Newspaper Page Text
the mystic sign.
”0 gorgeous poppy, of rich renown,
Show us the way to Sleepy Town.
Baby must go—he’s tired of play;
But yet I think we have missed the way.”
Then tranquilly up and down
Waved the flower of rich renown,
And softly it seemed to say,
“This way—this way—this way—
Is the way to Sleepy Town.”
“O ripening wheat, all golden brown,
Show us the way to Sleepy Town.
How shall we find where t'ne starlight gleams,
On the City of Sleep in the Land of Dreams?”
Then soothingly up and down
Went the wheat, all golden-brown,
And whispering seemed to say,
“This way—this way—this way—
Is the way to Sleepy Town.”
'0 little one, with curly crown,
Have you learned the way to Sleepy Town,
W here faintest music, and softest light,
And sweetest blossoms enchant the night?”
Then drowsily up and down
Went the beautiful curly crown,
While the tired eyes seemed to say,
“This way—this way—this way—
Is the way to Sleepy Town.”
—Eudora S. Bumstead in St. Nicholas.
ANUMBRELLA’S STORY.
BY HARRIET LAWSON.
Clothed in rags too dilapidated to be
called picturesque or even artistic, with
broken libs and warped back-bone, it is
no wonder that I lost my head; and all
and through Adolphus, the abominable taste of Arethusa
who chose “the King’s
highway” and a tricycle on which to
murmur vine-covered sweet porch uothings instead of the
or summer-house of
good old-fashioned times. Adolphus
appeared was leaning so be much to our side that he
to “all out of drawing,”
while Arethusa’s ear was of the brightest
rose-pink play; and her left dimple in full
moreover, she was perfectly uncon¬
scious that the suabeamshad undisputed
possession of her fair face, and were sure
to abuse their advantage by a shower of
freckles upon her Grecian nose.
In vain the wind tugged at me and I
tugged at Adolphus. He would not be
warned, and the result was a mingling of
girlish shrieks and strong masculine
language, and a general upset condition,
As for me, I was so completely crushed
that had it not been for the habit of a
lifetime. I should never have had the
energy to observe and comment (sotto
voce) be.” as usual: “What fools these mortals
Adolphus red, sprang promptly to his feet,
very very much mortified, very
anxious to find somebody or something
to blame besides his own carelessness.
big And there, peeping out through the
thusa, wheels, completely caged, sat Are
that looking as sweet and quiet (now
she had found terra firma) as a
“sucking “The dove.”
wretched machine! my poor
darling! that horrid umbrella! Are you
sure you are not hurt? A screw loose!
A hole in the horrid road! I shall never
forgive claimed myself if you are hurt!” ex
“But I Adolphus all in a breath.
am not in the least injured,” “and’if
lisped I had the caged pigeon sweetly,
fault; been, it never could have been
your it was just some weak spot
in the machine, just an unavoidable ac
cident that no one could help.”
“How sweet it is cf you to say so,”
cried Adolphus, going to work at mov
ing the turned-over tricycle; “but I shall
not have a second’s peace till I see you
on your feet again; then, if you really
•re unharmed I cannot be-altogether
sorry for the accident, for it has shown
the exquisite amiability of your dis
position believe in all its perfection. I don’t
there is a girl in a thousand, no,
nor in the world, that would have
borne such a trial without losing her
temper.”
This style of conversation proved so
it agreeable to both parties concerned that
would doubtless have been indefinitely
prolonged, the wheels but and Adolphus finally moved
disclosed to the view of
the amiable prisoner the crushed remains
of her new heliotrope hat! Then, indeed,
came features a change sharpened, o’er her mobile face; the
her liquid there a stony glare filled
•tiffening of eyes, the whole was frame, a perceptible and
the
•traightest, lever stillest, tallest up rising that
beheld in my life. When she had
•he finally reached her highest possibility,
clear inquired and in a voice not loud, but as
cold as cut glass: “Will you
be kind enough to tell me, Mr. Radcliffe,
What that object is?”
‘‘I am sure I don’t know,” said he
with one puzzled look at her changed
aspect, and another at^the object indi¬
cated, going a step nearer as the truth
flashed upon him, but unfortunately on
the ludicrous side.
