University of South Carolina Libraries
TRI-W EEKLY EDITION. WINNSBORO, S. C., JU LY 9, 1881. ESTABLISHED 1865. A PIOTEST. Why should it sound cheerless and colt], When a nan says ho has grown old ? Think you of a head bald and grey, Of a muortal that's had his day 7 Should iny sons call mo "old inan," And the town folk "Uncle Dan 7" Just because iny strength Is spent, Just because ny form Is bent T I watch tile youth as they run about, With many a laugh and inerry shout, And I recall niy childhood day, When I was thoughtless, free and gay. Why not, 0 youth, tenderly speak, 4 Kindly be to the old and weak (ladly froin unkindness save, Sinooth their puthway to the grave. Thoughtless youth should reineinber, Qulokly coies bleak Ueceinber, Tlen will their foris be bont, Thleu will their days be spent. ThIs hone ny soul sllt soot vacate, 'raking on tile glorious State; ''ils old forin will ne'er appear, In tihat Ileaven )lest and dear. " 1lo'ious seIson of youth, Dwelling In the light of trilth, Nono oll or growing 0hd up there, "1is life eyondti all tears and vare. 4 TIlE OL) WILL. Littlo Blossom, you miako it so hard for me1 to any good-bye to you." "Whon?" The innocent, surpriscd, inquiring face.-renunciation was indeed, difficult for John Burrows. He touched a din ple in her cheek, and then a curl of her h bair, 115 11e might have touched flowers o1 a1 grave, perlhapa. Sie shook back the silky ripples imn v.patiently. 'When, John ? He looked at her for a moment with out it slnilo, p)retty tHshalt was. Nelly, ait down here for a moment." They sat down on the pretty criilson couch before the fire. Seeing trouble in I his face, sho put her hand in his, and lie smoothed out the little rose-leaf nember upon his broad palin, more than over confident, as lie looked at it, that he was right. Nelly, you know I love you." "Yes," with a blush, for ho lid never said it before. ''And I ai very sorry." "Why," after a pause of bewilder iment. " Because you are it delicate little flow er, needing care and uirsiing to keep t your bloom bright ; and I am going to a hard, rough life, among privations, fever, t and malaria, which will try even my a powerful constitution, and where you must not go." "You are going to the Far West?" "Yes. My nother must have a home in her old age. She is strong now, but a time is telling on her. You know all that a she has boon to me ? " e "Yos ; she has been a good mother. I ut you shall take me too, John." She won her way into his arms against e is will. " You will take me1, too?" "No. Did I not toll you that you mado it so hard for me to say good-bye c to you ? " "'John, what could I do without you ? " "He took the little, caressing hand N down from his face. t Don't make io weak, Nelly. Do you think that it is nothing to me to ( ('ave my little violet-the only woman I eoi loved-for a hard, cold life and un- a ceasing toil. I cannot marry for ten years, I "nd then I shiall be thirty year4 old." I "~Yes, married, and with little chil- e tren ; seeing, at last that your old lover, a Johnu Burrows,.was right."n Ht rose to hia foet.. c " ~~JOHN I " ini terror. "' Yea I am goin~g, Nolly. Little one0 c -you look so much a 'womian now, wvit f ursteadfast eyes--hear me I (did not i foresco that you would love me-that I c hlould loto you. You were a little school a Sjirl when I savedl you from dIrownling )ast sannuner, and( your atehel oIf books" 'floated away diown the river and1( was lost,. r I camte here to ace Gregory, niot you. I could not help loving you ; bult did nlot lhnk unitil to-nlighit that y'ou eared so mo lh for me, Nelly. But, child you ,;ill forget me." " Nover" ] He went oni. "N Noily, I shall hunger for you (lay 'nd night, more and more, as time goes nm and I get older, lonelier, mocre weary. 'ut I shall never 1hop) to HC you agatin. ~ ow, give me your hand." She gave him bioth. Hoe raised them ' his lips, but before she could apeakh ~gain lie was gonoe. Sh ivering violently, she went to the Se, andl stood there trying to warmi her af.She unidor"tood it all now-his strangely elaborar arranigemlents for a ip~l tAo Now York. He had1( knowvn thlat ho was not comning b~ack when siho had fromn the great metropolis, but was going Oi-- Qn-inito theo dimi distanlce. T1.his is I b~y lhe had not promisedl. It was getting late-site was so cold oC 1had better go to bed. She would t go into the parlor~ to bid her father a d)( aunt, and Gregory goodl nightt ; so t (1 crept silenttly uip to ,her own) room1. 