Herald and Planter (Hallettsville, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 27, 1874 Page: 1 of 4
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♦
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A WEEKLY NEWSPAPER, DEVOTED TO POLITICS, ART, LITERATURE, AGRICULTURE, STOCK RAISING, AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT OP IMMIGRATION.
VOLUME III.
HALLETSVILLE, TEXAS, THURSDAY, AUGUST 27, 1874.
HARVEST.
Sweet, sweet, sweet,
Is the wind's song,
Astir in the rippled wheat
All day long.
It has the bro-.k's wild gayety,
The sorrowful cry of the sea.
Oh, hush and hear !
Sweet, sweet and clear,
Above the locust's whirr,
And hum of bee.
Rises that soil, pathetic harmony.
In the meadow-grass
The innocent white daisies blow}
The dandelion plume doth paaa
Vaguely to and tro—
The unquiet spirit of a flower,
That hath too brief an hour.
Now doth a little cloud all white
Or golden bright,
Drift down the warm, blue sky;
And now on the horizon line,
Where dusky woodlunds lie,
A sunny mist d >th shine,
Like a veil before a holy shrine,
Concealing, .
Half-rew«!iiig
Things Divine.
Sweet, sweet, sweet,
Is the wind's song,
Astir in the rippled wheat
All day long.
That exquisite music calls
The reaper every where-
Life and death must share
The golden harvest falls.
So doth all end-
Honored Philosophy,
Science and Art,
The bloom of the heart:
Master, Consoler, Friend,
Make thou the harvest of our days
To fall within thy ways.
—Scribner'8 for August
ONE-MNTH OP A MAN.
" The fact is, Gus," said my friend
Vandewater, in reply to some confidential
bewailing on my part, " you're neglecting
to invest a splendid capital! If t had a
Íiresence like yours, I'd take advantage of
t to do away with the want of money at
once and forever. I'd marry money, and
enough of itt make the future plain sail-
ing. Do you suppose nature gave you
these advantages to let them rust in idle-
ness? Don't hide your gifts in a napkin,
my boy; make use of them while you
miiy; strike while the iron's hot—in other
words, marry money while you're young
and handsome and attractive 1"
I blushed with some kind of a feeling, a
mixture of oflfcwled pride and abased con-
sciousness that a sneaking idea of this kind
had already entered my nead, of a desire to
take advantage of it, and an ignorance how
to go about it.
But Van helped me out.
'•There's my cousin Gertrude," he said;
" she isn't a bad-looking woman. She's
high-bred, you know, and all that sort of
thin-C—high-nosed too, for that matter, but
not a bail-looking woman. Nothing will
do for her but a tip-top appearance, ma-
■ of form, grace of demeanor, plenty of
style, and all that,
take
I'm afraid she'll be
ken in some time with the outside gild-
ing and marry some of these chaps always
prowling around women with money."
I looked at Vnn and burst out laughing.
" Well, but you're a gentleman, Fithian.
Hang it! if a man's a gentlemen, he can
afford to do anything. I happen to know
she looks upon you witli decided favor,
and I don't mind confessing I'd like the
arrangement myself. You see It's a great
deal for ine to feel that I can trust Ger
trude's happiness in your hands."
I knew what Van meant. He was work-
ing hard for a perennial fountain as a re-
source on desperate occasions. But the
best advice isn't always free from selfish-
ness ; perhaps a goodly quantity of this
modicu.il lends strength and flavor to the
persuasion, as it certainly involves earnest-
ness and sincerity.
Long after he went away that night I
thought of the project, and by dint of se-
vere necessity and weighty prejudices per-
suaded myself that the sweet outflávored
the bitter'; and perhaps it was the best if
not the only, way out of my present diffi-
culties.
Resolving upon immediate action, I went
to work on"the following morning with an
ardor worthy of a better cause.
My first visit, of course, was to ray tailor.
I was indebted to this worthy tradesman
for the biggest part of the «{race and ele-
gance so pathetically referred to by Vande
water, and was perfectly well aware that
without his aid and art the fine castles
reared during the preceding night would
tumble ingloriously about my ears. I al-
ready; owed him a large sum of money, the
very immensity of which gave me courage
to ask for more. If he had been induced,
I argued, to advance so much capital with
scarcely a chance for interest alone, how
much easier it would be to secure more
when I was fully determined upon im-
proving the lucky elements which nature
and himself had thrown in my way ?
