il-i fill . Hi tl
VOL III.
LINCOLNTON. N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 1S90.
NO. 50
She Ha No Hnslmntl.
'What is that figure on the dome V
inquired a female visitor of a Capi
tol guide yesterday.
Liberty ma'am,' he replied with
a tremulous, fifty-cent-an-hour po
litt-ness.
Liberty?' the repeated with ques
tioning scorn. 'And it'a a woman.'
'Yes'ni,' he responded humbly ;
bat fche ain't married, ma'am.
Leastways her husband ain't never
around.' )Va sh ing ton St a r.
AVhi-iumI.
Mammy Jule "Looky heah, Lio
kuin, doau't ye' nebbah ag'in lem
lue eee yo shinnfn' up one ob dem
telegram poles mind datP'
Liukuin (a find 10) "Why, mam-.
c;y, Khar's de ha'iu V
Mammy .lule "Ha'm, boy V Yo'
climb up dar eu tech one ob dem
wiabs when hita lull ob 'Jectrisitisrn
en yo';l come walkin' liome daid
dam whar de ha'm is, my son !"
Papa I hear you were a bad
girl to-day, and had to be spanked.
'Small Daughter Mamma ia aw
' Jul strict- If I'd a known Bhe need
to be a school teacher I'd a told
you not to marry her. Rochester
Jura.
"WRITING- TAUGHT BY MAIL
.3155 IS I,OKiEE AH XPIEMIMBPCT BUf A
AS TAUGHT BY G. P. JOJS'FS.
If you want to learn to write beautifully, aud stay at home, now is
jour time.
TWELVE MAMMOTH LESrfONS, COVERING A PERIOD OF THREE
MONTHS FOR $3.00.
A BEAUTIFUL 1'IECE OF WRITING FOR 15 CEXJ'S.
One dozen or more ways of signing your name for a Silver Quarter
A sheet of elegantly combined signatures 20 cents.
One dozen handsome ards with name on 25 cents.
Sample lesson in writing 35 cents. Oend me an order and be cou
vioced tbat my work is all I claim for it-
For 50 cents I will send you some of the best writing yon ever aaw.
Write lor Circular enclosing a 2 cent stamp.
Your writing i oxollont, you me destined to become a prrand pen
inac H. J. Williamson, President, "Pen Art Hall", Ploreuce, Ala.
Specimens ot Card writing to hand. They are models of grace and
beauty. lour writing is superb. W. D. Showalter, Editor Pen Art
Herald, hciago, J II.
Prof. Jones is not only a beautiful writer, but an excellent, and sue
ceasful teacher. P. Matt Thompson, Principal Piedmont emiuary.
CP The cash must accompany each order.
P:iu. Business Dep't. of Piedmout Semiuary.iuiijlutou.N .C.Nov.B.'S 9,1
D. W. ROBINSON,
ATTORNEY AT LAW.
I.inculnton, N. C.
Practices in this and surround-
iu ir counties.
Also in State and Federal
Courts.
- JGfc2"Next door to the Racket.
Oc4t., !Si9. ly.
L L WITHERSPOOnT
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
NEWTON, N. G.
Practices in the Courts of Cataw-?
ba, Lincoln, and adjoining counties.
A7oY to Loan on improved farm-'
in Catasvba and Lincoln counties in
sums of io00 and upwards, on loin
time and eaay terms. Will meet
clients at the Alexander House, iu
Lincoluton, on second and fourt
Mondays iu eadi month.
Aug. L tr.
:-5 hiiiPLSsa Nights, icftde miserable ty
that terrU.le ."ouh , Lilnh'a Cure is the
remejv tor yuii. F.v sale b)' J. KeeJvitco.
fprVLoG, LumberVard & GiTrTRUcrts
ICv Or Chaise,
RACLNETWIS.
Shuk in h Hole,
Mamma "Johnny.what's ayeai?"
Johnny "Three hundred and sixty-live
days."
