HH r . 9Ki * " T 5 r - > ic t * " *
11 Tti GM dfimes7
B Farmer Blewitt was a little , dried
m B3r irascible man , and he used to
ft vwear * red comforter around his
m soN-dfcnBilTcd flannel ear Inppers on
f SppJcjgjIjatT\-beaLe went to meet-
f jMgTK. tic-winter llo was always
srt2yto argue that tliese modern
offices wore awfully bad , and that the
rppdald limes of a hundred years
| ago wrc just right. He would decry
u5sxr& xm.smd. improvement and say
* &a tlfce "world would bo better with-
warBtS-tfesa * He took a newspaper on
E3HErga8 io count the murders re-
< saartJe&in.it and tell how bad the
-tanorJd&ad grown. He would stand
: sr c rs a corner in the village
A sod Detail ins deductions on the pres-
T2 Bta ; d Ills'regrets ' for the past.
Osetlay lie liad whipped the minis-
Serraaa mnent , and as he had had
" 32cs5 dinner and the minister had gone
H - tsaywadand the women were at
i -'crodem the kitchen , he tipped back
* Is Tus chair , drew a red silk handker
chief o-car Lis head to keep off the
i 83ksaudwent to sleep. He had not
"Slaverer five minutes before bis son
„ - 5 Ixxe came in and said :
" Ebme , father , we must get at that
Tfsteeeof-wheat and cut it. "
jBIsnittgot up and yawned and fol-
l ssresITiis son to the barnyard , where
SDfstaso sons eat on a log filing a
-ooapfc of sickles.
Yljat in the nation are you doing
nei &iQ > ose.old sickles ? " said Blewitt.
vGssjoftfheioys looked astonished
cftndsald. "Doin' ? Why , weareget-
oSiag-rcady to cut the wheat. "
Blercifct stared a moment and then
"sald "Why in thunder don't you
.lurch : onto that reaper and stop fool-
KibfTcifli them sickles ? "
Tbe boys looked at each other in
senrprtse , but said nothing. Blewitt
cssaitoTheshed , but there was no
.reaper there1 . He came back. The
2 > 3ys Sad got over the fence and were
:3sithssr kness reaping the wheat and
rxrrying it in gavels.
Boyssaid Blewitt , "what do you
sseajE by this foolishness ? Where is
thnz reaper ? "
Charley , the second boy , looked at
Ms Seller pityingly , and then tapped
las Hbxihcad and looked over to John ,
ic nodded and looked sad.
-WXiy , < larn it , " said Blewitt , "you
-rmrnever run them bundles through
3 : threshm. ' machine. "
Tlireshin' machine , " said Charley ;
t ehy y < m know as well as I do that
Sfi&all Lave to flail this wheat out
* eaaxnfngs and nights while going to
si&oolihis winter , What ails you ,
I ,5ith r2"
I Bieasifct , as we said , got mad easily ,
I uml 320W he just hopped up and
I dbw3n.aiidsai < L
! Trail it out ! It must be threshed
I ready * o ship on the cars next
! mantis. "
j Hives , cars , " said John , "don't
| - Sncrr what ails you , father , or what
j yoxmnean. Iknowlshallhavetoteam
I Has wheat down to Albany and sell
I feS > r irhat it will bring. Here you
I -ss-sie out talkin' about reapers and
f 2nxs and threshin' machines , and
i darned , if I don't "believe you are
* rrajre. so now. "
I Skwitt pinched himself to see if he
I • sracs awake and strode angrily to the
I Ikrasa. As lie approached it he heard
I at rumbling and roaring like wind ,
I and. Be looked into the kitchen and
thosewas his wife spinning. Who-o-o
seat the big wheel and Blewitt sank
< into a chair and yelled.
! Xbw , Maria , what under the can-
' "
opyareyou doin' ?
Bom' ? " said his wife ; "why , spin-
* rn % of course. I must get out forty
yirds of lull cloth for you and the
| t Jojs , and twenty yards of pressed
I < fJartTvI Sor me and the gals. ' '
I Blewitt looked down at his legs and
f saw them incased in full cloth ol
\ jsoaxse texture , and the seat of his
| jfeouaers he felt reached clear up to
| "ills shoulder blades , and the legs were
: as wide as two bushel sacks.
I TTeS , I'll bedarned , " was all he
• aaid.
| Dreamily he sauntered out again
-His the wheat field , and John hailed
I &rrrrt
" .Father , if you ain 't goin' to help
-3SG < he wheat , suppose you yoke the ' .
sagi and go up to the woods and
draw a draft or two of logs for
3Pood2"
Bfewitt was composed , but he said : i
i JSSL had intended to burn coal in the '
sztrmg room and parlor , and not ' .
1 .sst nxnch wood. " 1
I Goai , ccfall" said John , angrily ;
j now see here , lather , I don't want
| 323" more of this foolish talk. lam !
j - 3ain. to git a doctor. "
j Blewitt began to think he needed i
1 -nmi * himself. Here his boys had never 1
l } $ seax& of a reaper or a threshing ma1 1
1 shiaeorcars. He felt of his full cloth (
| paatsand groaned. On the lounge
jj -s lie house he laid himself down <
l * ? .tkT tried to calmly think things <
| srtec When the doctor came he
i caEedlbrapailand bared Blewitt's i
I ana. He took out his lance , and ;
| jftrer Blewitt groaned again.
