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NORTH GEORGIA TIMES
Effie“ }"°”‘°f?7
have yon heard tho newst
Btuwiy In longs and thews
ThUNfa.neWb.by! Ring bells of crystal life, . .
Wave hough* with blossoming tip;
Think what he may be!
Love cannot love enough,
Winter is never rongh
All around each sweetness;
One of a million mow
Lent to the glad heart’s door
In their completeness.
Though in each year ’tis told,
Such news is never old
Of a firs| birthday;
Welcome thou ray of light,
'! In joyous wishes dight,
. ^ail —Bote down H. thy mirth-way.
Lathrop, in the Housewife.
4 Mrs. Melthorpes Mistake.
BY AMY KANDOLPH.
i “Mark Antony’s widow 1” said Mrs.
ht Melthorpe, sharply. “Again 1 Didn’t
desire you to tell her yesterday, when
aha called, that I was particularly en¬
gaged?”
Hyacinth Melthorpe hesitated. She
vraa a tall, angular girl Of' fifteen, with
tfaet and hand* pitifully in her way, and
big, frightened eyes, like those of a
hare disturbed in its woodland haunts.
“Mamma,” she ventured, “won’t
you see her? She is very pretty and
young, and she looks so dreadfully
tired.”
“No, I won’t,” said Mrs. Melthorpe,
standing with a little Dresdeu statuette
la her hand, and considering whether
it had better be packed in a trunk or
carried by band. “I am going down
to my brother-in-law Harpsv’s, with
Norine, and I have no time to spare for
poor “Oh, relations. mamma, ” h i? She will hear
youl"
“Let her hear me. The truth never
yet did anybody any harm. Mark
Antony would marry her, in spite of all
of us, when he might have had Pru
dentia Goldiland with her quarter at a
mUltoc, for the asking.”
‘ ‘Mamma, she is your brother’s
widow.”
Mrs. Melthorpe fixed upon her young¬
est born a Gorgon glance which nearly
froze her to death.
“Be silent, Miss!” said she.- “Is it
for a slip of a thing Eke you to contra¬
dict me and lay down the law? TeO
Mark Antony’s widow to go about her
business!”
At this moment, however, Hyacinth
was re inforced by a slight, fair-haired
little woman in a very plain black
gown, who valiantly presented herself
on the scene.
“Do not blame Hyacinth, Mrs. Mel
thorpe,” said she. “I called to see
you because I have just returned from a
visit to Eernor Cast.c—' ’
| Mrs. Melthorpo stiffener _ihly.
■Hyacinth looked appalled. Evan
Norine, the beauty of the family, who
lay like a sultana among her cushions,
and drank chocolate,roused herself into
aomething like attention, lifting her
big, deer-like eyes to the blushing face
of the newcomer.
“She is pretty, in a wax doll sort of
fashion,” thought Norine, who herself
wa* a sort of Junonian belle—large,
languid and pink-cheeked.
“Ye3,” said Mrs. Melthorpe, “But
if you will allow me to mention it,Mrs.
Mark Antony, it was hardly tho thing
for you to besiege my poor dear brother
in-law—even at hi* own house.”
“His wife was Mark Antony's ais
ter.”
“Humph!” said Mrs. Melthorpe, “If
you expect, madame, to be adopted by
all Mark Antony’s relations, you will
find yourself considerably mistaken.
You are young and perhaps inexperi¬
enced. Allow me to warn you that too
much pushing will not be tolerated by
the family.”
Mrs. Mark Antony Maywood colored
to the very roots of her golden fringe
of hair; she would have spoken, but
her sister-in-law kept the floor.
“H you will read the newspapers,”
said she, “you will perceive that there
are pknty of situations as companions,
stenographers, amanuenses, and so on,
to l)e had.”
“But—”
Again Mrs. slthorpo struck in:
“Or I would recommend you to study
telegraphy, or purchase a typewriter
and practice diligently upon it. Any¬
thing would be preferable to becoming
a burden upon your friends. Good
morningl”
Mm. Mark Antony withdrew silently.
