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IN EMBRYO. Th? egg in the shallow brown nest? How lifeless, how pale to the eye I How long it is pressed to the mother's worm breast. Ajnd kept from the shafts of the skyl Yet listen, my sweet, O listen, my sweet, And think on the changes that fall, For a lieart is beginning to tremble and beat Close under the delicate wall! A bird is astir in the nost? The creature of sunshine and day; How little and weak, with its wide yellow beak, Ite body all naked aud gray! Yet listen, my dear, Oh listen, iny dear, And think on the chances that fall, For the carols of summer are joyful to hear, And Hope is the ruler of all I As magic is wrought in the nest, The night is pursued by tho mora, And surely at Inst from the walls of tho past The life of the future is born. Then listen, 111 ysweet, Oh listen, my sweet, ajui wuiik oil sne cnunpos buui? i?u, For the heart of the morrow will quicken and beat, And burst into being for all! ?D*ra Head Goodalc, in Young People, : |.'l LATOCE, . The last ray from the settiug sun fell n a broken shaft across lake Lucernc, touching with a rich hue the handsome face of Lauuce, the boat-house keeper, M he sat ou the edge of the long platform. with his lishing-line dropped iu the wiitor. The sad look in hi.5 smouldering dark j1 fres did not bespeak much enjoyment of j fit occupation. -As he jerked his line from the water, landing a shining beauty ! betide him, a shadow tell along the platform, and a girl's light step came after " What success, I.atiace ? H.ive you enough yet 1 You must bring them at once, for the supper must not be de- 1 layed," said a sweet but imperative : roice. " Would the consequence bo so terri- 1 ble if the Count Von Hruner should not 1 rt his supper as soou as ho should w?nt 1 ?" askca the dark-faced Launco, with 1 imiling sarcasm, as he arose and took up tiie UO.-ACI ui iidu. "I cannot say: only Aunt Wilmine is j1 anxious that everything should be ready !1 when the carriage arrives." she replied j1 Impatiently. "Give me tho basket; I;1 will take them myself." 44 Well, here they are, my lady; and . J it is hopeful I am that the Count will not ,' get a fishbone in his throat," -:t:d Lnnnco, j j wHh a half cynical laugh, as he held the i' basket toward her. When -he reached e to take it he caught her small haud in ! * his, and pressed a kiss upon it. j ' The girl's face grew crimson with ; anger. t*he suatchcd her hand away, j * uttering with vehemence: "How dare you, presumptuous fel- 1 low:" 6 "Your words are true, Oretchen. It fa presemptuous for me to lovo you; jet ,s I cannot help doing so. I will not again j1 offend you." lie put the basket down 1 - A. l . 3 l_..l 1 if..II.. .J. il.. S Bi DCr ;cui turn iuukuu lugrctiuiijr ui iuu beautiful face, transformed with anger and wounded pride. "If I tell Aunt Wilininc of this she 1 will seud you away immediately. She < Is calling me now, and has no doubt < f witnessed your bold a.t. How oan I j { ever forgive you?" she said with increasing anger. 11 44 You will forgive me nometvne, ; j Gretehen. Tell your nuut I am going '1 tway to sa\e her the trouble of sending j i me. Dutch Jans can take my place, lie < can fill it better than I." ! i He watched her with his dark sad > < eyes, as she went silently away, her step i less light than when she had come a mo- i ment before; then lie went into his little i room, which wa-. a part of the boat ho use, j 1 and prepared his sing le meal, aa was ; < his custom. j < An hour later, seated at his small win- i1 dow, he watched Gretchen and the j < wealthy Count Yon Bruner strolling i through parterres of flowers. With a 11 feeling akiu to jealousy, he saw the i 1 Count pluck the rarest rose to place iu '1 her golden hair, as if he were already 1 master of -"land and lady," which he fondly hoped to l>e, if the fair lady 1 would accept the suit ho came to plead 1 with her amotions aunt. t Launce sat looking at the great man- ; 1 ion long after Gretchen and the Count i s # had gone in. The lights f. om the arched windows shone through the lace cur- i lains, and Gretchen's pure, rich voice nnrnPD V? e\ t a i n ? * /%/-? in t.no 1 UV-l'-'OO IUV 1(1 lUlU, pas* ?ionate ?ong: "Thou art so near and yet so far." Grotchen'3 song ceased. Suddenly, Launce arou-ed liraself. He went into j small inncr-roon:, and took from a peg j on the wall an oi l leathern bag, tLen? j having lighted a candle ?sat down tt? | xamino its contenls. There was but j little to look at: tin old, worn violin,that! lad been his fatbjr's, and a large wallet ; filled with old letters written in ItalLin. Launce looked eagerly among them until he camo to one uot quite so yellow I u the others, l ive years had passed ! Knee he p!accd this letter in the old wal- j lot. The remembrance of it had failed 11 Wir l?v v?ir until it liL-n n vurrnn J I I J J 1 ? " I art am. i Something within his hcait to-night j had recalled more vividly tlio memory of j the time when his father lay dying, and had given him this letter, telling him j wheu heshould he all alone in the v.orld , to do as the letter directed him. Launce was too young at that t:me to do more than earn a scant livelihood; : hat ho was now seventeen, and he re- ' proa'.-hed himself that the command of Lis dying father- that might he the j1 rooms of restoring him to family and j" title, which his father had lost through ' "wilfulness?had so long boon disre- ! j garded. He studied the letter closely for a lonij! time; then he replaced the papers and T>nt his few jirtii 1p* of aunnrel ::nd what i money he had into flu*old i.ag. Havi .?* !' extinguished (he light, ho took the violin and sal down once more at the little window. Months hat! elapsed since its string h id responded to th?: touch of his fntg-.