W. G. Skinner is one of the best known linen in Wakefield, Mass. He is a war veteran and everybody’s friend. He says: “I had rheumatism and was in poor health a long time. Indications pointed towards the accumulation of impurities in the blood and germs of disease I was constipated and had no appetite. I evi- dently needed a ood blood purifier and dicided to take ood’s Sarsaparilla. It made a change all through my system, gave me an appetite and worked effec- tively on my blood. I am now perfectly well, my b10ud has been put in good order, thanks to Hood’s.” W. G. SKINNEB. Hood’s Sarsaparilla , Is the Only True Blood Purifier Prominently in the Public Eye Today. Hood’s Pills fiiiiiti’é’fi’c‘ciaii 52$?" Nice to Take—.4 Children like it to Cure their Coughs and use WILLIAMS’ tflUGH HIIIEDY 1 WILLIAMS & CARLETON co. HARTFORD. CT. Inn FREIGHT LINE BETWEEN} _, ‘NORWALK, SO. NORWALK \ NEW YORK. Propellers City of Norwalk, Vulcan and Eagle. heave Norwalk at 5 p. m. Leave So. Norwalk at 6 p. m. Leave New York, Pier 23, E. R., Beekmau St., 5 p m, Tina NATIONAL BANK, 746 WALL ST., N 0R WALK. NUURPORATED SEPT. 1, 1876. am'l‘AL. - - - - - - $100,000 nun M . HOLMES. President. L. Bursa, Vice-President. _ WILLIAM A. CURTIS, Cashier DIRECTORS : drones M. HOLMES, H. E. DANN, ”f L. CUNNINGHAM, J. T. Brown 9.1. L. Berna, S. H. HOLMES J. Couers. J a. . discount Day, Saturdav. v”, Fairlield county National Bank. 44 Walt Street, Norwatlc, Conn. 'iNCORPORATED, 1824- Capital, $210,000 EDWIN 0. KEELEB, President. DAVID E. MILLER. Vice-President. , L. C. GREEN. Cashier DIRECTORS . fliDWIN 0. Keenan! Mosns H. GLOVEB .JAVID Fl. MILLER, A. J. MEEKER, F ST. J OHN Looxwoon, THEODORE E. SMITH EBA COLE, Cans F. Tmsrasn. Accounts of Manufacturers, Merchants and fudwrduals solicited. Safe Deposit Boxes free to Depositors. 'r ! LIGHT PARCEL and LLIGKWIIIIIIS PACKAGE DELIVERYi fiheap rates, Will also take orders for mes- ranger service in New York. Goods called or and dellyered to all arts of the town m-darsrecewed atE P eed’s DruaStore 33 Wall Street. with telephone connection un- i” o E. LOCKWOOD. iii-TIE E - E v ENIN G‘tl-‘G’A ZETT E‘s - ' I ’ - TRIAL BY FIRE. The major was one of the many well- born Englishmen who come to Califor- nia with a younger son’s portion and a small monthly allowance, and hope to make a fortune on a vineyard or a wheat ranch. The plan always looks feasible in England, and the agent as- sures his victim that the £1,000 will buy a ten-acre plot, plant vines, build a decent bungalow and tide the owner over until the vines shall bear and bring him a harvest of good American gold. The major was going the way of many of his English friends. The 38 1,000 legacy was gone, and the month- ly allowance of £20 (which, viewed from a distance, seemed large) always grew painfully small as it neared Cali- fornia and the debts it was supposed to cover. The major’s little mountain \ineyard had been destroyed by phyl- loxe-ra, and he was living on the uncer- tain promise of a number of green shoot-s, called, respectfully, “the olive orchard.” But the major was not un- happy. When he was not tilling the soil, he sat on his little veranda, with his briarwood pipe between his teeth, and studied the long, narrow, pictu— esque Napa valley far below. It may be that the major’s failure to succeed in the grape business was not the fault of the country, but that his genial, unpractical nature was the true obstacle to success. The major was, in fact, the most helpless Englishman who ever came to California to take care of himself. The poor fellow be came so convinced of this after a short trial that. he engaged a man to act as valet to himself and incidentally cook the meals for-both. The major was a solitary bachelor then. The gods alone know in what unpropitious mo— ment he picked up Pete, to hang about his neck, a mill-stone of inefficiency. Pete’s poverty must have been his rec- ommendation and the major‘s poverty the excuse for keeping him. Pete had about as much knowledge of laying out and caring for a man’s wardrobe as. the major had of running a ranch. The consequence was that the major often presented himself at his friends‘ houses in the most surprising garb, a combination of white duck trousers, black frock coat and ruzssct hunting boots being one of Pete’s masterpieces. In his capacity as cook Pete was not one