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Robin’s Nest. robins who Uved in a nest Ihree winds that blew in the west , , * ttofA it to r0 „ » n the leaves, and singing among gathering sheaves, cSe tie lrj-v world pattern of life that weaves 5e shadows come and alone—that g° there was cno all was first me jfot very long ago; came another, so strong and free, ben sweet and low; Whistling groat, soft melting eyes, robin v th a into my life like a glad surprise, awn floVe in a robin wise, yes or no. „ “littleone, ho w the katydids, chorusing in, Not very long ago, din, to the stars with their musical Over my joy, you know, •ailed till the moon came over the hill, touched all the ni^ht with a silvery thrill, with its beauty to ! Ur i 0 ve-crownod n3st while the katydids sang so low. !Te built us a nest with loving care Not very long ago, hit in the west, I’ll tell you where, By the beautiful river’s flow, laughs up North in the little blue Of L} lakes, sings as its winding path it takes f. [o the shore where the gulf’s green billow breaks And the salt tides come and go. Kuo was the river and bluer the skies [ Not very I flew long to ago, nest, where the three ITben our I hills rise, I By the river’s murmuring flow; lome lights on the hill sang “Home” as I [ Ind sped, “Home” in its pebbly » the river sang | Ld the bed, starlight gleamed in the skies over I head I And danced in the river below. ine day while winging our happy flight, ■ ly Not very longago, glad day shaded to dusty night. I “Dear love,” I called, “must I go?” But like moonbeams that brighten the mid S’ I night tide, Bis strong love hedged me on every side, Ind my tired wiugs still in his strength I abide, ■And the summer breezes blow. le April mom, through tho white soft mist, ■Not very long ago, I golden sunbeam lightly kissed ■(My story is old, I know) ■ wee “bron birdie” that cooed in our nest, ■essed to my heart his fluttering breast, Be love in my life was threefold blest— ■Sweet was his song, and low. ly Robin flies and my Robin sings, ■Fluttering to and fro, ■id my heart is full of the love be brings lAnd the songs that he sings to show ■at love in the soul never grows a-cold ■d the heart is young while the head is old, ■d the tale of the morning is never told, ■Though the long years come and go. |hi-tles Plough my Robin: “The sun looks west, the clouds drift to and fro;” Iffiy I answer him, “God knoweth best, ■ “hither our feet should go.” I we swing in our nest when the June skies I smile P d we wi ng our way by “still waters” 111 awhile, the path through “green pastures” leads | I To a over garden, a stile quiet and low. SCALPED. soldier's thrilling experience. I I lead in a New York paper the [ er Indian fighter Carroll r aS0Q 3 stor 7 of how ho piped was once by Indians,” said a former resi °f Laramie, “audit reminded pt I have me me t two mea in my time, \ at ^ ort Laramie, who were scalped u got well. The story of one of H Se ’ a soldier named Delos G. San firtson of Monroe County, Mich. first was »e actual description, I ttat any believe, one has ever heard of how it iels to be scalped. "While he in was os pital at Laramie I heard him tell , ' nia ny times, and every time it c me shudder, as it does still when Ter I think of it. "Sanbertson belonged to the United Itates Infant r y, which part of Gen. luster’s was command in his campaign gainst the Indians, in 1869. Ho pcipated in par that many of the engagements of campaign, tho most important of r i v as the fight with the celobrated C ack Kottle ’ 9 baud tho Ouachita. \ on L a? bl that Sanbertson !7 ed was L aud scalped by tho Indians, r 1 remember that nearly all of the L “ 0n Hers men said that he was tho , PCrSOn Li ever knew up to that ! ? !l ° lla<P boeu thoroughly and ^takahly un sca i pcd and livcd tQ teU . t 80me before the meeting Black Kottie, Custer’s scouts had *u bringmg in repo*. that the wiIy w.kS camped with a large following •°tn«where oa the Ouachita, and there SCHLEY COUNTY NEWS. he was sending out predatory bands of hia waniors to plunder settlers and im migrant trains. Custer decided to hunt him up and punish him. Th e infantry was two miles in rdvance of the cavairy, when one day, just at daylight, it came in sight of the enemy’s camp. Li i Me were on a high hill overlook ing the valley,’ Sambertson said, in giving the account of the affair, ‘and the Indians were below. It was in the middle of winter and the snow was very deep. The Indian camp was in a rocky spot, and as the women and children were there, it was evidently the head quarters of the baud. It was de termined to surprise the village, and a portion of our command was sent through the woods to the right to get in the rear of the camp, while the re mainder advanced quietly down the mountain, from the top of which a good trail led to the valley through the thick woods. This manoeuvring was so suc cessful that before our presence was dis covered by the Indians we were with in tour hundred yards of the camp, and the detachment that was sent to open fire in the rear had arrived in position. We knew by the yells of the Indians and the great commotion among them that we were discovered, and we began the at tack. Firing began on both