Norine Melthorpe tossed her head; Hya¬
cinth burst into tews.
SPRING PLACE. GA.. THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 1890.
“Goosey,” cried Norine, “what are
you sobbing about!”
“Oh, it was too cruel,’’ faltered
Hyacinth. ‘ 'You might at least have
offered her a cup of your chocolate,
Norine!”
“Nonsense,” said Norine. “The
woman has got to be taught to know
her place 1 .Let her go to workl”
“But she never was brought up’to do
anything. She was rich when Uncle
Mark Antony married her,” pleaded
Hyacinth.
“She might have had a few thousand
dollars—nothing to what Prudentsa
Goldiland would have inherited; but it
is no fault of ours that Mark Antony
gambled them all away. Her mother
should have brought her up dif¬
ferently..’’
“Mamma, it’s ju3t the way you have
educated Norine. She can’t even sew
on her own shoo- buttons 1” protested
truthful Hyacinth.
“How daro you argue with me, you
impertinent minx!” retorted Mrs.
Melthorpe, putting down tho Dresden
statuetto and giving Hyacinth a smart
box on the ear. “Go down stairs and
help Bridget, at once; and don't you
ever dare again to dictate to me I”
So the packing went on—for although
Mrs. Melthorpo had only written to her
wealthy brother-in-law that she would
spend a fow weeks at Harper Castle,
with his permission, as dear Narine’s
health was dolica'e, and Hyacinth,
sweet child, was growing a great deal
too fast, still she had made up her
mind to remain there permanently,
when once she had obtained a footing.
“And I wonder,” thought indignant
Hyacinth, “what mamma calls that but
pushing. ”
The Melthorpes went down by train
the next week but one, leaving the
packing-boxes on storage, and taking
only nine trunks. For Harper Castle
was not many miles from Saratoga, and
Mrs. Melthorpo intended that “dear
Norine” should have the beneflt of the
fashionable season.
“Albert Harper is as rich as Crosms,”
thought the manoeuvering mother, “and
there’s no reason that some of the
money shouldn't be spent on his
nieces!’ ’
She had not seen much of the Har¬
pers of II rper Castle, of late years be¬
cause there had beea no very particular
warmth of affection between herself and
her sister. “If I had supposed,” rea¬
soned Mrs. Melthorpo, “that Artomis
was going to marry rich, I should have
treated her very diff jreutly those years
that she lived at home with me. But
Melthorpe said there was no reason she
shouldn’t earn her living, and save us
the extra expense of a lady's maid—
and, of course, all that is a bygone
now, and if we play our cards well, we
can have a home at Harper Cattle for
the rest of our lives!”
The elegant open landau with its
deep bay horses giittiring with gold
plated harness, and its two coachman
in black livsry, was waiting at tho sta¬
tion. Norine entered it, more like
royal Juno than ever. Mrs. Melthorpe
bustled after her, and Hyacinth seated
herself timidly at the back of the car
riage.
“This is something like," said Norine,
languidly exultant. “Mamma, we’ve
been grubs all our lives, now we are
commencing to be butterflies. I must
say, I like to feel my wings.”
And Hyacinth was silent.
Colonel Harper met them at the door
—a superb arched portal beneath a row
of Corinthian colums. He was a hand
some, middle-aged gentleman, his hair
just sprinkled with gray, his keen, dark
eyes sparkling through eye-glasses.
Norine kissod him effusively. Mrs.
Melthorpe squeeze his hand. Hyacinth
shrank back, scarcely daring to appro¬
priate any of the welcome to herself.
“Pray walk in,” said the Colonel. “I
was just considering the propriety of
writing to you, when I received the let
let announcing your speedy visit.”
“My dear Albert! Of writing to
us?”
“Yes,” said Colonel Harper, usher¬
ing them into a stately drawing-room.
