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VOLUME I <> * V « L., g - J fe ■ i THE SILENT WARRIORS. The mm »hoae in at the window On the printer’s case and type. .And the heaps of doiyslic .letters Were bathed in it* gulden light; And I thought ot the truths there hidden, Of the mighty po^cr there laid, In those piles of dusky metal, When in maisbaled .ranks arrayed. For by them onr souls find voices For truths the ages have taug t; In volumes the dead have treasured, In vords in immortal thought; And they have tongues for our sorrows, And songs for our joy and w. < Aim! iu them life’s records are written, Of all that we mortals know. As the knights who, clad in their aimor, Went forth in the olden days To war ’mid the downtrod mtfions, With wrongs that stood in their ways; Thus our thoughts in this dusky metal Are clad in their eoats of mail, To conquer (he wrongs that oppress us, .Or evils our follies entail. The ran in golden glory Went down ’ueath the rim of night. And each leaden sha|ie -was ^learning In ft ones of its dying light; Then stars iu their hosts came marching, And their silver lances fell And flashed on the dnll, cold metal, Where truths weltnow not dwell. A eh ld in Ins feetfle wisdom, Might place them with tiny hand, But a king wtli his steel-armed legions In vain would their force withstand; Tor they are tl»e silent warriors Whose tents are folded away. Whose footprints go down thro’ the ages, Whose mandates the world shall obey. And a thought in my soul seemed striving, As our our own good angel strides, To warm the clay that in; olds us And wake from our sluggish lives; Thut we, too, are symbols vMfiftng The touch of the Master’s hand, Wien the truths that sleep within ns May light up each darkened land; Aud each ssul m its e;irthly journey M‘.y toil with hope sublime; To leave for the unborn nations Great thoughts on the scroll of time. —«/. B. Homer, in Crucible. MISCELLAJfY . I HE BANDIT. In the little town of Chieti, on the eastern coast of Italy, dwelt Rmdettini and his wife aud daughter* Bianca. Bianea was ahatid*ome, spirited girl, the faroiite of all the lage. Especially was «li« beloved Antonio Brmdisi and Stephano ri, the handsomest youths in all town. At the time my story opens, had declared her preference for nio, and they were publicly Hepbano was of a fierce, jealous position, and threatening he left the village. All endeavors discover his whereabouts proved out avail, but that he had not gone wan quite evident from his Appearing athis home., where his er dwelt with many comforts for * or with all his faults, he had been # dutiful son. fiianca troubled herself very a ‘»out his place of retirement, and ll °t ev <-‘n allow h s threats to her. day, some time after the pearance of Stephano, as Bianco thd walking in the garden she was by rustling among the And u por: turning to the spot she stephano standing before her. whited him very ooldly and ar ‘d turned to enter the cottage, ^lephano sprang before her and *^ittd Bianea, her from moviug. I have come to make <>nc m '>re appeal, to give you one °PP°rtumty to avert the Wiudl 8 hall surely overwhelm you, co, ‘lii»ue to resist all my entreaties. 4 Bi/* ’ ^ ou are tiresome,’ coldly <1{ “nca, hear ! I love me you * tter , dearer than the coward * .‘ Vo ” only are the coward, trying 1 a lore with threat!,'angrily ° r | e<1 Bi »nca. ( w * r,! ! I tell I love Y ,l0r 1 you you, - ‘ y spurn me. I have ‘° U - h - Know then, proud girl, I failT! j in#d ° U ’ e bandit8 and that ‘ P W shall be 1,1 Zt P,i8 ^ er ‘ only 1 to become my wife *hall ( a Jk V m <4 * him from a lingering, painful death.— What say jou now, Bianca V ‘Nothing ! I will never marry you; I will die sooner,’ and maintaining the same cairn, cold exterior, though her heart throbbed wildly, Bianca, brush ed hastily past her tormentor, and en¬ tered the cottage, and upon reaching h<*r chamber she threw herself upon her knees before her crucifix, prayiug white and trembling lips the Virgin Mary to save her family from the im¬ pending trouble. Rising, she, by a violent effort controlled her feelings* and returned to the sitting-room whore (her mother sat spinning. All the rest of the day a shadow liung over Bianca —every noise made her start painfully, and when the hour for her father to turn home came and past and stfll he I ngered, she snatched uplier hat arid started out to meet him