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PICTURES IN THE SNOW.
Wo loitered whon the moon hung low,
Where shrouded fields lay gleaming;
Her soft hair brushed my cheek, below
Bright eyes woro fondly beaming.
[ bore a secret in tny heart—
Ah, surely Bhe must know—
Yet we, with simple, guileless art,
Made pictures in the snow.
“ Oh, think,” she cried, “ thy dearest thought
That haunts thee waking, dreaming.
At loss of which were dearly bought
The world with all itn seeming.
Fame, fortune, honor, manly might—
Thy cunning hand must know
Just how to fashion it aright.
And trace it in tho snow.”
Oh, she was a goodly sight to see!
My blood began to tingle;
Across the moon lit meadows wa
Could hear the s'eigh-lxjlls jingle.
The talc leapt to my lips, I strove
To frame the wor-is—ah, no,
I’d shaj-e the i-icturo of iny Ijove,
Amt print it in the snow.
The face, tho form, the features grew;
I felt her small hand tremble
Upon my arm and guessed she knew,
But still she would dissemble:
“Oh, fisl” she laughed. “Oh, false!” I cried,
An-1 madly turned to go:
“ Ah, is it not cruel,” soft she sighed,
“To leave her in tho snow!”
My fate swung oil tiiat single sigh;
I fool my lips still tingle
At, tiiat sweet memory. Near by
I heard tho sleigh-bells jingle.
My flashing eyes she would evade;
“ All. Lovo, why flout me soi”
And then—and then our shadows mado
One picture’on l ho snow.
Ah, many moons have waned since then,
Their cares and comforts bringing,
To ns as to all maids and men,
Of sighing has than singing.
The snow lias sifted through tho years
As swift they come and go.
HliU fair, her sweet, true face appears,
A picture iu the snow.
Ro hero, beneath the mistletoe,
The moon of life still hanging low,
We now, as in tho long ngo,
Make pictures in tho snow.
— P. II. iMthrop, in the Current.
HATTIE’S MISTAKE.
“Ah,” said old Mrs. rrodgttt, “things
have changed since my day! When I
was a girl, folks used to stay at la-mo
ami help their mothers do the housework,
and piece bcd-ijuiUs, and embroider lace
veils, instead of runnititr about in all tho
dirty slrccts ami narrow lanes in crea
tion!”
Mrs. Prmlgiit did not take lundly to
® odern ctvihxalton.
Who had come up from Owl Brook to
visit her Cousin Mary Ann, who had
married Ebcno/.er Hardy a quarter of a
century ago, and settled down in New
Yo.k; and, as she expressed Herself,
“things seemed to be alt turned topsy
turvy.” said
“But, Cousin I’rodgy,” saucy
Hattie Hardy, who was parasol equipping her
•clf with Imskcj, bag, and water
proof cloak, it is a woik of mercy and
chanty that we are irritably engaged cried in.” Mrs.
Nonscnso
Prodgitt “ think you vo all gone mazy
together! a surprised a you, Mary all
Ann, to h-t the child go tramping
over the city by herself. In my day *
wasntconsidered respectable.
“Vousay truly that,mes have changed
since then mildly uttered Mrs. Hardy,
vvlio was knitting fleecy, while wool by
the lire. “Be sure,Hattie,that you come
home early. Tho now minister is to ho
......... "HfW t ; . tea, and Betsey can’t be
trusted with the new sot of moss roso
c*lttnn.
“I wonder what ho ts like? said Hat ,
lie, as .-ho tied the deep blue strings of
tier hit into a coquotish bow under aud her
round chin. “1 do hope lie’s young
“My dent !” remonstrated Mr* Prod
gift- I
“Of in couvee,” added Hattie, “we knew
that old but Mr. don’t Puzzleton like aainta was a with perfect red
saint; one of
noses and spectacle*, and three layers
double chin ■”
Mrs Prodgitt looked as if she expected
that Hattie would be struck by lightning
»n the spot for that heretical remark.
•'Harriet!" was all that she could
alter. accustomed
While Mrs. Hardy, more
to tlie audacious epoct-hos of her pretty
daughter, went mi, in her purring, sing
song tones:
‘'Don't forget that poor widow in Cob
lane, H.dtic. And if you go to Milo
Hetman's. 1 think it would bo well to
speak a word in season to that great lazy
00 a of his, who is always buying lottery tho
tickets, ami does nothing to support
oUl folks."
“Oh, yosZ I’m gluci you mentioned
tiiat.” -aid Hattie, penciling an To entry give
on her little tablets. “ Mom
Jonas Reneau a piece of mv mind 1” Dear
Mr. I’uzzieton always said that tiiat
young man was a dread!u! stumbling
bU,rkr '
“And I think," wont on Mrs. Hardy,
♦‘that thc CHdv sisters c;\u find work for
A lice Jennings now, iC she is still uucm
i> loved. ”
“The—whichf' said Mrs. lVodgitt.
“The Grav water*, explained Mrs.
Hmdy. “One of our church organ,za
'
Mrs. Prodgitt . 1M glared. . . ami
“Is there any end to thc foRy nom
uenm* of the present gemratim, ..ud
%iho.
'd suppose," laughed Wlgi.itobralv Hattie, “that in
vour Cousin went
‘
••' , in’ where "-.id st’inctlT Mrs A i-e-1 Prod--it Hal: t
l • ti_, ” d dsumtlyn,..,ud -d
tie.
J/: , -i itCjJ i
I j 1 ",.; IV.'J I* l’7dv ’wouldn't “lia:ue mv child
Xi; talk slait--’” littk-iireczo
lla “ U-j p,’ ’
, w r ,
j'. , i "i u i e ,vd i deco
* * '
rnv voids M,rr tun " slid
i , -t . ovi „;i! t I,,,.,,,,) -■•
*%atti« does not trt m ’ n -uiv ’.aim
• p -- ,i >i - i u_
V -V .
