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J DAVIS & HQBINSON, Editors and Proprietors.
VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE, THAT GIVES IT ALL. ITS FLAVOR.
TERMS $1.50 per Annum, in Advance.
VOL. 1.
OXFORD, GRANVILLE COUNTY, NT. 0., TUESDAY MOKNLNG, MAY 10, 1874.
NO. 22
vin .to X lW - III i :
ill i r it i j-i .ki i si r i i
ah v. i lit ii i r - "s .-
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n
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! Scnetcdy.
Somebody ?s etes have grown dimmer,
Out in some quiei oia iiomc ;
At morn, when the eve'ing stars glimmer
Watching for some one to come1
Watching wliife heart grows the sicker,-
c As day af tc? day glides along, ;
Watching while tears iall the thicker,
Choking th3 lulaby song.
'.' u" I ' "
Somebody's wandering over
Lands far atsay from his own,
Scents as of oll the sweet clover ;
That grows py the old door-stone ; ; !
Longs to go back and mingle,
- As m the difn days of youre,
With those round the old cottage ingle
Those who, lalas ! are no more.
Somebody's prayers are ascendiug, ;
Ever for dear ones away ;
Prayers that, flis blessings attending,
3Iay keep thjem from going astray ;
Prayers that fljoat nearer and near
The throne of the father above,
.And, reaching! the ear of the hearer,
Are answerejd with infinite love. ; !
Sonieboy's lifeiwork is ended,
Patiently thy wait to go;
Long have the- faithfully wended
i. .Toilsome pahs here below.
Soon the reward they'll be reaping, -"That
to'the faithful is given,
44 Well done ; cpme up ! aiul be keeping
Watch for somebody in Heaven, t
THE FARM.
TES
CSLEBSATSD , SHAZZ-SAG
WAG01T-EED LAWSUIT.
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BY BART.
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The farmer leads a quiet life,
but its dullness and monotonv is
sometimes releived by little inci
dens which go to prove that the
innocent old) grangers of our day
and generation are descendants of
the first tiller ot the ground. Once
upon a tmij there lived in that
section whidh is honored by the
euphonious title of Shake-rag, two
farmers who were also neighbors
and brothers-in-law These descen
dants of. Cain though brothers-in
-law were efeihies in fact as the
sequel of this story will prove,
- One of theni is know as "Shingle
Bill" and he other I will call
Coin andnqt miss his real name
very far. Before the .war Shingle
Bill had whiit had once been a box
"wagon-bed Ibut which one Snipes
had used difrimr the war as a coio-
(rough. When the cruel war was
over the said wagon bed or cow-
trougn was leit in possesion ot a
neighbor, and from his premises
it was abstracted by the aforesaid
Coin either jvith or withont prop
per authority, and by him used
for the space- of five years more or
less. At. the expiration of the
five years Shingle Bill claimed of
his brother-ip-law the sum of three
bushels of wheat as compensation
lor the wagon-bed ; but the bad
Coin became very, much offended
at such ; an exhorbitant charge
and refused to pay any part there
owhereupon Shingle Bill through
his 'attorney brought an action to
recover the! same m such manner
as is providjed by 1 the laws of -his
countrv.
This famous , cause at length
came on to be j heard before a
Justice of jthe iPeace, and all
Shake-rag was aroused to a pitch
of intense jxcitement which was
, prolonged by such delavs" as are
common to courts of justice, the
case being j continued for two or
.tliree termsl -In the meantime I
isccuredfropaiiu eye witness a full
descnptwiijof thisTamour bone of
contention In the sKape of a waon
. bed 7 as follows; 2 planks fourfold
Hprse8h6esJ r7:;Hck6ry;-.with3f 3
. ,:p;jVe3;;4 ,rsHhgle 8 pine
: boards, about 20 nails and sundry
strings and jstraps not particularly
: set f6rth ; ttevyhole ' Deing worth
at a fan valuation ahout 25 V cents
vfbV kindling vpo. defeh
tlant entered sundry pleas?: gs fol-
lows first, that the bed or trough
yas not worth three bushels ' of
wheat,' 2d that it was not worth a
peck of wheat, ; 3d that it wasn't
worth shucks, 4th that it wasn't
a wagon-bed ho-how ; but could
"be identified as Snipes'cow troflgh,
5th that no matter what it was or,
what- it was worth, it was not the
property - of Shingle Bill, as he
didn't have the shadow of a" claim
to any part thereof excepting two
planks., 6th that the i plaintiffe'
claim to the two : planks was bar
r e d by the s t a t u t e of limita
tions, and obscured by much
doubt and uncertainty., ; 7th that
two planks cannot- by any means
be called a wagon-bed,; although
they might constitute a. trough.
