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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Advocate, 1890-2-6, Page 2Up Domes McGinty. "=gee vetoer TIM BOTTOM Or run ret.e." eilneen lileGinty slipped away, faith said be 1 think 3.'11 abbey Will the neighbors give Me aP drowndid Mau •When 111 bob up to the top, and hustle round and Rad a cep, And 1'11 dhrop around and call an Vat Mc- Cann ; the entvry gets about that five dollars Sold Me out, „ 4t1 the ruination of Bocialey's heart, Ib step. ao toot ashore till this wonderment is o'er. Fer McGinty has the name of being shmart, 011011IIS— OODIOS McGinty with a seulpin in his flat, And a fish hook in his nose, And a (Main around his wrist; lic's,a.11 ready for a tussle or a social genie of whist, Bight from the bottom of the say. When he tonna Bodaley Ann she was married to a man„ By the name or Dennis Fagan o'er the way : And oho thought a splendid dish was MoGinty for the fish, While he elurabors at the bottom of the say. Soho took a drop of gin, faith says he 11.1 now begin, For to straighten all these funny matters oat, 11 they take Dan for a fool, or they think his head ain't cool. Shure they'll find McGinty knows what he's about. extokus— Up comes McGinty and he looks his very best, With a lobster in each ear, And with seaweed in his vest; And he wants to fight the Fagans and the judge and all the rest, Bight from the 'Dottim of the say. NoW McGinty take my hand, says his good friend Fat alcOann, And we'll °Atha think a mighty funny joke; Tell the folks you lost your route, and you couldn't quite swim out, For your head was rather dizzy when you woke. Go and get a barn new suit, and give this old one the shoot, Take a hatchet, scrape them whiskers from your chin, And we'll call emound to -night, and well set the matter right, And Bedaley'll take you to her heart again. CHORUS— Up comes McGinty and he raps upon the door, And Bedaley gives a yeli, And the Bid begins to roar; For she said she never saw Dan when be looked so fine before, Right.froin the bottom of the say. THE DUSTERS: ARomanee of Georgian Life "Like Tom Doster, eh ? " " she replied, in yet more animated tone, "1! you eo mind, I'll answer, yes, Tom Doster 1 for he is moving now, or if he ever be will moving, in the matter of which we are talking, it is or it will be on that line, just as he has been doing ever since I have been old enough to form any judgment on his movements compared with other men's. Now, my dear brother, I am going to ask you a question, whioh, of amuse, you'll answer directly or not, as you choose. If you felt perfectly snra that Ellen would never consent to marry you, would you be entirely willing for me to take Hiram ? " The question embarrassed himbut it fretted also. He answered, petulantly, looking away from her, " If you'd accept Hiram, Ellen would engage herself to me to -morrow. "And yoa would take her on such terms Yes," blushing with pain, she eaid, " my own brother virtually admits that he would, if he could, barter his sister to a man in exchange for that man's sister to wife, although well knowing the infirmities of that man's nature, which would make it impossible for any woman of spirit te live with him happily. Well, my brother, I cannot be a party to such a bargain, even if it were possible it could be made. But nee dear! oh dear! how you have mistaken that sweet girl 1 She is too fine a gentle- woman to talk, even with me, her most in- timate friend, about such things; but lam without a doubt that Hiram often and often has conducted himself towards her in that same way, bat more offensively, aocording as he has a domineering spirit, which you have not, and little of affectionateness for kis sister or anybody else. Now let me tell you: Hiram Joyner's interferenoe has been the woret possible for you. But for it I am inolined to believe that yoa might have gotten Ellen in time, if you could have shown to her that your hope and your wiehes to win her were based only upon honest endeavors to deserve her. As it is, brother Will, whatever chances you may have had are now gone." " What "he cried. " You mean to tell me that Ellen Joyner is going to throw her- self away on that whining preacher 2 " "Brother William 1" She was about to respond with the generous indignation pro. voked by this insult to an absent friend, but she repressed it, and said : " I ohooee not to betray a trust which Ellen has not given me permission to reveal. I said what I did for the purpose of convincing you of the uselessness of any farther indulgence of whatever expectation you may have had. Honorable, noble girl that she is, she would not object to that, but would rather desire it. I will not say if the man to whom she has given her affections is or is not Henry Doster, of whom my brother, I am sure, for- got himself just now when he spoke in each grossly unkind and unjust words." " Oh, confound it all I take that back, of course. Indeed, as between Henry Dos. ter and Tom, I rather think, if I were a woman—However, I ought not to say that either, to yon, though you haven't told me whether or not there's any truth in the blamed report about yourself. The feat