The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

MARCH, •»plantattoi*j|«p «Ope to the river, down thn hill. Hm made me wander at their will, ®rf|l see, with half-attentive eyes," U *-i>- ̂̂ floira. that mill *,; *And nature's myriad prophecies v ̂ ̂ Of what theaummer's sun win Wi», ' sFor every sense I fed delight-- <f4 4 The new-wed cushat's murmurous ttMJM, ' K "* i Young blossoms bursting into light, * J And the rich odor of the cones. - f: • * * V ^The larch, with tassels purple-ptnk. | .'J Whispen. like distant falling broota^ f '» And sun-forgotten dew r̂ops wink , ; ; y Amid the grass, in shady nook*. ̂ , ^khttawM, that hangs ronnd every tntili""" ^ Steals sweetoess from the tender shootB, '„ "'^Wlth here and there a perfumed {rush " From violets among the rooty . * ' F, • J. ; - |3se where behind the ivied ro<* ' Orow drifts of white anemomi. V 'Ms If the pprfnp--in winter's mook-- . : Were mimicking his snows with thejfcl g tThe single bloom yon furzes bear Gleams like the fiery planet Mam; jj^ Jl^e creamy primroses appear f ,, In galwrfea of Ttmal stars; fej' • '\,r̂ - .*And grouped in Pleiad clusters ronnd, ' . i Lent lilies blow -acme six or seven^r, < . r '^Witb blcflaom consteUwaons crowned-^"' .j,, ^l^^niet nook resembles heaven. g\ , ^ ^ ^ ,vc<; b * » - ONLY CLEK&, •H\0' "Onljr think of it! A clerk! 1 ^jromanl It seems to me Fd have Worked my fingers to the bone in some &ther way before I would come to that," •kid Lizzie Doyle, going to the mirror y l|bd readjusting a $20 hat*. "So would I. Bnt, then, what oonld ./;;j§e dor "At least die might have made her- ' AM A little less prtblic. If there's any- iking I despise it's these saleswomen." "So do I. How much better it would fere been to have gone into dress-mak- or millinery, or something of that tort. But to stand behind the counter )|ke a man!" "Papa always did like those Stanleys," /jgMd Liczle Doyle, petulantly. all liked them well enough '̂ kittl Mr. Stanley failed, didn't we?" --jm "No, not I, lor one. Laura was al- JVaya so independent in her notions. Don't you remember how hard she studied at school? It does seem as if ||ie foresaw her father's failure." "V "I wonder she didn't try some better "^position, than. She is certainly capa­ ble of beiag something better than a v shop-girl." ••* "Oh, I believe papa intends to pro- '<:|iote her when lb. Jobley goes West. Bhe will then take Mr. Jobley's place as /Innior bookkeeper. Think of that for a W%oman!" "That would be better titan selling goods. I don't see how she can do that *f fjith her refined tastes. Why don't she give lessons,, I wonder? It might not tiring her in quite so much mo^py, but -M would be a deal nicer." "Yes; and then we cooM recognize said Lizzie Doyle. " That's what I was coming to," was Hie reply of her companion, a small, sallow-faced girl, elaborately trimmed „ jpid flounced. " How are we to treat Her now? We have been great friends, f»u know; that is, when ahe was in our . ffeV aha added, seeing Lizzie's brow darken. " HI tell you how I shall treat her," ? 'Ji|sponded Lizzie, slowly drawing on a pair of perfumed, three-button kid ^oves; "precisely as I treat all ef clerks. And I should like to see tpy of them presume!" " O, but Laura won't presume! Ton t be afraid of that; she's too d." , " But how oan yen help it when you :»|po to the store or church? She dts so « J^liear us, you know.* 1^4 Of course shells give up that pew. f 4lhe can't afford that." "That's precisely what ahe does not saean to do. I heard her say the family inust economize somewhere else and keep the pew. Her mother is hard of H%earing and could not enjoy the ser- 4 JltKices further back. Hie children, too, •wwt go to church. That is the last Ibing, she said, one ought to give up. heard her say this to your father last Sunday.' How inovoldng!" mid Lizzie, impa- ' Hfeently. "She will ialways be in our places. But I shall have nohhing to^ do £vf;irith her. I know what it is for, ^furtM minx 1--it's to keep near up. f U(,t îve strength. Strength was oriy ;H jmowB die has got into papa's g, iwceived through the relaxation and and Al, too, admires her. raction of mu8CuUr "«»«ie. A nat- n't see what there is to admire. SI L,ral 8tura,lch wantB "atural food. ^Weryplaitt." ie believed that one meal a day was ft* UT . uflicient to sustain health. "" m Bjr «»«•" «•» "•««« ot phy>iology ^ but I <lon t^think she s BO verj pi PAS postponed for farther dlsciiMiou certainly has lowered hers t some future time.' iijouruuaent. she helped five dangbter'to take off bat cloak and hat. ! "Bather, but I like the business; and It's a fine place for the study of char- Inter." "I wish you had eboaensomething •Ise, my dear.