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Sir Peter and the Cow.
expire by law, and the Government
h*d passed no appropriation bill!
While in Montreal I heard a good At this critical juncture one of the
etory of Blr Peter Mitchell, member of Government members returned ex-
Parliament from New Brunswick, of citedly from the Premier’s room,
whom I spoke In a recent letter. He rushed to the orator’s desk, an 1 ex-
was an opposition member during the
lamentable government of Sir John
Mackenzie in the last decade, and was
a constant and most uncomfortable
thorn in the side of that unhappy
claimed : “In the name of God, what
ails you, Mitchell? What do you
want?” “—still, said Sir Peter, fin
ishing the sentence he had on his lips,
“not a cent h *s ever been paid for t le
premier. Sir John was a conspicuous widow’s cow!” The member uttered
railroad magnate, and just before the a vehement exclamation about that
opening of Parliament one winter Sir animal, and added : “Sir J >hn Mao
The
Philosophy oi
Mad.”
“Gettin
Peter called on him to induce him to
pay $40 for a widow's cow that had
been run over by the cars. “I don’t
believe there’s anything in it!” ex
claimed the premier, peremptor ly
‘it’s probably a trumped-up case, but
’ll inquire and you call to-uooir >w.”
The gentleman from New Bruns
wick was not used to being treated so
Civa irr y,but he pocketed it and called
in the morning.
“ There’s no justice in It. We won’t
pay for the cow,” broke in Sir John.
“You won’t; won’t you ?” r*joined
Sir Peter, with a manner quite as
bouncing as that of the leader of the
government. “ Have you been there
or sent there and Investigated it?”
“ No, I haven’t, but I won’t pay for
the cow. It’s a mere trifle, and she
ought to have kept off the lr ick.”
Don’t the law say you shall have a
fence?”
“I won’t pay for the cow, now ; and
that’s all the answer you’ll get.”
“Yoti won’t pay for the widow’s
cow ; won’t you, Sir John Mackeri zie ?
I will make you pay for it,” exclaim
ed Sir Peter, now thoroughly aroused.
“You will; will you! How will
you ?” growled the premier.
“I’ll take it out of you during the
session, as sure as you are a living
man. The widow’s $40 isn’t any
thing, isn’t It? I’ll take it out of
you!”
It was an Irishman against a
Scotchman, and both were angry.
The sequel proved that Sir Peter took
It out of him very thoroughly. He is
a round-headed man, a hard worker,
a pugnacious and redoubtable foe, an
unforgiving enemy, bold and elegant
in debate, no dilettante, but a hard
litter, and some of his onslaughts
rere furious. If he had not great tact
\e had great force, and he never for-
e cow. In the speeches he made
day against the measures and
fihods of the government, then
Jer strious suspicion, he told the
fy of the cow and trotted her out
a frequency that must have
ted like cruelty to animals.
Anally the last day of the session
rned, and the consideration of
jkenzie’s expense budget was rt-
It provided the appropriations
le coming year.
Peter Mitchell took the fl >or
iied into a eulogy of the de-
cow and the propriety of mak
Id appropriation for the widow,
pas greeted with laughter and
ring applause, and then his audl
waited unetsily for him to finish.
!e continued. H j told the'story over
gain with eml eliishments and elabo
itions. He con rasted the stinginess
the wealtl y ruler with tne quiet
lurance of the penniless widow,
te began to read lrom the Bible the
imauds to mercy, justice and char-
When the honorable members
raggled out one by one to dinner.
[lr Peter bit a biscuit, drank a swal-
of water, and continued, impres-
ig upon tue empty chairs about him
tender duties and graces of bu-
laxity. Members straggled in again.
r H i quoted the Song of the Shirt. They
mppealed to him to draw his remarks
fo a close. He retold the story of the
>w. Meantime, Bir J >hn Mackenzie
perspiring with ar*th and anxiety
the tremier’s apartment hard by.
