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•S'^.r'T;S.v-. V •sgc 7y ?• fpSPf -"f^, 11 *'v * [-k^JatotVAarit,. •»'! ^ IINk I I. Till gLIKE, Mltw * PiMW»r, jHoHEKRY. : : ILLINOIS MORTQAQ L'm a-com to-morrer--I calk1 late to ; with the dawn : WALK right in the settin'-room, Deacon; iii all in a muddle, you see, J Bat I hadn't no heart to right it, ao Pre }dt let everything be. iBesides. I'm in start with t 4 A*td the bouae won't Mem ao1wm»4ike if it'aall •.* upeot aad forlorn. a pent off the children this morain': they both oa * I'ifcit I thougS^woatOMSe enict, mebbe, if I wn alone to-day. JFor this was the very day, DNuxm, Jeet twentr yearn aga, 'That Caleb and me moved in; so I couldn't far- Bet it. you know. f̂e WW BO bony and tewjr!-»e'd ben married a month bmore - ^And Caleb woutd c!e»r the table and brush up the kitchen flowi, :He said I was tired, and he'd help me; but, law! $ that was always his way-- ^Always handy auti ueipfoi, and land, to the very last day. j Don't you remember. Deacon, that winter I broke my arm ? , J^Vhy, Caleb skursely left me, not even to tend to the farm. There night and morain' I saw him, a-eettin' so cloee to my bed, ' &nd i knew bim in spite of the fever that made me so wild in my head. jjBe never did nothin' to grieve me, until he left "• me behind-- Tes, I know, there's no use in talking but some- ' hovs it eases my mind. .̂ And he sot such store by you. Deacon, I needn't ^ tell you now. iBut unless he had your jedgment, he neve? would buy a cow. ""Well* our cows u gone, and the horse, too--poor Caleb was fond of Jack, -And I cried like a fool this mormn when I looked at the einpty rack. !l hope he'll be kindly treated: 'twould worry poor Caleb so If them Joneses should whip to cretur--but I s'pose he ain't like to know. ; I've ben thin kin' it over lately, that when Mary sickened and died, JBer father's sperrit was broken, for she was allua his pride. ... ' He wasn't never so cheery; he d smile, but the smile wa'n't bright. ^And he didn't care for the cattle, though onoe they'd ben his delight. 'The neighbors nil said he was ailin', and they tried to hint it to me; They talked of a church-Yard cough; but, oh! the bimd are those who won't see. - Jlnever believed he was goin' till I saw bin a- layin' here dead- There. there! don't be anxious. Deacon; I haven't no tears to shed. .I've tried to keep things together -̂I've ben slavin' early and late -- But I couldn't pay the int'reat, nor git the farm- work straight. :So of course I've gone behindhand, and if the farm should sell For enoc'ii to pay the mortgage,-I s'pose 'twill be doin' well, .JL've prayed ajj'inst all hard, feelin s, and to walk asti Christian ought. But it's hard to see Caleb's children turned out of the place he bought; And readin' > hat text in tne Bible 'bout widows and orphans, you know. I can't think the folks will prosper who are Speaker, and warned not to go beyond the instructions of the House. Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L) then made an effort to tack on to the appro­ priation bill a clause appropriating ten cents for tire-crackers. Lost, by an overwhelming majority, the Speaker herself voting in the nega­ tive. Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) being the third time and in a most peremp­ tory manner ordered to depart and car­ ry out the will of the House, then rose to a question of privilege. Did anybody know whore his hat was? The Speaker being new thoroughly convinced that the committee was merely filibustering to gain time, cal led upon the Sergeant-at-Arms, Mr. W a- gelthorpe (Ezekiel R.) to escort the committee to the door"* of the House with his shingle. This was done, and shortly after the departure of the com­ mittee, the House took arecess toiwut the ronort of said committee Upon reassembling, it was ascer­ tained that it lacked but five mmutes of tea-time, and that the committee had as yet sent in no report. Sub-commit­ tees that wore appointed with Plenipo­ tentiary* powers, went out and returned, submitting reports to the effect that no traces of the work of the first commit­ tee could he ascertained, and asking to be relieved from further service. It was so ordered. A messenger from the hall was re­ ceived, who announced to the Speaker that the company was all present, in session in the parlor, and was ready to consider any invitation to berries and cream, or any communication relative to the State of the Tea which the House might desire to transmit. On the reception of this message, the House was thrown