is, Harriet, the whole thing has taken me by such 'surprise that----. Hang it all 1 let it go. I'm left, it seems ; and it's some etetisfaction to find that out o soon, and by you. All right. I shall bother with the thing no more. I loan outlive it, I'm ehanknal to believe. But Hiram 1" Then he laughed outright, and continued: "Harriet, that young fellow dont know Hiram Joyner. He don't know anything at all about him. Yoa are going to hear of some interesting news when Hiram finds out whet you tell me. By the way, Cousin Emily told me this morning in town that you, and Ellen had promised toepend oamp- meeting at her tent." " 'Yes, I'm going, if ma doe's not object. haven't melted her yet." " Methodist stook seems to be rising down here on Ogeeehee. Wonder what old man Bullington will think of that; mnd Hiram-- I tell you and you may tell the rept of them, that When that boy finds out how thing() are, they'll hear from him." He eosin apd, mounting his horse again, galloped bctekto the field. Mrs. May, Com- ing in shortly afterward, naked whet had they been talking about so load thet she could hear their voices ftorn the door of the kitchen, where She had been standing. When Harriet had answered, she set down, and after earn° reflection, said : "Ab, well! Your Whet and Mr. Joyner Set greet deal by the hope they had shout their offiletten. If they could have lived to raise their boys so as to be fit for making the right Sort of husband, things znight have been different. As it is, they've nebedy tO biome bet themselves, thiongh I've Always tried to count on nothing else than for poor Willem:: to get Mere It Would lien been the makieg of biro. As for Hiram, / was always efraid Of each as that with hie rough• temper end his ate. tereeition to tule everybody ahout him. But poor Wi11 " Tben ebel shed teem " Duti Hatriet "—neddenly tensing her. eelf—e if I was in youre and Ellen's plan, after web. a—I eetepose I may call it die - appointment jest deolere I wouldn't be engsgeog myeelt to the first man that offerea Jhems nothing againet Thoulas, who it a goodeieduaertone yoUng man ; bite I've never evenet) muole its amaated of e tea marrying him, The whole thing ben eeken me by such surprise that I baraly knot whet to eay, about it. As foe hie aousin neery, I don't know that 1 over met a more gentlemenly, well-mannered young enan and tetween the two, even if he is e Methodiet preacher— . Oh, you neetin't be smiling in that way, when I'm in dead earnest." " I be pardon, nta, I was smiling at your speaking s3 positively just after de- oloring that you lenew not what to say. I ara not going to act precipitately in this matter, my dear mother, and I shall hope to have your approval of whatever I may quietude to do. Fin not much surprised at your preference for Henry over Tom, partly because he ie not in Tom's place, and partly because you uoneider nine more brilliant, perhaps ; and I haven't a doubt that Mrs. joyner bees pat before poor, dear Ellen the same comparison reversed, , ea- phaeizing Tom's being :mole a good Baption" " You are right there," replied he mother, her natural cheerfulness Borne:what restored, 55 I was over there a little while this morning when you and Ellen went to the Anoerto us'. Hiram came in where his mother and I were, and he went on terribly about Henry Duster." "What dui Mrs. Joyner say ?" " Not oiae word. She knows ehe can't stop Hiram when he begins. But I told the 'young gentlemen plain that I didn't agree with a word he said about him." " I'm glad you did. Bless your dear het,m, it was like you to refuse to hear in silence abuee of a man who in your opinion had fairly eupplanted your own son. Hiram will Lot hurt Henry Doster by Such tails, especially in the estimation of Ellen, grown as she has at last to ignore hie imperious- ness. If it hadn't been for him, Ellen, I do believe, would have taken brother Will. His constant, dogged interference prevented. Did he sey anything against Tom ? " "Didn't mention Tom's name; but his mother did, and ,while she was praising Tom to the skies he looked out the window, and let on as if he were not hearing. Poor sort of behavior, to my opinion. Well ! well! but it showed, that if he finds oat there's anything serious between Henry Doster and Elam, he'll do his very best to break it up. They are the strongest kind of Baptists, you kuow ; that is, all except Hiram, who, I'm afraid, has no religion of any sort; at least not enough to do him any goo; but Ellen and her mother are, Mr. Joyner being the origival starter of Horeb, and Hiram, if he can's work it with Ellen, will bring in old Brother Buffington and set him at his mother. I pity the poor little thing when that's the ease.' Then Mrs. May laughed, this charitable thoaght havine brought that much relief. Harriet joined' in heartily to enhance this frame of her mother's mind. Indeed Mrs. May, though a good Baptist woman, would say sometimes that in her opinion there were in the world people as good as those of her awn denomination—an admission that Mrs. Joyner might have feared and Mr. Buffington would have known to be imprudent. This good man lived in a small house with a small firm attached, about a