I found him in rather a gloomy humor,
and his remarks were very depressing.
" The fact is," he said, "I'm tired of it.
There's got to be a stop somewhere, Mr.
Fithian. Me and family is coming to ruin
if this goes on much longer. It's riot at
home and it's riot abroad, and flesh and
blood can't stand it. We've got to take a
back seat, me and my family, while folks
that we dress from the skin out look
down on us, and shove us further to the
wall. If they see us at the opera or at
church, they're blinder nor bats, and walk
ri*ht over us; but, Lord! Lord! how
clever they are when they come to the
store!"
I gathered from these remarks that my
worthy patron had ventured into society
lately, and had naturally come to grief.
"When you get tired of beating about
the bush, Bigby," I said, "I'll be glad to
know what's amiss. If it's the old thing
about the money, I can't help you, though
I have a capital chance of getting out of
trouble if you'll hold on a while; but if
it's anything else, I'll do my best to ex-
plain It."
" It's that there charity concert, then,"
he said, indignantly. "Me and ray wife
and daughter we went there the other
nisht, and Hattie, she was monstrous
taken with a young gentleman a few seats
ahead of us. 1 dou't deny he always does
honor to the clothes he wears, and never
did I i-ee a finer fit than that there purple-
black o' yours—but Lord, /couldn't catch
his eye, though I told Ilattle 1 knew him
well; he looked everywhere from the
stage to the moon, but J couldn't catch
his eye. It's a small matter to be civil,
sir, when it's cheap and wholesome—it
wouldn't a done a bit o' harm to have
giv«-n a friendly nod or so, and it'd 'a
pleased Hattie most wonderfully."
" Why, heavens aud earth, Bigby!" I
exclaimed, "I declare to you I didn't see
you, upon my honor! X never caught a
somewhat touched
paternal affec-
tion, "the next time you go out, let me
know, and I'll be on the qui vive. I de-
glimpse of you—I'd have been glad to
recognise you, of course!"
" Fine words don t butter no parsnips,"
said the sulky merchant. "I don't care a
button for it myself, but It'd 'a been a
feather In Hattie's cap 1"
Well, come now, Bigby," I continued,
by this pi '
£
clare I'll do the fair thing by you and your
family—but to the business in hand."
Then I plunged into an ambiguous ac-
count of a project I had for helping both
him and myself, referred largely to my
exalted family, and the immense Influence
my position in sooiety lent to the scheme.
I soon succeeded in winning him over to
an unlimited credit for knightly armor *
the coming contest.
" I don't deny," Baid the large-hearted
knight of the shears, "I'm proud of you.
There ain't a thing you put on but gains
by it somehow or other. I made up a bit
o'that there Frenoh grtfffor Moffat, and
he just degrades it. that's what he does!
There ain't no more style about him than
there is in an elephant; but I'll wager
anything you'll look like a prince In it.
I'll make a single-breasted cutaway of it,
and we'll just try it, that's what we'll
dol"
Bigby grew happy, almost exultant,
while he was measuring me.
" What it is," he sala, " to have such a
figger as yours 1 Never an inch change,
more or less—it might be set up for a
model!"
These preliminaries arranged, it was
comparatively easy to go on. I had con-
venient access to the circle which Miss
Vandewater adorned, and was always
heartily welcomed by its seclusive and
somewhat unattractive adherents. I be-
came sorely surfeited by high teas, high
churches, high noses and high prices.
After enduring this altitude for a consid-
erable length of time, I suffered as all
travelers do when they get out of their
natural orbit—I found Ft hard to draw
breath, and became dizzy and decidedly
exhausted. I began to long for a change;
I yearned for an opportunity of leaving
these dry and arid heights for the Arcadian
simplicity of the green and fertile valley
ing flesh, and looked with vivid apprehen-
sion to the imminent danger of a necessity
for padding.
" Once commence that, Mr. Fithian, and
the Lord knows where it'll stop. There's
them that wears bales of it, and it must be
most awful in the hot weather. Then you
see, again, it plays the very deuce with
light materials. It won'tdo, Mr. Fithian;
you'll have to tone up."