-M. With the quick ncvsef an expert lie tuned the oh or i Is to harmony. ihon l<?.t himself in a H'id, weird iniproviMttion. an he had ollen heart ixi? iaiii'-rdo in his sad h iiira *htm they v.e:e together. Tho lights were i>ut in the. drawing, j room of the great house, mid <?r?telnM: had ironc to her own apartinenls. The ffihhou3 moon hunsr hiiih above tho mountain tup, and shone like ouivering iil<er on the lake. Wild, sweet zephyrs, that seemed to como from some strange, phore, swept through the vines tluit hung at her window. And now, while she stands there, what sound is thai, swelling and dying #n the night wind-? Ah, thos? trainst ffow filled with love, ?g:iin with passionate despair, they float and quiver :n the no-mlight, then, u lifted through the casern* ut, c ivc.'op (Jretch'.u in a ^ubliini.cadtcce. > ' ; The sw aying vines touch her soft cheek where a teardrop rests. 8he knew not whence it came, nor why. Sho kept thinking of Latmce, who had dared to say ho loved her?who had dared to kiss her hand, and say sho would some day forgive him. Could she ever do so? Poor, lonely I.aunce; with no friends, no companionship. Ah! wa? he uot already forgiven? The strains had died away, and j Gretchcn was losinc herself in a wild, | improbable fancy, in which she was i wooo.l by ono whom she loved, who was j noble and high-born, but who had eyes j like Launce's, in whose passiouase depths j was reflected her own soul. Shu was aroused from this waking- j dream by seeing the figure of a man cautiously approaching from the direc-, tiou of the boat-hou<o. Could it I e | Lauuco ? and what could he want at this < hour ? Slio forgot all her sympathy for j him, and, her old pride returning, she i felt-angry as she realized that he was j comiug directly under her window. She J feared (o ask why he was there lest j somebody should hear her. She drew | back iu the shadow of the room. " Farewell, C'arissima, until we meet again I" came iu low, sad tones to her , uur. " Launcol Lftunco!" licr heart cried, but her lips made no 3ound. When she looked again she saw only a dark object moving along the white road; then it fa(K'(l out in the weird mooulight. Aunt "Wilmino was very angry the next morning at Launce's failure to bring the usual ba-kct of fish for breakfast, and forthwith installed Dutch Jaus in his place ; but she was more angry at Gretchen's refusal that day of the Couut's rrffnr of mjirii.i <!. She had cherished the fond hope of seeing her niece a countess, ller grand scheme hud been successful; tho prize was withiu her grasp. Thus rudely to have the enchanting dream dispelled was more than her ambitious heart could bear with fortitude. She stormed and threatened, to no purpose. Gretchen was firm in her decision. "Marry the Count yourself, Aunt Wilminc,'' she said. "I am sure you are quite young enough for him. As for myself, I do not wish to bo married." "I shall send you back to the convent, CJretchen, uutil you can act with reason and giro a favorable answer to the Count," declared her irate aunt, with i tears of vexation filling her eyes. This decision of Aunt Wilmine's. f/v nl Ini. flin onrfflT. on/) I iLVUlCVl IU UllUJ IUW UUV4 ui\/i vtuuiv tiou of the Count, who went away with ' the understanding that he should be i aot fied of any change iu Urotchen's . sentiments towards him. The prospect of returning to the conrent which had been a sweet, peaceful liome to Grcchten for so many years, was ! lot very appalling as a punishment. She ; ooked forward to the event with much i greater calmness than to the thought >f becoming the bride of Count Yon Sruner. , Jaahaa a# l\An?.<kman^ k/tin/v 11?. & au uuctut ui L/auicuiiioim uviu^ uu- | i ilterable, Oretcheu went back to St. j Ursula s, there to remain a prisoner un- [, ;il lier acquiesence ia her aunt's plans ihould set her free. ; When, a week later, she "wrote that ;hc had entered on a course of music hat would re juirc five years to com- . )lcte, Aunt Wilmine acknowledged herelf checkmated. ( * * ? * * The 6Uinmer guests at Wiesbaden vere in a state of delightful expectation j >ver the announcement that the wonder- |: ulyoung violinist, Count Cellini, would ! i jive a concert at that place. i There had been a number o/ new ar ivals at the spacious H:>tcl de l'Europe, 11 ind the younger ladies were on the qui | rive fo discover which was the fam<*is i nusician who, rumor said, belonged to >ne of the first families of Italy,and had inherited immense wealth from a debased relative. The guests were assembled for supper j it the grand table d'hote. A portly ' matron at the farther end is no less a j persoa ige than Aunt Wilmine, and beside her the fair Gretchen, somewhat I >ldor than when last we saw her, but j with a matured loveliness that far ex- j ;eeds her ginish beauty. They have!' spent a year in travel since Gretchen was j released from the convent. Count Von , Brunei*, seated on Aunt "Wilmine's right, i with a surviving hope still iu his heart, las joined them at "Weisbaden. A young man seated almost opposite :o Gretchen, and who was unmistakably ' Italian, was (he target for many bright ind furtive glances. His gr/e was rc- ! peatedly fixed upnu Grctchcn, who seemed entirely oblivious of his pn-scncc. j Ashe rose to leave the table their eyes met. i At the concert that night their eyes 1 met again; for he was in reality tlio: Sfreat violinist. When he played the music seemed to rccall those sad strains she had heard the night l.annce went iway. Before her meutal vision arose 1 the moonlit road, and on it one lono form that faded like a phantom. The next day Gretchen and Aunt [ Witmiuc returned to their suburban tioine, from which they lmd been absent so long. Count Von Bruncr accompanied them to again urge his suit. "Grot:-lieu has no lovers, and cares for ao one else,"' Aunt Wihnine argued with herself, "and, now that she is older and wiser, must see the propriety of choosing j i husband. Where should she find one lave in the Count, who has boon so faith-1 ful and long waiting?" They irri ed at home in the afternoon. i Boing fatigued, (rretchen kept her room uutil the next day. Then, eager for a; I ?I- * Ka* a!