Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-09-21

come tired Of shying at the queer looking
works, and even refused the other day to
have any Mysteries over the steam whistle.
There is little doing just now in the busi-
ness. Everybody is anxiously awaiting the
fate of mica, as connected with the McKin-
ley bill. If it goes through with an ad va
loren duty of 35 per cent, the industry,
which has been languishing for some years,
will reawaken, and things will be lively
hereabout once more.
These mines seem to the outsider odd little
oue-horse affairs, and run in one-horse sort
Of manner. A man has mine, so to speak,
in his back yard. A little steam engine, a
drill, some dynamite and two or three or
more men, according to the size of the works,
is the whole outfit. The inside of a mica
mine is beautiful picture, with the facets
of mica glittering like diamonds from the
snowy, frosty feldspar in which it is en-
bedded. 1t looks like a fairy grotto in the
ftiul light of the little lamps.
WORKED CENTURIES AGO.
Some OF the largest and best mines show
unmistakable evidence of having been
worked-by some people entirely before the
time of the 1ndians-the mound builders it
is supposed. In the great mounds at Chilli
cothe, and at Marietta and various points in
Ohio and Wisconsin, there have been found
beautiful and ornate cups. vases and
weapons of copper and silver, side by side
with shells from the Gulf, mica from North
Carolina and obsidian and porphyry from
Mexico, showing that this great and myteri-
III hod
the country they inhabited.
Aunt Susy Parker is a striking example
of our type OF pioneer women. Strong in
body, stout of heart, fearless, not stickler
in small matters Of any kind, she is right
good friend to the helpless or distressed, q
valuable champion to any cause she es-
pouses. and dreaded adversary. She is a
figure in local affaifs-her energy, capabil-
ity and general combatitiveness making her
prominent in all church and political mat
tiers, and quite overshadowing Uncle Billy,
who, married to any ordinary woman,
would be good deal of fellow She has
the heroic character, the vigor and capacity
of our New England toremothers, with the
drawling accents, free-handed generosity
and hospitality, hearty laugh, and, in gen.
eral, the more easy-goingness of the South.
SHE COULD BEAT JIM.
Invent over to see Aunt Susy the other
day. found her plowing corn. She in
her black calico sunbonnet, and her one old
steer hitched TO piow of primitive design,
made up quaint and picturesque group.
81 wouldn't do such work, Aunt Susy,"
said 1, you're getting too old. Why don't
you stay in the house, and let Jim do the
plowing and field work?"
81 say, Jim," snorted Aunt Susy with
scorn, "my shadder's wuth more in the fiel'n
Jim. Thlshyer's some O. Jim's corn, Miz-
zabul, sorry little pore stuff! Mighty nigh
ct up long O. weeds. 1 say, Jim! 1 en- DO
more in one day weth old Longstreet n
Jim'll do in two, with good par O.
mules"
1 thought best not to argue the case fur
ther. "I'll be done in a mighty few min
utes," said she, "time I get these four las
rows run. I'm goin' to dig mess O. sweet
'taters-ther's some big enough over yander
and then we'll 60 the house for dinner"
To expedite matters I dug the potatoes,
under Aunt Susy's instructions, she mean
while Laughing consumedly" at my awk-
wardness, and we went to the house. Aunt