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UN SLYML 1ami PtoMMia; McfiPBHBT, ILLINOIS. he Is back again in her Past 's bright spl< When life wa* worth living and love1 I/')/ THE OLD STAGE QI7F.SX. Cttck In her box by the curtain shaded * the at!a above, bv the ho se unseen; , jv _ Her eye la dim and Iter cheek is faded. She that cricc was the people's Queen. The curtain rolls up, and she sees before her A vision of beauty and you1 h and grace; Ah! no wondtr all hearts adore hd** > Silver-throated and fair of face. Out of her box she leans and liatrisss O! is it with pleasure or dispatr That her thin cheek pal. s, and her dim eye Whfie that "fresh young voice sings the grand old nir? rht splendor i was a truth, Kn Time had told her she must surrender Her double dower of fame and youth. It Is she herself who stands there sinirinsr To that sen. of lai es, that shines and stirs: And the cheers on cheers thatg-oup ringing And rousing the tehoes, are hers, all hers. Just for one moment the sw-et d?lus'on Quickens her pu ses and blurs her sight. And wakes within her that wild confusion, Gt' joy that is anguish, and fierce delight. Then the curtain goes down, and the lights are gieaminir. Brightly o'er circle and box or stall: She starts like a steeper who wakes from d earning That she lies under a funeral pall. Her day Is dead, and her star de eended. Never to rise or to t-hlne again. Her re pn is over, her <;ueenship ended. Anew narnj is sounded and sung by men. AH the glitter and glow an l splendor. All the glory of that lost day, With the love that seemed true and the love that seemed tender. Why, what is it all but a dead bouquet! She rises to goffyias the night turned colder? Hie new Queen answers to ca 1 and s^out. And the old Queen looks hack over her shoul­ der. As, all unnoticed she passes out. : *' Leslie's Illustrated XetrpsMQer. own room her sister Clarice wept for the pain that Was to fall Upon Morris Tucker's heart. .. . She was a brown-eyed, golden-haired girl, whose quiet, unpretending cl̂ arfns hod long been overshadowed by the more brilliant beauty of her sister Meta. She was timid to a fault, and was her mother's greatest affliction in tier career of fashionable gayety. With a higher intellect than Meta's, with Jliiore couimand of foreign tongues, with a true musician's love and knowledge of music, a sweet clear voice, and won­ derful powers of expression, she was to plainfully shy, that society was a misery to her. Her beauty was of the lleiicate order that does not strike at first glance, and her affections were carefully hidden in her shrinking, gen­ tle heart. She had given John Tucker true love since she was a mere baby and sat upon his knee, playing with his watch-chain. Bhe had never thought of his money, and when Morris came she was only glad that her dear old uncle, as she called him, was to have a companion and friend. > She had never questioned her heart about Morris Tucker, rejoic­ ing sincerely when his engagement with Meta drew him into nearer broth­ erly relations with herself. She re­ spected his worth, his devotion to his uncle; she admired his talents, his no­ ble, frank beauty, and she grieved deeply over the sorrows so suddenly thrown into his life.AShvly as she had liked him, so she crept away to weep for him. with its own happiness as she whis­ pered : "Stay, for I lore you, Morris." Meta saw the sister she had always despised for her timidity, and the lover she had thrown aside in his poverty. enter the drawing-room together, and her heart was full of jealous anger as she read their secret in their happy- faces. She lias been Mrs. Cooke, for three years--miserable wife of a jealous miser, whose sole aims in life are to save money and to keep his wife out of society. In their unhappy home there is constant quarreling, while Morris blesses every hour the temporary pov­ erty that led him to appreciate the heart of his little wife, and won for him a knowledge of the treasure of her love. There is a toddling boy named John, who calls Morris "papa;** and in the peaceful happiness of his home life and mother love Clarioe is rapidly con­ quering her old timidity and letting the world of society see, sometimes, what an accomplished, graceful lady Morris has won for his wife. And Morris, holding her to his heart, will often say tenderly: "The happiness of my life commenced, Clarice, when your tender sym­ pathy greeted me at the *»*»« I was under a cloud." In the Land of the Lctes. The city of Bangkok--the capital of the kingdom of Siam- -has often been called "Oriental Venice," because it The lieai^lessness that would I *;as *hat might be termed a floating IK' V y UNDER _A CLOUD. • Morris Tncker and his uncle sat at their cozy breakfast table one winter morning, each with a copy of the morn­ ing paper in his hand, each with a clouded brow and troubled eye. The elder gestlemsn was the first, to apeak. "It is a bad business, Morris!" "A bad business, indeed, sir!" Then there was another long silence, while each again read the ominous news of the failure of a firm whose bus­ iness was so involved with their own that the failure of one house was near­ ly utter ruin to the other. The hot chops cooled on the dish, the coffee was untouched, and the breakfast liter­ ally forgotten, when the gentlemen left the house to ascertain the extent of their misfortunes. Bad as they feared these would prove, the realities were even worse than the anticipation, and before night the old firm of Tncker & Co. was on the list of failures. There was £ dreary amount of hard, distasteful work to be done after the failure was an established fact; but Morris Tucker never liinched from any task or interview till night shadows fell, and he faced his uncle at the table once more. Then, with set features and a pale face, he said: "If yon