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KEXRUJCaS. CHAPTER I "My dear fellow, I wouldn't take the ; > ' : trouble in the first place; and, in the second, my charming cousin will expect < * me for the Christmas party sure," and i the Hon. Carroll Greylock stretched " himself out comfortably on his low, lnx- nrions divan, and gazed sleepily and ,,. complacently through thin clouds of •' * % smoke at his friend opposite. "Well, what of that? Your cousin ; Can wait a little longer. A week or so / will make no difference. Don't know that she is over-anxious to see yon any­ way. Let me have a look at her invita­ tion--will you?" Greylock searched one pocket after , another, at length bringing forth a small ; morocco note-book, and with a lazy jerk j ^rwlirl the silver clasp which was not in- ^ dined to open readily. He selected a dainty letter from which came the perfume of ambergris as it went spinning through the air and land­ ed in Maj. Shelton's outstretched hand. The Major carefully adjusted his g]g8S, the better to read the epistle, f "'Dear Can oil--' by Jove she's not •ery affectionate. Now when Lad^1 Armstrong was setting her cap for me last spring, you remember---just six weeks after her husband's death, too-- the first letter I ever got from her be- Ean with dearest--" • ± r "Confound Lady Armstrong. Go on * * t with that. I liadu't got through with 1 it myself, and have some curiosity to know how it ends." ^ The Major looked at hint in surprise. t,-» "Oh! ho!" he exclaimed, "that is i\ even more interesting. The plot : r'- thickens, as the villain in the play says. Now, as much as I despised her ^ 4 Ladyship, I invariably finished her 1 .'* • letters, every blessed one of them, and ... ••: lit my cigar with 'em afterward," the Major added ao/.'o voce. "I believe you're unable to read - Lelia's writing, that's the reason you - ^ don't go on." "No; not exactly, though she writes *0 confoundedly fine, and, if that's the reason you're not going through it, I forgive your negligence willingly; self- preservatioji.. above all things, and I <lare say she thinks the same regarding yours." "What's that?" asked Carrollsharply, rousing up from a slight doze. "No matter, 111 begin again. ' Dear Carroll *--I say though, that rather ? sticks me, that dear does." "Let it stick and be growled |i Carroll, too lazy to wind up with an energetic oath. "How very much I'd like to see the 5 beginning of one of yours to her," said :<tfie Major meditatvely, swinging lyp >nj^glasa round and round his finger aa 1 Jhe-j^doke. Carroll made a slight movement of ^wnneasiuest. • ^Hcyweirer, it's of no consequence. I§ Here gudft for the third and last time. |J 41 hope you have not forgotten your || promise--was it a promise you made, H or Harry Fitzmaurice, to come down § here for Christmas? I forget which, but you are both welcome, though I j rather think it was Harry who said he'd li certainly come.'" "That's cool, isn't it?" interrupted the sleepy dragoon. "And I'm engaged to her for I don't know how long. But go on, I'm resigned." " 'The house will doubtless be full. Sir George has invited a number of % - = i The Major's expression of amusement deepened into a broad smile. ' "She is sensible. I'd do the Mune if II were her." 'k. "I've no doubt of it. A man would Regenerate into anything miserably tegotistical aud selfish if he were to be- rcosie ft woman," "But that's not to the point," said the Major. "HI finish the letter as long as I began it. Begad, there's not much Inore to rend. She tells you her aunt Is well, and her uncle most cured of the gout, and that she attended the first Representation at the Comique with one Of the before-mentioned gentlemen, and f'oes to the Russian Ambassador's ball his verv night with another. Then it's tiot likely shell be at home till next iveek herself. How far is it from the (pity there?" "He don't give the ball in the city as |t happens. How should he when eve­ rybody's out of it now ? No, he's taken house not ten miles off from Sir Oeorge's, and there she'll be dancing jber heels off while we're smoking and ^gossiping here." "That is all, exoept that she is as ev­ er ' your affectionate cousin, Lelia,"* said the Major. "But there's something else--post­ script. I guess--way down at the end, poked in the corner as if she had no room on the next page for it." "Oh, yes! Ah--ahem! "Why, it's my name she mentions!" and the Major iuvoluntarily ran his fingers through liis curly gray hair and glanced across the room to'the long mirror hanging opposite. He was evidently satisfied with the broad, burly but handsome figure it re­ flected, for he held up the lettev again and read with much satisfaction: 4 "By the way, I am not so inconside­ rate a<» tn overlook your bosom friend, Maj. Shelton. Bring him, by all means; he will doubtless prove a great acquisi­ tion to our party." "How alxmt going home now--eh ?" asked Carroll, quizzically. "Well," said the Major, with a reflect­ ive air, "I am not bound to go home, thoxigh there is every attraction, cer­ tainly--the Widow Markham and her five daughters, and Mrs. Byford and sister, and, above all, the pretty little orphan I was telling you about. But, after Miss Carlford's saying I will doubtless prove a great acquisition to her yarty, faith, I've a mind to set all doubt at rest bv going in person and proving that I am." Even. Carroll could not help laugh­ ing