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l HUMAN NATURE.
If life were not bo ead a thing,
Who then could think of being merry 1
If God’s will would bear altering,
His plans we should not try to vary I —
Were we once free from pain and care,
We straight would sook some cross to boar!
H upon love a seal wore set,
How many seals would then bo broken 1
If gentle speech were hard to get,
. < How many kind words would bo spoken I—
If heaven wore once doniod us all,
How wo should then to heaven call 1
—Mary A. Mason, in Youth's Companion.
A FEMALE CRUSOE,
On the 20th day of October, A. D.
1871, the trading schooner Little King
sailed out of the port of Singapore,
bound for the Kinderoou Islands, to tho
north, and only one of her crew was ever
again met with. For five years before
tho schooner had belonged to and been
commanded by Captain Ezra Williams,
an American from Sun Francisco. lie
traded between Singapore and Sumatra,
Java, Borneo and the smaller islauds of
■the Java Sea, and in May, 1871, died at
Singapore of fever. Ho had then been
married for three years to an English
tyoman, whose maiden name was Dan-
forth, who had been a domestic in an.
an English family in Singapore. She had
accompanied him in all his voyages, and
had secured much experience and infor
mation. As she could not readily dis
pose of the schooner, she determined to
continue iu the business, acting as her
own supercargo.
Mrs. Williams secured an Englishman
named Parker as captain, another named
Hope as mate, and with three Mnlays be
fore the mast and a Chiuesc cook, and
with about $7000 in specie in the cabin,
she sailed away on her first voyage, and
it was four years later before she was
again heard of. The purpose of this
narrative is to chronicle her adven
tures in the interim, as I had it from her
own lips.
While it was a bit queer to start on a
voyage with a woman virtually in com
mand of the craft, Mrs. Williams had
nothing to fear from her crew. The
officers were good navigators, and the
men willing, and all were anxious for a
profitable voyage. She had no complaints
to make until tho islands had been
reached. The group lies between the
Malay Peninsula and the island of Bor
neo, about 100 miles oil the coast of the
former, and from 250 to 300 miles from
Borneo. There are nineteen islauds in the
group, covering a length of 120 miles by
about forty broad. There are only seven
or eight which are inhabited, and at the
time of which I write the people were a
lawless sef, and a share of them out-and-
pirates. The products were dried fish,
sea shells, cocoanuts, dye stuffs, various
herbs and roots for medicinal purposes,
and several sorts of spices. The schooner
had been there once before and made a
profitable trip of it. She had clothing,
powder, shoes, axes, and a great variety
of notions, and where none of these were
wanted she paid cash.
On the trip the schooner worked to
the northward and made her stop at the
Island of Quewang, being the third one
from the northernmost island of the
group. She met with a cordial reception,
and at once began bartering for and re
ceiving cargo. She was anchored in a
sheltered bay, within 500 feet of the
beach, and had been there five days be
fore anything occurred to arouse Mrs.
Williams’s suspicions that all was not
right. She then observed that the entire
crew were drinking deeply of a native
liquor which the natives were supplying
in a liberal manner, and that some'of the
fellows were becoming impudently
familiar. When the Captain was spoken
to he laughed at her idea of trouble and
promised better things, but the drinking
continued. On the afternoon of the
peventh day several women came off in
the canoes. One of them, who could
speak English pretty fairly, was pre
sented with some ornaments by Mrs.
Williams, and in return she hinted to her
that it was the intention of the natives to
capture and loot the schooner that night.
They had discovered that there was a
large sum of money on board, and they
had found the crew an easy one to
handle. The native woman hadn’t time
nor opportunity to say much, but no
sooner had the crowd of natives left the
schooner at dusk, as was their custom,
than Mrs. AVilliams set out to sound the
alarm. Imagine her feelings when she
discovered that every single man on
board, from Captain to cook, was so
much under the influence of liquor as to
be unable to comprehend her words. She
doused them with sea water and pounded
them with belaying pins, but nil to no
purpose. The entire lot were stupidly
drunk, just as the natives had planned
for.
It was a perilous situation for the
woman to be placed in. If the natives
captured tho schooner they would
murder every one of the crew as a natural
sequence, and the first step toward
capturing her had already been taken.
The step she took showed sound judg
ment. The schooner’s yawl was down,
having been in almost hourly use. The
native village was about forty rods back
from the beach, and as tho schooner
swung to the ebb tide she presented her
broadside to tho village. When the
yawl was pulled around to the port side
she was out of sight. Mrs. Williams’s
first act was to step the mast; her next
to supply the craft with provisions and
water. There were an unusual number
of lights burning in tho village, showing
that something was on foot, but she had
no fear of an attack until a later hour.
Tho natives would wait until certain that
all the people were helpless.
Mrs. Williams had determined to slip
away from the doomed craft in the yawl,
although she had no experience in the
management of a small boat. After
water and provisions she brought up all
her money, wlii<eh was in boxes she could
handle. Not a penny of it was left be
hind. There was a rifle, revolver and
double-barreled shotgun belonging to
her husband. These she took, togethci
with powder, shot and fixed ammunition.