can spare me for an hour, sir, I think I had better call on Miss Cressweil." "I can spare yon, bnt are yon wise to hurry an interview that, I fear, will be very painful?" "Better to understand my position at once, sir. If ," he moistened his dry lips here, as if the word choked him--"if Meta is true to me, I will re­ main here and try to work my way up again to the position I held only yester­ day. If she frees me from my engage­ ment, I accept your proposal to go to California." "I think it is a good time to look up those old claims," said Mr. Tucker, 1 sliding easily over the first part of his nephew's speech; there may be money inthem!" "We will see. If I do not go, we may be able to find some trusty mes­ senger." "I am afraid yon will go," his nncle said. "It may be. Mrs. Cressweil is a worldly woman." "Meta ia a worldly woman! Nay, let me speak, Morris. I have said nothing before, though my heart was sore over your choice of a wife. Meta is a won­ derfully fascinating, beautiful and ac­ complished as but tew women are, but «he is thoroughly heartless. I hoped your choice would fall on Clarice." "Clarice! She is a mere child!" "Only two years younger than Meta. I love her very dearly, Morris." "But you are fond of Meta." "No! For her father's sake, the toother of my dead wife, I have tried to love Meta, but she repels me." "Yet you never spoke when I told ypo I should seek to win her love." . "Because love is too sacred in my eyes for anyone to interfere with its ex- f ression. If Meta loves you, I will give er warm welcome and cordial aff ection when she becomes your »wife, Morris. But nerve yourself for the worst, mv boy!" S Nerved for the worst, Morris Tucker sought his betrothed bride. From the time he had come from his Western home, an orphaned lad of 19, to accept his uncle's offer of a home, he had met Meta Cressweil constantly. He had Teceived cordial welcome from her mother, and had not suspected the schemes and subtle influence that had led Dim on, step by step, from the posi­ tion of friend to that of accepted suitor •of the beautiful girl. While his feet were bringing him slowly to the mo­ mentous interview after the failure of the firm of which his uncle had made him full partner, Mrs. Cressweil was schooling ner daughter to meet the emergency. "Did you write to Morris, Meta?" she asked, languidly stirring her cof­ fee. "Not yet," was the reply. "He will probably call, being an honorable gen­ tleman, mamma." "I hope you will be firm, Meta. Re­ member that you have been the injured party throughout. From the time your poor papa died I have had every reason to believe Mr, Tucker would inake von and your sister the heiress of his prop­ erty. He worshipped your aunt, and he never spoke of any relatives of his •own till this nephew appeared. I be­ lieve there was some quarrel between the two brothers that ended in the younger one going West, while, John, the elder, remained here. At all •events, it is very cear now that Morris , "would have been heir to the business *nd propei ty if this failure had not happened. ̂ You are to be congratu­ lated that it came before the wedding Instead of after." Meta shrugged her shoulders. **Yes! Love in a cottage is not in my styie!" And while she spoke the K bell rang, and she knew her lovor was waiting to test her cold, world y heart. "She sauntered with easy grace into the •drawing-room, while up stairs in her - '• : •>' throw him aside in his trouble was only comprehensible to her from knowing well how her mother and sister wor­ shipped wealth. She heard the door of the drawing- room open and her sister's clear voice say coldly: "Good evening, Mr. Tucker. You have my best wishes for your - future Success." > Then * voice as cold and haughty an­ swered: "Thank you. I have the honor to wish you good evening." The draw ing-room door closed, and Clarice could see Morris standing un­ der tlife hall lamp, silent, and evidently wishing to recover somewhat from the pain of the trying interview before go­ ing into the street He was very nale, and the brightness that had formed one of the greatest attractions of his face was all stricken from it. The sad, pal- id face conquered all Clarice's shyness. With a sudden, irresisiiblo impulse she glided down the stairs and stood beside Morris. He did not hear thg light footfall upon the carpet, nor lee that he was not alone until a soft touch on his arm startled him. Looking down, he saw a sweet, pleading face, soft brown eyes, misty with unshed tears, raised to his own, while Clarioe said in a low voice: "Morris, I must tell you how sorry I feel for you and Uncle John." "Thank you," he said, gravely cover­ ing the little white hand upon his arm with his own; "I will tell my uncle what you say." "Teil him," she said earnestly, "that he has no friend who loves him more truly than I do--no one who feels more deeply any misfortune that can hap­ pen to him." "I will carry your message. And will you wish me God speed, too, Clar­ ice? I shall sail for California in a few days." The large, brown eyes dilated, while the sweet face grew white as snow. Ihe blow was too sudden. Without word or murmur Clarice fell forward, fainting. Morris caught her in his arms and carried her into the library. It was dark there, and no one saw the kiss he pressed upon the pale lips be­ fore he put Clarice gently upon the so­ fa and left her. He did not linger again in the hall. Snatching his coat and hat hurriedly from the rack, he strode into the street and walked rap­ idly homeward. Five years passed swiftly, and Meta Cressweil had altered little, when, five years after her parting interview with Morris Tucker, she stood in the wide drawing-room of her mother's house, waiting to greet a number of in­ vited guests. Time had matured her beauty, and taken nothing from her great