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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.