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THE LINCOLNTON * NEWS
yol. in.
The Thought op Thee
When do I think of thee ?
When first awaking,
The gray dawn breaking-,
O'er land and sea.
The day upspringing,
Its first joy bringing
The thought of theo.
I think of thee
As day advances,
The low sun glances,
On flower and tree. \
As day beams clearer,
My soul draws nearer,
My love, to thee.
I think of thee
When day is setting,
My soul forgetting
AU else but thee—
My cares beguiling,
The longAours whiling
With thoughts of theo.
I think of thee
When stars, unsleeping,
Their watch are keeping
O’er land and sea.
Their vigil sharing,
My thoughts are bearing
My love to thee.
The thought of thee
Thy name proclaiming,
My love is naming
Though far from me,
And round me lingers
With glowing fingers
Still painting thee.
The thought of thee
Shall ne’er forsake me,
Though live’s storms shake me
And threaten me—
But still unfolding,
My heart upholding,
Bid danger flee.
The thought of thee
Be round my pillow
When life’s last billow
Sets my soul free.
It’s comfort giving
To him, who, living,
Thought but of thee.
—Fred Smith in Hatchet
THE MINER’S STORY.
Journeying westward on the Atchi¬
son, Topeka and Santa Fe road, the
other day, two old westerners sat
together smoking and chatting, writes
a correspondent of the New York
Times. One of the men was a miner,
and the other a cattle-raiser. The
miner first got his feet on the seat in
front of him, and remarked slowly:
“Seven years ago this winter was a
mighty dull season in our camp. The
weather was colder than usual, there
wasn’t any water, we were short of
grub, and the Indians were very trou
Tblesome. We had about fifteen or
sixteen in the camp, I believe, and we
had to go pretty easy with the eatables,
so as to make them last. I had been
keeping several men there, thinking
every day that we’d strike something
rich, and when they got more and more
dissatisfied, I promised them bigger
and bigger shares. 1 suppose I prom,
ised mor’n a hundred fortunes that
winter, but something told me that if
I hung on I would make it. I could
see that the men were getting about
ready to jump me, and that they had
begun to look upon me as something
of a lunatic. They would hold long
conferences together, speaking in low'
tones, and when I came around they
would pretend to he talking about the
weather, or something of that kind.
I had used them all pretty well, and
they hated to leave me, but they were
uneasy.
One day toward sundown, when I
was about ready to give up myself, a
young Mexican couple, who were
bound for Sonora, straggled into our
diggings a good deal the worse for
wear. They had been up in Colorado,
and had started for home with a team
and driver, but the Indians had got on
their trail, killed the driver, and stolen
the horses and wagon. The travellers
managed to get away while the driver
was holding tha savages at bay, and
lying in ambush until nightfall, they
had worked their way on foot into our
camp. The young woman was one of
the prettiest girls I ever saw. She was
about sick abed when she arrived, but
the next day she was around as chip¬
per as anybody, and the boys were all
making themselves very agreeable
Bays I to myself: ‘This is a special
dispensation of Providence; if I can
keep the girl here for a while, there
will be no trouble about the boys—
they’ll stay, too.’ I never heard a word
of grumbling from them that day or
the next. They just walked around on
eggs all the time, and butter wouldn’t
melt in their mouths.
“I was a little afraid the greaser
would get jealous and knife somebody
>
but then I thought if he does the rest
Of the boys will finish him, and then
we’ll have the girl anyway. The Mex.
lean seemed anxious to get away, but
I ipade one excuse and another fer not
helping him right away, and one morn¬
ing he was missing. He had sloped
during the night, leaving the girl to
ub. Well, sho was pretty well cast
down for a while, but I explained to
her that probably her husband had
THE AUGUSTA, ELBERTON AINU CHICAGO RAILROAD.