mile north of the Dosters' and aboat half that distance from Horeb. Tall like Mr. Swinger, but much heavier both in 'body and in spirit, gloomy -looking at all times, hie brows grew darker at any thought of harm ,done or meditated egainet either himsely or the religious faith of which for many years he had been a very bold, a very loud, and a reasonably acceptable public exponent. It was not often that he laughed, although he did laugh, at least he tried to laugh, sometimes when he had gained some personal or denominational triumph or believed he had some well-founded hope of it. The seasons of his heartiest gayety, if the word could be employed fitly in his case, were wedding feests, the degrees of his enjoyment thereat depending upon con- tingencies. Country ohurches in those times contributed bue small stipends to their pastors, some excusing themselves with the authority that at its first institu- tion, and admitted to have been done then at its very best, preaching of the gospel was furnished without money and without price. Mr. Bullington perhaps had never said so in worde, yet he honestly suspected that somewhere or other there might be a flaw in this argument. Still he felt con- tented to think that the sums received from his four churches, with the occasional mite dropped in from a fifth Sunday, were at least as =oh as he could have earned had his powers been exerted in other pro. fessional or in agricultural endeavors. Specially consoling and grateful was the supplementary help of fees, ranging from one dollar to five, obtained from liberal, happy bridegrooms; so inuoh so that he watt a noted encourager of marriages among his own flock, not only early but repeated, whenever death hed made them possible. At wedding feasts, notably when the enclosure in the license was at maxi- mum or approximate to it, and ' when he was full up to the brim of good things, his struggles to be merry like the rest were both commendable and interesting. If hie face on such occasions could have corresponded with his huge body, those efforts would have been entirely, even immensely, sags. factory. As it was, when his sides were shaking, that countenance, as if restrained by a sense of duty behind an expression of hilarity not becoming hie sacred office, took on a most painful sternness that seemed to fix a just For two or three years last post he had been counting upon being called to the Mays' , and the joyners on some fine evenings at candle.light, where he would feel sure—they being the Helmet and most liberal among all his people—that handsome things would be done tot him who should tie the knots as fond as indiseoluble. Only once had he encountered face to face hie rival, Mr. Swinger, and the latter admitted afterwards that he had the worst of it. Now that Mr Swinger, or any other Methodist preacher, would come within the verge of Horeb on a mission which, next to bis public: ministrations, it had ever been his fondest pleasure to serve, had not entered his mind, liable as it was t� gloomy appre- hensions. Therefore, When the report arose about Ellen Joyner and Henry Des. ter, a sprout, as it were from the trunk of, Mr. Swinger, he tried to scout it ae an evil, malicious, idle tale, Yet he could not hub be anxious, end, while raeclitating on hie own mega prudent line of aotion, nes cern that both the girls were going to the camp -meeting, now at hand. "Thar, now " he exclaimed to 1110 wife; for of these melamine he otter had a dread, not unreingled with horror. " However, Mighty nigh everbody, special young people, will go to that whirlypool. A body Mtn try and hope for the best." But a• deep groan told that this teflection had brought no relief, CHAPTER "V. att old.tinee Georgian it is Very pleae- beg now to reoell the certiparneetings of the long age, partioulerly those in the 'county Wherein the Awned recotded in ihts etoty are laid. 14 our tediee Sleuth of Gateetett, and nearly one mile dielaiat from the public) thoroughfare, ground of bOut ten acne, parallelogram in sheps, had been aeleoted by the Methodiate for this purpose enortly nfter the first eettlement of that region. Here the level land on three sides ended, and at a few rode' dist:m.0e in their front declieed eeveral feet, hemming some. eorae talk with the Youngster what times be had been able, in spite of his dodging, to oat*. him within hearing, and had be- come sufeteieetly diegusted with the little imprenion raedo by his remonstrance:3. TWA very eveniug he had sated to Jerry, loud enotigh to be overheard by tieveral young peesons of both Bone who were site wl3at preoipitoue shortly after leaving the ting or standing near: Jerry Pound, :norm at a ;spot where was a epring of aleart. your hide's as tough ae the jograplay books dant cool water. A latge wooden shed, tells about theni rhinoserouses thet it Ain't called " The Stand," witheut floor or worth a mart s while to shoot a rifle at 'em; weather boarding, oepable of covering, finery, and your back is herd same as a logger - four thousend people, And near the centle. heaa turlele that you has to put a coil of fire Rudely constructed tento Of unplemed on him before he'll move when he don't