babies about a person called Christ? Supposing there was any thing useful in the knowledge of such a character, they will soon forget ev erything they have learned about him* The lady had discretion as well as piety, and refrained from answering this rather rude criticism in an argn mentat've spirit, as many would have done. She expressed her sorrow that he did not approve her method of la bor, and especially that he should seem to distrust the virtue of the Saviour's naiu°, and the wisdom and duty of teaching little children to repeat and love it. In the course of the brief conversa tion that followed, she courteously ask ed him if his mother was living. ‘No, she is not. She died when I was a mere ini ant.’ ‘Ah, then you do not remember her?’ ‘l can hardly say that I do. But she. has been so often described to me, and I have been told so much about her, and tlm many excellencies of her character, that I have a very vivid pic ture of her in-my mind. Her life is a dear anil sacred reality to me.' Without knowing it, he had put in to the teacher’s mouth the very words she wished to say. ‘May we not hope, sir, that these httle ones will be able to remember as well, what they are told about Jesus as you remember what you were told of your mother?' An expression of chagrin passed quickly over the skeptic's face. He evaded a direct reply, and the inter view ended. But on the very next Sabbath to the iauy’s astonishment, the same gen tlcuian returned, bringing ids own lit tle girl. ‘-liis dear child/ he Said, ‘was left motherless like tier father, at an early age. She knows nothing of her moth er save what I have told her. I w*sh you to take her into 3'our class, and teach her about Jesus Christ.’ Be Agreeable at Meals. Every one can do something for so cial life at the table. If one cannot talkj he can listen or ask questions and draw others who can talk. Good listeners are as necessary as good talkers. Never argue at the table; bat tell pleasant stories, relate or read anecdotes and look out for the good of all. Sometimes a single anecdote from a newspaper starts a conversation that lasts during the meal tine. A family table should be bright and cheerful, a sort of domestc altar, where everyone casts his or her offering, great or small of pleasantness or peace ; where, for at least a brief space in the day, all annoyances are laid aside, all stormy tempers hushed, all quarrels healed, every one being glad and content to sit down at the same board and eat ot the same bread and salt, making it whether it were a rich repast or a din m-r of herbs, equally a joyful, sacra mental meal. Pleasant Evenings. Make the evenings pleasant, raoth ers, if you wish to keep yout husbands and children at Inme. A lively game, an interesting book read aloud, or, in musical families, anew song to bo* practiced, will furnish pastime that wiif make an evening pass pleasantly. A little forethought dnring the day, a little pulling of wires that need not appear, will make the whole thin^ O easy • and different ways and means may be provided for making the even ings passpleasantly, and a time to look forward to with pleasant anticipations. We v sited once in a family where it wis the duty ol each sister iu turn to provide the evening's mcupation, and there was a pleasan , rivalry between them as to whose evenings should be the most enjoyable. Asa natural con sequence the brothers were rarelv fron; home. German Girls. It would not be deemed improper J for a youag lady, or even two, to at- j tend any entertainment or visit any place of amusement without being ac corupanied by a parent or an elderly person, and as for traveling alone, that is ent rely out of the question. 1 hard ly think they admire the independs ence of the American girls, especially those who venture to cross the wide Atlantic without a care-taker. If a gentleman should think of choosing a German girl as helomate through life, he does not mention the subject to her, but must go to paterfamilias or some married friend, and make them the me diators. If all is satisfactory, he makes a pres uit of a ring, and places one of the same kind on his own linger. When all is arranged they proceed to the mayor’s olliee and inform him of their engagement, when it is registered and announced in the city papers. Printed notices are also sent to friends, and the happy co pie appear, arm in arm on the streets. Alter the engagement he can see the young lady alone and take her occasionally to the theatre or other place of amusement, but before this joyful event he must also invite the mother or the aforesaid married frien 1. If Christians the marriage takes place in a church always on Sun day. 1 know of one instance where the lady was a Christian and the gentle man a Jew, where they were married not less than three times on the same day by different ceremonies, in order to have the knot legally tied. After marriage each lives in a great measure indepenoent of the other. The wife manages to have a “coffee clutch’* ev ery week, to which she “invites all her lady friends ; they bring their needle work, ands tting around the tea-table from four to half-past seven p m., in dulire in social cup of coflee and in pleasant conversation. During this period the husband does not venture to put his head inside the door. He takes his tea at a late hour, and then ad journs to his favorite r sort in town where he is detained by the fascination of billiards and beer until the “wee small hours” warn hhn to return. lie is really wedded to his billiards and beer, and when at last the bier comes to convey one of them to the final rest ing, early in the morning may be seen in a procession