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LILACS?A VISION OF SPRING. I've seen the pussy-willows With dainty furry faces; I've found the pretty violets Abloom in shady places; The jonquil and the crocus Have told me of the spring, And id the orchard up and down Hasglanced the bluebird's wing. But here's the purple lilac That lifts its fragrant plumes, And sends a waft of sweetness Through homely cottage rooms, Its hardy branches lapping Against the farm-house oaves, The flowers it gives us growing In generous waving sheaves. I'm sure the mother robin Is very glad to see The lilacs' s Teen about her Wee nest and floJglings three, And father'wren is singing In pure delight to-day That spring is here already And summer on the way. And I am glad our Father Whoso love is over ail, * Who counts the stars by number, And sees a sparrow fall, Has sent again the lilacs To make the garden fair, a-rtff fhttir hnnnvpfl Upon tho wardering air. ?Margaret E. Sungster,in Young People. I HOW HEJTOLD HER. ? T>T EMMA OrPER. "She'll have to go; ain't no way out o' that. She'll ha\*e to skip,"said Da e Kinney. lie squinted in a cross eyed manner at the cracker crumb on his tawny, scraggy beird, and transferred it carefully to his mouth. There was a wedge of cheese on h's left knee. When the l'ence Corners School Board?originally Fennett's Corners, but thus aptly abbreviated-he d a meeting, it was. by genera! agreement, in o d llanks's grocery, where crackers and cheesc, and mayhap a herring, might re ieve its tedium. But to-night there was an a !eriating interest. ti A V? r? ni A rtf if " flfl'H rLUUUU IJUU Oi/g v*. lb, Saunders. He preferred tobacco, and rolled a quid under his tongue. "This ain't no place fer her here. W'y, I wouldn't answer fer the consequences if ?he sta'd; there -ain't no tel ia' what miKht.happeo, ner what cussedness them boys might be up to. Look at Corny Rourkc, six foot two er three if he's an inch, and chuck fu chuck ful'. lie's ?!ways be'n the one to put the tea: hers oat, and there ain't no doubt but what it's his idee th s time. Barricadin' the i chool house right out bold first day o' school; now, who but C'orny'd 'a' i thought o" that?' There was something of contemplative X.- admiration in his tone. "Goin' to be done, whoevcr's doin' ; It," said Kinuey, exploring his cracker- ! i bag. "Coin' to git iu at eight o'clock i to-morrow mornin an shut up the door j and fasten the wiudows, and any teacher | that gits iu 11 have to git in through the I key -hole er a crack; what they said.'" i He had told it 1 efore; he had called I ] the meeting for the purpose of telling it. | But it wa3 interesting to dwell upon. ' 1 There was an impressive silcnce. 11 " Wal, we 11 have to give her notice. [ < You're jest the one to do it, Thornton? ; i eh?'' Saunders observed to the third mem-' !,?? UnorH TTo w.is himself sn.fi asy. * She got along fust-rate, sum-! ] mer term,'' he added. He appeared to i feel a vugue and impotent regret. "Needs tha money, should jedgc.'' "the needn't V made no calculations : to teach no winter term here?not to i Fence Corners," Kinney responded,with 1 some contempt. "If there h'aiu't bc'a a winter fer live years but what there s i be'n & rumpus, aud gcner'iy school shut i up, w'y, she needn't 'a' looked fer there going' to be." I It was unanswerable, but the store- ': keeper entered a weak suggestion over his motley counter. J i ,4I should think that gang ought to be ] broke ud," he said. He expected no rejoinder, and got none. The School board's attention j was centered upon no such wh.niiical' * irrelevaucv. "Hcckon your'rc the one to notify her, Thornton," said launders, again. , ! He wriggled unquietly on his stool. i Thornton sat motionless. Whether in fact or by a trick of the ill-burning lamp on the countcr, his good-looking i face, with its heavy light mustache, appeared pale. lie sat with his arms crossed on his knees and his eyes on the i floor, silent. "Jest so," said Kinney, with au air of i Impartial decision. "Vou can git it oil better 'n Saunde.s or me, Thornton. > You're a better look in' man. anyhow, ; sod you're better rigge 1 up,'he con-!, eluded wiih a polite amiableneS3. They made an attempt at a careless dUmUsal of ihesubect. Kinney got up ! and threw h's cheese-rind int$ the stove. Thornton passed his hand over his mouth ad swallowed hard. "Vou can icst nut it easv." said Kin- 1 ney, encouragingly. il * ou can tell her 1 jet how 'tis, and how it's fer her own ' good, and ain't to be put o'T ner avoided. You can tell her she done first-class, 1 summer term. W'y you can tell her 1 jest what you're a-nine to," cried Kin- . aey, magnanimously. Their colleague rose. He waj a tall and powerful young fellow, but there was an odd laxity in h's movements now as he went toward the door. He held his hat-brim to his lips, too, and turned his facc away from (he light. Hanks tared after him till the door closed. "I s'po.-e you've found out that Jim Thornton's about thj bashfulest feller in town, h ain't you?"' he < ueried. There was ao response. "And you've prob'ly susp'cioned.samc as other folks, that he's kind o' sweet od the schoolma'am, er would be if lie dast?" pursued the storekeeper. The School Board was s.ient. 4tWal," he concluded, with a grin, V.lf nf rl isrrnel Vinlf nf nrlmirafinn "rmi couldn't 'a' hired me to be n that mean to a yeller dog?not to a veller dog!" i V * * * * # Thornton made h:s way up the road through a warm and lightly fall nir ea ly snow that whitened and softened and beautified it, dark as it was from the infrequency of building* and hubblv with the fro ea mud. He forgot to pull his hat on till he met a man in a wagon, : who stared at him. His face and hair were damp with melted flake1, lie went lowly, almo t crcepingly, for ther.