MUTABILIT;
I walked by the salt sea
A wa ve came lea ping up to kiss the at ran 1 -
In dimpMng ecstasy,
Then died away npon tha silver sand.
Far o'er the mountain's height
A shining clou 1 came floating like a dream,
Then vanished from my s:ght,
And left no trace of its translucent gleam.
I watched a being fair
Unfold in beauty inno;-ent an 1 free,
Yet e'er I was aware
She, too, had vanished from thj world and
me.
Ada Iddinas Gale, in Current.
IN A BLIZZAED.
r.V IIAMI.IX GARLAND.
I was setting up type m the office of
the Boomtown Spikr one bright day in
February, 1682, when I heard a voice at
the window saying: . "Hello, Seagraves!
wan' to hold down yer claim?" The
speaker was peering in at me through his
mittened hands. I shook my head, but
motioned for him to come in, which he
d'd.. As he stood before the rusty can
non stove I romon.stiated with him for
his rashness.
"Now I'm an honest man, Moore. I
don't want to take advantage of any one,
not even a drummer for farm machinery.
The. fact is, I'm dangerous. Why, there
ain't a man in this Territory that would
ask me to go out on the prairie with him
if he knew my record. I'm sure death."
"What do you mean! Explain v'r
self." 1 J
'I will. I've been out on that pre
emption of mine promptly at the end of
every thirty days since the last day of
October, and every time it stormed. The
first time it rained, the next time it
snowed and blowed, and the last time
Murray and I went out to the claims we
spent three das in his twelve-by-four-teen
shanty with the horses. Why, I
can't go to Heron or to Bellcplain but a
terrible storm sweeps down on the poor
people. Therefore the boys fight shy of
me."
Moore was whistling through his teeth
at my yarn. lie didn't put much im
portance upon it.
"di! I know all about that; but I
don't scare worth a c?nt; and besides,
look at the sun sh'ning out there. Now
you get your toggery on and we'll be off.
after dinner. Bailey's going too. Now
rustle I'll see ye later.;'
This settled the matter, and accord
in'y 1 got things into as good shape as
possible in the o.rice, and went early to
dinner at the Western House. The boys
at the table wc:c also talking about
going out on their claims, and cursing
the- lind office, because of the ruling
which obliged tl.em to be ou the pr
eiiption once a month, no matter what
the weather might bj.'
"I guess we re about all in the same
fix," said Adams; "there's Bailey and
Moore and Shelby, myself and "
"And Se.igravcs," I said, quietly.
"Wh-a-at! .Not you, Seagraves?"
"You bet I am."
"That settles my hash; if Seagraves
goe, I don't, 'you can bet high on that.
I'm not ready to turn up my tbe3 for the
CO votes to gnaw."
"Cent'emen,
I'm sorry for you, but
I'm troinjr
to break my record or try
fl win
And about 2 o'clock, behing Moore's
mue-ieam, wen nigh, buried in bl
ana robes.
f 1
fcuec7uiiu. nca
yells
, , M S A , A T- 1 III
tilt mere, ai.ii:- "seagraves is sure
dcajth: push on the reins," et cetera,
he sleighing was excellent, and the
viist level plain, as bare as the bosom of
frozen sea, was sparkling under a brill-
iuiit euu Miming uum u ueep uiue 5Ky.
Our course lay stiaight into the wilder
nest to the west, a distance of nearly
thirty miles au 5)asy trip if the roads
were good all the way.
Bailey and Moore kept up a lively chat
ter over their huge buffalo coat collars,
and hailed every passing team with jolly
shouts, ar.d when we were about ten
miles on our way, Bailey said: "I guess
Seagraves will escape this time."
I lifted my head and took a look at
the northwestern sky; then raid: "Xo,
boys; "we're in for it sure."
And we were; for, borne on the wing
of the north wind, a great fleecy dome
of cloud, slaty blue below and silver
white above, was rising, vast, wide as
the northern horizon, seamless, d m, and
noiseless, sweeping with the speed of a
shadow upon us. The day was yet brill
iant, but the frost-white edjre of the
: i. . .. .1 1.1
cloud had already slid across the face of
the sun, making the depth of the dark
blue dome the more ominous, and stern.
It would bo dark i i two hours.
"We 1, boys, the blizzard is coming,
euro, aud there are just two things to do
to push on as hard as we can for the
claim, or turn back."
"There's no turhing
crowd," Moore replied,
the ponies with the whip
back to this
as he touched
I submitted.
though with
to confess.
some misgiving-
I am lrce
The road was getting worse now as wc
were getting , beyond tha settlers'
shanties, aud beyond the travel to and
from the town. Houses grew more and
more infrequent, the wind began to rise,
and the snow to sift along the plain,
softly, spasmodically, yet insidiously,
and almo t before wc knew it the road
was full of drills. The further wc went
to the west, the wilder and more bare the
prairie became; soon we would be out
side the Hue of actual settlement. Bailey
was intending to j;ct off at a point about
live miles before we reached Moore's
claim. His claim lay four miles duo
south fr.mi a certain corner stake which
we were to pass
very soon, but as we
were approaching the stake Moore and I
determined to keep him with us, and not
allow of his making the venture at night.
Accordingly Moore pulled up short, and
we both looked immovably at our Iriend.
JBail y was a brave man when there was
anything depending on the venture, but
as he rose to his feet and .looked around
him he hesitated.
It was a fearful scene,
eye could penetrate the
As far as the
stability of the
to the furious
)rairie seemed ( hang d
lashings of a foam-white waste of waters.
