Nebraska Newspapers

    SPRING AND ADTUJTN.
From ( lie eoutlilnml enmc u pongblrd ,
KJylnc In the golden pprlugtlme ,
Soarlnc on the clouds at morning ,
WnijItiK to the sun at noontime ,
Chcntlng to the ctiirfl nt even :
Sang ho loud with jov exultant ,
Sang lie low for lo\c of God.
Ah ! 11)on ) hapless little tonglilril ,
Where arc now thy Bongs of springtime
Where arc now thy flights at dawning ?
Tlirohs thy heart no more at nooutlmc ;
Chunlcat thou no more at even ;
Jlueheil and ( lend thy song exultant
Ah ! the pathlcsH ways of God !
Win. J. JJitggell , in The Current.
MATTIE VAN WYCK'S STORY.
The fire burned low Jn the little
home of the Van Wyek's ; nothing was
heard but the ticking of the clock and
the purring of the old gray cat. The
night was frosty without , the tall pine
trees cast their long shadows across
the snow ; everything seemed tranquil
to Mattie Van Wyck as she looked out
of the window , then going back to the
stove stirred the scanty lire.
The Van Wycks were very well-to-
do a few years back , Mr. Van Wyck
having had quite a property left him ;
but being an easy-going1 man and not
having the ability to make money , his
property gradually slipped through
his hands ; and after selling his farm
nrd paying his debts , left him but
little. Ho decided to go West , and
linally drifted up into a Northern
town , buying a little home which took
nearly ail he had. Ho had worked
hard in the pineries and kept his family
supplied from day to day ; but from
severe exposure , contracted a. hard
cold and died , leaving his wife and
four children to the mercies of a north
ern winter.
The oldest child , Mattie , was a
bright , energetic little girl of 15. She
was attending school , but would have
to giye it up for a while at least , and
stay at home to help her mother , who
by taking in sewing had kept the wolf
from the door ever since her father's
death. Mattie had sat up later than
usual to do her sums , and now , with
her chin resting on her hands , sat
looking intently into the lire , won
dering what slie could do to help
along' . The problem was a hard one
for a slender girl , and she gave it up
for the night , and , locking up the
house , toot her light and trotted off
to bed.
The next day was Sunday. After
the frugal breakfast , the dishes were
washed and the house put to rights.
Mrs. Van Wyck got the children ready
for Sunday-school , combed their hair ,
made them look as neatly as possible ,
all except Johnnie , who was a sturdy
little fellow with black eyes and red
cheeks. He had played hard and
stubbed out his boots , so he would
liave to stay at home for a while till
Providence or Santa Clause sent him
some new ones. He made up quite a
lip , and a big tear rolled down his
cheek as he looked out of the window
after his sisters ; but "ho must to dry
his eyes and be a good little boy , "
his mother said , "for some day he
would be a man , and take care of
them all. "
Johnnie caught the idea at once ,
climbed down irom the window and
buisietl himself helping his mother
by bringing in wood , and in various
ways ; and was very happy. The clay
passed quietly and pleasantly ; the
children came home each with afresh
now book.
In the evening , as they were seated
around the table reading , Mattie broke
the silence by saying :
1 'Mother. 1 wish I could write a sto
ry. When we were at the library
to-day I heard Lusie Foster telling
Gertie Manning that she had an aunt
in Boston who wrote stories and made
lots of money. .Now if I could only
do something like that how nice it
would be. "
"You might try , Mattie , " her mo
ther replied ; "we never know what
we can do till we've tried. "
"If I only knew what to write
about. "
"Write about your home , brother
and sisters , " Mrs. Van Wick suggest
ed.
ed.Mattie
Mattie was quite imbued with the
idea , and went and got paper and pen
cil. If she could only make some
money , all herself , buy some new boots
for Johnnie , some mittens for Amy ; and
Christmas would soon be here , and
how nice it would be to surprise them
all.
all.She
She sat down and began. It was
not an easy task , but she kept diligent
ly at it all'the spare time she had , her
mother being bus7 at the machine from
early morning till late at night.
