The Conshohocken Recorder, October 2, 1880

              \
VOL. IV. NO. 31.
OOOD-FELLOW8HIP.
A piiKiii« onco. upon hi-, way
Urew weary ut Ute OIOM of day,
Ami ir< IIOK on ill- eyelids croup
Tln< gentle drowsiness of sloop,
Dropped down upon the moany gjound
At laitt, In restful newt profounil.
Uut, a- he rone and on want trod,
H« noticed tbat u single sod
Of furtli, on which hla footriUps fell.
Kxhuled a moat delicious smell.
Said he, "What mafrlc spell IN here
To »o enrich the atmosphere?
No common earth In this, I know,
To sweeten, by Its overflow.
So broad a space beneath the sky,
And perfume all who pass It by !"
The broken earth. In Hlmple trust,
Replied, "1 am but worthloss dust;
Hut once a roae out of uiy breast
Shone forth—Its loveliness confeaiod-
And so my consecrated mold
Waa by another's worth controlled,"
"Tis so with men, who fall or rise,
Often by kindred ministries;
And that they do not downward slip,
They owe to good-ooinpaiilonshlp.
LINK BY LINK.
The shower was etided. A brink
'western breeze was rapidly tearing
away the gray thuoder-elouda from
the face of the June sky, and the HUD
shone down with renewed fervor.
"AJ hot as 'twas before the rain!"
exclaimed Mrs. Curtis, as she opened
her parasol and leisurely stepped from
the Heywood drygoods store in which
she had, half an hour before, taken
shelter from the storm.
"Yes, II Is ma'am," said Mr. Brown,
the proprietor.bandlng her the bundles
she had bought from him, and he ad-ded
: "You'll have a hot walk under
this lirilin'-hot sun. Better run In to
lu to our house an' stay ter tea. You
hain't seen the twins yet. Smartest
little critters ever was. Mrs. Brown's
gettin' on finely and will be glad to
see you."
"Thanks; I'd like to, but I must
hurry home and can my currants. Be-sides,
I wouldn't undertake that long
walk through the pine wood after dark
for anything in the world. It's gloomy
enough In the daytime. Give my re-spects
to your wife; tell her I'll drop
in soon and see her and the babies.
■Good-day."
"Good-day," said Brown, and be
added, as he saw Mrs. Curtis hurrying
<lowu the street, "Queer critter I"
Yes, by all the inhabitants or Hey-waod,
Mrs. Curtis was called peculiar,
she was upwards of fifty yejars, tall
and erect, with iron-gray hair* ruddy
cl.xeeks and keen, dark eyes. And de-cld
'illy she waa a person that minded
her own busideas. She bad li veil In
Heya'ootl over five years, yet .in ail
that tliTie not a single person haqi been
able to gleam any information
cernlng fif* pas* '"«■ All that
be ascertained was tbat she
widow, chihtiros and with a littl
perty, consisting at a conifortabl
tage surrounded by* few acres of hand
and with a few **Ms£$Mm InVthe
Heywood ba"1' , \
Meanwhile, Mr, Brow* returnel to
his counter to wait on a customer, Aid
Mrs. Curtis pursued her jowaey honle-ward.
For some distance ber road Ifed
along the dusty highway, then she
turned Into a little footpath thaou,
the daisy-dotted meadow, itheu a
the creek bridge, until presently
came to the dense pine woods w
shade was very pleasing to her.
When about half way through tliel
woods she came to a small patch of
late strawberries. She stooped to pick
them. Her brown, hard working
hands were nearly full of the luscious
red berries, when a rustling and a
footstep startled her. She hastily
glanced up. In an Instant au Iron-illke
hand was clutching her throat,
•and-only the frightened, wlldwood
birds ceuld tell the rest!
• •••*••
About two miles from the village of
Heywood. and "" l1"' bunks of Briar
Creek dwelt Peter Groat. He was a
German, who, with his family, had
lately oasne to America, and iu the
previous asrbaain had bought a tew
acres of land bordering the cieek.
Here hthad erected a small but com-fortable
bouse, and WM, to all appear-ances,
an honest, hardworking man.
The only bing that could be said
against him by • few grumblers was
that be wn» too "close," dinging
tightly to hli bard-earned pennies,
and ever on th lookout for more. But
this was certeiily excusable when it
was known tbat be had a mortgage
on his farm, wnUh together with the
want of arapldlyincreasiug family,
was enough to maa, »uy man greedy
-of gain.
it was the evening of the day on
-which our story begn. Peter, sur-vounded
by his wife aid children, sat
placidly smoking his pi* on the little
grass plot In front of houe.
""•e supper had been eafcn, the cows
1 'he pigs fed, tin oblokens
MII thievish rats, aid all the
ung and old, felt euitled to
' rest. Hans and Fru were
•omersaulte on the soft iraw ;
the flaxen-haired lassie was
i«t robin ; Franz the six
oy, was cuddled up to ,1s
reast, contontly smackhg
■r his evening meal,
u went down ; the shadow.
The clock In the distant
.uck the hour of eight. Peter
■ use, shook the ashes from his
_, , and said:
"Come, kinder, It is late. The dew
/is falling, and let's to bed."
"Vater! vatcr!" suddenly cried
Hans and Fritz, running up from the
gate, "there Is a man coming in our
yard—a stranger I"
Peter slowly sauntered down to
meet the new comer.