Great waves of snow met, shifted, spread,
raced like wolves, joined again, rose,
buffeted each other till puffs of fine snow
sprang into the air like spray, oaly to
fall and melt in the sliding streams. All
was unreal, ghastly. No sky but a form
less, impenetrable mass of flying snow;
no earth except when a sweeping gust
laid bare a long streak of blackened sod
that had the effect, the terrifying effect,
of a hollow, fathomless trough between
the hissing waves, and over all the night
and tempest were speeding like the
flight of twin eagles.
Our companion set his teeth, and
made as if to spring out and set forth.
'Sit down," we shouted. "Do you in
tend to commit suicide?" And'witha
lauh at his relieved expression, we
pushed the ponies on toward the west.
"We must be merciless now. We are
too far on to turn back, and if we arc
not delayed we can reach the shanty be
fore deep night," I shouted in the ear
of ou driver. There were now but two
.i ii ...I, oi ine main
ueu west amid a chorus ot
shanties where we knew of people living,
and both of these were some miles from
our destination. One of these we soon
reached, after passing the corner stake
alluied to. If was a small frame shanty
banked to the roof with snow and sods;
indeed, the roof was also of sods, laid
on fo additional warmth. It was low
and mean-looking at ordinary times, but
now, as the door opened and the red
light streamed out 'over the
drifts glinting through the falling snow,
it had a singular attractive look. Thn
house wa? full to overflowing, we were
told, and there were no places for our
horse -i at all; they would have to stand
out if we stayed.- "But we ain't goin' to
stay," sa:d Moore, grimly, as he pulled
out into the road, now atnere trail, to be
followed with the greatest diitlculty.
Just after turning into i this faint track
there came a team of horses rushing to
meet us. As they passed us at a swift
gallop we saw that attached to the har
ness of one was a boy's hand-sled, upon
which a long plank wa3 bound, and
lastly a young ft-ilow lying atop, on his
side, in the way boy3 "coast down hill.
He had a round red face, on which was
a fea-les laugh, and he shook the reins
above his noble team, and plunged into
the darkness of the east on his way to
the settlement.
The storm had steadily increased in
violence, though each stage-seemed the
limit of its fury. The cold grew ever
bitterer, the night was almost upon us,,
and the snow filled the air, and we could
see but a few rod inany direction; but
our only resource was to press on, out on
the prairie, wrapped in madly swirling
clouds of, snow. But we were all West
ern born, and not only knew oiir danger,
but how to meet it a3 well. Our tiail
was now entirely lost, and there was
nothing left but to steer by the wind and
the section lines. For a mile or more
we had been following a furrow which
had been plowed along the section line,
and we must now leave that and bear to
the southwest.
Therefore, taking the wind (which
we knew to be in the northwest) on our
right shoulder, we struck out in a
straight line for the place where we
knew the shanty belonging to Moore
must be. We ought to come near
enough to it to see it as we passed; if
not well we didn't like to think of that.
As our course must be made with the
greatest care, Moore drove, while Bailey
and I took turns in rigidly keep'ng the
wind upon the right ear, and in walking
in the track behind. The track we
kept straight in this way, and increased
our chances of finding the house.
We were now moving in a circle of
half-light, outside of which, a hundred
feet away, was darkness. Within this
half-light all was distorted, fantastic. A
sage-bush, a clump of weeds, or a tuft of
giass assumed huge proportions, and
through the treacherous gloom looked
like a barn or a stack of hay in the far
ther reach of the eye. A bit of shingle
not fifty feet from my eye looked so like
a cabin on the side of a distant swell
that I called joyfully to my companions
that I had found the house. It fright
ened me when, a few steps further on, I
ame to the wind-blown bit of wood,
and my vision of the house and the
snowy hill faded out into the depths of
the storm. The snow flew so thickly
that we could not see the ponies at times
as they labored heavily though the deep
snow, for we were on the unburned
prairie now, and the snow was mid-leg
deap. At intervals we would stop. , and j
1 " 1 1 . 1 1 .
to the right and
left, and stooping down, look under the
snow to discover the house. Our course
since leaving the section line was so slow
and painful that it seemed a3 though we
had been traveling more than an hour,
and finally Moore pulled up and turned
to me with a look of grim resolution on
his face that told that we had arrived at
the same conclusion.
"Seagraves, we're in for it. We've
passed the shanty without seeing it."
44 That's about my idea. And more
than that ; I will not go a single step farther
in that direction. There is nothing but
a trackless prairie out there. Our only
hope now is to turn to the southeast and
I iMl ll XlAn....
ve
"one by the shanty, for my claim is
about the last one in the township, and
the next is unsurveyed.
So we'd better !
turn and strike for the Norwegian settle
ment south of here. But where's
Bailey?'' True enough! I sent my eye around
the circle: he was not in sight. While
we were talking he had lost sight of u3,
and making a detour to see the house if
poss.ble, might be ahead or behind us,
we could not tell. We looked at each
other an instant in fear, thea halloed irr
chorus. No reply. If he were to the
south, his cries could not reach us; and
if to the north, ours could not leach
him. Again we shouted and again lis
tened. No reply, though we strained
our ears in the steady ceaseless roar and
scream of the storm. For tha first time
I was afraid. In such a ferocious tem
pest and in such deadly cold a man could
not live lonsr. We took turns in shout-
in w nnT.lr till .1 lull in thn.
