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. y W. M. THOMAS, Editor.' DEVO T E D TO HOW 15 1NTERE3TS, LITEBATUR13,,^AND GENERAL IN T E L L IG E N C E . -- - . , , ■ —■i,,— — .—..y •1.50 a Y«ar, In Advance. YOL.: L : ; -•Y ' WOLCOTT, WAYNE CO.?, K Y.? THURSDAY, XOVEMBEB 26, 18Í4. jsro. s. The Old Han at the Fair, Tcxxduaty aud tirod, wife ! I’ y © juit come . i r r 'l Ji'oiao from tho fair;/ •*, 1 ,W f t V e mc^iuy'pipo. aud tobacco', and 111 «moke chair 5 a tiroaomo work a playin’ for feeble old . 1 mon like mo ; HI*« a tirosomo'workj ft’ bcein’ whero «ivory ouo * w U1 ioh toeeo, fftira aro a nimiiu' down-; thoy aro not Uko i O r , .tliofairabf'old: : . ( i n í r heio you took'Ibo prizes for broad, and but ter && 501107 ; m goW •, . v- ‘S b ero woro liuiidrods of useful tilings, that r* worthoein’ B thou, ■ ¿¿Jttow, dozona of lacin’ horse»«, nnd litmdrede of boltin’ mon. *ta 11 thle Bportin’ will load to ia moro than f c I now oan toll; ttjyaoraohow, It ¿corns to. mo like the down- r ward road to h— woll, % aaay bo a liltlo harsh, but I ’m speaking tho : ^ .fkiplo trrvtli, ' ’ S v t VoUitiyracm’f and drinl:iu\ aro tho ioos ; : of our noblo youth, f i f e shall comato a nation o f gamblers, if mat- * I .tera Veop 'on thin w «y; •Tffty, w W . do you think ? a youngetor accused mo of bettin’ to-day ; .>r{f|b.ou I laid my hand on tho hoad— fhat hasn’t ’.'•t econ ton yoara yot— V ‘JLnd called 1 dm a fino littlo fellow, ho aneworod mo buck, “ You bet V* ■* \ , ^ • T a t ! tut! littlo man,” said I, “ that thing I 'v_ .harflucvor douo; Oom o btand by grandpa’d knoo ! lot mo reason with you, my son*” B e hirajgblonod up in his clothoa aud naidf . * with a look to queer, ' 441 didn’t como horo for ‘ proaohiu’ x% old maUj walk oil on your car !‘* \ -”W e uovor heard talk liko th^,t whon you and I woro young, father and mot!>.err—liloaa *om—put a bridlo * S L upon “ V t'onguo, ^ I ’ m old, aud ¿»m gottln' blind, but a dlfforenco i I C^u SCO -- •Tvrh>, tho boy« of oightcon hundred and ■' oigbtocuaovcuty-tliree. iHow ia it about tho girls ? Thoy, too, from the patlihavo strayed;, iidu’t &eo ono a ehoviii' tl»o bnttor her hands ^ ;bad mado ; *' futood in. th.eir pony phretons, with a >'*: .vomati’d'oaftoandgraco ; Afid ehouto1* aa loud aa any whon a favorito ‘ woi* a race. AU e^eb woro watching tho track ; tho racowas i overy man’s themo ; Jkiad t Bald to myaolf, “ Ia this a fair, or is it only a dream ?\ X »aw ’bout a dozen boys lookin’ round at tho slicop and swino, 1 - A**.** tho frosts o f eoTcnty wintore liod'eilvorcd - ’■ thoir heads liko mine. Why on^ooryi don’t thoy change the namo n T ^ 'Vhea tho wxong namo it hat got ? - ^|fc '16bg«r call.:it a fair, but an agricultural I ” * - trot j ' “ , A o n mon v*on't ho takln' things for sensible :c foltistoseo, W itli Nobody thoro to sco ’em but crippled old mouhkomo, ^ /T^»ere, tako my pipo and tobacco I I ’ll uloop in my easy cbair; tiroeomo work a talkin’ about a dcgonorato fair; 'Ton needn’t distnrb mo, wifo, ti!l tho bolls of ‘ h tho evening chime, * i f y o r I may go back in my droama to the fairs of * '* olden time. HOMANCE OF A TEAPOT. -‘tir- Onr grotesque teapot 1 ^“ ^fccidedly ugly, woaring ■3, was an article „„,w o a rm g a permanent •nd clisiigreciiblo grin, and ■with a kind of snuko arrangemout for handlo and ■pout. '■r Tho gentlo associations—the day’s labor doue, tbo drawing in round the Are, tbo family circle, •with no cheering and not inobriutiug results—neom Wholly incompatiblo with tbo uso of iuh an article, and the £]>ectacle of the .iabW fluid poured from suoh a vessel gentle hands almost » painful one. . ‘ « • But I would not part with it for «n y inonoy ; it is held in affection like .' # cbcrislied heirloom. Yet it is dam- ; W ed; indeed, from the network of.lines - ~ y i d ;crack'B .wliiohl covers' it, .even an un- ; **WofessionaVcould see that it had been *' smashed\ into a hundred pieces at ■•Wat. So it has. Ono day it got a fall, ;:,'was dropped, and lay on the floor •hivered iuto a heap of fragments. The «•6toration, deemed impossible at first, , undertakenfor a large sum of fioney,‘ which was, paid with delight, ' that fall brought about what you now going to hear.-. - ' 1 well recollect the day that my dear r.^tfther secured it, and when lie s»id it ‘■'.\J»«« “ a unique.” Wo cor.lu sea no i t *jan ty in it, although we tried hard to -'■.¡•fc so, and as to its uniqueness, we r* 'father thought that was an advantage J a r the world and for the spread of f '• » t e . , ; i ’T/Oneway there, came a ¡surprise, not * - W. say a shook, for mo. That queer MKle Crinkleton, as the neighbors and . 'f y n d s . wonld call him, hadv-booght •dfcae'now tieasures and curiosities, is 1 a stepmother and her daughter. Id nover have had courage to oarry ih a scheme into execntion. Thence- ih. began a new and, for me, terrible « ■—They-tbrought -'no mcmey -with m, though he was persuaded that he » doing what is called “ a g'— »¿ a » r lie y very, soon co n r iD c e iifim c i the « trary. Two moro rapilgfons spoilers Id not be concgj»ro; Every moment ■'■\jfc.the d a y t h y v e r e making an inven- nssflffy pioperty” about them with J^lneBtionibg eye.. An order\#*» *t«rn- -¿iJ^sent forth that all buying was to be N ijk e n up, and that “ good money” was ',-J longer to be squandered for rub- : v lfch . Yet it could: be seen that, with *¡8 cxtnioHinary inconsistency,' they -.