: ' ■■ her cr-aod of ?h,iaL' t-erev
; ‘-'ma lovvded tenement di*
' of
e'ennd . there* ounce .ween tea
a bo tie of beef
» ine and hoti bv a sick bed, a little roM«
acenred muff ?o a poor «’d «««»«•'*
hand, a picture hook on tbe pHlowof the
some liU-c child, a wooden toy n
dcUfeUtc I grasp of a ske leton like infant,
a gentle admonition in the car of a will
ful factory gir',and a word of comfort to
encourage a de*p»mng wnlow.
J»hc co.tld be gay and t- p|*an. enough
wbea “Couaill Proday teased assumed her, but
here she seemed lo have a new
pn-si.n-rii’y of dignity and sweetness.
Did MFo Kcncau'a «*» the la-t house
on her list. Bhe glanced anxiously at
Src: watch ks she went in.
“Past five,” she said to herself. “I
ism. It was always neat and clean
there but in Hattie a eye. it seemed more
squalid and poverty-stricken than usual
to-night. As she came around the cor
ner of the door, she perceived a voting
man sitting at an uncovered pine table
a figure strongly silhouetted against the
window.
“Ah!” said she, the spirit of.righteous
exasperation rising up in her heart, “so
I've caught you at last in the very midst
of your evil practices!”
The young man rose hurriedly to his
feet.
-1 , , beg your pardon , -" , he began, but
the tide of stemmed. Hattie's indignation was not
thus easily
“Don’t beg my pardon,” said ... she.
“Beg the pardon everything ot society—of which public
opinion-of hv this shameful else behavior you
are outraging
of yours. Apparently, you have neither
pride nor self-respect left now take my
advice; turn over a new leaf. Give up
your evil practices, and set yourself to
earn a decent living. Look me in the
??r"!t^ 0U '-? miin ' s, *c added severely,
1 clime if ) °u are not ashamed of your
Jo all the , culprit . .
appearances, was
stricken dumb, Involuntarily he raised
a pair of clear, honest gray eyes to Hat
V?' facc ’ a ® oordln “ t0 orders, but he
dm not speak a word, ) good, bad or in
'
^ 3 bot .i bad j, looking, ,, ,, thought , , .. Hat- .
tie; • hut I must not neglect the chance
of making an impression. I am surprised
at ,T° u 8 1 ® ®ddcri “bind. A great,
able-bodied j. . fellow like you sottluigdown
^ Dmri^ vou°know'th t°vou
and ana relatives relatives. Don t you Know that a you
l'lfing un- go o to°r k NeZ leT mfs e fne vou
here again 1 No; don’t answer
I never entcu- into argument with the
STSimZS? 1 ’ I '°‘ ,k “
st.om. aoat woke l snnl ugly on during
this brief hut energetic monologue, as if
it lmd boon n i recitation recitation from irom Shakes- snaacs
can.
“Here’s some extract of beef for vou car’;
Mr. Rencaul" she shouted in ids
“and a tumbler of lemon-jelly! I hope
your lumbago is bettor. I’m sorry I can’t
stay a little longer to day, but i’ll come
again " very soon ’’ smiling
A .id nodding and good-by to
him, she bustled away.
Hlie arrived none too soon on the do
mestic-tanis.
Betsy had already broken spilled one of the
m0 sa rose tea cups, and all the
salad dressing, so that Hattie had to go
to work t0 ln , lko more.
and Cousin Prodgitt Hardy had lost her find spectacles,
Mrs. J could not her best
Saco {n! i.
Consequently [ / she was who,/ only half through
arrilIlgin r ho hnir Mrs. Hardy
ca ilcd uptho stair case:
“J|, u .ict! Harriotl Mr. Cray has
lomo -”
gho hurriedly coiled up the shining
bmn/o locks and fastened them with a
sholl-pin, tied tho Swiss muslin bow at
hcr throat, and, catching up her pocket
handkerchief, ran down stairs.
Cousin Prodgitt Jor was still adjusting hcr
can-strings, itliss in own room. if the
Hardy had gone to see tea
Wlia properly stccjting; and so our hero
ino walked directly into the presence oi
the Reverend Cecil Cray
am Miss lardy," said she. “I bog
your pardon 1 stopped, but ” with tho syllables
H, r o she
0 { further s)>eech fairly frozen on her
tongue. X’ cWH through all her
cold crept x outs,
ag s]l0 recognized tho curly, brown hair,
'* 1C clear, honest eyes, tho thick raus
lac h e .
p u t ( bc Reverend Cecil was equal to j
t b e emergency,
“Don't bog my pardon 1” said ho,
gravely, although thcro was pardon a roguish ol
spH vkU' in his eyes. Beg tho
society -of public opinion. “No, Miss
Hardy,” ho cried, suddenly drojiping
his solemn mannerism—“don’t look so
distressed! Of course it was a mistake.
Don't 1 know perfectly well that it
was.”
“Oli, dear! oh, dear!” gasped Hattie, I
“I thought it was Gilbort Koneau.
never had seen him, you know, and it
was so dnrk, and and ”
“And so. you scolded ,, , tho , wrong man,” „
said Mr. Gray. “Well, I’ll pass the lecture
on to the genuine offender at the very
flrs , opportunity, only I’m afraid I can
not emphasize it half so neatly as you
did."
>> ob don’t!” said Hattie, piteously
lifting her little hands. “Flense don’t 1”
“No, knd I won’t,” forgive." said Mr. Cray. “We’ll
forget Cousin Proeigitt and Mrs.
