THE ALAMANCE GLEANER.
VOL. I.
THE GLEANEK.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
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POETRY.
CONTRAST.
There is happy flailing for others
Adoiftt life's calm, street seaa,
Whosei boats are gayly dancing
Before the fragrant breeze;
There are adverse winds and a billowy sea,
And storms, and clouds, and gloom for me.
Some walk 'long paths all fair and sweet,
Abloom with ooantless flowers,
And scaroe can tell which first to pluck
In all love's radiant bowers;
I walk along a thorny road,
Bearing a cross—a heavy load.
Some have their homes all bright with love
And kisses and fond good-byes,
That only makes short absence sweet.
And tearless, sparkling eves;
There's a dear one's gTave on the hill for me,
And rest, sweet rest, beyond the sea.
I, too, had ooantless treasures once,
More than my heart could hold;
Love scattered its pearls down at my feet,
And crowned me with its gold.
My pearls were gathered by the demon, Death,
My gold was tarnished by his breath.
God, steer my boat adown the sea,
Tlirough all the murk and gloom;
Help me to walk along the road
Where not one flower doth bloom;
Open the pearl-gates 'cross Death's sea
And give my darling back to me.
THREE SEASON*
BY CHRISTINA ROBETTI.
"A cup for hope I" she said.
In spring-time ere the bloom was old;
The orimson wine was pure and cold
By her mouth's richer red.
"A cup for lave 1" how low.
How soft the words; and all the while
Her blush was rippling with a smile.
Like Summer after snow.
"A cup for memory !"
Cold cup that one must drain alone;
While Autumn winds are up and moan
Across the barren sea.
Hope, memory, love,
Hope for fair morn, and love for day,
And memory for the evening gray
And solitary dove.
■nCELUHT.
A Wrong System.
It is no sign of gontility to be utterly
indifferent to expenses. Many people
think it is quite "the correct thihg" 'to
know nothing of the prioes of common
articles. Suoh ignorance is supposed
to snggesfc Idea of vast wealth.
But the facts are, that it suggests quite
a different train of ideas. The truly
refined and high bred, with abundant
resonroes at command, know that it ad
vertises a great ignorance of the world,
a very limited education, and even leas
common sense. This sort of display
goes hand-in-hand with vulgarity, ana
stamps its possessor in a way that is
"known and read of most men." Peo
ple possessed of wealth, which is not
founded upon "shifting sand," are
usually most exact and systematic in
all their money affairs. Ladies of
wealth and good breeding see well tc
'he ways of their households, and are
strict in their domestic management,
that no waste shall be allowed. As a
rale, the poor are more wasteful than
the rich—-one reason why they remain
poor, when a young oouple, with
their way to make in the world, begin
housekeeping m a style that is only
su table in people of established wealth
they do oommand the respect they wish
in places where their reputation is of
the greatest aopount to them. Busi
ness men, where oonfidenoe is a young
man's best capital, will not trust *»i»n
half as readily as if he had "begun
small." If there is anything that makes
home unoonfortable, it is the continued
consciousness that one is living beyond
one's means, and that a reckoning day
is sure to come. Yet the calls for ex
penditure are incessant, and each keeps
on buying, with no calculation how
matters are ooming out, until the final
crash settles the matter for them. If
you wish to get true oomfort out of
your income, and oommand the respect
•. of those about you, learn to keep your
account* accurately, and spend your
money with discretion. '
GRAHAM, ALAMANCE COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA, TUESDAY, MARCH 2,, 1875.
OUR BOAKDER'S STORY.
BY IRON DOMINO.
"How long has your husband been
dead, Mrs. Clerris?" asked our Mag,
with a blnntness that made us all
ashamed.
