1878-09-06; Clare County Press

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.._K  IB"2_   0_    THE   IiONG   AGO.
BS W. W. MALOTT.
Beneath the stars of June,
1 hear the same old tune
That thrilled my heart in former years
But it has lost its power
•     To cheer this gloomy hour,
And sounds but coldly in my ears. 0
The lips that breath'd it then,
"Long time have silent been,
Press'd by the cold and chilling sod;
But in a brighter sphere
We hear, or seem to hear.
Her hymning praises sweet to God.
That old familiar song!
How many memories throng
To burden sore my saddened heart
" But it can never be
What once it was to me,
Ere hope did from my life depart.
The rainbow hues of life,
With fond affection rife,
Dissolved into a mist of tears,
Through which we strive in vain,
'Mid blinding grief and pain,
- To sound the ending of the years.
She sank into the tomb,
Just in her girlhood's bloom,
Wnen life was one sweet, blissful dream
And Youth with portals ope,
Invoking Love and Hope,
Was 'whelmed in Tune's ingulfing stream.
So 'neath the stars of June,
I listen to the tune
That brings to mem'ry joys now fled;
My heart with grief is stirred
At each familiar word
Oncebreathei by her so early dead.
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I would be quiet, Lord,
Nor tease, nor fret;
Not one small need of mine
Wilt Ihou forget.
I am not wise to know
What most I need;
I dare not cry too loud
Lest Thou shouldst heed.
Lest Thou at length shouldst say,
" Child, have thy will;
As thou hast chosen, lo!
Thy cup I fill!"
What I most crave, perchance
Thou wilt withhold,
As we from hands unmeet
Keep pearls, or gold;
As we, when childish hands
Would play with fire,
Withhold tho burning goal
Of their desire.
Yet choose Thou for me—Thou
Who fcnowestbest;
This one short prayer of mine
Holds all the rest.
—Julia C. R. Dorr, in- Sunday Afternoon for September.
Subscription: $1,50 per Annum.       CLARE, MICHIGAN^FBI^AY, SEPTEMBER 6,1878.     • Single Copies: Five Gents,
■2HE   S3EE.SSKT  "'TOLOB'ff.
■ BX OJPJVJSB -WSHDEIiIi SOUSES.
HOW JEIM WAS WOSc
•*
"Eh, Phil—want to know 'howI-won
her?' Well, I'll tell you the manner,
though it's under the rose, of course !"
And Ned Wilder flung his half-smoked
cigar into the grate, ran his fingers
through'a mass of clustering brown
curls, and settled himself comfortably
in the depths of a softly-cushioned office-
chair.
""Want to know how I won her?
Well, you see, my boy. Cousin Jenny
was always just the sauciest witch that
ever shook a curl or played the deuee
with a masculine heart. And I was always her boy-lover. Can't remember
the time, for my life, from the day wnen
I first went to Beechwood as my uncle's
ward, and stood—an awkward, blushing,
stammering school-boy of 15—in the
presence of the incipient belle and beauty—can't remember a minute, from that
hour, but I was her slave—her downright slave, Phil. And the witch knew
it. Did you ever see one of the sex but
knew whom she had intrapped? It's
their nature—read you Jike a book! Got
the gift of second sight, every mother's
daughter of 'em.
" And so, when I came heme from
academy and college vacations, not a whit
less embarrassed and awkward than ever
—acting like a grown-up booby—upset-
"Mng her work-box  and tangling her
'-*-"*"at"*ta&i^%tt^-tijii^"w.tii»* gratification of
the misehief-loving flirt, and the romping, hoydenish schoolgirl companions
she'd always have stopping at Beech-
wood on visits—didn't I make myself a
target for all kinds of practical jokes
from those same romps ?
"And Jenny herself—wasn't she the
ringleader'of them all? Didn't she beg
to do table honors, on purpose to put
salt in my tea, and pepper my muffins,
in order to w&tch my wry faces ? Didn't
she play tantalizing, waltzes every evening in the parlor, regretting so much
that' Cousin Ned didn't dance ?' Didn't
she ask me to read aloud at the village
sewing-circle, and, upon my bashful re-
• fusai, gravely announce to scores of assembled old ladies that 'Mr. Wilder was
afflicted with bronchitis,' purposely to
render me the victim of those same old
ladies; who forthwith thronged around
me with recipea composed of all the roots
and herbs in Christendom? I tell you,
Phil, it wa& almost purgatory to me there
at Beechwood; but I resolved never to
surrender.
'' But it bothered mer most that Jenny
could torment me so. I was in love—I
knew it, but had no power to flee her
toils.
"Talk about electric shocks! Why,
one touch of her little white hand would
set my heart to thumping against my
ribs! The contact of her floating curls
would make my frame tingle to my fingers' ends. That's what I call agraZvanic
battery.
"Well, I came off with college honors
at 20, and went home to Beechwood.