whit more efficient, and often suf— fered mental agOny over the ponderous directions of the major’s French cook book, which were like the hieroglyph— Jcs of the ancients to his clOuded intel- lect. Considering the diet of sour bread and tinned meats which Pete provided, it is only less than marvelous that his benefactor was still alive. When the major married Ellie Smith. a pretty San Francisco girl, Pete was promoted to be manager of the ranch, and expended his grooming talents on the pet mule. The ma-jor’s wife was “artistic.” She had studied sketching, and did some really clever bits. Her admiring husband was sure that she possessed the divine afiiatus, and con-~ sequently much time was-devoted to art and little time to ranching. But this was not without protest from one individual. Not that he was disturbed by lack of work, but poor Pete was oftcner than not the unwill—- ing model for Ellie‘s clever studies. One day Pete posed for “The Man With the Hoe.” I-Iis temper was particular ly tried on that occasion, for he had taken up‘his tool with the honest inten- tion of weeding the primitive vegeta- ble garden. Though he had scudded through the back yard and climbed the rear fence, he had not counted on meet- ing his young mistress in the barnyard. He began to wrestle with the weeds and pretended not to see her. His edu~ cation, however, had not included a sight of Millet’s picture, or he would have fled down the mountain side in utter despair. “Stop, stop, Pete, right there. Don't- move an inch," called the sweet voice that drove him to madness. “Ken— neth,” Ellie called to her husband. “Look. Isn’t itwonderful? The lights, the pose, the very landscape like—" “ ‘The Man with the Hoe,’ shoutetl the major, gleefully. “I‘ll get your paints, Ellie. Hold ‘on, Pete,” and be- fore that honost son of toil had time to collect his scattered senses he found '1 himself posing in a very uncomfortable attitude, with the Napa valley lying: at his feet and the major’s familiar- phrases ringing in his ears—“Fine pose. -—jolly good subject—delicious color- ing.”- After Pete posed for a hundred or more indifferent works of art without names, he began to think of deserting _ his master and leaving him to a just and awful fate. But this stupendous blow was averted by the arrival of Brompton Edwards, another Englisih- man, who had come to learn practical ranching under the direction of his father’s old friend, the major. After a week had been been given up to driving his protege about the valley and introducing him to the Eng— lish colony, the major returned to his daily routine of pruning olive trees and digging out worm-eaten grape vines. Ellie soon discovered in the young man’s clean-cut features and fine ath- letic figure an entirely new field for art study, and Edwards found the time pass more pleasantly as amodel than as an embryo rancher. They were to- gether during most of the daylight hours. When Brompton was not pos- ing for a. Wild Norseman or a Greek her-o, he was sitting very close to Ellie, criticising, in soft, caressing tones, the sketches of himself which she had been doing. W'ithout actually straying from the path of duty, Ellie was tread- ing on dangerously uncertain territory. She quite frankly ad- mitted to herself that she was pretty and charming, and, be- ing of that mind, she did not repress comparisons between her husband and the younger man. ‘ Matters had arrived at a state where a warm-hearted, but vain, young wom- v an needed a friend with the strength to hold up a. good, powerfuljunrelenting mirror for her to gaze into. Pete could have held up the mirror with right good will, but he did not know how. In those days he followed the major around with dog-like devotion, and onlyglow- cred when Ellie came out to the or— chard one morning with her paints and succeeded in bringing upon herself a. scolding from her over-indulgent hus- band. She held her head very high and stiff, and marched over the hill some distance away, where she'seated herself and pretended to sketch, but was in reality nursing her injured feelings to keep them alive. The major watched her disappear with a pained expres- sion on his good-nat-ured'face, and then went dejectedly into the house. Pete was deeply incensed against Ellie, and made another solemn vow to desert the ranch.' It was the ninety-and-ninth time