Mamma "What's a day V
Johnny ''Twenty-lour hours
and an hour's sixty minutes and a
minute is sixty seconds."
Mamma "What ia an instant?'
Johnny "An instant f Au in
stant's a hole in the ground."
Mamma "A hole in the ground f
WThy, how do you make that V
Johnny "My book says 'the dog
fell in an instant7 "
A gentleman married a yonng
lady because she behaved p.o ad
mirably when, at dinner one day,
the waiter soiled the front of a
beautiful silk dress by spilling soup
over it. She smiled and joked about
it in so good-natured and calm a
mood that he fell in love with and
mariied her. Sorne time after their
marriage ho referred to the incident.
She said she -would never forget it
an long as she lived, lie told her
that it waa then he had made up
uia mind he would like to marry
her. "Yes,'' ahe anawered, I re
member behaving very well abont
it. at the-titne ; but good gracious,
you should have heard me when I
got home that night."
Piedmont
Seminary,
ulALE AND FEMALE.
LINCOLNTON, N. C-
An English, Classical, Mathematical
an"d Commercial School.
It is thorough and practical in its
work and methods. It does not
assume to itself the claims of a Col
lege, but is thoroughly Academic.
Location healthy, and of easy access
by railroad. Penmanship and Busi
iness Department in charge of Prof.
O. P. Jones. Spring Term of 1S90
begins the t5th of Jauuary.
kF For Circulars, dr., send to
IK MATT. THOMPSON,
Princ'nal, Lincolnton, N. C.
Jan, 3, 1800.
Subscribe- for the Lincoln Coil
I rikr, 1 50 per year.
' f
From the Old Homestead.
MY ICELANDIC
MAIDEN.
Many happy returns of your birth
day, PeicyV said the dear old gen
tleman who sat opposite mo that
morning at the breakfast table.
The old gentleman was Lord Fair
mount, my uncle, and I was Percy
Tremayne, his adopted sou and
heir age twenty-three, height six
feet, general appearance passable.
I bad lived with him for the last
eighteen years, and during those
years he had never been able to
persuade himself that my increase
in age, height, or wisdom was at all
sufficient to be taken any particu
lar notice of. The custom of plac
ing cnristmfls and birthday gifts
under my napkin at the breakfast
table waa cne to which he still firm
ly adhered, and, being accustomed
always to fall in with his humor and
make & pretense of infantine curi
osity and eagerness on such occa
sions, I now lifted each corner and
peeped, in a manner which must
have been highly artistic, as it
caused him to chuckle and rub his
uauua logeiner wun a snow oi ine
most lively satisfaction:
The 'find' was generally a check,
but to-day something hard and
boardy, instead of cripp and thin,
greeted my fingers, and I drew out
trom its hiding place, somewhat to
my astonishment, nothing more
valuable than a large photograph
of a beautiful schooner yacht, with
the name Wave' eugraved below
on the margin. Astonishment, how
ever, waa soon lost in admiration,
and, without even remembering to
say 'thank you,' I exclaimed, heart-,
ily, By jove, she is a beauty !'
'What will you do witb ir, Percy V
asked Lord Fairmount, in the vety
tone of soft indulgence iu which he
had been used to make the same
inquiry on occasions of half- crown
presentations in my days of baby
hood. I verily believe if it had
been money, and I bad carried on
the delusion by answering, 'Buy
thweets,' as I invariably answered
long ajro, he would not have been
very much sorprised:
'I suppose, sir, I shall hang it up
in my dressing room,' I said.
'Ah, yes ; you will hang the pho
tograph up, of course, but what will
yon do with the thing itself '? What
will you do with the Wave V
The situation burst upon me, aud
being rendered completely speech,
less by it, I allowed my uncle to
1 .1 lA.t - 1 . A,
continue uninterrupted.