He was an elderly man, with a tan-ned
and rugged face, sandy hair
sprinkled with gray, and dark, deep
aet ayes, somewhat inflamed. His
clothes were of good material, athough
•vorn and dusty wlt'j travel. In bis
und he carried a Jargi satchel.
"Good-evening," fae iJ*ldi courteous-
"Evenlng to you, sir," replied Peter
Groat.
"I'm a peddler," said the man.speak-ing
in German. "I have sold nearly
all my goods, aud am on my way back
to New York. I got left by the train
and undertook to wa'k to the next
station. I lost my way and find that
I will havo to get lodgings for the
night. Can you help me?"
"The good book commands us to
show hospitality," said Peter. "And
although we are not rich, we never
yet turned away a benighted traveler.
Bo, come in, and my frau shall get
you something to cat,"
The table was soon spread with a
neat, whith cloth, upon which was
placed a platter of cold boiled meat,
garnished with vegetables, then a
plate of white bread, a roll of butter, a
dish of shining hlack raspberries and
a plate of spicy ginger cookies.
"I feel too dirty to ait down to a de-cent
table," said the traveler, with a
smile. "May I trouble you fora basin
of water?"
It was brought. As he took off his
coat preparatory to washing his faco
and hands, Gretchen, who stood beside
him with a fresh towel In her hands,
uttered a slight scream.
"Blood I" she cried. "There's blood
on your sleeves!"
The basin of water fell from the
stranger's bands. His faco shone
white through the glistening drops of
water be had dashed upon it. Then
with an effort, he said, carelessly :
"Ah, yes; those rocks by the creek
made quite a dash in my shoulder.
You see," blandly explaining, "while
I was lost I thought I'd try to cross
the creek. It was getting dark, and
when I reached the other side, I found
it so rocky tbat I could scarcely climb
up. I got half way, then a sudden
misstep made me fall. A sharp piece
of rock pierced my shoulder, and, in-deed,
it has caused me considerable
pain."
"Arli, too bad !" said Frau Groat.
"I have a soothing lotion which you
may put on before you go to bed."
"Thanks. And I'll go to bed right
after I've hod my supper, if you please,
for I am very tired. Besides, I will
have to rise early to-morrow morning,
so tbat I may take the first train."
The next morning the whole family
was up in lime to see their guest de-part.
He partook with good appetite
of Frau Groat's breakfast of ham aud
eggs; be listened quietly and witb
seeming reverence to his host as he
read a chapter 'from the old, black
German Bible and offered up the usual
morning prayer ; then. Just as he was
ready to start, he Inquired what he
should pay for his board and '
"Oh.nothlngs-noth.V , l0^1**
welcome to .the^ and btu^safd
Into the meadow, and opened right
Into the yard of Peter (trout. They
were going around to the back dOOI
to knock, and ask if any of the in-mates
had seen u stranger lurking
about the premises when Mr. Itri.wn
chanced to look in (he window,
A look of exiremc consternation
overspread his ruddy lace.
"My God !" he cried, "see there !"
All turned and took in the window.
The room was unoccupied. The
clock ticked cheerfully In one corner.
A cat was cozlly curled upon a chalr-cusblon,
purring contently. Hut on
the table in the centre of the room
lay two pairs of stockings, and near
them, half unrolled, was a dress pal-tern
of lilac calico.
"That calico!" suld Mr. Brown, Im-pressively—"
that calico is the identi-cal
piece I sold Mrs. Curtis yesterday
afternoon. I should know it any-where.
It's peculiar, you see—a bunch
of white lilacs on a purple ground. It
was nil I hail. Besides, I should know
the piece because on one end there is
about a half a yard imperfectly printed,
which has holes in It, »oo. I remem-ber
I let Mrs. Curtis have It a bit
cheaper on tbat account. Now Peter
Groat knows where the murderer is,
or''—solemnly and slowly—"he did
the deed himself!"
The party of men went silently and
soberly to the back door, aud here
they were horrified in finding fresh
evidence—Frau Croat was engaged
in washing a blood-stained shirt!
Thoy sternly asked her to whom It
belonged, but the poor woman, who
could not speak English, could only
look at them In a frightened way.
Her husband now cuinc in from the
garden, and him they sternly interro-gated,
while some of the more impet-uous
boldly accused him of the mur-der
of the unfortunate Mrs. Curtis.
His frightened face, his confusion,
his incoherent utterance, his tremb-ling
denials were only so much more
against him. Besides, he knew scar-cely
any more Knglish than did his
wife, and later, when calm, his story
of the traveler who had stopped at Ills
house was received with disbelief and
derision. Poor.friciidlessa'.'.il li strang-er,
things looked very durk against
blm.
Weeks passed ; his trial came. He
was sentenced to he hangcil!
CONS IIOIIOCKEN, PA.,1 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1880.
Mir the
$1.00 PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.
Groat heartj,!y-
. (ou'revery kind," said the strang
er. "But I feel I ought to repay you
In some way. See here"—opening his
satchel—"if you will not let me give
money, pray do me the kindness of
accepting these little tokens of grati-tude.
Here, Frau Groat, are two pairs
of stockings that would just lit your
busy feet, and here, Gretchen, is a
bran new piece of calico, more than
enough for a dress. They are the only
tilings I did not sell, and I do not care
to lug them borne again."