/1 Itonnfa otiri n /ilnmltni* ?t 1 SJglll Uk UUI KtLM. mtuilio .?iiu (ft Viuuiina 1*1# ; tho mountain sidy, <^l?c left the house un- : known to her num. The Count, growing impatient at her non-appearance, sent to request an inter view. Not finding her in her roo?ii, > Aunt Wilmine learned from the servants that she had gone for a walk. Thinking it a propitious time to follow i ber tu so;ne romantic spot and urge her : acceptance of hi-* love, the Count took | hi- hit and hastened to find her. Uuwii by the old boat-house 02retchen j had "foiie, where sh.: lingered a wh'ie, j thin king of Luunceamlhis !?sL low wo:ds, spoken under iier windows: "Farewell, i CctHbima, until we meet again.'' Ah! that would never he! .-he gave a faint sigh as she left the j place, and was soon climbing up the ( mmrtf'tin ii. (jour# li <?f lw?r f:ivorit? u*i!d I flnvrix?the mouutani pink. Presently she espied a Imneli, but un- j f*?r! :i?s-t!cly they were in a -pot a most in atve.nible?on a steep slope directly over the lake, wh-. re a Cu'.sr stop would p:e-j eipilate her isito its drop waters. Her j tli dre to have them overcame her fears j at and creeping eantiously along, holding by Htrong vines ami bushes', sho secured hr;r prize. As she turned to po back a portioa of the nroiortinn tlint liail served as a foothold, broke loo?c aiul foil into the lake, leaving her no hope of regaining her safely. .Ju-?t at that moment she saw the fount, who was seeking her to lay his love and a title at hor feet. Calling loudly io him to save her, she clung to her frail support with reviving hope. The Count, who seemed bora for love ma in? ia tead of heroic dc,ds, run to: the house for assistance, leaving Grctchen, with fast falling strength, hanging in extreme peril. "Courage! brave girl; I will save you. Hold firmly to the bushes, and do not look down," said a clear, rich voice, with Italian accent. In a moment the owner of the voice had the boat from the boat house, and with swift strokes was soon near the spot where Gretehen hung. ' '*r J-4 liuw JUIJ111 luiu buc mao, uv aw fear. It is your only way of escape." Gretchen obeyed the voice that commanded her. and sank into the dark water. The next moment she came to the surface, and was lifted into the boat by her bravo rescuer. She was unconscious, and Launce was excusable if ho kissed the face of the woman he loved. The Count, having by this time returned with Dutch Jans, took iu the situation at oncc, and, feeling that lie would be out of place in the presence of the man who had saved Gretcheu from a death to which his cowardice had left her, ho hastcuod to the house, took his portmanteau. aim, wituuut a wuiu w anyone, loft tho place. When Grctchcn recovered consciousness and looked upon her preserver, she said: "Vou are Count Cellini, the great musician whom I met at Weisbaden?" "ljara,"he replied, "but I have another title by which you may better remember me; Launce! and I have come back for your forgiveness for the offence I gave you six years ago." "Oh, Launce! you had my forgiveness the night you went away." "Now I want something more, Gretchen?I want your love." "l cninK i gave you mat wuu toe iorgiveness, Launce."?Mio York Clipper. Interesting Facts About tho Ocean. At the last meeting of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Dr. John Murray of tho Challenger Expedition made a communication on "The Height and Volume of the Dry Land and the Depth and Volume of the Ocean." According to his own investigations, Enyincfriny says, the mean height of tho globe was 2,230 feet above the sea level, and the mean depth of the ocean wa9 12,480 feet, or 2,080 fathoms. If the ocean were regarded as being divided into two parts by tho 1,000-fathom line, it would be found that the mean depth of the area having less depths than 1,000 f.(thorns was 2,028 feet, or 338 fathoms, or nearly the samo depth beneath the sea as the height of the dry land above it. On the i other hand, the mean depth of the area ! beyond the 1.000 fathoms is 14,610 feet, | O A A l\ f.ifliAmo HPk n f r\y+ m nw n rno UV wjt'tv AUkUUUn. 1UU IVi UlVt (IIV/O I called by Dr. Murray the "franstional I area"?occupies 24,000,000 square miles; j and the latter area, which is the abysmal , area, and is situated fully three miles below the average heights of the continents, ; occupies 11:{,000,000 square miles, or j more than half of the surfae of the ; earth. In the transitional arei of the ocean there are many and varied conditions in respect to light, heat, currents, changcs of level, the chaiacter and variety of the deposits, and in tho j animals and plants which inhabit the i various parts of the region. The deposits are in most respects I similar to those which make up a very j large part of the sedimeutary formation J of tho dry land. In the abysmal area ; there is a uuiform set of conditions, the temperature being near the freezing point, with an annual range not exeed- j ing 7 degrees Fahr., and there being no i 3unlight or plant life. There is a great j abundance of animal life; but the forms | from various parts of the area are very ; similar, and unlike those of shallower waters; and the deposits,which accumu- i late slowly, are unlike any of the eedi- , mentary deposits of tho dry land. From Dr. Murray's investigations, it also appears that if the dry laud of the globe . were redui ed to the sea level by being removed to and piled up in the shallower waters of the ocean, then its extent would be about 80,0)0,000 square miles, and the rest of the surface of the earth j would be covered by an ocean extending j to 113,000,000 square miles. Again, i should the whole of the solid land bo re- j duced to one level under the ocean, then i the surface of the earth would be covered \ by an ocean with a uniform depth of ! about two miles.?St. James't Oazctte. A Gigantic Turnip. From time to