California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



vaut's clothing out of doors some frosty 

 night tmtil it should be tlioroughly aii-ed? 

 S Fine ladies come sweeping into church 

 with their velvets and silks, said velvets 

 and silks giving unmistakable evidence 

 of having been housed in just such shut 

 up chambers. Oh, what a tale that odor 

 of pork and cabbage tells about that la- 

 dy's stylo of housekeeping! The very 

 garments of the children tell the same 

 story of uncleanliuess. It is bad to 

 have unwashed clothes, but there may 

 be an excuse for it; but what excuse is 

 there for unaired ones when the air is so 

 cheap and free? There is death in such 

 close rooms. Better a swarm of flies or 

 a cloud of dust — better frost and snow 

 in a room than these intolerable smells. 

 Dear girls, the hist thing in the morning 

 when you are ready to go down stairs, 

 throw open your windows, take apart 

 the clothing of your beds and let the 

 air blow through as hard as it will. 

 There is health and wealth in such a 

 policy. It helps to keep away the doe- 

 tors with their long bills. It helps to 

 make your eyes sparkle and your cheeks 

 glow, and to make others love yourj^res- 

 ence. Girls who live in those close, 

 shut-up rooms can hardly be tolerated 

 in any circle. — Mail's Journal of Health. 



Health Maxims. — The best three 

 medicines in the w^orld are warmth, ab- 

 stinence and repose. 



Whatever promotes a comfortable and 

 harmless state of mind promotes health. 



Men consume too much food and too 

 little pure air. They take too much med- 

 icine and too little exercise. 



Patent medicines are temporary in 

 their effects; they alleviate or smother, 

 instead of eradicating disease. 



Very many diseases are laid at the 

 door of "the weather. " It is the want 

 of weather which brings multitudes in 

 our larger cities to an untimely grave. 



In small qxiantities and occasionally 

 many things may be eaten with advan- 

 tage, which, if eaten continuously for 

 weeks and months, or in inordinate 

 amounts, would occasion serious resiilts. 



Persons may outgrow disease and be- 

 come healthy by proper attention to the 

 laws of their physical constitutions By 

 moderate and daily exercise men may 

 become active and strong in limb and 

 muscle. 



Pads and supporters are all pernicious 

 and worse than useless, because they j 

 teach the system to rely on them, and 

 cannot support one part of the body 

 without causing an unnatural strain on 

 some other iiart, and to that extent tend 

 to disease that part. 



To all young persons, to students, to 

 the sedentary, and to invalids the fullest 

 sleep that the system will take, without 

 artificial means, is the balm of life ; for 

 without it there can be no restoration to 

 health and activity. Never wake up the 

 sick or infirm or young children of a 

 morning. It is a barbarity. Let them 

 wake of themselves. 



Speaking of changing the clothing, 

 we consider it hazardous to lessen its 

 amount after dressing in the morning, 

 unless active exercise is taken immedi- 

 ately. No under garments should be 

 changed for lighter ones during the day 

 ordinarily. The best, safest and most 

 convenient time for lessening the cloth- 

 ing is in the morning when we first dress 

 for the day. — Br. IIuU. 



SpEiNG HyoiENE. — The New York Tri- 

 hiiiie gives a few timely hints in regard 

 to the mistake jieopla oftenj make in 

 early Spring when the weather looks 

 fine, being bright but cold, in going out 

 with insutiicieut protection in clothing, 

 and in letting the fires in the house go 



out too soon. The old-fastioned belief 

 of our grandmothers that there was a 

 fatal iutluence in the Spring air, was not 

 so great a mistake, but was founded on 

 experience, and they fought against it 

 with flannel wrappings and woolen 

 stockings worn until June ; and we would 

 do well to take a hint in this direction. 

 The records of our physicians show that 

 the standard of general health is lowest 

 in the Spring. This is partially due to 

 the nervous exhaustion of the labor in 

 closed rooms in the Winter, and partially 

 to the less wholesome diet, which, how- 

 ever good it may be, is never equal to 

 that of Summer, with its fresh vegeta- 

 bles and fruits. It is, therefore, neces- 

 sary to Vie prudent in Spring, and in- 

 stead of exposing ourselves to the dan- 

 ger of taking cold, to be very careful 

 how we clothe our bodies, heat our 

 houses and fill our stomachs. 



AN EPISODE IN MY 

 EXPRESS LIFE. 



BY "JOE." 