into the greatest consternation, and the Speaker official­ ly announced that, "Well, she never!11 The Sergeant-at-Arms hoped that he might be " dad-binged." The House then, by unanimous con­ sent, adopted the following joint reso­ lutions: • Be*oirtd, That we wish we had bim hue for Just one minute. Resolved, That we would like to know what has become of him. Besolved, That if he ever does it again--- willin' to see us go. " But there! I'm a-keepm' yon, Deacon, and it's nigh your time for tea. Won't I come over?" No, thank you; I feel better alone, you see. Besides, I couldn t eat nothin ; whenever 1 ve tried it to-day 'There's sometuin here that chokes m< narvous. I s'pose you'll say. I've worked '<n> hardi'" No, 1 haven t. I'm Why, it's work that keeps me strong; If 1 But here thinkin, I'm sartain my heart w o n l d b r e a k b e f o r e l o n g . ̂ . . . . Not that I care about livin'. I'd rather be laid away In the place I've marked beside Caleb, to rest > think of--that makes te place X ve marKea oesi till the jedsment-day. _ But there's the children to thi my dootiy clear, . , And I'll try to 1 oiler it. Deacon, though I m tired of this earthly speer. Good-bj, then. 1 shan't forgit you, nor all the kindness you've showed; 'Twill help to cheer me to-morrer, as I go on my lonely road. For-- What are you sayin , Deacon? I needn t --I needn't go? You're bought the mortgage, and I can stay? Stop! say it over slow-- Jest wait now--jest wait a minute--111 take it in bime-by _ That I can stay. Why, Deacon, I aont know what makes me cry! I haven't no words to thank yon. Ef Caleb was only here, . He'd sech a head for speakin , he a make my feelin e clear. There's a picker m our old Bible of an angel from the skies, •AnH though he hasn't no great-coat, and no spec­ tacles on his eyes. He looks jest like you, Deacon, with your smile so good and trew, _ ..... And whenever 1 see that picter, twill make me think of you. _ , , The children will be so happy! Why, Debby will 'most go wild: ... She fretted so much at le&vin' her garding be­ hind, poor child! And, law! 1 M HS glad as Debby, ef only for jest one thing-- „ . , . Now 1 can tend the posies I planted there last spring * On Caleb's grave: he loved the flowers, and it seems as ef he'll know <• They're a bloom in' all around him while he's rieepin' there below. ?. CGi'btM. it Harper'* Wagatlnt for ,<SepUmber. . - A CONGRESSIONAL EPISODE. ON the morning of July 4, 1878, Jas- rper Lyttell Wagelthorpe, better known ^among his scholastic associates as " Jap, 1 a young man of thirteen years, and the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. Ezekiel R. Wagelthorpe, was dispatched from his home to a neighboring gro­ cery for three quarts of red raspber­ ries, it being the intention of his par­ ents to entertain friends in the evening. The proper committee had reported the estimates for procuring these sup­ plies, and the House had appropriated thirty cents out of the general fund for the purchase. This amount was in­ trusted to young Mr. Wagelthorpe, who was appointed a Select Sub-Com- mittee, »na instructed to negotiate •-with the proper parties for the sup­ plies. He gave no bonds, and, in fact, -was required to give none. It appears rfrom the records that his instructions were very simple, and that the order of the House was that he proceed at once* upon his mission. Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) looked -carefully at the funds which had been < plaeed in his hands, and suggested that ' they were insufficient. The Speaker (Mrs. Wagelthorpe) <•3aid it was all the House had appro­ priated for that purpose, and was and imust be sufficient. Mr. Wiagelthorpe (Jasper L.) still hesitated . about departing on his mis­ sion, and said that he heard a boy say that a boy1 told him his mother said she/ heard a market-man say red raspber­ ries would be worth fifteen or twenty . «cents a quart this morning. The Speaker called Mr. Wagelthorpe to order, and protested against the in­ troduction of irrelevant hearsay evi­ dence from irresponsible sources. The committee would proceed upon its mis­ sion at once. Mr.1 Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) asked ; for information whether, in case the appropriation should, as he feared, Erove insufficient to close the purchase, e would be authorized to draw upon •the general fund for the deficiency, or to apply the credit of the House in making the purchase? He was .again censured by the At this critical juncture, and right on the heels of a resolution of