. ' "W. MetchcrAusboiijEditor and Manager.
'FOR GOD. FOR COUlfTilY AND FOX TRUTBS
$1.00 a yearin adrance.
VOL. VI:
PLYMOUTH, N. C, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 1891.
NO. 19.
SOMO OR SIOH.
When bright skies seem far away,
Smile, and think December's Hay I
When the snow falls day and night
Weave it Into roses white !
Kever mind how dark the akj
If you sing you'll never sight "
Old world, as she rolls alonr, -
Still makes muslo sings a song I
Every bird on every tree
- Makes some sort o' melody !
' Can't you sing, or can't you toy?
It you sing you'll never sigh I
Every wayside has a rose, .
Every storm a rainbow shows
When you see the sun decline,
Give the stars a chance to shine t
, Bee the sun the stars on high
Bing your song nnl never sigh !
' ' Frank L. Stanton.
A Matrimonial Venture.
T war the old, old
story. Bat, as a
matter of introduc
tory fact, this tale
throughout is of a
character very corn
ea oo place.' ,Mr.
Jacob "Wit ham
wanted a wife.
In seeking, tow
ever, for a partner
wifh wlinm ta fth&ra
iiis same, liberty and other heredita
ments, he resorted to the not unprece
dented but somewhat unconventional
taethod of publishing his craving in
the newspapers of San Franoisco.
Moreover, the advertisement was not
hidden away in that wearisome laby
rinth of type popularly termed the
Want ads," but in bold face occupied
at least ten squares of display. It
tead: 'V:-.
"I want a wife. I am a thirty-flve-year-
ld, a thoroughbred and square. I own
'4.009 cattle, 600 horses, have (20,000 sunk,
Jand. barring blizzard?, northers and other
visitations of a glorious climate, shall never
tighten the cinch strap for hunger. That's
(ail. Where 13 the. woman? ' She must be un
'der twenty-five and show up a registered
jpedlgroe. Jacob Witham, Quemadura Flat,
California." - . . . .
- But' Mr, Witham's aspiration, pro
claimed beyond all misinterpretation,
was destined to bo considered by an
individual manifestly unsuited to its
requirements. In a cozy parlor within
the aristocratic limits of San Fran
Cisco it had caught the eye of one
Frederick Weldon, and to that gen
tleman's handsome features it brought
ja smile of amusement. Possibly he
Jwaa contrasting the advertiser's po
sition with his own he was being en-
wifely adaptations. And yet such" was
not the exact trend of his thoughts.
Miss Dorothy Halsted was a very
pretty girl and, withal, charming.
Moreover she was, at that moment,
'seated beside him on a low sofa, and
er dainty head, seemed as if -created
jby nature to -rest confidingly on some
strong, male shoulder. Bat San Fran
cisco was graced with many of her
kind. They were all attractive; he
jloved'tho Bex. ' ' .
But in Mr. Witham's announce
ment, which he had carelessly lifted
tfrom a table at his elbow, Fred dis
cerned an opportunity for possible di
Version, and he extended it to his com-
panion.
"Let's apply," was his suggestion.
Miss Halsted smiled.
"I am only nineteen," she returned.
i"I can wait a year or two longer be
fore resorting to any such desperate
means."
Fred was on his knees (metaphori
cally) at once.
j "Dolly ! Miss Dolly 1" he ejaculated,
reproachfully.
j.-. But-. his assumption of tender. de
precation elicited only a ; light, rip
pling lau.jh. It i to be feared that
'.the young girl deemed all such cour
teous platitudes her just tribute. Nor
need it be stated with what equally
J tpecious phrases she diverted the con
versational bark into other channels;
suffice to sav that she exhibited the
skill ot an adept.
I. Meantime, however, Fred retained
the 4 newspaper, and after a brief In
terval he again asked :
I IITVIin nn anonraw 19 I'll urrit.A tVlfl
Jetter and you copy it. Then we'll
'enclose the photo, of an actress if
you can find one consistent with his
lidea of a 'registered pedigree and
'await results."
