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f-:m ' ? Togethor. We took n lone-forsaken road Groan maples bending over; Between tho deep-sunk cart ruts showed A narrow, graasy bordor, gay With shopherd'd purse and carawnj) And rabbitfoot and clover. We b?w about tho silent luko Thick mnkyof glossy laurel; Tho hill was crowned with bush and brake And wild ipircna's rosy spires, The crumbling wall was choked in briers, Tlin wnrn with Hiiri'ol . v 4,v w "u'v *v%* ' v The noonday foil on waste nnd wood; Deep glowed tlio golden woathor; In green, encircling solitude Wo felt our meeting glance confess: "With love there is no loneliness? No lonolincss together !" Agnin wo take the winding track? No clmnge by lull or hollow, We watch the forest stretching back, The same slow moss on stock nnd stono, Tho Bamo red roses overblown? in. . ft i. . ? . r. n . inoy oecKonnnu wo iouow : oh ! is this th' enchanted way? srjr Is this the happy weathor? / Mysterious change that blots the day ! Long moments when our eyes coafoss The pang of silent lonoline-ss? We're lonely here together ! ?J>ora Bead Goodale. THE BURGLAR. "There is no use talking, Mr. Wylks, I cannot stand this much longer. You have been out every night this week until after twelve, and I haven't slept a wink, fretting about you, until I am almost tired out" "Well, don't worry about me, dear. Go to sleep to-night, and got a good rest." "That is just like a man, to talk so. Go to sleep, indeedl I presume you would, and leave the house to take care of itself, to be broken into by hnrfflQra onH matrho fVia tttIiaIo fomilir 6 * U?vl WW UUVy II 11VAV* ACtUllAJ would bo murdered. If you loved me as you used to when we were first married, you would not be willing to leave me every evening for the club house, while I worry and fret, and get my nerves all unstrung." "It is necessary that I should attend to these things, my dear. The country must be governed, and growing i needs require constant watchfulness and new laws. I don't mean to be out any more than I am obliged to. You must be willing to sacrifice a little for the good of your country. Just make up your mind that you will go to sleep, and you won't be troubled anv further with wakefulness." "The idea of me coolly making up my mind to go to sleep while you are out is perfectly preposterous. I wouldn't be so heartless." "Well, I won't go out to-morrow night, I'll stay in with you; but tonight I must." 'Oh, dear! I suppose I must stand it; but i'nTfcure something will happen. I have a presentment, and when did my presentments ever fail ? We may never see each other again. If you come home and find baby and me killed, don't be surprised." "I'll try not to be," replied Mr. Wylks as he put on his overcoat and smiled down at the troubled face of his wife. Then he gave her a good-by kiss and left her, ahd she hurried through the house to make sure that the windows were all fastened down and the bolts of the doors all nuahfid r ? into their fastenings, then she sat down and read all tho startling accidents, the terrible burglaries and the frightful murders that the dally papers furnish so plentifully, and when she had got herself wrought up so that she could sit still no longer, she once more yisited all the windows and doors and warned the girls against removing a single bolt or bar. Then she returned to her cozy sitting room and sat down in silence, listening for the sounding of some thieving wretch, and trying to imagine what she should do if one of the villains should confront her and demand inwMa ond the key to the silver closet. Time went on and the clock struck 11, sdll she was undecided what she had better do if anything unusual should happen. The girls had gone ctp to bed, and were, undoubtedly, sound asleep. xlalf an hour crept by. Baby cried out in his sleep, and Mrs. Wylks hastened to him, for there was no nurse to attend him. Mrs. Wylks would never trust the little darling with any one but herself. She shut and fastened the bedroom door, and lay down beside her little one to soothe him Ito sleep. The clock struck 12, and then Mrs. Wylks heard a noise. Breathlessly she listened; soft footsteps were creeping up the stairs. They paused a moment at her door, and then she heard the knob turn, but as the door did not open the midnight marauder passed softly on. She heard him enter the sitting room, and for a moment ^ ill was still. 