University of South Carolina Libraries
*'i "*y INFLUENCE The year grows old, decays, and die*; And we die, too, with our dead days: l?." Now hopes, new dreams, new memories rii-e On our ne^v lives, in life's now ways, jS^'' pure, sweet influence never die.s; fj.?-? That still lives on. where all decays; As from dead stars, through altered skies. Stream on all bat eternal rays! Wilfred tt'oollam. IN MY DARKEST HOUR BY PATIKNCK STAPLKTON. I had Tk orkfld so long in the-dry goods tore of Jor.es Jones that when, Christmas morning, I got a letter saying that my services were no longer required I nearly tainted away. I know I am not quick or attractive. I am a small, scaredlooking woman of forty, and I have worked so hard all my life that I look much older. I lost my little savings in the failure of a bank, and since then I have l-:id no ambition to look well or to be cheerful. When I went b.ick to my third-.>tory room?for 1 ran down at the postknock, thiuking ^ome of my . kindred might have remembered me?I J had :i faint feeling of pleasurable excite-1 men;. The firm had remembered me, I thought, when I saw their letter head, and sent nie a remembrance. '' I have j ?* r ii..:. lived 100 long, l sain, wnen i rctiu iuun letter. I could not think of another sentence, and the words haunted me. My landlady was kind, but she was poor, and her rent was high, and I must give up nay little room that from long occupancy I had grown to look upon as u home. I stood in the door and looked about rae?at the worn carpet, the shabby furniture, the little old rooking chair that my few visitors used to say had a quaint likeness to myself, the stove where 1 had cooked my frugal breakfast and supper so many years, my bird twittering in his cage over mv geraniums in the sunny window?the plants all in blossom now and so beautiful?my few books and pictures and the gray <at purring by the tire. I saw my trunk in its chintz ?over, and I wondered when 1 must pack it and where it wou'd go. I had borne up well, but now I sat down on the floor J1U V. LJJL Ullll'llJ"Kiu I come in, Miss Jane?" I jumped to my feet iu .shame. The child must not see me crying on Christmay day. I opened th? door and there 6tood Hetty, the orphan granddaughter of my landlady ?"Betty Prim," the lodgci6 e.ilied her. She was a pale little thing, with big gray eyes and oldfasiuo;v:3 long curls that one never sees on children nowadays, She was lame from u fall in baby-hood aud walked with a crutch. She never seemed to note Uer misfortune, but. like my canary, was 'ull of 6oug and sunshine. "uammasays if you don't want me send me down. >hc*s goin' ter chtirch *u'it's pretty lonesome an' you wasn't poin' out. I'll try to be real quiet." "You couldn't be otherwise," I said, and I got her a chair. Of course <-he took the cat in her lu.;i she always petted something - and thvn she told me how many jj'.l'Ss she had and how the white aj:roi?s I made hot- were the best of nil, for they were so pretty and "su< h a saving to her dresses.'* She hud given me a neat iittletidy 'hat she had made herself, a.id she looked at it now, piuncd on my chair, with visible satisfaction. "There was tome stifchcsdropped, but I'm so gla l they don't show," she said, hapm'.y. "Miss .faue." *licasked, after a long pause, during which I, stunned by my great trouble, "sat and looked at nothing, "you're like ine, I guess: you ain't <rot many folks." I came bask with :i start to tell her I had eight brothers and sisters tli:it 1 had oot s: cn for thirty years. They were in Califo cia, I in Uoston. 1 was the oldest, and a family had taken mc when I was olnc yeais old, for my father was so poor he could not keep hi* children to gether. "Tell me 'bout \jm," she said, "that "is if you'd jest as lie\e. I guess you've got the megrims tor dav; that's what Mis' ?-lo:rison has thai lives in theeeeond floor front, t-he says slio gits megrims so bad she can't cat a bite. I get 'em mylelf, but 1 don't tell no one, for I've got tea keep Gumma cheered up. She gets ?0 down whenH'e rooms is empty or some one don't pay her." The dear-little soui at seven cooceaiing her own childish troubles to make life fe^- brighter for others: So I went on and ^ told her of my childhood and how, poor as we were, we children remembered each other at birthday and Christmas time, making gifts out of a scanty store and giving up to a younger brother or sistc: ?& cherished playthings, and how my most happy remeiuborance was the giving the mUg; paper dolls I had laboriously saved and BjSS:-'' cut out irom me iew ;asiuou [jimo mat RsSR; ever invaded our home to a little sister. |k< I remember one Christmas day though Kp?^ when I hud no gifts. In September K1:;';, father find the family moved away to the By*: West in a big white c ovi red wagon drawn by our ola farm oxen, and I. cning and begging to go with thcin, was taken in a cart to Aunt Beach's, who lived forty miles from niy old home. I was only nine years old, but to this day I Temember the scire, the strange wagon, the oxen, all the people come to say good-bve, the children per ping at the tent curtains aud envying my wide-eyed little brothers andsi-ters who were going away, our empty dbuiantl d home and mother crying over mv brother and me. He was loft w th :i cousin and died two years afterward. At Bench's there we;e three little children, and I took caie of them and helped a?