The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, May 21, 1879, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

""" , ? ." ' ...;. 1. >,; a .t> ?3v? .*, A p.* ? '; :\;1 ABBEVILLE PRESS & BANNER | * r.-. 0 ' BY HUGH WILSON AND W. C. BENET. ABBEVILLE. S. C., WEDNESDAY; MAY 21, 1879. NO. 50. VOLUME XXVI. A Natural Conclusion. We left the crowded city far behind, And over hill and valley took our way; It was a morn in early June, and we Were oil' together lor n holiday. Now on a hillside, in a shady spot, A cool spring overflowed its mossy brim, And rippled down the vale, till, lar away, It faded on the meadows' purple rim. Still further on, we reached a Held ol corn, With tender blades just springing from the ground; While overhead a flock of noisy crow3 Kept watch lrom trees, or circled shyly round. For, near at hand, rafced on a little mound, An image stood, clad in habiliments old; "The silly crows!" said Charles; "il they were wise, They'd recognize the cheat, and be more bold! " Yet I conless the scarecrow, as it stands, Is not ill calculated to deceive; Though it would make the pose more natural To lower the head, and readjust that sleeve. Think ior one moment on that ancient garb! That battered hat may once have crowned a head Within whose dome a mighty genius reigned, 'Ihat moved the minds ol men, or armies led. " That sleeve, tricked in the semblance ol an arm, Perchance has held within its warm embrace The form of some fair woman, fond and true, With heart responsive to a pleading lace. Would that the power were mine to summon here Him whom my fancy sees in that disguise, liven as the marble warmed to conscious life Before Pygmalion's enraptured eyes!" The figure slowly turned its head and spoke: " l'ou are the chaps that run away, I allow, From the insane asylum in the town; The keeper's out a-lookin' for ye nov^!" ?Philip Mont, in Scribner. AN OLD PLATE. " There, that's a likely-looking house," cried Mrs. Hunter. "I would almost be willing to bet that we shall find andirons there. Please stop the horses, Mr. Freke. I must go in." Mr. Freke obediently drew rein, and the glossy bays arrested their trot before the whitewashed gate, which hung, he noticed, by a single hinge. The house, shabby and defaced as it looked, was evidently no common farmstead. It had been somebody's " residence " once, and still wore that look of better days gone by which, to the experienced bric-a-brac hunter, suggests cobwebbed cupboards and low-raftered garrets full of cherished odds and ends. Mrs. Hunter tapped smartiv once or twice, then turned with a laugfi to Mr. Freke, who, having tied his horses, had followed ud the walk. "It is no use," she said; "these country people never use the front rooms of their nouses. I shall go round to the kitchen door. I always try to make.an A.i* rfoffinnr infn flm Mf/iljon onrl ^AVUOV; 1UI j,* iniii, Atiiv Miv ntwMvuf iuix* this time we have a legitimate one, :is nobody answers lis here. So round the house she went, over weeds and grass tussocks, and low-growing briers which caught at her silken skirts as she passed, and knocked at the kitchen door, which was fastened only by a heavy iron latch. Once, twice; then boldly lifting the latch, she went directly into the kitchen?a large square room, with windows on two sides, and a floor of worn, uneven boards, which sloped in unexpected rises and descents, ana made walking uncertain pastime to unaccustomed feet. A fireless stove occupied the deep chimney, on one side of which stood a wooden settle cushioned with faded calico. Rows of milkpans tilted on their sides stood on the windowsills; there was a sink painted red, a table, two or three cane chairs, and -m the wall a fly-specked certificate of membership in the Bible Society, bearing date many years back. Over these articles Mrs. Hunter's experienced eye darted in a second's space; then only pausing to say, in a whisper, "That's rather a nice old settle, isn't it?" she walked rapidly across the room to a cupboard, whose half-open door showed a gleam of crockery inside, and presently exclaimed: "There, didn't I tell you so, Mr. Freke? Here is a find! Do you see that large plate on the upper shelf? Old burnt china, as I am alive, of the finest kind, and a real beautv! Who would ever have expected such a tiling in a house like this? All dusty, too; I don't suppose they use it, or c^*e for it in the least. People of this sort never do. Well, I call this luck." She had the plate in her hands by this time, and was turning it over to examine the marks on the bottom. It w;is rather a dish than a plate, being large enough almost to merit the high-sounding "plaque" of the modern jargon. Its pattern of blue, pale crimson, black and gold had a grounding of blue so light as to be almost white. A tiny heraldic shield, inserted into the design on one Knro o t\i'l ctor? mnnnirvom ?r? faint lines of black, blue and golii, and altogether, despite a crack and more than one nick on its rim, the old plate was uncommon enough to excuse Mrs. Hunter's excitement. She was still examining it. regardless of dust or gloved fingers, when a clear young voice rom a doorway uttered these words: " I beg your pardon, but did you want anything?" Mrs. Hunter jumped. Mr. Freke jumped also. His "feeling" for china was feeble; certainly it would never have led him to enter a stranger's house unbidden and rifle its cupboards, and a sudden sense of guilt sent the blood furiusly into his face. In the doorway behind them stood a girl in a gingham dress, with a white apron tied about a very slender waist, and thick rolls of bright hazel hair twisted round a pretty head, out of which looked a pair of grave and astonished brown eyes. A remarkably pretty girl, and a lady too; voice and accent testified that, as well as the gentle se f-possession with which she now confronted these uninvited suests. Mrs. Hunter recovered first. Women generally do on such occasions. "I beg your pardon," she said, with her pleasantest manner. "We knocked several times without being able to make any one hear, and at last we ventured to walk in. Then I saw this curious old Slate on the shelf, and I couldn't resist? ?o you use it, may I ask, or is it of any particular value to you? If not, I might be dud to buy it, if your?mother were inclined to sell. It's a queer old tiling, but I have some which almost match it, and I should like this." " It belongs to my aunt?Mrs. Marsh," replied the young lat.y, briefly. 4i I don't think she would wish to part with it." There was no invitation to linger in voice or manner. Evidently she expected them to go at once. "Is your aunt at home?" asked the undaunted Mrs. Hunter. "I should like to see her if she is." "No, she is not at home." The tone was perfectly gentle and polite, but still with the underlying reserve and surprise which made Mr. Freke feel so unr?nmfi?rtjihle Mrs. JT11 nfprannnrpnt.lv Hirl not share his sensations. " I must come again some day when she is at home," she went on. " It is. really a delightful old plate. What are these letters on it; do you know? I can't make them out." 44 The letters are B. H. II. They stand for Barbara Ho Ids worthy Hagen," said the girl, coming a step nearer. 44 Was she a relation of your aunt's?" 44 Her great-grandmother. Allow me; ft- it seems to be dusty "?taking the plate from Mrs. Hunter's unwilling fingers. "And was your aunt very fond of her?" inquired that lady, insinuatingly. " She never saw her, I believe." Am putting the plate back on the shelf, sh closed the door with a gentle decision. "You must think us very impertinen meddle with your plate without per mission. And indeed we are; but pleas forgive me. It was all my fault; m; friend Mr. Freke here had nothing to d< with it, and the truth is, that I am & foolishly fond of old china that I canno keep my hands off it wherever it is.' The tone was very winning, and llaby' face relaxed in spite of itself. liarharj rr m ?__n~ i i _, nagen vrienn wasmysin siinme, nut in one ever called her Barbara,not evenAun Marsh, who had little tolerance for pe names or nonsense of any kind. Every body said "Raby," and the crisp littl title seemed to suit her better than i longer and finer one could. She hal smiled; and when Mrs. Hunter went oi still in the same charming tone?' Wha an odd, and curious, and delightful looking old house this is ! It seems jus the place for a story. I am devoted t< these old-fashioned houses, and they an | pulling them dow.n so fast all over th country, it is quite shocking, Do yoi think, if I came over some day, you aunt would let me go over it ??it woul< be such a treat!"