wiiut noi oaiy leit me air clearer, uui
softened the tumult in the cir, and we
heard a faint cry in the distance
"Help!" It seemed so far off that it
had no more for.c than the cry of a
kitten.. We could not tell whether it
was ou the earth or in the sky, or whether
w immrinpil if- li it soon it r.nyie aornin
j l i r . a 1 r l 1
. ---------- ------
"lie's at our left," said Moore, pulling
the hoises about, and following the cry.
t everv few rods we would f-ton and
shout, and listen for his cry, which grew
each moment stronger. But he was not
approaching us; he was waiting for us
to come lo him. iroon wc were within
j speaking distance, and he was directing
us where to find him. It was strange
that h did not approach us. We thought
he must have met with some accident,
when suddenly he stood beside us. With
a single word, "Follow me," he started
off, the horses following him. We could
not see him, but we knew he was on the
track of something. Soon we came upon
a small barn heavily banked with snow,
and with hoare cheers we shook hands
and veiled: "I told you sol" We had
hit the barn, and the house was near by
and easily reached.
Without stopping to talk of our good
luck, wc sprang out, and in a few mo
ments the ponies were safe from the bliz
zard, their noses deep in some hay and
oats. After rubbing the ice and snow
from their coats, and starting the circu
lation anew in their stiff and weary legs,
wc gathered our robes and things in our
arms and made for the house, which we
reached in a short, breathless run.
It was a frame building, 18 by 24,
which Moore had erected for a summer
residence a mere shell of a thing, with
only one thickness of boards on the
sides, through which the snow drifted;
and as there was no banking, the cold
air also streamed up through, the floor;
but relatively it was a palace. , It was
shelter and light, for there was a stove
and some kindling, and a box of coal.
"We need not freeze for one night any
way. "We soon had a fire roaring in tie
rusty stove, and a light in an unwashed
tubular lantern. We al?o found a coffee
can. and soon had a can of coffee siz-
KCCp going till WU suikb mc st-uicmcui
If the ponies keep up, we're all right:"
"That's about the size of it, it we
zliag on the stove. Then we took the
time to ask Bai'ey about his adventure.
It seems that in making a detour he had
canght a glimp?e of ; the barn, and
though the storm the next moment cov
ered it, yet he determined to push on a
a little farther and make sere of - it.
Luckily he did not get quite out of ear
shot, and the whole ended fortunately,
but it was a big risk to run. As our
frozen mince pies began to warm up
and the coJTee ' to send off a fragrant
steam, Moore' sang, exultantly,
4,The win 1 howls mad out-doors,
The snow-clouds hurry past."
"We made a great picture as we sat
around the red-hot stove, with our fur
caps and buffa'o overcoats on. The
lantern threw a red light over us through
its smoky side, and the open jaws of the
coai stove brought out every line of our
faces as though we were the witches in
Macbeth huddled around the caldron.
On our heads ) the sifted snow fell at
intervals like showers of re l flakes of
gold, while the frail structure creaked
and jrroaned in the blast, the snow
lashed the windows, and rushed like a
pack of wolves about the door. Af ter
fcod and wai mth, we sat thus talking
and singing till we felt weary and sleepy
with the cold; and then our host led us
to the upper story of the house, where
the bed stood which Moore used when
he came to sleep on his claim, and upon
this we piled our blankets and robes, and
then crept under them.
When I awoke the next morning all
was still still as the grave; not a sound
save the heavy breathing of my com
panions and the occasional creaking of
the wood under the terrible cold; as
still as though th,e snow had buried us
deep under its soft weight. And I
shall never forget how it looked as I
stepped out into the morning air. .
No one would ever dream that the
night before this calm plain had bein
lashed and diiven by an appalling tem
pest. The terrible ride of the night be
fore seemed almost a dream. There was
no receding swell upon this ocean, a3
upon the Atlantic ; on the contrary, it
looked so marble-like and still that one
could hardly imagine- it ever being
moved again. The brilliant sun flashed
from millions of ice-points on the snow,
making a broad way of dizzlinggold
and diamonds a royal frry for the com
ing of the morning." Its glory was al
most, not quite, a compensation for the
experience of the previous night. That
night, us we sat around the cannon
stove in the Wamburger grocery in
Boomtown, Moore told our story 44 with
trimmings," adding amODg other things
the actual fact that the thermometer was
thirty eight below zero. The other
trimmings which were not facts I will
not mention. Moore is a good fellow,
and undoubtedly regrets the exaggera
tions which the enthusiasm of the mo
ment induced. Harper1 Weekly.
Paying- a Preacher in Tobacco.
A large vestry book, extending from
1723 to 1771, is still carefully preserved,
having been rescued from some old
country records by Mr. Young. From
this chronicle one can get a glimpse of
the state of society and its economic con
dition. Ecclesiastical currency, as is
well known, was tobpeco. For the ser
vice of the church each "tithable"
assessed every year so many pounds.
was
We
mm sucn enines as inese :
To Mr. Barlow, for 17 sermons at
To. Rt
oou ids tobacco lb. . 9Ml
To ditto for board. " 1.500.'
To ditto for clerk: " 1,000
To Mary Clark, sexton 400
Agreed with James Jirijrgs to keep Eliza
Mipet for one year, and to find her in cloaths
for 1,200 lbs. of tobacco.
To Widow Lawrence being pore 500 lbs.
tobacco. ... -
From an entry before the book closes
it appears that 16,000 pounds of tobacco
sold for 101 lis. lid.