Again Miss Halsted laughed, but it
waa only a musical murmur, manifest
ing little appreciation ; she even ap-
ipeared somewhat bored by hia persist
icy, KeT?rtlieleMjhjBroMtaa pro
cured the materials requisite for cor
respondence. "But what name will I sign?" she
asked, when at last ' it had been cop
ied. ' .
"You might use a ; composite," was
the reply. "Yes, that's it; make it
Dorothy Weldon.",
The young girl colored and lowered
fier eyes. But she accepted the sug
gestion, and over such pseudonym
was the letter sent. ':,'.
As an epistolary precursor of future
hymenial joys it was a masterpiece'
or, so, at least, Fred averred. It was
to be presumed that the unknown Mr.
Witham' was a cattle baron i. e., a
cowboy on whom fortune bad smiled
therefore, all stilted elegance of
phraseology was avoided. Moreover
the gentleman appeared to desire a
wife considerably his junior and for
that reason a certain maidenly coy
ness and naivete were necessary. But
Fred -was equal to the task. "Miss"
Weldon . was ashamed) almost afraid;
to address Mr Withan. She was
alone, however, and with no one to
advise; was what people vulgarly
termed a "shop" girl. She. had also
been told that gentlemen in his walk
of life retained much of that chival
ry element of disposition long since
extinct in large cities. Wherefore she
trusted and believed that he would
accord her communication that confi
dence befitting her own sincerity.
Fred contemplated this last bit of
flattery with a smile of complacency.
"He'll not swear at his cattle for a
week after that," he observed. Then
he consigned the letter to his pocket.
Quemadura Flat was isolated from
railroads, and ten days elapsed before
an answer was reoeived. A brief note
from,Miss Halsted addressed, by the
way, to "Miss" Dorothy Weldon ac
quainted Fr.ed of. its arrival, and with
in the snug precincts of her dwelling
he found that young lady considerably
amused. Mr. Witham's reply was
certainly in keeping with the adver
tisement by which it had been pre
ceded. ." . .
"My Dear Miss Weldon," it began.
"Thanks for your letter. Thanks,
too, for your picture. I .' also thank
God that I have been permitted to re
ceive them. Perhaps that sounds like
a stampede of fervency, but I'm more
accustomed to stampedes than to writ
ing . letters. Therefore, when I tell
you that I like your points you can
back my words." '
And thus launched upon the sea of
correspondence involved in four
pages of very iunfashionale" paper
he continued. He reiterated all he
had previously published, and added
considerably unimportant details, of
which reference to certain bankers in
Los Angeles comprised no small part.
Nor was Fred's allusion to cowboy
chivalry without its effect, for in con
clusion he went on:
"As to your own right to your
brand, no further remarks are neces
sary. I have seen your face (on paper),
and I have hearil you -talk I know
the yelping of a sneaking coyote, and
I never yet failed to recognize the
jeweled hide of a rattlesnake. That's
alL" " V- ' 7.. ;
With this, however, Miss Halsted
appeared less agreeably diverted.
"There's a rough, Quixotic credence
about it that approaches pathos," was
her amusing comment, .
Fred laughed. "
"He does put it rather neatly," he
vouchsafed, "but he's only a cowboy,
Dolly ; and, besides, this is only his
first; who knows what a mind of lev
ing tenderness he may yet develop?"
" . The young girl shook her head.
i "You, perhaps; not me," she re
turned. "X shall write no more."
"But, Dolly, think of the"
"I know the -fun," Miss Halsted
interposed. . ""But it's not . 'fnn for
iiim, and I refuse to continue."
. Neverthless another letter was 'writ
ten, and in Dolly's delicate chiro
graphy, Nor did Fred's subsequent
expression of satisfaction arise wholly
from the epistle itself, rather from the
young girl's subservieuce to his wishes.
