Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

what i*d no. Til i AMIEL IX>T*H. * Whut will y® dft, love, wh*u I am going With whit® fuUle flowing The f*eai beyond; Wh*t will >e do, lorn, though wave# divid* ut, And friends will cb.de ua For he.'ug fond ? ” •* Though wtm divide u And fnenda may chide u*. In faith a billing. I’ll atiU he true; I’ll pray for yon on the Htorxny ocean With daep devotion, That* what I’jl dol ’’ ** What would >c do, love. If dlatent thing* Tour fond confiding* Should undermine; And I abiding ’neath foreign ekiea Should think other eyea Were an br.ght a* thiue? " •*Ob, name it not, lore, though guilt and than;* Waie on your name I\l at.ll lo tme; but that heart of thin*—ahould another ahere It 1 o:'U!d not Imar i*— That a *hat I’d do! ” “ What- would jrou do, lore. If bom* returning In he k -t* high burning, And wealth for yon; It my ba:k that bounded on foreign foam Should be lo*-t near home— V> hat would you do ? " •• Bo thou apaw and I’d blest the morrow, In want and sorrow, That left me you: And I’d welcome theo from tboatormy billow, Thif heart thy pillow— Tha. a what I’d do J " "ed Paint. Jr, the matter of tho c.liooolate-colred circles about ray blue ey oh, tbo whiter of which complete tho patriotic, trinity of red, white and blue—thoso red ring-i, of whose origin I have boon ho often vexed with qn. stions—l will toll a story which may save farther inquiry, I tun enabled lo do bo by memory o* wl at my father used to Bay, and by reference to notes in a diary which lie kept for many years. Home time before I dawned upon this world, and while my spirit was probably walking with the angels with whom I kept company, my dear mother, tired of the monotony of her life at our family seat in the country, repaired alone to the eity to regale herself with a sight of novelties for a month. Mv mother sup posed that father would noon follow and rejoin lier; but in this she was mis taacn. Ho gave the housemaid u month’s vacation, and wna now left en tirely alone, sleeping at the house and getting his meals for himself, rather than going to the city or tho nearest tavern, lie was an odd man, my father was, oh i siinll presently show. Jlcing lonesome, ho thought lie would fix up things about the house to while away time, and surprise my mother by the improvements when slio returned ut the expiration of the month. “I think I will do a little painting up, in Hie first place,” thought my father. “ Paint is not only an ornament, but it preserves things, Tho kitchen floor needs painting, Tno old color, what remains of it, is yellow ; but I am not partial to yellow, and beside, L want a new oolor, for novelty. What color would probably most charm my wife ? I bare not much taste myself, but I have beard people praise rod very highly. Sunrises, and sunsets, and coraot:i, are often approved of by good judges, tor being red. Hi dis said to bo tho most ahowy and effective military and dramat ic color. J have seen some very hand some red lings at auction aud railroad stations, lied lips and chocks are al ways in the fashion. Then there in the led, red lore ; and thou there is my red handkerchief, the handsomest and larg est 1 have got. T will paint the floor red; and, now that I reflect upon the supremo beauty of red, I will buy enough, uil i.o k ahull thul good us*, for il." Bo my father went and bought a great quantity t red paint, and lout it mixed and tent with brushes to tho house, “I will do all the paintingin,vwtf tli at 1 care to have done,” thought ray father, when the bloody fluid btUHhcd beneath his winding eyes. ‘‘lt will bo a light, pleasing exercise, and my wife will lie more delighted when hue tlnds •but 1 have done all the ornamentation without help. Mow lovely Unit list looks I It appears tome that nil tho white paint on tho other woodwork in the kitchen looks ns dingy now as tho floor. What a capital idea it would he to paint it all red, now that 1 happen to have mo much of it t I will do so. The kitchen, all of that color, will bo the handsomest room in the house, lfut tho main thing it. the flour.” Bo my ardent father hastily began and painted tho floor first, forgetting that it would cause him to wait tint il it w.ia dry, or make tracks over it, or iny inconvenient plunks, if ho painted nil the rest of tho kitchen. He saw tho mistake ho lmd made when he began to paint tho doors. The fresh paint on the floor stuck to his soles, and the marks of his flaming footsteps, like those of sumo destroying angel, hot Irani home, wore everywhere aud con fused. They did seme little damage lo tho carpets in other minis, and this confused him some; but my father was not s man to stand for trifles, and, knowing that he could pa ut the floor over again, lie went on witn the other work. He luid the toots, material, in dustry and ambition to please, aud these were sonioUiing for an amateur. So, sticking a li ■ wont. my father covered nil the doors with ll lining emit, inside ami out, his pleiwure increasing ■with the alteration he caused ; and tln-it proceeded to nmko his mark on nil the remaining woodwork including the win dow Ira mo-', sills and sashes, shutters, closet shrives, thresholds, the mantel piece slid sink; innl then, tleigld he, •• Why not the walla, to compieb the thing and make it uniform ?” And so the walla stood up and received their share, anti then, as the heart li and looks and bolts ami doors seemed liy their na kedness to disturb the harmony, he paint ed them. “By glorv 1" thought my father, greatly delighted with the marvelous change he bad created, “it here, isn’t a whole sunrise in a box. What a little paint will do if well laid on, and of the right color! I shall like to live in this room. Kent, cheerful, uniform and splendid wt the same time. 1 must paint the door over again to hide my track*; but let me see this time if 1 have finished Uj> everything