And when
Hardy came in. Hattie and tho young
clergyman were earnestly discussing tho
rival merits of the geraniums ou Mrs.
llart i v - g flower-stand.
Mrs. Prodgitt stayed until spring, and
when she went back home she told hcr
daughter that Hattie Hardy was engaged
to a young minister.
“Or at least I suspicion .. she , is,” she
“8ho won't own nothin’
sartin; but things ain't now as they used
to he. Folks as was engaged it. Hut to Hattie's ho mar
ried used to be proud of Ivcen brought
a queer girl. She hasn’t
! „ p „ ? irTs was brought up in nn day.”
- ; —
A . Mate Governed , by Women. n
Among the colonial poasewions, ot
correctly, ‘S'da’conMnuSon dependeuces. of llol
^ 77 and original
,. ost of its imi.iunsBis, ^habitants s surpasses t‘ the *
»’‘.ld.-st , , dxu.ms of he advocates of
T"™* letwevn * the cities - S ' of ' l^tavm »", and °t Nmia s
rang, is the kingdom of Bantam, which,
...Itl-ugh tributary toUollaud, is an in
,l f king is entirely
lU-pcndent upon his .. state council. J be
highest anth-r.tics, military commanded
;,l,d soldiers are, without exception, of
*]•<’ fema.e sc\. JI hese amazons ride in
the masculine stylo, wearing sharp stec
u \ ,,0; ' d of spur* They carry a
pointed , lance, wluv.i m:iskot,\vhiohis they swing very
^■ u '' ,f ‘by. ami a is. > a
discliaigeil at full gallop. The lapital
of this little state lies in the mo-t pic
Dnes.pvc mtt of the j-uvivd. uv a tnmful
l'l-t >*. »fd .s defended by two well-kept
- -
Fault Finding.
You have all heard the store of the
rwinter of olden time who exposed hi,
i-ieture to the |mb’ic criticism atffi put
» ,yunt orush hattdv that a .y.-o tv might
joint out any particular feature he did
, ot approv e. Of course the *tlap.d man
so m found out that everybody had some
fault to fiud, and lus juvture n-*s total y
,-bhteaU'd. Just as :t was with that
list s puturv. so it is tth th h a o k
of the »■**««' bo-.ulKHty oe
pretty sure to take a .”™'
mrud new ot our cHarac.ei- and -:n.,s,
n .wcver mentonousi tney may t o Mono
«ill do this atl.ully and maliciously,
others through m.sundcrstand.ng.
RINUS AND THEIR HISTORY.
been able to work little change in the
habit of , veari ri s fiince t he world
first took a fancy for them . The ma
tcrial and workmanship alter with
adv ance of art , but the ring itself, from
it , rcgulur beauty apart from all super- |
eti ti„ns, sentimental or mystical asso
ciafc'ons ' must over be a cherished orna
ment Rings have always been the fav
orites of princes and ladies. The his
tory and poctry o{ finger r ings are laid
„ ,' in nume rous learned treatises, which
fe V people would dream of persuing,
Enduring hSs as the rings are, their antiqu
ity rcao far beyond the oldest we can
gec in museuma T lie earliest mention
of their use occurs in the hook of Gene
sis gome , ’ 727 rg J} c but it ; 3
lte poP giblo 'that even the mythical
prehistoric man wore a ring. We after
ward hcar in ,he sacred records of
p baraob ' 9 ring and that used by Darius
at Babylon; and Herodotus tells us the
R aby ionians used to wear rings. They
were ori g,nally intended strictly for use
aR signet. rings, and not as ornaments, and
their East use as such soon spread Homeric from the
into Europe. In the no- of
ems there are no traces of the custom
wcar ; n g rings, and the earliest
r : n „, uged in Orocce about Solon’s
time were signet rings for use only,
Tliey goon beeame fashionable as orna
merits, however, with precious stones
set and engraved in them, dandies
crowding the fingers with them up to the
n ails. The Lacedemonians always woro
i r0 n. rings. Some among the German
tribes, in the time of Tacitus, wore rings
Q , lhat metaI unti , they had slain an
for the Romans,. the
best authorities assert that they received
th ° of —iug from the
^rouTh through to to LthTaUonsTom both nations lrom
«•** 2P® • v "w'«*«'”»
wero at first always of non and always
1 cU ? r ?„ „ 11S V s ®’ _ i ui ,ncr increisinc ea«ng luxury
corrupted this primitive . fashion. Still
gUC h ■“ M " S “>., and suc |' fam,1,es
“ ,. KonTnt .
ve un an*im»rovement
vounix J ^ men made in tbe
irco r.,!. profusion by / introducing li-riit (7nes
J'" r ; n g „ thl M winter w ar heavier
" kS. From the oflicT rinos of the
JlnTareTf^tho and he who had
J emneror’s hfsmrv state rimrs^omes si-met in
... Cr lys ’ the v of ‘ /£ '
-
Toothy , , remark” 0 " ’ ... ‘° U , an '° ..