1 "Something must be done," soliloquized Mrs. Wylks, as she softly raised herself from beside her steeping Infant MI cannot lie here and let everything } be carried out of the house; I must do ( something." Softly she turned the key, and gently opened the door, and noiselessly crept into the hall, determined to do something. Tremblingly she crept toward the sitting-room door, expecting every moment to be met by the monster of a law-breaker. She gained the sitting-room door and peeped cautiously in. Xo one was in sicrht. but she heard?yes, she very distinctly heard some one in the closet. An idea suggested itself to her mind. She clasped her hands together for a second, then springing forward she push- ; pd thp plnsnh rlnnr t.r? anil t.nrnpd t.h#? key. Only a few seconds' work and she had him safe. She heard his cries to be let out as she fled up tho stairs to the girls' room, screaming. I've got him! I've got the burglar! Now, quick for the police! Ann, Bridget. He'll burst open the door! quick, get up and run! Aroused from their slumbers, the girls rubbed their eyes and failed to understand the situation. "Oh, be quick!" cried Mrs. "VVylks, wringing her hands. "What is it, ma'am?" asked the girls in the same breath. "The burglar! I've got him down stairs in the closet! Oh, hurry! He'll break out, and then we're lost!" At tho name of "burglar" both girls hid themselves under the bedclothes, and paid not the least attention to Mrs. Wylks' pleadings. "He'll lirpJllv nut.- T Irnnw h? will and kill the baby. Ob, dear, ain't you going to get the police?" and Mrs. "Wylks tugged at the bed-clothes. "Och! ochl" answered the girls, holding on to their night coverings. "Oh, dear! I'll go myself. I won't be killed! I won't have the baby killed! I leave you to your fate!" and Mrs. "Wylks fled, closely followed by the girls, who objected to being left to their fate, and, springing from their beds, they had caught up whatever articles of wearing apparel lay conveniently at hand, and followed their mistress down the stairs, past the j door of the sitting-room, on to Mrs. I Wylks* room, where a pause was made ! long enough for the anxious, loving | mother to grasp her baby, and wrap a blanket, which she hastilyidrew from her bed, around it, and the girls arrayed themselves in whatever they had brought with them, enlivening the time, while making their toilet, with little shrieks and screams, as they heard a voice from the closet demanding, in no gentle tone, to be let out. Then the three women and the baby took up their onward rush down-stairs. They halted to open the front door, and the young heir of the household. so rucieiy aroused ironi his slumbers, entered a protest In loud and angry tones. The door was opened, and Mrs. Wylks took her stand on the steps, while the girls hurried away for help. What a long time, it seemed to Mrs. Wylks, they were gone. She could not hear the captured burglar banging on the door; and calling to be released, ? not even when she stepped Into the hall and listened. lie had undoubtedly resigned himself to conouerincr cir cumstaaces. "Oh. how I wish Mr. "Wylks would come," she said to herself, nestling her baby close in her arms. "I knew something was going to happen. How glad he will be that baby and I are Bafe. Oh, I am so glad that you have come!" This last exclamation was caused by the appearance of the two girls and half a dozen police. "You've captured a burglar, I understand, ma'am," said the captain, A f_, HT..I1 auuicosiujj .una. tyjfms. "Oh, yes. He's in the closet up stairs; that is if ho has not gone out," and Mrs. "Wylks pointed the way for them to go, and followed closely in the rear. r> "Sure, they think you're a hero, ma'am," whispered Ann to her mistress as they went up the stairs. Into the bitting room they marched, and arranged themselves before the closet door. The captain unlocked and opened it; two officers sprang forward and dragged forth their victim. if.. ? i ? 1?VI-J iv. iuig. iTjriivo pccicu iium uoumu me opun door, where she had hidden, and looked at the prisoner. She then came out to get a closer look, and with a rather ashamed expression on her face she observed: "Why, Mr. Wylks, is that you ? * After a short and entirely satisfactory explanation the officers withdre w and Mrs. Wylks fondly embraced her captured burglar, who faithfully promised he would never, never, never do so any more. One of the strongest men in the world in the Chilian miner. He lives principally on the lentil, the cheapest and most nutritious food known for its weight. . , ^ N*'\ ~ k ^ ** ? ' Very Absent-Minded. It is a very awkward thing to bo absent-minded. The story is told of a certain gentleman, who discovered this at his cost. It so happened