Decatur Democrat, Volume 26, Number 43, Decatur, Adams County, 26 January 1883 — Page 4

THIS CATASTKOFHK OE A MASHEB. A tom-cat naton a backyard fence With an acbint heart and a ao«l intonna, Rigged nut ia a style in every suaae Immeuae. He sat alone In bta fault!*** attire. And bi** bosom burned with a sacred Are Ah he watched fr-r hU love, hi* only deaire— Maria. Ke vma mu-in« upon hia lonely lot. And he said to himself, "She ooineth not, Vv iiat a terrible heartache I have gut— Great Scotti* “TT-'W terribly loacsom 'I f- el! How queer To be sitt'nir alone with nobody near— Oh. bow much I wi.’h Marla were here— Mon Dieu! * "The thought of It fills me with horrible donbt— I should srr.Ho. I should blush, I should wad. I should ?h ot, Just bui poec *• ”ie fellow bad cut me out— Ms-uutl’ “Ah, there she conn's now. as soft as a rat; J nt. al. h< ‘d mistaken the eoft pil-a-pat, Ilin Maria waa oka brother tom-csa—-“How’s that?* Thnn?hf Trm No. t of T< m No 1; ) ut N- . 2 bounced him without more ado. And suddenly both derairted from view— Mew ! Mewl Ob. ill fared U theft for Tom No. 1, j- n as s on as La- enemy's work was done Or ail his due raiment he left him none— Such funi Now. all you young mashers who dreas with such care. The bear s of the gftt’elea* to slave and ensnare, Yuu'd better rentembf this tale and beware— Take care. A Hero of the Floods. Nowhere throughout the overflowed river bottoms of the West did tlie devast. tirg floods of 1881 come upon the people with such calamitous swiftness, or cover the country to such depths, as in the valley of the far-reaching and snow-fed Missouri. Long and bitterly remembered by hundreds, whose homes were swept aw„y with scarce a moment’s w arning, w ill be the icy overflow of that calamatons season. From all its numerous tributaries, from the trickling rills of the snowcapped mountains to the broad and sluggish river Platte, the bands of ice, suddenly loosed, let forth watery torrents to swell the mightier river, till it poured down to the Mississippi with a destructive haste that had never been witnessed before. Many a tired farmer who went to his rest after a hard day s work, and dreamed for a time, perchance, of growing crops and abundant harvest as the result of his labors, arose to find his f irm a watery waste, the angry river already at his very door, and hia live stock w ading and swimming distractedly about amid floating masses of ice, brushwood and the debris of other inundated farms above. In vain he sought to save his horses, Lis cattle, or his household goods; it was often all he oonld do to save even his wife and little ones. Upon a broad and well-cultivated farm on the Nebraska side of the Missouri, there lived a family named Wilson, in a frame house that stood in a grove of large but scattered trees near the bank of the stream. Cultivated fields and well-fenced stock pastures extended back across the intervals. The soil was dark and extremely fertile, the land lying but little above high-water mark, on which account the spring freshets al w ays caused Mr. XVil.scn considerable uneasiness. The oldest settlers .herealiouts, however. had never known this tract to l>e entirely covered; and this, with Mr. M il-on’s own experience, had, as the years vent by, considerably lessened his first misgivings. Therefore, the great flood of 1881 found Mr Wilson w holly unprepared, and «t the time of its coining both he and his wife were absent from home. 'J hey had felt a little reluctant almul leaving home, as the river was swollen nearly to the high-water mark, but urgent business co tipelled them to ride to the nearest railroad town, some thirty miles aw ay, from which they intended to return on the day following. Mrs. Wilson carried her youngest child, and there remained at home Henry, a lad of fifteen, and two little daughter., aged ten and six years, with the hired man, Rudolph. Rudolph had relatives living two or three miles back from the river, and when the chores were done at night he left the house, telling Henry that he was going over to see his “folks,” and would lie back at ten o’clock. The boy and his sisters had l>een left alone of an evening Is-fore. They were not afraid, and went to bed by nine o'clock, to sleep soundly, as such children will. When the boy awoke the next mominc. he found the sun peeping in at his window, and leaping out of bed, he called to Rudolph, as his father was in the habit of doing. But Rudolph did not answer. "Rude must be up and doing the chores," thought Henry; and then, speaking aloud, he said, “What a tremendous roaring the river makes this morning. It sounds as if it was all around us. “Goodness! Ib’lieve it is,” he added, after listening a moment; and then he ran to the window to look. to niter hearts than his might have quailed at the scene which met his eyes, l.vervwhere was water—a turbid, black, tnmnltuons flool—dashing up a mimt tetranks of the great trees, flooding the stock-yard fences completely out of sight- Logs, boards, and great coldlookilig cakes of white ice, even the bodies of dead catt'e, were swept furious! ou. The heads—only the heads and horns—of some of their own cattle con’d lie seen here and there, as the ]>oor creatures swam feebly to and fro. Looking down in frightened awe from the open window, the lad saw that tiie delving, guttering current had already attacked the foundation of the house, which stood considerably