The church expenses averaged about
70,000 pounds of tobacco
a year, or in
the neighborhood of 450. .The price of
tobacco varied ; but that there should not
be an unlimited currency, as it were, the
parish was divided into districts, and
each year appeared such records as:
Samuel Davis and William Bridger are ap-
Sainted viewers of tobacco from the River to
lack water.
It was the business of these viewers, of
tellers, as they were sometimes called, to
estimate and restrict the number of young
plants, that there might not be overpro
duction, lest the church income suffer
from too low prices. American Maga
zine. Curious Things Abont Seals.
rThe seals are carnivorous mammals di
vided into two classes the Phoca?, or
common seals, with rudimentary ears,
and the Otaria? (sea lions, bears and ele
phants), which have the ears deloped.
In a late paper before some British nat
uralists, Dr. A. J. Harrison stated that
the Otaiie, which inhabit the waters of
the Southern Hemisphere, are supposed
by the fishermen to have an infernal
pouch in which rounded stones are. car
ried to enable the animal to sink below
the sea's surface when fat. Observations
have shown, however, thit the so-ealled
f "ballast-bag'' is only the stomach
r -a. f .! . .1.
xv ntiuuui iui iuc jiicocutc ui I lie
stones in this organ it has been suggested
that they are intended to aid in the trit
uration of food, while other persons be
lieve that they have been accidentally
introduced with the, food or in play.
S milar rounded stones have been found
in seals aud sea lions which have been
j confined in f-ondon
ami tliA crnmOAVi t f
a JNewiouncuana seal wmcna:ed at Ulii-
ton in 18yi contained gravel, nuts and
! pieces oi sticks. Ac iorc Umpfiic.
Purchased Conrtesics.
Apropos of fees to palace functionaries
whicft are frequently so unreasonably ex-
pected abroad, when General Grant went
to Belgium, he dined with the King, and
the royal carriages were placed at his dis
posal jas long as he remained in Brussels
The American Minister said that 200
francs would be expected by the chief
officer of the royal stables. General
Grant refused to comply; he said he was
the guest of the King.and would not pay
the servants of his Majesty; it seemed to
him like an insult to the royal hospital
ity. But it is added that he got over his
scruples before long, and purchased the
courtesies he received like every other
4 'guest'' of the Belgium court, or he
would have been- considerably troubled
m a quiet way py tne unaer omaais.
Independent.
The Labor Movement in America.
The following is an interesting chro
nology of some of the events in the history
of the labor movement in America : 1803,
strike of the sailors of New York City
for more pay; 1803, first trade union of
ship carpenters formed in New York
City on April 30; 1806, first union of
house carpenters organized in New York
City, May 17; 18 1U, first labor paper pub
lished in Boston, Mass.; 1832, first na
tional labor convention held in Boston,
Mass.; , 1835, first strike of house car
penters in Boston, May 8, for ten hours
a day; 1840, the ten hour system estab
lished by proclamation of President Van
Buren; 1847, second national labor con
tention held in New York City, or
June 10.
LONGSHOREMEN.
THE BRAWNY HANDLERS OF A
SHIP'S CARGO. '-..j
On Their Skill Depends the Safety
of Every Vessel The 1 mperi
ou9 Stevedorcrs Who
Employ Them.
In the bitter cold of a winter's morn
ing day more than ten thousand men are
grouped aloiff the streets fronting on the
North and East Rivers. There wou d
.not be a much greater number on a bright
tunny morning in June. They stand in
little knots of about half a dozen each
and seek the sheltered spots along the
dirty, crowded and wind swept side
walks of "West and South streets. There
are as many thousand more " of them at
work along the docks, for these are the
'longshoremen of New York who do
their work in the holds of ships and on
the piers where the vessels load and un
load their cargoes.
There are said to be nearly twenty-five
thousand of them in this city and Brook
lyn. They are big, hard boned, uncouth,
slab-sided sort of men, dressed in a way
that looks to comfort and safety rather
than to neatness or even cleanliness of
attire. As a rule, they are of the Irish
and German race, with a sprinkling of
Scotchmen, Swedes and Danes, with here
and there the colored man, who, of late
years, has pushed himself to the front in
this laborious occupation.
It can hardly be called a trade, and yet
the hook that is hitched into the belt or
trousers band of every one of these men
and the brawn and. muscle that add
etrength to their big arms are rot the
only things necessary to make up the
outtit of a capable and experienced 'long
shoreman. He. needs, besides these
thingv quick dexterity and in its way
educated skill. Educated skill? Cer
tainly. Many a badly placed cargo has
sent ship and crew and passengers swift
ly under the waves of the great ocean.
The thousands who step laughingly and
carelessly through all seasons upon the
decks of outgoing transatlantic steamer
never give a thought to the dangers of a
shifting cargo, which, might at any mo
ment in the terrors of a storm imperil
their live3 in the midst of the sea.
It is the duty of the '.ongshoremen to
guard against the possibility of such
dangers, and the shipmasters have grown
to know that in this matter of loading a
vessel the 'longshoremen of New York
are worthy of full confidence and trust.
To be an expert at the business, indeed
to get beyond the hauling and the dray
ing outside the sheds of the dock, the
'longshoreman of to-day must know more
than the general public imagines he
does.
Of the proper stowing of the freight
rests not only the absolute safety of the
ship but also the good condition of the
cargo on its arrival at its destined port.