The close of the term was near at
hand , and in three weeks the holi
days. Mattie looked pretty sober ; she
tofd her mother she had written about
her home , but she thought the story
needed a brighter side , and was afraid
she would have to give it up. Her
mother told her she had a good begin
ning , and not to worry any way , as
she was a great help to her , and as
soon as she could , would send her to
school again. Mattie took her books
and trudged to school with a heavy
heart. She had planned so many
little surprises with the money she
would get , that to fail with her story
was a bitter disappointment ; but she
studied hard and had her lessons. One
day she noticed an unusual excitement
among some of her schoolmates , and
overheard one little girl saying to an
other "that Gracie Tliornton was going
to give a birtiiday party the next eve
ning. " Mattie thought no more about
it , till on her way home a bright
thought struck her ; she walked more
briskly and rushed into the house , ex
claiming , "Oh , mother ! Gracie Thorn
ton is going to give a party to-morrow
evening , and if I could only go. " Her
mother looked at her in amazement ,
and said : "Why , Mattie , I don't be
lieve you want to go. Gracie Thorn
ton belongs to a certain little 'set'
who are wealth } and dress nicely like
. " "But I dent
herself. mean to go
that way. I would like to go and
help the'm some way , help pass re
freshments , something like that. Mo
ther , 1 want to see their elegant bouse ,
and then I can put it in my story , to
brighten it up. Don't you think you
can help me ? " pleaded Mattie.
Col. Thornton was a weal thy banker
then , had a fine residence and grounds.
Mrs. Van Wvck had taken some sew
ing to do for them , and this is how
Mattie thought perhaps , her mother
might intercede for her.
The next morning after she had
gone to school her mother went over
to ask Mrs. Thornton what Mattie
could do , telling her that she greatly
desired to help in some way. Mrs.
Thornton was a kind , motherly wo
man , loved by all who know her. She
smiled , and told her to send the child
over by all means ; there might bo
something she can do , and she could
enjoy the music. Mrs. Van Wyck
thanked her , and went home feeling
too grateful to speak almost , knowing
how pleased Mattie would be.
Mattie's wardrobe was very limited.
Her mother got out her best dress , a
black cashmere that she had worn two
winters , mended it in one or two
places , then washed and ironed alit c
muslin apron , and waited to tell her
the good news. Mattie clapped her
hands with joy when her mother told
her , and was so excited she could
scarcely eat her dinner.
Evening came at last. Mattie put
on her black dress and muslin apron ;
her mother looked through all her
boxes , and found a pteco of scarlet
ribbon , just what she needed with her
pale face , gray eyes , and brown ,
wavy hair. Mattie pinned it at her
throat , and looked very pretty indeed.
She kissed her mother , and , promising
not to stay late , started for the Thorn
ton mansion.
In her eagerness to finish her stor ;
she had thought of nothing else ; but
as she ncarecf the house and saw it
brilliantly lighted , and some of the
little guests were beginning to arrive ,
she was seized with fear and trepida
tion. She passed by two or three par
ties , but was as unnoticed as if she
had been a liitle autumn leaf rustling
along. Once she thought she would
turn back , then thinking of her story ,
if she could be successful how much
she would do , drew her shawl
closer about her and hurried round
to the dining-room door and was ad
mitted.
Mrs. Thornton was helping her
daughter receive her guests , so Mattie
sat down and wailed to be useful.
The dining-room door was partially
'
open ; she could hear the hum of voice's
and peals of merry laughter ; it seemed
like fairyland to her. The little host
ess was tastefully attired in a white
Swiss dress with natural flowers ; there
was Gertie Manning , looking lo.vely in
an embroidered overdress over pink
silk , and Maud Leslie in a white tulle
with a big sash , and Dot Kennington ,
a little brunette , in crimson silk re
sembling a tropical Hewer ; and ever
so man } * more. The boys were in dress
suits , with white neckties and pumps ;
and as they commenced to promen
ade through the rooms Hattie's cheeks
began to burn ; she felt very uncom
fortable , and wished she was at home
with her mother , brother and sisters.
