North Carolina Newspapers

THE- AN EXCELLENT ADVERTISING MEDIUM. fftRial ('(ran nf Washin?f on Rnuntv o FIRST OF ALL-THE KEWS. Circulates extensively in the Counties of Martin, Washington, Tyrrell and Beautor Job Printing In ItsVarlous Branches. J .OO A YEAR IN ADVANCE, "FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY, AND FOR TRUTH." SINGLE COPY, 5 CENTS. VOL. IX PLYMOUTH, N. C, FKIDAY, FEBECARY 4, 1898. NO. 20. THE FAITHFUL COUPLE. "yon are still a youth to me, John, You are still my bonny beau ; The same as when we plighted troth Pull fifty years ago ! The same as when our wedding bells Bang out so glad and gay." And here the good wife breathed a sigh And shook her looks of gray. "It seemeth strange to me, John, Who married you for aye, Who holds the ring you gave me as The appie of my eye, To see the youngsters ne'er content To give their hearts and hands, As we did in the Rood old times. Without the scrip und lands ! r 1 The Wrong: Note. i When I left the train at Elmwood pud found that no one was there to ' meet me I was surprised. Twice I walked around the station vainly peer ing into the gathering darkness iu search of the Torriugton trap. I was nonplussed, for I saw nothing but a rickety public hack, with a rickety horse and a rickey driver importuning me to become his fare. Loath to be lieve my eyes, I sought the station agent. "Wasn't Mr. Torrington's carriage here to meet this train?" I asked. The man shook his head. "It was down for the 3 o'clock," he replied. "Took a gentleman off." This announcement served to in crease my perplexity. Here I, hav ing been formally asked to spend Sun day at a house and having formally accei)ted, was coiiqielled to make my way thither iu a public conveyance, while another had been met at the station and ' carried off in comfort. 'Over this unusual condition of affairs I puzzled mv brain on the drive out to Torrington's. The discomfort of my position was heightened by the in creasing darkness, for the rickety horse made no very good speed, and I realized that the dinner hour was rap idly approaching. But at length we rat tled through the gates and up the drive to the house. Maria Torrington greeted me on the veranda, which, was so illy lighted that I could hardly see her face; yet it struck me that there was confusion in her tone. "I'm very glad to see you," she said. "It's a surprise, indeed." . "Surprise?" I said. "You knew I was coming." "Er-yea," she murmured, hesitat ingly. "But it's so late we'd given you up. You must hurry for dinner. Hobson, show Mr. Bottomley his room." Here a tall fignre loomed ?;a ot tut darkness into the foreground, and be fore I evmW foilow the servant who hud taken my bag my hand was seized aid a heavy voice said: "Hello! old man; glad to see you." "Why, hello, Brooks!" I exclaimed. "I'm glad to see you." "Glad to see you glad to see you," I repeated,-as I followed Hobson into the hall and up the stairs to my room. Glad to see Dick Brooks! Glad to see the man with whom I had been racing for two years for the fair prize below. When the servants had gone and I was alone I stamped the floor vigorously aud tore open my bag with such violence as to send the contents scattering in every direction. This thing was getting unpleasant. I could overlook the lack of hospitality in al lowing me to make my own way to the house; I could forget her evident surprise at my coming after I had been formally invited by her mother and had as formally accepted; but I could uot forgive her asking Dick Brooks aud myself at the same time and driv ing him home in triumph, as it were. I was angry so angry that I crum pled three ties in dressing and started down to dinner with tan shoes on, and ,when I finally entered the drawing foom to find the family awaiting m ?. T remembered that I had forgotten to brush my hair and was conscious that it was all standing out at the back. It seemed that, flustered and dishevelled, I was making a very poor showing in comparison with the immaculate Brooks. - "I am very glad to see you," said Mrs.. Torriugton, cordially. "It's a special pleasure, as we understood you weren't " Maria glanced sharpjy at her mother, and the kindly woman. stopped, flushed, aud added: "As we were afraid you weren't com ing. ,,:The train must have been late. But come." I shall , never forget the dinner that follow'ed. It seemed as though there was a pall over the little company, or, rather, imyill but Brooks. He is a liu it, and, seeming of us were em- by some se- he pro- lgs and ltion. "I didn't bring you much. John, Aud you had little more; But we had health in place of wealth And plenteous joys in store. And through