boards, also wieheut floors, were on three want to. But never you mind." sides, and on the only rising ground of the It was not that Jerry was not a hard- iest was one floored and otherwise more Workireg youth; but ever since he had elaborate, known as "The Prom:here' grown too big to be whipped for doing euola 'reset" ; for the clergy, married and single, things slyly, he was in the }ambit of playing during the camp, which lasted four days, marbles openly on Sunday, and going v,I.th not often longer, were don:nailed together, others to the oreek mewiraraing, and by his but took their meals promiscuously among mother was suepeoted even of occasional the tent -holders. eWearing. Observiag the waggons and ox -carts On tho whole, therefore, the state of daring a couple of days before, laden with mind in which Mr. Swinger found himself hole ehold goods of every kind, moving in all that afternoon was far from confident one direction, a stranger might be led to or oheerful. Yet he vvae not a man to be suspect that a large number of the pop Put back by such considerations from the lation.were emigrating to foreign parts. - prosecution of his duty. Indeed, they con - Friday night, where three days ago nause ;spired to make him more eager to pat forth of animate nature was to be 88811 except his word of exhortation. He said altat- the birds and gray equirrele in the sur- ward : rounding forest, was a village of eeveral " Fact of the business, I were sorter hundreds of inhabitants ready for thd.: mad, anti I had to let out. Then, spite of entertainnaent of relativee, friende, So- it all, I couldn't be Oonwinoed in my very quaintanees, and strangers o almoe every bones but what So moon good preaohin' degree. On either side of the passage, ex, and ex'ortine and so much hard wrastlin' tending from the front to the eating -place in praar, wasn't a-goin' to be let frazzle out in the rear of each tent, were the sleeping. jes so to the little end o' nothin'. I had chambers. In front was a shed to defend heard older people than me say the darkest from the SCIteS rays the men who sat there time o' night is jes before day, and I deter - and smoked cigars and chatted, whi1ei. ?reed to govern myself acoordine" wonien, except in the evenings, remained Thus far Henry Doster had seen little of within. Behind the tent was another shed the 0,g,eechee girle, except when in the for the cook and her utensil. If ehe slept greet congregation, or at the Ingram tent anywhere, I suspect it must have beer , doorway when happening to be walking under the dining.tmble. Further yet in 'Peet. People said that it looked well that rear were rail pews holding pigs, lambs, and at suoh a solemn time he postponed for it domestic fowls. Vehicles of burden more exalted sooiety that of Ellen Joyner, travelled back and forth continually for whom they were sure that, preacher as he supplies for the ever threatening void. Hun- was, he was dying to be with. Once—Sat- dreds of waggon -loads of wheat and oat etrday afternoon it was—he did stop in for straw were brought daily to be spread a few minute e only, but even then he talked afresh upon the ground inside. Beyond more with Harriet than her. At the time the carriageways some near the edge, some of this visit Will May was not present, deeper within the woods, were booths being at tlee tent near by, where Mies Mary whereat one could purchase oigers, confect- Anderson, what:a family dwelt across the ions of various kinds, and perhaps, in a river, was staying. Hiram was on hand, quiet way, a bottle or a flask with SOMe• .and stioky as it leech, some said. He barely thing which could not be licensed, but nodded to the visitor on his entrance, and, which claimed to be excellently good, con then the latter left, WEIS eo absorbed in the sidering everything. At night the ground's Milledgeville Recorder, a weekly newspaper were lit with bonfires kindled from pine then feer days old, that he did not notice knots upon wool Scaffolds thickly cogere4 him, with earth. Public services were held four '"As soon as Tone reached the camp on times a day, at eight and eleven in the fore- Sunday, leaving his horse at the public lot, noon, three in the afternoon, and candle- he repaired to the Ingramse where he ex - light. All were expected to rise from bed pressed himself sorry to decline the invit. for morning prayers, which were offered by 1 ation to dinner, being under promise to one one of. the preaohers or other pious person, of hie neighbors, a humble man on the op - and to retire at bedtime, the signal for 1 posite row. Mrs. Ingram declared that she whiole occasions being announced by a long j was just as mad as she could be; but she tin trumpet. After the services for the f was appeaeed when he said that, having whites were over, reasonable time was al. 1 decided to remain until after the night lowed to the negroes beneath the tree sere/1°6;1e would sup there. the rear of the stand, who, then as note, "And don't he look splendid ? " she said preferred to do their own worship among to Harriet, when he had gone out to Bit themselves. with the men under the front shed. " I The numbers eating at any one of these deolare, when