censure, the committee appeared, and, with some hesitation, announced that it was ready to report. The committee had a very demoral ized straw hat, a very blackened face, only one eyebrow, a jjackct tuii of holes, and. about half a pint of very small, very shriveled, very dry and very dusty raspberries. On tasting, it appeared that the raspberries had been grown in a powder-mill. The Speaker directed the Sergeant- at-Arms to lock the committee up in the crypt of the Capitol until after tea, and in accordance with the order of the House, the committee was placed on the dark side of the door of the cellar- closet, and was told that the House would consider its report at the night session. THE INVESTIGATION. On reassembling, after the festivities of the evening, the Committee on Sup plies was brought before the bar of the House in the custody of the Sergeant- at-Arms. In reply to inquiries of the House, the Chairman of the committee, Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) stated that the half-pint of raspberries he brought home was all there was in the market; that the time between his de­ parture from the House, at 8:25 a. m., and his return, at 6:45 p. m., had been consumed in an arduous and unresting search fort more berries; that there were none at all in the city; and he had at last only been able, under the guid­ ance and with the assistance of a boy, to find and obtain the half-pint he brought back with him four miles out in the country. The Speaker--What did you pay for them? Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.")--Thir­ ty cents. . Under further examination, the com­ mittee stated that its hat was torn and reduced to its present condition of shreds while walking thrcroghthe woods to reach the only farin wiiere raspber­ ries could be obtained; And, .further, that the smell of gunpowder about his person and on the berries was due to the great clouds of powder-smoke that blew upon him as ne passed through town; and, also, that the holes in his jacket were caused by a malicious, bad and wicked boy, who did not love his teacher, and would not obey the rule, and never went to Sunday-School, and who hit the committee with a torpedo for the avowed purpose and with the deliberate intention of making the holes aforesaid, and also, as the committee fully believed, with the intention of de­ stroying, if it .might be, the life of the committee, that the bad boy -might, without molestation, subsequently pos­ sess himself of, and incontinently de­ vour, the berries which he knew at that time to be in the custody of the committee, but which he well knew the committee, in its unwavering fidelity, would yield up only with its life. In answer to a question relative to the disappearance of one of his eyebrows, the committee simply but earnestly stated that it was melted oft' by the ex­ treme heat of the sun. The Speaker urged the committee to be more explicit regarding the person or persons of whom the berries had been purchased. Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) stated explicitly, as he had stated before, that it was a man. The Sergeant-at-Arms made the same demand relative to the person or per sons who accompanied the committee to^the scene of the purchase. Mr. Wagelthorpe (Jasper L.) again stated that it was a boy. Being asked if the party of whom he purchased the berries actually told him raspberries were sixty cents a quart, he said he didn't know; he only knew that he had to pay thirty cents for the half- pint he got. Rebutting evidence was now intro­ duced. A neighboring grocer, who was subpoenaed, testified that the town was full to overflowing with raspberries all day that went a begging at seven cents a quart. He himself had half a bushel spoil on his hands, that he would have given away had anybody asked for them. Cross-examined--Saw young Mr. ~ j Wagelthorpe in the morning: sold him five cents1 worth of torpedoes and a pack of fire-crackers. Didn't say any­ thing about raspberries. Saw him eat about two pints out of the case, how­ ever, while he was waiting for the ex­ plosives. Micky McCann, a yo^ng gentleman who "shines 'em up ' at tlie Union Depot, testified that the committee gave him ten cents for a Rom an candle, which went off while the Chairman was blowing the wick against a cigar end to make it light, carrying with it the Chairman's right eyebrow. Cross-examined--Went in swimming with the committee shortly after the accident: stayed in the water two hours; Cuiuuinloe ooughl tiorue Lot jjeuuea "nhcr. they came out, and pelted