The Daily Republican from Monongahela, Pennsylvania • Page 2

PROCTOR ON THE PLANETS. with my legs comfortably stretched Personnel of Our Earlier Presidents. The Presidents of the United States were generally men of good personal appearance. The extremes in point of stature were Polk and Lincoln the latter of whom was six feet four, while the former was a little more than five feet three. Van Buren, also, was a small man.

The' first four were men of much The Jilted Star. I was sitting alone in the gloaming, Gazing into a quiet sky My thoughts were tired of roaming, As weary and tired as When all at once in the sky above Shone a star of radiant light, And then it was in love that I fell With this star, so strangely bright. I knew 'twas a world many miles away, Far greater and fairer than this, battered out of all shape by a horse's hoof. I recovered the lost headgear, climbed back into the saddle intending to walk Czar quietly homeward, when I could discover in.what direction home was. But as, ill-luck would have it, at that precise moment the sound of a horn was heard far off in the distance.

Czar pricked up his ears and gave a sudden start, and on my attempting to check him, reared straight on end, while I lovingly clasped him round the neck with both arms, and with one plunged forward and upward we left that lane and that country youth forever. We landed in a pasture, and were going at a fearful pace up a slight incline. Arrived at the top, the whole hunt was to be seen coming down the valley. And now Czar would take no denial. Rushing down the slope at a speed to which all former exertions of his had been as mere child's play, flew over a double post and rails, and I found myself a good field in front of the foremost flight of horsemen and close on to the hounds still onward until loom under Sir Harry's mahogany.

"I suppose our dull country pack will seem quite a second rate to you." said Kate. I was murmuring something in re ply, when Sir Harry cut in with: Ah I've got a splendid mount for you to-morrow, my boy A trifle play ful, perhaps hasn't been hunted yet this season, but will carry you like a bird." Oh, yes," said Kate. Czar is such a nice creature." Indeed said I. "I am rejoiced to hear it. Of course you accompany us to the meet "Yes," she replied, "and papa has said that as you are going out I might even follow the hounds a little way.

You'll look after me, won't you, Mr. De Boots?" I promised to do my devoirs, but in my heart of hearts thought I should require some one to look after me. The following morning at breakfast, which was early on account of our having to go some distance to the meet, the horses ware brought round a sturdy, thick-set, quiet-looking weight carrier, a neat-looking gray mare, and a bright, fidgety chestnut. The latter gave his attendant groom some trouble, and insisted on waltzing around on his hind legs a good deal more than appeared to me to be necessary. I am afraid your papa will find that animal rather troublsome," I remarked to Kate.

"That," she answered, "oh, that's not papa's that's the one you are going to ride Czar." My appetite left me, and as I rose and walked, in as unconcerned manner as I could assume to the window, I saw that the Czar had reversed the order of things by putting his head between his forelegs and lashing out with his heels in a very vicious-looking and anything but "playful" manner. A general move was now made to the front door. Kate looked at me and evidently expected me to "put her up," but I knew better than to attempt it, and pretended to be intent on buckling a strap of the pair of spurs Sir Harry had lent me until she was safe in the saddle. Czar was then brought up for me to mount, which, after several abortive attempts on my part, I effected, and we all jogged on toward the meet. Contrary to my expectation Czar behaved in a most exemplary manner, and I even ventured to swing my whip with a jaunty air without his taking the slight est notice.

But it was too good to last. Presently a red coat popped out on us from a by-lane, and the Czar's ears began to twitch. Two or three more horsemen overtook us, and his tail began to describe circles, and he proceeded on his way with a crab-like movement, which was anything but ele gant and eminently disconcerting. Almost before I could realize the po sition, a stern voice shouted: "Now, you sir, mind the hounds, will you and a muttered oath, accompanied by an expression which sounded very much like tailor," drew my attention to the fact that we had arrived in a field by the side of a wood, in which was gathered some seventy or eighty horsemen and a pack of hounds. Luckily for myself, and also for the hounds, on whom Czar seemed to think it great fun to dance, the master at this moment gave tne signal to "throw off." It nearly came being prophetic in my case.

In less time than it takes to write, a fox was started. I lost my hat and my head at one and the same moment, and nearly my seat, and tne next thing that I remember with any degree of distinctness is clinging with the blind energy of a drowning man to the pommel of the saddle, and regarding with despair a huge fence which seemed to approach me at a terrific rate. There was a sud den rush, a tremendous spring I seem have left the lower part of my waist coat and its contents on the other side of the obstacle and, with a jolt which pitched me somewhere in the vicinity of Czar's eirs, we were over. The field we landed in was a stifiish allow, but Czar still urged on his wild career" with unabated speed. I shook back into the saddle, and a pass ing regret that I had neglected to insure my life against accidents flitted through my mind.

