A WONDERFUL WELL.

Waikato Times, Volume XVIII, Issue 1528, 20 April 1882, Page 4

A WONDERFUL WELL.

A most lcmarkable circumstance has occuiicd at a town called Franklin, in the oil regions of the United States. Tlierfe is a lull on the borders of a creek in that location v. liicli has proved very productive to those piospecting after petroleum. In fact, so huitful was it that it was pj itivcly honeycombed with borings. Rail and Son, the enterprising firm which had canied these on with so much profit, were loth to abandon their workings until they weic satisfied that they had exhausted their luck. They gave 01 tiers to .sink the shaft deeper. The workmen pietced away until they had penetrated to a depth of nigh 500 feet, when success rewarded their cffoits.' They had '■ stiuck ile " again, and at the first action of the pump up came bubbling in a full continuous sticam the piecious liquid. But there was something very peculiar about it. It had had not exactly the bituminous colour or smell, nor Mould it take fire. At last one daring fellow determined to taste it in order to form some opinion of its quality, After he had placed a few drops on his tongue, he smacked his lips knowingly and said, " This must be looked into." , He put the end of the pipe to his mouth and imbibed such an enormous quantity of the product ot the spring that his comrades drew him away lest he should do himself injury. But curiosity impelled them to follow his example, and the consequence was that every one ot them drank and di ank again, until in less than an hour all were stretched insensible around. The tidings spiead to the village that there was something veiy stiange in Kail and Son' new well. The entire population ran up to test the Avondrous oil, and in a biief period the entire population was seized with a thickness of utterance, an incontinency of the knees, and a species of stupor. Very soon after the entire population was pi one in a steitorous coma on the ground. At last Mr Rail and Ins foreman arrived, and were bewildered at the sight that met them. The foreman tasted the liquid, and stated that it had a queer savour of beer. In all haste Mr Rail sent for Herr Grossman, the brewer, the greatest connoisseur of beer in the distiict, to consult him on the subject. The brewer oame, tasted the fluid, and exclaimed in agony : "Mem Gott, it is peer, >»>/ peer ! they have poured into my cellar !" Further research showed the poor man was right ; the cellar was examined, and the huge tank from which the barrels were supplied run perfectly dry. Happily the wolkm en and villagers haA r c recovered ; they were not dead — they were only dead drunk.

A receipt for lemon pie vaguely adds — ' Then sit on a. stove and stir constantly.' Just as if anybody could sit on a stove without stirring constantly. ' I toIjU her I'd never smoke another cigar,' he said softly, ' and I won't ; a pipe's good enough for me. 'and he drew a match over the leg of his trouseis. Mourn* ix<; is going out of fashion in* England. A widow's is the only bereavement that must according, to the canons of society be symbolised by yards of crape and paramatta. All other degrees of grief for the departed can, it seems, be amply expressed by a band of black crape worn round the sleeve. The state of things is doubtless a reaction from the too apparent luxury of woe prevalent till recently ; but it has its disadvantages. Once on a time we were protected from the disagreeable risk of inquiring after tile health of persons who' are no moie by the inky blackness 'of attire of their surviving relatives. It , is not pleasant to remar.k casually and cheerfully to a young lady' : 'And your, father, is he all right ? and to be' rhorally'bowled over by the reply, : ' He is dead,' accompanied by a reproachful j»lajice,at;_strjj>»of black which you have noticed on my arm. (Surely some compromise ban be made between the, heavy black tb.a,t was, once .con-., sider'ett necessary and lihe scrap of black crape that is now thought sufficient. Social pitfalls of a distressing kind ought to be guarded against, and women are ingenious enoug'i to devise some lnv-ans of advertising y, bpr^veKl meht -which shall bo ,patpnt, ( (;o ,i),11,-.and '' yet coinpatiblfi with a becoming fjvarietyr of costume and colois.— London Truth.