Presently Mrs. Thornton came out and
greeted her with a smile , and putting
her arm around her told her to come
into the parlors as they were going to
dance the german , and asked her if
she \feuldn't like to see them and hear
the music ? She thought she would ,
very much. Near the door was the
musicians' stand , they were almost
concealed by a bank of ferns , calla lil
ies and vines. Mattie sat at one end
where she could see the merry throng
and not be seen , and told Mrs. Thorn
ton she preferred this place to any
other. The band was playing one of
Strauss' waltzes , am ! as the dancers
glided in and out through the mystic
mazes , Mattie sat with her hands
clasped thrilled with rapture. The
perfume of evening jessamine and
tube-roses filled the air ; the lights
cast a rosy hue over the happy scene ;
smilax was twined over the lace cur
tains , and bouquets of roses were in
every nook and corner.
After a while there was a stir in the
dining-room , and Mattie went out to
see what she could do. Mrs. Thorn
ton , noticing her Hushed cheeks and
anxious manner , told her she could
help serve refreshments , if she wished.
Mattie rather dreaded meeting her
haughty little schoolmates , wondering
what they would say ; but she was de
termined in her purpose , and went
quietly along. Some of them glanced
wonderingly at her , and one or two
gave her a suspicious little stare , but
the ordeal was soon over ; and when
the musicians took their seats again ,
and then there was a general bustling
about , and Mattie slipped quietly out
and ran home.
The days passed swiftly by , school
was out , and the holidays were near at
hand , the store windows were full of
tempting articles , wax dolls with real
hair , dainty work-baskets lined with
crimson silk , and some with blue silk ,
each with a thimble , pair of scissors ,
and all tha equipments for an indus
trious little girl ; and there were sleds
and hobby-horses for the boys , and
Johnnie had spied in the next window
a pair of boots with red tops that he
thought would just fit him. Amy had
seen some mittens like Kitty Myers' ,
that she coveted : and Madge saw a
story book in the book-store window ,
with a picture of a happy family on
the outside , sitting around a table
reading by lamp-light. It reminded
her of their evenings at home , and
she thought it would be a nice book to
have.
have.Mattie's
Mattie's story was completed at
last , and one morning , when she was
going on an errand for her mother , she
tucked it in her pocket , and , stopping
on her way , entered the Pioneer office.
There were several gentlemen in , dis
cussing the topics of the day. The
editor came forward and asked her
what she would like. She asked him
if he wished to buy a story. He began
to murmur something about an "over-
supplv , " when her slender figure and
wan face attracted his attention. He
took the stor } * , telling her he had not
time to read it then , but if she would
leave her name he would look it over.
She gave her address and left , per
formed her errand and went home ,
Mattie and her mother were very
busv , even the younger ones assumed
littfe responsibilities , and all were as
busy as bees.
Dav after day passed till there were
only "two before Christmas. Mattie
had been to the office time and time
again , but no word from her story.
She had almost given it up , when , one
evening about dusk , as she was tak-
ing some sewing home to a lady on
Summit avenue , she thought she would
try once more. There was no need to
give her name , for as soon as her ea
ger face appeared , a largo envelope
was handed her , and Mattie know she
had received her doom. The stores
wore beginning to be lighted and people
ple were hurrying to and-fro with sus
piciouslookingbundles ; an air of mys
tery prevailed. No one was more
mysterious than Mattie as she made
her way through the jostling crowd.
She went straight to her room , lighted
her candle , and opened her letter ;
when , what should fall to her feet but
two new crisp $5 bills ! Her happi
ness was unbounded ; her plans could
all be carried out.
And what a merry Christmas they
had. Johnnie scrambled out of bed
as soon as he heard the first rooster
crow to see what Santa Glaus had
brought him ; when the first tiling that
caught his eyes was a pair of red-top
ped boots ; "Just like those ho saw in
the window , " he said. And there was
a book for Madge , mittens for Amy , n
new dress for Mattie , and fancy bags
of popcorn and candy for them all.
There was no more sleep in the Van
Wyck household that morning. Mrs.
Van Wyck was putting on 'her last
shoe , when she uttered a little scream
and they all ran to see what was the
matter. When she examined it she
found something rolled up in tissue pa
per which she had supposed was a sly
little mouse. Undoing the paper a 85
bill rolled out ; then they all clapped
their hands and showed each other
their presents.