Yon Pee,' he explained, gently,
'the schooner was just a little too
large to bide under your napkin, my
boy, anil so I had her photograph
taken to put there instead. Any
day you have a fancy to see her on
the water rather than on paper you
may take a run to Cowes- She is
there ready lor you, crew and all.
I got an old hand to choose the men,
so you will be quite safe with them.'
' Here I managed to stammer forth
a poor attempt at thanks for this
princely gift, but he talked on, pre
tending not to hear me.
She is eighty tons,' he said. 'I
thought that would be large enough
to take yon anywhere you would
want to go, aud at the same time it
is not too large. I always hated big,
lumbering vessels myself,' and so
on, and to on, winding up with a
repetition of ids first query: 'And
now that you know all about it, Per.
cy, what will you do with it?'
'I should like above all things to
take a trip northward, sir ; say to
Iceland, but' seeing a sudden look
ot sad gravity come over bis face, I
added quickly, 'if there is any other
plan you wonld like better, you have
only to mention it.'
'Nonsense, boy ; nonsense ! Yonr
travels must be to suit yourself, not
me. Go to Iceland by all means if
you have a faucy, only take care
you don't tumble into one of the
geysers, that's all.'
I thought you looked as if you
didn't like the idea, uncle,' I said,
feeling quite sure-that bis change
of countenance was not for nothing,
and anxious that his generosity to
me should not be the cause of any
anoyance to him.
'It was the sound of the name,
child ; only the sound of the name,
nothing more, I should be very
glad that you went to to Iceland,
especially a I have been thare iv
self.'
'Ah, I did not know that. I kuew
you had beeu yachting.about Nori
way, but you never told me you had
gone farther north.5
lie muttered something about
painful circumstances and remained
silent for a short time, then, with
an apparent effort to summon reso
lution, he volunteered an explana
tion, begging me at the same time
never again to allude to anything
that he might now tell me.
The gist of bis sad liftle story was
this: lie bad, as I already knew,
married late in life, and, his young
bride, having a fondness for roving,
it was decided that, for at least a
year or two, they fhoald live on
Lord Fairmount's yacht, tiaveling
in her from place to place, accord
ing to his lady's wish. A winter in
the south was succeeded by a sum
mer iu the north, and finally Lady
Fairmount elected to pay a flying
visit to Iceland. While lionizing in
the interior of the island she was
taken ill, and at a hospitable farm
hnusp, where she had intended only
to stay auother night, she aud the
young heir of Fairmount expired
together. The heart-broken wido
wer returned at once to Eugland,
which he never left agaiu, aud in a'
short time I, his sister's only son,
o iru lu uu iue ueaa ciniu a
place.
My good uncle toon succeeded in
persuading mo that sad associai
tions did not necessitate any ob-
jection to my meditated tiip, and
the upshot of it all was that, about
the middle of Juue, I found myself,
with a beautiful boat aud a good
crew, fairly on my way to Iceland.
I had oj difficulty iu finding two
old friends ready and willing to
accompany me "Ned Hamilton, a
doctor who never practiced, and
Frank Balfour, a barrister innocent
of briefs.
Arrived at the harbor of Regkja
vik, and having made acquaintance
with the town and some of tho kind
hearted inhabitants, we. decided
tbat the next thing to be done was
to hire ponies and make an expedi
tion to the geysers. Three days' im
petuous traveling brought us to the
goal ot our desire?, and all that now
remained to be done was to wait for
an exhibition of feeling on the part
of the boiling fountains. However,
like babies aud mferior animals,
they obstinately refused to ehew off
just when most wanted, and so we
had to pitch our tents and attend
on their convenience.