** " I don't wish so," said Laura. * There is nothing else that would have brought a salary at once. I used to wonder what a certain person would be to me if I were not the rich Mr. Stan­ ley's daughter, and now I know. It's a knowledge worth gaining," .. " Do you meet many persona you are (Acquainted with? " asked her mother. I "Oh, yea; and it's amusing when they come upon me suddenly. Oh!--it's really I--is this Miss Stanley? and some limes up go the eye-glasses. Then I feel --well, as if I should like to freeze some­ body, if I could, for a minute. Others see me and make believe they are ex­ amining goods; so absorbed are they that they go clear by me without look­ ing up, and pans out the same way. But such sights don't trouble me. I Ibid out how much true friendship is Worth, and who, out of all the seeming ladies I have been in the habit of meet­ ing, are true, and who are false." "Then you meet some that are true?" "Yes, indeed; Judge Agate's wife, who always seemed to me so proud and distant, came up to me with a glowing face and fairly congratulated me. She did it like a lady, too, and like a friend. There was nothing patronizing about her. And there are several others to whom my position makes no difference. They prize me for what I am. Yet what a price to pay to learn the value of true friendship," added Laura, with a deep sigh. - "I met Aggie Doyle to-day, and she wouldn't speak to me," said Alice* Laura's sister, who had come into the room and overheard the last remark. "Why should die not speak to me, I wonder?" "Because your sister is a clerk in her father's store," said Laura, somewhat bitterly. "That's no reason why she should treat me so," the child replied. "Of oourse it isn't; nor is it any reason why Lizzie, her oldest sister, should ignore me. I liked her so much, too. But to-day she came intb the store and passed me with such a glance after I had prepared a smile and a wel­ come for her. Mr. Doyle has been so kind since papa's death that I looked for better treatment from Lizzie. That, I confess, wounded me; and I sha.11 have to meet her so often. But never mind, I must remember my place," she added; "I have to work for my living now--but I will be proud of it! Good-by, old life of lazy ease! Oood-by, old worthless friends! Tour coldness cannot hurt the real me; it is only the worthless young lady of fashion who feels it, and she is dowly departing this life." "Have you filled all your invita­ tions?" asked Lizzie's eldest brother, one of the firm of Doyle & Co.. some days after the preceding conversation took place. Lizzie was arranging a hundred or more tiny, cream-colored envelopes, which she tied together with some pretty, bright-hued ribbon. "I believe so," she replied, with a smile. "I have asked every young lady of my acquaintance, and I thrnk our party will be the finest of the season, if papa will have the carpets taken up in the west rooms and the floors chalked. Butger will do them for $50, and you have no idea how beautifully he works." "I think father will not refuse that," her brother replied. "Ill speak to him." "Thank you, AL Then I am sure he will have it done. I have asked him so much that I was almost afraid to ask him for more." "By the by, have you invited Miwi Laura Stanley?" her brother asked as he was going out. "Of course not," said Lizzie. "Of course not? and pray, why not?" he asked, standing still "Why, Al, what an idea! She wouldn't aooept it. Our shop-girl--father's clerk --I wouldn't have her for the world!" "Then, if you are sure she would not come, you might have sent her an invi- ng UlfligS { tlicrcrv* ts Her cheeks grew hot-as she indited the polite little missive, while she remem­ bered the many times she had ignored her to whom it was addressed. She would have disobeyed had she dared-- would even withheld the note aftet it was written, had her father not stood by to take it. Later, her brother Al came to her. " I should like an invitation, Lizzie, for a young lady of my he said, in a quiet voio|, "Who is she?" " The young lady whom I have askdft to be my wife, he said, smiling. * Oh, Al, of course you shall have it! Iam to have a sister, then? I'm so glad. What is her name? Is she in the city? Will she be sure to come? I'm sure I cant think of any one." And then she paused, puzzled at his shrewd smile. ^ " Do I know her ? " she asked. M You used to," he answered. "H is Miss Laura Stanley!" " Oh, Al!" She sank down, covering her face with her hands. " I was afraid she might feel the slight so keenly," he said, softly, " that I hur­ ried matters a little. So you need not be afraid now that she will not come. Will you not prepare an invitation? " " I have. Papa has carried it to her. But oh, Al, a clerk!" " A noble woman,%said her brother, " who dares face the sneers of ' her set,' and take an honest position for the sake of those who are dependent upon her, rather than whine about her former dignity and live upon