1 iore tito very weigitt of grief upon01 her led 11cr to sleep. But when sihe woke, her grief sprang >on her like 50ome1 hiddenm monister~ wh'o I 1 laint in wait for bor all night. Hei' isery terrified her. Why should site 1 t die ? Why shou1ld site ever rise fromI Sathbed? - ;jBut wvhen thtey called hter, sihe sprang > hastily, dressed and Went dewn, andl o y were too busy talking to notice that 10,1id not kmow mhat shm was do,-~ | But, by and by, whon her brother reach sd for some more coffeo, and observed " Joiu Burrows and his mother went to Now York in the first train this morning,' i)ie tried to rise uneoncernedly from the ,able, and fell in a dead faint on the car ;)ot among them. When Nelly came to, she was un Iressed and in bed, and Aunt Mary was larning stockings at the foot. " Oh, let me get up, Aunt Mary I I lon't want to lie here I " "Now, Nell, be reasonable ! You'ro 11." Oh, Aunt Mary, I'm not." Nelly, if you will lie still to-day, I'll et you have that old box of curiosities i my room to look over. Will you ? 1. don'tknow." Aunt Mary went for them. Nolly shut ter eyes and let the wave in all its bitter iess surge over her onceo ; when Miss Jolding came back, bringing a box of )ld mahogany, b)lack and glossy with .ime. 1 There I " setting it on the bed. With a wintry little smile of thanks, .'olly lifted the cover. The old maliog my box contained strange things. Pie tires oil wood and ivory, illuminated nanuscripts, webs of stronge lace, an ique oriniamentii, ancient embroideries, rreat packages of old letters,sealed flasks >f unfamiliar perfne, ancient brooche f red gold, finger rings of clumsily-set rem1s tied together with faded riblions, a mot of lair fastened together with a Vold heart, the silver hilt of a sword,and astly, a tiny octagon portrait of an old a11111, done in chalk upon a kind of vel umt. and enclosed ill a frame of tarnished )rass. " Who is this that is so ugly, Aunt iary ? " " That, they say, is my great grand ather, Nely." " What 'is it painted on-thiis queer tuff ?" " Well, it is a kind of leatler, I be ieve. They used to write on it in ol imes." " He is uncommonly ugly, isn't lie ? aid Nelly, wearily. As sho spoke, the little caso fell apart u her haids. A yellow, folded paper vas revealed. She opened it, and -saw hat it was written upon. " lWhy, bless my soul, what lave you here ?" exclaimed Miss Golding, rising 1p in a strange alarm. She snatched it from Nelly's hand. " It can't be the will I " she cried. Nelly looked on in dumb surprise. Lunt Mary read a few words, then rushed way in wild agitation to the lilbrary here her brother was sitting. Nelly ould hear them talking, the two ; tien er brother cam ; then the old house :eeper was called from the dining-room ; nd so much confused conversation sho Lover beard before. By and by, they ,11 waited upon her in a body. " Nelly," said her father, sitting down n the foot of the bed, ''you are an heir 39." " This is old Grandfather Goldin's ,ill I " exclaimed Aunt Mary; flourishing h1o bit of yellow paper. " It seems that he was very cecentric,' irogory conldescen(ded to explain. "He "as very rich, ani1d lad some hard sons ud some grandsons wvho promised to 1)0 arder, and~ ho fell out with thle whole et, wh'lo were waiting for himu to die. Ic declared that no money of his shoul ineourage the young peop~le's excesses; little pioverty would help) thle family, nd thle fourth generation would apprel' mate his money, aind probably make 00(1 use of it. Whenl he died, no will Ould bo found ; and though there was aI rmnous struggle for tile property,it weint ito tile han~ds of ti'ustees, thlrough thle athl of tile lawyer' who drew up tile will; nd there it hais been, descending from no persoii to another, and( accumulating lI value, uilltil you and1( 1, Nelly, are as ichl as Cr'osus." '"How, Gregory ?"' "'Ainl't we the foilrth generationl ? Patheor wa'sl the only chiild1, we are his 'lnly chlildrenOi ; all the bac~k folks are dead( tid it slides down to us onl greased wires. Iurrah for Glrandfathler Golding I" "In thlis trute, fatheor ?" "Ye,mny (dear. The property is chiet' y in Leeds, England. Tile housekeeper who( caime over last summer, youl know, Lappens to know all about it. It is ill safe aiids, aind our claim is indisputable." Whlat did Nelly do0? The little goose natead of flying off in thoughlts of a ear iage, anld dresses of cloth, of gold, andu trip) to Europe, sh1e buried 1her face inl lhe pillows, and m iurmured'( uinder 1her >reath, "' Oh, JTohnl ! Ohl, deai', dealr olhn I" And it was