Alter having waited for a couple
of days one of the leaser springs
showed Mgns ot life, then became
greatly excited, and finally conde
scended to do its very utmost for
o?r entertainment. This was all
very fine in its way, but it was au
exhibition of the great geyser we
had come to see, and we were fully
determined not to move on without
being satisfied. On the fourth day,
however, I awoke to find myself af
flicted with a very heavy cold,
doubtless the result of overdoses ot
open air, aud Ned Hamilton gravely
declared bis opinion that it was ab
solutely necessary I should sleep
under a solid roof, for the next two
or three nights at least. Accord
ingly, taking the guide with uf,
Balfour and I set off, late in the
day. to ride to the nearest farm
house, and, as Fro.nk knew a few
words of Icelandic and the guide a
few words of English, they under-,
took between them to secure a good
reception for me and make all neci
essary arrangements for my accom
modation. However, very few ef
ftrts on their part were needed to
bring about a hearty welcome from
the peod people of the farm, who,
like all Icelanders, were only too
glad of an opportunity to exercise
hospitality, aud who appeared high
ly pleased at the prospect of enter,
taming me, rejecting all offers of
payment m a manner too decided
to allow contradiction.
The family consisted of an old
mau and his wife and daughter.
The two former were like any ordi
nary people of the fanner class in
Iceland, not endowed with any
great share of good looks, but neat
quiot, and kindly. Their daughter,
Thora, was a creature cist iuan en
tirely different mould-not that she
did not possess the abtmi charac.
teiisticas well ad they, but she
added to these others which awak
ened more admiration both iu i3uN
four and myself than anything else
wo nail een in the country. She
was a greater beauty thau any we
had ever mot in Londsn drawing-
rooms and had as sweet and grace
ful a manner as the moat perfect
good breeding could have com
passed.
We glanced involuntarily from
the large rough hands of the father
and mother to the delicate and
shapely hands of the lovely girl,
and stole covert looks at her small
arched feet whenever her move-
ments offered us a chance of admir
ing them. Her tall, slight figure
was perfection, but her face ah,
that was the crowning attraction.
What a face it was! a puie, j ale
oval, with glorious, long-lashed
eyes, dark hair growing low, in Foft"
waves, over a smooth, white fore,
head, and a month and chin such as
might have been the despair of all
theaitistsin thn world. I could
not keep my eyes from following
her, and at last, I think the old
mau must have noticed it, for, with
a slight tremor in his voice, he bade
her leave the room on some tririiu
i errand, aud until the evening mc-al
bvi eu sue u m not a?a n re
turn. Then she and her mother at
tended most assiduously on Balfour
and myself, and, indeed, between
the strangH sensation of being
served by an angel and our strenu
ous efforts to eat enough to satisfy
our entertainers, neither of us felt
altogether comfortable.
Having most heroically aacritir-ed
his digestion to good manners,
Frank Balfour took his leave, hav
ing arranged tbat I abonld appear
at the camp early next morning,
and he departed, enrsing the luck
which rendered him leas liable to
cold than his friend. I saw that it
was expected I should at once retire
for the night, and ai I rose to go
the daughter of the bouse imme
diately prepared to show me the
way. I knew that this pioceeding
on the youug lady's part was quite
a customary thiujr, so that it sur
prised me more- when the father,
whose jealousy I had already
noticed, laid his hand on her arm,
apparently desiring her to remain
with him, and at the same tiu;e
signed to his wife to accompany
me. My first feeling was oih of
disappointment, but on reaching
the great chamber and understand
ing what the lull programme was
to be, I was conscious or nothing
but deep thankfulness that the
beautilul Thora's mother had taken
her place.
She firet laid beside my bed some
provisions, which I knew I should
be expected to consume before
morning, and then proceeded to
help me off with my coat and boots.
Haviug got so far, I made a pro
fusion of bows and, begging her to
trouble herself no farther, wished
her good-night impressively over
and over again. It is probable that
she did not understand me, and that,
eveu if she did, she would have felt
impelled to adhere to the customs
ot her country, but it seemed to me.
that the good woman was possessed
witb tho same ideas us my uncle
concerning my extreme youth and
helplessness, for she inti-ted on
divesting me of all my garments,
and, having helped me into bed
most carefully, kissed me soundly
before taking her departure for
good.
