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Death and Life.
"Under the roots of tho roses,
Down in tho dark, rich mold,
The dust of mV denr one reposes,
Like a spark which night incloses,
When the ashes of tho day are cold.”
**\£Jnder the awful wings
Which brood over land and soa,
And whose shadows nor lift nor flee—
This is the order of things,
And bath been from of old;
First production,
And last destruction;
So the pendulum swings,
While cradles are rocked and bells are
tolled."
“Not under the roots of the roses,
But under the luminous wings
Of the King of kings
The soul of my love reposes,
With the light of morn in her oyev
Whore the Vision of Life discloses
Life that sleeps not nor dies.”
“Under or over the skies
What is it that never dies?
Spirit—if such there be—
Whom no one hath seen nor heard,
Wo do not acknowledge thee;
For, spoken or written word.
Thou art but a dream, a breadth;
Certain is nothing but Death!”
—[R. H. Stoddard, in Independent.
A DIFFERENCE IN MEN.
“There’s such a difference in mon,”
said Carry Vinall.
But,” sagely suggested her mother,
“looks are only skin deep. And if it
comes to that, Salah Brown is a hand*
somer man than Folix Graydon."
“Ah,” nodded Carry, “but Mr.
Graydon is so stylish! IIo wears his
very collar differently—aad look at the
cut of his clothes!'
“Caroline,” said her mother, solemn
ly, “I have no paticnco with you.
Stand up before me, and let me look at
you.”
“What for, mother?”
“Stand up, I say, and let me look at
you 1” reiterated Mrs. Viaal, a shrewd,
elderly woman, with keen blue eye3
and three horizontal wrinkles actoss
her forehead, and Carrio, much won
dering, obeyed.
“Humph!” commented Mrs. Vinall,
after a brief survey. “Dirk blue eyes,
nothing much out of tho common; a
little pug nose, nice teeth, and a lot of
fluffy, yellow hair, which would look
tidier if you combed it into a flat knot
at tho back of your head. What is
thero about you, I’d liko to know, that
two young mon ordinarily sensible
should lose their heads about you. ?”
“Mother, what strange things you do
say!” giggled Curry, sinking back into
her chair once more.
“And do you know, child,’’ went on
Mrs. Vinall, that you are plnying with
the most important interests of your
lifof There’s nothing that can possibly
be so much to you as a good husband.
Why don’t you make up your mind
about it?”
“I—don’t knowl” hesitatod Carry,
biting her pink finger nails.
“Thon set yourself about knowing,”
admonished Mrs. Vinall, tartly. “I
can’t live forever, you must compre
hend, and you’ve loitered your way up
in life after such a fashion that you
can’t possibly earn your living by your
self. And if you don’t marry now,
while yonr good looks last—3uch as
they are—I’m sure I don’t know what
will become of you! ’ i,
Mrs. Vinall spoke with a roguish
sparkle in her eyes, although her lips
were wreathed with grave solemnity.
Carry caught up her bonnet and ran
out of tho room.
“Fm not going to stay here to bo
lectured any more,” said she, laughing
in spite of herself. “I’ll go to the vil
lage after some more salmon-pink wool
to finish my shawl.”
“And you may stop at Bridge’s,”
added her motlior, “and get mo a
package of matches, and half a pound
of Oolong tea, and some choose.”
“Tho prettiest little creature in tho
country,” sho added to herself, with
true maternal pride, as shewatclol
Carry go tripping down tho lane; “and
if I could only seo her woll settled in
life I shouldn’t care how soon tho good
Lord took me away. But Ido wish sho
would find it in hor heart to fancy
Selah Brown, he’s such a good, sub
stantial youig man. Fotlx Graydon
may have citified airs about him, but
I doubt if, in the long run, he’ll wash
and wear as woll as tho other one."
And so Mrs. Vinall went down stairs
to her pretty rustic occupation of skim
ming cream, in a cool, stone-floored
dairy, where the light sifted in through
a screen of quivering woodbine leaves,
aad tho milk-pans shone as if they were
made of hammered silver, instead of
commonplace tin.
Such a golden, sultry midsummer
day as it was! Who would ever have
supposed that it would change into that
flerce, sudden storm?