time the most wonderful plants known on the earth are shoved aside by wonders still more wonderful. It is not so very long ago since thousands flocked to see the great Queen of the Amazon, the Victoria water lily. Many j a greater vegetable marvel has appeared i since then?now it is a giant aroid, j which those interested in these vegetable j curios are waiting and watching for in i the Koyal Kew collection. It is not far i removed botanically from our common Indian turnip, and when its flowers ex- I pand, as hoped for this year, the odor of ! the skunk cabbage is expected to be in- i creased a hundred fold. While our 1 Arum or Indian turnip has a tuber of | about six inches in circumference, this j will reach five feet. The leaf-stalk of j ours is from twelve to eighteen inches? j this is about ten feet, and the stHlk itself j is three feet round, as against three | inches in ours. The circumfcrence of j the leaf-blade is forty-live feet. Only think of a leaf-blade to a olant that dies i to the ground every year,'extending fifteen feet across ! The Victoria lily leaf, six or eight feet across, wa9 deemed something prodigious. The flower will be somewhat like our well-known calla lily, but with a longuud curiously twisted spadix, from whence it receives its generic name.?hidyendcut. The Rise of the Tomato. The tomato, sixty years since, wae called '-The Love Apple," raised mainly i in pots a-i a'curiosity, and generally con- ' f?idered uneatable. The fruit was of the j shape and size of the ch'.-rry variety of to-day, aud care was taken to prevent children from devouring anything bo poisonous. Whon adventurous West Indians proposed its use as a vegetable, I they were classed amon^ those se;ni-b;irb:rians, who eat frog's legs and similar abominations. Now, like the ojster, they are eaten "fried, stewed or in the shell." They enter into soups and sauces, and npjiear upon the table in a number of combinations. Enthusiastic cultivators continually produce new varieties and the old, wrinkled, imperfeeily ripe and watery kinds have been replaced by round, smooth and solid sue 1 * ? ? ?.?.?* r\ f /inmriu^ effort U'JSSVn* n I* ?t iiiauvi ? * * ? . wnv.? , to raise tomatoes early, keep them bearing as Ion? as p jssible, and to fruit them ! well. ?Independent. A Mathematical Prodigy. Reuben Fields, of Owiugsville, Ky., is twenty-eight years old, perfectly illiterate and a mathematical prodigy. Since ei#ht years of age he has been able to solve in a flash such problems aa: The moon is a certain number of miles from the earth; a grain of corn is so long, how many grains will it take to connect the points. lie can also instantly, and without consulting a time-piece, tell to a fraction of a second the time of day or night. ?In&trendenl. ? . . 4 "WOMAN'S WORLD. PLEASANT LITERATURE FOR FEMININE READERS. Fop Bridesmaids to Carry. A shoe filled with flowers is tho very newest thiDg for bridesmaids to carry, and charmingly pretty it is. Tho first wedding at wnich this idea was carried out was that of Miss Stewart and Sir. Curberry Iiice Vaughau-l'ryse, which took p'.ace about a month ago. The ucxi wedding at which the bridesmaids carried shoes was that of bir Kobert and Lady Emily Peel's elde -t daughter and ivir. liar to n. l he shoo* iu tue case were of pink satin filled with a mixture of pink and of maize colored rosea, and hung from the arm by pink ribbons. Shoes were carried by the youthful members of the bevy of bridesmaids of Miss Whittaker's wedd ng. The shoes were of pink satin filled with flowers of hues to match that color.?I/mdun Court Journal. When Hoops Were Fashionable. Robert Chambers shows how Edinburgh society suffered, within his memory, under the tyranny of hoops. In the morning a lady put on a pocket hoop, resembling a small pair of panniers. For occasions, not quite full dress, there was to be worn a bell hoop?a petticoat frame in shape like a bell?mudc of ctyic or rope. For full state there was provided a hoop ao monstrous that "people saw half of it enter the room before the wearer."-This, the matter of fact chronicler goes on to s%y, was found "inconvenient." So inconvenient w;ia it thiit in the narrow passages and entries of Edinburgh Old To .vn ".'adies tilted them up and carried them under their arms; in case of this happening, there was a show of petticoat below." So long as tho-:e facts remain, or John Leech's drawings are remembered, surely tha shapeless horrors of crinoline should be impossible of renewal.? Woimris World. Tallor-Mado Dressea. Cloth tailor-made dresses have reached a point of perfection this season they never attained before. For some time past it has been a constant effort to com uine warmtnauci grace wiin ugniness and that perfection of fit wh'ch is the crowning feature of a fine tailor-made dress. This object has been attained in recent costumes, and it must be a joy to wear them.* The dress is made upon twilled silk, the drapery raised here and there but not bunched, the edge finished with many rows of embroidery stitching, narrow braid, a braided pattern or a broad band of feather fur. The line of trimming, often diagonal, comes to a point at the waist and outlines a point of velvet or braided ve^t, and also of color at the throat. The small "habit" cut is maintained at the back, only insteud of perfectly plain lapels, ai in the habit,a little fullness isoflen introduced. The interior finish of gold, hair striped r?ll? r\ r? enf In lininrv rlo rv* n r?V? r\ tlio oiLJV ui ottbiu iiuiu^ au\?o U1UV.U n? i>u\/ vi* feet of the exquisite workmanship. ? ?