- was in his heart a terrible, linking dread of what he mast do. It wa< almost more than he could master. Where was she? Bis;el's; he knew the boaided at Bissel's, and it was not fir; he could see its light through the ?aow-laden trees. The pain at his heart wns all but physical; be winced, and kept his hand on his nervous mouth;! there wa3 a mist in his e^es, and it i grew into tears. He was not surprised ! at them, nor ashamed of them: he wiped i tkero off mechanically with h:3 rough, strong hand, lie did not know whethe? thej were from pity of her or of him- j adf; he was not clearly conscious of i 1 either, but of a dull unhappiueas aucb as he had never known. He looked down at his clothes with faint shame; they were not his best | ones. lie bad a ready made suit at home, but these his mother had made. He wished they looked better. The light in Bissel'a window cast his long 1 shadow on the whole ground. It wavered there, shrinking and lingering; then it pushed on and up to the door. It was not the custom in Fence Corners to rap; it would have been looked upon as a useless formality. He stepped into Bissel's large, scantily furnished, rag-carpeted best room. lie gasped as he stood there. He had \aguely hoped for a little reprieve, but she sat there by the lamp, alone, bending over some work. She rose at his entrance, and came forward a little to offer her baud; but he did not see it, and she dropped it back in awkward haste. ' Won't you take a chair ?'' she said. She brought one forward. Thornton sat down. He dropped bis hat as he did so, and picked it up with a red face. Then he sat still. lie would have tried to speak, but he knew he could not; his j tongue fell thick and immovable. "It's snowinir. nin'fc it^" said the school teacher; she bore the marks of dididcnce herself in her timorous voicc | and look. Thornton nooded; it was all he could do. lie stared at her fixedly, almost vacuously. His mind wandered back ] and strove to anchor itself on something. Once he had spent an evening at Bissel's, [ on the occasiou of a party and taken her hand in one of the game; once he had i overtaken her, in a wagon, on her way ( to school, and given her a lift. That ( was all. He thought it might have been less hard for him if there had been something more, but that was all his morbid [ self-distrustfulness had allowed him. ; The ticking of the clock on a corner- ' ? stand filled the silence. It was a roimd, > ; nickel clock, aud it ticked so loudly ? j to fo ce itself upon them. ; , ''That's my school clock," said the teacher. "I am all ready for to morrow. I ^ There arc my books over there with it, | ? and the regi.-ter." The school director dropped his mis- \ erable eyes to the faded stripe in the carpet at his feet, but he did not see it; i bis hat shook with the trembling of hia j hands. "I've be'n thinking how many I'll ; have, likely," the school teacher went on. llis misery imparted itself to licr in a degree of nervousness, aDd she ! let her work drop. "I had twenty-five f this summer; there's always more win- | tcrs, ain't there?"' He managed to say yes. His eyes ' were waudenng about the room now, his ' hps parted as if for air. He saw a new s pane in the window, clumsily puttied?a camphor bottle left on the melodeon?a ; break in the cane seat of a chair?a j ^ small tub filled with white asters still in | bloom. He continued looking at these, i "They're real late, ain't they/' said ' . thegirl. "They're miiie. I potted 'em myself, and I gue>s they'll last best part o' tho*winter; I've heard thqy will, took i care of. Do you want one?" She put down her work and went and c picked one. Then, with a shy laugh, sho ( * tcok her scissors and went back to them, 1 ".Maybe your mother'd like a few; she h'ain't got 'era, his she?" shs said. She made a bunch, and tied it with her ! * blac ; thread. Thornton watched her; a slight girl in a cheap and well worn s drc33, ner dark hair in a girlish braid, E J , ? :U Tl.:? . , K.,4. I LlJiu Dcr eyus ni.iu, into j-uc wa-j, uuu who .< hall tell what he saw I 11 is agony rose, calmina'ed as she turned to him; ; lie clutched his hat ti 1 its sti.'f brim * cracked. She was coming toward him j witli 1 ho flowers. ' There, maybe she'd like a few," she repeated, faint lieartedly; but ho did k ot hear her. lie felt his face afhuie . like tire, and a choking in his throat, n He struggled to speak, and did mike an i inarticulate sound, at which she loosed < at him in wonder, lie looked up at her ; pitifully?and then fell stumblingiv on [lis knees at her feet and buried his face in her skirt, and groping for her hands, 1 h pulled them down till they pressed his u throbbing head and rested there, her happy, wondering tears falliug upon t them. ****** j o "Bashful?" said Pave Kinney to * Hanks, the storekeeper. "I'd like to know what's your idee o' bashfulness. ; 4 W y, Jim Thornton walked out o' this store that night and up to Bissel'a ! 3traight as a string, and toid that school ! teacher that. ow:n' to circumstances < that he didn't have nc control over, she! s couldn't have the school this winter, net j t likely tnerc cou:an i nououy e.se uenrier, j but if it'd he any consideration to her, ! ] shecouhl have him: told her that ri^hi j lip and down, and didn't make no hone3 ' ] of it. If Jjin Thornton's bashful, w'y, ! c the feller that ain't s what I'd like to r see."?frank LealiS*. i . | Olive Culture in the United States, j There arc olive trees now standing and ; yielding fru t in abundance thai, are J from iuuO to COO J years. It is said that ! 