higher than the cattle-yards, and that the doorsteps below were under water. As the danger of the situation dawned upon him, the lad’s terror grew. Again ami again he shouted to v ndolph; bnt. there w as no response save the rush and roar of the river. Then he ran to the room of little Jennie and Izah, who had already been awakened by his shouts. With frightened sol>s the children clnng to their brother, scarcely daring to look out upon the fearful scene about them. “Where is Rudolph? Where is Rudolph?” they sobbed. Henry soothed them as best he eould, and leaving them at the head of the stairway, he went below to see how high the water had risen. To his increased alarm he found that the kitchen floor was already covered, and the muddy water was pouring in through the cracks about the door. It was rising fast.—had risen even since he first looked out upon it. Then for a few moments the boy’s courage almost deserted him; he trembled violently and the tears came into hia eyes. “O father! mother! why ain't you here?" he cried out Then the crash of a huge ice-cake against the door aroused him. Young as he was he realized that ti e hou-e must soon be swept away if the water continued to rise, and almost fiercely wiping away his tears, he tried to think of some means by which ho might save his little sisters and bimse f. Through the kitchen window he saw the trank es the great elm beneath which stood the grindstone, only a few feet from the broad doo l step,—a huge tree, four or five feet in diameter. The waters were dashing against its massive t: ;ik that, nt least, seemed proof ogaiusttiieir utmost strength. -La c’.ti elw! The old elm!” he c.-.e«. If -a could osdy got qj> among tie big limbs.” And tbea be formed

his heroic plan and proceeded to put it into execution. The elm had great outstretching branches, one of the largest of which extended across the corner of the kitchen roof, which was nearly flat and easv of access from a window in the second story of the house. Henry had often climbed out there and mounted the branch, from which he could ascend nearlv to the top of the tree, a dizzy height, however, which he seldom attempted. “The flood can't dig the old elm out, lie thought. “It’s stood there too long. But little Izah and Jennie! he feared for them. It was as much as lie himself dared do to climb the tree, and he feared the little girls would grow dizzy and fall into the rushing waters beneath. The brave boy thought of all this, and solved the problem in a manner that speaks well both for his courage and hi i invention. Wading through the water on the kitchen floor, he reached the woodshed and there procured his mother's clothesline. also a coil of larger rope and an old door, besides a number of loose boards which stood in a corner. Carrying these up stairs, where the little girls stood cryijg and calling for ‘ papa and mamma," he put them out on tne kitenen roof. “Stop crying, girls.” he exclaimed, cheerily; “stop your crying. Ta and ma will be here soon as they can get a boat, and I’ll take care of you till they come. We’re going to get up in the big elm and build us a house up there and take up victuals. The water never will take that old tree away, and we can Lvt up there like squirrels.” The energetic lad now sped about the house to complete his preparation for their strange change of abode. Even little Jennie, the younger sister, caught something of his courage; and both the girls ran about helping in whatever way they con’d. Some loaves of bread, a bucket of dougunuta, together with dried beef, a smoked ham. and several woollen blankets were laid out on the kitehen-roof. Then Henry bound the clothes-line aliout his waist and climbed on the great branch, and thence up to the large limbs above, to a height of some twenty feet above the rushing waters. S« lecting a spot where two limbs branched off parallel with each other, he now lowered one end of his rope to his sisters, for the old door and boards. Before climbing up he had instructed them what to do and how to do it; and in a very short time the boards, the door and the other coils of rope were hauled up one after another, and securely fastened. The door and boards were then placed on the parallel branches and tied with the rope; and in this manner a small floor, or platform, six or eight feet square, was laid, large enough for all three to sit or lie on. It did not take long now to draw up the food and blankets; but there still remained for the lad the harder and more perilous task of hoisting up the little girls to his airy platform. He had reserved the longest and strongest rope for this purpose, and looping it in the middle over a limb and letting the two ends fall to the roof, he descended and tied an end firmly beneath the arms of both Izah and Jennie in tnrn. To climb back to his old position was but the work of a moment. Then came the real w ork. Iza’i was a nlump little girl and Jennie was still heavier, though not as old. They were frightened and screamed considerably, but he hauled them tin, one after the other, safely on to the platform. Meanwhile the wild rushing waters were steadily rising, and now nearly reached the kitchen window-sills. Still larger cakes of ice were driving ponderously along among the trees; occasionally one ground against the elm, giving it a heavy, jarring bump, or struck the walls of the house with a force that made the timbers