sides of them at once, and this caused what at first promised to be a panic among the Indians that would make our victory an easy one, but suddenly an Indian of enormous statue and build, his face hideously streaked in crossbars with bright yedlow and vermiliion paint, came dashing into the midst of the sur prising and panic-stricken band from some place among the rocks riding a black pony. His yell could be heard above everything else as he dashed to and fro among his warriors, and the effect of h s presence immediately changed the whole situation. In less than two minutes every Indian was in behind some rock or tree, and knew that the fight would be a desperate one. U t We were in a secure position, but the Indians were just as secure as we were. The only way w r e could hope to defeat them was to charge upon their stronghold, dislodge them, and settle the affair by a desperate hand to hand fight. We were ordered to charge down the hill upon the enemy, and we rushed headlong right into the Indian camp, every man of us yelling as hideously as the red devils themselves. As soon as we had emerged from the woods we were met with rifle balls from every side, and a good many poor fellows never reached the camp, The detach* ment in the rear of the camp came into the conflict from that side, and we forced the Indians out from their hid ing-places to the open ground, and the battle waged right among their tents. Black Kettle seemed to be everywhere. His hideous presence alone prolonged the fight. He held his warriors to their ground, and the fight became free and general. The Indian women, and even the children, took part in it, and among tho dead that soon strewed the snow squaws and pappooses w T erc mingled. In a few minutes the snow for rods around was dyed as red with the blood from tho dead and wounded as the paint on Black Kettle’s face. “ ‘In a hand-to-hand fight like thi3, of course, it was every man for himself, and I soon found myself on one edge of the camp firing and bayonetting and clubbing my gua just as the situation for the moment required. A messmate of mine, who was fighting by my side, was killed by an Indian who fired from behind a tent, and lie fell so I was obliged to step over him. As I did that a ball shattered my aim at tho el bow, and it fell helpless at my side. Immediately following that shot a big Indian, doubtless tho one who had killed my messmate, sprang from behind the tent and rushc-d at me with his toma hawk raised. My gun was empty, and my left hand being useless I could not load. I would have run my bayonet through the advancing Indian, though, before he could have used his tomahawk ou mo, but an Indian woman had stolen up behind mo, and she threw one aim about my neck and jerked me backward in the snow. “ ‘None of our men were near me, as the thickest of the fight was in another part of the camp. Tho big Indian who had come at me with his tomahawk seemed to be also tho only warrior of this band who was not in the general engagement, The 6quaw who had jerked mo down in the snow held me there by the hair, and a lot of other squaws and children came swarming from tents in all directions to the spot. They surrounded me, spit in my lace, jumped on my body,kicked me, pinched me, thrust the points of knife blades in my flesh, and tortured me in every way they could think of. Besides, my arm was paining me tremendously and dy c ing the snow all arouud me with the blood that flowed from t he wound. The big Indian stood by with his tomahawk in his hand, and, fortu nately for me, he gave the women and their young devils too much time to have their sport with me, for suddenly there came the sound of a gun near by, and two squaws fell dead in the snow by my side. One of our boys had discovered my situation. The other squaws and their young ones scampered away, but the big Indian determined to run the risk of getting my scalp anyway, and he pounced dowu on me, with his knees on my chest, drew his knife, and the next second, although it seemed hours to me, the top of my head was in his hand, and he was gone. “ ‘Imagine some one who hater you with the utmost intensity,’ Sanbertsou said, in describing the sensation of the scalping, ‘and he suddenly grabbing a handful of your hair, while you are lying prostrate and helpless, and giving it a quick, upward jerk with force enough almost to loosen the scalp; then, while this painful tension is not relaxed imagine tho not-particularly-sharp blade of a knife being run quickly in a cir cle around your scalp, with a s awin<T like motion. Then let your imagination grasp, if it can, tho effect that a strong, quick jerk on the tuft of hair to release the scalp from any clinging particles of flesh that may still hold it in place would have on your nerves and physical system, and you will have an inkling of how it feels to be scalped. When that Indian sawed his knife around the top of my head, first a sense of cold numbness pervaded my whole body. This was quickly followed by a flash of pain that started at my feet and ran like an electric shock to my brain. That sensation was but mo mentary, but it was terrible. When the Indian tore my scalp from my head it seemed as if it must have been connect ed with cords to every part of my body. The pain that followed the cutting around the scalp had been frightful, but it was ecstasy compared to the torture that followed the tearing of it from my head. Flashes of pain shot to every nerve. My knees were drawn up almost to my chin, and the fingers of my one hand closed convulsively in the snow, those of my left hand being powerless owing to the shattered arm. That was all I remembered. When I came to I was in a tent. The cavalry had come up in the meantime, and the Indians were routed. Only a few es caped, but Black Kettle was among the few.’ “Sanbertson lay for weeks in the Government Hospital at Fort Laramio perfectly helpless and suffering untold agony. He finally recovered, and in the meantime his term of enlistment ex pired. He had no desire to re-enter the service, and General Custer jocularly remarked to him that he made a mistake in quitting the service. ‘For think,’ said the General, ‘how surprised and disgusted some Indian might be, if you should stay with us and happen to fall in his hands when he went to raise your hair to find that some one had been there before him.’ I sa.v Sanbertson several years afterward, and tho same pale-red, flat, round, bare spot was on top of his head, showing where his scalp had been torn away, as I bad seen it when lie left the h ospital. He said that it was extremely tender, and in damp or cold weather was very painful. How Panama Hats Are Made. A. C. Banks of Brunswick, Ga., wears a curiosity in the shape of a Pan ama hat which is worth about $40. It was presented to him by a captain of a foreign vessel, who bought it of a native of an island in the Pacific. The hat is a large one, about tho size of a Mexican sombrero, and can be folded compactly, but yet retain its shape when unfolded. These hats aro knit very closely from the finest Panama straw, and the knit ting of them is very tedious. They can bo knit only in the cool of the day, as the heat of the sun causes the straw to draw loose from their holds. It some times takes twelve and thirteen months to knit the mo3t valuable ones, which cost all the way from $50 to $125.— At lanta, Constitution. WHERE BABIES WED. Deplorable Marriage Customs Among the Hindoos. A Youthful Bridal Couple in a Grand Procession. The wedding season in India is now at its height, writes Frank G. Carpenter in a I«tter from Bombay. I have seen wedding processions by the dozen in every town I have visited, and I have had a fair chance to note some of the peculiarities of Hindoo marriages. In dia has the youngest brides and grooms in the world. The grooms I have seen have in no case been over fifteen, and some of the brides were apparently only just weaned. By the Hindoo law a woman should be married before she reaches the age of puberty, which here is at twelve. Most girls a e betrothed before they are six, and in a wedding' procession at Agra I saw a little bride groom of perhaps ten years gorgeously dressed in cloth of gold, and with heavy gold bracelets on his wrists and ank es, sitting in a wed ling chair with a little baby girl of not over two, who lay asleep at the other end of tho chair while tho procession moved onward. Her sleep was heavy and she had pro babl 7 been drugged with opium. There was a marriage of two wealthy families, aad the wedding procession was Tei 7 g raa(1 - At the head of it were two camels, with trappings of gold, ridden by bare-legged mea in red and gold turbans and wearing clothes of gold cloth. Behind them came an ele phant with gorgeous trappings, and twelve Arabian horses followed. These horses had gold bracelets about their fore legs just above the knee, and there were great silver bells running from the saddle along the back to the crupper. The saddles were of silver cloth, the stirrups were of silver and the bridle was decorated with gold. Between these horses came the wedding chair, and this was a sort of litter, perhaps six feet square, containing a bed with cush ions and pillows, and over it was stretched a canopy of red and gold. Within it was the bridal couple, and the procession was accompanied by a band which played during the march, “We Won’t Go Home Till Morning.” It was a native band, but it. had proba bly had an English instructor, and this tune served as the wedding march. At Benares I saw a wedding procession of the poorer classes and I had the pleas ure of an introduction to the groom. He was a sullen hoy of fifteen, who looked as though he by no means enjoyed the occasion. He had a cap of red cloth, with long strings of flowers hanging from its rim to his neck, and with taw dry red clothes upon his body. He was riding a white pony, which had gaudy trappings, and walking with him was a crowd of barefooted, barelegged, tur baned men and boys, one of whom led the horse. These were his relatives. Just back of them, and apparently hav ing no connection with the pony-riding groom, was a party of men carrying what looked like a store -box shut up on all sides and covered with red cloth. A cheap cashmere shawl was thrown over its top, and I was told that the bride was inside. I asked her age, and was told that she had lived just eight years. Behind her came a number of women carrying her