Arizona citizen., 1876-03-18
THE CITIZEN.
L OCAL MATTERS.
Kerosene.

Darkness relgns in Tucson. The kern
 Isene Is entirely out. There isn't a spoon. ful Of that pelucid oil to be had, in any of
 the stores in town for love or money. And what there is was live dollars gallon a,
 last accounts, and still advancing. She
 l(Tucson) sits on the wild banks ofthe mad.
 ly rushing Santa Cruz. and swelters in
 Egyptian darkness. No ten foolish yer
 gins were ever SO badly off for oil, as are the
 5000 befOgged residents Of this hamlet dur
 ing the hours oS these passing nights. This
 lafnlction fell upon us a couple of weeks
 ago, and We have been getting worse every
 n.ght since. Until our darkness is perfect
 ly awful. There was combination Of cir
 lcumstances or merchants or providences,
 which has effectually prevented the ar
 riSal Of any expected consignments Of oil.
 Two weeks ago the stock on hand became exhausted, and since then we have been
 using up remnants Of kerosene, all the
 candles on hand, neatsfoot oil, pine knots,
 verdigris, bears grease, axle grease, hair oil, castor oil, soap fat, and vermifuge.
 And things have been getting blacker and
 olacker. II has been growing from bad to
 worse until the felt darkness has become innbearable. Men can't sleep. All through the dense wastes Of the nights, people
 walk the streets waiting with heavy eye | Ids for the breaking day. And as the first
 dim sickIy hue of dawn is succeeded by | the. blushlng light of new day, over the | tops Of the rincOn on the eastern horizon, they turn them into the nearest bar. and icall for gin and tansy to allay their excite ment, So that, life in Tucson in these lat ter days is rather turbid. Nor can it be said that before we gave ourselves over 10 utter darkness we did not exhaust every
 known resource. We first cut off aIllights in our homes. We then diminished and finally banished the lights from our stores. We hung tenaciously to, but finally re- linquished the use of any Illuminating
 substances in our cherished saloons and billiard rooms. We utilized every man
 with a sufficiently brilliant nose. All red
 headed girls were carefully economized and made the most Of 4 red eyed toper
 found himself suddenly appreciated after
 6 lifetime Of neglect. Maidenly blushes
 were seized with such avidity that they soon ceased to come to the surface. There
 was an attempt at the organization or a lodge Ofthe order ofred men, but sufficient color could not be shown. Red handed
 assassins, at the very time they were most
 wanted, singularIy failed 10 appear. And
 so we gathered the remnants Of life about
 us, and have sat down in our darkness to ! wait the arrival Of Che next consignment | Of coal oil. The only element Of our popu- ] lation which has seemed to enjoy this sort
 or thing are the lovers. It is said that all | the world loves lover. But we say, con- fusion take the lovers. As the night lights | gradually disappeared, their joys seemed | to increase, and as the lights went com | p!etely out. the lovers appeared 10 become | completely happy. We were passing by a I doorway, on late balmy southern spring evening, and overhearing voices within. and feeling mean and natural, we stop
 ped beside the open easement, To hear, f unseen. There were the old stereotyped {. voices or loves young dream, which have cooed all the way from beside the banks of Eden's waters, 10 the banks Of our low land acequias. The tones were low and soft, and gurgling and mushy. They were all mixed up with signs, and heart throbs and slObbering Csculatory exercise. He said: My own slmmering sweetguAls. !, wouldest thou wishest, in thy little '' tOOtsle ootsle heart, for an early arrival Of coal Oil?" And she warbled in reply: 70, Il my highly favored mustachio, how can nest thou ask me such cruel conun- irumthse" Here four lips were most dis yustingly glued into one.) She continued: ( Thou knowest, my lips excrescence, that star light, and love light, and R few clothes, would Ill the utmost longing Of my maid- ( en heart. Clasped in thy embrace, love to i float of on the soft waves Of darkness. I $ nate nasty kerosene, and paradne, and I allow dips. O, wouldest that all the oil in , he world would take fire, and that they { lad to throw in soapfat men Co put 1t out, ' md that only one store in town had any [ oil oil on hand, and that Tas your store, [ md that you had a million gallons ofiti D your cellar, and that you ran the price s f it up to a million dollars a gallon, and F old the whole oft in bulk to your rival 10 n ny affections, and that, after you got the
 money forit and before it was taken away, c ou would run a tunnel under the cellar,
 nd fll the tunnel with dynamite, and ., low the whole thing 10 the devil; and ., hen you, land your loving marsh-mallow
 rops, would take ship and sail away down D. he Santa Cruz, and out on the wide ocean ., 9 some far spicy isle, fruitful in chewing
 ams, and bananas, bright coIored shawls
 nd cocoanuts, and melt away into bliss"
 lere matters became so confused and A us ming that we len in high disgust. . Later.-Thank heaven, we are saved. -' large consignment Of kerosene has just e rived in town. 1 GEORGE FOSTER has taken personal
 !, -va ogaud ODeued a nice saloon oD fhe N