County And Vicinity

John Sliannon, of Nortbfield, who has been dangerously ill for soine time, is much better. Our mathematician lias fignred out that an "inch" of rain means i gallon of water spread over a surface of nearly two square feet, or a fall of about Ü00 tons upon an acre. The barn and outbuildings of A. J. Dort, just outside of Ypsilanti, burned Monday morning last. They were insured in the Washtenaw Mutual for about $300. Loss about $500. The Manchester Enterprise tells this one: "When the morning train reached here last Friday a live turkey was was found on the pilot. lts foot was caught iu sucli a manner that it could not fly away and the engineer will probably fat it for tbanksgiving. George C. Smither and wife arrived home Tuesday evening. Mrs. Smithe's health is very much improved. Thoy have been staying with friends in Chicago for several weeks past. - Ypsilanti Commercial. Mr. Smithe's many friends in this county will be glad to read the above item. In the southern counties the wages per month of farm hands average $15.60 with board, and $21.70 without board; in the central counties $14. Gü with board, and $22.31 without board ; and in the northern counties, 10.04 with board, and $25.58 without board. The average for the State are $15.45 with board, and $22.31 without board. The farmer is about the only man in business who is able to receive cash price for hia goods at all times. The wholesale Louses and factories wait for their money ; the merchant is stood off for the price of hia goods ; but a farmer comes to town with a load of hay, wheat or corn, and gets cash in hand. When his hogs are ready for the market he gets his money, and so it is with every product of the farm. Ypsilantian: "Mrs. Lizzie PaytonSmith was committed to the insane asylum last Thursday by Judge Babbitt. Mrs. Smith was a gradúate of the Nornial and in possession of some property but for a long time has had some symptoms of insanity. At one time slie claiined to be the wife of an English Lord. Last year she married a student named Smith and moved to Tacoma, butrecently she returned here and her disease became worse. Dr. Patterson took her to the asylum." The horse barn belonging to Calvin Coiiklin, of Sylvan, was struck by lightning and burned Saturday tnorning last. It was filled with hay. The loss on barn and contents was upwards of $1,000. Insured in Washtenaw Mutual for $700. A horse belongiug to Chas. Samp, of the same township, was killed by lightning Saturday morniug, for whicli the above company will pay two-thirds its value. Secretary Childs tells us that this is the fourth loss sustained by the company on this sarne farm, known as the A. F. Prudden farm, within the past few y e ars. Here is an.incident from the Muldleville Sun that will bear a little thought to say the least: "White picking up rubbish iu the yard Mrs. C. M. Beach overturned a stick of wood six inches iu diameter and five or six feet in length ; under it she found apparently millions of red ants together with a quart or more of larvae. She immediately replaced the stick and went to the house for boiling water to destroy the pests. In half an hour she returned and not an ant or an egg was in sight, although a thorough search was made. Question,"Have ants reasoning powers?" The Ypsilantiau moralizes and draws conclusions as follows: "Shirt waists and bicycles ! Bicycles and shirt waists ! In the language of the poet, the woods is full of 'em. You can scarcely look out into the street without seeing one or more varieties of the above named articles either singly or in combination. It is hard to decide which enjoys the greater degree of popularity, the wheel or the shirt waist. With young ladies the balance is about equal, although the difference in cost makes the waist much more numerous than the bicycle. With the boy the wheel is decidedly favorite uuless the waist happens to adoru the person of a brightand charming young lady, iu which case it possesses an attraction far beyouud that of the most perfectly constructed, up to date wheel ever produced." The farther a story travels the more importance it assumes. To such an extent bas this snake story taken hold of the people in the vicinity of Whitmore Lake that they have become very timid about going out after dark even though the huge snake has never yet been seen ou dry land. It is said that white a man who was mowing one of the adjacent marshes went to his dinner some boys made a track across the sandy road something like a snake of such proportions might naturally be