*
'
, I ““’ d "tnZ ^ . k of mimb mati erless
calTr rin meXlmal f which ii ossessed
virtucs the estimation
“f.' the iTe credulous Llv can we not even now
purchase galvantc mie rings! rin-s? Nor Nor need ncea I i
° d fnrThT -UnfitJ svmbols iU^fitrure of esnousals
to li, and the- iS
'aterinl Vnd ri ta h
^ n " how being worn on the
b {* eHev Jt'presscdT n ’ veiT that ran straight vies
^^thi. t he heart tlWuch It mav be c^le noticed in JnZg
’ ,hc different fingers
, lt a( . hes i(se | f to O.iginalfy, on
which rings are worn. savs
that arrant gossip f P Pliny, / rings ,T were second, worn
on thc four h fin " w j t cl> 0 Urn
aftenvar<1 on th 0 ast . 0 ur ancestors
w ho “ran wild in the woods,” seem to
h preferred the fourth finger. The
Monkish verse Miles, “Mercator, Stultus,
Maritu , A mutor,” assigns the them, soldier, count- the
ing f from the thumb, to
m rt , hant> tb() foo i, t h 0 husband, the
, When it is remembered how
Hannibal TdTwheu carried enoutrii 3 noison ’of lih- in a rare onf
no
nued supp08 e that rings which contain
hair perfume ' or a watch or modern dts
cove ipa
The mottoes on rings form a curious
m/ntil b£.«o TJ lcss°senti
than our srreat-ffreat nnreuts no
one n , ev e er ( .-r t thinks nk of ot lmvW tiavnig more .n c uian an a a
few initials engraved within a nog; but
flurinr*- during the mo sixteenth sixteenm, seventeeth seventecin and aim
eighteenth ?, centuries have it was a very inscribed com
m mon n nrsrtire practice lo to have mottoes mottoes lnscriDCQ
Wltllin ,lle ho °P of spousal nuptial, or
merely presentation rings. These were
... .iu
tho “posy” 1 or “chanson.” Numerous
; f gucb mottoes have been
formed at various epochs
J* Rimr ^,> noses nro neither double o r sin
^ e double ones are generally ° scri
’
"God our 1 we continue ever together.
That we in heaven may live
_
r
xliat wd" „ aTlifs , vir „
not love her life.’
Single posies . are vep varied . . Mere
ftro tVk0 ones to licai our list,
“(tod above, and peace and love.”
j “God and thee, my comfort be.”
; J Several more worth quoting all cannot round, bo
j classified; I will give them hcr as
perdita distributed flowers to guests:
“Sweet heart, littV, I pray, do not long say nay.” ”
“i.ove me but love me
"l bid adieu to all but yoa.”
“For a kiss take me.”
«>” for
-™ , hiwVUnew staia”
J G : f all f 1 \ the -^'^remarked familiar objects 'in of ro^Mm. domes
ion, 0 1 mmo . me are e so so intqnatcty Uu ,7dv connecte conneciea l
-'hed'un^^mor'os^ 7!"”* Bn Tlm'°spo^nal
as
ritl „ touc hes thc chord of all that is no
bl \ or \ n either sex; it is “the
onhantmeu o human life,’ calling up
devotion aud chivalrtc tenderness in man,
„ owi lhe kindiv impulses which
draw the maiden to all that is sood into
nnd ^f.denving love
["^^ve'^r f Friendshin memento, and dena' viith ted re'a ?
ua, n
Who cares for a ,i .g that has no
i j pnd memory clinging to it? The whole
m hiatorv ” comprefScl iuAo wedding
rn „ hove. loss, chastisement, endur
an ce, th-z false life of the past dropping
awav glimpses of the future revealing
themselves, the unfolding of aims anil
hopes that are thc bonds of our race's
such winged thoughts
hover arouml wedding rings. Then is
nn romance for those who can read it like
, |hat tff an old wedding in Contemplative ring. 1'he
, huU!l hts it awakens a
mind are precious bound as Us owngold, bright
Us lust.-r, aud es* a* thc circle
of eternity.-Anadlya
- --
The assertion that po -ts die young is
not be supported eighty four, by s eristics Longfellow Bryant itved
t0 was rev
ndy-fivv, and D.V-.-.V ninety two. Brown
j B g w seventy-two years old. Tcnuysou
W vonty six. and Victor Hugo
faur
.
__
. R is estimated thv. the prevent value
ef the oyster pieet of Mete York Mate,
wb i cb includes the oyster beds, boats
ind capital mve-ted in thc business, is
1 abom $5 0 ,0J0,“ M\
POPULAR SCIENCE.
„ \iubLbedatar a of life heavens to which the
b beB egt P “ “ “ “ mans J assign but five,
A ; Swedish natu^list Dr n r Wills Wills has has
investigated the ‘rt.ength ofvari Tea °“
klad3 of
as arc caused of the etronT
He finds that seaweeds are \ verv cry strong
and 1C lowest elastic, in the the P water a ^ ts ^np being cTnabk capable of of
bearing the greatest strain,
Experiments have lately been made by
the French government with a new kind
of siege gun of prodigious power. It is
described as made of steel, and nearly
thirty feet long, and the tube is strength
ened with ten coils of plated steel wire
one millimetre, or .039 inch in diameter.
The composition is such that the cannon,
after a few discharges, becomes elon
gated bv three millimetres. The weight
of this gun is fifty tons, and it projects a
shell weighing 297 pounds, capable inches of
penetrating armor plates nearly six
thick at a range of 7i miles,
The doctrine of the permanency of the
ocean basins, about which geologists
disagree, is strongly supported suggestion by Rev.
o. Fisher, who refers to a
which he made in 1882 to account for
the origin of the vast depressions which
the ocean fills. Accepting Professor broke G.
