VOL III.
LINCOLNTON, N. C, FRIDAY, MAY 2, 1S90. NO 51
A JIor Important Case.
Hackman is tho doctor at homo?
Bridget Yes, sir ; he's oat in the
back yard killing a chicken,
Hackman Call 'im in, I've got
biggr game. Puck.
A Puzzling C ii Htoni Explained
Editha I wonder why the dudes
wear one eye glass f
JJeborah To prevent seeing more
than they are able to comprehend.
Jeu-ehr's Wtekltj.
-
Love for Keepa.
Ted Why don't you take that
girl of yours out to see something ?
.Ned Because 8he wants me to
buy her everything she sees. JS'exo
Ycrk cening Sun.
"Maud," said the young man,
with deep tenderness, "you have
loug possessed tuy heart. Do not
lefuse my hand I"
The lovely girl looked a moment
at his ont stretched hand and, in a
low, tremulous, paaaionate tone that
thrilled him to his heart's core, she
said : "Harry, if I had such a look-.
Ing hand as that I'd wash it.''
Chicago Tribune.
The Lincoln Couriek ia your
county paper. Subscribe at once.
WRITING TAUGHT BY MAIL
IS NO IKBE AH BXIFjEIRIMIEMT BUT A
BECIBEB SUCCESS
AS TAUGHT BY G. P. JONFS.
If you waut to learn to write beautifully, and stay at home, now is
your time.
TWELVE ilAJMMOTH LE3SON3, COVERING A PERIOD OF THREE
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A BEAUTIFUL P1F:CE OF WRITING FOR 15 CENTS.
Oue dozen or more ways of signing your name for a ilver Quarter
A sheet of elegantly combined signatures 20 cents.
One dozen baudsome ards wilh name on 25 cents,
ample lesson in writing 35 cents, flend me an order and be con?
vinced that my work ia all 1 claim for it.
For 50 cents I will send you some of the best writing you ever saw.
Write fur Oiroular enclosing 9 cent Btauip.
Your writing is excellent, you are destined to become a grand pen
mac H. J. Williamson, President "Peu Art Hall", Florence, Ala.
pecimens ot Oard writing to hand. They are models of grace and
beauty. Your writing is superb. W. D. Showalteb, Editor Pen Art
Herald, hciago, III.
Prof. Jouee is not only a beautiful writer, but an excellent, and suc
cessful teacher D. Matt Thompson, Principal Piedmont eminary.
The cash roust accompany each order.
(Ho w mumm PEKMK.
Piio. Busiueaa Dep't- of Piedraout Seiuinary,inc.Jiut::i,N .G.,Nov.b,'89,l
D. W. ROBINSON,
ATTOKNEY AT LAW.
Linoijnton, N. C.
Practices in this and surround
ing counties.
Also in State and Federal
Courts.
J&fiTNext door to the Racket.
Oc 4l , 18S9. ly.
IlTl witherspoon,
ATTORNEY AT LAW,
NEWTON, N. C.
Practices in the Courts of Cataw
ha, Lincoln, and adjoining counties.
Joney to Loan ou improved farm
in Catawba and Lincoln counties in
sums ot" 5:300 aud upwards, on lonj
time and easy terms. Will meet
clients at tbe Alexander House, in
Lincolutou, ou second and fourt
Mondays ia eavh month.
Aug. -2, 1S8U. tf.
H SlsevleS' Nic-hts, made miserable by
Unit terrible cough. Shiluh's Cure is the
remedy for you. For sale by J. Kee.3y.fcco.
RACIHEWIS. '
vLog,LumberVard a eiTVTRucRs
jtSorJs Chaise:.
I, " RACINEW1S.
A Preoions Set.
A little boy of five went with his
mother to make a call. The lady of
the honse, who wa very loud of
children, told him she intended to
ask his mother to let her have him.
"Don't yon think your mother
wonld let me buy you?" she asked.
"No," he said, "yoa haven't got
enough money."
"How ranch wonld it take ?" she
asked.
"Three hundred pounds," he
answered promptly ! "and you
haven't got that much."
"I think I can manage it," she
sard. "If I can will you come to
me r"
"No,1' he said, with decision.
"Mamma wouldn't sell, me, anyhow:
There are rive of ns and mamma
wouldn't like to break the set.''
London Tid- Bits.
Mattie persisted in running off to
a neighbor's, and her mother said ;
"If 3'ou go out of that gate again,
Mattie, I'll whip you." Iu a abort
time Mattie was discovered on for
bidden gronnd, and was led home.!