“I do not know that my affairs particu¬
larly affect the rest of the family, but I
had decided to let you know of my
second marriage.”
Mrs. Melthorpe gave a gasp. Norine
looked appalled. No thunderbolt could
have taken them more by surprise.
“Artemis has been dead a year now,”
went on the Colonel, in cool business¬
like accents. “The lady who has hon¬
ored me by intrusting hor future to my
care is a connection of this family.
Evelyn, my dear” (beckoning to a
slight figure which up to this time had
lingered among the shadows of the
hay-window draperies), “I wish to in¬
troduce to you my late wife’s sistet and
her daughters. Mrs. Melthorpe—young
ladies—this is Mrs. Harper.
“Whyt” cried out Hyacinth; in her
impulsive fashion, “it’s Uncle Mark
Antony’s widow!”
Mrs. Mellhorps had reddened as il
boiling carmine paint had been poured
through all her veins. Norine grasped
at her lace neck-frills as if she found
difficulty in breathing. Mrs. Harper
greeted them with a certain calm gra¬
ciousness, like a queen receiving her
subjects.
“I tried to tell you about it that day
in tho city,” said she, “I should have
liked to ask you to our quiet wed¬
ding; but you declined to hear me out.
You desired me to read the newspapers,
or to buy a typewriter, or something o
that kind. I could not get a chance to
explain to you that Colonel Harper was
a friend of mine in the old days before
I married Mark Antony, and before ho
was betrothed to Mi3s Artemis May*
wood.”
Mrs. Melthorpe and Miss Norine re¬
turned to New York in the evening
train. After all that was come and
gone they deemed it best speedily to re‘
tire from the field, But Mrs. Harper
put in a plea for Hyacinth to remain at
the castle.
“She was the only one who spoke
kindly to me,” said she. “Without in¬
tending to be an eavesdropper, I heard
her begging for quarter for me. That
it was cavalierly refused was no fault of
hers. You will stay with me, dear lit¬
tle Hyacinth?”
“If mamma does not object,” said
Hyacinth, secretly wondering if the
world was coming to an end.
‘•Mamma” did not object in the
least. It was something to have that
tall, awkward school-girl provided for,
she thought.
‘'But what Colonel Harper could
have seen to fancy in Mark Antony’s
widow,” as she said afterward to No
rine, “I can’t imagine.”
Perhaps all this was a lesson to Mrs.
Melthorpe; perhaps not. There are
some people who will never learn much
in the school of that grim old peda¬
gogue, Experience!— The Ledger,
Two Delicate Operations.
There aie at present iu St. Mary’s
hospital two patients whoso cases are
attracting a great deal of attention
among physicians and surgeons, says
the St. Paul Pioneer Press. The most
remarkable case is that of a gentleman
connected with one of tho leading busi¬
ness houses of the city, who has lately
been suffering from brain trouble. His
case had become so serious that it was
decided an operation was advisable. It
was what is known as degeneration of
the brain. The only possible remedy is
by removing the top of the skull and
taking out the diseased matter. It is
an exceedingly delicate operation, of
course, and one the success
of which’ in this case was con¬
sidered exceedingly problematical, but
as it was the only hope the operation
was performed in the presence of a score
of physicians. The patient is doing
well, though tho final result cannot yet
be determined. The flow of blood is
very great, and the operation has proved
much more successful than was thought
probable at tho time. It is said to have
been the first operation of the kind ever
performed jn the state.
The second case, if less remarkable,
is moro curious. A man in some mys¬
terious way swallowed his teeth, not
the molars which nature gave him, but
tho set which his dentist provided as a
substitute. They lodged deep down in
his throat, and put a stop to everything
except breathing. A hole had to be
cut in his throat and the teeth extracted.
The operation was successfully per¬
formed, and the patient is doing well,
and will keep his eye on his teeth after
this.
Mustard Oil as a Lubricant.