"He is not dead," was the quiet re
ply, but a quivering of pain mingled
with the patient look of her face, and
it did not need that mother should
shake her head at us, thereby implying
that no more questions were to be
asked,' for we were awed into silenoe
and were very sorry that Mag's
impertinence should have given us the
due to a story that was evidently so
sad. We knew comparatively little of
Mrs. Clerris, but she was the friend of
acquaintances and through them had
desired to share the quiet of our coun
try home as a boarder during the few
weeks of her summer vacation from
town. The pained look did not leave
her faoe all that day, and when after all
the work was done and mother sat
alone upon the steps of the porch in
the twilight that was fast giving place
to darkness, Mrs. Olerris went out and
sat beside her. She burried her face
in her hands and cried quietly a few
moments while her frame trembled and
shook violently. At laßt mother Ven
tured : "Mrs. Olerris. you must forget
Maggie's impertinent question this
morning. It was only mere thought
lessness and I am very sorry."
•'lt does not matter," she said, "for.
I am going to tell you all about it. Per
haps I should have done so before."
"No you need not!"" persisted
mother. "It is not necessary and, I as
sure you, there will be no unpleasant
conclusions drawn from what we have
so inadvertently learned."
But this was the story she told, giving
no heed to mother's assurances :
"I was bat eighteen when I became
the wife of Miles Gierris—an inex
perienced girl who knew little of life
save of its indulgences and pleasures.
An only child, my father's means had
been sufficient to gratify all my little
whims and oaprices and petted all my
life by lovingfriends, sorrow and disap
pointment had been terms almost un
known. It was considered a very for
tunate thing forme when an opportunity
arose of becoming the wife of the rich
contractor, who had at first made mere
business visits to our village ; and 1
remember with what unconcealed satis
faction mother and father regarded the
marriage preparations. To be sure he
was much older than I—being nearly
thirty years of age, but mother said 1
needed some one to 'take oare' of me, I
was so young, while to me he seemed a
very compendium of wisdom and, of
course, goodnesp. So with many con
gratulations and the envy of half my
young friends, I started under the most
favorable auspices for my new home
many miles away. It was an old plaoe
and the Clerrises had held it for years.
There was an air of substantial comfort
about it, which only wealth can give,
and no wonder my girlish heart thrilled
with pride as I looked upon it for the
first time and thought that I was about
to be its mistress. I soon found, how
ever, that although Miles was the only
son and heir I was hardly acknowledged
even a nominal sovereign. The house
hold as it was had been of many-years
standing, and did not very cheerfully
accept the new rnle of an inexperiened
girl. Mrs. Clerris, Sr., was still living
and, though scarcely able to leave her
room, was always querulously intrusive
and fault-finding. A spoiled ohild my
self, who had anticipated great glory in
the management of her own household,
I could illy endure her interference and
had not been many weeks a wife before
my mother-in-law and myself had some
very sharp passages of" words. There
was also in the household a Miss Slay ton
—a companion of his mother—Miles
told me after introducing her; still her
position in the household was always a
mystery to me, for though the servants
seemed to hate her cordially she yet ex
erted over them a firm rule that I had
never been able to acquire and in every
event of the household seemed coolly
but quietly to assert her own authority.
To me she was always especially cour
teous, but her extreme reserve and lack
of confidence exasperated me while her
assumption of, power was quite beyond
my enduranoe. —She was 'more mistress
than I,' I had once passionately ex
claimed to Miles, but he always laughed
away my displeasure,soon changing the
subject and never himself expressing
approval or disapproval, 1 used to fancy
that Mrs. Clems and Miss Slayton were
conspired against me and gradually
there grew into my heart a fierce hatred
for them both which of course made me
very miserable.
"Looking back now I can see that at
first much of my trouble arose from un
guarded jealousy and passion, for I
had no suspicion of the real state of
affairs. It was not until after the birth
of my baby and the lingering illness
that followed that the real truth began
to dawn upon me. It was torment in
expressible to lie upon my bed, help
less, entrusted to the sole care of a
nurse and knew that my husband was
in the oompany of that woman whom I
hated so. In the long evenings I could
hear the hum of their voioes in the
parlor below and the nervous, restless
nights that were sure to follow greatly
retarded me recovery. Often at twilight
they would walk up and down the yard,
and sometimes as they passed my win
dow I would oatoh low, tender tones of
voioe that I thought had been used
only for me. Once there were words
WOT i j °' «o distinct that they
oould not be misunderstood, and after
that I oould not name the horrible sus
picion that I would intrude upon every
thought for that she was a guilty crea
ture thus to endure the caresses of a
married man I did not doubt.