The two women accepted his gifts
with much pleasure, and, with mu-tes!
expressions of good luck, the
traveler and his kind entertainers
parted. The former wore a blue-checked
shirt of Peter Groat's. He
left his own behind him, telling Frau
Gnat that it was too soiled for wear-ing
but tbat she Bright keep it In e*>
•:ha.gc for the one abe bad given him.
At he strangers'), shirt was of excel-lent
nnterial, with linen bosom and
cull' the worthy dame thought she
had ude a good bargain.
Rev. Mr. Marshall, rector of St.
John's church, Br»okdale, a village
some two hundred miles distant from
Heywood, was In ills study one Sep-tember
morning, 1878. He was sull'or-
Ing from an attack of influenza which
l'?.h"l'."-"ntl'f S*n« before while
on a vi"u to a "lot parls'iinner. Con-sequently
complying with his wife's
request Unit ho should do no studying
Jasper Armand, was arrested
murdef of Mrs. Curtis.
He made no resistance, he told no
fulshoods; he simply confessed the
whole affair; stating that he had
murdered the woman out of revenge.
Ten years before the two had lived In
a distant town. He had always been
wild and dissolute, hut had been the
betrothed of Mrs. Curtis' sister, a gen-tle
and lovely woman. Mrs. Curtis
had opposed the mutch, knowing that
it would cause her sister a life of mis-ery.
Also, finding that Armand be-longed
to a gang of counterfeiters, she
promptly gave evidence against him.
He was condemned to ten years'
imprisonment. This he bore patient-ly,
mentally vowing that, when re-leased,
he would at once wreak ven-geance
on the woman who had foiled
his plans and blighted bis life.
When the time was expired aud the
prison doors opeuea to let him pass
out, lie found that the woman he
loved was dead, aud that the woman
he hated was living In Heywood.
Thither lie went. He hod seen Mrs.
Curtis go to town, had concealed him-self
In the woods to await her return.
He did not lake the articles she carried
merely for the sake of robbery, but to
have suspicion point its finger at some
other party. At the conclusion of his
confession, he said that ho had no de-sire
of concealing it any longer. His
life was made wretched by the horri-ble
crime be bad committed,and death
and exposure were not unwelcome.
The next day after his confinement in
jail he was found dead in his cell. He
had ended his life by poison.
As for Peter Groat he was at once
released, aud all the inhabitants of
Heywood strove to express their regret
and regard for him, but to these Peter
only shook his head, saying:
"He did not care for to live In u
blace where de folks vas so ready to
pliivc him a pad man !" So he sold
his little home, packed bis goods, and,
with his wife and children, moved to
the Far West, where, it is to be hoped,
in spite of sweet charity's sake, he was
more careful in entertaining benighted
t rateltrs i
NOT OUB CHOOSING.
I>o people live the lives they like
lle.-tiuiYM licle. 1 uondcrT
Dora anybody truly rest
Till grass root* blnil hlni nailer?
The quiet, dozy, sleepy folks
Are sent on stirring nils-Inns.
Whilst *iulck and ready wits uro set
In ittill. routine positional
Poor women, longing for u home,
Arel>niit-dliig. to tbulr sorrow,
Whilst Martha, cumbered with theirenies,
Would chuiiKe M Itli them lo morrow.
Hrlklit Brata, aweary of his work,
By pen liml peiieil gOaflSfli
hooks wisti'uiiy ut busy Brawn,
With pick nii'l hummer loaded.
Hut busy Ilruwu ba* hitter thoughts
urcousciouB talent wasted,
And bowls of knowledge brimming full,
To be by litin iiutHsted.
The childless mother lonely grieves
For little loving gamers,
Anil where the children crowd the door*
Of cottages she lingers.
The busy mother, worn uiel voxel,
With chicks that must "lie seen to,"
Declares her willingness to trade,
(Hat, bless you, doesn't mean to.)
Tho Hillor longs for landsman's rest,
The shepherd for the billow,
Alaska dreams of orange groves,
The desert craves the willow.
Ah '. Kime time It will bo all right.
Ami I.tie und Work be muted.
Whore all those riddles, by tbo wuy,
Shall bo, through Love, trunslated.
CHANGING HIS MIND.
His LOST WifK.-Tha poliooy ester.
day bad a call from an old man who
had conic down from Isabella County
with his •vife to see I he .stale Fair. J
He was In u heap of trouble over the
"I am a miserable man," said Cyrus
Maddox, gloomily, "and it is best that
the wo£d should be rid of my pres-ence.
Ho one cares for me."
"Oh, don't say that, uncle," said
Lizzie Silver, beseechingly. "You
know how I love you. You are the
only friend I have lu the world, and If
you wero to die, what would become
ofine?rt
"I suppose young Guy Cheevcrs
would console you for my loss," said
Mr. Maddox, grimly. "At any rate, I
don't care. I will end ray troubles
and sorrows to-morrow at twelve
o'clock."
