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About North Georgia times. (Spring Place, Ga.) 1879-1891 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 31, 1889)
NORTH GEORGIA TIMES. C. X. KING, !■ Proprietors. A B. OARTJSR, f Old Age. When on the furrowed cheeks of Age Care’s hollow wrinkles show, The old man turns his life's last page With trembling hand and slow. Sark lower the skies; in every sound Death’s mournful dirge he hears; And wearily the days go round, The weeks; the months, the years; The lady of his love, alas! Hath closed her gentle eyes, With but one tiny tuft of grass To show him where she lies. “Old wife of mine!” he whispers low, “Above thy grave I see The star of Faith, whose beams I know, Shall guide me soon to thee F’ WON AT SIGHT. We had been upon the Mediterranean ■lation for about a year, when our com¬ mander ordered the ship to head for Marseilles. I was then a young midshipman, and enjoyed the leave on shore in a foreign port with boyish delight. There were aix in our mess, and wo managed to get shore leave so as to be together, when it was possible to do so. This was the case one fine Sunday in tho month of December, as mild and summer-like in the south of France as a Now England May day. The singular experience of one of our number I have often told since about the mess table or camp fire, but have never put it into print. We were strolling on tho square known as Lo Cours St. Louis, a sort of permanent flower markot, where the women sit enthroned in tent-like stalls of wood, encircled by their bright, beautiful and fragrant wares, white tho manner of arranging the stalls, so that the vender sits raised some six feet in the air, gave a novel effect to tho sceno. We watched with special delight these black-eyed, black-ha red nnd rosy cheeked girls, the b ush of health in their faces fairly rivalling that of their scarlet flowers. With busy fingers they arranged in dainty combinations the vivid and delicate colors, relieved by fresh green leaves and trailing vines of snulax, while we young middies joked pleasantly with them and bought fabulous quantities of bouquets. While wo were idling away the hour in Lo Cours St. Louis, with these roguish and pretty flower venders, we were all thrown into a state of amaze ment and curiosity by the appearance of a young girl of about 17, who rushed among us with a startling speed, and who, hardly pausing to regain her breath,,said, in excellent English: “You are Amer.cans, and I trust, gentlemen. Is tkcro ono among you ■who will marry me?” “We will all marry you,” was the in¬ stant response, accompanied by hearty laughter. “AL, you me in sport, but I am in earnest. Who will marry me?" There seemed to be no joke after all. The girl was positively in earnest and looked at ono and all of us as coolly, yet earnestly, as possible. “Here, Harry,” said one who was rather a leader among us, and address¬ ing Harry, “you want a wife,” and he gave our comrade a slight push toward tho girl. For some singular reason Harry took the matter much moro in earnest than the rest of us, and regarded the new¬ comer with a most searching but re¬ spectful glance. Approaching her he said: “I do not know exactly what you mean, but I can understand by your ex¬ pression of face that you are quite in earnest. Will you take my arm and let us walk to one side?” “Yes; but I have to time to lose,” jand together. taking his arm, they walked away looked upon tho affair as some §Utpared joke, but were a little an n on-appearance of Harry ous on the quay. Our leave Mi id at sunset, and dared we not wait for him, as Captain D-was a thorough disciplinarian, and we didn’t care to provoke him and thus endanger our next Sunday’s leave. On board we went, therefore, leaving Harry on shore. When we reported the question was, of course, asked where Midshipman B-was, to which query we could return no proper answer, as we really did not know. He know per fectly well that we must all be at the i boat landing just bcfi.re sunset. It wai plain enough to us all that there was trouble brewing for our messmate. Harry did not make his nppcrance un¬ til the next day at noon, when he pulled to the ship in a shore boat, and, com ing on board, reported at once to the SPRING PLACE. GA.. THURSDAY. OCTOBER 31, 188!). captain, who stood upon the quarter deck, and asked tho privilege of a pri¬ vate interview. The circumstances connected with the absence of Harry were very peculiar, and as he was one of the most correct fel¬ lows on board, his request was granted by the captain, who retired to his cabin, followed by the delinquent. After re¬ maining with the commander for near¬ ly an hour, he came out and joined us. “What is the upshot of it, Harry?” we asked. ‘ ‘Well, lads, I’m married — that’s all.” “Married?” asked the mess, in one voice. “Tied for life!” was the answer. “Hard and fast?” 4 ‘Irrevocably. ” “To that little craft you scudded away with? ’ “Exactly. As good and pure a