THE DAILY HERALD: I'LATTSMOUTIL NEBRASKA, TIIUHSJMV, FEBRUARY 21. 180.
LITTLE FIDDLERS.
A PEEP AT A MERRY SCHOOL OF
YOUTHFUL VIOLINISTS.
Uk a Concert f KmlyllcU When the Two
Uundrr.l ChW.lrrn Drfr Thtir I'.w.
nuddiiic Vlrtii.MfM TL.iii Ilia X'irt l-r-
-A Kind I'l-ufrititor.
Fancy COO little fiddlers all fiddling
away at once! Taney the noi.ic! Fancy
the funl It U liko a concert of katydids
to hour them, and liko etirring up a shoal
of and fiddlers to seo them running up
and down the steep stairs to and fro from
their lessons. Moreover, it id liko trying
to catch an old granddaddy band fiddler
to catch ono of tht se little youngsters
and ask him how ho learned to fiddle
and when and where. Saturday after
noon is the tiuic to sou theso baby virtu
osos in their glory. From cast, from
west, from Harlem and Holoken they
come skipping along by twos, by threes,
with maids in attendance, to worship at
tho shrine of the violin. Frofes.sor. Wat
son, of Fourteenth street, is master of
this marvelous school, and he draws no
lines regarding Hex, age or previous con
dition. Hieh and poor alike como aud
ore treated to the same free instruction,
rcru-s OP ALL KINDS.
"You would be astonhJicd, ho said,
as tho unique entertainment drew to a
close, "to know some of the names that
are among the two thousand we have on
our books already. No one, no matter
how rich he may bo, care: to throw away
money on finding out simply whether a
child's fancy is a natural taste or a whim.
So people who know of the school send
their boys and girls to me. 1 can soon
find out if trio child has any cleverness,
and I immediately notify them. If the
boy of rich parents likes his violin, they
naturally buy him a good instrument and
engage a teacher. Other children come
and go. more as their own fancy dictates,
but they usually have some one, an older
sister, or an aunt or a grandmother, who
ta&s prjdo jn their little (iddlings and
soon buys for them a" violin of their own,
which they can take homo and practice
on to their hearts' content. In that way
I get a partial recompense for my time
and trouble, and at the same time I hav'e
the satisfaction of knowing that I have
been able to keep some children's minds
away from worse things during their
first few years."
It was 3 o'clock when the youngsters
began to arrive. Some fly down the
street as if they moved on steel springs,
grinning happy little grins of satisfaction
as they pound on sturdy legs up to the
rooms above. Others, coming for the
first time, wander open mouthed along
the street, asking now a hand org .a
man, and now a KIiccinan, if they kn w
where the music man's place is." Unl ss
they know Professor Watson's name tLy
are apt to have some trouble in finding
liim, for Fourteenth street is full of
"music men." At last they see some
other little boy with a fiddle and their
(roubles, are all pver.
Pqce upstairs, their real troubles are
usually over, but the poor, unhappy kids
do uot seem to think so. A little twist
catches their tongues as they start up
stairs, and by thetimothey have reached
the office a double bow knot could not tie
them wry tighter. Tho professor's
daughter ta!:cs them in hand first and,
after their unruly little members get
limbered up a bit, finds out all Klwut each
new pupil. Then she passes them along
to the next room, where they maketheii
professional bow to ono of the teachers.
Jo say nothing of their first violin. Thev
jgiancj around n helpless rows until' the
jjusy professor comes flying along, then
one by one arostoodout in the middle of
tho floor, their knees joggling beneath
them, and set to work.
rus HRS? LESSON,
"Feet so!" says the professor, his rigid
heel in tile hollow of his left foot.
Invariably the left heel drags itself up
tfl the right foot.
Brrrl" says tho professor. "You
would tip over on your nose if you tried
to stand so! Now tho violin under youi
chin, so that your cheek just rests on it
Iukeoiit stead. " Hands 'off the strings,
jn your ri.ht Iiaad. Oh. no, never.
niy boy. That's a good way to hold s
83 w, but H's. I bad way to bold a vjolin
bow. There, look you- Thumb so!
First and second fingers so last two fin
gers so."
