Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-23
THE TOPICAL TALKER.
The Curtain Falls ON Autumn's Spectacular
Piece-Mondny rs a School Holiday-A
Catastrophe on the Raging Ohio.


Piece-Mondny as a school Holiday-A
Catastrophe on the Raging Ohio.
THE heavy soaking rain of Yesterday fol-
loving the hard frost of Monday night
rings down the curtain upon the spec
tacular glorles of autumn. Beautiful
as have been the landscapes about Pitts
burg this fall with the deep lustrous tints
of foliage over hill and dale, natures farewell
in 1889 has not equaled the displays Of other
years. The extraordinary amount of rain
spring and summer brought us is responsible
for the brevity and comparative modesty Of
this autumn's dying. glory.
The transformation that the nipping frost of
yesternight worked in the rural scenery was
very striking. Till then the dead leaves had
battered down whenever scurry of wind fut-
tered among them. The ground was strewn
with them, but not thickly. The frost came
and the leaves still living fell almost en- nadsse
while the dead leaves showered down. Last
night the rural roads were caroeted in leaves,
and should frost follow the warmer period Of
rain not leaf will be upon the trees when
next Sunday dawns.
In an academy for boys not far from Pitts
burg, change has been made in the custom Of
selecting Saturday for the weekly holiday. The
boys have Monday for rest and recreation. The
second day of the week seems to have several
advantages over the last day as holiday. The
boys like it, / am told.
One advantage is moral When Saturday is
the scholastic holiday the boys are pretty sure
to defer the preparation of their work for
Monday to Sunday night This is usually done,
no matter what rules and regulations to the
contrary pedagogues or parents may make
Over and over again have seen this practical
desecration of the Sabbath occur. The easiest
way to prevent it is to make Monday the holl-
day.
ONE day, when the Ohio was Tiver-it has
been mere creek for SO long that one may be
pardoned for forgetting that it was river
once and may be river again-a party of Pitts
burgers were coming up from Cincinnati on
one of the smaller packets. and as they neared
home, which to most of them meant Sewickley
or thereabouts. they asked the Captain to allow
them to announce their arrival with as much
noise as possible.
The Captain was a jolly fellow, and, as he
knew all the members of the party we'll, OF
course he gave them permission to blow the
boats whistle, ring bells and do anything short
of blowing up the vessel, to attract the atten-
was taken of this license at once. The echoes
Of that ships whistle were soon striking shrilly
the river cliffs. and handkerchiefs and bells
were wrung indifferently and without surcease
at all. 1t did bring out the natives, you may
safely bet
1t also brought out the only other passengers
on the boat, two young men and an old lady.
They had not been warned of the coming
clamor, nor was its meaning explained to them
when it began. The young men, of course,
easily discovered the cause of the racket but
not so with the old lady She rushed to the
cabin, and when one of the celebrants found
her she was standing on a chair with pile OF
life belts around her. The astonished Pitts
burger called - friends and when the whole
party swarmed into the cabin they found that
the old lady had on three life preservers, on e
around her neck, another clasping her waist,
and a third secured about her ankles, She was
trying to get on some more preservers when she
discovered she was observed.
'Save me p she cried.
And the ladies in the party saved the good
creature from suffocation.