News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1888-02-23
MYSTERIES OF A DAY.
NOTABLE EVENTS THOUGHT
WORTHY OF A RECORD.
At n Country Fair-The Conductors
Punch-Story of the Pig-HOw
Many Stars are There?-Peasant
and Pastor, &c, &c.

In some remarkable mathematical OBJ
servations by NJ. Hermite concerning
the number of stars, he shows that the
total number visible to the naked eye Of
an observer of average visual power does
not exceed six thousand, and of these
the southern hemisphere contains some
what the larger number. In order to
sec this number of stars the night must
be moonless, the sky cloudless, and the
atmosphere pure, and here the power OF
the unaided eye stops; m opera glass
will bring out twenty thousand, while a
small telescope will bring out at least
$50, 900, and the most powerful teie-
scopes vet constructed will show more
than 100, 0OO, 900. NJ. Hermite con-
cludes from his various observations
that the light emitted by all the stars
upon the whole surface of the globe is
equal to one-tenth of the light of the
full mOon.
A BRIDE and groom of Springfield, ILL.,,
and some twenty-five or thirty guests,
experienced a rather awkward situation,
that was at the same time exceedingly
amusing. Mr.. Joseph Patterson won
the heart of Miss Lulu Donegan of De
catur, and furnished q house III Spring
field, and the couple invited their friends
to the wedding, which was to take place
at their new home. After the guests
had assembled and the bride appeared
in her pretty white gown and veil, the
party waited for the arrival of a minis.
ter. After waiting about IN hour some
one asked what minister had been en-
gagged, when Mr.. Patterson realized fol
the first time that he had neglected t.
engage any one. A preacher was sem
for at once and the couple were married
a wELL-KNowN Partisan portrait
painter lived once, before his fame came,
In O common lodging house Mt an alti.
tude of seven stories. Fearing he could
not induce the public to come so high,
he put I'D q placard on the basement
of the house: PORTRAITS taken here.
Only ten francs. Studio ON third floor.
On reaching the third floor, q placard,
''Ten franc portraits; the studio has
been removed to the fifth floor" would
greet the eye. After much painting and
putting the picture seeker was greeted
with "Ten franc portraits; the studio
has, owing to rebuilding of the premises,
been temporarily removed to the seventh
floor" The customer did not mind suf-
fering more after he had reached that
period of ascent, and the artist got his
patron.
TIE latest craze is one peculiar to
railroad conductors only. With them
it takes the place of the common auto
graph hunter. After the usual courte-
sizes, when n conductor meets another
now, he draws from his pocket q little
book that is kept especially for the
punch marks of his conductor friends.
The figures of these punches comprise
over one hundred varieties, many of
them very odd and unique. There is
the crescent, cross, birds, hearts, and
many p~erplexing figures. These charac-
ters are, of necessity, very small, but
the name of the conductor and that of
the railroad he is serving makes it a
very interesting book for their refer
ence.
AT a fair held in the young village of
Pembroke, Dakota,a set Of Dickens nov
els was offered to the handsomest and
most popular young lady in the county,
to be decided by the votes of those at
tending the fair. There is nothing re-
markable about this, of course, but it
Is something remarkable that in the
four days of the fair there we're 287 votes
cast, and every one of them was for
Miss Laura Kean, who, in company
with her brother, lives on q claim two
miles out of town. Miss Kean is a grad
uate of the Chicago public schools, is
19 years old, an accomplished horse
woman, and "a fairly lay claim, or hen
--sIT e. L. - Lo5,r Tho ,onc{
beautiful woman in the Territory.
TREY tell down East Of n poor fellow
who owned a remarkably fat hog, and
who also owed a rich man. The hog was
about all the property the poor debtor
had worth levying on, and tho law ex-
empted a mans only pig. One day the
creditor meeting the debtor said, "You
need another pig, let me send you a
nice little one" The poor man was as
tonished. "Why, 1 owe for the hog I've
got now" he stammered. "Never mind,
you need another one, and I'll send it, "
and he did, and the little pig was put in
the pen by the side Of the fat one. In
less than an hour the constable came
and attached the fat hog and took it
away, and thus the law and the rich
man were satisfied.
DWIGHT NJ. MOODY, the ~revivalist, is
at work in Louisville, Ky. Last Friday
night he retired to his room in the
Louisville Hotel worn out by q day of
hard work. He tried to sleep, but in
the hotel parlor a german was in pro-
gress and the strains of the waltz kept
the famous preacher awake. With true
Christian gentleness he stood the an
noyance until 2 Il. m, when he sent a
request to the dancers to stop their noise
and permit him to take o little needed
rest. His request was needed, and Mr..
Moody waltzed off to the land of
dreams.
TRICHNE are still greatly dreaded in
Germany. A peasant was arrested for
not having his pigs examined before
selling the pork. "Oh, but that's not
necessary, he said. 81 have a perfectly
certain method of determining my pigs
condition" Under fear of punishment
the man stated:-''My pastor is always
hungry, SC | make up first a sausage
from each pig for him and send it as a
present. l know that he eats it at once.
Then, after a week, / go toinquire about
his health, and if he is well 1 can safely
sell the pork, and save the examination
fees, too"
LORD LEvEsoN, son of Lord andLady
Granville, while conjuring with a hall
crown, accidentally let the coin slip
down his throat, and it stuck there.
Medical aid was at hand, and, not be.
ing able to remove the coin, pushed il
down into the stomach. No bad conse.
nronnod hove xnA no.. Folk ,,o
ment has been made with the local sur.
geon for an excessive operation the mo.
ment that symptoms of fever appear. IS
AT Worcester Sessions, England, last
week Magistrate Willis Bund passed
sentence on a boy named Joseph Slater
who was convicted of stealing three eggs
value t~hreepence, of fourteen days hare
labor and five years confinement in
reformatory. The boy bore a goo(
character, and the jury who tried the
case were scandalized, but the magis
trate refused to change the sentence.
A WOMAN, aged 80, who had been
cook in the family If an English count.
magistrate, was charged with the thief
of some plum pudding, butter, and othe
food. 1t was proven that she had boel
in different situations three, five, ant
six years, and in service ever since tn
age of II years, and bore an excellen
character, but she was sentenced to 81
months imprisonment with hard labor
A GOOD m in Deer Isle, Me-, ere
cheted a baby's sacque for a church faiI
The sacque was ratified off, and she too
n share and won. She offered it to tn
fair again if they'd give her a chance
She won again.