THE RUSAL MEW-YORKE 
THE OLD HAG. 
M. E. STONE. 
I can remember, ever since I was a very little 
girl, bearing tJie people of my native village 
make this remark (when anything happened out. 
of the usual order), “ ASqueer astUeold bag!” 
It puzzled me at first, but 1 soon solved the mean- 
iDg. 
The school-bouse stood a quarter of a mile out¬ 
side our little village, and the first, time my Toutli- 
ful feet wended their way toward it, I was en¬ 
lightened by my sister Alice and another girl, 
v, bo were leading mu. 
“ you must be a good girl, to-day, Mutta,’ said 
Alice, “ and not whisper, or t he old hag-will get 
you to-night. See” (and she pointed to a l»g 
hut in t he middle of a field), “ that’s where she 
lives,” 
“Yes,” that she will I” exclaimed the other 
girl; 11 she’s a witch, and once turned a little girl, 
who was naughty in school, into a great big 
stone, folks say. Jim Ciussst, lie’s seen it with 
his own eyes, says • she keeps it, for a door-step. 
1 was very much alarmed at this harangue, and 
scarcely hfcatued a loud word during the whole 
day. And for mouths afterwards, if J had com¬ 
mitted the slightest misdemeanor in school, I 
would run with all my might past the old log hut, 
on my way home, at night. 
lluv, as the years rolled by, I gradually lost all 
faith in the witch story, and became possessed 
v. nil the desire to behold this human being, so 
isolated from the world, upon whom mankind 
bad bestowed the hideous appellation of *' old 
hag.” 
I had often had stray glimpses of a bent figure, 
hobbUDg around the hut. ’Twas rare, indeed, 
that she over ventured beyond her domain, which 
was inclosed by an old, tumble-down rail fence, 
while I dared risk no nearer approach, not relish¬ 
ing the idea of being turned into—perhaps a 
hearthstone lor an old witch to boll her ponidge- 
kettle on. ,, , . 
I have remarked that, as the years rolled by, 
my lears subsided, while my curiosity increased. 
Ancl one bright, Saturday afternoon 1 started out 
with the secret determination, “live or die,” 1 
would make a heroic attempt to get, a nearer \ lew 
of the “ old hag,” before the day was done. 
I took the pith through the woods, and after a 
short walk found myself emerging from the leafy 
covert, In exact range with the hut, which stood 
about forty rods distant In the field. Here 1 stop¬ 
ped and Indulged in several sweeping surveys of 
the landscape, to discern it the coast was clear. 
No one being in sight, l boldly struck out, and 
by making swift transits to friendly raspberry 
bushes, which grew at Intervals all along, I felt 
tolerably certain I had not hoen observed. Yet it 
was with a shaky feeling around my heart that I 
crept into the shadow of a clump of elders and 
peered through the rails. 
My perseverance was not to go unrewarded for 
soon the door opened, and she appeared outlie 
threshold. Ob, what a sight! to my dying day 1 
shall never forget my first look at her. A poor, 
bent figure, carrying a great burden on her back, 
as if the burden of life were not enough. One 
shoulder being lilgber than the other gave her a 
queer, one-sided look, as if just ready to totter 
over. Her long gray hair hung in struggling 
locks around the pale, haggard face, which was 
furrowed and seamed with the marks of age or 
sorrow, on her lett temple just above the eye, as 
If to brighten the wleid affect, was plainly 
marked a fiery red cross. I can remember this 
thought dimly presenting itself to my childish 
imagination : “ Was it not a symbol of her life ?" 
She glanced sharply around her as if In search 
of some one. I drew back deeper Into tbe shad¬ 
ows in momentary fear of her keen vision pene¬ 
trating through the tldclc hushes, to my hiding- 
place. I was certain she had discovered my ap¬ 
proach and had come out for the express pur¬ 
pose of searching for me. There 1 lay trembling 
and uiedlr-aiingupoa rash plans of escape—vaiuly 
wishing sister Alice was with me; or that I was 
anywhere else, when I heard a low, musical 
voice exclaim — “ How are you to-day, my 
sweets ?” 
Aha! here was a discovery, indeed! Company ? 
I had never known of a single soul who visited 
her. Who could it be ? At the peril of immedi¬ 
ate discovery 1 could not resist the temptation to 
Poor, lone soul! looking out of your wretched 
tenement. Yes, poor, lone soul! whom all the 
world had forsaken. You were seeking comfort 
in the Master's lowly gifts. 
There she was, that wretched old hag, kneeling 
in the long grass, caressing lovingly the wild 
flowers that grew In great luxuriance about the 
hut. 
