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WHO CAN TELL? Who can tell when the winter is coming? Who can tell when the summer is going? We go to sleep when the asters are blooming, We wake, and we find it snowing. Who can tell when the winter is going! Who can tell when the snmmer is coming? We go to sleep when the tempests are blowing, We wake, and the bees are humming. ?Ernest Whitney, in the Century. RV TPT/ppprnuT: jj 1 J.UJJJUX XJLVX1 AJI I was the happiest man in the city as I folded and laid away in my pocket-book aletter from the dearest girl in the world, and jumped on the horse-car, en route for my office! Some months had passed since I saw my Agnes, for the first time, at a dinner at the Peytons'. I had frequently metMiss Georgie Peyton in society, and had been several times invited to her receptions, so I was not surprised to receive one day an invitation to dine with her "informally," to meet a young lady from Aiken, S. C. Of course I presented myself at this informal dinner in full evening dress, where I met some other gentlemen in similar attire?Clarkson was one of them?and a few young ladies, and was introduced to my Agnes. If I could only make you see her as she appeared to me that night?so fresh and blooming: the blue of her clear, peaceful eyes; the delicious curve ot ner delicate nps; uut enough that then and there I yielded, and became her ardent adorer. From the first she distinguished me with her favor. I was her escort to concert aud opera. I was allowed to claim the best dances; they were always my flowers she carried, and, finally, before she returned to Aiken, I was her acccpted lover! The year had flown swiftly, and now a brilliant prospect seemed to open before me. My firm was about to establish a branch department in another part of the city, and proposed to make one of their clerks a junior partner and manager of the new concern. I had been the longest in their employ, and had reason to think I was regarded with favor by "Old Gruff"?as Mr. Gruffland, the senior partner, was called?and he would be the one to make the promotion and settle the question of salary. Indeed, for some weeks I had seen that 1- 1 iL. ..i * ne was wwrKing uue miiiiagemeui iutu uiy hands, so I felt justified in writing to Agnes, urging our immediate union. The dear L'irl consented, and in the letter received that morning she told me she was coming again to make a long visit at the Peytons' to "do some shopping." Entrancing words! What did they not imply? And that "if all went well"?if I got the position, of course?"we might be married before very long!" I was the happiest man in the world, as I folded the dear little letter away, resolving, if it was in the power of man to earn promotion, I would nuke myself indispensable to ray employers. Well, she came. There was a demure but delightful meeting at the station and an enchanting twenty minutes until I delivered her to Miss Georgie's arms at the Peyton?' door. Then followed days of devotion to work, followed bv eveniners of unalloyed bliss. Isav ' unalloyed,''but there was one drawback. The Peyton family were very considerate, Miss Georgie especially but my darling Agnes was haunted with the fear that they would think her visit to them was only to enjoy my society, and was constantly suggesting. that we should "join the family in the sitting-room." Old Mrs. Peyton was a bore, but a mild one?paterfamilias an unmitigated one; Miss Georgia was benignant, but slightly tiresome. There was only one other member of the: family, a pretty little fellow named Bak Balph, but the girls had taken to call-! ing him "Raphael," from some fancied j resemblance to one of the Sistinc cherubs, \ He seemed a quiet little chap, with a sweet innocence of expression and de-! meanor, who posed a good deal of the | time with his cheek on his hand, after ; the manner of the cherub aforesaid. He i was devoted to Agnes, and hung round j her more than was pleasant, for which I ; occassionally snubbed him rather se-! verely, but she always interceded for! him. "He was such a little fellow?and i then he was so lovely! was he not one's ideal of a boy?" Agne3 had been in the city a few weeks when, one morning, the telephone bell in our office rang sharply. This was of frequent occurrence, and Clarkson's desk was stationed near it to save time in answering the call. The rest of us scarcely t/Ni.lrAr] nn f?c +V10 familiur '^iiIIa tPOO I IVUiVvvl UJ/ UO tuv AU1A4AAAM& AAlttlV. ?' ">J | Bhouted, or the concluding: "All right! I'll tell Mr. Gruffland. Good-by!" But' this morning Clarkson turned to me with:: "This is for you, Dixon!" Accordingly ! I shouted ''hullo!" and in return heard Miss Georgie's voice: "Is that you, Mr. Dixon? Agnes is here, and wants to try to speak to you." Then I heard her giving directions. "Stand a little nearer; press this close to ' your ear?so." " Good-morning," I called. In return I heard a giggle and my ' Agnes's voice exclaiming: Oh, oh! It j ?...i" ti a.ica 11 iv car: i ucu mure uiiauuus i from Miss Peyton, and at last the1 sweetest voice in the world began in as nearly as might be a stentorian roar: "Isthat really ycu, Harry? Isn't this ! perfectly sweet ? Are you sure they can't: near in the office, Gcorgic?" "Well," from Georgic, "I should Bay they certainly could, if you shout like that." "Harry," in a half whisper, "if you are sure it's really you, and that no one I else can hear, I want to tell you some-1 thing. Do you remember that queer j Miss Blake in Aiken? Do you hear me, | Harry?" " Yes," I replied. Then another little giggle. "Isn't it | too funny? Do you know, Harry, now j that I see how to use it, I'm going to j talk to you ever so often. Won't it be I fun? But where was I? Dear me. how j stupid! Oil, I know, Miss Blake. Well, I she has just sent me the loveliest?" Here C'larkson muttered, "Old Gruff' ccming," and knowing that he-would ask an explanation of my receiving the telephone messages, I was obliged to abruptly interrupt: "I must go now"? i had almost said -'my darling." "Tell me the rest this evening." "But, Harry!" I heard in a grieved little voice; but Mr. Grufilarid's fuotsteps were too near, and I hung up the re-1 ceiver upside down, and hurried back to tnv rlesk. All day I worked in nervous desperation. Would she try to resume the conversation? Every time the bell rang I elanced at C'larkson. The thought that [t might be her voice whispering in his ?A 3 ??.