Mrs. Vinal was standing on tba door*
step looking up at the sky from uuder
her shading hand, when Felix Graydon
came sauntering along tho quiot conn—
! try road, a sort of modern Adonic
“Looks liko a storm,” said ho, care
lessly.
At the same moment Selah Brown
jumped on the fence, in his working
dress, with something in his hand.
“1'vo found a whip-poor-will’s no»-
for Carry, Mrs. Vinall,” said he. “I
nearly stopped on it when I was cutting
the grass on the north side of the big,
oblong meadow. Sho has always
wanted one for hor collection. There
it was, right close to tho ground —just
a tangle of sticks and atoms.”
“Ye’,” said Mrs. Vinall, absently,
“Carry’ll bo awfully pleased. Just lay
it on tho window-sill, Solah, please;
it’ll bo safe there. I do wonder whore
she is?”
“Whore Carry is?” repeated Brown.
“In the house, isn’t she?”
‘‘No. She went down to the village
for some pink wool and matches and
things an hour or more ago, and I'm
only afraid she’ll bo on tho way homo
now, without a sign of an umbrella or
a cloak, or anything but a white muslin
scarf.”
“Just hand mo an umbrella out of
tho house!” criod Selah Brown, with
alacrity. “I’ll run back to tho meadow
for my coat ia half a minute, and go to
meet hor.”
“That won’t bo necessary,” curtly
interposed Mr. Graydon. “I’ve a silk
sun-umbrella here, and I’ll bring Miss
Carry back all right.”
Ho walkod hurriedly on, but Selah
Brown still hold out his hand to Mrs.
Vinall.
“The umbrolla, please,” said he.
“It’s hardly worth while, the two of
you going," said Mrs. Vinall.
“I’m going after Carry, or I'll know
the reason why 1 ’ said Selah, in a reso
lute voice.
And Mrs. Vinall gave him the um
brella, without a word of further pro
test.
Ho hurried back to the field for his
coat, and struck into tho high road by
a short cut at very noarly the point
which Mr. Foiix Graydon'had reachod.
And from that point they walked on
together, yet separated by the width of
the high road, occasionally darting
belligerent glances at each other, and
never exchanging a friendly word.
Both wero good walkors; both woro
determined to be the first to rescuo
pretty Carry Vinall from the coming
tempest
Just about half way to tho village,
however, as they neared a desolate old
brick houso, mildewed with too much
shade and evergreen’, with tangled
vinos, on which “To Let” had hung so
long that it was popularly supposed to
bo a part of tho mural decoration,
the rain camo down in dizzying sheets,
tho thur.dor rolled, and a vivid dart of
lightning shone for a second beforo
their eyes, as it scemod to bury itself in
tho ground.
In tho sam3 moment thoy saw Carry
Vinall’s face at the opea door of tho
old brick house, her hand beckoning to
them. *
“She has taken refuge there—there,
of all placos ia the world l” hoarsely
cried Graydon, breaking the spell of
silence which had reigned so long be
tween them. ‘Hold on, Brown 1 Do
you know what they’re using tho brick
houso for now? She don’t, that's very
evident 1”
“Yes, I do,” said Brown. “Old
Mills is storing his powder thero for tho
blasting in Dovor Rocks."
“Don’t go near'tho place!” shouted
Graydon. “Didn’t you hear her mother
say that sho had a lot of matches with
her? Matchc. 1 in a powder magazine!
and with a thunder-storm liko this rat
tling overhead 1 Call to her; tell her
to come out here to us I”
“She couldn’t hear you if you shout
ed to her with a boatswain’s trumpet I”
retorted Brown.
“Man alivol" roared Graydon, in
stinctively putting out his haad to stop
the other, “do you want to bo blown into
the middle of tho next field? Did you
sco that last flash of lightning?”
And ho fairly took to his heels, hur
rying down tho road which led to tho
distant village, without even pausing to
look behind.
Selah Brown glanced aftor him with
a countonance of infinite contempt.
“I always thought he was a poltroon,”
he muttered. “Now, I am sure of it.”
Ho jumped the fence like a young
deer, and hastened, with long stride,
to the old brick house.