/< ?nie June. ~ Sllver-Llnod Potatoes. Miss Clara Jacobs, a vivacious and pretty brunette, lives with her parents in a brown stoue front house in E;ist Fortysixth strec-t. The young lady, whose father is a stationer, is well educated, having studied in Europe and in this country. De-pite her accomplishments Miss Jacobs is not averse to performing culinary work at times, and sbe frequently assists the servants in her father's house. On Friday la*t the little brunette was engaged in the prosaic domestic task of boiling some potatoes which still wore their ulsters. f>ne todUid neany an 01 the Irish apples and found that they had been cooked to the proper consistency save one. This particular "spud"' remained as hard as adamant, and although Rhe allowed it to boil for fifteen minutes longer than the others it Bhowed no signs of yielding. Then Miss Jacobs resurrected that shameless potato from the pot and began to operate upon it with a knife. At last she succeeded in splitting the vegetable open and in the centre sho found a silver dollar with the date of The heart of the "spud" was colored a blackish brown,but the outside presented j a normal appearance. The silver dollar i was black as ink. It is thought that some good farmer in Long Island or New Jersey while sowing or plowing his potato field dropped the coin in a furrow. It fell in c!o<o proximity to a "seed" or "eye," !.? ilia r^Allor no unu IUC uc? piaui. wuvu.,. W?. ?? effectually S3 the connected apple tree operated on Koger Williams.?. Miss Jacobs is gratilicd at her quaint "find,'' and she says it should be a moral to other young ladies to pay more attention to domestic duties.?Neio York Hernil. A Greflt Wedding and Christening. A Greek wedding, says Olive Harper, in the Inter-O.tan, is a most tedious affair, lasting a whole day, though the religious services last but an hour, and ; usually takes place at the bride's house. According to the wealth of the family, IUC JCi yit'U UUU UUIUUU VI |/l 1UOVO AD liUposing and the most peculiar in the far interior. The young bride has her eyes sealed and is led in by her maids'of honor and she takes the bridegroom's hand and they kneel upuu a cushion in front of tho priest. There are two wreaths provided of tawdry artificial flowers tied by long ribbons. These are placed upon the two bowed heads and changed buck and forth three times. A long service is read, incense burned, and a service chanted and rings exchanged md blessed, and finally they lire prooounced married, and the priest takes a ela^s of wine and a piece of cake aud | his pay and goes his way. The guests then feast and danco all day, and the poor bride, still blinded, is seated astride ? half barrel of light wine and (here she must sit all day long, until it is ali drank, without eating or drinking. When the wine is all gone the brido.naida ta'\e her dowu and unseal her eyes, give her food and undress her. Bometimes she faints from exhaustion. This same ceremony is in voguo among the Bulgarians also. A christening is not so long, but is \ cry hard on the biby. The priests bring the font with them to the house, aud fill it with cold water. They undress the baby and anoint it with oi!, and bless it from head to foot in una men j cut oil' some of its hair in tin* form of n . cro-s, and after that immnr-c it three time< in icy water, covering it all over. Th?y march three times around the font, aud sing a chant that is soul-torturing as to sound. All the gue?tsho!d lighted candles during the ceremony and after it is over they receive a small silver coin as souvenir of the occasion. The priests only stay long enough to get their money. Marriages in Italy. "Marriages in Italy," said a traveler who had just returned from a tour up the Mediterranean, to a reporter for the New Yark Mail and Eprcti, "are unlike purs in every particular. The ceromony there j ' e-:' is performed only in the church. After two lovers have become engaged, the parents of the bride repair to the dignitary who corresponds to the Mayor in this country. Tho bride and bridegroom here, writing and in the presence of at least half a dozen witnesses, signify their intention of marrying. The date of the wedding is then designated, but the event is not allowed to take place within three months. Immediately after departing from the Mayor's office, the irienils of the contracting parties are notified in person of the proposed nuptials' and in some instances not only is it advertised in the newspapers, but written notices are posted on every se:ond post of the town. ^Thn Xfotrnv nn fVio nilinr rlironfc i his clerks to send a notification of the intention to all the churches in the city and vicinity. This doue the names and ages of the couple are entered in a big book which the pr est keeps for that purpose. No one is married by the c'.crgyman who has not signified his or her intention three months before. As^soonas a couple enters the church the reverend gentleman in charge examines the book in person. If he fails to discover a register of the intention he refuses to join the anxious pair. Every woman who marries is entitled to a dower. Her parents must confer this upon her. For the most part the bridogroom expects tnis dower, and my attention was callcd to several who had refused to take the I bride without it. The value of the dower depends entirely upon the financial etatus of the girl's parents. The ( p orer ones generally lurnisn in a complete manner the dwelling in which the couple inteuds to live. The father of the girl some few weeks prior to the wedI ding prepares in writing the dower list. It is a most ludicrous document some- j times, but more particularly when it minutely describes the number of forks, kuives, spoons, dishes, chairs and other household paraphernalia which the br.degroom's father-in-law is willing to bestow upon the smitten pair. Of course there are instances when the bride's father, owing to extreme poverty, has been unable to give a dowry, but these are real love affairs." " Cannot the bridegroom present the trousseau?" *4 Vfla V?a nftw Vknf no for o T nAiilrl X I/O) uo wnu ^ muv u>j tut i?u * wu4\* ascertain there were ccrtain restrictions. ' The newly-married couple never go on a I honeymoon, the universal custom being j to allow them to remain at home for | eight