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k mm "s. v t̂§wrg f laindeale? *. VAN tLYKE, Etfit# mi Pu»Hsh«r. IgcHKNRY, I 1 '*- ILLINOIS. m -- - - -- "WHEN DAY WAS UONB. i Si BT IIOTJIB CHANDI.KR MOCLTON. 1feka>«ton4s that watched in the west M; iw nun is set and the moon is high; ^nd nothing U left of the day that is awl *•'* Save a fair white ghost in the eastern sky. irwie the dav was dying we knelt and yearned, ;- ; And hoped iuid prayed till its last breath died; ' 'V®«t since so radiant a ghost, it haa turned '~-T8balt we rest, with that white grace satisfied? tpie fair ghost smiles with a pale, cold smile, j An mocKina as life and as hopeless as death. . #hall passionless beauty like this beguile? Who loves a ghost, without feeling or breath? M remember a maiden, as (air to see, , - Who once was alive, with a heart like June; :;>jP»e died, but her spirit wanders free, ^ And charms men's aoulb to the old, mad tone. 4|Tarm she was, in her life's glad day, 'i&i Wa,m and fair, and faithful and sweet; ist man might have thrown a kingdom away • To kneel and love at her girlish feet. #nt. the night came down, and her day was dona; f ,!r Hoping and dreaming were over for aye; And then her career as a ghost was begun-- :..t OiM. she shone, lfke the moon on high. Utor a maiden or moon shall Alive man yearn? . ; , Shall a breathing man love a ghost without - breath? fliin* moon, »nd chill us--yon cannot burn-- Qohome, girl-ghost, to your kingdom of death. m HISS CHICK. ATALIE r- ft©. WILFOBD wan going borne. Com­ mencement day wis over, and it had brought her a goodly share of trinmpli. Her teachers had bidden her a loving fare well, and her school­ mates were heartbroken at the thought ot part­ ing with her. Ber trav­ eling costume was per­ fect, and thin was the i&j to which she had looked forward through all the three hundred and six­ ty-five that had preceded it, as the hap­ piest that could dawn for her. Yet, •Mich is the perversity of fate, Natalie IMs wretched. She had left home the affianced bride jf Paul Albert. Be wai as handsome as ft hero in a novel, aod the incarnation, in Hatalie's eyes, of human perfection. He •as the son of ber aunt, who was also |»r foster-mother; het own mother hav­ ing died in her infancy. A year's sepa­ ration was the only obstacle placed in the way of the young people's happi- oesa Natalie went away to a musical conservatory, and if, in the year of their separation, no change took place in the love of either for the other, they should be married with the consent and ap­ proval of those most near to them. Bo Natalie went, and letters often gassed between them. Her wretched- Oess began when a neighbor, who was passing through the city, called upon ber. After detailing all the gossip acd personal news iu the vicinity of Natalie's •Aid home, Bhe said: ' ̂ "And now, 1 know you are just dying %> hear about PauL. Well, a Miss •Chick, a distant relative of *your aunt's itusband, came there a week or BO be­ fore I left, and she has taken the whole place by storm. Paul, who had looked quite forsaken since you left, has brightened up wonderfully. J met him driving with Miss Chick the other Wight* and they were laughing and chattering like two children." gave no sign; and, indeed, tmmlfi JZio& own to herself that she felt a ,abade of jealousy; but, when Paul's letters grew shorter, albeit they hardly .(•uatained a mention of Miss Chick after fcitctfrafc. cat her enthusiastic description of ber, ah®grew miserable. His last let- tier had closed in this way: •' • v • Tit seems hardly worth while writing, you >. . 'Are coming so soon. How long and im- patiently I have looked forward to the day; a&d this'is my last letter to you, I have a 0reat deal of writing to do this evening, d it has grown so dark I can hardly see t ttoe words as I write them. I will stop, and After ibis--oh; joyful thought!--shall be table to aas* to you what I have been so long (rtjompelleii to write. So for the last time I say good-by. YOUR PAUL." That was very well *in itself, but, - folded about this letter, was a half-sheet 0t paper, which it was easy to under- >V l *tood that Paul bad, in the gathering % 4arki>es8 of which he wrote, supposed f " 1 4o be blank. It was written dimly in •» - iiencii upon one side, in a hand pecu- '%•'i. liarly and unmistably Paul's own. It contained these words: '$£>,? "DEAREST:--The hour is coming that tnnet rob me of you unless you consent to > X flight. Shall we doom such love as ours to A living death for the sake of conven- §#!; ftionality ? I feel that my brain is giving K*\ ma&. If you refuse my prayer I cannot . «asw«r for the consequences. Be mine! Jvy-' 4>e mine!" This Natalie read over again and > l . «agaiu, incredulous of her sense of sight. Lg / Ha bad evidently scribbled it with the P|£' intention of slipj ing it into Miss Chick's ' &and unnoticed. She resolved that if she saw Paul on filer return she would hand the scribbled ... jP^S® to him, aud assure him that he v^jhad suffered quite unnecessarily; that * *hehad concluded that they were quite I?. 11 A ATAXIIE JTEAUD THESE WOBDS. ununited