attractions. Clarice, shy as ever, and pretty as a violet, stood near her sister, while Mrs. Cressweil, magnifi­ cent in velvet and diamonds, spoke hurriedly: "Here is strange news, Meta. Mr. Jarvis has asked permission to bring a friend, and who do you suppose it is ?" • "I cannot'guess," said Meta, languid­ ly ; some musical man, I suppose, as Mr. Jarvis is so devoted to Enterpe." "No; it is Morris Tucker! Oh, Meta, I am so glad you have not positively accepted young Cooke!" "I thought you were very anxious to be mother-in-law to his $200,000 ?" "But not since 1 have heard Mr. Jar- vis' news. My love, John Tucker, has some land claims in California that Morris hunted up and sold for more than double young Cooke's fortune. He has come home now, and is settling his uncle's estate, being his heir for everything." "Uncle John dead!" cried Clarice. "Yes, more than a year ago, though Morris has just returned. The'bell! Someone is coming!" In the crowded drawing-room, an hour later, Morris Tucker bent grace­ fully over Meta's hand, and responded politely to her cordial greeting. He met all her advances with such evident pleasure in his welcome, that hei heart beat high wilh hope. Life had been a struggle for a rich husband ever since she had made her debut in society, and now there was one paying her deferen­ tial attention upon whose heart she had nt once made deep impression. "Would he forget that cruel parting in­ terview, and lay his fortune once more at her feet? Mr. Cooke, a young mam about half­ witted, possessed of $200,000, watched the brilliant beauty who had smiled so sweetly upon him all winter, with jeal­ ous eyes, after Morris entered the room, but Meta forgot him in her new-born hope. All the evening Morris hovered about Meta, wondering where Clarice had hidden herself; bnt wli^n the sup­ per call thinned the room, Meta missed her cavalier. the conservatory Mor­ ris had seen a vision of a golden head and white fluttering dress; and Clarice, half hidden by a flowering screen, saw him desert Meta to come beside her. Longing to see him, in an agony of ma denly shame at the secret she had revealed when they parted, she hid there to watch him unseen. But he came swiftly across the flower bordered path to her side, and taking her hand in his, said: "Clarice, I have comfe all the way from California to try and win your love. Little one, with all my heart I love you. My sole hope of happiness is the hope that you will be my wife. Must I go back again desolate, or will you bid me stay ?" She looked into the earnest face, the pleading ejea, and her heart grew faint city, but it is wholly unlike Venice in almost ever-aspect, except that it is lo­ cated upon and surrounded by water. It is situated on either side of the mag­ nificent Chow Phya river, and is trav­ ersed or divided by a multiplicity of canals called klaungs. Many of these canals are artificial, and are simply un­ covered sewers. Some of them weare intended for navigation by small boats, and others as merely lateral conduits or trenches, through which the daily accummulations of the city are carried to the river .whence they are swept seaward by the clensing tide. From the,palace of the King to the extreme lower end of the city there are about thirty of these natural and artificial canals, but many of them have been partially closed, or obstructed in such a manner as to prevent the free ingress of the tiJal waters of the river. Some of them have been covered by small bamboo buildings thatched with atap, or encroached upon, to such an extent as to wholly impair their usefulness, instead of serving the purposes for which they were originally constructed or designed by natnre', they are now the reservoirs of decomposed vegeta­ ble and animal substances that emit poisonous vapors which are borne by the w ind at certain seasons over the entire city. A little more than a century ago Bangkok was a comparatively insignifi­ cant village. Now it is one of the wealthiest as well as one of the most important commercial ports in the far East, and contains nearly 1,000,000 of inhaLitants. The royal city which contains the palaces of the King, treasury buildings, mint, museum, royal gardens, elephant houses, private temple of the King, barracks of royal guard, and the estab­ lishment of the princes of the realm, is on the east side of the river, and en­ closed by a circular wall about twenty- five feet in height. This wall is com­ posed of earth, brick, and rough stones, but is constructed in a substantial man­ ner. It has ten massive gates, all of which are closed at midnight and opened usually at 5 o'clock in the morning. Near each of the gates are stone towers overlooking the cit$v Bangkok has been called "the Asiatic Hades," in consequence of the excess­ ive heat which prevails there through­ out the entire year. The population of the city is com­ posed of Chinese, Siamese, Malays, Burmese, Cambodians, Javanese, Par- sees, and the natives of Madras and Laos. There are also to be found there the representatives of almost every other nationality. Bangkok is a city of strange, natural, and artificial extremes. On either side there are de­ lightful odors and intolerable stenches, regal splendor aud abject squalor. It is a_ "garden city," as its name implies, as it is filled with fruit trees of every variety known in the tropics, and its temples, palaces, and minarets are embowered in perennial verdure. Its sacred edifices are unsur­ passed in exterior brilliancy and inter­ ior adornment, and its pagedas and prachadees inlaid with porcelain and crystal, under the blaze of a tropical sun, are dazzling and magnificent. Al­ though seldom visited by the ordinary tourist, it is one of the most attractive places in the Far East, and the strange scenes that one beholds on every hand more than repay the visitor who turns aside from the usual route on the journey around the world.