"A 11 his hopes were bound up in the
appropriation budget. What if ii
should not come to vote ! The hon-
caole member from New Brunswick
lid not be stopped, tor this was the
bill in the Cauadian Parliament
rbich a member c »uld speak as
he wished. Tnere was no way
jutting short the debate. No ruo
was in order while he wav speak-
except the motion to adjourn—.
that would be adjournment sine
The Gov« rnrnent menubars
in consternation, as the orator
Lred a speech on the blessings of
Luatiou, gave statistics on the cost
i qes in the United States, passed
borate euconlu ui on the superl-
for diaft purposes, of Devon cat-
to which class the deceased do-
atlo friend of the bereaved widow
long'd, and then begun to dq|gj;ibe
religious o*r <ononlee in which
th takes part,
ken zie authorizes me to say that he
I will pay for the cow, if you’ll let this
bill come to a vote.”
Sir Peter sat down rather tired, and
■ the widow got her pay. The Govern
ment organs declared that the widow’s
cow had cost $40,000. Her champion
: is still known in Cauada as Bismarck
Mitchell, on account of his boldness
and shrewdness in outwhting a Cabi
net and making himself long the ad
viser-in-chief of a vacillating Gov
ernor.
Agricultural.
ars.
One of the best di-finfectants, save
the Poultry Bulletin, is Condy’s fluid,
which is made by putting one ounce
of potass, permanpenate in a pint of
cold water. For use one ounce of this
fluid should be added to half a pint of
water.
Ducks can be nised with profit, if
kept under favorable conditions. An
English farm* r raises annually about
1300 for the London market. Many
of them are hatched in winter and
kept under cover till the approach of
warm weather.
The United States Veterinary Jour
nal, Chicago, recommends ttie follow
ing as a remedy for heaves: Pow-
rtred resin, two ounces; tartar erne
tic, two ounces ; Spanish brown, two
ounces, and Cayenne pepper, two
ounces. Mix. and give two teaspoon
fuls a day in soft feed.
In some paits of the West the large
oat crop and deficiency in corn will
cause the substitution of oats for corn
as feed for hogs. A bushel of corn
weighs nearly twice as much as one of
oats. If ground together the mixture
makes a better feed for growing pigs
and breeding sows than either grain
alone.
A correspon ent of the Breeder
Gazette is of the opinion that fattening
hogs in large numbers under one man-:
agement is not attended always with
success, as they do not seem to thrive
when many are fed and kept together
The same care cannot possibly be
given them as is done with only a few,
as cleanliness is indispensible to the
hea' tu. of the animals.
The following is stated to be a nearly
correct r lie for measuring corn in
cribs: Hiving leveled the corn in the
crib, measure the length, breadth, and
depth, and multiply them together
and deduct from the product oue-fl'th,
and you have the number of bushel*
in the ear; for shelled corn take one
half of this. To be strictly correct, add
half a bushel for every one hundred
Harness should never be kept in the
stable wliere manure is constantly
generating large quantities of ammo
nia. Tuis ammonia is rapidly ab
sorbed by the leather, and the 'fleet
upon the leather is about the same a-
would result from saturating it with
strong lye, In a word, ammonia rots
leather, and hence keeping harness in
the stable is sure to result in its dam
age more or less.
Regarding artificial Incubators it
may be safely stated that there are
several Kiuds that w< rk well, but only
in the hands of carereful, attentive e-
sons. A beginner should iry one ot
small capacity, for an occasional loss
of a large number of eggs amounts to
a sum sufficient to destroy the profits.
The care of the young chicks .» of
more importance than the iucubation
of the eggs. •
“Tne tilt-ct of a strong ray cf light
railing on milk” says the Dairyman
“is to develop the fermentlve orgi n-
isms that lead to the decomposition of
the liquid. They are of a vegetable
character, and need light as well as
warmth to enable them to tin r uglily
di. their work. It is best therefore to
keep milk in the shade, not necessar
ily in a dark room, but away from the
light ot a window.