- ..n-n/j mn w'fll r?r\1 rl i great ruu cur ttvunu *?*HA WIU perspiration. The fear that in Mr. ruffland's hearing I might be called upon to answer some of her chatter was Still worse. I made up my mind that I rflnst make Agnes understand that very i'jht that she could not amuse herself in tu k * r..vd I <'i I so, geu'.Iy but resolute.y. 1 described Clarkson's ear, i'.d I took some liberties with it. It would be just like the wretch to receive all her little confidences, and retail them for the amusement of the clerks. Old Gruff was an ogre, capable of dismissing me without warning, if I did not attend every minute to my business. Our hopes of happiness depended upon his good pleasure. Miss Peyton was cool and diernified. I suppose she knew I was exaggerating. Agnes looked hurt. Her sweet lips trembled a little, and her eyes were suspiciously dim. I longed to have her alone for a little while to comfort her, as I knew I could; but there was no chance, for, though Miss Georgie relented sufficiently to go upstairs to write an "important letter," Raphael was there, resting his elbow on the table, and looking up at Agnes with an expression of deep pity in his beautiful but sleepy dark eyes. And yet the next day the same thing occurred. Mr. Gruffland was there, and looked up from his papers with a glance of disapproval as I took Clarkson's place at the telephone. My "Hullo" was rather savage. ??? ! Ha mo ! Tnrlnft/1 VU Uttll V S i/v iUigiTV/iuti Jiuuv/vm, indeed I felt so sorry last night, and wanted to tell you so; but, you, you sec, Ralph was there. I'm all alone now. Oh Harry, won't you forgive me?" "Of course," I returned, feeling Oruff's eyes burning unpleasantly on the nape of my neck. "Oh Harry dear, don't talk like that to me. Do say you love me!" Was there ever such a child? I felt j like a cald-blooded wretch, as I hurriedly : replied: 1 "All right. I'll come upas soon as I i can. Very busy now. Good-by. I felt, rather th.in heard, a little sob at the other end of the wire. Grulf said i nothing, but I was doomed to another miserable day. I managed to ask Clarkson, if I was called again, to say I could not attend, and live times I heard him give this message, and e.ich time he turned away with a mighty grin. What might not Agnes have said to him? ] Of course, I hurried to the reyton's, , determined to see her alone. She came running into the hall to meet me, bright i and loving, but the annoyances of the I day had made me cross, and I said i curtly: i "Really, Agnes, it is very strange you don't understand that a man cannot take 1 his business hours to talk with his i friends. After all I said last night, I ' must say I was surprised to be called up \ again to-day!" I Agnes stopped abruptly, and said, with : dignity: 1 " I do not understand you!" "Why, my dear little girl," I said, i sobered by the change in her manner, i "I do not mean to be cross, but how 1 could I talk to you about my affection or ^ forgiveness through the telephone, with < all those fellows listening, to say nothing 1 of old Gruff?" j "But I have not touched the tele- i phone to-day, Harry!" 1 "What!" I exclaimed. 1 "Georgie!" called Anges, stepping i ' J T r-ll J back to tne siuing-room, anu l luuoweu s to tell the story. "It is very strange," said Miss Peyton, t but, of course, it is some mistake. The 1 lines are out of order or crossed in some i way. But mamma and Agnes and I have i been out shopping all day, and we ] lunched down town, so we can prove an ] alibi." j It certainly wa3 very strange, but we 3 all concluded that it might be as Miss t Georgie suggested, and the pater at 1 once began to spin long yarns about s queer messages, till at last I coaxed Anges c into the conservatory alone, and the 1 close of the cveuing was all the brighter for the shadow with which it began. The dear girl sympathized with me, and forgave my impatience, and I was so sweet, that before I knew 1 s found myself telling her the one ?vent of 1 my iife I had determined to keep secret i ?the entanglement I once had with Lu- 1 cretia Chase. Of course she had been j the most to blame, and Agnes thought t her very horrid and forward, so I had to j admit that Cretia had misunderstood I " - r t-.J ?2 J | ...l 4 some mings I nau sum iu uei wucu a i mere boy, and then Agnes a9ked me if I really, really loved her best. Ah me! what a happy evening that was! And the next day the telephone annoyances began, but I felt sure of my ground, and told Clarkson he could refuse to listen. Imagine my surprise when he turned to me with a clever imitation of Agnes's voice, saying: "She is quite sure Harry will come when he knows she wants to talk to him about 'Cretia.'" I was thunderstruck! Lucretia Chase lived in Vermont; I was morally sure no one in the city knew of her existenceno one but Agnes! I rushed to the instrument. It was the clear girl's voice. How could any one have known that Cretia possessed some idiotic lines I had once written her?any one but Agnes? i Yet now I heard them repeated: <lOh, Cretia! fairest valentiue! "* Wilt thou accept this hand of mine? A smaller gift mv soul forbids; i.?1. u. JLi?. DUL U5I1 5 llltf HUIUUtJI UL 111 J : ( I jerked away in anger and surprise, t only to meet old GrufTs grim glance. t 4'If this thing goes on, Mr. Dixon, it ( might be well for you and Mr. Clarkson i to change desks!" t I knew what that implied, and my i heart sank to my boots. ' I do not understand it myself," Ire- s plied. "I assure you, sir, that I am ex- s ceedingly annoyed. I will not answer it i again." ] "I will myself, sir," he growled, and t I went back to my desk to upset my ink- t bottle, to make mistakes in my accounts, t and torture myself with the conviction r that since no one but Agnes could have < sent the message, she was teasing me, without realizing the fatal consequences to our happiness. And all day Mr. Grufflaud would answer that confounded t telephone, mat some 01 mo messages c were meant for uic I could tell, and that s they must be utter nonsense I could con- a jecture from his occasional comments: c " 'By jimminy Johnson!' is a remarkable t expression for a young lady, Mr. Dixon." ( It would be too long to tell the story s of these days in detail. Sometimes there ^ would be respite, and then the nonsense j would begin again. It was larks for t Clarkson and the rest, but to me it seemed I as if the bell of the telephone was ringing c the knell of all my bright hopes. Agnes j assured me of her innocence, and Miss f Peyton was ready with explanations; i they had been shopping, or calling, or s practicing ducts. But I could see that a 1 coolness had come between Agnes and ^ me. She feared that I doubted her, and s T wlvit frmlfl T fcVnnlc? Arrflin nnH ncrnin r the messages referred to what I had said } to her when quite alone. Could she have s repeated my confidences? 1 At the office preparations for the new s business were being hurried on, and not 1 one word had been said to me of promo- ] tiou. To crown all, Agnes informed me 1 one evening that she was going to shorten 1 her visit; she had heard of friends going : directly to Aiken, and thought it best to 1 secure their escort. I parsed a wretched 1 evening, but left, determined to make a ' desperate effort to clear the mystery. Agnes had to'.d nic ih.it they were all t i be out the next day, so I begged off at the office, reached the house at ten, and persuading the servant that I wanted to rest, and would let myself out when I was ready, I managed to conceal myself in a closet in the hall, where I waited four mortal hours. At last I was rewarded. A light step came through the hall, a chair was draw n to the telephone, and a clear voice, wonderfullv like Affnes's called: "Please connect with Gruffland & Co.!" Waiting only long enough to let him actually begin conversation in his usual style, I rushed out, and catching the culprit by the arm, bestowed a resounding* box upon the ear of the astonished Mr. Raphael. The little imp! This was his revenge for his well-deserved snubs. t vinvo nn r?nnlit; hfi had heard everv word of my conversations with Agnes. Of course the Peytons were distressed and apologetic, and Agnes was persuaded not to hurry away, and old Gruff relented, and I got "fhe promotion in due time; but I never could endure the sight of that gherubic boy. I verily believe that the box I bestowed upon him was his only punishment, and I rejoice to think that it was such a stinger! If this story has a moral it is a short one. The more innocent and guileless a boy looks, the less is he to be trusted.? G. Linton, in Domestic Monthly. Something About Trousers. Trousers came into use for general wear with the French revolution. The gentlemen, the supporters of royalty an I sound constitutional principles, wore breeches. The term "sans culottes" sufficiently explained what were not worn by the masses who forced constitutional reform into revolution. By an apparent contradiction of purpose and principle the "sans culottes," who de nouncea every one wnu >vjre uilx-uuus, finally went beyond their opponents and wore twice as much cloth around their legs; in a word, adopted the modern trousers, and made them the badge of a party as well known as a class. Nepoleon, who was tob thin at one period of his life and too stout at mother to look his best in small clothes, nevertheless wore them on state occasions ifter he had set up a throne and gone into the emperor business. His army was the first that wore trousers, and trousers made progress in general adoption step by step with the march of the French army. The French trousers and neat gaiter were seen in Fgypt, and in Spain, in Italy, in Germany, in Poland, and in Russia, on the banks of the Tagus and those of the Vistula. People thought that the manner in which a great conquering nation clad its legs was the model, and when the :rousers wearers marched over the wearers of pigtails and knee breeches at Jena and Auerstadt a decision was given :rom which the world did not care to ippeal. The world is usually easily convinced of the wisdom of the victor. Eng and stood out the longest against trousers, jut finally she yielded, and her army narchedto Waterloo wearing thcuniverlal leg funnels. Our grandfathers generally fell in with he ways of the wor$, though Federalists lere and there would not yield. There s a story of a clergyman who, greeted irith the rough inquiry: "How are you, >riest?" responded: "How are you, Democrat? How do you know I'm a iriest?" "By your dress. How do rou know I'm a Democrat?" "By your iddress." Doubtless the clergyman wore cnee-breeches, while the admirer of Jefferton and "dangerous French principles" :lothed his legs with trousers.?Atlanta Constitution. An Extraordinary Escape. A remarkable and almost incredi)le adventure is reported by a Ross hire correspondent of the London Press. While Christina M'lvor, a middle aged j voman belonging to the parish of Lochjroom, was on her way to Kinlochewe i few day3 ago, she accidentally stum>led and fell over one of the many jrecipices that skirt the margin of Loch Haree. A tree growing from a cleft in he roclc miraculously intercepted ner all, and