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POSTAL IREAKS.
Some Peculiarities of n Great
City'* Mail.
Mr directed bitter*, Un lid reused Poital
C*rd* Mi l Othxr Imignlsrit en
Tin re are •* many •« 3000 letter* re.
reived in tin- New York post-office every
day which are misdirected Tliiap*rti<
ular branch of the service in in charge of
Su[h riritemiccil E I'erry Joner, who ha*
been in the employ of the government
for eighteen yean. Hit Hr»t awiataot i»
J. H Toll, who i* al*o a veteran »t the
work. The reception of each piece of
mail matter in H<qe iint< nd<-nt Jone*' de
partment* recor led in a big book, and
everything that i< done with it i» al»o re
corded *" that a complete record of
e»< h piece i* al band, and l< tier* in iy be
traced for year* back. Eq>« tally i* tbi*
done with regard to lett< r* containing
money, nnd a groat many of these arc
received, the total amount received in
department beir.g about $400,000 to
$700,000 a year To give mi idea of the
intereating system employed and the
amount of work entailed by groaa care
leMueM of jicraoii* who uddrea* letter*,
it i« only necessary Io give the story of
a letter a* it i* found ii|hii recor I. A
letter bearing the postmark “New York’’
wn* addressed to "John Smith, Jackson
ville, Fla.” Mr Smith could not b'
found. The letter in due time win re
turned to Washington and aliened at the
dead letter office. Il contained $lO in
money, and was signed "Katie, —E.
88th street." It was forwarded to Su
perintendent Jone*. At the number given
no "Katie" could Im found. The letter
was kept thirty days, ami no inquiry
being made about it, it was sent to
W uhi'igton. But should “Kiltie" ever
desire to look up her lost letter she could
yet obtain it by proving property, as it
could be quit I.ly found by reference to
the records.
An average of fifty po-l il < ard . ire put
in the Ni w York otlii i every day with
I no oddroa* al all upon them. Many which
are intended foi out of town are directed
to New York city, the person addressing
them evidently having had his mind on
something else Ilian his work. A great
deal of matter on which the charges have
not bun fully paid is refused. Thisi lass
<4 mntti r caiisi s Ihe depai tinent a gn at,
deal of trouble. The most of this is mut
ter sent to large linns w ho i s'iihlish n rule
not to receive anything that i.s not fully
prepaid. Often they icfiise letters on
which there is but two or three cent* due
which contain money. All this matter
is sent to Washington, and the sender is
traced out from there. It is seldom that
a woman refuses to receive mail matter,
whatever the extra charge i*. Her natural
curiosty is 100 great. Cake and candy
an mailable in a tin box, but not in a
pasteboard box This regulation is often
violated, and any quantity .of sweet
tiling* arc captured by the keen-scented
(aistal clerks. Fruit is also umnailable
except it is securely packed, but hardly a
day |siss<'S that some sort of fruit is not
taken out of the mails. When picked
in past! Isinrd boxes |s-i i.liable stull is
liable to be < lushed and to injure other
mail matter. Liquids of id! kinds are
uiinuiihible, yet a great many I Hit tics are
found in the mails.
There is only one rate to Canada for
package*. It is ten cents no matter how
large or how small the package is. But
the package niunot ol course exceed the
maximum weight or dimensions pre
* rib< 4 by Hie postal regulations. A
g cat tunny package* are held under the
law. Willi nearly every foreign country
the arrangements is *u< h that mail mat
ter will lx- forwaidcd even if it is short
pai l But it i not so with Australia.
Ihr result is a great ninny Australian
letter* are held for prepar mi nt.