(t Why, Arie,” he shouted between
peals of laughter, ‘ it s—it’s .
your new
hat. And crushed, battered and ut
terly demolished, he presented it for
nearer inspection, which pioved quite
too much for Arm’s cool dignity.
burst iou meant, unfeeling spoil creature,” and she
out, “to my hat, you
bad no business to tip that tricycle over,
Do you suppose I would have risked
that hat if i had known you were ex
penmenting? Oh, yes! it may be a
laughing matter to you, very amusing,
doubtless, but are you aware that that
hat came from 1 ans; not only that, but
it was made to order to match, my suit,
and not till this very morning did I re
ceive it.
plius I.ong before feeling she had finished, Adol
was remarkably limp.
“But Arie—but,mydear,”heexpostu
lated, “you know it was all an accident;
don’t you think vou are a little unrea
sonable? What is it all about?”
“I thought I had explained with suf
ficient clearness what it was all about,”
with a return of dignity. But a glance
at the wrecked splendor freed her tongue
again.
“I dare say it would give you pleasure,
yes, actual pleasure, to see me make a
guy of myself by wearing a hat that
didn’t match this suit! but I won't, sir!
No! I’ll burn the suit first.”
“Arethusa, don’t be a goose, and all
about a hat, too!” and Adolphus now
looked distressed enough to suit the
most thusa, exacting fair lady. But not Are
for there were tea's in her eyes,
and my observation has taught me that
those tears must fall before the temper
subside3.
“How dare you call me names; I tell
you it was a mean, contemptible, cow
ardly-”
“Arethusa,” interrupted Adolphus,
very deep and very strong, and he did n’t
look at all limp now, “you are going too
far; 1 shall have to ask you to take that
back.”
“That I altogether decline to do,”
replied Arethusa; “it was cowardly to
ask me to ride-when you did n’t know
b°w to manage the machine.”
Now, if Adolphus had observed femi
nine nature of the round and rosy kind
as closely as I have, he would have held
his tongue, for he would have seen the
two tears just trembling on the wink of
Arie’s eyelids, and known the trouble
was nearly ended; but being only an
exasperated man, he sa;d very coldly:
“Since that is your opinion, Miss Ander
s °n, I will release you from all promises
tied io t!re > as coward you would life.” hardly care to be
to a for
“Oh, thanks, very much,” responded
Arie as sweetly and calmly as if she was
‘accepting kind of a glass of think water; “it is very
you to of it,” and she
busied herself removing a bit of mud
from her dress. The sudden change of
voice and expression made my head
swim (although I had seen the two tears
drop), and it evidently did Adolphus,
f° r he looked puzzled, although his tones
were still frigid as he inquired: “Do
y° u prefer to walk home, Miss Ander
son > or will you trust yourself again to
tbe tricycle and my inefficient hands?”
“Oh, I think it would be better to ride
_ the tricycle is here; it would
B ' nce seem
a P'ty to get all heated and dusty from
tl*e walk, don’t you think?” Then
drawing her a blue silk handkerchief from
and pocket, observed she tripped up to Adolphus
in the most matter-of-fact
wft - v P na sible, “Would you mind, Mr.
Hadcliffe, just tying this under my chin;
the ends are so short I can’t get at them?
1 am sorr y to trouble you, but I’m afraid
^ sbab take cold if I ride with nothing
011 m y head.”
“Yes, certainly,” answered Adolphus,
awkwardly, wardly and he tried still more awk¬
to tie a knot under the remark¬
ably pretty chin that was held up for the
purpose. The eyelashes were down, so
he had an ample opportunity to observe
that it was a remarkably pretty chin,
ment with quite of dimples an uuusually around ’alluring the assort¬
corners of
the mouth, and somehow, as he looked,
the clouds passed away from his face,
and holding the blonde head straight to¬
ward him and very firmly by the knot
he had succeeded in making, he said
gently: “Arie, would you mind looking
at me?”
“Oh, net the least in the world, ” was the
demure answer, ‘ ‘only the sun hurts my
eyes.”
“Caution is a very excellent trait, ” he
answered dryly, “but I do not know
that I ever knew it to develop so sud¬
denly. You might shield your eyes with
your hands if you are really afraid of
permanent blindness.”