I * -T nrasttake a gallon of blood , " '
| ssidzhe doctor , ' * and then he will
1 film dowaand be all right. "
I "Don't you know bleedin' was i
I 'Oiaved outfifty vears ago ? " said . '
I .Bl itt.
I 4 = How he-wanders. " said the doc- :
\ iSckv and plunged in his lancet. Ble- :
f -veitx Siinted. When he came to him- . '
K sdih&heard one of the girls talking :
* alxjECfcan. artist do\vn in the village
| jwno 'fook profile pictures with a i
; ' s n&3easnaturalaslife.
' TKhatdo you want of such blamed <
j Enres as that ? " said Blewitt from ;
vtflb * lounge."Why don't you go j
dewa to Takem's at Albany and get J
k @ &ai graphs ? " i
h ' -Photographs , " said the whole •
K ifxnzilr"what funny names he gets i
f aShihiAcrazy fancy. " i
* B3e xtt was to weak to argue , and <
V : &gjiesmed to be somehow out ofsym-
qszxZTY-or knowledge with all man-
* t-ft * * - ! so he just lay still and watched 1
-st a ris get supper. He noticed i
T -2fzx6thD nreboard was down and i
1 * ac6afire was built in the fireplace.
I ji.&et a was on the hearth and was '
t . weced with live coals. Soon hesaw J i
f
*
ilSR SSyHflaBBHW
firiiiiBiatElSSfiP
1 lT | T-n
m. - . , - , _ . * - . .
1 r. .rr- ( t n lin mri m nniMur * inn mi
the girls take out of the kettle some
nice biscuits , and he weakly said :
"Why don't you uso-the cook stove ? "
"Poor pa , " said • Angelina , "how he
wanders. Cook stove. Wonder
what ho me.nns ? "
Blewitt closed his eyes and thought.
Bayloy , his new neighbor , was a man
he could trust that is , in anything
but money matters. Ho knew Bay-
ley was badly in debt , but ho was a
good fellow. He would send for him ;
so he called his wife and told her to
send over for him.
"Why , you know , " said Mrs. Ble
witt , "Bayley has been in jail for
debt for the last ten years. "
"In jafl for debt , " said Blewitt ,
"here we are again. I have been
transplanted. I give up ; but , say ,
here is two cents. You send a letter
down to brother John and he will bo
up here in a day or two. "
"Why , husband , the mail onlygoes
once a week , and then he will be three
days coming up on the stage , and
furthermore , it will cost a shilling-
twelve cents to send a letter to Al
bany. "
"Say , " said Blewitt , "just bury me ,
will you ? I don't belong to this cen
tury. Stage coaches , twelve cents
postage ! Telegraph him , then ! "
"There goes another new word , "
said his wife in a solemn voice , and
she wetted a cloth and laid it on his
forehead , as she repeated to herself ,
" 'Telegraph ; ' what a funny word ! "
Blewitt was in despair. Could it
bo that all the common things of life
were to him a dream ? Had ho ever
ridden on tho cars ? Did he ever own
a mowing machine ? Was there ever
a telegraph pole in the front of his
house ? He turned his eye and looked
out. Ho only saw the tall post and
long pole of the well sweep. Along
the other side of the road ran a dense
forest. He was willing to swear that
he had once owned a nice meadow
where that wood was. Backed up
against the log fence was an ox cart
with a heap as large as a young lib
erty pole. Down cellar he could hear
the banging of an old fashioned
churn. He looked up the road to the
east and saw the road was full of
great hemlock and pine stumps , and
over it the' doctor was coming on
horseback , with saddle bags before
him.
him.Blewitt
Blewitt was a man of determina
tion , and he arose from the lounge
and went to the door to consult with I
his wife.
"Maria , " said he , "there has been
enough of this foolishness. You
stare at everyting I talk about , and
I can't locate myself , or seem to lay
in with my surroundings Now will
you answer me just one question ? "
"Certainly I will if I understand it , "
said she.
"Well , then , who is president of
these 'ere United States ? "
"Why , John Adams , of course , " she
said.
said.Blewitt
Blewitt sank down and whispered :
"Then you never heard of Cleveland
swingin' round the circle ? "
"No , never , " she answered.
"Then all right. Shoot me or put
me in a bag and lay me away up
garret. I have got through. " said
Blewitt , and he went back to the
lounge and fell asleep.
When he awoke it was Sunday
morning , and the whole family were
stirring around , getting ready for
meecing. His wife of whom he was
somewhat proud , had put on a dress
with waist about nine inches long and
a skirt so tight she could hardly walk ,
and on her head such a bonnet ! It
made Blewitt hold his breath , but he
had got through talking. The boys
had on suits of full cloth and shirt
collars seven inches wide. Blewitt
smiled , and said nothing. At last
Mrs. Blewitt came to him and asked
him if he was going to church.