prevented her plunging into the leep waters beneath. To this tree the voman clung with the grip of despair intil she had partially recovered from he stunning effects of her dreadful fall. Beneath her was a sheer rock washed by he dark waters of the lake; above a ock impossible to climb; and to add to he misery of the poor woman's situation, ihe became painfully sensible of the fact hat her right leg was broken below the tnee. The place was miles away from the learest house. In this painful ex;remitv she noticed a protecting ledge :lose by the tree, and by efforts which :an be more easily imagined than deicribcd, she managed to crawl or drag lerself to this place of comparative lafety. The pain in the fractured limb, ntensified by her efforts, was frightful, ind she lay quite exhausted and exposed ;o the elements, having lost her shawl in he fall. In this perilous and exposed :ondition she remained from Saturday ill the following Monday afternoon? hree days and two nights?without food )r shelter ot any Kina, siaicing ner ieversli tliirst by water which trickled from he rocks overhead, and which she caught n her boot. On Monday she noticed a boat passing, ind using her little' remaining strength, he managed to attract the attention of ts occupants to her dangerous position. 3y skillful manoeuvring on the part of lie fishermen, the poor woman was lowired into the boat, taken to Poolewe, ind thence sent to Uliapooh, where she low lies under the care of the parish ioctor. " I Why Do Bees and Wasps Stin?? j Their weapons often serve to protect hem from their enemies, but with bees, .specially the honey or hive bees, at the ipproach of winter, the drones or males nn i/\n<T?T- nf nnr lisp aitd are killed 4 ^ J )ff by the stings of the workers, to save he stores of honey they would otherwise :onsume. With many of the wasps their tings are food preservers. The large vasps which make their holes in the jround, and some bees, like the carpener bees, which cut circular holes in joards, or other wood, deposit an egg in >ne of these holes, place food for the jrub that will hatch from this egg to 'eed upon, and when this grub has made ts growth, it goes into the chrysalis itate, and in time comes out a perfect jee, or wasp, as it may be. But, you vill ask, "what has this to do with the iting?" A great deal. If the caterpillar >r other insect, intended as tooa ior ine roung bee or wasp, were dead, when stored away, it would decay and be use- I ess. The effect of the poison of the ;ting is to keep it in a semi-torpid exis- , :ence, alive, but still dormant, and thus preserve the food in a proper condition to be eaten by the grub of the bee or tvasp. In this respect we can see that the sting plays a very useful part, but when the sting is employed upou ourselves, we fail to see what good end is accomplished. Even when a bee-keeper is doing his best for the comfort and welfare of his bees, they will often turn upon and sting him, most needlessly and painfully.?American Aariculturist. .. . . | AGRICULTURAL TOPICS OF INTEREST RELATIVE TO FARM AND GARDEN. Calves and Their Food. An Indiana farmer says in the New York World: "Farmers not unfrequently complain that they cannot grow calves economically, and "they often sacrifice to I the butcher animals it would pay them better to keep. Any one of experience I with stock will know before a heifer is 1 a week old whether it i9 best l:o fatten it ' for veal or raise for a good milch cow. ' Each calf should be examined and its I form aDd marks noted before that time j and its merits decided upon. Then, if it is to be kept, eagerness for immediate ' profits and tne wish to raise it as cheaply 1 as possible should not be allowed to lead 1 one to stint the animal too much in milk. The pennies saved by such treatment t at this stage of the animal's existence ' will be counted in dollars lost on it when j mature. All live stock that is worth j growing at all should be kept steadily gaining with good food and good treatment frnm thf> verv her/inninc. A nlan I . have practiced with satisfactory results i9 j to take the calvcs away from the cow when three days old. As soon as they have been taught to driuk, give them four quarts of milk morning and night, using new milk for a month; then for a fortnight take one-half new and one-half 1 skim, with a little meal; then for a time J all skim milk and a larger amount of meal; at the e nd of two months give sour milk, barley, hay, grass, etc." The Cellar in Summer. At this season the cellar must be kept cool, dry, ventilated and clean. The doors must be kept closed as much as ' possible during the day, but they may be opened about midnight, and remain open j j until early morning. During the latter: : half of the night the air is cool, and air | must be admitted to keep the cellar dry i and pure. If kept clean, not a great deal I of airing will be .needed. If the cellar is j damp, fruits and vegetables decay sooner, and it is more unhealthful than is generally supposed. Many attacks of fever, diphtheria, or other diseases, result from damp, unventilated, unclean cellars, i Keeping the cellar clean and ventilated, Is the best way to keep it dry; it may be necessary to use other means. Lime placed in the cellar will absorb moisture and noxious gases, and thus help to keep the air pure. Charcoal is also a great absorber of gases. The temperature of the cellar may be lowered by putting a tub of broken ice and salt in. The rapid melting of the ice cools the air. This i will be convenient when a considerable ' quantity of fresh meat or fruit Is to be preserved. It is impossible to keep the , cellar in good condition unles'ss the drain| age is efficient, and there is a proper : arrangement of doors and windows. Double ones are needed to keep the ; temperature at the right point in summer as well as in winter.?American