Then she gathered up all her bedding
and clothing, took three or four sparo
blankets, two suits of clothes belonging
to the officers, and when those were hi
the boat she took pots, paus, dishes
and cutlery, bundled up a lot of
carpenter's tools, secured two axes, a lot
of small rope, several pieces of canvas,
and, in brief, loaded tho yawl with
whatever was portable and handy, in
cluding tho clock, compass, quadrant,
sextant aud a lamp and four gallons of
oil. She worked for upward of two
hours getting these things into the
boat, and the last’articles taken aboard
wore meat, Hour, beans, tea aud other
provisions from the lazaretto.
It wm about ton o’clock when Mr*. (
Williams took her seat in the yawl and |
cost off from tho schooner, and tho tide
at onco drifted her out of the bay and
to tho north. The only thiug of conso-
quence she had forgotten was a chart of
the Java Sea, which she could linvo put
her hand on at a minnto’s notice, and it
was the wnnt of this which made a Cru-
soo of her for several yoars. As the
yawl went to sea after its own fashion,
Mrs. Williams lost the points of the
compass at once. Indeed, had slio kept
them in mind, it would have been of no
benefit just then, as she had not studied
tho chart and could not have told which
way to steer to reach another group or
the main land. Hlio heard nothing
whatever from tho natives, but several
years later it was ascertained that they
did not board the 3chooncr until mid
night. Tho men, all of whom ivere still
drunk and asleep, were stripped and
tossed overboard to drown, and then tho
absence of tho woman and her money
was discovered. Five or six native
crafts waif at once sent in pursuit, while
the people who remained looted the
schooner of everything of value to
them, and then towed her out to deep
water and scuttled her to hido the evi
dences of their crime.
After drifting threo or four ruile3 out
to sea the yawl got a light breeze, aud
after a few trials tho woman learned
how to manage the sail and lay a course.
Slj£> had no idea which way she was
hc'ad&g, but rau off before tho breeze,
and kept going all night and until mid-
afternoon next day. She must have passed
the island of Upnong in tho early morn
ing, but so far to tho westward that she
could not seo it. Tho wind hauling at
midforenoou altered her course by sev
eral points, aud the northernmost island
of the group named Poillo was thus
brought in line. Tho island is seven
miles long by threo in width at its
widest part, and well wooded and
watered. Tne woman landed on the
east side, at the mouth of a creek which
forms a snug little harbor. She was
convinced that this was one of the is
lands of the Kinderoon group, but she
did not know that it was the most north
erly one. By consulting tho compass
she got the cardinal points, but not hav
ing’studied the chart she could not say
in what direction any other laud lay.
She had seen the sails of two traders that
morning, but as they were native crafts
she had every wish to avoid them. The
boats which were sent in pursuit of her
must have taken another cousrc, as she
saw nothing of them.
When Mrs. Williams lauded on the
island she had no idea of stopping there
for more than a day or two, or until she
could decide on some plan. She had
scarcely gone ashore when a gale came
up which lasted about thirty hours, dur
ing which the yawl was so damaged that
she must undergo repairs. She unloaded
her goods on the shore, covered them
from the weather, aud then set out to ex
plore tho island, pretty well satisfied
that it was inhabited, and hoping, if it
was, that her money might secure as
sistance. Before night she was
satisfied that she was nil alone, and she
made a shelter out of the blankets, and
slept the night away as peacefully as if
in her cabin on the schooner. Next day
she exchanged her apparel for a man’s
suit and began the erection of a hut. In
a grove about 200 feet from the beach
she erected a shelter, 10x20 feet, which
withstood the storms of almost four
years. While the sides consisted of can
vas aud poles, the roof was thatched
with a long grass which she found on the
island in abundance.
It took the women about a week to
construct her hut aud move her stores
into it, and this bad scarcely been done
when her boat, owing to carelessness on
her part, was carried off by the sea, and
she now realized that she was a prisoner
until such time as the crew of some
trading vessel might laud and discover
her. After her house was completed
she made a more thorough exploration of
her island home. There were parrots
and other birds, snakes of a harmless
variety, Borneo rats, and a drove of
about 300 Java pigs, which are about the
size of the American peccary, but are
wild instead of fierce.
Tho woman had clothing to last her
five or six years, but the provisions she
had brought from the schooner would
not supply her needs more than a few
months. While hoping aud expecting
to be taken off almost any day, she wise
ly prepared for a long stay. She had
fish-hooks and lines iu her outfit, and
with fish from the sea, meat from the
woods, and bananas and wild fruits from
the groves, she had a variety and a plen
ty. Six months after she landed a na
tive craft put in about a mile from her
hut, but creeping through the woods she
saw that all were Malays, and so savage
in appearance that she did not dare make
herself known. Seven months later a
second craft sent men ashoro to fill tw T o
water casks, but she was also afraid of
these. She lived very quietly from that
time until nearly two years after her
landing, having remarkably good health
all the time, but naturally lonely and cast
down at times.