Not long ago a leltci lontaining two
SIOO bills camo into . the hand* of the
department < terks It w.i addressed to a
vi-rtiii. uuiuls t >ll Set enth avenue. A
most thorough March wa* made to And
the owner. I'lach carrier on Seventh ave
nue took it <u Inin, but the owner could
not bo found,and tin $?00 went into the
treasury of the government. Num very in
teresting thrugv well found m the mall
•cut to the department from the w reck of
the Oreg mi. 'lire gieatest part of it wa*
»o thoroughly waked with silt water that
it could not In forwarded, but a great
dial of excellent work was done in luak
ing out sii|s-i-m riptions w ith only slight
clews to work upon. Hundreds of pho
to; r.iphs, love messages mid token* sent
from the other aide had to lie diinqied
into bags mid sent on to W ashington,
there to lie officially destroyed The av
erage number of letter- returned to
M iiliiiigton each week is from 8000 to
10,000. Au an average about SOO of the
letter* relume.l to Washington weekly
cannot lie delivered even aft. r they have
Ix-cti o|s-iie<t at the Dead L- ltci 0:11 e.—
Art." i'ork Star
An Kugageineiit King.
Mother—Did you hear the bell just
now.
Daughter I thought 1 heard a very
faint tinkling; let me look out of the
window and aoe. I declare, it’* Tom!
Mother—Ahl 1 thought it rounded
like an engagement ring, and I'm a
woman of experience. Bbst.wi Sedgrt.
A t hinexe Hon»e.
In her new book on China, -Mist Gor
don Cumming gives tbi* description of a
: Chines ■ house of the ln-ttcr < l ure; It
I covers so mu< h ground, an I there are so
1 many open halls, consisting chiefly of
i pillars and ornamental roofs, scattered
J promiscuously about,among pavrd court
yards, decorated with fl >wcr« in pots,
and then there are walls pierced by
oddly shap d portals, formed like rxtr
gon*, or circles, even teapot*. and all
placed nt irregular intervalnever op
posite one anoth r; and then shady mor
■cl* of garden, with all manner of sur
prise* in the way of little ponds, mid
angular bridges, nnd qmint trei i. Ih< i
somehow, quite unexpectedly, you find
yourself in brightly ornamental suites of
small rooms, which seem to have b n
originally one great room, stibdiv.dc I by
partitions of the m"t elnb ir.it ■ xvood
| carving, and furnished with beautiful
I polished blackwood, and hungin.. f
i rich materials.
Such hou:«'s are, in fact, the putri
j archal encampment of a whole clan, to
i which nil the sous mid brothers of the
house bring their wives, and there take
up their quarters, living together appar
ently in very r markable pl ace.
We wcr<- received by our host and
half a dozen of gentlemen of the family,
and for num ' time we sat in n fine open
reception hall,drinking pile straw-color
ed tea in its simple form and playing
with a nice little son, the hop-: of the
house. Presently our host (who is very
friendly to foreigners, an I, from inter
course with him, is less punctilio is than
most Chinamen on tire matter of being
seen speaking to his women folk) led us
aside and presented ns to his most kimlly
an<i courteous old mother, who conduct
ed us to her apartments, her son nccom
piinying us. He then introduced us to j
his little bride, aged thirteen. His mat
rimonial alvcnture* havo so far been
imlm ky, two previous wives having '
died very early. Thi* one seems n nice, .
bright little Indy. She was very highly '
roughed, as was also her sister-in-law.
Another sij>ter, being indisposed, was
not roughed, nor was the mother, and
therefore pleasanter to our eyes; but the ;
Canton ladies love to lay on the color i
thick. There is no deception about it! :
It is good, honest rod, laid thick upon
the check, nnd carried right round the .'
eyebrows; the latter are shaved to refine
their form. They cannot understand why
English ladies should refrain from su< h
an emb-llishment. Only when in mourn
ing do they refrain from its use, and one I
notable exception is that of a bride, who, 1
on her wedding day, may wear no rouge,
so that when her red silk veil is removed
nnd the fringe of pearls raised, her hus- I
bind, looking on her face for the first
time, may know for certain what
share of beauty unadorned has fallen to
his lot.
But. of all eccentricities of personal ;
decoration the oddest, I think, is that of ;
gilding the hair, which, I am told,young i
('.inton girls do on very full-dress occa- '
sions. Certainly Ido remember a time
when Home English ladies powdered ‘
their hair with gold dust; but then they 1
owned golden locks to start with, whcrcics
these are all black and glos-y as the ra
ven's wing
The Dangers of Kissing.