iio castle ini the ahl. Three sonthis proved that Nelly Gelding was h~e miistressof gold untold, almost. And h~en a little niote went to Kansas sayinlg: " DEARm JoHN-I am waitinlg for' you ithl a fortune. Will y~oui comio for mnc Aind he camne instantly ; anld thloughl 0omo mnighlt have sn~eered1 at his readiness, lie heart of thle little wife was ahv~ays at ience. She knew that JTohn Burrows loved oer truly. Gr'andlfathler Gelding's muoney mnilt ill a commodious westerni town: >aved sltreets, raised rows of shiops,orect d dwelling-houses, founded b~anka, libra' ies, aiid chutrches ; anid Nelly finally ived "'out 'West." Bitt 11e hlad oppor-. unities of seeing pioneer life ; and she aid" 'JohnI wvas right ; I abotuld hlave ied ill a year, hald I lived hero in p)ov irty." __________ .-.A monng-lnoi..-tln nnoek'tail The Jester Enigaged. Once Mount Pleasant hid the Jester engaged for his great miioral entertain ment, but in order to make. his next en gagemont, he had to <qnit talking at the expiration of one hour and twenty min uites and hurry away on a special train. But Mt. Pleasant know that he had talk ed two straight, solid houm at Scottdalo. And was Mt. Pleasant to be nubbed,ind put off with a smaller lecture than Scott dale ? Perish the thuaight ! All of the lecture or none. So new arrangeients had to be made for Mt. Pleasant. And that night,while the Jester was putting on his cap and bells, he said to his friends : "I will make it sickly for thle, Mount Pleasanters. I will teach them to clamor for a long lecture when they might just as well have a short one. I am going to talk these people to death. I am going to give them all four of my lectures, one after the other. It will be a good joke on thei. I will talk and talk, you see, until they are tired out, and one after another, singly and in gro'ups they leave the room, until I alone aim left in the hall. That will be awfully funny, and it will be something new in the lecture business. Oh, .it will warm them. Well, the curtain rung up aid the show went oi. And it kept going oi And on and oi. And the audience stuck to him like a burr, and along about ten o' clock or a little later the Jester began to grow anxious. But he kept at it, and by 'and by a couple of men got up and went out. This was the first break, and the Jester felt encouraged. But in a few Umilutes the Imn, who had only gone out to see a man, both came back. And ie felt depressed again. But he kept at it. He was bound to talk that audience out of National Hall. But it was too many for him. Perhaps seven or eight people left the hall at diffrerent times, but that was all; and at 25 minutes after eleven o' clock the exhausted Jester jangled his sweet hells a little out of tune oin the closing joke and fell into a chair, limp and despairing, while tihe good-natured audienmce, fresh as a rose, retired from the ring, smiling and ready for another round. You can't talk out a Mount Pleasant audience. " I never talked so long in all my life,' the Jester said, " and to think that they should tire imc out, after all. Anyhow, I wasn't feeling very well. I'll como back next winter when I'm fresh and strong, and I'll give these people a little racket for their white alley thin." "' Let's see," said the fat passenger, ''you're the man, aren't you, that writes such touching things, once in a whilfe, about tihe beauty of silence ?" But the Jester said lie was too sleepy to talk polities, and the stage being ready the pilgrims lighted their cigars, drew up their windows and smoked a clergyman of the Episcopal Church all the way over to Tarr Station, so that when he got home that night ie made the parlor smell like a drying-house, and up to this date has not been able to con vince his wife that lie hadn't been siok ing. % The Village Postmistress. The son of this postmistress sayt of his mother :'"She's gettin' a little hard a' hearin', though ; but I tell her that ain't strange, seein' she's heard so much in her daiy. Ears cahm't last forever you know, Mis' L~inton, an' for fifty years there ain't been nothin' goin' on among thme neighbors that ma ain't heard. Bein' ini the post-ofli is wearin' to the hearin' evz well as the eyes. Folks comlin' anl' goin' for their letters generally leave as much news ez they take away. By the way, Mis' Lintoni yer sister, Liss Brad leigh's, conmin' back to-morrow. Ma was readi' thme postal cards last nighmt, and she camne across one from 1her." "' Read ing imy pos~tal cards ?" exclaimed Mrs. Lintona. "' Why, yes. Ma