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NORTH GEORGIA T MES.
Vol. VII. New Series.
The Singing Leper.
A Saxon king with merry throng
Of nobles hunted in a wood
At eventide, when lo! a song
Most wondrous broke, a tremulous flood
Of praise from distant lips unseen.
TSe hunters halted, listening keen
To catch each nearing echo, till
Among the trees a form unclean,
A leper white moved up the hill
Across their path, and sang the while.
His livid features wore a smile;
His wrinkled hands were clasped in prayer;
While living death, a master vile,
Made all his flesh a thoroughfare
For swift and myriad-footed pain.
And all tho while he sang his strain;
Then spake the king with stirring call,
And bade him halt; and with his train
The king moved on with care withal
And questioned him with pitying gaze.
“How sing you thus these words of praise
When life is death?” A moment’s pause,
Then smiling answered he: "I raise
My voice in songs of joy because
Although a leper, yet 1 know
“That as my frame decays I grow
More near the sure deliverance
That comes from God, whose graces flow
Through all the wastes of circumstance
And rhoves’by life and soul to Him.”
The king’s and nobles’ eyes grew dim.
Then turning to his train the king
Spake thus: “Unto the very brim
Is this man’s sorrow, yet they brin
Rejoicings, for he trusts his Lord.
i‘Thi« leper's voice shall hero record
We have not hunted all in vain.
Our spoils this day is as a sword
W hose shining blade shall conquer pain.
And to our homes we turn again
W ith larger faith and nobler word.
KITTY DALE,
“If ever I marry,” Kitty Dale used to
say, half in earnest and half in fun, “the
fortunate naan—or, if you like it better,
the unfortunate man—must be a person
who possesses these three qualities—
wealth, good looks, sense. I name
wealth first, because I think it is the
most necessary and desirable quality of
the three. Although I would never
think of marrying a fool, or a man
whose ugliness I should be. ashamed, of,
".yetrf-tbrak I would sooner talk'sensibly
for the one or shine for the other, pro
vided ho were rich, than to economize
and live in obscurity with any man,
however handsome and sensible ho
might bo.”
I know not how much of this came
from Kitty’s heart; that some of it did
the sequel will show. Without doubt
she built her full share of Spanish cas
ties, for her education in the duties and
objects of life were exceedingly imper¬
fect, if not absolutely false. But who¬
ever became acquainted with Kitty’s
truly womanly nature, could not doubt
that she was capable of deeper and
nobler sentiments.
And the time approached when Kitty
must take the important step—the most
important in a woman’s life—of which
she had so > often spoken so lightly;
when she would give her friends an
opportunity to judge how much of her
heart there was in the words we have
cited.
At the joyous age of eighteen she had
a goodly number of suitors. As she
never seriously encouraged but two, we
will follow her example, and leaving
the others unnoticed, consider the only
relative advantages and merits of her
favorites.
Frank Gothwait possessed many ex¬
cellent qualities, which gave him the
reputation among tho early and more
discriminating portion of his acquaint¬
ances as being “ a highly estimable
young man;” among his comrades as
being “a very good fellow;” and among
the young ladies of being “just as nice
as he could be.”
Kitty loved Frank; she couldn’t help
it, and Frank knew it. He was con¬
vinced she preferred his society to that
of Tom Wellington, his only rival.
This Tom Wellington, his comrades
called him the “Duke,” was neither an
idiot, or hump-backed or bow-legged,
all iff which I wish ho had been; it
wou ira havo made my story much more
interesting. On the contrury he was a
sensible, handsome, well-bred young
man; and so far as I know, there was
not a trace of the rascal in his composi¬
tion. Besides these advantages, he,
the son of one of our merchant. princes,
possessed an income sufficient to enable
him to live superbly. He counted his
thousands when his rival counted hun¬
dreds.
Frank rested his hopes, therefore, en¬
tirely on the influence he possessed over
Kitty’s heart. The “Duke,” although
just the man for her in every particular,
as he was rich, handsome and sensible,
could never succeed in winning her af¬
fections; and the amiable Frauk could
not or would not believe she would al
low the better promptings of her nobler
and better nature to be over-ruled by
worldly considerations.
