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story of the r. r. engineer. Detroit Free Prett. li Lct me put my name down first—l can’t stay long!” It was a red ribbon meeting, ami the man was a locomotive engineer, bronzed and strong and having eves full of deep determination, lie signed bis name in a bold, plain hand, tied a red ribbon in his button hole, and as he left the hall he said : •• As the Lord looks down upon me, I'll never touch liquor again !” *• Have you been a hard drinker?” que ried a man who walked beside the engineer. “No. Fact is, 1 was never drunk in my life. I’ve swallowed considerable whisky, but I never went for enough to get drunk. I 1 shouldn’t miss it or be the worse of it for ■ an hour if all the intoxicating drink in the world was drained into the ocean.” “ Hut you seemed eager to sign the pledge.” | “ So T was, and I'll keep it through thick and thin and talk temperance to every man on the road.” “ You must have strong reasons?” “ Well, if you'll walk down to the depot I'll tell you a story on the way. It hasn’t been in the papers, and only a few of us know the facts. You know 1 run thenfght express on the 11—— Hoad. We always have at least two sleepers ami a coach, and sometimes we have as many as two him- j dred passengers. It's a good road, level as a floor and pretty straight, though there is a bad spot or two. The night express has the right o’ way, and we make fast time. It's no rare thing for us to skim along at the rate of fifty miles an hour for thirty or forty miles, and we rarely go be low thirty. One night 1 pulled out of De troit with two sleepers, two coaches, and the baggage and mail cars. Nearly all the berths in both sleepers were full, and most gf the seats in the coaches were occupied. It was a dark night, threatening all tl>e time to rain, and a lonesome wind whistled around the cab as we left the city behind. We were seventeen minutes late, and that meant fast time all the way through:” “ Well.” he continued after a moment. “ everything ran along all right up to mid night. The main track was kept clear for us ; the engine was in good spirits, and we ran into D—— as smooth as you please. The express coming east should meet us fifteen miles west of D , but the opera tor at the station had failed to receipt bis usual report from below. That was stknge, and yet it was not, and after a little con sultation the conductor sent me ahead. Wp were to keep the main track, while the other train would run in on the side-track. Night after night our time had bin so close th t we did not keep them waiting over two minutes, and were generally in sight when they switched in.” “ When we left D we went ahead at a rattling speed, fully believing that the other train would be on time. Nine miles from D—— is the little village of Parlo. There is a telegraph station there, but the operator has no night work. He closed his office and went home about 0 o'clock, and any messages on the wires for him were ludd above or below until next morn ing. W4iu-I sighted this station I sax a red lantern swinging between the rails. Greatly astonished, t pulled up the heavy train and got a bit of news that almost lifted me out of my boots. It was God's mercy, as plain as this big depot. It was the operator who was swinging the lantern, lie had been roused from sleep by the whistles of a locomotive, when there was not one within ten miles of him. lie heard the toot ! toot! toot! while he was dress ing, and ail the way as he ran to the sta tion, thinking that he had been signaled. Lo ! there was no train there. Everything was as quiet as the grave. The man heard his instrument clicking away, and leaning his ear against the window he caught these words as they went through to : “ For God’s sake, switch the Eastern ex press off quick ! Engineer on the Wes tern express crazy drunk, and running a mile a minute!” “ The operator signaled us at once. We had left 1) nine miles away, and the message couldn’t have caught us anywhere except at Parto. Six miles further down was the long switch. It was time we were there, lacking one minute. We lost two or three minutes in understanding the sit uation and in consulting, and had just got ready to switch in where we were when the head-light of the other train came into view. Great Heavens ! but how that train was flying. The bell was ringing, sparks flying and the whistle screaming, and not a man of us could raise a hand. AN e stood there on the main track, spell-bound