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:f"*goirri«E«w jRj»*AM«!<ril| ' "" Wnty bells of color goldw : Ai • Swaying lightly here and me a story olden -- Tender bells so awet Mid rair; • • -* • . owing from the rich gn*n »«*» -%v. Vv*>. *T i„ the solemn forwt'H shade; * - linglng round memorial oroaaea,. Wh»>rc the dead in pe«oe are laid * ! > ^Asching up from out the shadow *" ' • Of t!ir> thick wood's dark embrace iHiiwbing, twining through tho brancMB, ( ». /VK ilu.,ugll the gray mcW *»*»; *S, -Urn* wbM1< ,t lart, triumphant. HT Tliey the nun's bright r»y« have (MM; :" * felooiuiug gayly forth in gladness s 4 • • Far above the noisome ground. •*.$, • ^ *. In the dim old Southern forest*, ; Gnmd and solemn, dark and sad, •.yiouriah gayly these fair blowoms, . Shining forth so blithe atad glad. jrims with age and sorrow ever i' <; Hope entwineth, fair and bright; ' Covering up the gloom and darkMBI 1 Beaching up to heaven's light b>i- GHOST'S SUMMONS. A Physician** Story. It was in the early days of my profes- jgional career, when patients were scarce t • find fees scarcer, and, though I was in . the act of sitting down to my chop, and <, . Jiad promised myself a glass of steaming -T/1 • f>unch afterward, in honor of the CJhrist- ;; ' ' Inns season, I hurried instantly into my *' ' Imrgery. I entered briskly, but no soon- 1 *?r did I catch sight of the figure stand- \ Jng against the counter than I started - ' "Jt>ack, with a strange feeling of horror |\-i#Jfrhich for the life of m© I could notocsm- t-s" < prehend. . Never shall I forget the ghastKness of : "that face--the whit© horror stamped up- C . «n every feature--the agony which seemed to sink the very eyes beneath the contracted brows; it was, awful to me to behold, accustomed as I was to scenes of terror. "You seek advioe?" I began, with some hesitation. " No; I am not ill." " You require then--" " Hush!" he interrupted, approaching more nearly, and dropping his already low murmur to a mere whisper. " I be­ lieve you are not rich. Would you be willing to earn a thousand pounds ?" A thousand pounds! His words seemed to bum my very ears. " I should be thankful if I coulddo so honestly," I replied, with dignity. " What is the service required of me?" A peculiar look of intense horror passed over the white face before me ; but the blue-black lips answered firmly, " To attend a death-bed." "A thousand pounds to attend a death-bed! Where am I to go, then ? Whose is it?" "Mine." The voice in which this was said sounded so hollow and distant that in­ voluntarily I shrank hack. "Yours! What nonsense ! You are not a dying man. You are pale, but you appear per- fectlv healthy. You --" "frush!" he interrupted; "I know "4 all this. You cannot be more convinced of my physical health than I am my­ self ; vet x know that before the clock tolls tte first hour after midnight I shall be a dead man." "But--" He shuddered slightly; bat stretch­ ing out his hand commanding!y motioned me to be silent. " I am but too well in­ formed of what I affirm," he said quietly; " I have received a mysterious summons from the dead. No mortal aid can avail me. I am as doomed as the wretch on whom the Judge lias passed sentence. I •do not come either to seek your advice or to argue the matter with you, but simply to buy your services. I offer you £1,000 to pass the night in my chamber, and witness the scene which takes place. The sum may appear to you extravagant. But I have no further need to count the , cost of my gratification ; and the spec­ tacle you will have to witness is no com­ mon sight of horror." The words, strange as they were, were spoken calmly enough; but as the last sentence dropped slowly from the livid lips an expression of such wild horror again passed over the stranger's face that, in spite of the immense fee, I hesi­ tated to answer. "You fear to trust the promise of a dead man ! See here, and be convinced," • he exclaimed, eagerly; and the next in- : j stant, on the counter between us, lay a parchment document, and, following I the indication of that white, muscular hand, I read the words: "And to Mr. Frederick Bead, of 14 High street, Alton, I bequeath the sum of £1,000 for certain service rendered to me." " I have had that will drawn up within the last twenty-four hours, and I signed it an hour ago, in the presence of com­ petent witnesses. I am prepared, you see. Now, do you acoept my offer, or not?" My answer was to walk across the room and take down my hat, and thdn lock the door of the surgery communi­ cating with the house. It was a dark, icy-oold night, and somehow the courw$re and determination which the sight of my own name in con­ nection with £1,000 had given me flagged considerably as I found myself hurried , along through the silent darkness by a •man whose death-bed I was about to at­ tend. He was grimly silent; bat, as his hand touched mine, in spite of the frost, : it felt like a burning coal. > On we went--tramp, tramp, through the snow--on, on, till even I grew weary, and at length on my appalled ear struck the chimes of a church-clock, B while close at hand I distinguished the il snow hillocks of a ohurchyard. Heav­ ens! was this awful scene of which I was to be the witness to take place verit­ ably among the dead ? "Eleven," groaned the doomed man. " Gracious God! but two hours more, and that ghostly messenger will bring y the summons. Come, come ; for mer­ cy's sake let us hasten." There was but a short road separating us now from a wall which surrounded a large mansion, and along this wo hast­ ened until we reached a small door. Passing through this, in a few minutes we were stealthily ascending the private staircase to a splendidly-furnished apart­ ment, which left no doubt of the wealth of its owner. All was intensely silent, however, through the house; and about this room hi