gone on to get horses and an escort,
and that he had taken this course
because he knew she would have
objected to his going alone. This faint
hope seemed to give her some comfort,
and the rest of the boys fell in with
me, and it became the settled convic¬
tion about the camp that he would be
back presently. She livened up some,
and the boys made themselves very
agreeable. When two weeks had gone
by, and nothing had been heard of her
husband, she insisted on being taken
home, and offered us any amount of
money, which she said her father would
pay, if we would escort her over the
border. I began to fear that her hus¬
band was never coming back, and, to
tell the truth, I had a still stronger
suspicion of something else; so I agreed
to start with her the next morning at
sunrise, and told the boys to be in
readiness. That afternoon we heard
unearthly screams up one of the gulch¬
es a ways, and several of the boys
running up with blanched faces to see
what the matter was, found the little
woman beside a new-mqde and very
shallow grave, into which she had dug
far enough to discover the body of her
husband. As the boys stood there
aghast, she sprang to her feet quickly,
and, drawing a revolver, shot two of
them.dead before any of us could find
voice. I threw up my hands and
begged of her to desist, and when some
of the boys grabbed their guns, I just
pulled mine and made them put them
up. Then I got her back to the cabin,
disarmed her, set one trusty fellow to
watch her, and called the others up
into the gulch. We uncovered the
dead man, and found two bullet holes
in his back.
(t t Who put them there ?’ said 1,
sternly, to the men.
‘“The two men whom sho shot,’
they answered.
“ ‘Impossible,’ says L ‘How could
she know ?’
“ ‘She didn’t know. She just hit
them by chance,’ said one of the party.
‘We knew when they did it, but we
didn’t want to say anything about
it. They thought to rob him and run
away with her, but she seemed to be
afraid of them more than of all the
others.’
“Well, I kind of got tired of that
place after that, and when I got ready
to take her home, I packed up my own
things also, and as we set out I says to
the boys: ‘Good-bye, old men. You
can work the claim or not; just as you
pi eas e. It ain’t likely that I’ll ever be
back here again.’ And I never did go
back. They slunk away after a while
too, and I’ve heard that nobody has
ever worked there since. I took the
girl home to her father and left her
there. She’s there now. Yes, I see her
occasionally. In fact, I don’t mind
telling you she’s my.wife, and has been
for three years.”
A Dakota Prairie Fire.
Last Sunday evening, as the sun was
sinking in the western horizon, a fire
was noticed encircling this place, and
at no greater distance than twenty
miles to the north and west. The
scene that immediately followed was
too horrible to be thought lightly of.
The whole heavens seemed as one
mass of seething, hissing fire. The
roar that accompanied the flames as
they darted upward, was enough to
startle the pioneer, and completely
shatter the bold and fearless tender¬
foot. A cry was raised, and in a few
minutes the citizens turned out
en masse with wet bags and coal oil
torches, and going to the north and
northwest limits of the town, along
the wagon trail leading west, immedi¬
ately applied the torches. The grass
went off like powder, burning a
backfire about twenty feet wide in an
instant, reaching nearly a half mile.
Then to meet the creeping flames ap¬
proaching from the north, a double
backfire was started by the torchmen,
and had just been completed when the
roar of the flames was heard ascend
ing the hill—only in a moment to flash
in the tall grass and meet the backfire
with tne swish peculiar to the concus¬
sion following the discharge of a can¬
non. The fire to the west was then
about two miles distant, but nearing
at the rate of about eighteen miles an
hour, and when the north fire had been
safely met, all hands went to the south¬
west trail, running to about twenty
yards north of the new school house,
and started a backfire on the north side
of the trail, and then bringing the fire
over the trail, it was let to burn
around the south side of the school
house, being watched by eight or ten
to prevent the fire spreading to the
building. At one time it seemed as
though the blaze would get the best of
them, but wet sacks were applied, and
the flames subdued. Other parties
were sent in different directions, and
succeeded in checking the fire. The
damage done, however, was estimated
at $10,000 .—Forman (Dakota) Chron
icls.
LINCOLNTON, €rA„ FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 1885.
TRADE IN HUMAN HAIR,
-
It is Gathered from All Quart
ers of the World.
The Most Valuable Colors and the
est Prices Paid for the Material
“The best quality of human hair
comes from France, Germany, Sweden
and Norway,” said a large importer of
human hair on Broadway, New York,
to the query of a Mail and Express
interviewer.