a horse with them until the animal ran away and upset a fmit stand. Witness and com­ mittee then gathered about a tin cupful of raspberries out of the dust from the debris of the fruit stand, committee paying witness a nickel for his services as visiting statesman. This witness was somewhat per­ plexed by the efforts of the committee to wink and shake hi3 head at Mm without attracting the attention of the Speaker, who promptly repressed these demonstrations whenever she saw them, and sharply censured the committee. A general peanut and lemonade merchant testified that he knew the committee, and sold him half a pack of firc-crackers about four o'clock in the afternoon. Micky McCann, recalled, at the re­ quest of the committee, with whom he had been in secret session for a mo­ ment or two, testified that he was al­ together mistaken in his former testi­ mony. It was a colored boy, named Timothy Donovan, with #tioiii he went in swimming, and who bought the Ro­ man candle and torpedoes. He had seen young Mr. Wagelthorpe in the morning hunting for raspberries, and had, to a certain extent, assisted him, but they could find none ip town. He assisted in the search until he was overcome with the heat, and then he saw Mr. Wagelthorpe and another boy, whose name he does not know, go out into the country, five miles, after berries. A boy at the depot told him it .was no use going out there, for there was only half a pint of berries out there. Under a rigid cross-examination, he said the colored boy's name was Carl Von Achen, and that the distance to the farm, where the berries were, was eleven miles. By the Speaker--And do you say vou saw the committee and this other boy go all the way out there? Witness--Yes'm. The Speaker--And you saw them get the berries? Witness--Yes'm. The Speaker--And you were in town at the time, overcome with the heat? Witness--Yes'm. By the Sergeant-at-Arms--How many berries did they get? Witness, after deep thought--Pint. The Sergeant-at-Arms--And how much did they pay for them? Witness, hesitatingly--Dollar. The committee shook its head ener­ getically and frowned forbiddingly. Witness, promptly--Two dollars. By the Sergeant-at-Arms--You may go. It was then ordered that the commit­ tee receive the censure of the Speaker at the bar of the Hou^e, after which he should be taken in charge by the Ser­ geant-at-Arms, who was charged with the duty of executing the soeeial law, and inflicting the penalties for the mis­ appropriation of the. public funds and intentional and mischievous suppres­ sion and misconstruction of the facts in the report relative to the expenditure of sucn fund. The committee and the Sergeant-at- Arms then went into executive session, and on going behind the returns the committee got it by a large and enthu­ siastic majority. The House then adjourned.--B. J. Burdette, in N. T. Weekly. he wore hi^old hate, and hoarded up hJs mustered-out boots, and old stock- ing.S and they will tell you anecdotes of hi? eccentricities, and" allude to his dogs a»?d horses, and men'ion the fact that hi# v.ife and family are over­ whelmed with grief! Who says anything when the poor man dies about his old hate and stock­ ings? He may have hoarded tbera quite as religiously as has his wealth­ ier neighbor, but there is nothing said about it. His lean dog is not thought worth a newspaper paragraph. His wife's grief is not so noteworthy as that of the rich man's lady, and his chil­ dren's tears are never immortalized in printer's ink. But, when the grand account is made up, and God 'judges, will it make any difference whether a man died rich or poor? Looking back to the life which has been, will any human soul believe that it has been worth the struggle to have it said--" He died rich?11 We cannot think so; but we do be-\ lieve that it is worth toil, and trial, and tribulation, to be so filled with the peace which comes from right doing, that when we die it may be truly said of us--" He died ndk/"--Kate Thorn,in N. F. Weekly. The Danger of Boxing the Eur* Scarcely a day passes, we believe, without some schoolmaster (or school­ fellow, in natural imitation of his mas­ ter) giving a lad a smart " box" upon the ear. Few persons would be bold enough to choose the eye as a part upon which it was expedient to inflict a vio­ lent blow by way of moral education; but there is, apparently, no end to the num­ bers who select an organ upon which violence is liable to be attended with much more dangerous results. For not only is deafness caused by " boxes,1' which rupture (as they