days. At the expiration of that ! time the cards are sent out. Then there is merry-making. There are few cases of elopement." " Doe* not this' compulsory dower prevent many marriages ?" " Yes, it does. Still there are pure i lovo affairs even in Italy, and a man j doesn't expect a dower from the relatives | of a poor orphan whom he loves. In I this country but few Italians regard their | country's custom. Some believe in the : wisdom of receiving tho Mayor's and j church's approbation, but as a general j rule the dower and festivities are en- I tirely disregarded." Fashion Xotes. Braiding on tailor suits will be more 1 frequent and more elaborate next sea- I enn I The arrangement of the tulle draperies ' on ball corsages is very varied and ecccn- j trie. Very pretty new jackets .ire made up j of the new imitation braided dolman j cloth. The skirts of dresses for the spring are , scarcely draped at all?only a ripple here and there. Dolman cloth is the newest fabric for wraps; it is covered with a pattern ia J relief that simulates braid. Visites are still popular, and by the fresh materials and various pretty details ' used are made almost to appear as novel- j ties. The indoor dress of black lace is COr- i rect wear for young matrons and elderly j women, but is too sombre for young ! girls. Laces and passementeries are i.sed to | trim costumes of plain velvet, and some- i times striped velvets are used ia combination. Metallic threads, braids and tinsel | spangles arc worn on all sorts of indoor; dresses, ball gowns and dressy visiting | toilets. Green cashmere frocks are in favor for 1 girls of twelve to fifteen, and these are I ? *1-1 ^ j ! 1 - I trequentiy pipea ana irunaieu witu j?ue | blue silk. Clusters of six heavily crusted gold ' balls, set with turquoises where the ballot connect, arc pretty pendants for the j chatelaine. Toboggan suits are made in one piece, or two pieces, but the one-piece suit is the most convenient, comfortable and picturesque. Demi-trained dresses of the new China silks are being made up for ufternoon tea and indoor arcs3es where an elaborate toilet is not demanded. Lucifer rod plush bands and accessories muke a gown of opaline gray silk very dressy and becoming, and, if brightened with tinsel, it becomes brilliantly elfcc live. English brides have discarded satin for their wedding gowns, using faille, peau de soie, and gros grain instead. What will the satin weavers of Como do about it? The reticule or small hand bag is coming in vogue. It is made of scraps of | brocade velvet aud plush, silk and satin, ! aud made decorative with silk and tinsel J embroidery. ( Pretty arrangements of black lace over j some bright color, with two bows on one 11 shoulder, one on the other, and another ! lower down, are worn to brighten som bre- i colored dresses for evening wear. I Some sleeves of house dresses and tea i gowns are made full above the elbow and tight below. Others are made in full Jhshop form, with a tight, slashed i cap covering me upper pun en mc uim. 1 Mandolin and zither music, in the next j room or the hall, is part of the enter- i 1 tainment at fashionable New York din- I neis, high teas, and the little sup- j perd where there are only a few chosen j gue3ls. Pissementeries and galloon are <-' ?tcnsisjly used <>n bodices, being arranged j lengthwise and tapering narrowly at the j waist. Thi- trimming is particularly ap- ' prouriiitu io. short women inclined to ! , roatw*. |: Suctie brown, isueauu aosuimc grwu, inahogauy red, Gobelin blue, ashes of rose, and o'.lier quaint colors are preferred by some girls for their lu le gowns, and quaint flowers, orchids, mignonette, hops, chrysanthemums, and other liowcis in colors that match the dress are used for trimmings. This, says the New York Sun, may bo called a piuk winter in fashionable parlance, all rosy tinted fabrics, ribbons, flowers, menu cards, dancing cards, bisque and porcelain tigures, fancy glass objects, ana even the ices and cakes at luncheons, dinners and suppers partaking of the rouleur ile rom in one or anothoi shade of Aurora's gun-dyed mantId. : "i- ? PARADOXES. SOME ODD AND ENTERTAINING CATCH QUESTIONS. The Moving Coaoh Wheel ? Zeno'a Paradox?Aohilles and the Tortoiae?Paying a Shilling ?Passing Trains, Etc. There exist, floating about the world, a great number of catch questions and odd propositions. Here ifl one of them: Which, at any given moment, is moving forward faster, the top of a coachwheel or the bottom? To this apparent ly very simple question nine person oui of ten, asked at random, will givo an incorrect reply, for at first sight it appears evident that both the top and bottom of the wheel must of necessity be moving forward at the same rate, namely, the speed at which the carriage is traveling. A little thought will show that this is far from being the case. A point on "the bottom of the wheel is, in fact, by tho direction of its motiou round the axis, moving backwards, in an opposite direction to that in which the carriage is progressing, and is consequently stationary in spaco; while a point on the top of the wheel is moving forwards, wi-.h the double velocity of its own motion round the axis and the speed at which the carriage movea. The foregoing my?tery of motion brings to mind the famous paradox of Zeno, by which he sought to prove that all motion was impossible. Either a body must mpve in the place where it is or in the place where it is not. Now % body in the place whero it is is sta tionary and cannot be in motion, nor, obviously, can it be in motion in the place where it is not. Therefore it cannot move at all. It was of this paradox it was said: Solvitur Ambulando?"It is solved by walking." A more practical ?olution could hardly be required. "Well known also is the Greek paradox of Achilles and the tortoise. Achilles (the swift-footed) allows the- tortoise a hundred yards start, and runs ten yards while the tortoise