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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1888-11-29, Page 3'1!!'FF.ITtvil'E'YT7F61"*"11-"Arc ROUGHING IT IN THEBUSH. CHAPTER XIII.— ((totem um) ) The Indians, under the r quiet exterior poesese a deal of humour, They have sig nificanb names for everythieg, and a nicer name for every one, and some of the latter are laughably appropriate. A fat, pompous, ostentatious settler in our neighbourhood they called Illuckakee, "the bullfrog," An- other, rather a film young man, but with a very red face, they named Segoskee, "the rising sun." Mr. Wood, who had a farm above ours, was a remarkably alender young man, and to him they give the spoliation of Netig, " thiu stiok." A woman that nom sionatly worked for me, had a disagreeable qui* she was known in Indian by the name, of Sachabo, " aross-eye." A gentle- matewith a very large nose was Choojas, "big, or ugly nose." My little Addie, who was a fair, lovely creature, they viewed with great approbation, and milled .Annoonk, "a star ;" while the rosy Katie was Nogesigook, "the northern lights." As to me, I was lienocosimei, a " humming- bird;" a ridicu- lous name for a tall woman, but it had refer - once to the delieht I took in painting birds. —My friend, Emilia, was "blue cloud ;" my little Donald, " fa z u face ; ' young t he r ed• tweet ed wood -pecker,' from the colour of his hair; my brother, Chippewa, and " the neld•headed eagle." He was an especial fevourite among them. If merely to present to my readers web events as May serve to illustrate a life in the woods, The winter and spring ot 1834 had paned. away. The latter wee uncommonly cold and backward ; so muth to that we had a very heavy fall of snow upon the 14-,h and 15th of May, and several gentlemen drove down to Cobourg in a sleigh, the snoweying upon the ground to the depth of several inches. A late, cold spring in Canada is generally euneeded by a burning hot summer; and the summer of '34 was the hottest I ever remember. No rain toll upon the earth for many weeks, till nawire drooped and ith. ered beneath one bright blaze of mu 1 and the ague and fever in the woods, end the cholera in the large towns and cities, spread death and eickness through the nun - try. Moodie had made during the winter a large clearing of twenty mires around the house. The progress of the workmen had been watehed by me with the keenest interest. every tree that reaohed the groued opened a wider gap in the dark wood, giving us a broader ray of light an a a clearer glimpse ef the blue sky. But when the dark cedar - swamp freezing the house fell beneath the strokes of the axe and we got a first view of the lake, my joy was complete ; a new and beautiful object was now conatantly before roe, which gave me the greatest pleas ure. 13y night and day, in eunshine or in atorm, water is always the moat sublime feature in a landeoape, and no view can be truly grand in which it is wanting. From a child, it always had the most powerful effect upon my mind, from the green ocean rolling in majesty, to the tinkling forest rill, hid- den by the flowers and rushee Along its banks. Half the solitude of my forest home vanished when the lake unveiled its bright face to the blue heavens, and I saw sun, and moon, and stars and waving trees re- flected there. I would sit for hours at the window as the shades of evening deepened round me, watching the massy foliage of the forests pictured in the waters, till fancy transported me back to England, and the songs of birds and the lowing of cattle were sounding in my ems. It was long, very long, tefore 1 could discipline my mind to learn and practise all the menial employments which are neoeseary in a good settler's wife. The total absence of trees about the doors in all new settlements had always puzzled me, in a county where the intense heat seems to demand all the shade that can be procured. My husband had left several beautiful rock -elms (the most picturesque tree in the country) near our dwelling, but, alas 1 the first high gale prostrated all my fine trees, and left our log cottage entirely exposed to the fierce rays of the sun. The confusion of an uncleared fallow spread around us on every side. Huge trunks of trees and piles of brush gave a littered and uncomfortable appearance to the locality, and as the weather had been very dry for some weeks, I heard my hus- band daily talking with his choppers as to the expediency of firing the fallow. They still urged him to wait a little longer, until he could get a good bre, ze to carry the fire well through the brush. Business called him suddenly to Toronto, but he left a strict oharge with old Thomas and his sons, who were engaged in the job, by no means to attempt to burn it off until he returned, as he wished to be upon the premises himself, in case of any clangor. He had previously burnt all the heaps immed- iately about the doors. While he was absent, old Thomas and his second son fell sick with the ague, and went home to their own tovrnship, leaving John, a surly, obstinate young man, in charge of the shanty, where they