Very clumsy the pudgy little fingers
aro to !egin with, but in a few minutes
. when the violin fright is worn oCt the
fingers begin to limber up. and in a 6ir-T.rL-iing!y
toort time these babies flye
I'i'wj:'!;; V-wny r.'s natural r.5 ife.'
fur lejrf tuno than it would take a
greater mind these youngsters know each
string as well as they know their own
names, better in fact, than they knew
them when they faced Hiss Watson i:i
the of. ice. Then they are crazy for a
tune, llcfore any out could believe it
possible tlu ir shrewd little vrits have
.ufiqUttc-J llii: 4iiys.t:ries'"pf' the StaiY and
the notes, and they are sawing away at
e, a, d. g. d. a, e, with all the gusto of
artists. The next step is to twist thv
little fingers so they can 6lide up and
down the strings and pinch them down
at the proper points, and as soon as that .
Is done there K-gtn to gruw variations of
hfr first- u.onderf u theme;. ' "'-'
' Tw an outsider the hour on a busy
Saturday afternoon is a wonderful sight.
Tho mental dexterity with which tha
clever professor handles his small schol
ars, his patience, and the interest whicL
be takes in the poorest and least clever
p these fiu je f.ec pupils U something to
be 'admired. ' Professor Watson was the
famous Ole Bull's manager, and when
be rinds a child whose heart goes out !
into the old fiddle that snuggles up under ;
bis chin he takes him about through th& :
looms and, Ceils stories of tho. great rafts' j
tr,' and Bhows him tho pictures and t
relics tliat Iiang about tiio wall, the :
watch which was his gift and, choicest !
treasures of all, Ids violins. New York
World. "
r chapped or cracked hands use a
tea of witch hazel. ' It is also good for
cankered moutli or throat, with golden
Qlna wtutq Buar aaueq.
.
TJicro was sport in the coon hunt for
our fathers, and in a measure a man's
importance in some communities was
judged by the number of coon skins he
could nail to hii barn door after a hunt.
Why the coon has como to lx despised
by Fport smi In these latter days is ono
of ihoi-xj thirgii about which tho remark
lias.or.co o." twice l.-een made that no
f-llow can End out. lie is aa cunning as
the fox end more diflicult to trail, lie
f., moreover, the cleanest of animals, and
eats oidy the ino-t wholesome of food.
Uo should not be despised, surely, be
cause he can bo hunted only at night,
for in threading the woods in tho dark
ness, following dogs that you cannot see,
and whoso baying alone breaks the fctill
ncis, there is a most singular enchant
ment. Even in localities where coons aro tho
most abundant, nine out of ten of tho
priu-nt generation never taw one, and
few people know anything about them or
their habits. Although the coon prefers
the vicinity of civilization as his habitat,
he plans to keep aloof from tho eyes of
men, nnd his habits render this an easy
t.'i.ik. I'y day he lies ia out of tho way
retreats, in the depths of hollow trees oi
isolated crevices and holes in the rocks.
He wander j forth only at night and al
though his foraging expeditions may take
hii:i to tho very doors of farmers, and
even within tho lioundary lines of vil
lages, he never betrays his presence. If
more than one coon is brought to bay in
a tree they will invariably be females or
a mother coon and her offspring. The
sfent the coon k-aves on the trail is at all
times less than that of other game quad
ruped, but when the female is nursing
her young during tho summer months
her scent is hardly perceptible to the
dgs, thus paving her and hot litter from
many a race for life. The scent of fie
coon grows stronger as tho cold wcalrer
advances, and through November and
Decern! icr tho dogn follow it with com
paratively little t-KIieulty. Philadelpliia
Press.
A Warrior' ?Ia(rimoiilul FotP.
Walking along Iike Shore with r.t.
old soldier, who had married thrice and
for money every ti.ne, I had some new
and valuable light fihed upon the qucs
tion, "Is tuarriago a failure?" Tho w ar
rior takes an ea view of life. Ho i.
inclined to think that women are not a.)
bad u:s they are painted, but that they re
quire strong handling. "Tho marriage
laws are much too easy on women.
Now, look here! I'm a man of family
I mean social position. I have an in
come of bctv.-cen Se.nOO and $3,000.