Uncle Dick shook my hand till he wrung
tears (of pain) from my eyes, and called
me a brave boy and an honor to the
Wiiders; Aunt Mary got out the best
china, and petted me like a grown-up
baby; but Jenny danced before me, ridiculing my newly-fledged beard, calling
every pet hair I had been assiduously
cultivating for the past few months ' pin-
feathers,' vowed I hadn't graduated, but
was expelled, and hoped I wasn't going
to stop at Beechwood long, for she'd invited her dear friend Seraphine Love to
pass the summer months with her, and I
should only prove a 'torment' and
r botheration.'
" Seraphine Love came—a tall, tallow-
candle, sentimental damsel, with stiff
curls, light blue eyes, lackadaisical,
moon-struck air. There was no similarity between her and Jenny, and I fell
to wondering about their mutual liking,
and soon discovered the cause. Seraphine Love wrote poetry, rhyme, and
leveled her Parnassian 'darts against
those whom Jenny disliked—this was
the secret. She had been sent for to
'do up' Cousin Ned in verse, and various
were the sonnets,'acrostics and lampoons
with which I was favored. They greeted me everywhere. On my chamber
table, in my portfolios, between the covers of my Greek lexicon, even in the
pockets of my dressing-gown I found
them.   In no place was I safe.
" Had I been particularly sensitive, I
must have been driven from the field;
but I withstood them. Beside, there
was a reason, other than any resolve to
seem indifferent. Of late I thought I
had detected beneath Jenny's gayety an
under-current of feeling; sometimes,
looking up suddenly, I had caught the
glance of two blue eyes—and, though
speedily withdrawn, I could have vowed
that glance had something earnest, al-
'most tender in it, quite belying her
sauciness of words or manner. Was it
.possible that Jenny was playing a part—
that she had been caught in her own
snare?
"The thought emboldened me, and,
one moonlight evening, coming upon her
suddenly sitting in an unwonted pensive
mood, ia the garden, I found myself actu
ally saying sentimental speeches, with
my arm about Jenny's waist!
'' The vixen ! She heard m e through,
smothered a laugh in her handkerchief,
slyly pricked with a pin the hand I had
thrown around her, slapped my cheek
smartly, and then disappeared through
the low, French window opening into
the back parlor. Scarcely three minutes
after, going up stairs, I heard her recounting to Seraphine Love, between
her gusts of laughter, that ' Cousin Ned
had actually been quoting Tom Moore,
and making love to her after the most
approved fashion.'
" Zounds! that was a drop too much
—and, with my face still tingling under
the blow she had given, and my heart
smarting sorer with* wounded pride, on
the impulse of the moment I pushed
open the door of the room. The two
girls sat at a window m the moonlight.
I went up close to Jenny.
'"Miss Wilder,'! said (and,:Phil, I
must have fairly got into the heroics, for
she wilted under my eye and sunk down
in her seat), 'Miss Wilder, this hand
you have wounded you shall one day accept—and my cheek you shall yet touch
with your lips. A kiss for a blow, you
know,' and I left her.
"A sound smote on my ear as I shut
the door behind me, but whether laughter or sob I knew not. I went straight
to my room—packed my trunks—found
Uncle Dick in his library, and took my
resolve, and, before Jenny and her
' dear friend' had made their appearance
next morning, I was miles away from
Beechwood.
"In three years I had gained my profession, and during that time had never
once visited home. Letters, many and
kind, came from Uncle Dick and Aunt
Mary, but never a word from Jenny. I
heard of neroffeen,as a belle and beauty
and flirt—since she invariably rejected
all serious wooers. That latter item
pleased me strangely, and straightway
I fell into becoming the devoted cavalier
of Kate Drew, a dashing belle, whose
father counted his property by thousands, and in my letters home I was always careful to speak of 'Miss Drew,
the beautiful heiress.'
" Urgent iavitations came from Beechwood to visit the old place; but I put
them off. 'Business before pleasure,' I
urged, in return. 'Coke and Black-
stone, and—Kate Drew, detained me,' so
I wrote to Uncle Dick. En passant,
let me mention, Phil, that Kate was engaged to an old college mate of mine in
Italy, the last two years, and you will
perceive the drift of our plans."
"One item in Uncle Dick's letters
pleased me more than fatherly advice or
invitations to Beechwood. 'Jenny,' he
wrote, 'has just refused the best match
Edwards, at thriving young physician—
rich, too, and belonging to one of the
finest families inthe country. I believe
the girl has burned her fingers this time:
but she is as headstrong as ever. By
the way, nephew, did you and she quarrel before you left us ? She flouts li£e a
very shrew »when your name is mentioned. What's the matter, nephew?
Better come back and settle up old
scores; for, though Jenny's the least bit
contrary, she has the best heart.' So
Uncle Dick wrote."
"And you went back to Beechwood ?"
said Phil.
"Not I," replied Ned, smiling; "I
knew the time hadn't come. I wrote
him that I was off for a foreign tour,
departed the following week, and not
till fifteen months after did I set foot in
Beechwood again.
"It was as I expected. Jenny was
still unmarried, and flirting desperately
as ever. But faith, I didn't recognize
the tall, queenly woman who received
me with such cold stateliness in Beechwood drawing-room. Not a trace of the
hoydenish, mischief-loving school-girl I
had left more than five years ago.