><uit tl.? house. They thought they treated me kindly, an I 1 never was wb'i'iwd or abmed, but 1 starved for love :md : :? ; tion. At ( hristmas time there was i ot even a mention of the clar. no gins nor gooa dinner, i recollect luclc Bench sawed wood >1!! day, and we had corned beef for dinner. Then was uo mo: winking nor holiday time at the Beaches' home. I rna:lc the children some corncob dolls for gifts, aad Mrs. Bcach burned them up, for they made a litter. Next to the Teach farm vvas a beautiful old place where Mrs. Hannah Allen lived. She and the Beachcs had a bitter quarrel over a fence line, and if we children ever got on her land we were chased o'.f by a < ro-s old gardener, Her niece, .Mi-s Hi/a, whs ugly and cross, and seemed !o he i-colding nil the time, but the old l:idy was kind and gentle. Sometimes wheu I stole out into the ro.id to look at her flowers she calhd nic t<? the fence aud gave me some?hollyhocks and roses, but mostly great peonies, red, white and pink, that tilled my whole hand. I never told the Keaehcs of my visits to Mrs. Allen's fence, and I hid my flowers up in the hayloft in the one place where the children couldn't climb. Sometimes Mrs. Allen gave me apples and pears, which 1 shared with the childreo, but they told on me and I was punished for going nea. Allen's. Often in our slo'ea interviews Miss Eliza would call her auut or come out aud tell her not to talk to that little beggar and half drag her away. I remember there were other nieces, too, tall women with heavy black eyebrows, and they scorned liko a XTUtird a':out 'he ]tc>or old lady, and to . - ' . . ... come the moment Miss Eliza went away for a day or so. But for all that Mrs. sh Allen and I had many talks over the "I fence?for she never asked me in?and I shi told her ab->ut myself and my unhappy yo life and she said her own childhood was foi much the same and leaned over the an fcnce to pat my head, telling me I would wa come out all right some day, and I saw Di her eyes were full of tears. I can see her yet, a little, straight figure ch in a black gown, a lace kerchicf pinned ni( about her neck with a brooch of George Washington, small shoulder shawl over this, a white lacec-Hp over a brown frock, it bright blue eyes, and on her soft wriuk- nc led cheek? the prettiest pink flush. I ha1 remember her coming with a big red ] peony and pushing it hurriedly through pic tiie fence before Eli/a saw her. She told ' soi meoncejthat long years past she had a lit- j dr< tie girl like 1113?prettier, she added, but; soi a gentle little thing, and she and her I 1 father, Oaptuin Allen, the gravestone | Bo said, had been buried nearly fifty years, j the In otic of my tramps across iier laud i ; s found the small walled-in graveyardjwhere I p they were buried and read the slate tomb- for stuncs, and remember I flung myself on i the ground beside them and wept bit- ( terly that thov were dead. A pitiful lit- [ up tie mourner, but my grief was very true j it f and real. Once Mrs. Allen handed me a j ' piece of pretty flowered silk, teliing me my it was a scrap of her wedding gown, and the j how I treasured that! kir The Christinas day I was going to tell diz you about w;is when I was ten yeurs old. at i | After dinner the Beaches had taken the top children and gone to a funeral in the Aft village, leaving me alone in the hou-e. I lay saw Miss Eliza and the hired man drive 8ci; away to the same funeral?some farmer leai i everybody knew?and then I locked the clix door, hid they key under the mat and j wci crept out to the road. No one insight! j bri; I went along in the snow, a shawl over j iat< my head, though the air was fearfully and cold, aud in my shivering hands I held ver cometh:ng wrapped in my cleanest 4 apron. mo The big, white house with the pillars j in front like a church was silent and : lifeless. The flowers were dead and I j had not seen Mrs. Allen all winter. 11 opened the hall door softly and for the j first time iu my life stood on a carpet. | *?ca Tho hall, with the pictures, the wind- d"1 ingstairs, the oak chairs aud the carpet, T> wis like fairyland to me. I listened; to or*! tie right behind one of the brass- , knobbed doors I heard the crackling of a wood fire. I opened the door softly siie and went in. Mrs. Allen was sitting sho before an open fire of big logs all sur j ?s rounded by brass fenders and shining j andiions, and this room had a soft l!oor, ^ct too, and beautiful pictures and furniture, a a?. S he was knitting, an open Bible on the tlie table near her. 41 Why, little girl, how you scared me!" she said. will " I?I've brought you a Chris'mus," I trie< stammered. "You was kind to me; I gift wanted to thank you for the flowers an' all, an' there isn't any Chris'mus over {( ter Beach's. It's all got honest, for Mis' i Jan T)aa..U i.i..a tKft elllr I nna IJCUl U l; 1 U m\j VUV anuavi uu vuv oun i ucw was yourn. I give it back to you though can the silk was yourn an' I set a store by it, out but us liices always gives up our best "Y< things for presents.'" The I took out of my apron a queer little ! a h< pincushion, the top made of her silk, the thci bottom of the calico. I had filled it with lovt the cleane-t feathers I could find from J up : the dead cliickcns and hens,aud oh! how j busi painfully I had sewed every stitch with | t\] a rusty needle aud rotten thread. She mcr laid her spectacles off to wipe here\ es and j not kissed mo twice. Then she put the cush- j ion carefully in the drawer of an old the desk, smoothing it and patting it iuto ? shape first. Then she brought me a san( ?*/v/?? ^? 4 1 K.?n^ .ifllrft T fttrt A f { r>r* o -j |M?;uu *'i mv u;;auvaxvv ji wiui uiv* auvi ? S1CIC few moments,during which she hud been mor looking at a gilt cluck under a glass savt shade on the: mantel she put a shawl over an' Iter head and went upstairs. She can- { furj tinned me not to touch anything and not j 801. to leave my chair, but she knew I was i ncj, well behaved and 1 needn't 1 e afraid of j ir. Miss Kiiza, for she would not come for i crjc three hours. So I sat all alone in the I an(j enchanted room for a lou<;, long time. IJ ;< <*ot up once and put a stick of wood on ! neV( the fire and remember T swept up the I << ashes I made on the hearth with a little j pa;^ brush hanging near and trembled at my j jj0U daring. I told her when she cainc back, j j, but she only said "Good child.'' \ ^ron It must have been cold up stairs where i j ^ I Ivid heard her walking, for her hands ; ,' were red and trembliDg. S! e warmed j 1 j them at the fire and then held outapret- i tv shell. -'Would vou like that, little / ,* ... - 1 is r( sh'n I looked at it wistfully,holding it very (_.,1 carefully. "I would." i answered, "but I would feel I ousrhter give it to the