lhe two planks were the onlv
narts that could be identifi!
belonging to the original bed that
O r t. ,i ii. i 1 .
ouipes nau xransmogi'inea into a
cow trough, and according to the
plea of. the defendant 2 planks
could not properly be brought un
der the. definition of a wagon-bed.
The court evidentlv concurred in
this view, for it decided in favor
of the defendant and Shingle Bill
had to pay the cqsts jsor was
this all he had to pa v, -for I am
reliably informed that Ihis attor
ney received as his fee, one quart
of Shake-rag corn ichisky 111 a little
brown jug. j
Thus ended the most noted law
suit known to the jurisprudence of
Shake-rag, involving many points
of general interest to the farming
community. In the course of the
trial it was shown that a piece of
property may be borrowed and
lent from one neighbor to another
until the original owner loses all
title to it. And 'it was also shown
that a brother-in-law is sometimes
as expensive a luxury as a mother-in-
law. " j
A Beautiful Yctmg Lady cf 2a!eig3i 17ar
rowly Escapes Droniing.
Last Saturday evening two
young ladies and gentlemen went
out fishing and sailing iii Penny's
pond four miles from this citv.
They divided themselves in pairs
and each had a boat. The first
couple sat in their boat and fished
near the shore. The second were
just crossing the pond, when the
young lady lost? her .balance and
fell overboard into the water thir
ty feet deep. The young man
rushed to the spot where she fell
and the bodt dipped and keeled
over. Tbe young lady had sunk
twice and as the vouri? man rose
from the water he seized her and
began swimming for the shore. -He
struck a stump five feet under
the water and clamping, it with
his feet held on for dear life, the
precious burden aloft' of water
and his own head and shoulders
just barely out. Mr. Winston of
the first boat put the lady with-
him ashore, and rowed for life
to the rescue, where thev were
gotten safely in his boat and all
returned to shore. The young
lady is one of Raleigh's fair daugh
ters, and her name as well as the
name of her 'gallant preserver is
withheld from motives ot modesty.
UrcsccnL ' , ,
JWhen alone in your study
let these thoughts , occupy your
mind: "I am now watched bv
my God, no human eye j beholds
me, but God trieth my heart
He knows why I choose this
subject ; . and why, I ipropose, to
treat it in this manaer, whether
it is to display, the. power of ge
nius, , or . simply to r do good : he
knows Whether I aim to i display
my skili and ability, f 6v his wis
dom-and -grace
'79
Ep Pen-makers are a bad lot
make people steel pens and
say thev do write, i
; ; -I)2IVnT30ZElT. "
. ; BY M. QUAD. . '
i I never had any trouble driving
oxen, though I know a man who'd
as : soon try to drive lions;' 'as to
pick up a whip and. undertake to
"haw Buck," and "gee Bright";
i Always commence . right! with
i oxen. ; lnev clou t annear, tender
hearted, and don't - seem to .the
casual observer to be longing for
sympathy, but oxen have feelings
which must be - consulted. If you
want to yoke up your oxen, take
the yoke on your shoulder and
gently approach the starboard oxi
If he moves away," throwing his
heels in the air, turn about and
approach the other, for in- the
long run it dosesn't make a cent's
worth of difierence which ox is
Jokefi ,nP first -'though there are
mem wlin ohrnva -mill nn lin ln-f'f
men who always pull - on the left
boot first, iftid would persist in it
if the house was on fire.
If the larboard ox runs away,
don't throw the voke an him, and
jump up and r down and howl.
xt ii : 'i"ii . ' a
jlou can t inrow,ayoKe over twen
ty yards at the most, and the chan
ces are. you would'nt ; hit him.