Agricultur Ut. Watch the Insects. Injurious insects demand attention thrmicrhnnt the summer months. Look for the borers near the base of young fruit trees; if saw-dust is seen to drop from a hole in the bark, or if a portion of the bark is seen to be depressed, cut out the borer. I If the leaves of currants and gooseberries are eaten by "the worm," apply white hellebore at once. Stir a teaspoonful of the powder in a pailful of water, aud apply with a syringe. Repeat this after a few days. If later brooas appear continue the remedy, which is a very certain one. | . The greenish sling slug, which appears upon the leaves of cherry, pear, and other trees may be destroyed by applying air-slaked lime or wood ashes. This may be dusted upou the leaves by means of a bag of coarse fabric, attached to a pole. The insects attacking the grape vine this month, are mainly large caterpillars, J which arc most readily picked by hand; the so-called "thrips," which is properly the "grape-viue leaf hopper," and not related to the true thrips. It is a little whitish insect which often rises in clouds when the vines are disturbed. The best treatment is to go among the vines with torches, gently beating them to disturb the insects, which will at once fly toward the light. | The first appearance of grayish spots on the undersides of the vine indicatss mildew, and flowers of sulphur should be applied with a bellows made for the purpose. , Whenever pear trees aro attacked by blight, which comes without warning, cut away every blighted portion and ^ burn it.?American Agriculturist. Surface Versus Subsoil. i A few years since, says Josiah Hoopes in tiit\\ ew York Trioune, a controversy arose among many practical orchardists as to the benefit of trenching the soil. Some advocates of this practice went so far as to advise cultivators to deepen their soil in all localities, regardless of its charac. ter. About twenty years ago a promi1 nent fruitman fully imbued with the idea that deep trenching was an actual necessity in his ground, prepared ueveral acres , by hand-labor, stirring the soil some three feet deep. The expense was enormous; the result a decided failure. Pear i trees planted on that tract have nev% grown so well as the others in the vicinity where the land was not so treated, and grapevines set at the same time long j since passed away. Three systems were in vogue for manipulating the ground. 1. Simply remove the top-soil and loosen the strata below?which events proved 1 ? *? : f ...KoaJI II1U UCSt, iTXIA auiiauc auvi ouvoi/n wgetlier?which is to be deprccated. 3. Place the good soil below; bring the subsoil to the surface?and thi-'i was worst of all. The theory of ameliorating and enriching subsoils by bringing them in contact with air and applie:l fertilizers sounds plausible; but in practice it appears to poison the roots of growing plants?or, at best, affects them disastrously. In sections of nursery stock where the roots run deep, it is impossible to remove the tress without bringing a portion of the subsoil to the top, and in all such cases succeeding crops of young plants feel the difference between this state of the soil and that which had been Snlvsnilinnr where I 3III1JJI V |ilUU^UCU 0 the texture of the soil is heavy and tenacious is doubtless beneficial, but on | all light soils the work seems useless for trocs. One of the newer dogmas of horticulture is that of preferring firm to mellow soil for roots to grow in. It has been demonstrated that the latter can penetrate the hardest ground with ease; and rootlets of the couchgrass have been known to grow directly through a potato in preference to turning aside. The power of a growing root isi enormous, and it is a question if the necessity exists for pulverizing the soil in any case. Farm and Garden Notes. j The latest wrinkle for piga is lettuce. Chickens are to be guarded against hawks, owls, rats and skunks. As soon as the fruit is set on plum trees be ready to fight the curculio. - .? .1 - i t _ e 1 It is stated tnat tnere naa Deen 01 iaie years an unwonted demand for sunflower seeds. Keep the young pigs in pasture in the orchard; those for early market should have a meal-slop daily. Don't use any parsnip seed unless it be of last year's growth, as such seed does not readily germinate if old. If a rat gets into a chicken coop it will kill every chick if it can have time to carry them off before being discovered. I No invariable rule can be laid down for the raising of calves on skim milk and each feeder must make a rule for each calf. Whenever the currant worm appears spray the bushes with white hellebore, a tablespoonful of the powder to a pailful water. Setting strawberry plants on ground that has been in cultivation for two or three years is advised as a preventive of white grub. Do not kill the mole until satisfied whether it is an enemy or a friend. , Sometimes the mole destroys a large number of cutworms and slugs. Mr. Albaugh, well known in Ohio horticulture, says that one grower sowed oats among his grapes every spring to prevent rot, and considered it a success! Tne demand is increasing throughout the country for windmills that will not only pump water, but furnish power for running various kinds of farm machinery. Small chickens should never be kept or fed with old ones. They are apt to be injured. Have two or three yards and separate them according to size and strength. As sunflower seed is very liable to - -1- ? lrflflrvinrf if fnr neat me siuest wuj ui i>. .v> fowls is to cut of! the flower head when the seed is ripe and pile it loosely till thrown to the fowls. Dampness is bad for young chicks. Arrange their drinking vessels so that they cannot get into them, and do not allow them to run in the wet grass or be out in a storm. If sheep have free access to salt they will never over-eat of it, but if salted occasionally