So the 'longshoremen who are down in
the hold, and who in this part of the
trade are called "headers," must know
the places at a glance where light and
heavy merchandise can be packed, must
pick out at once the spot where valuable
materials and those easily broken and in
jured may be placed, must know what
freights lying contiguous to each other
would be either dangerous or hurtful,
and must see
that no great dead weights
are stowed where
vessel, the ship might be sorely strained
More than that, and what is after all of
the gravest importance, the goods must
be arranged so that tnere can. De no
possibility of their shifting in the
mightiest of storms and that every inch,
ef available space of the ship's carrying
capacity may be safely utilized.
Iso ship's crew ever loacis or unioaasa
vessel ia this port, nor does the ship
master gj out along the docks and
gather in the 'longshoremen to do the
work. Between the ship owners and
the 'lonshoremen stands the stevedore,
and he is a very important individual in
the commerce of New York.
There are four or five hundred of these
in this city, and many, of them have
grown to be men of considerable wealth.
Nine out of every ten of them began
work years ago by trundling freight on
the outside of the decks, thea got down
into the holds of ships to store freight
and finally found a shipper and began to
take con racts to put fre'ght on board
vessels himself. These are the men to
whom the gangs along the river edges
look for wfrk and hirf, and most of fhe i
srPTPrl Arps krn as near v as nossible the !
same men for their various jobs.
A ship stands ready for its cargo, and
the shipper is prepared with his freight.
The 'longshoremen know this fact just a3
well as the Captain of the vessel or its
owner, for all these things are kept run
of by a daily patrol that notes the condi
tion of every vessel along the piers, and
passes the word from the Battery to the
last dock on each side of the city. The
firm that has chartered the vessel sends
for a stevedore and the contract is made
to put the cargo aboard. Then the steve
dore hurries to the dock, and from the
moment he salutes the Captain until the
last bale is stowed away the stevedore is
practically in command of the ship.
He goes to the front of the pier and
out on the air ring3 the shrill blast of a
boatswain's whistle. From the grogger
ies along the street, from odd corners and
sheltered spots the rouyh-looking, shaggy
crowd gathers and hurries across the
street. Their
time
is taken, and in a
gangs are formed.
moment the various
The best and swiftest man is at the front,
and the others must keep up with him or
fall out of the way. It means busines
to load a ship or big steamer, and it
means either profit or ios3 to the steve
dore. He has contracted to do it for any
sum from $1,000 to $5,000, according to
the size of the vessel, and he knows he
must pay every man in the 'longshore
men's gang forty ce its an hour for day
work, and sixty cents an hour for night
work, and once begun the new regula
tions of the union will not allow him to
stop day or night until the ship is filled.
Kactp and Karri wnrt in tt nrdprnf
the day and niaht. Short and sharp
orders are chopped out like the bark of
a coyote. Tne 'longhoremen themselves
keep up a running fire of remarks and
comments upon the steveaora ana his
foreman and upon themselves, while the
bales and boxes, the barrels, the hogs
heads and the packages are dashing on
trucks over the piers to the tackle that
swings them up to the deck of the vessel
and thence down to the hold.
To stand and watch the agility, deft
ness and ea e with whioh one of those
big, shaggy -looking sellows handles a ton
of freight in the midst - of excitement,
hurry and howlings innumerable will do
away at once with the idea that the shiftless-looking,
un outhand moppy fe lows
who lounged on the corner were good-for-nothing
but corner loafing and heavy
beer drinking.
They live long, too, these heavy
bearded feliows, and in their way they
live generally welt They have plenty of
work, their pay is far more than that of
the ordinary Jaborer, and the 'Longshore
man's L'nion keeps out all unnecessary
competition. 'Indeed the present mem
bers of the Union have practically a
monopoly of the work and all the 'long
shoremen of New - York, and Brooklyn
belong to it. No stranger, is admitted
without, very stringent 'explanation of
the reasons for his coming here, and the
new men who get into the ranks are th3
sons and 1 rothers of the present mem
bers. Xtw Tort Graphic.
A Soldier Captured Witli a Lasso.
Major Zimplcman, of Austin, Texas,
fought ou tli? Confederate side iu the
ranks of Terry's Kangers. He has been
giving some reminiscences to a St. Louis
Glo:-D. tHo:rat reporter. "The fight at
Wcodsonvil!e was our first,'.' he said.
"Our regiment was brought up to drive
in the Federal pickets. We drove them
in. and before we knew it ran right
against a line of Federal infantry" on the
side of a strip of timber, and that was
more than we had bargained for. There
was but one tiling to do and we did it
went right through them and were soon,
pretty well mixed up. , You see the
trouble was, a great many of us knew I
nothing about warfare' with organized
troops. True I had been an Indian
fighter, but this was new to ir.e.. The
Federals, however, were more surprised
at our apparent daring than we were at
finding their solid line where we least ex
pected it, and thus we carried the day
against great odds. All the boys went
out with a peculiar notion," and here
the Major smiled grimly. "They said
there was no use of wasting powder on
the 4Yankees, we'd just lasso 'em,
and every one of m had , his
rope for that purpose. I must confess I
was a litt'e dubious about that, and
away down in my heart didn't believe
one of us could 4 lick ten Yankees by
any means, but I was determined to do
as much as the others did, and made up
my mind to rope me a 4 Yankee ' before
any one else had time to. During our
mixed up scramble with the Federal in
fantry I saw one fellow, a picket, about
about 200 yards ahead of the line, and
quick as a flash I thought Here's my
chance, if ever,' and I started for him.