“Years ago the human hair trade
was a bonanza almost to what few
dealers there were in the business,
Fine, luxuriant hair could be pur
chased from the possessor for a few
beads or knick-knacks. Peddlers went
about the country with gewgaws in¬
ducing women to part with their hair.
Times have changed, and not a woman
in any of the countries mentioned but
requires a good round sum to sever her
flowing locks to adorn other heads in
different parts of the world.”
“Well, how is the trade now?”
“ Within the last fifteen years it has
fallen off surprisingly. Then it was
considered on the list as the third
largest import trade in America, while
now perhaps it ranks about the twen.
tieth. The reason is obvious. The
introduction of cheap hair from Italy
and the Chinese refined hair has
ed the sale of the genuine article
Now the hair that mostly comes from
Italy is either cut aiter death or taken
from hospital patients. It is then sent
to Paris and carried through a process
which is supposed to give it tone and
vitality, but graveyard hair can never
equal the excellent quality of the raw
material taken from a flesh-and-blood
sca *P -
“How is the hair prepared for mar
ket after it is first cut from the head?
“All hair obtained in Sweden, Nor
way, Italy and sometimes Germany
(although the latter country often pre
pares for market hair obtained there),
is sent to Paris as raw material.
There it undergoes the refining pro
cess. It is cleaned, washed, and dried,
and then drawn through hot sand; so
the article is as pure a 3 can be. Now,
when the raw material is sent here it
is simply washed in soda, and is ready
for sale.”
“What does the hair cost, obtained
from the original wearer ?”
“It depends on the length and color.
All the way from $1 to $10 is the price
paid for the raw material. We call it
raw until it is cleaned and purified.
Thirty-two inch hair retails here from
$3 to $4 per ounce, being graded by the
shades of color, desired. Some hair
easily sells for $10 and $100 per pound,
if thirty-two or thirty inches long.”
“What color in hair is highest
“Pure white hair is more sought
after now than any color, and is worth
its weight in gold. Indeed, it is more
valuable than gold. It sells at $10 and
$150 per ounce, and is extremely hard
to get at that price. The reason of
this is that pure white hair can rarely
ever be found. Nearly all white hair
turns to a yellowish tinge from ex¬
posure to the sun and weather. Ordi¬
narily white hair has three different
shades, beginning at the the roots, and
varying a little in the middle and the
end. Hence the great difficulty expe¬
rienced in getting pure white hair. I
don’t mean gray hair. Gray with us
is mixed. Then, when white hair is
colored you can tell it easily.”
“What colors come after white in
popularity ?”
“The light or pale colors are always
more in demand than dark shades.
Light blonde, not reddish, and golden
hair are the favorites after white. In
Sweden light hair is mostly obtained,
and is more expensive than in any
other country. France furnishes dark
and medium shades; Germany medium,
and Italy generally dark, But of
course all these countries furnish all
colors, but those just mentioned pre¬
dominate.”
“Will the prepared human hair last
as long as the raw material ?”
“Prepared hair will last a lifetime;
it never loses vitality. The raw hair
is clogged up with oil and will soon
become dead. The refined Chinese
hair, which is generally mixed with
the imported and sold for first quality,
very soon rots. In order to refine it,
acids are used, and the effect is delete¬
rious. The Chinese hair is dirt cheap.
Twenty-eight inches in length can be
purchased at the rate of $8 per pound.
The trashy Italian quality is about the
same price. The prepared human hair,
twenty-eight inches long, is worth $36
per pound, not counting the costly
shaded grades.”
“What is the matter with America
that you cannot buy the raw material
here?”
“It is the variable climate here, 1
think, which seems to impede the
growth of hair. Fact is, hair doesn’t
»eem to grow long on American
women, and the only reason that can
be given is the strange freaks of the
weather. Now, in Sweden the winters
are long and severe, but not capricious
in changes. The temperature remains
equable and Swedish women take pride
in cultivating a fine crop of hair for
the hair-gatherer when he comes
around late in the spring. American
women wouldn’t sell their hair if they
had it. Money is not an object with
them when it comes to looks. No hair
is obtained from England for the rca
son it doesn’t grow long in the foggy
island. The hair from Italy i3 trashy,
and there is no doubt that if the raw
material was imported here direct, be
fore being prepared in Paris, it might
contain a germ of cholera, as a great
deal of it is cut from patients in hos
pitals. Hair from Italy might proper
ly be excluded with rags during a
cholera epidemic.”