--David Sicktes, in 1he Current. DISCOVERED AFTER DEATH. A Reformed Thief Leaua a Respectable Milt hwr Tatity-flre Years. Borne twenty-five years since there came to Philadelphia a gentleman of fine personal appearance and much ap­ parent refinement. He had means, and, with his wife, soon found his way into good Society. They lived in a fashionable neighborhood, and when he set up business as a manufacturer, in­ quiries were made as to his circum­ stances by the gentlemen with whom he had dealings, and it was discovered that he was all right.. For a time his bills were cash, as he produced no re­ commendations or other information concerning himself, but the bills were readily paid and discount allowed for the prompt payment. Gradually his circle widened, and before long he had all the credit he wanted, and, as his bills were always promptly met, mer» chants vied with each other as to who should sell him. Things went on in this way, and in the twenty-five years he had been in business no fault could be found in any of his - transactions. He bought and sold extensively, and among his customers he was .regarded, as a man of great probity. His exact­ ness and correctness with his employes was remarkable, and yet none could be found who would dare to say that he was a mean employer. He tried to do right so far as his judgment dictated. His wife soon became celebrated as a friend to the poor, and, a9 no children had blessed their union, their house was the asylum for more than one homeless and friendless little one. All things end. Not long since the merchant died. His loss was deeply regretted. And now comes the most singular part of this most curious case. The undertaker was sent for, and he and his apprentice proceeded to get the body ready for burial. Judge their astonishment when, upon stripping the body, it was discovered that the man's ears were clipped. That he had once had natural ears there could be no doubt, for all the indications were there, but, in some way that could not be accounted for, the lops of his ears were now missing. Still another sur­ prise awaited the undertaker, for, on turning the body on its face, there was found in the center of the back the im­ print of a large, black, bold-face T. The absence of the ears on the corpse had been a surprise, but now the letter T, so plainly stamped in the white skin of the back, was most unaccountable. The ears might have been frozen off, but they could not account for the presence of the T. They proceeded to put the corpse in proper condition, and then sought out the wife, and in the most delicate manner informed the lady of their discoveries. The lady mani­ fested no surprise, but accounted for the absence of the ears to a hunting ex­ pedition in Canada. She said that when a young man her husband was a great hunter, and on one occasion, while making an excursion to the woods of Canada, had been caught in a terrible snow storm and had his ears so badly frost-bitten that the upper half fell off. Th¥ presence of the T on his back she accounted for by saying tllfct he had fallen on a piece of iron while bathing at Long Branch, and the mark on the back was the result of the fall. The accident, she said was not remarkable, but as it would only excite comment to have it bruited about, she requested silence. In due time the body was conveyed to the grave followed by the wife and numerous friends, but no relation was known to be present. When all was over the apprentices of the undertaker spoke of it freely among their friends, and by degrees it reached the circle of the dead man's friends. It became a matter of conversation, and so highly did one of the gentlemen become wrought that he commenced an investi­ gation of the matter among some of the Western towns, which he remem­ bered hearing the dead man speak of. The result of this investigation has just come to hand, and from it we learn that the respected merchant had at one >me been a notorious thief, and had had his ears clipped and the "T" brand­ ed upon his back by a vigilance com­ mittee in one of the Western Territor­ ies. He had been the leader of a bold and successfnl band of robbers, and on one occasion had had the punishment before noticed inflicted upon him for stealing horses. It was pretty well un­ derstood that shortly after this little episode he and his companions attacked Wells-Fargo's Express, and with the money he had made in this reprehensi­ ble way he came east and settled down as an henest man; the result we are now familiar with.' Truth is stranger than fiction.--Philadelphia Commer­ cial List and Pr 'ce Current. Making History F«st. . The last quarter of a century has been a period in which history has been made with unexampled rapidity --that is, vast events in dense masses have been developed. Barely in any other period of equal length, save per­ haps in the career of Napoleon Bona­ parte, has so much occurred, and which has been so gigantic in the dimensions of the respective units, or so potent in influences on the destiny of the nations. Within that period many of the most mighty changes of modern times have taken place. In 18G1, Bussia emanci­ pated her 22,000,000 serfs, and the same year in this country, commenced a con­ flict one of whose results was the free­ ing of nearly 4,000,000 slaves held by the Southern States. A year or two later, the comparatively insignificant State of Prussia commenced a series of aggressive movements against Schles- wig-Holstein, which ended in the ex­ pulsion of Austria from the German confederation and the creation of the German empire--the m glitiest pro­ duct of the century. There were also tho Busso-Turkish and Franco-Prus sian wars, each of which made material changes in the map of Europe and radically modified the condition of a£ least one great empire.