Take the yoke an your back again
and saunter ' across to the first ox.
Approach him . as if you didn't
care a cent whether you got the
yoke on him or not. Let your
face Wear a smile, and whistle
some careless air. If he shows a
disposition to run away don't go
to howling:
"Whoa there hold on I'll.
kill you blast yodr eyes hold
on!" . ,
1 Keep up indiflerent demnaor,
and in about one hour and a half
you can put your hands on the
ox. -Rub his back and speak en
couraging words to. him, and let
him see that you are his true
friend. In a little time you can
can put the yoke on him, and
then start oft' after the other ox on
the far side of the field. If he
makes a bolt for the barn preserve
your careless any and above all,
don't you pound the ox vou have
already secured. By. a persistent
exercise of. patience,, you can get
the pair yoked up and ready for
business by ten o'clock, ' if you
jiommence early enough. Don't
chain 'em to a stump and maul
em w.itU-.a rail after vou have
them in your power ; seek to con-
" ' t T ' . I ' " ' ml I
quer Dy love rainer man iorce.
: i Few farmers know how to draw
but the full strength of a pair of
ot.oxen on a dead pull. I hey set
the team oft with a yell, kick one,
pound the other, scream I at both,
jump over the log and whoop, and
the result is that the bovines jerk
arid jump and waste their
strength. The right way is to
send ; them . oft i gently. ;Pretend
that you are unhitching the chain
to go home, and you - don't know
how much this will -. encourage
them. When the chain is taut,
an(r the ; oxen are . ready ; for the
pull, ffive them a. kind word, ; tell
tliem their motto.should be "Ex
celsior," and that England expects
every man to do his duty. J. Don't
throw rocks at them.. An experi
ence 01 iorty odd years has con
vinced me that nothing will dis
courage an ox so quick as to hurl
a stone quarry at him when he is
J doiilghis level best to : accommo
date you.
In driving oxen before a wagon
aon:r carry a Dean poie witn a
brad-awl fastened into the end.
The ox is riot , as swift . on foot as
the. antelope or gazelle,; and they
should nt - be made Jo: gallop f over
ten miles without: .a . "rest .There
is rjpthing! so good, to ,rule the
brute, preation as kindness. ; ) The
trae farmer : will; if -necessary, sit
np all night, with a pair off -.wild
oxen, giving : them : land advice,
explaining matters, j and rubbing
their spinal coIutqcs with a coJ to
bring out tljeir. gentle natures and
win their confidence and esteem.
A DAY 0F; HEAVEN UPON EARTH.
O Sabbath ! n e e d e d for
world of innocence without thee,
what would a world of sin be !
There would be no pause for con
sideration, no check to! passion, no
remission 01 ton, no oaim ior eare !
He who had withheld thee, would
have forsaken the earth ! With
out thee, he had never given to us
the Bible, the Gospel;' the, Spirit !
We salute thee as thou comest to
us in the name of the Lord iadi-(
ant in the sunshine of! that dawn
which broke over a nation's a-
chieved- .work marching down
ward on the track of tune, a pillar
of refreshing cloud, and guiding
flame, interwea vin sr ... with all thy
light, new beams of discovery and
promise, until thou standeth forth
more fair than when reflected in
the dews and imbited by the flow
ers ot iiiden more awful than
when the trumpet rang of thee in
Sinai j The Christain Sabbath !
Like its Lord, it but rises in Chris
tianity, and henceforch records
the rising day. And never since
the tomb of Jesus was! burst open
by him who received the rase,
has awakened but as the lischt of
seven days, and with healing in
his wings ! Never, has it unfold
ed without some witness and wel
come, some rong and salvation !
It has been from the first until
how the sublime custom of the
Church of Qod ! Still the outgo
ings of its morning arid evening
rejoice! Life's sweetest calm,
poverty,s birthright, labor and on
ly rest! Nothing has such a
hoard of antsi uity in it K Nothing
contains in it such a history I Noth
ing draws along with; it such a
blaze of glory! Nurse of virtue,
seal of truth. The household's
richest patrimony, the nation's
noblest safeguard! The pledge
of peace, the fountain of intelli
gence, the strength ot the law !
