192 
AMERICAN AQRIGULTURIST. 
[June, 
LEFT ALONE AT HOME. — Engraved for the American AgricnUviHst. 
Whose portraits are these ? " Not mine," says Minnie 
who has been sitting by her mother's side sewing patch- 
work until father brought Vn^ Agriculturist from the Post 
Office, which she is now looking over. " Not mine," 
says Fanny, who has just come in from a romp with her 
dog "Dandy." " No indeed, I wouldn't do such a thing 
as to go to mamma's closet and take the preserves." 
One little girl looking at this picture says nothing, but 
blushes while she thinks about the lumps of sugar she has 
sometimes slily taken. And there is a boy who remem- 
bers how he >oved peaches more than honesty one day 
last summer, and helped himself from his neighbor's tree. 
The sugar and the peaches tasted good then, but 
the thoughts of them now are bitter, and will be for a 
long time unless the sin is confessed and forgiven. When 
a small splinter is thrust into the flesh the wound will re- 
main painful until the splinter is taken out, then it will 
quickly heal. Just so with concealed guilt; confession 
will best remove it and bring peace of mind. The chil- 
dren in the picture will very soon be found out ; the daubs 
and stains on their faces and clothes will tell the story, 
and if they should fail to, the little one peeping from be- 
hind the closet door will hardly keep the secret. Then, 
when deserved punishment comes, the recollection of 
the sweets will do little to soften the pain. In small or 
great actions wrong-doing never pays, 
"A Oood Boy "Wanted." 
A gentleman in this city lately inserted an advertise- 
ment with the above heading in one of the daily papers. 
Upon entering his office the next morning, there stood a 
crowd of forty or fifty boys waiting to see him. All were 
j^trangers, and of course it was rather difficult to select 
tlie best one of thfi company. But there were a few signs 
by which it could be decided at once that many of the«e 
lads w ere not wanted, from which our young friends may 
take a hint. Several of the boys had uncombed hair and 
unwashed hands and faces . If they could not keep their 
own persons neat they would not be likely to do their 
work nicely ; so these were passed over without further 
notice. One boy looked bright and smart, but he kept 
crowding his way to the front of all others, and thrusting 
himself into notice. It was readily seen that he was too 
*' smart," he would probably prove pert and saucy. Then 
came a boy with a book peeping out of his breast pocket 
— a cheap trashy novel— Ae was not wanted ; his mind 
would be following the hero of the wonderful story, 
through impossible adventures, while his work suffered. 
One boy fell to quarreling with his neighbor ; another 
had to be reprimanded for meddling with articles in the 
office ; a third chewed tobacco ; neither of these was 
wanted. From the few remaining after dismissing the 
above classes, the boy was selected who could bring the 
best testimonials of honesty, intelligence and industry; 
so you may see a good name is worth much, and a good 
character will be sure sooner or later to bring a good 
reputation and its rewards. 
About Sleep. 
Every act of the body or mind wears the organs or 
parts used. The arms of the mechanic, the legs of the 
traveler, the brain of the student would soon be destroy- 
ed, if the worn-out particles were not replaced by new 
ones derived from the food. During waliing hours, 
waste or loss in the body goes on faster than it can be re- 
paired ; but after tw^elve to sixteen hours of activity, the 
faculties begin to work heavily, and at last refuse to obey 
the will. The eyes close in spite of the strongest efforts 
to keep them open ; the ears will not carry sounds to the 
brain, the limbs refuse to move, and the person sleeps. 
It is possible by great mental effort, or excitement, or by 
taking stimulants, to prevent sleep for hours or even days, 
but finally it can not be resisted. Soldiers have slept on 
the ground with a battle fiercely raging around them. It 
is related that during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, 
wearied soldiers would often fall asleep in the ranks 
while marching, and in some instances continue to walk 
unconsciously for a long distance. During the bombard- 
ment of Fort St. Philip, on the Mississippi River, guns 
of very heavy caliber were used, which made a tre- 
mendous and deafening report at each discharge ; but 
the artillerymen who were working them, when exhaust- 
ed and replaced by others, lay down on the decks of the 
boats containing the guns and slept soundly through all 
the firing. During sleep only the necessaiy functions of 
the body, as breathing, circulation of the blood, etc., are 
carried on, and as these do not consume all the pow-- 
er supplied to the body by the food, a stock is laid up 
for use upon waking. Children require more sleep than 
older persons, because much of their food is appropriated 
in adding to their growth, and also because of their great- 
er activity. Young persons need from ten to twelve 
hours sleep in the twenty-four ; adults from six to eight 
hours, depending upon the constitution and habits of the 
individual. Although too much sleep is hurtful, it is less 
so than too little ; in the latter case there is rapid ex- 
haustion of the vital power, and a person grows old fast. 