the joy and strife, dear, We each one did our part ; And now we've one another still, As wo Lad at the start. "The times have sadly changed, John, Since you and I were young ; The marriage tie is lightly held And many a heart is wrung. And yet you're young to me, John, And still my bonny beau ; The same as when we plighted troth Full fifty years ago !" -Mrs. M. A. Kidder, in New York Ledger. family," I said, once we were out of of the mother, the small the father and the shining hearing brother, rival "I think we had cause to be sur prised," she said, coldly. "Cause!" I cried. "I received a note from your mother on Thursday asking me down for Sunday. I ac cepted." "You declined," she said, in a tone that brooked no contradiction, "and so I telegraphed to Dick to come down. See what a position you placed ine in. I couldn't let him know he was second fiddle." We had stopped walking, and she stood facing me in the light of a win dow. Her glance was one of deep reproach. "We are always glad to have you, as you know, but this time it is just a little embarrassing." "But I accepted," I maintained, stoutly. "Your note said plainly, 'I regret that another engagement prevents my " "Jove! " I broke into a laugh. "What are you swearing about? I don't see anything particularly amus ing." How stupid I had been from the first. "Why, Maria," I said, "it was my fault, and until this minute it never occurred to me. I got your mother's uote ou Thursday I had an engage ment to meet a lawyer late this after noon to try and settle a case I am con cerned in. As I couldn't attend to the busing t and catch the last train out I determined to try and postpone the matter. So I wrote two notes one accepting, the other declining the invitation. I took them both down town next day, and as the attorney consented to my iiostponing the meet ing I mailed the acceptance." "You mean you got them mixed and sent the wrjjr one," she said. A half smile lighted hSfraflfe for an instant, to give place to a settle(T,iljnok of dis pleasure. "And I wiredto Dick Brooks." I laughed quietly. "What are you laughing at?" she asked. "Brooks must be puzzled over you having us down here together." She resented this inference as to our mutual relations by turning sharply and, carrying herself with Ex aggerated erectness, entered the house, with me following crestfallen at her heels. . Brooks was puzzled; so extremely puzzled that he hardly said a word at breakfast, but was quiet and thought-1 fuLan unusual mood for him. I could see that he had an important piece of engineering on hand and tried to block his schemes-, but despite my subtle moves he succeeded in inducing Maria to take him out to the pond and show him the trout. For a time I chafed in the library under Mrs. Torrington's verbose recital of the difficulties of se curing funds for a certain deserving hospital, and at length.unable to bear the restraint longer, rather abruptly excused myself to take a stroll about the place. My steps carried me in the direction of the pond, down t!he drive, over a stretch of lawn, through a grove, till I was halted at the sight of two hats protruding over the top of a bush a few yards away. "Maria," 1 heard Brooks say in a more earnest tone than I had deemed him capable of assuming, "I have waited now for a year for an answer. Sometimes my hopes have been raised raised only to see you shower kind ness on that fellow " I whistled to the collie that had been bounding along near by, and when Maria Torrington and her com. panion stepped hurriedly into view I cried "Hello!" Brooks looked foolish and replied "Hello!" Then he began stirring the dead leaves with his stick. For a moment all of us must have looked foolish, as Maria, her face crim son, stared blankly at a distaut tree top, while I leaned over aud fell to patting the shaggy dog. The silence was broken by the girl. She had completely recovered her composure, and, fixing her eyes on me, said: "Harry, as you have doubt less heard, Dick Mr. Brooks has just asked me to marry him." "Asked for the thousandth time, uttered Brooks. His clean-shaven e was turning red from the tip of hin to where the hair divided. A ldom objects to having it known, attentive to a woman, but to blazon it forth to all the his worst rival in partic ular, and iu his presence, is not so agreeable if he occupies the position of one rejected. "And yon have also asked me," Maria Torrington went on, with a cool ness that would have astounded me had I not known her. "Yes," I said, stupidly, "asked you frequently." g "I like you both very much," she said, '"xingher eyes on Brooks, who was still fumbling his stick among the