As before, a lapse of ten days
brought the reply. So," also, did eaoh
such "succeeding interval for several
months1 thereafter. And they cer
tainly yielded no small fund of en
tertainment.' The writer, albeit he
invariably answered by return mail,
was by no means of a loveworn dis
position; he strayed into anecdote,
thence to humor, and with results ia.
n crude way, infinitely amusing.
Fred, too, it has since been asserted,
soon viewed the correspondence from'
another standpoint; and, indeed, it
did permit him io visit Dolly with a
frequency prohibited by convention
ality. . -' : :' '
But it must be confessed that Mr.
Witham speedily began to chafe un
der the restraint of confining words taT
a mailbag. . Each letter .contained its
appeal that he be permitted to visit
the city. Nor were his plaints with
out a certain element of the pathetic. '
His ranch was sixty miles from civil
ization and' refinement ; that sixty
miles he now traversed to receive
only a letter.
"And he's scarcely to be blamed,
Dolly," Fred once observed. ".Think
of what his longing would bo had he
seen your own features,, instead of
Mile. Clio's!" Then he contem
plated the girl's fair face with a smile,
and turning away, hummed a bar of
something about a "letter that never
came." .
Meantime, however, there arrived a
day when the newspapers again had
occasion to publish Jake Witham's
name. It was only a brief notice,
telegraphic," and recounting the de
struction by fire of Quemadura Flat,
the settlement wherein thet gentle
man received his man. He had been
prenent at the time presumably
awaiting the customary letter and
had generously donated $500 to those
rendered homeless.
As the item met Fred's eye a change
came over his faoe, and, clipping it
from ihz paper; he conveyed it to
Miss Halstead.-
"I'm rather sorry, after all, Dolly,
that we selected such a man for a fool,"
he 6aid, with a seriousness, to him,
unusual. "He certainly appears to
have a heart, and a big one."
Dolly smiled, albeit somewhat sa
tirically. "It's the dollar, not the sentiment,
Avith you, Fred," she astutely re
turned. - .
Fred made no reply. Possibly his re
spect for gold was a characteristic ad,
mitting no denial.
But the young girl was again perus
ing the report, and in the last line she
encountered four words previously
unnoticed "Mr. Witham badly in
jured." .
Her face vaa slightly paler as she
looked up.
"Ho's given more than his dollars,
Fred," she said, in a low tone.
Fred looked grave. At the same
time there was depicted in his expres
sion a vague sense of relief.
"Well, that lets us out," he re
turned. ' 'To tell you the truth, Dolly,
I was beginning to wonder how wo
could extricate ourselves gracefully."
But Fred erred, and that gravely, ix
believing he was to escape thu3 easily
from the correspondence which he bad
begun. Three days later he was again
summoned into Miss Halsted's pres
ence, and that young lady met him
with a look oi blank dismay. She had
received another letter from Mr. Wit
ham, and of a character vastly dissimi
lar to those of earlier date. More
over, a small package accompanied the
the letter. Within reposed a ring
whose glistening stone was worthy to
grace even Dolly's taper fingers, and
the sender was following the ring.
M "Here !" the young girl ejaculated,
almost tearfully. "He's coming here I"
Fred knitted his brow; manifestly
he was disconcerted, and he took the
letter from her: hand. 'But there was
no loophole for misconstruction. The
writer was no longer an appealing
swain, suing for favor; he had met
with an accident had narrowly es
caped death, and by it was warned
that delay-frequently detailed disaster.
At the closing statement, however,
Fred exhibited some slightrelief, Mr.
Witham did not intend ."roping o
wife" ' as he would a 6teer unan
nounced. He would await Mis3 Wel
don'a pleasurt at the Palace Hotel.
VAnd we'Jl have to meet him there,"
Fred declared, in a tone of despera
tion.'; - , , ,
"We I" the young girl exclaimed.
"I'm not Miss Weldon."