girl as ever lived,” said Harry, earnestly. “W-h-e-w!” whispered one and all. “How did Old Neptune let you off?” we all eageily inquired—that being the name the captain went by on board. “He is hard on me,’’ said Harry, seri¬ ously, “What do you think he de¬ mands, lads?” 4 'Can t say; what is it?" “If I don’t resign, he will send me home in disgrace.” That’s his ultima¬ tum.” “W-h-e-w!” again from all hands. “Let’s get up a petition for Harry,” suggested one. ‘‘It’s of no use, lads, I know he means what he says. Ho hai given mo a while to think it over.” It was all up with Harry. Capt. D-was a severe, but an ex¬ cellent officer, and ho had only given tho delinquent the alternative of resign¬ ing or being sent homo in disgrace. The fact that he had got married in the manner ho described, in place of palliat¬ ing matters, only aggravated the cap¬ tain beyond measure. Ho declared it was a disgraco to the service, and a breach of propriety not to be over¬ looked. Harry told us his story in a desultory manner, interrupted by many questions and ejaculations, but which wn will put into a simple form for the convenience of the reader. Julie Meurice wns the orphan child of a merchant, who lmd been of high standing during his life, and who left a handsome fortune to endow his daugh¬ ter on her wedding day, or, if not mar¬ ried before, she was to receive the prop¬ erly on coming to the age of 20 years. Her mother had died in her infancy, and the father, when she was 10 years of age, placed her in a convent to be educated, where she remained until his death, which occurrred suddenly, six months previous to the period of our sketch. After his death Julie became the ward of her uncle, by the tenor of her father’s will, and the period of her edu¬ cational course having just closed at the convent, Hubert Meurice, the uncle, brought her home to his family circle. Madame Meurice, it appears, was a scheming, cal dilating woman, and knowing that Julie would bo an heiress, she tried every way to promote her in¬ timacy with her own son, who was an uncouth and ignorant youth of 18 years without one attractive point in his char¬ acter. Hubert Meurice, the uncle of Julie, was a sea captain, whose calling carried him much away from his home. Dur¬ ing his absence his wife treated Julie with the uimoet tyranny, oven keeping her locked up in her room for days to¬ gether, telling her that when she would consent to marry her son, Hubert, she would release her and do all she could to make her happy. But to this Julie could not consent. Imprisonment even was preferable to accepting her awk¬ ward and repulsive cousin. One day she overheard a conversation between her aunt and her" hopeful son, wherein the mystery of her treat¬ ment was solved. The boy asked his mother what wag tho use of bothering and importuning Julio so. “If she doesn’t want to marry me, mother, drop tho matter. I like Julie, and she would make me a nice little wife, but I don’t want her against her will." “You are a fool,’’ said tho mother. “You know nothing about the matter. Her father’s will endows her with a for¬ tune at her marriage, even if it be at 17, just her present age. At 20 she receives tho fortune at any rate. Now, don’t you see if you marry her wo are all fixed for life?" “Does Julie know about tho moneyi” he asked. “No, of course not." “It’8 a little sharp on her," said boy. “I’m looking out for you," said the mother. “Just so," mused the hopeful. 4 ‘I am resolved that she shall marry you, and that is why I keep her locked up, so that she may not see some one she would like better." ‘‘Lots of money, eh? Well, mother, let’s go in and win. When shall it be?” 4 ‘ft must be at once.” “The sooner the better." ‘•Your father is expected home next week. I want you to be married before he returns. Ho approves of it, but is a little too delicate about pressing mat¬ ters so quickly. I know that no time is like tho present timo, so I have been making arrangements to bring this about immediately.” This was enough for Julie, She un deratood tho situation fully now, and saw that her aunt would hesitate at nothing. Tho poor child feared her beyond description and had yielded to her in everything, save this one pur¬ pose of her marriage with Hubert. Julie was a very gentle girl; one upon whom her aunt could impose with im¬ punity. She had no idea of asserting her rights, much less of standing up for them. But sho was thoroughly fright¬ ened now, and resolved to escape at any cost from the tyranny which bound her. No fate could bo worse sho thought than to be compel ed to marry that coarse, vulgar and repulsive creature. Yes, she would run away at once Tho poor child—for she was little more —had not asked herself where she should go. She had no other relations that she knew of in the world, and the isolated life she had always led had caused her to form no intimacies, or even to mako friends with those of her own age. Indeed with this prospective fortune, yet she