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ELI PERKIN'S WISE MULE.
A Sermon nlileli 4 oiilnlii* a II full lit
Suffice*l ton to I nrnirr#.
“That ftiulc kicked seuse into me
onct,” said Uncle William Banks, as lie
pulled tha male’s long ears from under
the halter. “ That mule I *n} , l " he
dttntiuued raising his" voice—“ that mule
lias got more sense into him—knows
more about political economy, and uu
dorstande the ',law of demand and sup
ply better tliah any congressman who
who eygr sab—-"
“ What 1 it mtiie iindorstand political
economy, Mn Banks,” 1 interrupted.
sir, that mule does! Why I
was a poor man onct and that there
mule made me .Lordbless ye, Mr.
lferkhi?, he kicked ts-iiirtuiie right into
ny pocket."
“ llow could a mule kick sense and a
fortune into an old farmer like you?’’
• Well sir,” commenced the rich old
farmer, “ I used to own a farm near lie
City, Pennsylvania. I had the only
meadcr land near the town and made
tUc only hay that came to He City du
ring the first year of the excitement,
liny paid splendidly then; I got twenty
live and thirty-five dollars a ton for it,
but 1 wouldn't have got over ten dollars
for it if it hadn't been for this here
mule.”
i{ What did the mule do?" I asked
“ How could a mule raise the price of
hay?”
“ Why, he kicked scuse into me, I say,
and kicked up the price of hay at the
same kick. You see I used to draw a
load of hay into lie City every day.
The first loads sold quick for §2O. One
day I thought I’d make money faster, so
I hired two more mules and drew' in two
loads of hay. 1 sold one quick, but the
other stood around all day and I sold it
for §l6 rather than draw it home. The
next day I was on lmnd with two loads
again. Both loads stood around until
noon, when I sold the first for §l6 and
the other I could not sell. The market
was overstocked. So I drew it around
to Deacou Stones’ and pitched it oil’ into
his yard at §12.”
“ The next day,” continued Mr.
Banks. “ I was on hand with my usual
two loads of hay. They stood around
till 3 o’clock, without an offer. Finally
a man came up and offered me ten dol
lars £uv one loud. Said I, 1 Deacou
Stone bought hay for twelve dollars yes
terday.’ Well I took the ten dollars
and drew the second load into Deacon
Stone’s barn for eight dollars. The
next day I drove in two loads more, but
tke news had got all around that 1 had
sold' hay to Deacon Stone at eight dol
lars and I couldn't sell it for a dollar
more. Said every man I talked to,
‘Hay is down, Mr. Banks, the market
is glutted.’ In fact, nobody wanted any
hay at all. But 1 finally sold one load
for seven dollars and drew the other
back home,”
“ What then,” I asked, where does
the mule come in ?”
“ Whv, as 1 was unhitching this here
mule, Mr. Perkins, he kicked my left
leer and broke it short oil'. I was car
ried into the house and I thought I was
n ruined man, but I tell you that mule’s
kick made me a rich man.”
‘‘IIow?” I inquired. “How did a
mules kick and a brokeu leg make you
rich ? ’
“Well, the next day I couldn’t draw
any hay, and the next day after it was
the same thing. Finally a week rolled
’round and no hay went to town, when
up drove Deacon Stone with a span of
mules from He City. ’
I kum up,” sez the Deacon, “to get
some more of that hay of yourn, says
lie, “ Squire I'm all out.”
“Deacon,” said I, thinking he wanted
me to draw it, “ you can't have any now.
It will be three weeks before you get
any more hay from me. ’
“ Three weeks!” said the deacon, rais
ing his hands in astonishment, “ Why
my horses will starve. I must have hay.
I’ll take two tons at fifteen dollars a ton
and draw it myself.”
“All right,” I said, “ pitch it on.”
The next day up came another villa
ger. He said he must have hay too —
that there wasn’t a spear to be had in
the city.