“Oh, ia it you?" said Carry,not with
out a sudden shadow of disappointment
in her face. “It’s very good of you to
come for me, I’m sure. But I thought—”
“You thought you saw Graydon,”
interposed Browa. “Well, you did,
but he has an engagement in tho oppo
site direction. I’m sorry I am tho wrong
one. But come, Carry 1”
“Out in that rain—certainly notl”
said tho village bonuty, with an air of
decision. “Lot us stay hero until it is
over. It’s a musty old place, I know;
but the roof is water-tight, and—■"
“And there’s your parcel, Curry.
Come 1 ’’
Ho took an oblong paper package
from her grasp, and then drow the un
willing little hand uador his arm with
gentle force.
‘‘But I shall got all wotl” she do
dared, still hanging back.
“Carry,” he said, “do you know
where your aro?”
“Ia tho old brick house, to-be-sure 1’’
sho answAed.
“You are in a powder magazino. And
your lifo may perhaps depend upon tho
distance which we can place between
ourselves and this dangorous place,” ho
addod, in a deep voice, as another shoot
of bluo lightning blazed and vanished
beforo their eyes.
Sho was quick to comprehend tho
awful peril which surrounded them—
quicker still. to hasten out into tho
driving tempost, clinging convulsively
to his arm tho whiie.
“And you—you came here to rescue
me?” sho faltered.
“Do you think I could stand calm
ly by and sco yon exposed to peril liko
his?"
“But Felix Graydon ’’
“Felix Graydon thought of hlmsoV
only. Felix Graydon is a thorough
paced puppy 1 ’ calmly observed Brown.
Not until thoy wore almost home did
Carry Vinall speak again.
“It don’t rain so much now,” sho
said, with a long, shuddering sigh.
“Do you think wo need walk quite so
fast?"
“Am I hurrying you too much, Carry?
Why didn’t you say so?”
“Oh, it isn’t that; but Solah—’’
His eyes softened into sudden light.
Ho liked to hear his quaint old Biblo
name pronounced by those cherry-ripe
lip3 in so winning a fashion.
“Yes, Carry?”
“You said just now—a littlo wliilo
ago—”
And then she paused.
“I said whaf, Carry?'
“You said that you wore sorry you
wore the wrong one.”
“Yes, Carry.”
‘‘But, Selah, you aro not the wrong
one,” murmured Carry, with her cheek
close to his wet coatsleeve. “You aro
tho right one 1”
“Carry, my darling, do you mean
it?”
“Yc9, I do menu it! ’ cried out tho
girl. “Aftor the way Folix Graydon
has behaved today, I never want to soo
his face again. Ho is a coward—;
mean-spirited coward ! H > would have
fled away, to secure his own salety, and
left mo to perish in that horrible death
trap. But you—oh, Selah!—you aro a
hero!’’
“My darling, I did nothing that any
other man woul i not have done.”
“Then Folix Graydon isn’t a man;
ho is only a curl” fiercely declared
Carry.
The storm rolled, away into tho black
ening cast, the old powder magazine
escaped destruction for tho once, but
Carry Vinall’s fato was definitely set
tled.
When Mr. Craydon called ho received
a curt “Not at home I” and Mrs. Vinall’s
shrewd face was full of satisfaction.
“Carry has chosen woll,” she said.
“After all, sho was right. Thero is a
difference in men!”—[Siturday Night.
A New Use for Lemons.
“If you ever use lemons,” remarked
ono housewife to a lady friend, “and
havo a portion of one left over, bo sure
you do not throw it away.” “I am
never without them in tin houso, as I
always use them for flavoring, but of
wlint uso are pieces?”
“Just this. Tho next timo you think
you havo done with a lemon ju t dip it
in salt and rub your copper lcettlo or
stewpan with it. You will bo surprised
to find what a brilliant surface you will
obtain if you rub tho article instantly
with a dry, soft cloth. You can polish
all brass work by tho same means, every
stain disappearing as if by magic. A
moldy lemon put into a dirty saucepan
half full of water and boiled for half
an hour cleanses the utensil amazingly
and removes any odor such a3 fish or
onions. Try it and sec if I am not
right."—[Mail aid Expross.
Doctor—IljWareyqu, today? Pa-
tient—I am getting along very well
now; I think tho medicino that Dr.
