St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1877-02-16

better from last year. That is the dark
side. On the other hand, the ''good
old ante war times" when "a dollar
acas a dollar" and when prices were
down to a point which seemed almost
incredible ten years afterward, are sub
stantially back again. All this time,
while we have been fretting and COM
planning about the hard times the days
of hard pan in currency and prices have
been stealing upon us like thief in the
night. Gold has been quietly sliding
down the scale, until here week or so
ago the little yellow dollar fairly trem-
bled in the balance with the big green
dollar. No wonder the specie payment
question has been briskly agitated of
late, for it looks very much as though
the government would have to hurry
up with it's legislation if it wants to
claim any of the credit of resumption.
If things are left to themselves we shall
have the Secretary of the Treasury, on
Jan. LIST, 1879. hunting round with a
lantern to find that deprecated cur
rency which the law directs him to re-
deem on that date.
And with practically gold basis, the
costs of living and doing business have
shrunk, as well as the profits, so that
there is really not so much to complain
about after all. The large and signif-
cant items of store and house rents are
a good indication of the general tend
ency. These rents have not been so
low in New York before in fifteen years
and interviews with the leading brokers
show that they are going to drop still
lower this Spring. Labor has rarely
been lower, clothing never, and the
whole list of necessaries of life are ar
ranged on very moderate scale of
prices. All of which goes to show that
we are not so badly off after all, which
is some comfort.
If any one doubts my assertion that
wages are low, refer him to the record
of the District Court for this week,
where it is shown that several young
girls employed in large book bindery
of this city, are suing their employer
for wages due them at the rate of from
three to six dollars month. 1t is a
satisfaction to add that they obtained
prompt Judgment in their favor, and
that their liberal employer was with
equal promptness put in Jail for non
payment.
New Workers live all sorts of queer
lives and die all sorts of queer deaths
in proof of the latter part of which as
sertion | instance the case of young
man who has just died in a well known
boarding house after a strange and
battling sickness of many months. His
first symptoms were slight pains in his
stomach, which, however, kept in
creasing in spite of all medical treat
ment, till they incapacitated the suffer-
er for business and brought him to his
death bed. After his demise the puz-
zled physicians made a post mortem
search for the cause of this singular i'll
ness and found to their establishment
that a cherry stone swallowed last sum-
mer had sprouted in their patients
stomach and that it had been the pro-
gress and wide ramifcation of this fear
fully abnormal growth which had occa-
stoned his sufferings and death. The
case is entirely unique, and is so nearly
incredible that were it not strongly
vOuched for as genuine L would not
venture to mention it.
No mention of the weeks gayeties
would be complete without some refer
ence to the 'Heavy Weights" ball which
on Wednesday last endangered the I'M
derpinning of Irving Hall. The even
ing was very justly reported by an en-
thusiastic participant to have been one
of solid enjoyment. 1t ought to have
been when twenty of the leading dan
GERS aggregated four and half tons in
weight. The awe inspiring gyrations
of these formidable walters brought to
mind with great force the brief but
graphic description of the dancing of
the belle of ''Hans Breitmann's Partyn
''Und efery time she gave a shoomp
She made de windows sound"
The 1.-THE and active floor manager
weighed 1877 pounds and after his fairy
footsteps had resOunded over the groan-
ing floor for three hours while he mar
shalled his hosts of frisky obesity, the
whole association adjourned for supper,
and made meal which stood on end
the hair of the most hardened reporter
present.
An odd wedding in high life has still
further distinguished the past week.
Miss Marcia Roosevelt the sole and or
phan millionheiress of one of the old
Knickerbocker families of New York.
fell in love with the handsome and pen
niless tenor of the church which she at
tended, and brief courtship was
crowned by the grand wedding of the
other evening at st. Thomas. The
large church was crowded to suffocation
with the cream of society drawn thither
perhaps not more by the high social
rank of the bride than by curiosity to
see what the uncharitable insist on con-
sidering notable sacrifice to mammon.
The sacrifice may have been a very
painful one, but that feature was not
apparent. The net result may be very