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JOSHUA JONES, PUBLISHER. VOL. I. A Prayer. Dear Lord! Kind Lord! Gracious Lord! I pray Thou wiit look on all I love Tenderly today. Weed their hearts of weariness; Scatter every care Down a wake of angel wings Winnowing the air. Bring unto the sorrowing All release from pain; Let the lips of laughter Overflow again! And with all tho needy Oh, diyide, I pra3 r , This vast measure of content That is mine today. —James Whitcomb Riley. A Mountain Courtship. BY Vi . J. LAMPTON, Susan Stebbins was by all odds the best looking girl on Grassy Lick, without being remarkably beautiful, for beauty is not a noticeable charac¬ teristic of mountain women, old or young, and how she had ever come to marry Lem Skaggs was a wonder to me, for Lem was by all odds the homeliest man on the Lick, and home¬ liness is a characteristic of mountain men. I knew Lem quite well, and had befriended him on many occa¬ sions, even loaning him money enough to get married on, as his crops were not in aud he was scant of funds, and when they had been married about a month I asked him how it happened, lie was a good fellow all over, was Lem, as guileless as a baby and as honest as the sunlight, and when I asked my question he blushed and grinned. “She was tuck by my good looks,” he laughed. “Of course, of course,” I laughed back; “anybody ought to see that, but my eyesight is weak. Tell me what you did to win her?” “I didn’t do nothin’, Colonel. I jist wuz. ” “That won’t go, LemueL You aro not the kind that win that way; you must have made yourself attractive in gome other way. “Hope to die, Colonel, ef I did,” he insisted. “I jist wuz and she got tuck. “ Didn’t you court her pretty hard?” “Did I?” and he drew a long breath as of relief at the thought of its being over. “Well, I should say I did. Why, I come mighty nigh mortgid gin’ the farm to git her things she didn’t seem to want when I’d give ’em her. ” “What did you give her?” “Everything, Colonel. It got so bad to’rds the last the old folks at the store told me ef I’d lump my dealin’s they reckoned they could let me have ’em for wholesale prices.” “She couldn’t stand your liberality, Lem. That’s what got her. ” “Not a hit uv it,” he contended. “All the time I was takin’ her all sorts uv things, she wuz makin’ eyes at every feller that come along and sorter expectin’ me to keep uj> my end uv the swingle tree, jist caze I kinder seemed to hanker atter do-in’ it that a-way.” “But.you kept at it?” ‘‘I reckon not,” he laughed, “All uv a sudden I sot in fer Mary Finnel, and give the store folks a rest on buy in. Then what happened?” I inquired, •with a hope that I would now get some information. He laughed a low, gurgling laugh, such as a boy would give vent to when caught in some of liis natural depreda¬ tions. “Well,” he said, “she kinder swapped eends on t’other fellows, and swung ’round my way, but I wuzn’t givin’ a inch, and I didn’t have no talk with her fer mighty nigh two weeks, and then one evenin’ as I wuz passin’ her house on my way to Mary’s and she knowed it, I seen her hangin’ THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE IS THE SUPREME LAW, FORT GAINES, GA„ FRIDAY. JFLY 26. 189o. on the gate lookin’ out into tho future er somethin’ uv that sort that I seen a pioter uv onc’t an agent wuz soi¬ lin’. II < Good eveuin’,’ says I, not offerin’ to stop. II I Good evenin’,’ says she. ’Pears to me you’re in a powerful hurry.’ “Kinder,’ says I, slackin’ up some. ‘I'promised to bedowu to Mary’s’bout this time.’ “She kinder looked down at the ground when I told her that, aud kicked a little rock out of the path that wuz lyin’ thar, and I felt like a sheep-stealiu’ dog for sayin’ what I hud. “ ‘I reckon you’d better be lairry in’ along then, for Mary ain’t the kind tha. likes to be kep’ waitin,’ says she. “ ‘I s’pose,’ says I, ‘that you don’t keer ef I stop and talk to you fer a miuute, do you?’ “ ‘I ain’t keering’ what you do,’ says she, kinder sullen. II I You look like you wuz expectin’ somebody yerself,’ says I, feelin’ ez ef I’d like to choke whoever the feller wuz. I ( i That’s what,’ says she, and I felt more’n ever like choking somebody. “ ‘Who is it?’ says I, watchin’ the streaks uv laugh ’round her mouth and eyes. “ ‘That’s for me to know and you to find out,’says she, laughin’ right out. “ ‘I reckon I’ll be goiu’ on down to Mary’s, says I, tliinkin’ that I wuz’nt makin’ nothin’ hangin’ ’round Busan. II < Mebbo you wouldn’t ef you kuowed who wuz coinin’ says she, kinder reachiu’ over tho gate. II I Well, tell me,’ says ‘I, ‘andsee ef I’ll stay.’ I I ‘I reckon not,’says she. still a naggin’ me, ‘mebbe they wouldn’t like it!’ I I I Who’s they?’ says I. “She give a little chuckle, and I come up to the gate and rested iny hands on it to one side uv her’n. II I Pap and mother,’ says she. ‘They’ve gone down to the school house to preachin’ and won’t be back till 8 o’clock.’ II I Ain’t you kinder lonesome wait¬ in’ hyer by yerself Susan !’ says I, half way tryin’ to pull the gate open, but she held it shet.’ “ ‘I reckon I wuz,’ says she. ‘That’s why I come out and hung on the gate. It’s mighty still like in the house’ “You reckon you wuz?’ says I. ‘Ain’t you now?’ and I chuckled my¬ self for ketchin’ her. “ ’P’r’aps I am and p’r’aps I ain’t,’ she sniggered, and tossed her head. “I tried to open the gate, but she held it shet.” II I Ef you wnnt me to stay, why don’t you say so?’ says I gettin’ ugly. “ ‘I reckon you kin ef you want to,’ says she, mighty pesky. “ ‘Susan,’ says I, ‘what’s the use uv foolin’?’ II I Foolin’ about what?’ says she. II I About me and you,’ says L “ ‘I ain’t a foolin’,’ says she. “‘You air,’ says I, ‘and you know it.’ “Ef you don’t like me, Lem Skaggs,’ says she, brindlin’ up all over, ‘you kin go ’long, I didn’t ax you to stop, did 1?’ ( I I But I do like you, Susan, says I, gettiu skeert, and tryin’ to pull the gate open so’sl could git clos’t enough to her to coax her. “I reckon you like Mary Fiimell a sight better,’ says she,’ boldin’ the gate ag’in’ me. “‘I reckon I don’t,’says I, and I could feel the gate give a little. <1 I You -wouldn't talk that a-way ef she wuz in bearin’ distance,’ says she. t I I Wouldn’t I?’ says I, and I heaved and sot on the gate, but it didn’t move a peg. ‘You jist fetch her up hero aud see ef I wouldn’t.’ \ .< < No, yon jist go down thar,’ says | she. ‘That’s whar you started fer. ’ “ ‘I didn’t do nothin’ uv the sort,’ says I, gettin’ despriter every minute. I * < You told mo you did,’ says she, and I could fool tho gulo give some and then shot up ag’in. II I You oughter know, Susan,’ says ] serious, ‘that I wuz jist a-foolin’, and I could feel tho goto a-giviu’ way and sliettiu’ and thou givin’ way ag’in. II I An’ you ain’t lyin’now, Lem!’ says she, a heap sight softer than any time in her life. << > Course I ain’t, Susan,’ says I, and tho goto coins open about six inches. II ( Ef I only thought you wuzen’t, Lem’ says she lettin’ the gate slip my way a leetle more every minute. It I You know I ain’t, Susan, says I, givin’ the gate tho strongest pull yit. ‘You know it, and you know I never give a snap uv my finger fer any other gal in these parts and that all tho time I’ve been a-haukcrin’after you and wantin’ you for my wife, but you kep’ foolin’ with mo all along, and bustin’ my heart mighty nigh and makin’ me want to go oft’ and chop a tree down on myself. You know it, Susan you know it,’ nnd she h’isted her hands and the gate swung wide open. “ ‘Wliat about Mary?’ says she, staudid’ thar before mo lookin’ sweet er'n peaches nnd rosios. l< I Hern Mary,’ says I clean fergit tin’ my manners and I retch out both hands fer Susan. II l Oh Lem!’ says she, and well Colouel,’ he laughed as his honest face reddened beneath its saffron hue. “I reckon you’re old enough to know the balance.” “I wouldn’t be surprised Lem,” I replied, blushing just a shade myself as a memory or two came slowly back from the rosy past. He looked up smiling. “And say Colonel,” ho said, “I wuzn’t any purtier that night than I wuz before.” “Como off, Lemuel, ” said I slap¬ ping him on the back, “it was so dark Susan couldn’t see you.”