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About Schley County news. (Ellaville, Ga.) 1889-1939 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 27, 1890)
Lote's Coning* Love came to mein life so late That Time had closed the outer gate— So late it seemed the door was barred. Bolts shot, and all the house rough scarred That owned iny habitation give no sign Of welcome to the God benign, •For Love with all his power divine llad come so late. It seemed that none would ever come In answer to his knock, though somo Sweet thought stirred restless in iny breast Uneasy waked from its Ion? rest, So strange were such lair vi.-itors that when Love came and caked, and ca led again, It was at first in rain, for then It, seemed so late. No chamber had my soul prepare 1 Against his coming, none had dared Foretell h.s advent; it did seem irtore ofa sweet, unstable dream— Before his summons, sweet aud clear, rang out Waking the drowsy-liddetl rout Of fancies, passion-sweet, his shout Seemed all too late. No rich feast had been spread for him; All the guest-chamber lights burned dim, For few had come that way to claim A resting place—e’en fickle fame Had tied long, long before Love came— And yet the close gate opened wide At his approach; holts shot aside; All the bright soul lights flamed, and loud Bang out the welcome of the crowd. My soul's best minstrelsy did welcome him, Bright grew my dimmest, darkest dream, For after all it did not seem Love came too late. THE STORY OF A MEL, “Comrades! have ye heard the news? A man hath come forward to answer the challenge of Jacopo the Swordsman!” This announcement, made in one of the principal streets of Florence on a fine summer morning in the latter part of the sixteenth century, was quite sufficient to gather an excited crowd round the speaker the instant he uttered It; for Jacopo Belloni (popularly known as “Jacopo the Swordsman,” from his deadly skill in fencing) was widely renowned as the most formid able prize-fighter in all Italy, although (according to the custom of those times) ho fought, not with his fists, but with his sword. .The redoubtable Jacopo had already killed three or four fencers of renown .who had ventured to encounter him, and then, finding that people seemed to bo getting rather shy of testing his prowess, he had lately issued a formal drliicugo to allcomers, and had offered stake a pretty large sum of money upon the result. This challenge, however, had al ready been thrice repeated without anyone appearing particu'arly anxious to accept it; ami therefore it was no great wonder that the announcement quoted above should have been re ceived with looks and exclaina ions of doubt, and even of flat disbelief. “It is impossible, Maso! (Tom). No man living would bo so mad!” “It must bo.a jest—aud a sorry one, too.” “Or else Maso is lying. Confess that thou art lying, according to thy custom, brother Maso, and wo will forgive thee!” “Laugh if ye will, my friends,’’ said Maso, slightly affronted, “but 1 lie not. It stands writ out in the Mar ket riace, full fair to see, that there is a man ready to meet Jacopo on the seventh morning from today.” “Thou there is one more fool in the town than I thought,” grunted a stout armorer,” “and there will soon be one less.” “Who is the man?” lie must be a stranger here, or he would know bc ter.” “I can not tell,” said Maso; “for, Although his challenge is fairly writ, there is no name signed to it.” * . Then it must needs be a jest,” growled a sturdy butcher, beside him. “No jest, i'faith,” cried Maso; “for he hath sink d one thousand five hun dred pistoles on the ov ml.” Incrcd ble as Muso’s news ap peared, however, it was speedily and surely confirmed, and the tidings of the expected combat flew abroad like wildfire, kindling a universal excite ment. When the day appointed for the tight came, not only all Florence, but all the country round s reined to have gathered to watch the sport, and in the ranks of the spectators were to be 6cen young nobles from all the greatest families in Northern Italy. The shigo upon which the two •champions were to meet was a large platform of smooth planking (thickly strewn with sawdust to keep their feet from slipping), which, being full xkirty feet iu length by ut !eu»: tw.utv SCHLEY COUNTY NEWS. in breadth, gave ample space for all their movements, At either eml of the stage was a smaller piai.onn, on which stood a tent of white canvas; and upon these tents all eyes were fixed in eager expectation, for they hid from sight the heroes. Presently one of the tents was seen to open, and forth stepped the famous Jacopo Belloni liiin*elf, bowing con descendingly in acknowledgment of the thundering cheers that greeted his appearance. The renowned swordsman’s tr 11, nc live, sinewy figure was a perfect model of well-trained agility ami strength; hut his dark, lean, wolfish face, with its hooked nose, sloping forehead, bristly, black moustache, sharp, white