across the fields. She had not gone far when she met a body of peasants bearing a litter Antoni Brindisi was in front, and im¬ mediately upon seeing Bianca, he shot forward and seizing her hand, tried to dead her back, but Bianea resisted steadily, and suddenly b" a little im¬ petuous motion, drew her hand fr >m Antoni, and stepping to the side of the litter., she raised the cloth which cov ered the body and saw the features her father. One dreadful shriek, and she sank senseless in her lover’s arms. Slowly she recovered, and the peasants bore their sad load into the little cot¬ tage. Biafica®sfatlker had fallen from a high roek, stride upon hks head, and died instantly, without.a groan. So said the kind peasants, but Upon going to her room Bianca saw a folded paper upon the window Sill, which she opened and read as fellows: “A push f r Bianca, I said, and the old man fell headlong over the rough rocks. Do you not falter now ?’’ A week later, and Bianca again felt the vengeance of her tormentor, for Antonio Brindisi, her betrothed, was missing* and no clue could be obtained to his pt&ee of confinement, although every search was made. Another note lay upon tke window-sill of Bianca’s room. “Two gone, dear to Bianca's heart. VYi.’l she repent ?" This note was shown to all in the village, together with the other, but so close did the robbers keep themselves that though search was continued day and night, no trace of their hiding place could be discovered. Bianca for a long time seemed pros¬ trated by her trouble, but her youth and health enabled her to recover, and a few months after the death of her father, her mother and herself Left, the village aud went to Rome, where, by the influence of her friends, she was enabled to study and beeom** art ae:ress, and in a short time a very successful one. At the end of four years, when she was about twenty-three, she was seized with a longing to return to her native village, and she did so. When Bianca, arrived at Chieti, she found there had been built a small the atre, at which she agreed to act for few nights. rawwLn-i The vHJagehs were in ecstacies. The day before her intended appearance, to her infinite horror, Stephano, grown older and morc wicked looking, in¬ traded himself upon her. Bianca was alone in the house, aud her heart sank within her at once when be began plead hia suit. ‘Yon have come back to the village a lonely, s td woman, and may perhaps be willing to look upon with more favor the suit of one who has worn your im¬ age in his heart for long years. I ain powerful and rich. What will be answer now, when I agaiu ask you to be mine ?' ‘My answer,' said Bianca, slcwly, ‘is that I despise you* and it is with er loathing and hate than ever that I look upon you. You are powerless now to do me anv harm, Stephano.’ ‘Fair lady,' said Stephano with sneer, ‘I am not as powerless as you think, for I can again make your proud heart quiver, and perhaps falter. ten, girl! : Antonio Brindisi is dead, as you have supposed him to but is imprisoned in a cave which I alone can enter : and though kept starvation, he is ill-treated and worked. Say you will he mine, and be shall be set free, giveu gold enough to last his whole life.’ 'Rubber! villain!’ exclaimed Bianca. Life and liberty to Antanio, purchased at such a price, would only be curses, not boons. He can only die and I low him No. I will live to bring your bead to its proper place—the block . EASTMAN, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1879. Beware! for no matter how close you keep yourself, my eyes shall find your hiding place, and my voice shall seal your doom!’ With a low, mocking laugh Stephano sprang quickly from the room, and Bianca sank almost senseless upon the floor. The eventful evening arrived, and the theatre was crowded to overflow iug ; many anxions to see their mate and friend in her new life, and all eager to see tbe popular tini. The play was ( ar below any one Bianca'a accustomed pieces, being a simple comedy, suited to tbe capacity of the actors. The first scene was scarcely any note, being merely an in¬ terview between Bianca stud her lover In the second scene the heroine is pro¬ ceeding to the church to be married, accompanied by the gi. Is of the village, as a train of honor, when they were surprised and received by a band robbers, the chief of whom is enamor¬ ed of the young peasant girl. curtain