Newspaper Page Text
NORTH GEORGIA TIMES.
Wm. 0. MARTIN, Editor.
The Highway Coir.
The hue of her hide was dusky brown.
He body was lean and her neck was slim,
One horn was turned up and the other turned
down,
She was keen of vision and long of limb,
With a Roman nose and a short stump tail.
And ribs like the hoops o! a home-made paiL
Many a mark did her body bear;
Sho had been a target fof all things known.
On many a scar the dusky hair
Would grow no more whore it once had
grown;
Many a passionate, parting shot
Had left on her a lasting spot.
Many and many a well-aimed stone.
Many a brickbat of good size,
And many a cudgel swiftly thrown
Had brought the tears to her loving eyes,
Or had bounded off from her bony back
With a noise like the sound of a riflo crack.
Many a day had she passed in the pound
For helping herself to her neighbor’s corn;
Many a cowardly our and hound
Had been transfixed on her crumpled horn;
Many a teapot and old tiu pail
Had tho farmer boys tied to her timeworn
tail
Old Deacon Gray was a very good old man,
Though somewhat temp.ed to be profane
When many a weary mile he ran
To drive her out of the growing grain;
Sharp were tho pranks she used to play
To get her till and get away.
She knew when the deacon went to town;
Sho watched him wisely as he went by;
He never passed her withaut a frown
And an angry gleam in each angry eye;
He would crack his whip in a surly way,
And drive along in his one-hoss shay.
Then at kfs homestead she loved to call,
Lifting his bars with crumpled horn,
Nimbly scaling the garden walL
Helping herself to his standing corn,
Eating his cabbages one by one,
Hurrying home when her work was done.
His human passions were quick to rise,
And striding forth with a savage cry,
With fury blazing from both his eye 3 ,
As lightnings fla-h from the summer sky;
Redder and redder his face would grow,
And after the creature he would go.
Over the garden, round and round,
Breaking his pear and apple trees,
Trampling his melons into tho ground,
Overturning his hive of bees,
Leaving him angry and badly stung,
Wishing the old cow’s neck was wrung.
The mosses grew on the garden wall,
The years went by with their work and
P ] ay.
The boys in tho village grew strong and tall,'
And the grav-baired farmers passed away,
One by one as the red leaves fall;
But the highway cow outlived them all.
—Chicago Ledger,
STORY OF SILENT JOE
In the year 1867 a young man named
Charles Miller left Hartford, Conn., for
the west. At Buffalo he fell in with a
man calling himself Henry Davison, and
tho two traveled to Chicago together.
Miller had about $300 iu cash with him,
while Davison had only a few shillings
left when they reached Chicago. The
former intended going to Colorado,
while the latter, who said he was a
butcher, decided to remain in Chicago
and work at his trade for a time. They
took quarters together in a cheap hotel,
and, to further reduce expenses, they oc¬
cupied one bed.
On the night before Miller was to leave
for the far west, and as they were about
ready to go to bed, he took out and
counted his money. He had $200.50,
and, knowing that his companion had
but a dollar or two. he handed him a $10
bill.
“I won’t take it from you except as a
loan, ” said Davison.
“That’s all right,” replied Miller. “I
shall write you, and whenever you can
spare it you may send it along.”
“But you don’t know me; we have
been together only a few days.”
“I can tell a square man on sight. Put
this in your wallet.”
While Miller was roiling up his money
Davison got up and passed behind him.
1 All of a sudden Miller lost consciousness.
In the summer of 1869 the writer was
one of the inhabitants of a mining camp
on tho Purgatory River in southern
Colorado. One day a tenderfoot reached
our camp. He was a veritable scarecrow
in general appearance. He hadn’t a
shilling in money nor an ounce of outfit,
and when we camo to question him it
was discovered that he was only “half
baked.” He gave his name as Joe, but
he had nothing else to tell. When asked
what his other name was, where he came
from, how he reached us, &c., he looked
from face to face in a vacant way and
shook his head. We were not the kind
of men to turn a chap like that loose to
be scalped by the Indians or to perish
of starvation. We made him wash up,
; put on the garments wo contributed, and
after he had got a square meal he looked
and acted like a different man.