?the smile flashed int< full, brilliant life, brightening the browi eyes so wonderfully that Air. Freke quite dazed, said within himself,44 It i tne most charming face I ever saw.' Raby was fond of the old house. I vexed her olten that her aunt cared si little for it, and dwelt on its inconveni nrw.oc cn r>nicli niArn than nn its mi flint; ness. No one save herselfhad ever seeme< alive tp its merits before. Mrs. Iluntei had made a "hit." " I think aunt wouldn't mind it," sin said, half to herself, .then. "If you lik< I will show it to you now. But there i: nothing to see but the house itself. Tha is really curious. I never met with an other like it." " Will you, indeed? How very kind!1 eried Mrs. Hunter, with a rapid, raptur ous blink in Mr. Freke's direction. He: imagination was.already at work cheap ening the treasures of the attic, as the] followed their young hostess down till long entry which separated the kitchci from the front of the house. A large square room lay on either sidi of the entry. But here disappointmen awaited Mrs. Hunter, for these room! were altogether unfurnished. Up-stairi they met the same? experience; in th< two occupied chambers the simples furniture; dust and bare emptiness every where else. Even the garret held notli ing to reward search?none of the spin ning wheels, or antique brasses, or eight day clocks with broken cogs, which Mrs Hunter's soul coveted. Her taste for ok hoiises was a simulated one. What sin really cared for was their purchasabli contents, and failing these, her interes visibly flagged. In vain Raby, with ? pretty graciousness, pointed out the real ly curious points about the old dwelling ?the wainscotings, the high carvec chimney-pieces, the oddly paneled shut ters ; showed the recess under the floor ing in which valuables might be hiddei in case of need, the bedroom in the lean to addition, where a shingled roof de scendcd to form part of the ceiling; am even told a ghost story, the story o a lady in a rustling skirt, which skirt sin averred rustled still of windy nights; sin herselfhad heard it. Mrs. Hunter listen ed without interest. Her thoughts wen dwelling on the old plate, and she die not notice, as did Mr. Freke, how excite ment had quickened Raby's bloom ant brightened her eyes with positive beauty as she led the way from room to roon with a cordial simple grace, from wliicl all reserve and stiffness had fled. " And now about that piece of china,' Mrs. Hunter said, suddenly, as they re. gained the kitchen. "Do you think your aunt would be likely to be in tomorrow? I must come over and tali with her about it; or perhaps, Mr Freke, you will come for me if the IIol mans arrive and I am detained?" " With pleasure." Raby's face cloude little. " I do not think n }aunt will sell the plate," she said, in 1 si) <)?constrained voice; "but she w piobablv be al home." "We can but try," laughed - Mrs Hunter. "Good-afternoon, Miss?Miss Marsh, and thank you ever so much.' She swept down the walk. Mr. Frek< paused. " It was very good of you to take sc much trouble for us," he said, in a tone whose sincerity Raby recognized, "Very probably your aunt may not can to sell tne platt?I should not myself i; I owned such a one?but if Mrs. Iluntei gives me the commission, I shall certainly come, lor the pleasure of making another call upon you." He lifted his hat as he spoke, and with a courteous bow followed Mrs. Hunter down th< path. " That's a real gentleman," solilo quized Raby, .'is they drove off. " Anc she?I don t know. She's pretty, anc her voice is pleasant, but somehow there's a difference. I don't think I lik< her?quite." She iiad her own idea! about life, this little Raby, about "real' larlios unci " roal " <rpntlnmnn ?nrl in. stinct heipecl lier surely to conclusion! usually arrived at only by the slow pro cess of experience. Mr. Freke did drive over next day He was received very grimly by Aun Sabina Marsh, whom he iound in trenched, as it were, in front of her cor ner cupboard, and resolved not to ced< her plate, or listen to any argument: whatever on the subject. This refusal sooth to say, caused no particular grie to the disloyal messenger. He caret little for the plate, but a good deal fo: the chance for another chat with Raby who was more piquaxitly pretty thai ever, in the effort to hide her amusemen at her aunt's grim and defiant manners Ernest Freke made one more call a the old house before he went back t< town, but only one. " I could fall ii love with that girl," he said to himsel as he drove homeward; and he made i little picture in his mind of Raby in : fresh morning dress, pouring out coffe at the opposite end of a dainty break fas table for two, with sunshine streamin; through an open window behind, :in< touching with glints of gold nil thn heautifm hazel liair of hers?a prett; picture. Ernest Freke was half artisi and his imagination naturally coniure< such scenes; hut he shook his head He could not afford to marry (that poin was settled long ago),unless,indeed? Bu here he shook his head again. Th chances were against his falling in lov with a girl who had money. Ilecouli not do without the money, and he wouli not do without the love, so he dismissei the idea of marriage. He was an lion orable youn" fellow at heart, howevei and'he'would not go again to see Raby "What's the use?" lie told himseli " Better not." But Mrs. Hunter an her guests became wearisome to hir after that, and presently he went bac to town and to hi# business, in which h immersed himself. For a while Raby' face floated before his eyes; but th image dimmed as months went by, an in time would probably have faded ou altogether, had it not been recalled oddl and unexpectedly by the following cii cumstance. t He was passing one (lay the shop c a taxidermist, an elderly man, witi whom he had some slight acquaintance when he heard his name called. "Did you want me, Mr. Balch?" put ting his head in at the door. 44 I though I heard your voice." 44 Oh, yes, Mr. Freke, I did want yoi very much, and I ventured to call an stop you," replied Mr. Balch, hurryin out from an inner room. 44 Excuse me T +r\ mif An mv Tt1 A jusi waiutu tv puw via ? x-vi?v. ?v about Mrs. Morpeth's will, Mr. Freke. "And who was Mrs. Morpeth? asked Ernest, seating himself on a wood en bench. " Mrs. Morpeth, sir! Why, you mus know, I think, or at least you will kno\ her house, the one with the'queer steps in Dun street?the Railed House, as th neighbors call it." " Oh, that queer, handsome oldhous next to the junk-shop? Idoremembei 1 I have often wondered who lived there, e And what did Mrs. Morpeth do about a will?" t " Well, that's just it, sir. I'm in a - great difficulty. Mrs. Morpeth left me e ner executor, sir, and I don't know what y to do about it. You see, sir, there's a 3 sjood bit of property?a very trood bit. a She was clever, for a woman, very t clever. And she bought up real estate " all over the city. And there's the s Railed House and. what it holds; fifty a thousand dollars, I should say it was 3 worth, at least; some folks think it will t foot up to sixty." t " That's a nice sum indeed, But what - is your difficulty? Who are the heirs?" e "That's just it, Mr. Freke?nobody a can tell, sir. It is left to? But I haye f a copy of the will here; I'll show you." a The document, briefly drawn, but in t strict legal form, devised all property of - every description of which the testator ? x T - j (i i- i.u~ ~u:iJ ? t mignt, cue posaesseu u> uie umu ui 3 children of my niece Esther Le Baron, i eldest daughter of my sister Esther e Piatt. I ao not know their present i name or residence." That was all. r Nothing could be more indefinite, i " Have you done anything about find5 in? these Platts?I mean Le Barons?" i said Ernest, folding ud the paper. , 44 No, I haven't. I aon't know how to s begin about it. That was why I wanted " to see you, Mr. Freke. Ought I to adt vertise?" ) 441 should think so, certainly. But - are there no letters or papers in the - house to give a clew P t' 1 441 haven't lit on any, sir. But then I r haven't searched regular, Could you spare the time step round there with s me, Mr. Freke? I should be very i grateful." j ?T rnnldn't hllf. T miorlit", tf>. " -? "?J o t monw. So the appointment was made. The Railed House had been a stately ' mansion in its day, with other stately - mansions about it. Now, with a junk r shop on either side, and a row of sailors' - boarding-houses opposite, it looked like f the wreck of a line old frigate aground 3 in the mud of some ignoble harbor. In1 side, it held a mine of riches for the curiosity-lover. Nothing had been added 3 and nothing taken away for a centur" t past. No papers were to be found, how5 ever; as one receptacle after another was s vainly searched, the little taxidermist 3 grew disconsolate. t " You would think the old iady burned - up every thing on purpose to make trou ble," he said; "wouldn't you now? - What can a man do with all this con fusion of Le Barons and Platts and Mor. petlis? They have all married and got 1 different names long ago, most likely. 