Tisn't much, but as Shakespeare says,
'tis mino own.' I married a widow for
my first wife. She had SS.OOO a year of
her own nnd no social position, as her
first husband va3 a saloon keeper. I
got her into refined and fashionable so
ciety. "How did t;ho repay mo, think you'.
Well, she insisted upon spending all hei
own coin upon herself, and then de
manded hr.lfcf my little income. Wasn't
that pretty cheeky? She paid mo noth
ing for my social position. Sho got
everything and gavo nothing save the
-$), 003 a year vt hen she died to a twenty
secoad courin near FrLico DismarekV
homo in Pomevania. My second wife
was i;i her second widowhood, but not o
bit softer r.lxvat money matters than
when she was a maiden fair. Every
thing settled upoii herself. I paid for
the wedding breal fast. She had a large
income r.v.d f he never gave ino a cigar,
ohe went to heaven ::nd lft her money
to ;i tLtcr. Tho di,tcr wouldn't marry
.:k but I got a nice little woman with
:;ur children, who had burled three 1ms
oaiula and wju as merry ar, a butterliy.
j'je ir, alive now and is the hardest nut
of j.IL Sho doesn't takes half my money
she takes tho whole of It, pays my bills
and allows mo fifty cent3 a day for
sending money. No, "sir; marriage was
no failure for three .worueu who had
the jjood fortune to marry me.'' Chi
cago Journal.
A C!oa; Lv&ion.
"That piece of- paper, isn't wort! i shucks.
Ls it?" queried a stranger, as ho handed a
elicck in to tho cashier of a Grisv.-old
street bank tho other day.'
"No, sir," wa3 the reply, after a, brief
glance,
"It is signed Jolm Smith."
"I cee it i3."
. "He's a fraud:-"
"I think so. "Where did you get tho
check?"
"At tho depot. Lent a pariy S'O to
get off on a train with, arid ho gavo- me
tliLi check of 50 as security."
"You have been conTidencod,"
"I knov? it. 1 knew it half an hour
ao. When I started to cotao to town
my brother sai J I'd let sonso cno iate a
foci of me."
"And you have."
"I have. Turned out jus$ as Le said.
SaT--, wasn't that 'confidencQ operator
ratlkr'TreshV"' ' ' . -
"IIowV"-
"Sce licre. Here's a wallei with 3,800
ii it. and the fool only asbrd me for C0!
Won't he kiek himself if ho ever finds
cut Low cltcap ho let mo ofTJ" petruif
Free Press. "'
An Absent Minded 3I;m.
Ci:iei:inali has the champion absent
minded man. A gentleman living in the
suburbs went La-a store on Walnut street
to make a few purcliases. The only
light ia the storo was a candle sir ,;dui
on the counter near uo money1 drawer,'
.liter making his purchases he handed
t!ie proprietor a bill, and after returning
him the change the proprietor walked to
tho rear of tho Etcre to crrange scr'i;
i!:ing. when suddenly he v:u UU ti'tLj
dark, lie started, lowaid the couTiter,
and," griping ground it, found, not the
cajidie, but the change. It struck him
then tliat probably tho man, in a fit of :
absent mindedness, had taken the audiu !
instead of his change I .started out
r.fie him. and, catching up with him
saw that he had the bundle in one baud,
and the candle in the other. After- opoV:
cgizing fcr the mistake the stranger took
hi3 change and gave back lua candle,
Chicago Timen.
OLD AND CURIOUS COINS.
PIECES OF SCARCE KINDS OF MONE
AND THEIR FANCY PRICES.
The CoUiIpm of Liberty in Different Poi
Ion C'olnn from Amerlcita Stiuta TIut
Aro More PrUrl Tlian TIiiMa 1 lint Vere
Currotit In I lie laj f Ilia liram.
A craze which of late years has greatly
developed and at this time shows no
sign of falling off, is that of collecting
rare coins. Chicago leads all western
cities in the number of its numismatists
and boasts some fine - collections. It
might be supjiosed tliat the demand
would ie principally for coins of greai
antiquity, but this is not the case. Th
chief inquiry is for seta of American
coins, and some numbers are so rare as
to readily command fancy prices. In
certain years some descriptions of coins
were not minted at all, while in other
coses few copies were issued. Other
coins aro valued lecause of some error
or eccentricity in the die: in fact, any
variation from the ordinary types, if in
good condition, will bring more than its
face value.
