A Mixed Up Worlif m
A mixed up world is this; »
Touched with both joy and sorrow,
If today is bright with bliss,
Iteal grief will come tomorrow.
We cannot unwind the tangled skein,
Try best as we may, the task is vain.
The gold gleams in the sand,
Thecloud Is rifted with blue,
The sunlight-kisses the land,
The night with its lips of dew.
Light feet keep time to the music sweet,
While the mourner walks the silent street.
The serpent coils around
The fragrant, blooming flower;
The false with the true is found,
In every vanishing hour,
And we ne’er can draw a line between
The good and bad, in this strange scene.
Wo bear the solemn knell,
For the loved one passed away,
Then the chimes of the merry bell
That tell of the wedding day.
Both '-friend and bride” are decked in
white,
We weep, then laugh in childish delight.
Thus it goes on like a dream,
Still pulsing with joy and pain,
A drama of mystical scene,
Forever touched with change.
We sing and mourn, we smile and sigh,
As the shifting scene goes swiftly by.
—fAL A. Holt.
TIBBIE’S PRIZE LILIES.
“Five of them. Uncle Kress,” said
Tibbie, triumphantly. “Great, rich
sorolls, as white us cream, eacli with
a golden spear rising out of its heart,
and surrounded by rank, green leaves
crouching over the edge of Grandma
Dallas’s old majolica pot.”
“Ilcydav, heyday!” said Uncle
Kress. “Our little Tibbie is getting
poetical. So I shall have to hand over
the prize to you, shall I?”
“Gircmnstance8 point that direction,
Unole Kress,” said Tibbie, with a
gleeful sparkle to her eyes. Ten dol
lars in gold. Don’t you wish you had
been less rash in registering promi-
1868 ?”
“What will Isabel say?” shrewdly
questioned Mr. Kress.
“Poor Isabel, she is so vexed about
it,” said Tibbie. “I really think,Undo
Kres9, that if she could have done it
•with her glances she would have
blighted every one of those calla lily
buds of mine,”
“Tut, tut, tut,* said Mr, Kress.
“Well, uncle, I only say what I
think. But where are you going to
put the lilies. On the reading desk or
at tho foot of the font?”
i • Haven’t made up my mind yet,”
*aid Uncle Kress. “Take them around
to the church Saturday afternoon, and
I’ll decide at the eleventh hour where
they shall stand.”
So Tibbie Kress (her “given name,”
as the old phrase is, was Elizabeth),
went merrily home, thinking what
she would do with the precious gold
en eagle, which was to be the prize
for tho pot of calla lillies.
“A new bonnet is what I need
most,” said Tibbie, as she surveyed
her limited wardrobe, “a bonnet of
split straw, with Nile-green ribbons
and a cluster of daisies and mignon
ette —a real springy Spring bonnet.”
Which was an entirely feminine de
cision, especially when it was taken
into account that Tibbie had not had a
new bonnet in a year, and Harold
Vanneker always came down to the
little Westburg church to spend Sun
day.
Isabel and Tibbie were sisters iu
blood. Mentally and morally they
wore as unliko as if they had been
born on different continents.
As Mrs. Duckworth, the matronly
old lady with whom they boarded,
expressed her opinion very plainly,
“that Miss Tibbie was worth a dozen
of Miss Isabel, and so Mr. Vanneker
thought, too, or she was off her calcu
lations.”
“Well,” said Isabel, contemptu
ously, as Tibbie came into the sitting
room, “I suppose you have been over
to the parsonage to crow over me.”
“Don’t be vexed, Belle,” said Tib
bie, doprecatingly, “of course I bad
to tell Uncle Kress that the lilies were
ready for him.”
“Aud to demand the prize?”
“I had a right to claim Bis promise,
Jtolle.”
Isabel bit her lip.
“I shall never try to bloom lilies
•gain,” said 6he. “It’s all nonsense.”
Tibbie did not answer.
Had Isabel’s lilies bloomed and
hers failed, she told herself, she should
not have withheld sympathy and con
gratulation from her more fortunate
rival.
The new bonnet—the first new bon-
not which Tibbie had ever bought out
and out from a milliner in New York
—what a marvel of richness and
freshness aud beauty it was.
Tibbie could not help feeling pleas
antly conscious of it as she passed up
the church aisle t hut morning, won
dering if it became her—secretly glad
to think that Harold Vannekcr would
be there to sec her wear it.
But as she settled herself into her
own cosy little corner of the church
pew site chanced to glance tip, and to
her surprise there was a painted ma
jolica pot, and (he rich, arrow-shaped
leaves seeming to overflow its brim
with greenery on either side; but not
a solitary lily was to be seen. Was
site dreaming?