H. Darwin's theory that the moon
away from the earth more than fifty mil
lion vears ago, he thinks the ocean basins
mav bethe scar that was formed, and
that the basement rocks of continents are
fragments of the crust which had already
solidified, ’ and which were left behind,
. erumbiiSg thc n and’often air mineral CO al is liable
to to spontaneous
com “™er, bustion An Poecf Australian mining en
W-xel has discerned a
“ of f event '
, ng toss from such sources, the plan con
SreSi.
t ; on n 0 01 r oxvocn °j>g cn and a “ u -m-nergas other Erases,for s, or which i
the , way is opened by the evaporation of
t h e hydroscopic moisture, causes the de
terioration of the coal, and this cannot
ha W en U th ° C ° a ' iS k ° pt f uU ° f '? t0r '
While the great antiquity . of the hu
man race has been established beyond a
13 impossible to assign any ac
curate date to man’s first appearance upon
earth. ‘In making soundings in the
slimy soil of the Nile valley,” says Pro
feS9or N - Jol L of tho Science Faculty of
Toulouse, “two baked bricks were <lis
covered, one at a depth of twenty, the
other twenty-four yards. If we estimate deposit
the thickness of the annual
formed b y the river at ci S h ‘ inches a
- the of
century, we must assign . to first and
these bricks an age of 12,000 years,
to the gecoad that of 14,000.” By means
of analogous caloulations, Burmeister
73,000 years to have elapsed
since the first appearance of man upon
the soil of Egypt, and Draper attributes
to tho European man who witnessed tho
last glacial epoch an antiquity of more
than 250,000 years.
Soap Eating In the Senate.
A Washington letter to the Kansas
City Times tells this story: Not long ago
Garland hit Butler pretty hard. That is
to say, he got a very good one On him,
and Butler laid for the Senator from Ar¬
kansas. Knowing Garland’s fondness
for candy, some'cubes ho procured of some brown caramels
and also soap,
which, when wrapped in then tissue pa
per, precisely resembled to the eye the
caramels. Butler knew that if he tried
toput ho cubes of soap off on Garland
he would fail, as tho latter was, of course,
on the alert so far as he was concerned.
So N oorhces, of Indiana, who sits next
Tvo^ ^ffire
£ are CUD0S ‘X?Tsoap'T^to °! soap - ’ >o to y^eaflay* j our seat, lay
*hc soap cubes on your desk, eat the gen
mn e caramels, put your trust in Provi
d ence ’ and sav notliino-” no “ uu -' Voorhees > oornees did ui
a , he , was told. . Garland observed the
n i, 0 . ,i desk “ esa - ail aml ,i saw ’mwm.u that Voor- voor
u hees was eating ■ with an evident relish.
<-Hello,” said Garland. “What arc
vou eatimri”
(} ar lind looked ° at thc counterfeits ‘
wistfully for a moment. ,, him, h „
snIt1, Dital.y, as he pickeil °n p. e
Snt«d poppe.l ttepwS tne piece ot of soap soap into into m his javvsanl mioum. mouth.
I here was a crunch.ng of h-s
he saw ho was caught, voorhees watched
him out of the tail of his eye, as did a
dozen others of the old boys bitting
around Garland knew he was under
fire, but he was determined not to flinch.
After chewing his soap for a moment he
looked up at \ oorhccs with the lmimtn
ble air of innocent earnestness that is
characteristic of him, and softly asked:
“ Do you eat many of these things when
you have a cold? As Garland. Kept on
chewing an almost imperceptible s.np ot
tame ^hrmeJ alarmed and went to Hut er. lie
fellow ts actually earing that stu *. fiby
it will kill him, won t tU No o o-o,
f/awied Butler I don t reckon any
thmg w.l kill that man It
^ g
f°»P' and a .,“ 0 cou n d say that b v b» he
J “ J y
... ..... . ... ..
Disappearing RI Ten.
One of thc most singular features in
the scenery of the Territory of Idaho is
the occurrence of dark, rocky chasms,
into which creeks and large streams sud
dcnlv fissureVare disappear and are never more seen.
The old lava channels, pro
d,iced bv the outside of the mass cool
in-r fijy and forming a tube which hai w hen the
stream wiue.xhausted. been left
empty, while the roof of the lava duct,
there having the at some point fallen in, presents
plunges and opening is lest. into which place the along river
At one
the Snake one of these rivers appears
gushing from a cleft high up in basal:ic
walls, where it leaps a cataract into the
torrent below. Where this stream has
its origin, or at what point it isswal
io«ed up, is absolutely unknown, al
though it Is believed that its sources are
:»long way up in Ec north countries.
- - -
The cultivation of a cheerful spirit de
minds ns a brat requisite that the condi
tiona of health be observed. The dejcc
tton that ctntms sympathy on the ground ?
^5"“ ?, ,tio tt v Je/" b'e
Eer j a -<. of ihin^rcedful hvgieaie fans is frequently 'a
dolefS h brigh' to tran-form
man into a and
'
———— -
The whole n im'oer of publications of
the world during the rear 1333 was.
. lf corviing to official accounts sent out
f n , m i.eipzig, 15.4,'4 books, pamphlets,
», c and : p, ( ; ma ps, or 423 books, etc.,
an a 188i. fortx maps more than during thc
rear
FACTS FOR THE CURIOUS.
It is said the poison ivy leaves grow in
clusters of three, and when the leaves
are in clusters of five the plant is harm¬
less.
An old attache of the Washington
capitol says that in former days profes¬
sional speech-writers used to get from
$100 to $350 from Congressman for a
good oration.
The custom of shaving and nicking
the head of a fool is very old. There is
a penalty of ten shillings in one of Al¬
fred’s Ecclesiastical Laws if one oppro
briously 6haves a common man like a
fool.
A missionary, appealing for money to
aid missionary work in Japan, said:
“Food for the Japanese costs about $3
per month and it will probably astonish
clothed, you to learn fed that and a educated Japanese girl can be
for $40 a
year.”
Though the ruins of Babylon examined, have
only recently been-thoroughlv
their existence has long been known.
Benjamin of Tudela speaks of Bors-Nim
rud as the Biblical Tower of Babel, and
this local tradition has been handed down
to the present day. The palace ruins of
the great city have always been readily
recognizable.