An enemy to the kis< has appear.' I in 1
Washington, 1). in the person of Dr.
SimUilS. Adams, who devotes seven i
t ohimii* ol the "Journal of the American ;
Medical As-o. iatioa" to exposing the
“dangers of kissing." Everything has
it* dark side. The dark side of kissing,
as viewed by Dr. Adams, i.s both moral
and physical. Among women and between
children and adults it has degenerated
into an insincere, unmeaning and com
monplace salutation, when it should bo
reserved only as an index of all ■ctionatn
feeling.
But the weight of the doctor’s argu- '
ment is expended in showing the possi
ble < v.|s which come from the promis
cuous kissing of babies ana children by
adults. Tuberculosis, diphtheria, in- .
fectious fevers. , auerum oris, rupture of
the tympanum all are possible or actual |
results of kissing. A veritable instance j
is cite I, in which the drum of the ear I
was ruptured by u kiss applied to the j
external auricular appendage I A kiss
of such suction force reminds one of
11. ne licl's, w hich had "such a clamorous
smack that, at the parting, all tlffi*l
church did echo." V, h.-.il li >rd.
Fire Frigliteue.l the Bear.
A Michigan fisherman who had cap
mix'd a bear's cub, which he had run
across in the w oods was pursued by the
she bear. The fisherman dropped the j
cub very soon, but the act failed to pla
cate or divert the attention of the parent
bear, which pressed him hotly. At one
moment she was so close that she was
enabled to sccuri l a mouthful of the
fugative’s apparel. His strength was
fast giving » ay, and the bear betnived
no sign* ol fatigue or relenting, when the ,
flthertuan In-thought him of an expedient, i
He had heard that the most ferocious of !
wild animals were subdued and terrified
by fire, and, drawing a newspaper from
his pocket he touched a match to it and
dashed it blazing into the bear's face.
The clleet wu magical. The lieat
rolled over and over, grunted with ter
ror, and on regaining her feet forsook
the Geld with astonishing rapidity.
fob the farm axd home.
ff>»w <• Feed !<*>«■.
C ktiu< ■ your trough* for f.-w Eng
li<i-. . say* the Lire StocL Itrjie'rr, of
Kans.ii City, »o that each hog cannot
i propri ite mor..- than a foot to him-. If.
Have division* by mean* of small fenced
yard mi arranged thnt at least three
siz. sos pig* can slip under and bo
divul.gi into three grades and each have
a trough toeat from. Now, by pouring
swill into th'- trough* for the small pigs
they will <tow<l into tlicir j>en first and
lx- out of the way of the older one*, safe,
: eating. Thea take the second grade,
ari'l they will all be on an equality and
out < f the way of the still larger ones.
In this manner a feeder can regulate the
feed -nid grade hi* hog* in eating, and
manage u large number nnd have each
get a propct share of food, and not get
hint. I) i not undertake to raise your
hogs on grass alone. They need at least
otic <ar of corn per dtiyj to give them
heart and to neutralize the acid arising
from eating the grass. A full supply of
ashes and salt should be kept in reach
all the time. Charcoal isn great neutral
iz.-r of acid*. Burnt cob* are good.
I! memb'-r that clover is full of acid, and
a * air stomach soon lead* to disease,
"An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure” in this case.
( arc of n n Orchard.
W. A. London say* ic the Hural Mee
eengcr : 1 find that 1 me, wood ashes,
! and old iron put around the roots of de
clining trees, have a very beneficial ef
' feet. These fertilizers restore the trees
to a healthy condition, and also greatly
■ improve th fruit in quantity. I made
the application early last Spring us an ex
: periment on a Winesap and Nevcrfail;
about half a bushel mixed lime and ashes
; to each, and dug it in with a hoe some
i six fe.-t around the trunk, and put the
old iron immediately around the base of
each. The trees put forth with renewed
vigor, bloomed abundantly, and yielded
i a good crop of fruit. An excellent wash
for tree* may be made thus : Heat an
ounce of salsoda to redness in an iron
pot.anddiss Ive it in one gallon of water,
ami while warm apply it on the trunk.