Out of all the lilies that Tibbie had
watched grow and expand to their
pearly perfection not one remained.
She thought iho time never would
come when she could see her uncle
comedown the Bteps, with his sermon*
case under his arm, and his old
fashioned soft hat pulled over his
brow.
In the breezy churchyard tho willow
boughs swayed to and fro, the short
grass was starred with dandelions and
the bland spring sunshine folded every
thing in a veil of gold; but a cloud
seemed to descend over all these things
when Tibbie caught the grave, re
proachful look on her male’s face.
Harold Vannekcr stood beside Mr.
Kress; he lifted his hat to Tibbie; but
the girl scarcely noticed his presence.
“Uncle, ydu are vexed with me!”
she cried. “What is it? Is it the
bonnet? Did you think it was to gay?
Aud oh, Uncle, what became of the
lilies?”
Uncle Kress looked gravely at her.
“1 scarcely expected Such a tritiky
thing of yon Elizabeth,” said he. “If
voq had wanted the S10 so badly why
didn’t you tell me aud I would have
given it to you out and out. But
deceit—even practical joking—God’s
altar is not the place for that!”
“Uncle,” she gasped, “I do not
understand you I”
< « We will not discuss it further,”
said Mr. Kress, waving his hand. “You
will find your lilies lying out there
under the southern caves. Take them
and go!”
Tibbie was turning vaguely in the
direction to which her uncle pointed,
but Mr. Vanneker was before her.
Stooping down he gathered up a
handful of coarse paper scrolls with
gaudily painted yellow pistils in their
centres.
“These are the lilies that I found
fastoued rudely iu among your green
leaves this morning,” said Mr. Kress,
coldly.
Tibbie looked from her uncle to Mr.
Vannekcr without a word, For tho
moment it seemed as if speech were
frozen upon her lips, but all at once
she broke into a piteous cry.
i * Who has been tampering with my
lilies?” she wailed,“my white, beauti
ful lilies?”
“1 think I have a clue to this puz
zle,” said Mr. Vanneker, calmly, “1
was in the back part of Durivage’s store
yesterday, looking at an old black
letter edition of Chaucer, that he had
laid aside for me, when a lady came
into the front department and asked
the price of some paper lilies that
lay on the counter. To my astonish
ment the lady was Miss Isabel Kress,
and she bought the lilies and went
out. Wo came down from New York
in the same train, but I was prevented
from going and speaking to her by a
man who button-holed me on business
matters, and I do not think she knew
of my being near. When I strolled
past the church last night I saw Isabel
Kress herself going in. I stopped and
asked the old sexton if the church
was open.
H * Noa, not reg’lar open,’ he
answered, ‘but there’s a young lady a'
puttin’ flowers in.’
“Naturally I thought of Tibbie
here aud went in. But it was not
Tibbie whom I saw in the far end of
the church, stealthily breaking off the
pure white blossoms iu the great
majolica pot and inserting the odious
imitations iu their place. It was Isa
bel. I stood still and watched her as
she transferred the real lilies to a
basket that hung on her arm, ami then
gathered her shawl around her and
glided out again.”
“Yes,” said a quick excited voice
©lose by, as Isabel emerged from the
sheltering shade of a group of lau
rels, “its all true, evory word of it I
SCHLEY COUNTY NEWS.
I meant to take down Tibbie’s pride,
and I’ve dono it—for a moment, at
least. There’s my confession—make
what you will of it.”
And with a short, shrill laugh, she
swept away, her lips curved contempt
uously.
“My dear, said Mr. Kress, drawing
Tibbie to him, “forgive me. 1 judged
too suddenly. But 1 didn’t think it
was in Bello’s nature to be so vin
dicative.”
“Let mo walk home with Tibbie,
sir,” said Mr. Vannekcr. “You are
in a hurry, and she does not seem able
to walk fast.”
They did not make great haste back
to Mrs. Duckworth’s cottage—not by
any means. When at last they reached
the cottage, and Vannekcr parted from
her at the door, old Mrs. Duckworth
nodded her head and looked won
drously wise.
“I don’t mind a bit my pudding be
ing overbaked now,” said she. “Bless
me! don’t 1 know what it all means?
There’s a ring on her finger th–t
wasn’t there this time yesterday;
there’s a look in her eyes that warms
my heart. AVell, well; Sunday is a
good day to get engaged upou.”—
[Waverlcy Magazine.
Adventure in a Balloon.
It was indeed the fierce bluster ol
the gale tearing its way through leaf
and branch that we heard. If tho
balloon should dash against the hedge
of spears ambushed there, it would bo
not only wreck, but the sharpest peril
of life. “We must trust to luck,”
said Donaldson, grinding his teeth;
“we can’t do anything. But be ready
to spring for a big limb, and hold on
for dear life when I give the word.”