Kay prescribed, just about counteracted
tho influence of yours.
FRONTIER HOTELS.
Dinner-time Scenes in a Rough-
and-Ready Mining Town.
Table Etiquette In Pretentious
ly-named Hotels.
It is not generally known, porhsp9,
that the casual visitor to a mining town
may take his choice, when tho mid-day
dinner hour arrives, from a positively
staitling array of famous hostslries. He
may, if ho will, tuck his attenuate sil
ver-knobbed umbrella under his arm,
thrust his monocle into his loft eye,
turn up his London-made trousers, and
stroll down tho main street undecided
whether to bestow his patronage upon
Delmonico’s, the Cafo Brunswick, tho
Maison Dorce, Parkor’s or the Fifth
Avenue. He is likely to see all o/ them
if he passes in review tho entire list.
It is quite immaterial upon
which establishment his choice finally
falls. If he elects to associate with the
upper classes ho may probably decide
to pay seventy-fivo cents or a dollar for
his repast, or ho may economize to the
extent of a quarter of a dollar and dine
for fifty cents at some comparatively
unfashionnblo resort. In either event
he is likely'to sit between flannel-clad
persons with the stain of gold-bearing
mud upon their garments, slouch hats
upon their heads, and an inexhaustible
supply of rough-and-ready Saxon in
their speech.
In tho higher priced establishments,
patronized by engineers, superintend
ents and transient capitalists, a portion
of tho guests may see fit to remove their
hats while seated, but, as in tho British
House of Commons, it is not considered
particularly good form to do so.
One experience of a promonado en
habit, as it wore, on tho way to the
principal thoroughfare, is enough to
send a sensitive soul to the noarost
placo where he can procure a pair of
miner’s boots wherein to conceal the
lower portion of his trousers, a felt hat
and some kind of a coat not conspicuous
lor its fashionable cut. Then when
clad moro in accordance with local
style ho is tolerably certain to come in
for a tharc of good-Dntured guyiag on
the part of miners off duty; but if ho is
possessed of a fair aharo of tact nn4 a
goodly stock of dark-huod but inex
pensive cigars, brought from tho East
lor gratuitoui distribution, he will soon
find himself treated with merited con
sideration.
When the twelve-o’clock whistle blows
at tho stamping-mill tho “day shift”
cheerlully throws down its tools and
makes a rush en masso for tho hotel
centres, whence promptly upon tho
stroke of twelve there arise a clanging
of bells, a tooting of horns, a tinkling
of triangles, stentorian oral invitations
to dine, and in short all the devices for
attracting attention and consequent
ducats that tho ingenuity or the re
sources of tho proprietor ,can com
mand.
In view of the necessarily limited ta
ble room, promptness and energy are at
a premium during the first minutes of
the dinner hour, for your miner likes to
enjoy his smoke, and mayhap his grog,
before going to his afternoon work, and
there is a choice of seats. Often there
is a deal of good-natured horse-play ia
the opening scramble, but it is rare
that anything sorious ensues, though
there aro plenty of deadly weapons
openly worn in almost any of tho table
groups that one may soo.
A considerable proportion of the
miners prefer to keep bachelors’ hall,
and enjoy the select eocioty of their
own cabins; but in gonoral somo kind
oi a combination is eventually formed
whereby tho services of a cook are
secured, and under proper management
such “mosses” are usually more satis
factorily served than at such rival
hotels as aro afforded by the averago
mining town ia its rudimontary stages
of development.—[Harper’s Weekly.
The World’s Way.
‘•This is pretty hard Luckl" cried
tho Prisoner, as ho leaned against the
iron grating of his coll. “Hero, for a
trifling Theft, I havo lost the Goodwill
ot my Friends, and all tho World looks
on me with Contempt.”
“Ah!” returned the Experienced
Roporter; “if you wanted Help and
Sympathy, you should have committed
some Great Crime.” — [Puck.
Elementary Mathematics.
Teacher: Tommy, what is half of
eight?
Pupil: Sideways or top?
Teacher: What do you mean?
Pupil: Why, half from the top of 8 is
0 and half sideways is 3.
Quaint “Bully the Wizard.”
In the north end of Dolawure county,.