Julius Rabble, a farmer who lived near
Somerset, Ky., was instantly killed by a
meteor cutting descending through a tall passed tree,
the limbs off. The ball
through his body from the shoulders earth. ob¬ It
liquely and buried itself in the and
penetrated the eartth several feet,
was dug out by the natives. Tho aero¬
lite was about the size of a teacup.
On the night of December C, 1811,’ thc
Richmond Theatre was crowded by an
audience of about GOO persons, and when
the performance was about half over, a
cry of tiro created a “panic” among the
audience. Nearly seventeen persons
perished in the flames, in which the
house ten minutes after was envelopied.
The elite of Richmond society were in
the building, the and many of them perished. W.
Among victims was George
Smith, lately entered upon his duties as
governor of Virginia, and Abraham B.
Venable, president of the Bank of Vir¬
An aeronaut says that no balloon has
ever gone over a second sunset. The
moment tlie sun goes down the gas con¬
denses and you get through the nigh!
better than the day. But the next day,
in the presence of the sun; the gas ex¬
pands and you mount to great elevations .
but every mount the balloon makes crip¬
ples its power, and it is only a question
of hours, if not minutes, how long haye you
can keep up. If an aeronaut could
forty-eight hours a night he could travel
a great distance. The highest rate of
he had ever attained, with a strong
wind blowing, was eighty miles any
hour.
If a child is so unfortunate as to chop
off one of his fiugers with a meat ax, it
does not follow that he is to remain mu¬
tilated for life. Dr. Fave, of B’inistere,
was called to one whose first finger was
hanging by a small piece of skin. Not
being willing to do surgical work at
night, he nut the finger in place and
braced it with a couple of corset bones.
Next day the finger was doing so days well
he did not disturb it. Iu four
there was evidence of union, in ten days
tiie child could move the finger, and in
a month he was completely cured. No
stitches were used. Dr. Fave thinks that
there is too much hasty surgery.
Condiments,
A brief notice of the various coudi
mcnts or s * ,)ices we use on our tabic or in
our kitche with an account of then
01 .j„; q\c u may nrA b c uninteresting,
mo3 t common is black pepper,
whj(jh the ground ° unr i pe fruit of Pipei
capsicum, cavenne or African peppet
^nert atiJnomm ***
? lus ‘ ard i3 ^ P°P ded fl °Vh
ap ‘ , 3 a i ba 8n d Sinapis negro, which Wh both
, the sarae yellow flour. The
! • that mat obtained ooiaincu nom from the me
geooud , s .ft . ln!I . Nothing is so much
1)f1 ea as muscara. mustard Wheat \\ near flour nour,
heated , , by , the addition of lea peppet
„,„i ““dinm rn i 0 ?,-d adulterSion bv turmeric is the common
medium of of adulteration.
r T- s
Cinnamon is the inner , bark , of , thc .,
s h 00 ts of the cinnamon tree. The bark
0 f t h e cassia is also used.
“i 'r r00t 7
sca |d t .dinboilingwatertopreventgen
erat jo, au d then rapidly dried—this is
black ” ginger. fueled When selected the best
root3 e and dried in the sun,
tbey / are called white ginger. Rice starch,
cxl auste d ginger, brick dust, chalk,
caps l i cum an d mustard are the adultera
tio ns ge ne r aH y fouud.
Nutmeg is the kernel of tlie seed of
mvr j,tic.a ti’ce, and mace is the mtermed
ia f c coat nex t to the nut.
Gloves arc thc unexpanded dried
fl ower buds ofcaryophylata. "essential Sometimes oil has
those from which the
been extracted are sold for the dried
dove
In many 'ground, stores these can be purchased
a i retail, ’ “ for less money than
hfi u nd can be boU ght at whole
^ of course these arc aii more or
less adulterated, and, in many instances,
dangerously Tfic so.
oaiy safe way is (o purchase undoubted your
im-o dealer of
character. It is generally found that
the cheapest stores are not the best¬
Acte York Anal yst.
pra^tialTandwTuIn^ rresiuenuai uiinuanuu,. _
Abraham Lincoln wrote a small, care
ful hand.
The handwriting of General Grant is
easv Andrew to read
Johnson's handwriting seemed was
large and labored. His lingers
all thumbs.
Eachary Tayor wrote with* blunt pen.
with few flourishes and no attempt at
ornamentation. the
John Tyler, next to Garfield, was
best writer among the Presidents. He
wrote a clear, legible, open hand.
Martin van Buren did not like to
write, but when he did sign his name it
was in large, round characters.
Franklin Pierce was the worst writer
of all tbe Presidents. His writing was
not ptty, but it could be easily read
lue handwriting of W i.-rnm Heurv
Harrison was cl :ssrea He was am.not
varied accomp tshmenls and vv.uc m
“ N^o-m would ever bc able Rutherford to counter
f e it the hawlwritlng of R.
Raves He never made the same tetter
the same wav.
' proud of his
1amc3 R u c hanan was
handwriting He prided himself on his
: >,..nctuatioa. spelling and the elegance
,',f Jame/K. his stv'e of composition
Folk made a signature which
ookalike copper plate. Every line of
it is well made, a d there is a flourish
under it which would do honor to a
writing * teacher.
SOME OLD SUPERSTITIONS.
Origin of Clinking Glasses and Ita
gelation to the Souses,
“Do you know,” said an old resident
to a Press reporter, “the significance of
touching glasses and wishing each other
good “No,” health?” the reply.
was
“Well, it’s not so odd after all,” said
the gentleman, laughing, “It is a relic
of a barbarous custom—of feudal times.