^•telicd'jcaTously over every article of property, counting them and tak- good care to ascertain their value. II our life in that house was of a sud- )n changed. Oar poor dear father siaed to shrink and cower away un- thia despotism. As for m «, I felt it all hippinesa was gone and that I '.living ia prison uncUr tbo chart« of jailers. ’ Many Were the littlo furtive -walks he took with mo—1 being ho older than eight or ton years—when we would make our way guiltily to the narrow lane Or street, to gaze at curi osities whioh he- dared not purohaso. It was miserable for mo, whoso hand' was in his, to note his wistful looks, and oven, moro miserable to see that this was but part of his sufferings un der thiB slavery, which grew mors and more galling every day. It was on one of those occasions that we spied tho grotesque teapot. The sight brought tho color to.hia cheeks; for he had nothing of that pattern in the collection. I t was exposed in a poor, moon littlo den—not a ouriosity 1-Bhop‘at all—a kind of Huckster's plaoe. Here the teapot was offered with a view to finding some purohaser who would uso it for the purpose of making te:i. He was enraptured with it. ‘ r H o ; could at least ask tho price. Four and six pence—worth, ho said, five guineas, und would bo worth doublo by-and-byo. As we went out it'was offered for three and six. It was very tempting, but he resisted it then. The noxt day Ii6 took mo out with him for r ■walk, but this was for a second iuspection. He delayed long beforo ho could make up his mind, but nr, last tho purohaso was made, Tlieu it was to bo brought Home, and then came tho difficulty. Where was it to be placed ? for their Argus eyes would detect tho slightest change. But they bad an instinct that something was wrong. The daughter ,waa on a parlor window, i looking up and down' tho \etieet while she ( I always thought of her as though she were a unique, like a teapot) opened the door1 and gavo & policeman-like glance at his figure. The grotesque was hidden away under his coat, but » great protuberance re vealed tho placo of concealment. Wo were both arrested, the trembling vic tim assailed by both women and the grotesque confiscated on tho spot, as, indeed, all his treasures had been al ready. ’ I saw them later inspecting it curiously and with eager eyes, for they had a suspicion of its value, and, after all, trusted to his judgment. Indeed, latterly I noticed that, this pair were inspecting the cabinets, and more thau1 ono* I - had surprised them witli their heads bent down over some little cup or figuro. One day, too, I heard thorn talking earnestly about some one they called “ Dimbley’a man” and what ho had said. This did not make much impres sion, but in a day or two I again heard a remark about JDimbley's man to tho effect that he was coming to-morrow. Iu our next littlo walk, grown cutiou3 about tho matter, I asked my fathor: “ Who is Dimbloy’s man, father ?” Ho started. “ Why V” lie said, “ what about him ? What do you know about him? Who wants him ?” Theso questions were put quickly and with agitation. I told him what I had heard, when ho almost gave a cry and turned sharply round to go homo. “ I see what they nro at. I suspected it. They want to sell the things.” We returned hurriedly—he was in a perfect fever, and, when he entered, Hew to inspeot his treasures, which he found all safo, though ho discovered the two women busily engaged iu peer* ing into the cabinets and handling them cautiously. But with them was a gen tlemanly and fluent personage who was giving his opinion and admiiing the collection. He read tho wholo situation at a glance. Tho color flow to his cheeks, and, with vehemence that was wholly artificial and unnatural, he addressed the party. “ I know well what all this means,\ he said: “ I ’ll not havo it—I'll not al low it. It is robbery. I'll not part with theso things but with my life. Go away, sir,” ho said to tbo gentlemanly man ; “ this is my property. They are not to be valued or sold.” To do him justice, tho gentlomanly man waB much put out at this iueidcnt, and declared truly that he had merely como, as ho supposed, at Mr. Crinkle- ton’s request. And then he took his departure at once. Then my father turned on them. “ Let a finger be laid on my treasures,” he cried, “ and I 'll do some thing desperate. I ’l l send them away to-morrow to some museum—give them sooner than have them scattered. Mind, tako warning, for they are part of my life.” The- two ladies wero ranch taken aback at this sudden explosion, and even tried to soothe him. But for tho rest of the day he was terribly excited, and the following morning was lying ill in bed, with wild eyes and all tho symptoms of fever. A doctor was sent for to attend him— an eminent .practi tioner—who looked grave. Indeed, tho two ladies caught tho reflection from hiB face, and looked gravo and dis turbed. I was tho only one whom ho seemed to recognize, though indistinctly. Again there was. fresh whispering and inspectioa of papers and property. And again his eyes peered out wistfully toward the door, as i f ho could see