"Certainly , certainly. " said he ,
"anything to accomodate. Tell one
oftheboysto hitch a horse on the
carriage. "
"Top carriage ! There you go
again. "
"Well , then , " roared Blewitt , "hitch
on to the stone boat , hitch on the
ox cart , hitch on to anything. Have
it your own way. "
"Why , we will go on horseback . '
you on the saddle , I on the pillion be
hind , " said the wife.
"All right , " said Blewitt , and away j
they went.
Blewitt made some adverse remarks J
about the singing at the church ,
which was led by a deacon with a '
fiddle. The sermon was too long too. 1
It lasted two hours , On his way '
home from church his wife appeared < '
to be in fear of something and urged < '
him to hurry up. He asked her what ]
ailed her , and she told him in a •
trembling voice that his queer talk <
had made the minister think him •
bewitched , and she feared he would ]
be burned or drowned. ]
"What kind of a country is this , 1
anyhow ? " asked Blewitt. ,
Then Mrs. Blewitt reminded him '
that in New England several had 1
thus died , and that everybody be- ]
lieves in it and the church was death J
on witchcraft. ]
"Then I guess we had better light ]
out from here , " said Blewitt , as he '
clapped spurs to his horse. '
Away they went , rattle-te-bang , 1
over stumps and logs and stones , •
and there was a rattle and roar be1 1
hind and he knew they were after him. 1
They came to a log bridge over a i
brook , and' they struck it so hard
that down it went , Blewitt and horse 1
and wife , and with a yell of despair 1
he awoke yes , awoke ; for the chair <
had tipped too far back , and he was 1
in a heap on the floor , with his head 1
in a pan of apples and his feet in Mrs.
Blewitt's work basket. He heard the
rattling yet , and he looked out of
the window to discover its source , >
and saw that the boys had Started
the reaper in the field of wheat. One 1
of the girls had just driven into the
yard with the top carriage , and was '
Eust taking out his daily mail , and 1
lad offered him a telegraph dispatch *
about his hops. His wife was put- ]
ting in a tenor to the racket with a *
sewing machine in the front room , J
and the hired girl was blacking the i
cooking range.
With a pleased smile Blewitt saunJ
tered out to the wheat field , and , as ]
the reaper stopped , he said : "Darn \
the good old times I These 'ere times
is good enough for me. " J
"What's that father ? " said John. 1
"I thought you was in favor of the
real , honest , reliable , good old fash- {
i
wiii win > i nm n imm. . . nmi im M w.ii iiniiiiniiwmnim'
ioned times of ahundrcdyearsago ? " '
"Never you mind , John , " said the
smiling father. "You can go down
and buy that Thompson colt you ' ve
been wantin' , and let Charley have
your sidebar buggy ; and say , if the
wheat ain't takin'no hurt you may
go down to Barnum's circus to
morrow and cuttho wheat next day. "
He looked down at his diagonal
pants and white Marseilles vest , and
muttered as ho went to the house :
"Darn the good old times ! These 'ere
times will dew fur me ! " Prof. Gouge
in Albany Journal.
Mil i
About Rattlesnakes.
The splitting of a live chicken and
applying the warm flesh to a rattle
snake bite , " said a backwoods resi-
dent , who Jives almost within gun
shot of a rattlesnake den on the Up
per Shohola creek , "is believed by
nine out of ten of the old time dwel
lers among the mountains of north- *
eastern Pennsylvania to be a never
failing extractor of the venom of that
reptile. I have never known person
ally of a case of fatal poisoning by
rattlesnake bites in human beings. In j I
fact , I cannot remember of a single
person ever having been bitten with
in my knowledge , and I live within
ten minutes' walk of a place where
over 200 rattlesnakes were captured
by one man in the spring of 1886 ,
and where I can go any day and
gather as many rattlers as a cus
tomer may desire. Within the past
five years there has arisen a craze
among city people who spend the
summer in the Pike county and othet
North Pennsylvania mountains for
specimens of rattlesnake skins and
rattles , and I have myself driven a
profitable business in supplying hides
and buttons for that purpose for
three summers. I know one summer
boarding house keeper who buys
these things on speculation to sell to
his boarders. I furnished him more
than fifty big skins and as many sets
of rattles last summer and have now
a contract for 100 of the same this
season. I have known as much as
§ 2.50 to be paid for one rattlesnake
skin. Some fanciers have the skins
stuffed and mounted , and others
have belts , pocketbooks , card cases ,
cigar cases and even slippers made
from the skins , after a careful process
of tanning , by which the colors and
luster of the slcin are preserved as
they are when the snake is alive and
ready to sink his fangs in his aesthetic
utilizer.
"The person who caught the 200
rattlesnakes two years ago was Eli
jah Pelton , a big , double fisted wood
man. He kept them all alive with
out removing a fang , and was the
only person I ever really knew to
handle live , fang whole rattlesnakes
with impunity. He did this daily
nearly all summer at Shohola Glen
before hundreds of New York people
who visited that place , and I always
thought the performance a singular
one to be made an attraction of a
summer sojourning place , especially
as Pelton did not conceal the fact
that the snakes were captured within
an hour's journey of the resort. He
had the snukes in a large cage , which
he'entered and handled there at will ,
to the accompaniment of an almost
deafening chorus of rattling from his
vicious looking pets , as they darted
here and there about the cage , or
coiled themselves in the position they
always assume when about to strike.