always reads 'emn-leastways she' read1s such as isn't took right off. She says it's her dluty. Might hc niews of sickness or death or suthiin' ol1se,that we'd ought to scnd righ t along. T1hey're dreadful aggravatin' readin' through. People don't wr-ite as well as they used to, an' don't make things clear, nuthor. Whoen anybody writes jes' ' Yes ' or ' No ' on a postal, no postnmastor in creationt can make any thlinig of' it. But your sister's postal is p~laini enough, Mis' Lintou ; thar ain't nothinm' indefinite about her. She says :'coanmin' T1hiursday, 5 o'clock train. Hlave Face totum meet me'. Ma puzzled a good deal over that word factotum,' andl we both concluided that 'twas the name of your help. Furrin' name, ain't it ? I told man 'twas new, any how, an 'ez we had aL young calf't we was goin' to raise, an h adni't inamed it, we concluded we'd call her Factotumn, like that furrinm' kitchen girl o' yourna, Mis' Linton" 'The Nile. An English capmitalist, Mr. Gaston pro. poses5 to dam the Nile at the Cataracts and subject about 800,000) acres of land, wvhich is now desert, to the infhuence of its fertilizing waters. Tis is a stuponm dous undertaking ; but it is beyond a dloublt that the p)resenit rapids are pro duced by the d1ebris of ancient works of this dIescriptioni which areinow strewn on the bed of the stream, and from an en gineering point of view the work wouild bo plerfectly . feasible. Thle inmmdationi 'would1 then 1)0 uder complete control, while the complany which should carry out the work would he reimb~ursed hb the lands1 allotted to it out of nearly a million acres, wvhich would now for the ih-st time be brought under cultivation. It is said that the p~reliminary capital lhas alreay 1ban raiscA Jamsioa Howle. On one occasmion Bowie whose reputa tion reached Memphis, arrived by boat at that city, or rather at what was then known as the Third Chickasaw lifts. The bank from the boat landing to the top was about one hindred and fifty feet high and a large number of people were wiatching the arrival of tho strangers. Looking down one of them recognized Bowie as lie stepped. over the gang plank and made the remark, "There come10 Jill11owie." '"What !" shouted a big flatboatman, then knowni as the 'Memphis Terror," as he looked down the bluff; "what Jim Bowie? That's the fellow I've been looking for months. Jim Bowie ! Why, him, I'll whip him so quick lie won't know what hurt him. I'll whip him if 1. never whip another man as long as I live I Stand by, boys, and so the funl Bowie came slowly ill) the bank. In his hand he carried an old umbrella. Ho had 0no pistols and was evidently not ex pecting or in fact prepared for a ight. This fact did not- escapo the now thoroighly interested spectators. Up went the flatboatman promptly, an Bowie reached the top of the blui. "Is your nimie.Jim Bowie ?" he asked. Bowie replied that it was. "Then," shouted the flatboatmn an, as 1he squared off, "I think you are a rascil and i'm going to whip you right here and now." Bowie was a ian of few words. Ho stood and gazed at his adversamry, who was moro emboldened than over. "I think you're a - coward," lie yell ed, "'and I'm going to knock y~nr head off," and so saying the "Memphins Ter ror" advanced.to the conflict. Bowie never flinched. Iis en eye was fixed on the "Terror," wl at thin ionent was face to faco with n,. But an the man of Memphis drow a f rk from his breast, Bowie stepped ) k a foot and thrust out hi umbrella as to keep his antagonist at bay. "TIl "Meinphis Terror," se' ing the iuibrella with-oie ihand, iado aiss at the inventor of the famous knife with the other. In tit) doing lie pulled the umbrella to himnelf, leaving free in the right hand of Bowie hin murderous weapon, which to this, moment had been conc-ealed in the folds of the impromptu sheath. The sight of Bowie standing there, with the knife in his hand pnd the gleam of vengeanco in his eye, was too much for "The Terror." From the bouncing bully he became transformed into a craven coward in a second. His face -turned pale and his knees trembled, while the dirk dropped from bis hands as he gazed on Bowie's weapon with staring eyes. "Put it lip, put away that Sorri, for God's sake,Bowio. I wans mistaken in my man." Bowie advanced a step. 