at the determined expression on the Major's bronzed, good-natured face. "Go in and win, then. I give you my blessing--no charge, which is letting you off cheaply, seeing that they usually expect something for one from the air tar." "I will go," said the Major, finally. "In fact, you know I always (jpromised Sir George to pay him a visit one of these days. Never thought seriously fibout goiqg, but that postscript con­ vinces toe the time nas come." "And how about the orphan, and the widow, and the rest, who will ex­ pect every mustached fellow around when the mistletoe bough is hung up ?" "Sorry to disappoint them, but where beauty calls me there you'll find me. Suppose you go in mv stead, Carroll ?" "Not for worlds! I'd rather stay in yvanlra " "Suit yourself, Ihen. I intend to go, though you won't take me. I know Sir George well; 'tis a shame if I couldn't get on with his niece, IH give her your regrets and say you'll be there on the fatal day." So it was settled that Shelton should spend the holidays at Leighton Hall, while Carroll, t<x> indifferent to the social pleasure over which his betrothed Was to preside, might remain in his luxurious chambers at the Albany till absolute necessity called him to the Hall. . CHAPTER H Not thirty miles from London, near the banks of that river which England's writers have rendered immortal in poe­ try and song, and England's warriors have added their own peculiar charms to, stands the handsome residence of Sir George Leighton. A large party have gathered in the front drawing-room the afternoon that Carroll Greylock is expected, the ladies in small groups around the fire-side, a few of the men at the window idly speo- - , ,, ... , . 1 ulating among themselves regarding SFR TSRSRY,^A; ̂ R>UWLS*OF THC YOU°8 D"GOM" Harkington and Jack Ponsonby and •wo or three others whom you know welt and always beat von at billiards are due to-morrow. I don't Buppose it will be convenient for you to come be­ fore next week. Don't hurry on my ao- •oount. Tour duty has called you away so many times, let it keep you for ;awhile, I beg.' What does she mean by •that?" asked Shelton, pausing. . "Well," said Carroll, with a contrite •air, "she's a little sarcastic, but I de- - serve it. You see when she laid over in Paris last year I got so many letters from her with every fellow's name in "em but my own, except at the l>egin- njng, you know, that I grew rather tired •of it." "You're right," said Shelton, "Iagree with you entirely. To be sure it's very ^agreeable to hear how well Tom Mnc- feinzie looks with his beard off and only a mustache; and what a sudden taste Harry Satterlee displays in the matter of neckties; and how Phil Brown's manner of waltzing has improved over his p revious performances--he used to ihold you too loosely, you know, and now •"he hugs just right. Of course these things are pleasant to hear, but you •don't exactly care to have the girl you're -engaged to telling them." "Those are my sentiments," said Oarroll, gravely. "But what were you going to con- Jess?" "Nothing much, when you remember "that she drove me to it. I grow so (tired of reading about those fellows, that I swore rather than go there and arrival Harkington offers two "ponies" that he will l)e late for dinner, and Jack Ponsonby wagers a hundred pounds that he will not come at all, "Never thought he really cared for her," said one. "Great brute he is to neglect her," said Harkington, who would have given half of his worthless life to stand in Grevloek's shoes. "tVell, if he don't show up this time she'll slip his cable sure," observed a stripling who was related to a First Lord of the Admiralty, ami made it a point to interlard his c,onvovs-;r.tion with nautical phrases continually, much to the dis­ pleasure of landsmen, who could not tell whether they were apropos or not. At that moment the sound of horses' feet coming along the hard, smooth road brought the whispered conversa­ tion to an end. Each man rose on tiptoe as if the better to catch a glimpse of the dog-cart which had passed the Lodge gate and was whistling through the many bends and turns of the av­ enue. Even the subdued murmur of many voices at the fireside ceases. Every face but one lights with expectation, and rests with euger inquiry on the grave yet lovely face that is still turned to­ ward the burning embers; the handsome eyes flash with a glow which might well match the flames they rest upon, but no sign comes from the calm, immovable figure carelessly reclining in the large arm-chair. Then the door opens. She waits until the groom announoes i" .. ,«v aneet them, I'd plead a sudden march | _n0t the~Hon.