" Many gentlemen came to the house,
and she danced, sang, played and flirted
with them all, but not a pin did she care
for one "of them. ' But did she care for
me still ?' I couldn't tell. Her old gayety of manner was all gone; she was
courteously, chillingly polite—but never
affable or familiar; polite—nothing more.
Every approach to intimacy was repelled.
She seemed building higher, day by day,
the icy wall between us.
"Well, so it went on for weeks and
weeks—Jenny chatting and playing the
agreeable to all others, but decidedly
icebergy toward me. I was in tortures;
this must come to an end.
"One night we were left together—
Jenny and I. A lucky attack of the
gout confined Uncle Dick to his room,
where Aunt Mary was kept busy with
bandages and liniment; visitors went
away early in the evening; and we were
alone for the first time since I had been
at Beechwood, for Jenny had managed
to avoid me, never riding or walking
with me, as of old. Now she was stately
and calm as ever—but talked little; and,
when the old clock struck 10, arose,
gathered up her embroidery, and took
up-a night-lamp. 'Good-night,' she
said.   .
"My time had come. 'No—it is
good-by,' I replied, proffering my hand.
'Good-byf she said, and she glanced up
inquiringly; • I—Mr. Wilder, I don't understand you!' she exclaimed. 'Perhaps not,' I said, indifferently. 'It is
only this—I am to leave Beechwood by
the morning stage, and shall not see you
so early.' 'Leave Beechwood !' and she
slightly faltered, looking surprised, and
replacing the lamp on the table. 'I did
not know—had not thought—that is, you
make us a short visit, cousin,' she stammered. It was the first time she had
called me cousin. ' And why should I
prolong it, Miss Wilder'?' I asked,
' wice, at least, one here does not desire
my presence ?' Going over to her I took
her hand. ' Cousin Jenny,' I said, ' I
can plainly see that I am unwelcome
here. You shun me, and I am going
back to town. So it must be good-by,
cousin. You will think kindly of me
sometimes ?* There was no answer. I
heard a hard-drawn breath—but pride
crushed it back. She dropped my
hand, and again took up the lamp.
' Good-by, then,' she said, mechanically,
turning away. I held open the door to
give her egress. She advanced a step
into the hail, hesitated, then came back.
The door swung to. ' Cousin Edward,'
she said, and her voice slightly trembled, 'you have thought me proud aud
cold—wanting in the duties of hospitality, even. I acknowledge that I have
seemed so; but you, cousin—you—have
you not neglected us all these long
years? Did you not go away angry,
and—' she broke down. 'Jenny, let
bygones be bygones,' I said, magnanimously, acting my part to perfection.
'I have hoarded up no anger. On the
contrary—but no matter. You will
come and visit me in my new home some
time? One of these days I am going to
be married. Good-by, cousin,' and I
passed my arm about her. 'Let "*me
go, Edward Wilder—release me this
instant!' she said. 'Let me go, 1 tell
you.'
" Zounds, Phil, you should have seen
her black eyes flash!   She absolutely
stamped her foot  with  passion,  and.
struggled hard; but I held her tightly.
' Let me go i   Your lady-love shall know
of this 1' she cried, with flushed cheek
and tears of anger.    'Oh, Kate Drew
isn't the least bit jealous,'I laughed,
smoothing  down  her  curls.      'Don't
struggle so!   Beside, I want to tell you
sonething.   I do intend to marry one of
these days, but no other than her I have
always loved, and who, if I mistake not,
does not wholly hate me !   Jenny, look
up and tell me if you will send me away
from  Beechwood!'   Just at  that moment, as the lamp burned low and flickered in dusky shadows, a sigh, soft as a
summer zephyr, stole athwart my cheek,
and two warm, fragrant lips fluttered
like rose-leaves  against mine.   Not a
ward was spoken, and there was little
need.   But jast the very spirit of mischief prompted me to whisper then:
"'Jenny, my vow is fulfilled. You
remember it? Didn't I warn you that
I'd appropriate this hand? and" for the
rest, the kiss for the blow, you know.'
" And Jenny answerednever a word,"
added Ned, smiling, "for the witch was
fairly caught in her own trap."
"But Kate Drew !" queried Phil, taking a long whiff at his cigar.
"Oh, Tom Ashley came home," replied Ned, "and in a fortnight they are
to be married. But she's promised to
go down to Beechwood first, to be
Jenny's bridesmaid."
" And Seraphine Love?" asked Phii.
"Is Seraphine Love still," replied
Ned, "lackadaisical, sentimental and
devoted to the Nine as ever. She's got
a volume of poems in the press—
'Blighted Buds,'or some such pathetic
title. Jenny and I have tubscribed for
fifty copies to distribute among our
friends as literary bijoux ! But enough!
Consider yourself held by an engagement at Beechwood this day week, to
kiss the bride and eat wedding-cake."
CAPITAL ATO L__©R.
The Hewitt Investigation.