was virtually alone and unprotected, and without a relation whom she did not look upon as hei enemy. The next day after Julie had heard this information was Sunday, the gayest day of the week in Marseilles, and, for¬ tunately, Julie succeeded in making her escape from her aunt’s house. Still un¬ decided where to go, and in her dospor ation fearing that at any moment she might be seized and carried back, she had wandered into the flower market, where she came upon us, already de¬ scribed. As she explained to Harry afterward, she was intent only upon escape, and believed this to be her last chaDce. When she saw a half dozen young Americans, who seemed perfectly re¬ spectable, the idea that positive safety lay only in marriage dawned upon her, and she actually ran toward us, as we have related, tho moment the thought developed itself. Harry became moro and moro im¬ pressed with Julie’s story as they walked along, while ho was delighted by her innocent beauty and manifest refine¬ ment It was all like a dream, almost too romantic for truth. Our “fate” sometimes comes to us in this singular fashion, he thought ‘‘There is a tide in the affairs of men which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” Sud¬ denly he turned to her and said: “Dare you trust me with your hap¬ piness?” Sho looked at him thoughtfully with her soft pleading eyes. Her brain was very busy; she remembered what awaited her at home, what had driven her thence, and then, in reply to his sobor question, she put both other hands into his with child- liko trust. They wandered on. Julie had always plenty of money in her purse, and they strolled into a little chapel on their way, where they found a young clergyman, who could not resist their request to marry them, and so, though reluctantly and advising proper delay, he performed the marriage ceremony, aided by the sexton and his wife, who each received a Napoleon. As an inducement, Harry had also told the clergymen that he was just go¬ ing to sea, and that he must be married before he sailed, that not even one hour was to be lost. Julie came out of the chapel the wife of Harry B., who went with her to the Hotel du Louvre. From here he sent a pressing note to the American Consul, who Came to him early the next morn¬ ing, and by the earnest persuasion of dairy, the consul agreed to take the young wife to his own house, until matters should bo settled as it regarded tb future course. In the consul's hou e, / .lie found a pleasant and safe retreat ;or the time being. Whatever might be said with regard to the propriety of the young folk’ a con duct, it couhl not ho undone. They were irrevocably united as husband and wife. Harry was forced, however, to resign his commission. By tho aid of the Consul, Julie's rights in relation to her fortune under her father’s w 11 wero fully realized, and she came almost im¬ mediately with her young husband to America. Harry B., by means of proper in¬ fluence once moro entered the navy, the second timo as lieutenant, and now wears a captain's epaulets .—New York Newt. Names of Plants. The number of countries whieff have contributed their quota to the nomen¬ clature of English plants is legion. Be¬ ginning with France we have tho dent do lion—lion’s tooth—whcnco wo de rivo our dandelion. The flower-de-luce, again, which Mr. Dyer thinks was a name applied to tho irij, comas to us through tho French fleur do Louis—tra¬ dition asserting that this plant was worn as a device by King Louii VII. of France. Buckwheat is derived from the Dutch word bcckweit, and adder’s tonguo from a word in tho samo lan¬ guage, adde stong. In liko manner tho name tulip is traceable to the word thonlyban in the Persian language—sig. nifying a turban. So, too, our English word lilac is nothing more than an anglicized form of another word iu tho Persian tongue, viz., liiag. A largo number of plants owe their names to those by whom they were first discovered and introduced into other climes. The fuchsia stands indebted for its name to Leonard Fuchs, an eminent Ger¬ man botanist, and tho dahlia was so named in honor of a Swedish botanist named Dahl. A long list of plant names might bo formed which bear what might be termed animal and bird profixes—as, for example," horse beaivt, horso chest¬ nuts, dog violets and dog roses; cats’ faces, a name applied to tho plant known to botanical students as tho viola tricolor; cat’s cyos, veronica chain® Irys; c ts’ tails and catkins. The goose grass is known to tho country people in Northamptonshire as pig tail, and in Yorkshire a uamo given to tho fruit ol tho oratrogus oxyacantha is bull horns. Many plant names have been suggested by the feathered race, particularly goose longue, cuckoo buds (mintioned by Shakspoare), cuckoo flowers, stork’s bill and crane’s bill. Ono of the popu¬ lar names of the arum is “parson in the pulpit” and a Devonshire term for the sweet scabriosis is “mournful widow.” The campion is not infrequently called “plum