After one application the m.-ss and old
bark will drop <4l, and the trunk will be
quite smooth. This wash has quite re
<up rutivc properties, makmg old trees
bear anew. I have tried soft soap as a
wash with good results, and also a coat
ing of lime in the Spring season, which
is a line specific for old trees. The ques
tion is often asked if it is best to manure
trees in the Fall or Spring. I have
found the Summer season to be a good
time; have great faith in mulching, es
pecially young trees, for several reasons,
after they are planted. Apple trees
have two growth.* during the season—
the secondary growth takes place after
mid Summer; hence it is that a topdress
ing of manure and also coarse litter, fa
cilitates the late growth, and often pro
duce, very marked results in the habit
and formation of the tree. The good
effect that mulching has to young trees
is that it wards off the intense heat of
the sun from the tender roots, and also
has a tendency to hold moisture. A
good topdressing of stabl - manure in the
Fall around young trees, with a good
many < orneobs cast over the surface of
the ■ gives satisfactory results.
ilkilltf « OH «.
ln s|,eaking upon this subject the Pitts
burg StiH-kiuan says:
Milking is nothing short of a fina art,
and the farm hand who knows how to
milk properly is more valuable to the
careful dairyman than any other help.
Some can milk u dozen cows while others
would milk half that number, but the
careful manager is not so anxious for fast
help as he is to employ those who are
careful. The operation should never be
hurried, but the milk should be drawn
steadily as it flows. S >me cows have
tender teats and udders, and the
rapid milker forgets this in his effort
to make speed. A cow that is naturally
impatient and fretful does not hke to sub
mit to rough handling, ami her disposi
tion is soon ruine I by such treatment.
A* the udder be.'-me- distended with
milk the cow readily submit* to milking
for the relief it bring*. The constant
practice of being milked at stated inter
vals impresses itself strongly upon her,
and she will seldom resist without cause.
If a cow that has been patient nt milk
ing becomes fractious the fail't can al
ways lx- traced to the milker. The care
less dairyman is the one who complains
of his cows to keep up the flow, ami
bloody milk, garget and other evils are
almost always the result of his ow n mis
management. Another point demanding
attention is allowing cows to stand a
long time waiting to lie milked, With
cow* that milk large it is painful when
the udders are filled to the utmost and
the milker is not on hand to relieve
them, and they become nervous and rest
less. This causes a cow to dry up pre
maturely because nature revolts at her
suffering. The cow should also be
milked to the last drop; if the last por
tion of the milk, as claimed, is the best,
the udder should be left with nothing in
it. With regularity in feeding, milking
and caring for the cows, and kind treat
ment at all times, the cow will not only
become gentle and stay so, but will give
, milk longer and her season's product will
be much larger. If a cow begin* to give
trouble in milking proper attention in
handling and management will mostly
cure the evil.
>arm and ddarden .Totea.
Regulate the feed of your home* to
correspond with the amount of work they
are required to do.
, Dust melon vines with Pari* green or
London purple to keep off the bug. Dust
with one part of the powder to twenty
live part* of flour.
Watch for the currant worm, nnd as
soon as the leave* appear ragged apply
white hellebore—a tablcspoonful to a
pail of water—by mean* of a syringe.
Repeat in about a week.
The very best stock will not be long in
degenerating, if not properly fed and
cared for. The man xvho puts money
into procuring good blood and then
neglect* it, is excessively extravagant.
Ou many farm* the pigs must be kept
in close pens all summer. Such pigs
should have green food delivered to them
daily. Os course some grain is needed
in addition to the grain food. Milk is
also good.
When two or three different kinds of
grasses are sown together for pasture,
many vacant spaces may be filled up, as
each particular variety will find the kind
of soil best adapted to its vigorous
growth, the consequence being that the
sod will be the thicker.
The problem of farming consists in mak
ing the soil increasingly fertile. Manure
is the farmer’s saving bank, and if more
of them had large heaps of it every
spring to spread upon their land, instead
of money at interest, they would prosper
better in the end.