And with these fearful words, be
strode out of the room, leaving Lizzie
sob!:!!"'' w"!' J'er curly black head
renting on a dlnrur Plat«-
"What's tho mattC' now',}es8? Ha8
the milliner d!sappoin'c<I vou ln 'ue
love of n banner."' a-Ui!1 n warm,
Wilain Graysou, a farmer In the
vlopky of Heywood, missed one of
cows uit Friday night, and early on
the f< owing morning set out to make
seurclror !.or. He hunted through
the to'dow lands, followed the course
at hVreek <iuite a way, and finally
catefe the pine woods. When about
hauT «b through, a brown object ly-ing
oeiie grass a little distance from
him, Jaded his attention. He went
toll, \wasa large piece of wrapping
paper, I4 „ long bit of twine was ly-ing
baa!) u. The paper was damp
with 4*, and, as Greyson carelessly
over in hla hands, he observ-spotM
on it. He examined
closely. They w«re the
ntsof a thumb and fingers!
d around him keenly. He
»d that the bank of ferns
he path was, in one place,
id broken. He followed
ml~; they led him to the
densed a lll()H, unfrequented part
of the vAt_ anj there, lu a hollow,
almost 00'cj w|th low underbrush,
lay the be 0f a woman. It was
Mm. CurU.ying stilt"and stark,with
a bloody gi across her throat!
Two hou,,,,,,. | B party of men was
haunting tl ],..lfy labyrinths of the
pine woods. '|„.v wero endeavoring
to flud 1 he l, of the murderer.
Auhouri^j and they had met
with no sit^ Some of them had
gathered to-.,.r for the purpose of
consultation |,,.„ suddenly a cry
from one »f.(.jr companions, who
was a little''ance from them, at-tracted
their ntlon.
"See what jBve rOUI1)i <•• |,e cried
holding up a i',| 0f thread. It was
dirty and din and wet with dew ;
but Mr. Itr0< ti,e merchant, who
was with tl -1. recognized it at
onoe, hi- sai'VM
"It's out-.. J gpooIg poor Mr8.
Curtis bought ol,e yesterday. It's
pink, you see. 8WRg real particular
about the color. Ilewas plcclDg a
chair cushion, awanted the right
shade. Now, h,vWent th,t tbe
villain who mur(,d hf[ took lhU
route through tL^, See now
the ferns are crusu^n this way.
Hurry, we've got a cmw.o
The trail led tilem M
1
or writing, Mr. Marshall was lazily
stretched on the lounge in front of a
cheery fire. His eight year old son
Tom was In the room, every now and
then running up to his father witli
some request. At last one was:
"Papa, it's Saturday, how shall I
spend the day? Wish I bade kite I
Do you know how !o make ouc,
papa?"
"I used to, Tom. I don't know
whether I've forgotten how to do it or
not. Give me the newspaper on the
table, please, and the scissors. Then
run out in the woodshed and get 1110
some of those sticks on the shelf, also
a hammer and small nails. Stay,don't
he in ~uch a hurry; ask Hannah to
make a little flour paste."
Tom hurried away, and while wait-ing
for him to return, his father
glanced over the columns of the news-paper
he was cutting. It was one that
his friend, Mr. Brown, of Heywood,
had sent him. His eyes chanced to
ftril on these words :
"The German, Peter Groat, who
murdered Mrs. Curtis, has been sen
tenceil to be hung 011 the second Fri-day
in next month. Groat all hough a
stranger, was supposed to be a respect-able
man and one not at all capable of and wouldn't think of eloping."
perpetrating such a horrible crime, j "I dunno about that I dunno.
fact that I hey had become Beperaled
twenty-four hours previously, aud all
his hunting and inquiring had failed
to get truce of her. He explained the
seperatlon as follows:
Yc- «•" _ • . •*
HI see, .. e was looking at the
runnin' races. Mich things allus ex-cite
me, fur I've been thar' myself.
The hose I bet on was losln' ground,
and I tried to climb a slump to swing
my hut aud encourage him. That
let the crowd in between me and Han-ner,
and fust I knew I couldn't find
her."
"How old is your wife?" asked the
officer.
"About 22," replied tho old man as
the red came to his face. "She's my
third wife, you see, and inoby I was
a leetle foolish."
"Did she have any young lovers?"
"Piles of'cm."
"Were any of them at the State
Fair?"
''I believe I saw two or three."
"Old man," said the officer after a
long pause, "I want lo ask you a ques-tion,
and I hope yon won't be attend-ed."
"No, sir, I won't be miffed at any-thing
you ask."
"Suppose, now, that your wife had
—had ? That is to say, suppose
?"
"By gum !" exclaimed the old man
as he shut up bis jack-knife, "I be-lieve
I ketch your meaning. If Han-ni
1 has played that trick on me s-me-boby'll
git shot."
"That's only lny theory," mused
the officer. "Perhaps she loves you.
tho woods
But the evidences of lilsguill are most
conclusive. The morning after the
murder bis wife wus found washing a
bloody shirt, also a knife stained with
blood was found hidden near a wood-pile.
Hesides goods belonging to the
murdered woman was founil ln tiroat's
house. The only thing missing Is a
curious old snuff-box of some black
wool, quaintly carved in tho shape of
a toad. Her name, Hepsibali Curtis,
Is engraved inside. But without this,
the evidence Is strong enough to hang
blm."
"Poor fellow!" murmured Mr.
Marshall, as he laid down tho paper.
"It makes one dread to read tho news
—one comes across so many horrors "
"Papa! papa! you needn't mind
about tbe kite DOW!" cried Tom.
rushing in with shining eyes. Uncle
George Just called mo over to his
house—be is going fishing, and says
he will take mo along. May I go?
"If mamma Is willing."