-- Chicqgo Time*. • Cause of Light and lleat. - Professor Bichard A. Procter* the astronomer, says that the rejection of the theory that the sun's heat is due to the combustion in that body, and of the suggestion that it'majrbe due to chemical changes, leaves- no recourse so far as our present knowledge ex­ tends, but to regard the process of con traction taking place within the solar globe as the true source of all, or very nearly all, the heat and light which the sun emits. In a word, he regards gravity as the cause of light and heat. IN Prussia, during 1842, no fewer than 1,528 marriages between first cousins were recorded, 148 between tin cle and niece, and twenty-six between nephew and aunt. The Deaf and Dumb in AntiquH ' The ancients had the greatest hor­ ror of all that was feeble and infirm; with i hem poverty was despicable nnd suffering a scandal. It is no wonder, then, that among the beauty and pleas­ ure loving Greeks the oteaf-mutes were looked upon as a disgrace to humanity, and under the barbarous laws of Ly- curgus they were exposed to die. Nor was highly cultured Athens less cruel than Sparta toward these unfortunate creatures. Deaf-mute children were pitilessly sacrificed without a voice be­ ing raised in their behalf. The Krst who seems to have ser.ously occupied himself with this phenomenon of deaf- mutism was the philosopher Aristotle, and he declared deaf-mutes to be inca­ pable of instruction, and this was the universal opinion of classical antiquity. The Bomans tieated these unfortun­ ates with the same cruely as the Greeks. As soon as a child was found to be deaf and dumb it was sacrificed to the Tiber. Only those escaped whom the waves washed back to the shore, or whom the natural love of their parents kept hidden from the eyes of the world. Yet in the centu­ ries immediately preceding the Chris­ tian era there was a sensible diminu­ tion in the number of victims of these barbarous laws, although about fifty years B. C. the poet Lucretius pro­ nounced himself in favor of Aristotle's opinions regarding deaf-mutes. But in the course of time certain rights were granted to those deaf-mutes who gave proof of ability, such as had been brought up secretly by their parents showing some signs of intellect; this gradually dissipated the horrible preju­ dice with which their brethren in mis­ fortune had hitherto been regarded. Pliny mentions ,a deaf-mute, called Quintus Pedius, who distinguished himself as an artist. He was a grand­ son of the consul of the same name, who flourished in the reign of Augus­ tus. It is also probable that deaf- mutes were employed as pantomimists when pantomime was one of the favor- i'e amusements of the Bomans. M. T. Muller gives to the Egyptians the credit of first instruct ng deaf-mutes. They as well as the Persians always re­ spect* d persons thus affeced, and their hieroglyphic mode of writing was es­ pecially suited |g$,|he.ir education. It 1s donbtlecs something more than mere I coincidence that their better treatment bj the Bomans dates from the time of the incorporation of Egypt as a Reman province. _______________ Senator Fair's Romance. "Senator James G. Fair, of Nevada, was born within five miles of where I was," said a gentleman connected with the Chicago police department. There have been many anecdotes published about him, and especially about his divorced wife, but I think I can tell how she became his wife, l>y a mere ac­ cident, as it were. Jim's family lived in county Tyrone, while ours came from an adjoining county. The Fairs were known in all the country around as fighters, and right good ones they were. Besides being fellows that knew how to handle a black-thorn, they were very good carpenters. Jim's father and mother did not live very happily together, so the old man packed up his traps and came to America. He made money and went back to see how his family was getting along. At the time of liis return Jim was about 20 years of age. He was the father's pet, end when the old chap was ready to come back to America he took him" with him. At this same time Jim was engaged to a young girl named Pearce. I can't s.*y anything about the parting that took place between them, but it must have been a tender one on the part of the future Senator, as subsequent events showed. "At any rate, after he and fhe old man got over to America they went at carpentering* and made money very fast. Jim thought of his sweetheart, and longed for her. Ho sent a sum of money to a friend to pay for her outfit and passage to the United States, fully thinking that she would Boon come to join his fortunes in the new tforld. A few months after this young Fair re­ ceived a reply from his friend to whom ho had sent the letter. The nature of the missive must have stirred his heart to the depths. It was to the effect that Miss Pearce had married another young man, and consequently could not be expected to sail on the next ship to her expectant lov«r. "But the same letter which conveyed this news also said that there was no occasion for sadness. It reminded young Fair that there was a younger sister in the family whose beauty and graces were as charming as thoseof the elder one. His friend concluded his letter with the proposition that he should offer the rising fortunes and the money of Fair to one who could accept them. To cut it short, Jim sent back word that he could do so, and it was not long after that when the younger Miss Pearco sailed for America t'o wed the future bonanza king and Senator. Her subsequent history has been told in print many a time, but I think that this story of Senator Fair's early life will be new to the general public." lite History of Chewing and Smoking. Cigars were not known until about 1815. Previous to that time pipes were used