Prof. Sumner, Professor of Political
and Social Science inhale College^ recently gave his views regarding the labor
depression, before the \ Hewitt committee, sitting in. New Yo;:_." He directed
attention to the faqt th: 5.within the last
few ydars the means 11 transportation
and communication became greater, and
by these means over-preduction was the
consequence, and had vgyde a revolution
over the whole world.'   He said that
when the Suez canal |v;as first opened
goods came much quiel'.-*?, and caused a
glut in the English roc-i&et—new goods
accumulating on eack.^i" .tbljSpld; but
this glut had now bee-a^-yercome. Within the last quarteroof a century there had
been a great improvement in machinery
of all Kinds, and, taking _ie accumulafei-i'
effect of these machines,. *":hey must grg^
duce a temporary set-l/^k.   There wa„
another factor in causin;; this depression
in labor circles.   This eiTtJct would reach
everybody, for the effecv-Siat machinery
would have would be i*o cheapen luxuries, and bring down things to the poor
classes which a century ago they ffever
thought of.  Machinery aad been a great
good to the masses, tfrsugTi in cjases of
individuals and classed it had worked
them evil.   If the United States "had
free tariff in 1G72, the country
--,.-«;=--^x.    -Me--Got Even.       •     ' ■    ■
_ist evening a* Iall, ""raw^Doned,"
hungry-looking man, wearing the garb
of a countryman, stepped up to the
office of the Grand Hotel, and, after
" rastling" with the register, on which
he scrawled "R. Townsend, Newport,*
Ky.," he accosted Clerk Schuyler, and
"reckoned he'd take a bite of supper,"
throwing down a dollar on the counter.
The money was raked in by Schuyler,
who said:
"You'll find the dining-room on the
first floor. Just go up three flights of
steps."
The stranger hesitated. He glanced
at the place where the $1 was put; then
he looked hard at the clerk, as if waiting
for something.
"Bight up stairs, sir," said the clerk.
"But ah—well, don't I git any change
back?"
"Change?"
" Yes. That's a dollar bill I give vou."
"Of course. That's all right. That's
the regular charge for supper."
*' A dollar for supper ?   Well, hell!"
And then Mr. Townsend broke for
that supper-room with a strange light in
his eye and a look of firm determination
in his face. Sitting down to the table,
he wrapped his cowhide boots around
the legs of the table and sailed in. He
scooped the grub in with both hands,
and kept it up for full half an hour.
Those sitting around were soon attracted
by the novel sight, and one matter-of-
fact guest, thinking the man was eating
on a wager, kept tally, and this was
what he checked off on a bill of fare:
Two cups of coffee, 3 plates plain bread,
2 plates fried mush, 1 plate corn beef,
1 plate chicken, 1 plate cold ham, 2
plates loin of veal, 2 plates broiled beef,
3 plates broiled ham, 4 plates fresh fish,
3 plates fried eggs, 2 plates fried potatoes, 1 plate baked potatoes.
Tiie man who "scored" during his
epigastric feat then took the record to
Schuyler, who, after enjoying a hearty
laugh at the expense of the hotel, figured
on it, with restaurant prices as a basis,
and found that his Newport friend had
got away with just "$105 worth.— Cincinnati Enquirer.
Diamond Cut Diamond.
A well-to-do undertaker, of San Francisco, owned a small house and lot in a
block that was coveted by one of the Pacific coast millionaires, who had built a
palace there and wanted all the contiguous iand for a garden. He succeeded
in getting all except the undertaker's
property, which projected into th«3 very
heart of his grounds, and which its
owner would not part with at what the
millionaire considered a fair price. The
latter, therefore, erected a high fence,
said to be the loftiest in America, inclosing the obstinate undertaker's property on three sides, and depriving it almost entirely of sunshine." The undertaker trained vines to grow up the
wooden walls, and stood it coolly "for a
year or two. Now, at last, his patience
has given out. A few weeks ago he had
his house removed bodily to another
part of the city, and, obstinate as ever,
is about to put up a very tower of Babel.
The style of the proposed building, it is
said, will be plain and substantial for the
first five stories, but the remainder of
the towering edifice, rising above the
fence, will present a commingling of renaissance, Gothic, and Babylonian architecture, surmounted with a section of
Chinese pagoda. He declines to say to*
what uses he proposes putting this remarkable edifice: but it is believed that
the first and paramount use will be to
torment the hitherto-triumphant millionaire.
Disraeli gesticulates a great deal with
his handkerchief.
had a
might have been able to compete with.
England when the coal and irdn -trade
was being carried on j^a great extent.
The laborer in the Unite 3. States, at? the
present time, is not hf"r;._g as good a
time or as good subsistence-as the laborer in England. In tI::o country there
were twelve people toioemile, and in
Belgium there were 460 persons fo "the
mile, and the latter live-.? fairly." He did
not think a revolution,would cause a
change in this respect.