3 Why, Mr. Freke, what is it? what have 3 you found, sir?" for his companion had t uttered a sudden exclamation. i There, on the shelves of a buffet which - he had just opened, were ranged in j splendid row platters and dishes and 1 cups of magnificent India china, blue, - crimson, and gold, with on each tfie - same little shield and monogram, in i sharp, gleaming lines of color, which he - had last seen in faded tints on the old - plate in Mrs. Sabina Marsh's cupboard I months before. It was certainly the f same; he recognized it instantly. ' But 3 how came it here? And what was the 3 link between this rich and lonely woman - and Mrs. Marsh and pretty Raby in 3 their quaint solitude ana bare poverty? 1 He made no distinct explanation to t he - puzzled executor, but advised him to I defer advertising for a little while; and j the next day but one found him at the 1 gate of the old house again. No bright 1 girl-face smiled a welcome this time: Raby had gone back to her school-teach' ing, and Aunt Sabina, grim as ever, re ceived him. ; Her distant and suspicious manner gradually thawed as she discerned the : meaning of his questions. Mrs. MorSeth was her aunt, her mother's sister, [er grandmother's name was Piatt, ajul her mother was the Barbara Holdsworthy Hagen of the china monogram. Yes, her mother did marry a Le Baron, s He was a Frenchman. He did not live [ very lon<j after the marriage. Did lie t turn out badly? She could not say?it wjisn't for her to speak ill of her own . father, but the family took offence and i never would have anything to do with ' her mother afterward. No, she never ? saw her aunt, and she never wanted to. In her opinion they treated her mother ? shamefully. Raby's mother was older ; than she, two years older. She was ?-vi now, and so was Mr. Glenn. Raby ; was the only child. Prove it? Why, f of course she could, but why should she? * Everybody knew about the Marshes and the Glenns?everybody that had any ; business to, that was. And pray why > did the gentleman ask all fchese ques5 tions??what concern was it of his, any: way? So Raby was the heiress. There was a great deal of confusion in I Ernest Freke's mind after this. He gave I his best services to proving Raby's title r and putting her in possession of her ? great-aunt's bequest, and for this end it i was needful they should meet; but these ' interviews were of a strictly business - character. Ernest kept them so. "I 3 won't make up to a girl, now she is rich, - whom I deliberately turned away from when she was poor," he said to himself. . Raby was not a little aggrieved by this t turn of affaire. " He won't even let me - tliank him comfortably," she told her - aunt. " He iust bows and goes away." 3 After a while she and Mrs. Marsh 3 came to the city, and then they met , oftener. There were plenty of people to f show attention to a young and beautiful i heiress. Mrs. Hunter, among the rest, r was specially cmprcssce in her civilities. , Mr. Freke was always encountering Miss i Glenn at dinners or at parties, and after a t while he ceased to fight against the new . and sweet influence that had come into t his life. He asked Raby to marry him, a telling her the manful truth about himi self, and leaving her to judge the matter, f "I don't think you were to blame? a, much!" pronounced Raby, lifting her x soft eyes with a look which sent a thrill e to all his tense nerves. "A man can't alt ways marry a girl even if he likes her. t And you hadn't seen me but three times ;l you know. It was much more honorable t In you to stop then than to go on a little y longer and make me like you?more." ;, 'I his "more" was irresistible. It caused ft an interruption. "There's one thing I would like so much t to do," resumed Raby, a little later, t "You'll help me manage it, won't you, e Ernest?" I want to send Mrs. Hunter e one of those big plates, like that old d cracked one which she wanted to buy. cl Do you think I might, and will you take d it to her?" It is a sort of debt, for if she - hadn't come curiosity-hunting that day, , I might never have seen you, or heard of Aunt Morpeth or her will, or?" F. " Bless tlie old plate, then!" interrupted d Eniest Freke. " Send Mrs. Hunter a new n one, by all means; but that old one we k will have framed, and hang up on our e walls, and keep always, won't we, 's Raby ?" e And they did.?Harper's Bazar. d ? y The Champion Fat Boy. In a letter from Illinois to the Rome (N. Y.) Sentinel, David Navarro says of >f his son, Mr David Navarro, Jr.: lie is li now seventeen years old and weighs over six hundred pounds. We don't weigh him any more (or have not for more than \ _ 1.5 1,1 TT~ r a year), as n, giv?;s nun tuc uiura. it fears that he will get so large that he will be helpless. We show him for his 11 size, and let others form their opinion of d his weight. The tailor lias just finished g a suit for him. The vest measures seven ; and a half feA around, and the largest s part of the body measures eight feet one inch. So you will sec he is quite a lad. " He has measured with men who weigh [- more than three hundred pounds, and they did not measure as much around the it chest as he measures around one thigh. j -- J i?ui i r v Jtie is souna ana lioumy juiu ^ivwiug >, stronger as he grows older. He can get e around better now than when younger, but doors are growing smaller and care riagea weaker. He broke the bottom \ out oftwo barouches last season. The Wrong Change. FA A New York reporter has been going about among the hotels inquiring as to _ the tricks of petty swindlers, who ask . * to have a bill changed, and then claim jnJ. they have not received the right change. The clerk of the Brandreth House said "V that once a well-dressed man entered str< the hotel and asked for change for a $20 bill. Four $5 bills were given him. The wil clerk was very busy. Soon the stranger 1 said, " Look nere. See what you have our given me?three $5 bills and a $1 bill." anc The clerk knew he was right, but sev- udc eral guests of the house, who were standing near the desk, said tliat tlie ?]0 man had not moved from where he stood. ji}ie The stranger indignantly demanded "to gp0 be searched, and at last the clerk yielded t|je against his judgment, and gave him a mp $5 for the Si bill, which lie insisted he ^ had received. Afterward a hall-hoy r said lie noticed that the stranger had a friend when he came in, but nis friend 'v 1 went out just after the clerk had handed :mc out the change. That night the cash y?l account was four dollars snort! ,01 At the same hotel, during the war, a ei fashionably-dressed man alighted from a 1 *- J frw Cnl carriage at we uuui, uuu, jiunjiu^ w the desk, threw down a $5 bill, and asked rut for change, explaining hastily that he foil wanted tofpay his cabman. He went he out, and a moment afterward the car- clo riage drove away. The bill was a coun- ( terfeit. Several years ago, a man who six had stayed a day or two at the Brandreth gal House as a guest, paid his bill, and. as the he was about to go away, turned sud- ma cienly and asked the clerk to change a jay $10 bill. The clerk, who was busy, Th threw down ten $1 bills. Thedenarting j guest thrust them in a wad into his wal- fro let, and bade the clerk good-morning. tn "Hold on!" the latter called out. -pi, "Wliera is the $10 bill?" "I gave it pj1( to you." said the man. " It was a brand [.os new bill. Look in your drawer." It CPS was a time when there was a flood of wj| new bills. The clerk looked into his ? drawer and saw jfeyeral. He was not . convinced, howe^r. The man glibly inrj explained that on a certain day he had WI' drawn just so much from the bank, and ^ then carefully recounted a large number fVi of expenditures, which would leave a v:,y certain balance of money in his posses- !Pil sion. Then he counted his money, and j, the amount agreed with this calculated balance. As lie