continually do) the drum of the ear, but the inflamma­ tion of the internal cavity, which is so frequent a result, may be followed years afterward, perhaps, by disease of the bone, giving rise to abscess of the brain, and naving a fatal termination. Medical men alone can be fully aware how fruitful a source of suffering and danger is represented by the box upon the ear. We are informed, for exam­ ple, of two cases under observation at the present moment, in which school­ boys nave been the victims of such an assault. Surely, schoolmasters ought to have learned, long ere this, the dan­ ger of a mode of personal chastisment that has apparently usurped the place of others, which, if more disgusting, were not attended with an equal amount of peril.--London Lancet. Severe ear-troubles, and not unfre- quently death, have resulted from this, with many teachers, favorite form of punishment. The drumhead may in many healthy children be easily ruptured by a very slight concussion, and in cases which have recently undergone the ordeal of scarlet-fever or measles, the drum membrane is peculiarly liable to laceration. Other injuries "may also result to the deli­ cate organ, and I have only to-day seen, at the Central Throat and Ear Hospital, the case of a boy with an ab­ scess in the ear-passage, who bad suf­ fered incessant pain for three months, after having been struck by his teacher. These cases might be multiplied indef­ initely, and an occasional inquest adds point to the tale.--Llewelli/n Thomas, M. D., »» London Telegraph. Youths' Depart^11*" "HAPPY FIELDS OF SUlkrMEB " Hjurer fields rf«onmer, all your aixy grafc . Whispering aad bowing when the wast ' mwa Happy tark aad settling, hid beneath the moi** ing. Boot sweet. muaie in you, to the white clouds growing! Happv, fiekU of stunner, softly billowed over With ths feathery red-top and the rosy dom I great many stories about dogs, but I am very sure ip% one among them ever showed move sympathy and intelli­ gence than did " Erne" on this oocanoa. The next morning Mrs. Hubbell went church, after taking the best poflri- me care of all her pets. "Erie" "Julius Caesar11 and •? Happy little,children, seek your »h&dy plaices, Lark-songa in their bosoms, sunatune on their fac«s! Happy little children, skies are bright above you. Trees bend down to kiss you, breeze and blossom loveyou: And we bless you, playing in the field-paths masv, SwiUttiu* mill the daisy! harebell, dancing with the Happy fields of summer, touched with deeper beauty As your tall grain ripons, tell the ohildrendaty la as sweet as pleasure;--tell them botb are blended In the beet life-story, well begun and ei\4ed! --Lucy Larcom, in St. Xicholat, "MRS. HUBBELL'S LITE STOCK." IT was almost tne funniest thing l ever heard of; and if I can tell it just as it happened, you111 think 'twas tunny too. Mrs. Hubbeii--you will be glad to know--is a very sweet little woman, who has a deep and abiding affection for pets of all kinds. Everything fron. a baby to a chicken, a horse to a hop­ toad, is of consequence to her, and as you may imagine pets are always very fondofner. Let me tell you what she has. First a mare, "Star," a beauti­ ful little animal, who makes her mile in ' 2i60) never breaking. Once in a while she takes it into her pretty head to dance round a piece of paper in the street or prick up her ears at the sound of the cars; but never when there's any serious business on hand, such as a race, or desire on the part of her mis­ tress to reach a place at a given time. O, no! Then she's as steady as a mare twice her age. Then there is a hunting- dog called " Erie," named after a rail­ road stock; a blaek-and- tan called •'Baby;" three canary birds, "Tom," Jerry'1 and "Zip;*1 two cats, "Julius Ciesar11 and " Hamlet,11 the first as black as the blackest thing you can think of; and two hens and a rooster, •Pearlie," "Daisy" and "King." These hens know their names as well children, and when their mistress Me Died Rich. How HAUD some men strive all their liv.es tp have it said of them when they have passed hence--" He died rich!" Relatives and friends who -are left behind seem to consider it a sort of compliment to the dead to dwell upon the theme--" he died rich!" And now comes up the questions-Is it an honor to a man to die rich ? Is the world any better for a man to die rich than it would be if the samfe man died poor? Is the man any happier in the next life on account of it? If the spirit be conscious after death, is it any satisfaction to that spirit, in the other life, to