"Still it would not do to proclaim
what 1 so thoroughly believe and an at
tempt to dismiss her from the house
would involve a revelation of all my
snspieions, of whioh there was no sub
stantial proof and whioh probably no
one would believe after all. Thus I
lived, a most wretched wife, finding my
only oonsolation in my little 800. My
husband's tenderness—for he 'waslfr
ways kind—seemed but the heartless
dissimulation of an unprincipled lib
ertine. I could not dissemble the hard
thoughts that were in my heart, and so
grew morose and distant toward them
all. As might have been supposed, to
the relatives and friend? who visited at
the house, the stern, reserved woman
who had kept her room and rarely
smiled was not judged a very pleasing
wife and Miles reoeived much sympathy
from all his friends. When my baby
was a year old, God took him out from
our wretohed home. I think Miles
grieved as much as I, for he was pas.
sionately fond of his little boy, but I
would not allow his tears to mingle
with mine and resolutely shut myself
in my own room there to await alone
the feeling of the days that oontained
such grievous chastening. On one of
the wretched evenings that intervened
before the funeral I stood at the open
window, tearless, watching the out
ooming stars and thinking that to-mor
row night my little boy would sleep
beneath their faithful guardianship,
when a scene forced itself upon me at
whioh I was then almost too stupefied
to wonder.
Miles came wearily up one of the
graveled walks and seated himself in
seeming despondence upon a rustic
bench. Miss Slayton followed, placing
herself by his side, though she did
Bpeak to nim, as he sat with his head
upon his hands. v
"My poor wife !" my heart aches for
her !" I heard him murmur at last.
And then Miss Slayton's voice said
sneeringly :
"Tour wife, indeed» Ah, Miles
Olerris, if she only knew !" was added
in a softer done. Presently she moved
nearer and leaned lovingly against him
while her hand rested upon his. I
could not hear the words she said, but
he started up, angrily exclaiming:
"A curse upon you ! I defy yrfu"
and pushing her from him he walked
away and stood leaning against the
trunk or the old elm. She followed.
"You defy me ! You have perhaps
forgotten this little dooument." And
she held up something.
He seemed astonished and almost
hissed between his shut teeth : ' You
have lied to me."
"You were a fool to think I would
ever lose sight of this," was the taunt
ing reply.
He grasped for it and seizing her a
little struggle ensued, but she broke
from him and ran into the house and I
heard her go into her room. Miles,
too, soon walked away. Still I stood at
the window, enwrapped in a mazy dream
that bad neither purpose nor definite
nesß about it, Night deepened, ths
moon rose and the veering outlines of
shade orept steadily over the grass, yet
I had no inclination to seek my pillow.
As the shadows of the trees slowly
oirled around the moonbeams at last
directly upon the spot where Miles and
Miss Slayton had stood beneath the
elm hours before.
Something white upon the grass
gleamed distintly in the moonlight. It
recalled the soene I had witnessed and
for tfie first time in days a deflniteness
of purpose possessed me and I deter
mined to know what it was. Hurrying
down into the yard the glistening white
thing was found to be a pieoe of paper.
With almost insane jealously Iran back
to my room and bent over the time
worn sheet. My ouriosity was cruelly
repaid for there, drawn up with all the
form required by law, I read a marriage
certificate—a bond of union between
Miles Clerris and Helen Slayton bearing
date km years previous. The clergy
man's name appended—Jeremiah New
comb—was a substantial proof of the
genuineness of the article, for I well
remembered it and the peculiar chirog
raphy I had seen so often in girlhood.
