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Blossom swore again, as roundly as before, that he would not give ’boot; and, he said, “Bullet wouldn’t hold five dollars on his back, nohow. But, as I bantered you, if you say even swap, here’s at you.” “I told you,” said Peter, “I’d be as clever as you, therefore, here goes two dollars more, just for trade’s sake. Give me three dollars, and it’s a bargain.” Blosisom repeated his former as sertion ; and here the parties stood for a long time, and the by-standers (for many were now collected), be gan to taunt both parties. After some time, however, it was pretty unanimously decided that the old man had backed Blossom out. At length Blossom swore he “nev er would be backed out for three dol lars after bantering a man”; and, accordingly, they closed the trade. “Now,” said Blossom, as he hand ed Peter the three dollars, “I’m a man that, when he makes a bad trade, makes the most of it until he can make a better. I’m for no rues and after-claps.” “That’s just my way,” said Pe ter; “I never goes to law to mend my bargains.” “Ah, you’re the kind of boy I love to trade with. Here’s your boss, old man. Take the saddle and bridle off him, and I’ll strip yours; but lift up the blanket easy from Bullet’s back, for he’s a mighty tender backed hoss.” The old man removed the saddle, but the blanket stuck fast. He at tempted to raise it, and Bullet bow ed himself, switched his tail, danced a little, and gave signs of biting. “Don’t hurt him, old man,” said Blossom, archly; “take it off easy. I am, perhaps, a leetle of the best man at a horse-swap that ever eatch ed a coon.” Peter continued to pull at the blanket more and more roughly, and Bullet became more and more ca vortish; insomuch that, when the blanket came off, he had reached the kicking point in good earnest. The removal of the blanket dis closed a sore on Bullet’s back-bone that seemed to have defied all medi cal skill. It measured six full inches in length and four in breadth, and had as many features as Bullet bad motions. My heart sickened at the sight; and I felt that the brute who had been riding him in that situation deserved the halter. The prevailing feeling, however, was that of mirth. The laugh became loud and general at the old man’s ex pense, and rustic witticisms were lib erally bestowed upon him and his late purchase. These Blossom con tinued to provoke by various re marks. He asked the old man “if be thought Bullet would let five dol lars lie on his back?” He declared most seriously that he had owned that horse three months, and had never discovered before that he had a sore back, “or he never should have thought of trading him,” etc., etc. The old man bore it all with most philosophic composure. He evinced no astonishment at his late discovery, and made no replies. But his son, Neddy, had not disciplined his feel ings quite so well. His eyes opened wider and wider from the first to the last pull of the blanket; and, when the whole sore burst upon bis view, astonishment and fright seemed to contend for the mastery of his coun tenance. As the blanket disappeared he stuck his hands in his breeches pockets, heaved a deep sigh, and lapsed into a profound re very, from which he was only roused by the cuts a.t 'his father. He bore them as long as he could; and, when he could constrain himself no longer, he began, with a certain wildness of expression which gave a peculiar interest to what he uttered: “His back’s mighty bad off; but dod trot my soul if he’s put it to daddy as bad as he thinks he has, for old Kit’s both blind and deef, I’ll be dod trot if he ain’t. ” 11 The devil he is, ’ ’ said Blossom. “Yes, dod trot my soul, if he ain’t You walk him, and see if he ain’t. His eyes don’t look like it; but he’d jist as leave go agin the house with you, or in a ditch, as anyhow. Now, you try him.” The laugh was now turned on Blos som, and many rushed to test the fidelity of the little boy’s report. A few experiments established its truth beyond controversy. “Neddy,” said the old man, “you oughtn’t to try to make people dis contented with their things. Stran ger, don’t mind what the little boy says. If you can only get Kit rid of them little failings, you’ll find him all sorts of a horse. You are a lee tle the best man at a horse-swap that ever I got hold of; but don’t f r, ol away Kit. Come, Neddy, my son, let’s be moving; the stranger seems to be getting snappish.” HALL. PULLMANS ARE COMMON CAR RIERS. The Texas railroad commissioner has issued an order declaring Pull man cars common carriers and provid ing that all such operated in Texas shall be subject to the same rules as the railroads. Tn their usual spiteful manner, recognizing no law, the Pullmans will retaliate by with drawing their service from the state entirely or will operate only tourists sleepers and seek to prevent inter ference with their through business under the protection of the interstate laws. It is to be hoped that the Texas commission will find the law and the opportunity to bring this arrogant company to time.—Messenger, Oko lona, Miss. BAILEY IS DODGING. The fight on Senator Bailey has reached white heat and the Senator now is jumping sideways to dodge the shafts hurled at him by those who are after his scalp. Just what will be the result no one can tell at this time, certain it is that the senator is beginning to see that the people are thoroughly aroused and it will take the fight of his life to get back to the senate again.