The oracle of instruction, the
ark of mercy ! The patent of our
rhanliood'S; spiritual greatness!
The harbinger of our soul's sancti
fied perfection 1 The glory of re
ligion, the watch-tower of immor
tality ! The ladder set upon earth
and the top of it reached to Ilea v
eh, with the angels of God ascend
ing and deceiidmg upon it.
Jcsi Billings' Hazias.
j j There iz one critter in this wurld
jwhose trubles . yu kartt console,
and she iz a settin hen. .'
j I Those people who spend ; all ov
their snare time vatchingr their
symptoms are the kind
poor health. .
who enjoy
i J .Whenever a minister ha3
preached ; a . sermon that pleases
the whole congregiashuii, he prob
ably haz preached one that the
Lord won't endorse, j .
1 1 Everbody seems tew be willing
tew be a phoohr himself,- but he
kan't bear tew have enebody else
6ne.V' ., 7 . J - '
I j Truth iz the edict of God.
I f The philosophers as a klaas.'are
a set of old grannys, who possess
te knowledge, part ot which
az been handed down to them,
?md the balance they guess at
I j About the fust and last thing a
human being duz in this wurld iz
tew shed tears., : . - r-
i There iz no greater proof ov the
bower ov luv fian that the krimes
fo)mmitted in its interests are in
a measure hallowed. . .. !
; jXkan tell exactly how mi na
1 iors'yung ones ougnt tew be fetch
ed up, but I ain't ; so clear about
mi own,- " :': j
j .A lofer iz a person who is will
ing tew be abused ; for the prm-
lege ov aousmg others-
i
1 Love oncanotherr
A SCENE FE01T LIFE.
A vounsr man enterod the bar
room of a villiage tavern, and
called for a drink- "No," said the
landlord: "vou have had delirium
tremeus once and I cannot sell you
any more." - lie stepped aside to
make room for a couple of young
men who j list entered, and the
landlord waited upon them very
politely. The other J stood by si
lently and sullen, and when they
finished ho walked up to the land.
1 ord. "and thus addressed ' him:
''Six years ago, at' their age, I
stood where -those young men
now are I was a j man with fair
prospects. Now,- at the age of
twenty-eight. I am a wretch, body
and mind. You led me to drink.
In this room 1 1 formed the" habit
that has been my ruin. Now sell
me a few glasses more 'and your
work will be done ! I shall soon
be out of the . way ; there is no
hope for me.' , But you can be
saved. Do not sell it to them.
Sell it to me and let me die, and
the world will beT rid of me; but
for heaven's sake sell no more to
them The landlord listened,
pale and trembling. Setting down
liis decanter he exclaimed, "God
help me, this is the last drop I
will sell to any one !" Arid he
kept his word. -. , T -; . - - :
' Out at Nights.
Fathei-s and mothers, look out
for your boys when the shadows
of evening have gathered around
vou. Wliere are thev? Are thev
at . home, at the pleasant, social
fireside, or are they running -11
the streets ? Are they acquiring
a street education? If so, take
care; the chances of their ruin
are man v. There is scarcely an v
thing so destructive to their mr
als as runuinE: around at riisrht.
Under covers of darkness thoy
learn to be rowdvish if not abLo
lutely vicious ; they catch up
loose talk ; they hear sinful thoughts
and see obscene things, and they
become reckless and riotous. If
you would save them from vul
garity, save them from, ruin, see
to it that night finds. them at
home. Let parents solemnly pon
der this matter , and do all thev
can to. make home attractive to
the children, so' attractive? that
boys will prefer it to roaming, in
the streets. -- There is no place
like home in more senses" than
ouc certainly rid place like home
for boys in the evening. :
A Whole Faaily in Heaves. ;
. u .
We take this eloquent passage
from one of tlio sermons of lie v.
Albert Barnes; ! .
if A whole family in heaven !
Who can.pibture or describe the
everlasting joy ? No oue absent.
Xo father nor son, nor daughter,
are away. -Li the morning of the
resurrection, they ascend togeth'er.
