The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-02-21
position or income, frugality and econo-
my are essential for the attainment of
competence. .--HearM and Honle.
A Monster of Cruelty.

40 ehc Dauuu ue anHes, VINO seems 10
have taken iendish delight in torment
ing all who unfortunately came within his
clutches. His habit was to seize poor
peasants in the open country, tic their
hands behind their backs, and drag them,
attached to his stirrup, to his strong hold,
where he kept them prisoners until he
received heavy ransom. But as this
was often not forthcoming, he hanged them
on a tree, which, from the number of
wretches who had died on it, was called
Vannes' gallows. One day he captured
youth, who was engaged in the peaceful
occupation of ploughing. Having darg-
ged him to his strong hold, he put him to
the torture, in order to exact a larg ran
som from him. The peasant, who had not
long been married, contrved to inform his
wife of the fearful calamity which had
befalen him, and of the sum demanded
for his ransom. The latter, though daily
expecting her confinement, determined i'm
mediately on going to Vannes, hoping that
by an interview with him, she should soft
en- his heart. But she little knew the ma
ture of the monster with whom she had to
deal. Neither her entreaties, her tears,
nor the condition in which she was, had
the slightest effect OH Vannes, who de-
cared that the only means of saving her
husbands life was to bring the stated
ransom and, moreover, that if this were
not forthcoming Immediately, her hus-
bands life would be forfeited. The poor
wife finding that no words could cause
Nannes to relent, did all in her power to
procure the sum in question, and at length,
by using the greatest exertions, she sue
cecded. But eight days elapsed before
she was enabled to place it in Vannes'
hands.-Overcome with fatigue, and in
moincntary expectation of becoming a
mother, she had barely strength to drag
herself to the place appointed by Vannes
for meeting her. "Pay ransom" he said,
"and you shall then see your husband"
She produced the money it was eagerly
seized on by Vannes, who told the poor
wife that on going to a neighborng tree,
she would see her husband suspended from
1.-THE payment Of the ransom having
been delayed so long, he had put him to
death.
The wretched wife, driven to madness
and desperation by his avowal, uttered
piercing shreks and reproaches. Eannes
badc her be silent, but as his commands
had no effect on the poor woman, Nannes
ordered that she should be beaten aud
bound to the foot Of the tree from the
branches of which her husband, with many
Others, hung suspended. Her cries though
they availed not to move the heart of the
tyrant, attracted the wolves to this scene
of torture, who quickly put an end to the
victims misery-Harper's Weekly.
FAsTIDIoUs.-"What have you that 3
good said hungry traveller in Salt Lake
City.
"Oh, we've roast beef, roast mutton,
boiled ham, and boiled curlew."
"What is curew?" said the stranger.
Curlew? Why, curlew is bird some
thing like snipe,'
"Could it Ay?"
"Yes."
"Did it have wings ?"
"Yes."
"Then | don't want any curlcw on my
plate anything that had wings and could
fly, and didn't leave this Id country,
| don't want any of that for my dinner.
A young man at La Crosse, Wis,
looked through the key-hole of a girl
bedroom, and ever since the doctors have
been trying to get knitting-needle out
of the place where his eye used to be.
Take away my first letter, l remain
unchanged; take away my second letter
there will be no apparent alteration in
me; take away all my letters and l still
continue unaltered The postman!
A charming young lady of Council
Bluffs surprised her mother, on returning
from dance, by saying that she enjoyed
the "hugging set to music amazingly
She referred to waltzing.
A melting sermon being preached in a
country church, all wept except one
man, who, being asked why he did not
weep with the rest, "Ohr' said he, 81
belong to another church"
A gentleman at Fremont, Ohio, had
a reception at his house the other eve
ming, and when the guests went away
it took the host all night to wash the tar
and pick the feathers off his person.
A gentleman travelling on a steamer
one day, at dinner was making away
with large pudding close by, when he
was told by the servant, that it was de-
sert. at matters not to me-" said he
81 would eat it if it were wilderness. -
Several persons in Titusville, Penn.
have been poisoned, none fatally, by drink
ing water from well in which small
quantity of white lead had fallen.
"a friend of mine" said Erskine, "was
suffering from a continual wakefulnes-
and various methods were tried to bring
him sleep. At last his physicians resorted
to an expedient, which succeeded admir-
bly,. They dressed him in a watchman
; coat, put lantern in his hand, placed
him in sentry box, and he was asleep
! in ten minutes"
Some Kansas boys thought. to have a
little fun on Christmas day by PLAYING
war. So "the French toek refuge behind
a haystack, and ''the Prussians" dislogej
them by burning the stack The question
which agitates the little community now
is, whether the father of the Prussians or
those of the French should pay for the
stack.
A woman in Springfield found nj, r
looking towels selling for ten cents apiece
at recent auction sale, and so took .
lot at the same price. When she got
home she washed them in order to get the
sizing out, and succeeded admirably bat
: | nnfartunatalr tho nuln af H.