particular there was a still­ ness that, as I gazed around, struck ma almost ghastly. My companion glanced at the clock on the mantel-shelf and sank into a large chair by the side of the fire with a shud- , der. " Only an hour and a half longer," r he muttered. "Great Heaven I I thought I had more fortitude. This hor­ ror unmans me," Then, in a fiercer tone, and clutching my arm, he added, " Ha! you mock me--you think me mad; but wait till you see--wait till you see!" I put my hand on his wrist; for there was now a fever in his sunken eyes which checked the superstitious chill which had been gathering over me, and IBade me hope that, after all, my first suspicion was correct, and tliat my pa­ tient was but the victim of some fearful hallucination.' " Mock youi" I answered soothingly. "Par from it; I Jrmpathize intensely irith you, and would do modi to aid you. You require sleep lie down, and leave me to watch." He groaned, but rose, and befjan throwing off his clothes, and, watching my opportunity, I slipped » sleeping powder, which 1 had managed to put in my pocket before leaving the surgery, into the tumbler of claret that stood be­ side him. _ The more I saw, the more I felt con­ vinced that it was the nervous system of my patient which required my atten­ tion; and it was with sincere satisfac­ tion I saw him drink the wine, and then stretch himself on Ate luxurious bed. \ " Ha, " thought I as the dock struck 12, and, instead of a groan, the deep breathing of the sleeper sounded through the room; "you won't receive any sum­ mons to-night, and I may make myself comfortable." Noiselessly, therefore, I replenished the fire, poured myself out a glass of wine, and, drawing the curtain so that the firelight should not disturb the sleeper, I put myself in a position to follow his example. How long I slept I know not, but sud­ denly I aroused with a start and as ghostly a thrill of horror as I ever re­ membered to have felt in my life. Some­ thing--what, I knew not--seemed near; something nameless, bat unutterably awful. I gazed round. The fire emitted a faint blue glow, just sufficient to enable me to see that the room was exactly the same as when I fell asleep, but that the long hand of the clock wanted but five minutes of the mysterious hour which was to be the death-moment of the " summoned" man! Was there anything in it, then?--any truth in the strange story he had told? The silence was intense. I could not even hear a breath from the bed ; and I was about to rise and approach, when again that awful horror seized me, and at the same moment my eve fell upon the mirror opposite the door, and I saw-- Great Heaven! that awful Shape-- that ghastly mockery of what had been humanity--was it really a messenger from the buried, quiet dead ? It stood there in visible death-clothes; but the awful face was ghastly with corruption, and the sunken eyes gleamed forth a green, glassy glare, which seemed a ver­ itable blast from the infernal fires be­ low. To move or utter a sound in that hideous presence was impossible; and like a statue I sat and saw that horrid Shape move slowly toward the bed. What was the awful scene enacted there I know not. I heard nothing, ex­ cept a low, stifled, agonized groan, and I saw the shadow of that ghastly messen­ ger bending over the. bed. Whether it was some dreadful but wordless sentence its breathless lips conveyed, as it stood there, I know not; but for an instant the shadow of a claw-like hand, from which the third finger was missing, ap­ peared extended over the doomed man's head ; and then, as the clock struck one clear silvery stroke, it fell, and a wild shriek rang through the room--a death shriek. I am not given to fainting, but I cer­ tainly confess that the next ten minutes of my existence was a cold blank; and, when I did manage to stagger to my feet, I gazed round, vainly endeavoring to understand the chilly horror which still possessed me. Thank God ! the room was rid of that awful presence--I saw that; so, gulping down some wine, I lighted a wax-taper and staggered toward the bed. Ah, how I prayed that, after all, I might have been dreaming, and that my own excited imagination had but conjured up some hideous memory of the dissect­ ing-room ! But one glance was sufficient to answer that. Not The summons had indeed been given and answered. I flashed the light over the dead face, swollen, convulsed still with the death- agony ; but suddenly I shrank back. Even as I gazed, the expression of the face seemed to change; the blackness faded into a deathly whiteness'; the con­ vulsed features relaxed, and, even as if the victim of that dread apparition still lived, a sad, solemn smile stole over the pale lips. I was intensely horrified, but still I retained sufficient self-consciousness to be struck professionally by such a phenomenon. Sorely there was some­ thing more than supernatural agency in all this ? Again I scrutinized the dead face, and even the throat and chest; but, with the exception of a tiny pimple on one temple beneath a cluster "of hair, not a mark ap­ peared. To look at the corpse, one would have believed that this man had, indeed, died by the visitation of God, peacefully, while sleeping. How long I stood there I know not, but time enough to gather my scattered senses and to re­ flect that, ail things considered, my own position would be very unpleasant if I was found thus unexpectedly in the room of the mysteriously-dead man. So, noise­ lessly as I could, I made my way out of the house. No one met me on the pri­ vate staircase; the little door opening into the road was easily unfastened; and thankful, indeed, was I to feel again the fresh wintry air as I hurried along the road by the church-yard. she stretched out her j sistent to imagine that this planet, pro- toward something--but vided, apparently, with all the