—New York Sun. Sure of His Train Time, “What timo will the train be iu, do you think ? ” asked tho impatient man. I I It is purty hard to tell,” an¬ swered the agent of the little South¬ ern branch line in the presence of a Cincinnati Tribune reporter. “Bence Bill’s tree was cut down ho finds it n heap ef trouble makin’ jest the right time. ” “Bill’s treo!” “Yus, Bill; he is conductor, you know. The tree I w»h speakin’ of stood alongside the track about thirty mile up the road from here, an’ when the train came along and tho shadder of the treo laid across tho middle of the top rail of Buck Johnson’s fence, Bill knowed he was on time, and could gage her about to get here ou sched¬ ule time. Now they cut it down, and all Bill has to go by is his own guess. Company was talkiu’ some of puttin’ up a pole in tho place whar the treo uster be, but they hain’t done it yit.” Why He Is Popular. Professor Horseburner of Sayville, Conn., is exceedingly popular with his fellow citizens. When Cleveland was last elected the professor lost a wager by the terms of which lie has had to play the trombone for four hours a day three times a week ever since the 4th of March, 1893, and he is to do so until March 1, 1897. Iri order not to disturb his neighbors he has a small balloon anchored to his roof by 450 yards of rope and he goes up in it when he plays. He will prob¬ ably be the next mayor of the town.— New York Mail and Express. Liverpool is the most densely popu¬ lated city in Great Britain, having a population of 97.9 per acre, or 114 per acre, excluding the docks and quay. ; A Diver’s ‘Experience. j “I suppose there is a comic side as well as a tragic to diving?” a New York Tribune man asked a local diver. “Yes, sometimes,” ho replied, "I remember a case whore a diver was sent down to recover a body from a wreck, very much against his will, Some divers are very much afraid of dead bodies and never handle them when they cun possibly avoid it. He was one of this kind, and the water being very thick, ho went groping gingerly around in tho cabin. Aftei feeling around ho found a body, and fastening a small lino around it ho gave the signal to haul it up. When he followed and took oil’ his helmet a large hog lay on the deck. He had tied the lino round it, thinking it was the body he was looking for. After that he was always known as the ‘pork’ diver. Sometimes, especially in tropical waters, tho bottom of the sea is a lovely sight. I havo seen a forest of kelp and seaweed gontly waving with tho tide which looked like fairyland.* Tho dim light aud the bright-colored lish darting about make it look all tho more beautiful. A bit of seaweed on land does not amount to much, but if you soe a regular forest of it growing it looks very different. If you stand still for a minute tho fish will swim all round you and examine you just as a lot of human beings would look at some strange animal At the slightest movement they whisk their tails and not a living thing is to bo seen.” “Aro divers superstitious as a rule?” “I should say they were. I suppose they are the most superstitious Jot of men in the world. Some will not descend if they hear a dog howl dur¬ ing the day, others won’t go near a drowned body, in fact all havo fancies of some kind. I havo an impression myself that I shall go down one of these days without coming up again, but a man has to live. It takes tho life out of a man somehow, diving does, and I never know a diver who did much smiling. They are all rath¬ er sober-fuced men.” Origin of Ihe Four-post Bedstead. In mediaeval times, when life was very insecure, it was usual for people to sleep ou a bed which was surrounded by sides of board, with strong posts at the four corners. These sides con¬ tained eliding doors, which could be fastened inside. When men retired to rest they took a weapon with thorn. If attacked in the night they were aroused by tho noise made by the crashing in of their wooden de¬ fences, and were able to defend themselves. When tho law became strong enough to protect human life, the sides of tho bedstead wero gradually dispensed with,hut the four posts remained. The boxlike bed¬ stead still survives in the rural parts of Scotland, and is almost necessary where the earthen floors and imper¬ fect ceilings cause much damp. Emily Bronte iu “Wuthering Heights” de¬ scribes one of these bedsteads in the old mansion as forming a “little clos¬ et.” Mr. Lockwood, who had to sleep in it, says: “I slid back the panel sides, got iu with my light, pulled them together again, and felt secure.”