The people of the whole country since
1873 had been trying to-^olidify and settle up their accounts. *_uring the last
five years many persora had accumulated capital by reducing expenditures;
He thought legislation c "-tdddo nothing
for this stagnation in lei! 'jr. Everyrjer-
son must work along \ie bes¥ way-ire
could. We had heard a- peafc_e*=ttlately
about over-production. *' lie classed it as
disproportionate prod* sstion. When
there was this dispropo". donate production, witness thought it -v_s due* fo" the
protective system. The 1 '."dff was greatly
to blame for our promotion of every
year being greatly in er. 3SD of the demand." The ta_ff conger, -fid the population in some districts to *"7here it would
not otherwise have"fcee-a- iti-acted. " The
only way to remedjjh?.f.*.";7as the redistribution of the peopicjF.imong -the in*
-dustries of- *the^c__m:"?l-_ "2Msj§i3is.tri-
: 'k?:$$!&i&^ ggxnfc ov - Wter-Jim wkfseaH
T "fewBv™ JSS -was. no¥i_ „,i tofot^TiS&i&dtifi
ernment colonizing lancb, but found no
fault with private organizations doing
so from a spirit of benevolence. The
only remedy for the depression of labor
was the application of sound doctrineB
to the case in point. The only way in
which the Government could assist tiie
non-capitalist in the accumulation of
capital was to give the greatest amount
of privileges in using Ms liberties and
energies for production, and by removing the restrictions on trade and leave
him free to profit by the fruits of his
industry.
William E, Dodge, iron merchant, appeared in his official capacity as President of the National Temperance Society, and claimed that the use of intoxicating liquors was one of the causes of
the present condition of .the laboring
classes. This distress in l$bor might be
relieved to some extent by the modification of the tariff and action of the Government in the matter of resumption of
specie payment. He never knew capital to be so abundant as now, but there
was great difficulty in using it in business. Another factor in alleviating this
distress would be legislation in the matter of the liquor traffic.
Horace White, formerly of the Chicago Tribune, was called by the committee, and stated that he had studied
the financial question, End had paid a
great deal of attention to it when he was
a journalist, and since he retired from
journalism. He thought the present
commercial crisis is only one of a series
that have occurred among nations for
the past 200 years, and they nave been
preceded by rampant speculations. In
1873 he thought speculations in railroads had a great deal to do in causing
the depression which existed. There
was enormous spaculation in lands all
over the country. The prices of real
estate multiplied beyond anything
in tlie recollection of*: the : witness. The obligations incurred by
the building of these railroads
and the purchase of real estate
caused many parties to .become insolvent. 'The condition of the currency
had not increased this state of things,
the witness thought. He found that
these periods of crisis came upon nations, no matter whether the currency
was gold or paper. The speculative era
which existed from 1869 to 1873, the
witness thought, had something to do
with the present condition of affairs.
The accumulation of capital acting on
the sanguine temperaments of a certain
race of people would produce a speculative era. Over-production by machinery
"had contributed to decrease "business, by
producing more than there was a demand for, and prices fell accordinglyj
He did not think that the introduction
of machinery had produced this speculative era and the collapse which followed it.
creased by bis being among the first
and very successful bonanza spectators.    Mr.  Beese was so miserly that
to gratify his enormous appetite, when
dining with a friend, he would ask for
the bread left on his friend's plate, to
spare the expense of  ordering more.
The only time he was ever known to
treat any one was when he invited his
lawyer, Mr. Eelton, and six friends to a
sumptuous   dinner   at   a   restaurant,
against whose keeper he could obtain a
judgment in no other way.   He replied
one day, to a friend who taunted him
with his miserly habits, "Well, I can't
help it;  I know it's  foolish,   but it's
a-disease I've got."    In matters not
connected with money, Mr. Beese was
a man of intelligence and liberal views,
though he was afraid of women as old
Mr.   Weller  of   "vidders," especially
'^ftor a jury gave a San "Francisco woman
'0rkdoubtful   reputation  $5,000  in a
■breaeh-of-promise  case   against   him.
_he millionaire left all or nearly all his
wealth to Jewish charities, as  is  believed, his only known relatives in this
country being two wealthy sisters in
Chicago, Mrs. Bosenfeld and Mrs. Bo-
senberg, and Nephew "Frank, a well-to-
do St. Louis merchant.
BLAME ATO D£V£*KS.
4 YEttttO'NirCEHTE'NAHUtf.
A "Pretty Little Quarrel Growing Out of tlie
Massachusetts-Maine Controversy.
[From tbe Philadelphia Times.]
Your readers may not be aware that
Blaine and Devens are not the best of
friends. I'll tell you why. Blaine issued cards last winter for one of his distinguished dinner parties—and he gives
many during the winter. Devens had
been invited and he accepted with alacrity. Two or three days before the dinner Blaine made his speech reflecting
somewhat heavily on the patriotism of
Massachusetts, at which Massachusetts
was of course greatly incensed, and
Devens, being a large share of Massachusetts, was incensed as a matter of
course. One or two days before the
dinner was to come off, Devens sent a
very cold note, not even offering his
compliments to Mr. and Mrs. Blaine,
but saying he felt obliged to withdraw
his acceptance of Mr. and Mrs. Blaine's
invitation to dinner—offering ho excuse
and making no apologies. A distinguished English authority, Walpole, I
think, has said that only the severest illness would excuse the withdrawal of an
acceptance to dinner, and that even
death should not release the host after
invitations had been accepted, but that
it should be the first duty of the executor to see that "the dinner was given.
Devens is too well acquainted with the
requirements  _£ polite society not to
A Miserly Millionaire.
Michael Beese, the California millionaire who recently died at Wailenstein,
Germany, was reputed to be the richest
Jew in the United States, and, with the
exception of Senator Sharon, the largest
real-estate owner m. California; he was
also a great miser and very eccentric.