that he had done so, and this time he sealed the vow with an oath. The long grass on the N apa hills was burned and crisp,’and Ellie was daubing yellow ochre aid burnt umber over her canvas with vicious strokes She was not giving any attention to her work, however, for an athletic form stood between her and the landscape. and she was indulging in a very foolish day dream. To do the little woman justice, she was not in love with Bromp— ton, but her vanity had been stimulated to such wonderful activity by his youthful gallantries that she fancied he was deeply infatuated with her. She wondered if he would ever tell her that he loved her. If she could only have some test of his love, what a satisfac- tion it would be! Over on the mountain side, a half mile away, Pete leaned on his hoe, and watched a thread of fire crawling, like a red snake, through the underbush of cha parral and manzanita. He knew only too well that no human power could stop it, and that within a few minutes the gentle breeze would cause a flying spark to fall upon the long dry grass, and pui’r‘l—the crawling snake would become a great swirling, gallop- ing mass of flame and smoke, and would pass over the very place where Ellie sat sulking and dreaming. Pete had firmly determined to leave the ranch. He had washed his hands of these people. He would not—but the grass was on fire, and Pete made a dash for the house, yelling at the top of his lungs for the major. The volume of smoke was rising high when Ellie rose to her feet and sniffed the air. Before she could gather up her paints a thin rim of fire ran along the top of the little hill above her. The small birds and insects rose from the ground with a whirr, and scattered down the hillside. Ellie glanced quick- ly backward, and saw the fire licking up the grass as it bore down upon her and the smoke rolling heavenwa‘rd in dense, sooty clouds. She did not lose her presence of mind, but remembered a small plowed field a short distance away, where the flames could not reach her, and ran nimbly down the hill, with her fluttering skirts gather- ing cockl-e burs and sticker weed as she sped. When she was fairly on the plowed ground and gasping for breath, she saw the young Englishman tearing along the hill at a frantic rate. Through the smoke he looked pale and frightened. Ellie felt a thrill of satis- faction; here was the longed-for proof of his love; he thought she was in dan- ger and had come to her rescue. A deep blush mounted to her cheeks and her heart beat to suffocation. But he did not seem to see her. It was evident to her that he was crazed with fear and would plunge into the fire in search of her. llerciful God! he would be burned. ‘ “Brompton ! " she screamed; Brompton, 1 am here, safe!” The fire was'very close, and she had to throw herself flat upon the ground to escape being burned. She gave one more despairing cry as she felt the hot breath scorch her clothing: “Brompton! Brom pton ! Brompton ! " A great wave of smoke and flame swept around the edges of the plowed ground, and for a minute not-hing could be seen or heard. Fortunately for El‘ lie, the dry grass burned like tinder, and the fire was soon roaring down the. hill toward the valley. W'hen Ellie, choked and frightened, lifted her head, she saw the thin, long, scantily clad legs of her husband bounding over the blackened earth to- ward her. His (luck trousers were smeared with soot, and he had a wet blanket about his shoulders. He could not speak, but caught Ellie in his arms and burst into stifled sobs. Back of them was heard the voice of Brompton Edwards. “Hello, there, major,” he called; “I had a very narrow squeak of it. My hammock and books are burned to tin- der by this. By Jove, old fellow, you are burned yourself, aren’t you? Y our wife was safe enough. I knew she could take care of herself”; ’ But Ellie buried her head in the'wet blanket with a shudder, and burst into tears of shame and contrition. “Well, well,” gasped Pete, who had stumbled up the hill with a bundle of wet sacks. “I never was so plaguey sea-red in my life. Thought you’d be burned sure, Miss Ellie. Me an’ the major’ll have a fine time next week clearing—” For Pete had reconsidered his ninety- and-ninth vow. Indeed it was only a week later when he was speculating if there was evera happier couple than the major and his Ellie. And Pete