One of my two tentmates was an old
(surgeon from Ohio, and, as we had roomy
quarters, he suggested that we take Joe
'in. Tho suggestion was adopted, and
I he was installed as cook and laundry
ijnan. He was a very willing hand, and
when his work at the house was finished
T”
SPRING PLACE. GEORGIA. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 3(1, 188C.
’
he stood really to help us at the mine.
60 far as speech went, we got no more
out of him after a month than on the
first day. He called every meal supper.
He called every article of wash a shirt.
Every day in the week was Wednesday
to him. I could soy to him, “Here, Joe,
fetch a pail of water," and he would take
the pail and hurry away, but if I said,
“Now, Joe, what State do you hail
from ?” he would stand and stare at me
with open mouth. The miners played
many a joke ou him, and some of them
were pijtty rough ones, but no one ever
saw him get- angry. When we found
that he would, not answer questions put
to him verbally, wc tried him in writing.
If, for instance, we wrote the query:
“Where do you live?” he would take tho
pencil, as if about to reply, but before he
could make a mark the idea would slip
away from him, and ho would sadly
shake shis head and turn away. One
day, when he had been with us about
six weeks, I entered the tent and saw tho
surgeon cutting Joe’s hair, which was
very long and unkempt.
“Say, I’m right about this fellow ,’
announced the surgeon.
“IIow?”
“Why, I’ve hod an idea for a month
past that he lost his memory through
some injury to Ins head. Here’s the
trouble. He has received a blow right
here, and a portion of the skull is press’
ing on the brain. I’ll warrant ho was as
quick-witted as anybody before this
hurt. ”
“IIow long ago was it inflicted?”
“A year or more. An operation by
a skilful surgeon would restore him to
his right mind.”
While that may be so, the chances for
it were extremely dubious. We were
charitable as far as our means would al¬
low, but we were all poor. When Joe
had been with us about two months a
miner was one night robbed of his little
hoard ; then a second was robbed of his
provisions ; a third had his revolver
stolen ; and men camo to us and de¬
clared their belief that our Joe was the
guilty person. We could not believe
this, but agreed to watch him.
several nights we took turns at spying,
but, while he did r ot leave the cabin,
another theft was committed. For a
month we were completely upset by the
mysterious doings around us. On
two occasions some one prowling
around at night was fired on, but he got
safely away. In spite of all we could
say the suspicion kept growing that our
Joe was the guilty party. We let men
into the cabin to see that ho did not
leave his bed, but it so happened that on
those particular nights no deviltry was
comnitted. It was suggested that ho be
driven out of the camp, and when we re¬
fused to countenance any such step, two
tliirds of the camp held aloof from us,
and reports were circulated to our detri¬
ment.
One morning a miner, who was sup¬
posed to be the richest man in the can\p,
was found weltering in his blood. Ho
had discovered a man in his tent the
night before, and had boldly clutched
him. In the struggle he had been
stabbed in three places, and was severely
though not mortally wounded. The sur¬
geon was called to dress his hurts, and
in his presence and that of a dozen others
the wounded man declared that he had
recognized his would-be assassin ns our
Joe. All of us had slept soundly that
night, and while we believed in Joe’s in¬
nocence, we could not be positive that
lie had not left the cabin. The
miners knoeked off work
and went growling around,
and about 10 o’clock in the forenoon a
rush was made for our cabin. They had
determined to hang Joe. The three of
us got out our revolvers to defend him,
anil tho angry mob was held at bay on
the slope for a few minutes. We had
placed Joe inside, and had noticed that
he did not seem a bit alarmed. Whilo
we were holding the mob and parleying
Joe climbed out of a window on the
other side and was running away when
they caught sight of him. Such action
seemed conclusive of his guilt, and pur¬
suit was instantly made and a hot fire
opened. Joe ran straight for a cliff
about thirty feet high, and as he reached
tho brink he threw up his arms and went
over. We picked him up off tho rocks
below seemingly dead, and the revengo of
the crowd was satisfied. An hour later,
when the stirgeon announced that Joo
still lived, there was some growling, but
no one interfered with us as we bore tho
bruised and broken body to our cabin.
It seemed to me that ho was completely
smashed, although he had no large bones
broken.