I continued to cling to the lommel, and in this manner we nego tiated three more fences, and got into a quiet lane, when, much to my astonishment Czar stopped dead short. We had, to my sincere delight, lost the hounds 1 I patted Czar gently on the neck, and quickly dismounting, led him slow down the lane. Wo had not proceeded fur wben I discerned a coun try lad coming toward me, carrying in The Noted EngllttU ANtronomer Snye the World ta Sat to be Disturbed. When Professor Proctor and his newly-married wife were in Chicago, a short time ago, a reporter visited the celebrated English astronomer, and the following interesting conversation ensued: "How much truth is there, Profes sor," asked the reporter, "in all the worry that the human family is having just now about perihelion and floods and the stars in general?" "Not a bit not a bit, laughed the professor. "Well, how about the comet somebody by the name of Swift discovered the other day?" "Swift? Is it so? Has he difkiov ered another comet? Well, I didn't know it, I'm sure.

I'm the worst person in the world to come to to learn about such things now; I'm so busy traveling and lecturing, you know. But it's a telescope comet, I suppose a little fellow don't amount to much, probably. Eut let's take a seat, and Til tell you about some of these things." And, seating himself, the professor fixed his eye ontha office flagging and turning over the card meditatively between his fingers, kept gazing at this and this spot on the stone floor as if he had a constellation in the range of vision. "It used to be thought," said he, "that the stars had an influence on the weather, on floods, pestilence and all that sort of thing, but science has disproved it. The truth is that the influence of all the planets together is not equal to the difference between the greatest and the least influence which i i 1 1 tne moon exerts in a year, ana an the giant planets those outside the earth's orbit were to come into conjunction and perihelion, all at the same time, they would not exert as much influence as that very small ratio of the moon's influence, namelv.

the mere difference between its greatest and least influence." Then the world is not going to pieces this year "Not at all. Why, some of the planets are coming into conjunction every now and then all the time. Two of them came into conjunction on the nineteenth of last June. Let's see nothing hap- 1.1 i. 3 1 1 11 peueu iiJitL uajr, uiu.

were i And there will be no more trouble this year because so many come together 1 queried the reporter. There is no more reason to expect it than that Jupiter has effect on the sun spots." The reporter said that somebody hf stated that the developments of astronc my were more and more demonstrating that there was after all some ground for ancient astrology. Did the professor think so? "On the contrary, if anybody reads the works of ancient astrology," saidhe, they will see what a mistake that is. The astrologists claimed, not that the relation of the planets to each other had any effect on the destinies of men, but that the position of the planets in the sky that is in the canopy above the horizon had such effects. For instance, the ancients thought the stars in the ascendant which means those coming ii- i ii it.i up irom me norizoa were inose inai would influence the career of a child born during their ascendancy but that had nothing to do with perihelion and conjunctions." Well, what about Jupiter's influence no sun spots, which you spoke of a moment ago?" -f Why it has been said that scientists admit that Jupiter affects the sun's spots, but the truth is, scientists have only tnougnt sucn a ining possioie, De-cause Jupiter's period is ten years and ten months, or about that of one can't carry all these things in one's head and the sun-spots' period is ten vears and one month.

But nine mo'nths makes a groat deal of difference." "What do you think of the idea that the sun-spots affect the weather?" "I think they do not do so at all. I have watched the sun-3pots through cold and warm winters and through and cool summers, and I could not pee that they had any effect whatever upon one another." A political economist found a poor fellow who had been arraigned for stealing sheep, and looking at him with pitiful glance said philosophically: "You ought to have known that to deliber ately steal a sneep is a great crime, which there is no earthly necessity Jo perpetrate. Why didn't you just buy the sheep aud not pay for it. -TW would have simplified matters yon from prison." dignity. Concerning Washington nothing need be added on this point.

He was the beau-ideal of manly beauty, even in his latter days, and when Stuart undertook to paint his portrait the artist was so overcome with the majesty of his patron that at first he was unable to proceed with his task. John Adams lacked Washington's noble stature and grandeur of mien, but he was a man of much dignity. Jefferson was of noble personneltall, well-built and of imposing appearance. Madison had merely a respectable look, and being dressed in black presented much the appearance of a clergyman. Monroe and Washington were the only Presidents that served in the field during the Revolution.