beamed as he thought of the ignoble part Brompton‘ Edwards played on the day of the'fire. —- San. Francisco Ar- gonaut. “dear —The young American idea is taught to shoot by means of 793 patents issued on as many educational appliances. The old-fashioned birch ruler or section of rubber hose used in education is not protected by a patent and may be employed ,by and pedagogue.. ~ WHAT V,ICTORIA COULD DO. Has Enormous Power, Though She Never Dares Use It. As a matter of 'fact, says the London Tit-Bits, our sovereigns have _ rarely taken any active part in politics since George IL's time, but they could still do some very astonishing things if they chose. The queen could dismiss every Tommy Atkins in our army, from the commander in chief to the youngest drummer boy. She could disband the navy in the same way, and sell all our ships, stores and arsenals to the first customer that came along. Act-ing en- tirely on her own responsibility, she could declare war against'any foreign country, or make a present to any for- eign power of any part of the empire. She could make every man, woman and child in the country a peer of the realm, with the right, in the case of males who are of age, to a seat in the house of lords. With a single word she could dismiss any government that happened to be in power, and could, it is believed, pardon and liberate all the criminals in our jails. These are a few of the things the queen could do if she liked; but it is not necessary to say that her majesty never acts in matters of state, except on the advice of the government for the time being. STILL OLD STYLE. The Flenilsh Woman Hasn’t Taken on the Modern Gait. The Flemish woman has preserved in- tact the admiral naivete of the women of the middle ages. She is an ideal mot-her of a family, says a correspon- dent in the New York Sun. She has 110 ambitiOn, no ldve for art, for music or poetry; not a whisper of rebellion against the domination—Often brutali— ty—of her husband, who. in her eyes, represents power, and for whom she cherishes an admiration which cannot be shaken. She is profoundly religious. Her God is sweet. She thinks one must love Him with human love, as one loves a gentle child, and that one must put tender words into prayer, words which caress and render the soul good. When one sees them kneeling in the shadows of old churches they give an impression of many beautiful statues, grouped there by the hands of a marvelous artist. The Flemish woman is simple to ex— cess: not because she has poor taste in her toilet; on the contrary, a Flemish woman never goes out on a Sunday without a heavy silk dress, with soft iron frou marking her steps. She is, all in all, a type of gentle, pure and loy- al womanhood, albeit too much sub- ordinated. PERSIAN CARPETS. Carpets That Have Retained Their Popu- larity for Years. Persia-n carpets, of course, are still, as they have always been, superior beauty and durability to all others, but their expensiveness disqualifies them from competition with Indian, Turk- ish and British fabrics and places them in the catogary of those exceptionally ‘( Highest of all in Leavening POwer.—+Latest U.:S. Gov’t Report Baking" _ ‘ Powder , ‘ ABSOLUTELY puns- - -. costly “articles de luxe” in the posses- sion of which only the very wealthy may rightfully indulge themselves. A few years ago, at the Sale of the Gonpil collection in Paris, the equivalent in French currency of $6,000 was paid for one square of “old Persian” measuring seven feet .by six, andseveral others of small size were eagerly snapped up at from $2,500 to $4,000 apiece. For an ex- emplification of the lasting capacities we may quote Sir Murdoch Smith, who states that a floor of the principal pa- villion of the Chebel Situn palace at Ispahan is covered with a superb car- pet, still in fine condition, which has . been in continuous use for 300 years— that is, ever since the time of Shah Ab- bas, who reigned toward the close of the 16th century. Even at the present day in Persia itself as much as $1,000 is often asked and paid for a small carpet. A Queer Hunting Pair. While angling in a secluded glen some days ago a sportsman witnessed a curi- ous combination of poaching and nat- ural history. "The facts are as follows: A hill shepherd, in destroying a litter of foxes, took it into his head to rear one as a pet. He did so, and