"Now, Mattie, what did I tell you 1"
"Mamma, I didn't go out of the'
gate ; I climbed over the fence." i
Piedmont
Seminary,
MALE AND FEMALE.
LINCOLNTON, N. C
An English, Classical, Mathematical
aud 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 Bus
mesa Department in charge of Prof.
G. P. Jones. Spring Term of 1890
begins the 8th of Jauuary.
l3T For Circulars, dc, send to
IK MATT. THOMPSON,
Principal, Lincolnton, AT. C.
Jan. 3, 1890.
ynbscribo tor the Lincoln Cou
nter, $1.50 per year.
From the Old Homestead.
MY ICELANDIC
MAIDEN.
f Concluded from last Week.'
"Tremaynp, old chap, not hurt,
are you? Byjove, how white be
is, Hamilton ! For heaven's sake,
old boy, say you're not killed out
right say something, do I" cried
Balfour, bending over me in such a
genuine agony of tender feeling
ing that I have never since regarded
bis want of professional success aa
a wonder.
Probably if I had made a supreme
effort I mght have been able to
relieve his mind by pronouncing a
word or two, bat I was in great
pain and felt deadly faint, so I did
not thiuk it worth the trouble, and,
like a certain celebrated warrior's
lady, I "neither spoke nor moved."
Hamilton made no inquiries, for,
in spite of his want of practice, he
knew fast enough what had hap
pened; but, assuring poor Frank
that iuy death was not quite so im
minent as he supposed, sent him
and tbe guide to fetch a mattress
from tbe tent. On this they pro
ceeded to carry me somewhere;
but, after the first jolt, I did not
know much more about it, so that
it was not without some surprise I
opened my eyes to find myself back
again in the comfortable bedroom
which I thought that morning I
had left forever. I looked round
immediately for Thora,- but it was
only her mother who stood beside
me ; and so great an appearance of
concern and alarm did her face dis
play that I involuntarily began to
entertain considerable fears on my
own account.
An hour later I was still lying
there, but this time with the com
fortable consciousness that my leg
baa been badly broken and pnt
together again, and that, for six
delightful weeks at the very least,
I might count on the companion
ship of Thora. I blessed the gey,
sers, 1 blessed tbe guide, I blessed
the stone over which I had stum
bled, and finally being rather
done up by the whole occurrence
1 blessed myself very, very drow
sily, and fell fast asleep.
When I next woke 1 was vjos
sesaed by an uncontrollable desire
to put all means of removal com
pletely out of the way, and accord
ingly I entreated Balfour to leave
me to Hamilton's care aud take a
little pleasure trip himself to Nor
way in the Wave. At first he most
unwilling, but on having the plan
represented to him by me in various
cunning lights, and being assured
by Ned that ray case was by no
means a deugerous oue, he reluc
tantly consented, and my six weeks
became assured, inasmuch as the
yacht was not to return before their
close. My spirits rose immensely,
and in two or three days I had
waxed sufficiently courageous to
bint, with Ned's assistance, to our
good-natured hostess that it would
greatly assist my recovery if she
would consent to bring her charm
ing daughter with her the next
time she might visit my sick room.
This she did at least three times
in the day, therefore I had not to
wait long for the fulfilment of my
wish. That afternoon ghe came
again, and, leading Thora by the
hand to my bedside, placed a
chair there for ber, and taking a
scat iu tbe middle of the room her
self, waited for our conversation to
beein.
Thora, with a world of pity iu her
lovely eyes, hoped I was better, and
when I had made a pretty speech
slowly spoken of course explain
ing how very much better I had be.
come within the few minutes, to
gether with the roasou why, she
looked dowu at a closed volume on
her knee and blushed deeply. Ned
had discreetly taken himself off,
and the good mother understood
not a word; lest the pretty color
Bbould die away too quickly, I said
a good deal more in the same strain,
and then began to wish she would
make me an answer. Presently she
recovered herself, and said:
"I have English livre brought.
Shall I to you read?"
The book was, of all books, Ten-,
nyson'a "Princess," and I did not
fancy it was one that, with her lirn
ited knowledge of the language, she
conld easily read aloud, but her at.
tempt was more successful than I
expected. Having aked me to
choose a favorite passage, she read,
"Tears, idle tears" to tbe end with
very few mistakes, and then I took
the book, saying, "It is my turn
now, and read :
If you be, what 1 thick you, some sweet
dream,
I would but ask you to fulfil yourself:
But if you be that Ida whom I knew,
I ask you nothiDg : nly, if a dream,
Sweet dream, be perfect. I shall die to
night. Stoop down and seem to kiss me ere I die.