"She is. I asked her. And I've
been digging grubs and llsh-woruis—
for bait, you know. Hut sec what a
nice bait-box I've got."
"An old snuffbox. Where did you
get It?"
"Myron Mason gave it to me."
"Who is Myron Mason?"
"Ob, a new man Uncle George got
to work in his garden. He's gather-ing
pears and trenching the celery.
Myron was a tramp who came along,
but he is real nice, too. See what a
funny shape it Is!"
"A toad. Quick ! Let inc si 1 ,Toin!"
Mr. Marshall had not closely ob-served
tho box until now, and it was
with trembling lingers that lie opened
It.
"Hepsibali Curtis" was the name
engraved on the inner cover!
Mr. Marshall's faco was white, hut
his voice was calm, as he said :
"Tom, just run over and tell your
Unole George to come over here a few
minutes—I want to talk with him 011
a little business."
• •*»»»•
Threedayslr' yror, M«— = .••-
guvc her (20 acre* 0/mighty nice land
before she'd have me. What shall I
do ? I feel as if I stood on a hot grld-iron."
"Take one more look over the
grounds and I'll see you at the grand
stand In an hour."
The old man hurried off at a oanter,
and when the hour was up the officer
walked down to tbe stand, There be
found a cross-eyed, lop-shouldered
woman silling on the fence with her
No. 7 feet displayed to the gaze of
thousands. Besldt her was the old
■nan. When bo saw the officer he got
down and shook hands, and whisper-ed
:
"That's her, aud sho never even
thought of eloping."
The officer looked I In- young wife
over from head to foot, and was turn-ing
away when the old mail whisper-ed:
"I kin see them feet, and them eyes,
ami that shoulder Jist as plain as
you kin, but I'm no fool ! Her mother
is the only woman in our county who
weaves rag carpets, and her dad has
lent me $200 without all Indorser!
And, say?"
"Yes."
"The land I gin her lias twelve tex-till,
M and a mortgage on it! See?
Kchick—whoop! I'm :io chicken!
Ami ho climbed up beside her, put his
arm around her waist, and yelled out
that he would back the roau horse
against the field.
The Boston plumber is getting his
head in good order to figure four
pounds of solder to ench pin-hole leak
in ti water-pipe.
It has been decided to name Al-fonso's
baby Isabella Christine Bella-donna
Sancho Pedro Marie Allegro
Manon Troppo Abracadabra Colorado
Oscuro Snntioga do Cuba.
Kals have become so bold in Boston
that they hide themselves iu street
cars and nibble at women's heels, and
it is in Boston that mosquitoes hang
on until the lo will V-M —- -
I hearty voice, which was the pf°per'y
of "young Cluy Cheevcrs," as Mr.
Maddox called him—as that gentle-man
strode into tho room,
"Oh, Guy," sobbed Lizzie, "Uncle
c*."'- £ 6«-'"e. *° *"* to-morrow at
twelve o'clock."
"How do you know?" asked Guy.
"He said so."
"Hut how does he know?"
'"He's going to kill himself."
"So as to moke himself a true
prophet, eh '.'" asked Guy, laughing.
"Oh, Guy.dou'tjoke!" cried Lizzie,
tearfully. "He will ; I know he will."
"I doubt it," said Guy, skeptically.
"But he has tried to commit suicide
several times," persisted Lizzie, tear-fully.
"Once he tried to smother him-self
with burning charcoal, but he for-got
lo stop up the key hide,mid I smelt
tbe smoke, and got some neighbors to
break opeu tho door and save him.
-Then he tried to hang himself, but tho
cord broke, and he fired a pistol at
himself, but ho forgot to put uny ball
in It, so that fulled, aud then "
"Gracious!" cried Guy, as Lizzie
stopped for want of breath, "what a
determined man he must be. Such
perseverance deserves to be rewarded.
Have you any idea what plan he will
-try next?"
"I'm sure I don't kuow," said Liz-zie,
mournfully. "Something dread-ful,
I suppbse."
"But what does he want to make
away with himself for?" asked Guy,
woudertagly.
"Why, he says ho is a miserable
man, a burden to every on:', and that
life has no Joys for him, and that he is
weary of this world "
"Aud so would like to try the
next?" said Guy. "Perhaps he won't
find it as nice us the ouc he is quitting.
What an unreasonable man he must
be. He is rich, talented, healthy, and
has a very pretty niece"—here, ln a
moment of abstraction, lie allowed his
arm to wander around Miss Silver's
waist—"aud what more can he want?
But some people novor are satisfied.
It seems he is determined to pry into
futurity, and it seems a pity to disap-point
so laudable an ambition ; but
'duty—duty to myself—compels me to
interfere. I dislike .-caudal or excite-ment.
A coroner's jury would cause
both, therefore wo must bulk his little
game "
"Hut how will you do It?" asked
Lizzie, curiously.
"A prudent general," -aid Guy,
haughtily, "never confides his plans
to his array, particularly when that
army Is of the feminine gender—so ex-cuse
me; mum's the word ; but rest
assured, my dear Elizabeth, that un-less
your worthy uncle shuttles off this
mortal coil in a surreptitious manner
before twelve o'clook to-morrow, he
will not do it afterward—of course, I
meau Illegally. Farewell till to mor-row."
Having concluded this address, Guy
strode olf in a tragic niiinner, leaving
Lizzie greatly surprised, but still quite
reassured, for lo her opinion what Guy
could not do was not worth doing.