amaan like Tom Doster, who tables in many rounds of seatinge were very has been working hard all the week, comes large. People from all parts of the out on a Sunday in his nice broadcloth and wunty, from several adjoining—cotton the other nice things he's got to put on, I—. faotors and merchants from Augusta and But bless your heart ! child, I've got too Savannah, from Milledgeville and Macon, much businees on my hands to be running some with pious, the greater number with on about Tom Doster; and indeed, hand. other intents—resorted there. Housewives e as he is, I think Henry—. However, vied among one another in putting forth birds of many kinds, and I've abundance and variety of hospitable or. `se Brother Duncan's sermon, and tainment. Ae for Gategeon 5 mon and that pig in.the pit. on Saturday and Sunday, not a fo ram viithe vette-duck-fit if it isn't; Its population would be left at home, barbeoued jut right." those not having tents, and many of other Merrily she kissed her beautiful wean, religious denominations, unwilling to en. and retreated to those regions, in the rear, dure the solitude, repairing, eome witia their out of which to this day it remains a my. wives and young children, to the general stery to me, and to all except such house - rendezvous. wives as she ,was, what breakfaets and On the east side—oalled by humbler folk dinners and suppers, and handings round " Quality Row," because taken by the lead. on waiters between times, were evolved. ing families—were the Ingre.ms, whereat When it man far away f rom such scenes, the Mays and Joyners sojoarned, not only both in space and in years, begina to talk the girls, but the young men also. Tom about them, he is prone to indulge too Doster, although invited there, was busy fondly. He cannot at least but love to with saving his crop of fodder, and did not muse, amid other recollections, on those appear until Sunday, and that with expect. long, so long ago, camp.meeting days, and ation of returning home in the afteritoon more on those camp -meeting nights. Among the clergy were several poseessed Religiously inclined, earnestly so, indeed, of it high order of eloquence, and others but not taking part in the exciting scenes less gifted in this regard, but hoping to which so many with varying purposes make up by abundant strength of lungs gathered there to witness, when the bugle habituated to sounding on loftiest keys would sound the call for eilence and repose, platitudes of yearning, mainly upon the con- when even all mourners' wailings would be ditions of the infernal world. With four hushed, it was a pleasant thing to take a sermons a day, most persona, exeept the rustic chair, and, leaning against a poet of notably devout, as well inside as outeide the tent, sit and listen to the night music the denomination, the young especially, then rising in the woods, and dream and eleoted which they would attend. It ems dream and dream of hopes and destinies in vain that, in order to prevent such die- for this life and the life eternal. orimination, announcements were withheld, • (To be Continued.) and it could not be known who was to preach at any parader hour until after the first prayer and the second hymn, for from nearly every tent door the pulpit could be observed, or, when not. the speaker could be gussed from the numbers seen hurrying to the stand. Mr. Swinger, devoted with all his heart to his calling, always feeling prepared with a sermon of any length requisite upon any text of Scripture, yet, with becomieg con- sideration for visiting brethern, had re- quested that he be not called upon during the meeting, proposing, however, to "do the ex'ortine" as he styled it, after the ser- mon of Henry Doster, which had been ap- pointed for Sunday night. "Young man like Henry, you know, brothin, 1111 mayby sorter encourage him up in the back to know his old father, as I calls myself, is behind thar Remedy and a- waitin' to prize him out if he git stuck in hie first camp-meetin' splurgin' He's a powerful modest boy, but if he can keep his head clear before so many people, I sha'n't be oneasy ; for the the thing's in him, if he can fetch her out. Let me back him up in his first off eitart. He know, Henry Dew. eter do, he can 'pend on old Allen Swinger till everything turn blue." , I shoold remark here that although ho had not sought from his young friend the confidence which he doubted not his having good reasons for withholding, yet he had been inteneely interested in the ramor con- necting him with Ellen Joyner, and he had been as deeply reeentful alt so pious a man could be at what he had hoard of Hiram's fierce hoellility, as evinced by utterances not only most disrespectful, but 'threaten- ing, towards Henry. Other things had con- tributed to put him rather out of hio ao- enameled humor by thud time. A rattott smaller number of moarners than with Florae confidence he had counted on had responded to most eserstiesive and urgent appeale to come np to the altar. Never before, it seemed to him, had sinners been more obdurately unoonoered about their spiritual condition. More telk than medal, he felt sure in hie raind, had heen about pelitice, crops, money -making in general, county and neighborhood newa, than at any damp -meeting en he waned not like to say how long. Lastly, there was a matter of Wally trouble on his mind. Jerry Pound, fion of his own dear, widowed sister, a great, lubberly, teeniest: fellOw, hit Mother had begot:Ott her brother to try yet again to do Wreathing with AS it did deem to her that he eared me more fOr his ebtal'a salve:thin than if he never had a aottl to be gated, Mr. Swinger driving the two paet daya had hold , Speak Gently. " I think," said the pastor who was visit- ing a parishioner, " that it is easier to COSS children than to drive them. Gentle words are more effective than harsh ones. You know what the poet says: speae gently; it is better far To rale by love than fear. "Yes, indeed," said the lady. Then she shouted out of the window to her little boy: "Johnnie, if you don't come in out of that mud hole I'll break your back!" Effect of Over Indulgence. Landlady—I hope you find the aurkey tender, Mr. Growler ? Growler—H'm—well, so-so. But I fear the bird was an only child, so to :speak. Landlady—Why so? Growler—Benne it seems a trifle spoiled. --Pittsburg Bulletin. "What is an agnostic?" asked Rollo, who was reading something by Huxley. " An agnoetio " replied his Uncle George, " is a man Who loudly declare!) that he knows nothing, and gets mad exid abusee you if you believe him. He nye he doesn't know anything, but he really believes he knows everything.—Burdette. • WHEN TEE SLEIGII BEIDs JINGLE,. There's fini in courting 'Midst tho winter's sporting, When tho sloigh's flying over the crusted snow, And the bolls aro jingling And the Can are tingling, And the mercury's at zero or one below. But I think ra rather Wait for warmer weather And sit in the woods on a grassy knoll, Wbere tho flowers aro epringing And the birds are singing, And hiss her under her parasol. Never put iron or 'steel bith in a hoese s month in frosty weather evithoat first warming them. They will take the skin off the horse's tongue. The docking or cutting off the tailof horses is it cruelty that lasts through life. They can never, after this maul operation, brash off the flies and tnosquitoee thatewill make their life every sun:Inner it torment. The Emperor Williatht thirty-me:Ind birthday, jartuary 27113, will be signalized " by an interruption for twenty.four honre Of the °mat mourning for the dead Em. pron. , Indiana farmere are organized, and deal with one ston, allowing the ()eviler 10 per cent. profit. SHIVA DEMON. TROPIC/LC, ,FELTUII44,. Description of the Country neagland aud Portugal are Quarreling over. The New York Sun furnishes the follow, inn clesoription of the country in dispute between England end Portugal: Of the two large districte which Porta - gal, under compulsion, has agreed to evacuate, the Shire region lieu north of the Zambesi and includes all the river, valley and the surrounding highlands bet weep Lake Ntevaesa and the Ruo River, an affluent of the Shire River, over 200 nmiles south of the leke. The other region is hlashonaland, e. large dietriot about one hundred and fifty rutin direotly south of the tnost northern part of the Zambesi. The Portuguese for over two centuriee past have never made any attempt until recently to send expeditions into these regione or in any way to control them. A while ago the Portuguese oamtain, Cardosa, led an expedition up the Shire river as far as lake Nyaesa, established a chain of military. ,stations along the river, and declared the entire region to be under Portuguese sovereignty. He informed the British mieeionaries, who have been in the country 29 years, that they must consider themselves as under Portugaese protection. Recently the eoldiere under Cardosa's command seized one of the steamers of the African Lakes Company and hauled down the Britiah flag which it was flying. This British company has been in the country for 11 years, has three steamers on the river and lake and a chain of trad- ing stations, mud it has done much to develop the region and promote its best interests. About the ;lame time it Portuguese force under Major Serpa Pinto attackel and defeated a number of hlakololo chide along the river who were flying the British flag, and declared that they were under the jurisdiction of Great Britain. The diepute over Mashona.land is entirely distinct from the Shire River troubles. Maehona-land has for many years been tributary to Matabelenend, whose power- ful king about 0 year and a half ago placed his dominion, on paper at least, under the proteotion of Great Britain. About a yeer ago the Britieh South African Company was organized, with a large capital, to carry on trade, and in November last its charter Was finally signed by the British Government. This charter gives it litrge powers of administration, similar to those formerly greoted to the British East Indian Compeiny, and Mashona-land was included in the region which was to be its field of operations. -e The news of these proceedings prompted Portugal to start an exhibition south under Lieutenant Cordon, who established him- self in Mashed& land and 'established a military post there. Meantime the Portu- guese