charity. I wish there were more like her." So Lizzie was forced, for once in her life, to eat humble pie. ; W. I^JLAT JP£70MJR GAMES rOR WINTER EVBimrWf. ^ The game of proverbs is excellent for drawing out thought and wit. When it is played, one member of the com­ pany leaves the room, and tJRf^est fix up a well-known proverb. The ban­ ished guest returns, and asks each per­ son a question, who in reply is bound to bring in one word of the proverb in its proper order, and the questioner tries to find out from these answers what the question is. A very amusing variety of this game is called " shooting proverbs." The guests each appropriate one word of the proverb as before. The one who is trying to guess the proverb comes in, steps into the middle of the room, and calls out in a commanding voice, " Make ready! Present! Fire I" At the word " fire" all the company shout their words at once, and the prov­ erb is to be guessed from the sound, which is a very confusing one. " Nouns" is another amusing game, and can be played by the old as well as the young. In this, one of the company thinks of one particular person or thing, and the others ply him with questions, and en­ deavor to find out his secret from the an­ swers. It is astonishing how judicious questioning cap draw the most out-of-the way object out of mystery into the light of day. "Trades " is also amusing. In this game each person chooses a certain trade, and one member of the company, who is named by the rest, makes up a story, in the course of which "he intro­ duces an account of his shopping excur­ sions, and calls hap-hazard upon the representative of each business to name some noun which belongs to his trade. Thus, a butcher is to name a certain joint of meat, a grocer some article of groceries, and so on. No item is to be mentioned twice; and, if there is any hesitation in naming something suit­ able, a forfeit must be paid. Another good game is called "dumb crambo." When playing it, half the* party leave the room, and those who remain choose a verb which the others are to guess. When the absent ones return, they are told of a word which will rhyme with the word fixed upon, and they consult together to find out what it is. Instead of speaking their guess they act it. If they guess right,. they are applaud, if they fail they are hissed. A word spoken on either side, excepting by the actors for the purpose of private con­ sultation, entails a forfeit. None of these games are particularly new, bmt they are amusing nevertheless. f*fehe ; though, by going into a store." Ji - " ,5^.thereupon the two girls went oat '• r^ltheir walk. .N ; It was near twilight erf that day « v Laura Stanley walked briskly home entered the neat two-story ho ? Jifewhioh her mother had lately remo *T-' such of her household effects : - iff been spared by the auctioneer. 4' "This is really pleasant," she sai<J, •'!>H>sinking into a chair that had been drawn ' '; *near to the glowing grate. " I had no ••jJSjjidea, mother, that you. would so soon 1 £ ;«jmake the house- home-like." - dJi M Aae you very tired, my dearf * asked her mother, % refined-looking woman, as S.». BAUtwiN* Fx«sM«n«. M. J. WaioHT^prftarjr. • *' #®TThe Key itVest (Fl*.) VW(#te \ bonanza has been discovered ier- in oiu-^iarbor. It was sup- >me the sponge was extinct in tof orliood, having been gath- ' it." "But, papa, she won't oome," said Lizzie. " Never mind whether she will or not. Write an invitation. Ill take it to her." Lizzie sat down, pale and angry, to write the note. After all her boasting of having " out die Stanleys," it was ' tery hard to be obliged to invite Laura. 8AMCA8TIC. The following must have Originated with an old bachelor: Many a man who, under the overpowering glamour of a first love, which he feels sure must either end in marriage or suicide, offers him­ self, his poverty, his debts and ill-tem­ per, to the lady of his choice, wakes up, after paying the parson's fee, to the solid fact thpt the cherished one whom he took to be the other half of himself is really both halves. The chief busi­ ness of man is to convert himself into a golden image, and the chief business of woman is to break him all to pieces and spend him for point lace and diamonds ^ A FEW small boats are said to have gathered some $10,000 worth of sponges in two days, within half an hour's sail of a Florida wharf; A Key West paper says that the article was supposed to be extinct years ago, but it is discovered that the bars in the bay are teeming with sponge of a superior quality. HAS whisky wings? Certainly; else how oould it fly to a mah's head? ' Actor* Coin Money. *•"*" In spite of his bankruptcy Edwin Booth is regarded a very wealthy man. His invariable terms are $500 a perform­ ance, and foy this sum a check must be given "before Edwin can go on." It is