— r:
The Arab Household .
He was a grand-looking old man,
and looked all the more so in his pic
turesque Arab costume. Following
him through a small lobby, we ascend
e( l a dark and narrow wooden stair
case. At the top of it we found our
selves in an arched gallery running
round a small court. Here a few goats
were wandering about, and from be
hind curtained doorways numerous
j principal dark faces lady were of peeping the household at us. receiv- The
,
I ed us at the door of the sitting-room,
and soon we were surrounded by at
least a dozen women and lots of chil
dren, not two dressed alike. The poor
children were all perfectly laden with
bracelets, anklets, nose-rings, while a
few had even nostril-rings. Indeed,
many of them looked queer little
objects, with patterns painted on their
faces in scarlet, yellow or white,
>c ’ ome the women, too, had white
s P°t s painted round their ears. I
thought these extremely ugly, for
they strongly resembled rows of teeth 1
^ ne exceedingly smart baby was dress
ed ’ n a y e P° w silk dress with a bright
cr * mson border, and a little cap sur
j counted by a tuft of feathers all the
; co l° r s of the rainbow. His arms and
j * e £ s were perfectly laden with jewels!
and his little neck smothered with rows
and rows of beads, from which were
suspended all sorts of charms and
talismans. Several of the women were
afraid to shake hands with me, and
0De little fellow with an enormous
i nose ' rin S screamed most lustily. This
led to 0ur discovering tllafc the ^ were
afrald of m y dark hands, for I had on
apairof hrown gloves. It was the
drst time that any them had seen a
pair of gloveS; and the whole party
Were very much astonished , whea 1
took them off, to find , that my hands
were white. Miss Allen produced a
scrap-book, and handed it first to the
old gentleman. He commenced look
ing at it at the wrong end, as Arabs
always do, and evidently enjoyed the
pictures quite as much as the children,
Shortly after our arrival the servants
brought in a gilt tray with two large
green goblets full of sweet syrup; and
we had to drink a little of this, as well
as three small cups of coffee, the old
gentleman particularly wishing me to
understand “that it was Arab custom
to drink not less than three.”
The Lapp and His Reindeer.
The mountain Lapps of Norway
have learned to drink coffee and wear
stout Norwegian cloth, but they set as
much store by the reindeer as ever. A
poor family will have fifty and upward !
in a flock, the middle classes 300 to!
700, and the richest 1,000 or more. The
reindeer is as much beloved by the
Lapp as his pig by the Irishman, and j
the reindeer often sleep in his hut in
much the same fashion. /The Lapp
will whisper to his reindeer when
harnessing him xo his sleigh, and will
tell him where he is to go, and declares
he understands him. The reindeer is
much like a stag, only smaller; all the
people, animals and trees in Lapland
are very diminutive, the mtn are
mostly under five feet high, and the
women under four feet nine inches, so
great are the rigors of the climate in
this as in all countries under the arctic
circle, and the cows, sheep and goats
are small in proportion. In summer
the reindeer feed upon grass, and give
excellent milk; in the winter they feed
upon moss, which they scratch up
under great depths of snow with mar
velous instinct. When winter draws
near great numbers are killed, and the
flesh is dried and smoked to provide
food when the ground is covered with
snow, and but few birds, like ptarmi
gan, partridges and capercailzie, are
met with. The flesh is very nutri
tious, and after a course of grass
feeding it is surprising how soon the
reindeer become fat and plump. The
skin makes their dresses and boots, the
sinews their thread and fishing lines,
and the horns their spoons and domes
| tic utensils.
HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
_
Country Churches Met With
in England and Wales.