“ I’ll give you twenty dollars for a
ton” he said.
“ And draw it yourself?” I asked.
“ Yes, draw it myself.”
And away he went with a ton of hay
at S2O.
“ Two days after,” continued farmer
Banks, three villagers came up and of
fered me $25 per ton for all the hay I
had. The sense the mule had kicked
into me, began to show itself and I told
them I guessed I hadn’t any more hay
to spare.
-“But hang it Mr. Bank . wc must
VOL. II—NO. 4J.
have hay,” they said.
“ But hay is hay gentleman,” said I,
“In fact, gentlemen/* I said, I’ve been
looking over this hay matter, and j
find the hay market is firm with an
upward tendency. In fact I think the
demand is greater than the supply. The
home consumption of hay—”
“ But dang it, Banks, we must have
hay. You don’t want all the horses in
the city to starve, do you?” they inter
rupted.
No, I don't want your horses to
starve, but 1 tell you I haven’t got any
hay to sell. However, if it will accom
modate you and keep your horses from
starving. I can spare you a few tons at
§3O. But mind you must draw it your
self.”
“Agreed,” they said, winking at each
other, and we’ll take all you have at
that price.”
“ Aud Limy took it?” 1 asked.
“Yes sir, they took it, drew it to the
city and sold it at §40 —and I sold every
spear of hay 1 had at that price. And
for three years,” continued farmer Banks,
“ I supplied the city with hay at §3O a
ton, when if that there mule hadn’t a
kicked the law of demand aud supply
into me—hadn’t a kicked financial econ
omy into my thick skull, why I’d a been
soilin’ hay at five dollars a ton. An’
that’s why I love this here mule.”
Eu Pekkixs.
A Little Lesson for Sunday.
I'rofcssor Thirings Handbook.
It was a bridal scene. The wine-cup
passed from lip to lip. One gentleman
who thought himself cured of his drink
ing habit, refused. “ Can’t you pledge
friendship in a social glass.?” pie ad oil
the bridegroom. “I, dare not, I can
not.” Then the befiutiful bride, with
bewitching smiles and eyes that were
brighter than the jewels on her fingers,
held out the poison to him, saying:
“Surely you will not refuse me?” The
color mouuted his cheek. He faltered.
He yielded to the Circe of the banquet.
The first taste fired his lust, and he ceas
ed not till he was a sot again. A few
years after, one quiet summer’s eve
ning, a wretched outcast reeled into the
open door of a pleasant home, when a
lady was just drinking a glass of wine,
allowing her little one to sip. The vaga
bond sprung forward with a maniac’s
frenzy, raised his arm, dashed the cup
to the floor, and shouted, “ Murder him
if you will, but not with that! Look
at me. You made me what I am. I
was respected and honored. You taunt
ed me at your wedding. Now there is
not a reptile I would not gladly change
places with. 1 must soon stand before
God’s bar. On your head rests my
blood!” A gurgling sound was heard
in his throat. He fell at her feet a
corpse. He sleeps in a nameless grave,
the victim of cruel though thoughtless
seduction.
A Spirited Adventure.
“ Who’s there ?”
There was no answer, and the queer
noise stopped.
“ Anybody there?”
No answer.
“ It must have been a spirit,” be said
to himself; “I must be a medium. I
will try: If there is a spirit in the
room, it will signify by saying—no, I
mean if there Ls a spirit in the room, it
will please rap three times.”
Three distinct raps are heard.
“Is it the spirit of my mother?”
Three raps.
“Are you happy?”
Nine raps. •
“ Will you give me any commuuica
oation if I get- up ?”
No answer.
“Shall I hear from you to-morrow?”
Raps in the direction of the door.
Shall I see you ?”
Raps from outside.
He waited long for an answer to this
question, but none came, and after
thinking about the extraordinary visit,
he fell asleep. On getting up in the
morning he found that the spirit of his
mother had carried off his watch and
purse, and his trousers and great coat
were found down in the hall.