When dinner time came , their moth
er said she had a surprise for them.
They all sat down to the table. She
went into the kitchen and brought in
a line roasted turkey ; and they peeped
under a snowy napkin , and there was
a large frosted cake , with frosted rais
ins on top. They were a happy family
that day , and no one in the whole
town was as radiant as Mattie Van
Wyck ; for she had found out that
Where there's a will there's a way. "
IMlie J. Potter , in Chicago Ledger"
Silent Pianos.
Joseffy , the pianist , practices hours
daily upon a dumb piano , and Von
Bullow carries one with him in his
travels to keep up his practice , and
Liszt is said to use one assiduously.
The object of substituting a silent in
strument , which is said to be growing
in favor with musicians , is to subordi
nate the sense of hearing in practice ,
and to protect the player from the
nervous fatigue produced by the use
of that sense , at the same time that
the senses of sight and touch are em
ployed. A skilled musician sain re
cently that the exhaustion from prac
ticing upon a piano was greater than
most persons imagined. He doubted
whether a street-paver was as much ex
hausted by a day's labor as a man who
is obliged to practice all the afternoon.
He favored the use of a piano that
made no noise. He had heard a phy
sician say that the nervous headaches
of young women in musical conserv |
atories were largely due to the din of
practice , and it was often thought
that this noise impaired the musical
sense. The mute piano makes th < v
performer depend upon his eye atAf
his touch , and enforces more attention
to the score , so that he will be able to
get a notion of music upon sight read
ing.JLhere.
JLhere. are some mute pianos in New
York and several in Boston. The
first one sent to this country came
from Weimar , and after the model of
this one others were constructed. The
mute piano has a full keyboard , and
has the appearance of an ordinary
piano , but there is neither sounding- ,
board nor strings within the instru
ment. The keys are weighted with
lead , and provided with springs which
cause them to quickly go back to their
places when touched. The tension
may be regulated so as to correspond
with the piano to be used for play
ing the music with sounds. Then the
touch need not be varied , and the
sounding piano need not be used ex
cept to correct errors in the shading
of "notes. It is further claimed that it
is economy to use a mute piano , as an
expert will play havoc with a good
piano in two or three years' hard
practice.
The muscular and nervous strength
required in modern exhibition piano
playing is surprisingly great. Faollen ,
of Baltimore , has so worked upon the
muscles of his lingers as to be able to
surprise the acquaintances with feats of
digital strength and nerve. Carreno ,
"
with a very "small hand can crush the
fingers of a strong man without mov
ing her arm. This power comes from
long practice , which to the devotee is
limited only by endurance , and it is
expected that the mute piano will in
crease practice , and accordingly de
velop more brilliant and difficult piano
playing. The instruments are inex
pensive , but are made only when order
ed. A piano manufacturer says that
they should not cost over $25 or § 30 ,
as one can easily be made out of a castoff -
off instrument. New York Sun.
Destiny iu Warts.
The fate of nations and men often
turn on the merest triiies. It would
be indeed curious if the destiny of
England and Egypt was to be mater
ially affected by the presence of two
warts on the cheek of a Khartoum
ship's carpenter. The occurrence of
such a contingency seems , however ,
to be quite within the bounds of possi
bility. In his address to the Soudan
ese , Mohammed Ahmed wrote : "Has
not God Himself giveu mo the signs of
my mission the two warts on the left
cheek which are spoken of iu His
book ? " This cogent reasoning would
seem to have had his affect , for the
officers of the Kordofan army who
joined his standard exhorted their
companions to follow their example ,
declaring the mehdi "is always smil
ing , and his countenance is beaming
as the full moon. On his right cheek
is a wart , and other signs which are
written in the books of the law. "
There is. it is true , a grave discrep
ancy as to the position of the warts ;
but it might nevertheless have been
better for the peace of the world if
Mohammed Ahmed had been born
without any warts at all. London
World.
AH the Vill'go in JuII.