the other day that the dining-room of the club which ho frequented was quite full, when a man who chanced to know his particular failing came in very hungry. The waiter told the new-comer there was no room at present. Spying his absent-minded friend comfortably seated and reading the newspaper, a brilliant idea struck the hungry man. "Has Mr. A. dined yet?" he questioned. "No sir," replied the waiter. "Well, never mind; take him u card, and tell him lie has had his dinner." The waiter hesitated a moment, and then, appreciating the situation, went uyoi lu i>xr. ^v. una nanueu aim a card. "What is this for?" quoth th poor fellow. "For your dinner, sir." "My dinner?ah ! Have I really had it?" "Yes, sir," rejoined the waiter, in all innocence. "Dear me; I had an idea I was waiting for it. What a curious mistaice.' Ana, with a contemplative smile, Mr. A. sauntered out of the room, leaving his table for the use of the genius who had profited by his absent-mindedness.?Argonaut. John Randolph's Sarcasm. On the death of a certain Senator his place was filled by a young man, with more courage than judgment. He determined to do up the "Bald Eagle of the American Congress," and in his "maiden speech" proceeded to carry out his intention. The House listened, amazed, and waited in eager expectation that Randolph would rise and with his formidable forefinger and withering wit, demolish the young aspirant for oratorical honors. But nothing of the kind occurred. Randolph of Roanoke kept on writing, making no sign that he even heard the speech. A few days after, however, resolutions were passed on the death of the late Senator. Randolph rose and said that the House had met to eulogize and pass resolutions of respect upon the late great Senator from , "ichose seat," he added, pointing to where his successor sat; "is still vacantl" This was all the notice he ever took of the young man who had attempted to "do up Old Randolph."? Cleveland Ledger. Luxurious Students. "There's a fellow rooms there whose furniture alone is insured for $15,000," remarked Achilles as we passed it "He's one of those New York swells." The luxurious conditions, indeed, under which learning is pursued at Harvard is enough to make one believe that it has a royal road, and that the regime of Harvard has secured a patent on it "Whether the luxuriously padded methods just now in vogue there, with the addition of the "Parker House Annex," will produce men of superior force to those that Harvard turned out fifty years ago, is a problem that may, in the near future, present itself for solution. "While there is an atmosphere of strong, genuine work, under noble professors, by noble and earnest under-graduates at Harvard, there is also this element of the sybarite luxuries which one may fear might prove that "cushion of advantages on which a boy goes to sleep," as Emerson puts it.?Boston Letter. The Earth Older Than the San. M. Faye, a French astronomer, maintains that the earth is oldei than the sun. All of the planets from Mercury to Neptune were formed first. The Bun was a nebular mass far outside their orbits. Subsequently it passed over to the center oi the planetary system, and collected there into the grand luminary which we know. Uranus and Neptune were then evolved from the scattering fragments, having satellites with retrograde motion. In the present period life may have existed first in the northern regions, as the fauns and flora found there indicate. Then there were no arctic winters, the loeomotion of thanahuloiia mas?bftinirmin>' as to radiate most heat upon th< poles and that part of the earth't surface bo sadly neglected in oui present calorific arrangement. A Slight Mistake. Arabella : "The poor little fellow is dreadfully sick. It makes my hear! ache to watch him." Josephine : "Does he grit his teett and start in his sleep?" "I haven't noticed. I am afraid it'i some kind of fever. . and it nlmnai drives me to distraction. His eyes have a wild gleam in them?." "Give him some sweet spirits o: nitre." And yesterday I noticed he wagge< his tail? "Good gracious, ArabellaI what ar< you talking about?" "About my poodle, of course." "Oh 1 I thought you meant youi baby."?Philadelphia Call, fttl-v! / ; . . V -V ' sC'v1-. .