1 the trees on .Mount Olivet to-day are the | ? tame under whose cool shadow the Sod Df God walked wh le on earth. As they i are long lived, so they are slow in com* j iug to maturity, or even to the point i where they bear sufficient fruit to re- ; f munerate the owner; and this is one ! 1 reason why fast-moving Californians are j 3 so slow to plant the olive. They want something that will begin to pay at once. To wait ten years cn a tree is more than they can stand. And yet, many of these ' same Californians have owned red hill? 1 Moo nnnnrrV* tn 3 Ulttl IAU acaiV-Uljr | l UU v.uuujj.i WW | pasture two sheep t<> the acre, that had [ they been set out iu ol.ve tree3 years ago, c would be worih more than their richest lands. The olive will grow in almost ' any soil. j Hut one to plant an oUvc or. hard need not wait for ten years. Either p!anl j your trees in the midst of your vineyard, * or plant a vineyard iu the midst ol 1 your'olive orchard, and you can live ofl the fruit of the vines until the olive? begin to bear. The vines can be re moved gradually as the trees grow. ' There is no more beautiful tree for shade \ and ornamental purposes than the olive. f How much better it would be to plant * ^1 .i._ 1 I t Ilium IU 1I1U jriiru, lulling II1VIU Kiav iu\. i ])!;icc of the eucalyptus, the moi.terey cy-: pre*s, the locust and other such trees. I The prolits of a crop, when the trees I are in full bearing, arc in the neighborhood of $1000 per acre, and this is said to be a low estimate. Another important fact in regard to the olive is the time ol the harvest. Th s extends from about the first of December to the last cl January, giving ample time to gathei the entire crop without a waste, as well as coin'nsj at a time when no other fruit demands attention. There is no waste. All the green fruit when beaten from the treccaabc thrown into pickle, while the ripe raay be thrown into the vat fot oil. With these facts gathered at randorc we trust many of our fruit-growers and farmers will turn their attention to thi< heretofore neglected fruit.?Han Fran:i tco Chronicle. Paint made with turpentine is a better protector for iron work than when mixed with, linseed oiL 2 ' '"'SV? if ?' BUDGET OF FUN. " HUMOROUS SKETCHES FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. Why Slic Refused Him?A Gentle Hint?Two Professions Contrasted ? Disgraced the Family ? Etc., Etc. He loved a stately maiden Of asthetic. cultured tasto, And promptly at her service His loyal heart ho plated. He struggled long and nobly Her maiden love to gain, But she quenched his l.fe's ambition In words both cold and plain. For when he stooped in rapture Her answering words to catch, She said his "hair was auburn And his mustache didn't match." ?Judge. A Gentle Hint. Mis9 Ketchon?"Did you knock at the loor when you came to night, George?" Mr. Tumblety?"Ye?, Amy; why do fou ask?" Mis3 Ketchon (shyly)?"I thought ?erhap3 you had come with a ring." Two Professions ContrastedMr. Smarteye?"What is the difference jetween a lawyer and a doctor?" Friend?''I don't know what you nean." "You see when the lawyer ha^ a ease t lasts for rears and year9, but when a loctor gets a case he generally makejuick work of i*. See."?Neto T&rl Wild. Disgraced the Family. Office Boy (to litesary editor) ? 'There's a mud old gent outside waf vanls ter see yer." Literary Editor?"Did he say what he vanted O.Iice Boy?"Ve3 sir; he said how 'ou printed a poem that his son writ, ind he says he'll have satisfaction or gel icked."?Cincinnati Gazette. Pcrfect in the Art. Lady?"And what doe9 your fathei lo?" Little Girl?"Oh, papa is a doctor." Lady?"Indeed! I suppose he practices i great deal, does he not?" Little Girl?k,Oh, no. He doesn't >ractice anymore now, he knows how.'1 -Til-Bits. The Rinsed Planet. Marie? "So you liken me to a brilliant tar?'' Vernon?''The star of my heaven." Marie? "Please do not compare m? vith Saturn." Vernon?"Why, ray own?" Marie?"Because it has a ring." The ring was forthcoming.?Detroit Tree Pre* . Quite a Different Thins:. Tommy Traddles fame into the house rying, and in a very mussed up condiion. "Now, Tommy," said his mother, 'haven't I told you time and again not o play with that wicked little Mc,'arthy boy ?" "I hain't been play in' with him,' obbed Tommy; "he's been piayiir witr ne."?Bv-ar. A Sage Brush Artist. A Connoisseur Dawdle?"Where doe? his man Alkal come f.om that desires to oin our art club." Bangle?"He's from Arizona." Daivdle?"Arizona? What does he mow about art, anyhow:" Bangle?"Why, my dear boy, ho told le h mself he wa? chairmta of the hangDg committee several times iu Coyote Julch."?Lotctll Ci izen. Tho Ingennoin Widow. "And to think," said he, as he pressed icr little hind, "that I never met you intil to-night." "It is sudden," she answered; "bu1 hen " "Yes," he said,impulsively; "it is the Id story?the old, old story?love at irst signr. "And added to that," she gurgled, 'my being a widow."?BoAon Courier. Be'ieved in Advcrtisin7. Brown ? "Congratulations, old man! Saw by the paper this moruin? that youi afe had been broken into, but as itcouained only twenty seven cents the )urg'ars had their work for nothing, .uckv, eh?" White? "Lucky! W'hy, hang it,man, 'm mortified half to death! What sorl ?f an advertisement do you suppose thai eport is going to bo for my business?' ?Burlington Fre.? Prtm. Outside Assistance. Next door Ne'ghbor (to Mrs. HenIricksi? "Well, Airs. Hendricks, I an: -ery glad to have made your acquaiutnc^, and I hope your husband will soon eel better, ( an I do anything for you?' Mrs. Hendricks?"X0, Mrs. Charger, here is nothing at all, I assure you." Bobby--"You can do something for >a. He says it you'd stop that thumpng on your piano he'd be willing to paj i big price for it."