to «ea<*h other, and that she hoped' they would be happy. Her pride would bear her up bravely through this, and then--for herself, she thought of the nunnery; she would settle that afterward. For the present, she must at)pear.as natural as possible, and not indicate .her real feeling by an assump­ tion of too much dignity. The cabman came for her trunk; and •all the way of her long railroad journey •he arranged and rearranged the words she should say upon her return home, and if she found the trial too much to bear with an appearance of indifference, •he could summon a headache to her Aid and be alone a while. It was nearly dark when the train stopped at the station .at the end of ber homeward journey. Burely Paul would be there to mot her if had* not fled with of his love. No; her aunt met and kissed her as slie descended from the train, and said: "I came to meet you, dear, because Paul, though awfully sorry, had to help Miss Chick about something. Some of your friends are coming in to-night. It seemed to me you'd be too tired to see company, but Mi« chick has taken everything into her own hends; and I must admit that her rule has become very tiresome, for she has kept the house upside down ever since her advent" And so her aunt talked on, full of joys At Natalie's return, and fall of neighbor-^ hood news, as unconscious of Natalie's^ misery as ofvPaul's faithlessness. Ushering Natalie into the drawing* room, and promising to send her a cup of tea, Mrs. Albert left her. The door was no sooner closed than Natalie heard from the next room these words in Paul's voioe: "Dearest, the hour is ooming that must rob me of you, unless you consent to flight. Shall we doom such love as ours to a living death for the sake of conventionality? If you refuse my prayer I cannot answer for the conse­ quences. Be mine, be mine!" And a voicc replied: "I scorn the love you offer me!" This speech was interrupted by a horrified exclamation in Mrs. Albert's voice: "She is in thereI* Then a little shriek, and Natalie arose to go and confront the traitors, but was inter­ rupted by her aunt's entrance. "I thought I heard Paul's voice," Natalie said. "I am going to see him." "Oh, my dear," her aunt answtfted, "you mustn't go in there. Paul will come to you as soon as you will see him --but I thought you'd rather dress first --though he's awfully impatient." "Yes," said Natalie, "I believe I will dress first: and before dressing I wilHie down and rest. In fact, I would rather not see him until morning, if he would excuse me." "Impossible!" her aunt exolaimed. "Though I said all along that it was a mistake--and, though I see it is ab­ solutely cruel, after ail the preparations I don't know how it can be helped. But you shall rest until nine, ancHiot even Paul shall see you before that time." Refreshed by a cup of tea and a bath, Natalie lay upon her bed. The piotures she had known since childhood, the very figures on the wall paper seemed to pity her, and she wept like a child, feeling a sorrow for herself as she might have felt it for another. Then she slept. She was aroused by her aunt's voice, saying: "I declare, I feel positively wicked; but time is up, and can you dress and come down?" Everything came back to Natalie, and nerving herself as best she might, she said: "Dear aunt, I'm so sorry I overslept; hcfw stupid 1 must seem to you 1 I can dress almost in no time. See, I laid out everything ready," and reflecting how little she should care henceforth to look well in anyone's eyes, she dressed hastily and, summoning all her forti­ tude, descended the stairs. "There is a little surprise for you," said her aunt, "gotten up by Miss Chick and your friends; they will begin at once, leaving their greetings until after­ ward. I fear the whole affair will ap­ pear absurd to you. However, Miss Chick is going to-morrow, and we shall have peace." "So she has lyieltied,! was Natalie's mental comment. "Aunt does not know that Paul is going too." The next thing that Natalie saw did surprise her. A brilliantly lighted room, rows of well-filled chairs, and a curtain, that presently rose to disclose the word "WELCOME," in a garland of flowers. Then Paul, and a dark, young lady, appeared in a duet, in which about half the words were" "Welcome;" some­ times snapped out in a little scream by the figure whom Natalie knew to be Miss Chick, and sometimes labored with, a syllable at a time, by Paul; who, after a good deal of " Wei--wel--wel--" would be supported by Miss Chick with the remaining syllable, when they would shout "welcome" together, as if, having once fairly gotten hold of the word,they would never let it go. Then there were tableaux. In and through them all appeared Miss Chick. Then the curtain fell. There was a great deal of buzzing behind it, and pleasant expectation on the part of the audience. A comedy was announced, and the curtain rose. Natalie remem­ bered nothing of the words until she heard these addressed by Paul to Mise Chick: "Dearest,! the hour is coming that must rob me of you, unless you consent to flight. Shall we doom Buch love as ours to