requisite natural facilities to render life a neces- she spoke left hand what I knew not, for my eyes were fixed on that hand. Horror ! White and delicate it might be, but it was shaped like a claw, and the third finger was missing! One sentence was enough after that. "Madame, all I can tell you is that the ghost who summoned your husband was marked by a singular deformity. The third finger of the left hand was miss­ ing," I said, sternly; and the next in­ stant I had left that beautiful, sinful presence. ¥ * • * • That will was never disputed. The next morning, too, I received a check for £1,000, and the next news I heard of the widow was that she had herself seen that awful apparition, and had left the mansion immediately. Arditl's Reminiscences. After playing for many seasons as de- scril>ed, Arditi himself undertook the management of a company, and gave operatic performances in various cities of the Uuited States and Canada. About this time, that is during 1848, a curious incident occurred to Arditi in Boston. He was playing the violin in that city with Bat team?, the great contra-bass player, when one gentleman in the audi­ ence became so enthusiastic that he threw his hat upon the stage. His ex­ ample was soon followed bv others who were equally delighted with the skill of the great artists, and in a few moments the stage was littered with hats, gloves and other small articles. In 1854, in Havana, Arditi sold put his interest in the company which he then controlled, to the great prima donnai) Sontag, but he continued to act as con ductor for the troupe, and, while they were playing in Mobile, he was sur­ prised by the announcement from Son- tag that she had accepted an engage­ ment to go to Mexico. He begged her to reconsider her determination, but without avail. Two days later he came again to the prima donna, his face pale and anxious, and said : " Mine. Sontag, I have had a terrible dream ,^p%3you." "A <tieanS!" she exclaimed, laughing­ ly. "What's in a dream, Sigrior Ar­ diti ?" "Perhaps more than you think," he replied. " I have dreamed that a terri­ ble calamity will follow your intended visit to Meyico." ^ Still, I am fully determined to go," tion to it, and the Judge peered through sary and desirable feature of his surface, is a sphere of desolation, a mass of inert matter wliich^ though conforming to the laws of gravitation, is otherwise serving no useful end, as the al>ode and susten­ ance of animate creatures. It is far more in accordance with analogy and rational speculation to conclude that Mars is the center of life and activity, and that his surface is teeming with living beings. The Attempt to Assassinate Justice Field. In the fall of 1865, while Justice Field, of the United States Supreme Court, was walking in tho streets of San Francisco, he met his old friend Ruloff- son, the well-known photographer. The photographer urged Mr. Field to sit for his picture, and he did so. Mr. Ruloff- son said that he would forward some cartes de visite to the Justice's address in Washington. On his return to Wash­ ington, Mr. Field one day m#t Judge Lake, of San Francisco. The Judge told him that he had ordered his letters directed to his care, and they went into Justice Field's private office. The morning mail had just been received. Among the letters there was a small package about four inches square and one and a half inches thick. It was en­ veloped in common white paper, and bore on its back the stamp of the Pio­ neer Photograph Gallery, San Francisco. The seal of the San Francisco Post- office had been stamped over the ad­ dress. The superscription was printed, and was evidently cut from the title page of the "California Reports," with the exception of the words " Washing­ ton, D. C.," which had been cut out of a newspaper. Both of the slips were pasted on the package. "I presume these are the cards from Ruloffson," said the Justice, as he un­ did the package. "No, that can't be," he added, "for Ruloffson has nothing to do with the Pioneer Gallery." The package contained a common miniature case. " It must be a present for my wife," Mr. Field remarked "I'll take a peep at it." He stepped to the window playfully, unhooked the lid of the case, raised it an eighth of an inch, and peeped in. The contents, though indefinitely seen, presented a singular appearance. There was some resistance to the opening of the lid. He called Judge Lake's atten- was Sontag's reply. She was as good as her word, and, as it is perhaps needless to state, she died soon after her arrival in the city of the Montezumas. The story was that she had fallen a victim to cholera, but many of those who were familiar with the cir­ cumstances believe to this day that both she and Pozzolini, the tenor, who was known to be her lover, and who died with her, were poisoned at the instance of her husband, the jealous Count Rossi. --Ketv York Times. iR' There was a magnificent funeral soon in that church ; and it was said that the young widow-of the buried man was in­ consolable ; and then rumors got abroad of a horrible apparition which had been seen on the night of the death ; and it was whispered the young widow was terrified, and insisted upon leaving her splendid mansion. I was too mystified with the whole affair to risk my reputation by saying what I knew, and I should have allowed my share in it to remain forever buried in oblivion had I not suddenly heard that the widow, objecting to many of the legacies in the last will of her husband, intended to dispute it on the score of in­ sanity, and then gradually arose the ru­ mor of his belief in having received a mysterious summons. On this I went to the lawyer, and sent a message to the lady, that, as the last rsrson who had attended her husband, undertook to prove his sanity, and I besought her to grant me an interview, in which I would