It had been one of those terribly sul- 

 try days that are sometimes experienced 

 in the Sacramento valley, and, in fact, 

 in all of the interior valleys of CaUfornia, 

 and which no description can convey to 

 the mind of those who have never "been 

 there themselves." I was the sub-clerk 

 (scrub-clerk was what my teasing com- 

 panions were wont to call it) in the ex- 

 press office in a town where the stages 

 from the mines and Sacramento centered, 

 and from the very large amounts of 

 treasure that passed through our hands 

 our office was considered quite au im- 

 portant one. 



As I said, it had been very sultry, and 

 even the light work of the office had 

 nearly exhausted us. The stages, with 

 their freights of gold-dust, and dust- 

 laden and begrimed returning miners, 

 had come and gone, and those bound for 

 the mines with their coin, and "spick and 

 span miners" that were to be, had gone 

 their way also, and we closed up our 

 day's work, thankful for the approach of 

 the cool and refreshing night. 



The porter and I slept in the office, 

 while the agent, or head man, had a 

 room adjoining, the door of which 

 opened into the main office. 



Night dropped down upon us with its 

 cooling breath, and we sat in the gloam- 

 ing, chaffing one another and chatting 

 over such things as lone men will who 

 have been a long time away from home. 

 At length the porter and I built up our 

 beds outside the counter, in the airy of- 

 fice, and stowing ourselves away under 

 the comfortable blankets, which, not- 

 withstanding the heat of the day, were a 

 necessity at night, we were soon lost in 

 the mazes of dreamland. 



How long I slept I know not, but I 

 was suddenly roused by a heavy hand 

 laid on my mouth and the not very 

 dainty touch of a metal bar to my temple 

 (w'hich, to my gradually awakening 

 senses, resolved itself into the muzzle of 

 a pistol), and a hofu-se whisper of "Lie 

 still, or you're a dead man." 



I was limp as a rag in au instant, for 

 I knew well what was up. The notori- 

 ous Jack Powers had been collecting il- 

 legitimate tribute in the country about, 

 and our office attracting his attention, 

 here he was. To bind and gag me was 

 short work, and I was tossed over the 

 counter like a pinioned sheep, coming 

 with a bump onto the floor and the por- 

 ter, who I found had preceded me with a 

 similar experience. 



My ears were free, and my whole at- 

 tention was concentrated in the sense of 



hearing. I could, after a little, trace the 

 robbers by their foot-falls almost as well 

 as I might have done by sight, by the 

 dim light we always left burning in the 

 office. 



The agent was brought out from his 

 room, bound and seated in a chair. He 

 was then ordered to deliver up the keys 

 of the vault, in a tone which meant "no 

 delay." He demurred, however, and 

 was coolly advised that his personal 

 safety depended on compliance. The 

 keys were given up, and the robbers set 

 to work at the vault. A combination 

 lock balked them and the agent was called 

 upon to give the combination. A short 

 parley took place on this, for the agent 

 was no coward, and he thought he might 

 gain time enough to frustrate the designs 

 of the robbers. But he reckoned without 

 the host. The ominous "click" of a 

 pistol was heard, and "two minutes for 

 that combination!" was the word. Con- 

 sidering discretion a virtue just then, he 

 practiced it, and gave, in a short pause, 

 broken only by the sound of the key, 

 muttered curses, and then an impatient 

 "D — n this mask; I cant breathe," from 

 the operator, next hurried steps and a 

 fierce, but subdued, voice speaking to 

 the agent — 



"Curse you; you've lied tons. It's 



not the combination, and we'll fix you!" 



" It is the combination," I heard the 



agent say. " You can't have worked it 



right or you would open the door." 



Again the combination was given, care- 

 fully and clearly. Again a pause, with 

 the "click, click" of the knobs and key, 

 and then, to my relief, the creak of the 

 swinging door. The tramp of the rob- 

 bers in and out of the vault, the "sug" 

 of the plump bags of gold-dust as they 

 were dumped into a sack was all that I 

 could hear. Then came the "clean up." 

 " Well, Cap," says a gruft' voice, " we 

 are all right; what'll we do with "these 

 fellers?" 



" Light out and leave 'em, "a musical, 

 manly voice replied. 



" Not much," returned the grutf one. 

 "This 'ere feller has seen too much o' 

 me. That cussed door made me hot, and 

 I couldn't stand that mask, and this fel- 

 ler knows me better'n his own brother. 

 He's got to go, sure!" 



"Guess not," said the quiet, manly 

 voice. " It was your own fault. We've 

 got all we come for, and we'll take no 

 more than we want." 



" But I tell you my life is wuth more 

 to me, and to you, too, than his'n," the 

 gi-uflf voice answered; "and, by G — , I'll 

 take no chances in that line." 