rose, and Bianca, in bridal dress, followed by about a dozen girls in holiday atti.ie, entered at the back of the stage, singing the bridal chant. Suddenly a terrible shriek is heard, and the bandits rush upon them. The bride rushes wildly across the stage, pale and shrieking, the bandit seizes her and she swoons. The ap plause was tremendous, so well had Bianea acted her part, and many silly girls drew close to eacli other and whispered, ‘only think if it were A moment and the bride slowly opens her eyes, aud partly raises herself, and the house comes down tn another round of applause. Slowly raising herself and looking wildly around, she makes a sudden bound forward, and roaches the footlights, where, sinking on her knees and looking wildly around, and then stretching out her hands to the audience, she exclaims in low, thrilling tones : 'Dear friends, this is no acting ; the bandits are upon us ! Look around you ; they are la your very midst this instant !’ The people turn, and behold, every window and door >s guarded by a coil. pie of ferocious looking fellows armed to the teeth. Blank horror filled the minds of the simple villagers, who al¬ ways held the robbers in abject fear, and now the strangeness of their situ¬ ation keeps them sitting motionless with pule lips and cheeks. As Bianca gave the people the dreadful informa¬ tion, Stephano, the leader of the band, came forward from the back of the stage, and seizing Bianca by the shoul¬ der, drugged her upon her feet, ex¬ claiming : ‘You shall go on ! Myself and panions are interested in the play, and wish to see the end. It is none your business whether you play to real or actual robbers. G© on !’ With a proud gesture Bianca shook off the robber's baud and resumed her part. The spectators sat in dumb, helpless silence, watching wuh fascinated eyea the progress of the play, now render¬ ed too real by the presence of the ban¬ dits. Clear, calm aud thrilling rose anca's voice as she pleaded earnestly to have her companions if not spared. Not the most eager, attentive listener could perceive the slightest faltering of tae voice or eye. While she was still pleading, the bridegroom and his train came to the rescue, and ranging themselves in order, they pre¬ sented arms and fired, and twelve rob¬ bers fell dead. With an oath and shout ot dismay, Stephano sprang ward, but quick as thought Bianca seized a carbine belonging to a rob «er, and retieating to the back the stage, exclaimed : ‘Blank cartridges for stnge robbers, real bullets for real ones Advance one bb p, Stephano, and I will fire.’ Then turning to the people, she cn n e(1 „p !>n t | Jt>ru to holp ge j 2e the rob . f or people needed only some fearless voice to arouse them from the stupor, and make them act. Stephano was tried and convicted, and his head chopped off; but not be¬ fore he had disclosed the p’ace of An¬ tonio’s confinement, and the place of the ban Jit’s rendezvous, which was in a large cave but a short distance from the village, the existence of which was never suspicioned, and which was fill¬ ed with booty. Antonio was released and with undiminished affection wa« received by Bianca, and but few days elapsed before their nuptials were cel¬ ebrated with great rejoicing. The lit tie village ol Chieti is still in existence, though it lias increased insist: and oop* u’aiion and changed many of its cus¬ toms, still the name of Bla> oa Bandet tini aud the bandit chief is qnforgot ten. A PERILOUS BUSINESS. How the Operations of Torpedo¬ ing Oil Wells is Conducted. The Pittsburg Leader says torpedo¬ ing oil wells has grown within the pest ten years to be a business of consider¬ able magnitude. There is not a well now in the oil enuutry but what is morc or leS8 torpedoed. Those who hnVe never see „ a n oil well, and are unacquainted with the business, will no douot wonder why this is the case. For their information it might be well to state the reasons : The first is for the purpose of blast, ing the oil rock, thereby creating cre¬ vices through which the fluid finds its way into the well. As an illustration many wells are put down to the prop¬ er depth without producing one gallon of oil until torpedoed, and then they would flow. Before torpedoing came in vogue hundreds of expensive holes were put down and abandoned which no doubt would have proveD “spout ers" had they been properly “shot."