Dear white haired old man how little
he guessed in his gentleness that a deed
of his was lying in wait to stab me so
cruelly I Ten years ago I that most
have been in Miles' college days. And
this woman was hia wife while I—l had
no legal claim to the rights I had tried
to vindicate with sooh haughty ar
rogance. Too frenzied to rave or faint,
1 realized it all quietly, standing there
alone, in the night. There was nothing
to palliate the enormity of the great
wrong Miles Clerris had done me. I
had been purposely and miserably
duped—an innooentgiri—now a mother,
whose monrning for her first born had
been rudely disturbed by the horrid
fact that she was not even a wife. I
flung open the blind, and threw the
Saten-sent missive far out into the yard.
I could not upbraid my husband with
the discovery i had made, nor proclaim
it to the world, for it was the seal to
my own infamy. Neither oould I ignore
it, thbugh for a moment something had
whispered : "Keep the oertifioate and
say nothing about it, and the world will
always believe, as it does now, that you
are bis wife, since there will be no
proof to theoontrary, and the old olergy
man is dead." Only the experienced,
who know of what bitternesa the human
heart is capable, can dream what suffer
ing came to me there. Presently I
realized that the family were astir and
crept to my bed, not to sleep, but to
experience that semi- unconscious state
that oomes of utter prostration. Two
of, the servant girls came to my room,
and as. they moved cautiously about,
putting things in -older, I knew they
were preparing the house for the funeral
oeremonies, which were to take place
early in the day. At lasi one whispered
to the other that Miss Slayton had told
at the breakfast table how some one had
entered her room during the night and
had rifled every drawer and box, and
that even the pockets of her drefcses had
been visited. Of oourse they were full
of consternation and wonder, and in
talking about it quite forgot their sleep
ing mistress as they supposed. After
they had left the room Miles entered
and stood by my bedside. He bent
down and softly kissed my forehead as
Hay, with closed eyes, and then I
heard him sigh deeply and walk away.
Miss Slayton met him in the hall and
said in her sinuous voice : "I think
if last night's burglar had searohed the
yard first he would have been more
successful, for I have an idea that I
found, this "morning, the article he
wished for," and ner low sneering
laugh came in through the open door.
Ii dressed myself and sat with the
others while the minister read of Ood's
goodness and his kindly chastening,
and prayed for the afflicted hearts, all
the while nearly wild for the hatred of
Ood and man that rankled in my bosom.
Miles' tenderness maddened me, and
when I sank, half fainting, from the
ooffinand he held me in his strong arms
while his hot tears fell upon my ohesks
I longed to dash my hands in his faoe.
When it was all over and the honse
was stilled again for the night, 1 donned
my bonnet and shawl, and taking my
portmonnaie, Which was always weft
supplied, walked to the station and
took the train for your city. I remem
ber the long ride through hours and
hours and the quiet breaking of the
morning, but that is aU; for I had been
many weeks in your hospital cared for
at public expense when I next awoke
to oonsciousness. At last I was able
to leave its sheltering walls, and it was
with suoh loneliness of heart as I pray
you and yours may never know, that I
set out to find some means of support.
At first it seemed a hopeless task—for
where a man may walk unquestioned a
woman is subjected to the most rigo
rous scrutiny, and what she will not
reveal is registered for ber condemna
tion unheard. I thought it expedient
for many reasons to retain Mr. Olerris*
name, and then the appellation of a
married woman might offer a better
protection than the "Miss Nelson" of
my girlhood.
After many, many, discouragements,
two yeaTß ago I secured the situation I
now hold. It is remunerative and af
fords as pleasant a living as I can ever
hope to have. I have often wondered
by what means Miss Slayton was ever
induced to oCoupv the position she did
in Miles Olerris' home for she fully re
alized that she was his legal wife. If a
human heart may be divided in its af
fection it would seem that he sinoerely
loved us both though none the less a
villain. .
Mag and I heard it all behind the
blinds of the dining room, from whence
we dared not stir as the story pro
gressed, Now, as mother and Miss
Clerris arose and walked down the path
we broke from our hiding plaoe and
ran off to bed like guilty culprits,
scarcely sajing a word even to each
other. That was years and years ago.