the animal has not only become very tame, but is a most useful ally. It and a collie hunt- ing together kill rabbits to a miracle. They work very much in the same way as two lurchers. The collie goes out and hunts the rabbits among the fern and heather of the braes or the rushes and long grasses of the stacks while Rey- nard all the time sneaks about the holes and picks them up as they come in. They understand their respective parts perfectly. The collie seems to know that it is not his business to kill, and the fox is never under the slightest temptation to bolt out and give chase. A Good Reason. The esteem in which the sailor’s call- ing is held in Massachusetts coaSt towns is indicated by a story that comes from Martha’s Vineyard. A teacher was wanted, and a sailor applied for the position. He had to pass an examina- tion by the committee, and trembled at the ordeal, being sadly unlearned in book-lore. The chairman began the examination: “Mr. , what is the shape of the earth?” “It is round, sir,” the candidate answered. “How do you know?" “Because I have sailed around it three times.” “That will do, sir!" He received his “certificate” as a teach- er without another question being asked. ' ‘ ‘ Embarrassing Homage. At one time the duke of Wellington’s 1 concave side and blow upon it. extreme popularity was rather embar- rassing. For instance, on leaving home, each day he was always intercede by an affectionate mob, who- insisted on hoisting him on their shoulders and asking where they should carry him. It was not always convenientafor him to say where he'was going, so he used to say: “Carry me home, carry me heme,” and so he used to be brought home half a. dozen times a day a few minutes after leaving his own door. SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. ——In 1884 550,000,000 pounds of coffee were imported into this country. In the same year 93,000,000 pounds of tea- were brought from the east. —A peek of fresh lime in an open box is the best method known to dry a. damp cellar, it having the absorbent capacity of more than three quarts of water; —England manufactures perfumes on a very large scale, importing many of the materials from other countries, but also making large use of home- , grown herbs'and flowers. —-—Two shipments of Canadian t0- matoes to Great Britain, made as an ex- periment, have been reported upon. While not an entire success, they demonstrate the possibility of develop- ing an important trade in this respect. ——Prof. Hermann Hellriegel, the agri- cultural chemist, who discovered that‘ leguminous plants absorb nitrogen from the air by means of micro-organ- isms On their roots, and thus enrich the soil on which they grow, died recently at Bernburg, aged 64 years. 1 ——-Dip the convex side of a watch glass into water so as to leave a drop hanging on the glass. Pour a little ether into the The rapid evaporation of the ether will ren- der the glass so cold that the drop of water will be frozen. —-0nly the purest water is employed by the Chinese in washing the finer grades of silk. Ordinary well water in its natural state is unsuitable, and is purified by placing a quantity of mol- lusks in it for a day. These prey on any impure organic matter and act as filters. _ —-—A French naval engineer named d’Humy has invented a pressed oilcake for use as fuel on ocean steamers. It is not affected by temperature, is smokeless and odorless, cannot evap~ orate or cause explosions and burns only on the surface, giving out intense heat, and leaving only from two to three per cent. of ash. A ton of this fuel is equal to 30 tons of coal, and costs be- tween five and ten dollars. 2 A POINTER... 1 ‘- Is your plate glass or 'safe insured? If not, call on me and I will write you a. policy in the Mutual Plate Glass and Safe Insur- ance Company. Glass will break and burglars use dynamite. In Case of Fire You should be insured. A policy in the Reliance OI Philadelphia; Phoenix ,Of Hartford; Scotland Union of Scotland; New Hampshire Of Manchester; Rochester German of Rochester; United States and PaCific of New York; Security Of New Hampshire or Granite State OI Ports- mouth will protect you against the fire fiend. w. ET. EYTNST©N.,_ 'Real Estate and General Insurance, noon: 1, GAZETTE BUILDING LOANS NEGOTIATED AND INVESTMENTS MADE." ———CORRESPONDENCE SOL/CITED
Norwalk Chronicler