Never apply pure hen droppings or
any pure guano direotly on seeds or
plants; applied pure it will destroy
the germ of most plants. Properly
prepared fowl manure may be applied
lyilh benefit to any crop, field or gar-
den, broadcast or harrowed in, but 1b
more economically employed In the
hill or drill. As good a plan as any,
probably, Is to gather the dropp ngsas
once a week, and jn lx
“I don’t believe in bein’afraid of
your temper,” said Mrs. Johnson, en
ergetically. “ I say fight it out and
conquer It. If the O d Hvrry comes
into my family I want to met t him
right oil'. The other night my boy
came home ugly as sin. He was all
tired out; somebody had been sassy
to him, and he had been nursing the
devil all day long, preparin’ an ovtr*
powerin’ reply. I went up to his loom.
Now, he’s never cross to me ; but that
night he growled out: ‘Mother, J
wish yon would go down stairs and
mind your business.’ 1 sat d< wa and
took hold of his hand-, and t leu I
boxed bis ears a little. I wanted him
to realize my presence before I began
wasting my breath. Tnen I scolde i
him. I scolded him steady for an
hnur and a half, and when I got
through I could wind him round my
little finptr. „* Mother,’ he sail, ‘I sup
pose I am sort ol hot-beaded.’ ‘Hot
headed ! ’ says I, ‘you’ re j ust like a little
busted pepper.’ Folks ask me why I
don’t get mad. I tell ’em I ain’t rich
enough. It’s as disablin’ as a tit of sick
ness. When I keep my own carriage
I’m going to stir up j ist as many rows
as my neighbors; but as long as 1
keep boarders for a livin’ I haiu’t got
no time for tenutvr ortea’-s.”
Human Wear and Tear.
It is not desirable to enter ver/
fully into the duties of railway men.
for titeee must neiessarily be tediou-
to the reader. With regard to the
work of sigualmen, engine-drivers,
and guards, it may be well to point
out that the rtaturt of their employ
ment is more diffl suit, and involves a
geater mental and physical strain than
tiie work engaged in by the ordinary
artisan, while it is also very much
longer continued. A signalman is of
ten called upon to woik a stretch cf
twelve hours (many signalmen wor<
their whole number of hours at one
strtteb), during which he can barely
flud leisure to swallow his food. He
nas to manage the levers (many are
extremely heavy), the disk, bell, and
t-iugle-needle instruments, and the
line clear book. Not only does his
work invPlve great physical fatigue,
but it is also harassing and anxious to
a degree incomprehensible to one who
has never been inside a signal-box,
ami «ho, consequently, cannot realize
how easily a mistake may occur. The
signalman knows the teirible results
that may follow upon an aot if care
lessness, and whan he is depressed or
out of health the verdict of man
slaughter looms before him.
Tue engine driver must look out for
signals, regular the ruuuing of the
train, and keep his engine under con
trol. He remains standing the whole
length of the journey, exposed more
or less to snow and storm, light nit g
and burning sun ; sore f^et and rheu
matism are frequently the result.
The giiHrl is obliged to watch the
w' ite light or ail-right signal, the
greeu light or caution signals, and tne
red light or danger signal-*; to regulate
the breaks of the slip coaches attached
to some express and fast trains, ami
in ca-te of accident t > protect the tra n
r>y going back one mile to place deto-
uators on the rails. The day’s work
of the artisan is nine hours, and his
wtek’B work fifty-four hours; the
day’s work of the rdlway servant
varies from ten to twelve hours, and
his week’s work from sixiy t> eighty-
four hours. The artisan’* niue hour
are done regularly in each twenty-four
hours, wuile tue.railway servant, o» •
ing to the exigencies of his occupation,
is sometiuieu call'd upon to perform
two days of woik, or twenty to twen
ty-four h' urs, at one stretch, and then
he is sent < fl duty for an equal period.
Tue artisan is paid at. a greatly en
hanced rale f >r i me worked on week
days over his niue hours, while the
railway servant, with some ex options,
is paid at tie ordinary r ite fur suoh
time; and on some railways, and in
some {.r ides, he is not paid at all.