We were not long in suspense. The
downpour suddenly lessened, and our
halloou rose a little. It still thun
dered and lightened, but the rage of
the storm had spent itself. The cap
tain clutched my hand with a hard
grip. “We’re all right now,” with a
quiver in his voice, for his iron nerve
had been shaken; “but lot me tel]
you, you will never be so near death
again and escape it.”
He bent over the side of tho basket.
“I think there’s a village close at band.
Look sharp, and you wilt see the
twinkle of a light down there.” And
it was so, surely. As we moved on
more lights shot into view. We were
hovering over a valley between two
mountain ridges, one of which bad
been so nearly our ruin. It was an
hour after midnight, and the Villagers
were asleep. Donaldson’s gayety
frothed like champagne after our
recent danger. “ We’ll wake the
people from their dreams with a blast
from the skies.” He laughed, and
seized a bugle which hung near at
hand. “How’s this for Gabriel’s
horn?” He blew notes of piercing
sweetness (he had been an army
bugler), which rose and swelled and
sent their wild echoes flying among
those midnight hills.
Lights began to shine in every house,
and moving lanterns and the clatter
of voices betokened a general alarm.
What this midnight summons out of
tho skies might mean filled the rural
fancy with terror, and the note of
fear could bo heard in many of the
voices which floated up to us. We
were so near the earth that we could
hern- the drag-rope slapping the sticks
and stones with its tail.
“Village aho-o-oy!” whooped tho
captain, at the top of his lungs.
“Aho-o-o-oy there! Bear a hand,you
land-lubbers, at the rope, and pull us
down to earth.” So our rustic friends
with a hearty cheer tumbled over each
other in their zeal to get hold of the
rope—fear now blown away by ad
miration—and we were soon safely on
the ground with our air-ship anchored
for the night. — [Harper’s Youug Peo
ple.
Value of the Eucalyptus Tree.
The value of eucalyptus tree or
plant in pulmonary troubles has been
demonstrated. Oil of eucalyptus is a
valuable disinfectant, and its external
use in cold is wide, It is saicl that in
localities where these plants grow
thickly immunity from fevers is en
joyed, a suggestive fact that ought to
bear fruit in localities where fevers
flourish. And somebody further sug
gests to place in hospital corridors,
particularly hospitals where consump
tives and fever patients are treated,
tubs and pots of this plant to test its
virtues and if possible, derive benefit
from it. — [Now York Times.
A DELICATE ART.
Making Marketable Perfumes
From Flowers.
Process By Which Various
Scents Are Produced.
Tho manufacture of marketable
perfumes from flowers is a delicate
art, in which both chemical knowledge
and quick natural perceptions are re
quired for success. The first process
is the extraction of the essences by
distillation. A large copper vessel or
alembic is filled Xvith water about two
thirds of its capacity; tho flowers to
be treated are then introduced, and it
is hermetically closed. It is then
placed on a fire; usually gas or steam
is used for this purpose. S’cam is
generated by this means in the cylin
der, which is constantly kept replen
ished with cold water, and is furnish
ed with an overflow cock. The pipe,
in its passage through this second
cylinder, assumes the form of a spiral
coil.
The coil ends in a cock at tiro bottom
of the cylinder, from which the volatile
essehce exudes drop by drop as the
steam becomes condensed in its passnge
through the spiral coil. In this
manner the essence is collected in a
small glass vessel, while at the same
time tho wafer containing a small
portion of the scent, which still re
mains in the alembic aforesaid, is itself
perfumed, and becomes the rose-water
or orange-flower water of commerce.
All flowers are not susceptible of this
treatment—some of them, such as
jessamine, violet, cassie, tuberose, etc.,
containing no essence, have to be
treated by a different proeess. Of the
flowors producing essences, the orange
flower produces but one pound of
essence for one thousand pounds of
flowers. This essence is styled
“neroli,” and is the principal essence
produced in the district between tho
Var and the Italian frontier.
The volatile essences thus obtained
and mixed together with a certain
quantity of alcohol, are used in the
preparation and as the basis of ean de
cologne, toilet vinegar, lavender
water, etc. There are two processus
used for the purpose of extracting
perfume from flowers which do not
contain the volatile essence. The first
may be described as the cold process,
and the second as the hot process. Thte
former is generally used for cassie
(Acacia farneriana), jessamine, jon
quils, tuberoses, violets and some
other flowers.
Freshly gathered flowers are placed
upon a layer of pure lard, one-fourth
inch in thickness,spread over h sheet of
glass about two feet square, which is
framed in wood and forms a kind of
tray. These trays, sometimes forty
or fifty together, are then piled upon
one another; the flowers are changed
every twelve, eighteen or twenty-four
hours, according to circumstances, and
the process is thus continued until the
lard is sufficiently charged with per
fume. Jessamine and tuberose are
frequently changed as often as fifty
times before the lard is considered to
be sufficiently impregnated, cassie and
violets forty to fifty times, and jon
quils about twenty times only.