crack. The little girls trembled with fear; and now that the excitement of climbing into the tree was over, despair again seized upon them. In vain Henry tried to quiet their fears. Great sobs would well np in spite of their childish effo. ts i to be brave. It was in truth an appalling situation. , Faster poured the ever-rising flood; and now the ice-< akes and great driftlogs were smashing in the lower wini dows. Nothing was left of the stock- ' yards, shed and barn ; but here and there some of the wretched cattle still kept their he-ids above water; and more disenheartening than everything else were the poor creatures’ mournful lowi ins-s. I There was no help for them. Their ■ drowning bnt was a question of an hour ’ or two; everything was going down bei ncath the black rolling current. And I well might the childreen feel thankful if even the great elm withstood the bat- , taring of the ponderous ice-cakes which > came grinding in among the scattered | flees of the grove. i I Henry’s heart almost failed him. It • j required the best efforts to keep from . I breaking completely down and giving > way to his fright and grief. But masII taring these terrors at length, he earn- ' i estly set to work to make everything ■ I upon the platform secure. He felt, too, 1 ; that he ought to save the bedding and I the most valuable of the household fur1 nitnre; for he saw that the most of it might lie hung upon the limbs of the elm, if only he had dared to descend after it into the shattered and roaking building. Bnt the creaking and groaning of the timbers, commingling with the hoarse gurglings of the water, appalled him. The house seemed on the point of being j swept away; and sadly he watched it heave and sway as each fresu mass of ice came plunging against it. Fearing to trust the little sisters upon the frail platform unsupported, he tied them securely to the limbs aliove, leaving the ropes slack enough to allow of their moving aliout. Once, for a moment, he almost made them smile by calling them his “little ponies picketed out to grass.” He even tried to tall them stories, and kept courage in their little hearts by the assurance that “pa and ma” would soon come and take them away in a big boat. Then the hours wore on. The house still stood, but the waters crept higher and higher, till at noon the river ran nearly even with the tops of the windows. Still the old tree gave no evidence of yielding, and at length the pangs of hunger making themselves felt, they ate a hearty meal in spite of tiieir strange and almost desperate situation. The afternoon passed. Once they thought they heard distant shouts; but the tops of the trees prevented them from looking off clearly. Night drew on; and still the house stood, wonderfully, as it seemed to Henry. As night closed darkly in, the little girls cried themselves to sleep, pillowing their heads in the lad’s lap; and thus through all that long night, never once closing his own eyes in sleep, he aat and held them. Not long after dark Henry heard a trrinc crash, and indistinctly saw the house melt away amidst the mad waters beneath him. When at last the day dawned there was not a familiar landmark to be seen save the trees; and miny of the smallest of these had beau broken down by the masses of ice. It was a bitter swakaaing for little laah and Jeciue;

and it was long before Henry could j again accustom them to the terrible dreariness of their situation. 1 But help came shortly after daybreak. Even before the pangs of hunger had brought them to think of breakfast, cheery voices were heard shouting from the river above. The neighbors had espied them on their platform, through the leafless branches. It was a strange sight, and one that .would have inspired less resolute hearts to attempt their rescue. The young, anxious faces ex] e -tantly looked out over the dreary waters, and watched with hope and delight the efforts making to save them. It was an hour that thev never would forget. Cold and hungry, but safe and happy, the gallant boy and his little charges were taken aboard a boat manned by the faithful Rudolph and several other voting men, who had worked with energv, but in vain, on account of the floating ice, to reach them the day before. I Mr. and Mrs. Wilson wore delayed longer than they had expected; and not returning till evening of that day. they learned nothing of the danger to which the children had been exposed till after they had seen them safe at the house of a kind neighbor.— Frank Calkins in Youth's Companion. rim and point. Arx good clothes ceme high except ball dresses. Life for the hopeful youth is full of to-morrow. The old man who lives on yesterday has a slender diet and little comfort-7- N. 0. Picayune. The man who never changes his opinyun ain't a-going to kno much, and the one who changes it too often, is a-going to kno less.