Pleasants county , in this stale , isono
of the most dead alive places that could
well bo imagined. It resembles one of
the away back old Vircinny counties ,
without any of the F. F. V. llavor
about it. Itis strange that such should
ho the case , for on the south it is
bounded by Wood county , one of the
wealthiest" most progressive in
the state , and furthermore it is right
on the bank of that great channel of
commerce ami civilization , the Ohio
river. But the fact remains that its
Seoplo are away behind the times. A
ttlo over a year aero the first railroad
was run through the county , Senator
Comden's Ohio river road. It has
been the talk of the county ever since.
Farmers walk or ride miles once or
twice a week to see the trains whiz
along , and at St. Mary's , the county
seat , the entire town turns out morn
ing and night , no matter \vhat the
weather may be , to see the trains pass.
The engineers , conductors , and train-
hands are to the people heroes of no
ordinary type , and the passengers arc
gazed on with ill-concealed envy.
In fact , the admiration for tho'train-
liands has grown so strong in tha
breasts of the younger fair ones of St.
Mary's , and this feeling has been so
encouraged by the train-hands them
selves , that about ten days ago the
town council met to consider the evil ,
and , linally , to abate it , passed an
ordinance making it an offense punish
able by a line of 85 for a train employe
to wave his handkerchief or in any
other way cheer up any maiden whoso
heart was probably yearning for the
unattainable or anything else. This
ordinance tore the town up fearfully.
The train-hands laid iu an extra sup
ply of handkerchiefs , and now there is
a continual flutter of white from the
train as it passes through St. Mary's.
This bold defiance of the law has , of
course , only increased the mad pas
sion in the hearts of the fair. This
town of St. Mary's , by the way , is a
curiosity. The funniest thing perhaps
is the jail. It is built of logs and , out
side of the windows , which are in
differently barred , the jailer has built
little pens of barbed wire so that in
case a prisoner should happen to get
outside the window he gets into a
barbed-wire inclosure that would hold
him possibly a minute.
St. Mary's has no roller-skating
rink , and in its stead the people , when
not watching the trains , have been
wildly revelling in the festive game of
dominoes , and it has been reported
that the editor of the county paper
was nearly ruined by losing 17 cents
at one bitting. The town sometime
since was divided as to the merits of
the spider and the block game. The
spider game carried the day , however ,
and the bloch game is now almost a
thing of the past. Recently a com
mercial traveler introduced to the
residents the game of studhorse poker ,
showing how it could be played with
the dominoes , and here is where the
trouble began.
The conservators of the peace could
stand dominoes as long as the name
poker was not connected with them ,
but there the line had to be drawn ,
and last week the country was para
lysed by an avalaneh of indictments
from tlfe grand jury against persons
for playing dominoes. The poatollice
was a great rendezvous for the play
ers , and every one of them was caught.
The minister of the town , Rev. R. H.
Blouse , a prominent lumber-dealer ,
two-young ladies from Parkdrburg who
were visiting there , and all the lead
ing people of the town were captured.
There is au old law iu that county
that forbids the playing of any game
except cribbage , backgammon , chess ,
and bowls , and under this the arrest
was made. What the result will be
when the cases come to trial remains
to be seen. Wheeling , W. Va. , Cor.
New York World.
Boston's Impending" Doom.
Amos A. Laurence , of Boston , re
cently said that his city had become a
Sodom and Gomorrah. He is looking
for its destruction at an early date ,
and making preparations to move
here with his family , to dwell here
after among God's chosen people. We
have been afraid for some to spend
the night in Boston. It smelt like a
doomed city to us , , and we are glad to
have our suspicions confirmed by such
an authority as Mr. Laurence. Sodom
was not destroyed for its immoralities.
Immoralities will chastise themselves ,
but the people of Sodom grew radical
and agnostic * and established maga
zines to corrupt other people with
their doubts. And they were destroy
ed not so much for the harm they had
done to themselves as the injury they
might do to others. Radicals and ag
nostics have minds constructed like
the teeth of certain animals ; when not
at work upon that which nourished
themselves , they are at work upon
that which is destructive to others.