The next morning Mr, Maddox
made Ills appearance very saturnine
and gloomy.and ate his breukfast with
a mournful air that was terribly im-pressive.
Having finished eating he
then took leave of his niece in a feel-ing
manner.
"I am about to leave you," he said
mournfully. "I am about to put an
end to this miserable life. I hope that
you may ever be happy."
"Oh, don't go," sai.l Lizzie, tearful-ly,
clinging to him iifid looking up
Into Ills face pleadingly
"It's usefess," sab' vlr addo-f*
r.,»lyi "\t.- -
dear child,-hull not be unprovided
for. I intend to make my will ln the
few hours thut arc left me, and you
will not he forgotten. Good-bye, my
dear child—farewell!" and then, lifter
embracing his niece rervently, Mr.
Maddox rushed from the room fraiilie-nlly
and securely looked himself In his
own room, and began to prepare him-self
for his last journey.
"Nine ii'cl s-k," he said to himself,
hsiking at his watch. "Three hours
yet. Kliough to do all I have to do.
First, to make my will."
The last will and testament of Mr.
Cyrus Maddox was evidcnlly not a
long one, as it was finished iu all hour.
''Mlcvcn o'clock," said Mr. Maddox,
"and I have finished. How slow the
time pusses, to be sure. Now- what
shall I do until twelve o'clock, for I
am lb termini d not to die until noon."
A knock at the door.
"Go away," cried Mr. Maddox, an-grily.
"You can't come in."
"I am very sorry to disagree with
you," said a voice outside the door,
"hut I can come In. I hove a duplicate
key here, and If you don't open tin-disir
I will."
Mr. Maddox rose and unlocked the
door savagely, and Mr. Guy Cheevcrs
walked Into the room, carrying an ob-long
IHIX under Ills arm.
He placed the box on the table aud
then took a seat op|M»lte Mr. Maddox
and stared blandly ut him.
What do you want ?" asked Mr.
Maddox, fiercely. "Don't you sec that
I am engaged ?"
"Oh, I know," said Guy, "what you
lire about to do. Don't think that I'm
going to interfere; not at all. But be-fore
you make your quietus, I wish to
ask you a fuw questions. Have you
provided for your niece's future wel-fare?"
"What's that to you ?"
"Considerable. I am about to marry
Miss Silvcr,and her interests nrc nutur-ally
mine."
"Then she Is provided for amply."
"Thank you for your information.
Very glud to hear it. And now, excuse
the apparent impertinence of the ques-tion,
but where is your will ?"
"Here," said Mr. Maddox, laying his
hand on it.
"Suppose you give it to me to take
care of?"
"Give it to you. Why, pray ?"
"It might lieeonic misplaced," ex-clainied
Guy.
["J keep it myself," said Mr. Mads
boon pause, 'did you ever see an In-fernal
old fool and an Idiot?"
"Never, that I know of, said Lizzie.
"Why?"
"Because, just look at me, and you'll
sec one," said Mr. Maddox, grimly,
and he stalked upstairs.
Up to tbe present time of writing
Mr. Cyrus Maddox is still alive, enjoy-ing
good health, und he seems to be
on good terms with Mr. Chcevem untl
his wife Lizzie. He probably forgave
that gentleman on account of a discov-ery
that he made that the nltro-glycer.
ine torpedo contained nothing more
dangerous than salt, and the other "in-fernal
inventions" were infernal iu
alsuit the same ratio; hut Guy still
maintains thut when a person is weary
of life they should cease their troubles
by scientific suicide.
THE BOV WHO WAS LEFT.—At a
late hour Friday night the police found
a boy about 10 years old sitting on tbe
steps of the City Hall, and when lie
had been stirred up he explained :
"My name's Johnny Stewart, and I
live near Grass Lake. The folks went
home last night and left me on the
Fair grounds without a cent. That's
just the sort of a man dad is. If we
don't keep tight to his beels all the
time he'll leave us In a strange town
dead broke."
"And now what will you do?"
"I'll make the old man sick."
"How?"
"Never you mind. I've got a plan
laid to fix him forgoing back on me."
He walked down to the Central Sta-tion
and slept in an arm chair the rest
of tbe night. At an early hour in tbe
morning he walked Into the American
Express office aud asked :
"Do you run to Grass Lake?"
"Yes."
"Then ship me there C. O. D."
After a few inquiries he was accept-ed
and duly tagged, and when 'he
wagons went down be was among the
parcels to be carefully handled. To
an inquirer at the depot he answered :
"Dad uncounted tbe sharpest man
in our county on a horse trade, but I
guess he isn't a great ways ahead of
me on this transaction I"
dox, ro . Mv-
"TliolfjuBt lu "8 » "icinorandunu.il
the table," said Guy, eu'P'^oletpiS
Where |t is. It will save
haps."
"Get out," cried Mr. Maddox, an-
Krlly.
"Ah, I sec," said Mr. Cheevcrs,
coolly, "In a hurry to begin. Well, I
won't detain you, hut I have a little
suggestion to oiler."
"It is this," said Guy. "Miss Silver
informs me that you have made several
previous efforts to cut short your trou-bles
und your breath, and always un-successfully.
Now, it seenis to me,
you don't go the right way about it.