On the third day after the accident
Joe opened his eyes, and we saw that he
was conscious. Twenty-four hours later
he asked the surgeon where he was, what
had occurred, and why Davison was not
there. Then we all knew that our Joe
had got his right mind back, It was a
week before we questioned him. Then
we learned all I told you at the outset.
The last thing ho ' remembered was
counting that money in Chicago. For
two years lie had been like a man in his
sleep. When the camp got hold of all
the particulars everybody was Miller?*
friend, and particularly so as the real
thief was finally discovered and punished.
Miller remained with us until spring, and
then set out for the mines on the Upper
Arkansas with some of our boys. In a
camp not twenty miles from us. he saw
and identified Davison, who had been
there for a year. The miners would have
lynched the fellow, but ho cut sticks too
rapidly, and a week later bis dead body
was found in a gulch two or three miles
away, where the Indians had tumbled it
after securing his scalp.— New York Sun,
Tho First Turnpike.
In the time of Charles II. restrictions
were laid on the weight of carriages and
their contents by limiting the number of
cattle by which they might bo drawn;
power has given to raiso an assessment
for tho repairs of the roads, and the plan
of imposing tolls began to bo adopted.
From this time we begin to hear of turn¬
pikes, and as time went on turnpike acts
were passed and turnpike roads began to
be talked about. With increased trafSc
and better roads tho stago wagon re¬
placed the packhorse in tho conveyance
of merchandise—tho hugo tilted wagon
that survived till railway times, with its
six or eight sleek horses, tho smart wag¬
oner riding his cob by the side of it,
flourishing his long cartwhip, as tho road
wound through undulating ground with
cornfields and pastures, still mostly un¬
inclosed, and by ways branching off with
way posts, at the junction pointing to
some village whose spire shows over the
hillside. In the year 1767 tho system of
collecting tolls was extended to the
great roads in all directions, and tho cus¬
tomary statute labor was appropriated
entirely to the cross or country roads,
This date marks tho beginning of the era
of stago coaches, and the full develop
ment of an organized system of
from stage to stago along tho public
roads. From this time the roads of Eng
land began to rouso the wonder and
of other nations. In France especially,
just before the revolutionary era, the
roads were execrable, and the few public
conveyances clumsy and badly horsed,
Everything had to give way to equipages
of the grand seigneurs, and the starving
peasantry were dragged from their sloppy
fields to draw the gilded coach of the
Marquis or Count out of tho quagmires
of the public road.— A>1 the Year Hound,
An American Army in 1777.
Here is a picture of one of the men at
Valley Forge: “His bare feet peep
through his wornout shoes, las legs near
ly naked from the tattered remains of
an only pair of stockings, his breeches
not enough to cover his nakedness, his
shirt hanging in strings, his hair dis
beveled, his face wan and thin, his look
hungry, his whole appearance that of a
man forsaken and neglected.” And the
snow was failing 1 This was one of the
privates. The officers were scarcely bet¬
ter off. One was wrapped “in a sort of
dressing gown made of an old blanket or
woolen bed-cover.” Tho uniforms were
torn and ragged; the guns were rusty; a
few only had bayonets; the soldiers car
ried their powder in tin boxes and cow
* lorns '
The horses died of starvation, and the
men harnessed themselves to trucks and
sleds, hauling wood ami provisions from
storehouse to but. At one time there
was not a ration in camp. Washington
seized the peril with a strong hand and
compelled the people in the country
about, who had been selling to the
British army at Philadelphia, to give up
their stores to the patriots at Valley
Forge. St. Nicholas.
Too Risky.
Brown—How are you Smith?
Smsth—Not very well; my old trouble
you know.
Brown—Why don’t you try Dr. Tonic?
I think ho could help you.
Smith—Dr. Tonic! What do I want
that quack for?
Brown—Oh, you may call him quack
if you choose; but you have him once,
and my word for it, you’ll never employ
^Hgiidth—That's what I am afraid of.
Boston Transcript.
Keeping Abreast of the Market
Possible Customer—What does a first
class funeral co t, Mr. Layemout?
Mr. Layemout (undertaker) — Why,
none of your family are dead, are they?