I hoard her say—“ Oh, my sweets; my pretty 
crimson clovers, butter-cups and daisies. You’re 
afiout to-day, full blown. I saw yon tbe first 
thing this morning shaking your honny heads in 
the sunshme as the wind went tossing by. And 
you’re here for a whole summer, my precious 
ones; how cams you to come and blossom so 
sweet just to please old Margery ? but you ain’t 
afraid of her, oh, no ! Makgeky would’nt hurt 
you, for the world ! She only looks at you, and 
you kinder help her from being all alone. You 
don’t know, my pretties, what au awful thlug it Is 
to be all alone ; always all alone, with no one to 
care whether you lived or died. No, you can’t 
know how it is, when you’re gone and the wind 
howls around the hut, or how I keep praying the 
good Lord to hasten the summer and send you 
back. 'Twas always so ; no one could ever bear 
Margery ; her poor old shoulder and the great 
hump on her back were always against her. 
“The old hag,” they call roe, even the little 
children, my sweets. I wish they would’nl, for I 
love them so—why crimson clover, I'd be ready 
to die to-morrow for very joy If one would come 
and kiss me. and say how d'ye do, Margery?’ 
But oh no! that cau’t be, they are afraid of me; 
afraid of me! 
Reader, I was a sinless little child then; K I 
had been older 1 should probably have stilled 
under the cloak or pride and selfishness, the 
noblest, impulse of my life. But thunk bod! I 
did not, for without a moment s hesitation I 
climbed the fence and with tears of sympathy 
streaming down my cheeks. I caught t he old 
creature’s hand In mine and said, as 1 bent and 
kissed tier, “How dye do, Margery?” 
Great God torgive us! how shall we ever 
answer for these poor neglected souls that the 
kiss of a old 1>1 can so overcome? Hfic go zed upon 
me for several moments tn mute astonishment, 
then burst out sobbing and laughing alternately, 
saying over aud over to the senseless (lowers: 
“Sim did It my sweets! just Lfilnk can you be¬ 
lieve? Some one has realty kissed Margery and 
said ‘ how d’ye do !”* 
• «»*«•***• 
She has been dead this many a year; the old 
hut tumbled In ruins loug ago; the people of the 
village have ceased to speak of her. She was 
always a wonder to them, “ tbe queer old bag.” 
They looked at her outwardly, no one over 
dreamed a beautiful soul lay bid In such a rough 
casket. But 1 knew It and learned to love her 
well. 
The day she died—oh, such a beautiful day—tbe 
daisies, buttercups and clovers how they swung 
their heads and peeped in at the old door! All 
day long she lay with oue hand locked last In 
mine. At sunset, when the yellow rays streaked 
the crimson banners hung In the west, the angels 
came (they were not ashamed.) She heard them, 
the beautiful soul came up and looked out of its 
prison windows with such a glad look, such as the 
prisoner wears when, alter dreary years of dark¬ 
ness, the Iron bars fall and the door of his cell 
swlDgs back, letting lu the blessed sun-light once 
more. 
I dressed the poor, worn .body for the grave, 
smoothed back the tangled balr, tilled the tired 
hands lull ol her flowers. 
In a stony corner of t he graveyard, overgrown 
with briars and nettles, they made her grave. 
No one had been burled In that part lor years, it 
was so desolate aud nothing would grow there, 
hut It was good enough lor an “old hag.” A 
wooden mark was .erected arid many scoffed 
when 1 begged them to put Margery on It. 
I was called away soon after her death and did 
not return until the following summer. One 
morning 1 entered the graveyard tor the express 
purpose of placing a lew flowers on the grave in 
the desolate corner. What was my surprise to be¬ 
hold it! ThetO above, and ail around it. “iher 
sweets" were growing, tossing uicir crluisr ,' 
white and yellow heads, saying plainly 
“we’ve followed you Margery:’’ My poor 
flowers were not needed, I saw in a minute, so I 
placed them on rich old granny Markham's grave 
which looked singularly bare for all the costly 
monument, which cast its shadow over it, thinking 
to myself, God was Margery's only friend while 
she was on earth. He. sent the simple wild 
flowers to cheer her here, and now He has sent 
them to cover her grave. 
Year alter year they come, more luxuriant 
each time. A sweet-briar rose has been added, 
blue and white violets peep up, the seeds of rare 
plants are waited that way until the desolate 
old corner is a glowing Arcadia. The birds slug 
the sweetest there, the sunbeams are the bright¬ 
est, the children love to piay longest near the 
grave. Once, one more wise than the average, 
called It "God’s comer” and It has borne the 
name ever since. 