Before the throne they bow togeth
er in united adoration. - On the
b"arik3 of the river of life, they
walk hand in hand,andas afam
ily, have commenced a career c,
glory which shall be everlasting
There is hereafter to be no more
separation in that family. No
one i3 to lie down on a bed of pain
In heaven never is that .family. to
move in slow procession, clad in
thehabilimqnts of woe, to consign
one vf its members to the tomb!
God grant in his mercy- every
tamily may be thas united.
9
JEsT'The reason an urchin gave
for being late at school Monday
was, that - the boy in the - next
house, was going to have a dies
ing down with a bed cord, an
he wanted to hear him howl.
f3 Remcmbcf the sict
WHAT CAN I. DO.
-j;jA; lady was going to visit a;
ixqr woman, when her nephew a.
boy five years ; of age, brought a
biscuit to her and Pegged her to
take; it to the sufferer. : -' - j
il'I can do withont lunch," 'said
th! "child, "I have had a good
breakfast :" and accordingly, he
di(without lunch, that the poor
wohian might have his biscuit, ;
. -fThis was a very small act of
kindness, but it showed a desire
to give, and may have been pleas
ing n the siglit ; of the Lortl,
who hath promised that he. who
bestows a cup of cold water iu his
nairie shall in no wise lose his rW
ward. . . " . '
;Sy not that you are too r
to; do good. Ask your o
science these questions, ar . , it
giyeHo them an honest ". ly:
Aixf there norii p whom I
cari )ielp ? , -.. . ..-j :
Kone blind to wh c :n I can read h
Kbrie sad who: a I can cheer!
None sinful for wdiom I can
Pr . ' - - ; ' ... .
Wliy sho:ild we auxiously try
to lilp and do" good to oneanoth-
B(cacse Uo Lord Jesus has
said : "It i more blessed to give"
tlianftp receive." . : : j
-Bcir 3 he has spoken these
'Words:- j
fT o yo on eanothcr as I have
lov d vou." " -iv:';-i.
run: the gee at .us alee. -i
1J
Ime heals the ffrieft. oven t.ba
bitterest, and it , is well - that it
slioid-be so. A long indulged .
sorrow for the dead, or for anv
btheiiliopeless loss, would deaden
ourimpatlh io: fjr thbso still left,
and j thus make a sinful apatl .y
steal-over the soul, absorbing an
its powers, and causing the mmv
blesugs of life to be felt cur
ses. As tbe bosom of earth b:ooms '
againand -again, having burried
out 'of sight the dead leaves of au
tumiij and loosed the frosty bandg
of winter, so does the heart in
spite $f all melancholy 'Jpoets write, t
-'fceftmany renewed springs, and
suniners. It is a beautiful and
blessld world we live in, and, whilo
lite Jasts, to; lose tho enjoyment
Qf : i 14 Qt sin.; :i: " - - .: v- .
"1 Tlie habit of hanging mack
erel i:i a nail near the door to
drip liroke up a match on Essex
strncfiWcdnesday. night. ; The
cc pie got home late in the even-
t1 c house so as notto distnrh ihn
- "fphoy sat down on the etoojy
to :'..mk. , During the process she
7 jano' her head on its new spring
iiat against the house, and became
..b.: orhed in the stars and other
'luprciyements, while he tehderlv
ycl jiis boots. About a halfhour .
.va3 Fnent in this profitable pecu
. when the young man felt
thing tiding down his neclc
i' rt weep, Julia," he softly
inured. lie looked up?and'
eyes rested on an oozy sub
v; -:baek of her head. fVhafe
1 the back of your hat?" he
She jumped up at this in
.tion, and instinctively plar
ir hand on the back of
d, and drew it away again
an unnlcasantlv flavomd
d.-
tci ;
cc
he.
full
slime, - With shrieks of rage and
pas.:' " the infuriated girl tore the
macivi.. 1 from the naif, and tram
pled tl :! : neathher feet, while
she sm . ;1 cfilicr hat'and tcro
itinshV v.-;:h her livid finr::-.
Therhon. i:Yz
not knowin
ped tlie -first . .
v
n
to '
1, '
1
ed, aud -hasnt L
hy the -unfortunate c
ryN&JC$;
. liHiches come beucr
poverty than poverty after ri
X '"