and given it freely they will eat too much, which provokes unnatural thirst and possibly injurious effects. The American Cultivator says if every farmer would limit himself in ploughing to such an area as he can cultivate and manure in the most thorough manner, there would soon cease to be any complaint about farming not paying. Professor Alvord says: "Butter from cows fed on ensilage stands in the first class in our most critical markets, and has done so some years. I do not mean to refer to extreme cases of irrational, exclusive feeding of ensilage or any approach thereto. On the use of ensilage I am no enthusiast or extremist, but believe it to be a valuable?in most cases invaluable?addition to our list of foods for cattle; for dairy cattle and butter makers at that. An English gardener states that the roots of trees may be prevented from enI tering between the joints of drain tiles V Tr? lie in rr if mi Y it* j 07 USID^ L'Uill iai. xu uciug ?v *m*m .. j with sawdust to the consistency of ordinary building mortar. A layer of this should be spread on the bottom of the drain; on this set the drain pipes and then cover all over with the tar mortar. If the work be carefully performed and the mortar applied in sufficient quantities, say one and a half inches thick all round, success may be guaranteed. Mr. E. S. Carmen, in the Rural New Yorker, says: "Our practice is to cover the seed potatoes slightly with soil and then sow the fertilizer in the furrows or trenches. We have used as much as a ton of potato fertilizer?which is strong in potash?to the acre, and yet we harvested clean potatoes with smooth skins and without 'scabs.' Not so when fresh farm manure is used. This with us almost always causes 'scab' by attracting wire worms (lulus), which eat into the skin and give the potato the same corroded surface as the fungus causes." Next to the rosa, the clematis is doubtI less the most popular flower plant of the day. It blooms hardily during the entire J season and embraces a great variety of beautiful colors. The clematis is a rapid climber, and, if cai^fully trained, attains * " - - ? - *. e a | to a height or irom nve 10 mieeu lect m a season. Planted so as to cover the pillars of verandas, or trained on a trellis or stump or other object, it has no equal. It may also be planted in rocking or winding flower beds, but it will require pegging down. The large purple flowers of this variety are produced in. the greatest profusion and remain oq the plant a long time. This is a very satisfactory plant to cultivate, as it increases in size and beauty each year. ?< Prepare trees for planting by cutting the tops back in proportion to the amount of injury done to the roots, which is generally from one-half to two-thirds of the entire top. On this pruning all shoots should be entirely cut away that are not needed for the formation of a perfect head, and the others cat back one-half or two-thirds of their length. If the head is not formed high enough upon the trunk it may often be carried higher by cutting off all lateral shoots, leaving the most central one for a leader, upon which will be formed the new neaa several inches higher than the first. All injured roots should have the ends cut smooth with a sharp knife, and with small fruits, like the grape, current and strawberry, it is often desirable to cut back some of the larger ones. Buying A Suit of Clothes. Fogg was going to buy a new suit, and Mrs. F. very kindly offered to accompany him. Arrived at the store a salesman approached with his business smirk. "I want a suit of clothes," said Fogg abruptly. Mrs. F.?"Something not too expensive, you know." "Yes'm" replied the salesman, turning his attention to the lady and utterly ignoring Fogg. Mrs. F. (examining cloth)?"Do you think this will match his complexion?" Salesman ?"Admirably! Couldn't suit it better." Mrs. F.?"Do you think so? How fortunate, I'm sure!* But won't this fade?" Salesman?"Not a particle. I wore one like it five years, and it didn't change color in the least." Mrs. F.?"And will it wash?" Salesman?"Perfectly." Mrs. F.?"Well, you may cut oil a sample. What else have you?" The same catechism is repeated half a score of times, and the Foggs retire; Mrs. F. radiant, as one should be who has done a great work, and Fogg, looking sour, sad and discontented. Mrs. F. (on the street)? "Now, David, I'll take these home and wash 'em out, so's to be sure the colors are fast, and then I'll take them over to Mrs. Brown's and see what she says. She's a great judge, you know. And if ?hp likes them, and aunt Kate thinks they'll be becoming, and 3Irs. Black says they aren't too young for you, we will coiac again and decide."?Boston Transcript. BUDGET OF FUN. j HUMOROUS SKETCHES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. 1 1 He "Was Disappointed?A Tough's Mistake?Guessed It the First Time?The Ball Wan Master There ? Etc., Etc. Hotel Clerk?"Well, how do you like New York/" Western Guest?"Too slow!" Hotel Clerk?"Too slow! Merciful heavens! what did you expect to see here?" Western Guest?"A lynching every ten minutes. I was informed that this was a humping town. I tell you, stranger, I'm disappointed. You just want to come West if you want to see civilization at its height."?Tid-Bits. rrai A Tough's Mistake. "I haven't a fair show," said a tough whom a policeman in the northern part of the city was ordering to move on. "I can't fight you in your official capacity. If you were only a citizen for a few minutes !" "Consider me a citizen," replied the officer, as he laid down his baton and removed his badge. An internal of forty seconds elapsed, and as the tough hitched nearer the fence to get a brace for his back he wearily observed: "Say! there is some mistake! I guess I got the capacities mixed up 1"?Detroit 1 Pxjoo X' / CO Ml two# , I Guessed it the First Time. ] Mrs. De Porque has a daughter who is now sufficiently advanced in years to be a source of considerable worry to her mamma. Billy Bliven who has a way o expressing himself in an exceedingly blunt and sometimes embarrassing man- J ner, was calling there the other evening and reciting his plans for the summer. "Yes, I am going out among the lakes, fishing," said Billy. "I always go fish- . ingin the summer." ' 'Mamma and I are going to the seashore," said Miss De Porque. "Indeed," said Billy, abstractedly, "are you going fishing, too?"