-- 
SALLIE, SISTER WANTS A CHEW ! 
BY A TEXAS IMMIGRANT. 
We lived not far from Austin, the capital of 
Texas. The neighborhood was sparsely settled and 
there were only three eligible young ladies in the 
vicinity. Mattie was the tallest and handsomest, 
twenty-one,.the only daughter of a stock raiser 
and farmer, and the other two were very jealous 
of her because she had a city beau. Annie was 
my cousin, nineteen, and the prettiest and 
proudest of the trio. Sallie— God bless her !— 
was the sweetest creature In the country. 
She was twenty-one, our next neighbor, and the 
second of throe daughters, the eldest being mar¬ 
ried but still living In her father’s house, and the 
youngest—a little girl not yet in her teens. 
Name ho w 1 liked Sallie, and Sallie neversald 
she didn't like me. How my face would flush 
and my heart beat, was a caution, when I'd see 
that red cape and while sun-bonnet—confoucd 
the thing It was so big and so stiff, and always 
lu the way !—a-movtng round the rail fence and 
ueurlug the gate. 
She was a pretty little girl, short and thick-set, 
with a round face, white slclu, gray eyes, heavy 
eye-brows, and a luxuriant wealth of vavcu tress¬ 
es that, lasteued with a claret- ribbon, lu flowing 
streams depended o’er ber smoulders. She bad a 
sweet and wiauiug way about, ber, so she had. 
To be Introduced urns to bo enamored, and sure 
as fate, one couldn't, help it. IJer victims lay 
around, as plentiful as did dead cattle on the 
prairies three winters ago ! She was lively as a 
cricket, chatty as a parrot, nimble as a deer, and 
frolicsome ns a spring lamb. She was born In 
laughter ami reared In adventure, and more 
ready for possum or wlld-oat hunting than for 
Sluger’s Sewing Machine. 
The Mustang’s back was moro frequented titan o 
the cow-hide chaff, and walking pace was purga- o 
tory. . ® 
SAixrE was always with jtlio hoys and the hoys cl 
liked Sallie. i The,“.niggers” at the shanties said li 
" Mlss.SALLtE be do best gal lu de country; she 
ain't no common gal, Miss Sallie ain’t!” 
Somehow or other, once or twice a week, Sal- 
jje was sure to drop in our way before sundow n, e 
and Annie would make her stay to supper. By c 
the rime the coffee and biscuits, and a bit of bacon 
or squirrel, and the lew cow peas left over from ' 
dinner, had disappeared, and the dishes were e 
washed and 1 had looked over the Galveston 
News, the sun was down aud sallie must not go 
borne alone, but so loug as I was there she never n 
wanted a willing escort. 
Much to my ohagrlu Annie would sometimes ^ 
proffer to accompany US; 1 could not refuse her, v 
because she was otherwise so good and consider¬ 
ate of me, hut it would do your heart good to see 
how sympathetic Sallie would get ail of a sud¬ 
den. She would remind Annie of the spell ot 
toothache that succeeded the dance at Stock- 
dale, the time she had with neuralgia alter that 
night at Ralston's, and the probabilities, of an¬ 
other attack of the chills, which at this season of 
the year was sure to he followed, by pneumonia; 
“and just t-bink how many aro dying of pneu¬ 
monia, ANNIE V 
But Sallie In this respep-t was Just like some a 
other ladies 1 know of—It there bo a wrong road r 
io glory they're sure to take It. Time aud again s 
1 told her if she wanted to carry her point not to c 
contradict Annie for, sure as preaching, any at- £ 
tempt to deny, retute, or threaten that girl, w as j 
instantly met by extreme stubhorness aud deter- £ 
mined retaliation. There was no go back to her; : 
but by open-hearted, honest kindness, she was as £ 
obedient as a child- 1 
1 was given to understand that Sallie novel j 
used tobacco ar snuff In any torin, but was sternly j 
opposed to it; Annie and the neighbors told me j 
so, and I believed them. Such a qualification j 
among the ladles In the neighborhood was a i 
rarity, and I liked Sallie ten times more for her , 
immunity, 1 
Now, l never smoked a pipe or chewed a quid, 
and the very bight of the snuff-bottle and stick < 
would almost turn my stomach. No more dis¬ 
gusting sights could meet my eyo than the en- ] 
crusted t racery of tobacco Juice along the Ups or j 
down the chin; t he prominent “ snuff brush,” or , 
the perpetual moving of the.jaws as If a cow or 
a sheep were chewing Its cud. ( Oh! that of 
God's most noble creation. His most lovely work¬ 
manship should so degenerate beneath such bru¬ 
tality as “dipping and chewing, and spitting!” 