"Well, I. will, then," Fred returned.
"But what will I tell him that you're
Bict, dead, or have left the city?"
Miss Halatead shok her head.
"That would only mean procrastina
tion, with an explanation still to be
made," sha sanl, dubiously. "No; if
you are going to meet him if you
daro to meet him tell him the truth. "
Fred winced. It had not previously
ocourred to him that an enoounter
with Mr. Witham might entail bodily
discomfort.
"Do do you suppose he'll fight?'
he queried, half absently.
"I hope so; you deserve it,".wa
the young girl's reply. Then she
paused ' and her eyes sparkled mis
chievously as she - noted her com
panion's dejection. "No; I don't
mean that, Fred," she added; "I
would not like you to get hurt. But
you must see him." '
"And I will, Dolly," .was Fred's
earnest rejoinder, bis love for hsr sex
fast tending toward centralization!
"For you I'd interview that gentle
man who buys his shoes at the far
rier's." - - ..v'.."--.
But words are not actions.. The
following day was nearly at an end
when Fred entered the Palace Hotel
and glanced over the register. In
wardly he was praying that the name
of Witham should not appear upon its
pages; that its owner 'might be re
posing beneath' a wrecked train, shot
by express robbers, intoxicated by
the wayside anything. But there
it was, and' at sight of it he repaired
to the barroom.
That courage, however, which is
attributed to Holland appeared to
have lost its pptenoy, and he soon re
turned to the office. His hand trembled
as he drew a card from his pocket ;
but it had to be done, and he tendered
it to the clerk.
"Mr. Witham," he said, tersely.
Five minutes later a speakiLg tube
wheezed, and he watched the clerk.
But the suspense was of -.brief dura
tion. Yes; Mr. Witham was in and
w ould be pleased to see Mr. Weldon
at once.
Fred drew a long breath, then
straightened up and walked toward
the elevator. Hitherto he had never
entered one of those elevators at the
Palace without speculating on their
safety, but now he wished it would
rail. lie even contemplated, mentally,
hi'i own bruised and u: angled remains,
and the consequent press notices. Bnt
it reached the third floor without
mishap.
The bellboy, too, seemed as if bent
upon hastening the calamitous work
for he at once conducted him to the
door of Mr. Witham's room and tapped
loudly on the panel. ' ,
"Cornel" was the cheery renponse
that floated through the transom, and
Fred shuddered. Then he pulled him
self together and turned the knob.
But on the threshold he paused.
Mr. Witham the "cowboy" was
seated within, and of exterior he was
not at all formidable. His features,
albeit bearded, were boyish, pleasant
and rather handsome, and his attire
was that affected by a man of the world.
But it was not with him that Fred was
now ooncerned Dorothy Halsted was
seated on his knee.
Fred was like a man dazed by some
sudden revelation ; he seemed, almost,
to stagger. But the "cowboy"' smiled.
Then lifting Dolly he deposited her in
his own seat and advanced with ex
tended hand.
"My wife, .Mr. Weldon," he ob
served lightly. "We have had her
father's blessing ; I trust we have
yours."
Fred stared ; he was yet like one in
the dark, and he scarcely noticed the
hand which clasped his own. .
But he was speedily enlightened,
and by Miss Halsted or, rather, the
former Miss Halsted herself. .
"Yes, Fred," she said with a wealth
of smiles and blushes, "we must con
fess to a little deception. My own
photo and not Mile. Clio's was in
closed in your first letter, and after
the second my my husband alwaya
wrote two letters, one for us and one
for me. And really, Fred, I think his
appreciation of the situation infiu
enced me iu6t a bit in what has
happened."
' Fred bowedvery coldly ;he was
himself again.
"It all goes to show," he afterward
averred, ' 'ih&t women can't be trusted,
even in matters of jooular entertain
ment." New York Press.
Soms One Had Blundered.
What's the price ci these goods?
Eighty cents a yard, madam.