They must gnaw all the time , and
when not at work on their own doubts ,
they exercise their teeth on someone
else's Lopes. This is the reason why
it is to be destroyed. It would not be
fair to have the faith of the rest of us
upset , simply to make some gentle
men and ladies of Boston feel good
about the intluence they exerted upon
inferior mortals.
It would be a good thing to have
Boston destroyed on the day when the
Radical and Agnostic clubs were in
session. After the gentlemen and
ladies had congratulated themselves
on their emancipation from all ancient
error , and had pledged themselves
anew to follow truth like a squash-vine
wherever she may lead , a gentle patter
of brimstone and fire against the win
dow might change the complacent
talk , to a rapid and incoherent repeti
tion of the Lord's prayer. There is
nothing like a little danger to exhaust
the doubts from a man in a moment ,
and make him act as humble as a toad
. Providence Jour
under an air-pump.
nal. _
Value of Elephants.
There is about 84,000,000 invested
in wild animals in the United States ,
not including elephants. There are
sixty elephants in the United States ,
ranging in price from 83,000 to 820,000.
If an elephant is trained and acclimat
ed it will bring 820,000. But thosa
that are'stupid and can not be trained
never bring over ,83,000 or 84,000. i
VANDERBILT'S WEALTH.
The Knornious Accumulation of the Chief
Millionaire of the Day.
His fortune was at 0110 time placed
at as high as 8200.000,000 , but a good
judge lately said that ho thought 8150-
000,000 was now nearer the mark.
Still he is the richest man in the
world.
None of the Rothschild's over had
anything like his wealth. The bank
ing business of that famous house still ,
of course , goes on iu London , Paris ,
and Vienna , but it is now in the hands
of young men of the Rothschild fam
ily , and its wealth has been distributed
among quite a number of its members
by will , as one by one the older men
of the firm died. The combined capi
tal of that family is now about 8250-
000,000 , and some writers have de
clared that Mr. Vanderbilt's fortune
exceeded that of all the Rothschild's
put together , but this is an exaggera
tion. It would not be at all surprising
if Mr. Vanderbilt's wealth should , be-
foie ho departs this life , fully justify
such a statement , but for the present
it is enough to know that he comes as
near as he does to the hgures men
tioned , and that ho is not only far
richer than any single member of the
Rothschild family , but is , as already
stated , the wealthiest man in the
world. None of the traders of anti
quity of which we have any record ,
none of the present financial burons of
France or England , none of the mon
eyed princes of Germany , Austria , or
Russia , or of the world of haute
finance , anywhere , can really compare
with him in point of personal posses
sions. Old John Jacob Astor with his
fortune of 820,000,000 was , forty years
ago , the Vanderbilt of his day , but
even after making due allowances for
the greater purchasing power of money
in those times he canTe nowhere near
the enormous accumulation of the
chief millionaire of to-day.
His wealth is largely in government
bonds and railroad securities. He
tnkes an inventory of wealth once a
year. In January , 1883 , he told a
friend that he was worth 8194,000,000 ,
and added : "I am the richest man in
the world. In England , the Duke of
Westminster is said to be worth 200-
000,000 , but it is mostly in land
and houses. It does not pay him 2
percent. " This was an unusual out
burst of boastfiilnesss on his part. A
year ago he had 854,000,000 in govern
ment 4-per cent. bonds , but the
amount was afterward reduced to
835,000,000 , partly for the purpose of
aiding his sons who lost 810,000,000 I
by Wall street speculations. Later
on , however , he purchased about 810-
000,000 more of the 4-per cents. , and
he has besides § 1,000.000 in the gov
ernment bonds that pay 3 * . per cent.
His government bonds arc worth , as
near as can be stated , 870,000,000.
He owned a year ago 240,000 shares of
Michigan Central stock , 300,000 shares
of Chicago and Northwestern , 200,000
shares of Lake Shore , 30,000 shares in
the Chicago and Bock Island road ,
20,000 in the Delaware and Lackawan-
na , besides some 20,000 shares in other
railroads , so that in all he held , ap
proximately , 810,000 shares of rail
road stock. A large part of these he
still owns , though he is reported to
have sold considerable Lake Shore
stock.