else tlrat. No. I have not. Those kitchen chairs and ta bles all wnnt [minting badly, l wonder I hadn’t U. ught of them first But they most certainly shan’t be neglected as long as I have so much paint and of such a color, too. \i hat a thing is the sim ple article of paint! What a tailor ia to a mau a painter is to a house; but peo ple don’t seem to know it. liven I have just found it out. 1 should think a man tu’ght snake a fortune if he went about with paint pot and finishes and adopted snv iae* ana astonished talks with the change it makes. Worse conceptions than this have been patented, and tbs accident of a baouvl thought enables many to roll in riches ana mi aortal clover. " After due rest bet ween jobs as he pro ceeded, my door father gave the tables and chairs . *oaoh of his quality, and tor a while he wo* in doubt whether the last job was not on immense improve ment on the preoediug otta* He stood off and examined, and then shut his eyes and imagined. “No, ;f ho concluded, “neither can claim precedence. Each is admirable in itself, aud yet each is necessary to tho other, to give it complete effect, I wonder what kind of an artist I should have made. It strikes me I have vastly more taste than l thought, and I think I should l>e distinguished for what thoy call coloring. But am I done yet ? There is more paint left. I wish this kitchen was twice as big. I don’t fed quite satisfied yet. Isn’t there some thing more to make tho beauty still more beautiful, nn*l the harmony more harmonious ? There is ! I have it, I see there is. Why, bless me 1 I havon’t begun to he done yet. Why not paint nil the wooden utensils which belong to kitchen us • ? I’ll do it, if I have to scud for more paint.. How thought ex pands by exercise. At. first I thought only of the floor ; and now, pooh ! it is the last and least of my thoughts ; but I thank the floor for leading to these ideas. ” In this happy mood my father re sumed his decorative work on wood, nnd engaged himself busily for several (lays, during which lie was obliged to send for even more paint than he had Insight ut first, to enable his busy brush to adorn baskets, knife-tray, bread-trough spice- Tlio lions*;—and so forth; for having got as far as I have state*], he sent for sr.ill more paint, no letter having come yet, and, like one determined to give a fiery aspect to all ho owned, ho set to work with unabated ardor, and painted tho barn, sheds, coops, sty uml woll liouse, all tho gates and fences, and then tho trunks of ail the trees, as high as he could reach, to keep the worms off, and perfect the prevailing consistency of color. The month wus now up, and still my mother did not come, nor yet a letter. At this period, I think a slight oddity did really begin to appear iu the conduct of my father. Hummer was coming, arid, reflecting that the whole of the inside of the house had not yet lieen painted, his diary says that h deliberated one whole forenoon, and thou thought how cool it would bo to do away with carpets, aud have all tbo floors painted for naked use during tlie warm se.'i n. Acting upon this, lie took up all the ourpets, and painted every floor in tbo house, and, iu his haste to finish before my mother should arrive, ho so daubed the walls and some of the furniture thatlie painted them too, embracing bedsteads, bu reaus, toilet-tables, wash stands, cor nices, with all tho wood-work, in all the kitchen stylo of universal flame. And still my mother did not appear. I have heard my fattier say that dur ing that particular period, while Im'r last hatch of paint was drying, lie did not feel anxious for her to come. I do not doubt his intentional veracity upon any point, but I think his memory failed him tn cliftt instance ; mid that, in his sorrow that (lit! paint spoiled some of her dresses win n she * and come, he forgot how ho had longed for her. For my mother did come before the Inst paint was dry. My father was on his knees, in s suit that ho hail spoiled, rod as a butcher, lull innocent iih a lamb, engaged in 1 dating the flagstone walks in front of tin house, aud proponing to paint the ceilings ol the house, if time should vet admit, when n carriage drove up, and my mother, so long absent, alighted at t!iu gate -the red front gate, set in that long, red Trout fouoo, in front of that fiery red house, with tho flaming I*, and the burning frees, and walks not quite kindled ml** n eouiptetm glow. lam the only son of tbo couple who then met, but I foul incapable of doing justice to their omotions at that junct ure, I believe I have tho idea iu my If a*l, hut my pen is not equal to my father's bru-h, and can but darkly shadow forth wlmt (hat brush oc casioned. Forget ting his sanguinary appearance, he rushed down the red walk, and tbrourli l)i* ml gateway, and embraced her, lirii.-L in hand, before sho had fairly recognized him or the house. >She shrieked, and gave him a push, dis covering liia ideulitv at the same time that she began to scold him for soiling her dress. “Never mind that; look at tin* house, Eliza," said he. Her name was Eliza. “Look at tho house and tilings, Eliza," said my father, expecting an immensity of delight and praise, as he saw her hold up her hands in dumb as tonishment. “ 1 haven't been idle while you were gone, believe me. But this is nothing—mere nothing, that you see. Only come inside. 