Government issued a proclamation annexing the whole coantry up to the Zambesi River, the region including about all the coentry in which the Britieh South African Company was to operate, and most of which had been declared 18 months ago to be within the British sphere of influence. Maehonanand particularly the country that Great Britain coveted, is said to be a magnificent plateau with a rich network of streams, a fine climate salted to European colonization and a wealth of alluvial gold. Portugal bases her claims to these re- gions upon a series- of conquests and dis• coveries made by her foroes and explorers two or three centuries ago. The ream& of these early events give ne very little idea of the country, and our present knowledge of it is derived almost wholly from the discoveries of British explorers. Until after recent British activity in these re- gions Portugal has not been hoard of for over two centuries. The British contention is that Portugal long ago forfeited all claims to these ro- gicns by her failure to occupy and coatrol them, and that she never thought of reviv- ing the anoient claims until after British interests in these districts were developing, and a large part of them had already been declared to be within the British sphere of inflnenoe. The Nicaragua Canal. The Nicaragua Canal will be 170 miles long from ocean to ocean. There will be 16 miles of excavation on the east side, 111 miles on the west, a miles for six looks, making a total of 28 miles. Free naviga- tion will be had in the San Juan river for 64i miles, and in Lake Nicaragua for 56e miles. There will be space for vessels to pass each other in opposite directions in all parts except in the rock cuttings. The time of the passage is estimated e,t twenty- eight hours. —Seasickness and defeat on the diamond are frequently caused by the same thing— wild pitching. 'Where are you going, my pretty maid?" " I'm going, to sneeze—atchoo," she said. —Nature's tendency is to restore the balance; as & man get's " short" his face get's long. HE DOES INDEED. "To Sunday school, to Sunday school," The little urchin Binge, Thoro's something in the season's trill That seems to give him wings. He loves the little cushioned pew, The teacher, too, loves ho, And very much he loves the fruit Upon the Xmas stree. —" My dear," whispered a matt to his wife as they seated themselvea at the theatre, "1 left my pocketbook at home." " Haven't you any money at all ? " "Only forty cents." " Won't that be enough ? " " Enough " he repeated ice - patiently. "It's a five act play." • A. MYER TO cnosS. (Josephine Pollard in Christian at Work.) There's always a river to cross; Always an effort to make If there's anything good to win, Any rich prize to take. • Yonder's the fruit we crave, Yonder's the charming scone; Bat deep and wide with a troublod tido, Is the river that lies between. The Illinois Steel Company will build its Milwaukee employees it clubhouse eimilar to the one at Joliet, Ill. The latter cost $50,000, and contains a library and reading - room, an ert.roon), reception hall, gymna, slum, bowling alley, handball court, billiard and card -rooms, bath -rooms and an wadi- toriutn. lame es ztookmt. Wine is ammeter And strong drink is raging, But who cares for them when hes thirst he's assaugitm ? 'Tis only next dew, When his temples are aching, He thinks what a fool Of himself he's boon making, —About the only objection thus far to the new year le that it ends in naught. --The oratario "Eli "is now under re. heatsal by the Philhatmonio Society. • —Tears ere more elognent than wotds ; that'e why a woman keeps here on tap, San Francisco moldere get $3.50 for a ten.hottr day. The union vale for nine honre le b325. One firm tried to hey° thane work nine hours for $3.15, but lone a strike, and the ten.hour day wits adopted. Li the woman who geed to chritah to ex- hibit her sealskin Mame-religions, — Employer -a -Married ? Applicent — Yee, but it Wasn't my fatilt. The Omnipresent 1useot Vests of War= Countries. am net euro if Indian anta are identical with shoo which are the sulejeota Of $ir John Inebboolds interesting experi- ment. When it man arrives in Galenite, hie ;Acquaintance with the ;small red ante soon begins. 1 shall never forget the jump that a friend gave when he first saw a train of red ants on the finer. He Was it stout Englishman, neerly arrived from home, aud with an innate horror of inseot life. He thought the train of ants wee a snake. They were merely a martrauding party out 00 80 expedition to plunder the sugar battin ou the breakfast table. Some active ant scout had die:covered that one end of the tablecloth touched the grouted, and so afforded a passage to the sugar on the breakfast table. instantly the expedition had been organized, and tnere waa CONTINUOUS STREAM or AnTS from the hole in the wall where they dwelt, along the floor, up the tablecloth, on to the sugar basin. With a sidelmerd in which anything sweet is kept it is usual to put brass saucers full of water under the feet, so ae to keep the ants out. The water must be constantly changed, for if it gets oovered with duet or any debris that will carry the weight of an