relate as strange and horrible a story as her ear had ever heard. The same evening I received an invi­ tation to go to the mansion. I was ush­ ered immediately into a splendid room, and there, standing before the fire, was the most dazzlingly-beautiful young creature I had ever seen. She was very small, but exquisitely made; had it not been for the dignity of her carriage, I should have believed her a mere child. With a stately bow she advanced, but did not speak. " I come on a strange and painful er­ rand," I began, and then I started, for I happened to glance full into her eyes, and from them down to the small right hand grasping the chair. The wedding- ring was on that hand! " I conclude you are the Mr. Read who requested permission to tell me some absurd ghost-story, and whom my late husband mentions here." And as ̂ A Wonderful Dinner. A magnificent dinner was that which was given on Feb. 16, 1476, in Naples, by Benedetto Salutati, of Florence, to the sons of the Neapolitan King Fer- ante. As a preliminary course there were little gilded cakes of pine kernels, . and small majolica bowls, with some kind of a fancy preparation of milk. Then came eight silver platters, with gelatine of capon's breast, ornamented with heraldic devices, the dish for the most distinguished guest, the Duke of Calabria, having a fountain in the mid­ dle showering a spray of orange .water. The first part of the meal consisted of twelve courses of meats, including veni­ son, veal, ham, pheasants, partridges, capons, chickens and blanc mange. At the close a great silver dish was placed before the Duke, and when the cover was raised a flock of birds flew up. On two enormous platters stood two peacocks, ap­ parently alive, and with tails spread; in their beaks they held burning per­ fumed essence, and on their breasts were silken ribbons, with the Duke's arms. The second division consisted of nine courses of various sweet dishes, tarts, marzipan and light, ornamental cakes, with hippokras, a kind of spiced wine. There were fifteen kinds of wine, mostly native Italian and Si^ilmTi. At the close of the meal the guests washed their hands in perfumed water, and after the removal of the cloth a mound of green twigs with costly es­ sences were placed on the table, the per­ fume of which filled the room. During and after the meal there was music and a pantomime. After an hour's pause there was a dessert of confectionery, served in dishes of silver, with orna­ mented covers of sugar and wax. The Fascinations of Chess. There are curious, but well-authenti­ cated, anecdotes showing what fascina­ tions chess possesses for some minds. We have heard of one of her Majesty's ships being neariy run ashore through the Captain, absorbed in his combina­ tions, not heeding the repeated repre­ sentations of his Lieutenant that they were getting uncommonly near the land. There was once a Caliph of Bagdad who would not be disturbed in his game, though the city was being carried by assault. And Charles XIL, of Sweden, when hardly beset by the Turks in his house at Bender, was at least as much interested in beating his antagonist across the board as in beating off the Turks. Again, an Elector of Saxony, taken prisoner at the battle of Mulil- berg by the Emperor Charles V., was playing chess with a fellow-prisoner when tidings were brought to him that he had been sentenced to death. He the little opening. "Don't open it," he said. "It's a torpedo." The box was soaked in a pail of water. It was then 'taken to the Capitol, opposite the rooms of Judge Field, where Mr. Broom, one of the Clerks of the Supreme Court, carefully examined it. The three gentlemen finally went into the carriage-way under the Senate steps, j*nd, after shielding themselves behind one of the columns, threw the box against the wall, shatter­ ing the lid and exposing the contents. It was sent to the War Department, and the following report was returned : WASHINGTON ABSENAL, Jan. 16, 1866. Oen. A. B. Dyer, Chief of Ordnance, Washington, D.O. SIB : Agreeably to your instructions, I havo examined the explosive machine sent to this arsenal yesterday. It is a small miniature case containing twelve copper cartridges, such as are uned in a Smith & Wesson pocket pistol, a bundle of sensitive friction matches, a strip of sandpaper, and some fulminating powder. The cartridges and matches are imbedded in common glue to keep them in place. The strip of sandpaper lies over the heads of the matches. |One end has been thrown back, forming a Hoop, through which a bit of thread evidently parsed to attach it to the lid of the case. Tins thread may be seen near the clasp of the lid, broken r» i'wo. There are two wire staples, under which the strip of sandpaper was intended to pass to proiduce the neces­ sary pressure on the matches. The thread is so fixed that the strip of sandpaper could bo secured to the lid after it was closed. The whole affair is so arranged that the opening of the lid would necessarily ignite the matches were it not that the lower end of the strip has become imbedded in the glue, which prevents it from moving. That the burning of the matches may esplode the cartridges there is a hole in each case, and all are covered with mealed powder. One of the cartridges has been examined and found to contain orainarv grain powder. Two of tho cartridges were exploded in a closed box sent herewith. The effect of the explosion was an indentation on one side of the box. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, J. G. BENTON, Major of Ord. and Bvt. Col. Comdg. Josh Billings on Marriage. By awl means, Joe, get married, if you hav a fair show. Don't stand shiv­ ering on the bank, but pitch rite in and stick your head under and shiver it out. Thar ain't any more trick in getting married than tnere is in eating peanuts. Many a man has stood shivering on the shore until the river run out. Don't expect to marry an angel--they have been all picked up long ago. Remember, Joe, you hain't a saint yourself. Do not marry for beauty exclusively ; beauty is like ice, awfully slippery and thaws dreadfully easy. Don't marry for luv, neither; luv is like a cooking-stove, good for nothing when the fuel gives out. But let the mixture be some beauty, becomingly dressed, with about $250 in her pocket, a gud speller, handy and neat in her house, plenty of good sense, tuff constitution and by-laws, small feet, a light step; add to this sound teeth ana a warm heart. The mixture will keep in any climate and will not evaporate. Don't marry for pedigree unless it's backed by bank notes. A family with nothing but pedi­ gree generally lacks sense. ' Fan Ahead. An old and partially intoxicated sailor was brought up before Justice Wandell, in the Yorkville Police Court. The Jus­ tice asked : " Thomas, why do you drink the nasty stuff?" The old sailor respectfully saluted his Honor, and inquired of him if he meant looked up for a moment to remark on the irregularity of the proceeding, and' liquor. then resumed the game, which to his j " That's just what I mean," replied great delight he won. When we add I the court; "it is very nasty stuff." that Frederick the Great and Marshall "Your Honor is all wrong," pursued Saxe were enthusiasts forthte game, who j the old sailor, reflectively--" all wrong." will say it is not a pastime "Look at me," said the Justice; "I which it is worth while to am over 60 years of age, and I have ney-m excel ? Though many persons are debarred by other occupations from de­ voting to it sufficient attention, those who have the leisure may remember the dictum of the Duke of Wellington, er tasted liquor, " Was your Honor never drunk?" " Never in my life." "May I be . Well, your Honor, you're not too old yet. There's fun which is applicable to all pursuits, that | ahead for you--heaps of fun ahead.' " Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well."--Saturday Review. Is Mfcrs Inhabited? There is no other planet of the solar system, says Science for All, which of­ fers so close an analogy to the earth as Mars. The telescope reveals to us the figures of broad tracts of land and ex­ panses of sea upon his surface. The dur­ ations of his day and night almost coin­ cide with our own. His exterior expe­ riences the alternating changes of the seasons. His nights are illumined by two satellites, which present all the phe­ nomena of our own moon, and more fre­ quently, owing to their greater velocity. An atmosphere probably surrounds this planet; in fact, the existence of air is indispensable to his other features. Hence the inference that Mars is a hab­ itable globe appears a very obvious and fair conclusion, and it would be incon- Wlien the court-room became quiet in a measure, the old sailor was discharged. IMcken's First Love. When Dickens was a law reporter about the courts he fell in love with a pretty, thoughtless little thing, and wanted her to be his wife ; but the suit was thwarted, and a half-healed scar was all that was left of the eld and painful wound. Perhaps it would have been better for Charles Dickens if she had married him. Many years after he wrote of this marked episode of his life: "Just as I can never open that book as I open any other book, I can­ not see the face, even at four-and- forty, or hear the voioe, without going wandering away over the ashes of all that vouth and hope in the wildest man­ ner. ,f He had made of his lost love the dear little child wife, Dora,^ia " David Copperfleld." < ^ FARM NOTES. HIT. EBAHTTJS BAH.EY, Little Oompton, R. L, has kept 1,000 to 1,200 hens dur­ ing the past five years, and realized from each an annual profit of $1.75. FOB applying to wounds made by re­ moving large limbs in pruning fruit trees nothing is better than gam shellac, dissolved in alcohol to the consistency of paint. FRENCH poultry fanciers are now feed­ ing fowls designed for market with bar­ ley and steamed yellow carrots. This feed is remarkable for its rapid fattening qualities. PEABI. millet, which ' has proved a failure in Massachusetts, is grown with success in Kansas. Some growers say that it is 50. per cent, better than corn fodder, and stands dry weather much better than corn, or any other kind of millet. AIR-SIIACKED lime will destroy currant worms. In the spring examine the bushes often, and when the lower leaves are perforated there the worms are to be found. If the bush is dry, first sprinkle with water, and then with lime. Two or three applications will be sufficient for the season. The lime will injure neither the bush nor the fruit. THOSE who have soot, either Of wood or bituminous coal, should carefully save it for use in the garden. It is val­ uable for the ammonia it contains, and also for its power of absorbing ammonia. It is simply charcoal (carbon) in an ex­ tremely divided state, but from the cre­ osote it contains is useful in destroying insects, and is at the same time valuable as a fertilizer for all garden crops. THE first year a sheep's front teeth are eight in number, and are of equal size; the second year the two middle teeth are shed, and replaced by two much larger than the others ; the third year two very small ones appear on either side of the eight; at the end of the fourth year there are six large teeth ; the fifth year all the front teeth are large ; the sixth year all begin to show signs of wear. CHARCOAL AS MANURE.