Pelton asserts that he was bitten
time and time again , but that he
simply sucked out the poison , and
did not stint himself as to whisky.
"There was another rattlesnake
king in Pike county named Sam
Helms. He supplied > himself with
snakes from the same den that Pelton
got his from , and was never known
to be without his bosom and pockets
filled with them. He died some years
ago of consumption , and his death
from that disease shook the faith ol
the old mountaineers in the efficacy
of the rattlesnake as a curative
power.
"The high value that is set on
rattlesnake oil wherever that snake
is found is widely known. I have
known as much as § 5 to be paid for
an ounce of rattlesnake oil , so great
was the purchaser's faith in it as a
cure for rheumatism , and many be
lieve that the oil is infallible as an in
ternal remedy in all lands of ferer ,
and in some places it is regarded as
a never failing cure for fits. It is on
record that many years ago , over in
Sullivan county , the settlers on the
sast branch of the Delaware got to-
jetherone fall and killed over 1,200
rattlesnakes at their dens for the
purpose of trying out the oil for
bottling.
"Buttheuses ofthe live rattlesnake
as a medicinal agent are not so well
known. The father of one of my
present neighbors suffered some years
ago from an ulcer on his leg. He did
aot seem to receive any benefit from
rattlesnake oil , so he 'took the advice
of an old resident , now dead , and
carried alive rattlesnake to bed with
bim and kept it there three days.
Die old gentleman always insisted
bhat he was bitten by the snake , and
bhat the poison simply counteracted
bhe poison of the disease that was in
ais blood and drove it out. How
brue that may be I do not know , ;
but it is certain that the man's ulcer
disappeared , and he got well and
lived for several years. I don't know
tvhether the snake died or not , but
very likely it die.
"Then there was , and to some ex- '
bent is yet , a belief that if a consump- '
bive should bite deep into the neck of :
alive rattlesnake at certain times -
bhe disease would be cured. When it
tvas found that Sam Helms had the '
consumption the live rattlesnake !
treatment was tried on him. From i
all accounts he must have bitten the ]
aecks of a whole den of live rattle- 1
makes , but consumption's hand was 1
aot stayed , and Sam was gathered i
bo his nonsnake biting fathers. j
' "Another popular superstition I
among the old residenters , and one i
bhat some of their descendants believe <
in yet , was to carry a set of rattles i
in their hats to prevent or cure head- <
ache and render sunstroke impossi- I
ble. It was also once believed that if ]
a person bitten bj' a rattlesnake 1
mould swallow a few drops of the |
. 5 \ ' ' r. • : n .
\
poison itself the former would have
no effect. Not a few woodsmen I
have known always had a little vial
ofthe poison , which they extracted
from the sacs at the base of tho fangs
of rattlesnakes thoy killed for their
oil , to bo used internally in case thoy
should have the misfortune .to be
inoculated by a snake bite in their
tramps through the woods. But I
never knew of any of them having
occasion to use the alleged anti
dote , although if some of them are
to be believed they have taken pints
ofthe venom during their lives. The
antidote they took , I guess , was car
ried in much larger bottles , and was
purchased at the nearest tavern.
"There used to be a man named
Geer who lived near Long Eddy , Sul
livan county , and who claimed to
have an infallible cure for rattlesnake
bites that his grandfather obtained
from the Indians. The composition
ofthe cure was a secret , but Geer
would go any distance to doctor per
sons who were snake bitten. He
claimed to have saved tho lives of
many people suffering from rattle
snake poison. Geer died a year or
two ago , but the secret ofthe rattle
snake cure is still in his family. It
is a singular fact that none of the
alleged antidotes for rattlesnake
bites is effectual in case of poisoning
by the copperhead or pilot. Hawley
( Pa. ) Cor. e\v York Sun.
II j I II I IT !
Post and Rail People.
Annie M. Libby , Wide Awake.
A friend of mine says there are two
sorts of people in the world "posts"
and "rails , " and a good , many more
rails than posts. The meaning of this
is that most people depend on
somebody else a father , a sister , a
husband , wife or perhaps on a neigh
bor.
bor.Whether
Whether it is right to divide the
whole population ofthe earth quite
so strictly , it is true that we know a
good many rail-like people. Blanche
Evans tells me one of the Bail-girls
sits by her in school. Miss Bail never
had a knife of her own , though she
used a sort of pencil that continually
needs sharpening ; so Blanche's pretty
penknife was borrowed until one day
the Piail girl snapped the blade.
Blanche was so tired of lending the
knife that she was not very sorry.
Miss Bail's brother works beside
Henry Brown in the office ofthe Dai
ly Hurricane. They both set type ,
and Henry's patience is sorely tried
by Master Bail. If Henry tells him
to-day whether the 1 is double in mod
el when ed is added , he will have for
gotten to-morrow ; and Henry has to
tell him whether the srfmi-colon comes
before or after viz. every time he
"sets it up. " The truth is the Bail
boy doesn't try to remember these
things ; he has taken Henryforapost
and expects to be held up by him.