1 sav nothing. That will Bp* ik for itself.” Ami so it duf. I was told uiy mother did not say a word till slot wont inside and knew the "'unit And then my father know it. Ho was appalled at her appnl Intent, and stunned and stung liy her loud and pierc ing expressions of horror, grief and dis gust. She stud ho hud done those crimes purposely, in revenge for her ab sence and delay. He said ho had pur posed it, hut thought such a combina tion of novelty with beauty would en rapture In r and thus reward lorn for n month of slavery. Even the kitchen, ■ -.pen which he hod oliiefly prided him si If, she declared looked like the kitchen of some demon ; and, when the kitten, once white, but, by falling into a paint pot, had become ml, ran up to her, my mother shrieked at the apparition and ran behind a ml ohiur. It was till awful day for my father, and no loss ao for uiy dear mother ; for aloe ! for her, for him and for me, when by-and-by she traversed all the house, and saw what he had ruined, she became suddenly overcome, and doctors and nurses were sent for with all possible alacrity. i have hut few words to say, but tho-.o embrace a fact of considerable ini- I K'rtam'O to ill®. Ou the following day Sxv aa bom. Whether the hate of my mother for tvd paint lit 1 anything to do with my eyes others may judge. For my own part, 1 am thankful for my escape fixun being born Indian, or from having eye* as red as-a white rabbit's, mortar, rolling-pin, dough-stick, salt box ; wash, ironing and knife-boards; clothes-horse, sleeve-board, pails, buck ets, barrels, kegs, tirkiue, tubs, lvouches, brooms and brushes ; and after whatever else could be painted without lieing rendered nufit for use had heeu painted, he concluded to finish off Ly reddening the whole sloe -room, from which most of them had been drawn. • ‘ J have done enough already,” thought try father, “to make my wife thankful; but then I have a groat deal more paint oti hand, and 1 can see plainly that much remains to be done. Now, why not paint the outside of the rear ol the L of the house, v, here the kitchen is, as high up a* the caves, to cwrrreepond ?” Xilh he did, and then thought the job would look like patchwork, unloas all the outside of the L were given the j same hue. Anil this, too, he did, and ' having included the L roof aud chim ney, he then added the rear porch, its roof and railing, and admitted that the liberality was not to be repented, tint would not be a complete, symmetrical triumph unless assisted by the painting of the house, embracing in a grand red sum-total, roofs,chimueys, spouts, walls, doors, poiticos, railings, pillars,, window frumes aud trellises. Aud all these, also, he did with liis own hand, his red right hand, for it may be readily imagined that his hand could not have been very much of any other color, immersed as he was in such a wholesale work, and my father's diary itself states that sometimes lie felt ho tired, and the point stuck so, and there was so much yet to be done, he did not think it necessary to clean the paint from his hands at the close of the day, but slept iu them as they were, often dream ing that lie was a white man with ma hogany hands, the color seeming to have impregnated the very essence of his being. Occasionally I am inclined to doubt my own judgment, or I should not hesi tate to declare that my father seems to have been somewhat odd in this persis tent fancy for red paint, but, in order to remove tiic possibility of such an idea iu others, r will simply state that his pro ceedings were perfectly natural through out. He wus a very affectionate man, and the absence of bis wife, iu search of nov elty. led him ut tho outset to plan the kitchen part of liis-surprise, to make up for any shortcomings on his part, by giving her an excess of pleasure when she returned. This at once removes his kitchen work from idl suspicion of singu larity. Ami now, os to the excess of rod which followed. My father had daily written lier a letter, hoping she was hav ing a good time, but my mother never replied, being vexed at liis not coming himself, and her continued silence, nat urally rendering him uneasy, led him. as it were, to drown his sorrow by a still more profuse indulgence in red paint. Fortunately, he was not a drinking man aud it was not 1 iraudy, or he might have painted himself instead of the Louse. Materials of Which Fish Are Composed. Considered from the stand-point of the food-value, fish, as we buy them in the market, consist of (1) Flesh, or edi ble portion, and (2) Refuse—bones, skin, entrails, etc. The proportions of refuse in different kinds of fish, and of different samples of the same kind, in different conditions, vary widely. Thus a sample of flounder contained 08 per cent, of ref uso and only 82 per cent, of flesh, while one of halibut steak had only 18 per cent, of refuse and 82 per cent, of edible materials. Among those with the most refuse and least edible flesh are the flounder, porgy, bass, and perch. Among those with the Joust refuse are fat sluid, fat mackerel, salmon, and dried and salt fish. The ediblo portion consists of (11 Water, nnd (2) Solids, actual nutrients. The proportion of water and solids in the flesh of various kinds of fish are much more variable than most people would suppose. Thui the flesh of floun der had 85 per cent, of water and only 15 per cent, of solids, while that of salmon contained 36J per cent, solids and 6*4 pel' cent, water, nnd Hie flesh of dried, stack* and, and salt fish have still less water, bean beef contains, on the aver age, 25 percent, or one quarter its weight of solids, tho other three-quarters being water, while fat pork has one-lialf solids. Ordinary fresh meats are from ouo half to three-fourths water, white the watv tn Irt-sh fiuh wwitM* from turf*!- fifths toHU-BOveutliß of the whole. To find the actual nutritive materials of a sample of fish, we must first snb straet the refuse, the outruns, lames, etc., which leaves the flesh. Then we must allow for tho water in tlie flesh. Wlmt remains will be the total edible solids, the aotual nutritive material. The pier centages of edible solids in the different, samples of fish were more varied than those of ref use and water. Thus JOl) pounds of flounder contained only five pounds of actual nutrients ; 100 piounds of had dock, nine pounds ; of bluefish, eleven piounds; of cod, twelve pionnds; salt mackerel, sixteen pounds ; shad, sixteen pounds; salt cod, twenty piounds; salmon, twenty-seven piounds, and smoked herring, twenty-eight pouuds.