the spectral images of his collection float ing away in the direction of Dimbley’s. He grew worse and worse, to my in expressible grief. It -one ' morning passed around the.house in a mysterious way that'weT»sre ,to.lose’ , him. f Some o i t n iM M n a in g 'fo r me and ¡took me bi^W h a n d to lead me to him. There s a piteous intelligence in his eye, and a gleam o r light came into it as he saw me. He was moving his arms and pointing and trying to speak. The lady who was his wife kept turn ing up her eyes and shaking her head, as if she would say her wits were gone. But he kept his imploring glance fixed on mo, making as though ho would clutch something in his hand. I was sure—I oould Lave sworn—it was one of his pet treasures, and stole away to wreck my little brain with desperate attempt«. A t first, I thought it mustbe the two precions figure« of Old Bow, representing K itty Olive and Wood ward Martin, as the fine lady and gen- .tleman, and I returned with these in I my hands. A fresli eagerness o«mej into hi« eyes and he seemed to smile and nod lua head, as though it were something near what h* (Wired --'7 ; Soma ourious stnpidity « m m ortr me—or was it iny trouble? for I surely ought to have guessed,,and gone out to choose some other article which'should be tho right one. While I was taking a bird’s-eye glance over the collection, they came running to me again' and I was'dragged in to see thb last friend I had on earth in his agony. * * * ' * f ' ; * So he passed away; and after a soaroely decent interval, the two women were going about with avarioious eyes, eonnting up the treasures. This time there was .no one to interfere with “ ¡Dimbley’s man,” and- the' eminent firm* had pronounced that the wholo, when submitted.to'competition nt^heir well-known mart; .would'' bring a* vast sum. By the will of the deceased col lector, made shortly after his second marriage, tho wholo o f his property was to goJto her and a small pittance was kept for us—that is, for me aud my sis ter, who was at a cheap boarding Bjhool. A great fuss began to bo made about tho (Jriiikleton collection, and it was ¿iscovored that another portion was at some museum iu the country, where it had been exhibited and which was quite as valuable as thut in our houso. The whols, it was expected, would bring £10,000 or £12,000. They were gloating over their prospect. Wo— that is, my sister and I —would bo beg- but that they did not think about. • * By-and-bye the inventory was1 taken, the catalogue made out and the. pros pect discovered to be even more in viting. The men iu green baize ar rived to pack and oarry away. Spring vans stood at tho door. We saw ■ tho wholo stripped gradually—there waB not to be a rolio kept (so I was told) to remind us of the. dear old oollsctor who had brought them together. Vory timorously I begged that thoy would let mo choose something which I might keep as a Souvenir; but an excuse was made that a list had been taken and that it would be impossible to make any alteration now. Utterly bhocked,and almost desperate with rage at such heartlossness, 1 came to the resolution, that I would have ,what I wanted, and determined .to se cure what was associated with ono of the last act's of my father's life at which I had assisted, namely, the old toapot. That should be mine and should not be subjected to the profanation of a ,sale. I did net care for the penalties,-which I knew would be awful; they might put me to a torturo, they should nover know where I had concealed this relic. My plans were laid. I chose a mo ment when they had gono out, and, taking no one iuto my confidence, pre pared to execute the daring eoliemo. it was a nervous task, Tho teapot was placed, with a few other articlos not yet removed, on a high bracket of untiquo pattern, over tho chimney- piece. Even standing on a chair I could not roach i t ; still I was not to be dauuted. I constructed a sort of lad der formed of chairs, which, with much trepidation, I ascended. I secured tho grotesque teapot, but, without over having heard tho Latin 'quotation '1 -FauUis clesccncua,\ I found myselt cordially indorsing its truth, and stood thoro on oi precarious balance, oarefully holding tho treasure and not knowing what to do next. To get down and leavo the teapot, it might bo thought, would bo the simplest courso ; but, with my nervousness and itB own insecurity, the structure now began to totter. The next instant 1 heard her on the stairs. * * * * 1 4 Whon they were tired o f scolding aud btatlng they had gone down stairs; then, after waiting patiently, I watched my opportunity and stole down. They had not thought it worth whilo to ro- move the fragments which lay thero in a heap—the curved handle, tho leering face, the spout, the lid. I gathered them up tenderly, and, as I did so, saw that a small piece of paper, foldod up, was lying, as it wete, partially thrust into the spout. I took it up with the pieces, on tbo,ground that it was a relic of his. that ought to be proserved, and reverently brought the whole mass away to my own room. *■ It seemed hopeless. I tried myself to gluo .the. piece's .together.in many different ways, but it was not to be dono.eave by a miracle—a miracle, how ever, which skilled hands accomplished