--Although charcoal is nearly pure carbon, a large constituent of all vegetation, still it is not claimed that this substance furnishes direct food to plants. Its action is thus described by Liebig : " Plants thrive in powdered charcoal, and may be brought to blossom and bear fruit if exposed to the influence of rain and atmosphere. Charcoal is the most unchangeable sub­ stance known. Ir may be kept for cent­ uries without change. It possesses the power of condensing gases within its pores, and particularly carbonic acid; and it is by virtue of this power that the roots of plants are supplied with char­ coal as is humus, with an atmosphere of carbonic acid, which is renewed as quickly as it is abstracted. Plants do not, however, attain maturity, under or­ dinary circumstances, in charcoal pow­ der, unlees moistened with rain or rain­ water. Rain-water contains one of the essentials of vegetable life, a compound of nitrogen, the exclusion of which en­ tirely deprives humus and charcoal of their influence upon vegetation." BABIIEY AND OATS.--A fine condition of the soil is indispensable for the bar­ ley crop. Old barley-growers know all about this, but many want to grow bar­ ley because it is a profitable crop when successful. It will succeed in any good, well-prepared soil, but a mellow clay loom, which can be brought to good tilth, is to be preferred. But good crops of bright grain may be grown on lighter loams if in good heart. It may be made an excellent soiling crop to fol­ low clover, and as a change from oats. We prefer to sow thickly, say two and a half bushels per acre, but opinions vary in this respect, and from one and a half to two and a half bushels is the range. Early-stfwn oats in our hot climate are, as a rule, better than the late sown. Our climate is not so favorable for oats as the cooler Northern and Northeastern ones. There oats are heavy and plump, and seed from Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick will produce well for two or three years. By using seed from these Northern localities, oats may be grown in the Middle States weighing from thirty-five to forty-five pounds per bushel. BEANS AS FOOD FOB STOCK.--Chemi­ cal analysis and observation in feeding alike show the large amount of nutri­ ment contained in beans. There is no more valuable food for forming muscle than beans. In the production of fat they are greatly inferior to corn and the small grains, but they are superior to them in the production of flesh. All young animals are benefited by an oc­ casional ration of beans. Sheep are as fond of beans as boys are of watermel­ ons, but they are not relished by most domestic animals when they are first given them to eat. Many ahimals need to be educated to eat beans, but, after a short time, they will acquire a taste for them. Hogs, cows and fowls will ac­ quire a taste for beans as readily as hu­ man beings will for tomatoes, celery and ripe figs. If beans are ground with corn or any kind of small grain in the propor­ tion of one bushel of the former to four of the latter, the meal will be eaten by all kinds of stock. Beans may be soaked till they are quite soft, or boiled and mixed with bran or cornmeal to excel­ lent advantage. To CURE FOOT-ROT IN SHEEP.--The preparation of the foot is just as essen­ tial as the remedy, for if every part of the disease is, not laid bare the remedy will not effect a cure. A solution of blue vitriol as strong as can be made and as hot as you can bear your hand in, even for a moment, having the liquid three or four inches deep, or deep enough to cover all the affected parts ; then hold the diseased foot in this liquid ten minutes, or long enough to pene­ trate to all the diseased parts ;' put the sheep on a dry barn floor for twenty hours to give it a chanee to take effect. In every case where I have tried it, it has effected a cure, and I hav.e never given a sheep medicine internally for foot-rot. This remedy I call a dead shot when the foot is thoroughly prepared, but a more expeditious way, and where you don't hardly hope to exterminate the disease, but keep it in subjection, is this : After preparing the feet as for the vitriol cure, take butter of antimony, pour oil of vitriol into it slowly until the heating and boiling process ceases, and apply with a swab. This remedy works quicker, is stronger than the vitriol, and is just as safe, but its mode of applica­ tion renders it less sure.--Ohio Farmer. tender devotion of her husband; and, as I talked, I watched him telling off the lecture on his nimble fingers, while her eager eyes glanced from them to his sympathetic face. It was a pretty pict­ ure of devotion. They were so young to have this cloud shadow the "morn­ ing skies of their lives; but, as I glanced from the voiceless wife to her husband, I thought how beautifully the sunlight of his devotion was breaking through these clouds and tinting even their af­ flictions with a tender radiance. This discipline of attending upon suffering is a good thing for a man. It rounds out his life ; it develops his manlier, nobler qualities ; it makes his heart brave and tender and strong as a woman's. ' . HOUSEHOLD HELreJ€#* ̂ NOT CAKE.--One 'and one>half cups sugar, one-half cup butter, three cups flour, one-half cup sweet milk, three eggs, three teaspoonfuls of baking pow­ der, one cup of hickory nuts (chopped), one teaspoonful vanilla. WALNUT CAKES.--One pound of flour, one pound of sugar, three-quarters of a pound of butter, one and one-half pounds of raisins, one nutmeg, six eggs, one wine-glassful of wine, two quarts of walnuts (before cracked); bake in a quick oven, OATMEAL BLANO MANGE.--A delicious blanc mange may be made by stirring two heaping teaspoonfuls fine oatmeal into a little cold water and then stirring in a quart of boiling milK; boil a few minutes ; flavor ; turn into molds when cold ; eat with jelly or cream. To CLEAN HAIR BRUSHES.--AS hot water and soap soon soften the hairs, and rubbing completes their destruc­ tion, use soda dissolved in cold water. Soda, having an affinity for grease, cleans the brush with very little friction. After well shaking them, stand them on the points of the handles in a shady place. INDIAN MEAL PUDDING.