I met two pretty young ladies trav
eling together last summer. One was
always appealing to the other to \
know if they were to change cars at
Osanto , or not until they reached '
Dunstable , or if they should not '
change at all. She asked her com
panion the time , though her own ;
watch was in order ; she "couldn't :
bother to remember" names of routes
and hotels and people , but she fouud !
it very convenient for somebody to \
do all this for her , * and she never con- '
cealed her surprise if her friend forgot
or neglected any tiling. i '
Being a post is often unpleasant ! j !
but how much worse it is to be a rail ! >
The post can stand by itself but
take it away and where is the rail ?
Boys and girls have this advantage
over a wooden fence if they fear that {
they are l'ails they can set about s
turning themselves into posts at (
once , and they will find the post bus- ' '
iness a far more delightful one. :
IQi-O-i
A Cargo of Monkeys. '
A French paper relates a good sto- }
ry about a merchant in Marseilles *
who wrote to a correspondent on the J
cost of Africa asking him to send him
at his convenience two three
or moni
keys ofthe rarest and most valuable i
? pecies. As chance would have it the 2
merchant , in stating the number , l
wrote ou ( or ) between the figures two \
and three with a very small o and a a
diminutive u. Howgreat events may " *
issue from small causes will appear -
from the sequel. A few months pass- \
ed over , when at last a messenger was c
sent from the harbor to inform the
merchant that his menagerie had art
rived. My "menagerie ! " was the as- '
tonished repty. "Yes , a menagerie ; c
in fact , a whole cargo of monkeys
have come for you. " The merchant I
could not believe the man until a letc
ter was delivered to him from his"c
friend in Africa , a person ofthe most 1
scrupulous exactness , in which he c
gravely apologized for his having s
been unable , notwithstanding all his a
efforts , to procure more than 160 v
monkeys instead of 203 as ordered , r
but promised to forward the remainh
der as soon as possible. Imagine the
feelings of the merchant ongoing a
down to the port to convince himself n
with his own eyes ofthe existence of t
his 160 monkeys , which were all comr
fortably housed and which grinned b
at him through the bars of their o
cages. s
Expensive Ranching1 . ii
An Englishman who has been re- e
centty visiting American ranches
owned by Englishmen , has this to y
say about one of these ranches in the p
LondonEconomist : "I found on that P
ranch a manager drawing a salary of
$25,000 a year and an assistant 0
manager drawing a salary of § 6,250. It
In addition to this they had spent
thousands of pounds sterling in worth si
less improvements , so far at least as E
the cattle business is concerned. I w
found on that Western prairie ranch ei
located many , many miles from a a
railroad , servants dressed in red livh
Bry , and ; many other things fully as fc
ridiculous : The men who should have o
devoted the greater part of their w
time to tho management ofthe . comli
pany's business spent most of their h
time hunting and fishing , a very sj
pleasant pastime. " u
.
/ --VK.
rtifnmiiMnl " " * - -Tf - * * * * " " - * - - <
. _ , , , ,
ATIGER OFTHE SEA. '
How tho Sandnlch Islnmlcrs Take tho Hin-rat.
In ? Shark.
The doctor and I were enjoying a
much needed rest in a little cottage
atWaikiki , Honolulu's ideal water
ing place , says a writer in the San
Francisco Chronicle. Strolling along
tho beach one day we came across a
group of native fishermen repairing
a safron-colored net , 100 feet long ,
perhaps , and ten feet wide.
After asking a few questions of tho
natives the doctor told me that they
were going off to try to. capture one
ofthe huge sharks known as"niuhi , "
or man-eaters , and that they had of
fered to take us if we promised to sit
still in the canoe.
Everything being in readinsg , two
or three of the lighter canoes were
launched , and their occupants pad
dled out to sea to discover some
signs of the wished-for man-eater ,
while we were directed to be ready to
embark at any time. It came it
took us but a few moments to reach
our canoe and jump in.
Though it did not take us long to
reach the spot where the man-eater
was known to be , yet night had fallen ,
and it was by the light of torches
made of the baked kernels of candle-
nut , strung upon cocoa-leaf fiber ,
that we drew near the fleet. By the
smoky , red light of the torches we
could see men busily scattering about
the baked meat they had brought ,
and also half ehewed morsels ofthe
awa root. As they did so there was
the gleam of the fins and tails of
hundreds of fish darting to and fro
for food. Now and then a larger one
than therest , with sides glowing with
phosphorescent light , would dart
among the smaller fry , scattering
them right and left.
"They are the 'manoa kanaka , ' "
whispered the doctor , "the shark god
ofthe old Hawaiians. And , there !
there ! he added quickly , as a mas
sive bulk rose from tho . depths below ,
"there is the 'mano keokeo , ' the
great white shark. "
Just then the old fisherman
stationed near us suddenly crouched
down , and , touching the doctor with
one lean , brown hand , pointed to the
water near the stern of the canoe
next to us. We there saw , gleaming
in the opalescent depths , two bright
spots that shone wiuh a malignant ,
greenish light. They u ere set in a
monstrous , shadowy head , beyond
which wo could dimry see a huge
brown body.
It was the.niuhi , the fiercest of his
tribe , and as he moved along the
crowd of fish darted away in terror.