j.'1. Beaches next Chris'mus an' they would ' ' soon smash it. It's us Rices' ways an' I xmiUn't L-non if Kn< T fVinnlf vn mnrm jest the same." My lips quivered as 11 gave it back. ' _ ''Poor Jane," she smiled. "Well, i Wfiji here's a doll I made you wheu I was up j ^cr(] stairs." She handed me a big; rag doll jjCa half as large as myself. It was hurriedly | a ^ dressed and the face, made with blue j t" chalk, was smirc hed. j ' 1 want you to keep that always,''said j ^ Mrs. Allen. '"Don't let the children | ^j] lave it. I put old rags on it so Mrs. ajar I touch would not take it away from you. (<()E II de it in your place iu the hay-loft,and | _ar( if vo i bring it to me next Christmas day | a(. as clean and nice as it is to-day?mind i vjn you do not hurt nor soil a speck-*-you I j)ie, shall have a gold dollar for your own." | Wftg Ah. how pleased J was! The Beach gou, children hatred rag dolls. They had j sj10 wooden ones, bought at the stores, so j ju this treasure I could keep. Up in the i jn? haymow I could have a friend and confi- \ .(1.? (hint. 1 thanked Mrs. Allen and she!', ki-mu me again and held the door open j ?ro till 1 was safe across the dark hall. Then i ~y10 I ra j home, hid my treasure away up in j SC(J] a far coiner of the old burn, where it j ^ staved unmolested, for only I could crawl j out on the narrow beam to the place i where a piece of timber protruded and ^??? T nAcnon/l TT t\of U* i t i ? II1.1UU 111^ [yVUlJ. 1 111 J |#?-V I hay ami visited her whenever I could got ^er a chance, and I think I was happier for an(; h iving her to talk to. ?oc "Didn't sic get dirty none?" asked ^ Hetty with deep interest. for "No, for I was very careful; but I (o | never got the geld dollar. Dear Mrs. Allen died that Spring and the nieces re|) took the house, so 1 dared not go near an^ the fen-c even. Hut the peonies bloomed ma every year, remembering better than six people her love and care. I often visited l>ur the graveyard (hen and read her tomb- kn< stone, and cried over my only friend, and it, ! called my doll .Mrs. Captain, thinking of that, at least, was no disrespect, tim "Have you got her yet." asked Betty, fell "I never saw a rag doll." " the ;'Ycs, I kept her in remembrance of W{1; iny sad chiidliood. Mrs. Captain is so Thi bi?f and clumsy she lias been often a sjc] bother, but I could not bear to destroy trft her. You, Betty, are the only one who kil has ever seen her." stu Mrs. Captaiu lay at the bottom of my trunk, where Bhe just fitted. I never huil so many clothes that she was in the J way. She was quite shapeless now, her C01 calico dress faded to ad rty white, her ^ac; faec a blank aud the stitches hastily put dai in by the tremblinff fingers of my old ma , fren<l lottcn ripping out. all; "It's a funny thing," said Betty, b held it up, looking at it critica could make a better one myself; 5 was hurried, you know. How'fi u must have been when you are wait Miss Eliza might come. Makes n9 ache to hold her; thought tl ,s just rags; this is rolled on a sti d you ever look?" "No; I never destroyed like sc ildrcn; besides, I was told to keep :c." "If you don't care, an' can spare ai js, I'll cut a pattern out by this d< will save Gamma buyin', an' trul i'er had dolls enuff, though I would re her think so for the world." Forgetting my own troubles in rasure, I turned to my trunk to ? ne pieces. Suddenly someth )pped and rolled with a meta ind on the oilcloth under the stove "Look, Miss Jane!" screamed ft It}', "that funny little coin fe!-l oul ! doll." she reached for it with her crut licked it up?a gold dollar of the d ty years back. 'In the doll!" I gasped. Yes, it dropped out when I stood 1 straight. I guess the old lady mei or a s'prise." rrembling with hope and fear I { scissors. "I am goinc to see h ; doll is made," I said with a qui id of a laugh, and I felt Strang zy. It was rolled tight and seam top and bottom. I ripped open t i where there was a stitch brok< ;er the thickness of calico there wi ers of linen, and finally I dug i ssors deep into what seemed li ther. A ripping sound, then chir ik, and little and larger gold pie* nt sparkling all over the oilcloth. ?ht ray of sunlight came streami 3 the window glinting on the go) I my little 'prisoned bird burst int< y torrent of melody and mirth. 'Oh! oh! oh!" screamed Betty, "i ney, money, money!" 'Money, money, money," sang my bii ile my gray cat supiciously smell a stray coin near her resting pla< erendlvl unwound the rags. I dar even claim the gold. At the v< rt of the doll was a faded letter. l ink and faded lin*3 I read: [> little Jane Rice, or to any honest m roman who may find this secret: ine is a careful child and if she brii k the doll in a year safe I shall dare to t what is in it. If I die before that ti may keep the doll in remembrance, ] is a loving child, and some da}', wli ;t needed, this money shall come to lig be found by others I know the Providei j watches over sad little children will p :i. r U~.. I# wiv-n it-. >iiia for orphan children. I dare not lea money in a will, for they would make i crazy, and th?re would be lawing, whi cad, so I leave this for her, trusting who knows all things. I hope Ja remember always the old friend w i to repay the Christmas gift, the lit of self-denial and gratitude. Hannah Alle.y Dou't cry," said Betty. "Dear M e, laugh, 'cau-e you are rich. Y iln't never work in the store; y be a lady, you can," in a rapture burst (her idea of wealth and felicit; on can have the parlor bedroo: in you can ow n a farm, with cows t >r.?e an' chickens an' dorgs?no, f ii would hurt your cats?an' lots !y things, an' I'll sew the doll rig igain so you'll never know she vi ted.". [y landlady was looking on in a:na7 it?she had come in ko quietly I h heard her. When I told her thiss down on the floor and began to cou money. I believe, .Tane Rico, there is a the 1 dollars here in the gold?for t s the little ones some pieces is ten a e. I've <jot four thousand dolls id. au' if you wanter, you an' Bet mo will buy that farm she was p n! an' spend the rest of our days e little town where folks will chborly." That is the dtcnra of my life,'! tl. ''andlknow we can raise fru flowers to help us out." It was all the story," said Hetty; "1 ;r would a-knowod." This was the time for her to know Gamma, gently?"in her dark< r." was so-the brea<J had come ba i the waters, and Mrs. Captain Al! repaid the gift of a loving child drcdfold. 