SPRING PLACE. GEORGIA, THURSDAY. JANUARY 26, 1888.
When he, however, one day insisted
on knowing his fate, she startled him
by saying, with a deep-drawn sigh,
“Ah, Frank, I am sorry we ever met!”
“Sorry?”
“Yes, I have thought it all over;
we cau never be anything but friends.”
“What!” exclaimed Frauk, turning
suddenly, and nervously twisting his
blonde mustache.
“Never, never," said Kitty in a tone
scarcely audible.
Frank sat down beside her on the sofa;
put his arm around her waist in spite of
a gentle “Don’t do that,” and letting
his voice sink almost to a murmur,spoke
to her—to the proud Kitty—until she
wept bitterly.
“Kitty,” said he, in a tone full of
tender emotion—“Kitty, I know that
you love me, but you are proud, ambi¬
tious, selfish. If it is really your will that
I should leave you, speak tho word, and
I will go. ”
“Go, then,” murmured Kitty.
“Have you fully decided?” asked
Frank, hardly able to believe his cars.
“Yes."
“TheD, farewell!”
He took her band in his, looked for a
moment at her pretty, tearful face, and
then, unable to control himself, pressed
her passionately to his bosom.
She not only submitted to his em¬
brace without a struggle, but giving
way to an irresistible impulse, threw her
arms lovingly around his nock. Sud¬
denly, however, recollecting her resolu¬
tion, she loosened her hold and pushed
him from her with a sigh.
“Shall I go?" he stammered.
A faint “Yes" fell from Kitty’s lips—
the next moment she lay alone, sobbing
and weeping on the sofa. But, little by
little, grief seemed to wear itself out.
Her tears ceased to flow and her breath¬
ing became more regular. Her head
rested on her arm, and her face was
half concealed beneath a flood of dark
brown curls.
The strugglo-was over; the pain
was already stilled. She saw Mr.
Wellington enter, apd spring up fiajly
to meet and welcome him. His
manner pleased her; his social
position and wealth fascinated her.
His heart, he said, had long been hers;
would she not accept his hand? She
would, and did. A kiss sealed the be¬
trothal ; but it was no such kish as she
had given Frank, and she could scarcely
suppress a sigh. Poor Kitty!
The wedding was superb. Elegantly
attired, her beauty was truly dazzling;
while everything around her seemed to
float in the witching atmosphere of a
fairy land, she gave her hand to the
man that her ambition and not her
heart had chosen.
Her friends were numerous; her hus¬
band was tender, devoted and loving;
but all their friendship and all his ten¬
derness wero not sufficient to satisfy the
longings of her woman’s heart. She
had known what it is to love—to bo
under the influence of that divine en¬
chantment which cannot be bought and
sold like chattels in tho market; but her
heart seemed dead; it found no conso¬
lation or sympathy in her luxurious
life.
Then came a change in her husband.
Ho could not long remain blind to the
fact that his love was not returned. He
sought the companionship of those
whose gaiety enabled him, in some
measure, to forget his grief; he betook
himself of those social byways which
are the refuge of so many disappointed
husbands, and sought to warm his heart
at foreign hearths. Kitty complained
to her husband that he had neglected
her. He replied with reproaches that
she had deceived him, had never loved
him—reproaches that her conscience
told her she deserved.
“What right have you,” he cried, “to
call me to account, go where I will, or
do what I will—you who have never
loved me?”
“But it is wrong, sinful! remon
strated Kitty.
“True,” said he. “It is the sinful
fruit of sinful seed. And who sowed
this seed? Who gave mo her hand with¬
out her heart? Who became tho sharer
of my fortune without giving me ashare
of her affections! Who has taught me
the pangs requited love? No, no,
do not weep and clasp your hands! Isay
nothing that you do not deserve to
hear.”
“I have not said I do not deserve your
reproaches; but, whether I am or not
the cold, deceitful thing you say I am,
you must see that this state of things
cannot continue.”
“I know it,” ho said, firmly.
“Well?”