leaves. It hardly seemed fair that she should look so kindly on my rival, so I called her eyes back to me by asking, "Can't you choose between us?" "No," she replied, after a moment of thoughtful silence, "I've tried very hard to, but 1 can t. Apian ot choos ing was suggested to me by your un expected coming." "We are both to go away and stay away?" growled Brooks. "One may come back." "I?" Brooks started eagerly tow ard her. She raised her hand in warning. "I don't know which," she said. "There is an old saying about mar riage being a lottery. I propose to increase the chances. If you two con sent I shall carry out at once the scheme that I have got up after long and careful thinking." "Are we to toss a penny?" I asked. "No. This afternoon I shall write two notes, one an acceptance, the other a refusal. They-will be put in plain envelopes, mixed up, directed and mailed. The one of you who receives the refusal shall " "Commit suicide." Brooks' gloomy countenance gave credence to a suspicion that in event of his receiving the wrong note he would resort to self-destruction. The girl, however, speedily crushed all hopes of such escape from sufferiug. "You shall not!" she cried. "If you do I shall uever speak to either of you again. " There was a long silence, and then Maria looked from one to the other of us and said, earnestly: "You'll agree to my plan, won't you?" "There is nothing else that we can do," said I. "Nothing," repeated Brooks. In fact the scheme rather appealed to me, for of late things Lad not been going so smoothly as I could V ive de sired. It had seemed at times as though Brooks was drawing away from me in the race. Now a chance had been offered. Once for all the question would be settled. Then, my luck was usually good. The plan was not so agreeable to my c ival. Doubt less he tbit that he had the advantage of me and in entering into such a game was gambling to obtain what was al ready almost his own. He had no other course but to assent, though, and he did it with rather bad gme. "It seems hard," he said fca Maria, "but you will it, and I.o&ey." "It is agreed, thrfn;" said she. Brooks and I liowed. The three of ks walked back to the house. J .war up early next morning at my rooms in town. I had calculated everything to a nicety. The postman would reach the house at 8.10 o'clock. The train for Elmwood left at 9 o'clock. Provided the contents of the note that I expected were satisfac tory, I would just have time to break fast and reach the ferry. Should the note prove to be the wrong one, I cer tainly would not need any breakfast and much less to catch a train. I had 'f en awake at dawn; excitement had ulriven sleep from my eyes, and the dragging hours gave me more than inple opportunity to figure out my ances. I revolved over and over again iu my miua tne nistory ot my acquaintance with Maria Torri lgton. I reviewed my own life and picked out incidents in it in which luck had played a part, and I found such a bal ance in my favor that I was almost convinced that it was useless for me to worry over the outcome of the game of chance I was playing. Having brought myself to a state of compara tive confidence, I began to pack a couple of bags full of clothes, for I had made up my mind to make a long stay at the Torrington house while I was about it. As I stuffed my golf things into a portmanteau I pictured Maria and myself plodding over the links to gether. As I folded up my riding clothes I thought of the gallops we were to have, and I broke into song, and as 1 sabg I forgot all about the note that ' thou on its way to me and worked away us cheerily as though it were but the matter of an hour till I was spee Hug to her. But a loud knock at the door called me back to realities, and when the hallboy held toward me a square envelope addressed in a small, angular hand, I realized that, perhaps, after all my joy had been premaUire. Decidedly prema ture! The note was brief, so brief that in an install? I comprehended its contents, sank into a chair and, tossing the paper from ms repeated the fate ful words: "Miss Torrington regrets that, owing to an6ther engagement, she cannot accept Mr, Blank's kind invitation to become his wife." Why had I ever consenteS to risk all on a mere throw of dice? Why had I tried to win by a gamble what other men worked, waited and suffered for years to obtain' It would not have been so bad ha Harkinsou, who had been out of thoirame a year, won her. But thai suobfcoois! He would never have an opportunity to gloat over me. I would go abroad. k I would exile myself rather than witness ona minute of his triumph. I would take the very next steamer