slept, and kept their tools and provisions. Monaghan I had sent to fetch up my three cows, as the children were languishing for milk, and Mary and I remained alone in the house with the little ones. The day was sultry, and towards noon a strong wind sprang up that roared in the pine tops like the dashing of distant billows, but without in the lean degree abating the heat. The children were lying listlessly upon the floor for coolness, and the girl and I were finial:tine. sunhonnets, when Mary suddenly exclaimed, " Blesa us, mistrees, what a smoke I" I ran immediately to the door, but was not able to distinguish ten yards before me. The swamp immediately below us was on fire, and the heavy wind was driving a dense black cloud of smoke directly towards us. " hat cau this mean ?" I cried. "Who ce,n have set fire to the fallow ?" As I ceased epeaking, John Thomas stood pale and trembling before me. "John, what is the meaning of this 5re ?" " Oh, nrearn, I hope you will forgive me it was I set fire to it, and I would give all I have in the world if I bad not done it." "What is the danger ? ' n Oh, I'm terribly afearel that we shall all be burnt up," mid the fellow, beginning to whimper. "Why did you run such a Hat, and your master from home, and no one on the place to render the leaet assistance ?" it I did it for the best," blubbered the lad. " What shall we doV' " Why, we must get out of it as fast as we can, and leave the house to its fate." We can't get out," said the man, in a low, hollow tone, whioh seemed the °omen- tratien of fear; "1 would have got out of it if I could; but just step to the back door, ma'am, and see." offered him mane bread and dried venison. He looked at me reproachfully. " to white men eat bread the first night ' their papoose is laid in the earth ?' "1 then knew the cause of his depression, d 1•f h' " The Indians are often made a prey of and tainted by the ueprineipled settlers, who think it is no mime to me rreach a re -skin. One anecdote will fully illustrate this foot. A young squaw, who was near becoming a mother, stopped at a ,emith• town settler's house to rest, herself. The woman cf the house, who was Irish, was peeling for dinner some large white turnips, which her hus- band had grown in their garden. The In- dian had never seen a turnip before, and the appearance of the firm, white, juicy root gave her such a keen craving to taste it that she very earnestly begged for a small piece to eat. She had purchand in Peter- borough a large stone -china bowl, of a very handsome pattern (or, perhaps, got it at the store in exchange for basket), the wet th of which might be half -a -dollar. if the poor tql1A{V longed for the turnip, the value of which could reach a copper, the covetous European bad fixed as longing a glance upon the china bent, and she was determined to gratify her avaricious de- sire and obtain it on the most easy terms. She told the squaw, with some d isdain, that her mandidnetgrow turnips to giveaway to "In - inns," but she would sell her one. The anew offered her four coppere, all the change she had about her. This the woman refused with contempt. She then proffered a basket; but that was nob sufficient '• nothing would satisfy her but the bowl. The Indian de- mutc•ed ; but opposition had only increased her craving for the turnip in a tenfold de. gree; and after a short mental struggle, the squaw gave up the bowl, and re- ceived in return one turnip The daughter of this woman told me this anecdote of her mother as a very clever thing. What Hen people have of moral juetice 1 , I have said before that the Indian never fkorgets a kindnets. We had a thousand Proofs of this, when overtaken by misfor- tune, and -withering beneath the iron grasp of poverty, we could scarcely obtain bread for oureelvee and our little ones; then it was that the truth of the Eastern proverb was brought home to our heart, and the goodnese of God fully manifested tom rds us, "Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after many days." During better times we had treated these poor 8RV ages with kindness and liberality, and they never bunk us. For many a good meal e hese been indebted to them, when I had nothing to give in return, when the wintry was empty, and "the hearth stone growing eold," as they term the want of provisions to cook at it. And their delicacy in conferring these favours was not the least admirable part of their conduct. John Noghn, who was much attached to us, world bring a fine bunch of ducks, and drop them at my feet "for the papoose, " or leave a large maskin- onge on the sill ofthe door, or place a quar- ter of venison just within it, and slip away without saying a word, thinking that receiv ing a present from a poor Indian might hurt our feelings, and he would spare us the mortification cf returning thanks. 