An exchange, speaking of a certain
lady, says she has “ a high bred ,phin.”
A woman with such a chin should have
a “ dear butter mouth.”
HARTWELL, GA., WEDNESDAY, JUNE />, 1818.
Overtaken by a Bullet.
Correspondence Atlanta Constitution.
XVaxiialla, S. C., May 21—'This
little village was thrown into a furor of
i excitement to-dav, by a highly sensa
tional elopement and the subsequent
killing of one of the runaways :
For several months Col. Bndd, an
old man upward of 70 years, (in his
younger days a prominent politician of
Alabama) had been devoted in his at
tentions to Miss Ida Bruhneil. a doom
ing and leantiful daughter of a well-to
do farmer in this county, living about
forty miles east of this village. Ida
was only 20, and had recently gradu
ated at a Northern female seminary.
The girl's father, who is a staunch old
Democrat, objected to the attentions
shown his daughter by her aged, but
ardent admirer, more on account of his
political faith than because of any dis
parity in the ages of the lovers or Mr.
Budd'a social position.
Night before last the lovers determ
ined to consummate (heir happiness by
immediate marriage. To avoid the
wrath of the girl's father, Budd pro
posed an elopement, which was readily
acceded to by the girl, who, strange to
tell, was madly infatuated with her
aged betrothed. That night a pair of
saddled horses were waiting at the
Bruhneil mansion, and at the witching
hour of midnight, Budd and his bride
elect, accompanied by a male friend,
were galloping away at break-neck
speed in the direction of the Tennes
see line, in which State the ceremony
was to take place. All , would have
gone well but for the perfidy of the
; girl's waiting maid, to whom she eon
; fided her plans. As soon as the elop
ing couple were on the way, this negro
girl informed her master of what had
taken place. Bruhneil had a horse sad
i died, and armed himself with a double
barrelled shot gun, and went in hot pur
suit of the fleeing lovers.
About 1 o’clock yesterday morning
he overtook them near a place called
Fordham Crossing, and hailed Budd,
warning him that if he did not stop
and give up his daughter that he would
! kill him. The approach of the father
only made the eloping party more anx
ious to push forward. Budd pressed
on, and when the party attempted to
cross Fordham Creek the father reach
ed the brow of the hill, fired at Budd,
striking him in tlie left shoulder killing
him instantly.
The girl was taken in charge by her
fattier, carried back to her home and
put in charge of her mother, and by
daylight the murderer had fled the
country, whither no one knows.
Flying Foxes.
The flying fox is a very curious in
habitant of the forests near Moreton
Bay, in Fast Australia. It lives in
flocks and moves generally toward the
dusk of the evening, and the noise pro
duced by the heavy flapping of the so
called wings is very singular. The
flocks like quiet places, where there are
large arsucarian trees, with an under
wood of scrub and creepers. The
foxes hang in vast numbers from the
horizontal branches of the ping trees.
When there is a clear space among the
trees, an enormous number of the ani
mals may be seen, and their noise can
he heard, for directly they see anything
unusual, they utter a short bark, .some
thing like the sound made by young
rooks.
Often every branch is crowded, and
the flying foxes arc seen either flapping,
their wings, and holding on with their
hind feet, and with their heads down
ward or snarling and fighting for places.
Suddenly the whole take to flight and
flap their furry, wing-like sides, and
wheel around like heavy birds. Many
fly withf their young holding on to them.
The creature is not a true fox, and
there is a fold of skin which reaches
from the fore to the hind legs. This
is called the wing, and it enables, the
pleropus, as the animal is called, to
float and turn in the air.
A Georgia teacher advertises the
Marion High School, at Buena Vista,
and adds: “ The subscriber takes
pleasure in announcing to the public
that there is no hanger any necessity of
sending young men to colleges to have
their morals and manners corrupted—
educate them at or near home.”