later. In a sort of despair I laid it aside, and tlien carelessly opened the paper, ; It was signed with his name, which was sufficient to givo it an interest for me. And yet this only made mo. feel moro acutely the cruel loss of the piece of earthenware, which I folt that nothing could ever restoio to us. It was a long time indeed before I set myself seriously to the task of making out what was written on the slip of paper. It began, “ Codicil to m y w jll,” and stated that it revoked the bcqueBt of a particular date, and left all his per sonal property and effects, including the china, which was to be sold off, to his two children. > This I did not quite understand at the time, nor did I see the full force and meaning o f it. But seizing a favor able opportunity. I got out of the house, and hurried to a friendly Mr. Baker—of course bald and benevolent —to show it. . He, started, as he read. ,“ This makes'a mMt'-importAnt dif ference,\ he said ;' “ you must leave it with me, and I will call up in the morn- ing.” ^ ' Everything, as it proved, was ours.< The cruel pair got nothing, savo the small sum uiat had been settled on her atthe'timeof her marriage. The collcotion brought a vast sum, much more than any one had ever an ticipated. . And the teapot, as I havs said, repaired with the most exquisite artr now-reposea in a place of honor. A Pleasant L i f i . —French journal ists mu9t bo expert swordsmen, for they never know (when. they will be challenged tOv a oombat ' One5well- known Farisia^keditor says that last year he fought\n eleven duels, and that he can show ‘an Bis arms and face half a dosen ugly scars from wounds he haa reoeived in- different encounters. These duels are seldom fatal, and the flrst drop of. blood is eonatod for satis faction.' The Sorember Meteen. , Tho remarkable shower of meteors in the year 1799, and its reourreaca in tho years' 1833 to 1839, snys.the'ltew York Timet, gave rise to the1 theory that their appearanoe was no aoaident, but that they might bo expected ¿regularly eaoh thirty-fourth year; and,,for the four or five years immediately succeed ing. Accordingly a third slower was predicted for Ì867, and forith« years immediately following it. Tree to the prediction there did ooour'f’uost re-, maikublo display of moteot» in:18G?, and iu overy November-isttee then there has been a liko phenomenon, ex cept that the number of. shooing tiara has eaoh year decreased oonsUerably. Upon-tho night when' thi*)'pcriodio sho wet'was ♦obe-KkAed <-foil Mw ap pointment was fully kept. It is true that 200,000 stars did not flash through tho sky in seven hours, as was atiid to have beeii the ease in'1830. And neither Aià tho meteors “ fall as thickly as snow flakes,” as one observer desoribed their appearanco in 18C7. But it must bo remembered that the theory only callo for à number decreasing with oacu year succeeding 1807, aud that require ment was amply satisfied. From mid night until early dawn Ihero were scarcely any ten consecutive miuilies in whioli the heavens were not orossed by a gleam of phosphorescenHight, and occasionally several meteors might be soen at onoe. And, as an astronomer would have expected, most of the motoors Cashed oti.ti..trom thè Vicinity of Qamna Leoin». In short, without wishing to magnify in tho least the number of meteors that were visible, they wera abundant enough to show that they could not be the sporadio or accidental shooting stars of any casual evoniug, but wore really tho remtlants or after-thought, so to speak, of tbo magnificent periodical display of 18G7, which, as the period is thought to bo thirty-four years, cannot be again ox- pected before 1901. So remarkable a phenomenon as this has of course oalled forth many theories a9 to its explana tion. Ono, for instance, ia ' that the earth at eaoh revolution in its orbit plunges more or less deeply into a ring of debri» which circulates about the sun. This theory demands a belief in the oxistenco of an.indefinite, or rathor of an infinite number of small heavenly bodies, technically called bolides, that wander aimlessly through space in'an orbit whioh, i f it exists at all, ÌB an ir- regulai ono. Another theory ìb that this shower of meteors is caused by the passage of tho earth through oomitio matter, tho partioular oomet in 'ques- tion being that known .as Biela’s. And it is certain that thin hypothesis is sup ported by many reasons, whioh are said to bo astronomiaally strong,' but wtiich are also, to an unscientific mind, at least, quite-as bewildering.