"Do you understand it all?"!
asked; bat the question was nn
necessary, for her eyes were full of
tears, and her voice trembled as
she asked me softly:
"Will yon die?''
"No, no," I said "not for a long
time, I hope. But, Thora, would
you would you be sorry if I did?"
"We wonld all sorry be,'' she re
plied guardedly. Then, as if afraid
her words were uukindly cold to an
invalid, she added, "1 am glad that
yoa live.''
We were both silent for a little,
and then I made a deep and wily
suggestion. Would she not like to
Improve her English ? I should be
delighted to give her lessons every
day. It would be a thousand pities
to waste the time ot my illness in
doing nothing when such an oppor
tunity for usefulness offered. Might
I not consider myself ber tutor from
henceforth ?
She caught at the idea at once.
It would be delightful. There was
nothing she so much wished as to
speak English perfectly, and no dif
ficulties were in the way, for she
possessed a grammar and some
other books which tbe "learned
lady" had left with hev aa a parting
gift. It was therefore arranged, with
the good mother's fall consent and
approval, that our lessons were to
begin next day,-and then they left
me to fall asleep in the midst of my
efforts to remember something from
that very book we had been read
ing something about a swallow
what was it 1
Oh were I thou that she might take me in,
And lay me on ber bosom, and her heart
Would rock the snowy eradle till I died.
If seemed to come to use. in a
dream, followed by Thora's soft
question, "Will you die?' Then
every word she had ever spoken to
me repeated itself, and, as they
murmured through the land of
dreams, I felt that I was indeed
well contented with my lot.
How I enjoyed those never to-be-forgotten
lessons ! She was so quick
to understand ; so intelligent and
appreciative when we turned from
grammatical drudgery aud exercise
writing to literature; and withal so
beautiful that I lay in spirit at her
feet and worshiped the whole day
long, But all things, however
sweet, draws to a close, and five
weeks of my life in Paradise had
passed, leaving me ao far recovered
that I had to acknowledge myself
unfurnished with any excuse to
protract my stay beyoDd the spec
ified sixth. I had made no open
love to Thora, bat I felt sure she
knew that she had won my heart,
and without vanity I felt equally
sure that she had given hers to me.
It was impossible that I could leave
tbe farm house without speaking
to her. No doubt my most dutiful
course would have been to return
first to England, explain the matter
to Lord Fairmount, and get his
couaeut for what I was about to do;
but other reasons, I fear, weighed
more heavily with me than duty.
In the first place, I could not
leave Thora for all that time "to
suppose herself deserted, and in
the second place my ancle's de
cision would make no real differ
e nee, for even if he should dis
inherit me, or still worse quar
rel with me, I could not give up my
love. Of course his catting me off
with a shilling wonld not be with
out evil consequences, for in that
case I should have to wait perhaps
many years for the fulfilment of my
dream of happiuess ; but nothing
should hold me back from the pur
suit of it. A chili fear seized me
as I pictured myself struggling
among a band of unsuccessful pro
fessionals such as Hamilton and
Balfour not at the prospect of a
hard life, but. of the long waiting
for Thora the impossibility ot
bringing her to a home chiefly
furnished with staring wants and
I grew despondent and miserable
as I pondered.
Then a middle course suggested
itself to me, and on the spot I re
solved to adopt it. I would ask
Thora the very next day to give me
ber promise to be ray wife some
time in the future, and, if she con
sented, when the yacht came back
I would make all haste to England,
and (for alas I necessity ha-? made
me canning) make rather a com
pliment of it to Lord Fairmount
that I had delayed onr marriage for
the purpose of obtainiog his con
sent in person. That he would not
grant it I felt nearly positive. He
had, good as he was, certain aristo
cratic prejudices, and would be sore
to object to the union of his high
and mighty heir with the daughter
of an obscure farmer, even though
he should be convinced that she
was as perfect a lady as any in the
land, and the mere fact of her being
a foreigner wonld, I knew, increase
his dislike to the arrangement. Had
she been the daughter of a noble
man, her want of fortune would
have been no objection to him, but
lit was her bumble birth which
he would be irreconcilable -, and,
(even it he could meet her, her for
eigu accent would probably coun
teract the charms of her sweet face,
which might as well have belonged
to his own as to any other country.
These considerations, however,
had nothing to do with my resos
lution, and on the followiug day I
took an early opportunity of acting
in accordance with it. We were sit
ting together, hand in hand, she
and I. I had heard the words I
longed for she had said she loved
me and we were calmly and com
pletely happy in spite of the gloomy
uncertainty of our near future.