Mustard oil has of late been given
some attention as a lubricant, and it is
reported to have been successfully used
for some time in Germany for lubricat¬
ing purposes. It is said not to be sus
cepti ble to cold, and, besides, does not
easily become rancid or form fatty acids
which would attack metal. Its lubri¬
cating value, moreover, according to
Prof. G. Herman, of Aix-la-Chapelle,
is of "a relatively high order. No par¬
ticulars have been yet given as to tha
cost of the new lubricant, its specifla
gravity, etc.
THE CLOCK WINDER.
Keeping the Government’s Time
at Washington.
It Requires 12,082 Turns to
Wind the 864 Clocks.
“O, yes! When any one has wound
clocks for twenty years,” said Jacob
Kringle, the Government clock-winder
at Washington, “he will probably
reach the conclusion that ho desires
nothing so much as to forover leave tho
the tick-tack sound behind him. The
first week I ever spent winding cl ocks
I thought it was quite Rn entertaining
business. I startod my rounds in tho
morning, and until the late afternoon
found pleasure in tho new scenes of
the Department buildings, and in the
faces that confronted ms in the various
offices. I gradually became acquainted
with nearly everybody I camo in con
tact with. It was not until several
months had passed away that I became
aware of the terrible samenoss of my
daily task, which, above all things,
had to bo regularly performed.
“The motion of winding a clock, that
unending twisting and turning from
left to right, became so much a matter
of habit that I felt uneasy when Suuday
camo, and I was not called upon to go
about and wind the clocks. I did not
notice tho lack of something to occupy
me until about 9 o’clock in the morn
ing, when, as if palsied or suffering
from St. Vitus’s dance, my right hand
would begin twitching, twitching from
hit to right.
“I had no difficulty in stopping this
motipn, but as soon as I permitted my¬
self to bo inactive and discontinued the
mental effort to keep my hand still, it
would begin again. As I kept up my
monotonous labor of winding clocks
from year to year, my twitching habit
increased, so that ve'ty oftou as 1 passed
along the stroets it woul d attract atten¬
tion. It was accompanied by a feeling
of uneasiness which could only be grat¬
ified by a renewal of my work of wind¬
ing. As I have said, almost anyone,
having pursuod the calling that I have
followed, would mako up his mind that
the only thing ho needs is to go off on
a vacation or into somo other business
where ho would be forever relieved.
“Such was my idea after I had car¬
ried on my work for several years, and
I went away down to" my old home in
Virginia, where I intended remaining
for a month. But I came back a wiser
man. I learned the force of habit, and
within a few days was going about my old
haunts, and it seemed to me that I had
never enjoyed anything quite so keenly
as I did winding clocks tho next few
days. I have been awakened on several
occasions in my lifo in the middle of
the night by feeling something strike
the bed-covering, and have discovered
that the twitching of my hand was the
■cause.
“I have thought that the great regu¬
larity with which my work has to be
done accounts for my nervous habit. 1
have to wind hundreds of clocks week¬
ly and arrange the work so that every
day a sixth of it is covered. Each day’s
work is about all I can do, so that if I
should get behindhand on a score of
clocks it would boa very difficult matter
ever to catch up without help from
somo ono. Then you can wind a clock
only so fast, and I think I have reduced
the work to a science. I can go about
the departments and wind all tho clocks
with as few motions as it is possible to
make and cover the ground.
“I could almost go over tho route and
pe'rform my work blindfold. I know
the number of steps in every flight of
stairs that I have to go up or down.
As for the lack of something
to think about, I often count
not only the steps of the stairways, bi*t
pace off the distance from one clock to
another, going one way and another be¬
tween them and then finally settling
down to the shortest lino. In almost
every occupation men have to think
about what they will do or say from
time to time, which gives them some¬
thing to occupy their attention during
the intervals, but with me it is differ¬
ent. There is no thought required to
wind a clock. Consequently I have to
expend my mental energy somehow, and
do so in counting my paces and taking
notes of little things that men ordina¬
rily are not conscious of. On many oc¬
casions I have counted the number of
steps I have taken from the time I left
home until I returned, as well as counted
Vol. X. New Series. NO. .5
the number of turns it takes to wind
864 clocks, which is the numbor I attend
to. (You way be interested to know
that 12,082 turns are required.”— Jewel*
er'a Weekly.