— josh Billings. “Mercy on me, what are those horrible sounds up-stairs?” “Oh, that’s nothing but dear George; 1 suppose he has lost his collar-button again.” Miss Liixiphace says she uses powder merely to take the shine off her face, but her little brother says she uses it to take the shine off the other girl’s face. “What can I do for yon to induce you to go to lied now?” asked a mamma of her 5-year old boy, “You can let me sit up a little longer,” was the youngster’s response. It is an undeniable fact that nearly all centenarians are poor and have been poor all their lives. If you wish to live to a good old age, young man, never advertise. — Boston Star. A courtier praising an old lady for her beauty, she said that beauty was incompatible with her age, to which the courtier replied: “We say as beautiful as an angel, and yet the angels are of all creatures the most ancient.” Charles Lamb represented the ordinary church-goer. “You don't seem to be any better for what I said to you,” complained his friend. “No,” was the beautiful and charitable reply, “but the man who sat next to me must be, because it all went in one ear and out at the other.” “You have been up before me half a dozen times this year,” said an Austin jnstice, severely, to a local vagrant. "Come, now, Judge, none of that. Every time I’ve been here I've seen you here. You are here more than I am. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” Doctor to an acquaintance—“ Mr. Jones, I am glad to see you have recovered.” Mr. Jones—“ Yes, you have saved my life; how can I thank you sufficiently?” Doctor—“l saved your life? Why I didn’t attend you.” Mr. Jone—“ Yes; and that is why I am so grateful.— Quit. They were discussing Tliackery's “English Humorists.” “Who was it, Miss Cutting, that said ‘True wit never produces a smile.’ ” “I really can’t tell vou, Mr. Quota‘ion, but it seems to me he must have heard a good many of you college men telling jokes or he'd never have taken such a dismal view of life.” —Harvard Lampoon. Little scene at a tea table.—“Mamma, I know the brown house you looked at is taken!” Mamma—“How do you i know?” Belle—“ Because I saw two bird-cages hanging out.” George (six years old very demurely), eyeing his well-filled plate complacently—“Two bird-cages! Nothing to eat! Nothing . to sleep on! Nothing to sit on! Only two bird-cages! How desolate! I A reverend gentleman in Aberdeenl shire, having been summoned before s the presbytery for tippling, one of bis s elders, the constant participator of his ■ orcies, was summoned to appear as a witness against him. “Weel, John,” said ■ a memlier of the reverend court, “did • you ever see the accused the worse of • drinks?" ‘‘Weel, I wat, no," answered [ John; “I’ve mony a time seen him the [ better o’t, but never seen him the want . o’t ” “But did you ever see him drunk ?” t “That’s what I’ll never see,” replied the j elder, “for lang before lie’s half sickenened, I'm aye blind sou.” A man recently fell down. He was a large individual an I took np lots of the ■ sidewalk, and a bystander thought it the proper time to be funny. “How did you come to fall?” he inquired. “On a bit of lemon— ?” “Yes, sir; on a bit , of lemon,” replied the corpulent one. “But I see no lemon,” replied the funny man. “Well, who said you could?” i savagely roared the corpulent indii vidual. as he got up and dusted himself off with his liau kerchief. “Can any one see the lemon in half a dozen cocktails, say?” SOMETHING TOO MUCH. In Cromwell's time n maiden lair Swunc ou a bell, ail lor her lover; And ev J r since, nine times a year. The “correspondents” man must hover Above his scrap-book, and take out. To print a<ain. unhappy wiuht. Just how she said, to save her lout, “The curlew must uot ring to-night!* I've road, once more, these verses through. And though I have a heart's that mellow, I wish to gracious—ves. do— That Cromwell had well hanged the lellowl —Loataeille (Jourier-Joarital Effect of Sunshine. I From an acorn weighing a few grains, a tree wi 1 grow for one bundled years . or more, not only throw ing off many L pounds of lea' es every year, but itself weighing many tons. If an orange twig is put in a la' ge Ik'X of earth, and that , earth is w eighed when the twig becomes . a tree, bearing luscious trait, there will ( b>' nearly the same. amount of earth. Fn'm careful experiments n ade by differ* t scientific men it is ascertained , that a very laige part of the growth of , a tree is derived from the sun, from the f air and from water, and a very little ( from the eaith; and notably all vegetation becomes sickly unless itisfieeiy , exposed to sun-h ne. Wood ai.d coal t are condon ed sunsh ne, which contains ( tin ee important elements equally es enr tial to both vegetation and animal life . —magnesia, lime and iron. It is the iron in the blood which gives one the s durability necess ry to b< dly vigor, . while magnesia is important to all of j the tissues. Tbu< it i> that the more r persons a e out of doors, the more s healthy and rigorous they are, and the Icng- r they will live. Every human liei mg ought to have an hour or iwo of it, , and in the < arly forenoon m summer. s To act with common sense, accordi ing to the moment, is the best wi dom, e I kn< w; and the best phi'osophv, to do i i one’s duties, take the world as i’ comes, - | submit respect ul y to one’s lot, bless f ! the goodness that has given us s each r happiness with it, ■wl-atever it is, and ; despise affectation.— Horace Walpole.