— A mcrican Agriculturist. The Perils of (food Health. As men advance in life they continu ally note the survival of those among their contemporaries who seemed in boy hood and youth quite tlxo reverse of “tlui fittest,” while so many of those most envied then for vigor pass early away. This is duo to several causes. There are many persons who, while lacking physical force, have constitu tions flawless in print of organic dis ease. If forced to labor lniifl, mentally or physically, they would soon fail from exhaustion, for they aro quick to feel fatigue, hut by compulsorily husband ing their resources they * oftentimes reach On eighties and even uiueties, and sometimes— as in the ease of the late Euglish Premier, Earl Russell—accom plish an amazing amount of work. Their grand safeguard is inability to abuse their powers. Nature hits in their case irepined checks too stern to be dis regarded. Such persons cannot extend their hours of intellectual labor without pains in the head which positively pro hibit it. They cannot got drunk with out intolerable sickness of stomach be ing the penalty. .Writs volena they have to be careful. On tiio other hand, there is the man of piwerfu! physique. Ho rides all day ami rends all night, tak ing green tea or brandy jf he feels sleepy oc “hipped.” In the morning lie de clares himself as ** fit s> a Ilea,” ami re ally does seem to be possessed with the elasticity of limb and unceasing activity of that exasperating bedfellow. It is very difficult for such a man to compre hend that ho is drawing lulls on health to bo repaid at 00 per cent, after 00, or. ]>erhaps, oven sooner. It thus often seems as though the tremendous strength and health wo envy m men was a mis fortune rather than a blessing. A writer in an English review raises the question why a mind previously healthy, and still apparently intact, breaks down sometimes thorougl ly under a strain not exceptionally great, and thinks it will probably be within the eecqie of ooiumon sense to draw- some practical conclusions as to prevention. The break-down is nine times out of ten really due to a long-practiced exud ing of the natural powers. “Bain, j hunger, anxiety and asf -e of mind woariuees are the warning tokens of ex haustion extending to the reserves o f strength and energy). When these nidi ; cations are disregarded or destroyed, a. the y may be by st ui icfymgdrugs, an int>rd - mate use of .stimulants, or :i strong effort , of the will, the consumption of energy goes or all the same—but unobserved.” : The penalty is merely deferred. Any one who nss scanned our obituary notices of late will hare observed the number of business iua cut down ni the prime uf lfo. GOSSIP FOR THE LADIES. Probably Better for Him. Rtae lai;t arronß th Milo. With fcur lucrry, golden smile, And lier bonny brown eye* glancing Throughtbe green Irate* *ll the while, And he who loved her ho Watched from the path talow; Hut Miie tOffecd her head bo daintily. And laughed und hade him go. Mfcvh’. maybe: we cannot know, Ms)be, maybe! ’two* better ao! When tbi wind* of Mar oh were loud, Ami the cities were dark with cloud, lie had won her love forever, And §he trusted *ll he vowed, lint flie wept against hit* heart: “ Oli, my darling, we roust part, Foj* a harrier lie* between ur, Forevermore, sweetheart! *’ Maybe, may lie! no cannot know, Maybe, may lie! ’twas better *o; And the year* have passed away. And th**y bithar t old and gray ; J:ut the hame sweet dream 1* iu their beuta Forever mid for aye. Oh, sweet and nail the pain ff the love that will not wanel W< sweet, f" Bweet, because ho true, Ho sad because in vain ! Majbe, may he! we cannot know. May lie, xnyl.*o! it shall better sol '■ !* Hanof the Period* I wonder Low much right men have nowadays to rail at women for extrava gance. * Let us figure upon the outfit of this man, who comes this way with a gay swing, softly whistling an air ho caught at Boccaccio last night when Geii-finger sung. He swings a cane cost go, there is a silk hat worth 87, his col lar 25 cents, scurf §2, scarf inn 880, fall overcoat 800, shirt 84, undershirt 82, coat and vest .*75, pantaloons sls, acces sories $-1. shoes.*!*, seal ring S4O, watch and chain seal $250 —how much have we? About SSOO. He is only in his business suil;*!i?id iie hasn't got his dia mond studs iu his shirt, nnd wears u cheap pair of sleeve buttons. The aver age woman on Fifth avenue doesn’t rep resei/t a greater investment, diamonds excepted, and she has a faculty of hav ing her dresses made over, whereas our lord of creation, spurns a renovated coat. —A 'ew York letter. U lutl site San in Chiiri li, He staid at home and she went to church. After dinner lie asked her: “ What was tie text, wife ? ” “O, something, somewhere in Gener ations ; I’ve forgotten tlie chapter and verse. Mrs. High sat rigiit before me with a Mother Hubbard bonnet on. How could I hear anything when [ could not even sec the minister ? I wouldn’t have worn such a thing to church if I’d had to have gone bareheaded.” “How did ran Hire the new minis ter?” “O, he’s splendid ! and Kate Darlin was there in ii Spanish lace cap that didn’t cost less than SSO, and they can’t pay the butcher's bill, and I’d wear cot ton lace or gu without any first.” “ Did he say Anything about the new mission fund?” “ No; and the Jones girls were all rigged out in their yellow silks made over ; you would have died laughing to have seen Such taste as those girls have ; afia the minister gave out that tbo Dorcas Society would meet at Sister Jones’ residence—that old pokv place.” “It seems that you didn’t hear much of the sermon.” “Well, I’m sure it’s better to go to church, it you don’t hear the sermon, than to stay at home and read the pa pers ; and O, Harry, the nexv minister lias a lovely voice ; it nearly put me to sleep. And did I tell yon that the Riches are home from Europe, and that Mrs. Rich hod a real camel’s hair shawl ou, and it didn’t look like anything on her?” A long silence, during which Harry thought of Hover,il things, mm his wife -e '•ooj-crarVBiilutihg the sky or view, ■srtien she r udS'TuV exclaimed : “There 1 Ifniew I’d forget to tell you some thing! ‘-Would you believe it, Harry, the fringe on Mrs. Jones’ parasol is an inch deeper than mine, and twice ns heavy I Oh, dear! wh.it a world ol trouble this is.”