" But how to do it, Bigby, that's the
question. I'm afraid I'm booked for a
declivity."
" Not a bit of it. Just you try some-
thing. See here 1 would you mind doing
me a favor ? it's a big thing to ask of you,
Mr. Fithian. I know it's a little out of
your line, but you'd oblige me."
" If it's anything that lies In my power,"
I replied, warmly, " I'll be glad to do it.
Heaven knows you've been generous
enough with me."
'• Well, it's just to run out some evening
to my place to dinner. I've got a light
ell, it's just to run out some evening
wine there that's the best tonic in the
world. You might see how you liked it,
and if you could stand it I'd send you a
dozen bottles or so. Will you come. Mr.
Fithian? I'll take it kindly if you would."
" Why, of course I will, Bigby, and
right gladly too, I assure you. When
shall it be?*
"Any time; the sooner the better.
The train leaves at five."
1 heaved a long sigh. I was sorely
tempted to close In with the offer in spite
of an engagement of an eleemosynary
character with Gertrude. But I declined.
" No, Bigby," I replied, faintly, " not to-
night, thatikyou; but to-morrow I'll come
out to your place, and we'll try that light
wine of yours."
I was glad afterward I resisted the temp-
tation, for there was a cold glitter in Miss
Vandewater's stony eyes, and a compres-
sion about her thin lips that forbade trifling
of any kind.
"An exalted and unselfish character,
Augustus," said Miss Vandewater—and
you can see by her calling me by my first
name how intimate we were—"has its
first interest in benefiting the human race.
To see these dear young faces beaming
with delight, to behold these youthful
forms clothed with comfort and warmth,
and be aware that my hand plied the nee-
dle in their behalf, is happiness enough for
me."
It was pleasant to hear that somebody
had enough of happiness, for I never saw
a more miserable and dejected group than
that composed of the children attached to
the St. John's Mission and their patrons.
I, myself, felt that I couldn't get lower in
the scale of felicity, although a cadaver-
ous-looking gentleman had for forty min-
utes by my watch held forth upon the
awful miseries that awaited us all in eter-
nity. When he had concluded, and Miss
Vandewater's severe phaeton drew up to
the little iron door of the school, when we
were securely fastened In this grim and
heavy vehicle, and impelled slowly in the
direction of a melancholy Lenten meal at
the house of the heiress, I felt that m;
reer was finished, that no light wine,
ever brilliant its qualities, could save me
from eternal padding and eternal woe.
Buffeting with a fierce and bitter wind
on my way home that night, reaching my
rooms to find there no fire, and a vulgar
perseverance on the part of my landlady Tor
money, I plunged beneath the bedclothes
with the firm conviction that nothing,
however terrible, in the future could equal
the miseries of the present, and that the
sooner life was over in this mundane
ny ca-
, now-
sphere (as Gertrude was fond of calling a,
to me, once Jolly world) the better for Au-
gustus Fithian, Esq.
I concluded not to go out to Bigby' ,
not to try any light wine, but to let a vile
and vindictive fate do its worst in my be-
half.
But I awoke to a bland spring morning.
April had stolen in upon March, and
brought with her balmy air. sunny skies,
ami the songs of a few dissipated blue-
birds that had preferred the city to the
suburbs*. There was something exhilara
ting in this sudden warmth and bright-
ness that melted the soul of my long-en-
during and justly exasperated landlady.
The muffins were actually hot, the coffee
iragrant and mellow, the beefsteak rich
aud succulent. I carefully avoided Ger-
trude and the St. John's that day, nursed
the faint ray of hope and joy that had
sprung up in my despondent breast, and
reached the five o'clock train for Bigby's
with something of my old appreciation
of life.
Just as we were about starting, and I
lingered on the platform to finish my ci-
gar, I was positively startled by a vision of
loveliness. In the shape of a school-girl,
making frantic efforts to catch up her
skirts and bundles and run for the train.
She was within a few feet of me when the
whistle sounded, and puff went the engine.
A look of absolute despair shadowed all
I was immediately opposite her, and,
flinring away my cigar, I held forth to her
a helping hand. She leaped trustfully for-
, was caught in my arms and landed
'safflSfcl s M "
shocked at the risk you ranSit
that again, I beg of you; it might have
•cost you your life."