ODD SIZES AND DATES.
Of tho silver dollars, nearly all the
earlier issues aro in demand at a slight
premium, and that of 1791, in which the
goddess of lilerty is depicted with flow
ing hair, is worth $20. As for tho dollar
of 1804, of which few are known, any
copy in good condition will bring $200.
Tho flying eagle of 1839 and 139. and
the coins of 1851, 1832 and 1808, with the
liberty loving lady seated, are worth at
least 15 each. The one time despised
trade dollars, "Issued 1879 to 1883 in
clusive, aro at a premium of 10 cents
each. Of half dollars, those of 1796 and
1797, with fifteen or sixteen stars, bring
$15 each. Others of value are dated
1794, 1801 and 1802, and there are many
more, such as 1830 with a liberty cap,
18:J8 with an "O" mark under the head,
and a coin of 1833 with liberty seated,
which are worth from $3 to $3 each.
Tho scarco quarters are those of 1823
and 1827, with tho head to the left, each
valued at 15, while the 1790 fillet head
is to be had for $2 and that of 1804 for
$1. Twenty cent silver pieces of 1876
bring 30 cents; those of the succeeding
j-ear aro cheap at $1.50. The dimes of
the grandfathers are mostly worth from
five to twenty times their faco value,
while half dimes in silver bring from 50
cents to 2 each, and a special brand of
tho vintage of 1803 will command 25.
Silver three cent pieces run from ?0to
50 cents; nickel fives 15 ti CO cents each,
and nickel threes 15 to 25.
COl'PER LEADS GOLD.
There is a great demand for old copper
cents, the first ambition of every col
lector being to start even w ith the pro
cession in 1793 or so and bring it down
to date with a coin for eaj h, year. It
will cost him from 1 tQ 3 for the vari
ous kinds issued in 1793, S3 foi 1799, and
S2.50 for 1S04. With tho exception of a
cent of 1309 with the head o the left the
rest are reasonable in price. Half cents
are in demand, and readily command
from 1 to $G for those of certain years
between 1S31 and 1849. Dot in these it
must not lo understood that those of all
years are equally in request. Thoso is
sued 1810-48 inclusive, with the head to
the left, average about 3 each. Wash
ington medals, old -fashioned cents, and
the copper issues of New York, Vermont,
Massachusetts and New Jfevsey bring,
provided they have the necessary ear
marks, sums ranging from 1 to 10.
There is not much call for gold coins,
but trial pieces are valuable, and, good
proofs of double ea.gles pf some years,
as 1S53 ami 185Q, bring a small premium.
Scarce half eagles are those of 1815 and
1822, and worth full 20 each. On other
dates from 1793 to 1S3-1 some 20 to 30 per
cent, premium is paid. Three dollar
gold pieces of 1S75 and 1870, with the
figure of an Indian princess, bring 0
and 5, respectively. Quarter eagles pf
early dates run, frpiu 3 up to 9, and
there are many gold dollars for wliich a
slight advance on their face value oust
be paid.
Intending collectors, need; not distress
themselves in looking for dollars of the
years 1803-83. inclusive, for UrcJo Bam
was either shor pf metal or otherwise
busy those thirty years and none were
coined. There were no cents rushed on
tho market in 1815, and no eagles from
1S05 to 1S37, inclusive. The Confederate
States made a die for a silye r dollar, and
struck oiT a fev, bu$ ran put pf silver.
Aji authentic ' coin - of that issue would
bring 1,000." As a contrast to this it
may be noted that you can get a penny
of the Coosars for 50 cents. Chicago
Tribune.
.A Shrewd Oof.