Kerosene Victims.
-XperiaUt' the Constitution.
* Ok ANTvru.i:, Ga., May 85, IH7W.
A most shocking accident from ex
plosion of kerosene oil occurred at tlie
residence of Mr. Thomas Folds, eight
milt's South of hem night, before last ,
in Which Mrs. Folds and two children
were burned to deatli and tho entire
contents of the house consumed. The
facts of the explosion ami burning, as
far as wo have been able to ascertain,
are about as follows:
Mr. Folds is a tenant on Mr. Sam
Ellis' farm, in tyerriwothcr county, an
honorable, hard workiyg man, lived in
a,one-rooin log house, yip, to the
night of the lamentable occurrence, hud
a happy family' fa wife and three
children—a daughter about eight year*
old, a son five or six, and the baby boy
spine eighteen months old.
ijoon after supper on the night of the
23d, Mr. Folds and his oldest ,boy went
to part tlie cow ami calf, leaving hts
wife and other ehildVen in tlie house
A screaming soon 1 called him back to
the house, to find his wife, little daugh
ter and babe in flames, and kerosene
burning nearly all over tlie room, lie
rushed in, took up the babe and ran out
of doors with it, but by this time it
was burned to a crisp and dead. He
rushed in again with a bucket of water
and threw it on the little girl and at the
same time threw a quilt over the wife's
head and told her to run out to the
well, wdiere there was a tut) of water,
and get into it, he grabbed the little
girl and carried her out. The wife got
out the door, but tfic air added fury to
the flames, ami with but a few steps
! the poor woman fell, to rise no more.
I The disturbing cries soon called in the
j neighbors, but all in vain—'the work
was done. The babe died ifistantly ;
the little iiirl, agpd eight, died yester
day at 11 o’clock a. m., and the wife
and mother at 11 o’clock last night,
and the three will be buried to-day in
tlie same grave.
Mr. Folds’ hands and arms were se
verely burned in his noble efforts to
save his loved ones. Mrs. Folds re
mained conscious until noon yesterday,
aud gave the following account of how
the explosion happened :
It was a brass lamp, and on lighting
it she found tlie oil was out, and with
out blowing out the wick, she unscrew
ed the burner aud held it a little to one
side with one hand, and attempted to
pour oil into the lamp from a jug witli
the other hand, her two children sitting
by looking on. When tho oil ignited,
both jug and lamp exploded, and the
sad sequel is the result.
Parties who have seen the three char
red bodies, lying side by side, cold in
death, but free from their pains and
agonies, tell me they never before and
hope never again to witness such a sad
and sickening scene.
While the entire contents nf the
house was consumed, strange to say,
the house itself was saved. Every
thing that kind neighbors and friends
could do has been done to relieve the
sufferers while they lived, and to con
dole the distressed husband and father
and the precious little boy, so suddenly
motherless, and ari only child.
A Scathing Paragraph.
The New York Hxprexx does not ad
mire the manner in which ladies dress
for balls, at the present day, and thus
assigns the reason for its dislike :
It is a question fairly to be consid
ered in the present style of female
dressing, just where propriety ends and
indecency begins. The academy is
brilliant with beauty on the ball nights,
brilliant with the sparkle of diamonds,
and the lustre of bright eyes, which
many a bachelor would give half his
patrimony to win, and which husbands
are proud of possessing. But it is
scarcely a compliment to the modesty
of our wives and daughters to find,
arnid the fashionable assemblages which
do credit to our society that ladies who
would shudder, even in a crowd, with
one of the soiled doves which hover
about the world, exhibit themselves the
centre of admiring gentlemen with such
a lavish display of arms, neck and
bosom that even an anchorite would
forget his vows and take one long, lin
gering glance at the female loveliness
i exposed Lylbre him. All this may be
wmked at by society; but the true
principle of which hides from
t-he common gaze the wealth of twarnty,
God has given to the fairest of his cre
ated beings, should not be'outraged by
dresses pub so low iu tlie nock, that
soureoty anymovement of the wearer
can be made without an espomrt of
person at which even an embryo cour
tesan would shudder. We do not, de
sire to be severe, hut there is limit even
to fashionable license. Baby waists do
well enough for the nursery and for
very young jH'ople : they are admitted
to the stage in the ballet; they are
charmingly attractive at home, in the
botidoir, whefe thb husband only is ad
mitted ; hut when ladies iuvite crjticism
or comparison of their charms from the
general public, by placing themselves
on view withsetiroely any neck cover
ing other than a shoulder strap to hold
the bAtsagq uj>; there Is room for im
psovuipent, in modesty, and decency
iUeU' has sqp>e right to -respect.