" Bill," said the cool voice, seeming to 

 grow cooler as the other heated; " this 

 yer is between you and me. Who is 

 captain of this party— you or me? /say 

 we go as we are ; and if there's to be any 

 shooting there's ((CO to do it." 



Much more was said by both, and my 

 blood curdled in my veins to hear a 

 man's life made the subject of such con- 

 tention, the man most interested sitting, 

 meanwhile, bound hand and foot, and 

 unable to help himself. Finally, the 

 gruft' voice softened down a little, as if 

 convinced, and said, "All right, Cap. I 

 was wrong and you was right. You go 

 ahead with the rest of the boys and I'll 

 stop behind and keep these fellers from 

 squeaking right away, and after you're 

 well away I'll jiue you." 



"Not much, Bill," said the manly 

 voice; "that's my biz. I don't leave any 

 of you f eUers . to look after my safety. 

 I'll stop here myself, and you go along 

 with the boys. I'll meet you at the old 

 place all right." 



A little discussion took place on this 

 point, in which the cool voice came out 

 ahead and the gruff one, with a muttered 



curse or two, was silent. 

 ! Silence — what silence that was, too!- 

 for what seemed an hour, but which was 

 but fifteen or twenty minutes, and the 

 quiet, manly voice saj'S, "Mister, you'll 

 allow I saved your life to-night, now you 

 must give me a show of one hour for 

 mine — after that I take my chances." 



A striding stei), a bang of the door, a 

 galloping horse, and — sUciice. 



I had been squirming around, easy 

 like, trying my bonds, and had got my- 

 self pretty loose, so that it took but a 

 few minutes' tugging to get free, and I 

 was by the side of the agent. He was 

 in a cold sweat, with his teeth clenched 

 and an ashen paleness over his face, visi- 

 ble even in the dim light of the office. I 

 loosened him and the porter, and in a 

 short time the town was alarmed. 



The amount taken was not as large as 

 it might have been at almost any other 

 time, as the receipts from the mines had 

 been light that day. But it was enough 

 to cause the express company to offer a 

 handsome reward for the arrest and con- 

 viction of the robber whom the agent 

 was so well able to describe. But noth- 

 ing came of it for years. 



The agent received a terrible shock, 

 which affected his health to such a de- 

 gree that he could never even allude to 

 this night's expci'ienco without the per- 

 spiration starting on his brow. He was 

 given a pleasanter and more lucrative 

 situation in the San Francisco office, and 

 was looked up to by the fledgling ex- 

 pressmen as "grit to the backbone.' 



One day he received a telegram from a 

 branch office in a southern mining town 

 to "come up immediatelj'." He obeyed, 

 and on arrival was unsuspectingly ush- 

 ered face to face with the man who had 

 so fiercely argued with his leader for a 

 man's life. The robber had been shot 

 through the lungs while being pursued 

 for horse-stealing, and the reward yet 

 out had sharpened the wits of his cap- 

 tors, and they wanted the agent to iden- 

 tify him. 



The identification was complete, and 

 horrified the spectators, for the instant 

 the agent saw the robber he sprang for 

 him with blazing eyes and clenched teeth. 

 The bystanders immediately grappled 

 him, and then the ensuing scene was 

 said to be ten-ific. The robber, with his 

 hfe ebbing away, lay supinely on a pal- 

 let, blood slowly oozing from his mouth, 

 while the agent raged, a madman, in the 

 hands of the bystanders. He foamed at 

 the mouth, cursed the dying wretch as 

 never man was cursed before, and was 

 finally dragged away to fall, weak and 

 exhausted, into a chah- in an adjoining 

 room. 



The robber died of his wounds, with- 

 out disclosing anything concerning the 

 robbery, but the recollection of it, to us 

 who were there, is a terrible reality, as 

 ■iivid as ever. 



Stock raising in San Diego County 

 has experienced a very decided increase 

 during the past year, the aggregate value 

 now being $.577.'903, against §373,306 in 

 1871 and $339,680 in 1873. The am- 

 ount of bees has also increased from 

 '2,i58 hives a year ago, to 8,761 hives 



in 1875. 



* — , , — 



In making whiffletrees, they will be 

 srtonger if the front side of the whiffle- 

 trees is nearest the heart timber and the 

 back side toward the bark; they will re- 

 tain their shape longer if the timber be 

 split in this direction, not across the grain 

 of the wood. 



Do not forget to renew your subscrip- 

 tions at once. In doing so, obtain the 

 names of your neighbors also. 