Whv. that's quite reasonable I"
?'Oh er I wuV have made a mis
take 1" PacH. ...
UNCLE SAM'S CASH.
FACTS OF
UMTKD
INTKRKST ABOUT
STATES MONEY
Counting Coins at the TreasuryA
Yault oa Wheels Guarding Hank
Note Peals Packing and
- Sealing the Bills.
T""70REIGN copper coins fre
' quently turn up at the United
JL- States Treasury here, many of
them being ia crculation,
ays Bene Bache in a Washington let
ter. Some of them have a current
value in countries abroad of very
much less than a cent. Beng of the
same size as cents, or nearly, they
will pass fairly well cn this side of the
water. , Not long ago a man was ar
rested and sent to the penitentiary
for importing Austrian pfennigs into
the United States. He procured them
by the bushel. The Government suf
fers some loss by the abrasion of gold
coins rubbing together in bags. A
century ago a method frequently
adopted by "clippers" was to Bhake
gold pieces in bags for the profit of
the wear. Modern swindlers have
gereatly improved on that process by
using an electric battery to remove a
thin coating from the coins. Of
course, the great majority of the coins
counted pass muster, being good and
not too much worn for circnlation.
They are put up in paper envelopes
and in cloth bags ; also in rouleaux of
paper. The rouleaux are called
"cartridges." The little sheets of pa
per out of which they are, made are
cut and printed at the Bureau of Eu
graving. An employe in the counting
division of the Treasury devotes all of
her time to rolling them, using a
rouni stick for the purpose. They
are of various sizes, according as they
are intended to"' contain dimes, quar
ters, halves, dollars or nickels. Each
cartridge is marked - on the outside
with the amount and denomination
of the contents; as, for example,
"Five dollars, dimes ; Treasury, U. S."
The filled rouleaux and paper envel
opes are weighed finally, to make sure
that the contents are correct. The
tame thing is done with the bajs of
coins. All of these bags are made in
Cincinnati by a big dry goods firm
that has a contract with the Govern
ment. They cost from eight-tenths
of a cent to eight and three-tentns
cents. The smallest ones, for pennies
and nickles, are of ordinary cotton
cloth; the biggest, which hold $1030
in silver each, are of a good quality of
duck. The Treasury, in sending out
the money to banks and other appli
cants, gives these bags away. They
cost Uncle Sam $6oOQ per annum.
Bags containing $50 or more are sewn
up, tied and tagged, a wax seal being
put on over the string. Each bag
bears the initials of the counter and a
note of its avoirdupois weight.
In the same room where the coins
are counted at the Treasury the seals
are put on all of the paper money of
the United States. The notes and cer
tificates come from the Bureau of En
graving complete except the seal. All
of the paper cash is conveyed from
the Bureau of Engraving to the Treas
ury in a steel clad wagon, that is like
a vault on wheels. At present the
Treasury is receiving from the Bureau
of Engraving forty packages of paper
money each day. Each paokageoon
sists of 1000 sheets, with four notes
on each sheet. Thus, a package of
ten dollar notes represents $10,000, or
. - . - A . 3
similar package or one xnousanu
dollar notes would hold $4,000,000.
The note Jor $1000 is the biggest de
nomination now printed. The Gov
ernment has issued, notes for $10,000
each, but they are only regarded as
curiosities now. On arrival, the con-
tents of the packages are counted.