?MerchantTraveler. IThe Bull Was Master There. A formidable band of bailiffs visited recently one of the largest farms in the district of North Wales now disturbed 1 by the tithe war. On presenting them- , selves at the door of the house tne bail iffs inquired from the servant if her mas- . ter washome. "No, he is not," answered : the servant. "Is your mistress in?" "Yes, she is. Do you want to see her?" Upon this the mistress of the house, a smart, sprightly woman, made her appearance. "Is the master in?" again inquired the bailiffs. "0, yes, sure," was the ready reply; "would you like me to J L.' OM HTC .... aeuu una iu yuuf 11 yuu piciwc, , missus, "pnswered the bailiffs. "Will you into the yard and he will be with you directly." The farmer's wife then closed the front door and passed through the back to the farm buildings and unloosed the bull, which came roaring into the yard where the bailiffs were awaiting the "master." "There, that is the master here," called out the dame, as the representatives of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners beat a hasty retreat, mounting the gate and fence with the greatest alacrity.?St. James's Gazette. He Meant No Offence. "Say! you!" he called as he stood on the postoffice steps. A very solid man halted in his tracks until the other came up. "Calling to me?" he queried. "Yes, sir. Do you notice my hair? It's a sort of grizzly-gray which makes me look ten veajs older than I really am." "What have I got to do with your hair, sir?" demanded the other. "I happened to stand beside you in the ' postoffice, and no " t'Qnnnnco mil oi.nnrf }>pai rip mP in I the po^toffice!" i "I saw that you were a man of about i sixty years old, but as you had " "Suppose I am sixty!" < "But as you had dyed your hair you I didn't look a day over forty-five. What i I want is the name of the dye you use. 1 You will excuse me, but I " < He was excused. He knew he was by ] the way the other raised his cane and i jumped at him and offered to mop the i street with him for two cents.?jDetroit < Free Press. ] No Money in the Boom. . "Is your boom about over here?" asked 1 a stranger of a man standing on the depot ' platform in a Dakota town. "W-e-H" answered the pative, doubt- j fully, "I duniio'; it depends on how you ; look at it." "How's that?" I "W'j, we're boomin' just as hard as ever, but outside capitalists 'pear to be 1 gcttin' sorter tired. There ain't much 1 money in that kind o' boomin1, you ; know." "What are you people doing?" "Oh, we're just boomin', that's all, 1 just simply boomin'. Yesterday we or- ] ganized two new railroad companies an' j another Board o' Trade au' incorporated - ?rr fs\r> monnfontii nit*' Kol InnnQ on' ^ ft tUUtpUJ 1U1 nmuujuviunu vuu.,uu 'nother for makin' paper collars, but's I J said, there ain't no money in it." <;The kind that pays is about over then?" ' Well, I reckon so, for this summer. We can plat more additions further out any time there seems to be a call for 'em, but things are so quiet in some that are alneady out that we haven't the heart to do it. There's a good crop o' wheat growin' on Central addition, an' a powerful fine outlook for corn in the public park an' on Court House square, while the men who are farmin' the college grounds and custom house block are kickin1 'cause they arc so far from market. I reckon we'll have to lay kind 'o low till next spjing and then discover iron ore over in that hill."?Dakota Bell. ~ j Origin of a Famous Phrase. "I know how it was that Horace Greeley's famous advice :'Young man, go West,' . came to be written," savs Orange Judd, ' t .1 Anri- . iuitliv;ilj |;UUHOU\.l \Jk ILftV ?l/MV ..J . . culturist. 4,I was connected with the 11 New York Tribune then, and Mr. Gree- a ley and I frequently went out to dinner ? together. One day, while we were at the table, he took a letter from his pocket and read it to me. It was from a young . man asking advice as to the best course '' to take in locating himself. 'Tell him to go out West, stake out a claim some- " where and cultivate it,' said I; 'there is where the opportunity for young men ex- n istsnow.' Greeley did not say much in ? response to my suggestion, but the next day appeared in the paper an editorial ar- 8 tide the refrain of which was that ex- 11 pression, since so often quoted: 'Young * man, go West.'" ?* * |* THE HOME DOCTOR. Health Hints. Iodide of potassium and nux vomica ire invaluable in alcoholic hardening of the liver.?Albany Press. Charcoal liberally added to a flaxseed meal poultice makes an application for inflamed and foul-smelling ulcers. If you want to have a sure and rapid iction from your medicine, take it in not water. It will then be very quickly absorbed and operate much more efficiently. If you ever endured "the agony of a felon, you will appreciate the fact that it :an be cured by woolen smoke. Place the woolen rags under an inverted flowerpot, and put coals upon them, or set them an fire some other wav. then hold the felon over the smoke, and it will extract ill the pain.?Boston Cultivator. At Roosevelt Hospital, New York, in the treatment of typhoid fever, the sole liet while the fever lasts is milk and lime water in equal parts. Ten grains each of subnitrate of bismuth and pepsin are jiven in the milk four times daily. Solid food is allowed on the tenth or twelfth clay after