- as con vincing. Of thoorios unsoientifio tbo number is legion. One of tbom is that these meteors aro merely voloanio stones, which, having been thrown in definitely upward by an eruption, at last return to the earth by forco of gravity. And another theory differs from the last only in placing tho vol canoes on tho moon rather than on the earth. But, howovor the existence of theso meteors is explained, thoro is another thing about them which troubles the popular mind. Astrono mers say that tho luminous path which tho shooting star makes in the sky is about twenty-seven milns long, and terminates about fifty-five miles from tho oatth's surface. But what becomes of tho stars after they havo flashed aorosB the space thus marked out for them ? As to this there is but one ao- cepted theory : they are entirely con sumed by their swift passage through tho atmosphere, and are thus either entirely volatilized, or else they descend to the earth in an imponderablo powder, Something I’rettj rrom the Forests. There are many who, as they walk or drive through the woods in autumn and winter, habitually look around for whatever is beautiful or curious, and make collections of the lovely mosses and lichens, acorns and leaves, crooked sticks and knotty twigs, until thore seems no end to the increase of these treasures. But having made the col lection, the next thing is how to arrange the same effectively, so as to produce some new and pleasing combination.' i'he old cone-work, that was in favor years ago, has become obsolete, and although still beautiful, is out of favor because it catches the dust, and will not bear the free use of the dnst-brusli, eo we are glad of finding- other ways of turning our beauties to aocount. One of the newest and most’ beautiful of these rustio.designs is made by arrang ing a bunch of acorns in their natural groups, with the large dried ruiset- colored leaves of the oak aronnd them, on a ground of bright blue or scarlet velvet or paper. The addition of some dried grape tendrils and mossy ttwigs will improve the general effect, and the nuts must be secured in plaoe by means of a little glue holding them in their cups. Another way is to take the nuts with' out the cups, and introduce fine wire« as stems into the large ends, then group thom to represent a cluster of -grapes, with leave« overhanging and a twig like the stem o f the bunch fastened in the proper place. As a border to this, the liohens, with a few autumn leave« with bright tint, will answer, or a wreath of twigs and briers alone will be very tasteful. To render such a group still more permanent, the leave« may be made of leather-work, either oak or grape-leaves, letting them re main in their natural oolors, without varnish or satin. T m Hudsow.— The tradition men tioned in Irving’s History of New York, that the Hudson once flowed west of, and parallel to, the Highlands, seems to be confirmed by a doable row of Bind hills stretching to the south east from Newburgh along the base of tho East mountains and through the Ramapo valley. These ernds hills are from GO to 150 feet in height, some be ing easy swells to the level valley, others standing, as it were, on edge against the rocky sides of the mountain, where the East and Schunemunk moun tains contract the valley to a pars of Uas tban half a mile in width.' - BURNED ON THE riUIRIE, WHAT WE MAT EXPECT. T e r r i b l e F a t « o f a N e b r a s k a . F a t a l l y « » JE«ea|Mi o f f i t « F a i k c f A f t e r ajlM tnff l(a t v « F r o m th e F l a m e s * Capt. - Iiaokland, e reoent citizen of Linooln, Neb., aud well knowii, gives tho details of tho terrible oalamity that overtook the family of Mr, William S. Herndon, a farmer- o f ' Gage county, Nebraska.- He says ho -met Mr..Hern don on his way to Lincoln, where ho has relations -residing, and where he expects aid. Prom Mr. Herndon’s own lips he loarned the story of his suffer ings. Some three yoars ago Herndon moved to Gage county from Iowa, aud purohased sisty ..aores. of land, nine miles from the connty Scat. Ho pros- l>er«d.'Vanir!: 'W«tf stfocee'dinf^.woll until the late tlisastor, which not only de stroyed his’property, but Ioffe him alono in tho world, the fire having overtaken hi* fntoily; consisting of his wifo and two children, find burned them to death. Herndon Bays ho lloticed the fire miles away, but it was no uncom mon thing to see the grass burning, and ho paid but little.attention to it, althougu his wife seomied considerably alarmed, and boforo bedtime sho had called his attention to it several timoa. Iu the morning it was noticed that the fir* w a s burl) 1-n*,.with more vim,, and had evidontly coiihi nearer to thom. He was still inclined to beliove that it would pass around and leave him un molested,. or that it would raiu and thus put danger out of the question. A heavy wind springing up at iiGon, however, and blowing directly from the fire towurd tbo houso, warned him that tho danger was growing imminent. His children wero now crying through loar, aud his wifo was importuning him to make the best of time. Arrangements were soon made for the journoy, and in a two-horse wagon they started, more than ten miles iu advance of the fire, with every probability of being ablo to get out of its roach. Good time was mndo by the teiim« and not until late iu the evening, wben tho wind inoreased in fury, was thore any apprehension of danger. About dusk the wind iuoroaBed to a hurrioane, aud the .flames began to approach them with terrible speed and awful grandeur. Faster and faster thoy camo, and Mr. Herndon says that it was evident they would ovortako them in a very few moments'. What to bo dono under the oircumstances was a question that had to be decided quickly. The horsoB had now bocomo unmanage able, and wore as likely to overturn tho wngou and start for tho ' flames as any ■ other way. A marshy picco of ground was some two miles distant, and near this was a small branch of water, from which, _ ho