1 shall grow peonies, r white, in memory of her when o le. where folks shall be neighborl :ali/.od, and I shall try to bring su ic and hnppiness into the lives :r sad little children as she broug Iness and joy into mine.?Neve To wry. A Thrilling Experience. eorgc JRoker lives on the Heigh burl) of this place, and his house I surrounded by orange trees. Y< lay morning one of his children w id to scream loudly in the grove, ai g house dog, hearing the noise, fl< he child's relief. The mother hca child's cries, but at first supposi little one was playing, hut as t d did not soon return, she becai med and ran out among the trei ning upon the little one, about 2 Is from the house, she almost faint the sight before her. On a slig nnlf lnv her ehild. while coiled on ist, with head erect aud tongue 01 a huge rattler. Its ominous rat nded loud and warning, while itsej t forth sparks of fire as it slow led its head around in a circle ket watch of the dog, who trotted slov ind the snake keeping his eyes on t li'e's basilisk eyes of fire?a It wlirg and the upturning of his h wing his fear and an?cr. The sna ncd to have fairly fascinated the dc canine walked round and round t tile, slowly coming nearer, but all t ile growling as if knowing tl iger was near. Srave Mrs. Boker, seeing the life child at stake, picked up a pinek: I hurled it at the rattler, with r; >d luck striking it on the head a )cking it away several feet. Kushi ivard she nicked up the child and i the house, ller husband came up t moment and soon despatched I tile, which measured eight feet lo 1 was as large around as an avern n's arm at the shoulder, and spoi l t"en rattles and a button. The <1 ked loudly when the snake * K'kcd over, but did not oiler to I though generally furious at the si< one. For over an hour the dog c< ued its walk around the knoll till from exhaustion and was t-ikcn 1 _1 ,1 nouse and given spirits. i nc u i not struck, but seemed charm o child was not bit cither, but has b( k since from fright and nervous pr lion. It wns the largest rattler e led in this section and has b( ffed.?Pala'.ku (Flu.) Neva. rhe State of Iowa claims 1,000,1 vs, 495 crcamcrics and fifty-six che tories, outside of a large number irymcn. That Stale also claims ke fi-",000,000 pounds of butter am p for exportation. M The Best Postnre In Sleep. Hj. It would seem on the first blush of the but matter that the posture for?that is, to aid favor?sleep must be generally the sam? pj AO tta] nnf otiItt ni? inof innf itfolir a|* | ID'j IMlrtI/ TI/IUUVOI11J VI iUOVlliVbiTVlJ U< my sumcd during sleep; but a little consider, bey at ion will make it apparent that this 1 0jc< 1 not correct. It may be granted that, supj posing a person to be sleeping lightly and 1 ,me ; uncomfortably, the posture will be be< her changed half-consciously to one of com- stt ' fort. It would be more correct to say Th rew ' that it is changed in the endeavor to avoid pai 3ll. j distress or discomfort; but even the fact bei y j j that sleep is quieter in the new position 8h< |n't , will not suffice to prove that this is a ha ' [ better one, because the sleep may meanher ; while have become deeper. It is, on the tal ind ' whole, impossible to ascertain, either by for ino j experience or observation, which is the am llic : Posture most conducive to sleep, and nis attempts to lay down rules, for the guid- jn\ fisa ! anc2 ^ad supers are always arbitrary, as 0, j generally empirical, and rarely of any th( practical value. Ne I Those who think "anamla of the 1 th< fltj | cerebrum" is the cause of sleep, and tin ; those who think that, though not the am ! cause, a diminution in the (juantity of Wi he, 1 blood in the vessels of the encephalon is iD? int j a neccssary concomitant of sleep, prefer tru ! and recommcnd that the head should bo T01 | higher than the feet; while tho^e who I adopt the opposite view and think pas- j pe, I 9ive congestion causes or promotes som- c ej. I nolence, would have the feet raised and ie(j j the head lowered. The confounding of ^ | stupor with sleep may and probably has ,n j something to do with these differences of * erj ! opinion. Meanwhile, a common-sense ^ jj- | view of the subjcct would conclude that, . jia | as there is evidently some change in the ll?) I blood state when the braiu falls asleep, ftc ,C3 the best plan must seem to be to place the body in such position that the flow of j np blood through the vessels of the head and ^ neck may be especially easy and free, j t j ^ The way to secure this is to allow the head to lie in a posture and on a level ^ | that cannot ofTer any obstacle to the free ^ ; return of blood through the veins of the jn | neck, and docs not tend to make the a e(j i b!ood flow specially in any particular i ^ r.e direction, but leaves nature at liberty to fQr C(j act as she will.?Lancet. ke g Deer Against Do?. Randolph County, Va., a short time ago was the sccne of a terrific fight between a deer, two men and a dog, in igs which the deer killed the dog, badly the :eli wounded one of the men, and gored a *ea me young steer so badly that it had to be b.ul killed. Elisha McLeod and Captain c hk Warasley, sheep grazers, came upon the wc ice j deer while collecting their flocks. The to ro- I animal, an immense stag, sleek, fat and 8cr to full grown, was quietly browsing with CU1 some cattle on the hill side. Bu ich Neither of the farmers had a gun, and no to were too far from home to run the risk fro of going to get one. While thinking ' jj? what to do, a shepherd dog, that accom- ^uc panicd the farmers, gave chase to the a?! deer and brought it to bay after about n.c1 jsg half a mile's run. When the farmers tin ou came up the dog and deer were engaged hei ou in a fight. The