LIFE OF lION. ALEX. H. STEPHEN'S.
Ills llioff rupli.v in Pres* Views on llio
Frinnl Invc-tllfcullon.
Ualtimprf Suit.
lion. Alexander 11. Stephens, of
Georgia, has been on a visit for some
days past at the residence of his long
time personal friend, Col. R. M. John
ston, at Pen Lucy, near Waverly, Bal
timore county. One of the objects of
hie visit was conference with Col. John
ston and W. Hand Browne, Esq., the
former of whom has been constituted
his literary executor, and both of whom
have been latterly engaged in prepar
ing a work covering tho life and public
career of Mr. Stephens. The work is
to l>e published by the Messrs. Lippin
cott, of Philadelphia. The manuscript
was read over to Mr. Stephens and
duly accepted. Vlic "only* reason why
Mr. Stephens, now consents to the pub
lication of this work in his lifetime is
because of his anxiety that the public
knowledge and judgment shall be cor
rected in regard to some matters of im
portance wherein his motives, objects
and acts have been misrepresented, and
hence m isimdcrstood.
Yesterday Mr. Stephens, having con
cluded the special business with which
he had been in conference with Messrs.
Johnston and Browne, received the
visits of some friends, and indulged in
conversation on the political topics of
the day. lie was especially free and
decided in his expressions on the sub
ject of the proposed investigation of
the electoral frauds, as resolved upon
by the House of Representatives. A
gentleman who elicited his views on
this subject gives them in substance as
follows:
Mr. Stephens, in the course of con
versation, and warming to the subject,
said that while investigation merely for
the purpose of putting formally on re
cord testimony in regard to any frauds
connected with the late presidential
election might be tolerated, yet he re
garded the present movement as most
untimely, unfortunate ami mischievous.
He held to the position taken by the
Sun, that the question of the President’s
title is definitely and Irrevocably set
tled by a tribunal entirely legal and
constitutional. He feared that the re
opening of that question any way might
lend to the most dangerous agitation
that ever shook this country. He used
a very strong illustration in this con
nection. It was not unlike, he said,
the opening of the gates of hell, as de
scribed by Milton. As in that ease, so
in this, it might be that the hand that
threw open the gates could never close
them. As regards the constitutional
disposition of the presidential question,
he held that Congress had the power to
provide the ways and means for count
ing the vote and determining the result, |
It is true, in his opinion, that the proper
way of performing that duty was for
Congress tq count the vote and settle
all disputed questions itself, but it has
also the power, for patriotic purposes
and to preserve the peace and harmony
of the country, to ciioose another and
perfectly constitutional mode of decid
ing the question. It did so in this case
by the creation of the electoral com
mission. By the constitution an elec
tion of President aud Vice-President is
WHOLE NO. 01.
i" —“— wjr -rar' ~ey TT' TJX
expreiplyjiifof ii|e(j f<£,. a-r jell as the
ondo and maimer of counting tiwrote*
and pn£fcffirifn£ It
iff also V\pr‘ w ' l dj’ prnvi.lnil that. < mi
srivss shall have tlie power to pos all
necessary laws for tlie cxceittioa of Jtß
specUkudly delegated powers. >*. ~
In his judgment, the decision having
been rendered as stated, Congress can
no more go behind or undo that decision
than could any court in the country,
cveu Uk highest, set aside any' pet* of
Congress upon tho ground of fraud in
the election of those by whose votes
a measure might have been passed.