FARM NOTES. Eggs should be packed in ■well-cured oats. A cool temperature and pure air have much to do with keeping eggs in good condition. A prize of SSO was given to a Rhode Island boy for raising the best crop of corn in a competition—eighteen bushels on one-eighth of an acre. According to the results of the experiments made at the Maine State Agricultural College, the pigs fed on uncooked meal grew better than those fed I ou cooked meal. It is reported that sometimes in India, if prices are too low to suit ' native grain-dealers, they bury the wheat in holes dug in the ground, ii> which it keeps for many months, if carefully covered. Sometimes suffi- ; cient care is not taken in unearthing the grain, and dirt is mixed with it to a quantity of 5 per cent, and upw _ ard. Mr. S. R. Hart, of Brighton, near Rochester, N. Y., has used, during two years past, water impregnated with gastar for the purpose of destroying insects on his potato vines. It has proved more effective than Paris green, and has been used with equal effect on his currant bushes. Two quarts of gas-tar to a pailful of water are the proportions used, and the vines and bushes are sprinkled by means of a watering-pot. Careful experiments have proved that corn which is hilled will blow down more readily than that which has level culture. This can be accounted for by the fact that corn roots run very near the surface, and when hills are made they are confined to the small space covered by the hill; while in level culture the roots run from one row to the other, thus enabling the corn to stand strong, as nature intended, and in no wav liable to be blown down except by winds of unusual violence. The hemlock makes a beautiful screen when kept moderately cut back, the foliage retaining its fresh green hue through the winter, and growing better in shade than most evergreens. For this reason the interior of the hedge does not become so denuded and bare as those of the arbor vitas and some other trees. In addition to ite lieauty it may be made a strong barrier by stretching lengthwise through its center two good galvanized barbed wires as the hedge is growing up and forming. The best plants can be had of nurserymen, who sell them by the 100 or l,otlo, and if some earth is retained on their roots in removal they will all live. Ashes as a Fertilizer. —Charles A. Green, of New York, holds that ashes are a fertilizer of unquestionable value. Most constituents of the soil are found in the ashes of vegetation. Ashes haring been once used in the growth of vegetation may be largely used again to nourish renewed productions. The farmer is indifferent, careless and wasteful of this great ally; though, if a supply chances to be lying about in the way, he will, from necessity, apply it to the fields, often inconsiderately, and breathe freer for the riddance. A large part of the most valuable ingredients of ashes is lost to the farmer through exposure to the rain, as ashes are often out in boxes or barrels six mouths. Improving a Farm.—An Ohio farmer gives his experience in improving a farm that was in poor condition when he bought it. “It was difficult,” he says, “for me to get from twelve to fifteen bushels of wheat per acre, but, by saving all my manure and carefully applying it, I have raised for the past six years thirty-three bushels per acre on an average. My manner of rotation is: Break to sod, plant to corn, follow with oats. I apply all my manure on the stubble and plow-row, and drag and harrow and roll and drill at least three inches deep, and seed to timothy and clover, four quarts of each, in March. I seldom fail to get a good catch. Keep to grass three years. Be sure and save all your farm manure, and you will need no artificial fertilizers. ” Profit in Feeding Cows.—Maj. Alvord, of Houghton farm, New York, believes that, if the present large importation of cows into this country is not stopped, nine-tenths of the cows in Orange county will die of contagious disease. He suggests that small pastures and few cows are better than large ranges with many cows. Next to the grasses in the pastures he -would look to shade and water, and have these in as many places as possible. He believes , that, by the feeding of ensilage, the , period of change from the pasture to s the stable can be wiped out. and the l transition from outdoor feed to that of | the stable not noticed. The supply of [ good, pure water should be kept up, [ and roots and other green food freely [ given. He claims that nothing will , take the place of Indian corn in feeding r for milk. ’ Care in Trimming Trees. —ln 3 trimming apple trees and gathering - anples men should not be allowed to climb upon the limbs with heavy boots , l on. A little injury to the bark is apt ; to cause the tree to wither, if not die. India-rubber boots or bare feet will not j do any injury. A gentleman relates k the following circumstances: A hired j. man dropped a pole heavily into the fork of a thrifty 10-year-old red ’ astraehan tree. This was in December. ■ In June following the bark separated from the wood and dried up over the f bruises. By September the foliage on iat limb became pale and light. The . dead bark was trimmed away and the bruise covered with clay, but by the next fall the limb was entirely dead. The limb next it is feeble now and will die. as the entire tree will soon.— —Chicago Times. Training a Heifer.—A heifer should lie trained as soon as it is weaned. She thould then be haltered and made used to lie tied up and handled and led by the halter. She should be carded anil brushed, and her ndder and teats handled frequently until she becomes Used to it. A month or two before she calves she should be tied up and brushed, and the ndder rubbed, and , teats pulled; taught to lift the leg and s keep it out of the way of the milker, r and generally disciplined. All this f should be done gradually and gently, * and the young animal made to undert stand that there is nothing to fear by s always exercising kindness to her. 1 When she drops her calf no stranger ■ should attend her, but one she knows - well, and she will come to her duties as 1 easily as an old cow. A newly-calved f heifer should always be tied wten she e is milked, as she may be very nervous e and not to be depended upon until her .