know that he left. a hundred thousand or two for his rela­ tives to quarrel over, and break his will over, and on account of which they are to be at swords1 points with each other through all time? Is the man who died rich mourned for any more sincerely than the man who died poor? And when we come to talk about that, is it really desirable to have people mourn for us after we are dead? It is exceedingly uncomfortable for .them, and what benefit can it be to usi? Tears, eminent authorities tell us, are a luxury, but is it a luxury to mourn for those who are gone from us never to return? would we purchase forgetfulness at any price? Would we forego weeping for the jsake of comfort, and ease of mind? The good old country deacon comes to our mind just here. He lost his wife, and at the funeral was observed to weep very freely--much more so than it was believed to be consistent with his character. A friend said to him: " Deacon Jones, try and be comfort­ ed. • So much weeping over one whom God has called is sinful. And, beside, it will make you ill!" " I ain?t crying particularly over Sally!" replied the deacon. "She was about old enough to die; but I have the catarrh in my head, and crying kinder clears it out! And whenever my nose feels stopped up I think of Sally, and crying brings relief." But we wander from our text. It is amusing to note how the people at large, and the newspapers in gen­ eral, speak of the man who died rich. They go into every particular of his peculiarities, and remark on the way Taking Things Easy. THERE is no small art in taking things easy, so long as we must suffer annoyances in this breathing world, saying as little as possible about them, and making no parade of our martyr­ dom. If making a fuss and rendering every one else about us uncomfortable in any way abated the ills that flesh and spirit are heir to, there would be some slight excuse for the folly and selfishness; but since we cannot escape tribulations of one kind or another, fretting only aggravates them. Either let us be silent and endure, or take arms against cur '.vocs, and by con­ tending end them. In general he who makes no ado is supposed to have no troubles of his own, or an organization so inferior that it is not jarred out of tune by the rough usage of fortune; to make the very worst of every trouble, big or little, from the fracture of a tea­ cup to that of a skull, is considered by many a proof of great sensibility and depth of character, while he who pur­ sues the other course, who endures re­ verses, slights, injuries, pin-pricks of annoyance, agues of anxiety, physical and mental neuralgias, without report­ ing them to every passer, and howling his grievances into the ears of every listener, is often spoken of as of fiber too coarse to feel acutely and suffer keenly. "It is his temperament," we are told. " He takes nothing to heart." Some one, however, wittily advises us, " Never tell your misfo mes; nobody likes to have unfortui friends;" but in spite of this warni; nany seem to think that disaster itacif is a recom­ mendation to favor; that they deserve a bonus for serving as a target for fortune's arrows; and they are not sel­ dom acutely jealous lest some other should be deemed their superior in suf­ fering. In the mean time, everyone has a welcome for the person who has the good sense to take things easy. It is comfortable to be able to agonize over one's own trials, to "a mind a leisure from itself." The person who can go without her dinner and her spring suit and not advertise the fact; who can lose her purse and keep hex temper; who makes, light of a heavy weight, and can wear a shoe that calls " Pearlie," "Daisy" would never think of such a thing as coming, but will wait her turn even tho' she may be very hungry. The way these hens were trained to be so well-behaved was very simple. Mrs. Hubbell began with them when they were very young chickens, gave them their names, and with a little stick would drive away the one who came without having her name called. "King" declined to be trained, and on several occasions annoyed his mistress very much by following her. One morning as she was selecting some meat at the butcher's, she noticed that some ladies were particularly amused at something on the floor, and as she turned to see what the matter was, lo, and behold! there .was " King" as large as life standing close beside her. Pets are sometimes a great deal of trouble, and there were days I think when Mrs. Hubbell would have dis­ posed of them all at a very low figure, but would