It was a toss-up whether I would lasso
him or he would kill me before I could
get within rope range, and, besides, I
I was between the Federal main line ajid
him. As I turned and dashed toward1
my man I think not le-s than a thousand
shots were fired at me, but I was not hit,
my lasso shot through the air, and I had
my man fast, with the rope under an arm
and over the " other shoulder, where it
did not hurt him. In '. shooting at me
his own friends had broken an arm for
him, sol got him to a log, and he, at
my direction, mounted behind me, and
then his friends ceased firing. I know
we were riding pretty . fast for a double
burden, jumping ditches, logs and all
obstructions, but when my prisoner fell
off I thought he did it . purposely, and
asked him what be meant by jumping
off.
44 4I didn't jump. I fell off. Perhaps
you don't know that my arm is broken,
and besides I never saw such horsekack
riding as this, let alone trying it my
self."' "I then placed my prisoner in the
saddle and got up behind myself, and
we soon had another trial to encounter,
for my friends seeing my horse coming
in with a blue-coat astride of him, con
cluded to give him a round. I stuck my
head around my vis-a-vis and shouted to
go slow and there was great merriment
when we dismounted. I believe that
was the only man ever lassoed during the
"war.
d discovered that powder
was better than
e in our first ex-
penence in
organizeu
are. My
prisoner wns a nice ieuow, a
fp.llnw. fterfect
gentleman, and when he came and askea
me if I couldn't fix it so that he could go
back North, I told him he should go, and
he did. I have heard from and written
him twice since the war, but not in
recent years, and do not know what has
become of him." -
When Does Spring Begin?
In New England we call it midwinter.
It is wintry out of doors, yet the season
has really turned, and spring has set out
on her travels over the land. In about a
week after Christmas she lands on the
top-end of Florida and the coast of
Texa9, way down by the Rio Grande.
The precise date at which the change
comes is the 21st of December.. After
that day is spring. It may be cold
weather all over the couatry east of the
Rocky Mountains. There may be snow
as far down south as Charleston or Mem-
P"". ut '" ," ,"?'", ,CTZ.
.1 ? S
"cjr. o-i. .
Still farther
may be wet, cold, and tne air
For all that, it is really spring.
chilly.
The big star on which we live has be
gun to change its position. It looks to
ward that great star we call the sun, in a
different direction. Every shadow in
the .Union grows shorter at noon, day by
day. The days grow slowly longer, and
the sun sets every night a tittle more to
the right as you face the sunset. In spite '
of stormy wind, and snow like wool, and
hoar-frost scattered like morsels, the aver
age temperature slowly rises.
The first bud begin to swell 'way
down in Florida, the first green grass
soon appears on the coast of Texas.
The fringe of green grows wider and
wider. The first birds arrive on the
coast along the Gulf of Mexico. Then
more arrive, and finding the coasts filled
ud with the nests, they fly over and
settle a little back from the water. Tnen
?0nJ. orafuluni ""' .j5'"
build nests further up from the south.
The green wave of grass spreads up the
Mississippi and along the coast of
Georgia. Of what help is it to us to
know this? In the north it is winter out
of doors till April. Down cel'ar, by the
furnace, you find a potato resting, pei
haps, near a damp spot on the floor.
The potato knows it is Spring, and even
in the dark opens its eyes and begins to
grow. This brings us to a hint of the
truth. The spring really begins soon
after Christmas," and all plants and
animals know it. Even the muskrat,
asleep in the wood, begins to dream
about it. Wide-Awak:.
A Theory as to Color Blindness.
That the origin of color blindness lies
in the brain and not in the. eye has bceD
; suggested by Prof. Ramsay. While en-
gaged, in teaching in urooictyn some years
ago the Principal of a school ins'sted in
treating every case ot the sort as ae
dendent ou the will of the pupil. His
! remedy was the rod. This certainly
seemed t tyranicai ana unwarranted
treatment, but the result was farorable
to his theory. At first sight it is not per
fectly clear why it is that color blindness
i should be more common among men than
among women ; yet it is possible that this
will be found to bear out the suggestion,
for with the discontinuance of the wear
ing of colors by the men their interest in
colors to a large extent must hare ceased,
and it may be that with the less use of
color by women in their dresses an in
crease of color blindness might - result
among them as welL It is doubtful,
however,, whether the introduction of
the rod as a quick corrective will find
many advocates. Science.
A juror in Carbondale, HI., went crazy
while listening to a poisoning case.
top
HOUSEHOLD MATTEES.
... - - Pie Without Frn It. : - L
Wheivruit .is scarce, a good pie can
be made of one c "p of rich, sweet cream,
sweetened and flavored to suit the taste;,
whip to a stiff froth with an egg-beater;
if the cream is cold, it will get stiff
quicker. Line a pie iplate with crust and
bake;put the creanrmtc itftet in a cold
place until yoii want? to eat it. Small
pieces of red jelly-placed oa the top im
prove its appearance v.
Fried Parslej for a Garnish.
Th?s is the chea'perst of all garnishes,
but it must be carefully prepared. Wash,
pi:k and dry the ; parsley thoroughly,
then r ut it into a wire? basket, and hold
it in boiling fat for' tp minutes; then
take it out of the basket and dry it well
by placing it before the fire. Beef-drip-ping
is-the best frying Triedium for this
purpose, and care, should be taken to
have it boiling hot when the parsley is
put in. 1-".' ' .. ::- ,
The Philosophy of Boiling.