The fat thus obtained can be packed
in air-tight tins and conveyed any
where; and it used to be thus exported
m considerable quantities toKimmel’s,
in London, from their garden at Nice.
When tho hot process is resorted to
for the purpose of obtaining the im
pregnated fat, twenty kilos, of grease
are placed in a copper vessel, together
with some five kilos, of flowers; the
vessel is then placed over a slow fire
and the contents are well stirred.
After allowing the, compound to boil
for ten minutes, the vessoi is left to
cool for some hours; an additional
five kilos, of flowers aro then added,
and the process is repeated until the
fat has absorbed the requisite amount
of perfume; tho hot liquid is then
poured through a sieve, and tiro greasy
flower pasle that remains is subjected
to hydraulic pressure. It is in these
two ways that tho “pomuiades” of
trade are produced.
From these “pommadcs” perfumed
and alcoholized liquids are extracted
by means of grain spirit, and also bv
spirits of wine; these arc the “ex
tracts” of trade, and it is by the judi
cious blending of tho different es
sences and the concentrated perfumes,
obtained by the processes above il c
.
scribed, that the numerous scents are
produced. — [New York Tribune.
How Steel Pens are Made.
“Metallic peas have been in use a
hundred years, but it is only forty
years since tho process was invented
for making them fast enought to re*
place the old quill pons.
“In Burminghatn, England.” con tin.
lied tho pen statistician, “150,000,000
steel pens arc made every week. A
ton of steel makes a million pens.
“Women do most of the work, after
the steel has been rolled out to the
thickness of a pen, and cut into strips
ns wide as two peti9 are long. They
sit before presses that cut up the strip
in pieces shaped like a pen, flattened
out.
“Then the pens arc heated red hot
and allowed to cool slowly, That
makes them 6oft. After that other
women take them to a foot press, that
hammers down the point and stamps
in the name.
“The next timo they are heated they
are thrown into oil and that hardens
them, and when they come out, diny
and greasy, thoy are boiled in soda
and water till thoy are white and
clean. Tltey shine like silver when
they come out, but are put iu a re
volving cylinder and turned over gas
jets until they turn blue.
“Cutting tho slit in a pen was once
a secret which even royalty might not
witness. The workers were bound by
oath not tell it. The tool which does
this is a pair of scissors fixed in a
press.
“The pen is held between two
square blades of steel and when these
come together the pen is cut exactly
through the middle from the point up
to tiro hole that was punched out in
tho first press.
“Pens are cheaper in England than
anywhere else. You can buy 6ome
kinds there at the rate of fifty for a
cent.
“More steel is used in the manufac
ture of pens than in all the swords
and guns in the world.”—[New York
Mail aud Express.
Hamilton’s Thirteen Trees.
It is an odd fact that the thirteen
frees which Alexander Hamilton
plained near his country house, the
Grange, to symbolize the original
States of the Union, and which are
Still standing near the old manor house
on Convent uveime, between 142d aud
143d streets, have kept pace with the
growth of the States which they rep
resent- For instance, New York
Siate is represented by the largest
tree, standing in the centre of the
group. Close to it stands the next
largest, representing the State of Penn
sylvania. Rhode Island is represented
by the smallest tree, which is a mere
baby by the side of the others, and
the crooked tree is called South Caro
lina. It has taken an abrupt turn and
grown perceptibly out of the grove;
then it turned again just as suddenly,
and grew up straight. South Carolina
was the first State to secede from the
Union. Since peace lias been restored,
however, she has been one of the most
thrifty and flourishing of the South
ern States. The house is now used as
a Sunday-school room. It was Hamil
ton’s residence at the time of his duel
with Aaron Burr in Weehawken in
1804.— [New York Recorder.
He Was Entitled to the Prize.
A late Archbishop of Dublin, noted
for his originality and love of a joke,
was one day walking along a road
when he came across three tramps
lying on a bank by the roadside.
They were thus addressed by His
Grace:
“I would be willing to give half a
crown to the laziest of yon, if I could
tell which of you is most entitled to
it.”
One of them immediately jumped up
and said:
“Stive it to me; I haven’t done any
work for six months.”
The second came forward and
claimed it, saying he had not worked
for a year.
While these two were disputing
about the houor of being the laziest,
the third man, who had not even
moved, sleepily said:
“Come here, guv’nor, and put it in
my pocket.”—[Amusing Journal.
The worth of a ton of diamonds at
the present day is estimated at $35,
000 , 000 .