One afternoon, as she was in the forest
about half a mile from homo, having her
shotgun with her, a Borneo sailor sud
denly confronted her. He was entirely
alone, and whether ho had been ma
rooned or cast away she never learned.
As she was dressed in a mnn’s suit he
naturally took her for a man, but his first
movement was a hotile one. He advanced
upon the woman with a club in his hand
aud uttering shouts of menace, and to
save her own life she was compelled to
shoot him.
Now and then, all through her stay,
trading vessels were sighted iu the off
ing, with now and then a craft known to
be manned by Englishmen, but signals
made to the latter by means of smoke
were never heeded. Her main hope was
that the loss of tho schooner would in
some way reach her friends at Singapore,
and that a searching party might be sent
out to her rescue.
One day, when she had been on the
island four years lacking about fifty days,
tho British survey ship, Sahib, then en
gaged in surveying the group, dropped
anchor off tho mouth of the creek and
sent a party ashoro to explore tho in
terior. I had Hie honor not to only head
this partyy‘ at to bo the first man to seo
and to speak to Airs. Williams. We
found her iu excellent health, although
tanned and roughened by exposure to
the weather. When she had donned her
own proper apparel aud had time to
tidy up no one could find fault with her
appearance.
After a few days wo sailed for Singa
pore, whero Airs. AVilliams was safely
landed, aud a few weeks later a mau-of-
war was despatched to tho island where
tho schooucr had been soized. Natives
were found who gm *11 the particular*,
and the result was that eight men were
brought aboard, tried, convicted and
swung up at tho yard arm, while threo
more wore shot whilo trying to escape
from tho island.—New York Sun.
Tho Indians of Northwest Canada.
Dr. Boas, in the British Association
report on tho Northwestern tribes of tho
Dominion of Canada, describes the In
dians of the Pacific coast ns being able-
bodied and musculnr, with tho upper
limbs, owing to the strengthening of tho
arms and chest by tho constant use of the
paddle, generally better developed than
the lower ones. They have a keen sight,
but in old ago frequently become blear-
oyed. Their mental capacity is high, as
is proved by the state of their culture.
Whiteness of skin and slenderness of
limbs are considered among the principal
beauties of men and women, and long,
bluckhairof women. In some of the
tales red hair is described as a peculiar
beauty of women. Red paint on tho
face, tight-fitting bracelets and anklets
of copper, nose and ear ornaments of
variegated haliotis shells,and hair strewed
with eagledown, add to tho natural
charms. The fact that in honor of the
■rival of friends the house is swept and
strewed with sand, and that the peoplo
bathe at such occasions, shows that clean
liness is appreciated. The current ex
pression is, that the house is so cleaned
that no bad smell remains to offend tho
guest. For the same reason the Indian
takes repeated baths before praying, “that
he may bo of agreeable smell to the
deity.” Tho Indian is grave and self-
composed in all his actions; and playing
is considered undignified and even bad.
In the Tsimshian language ‘tho term for
play means to talk to no purpose; and
doing anything to no purpose is con
temptible to the Indian. He is rash in
anger, but does not easily lose control
over his actions. He sits down or lies
down sullenly for days without partak
ing of food, and when he rises his first
thought is, not to take revenge, but to
show that he is superior to his adversary.
Great pride and vanity combined with
the most susceptible joalousy, character
ize all actions of the Indian. He watches
that he may receive his proper share of
honor at festivals; he can not endure to
be ridiculed for even the slightest mis
take; ho carefully guards all his actions,
and looks for due honor to be paid to
him by friends, strangers, and subordi
nates. To be strong and able to sustain
the pangs of hunger are evidently con
sidered worthy of praise by the Indians;
but foremost of all is wealth. It is con
sidered the duty of every man to have
pity upon the poor aud hungry. AVomen
arc honored for their chastity and for be
ing true to their husbands; children, for
taking care of their parents; men, for
slsill and dariug in huuting and for
bravery in war.
The Surrender of tho Commune.
Next day (Alay 22, 1871) it was gen
erally known that the “Versaillais,” as
they were called,had entered the capital.
Then opened the gloomiest page in the
history of France. On one side were
the vandals of the commune, doing their
best to burn Paris to the ground, mur
dering innocent hostages, unchaining all
the horrors of civil war; exhibiting all
the heroism, every act of ferocity and
cowardice,into which human nature when
unrestrained will rush. On the other
side were the troops, irritated by the
struggle, humiliated by the duty that
had fallen upon them, exasperated
by so many horrors. Torrents of fratri
cidal blood deluged the pavement of tho
groat French city. While the struggle
was going on, there could be seen arriv
ing at Versailles,escorted by the soldiers,
gangs of prisoners, tho savage rabble
who had plundered and spread conflagra
tion, and who, in blind obedience to
their leaders, had committed unparalleled
acts of barbarism. They arrived on the
great Place d’Armes, under a bright and
broiling sun. The perspiration ran from
their faces, blackened with gunpowder
and dust. Their clothes were in tatters,
smelling of smoke and petroleum. Thero
were women, with features distorted by
hatred and auger; precocious children,
casting a stealthy look around them; and
old men, crushed by defeat, with patches
of clotted blood on their white hair and
beards, marking them out as apostles ol
revolution. Some, who had been jolted
amidst the lumber heaped on the carts,
were taken out and put flat on th6
ground. They lay, stiff and motionless,
with their eyes wide open and staring,
as if, after a long fit of madness, they
had lost all consciousness of an outer
world. The captires were separated into
groups, and sent to improvised prisons*
where an attempt was made to shelter
this army of disorder. They had added
shame to defeat, who had with fire and
sword ravaged Paris.—Harper.