\ *
Origin of the Baggage Check.
Said Mr. D. L. Merrell of Union
City, Mich.: ‘'John Palmer of my town
is the inventor of the baggage check¬
ing system. I will tell you his story as
he told it to me: John Palmar was
born in England somo 82 years ago,and
came to the United States in 1899 and
to Union City in 1835. In those early
days he was in great demand, for his
violin enlivened many and many a win¬
ter night. One great annoyance he ex¬
perienced was the constant trouble peo¬
ple had iu finding • their coats, hat3,
wraps, robes, etc., after the party
broke up. Well, it was anuouucod
that there was a big dance at Burling¬
ton on Thanksgiving evening, about
1850, and Mr. Palmer was to have
charge of the music. He knew that
thoro would be a terrible crowd there
and that there would be lot3 of trouble
with tho clothing and he went to work
to devise a plan to obviate it.
“Well, after studying on it a long
time, he had solved tho mystery. lie
got out eight cards, marked them in
pairs, —1 1, 2 2, 3 3, 4 4, —and one of
tho greatest blessings to tho business
world was born. Now for tho first
test. He had four children; ho took
their shoes and stockings, tied each up
by themselves, put tags 1, 2, 3, 4 on
each lot, and put them away. When
the children got up they inquired for
their shoes. Ho gave each one the
check that corresponded with the check
on tho shoes, and told them to go into
tho other room and pfbk out their own
by comparing the numbers. Each
child got his own. Now for a trial on
a larger scale. He pro pared a lot of
checks in tho same way for tho guests
at tho party. Abput tho fjrst to arrive
were the four railroad men from
Marshall. Three took tlieir
checks; one would not have tho
thing and threw it on the floor. When
they called for their c!othc3 they had
forgotten all about the checks and de¬
manded their things. Mr. Palmer
asked them for their chocks. After
hunting some time the three produced
ihoir cheeks aud at once received their
goods. They had to identify tho goods
for the fourth man.
‘ ‘Shortly after that there was another
party at Burlington, and among the first
to arrive werj six railroad men from
Marshall, iuc'.uling the first four.
They said they wanted their things
checked tho same as before. They
watched the plan the whole evening
and went away convinced that they had
found a grand idea. Inside of three
months it was adopted by the railroad
companies of the United States.”
Why Silk is so Expensive,
.roducs sufficient silk to make a
requires more time and capital
than most people would imagine. If we
take one and a quarter pounds as the
weight of pure silk required, this would
be equal to two pounds of raw silk.
To produce two pounds of raw silk
would require the entire silk obtained
from 7000 to 8000 worms, allowing a
percentage for death by disease and
other casualties.
It may be interesting to state that
these young worms when newly hatched
would scarce y weigh one-quarter of an
ounce, yet in the course of their lifo,
which only lasts some 30 to 35 days,
they will consume about 300 to 400
pounds of leaves and increase in weight
about 9000 times.
Consumers of silk wm not vender at
its high value when they consider that
to raise two pounds of raw silk so much
time and money is required. Besides
tho original cost of the eggs or young
worms, they require feeding at regular
intervals daily with mulberry leaves,
and consume the above weight of leaves
during their life. This is a large item
of expense if the cultivator does not
grow and gather his own leaves, but is
compelled to purchase them.
With a String to It
“Now, Willie, see the nice cake I
have made you for your birthday.”
“Can I eat it all myself, mamma?”
“Why, of course not. You would
be sick.”