Whisky may be the greatest eurse upon earth, 
but “dipping and chewing and spitting"—Oh! 
filthy abUorrence!] 
“ Come M illie, let's go down and see sallie 
to-night,' 1 said Annie to me atl&upper time. Of 
course, 1 was willing enough. We found Sallie 
and the rest of the family seated and half dozing, 
hall talking, under the Umbrella China trees In 
front of the house. She bouuded to meet, us, and 
after the usual congratulations and pleasantries, 
we entered the house, the lamp wa3 lit, and we 
sat down to a game of cards. 
The three ol us were round the table playing 
casino, talking freely, laughing merrily, and 
cracking jokes like nuts at Halloween. Sallie 
bad three queens, and 1 the fourth; Sallie built 
two, Annie took the other cards, and I swept the 
queens, with "a sweep, Sallie, you know I 
love the ladies!” 
Just ar that moment, Into the room hurst her 
little sister with “ Sallie, sister wants a chew !” 
Without a moment’s hesitation, Sallie plumped 
a half-chewed quid of tobacco out of her mouth 
into her hand, gave it to her sister, who scam¬ 
pered an exit! 
Good heavens! Had a Comanche knife at that 
Instant described the circuit oi my scalp, I could 
not have been more staggered. 1 looked at An¬ 
nie. Annie blushed. 1 trembled. Annie pressed 
her foot upon my toes. 
“Play, Mr.-,” cried Sallie, “ we’re waiting 
: for you.” 
l I looked at the table and then at my hand. I 
i asked, “What's trumps?" and “Who played 
l&st V” 
’ Annie, perceiving my confusion, jumped up 
i with "Euchre, Sallie, euchre! We’ve played 
> casino loug enough. Willie, please fetch me a 
1 dipper of water from the bucket at the door. Oh 
- no; draw us a fresh bucketful, please.” 
I took tlie hint, and sprang for the weU, secret- 
3 ly thanking Annie for her presence of mind and 
- assistance. 
3 The consternation was momentary, but the 
disgust was permanent. I returned with the 
1 water, and played a few more games, “ looking,” 
i as Sallie expressed It, “assober as If you had 
e staked your Choctaw pony and lost it.” 
4 We went home early; but 1 did not crease the 
s sun-honnet, that evening. 1 went to bed; but 
d sleep evaded me, and instead, “ Sallie, sister 
wants a chew!" haunted me. Morning came; 
t, but I could not think of anything else. Themock- 
y log birds and cardinal birds scorned to twitter 
s- anything else but, “Sallie, sister wants a 
g cbew!” 
a l asked myself why I was so troubled—what 
3. business was it of mine It Sallie did chew ? But 
out even first, going home with Sallie. Somehow 
or other, I had no desire to go; when I thought 
of her, a loathsome feeling crept through mo. I 
did not want to See her, far less, think of her; but 
In either case I couldn’t help myself. 
Time rolls on, and since that night I have often 
escorted Sat.lie to her father’s gate as before, 
behaving ns frankly aud as Jollity as I could, but 
every time I saw her, “Sallie, sister wants a 
chew!" shot vividly through my mind. 
The red cape In t he distance, instead of Inspir¬ 
ing gladness, bred aversion, and that “ conlouud- 
ed sun-honnet” molested me no more. 
Salt.iis’s visits to our house gradually became 
loss frequent, and now she is married to a new 
neighbor, a stranger, front Kentucky. If he likes 
tobacco, ho has got a good wire; for Sallie is a 
kind and considerate creature, a most lovable 
woman, and an excellent Housekeeper. 
“ But the purest love and strongest 
Love that has endured the longest, 
Braving cross, and blight, and trial; 
I’ortmu-'H liar or pride’s denial, 
Would— tro matter what its trust— 
Be uprooted by Disgust.” 
FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE NOSE. 
BY CAROLUS. 
Among tbe most curious revelations made, is an 
analysis of the Perfumes. The ethereal luxuries, 
no matter by what awful names they are called 
are exposed, one by one, to the sight, as It were, 
of the public, and their competent parts number¬ 
ed aud proportioned. They are usually obtained 
from flowers, and Mr. Plesse remarks, that “the 
extensive fiower larms In the neighborhood of 
Nice, Grasse, Montpellier, and Cannes, in France, 
at Adrlauople (Turkey in Europe), at Broussa and 
Ualak (Turkey in Asia), and at Mitcham, in Eng¬ 
land, fn a measure Indicate the commercial im¬ 
portance ol that branch of chemistry called per¬ 
fumery’’ au importance which will be more read¬ 
ily understood when It is stated, that “ one of the 
large perfumers of Grasse and Paris employs an¬ 
nually 60,000 pounds of orange-flowers, 00,000 
pounds of cassffe-flowers, G-i,ooo pounds of rose- 
eaves, 32,000 pounds of jasamlne blossoms, 32,- 
000 pounds of violets, 80,000 pounds of tuberose, 
16,000 pounds or Iliad, besides rosemary, mint, 
lemon, citron, thyme, and other odorous plants 
lu larger proportion.” There aro four modes of 
obtaining the perfumes from plants—namely, ex¬ 
pression, distillation, maceration, and absorption. 