understood that Booth declines to play more than thirty weeks in the year. At his terms of $500 for each performance, or, including a matinee, $3,500 a week, this would give him an annual income of $100,000; but he could easily play forty weeks at the same terms. E. A. Sothern is worth in the neigh­ borhood of $700,000. His terms are al­ ways $500 a performance, unless he plays on shares, and in the latter spe­ cialty he has had as high as 80 per cent* of the gross receipts. Although he has made much more than $3,500 a week, it would be a fair average for forty-five weeks in each of the past ten years. In other words, he can calculate definitely on $157,500 annual income, not counting benefits, of which he always has one in each city of his circuit, or the large sums made when he elects a percentage on the gross receipts. In some respects Adelaide Neilson was ilie most fortunate star our Ameri­ can heavens have seen. She never had an unsuccessful season, and made money when other favorites dropped money. When she first came here she was well heralded, and sprung at once into favor. She has made as much as $1,000 a night six nights a week for four consecutive weeks. At times she has played as low as $1,000 a week; but she found no dif­ ficulty in closing contracts for fifty-two weeks in the year at $500 a performance, matinee included. Miss Neilson's prop­ erty, real and personal, is valued at $500,000, of which a large part is invest­ ed in real estate in New York and Chi­ cago. Next to Adelaide Neilson, Miss Fanny Davenport is the most valuable star in the country. By that he meant that she could always oommand big rates and that her managers need have no fear about her drawing ability. It is but a few years since Miss Davenport played in burlesque in Hooley*s Minstrel Hall, in Brooklyn, dressed in boy's clothes and appealing to the sympathies of the gallery youth. Her fortune is not large, but she has made a great deal of money and is always good for $1,000 a week and a benefit, when she playB in popu­ lar dramas. Mr. John E. Owens is reported to be the wealthiest actor in the profession. He is fond of playing on shares and often nets from $3,000 to $4,000 a week, exclusive of benefits. He has accumu­ lated property estimated at $2,000,000, much of which is the direot' outgrowth of real-estate ventures. For ^twenty years, however, Mr. Owens has laid away a handsome fortune annually. Like all the most successful actors, Mr. Owens is a specialist. As Sothern has his Dundreary, Booth his Hamlet and Jefferson his Kip Van Winkle, so Owens has his Solon Shingle. Mr. Owens has avoided speculations in his art and never goes on the road with companies of his own. He plays on the average thirty weeks in the year, gives his re­ ceipts for about $90,000 and spends the rest of his time on his farm. Although Mr. Jefferson is a delineator of one character rather than an actor, as generally Understood, he stands near the head of the rich men in his profes­ sion. He generally plays on shares, and makes from $3,000 to $5,000 a week for forty weeks in the year. His terms with the Fifth Avenue Theater manage­ ment were extraordinary--half of every dollar that came in until $1,000 were received, and three-quarters of every dollar above $1,000! Mr. Jeff­ erson has been a pecuniary favorite for many yean. -His fortune is variously estimated at from , $500,000 to $1,000,- 000. He owns property in New York, New Jersey and Louisiana, and is very careful of it all. Miss Maggie Mitchell is another fa­ vorite on whom pecuniary fortune has long smiled. She can clear $30,000 to $50,000 a year with ease, and having cleared it she knows how to keep it. Miss Lotta Crabtree averages $1,000 a week, and bids fair to do better yet. Dion Boucicault's drawing power can­ not be very well calculated, because he appears in his own plays only. His last engagement, with his own dramas, net­ ted him $500 each performance. If he could continue the same terms forty weeks in a year his annual income would be $140,000 from that source alone. He is also one of the well-to-do men is profession, a great part of his fortune being made from plays bearing his name. It is impossible to class Clara Morris, Mary Anderson, Lawrence Barrett, Mrs. Bowers, Frank Chanfrau, Frank Mayo, Oliver Doud Byron, Rose Eytinge, Jo­ seph Murphy, Bobson and Crane Modjeska, the Lingards, and others less known, because, while they are enor­ mously successful in some places, they are said to be quite the reverse in others. While they make a great deal of money in some theaters they play to bad busi­ ness in others. Modjeska, for instance, made a hit and a fortune here last year, but her next engagement was a failure. Managers generally share with Law­ rence Barrett and with John T. Ray­ mond. Mrs. Bowers is said to be worth $150,000. E. L. Davenport was always good for $600 a week on salary, but he was fond of traveling and faring and died poor. Lotta Orabtree, now a ma­ ture woman, is considered good lor $250,000, Maggie Mitchell prefers traveling with her own company and in her own plays. Last season she netted about $1,500 a week. McCullough shares after expenses. Frank Mayo has worked long and hard, and his Crockett specialty is said to have put over $60,000 in his pocket. John S. Clarke shares after expenses, and is very rich. The Florences make here and lose there; their San Francisco engagement of four waeks netted them $23,000. The late Barney Williams was fortuiTate in having a careful wife, and when he died he left behind him about $250,000. From the foregoing it maybe inferred that actors are coining money, whether the managers are or not; but these fa­ vored ones are the fortunates, distin­ guished in every sense from the rank and file of their onerous profession. Leading men and leading women have to work hard for their pay, and inferior men and women work harder yet for their compensation. Here and there a Coghlan earns $300 a week, for forty weeks in the year, a Thome recaives $200 for thirty-five or forty weeks, a Montague draws $250 for forty weeks, and a Gilbert gets $125 for the same pe­ riod, but $100 is considered a large sal­ ary, while many of the best artists in stock companies work like beavers for $50 to $85 a week. " Fascinating" young men and "attractive" juvenile women nnd no difficulty in obtaining $100 to $150 a week, but the average stage is a hard road to travel, and many a mock Duke and acting Princess strut their brief hour in gorgeous garb, know­ ing that the Sheriff's officer awaits their coming, and that no butcher, baker or candlestick-maker counts upon a fort­ une from their patronage. Bit AXIL'S TERRIBLE AFFLICTION. The northern portion of the empire of Brazil has been terribly afflicted with drought, famine and pestilence. Starv­ ing peasants have been found eating their own offspring, and the tinburied bodies of the victims of small-pox and the black plague have been torn and devoured by wild animals, while thou­ sands of corpses rot in open trenches, filling the air with the seeds of death. A correspondent of the New York Herald, writing from the stricken dis­ trict under date of Dec. 30, writes of the appearance of the plague as follows: " I could write much moie of Casra and the good and evil I saw there; the evil, alas, too sadly predominant! Only one thing more I will note, for it may be the sign of another scourge in the future. When I left Forteleza people were talking of a disease which they called black small-pox. It was utterly unlike the ordinary small-pox. The patient was seized with a sudden giddi­ ness, fever and burning of the tongue^; then dark spots like bruises appeared on the body, and in twenty-four hours all was over. I surmised from the first, and I believe there is now no doubt, that this is the terrible black plague the scourge that has so often swept through Europe and Asia, but which, so far as I know, has never appeared before on this dde of the Atlantic. The cases were already numerous at the beginning of this year. One of the first victims was the wife of the Pro­ vincial President, Senhor Jose Julio. She died in a few hours after the dis­ ease attacked her. She was buried at night without attendance. What will be the result of this new pestilence? I only know what has been--a province utterly ruined: a population of 900,000 reduced to 400,000, and these dying at an enormous rate. Probably there have been 300,000 deaths in the other drought-stricken provinces, of which I have few notices. There is nothing in history that will compare with it. God grant that there never may be again!" CROSSING THE STREET. Dr. Hale, of Chicago, taking as his text the case of a woman who was ran over in the street and killed, because she drew back after starting to oross ahead of a pair of horses, says that he is surprised that more women are not hurt in the same way. "A woman starts to cross the street," he says, "and when she gets one-third or one-half way over she sees a team approaching; the driver in nearly every instance watches her movements, and seeks to drive in be­ hind her. If she keeps on her away, all is well. If she only stands still, she is safe. But here comes in the strange and fatal idiosyncrasy of her sex. Just as' the driver thinks he oan safely drive behind her, she stops, starts back a few steps, and unless the driver is prompt, and draws his horse back on his haunches, the woman is under his feet or knocked down." - \ J 1 .u ' .'ST XIOUS CTMUU .. J.