?Bazar. Healthy Rivalry. Hotel Clerk (of the Tacoma House vith air of the cheerful and unabashed iar) ? "Why, yesterday there was suet i demand for rooms here that we had a ine of applicants from this o.1ice to the loor." Commercial Mao (with a look of guileess innocence)?"Really! that's nothing. ! was in Seattle the other night, and here was such a line waiting to get into he Occidental that the four last fell oil he end of Yeiler's wharf."?Shotted Vuym\ Involution in the Eating House. Yes," said Trenchly, at the eating louse, ''I like this place. It is so cdiying, you know, to follow articles oi liet through their e ver changing course. Iere's this meat pie, for example. irst acquaintance with it was in the shape if a roast; next day it was served as a agout, the next it appcared ns hash, hen (roqucttes, and now here it is again is meat pie. Here, take it back and keep t until to morrow. I'm just wild to enow what new guise it will put on.' ? Uotton Trunscrijtt. Ho Dropped the Subject. "He went through the window like a nan going into his hat," said Mr. Jobcius t.o his wife, speaking of a burglar. ' How was that, my dear?" she inju'red, with provo'cing innocence. "Htad foremost, of course. You never law a mau go into his hat feet foremost, lid you?''replied Jobkins, sharply. VN'o, dear,"' she said domurely; "that ^9, never till I saw you try to do it at 1 >'clock in the morning.'' After that Jobkins somehow felt inlisposed to cirry on the conversation.? Washington Critic. A Timely Hint. Tliggins (entering the drawing-room it midnight)?"Ah, Mr. Staylaight, good morning. Have you the right time?" Staylaight (in Higgin's employ, with aspirations for tne hand of Miss Higgins)?"The clock is right, sir?ten minutes past twelve." Higgins?"Thank you, my boy. I i didn't know but what it was three or four hours too fast. Don't keep Mr. Staylaight after eight o'clock, Ethel. I want to see him at the office by nine,and he must have time to put on his business suit, you know."?D.aar. Minds With the Same Thought. One of the greatest banes of a student's life is that he is obliged to write compositions. It is something looked upon as extra work and is usually left' until the last minute. Then the student hurriedly < olle ts the necessary data,and in writing is very apt to introduce sentences from the encyclopedia. Unfortunately it happens that one of the professors of English at Yale has written numerous urticiea iui me cm,jtlopcdias. A few days ago this profesi sor was reading over a composition with ' its author when he came acrcsa a pari ticularly t'.ncly constructel sentence. "That's h pretty good sentence," rc; marked the professor. ' Yes; I prided myself on that," replied the student. "So did I when I wrote it," added the , professor, to the great discomfiture of his pupil. ? Neio Maom News. i Ho Couldn't Eat the Soup. i An elderly gentleman in a restaurant, t having been served with a plate of soup i he had ordered, said to the waiter: "Look here, I can't eat this soup." "All right; I'll get you anothei plate." On receiving the second plate, the . gue9t once more remarked : ; "It's no use. I can't eat this soup." Then the waiter went to the proprie( tor, and said: "That old gentleman over there Is > complaining about the soup. He says he can't eat it." ; "l'ou don't know how to wait on people. I'll attend to him." The proprietor went to the kicking guest and said, blandly: "I understand you say tnat mere l? something the matter with the soup?" "I didu't say anything of the kind." , "You said you couldn't eat it." "Yes, I sa d I couldn't cat it." ; "Will you tell me why you can't eat i that soup?" "Certainly. I haven't got any spoon." BiJtings. Turning the Tables. Not very long ago Richard D. Hynson, of Chcstertown, one of the best known j lawyers on the Eastern shore, had a Baltimore friend who is an enthusiastic sportsman visiting him. Mr. Hynson took his friend over to Queen Anne ! County one day, intending to give him some gunning on the farm of a gentleman with whom he wns well acquainted. On the way they saw a flock of partridges , on another man's place, and the tcmpta, I tion was so great that the Caltimorean had to bang away at them. No sooner did he biing one down than the owner . of the farm pounced on him and ex' i claimed: ' Here! I can prosecute you for that. j It'll cost you $10 to go to court." t i "What'sthat?" asked the Baltimorein, j taken aback. "Just what I say. It'll cost you $10. I Won't it, Mr. Hynson?" inquired the I farmer, turning to the venerable man of | t law. "Yes," quietly replied Mr. Hynson. "You had better settle with him now," , he told his friend from the city. "Pay him the $10." Tho Bultimorean drew out a ten dollar note and was about to hand it to (; the farmer when Mr. Hynson stopped him with the remark: "By the way, jou might a3 well give that note to me." Ana when the farmer, having recovered from his astonishment, wanted to know how that was Mr. ; Ilvnson simply said: . ' "I'll charge you $10 for my advice." It is safe to presume that Mr. Hynson'a , I visitor lost nothing in the transaction.? i Bal'.i no. e News. i A Ten Million Dollar Florida Kesorf. Curious stories come from Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine, Fla. Mr. Flagler's expenditure there now amounts I to nearly *<>, 0 /0,001). Two bands were . j engaged by the notei. une was a , I Spanish band tint played during the i . dinner hour on mando ins and sang i quaint Spanish songs. The other was a famous New York band which played I '< in the courts and at the morning and 5 evening concerts. Mr. Seavey, the ; manager of the hotel, wrote Mr. Flagler i' and suggested, as there were only twelve i guests in the house, he dispense with one i of the bands. Mr. Flagler wrote brick j that lie didn't want any suggestions . ' from Mr. Seavey as to how expenses t could bo decreased, but if he