Tills IHIX," and here he opened the box
before alluded to, "contains several lit
tie plans that I think might please
you. Here's one," and he showed a
little steel instrument.
"What's that'."'asked Mr. Maddox,
curiously.
"This," said Guy, "Is an article that
you can place around your neck like a
collar, then by striking your hand on
the left side of your neck, a sharp spike
Is driven right into your jugular
vclu "
"But that would kill me," suld Mr.
Maddox, staring.
"Well, ain't that what you want?''
demanded Guy, sternly. "Now here's
another. Here's a wheel, you observe.
You place this band around your neck,
pass it under the wheel, give it two or
1 hice turns, and then let go. The re-coil
will Iwisl your head almost off
your shoulders—kill vou to a certain-ly.''
Mr. Maddox stared al him with un-feigned
horror.
"Then,"went on Guy, coolly,"here's
a little paokiigo—a torpedo. It contains
nitro-glycerinc. Vou place it ill your
mouth, snap your teeth on it, and oil'
gin- your head, smashed Into millions
of atoms."
"Goodhenvens," exclaimed Mr. Mad-dox,
fearfully. "What a terrible idea."
"Not at ull," suld Guy, soothingly.
"Beautiful Invention I quite pride
myself on it—scientific suicide, you
see! Anybody can tuke isiison or blow
their bruins out; hut to do it scientific-ally
requires real talent. Vou have it,
and I am confident you will reflect
credit on my inventive skill. Now,''
he coiitiuuedlconl'uleiitly,"if you could
use all three of the-c inventions at once
—cut your jugular.giiriolc yourself and
blow your head oil', all ut once—why
I'd thank you."
"What," cried Mr. Maddox, fiercely,
"do you think I'm going to use any of
your infernal inventions'.' (bl out of
1«lij.s room, you cold-blooded villain, be-fo\
e 1 thrrTw-jiai out of the window."
"But I have 11 great many more to
show youj" remonstrated Guy, "und
you see 1 want you to try us many as
possible. Well, well," he added, as
Mr. Muddox grasped the poker threat-eningly,
"I'm going. Hut I'll leave
this box here, nod before you get rid of
yourself just make a memorandum of
what you will use, und leave it 011 the
table, because, you know, there will
probably be nothing left ofyou to draw
conehiHions from, und BO—"
Here uny further speech wus cut
short by Mr. Maddux's seizing his vis-itor
ami hustling him in the passage.
"Well," said blade, anxiously, to
Guy.
"I think It's ull right," said Guy,
grinning. "(ict tho lunch rcudy.
Votir uncle Is nil right. He'll be
down.'
1 111 1 'in.i-is 11 A FABLE.—A cod-fish
one day was sailing around In
search of some ouc who might be In-clined
to a religious dispute, when he
came across a clam. That was In the
days when codfish put on a heap of alls
over the clam tribe, and this particular
fish stuck up his nose at that particular
"'••""itVil began :
—-.o you are, grubbing away on
tliis same old sand bank for a living,
wlillc I have journeyed over a thous-and
miles ln the last four weeks."
I am quite content," replied the
clam, "I am rather near-sighted, slow
on foot, and nature did not intend me
to travel far. Neither of us make more
than a living, and I am satisfied if you
are."
"Yes, but you have such an outland-ish
shape," sneered the cod. "Why,
there's neither head, nor tell, nor legs,
nor arms to you. Your eyes are scar-cely
to lie seen, and one little grin for
11 cent would split your whole face
open."
"My eyes are plenty large enough to
see that notwo fish lu theocean agree,''
tartly replied tho clam, "and, seeing
Ihis, I have no cause to smile. What
you say about my form is true, but I
make good chowder, for all that, and I
liuve no bones to trouble the throats of
humanity."
"Well, I'm thankful that I wasn't
born to begin and end my days in a
sand bank. I go everywhere. I take
In ull the free lunches. Small fish fear
me. See how I glide around."
The cod took a circle around to show
oft', stood on his head, flourished his
tail, and then asked :
"Can any of the clam family do half
oftbat?"
"As I said before," quietly replied
the clam, "we were not cut out for
either orators or acrobats. What I can
do I try to do well. What I can't do
I let alone and don't worry over."
At that moment a flsh hook nicely
baited dropped down between them.
"Now, if you only hud a little more
mouth you could get enough at one
gulp to last you all day," remarked
Hie cod, as he eyed the bait. "As it is,
you may stand by aud see me take in
that banquet. Just see what mouth
will do for one In this world."
He ojiened his mouth, made a dive
for the bait, and was about to wink at
the clam with Ills left eye when he
was suddenly pulled out of the water
and lauded ill a boat.
"I think," mused the clam, as he
closed his shell, "that it is a great deal
nicer to be u clam on a sand bank than
a cod in a tis.li bout, but I'll lie opeu to
argument next flood time."
MOKAL:
It is everything in knowing when
to shut up.—Detroit Free I'reu.
CELESTIAL SOLDIERS.—The troops
which compose what may be regarded
as the regular army of China consist,
it is estimated, of only 140,000 men.
These receive monthly pay at the rate
of from five dollars to eight dollars,
and a dally ration of rice. They are
lodged In barracks, and supplied witb
arms by the government; but they
have to provide their own clothing.
The remainder of the men, who swell
the nominal effective of the Chinese
army to 700,000 Infantry aud 227,000
cavalry troops, since they have to
maintain themselves by cultivating
ground allotted them by the govern-ment.