> ; wTOliflBfthmYwIHiiiM GIANTS OF THE FOREST. Something About the California Redwood Tr-ee. Twenty-Five Thousand Feot of Lumber i from a Single Specimen. The Redwood of California Is tho i second largest and the third loftiest tree of the known world. It reaches its greatest perfection upon the seaward slopes and along the transverse i ravines of tho Coast Mountains of the northern and central parts of the i State. It is Occasionally found scattered or clumped among other growths, but is generally massed in dense forests. It grows so high, branches so thickly and stands so close as to darken even noonday brightness into shadnwv ovnn in nr f wilir?V?fc ?i mnn rr tho li 11 rvo ""J ~ ..u*wu6 VUV. monumental trunks below. Fog seems its favorite food. The lofty, thick and spreading tops form vast and swift condensers of the heavy fogs which descend in local daily rains, forming pools which often remain till high noon even in hottest days of the dryest season. Whore the trees have been cut away, with no provision for regrowth, springs have dried up and streams have failed. The name is one of those simple, obvious, Saxon christenings which every spectator understands the mo ment he sees the color of the wood. Its hues show all varieties of red, from tho most delicate pink of the finest cedar to tho deepest and darkest shades of the richest mahogany. In some casts its reddish-browns rival those of black walnut, while under long exposure to the weather it takes on a blackness equal to that of ebony. In texture and appearance the wood is occasionally waved, curled, flecked, veined, mottled, twisted and interwoven in the most varied, intricate and beautiful manner. Indeed, some specimens show all these varieties of formation combined. Its knots, roots and burls furnish veneers as exquisitely beautiful as those of the most costly imported woods. * If they came from some distant foreign land, fairly staggering under some polysyllabic, i unpronounceable name, our cabinet makers, artists in carving, and their wealthy patrons would esteem them almost priceless. Its grain and density vary from those of the softest pine to those of the densest beech. When 1 wet or unseasoned the wood is often enormously heavy. Specimens have been known to sink instantly. The thickness of the bark varies from four to twelve inches. Its texture resern' bles that of the famous Sequoias, or big trees, which are but a gigantic species of the Redwood. In height the California lied wood allows but two other vegetable growths to look down upon it. Those i~ it?i - ? A UIC1L3 lUi-ty Xclutivc UU(J,VC iilllKlcU U) and the Australian Eucalyptus. It has been known to reach 320 feet; quite qften 250; very commonly 200 to 225. In diameter specimens reaching twenty feet have been authentically measured. Thousands of trees now standing in the newly opened Loma Prieta and others districts girt from thirty to forty feet. The logs from these trees are often so large that they have to ' be blasted into halves and even quarters before the wood-teams and sawmills can handle them. One tree yielded seventeen logs each twelve feet long, and the upper one six feet through at the smaller end. It is true that these stories may seem incredibly "big" to the Eastern reader, but the trees them selves are very much bigger, as the incredulous may easily satisfy themselves by visiting the localities already named. Twenty-five thousand feet of lumber from a single tree is very common. In the foggier and moister northern counties the average from each tree is fully one half greater. For posts, sills, ties, flumes, aqueducts and sewers the wood is the best known. It is also admirably adapted to the inside finish of halls, diningrooms, billiard-iooms? music-rooms, libraries, churches, cars and steamships, as well as for many forms of cabinet-making. "When exposed to the weather without paint or oil, it turns nearly black. It has also the remarkable quality of , shrinking endwise, and, what is still ^ more remarkable in the same log different year's growths sometimes t shrink un-equally. Sparks and cinders of burning redwood, falling upon j flat or sloping surfaces, even shingle I roofs, go out at once. Shingles of it , Ignite with great difficulty from sparks of other wood. Itseemsto be naturalP ly fireproof in the midst of exposure which would raickly kindle other I woods. The beautiful redwood is already and nually supplying a constantly increasing demand in our Eastern cities, while a new and wealthy syndicate is r exporting millions of feet to Europe. To her already vast income from the great staples, wheat, wine and woe the Golden State now adds a ne source of wealth in the regular and ii creasing export of the valuable ar beautiful timber and lumber of th queen of the vegetable Kingdom, tl California Redwood.?San Francis Call. Eggs in Ireland. Seeing that some three-fourths < the whole