He brought $30,000 fo this country in
1835, and for fifteen years was a noted
Richmond (Va.) slaveholder and speculator, heavy losses driving him to the
Pacific coast in 1850. He saw what was
to be California's future and invested
his all in land, which he would only sell
at fancy prices and then to immediately
invest the proceeds in more land. Note
and stock brokerage helped to swell his
growing pile* which early gave5 him a
millionaire's reputation, and  was in-
presumed he"'"wa* raajong
himself very popular ii_ Beetoon—eteeeiv
However, Blaine's dinner came off. Sir
Edward Thornton and many of the
diplomatic corps, Mr. Evarts, and a distinguished company were present, and
Devens was not missed. A week af ter-
w&rd there was a dinner at the White
House—coffee or tea with every course,
as usual, no doubt. Blaine was one of
the guests. So was Devens, who in the
meantime had found out that Massachusetts was not disposed to avenge the insult offered by Blaine. There were about
twenty gentlemen, Cabinet officers, Senators, foreign Ministers and other distinguished gentlemen in the Green
room of the White House, stroking
their gloves and ready for the signal for
dinner. Blaine, as usual, was the center of attraction,.and all the company
faced him. At this point up comes
Devens, mincing and smiling. "Ah!
Senator," said he; "ah I how do you do,
this evening ?" at the same time extending his hand. Blaine did not move, but
looked first at the outstretched hand and
then into the eyes of Devens, but only
for a moment, when he turned his back
to the Attorney General in the face of
the whole company and walked away
without saying a word. Devens' appetite was not good at that dinner.
Sayed by Whisky.
A most extraordinary instance of
pluck and endurance, combined with a
miraculous escape from a horrible death
by suffocation or starvation, recently
transpired at Grizzly Plat, near Iowa
Hill, Placer cou_ty, Cal. An old man,
known as " Grizzly " Brown, while at
work in his mine, was overwhelmed and
buried by a cave of the mine. He was
tightly shut in seventy-five yards from
daylight, with scarcely a hope that he
would be missed and search, made, as
his mine was quite a distance from any
human habitation, without a mouthful
of food and only half a bottle of whisky
for drink, and no person or thing from
which to look for assistance save his
pick and shovel, which, fortunately as it
proved for him, were buried with him.
He began the almost hopeless task of
digging himself out. Fortunately the
earth proved soft and easy to work in,
and, finally, after having been entombed
for three days, with nothing to sustain
life but the friendly bottle of whisky,
he reached the surface, completely exhausted from his long fast, but with
strength enough remaining to reach a
place where he could get nourishment.
Score one for whisky.—Virginia (JSTev.)
Chronicle.
_jrtraoxdJnary _ amily longevity—A "Woman's Death, at the Age of 105.
[From the Burlineton Free PreBS and Times.]
The death of Mrs. Phebe Haley, whicli
occurred recently at North Powrial, and
which has been referred to in this paper,
ended a marvelously long life.   She was
born in Pownal, June 3,1774, and consequently reached the 105th year of her
existence.   All those years she has lived
in the one town, county and State.   Her
maiden name was Cummings.   At the
age of 16, in the year 1790, she professed
religion, united with the Methodist Episcopal Church, and has ever since remained a steadfast member of that denomination.   At the time she became
identified with the church, as will be
readily imagined, the society was in a
very  crude  condition   in   the   Green
Mountain State.    When 17 years old
Bhe married Benjamin Haley.   It is also
singular that both should have endured
so remarkably long, and neither, in such
an exceptionally long life, married again.
The husband died only 14 years ago, and
was upward of 90 years old.    This presents the phenomenon of an unbroken
married companionship extending over
seventy-three years, and almost reaching three-quarters of a century.   Mr.
Haley seems to have been a physical
wonder,   because  he is  described  as
always   addicted    to   drinking    since
youth,   and   was   accustomed   to   indulging in all sorts of dissipations, besides possessing a very ugly temperament.   There were fifteen childrenborn
to the couple, of whom ten are now living, named. Buth, James, Eunice, Lu-
cinda, Reuben, Henry, Josiah, Sabrina,
Nelson, and Thomas.     Nearly all tne
boys are intemperate, yet some of them
seem likely to attain a great age, and
three have already passed fourscore.
Thus it will be seen that Mrs. Haley's
domestic life must  have been replete
with vexations  and tribulations, while
drudging along with a dissolute husband
and a batch of  almost a dozen unruly
boys.   Despite all that, she succeeded
in retaining" her faculties to an astonishing degree, so to  the last she could
thread a fine needle without glasses, and
her hearing was not at all impaired.
Her face was plump, without any sign
of wrinkles thereon.     Many   of her
grandchildren looked older than Bhe did
at her 104th birthday.   The direct living descendants of Mrs. Haley extend
through    five    generations,   reaching
through the ^ children,   grandchildren,
great-grandchildren,   great-great-grandchildren,   and   great-great-great-grandchildren.   Three of her own children
died from old age.   None of this wonderfully-numerous and long-lived family
;- Bring me my broken harp," he said;
" We "both are -wrec"**s—but as ye will—
Though all its ringing tones have fled,
Their echoes linger round it still;
It had some golden strings, 1 know,   .