Of a sedate but cunning dog put in
California thja btoiy. id told: On one
occasion a rabbit wai started, and all
the dogs with the exception of Bonus
dashed off in rull pursuit. We were
astonished to observe that he, foregoing
the intense excitement of the chase, de
liberately trotted by a short cu$ o, a
hollow oak trunk, anc pi-ouching at its
base c-'dnaly awaited" the' coming of the
Heeing 'rabbit:' Arid ho was. not disap
pointedj for the" pursuing dogs pressed
the rabbit po hard that after making a
long detour, it approached the place of
refuge. As it was about entering the
hollow trunk, Bonus sprang up. 9n.d ap
tured it. Now, this old, dog vVai'used to
hunting rabbits ia that field, and knew
that "tho" rodents were in th habit of
flying for safety to that hollow treex
Moreover, tlus story is true.-hiladel-phia
Times.
Done and Cndoae.
A Dickinson college Btudent, in a
spirit of braggadocio, made a bet of 3
with another young man that he eould
put two regulation, billiard balls in his
mouth, at ono time. lie accomplished
the feat, and is now a sadder but "Vrisef
person. ' Tho balls stuck in his mouth,
and ail efforts to dlsjodgo the same
proved futile, until finally an H. D. was
called in, who, ia order to get them out,
was compelled to cut a slit In his mouth
on each eido. The other fellow paid the
bet. Harrisburg Telegraph. .
Once Tramp, Ibtu a Governor.
Your correspondent, while passing up
Pennsylvania avenue with a bureau offi
cer, passed a man named Wilkinson,
who was recently turned out of the office
of tho comptroller of the currency on ac
count of 'offensive partisanship. The
bureau officer, after passing Wilkinson,
turned to me and said:
"You recognize that man? Yes; well,
there was an incident in the early part
of his life which connects him in a way
with one of the most prominent Demo
crats in Ohio. A good many years ago
Wilkinson was moving into a house at
Springfield, now ono of the most pros
perous manufacturing towns in the cen
tral part of the Buckeye state. While
his goods were being put into the house,
and those belonging to the outgoing
tenant were being put on a wagon, a
seedy looking tramp came up and in
quired if he could get something to eat,
offering to assist in the work if he was
accommodated. Tho outgoing tenant
referred the tramp to the incoming ten
ant, and the latter took the wanderer
into the house and gave him a dinner.
There was not much attention paid to
that tramp, and for years those who saw
him on that day lost sight of him.
Finally ho reapjeared, however, entered
into the business of the place and began
to grow. He grew in every sphere of
life, lie became wealthy and influential.
A few years ago he was governor, and
now he has more property and money
than any man in his Ruction f the suite..
It is not necessary tor mo to mention his
name. He livens at Springfield yet and is
a very rich nr.an His name is a house
hold word throughout Ohio." Washing
ton Cor. New York Iress.
The Spirit of America,
The American love of bombast has
made way for the American love of
"smartness." Fourth of July firecrackers
have outlived the pyrotechnics of Fourth
of July orations. We still praise our
selves freely, as our ancestors did, but
wo do so with less "fuss and feathers?
At the bar a similar change may be ob
served. It is harder than it used to be
to "enthuse" juries to borrow a word
which, like "hifalutin," seems to imply
that what was once sublime ha become
ridiculous. Lawyers, talk to twelve men
instead of 'addressing the panel." Rufus
Choate, were ho to come to life again,
would find it difficult to win such cases
as he did win, unless he kept his imagi
nation in a leash, shorten'Hl and simpli
fied his periods and made his delivery
more conversational. Even in orations
on memorial days, or at college festivals,
colloquial English la heard; and the
essays spoken at college commencements
aro ceasing to be "mere emptiness." In
the northern, and especially the north
western states, the tfte for colloquial,
rather than, pioricaJ English is, for
gbvioua reasons, stronger than in the
Bouth an4 extreme west; but it is show
ing itself in all PAVta of the country. It
is a taste. th.afc should be encouraged by
all who prefer the simple to the ornate,
the natural to the artificial, the sensible
to the sonorous. -Harper's Magazine.
Tle Antlpyrln Habit.