doubtless have bought them back soon after at three times their value, rather than give them up en­ tirely. One Saturday, a short time ago, the little ladv thought she would give her birds an airing: so she hung the three cages out of tne window, and the little creatures seemed to enjoy it very much. This was the first time they had been out of doors since the cold weather set in. Whether she was careless or not in hanging up the cage containing "Zip" she doesn't know; but anyway the cage tumbled from the window of the second story, and "down went cradle and baby, and all--11 as " Mother Goose" savs. "Erie," "Julius Caesar" and " ftamlet" were all playing in the yard; and of course the cats were determined to have the bird. Some people say that they have seen cats who have been trained to be kind to birds and perhaps this can be done; but my experience is that the eat instinct cau never be wholly eradicated. Mature made them to lay in wait for these helpless little creat­ ures, cruel as it may seem; but Nature also gave the birdies wings that they might keep out of the reach of the monsters, for such surely they must appear to them. Well, the cage tum­ bled from the hook, and the jar caused by the falling opened the door, and "Zip" rolled over onto the grass stunned and helpless. Mrs. Hubbell flew down-stoirs three steps at a time, but before she could reach the scene of action Hamlet had pounced upon the bird and was running away as fast as his fleet feet would carry him. "Go for him. Erie!" cried the little lady in a terrible fright. At that the dog--who for some strange reason had seemed only a quiet spectator, sprang npon "Hamlet," ana then Mrs. Hub­ bell thinking poor "Zip" would be torn to pieces in the melee, went into the house again, carrying the dilapidated cage, and sat down and cried as if her heart would break. You see " Zip" had only that morning been flying round her room, and sat on her shoulder and eaten out of her mouth, and never in all his little life had he been half so cunning. Perhaps the lady had been in her room two min­ utes when "Erie" bounded up-stairs, and rushed to his mistress; then very deliberately placing his great paws in oi© care of all her pets. •• Erie* "King" had seemed very quarrelsome, and the lady h been compelled to separate them in .order that they might preserve the- sacred peace of the Sabbath, She hadn't been gone but a short time before the fight begun again; but after a ifttltf, they all walked off t*. gether apparently on the best of terms. Whether they had! conferred together and decided what it was best to do I cannot tell, but this is what thev did do. Mrs. Hubbell's seat in chvirch was not far from the altar, and next to the aisle. The priest was delivering a most impressive sermon, and so stSl was it in the sacred edifice that the rustle of a dress or the squeaking of a shoe could be heard in all parts of tibs church. The outer door had been opened for better ventilation, and-- what do you think? A strange noise caused several heads to turn, when Mrs. Hubbell ail of a sudden impressed that th^ ttsual racket was caused by some member or mem­ bers of her " live stock," turned to see --what? Can you guess? No, I am sure yon cannot. Poor Mrs. Hubbell! She did not start at what she saw--she sat and stared at the strange procession which had en­ tered the church-door, as though she were in a dream. It was a strange procession--it too* ~ her " live stock." First, "Erie," who bounded up the aisle as much at home as if he were a member in good and regular standing. Such a frisk as there was to his taut Such happy eagerness as shone in Ids eyes! Next, "Julius Caesar"--so black and so sly--who sneaked after the dog, for all the world like a thief or a hypocrite --that cat knew he had no business at church! And then 44 King," bringing up the rear--the great white roosterT his neck erect, his comb elevated, stalking for­ ward, for all the world like the haughty, purse-proud man who comes in late so as to be seen by the congregation. What did Mrs. Hubbell do? What could Mrs. Hubbell do, indeedf For, you see, the worst of it was, the dog and the cat and the roo3ter all went for their mistress, and m the midst of the excitement " King" thrust forward his lordly head, inflated his lungs, raised himself a-tiptoe, and then, at the very pew-door, he sent up a crow which almost threw priest and audience into convulsions. At this the little ladv seemed to gath­ er sudden strength. She picked up her prayer-book and her nosegay ana her handkerchief, rose from her seat, and, with a dexterous movement of her par­ asol, turned the strange procession about, then, with a face the color of scarlet, walked down the aisle and (Hit the door, followed by her pets, as or­ derly as you please. And what did Mrs. Hubbell do and say, as she bravely generaled her live stock homeward ? Well, I don't think she said any­ thing, driving such a queer little drove; but when she did get home--why, she whipped thetb e very one, and then--good soul--petted them more than ever be­ fore.