— All wells are now torpedoed immedi¬ ately after they are down, whether they are good ones or dry holes. The second reason is, after wells are opened awhile the oil sand becomes clngged up with paraffine. It is then necessary to clean them out, and nitro glycerine has been found to be the most effectual. Totpedoing is rather expensive, but it of course pays, or the producer woukl not pay the steep pri¬ ces asked by those who follow the bus¬ iness. The price charged for a torpedo is regulated by the quantity of explo¬ sive material which it contains. For instance, a shell containing a quart of nitre-glycerine costs $40, and $20 is charged for each additional quart.— Four quarts is the average amount used for a eirigJe shot; sometimes, how¬ ever, as high as sixteen quarts are used. The Roberts Torpedo Co., tor a long time monopolized the business, and operators were compelled to pay the prices asked by Roberts, who elaims to be the inventor of the process, and had it patented. The immense profits of the trade soon had the effect of in¬ ducing many others to go into the dan¬ gerous traffic. Other torpedoes were patented, but E. A. L. Roberts, claim¬ ing that they were all infringements on his patent, and prosecuted them to the bitter end. The large capital which he had accumulated enabled him to do this, and in every instance he was suc¬ cessful in gaining the suits. Finally, however, a class of men went into the trade who defied the monopolist, and even the law. These men are known throughout oildom as “Moonlighters,’' and in truth the^ have the sympathy ot the producers, and their patronage too u great extent. The moonlighter does the work for about one-half the price charged by agents of Roberts’ Torpedo Company, and then mak s a big thing out of it. The moonlighter is indebted to .the appellation to the fact of his being compelled to do his work alter night, for il detected in the act ol “shooting a hole” by one Roberts' detectives, lie is served with an injunction. If he is found to repeat the offense, he is then arrested for con¬ tempt of court ar.d jailed or put under bail. The Colonel pays very liberally for information in respect to these freebooters, and this lias been the means of making a number of inform* era,.who are continually watching the actions aud following up the trail the moonlighter. The danger attending the life of a torpedo agent and particularly the midnight manipulator of mtro-glv cerine, is so great that it requires an immense amount, of nerve. The latter is dogged by night and watched by day, and he knows not at what minute an officer will pounce out upon him and put him behind the bars. Again, as said befiire, he is compelled to do the work at night, which enhances the danger ol handling the compound a hundred fold. Tha slightest mistake^ a single misstep, the striking of his can agaiust anytiling or the spilling of a drop of the explosive fluid would, ten to one, send him into eternity so badly minced that Peter would not rec ognize him. The Coroner’s jury in¬ vestigations in the large number of sudden deaths which have occurred in eases of this kind, and are occurring throughout the oil region every day, means on'y a ceremony over the spot wh“re the accident took placo and not over the remains of anybody. They don’t uxpect tq find even enough of the body ^ be seen through a micro scope, and what is more never take the trouble to look. i'he moonlighter secretes his stock in trade in conceivable place Hollow’ trees, brush piles, old logs, under rocks, and in fact any place whore it would be less like¬ ly to be found. The writer remembers rather an amusing incident which oc¬ curred some time since near Triangle, in consequence of this indiscriminate use ot brush piles for magazine pur¬ poses A gentleman of that place was out gunning one day, and fired a load of shot at a rabbit just as it was enter¬ ing a brush pile. The shot took effect in a can of nitroglycerine. The tleman said his bui prise was so that he immediately sat down. doubt he did, for the concussion glass in Triangle, a mile distant. rabbit was never found. Life Thoughts. If you would be strong, yourself. He dines sumptuously who dines of debt. No man can be free unless he erns hitasclf. Children are the strongest pillars the temple of wedded love. The worst and most unendurable all our ills are the imaginary ones. Study books to know how things ought to be ; study men to know bow things are. To worship rightly is to love each other ; each (-mile a hymn, each kind¬ ly deed a prayer. Our happiness does not consist in being without passions, but in having control of them. Law is like prussic acid—a danger¬ ous remedy, and the small dose is gen¬ erally sufficient. A handsome woman pleases the eye, but a good woman pleases the heart. The one is a jewel, the other a treas ure. It our eyes were open, we should see that this oval globe is but an egg; that what we call time is but the incu¬ bation of eternity. Never retire at night without being wiser than when you rose in the morn¬ ing, by having learned something use ful during the day. The earth is a great factory wheel, which at every revolution on its axis, receives fifty thousand raw souls, and turns off nearly the same number work¬ ed up more or less completely. A good book and a good woman are excellent things for those who know how to appreciate their value. There are men, however, who judge ot both from the beauty of the covering. Never let a lie go to seed in your soul. If you should happen to be tempted into telling a falsehood, let it be plucked out by a confession of your fault as quickly as possible. Pluck it out and cast it from you, for I assure you that of all the noxious weeds that find root in the garden of the soul, none go to seed more quickly or multiply more vapidly than does falsehood. Sagacious Horses. A pleasant story has just come to us from the Cape of* Good Hope. In Graa* Reinctt, as in all the old Dutch towns in the colony there is, in the centre the place, a lar^e market square, where the farm rs, traders and others arriv¬ ing with their produce at any hour the day or night, may ‘outspan' the oxen or horses from their wagons, send cattle out to the ‘commonage’ to feed w hile they bivouac at their wag¬ ons, as is the Wont of African to do, until the 8 o'clock morning ket auction. An old horse belonging to one these parties had wandered about search of grass and water—vainly, doubt, tor it was during the drought from which the country is now recovering. Coming to a j bare marketplace, and finding a of men talking there, he singled one of them, and pulled him by sleeve with his teeth. The man ing the horse might possibly bite, re¬ pulsed him, but it was not very ly done; he returned to the charge, with the same reception; but he was a persevering animal, and demonstrated the axiom that ‘Perse¬ verance gains the day,' for upon his taking the chosen sleeve for the third time between his teeth, the owner awoke to the idea that a deed of kind¬ ness might be required of him; so put¬ ting his hand upon the horse’s neck he said: ‘All rigid, old fellow; march on.' The horse at once led the way to a pump at the further side of the square. Some colored servants were lounging about the spot. One of .them at the bidding of th.* white man, filled a buck¬ et with water; three times was the bucket replenished and emptied before the ‘great thirst’ was assuaged, and then the grateful brute almost spske Ins thanks to his white inend by rub' bing his nose gently against his arm, alter whien he walked off with a gieat sigh of relief. A story somewhat analogous to the foregoing was told me by a friend, whose uncle is a country squire in one of our Western States, had favorite hunter in a loose box in the stanle.— One warm summer day he was ‘athirst’ and could get no water. He tr ed to draw the groom's attention to the laci, but without success. The horse was not to be discouraged; he evidently gave the matter consideration. The thirst was pressing. All at once he remembered that he had always had a certain halter put upon his head when led to the water. He knew where it hung. He managed to unhook it from its peg and carried it to the groom, who at once, in great admiration the knowledgeable brute, rewarded him in the manner he desired. Old Maid-ism. A very foolish and yet very preva¬ lent prejudice is auteitained against unmarried women as a class. This we hold to be as absurd as it is un¬ generous. We will start with the to tally unchristian axiom that women are vastly superior to the 'lords of creation’ in goodness. This point ad¬ mitted—and what man will gainsay it?