-.V ' ' Oould yon only inife fletton, yova»Hta the fitffc- t o n -- ' • • • • . • ; i No matter how vapid or worthless the phase-* f •* The masses are eager for tragic and passion, ^ >.3d the higher the color the lender the prais|L •4, Vw* Admitted, I know there an some who ignore - And affect to believe in th« orthodox plan, But a tale of sensation wiU walk in before it, And win the applause, do the best that they oan. Oonld you only write fiction, it's much to my I4ke gathering grasses, for winter bouquets; ' <' k' A skillful arrangement, then, in a solution, - A plunge-bath that gives incomparable raj*, f Us fancy's bright sunshin* Chat lights tteodflw ̂ ' tion. The prismatic tints, and the fret-work of sndW, A counterfeit fragrance, to challenge detention. As it shimmers, and gleams in a changeable glow. Perniciousf well, that ia like all of life** pleasures, If used with discretion, there's mo6h you **" gain. While those who drink deep of its stimulant IB(M- • una ,-i May And in the lees, all the souroe o< ttielr ptfa. AXRA, Iowa. iii A COW-HIDK horse-shoe has been in­ troduced which promises to prove very useful It is composed of three jthiok- nesses of cow-hide, compressed into a steel mold, and then subjected to a ehemioal preparation. . PIJBASANTRm0^;^ HABD pressed--Cheese. fe TBK seal's kin is numerous. A WATOH-WOKD--Mainspring. A SINGLE instanoe--A bachelor. A fibm foundation--EesiabHshing a partnership. • 7 FILIAL fellows, those landlords-! They never omit to visit their pay-rents. " HEBE will I plant myself," said a customer as she entered a hot-house. A MOBAL show--Pretending you don't drink when asked to " take something." "ONE touch of nature," observed the inebriate as the ground rose and struck him. CAN a building-site six, or aeven feet below grade be considered a good low- cation ? " HE lives above his Income * Was the dark reproach he bore, Till at last it was remembered That he lived above his store. "DELAYS «are dangerous," said a pompous-looking man. "I never put anything off; never, sir!" ** Then you must go to bed with your boots on," re­ plied a quiet-looking bystander. TWENTY-FOUR citizens were before a certain District Court for neglecting to remove snow and ice from the sidewalk. Six of the number were doctors, who probably had an eye to business. WHEN you see a room or car marked "For ladies enly, or gentlemen with ladies," don't try to go in, if you are an unprotected man. The courts hold that you have no rights there--not even woman's rights. ' How TO lay up money: Take a$5 bill --a smaller denomination will do-- climb to the highest shelf in the pantry, and deposit it there. (The whole ques­ tion of finance mastered in two weeks.) WINTER JEWELS. A million little diamonds Twinkled on the trees; And all the little maidens said, " A jewel, if you please I * But, while they held their hands outatreto To catch the diamonds gay, A million little sunbeams oame And stole them all away. " WHAT do you call that? you young rascal!" roared an infuriated boss, as he whacked his apprentice over the head. " What do I call that?" echoed the y. r., as he rubbed his injured pate. "Well, sir, if Iam any judge of such performances, I should call that a master-stroke." FOBTUNE very closely resembles a coy young girl who is playing a young man as he would play a trout. If she finds that you have the pluck to be indiffer­ ent she is apt to bestow her smiles, but if she sees that she can break your heart she will do it just for the pleasure of mending it again. ANANIAS was proprietor of the biggest lye works of ancient time, but some of his descendants of this generation, aided by modern improved inventions, can turn out a more monstrous product in a minute than their illustrious ances­ tor could in forty years.--Chicago Commercial Advertiser. MRS. DUNSHUDDEB fed a tramp yes­ terday because he wore an old army ooat of faded bine. " You went through the war?" said the sympathetic Soul. ' Yes'm;I was a drummer," and when the fellow reached the sidewalk he con­ cluded the sentence," for a hardware store in Chicago."--Utica Observer. ONE of the highest compliments a man can receive is to a hear a friend say to him, *' The very sight of your pleasant face is enough to drive away the blues."--Chrystal. But the satis­ faction with which one hears such speeches is marred by the anticipation of the remark that is almost certain to ensue--" By the way, you haven't got $2 that you," etc., etc.--Boston Trav­ eller. THE other day a little "Hub," 4 years old, while playing in the nursery, came across an old doll, rather the worse for the wear, and, being in a gen­ erous mood, he took it to his mother and said: "Mamma, I desa I better ^liv dis to the swill man when he turns wound, an' p'aps he will take it home to the swill lady and let her fix it up ifll nice for little swill children to play wiz--wouldn't you, mamma ? " EGYPTIAN lentils are becoming rmj popular as an artieleof loodin Knglapd .