had the money in his ,, possession, the clerk could do nothing i* except submit to the loss or bring a civil I10 suit. He submitted to the loss. n 1 At the Grand Central Hotel, a boy "r< asked the clerk in charge of the hotel postoffice for a three-cent stamp, and tossed a five-cent silver piece on the w counter. The clerk handed him out a three-cent stamp and two cents, and i swept the five-cent piece into the money nf* drawer. as; "I gave you a ten-cent piece," said in the boy. > mo " You saw me put the piece of money I in the drawer, didn't you?" asked the eei clerk t \vi "Yes, sir," replied the boy. the " Well. if you can find a ten-cent piece Th in that drawer," said the clerk, pulling cei .1 ? l ?i??i^ . UUL tllC UlitWUl niiu it Lliu SlO1 boy. on the counter, "I'll give it to car you." < to! There was no ten-cent piece in the top drawer. m:v A clerk of the Hoffman House said sap that several years ago a well-dressed per man hurried up to the desk with nil a $100 bill in his hand, for which he roo wanted change, in order, as he'said, to the pay a man a small account. He re- bef eeived a bundle of small bills, which he I h wrapped about his finders and hurried alo out. In half a minute lie returned with age the bundle of bills held in the same -\va position. While they were yet rolled tlir around his fingers, he said to the clerk not that his friend nad gone and he had not ing been able to see him. He wanted to get cvt his $100 bill back, because he hated to hla carry so many small bills in his pockets. Pn The clerk reached out, took the bundle of bills from his hand, and began to count them. "They are the same you 55 gave me," said the man in a resentful tone. "If you dcn't like my way of ':ir doing business you can go elsewhere," naI replied the clerk. The bundle was found ^ to be ten dollars short. The man blus- 'J tered barelv enough to support an ap- the pearance of innocence and went away. ^10 1""" the The Use of Lemons. sov The lemon tree is a native of Asia, un< aitnougn it is cuiuvaiea in naiy, rov- vw tugal an(i in the south of France. In ine Europe, Iiowever, it seldom exceeds is dimensions of the smallest tree, wliile in Ion its native state it grows to over sixty a n feet in height. Every part of this Jree is Tli valuable in medicine, though we rarely To employ any of it hut its fruit?that is, or the lemon itself; and every one knows S how to employ this, as in lemonade?to rel: squeeze the juice into cold water; this is an< the shortest way; or to cut it in slices dai and let it soas in cold water, or to cut it thi in slices and then boil it. Either way hai is good. Lemonade is one of the best ma ana safest drinks for any person, whether the in health or not. It is suitable to all otli stomach diseases, is excellent in sickness scr ?in cases of jaundice, gravel, liver com- elsi plaints, inflammation of the bowels and sm fevers. It is a specific against worms sai and skin complaints. The pippins the crushed may also be used with water dip and sugar, and be used as a drink, ma Lemon-juice is the best anti-scorbutic cat remedy known; it not only cures this fri< disease, out prevents it. aanors mane a a v daily use of it for this purpose. I advise An every one to rub their gums daily with lemon-juice to keep them in health. The hands and nails are also kept clean, white, soft and supple by the daily use t of lemon instead of soap. It also pre- ( vents chilblains. Lemon is used in intermittent fevers, mixed with strong, hot black coffee, without sugar. Neuralgia j may be cured by rubbing the part affected i with a cut lemon. It is valuable also to ? cure warts, and to destroy dandruff on the head by rubbing the roots of the , hair with it. In fact, its uses are manifold, and the more we employ it exter- t nally and internally the better we shall ? find ourselves. Natural remedies are the best, and nature is our best doctor, if we would only listen to it. Decidedly * * rub your hands, head and gums with lemon, and drink lemonade in preference p\. to all other liquids. This is an old doctor's advice. yn ,T the Cases that are not Uncommon. Arthur C. Jennings1 merry round of ov< extravagant pleasures is over, and he to must pay the cost by eight years of im- cla prisonment. Jennings was the confulen- rea tiai nooKKeeper ana casuier oi jv unurcn mt street wool broker. The employer lived ov< frugally, the cashier upon the fat of the del land. The cashier stole the employer's ike profits from the business?some sixty tre thousand dollars. Arraigned for the of- ant fence, all Jennings could plead was that see he took the money to appease a desire to tuil entertain his friends in style. ' cor Cases like Jennings' are not uncom- gre mon. Bank cashiers and tellers, book- cor keepers of business houses, clerks, rnes- rut sengers and persons who are intrusted bul with money figure largely in the crimi- mo nal courts. For every one whose dis- ten grace becomes known to the public, per- clu haps a dozen are hushed up. In nearly bee every instance dissolute habits or the dee mama for gambling is at the bottom, tioi The young man who takes a position oi the trust gets along well until he falls in oft with a circle of young fellows who drink A and play poker in the early evening, and hoi make a round of the dens in Capt. Wil- tie Hams' precinct Rafter midnight-! Then exi he is in danger. The faro sharks get wh hold of him, and he loses; tries to make the up the loss by a. bold stroke in Wall reti street on money taken from his em- wil ployer, loses again, and is lost.?New wil York Sum. > ten ?? fori Tissue paner napkins, with colored par ornamented oorder, are used in the cheap wh dining-saloons of Berlin. They cost wh about two dollars per thousand. They to ? ItllC UDCU uuLauoo napnuio nrcic o?; CA|frequently pilfered. ' or i RM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD Ilouaehold Hint*. ^ \> remove machine oil, wash the spots ;old water, using soan; must be done ore wet in anything else. ? Vlien color on a fabric has been do- i jyed, snonge it with acid-ammonia. = 5r which an application of chloroform 1 restore the original color. P 'o make starch polish, take two X\v ices of spermaceti, two of white wax, ty-i I melt them together with gentle heat; Sesi I one teaspoonful to one pint of starch. bic 'o remove mildew from light kid one i. A.\ 11 i. J i. ves wiuiuut injuring uieiij, lirsb ury ;tci gloves thoroughly; stretch, rub the wli its well with a moderately stiff brush, Ph n with a small quantity of eggalbu- the n or flour-paste. to i fever paper over old paper or on ^isi itewasnea walls or airty walls. ish them thoroughly and wipe them, tol 1 then wash them in water in which "i_ 1 have put ammonia, vinegar, strong > ax or soda. Let them be perfectly wa K ^o clean zinc, take oxalic acid, dis- ij ve in soft water; wet a cloth with it, Tji ) the zinc all over, and immediately low with a dry, soft cloth. Care must | taken not to get the acid on the , tlies, as it will spot them. I "lothes can be bleached by putting Xh cents' worth of oxalic acid into a C0I Ion of boiling water and pouring over 8,1 m. Stir them up and let tlrem re- d'ai in in it till the water is cold, and then tui them out on the grass to bleach. Qfu ey will soon be white as snow. L simple way to remove iron-rust Pr< m any white cotton or linen fabric is an< soak it for several days in sour milk, ser is rarely fails, but if it should, plios- 18fi jric acid (liquid) may be appliea sue- .1 sfully and without injury. No pro- He s is required but to touch the spots der til the acid and let it dry. mi . "o clean engravings, put the engrav- j1?0 ;s on a smooth board, cover it thinly "> til common salt, finely powdered; fou leeze lemon-juice upon the salt so as ?P1 lissolve a considerable portion of it; vate one end of the board so that it * v y form an angle of about forty-five or y degrees with the horizon. Pour on fro engraving boiling water from a teatie until tlie salt and lemon-juice are lf washed off; the engraving will then J" perfectly clean and free from stains. nust be dried gradually on the board J an some smooth surface, ueing secured drawing or other pins. If dried by '< fire or in the sun, it will be tinged ^or ;h a yellow color. jgj Trce'Plantlntt. Is the time is at hand when thousands hir dollars are invested in fruit trees, and He I claim to have some little experience cat planting trees, I will give my simple He de: by first. I dig the holes full large to re- toi ve the roots nicely spread out; from wn elve