It is a mistake to suppose that a piece
of 4t well-boiled" 'soup beef lms been
heated to 212 degrees throughout. The
heat penetrates so slowly, thata good
sized piece Of beef may remain compara
tively cold inside after staying in boiling
water for an hour or "more, and if you
actually measure the temperature, of the
inner parts of the beef the moment it is
taken out; of. the pot and pronounced
"well-done'4-yoa. will bs surprised to
find that it seldom reaches ;Over 170 de
grees. It was therefore cooked 'at a
temperature considerably helow the
boiling point.
A lecture on Coffee. . .
It is a: well-known fact that a better
and more delic'ous coffee is made by
pouring the boiling water over the
ground coffee than by boiling the coffee
itself,-as unfortunately is yet so often
done. The boiling water that is poured
over the coffee ceases to boil the instant
it leaves the kettle in which it was boiled.
Through evaporation it is already some
what cooled on the way to the coffee pot,
and by further contact with other bodies
the temperature -is still further lowered
until it is evident that the temperature
in the coffee pot is several degrees be
low the boiling point. The coffee is con
sequently not mide with boiling but with
warm water.
A Suggestloirfor Easy Cooking.
A writer in the New York Timet says:
'A process in-cooking that possesses the
advantage of considerable saving in la
bor and fuel, and, furthermore, makes it
impossible to scorch or burn anything, is
as follows : The food is brought to boil
and allowed to boil for a few minutes.
The kettle is then removed from the fire
and carefully protected in a heat safe so
as to prevent the heat from escaping.
The food will then be cooked by its own
heat, or, in other words, the temperature
will for several hours remain high enough
to produce the necessary changes in the
victuals under treatment.
The heat safe necessary for the fore
going process can be easily constructed
by anybody, and at a merely nominal
cost. "First get a common packing box
of a suitable size, cover the bottom with
a layer of picked wool or cotton two or
three inches thick, then from a piece of
zinc jor sheet iron make a hollow cylinder
a little larger than the kettle used, place
the cylinder in the box, and fill the inter
val between the cylinder, and the box
with cotton or wool two or three inches
thick. A common pillow will answei
forjthe lid, and the "safe is ready for use.
When tfaelccttle is removed from the fire
care should be taken not to raise the lid,
which should 'fit as closely as possible,
and when placed in the safe the pillow
must be tucked well down all around.
After remaining in the heat safe for from
two to four hours, according to circum
stances, the food will be done, and you
will be astonished to find what a well
cooked and toothsome dish you have
prepared with so little trouble.
Hay or cow hair, being cheaper, can
be substituted for wool or cotton, but do
not retain the heat quite as vcll,
especially in apparatus of smaller size.
The safe can, of course, be made to con
tain several vessels at one time, and
meat, potatoes, beans, etc. can all be
prepared at the - same time. Potatoes,
beans, rice, peas and likes can be placed
in the safe as soon as they boil, bnt large
Eieces of meat should bo hoik-fl for about
alf an hour so as to ajl-) w,t to
penetrate them better."
Hints to House lccora: I
A pretty fancy for lip'h: curtains is to
drape them with narrow scarves or half
handkerchiefs of their own material.
Maiden-hair and pink roses are the
accepted decorations for the 44pink,:
dinners ana luncheons now so prevalent.
Hope embroideries and rope fringes are
stylish and costly for wall decorations, a
bit a yard square or less that we re
cently handled being marked $135.
- Maiden-hair fern without any , flowers
is a very favorite decoration this winter,
and should always be dipped in water
just before using, so as to glisten in the
light. .
A decoration within the reach of almost
any is a jar of grass and ox-eyed daises,
draped about with a green scarf, and,
though so simple, few more effective ones
can be found.
A narrow shelf about eight inches above
the mantel board, with a row of Japanese
fans placed behind it as a border, serves
admirably for holding and displaying the
smaller bits of bric-a-brac.
A champagne basket and pine easel,
painted some neutral tint and draped
with plush or velvete2n, or cretonne,
make an adnrrable hpjder for newspaper
and periodicals. Have the pins of the
easel long enough to hold the basket
who-e lid should be fastened up with a
bow matching or contrasting with the
drapery. -
A very pretty tray cover may be made
with but little expense. Get butchers
linen, which comes in fine quality at
forty cents per yard, forty inches wide..
Make the cover two inches longer each
way than the tray it is to cover. Havt
dragons stamped in each corner, with a
border of crescents bitween and a mono
gram in the center. Embroider the
dragons ia chain stitch blue, brown,
orange, rcd,and a little black real Scotch
linen flosses or flourish'ng thread. Hem
stitch all round, an inch deep, and thee
trim with some pretty crochet edge done
with the real Scotch linen crochet thread,
abontNo. 70.
Mrs. Clereland's Tired Arm.
I should think your arm would b
paralyzed," a Washington correspondent
of the Globe-Democrat ventured to say tt
Mrs. Cleveland after one of the shake
hand receptions at the White House.
'It is tired," she replied, "but it is,
curiously enough, the left arm, not the
right. General Grant was troubled in
the same way the arm. that tired was
the one not shaken. This mystcrions
puzzle can be left to the physiologists."
There are 10,549 more men than women
in Manitoba.