ant, the little creettures soon find it out and own the moat. It is alwaye expedient to have the feet of your bed planted in brass sauclera full of water, SD as to prevent the ants get- ting up into the beet I was acquainted . with it ledy who suffered severely feone negleoting this precaution. The doctor lead given her some ointment to rub on her arm for a rheumatic pain, and she applied it when she went to bed. Daring the night she suffered considerable pain, which she attributed to the working of the ointment. "When daylight oame, great was her horror to find that she wasbeing eaten alive by a swarm of red ants, which had been attracted by sorne sweet ingredient in the ointment, e,nd had bitten through her skin into her flesh, so that she carried the scars of the wounds to heegrave. No doubt the rheumatic pain was mired, but the remedy was A GOOD DEAL WORSE TIIAN TELE DISEASE. The large red ants, similar to those, described in the Queen's Sootole journal as attaoking it royal Princess, are usually met with out shooting, As you are passing under a tree in your howdah the elephant puts up his trunk, at the bidding of the mahout, to break off some projecting branch, and in an instant you find yourself covered with a ehower of red ants, who have been pionioking on that pertionlar branch.. The rapidity with which they will attack you on your faoe and hands, get down the back of your neck and up your legs, is more easily imagined than desoribed, and you will have it very unpleasant quarter of PM hoar until you can get rid of them all. I had not many encounters with the large black ants, wbioh affect a rather drier climate than that of Caloutta. But in a . house where there is a colony of large black ants established no place is safe from their ravages, and their bite is quite as savage and painful as that of the large red ants. The white ants probably "take the cake" according to modern phrenology, as the greatest nuisances of their kind. A white ant has several forms, but perhaps his most dangerous form is that ia which he le more like a. white maggot than aft ordinary ant. In this maggot form the white ants work under cover of a tunnelling of soft mud, which they manufacture for themselves, possibly with the intention of CONCEALING TEEM But the tunnel fortunately betrays them, and no time should be lost in breaking open the tunnel and destroying the work- ing party that will be found inside. If an unwary traveler, arriving late at night, leaves his portmanteau on the floor of his room in Oho vioinity of white ante, he will probably discover in the morning that the enemy have found their way in and made havoc of his garments. They will carry their tunnel up the leg of a table or aide - board to get at the contents of a drawer. Nothing is sacred to them. In the public offices of Government the white ant ia ready to make himself record keeper. He gets iato a bundle of papers and eats them. If a reference is needed to some old paper, the clerk who goes to the bundle finds that it ha e been resolved into a mass of muddy pulp. I knew a case where they ate some bank notes in a native merchant's chest, but luckily for him, the fragmente Were identifiable.—C. T. Buckland in Longman': Magazine. Important to Journalista. New reporter—I say, Mr. Editor, I'd like to know— Editor—What would you,like to know? " A. prominent citizen has broken his neck on a toboggan slide." " Well, what of ib?" " I'm puzzled to know whether the item comes under the head of Sporting Newin or Society Gossip.' " A Texas Lotharlo. Mis Esmerelda Longcoffin—Hostetter McGinnis, it is outrageous the way you - treat me. Hostetter McGinnis—What's up now, Esmerelda ? "You are engaged to me, bat you flirt with Birdie MoHenipin." " Be calm, Esmerelda be calm. I'm going to go back on that other girl, too." A Partial Convert. Miss Eyeglass°, of Bcston—I should think, Mr. West wylde, thet life so close to ` nature's heart—out on the great plains, faceto face with the splendors of SEM, moon and stars, the weep of the winds, the :majesty of the wide prairie—would tend to make one a Pantheist. Is it not so ? Mr. Westevylde—Well—yes—at beset, partly. There ain't much fancy cookin' at cowboy can manage, but some of ES Cart flip it pancake with any hotel cook alive. The San Francisco Brewers' Union has $4,000. The G. A. R. Post at Lawrenceburg, 'Ind., has been given a powderdaorn that wad once the property of the great Indian Chief, Teourasele. The born was cut from the head of a buffalo killed by the Chief. A WoatAN'S SPHERE. Ob, Nellie 131y, • Since yota dared fly Around the globe se soon, we heat, Your trip securea The earth as yoUrS; Henceforth 'twill be a wornates sphere. • rit yet, eou know, Yen slie°Zir blit=iliktgoana /lice TOO earth you've get, • Blif, yob you ought To give Mi.140 Bisl and quite a slice, —Cinderella found that it low menial position led to a hymeneal one. —One swalhiw' dosn't make a sornther, tint it may brio011 dieeerly fall. 5 Itathe windo 0 ,it ileoci store on BtOlt - 'way is the Penciled meeettrement of the •feet of Abraham Lituktln, each sold being egnal irt length to it pair of ordinary num- tier tativea, and wide irt proportion.