Mrs. Olerris is dead now, and, mayhap,
upon the other side she solves the mys
terious destiny Ood had given, so in
explicable here.
Happiness.
It is a false opinion that happiness is
not now to be realized, but only to
oome hereafter. It is in contradiction
to God s holy word, as we believe we
are blessed now with all things that are
really good for us. Yet there are per
sons who think that when some par
ticular grievanoe is removed they shall
be happy. No 1 you will be as far from
happiness as you are now. This is the
folly and weakness of the mind, which
vainly anticipates happiness from
earthly changes. But, on the other
hand, as time passes by and under all
circumstances, supppsing that we have
the knowledge of the truth and are
living in holiness and in the love of
God, we may have days of hesven upon
the earth. Lady Elizabeth Hastings
said to the Countess of Huntingdon,
"Binoe I have known the gospel I have
been as hsppy ss an angel." That one
sentence was the means of the conver
sion of Lady Huntingdon, afterward
the friend of Whitefleldandthe founder
of chapels all over England. Who can
estimate the number and importance
of the effects whioh followed thai
change of heart and life ?" ' * ..
(■salts.
It is always better 'to, pass a dozen
intended insults without recognition,
than to take offenoe at a single unin
tentional neglect or reflection. Mis
understandings are fruitful of more
unkindly feelings in society than ever
result from deliberate ill-nature. Hun
dreds of friendships have been sun
dered by that egotistical sensitiveness
whioh is ever looking for offenoe. We
can all point to certain persons who are
thus morbidly sensitive to a painful
degree. They are disagreeable com
panions. We need not spend our time
in pointing to them, however. We
have each something to guard in our
own character. We are each inclined
to take offence too easily. If we could
remove this ever-jealous watchfulness,
society would gain a new charm, or
rather it would be relieved of a very
disagreeable feature. Pass neglect,
then, and personal reflections, as grace
fuliy as poosible, instead of taking the
risk of being offended when no offenoe
is intended.
Attila, so historians say, often dined
on horseback. We prefer canvas back.
About Pearls.
The pearl is a very beautiful as well
as costly ornament and is as .much
Erized as any article of jewelry. There
ave been several theories advanced in
regard to the formation of the pearl,
but none are quite satisfactory. This
is one of the mysteries that nature has
kept hidden from us.' The ocean and
mountains are her work shops. The
latter men have exoavated and tunneled
until they have discovered many things
not before thought of, but she reigns
securely in the deep blue sea. Many
treasures are stored "far down in the
green and glassy brine," but few are
venturesome enough to fathom the
depths and bear away the rich spoil.
It is very dangerous work, for although
we have now the diving bell, making it
possible for men to stay under the water j
for some time, they suffer if they go
down very often or stay long. But !
some enterprises are attended with
danger and not all as profitable as the
pearl fishery.
The divert are provided with bags in
whioh to put the shells taken from the 1
bottom of the ooean. These are then !
broken up and the pearls drilled and
strusg. Black people are generally j
employed for this purpose, as they are !
very expert; but, although they are 1
very oarefully watched, they sometimes ;
succeed in secreting a valuable pearl. ,
The Best fishery in the East is near .
the Isle of Ceylon, where the season
commences in February and lasts until '
April. A gun is fired as a signal for i
the boats. All go out and oome back ;
together.
Twenty men go in each boat, ten of
whom are divers ; the remainder row
and assist their companions in reas
oending. They go out at sunriße, re- ;
main bnsily engaged until noon, when
they return, and are relieved of their
preoious cargo, and are read)', for i
another trip. This is the way that the |
pearls which the people highly prize j
are obtained. _ .
Pearls possess an advantage over pre
oious stones taken from rocks in that
they are found with that appearance
which gives them their value. They
are perfectly polished and finished be
fore they are taken from their ocean
home, while stones obtained from the
different kinds of rocks need ontting
and polishing before they are fit for the
use of the jeweler. Nature gives them
their rough form, and leaves it to art
to give it the finishing touches.