I felt that I would have died
rather than have allowed Thora to
act as my tire woman, but the kiss
ah ! that, indeed, from her soft
lips would have been something to
dream of for many nights. 1 lay
awako wondering whether custom
would require that at auy time
perhaps on the occsion of my de
parture she should offer me such a
salute, and then I fell asleep aud
dreamt many times that her lips
were close to mine, but always be
fore they touched the old man's
hand thrust me back and separated
us.
' In the morning I was aroused by
a delicious sensation of something
cool and solt resting against my
face, ami slowly opening my heavy
eyes, 1 looked np to find bending
ucr me rue beautiful oemg who
had filled my dreams, but .alas ! it
was only her hand that had touched
my forehead. She gave me one
bright, bewildering smile, ami say
ing a few words, whose meaning ij
supposed to be a hint that it was
time to rise, glided from the room
like a spirit and left me to my re
flections, which, I need hardly say,
were filled, as my dreams had been,
with her wonderful loveliness.
On arriving at the camp I was
assailed with a perfect storm of
chaff by those two envious beggars,
Ned and Frank, but it was my turn
to laugh when Hamilton declared
his intention of accompanying me
back to the farm house when eve-
niug came, "just to make sure that
my quarters were proj.eily aired."
Balfour had never ceased raving
about Thora's beauty since the
night before, and poor Ned's curi
osity and nataral love of the fair
sex had completely got the better
ot him:
For three nights I slept at the
farm house, returning every morn
ing to our camp to watch the move
ments of the great geyser, which
still persisted in a provoking qui
escence, and during that time I
never had the smallest chance of
exchanging more words with Thora
than civility required. The old man
looked with extreme disfavor on
my mild endeavors to advance my
education in Icelandic by auy con
versation with his fair daughter,
and on one occasion, when I tried
to induce them ail three to spend a
day at the camp, his refusal was
abrupt and almost rough.
My cold was now so much better
that I felt it would be obtaining
shelter under false pretenses to
take advantage any longer of the
kindness of these people, and so I
made the old lady understand that
I would not return again until I
came to say a last farewell. She
looked honestly distressed, and both
she and her husband said a gieat
deal -doubtless expressing their
regret not one word of which I
understood. They accompanied me
to the door aud stood for a minute
or two watching rue as I walked
away, but of Thoia, iu my great
disappointment, I siw nothing jut
theu. I had not gone very far, how
ever, wheu I saw coming toward
me a lithe, graceful figure, which, in
so short a time, ha t grown wonder
fully familiar, and I ft-lt my heart
give a great bound, the energy of
which even surprised myself. It
was Thoia, frehh and fair as the
morning whose sweet air she hail
come out to drink. I had not suf
ficient pelf-assurance to suppose
that a suspicion of my departure
could have, prompted this early
ramble, and J hastened to meet her
with outstretched hands and a face
which must have told its own tale
of delight at the unexpected en
counter. She gave me time to stammer forth
a morning salutation, which was, I
knew, a horrible outrage on all rnlei
ot grammar and pronunciation,
and tln, looking up with a mix- j
tore of amusement and shynesH in
her daik eyes, asked :
"Know you I cat) some words
Engiish peak -t un eu Francaiy'v
"Why did you not teli me thi j be
fore?'' I cried. "It would have given
mo Fuch pleasure to hear you speak,
to teach you more to to do any.
thing, iu fact."
" Pt2 si quick," she interrupted,
with an impatient little geeture of
her hand. "To understand ii'eU c
facile. TalK plus slow."