to fourteen inches deep; throw '\ top soil and subsoil on different piles, am en nil in enough ot the top sou to re- 0w ve the tree about the same depth it to ocl in the nursery, no deeper. Be un eful to cut all the bruised roots back a 1 sound wood, and by all means cut the th< is back, as the sap is all in the tree to Bu ke it grow, and by leaving all on, the bei i will soon be exhausted and a large ele cent, will die. Put the tree in and A the balance of top soil in around the sui ts, then fill in the subsoil, and give by m a good mulch of barnyard manure ore <fry weather comes. By this rale de; ave nearly all my trees to grow right, in ng. Do not accept any trees of your pr< int, like the Irishman's pig, which Tv s "little but old," but have them 18J ifty if they are small; also, be careful St; ; to get the roots frosted before plant- the ;, as they will not grow if the tree is wr t so thrifty. The bark on the roots is ck after being frosted.?D. E. S., in ictical Farmer. , Snlslfr?Do You Grow It 1 ialsify is often called "oyster-plant.' be( ; wish it wasn't, for many w/io live Co inland do not like oysters, and the t0( ne prejudices these against one of the of' atest delicacies of the garden. It is wa eed a choice vegetable, but one within lec reach of every one, as it requires no dis re care in cultivation than a parsnip, cor requirements are precisely those of fou i parsnip?a deep, rich soil and early sui ring of fresh seed, the seed being quite his certain if not of the growth of the pre- Au us season. Make the rows fifteen ^ J lies apart, and sow as soon as the soil Sei dry enough to work; the seed, being coi g and narrow, is not sown readily in ne; machine, and it is safer to sow by hand, ter e root is rarely over an inch through. ^ J ctet the largest possible, thin to three Ke four inches and keep free of weeds. coi icorzonera, or 14 black salsify," is a me uted plant, grown in the same manner at 1 for the same uses. The x*oot has a k exterior. By some the flavor of s is preferredj try both. Both are dy, and, if desired, a part of the crop j y be left in the ground until soring, inj i winter's supply being stored like a i icr roots. Uses: The roots are to be an aped and thrown into water at once, mr ? they turn black. They are cut into tra all pieces, stewed and served with a no ice ot butter thickened with flour; -t^s ! are boiled whole until soft, then pe: >ped into butter and fi*ied; or are cit shed after boiling and made into A1 cos, which are dipped into butter and tel *d. It is surprising that so excellent th( egetable should be so little known.? aft icrican Agriculturist. ov tra pli Tne Minister's New Necktie. raj le had recently purchased a new ktie and donnea it for the first time vef Sunday morning. It was one of the 0f all black ties, with a villainous rub- ^ loop. During the singing of the first fm. ? u r?n ?? u?t- lul mil It 3UUULU1J 1C11 KJU.J UUU UU1UI C L11C g-*( >ir had finished it was safely back in eV( place. During the singing of the mn preceding the sermon it fbll into i preacher's lap. In vain he tried tc wj , it back. The outton dodged the loop, wj \ the rubber snapped at the button. p0! e preacher's fingers trembled with (;0j vousness; the last strains of the organ AVJ, ed way, the audience sat down pre- to* ed for the customary Sunday nap. eiT lO say that the preacher was nervous e;u es but a faint idea ol the situation. sj1} vain he tried to screen himself behind va: ! narrow desk; red and redder grew j10 face, his fingers were dancing 1 2r his neck and throat trying in vain (>i0 lasso the elusive button with the t]J( stic noose. The small boy's snicker r)C( died his ears like the crack of doom; gtr ! heads of the singers began to peer tjH ?r the choir rail to see the cause or the Qr ay, while the preacher's face glowed aw scarlet and his fingers searched with son mulous uncertainty for the evasive ]}ls 1 treacherous button.^ The audience for med to swell before him into a multi 0f [e; a great sea of eyes watched his lfusion; the first patterings of the at storm of laughter, that was surely ning, began to Fall upon his ear; the 1 >ber snapped in mockery, the gold all tton still led the loop in a vain chase; nes re and more the trembling fingers in- wl twined themselves in blundering ei? mslness; the contortions of the face Ian :ame more marked, the scarlet hues ovi ipened into the hot glare of a conllagra- a : 1; existence became a "burden, and tlu preacher's chair a greater instrument get orture than the rack of an inquisitor, ma it last the crisis came. Rising up, act ding the crumpled but triumphant of in his hand, the preacher asked to be fisl :used, retired to his private room, Th ere before the ? hiss in a single moment cat deranged toilet was adjusted. He tlif arned to his pulpit a wiser man. He the 1 buy his ties earlier in the week, and cui 1 go on dress parade before a compe- an< t official before venturing on the plat- Ov m. His experience may lead that all' ish to the appointment of a dignitary bo! o shall examine the ministers as the not eel-rappers do the cars at the stations unl lee if tney can go in safety. One more sot lerience would result either in flight m? ipoplexy.?Christian Leader. wn KILLED THEMSELYES. ierlcan Congressmen Who Have Committed Suicide. 'he Chicago Tribune says: Riddle's cide is simply the last of a list which ;ins with the foundation of the govment. His is similar, in some rects, to that of James Blair, a Repretative from South Carolina, in the enty-first, Twenty-second and Twenthird Congresses. During the first 9ion of the Twenty-third Congress lir attended the Washington Theatre ; night, and, being displeased with the ors, fired a loaded pistol at them, for ich he was arrested and fined 85. ysicians testinea mat ne was unaer : influence ofbrandy and opium, taken alleviate pain from chronic rheuma11. Three weeks afterward, April 1, 14, he blew out his brains with a pis^ at his boarding-house, on Capitol lirailar, in many points of the case, s that of Felix G. McConnell, a Re- sPe[' isentative from Alabama, in the J"*4 renty-eighth and Twenty-ninth Con- ter n tsses, who committed suicide in a fit of iriura, in the St. Charles Hotel, Wash;ton, by stabbing himself in tlie abdo- !ia, n and then cutting his throat, Septem- t0^' 10, 184G. ilyah Hise, a Representative in the ^Ynai irtv-ninth and Fortieth Congresses, j-1011 limitted suicide at Russellville, May 876. Hise was the Democratic candi- f}1? :e for Lieutenant-Governor of Ken:ky in 1836, but was defeated; was a ^ iryc if Affaires at Guatemala from ircli 31, 1848, to June 30, 1849; was ^'iei ?sidential Elector on the Buchanan 1 Breckenridge ticket in 1856, and "IV1 ved in Congress from December 3, ?ut 1 16, to March 3, 1869. mw folin White is to be added to the list, torn was born in 1805; received an ac:i- E&ul nic education; studied law: was ad- V1?e tted to the bar, and practiced at Riclind, Ky.; was elected a Representa- 9C'1(i e from Kentucky in the Twenty- mot irth Congress, as a Whig, without an<j' josition, and was successfully re- T111 ctecl to the Twenty-filtli, Twenty-six, A UL renty-seventh and Twenty-eighth "av! ngresses without opposition, serving ')er m December 7, 1835, to March 3, desp .5; was Speaker of the House during awf ! Twenty-seventh Congres; was M dge of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit "ire Kentucky; committed suicide at was. - hmond, Kentucky, September 22, ?irc [5. face Tames G. Wilson, United States Sena from New Jersey, from December 4, 5, to 1821, was severely injured in *ea12, by imagining in a fit of delirium "'on it his house was on fire and throwing nself from a second-story window. ' had been editor of the True Ameri- half i; clerk for many years of the State '( >use of Representatives; was appointed tJlar President Monroe postmaster at Tren- ?ia{ i, and at the time of his fit of delirium j^S1 is a member of the State House. ?ar< tVilliam Ramsey, of Pennsylvania, is "uti other Congressman who died by his ?ye? n hand. Born in 1810 he was attached "er the American Legation at London, s"e der Minister Stevenson; was elected satu " * " -rv t n\r%ci Representative irom l'ennsyivama in i j Twenty-sixth Congress as a Van 18tl^ ,ren Democrat, serving from Decern- men r 2, 1839, to Ootober 17, 1810, and re- 1 cted to the Twenty-seventh Congress. f?r few weeks afterward lie committed S(^J: cide ut Barnum's Hotel, Baltimore, shooting himself in the right eye. Ju Mm Ewing, of Indiana, was found Child in his room at