Sharp County record., 1881-09-08
MISCELLANEOUS.

races.
A nine-year old Boston girl, OF good
training and pleasant home surround,
ings, voluntarily went off with bind
beggar, to lead him and hold his cup.
Every cat in the Government
buildings in London is regularly al
lowed in the estimates l3d per week, a
sum sufficient to keep "Iabby in health
and comfort.
in the trial of Mrs. Fletcher, a
Boston spiritual medium, for Swndlin5
a dupe, she asked the Courts S permls-
sion TO introduce the testimony OF dis
embodied spirit. His Honor said no,
The Canadian Parliament last year
voted subsidy of $50 year oany
company that would establish steam
ship line to Brazil. The offer has not
been accepted, but an effort is now be-
inc made to get French capital for the
enterprise.
"A plague of rats has appeared near
Dagneux, in France. lnnumerable
swarms, which come from the direction
of LYONS, have invaded many com
munes, doing much damage to the
crops. Some farmers have killed from
five to six thousand rats in their fields
in a single day.
Mrs. Gaines, rendered historical by
her suits for the recovery of valuable
property in New Orleans, who now is
in feeble health since the death of her
son and only surviving child at the
hands of his brother-in-law, has the
care of six grandchildren, all under SIX
teen years of age.
People who have fattered them
selves that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place may see the
ruins of barn near Council Bluffs,
Iowa, which has been burned by light
ming six times in ten years. 1t was re-
built five times, and the owner then
concluded that Providence wanted the
site for some special purpose.
"A twenty months old baby in Ver-
non, Texas, ran away and was lost one
night in the woods. The whole neigh
borhood turned out, and the next morn
ING the little one was found a mile from
home, but in the twelve hours that had
elapsed it had become apparently as
wild as hawk. 1t knew no one, and
bit and scratched with all its little
strength when any one approached.
"A curious freak of nature is re-
corded by the Round Brook IN. J)
Chronicle: " Mr.. John king. our whole
sale teamster, had a pair of black no ses,
as all who have seen them can testify.
During one of those very hot days last
week one of the horses was Frustrated
by sunstroke, and now the horse is a
light dun color and presents quite a
striking contrast to his black mate, that
so well matched him before his misfor-
tune. We have no recollection of ever
hearing parallel case
"A correspondent of a London paper
warns people against throwing broken
bottles among sun-dried grass or heath
at this time of the year, as the bottoms
of such bottles frequently act as burn
ing glasses. The Australians know that
extensive and damaging bush fires have
!. taken place in Australia in consequence
/. OF broken bottles having been carelessly
thrown down among the dried scrub.
So, too, camp fires at Aldershot and
bush fires on English commons may
have their origin in parts of broken bot
ties acting as burning glasses.
Mrs, julia Ann Estep, residing in
Forestyille, Va, is now in her ninety
first year, and has enjoyed good health
until recently. She is the mother of
twelve children-nine sons and three
daughters; the grandmother of eighty
six children; the great-grandmOther of
146 children, the great-great-grand-
mother of ten children-254 souls in all.
One son has only one child and another
son only two children; so the other ten
children of Mrs. Estep have eighty
three sons and daughters, an average of
over eight to each. "More the mer-
rier," it is said, and happiness greatly
abounds in this household.
"A young lady of Johnstown, N. Y,
while bathing at Chautauqua Lake, had
a novel experience. A snapping-turtle
caught her by the ear. Her screams
brought friends to her assistance, or she
would certainly have been drowned;
but the turtles grip was like bull
dogs, and after his head had been cut
of it took ten minutes to pry the jaws
apart. 1t will take good deal of the
poetry out of bathing in Chautauqua
Lake. Sharks at Long Branch and
Coney Island, and swapping turtles at
Chautauqua are not soothing to the
nerves of timid bathers.
Two babies were born in the same
house at Oakland, Tenn. The mothers
were sisters, closely resembling each
other, and the infants were both girls
In the excitement of the occasion the
little ones got mixed, and this happened
before they had been dressed, or in any
other way marked for Identification.
There seems to be no way out of the I'm
certainty, for three months have passed
without developing any resemblance
to the father in either case and if the
children grow up, as they seem likely
to, with the physical characteristics of
their mothers, nobody will ever know
their exact parentage. The present
agreement is to decide the question by
lot.
The business of selling Autographed
sermons for ministers was formerly con-