population of Ireland a more or less connected with or enga, ed in agricultural pursuits, there probably no question more often ask( daily by at least 1,000,000 -of the pop lation of Ireland than, "What is tl price of eggs?" From the momei the well-known "Cluck, cluck," heard from the hen announcing tl production of nn fearer t.hprft ?q n rue A "OO w -w ***" made for it, which never ceases unl the empty shell is thrown into the n? bin. That egg is bartered and reba tered, sold and sold again, many tim before it is introduced to the brea fast-table. Many lies are told abo its age, some about its size, many mo about its price. Eggs are bought 1 the dozen and by the hundred of a score. In some parts of Irelan notably in Dublin market, the hundri counts one hundred and twenty-fou The trade is divided mainly into tv classes?buyers and shippers or e porters. The former are again su divided into two other classes?deale and shopkeepers. Buyers sell dire 4- _ 4-1 -U 1 -L? - " at i,u? snippers; snippers export aire either to customers in Scotland, En lund, or Wales, or to an agent or bro er there, who sells for him on commi sion. The buyer is a man or worn; owning, or in many cases hiring, donkey, mule, or horse, and going fro one farmer's house to another buyii their eggs for money; or, in mai cases, giving goods, such as groceri< needles, thread, and other like usef articles, in barter for eggs. Dealc are a smaller class of buyers. They a mostly old women who have what called a "dealing," that is, a small she which fro:n ten to thirty shillin would stock, their husbands or ch dren being of the laboring class. The poor dealers buy up from 300 to 41 eggs weekly, mostly obtaining t same by barter. These they us ally send in by a donkey cart in basket resembling a fish-womar creel, once a week, to the town whe the nearest shipper resides; or son: times, if needy, will sell for a It price than would bo had from tl shipper to a well-to-do buyer. Ev in the humblest walks of life there pride, and the poorest dealers will n sell to any one but a shipper, unle they are very badly off for ready mo ey.?Chambers' Journal. The Vitality of Seeds* The seeds of the willow will not g< minate after having been once di The seeds of coffee and various oth plants do not germinate after havii been kept for any considerable tin Wheat over two centuries old h been found quite fit for food, but t grains usually lose their power growth after a lapse of sevea. yea ui i j *2 auu wucab ivuuwu be 185 years old could not be indue to germinate. "The stories of 'mui my wheat' sprouting after having la dormant in Egyptian tombs for the sands of years are, to say the least them, very dubious," declares I Robert Brown, F. L. S. "Xo we authenticated instances of such lin are extant, while among other articl sold by the Arabs to credulous trav ers, as coming out of the same toe as the ancient wheat, have been dahJ bulbs and maize, the deposition which in the receptacle from whi they were said to bo extracted neces tates the belief that 3000 years ago t subjects of the Pharaohs were enga ed in commerce with America." AVh kept dry and protected from light ai air, however, seeds have been kno^ to retain their vitality for some lengt a t j_ o-^_u a i i eneu penuus. oeuus 01 me uean ai pea order have sprouted after 100 yes storage in an herbarium, and ma similar instances?most of their, son what doubtful?have been recorded. Houses In the Natlonnl Capital. It is easy to obtain a home in Waa ington, because most of the real esta agents will take a small cash payme and arrange the remainder of the de at a low rate of interest?in sor cases as low as five per cent. Certa lot holders have a very great adva tage. Scattered throughout Washic ton there is a very large number of 1 tin nlnt.s nf orrnunrl wltinh hnlnnrr the public reservations. These bits parking are given tip rent free to t lot-owners, who build up close them. They have the practical use them for nothing. They can fen them in, ornament them as they pleai and enjoy everything about them e cept building on them. In many i stances these little public strips a the only yards that certain house ow era have.?New York World. \ ' / ' ; ' ll? CLIPPINGS FOR THE CURIOUS, w a. The policemen of Genoa wear silk. l(j hats and carry silver-headed canes. '3 A lemon weighing 4 pounds and 13 10 ounces was recently picked at Panasco oll'kee, Fla. When potatoes were first introduced Into Connecticut, it was held that if a man ate them every day he could not ro i live beyond seven years. g. I The quantity of oil contained in ig olives varies from twenty to sixty per ?d cent., depending upon tho variety, u- size and ripeness of tho fruit. ie Although a variety of microscopic it forms of plants have been found on is bank notes and coins in circulation, ie none known to be dangerous to human ih life has yet been discovered. jk The general average of the human pulse, though the exceptions are very ' numerous, may be put at birth at 140; two VPara. 