' " Oh, don't regret it," she said; " I am
so glad. There is no train after this one
till late at night, and papa would be so
frightened."
As she spoke she looked up In my face
with the most Innocent smile in the world.
I had procured her a seat near the cold,
raylcss stove; and if the weather had been
wintry, the warmth of that smile would
have heated the stove, would have radiated
the car. All heaven was in her eyes, they
were so bright and blue; there shone in
them so much of feeling, of joy, of candor;
a vivid color flamed in Tier cheeks, glowed
in her lips. She was like a scarlet cloak in
a wintry iandscape, and rested the eye that
looked upon her.
I made an effort to engage her in conver-
sation, but in her slight aud cold reply I
saw an insurmountable objection to chance
acquaintances. She spoke no more, nor
smiled, save at some happy fancy of her
own, but tapped nervously on the window-
Íiane, and watched eagerly the vanishing
andscape. As I looked at her I fancied
what that home must be to which her de-
sires and fancies flew, and sighed to think
how far above my reach were these do-
mestic joys that clung to this fair youi
creature before me. " Ah." thought
" if she were only Gertrude, how delight-
ful would be the path through duty to
pleasure I"
While all these thoughts ran rapidly
through my head the train hastened on.
and presently ¡-topped at the stati#n which
Bigby had told me was a short ride from
his house.
To my immense delight, the fair young
stranger gathered up her bundles, and
wont before ine to the door. I It'aped from
the car, held out my hands to her, but .she
threw herself Into a pair of sturdier arms
than mine; and looking in the face of this
intruder, I found it the honest, beaming
face of Bixby himself, my magnanimous
tailor.
He lifted her from the ground in his
close caress; then looked over at me with
the happiest, the fondest, the most exalted
satisfaciion I ever saw in any one in my
life.
Oh. the delicious sensation of finding
myself close by her side in the couifurtabli
little carry-all I The evening sky was
rosy red, all the way-side hedges were
budding afresh in the glad new spring,
multitudes of birds swang and swayed hi
the dry stems of the trees, and daisies,
white and red, studded the wide green pas-
tures.
Whether it was really that light wine of
Bigby's, the capital mechanism of Bigby's
chefae cuisine, the combination of happy
faces and light hearts, a bunch of violets in
a Venetian vase, the delicions coffee the
comely Mrs Bigby dispensed after the
meal—whether it was such or all of these,
the dinner was perfect. We spent the
night in mild but paradisaical dissipation.
We had a little music, some of Hattie's
Italian, to please her mother, a few ballads
for her father, and any thing and every-
thing for me. Any thing short of a
fugue of Chopin's or the severity of the
old masters was a rest to my musical expe-
rience.
Then I talked to Bigby, or rather he talk-
life aud its surroundings
ed to me, of rural
—his lots and lands, shrubberies and young
orchards; and I secretly grew glad to
think that in some quarter, however pro-
blematical It seemeu to me, lie must reap
the honest reward of his labors. With a
little more light wine, and lighter bis-
cuits, made by the pudgy, dimpled hands of
haudsome Mrs Bigby herself, the evening
ended.
As I went down with my worthy host in
the morning, I promised him I would visit
him often. And I vowed in my heart it
should be very often.
A tailor, and the daughter of a tailor 1
Yes, even so; what mattered it? She
might have been the offspring of a prince,
and at all events it was the lirst oasis in m'
desert of a life, and 1 needed to lie down In
the shadow of a rock for rest.
So commenced for me a dual existence.
I paired it off pretty equally—went out to
Bigby's by day, and to Gertrude's by
night. I began to look upon Hattie as my
Bister and Gertrude as my betrothed, and
made all my arrangements to suit these
affinities. I admired Hattie, I confided in
her, and informed her of the snares and de-
ceits that lay in wait for her in that world
upon the threshold of whirh she stood
wondering and charmed. Whereas with
Gertrude 1 strove to infuse in my manner
that tender solicitude that betokened the
lover. I, perhaps, was not so successful in
this latter role as the former; but let any
one undertake this dual existence, and
he'll find out how difficult it is to keep the
two characters from infringing upon and
mingling with each other.