Soiling crops demand the very richest
ground. It will not pay to cut and
gather a poor crop to be carried to the
barn and fed while green. If the land
is not rich enough to produce a maximum
crop, let stock gather herbage for them
selves until enough land can be got into
suitabl; condition.
Barnyard manure may be imitated by
thoroughly composting with a cord of
seasoned meadoxv muck, or some substi
tute, sixty-five pounds of crude nitrate
of soda, two bushels of wood ashes, one
peck of common salt, ten pounds of fine
bene meal, txvo quarts of plaster, nnd ten
pounds of Epsom salts.
A slightly acid milk is necessary in se
curing cream to make butter for long
keeping. Excellent as the creamery
system is for getting the most butter and
cream from a certain quantity of milk, it
gets it too suddenly for long-keeping
butter. Keeping cream one or two days
after gathering, in a moderately cool
temperature, and then churning, is a
remedy for this defect.
The best ground for a peach orchard is
a light, sandy soil that has been planted
for several years with general crops. Do
not plant on ground rich enough to pro
duce onions, peas, spinach or lettuce, for |
trees will be liable to make a late
autumnal growth, and produce unripe
wood that will be winter-kil ed.
Profitable bee-keeping greatly depends
upon a gathering up of the fragments,
that nothing be lost. Fragments of time
can be used in caring for bees, fragments
of lumber in m iking hives and frames,
fragments of comb for wax; and every
drop of honey is useful; even though
mixed with dirt, it can be fed to needy
colonics.
The work of caring for beans comes
just at the busiest harvest season, and
this crop is therefore apt to be neglected.
If delayed till after harvest it is too late,
and the vine cannot be disturbed with
out injury. Yet the work in hoeing
beans, if done at the right time, saves an
equal amount of labor when they come
to be harvested, besides the advantage to
the crop.
The soils best adapted for the potato
ar ■ sandy and gravelly loams. C.ay
soils, especially if the season be wet,
prtflluce poor potatoes, with a tendency
to rot. An old pasture turned over or.
any sod ground, is well fitted for potato
growth. A little well-rotted compost
harrowed in thoroughly upon such sod
will usually give a fair crop even upon
p< orish soil. Fresh stable manurcshould
not be applied, as it results in a di
minished yield and increases tendency to
rot.
Household Hints.
Oil of lavender will drive away flies.
Grained wood should be washed xvith
cold tea.
If meat bakes too fast cover with but
tered paper.
To remove tea stains from cups and
saucer*, scour with ashes.
Hellebore sprinkled on the floor it
night destroys cockroaches. They eat »t
and are poisoned.
To prevent lampwicks from smoking
they should l>e soaked in vinegar and
then thoroughly dried.
Cold sliced potatoes fry and taste bet
ter by sprinkling a tablcspoonful of
flour over them while frying.
Cayenne pepper blown into the cracks '
where ants congregate will drive them
away. The same remedy is also good for
mice.
To clbmT unvarcbhc 1 b ack wa.i.ut:
Milk, sour or sweet, well rubbed in with
an old soft flannel, will make black wal
nut look new.
Rub the nickel stove trimm ngs and
the plated handle* and hingp* of doors
with kerosene and whiting, and polish
with a dry cloth.
n>c«tp<*.
Arroirroot I‘utlding. — One pint of
milk, two tablespoonfu!* of arrowroot,
two egg*, half cup of sugar, half tea
spoonful each of cinnamon and nutmeg ;
br.il the milk and stir in the arrowroot,
which ha* been dissolved in a little
water; take from the fire, add the oth r
ingredients, and bake in an earthenware
dish in a quick oven.
Tomato Soup without Meat. One
quart of stewed tomatoes, one quart of
milk, one rolled cracker, one teaspoonful
of soda, a small bit of butter and a little
salt. When tomatoes arc sufficiently
cooked add the soda, then the cracker,
butter and salt. Heat the milk in a
saur■ ■pan, and pour into the kettle, and
as soon as it boils remove it from the fire,
and setve it at once.