exclusively. Chewing had been in vogue to a lim­ ited extent for sometime, while staff­ ing dates back almost as far as smok­ ing. The first package sent to Cathrine de Medici was in fine powder. She found that smelling it in the box affected her similarly to smoking, which led her to fill one of her smelling-bottles with the dust Her courtiers adopted the habit of snuffing small portions of it up the nostrils, and as the precious stuff be­ came more plentiful the snuffing habit became more general, until at la?t a' man or a woman was not considered as in proper form unless they snuffed. The custom became so common in England that a snuff-box was no longer a sign of rank. Then it was the law prohibiting the culture of the plant, except for medicine, was passed, About the same time a heavy tariff was placed on the imported article, thereby i>rac- tically placing it beyond the reach of the common herd and giving royalty a complete monopoly. Since it first began to be used as a luxury there have been conflicting opin­ ions in regard to its effects. The Bom- ish church once forbade its use, and the church of England declaimed against it The Wesleys opposed it hotly, and at one time it was considered so un­ clean as to unfit men for membership in the Methodist church. Baptist and Presbyterian ministers preached against it, and societies were organized to oppose the spread of the habit, but all to no purpose. Parents disowned and disinherited their chil­ dren because they used it, and hus­ bands divorced their wives on account of their having contracted the habit of smoking. It is singular that when women get into the habit of smoking a pipe they prefer a strong one. There are few men who have nerve enough to smoke a pipe such as a wo­ man likes when she has become a con­ firmed smoker. When they first begin puffing cigars they prefer them very mild, but it is not long until they want them black aud strong and lots of them.--Pittsburgh Dispatch. How Women Should Dress. Woman, bv her physical structure, is made to be draped, not to be dressed as if cast in a mold. Whatever departs from the flowing skirt and approaches to tight-fitting is inartistic. In male attire a woman is no longer a woman; she is not a man; she is androgynous-- that is to say, something indefinite, less troublesome than odious. This usur­ pation. while abolishing the sex, also commits the error of putting into prom­ inence those charms which a slight in­ dication would render more desirable, of brutally offering that which tact would leave to ba wished for, and of making that an easy prey which should be a slow conquest full of delicious epi­ sodes. J n a word, as a modern moral­ ist says, woman's great charm lies in the suggestion, almost in tho illusion. The love we have for her, and which should be her dearest object, fee Is on nothing else, and the greatest attrac­ tion of what we see is what we don't see.--Paris Figaro. Just the Kind We Have. "I seo in my newspaper," said Smith, "that the Government of Italy has sent a ship load of thieves, burglars and other criminals to this country." "Mercy on us!" exclaimed Mrs. Smith. "Do they think we want to re­ form all their tliieves?" "No," replied Smith, "I suppose they think we want to run them for con­ gressmen."--Newman Independent. IN the lead production of different countries Spain ho.d the first place, the amount reaching some 120,000 tons in one year, or one-sixth more than Amer­ ica, which comes next on the list, while tier many follows with 9O,O(J0. Of Spain's total production, some 67,000 tons are derived from one district, that of Linares, in which more that 800 mines are registered. • , GETTING TATOOOBP. A Process More Painful than Picturesque. Two men, stripped to the waist, were stretched upon tables in the third story of a South street building, while two others stood over them holding small needles, with which they ev«ry now and then pricked the flesh of their bodies. Two cups were conveniently near--one containing Chinese Vermil­ lion and the other India ink. "We are tattooing these men all over," said Prof. Thomas. "They will prob­ ably make a tour of the museums. My friend here was the boatswain on the Bear, and has been to the polar regions twice. He's a pretty fine look­ ing man, physicially, don't you think so?" And the Professor gave his sub­ ject an extra touch with the needle, that made him jump. "A little too deep that time, Jim?" he asked sympathetically. Turning to the reporter he continued: "We can't do more than two figures a day--one in the morning and one at night. It makes the flesh very tender, and no man can stand it." The work so far accomplished on the boatswain included a necklace which encircles his brawny neck just below the shirtband; a Goddess of Liberty on the right arm, the design of Faith,Hope, and Charity on the left arm and belt about the waist It will require sev­ eral weeks to fill in the smaller figures. His face and hands will be left m the rich brown, weather-beaten hue that the Arctic winds have given them. The boatswain's companion is of a somewhat sentimental nature, and is tattooed with designs of sailor lads and their lassies saying a last farewell, a wife on the cliff watching the return of ther sailor husband from a long voy­ age, anchors, and smiling figures. "We have citizens as well as sailors to work upon," said the professor, tracing the American eagle with arrows in his talons on the breast of the boat­ swain. "Bricklayers have the design of the Scottish hammer printed on their arms, and members of the Mason­ ic fraternity .often choose the square •and compass. Some young fellows like to have their girl's picture or name about them. The arm is the favorite part of the body, but occasionally they choose to have it on their legs, where it is not likely to be seen. We