deer was bleeding at several parts where the dog had bitten Th ' x it, while the dog had a deep wound in mc ^ I the side, made by the horns of the deer. om , Seeing the men approaching, the deer started toward them, tossing his head in th< ?c rage. Elisha McLeod was in his track and was gored in the side. WE r I3efore the animal could attack Warns- we ley the dog had bitten him in the flank, which brought him to the ground. In a res e" minute the deer was up, and darting at ?1 ac* the dog buried his horns in his body and h? tossed him some distance. By this time the men had clubs, and one of them felled j the stag to the ground, when it made a ^ lU" second attack, badly wounding him. C0I )e^ They then went for a gun and to attend on( in to the wound of McLeod, who was bleed- jnc irs ing p'.ofuscly. When Wamsley returned he found that the deer had attacked a fur '.c" two-year-old steer and gored it so that it fur m had to be killed. One shot ended the k? life of the stag, which was one of the {.cri ( f largest seen for years. faf it"! ~e'1C How Umbrellas are Made. usi iXe Notwithstanding the constant demand a'.si for umbrellas, comparatively few people ad< . m really know how tney arc made. The Poi ;9t so-called umbreila manufacturer does rer j littlo more than put the different parts P?i , j oi tne umoreua togetner. rie ouys tne "? ; slicks, the caps, the ferrules and the P^i steels ready made. The covering he Jui buys by the piecc, and it is the cutting cas ^ and fitting of the covering which con- be< Wstitutes his chief claim to the title of bnj manufactnrer. ski The cloth is first hemmed; that is, the &n< i.' edges arc bound, usually with a thin In , silk cord. The cloth is then given to the ecl r cutter, who separates it into triangular ize | pieccs. Much carc is used in cutting but [ the cloth, and for his guidance the cutter to I employs a triangular tool very much like tac ig j a carpenter's compass, the size of which "jJ I can be varied to suit the demands of fee ?s j the about-to-be umbrella. The triangles 10 | of cloth are then sewed together by ma- fr0 n(j j chincry and stretched over and tied inc | upon the frame. The caps and ferrules lar, r(j j are fitted upon the sticks and the urn- be; a(j ; brella is then ready to protect unfortu- tit; he | nate humanity from the dew-drops of pla ne j heaven or the drizzle of New York. tht I But. although nearly every one ow.is a *pr qq | umbrella, there aie but few manufac- 1 01 e(j turcrs in tn s country, ana me majority ? " or these are in New York and Miiladel- tht ta phia. There are about fifteen factories here, and nearly the same number iu Philadelphia. One of those in this city r .cg is said to turn out 10,000 pieces (urn.1 brellas and parasols) daily.?Nexo York w.c Z World, Pj 'I1 I hi obi [ Thro? Hear Stories. j )w i A bear at Carter's ranch, near Mangus, air j New Mexico, lias killed more than 100 fQr ko : goats, and eludes all pursuers. >g, i While chopping a hollow tree, Sheriff the he : O'Kourke, of Ontonagon County, Michi- tin -he | gau, heard groans and found blood on mn iat : his axe. A moment later a large bear jnc | put its head out of the opening. The tra of i Sheriff was surprised, but ho killed the <3r( io| j bear. jdc ir? 1 In the mountains of Savoy, Italy, a tht nd | bear killed a shepherd boy. llis mother no 11S I determined to avenge him, and started tra a" i off with a gun. She was found lying in foi ^ i a secluded spot, her dress in rags, her bei ;hc ' arms crushed, and her face covercd with th< ni> | blood. Beside her lay the body of a wa | huge bear, with its head torn to pieces cla ^e(' j by a charge from the woman's gun. The on' '?" ! woman will live. g:u i;,,s i ?? sar 'lit' A visitor at the Ameer's workshops, in Pftl in f Afghanistan, saw a curious piece of J f ; architecture there?a ghastly triumphal mfl 1[ i ? .i i; -e ii.. tw | arcn, mane Dy inc arusans ui wi? jiuh u I j from the heads of 200 prisoners taken in rc^ e(j j (he rebellion. "While riding through the 6ri 2eii bazaar he cam? across the head of Tal- co' " mur Shah mouuted on a pole. c'e oa" * th; VCf ______ na iea ? How He Helped. " We children p ayed church to-day? . We'd quite a congregation." Ai )00 11 What part did yo<i take*" I asked, am esc With smile of approbation. 1? " I conld not sing, I could not preach," %c to He said, in slow reflection; au- " I'll tell you l:ow I helped, papa? [ is ' I took np tlio collection." j wl ?Frank II. S anger, in Braar. I WOMAN'S WOULD. iEASANT LITERATURE POJ FEMININE READERS Women as Inventors. Up to December 14, 1880, there ba jn granted to women by the Unite ites,letters-patent for 1,985 invention! is is, doubtless, a good many moi tents than the public had thought ha ;n granted to women; yet there real] juld have been-more, and there woui ve been if women would think mon it then to do that they would have t k less, which could not be thought c a moment. Seriously, the househol 1 other branches of women's work fu h a large Held for the exercise of the entive genius, and it begins to loo though they would work it better i ; future than they have in the pas ither should it be overlooked thi jy have invented many useful thin< it have never seen the Patent Oflici i of which the world has never heart oman is not in the habit of proclain j her achievements with the blare < im pets.?American Mann fact u rer. As to Women's Clubs, ft looks very much as if the day woul tip whnn all the doings of womn.nk'im their charities, works, studies woul conducted in a club. Nowaday iing ladles do not think they can rea stry, practice music, study art, vis s sick, give charity to the poor excc] organizing themselvts into clubs, i almost be said that lovely woman lub. A lot of lazy young ladies ha\ ned an English fashion and hai ned an Early-Rising Society, plcdgin imsclvcs to abstain from lying in be er than six o'clock, and to perfor; tain commendable duties befoi jakfast. A society that will trund icalthy young woman out of bed earl the morning, and have h r to make u tan of rolls or an omelet for the famii akfast