Vinoennes, Indiana, December, 1857. He had been a Re- t'110 tentative in the Twenty-third and scsir renty-fifth Congresses, serving until try 19, and had previously served in the brer ite Senate. On his table was found sear ! following epitaph, apparently just 'am itten by himself: crov " Here lies a plan who loved his friends, pres His God, his country and Vinconncs." mournful and tragic suicide was that ? J Alfred P Wliitfl nfOhin. Wliitp lmd _i ;n a member of the Twenty-eighth can n^ress, .and State Treasurer, appointed ^nt' till a vacancy caused by the removal ., i:t Treasurer Gibbs, for fraud. In 1802 he woj. s appointed, by Secretary Chase, Col- mjjj tor Internal Revenue for the Columbus te ^ trict, w:is subsequently detected in ^ itraband cotton speculations, was ind to be a defaulter, and committed pate eide by taking poison on the grave of pjon i two children, at Columbus, Ohio, one igust 1, 1865. wj1( lames Henry Lane, twice United States ? lator from Kansas, serving up to I860, ycu nmitted suicide by shooting himself J(j01 ir Fort Leavenworth, at the end of his qU0 m of ofiice. cooj fames S. Johnson, Representative from ? ntucky in the Thirty-first Congress, j.n0t nmitted suicide, while suffering under ajr ( ntal depression caused by ill-health, .? Owensboro, Ky., Feb. 12, 1873. ?.oos sodr Wonderful Mirages in Arizona. \n imaginative correspondent, writ- ^va{; r frnm Xriznnn.. pavs: "It was onlv few weeks a"jo, between Gila Bencl il Maricopa, that I witnessed a most CUp irvelous and exquisite series of jnit( .nsformations reflected by the phe- t]jj3 menon of mirage. The Sierra de las tjn(, trella mountain had entirely disap- aruj vred, and in its place wjis a walled t],jr y upon the margin of a beautiful lake. 1 at once the city disappeared; a caslated mountain rose in the middle of PQjs ; lake and turned into a palace, which, ??< er balancing itself in the air, toppled er jnd sank into the bosom of the s, .nquil waters. Then arose a multicity of grotesque elevations, which two{ )idly assumed the character of fairy tjm( 3ts,"withlakelets within themselves; cup m, owing to the unequal densities and jie{.^ r acting powers of the adjacent strata s}ie' air, the islets became transiormeu in castles, cathedrals, buttresses, cubes, mPn tifications and other rock systems of an(| :hitecture, which only survived, bow?r, to vanish on perfect completion, jjolv ;ain rose an object which resembled a cou] ignificent opera house or cathedral, ?aV( tn the requisite description of gotliic ^ ndows and domes, balustrades, im- t|pj, iing arches and doorways and many ored lamps. This last picture gave frac ty to an immense tube, which seemed tjjn be suspended in the air, until sliivid into almost infinitesimal fragments, jnir. :h of whicli assumed a variety of or ^ ipes, with serrated borders, and soon nim nished or became truncated below the js rizon. Then arose an immense island, CUp shape not unlike Alcatras; again.it H sely resembled uiorairar, niieti in cv01 ; air, all the while presenting an as- *?,0 :t as threatening as either of the ^on? onghohls above named. Then came .? ; pyramids, and anon, the Casa ])00' anile, precisely as it exists fifty miles not ay. Presently a broad white scarf m;ir medto have been thrown over the V(l'n, t named elevation, yet permitting a ups( mation like the picture of the "Rock ?'< ASPS-" thin ' " tii Habits of the Florida Alligator. mal Phe Savannah News says: Although igators an; very clumsy, their quick- Vf1; js in some c:ises is remarkable, its jV j len in (lie water a speed of from five to F? ;ht miles an hour is made, and on lsj id they are able to throw themselves R cr half a circle, using the fore feet for , _ fulcrum, striking their enemy with " ?ir tail with tremendous force. In ,r r??,i .. 11!<i-.it/-n* alirtws a vc nn& iuwu C*iiiq.?WV? ? -- - - ninr irkable degree of cunning. Fish is , ; :eptal>le, and to catch tliein a number f, alligators form in line, driving the i before them into a cove or inlet, v. en each alligator makes a rush, !' ;ches a fish in his open mouth, rises to 111 1 ) surface, tosses the fish in the air, at ; same time expelling the water hy a 1 rent of air drawn through the nose, y"1) 1 is ready for the fish when it falls. ring to the formation of the teeth the !in. igator cannot masticate his food, but V Its it in small chunks. The gullet is ; large. Prey of size is concealed til it begins to putrefy, when it is iglit and devoured. The largest ani- A ,1s are attacked if they get into the roui ter, dragged down and drowned. hon FOE THE YOUNG FOLKS. Do Right, Speak Truth. T1 Children who read my lay, 3tor; This much I have to say : Stav Each day and every day, man Do what is right ; . waS. agai Right things in great and small, g^e Tncn, though the sky should fall, her r Sun, moon and stars, and all, his You shall have light, blov com This iurther I would say; nd h Bo tempted as you may, Wh< Each day and every day, J^S 1 Speak what is true ; offh True things in great and small, Then, though the sky should tall, T1 Sun, moon and stars, and all, delp Heaven would show through. man the 1 The Arithmetic of Gingerbread. a fe\ R-u-d-i-m-e-n-t-s, rudiments," anJ led Katv. " B'lieve I'll find out what r).a.dl meansthis very minute; it's bet- tl1"1 t these horrid fractions," and she ant* ;ed to look for the word in the worn on 1 Webster's " Unabridged " that papa raU9 banished from his handsome shelves man le children's room upstairs. P " >or Katy!?she haa been droning }ntel rily through the rules for multiplica- ??u.] and division of fractions all the P. afternoon study-hour. It was just ltaldreariest part of the whole book. GOt. se First?To multiply a fraction by "ari rhole number. Case Second?To T, tiply a whole number by a fraction." . 1J se were the very worst, scarcely leded by the corresponding rules for a[tei sion, and Katy had just about worn ?lon lier brown eyes crying over the cases 00111 hich you multiplied by the numeramd divided by the denominator, or cull! tiplied by the denominator and di- ?ual d by the numerator. j*001 [t is just the hatefulest old study in |ey c iol, mamma," said Katy to her ^?v< lier, who passed through the room j*lou looked askance at Katy's red eyes? 1 e very hardest one to see any use in. >n't suppose I'll ever in all my life T. 3 to multiply or divide a whole num- f!ns hv n. frnnt.inn linne not. anv w;iv. T "J*? ise halves and quarters of things so (!ucf ully." "ea^ amma didn't reply, but wearily J'?1}1 w herself down on the little bed that 9 ^ kept in the nursery, with very dark s les about her eyes, and a pale, tired year grea Do you believe, Katy, you could "o s^s n and stir up some ginger-cakes for .. Christine is hurrying with her Al ing, and Mary must take baby while ^ce: and sleep off, if pAsible, this miser- * or headache," said Mrs. Richards, only was opening her weary eyelids. ?ate Oh, yes^ mamma, anything is better 1(r" 1 i these hateful rudiments. I looked a, up just now in Webster. 'First t,ie nnings,' it says; only I think it's P3?? i enough to be the last endings;" na? seeing no brightening in her mother's ?,u"( she hastened to help her down into pie' own room. Tlien with gentle hand settled the pillows comfortably, froP rated a handkerchief with camphor, . ed the shutters, and ran softly down J1.18 ' another flight of steps into the baset kitchen. but Christine, I'm to make ginger-cakes . " tea, all my own self. Mamma said isffl. md she's gone to lie down and sleep pV*1 tier headache, and mustn't be dis- rna ted," said Katy, half afraid that j*ve istine might hunt up confirmation of traf gingerbread business. It was some- sa^s g new, certainly, to turn this harum um little creature loose m ine pan- y? to rummage the spice-boxes, and tloc' ik up the cream in the cellar in her ease ch for sour milk. But. with large ilies. there are times when the work T1 vds fearfully, :md the only way is to the s more hands into the service, not in S ding always if they are unskilled Boli 1. crhe Veil, Mees Katy, please keen te muss a G< dare in te sink so mooch as you " said Christine, evidently not jubi- and at the prospect of cleaning up after of2, tie girl's bilking; "an don t leaf te !l p1 spoon in te soda, nor drip te sour ship c roun' te clean cellar. It s dare in stea ig jar unter te vindow." , on a aty got down the gem-irons for the eigli ; hing, greased them with Mary's me? int griddle-greaser (a pine stick arti tifully supplied with cotton raos at end); then climbed up to the shelf apc ?re the book of recipes was kept. iron 'Meeses Vite's soft ginger-cake' is vat yVil\ wants, Mees Katv, an' we takes whi able of tlie receipt,'h said Christine, post ting an expression familiar to Yankee nav vS. r?