as it were. There wouldn’t have been time, anyhow, either to have switched in or got the passengers out. It wasn't over sixty seconds before that train was upon us. I prayed to God for a breath or two and then shut my eyes and waited for death, for I hadn't the strength to get out of the cab. “ Well, sir. God's mercy was revealed again. Forty rods above us that locomo tive jumped the track and was piled into the flitch in an awful mass. Some of the [coaches were considerably smashed, and some of the people badly bruised, but no one was killed, and of course our train es caped entirely. Satan must have cared for Big Tom, the other engineer. He didn't get a bruise, but was up and across the iields like a deer, screaming and shrieking like a mad tiger. It took five men to bind him after he was run down, and to-day he is the worst lunatic in the State.” “ Tom was a good fellow," continued the engineer, after a pause, “ and he used to take his glass pretty regularly. I never saw him drunk, but liquor kept working away on his nerves til! at last the tremens caught him when he had a hundred and fifty lives behind his engine. lie broke out all of a sudden. The fireman was thrown off the engine, all steam turned on, and then Tom danced and screamed and carried on like a fiend. He'd have made awful work. sir. but for God's mercy. I am trembling yet over the way he came down for us, and I'll never think of it without my heart jumping for my throat. Nobody asked me to sign the pledge, but I wanted my name there. One such night on the road has turned me against intoxi cating drinks, and now that I’ve got this red ribbon on I can talk to the boys with better face. Tom is raving, as I told you, k nd the doctors say he’ll never get his rea son again. Good-night, sir—my tram goes 3n ten minutes.” ••— Ii sflS' _.. . *1.50 A YEAR. Keene in k Hflruit 4 wurl. Deltiiit Free Prexs. “ Mv brother died, you know,” began Ephraim Cowcis. “ Yes, brothers are dying all around us,” replied the court. “If 1 had any brothers I should expect them to take their chances with the rest.” j “ I e died, sir. out in Springwclls, and I was going down to the funeral.” "Of course you were, Mr. Cowles, and of course you felt very sad at the had news. But } r ou didn't get down there.” “ No, poor John ! I didn't 1” exclaimed the prisoner, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. " I met with a bad accident, sir. The horse ran awav and threw me out.” “Correct, Ephraim, entirely correct, but wasn’t it funny where you landed. You were thrown a mile and a half to a foot, landed in a Woodbridge street saloon on your feet, and you walked directly to the bar and said you'd take some sugar in yours.” “ Was I in a .saloon ?” asked the pris oner. seeming greatly astonished. “That's where you were, my boy, and it wasn’t a first-class saloon, either. When our folks first saw you you were trying to bite the bar-tender's thumb oft, and he was getting ready to gouge your eye out.” “ Is that possible?” gasped Ephraim. “I’m telling you nothing but tho best brand of truth to be had in the market. You had already demolished two tables and broken several bottles of rare old wines made of alcohol ami logwood. When a man is going to his brother's funeral, and the horse runs awav. you can’t tell what strange things will follow.” “ Well, you seem to know best about it,” said the prisoner, as he buttoned his coat. “ I’ll go down and tell the man that I didn't mean to bite him.” “Oh, no you won't. I sent him your regrets an hour ago. and informed him that he could draw on you at three days' sight through the House of Correction. Thirty days is the figure.” “And I’ll go up as soon as I see about the funeral.” “Delays are dangerous, Mr. Cowles. You had better go right up right away.” “ 1 won't!” “ But you will !” And so he did. It mada Bijah red in the face to lift the fellow into the buggy and tie his legs around one of the seats, but the law must be enforced if the effort snaps off every suspender-button in the great west. Easlerii Josslery. I have seen a man throw a large ball of cord in the air, which unwound as it as cended, one end being fastened to the ground. As the hall unwound it disap peared in the clouds and the cord remain ed stationary. In a few moments the man sent a lit tle boy up this cord, pretending that it was to find out what held the other end up. The boy went up and up. till he was lost to sight. And lie stayed up so long that the man pretended