average about twenty to thirty customers per week, and charge from 10 cents to $5, according to the nature of the design, the more elaborate, of course, being the most expensive. Ever draw blood, did you ask ? Oh, no, the needle we use is t'he finest we can get, and we hold it slanting and barely prick the skin. Of course it is felt, for the flesh is al­ ways sensitive, and it makes a tender place that irritates. That's why we have to wait hours after having put in a figure. Prof. Thomas has carried- on his art in this city for thirty-nine years, and is acknowledged to be one of the finest tat- tooers in the land, fiis only rival was sent to an asylum for the insane last year under peculiar circumstances. He was an old man and married a young girl. He was almost crazy on the sub­ ject of tattooing, having worked de­ signs on himself till there was scarcely a part of his body which he could reach that was not covered with India-ink pictures. Soon after he was marr ed he began tattooing his wife, and in three months he had covered her from head to foot He devoted himself so assiduously to the work that his mind became unbalanced, and friends com­ mitted him to an asylum for safe keep­ ing. Finding herself without means of support tue* young wife exhibited her­ self at the museums and has met with great success. Her manager tells a harrowing tale of how she was stolen by the Indians in Colorado while she was very young and subjected to the torture of having her body tattooed. The romance he has managed to weave about her life would make a very read­ able dime novel. "You see that in some cases tattooing turns out to be very valuable to the victim, instead of ugly marking, as some people call it," said an appren­ tice. "And more than one poor sailor who has lost his life in a wreck or by foul play about the docks has been identified by relatives through India ink tattoo. About the only class that suffer by it are the criminals. When once the design is pricked in the skin it can never be erased and never wears off. A thief with India ink designs could be identified in a moment. The police always keep descriptions of thieves, and they want nothing better than a mark like this to identify a man."--Philadelphia North American. The Gunpowder Plot. This was a fanatical project on the part of a few Boman Catholics to de­ stroy the King, Lord?, and Commons on the meeting of Parliament, Novem­ ber 5, 1(505. The originator of the plot was Bobert Catesby, a man of ancient and opulent family. It was intended thus to take vengeance for the penal laws against Catholics. Among those enlisted in the conspiracy was Guy Fawkes, a soldier of fortune and fear­ less character, whose name by reason of the part he took lias since been de­ tested in English history. The con­ spirators rented a house adjoining that in which Parliament was assembled, of which Fawkes took possession under the assumed named of Johnson. Those concerned in the plot met in this house, and December 11, 1G04, began to exca­ vate a mine. While engaged in the work they were alarmed by a noise af­ ter they had pierced the wall three yards thick. Fawkes learned that this noise proceeded from a cellar under the House of Lords, which had just been vacated by a dealer in coals. He hires it, and thirty-six barrels of gun­ powder were placed in it and stones and billets of wood placed over them. Everything was arranged for the as­ sembling of Parliament, which was to take place on the 5th of November, 1605. Fawkes was appointed to fire the mine with a slow match. All the Roman Catholic peers and others whom it was thought expedient to preserve were to be prevented from going to llie Parliament House by some pretended message or .other on the morning of that day. On the 2fith of October Lord Mounteagle, a brother-in-law of one of the conspirators, received a letter warn­ ing him not to attend Parliament, and intimating a terrible danger. The let­ ter was formally communicated to King James, who at once declared its mean­ ing, probably because he had been told beforehand of the plot Search was then instituted, and on the morning of the 5th, a little after midnight, Fawkes was arrested coming out of the cellar dressed as for a journey. Three matches were found on him. The powder was discovered in the "cellar. Fawkes was examined and boldly avowed his part in the conspiracy, but the tortures of the rack would not make him disclose the names of his associates. He was tr ed. condemed, and executed. His confederates betrayed themselves by flight.and the chiefs of them were either killed on being captured or died on thdf t scaffold. The anniversary of the plot, November 5, was long celebrated in$v-< , England and Near Fngland thtboys of the town carrying about an effigy of Guy Fawkes which: v; • was finally burned in some public place. * ' It was customary for the boys on these , - occasions to sing .verses beginning; -v "Bemember, remember, the Mb of November, " ! ** - The gunpowder treason and plot." . •. c The custom is still maintained tr* . •> J . Bona3 extent in England, though it longl' v since ceased in New England. The day was formerly a legal holiday in ,,vi ̂ BlftPUi ' •• 1 i • '•* ^ ^ ' Sunday ia Hudson Bay. , The houses, not more than twenty* , five or thirty in number, are so scat-^¥ i?S^^ tered as to extend along the river bank i for nearly a mile; and being all paintedi '\ ; white, form conspicuous objects against ^ their dark background of pine woods* On stepping ashore at the landingi stage we find ourselves at the foot of at' , f l a g - s t a f f i n d i c a t i n g t h e h e a d q u a r t e r s ^ k ' ' 4 . of the _ Hudson's Bay Company, to t \ i 1 whom, indeed, the whole settlement^ ^ owes its existence, the entire residen| . ; v| , population, except the mission staff,, v being composed of their officers ao&V :j' , , employes. Bound this center are if*' grouped the residences of the officer in * ' : charge and his subordinates, and also * „**> -; one or two large warehouses. Beyond • • .' $ these stretch away to the right the cot- ' ' ^ tages of the company's laborers. Every *• ' building on the island is of wood. In i ?