They were together at Trenton, where Monroe was a lieutenant and received a ball which he carried through life. He was the last of the Revolutionary Presidents, and wore the cocked hat and continental uniform, which became him to a remarkable degree. John Quincy Adams, like his father, was stout, thick-set and deficient in point pi stature. Jackson was tall and gaunt, with bristling hair, and a nervous but deficient countenance. Van Buren lacked personal dignity, and, indeed, was the most deficient of all our Presidents in physique excepting Polk.

Harrison was a man of much personal dignity. Tyler was a spare-faced man, with a broad, thin nose, which gave him rather a comical appearance. It was his station as President that won the hand of the rich woman, Gardiner, rather than any personal attraction. Polk was, as has been said, a small man, with a cold, repulsive countenance, and a hard, staring pair of eyes that were singularly free from anything like a kindly, genial look. Taylor was a heavy-built man with a rough visage, as might have been expected of one, whose life was passed on the frontier.

He was bred a soldier, and loved the service. His face had a pleasant smile at times, but was often impressed with the stern character of military life. Fillmore had a lymphatic countenance dull, except when lit up by business or pleasure. He was agreeable in society and interesting in conversation to a degree much beyond many of his predecessors. He was of more than an average size, and of proportions that suggested dignity if not elegance.

Buchanan was a feeble-looking old gentleman, whose white choker suggested the clerical order. Five Score Years of Life. Eunice Sweatt died in Belmont, N. recently, aged 105 years. Ledyard G.

Payne died a few days ago in Stafford county, aged 102 years. Thomas Bobbins, of Wilton, N. died recently at his breakfast-table in the 100th year of his age. Caleb Ferris, of Galway, N. recently celebrated his 100th birthday by walking one mile on a wager.

Mrs. Elizabeth Givens was the first girl baby born in Louisville, Ky. She died recently in that city, aged 103. Mrs. Margaret Freeman, of Bath, rounded a century of life a few days ago.

She is in excellent health, has sound teeth, 'and reads and sews without difficulty. Grandpa Murphy, of O'Fallon, is the oldest man in the State, being now in his 103d year. He attends to his own business, and frequently rides into town, seven miles. Mrs. Catharine Evans, who had seen General Washington and many other characters connected with the early history of the republic, died recently in Mendota, 111., aged 111 years.

Nicholas Singley, of Ventura, is said to be 104 years of age, and it is claimed that both his father and mother lived to be over a century old, and that his brother, recently deceased, was 108. Mr. Singley's failing is that he is "hard of hearing." Mrs. Elizabeth Harden, a colored woman who recently died at the honio of her son in Troy, was 104 years of age at the time of her death. Her father was Paschall Passover, a powerful chieftain in Africa.

When Elizabeth was about ten years old she was captured by slave dealers aud taken to Charleston, S. whero sho was sold as a slave. Iu 1820 sho came North. Sho wastho mother of sixteen children. Twins were born to her on two occasions and triplets once.

Bat I watched for its coming at close of day, And always threw it a kiss. To my tired self it became a friend. Bringing rest before unknown Its tender radiance seemed to blend In my heart and make me its own. But alas too soon I grew weary Of its cold, dispassionate face, And a little mortal pang In my heart crept into its place. And when at the close of day, With my new love at my side, We talked in voices gay, And she promised to be my bride.

But'that night, when the world was sleeping The rain in torrents fell, And I thought could my star be weeping For the false one she loved so well The star looked down from above As we stood there talking together, And I thought of the change in my love, And she of the change in the weather. LOVE AND HUNTING. Please, sir, are these for you It was my man who spoke, and as he did so he held up for inspection an immaculate pair of "tops" in one hand and a pair of painfully new breeches in the other," while his countenance wore an expression of mingled fear and astonishment. With an inward sinking at my heart I turned from my morning paper and cutlet, and having nodded a gloomy assent to his query, said: "That will do, James lay them on the' sofa." The above conversation took place in my bachelor apartments in the Albany, and the reason for the appearance therein of the aforesaid tops and breeches I am about to explain. I am not a hunting man.