to become en raged, and climbed up after him, with a drawn sword in his hand, and he, too, dis appeared from sight. And presently down fell a bloody foot, and then another, and then a leg. and then different pieces of the boy, all bleeding. We dipped our hand kerchief in the blood, to see if it was really blood, and it was. At last the boy's head fell down, and presently the man climbed down, all bloody, and still simulating rage. He collected the fragments of the hoy that lay around and threw them in a heap on the ground. Then he threw a cloth over the pieces, and the hoy instantly jumped up alive and well. The man and the boy were entirely naked, and the trick if it was trick, as you will say it was, was done on an open plain, out of doors. I say it was actually done. There were hundreds of spectators. That is the kind of things that Eastern magicians do. But why is it, if such things arc true, and not tricks, that wc of the western coun tries do not know more of them? Are we not as intelligent as those of the East? “ Our western civilization is youngyet,” replied the occult, “ and as I have said, the mind of the Caucasian is not as well adapted to the perception of subtle truths. But there are many Europeans who are real adepts, and there are quite a number of persons in New York who arc st udying occultism. Some of them only study phil osophically, hut some arc practicing it. There is one who has several times accom plished the separation of his astral body from his physical body, though only for a few moments.” A Misadventure. Jiurlington Hawk-Eye. “ Serena, darling !” he murmured, and the old gate scarcely creaked on its hinges, and the silent stars looked down with ten der glances—" Serena, sweet.” he said, and the radiant blushes that kindled over the pearly brow and cheeks softened the silent lovelight in her lustrous eyes : "Se rena, my own ! if every glittering star that beams above, if every rustling leaf that whispers to the night, were living, burning, loving thoughts ; if every—Oh-h-h-hoo-ho ! Oh-w ! VVow-ow-ow ! Aw-w, oh; oh, oh ! 0, jimmy! 0, glory! O, murder, mur der. murder ! O, dad rang the goll-swiz zled old gate to the bow-wows ! Ah-h-h !” And she said stiffly that no gentleman who 1 could use such language in the presence of a lady was an acquaintance of hers, and she went into the house. And he pushed the gate open, and pulled his mangled thumb out of the crack of it. and went ; down street sucking the injured member, and declaring that however lightly 105 pounds might set on the heart of a man, it was too much pressure when applied to an I impromptu thumbscrew. And the match ( is drawn, and all side-bets arc declared off. HARTWELL, GA„ WEDNESDAY, JULY 11, 1877. Aiiarry AVnrdi. Angry words ! Oh let them never From thy tongue unbridled slip; May the heart’s best impulse ever Check them ere they soil thy lip. Love is much too pure and holy; Friendship is too snared far. For a moment’s reckless folly Thus to desolate and mar. Angry words are lightly spoken ; Bitterest thoughts are rashly stirred ; Brightest links of life *re broken By a single angry word. liiteiii|M>rAie<>. AY ho can do justice $> the feelings of those parents whose s®is, just ripening into manhood, are dying*>efore their eyes, loathsome victims of tlndr guilty excesses? How shall they escape from the hideous spectacle ? Their own house, the only place they have to lay their heads, the birthplace of their children, the spot whore are clustered all their contorts, the peace ful sanctuary of their deface, becomes the hospital of their reprohalp son, worn out with intemperance. Ho occupies one of the chambers. There, while they lie on their sleepless beds in a neighboring room, they hear him call for drink, his disgusting belches, his horrid execrations against him self, and ever and anon a groan, bespeaking misery too big for words to tell ! And is this the return you mako, degraded young man, for all the loving-kindness of your parents? Is this the way you requite the father that dandled you in infancy on his knee, and from that time until the present has been toiiing to provide for your happi ness ? Is this your gratitude to the mother who cherished 3 r ou in her bosom, that rocked your cradle with throbbing temples and aching heart—that watched you all along through your playful boyhood with ceaseless tenderness, and at length let you go from under her eye to a place of educa tion, only from confidence (a confidence, alas ! too often misplaced) that the princi ples and the gratitude with which she had imbued you would forever forbid you to distress her by a vicious lib* ? Take some good advice from your friend, J. M. Ussery, and reform. Communication. Perhaps it may not be amiss to call the attention of your numerous readers to the religious meetings to he held in Hart soon, that they may take duo notice and govern themselves accordingly. It is certainly an extraordinary occurrence that a camp meeting and two associations should be held in one County in so short a time as two months, and all in ten miles of each other—the Hartwell Campmeeting in Au gust. the Sarepta Association in Septem ber. and the Tugalo in the first of October. Now. kind readers, if we as rational beings, are accountable for the opportuni ties we enjoy of improving in our spiritual training for a future state, 1 ask what should be our course in this case ? Should we not take heed to our ways and be fer vently engaged, that those meetings may prove blessings and not a curse ? May the prayer of all good people be—“ Lord, let thy grace abound.” Boil SlioliT. A Preacher"# Joke. S wanton (V<.) Courier. A clergyman, a widower, residing in one of our Vermont rural towns, recently cre ated a first-class sensation in his house hold, which consisted of several grown-up daughters. The reverend gentleman was absent from home for a number of days, visiting in an adjoining town. The daugh ters received .a letter from their father which stated that he had “ married a widow with six sprightly children,” and he might he expected home at a certain time. The elfect of that news was a great shock to the happy family. The girls, noted for their meekness and amiable temperaments, seemed another set of beings; there was weeping and wailing and tearing of Hair, and all manner of naughty things said. The tidy home was neglected, and when the day of arrival came the house was any thing hut inviting. At last the Rev. Mr. came, but he was alone. He greeted his daughters as usual, and as he viewed the neglected parlors there was a merry twinkle in his eye. The daughters were nervous and evidently anxious. At last the eldest mustered courage, and asked : “ Where is mother?” “ Tn Heaven,” says the good man. “ But where is the widow with six chil dren, whom you wrote you had married?” “ Why, I married her to another man. my dears.” It is said to have been amusing to see those seven girls set things to rights. — One of the belles of South hill is going to marry a young clergyman from Indiana. The South biller is a sweet, fair young girl, now. and never the shadow of a cloud has rested on her brow, but you wait till she has got out of bod two or three hundred times to make up shake-downs and cook supper for nine brethren on their way to a convention or conference, who have got in on the late train and could't find the way to the hotel .—Burlington Hawk-Eye. A Compliment to The Hurl vit'l! lliltll School. Cornutpondenoe nf the .I then. Veorgiait. Please do me the favor to permit me through your columns to give a short ac count of one of the most interesting occa sions it has ever been my pleasure to at tend. The occasion referred to is the Com mencement of the Hartwell High School. The examination commenced on Monday, the ISth inst. 1 was very much grieved that my business was such that 1 could not be present Monday morning, hut 1 have learned from those present that the exam ination during tho day far surpassed the expectations of any one present. On Mon day evening there was nil immense crowd of refined, well-dressed ami appreciative people gathered together at the Baptist Church (which was well arranged and beautifully decorated) to hear declamations hj- young men ami compositions I>3’ young ladies. I have never, in my life, seen a more genteel set of young men and ladies than appeared on the stage that evening. Their speeches and compositions not onty did credit to themselves. Prof, and Mrs. Looney, hut to their county. 