remomberod, he had fro- quontly watered his liorscs. This was tho only ohance for life, and hastily leaving his wagon und team to their fate, ho started for tho marsh, with his youngest child, a lad of eight years, in his arms. It was a strugglo for lifo. Death was ooming, and thoy mado ono grand effort to get out of its reaoh ; but, alas 1 it wob unavailing. W o will not undertake to dopict tho anguish of that father, as ho was compelled to see tho cherished ones of his own heart, those whom ho loved evon better than his own life blood, sink down, one after the other, and becomo a prey to tlmt most terrible of all deaths—lire. Tbo little daughter was tho first that was over taken, and the mother was prone to stay and givo up hor lifo with her darling, but sho kept on, while tho flames were yet more than a hundred yards behind, and littlo Mary was loft upon her knees, praying that her Heavenly Father might take her to His bosom, and savo her mother and father and littlo brother from porishing. Death soon camo to her, and not long did it wait for the littlo brothor and mother. In a few moments tho mother’s clothes were on fire, aud sho was un- ablo to proceed. Tho father, with des perate determination to nave his little b o u , pushed on ; but already his clothes were on firo, nnd tho littlo boy, the pride of his heart, was struggling to free himself from tho torturos, and soon he was at rest in death. His body but hindered the progress of tho father, and to Bave himself ho determined to abandon it. Thus freed of all incum brances he succeeded in reaching the stream. After the fire bad passed by ho re traced his steps, and gathered in one placo the blackened and charred re mains of his late household. Next day tho homes of somo distant farmers were reached, and they returned with Hern don and assisted him in the burial. Starring la Nebraska, It is a strange and pathetio story of destitution and suffering which comes to us from Nebraska, where whole com munities isolated from tho rest of the world are brought face to face with starvation. Tho cry of want has for many months been painfully familiar to the ears of people m the thickly settled States o f the East, bnt tho people who raised i t have always been easily within the reach of the > relief -which, when known to be needed, has always been liberally snpplied., The 'people of Ne braska, whose crops have been swept oican • by a plague of grasshoppers as destructive as the one inflicted upon the Egyptians of old, are, by reason of their isolation, almost beyond the reach of relief ; and the advent of the win ter’s snow,-if it finds them nnsui will hopelessly shut, them in with\their fate, i t is a terrible thing to think that in this land of plenty and in a year of more than -usually bonntifol har vests, hundreds of people are in immi nent danger o f dying’ outright from starvation. The relief which shall save them from starvation mnst be speedily rendered, and it is greatly to the credit of General Ord, commanding the de partment in which the destitution ex ists, that he haa done everything in his power to hasten the rendering of. relief. L « t < W r a t h t r A n n m a llea n i l l * » l * u o s tles o t Ih « Cam tajc W l i U r . Tho eocen trio weather through whioh tho country has been passing for some months constitutes a memorable me- toor'ologic oyole, of which we have not seen theeudi Mince the early part of July nearly, every section .has been Visited by thermal extremiis.andexces sive droughts, which have lingerod into tho prosent moitth and bid fair to leave their impress on tho appfoftohing win ter. That tho great oontinents Under go eyclioal ohanges of • climate by no means inRppreomble is a- mattor of his toric record too familiar to bo ignored. In modern times,'as in 1857 and 1858, theso non-periodic vicissitude« have been sensibly felt. In the year just named tho rainless season was so marked iu Central Europo that tho Seine, in Paris, shrunk to a mero shadow of its uaual self, aud portions of tho bed of the Rhine, novor before dried up, wero loft uncovered. Strange ,16 say, simultaneously, howover, tho lovcl of Lake Ontario was two feet higher thau its moan level as deter mined by fourteen years’ observations. In the iaw years preceding 1840 th» rainfall was so largo in Pennsylvania that an American geologist showed that had the same extended to the lake region, tho inland waters, in tho ab sence of new outlets, would havo risen twonty-nine feet above thoir normal height. Tho extraordinary diynoss of the sui&msr and autumn of 187-t on this' continent lias had its compensation ap parently iu tho abnormal rainfall of an opposite continent in the same hemis phere. While the Ohio and Mississippi havo beeu sluggishly coursing thrir half-emptied channels tho Nilo ha» boon pouring its torrential roaring floods over tho inundated plains of Egypt as it has hardly been known to do from time immemorial, .Early ii July last tho great African river began to riso rapidly (at the very time our American rivers began to fall) and oon- tinttcd so to do till it reached, on the 11th of September, tho almost unprece dented hoight of twenty-nine foot at Alexandria. It sontinuod at this poiut till tho 7th of October, when an m- creaso of throe foet would have put all tho Delta of Egypt nuder the rushing, yollow tido. Still farthor oast the ho'avy rains in India, tho autumnal cy clones in the Bay of Bengal and the terrible typhoons whioh recently swept ovor Nagasaki and Hong Kong evidence conditions of o i c o b b í v o humidity on the opposite Bide of the Northern Homjs- phoro, balanoing tho cxoessivo aridity prevailing in tho Unitod States. Suoh physical cliangea appoar anomalous enough, cspocially when we contrast tlioso whioh caused tho Bengal famino in 1873 and tho floods in:.