pudding,” and in the neighbor¬ hood of Torquay it is not unusual to hear fir cones spokon of as “oysters.” — Gent,email's Magazine. Queer London Names. Queer names certainly are found in tho London, England, general registry of births, at Somerset House. For ex¬ ample, young scions of the families of Bath, Lamb, Jordan, Dew, Dear, and Smith arc christened respectively Foot, Pascal, River, Morning, Offspring, and Smith Follows. Mr. Cox called his son Arthur Wcllesly Wellington Waterloo. Mr. Jewett, a noted huntsman, named his E4ward Byng Tally Ho Forward. A mortal that was evidently un¬ welcome is recorded as “Ono Too Many.” Another of the same sort is “Not Wanted James.” Chil¬ dren with six to ten names are frequent, but probably the longest name in the world, longer than lliat of any poten¬ tate, is attached to tho child of Arthur Pepper, laundryman. The name of his daughter, born 1883, is Anna Bertha Ccecilia Diana Emily Fanny Gertrude Hypatia Inez Jano Knto Louise Maud Nora Ophelia Quince Rebecca Starkey Tereza Ulysis (sic) Venus Winfred Xenophon Yetty Zeus Pepper—one title precisely for every letter of the alpha¬ bet. —Chicago Eeialcl. A Peculiar Gas Weil Accident A peculiar acci dent occurred at a gae well near Anderson, Ind. The well is a phenomenal one, and has so far defied all attempts to pack it. Henry Lcffner, ono of the drillers, while passing the well extended his arm some two or three feet from its mouth, but directly over it, when the force of the gas blew his arm to a perpendicular position with such violence as to dislocate it at the shoulder. Vol. IX. New Series. NO. 39. THE BUFFALO. Raising the Large-Headed Bo¬ vine for Domestic Use. A Veteran Hunter Tells of His Success in the Business. C. J. Jones, tho veteran buffalo hun¬ ter, recently sold a one-half interest in Uis buffalo herd iu Kansas. He is tho gentleman who fathers the idea of rais - ing the buffalo for domestic purposes, and in an interview gave some interest¬ ing facts relating to his early days as a hunter and his pet hobby of domesti¬ cating this now almost extinct race of bovines. “I began hunting tho buffalo in 1871. I have killed from 40 to 60 buffaloes in one hunt, I figured out a plan of my own to corral them upon the prairie. 1 made an effort to get in front of the herd when they were traveling, so that they would come within about 20 yards of me in passing. 1 then shot tho leader through the heart and dropped her iu her tracks. The leader was generally a cow, tho old bulls being lazy and usual¬ ly lagging behind. Tho herd would fall back in the direction from which they came about 100 yards, stopping to turn around and look for danger. Iu a few minutes one of tho cows led out to go around on one side or the other and I would drop her as I did the first. They would again fall back & short dis¬ tance and huddle up together. After a short pause another cow might under¬ take to go around on tho other side and invariably met the same fate as tho other two. The herd after this was sure to form a close group upon the ground, where they halted after tho first shot, as buffaloes never retrace thoir steps but a short distance. Now, they had troublo on three sides and on the other was thoir back track, and I was freo to shoot down as many as I wanted, pro¬ vided I did not lire too rapidly and alarm them. Whenever one would at¬ tempt to lead away I made sure to kill it, and this taught the others that it wns sure death to the lenders. To bo sure it was very cruel, but I could hear tho crack of guns on every side, and I thought I would have my share. I soon realized that theso animals would soon be extinct, and in 1884 I began to gather up tho calves to atono for my slaughter. It was a very difficult matter to raise them, and at first I lost fifty per cent of them, but after a littb experience I could save ninety per cent. The calves when caught over three months old cannot bo raised—the cago breaks their heart and they give up ia disgust. I continued my efforts, howevor, and soon had a fine stock of calves on my ranch, near Garden City. At tho close of 1884 I had only succeeded in rai sing four, the next year seven and tho next twenty-two, nud this year I have twenty-one full blooded calves and my herd today number nearly one hundred. “I bought the famous Manitoba herd, consisting of 60 full bloods and 20 crosses, in 1887. “1 havo sold a great many bulls to shows and menageries at prices ranging from $300 lo $700. “The buffalo has a very fine, long coat of hair, which it sheds every year, and I am saving this, which averages about ton pounds per year, intending to have it made into cloth, by way of ex periment. The buffalo grow much larger in northern climates, tho bulls reaching a weight of 2500 pounds, with magnificent heads, which are eagerly sought for by the museums, and for which they have to pay from $200 to $6(30 apiece when mounted. “The meat of the domesticated but falo is as tender as the finest beef and