I never could see any joke in bumping about on a hard piece of a pigskin in pursuit of a draggled piece of vermon called a fox, although some people say the fox enjoys the fun. It is all very well for those who like it and Mr. Jorricks, of immortal memory, may call hunting "the sport of things the image of war without its guilt and nly twenty-five per cent, of its danger," if he likes, but I confess I can't see it in that light. It was with feelings the reverse of pleasant, therefore, that I received and accepted an invitation from Sir Harry Bullfinch to stay a week in his "box" in Warwickshire, and avail myself of his hospitality and a mount with the renown pack which hunted that country. I was urged to this acceptance of what in my saner moments I should have indignantly treated as a practical joke by a slight attack of the master passion.

I met Sir Harry and his daughter, Kate, in London, during the past season. We had frequently met at variously balls and entertainments, and on several occasions had enjoyed the balmy fragrance of Bushy park and the still delights of a boat on the upper reaches of the Thames, but with my natural timidity I had never ventured to ask the question which was forever on the tip of my tongue, but never got further. The invitation appeared to hold out promises of quiet tete a-tetes, so I electrified my tailer and bootmaker with orders for the necessary togs with which to carry cn the campaign. I remember having somewhere heard or read that in order to acquire an easy and graceful seat on horseback, sitting astride on a chair and holding on by the back was excellent practice, so, having called James and given him most express instruction to deny me even to my most intimate friends, I proceeded to struggle into perhaps the tightest pair of cords that were ever made for mortal man, and, with the aid of a brandy and soda and a couple of boot hooks, to pull on a pair of boots which nearly gave me a fit of apoplexy and made my corns burn for hours. Armed with a cutting whip, I then mounted astride the strongest chair in the apart ment, and continued the exhilarating exercise with the firmness of a stoic and a martyr, and with only one interval for luncheon, throughout the entire My tiain left the Great Northern station at 4:30, and landed me safely at my destination.

In due course I found myself seated next to the fair Kate, ing in the distance appeared a straggling line of stunted willows, which, even to my initiated vision, meant water." Splash there goes the fox Splash splash 1 there go the hounds! I hear voices shouting be hind me as if in warning, but all I can do is to hold on and trust in Provi dence. Our pace, if possible, increases, and with a sort of idea of going up in a balloon, Czar and myself seemed suspended in the air miles above the brook. It seems ages before we come down again, which we do with a jerk that would have unseated me had it not been for Czar suddenly springing forward and shaking me back to my proper place. We rush on to where the hounds seem to be scrambling for something and quarreling amongst themselves they have run into the fox and Czar comes to a standstill just outside the worrying pack. Up comes the first whip and flogs them off their prey, and I see Sir Harry advancing toward me, red in the face and violently gesticulating with his heavy hunting crop.

What have I done? Have I unconsciously infringed some point in hunting etiquette or have I hurt Czar? Neither the one or the other. Sir Harry, hastily flinging himself off his steaming horse, comes up to me and seizing me by the hand nearly wrings my arms off and bursts out with "Well done, my boy! You rascal, you! You've pounded the whole of us. Never saw such going in all my life. Don't believe there's another man in the field that could have done it. Here, Lord George" to the noble master who at that moment rude up" permit me to introduce my friend, Mr.

De Boots." "Delighted to make your acquaint ance, sir, says nis lordsnip, snaKing me heartily by the hand. "I trust to be able to show you some good sport if you are thinking of remaining in our country, though if you do we shall all have to look to our laurels, for you went like a bird, sir." While he is speaking several gentlemen ride up, to all of whom I am introduced, and all of whom praise what they are pleased to call my plucky riding." Miss Kate comes up as the last obsequies are being performed, and on the huntsman, obedient to a nod from his lordship, who is no lover of women in the hunting field, presenting mo with the brush, I handed it to her with all the grace compatible with mud-stained habiliments, and a crushed and battered hat. We rode home Sir Harry and an old crony of his riding some distance in the rear. Czar was complacent and had apparently had quite enough, at any rate, for that day; so thinking that I might never have another such opportunity, I gently took Kate's whip hand and ventured to put that question which had been so long on the tip of my tongue. Her answer was a whisper "Yes;" but suddenly turning to me she added: On one condition." Name it, dearest," I replied.

You are so rash and daring that you must promise me never to hunt after we are married Need I say how readily I gave the required pledge, and how faithfully I kept it? In Faris false ears are a new manufacture for the toilet. Ladies who think they have ugly cars place these artistic productions under luxuriant tresses of false hair, fasten them to the natural ears, and wear them for show. Fulso hair, false teeth, false breasts, false hips, false calves, false ears what next bis hand my lost hat, which had been.