The Rev. Mr. Cavendish was one of the
its the gods chose for my discomfiture,
man was detestable to me. I abhorred
his long-drawn sighs and penitential
sniffle; the cut of his clerical coat wag an
abomination to me, and his neck-cloth,
never properly folded, jarred upon my sen-
sitive taste. It had become a positive bore
to find him, so often with Gertrude, bend-
ing upon her a similar regard to that with
which a wily boa-constrictor envelops his
prey. He had persuaded her that her
knowledge of crayons would be of use in
drawing the plans for the new chapel, and
he remained many hours with her, their
heads almost touching, their hand in close
proximity over these wretched drawings.
I decided when we married I would try to
convince Gertrude that her forte lay not
in architecture.
But I was not prepared to say that I
cared to have the nuptials hastened—in
fact, the subject was very distasteful to me.
Bigby had maintained a commendable re-
ticence with regard to my private affairs,
and it was only in the bosom of hit
agenti
The n
delightful family I could forget my
cares ápd the unhappy future In store
for me. As Gertrude was desirous to
have the foundation for the new chapel
laid before we were married, and numer-
ous parfeh duties weighed heavily upon
her, I wis delieate about intruding upon
her val<4ble time. But the Blgbys were
leisure; of course Bigby him-
nitpte circle the better it wou
!)rUo young a d impulsive as 1
> I,was a little annoyed when 1
I thought of taking his ' "
o another of "them «ty:
" i do very wrong, Bigby," I said,
reprovingly. "Hattie will be sure to at-
tract idle ¡xi.v.nticn, and I think you'll re-
gret it."
"Pooh, pooh ! Mr. Fitbian," said the
good-natured father; "we can't keep her
in a glass case, you know."
"would to Heaven we could 1". I
groaned, and went in search of her.
I found her wila to go. We were in the
summer-house, and those little Octagon-
shaped boxes force people Into close prox-
imity. She had never been 80 beautiful,
in her white dress, with a tear in each of
hi r soft blue eyes, she was the embodi-
ment of womanly loveliness.
" Please let me go!" she said, with her
white hands clasped entreatingly.
I moved toward her impelled by a
strange magnetism. I was dazzeled, con-
fused, bewildered.
" Why do you ask me t" I stammered.
"Is my consent necessary to your happi-
ness?"
" Yes, yes," she murmured ; " I could
not ciijoy it otherwise!" She stopped and
drew a long breath. I felt it on my cheek,
and a sweet rapturous conjecture was sud-
denly conceived in my heart. I sank
back, overwhelmed with the conviction
that I loved her with a mad, ungovernable
ardor.
A dim sonse of disaster spoiled the dawn-
ing of my first passion.
She looked at me with a sudden fear.
" I have wounded you," she whispered.
"Now that is enough. I will not go I"
"Youwill!" Icricd; "youshall! But
with me, Hattie. I love you, child!"
Then I took her in ray arms and kissed
her, and went rapidly out of the summer-
house. But before I went home it was ar-
ranged that she should go with me to the
concert, poor old Bigby giving a wonder-
bland consent.
¡rnilned, upon reaching my lodg-
ings, to send a little note to Gertrude,
ng b
Id!
steting my inability to be with her on
the night of the festivity, but found upon
my table a note from her. I opened It
with languid interest; but upon reading
the first few lines I threw it down and
walked madly across the room. Her note
contained a request that I would attend
her to a concert given for the benefit of
the St. John's Cliapel. It would be imme-
djaWr under the au¿picos of the Rever-
end Cavendish, she added ; and that I
must be aware of its charitable intent and
purposes when she mentioned this name
to me.
This concert was the very one for which
Bigby had procured tickets, aud to which
i was pledged to take Hattie.
I sank into a chair, and supported a
dazed and bewildered brain with my trem-
bling hands. Whatever was to be done
must be done quickly, as the night of the
concert was close at hand, and it was cer-
tainly out of the question that I could go
with either party.
With a sort of consciousness that the
task I was about to perform was neither
an easy nor a delightful one, I seized a pen,
and wrote thus to Hattie :
My dear little Hattie—In spite of all our
hones and plans, 1 can't take you to the concert.
A big goblin bus stepped in und upset everything
I can't tell you how inconsolable 1 am. Uo with
your papa and mamma: but look straight on the
stage, and don't, with your rare loveliness, at-
tract valgar attention.