~ Carroll Grevlock, but •or something, and get out of going en- , Maj. Shelton. then Lelia Car'lford rises tirely. So I wrote that my regiment ; ajMi walks across the room with easy was ordered to Cheltam for six months, ! grace and dignitv, and greets liim with ""hen to my uncles for some good the same welcome smile that she would •deer-stalking. But a cousin of hers-- 1 have given to Carroll himself she s more cousins, sir, than you can j AH hear the heattv. cordial words mount, and rm one of 'em, God help me None can hear the angry throbbing ot ---was passing through Scotland at the ' her heart. She is determined to ignore 'tone, and, as bad luck would have it, j all knowledge of Greylock's existence swopped where I was for a couple of i in view of the terrible slight he has put <«ays sport. Of course, he made it his j upon her, not only in the presence of vbusmess, the mmute he got to Paris, to ' " " tell her of all the jolly acquaintances he'd made at Lord Dumbarton's. What was I doing? she asked. Deer-stalking, her cousin replied. So there was the devil to settle about when we met, and Since then, whv " "Well, what?" . -. "She's never put anything warmer "titan 'dear' in her letters," confessed all those men at the window, to whom he had confided hid promise to come and receive with Lelia for the last time in her uncle's home before he should take her to his own, but the women also--they knew better than all others his continued indifference to her. Sir George is not there to introduce the Major, but Lelia meets him with the ease and familiaritv of an intimate •Carroll, with a melancholy look on his 1 friend. She is delighted to see her old handsome faoe. 1 acquaintance of Baden again; has Maj. Shelton forgottin the they enjoyed together at Car] Or the drives along the Bois? The men at the window begin to think that Shelton has followed her for the last twelve months with a persist­ ency they were entirely unaware of, while *he wosaen Wocder whether it is really Carroll or the Major she is en­ gaged to, her words leading them to believe that the latter has but seldom been out of her sight since she left Lon­ don the year before. And the Major, only too happy to be apparently taken to the favor which his friend has so shamefully cast aside and trifled with, involuntarily lifts her hand to his lips, in .silent joy and pleasure. . She sees that he understands her jrords, and the small farce is well plaved for the rest of that evening. "'Not so sharply hit but what she can console herself," says Harkington. "Evidently expected this fellow, and is glad Greylock didn't put in fcn apper r- anee. Might have complicated matters, yon know," said Jack, wisely. "Heartless creature she is! Engaged to a poor fellow in one city and walking and driving with his bosom friend in another!" soliloquized a charitable female by the fireside., The week went by, the day before Christmas arrived, and still the erring Carroll came not. Lelia Carlford and the Major had been constantly thrown together within that short period, arid she appeared to take a deep and affectionate interest in him. He certainly reciprocated with a growing devotion, which every one around could easily perceive. Pride was urging Lelia to persist in this pleasant comedy. Love Was fast blinding the Major's eyes to the treach­ erous part which he, as Carroll's friend, was playing. However, it is likely that, but for an unfortunate incident, the engagement would not have been thrown aside, as, alas for Carroll Grey­ lock, it was, within that very week. A large gathering was to be held on Christmas night. Young and old were to join in an old-fashioned Christmas party. Sir George's relatives from Derbyshire and Devon, even cousins came up from the picturesque Welsh hills, bringing with them happy chil­ dren whose voices made the old Hall ring with cheery, boyish laughter. • • • • » The Hon. Carroll Greylock looked out from his windows fronting the frosty river, on the morning before Christmas, and idly wondered how Shelton and Lelia were getting on to­ gether. "Over a week," he muttered, yawn­ ing, "and not a word from him yet. I begin to think he's falling in lore with Then he laughed. The idea of Dick Shelton falling in love with any one; why, he must be 47 to a day, and his mustache turning from black to gray, and a bald spot on the back of liis head which grows larger perceptibly every week. Still, the thought gave him a vague uneasiness which had never agitated his sluggish, indifferent nature l>efore, and he made up his mind to go down to Leighton Hall himself. His conscience began to reproach him for past neglect, so he went out and purchased the most magnificent flowers ne wTilu lay ins liauda gs for Lelia. "She always liked roses and carna­ tions. Well, she shall have some. If Shelton has sent for any they'll be horrible, I know. Hasn't a particle of taste that way. Likes poppies, and scarlet ones at that." Then he dispatched some lovely roses and carnations, and went back to his rooms to prepare for his journey. With his customary carelessness, he arrived at the depot too late that after­ noon, and wisely resolved to start bright and early the next morning. Not "being accustomed to rise before eleven, it was with much difficulty that his servant aroused him in time to catch the half- past nine train. Heavy and violent storms, unusual in that part of the country, had prevailed for the last week, and half way to Leighton the carriage in which Carroll had seated himself struck a bad rail and was thrown against some rocks. Lonely and cold he was forced to wait till matters could be attended to, and late .in the afternoon of Christmas day he arrived at the Golden Cross, a small hotel five long miles from the Hall. Tired and hungry he rested for dinner, and lingered so long over his wine that the small hands of the dirty- looking clock pointed to 10 before he was properly arrayed for the party. The landlord had ordered a rather rickety old Tilbury to convey him to the Hall, and as he took his seat in it, with the keen north wind cutting his cheeks and rapidly flushing liis nose, Carroll thought it suffioient expiation for all the