0 ten have I grieved that people with such generous impulses should be degraded arid corrupted by civilized men; that a mysteri sus destiny involves and hangs over them, pressing them back into the wildernrse, and slowly and surely sweeping them from the earth. Tbeir idea of Christianity appeared to rne vague and unsatisfactory. They will tell you that Christ died for men, and that Be is the Saviour of the World,but they do not seem to commehend the spiritual character of Christianity, nor the full extent of the requirements and application of the law of Christian love. These imperfect views may not be entertained by all Christian Indians, but they were very common amongst those with whom I convened. Their ignorance upon theological, as well as upon other sub - Ines, is, of course, extreme. One Indian asked me very innocently if I came from the land where Christ was born, and if I had ever seen Jiving. They always mention the name of the Persons in the Trinity with great reverenoe. They are highly imaginative people. The practical meaning of their names, and their intense admiration for the beauties of na- ture, are proof of this. Nothing escapes their observing eyes. There is not a flower that blooms in the wilderness, a bird that outs the air with its wings a beast that roams the wood, a fish that eLne the waters, or the minute buten that sportmin the sun- beamsbut ib has an Indian name to illus- trate its peculiar habits and qualities. Some of their words convey the direct meaning of the thing implied—thus, cho- ren, "to sneeze," is the very Found of t et act; too nte•ciuh, "to churn," gives the nein made by the dashing of the cream from nide to aide; and many others. They believe in supernatural appearances —in spirits of the earth, tho air, the waters. The latter they consider evil, and propitiate before undertaking a long voyage, by throw- ing small portions of bread, meat, tobaeoo, and gun -powder into the water. When an Indian loses one of his children, he must keep a atriot fast for three dam abstaining from food of any kind. A hunter of the name of Young, told me a (stratus story of their rigid obeervanoe of this steange rite. "They had a chief," he said, " a few yeare ago, whom they called 'Handsome Jaok,'—whother in derision, I cannot tell, for he was one of the ugliest Indians 1 ever saw. The scarlet fever got into the eanwe— a terrible disease in this country, and dottle- ly terrible to then poor ereaturee who don't kriow how to trait it, His eldeet daughter died. The ehief had fasted two days *heti net him in the butilte I did not know what had happened, but 1 opened my wan lei, for 1 waa on a Minable Otrptditieti, and On the night of the second day of his fast another child died of the fever. Ile had now to accomplish three more days without tast- ing food, It WUR b00 11111Ch even for an In• dian. Oa tho 4,vaing of the fourth, he was so premed by ravenoue hunger, that he stole into the voouti, caught a bull -frog, and de- voured it alive. He imagined himself alone; but one of his people, suspecting bis inten- tion, had followed him, unperceived, to the bush. The act he had just committed was a hideous crime in their eyes, and in u few minutes me camp was in an uproar. The thief lied for protection to Young's house. When the hunter demanded the cane of his alarm, he gave for answer, There are plenty of flies at my house. To avoid their stings I come to you." It ri melted all the eloquence of Mr. Young, who njoyed much popularity among them, to reconcile the rebellious tribe to their ohief. They are very skillful in their treatment of wounds and many diseases. Their know- ledge of the medicinal qualitiee of their plents and herbs is very great. They make excellent poultices from the hark of the bass and the slippery elm- They use several native plants in their dyeing of baskets and porcupine quills. The inner bark of the swamp -alder, simply boiled in water, makes a beautiful red. From the root'of the black briefly they obtain a fine salve for sores, and extract a rich yellow dye. The inner bark of the root of the sumach, roasted, and reduced to powder, is R good remedy for the ague, a teat spoonfut given between the hot and cold fit. They serape the fine white powder from the large fungus that grows up on the bark of the pine, into whiskey, and take it for violent pains in the stomach. The taste of this powder strongly reminded me of quinine. I have read much of the excellence of In. dian cookery, but I never could bring myself to taste anything prepared in their dirty wigwams. I remember being highly amused in watching the preparation of a mess, which might have been called the Indian hotch- potoh. it consisted of a strange mixture of fish, flesh, and fowl, all boiled together in the same vessel. Ducks, partridges, reaski. nonge, venison, and muskrats, formed a part of this delectable compound. These were literally smothered in onions, potatoes, and turnips, which they had procured from me. They 'very hospitably offered me a dishful of the odious mixture, which the odour of the muskrat rendered everything but savoury; but I declined, simply stating that I was not hungry. My little boy tasted it, but quick. ly left the camp to conceal the effect it pro- duced upon him. Their method of broilivg fish, however, is excellent. 