- disposition is shown.— Farm Journal. L Value of Manure.—Dr. Lawes, of Rothamp.stead, England, found in the 3 course of his experiments in wheat growing that a certain field would pro- ’ duce fifteen bushels of wheat annually 9 per acre without the application of any 9 manure whatever. The application of ’ a small amount of nitrogen enabled him a to double the crop, showing that for the time being, at least, nitrogen was in less supply than the other required ele--9 ments. But he also found that if he added the nitrogen in the form of stable ’ manure, he was applying it. at an expense of four or five times as great as if .- he applied it in the form of sulphate of , ammonia. The lesson to be learned by o such experiments is that there is no , best manure or fertilizer for all soils, s nor is the same manure certain to be i the best for a given sdil in *l] vears i The soil is constantly changing under estivation and cropping, and tne most

intelligent system of manuring is the one wliich supplies just what the present crop requires in order to reach a maximum growth. Selling beets and potatoes soon exhausts a soil of its potash. and therefore potash must be applied freely, or some other crop grown that will require less.— Chicago Times. BASE-BALLS. The Making of the Spheres l'*e* In the National Game. “Base-balls are like human beings — vou never know what’s in them until you cut them open,” said a base-ball manufacturer to a Philadelphia reporter, as he placed a ball before a circular saw, and, after some little trouble, halved it. “There! What do you think of that ? A great deal of science and hard work is required in the manufacture of balls. For instance, the l>all is patented. In the center is a round piece of-the best Para gum. Then there is the best stocking-yarn. This is stretched first by machinery to its utmost tension. Then it is wound by hand so tight that, as you see. it resembles one solid piece of material. The winding is done by single strands at a time. This makes it more compact. A round of white yarn is now uut in, and the whole covered w ith a rubber plastic cement. When this be- i c< n?s hard it preserve* the spherical ’ shape of the ball, and prevents the in- i side from shifting when the ball is struck. You have seen some balls knocked egg-shaped the first blow they are struck. Well, with tliis cement covering that is impossible. Then I comes more yarn, and finally the cover, j The covering for all the good balls is made of horse-hide. Long experience | has shown this to be the best. Cow or goat-skin will become wrinkled and wear loose. Why, there is as much change in the making of base-balls in the last ten vears as there is in the game itself. 'The sewing on of the covers is done by hand, and the thread used is catgut.” No one man makes a ball complete. One person becomes proficient in the first winding, then some one else takes it; another man will fit the cover, but there are very few of the workmen who become proficient in the art of sewing the cover. A dozen men in the course of a day will turn out about twenty-five dozen first-class balls, and as a rule they make good wages. Some manufacturers put carpet list in the balls, but can easily be detected when the batting be- : gins, because the ball soon loses its shape. Os course, for the cheap balls, such as the boys begin with, not so much care is exercised in the manufacture. They are made in cups, which revolve by fast-moving machinerv. The insides are made up of scraps of leather and rubber, and then carpet listing is wound around the liall. It takes a man about ten minutes to turn one of these out complete. The professional ball weighs from five to five and a half ounces and is nine and a quarter inches in circumference. It is calculated that about 5,000,000 base-balls are made each year, and these are not extravagant figures when it is considered that upon every vacant lot in the large cities and upon every village green in the country there are crowds of men and boys banging away at the ball whenever the weather permits. And yet people say the national game is dying out. A Strange Deformity. Probably one of the greatest defnrmili. s in the world is that of Mr. Gauitne", now living in Taylor county, Ga. ■ There seems to lie an accumulation of ) adipose m tter aliout every joint in his body, and the te.rer the joints, of course, the g eater amount of his fatty matter. Consequently his feet ."nd hands are enormous; each of his hands neighing over sixteen pounds, and being sever d times larger than his head. He is 23 years old and only thirty-six j inches in height. The joints seem to have taken away all flesh from the other parts of his body, and the limbs look i Ike threads supporting enormous weights, and so great is the we ght ol his hards that they hang helpless at his side , he being unable to iift them of h s own acco d. This fatt v matter conti ties to increase and his hands and feet get larger every year. This man is a great curiosity and there are crowds always at his home to see him. School s irings banks are to be introduced in lowa. TOLEDO, CINCINHjm fc_ST. LOUIS R. R. Time Table— In Et/ect Dec. 11, 1882. Going West. | Western i Going East. I 7 I 5 I Division. | 6 j 8 i ... P. M. A. M.iLv. Ar. P. M. P M .... 