had anything to say as to how I he attractiveness of the hotel could be increased he would i be glad to hear from him. Mr. Flagler does not seem discouraged. lie has just bought the railroads , running from St. Augustine to Palatka and from St. Augustine to Jacksonville. r i On a recent Sunday he changed both of these to broad gauge roads and shortened the schedule more than. half. He is going to build a bridge over the St. John's River, so that the vestibule trains can ^ run into St. Augustine from New York L j without transfer. He is building an opera house in St. Augustine to cost | j $500,000, a magnificent church and a j union depot that will cost about $200,j 000. This r'epot he will surronnd with a superb park. He is piving every street running to the hotel with asphalt at his own expense. In *hort, he is de: i termined to make St. Augustine th? grandest pleasure resort on earth. His ' j Russian baths in the Alcazar cost $300,00!), and are luxurious beyond description. I hear he says he will spend $!(?, * , 00i',000 before he has completed his pleasure plant to meet his ideas.?At.' lanta Consti'ution. An Ingenious Thief. > | A gentleman dressed in a loose coal entered a ladies' outfitting establishmenl ! in Paris, at a time when the proprietor i j was alone in the shop. The gentleman i ' asked to be shown some ready-made i ! ladies' cloaks, as he wished to give his . ; wife a little surprise. After a careful I - . 1- - ? 1 I 1 inspection lie iiacu U|iuu um;, uuu uoivvu ! the sa'e?man: "Have you not a young ! lady at liand to put ou the cloak to see how it looks'?" The proprietor regretted ' that none of the Indies of the establishi meut were in at that moment. "Well, perhaps you wouldn't object to putting j it on yourself?" The unsuspecting shop keeper slipped on the cloak,buttoned it, 1 and turned round in all direction*, j "Magnificent;" exclaimed the purchaser with seeming ecstasy, but at the sam<! moment he made a grab at the till, which ; he thrust under his coat, and bolted oul of the shop. The horrified proprietor J rushed after him into the street, where, however, he was seized by the passers-by, who dragged him back to tne shop ic the supposition that the poor fellow hac ij gone mad, and before he could evpla'r ! matters the rogue had d:sappeared. .-.v.: - ' -'v^^mgngngi ' ' ' ' " COREAN LAMES. PICTURESQUE ADDITIONS TO OUR DIPLOMATIC CIRCLE. The First Females Fro:n the "Land of the Morninc Calir." to Vlnit America?Their Physique and Odd Costumes. A few evenings ngo, lays a recent issue of the Wadi ngtou Ufar, theie al:ghted from the Chicago ind Washington limited a group of strange human figures robed in "the picturesque and unique costumes of the inhabitants of Cipaogo and Cathay. A figure whose silken robes, stately mien, and ceremonious reticence has relieved the monotony of occidental loquacity and funereal garb incidental to the round of social gayeties of the capital, and a tall, young, and handsome American awaited the train as it rumbled into the station. The travelers were Ye Wan Yun, a Corcan olticial of wealth and of rank equal to that of a minister, who has no present relation to the legation, but is on a special mission, and is fluent in English, and Ye Cha Yun, tho well-known secietary of legation, who accompanied the affable diplomatic head of tne embassy, Prince Pnk, on account of illness, back to his native land, and who is still the minister aud may return. The two oriental officials were accompanied by their wives, the first of thoir tex to leave their country to mingle among "the people of the western ocoan," and the first women of "the land of the morning calm," who have ever visited the I nited States, and are a novel acquisition to the personnel of the diplcrraatic corps near the court of the Republic. They will be known on the diplomatic list as Mrs. Ye Wan and Mrs.' Ye Cha. In their own land the nomenclature of femininity is not for the purpose of individualizing but for the proprietary identification of paternity, as the daughter of?or of matrimonial possesion,as the wife. The parly were escorted to the legation, the women being placed in a closcd carriage. Upon their arrival they were assigned to their apartments, and have not been out of the house publicly since. Mrs. Allen, the wife of the foreign secretary, called immediately. The little women were overjoyed at her presence, particularly as she spoke to them in their OAn language. (. n board the steamer coming over they were very much restricted and in crossing the American continent they were seven days shut up on the car in a drawing room compartment, which, for the time being, wa9 converted intc a Corean ang pang, and where their meala were also brought to them. The windows were open so that they could admire the country, a fondness for scenery being a national characteristic. They spoke to Mrs. Allen of the wonders of the mountain scenery, the giandetir of the river*, the magnificence of the cities and of the new and terrifying way of traveling in this country. They said they were happy, but were aston'shed at the greatness and size of this mighty nation. The two types of Corenn ladies who may after awhile, when more accustomed to their surroundings, be permitted to follow their husbands among men and women in what "western ocean" people call society, are short in stature, well formed, very dark, with heavy oriental hair, almond eyes and fiat features, the distinctive mark of Mongolian physiognomy. 