Yours Jealously,
augu tus FjTHIAM.
Then, with a heavy sigh, putting aside
this little missive, I wrote thus to Ger-
trude :
My d*ab Gertrude—I And It quite Impossi-
ble to xo with yuu on Thursday evening. An
unpleasant but imperative obstacle forbids.
Yours alway
A
d0ubte9 Fithian.
to him to take it within.
my fi ce made him obey.
it, but came out again almost Immediately
with the card In his hand.
" Miss Vandewater is not at home," he
PUNGENT
repeated, in that dry, hollow
liar to the Vandewater"
peou-
that somebody was waitiug in
for me. " He would insist upon
and waiting for you,' she said"
see, sir, people must be seen soi
She thought it was a dun, an<
I was prepared to throw
creditor over the" " "
" Human nature," says
prest, "is looking up."
much as It was before the
Courier-Journal.
Th* grasshoppers an
bold iu Iowa. One of
«ion of a front seat in
Dubuque Theater "
the oratorio of "
a polioeman had to
Night was already upon me when I had
finished writiflg. Hurrying the two notes
into envelopes, directing them with scrawl-
ing precipitation, and giving them into the
land lady's hands to post, 1 threw myself
oil my bed without lighting my lamp. 1 lay
hour after hour tossing, thinking, wonder-
ing. One thing was certain, my honor
was pledged to Gertrude, but my love to
Hattie, and there was more of love than
honor about me just then. I turned cold-
ly from a severe appeal on behalf of ex-
pediency and Gertrude, and plunged head-
long into a delicious reverie of love and
Hattie. Not a wink of sleep did I get till
the morning sun streamed coldly and ac-
cusingly through my window; then In
sheer fatigue I fell into a profound, slum-
ber, and never awoke till noon.
Accompanying a late matutinal meal
there came what seemed to be
nons post. There were letters and lei
I opened a prodigious envelope directed in
Gertrude's severe Italian hand. There
tell to the floor my missive of the night
before. What did it mean ? I opened and
read her explanatory note:
* Mr. Fithian—I return you the letter to your
friend Hattie which you misdirected last even-
ing. I hope you will keep the engagement that
I unconsciously interrupted, and will be able to
protect her rare loveliness from the vulgar atten-
tion you so much deplore.
Jtespeotiully, Oebtbcdi Vandewater.
After recovering from this thunder-bolt
of justice, I took up Hattie's little note,
which contained theee few but terrible
lines:
Dear Mr. Fithian—I understand now why
you were unwilling 1 should go to the oonoert.
As 1 must not be au unpleasant and imperative
obstacle to you, I shall never see you again.
Hattir JBiobt.
I took up my hat and went out without
knowing exactly why, and found myself
presently at Gertrude's house. The blinds
were partly closed, but under the curtain
1 saw the clumsy ties of the Reverend
Cavendish almost touching the slippers of
Gertrude, and all four feet were under the
table laden with architectural drawings.
A sudden Impulse of rage seized me; I
ran up the steps and pulled loudly at the
bell. The servant only half opened the
door.
" Miss Vandewater is not at home," he
■aid.
i handed him my card, and beckoned
it of a
must understand
ler Hattie."
you," he
I exclaimed.
EI love your
you
_ hair. He
stared at me open-mouthed. ( saw from
his face he was in complete ignoranoe of
eyery thing; but I went on, nevertheless:
" I love her to distraction. I never
loved any woman before, and I never will
again. I want you to tell her so, Bigby,
for of course I shan't see her."
" 1 won't do nothing of the kind," said
Bigby. " What do you mean by saying
you love one woman, when you're, going
to marry another ?"
"I'll never marry Miss Vandewater,
Bigby. That's all broken off."
Bigby fell back in his chair.
"Broken off I" he gasped, "when I've
liad my men working night and day on
them there clothes of yours 1"
" I can't help that, Bigby. I know I'm
a ruined man as far as those things are con-
cerned; but it's out of the question. 1
wouldn't marry her If I could, and I
couldn't if I would." Then I told him
everything.
" Them there clothes of yours '11 bo all
out of fnshion," he said, mournfully, when
I had concluded.
"I won't need them, Bigby. I'm going
out to the mines."