"You really love me well enough
to wait for perhaps years and years,
aud marry a poor man even iu the
end?'' 1 asked, greedily seeking
'reassurance of what I had been
'already told.
"Well enough for anything," she
answered softly. "You are my life.
jYou are r. my own soul- Can I
more say to you
! Ah, my darling! I had done
j nothing to deserve so much. I
could only held her to rny beart
and kiss her over and over again,
with a feeling of strong self
reproach mingled with my joy, for
it seemed to me that I had brought
a trouble into her life from which
she might easily have been saved.
The day wore on in otherwise
uninterrupted happiness, for the
old man, whose presence always
filled me with a vague sense of
mysterious uneasiness, was not well,
and had not left his room for two
or three days; and his wife, who, in
spite of her kindness, would nat
urally have been a restraint, was in
close attendance on him. Ned Ham
ilton had made a journey to Kegk
javik to see about stores for our
homeward voyage, and so, except
when she was employed in paying
visits of inquiry to the sick man, I
had Thora all to myself. It did not
occur to either of us to suppose that
there was anything dangerous iu
hia illness, for he was often ailing,
and it was looked on in the honse
as nothing very extraordinary ; but,
towards nightfall, his wife came to
us with a white and troubled face
to say that be wa3 worse much
worse aud, seeing that she wished
it, I quietly followed ber and Thora
to the room where he lay.
At the first glance it was appa
rent to me that his hours were
numbered. Hamilton was not ex
pected back for two days, and it
would take longer to send for any
other doctor, not that I thought
the best in Europe could have eaved
him, but still it would have been
some kind of satisfaction to feel
that nothing had been left undone.
The old man seemed most eager for
Thora's presence, but showed such
an unmistakable aversion to mine
that in a few minutes I left them,
feeling sure that I should have done
more harm thau good by stayiug.
Waiting alone in momentary ex
pectation of hearing that all was
over, I ;iied to read, but failed misi
erably, and whole regiments of fan
cies soiufc weird. Home ghastly,
some merely nonsensical aud ludi
crous came and tvk possession of
me. I conld not iid my mind of
the causeless idea that all around
me had been tbe sceue of some long
past tragedy, to which the gloom
and coming death of that night was
but the sequel, and so strong was
tbe hold of my imagination that
when, after what seemed to me a
very eternity, the door was softly
opened and I beard my name called,
I should not have been in the least
surprised if, on turning round, I had
welcomed a 'sheeted ghost' as my
my visitor.
It was only my poor, sorrow
stricken hostess again. She said
her husband had become terribly
restless and excited sine seeing me,
and although I had given him such
evideut annoyance at the time he
was now most anxious that I should
come back to him. I gathered aa
much as this from her tearful words,
for, during tbe last few weeks', I had
learned nearly as much of Thora's
language as she had of mine, and
again I followed her as quickly as
my lamenesa would allow, wonder
ing much at this sadden chauge in
her husband's strange feeling to
ward me.
Clutching ray baud tightly as I
stood beside him, he gasped out
that he had something to tell me
something that must be told before
ho died aud then followed such
unintelligible mutteriugs that I
feared the secret, if secret it were,
was doomed never to find coherent
expression. However, he soon re
covered himself, and, with Thora's
help aa interpreter, the followiug
story, extraordinary and to the last
degree unexpected, slowly unfolded
itself:
It was nearly twenty years ago,
he said, when once, in the summer
of the year, there came to this same
house of his an English nobleman
wi:h a lovely lady, who was iil and
who looked for a place of rest until
ber trouble should be past. She
was taken iu and brought to that
very great chamber where I myself
had spent so many nights and days.
The great lord refused to sleep, but
watched for long hours b?low while
his fair young wife hovered in the
region of mist aud darkueas that
lies between life and death, ber
hostess being the only one at hand
who could help her in ber need
'When morning drew near,' the
old man weut on, 'we went to him
and told him that she was dead, and
his grief was terrib'e to behold, lor
he had not thought the end was
comiug, and the shock broke on him
like a thunder clap. He never asked
us it his child lived, nor indeed did
he seem once to think of it. It was
then that a tt-rrible temptatiou over
came me and I drew my wife aside
and whispered evil words in her ear.
Twenty years had nlie and I lived
together, always longing for the
child that never came, but now
there was one that we might keep
and call our own. He. did not
want it, and we did. He cared on
ly tor the: beantiful lady who had
died nothing for the child. Why
should it not be ours"? At first my
wife, was unwilling no one must
ever blame her but .she had always
been accustomed to obey me, and
she well saw that nothing now
would turn me from my wicked
purpose, so in the end she was faiu
to help me with her finer wits, lest
I should be discovered in the deed.