table is worth twenty socicti< the study of Browning, and shoul encouraged heartily.?New Orlea> rayune. Ominous Plumes. iTou remember, do you not, how all < s ladies used to admire peacoc thers? Every boudoir contained ach of them; every parlor was mat her by their gorgeous tints. Th< re even used now and then as a bord' a frieze, aud they were fastened c ecus, painted 011 plaques, pinned c tains, and embroidered on chair t now, go where you will, you will si peacock feathers. They are banisht ni hall ?nd bower. AVhy? Becau: has been dc cided that they bring ba :k. Even fashion couldn't star linst that. They had to go. T1 !vs spread rapidly, and every lady, si g down to rt-ckonup the beginning 1 bad luck, concluded that it wi en she bought her peacock feather e ladies of the Woodruff Hotel held eting and decided to b.iuish the; inous plumes. So they all went. A ng the avenues the ladies followe jir example. The servants caught tl ection and refused to stay in a houi lerc the exquisite but fateful fcathe re kept. So the comfort and pea* mind of the vainest of birds tored, for he will be molested no raor Chicago Tribune. Bean-Bag Parties. Bean-bag parties are all the rage xshington, and society belles are b ninor vcrv Amort nt. tho n?v frnnifi. t j end of the parlor or ball is placcd : :lined board with a square hole in i mding at the other end?and tl thcr away from the board the mo 1 there is in the game?the plape ch ten bean bags towards the hole, [ular score is kept, and if the ten baj I in the hole it counts 100, or ten f< h bag. Another bag, double tl size, is also provided, aud if th thrown into the square opening is twenty, making 120 the higlie jsible score. Should any of the ba< ria'n on the board they count li\ ints apiece, but for every bag that own upon or falls to the floor In ints arc subtracted. The big bag, < mbo, counts double, or ten in eac e. Many young society ladies liui :omc quite expert at pitching the litt js, and show excellent judgment an 11 in accurately gauging the distant 1 the strength necessary to be exerte< most cases the bags are made of pay orcd ticking, Jumbo being individua d by material of a dilfeieut patteri t a few young ladies have taken paii have haudsoinely embroidered rece] les for the beans. The board is gene y of plain wood, poli.-hcd, about t wide and 3 feet long and 9 or t< inches high at its grcate-t distant m the ground. The hole is about hes square and tho smal'cr bugs a litt gcr. "Jumbo"' contains a pint < ?ns and the other bags half that quai v. In many houses where the game yed handsome prizes are awarded I >sc making the highest scores. T1 >rt is full of interest and bean-ba i ds arc now found in every houschol ich expects to be considered up i : times.? Wanhiwjtou Post. Superstitions About Marriage rhrce young society ladies whtv dding had been announced total ice within the past fortn'ght wei i;?rnrl Vi-)vo tVir? r?rrtno?f>fJ cerpmoii ?? i?r * Infinitely postponed 0:1 account < iir illness. It is no wonder that man ng ladies become ill as the threat da t he :n "draws near, as the amount < rk they have to do in preparing f( event is enough to wear them out ci oly. The worry and bother of drcs: king and constant shopping and tl: :ident-il excitement might well pro, tc a delicate bride. Just think of tli !?scs the young woman of moderal a? generally starts oil w'th! Ofcoursi ire's the weddiug gown, upon whic end of work is expended, then th vcling frock for the tour, and, sa lr morning dresses, with a like nun of tea gowns and reception toilets n hous"> dresses and two tailor mad Iking suits with one slightly mm borate for special occasions. This ly a part of the outfit, for nnderga: i.- i i:?. ??.i ii,nl numns, Jiuuatiiuiu iiiiuu uuu enw uiv/> id and one etceteras must be pn reel. \s the fall is the rushing season in tl rriagc mart, it is well to recall on- ( o interesting superstitions that wei igiously noted in the time of ot indmothcrs. In th.j fir-t place. ai 'ding to an ancient anil reliable chron , there arc thirty-two days in the yer it arc especially unlucky for ma igcs and journeys. They a:c as fi vs: January 1. 2, 4, 5, 7, 10 and I." ilruary l>, 7 and 8; March 1, G and { >ril G ar.il 11; May 5, G and 7; June [1 151 July 5 aijd 11); August 15 an ; September G and 7; October 7; N< mber 15 and lfi, hi 1 December 15, ] d 17. Everybody knows that Fridf the most unlucky day for a weddinj lilc Wednesday and Thursday arc tl r luckiest. Our grandmothers believed that it was a most unfortunate thing if the bride, after finishing her toilet and R leaving her looking glass, should turn around ugain for a last glance at herself. It was also bad for her to sec the man she J was about to marry after dressing and before the time had come for the cerc ? mony.?Now York Star. d , s. Gems for Society Belles. t '0 One of the sensations in "Washington < d society during the last senson, says a ] y j letter to the New York Sun, was the ap- t d I pearance of a noted dealer in precious < a I nfnnrto irTiA /imnfo/l n furAr amnnff fllA T " i OUl'Ut^y ?? UV U IIUV/I <tllA\s**g k?v m 0 I ladies of the Cabinet and high officials, i >f ! and in social circles. He approached so- s d j ciety with his gems from a new dircc- ^ jf- , tion?a social one. A handsome and t ir : courteous gentleman himself, with a ' x k beautiful wife, both accustomed to good j n social usages, the diamond merchant was ; t. able to reach the inner circles of society, j *t He had quarters at the Arlington, and ! , ;s within a few weeks after his arrival he J , h d Washington ladies in a fever of ex- ; . h citeinent over the splendid gems with ; 1 i- which he dazzled t!:eir eves, and all the ! husbands in Washington going down into I ' their pockctbooks, and wishing the C'iu- { i cinnati merchant was in Jericho. When s the season closcd neaily s?"200,000 had 1 d passed into the pockets of the dealer in , 3, precious stones, and rich and rare were the d gems that flashed upon many a white ^9 neck and arm in the great society crushes , td ; of the latter part of the season, whose it owner had trusted before that to the I ' ->t power of their own beauty unadorned. j It! One of the first of the many stories set ! 