teeth, and fierce, restless, gray eye (which was turned hungrily upon the opposite tent) were unpleasantly sug gestive of some ferocious beast of prey. And now the other tent opened in its turn, and a long cry of astonish ment broke from every lip. The man who was about to encounter the dread ed Belloni was seen to be a slim, hand some youth, barely twenty years old, so slender in frame, and so smooth and delicate in face, that, but for his lofty stature and the silky moustache on his upper lip, ho might have been mistaken for a The bravo shrugged lii3 broad shoulders with a disdainful laugh, and muttered some coarse jest about “whipping the child back to its mother;” but the young man took no heed of him. Then up rose a fine-looking old man m a richly-embroidered suit of crim son velvet, the Marquess di Scala, who, as warden of the Market Place, had charge of t’ e day’s proceedings. He announced that this young man 6lakcd one thousand live hundred pis toles (nearly one thousand three hun dred pounds) against one thousand wagered by Jacopo, ad ing that, as there was no personal enmity between the two combatants, the first wound received by either might fairly end the fight. But here the young stranger inter posed. “Let me entreat your wor ship,” said he, with stern emphasis, “not to defeat the sole purpose which could have made me stoop to encoun ter yon cut-throat. It is full time that his murderous hand were stayed fr. m shedding more blotxl; and, with the help of Heaven, mine shall be the arm to stay it. Ere l leave this spot, he or 1 shall lie dead.” in the dead lmsh of universal amazement, those clear, stern, menac ing tones rang out like the summons of a destroying angel. The epectors stood agast, and looked at each other in silence; and even the savage Bel loni seemed cowed, for the scornful smile faded from his lips, and a faint uneasiness mad j itself visible for the first time t..rough the swaggering im pudence of his look. These signs of wavering did not pass unnoticed by the watching crowd, somo of whom taunted him with his changed look; on which, stung to the quick, the bul ly fiercely shook off' his momentary hesitation, and advanced upon his foe with uplifted sword. The latter met him with equal readiness, and a deep and solemn hush settled down upon that great multitude as the shining blades were seen to cross. Belloni pressed furiously forward, his sword flickering like lightning as ho dealt thrust after thrust, with a quickness which no eye ccukl follow, lie appeared to be bent upon bearing down Ins young opponent by sheer strength; but to his own surprise, and that of every one else, he seemed to have met his match at las 1 . Lungs after ]ungo did he make, with seem inglv irresistible force, and again and again did the bystanders draw in the'.r breath as they watched to see the stranker fall; but the thirsty point was always turned aside jtt t as it seemed about to pierce him. Nor did he once break ground, but kept cir cling round and round his foe, watch ing for a chance of attacking in turn. That chance came at last. Jacopo, spent with his own violent exertions, could no longer maintain this exhaust ing attack. llis breath began to fail and his hand to tremble, Thou the sfraturor sprang forward, and attacked Bel oni in his turn, with tho light of n sudden and terrible gladness upon Ins beautiful face, which made the hardiest spectators shudder a« they saw it. Twico Belloni dashed aside the point just as it reached him, but the 6ecoud time an ominous stain of crimson on his white vest showed that the parry had come all but too late. They clos d a third time—there was a quick tramp ling of feet, a clash of a steel, a hoarse choking curse—and the destroyer of so many lives lay dead at the stranger's feet, pierced through the heart. The momentary pause of silent stupefaction was followed by long-continued thunders of applause, while the Marquess di Scala, seeming ly much pleased, held out to the con queror the heavy purse containing the stakes; but the latter, to every one’s surprise, waved it haughtily away. “Money that is stained with blood shall never be touched by my hands,” he said, in a tone of such commanding dignity as to impress even the proud old noble to whom ho spoke. “Give it to the widows and the orphan cltil dren of the men whom this wretch hath slain.” “And who art thou, fair sir, I pray thee?” asked the marquess, looking at him wonderingly. “I am from Scotland,” answered tho victorious youth, “and my name is—James Crichton!” “The Admirable Crichton!” shouted the throng, xvith one voice, hailing the renowned Scot by the title which he had already made famous throughout all Europe. “Ay, the Admirable Crichton, in good sooth,” cried the Marquess di Scala, “and never more truly adtnir able than when he thus risks his life to punish the guilty, and gives up his well-won gains to relievo the dis tressed.” The Language of Animals, Every