The new coal tar product autipyrin has
already started a vice of its own. Tlus
singular compound was discovered by a
German chemist, and on account 0 its
remarkable qualities js n,ttW used the
world over. 7 h,a th power of reduc
ing U6i lomperature of the body b;.
several degrees, and so is of vast utility
in treating fevers and feverish stages oi
many diseases. It does Ha work by de
messing the action of the heart, and
generally when employed by physician
t is accompanied with digitalis to neu
frulize ita influence in the latter regard
Women use it partly because it is a seda
tive and partly because it makes tho com
flexion beautifully clear and pal b
ceeping the blood away from, Tjbo sur
(ace of tho body. Th.e. habit, like ali
others, grows yipon, ;he person who prac
tices it. It does harm, however, from
f he first. With women who aro weak i;
increases their wea.Uti.ess; with those hav
ing a predisposition towards heart dis
aso of any sort it increases tho tend
ency to a terriblo extent. Besides these
results ajittpyrh exerts a peculiar in
flueiice upon tho blood, wliich is not yet
thorouglJy understood by the faculty
it seems to undergo some decomposition
or breaking down wh n absorbed y; the
pystem.developing unknown, cvm pounds,
which ejfhcr attack the blood itself oi
else powerfully influence the nerves and
ganglia, which ecn.vro! the vital func
tion?. Richmond Despatch.
The Jtulge Had the Call.
I heard a good story ahou the late
Judge Grosvenor, of Dunkirk, who was
he local attoj-uey for the Dunkirk and
Wari-en, railroad, and at ono time had a
cow killed by a locomotive of the road.
Flo presented a claim of 25 to the proper
officer of the road, who, following the
ordinary custom, had it referred to. the
judge, a3 attorney, to give, an opinion a"
io the Lability pf he.Yoad. The jVage
tad tho facts; set forth and . wvote an
' labprace opinion, holding that tho road
-vas uot liable in the case, as tho killing
if tho cow occurred by reason of the
plaint uTs negligence, and cited numer
ous authorities to sustain his position
The claim was TOnsiiently disallowed,
hut the judo's bid of 50 for an opinion
"in the' case of Grosvenor against the
Dunkirk and. Warren railroad" was pre
vented to the proper authorities, and in
duo time he received a check for that
Vmouflt, Albany Argus.
Commission Experiiuenta.
Marshall McDonald, United States fish
commissioner, is making a comprehen
sive experiment in salt and fresh water
iquariums. He has already constructed
several aquariums on the lower f loor of
Uie building, and stocked them; and he
Is now building a large cne, 120 feet long,
mder a separate ror f . TLe commissioner
-said to the correspo 1ent, "1 am going to
bring the seashorb t& Washington, and
Assemble here a full representation of
our marine life." He has sixty or severity
Fpecies already sporting in salt and fresh
water tanks, one of the latter containing
specimens cf the earliest type of fresh
water fih-tae cix-'""ciencet
The motto, "What ia Home without a Mother,' exUts in many
happy homes in this city, but the ellect of what is home without the
Local Newspaper is sadly realized in many of these "happy homes" in
Platt8mouth.
THE HEAL
Is steadily finding its way into these homes, and it always
comes to stay. It makes the tamily circle more cheerlnl and keeps its
readers "up to the times" in all matters of importance at home and
abroad.
During the Year 1889
Every available means will be used to make the columns of
The Herald a perfect storehouse from which you can obtain all in-
formation, and will keep up its record as being the best Advertising
Medium for all purposes.
AT 15 CENTS PER
This paper is within the reach of all, and will be delivered to any ad
dress in the city or sent by mail.
iA
Is the Best County Newspaper in old Cass, and this has been
well proven to us by the many new names added to our list during
1888. Special merits for the Weekly, are all the county news, six
columns of good Kepublican Editorial, News Accounts of all import
ant political or business events, one-half page each week containing
a choice piece ot Vocal or Instrumental Music, choice selections of
Miscellaneous Reading Matter. Advertising in it brings profitable
returns.
Our Job Department
Is equal to any, and does work to the satisfaction ot patrons
from all over the county, and receives orders by mail from a distance,
which are promptly filled. We have facilities for doing all kinds of
work, from the plain calling card to colored work, books and blanks.
Work neatly and promptly executed. Large stock kept on hand.
Legral blanks for sale.
Office Cor. Vine and
Euitts
WEEK
My. Ikra
5lh, Telephone 30.
ItfiSnp