“That’s just the way with you,
mamma. Whenever you do give me
any pleasure, you always tie a string
to it.”
The Mist and the Night Wind.
The mist rose from the river,
It sifted through the trees,
And wound about the wooded hills
A gray and ghostly frieze.
And the wind amid the pine trees hissed
Its lofty scorn of the valley mist.
The mist spread over the valley,
It swept on quiet wings
O’er sedge and marsh and meadow,
O’er rocks and fairy rings.
And the night wind told the trees it kissed
Its hate for the low-born valley mist.
But when the day was dawning,
The pallid mist grew gold.
And to the azure o'er the hills
In clouds of glory rolled.
While amid the pines, and in its pride.
The scornful night wind sank and died.
—Pittsburg Dispatch.
HUMOROUS.
Tho coming man will fly when the
coming broom is after him.
Tho boy who is left unmolested in
tho pantry is likely to strike a pudding.
When a woman wants tho earth, it is
with the view of giving it to some
man.
A young man whose girl went back
on him says that he suffers from heart
failure.
First Dentist—Arc you meeting with
any success? Second Dentist—Oh, I
am pulling right along.
No ono is allowed to destroy pave¬
ments, yet it is not unusual to see a
man go tearing up the street.
If a lovely woman smacks me on one
cheek I will turn her the other also,
bravely ejaculates a humorist.
“Good-night; I hope you will sleep
well," said tho friend of the policeman
as the latter wont out on Ills night tour.
In Siam it is death to mention the
king’s name. In Russia it h destruc¬
tion to the jaw to pronounce some of
the names of the common pe oplo.
Scientist—Bring mo a decoction of
burned peas, sweetened with glucose
and lightened with chalk and water.
Waiter (vociferously)—Coffso for one..
Tho Good Friend—So, good-bye,
dear old fellow, and if ever you want
$50 come to me and wo’ 11 go together
,and find some one who will loud it to
us.
Man of the House (coldly)—To what
am I indebted for the honor of this
visit? Caller (with folded document)
—To tho firm of All wood & Co. —$7.60.
I’m their now collector.
She—Why do you look so unhappy,
George? Don’t you know we are one
now? He—Yes, Iv'e heard that be¬
fore, but when it comes to paying the
hotel bill the landlord doesn’t seem to
think so.
How inconsistent some men are, to be
sure! There’s Bleigh, for example. He
is forever boasting that he never does
anything by halves, and yet everything
that is done at all in his house is done
by his better half.
Woman—Here, take Ihis coat.
Tramp—I know it’s a hard winter, but
style or nothing is my motto. Fashion
decrees that single-breasted ulsters shall
be worn, and you will notice, madam,
that this coat has two rows of buttons.
I cannot take it.
“Don’t sleep with your mouth open,”
said Fred to his younger brother. “You
should breathe through your nose.’’
“But I don’t know when my mouth's
open. What do you do when you wake
up and find your mouth open?” “Wha
do I do? Why, I get up and shut it.”
Takes two, they say,
To make a fight;
And when they quarrel
Neither’s right.
Sold Her Body for Ginger-Bread.
’ Squire Smith Kennedy say3 that he
has attended several hangings in his
life. The most notable one was the
hanging of a blackwoman, a slave, near
the Fair Grounds. She was hanged for
poisoning a couple of her master’s chil¬
dren. She sold her body to some med¬
ical students at Lexington for all the
ginger-bread she could eat while she
was in jail awaiting for the execution.
After the hanging the students placed
file body in a coffin, and swung it under
a wagon and drove' off to Lexington in
hot haste—their horses in a fast trot—
hoping to arrive there in time to resusci¬
tate the body with electricity. Just before
arriving there the rope broke and the
corpse fell to the pike and the coffin
broke into halves and the corpse rolled
out. They gathered it up and carried
it info Lexington by bond-power. As
nothing more was heard of the woman,
tk .t ,h.i r
ment was a failure .—Bourbon (Ky.)
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