* That's just two of everything, 7 con; v," and Katy tossed lier curls with an :ind jf conscious greatness. gua Two times one cup of molasses?here ;u'n.] ; that. Two times two spoonfuls of e;isi i?that's four spoons. My! but doesn't l'ruj )am up beautifully! Two spoons jvhi ;er in two-thirds of a cup of liot fror er?no?oil, dear! It is the soda that The lit to go in the hot water, and?oh, *ors! it's two times two-thirds of a of hot water. Well, now! If those q ;ful fractions aren't right here in Qen gingerbread! Christine, oh, Chris- pftr !" cried Katy in despair. " Com jt j tell me how much is two times two- mol ds of a cup?" But Christine, alas! am already gone upstairs, with her ,.et cet of white, freshly-ironed clothes w:t ed on her head. jttj Two times two-thirds of a cup. jn(r y, it must be more'n one cup, and yet w(| iys 'of a cup.' If'twasn't for that, cou lo and get two cups and fill t>iem each rjV( -thirds full; but it can't be only two j00] ;s two-thirds of a cup?that's one And the poor little girl found tjoz iolfin wnrefl 4,(1?>nns." even, than ever a had fathomed in the 44 Rudiments." ed came into the kitchen at that moit, liis books flung over his shoulder, Qm Katy's face lighted up. She could eal to him. But when she asked him j.^ r much two limes two-thirds of a cup (j jst Id be, Ned. with all a boy's wisdom, ta^ 3 answer like this: c'0]( Two times two-thirds ? Case of mul- jatl ying a fraction bj?a whole number. q 2: ' Multiply the numerator of the are tion by the whole number and place prv result over the denominator.' .lWf Two times two-thirds are four-thirds. *^in iroper fraction. Reduce to a whole lixed number. Rule: 'Divide the e(|j.; lerator by the denominator.' Three .m(j i four once and one-third over. One ' and one-third of a cup." Wn, But it says 4 of a cup,' Ned. Who'd ],u. think that4 of a cup' meant part of | e'nt cups?" argued Katy, in a despairing | s , Well, I didn't write the recipe- ],js k, Kit, and besides, that's grammar. 0f ( arithmetic, and I'm not up in gram- mai And Ned, wisely refraining froni rn'0] turing beyond his attainments, went ^ tairs to put away his books. Who'd ever 'a' thought of such a g," whispered Katy to herself, m i:it rudiments would come handy in nftt. :ing ginger-cakes?" | lie family ate them hot for supper ( ; night, despite Dr. Dio Lewis anil ^ he laws of health, and pronounced 11 very fine cakes indeed. What they ) ' :ed in ginger (you see Katy,in her per- '^r :ity over hot water, forgot to double 1 ginger) papa made up in praise, and. tj ' lamina's headache was gone, they all e happy' , , , , kee aty was early at school the next ' ning, and, shying up to the teacher's L C,said: j Miss Johnson, you looked as if y o lght I was either crazy or stupid the .- j ;r day, when I said I didn't believe ? iments were ' in anything in the r Id.' You see, T meant4 in ' anything ilo or make. Iiut I've come to tea , i that I've changed my mind. Last p ' T lmrl trv irmmivliponrl fnr ton I 1 11 to lirst thing I knew. I got right | fractions?two-thirds of things? i 1 all the rules."?Mary B. Willard in > i ' Nicholas. I '" j bull worm two inches long and in sire : Mis id as large as a pin, was cut out of a i i use ie's eye in Streator, 111. ' tors TIMELY TOPICS. le Russian papers tell a singular f of filial devotion. A woman in 1 ropol, sixty years old, had repridea her son, a full-grown man, and i excitod to a still greater anger nst him by her daughter. At last grew so infuriated that she raised irm to strike her son; but he grasped mother's arm and prevented the r.' For this action the old lady made ( plaint against him before a judge, ie was ordered to appear in court, ireupon, filled with remorse for hav- ' ;vied to avert the wrathful blow of nother, he seized an ax and chopped is offending hand. ie Rome correspondent of the Philahia Press quietly takes all the ro- , ce out of Italy by saying: "Out of window just opposite mine, and only v iroin it, an 'Any iuug uicic iu?w [talian girl, beautiful, dirty, lazy, y-dressed, and always eating someg. Priest and soldier and beggar donkey and tourist and sailor flow >eneath in a steady stream to slow ic. She gazes listlessly on the hu- ( current forever, but "takes no huinterest in it, and shows signs of lligent life but about once every halfwhen she retires to a cupboard to 1 ter pockets a^ain with case. It is f?only the bulk of the people do have cake, and get along wun IC*" J le tornado that recently swept ugh Collinsville, 111., has directed ition to the singular fact that eyes in temperate "latitudes have bee much more frequent in recent s. They were thought to be the peir products of tropical climates. A 1 ter of a century ago they were untvn, or at least unnoticed, in the val- "s ifthe Mississippi river. "Now they j become very frequent. Last year , snt Carmel, in Illinois, was visited v cyclone, just as Collinsville was year. It is certainly worth the le of our meteorologists to take up matter and try to unravel some of < mystery connected with their proion. They have done a very great ' in the prediction of storms, but as rery little has been done in the way t arning the causes that lead to the 1-uctive whirlwinds, of which no . now passes without bringing to the 1 t central valley of the country a conrable number. i braham Brown, aged forty-five, died i atly in the Chanty Hospital, New lc citv. of leDrosv. The man's body i covered with ulcers, the fingers were 1 n off, and the feet had become swol- , and shapeless. Dr. Leon, who first 1 ided Brown after his admission to hospital in the latter part of the 1 ith of June of last year, said that he applied remedies to alleviate the i nings of his patient, but he believed 3 disease incurable. Brown did not, rever, seem to receive any benefit l the remedies. The afflicted man related contradictory stories as to disease. He told several, however, ; he contracted the disease in Cuba, J he declined to let them know anyg about his family relations. There till another patient in ihe hospital , cted with leprosy. His name is rles Hinkle, a Mexican, about fortyyears. He also states that he conted the disease in Cuba. The doctor io OA V?o ri no Hl*A?rn'a ? tllUb 1110 UOOt to iiVV OV U(?V4 UO KM w , and that he seems to experience refrom the remedies applied. All the :ors at the hospital say that the disis not contagious. lie following account of the forces of belligerents in the war now going on >outh America, between Peru and via on the one side and Chili on the !r, is given in a letter from La Paz to :rman paper: " Peru, with a super.1 area greater than that of Germany Austria-Hungary, and a population 700,000, has four ironclads 'frigate, tm and two monitors^), si> wooden is, three training ships, t e river mers, -and an army of 3,000 l m only peace footing, but with the dres ot lb UilttailUUO Ul luinuvi jr J biuiyV its of cavalry, and two brigades of ' llery, besides 1,000 gendarmes and 0 watchmen (vigilantes). Chili (with ipulation of 2,117,000) has two good t' .d corvettes and four wooden steamers, besides some other ships ch are unserviceable for war pur's. The armament of the Chilian y consists of forty-four guns, and the ionnel of 973 men. The Chilian army iprises 1,500 infantry, 1,200 cavalry 410 artillery, besides 6,000 national rds. Bolivia has no navy, and her y consists of 2,000 men; but it could ly be increased by the system of reting prevalent in the country, under ch young and strong men are torn ii their families to serve in the arnjy. 