Tlie first EiOcomotiTe^^Pnffin^Billy.* 
In the year 1612, in England, there was great scarcity 
of food for man and beast. William Hedley, the super- 
intendent of an extensive coal mine at Wylam, Newcas- 
tle-upon-Tyne, was greatly perplexed how to provide 
fodder for the horses employed to draw the coal over a 
railroad from the mine to the dock where it was shipped. 
For a long time he feared the colliery must be closed, 
and himself thrown out of employment. One night as 
he lay thinking of his dark prospects, there suddenly oc- 
curred to him a plan by which the wheels of a locomo- 
tive could be made to move forward, instead of slipping 
upon the track. This difficulty had long puzzled the best 
engineers, and caused the failure of locomotives previ- 
ously built by them. The next morning he commenced 
a model, which with the help of a clockmaker was com- 
pleted within twenty four hours ; and at length he had the 
happiness of inventing and building the first locomotive 
engine moving by the friction of the wheels upon the road. 
It was extremely slow in all its movements, but it served 
his "purpose, and above all consumed neither hay nor 
oats, but was fed with the coal abounding at the mine. 
The original Wylam locomotive remained at work forty 
nine years, and is now a valued relic in the Patent Muse- 
um, South Kensington, England. At Wylam, this engine 
was called " Puffing Billy," from the great noise it made. 
This puffing and snorting came near stopping the career 
of the engine, and involving its inventor in a lawsuit, as 
the people along the road declared it a nuisance, and en- 
deavored to stop it. But " Puffing Billy" was too good 
a friend to the Newcastle folks,' to be put down, and 
the suit was dropped. 
Indian Xradition— Rocks In Con> 
necticnt. 
It is said that ages ago an evil spirit set up a claim to 
the territory including the present Stale of Connecticut. 
The Indians referred the matter to their squaws, who 
proposed that they should quit the disputed ground pro- 
vided the spirit would pay them fov {\\e improvements ihey 
had made. To this the spirit returned no answer, and 
war was declared. At first the spirit, though single hand- 
ed, being very powerful, gained the advantage ; but the 
Indians united, and posted their warriors so that they 
might be constantly re-enforced, and pressed him so sore- 
ly night fTnd day. that he was obliged to retreat. He ar- 
rived one evening in the neighborhood of Throg's Neck, 
(now in Westchester Co., N. Y..) on L. I. Sound, where 
a line of rocks project out from the Island. It happened 
to be low tide, and the tops of the rocks appearing above 
the water, the spirit stepped from one to the other until 
he reached the Island. These rocks are to this day called 
the " Stepping Stones." He then went to Coram, in the 
middle of the Island. Determined to have revenge, he 
then collected all the loose rocks he could find on the 
Island in heaps at Cold Spring, ard threw them over into 
different parts of Connecticut, where they yet remain. 
The Indians who last inhabited Long Island, not only 
undertook to show the spot where the spirit stood, but 
insisted that they could yet discern the prints of his feet. 
^Vall Street and Tly Iflai-ket. 
While New York City was in possession of the early 
Dutch settlers, they built a line of palisades extending 
from near the corner of Pine and Water-street on the 
East River side, over to the Hudson or North River, A 
fortification known as the " Half Moon," built of stone, 
was erected at the beginning on the East River. Ad- 
jacent to this was the " Waal " where the ships rode at 
anchor in the river, and the street adjoining, where goods 
were landed or shipped, was named " Wnal-street," 
which very soon became Wall-street, now famous the 
world over as the great money center of America. 
Many residents in New York yet rempmber the " F!y» 
market standing at the foot of Maiden Lane. Some sup- 
pose the name to be derived from the abundance of flies 
drawn there by the meal and fish ; indeed it is related that 
when a New Yorker and a Philadelphian were each 
claiming that their markets were best supplied, the latter 
quoted this name " Fly" market, in proof that meat 
could not be kept well in New York, because of these 
insects. The name was originally "Vly" market, the 
word being an abbreviation of Valey (valley), and in 
use with the "Dutch to denote a marsh— formerly ex- 
tended from the East River ^p 95 far as Pear^str^eL 