1 is afloat about the craze for gems was of j :e the purchase by the Whitneys of a $G0,- j *n 000 necklace. In the necklace were fortv i ig stones,graded from the great center stone j 1 :d each way to stones of the weight ot a ; ni thistle down. All the diamond markets j 1 re in the world had been searched to ac- 1 lc romplish the graduation. Soon afterward I ' |y th< rc was a story about some unpleasant- j ip ness in the household of a Western poll- j ^ |y tician of national fame on account of a j 1 js loving wife opening a letter to her hus- j ] d band containing a bill for diamonds ! ' js which she had never received, and there ! 1 were a good many explanations and j ' 1 friends called in and a peace patchcd up j ( I by the pnrchase of more diamonds which . 1 .' did go to the wife and not to some other j 1 ^ person. . ] 'a ! It was told of the wife of a far West- ' je crn Senator, tl at while sitting in the j parlor of a hotel, after having sent up ; ['T her card to the wife of aiuther Senator j j living at the hotel, her attention was at- ; i (n Iractcd to a little group of ladies gath- 1 s cred about the diamond merchant, who j 1 e(^ had spread his wares on the piano for | J >(j their inspection. She listened to their ! gC "ahs" and "ohs," and little screams of j ' ^2 ecstatic admiration, and then crossed the 1 lfi room and joined the group. She handled j u " - ;.i ~c ' uie gems wiiu uu upjjciwuuui; ui muiutit. enceblended with the air of a counoisscur. The other ladies, wives of Conks gressmen and Government officia's, stood j g bark respectfully. Finally she picked a up a great carbuncle pendant set in a j ] 5e double row of pearls and diamonds, and j || said: | , j<j i ' What do you value that at ?" i "Seveutcen hundred dollars," was the t u reply. ra ; The lady opened her reticule, took out j ce a chcck book, made out a check for the 1 ja amount, put the pendant in her pocket, | c and calmly resumed her chair. She had | ! paralyzed that group of ladies, and at i the same time added another jewel to a ! collection which is already one of the j richest owned by any American lady. in ! ! e- Fashion Notes. Heavy braiding is much used on the 1 most stylish wraps this season. ^ Different shades of medium light blue | re arc seen in ladies' cloth for suitings. j < rs Finking on felt isstiila pretty fashion j A for a service tuie uonnei orcapoiu. i Folds of silk, ribbon, woolen,etc., have ! largely replaced linen collars and cuffs, j le Ostrich tips of ribbon bows, arranged j with aigrettes, are still in vogue for the j st h!lirrg The prettiest of tlie imported gowns | this season arc the braided pattern ! js dresflc.". ;e A favorite color combination for ! evening wear is dark golden-brown with j :h rose color. 'e ]n spite of many rivals, natural ! Ie pluckcd beaver retains much of its ' id former popularity. ije j Striped and figured plushes are re* vived for skirts to be worn with cloth or j silk overdresses. [1* A toilet of black lace with accessories ^ of white moire antique is very distinguished looking. r.: The newest brocades have satin figures i - _ un/1 rtfd 11011 u ! 1 vr 3 SUI1K ill repjicu giuuuuo, <?U? u,v ??.v , >n in striped designs. :o j Short visites with full, wide sleeves are 5 most favorei for wraps of crape or othe? lc mourning materials. 3f j Colored pearls are among the most a- beautiful of gems and just at present is are very fashionable for engagement jcvto els. ie The hussar jacket is a favorite with # young girls and metal braid and a bind- ' d iiicr of fur combine to beautify tb(? #ar- j ? S cut. Short waisted gowns arc bolh pictur- ! j esque and attractive for some slender, | ; graceful figures, while for any others ;c it is awkward and ungainly in the cx- i -e treinc. _ { : re i The prettiest possible silken fabrics i iy and the richest are the figured n oi res on | i jf which are brocaded figures in colors. ! 1 y These ma've the most beautiful evening i j ,v dresses which are shown this season. Jf Cut work is a trimming which is very ! 1 )r popular with modistes for outer garments j . 1- matching a costume. It is laid over vel- ! ; s* vet, aud on cloth suits ithus a peculiar- j 10 ; ly appropriate effect. I J s"! The newest sleeve is made wide at the ' n '-IJ- | ' ~ tO]>, Wltll SUIHil 1UIU3 Ull lilt UUK1 J/.WK I < f 1 down 1o 1 lie elbow, from which point to j ( j' the wrist it gradually narrows, and is \ j 1 finished off by a band and a bow of rib- 1 . ,C bon. J , ? | ] l" I Wluit Causes Men to Jtfreak Down. j ! J * 1 * ' J i Undoubtadly the brain is strong, and j ] ,e is capable of doing a great deal of work j j js and even in many cases of resisting the : ) i bad treatment to which it is often sub- j j. jected, says Dr. William A. Hammond, t s the eminent New York physician. It is j ; , the undue exercise of the emotions that j t ' breaks it down, and unfortunately the j )r work of the present day can scarcely be re ' accomplished without some one or more ,r of the emotions being brought into in( ordinate action, and, according to my j. experience, the emotions that affects it : ir , most injuriously is anxiety. At one j r. period of the world's history love stood j 3[ pre-eminent in this respect, but in our j.,day love has had to retire before that j! : emotion, anxiety, which is developed in 7 the constant struggle for wealth and j] fame and position, in which civilized Jm j man is engaged. i,j j _ ? I worlcH are accomnlishwl I 'J 1 r ( ?, ! slowly. The best of prophets of th ic ; future ii the past. HOVSEHOLD MATT^^^jjj About Jellies. Jelly docs not improve with age. Jelly is said to be best when made in small quantities at a time. Almost all jellies possess some medicinal properties. or some use for which it is best adapted in serving at table. Blackberry jelly is medicinally used in complaints of the summer, and that made from the black currant is excellent for sore throat. Miss Leslie says, "if eaten freely