conventionality?! I feel my brain is giving way. Be mine! be miner It was well that the piece was a bur­ lesque; that an impossible father en­ tered, and everything took a turn that permitted laughter, else Natalie's emo­ tion might have caused remark. But she laughed and cried alternately, until when the curtain finally fell and Paul reach ber side, she was sobbing hysteri­ cally. "Don't cry, Natalie, darling," he said. "If you knew how I have suffered learn­ ing that thing when I was so full of your coming home that I couldn't get the wretched liiles into my head, write them over and study them as I would; ana, oh! the martyaom I have suffered under the rule of Miss Chick. But she is going to-morrow. Oh, her$ she comes!" and Natalie , was formally in­ troduced to Miss Chick, who said gush­ ingly : " Wasn't it just splendid ? But you've no idea of the task I had with the ma­ terial I had to work with. Paul was d uch a poor study. If I hadn't persisted until I made myself odious,he could not have learned his part even as well as he did, and the prompter gave him half his lines as it was. During this speech Natalie was being kissed and welcomed by her friends, among whom she had always been a favorite. Natalie resolved that night never to tell of her mental suffering; but on the very next day. when Miss Chick disap­ peared with her baggage, she felt that she must unload her mind of its secret before the mental atmosphere could be quite clear. "And you know, Paul," said Natalie, "it would have been too much happiness for earth if we had not both suffered so at the hands of Miss Chick."--New York Weekly. AN AWFULLY FAT QUEEN. A* LnrKallad Kuler of SwaaUwM-- Hainan Sacrifices. . Swaziland, in South Africa, has re­ cently been brought to the attention of the civilized world through the visit of an English commission to the Queen Begent of that country to eettle ques­ tions of boundary and to arrange for a friendly understanding between the natives* and whites. THE QUEEN OF SWAZILAND. Usibati, the Qneen Begent, is enor­ mously stout, and, as a sign of exemp­ tion from any kind 6f labor, grows her' nails, both of the hands and the feet, to an extreme length. Her dress consists of a collection of dirty black skins, and she is a constant user of snuff. Although a personally good-tempered old woman, she resented with vehemence the suggestion of one of the commission­ ers that she abolish human sacrifices, which are quite common among the Swazies, and become wholesale slaugh­ ter immediately after the death of a member of the royal family. RED WARBIOB AND HIS VICTIM. A Failure. Bixley--Have your wife's family for­ given your marriage? Baron Nocash--All except my wife. --Recorder. AN Eastern paper speaks of a yacht manned by women." It evidently did not consider what mixed feelings this reading is liable to engender. ONE of the times when you ought to be sure to love your neighbor as your­ self is when you trade horses with fiim "Killing off," she declared, "was al­ ways practiced when the nation was mourning for a deceased ruler and for the reason that it wiu not right that the people should in any way pretend to mourn. So, that they might have good reason to weep for a ruler they perhaps had never seen, it was usual to kill off one or two of the relations of such people, and then at once their weeping became sincere. As for fair trial, the people got that, for whenever it was considered desirable that a man or two should be killed, the whole vil­ lage is turned out and made to sit round in a circle; the witch doctor then goes round and points out those that are to die." The executioner is known as Jokili- bovo, or the Bed Warrior. The mon­ arch has deputed to four of the chiefs the power of sentencing to death. Should any man offend one of these, or the laws of the country, he is promptly asked to go for a walk with Jokilibovo. The walk excites very little notice among the people beyond the culprit's own jjnmediate circle of friends. Its direction is always the same, and it ends on execution hill with a blow from Bed Warrior's- club. There is a great knack in delivering the death blow aright, as the Swazi cranium is not given to beiug affected by ordinary knocks unless well planted at the base of the skull. A. Woman's Fight With * Woir. One day Uncle Jonas' two eows dis­ appeared from the opening in the irobds about, his lonely home, and no trace, of them could bo gained. Annt Molly as his 'Wife was called, started to hnnt them up next morning, as the men of the family were away, Leaving the children, and going in a westerly direotion, she wandered throughout the day in the dark,unbroken forest without a mouthful to eat except a few sphlco buds and dried berries, with an occasional handful of ground­ nuts, wlifch grew in great Abandonee in the low lands. The sun was fast sinking when to h6f great joy, she discovered the lost cows quietly grazing otHa small grass plat near Crooked Biver, some four miles from home. With all possible haste she drove them along, hoping to reach home before dark, and, as she had no guide, not even spotted trees, she had to