White pearls are most prizod, al
though some persons prefer those deli
oatelv tinted. The Oriental pearls are
the finest on account of largeness and
beauty. Tbiey are of a silvery white.
Pearls have been used as ornaments
from the earliest ages, and among all
nations. Even the Indians esteemed
them before the disoovery of Amerioa,
for when the Spaniards first came over
they found quantities of them stowed
away ; but they were inferior, being of
a yellowish shade, because the Indians
nasd fire to open the shells. Cortes
describes Montezuma, the Mexican
Emperor, at their first interview (1577) j
as wearing garments embroidered with |
pearls, and ths natives also wore neck- !
laces and bracelets of them.— N. Y. Ob- |
nervor.
I'ompefltlen the Lifts of Trade.
Between forty and fifty years ago
there was an amusing contest going on
between two trades-people in London.
Both were hair-dressers, and lived
opposite each other. Seeing that one
throve by selling pomade made of bear's
grease, the other knowing that it was
just as good and more profitable to sell
any other material in pots, with "bear's
grease" on the label, started an oppo
sition, using similar pots to those sold
by bis opponent, filled with an inex
pensive unguent The first dealer, who
wss known to keep bears in his cellar,
and who had himself taken np once a
week before the sitting alderman as a
nuisance, by way of advertisement,
killed a bear upon this, and hung him
rfhole in full sight in his shop. He
wrote in the window, "A fresh bear
killed this day." The other, who had
but one bear in all the world, whioh ho
privately led out of his house after
dark every night and brought him back
in the morning (to seem like a supply
going on), continued his sale and an -
nounced in his window : "Our fresh
bear will be killed to-morrow." The
original vender then determined to cut
off his rival's last shilt, kept his actual
bears, defunct, with the skin only half
off, like ealves at a butcher's, hanging
up always at his door, proclaimed that
all bears grease sold in pots was a vile
imposture, and desired his customers
to walk in "sod see theirs with their
own eyes, out and weighed from the
animaL" This seemed oonolusive for
two days; bat on the third, the cun
ning opposition was again to the fore,
with a placard founded on the opinion
of nine doctors of physic, which ststed
that bear's grease "obtained from the
animal ia a tame or domestioated state
will not make anybody's hair grow at
all," in oonaequenoe of whioh ne went
on to say : "He has formed an estab
lishment in Russia, (where all the best
bears oome from,) for catching them
wild, cutting the fat immediately, and
potting it down for London consump
tion. And the rogue actually ruined
the business of his antagonist, without
going to the expense of killing a single
bear, by writing all over his house,
"Licensed by the Imperial Govern -
ment, here and at Archangel.'' _/ 7
The Chinese have names which cor
respond in frequency with the Brown*
ana Smiths of Ango-Saxon Christen
dom. Those most frequently occur
ring are Chin, Chang, Wang and Shih.
which are the equivalents of "gold,"
"long," "prince and stone."
YABIETIES. 1
I ; \
To kill time—Take a horse and sleigh
it.
Sweetening one's coffee is generally
the first stirring event of the day.
The sentinel who did not Bleep on
his watoh had left it at the pawn
broker's. JU- I-;';" **\\ v:.. ;J
The/fisheries on the coast of Scotland
dongi the past season have yielded
morto tgaa 8,000,000 of herrings.
? nan -ittle boy breaks •
window, he fchould be punished, on the
log'tSw 6 P® neß and penalties go
The boj'tnew trowsers, coppor-fast
ened throaghout, and plated at the
knee sb As to be impregnable to friction
are known as the "knee plus ultra."
The Americans being the better look'
ing, of oouree had an advantage over
the EosHshmen in the late interview
ing of Venus and got more than their
Bhare of smiles.
A cake of ice sawed oat by an lowa
City man had frozen in it a bass, which
iB described as being perfect to the end
of its fins, and having all the appear
ance of swimming.