runs one. Now when A.chilles has run a hundred yards.the tortoise has run ten yards, and is therefore still that distance ahead. When Achilles has run these tea yards, the tortoise has run one yard. When Achillos has run the one yard, the tortoise has run the one-tenth of a yard. And when Achilles has run the one-tenth of a yard, the tortoise has run onc-hnndredth. It Is only necessary to continue the. same process of reasoning to prove that Achilles can never overtake the tortoise. You will find people in real life try??? OA1?HI fAllAuMTif** ** A man wliA IH?? bV OUIIU VUU iviiuif iUg A.M. ? ?owe9 a shilling, proceeds to pay it at the rate of six-pence the first day, threepence the next day, three half-pence the next, three farthings the next and so on ?paying each day half of the amount he paid tho day before. Supposing him to be furnished with counters of small value, so as to be able readily to pay fractions of a penny, how long would ittake him to pay the shilling?" The answer is that he would never pay it. It is trne that he will pay eleven pencefarthing in four days. But the remaining three farthings he can never pay. Excellent as are the preceding, the following is even a better paradox: "A train starts daily from San Francisco to Npw York and one dailvfrom New York to San Francisco, the journey lasting seven days. How many trains will a traveler meet in journeying from Snn Francisco to New York?" It appears obvious at the first glance, that the traveler must meet seven trains, and this is the answer which will be given by nine people out of ten to whom the question is ne*r. The important fact is overlooked that every day during the journey a fresh train is starting from the other end, while there are seven ou the way to begin with. Tho traveler will, there fore, meet not seven twins, but lourtecn. The following proposition is both curious in itself ana admits of somo interesting variations in the application of the priu; iple on which it depends. "If there are more people iu the world than any'person has hairs upon his head, then there must, exist at least two persons who possess identically the same number of uairs, to a hair." Readers who fail to perceive at first the necessity of this conclusion, should 3onsider, as a simpler ease, instead of the hairs on a man's head, the number of teeth in his jaw. Let him suppose thirtyseven persons to be assembled in one room; then, the full number of teeth iu t man's jaw being thirty-two, it is easily jeen that?even supposing one member of the party to be so unfortunate as to have no teeth at all?there must be at least two persons present possessed of identically the same number of teeth. The application or this example to the nrnnftjiCnn in ntlpgHon is (luite CVideUt. I""I"? I 1 it ia, iu fact, merely a matter of larger auinbera. ?Philadelphla Times. Russian Bankers Count Chinese Way. I have been in four or five of the largest banks in Ku?a:a and many of the most extensive commercial and railroad [louses, and nowhere whore I aeon figuring done by pen or pencil like tliey do in America and England. The Chinese counting machine, soon occasionally in the hands of John a d Jap in he I'nitcd States, is everywhere. If y.-mbiiy a pair of socks for lifry kopecks and a handkerchief for seventy-tivc kopecks the shop* keeper, even the brightest aad oldest and mo>t exj>eriencetl, has to go to his machine to leant the result ?one rouble twenty-five kopecks. I veutu.e ihat there are not a do; en bankers in Ilu*sia who would attempt to discount any draft, or issue a loiter of c:cdit, or (hinge a tou rouble note into kopecka, w.tliout pushivi/?kwnrrl and forward for some lime ???^ v.. v .. ihe strings of colored buttons iu his machine, indicating numeral-. But it is wonderful how adopt some of ilum are iu the use of the counting machine. Vou may buy a bill of goods ever >o large. The cak.<man keeps the machinc beaide him, pushing out the numerals as '.he purchases are made, and the instant you rail for your bill lie repeats the total, i The Russians were taught most of their business knowledge by the Chinese and Turks, and these counting machines are yet indispensable in ail Oriental places of business.?Kaitsis City Journal. Chicago's "Diamond Joes*.'' There are two "Diamond Joes" in Chicago,one of whom gets his name from his habit of carrying diamonds around in his pockets us a boy would marbles. The other is Joe Keynolds, who owns nearly all the steamboats on the Upper Mississippi All of his boats, wharves, warehouses and stationery are marked with a red diamond containing the word "Jo" in black. He is very wealthy and ery charitable, though he. has the repuration of being remarkably shrewd at driving a bargain. . --i|9B hbH WO A 1)8 OF WISDOM. SB Every trial adda to our strength. |H The greatest fool of all ia he who fools HBj himself. jUj Drop jour bad habits and they cannot HH ower you. Gratitude prcaeryes old friendship and ^HHj procures new. BBH Those who go for berries should not retreat from briars. One ungrateful man does an injury to 8HH ill who stand in need of aid. Genius beckons a man up, and if he 5 ittempts to climb will help him. HH Prosperity is no iust scale: adversity ia 9fl ;he only balance to weigh friends. ^^9 The world is a comedy to those who ;hink; a tragedy to those who feel. BH No man is fit to have power unless he HB arishes to wield it for the good of all. HH The sooner you cut loose from one w<ho HH| ieceives you the better off you will be. KuHj Hearts are flowers; they remain open ;o the softly-falling dew, but shut up in ^HK :he violent downpour of rain. Do not frot It only adds to your bur- ^H| Icn. To work hard is very well; but to HHP work hard and worry, too, is more than HI luman nature can bear. HD Nothing good bursts forth all at onca. ?H The lightning may dart out of a black g^H :loud; but the day sends his bright Hfl leralds before him to prepare the world DB 'or hia