no! After all it would but add to the satisfaction of my rival to have me eating my heart out in some foreign city. Far better to stay right here in New York; to work and become famous, to bring home to the girl a full sense of what she had lost by her foolish lottery. But why should I waste my life in dull office drudgery? Why should I, with a solid income inherited from indus trious forefathers, throw away the good things of this life for an empty bauble, for the sake of a petty revenge on a silly woman. Silly woman? A bold woman who had repaid my homage by gaming with me. Would a true hearted girl, a girl worth having, have played with a man's love as she had done? She was a flirt an infernal flirt. How lucky was I in getting the wrong note how fortunate! I sprang from my chair and danced around the room, singing a snatch of a song. A bag, half packed for the journey, caught my eye, and in a frenzy of joy I kicked it and sent the contents flying over the ioT. A knock at the door interrupted the celebration of my good fortune. It was the hallboy with a telegram. I opened the despatch and read: "Dreadful mistake. Letters got mixed. Sent you wrong note. Come. Makia. " New York Sun. TWO CALVES IN THREE MONTHS. Kemai'kable Performance of a Cow in South Carolina. W. MeC. Venning of Mount Pleas ant is the proud possessor of a cow that has given birth to two calves within the last three mouths. In June she became the mother of a healthy calf. Since then she has been a steady milker, and a few nights ago aston ished the little village by having an other offspring. The second calf is a stent, well-built young animal, and is sporting around to the amusement of the villagers. The first one is almost large enough to eat hay, and is dis posed to fight its younger brother for the mother's affection. The cow is still furnishing milk to her people, and does not seem to think her feat near so strange as the citizens of Mount Pleasant do. For a time A'i hambra Hall is forgotten, and from all sides of the town the children have swarmed to see "de cow vot have two calfs in free month.. But there is no ffike about this cow. If the story is (Labted it will be an easy maTty get bundles of proof aud aJidavits from Mr. Venning and others. The oldest Charlestonian mnnot recall au instance of a cow hav ing made such a record. It is true there have been cows that have given birth to twins. The case is remarka ble, and adds a new phase to cow cul ture, whatever that may be. Many persons who heard of the Mount Pleasant prodigy said it was j all bosh. But it, isn't. Good men, ' and honorable men, and men who know how to vouch for its truth, are prepared to prove it. This cow will go down in history. In years to come she will rival the one in Chicago that kicked over the kerosene lamp, or i even the famous bull of the crockery ; store. Mount Pleasant feels a local pride in the animal, and it is probable I that some official recognition will be taken of her patriotic service, it has been suggested that a jolification meet ing be held and souvenirs in the shape of milk-shakes be presented to the guests; Charleston (S. C.) News and j Courier. Certainly Complimentary. "John," said Mrs. Harkius, heard a nice compliment for you "I to- day. Mr. Harkius put his paper down, twisted up the ends of his moustache, ! looked pleased, and said: " Well, that's nothing so remarkable ' I receive day." eompliments nearly every Airs. riarKins went on sipping nor tea, and her husband waited for her to resume. Finally, he said: "Well, why don't you tell me wba it was? Who was it that compli mented me?" "Oh, you couldn't guess in a week." "Mrs. Deer ing?" he ventured. "No." "Not Bessie Fallington?" he rather eagerly suggested. "No." "Oh, well, of course, if there's any secret about it, I don't care to hear what it is or who said it." "There isn't any secret about it," Mrs. Harkius sweetly replied. "Mr. Hannaford told me that every time he and I met he became more thoroughly convinced that you were a man of ex cellent taste." John Harkius then shoved his bauds down in his pockets and walked out side to think it over. Inducement)! to Build. There are in Vieuna 12G3 old build ings whose owners are guaranteed eighteen years' freedom from taxatiou if they will tear them down and put new structures in their places. Last year 242 owners made use of this privilege.? Philadelphia Ledger. Bioyclesfere used for smuggling on the IroutieB . ot i ranee and Belgmi BIRDS TRAINED TO FISH. PISCATORIAL HARVEST REAPED BY BY THE AID OF CORMORANTS. No I. ess Than 43,000 Fishermen Utilize the Services of This Bird -How Cormor ants Are Taught, and How They Work