• shape and size, however, the dwelling houses are not unlike those of an En- , ^ glish country village, except that only the larger houses have any upper story. • •« Taking now a path to the left, and . following the bank, we make our way | towards tho mission station--easily rec- J ognized even at a distance by the flag which floats over it, bearing the letters C. M. S., this being a station of tho ' | Church Missionary Society. On our way thither we pass the mission church, a modest little structure of wood sur­ mounted with a steeple, and capable <?f accommodating about three hundred persons. Leaving this, we soon reach '3 the mission buildings, which, besides | the school, include the residences of the Bishop of Moosonee (this station being ^ the headquarters of the diocese), one 1 Europpan clergyman, and a nativ»~~-~4*s catechist. Between the Bishop's house || and the water is a grassy slope on f which the Indians erect their tents during their stay. The resident popu- lation, the bulk of whom are half-castes, >§j number, together with the few Euro­ peans and Indians, about one hundred . j and fifty souls; while the Indians who visit the place only during the summer ;i are estimated at between, four and five hundred. We will now see how Sunday is spent f in this little community. As both En- J giish speaking people and natives have * | to be provided for, the services are be- gun early enough in the day 1o allow f of four being held in all--two in each language. At 6:30 a. m , therefore, the church bell sounds, and soon a stream | of Indians (mostly men at this early | hour) winds its way to the church door. | Let us take up our stand here and ob- | serve them as they enter. At the out- lying settlements the Indians dress al- | most entirely in one style; but here at | headquarters, where they come algood i deal in contact with Europeans, they | adopted something of the variety of ;| European dress. Some of the well-to- j| do Indians (L e., the most skillful hun- ters) appear in black cloth suits colored neckties, and a few even wear English boots, though the majority seem to pre- ; 2j fer the soft deersjtin shoes usually worn. 1 in the country. The women naturally 11 allow themselves still greater freedom, "*;M and not unfrequently adorn themselves | in a dress of glaring hue, with a striped- - shawl or beaded jacket equally con- : | spicuous, and the whole surmounted - (but this not often) with a straw Uat and f i| coloyed feathers.--The Quipir. Prajer-Barrels. y f I first met with prayer-barrels on the f borders of Thibet, when, traveling tho | narrow paths whioh wind along the | face of majestic, precipitous Himalayan | crags, we met native travelers from I still further north--traders driving \| flocks of laden goats, women with | quaint head-dresses of lumps of amber j and large, coarse turquoises fastened on bands of dirty cloth, and here and | there a man holding iu his hand a | small bronze or brass cylinder, which | he twirled mechanically all the time | he was journeying. It was some time J before I succeeded in getting hold of one of these for a closer examination, as the owners are nervously afraid to trust their treasures in the hands of i one who, albeit in ignorance, might ir­ reverently turn them the wrong way, .J and so undo much of the merit acquired by perpetual twirling in the opposite direction. For, as we eventually dis* covered, not only is the sacred six-syl- labeled charm embossed on the metal cylinder, but the same mystic words were written over and over again on very lengthy strips of cloth or papyrus, which are bound around the spindle on I which tho cylinder rotates, nnd one end of which forms the handle. It is there­ fore necessary to turn this little barrel of prayers in such a direction that the characters forming the holy phraso may pass in proper order before the | person turning; and as all oriental books are read from the right side of each page to the left, the barrel is turned in the same direction. For th^> same reason the Thibetan walks in tliif? direction round the great terraces and . a other buildings on which the holy words are inscribed, in order that his | eyes may rest on the words in due . • ^ course, which can only be the case | when he keeps his left hand toward | the object round which *he is walking. | Happily this produces a doubly satis- | factory result, for in eastern lands, as sf well as our own west, it has e%an been accounted lucky and meritorious to walk round sacred objects or places in 1 this sunwise course--an act of homage '* to the sun which I have seen rendered in many londs. Just as our British an­ cestors continued thus to circumambu­ late their churches long after they had i nominally abandoned all paganism, so ^ throughout the world we find survivals I of the old homage. The Ever Tender-Hearted Woman. At the Woman's .Benevolent Club: Mrs A.--"Have wo any new applica­ tions for relief?" Mrs. B.--"Yes; Mrs. C., whose hus­ band is ill with fever, has applied for J temporary aid." J Mrs. A.--"H'm! I don't really see ^ | how we can do anything for her." Mrs. B. -- "Is or I, either. Then ;|j there's another case. Jack Tipple has ;f| been on a long spree and Ras benten his wife and children so badly that he has been discharged from employ-; ment." Mrs. A.--"Ah! that's a very inter­ esting case. We must do something for poor Jack, but we must be careful that his family don't get any of the money we give him.ton Tran- J script. "• " ' " J!'£4