The most bounteous vintage France
has known, the statistics say, is that of
1874. Not lees than 2,000,000 hectare*
(600,000 acres, there-abonts,) hare been
cultivated as vineyards, and the pro
duct is estimated at 75.000,000 hecto
lites (or 1,687,500,000 gallons, very
nearly).
Daring the year 1874 the life-boats
of the National-Li fe-boat Institution
saved 543 lives on the British ooast,
and saved 15 vessels from destruction.
The institution also granted rewards to
fisherman and others, for saving 170
lives daring the year, making a grand
total of 713 liveß saved.
In the city of Oognao, France, there
is tm establishment fitted with an au
tomatic indicator to guard against fire.
It is simply a thermometer so construc
ted that when the mercury rises to a
oertain point it starts an electric alarm,
which rings a bell in the proprietor's
quarters. It provides against fire as
the ordinary burglar alarm against
thieves.
The villa in whioh Michael Angelo
was born, and in whieh he passed
j childhood, is now oocupied by a lineal
i desoendent of his old enemy, Baoolo
Bandinelli. There are in the villa
I several paintings attributed to (he
I great artist, including that of the so-
I called Satyr, the npper portion of whieh
i only remains ; an a these are also two
chimney-pieces said to have been sculp
tured by him in his youth.
•- The following test may be applied to
qnartz to determine its auriferous
character: After being well gronnd
and calcined it should be treated with \
a bath of iodine or bromine water, and
allowed to digest in it for some time.
Then a piece of filter paper should be
soaked in the aolntion, dried, and
burned to ashes in a muffle. If gold is
present the ash is purple. One penny
weight of gold to the ton may thus be
detected.
At Mono, in Belgium, this is the way
the public "interviews" the manager
when it has a grievance. Baring the
{•lav some one in the gallery shies a
olded letter to the stage, and as it (alls
all the interested pnblio call oat, "Bead
it! read it P There is no peaoe till
the letter is read ; then, as it oontaina
some charge against the manager, that
gentleman has to oome forward ex
plain. It is not a bad institution, bat
they have just decided in the ooorts
that it is "disorderly,"
The following marriage certificate
was reoently found among some old ar
chives oi the town of Norwich, Oonn.
There was no date of the year, but the
penmanship and paper both bore testi
mony to the extreme age of the docu
ment "Married, atNorwhicft, Sunday
evening, Slat of Deoember, Dr. J&aooh
Smith, so called, aged 66, more or leas,
a renowned collier, to the amiable ana
accomplished Miss Mary Melony a cel
ebrated tailoress, aged 26 next grass:
"Bow ptaawnt It it to MM -
Turkey® and hen* Mfrtm."
The good people ot a certain town in
the West are, or have been, in trouble
about a schoolmaster hired without suf
ficient precaution. It being discovered
that he spells "soldiers" "lodger," and
"kerosene" "cerotene" and that he has
many other bold opinions eonoeming
orthography, the school oommittee
have requested him to leave. But he
refuses. They fasten the school-house
door. He breaks it open and "keeps
school" in spite of them. They have
asked him to go, begged him to go, of
fered him money to go, but he still
keeps on teaching that "sodger" spells
"soldier." All but fifteen pupils have
been taken out of the school; but if
there were no pupils at all he wouldn't
go. , ... - t . V
A machine has at length been oon
struqted which will travel at a speed of
nine knots an hour for 800 yaips, and
at a lower speed for no lees a distance
than a mile. It will maintain any direc
tion impressed upon it, and it oan be
launched either irom a boat or an iron
clad, by night or by day. In short it
is a kind of exploaire fish, which in
obedience to its masters, will swim for
a mile toward an adversary at which it
may be directed, and will strile a dan
gerous blow. If ships at a distanee of
a mile oan be struck with eestafiity by
a mechanical fish disphgged from a
when tiro fleets appinyfcTone another
ble foes. Every sea ltil harbor will
practically be a mine of torpedoea, and
any vessel of light construction must
be hopelessly doomed. . t
NO. 4.