— Detroit /‘out nod Tribune. She Would Darn Her l iving. The story is. told in good company, with the assurance of its truthfulness, says the Gazette, that a carefully nur tured and educated miss, of one of Boston's best familes on Commonwealth avenue, disagreeing with her mother about-a small article of dress, recently, resolved to earn her own living, and a. oneo put her resolve into practice. Donning the plain garb of a domestic, slio stole forth from the parental roof to the house of an advertiser for help. The place being already tilled, she. was so informed ; but, a happening caller being in went of a cook, the fugitive ac cepted an offer, and accompanied the lady home to Dartmouth street, descending to the basement for immediate duty. It was late in the veiling, and tea was served to suit, with tlio aid of the ‘•second girl,” who knew the ways of the house. What was the latter’s sur prise when the dishes were washed to tiud that the cook did not use soap to cleanse them, an sho expressed it. “Soap ! why, yon don’t use it ou plates and cups that you eat and drink from!” ejaculated the cbok, end the matter ended. Retiring together, the two girls vvew naturally, or unnaturally, quite familiar, but noting occurred worthy of remark until the fresh cook doffed her outward habiliments .-f servitude, revealing to her astonished companion an array of elegant underwear little dreamed of as belonging to a hired girl. Rut the young woman kept her counsel; the morning dawned, and Iffea.kfast was got and served pretty much as the last evening’s tea was. The dishes were washed with out soap, as before; and. when the lieu tenant suggested that Mrs. expect ed the hearth to he washed after every service of the r.inje, the new-comer un complainingly .-hoped and diil the re- ■ pulsive work. Bni there was a dinner to be prepared, aid the preliminaries i had begun under the mistress’ direc tions, as was to be expected with a now and untried .servant. The difficult de tails had not pn grossed fir, however, when the “cook" suddenly exclaimed that she had her tniuk to got at tho l*rovidenoe do (tot, and was excused to obtain it. It is nee- ass to say that the delicate girl did mt . turn, tin- respon sibilities of un elaborate dinner upon her shoulders liariag frighten-sl tier away, and the cooking was finished with out her. Later it the day a eavriuse drove to the door and a distressed lady alighted. It. was the “cook's” mother. The lamb Intd returned home, and the strange occurence was tearfully ex plained. A llialliiilit Di.s.lrr, A morning p&pijtin New York pub lished an interview-with a leading jew eler on the diamond market. Among other bits of information given in it w.is the following : “We are frequently' cal led noon to got up original design# for mounting precious stones. Only last week we filled an order for Mr. \V., the raiVr-><d man, and. I’ll venture to say there is not such a unique design in New York. F< t the earrings vo made a tiny haud of Roman geld, hoidite a wreath of butter cups, in which, the metal was delicately wrought, and each flower had in its cen ter a large and brilliant diamond, set in such a manner that they constantly trembled and quivered, refracting every rav of light. The pin, which was also made to lie worn as a locket, had two hands clasped over a larger wreath, matching the ear-rings, nnd in the cen ter was a tiny bird-nest of rough gold, containing three egg-shaped and exceed ingly lustrous diamonds.” Oil the morning that this was piub fislied Mr. W. hapipenod to be in Phila delphia, whore his business interests frequently call him, aud did not see the newspaper; but Mrs. W. did at the breakfast tabic, aud very much aston ished she was at such au account of her husband’s extravagance, for lier birth day was passed and the holidays yet in the distance. Then she decided it was all ft mistake; the jeweler had given the wrong name. However, to settle tho q lesti. ui which she could not quite dis miss from her mind, she drove down town and called at the establishment. In answer to lier question the jeweler, little suspecting what mischief he was making, said that Mr. W. lmd ordered them for nis wife, who was anxious to have them on hand for the opera season. To cut the story short, Mrs. W. held lier own counsel and became a devotee of tho opera. Every night, glass in hand, she scanned tlie hoiise, especially that quarter of it where certain notori ous beauties are wont to bo found, but ill vain; no butter-cup ear-rings were to be seen. One evening, as she sat in her box listening to “Lohengrin,” the rustle of silk and the swish of satin was heard, and immediately after there en tered her intimate friend, Mrs. L., and the w ife of one of the subscribers to tlie season. The two ladies fell into an animated chat, aud Mrs. W. compli mented her visitor upon the exquisite Worth toilet she, wore; but, as she uttered tho words, she happened to see in the shell-like ears lief ore her the buttercup wreaths, and upon the plump and snowy neck tlie locket, with its bird-nest center. “Where did you get your beautiful diamonds from, my dear?” asked Mrs. W., in an unsteady voice. “ Oh, my dear husband sent them over from Faria to console me for his absence,” responded her chere, amie, sweetly. “ Aren't they loves ?” WJiat happened in the W. family no one knows, but it is understood that Mrs. W. spends the winter in Florida for her health, and Mr. L. has received a friendly hint to rush his Parisian busi ness through.