—we proceed to argue that many good women in this very good world, as worlds go, there will be quite a number far above their sex, and so, by consequence, incalculably above the best of men. It might often happen that ladies of great spiritual altitude would never meet in the course their liv«s a man grand enough to mate with them, To unite with a man whom they do not feel to be th<ir equal would be almost as great an rage on the finer instincts as marrying tor money, which is a meaner, viler thing than any unirald could possibly dream of. Besides this there are In an ? old maids who have numerous offers, but they, with a fidelity worthy a bet* ter thing than a man, cling to some first fancy—some memory of a lover who has been false or who has passed away. That there are old muds of a sour aspect, ‘with lips severe and eye of formal cut,' we do not deny, but we believe from our observation to be very few coaipared with the legions of poky old bachelors who infest the shady side of 45, and go n after retire from a world where we hope they will know better. In short, we conclude that while it is always best lor a man to be married, it is very often the wis¬ est thing a woman can do to remain single. Eggs are now hatched by electrici¬ ty, Of invention necessity is the mother, and of the hen electricity is ftsfistcr. so. vt. ir&lHUMOR f I I !CT2rar !w ■" I Pie-us men—Bakers. A goad cure —Sinecure. Whacks work—Pugilism. Men of note—Money-lenders, Old Time travels on by-cycles. The clarinet player reeds music. To start a stubborn mule fit castors to his feet. A classical farmer in Iowa named ail his pigs after Greek roots. 'Give us Mormon/ is the cry that comes from the women of Utah. The duty on sugar is to use about two lumps to every cup of coffee. What baud is it all young ladies long to attach themselves to? A hus¬ band. ---— Ruth was a good girl, and she had as fine a Boaz could be found in those days. - e*-r* --- ‘One touch of nature ’ observed the inebiiate as the ground rose and struck him. When a pickpocket pulls at your watch, tell him plainly you have n.» time to spare. ————**§»,— ‘This side up’ was the legend found on the bottom of a bottle in a drunk¬ ard's pocket. A shoemaker's wife out west call* her husband 'Sequel' because he is a* ways at the last. Dame Fashion once more brings : — ward the bustle—Ex. Never knew it had ever been forward. The best way to kill ofi the Chinese is to teach them how to aid kitchen fires with kerosene oil cans. There's one sphere that belongs to everybody—to women as well as men —and that’s the atmosphere. ‘I'm afraid of a gun without a lock,, stock or barrel,’ as the boy Raid when his father took the ramrod to him ‘I am sitting on the style, Mary,’ he exclaimed, as he flung himself into an Easlake rocker of the latest design. A Texas man shot his opponent in a duel, and is now writing a poem about it. It looks as if the wrong man had been shot. The young man who wrote and ask¬ ed his girl to accept a ‘bucket' of flow¬ ers, became a little pail when she said she wooden ware it. ‘Yes, I'm a good dancer/ said the barber as he sheared off the blonde locks of a customer. ‘See me clip the light fantastic tow -^-— Pipkin wants to know why a Roman nose more than any other kind. We don't know, unless it is because it al¬ ways humps itself. It is better to be a do<-r keeper in. the house of a life insurance agent thau a man with a new style short jacket and a hole in the seat of his pantaloons. There is one creditor which suffering humanity may slaughter with impuni¬ ty if his duns are unbearable. You are authorized to kill a mosquito when he presents his bill. Why are boarding-house keeper^ so extravagant? Butter is only a quar¬ ter a pound, while the same weight ol human hair costs.15 cents—and v t they mix them! • A New Jersey man tells us his wife was kicked in the jaw by a mule.— 'Did it hurt her?’ asked a friend. 'Why, bless you, no; but the mule broke his leg and had to be killed.' ----— A countryman was giving in his evidence in a London court the ot! ■er day and was asked by counsel if he was born m wedlock. 'No, sir,' lie re pi ed, ‘I was born in Devonshire.' ---- ‘The pen is mightier than th * sw rd/ says the poet. Oh, yes, certainly! B on a dark night, when there are or s glars in the house, a good double ..il reled shot-gun beats both of them. - ^ ^ ^ A little b >y was shown the picture of the martyrs thrown to the lions. Ho startled his frieuds by shouting:— ‘Ma! oi> # ma! Just look at that poor 1 itle lion way behind there. He won’t, get any.'