In maceration, the flowers arc put for a certain 
time Into melted deer or mutton fat, which, in 
consequence of a natural affinity, draws forth 
the perfume, the fat thus becoming pomade. 
When oltve-oll or bon-oll is used instead of suet, 
tbe result Is “ huile antique” of such a flower. 
When mentioning bergamot Mr. Please tells us 
It should bo preserved tn well-stoppered bottles, 
and kept In a cool dark cellar; light, especially 
direct suushine, deteriorating all perfumes ex¬ 
cepting rose. Tne labor of collecting the ex¬ 
quisite) odor of the sweet-briar is so costly, that 
an Imitation Is palmed upon the public Instead, 
composed of French rose-pomatum, cassia, fleur 
d’oraugo, verbena, <ic—surely an excellent per- 
tumo in itself. The extract bf heliotrope is in 
Urn same category; there Is no helotrope In it, 
but It is nevertheless a very nice perfume. 
Neither Is honeysuckle used as a perfume, but it 
Is well Imitated. Jasmine, on the other hand, Is 
much prized by the perfumer. “When tho 
flowers of tho “ Jasmlnum odoratlsslmum” are 
distilled, repeatedly using tho water of distilla¬ 
tion over fresh flowers, the essential oil ot jas¬ 
mine may he procured. It is, however, exceed¬ 
ingly rare, on account of the enormous cost ot 
production. 
Lily of the Valley Is a delightful perfume; hut 
there is no such thing as Illy of the valley In It. 
Rosemary plays an important part in Eau-de- 
Cologne, and is the principal Ingredient In Hun¬ 
gary Water. In both these composit ions It is the 
refreshing and Invigorating element. Tho per¬ 
fume we call Verbena, everybody knows, is de¬ 
licious; but verbena Is not of its ingredients, t he 
distilled spirit of the plant being too expensive 
for the manufacturing perfumer. The essence 
of the violets la rarely genuine, but from a dlfer- 
ent cause: the demand tor it is so enormous, that 
the trade is as yet unable fo keep pace with It. 
On coming to the perfumes derived from ani¬ 
mals, our author has a curious remark: “In Its 
pure stale, civet has, to uearly all persons, a 
most disgusting odor; but when diluted to an 
Infinltesmal portion, its purfume Is agreeable. It 
Is difficult to ascertain the reason why the same 
substance, modified only by the quantity of mat¬ 
ter presented to the nose, should produce an op- 
, posite effect on the olfactory nerve; but such is 
1 the case with nearly all odorous bodies, especially 
. with ottos, which, it smelled at, are far from 
agreeable, aud In some cases positively nasty— 
i such as otto of neroly, otto of thyme, otto of 
; patchouly; bur, If diluted wit li a thousand times 
• their volume of oil, spirit, <xc., then their fra- 
; granee is delightful." 
• It may seem remarkable that the odor of any 
r particular flower should be Imitated to absolute 
i perfection by a combination of other flowers. 
Another t hing worthy of remark Is this : 1 The 
t odor of some Bowers resembles others so nearly, 
t that we are almost induced to believe them to be 
- the same thlug, ur, at least, If not evolved from 
I could find no answer. A day or two after, I sad- the same thlug, ur, at least, ir nor cvoiveu nuiu 
died for Ban Antonio, aud was gone nearly a* the plant as such, to become so by the action of 
fortnight. I got home In the morning, and 8al- the alr-oxydatlon. Ir la known that some actu- 
lib came to see us in the evening. She was as ally are identical in composition, although pro- 
radiant and brilliant; as ever; but every time I duced from totally different plants, sueh as cam- 
looked at her, “ Sallie, sister wants a chew I” phor, turpentine, rosemary, 
echoed in iny ear, and the blood flushed to my Mr. Please illustrates his notions regarding the 
| £aoe _ . relationship of odors by tho recipe for Imitating 
I •! was tired and sleepy, and retired early , with- the essence of sweet-pea, which is this: 1 Extract 