sins he had ever committed, or might possibly venture on in the future. "If Lelia could see me now," he mut­ tered through lib chattering teeth, "she would pity me." Then the thought occurred to him that in the present state of affairs she would probably be more inclined to sneer; and a sober melancholy settled over his usually-cheerful spirits as the old rig rumbled along the beech-lined road with tall trees waving cold and frosty branches on either side. It was after 11 when he arrived there, and the party was at its height. He had left the state carriage <.f the Golden Cross at the Lodge gate, and, now that he is standing opposite the brilliantly- lighted entrance, a strange dislike to enter comes upon him. He remembers the long drawing- room that opens from the side terrace-- perhaps he can go in quietly there with­ out attracting notice or observation. But the footman already peroeives him, and throws the doors open wide. So he goes in. Through room after room he wanders, «UQd finds no trace of her whom his re> pen taut heart seeks at last. But under the arch which separates the conservatory from the farther draw­ ing-room hangs the mistletoe, and >>e- neath its protecting boughs two well- known forms are standing. The ma­ jority of the guests are at supper, the drawing-room is empty save the one who stands on the threshold, the two forms liefore his curious eyes. The man's back is toward him, but he recognizes the broad shoulders and gray lipoid of his friend, the Major. The lady's face is bent over the small bouquet in her hand, aud scarlet pop­ pies in place of his carnations are shin­ ing in her hair. The Major is talking in low but earnest, tones; his arm is half around that lovely form, which, alas, his own hod not enciroled for--was it monthaf Yett, months ago. Doubt and indecision are olearly per­ ceptible on that handoome, troubled face. 8he lifts it at last, and sees past the Major's shoulder the face of Carroll Greylock, his fixed anxiously and steadfastly upon her. Then overy shadow clears away. The doubt gives place to a loving determi­ nation. The eyes glisten with a light in their <f«»thsi which his words never could awaken. The head is raised higher--higher, until the lips of which he thought himself the master were of­ fered in reply to Shelton's passionate caress. Then Lelia gently turns her new lover round, ana together they stand triumphantly facing the old one. . She leads the Major forward, gravely intro­ ducing'Carroll to him, saying that her friends must henceforth be the Major's also. This caps the climax for poor Carroll. He breaks out in pn angry tirade against Lelia's unfaithfulness and his friend's treachery, which, however, the entrance of the other guests silences immediately, and the happy pair move away from him, the Major in his joyousness miug: ; ' Off with the old, . On with the new. So they were married. People said they did not agree as well as they might after the honeymoon was over. Lelia Was too fond of dancing all night at a ball, while her husband was oompelled to stay at home with the gout. But there were many evenings when Lelia would willingly remain with him, arid keep her eyes open at piquet, which game she despised, though she always told him it was delightful, and he be­ lieved her, as he thought so himself. Uncharitable women, who would gladly have had a gouty husband ^hem- selves, said that she only did s6 when her pocket was low and she needed a check with which to pacify Worth or Jergeau. But the pair had a strong and affec­ tionate liking for each other, which is a . more blissful state than most married people dwell in.--Chicago Ledger. She Was Not Qnaliflei. "Mr. Peterson Chaffey advertised re* cently for a colored servant. Among the no-called colored ladies who ap­ plied, was Miss Susannah Crow. She was willing to do the work, and receive the $15 a month, provided her condi­ tions were conceded to. She wanted quite a number of concessions, and among them immunity from anything like work. "I wants it understood that I ain't gwine ter fotch no water nor Wood inter de kitchen, and somebody has got ter git up in de morning and make de fire in de stove." "Of course not, Susanali. Nobody would expect you to do those things. \vlienever yon want a fire made, or wood and water brought in, just ring the bell for Mrs. Chaffey, and order her to bring in what you want." _ "And I'so not gwine ter do no scrub- bin', and no washin' oh de dishes. No culled lady in Austin does de like ob dat." "Of course not, Miss Crow. I always make my wife and daughters do the drudgery about the house. If at any time they do not speak respectfully to you, just let me know, and I will see that it does not occur again." "I believes I'll come on de fust oh de mumf." "Before hiring you. Miss Crow, I want to ask ycfe view questions." "What does yer want ter know?" "Can you play on the piano? Can you render Beethoven's immortal sym­ phonies with the proper musical ex­ pression?" "No, sah, but I sings camp-meet in' tunes." "Then I am afraid you will not suit the family at all. While my wife is washing the dishes, and doing the scrubbing, I want the cook to play on the piano, and receive company. I am afraid you will not fill the bill. Just get of here you old charcoal fraud!" So he opened the gate, and turned her out into the street, black looks, sass and alL --Texas Sifting*. The Hate of the "Mark