— C'hicaoo Inter Ocean. Fijian Feitstings. The taro is of a bluish-gray color, and both iu appearance and consistency re sembles mottled soap. As its name sug gests (Arum escutentum), its leaves are bke those of our own arum greatly magnified, while those of the yam are like a very rich convolvulus, as is, also, its habit of growth, each plant being trained along a tall reed; A great many varieties are cultivated, iuchulmg one the root of which is throughout of a vivid mauve. The sweet potato is also in common use, olid bread-fruit and bananas are abund ant, The favorite method of preparing the latter is to wrap them up in a large leaf and burry them till they ferment The stench when the leaf is dug up is simply intolerable to the uneducated nose of the foreigner, but the Fijian inhales it with delight, therein scenting the vunuiria ( bread) and puddings iu which his soul delights. These puddings j are sometimes made on a gigantic scale ; on the occasion of any great gathering |of tim tribes. We were told of one that : measured tw<*nty feet in circumference, 1 *i-t *->o ti.r- ana,,. .ii 11tcre Viiv u dish of green leaves prepared ten feet I king by five wide, wliertjon were piled | turtles and jugs, roasted whole; also a a ill of Cooked lisli five feet high and twenty feet-long. Certainly the masses of loot! accumulated on these great days Isut every thing we have heard of ancient Scottish funeral feasts. Mr. Calvert describes one festival nt which lie was present where there wore fifteen tons of swe-t undoing, seventy turtles, titty lons of cooked yams and taro (be sides two hundred tons which were I judiciously reserved,) and as much ynugoim-root as would have filled five carts. I'ho modo of laying the table on these occasions is peculiar. All food is arranged in heaps: a layer of eoona-mil ; •- foundation, then baked yams and ! ben; next llin gigantic puddings on ■reel) banana leaves, the whole snr ! rounded by pigs and turtles. These are , rousted wiiole in huge ovens, or rather I pits in the ground, perhaps ten feet deep ! obd twenty in diameter, which are first i lined with five-wood, oil which is laid a layer of .-touts. \\ lien these are heated the annual; tube roasted M r laid ou them, with several hot stones inside to si cure cooking throughout: then comes a covering of loaves and earth, and the baking process completes itself. When MI is ready certain men are told off, who carefully apportion this muss of food among the representatives of tho various lubes present,, these sub-dividing among themselves, and great is the need for punctilious observance of all ceremonies and points of etiquette, as the smallest breach thereof would inevitably be not and, and involve certain revenge—or rather would have done so before the people became Christians.— Guild Words. A Komantie Town hi the Sierras. The most romantic town ou the coast is Meadow Lake. It is close np to the summit of the Sierras, near a beautiful lake. It grew up iu one summer to be a great towu. Thousands of people put thousands of dollars there. There was plenty of gold, rich gold ore there, but the gold had a terrible liking for the rock and nobody could get it out. A few stayed the first winter. The snmv Toll twenty or thirty feet deep. The people made tunnels from oue house to tin' other, ami contrived to get through the winter. The only way in and out was on snow shoes." The next spring everybody ran away and tin town col-’ anted andfell down. Adventurous par ties have every year tried to work the ore, with very little success. The last news is that anew process has been tried which bids fair to be a success. Trindtr ( .Ytr.) ft' /iuhlicnn. A Two-Tent Fool. A conceited snob was so fond of tins clothes fl at he reveled in them by day and dreamed of them by night. One evening he visited a lady and removed lus overcoat, etc., r. the ball, prepara tory to entering the | arlor, when the !adv iie.ud him utter the following: ilaug tl" re. you tifty-dollar over cost !” Fulling off bis glow sand lav ieg them on the table, •• Lay there, you five-dollar glow- Placing ids baton the 'rack and his cane in the corner. “Stand there, you rift ecu-dollar cane!” Then, ent rin ; the > srlor, lie was about to sit down, when the youug lady pulled the oil nr from him, and as she left the room, said, “Lav there, von twno-cent fool!” Dr. Hor.naMi’spoem, “Bitter Sweet,” it is stated, had the largest sale of any noea ever pnldished in this country— -200,000 copies. 1 The Stopidity of Ghost Stories. That the longing cry for some cer tainty of another world has led thou sands into hopeless quagmires ot credu lity and superstition, all history illus trates It is no wonder that it should be so.' If a spirit could return to this earth he would appeal to the deepest and dearest instincts of human nature. The awe and mystery that surround the other world would attend his steps, and he would awaken that inexpressible tenderness that fills the heart of any one who has lost a beloved relative or friend. Reverence and love would, therefore, prepare men to regard him as au evan gelist. In all ages priests and magi cians have availed themselves of this opportunity, and connected with almost every system claiming supernaturalism we find deceivers and dupes. The re vival of our own day has, of course, not been exempt from this inevitable contin gency, and the tricks of professional mediums, as well as the pranks of serv ant girls in so-called haunted houses, have been constantly unveiled. Thou sands of ghost stories also must be traced to diseased nerves. Even where we can not find out the ordi nary causes of strange sounds or ap pearances, we must always