the subsidence of the fever. The convalescents commence the change in diet on tenderloin steak. Styes are such troublesome little ailments, that the following remedy for their cure, recommended by M. Abadie, may be welcome. Dissolve one part of boracic acid in thirty parts of distilled *. water, and drop on some of this soln> fcinn with a wetted niece of wadding. several times a day. It is said not onfy to effect a cure, but to prevent a return of this annoying affection. Now that summer is here, special care should be taken to prevent the contamination of wells through the entrance of sewer poison,or house refuse from drains. In the country, particularly, wells, are frequently dug near outhouses or barnyards, and in the city insufficient care if taken to protect them from cess-pools, sewers, etc. There are doubtless three 3 million and a half deaths in tho world yearly which are due to disregard of the above conditions of health. Just think this over, and perhaps a few hundred lives may be saved!?AVtany Frets. Freedom of a City. Whatever significance might be attached to it in former times, at present V the "freedom of the city" is simply s *% complimentary honor, conveying a recognition of distinguished merit, and s small box made of thin gold in which is ' n Oftffi n nr fnrtll tllA luV/iuocu a yaituuiuuv ovkmug wi?u natnre of the honor to be conferred. The presentation is attended with considerable ceremony. ' The favored person is notified to be at the town hall, where, at the appointed time, are assembled the municipal dignitaries. Then, on his arrival, he is addressed by the City Chamberlain on behalf of the corfioratiog, and is, in due form, presented with the gold box and its contents. The parchment inclosed is inscribed with his name and titles, and guarantees the holder and his children after him, for- ~ ever, the right to live and "trade withia the city without having to pay a tax on the goods as they are brought through the gates. It exempts them from military and naval service and tolls aud duties through- .. 7; out (if in Great Britain) the United Kingdom. It insures to his children the care of the Chamberlain, who, in case they are left orphans, will take charge of their property and administer it to their interest until they arrive at years -of maturity. I The parchment bears the corporation seal and the signatu:esof Lord Mayor J /"II- ~ ? ! >.? ?1 in o/\m W SUU V/IIUUiWriUlU, uuu is iiauuouuictv cugrossed. The custom is now confined to European countries, notably London and citics of Great Britain and Ireland.? San Francisco Cull. A Miniature Mummy Head. There is a cheerful little curiosity in a Broadway (New York) store. It is dark red in color?looks like baked clay?is :j no bigger than the bowl of a pipe, which it much resembles, and yet it is actually the head of a full-grown Indian Chief. * V There is a tribe of Indians in Ecuador, in South America, whose habitat is on the j eastern slope of the Andes, around the headwaters of the Amazon. Their ancestors had a custom, which prevailed among several other savage tribes, of preserving the heads of some of their dead. Their method, however, was unlike any Dther known. They removed all the bony structure from the skull and then, in ar\rr\& WAV which never has become f known to the outside world, compressed the fleshy portion. down to the smallest possible size and then hardened and prejerved it from decay. The knowledge of the process has been lost to the Indians, and all the heads now in their possession are supposed to be at least 300 years old. . t It is said that this head is the second of the kind that ever left Ecuador,the Injians refusing to part with them at any price, as they aie semi-religious symbols ind deeply venerated. The one now in New York has the features perfectly preserved, though in miniature form. The jyes are mfirely little closed cavities.' fhe cheeks are shrunken in, while the nouth and ears are a little larger in pro' portion than in life, having apparently ihrunken less than, the other parts. The :hick, coarse black hair, whijh is about i foot in length, has thickened so at the oots as the scalp has shrunk that it can1 J TIL ? ? flnnm AAQmoW lot D6 paneu. lUCIC c* acoiu vyu?ov?j lewn up the back of the head, showing low the scalp was cut to remove the skull. \ltogether the object is a very strange me and bears every evidence of its perfect authenticity. The man who was exhibiting it to any me who cared to see it furnished an interring fact concerning Peruvian mumnies. Some time ago a tourist obtained u Peru a lot of mummy eyes, which were >reserved in some way that rendered them mperishable. He gave them to a jewclt to round and polish, in order that they night be set as a lady's necklace, and all he workmen engaged in the polishing vere seriously poisoned, the poison comng in the dust of arsenic used in their reservation. It appeared that they were bt human, but the eyes of the cuttleish, which are the only eyes known vhich are indestructible, and which were ised by the Peruvians to replace the hrunken orbs of the dead.?Chicago Tribune. He Was An "Asker." "" W * i ne L<eeas (^ngianaj mercury suj s; a. ldv was recently visited by a female 1 ervant who had been married, and seeig that the girl presented an appearnee of having much bettered her circumtances, the lady inquired the nature of er husband's trade. To this iuterogatory the young woman replied: 'He's an 'asker,' ma'am," "An asker?" aquired the good lady, in amazement, 'and what in the world is that?" "0, la'am, he stands in the streets and asks." 'Why, you don't mean to say you've larri'eda beggar, do you?" "Yes, la'am; but it's a very good business. My usbaud thinks it very poor takings for day's work when he aon't bring 'ome lore than fifteen shillings clear profit, fter paying for his beer, tobacco and ood." _ \ ... "J