'limy take a fish, just fresh out of the water, cut out the entrails, and with out removing the scales, wash it clean, dry it in a cloth, or in the grass, and cover it all over with clear hot ashes. When the flesh will part from the bone, they draw it out of the aehes, strip off the akin, and it is fit for the table of the most fastidious epicure. The deplorable want of chastity that exists among the Indian women of this tribe seems to have been more the result of their inter- num with the settlers in the country, than from any previous dieposition to this vice. The jealousy of their husbands has often been exercised in a terrible manner against the offending rquawe ; but this bas not bam ptned of late years. The men wink at these derelictione in their ieivec, and share with them the price of their theme, The mixture of European blood 'adds greatly to the physical beauty of the half - race, but produces a sad falling -off from the orieinel integrity of the Indian character. The half-easte is generally might& vicious rogue, posseseing the worst qualities of both parents in an eminent degree. We have many of these half•Inclians in the penitem tiary, for crimes of the blackest dye. The skill of the Indian in procuriog hie game, either by land or nater, has been too well desciibed by better -writers than I could ever hope to be, to need any illustra tion from my pen, and I will elan this long chapter with a droll anecdote which is told of a gentleman in this neighborhood. The ear1y loss of his hair obliged Mr. -- to procure the tubstitute of a wig. This was such a goad imitation of nature, that none Lut his intimate friends and ntighbours were aware of the fact. It happened tbat he bad some quarrel with some finnan, which had to be settled in one of the pony courts. The case was decided in favor of Mr— which so aggrieved the savage, who et:twittered himself the injured party, that he sprang upon him with a furi- ous yell, tomahawk in band, with the inten- tion of depriving him of his scalp. He twisted his hand in the locks which adorned the cranium of his advereary, when—horror of horrors I—the treacherous wig came ofl in his hand, " Owph I owgh 2" exclaimed the affrighted savage, flinging it from him, and rushing from the court as if he had been bit. ten by a rattlesnake. His sudden exit was followed by peals of laughter, from the crowd, while Mr.— coolly picked up his wig, and dryly remaked that it had saved hie head. THE iNDIAN FISHERMAN'S MORT. The air is still, the night is dark, No ripple breaks the dusky tide; From isle to isle the fither's bark Like fairy meteor seems to glide; Now lost in shade—now flashing bright On sleeping wave and forest tree; j We hail with oY the ruddy light, Whioh far into the &Annie night Shines red and cheerily With spear high poised, aad steady hand, The centre of that fiery ray, Behold the Indian fisher stand Prepared to atrike the finny prey, Hurrah! the theft has Aped below— Transfix'd the shining prize I see ; On swiftly darts the birch canoe ; Yon black rook shrouding from my vie w Ile rod light gleaming cheerily 1 Around yon bluff, whose pine crest hides The notiy rapids from our sight, Artother bark—another glides— Red meteors of the murky night. The bosom of the silent etream With mimic stars it dotted free; The waves reflect the double gleam, The tall Woods lighten in the beam, Through darknetts shining cheerily 1 CHAP rtil XIV g—BUIIN1b10 Tug FALLOPir There is a hollow roaring in the The hideous eissitig of tek tnousand nettles, I had not felt the least alarm up to this minute; I had never seen a fallow burnt, but I had heard of ib as a thing of such com- mon occurrence that I had never connected with it any idea of danger. Judge then, my surprise, my horror, when on going to the back door, I saw that the fellow, to make sure of his work, had fired the field in fifty different plane. Behind, before, on every side, we were surrounded by a wall id fire, burning furiously within a hundred yards of us, and outting off all poesibility of retteat ; for could we have found an opening through the burning heaps, we would not have seen our way through the dense canopy of smoke; and buried as we were in the heart of the knot, no ono oould discover our situation till we were beyond the reach of help. I closed the door, and went baok to the parlour. Fear was knocking loudly at my heart, for our utter helplessnese annihilated all hope of being able to effect our escape. I felt stupefied. The girl sat upon the floor by the children, who, unmemeions of the peril that hung over them, had both fallen Weep. She was silently weeping; while the fool who had caused the Mischief was orying aloud. A strange mina succeeded my first alarm; thars and lamentations were useless; a hon. rible death was impending over utt, end yet 1 could not believe we were to die. I eat down upon the step of the door, and watch- ed the awful scene in silence. The fire was raging in the occlar-weramp, immediately be- low the ridge on whioh the !Iowa stood, and ib presented a epectecle telly appalling, from our sight. The air wa I1led wlth fiery pemeeslea, which floated even to the doonaten—waile the crackling and roaring of the Reines might