remember that any appearance testified to only by one pci. sou may simply prove nothing beyond the fact that the brain of the seer conjured up the vision. When sub sequently the same apparition appears to a second, third or fourth person we may perhaps still regard it as “ subjecte ive'”—that is, existing only in the mind’s eye of each observer infected by the ac counts he has heard. As to visions ap pearing at dead of night to mothers, wives, or sisters, that is certainly not an unaccountable phenomenon. To dream of those'who are in special peril or far away is so common as to excite no re mark: and when such nightly experi ences are reckoned by the million, and unexecuted deaths are counted by the thousands, tlie fact that sometimes there should be a coincidence of date is hardly surprising. We must also note how very nnliistorical are ninety-nine out of a hundred such stories. A lady dreams of her husband in India, or thinks she is awake and sees bis ghost; a month after she hears of his death at that very hour. Now the spiritual telegraphy in volved in this fact is quite capable of be ing unmistakably recorded. If in the dais before India was connected with Eiigland by wire a wife in Devonshire knew of the death of her husband in Bengal at the hour when it occurred, say on the Ist of January, 1850, document ary proof of the coincidence could he given. A letter dated and read aud reg istered to the day would prove to all lime that what could not lie known in Fill rope liv natural means was super naturally communicated, and the two documents—one Indian, recording the actual death, the other English, record ing the vision, and both authenticated— would place the instantaneous and su pernatural telegraph beyond doubt. Is there a single story capable of this kind of proof I—London Telegraph. Unwashed Italy. The table linen is all homespun, and good of its kind, but rather coarse. As in the matter of chemises, it is thought well to have an immense quantity. I remember being struck on one occasion with the fact that the table-cloth was marked in four numbers. It was at the wedding of the eldest daughter, aud a cupboard full of linen the mother had with her “corredo” bad been opened for tlm first time. Those hoards of logon make it possible to go on without a (wash-up tor a very long time. Washing is a yearly cere mony. It takes place in the spring, wlii'U a procession of carts convey the contents of various cupboards down to the river, if there is one in the vicinity; if there is not, to tlie nearest mill stream. This system of washing but oinv. a year no doubt saves time and trouble; but it has its disadvantages, especially when exten*Jed to the ment is is of the family themselves. In cold weather much washing of the person is considered to Ik* dangerous to health, •old my barbarity in subjecting a young i üby to u daily bath during the winter, ex -ited almost as much virtuous indigna tio i as my culpable neglect of the ■ i.seiti,’’ so necessary to ki ej> the leg straight. Ou receiving n neighbor into the born e for a week, I thought it in cumbent on me, although it was the dead of winter, to provide him with all conveniences for washing, but these at t ntions were lost upon him; and my astonishment when the housemaid thought fit to inform me, in lier dramatic way, that neither soap, water nor towel had been touched, was, perhaps, no greater than his own at fiiulin g tm.se useless things provided. “ The signora ays to me,” begins Marietta, “have mu put soap into the room of that gentleman?” “Sissignora.” . “A bath?” “Sissignora.” “Two towels?” “Sis signora,' sissignora, ma, signora, non toccati! ue I’nua, ne I’nltra!” It is not only in the matter of washing that Italian winter habits differ from i in s. Fires are considered unwholesome, but air is excluded as much as possible ; the doors and windows kept tight shut day and night; draughts sedulously avoided. Cheat-coats, hats aud eorufi inters are worn by the men in doors, while the women swathe their heads iu wool, put on several gowns one atop of another, and sit with their hands in mull’s and their feet on a “scaldino.” Although no lady ever goes out without making an elaborate toilet, indoors a dressing-gown, often in the most dilapidated condition, is all that is considered necessary. To wear the same gown indoors ns out of doors is a thing not thought of, and im mediately' on returning to the house after a walk the dressing-gown is re sumed. Iu the outdoor costume great efforts are made to keep up with the fasilion-books, and engravings which re late thereto are much studied, but seldom with any great success.— Tin Corn hid. The Mississippi ami Tributaries. A pamphlet on the Mississippi river and its tributaries gives the following utcineut of the mileage of the naviga ole portion of each of the following named rivers above its mouth: Missouri, 3,139; Mississippi, 2,161; Ohio, 1,021; lv.d, 986; Arkansas, 884 ; White, 779 ; Tennessee. 789: Onmlierlainl, 900; Yel lowstone, 474; Ouachita, 384; Wabash, 3(45; Allegheny, 325; Osage, 363 ; Min nesota, 295; Sunflower, 271; Illinois, 270; Yazoo, 236: Black (Ark.), 112: Green. *300: B*. Francis, 180: Talla hatchie, 175; Wisconsin, 160; Deer Creek, 116; Tensas, 112: Monougahela, 110; Kentucky, 105: Bartholomew, 1011; Kanawha, 94; Muskiugiun, 94; Cliip pe" a, 90 ; lowa, 80 ; Big Hatchie, 75 ; St. Croix. i>s : Rock, 6-5; Black (La.) 61; Macs ai, (to; Bceuf, 53; Biz Horn, 50; Clinton. 50; Little Red, 49 : Big C >pros and Lake, 44; Big Black, 35 ; Pauchitte. Total number of rivers. 