But that was long—-how long!—ago.
'' I cannot see its tarnished gold,
I cannot hear its Tanish-id tone,
Scarce can my trembling fingers hold
The pillared frame so long their own;
We both are wrecks—a while ago
It had Borne silver strings, I know.
"But on them Time too long has played
The solemn strain that knows no change,
And where of old my fingers strayed
The chords they find are new and strange-
Yes ! iron strings—I know—! know—
We both are wrecks of long ago.* *;
" We both are wrecks—a shattered pair-
Strange to ourselves in Time's disgoise.   .  . ■.
What say je to tne loYe-sick air
That brought the tears from Marian's eyes 1
Ay! trust me—under breasts of snow
Hearts could be melted long ago'I
" Or will ye hear the storm-song's crash
That from his dreams the soldier woke
And bade him face the lightning's flash
When battle clouds in thunder brolie?   ...
Wrecks—nought but wrecks!—_e time was when
We two were worth a thousand men 1"
And so the broken harp they bring,      '
With pitying smiles that none could blamej
Alas! there's not a single stiiDg ,
Of all that filled the tarnished framei;"  *.\    .
But see! like children overjoyed, «,
His fingers rambling through the void!     - V
" I clasp thee!   Ay  .   . . mine ancient lyre .   .
Nay, guide my wandering fingers .   .   . There
They love to dally with the wire
As Isaac played with Esau's hair.   ...
Hush! ye EhaU hear the famous tune
That Marian called - The Breath of June!' -**
And so they softly gather round-
Rapt in his tuneful trance he seems;
. His fingers move: but not a sound!
a. silence like the song of dreams.   .   .
" There! ye have heard the air," he cries,
" That brought the tears from Marian's eyes I"
Ah, smile not at his fond conceit,
Nor deem his fancy wrought in vain;
To him the unreal pounds are sweet—
No discord mars the sifent strain
Scored on life's latest, star-lit page—
The voiceless melody of age.
Sweet are the lips of aU who sing,
When Nature's music breathes unsought,
But never yet could voice or string
So truly shape our tenderest thought
As when, by life's decaying fire,
Our fingers sweep tbe gtriugless lyre I"
—Atlantic Monthly for September.
MTfi ASH]) "_4}EP*0
Frightening Away Crows.
Some farmers have a curious method
of frightening away crows from a newly-
sown field, They make paper cones
some four or five inches long, and wide
enough at the larger end to admit the
head of a crow; at the bottom they place
some seeds, the inside of the top being
coated with bird-lime. The cones thus
prepared are put lightly into the ground,
the top level to the earth; the crow is
soon tempted to plunge in his head after
the seed, and, upon withdrawing it the
cone adheres to him tightly. His aspect, with the fool's cap on, as he blindly
flies hither and thither among his relations, frightens them so much that they
almost turn pale; at any rate they fly off
with horror depicted on their countenances, and a chorus of "Poor "Karr,
the white devil has got him at last!"
and so they are never seen in the field
again.
The English national debt is £777,-
81,596.   In the last twenty years it has
been reduced by the sum of -£61,737,730.
success in this Ine siemedTto consist of
a wonderful vitality that enabled them
to attain old age, but their brain power
appears to have been absorbed by
toughened muscles. This will account
for the death of the mother in the County Almshouse,*because when her old age
compelled reliance on others, of all the
ten living^ children, none were capable
of offering her a home, and she was
forced on the populace. Some of the
child', en live at Pownal now. others in
North Adams, and others' still out
West.     	
The Eamine In Northern China,
The horrors of the Chinese famine are
impossible to describe, and happily inconceivable to American minds. At a
recent meeting in Dublin, Sir Thomas
Wade, British Minister to China, said
that five provinces, covering an area of
395,000 square miles, with a population
of over 120,000,000 (three times that of
all the United States), have been so
stricken with drought that the ordinary
sources of food have been almost entirely dried, reducing to a state of starvation not less than 15,000,000 people.
Not long since the Christian Union
published a letter from China, in which
it was stated, on the authority of the
Governor of Shansi, that the'number
already starved and frozen was estimated
at 6,000,000. Whole villages had been
depopulated; dogs and fowls and every
living thing but crows and carrion birds
were dead. '-The London estimate
that 7,000,000 have perished is no exaggeration, but those actually waiting
for death by starvation, more or less
prompt, are still 10,000,000, perhaps, of
whom relief will be too tardy to save
perhaps 2,000.000; while, if the rains
are denied in Shansi, Honan, and Shensi
again this spring, nothing but foreign or
divine interposition will save 10,000,-
000 people from death."
Substantially the same testimony is
borne ky a gentleman holding an official
position in Peking, in a letter to the
Boston Journal. The sale of children
and kindred for food has been going on
for some time, and cannibalism has been
largely resorted to. Had the drought
occurred in Southern China there would
be less difficulty in relieving the famine,
owing to the abundance of water communication. In the north, however,
there are no such means for meeting the
emergency, there being only .earth
roads, and those indifferent.