Hui. for Cooking Cabbage. Boil the
cabbage gently until cooked, and drain
it; put two ounces of butter into a sauce
pan, set it on a good fire, and, when
melted, put in the cabbage, xvith some
salt and pepper, add half a pint of cream
or milk, and cne teaspoonful of flour,
stirring constantly with a xvooden spoon.
Simmer until the sauce is reduced, and
serve hot.
Cold Slaw. Put three teaspoonfuls of
of vinegar in a saucepan, xvith a 1 ttlo
salt ami pepper; beat two eggs very light
and mix with a tablespoonful of floor, a
teaspo >nful of butter, a teaspoonful of
sugar, and half a teaspoonful of ground
mustard. Set the vinegar on the stove,
and when it boils stir in the mixture,
adding half a cup of milk. Cook for two
minutes, stirring constantly. Pour the
sauce over the shred cabbage, and let it
become cold before serving.
Longfellow’s First Poem.
An orator may feel a sense of satisfac
tion in the oration which makes him the
voice of a nation, but his success docs
not thrill him as did the declamation
when he was a boy which first made him
the hero of the little red schoolhouse at
the cross roads. Even the poet’s latest
volume, though the publisher announces
its tenth edition, does not so stir his
soul as did the sight of his first poem in
the country newspaper.
The poet Longfelloxv had this thrill
ing experience in his thirteenth year.
Near the farm of his maternal grand
father was a small lake, known as Lov
ell’s Pond. It was the scene of a famous
event in New England history, “Lovell’s
Fight’’ with the Indians. The story"
made such a deep impression on the boy's
imagination that he wrote a poem of four
stanzas,entitled, "The Battle of Lovell’s
Pond.”
With a trembling heart he ran down
to the printing office where the Port
land Gazette was published,and dropped
the manuscript into the letter-box. The
evening on which the paper was printed
he went again, ami stood shivering while
watching the working of the press, and
wondering if his poem would appear
next morning.
His sister shared his confidence, and
they watched their father when he picked
up the paper and dried it before the
wood fire. He r<.ad it slowly, laid it
aside, and said nothing. They picked
it up, and 10l the poem was there in the
poet’s corner.
The delighted boy read it over and
over, and again and again, and each
tirfic he felt the thrill of pleasure intensi
fied. In the evening he went to visit hi*
friend Frederick, the son of Judge Mel- I
len, his father’s intimate friend. The
conversation turned upon poetry, and
the judge, taking up the morning’s
Gazette, asked:
"Did you see the piece in to-day's pa
per? Very stiff; remarkably stiff. More
over, it is all borrowed; every word of !
it.”
It was the boy’s first encounter with a '
critic, and that night his pillow was I
sprinkled with tears. The judge was i
correct in his criticism; but poor a* |
were the verses, they gave the boy his |
first sensation of the pleasure of seeing '
. oneself in print.— Youth's Companion.
Shower Clouds.
A paper recently read before the Royal ■
Meteorological Society in London gives '
the results of a series of observations to
determine the connection between the
“blackness” of a cloud and the heaviness
of the shower which falls from it. The |
writer found that from clouds the thick
ness of which did not exceed 2,000 feet ;
the rain is always slight, while the rain- t
drops are rather minute. As the shower I
clouds increase in thickness the amount 1
of rain and the size of the raindrops
proportionately increase, and the clouds
from which hailstorms come reach a I
thickness of over 10,000 feet. It is very
noticeable also that as the cloud thickens
the raindrops which fall from it are
colder. It is suggested thnt condensa
tion begins on the upper surface of the '
cloud by the cooling of the liquid cloud
particles. In this view it is easy to see
how hailstones (the formation of which
is still a mystery with many people) can i
be found in the middle latitudes.— Chi
cago Newt.
CUI-HAGS FOR THE ClKll'ls.
A method of weighing freight c »r,
while in rapid motion has l»een contrived
by the use of an electrical apparatus
plied to the scales.
The Borneo tree toad has a slender
body and broad webbed feet that act like a
parachute, enabling the animal to leap
from a tree top and float through the air
■ like a flying squirrel.