for Their Owners They Seldom Fail. There are a great many ways of catching fish, but it is to the Chinese, says the Philadelphia Inquirer, that we must give the credit for the most peculiar scheme eVer devised. On most of the rivers there is a great deal of fishing with live birds. That is, the birds do the fishing and the owners of the birds reap the harvest. At most of the smaller sea coast towns also the fishing is carried on by these birds, which are called cormorants. While the seas about and a ound China are supposed lo teem with fish, such is not the case. China is more than overcrowded, and the natives are very fond of fish, dried or otherwise. Nat urally, the fish are becoming scarcer every year, and as a last resort the Chinaman has cutely taken tne cor morant into his confidence and em ploy. While this mode of catching fish is not new to the Chinese, it is to Americans. As a matter of fact, the Chinese have fished with these birds ever since anyone has known anything about China. The Chinese government taxes fish ermen who use more than ten birds. but in spite of that the average owned by each fisherman runs up to twenty, and statistics gathered by the govern ment, aud which have recently been made public, show that there are now no less than 42,000 men using them. The cormorant is very much like the American fish hawk, and ou an aver age measures about five feet from tip to tip of the wings, although the bird only weighs about seven or eight pounds. The birds are very carefully trained, being bred in captivity for the purpose jof becoming fishers, and when about half grown are taken in the boats on fishing expeditions and allowed to vdfifolfthe performances of the otherTnrds for several weeks. WheuHPif permitted to dive, they are secured by a light, strong cord fast ened round the ankle to prevent es cape, and a wooden ring is tied round the neck to keep the greedy and hun gry youngster from s wal lowing the fish he has caught. Both string and ring soon become unnecessary, however, for the bird quickly learns that it must not eat, and that it must return to the boat, and when these ideas are clearly impressed on the corniorantine brain, the Chiuaman's assistant becomes ex tremely valuable. The bird is an ex pert diver, can remain under water several minutes at a time, and, being as quipk as a fish in its movements, it seldom fails of success when dis patched on its errand. The fishers sit on a small perch provided for them in the boat. On beginning business for the day, the fisherman kneels to the idol in the bow of his boat, lights a joss stick, picks up the first bird, and, with a prayer for its success, places it in the water. It instantly dives out of sight, and the Celestial lights his pipe and waits for its reappearance. A mo ment or two later it comes to the sur face of the water, a hundred yards distant, with a fish in its bill, looks round for the boat, toward which it swims with its booty. It is received on board, the fish placed in a barrel of water, the bird is petted, rewarded with a small piece of fish, and No. 2 is dispatched. Thus the fishing goes on all day, the birds eagerly antici pating their turn for business aud, apparently taking great interest in the sport. If a bird fails to procure a fish his master shouts at him a volley of Chinese oaths and signals for him to dive again, and if after a second effort the bird is still unsuccessful, he is angrily pulled into the boat, round- ly cuffed for his failure, and thrown down in the bottom of the craft in dis grace. However, the birds are sel dom unsuccessful, and, after a day's catch has been made, the cormorants are permitted to t'sh for themselves. They are not, however, allowed to eat in their own way what they catch ; to do so would undo the careful work of training. The fish are taken from them, laid on a board and chopped to pieces, while the eager, feathered gluttons watch the operation with glittering eyes. The board is passed iloug in front of the perch, while the fishers help themselves, each gobbling what he can capture. Coins in Statuary Hall. When the pedestal of the statue ol Blair, which Missouri has presented to Statuary hall, was standing in that hall the other day awaitiug its bronze figure, some one noticed that in the ?entre of the stone block was a small square hole. The Missouri delegation was present to watch the placing of the statue, and one of the congress men, fishing through his pockets, found a penny. He put the coin iu the square hole, and also deposited a bit of paper with his autograph. The example was contagious. Every member of the delegation put in a peuny and his