Wellington’s brow boro a portentous
aspect. He fixed Ins eyes for a moment
on his wife, and then said, in a measured
tone: ‘ I have decided to live with you
no longer, madam. 1 am tired of being
called the husband of the charming Mrs.
Wellington. You must go your road.
I will go mine. Neither shall stand in
the other’s way. We will be free.”
“But the world?” cried poor Kitty,
trembling.
“The world, ha!—tho world will
flatter you and admire you then as now.
What more do you want? To call a
simple joining of worldly interests, it
accordance with certain forms, a union
—what an absurdity! Tho farce has
lasted long enough. But few under¬
stand the meaning of the word man and
wife. And do you understand their
meaning? Do you know that there can
be no union unless mutual love be the
connecting link? Enough of this mum¬
mery! I will consult with my friends
regarding the conditions of our separa¬
tion. No, no, you need have no fears.
You need not weep arid cling to me.
I will be generous with you. You sliull
have as much of my fortune as you de¬
mand.”
He pushed her from him. She fell on
the sofa, and from the depths of her
despair she cried: “Frank! Frank! why,
why did I send you from me? Why
Was I so blind until this came upon me
to open my eyes?”
She laid upon the sofa, sobbing and
weeping bitterly. Gradually her grief
seemed to subside; she breathed calmly;
her tears ceased to flow, and her lay
lightly on arm, over which hung her
loosened tressos in all their luxurious
profusion.
“Frank!” she murmurs suddenly;
“dear Frank, come back to me, come
back to me 1”
“Here I am,” said a gentlo voice. *•
She opened her eyes and raised her
head. Frank stood beside her.
“You have been asleep,” said he,
smiling.
“Asleep ?”
“Ay, and have been dreaming.”
“Dreaming ?” murmured Kitty; “and
is this all a dream ?”
"I hope so,” taking her hand. “I
know you would not drive me from you
sq cruelty; so I waited, in your .father’*
room, where I havo been talking with
him for the last hour. I came back to
plead my cause once more, and found
you asleep where I left you."
“Ah, what a frightful dream!” mur¬
mured Kitty, rubbing her eyes. “It
was so like a hideous reality that I trem¬
ble when I think of it. I thought I was
married 1”
“If it was so terrible,” said Frank,
“I hope you did not dream you wero
married to me.”
“No; I thought that I had given my
hand to one who had not, and to whom
I could never give my heart.”
“So, then, he to whom you give your
hand must first have won your heart?”
“Yes, Frank, he must,” said Kitty,
smiling through her tears; “and-thero
it is!”
“A Drink and a Rock.”
I shall never again say that the Massa¬
chusetts people are not hospitable,
writes the New Orleans Picayune’s Bos¬
ton correspondent. A day or two ago
T was driving along a country road just
outside of Boston, and chanced to stop
at a farm house to inquire my way. Au
old lady camo to tho door and, having
given me the information I desired,
politely asked m3 to havo, so she ex¬
pressed it—“a drink and a roek.” By a
“drink” I rather supposed sho
meant a glass of milk. The
“rock” was a luxury tho nature
of which was beyond imagining. Satis¬
fied, however, that it was something in¬
viting, I accepted tho offer with thanks,
and, having tied my horse, went inside.
My hostess thereupon requested me to
be seated in her best rocking chair, and
poured me out a glass of water. “Now,”
she said “you can have a drink and a
rock, and rest yourself as long as you
like.” Certainly this is the most inex¬
pensive entertainment I havo ever heard
of. It beats tho 5 o’clock tea nil hollow.
Wonderful Skill with a Rifle.
B. A. Bartlett of Randolf, in this
state, is a remarkable rifleman. In a re¬
cent exhibition of his skid he is said to
have hit a common white bean at a dis¬
tance of twenty-five yards, holding his
rifle in various positions. He also hit a
postal card that was set up edgewise.
Using a thirty-two calibro ball he shot
through a thirty-two calibro pistol bar -
rel, the bullet splitting on a knife blndo
on the further end of the revolver bar
el and each half of the bullet breaking
an egg. He ignited a parlor match held
by a person at the target stand, knocked
the ashes from cigars and concluded by
shooting a bean from the nose of a
friend who had sufficient confidence in
his skill to permit, the atteriipt. All
these remarkable Shots are vouched for
by reputable witnesses. -—[Chicago
News.