of empty carriages headed by a few servant girls carrying boquets of white and green, and fol low- and by the gentlemen friends and relatives, who always walk to the cemetery and ride back ; the ladies never* attend a funeral. So far I have endeavored to give a short sketch of “Life in Frankfort.” which, as everywhere else is only a “vapor full of woes,” and a few steps carry us hastily from the cradle to the grave. —Letter from Frankfort on-lhe - Main. Health of Young Ladies at School. Whatever may be said against the joint-education of the sexes, it is quite clear to us that the argument from phy sical inequality is not valid. In the Hrgt place, well-regulated study is not unite dthy. When a student suf fers in health, it is generally from the violation of the law ol diet or exercise or relaxation, or sleep, or from too sud den a change in his sedentary habits, fiie last particular affects young men much more than it does young women, as the change with most of them is a vastly more marked one. But at the present day, boards of instruction are more and more recognizing their res ponsibility as to the health of their students. Wlrnn they shall meet their full responsibility in the c.ise, we shall find that our seats of learning are just the most healthy spots in the world. In the secoud place, all facts that have been collated show that the young women fully hold their own with the young men without undue strain. In the collegiate and dependent courses of Wisconsin University there w, ' r •, last year, three hundred and fifty-seven students, a trifle more than one quarter of them being young wo mmi. Avery careful registration for ill-health having b 'en kept, President B a scorn found that the absences of the young men for this cause were proportionally three times more than that o; the young ladies. Deliberate with caution, but act with decision; and yield with graciousness or oppose with firmness. Aho is powerful? lie who can con trol his passi >n. W ho is rich? lie who i3 contented with what he has. Striped stockings cover a multitude of shins. - An inside passenger—the taciturn 1 but voracious tape-worm. The grass is about the only tiling that gets its dew # now-a days. Women should never study !an gauges. One tongue is quite sufficient for them A woman settles a man’s coffee with the white of an egg, but she can’t set tle his hash with a look. An old negro cook says: Sass is powerful good in everything but chiU dren. l)ey need some oder kind ob dressiu’. The man who gets an apple pio into the cavity of a decayed tooth, and hasn't a toothpick or a pin handy, is bound to suck seed. In one of the Paris theaters they put a woman in a cannon and shoot her thirty feet into the air, and she keeps on talking all the way. We have just been thinking how language was brought into the world. It was during Adam and Eve’s first quarrel, when one word on another. It is stated by naturalists that the very rats come creeping out of the; wood pile and laugh like demons when a woman tries to cut a stick of wood.. A widower had five grown daugh ters who wouldn’t let him take a sec ond wife. lie gave up the wife, but bought a savage dog, and now won’t allow a man to cross his door-sill. If he can t marry, the girls shan't, he says. A Virginia woman offers to sell her husband at auction, and apply the pro ceeds to the liquidation of the State debt. ‘I can recommend him to pur chasers/ she adds, ‘as a man possess - ing all the qualities a woman capable ol controlling him could desire/ John writes to ask: How should wo begin the week? We haven't the Scriptural regulations handy, but if your folks wash on that day, one good way to begin it will be by getting out of the house before they discover that the boiler or one of the tubs leak. Visitor from the country, at the door a southside residence, to ft UcnuwU next door: ‘Juue ot :*t home,,did you 1 say/ German—‘Noin', Chanc'd nod at home.' Visitor—‘Where is* she?' German—‘Sln/s gone der cemetery down?’ Visitor— I ‘When will she come back?’ German—‘Oh, she vont come back already any more; she's gone to stay; she’s det/ An Irishman saw a chipmuck at the root of a tree, and in his hurry to load his gun, he put in a heavy charge of powder, but no lead. As tie fired, the recoil of the heavy charge laid him over backward, but the animal frightened but not hurt, ran up tiro tree, chattering with all his might. Ihe astonished paddy, jumping up, exclaimed: ‘Faith and be tjabers if you’d been on this eud of the gun you wouldn‘t have run up the tree saying, ‘chitter, chitter, chittcr/ A masked burglar entered a room, where a man and his wife lay asleep. They both awoke, when the robber pointed a pistol at their heads, and quietiy backed out of the room and got (iff with his plunder. The startled siuraberers were terribly frightened, ‘the man’s hair turning white before morning.’ The woman was as much scared as her husband, but upon ex** amining her hair, which hung over the hack ot a chair, it was found not to have changed a particle. Something strange about this. Be lead in a Western exchange that two bushels of No. 2 wheat will pay one year’s subscription to the pa per. This is anew feature in journal ism, and we shall have to meet it gradually. It is not to be expected that we can break oft suddenly and all at once live like Western editors. Inti! further notice, and on this plan, six tat turkeys, two hindquarters of steer beef, twenty-six dozen of eggs, thiitv bushels of potatoes, two barrels of flour, forty quarts of cranberries, one barrel of A sugar, and seventy stalks ot well bleached celery will pay for the Sentinel one year.— Rome Sen* tinel. NO. 46.