have been heard at a great (benzene. Could we have reached the , lake alien, where several canoes were moor, ed at the landing bv taunt hiog ;tut into the HEALTE. Hospital Nimes, A great deal has been said about the com fort and nounty felt by the presence of a water we ehould have been in perfeez safety; trained rurse ip an sextons and griefetricken bopass through ghtdirtihsisobjeot, it WaS necesaary huusehold and to those who hen been for t mimic, hall; and not ! tunete in their experiences with these women bird could have flown over it with upsoorch- they cannot be overrated. The kindneen ed vriege, There was no hope in then gentlenese, and content care which a con - quarter, for, could we have escaped the flamee, we should leave been blinded and choked by the thick, black, resinoue smoke. The fierce wind drove the flames at the sides and back of the house up the clearing; and our peesage to the road, or to the foreet, on the right and left, was entirely obstruct- ed by a ilea of flames. Our only ark of safety was the house, so long mg it remained un- touched by the coneuming element. I turn- ed to young Thome; and yoked him how long he thought that would be. "When the fire clears this little ridge in front, ma'am. The Lord have mercy upon us, then, or we must all got" "Cannot you John, try and make your escape, and net, weat oan be done for us and the pour 1E1 tam ? ' My eye tell upon the sleeping angels, toiled peacefully in each other's arme, and my tears flowed for the first time. Mary the servant girl looked piteously up in my face. The good, faithful creature had not uttered one word of complaint, but now she faltered forth, "The dear, precious lambs 1-0h 1 such a death 1" I threw myself down upon the floor be- side them, and pressed them alternately to my heart, while inwardly I thanked Ged that they were asleep, unconsoion of dan- ger, and unable by their childish cries to disbran our etteutioa from adopting any plan which might offer to effect their et - cape. fAfter the general health, to see to the hy:eire: " that,,e they,m413 aa wrekhoitPtth,rategiutlaitir, 1;?updt itnogoefitbo working ender by preper exercise. If one of these plagues do Ammar, a nary little . iodoform put on will often check its growth 1 and prevent further trouble Should this I fail there is nothing better than the usual - 1 domeetio remedies which every housewife ought to be Acquainted with—a bread ponhiee a hot fig, hot water fornentationseto, the use of which is to bring the bell to a bead, and hasten its departure, If there ts much pain and the boil does not break readily it will be bettor to lance it. The heat soon beoatne suffociating. We were parched with thirst, and there was not a drop cf water in the house, and none to be procured nearer than the lake. I turned once more to the door, hoping that a panage might have burnt through to the water. I sew nothing but a dense cloud of fire and smoke—could hear nothing but the crack- ling and roaring of the flames, which were gaining eo fast upon us that I felt their scorching breath in my face. " Ah," thought 1—and it was a most bia be thought—' what will my beloved hus- band say when he returns and finds that his poor Stunt and bis dear girls have perished in this miserable manner? But Gad can save us yet.". The thoughb had scarcely found a voice in my heart before the wind rime to a hurri. cane, Rendering the tames on all sides into a tempest of burning billows. I buried my head in my apron for I thought that our time was come, and that all was lost, when a most terra3 crash of thunder buret over our beads, and, like the breaking of a water spout, down came the rushing torrent of rain which had been pent up for so many weeks. In a few minutes the chip. yard was all afloat, and the fire effectually checked. The storm which, unnoticed by us, had been gathering all day, and which was the only one of any note we had that summer, continued to rage all night, and before morning had quite subdued the cruel enemy, whose approach we had viewed with such dread. The imminent danger in which we had been placed struck me more forcibly after it was past than at the time, and both the girl and myself sank upon our knees, and lifted up our hearts in humble thanksgiving 10 then God who had saved us by an act of His Pro- vidence from an awful and sudden death. When all hope from human astistance was lost, His hand was mercifully stretched forth, making His strength more perfectly mani.ested in our wee kia one : — "Ho is their stay when earthly help is lost, The light and anchor of the tempett-thee'd." There was one person, unknown to us, who had watched the progress of that rash blaze, and had even brought his canoe to tbe lend- ing, in the hope of getting us off. This was an Irish pensioner named Dunn, who had cleared a few acres on his government grant, and had milt asheaity on the ()ppm ite shore of the lake. "Faith, madam! an' I thought the cap- tain was stark, staring need to fire his fat low on such a windy day, and that blowing right from the lake to the house. When Old Wittals came in and towld us that the mother