AN INDIAN AGENCY.
Scenes at the Issue of Annuities
at Fort Yates.
How the Indians Pass the Win¬
ter Near the Agency.
I had not been long at tho Standing
Ilock Agency, Fort Yates, Dakota, says
a'writer in the New York Sun, when
the regular issue of annuities was made
to the Indians of the reservation. The
Indians received their articles in a room
about thirty feet square, surrounded on
three sides by coiluters piled high with
annuity goods, Along the other sido of
the room were the desks of tile Clerks,
inspector, Indian agent, <fcc. When I
reached the building, there was a string
of Iudians pressing against the door like
a lot of theatre goers at the box office
on a first night. It was only by actually
taking hold of and pushing some of the
evil-smelling fellows asido that I was
able to reach the door at all.
various ||Wlien articles I entered being n blanket dragged full of
wa9 out
of the opposite door. With nfc had
entered an Indian to receive-his issue.
As soon as ho entered a blanket was
Spread on the floor, and a glib-tongucd
young clerk began to rattle off tho list
of things that the Indian and his family
llcrc to receive, In a moment the air
if as literally thick with articles. Trou
Jprs, pails, caps, shawls, blankets, gtock
iiigs, .rfiotes and cups, woven wire
mattresses, butter knives, boxes of
akle grease, woolen scarfs, mittens,
axes, canvas, needles, thread arid Cotton
shirts, all rained down in tho most
bountiful manner upon tho blanket,
which was then gathered at the four
Corners and dragged to the floor, where
Rs new owner received it,
r While all of the Indians receive cer¬
tain articles, those who have made the
most progress in civilization and have
been most subordinate during tho past
4 $4 t. are specially favored, and it is the
further carrying out of tho policy here
indicated that is so rapidly turning tho
Sioux Indians from their savage habits
to those of civilization. The principal
articles are always issued in tho early
winter, in order that the Indians
may be as comfortable as possible dur¬
ing that cold season. Other things,
such as horses, ploughs, wagons, har¬
ness, oxen, etc., arc issued in the spring,
when they nro most needed to help tho
Indians in their agriculture.
Some of tho Iudians accept civilized
customs with great reluctance. A day
or two after the issue I saw spring mat¬
tresses used to soften the joltings of
their wagons, and axlo grease used as
butter, while trousers wero in almost
The issue of annuities signifies to the
Indians that winter has really come, and
immediately after it those Indians' who
have spent the warmer months wander¬
ing about tho prairios como in aud camp
in a great village about a mile from tlie
agency. A groat many livo, even dur¬
ing the intense cold of a Dakota winter,
in canvas tents, or tepees. These are
made circular, and are left open at the
top to allow the escape of tho smoke
from a small wood fire always kept
burning in tho centre of the earthen
floor. In order to protect themselves
from the cold as much as possible, the
Indians build their village in a broad
bottom thickly overgrown with dwarf
willows. In addition to this, two or
three families pitch their tents together
and build a high hedge or fence of
brushwood around them to break the
force of tho wind. Tho lower edge of
the tent is piled a foot high with sods
and earth. It would be difficult for
a white man to live through a win¬
ter m one of these tepees, on account of
the cold as well as on account of the
smoke with which they are always
filled when the fire is burning. The
squaws perform all of the manual labor,
and I have seen old, bpnt, wrinkled
ones trudging homeward through tho
deep snow, each bearing upon her back
a bundle of dry sticks twice her size.
Some of the Indians have built them¬
selves small log houses and have been
provided with stoves. This transition
from the tepee to the house is one of the
hardest for the indinns to make. In
this respect they resemble the more civ¬
ilized tribes of wandering gypsies.
Nearly all of the Indians own ponies
and many own oxen. As soon as the
first snow falls these animals are seen
harnessed to sleighs of the Indians’ own
construction. The sleighs are made en¬
tirely of wood, deftly hewn into proper
shape with the axe, and fastened to¬
gether by wooden pins. Even during
the coldest weather, the Indians’ ponies
and oxen are turned [oose to provide for
themselves. The ponies arc aectistomefl '
to that sort of tiling, and paw the snow
from the ground and manage to And
enough grass to keep them alive until i
spring, but the oxen have to content
themselves with what willow tops and
wild lose bushes they are able to find.