The artisan euds his w< rk at 2
o’clock on Saturday, and resumes
duty at 7 o’clock on Monday, after en
joying a day and a half of uniutei-
rupted rest; the railway servant’s
week is of eu without beginuiug or
ending, and he canuot be said to
possess one regular day ir j e from toil.
The evil couBiqueiicea resulting from
the systematic overwork of railway
men may be summarized as follow^
Increased moitality and ill health
from alleged natural causes, overwork
being without doubt productive of
premature death and premauue old
of regular rapt and newar;
ife and consequent non-fulfillment of
the functions of heads of families;
loss, wholly or t‘ie part, < f thereat and
\ rivilegesof Sunday ; demoral zitlon,
ihe outcome of physical fatigue and
ixhausted energies. Systematic over
work, it will be allowed, is not com
patible with continued attention to
difli ult and important duties. It pro-
due* s listlessness, and this adds to the
risk of yeeirfents happening to both
railway servants and passengers ; for
tx e.-sive periods of labor cause men
to fa.l asleep at their posts, and force
them t > neglect the constant care and
unceasing w tchfuluess necessary In
oidir to insure the Bafety of tbeir own
lives and thelives of the public.
It cannot, therefore, be doubted
that many of the easualities on the
line are indirec-Iy caused by the de
mi r.ilizatiou produced amoDg railway
men from excessive toil and want ol
r «t, A man who woi ks sixteen hour-i
daily, when the strain is over, returns
to his family too tired to take Interest
in home matters, too cross to attend to
wife or children, only fit to dr me over
the fire or to creep worn out to bed
again, afoer a few hours of sleep, to be
roused, half-rested, with aching body,
neavy limbs, aud j ided spirit, for the
renewed performance of a round ot
monotonous toil. Such a min, living
at a mile’s di dance from his place of
empl 'yment, is roused at fi^e o’clock
in the morning and reaches his were
by eix o’clock. Ha returns at ten
o’clock in the oveuing, and if h9 goes
traight to bed obtains eix hours of
sleep. H >w can the habitation, of
hat man be called a “home?’—The
AHntteenth Cintury
Tit-Bits ot Humor.
What is the difLrence between »
girl and a night can? One is born to
wed and the other is worn to bed.
Why iB it easy to break into an old
man’s house? Because his gets (gait)
is broken and his locks are few.
What is the difference between a
hungry man and a glutton ? One ldngs
to eat and the other eats too long.
What is the d fl r nce between a
cashier and a schoolmaster? One
tills the rniud while the other minds
the till.
* l
What is the difference between s
flehi.rman and a lazy school boy ? One
oaits his hook and tne other bales hi.-
book.
Whet Is the d'fference between a
tube and a foolish Dutchman ? One is
a hollow cylinder and the other a
silly Hollander.
Why is a watch dog larger at nighi
than he is in the morning? Because
he is let out at night and taken in in
Lire morning.
W. D. Banks, of Clayton Ga., has
the boss cow. He says a man can
pick her up and tote her ; then s* 1
her down and milk her, and he can’t
tote the milk.
A woman has suggested that when
men break their hearts it is all tne
same as wl eu a lobster breaks one of
his cb ws, am ther sprouting immedi
ately end growing in its place.
* When a boy falls into the water
what is the fir<t thing he dees ? H
gets wet.
Women Fe’dom stop to think. True
enough, but they never fail to stoj
and talk.
The husband who finds himself c u>
futed in argument by Ms wife in
-tantly begins t» out-roar her.
A livery stable-keet er named Spun
would never let a horse go out without
requesting the lessee not to drive fast
Oue day a young man called to gst a
turnout to at end a funeral. “ Cer
tainly,” said Spurr, “ but,” he added
forgetting the solemn purpose for
which the youug man wanted tiie
horse, “don’t drive fast.” “Why
j -*f*t look a-btre, old fellow,” said tin
somewhat excited young man, “ 1
want you to understand that I shall
keep up with the procession—If it
kills the horxe.”
An old story is neiug revived of a
orayer-meetiug held for a poor fellow’r'
relief who had broken his leg. While
Deacon Brown was pray mg a tall fel
low with au ox goad knocked at the
door, saying, “ Father could not come,
but sent his prayers in the cart.”