was not to the foiro, but only one lad, an' the wife an' the childer at home,— thinks I, there's no time to be lost, or the crathurs will be burnt up intirely. We emoted instanther, but, by Jove! we were too late. The swamp was all in a blaze when we got to the landing, and you might as well have thrien to get to heaven by pass- ing through the other place." This eves the eloquent harangue with which the honest creature informed me the next morning of the efforts he had made to save us, and the interest he had felt in our critical situation. I felt comforted for my pat anxiety, by knowing that one human being, however humble, hem sympathized in our probable fate; while the providen- tial manner in which we had been rescued will ever remain a theme of wonder and gratite de. The next evening broughb the return of my husband, who listened to the tale of our escape witn pale and disturbed counten- ance • not a little thankful to find his wife and ohildren still in the land of the living. For a long time after the burning of that fallow, it haunted me in my dreame. 1 would awake with a start, imagining myself fighting with the flames, and endeavouring to merry my little children through them to the top of the clearing, when invariably their garments and my own took fire just as I was within reach of a place of safety. (TO BE CONTINUED.) -or One Hundred Years Ago. The following is among the Taws passed by the Legislature of the State of Franklin. We copy it as found in a speech by Daniel Webster on the currently of 1838 :— Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the state of Franklin, and it is hereby en- acted by the authority of the same. That from the lat clay of January, 1789, the ealaries of the officers of this commonteealth be art follows :— His Excellency the Governor, per annum, 14000 deer skins. His Bonour the ChiefJustice, per annum, 500 deer skins. The ttecretary to his Excellency the Gover- nor, per annum, 500 racoon skins. The Treasurer of the State, 450 racoon akins. Each county clerk, 300 beaver kins. Clerk of House of Commons, 200 ranon thins Membera of the Assembly, per diens, three racoon eking. From out the dense folds ef a canopy of Justine' feefor sigoing A warrant, one That from the centre of yon gable cloud black smoke, the blackeet I O'er saw, leaped muskrat akin, Leen madly ups like eerileete in the dark, Up continually red fotka of Amid fiame aa To oonstablee for aerving a, warrant, one Shaking their arrotvy tometteri at Nature's high AO the tree tops, igniting the brat:mho Mink skin, heart, of a (front) of tall pmes th Entsoted into the law the 18th deer of Om hietory of ottr thindeece in the birth, but A deep gloom b , 11 ire not my; intentien to give a regular sten beg for sawnoiOtted out the heavens State s, tober, 1789, under the great eea of the mentions anclsktful nurse gives to the patient under her care often lays the foundation for a atrong friendthip between the two, and a mutual interest which is felt long af•er health and strength are restored, and conversation is not oonfined to "symptoms." I once knew quite well one of then nurses. She was a mann little woman, with the quickest obser- vation, and most Oympathetic and persuasive ways with her patients. I asked her once if the sight of continual suffering and death in the hospital ever had a tendency to harden or create indifference in the nurses. She re. plied that with her it was exactly the reverse, and told many interesting and some very touching stories of her experience in the hos. pita!, She would never wear her cap. "11 gives such a hospital air to a siok room," she said, "and makes the patient think, ' Oh mercy, am I so badly flee that?' A high. crowned nurse's cap certainly doesgive a hush- ed and eolemn appearance to a home. "Wo are going to have eueh nice than together and be such good friends," the said coaxingly to a feverish little noy who opened his eyes and looked doubtfully at the strange face bending over hini. "1 never saw ouch a good boy 1" she said to the,doctor continually in her little patient's hearing. Praise does so much more good at such time than " reasoniug." There is nothing that will Mose the teeth and turn the° bauk of a patient quicker than the words, " ibis better for you." Tiptoeing when passing, mixing medicines with the back turned to the bed ; anything that has a mysteriona air Li aggravating to a person lying help- tes ia.leed. We sometimes realize how in- valids must ponder and worry over some little thing that has happened, or some rid- iculous idea that him come into their heads, and stays there for days. I once knew a little girl of ten or eleven years old who was recovering from a fever, atd during the long hours when she lay quiet, "gaining etrength, used to wonder whether if the were stretch- ed nt she would be longer than a window- sill cpposite her bed, until one day when she was /eft alone for a moment, she slipped out of bed and crawled feebly along to the window, where she stretched herself out on the floor and found thet she went far beyond the window -sill. She reached the bed again with the