Beautiful Edifices that Are Built in
Quaint Styles of Architecture
The village churches in the south
west countries, or cider countries as
they are sometimes called, are particu
larly rich. Many of them are of Tu
dor workmanship, and are built on a
much larger scale than the tiny edifices
of Saxon and Norman times." When
Henry VII. was building his beautiful
chapel in Westminster Abbey, many
of the lieges caught the same feeling
and taste that prompted his outlay on
this work, and reared in their own lo
calities edifices that were in the same
style, without attempting to vie with
its richness. Then, perhaps, to these
structures a porch was added when
Queen Elizabeth was making her sum¬
mer progresses, and subsequently fur¬
ther alterations were effected wheD
King Charles had come to his own
tinged with classic taste, telling of
foreign travel, all of which yielded a
lighter air and tone than the work of
the ma30n3 of earlier centuries,
Abbey Dore church, i near to Here
fordj ’ i3 an unu3ual y fine village
chu eh with much work in it of these
latter times-mysteriously vast, indeed
as though built with vague longings in
tJie hearts of its builders for some
greater purpose. Within three miles
or 30j at Kilpeck, is a small, massive
Xorrnan. church of great curiosity,
with 30me ;i ngering traces on it, at its
aDgle3i of the plodding to uch of previ
0U3 gaxon masons,
There are little Welsh churches, built
0 f stone, with slated roofs, so plaiD, so
featureless, that it is difficult to be sure
they are not barns. There are others,
again, no larger, that arrest all passers
by with their plaintive beauty. Here
j 8 u a nbedr church, of the dashing,
darting Artro. It is full of delicacy
and grace, though consisting only of
the usual nave and chancel, with a
S mal] bell-cot on the west end. A gen
erous giver, however, recently added a
small vestry and an open-timbered
porch. Like the rest, it stands in a
churchyard, only the tombstones lie flat
upon the earth, fringed with the grass
that around them,
These memorials of departed Welsh
villagers are made of slate and incised
w ith Welsh inscriptions, giving the
name3 and dates of the births and
deaths in the usual way. Over the en
trance to the church is a small slate
tablet, inscribed with an admonition,
which is likewise in Welsh ^ the effect
that none should enter that privileged
sanctuary save with good thoughts.
tVe may venture to cross the threshold,
notwithstanding. Within all is orderly
xhere is an ancient, open-timbered
roof; an unusually picturesque chancel
arc h, formed with rough-hewn, slab
formed stones; a central pathway
between the two rows of sittings; a
stained-glass window on the south side*
and a 3ecoad stained-glass window at
the east end, both masterpieces of color*
steel, pale, and wan tints contrasting
incomparably with deep and rich tones;
a f ew mura i tablets, and a general air
and tinge of refined and homely piety.
In a word, these village churches
present a field of interest that is prac¬
tically inexhaustible.— London Quiver.
PEARLS OF THOUGHT.
A talent is perfected in solitude;
a character in the stream of the
world.
It is in vain for a man to be born
fortunately, if he be unfortunate in
his marriage,
It is easy to look down on others;
to look down on ourselves is the diffi
culty.
When workmen strike to do better
than well they do confound their skill
in covetousness.
Every one of your actions is re¬
warded , , or P l > nished . , , ’ “V not
dlSC ® m .f’° r lf W ° d °’ are to ° proud
^ ai mi 1 ‘
A wide, rich heaven hangs above
y° u > but it; kangs a wide r °ugh
wor ' d ' s around J ou > and ^ ^ es vel 7
low.
The crowning fortune of a man is
to be born to some pursuit which finds
him in employment and happiness,
whether it be to make baskets, or
broadswords, or canals, or statutes, or
songs.
“Spirit” is now a "very fashionable
word. To act with spirit, means only
to act rashly and talk indiscreetly. An
able man will show his spirit by gentle
words and resolute actions; he is
neither hot nor timid,
Life is made up, not of great sacri¬
fices or duties, but of little things, of
which smiles aud kindness and small
obligations, given habitually, are what
win and preserve the heart and secure
the comfort.
CLIPPINGS FOB THE Cl BIO VS.
Oysters deposit about one million
eggs
Over 5000 patents on churns have
already been granted by the Govern¬
ment
The pulse of a hen is 140, of a cat
110 to 120, of a dog 90 to 100, and of
an ox 25 to 42.