CLEVER "WOMEN;
DEVICES OP POOIt "WOMEN HI
VASHINGTON. '
-. - v . . - -
Teaching Novices HovTte Shine la
Society ArranRirfrV Brlc-a,- -Brae
For the Wealthy
- Hired Chaperones. "
TheWashirigton Star
says that . there
are many women oi reduced. ... circum
stances in Washington who manage to
keep up appearances. They have all
been reduced from some- higher sphere. -They
arc the wives or daughters of men
who have been in Government positions,
in the 'Army or Navy, or perhaps in Con
gress, and have died leaving nothing for
their families. Some of those women
so reduced have trod the highest walks
of social eminence. Those of more com
mon place qualifications have surren
dered their social 'position and opened
boarding houses or gone into the De'part- ,
ments. There is an ex -Representative .
still alive here in Washington who has
two daughters in one of the Depart- .
ments. : - ' ' '
Women of greater resources have con
trived means of keeping up appearances
and earning their own living at the same
time. There are several who teach
etiquette to such as are newly cast into -the
Washington whirl. They teach the
wives ad daughters of new statesmen
ho v to shine; They take their hands and
lead them through the dark passages and
over the slippery places about the . en
trance to Washington society. They give '
a benovolent assistance to rich ladies :
who would like to shine in Washington
society, but have been unable to break
through the thin shell to the Inner circle.
They supply taste and culture where
their patrons have wealth only, and help -them
up the rugge d way. They brush
aside the thorns with a hand in a velvet
glove. One lady, it is said, still keeps -up
the establishment which was the in
heritance of her more Prosperous days,
she receives
for introducing ladies into society and for
society news she furnishes confidently to
certain papers. To be invited to her
house is to secure the entre to society.
It means recognition and other invito- '
tions. The compensation for such a ser
vice is a mattei of delicacy, but it is
managed by the lady so that the patron
may feel under deep obligations, and not
as if she was getting just so much
for the money. There are others who,
when not engaged in social activities
themselves, are occupied in showing some
lady how tc arrange her parlors and re
ception room; how to hang pictures and
the curtains ; what to put in this room
and what in that; how to arrange bric-a-brac
on the mantels, in cabinets, and on
the floor; what to put here, what' there,
and how the whole should be for har
mony and good taste. Then they show
their patron where to stand and how to
stand when receiving company, what to
talk aout and how to talk; or they will
show herthow to give - a dinnerparty,
whom to' invite, how many, how to dec
orate and arrange the table, what to put
on it and in what order, how to dispose
of the guests as to precedence, and all the
rest of it. This matter of precedence
puzzles some of the best of the new
comers, and they are glad to find some
one to relieve them of the responsibility.
These female professors of etiquette help
them out of all such embarrassment.
They bring out the debutantes and help'
them to good matches. 8ome, it is said,
have particular talents for match-making,
and devote themselves to that. This '
branch of scrvicej is said to afford very
lucrative employment to two or three
amiable ladies of great t:icr. They bring
young people together and introduce
their 44wards" into eligible society.
Another employment sought by ac
complished ladies of reduced circum
stances is that of chaperon e for young,
people. A chaperone is a very important
auaenmeni lor young people in
Washington society, and one it is not al
ways easy to get. It is embarrassing and
besides generally inconvenient for ma
ma's to have to sit in the corner or against
the wall and nod, while their fair daugh
ters whirl in the waltz and tread the
mystic mazes that lead to premature old
age. Ah amiable chaperone, who will
go with the girls to the theatre, to balls
and parties, and receptions, is cheap at
most any price, and can find plenty to do
profitably. Of course they do not adver
tise: "Wanted. A situation as chap
erone. '? Nor do they ask Mrs. Penny
harvest if she doesn't want to hire a
chaperone with long experience and good
references. Not at all. It alt comes about
very naturally. The lady is so accom
modating and Mrs. Pennyharvest is S3
grateful, that it all comes to be under
stood. A nother occupation of fashionable
ladies in reduced circumstances is that
of reading to invalids, and entertaining
them with all the small talk of the day.
All these means are resorted to by ladies
who have by some misfortune been
thrown oa their own resources. Pome
perform these services openly ' with no
pretense at concealment of their necessi
ties. Others manage to keep their occu
ration a secret between themselves and
.hose they serve, each patron thinking
,hat she is the only one so favored.
Washington is a place for the cnltiva
aon of clever womcnand they are found
Iving upon their sharp wits in all the
walks of society. Many do a thriving
Business in the 4 lobby."
Tlio I.inih it T.ff InprPflklnr
Statistics are very misleading, says a
doctor in the Gtote-Deinoerat, and I think
it ia susceptible of proof that the average
of longevity i getting higher all the
time. Epidemic diseases, which con
tribute so largely to the depopulation of
thickly settled districts, are becoming
less and less destructive every year al
most in exact ratio, I may say, to the in
crease in therapeutical knowledge. Look
how yellow fever was kept down in
Florida this pat summer, under condi
tions equally aefavorab'e to its spread as
those which obtained at Memphis in
1878, when such fearful mortality pre
vailed. And, then, see what surgery
has done. There isn't anything in the
way ot accident work that is not per
fectly! understood by the experienced
surgeon, save, possibly, lesions of the
brain ana injuries xo iae pemuueum,
Even the latter has, time and again, been
saccesfully treated by the prompt use of
knife and needle. Surgery has been reduced,-
or maybe "raised "would sound
better, to the status of exact science;
and all that materia medica lacks is a
better knowledge of the operation of
remedies upon different constitutions,
and that knowledge is rapidly being ac
quired. The proportion of deaths to
cases j of J axkne-sj reported in all our
medical meetings is growing smaller all
the time, the same rule holding witntne
hospital reports. These are some of the
reasons why I say the people of this age
have passed the lowest point in heir-"
longevity record, and by the same token
it can never cet so low again, until medi
cal knowledge becomes .retrogressive, 1
rVi it!w! ia Inner wflv ahead, ac
cording to my idea.