dowry upon their heads. One party bore the bride's bed. It was a rack or framework of wood about 4 feet Jong and three feet wide, with four rude feet raising it about eighteen inches from the ground and instead of wire springs there was a rude network of clothesline rope stretched within tho framework. Another woman had a tray on her head containing the cooking utensils, consisting of three or four iron pots and a rice jar, and the whole outfit would have been dear at $1.50. talked wilh the father of the groom. He told me the bride would come and stay two days with her mother-in-law, then go back homo until she w-as ten years of age, when she would come to live with her husband and be married for good. In tho caso of baby mar riages, the child is often brought up by her own parents, and she only comes to her mother-in-law’s house when she has gotten old enough to learn housekeep ing, which is at the ago of ten or eleven years. In some cases, however, she goes at once to tho house of her mother in-law, and is brought up by her, often being made tp do the drudgery of the house and absolutely subjected to her husband’s mother. A Chinese Cook’s Recommendation. The ordinary servant, when she leave? one mistress for another, procures a paper “character” to take along with her; but Chinese servants, it seems, have an improvement on this. A lady who has long resided in California re lates in Youth's Companion an anecdote illustrative of the strong clannish feel ing which prevails among the Chinese in this country. I had several Chinese cooks, one after another, and finally one of them went away very abruptly, so that I refused to pay him a full month’s wages. Ilia first successor spent only a few hours in my house before ho gravely announced, “Me go; mo no stay.” The two nex stayed one day each and then departed with the same brief, emphatic declara tion. No. 4 ajipcared quite satisfied for three days, but at the end of that time he, too, followed his predecessors. In some concern I called in my husband’s office boy, a bright Chinese lad. “Chin Foo,”Iasked, “what is the matter? Chinaman no stay here.” “Ah!” he said, i i we know, maybe,” and he went into my kitchen, whither I followed him, wholly perplexed. He looked carefully all about, peered into pots and kettles, upturned tubs and buckets, lifted lids and turned over chairs as if looking for something. Finally he pushed the clock from its place and uttered a quick cry of discov ery. “Lookee,” he said, and pointed to a row of Chinese hieroglyphics on the back of the clock. Having had them translated, I dis covered that Sing Lee, my disaffected cook, had left my condemnation behind him. “She vellybad woman,” he had writ ten; “she no payee.” An Indian Palace. Tho palace of Taugore, India, a graceful, irregular mass of buildings, with its zenana, armory and durbar hall surrounds a courtyard, in which saun ter and squat armed and unarmed retain ers. The interior is decorated in a compromise between Oriental and Eu ropean taste—the more Oriental tha better, as when an untravelcd native no ble begins to iuvest in English furni ture the result is apt to suggest a mod dera hotel furnished on the sweating system. The great object in any case ss to hang the ceilings with as many chandeliers and colored glass balls as possible. The walls and columns are generally gayly painted, and a favorite fancy is a “half of mirror’ in which walls and ceilings are inlaid with innumerable little looking glasses or pieces of talc, or of colored glass. Occasionally you find a durbar hall with real marble carved columns worthy of all admiration. The idea of order is still far to seek. At the en trance of the finest palace you find the shoes, bedding of the guards thrown about and piled up pro miscuously; and framed cuttings from illustrated papers, cheap prints, or pho tographs will be nailed up quite crooked on decorated palace walls. The hall of the old Palace of Tanjore in the south, which is used as a depository for the royal valuables, contains among its treasures a framed colored advertise ment of a famous cotton .—Nineteenth Century. Catching Flics. The early Greek naturalists reported that tho crocodile caught and ate leeches. His plan of operations was described as simple but effective. Tho great reptile lay on the banks of the Nile with his month open and his eyes shut, as if off guard. The leeches at tached themselves to tha inside of his mouth, and when their numbers were sufficient to give the huge creature a taste, his jaws came together with a sharp report. Mr. Powell found that the c. ocodilcs of New Britain had a similar habit. At every turn m the river we saw a colony of crocodiles of all sizes flop off the bank into the water, where they had been previously lying catching flies. Their fly-catching is performed iu this manner: They take up a position on the bank, and remain perfectly motion less with their mouths open. Flies at tracted by the peculiar musky smell of saliva in their mouths, settle in swarms inside the open j iws. Presently there js a sharp snap, and a hundred or so of flies are entombed. I was not aware before I saw this that crocodiles were fly-catchers, as well as fish, flesh and fowl eaters.