name, some curious by standers did likewise, &wky the time that the statue Was pMT 4kpositiou there was almost enoi pedestal to 9iTTR-SWET. The maid 1 loved, and still shall love, What song of mine her praise may ren der? All song could say, she stands above. Beyond all words, being dear and tender. Bright as the stars, yet not so high; Fair as the moon, but far less fickle; Sweet as the lovely months that lie Between the seed-time and the sickle. Oh, were my vows like breezes shy With fragrant sighs to breathe upon her, Oh, were my hopes like flowers to lie About her path to do her honor, Oh, were my voice a silver lyre To sound her praise and sing her glory, My happiness and heart's desire Had not been now an ended storv. P. Ala C.n.nH.. HUMOROUS. u Auoer (sneeringly) W hat on earth, mav I ask. is that mature nf .., tt . , i cently) ror sale, dear boy! oni.iuer nai maK.es toioneypuf hngton so successiul asaconversilfion. alist? Babel He's so taciturn-ive3 the others lots of chance to taV "Do you. peak German?" "Tell yes; but not to natives of tbe Father land, as they evidently ditV not learn the same language as I diL a eoj lege." "Was the bonrj trimmed?" "Very it a x r 1.1. "VT . expensively had a $450 de Snooks. ricif lag oi mo liaison and I fancy thatalone never cost less o, dunn " r Mrs. Gabbleton lam told that Mrs. Hennypeck has lost all hold on her husband, Old Aunt Broadhead Yes; I've noticed that he has shaved off his chin whiskers. Kittie I heard today that you mar ried your husband to reform him. Sarah I did. Kittie Why, I didn't know he had any bad habits. Sarah He had one he was a bachelor. Bill Pluggem Failed in my attempt to hold up that bank cashier. Sam S watte m What was the cause of the failure? Bill Pluggem Over produc tion. I produced one gnu aud he pro duced two. "And are you really going to sing iu the chorus?" "No not exactly. When the manager heard my voice he said he'd let me go into the ballet." "Humph! Xi you had danced for him ae might have let you sing." The Mistress Be very careful, Marie, when you give little Algernon a bath He shrinks from it so. The New Nurse Do he, me'm; that's bad. Wid two or three more shriuki's there'll be nothin' left of him. Bobert I see in the papers that there are germs in bills. Richard What? Is that so? I must give di rections at home, when Dun well conies again with that little bill, to tell him that I do not consider it safe to receive it. "I see," he said, looking up from his paper, "that a couple are to be married in a wild beasts' cage. What folly!" "I don't know," she retorted. "When one has to live with an old bear she might as well get used to it from the start." Aud the curtain dropped. Benevolent Old Gentlemen (point ing a moral to village school children) Now, why do I take all the trouble to leave my home and come over here and sjieak to you thus? Can any boy tell me? Bright Child (innocently) Please, sir, perhaps you like to hear yourself talk, sir. "I know," said the somewhat irre sponsible friend, "that you don't be lieve in signs in the ordinary sense. But don't you sometimes find your self in circumstances which cause presentiments of evil?" "Yes; every time some people ask me for a loan I feel as if I were going to lose money." "She has a wonderfully forgiving nature," said the young woman. "I offended her unintentionally, and when I spoke to her about it she said she was perfectly willing to overlook the past." "Yes," replied Miss Cay enne. "That is a specialty of hers overlooking the past. She says that she is only 28 years of age." Small. -st Electric .Motor. What is said to be the smallest electric motor in the world was made to be woru as a sca' fpin by D.Gordiu, a jeweler and watchmaker of Mc Kinuey, Texas. Complete it weighs one peunyweight and three grains. The front of the motor is of highly polished gold, and the commutator segments are also of gold. Viewed from the front the motor presents only a gold appearance. The field magnets are made of two thicknesses of No. 22 'leetiron scraped down and polished. Jhese are held together with gold screws and wound with No. 28 silk covered wire. The armature is of the four-pole type, and is wound with No. 36 wire. The little brushes are of hammered copper, and are, of course, very thiu. There is a small gold switch on a black rubber base, made with a pin, to be woru on the lapel of his vest. A small chloride of silver battery, carried in the vest pocket, furnishes current for the little ma chine. The motor runs at a very high speed, and its humming can be dis tinctly heard by anyone standing near the wearer. A Pensylvahia slate quarry has juj coumleted tht