'Don't-don't kill i !" besoeelied the bully ; "for God's sake, man don't go for mo with that seythe and I swear to you I'll never attack another man as long as I live." Bowie looked at his now thoroughly demoralized opponont for a moment,'and then turning on his heel with the ex p~ression, "'Cowa~rd," walked rapidly away. Thenceforth the Memphi m'"Ter ror'' was a changed man, anmd until the day of bin death lie never lost the sobri qjuit of ''Put-upl-thlat ncythe." Bowie wvas very fond of music and dancing and on occasionis whxerc lie could enjoy both lhe invariably appeared in the best of humor, anid the reserve which had begun to characterize him at thin timie appeared to thaw out. It was oni one occasioni at a dan11c wihen lhe was in such favorale conditions, that I had ani opportunlity for free-and-easy chat with him about nome of the encounters in which lie had beeni enlgaged1. Rheferring to the disparity ini size between hiimnelf and1( some1 of the muen whom lhe had met in conflict, I asked him how lie regarded hin chances under such circumstances. "'Suppose," said I, referring to a man of herculean build,who stood near,"'supl po)se you were attacked by such a mnan as 1101 Johnson there. What then ?" "h"dryly responided Bowio, "'I would cut him downa to my size I" A plain girl, with a p~laini face and name, Maggie Gibson, that was all. Short, 1p1hnny , P1nd twenty-two. Always burst ig buttons off her dresses, tearing rents ini skirts and1( aprons, anmd ripping 01p01 tight neanms. A white freckled face, broad, and full of good humor when quiet, a wavy mass of redhdishm hair, that would never stay snmoothly 1braided, wicked ringlets fallinmg down into the saucy eyes, bh111 (3yes they were, pretty some times, when lighted up by life and excitement, direamy anid conmmon-placo when the soul was quiet ; a snibby little nose,- no character there, a p)enting moitth, pale, colorless lips. Although a person wvell suited to the niamne, ''a decidedly common-place girl," we would say, at a mere glance, yet, that, heart nursed dIreaums of a re splendent futuro. Not a sontl to think dleep~ly, yet,every (lay there were de(sires and longings tid ambitions crowdhing the soul, and exp~anding the body, it would seem. We find her pouring out her wvrathi on aunt Sally's head, because that worthy lady had11 remonstrated against an ambi tion she called "manly," because it re i red pi man's strong nerves, a man's clear cnol hrain, his snay hiami, i sou heart, and 40 IIanly other thilngs. Maggie wanted to study medicin eI How Cani one describe su1ch anll A1mbi tioni ill wioman, yetit nuiast be as noble to her as it is to man, and we have known young girls to: put the whole of their life's dream in this one desire. One of the nweetesit girls we know of, a per8on of such delicate refuieeniot, a face that Khows all the sweet 1oblene s of the 1oul1, tic) beaitiful and s4o perfect inl its moulding, said to uts at few weeks ago: "I have had but on1e ambition il m1ily life, that i : to be a physician, to beginl now. I couid not all'ord it,it would take years of faithful study, I must give it 111).'' Maggie had made her loie with her auint Sailly, since her mother's death, when 14he was twelve years old ; her fa ther away oil il dist ant countries, 11o brothers, no sisters, 1no One but prim aunit Sallie, who loved so to keep things ill a straight row;no wonder poor Maggie grew tired of the lolly-hoeks ald petl 11na, tasitelessi green blinds, and ttitl hair-cloth chairs. She wanted a change, and a change h1e wai bound to have. shte has not been idl 118 to what her ehanices ill a large city might be. She wouild go to Philadelphia, and none of auint Sally's persuaseions could keep her back. Three years later, we find her, the 8ame Maggio as ever, a little older, a little plainer, and a little stouter. She ha1 worked hard, studied well, and it seemied her ambition wasi to be realized. There Was at light ill the e0 that had not beien there before, a love-light, tut, made the plain face almost beaitiful, soletile.8 Maggie was ill love, il love wiith a heavy-bearded foreigner, haid m01110, proud and ricl,suich a contract to little Maggie, he Wis, but lie loved the little maiden, only he did NOT love her ambition, he would never ubmit to it, lie talked with her pleaded and coaxed, but no, she would not give it uip-"eit-ler give up1) thisi ambition, or mm" and the proud spirit would plead no longer. Maggie's blue eyes flashed as 14110 cried out impetuously, "Thin I will give You up I" That was4 all, hie went amiy, with never one word imiore. "He will come to-morrow," 8he would may to 'hersielf, as the tears would come to her eyes; "he ham told me lie loved mo better than his life ; lie will come, I know." To-morriw, alid