WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28,1884. . IT RAINS. It rains. And the leaves fall thick and fast. As the boughs are bent in the antonin blast; The sparrows hover 'neath sheltering eaves. And the voice ot the wind is like one who grieves. It rains. It rains. And the team goes not afield To seed the earth for another yield; The farmer sits by the kitchen fire And smokes his pipe to soothe his ire. It rains. It rains. And the fire burns cheerful and bright, And the heart of the mother is happy tonight. And she smiles as the lamplight shimmers o'er fier babes at play with their toys on the floor. It rains. It rains. And with; voice with emotion choked, A mother, in garraents tattered and soaked, Drags her weary :'eet with trembling tread To beg for her offings a morsel of bread. It rains. It rains. And the sailor's wife is sad, As the wind shrieks by like a demon mad. And a prayer ascends to the great white throne, ?*Oh, Father, leave me not alone!" It rains. It rains. And the tall trees sadly wave Their drenched boughs o'er a new made grave, And the grief stricken hearts burst forth again. As they think of the loved one out in the rain. It rains. -A. Willis Lightbourn. AN UNLUCKY DEPUTATION. The Villagers Followed the Lead of the Mayor With Ludicrous Consequences. one occasion, while on a journey through Italy, the pope halted at a small ?village, the inhabitants of which resolved to send some of their principal men as a . deputation to his holiness. The mayor, who was to head the deputation, pro? posed to present him with some of the chief produce of the country, consisting of pineapples, figs and cream. It was accordingly arranged that each member should carry some figs and cream in sil? ver basins, the pineapples, however, be? ing dispensed with. Before setting out the mayor thus ad? dressed his followers: "As yon do not know very well how to conduct your? selves before exalted personages, you must watch me closely and do.as I do." The procession was formed, with the mayor stalking majestically in front, furnished, like his followers, with a ba? sin of figs in his left hand and another of cream in his right. There was a step down into the room, but the mayor fail? ed to notice it He stumbled, and the shock sent his face and beard into the cream basin. Trying to recover himself, - he only made matters worse, for he fell upon his knees, with his hands and basin under him, and his creamed face raised imploringly to the holy father. The members of-t he deputation, think? ing that this was the proper ceremony to observe in the presence of such a distin? guished personage, dipped their beards in the cream, threw away their vessels and bent down on their knees, at the same time casting a half inquiring and confident look at their leader, as if they meant to say: "You see we are all right. We have carefully followed your exam? ple." The pope was at first astonished, but soon burst into a fit of the most boister? ous laughter, while the attendants, thinking that the deputation had come to mock their master, began pelting them with the saturated figs. The mayor hobbled out of the room, closely followed by his brethren, one of whom whispered to him: "How lucky it is for ns that we did not bring the. pineapples! How nicely our heads would have been battered by them r-London Million. Mrs. Stevenson In the Chair. Mrs. Stevenson presided at the recent convention of the Daughters of the Amer? ican Revolution. The wife of the vice president has evidently never opened the covers of her husband's authorities on parliamentary order. But she was not blind to her own defects, so she supplied them quite easily by engaging as adviser a mild mannered man, who neverthe? less knew all abont overruling and quashing and laying on the table. This man sat at Mrs. Stevenson's elbow, told her what to do next in all cases and scut? tled a number of ships in the shape of resolutions offered by adventurous Daughters. The first little incident of this sort was when a motion was offered by a distin? guished looking woman from the Mount Vernon chapter. Mrs. Stevenson was standing at the time, and without wait? ing for any discussion asked the yeas and nays and got them, too, before the little man or any one else had a chance to draw a long breath. Immediately there was a storm of opposition. Then the mild parliamentarian whispered some? thing to Mrs. Stevenson. She pounded in a ladylike manner with her pretty gavel and said: "The question before the congress, la? dies, is the resolution. We can do one of two things with it. We can either we can either what?" she blandly and frankly asked, turning to the blushing parliamentarian. It was so openly done that it brought down the house. Mrs. Stevenson laughed, the little man laughed, everybody laugh? ed, and order was not restored for sev? eral minutes. Then they laid the reso? lution on the table and went gayly on about their business.