Even the great white shark sullenly
gave way to this tiger of the sea.
who swam slowly about , swallowing
the food the fishermen kept throwing
to him. As he thus moved from place
to place his whole body seemed to ex
hale a peculiar light that streamed
from the tips of his fins
and long , unevenly-lobed tail.
By the gleam of this peculiar
phosphorescence his motion could
be closely watched , and finally tho
experienced fishermen saw that h <
was becoming gorged. So intent
had we been watching his movements
that we had not noticed that while
he was being fed the fleet of canoes
had been silently moved in nearer the
shore. Our progress had been very
slow , and now for awhile the canoes
baited , while hovering beneatli them
ivas the man-eater , evidently soni' -
ivhat stupefied by the awa he had
swallowed with tho food so freely
[ riven him.
And then commenced a curious ex
hibition of skill and daring. A noose
bad been made in the end ofalorjir.
strong rope , and this was taken by
an experienced old fisherman , who
quietly slid overboard from his canoe
and allowed himself to sink where the •
man-eater was resting , his body en
veloped in that strange , weird light.
This was the moment when , if the
shark had been shaming sleep , he
ivould , with one vigorous
sweep of his tail and a snap of his :
aws , have earned his name of • 'man- :
; ater. " ;
But no ; he was , for the time being ,
aowerless , and with infinite dexterity !
ind skill the native succeeded in pass-
ng the noose over the brute's head
md about his middle. He then 1
paickly rose to the surface and clam- ]
jered into his canoe , and the flo"t ]
vas ag.sin set in motion. The cano * 1
jo which the line about the shark *
Dody was attached moved very slow- ]
y and ca-ofully , just enough strain 1
> eing k < pt on the line to raise the ]
japtive ' s body clear of the bottom.i i
sometimes the shark would be a liv- ]
ile restive , and then we all waited
'until" as the doctor said , "herolled
> ver and went to sleep again. ' '
At length we were close to the J
lecabh , and all but two canoes were j
Irawn up on the sands to wait for
laylight. The two remaining ones ]
ay over the sleeping ninhi , the end
if the line to which he was (
ecured being taken on the beach. *
md then all hands took turns in {
ratching and sleeping. The job *
aight .have been completed then , *
> ut this the Kahuna forbade. (
By daylight a crowd of people had (
ssembled on the beach , and the sig- :
ial was given from the canoes
hat the niuhi was awake and getting l
estive. So the long line was seized 1
y a hundred hands ; it straightened %
ut , and then , amid the triumphant *
ong ofthe Kahuna , and the yells c
nd the laughter of the crowd tramp- ! ?
with the the i
ig away rope ,
nraged man-eater , thrashing and *
lunging about , was drawn " *
ut of the water and over the *
ellow sands. As his huge body
lunged hither and thither he snap- \
ed savagely at everything , but in
ain. A crowd ofthe fishermen were s
lwavs about him , rainimr a shower c
f blows on his ugly head , until he
ry , beaten to death on the shore. I
Great was the rejoicing over the *
access of this hunt for the niuhi.s
! very portion of the body ( which
as over eighteen feet in length ) was v
aten the bones and skin especially *
re supposed to endow the eater with r
igh courage and great strength. As
) r the one who slipped the noose
ver the head of the man-eater , he P
as given an extra portion of the p
ver , was extravagantly praised for s
is skill , * and would , the Kanuha n
aid , be fortunate in everything he [ ]
ndertook thereafter. B
ALMOST BURIED AHVE.
"It was a cold January afternoon
that T was taken sick , but hoping I
would recover , no medical aid was
summoned. The following night I
grew very despondent , and I seemed
to feel that something unusual was
about to happen.
"The next morning , shortly after
sunrise , I felt a curious sensation in
my feetj which became heavy , as if
they were 'sleeping. ' This sensation
came further upward , and I began to
think that if it werotoreachmy heart
my life's journey would soon be end
ed.
"Having called my family and
friends about me I told them of the
fears I entertained. As they lay by
my bedside praying oh ! Inevershall
forget those prayers I bade them all
farewell , and I fell back paralyzed ,
unable to move even a finger or to
open my eyes , and to every one but
myself I was dead. "
It Avas a silver-headed sage of my
acquaintance who during the greater
part of his life had lived in southern
Pennsylvania , that was relating to
me his experience of being about to
be buried while appai'ently dead.
"The agony and torture I suffered
for the next three days would fill vol
umes , yet the horor of my situation
could not be expressed , " he continued.
"I heard tho weeping and wailing of
my dear wife and children , who were
nearly frantic with grief. I felt tho
kisses of my darling little daughter
as she clung to my bosom implored
me to speak and asked if I loved her.
I heard my prattling child pray that
life would return to papa for mamma's
sake.
"The strength of every fibre in my
system I summoned , but my mouth
would not open , my tongue would
not move. 1 was imprisoned in my
own body tied down even more
than if I had been placed in chains.
"Then came tho fears of being
buried alive. I heard how the ar
rangements for my funeral were to
be made , who should be my pall
bearers and what minister should de
liver my funeral sermon.
"The style of my coflin I heard
discussed at length between my wife
and a neighbor.