Bigby gazed musingly in the fire. Once
or twice lie turned and looked at me.
"If a woman Is good enough to love,
she's good enough to marry, ain't she, Mr.
Fltliiau ?" he said at length.
"Unquestionably, Bigby."
" And you love my Hattie, you say?"
" 1 adore her Bigby; I—"
"And you think she's fond of you?"
broke in the old gentleman.
"I—I hone so. 1 earnestly believe she Is."
" And if I give her to you, Mr. Fithian
—and you know how much store we set
by her—and If my wife and me never
would lay a straw in your path, and would
keep from troubling you all we could,
would—would you give me your honor as
a gentleman. Mr. Fithian—as a gentleman,
mind—you'd do your best to make Hattie
lianpy ?"
t took his shaking hands in mine. I
said— But what does It matter what 1
sttid ? I had always been fond of Bigby. I
respected him now more than any one I
knew; Mrs. Bigby was the handsomest
womanforbcr b¿e 1 ever «
Hattie—you all know how^ t felt abolí
Hattie.
Some weeks after I met Vandewater. He
shook hands with me reptoaehftill'
" I couldn't help It, Van," I salcf. "I de-
cided to marry for love."
" Hem 1" said Van, with a cynical smile
—" let me see. I think old Bigby must be
worth in the neighborhood of half a million
of dollars."
Lake Tahoe.
Lake Tahoe lies on the parallel of 120°
long. west, and 39° lat. north, about three-
fourths lying within the State of Califor-
nia, forming the eastern and southern
boundary of Placer county, and the east-
ern and northern of El Dorado county,
and the eastern boundary of the State for
a distance of about fifteen miles; the re-
maining one-fourth lying within the lim-
its of the State of Nevada. It is In the
heart of the Sierra Nevada. By the Cen-
tral Pacific Railroad it Is about twelve
hours eastward from San Francisco to
Truckee, thence southeast by stage two
hours, remaining over night at Truckee.
The altitude of the lake is 6,216 feet
above the sea level. Its depth is rated at
1,525 feet, but it is claimed that later
«oundlngs have given over 2,000 feet. In
form it maybe classed as an irregular,
nearly right-angled parallelogram; the
jneral direction being north and sc
i length it is about twenty-two miles; in
general direction being north and south.
In length it is about twenty-two miles; in
breadth from eight to twelve miles, ai.d
wltli its various bays covers an area of
about three hundred square miles. It is
the largest and deepest known lake at so
great an altitude, and is fed by the winters'
snows and springs and streams from the
adjacent mountains which surround it,
rising in many parts to two thousand feet
and upward above the lake. Some of
tributaries are of large size,
the lake a constant volume o
and sparkling water, to neafly equivalent
to the absorption, drainage, and evaporar
Hon that, as nearly as I can estimate it, the
extreme rise ana Tall of the lake docs not
exceed from three to four feet.
learly maintains its equilibrium, nev-
"" ng exfiept Jn some sheltered and
shallow spots; and Is always cold enough,
In a depth of a few fcetjor palatable and
healthy drinking at AhTtim&DAliiiK in
summer; while
which empty into it
coldness in the warmest[
C; at twent
nty-flve. our
i; and at mx-
wlves; at for,
ty, ourselves.
A hotel clerk at Bye I
week by a bullet from a pi
discharged by a guest. But
exult; it dld't hurt him; it«
on the check, and then f
floor.
" Your handwriting is very bad indeed,"
said a gentleman to a college friend, who
was more addicted to boating than tostudy;
" you really ought to learn to write bet-
ter." " Ay, ay," replied the young man,
"it Is all very well for you to tell me that;
"" ""ere to write better, people woula
This is the way
nch cotomporarlts,
) difficulty
What a thing 1
In which one ofour 1
the Messager, describes that little <
at Bunker Hill: " On the 17th of June,
1775, the American volunteers, command-
ed by General Artemus Ward, attacked
and thoroughly beat the British tr*w
near Charlestown, in Massachusetts I"
A small boy, telling his " pals" how he
came to be detected stealing apples in a
grocery store, proceeded thus: " Well, I
didn't care so durned much about bein'
seen, but the clerk was cross-eyed an' I
thought he was watchin' a aorg fight
'cross the street; but he was Tookl '
square unto me, an' he helped me clean
into the gutter 1"
Somb time since Father Ignatius was
about to preach at a well known church.