"The child was a girl, but for
greater safety we settled that we
would tell him it was a sonthathpd
been born. She wrapped it up and
: bid it in the farthest corner of tbe
house, while she led the nobleman
to look his last upou the dead face
of his beloved. Only then he
thought to have seen tbe child dead
too, but we made him believe that
it was misshapen and bad been bid i
den from his eyes. He thought too
little ot it iu his greater grief to
doubt or question, and when the
dead lady was borne to Regkjavik
we felt glad and breathed easily
once more. The nobleman had said
he would never return, and wa be
lieved him and were satisfied. Tho
child was called Thora, and we have
kept her for our own daughter ever
since. Prom that time until the day
you came no Englishman entered
our house, so that it was you who
first brought into my heart the fear
of losing her, but now that I am
dying and know that you love her,
I thought it well you should hear
that the girl is of your owu country,
whither you will take her when you
go. I have done a groat wicked
ness bat I repent.'
Saying this he fell back gasping
so terribly for breath that Tbora'a
grief, which had been mastered by
I th dreadfulintere.st of her owu
story, now broke frth afresh, aud
the poor wife, fell upon her knee
bewailing hini as if he were already
dead. My anxiety that the last
proof of Thora's identity should not
be missing made me question him
even in his extremity, ami, bending
over him, 1 asked, in a tone ot ill
suppressed eagerness, 'What was
the nobleman's name V
With a last effort bis wasted tin
gets touched his pillow, aud, fol
lowing tbe directiod of his fast-gla
zing eyes, I slipped my hand withi
iu the covering and drew forth a
crushed and yellow scrap of paste
board, bearing the name I had all
along expected to hear Lord Fair
moant's. When I looked back
again at the old man's face it was
still in death.
One evening, nearly two months
later, Lord Pairmouut's abode was
invaded by myself aud two ladies,
Utely passengers from Iceland by
tbe Wave. He was there, ready to
receive us in all i hn joyousness of
his heart, and, having greeted tbe
elder lady wilh solemu courtesy,
he held the younger to his breast
and kissed her so repeatedly that,
at the end ot five n unites, I tet
came undeniably envious and hum
ored my covetous disposition by
presently interrupting to thake hia
hand myself.
'Why, Percy, boy I Percy, I neari
ly forgot you, child. So you cauld
n't keep out of mischief after all.
Got a fall, b t Wi ll, well, you
mu3t only atop at home until you
can take better care of yomaelfl
But '' turning aain to his beauti
ful daughter "We must not mibd
the lad's foolish tricks wheu he
brings bis old unvle wurh h )iei:iouj
treasure hom lrom his tr ivelf."
"As I have been the oue to find
tbe treasure," 1 said, 'I am going
to put forward a feltiah cUim for
joint proprietorship. Will you
grant me my share uncle ?'' For a
moment he looked at me with an
air ot lntens bewilderment ; then
slowly bis face changed, and, taking
Thora by the band, be led her to
my side. A new light had broken
ou him and be recognized mo aa a
mau at last.
M. Peneose.
C'otfou Stalk ltttgKliig.
Atlanta, Ga , April 21. Wm. E
Jackson, a wellknowu lawyer of
this city, has solved the baggiug
problem that has agitated cotton
circles for so long. Mr. Jackson
baa perfected mecbauical applian
ces for making bagging from cotton
stalks. He is just from New York
with a roll ot the baggiug. Expert
cotton men say that it ia iu every
respect equal to cotton bagging.
He will utilize bare stalks from the
fields and can afford to pay aboat
two dollars a ton, laid down. An
annual stalk field will bale a three
years' cotton crop. The machinery
comprise heavily weighted corrui
gated rollers, with valves for run.
mng water, carding machines and
baggiug looms.
It is estimated that in making
bagging from cotton stalks $2,000,-
000 annually will go into the pock
ets of farmers for what is now
cleared from the field at au ex
pense. Augusta will be beadqaar.
ters for the compauy'a mill and of
fices, which wilt extend from Vir
ginia to Texas. Mr. Jackson had a
roll of bagging, which he exhibited
woven by tbe jute baggiug looms of
J. C. Todd, at Patterson, N. J., and
that experts here pronouuee equal
to its jute rival. Tbe cotton stalk
baggiug is less inflammable aud is
only a shade darker than jute. Cot
ton circles here are jubilant