“Why, surely,” cried Arie, “you al
ways are so full of resource in an emer
gency,” and covering both pink palms
over wilh a pinker face, she looked at him
tiou an expression of infantile adinira
almost so dry bright and warm that it would
a wet umbrella! At all events,
Adolphus simultaneous was not proof against it, and
a burst of laughter broke
from them that startled the robins in
the branches overhead, which suggested
to Adolphus that he should secure the
before perquisites that belonged to the occasion
any further interruption oc
curred.
This having been satisfactorily ar
ranged Arie, he asked: “Now, tell me frankly,
aren’t you a little bit ashamed to
break your engagement for sucha trifle?”
“I?” she exclaimed, “I break an en
gagement; who would ever suspect me
of such a thing. I’ve always been taught
that man was a dangerous animal and it
was he dangerous to contradict him when
was in earnest. Besides,” she added,
still more meekly, “it might lead to a
quarrel.”
with “Well,” said Adolphus,highly pleased
this sally, “I suppose I shall be
just fool enough you° to get you,
sphinx '
as arc,” ’ and be
seated her on the tricycle as
eaiefully as if she had been a Dresden
china shepherdess: and thus for the first
time his eyes dropped upon me where I
lay in the gutter, wondering what
quality which of the masculine mind was that
led him to prefer to be made a
fool of in this wa> !
“That umbrella is past all usefulness,”
he observed indifferently; ’ “we’ll just
leave it where it is.”
But Arethusa did not think so. She
wanted me “as a memento of their first
forthwithand falling out.” So I was brought along
enjoyed the privilege of
listening tion to various plans for myrestora
to strength and beauty, besides a
great deal of conversation quite ’ too deli
cate to bear pen and ink!
The next morning I was handed over
to the tender mercies of an umbrella sur
geon, and his face was certainly a study
as he examined me. My fractured ribs,
broken my warped condition, backbone, and generally
up evidently made a
great impression upon him, for, adjust
ing his glasses, he looked searchingly at
Adolphus and asked drylv: “You didn’t
make a mistake and bring the wrong
umbrella, did you? This isn’t worth
mending.”
with “Possibly I’m the best judge of that,” ’
his most lordly air.
“All right, all right, sir; if you don’t
mind paying twice as much as you
would for a new one, I’m sure I’ve no
objection to put my work on it. ” And
then followed a discussion as to my
dress and equipments; that was intensely
depended interesting to me, It. for I knew how much
upon If some delicate
color were chosen my life would indeed
be a gay one, for I should be reserved
for full-dress occasions, but, alas! how
soon it would end 1 as fade I must, and
so be thrust aside into some dark corner
and forgotten! So I was thankful enough g
when Adolphus decided (being of a
literary red. ~ turn) that I should be thoroughly
“Remember, I want it as soon as
possible,” the were the last directions; and
back, surgeon, observed, looking alter his retreating
“a screw loose some
where in that head; cranks are thicker
than usual this year.” And then he fell
upon me, and such a wrenching and
pulling and straightening of ribs never
happened ce.itain, to and one of squealed my family and before, I
am I groaned
ateverypull; but it was done at last,
and tben came my dress, which went on
comfortably and fitted to a charm, and I
should have been quite satisfied if the
surgeon had not discovered at the
moment a fact that I tried vainly to
hide, namely -a crack in my head!
“This is the mischief to pay,” said he;
“my crank will make it hot for me if I (
don’t make a better job than this.” And
he turned me thoughtfully over and over
in his hands.
“There is no use to try and glue that
up; there’ll just have to be a new head,
and I know where there is the very
thing, at my neighbor’s, the pawn¬
broker’s, on that broken cane that I saw
there the other day, that will be just the
style to suit my dude customer.”
I felt this to be a fatal move, for liow
would the cane head ever accommodate
himself to his reversed position in life,
and by the time my would-be friend
pressed, came ambling although back I realized was thoroughly first de¬
I at the
glance that my new head was much
handsomer than the old; and in spite of
the fact that we were regularly joined
together change by a massive gold ring, nothing
could my foreboding that the
union would never be a happy one.