Effects or the Sutro Tunnel.
A reduction in the temperature of the
2,000-foot level of the Savage mine from
120 degrees to 94 degrees, since the Sutro
-tunnel penetrated that mine, is now reported, and the cooling process is still
going on. If the air-draught through the
tunnel into the raines can reduce the
temperature 26 degrees, in so short a
time, at a depth of 350 feet below the
level of the tunnel, there is reasonable
prospect that it will ultimately have a
like good effect upon many other mines
put, or to be put, in connection with the
tunnel. Men can work, without danger
of collapse, at a temperature no higher
than 94 degrees, and thousands of miners
have done good work in tne gulches at
110 degrees, but, at 120 degrees, it is
impossible for any man, however strong,
to work more than a few minutes without rest. If the Sutro tunnel should
bring about a like change in the temperature of the Comstock mines generally"
with that already reab'zed in the Savage
2,000-foot level, it will be the means not
only of making mining more profitable,
but of saving a very great watjte of life
and health attendant hitherto upon that
sort of labor.—San Francisco Chronicle, -   '
* A gbeat moral show—The hypocrite.;•"
Neveb abuse a thermometer when it •
is down.
I_CitrsTBATED with cuts—Editorial exchanges.
IiiiitrsTBATED with plates—Tables of
summer hotels.
A button is a small event which is always coming off.
.Wanted—A life-boat that will float on
a " sea of troubles."
A "demoate "parcel—A young lady
wrapped up in herself. -^   .
A dog's bark may be worse than~his
bite, but we prefer the bark.
Why; is a rosebud like a promisso*ry-
note?   It matures by falling due.    .     .;
A doctob may learn to cure by killing, butmay never learn to tell the truth
by lying.
Is rr a runaway matcn in the insect or
animal world when you see one ant-elope
with another?
What is that which never asks any
questions, but requires many answers?  ,
—The street door. ,
A Westbbn base-ball club hasaplayeE
named Buckwheat. He is said to mske
an excellent batter.
"Beautt'-and booty l" was the esyoi
the young man \t_o kissed the gill tmd
was _" eked "by hex f sShss.
"'■ _._-a "j.Oi.~x»*,-_*]"""-    _*£-_-*-     .CO  ,,.„....        '"
tombstone in a town near Dublin:
Here lies the body of John _oundf
Lost.at sea and never found.
A good clergyman prayed^earnestly
for those of his congregation who were
top pxoud to kneel and too lazy to
stand.
Some people have  softening of the
brain, but the world suffers more front .
those   who   have   hardening   of ' the
heart.
"You've heard Browne's married
again?" "No, has he? Stupid ass I
He didn't deserve to lose his first
wife!"
Why is paper money more valuable
than gold ? When you put it in your
pocket you double it, and when you lake
it out you find it in creases.
He was in from the country, and "he .
came down town for the first time.   As
he looked at the telegraph wires he said:
'•Why do you make tour wire fences so
high?"
"I didn't know," said an old lady, as
she had laid down her newspaper, " that
thieves were so scarce that they had to
advertise for 'em, and offer a reward for
their discovery."
An uncle recently found his nephew
playing the violin, and the following
hits took place: " I fear, nephew, you
lose a great deal of time with this fiddling."  '-Sir, I endeavor to keep time."
A subscriber wrote to a -journal to
make some inquiries about the-next
world's fair, whereupon the wicked editor replied that he was under the impression that the next world wouldn't
have any fair.
Old Mr. Hennessey was reading about
the monument erected to the memory
of Jonathan Walker, tiie man with the
branded hand, and he wondered if anybody would ever erect a monument in
remembrance of his brandied nose.—
Chicago Commercial Advertiser.
Aunt—" Shall 1 givo you a new doll, •
Maggie?" Maggie—"No, thanks,
aunty. I should never love another
doll 'like this ; for see, it has only got
one eye, one leg and one arm, and nobody would care for it if I didn't,
Proper dolls can take care of themselves, .
you know."
Two sisters conversing about a<son-'
cert which had taken place, the younger
of the two, who had been present, "was
asked if Miss X :, one of tne singers,
was encored. Her youthful fancy must
have been drawn in another direction,
for she replied : " Oh, no; she was not
en corde,~ehe was in velvet;"
A prize fight between women took.-
place at Cobridge, near Hanley, Engi} a')
few weeks ago.   They were both* mar--
ried and with families.   They tied up
their hair and a ring was formed, each"
woman having her partisans.    Teeth as
well as fists were freely used, and, after
three rounds, one of the wretches was
severely bitten and retired.
A Fragment.
A young Griswold-street attorney recently took to wife a damsel of unusually fair and bright complexion. * Last
night, returning from church, the proud
Benedict sent his wife ahead while he
stopped fo purchase a cigar. A^ friend
passed the wife, rushed up to the'doting
husband and exclaimed: " Did yon see
that woman ? There's what I call a fear.- *
ful example of the pernicious habit
which .besets the female, sex. Just look
at that face! Talk about paint! If
that woman wererray wife"— "But,
my dear sir, that woman'is my wife,"
interposed the disciple of Blackstone.
Tableau \—D&troit News,