help ot some chairs, and went calmly to sleep. With the nurses as with anything else an unsatisfactory one is in the way and a general nuisance ; but the other kind is a treasure, and a grateful family has a peote liar admiration and affection for her after- wards. Nurses seem to have lived through so much, and have often a quietly impor- tant way about them that cornea from Inv ing had anxious people hanging upon them words and looks. When they say,"7 once had a can," it has the same interest for us that 'Once upon a time" used to have. Even a nurse's watch has something of an individuality. It has marked off so many • changes," and has ticked Bolen nly through anxious nights instead of drowsing awaY under healthy pillows. At all events, a nurse is a pleasatt and reliable friend to have, and there are few people who do not feel an interest in this kindly, gentle sisterhood.—[Good House- keeping. The Baby's Food. Too much care cannot be bestowed upon the cieansieg of the utensils in which a baby's food is prepared and served to him. To secure this end it is well to have two sets of vessels, that the one may have a chance to be thoroughly cleansed while the other is in use. The tin in which the food is cooked should be scoured immediately after it has been emptied, and then carefully dried. Seamless cups or saucepans should be used, if possible, that there may be no risk of the milk drying in the cracks or seams and escaping observation. Agate iron- ware is preferable to tin, as being more eas- tly kept clean, Tee bottle should be rinsed out as soon as the baby hs finished his meal, and left filled with clean cold water until it is again needed. Once a day, at least, they shoL,1A be washed out with scalding water au borax, and if possible have a good sunning as well. A bottle brutal is indispensable. The long rubber nipples should be selected, as these cen be turned inside out and well cleansed. Black rubber should alwaye be used in preference to white. No words can be too strona in condem- nation of the long rubber tubes one often Rees attached to bottles. It is almost im. possfble to keep the inside of these tubes clean. The sight of a baby in a public con- veyance pulling at one end of a snakelike tube while the other is connected with a bottle of stone-cold milk is enough to make one's heart ache for the little victim to its mothers nrelesenees or lack of knowledge. One must remember that while milk may satisfy the baby's appetite it does not quench his thirst. He should often have a few teaspoonfuls of cool water give him. Many a poor lithe child who could not put his woes into words has undergone intense suffering becauee it never occurred to his at- tendant that the milk he drank served only to increase his thirst. In summer he ;should have only boiled water, and the precaution is a wise one at all times. The Uare of the Teeth. Surely no one needs to be told that the proper mare of the teeth is a subject of the greatest importance. Quite apart from the unsaghtly appearance of unclean teeth, the evil effects on the breath which they are apt to produoe, and the agonies of tooth- ache which the neglect may issue in, there are other troubles which have been traced directly to this source, such for intance, as neuralgia and deednese. In addition to the tooth -brush and the tooth-piok judiciously used, there is nothing so good for keeping clean, healthy teeth and gums as to rinse the mouth out well after every meal with luke warm water, or cold water for that matter of it, Gnm-Boils. ,""Any one who ever hed a gum-boil—and who has not ?—knows that for eapacity to render life miserable they are not to be des, pised. A large-sized naive gum -boil ceffeete the temper of theaverage human being elmost as much as a toothache or an attack of in- dijoseion. What causes them? Difficult to day, Soinetimes they are due to irritation set up by a desayed tooth, Sometimes ey appear as the ntimeroua forms of flags of distress Which nature thtows out to tihow that things in general itt the system are not working rightly. They may remit into oold Or from impure blood induced by over work or too elese confinetinent. .Aa Pre - Menden iit better than mire, it is well to rook Heating and Health. The heating of the apartments in which we pass the greater portion of our live is a eubj eetwhich at this time of the year le second to note others in importance, and it ie strange that not withstanding the advancing which science has made in this reopen there should be in general so utter a distegard on the part of householders of the principles by which they should be governed. The open fireplace, is on several eon tints to be preferred to any other means of heating an apartment. It ineures, when well con- structed, the removal of those products of commotion which tend to vitiate the at- mosphere, atd at the same time causes a strong current of air to pass from the room through the chimney, by which alone tolerably effective ventilation is preduced. Bub it has certain objectionable features which preclude its employment when a steedy and uniform heat is rt quired and when