weeks went by, still he did not come. Maggie wondered where all the drenm of her ambition had fled to,wliat made the world such a dark place. Perhaps there would be comfort in momothing else. She would try and see if she could not call back the mamec teldfaslt ambition that t 81he had pursued for years. Poor common-plaeo girl I While she was not a wicked woman, far from that, 81h0 had never attended church nor paid any devotion to her Maker. Was that the cause of her inl rest ? She would see. She went to church one day, she liked it, it quieted her mind, the eariest, tender pleading of the pastor, the quiet, attentivo ffos of the listeners, she went again, until she found it a. necessity to drive away other thoughts. There wams a ''cry from Macedonia'' for helpers to comle teacha the wayl) of sailvation to hieathen 8souls. A thought struck her, had 51he mistaken her mlissionl all these years ? She wouald bo a missionaPry I Sihe would lheal sou11s, a8 8110 had1( studied to heal b~odies4. Such anI alwakeiniig I She hlurried to the mninister's house14, poured out her dlesires4 to the p~astors's wife. She was taikeni at on1ce a8 a enn~i dlidato anid every pireparationl wals made(1. Ladies of the church dlevoted their time to her outfit, whlile 81he devoted her time to spiritua~l p~repa~rationl. Ali was tishn (ed, tihe da~y for tihe Goed-speeds anmd fare weclls had arrived,even the hour. Where wasm Maggie ? No one0 know. Search was8 made.. Not 01ne trace of trunks or Maggie I It wats 81neh a. blowv to tho chlurch that it was11 (1eemed( best to keep it qjuiet. Some two years afte'rwa'rds a fairfaced, bunchmy little womilani rang the bell at Rehv. B. '8 (1001, was$ showni to the parilor by ai servantit, buit refulsed to give 1her card. Whlen 141e heard Mrs4. 11. cominmg dlowna the stairs 81he rani to mieet her, cry.. inig out, asM 1he held up a dimpled hand, "'See, 8ee, 1 have may dliamlond aund my ambliitionI too I" Maggie it was, surely, with a stran1g0 story to toll. The very hour thmat 1411 was to have sailed as a muissio)nary 8110 re ceived word( of' thm 4 o seis illniess of her father in a dlistant country ; 1411 hand thme money the church had given hxer and1( the trunks of clothes ; 81he took them and1( went to her father ; lhe was5 ill for mnths8 and( months, demnandinlg her constant at temtioni. When lie had but slightly re.. covered 1411 was stricken downi, and1( lay at death's door for many days. When 14h1( had regainied strength enough 81h( wro~t( to her old-time lover ; lie was faithful ; lie camne to her, married her in 81ite of her protest that she would stu~dy mnedieine. ''1 have comfe now to repay what I carried off' so slyly, it would 5001m. I want to repay it doubly; may husband is rich. I use my owni mlaideon name iln my practice; mny hulsband'would not allow me to use his." ' A nuULAR DIONAN'ZA : lier hand was evidently not oni good terms wvith soap and wvater, but was heavily loaded with jewelry. "Bly Gecorgo I" aaid Fogg there's rich digging ever there. T aboui say that dirt wvould( assay a dollar an onno. A ruti c Flowers and Uorries. It might be supposed that in the utter barreiniiess of the Arctic landscapc tlowers never grew there. This would b a great mistake. Tihe dweller in that desolate region, after passing a long, weary winter, with. nothing for the eye to rest upon but the vast expanse of snow and ice, is isi a condition to appreciate beyond the ability of an inhabitant of warmer climes the little flowerets that peep up almnost through the snow when the spring sunlight begins to exercise its power upon the white mantle of the earth. In little patches here and there, where the dark-colored moss absorbsg the warm rays of the 8iun1 aIId the 11ow is inmited from its surface, the most. delicato Ilowers spring up at oice to gladden the eye of the weary traveler. It needs inot the technical skill of the botanist to ad mire those lovely tokens of approaching -tiu1ner. Thiglts of home, in a wilrmIler and more hospitable climate, fill his heart with joy and longings am meadows filled with daisies and butter nups spread out before him while he itinds upon the crest of a granite hill [hat knows no' footstep other thai the tread of the stately musk ox or the Intlered reindeer, 11 they pass ill single ilev upon their miiiratory journeys, and whose enverns echo to no sound save the bowling of the wolves or the discordant Nawing of the raven. IlIe is a boy agaill, m1 d finvoliitarily plucks the feathery landelion and seeks the