He owns 822,000.000 worth of rail
road bonds , it is said , besides 83,200-
000 worth of state and city bonds , and
has 82,000,000 in various manufactur
ing stocks and mortgages , lie valued
his house on Fifth avenue at 83,000-
000 , the art gallery being worth , with
its contents , 81,000,000. He sold
Maud S. for 840,000 last year. His
ordinary expenses in a vear , he has
said , were 8200,000 , but his ball given
in 1883 cost him 840,000 extra. Mrs.
Vanderbilt's diamonds are valued ac
8150,000. He wears none himself. A
Wall street statistician , in referring
to Mr. Vanderbilt's wealth , said :
"From his government bonds he draws
82,372,000 a year ; from railroad stocks
and bonds , 87,394,000 ; from miscel
laneous securities , 8576,695 ; total in
round numbers , 810,350,000 a year.
His earnings are thus 828,000 a "dav " ,
81.200 an hour , and 819.75 a minute. "
This was a year ago , when Ins wealth
was reckoned at 8200,000,000. The
value of his securities has decreased
smce , through the hard times. The
depression in trade has not imprcb-
abiv reduced his wealth nearly 250-
'
OOO'OCO , but his fortune and his in
come are of course still almost fabu
lous. Cor. Indumapolis Journal.
The Minister to Denmark.
Prof. Rasmus B. Anderson , of Madi
son , the newly appointed minister to
Denmark , was in the city yesterday.
Before leaving Madison , he had re
ceived a large number of congratula
tory dispatches from friends in Wash
ington and different parts of the state ,
and when he reached Milwaukee many
of his friends in this city took occasion
personally to express their pleasure at
his appointment. He has long been a
personal friend of Postmaster General
Vilas , and the latter has frequently
said that Prof. Anderson ought to go
abroad to pursue his literary studies ,
little thinking that ho would be the
means of enabling the professor to car
ry out his cherished hope. A short
time ago a mutual friend asked Prof.
Anderson which mission he would
hoose. that at Stockholm or that at
Copenhagen , if he had his choice , and
he replied , "Copenhagen. " He pre
ferred the Danish capital because it
is the seat of the university and be
cause of its libraries , art galleries , and
the other superior facilities which it
offered him in his chosen literary pur
suits. He did not know at the time
that the salary attached to the Stockholm
helm mission was 82.500 more than the
Danish minister receives , but he is not
inclined to express very great regret
on that account. He expects to leave
for his new field of labor within a few
weeks , although he is not yet able to
fix the date definitely , and his family
will not join him inCopenhagon for
some time. He has no thought of
making his residence abroad perma
nent , and will not dispose of his pleas
ant home in Madison.
Many years ago Prof. Anderson was
an apple-peddler in Milwaukee , and
among his customers then was Alex
ander Mitchell , who conceived a warm
affection for tne boy , which has not
been dimmed by timo. It was from
Mr. Mitchell that Prof. Anderson re
ceived one of the first of the many con
gratulatory messages that have boon
scut him since his nomination by Presi
dent Cleveland as minister to Don-
mark. Prof. Anderson received his
education entirely by his own efforts.
For many years lie has been a regular
contributor to literary periodicals and
because of his translations of loading
Scandinavian authors and his works on
Norse mythology and literature ho has
boon called "Tho father of Norse liter
ature in America , " and his name has
become a household word among all
American Scandinavians. Ho has boon
as successful in business as in litera
ture , and as a general supervising
agent of a Reading life insurance com
pany , since his retirement from the
university faculty , has evinced great
business ability and sagacity. With
out neglecting his official duties , ho
expects to find time during his resi
lience at Copenhagen to continue his
study of early Norse history , and says
that he hopes to introduce to the Eng
lish reading public some young Scandi
navian writers who arc now unknown
to fame outside of their own country.
He has several literary works projected
or partially completed , and some of
these ho will no doubt finish during
his residence abroad. Milwaukee Sen
tinel.
Adams" Eccentric Costume.
John Quincy Adams made but one
visit to his home in Massachusetts
while he was president. He was ab
sent from Washington about thrtjo
weeks , and Mr. Clay took charge of
the government during that time , tem
porarily holding his ollico in the ex
ecutive mansion instead of the depstrt-
ment of state. The day after the
president left Washington , writes Ben :
Perley Poorc to The Uoston Hadget , Mr.