Twain." The first mate of the vessel, he of the fur cap, was a character. It was ap­ propriate to find him in the "Mark Twain." He was bald and looked very old, but declared he was thirty. "Ef you had been through what I hev, my travelin' stranger," quoth he, "yon too would look like an example of the longest kind of long-gevity. My name figures prominently in history. I've Wen published in four hundred and thirty-nine newspapers and one alma­ nac. I've been blown up by steam­ boats in twenty-two States and several Territories. On most occasions, every­ body on l>oard perished, except myself. Pieces of my skull is layin' round loose all up and down this river, and numer­ ous of its tributaries. Awful ? Yes. Once I was on board the "Obiona." I knew we were goin' to bust that ater- noon, for it was about bustin' time with me, and bust we did. When I come down I couldn't find notliin'. Every- | thing had blowed to dust, or gone so fur that nothin' was within visible distance. But, bless you!--that's nothin'. Minor catasterties ? Oh, yes. Once we smashed a wheel against a snag. Of coarse, when we progressed we went round and round, and so went round and round all the way down to New Orleans, describin' circles the whole time. We all got orftil headaches owin' to the centripital tendency of the phery.--Mark Twain. The Story of Robin Adair.' * c A young Irish physician of the name of Kobin Adair, walking to London stopped at an inn, where there was a countess whose leg had been broken by the overturning ef a stage coach. His proffered service was acoepted, and ho performed his work so skillfully that slut insisted he should not leave her. Ultimately she took him to London and introduced him to the best social eiteles. He iMM'tune enamored of an earl's daugh­ ter, and taught her to sing "Eileen Aroon" Afterward ho was parted from her by a cruel fate. She conneet- his name with the song, and thus rlianged it was picked up and carried by a celebrated tenor upon the English stage, where it met with the samo in­ stantaneous success as did "Home, Sweet Home." TBATsuae nr mwway. KaOwiqri That D* Hot bt«*re With ttw tovriin MM to 8M tfc* Country. Writing of a tour through Norway, a correspondent of the London Times says: The tourist will have no reason to regret his choice if he prefers to these stage routes llm railwaj journey from Ha mar to Trondhjem. In the opinion of most travelers it is the finest railway run in the north of Europe. Perhaps one would not think so much' of it ii the train traveled at a rapid rate but in point of fact Norwegian trains travel so slowly that you are able to take in the scenery as you pass through it almost as well as if you were walking or driving in a cariole. Some notion may be formed of the rate of traveling when I mention that, as on some lazy continental lines, it is the custom for the conductor to examine and check the tickets by moving along the foot-boards from carriage to carriage while the train is going at its highest speed; in­ deed, that is the usual - way the guards take in passing from one part of the train to another. As you sit looking out of your carriage window you are constantly being startled by the appari­ tion of a conductor's head. The rate of railway traveling would be considered intolerable in England, but there are some other things in the management of Norwegian railways which might be adopted in England with some advan­ tage. For example, there is hung up in every compartment of every carriage in the trains that run between Christiana and Trondhjem a time-table in large type showing all the stations stopped at by each train and the time of stopping, and there is exhibited in the same way a table of the fares charged for travel­ ing to every station, both from Chris­ tiana and from Trondhjem. Another noteworthy point is that the train is ab­ solutely under the control of the con­ ductor. Travelers can not thrust themselves into any oarriage they may choose to select; they must go where the con­ ductor puts them. Neither can they jump out as soon as they reach a sta­ tion, or before the train has well stop­ ped ; they must wait till the guards or porters have opened the doors. At every station, also, there is a large ther­ mometer showing the temperature ac­ cording to the scale of Celsius. There is also at each station a, large board containing, besides the name of the station, its distance from Christiana and from Trondhjem, and its height above the sea level in meters. Female labor is used on the railways to an unusual extent.' At several stations I noticed that the carriages, outside and inside, were being cleaned by women. In one or two signal boxes women were work­ ing the signals, and at many of the stations girls were acting as ticket- clerks. One custom, which is very com­ forting in hot and dusty weather, is that of carrying drinking water inside the carriages. Inside some of the carriages, at least, tJie space usually occupied by the lamp is filled by a glass vessel con­ taining iced water, and with a tap and a glass on each compartment. Another great convenience met with on the Nor­ wegian railways is that every train, or, at least, every mail train, is a traveling postoffice. You can post letters or post cards at every station up till the train is signaled; and even after the station boxes have been cleared you can post letters in the poacoiliee carriage 01 ihe train when