--One pint of Indian meal cooked, one quart of milk, half a cup of butter, one pint of molas­ ses, four eggs, with a little cinnamon or nutmeg; boil the milk, stir in gradually the meal, mix all together and let it stand two hours, add the eggs when the pudding is ready to put in the oven; let it bake two hours. SUPERIOR SPONGE CAKE.--One pound of sugar, sifted; half pound of flour, rind of a lemon, grbted, with the juice. Beat the yelks very light and mix them well with the sugar; add the lemon; beat them well together; add the whites, beaten stiff; shake the flour in very gently--should not be stirred when the flour is well mixed. If in one pan, two hours, if in two pans, one and a half hours. To FRESHEN PAINT.--Tea leaves may be saved from the table for a few days, and, when sufficient are collected, steep, and not boil, them for half an hour in a tin pan; strain the water off through a sieve, and use this tea to wash all var­ nished paint. It removes spots, and gives a fresher, newer appearance than when soap and water are used. For white paint, take up a small quantity of whiting on a damp piece of old white flannel, and rub over the surface lightly, and it will leave the paint remarkably bright and new. To BOIL A HAM.--Scrape and wash carefully in plenty of cold water. Put it to cook in boiling water enough to cover it entirely, hock end up ; let it re­ main on the front of the stove till the ham begins to boil; then put it back and let it simmer steadily for three hours. Take it off the fire, and let the ham remain in the water it is boiled in till cool enough to handle ; then skin it; put in a baking-pan, and sprinkle with about three ounces of brown sugar ; run your pan in a hot oven, and let it remain a half hour, or until the sugar has formed a brown crust. This not only improves the flavor of the ham, but preserves its juices. :>f' i, i.« . . t.Jk WMMMMm /?| ** *ILTON H. MABBI*,- Vf'f - 1 " 1? I had M dream ltst night, mv IMT. A plewwit dreaxnolthec j || I thought we lived in a quiet home, Beyond the crystal sea; . la • land where the air wan veg i;v- And it e'er endlesn i»pringF* Akal, too fair, it seemed, for earth; ' -t v The land of whieh poets sing 1 " IX. ' t :y Oh! for thoae moments of fancied To bo again in that home, ^ Wfawre all WBH golden l>api>inqi% Vrifji.' - And eorrow might never come 1 ff I would lay ine down on the cold, damp gfonnjl To-day, eould I dream once more That dream, and be again in that hotttt ' .. °* ̂ t . 8omewhere, in the days which lay Before me, in the path which I go-- This I have felt alway ! ; * > Therefore I wait, with gladncst, That I shall dwell with thee, - f: In tiie home I oaw within a dream, Across the beautiful sea I A MEBE dress. PITH AND POIITT. matter of form--Cutting & < yoar A Voiceless Wife. Burdette leaves off his fun to write this pretty little sketch : While I was lecturing at Washington I saw a lady with an intelligent, pretty face a*d bright, eloquent eyes that were rarely lifted toward the speaker, and then only for a flash of time. They were bent upon her husband's hands almost con­ stantly. Brilliant and accomplished a few years ago, she had gone down into the world ef voiceless silence, and now all the music and all the speech that oomes into her life comes through the Protecting the Rear. In one of the public schools of San Francisco, a youth bubbling over •with high spirits violated a long-established rule, and was summoned to the bar of judgment. With many sobs and tears lie confessed the soft impeachment. " Have your mother call to-morrow, "the teacher remarked, with awful and omin­ ous significance. His maternal ancestor appeared on the following day, and, after being duly and publicly informed of the flagrant breach of discipline her son had been guilty of, was requested to say if she would punish him herself, or have the teacher attend to the matter. She preferred the latter course, and urged that the blows be well laid on. The next day was appointed for the flagella­ tion. At the usual hour for such un­ pleasant affairs the youth was sum­ moned to the front. He came with a hang-dog look and some trepidation. An oration on youthful frivolities having been duly delivered, the boy was or­ dered to extend his hand beneath an up­ raised ruler. He refused, and, in ac­ cordance with the usual custom in such cases, was spread across the teacher's knees, «-nd the punishment was admin­ istered in another quarter than the one originally intended. For some unex- plainable reason the most energetic blows fell without the desired effect. A consultation of male teachers ensued, and the offender was conducted to a private room, and his wardrobe subjected to a rigid examination. On the interior of his bifurcated garment, at a locality of great strategical importance in such an emergency, was a thick flannel baby's frock securely attached. " Who sewed that on ?" demanded the principal, in a voice of thunder. "My mother," an­ swered the boy, with broken sobs. The teachers hurriedly consulted again, in­ structed the boy never to reveal the cir­ cumstance, and sent him in to his studies. Somehow the matter leaked out. The Best Yehicle. An anecdote is told of a physician who was called to a foreign family to pre­ scribe for a case of incipient consump­ tion. He gave them a prescription for pills, and wrote the direction : " One pill to be taken three times a day, in any convenient vehicle*." The family looked in the dictionary to get at the meaning of that prescription. They got on well until they got to the word vehicle. They found "cart, wagon, carriage, buggy, wheelbarrow." After grave consideration they came to the conclusion that the doctor meant the patient should ride out, and while in the vehicle he should take the pill. He fol­ lowed the advice to the letter, and