-New York Sun. Postoffice Insurance. The English postmaster general is em? powered to insure the lives of persons between the ages of 14 and 65 years for not less than $25 nor more than $500, and to grant annuities of not more than $500 on the lives of persons of the age of 5 years and upward. The annuities are sold in connection with the postoffice savings bank department. An Ancient Game. "Say, Red and Green, do yon know that football's one of the oldest games known?* "So? Where did you learn that?" "Here in Exodus, where Pharoah's daughter found Moses in the rush line." -Philadelphia Call. Anecdote of General Polk. ? good story is told of Bishop (theo lieutenant-general) Polk of the Con? federate army aod another general, whom we will cai! "Blank,'' who now resides in Alabama : Daring the Georgia campaign, aod oot long before General Polk was killed at Pine Mountain, he requested General Blank to accompany bim to a hill in front of the lines which com? manded and excellent view of the posi? tion of the opposr.g Federal forces. The figures of the two officers, out? lined upon the sky as they stood upon this eminence, offered a tempting mark for some Federal gunners, and in a few momeo ts both lay on the ground, stunned and senseless from the effect of Federal shells. The for? tunes of war had brought together a most distinguished churchman, aod one of the bravest and most trusted of Forrest's officers. The latter, how? ever, was not at the time noted for ex? treme piety, but was rather given to the use of vigorous language and for? cible expletives, which fact the good bishop knew and regretted ; he also knew that his present companion was one of the very best and bravest men in tbe Confederate service. The two offieere lay stunned for sev? eral minutes. General Blank was the first to recover. Looking about him in a dazed way he soon discovered the burly form of his companion, who was breathing heavily, but evidently com? ing around alright. In a few moments he heard General Polk mutter : "0 Lord ! where am I., where am ir General Blank, keenly alive to a sense of grim humor, whispered gent ly: "in hell, general." "Impossible," murmured the semi? conscious Polk. "Who is it that tells me so V "It is I-General Blank," solemnly responded that practical joker. .'0 Lord," groaned the good bishop, "have mercy on me ! If Blank is here I know it must be true !" Bich men in Chicago, like Armour and others, pay taxes on a few thousand dollars. They are worth many millions each. Still the foolish people in the North oppose an income tax. If such a tax was levied like the one before the Congress, the Plutocrats would have to disgorge and pay at least a part of what they should pay in taxes for the great protection they receive in life, liberty and property. Here are some of the estimates of the taxes they should pay : John D. . Rockefeller would have to pay $122,225 per an? num ; William Waidorf Astor, $178, 000 a year; Russell Sage, $90,000; Jay Gould's estate, $80,000; Corne? lius Vanderbilt, $80,000; William K. Vanderbilt, $75,000; Henry M. Flagler, $60,000; Louis C. Tiffany, $35,000 ; C. P. Huntington, $20,000; William Rockefeller, $60,000 ; Mrs. Elliott F. Shepard. $30,000; Mrs. Hetty Green, $60,000; estate of Moses Taylor, $50,000; Singer estate, $30,000; J. Pierpont Morgan, $25. 000; Eldridge T. Gerry, $20.000; Andrew Carnegie, $20,000 ; Victor Newcomb, $15,000 ; George W. Van? derbilt, $30,000; William C. Whitney, $20,000 ; D. O. Mills. $20. 000, and men of less incomes from $5,000 to $10,000. Pass the bill. Wilmington Messenger. - ? ? t i mm For Over Fifty Years. Mas. WIHSLOW'S SOOTHING SYB?P bas been used tor children teething. It soothes the child, softens the gums, allays all pain, cures wind colic, and is the best remedy for Diar? rhoea. Twenty-five cents a bettie. When Baby was sick, we gave ner Castoria. When she was a Child, she cried for Castoria. When she became Miss, she clung to Castoria. When she had Children, she gave them Castoria SCRATCHED TEN nm A'troublesome skin elsi r^3^ j caused me to scratch for ian ?tepBflg moat-hs, and has been. cured by a few days' use of ?I 2& IL WOLFF, Upper Marlboro, Md SWiFT'CTECIFiQ I was cured several years ago of white swcUin tomyles:fey using SSfSRSl and have r._.i :.. symptoms cf rc ???KIf?^tf turn ( - '. ease. Many prominent physicians aitci?li-o ::.