I’hey were potatoes, beef, pork and
corn.
“I can't give you this paper.
Tommy, to read, because there are
some things you rauetn't see.” “ Wei I,
Auntie, Jut t put a mark against them,
id I!il know ifcbloh they are.
Women’s Work.
Mrs. Stanton tpeafes of “the indi
vidual eacredness that comes of a per
sonal bank account,” in a paper In
the current number of the North
American Review, and the remark Is
one eminently suggestive. The differ
ence of having or not having, a little
fund of money of one’s own, is no
only a question cf finance but is repre
sentative of the atmosphere of ease
nd independence of personal inclinat
tion, or that of independence on the
will and judgment of another. The
woman who earns her own money
and who spends it at her own sweet
will has, to this extent at least, a de
gree of sol'd satisfaction in life.
Every woman has countless ways in
which she likes to spend money with
out talking the matter over with any
one. Sue has her own little private
charities, her gifts, her tastes.
Mrs. Stanto n says the love of accu
mulation is as strong in woman as in
man, but that is perhaps rather a
sweeping generalization. A woman
usually cares more for money as a
present currency for what it will do
and give to herself and others than fur
its hoarding or growth. Ofremuae
alive employment Mrs. Stanton
adds:
Next to freedom of locomotion and
individual independence as element
of health, comes the necessity of re
munerative employment and pleasant
mental occupation. Woman is now
n the transition period from the old
0 the new, and is struggling to serve
a higher purpose in life than she has
heretofore known. All girls are not
satisfied with the amusements society
has to offer, nor all women with the
osition of wives, mother^, and house-
keep* rs; and It is the want of con
genial employment that makes the
ives of women so vacant and their
health so uncertain. The love of
ccumulation is as strong in .women
*s in men. It is a great satisfactio
to know that one has acquired th
skill to make a livelihood ; has th
power to shape conditions; is free to
gratify tastes; to choose surroundings;
io ei joy a little of that individual
sacredness that comes lrom a personal
oauk account. Statistics show that
girls taking a college course are more
uealthy than those who lead listl:
lives in society; that women who
business are far more vigorous than
those who are mere household d
pendents.
Tuat the want of congenial emplo
meat is enough to make life emp
few can doubt; yet, when one look
*t things as they aie it is a source of
absolute astonishment to find so many
women working in ways which are to
hem a burden, and at pursuits for
which they ha?e no vocation.
Smae one has recently said that the
great question whmh interests women
at present is as to how they may obtain
employment without becomiqf factory
'i«nds or bbipg employed in shops.
How do men obtain employment with
out recourse t»these ? The question
tor the one, as for the other, answers
itself. People escape the lower by fit
ting themselves for the higher, and
then ny resolutelv insisting on taking
1 he higher. If a woman will allow
nerself to be shoved to the wall and
■aay there quietly Bhe will doubtless
find the way easy. But that there is
he slightest necessity tor her doing so
is not true. A woman can do what
die will, if Ihe has the strength to
will any thing. A little staying powei
is a very good element in life.
It is not worth while to be discour
aged and throw up matters which one
has deliberately chosen, O le obsta
cle in the way of successful work for
fornen aud the power of establishing
the sacred ness of a p< rnonal bank ac
count iB the false \ rido that exist
among a certain class of women who
are ashamed of having it known that
hey work for money. The decora
tive art societies and the Woman’s
Exchange are the principal markets
tor woik that Is done sub rosa. Such
work is always under a disadvantage.
The caution neoesrsry to defend the
reputation of the artisan against the
possible suspicion of knowing how to
do auything uae’ul ir ornamental re
sults in sadly ILnling her resources.
The key to a great deal of satisfaction,
if not of speculative happiness in life,
is to disoover that work for which
one has a vcoitkmi and then pursue
it to remunerative ends, and the sa
cred ness of the individual bank ao-
U lot.
What is the dlflerenoe between
Solomon and Rothsohild ? Oue wm
king of the Jews and tne ah« - Llw ot