Most of these men are married,
and their sons at their birth are en-rolled
as future recruits for the army.
The organization and conditions of
service of the cavalry are similar to
those of tho Russian irregular horse to
whom they are admitted, even by
Russian writers, to be ln no way In-ferior.
On the other hand, the artil-lery
of the army is miserably ineffici-ent.
The number of guus is large,but
they are of ludlflerent manufacture,
have ncither range nor accuracy, and
are badly served. Tbe number of
fortifications lu China Is extraordinari-ly
great. No fewer than 1,700 towns
are fortified with walls and dltchee,
while thousands of fortified posts of
greater or less strength are scattered
over the country. Most of the latter,
however, consist only of brick walls
with ditches, and would not be capa-ble
of withstanding the fire of even
light firepieces. The only fortifica-tion
Iu China which can compare
with modern Europeon works are
those constructed for the defense of
the Peibo or for the protection of oth-er
estuaries, and which are armed
with ordnance purchased ln Europe.
"Hrass Works," remarked Smed-ders.
rcudlng u signboard ; "yes, brass
works its wuy anywhere.
An umbrella und a dime novel are
the usual baggage which the girl of the
period takes with hertocamp meeting.
The indigestible character of young
beef is supiHMcd to have suggested the
phrase, "Come weal, come woe."
"In the bright complexion of my
youth I'll have no such word as
'pah',' " and with the complexion of
an angel she reached for the rouge-box.
How time changes! In tbe good
THE PKIMB OF LIFE.—Between the
age of forty-five and sixty a man who
has properly regulated himself may
be considered In tbe prime of life.
His matured strength of constitution
renders him almost Impervious to an
attach of disease, and experience has
given soundue..- to bis judgement.
His mind is resolute, firm and equal;
all bis functions are in tbe highest
order; he assumes mastery over his
business; builds up a competence on
the foundation he has laid ln early
manhood, and passes through a period
of lifeattended by many gratifications.
Having gone a year or two over sixty,
be arrives at a standstill. Hut athwart
this Is the viaduct called the turn "'
life, which I* —
,.. . ...ssed in'safety, le_..<,
to tbe valley of "old age," round
which tbe river winds, and then be-yond,
without boat or causeway, to
effect a passage. The bridge Is, how-ever,
constructed of fragile material,
aud it depends how it is trodden
whether it bend or break. Gout or
apoplexy are also in tbe vicinity to
waylay the traveler and thrust him
from I be pa~- ; but let him gird up
his loins and provide himself with a
fitter stair, and be may trudge on in
safety and with perfect composure.
To quit metaphor "the turn of life"
is a turn either into a prolonged walk
or into the grave. The system and
powers having reached the utmo„t ex-pansion,
now begin to close like a
flower at sunset or break down at
once. One injudicious stimulant, a
single fatal excitement, may force it
beyond its strength, while a careful
supply of props and the withdrawal of
all that tends to force a plant will
sustain it ln beauty and vigor until
night has entirely set in.
•■•
PRESENCE OF MIND.—There is noth-ing
like presence of mind after all.
The other day, during a tremendous
shower, a gentleman entered a fash-ionable
New York club, bearing a
splendid ivory-handled silk umbrella,
which lie placed on the rack. In-stantly
another gentleman, who waa
mourning the abstraction of just such
an article, jumped up. "Will you al-low
me to look at that?" he said,
sternly. "Certainly," remarked the
umbrella carrier. "I was Just taking
it to the police headquarters. It was
left iu my house last night by a bur-glar,
whom we frightened oil'. I hope
it will prove a first-rate clew." And
though the exasperated owner could
plainly see whore his name had beou
scratched ofT tbe handle, be sat down
and changed the subject.
l-ook at the partiality of nature,
When a bee stings once, its work is
finished, and It dies. But we have
known one gaunt mosquito to tap a
eonf.-teiiee,and then get mad because
there wasn't a picnic In the neighbor-hood.
If you want to have a lively time
just pocket a nest of hornets. You will
furnish your own music and dancing
at a very small financial outlay.
A t.Hiieut stls upon a shed,
And warbles wildly to bis mute,
••Ob, wla»ii the world lei- rone to bed,
I love to alt uiel mew till late."
Ilut while this 1 cat alts and -in,-:-.
Up aprings a boarder, made wltli hate,
w im.i, that cat toflddlestrlnga;
He also loved to mutilate.
It's well enough for the poets losing
of tbe philosophers and scholars who
draw wisdom from the stars, but if the
poet wmil- a theme worthy of hli pen
just let him watch the youug mun
who can stend on the corner und suck
wisdom out of nu ivory-headed cane.
Pennsylvania has Just completed a
pair of shears with Jaws nine feet
long and weighing ten thousand
pounds each. We don't see bow they
can get lost around a house, being too
Old Testament days It was considered big to hide iu the cradle or under the
a miracle for an ass to apeak, and now' lounge^
nothing short of a miracle will keep I Our navy is to be reviewed at Hamp-one
quiet. t„„ Roads on the 23d inst., and we
The difference between a sailor untl earnestly trust that a sufficient, guard
amugilisl is. that one is lashed to the|°'Po"C0 m»".be stationed at various
r/ost-nd or mashed to the teat. <>olnls> to Die*""'