it is especially desirable to avoid irregular current of air. It is therefore not adapted for Dee in daik mons, each as hospital wards, were many sick persons are present. On the oilier hand, again, the cheerful - nese imparted to the mind by the eight of an open fire should not be overlooked, and the influence of the light emitted is, also an important element in the consideration of the subject. A serious objection to stoves is that as the air surrounding them becomes heated slid specifically lighter it ascends to the ceiling, and therefore the lower strata of air con- tained in a room heated by a stove are never so bot as the upper, The chief disadvantage of steam as a heating agent consiats in the fame that it is difficult to regulate the temperature. The pipes must be kept at 212 degreea Fahre.n- he it or oondeneation at the vapor at once takes place and water is formed. In pass- ing from a state of vapor to that of a liquid steam parts with its latent heac and becomes sensible, and tins the temperature of the pipes is raited. Of all means of heating, that by bot water is to be preferred. The air cannot be baked by it, for the temperature oan never be raised above 212 degrees Fahrenheit. It parts with its heat lees rapidly than does steam. These facts render it far more pleasant to bear than the heat from steam. In general it may be said that either steam or hot water should be ador ted for the heating of our homes in winter. By either of these a uniform temperature can be ob- tained, and that is a highly desirable mat- ter to accomplish. It is almost invariably the case that rooms are overheated and halls and passages left cold. Persons there- fore pass from an atmosphere of 80 or 90 degrees to one not far from the freezbag point. In this way colds are rapidly con- tracted. The temperature of the house in winter ehould never exceed 65 degrees and this should exist throughout its whole ex- tent, so that there will be no nerseity for clos- ing doors, and hence the air w)11 be allowed to circulate ireely throughout the whole building. Certainly many cases of pneu- monia, to say nothing of severe colds and rheumatism, are caused by the houses that we inhabit being heated to too high a de- gree. People pen from their interiors to the street without thinking that by so do- ing theysuddenly change the temperature of the air in which they live sixty degrees or more even in comparatively mild weather and in iory cold weather as much as 80 or 100 degreen Such sudden changes of tem- perature are calculated to break down the strongest systema, and espeoially to kill off old persons and young children. The re- gulation of the heat of our houses and the avoidance of too high a tempernture in Winter would certainly lessen the nmeaber of preventable diseases. DR. WTLLLAM A. HAMMOND., Some Simple Remedies. When stung by a bee or a waap, make a paste of common earth and water, pit on the place at once aud cover with a cloth. For a cold on the chest, a flannel rag wrung out in boiling water and sprinkled with turpentine, laid on the chest gives the greatest relief. For a cough, boil one mance of flaxseed in a pint of water, drain and add a little honey, one ounce of rock condy, and the juice of three lemons ; mix and boil well. Drink as hot as possible. Often after cooking a meal a person will feel tired and have no appetite; for this beat a raw egg until light, stir m a little milk ard sugar, and season with nutmeg. Drink half an hour before eating, For a, burn or scald, make a paste of common baking soda and water, apply ai once and cover with a linen cloth. When the skin is broken, apply the white of an egg with a feather; this givee instant relief as at keeps the air from the flesh. At the first signs of ring round, take a cupful of woocia.shes, put in a pan with a quart of cold water, put the pan on the stove, put your finger in the pan, keep it there until the water begins to boil, or az long as ib can be borne. Repeat once or twice if necessary. A New Niagara, Glenwood Springs, Col., Nov. 2.—A hunting parby returned from the mountains north of the Grand river yesterday, and re- ported the discovery of a wonderful water- fall hitherto 'unknown. Though not equal to Niagara in volume, ib wag thought to ex.. need it in beauty. The place is on Rifle Creek, 25 miles from here, and is eupeketed to have never been visited by White men be- fore. The stream spree& out to a width of 300 feet at the brink, and the water glides over the rock edge, spreading out int° a thin sheet as it falba a distance of 150feet to tho bottom of the dation directly underneath. The party disMounted, and carefully creep. ing along the base of the petperidicular wall passed behind the aquatic tapestry into nooks and caverns beneath the overhanging ledgeo. The walk( and arthes were thickly studded with stalactite and etalaginite for- metions of rare beauty, Peterfatnilias•-e" Why, Etliel 1 Vent don't mean to tell the you want to marry that; bald-headed Prof. %leonine 1° Ethelo-itlit Is true leo is bald, but think haw many young men of todltey are bald on the inside of their heada."