Duff Green , editor of The Telegraph ,
advertised him as a runaway , and of
fered 810,000 reward for his capture.
During this visit of Mr. Adams to
Quincy ho was somewhat remarkable
for the eccentricity of his costume.
One morning , a gentleman from
Rhode Island , Mr. Cranston , after
ward a member of congress , arrived
at the residence of Mr. John Mars-
ton with a letter from his son-in-law
in that state , Mr. Henry Do Wolf , re
questing him to present the bearer to
the president. Mr. Marston was on
the point of leaving home for Boston ,
snd Mr. Cranston and himself pro
ceeded together in the stage to the
president's. Soon after their arrival
the president came in from his garden
attired in a short jacket and panta
loons of striped jean , and a chip hat of
the value of five cents. Mr. Mars-
ton , who had no time to lose , as the
stage was waiting , presented Mr.
Cranston to his excellency with the
words : "This , Mr. Cranston , is the
president of the United States. " Mr.
Cranston , aghast at the curious figure
which confronted him , exclaimed ;
"This the president of the United
States ! ' ' and Mr. Marston took his
leave , not without some curiosity to
learn the termination of nn interview
so unfavorably commenced.
Aged 105.
The Lexington ( Mo. ) Iteaister con
tains an interesting biflgniphy of
"Billy Blue , " who lives in Lexington
township , and who celebrated his
105th birthday on the 12th hist. , from
which the following extract is taken :
"Billy Blue" was born at Winchester ,
Va. , March 12 , 1780 , and belonged to
the Hopkins family there. lie remain
ed single until he reached his 70th
year , when he married Susan Haskell ,
whom he purchased of Capt. Thomas
Hook , of Hampshire county , Virginia ,
father of Mr. Joseph Hook , of this
city , for whom he paid 8500 in install
ments. Six years after his marriage
he came to Lafayette county with Mr.
Joseph Hook , and has since resided
here a portion of the time peddling
milk , ami though he carried the inev
itable milkman's bell , he seldom used
it , making known his coming by the
cry of "Milk , missus. " His wile ,
some years alter he was settled here ,
deserted him , and left with Col.
Deit/.ler's troops. Billy had not en
tirely paid the lull amount of the pur
chase money at this time , but never
theless liquidated the balance due ,
which only amounted to 820. Billy
Blue now lives about six miles from
Lexington , on Mrs. J. G. Suddath's
place , where he enjoys his humble
home with his second wife , whom he
married some ten or twelve years ago.
Mrs. Harriet Sparks , vidow of Thom
as Sparks. Henry C. Branch , who
knows Billy well , and lives near him ,
says that , though thirty-five years the
senior of his wife , he is not so feeble
as she ; that he does all the chores
about the place , such as cutting fire
wood , etc. He does not wear glasses ,
uses chewing tobacco only , and drinks
all ho can get.
Matrimonial.
Maude " 1 intend to marry a bank
er when I marry , and then I'll wear a
sealskin sacque for every month in the
year , and my toilets will be the
admiration and envy of the feminine
world. "
Belle "I intend to marry a plumb
er. Then I will not have any anxiety
about the bursting of banks and other
corporations. The water pipes will
have to do the bursting for
my husband. And you can de-
pe'nd on it that my toilets will be
bang up "
Blanch "You're just terribly off ,
girls. I intend to marry aa editor.
Then I won't need any nice toilots.
But you'll see me appear in the paper
next'morning resplendent as Solomon
in all his glory. And your poor
earthly raiment will just crawl into a
corner and hide its diminished head.
You're welcome to your bankers and
plumbers , but I'm looking around for
a nice eligible editor , and when I get
him you can wager a six-button pair
of gloves that I'll make my fe
male acquaintances just weep with
envy. "
Maude "Oh , how awfully nice !
I'm to marry an editor ,
too. '
Belle "And so aml.- Washington
Eatchet.
There is much talk of the proposed recon
struction of Toklo , the expense of which la
estimated at something like S60.OXi.000.