on the first ijmptoms of the disease, it will frejuently check it without any further l emcdy." Cranberry jelly is served with oast pigeons, current with roast turkey, tpple with roast goose, etc., etc. It vould be difficult to find authority for he use, inelegant use, of the abbreviated vord "Jell"?Eriphyle It. Whiting. How to Utilize Dried Apples. They can be made palatable, and if you lappen to have a quantity on hand, perlaps you will be glad to try the follownerrcciDea: Wasli a pound of apples thoroughly, >lace in a stewpan with cold water r m snough to more than cover them (let it tand about one inch above them), set >n back of the stove, where the water vill heat very slowly; stir occasionally. iVhen the apples are very soft, and have ibsorbed all the water they will take up, idd half a cup of sugar, a dessert spoonful of lemon essence, and one or two :ggs beaten until very light. Now mako i nice pie-crust, with which line as many >ie plates as you may wish to use; fill with the dried apple and bake with one :rust. See if they arc not good when fou remove them from the hot oven in which you have baked them. Dried Apple Pudding.?Fix the dried ipples as above, leaving out the eggst lave ready one and one-half pint? jf stale bread crumbs soaked in cold water, and beaten with a fork until free from lumps; add to these one or two eggs t md mix thoroughly, butter a deep pud- _ : ping-dish, place in it, first, a layer )f bread crnmbs, then a layer of the Jried apple, so do until the dish is filled, [he first layer being one of bread. Cover closely and bake in a moderate / l Ml 1-1 sven until none (uwm uikeauuut mrec[juarters of an hour). When done, remove the cover and brown prettily. You can beautify with a meringue, by .V . saving otit the whites of your eggs and beating them up witli a tablesnoonful of sugar; spread over the pudding when you remove the cover, in order to brown it. Any liquid eaucc is good with this pudding, or it may be served with syrup * sr sugar. If you have dried orange skin, fou will And it a great addition in point jf flavor; grate it into the stewpan of ipp'e when you set it on the stove to iwell and soak. Should you use a quantity. the essence may be dispensed with. ?Good Routelceeping. : Hints for Housewives. Keep a separate saucepan for boiling potatoes in if possible. The oftener flour is sifted for spong? cake the lighter the cake will be. Sweep and dust once a week the room* which do not daily reccive this attention. ~ Put salt in the water to prevent black calicoes from fading when they are washed. The water in which codfish has been ; y soaked is very good for washing the zinc under the stove. -Keep your bread pans and pic dishes free from ill flavor by always washing thtm in hot water after usiug. Fruit stains on white goods can be removed by pouring boiling water directly from the kettle over the spots. If you went poached eggs to look particularly nice, cook cach egg in a muffin ring placed in the bottom of a saucepan of boiling water. ' . . ^ After buttering the tin for a boiled pudding dust it with pounded bread crumbs; baking pans can be treated with flour in the same way and the cake will never stick. Be very particularjabout disinfecting the kitchen sink. Washing soda, two tablespoonfuls to a gallon of boiling water, makes an excellent wash to pour hot into the sink at night after you have finished using it. ;?? ? * ? Women who ao tneir own worn rugttru their rough hands with great distress. * To make and keep them soft wear old gloves at night, just rubbing in an ointment made by beating the white of an egg to a froth and stirring it into a cup of melted lard to which is added one teaspoonful of glycerine. Keep the mixture in a covered jar, excluding the light. Perfume may be added.?Goxl Cheer. 'i ' Making a Million In Ten Years. Speaking about brain troubles, Dr. William A. Han:m >nd said to a New York Mail and E.c}>re<a reporter: "I have in mind the case of a man who, after several years of hard work in a small country town, had accumulated about $100,000. With this are oil it money he might have been content, for it made him the richest man in hi < town, but, actuated by an amoiuon iu maivc a greater figure in the world and to accumulate more wealth, he deteiir.inid to move to New York and make $!,030,000 in ten year.*, intending then to retire from business and live a life of elegant leisure. He spent his days in Wall street, h:s evenings in the corridors of hotels, carrying on there the work of the day, and going home near midnight to get only an hour or two of unrefreshing slo:p. At the end of ten years he haa accumulated his million of dollars, not, however, with ease and comfort to himself. but suffering from insomnia, pains in his back, neuralgia in various parts of his body, dyspepsia in its most aggravate.l form, and other evidence* that the process of disintegration was going on ? a. xl it a greater rate uiuu v?uo muimnuvu He made his arrangements for retiring from business, and gave a dinner party to celebrate the event. That uight he exhibited most unequivocal symptoms of mental derangement. Insanity in one of its most pronounced types was developed, and before the week was out he was an inmate of a lunatic asylum, lie had made his million dollars for other people, for all he got out of it was his joard and clothes in an asylum for the insane. Cases similar to th s are of conitant occurrence, but they scorn to pass ilmost unheeded by those who ought to ake warning from them. Early Rising. A lawyer had gained a small cause for hia client, And taken a large farm for pay; He walked out one morning to view tila fina cattle, Ere commencing his legal (lay. He stopped to examine a calf that Bhowed symptoms As ho thought, of croup, or hay fever; "While he opeued its mouth for closer inspection. Ami was thinking how to relieve her. The furious cow caught him up, and then tossed him Far away towards the limitless sky; While falling ho murmured "No lawyer before me Has ever ascended so high." ?lexat Siftinga. 'r- , ' ... . .."j 3-.' ^