P. C.—No, not yet; but tho old lady
has bought a kerosene stove, Johnny’s
got a new bicycle, and my oldest
daughter is keeping company with 8
Pittsburg dude who carries a hair-trigger
pistol. It’s well enough to keep abreast
of the market,— Judge.
PLANTS THAT EAT.
Some' Forms of Vegetation
with an Appetite
Interesting Species of Plant that Oatch
Plies and Mosquitoes,
Among the many rare and interesting
plants forming the collection in tho
Botanical Gnrden at Washington there
has recently been got together an almost
complete s^t of insectivorous plants, so
called from their being so constructed as
to attract insects, capture them in various
ways and feed upon them. A few of
thcse-plants have been gathered from
their native habitats in the swamps of
North Carolina and California, and
others have been sent from India,
Australia and Madagascar. Perhaps the
best known of the group, and certainly
tho most wonderful plant in the whole
vegetabie kingdom is Dionreo muscipula,
commonly known as Venus’ Fly
Trap. The leaves vary from
one to six iuchcs long, and at
the'extremities are placed two blades or
elnspers, the shape of which may be said
to resemblo two hands placed together
between the palms and tho wrists, and
the fingers held backwards. Tho palms
of the hands represent the inner walls of
the trap, while tho fingers represent tho
ffiarginal hairs or teeth. On the inner
walls of these claspcrs there aro plaecd
six irritable hairs, any one of which re¬
ceiving the slightest touch from an insect
is sufficient to bring the two blades to¬
gether with such rapidity as to preclude
any possibility of tho fly escaping. A
correct idea of how the trap closes on its
victim may be obtained by bringing the
two hands rapidly together, the fingers
of the one being firmly pressed between
those of tho other. This plant readily
discriminates between animal and other
matter; thus if a small stono or piece of
wood be dropped into the trap, it will
instantly close, but as soon as it has found
out its mistake, and it only takes a few
minutes, it begins to unfold its trap
ffca piece of wood or stone falls out.
the other hand, should a piece of beef
& blue-bottle fly be placed in it, it
remain firmly closed until every
of organic matter is absorbed
the leaf. It will thon unforld itself
is ready for another meal.
Next in interest comes
purpurea. This species is popularly and
most appropriately called “The
Whiskey Shop,” ns it captures
victims by intoxication. The
shop is shaped after the manner of
house, with tho entranco projecting
little over the rim. Half way round the
brim of the cavity there are an immense
number of honey glands, which the in
flucnco of tho sutl brings into active
operation . This sweet secretion acts as
a lure to passing insects, and they are
pretty sure, should they come within its
influence, to alight on the outside edge
and tap the nectar. They, however, re
main there but a brief period, as there is
something more substantial inside the
cavity in the shape of an intoxicating
liquid, which is distilled by the plant.
The way down to this beverage is
Btraight . there is no crossing over> a3
the entrance is paved with innumerable
fine hairs a „ point ; ng tothe bottom, and
8hou ld tho fly walk crooked, its feet be
com e entangled in them. When the fly
has had its first nip, it does not stop and
fly rjght out> ,, s it could do> but it in .
dulge8 unti[ it ig moro than « half scas
over .„ it then come , staggering up and
reaches that portion where the hmrs be
gin . here its progre8S outward js stopped
owing to thc poiuts of the hairs being
p i acod against it . The fly is now in a
pitiab]e pIjght . it nttemptg to use its
wingS) but in doing S0) only hastens jts
own destruction. It inevitably reaches
the bottom, gets immersed in the liquid
and dies drunk.
Another species, which, were it plenti¬
ful, would prove a boon and a blessing
to man, is Droscra dichotoma, the mus
quito catcher. It grows about one foot
high, and as its specific name implies,
file leaves, after reaching a certain height,
bifurcato into long narrow spatches,
which are densely covered with club
tipped, rose colored hairs, each of which
is covered with a bright gummy sub¬
stance. This, during sunshine, gives to
* e P lan ‘ a m ° st raa S nifi “ nt appearance.