--<Eleanor Kirk, in Wide-A* FACTS AND FLTIUBEFT, CANADA owes $188,000,000.^ , is s THERK are 300,000 cattle in Montana. THE sun is 320,0 JO times as large as this earth. PROF. BAIRD says an average codfish will furnish 1,000,01.0 eggs. ONE little town in Denmark ships to London 2,000,000 eggs in a year. TEXAS has more miles of railroad being constructed than all the rest of the union. A LATY who 100 p??!ids fc®T© would weigh 2,700 pounds if on the sur­ face of the sun.-- Graphic. , FCOM observations it has been ascer­ tained that Dcadwood is 4,762.2 feet above the level of the sea. ONLY 100,000 silver dollars can he loaded on a dray, and there are more than $8,000,000' in silver in the vaults of the Treasury at Washington. THE Louisiana sugar crop of 1877 is? set down at 127,753 hogsheads, against 169,831 hogsheads for 1S76. The larg­ est crop ever raised was before the war; in 1861 the yield was 459,410 hogsheads. RECENT advices make the population of China between 200,000,000 and 220,- 000,000; it is certainly not more than 250,000,000, according to old residents, though Behm and Wagner still give it 405,000,000, with 29,580,000 in the bor­ der lands. THAT very singular body of persons, commonly known as Shakers--their proper name is the United Society ̂of Believers in Christ's Second Appearing --is said to have materially increased since 1870, and to number now nearly 12,000. This is lemarkable, inasmuch as, believing and rigidly adhering to celibacy, they can recruit their ranks onlv by external accretion. ̂ They have eighteen separate settlements (the sect is entirely confined to the United States), of which there are two in Maine, two in New Hampshire, four in Massachusetts.onein Connecticut, three in New Vork, four in Ohio and two in They now believe the King--1 £-----o -- (5---- i-- - -- Kentucky. ----j --•• -- -- - - -- n her lap, dropped from his mouth the dom of Heaven has been established; unfortunate "Zip." Of course Mrs. 1 that Christ has come upon earth a sec- Hubbell thought the bird was quite ond time, in the form of Mother Ann dead, for he did not stir, only lay in her (Ann Lee, an Englishwoman, born in .pinches without anyone being the wiser; lap a little wilted ball of yellow feath- Manchester, was the founder of the who does not magnify the splinter in : ers. " Erie" acted so very strangely sect, having emigrated thence with a that his mistress didn't know what to 8mall band of disciples, shortly before make of it, barking, growling and wag- the Revolutionaiy War), and that the ging his tail in the queerest manner; personal reign of God has been re- then he would stand very still and look stored.--Chicago Times. in her lap, and end by turning over the -- - poor little heap with his great paw. ! --A. woman saves her old love letters "'Erie1 evidently thinks that our just to see what a fool her husband Zip' isn't dead," said the lady; made of himself. There's no use of a her finger into a stick of timber, nor the mote in her neighbor's eye into a beam; who swallows her bitters with out leaving the taste in other people's mouths; who can give up her own w%y without giving up the ghost; who can have a thorn in the flesh and yet not prick all her friends with it--such a one surely carries a graces of all mankind. into the good and then^she lifted the bird and blew in man doing this--he can Jforper'sBazar, his mouth. Sure enough, "Zip" trem- h« without res bled a little, then shook his feathers, stood up and looked There was one happy that time; and "Zip" were treated like lords all have read and heard a see it every day he lives, without reading over any letters.--Chicago Times. --The Omaha Herald corrects the New York World by saying that prairie- dogs do not eat flesh and bones, and that prairie-dogs are only bob-tail squir* rels, that eat grass and roots. and finally about bim. woman at and " Erie" that day. I --rAccording to the New York jEX- pre**, it is the boy ou ton of a molasses hogshead who sings, "Oh, for a thou­ sand tongues." ' .jL « '