Adolphus Promptly called on the following morning
and hastened with me
to the abode of the fair Arethusa, who
received me with delight, and expressed,
her admiration in most eloquent terms,
jolly!”(Oh,yes,shewasveryi:n‘dishin- saying: “Just fancy! and how awfully
deed!) a great manv times in al! her
choicest tones. This, of feelings' course
was very soothing to my '"in
but I was not long allowed to bask
the honeyed words, for pieknicking was
the order of the day, and I was immedi
ately called into requisition and my
troubles began. At the first whiff of
wind my head made a violent effort to
resume his natural position and drag ray
pretty dress in the dust, an effort which
^ resented and strained every bone to
prevent; and in the commotioa that en
sue <l there was another hat catastrophe;
but tbis time it was Mr. Hadcliffe who
was the sufferer, and much diversion
bis antics afforded us. as he ambled
and leaped, and scrambled and climbed
back and forth on a stone wall in his
P" ridiculous r . su » t of it, and made himself generally
in full view of his lady-love,
a8 she stood cool and serene in the rosy
shade, which, in my gratitude for hold-
1D S me hrmly aloft, I shed over her in
profusion. lam sorry to be obliged to
sta ? e that his race was enlivened by oc
ta3 ’°nal breezy expressions, to which
Arethusa and I politely, closed our ears.
hen, “Why, my dear,” said she sweetly,
w red and disgusted he rejoined us
aba bearing l captive much the muddy hat, “I am
' c 80 exercise must have fa
t'M’ied you so soon after breakfast."
The words were sympathetic enough,
but unfortunately there was a full
blown twinkle in her eyes utterly at va
nance with them, and it was this that
Adolphus’s and quick glance'took in at once,
to this he responded irritably, “Oh,
I quite understand; I daresay you de
liherately pushed my hat off with that
detestable umbrella forthe sake of see
me make myself ridiculous.”
things! “Why, Dolphy! how can you say such
I’m sure it was very pretty to
see you idea play with the wall so nicely. I
polph’s no you were so agile!”
quick vanity was touched to the
now.
“ ob , 1 daresay you would have been
diverted if I had fallen and
broken my neck,” he returned acridly,
“Since that is your opinion,” mimick
ing . very successfully his manner of the
P revious day, “I give you back allprom
jses, °und as you would hardly care to be
b for life to a murderess!” Then
be remarked absently: “And all about
a 7n, 0C P
Tb ? n ]t that ,, , \ T a Pl«e«ated the full
S of the 8a ving that “two is a
and - three is none, for those
two “Woeful inoffensive wretches me the sour a treed e of to all dis¬ call
"teement, and between them left me
? * s > red °l c ^ aracter ’ actually
to do without my protection
< t ?> But 11 ^ ee P .. to , , ’“l , , f° trouble- .
cal [ er 9 ’ a >',d with this pleasant
before f me I was returned to the
.f brtUa stand Wlth a ban S
Squirrel Skins and the Weather,
Tacked upon the wall in one corner of
mv room are three native gray squirrel
skins. The agile chatterers that wera
once within these soft jackets were shot
last October in the Maine wdods, and their
furs were t inned and sent to me at the
same time by an enthusiastic sportsman
of my acquaintance. The ordinary way
in which these skins are preserved in th#
country, is by merely tackiny them upon
a good broad shingle, sprinkling a little
nalt over them and then setting aside for
a week to dry. For almost a year now
have these furs been upon my wall in a
soft, pliant and dry condition, as they
s h„ u ld be. Last Tuesday, though, when
the atmosphere was so excessively sat
uratedwith moisture I found them soak
ing wet, with groat beads of water distrib¬
uted over the surface. The salt with
which they were permeated, had simply
been unable to withstand the humidity iu
the air, and had, of a consequence, been
dissolved by it. If squirrel skins prove
to Vie such an accmate register of atmos¬
pheric moisture, it might Service not be a bad
idea for the Signal Bureau to
adopt them henceforth as standard hy¬
grometers, or at least to use them in con¬
nection with their other instruments.
My skins, as I write, are in normal con¬
dition again .”—New YurJc News.
Among lawyers, Erskine at the English
bar and Pinkney at the American bar
stand at the front for variety combined.
with great abilities.