one who has heard a dog or a horse welcome its master with excla mations of joy, or a cat plaintively mewing for its food, ought to believe that animals can talk. The dog has different sounds to express hunger, pmn, joy, sorrow, thanks and fear. Birds have-different songs and notes to express their feelings. Wo recognize their songs of victory and of love, as well as the notes of anger an 1 fear. It is evident that these notes aro un derstood, not only within the limits of emc species, but among other birds; for different tribes often make a com mon cause of jov and battle. Monkeys j express their p ssions, fcar3 and dc-j sires by various cries and gestures. –ome of the most uncivilized languages are but little richer than theirs. Abbott tells us that crows have twenty-seven distinct cries or utterances. Many scientists believe that certain sounds made by fishes are for the purpose of expressing their feelings. It is dear to the careful ob server that language is universal where er there is sensation, and a 1 animal life more or less iuter-com muuicat ive [ Pi cay u no. The Mystery of Memory* “TIow far back in your life can you remember?” asked a psychologist yes. terday, referring to great feats of memory. “Let mo see,” said hia friend, reflectively, “I can recall inci dents in my life as far back as my fourth year.” “That is about the average, ’ replied the gentleman, “al though many people claim to be able to recall events in their lives as far l> ick as the age of two. I myself can recall one or two events that must have hap pened when 1 was not more than two years old. One thing that 1 recall is that 1 have a vivid impression of sit ting on the floor of the nursery play ing with my blocks. My mo her canto in the room. She wore a hat with an ornament of a big bird. All this is Vienr to me, even today.” [Detroit Ficc Press. , A New Method of Robbery. A your.g lady of Paris has invented a new method of robbery which she has carried on with a good deal oi euccc s for s vcral weeks past. Wear ing a traveling dress with a traveling bag in her hand, she waited about the stations, as if she were quite new t) Paris, and d d not know where to go. It, constantly happened that gentlemen took pity on her, and proposed to take her to a hotel. On arriving at Vie hole), the gentleman, of course, de manded to be shown rooms, The young lady invariably stopped down stairs, and before he returned had jumped into the cab with tho gentle man's luggage and driven away. SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. An English astronomer states that the oldest historical record of a solar eclipse is in llomer’s Iliad, Experiments by an Italian physician indicate that tuberculosis of fowls is different from that of man, and is not transmitted to the latter, A new stenographic machine In nse by the Italian Parliament is capable of recording 250 words a minute, and can be readily manipulated by a blind person. Some of the cottonwood telegraph pole3 used in Nevada chanced to be sunk in marshy places with the bark on. They have taken root, aud display attractive foliage. ^ |C h a33ooi> P vo P ose d for polar ex P 5oratio,,s is ninety-nine feet iu diam ctcr and 500 ; 000 cubic feet in volume, The journey is to be begun from Spitz ^ er o en ' and with a favorable wind is expected to last three or four days. A passenger elevator to the summit of Mont Blanc—the shaft to have eight compartments, each six feet square, and each to carry a triple-decked elc valor for 27 passengers—lias been pro posed by an American mining cugi necr. The heat produced from the light of a firefly is only one per cent, of unequal amount of candle light. The bug’s light is produced by a chemical action, as it is increased by putting the fly in oxygen and diminished in an atmos phere of nitrogen, A lady who makes it her business to remove hair from women’s faces has an establishment on Regent street, London. She employs electricity, aud says it sometimes requires as many as twelve sittings to electrify a moustache out of existence. An interesting fact just ascertained by government observers is that at the extremities of Long Island Sound the tide begins to flow inward near the bottom one and one-half hours before it begins to flow in the same direction at the surface of the water. A year or two ago the great red spot on Jupiter, which has puzzled astrono mers since 1887, was reported to boon the point of becoming invisible, but it sso well defined as to be a very con spicuous object on a photograph of the planet lately taken at the Paris Observ atory. Ruby light for photographic pur poses, in spite of all that has been said in favor of orange green,, continues-to hold its own in the dark room, al though many who use it complain of its eflect on their eyes. A remedy for this has been found in the introduc tion of a pano of ground glass be tween the eyes and the ruby. The eyes of insects are immovable, and many