BUDGET OF FUN.
HUMOROUS SKETCHES FKOA1
VARIOUS SOURCES.
A Traitor's Ending.
John Fiske tells the old story of Bene
dict Arnold’s treason in an article of fas
cinating interest written for the Atlantic.
AVhat may be new to many readers is
Air. Fiske’s statement that all the family
tradition goes to show that the last years
of Benedict Arnold in London were
years of bitter remorse and self-reproach.
The great name which he had so gallant
ly won and so wretchedly lost left him
no repose by night or day. The iron
frame, which had withstood the fatigues
of so many trying battlefields and still
more trying marches through the wilder
ness, broke down at last under the slow
torture of lost friendships and merited
disgrace.
In the last sad days in London, iu
June, 1801, the family tradition says
that Arnold’s mind kept reverting to his
old friendship with AA r ashingtou. He
had always carefully preserved the Amer
ican uniform which lie wore on the day
when he made his escape to tho Vulture;
and now as, broken in spirit and weary
of life, he felt the last moments coming,
he called for this uniform and put it on,
and decorated himself with the epaulettes
and swordknot which Washington had
given him after tho victory of Saratoga.
“Let me die, ’ said he, “in this old uni
form in which I fought my battles. Alay
God forgive mo for ever putting on any
other.”
Snow Shoes in AVar.
In the early wars with French and
Iudians many a winter campaign could
never have been carried on but for the
snow shoes, winch alone made marching
possible. In the winter attacks of the
savages upon the settlements in Northern
New England, and in the expeditions of
English and French troops, snow shoes
wore a necessary part of their equipment,
their baggage being hauled on sleds or
toboggans.—New York Star.
Not a IIenvy Weight—Know All About
It — His Preference — More
Frightful Than Guns,
Etc., Etc.
Then they killed tho Injun chieftain,
Hitting Bull, tho tough old Injun,
Hhot him when he tried to mizzle,
Hhot him with their deadly muskets,
Filled pirn full of leaden bullets,
Emptied their revolvers at him,
Plugged him with their trusty carbines,
And old Hitting Bull, the Injun.
Heap big Injun, quit his fighting,
Quit his trying to skedaddle,
Quit his stealing, and his whisky,
Laid aside his ovil habits,
And took straightway his departure
For the Kingdom of Ponemah,
For the land of tho hereafter.
Mourn not for tho tough old Injun,
Klied no bitter drop of anguish
O’er tho grave of this old Injun.
Ho has missed one piercing sorrow,
One soul-harrowing affliction,
One heart-breaking, frightful horror—
He will never see the pictures
Printed of him in tho papers.
—Chicago Tribune.
HIS PREFERENCE.
Airs. Slimdiet—“What part of the
chicken shall I give you, Air. Goodfeed?”
Boarder—“All but the neck.”—Judge.
KNEW ALL ABOUT IT.
Alinister—“Arc you aware of the short
ness of this life?”
Stranger—“Most assuredly. I am a
collector.”—Detroit Free Press.
‘•Why,” said the experienced bachelor,
slowly, “I’vo been sitting hero watching-
it for half an hour, and it hasn’t cried
oucc.”—Somerville Journal.
AN EXCELLENT BARGAIN.
Airs. Bargan Hunter—“How much are
your handkerchiefs?”
Kctchem (tho clerk, gliblyj—“These
sell at thirty cents, and these nt twenty;
but if you take one of each you may have
them for twenty-five cents apiece.”
Airs. Bargan Hunter (eagerly)—“I’ll
take half a dozen.” And she goes home
satisfied.—Judge.
STARS OF THE SEA.
A FISH THAT PLAYS HAVOO
WITH OYSTERS.
Its Mouth in the Centre of Its Body
and Its Eyoq at the Tip of
Its Arms—Lost Arms
Grow on Again.
“Aly object in calling this evening,”
ho began with a nervous trembling of
his chin, “was to ask you, Katie—I may
call you ICutic, may I not?”
“Certainly, Air. Longripc,” said the
sweet young girl. “Ail of papa's elderly
friends call me Katie.”
And he said nothing further about liis
object in calling.—Spare Moments.
BUSINESS COMBINED WlTII PLEASURE.