it stops at every station. In the side of that carriage there is a letter slip, and letters posted there are as safe, and as sure of attention, as if they were dropped into a general postoffice. HOUSE PLANTS. THERK is no author more candid \o himself than Mr. Ruskin. His criti­ cisms of his own works are peculiarly unbiased. He approves of "The Stones of Venice" emphatically, but the "Mod­ ern Painters" he pronounoes "the most affected and weak of all my books, full of morbid violence of passion and nar­ rowness of thought," and doubts even "whether the sentences are intelligi­ ble." AN Arizona paper has persuaded it­ self that the name of that Territory is either Mexiean or Indian for ^Blessed Sun." 7 tfphis, or green fly, is one of rati' most troublesome enemies of pot-grown plants. It is most easily destroyed by syringing the plants twice a week with a tea made from tobacco stems, mov­ ing them up and down until the insects are thoroughly washed off. This will also destroy other insects. . THE two most important things to be observed in taking care of plants in the house, are to secure a proper degree of heat and to furnish a sufficient amount of water and no more. Some plants re­ quire more heat when growing vigor­ ously, or flowering, than they do when in a state of rest. To INDUCE a vigorous growth all plants should be grown in goowl rich soil,, composed of decayed sods saurl well rotted manure, mixed with suffieent sandy road-drift to make it porousT and nearly all should be re-potted as soon as the pot they are growing in is thoroughly filled with roots. In re­ potting use pots only one size larger --or about one inch or more in diame­ ter--than the plants have been grow­ ing in. VICK says that gladiolus bulbs may be kept over winter in sand in the cel­ lar, or wherever they will not freeze: Tuberose lmlbs, in order to preserve their germs, which will perish in a low temperature, especially if accompanied with moisture, need to be kept dry and warm. If possible the temperature should not fall much below 65 deg., and 70 is better. Kept in a warm place, a drawer, for instance, in a room that is always heated, they winter in good con­ dition. PAXSIES are quite hardy, and will stand any amount of cold, if protected from the bleak winds. A cold frame is the most suitable place to winter them. If sash is used for covering,which shovld only be done in cold weather, they must be aired freely whenever the weather permits. As soon as the frost is out of the ground, they can bo planted out doors, where they will soon commence to unfold their beautiful flowers. Pan- sies thrive best while the Weather is not too warm; dry, excessive greatest enemy. " Roor-Baeks." 1 The branding of tales assumed to be false in political contests as "rocr-backs" owes its origin to a publication in the Albany Evening Journal, then edited by the late Thurlow Weed. Mr. Polk was the Democratic candidate for Presi­ dent, and was the owner of a small num­ ber of slaves, as was also Henry Clay, his opponent. To show how bad and brutal a master Mr. Polk was, the Al­ bany Journal published a lengthy ex­ tract from the travels of Herr Roorback, an eminent German professor, in the United States, in which he gave a scene he had witnessed earlv one morning of a drove of slaves chained each to the other, crossing Duck river, and on the bare shoulders of each were branded with a hot iron the initials, "J. K. P."-- James K. Polk. As Mr. Polk lived near Duck river, and aa these were the initials of his name, it was charged that Mr. Polk was the owner of the chattels, and that the branding was to show his title to his property. Soon after the publication some Democrat, t'lrning to a l>ook of travels in the United States by Mr. Featherstonehaugh, an English geologist, diagovered the same pen pict­ ure of slave-deriving, save that the loca­ tion was different, being on New, not Duck river, and that there was no brand­ ing with a hot iron , on the shoulders or other part of the chattels. Published side by side the forgery was apparent. No Mr. Roorback had published a book of travels in the United States and^no man could be found who had ever heard of , him. ' The Evening Journal was forced to confess the forgery, and for .excuse claimed that it had been imposed upon by some rascally Democrat, but it never gave his name, and hence the Al­ bany Evening Journal and Thurlow Weed got the full credit for the clumsy forgery, and for the injury it did the Whig candidata. Since that day polit­ ical falsehoods are called "Boor-backs," and so common is it that the term has a pluce in Webster's Unabridged, where it is defined as "a forgery or fictitious story, published for purposes of politi­ cal intrigue." THE FAMILY D0CT01. TIB LAUHGINQ CORE.--A shrewd lady who had recovered from a decline was asked what cured her. "I stopped worrying and began to laugh; that is all," was the reply. If many fretful persons would try this cheap medicine they would have more friends and feel better. PUTRID SORE THROAT.--Mix one gill of apple vinegar, a teaspoonful of com­ mon salt, a tablespoonful of drained bees' honey and half a pod of pepper, together; boil to a proper consistency, pour into a half-pint of strong sage tea. Take a tablespoonful occasionally and it will be found an excellent remedy. REMEDY POR LOCKJAW.