A nodular hymn of Dr. Watts' was sung
before the sermon, and when it ended the
preacher repeated slowly the last Une,
" Demands my soul, my life, my all," ad-
ding : " Well, I am surprised to hear you
sing that. Do you know that altogether
you only put Alteen shillings Into the bag
tills morning V'—Church Herald.
" There Is a young lady at Long Branch
who bathes In Bilk stockings." In every
instance in which wo have personally In-
vestigated the case we have found that the
young lady who bathes publicly In silk
stockings makes that mysterious part of
her wardrobe not Intended to be profaned
by even a glance from the eagle-eye of
man out of goods bought at a dollar-store
at 12} cents a yard.—'
'■ournal.
A Premonition of Death.
The most palnftil instance of a man hav-
ing a premonition of death that 1 know of,
lage. He caine home ....
with a pallid fiuse and told his wife that he
was deeply impressed with the conviction
that ho would die within forty-eight hour*,.
Then, while she was bathed in tears, he
sat down and had a long talk with her,
giving directions about his affairs, advis-
ing her about managing the dear children
when ho was gone and telling her how
tenderly he loved her and how hard it
was for him to part from her. After a
few passionate expressions of affection and
regret, Mr. Fortescue sent for a lawyer
and made his will. Then he went around
and bade good-bye to his friends and
sought a minister, from -whom he obtained
religious consolation and from whom he
parted weeping. Proceeding to the tail-
or's he purchased a burial suit, and then,
after making all the arrangements with
the undertaker for the füneral, he bought
a handsome satin-lined rosewood coffin
and wrote out a list of the friends whom
lie wanted to act as pall-bearers. The
tombstone selected by nlm at the marble
yard bore a representation of a tiower
with a broken stem and the legend, " Not
lost, but gone before:" and In his inter-
view with the grave-digger at the ceme-
tery he selected a spot near where his
mother was laid under the gre<
a tomb, at the same time givinj
that violets should be planted
in the early spring. It was very
choly, and full of deepest path'
was In 1844, and he is still alive
having since been twice in tl
islature, once in jail "
warning to his
.—Man Adeler.
pon his wife, and
or the Tempera
too much bewlli
in Pencader where
loon, ai
having
morning grasshoppers com-
fall and have continued ever
have a warm south wind which
Thqre are no swamps or marshes in
; It is one of hills, moun-
PP r timber, rocks, gravel,
sand, and occasionally spots of tery pro-
ration of the lake;
tains, pine and fir
ductive soil, yielding in root crops and
cereals abundant returns; and natural
meadows ftirnish nutritious grasses for
horses and cattle.
The water is pure and clear.
The air is " -
salubrious, i
great extent , . .
and proper humidity. During the sum-
mer there is a n guiar trade wind from the
southwest (a Seabreeze) springing up from
8 to 10 o'clock a. m., and blowing more or
less fresh until nearly sunset, and occa-
sionally later. Ae night the land trade
wind from the northward prevails. After
sunrise, the mornings are usually warm
until the sea breeze commences. Very
few calm days occur during summer.
Nights are always cool, refreshing, and In-
vigorating, with rare exceptions;
tho winter frequently clear and _____
when the day has been otherwise. It is
always warm and nleasant in the sunshine
during any part of the winter,—JUioure**
of OahfernxaV
br Grasshopper .
Dm Witt, Neb., July 80.—Last Satur-
day the thermometer was 112° all day.
The next
menced to
since. We have I
will keep them here until it changes. Now
for the result. We had fifteen acres of
com, from which we expected to get from
400 to 500 bushels, but our expectations
are changed, for we shall not get any. In
twenty-lour hours it was all gone. Every
but our
'i'Ji
tomatoes, cabb
ail have vn '
had from
trees, alt <
the ground
worse about t
no idea of 1
mill
keep)
jÉpt'M'V'.;
lip
I
w&>
•#:
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Kyle, S. Lee. Herald and Planter (Hallettsville, Tex.), Vol. 3, No. 5, Ed. 1 Thursday, August 27, 1874, newspaper, August 27, 1874; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth178840/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting The Dolph Briscoe Center for American History.