1 hey are very sprightly in manner among themselves. In their native land, l;ke the women of China and Japan, they are great gossips. When the nlmond eyed ladle3 arrived their toilette was a hood of black fur, opened at the top, and ending at the rear in a point turned up, and had a trailing plume of rare feathers of their country. Their persons were enveloped in loose robes, concealing them entirely. After retiring to the improvised ang-pang of the legation and arranging themselves thcv descended to the dining room and ate their first dinner in Washington. Their dinner costume consisted of the richest fabrics of their silkproducing and silk-weaving country. The skirt wai of indigo-hued rich native silk, cut long and en traine, in the style of ladies of rank. The waist wa3 of a lighter shade of blue silk, trimmed with white. Their shoes were light colored Corcan cloth sandals. Their thick raven tresses were held down smoothly aga'nst the head and fastened in a sort of a long kuot at the back and he'.d wi:h a jade hair-pin. Around their waists they wore a belt of heavv material, which not onlv divides the upper and lower portions of the body,and gives the outlines of beauty to the figure, but is also utilized for holding the end of the train when not in use for display,it being brought gracefully around on the right, and.tucked in the belt, the end hanging ovefiu front. The Japanese ladies, who associate only among each olher, according to custom, are very exact in their toilettes, and are more graceful in the use of their train than the ma ority of their western sislers. An American lady wi.l carry her train, when not in uce, over her arm. The Corean lady, bringing it gracefully around her person, hangs the end over her belt, her arms being free. The ladies are twenty-two and twenty-three years of nee, and are the wives or rulin<r women of the domestic surroundings of the Corean officials. Mules Fashionable in Go'.hnra. It seerae3 to be fashionable now to drive mules. If you ?et a good pa:r of mules they are much more desirable (that '8 it you want tooe in tne rasmon; than horses. Quite frequently now I see in the Park or up on the road several gayly painted little traps with several gayiy painted l ttle ladies with very dark-colored little footmen drawn by a pair of mules. They seem to attract a great deal of attention, which to me is a matter of no little wonder. I never saw anything attractive in a mule. I would much rntlirr look at a mule, though, than drive behud one. Still, as society sanctions mule*.and we musn't buck against society, it doesn't du to be too critical. There are many other places where mules can ba seen without going half the distance to Central Park. Just look into the windows of the Avenue Club some day when you are passing by. But these kind of mule< don't know enough to draw a cart, and -- '- /Mir atfonHnw. .V //> so scurccijr wuiw v-. ? , York News. Illinois One Vast Dairy. I The dairy interest of Illinois is growing rapidly. In l^sa the value of milk products in the State was over $4,00 00;?, while the value of such products in the I nited States was 000,000. The number of cows in the State is ! 0'\000. The average value of the product for each cow in the northern part of the State, where the interest is most extensive, is over $:o per annum. In the southern portion creameries are multiplying rapialy, and the value of milk products in the southern counties has tripled in the last two years. Dairyirg has become an established interest in eighty counties. & - i - * " * " ' ' : ?.r*- - , ?'l'\ ' ' * * *"'*' : h! * ' "*"rc .y The Evolution of the Steeple. As the very earliest churches had no bells, and therefore no belfries, there were no spires. When bells were first used to summon worshippers they were small and were suspended in smail bell turrets or bell cots. After large bells were made high and rich and imposing steeples were crected for their reception. Communities vied with cach other to make them as magnificent as possible and in the number of bells they placed in them. They seem in early instances to have been placed at the west end of churches, probably in continuation of the custom in vogue before they were required of placing strong towers there for the purpose of defense. Eventually, central towers were adopted, in cruciform buildings especially. These com| bined the purpose of a belfry, with the | addition of a vast open space in the in| terior, which gave light and grandeur to it. Small edifices may have been content with low coaical spires or spirelets in these remoto times; but as years passed, succeeding builders made them more and more pointed or needle-like, nnd orpnpmllc r>f the same height as the "~ *? o ? towers on which they were placed. Every church tower was either finished with a spire or intended to be so finished at a future time. I ondon wh;u seen from a distance is said to have presented the aspect of a forest of spires. There were particular laws of construction always carried out, which need not be described except to mention that much of the sober, soaring, light,and picturesque effect of their outlines is the result of the clever treatment of the transition from the square of the tower to the form of the pyramidal octagon. .Recorded particulars concerning their erection are extremely rare; but more frequeutly in old church wardens' accounts there are entries in which mention is made of them. For instance, the church wardens of Ludlow recorded in 1315: "In primis payd for a key to the dore that goothe up into the stiplei d.'1 And aga n, in lo50: "To j Thomas Season for gowinge up into th? stiple ij. wyndy nyghtes to save the glase ther in the wyndowis, xd." The materials used differed according to the 1 A.AAfinn nAei/laa cfnnfl I iUWllitJT UL tliOJi CiC^tiUU, vvvmv I and timber covered with lead, we have j examples covered with slates, and others I with oaken shingles. This last covering is seen only on the spires of village churches in our southernmost counties ? Chamber*1? Journal. Getting Beady to bo Burled AIIvp. "I propose," sad Dr. Tanner, the faster, "to so discipline my body and mind that I can take upon nyself at voliticn a trance state, and while in this condition be buried. I shall remain in the grave four weeks, then be disinterred, and, I believe, resuscitated. Impossible? No! The East Indian priesta have successfully demonstrated for centuries that it cau be doue. The study I have given this subject ha3 revealed much to me. Many of the secrets of this performance have revea'ed themselves to mo. One of the prin:ipal acts is to throw the tongue back into the gullet ' -r it. ana cause a cnange 01 me cnuuiunuu v> the blood, so that it resumes the conditions of the pre natal state. "in that state there is no respiration; the body thus becomes air-tight; it is as if hermetically sealed, and the valves of the heart are changed to a condition similar to the position occupied in the unborn child. This is but one of the secrets I have learned; but to ascertain them I have studied every book upon the subject, although none contained many rays of light. I have killed scores I of raccoons, opos3ums, bears, and otliei : hibernating animals when in their winI ter's sleep, and dissected them to learn the changes of tbe organs while in this | letha-gic state. For years I have dieted ! to gain all the strength possible for this great achievement. Iam now prepa ed (to say that but a comparatively short I time will elapse before I will announce I that I am ready for the undertaking.'"? Chicago Tribune. ??? An American Isthmus Canal. Admiral Ammen has for many years been intimately as30c:atea w th explora- i tions on the American Isthmu* with referea e to a canal, aud i9 probably the most accurately and fully informed man living about all the canal route3 which have been proposed. He writes to the New York Ber-ilJ: "As located, every part of the work on the Nicaragua j Canal can be carried on without delay | and with economy. The summit be- J tween the two oceans on the Nicaragua route is only 153 feet above low tide; the bottom of the lake is for the most ' part at sea level, and the surface of the lake, as it will be maintained, is HQ | feet above the sea. This level will cx! tend to within fifteen miles of the harbor ! of Graytown on the Atlantic side, and to within three miles of the harbor of J lirito on the Pacific. Lying between | these distances wiil be an uninterrupted i waterway of 152 miles. The actual | length of prism excavation will be less i tha ? twenty-nine mile?, of which, when ' cleared of the forests, sixteen can be dug ; by dredges without rock or < uicksana to embarrass the worK. ah oi cue cascu- i tiftl conditions that insure success are fultil'ed to a remarkable degress: 1. A superabundant water supplj at the summit. 2. Asurfa e drainage that assures immunity from floods. 3. \ ery great economy in construction. It as an cs! tablished fact that the country is exj ceptionally healthy.'' Admiral Amman believes that the canal can be completed in live years. The Author of 'Heautifat Snow." Stop! I have discovered the author of "beautiful Snow." His name is ohn W. Watson, and he isabrakeman ou the Mnth avenue elevated road. A cynical, soured, seltish old man pointed him out to me the other day?not pitifully, but with an idle, snceriug remark upon the I reward of fame. The poet-brakeman is ! tall and dark and slight. Gloomy fancies are rippling across his sensitive face as he stares down upon the roadway below him. The author of one of the mo3t beautiful poems of its class in literature is poor, neglected, unknown. The throbbing lines which have moistened the eyes of millions have brought him nothing. The verses were sola by ti m tor ? auu printed some twenty years ago?in the Sunday Mercurr, I think. Perhaps he is forty-live now, and among old newspaper men his claim to their authorship is unquestioned. All that sensibility, tint artistic feeling, that literary genius, is throw u away. The poet is lost and forgotten in the clatter and dust of the : elevated road. What a queer thing sue- I cess is, to be sure. How odd are the | qualities and circumstances which com- j j raand it.?New York Star. ? A Cure for Smallpox. | "I am willing to risk my reputation as ' a public man," wrote Edward iline to the Liverpool Mtrcury, "if the worst case of smallpox cannot be cured in three days by the use of cream of tartar. One ounce of crcam of tartar dissolved in a pint of water, drank at intervals, when cold, is a certain, never-failing lemedy. It has cured thousands, never leaves a mark, never causes blindness, and avoids tedious lingering." POPULAR SCIENCE. t 9 Sorbite is said to be aa unfermeatable1 BR Silicious earth is the cleanest, whitest, H purest sand. IE The specific gravity of dry is greater than that of moist air. Hj Cold dust, flour dust, starch and flour - H are all explosives when mixed with cer- IB tain proportions of air. Qj Paint mixed with turpentine is a better protector for iron work than whea mixed with linseed oiL Aluminous earth, or argil, is purest :lay. It is composed chiefly of the H chemical earth alumina. SE In India when a hot wind is blowing nR the wet bulb sometimes sinks forty degrees below the temperature of the air. 9| All the lead work about the recently iflj discovered l oman baths in England was H in a wonderfully perfect state of preser- I Mr. C. J. Symons, the British meteorologist, has expressed the belief that togs are increasing?not only in London M but generally. Excepting the skin and bones, the H various tissues and substances constitut- I ing the human organism have practically fl the same electric conductibility. H The eider has greatly increased in Ice- MS land during recent years, thanks to strict H preservation and to the fact that the peo- M pie are realizing tha value of the bira. H It is recommended to shade the lights H on Brooklyn Bridge so that they can H illuminate that structure without their glare interfering with pilots of passing H vessels. S In the German weather reports since B 137(5 Dr. Less has found twenty-eight H cases of snow-fall at temperatures be- H tween 41 degrees and 53 degrees F. Thunder accompanicd eleven cases. Prisms are made of glass and other re* H fracting so'ids and fluids?like carbon ?nnp)nv>i^ in alftSS : and thev HI | i/iguij^umv VMW?W?V?