33: total number of miles of navigation at pre-ent. 15,710. Robert Bower pay# hi# horse-doctor more than double that paid any oollcce prnteaaor. GEMS OF THOUGHT. Men should bs tried before theT am trusted. The loafer is the idle of the people, - Lampton. The society of women is the element of good manners. We may be as good as we please, if we please to be good. Affection hides three times as many virtues as charity does sing. Flowers that come from a loved hanf are more prized than diamonds. The greatest trust between man and man is the trust of giving counsel. An old home is like an old violin; the music of tlie past is wrought into it, ‘ How poor, how rich, how abject, how august, how complicate, how wonderful is man. Life is full of bitter lessons, the simplest of which is taat one man's fall makes forty laugh. To maintain au opinion because it is thine, and not because it is true, is to prefer thyself above the truth. Like a beautiful flower, full of color but without scent, are the tine but fruit less words of him who does not act ac cordingly. J Thp. firmest friendships hape bees formed in mutual adversity; ■* iron is most strongly united by the! fiercest flame.— Colton. A So much of our time is preparation, so much routine, so much retrospeiA, that the pith of each man’s genius conMrack itself to a very few hours. Round dealing is the honor of ma n* nature; and a mixture of falsehood is like alloy iu gold and silver, but it cm baseth it, —Lord Bacon. , It is only the vulgar who are always j fancying themselves insulted. If a mmi | treads on another's toe in good society, do you think it is taken as au insult? I feel no care of coin; Well doing i* my weullli; My mind to me a kingdom is. , While grace alfiirdeth health. — Southwell. Health, beauty, vigor, riches, and all the other things called goods, operate equally as evils to the vicious and inn jnst, ns they do as benefits to tlie just,- Plato. If you want io be miserable and don't knowhow, carry malice against human ity in general. You'll find the load the heaviest one you ever carried.— JCeohik Gate City. The difference between honor ami honesty seems to bo ehiefly tho motive; the mere honest man does that from duty which the man of honor does for the sake of character. Let ns have done with reproaching; for we may throw out so many reproach ful words on one another that a ship of a hundred oars would not be able to cany the load.— Homer. Sorrow is a kind of rust of the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away. It is the putre faction of stagnant life, and is remedied by exercise and motion. A swimmer becomes strong to stem the tide only by frequently breasting the big waves. If you practice always in shallow water, your heart will as suredly fail iu the hour of liigli flood. Constant success shows us only one side of the world ; for as it surrounds us with friends, who will tell us only our merits, so it silences those enemies from whom alone, we can learn our defects.— < V .(ton. In peace patriotism really consists only in this—that everyone sweeps be fore his own door, miuds his own busi ness, also learns his own lesson, that it may be well with him in his own house. Men’s feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and farewell ; like the glaciers which are transparent only at sunrise and sunset, but throughout tho day cold and gray, — Richter. A Yenitiau Ballt. One Saturday, when the ladies wem taking then - ten at Hurliugliaiu, they were startled by seeing a naked mail dodging about from tree to tree on tire opposite bank. Soon a policeman ap proached him, and it was discovered that lie had been bathing from a boat, and, finding himself unable to get back to it, owing to the stream, had preferred outraging the proprieties of being drowned. The same thing occurred to me at Venice. I had a room on the ground floor in a hotel on the Grand Canal. About I o’clock in the morning every thing seemed quiet, and it occurred to me that I should like to bathe ; so I jumped into the water from my window. Having swam about for some time, I thought I would return to the hotel. What was my horror to find that an Eng lish fondly—papa, mamma, and five daughters—had established themselves on the steps of the hotel. There was no help for it, so I calmly landed and, bow ing respectfully to the ladies, regained my room. The next day I gat opposite the family at dinner. They told me what had no nrred, and I deeply sympa thized with them in their indignation against those “horrid and digustiup” Italians. —London Truth. Concerning Cartridges. The fact has just been made to appear in France flint powder in cartridges de composes, under cerium circumstances, cau ing diminished velocity and loss of precision as compared with fresh cart ridges. It seems that, between the different dates of charge, 187(1 and 1880, there was found a marked con trast iu respect to efficiency. Thus, an analysis of the matter contained in those of 1876 proved them to be a mixture’ of carliou, sulphur, saltpeter, sulphide cf potassium, sulphate aud carbonate of potash, and sesquicarbonate of ammonia with tome metallic salts arising from a combination of the brass of the case with the constituents of the powder. The showing in these and other cartridges examined clearly demonstrated a pro gressive decomposition of the powder in the metallic cases ; and the quantity of powder transformed in the giveu time is proved to depend ou the character of tlie atmospheric influences, and especially that of moisture, acting at the time of manufacture or during storage. In 1880 the New York Central railroad built 34 passenger aud 272 freight cars in its owu shops, aud had .3,000 freight cars built elsewhere. It also purchased 37 new locomotives, 345 first class and 03 second-class passenger cars, 102 bsgga*°, mail and express cars, 2,292 four-wee!, anl 17,103 eight-wheel freight cars — total number of ears, 19,995. It has 61 machine and ear shops, aud 50 engine houses, with stalls for 592 locomotive*. Iu 1880 its 639 locomotives bank’d 3s trains 22,222,775 mile# to each engine. It carried B,279,B47passengers, who rede 330,802,222 miles, each passenger going on an average 40 miles,