"This was the most terrible con
ference to which I ever listened , " said
the old man as he wiped tho tears
from his eyes and continued :
"I fell asleep and remained uncon
scious until the next day. When I
awoke I was being placed in my cof
fin , that awe-inspiring , ghastly box
in which it was intended I should
forever rest , and yet I was unable to
intimate that life still lingered in my
bosom.
"Many friends came to look at me ,
and as they passed by the coffin I
listened to such exclamations as :
'Isn't he natural ? ' . 'Oh , doesn't he
look life-like ? ' and tho like , that are
so plentiful on such occasions.
"On the third day I was yet in a
trance. About 9 o'clock in the fore
noon , so I am told , all was ready for
the funeral. Into my house filed six
of my friends , who transported my
coffin into the hearse by tho door.
After a short time I was again taken ,
out trom the fatal carriage. This ;
was at the church , where the benedic
tions were pronounced.
"The church had been crowded ,
with people when the service began. ;
The pine board of my coffin quivered <
as the deep tones ofthe organ and ,
the voices of the choir echoed through •
the corridor ofthe sacred edifices. ;
The dreadful music ceased and all ]
was hushed save the .heartrending 1
sobs of my wife. i
"A low voice from the pulpit , which '
increased in volume as it proceeded ;
to review the good phases of my life ]
and to advise the congregation to j
be prepared for death , intimated *
that the pastor had assumed the ;
sacred duty of his office. For fully j
an hour , which to me seemed an age , <
lie continued to paint in vivid colors i
the instability of fortunes and the ]
shortness of life on earth. He closed (
tvith prayer , after which , as those
ivho were present were passing to i
take a last look at me , a mournful i
inarch , every note of which pierced ]
my heart like a pisoned arrow , shook t
bhe windows ofthe ancient church.
All the members of my family had
passed me by. They were asked to
take final view of the mortal re
mains of their beloved husband and c
father. Grant heaven that I never j
mav survive another moment like
that ! c
"As my beloved ones , who vainly 1
bried to suppress their grief laden t
sobs , stood by my head , I felt a tear c
Irop upon my cheek. Had it been
iquid fire it would not have caused
me such frightful pains.
"A vain yet desperate attempt to s
jpen my eyes I made and more hopei
essly than ever my spirit sank into c
i deeper anguish of mortal grief , t
3nce more I lay in the slowly moving c1
learse which was to convey me to the 1 |
: emetery two miles distant , where an li
men grave was yawning to swallow v
ne up. li
"The fierce wind beat the snow
igainst the panes of glass in my t
onely couch. It is a wonder that I o
vas not frozen to death. Mingled with ii
: he raging wind , the bells in yonder b
• hurch tower tolled my funeral knell , 1
iending shocks of indescribable grief t
nto my wretched souL * Only the t :
: ortures of Prometheus on whose a
itals a raven continuously fed , can
> e compared with my suffering.
"Once at the cemetery I was soon
loisted into my grave , that dismal
Ion of earth , and one , two , three l
hovels full of earth were thrown up-
> n my coffin. s <
At this late moment I resumed my v
diysical strength and voice. I told b
hem to open the coffin , and ' I was n
axed. S (
"A hundred times would I rather die a
ipon the rack or above a slow fire S (
ban once more experience such a ter- p
ible living death. " ic
na- - tl
J. P. Johnson Howard , a negro , whose reSI
mted wealth pained for him the title of ' 'the a
.lack . prince , and who has for many yeara
ast been active in Brooklyn politics , was I'
entenred by Recorder Smyth , to imprisontl
lent for seven years and six months. The q
inn was convicted of perjury when examined
i the supreme court as to hi3 qualification >
s a bondsman. 1
* l I
li
, . - \ \
i .iM < > ii miffiTTfrtrnnrt ]
An Interesting 0M 3ffap. \ | j
From tho Srontronl Onzotte. } 1
On tho wall of Mr. S. 0. Stevenson's ' j JJ
office , in this city , is hung a fucsimilo j f ]
of what is known as tho .second % u
Borgian map , which is of great his- ' II
torical value. Tho original , by Diego t ]
Bibero , is in the museum of tho pro- j
paganda inBome. This relic of tho | j
early ages of American discovery is a Jr. 1
contemporary copy of tho first jjf ( j
Borgian map , so celebrated in his- U ' 1
tory on account of tho line traced | f 1
across it by Pope Alexander VI , It f J
must have been commenced about i J
1494 : and finished 1529 , possibly for , \ I
Charles Y , in order to sottlo some J
'
difficulties with tho Portuguese in ]
relation to the frequently-vexed ques- I
tion of possession of tho newly-dis- I
covered lands. The late Mr. Shake- ' I
speare Wood , a great authority on j <
all questions of this nature , was of i I
the opinion that it was commenced '
under Julius H ( deila rovero ) , whoso 11
tiara and arms , tho oak , or rovere , il
are displayed at the bottom of tlio
map. I
This would fix the date of the draw-
ingatl503. But there are ovidences !