has a delicious flavor. It is not like the the old tough “run down" hull meat, which we used to get and which was nothing but muscle and siuews. The cows are moro valuable than tbs bulls, a number of tho former having just been sold in Utah at prices ranging from $500 to $800. The half-breeds are not so good as the three-quarter or seven eighths. Tho latter are splendid ani mals, carrying a fine coat of hair. “With the view of perpetuating the race of American buffalo, a syndicate has been organized in Ogden, of several well known gentlemen. zoological farm will be started and com¬ pleted as rapidly as possible. Nego¬ tiations for the purchase of a half in terest in my herd have been going for some time, which were last week, the price being $75,000. anticipate no difficulty in moving the animals, as I had none in bringing the Manitoba herd into Kansas. ” A Japanese Flower Holiday. From an article by the artist Wores in the Century we quote tho following: “The love of flowers m Japan amouuts almost to adoration. They are insepar¬ able from tho life, art and literature ol the people, and to deprive the Japanese of them would be to take the sunshine out of their lives. On ono occasion 1 received through my young friend au invitation from his parents to accom¬ pany them on a visit to a very celebrat¬ ed grovo of plum trees that were then in full bloom. After an hour’s ride in a “jinrikisha, ” or ‘‘kuruma,” as these little man-carriages are more commonly called, we arrived at our destination, where great numbers of people were flocking from all points. “The trees were one mass of fra¬ grant and delicate pink blossoms. Hun¬ dreds of visitors in holiday attire were strolling about under tho branches with extreme delight depicted ou their coun¬ tenances. Others again had spread rugs under the trees, * where they were served with delicious tea from tho neighboring tea house. Tho brightly clad children were dancing and frolick¬ ing in the shade of tho blossom*, and a moro perfect picture of suushino and happiness can hardly be imaginod. In numorablo little strips of paper flutter¬ ing amidst tho blossoms attracted my attention. Miss Okiku informed me that it was tho happy custom of the poo ple to give veut to their delight on these occasions by inscribing poetic senti¬ ments, too brief, perhaps, to be called poems, and hanging them up in the boughs. And, sure enough, ns I looked about me, I obscivod several persons with paper and pocket inkstands in hand engaged in composing these little sonnets in praise of the blossoms. “Yasuroaru was at some pains to ex¬ plain to me that those poetic effusions were supposed to bo composed on tho spot—that the expression, tho form of the idea, was derived from tho inspira¬ tion of tho scone; but his father added, with a twinklo in his eye, that many came with thoir pooms already prepared. I was honest enough to confess to the old gentleman that tins proceeding was not altogether different from tho habit of our after-dinner orators who surprise their friends with impromptus com¬ posed, as tho French put it a hisir; that is to say, at their ease. Some months later I painted a picture cntitlod ‘Springs Inspiration,’ in which two young gin's are represented walking over tho huge stepping-stones through a grovo of blossoming plum trees and rending these poems; for, although it is not recorded that the Japanese lover takes this moans of praising his Rosa¬ lind, none tho less do Japanese maidens delight in passing from treo to tree per¬ using the fluttering inscriptions." The First Can note. The first cannon which came into use after the discovery of tho explosive properties of gunpowder, during the four centh century, were called bom bards. They consisted of iron bars bound together with hoops of the same mc tai. The first cannon balls fired from those primitive weapons were round stones. It is a mistake to suppose that breech-loading guns were not tried till recently. They were made when can non first came into use, but were soon abandoned because no one know how to make them strong enough. Among the early cannon wero Culverins, which W ero ma do four times tho length of a man, tho early artillerists having con¬ ceived the idea that the longer the gun the further it would carry, ' Windmills. The census report of 1880 shows that in that year there were 69 windmill es tablishmcnts in tho Union, of which California claimed 11, paying out a to tal of $244,197 in wages and producing windmills to tho value of $1,010,542. Since that time tho manufacture of theso articles has largely increased,and though the competition of moro powerful and tractable motors is also increasing, it ma 7 safely be said that the days of the American windmill are by no means numbered and that they will be used for many years with economy and sue cess. —San Frtmcisoo Chronicle. ' , Dr. Oscar Hontoiius estimates that the Stone Age ended 3500 years ago ia Sweden, where it reached a very high development.