It bad its origin in the time long before
the inauguration of the Knights of the
Round Table. Then, when men were at
a feast, the ‘wassail bowl’ used to pass
from mouth to mouth, and it was a huge,
ponderous affair. A man used to take
the cup in his hand, and holding it high
in the air, would pledge mine host in it,
after bringing it to the level of his lips.
By holding it high in the air he would
expose his person to the thrust of an
enemy’s weapon, and we are told by his¬
torians that many a man fell at the table
through this means.”
Seeing that the lis ener was interested,
the old gentleman became warmed up to
the subject, and descanted at length on
the engrossing subject.
“Out of that grew the custom of a man
calling on his next neighbor at the *table
to stand up for him and stand his pledge. sword,
The next neighbor, with drawn
used to protect the body of the drinker,
and stand his pledge. When the
sat down he performed a like service for
him. Hence, to this day, iu certain Eu
ropean countries, the custom and P rev! alt y otigh s °X
the next man standing up, the
the swords are absent custom re
ma ’ n3,
back , the „ original . . , sub- .
“To come to
ject,” he resumed, “the reason why men
clink glasses is a remembrance of the
five senses. That sounds odd doesu t
it? Well, I’ll explain to you. they l ousee, out
I touch my glass to yours; give
sound—that’s hearing, one fe^Uhe sense.
/w- Se the gla8S iQ y f Ur a vn.r y
glasses ,n vibrate under f p the touch! that’s
sense No. 3. Then you touch it to your
lips, at the same time smelling the liquid
it con'ains. Then yon gratify and then two
senses— tasting your’five and smelling,
you have senses—hearing, see
ing, feeling tasting and smelling. Now
you never thought of that before did
you?” said the old gentleman with a
smile of delight at the reporter’s look of
astonishment.
“Do you know that many of our dear
old superstitions are dying out? ’he
asked. This was said with a sigh. But
the old fellow’s eyes soon brightened,
5
fire.
“How well I remember,!’ said the old
gentleman “the superstition of drop
ping a red-hot horseshoe into thc churn
ful of refractory cream, and consulting
the almanic to see if thesigns of the times
were auspicious for the weaning of the
baby, or slaughtering the fattened pig,
or when the golden cow should be
slaughtered. I remember the old bed
side so well.
“Mathew, Mark, Luke and John,
B>blessed tlie bed that I lie on;
One at head, an’one at feet;
And two to keep my soul asleep.
“Then as we used to shoot ap
pie seeds from between our flng
ers, we used to repeat the lines:
“Kernel, come kernel, hop over my thumb,
And tell me which way my true love will
East, west*north or south
Kernel, jump into my true love’s mouth.
“Then we used to believe, as Dorset
tells us. that white specks on the finger
nails indicated gifts, adding the
rhyme:
“Gifts on thumb, sure to linger.” come,
Gifts on finger, sure to
The old gentleman recited many of
tbe old superstitions that he bad heard
m Germany and Sweden, and gave
an interesting account of many of
them.
“In some times and countries,” he
said, “a cat show like the recent one in
Boston would be regarded with horror,
In Italy and 8p;un, even sow, such a
gathering would be regarded diabolical as a meet- bust
mg of witches on some
ness intent. A Tuscan believes when a
man desires death the evil one is passiag
before his eyes in the form of some
feline. The cat was created by Diana,
and Ovid relates that her form was ap
preprinted by that fair goddess in a
fiio-ht from the Titans. Now, the ques
tion has often been asked about thc day
Df the week a child is born
Dn. Here is the rhyme I learned in my
youth:
Sunday’s child ne’er lacks in in place;
Monday's child is fair face;
Tuesday’s child is full of grace;
Ttmn+laris child is ’loving “and'glad; giving;
Friday’s child is loving shall work and for living.
Saturday’s child a
“I could give you a volume on these
old superstitions,” said the old gentle
man, “but I have not the time at pres
ent .—Newark {N. J.) Press*
WORDS OF WISDOM.
The world is a book, the language of
which is unintelligible to many people,
Have the courage to wear your old
clothes until you can pay for new oues.
No man ever offended his own con¬
science, but first or last it was revenged
on him for doing it.
If the keynote of all your conduct to
others had its spring in a discourtesies. tine self rever
ence, there would be no
OMy the true man can really be brave.
only thc righteous man walk through the
darkness ami r ace with a s-rene soul the
Jan Hfa
a shall never cease t»lkir«r S
about , small sacrifices he makes, but ht he
is a great man who can sacnuce every
thing and say noth.ng
It pays best in the midst of the great
cst preoccupations to keen in hand con
tinually a certain reserve of time which
is not absolute,y set apart for any ap
pointed task.
The only way to shine, even in this
false world, is to he modest aid unas
suming. Falsehood may be a thick crust,
but in course of tune truth will find a
place to break through.
Talk about tho-e subjects you have
h *d loire in vour mind and listen to
what others say about subjects vou have
tu died but recently. Knowledge and
ti m':>er shou d not bc mu* used rib they
are scasoned .
He that has never changed any of hi
opinions has never corrected any of his
mistakes, and he who was never wise
enough to find out any mistakes in him
« lU assuredly not bc eliar.table
enongh to excuse what he reckons mis
*•*-»»» ©thert.
Enthusiasm is the glow of the soul;
enthusiasm is thc lever by which men
are raised -. above the average level and
enterprise, and become Capa 4e of go, d
ness and benevolence, which, but for it
would be qelte impossible. ’
POSTAL POINTS.
Important to All Persona Who Tic
Hu Mails..
Books, pamphlets and music can bc
sent at third-class rates.
The postage on a pair of boots would
be at the rate of one cent an ounce.
No valuable package should ever be
mailed unless it is registered. Don’t
forget this.
Tea, coffee, sugar and kindred articles
can be mailed at the rate of one cent aa
ounce.