--Let any one who has an attack of lockjaw take a small quantity of turpentine, warm it and pour it on the wound, no matter where the wound is, and relief will fol­ low in less than a minute. Nothing better can be applied to a severe cut or bruise than cold turpentine; it will give certain relief almost instantly. Turpen­ tine is also a sovereign remedy for croup. Saturate a piece of flannel on the throat and chest, and in every severe case three or four drops on a lump of sugar may be taken inwardly. CORN CORES.--Dissolve one part of salicylic acid in forty parts of collodion; apply several times a week. The corn dissolves with little trouble. For hard corns, apply at night a mixture of one part of carbolic acid and ten parts of distilled water, glycerine, and soap lini­ ment; envelop with gutta percha tis­ sue, and the corn may generally be re­ moved the next morning. For inflamed and swollen joints proceed in the same manner, but use, instead of the above mixture, liq. plumbi diL one hundred and tinct. creei five parts. WELL-COOKED FOOD.--To set upon my table healthy, nourishing and well- cooked food is one of my hobbies. This would be a comparatively easy matter if one had plenty of money, but where the housekeeping is conducted on economical principles it requires a little care and thought. For instance, bread is found in many families in the form of yellow-streaked saleratus buscuit, and this not seldom, but two or three times a week. Now, good, light, yeast bread is something anybody can have. It should be well baked, with a brown crust, top and bottom. Then graham or rye makes good Ines.*! if raised with, yeast, and is a pleasant change from white, besides agreeing with dyspeptics. This saleratus is the bane of tine kitch­ en. Of course there are times when it must be used, but it seems to me that a standard baking powder is preferable, the materials being purer and less like­ ly to be adulterated by the grocers, though there are so many people who dislike oatmeal, yet, in my opinion, at least, there is nothing can compare with it for a breakfast dish. The water should be boiling and the meal stirred in grad­ ually, and it should be well boiled. That people dislikeit is not surprising, for it is usually half cooked and fiercely salted, to cover the taste of the raw meal. Meat is a very important article of diet in this countr especially in the cold weather; and the usual way of pre­ paring it is by roasting or frying. How much more palatable and nutritious it would be stewed either with vegetables or without, or made into soups. A very savory dish is made by stuffing beef­ steak with a dressing of bread-crumbs, and stewing until tender. Broiling is a favorite method of mine in cooking meat or fish, or even vegetables. In the summer when the stomach seems to crave something light, less meat should be eaten (but enough to keep up the strength), and more eggs, milk, blano mange and fruit. If the housekeeper would use a little care in the choice and preparation of the food, there would be fewer doctor's bills to pay.̂ --Detroit Free Press. Mexican Cruelty. An Austin man who made a pro­ longed trip through Mexico, gives us some interesting details of his trip. He says that when he was in the City of Mexico he was shown through some of the old buildings, convents and jails that were erected by the Spaniards. In the wall of one of these ancient build­ ings he noticcd a small opening, and ho naturallay inquired of his Mexican guide what it meant. He was told it was one of the buildings in which crim­ inals were walled up alive. "What was the use of that hole in the wall?" "Well, Senor, you see, as long as tl»e prisoner lived his food was handed in to him on a plate, and he handed the empty plate back, but when he handod the plate back with the food on it un­ touched, then the Jailer knew the prisoner was dead already, and didn't gjve him any more."--Texan Sifliifgg, , , , . The InsMtoas Tbai. The Canadian Farmer says: "Those who keep bees need to look out sharply for toads. Go among the hives in the 'gloamin',' and ten to one you will see a solemn toad beside each one of them, with face upturned heavenward as though praying. So he is, phonetically speaking; but phonography, with all its advantages fails here, for you must spell that word with an 'e.' He is prey­ ing on your bees, and if yon watch him closely you will see him every now and thep dart out his long slimy tongue and gather them in with a celerity and gus­ to perfectly marvelous. Toads are val­ uable in a garden, but destructive in an apiary.'* „ ELDERLY spinster (who is being meas­ ured for a pair of boots)--"And mind you make one larger than the other." Attendant (with astonishment)--"Then they won't be fellows, ma'am!" E. S. (with asperity)--"Certainly not; I do not like fellows, and I will have noth­ ing whatever to do with them!" Or Sir Stafford Northoote it is said that he never made a personal enemy. M I M Aoaunum third of imaginary. This eannot help' welcome news to those whohav* seek* in their boots. ^ SPEAKING of cremation, Blobbs 4- marhed: " Well, I would rather not bo burned after death." "Then," remark" ed a friend, "you should mend your ways at once." A NEW YORK museum man wants td have a contest for homely women, but can't get any entries. It is very difficult to find women who think themseluM homely enough to compete. ONE of the saddest moments in life is when a man is looking through an old vest and thinks he has found a 