1 do not wish to show any partiality in this commu nication, nor that 1 would say one word in disparagement of the manly efforts made by the other young men, but 1 cannot for bear saying that the speeches delivered by Messrs. Hodges. Mobil and Brown, would have reflected honor upon those far their seniors. Compositions read by Misses Skelton, (Irubbs and Shirley, were most excellent. The examination closed on Tuesday. The most interesing feature du ring the day was the examination of four little girls in Geography. They seemed to he from six to ten years old, and could an swer almost any question in geography. Bessie Webb and Belle Johnson, were the names of (woof the little girls, and the other two 1 have forgotten. Such bright little jewels arc calculated to make happy both parents and teachers. The exercises were closed on Tuesday evening with a concert given by Miss Annie Jordan’s music class, which proved a suc cess in every particular. No better music teacher in the State than Miss Annie. Long may Professor Looney and the Hartwell High School flourish. A. About to Fly. Detroit Free Freu. When a Congress street woman answered the door-bell yesterday she found a stran ger mi the step, lie had a bundle in his hand, a smile on his face, and lie said : “ Madam, can I sell you some fly-paper ?” “ Does the paper fly?” she asked. “ No, ma'am, but it makes the tlics fly.” ** What do 1 want the Hies to fly for?” she continued. “ Every fly, madam—” he was explain ing, when she called out: I want you to fly ! I can get along with flies better than with agents !” *' But I am not on the fly,” he softly" protested. “Our dog is,” she grimly replied, and so he was. He flew around the corner, the agent flew for the gate, the roll of fly paper flew over the curl), and a newsboy climbed a tree-box to be out of the muss and shouted : “ She flew, thou flyest, he Hied, and I believe the dog got a piece of meat with that coat-tail !” Fo Dure was any Tropic*. A negro preacher had elaborated anew theory of the Exodus, to-wit: that the Red Sea got frozen over and so afforded the Is realites a safe passage ; but when Pharaoh with his heavy iron chariots, attempted it, they broke through and were drowned. A brother rose and asked for an explana tion of that point, “ Iso been studyin jography; it say dat its very warm coun try—where day have de tropics. And de tropics too hot for freezin. De pint to he splained is. bout breaking through de ice.” The preacher straightened up and said : “ Brudder, glad you axed dat ouestion. It gives me casion to splain it. You see dat was a great while ago—in de ole times fo dey had any jography—fo dure was any tropics.” licy lo Aiintf-i-ninH. The following is the solution of the ana grams, published a few weeks since : 1. Foretelling. 2. Patience. 3. Allowance. 4. Idolatry. 5. Salesman. 0. Distillation. 7. Merchants. 8. Minister. 9. Organist. 10. Canister. I.KE. The skeleton of a oat walked into Byan's store, at Hohokus. Byan, seeing her bawl ed out: “Mickey! didn't I tell ye a month ago, to fade that eat a pound of mate a day until ye had her fat?” “ You did, and I’m just fading him a pound.” “ Has that cat ate a pound of mate this morning?” “Yes, sir.” “Shure I think it’s a lie ye are telling. Bring me the scales. Now bring me that ca £ * The cat turned the scales at exactly one pound. “ There ! didn’t I tell ye she had ate a pound of mate this momin’ ?” “ All right, my boy ; there's your pound of mate, but where the devil’s the cat?'’ Jefferson's idea of a lawyer was that he was a rnan who contested everything, who conceded nothing, and who talked as long as a human being could be made to hear him. HART AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. I’roreiMllnifu of ||i<> l.ut llt'iiiilnr Heel ing of thin Norii'l.r, 111-11 l at llnrt nell. July Xd. I*T7. Present, F. B. Hodges, President; J. G. McCurry, Vice-President; J. F. Craft, member of the Executive Committee; and others. Head minutes of last meeting, which were adopted. The following gentlemen enrolled their names ns members of this Society, to-wit: Dr. A. J. Mathews, D. G. Johnson, Dr. Geo. F.berhnrt, J. W. Smith. Ordered, that the Constitution and By- Laws of tho Society be read, which was done. The President gave notice that at our next meeting, in August, our annual elec tion for officers would he held, and hoped a full attendance would be present. Secretary read communication from Mnleoin Johnston, Secretary State Agri cultural Society, in which he informs us of Agricultural Department of the Atlanta CoiisMitfion. of which lie is editor. The Secretary stated that he had promised this paper a communication from our Society, from time to time, and nsked members to co-operate and assist him in making those reports interesting to our furmers. The following reports of experiments with seeds, received from Agricultural Department, Washington, D. ('., were re ceived. : F. S. Roberts, received, last fall, I