The cavities in the long bones of
quadrupeds are filled with marrow.
Those in the long bones of birds and in
skulls contain air.
A Philadelphia firm pumps its mo¬
lasses from the wharf to its storehouse
through a pipe line similar to the oil
pipe lines, to avoid delays and cartage
charges.
Cannon Point, Ga., claims the honor
of having the only olive grove in the
United States whose fruit is used for
the manufacture of oil. It contains
160 bearing trees, which were planted
over 100 years ago. The grove yielded
200 gallons of oil this year.
The ocean, as well as the land, has
different botonical regions, and changes
are observed with the depth analagous
to-the variations of terrestrial plants
to the altitude. Marine vegetation
seems to have its vertical extent deter¬
mined by the range of light in the
water, which varies with the power of
the sun and the transparency of the
water.
By a proclamation of George IIL,
dated Oct. 7, 1760, grants of lands in
America were authorized to the re¬
duced officers and discharged soldiers
who had served during the French and
Indian war—5000 acres each to field
officers, 3000 to captains, 2000 to sub
alterns and staff officers, 200 to non¬
commissioned officers, fifty to private
soldiers.
From a single grain of wheat plant¬
ed in 1881, says the Grass Talley (Cal.)
Record, grew twenty-two stalks, each
bearing a full head. These yielded
860 grains, 760 of which were planted
the next year, producing one-fifth of a
bushel of splendid wheat. This was
planted last spring, yielding seventeen
bushels, making 1,020 pounds of wheat
from one grain in three years.
Chess is the oldest game now in use.
It was originally played in India,
where tradition says it was invented
5,000 years ago. The Indian game,
however, was much improved as it
traversed over nations. It reached
China, and then came through Persia
to Europe. Before the sixteenth cen¬
tury there had been fifteen writers on
chess, of whom seven were Asiatic.
Scarcely twenty-five years ago the
most powerful piece of artillery was
a sixty-eight pounder, throwing its
projectile with a velocity of 1600 feet
per second. Now the weights of guns
have been increased from five to 100
tons, the velocities from 1600 to 20,000
feet per second, the energies from 1000
foot-tons to over 52,000, and the pro¬
jectiles from sixty-eight pounds to
2000 pounds.
Weather Changes Foretold by
Actions of Animals.
The behavior of some animals has
long been known as a means of pre
dieting the coming changes of the
weather. The lower animals are more
significant in this respect than others
of a higher organization. Thus snails
and frogs are more susceptible of
changes in the weather than birds,
and it is well-known that swallows,
peacocks, geese, and other birds, and
pigs and some other animals exhibit
very conspicv ous signs of an approach¬
ing change. Snails drink by imbibing
moisture through tubercles in the
skin, and some time before rain these
tubercles are extended and become
quite protuberant. Some snails change
color from yellow to blue, others climb
trees and get on the leaves, on the
upper side, if the raiu is to be short.,
and on the under side if it is to be¬
long, Swallows fly low just before
rain, skimming the ground or tbe sur¬
face of ponds of rivers; blue jays and
peacocks cry loudly and persistently;
geese act as if washing themselves in
water, and “squawk” with great vigor;
ants rush hither and thither as if
greatly excited; frogs croak clamor¬
ously; gnats gather in clouds under
trees; pigs squeak and carry bunches
of straws in their mouths to make up
their beds; dogs curl up and go to
sleep; cats lie with their backs to the
fire; flies even exhibit greater ani¬
mosity in teasing their .victims, and
mosquitoes and gnats are greater tor¬
ments than ever at other times, Even
people feel restless and irritable, and
rheumatics feel twinges in their joints
and limbs, and old wounds and even
amputated limbs suffer severe nervous
pains. The reason of it is doubtless
due to the greater rarity or lightness
of the atmosphere which precedes the
advent of a storm and the fall of rain,
and in some cases also to the special
influence of electrical action.-— New
York Ti mes.
NO. 21.
HU HO ROUS.
TI e sluggard is told to go to the ant,
but in nine cases out of ten he goes to
the “uncle.”