10-ceftt piece, which, when brought to light* turns out to be a cough lozenger. k" HOSTESS: "What, must you go Al­ ready, Professor?" The Professor-- "My dear n^tdam, there is a limit evfli to my capacity of inflicting myself on my friends!" Hostess--"Oh, no--not at all--I assure you!" JENNIE JUNE declares that there aire no scientific' dressmakers in this coun­ try. The trouble is the fashionable dressmaker lavishes all her scientific attainments on making out the bilL There's where all the science goes. THE mistress has gently reprimanded her maid for oversleeping herself in the morning. "You see, ma'am," explained the servant, "I sleep very slowly, and so you see, ma'am, it takes me much longer to get my full sleep than it doift others, you see, ma'am." f! \ A PENNSYLVANIA paper tells of fc family which has been poisoned by eat­ ing pie containing arsenic. It seems like a work of supererogation to put arsenic into pie. A pie that cannot kill a family without the help of arsenic ia a very weak pie indeed. "WHAT is the difference betwane tMr youths'and the min's departments at the big clothing shop?'* asked an Irish­ man of a friend; and, receiving no re­ ply, he continued, "Because, at the wan I buys me clothes, and at the other I clothes me b'ys."--Harvard Lampoon. "I SUPPOSE when women get their rights," said the young man in the flat hat, "you girls will be making love to the fellows. It must be awfully nice to be made love to, you know." "Yes," replied Angelina, "only one wants to choose one's lovers." The next moment the young man in the flat hat was stand­ ing alone, feeling flatter than his flel hat. h ' IN a town not many miles from Bdi* ton, a man stepped into a neighbor's house where he saw the head of the family lying upon his baok on the floor, and liis wife standing over him, as he thought, with a threatening air. He was about to withdraw, when the pros­ trate man shouted, "Come along in, Steve; she is only ohalking me out * pair of pants." "How DID you come to break off your engagement with Miss Snowball?* asked Uncle Mose of Andy Perkins, an Austin darky. "In de fust place, Unole Mose, she wasn't berry young, and she didn't hab no money, and jawed like de debbel; secondly, she wouldn't hab me, and went and married anndder niggah* so I tuck de advice ob my frens and jew drapped her."--Texas Si/tings. AN impetuous Vienna lover kissedt his sweetheart on the ear, and from that moment she was deaf. Married men must be careful when they salute their wives with connubial osculation, although there are some wretches de­ praved enough to try the experiment of kissing both ears at once if they thought it would insure a total loss of hearing on the part of their better halves. A GENTLEMAN at the theater sits b*> hind a lady who wears a very large hatl "Excuse me, madam, but unless you re­ move your hat I can see absolutely nothing." Lady ignores him. "Excuse me, madam, but unless you remove ?rour hat something unpleasant will lappen." Lady ignores him again. Gentleman puts on his own hat. Loud cries from the audience: "Take off that hat! Take off that hat!" Lady thinks they meao her hat, a^d remoyes it. "Thank you, madam." AN impecunious young lawyer, one day, requested a private interview with one of the weallhie t men in Austin. Aa soon as the door was closed the young lawyer said, earnestly: "Life is a bur­ den to me unless you consent to my marriage with your daughter. I come to ask your oonsent." The wealthy man, who did not have much use for lawyers, replied: "To which one of mr daughters do you refer ? I have three. "Colonel, I refer to whichever one yom want me to have/' was the candid reply* i--Texas Siftings. A Fraternal Ftoettng. agent for a New York grocery house has a route to Pennsylvania, and last spring he was put out to discover that the agent for a Boston house hod taken one of his best customers. "Did he offer you better figures?" he asked in explanation. "No." "Better terms?" "No." "Goods any betterY* "No." r; "Then why did yon left've our honsot" "Well, to tell the truth." replied the merchant, "we both belong to the Odd Fellows and have a fraternal feeling, you know." The agent had no more to say, but there was business in his eye as he withdrew. Next time ho came over the route he called upon the merchant and said: "Well, I am also an Odd Fellow now, and hope to secure your orders again." "Have you joined?" "Yes." i "How sorry I am !M sighed the mer­ chant, with a look of distress on his face." "Only last week the Boston man and myself were bounced from the order for being drank at a funeral, and now, of course, we don't feel like having any­ thing to do with auy member in good standing! Under the circumstances I couldn't possibly patronizo you.-- Whil Street AV*us. "YES, you may come again next Sun­ day evening, Charley, dear, but---* "What is it, darling? Have I given yon pain ?" he asked, as she still re­ mained silent. "You didn't mean I'm sure," she responded, "but next time don't wear one of those oollars with the points turning outward; they scratch so." THE foundation stone of the magnifi­ cent Church of the Savior at Vienna, which has been under construction for twenty-six years, and is the expression of a national thanksgiving for the pres­ ervation of a monaroh's life, is a block of marble, quarried on the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem. The ohuroh wiB oost $1,875,000.