The Senoia (Ga.) Sentinel says that a
man in Campbell county had thirty-sii
boys old enough to fight in the last war
and twenty-three of them were killed*
He been married nine times.
Belmont was erected in 1754 in what is
now called Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
It wa* a favorite resort of Washington
Lafayette, Franklin, Jefferson, Taller'
rand, Louis Phillippe and other m t ' n
known to fame.
To kill infants was thought an abom
inable sin by the ancient Teutons, but
among the Romans and many other na
tions it was quite a common practice and
hardly blamable to kill them, especially
girls.
In a Chinese village, during a time of
drouth, a missionary saw a row of idol*
put in the hottest and dustiest part of
the road. He inquired the reason, and
the natives ansxvered: “We prav our
gods to send us rain, and they won’t- so
I we've put them out to sec hoxv they like
I the heat and dryness.”
In order to enforce some kind of re-’u
larity in barbers’ shops, which were once
places of great resort for the idle in Env.
land, certain laws were usually made
the breaking of which was to be pun
ished by forfeits. Like a good many
laws of the present day they were laughed
at and not always obeyed.
The employment of negro slaves was
j begun through motives of humanity.
Seeing how cruelly the Spaniards worked
I the poor natives in the silver mines, not
long after the discovery of America, a
priest named Las Casas, out of pure be
nevolence, recommended the employment
of negrccs because they were stronger
than the Indians.
A Norwegian writer has made some
remarkable statements concerning the
jumping of herring out of the water
when frightened. He affirms that be
I he has observed whole shoals of this fish,
; in their anxiety to escape from pursuing
i whales, piled up above the surface of the
sea to a height of from three to six feet,
| and on one occasion about fifteen feet.
Parrots in India*
We xvent to India, and I was com
pletely fascinated by the crowds of green
parrots we saw on the plains. It was i
I never-failing source of delight to me to
! cee them flying in flocks, often hundreds
' at a time, with the rays of the descend
' ing sun glistening on their emerald green
! plumage; or to see a tree destitute of
i leaves made green by reason of the mul
titude of parrots that had settled on its
i branches; or again, at sunset, to seethe
I green parrots flying about the xvhite
marble minarets of the glorious Taj-Me
hal, or darting about, frolicking in the
expiring rays. To me they were the
most lovely of India’s birds. One
connected with parrots is, from its per
fect beauty, often present in my mind.
At a certain residence, one of the finest
in Northern India, there is a fountain
constantly playing, and in the early
morning the parrots gather together in
vast numbers to drink and bathe in its
I running waters and basin. To see their
graceful curves and upward flights be
fore dashing through and just skimming
the surface of the water, with their un
bounded joy and delight in so doing,
was a picture of ' ecstatic, ideal, living
I happiness difficult to surpass. The par
rots at this residency are almost tame,
for every morning four or five caged
ones are let loose to be fed, and down
come all the wild ones to share their
feast. The early morning is the time to
see these birds at their brightest and
! best. At the first glimpse of the rising
| sun they forsake their night’s resting
places, and fly shrieking forth in search
; of food, and on many a tree they may be
; seen pulling off the precious berries and
. fruits. Alas! the madhi’s (gardener's)
i heart does not warm to parrots, for their
i nature is to work destruction wherever
j they go, and they pick off and destroy
I far more than they eat—as the unripe
| mangoes lying at the foot of a tnang*
| tree will testify. Cornhill.
The Demand* of Business.
“Why that cruel, relentless look,
George, dear,” she asked; "have you
i ceased to love me?”
“Hush!” he whispered hoarsely, “th*
nature of my business demandsit.’’
“Oh, George, does opening oysters re
quire such a cold, unpitying expression? 1
; “I am no hanger an oyster-opener,”
replied, and the cruel, relentless look be
came still more cruel and relentless;
I “I’m a baggagemaster.”— Life,
The Race for Wealth.
“Yes,” said the old man, “my ,oa '
are very ambitious, and they are getting
along well. One is the captain of* tow
boat and the other is a physician,
each is trying his best to see which am
make the most money.”
“Ahl” said the listener,j“a sort of heal
and two match, as it were.” —
Courier.