Then the money goes to the press
room, where there are six small
presses, wnicn are empioyea xor me
sole purpose of putting the seals on
the certificates and notes.The engraved
eteel seals are put away every night in
a safe. ' -
It would be regarded as little short
of a calamity if an impression from
nna of these seals erot away. The ut
most care is taken to prevent any ao
iAint, nfithia kind. Everv dav a
great manv sheets of blank paper are
put through the presses to make sure
that the prints of the seals are per feet
in repect to clearness and color. Lvery
impression is registered by an auto-
matio contrivance attached to each
press, ana znuvt ua touuvdu
nightNJke seals pn the finished notes
count foreman, the impressions oa
blank sheetaWt. many mo're, and
the total must corpoad exactly with
the'reading of the Agister. At the
end of the day all of theSk sheet
bearing impressions are buriTby the
chief of the division, James Al
pie. V- For the printing Naf these seahJ
the finest carmine ink' is used. I ia
maAa from cnnhinp.&l inRActa . Thnii"
may be said that bugs have something
to do with the production of Uncle
Sam's paper money. In old. limes the
completed sheets of notes were trimmed
and separated by hand with shears. It
was for this purpose that women were
first employed by General Spinner.
Now . the sheets are put through a ma
chine ' which has small revolving
wheels carrying knives. As they come"
out on the other side, the employe
who receives them gathers them four-'
by-four and places them in a pile. The'
notes as they come from the Bureau of
Engraving are numbered in sequence,'
and it is required that they shall be
kept in that order when put up in
packages.
' As soon as she hasreceived 100 notes
from the machine, the operator puts
an elastic band around . them. The
bundle is then passed to : another em- -ploye,
who counts the notes, making
sure that the amount is right and that
the numbers are in sequence. When " .
she has accumulated forty bundles of
100 notes each, she delivers them to a
man in - the corner of the room, who' ..
occupies a wire cage. He wraps nn
the forty bundles, making one pack-
age of them, which he seals with the;
Treasury seal in red wax. Then ho
puts on a label indicating the amount
represented, with the denomination .
and number of the notes. The initial
of the counter and of the sealer, with!
the date, are affixed. Finally, the1
package goes to the reserve vanlt. j
Technically speaking, it is not real)
money, though finished, and will not
become such until it is taken up in'
the cash amount of the Treasury. ,
The sealer, John T. Barnes, is on
of the most trusted men in the employ' ,
of the Government. , He sealed the
first package of paper money that waa"'
printed by the United States. If ho '
wished to, he could get away with '
millions undetected. There is noth
ing to prevent him from substituting
a "dummy" fora little bundle of notes
containing $100,000, and he might re r,
peat this' operation a good many times .
before he was found out. The bun
dles abstracted he might easily put in '
his pocket. Most of ' the packages
which he seals up are-not cpened for
many months. But the United States
Treasury, like other backing concerns,
accepts the theory that it is neceasdry
to trust somebody. -
The trimmings produced inciden
tally to the cutting apart of the notes -are
portions of the distinctive fiber
paper used by the Government for its,
paper money. These scraps are shaken
out at the end of the day to make Bure
thatnqthing valuable is among them,
and then they are packed carefully in
boxes to be sent to the Bureau of En
graving and there reduced to pulp by
boiling. Congress has put a penalty .
of fifteen years imprisonment and .
$5000 fine on the offense of possessing,
unlawfully, the smallest scrap of this
paper.
Washington' Pavements.
"Washington to-day,V 6ays a corre
spondent, "has more : tphalt pave
ments than any. city in the country, .
with the exception of Buffalo. ,. Of the
164 miles of improved fctreets in Wash
ington ; seventyone - are pavea ; wuu
asphalt, making ' J,773.0i7 square
yards. For the streets on whioh ha ivy
hauling is done cobblestone is gener
ally used. Of this pavement fourteen
and a half miles have been laid. The
heavy grades have beau principally
paved with granite blocks, of whicu
twenty-eight and one-halt milas uavj .
been laid. In the northeast sszt.oa
of the city the asphalt block has been
found to answer the parposa vcry'
satisfactorily, aud over thirteen miles
have been put down withiu recent
yearB. There are still tweaty;:lre .
miles of streets laid with coal tar .ul
eleven and a half of ma:adaLi."--Detroit
Free Pref S. .
Electric heating in this country is
said to be nearing the stage at which a
large proportion of the community
will be able to avail themselves cf its
benefits.