time of day by blowiung the )1111y fringe filom its stem, )I- tests the faith of 'the fair one, who is 1ea),r to him than ever in thi8 hour of eparlal-tion, by picking the leaves from Lhe yellow-hearted daisy. Tiny little violets, 4e. inl a balkground of blaei(k or lark-green moss, alorn the hillsides, and inny iiowers unknown to warmer zones MoIle bravely forth to flourish for a few weeks only and wither in the August wiids. Very few of these flowers, 8o ireshiing and charming to the eye, have my Iwrfume. Nearly all smell of the .11111k moss that foris their bed. As 4011 11 the snlow leaves 'the ground the billsides inl manylolities aire covered with the vine that bears a imill black berry, called by the iativem parwong, in itppeairance, though not in flavor, like [hue huckleberry. It has a piungent, qpicy tartness, that .is very acceptable ifter a long diet of meat alone, and the iuntives, wheni they find these viles, atop Lvery other pi)rsuit for the blissful mo unmnts4 of cramming their stomach with the fruit. This is kept up, if the crop naly lasts long enough, until they have made thelliselves thoroughly sick by their hoggishliness. But the craving for ole sort of vegetable diet is irresistible, and with true Liouit improvidonce Cthey indulge it, careless of consequences. Fortunate for thei is it that their sum1 mer is a short one and tile parwong not abinll)ldanlt, 1Or cholera might ho added *to the other daugers of Arctic residence. But the days of the buttercup and daisy, and of Clhe butterfly and the mosquito, are few. With the wvinter comes the aIl pervading snow and thio keen, bracing northwest, Wind, the rosy check an11d the frozein nose, bit with it also comes ruigg'd heallthl and1 auteadly diet of walrus mlent.. Sh~le waIs old(-inl fact, shoe.w~ias a great gr'andm~lother-bu-h1t 81h0 still retainaed the vigor of m1idd(le age, and pursuHled her pro~fessionl ofi mar1Sing tile sic1k. Hear faceV was1 8eamned anid wrinled, tile wr'inikles bel(ing s1 (-c-)rossed thait, (1ne was imn vo(lunltar'ily remlin~de'd (If the tanniled idligator-skin-used ill miakintg belts amnd atehels ; imlt her' hair' retained its nat iural co lor', and 8110 kept it ill order' by meianls of her patienlt's br'ushe's amnd LcombslI. She had( her41 p)euliarities, as8 mo1(st old1 nmurses htave. Heri excess5iv'o 'conlomly wasl1 equaled only bly her a1cqIuisitiveness. She had1( wVorn her blac1k lace veil for forty years8, heri ''reps" driess, inl wuhao'e pattern! red1 gourd1s chualsed (each oth' over a yellow groundl(, (dated back to a plast genleration, 1and( 110r other garmnlts were chlosen for their lasting qumality. Of these she( seemned to have asi miany layers as an onion11. Thle layer exposedl to view, whenilshe prepar'ed herself for rent ai niighut by her11 patienlt's becdsidoe, conslisted of a quilted skirt and a bodice of com mfonl blue1 and whlite Rtr'ipedl bed-ticking. In huer leiHsuro mlomen~ts nihe wanldered ablout tho house8 and( lot commluning with herself conlcernling the fam1Tily's waste anmd extravagancee. She picked uti strings, nails and tin canis ; ahoe'gathlere( three shlriveled aploale that hung on tree inl the bac1k end of the lot ; anid nlht dhug do'wn inito a pile of ashes upon01 wh~ici the rainls for months had beaten, taa$tO( themll, and finldinig them still strong anil gooId, upb~raidled tihe mistress for 110 extrtieting the lye -andr makinlg soap. Nothing thlat wan offered to her11 ctam< amiuss. Sh1e actedJ~C old clothes with: avidhity, old shoes and( jointa (of rnst) ntovo-pipe had a value inl her eyes, ahs( cripp1led ulmbrellan$ anld rubiber boots witha holen inI them. She was not conseciously mi rth-provok ing in her talk ; her conlversationl rat mostly toward luglubr)ius recitals o1 nickneses, death and muisfortiino, but hot p~atienlt extracted amuusement from hoi~ words and expressions. Btesides thest traits, p)euliar to herself, she had many lommflonl to old-fashioned nurse'ns, but was excelledl probably by 11011 ill het capacity for sp~illg things, for losing her spectacles an~d for niuttrimr. . Art in the Household. Large towels have borders worked in Roman patterns. Pretty window curtains are made of cheese cloth and edged with lace. Plush curtains are as effectivo painted in oil as embroidered. A very handsome design for a sorcon is a dark blue plush decorated with apple blossoms. Piles of cushions, luxurious divans, sofas and easy chairs, into which one can sink and rest are a rule, and the Queen Anne seats are wisely kept for