It rains alike on the just and un¬
just—on the just mainly because the
unjust have borrowed their um¬
brellas.
A boy says In his composition, that
"onions are the vegetable that makes
you sick when your don’t eat them
yourself.”
It is believed that Ananias died at
the right time to preserve his reputa¬
tion. He wouldn’t be considered much
of a liar these days.
A peculiarity in connection with
the inhabitants of the sea is, that while
they are all permanent residents the
entire population is strictly a floating
one.
“John, what is the best thing to
feed a parrot on ?” asked an elderly
lady of her bachelor brother who hated'
parrots. “Arsenic,” gruffly an¬
swered John.
A delaware farmer has put down
40,000 herrings as a fertilizer. His
theory is that the crops will hurry
into the air away from the smell of
the herrings.
An exchange says that folded
newspapers placed under the coat in
the small of the back is an excellent
substitute for an overcoat. Now is
the time to subscribe.
Mistress to amiable servant maid:
“I am going to the opera this eve¬
ning, so I shall probably be home
late.” Amiable maid: “Ob, you
needn’t apologize to me for that.
A young man who was courting a
widow asked her if she objected to
smoking. “Oh, no,” she said; ‘‘poor
John wiis very fond of tobacco, and
I allowed him to 3moke all he wanted
to—before we were married.”
“You must come and see me, my
dear,” said a lady to a little girl of her
acquaintance. “Do you know my
number?” “Oh, yes, ma’am,” re¬
sponded the innocent child. “Papa
says you always live at sixes and
sevens.”
Little George was questioned the
other day about his big sister's beau.
“How old is he?” “I don’t know.”
“Well, is he young?” “I think so, for
he hasn’t any hair on his head.”
“Pshaw, Kate!” a husband said one day,
In some domestic row;
“You used to be too awful nice,
Why ain’t you that way know?”
“Ifs all your fault,” she answered him,
“That I am changed of late;
You would not alter Kate, you know,
Did you not altercate?”
The Tariff.
There are two kinds of taxes—direct
and indirect. One species of indirect
taxation is what is styled the “Inter¬
nal Bevenue,” which taxes domestic
evils, like the liquor trade, and yields
the Government an immense sum.
But its favorite and most profitable
“indirect” device is the “Tariff.”
Upon certain products and manufac,
brought to our shores from other lands
it lays a “duty,” or tax, and that duty
must be paid to the proper Govern¬
ment officials (called “custom-officers”
or “custom house officers”) before the
things can be sold in this country. On
every pound of figs brought to this
country, the Government, through its
“custom-ofiicers,” collects two cents
Slates and slate-pencils from abroad
must pay thirty cents for every dollar
of their worth. When you buy these
things, remember you are paying much
more than actual values. A part oi
the excess goes into the treasury ol
the United States as a “duty,” or “in¬
direct tax;” for, of course, the dealer
who imports these articles inelvd. s
this extra cost in the price charged the
purchaser. You little folk have per¬
haps no idea how much you contribute
every year to defray the expenses oi
our grand republic! Dolls and toys not
made in this country must pay thirty
five cents on every dollar of theii
value! Bonnets, hats, and hoods, foi
men, women, and children; canes and
walking-sticks; brooms, combs, jewel¬
ry, precious stones, musical instru¬
ments of all kinds, playing-cards,
paintings, and statuary,—these are
also roughly jostled by this uncouth
law.
I should state, however, that alt
articles from abroad are not taxed.
There is what is known as the “Fret
List,” on which are placed certain im¬
ports exempt from duty, such as nux
vomica, assafeetida, charcoal, divi-divi
dragon’s blood, Bologna sausages, eggs;
fossils, and other articles! But th«
great bulk of important staples used
in every-day life does not come within
this favored class. Chemical products;
earthenware and glassware; metalsi
wood and wooden wares; sugar; tobacco
provisions; cotton and cotton goods,
hemp, jute, and flax goods; wool and
woolens; silk and silk goods; books
papers, etc.; and sundries,—thus ends
the Tariff List.— St. Nicholas.
K
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