They suffer greatly from the cold, and
in tho spring it is not unusual to see oxen
covered ttitb raw, hairless patches as
large as a ManG hand from the effects
of frost bites received the winter be¬
fore.
A Mexican Dandy.
Yonder goes the Dude of Yantopce, a J j
wealthy young sugar-planter, whoso
ancestral acres stretch away beyond the
limits of vision. He bestrides a pranc¬
ing Steed, whose pace is here known ns
“single step,” and the gorgeous saddle
aud strappings that cover the animal
almost out of ■ must have cost a
moderate fortune. Observe how gin¬
gerly ho holds his gold-headed whip,
and how the big diamond sparkles in
the end of it! See hri pearl-inlaid re¬
volvers protruding from the S3sh of
crimson silk which his short black
jacket imperfectly conceals, llis panta¬
loons, tight as two candle moulds, are
decotatcd with double rows of genuine
half dollars up the outside seams, set on
so closely as to overlap and braid to¬
gether with gold cord. Tho pointed
toes of Ms tiny shoes are
thrust into silver stirrups of
enormous size. and from his
heels dangle silver spurs that, ten to
one, outweigh his feet. His great
sombrero of white felt has a gold cable,
largo as your thumb, wound around and
around it, and its broad, thick brim
bears also a heavy arabesque of gold.
Ilis horse is so perfectly trained that the
rider never uses tho rein, but leans
slightly to tho right or the left to indi¬
cate his wish.
The moro, or groom, who rides be¬
hind at a respectful distance, forms an
admirable foil to the gorgeousness of
his master, whom he constantly eyes
with an air of excessive pride and dig¬
nity, as one who says, “There ho goes;
just look nt him! Isn’t he a daisy? His
hacienda covers a thousand square
miles, and that white sombrero cost a
hundred dollars if it cost a cent.—
[Mexican Letter.
How Caviare is Made.
Caviare is the roe of tho sturgeon
tribo of fish, but salmon and pike roes
are usually added to assist in increasing
the bulk. The roe is cleaned, then
washed with vinegar, salted and dried,
when it is packed in casks. The best
quality is prepared more carefully
from the sturgeon alone. Tho salt¬
ing is conducted in long, narrow bags
of linen, which are hung along a cord
and half filled with roe. A very strong
brine is then poured into each bag until
it overflows.
When the brine has all passed through
the bags arc taken down, carefully
squeezed to exclude all superfluous
liquid and after a short exposure to tho
air packed in casks. The finest quality
of caviare is made from sterlet’s roe, but
this is said not to find its way into com¬
merce, being reserved mainly for the
Czar’s table. It has been stated that
3,000,000 pounds of caviare are annu¬
ally packed at Astrakhan alone.---[Phil¬
adelphia Star.
Marmot Tillage.
It appears that tho marmots, like
earthworms, have considerable influence
in mollifying the soil. During recent
explorations in the Caspian steppes,
Prof. Muskctofl found that tho marmots
though they made their first appearance
in the region only a few years ago, have
already covered hundreds of square
miles with their heaps of earth. These
heaps average some eleven by eight feet
in length and breadth, and from one to
two feet in height; and it may bo safely
asserted that in each square mile of the
area covered moro than 100,000 cubic
yards of earth have boon brought to the
surface by the litt-ie creatures. Tho ef¬
fect upon vegetation is quite apparent.
Westphalia Hams.
Spanish hog meat and Westphalia
hams are said to owe their peculiar ex¬
cellence to the sw^ne being fed on mast,
which our limited forests cannot to any
extent allow. It is said that a peek of
acorns a day, with a little bran, will
make a hog increase one pound in
weight daily, for two months together.
—[London Times.
The Deadly Boxing Glove.