After the proposal:
Pretty Daughter (Wlushingly)—“Papa,
dear, don't be startled, but—but you are
going to place one of your most valued
possessions in the bauds of—a receiver.”
Old Alerchant—“Bless my soul, child!
Does this mean that I am to be a bank
rupt?”
P. D.—“No, papa, only that you are
to give a bride to—to dear Arthur.”—
Pittsburg Bulletin.
NOT A HEAVY WEIGHT.
Chappie—“Excuhc me, miss, for step
ping on your gownl
Belle of the Ball—“Don’t mention it,
pray; you do not weigh enough to tear
it.”—New York Herald.
FACE VALUES.
“Young Scadds has married a poor girl
whose face was her only dowry.”
“It runs in tho family. His sister is
tho wife of a foreign count, who brought
her nothing but his cheek.”
LIKELY TO “GO UP.”
“What name would you suggest for a
new magazine?”
“Are you going to edit it?”
“Yes.”
“The Powder Alagazine.”—Epoch.
JUSTIFYING HIMSELF.
His Employer—“I can only say, Air.
Jones, you have acted like a donkey in
this matter.”
“But you mustn’t forget, sir, that I
acted as your representative.”—Philadel
phia, Times.
MORE FRIGHTFUL THAN GUNS.
Friend—“I should think you would
find hard wood rather an expensive fuel
these days.”
Suburban Resident—“That wood-pile
is not for fuel. It’s for protection against
tramps.”—Good News.
NO TOP FOR HIM.
Old Cuf—“Remember, my son, there
is lots of room at the top, but you’ll have
to struggle.”
Young Cuf—“Guess I’ll linger quietly
at tho bottom where there is plenty of
room and no struggle.”—Epoch.
COURTSHIP BY METAPHORS.
“Will you let me row you down the
stream of life, Alary?”
“On one condition, Jack.”
“And that is?”
“That you will allow me to steer.”
Thoy stepped on board.—Outing.
A FINANCIAL SCHEME.
“Papa, give me a dollar?”
“What for?”
“Oh, just to own.”
“All right, Johnny. You can own
this dollar I have iu my pocket, but
I’ll play I’m a trust company and keep it
for you.”—Haiper’s Bazar.
TOO BAD.
“How raanv languages do you speak,
Air. Dullpate?”
“Seveu.”
“How delightful to be able to converse
in so many tongues!”
“Yes. It would be nice if I could
think of anything to say.”—Puck.
THERE ARE MANY OF THEM.
Do Alascus—“I’m going to celebrate
my silver wedding to-morrow.”
St. Agedore—“So? I didn’t know
you were married yet at all.”
“Sf, well, I’m not. But I marry a
girl with money to-morrow. That's the
silver weddiDg I mean.”—St. Joseph
News.
INVOLUNTARY EXERCISE.
Bleoks—“I tell you old man, you
ought to walk down town in the morn
ing. It would put new life into you. I
walked twenty-six blocks this morning.
Kleeks—“Yes, I was on the car and
heard you tell tho conductor thut you
didn’t.have any change with you.”—
Minneapolis Journal.
IT REQUIRES NO CALCULATING.
Cumso—“If one pair of bellows costs
two dollars and seveuty-two aud threc-
qfiartcrs cents, what will three pairs of
bellows come to?”
Airs. Cumso—“I’m not good nt
figures, and I don't care anyhow.”
Cumso—“Oh, well, I'll tell you. They
will conic to blows.”—Judge.
WANTED INFORMATION.
“Forgiveme, dear,” he pleaded, as he
passed his arm around her waist.
“Icauuot say, truthfully, George, that
I forgive you until I know what you are
going to do.”
And as she learned from liis own lips
what ho iutended doing she williugly
forgave him.—Philadelphia Times.
A NEW REMEDY.
Father—“Now, listen tome, children;
l wnnt you from now on to be just as bad
as you know how.”
Tommy—“Won’t you whip us, pa?”
Father—“Not if you are very bad,
but 1'U whip you if you behave your
selves. Your aunt is coming to visit us,
and I don’t want her to stay long.”—
Texas Si/tings.
nAD SEEN IT.
Dakota Senator (enthusiastically)—
“General Greely’s official report on the
climate of our State is the biggest thing
yet. Glorious! He proves by official
records that wc enjoy one of the finest
and most equitable climates in the world,
sir. Bound to boom this section, stV;
can’t help it. Have you seen the re
port?”
Dakota Coroner—“Yes; I found %
copy of it in the pockets of a stranger
who froze to death last night.”—New
York Weekly.
A SHREWD WEDDING GIFT.
Scene I. Babooney—“So Gwendolin
Scott is at. last married. What was your
present to her?”
Looney—“A silver fruit dish; so use
ful, you know; on table at every meal.
She’ll always bear in mind the poor
devil whose hand and heart sh3 de
clined.
■Scene II. Howells—“Hello, Tim-
pany. Here's a duplicate fruit dish from
Looney. What’ll you give me for it?”
Timpany (jeweler)—“Five dollars.”