1(10* frnm oivtoun nU/> ^ | ? ) ? v ? j ** w*A* W1AVVUU UV U 1 UC" . teen, 80; at manhood, 70; and at old ro ?8e-6oy The English Statistical Society's ix Journal shows that the mean duration d, of life in England has increased during sd the last lifty years. In males it has ir. risen from 30.9 to 41.9, and in females < yo from 41.9 to 45.3 years. x* On the continent of Europe railway b- locomotive engines give only one shorty rs low whistle on approaching a station. lCt In England they keep up a soul-piercing scream for several miles. It is 8" not necessary to say what they do ic k" this country. Their victims may be s* found in many lunatic asylums. m uC,.l..V, ?? -i-i xnu ivuivi ocicin, wuiun uneu UU" a curs in the Psalms, is one of doubtful m meaning. It is supposed by some Bi3g ble scholars to signify silence, or ? pause in the musical performance ol 3S' the sacred song. Others again claim that it is intended to indicate special r9 attention to the subject. re Anciently dog days extended forty 13 days from August 4. They were sc 'P* called by Egyptian astronomers foi p3 the reason that Sirius, the Dog Star, rose with the sun during that period, ^ causing extreme heat and sickness. . In England dog days are from the 3d of July until the 11th of September; u" in America from the 25th of July tc the 5th of September. 15 * re Oil Paintings by the Yard. le- ?.D0 y0U know how these pictures !ss are painted?" inquired an art connois16 seur of a reporter for the New Yorfc en Mail and Express, referring to picti3 ures displayed in an art auction house. 4,You don't? AVell I'll tell you tht 93 story of their construction as told m? by a thoroughly reliable party. Ht said he knew an artist in Chicago wh< was a good painter, but who had ruined himself by drink. Broken down h< ' >r- ? cuLitv ptiniLniy piun.ut.-s lut aucuoupy* eers, and this is how he did it. H? er would spread a long strip of canvass a8 across the room and then mark it ofl le- into sections according to tho size he lii wanted the pictures. lie would thee k? mix about a dozen pots of paint ol 4 o* different colors, as many as he requirrs' ed to use. Taking a brush with one tc color he would paint a tree or something in each section. Then he would ^ take another color and paint water 01 llD houses on each picture, and so on, un, til he had about twenty pictures, all 01 alike. It would take perhaps a day tc paint twenty, for which he received N* 75 cents each, or $15. That was enouch for him tn crr? nfF nn nnnthpi o o lej drunk. Now you can understand how tlie fellows can sell genuine oil paintinga so cheaply. Tho frames only cost l*a 50 cents apiece, and will very sooe ?* tarnish, so that if they sell a picture cb at almost any price, they make money, si Electric Signalling by Balloons. ? I The idea of signalling by balloons en has been worked out by Mr. Eric Q Stuart Bruce, son of the late Gen* nn Michael Bruce, and has been exhibited l" in operation every evening at the A.1a bert Palace, London. About 9 o'clock ir< * a balloon twenty feet in diameter, and containing 4,000 cubic feet of gas, iske" allowed to ascend to a height of 500 feet and is rendered visible by six incandesccnt lamps of twenty-candle power,. h fed from a battery on the ground. The te material of the balloon is translucent nj cambric, and when the lamps are in . . nptJnn thn tvVinln rrlnura iwltK ? QJ ???w f? ??v*w g*v/ ??0 T? iVU M OUH n light which is very noticeable, and in a lin clear atmosphere can be aeon for miles. lQ# In the conductors from tho batteries g_ to tho balloon there is inserted a Morse key, by which tho circuit can be mnrlfi nr?H hrntnn nnH tho lam^a ic ! ? """Jf3 v0j caused to give long and short flashes jie corresponding to the dash and dot of the telegraph code. It can be used iD 0j a flat country, or between valleys sepce arated by low hills, instead of being se confined to elevated positions like the |X] heliograph; the balloon also shows a ' large illuminated disk in place of a I ' jmall mirror, and can be packed, ton. gether with its batteries, in a little sompass for transport?-Scientific American. ' ''v- ' " *, i ' v.'ViA