coming. SH A California Potato Patch. |^H Fifty ^years ago Ignacio Inez lived, in M i little "cabin ou the bunk of a creek in Hfl 3ant* Clara Cdanty, Cal. Ignacio kept i pig and raised just enough potatoes to jupport life. There was land enough BH| lying arouud loose) out of doors to raise jhip loads of potatoes, but that would H have required work, and Ignacio never HHj suspected that Providence put him here |H to work. So "he rolled cigaritas and watched his few plants grow. Potato [MR patches like Ignacio's were callcd ' mil- EflH nas" in the Greaser dialect and the IB Spanish law permitted the Governor to issue grants to the holders of milpas in BH order to protoct them from the cattle n barons, who were in the habit of driving their herds across country and de- BH vastating any little larms that might be in the way. So Ignacio asked for & |Bfl . grant. The Alcalde looked at his milpa, Hflj und found it so small that, in derision, Mlfl he described it in his report as a 4'milpitas," or little potato patch. In s |0H facetious spirit ho called the ditches BH "creeks," and described the lines as run- Hfl ning from a certain tree to a point on a creek, from one creek to another, etc. |H| Governor Michel Toreno approved and nH i issued to Ignacio Inez a gnnt for the | Raucho Milpitas, and Ignacio was pro- HB ! tected from the raids of arrogant H vaqueros and their bellowing herds. flBH Under the treaty of Guadalupe MBj Hidalgo, the United States covenanted 8fl9 to respect and protect the rights of all holders of land under Mexican grants, and a commission was appointed to examine and pass upon all claims pre- HS , sented. Among the grants approved was that of Uancho Milpitas to lgnacio Inez. The cession of California to the BH United States greatly enhanced the value of land, and .Mexican prints became BH first-class property. The description of RH the Rancho Milpitas was examined. jO| There wore genuine creeks in Santa Clara ana Alameda counties, and in rim- HH ning the lines the little ditches were ,H| : ignored. The grant said ''from creek to HHj i creek." The facetiousness of the Alcalde was not appreciated, and lgnacio Inez's HjB milpitas of two or three acres grew to R^fl the Rancho Milpitas of 48,000 acres. and was so patented under the laws of the United States, the heirs of lgnacio, M the cigarita-rolling Greaser, becr.me SgUI wealthy hidalgos, and their daughter! HH were sought in marriage by Geringo ad- . H i venturers of enterprising spirit.?Nevt York Sun. g^B Bat and Monse Traps. 9H "The increased sale of poisons hat HQ i caused manufacturers of rat and mouae pH| j traps to wake up," said a Bale-man re* HH ! A i _ - ^? ? VA.1. .. I cenuy 10 a reporter lor uic new iui? i Mail and Erpreis. "Those patent fooda SB I arc so much easier to handle than the old |9B traps that housekeepers prefer to use I them. The old-fashioned mouse trap* . I marie of wire and wood, with a piece of HH | cheese hung on a hook inside, have gone entirely out of date. Thetrouble with ' these traps is that the rats aud mice soon HUH : pet to know them and will keep awaj j^H I From them. A new trap for mice haa hH ! been made and is very successful. It is built in the shape of a small house with 9H doors and windows. These doors and HH windows all open when pushed against, HH but spring shut again at once ana can- HH j not be opened from the inside. Asa bait HH a little graiu is distributed about the inside of the house. The mice soon find this out and several cau be caught in HE one night in this trap. For rats some* |^H tJiinor stronger is reouired. and rats are SflK O , O " A very cunning, too. A very popular trap H is made of two rows of steel teetb. When B the trap is set these teeth are opeued and B hiddcu from view. A piece of meat if Hfl placed on a spring in the centre of the HBj trap, and when touched releases the HH teeth, which spring shut and kill the rat at once. All rat traps are on the SB spring system. One trap has a piece of j^B steel wire that falls a:;d holds the rat a |fl prisoner. Rats scream very much when I caught and some have been known to eat ! of! their own legs to release themselves." A Smuggler's Den. The revenue officers have discovered p^B j another ingeniously concealed sin ugglera* E8B '"bothy" in Strnthcurron, Ross-shire, ' Bcotlaud. In their search the officers 8B| 1 followed the gorge of a stream which BR 5 11 1. m I Hows in a series 01 cascaues mruu;;u a ' rocky chasm of great depth. Here, Cnfl twenty feet from the bottom of the rocks, HI they found one of the most artfully con- jjjBI I structed bothies ever seen. At first it .flW i appeared to be a cave, but on entering it ; was seen that it had been scooped out of Hfl : the ruck and roofed with strong planks, 9B8 | over which boulders and shingle* : had been t -rown in a haphazard way, HB I oa if the whole were a mass of debris ' from the rocks overhead. The water- jfifl 1 channel to and from the bothy was also nnvered with boulders?in fact, there HB ! was nothing to indicate that such a place j existed except that the rocks above were QH | blackened with smoke. In the both; were j^H . found a mash tub of 230 gallons capaci- BHD : ty, ii receiver of twenty gallons capacity, mfl ; a thermometer, several minor utensifa, |BI ! aud most important of all, thepoit-dubh (or black pot), as the natives call the HH ' still. How the smugglers managed to MB j get their goods iu or out of snch a dauj gorous place was a pu/zle to the oflicers HH| : until, ufter some risky scrambling, the gorge was further explored, resulting in the discovery of a cleft in the rock down BB | which a rope-ladder was suspended from HI j a tree at the top. Others of the officers MB ! had in the meantime discovered another mH botny, near which was concealed & mash 9B| tun of 850 gallons capacity. All these KB utensils were destroyed on the spot, ex- KH9 : cept the still, which was borne away as a trophy. . m