It is a mistake to supposs that the
boxing glove is less injurious to the per¬
son with whom it conics in contact than
the bare fist is. The fist cuts, but the
glove stuns, like a sand club or a piece
of lend pipe, and is more apt to produce
^congestion. —[Cosmopolitan,
NO. 51.
Wealth I’ntold.
Reek your treasure and yoirM find
It exists but in the mind.
Wealth is but. tho power that hires
Blessings that the heart desires;
And if thnsa are mine to hold
Independently of gold.
And the gifts it K0n bestow,
I'm rich'?* than I knowI
Rich I am if, *h«n I pass
’Mid the daisies the grass,.
Every daisy in my sight
Seems a jewel of delight.'
Rich am 1, if I can see
Treasure in the flower and tree.
And can hear ’mid forest leaves
Music in the summer eves;
If the lark that sings aloud.
On the fringes of the cloud,
Scatters melodies around
Fresh as raindrops on the ground;
And I hless the happy bird
For the joy it has conferred;
If the tides upon the shore
Chant me anthems evermore;
And I feel in every mood
That life is fair and God is good!
1 am rich if I possess
Such a fund of happiness,
And can find where’er l stray
Humble blessings on the way,
And deserve them ere they’re given
By my gratitude to heaven.
—ICliambors) Journal.
HIMOHOUS.
A new thing in socks—a baby three
days old.
A Watch that don’t run doesn’t need
any chant,
A week feature in the calendar—Every
seven days.
The most insane of tho cereals is un¬
doubtedly cracked wheat.
The barber is a firm believer in the
theory of rotation of crops.
The men who marry most frequently
for money are the ministers.
Money is so tight now that some peo¬
ple haven’t even any loose change.
A poet sings; “A little further on I
shall find rest " Keep him moving.
The thing that a woman always
knows best is how some other woman
ought to dress.
Tho woman who can control her
tongue is greater than ho who taketh a
city. She is also scarcer.
Odd, isn’t it, but people who pass
their lives, so to speak, on beds' of
down, seldom get down in the mouth.
Giving slippers to clergymen has gone
out of fashion. The disobedient chil¬
dren get them just the same, however.
The man who has an expensive health
lift fitted up in his bedroom seldom gots
up muscle enough to bring up the
family coal.
George Wcstinghousc, Jr., inventor
of the air brake, is worth $0,000,000.
This is, perhaps, tho largest fortune
ever made out of wind.
The hay press was invented by a
woman, which leads a wag to suggest
that she got the idea from a dcsiro to be
hugged from all sides at once.
“I thought you took an unusual in¬
terest in my welfare,” i cmnrked an un¬
successful lover, “No, indeed,” she
replied, “only in your farewell.”
Daughter—Wasn’t Julius Cmsar one
of the strongest men that ever lived,
pa? Father—What makos you ask that
question? Daughter—I was just read¬
ing that ho threw a bridge over the
Rhine.
Timid young suitor who has won con¬
sent of papa—“And now may I ask, sir,
whether — ah—-whether your daughter
has any domestic accomplishments?"
Papa (sarcastically) — “Yes, sir; she
.sometimes knits her brows.”
Little brother, whose sister is playing
cards with a gentleman—Mr. Smiler,
does Minnie play cards well? Mr.
Smiler—Yep, very well, indeed. Little
brother—Then you had hotter look out;
mamma said if she played her cards
well she would catch you.
Art Running to Extremes.
“Here, come into our sitting-roon’,
will you?" said a Buffalo gentleman to a
Courier reporter; “ I just want to show
you how art can be prostituted. My
wife has gono and bought a stove and
paid $75 for it $40 for the heating ap¬
paratus and $35 lor those nickel gira
cracks and figures on it, and those tiles
jammed into it. 1 told her she had no
sense of the fitness of things. If we
want nickel statuettes and tiles, let’s
have ’em where they belong, and not on
a pesky stove. A stove is made to give
warmth, not to serve as a crockery cab¬
inet. The next step will be art coal
hods, art dish-pans, art potato-barrels
and art rat-traps. The plainer and less
conspicuous a stove is the better. A
stove covered with these gewgaws is as
out of place as a coal heaver going to
work in a dress sqit and patent leather
pumps.”