in a few weeks the fresh air and exercise se­ cured the advantage which otherwise might not have come. UKDEB the old law marriage ceremon­ ies could be performed in California by any Judge, Justice of the Peace, Mayor, clergynian, or preacher of tho gospel, but by an act of the present Legislature they can be solemnized onl; by a Justice of the Supreme Court, Judge of the Su­ perior Court, Justice of the Peace, or minister of the gospel. LIES go by telegraph ; the truth comes in'by mail three hours late. ^ •:(? MOTHERLY wisdom--Stick to flannels until they stick to you. A GENTLEMAN named his dog ! because it was one sent to him. WE hear of a man who has made IF fortune by attending to his own busi*, i ness I This is authentic. But .then h«£ *' had few competitors. ' . , WE are told that " Gen, 8------ was al­ ways coolest when on the poiirt of at- tack." Most people are hottest when on the point-of a tack. REV. LOUIS WAZAWACANAYANA is a Dakota clergyman. He has one satis­ faction, however. Nobody opens his letters by mistake. WB are told "the evening wore on," but we are never told what the evening wore on that occasion. Was it the close of a summer's day ? A ST. LOUIS rich man drew up a will which was so pathetically worded that it moved all his relatives to tears. It left all his property to an orphan asylum. WHEN a hen has retired from busi­ ness, after a long and uneventful life as an egg-manufacturer, the unfeeling huckster throws her upon the market as a spring chicken. A VERY weak tenor in Dublin singing . feebly caused one of the gods to shout to an acquaintance across the gallery: "Corney, what noise is that?" "Be- dad," said Corney, "I believe it's the gas whistlin' in the pipe." JEANNE'S mother attempts to dissuade her from marrying a soldier of the line - with whom the girl is desperately in love. " A war may come and a cannon- ball may take off his head," she tells her. "Ah, well! a widow at 16!" exclaims the daughter. " What is more poetic ?" " OH ! papa," exclaims a college youth; rushing into the presence of his father, " good news. I have passed my exami­ nation." "My noble boy, I rm over­ joyed." "And so was my tutor. He said the news made him very happy, for, if I could pass, nobody else could possibly fail to." A YOUNG man and woman stopped at a country tavern. Their awkward ap­ pearance excited the attention of one of the family, who commenced a conversa­ tion with the female by inquiring how far she had traveled that day. "Trav­ eled !" exclaimed the stranger, somewhat indignantly ; "we didn't travel, we rid!" " You know," "Said Plato Socrates, "That melons must be kept cool." Socrates nodded assent. "Now, con­ tinued Plato, "if melons were very scarce and descendants of Ham were numerous in the vicinity, how would you keep your melons cool and secure ?" "I'd put 'em," replied Socrates, '• in a chilled-iron safe." WHEN the Greeks were about to sail for Troy, Menelaus bought a bundle of straw and put it carefully away in his cabin. "What is that for?" a&ked Agamemnon. " To tell us the direction of the breeze," answered Menelaus. "You'recrazy," said Nestor. "Why," remarked Menelaus, " don't straws show which way the wind blows ? " THE office door was opened and imme­ diately shut without attracting Smith- son's attention; but, when this was done again and again and again, you could see by the rose hue in his face that lie had finally noticed it. The next time the door opened, the small boy who opened it was surprised by the warm embrace that Smithson bestowed on him. " What do you mean, you young ras­ cal ? " cried Smithson, punctuating his remarks by vigorous shakings of the small boy aforesaid. " What do yon mean by meddling with my door ? " "I only did what you wanted me to do," whimperingly replied the boy. " What I wanted you to do !" shrieked Smith- son, with a shake that threatened to make butter of the lad. "Yes, sir; you stuck up 'Please shut the door,* and, you know, 1 couldn't shut it with­ out first opening it, could I ? " It was well that the last shake of Smith- son's was so violent that he lost his hold of the boy. There is no knowing what might have been the consequences.-- Boston Transcript. The "Roil Bengol Tagger." These are Little Johnny's observa­ tions on the "Roil Bengol Tagger," as communicated to the San Francisco Ar­ gonaut: " One time there was a man who had a tagger, and the tagger it was a sho, and the man he tuke the money for to get in. The man he had a big paper naild onto the tagger's den, and the paper it said, the paper did: 'The Roil Bengol Tagger, sometimes called the Monnerk of the Jungle. Hands of. No Tecliin the Tagger!' The monnerk of the jungle it was always a lavin down with its nose tween its poz, and the fokes wich had paid for to get in they was mad cos it wudent wock, and rore like dissent thunder. But the sho man he said: ' That's ol rite when I git the new cage done, but this is the same cage which the offle feller broke out of in Oregon, time he et up the seventeen men and their families.' Then the fokes they would ol stand back and took in wispera while the tagger slep. But one day a feller wich was drunk he tuke to punch- in the tagger with the masthead of his I umbreller, wich stampeded the oddience wild, and the wimmin fokes they stud onto chairs and hollered like it was a mouse, but the drunk chap he kep a job- bin the monnerk of the jungle crewel. Pretty sune the monnerk it bellered offle and riggled, but the feller kep a pokin like he was fireman to a steam engin. Bimeby the monnerk it jumped onto its hine feets and shucked itself out of its skin and roled up its sleefs and spit on­ to its hands and spoke up and sed: 'I bedam if I cant jest whollip the pea- greeu stuftin out o' the gum-das ted ga­ loot wich has ben a proddin this ere tagger !' And the oddience thay was a stonish!"