Howells—“All right.”—Jewelers' Cir
cular.
AN 1M FOSTER.
“No,” said the bachelor, thoughtfully,
“it looks liko a baby, and it’s dressed
like a baby, but it isn't a baby, sure.”
“And why not, I should liko to
know?” the irate mother exclaimed.
AN ATTENTIVE DAUGHTER.
He (after marriage)—“I don't see why
you are not as considerate of my comfort
as you used to be of your father's.”
She—“Why, my dear, I am.”
He—“How do you make that out?
When I come into the house I have to
hunt arouud for my slippers and every
thing else I happen to want; but when
I used to court you, aud your father
would come iu from down town, you
■would rush around gathering up his
things, wheel his easy-chair up to the
fire, warm his slippers, and get him both
a head-rest and foot-rest, so that all he
had to do was to drop right down and
be comfortable.”
She—“Oh, that was only so he’d go
to sleep sooner.”—New York Weekly.
The Fathers of the Republic Were Un
commonly Young.
No fallacy is more firmly fixed in the
public miud thau that which represents
the establishment of our Government as
the work of old men. The delusion is
imbibed in childhood, and is uncon
sciously cultivated by the text books used
iu school. The “fathers of the Repub
lic” are depicted in all the histories with
wigs, queues, and other accessories of
dress that apparently betoken age, and
the pupil naturally concludes that they
must have been old when the nation was
born.
In point of fact, they were an uncom
monly young set of men. George Wash
ington, senior in age as well as in author
ity and influence, was but forty-three
when the Revolution broke out, and fifty-
seven when he became first President;
Thomas Jefferson, only thirty-three when
he wrote the Declaration of Independ
ence; Alexander Hamilton, but thirty-
two when he became Secretary of the
Treasury; James Aladison, only twenty-
three when he was made member of a
Virginia committee of safety, and thirty-
six when he was Hamilton’s great collab
orator in the production of that political
classic “The Federalist.”
Nor were the leaders in the great
enterprise exceptional in this matter of
age. Forty names were signed to the
Constitution of the United States on the
17th of September, 17S7. Leaving out
of account four whose birthdays are uot
giveu by the books of reference, ouly five
of the remaining thirty-six had reached
the age of sixty; twenty of the number
were less than forty-five years old; and
twelve were under forty, among tho
latter being one (Hamilton) of thirty, an
other of twenty-nine, a third of twenty-
eight, and a fourth who lacked some
months of twenty-seven when the con
vention met. The average age of all the
members did not quite reach forty-five
years. The most important committee
to which the instrument was referred for
final revision consisted of five members,
four of whom were between thirty and
thirty-six years of age, the fifth and least
prominent being sixty.—Century.
Tea Causes Cold Feet.
Air. Hutchinson says in the Archires r*'
Surgery, that he once advised a lady to
driuk more tea. “I cannot touch it,”
was her reply; “it makes my feet icy
cold and wet with cold perspiration.”
Qn further inquiry she assured Air.
Ilutchinsou that she was quite certain of
her facts, aud had often tested them.
She .thought that the perspiration was
usually of the soles chiefly. Her hands
were, she thought, also made cold, but
uotso definitely as her feet. Mr. Hutchin
son says he had long been familiar with
tho fact that tea made the feet cold, but
did uot know that cold perspiration at
tended it. If drinking tea causes cold
feet, thou the. Irish Indies who make up
our tenement house population must be
walking around ou solid chunks of ice
most of tho time, for they are all tea
inebriates. As a matter of fact Air.
Hutchinson’s generalization will hardly
do for this couutry, at least.
Among the rocks of the Pacific coast,
well below tho tidal limit, the sharp-
eyed observer will often discern a star
shaped creature with a round or oval
central body, and several radiating arms,
numbering in the different species from
five to twenty. It color it simulates to
a greater or less extent the bottom, but
is often of a reddish hue. These little
creatures arc apparently fixed to the bot
tom, and we might watch them all day
and not notice any evidence of motion.
These star-like objects are stir-fishes—
marine forms common in all seas, and
found in the Pacific waters in many
beautiful shapes. In shallow water we
find largo ones, sometimes eight or nine
inches across, with blunt radiating arms,
while every rock or stone brought up
from the bottom contains delicate forms
with round or flat arms, so brittle that
they break at the slightest touch. In
places the bottom is fairly alive with
them, especially in southern waters,
where a bunch of coral is often the homo
of myriads of these living stars.
On this coast, owing to the fact that
rocky shores are not always available,
star-fishes are not seen in extraordinary
numbers, but in the South and East the
hunter can collect them in any quantity.
I think the most remarkable view of star
fishes I ever obtained was at New Lon
don, Conn., where the common asteria3
so covered the bottom that I could not
put down an oar without striking one.
They were literally swarming, and were
playing havoc on the oyster beds of the
neighboring sound, as an oyster on the
half shell is quite to the fancy of a star
fish.
Let us assume that we have a five-
rayed asteria in our hands. We lift it
from the water and see that it has life,
as it slowly bends this way and that,
while on the under side myriads of little
suckers or feet are in constant motion.