Clothing is classed as merchandise and
can be mailed only at the rate of one cent
an ounce.
Never write an address on a letter or
any kind of a package intended fbr mail¬
ing in a careless manner.
Wedding-cake can only be mailed
when packed in a tin or wooden box.
Confectioneries the same.
A book presented for mailing with a
letter attached to it would subject the
entire package to letter rates.
Send no cash money by mail. It is
much safer and cheaper in thc long run
to buy a money order or postal note.
Matter inclosed in a sealed envelope,
though the coiners may be cut or the
ends notched, is subject to letter rates,
If you wanted to scud a suit of clothes
b y mail which weighed six pounds you it.
would have to make two packages of
Liquids, poisons, explosives and in
flammable articles are not received for
61 n0 ma tter how carefully wrap
pe(J _
Chromos, engravings, or lithographs
belong to the third class, and can be
sent at tbe ra ^ e 0 f two ounces for one
cen j
Photographic and autographic albums
are classed as merchandise, and postage
j g cba ,g ed a t the rate of one cent an
ovmce<
Animals, reptiles, live or dead (not
stuffed), insects, except queen bees when
safe J secured, are excluded from the
mal •
An unclaimed postal-card though is not his ad- re¬
turned to the writer, even
dress is given upon it, but is sent to the
Lead-better office.
Letter-heads, bill-heads, and envel
opes, blank or printed, are charged a3
| merchandise, and postage must be paid
at the rate of one cent an ounce.
| A postal . cai . d ; g no t mailable with any
J writil , °the ( , 01 . printing on the with address anything side,
exce p t address, nor other side.
te(i or p i nne d to the
a—-tea-**
The dead-letter office is a monument
! to the carelessness and stupidity of the
j American people. The average number
j of letters received there daily is about
j 15,000. Every business should return
man use
request envelopes in all his correspond- the
ence . if everybody used them
dead-letter office would soon wind up ita
business. forwarded in the
A newspaper is not
ma ;[ g unless postage p ««c?.b„tc..fcs. is fully prepaid, b. so
d».-. ! ui n k, : ,
attaching a one cent stamp when two
are required.
postal cards are handled with as much
care and promptness in the matter of
j despatch and delivery as though they
were letters, even though the matter
thereon is printed.
Thire and fourth class matter can be
mailed iu the same package, pounds provided iu weight, it
does not exceed four
j but it subjects the entire package to
fourth-class rates,
Don't forget that all parcels deposited that
for mailing must be so wrapped
they can be examined without destroy
jug the wrapper, otherwise letter rates
of postage are charged,
There are thousands of little articles
J now sent j,y express which can be more
j j safely, quickly, and carefully fee i3 carried only ten by
ma ;j r registered. the The postage.
i cen j s j n addition to
j ^ r j tten visiting cards are regarded a*
j , firat . c } ass matter and subject to letter
rateg , f / inted they can lte sent at thc
^ q[ on cent for each two ounces; that
1 i 3 jf the card is of an embellished design, °
. present of book it .
j In making a a ts
permissible to write an inscription or
dedication upon the cover or one of the
blank leaves, but it must not contain
anything that partakes of personal cor-
Any person who sends money or jew¬
elry in an unregistered letter not only
runs the risk of losing his property but
places needless temjitation before persons
who might not otherwise be templed to
commit a felony.
In all your correspondence, wherever it
can be done, give the street and number
as we jj as county and State. This saves
much time and is a sure preventive better against
errors ot delivery. It is much to
s nell the name of the State in full.
A box with its lid nailed on is held as
being closed against inspection and is
therefore subject to letter rates. Post
masters have no right to pry open such a
they “ ox iUld had tlle the “ na right , il ** U to P a do S aln so, - they have ‘ ^
uot 1 e tlme '
A tax bill, a receipt, an abstract of
title, a power of attorney, a promissory
note, mortgage, a draft or check, can¬
celled checks, coupons, an invoice bill, a
statement, a pension voucher, a tele
graphic dispatch, writing a bank note, is subject or any
document with upon it
to \ e ttei tales .—United States Mail
Th? Price of Food.
The Amenc.m Grocerpublnshe. some
lntere s tln ff. s,a t.t s,l c=i obtatned from rts
own fi fil_ea, . showing the change in whoie
sale prices of food products since the
year 1870. Prior to 1370 the governed prices m
domestic markets were gold, largely
by the premium on .luce
year al prices have been gold prices.
The following exhibit shows, in a g
eral way, the eourse of prices of lea'mg
arac.es:
1S70. 3S79. iSSL
Gf. nutated s-war 13 5 7 i
Crashed sugar"... 14 9 6)4 9U
l. 0 ff r c ;.'.;.'' U 7 .
n . e a 5 5.^ 19
Kira........ ev 5 a 4 \
>t ess pork...... * 26 as $9 5 1 f -2 *25
Bunw"::;::":: 15)4 €5*1 6. SO
3-J 1.-.TO 20
i hcsc ........... !•« T .30 12.25
........ 29 2S 28
8.50 5.50 4 50
," belt ....... 1 20 1 !3 S3
r.--; 3 30 4 42 2 SO
1 <K) 4* 59
t ran d pca.hra. S 50 2 45 1 S3
1 30 15
Oamcd 1 S-2 1 17 1 i7
.
The most noticeable point in the Qro
rer'* investigations It is the steadiness
of the prices .animal food (meat pro
ducts) in the face of tbe general decline
m agricultural products.
-------
Educate all the faculties and propen
sities of children; but, above all, sec
’-hat thc conscience, the b dance-wheel of
the moral svstem. is trained unto positive jrerfect
accord with the principles of
truth and absolute justice. J