1 population of Bolivia is 2,325.000." The Camera Obscura. ne of the wonders of New York is tral Park, and the wonder of Central i 1 ??v K is ine camera uusuura vuut^unui. s a little eight-sided building, surmted by a small turret furnished with ovable lens. Directly und<r the turis a table about five feet in diameter, h a highly polished surface, and 011 le scenery of the park and surroundcountry is reflected from the lens li marvelous distinctness. Even the ntry on Long Island, across the East t, is plainly visible, as it one were king at it through a telescope, lie room will accommodate about a en people at a time. It is darkened, . the only light admitted enters ough the lens and is thrown on the le. It is a most marvelous sight. ; may see his friends in any part ot park. The slightest ripple on the ?, or the movement of the leaves on ant trees, is vividly shown on-the. le, and all the varied and beautiful >rs arc preserved in the moving, rainire picture. Detectives repair to the ctagonal" when suspected parties supposed to be in the park. A man iroman sitting or walking half a mile ly eannoi escape the eye of science, ong the many objects to be seen arc, sonic Temple, tlw Catholic Cathil, the churches of upper New York, file Palisades of the Hudson, each raring in turn as the turret revplves. en one wishes to examine a particuportion of the park, the superintendgives. the machine a turn, and the t appears on the table, while the belered spectator thinks of Aladdin and I lamp, and wonders why, if the days ' mchantment have really come, the j jician does not transform the dingy I 11 into a palace worthy of such splen- j scenes. The Sawdust Magnates. he wane in the circus business is j 'd in the New York Mail, :inil the | jreabouts and occupation of many e famous therein are given. I)r. ; ulding is living on his money in j gerties, N. Y. Yankee Robinson is actor in Western theaters. lien. I jinley, Tony Pastor and Frank Pasformerly clowns, are also on the itrical stage. Andrew Haight, once ler of the Great Eastern Circus, is | ping hotel in Chicago. Of other pro- j iters, Joseph Cushing is farming in | v Hampshire, J. M. Nixon is manag- \ n tlio-itcr in ('liicarro. Montcronierv ! en is interested in Brooklyn street' roads, Levi North is also living in | oklyn, W.J. Metehear keeps a hotel; 'rovidenre. (Jeorjje K. Goodwin runs i theaters anil a dollar store in 1'hila>hia, Ealon and Daniel Stone are I uingin New Jersey, K. E. J. Mi las j is a Cincinnati theater, Burr Rob- j < is lecturing in the Weston temper- | p, and the Cooper of Cooper & Bailey [ ps a horse mart in Philadelphia; Dan ?, after many ups and downs, is ! ding a floating theater to run on the 1 sissippi. Barnum, Forepaugh, Robin and Lent are the only old proprie-1 i who are still in the business. The Deceitful Reporter. XaBGHAKT. Cind reporter, I've impoitant information, Sing hey, the kind reporter that you arc, Iboat a certain dry goods inundation, Sing hoy, the cheapest goods in town by lax. BOTH. The very cheapest goods in town by tar. .REPORTER. jood lellow, in conundrums you are speaking, Sing hey, the mystic merchant yiat you ar?; [Tie answer to them vainly I am seeking, Sing hey, the cheapest goods in town by iar BOTH. The very cheapest goods in town by tar. MERCHANT. . ?ind,reporter, on to-morrow I'll be going, Sing hey, the boss reporter that yon are, Co New York, and soon then IH be showing The biggest stock?but take you th? cigar. BOTH. The very cheapest goods in town by Jar. REPORTER. }ood fellow, you have given timely warning, Sing hey, the thoughtlul merchant that you are; ['11 whoop you up lively in the morning. Sing hey, the merry flfteen-cent cigar. Born. The merry, merry fifteen cent cigar. P. S.?It was the reporter that got the puff. t ?Cincinnati Enquirer. ITEMS OF INTEREST. The rod is often used in a school o fish. Chinese never eat oysters in their fresh state. N There is nothing quite so shocking as m earthquake. The train that beats electricity?The ruin of thought. There are 185 tribes of Indians left in ;he United States. Draughts which are never cashed Those of a drunkard. . Oats that will grow in winter as thrifty is in summer.?Wild oats. The tax on amorial bearings in Engand realizes $500,000 annually. Exclusive of Cuba and Porto Kico, Spain has a population of 16,600,000. If you wish to know how to compose ,'ourself, learn the art of type-setting. Love levels all ranks, but you can't ove an onion enough to level its rank. The axe was an ancient weapon used n the most remote periods in warfare. The fullcapacity of the lungs is about ;hree hundred and twenty cubic inches. In sitting for a picture the person who winks'at the camera gets a reply in the legative. There are more than five hundred separate nerves and blood vessels in the fiuman body. ' "I fear that you do not quite apprehend me," as the jail-bird said to his baffled pursuers. A carpenter at Buenos Ayres gets sixty" dollars a day; but then, cotton cloth is fifteen dollars a yard. George (insinuatingly)?Polly, will you give me that orange? Polly (magnanimously)?Oh, yes, George! but you must wait till I've sucked it. "Will a village cow pay?" asks an agricultural exchange, We can't say as to their paying anything themselves, but we have often seen tnem dun. Michigan University boasts 1,342 students, while Harvard has 1,332. Harvard leads, however, in the number of instructors, having 134 to Michigan sixty-three. " Seth Spicer " affirms that if a man blows his nose in public nowadays he ii likely, within twenty-four hours, to receive two dozen sure cures for catarrh.? N. 7. News. We all ov us are apt to prate about onr independanse of character, and yet the notis of a grate man effekts most folks, just as a pat on the lied duz a puppy. ?Josh Billings. The laws of. Germany are stern. For speaking disrespectfully of the Crown Prince in a public place of entertainment, a teacher of languages has been sentenced to four months' imprisonment It is when our budding hopes are nipped beyond recovery by some rough wind that we are the most disposed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might have borne if they had flourished. The Rome Sentinel asserts that the healthy Indian is a well red man. If you were to see him licking molasses out of the bottom of a government bucket, you'd think he was a pail-faced man.? 4 Ottawa Republican. " Papa, what made you go to the war?" . i Said Jennie, climbing on my chair. " You might have had two lingers more To twine ainid my flowing hair." " Why, dear, they drafted your brave po, And I loaf these fingers on a saw." ?Cincinnati Star. The amount of capital employed in cotton manufacture in the United States in 1860 was $89,000,000, yielding a return of eight per cent.; in 1870, ?141,000,000, yielding a return of seven per cent.; in 1878, estimated at $208,000,000, yielding five per cent, return. Perhaps the funniest object is the man who spends his first, day in a newspaper office. He tries to appear as if he had been in a newspaper office all his life, l?i. ?/Inocn'f cunm fn IV*a1 out jjuiilcilvw no uw.ou w OVV4M w easy. There seem to be too many bones in his shad.?New York Herald. the farm. God bless the iarm, the dear old tarm, God bless it every rood, Where willing hearts and sturdy arms Can earn an honest livelihood, And from the coarse and fertile soil Win back a recompense from toil. The peanut crop this year is estimated at 1,200,000 bushels. Wilt some "one of our readers, who is good at mathematics, estimate for us how long it would take the youns men of this country to exhaust this crop il they were to carry a pint of peanuts in their pockets every time they wept to see their girls??Norrisiotcn Herald. Prof. Benjamin Pierce, of Harvard Col lege, says the whole number of comets which are capable of being seen from the earth, and which are contained in our sun's sphere, may be fairly estimated at over 5,000,000,000. Considering the hardness oi the times we should say that the sun's sphere wjis pretty well fixed, as re- t gards comets. A gentleman who has spent some days in the region of the coal-oil wells, in Pennsylvania, says that in his opinion the government ought to interfere at once, and put a stop to further pumping and boring for oil. He is quite certain the oil is being drawn through those wells from the bearing of the earth's axis, and that theeartii will cease to turn when the lubrication ceases. A Cincinnati merchant writes to the Enquirer to complain of loafers who congregate in front of his store. "By their loud and ungentlemanly talk,'' he says. " they offend ladies who come to examine my immense stock of calicoes and ginghams just received from the Eastern markets, which I am selling at prices that defy competition." The editor whs cruel enough to omit the name and address. To tind out whether a garden has been planted or not, an exchange gives the followingrule: "If one forgets whether heds are planted or not. a way to tell is to turn a stray cut into the gardeh. If the heds are planted, the eat will proceed to raee round and dig into them and act as if it had relatives in China it was anxious to get at, while, if they are not, it will sit down calmly in the path and seem to be meditating on the progress of missionary work in Africa. A gat's instinct seldom deceives in this matter,"