The upper side is covered with short
spines which work on a ball-and-socket
plan, while the careful eye will note
among them curious wormlike objects,
provided with three hard jaws, that are
continually opening and shutting like so
many teeth. What are they used fori
Drop the star-fish back into the watei
and we shall see. Now sprinkle some
irritating substance upon the creature and
these organs are seen to act as so many
hands. The little atoms are deftly
picked up and handed from one to an
other downward and finally dropped off,
so that the little nippers—predicell arial
the naturalists call them—are defensive
organs. In looking over the surface oi
the star-fish we shall see a round spot
harder than the rest and perforated -with
holes—like a sieve, in fact. This re
ceives water, which passes down into the
body and circulates through the star
fish. The eyes are conveniently placed
at the tip of each ray, while upon the
under side are the feet or tentacles, and
in the centre of all the mouth.
The star-fish is the natural enemy ol
shell fish of all kinds, and especially in
the East devours many thousands of dol
lars in oysters every season. The star-fish
is a very obliging fellow. If an arm is
bitten off by a hungry fish another will
grow again, while some, like the ophio-
thela, divide themselves spontaneously,
each part becoming a perfect star-fish.
Some years ago while wading over a coral
reef in Southern waters, I thrust my hand
down under a coral branch to secure what
I took to be a large cyprtea, but instead
grasped something which felt like a mass
of snakes. It seemed to close over my
hand, and I drew out what appeared to
be a marine head of Aledusa, a ball oi
slowly moving snakes, wound up and en
tangled in a singular manner. But the
strange part of it was to come. The
moment I raised it above the water it be
gan to drop apart, and if I had not held
it over the boat I was dragging it would
have been almost entirely lost. As it was
I had little but the round central bodv
left.
The singular creature was a star fish
known as the basket fish (Astrophyton),
from the fact that it coils up in its tan
gled way, resembling a basket. The
many arms are simply branches, each of
which bifurcates until a perfect mass of
coiling, twisting branches is the result,
presenting when closely coiled a singular
and, to say the least, unprepossessing
appearance. These strange forms are
found as high up as Alassachusetts in the
Atlantic and in the Pacific.
Some of these stars of the sea carry
out the star idea even in the matter of
light, the one known as Ophiacantha
spinulosa, dredged in great numbers not
far from our shores by the exploring
ship Challenger, emitting a vivid phos
phorescent light.
The star fishes range from minute
forms of great delicacy to giauts a foot
or more across, common in the South Pa
cific, where they are collected and seat to
this and other countries as curiosities.
The young arc usually produced from
eggs, which hatch into free-swimmina
forms, which finally in two or three years
sink to the bottom and assume the adult
form. In some instances, as Ophiocoma
vivipara, the young assume the adult
form directly. The star-fishes are slow-
moviug creatures. Against the glass
wall of an aquarium we may watch them,
the myriads of water-expanded feet be
ing thrown forward, and like so many
anchors hauling the body along. They
prey upon the oyster by pressing the
mouth against the bivalve, inclosing it
with the arms, aud in some instances
literally inclosing a portion of the victim
with the mouth parts, while undoubtedly
some secretion forces the shell to open
its valves, when the capture of the ani
mal itself is an easy matter. As slow as
the movements of the star fishes are they
appear upon the oyster beds at times
with wonderful celerity. One day none
will be seen while the next the bottom is
red with them.—San Francisco Chroni
cs.
Starching was first introduced into
England iu lotil-
Why the Needle Swims.
A small needle lightly dropped on
water floats because its weight is uot suf
ficient to overcome the molecular attrac
tion of the particles of water which
keeps them in contact. If the needle is
placed point downward ou the water it
will sink, because the point is so small
that it forces its way through the water
easily. Steel also repels water probably
because of air which adheres to the sur
face, aud this adherent air helps to float
the needle.— New York Times.
HOUSEHOLD HATTERS.
BOW TO MAKE CLEAR COFFEE AND TEAS
To make clear, puro, coffee, ouo mast
have a good pot, with a filtercr, inadq
of a small piece of rnusliu, and fresh
coffee.
Alany people consider it too much
trouble to filter their coffee; but I think;
after using, the filtcrer once, they will
never be without it again.
First, have made a thin ring, three-
fourths of an inch deep, to fit the top
of tho coffee-pot. The ring must have
perforations, onc-half inch apart, by
means of which the muslin filterer is at.
tached. This filtcrer is a bag, made ol
medium-weighted muslin sloping to a
point. It should be at least four inche*
deep. After sewing it firmly to the ring,
put your fresh, ground coffee into the
bag and pour boiliug water o?er it,using
the same amount of both water and
coffee as when not using the bag. Do
not use water that has being standing
around, or that has boiled before, as il
is stale, and to make good tea or coffee;
fre3h water should be boiled on a quick
fire.
From three to four minutes is the time
coffee should boil, not simmer.. After
removing from the fire, let it stand afow
seconds to settle.
