The Republican journal., 1871-07-06
A Chapter OF Modern AstroIogy.

A Chapter OF Modern AstroIogy.
The hero of the startling occurrence:
about to be narrated was the late DR.
Noah Stone, of Guiltord, Conn, father OF
David NJ. Stone. the editor and proprietor
of the New York journal of Commerce
The facts themselves, which, by the way
need no embellishmcnt,-ar distinctly re-
membered by few persons yet living
and may well make one pause before an
swering the question whether the astrolo-
gers of the Middle Ages were wholly en-
pirical.
When Dr. Stone was in his twelfth yeal
he obtained by chance some old volumes
on astrology, written by Albubater, Jason
Pratensis. and Paracelsus; and, being a
studious and somewhat reticent and pen
sivc lad, he spent much of his time in
pouring over these works after the family
had retired frequently seeking his pillow
only when the dawn had llshered in the
morning. Nor was it long before he had
become quite an adept in the ''black art, 50
having, among other things, discovered
that his pcnsivcness had arisen from the
conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in
Litra. at the time of his birth while his
melancholy was occasioncd by the meet
ing of Saturn and the moon in Scorpio
At this time, also, his little chamber was
| filled with various figures. imperfect, and
! somewhat rudely drawn it is true, with
| phrases and scraps of writing such US,
! ''Lord of gcniture,' 1.-The quartile as
| poets Of Saturn and Mars" the one cul-
minating. and the other in the fourth
| house, eclipses and earthquakes, -
| the present con junction or opposition in
Sagittary OF Pisces, of the sun and moon,
''if the moon be in the conjunction or OPP
position, at the birthtime, with the Sun,
Saturn, or Mars, many diseases follow"
etc. In short, however few Of the pupils
years, or limited the number OF his books
and his times and chances of study, it
| was quite apparent that the curious boy
had been in good earnest looking upon
the heavens ''as great book, whose let
ters are the stars. wherein are written
many strange things for such rs can read"
| 1t happened about this time that a
neighbor of his father, q worthy man in
humble circumstances, by the name Of
Crowtoot, had the misfortune to lose his
COW, Il remarkably fine animal, which by
bountiful supply of milk, contributed
largely toward the support of Il numerous
family of children. Having been turned
out to Craze upon the extensive common
lands, between the TunNis ana Slmspury
mines, crummie had strayed away and
disappeared, to no small concern OF the
owner, and the still greater Inconvenience
| of the dependent children. Isaac Crow
foot was himself as meek Us Moses; but
his wife was a sort Of Jobs comforter.
and this circumstance had no tendency to
mitigate the domestic calamity. Several
days Of truitlcss search had been spent,
and no tidings obtained of the COW, which
had never before failed of coming home
at sunset And at each successive luck
less return of the husband, he was fated
to encounter the sharp reproof of the
spouse for the faithlessness Of his search
after the abscomding quadruped. One
evening as Uncle Isaac-for thus he was
familiarly called-was returning in Il
gloomy and desponding mood from Il
fruitless search, in passing the house Of
young Stone, the latter accostcd him as
follows:
why, Uncle Isaac, haven't you foun d
old brindle yct?"
mo, guess not" replied Uncle Isaac.
''1'ye been a hunting all day, and haive
walked afoot clean from here down to
Poguonnuck, and then up to the Turkey
Hills and back ag'in, and hain't heard
| nothing on the plaguy varmint 7
''l1ave you been up the river to Farm
ington, and over the mountain to West
Hartford, Uncle Isaac?'
"Why. | calculate | haivc. | went
| eenymost round the mountain on Thurs
day, and | reckon she's been stole. lisa
desput loss to a poor man like me, though
if was as rich rs your daddy l shouldn't
think nothing ont, fort | know. The
old woman will take on so when she sees
me to-nigh. without the cow, for the chill
| dren has bin crying their eyes out for
milk ever sim Sabba' day."
Young Stone was a compassionate lad !;
and the reference of Uncle Isaac to the
wants Of his children instantly enlisted
his sympathies in their behalf. Accord
ingly, as Uncle Isaac was departing from
the gate, the boy caught his sleeve quick
ly, rs though a thought had suddenly
struck him, and said: 81 say, Uncle
Isaac, I'll cast figure tonight, and tell
you where old brindle has been hiding
herself, if you will come along this way
in the morning"
Uncle Isaac knew little of what was
meant by ''casting a figure" yet he said
he ''should be terrible glad if he could
find out where the darned critter was, for
he'd be blamed if he hadn't trampoosed
about until his shoes looked an awful
sight worse than those of them ERE sin
full Gibeonites, when they played such Il
cute trick on Jin'ral Joshua" This was
an unwonted attempt at pleasantly on the
part of Uncle Isaac, and he thereupon got
himself to his own house.
1t was remarked the next morning by
the family, when young Stone came down
to prayers, that his countenance was ex-
ceedingly pale; and he appeared like one
who has been deprived Of his sleep. His
manner was disturbed and restless, and
his mother, with much solicitude, made
divers inquiries respecting his health,
which he satisfied Us best he could
Shortly after breakfast Uncle Isaac ap-
peared trudging up the road, and was
met by the young seer with, 'Tm afraid
| have done something wrong, but | can
tell you where old brindle is; that is, if
have worked it mean if l have guessed
right"
"You hain't seen her 1 conclude, have
you ~ replied Crowfoot, his features
lighting up with joy.
''No," replied the youth ''but if | can
guess right, old brindle is seven miles of
about in the middle of the oak plains yon-
der. She has caught her horns in the
bushes, close to the ledge of rocks on the
west side of the round hill, and can't get
away; and what's more she is nearly
starved"
"Like enough" said Uncle Isaac; "but
I guess you're almost a witch to find all
that out, if somebody hain't telld ye ont.
shall be awful glad an no mistake to find
her ag'in I'll go straight off, Let's see,
the road up toward Newgate III be the
highest, I reckon. was plaguy feared
that some of them 'ere fellows, lest out oi
the mines there, had stole her. The GUY.
ner pardons tew many of them consarned
rascals."