of them seem cut into a multitude of facets, like (he facets of a diamond. Each of these facets is supposed to posises3 the powers of a true eye. Lenenbocck counted 3,181 of them in the cornea of a beetle, and over 8,000 in that of a common liorso fly. A Rome correspondent says it is pro posed to convene an international con ference some time next year to deal with the question of the meridian. The suggestion is to select Jerusalem instead of Greenwich or Paris as the meridian line. A proposal will also be made to fix a universal standard of time. A Baby King at Play. Alplionso, the baby King of Spain, has tlie most beautiful a..d expensive toys iu tho world, llis special favor ite is a rocking-horse, which is cov cred with the hide of a beautiful Au t'a’ns'an horse. The saddle, stirrups and other trappings aro of the same pattern as those used in Andalusia. There is a story told that he once in vited a court dignitary to play at horses with him, much to everybody’s amusement; and it is a fact that when the nobles had assembled to celebra e his birthday Alphonse amused himself bv climbing up and down the steps of his throne. Another day, when the foreign ambassadors catnc to pay court to him, the little fellow went off to sleep in tho nurse’s arms before the ceremonies were over. lie goes out a great deal and has a very pretty way of saluting people in tho street. lie loves military music, and when he hears the people shout “Viva” to him he claps his little hands and shouts iu return PEARLS OF THOUGHT. Slang is the warts on lansrunge. Men have sight; women insight. A broken silence is never repaired Silence is less injurious than a weak reply. Energy is the sand iu the craw ol enterprise. We take less pains to be happy than to appear so. Every kind of work that we can’t do looks easy. Man is cold as ice to truth; but hot as me to falsehood. A little woman can tell just as big a lie as a btg woman can. You can’t climb a telegraph pole by shinning up a fence post. Di-trust of yourself really mean* consciousness of wrong. Shallow men believe iu luck; strong men believe in cause and eflect. Your bank account, unlike yourself, never gets tight by getting full. Every life is a center, and all things are made for it as if there were no other. Tie a coward’s hand behind him and you give him an additional reason to boast. Nothing but a mule occupies less space than hia hind foot and makes lc s noise. The word “friend” has been so abused as to remind one of the word “washlady.” There arc no good men, but somo are so much better than others that they are entitled to credit. ’Tis nature has fashioned some for ambition and dominion, and it has formed others for obedience and sub mission. The leopard follows his na ture as the lamb does. He (Sot the Job. Firmer Crane, who lives over on the town line, has some very unique meth ods of examining the men who apply to him from time to lime for work. Last evening a tail, big-boned fel low, in his shirt sleeves, asked Crane if he had any work to do. “I don't know,” said the farmer, “can you ’tend horses?” “Yes, imlcedy; I've worked about horses all my life.” “Come around here to the pump,” said Crane, and he ied the way to a eommon sucker-rod pump near the barn. Going inside, he got a long, narrow pitcher, and placed it under the spout. “There,” said lie, “pump that, pitcher full of water.” The big boned fellow complied, carefully pumping the pitcher fuil without spilling a single drop. “That’ll do,” 6aid Crane. “Go in side and get ready for supper; I’ll give you a job iti the morning.” About a week later the big-boned fellow asked Crane what pumping the pitcher full of water had to do with his getting a job. “Well, I'll just fell yon. This is mighty dry weather, and water is get ting scarce. You must have thought that far,for you didn’t spill any water. If you hadn’t pumped hard the water w uld have been spilled: and if you had pumped too hard the water would have gone over the pitcher. Now, the way 1 argue is this: If a fellow don't pump hard enough, he won t work hard enough. If lie pumps too hard., lie’ll work too Irani for a little while, and I don’t want either kind to work for me. You pumped exactly right, aud you got a job.”—[Toledo Blade. Nlppcd in the Bud. A woman wiio appeared to be an excursionist was walking up and down Woodward avenue yesterday with a man's hat in one hand and a large calf skin wallet in tho other, and an officer finally rpproached her and asked: “Madam, are you looking for any one?” “Oh, no,” she replied, “I knots right where he is.” “Are you in any trouble?” I * No. sir. I never allow anything to trouble me.” i » But you—-you--” “It's just this way, sir. Me and nty husband came in on the excursion. After we got here he began to frisk and cut up, and I proceeded to nip hi® in the bud. lie’s over there on the City Ilall steps, bareheaded and w ont a cent > while 1 hold the key A position.”—fDetroit Free Pies-