Ind., is now to bo found ouo of tho >
most eccentric and mysterious charac
ters in America. He is known as
‘ Bully tho Wizard.” Nobody knows
him by any othor name, lie claims to
be sixty-four yoars ol'd, and has been in
those parts at intervals during the last
thirty-five years. Bully has no relatives
in tho world. Tho most diligent' in
quiries hove foiled to discover anything
about his history, ns he declines to give_
any information himself. The wizard
makes his living by fortuac-telliag, and
many people implicitly believe that he
has occult powers. Storios ore related
about his wondorful predictions. Bully
has travoled all over the world, but he
has never rode On a horso, in a wagon
or on the cars; Tho only conveyance
he has ever usod was the steamship •
which carried him across tho ocean.
Sometimes he will disappear from this
locality for two or threo yoars at a time,
but always turns up again when least
expected.
“Bully the Wizard,” has a romark-
able “charm string." It is 203 feet
long and is composed of shells, old
coins, snake rattlos, and buttons in end- -
loss variety. The string when coiled
has a diameter of six feet. Tho charm
weighs 300 pounds. Bully has his
whole life centred in this charm string,
which ho treasures above everything on
earth. £!ome timo ago ho was offered
$1000 for tho curiosity, but ref usod it.
When he realized that his string had
pecuniary value, the wizard buried it in
a box in a deserted gravel' pit, and then
departed on one of his excursions.
About throe months ago the County
Commissioners authorized tilts construc
tion of a free gravel road, and a com—
mittfeo was apppointed to prospect the
gravel.
In examining the old pit tho charmi
string was found and placod in the care
of Mr. Saannon, the friend of the
wizard. Bully is now^eagugod ia mak
ing another charm, which he claims
will bo moro marvellous than tho othor
one, which he was forty-iix yoars con
structing.
In telling fortunes ha uses a wire
filled with beads, which he places over
the head of tho subject, and after taking
the measurement places tho wire on his-
own head. The strange man lived four
years among Shoshono Indians iu Wy
oming and is familiar with tho customs
and languages of all tho tribes. Hie
porsonal appearanco is striking. He
wears knee breeches, with short jacket.
A skull cap, with a long tassel behind,
covers his head. He has a mustncbo
and board. It is said that he has been
in ovary town of 5000 inhabitants and
over in tho United States and Canada,
always traveling on foot.—[Chicago
Tribune.
Tho Key of the Nile.
Oao of the strangest facts m that land
or marvel’, Central Africa, is tho power
which tho dwellers on tho head waters
of tho Nile have over tho people who
livo along its lower course. Tho very
existence of the Egyptians depends
largely upon the annual overflow of the
ancient river, which alono fertilizes
their fields. This year tho flood has
been much loss than usual, and it is
supposed that tho followers of F.t Mahdi,
far up the river at Khartoum, havo
diverted a part of the stream into the
sandy deserts. Sir Samuel Biker, tho
English explorer, says it would bo pos
sible, by damming the Nile at this
point, to turn it entirely into the Red
Soo, and leave Egypt to starve.
Nor is the Madlii tho only magnate
who possesses this power. .According
to Mr. Stanley, Victoria Nyanza, the
great lako from, which tho stream of
the Nilo issues i3 on a plateau like an
inverted basin, and could bo mudo to
trickle over at almost any point, In
nino months the King of Uganda could,
if ho pleased, make the Nile run dry by
draining the lako to tho westward.
It must be an unpleasant reflection
for tho Egyptian farmer to know that
his only water supply is liable to bo
turned off at any timo. —[Argosy.
The Formor Capital of Japan.
One of tho great attractions of Nars
is tho gigantic figuro of Buddah,
cast ia bronze, tho largest in Japan,
and something liko fifty-throe feet
high; tho dignity of tho figuro, as. 11
sits with folded hand’, as if in dooj;
contemplation, conveys a sonso of rest
and peace and is most impressive as i
work of art. Tho beauty of tho tem
ples consists in the minute finish o:
every detail—in the carving ol screens,
the panels, tho doorways, tho work os
the gates and gables, the bronzes, doc-
orations and finish of every intorioi
gateway, some of them famous all ovei
the country for their design and pat
tern.—[Boston Transcript.