quarts of Shoemaker wheat, about which ho says — 1 “ My opinion is that it is an excellent variety of wheat for this country ; it is as red as a fox's tail, the chaff, head and all, and not hoarded ; I sowed tho 4 quarts on a poor piece of ground, on which I put about 20 bushels of cotton seed to the acre ; I sowed it late in November, plowed it in in the usual way ; the yield is very fine, which I will report at next meeting; 1 also received J or I packages of garden seeds in March last, amongst which was Long Green Cucumbers, which aro fine and yield ing abundantly.” F. B. Hodges, received one quart of Red Rust Proof Gats last fall, am! says— “ I sowed them some time in December last, on a piece of thin land; I sowed them on a part of a field that was particularly affected by the freezing weather, the freeze killed them out pretty badly, and the rab bits ate them also, seemed to feed nearly altogether on that part of the field; I made from the quart a large shock of a dozen bundles, which made a little less than half a bushel; I will test them on bottom land next year and give them a fair trial; I also received a package of Boston Green Cucumber, which are very fine.” Reuben HuUington received a quart of white rye, wich he says will excel anything that has ever been seen in this country; thinks the quart wdl yield a bushel or more. John G. McCurry received a package of garden seed cal leu “ Kale,” and reports —“ This was a refused package given out at the distribution, that no one seemed to want; 1 took it borne and sowed it about the time I sowed turnips last fall ; it is a delicious green, and I tell you all, it is tho best thing 1 have ever seen for winter salad ever brought to this country ; it is very hardy, easy to cultivate, yields abundantly and easy to cook tender; I received four other packages of garden soed and sowed them ; I tried my best to forget the names of them, which f have done—as they were very shabby; I got a package of cucumber seed that were very fine. Captain Craft moved, that at our next meeting a discussion he entered into on tho cultivation of wheat, and the same ho opened by F. S. Roberts, by a report on that subject; which was unanimously carried. Went into distribution of seeds, there being on hand 30 packages of turnip seed, four varieties. Tney were equally divided amongst all tho members present. After a short discussion as to the best time to sow oats, it was generally agreed that October and November was the best time of the year in this climate. Adjourned to next regular meeting in August, first Tuesday. (J. \V. SkiijKL, Secretary. NUMBER 40. Fast men. like fast rivers, are generally very shallow. A n Oil City man recently died of love, but it was love of whiskey. Those who come to you to talk about others, are the ones who go to others to talk about you. Truthfulness is the corncr-stpne in char acter; and if it be not firmly laid in youth, there will ever after be a weak spot in the foundation. He—“ I always forget whether you or your sister, Miss Laura, is the eldest?” She—“ Oh, I’m older than she, but only three months.” A clergyman being annoyed by the squeking shoes of his parishioners, remark ed that some peopie had too much “music in their soles.” You can always detect a bachelor by the way he handles a baby; hut to be safe from loss it is well to use a borrowed baby in making the experiment. Said the little pet of the household on her birthday. “It’s a lovely doll, dear grandpa’ and grandma’ ! But—but —l'd been hoping it would be twins !” “John, 1 fear you arc forgetting me,” said a bright-eyed girl to her sweetheart the other (lay. “ Yes Sue, I have been for getting you these two years.” If the saying were true, how easily one could earn his living now by the “sweat of his brow !” He would have only to stand in the sun for a few minutes, and he would be comparatively wealthy. “Is that a friend of yours?” said a gen tleman to a party who was sailing rapidly down the street. “ Can't tell till next Saturday,” returned the individual address ed; I've just lent him a sovereign.” An old lady in Baltimore aged 83 years, named Betsy Quale, recently set fire to her clothing while lighting her pipe, and was severely burned. This is the oldest Quale on toast of which we have any re cord. “ Why, Sammy,” said a father to his little son the other day, “ I didn't know that your teacher whipped you last Fri day.” “I guess,” he replied, “if you’d been in my trowsers you’d know'd it.”