-1874. Aro tlioy duo to regular oyclical caiiB O S , re curring-in aupra-annnal periods? So it would seem j aud it also sooms likely that thoso extraordinary phenomena travel slowly around the globo, some what as tho ordinary storm does. Tho attempt has been made to trace hot tnd cold yoars to tho variations of sun-spot frcqucncy, and eminent scientists havo contended that the sun-spot periods are followed by corresponding climatio changes on the earth. 1 / But, howevor, this may bo, the ab normal boasons we havo experionood áre directly traceable to tho variations of atmospheric pressure on the earth, Thus, according to known laws of the atmoHphore, the abnormal prevalonce of hot southerly winds on any conti nent north of the equator proves that thoro has beon an aerial depression of long standing in the ocoan west of i t ; and a similar excess of cold aortberly winds argues au excess of pressure. If these long-standing high and low'pres sures move from west to east, in the middle latitudos, as transient oyclones and anti-cyclones are known to do, we havo an easy and obvious explanation of tho contrasts of weather on oppos ing sides of the Northern Hem isphere in the same yoar. Without dwelling on the theoretical aspects of tbeso weather anomalies it is evident the present year must cloeo with a great deficiency of moisture in tho soil of the United States east of the Rocky mountains. Tho winter and spring rains of 1875 may restore the water of which tho rocks and springs havo been exhausted by the summer and autumn drought« and thus prepare tho ground for agriculture. But in the meantime the watcr-courses must be scantily filled, tho wolls low and the subterranean fountains bnt half re plenished. Iu a word, the continent is now in the condition of a thorough ly drained field. The effect of such dryness, however, will be to oheck the chilling evaporation of the soil, and thus, in some measure, to mjtigate the rigors of the approaching winter. Boston Coxkox.—Boston has a sen sation ia an attempt made to cut up its notoi common and turn the park into a business section. Boston common is too notable • spot, and there are too many historic associations connected with it, to allow of snch sacrilege, and the oppoeition to th e m o v e m e n t it, ot course; v e r y g n a t . The O a teaalal Balldlsgs. The structures whioh are now rising and marked out in Philadelphia for the oentennial, a correspondent writes, are certainly stupendous enough to eause astonishment. To give some idea of their proportions I may oommenoe at the beginning by stating that the prin cipal bnildings—for there will be an in definite quantity of minor ones—are fivo in number, with above forty acre« of floor space. These are the main or industrial hall, the art gallery, the ma chinery, the agricultural, and the hor ticultural halls. The first of these ap proached from the city is the industrial hall, which is in the form of a parallelo gram, no less than 1,880 feet long by 064 feet in width. But, in addition to this, sinoe their fronts are in a line and the interval between them is small, you mnst imagine the machinery hall ex tending, onward for 1,200 feet more. Just 300 feet in the rear o f the main bnilding, and in such a position that their central entrances are opposite one another, is the art gallery. These will be connected daring the time of the exhibition by a temporary gallery, the walls of which will be used for the dis play of i>hotographic art. The main bnilding ia to be of iron and glass, and will be delivered upon theg.oond, so to say, all ready to pat together, *e that, when onoe commenced, it will spring into form with almost — —1 oelerity. Faskleas in Kart, ’ The cost o f a plain jsoket of Alaska sealskin is now from $125 to f200, while the same of Shetland seal costs from 9200 to 9273. Trimmings of “ pup” otter increase the expense by tl00. It is said that only abont - twenty-five of these “ pup” otters are killed in the oonrse of a year, and their exquisite fur is therefore extremely valuable. The cost of a single small skin is no less than $150. Trimmings of old sea otter add from S50 to $75 to 4he cost of a sealskin jacket, and beaver trimmings, which are used chiefly ih revamping old gar ment*, increase the price by from; £25 to 40. Beaver and iSJlak sacks are not here in popular demand, but, being very warm, are sold in considerable num bers for wear in the oold eiimate of the Northwest. Their prioo varies from $100 to $155 for bearer and front $200 to $250 for mink.' Muffs and fur-trimmed velvet will be worn to match. The followiug will bo favorite trimmings for garment« -of velvet and doth : Ohinohilla, from $G to 920 per yard ; Russian