This curious plant would seem to have
great attractions for the musquito, for if
a plant be placed in a room where they
abound, all of the troublesome pests
will, in a brief period, be in its deadly
embrace, at first struggling to disin
tangle a leg or wing, anon finding itself
more and more within its toils. It is
most interesting to watch the method by
which it secures its prey. Immediately
the fly alights on the leaf, it may be that
only one of its six legs stick to the sweet,
viscid substance at the extremity of the
hairs, but in struggling to free itself it
Vol. VI. New Series.
touches with its legs or wings
contiguous ham, and is immediately
The hairs meantime are not idle;
sensitive, they slowly but surely
round and draw their victim into
very centre of the leaf, thus bring¬
it into contact with the very short
which are placed there in order to
the process of sticking the life
from the body. This interesting
is, besides a few others, very difti
to cultivate. Even after imitating
as closely as possible, the plants
thrive but indifferently.
A Train's Fast Trip.
Lew Silence is one of the veteran pas.
conductors on the New York di¬
of the Pennsylvania railroad. He
the 7.30 o’clock train from Phila¬
to New York every morning.
other day he pulled a little note,
out of his pocket and, turning to
June 13, said:
I made that memorandum six years
ago. That was the fastest run ever made
on the New York division of the Penn¬
sylvania railroad from Philadelphia to
York—ninety-two milos in ninety
three minutes. The train made three
stops and seven slow-ups. There was
only one car and an engine. Tho car
was filled with passengers from tho West,
ami I ran the train. There had been a
storm up in the State the night before,
and on the middle division of the main
ine, between Harrisburg and Altoona, a
big tree blew across tho track. I think
it was in tho Lowiston narrows. The fast
lino, as tho train was called, was four
hours and thirty-one minutes late when
it got to Philadelphia. I got orders to
take those passengers to New York as
quick as an engine could pull a car. The
whole road was cleared for my train. Wo
went so fast that telegraph poles looked
like toothpicks and houses like soap
boxes. One mile was made in forty-six
seconds, another mile in forty-seven sec¬
onds and a third mile in forty-nine sec¬
onds. When we went down the hill at
Menlo Park, wo traveled three miles at
the rate of seventy-eight miles an hour
around curves anil on the straight track.
If a man hail put his head out of a win¬
dow ho would have lost his breath.
That’s the history of the fastest run ever
made on the New York division. I’ve
been on some pretty fast trains, but
beats them all. I often see stories in the
newspapers about fast runs made on
Western rouls, but when you come to
rido niney-two miles in ninety-three min¬
utes, through a thickly settled country
like that between this city and New York,
why, it’s fast riding, because an engineer
has to slow up going through every big
town. Still, wo went through Elizabeth
that day running fifty-eight miles an
hour.
Bears In Mnine.
A correspondent of tho New York Sun
writes: There are several bear cubs in
various stores about town, caged up in
little dens, and they are a great adver¬
tisement for their owners. A bear cub
is probably the drollest young animal
alive. They play all sorts of funny an¬
tics and attract more custom than a lot¬
tery. I know of a restaurant which num¬
bers a pet cub among its attractions, and
that bear is a bonanza to the bar. It has
learned to drink beer, eat pie, and play
with the customer’s dogs. Once in a
while it escapes and gets up the street a
little way and seem 3 quite sad at being
recaptured. A pair of these playful lit¬
tle fellows have just been sold to the
United States Soldiers’ Home at Togus
for only $30.
Tho Maine bear is the genuine black—
the sheep, lamb and calf-eater. He nev¬
er bothers a man unless provoked to fight,
and then he is an ugly customer to meet.
They are pretty well thinned out in the
western part of the State, but I have
often met them within twenty miles of
Bangor. They aro the terror of farmers,
but the delight of sportsmen, and, while
many a flock of nice sheep are eaten up,
it is no uncommon sight to see a nice 300
or 400-pounder hung up alongside of
beef and mutton in the Bangor market
shops.
The Eagle and the Tortoise
An eagle once seized a tortoise, carried
to a great height in tho air, and was
about to let it fell. But the tortoise,
taking in the situation and seizing the
eagle’s thigh with his mouth, quietly
“You are such a delightful
companion that I couldn’t think of part¬
ing with you yet. Now, if I were a bet¬
ting man, I’d wager two dollars that
you will take me to the ground and set
me down gently. By the way, what do
you think of vivisection. ?” When the
eagle had deposited his burden with
loving gentleness on tho grass he soared
away, a sorer but a wiser bird.