I was quite willing to spend ten
minutes over each word if I could
but succeed in making her under
stand what delightful music to my
cars waa this extraordinary mixture
of French aud English, and by sup-!
plying a word of one language when '
that in the other seemed to puzzle,
her, I was soon made happy by
findiug myself iu the midst of quite
a flowing conversation. She ex
plained to me that her "education
was made" by a learned lady trom
Regkjavik, who had been paid a
great deal of money by her father
for spending two years in teaching
her, during which time the learned
lady had resided at the farm hoaseJ
This of course, Thora added, with
an air of great age, was a long tithe
ai?o, and she had forgotten much of
ft hat she had learnt.
,m Alius now, I have long spoken
fmd that 1 go," ahe said, holding
out her hand aud looking, I thought,
as if she were really a little sorry
for the necessity.
"Will you give me that as a sou
venir f" 1 asked, fixing covetou
eyes on a little buuoh of bright
ribbon that pretended to fasten her
bodice it could only have preten
ded, because when she took it away
and laid it iu my hand the bodice
remained qnite as fast as before.
I must have) said or done somes
thing extremely foolish next prob
ably 1 kissed the little crimson
loops for her aweet face colored,
and, turning away without auother
word, ahe walked quickly ia the
direction if 1ia firm l.mno qiiiI
---- - v " ' ... U V MJ k j W U ,
having watched her nntil ahe had
passed out of Bight, I sot off towards
the camp iu a tremendous hurry, to
make up for time which could not
however exactly be called lost.-
"You see," said Hamilton, as I
made my appearance iu the tent,
"we went to breakfast without you;
we thought yon mnat havearrangdd
to spend the last morning with
your friends. Didn't she wake you
in time to day V
Taking no notice of this facetious
imjuirv, J announced myself ex
tremely hungry, and was about to
begin on the fragments of the feast,
when just in time, to save the'
credit ot my asstrtmu in ruabed
the guide, in a state of high excite
ment, to tell us th it the long
expected eveut had come at last
the great geyser was about to per
form !
We all hurried off to J he basin in.,
less time than it takes to tell, and
there our ears were greeted by the
welcome sound of eubterraueau
thunder and our eyes delighted by
nQrtnlll frnnliln. ... . : i t
I. v...m LIWULMCS UUU DJ'IllUCttliti
movements in the pool. Suddenly, .
beloicoar minds hid lima to pie :
pare themselves for the possible
grandeurs of the coming t-pecUcle,
there arose a wonderful mass of
water to a height, of about, twelve
feet, which, having burst and fallen,
was quickly succeeded by a uuuber.
of eiiver columns wrapped in bril- .
liaut vapor, spiinging upward and.
upwaid seeming to our excited
imaginations to il.th themaalveg
against the bright sunlit fky with
Ihe despair ing energy f a br. o l of;
banded giants. Haviug exhausted,
themselves, they sank to rest agaiu
almost ns auddenly as they had
arisen, falling back into their deep
home, there to remain for a time,
gathering fresh strength for their
uri I'uunnnft.
At first we stood staring at oue
another with a mixture of awe, .
astonishment, and extreme giatlfi
catiou in our countenances, aud
excitement we turned by common
consent towards one ot tbe lesser -,
geysers, determined to rouse its
anger by insisting on its swallows,
ing large doses of sodn which we
employed ourselves by tearing from t
the ground
Just as we had elicited a fiint
growl tiorn the provoked spirit of
the pool, auother cry from the
guide announced that a-amaller
spring was about, to begin action,
and in our mad scramble for a brat
sight of it some chance (although I
have always really and firmly be
lieved that some welUdbposed at
tendant sprite must have given me
a push on that occasion) caused me
to slip, and 1 fell heavily to the
ground, with one leg doubled under
me, and lay there quite unfit for
further active service.
Concluded next Veek.
"My wife is the most ingenious
woman who ever lived' taid Jones.
"I believe yon," returned Smith,
politely. "Bat you don't know why
yoa believed me,'' intimated Jones.
'To tell the truth I don't," replied
Smith, looking bored. "Wed, I'll
tell you. We've been married
twelve years, and lived in the same
hoase all the time, and this morn
ing she found a new place to hide
my slippers."