* ? p.-.? , m give spectra corresponding to the light* fl| dispersing powers of the material. H | The purest blue clays, or pipe clay, H ! contain no more than thirty-six to forty |H par cent, of alumina, chemically combined with fifty-two to sixty per cent, of IB silica, and three to four per cent, of B oxide of iron. ^ Shells found in the lower levels of the H caves at Dordogne, i- ranee, indicate that H the Neanderthal man made common use H of the oyster, which is thus proven to H be the oldest domesticated delicacy . H known to man. The amount of waste material that 9 should, according to calculation, pass ' H through the Narrows at New York every H year is sufficient to make a solid dam |H from tower to tower of the Brooklyn H Bridge as high as those towers and widet Hj than it is high. H How spoages bore into solid limestone H or shells is as yet an unsolved problem. M. NassonotI has investigated a new I species of Clione wnich tunnels oyster and H mussel shells, and he believes that the H boring of the canals and galleries is p?r- H formed solely by the soft parts of the H sponge. The penetration of the prolouga- Hj tion of the body of the sponge into the shell appears to be accomplished by the H secretion of a corroding liquid, probably H an acid. H A Frightful Situation Under Ice. Sfl Merrick Belden, ot Hanover, Mo., EH who walked into an air hole in the Miss- H issippi while returning home from chop- H piug wood, and was miraculously saved M while his companion, Chas. Bailey, a H farmer of Sand Piairie, was drowned, H related to the Gbhe-Dtrruxrat < orrespon- Bfl dent his horrible experience under the MB ice, and the circumstances attending hi* H rescue. H "Bailev and myself," said he, "wer# H | walking at a fair p.icc on tbo ice in the H I evening on our way home from oao of Hj| the islands where we had been chopping H wood. The moon had not jet risen, n and we were busily engaged in con versa- H tion. Suddenly Baily, who wa3 a foot H or two in advance of me, uctered a cry, there was a quick splash of water, and H| before I could save myself we were both H in the air hole together. My fried tried . H hard to clutch the ice so as to prevent H himself from being hauled under by tha H current, but was unsuccessful, and dis? H appeared in an instant. As for myself, H 1 succeeded in grasping the edge of the 9 ice, and held on for about the space oi H a minute, I should judge, making a su- H perhuman effort to haul myself to the H surface. But the ice, wh ch was thin, IE gave way, nnd I was drawn under the Rfl water and whiled along, my head and body H scraping against the under surface of tha H ice. My sensations for an instant wer? H horrible, but these feelings were super* 99 scded by a trance-like state, which was H like going into a sweet sleep. All at H once I experienced a sudden jerk, which | roused me from my lethargy, and open* | ii:g my eyes I found myself foundering *1 ~ J nt* fhon in QQOicer uou qiucij i&~uwiv wuuu the one into which I had fallen. I clutched madly at the edge of the ice B and cried loudly for help. The current,/ which was very swift, carried me to the e H lower edge erf the hole, and throwing my arms out onto the ice, I succeeded in holding on and braciog myself until I wa* hauled out by John Connelly, a fish- H erman, who heard my cry for help. I cannot tell how long 1 w.-:s under wfctor, But the air hole from which I was res- H ctfed was upward of 300 feet from where ?H I first fell in. I kept my mouth closed H all the time, and when takien out the blood was issuing from my nose and ears. [ wish I was able to explain to you the horrors I experienced the first few jH seconds I wnh being whirled along under the ice, but words cannot express my sensations. I can only tell you that I lived my life over again in that brief H neriod. and that I would not go through the same e : pcrieace again for all the gold B| in the universe." H A furious Will. fli This curious will has been offered for H probate ia the Surrogate's Court,Brook- H In the name of Oo l, Amen. This is mv last will ami Testament an.I my will is such HP that after my death everything I poses and Ml own shall belong to my biloved wife. his X mark. gU Signed in PresenJ of Henry Meyer. c'nahlks Bennjes. |b November li>, 18SS. |K Although the name of the testator, B wjiimtn i\ ipinp not aouear ou the little piece of yellow wrapping paper oo 9H which the will was written, it will be adm tted to probate. Mr. Kleiuc left considerable real estate.? Xiw York Sun. Difficulties of Yenti tion. fl The circumstances that makes ventila- fl| tion a well n gh impracticable reform i? H that nearly every one think3 he has got it, or can get it, through any hole or flB frivolous guncrack that will let in or out, or whirl about a whi!f of adjacent air. The strong, sustained suction in H all weathers that will draw the sluggish V] air from every corner and cranny, is not only unknown, but unconceived, in Al nearly all efforts at ventilation, so-called. K J Sir Humphrey Davy's auger holes in the H ceiling of the House of Commons are not often improved upon at present day. B ?Sanitary Era*