Moral: This fable teaches how foolish
it is for a conductor to try to put a pas¬
senger off a train when he*bas a free pass,
NO. ,11.
Life’s Magnel.
that I love life’s troubles and chagrin*
Do I so cling unto this mortal sphere;
But I have friends that are to me so dear
Aloof from them death e’en in life begins;
Oh. I would have my loved ones ever near
Where I can see their faces, hear their
speech;
Nor harsher penance for my earthly sins
Than endless severance could our pulpits
teach.
Else could I oft, hard battling in the world
Welcomo, yea crave for, death’s everlasting
truce;
Rejoieo to see the hostile banners furled,
My weapons broken and no more of use;
And lie down calmly in my &nal tent,
Safe from the strifes that once ray spirit rent.
—Tudor Williams in the Current
HUMOROUS.
An early riser.—The alnrm clock.
A drink for tho sick—well water.
Those who toil and spin—The bicycle
riders.
The great woman question—“What
did she have on?”
Why is there nothing like leather? Be¬
cause it is the sole support of man.
A Kansas cyclone is spoken of which
was so terrific in its fury that it blew all
the keyholes out of tho doors.
“It is a cold day when I get left,” re¬
marked the flannel suit when it was
shoved up at the pawnbrokers.
There is in New Guinea an electrical
tree which knocks down any man who
touches it. Tho woodman spares that
tree.
A cynical old bachelor says: “Ideas
are like beards; men only got them when
they aro grown up, and women never
have any.
“For a young woman to begin to brush
the dust off a young man’s coat” is said
to be the first symptom that tho young
man is in peril.
The whale is a warm-blooded animal,
we are told, and he resembles a small
boy in another particular, he is very
much given to blubber.
A daily paper announces that upon tho
occasion of a recent boiler explosion in
the neighborhood, “between thiee and
four men were injured.”
The (Jirfcpn College girls have organ¬
ized a society for the protection of birds.
The larks of the young gentlemen will
receive their first attention.
“Papa,” said a little five year old,
pointing ,to a turkey gobbler strutting
around in a neighbor’s yard; “aint that
rednosed chicken got an awful big
bustle?”
A litfclo girl was sitting at a table op¬
posite a gentleman with a waxed mous¬
tache. After gazing at him for several
moments she exclaimed, “My kitty has
got whiskers, too.”
Lightning struck a hall where some ot
■Wagner’s music was being rendered, and
the leader of the orchestra merely mo¬
tioned to the man nt the big drum to hit
it more gently the next time.
1 ‘Why, Franky, ” exclaimed a mother at
the summer boarding house, “I never
knew you to ask for a second piece of pie
at homo.” ‘ ‘I knew ’twan’t no use,” said
Franky, as he proceeded with his pie¬
eating.
It is entirely unfair for a man to sneer
at a woman’s inability to understand a
baseball game until he has proven his
own ability to grapple with the mysteries
of a crazy quilt social.
“Father,” said Rollo, “what is meant
by tho intoxication of wealth?” “Means
that money is tight,” replied RqIIo’s
father, who had been shinning around
all the afternoon with a piece of paper
looking for an autograph.
There is nothing new under the sun,
and it is more than probable that base¬
ball was known and played in Shake¬
speare’s time. In “Coriolanus, net I,
scene 1, we find the words, “Where go
you with bats and clubs?”
Choosing Between Two Evils.
“Moving again, eh? What’s thc matter
with your boarding place this time?”
“Well, you know I told you about the
torture I endured in the last place?"
“Yes. A family with twin boy
babies, both teething.”
“Yes. Well, I just got settled down
in a new place in a nice room right next
to the parlor, when the landlady
moseyed in a grand piano, backed it
right up against my wall, and gave all
the boarders the privilege of using it.”
“Where are you going now?”
“Back to the babies .”—Chicago News
Its Various Uses.
“John, dear,” she said, “yesterday I
covered your bootj .ck with silk plush
and painted some flowers on it, and it is
peifectly lovely. You will be delighted
when you see it I know.”
“I’ve seen it,” said John.
“You have; when?”
“Last night. I threw it at a cat.’’—
jffeu) York Sun,