expected to leave, only that in addition to the long trail usually made by a suake there were added huge footprints, the size of elphant tracks. When the haymakcr returned from his noonday meal and saw this path of the serpent he went away terrified almost untodeath, leaving his mowiug machine and other tools out on the marsh where they with the hay partially made, still remain subjecto the destroying influence of the elet ments. B. J. Howlett, of CheUca, was in tl ie city O' ver Bun day. John Mast and wil'o, of Hamburg, spent yesterday with his brother, E. Maat, of this city. D. D. Morris of Lima, caüled on iiumils here Smttday on his way to St. Louis, for a weck's visit. There was a flre at Olielsea Saturday by which Ii. A. Snyder lost his dweiling house. He had recently bought the place and moved his family thereto. Elliot T. Austin, W. 1'. Bowen, L. L. Jackson, Miss Lois McMahon, Miss Ada A. Norton and Arda B. Korison, are in attendance at the University sunimer school at Ann Arbor. - Ypsilanti Sentina!. James J. Parshall, the veteran fruit raiser of Ann Arbor town, is quite well contented with the prospects this year. He says that the early peaches have been dwarfed somewhat by reason of the dry weather, but the lato ones will be fine and plentiful. A committee of the Law and Order League went over to Ann Arbor a few days ago to find a lawyer who could engineer a warrant that would not show "as many holes as a skimmer."- Ypsilanti Commercial. Well, they displayed remarkably good judgment in so doing, for we have theni here. A swindling piano agent is said to be working this way. He solicita orders for the Fischer pianos, $5 to be paid to hitn in advance, and the balance in $2 instaliments, with 52 music lessons thrown in. He is a fraud of the first water, but talks and acts like a Quaker. Set the dog on hini if he calis on you, and buy your piano of a reliable dealer. "Tliere is m news about that item" ae lic liaaded us the paragraph quoted belonv, "hut if tiiea-e is a liooisekeeper amoag your readers who does not know tt already, you will be tlianked ior publisliLnig it :" "Pickles ot -vinegar will not keep in a stone jar whieh has ever been used tor lard ov any o'tlier kilnd of igrease." Thursday, August 8, will be a race day at Chelsea. Besides the human race who will be there in great numbers, the day will be devoted to various kinds, fine list of premiums for horse, bicycle and foot racing and for ball games is in readiness and the event promises a most pleasant one. Purses for the horse racing run to $25 in cash and in the others good monies are offered. As yc-u muncli the succuilent peanut, do yooi kinow wïÜat a largo part tt plays o.n the industrial stage? Tlie yearly product-ion of pearrats in this couiniry is about 88,000,000 pounds, Virginia, Greorgía, Tennessee and Xoith Carolina harvesting tho most in the order named. Bat, after all, the American erop of peanuts is small conipared wit liAfrica, 'which in 1S02 shipped 400,000,000 pounds of pea nuts to Europe. Now if África once enters into the watermelon business! Oh, yuin ! yum ! Just think. of it ? Marshall Peterson arrested Audrew Neff, of Scio, Saturday, turned his poor old horse over to the pound master with directioas to kill it, and gave Xeff over to the custody of Sheriff Judson. The prisoner is charged with cruelly driving, overloading, and mutilating a horse and not giving the animal proper care and food. The horse was old, and for the want of proper care was in a pitiable condition. When ofiicer Peterson's attention was called to the animal it had bied at the mouth nearly a gallon, and could hardly stand up. iseft' will have his exaniination before Justice Pond Friday. There is one thing that the alleged murderer Holmes appears to be honest about. When asked what church he belonged to he frankly said that he did not beloug to any, and added : "I ara a believer in the teachings of Torn Paine and Bob Ingersoll." And his life and acts are a fit result of such belief. Take the human family, and convince them that they are responsible to no one for their acts, that there is no hereafter, that all beyond this life is oblivion, that the grave buries not only the body but the soul as well, and there will be multitudes of Holmeses. You will meet them on every side and at every turn, and the entire race would soon siuk back into savagery. It is the belief in Christianity that has brought this world to its present enlightened condition. Destroy that and it would take but a brief period to restore the Dark Ages, or even worse.