For instance, said lie, suppose an act of
OongresS, or of any State Legislature,
should be passed in tho regular forms,
and subHcquunlly five, or any other
number of members or Senators, by
whose voles it was passed,-should be
expelled for having obtained theirelec
tion by bribery, or fraud as stnpenfb
ous as .Any that ever occurred in this
country, who for a moment
that any court could set aside such an
act, either of Congress or a State I-cg
islature, because of such indisputably
proven corruption ? In governments
there must Ire, liiriits to investigations
of this sort and their effects, tinder
'ft - *
our constitutional forms regulating leg
islation, Federal as well as State, each
house of any legislative liody lias the
right to judge solely and absolutely of
1 lie election and retires of Its own
members. If one' or more members
come with a primu fade certificate and
arc sworn in, but afterwards tire turned
out u))on the exposure of fraud, crime,
or other disqualification, whatever act
or measure or election may have been
passed or decided while such persons
were holding their scats can never af
terwards be inquired into touching its
validity, however monstrous may have
been the fraud subsequently discovered
to have been perpetrated, either in the
election or by the rrknrnirig officers.
Not very unlike is the present case of
alleged frauds.
Iu this case it is well believed that
enormous frauds were prepetrated in
Florida and Louisiana, but Congress
provided a tribunal, under the powers
which it possesses for settling the ques
! tions which grew out of the disputed
returns, and in fiis opinion Congress in
j doing *Kvexerei#ciUts high function* iu
conformity to its power under the con
stitution.
In providing for tho electoral com
i mission, therefore, it but executed, un
der the difficult circumstances then pre
sented, plain duty, and after the de
cision of this constitutional tribunal
had been rendered, Congress practical
ly proclaimed Mr. Ilayes President of
the United States for four years from
the 4th of March, 1877. The validity,
therefore, of his title to the olllce for
that term can never be impaired or set
aside except by revolution. In refer
ence to the dangers which Mr. Stephens
thinks an investigation may at this timo
involve, lie said that the soft insinua
tions to the effect that the displacement
of President Hayes would create no
more disturbance than the removal of
a constable or a bailin' were as guileful
as those which were whispered into the
ears of Eve by the great arch-fiend in
the shape of a toad, and from which
sprang all our woes.
There are snake stories and snake
talcs, hut this one from the Covington
Knlerjftria< must bear olf the palm. It
certainly is the snakiest of them all t
Young Newton dropped in our ofllce
yesterday and gave us the particulars
of a dilficulty he witnessed between a
large rattlesnake and a cat. The snake
was trying to get through a fence on
Duell Bush's plantation, when a large
cat, supposed to belong to Mr. Thomas
Petty made an attack upon the serpent.
After the cat had caught the snake with
its teeth and drew it back, it looked as
if it was dead. The cat immediately
began to eat the reptile, and at the first
entrance of the cat’s teeth in the snake's
flesh, it revived, and struck the cat in
the mouth, causing instant death. After
this, the snake swallowed the cat and
endeavored to travel. Young Newton
then killed the snake and cut it open,
finding the eat, supposed to be instant
ly killed, and was astounded to see it
crawl out and devour the dead snake.”
“ Jennie, what makes you such a bad
girl ?” “ Well, mamma, God sent you
just the best children he could find, and
if they don’t suit you I can't help it.”
The latest novelty in billiards is
Capt. Robert, the French expert, who
plays with his nose as a cue. A large
number around Hartwell would do well
to pocket the cue aud chalk their
noses.
Behind time—the back of a clock.