830 4 551 Toledo ‘io Uo| 535 ... .... 12 35 4 30 ....Delphos 9 10i 1 30 ... .... 105 457 . ...Venedocia. . 8 47' 105 .... .... 115 5 08;...Jonestown... 837 12 52! .... j .... 126 5 211.. ..Shasta 8 27'12 40 .... .... 132 5 28!.. Enterprise... 82112 33 .... .... 140 538 Dull 81312 25 .... .... 147 545 ....Abauaka.... 8 07'12 18 .... .... 1 W 5 50|... Schumm.... 80212 13 .... .... 205 6 05. Willshire.... 75012 00 .... .... 215 6 17'.Pleasant Mills. 74011 49 .... .... 235 6 38!.... Decatur .... 72211 30 .... .... 249 6 5.M. ...Peterson.... 70711 13 .... .... 3hi 7 08' Curryville ... 6 57:11 00 .... .... 305 7 13!. ...Craigville.... 65310 55 .... .... 321 73. .... Bluffton.... 63710 39 .... .... 339 752 .Liberty Centre. 62010 20 .... j .... 349 8 (.*4 .. ..Boehmer.... 66810 08 .... .... 353 808 ....Buckeye.,.. 60510 05 .... .... 407 823 Warren 552 951 .... .... 432 8 531... Van Buren... 5 27: 924 .... 1 40 9 •o;...Landessville.. 5 21! 9 15 .... .... 445 9 lOi ...Hanfield.... 517 910 .... .... 504 9 .io'... .Marion 456 8W .... .... 522 9 43;. ..lioseburgh... 4 40,8 38 .... .... 532 9 51' Herbst 429 829 .... .... 5 40' 9 58'... Swazey’s .... 4 231 823 .... .... 5 57 ; 10 14 .. Sycamore..... 407 808 .... .... jGO7 1" 22:. ..Greentown... 358 8 02; .... • .... j 635 10 SOJ Kokcmo 3307 35 .... ...- .... PM. Ar. Lv.' .... a. m. 1 .... Going We.«t7~j i~"Going East" • 11i7■5 1 1 8 | 8 | 12 ’ .... F. M A. M. Lv. Ar.-p. M. A. M .... : 6 35 l'» 50 .... Kokomo .... I 3 2O| 785 ’’ ’ .... 64511 00 . ..Tarkington .. 308 7 25- .... ‘ .... 65211 06 . ..Middleton*... 3027 20 .... .... i 65911 13 .. .Russiaville.. 252 7 13] .... .... 711 11 25 Forest 2 40; 7 031 A. M 72511 39 .Michigantown. 224 6 52F.M. 615 74512 00 . ...Frankfort . . 2 00 6 3<> 800 6 58’ .... m. . ..Clark's Hui i 722 8 ‘2l’ Veedersburg ‘ 5 55 9 4 r > ..Ridge Farm 4 30 10 15 Metcalf ; 4 00 II on ....j .... ...Oakland I 3 15 11 30j .... ' Maples I 2 45 11 <■» Charleston i 130 ' .... Lv. Ar ft., T. A. PHILLIPS. T. H. B. BEALE, Gen. Manager. Gen. Pass. Agent W. 8. MATTHIAS, Ass’t Gen. Pass. Agent

C. E. ALBERS & SON has open out in JOHN KING S CARRIAGE SHOP A full and complete line of Family Groceries, Big Stock i' Fresh Goods, at 9TTOR PRICES .’tl everything in the grocery line to select from. All Goods to any part of the City /ered Pre

An English diamond merchant recently offered £IOO,OOO for the Regent diamond, now the property of the French Government. It was bought 150 vears ago from an Englishman for £125,000. PRINCIPAL <-LINE ‘ ui"sKUCTE“I. QUICKEST »r-' And line to St. Jow-ph m hlton.Terek».Dvnl Nel'mtko.Ml.’wisrt.Kan ■as. New Mexico, Aril no. M 11* 0 **"- 1 1' 3 * 3 - CHI OO- O o'— e f:? -' IA ’' 7 r ‘ : ' r n Lt a, ML&ne&poHs aud Si. Paul i Univ raai Nau "A'’y reputed « lv corbelled to being the Great i ’. best equipped j iU’!:- td In the World for ail c trave?. KANSAS CITY Alcon:: • S rtircngh y /'A-*'' Tr;! Tick sviatbuXfr ;< V/ a “ d Celt-, rated Line find irarc.ing a gar at all offlcea iuxu ”' ’ ;;1S - r,,: the U S. 4 ’ ' Canada. X KX Inform at lon\L X Fa:-. " T’rg Cars, f Vs - • I ! •~f» V g ven by T J POTTER. PERCEVAL LOWELU >4 Hca Pr WL & Manager, Gen Agi.. Chicago, 111 Chicago. 111. GRAND RAPIDS & INDIANA RAILWAY. In Effect October 15, 1882. COEUMBVS TIME. | GOLXG~N< ARTti. "‘sutiep — ; No- 1. N>i. No. 5. Ko. 7. i cm.. U. H.AD Jv -8 tsam 7 4 pin I Richm i d lv 3 orpm HlO 10 * Wiuche'ler 4 19 .12 Hpni.il 28 ■ Rid,” me 4 12 11 4*’ Port.a;;<l 5 wi 105 12 Lam , Decßtnr « 13 2 10 I » Fttii Wayne .ar <lO sit I 2 20 i Fort Wavije lv 3 «55 i 3 10 ; 8 :&iiu ; Ke’Hir.Lvillc '4« >4 20 ; Stur-i- «G 8 ;»42 I”* I Vil’ksburg 715 i 6 41 :i2l«pm i Ktihinateo ar '7 50 720 12 50 I FuGainazoo lv bl 5 749 ’ 2 [Allegan ' ....’0 30 |3 50 1 Grand Rapid- sr . . .. 1«) 10 ,9 50 425 : Graibl R.ti: la Jv, 745 an: 'lO 30 515 i l». &M. (>ssing .... j7 55 10 37 535 Howani City.... ....; 9 17 Uipm El- Ba] iih* 10 U 1 01 .52 ' Heed City 10 50 !2 30 I 8 50 > Cadillac ar r2(tpm 315 10 W Cadiilic.. Iv 330 1100 Trs\er<c City ar 555 [ Kaikaaka ' 5 27 1 Hain i Mance"Ua ■ 6 04 1 58 1 Borne Falls • ‘ ■7 it '8 22 i i mW A l 5 Harb.-r Springs ’ ! <8 25 I I Mackinaw.,.J 11 700 . SOUTH. I i.*.— N-_‘. 2. ♦. No. <>. N' Ma i .w ....lv, C.: 950 pm i Harins- hpnnps 6 40am 7 : prto-kev i ■« *) it OGani j K.yue Falls’.’ * [152 Traverse City I ; t 8 25 I Cadillac ar 11 42 5 45 : Cadillac... lv 4 OOprr 12 »p;n 6 10 , Reed City I 1 l‘» 7 45 ! Bi-’ Rapids 550 150 819 iHI van? City 647 j 2 16 917 ■D.fc MCr -s-ing... J *OS 411 10 37 [ Grand lUi-ids ar . 820 14 35 10 55 [ Grand Rapids lv 7 fOaiu- s*) I 107 pm Allegan ;5 00 J1 10 ■ Kalamazoo ar 9go 7 rt) I 2 53 I Kalamazoo lv 9 05 [7 15 • 2 57 I Vick-burr 935 747 i3ft Sturgis... 10 32 h 43 ’4 40 KerdaUride 11 46 > 10 (B 6 « l\ rt Wayne ar I <.»!pm 11 23 7 15 , Fort Wayne lv. 130 .6 !sam 12 30am I Decatur 2 10 7 01 1 25 Portland • H 10 i 8 08 i 2 34 ! Ridgeville 13 87 iH 84 t 8 01 i Wim hester ;3 56 [8 5t >8 23 [ Richmond 5 00 9 55 4 35 I nuciniititi !7 40 11 tOpnr 735 No. ft leaves Cincinnati and No. 8 leaves Mackinaw City daily, except Saturday. All other 1 trains d ily except Sunday. Woodruff sleeping cars on No*. 