If the above directions are closely fol
lowed, the result will be a delicious
brown beverage. The same bag should'
not be used too long, as it takes but a
few minutc.3 to make a new one.
In making tea, many people make the
mistake of letting it stand too long.
Black tea should be boiled and green tea
drawn. As soon as the black tea bubbles
up, it is done. Green tea should be made
with very hot water, and allowed to
simmer on the back of the stove. When
the water is deeply colored, it is done.
Do not uso cold water, as the delicate
flavor is lost while waiting to boil. If
green and black tea are used mixed, it
may be either boiled or drawn: but it ia
more often boiled.
A muslin filterer may also be used in
making tea, as it keeps the leaves from
forcing their way through the strainer
into the cup.— Wives and Daughters oj
America.
a harmless stimulant.
Perhaps the best stimulant for tired
children, or for people of any age, is a
cup of hot milk—nol lukewarm, but hot.
It is very nourishing, and, taken in
spoonfuls, as it must be when hot, it is
easy of digestion. The fashion of ever
lastingly sipping hot water is happily
passing away, and, if hot milk will only
take its place, it will more thau fill it,
since hot water taken in such a way is
injurious to the indigestion, while hot
milk is nourishing as w'ell as stimulating.
Alany a man takes a drink when he comes
in “tired to death” simply because he
wants something to reach the faint,
weary, empty feeling in the stomach.
How often delicate people say, “I am
too tired to eat, but I could drink some
thing.” Just here tippling often begins,
but, unhappily, seldom ends. It may
take tact to induce a man to drink hot
milk, but if it is brought at the right
moment, when he comes in and (drops
into the nearest chair as soon as he en
ters the house, he may be induced to take
it, and many people who have taken it
unwillingly at first, calling it “baby
food,” have become very fond of it.
When the milk comes in, put aside
several tumblers full, for in that way
every cupful is sure to have all the cream
that belongs to it. When the hot drink
is needed, pour all that is in one tumbler
into a tiny porcelain-lined saucepan, and
bring the milk to a boil over a quick
fire; that is, let it boil up as quickly as
possible. As soon as it boils up, pour
it into a cup and take it as quickly as
possible to the patient. Be sure not to
delay or a scum will form ou the top,
which is-very disagreeable to most people.
Serve it as attractively as possible, say on
afresh fringed napkin, on a tiny waiter;
for it is tiresome to hold a cup and saucer
without a waiter, especially when one is
fatigued. If you can induce the adult
patient to take one teaspoonful the battle
will usually be won. AYith children it
is easy enough to give it.
Another nourishing thing to give to
tired and especially to nauseated patients,
when the stomach rejects almost every
thing, is the white of a perfectly fresh-,
egg. Drop it into a tumbler, add two
tablespoonfuls of cold water, not iced,
and whirl it about with a fork for a mo
ment, just long enough to mingle it a
little, and not long enough to make it
foam more than a very trifle. For veryi
sick people give it iu teaspoonfuls, one
at a time, at. short intervals. Others may
swallow it all at once.—American Agri
culturist.
RECIPES.
Fried Apples—Beat two eggs, add a
tablespoonful of sugar and three of sifted
flour; slice tart apples, dip in the batter
and fry in butter; take up, sprinkle with
sugar and serve hot.
Oyster Fritters—Drain off the liquor
from two dozen oysters and put in a
sauce-pan, set on the stove. Beat three
eggs in a cup of cream; add salt, pepper
and flour to make a stiff batter, add the
oyster liquor with the oysters, fry a
spoonful at a time, dropped iu boiling
lard. Serve very hot.
Preserving Canned Salmon—A can of
salmon is not always used up at one meal,
and put away just as it has been used, it
is apt to dry up or taste oily in a few
days. Instead, put the left over in a
bowl or deep dish, sprinkle with pepper,
add a few whole cloves and a blade of
mace, cover with cold vinegar, and your
pickled salmon will keep a week or two
if the vinegar is strong enough.
Apple Dumpling—The apples should
be large aud juicy, cored and filled with
sugar soaked iu lemon juice, and covered
with grated lemon peel, powdered nut
meg and a little salt. The paste made
in the proportion of a pint of finely
minced suet to a large quait of flour aud
a very little water; one-half,the suet
rubbed into the pan of flour, the other
sliced thin and spread over the sheet of
dough. They should be boiled iu small
cloths sprinkled with flour, with room
for the dumplings to swell. Serve very
hot and eat with flavored cream sauce.
Graham Biscuits—Put one quart of
graham flour into a bowl. Rub into it
thoroughly two ounces of butter or lard.
Add a teaspoonful of sal t aud two tea-
spooufuls of baking powder. Alix and
rub again until thoroughly blcuded, then
add sufficient milk, about half pint, to-
make a soft dough. Turn out on the
iioard, knead lightly, rill it into a sheet
ibout three-quarters of an inch thick.
Cut into biscuits. Place iu greased
pans and bake in a quick oven twenty
minutes.—Table Talk.