— Watchman, Cleburne, Tex. Arthur Chamberlain, the oldest brother of the great politician, is very unlike his brother in many ways. For one thing he is opposed to him in politics; also he does not wear an eyeglass. Seeing, however, that a Chamberlain would not be a Cham berlain without some mannerism, he invariably wears the pinkest of pink neckwear. THE WEEKLY JEFFERSONIAN. PURCHASING THE RAILROADS. The outstanding stocks and bonds of the railroads of the United States make a total of $13,213,124,679. It may be said that the railroads did not actually cost this sum of mori n ”, but the question to be considered <n the purchase of this private property is what it is worth now to the hold ers of these stocks and bonds. This would have to be calculated, not per haps upon the basis of the market prices of the securities, but certainly upon the basis of their income ca pacity. Not on their income for any single year, but for a. series of good and bad years. Tn speaking of the purchase of the railroads by the government, the Wall Street Journal remarks: “In ease all the railroads were ab sorbed by the federal government, and that is what, in the last analy sis, it would amount to, this opera tion would increase the funded debt of the country from less than $1,000,- 000,000 to more than $14,000,000,- 000, and the $13,000,000,000 of debt which would have to be created bv the United States in order to pur chase the railroads would amount 30 per cent of this total world gov ernment indebtedness.” That is exemplification of the fact that a man can write the truth the literal truth—and yet make ic tell the most abominable lie. Let vs give an example. A man’s wife had been away for a vacation. Upon her return he placed a large amount of beautiful flowers in the hall and par lors to make her home coming pleas ant. Then they had a quarrel and he sued for divorce. He went on the stand and swore that when she came home he did everything to give her a pleasant greeting. That he placed flowers in the hall and par lors, but she threw them out into the garbage can. He failed to state that she preserved them until all their beauty had vanished and decay had set in. He, like the Wall Street Journal, told the literal truth, and at the same time, the most abomina ble lie. There is a vast difference between a government debt that causes the people to be taxed to pay interest and finally the principle, and an in vestment which can return a profir to the people and reduce taxation. The Journal knows that the people have a horror of government debts. They have heretofore been used to tax and impoverish them, and that was the sense in which it was in tended that they should understan d this debt of $13,000,000,000. An ed itor who will play such a dirty trick as that upon his readers is as con temptible a creature as exists. The people are already paying the inter est on that debt, and will continue to pay it, whether government owns the roads or they • remain in private hands. Besides that, the moment that the Hoads passed into puhU.? ownership many millions of expen ses would sitop. The vast sums paid to attorneys, to lobbyists, in court ex penses, and the loss in rebates ar.d free transportation would cease. The cost of conducting political cam paigns, which alone run up in the mil lions, would stop. Within five years the people would he paying less than half the inter est on railroad stocks and bonds that they now pay, and in twenty-five years, after great reduction in freight and passenger fares, they would have no interest at all to pay. Under pri vate ownership they will have to pay interest forever. There may be sound reasons 1c be presented against the public own ership of railroads, but if there are z the Wall Street Journal has not dis covered ithem.—The Investigator, Omaha, Neb. THE PURE FOOD LAW! The pure food law enacted at the last session of congress became oper ative on the first day of the year. The authors of the measure believe it will put an effectual stop to the sale of adulterated and impure foods and drugs, confectionery and liquors. The abuses sought to be corrected, it is asserted, are numberless, but here after it will be possible for consum ers to know precisely what they are receiving for their money. Articles under the heads already enumerated will have to be what they purport to be, if the law is complied with. A large number of inspectors working under the supervision of the depart ment of agriculture, will watch dealers of all sorts to see that they do not violate the; law. Offenses against the law will be punishable by fine or imprisonment or both. It will be illegal to manufacture any article of food or drug which is mis branded or adulterated. Every citizen in the United States ought to be personally interested in seeeing that this law’ becomes effect ive in all its provisions, for it is a notorious fact that there is now on the market a great quantity of im pure food that has been prepared solely for profit and without regard to its purity. Unscrupulous manu facturers, who have been outraging the public by fraudulent deception in adulteration, should be made to feel the effects of this law and all of them should be forced to deal fair ly and justly with the public.—Ex aminer, Tennesseean, Gallatin, Tenn. CROKER’S OPPORTUNITY. (From The Washington Star.) The gossip about Mr. Croker is all very puzzling. Now he is returning to America, and now he isn’t. Now he is tired of his Irish home, and now he isn’t. Now he has wearied of the turf and longs again for politics, and now he hasn’t. Oh, well, we shall simply have to wait and see. But if the ex-boss only knew how much mixed everything over here is, and what opportunities exist, for a man to whom salary is not so much an ob ject as the chance to get even, he would not tarry longer on the other side. There are more kinds of Demo crats in New York than may be count ed on the fingers of both hands, and two varieties of Republicans that defy all anlysis by the old rules. This is the country for a man of Mr. Crok er’s tastes and talents. A HOLY SHOW. (From The Pittsburg Post.) “Pa!” “What is it, son?” “What do they mean by a holy show?” “A New York sacred concert, my son.” The cost of the Dreadnaught was 10 per cent, per ton less than any other of the large British vessels. 7