5 and 6 between Cincinnati and Grand Rapids, and sleeping and chair cars ou same trains between Grand Rapids and Petoskey; also Woodruff ; sleering cars on Nos. 7 and 8 Ijetween Grand Rapids and Mackinaw City. A. R. LEET, Gen'L Pass. Agent. kill? f— people are slwavs on thr luokoat for lAI QVJ I vhau i-s to m-ie-w thrir earnings, lllj I and in time bet.-n>- w<altln; W V I I 1 I wh dv not improvs their • pp>rio- ■ • ■ . r; . g remain in poverty. Me-ffirn great chance to make m mey. We want many men, women, boys and girls to work f«r us right in their own kxaliUee. Any one can do the work fram the first f-tart. Ihe business will pay more than trn times the ordinary waces. Expensive outfit furnished tree. Noons who engage* la is to nuke money rapidly. You can devote your whole time to the wok, cr "nly your spare moments. Full in forma tivn and all that is ne<Hk-d cent free. Address briasox A Co., Portland, Maine.——. 642 iyr. Jpa •— act. t« sweeping bv. go and dare II I I » I before 'ou iie something mighty F" I and suMime b-ave behind to c n||l 111 quer lune.” a week in your ■ * fc—l own town 55 outfit fra Nori-k. Evervthing new. Capital not required. We will furnish ' you even thing Many are making fortunes. Ladies make as much as men. and bcqrs and girk make great pay. Beader, if you want business at which you can make great pay all the time, write for particulars to H. Hallxit A Co M Portland, Maine. 1 PARKER’f HAIR BALSAM? i jriT r most Economical Hair I Dressing. ' Kwer Fiilr to Reston 4 cohr to grey Soc and $r sizes at ■i i ru gg ,sts - i Fhrtskn Cologne. \A-~ } • A new smu excMdiDgiy fra- ■ ; £*•’' ;gm' t aw 4 h*t<M perham. Hsce J 5 *a4 tfc. PARKER’S GIUGERTONIC A Pure Family Medicine that Never Intoxicates. If you are a mechanic or farmer, worn out with overwork, or a mother ran down by family or household duties try P iukir's Gingkk Tonic. • If you are a lawyer, minister cr business man exhausted by mental strain or anxious cares do not I; snm iiants, but use Pabkir's k-spepsn. Rheumatism, Kidney or mts, or if you are troubled with any gs. stomach boweis. blood or nerve* by Parker’s Ginger Tonic. nng away from age, dissipation or akness and require a stimulant take tonce; it will invigorate and build first cose but will never intoxicate, dreds of lives it may save yours. | IM Si New T«rk. 50c. sod ; iU 4aaMtrs *.n mesdciMs. riNG BUYING DOLLAR SIZE. >'"l-; -" H 1111 ,J>U

NIBLICK, CRAWFORD & SONS, Have again made a change of base by adopting the CASH SYSTEM. From and. after this date Will soil for CasH Only. We have the BIGGEST stock and FINEST selectisn in (he city. We have a fine Line of all kinds of LACE COLLARS. FICHUES AND TIES. SILK HANDKERCHIFS from to $2.50 a piece. LADIES’ FURS, II) Setts and also Mulls and capes that we can sell senirai '. [ fTnE LINE OF SHAWLS[ In all grades from a cheap Cotton to a Broche. GtZEISTTS’ XF'CK AVEA 11 We have something new in that line called a Lawn '[ ■> n : < or Bicycle Tie. Gents’ Suspenders in Silk, somethin; beautiful for a Christmas Gift. depafitAi; 57rIs complete, we are offering a fine line of Table Cloth s ami N .pkins to match, put up nicely in a box of one sett euh. I’nwels in great variety, from 5c to fl each. We have a elegant line of ~ (U,ASS-\VAI<I< 111 plain and engraved. Majolica-ware in Plates, Tea setts. Fruit Baskets. Pitchers, Tea and Coffee Cups and Saucers. Bread Plates, Pickles. ENGLISH AND FRENCH We have mustache Cups and Saucers from 40 cents to $1 each Full line of Dinner and Tea setts, in plain and decorated. Wash-stand setts from ito 12 pieces each. In our CARPET DEFARTMEXTT. You can find something nice in the way of Ruggs, M ills ami Crum Cloths, in prices to suit all. WOOL BLANKETS we defy competition, ranging in price from *1.50 to sl4 per pair. We are offering great bargains in LADIES CO A 1’ >. I L STERS and DOLMANS to close for the season—now is your chance to make a oargain. Please call and see before you make your purenase- as we know that we can do you some good. Niblick, Crawford & Sons. . ,ook Out and Don’t Forget THAT JOHN WELFLEY. - selling Groceries at less money than anv other house and is bound not to be UNDERSOLD iU GAK and COFFEE Lower thsn for twenty years. COFFEES, SUGARS, TEAS. SPICES. CANDIES, SALT MEATS, FISH, SARDINES. TOBBACCOES, QUEENSWARE, CIGARS. Sugars all grades. Green and Roasted Coffees of the best quality. Texas —Good—Chesp— Black and Green—are one of our specialties. Sugar Cured Hams, Shoulders, Bacon and Drkd Beef Tobaccoes and Cigars in choice brands and great variety New Assortment of Lamps. Bronze, Gold and Ebosy. Tubs, Buckets, Brooms aud wooden ware Generally. ' Cut Glassware, China dinner and tea sets, a full assortmentof Qucenswarc. While Fish, Cat Fish, Mackerel, Cod Fish, Holland Herring, and Sardines. Country Produce TAKEN IN EXCHANGE FOR GOODS. Come Everybody. You will find first class groceries fresh and cheap. JOHN WELFLEY. Opposite Court House. August 10, ’B2. No. 19 ts - ■ Floreston Cologne* L TTc --rt* La-’ '.. - i-fcaf Ih-s IFt F.iIUKT at:-*' gAjk - r r« Barns, ’.sniirnk?. **: Vl J r.-:s Parker’s Hair Balsam. ‘ Au it^reeab'e}'t • • . ’ . '... mt ” Prj?r FaEs t 3 Rtslcre Greyer faizj H: ‘ . ?.\ v - to h. Tomhfvl Cete <=e f, • ' • . - —MM—RMM ■■<■!(! I ' I i> «».-•- - -• • ur* -St,ooo TOSTS \ or rias Straw Wanted —■ FOR ■■■ I WILL PAY THE BEST PRICES When delivered dry ani in od condition at the Decatur FLAX VIILL.