fox, $15 per yard ; silver fox, $5 to $15 per yard ; Alaska sable, $1.50 to $5 per yard; and silver marten, $1 to $3 per yard. For children’s fu n , white cony and ermine will be fashionable for ontire garments. I fo* trimmings thero are natural genet at frv?m $1.50 to $2.50 per yard, and gray fox at fTPm seveuty-five cents to $2, Sets of boas aud muffs for hxiios are shown at from $20 to $60 in seals&io, at from $50, to $75 in ohinohilla, and at from $25 to $100 in mink. Ladies’ and gontlemeu’s sealskin caps are both made with a rolled-up band, .and cost from $10 to $15. _______________ The IIsIM States Treasarr. The appendix to , General Spinner’s report o f the receipts, expenditures and balancos ot the United State« Troosury for tho last fiscal year, was as follows : The books o f the ofHoe were dosed June 30th last, after the entry.of all moneys roooived and disbursed on authorized warrants, as follows : BECEITTS. Jftceirti from, Jbfot t. Loans ........................................... f4M;27a,635 O u s t o m s .................................. 165,103,833 Internal ltevonue ................... . 10^,409,784 Lauds ....................................... 1,852,428 Miwellanooua..,' .......................... 40,342 408 W .r ............................................ 4,710.805 Navv ....... .. . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . 7,344.758 In terior... ................................... 3,102,975 ............ 8701,799’, 030 it 1,038 131,178;i37 #892,978,70« Total .................... . ........ . Lato United SUtos DopoHitory, Omciuuatf, Ohio,formerJy credi teli an uimvallabto ................... Calauco from June 30,'1873 ........ Total ............................. EXPEND n UllES. P a (if on Ac- cottili of. OnHtoms...................................... Internal Havanas......................... Intorior........................................ Imorior, eivil.............................. War.............................................. Navy ............................................ Treasury ...................................... Diplomado........................... ........ Qiiartorlv «alario ........................ Judiciary ’ ........... ' ....................... l ’ ublic cloU ....................................... Total ................... Dalanco June 30,1871.. Total ....... T e la i». 123.001,804 0,791», 954 37,893.851 '4 870 078 47.024.732 «S.277.31S 48,460 953 1,471.416 C07.102 3,4110 303 531,308,033 1742 247.173 , 150,731,033 , 1892,078,70« Cut Off from State Aid. Section 10 of tho amendment to the Constitution of, Now.,York, says the Jincning J’ost, seems to out off all State aid from tho orphau asylums, homes of the friendless, and similar oharitable institutions throughout tho interior of tho ‘ State. These institutions, to the number of one hundred and tie, re ceived in 1871, when this amendment was proposed, $474,000 from the Legis lature. It in like manner forbids the appropriations to hospitals, which amounted iu that year to $179,425 ; as well aa to dispensaries, whioh in 1871 reoeived $83,765 trom the State. The State is, moreover, thus forbidden in its organic law from providing for its iaaano or idiots or drunkards m insti tutions under private management. In 1871 the State institutions for these .ob jects o f charity, including the inebriate nsylum, received abont $745,000 from the State treasury. Their total ex penditures daring that year were about $934,500. The amendment leavet the asylums for the deaf and dumb aod the blind, and the houses of refuge, and probably all the reformatories, as thoy were before its passage. These can still be assisted by appropriations. The eleventh section cuts off all town or city appropriations to church sohools, or to suoh asylums or charities as 'are not distinctly for the poor, or whose appropriations have not been authorized by law. The Btate cannot aid any charitable institution for assisting the p o o r ; while the connty or city oan. i f such aid is authorised by the Legisla ture. ______________________ A New Mea. Somebody haa hit upon a brilliant idea for preventing the payment of money on forged checks or drafts. The person giving the check or draft is to attach to the paper a photograph of the person to whom the money is to bo i iaid. Another photograph is to be urnished by the payee to the drawee, who will inclose i t m a letter to the bank, notifying it that such a check or draft has been issued. When the paper is presented at the bank for pay ment the two photographs and the phis o f the payee wiU be compared, and, i f corresponding, the paper will be regarded aa being all right. This plan will make it neeeasary for a business man to have a lot of thin paper photo graphs on hand, which faet awakeas the snspicion that th * originator of the idea mast be a photographer. He thinka the time w ill come when no large snm of money will be paid unless the genuineness of the paper pres«ntei is attested iu this manner. I f be ex- peets to live long enoagh to see it him self, he mast be a young man—a very young man indeed. . . - a. ----------------- ' • r ux&Ai -T o e Amerioaa g ip i— Oosspaayhas been aaed for t t s s t irw M m il a' raook-i.^\- ingbird, whiek i m m !'-tarn* ¡a T O M e ld .'-