show. Oblong mirrors are now hung cross wie. They have plain wood frames four inches deep, sloping backward. and ar ) painted in different ways. iow bahs, sprays of golden rods, yellow crocuses, peacock's feathers on boughs, on which perch 'nowbirds, are pretty designs for the frames. Some are cov ered with bright plush, and on one cor ncr is placed a band of old gold. New mantel mirrors are square with smooth frames. Large wooden Russian bowls are used to hold nuts or fruit. Window laibrequitis are heavily trimmed with wide borders of plush. Scrini curtains edged with antique laeo aro more stylish than expensive lace ones0. Handsome carpets have olive-colored grounds, with small, bright figures on them. Porcelain table ornaments are in iii tation open fains, and the cupids standing or disporting on them, make them charlling eniough. A screen on exhibition in New York is hand-painted on the natural wood, with woodbine, blossoming lilac branch es, aid hollyhocks on the three soparate ianliels. A novelty in mantel hangings-if one believes in utilizing lace and vOlvet for the imrpose of doecorating a fireplace-is wheels of tatting in Macrame thread, put together in large points over. red velvet. Spangles enter very largely into the decoration of table covers and lamnbre quins. These aro generally introduced at the end of the long stitches in point russo embroidery, whero they are caught down with amber, crimson or steel heads. Instead of ivory and pearl inlaid desks, rosowood or ebony boxes, there are rich satin and plush or volvot articles, either ornamented with embossed figures, such as Ietail insects, birds, plm1s and ani mails, or with satin embossed subjects that aro very eftftive. Brown paper-the kind used by paper hangers, and upholsterers for packing of the darkest shado and thickest texture, and gray pajlor of a cool, granito tint, are in much domand abroad for painting ulpon. It is used for scenes, dados, pan els and cornices. For artistic offect it is very desirablo. Some of the now and handsome doors to eahinets havo panels used as inserted pieces painted in Persian style. The fouidaition is a hard and hie grained wood mladle as smocothi as possible, and covered~ w'iithi a balack grounding on which a Mosaic of colors, quaint~scrolls and1( araesquties, flowers of beautiful hues, or bi rds of wonderful plumage aro placed with all the group~ing of Persian art. Otmarlotts Sea Inha~ibli~lats. T1here is a continual warfare going on ini the dlep--a conistanlt struggle for the means of sustaining life. T1hue earnivo rous5 devour the vegetarians, and tihe mud-eaters swallow both animal and veg etable forms :and this runs all the way down the seale, from tihe shark and the equally ravenous blueflsh to the least of the annelids. These last-the sea-worms -are wvary, but they cannot escape their enemies. If they wvere to confine them selves to the bottom-where they feod, and where many of them growv to tihe length of a foot or two--they might inl a measure escape, though thley would still be a prey to the soup and other fish thlat knowv how to dig for them ; but they love to swinm, p)artid~ullarly at nlight and in the breeding season, and thlen they are snap poed up in countless numbers. They have almost every variety of forins, and their structure is mnaryvolous-mronsters with hooked jaws at the end of a proboscis, and with sides of bluish green, that throw off an infinito variety of irridesent hues. Somne of the sea-wor'ms hlave scales,otheors [ hlave soft h~odies ; seome are shuggishl,and1 curl themselves up1 into b~alls when dis tuarbed ; othlers are restless, p~articularly at nlighlt ; some are round, others flat ; seone builud tubes of sand iad cement, woven togethler t.i they umako a colony of many hundred membhers :the tub~es of others are soft andt t eitble, and some, wvhien disturbed, wahldrawv within thleir crooked calcarcons tubes, r.nd close the orifice with a plug. One variety of the sorp~ule has three dlark-red eyes ; another variety hlas clusters of eyes Oil eachl tenta cle. T1he amnphipods wvoro accounated of no great value till it was shlown by the Fish Commission that thoese small eruas tacea furnish a vast amount of food for b)oth salt and fresh-water fishes. Indeed, there is not a creature that swims or crawls that does not become the food of sorho othler animal. A beach-flea is caught up by a soup or a flounder,squids make terrible hlaveo among young maok eol, and sharks and stingrays find some tiling appetizrinu in the gastorpod,