—Loudon Tidbits. A Comic Opera Situation. On H. M. S. Ringurooma, on tho Australian station, ( tgo captain recent¬ ly reprimanded the surgeon for some slight breach of duty, whereupon the latter put the captain on the sick list. The captain then ordered the surgeau under arrest. Ho then reported that the captain was suffering from mental disease and was incapable of command¬ ing the ship, but the captain had him court martialed and dismissed.—Chi¬ cago Times-Koruld. PER ANNUM- NO. 29. Saving the Colors. From time immemorial the armies of every warlike people havo sot tlio highest value upon the standard} they boro to battle. To guard one’s own Hag against capture is the pride, to capture the flag of one’s enemy the ambition, of every valiant soldier. In consequence, in every war between peo¬ ples of good military record feats of daring performed by color-bearers are honorably common. The civil war was full of such incidents. Out of very many, two or three stand as especially noteworthy. One occurred at Fredericksburg on the day when half the brigades of Meagher and Caldwell lay on the bloody slope leading up to the Confed¬ erate iutreuchmeuts. Among tho as¬ saulting regiments was the Fifth New Hampshire, and it lost 186 out of 390 men who made tho charge. The sur¬ vivors fell back suddenly behind a fence, within easy range of tho Con¬ federate rifle-pits. Just before reach¬ ing it the last of tho color-guard was shot, and the flag fell in tho open. A Captain Perry, instantly ran out to rescue it, and, as lie reached it, was shot through the heart; another Cap¬ tain, Murray, made the same attempt, and was also killed; and so was a third, Moore. Several private soldirs met a like fate. They were all killed close to tho flag, and their dead bod¬ ies fell across one another. Taking advantage of this breast-work, Lieu¬ tenant Nettlotou crawled from behind the fence to the colors, and boro back the blood-won trophy. — Harper’s Hound Tublo. Good Joke oil a Dean. Friends of Charley Leffort a popu¬ lar young railroad clerk, are telling a good story at his expense, says the Louisville Commercial. They say tlmt one Sunday night lie took a young lady to church. When they entered the church a few drops of raiu had fallen. Charley had no umbrellu. When church was over several wags in the neighborhood stood iu front of the church door with their umbrellas raisod. This gave the congregation who were about to leave the church the impression that it was raining. The people in church were afraid to venture out, although the stars were shining brightly. Of course Charley aud his girl were among those who anxiously waited for the rain to cease, but the wags hung about tho door with their ruised umbrellas and no one ventured out. Then to do the proper thing Charley gave a little boy a dime and chased him to the nearest drug store to telephone for a coupe. The coupe arrived iu due time and Charley pushed his way through the crowd. When he reached the pave¬ ment and looked up the stars shone bright nnd beautiful, but it was too late to dismiss the coupe. His ride of three squares on a beau¬ tiful night cost him 31, and now soma of the church people say Charley was putting on style. A Tree’s Limit of Fruition. The amount of fruit which u single tree can preduce year after year is a question of interest to biologists. At Hampton Court iu England,is a grape vine which has been permitted to oc¬ cupy the whole glass house. This one vine Ins been bearing grapes for nearly a century and occupies nil area of 2,200 square feet. It is estimated that during the vine’s existence there at least 120,000 pound} of grapes have been gathered from it.—New York In dependent. An Alibi. Mr. Gruffpop (angrily)—How dare you, sir, kiss my daughter under my very nose! Jack Dashley—Excuse my awkward- - warduess. I meant to kiss her under hern.—Harper’s Bazar.