of its being of even earlier date , for \m
in all that concerns Europe , Africa il
and Asia , this map is identical with „ '
tho first , which was certainly drawn
in 1494 , It bears an inscription in
Spanish which commences along tho I
upper margin of the parchment , and M
runs as follows : "Universal map , in il
which is contained all that has
been hitherto discovered of H
the world. Made by Diego Bibero , M
geographer to his Majesty in Seville (
1529 , " and continues along thelower \M \
margin as follows : "Which is divided - \rW \
into two parts accordingto the agree- hi
mentmatle by their Catholic Majes- I )
ties of Spain and King John of Portu- f
gal in Pontesilla , A. D. 1494. " At , 'fl '
mthe foot ofthe map are richly-illu- , .
inated coats of arms. The continents 'fl '
and islands are covered with quaint {
representations of animals supposed t
to be native to them ; the seas are s j I
crowded with Spanish ships sailing
in all directions. At one corner is a / < I
drawing of a quadrant , with an ex- j
planation how to use it , and on the | IM
space followed by the Pacific Ocean , ;
an astrolabe with a-silk chord at- I '
tached to the center. The line of I !
division made by Alexander VI is j H
drawn exactely as on his map , with I
the addition that on each side of it } I
is a flagstaff , that on the west carry- | 9
ing the Spanish flag , and that on the \ jfl
east the .
lJortuguese. | r
Altogether this map has the ap- j
pearance of being to that of Alexan- \ )
der VI what a fairly engrossed copy , fl
of a legal document would be to the I I
original draft to which additions and ' H
interlineations had been made. It
suggests , however , some interesting ) .
subjects for inquiry which can only \ \ fl
be solved by reference to papers in < H
the Vatican archives ofthe regesta of H
Alexander VI , and his immediatesuc- , t 9
cessors to Clement VII , in whose time J
this map dated. It is curious that ' fl
while Diego Bibero's map bears the ' , !
date of 1529 , when Clement VII oc- ' fl
cupied the papal throne , as already j fl
intimated , the pontifical arms ami i. H
tiara which adorn it in the middle of '
others at the foot should be those of ' ( I
Julius II , who Avas elected in 1503 to J fl
succeed Pins IIT , in the same year in j. B
which Alexander VI died. Julius II 'j H
died in 151The drawing through- * . jB
out is exquisitely careful and clear. j1 < M
In the four corners winds are repre- i | H
sented blowing their cheeks , and the j H
quadrants , coats of arms , &c , are ' H
richly illuminated. England figures I S
as divided from Scotland either by a J > H
fiver or branch ofthe sea , and Edin- j B
burgh is called Edim. The principal > , . H
towns in England are called Bristol , ' ] 9
York , and Londres. The Irish towns j * fl
are written in Celtic. The chief Eurofl
pean towns are named , but Bussia is H
in a state of great confusion. Jeru- ' S
salem , which is represented about j' ' fl
L,500 miles distant from where it ' * fl
: eally exists , has three crosses to in- > H
licate Cavalry. The Nile , strange to If H
relate , is traced to its source to three ( |
akes. America is a rather shadowy ( ' |
continent , much mixed up with ocean. . jj M
fucatan and New Spain are given , • [ jH
md Brazil is also indicated. The / M
lorthern continent ends at Labrador. • t
Eours can easily be spent studying U M
"
; his unique document. i M
T3. Q .en J' M
Iiangiiiiig in ( he Pulpit. ( M
A minister must see a good many J M
: urions things in his congregation as ; M
ic stands before it Sunday after Sun- f M
lay. Of course it does not do for / M
dm to notice them , however , but it t M
Ioubtless takes a good bit of self * | H
ontrol , frequently , to remain indif- • M
erent to everything but his subject. ( M
' 'I only laughed in the pulpit once , " / ] H
aid a young parson. "It happened M
n tins manner , I was preaching at a • M
ertain place one Sunday , and , during j |
he sermon , I caught sight of a young ' H
landy , who had a head of fiery red * j |
lair. Immediately behind him sat a , j |
ittle urchin. This young scapegrace f H
ras amusing himself : He heJd one of I M
lis fingers out near the dandy's hair. |
ifter keeping it there for a short | H
ime , he drew it in , and placing it ' > M
m his knee , commenced pounding H
b with his other fist , imitating a t M
ilacksmithhammeringared-hot nail. |
"he whole thing was so ludicrous M
hat I burst out laughing ; the only i M
ime that I disgraced the pulpit by / M
nything approaching to ribaldry 1' > j M
If That Scotch Boy Had Known. / H
A man at Montgomery , Ala. , has " * ! M
ist coughed up a pin that he swal- j j |
jwedin Glasgow , Scotland , forty- ( M
2ven years ago , when he was seven * ' |
ears old. His sister was dressing f J |
*
efore a mirror at the time and wa s ' j |
mch annoyed , because" pins were * j |
jarcerand more valuable than they i M
re now. The circumstance should j r |
jrve as a caution against wasting ! |
ins in that way. If , instead of swaf- i ' M
> wing the pin , that Scotch boy had fc r H
raded it for a slate pencil and then ( j |
.vappedthe . pencil for an orange ' |
D
nd sold the orange forD a j H
enny and put the penny in H
ic savings bank he mightliave had I < |
uite a smart account to his name , ' j M
ythis time , provided the cashier I j fl
miained at home. j H
•