trust wholly to the instinct of the beasts. Their course often seemed to her ex­ actly the opposite to right; till her praotical knowledge taught her it was best to let them have their own way. When near what ia now known as the Pine House, on a ridge covered by a growth of gigantic pine, both cows gave a loud bellow, as if from fright, and broke into a furious gallop in. the direc­ tion of home, now half a mile distant. Pausing to ascertain the cause of their fright, she was suddenly confronted by a wolf. The wolf at once made a spring for her face, no doubt intending to* grab her throat. With the skill and fury of an expert boxer Apnt Molly dealt him a stinging blow with her brawney and hardened fist, which sent him back upon his haunches. Again and again the starving brute leaped for her throat, but each time was met with both fists and feet with sufficient force to send him back several feet. Knowing it was now life or death, this heroic woman found herself fast growing weaker, while the attacks of her savage adver­ sary grew more fierce. Snatching her tattered shawl from her head, with a desperate leap she threw it over the head of the wolf with a dexterity which was not only surprising to the wolf, but herself also. This piece of strategy had the effect to bewilder the wolf. He leaped wildly about, vainly endeavoring to rid him­ self of hi* Molly lost no time iu climbing to the lower branches of a tree, and out of harm's reach. When the wolf had rid himself of his temporary blindfold and sufficiently recovered his equilibruim, seeing his intended victim beyond his reach, he at once set up the most de­ moniac howls of rage and disappoint­ ment, occasionally venting his spleen by furious attacks upon the trunk of the tree and tearing the rough bark with his long, crooked fangs. Here she remained until the return of day, when he slunk away in the di­ rection of the river. As soon as she thought him at a safe distance Molly, nearly famishing and benumed by cold, hastened down and sped for heme fast as the condition of her cramped limb* and chilled frame would permit. She found the children half fright­ ened out of their wits, as the arrival o! the cows in such great agitation had Eiven them the idea that their mother ad been devoured by some wild beask --Lewis ton Journal. Whom Uo ureat Men Marry. Distinguished individuals Bhow the same diversity of taste that is seen in the lower ranks, and on the whole make worse mistakes. They, however, show the same sense in choosing wives that they show in managing other people's affairs whether they be good or bad. Bobert Burns married a farm girl with whom he fell in love whiie they worked together in the plough-field. He was irregular 'in his life and com­ mitted the most serious mistakes in conducting his domestic affairs. Milton married the daughter of a country squire* but lived with her but a short time. He was an exacting, aus­ tere literary recluse, while she was a rosy, romping country lass, that could not bear the restraint imposed upon her, so they separated. Subsequently, however, she returned, and they lived tolerably happy. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were cousins, and about the only example in the long line of English monarclis wherein the martial vows were sacredly observed, and sin­ cere affection existed. Shakespeare loved and wedded a farmer's daughter. She was faithful to her vows, but could hardly say the same of the great poet, he showed too little discrimination in bestowing his affections on the other sex. Byron married Miss Milbank * to get money to pay his debts. It turned out a bad shift. Benjamin franklin married the girl who stood in her father's door and laughed at him as he wandered through the streets of Philadelphia, with rolls under his arms, and his pockets filled with dirty clothes. She had occasion to be happy when she found herself the wife of such a great and good man. Washington married a woman with two children It is enough to say she was worthy of him, and lived as married {folks should--in perfect har­ mony. i John Adams married the daughter of a Presbyterian clergyman. Her father objected on account of John's being a lawyer; he had a bad opinion of the morals of the profession. * John Howard, the great philanthro­ pist, married his nurse. She was al­ together beneath him in social life and intellectual capacity; and, besides this, was 52 years old while he was but 25. He would not take "No" for an answer, and they were married and lived hap­ pily together until her death, which occurred years afterwards. Peter the Great, of Bussia, married a peasant girl. She made an excellent wife and sagacious Empress. Humboldt married a girl because he loved her. Of course they were happy. It is not generally known that An­ drew Jackson married a lady whose husband was still living. She was an uneducated but amiable woman, and was most devotedly attatched to the old warrior and statesman. Edward Lvtton Bulwer, tfee English statesman and novelist, married a girl muoh his inferior in position, and got a shrew for a wife. A Man to Have Pun. A negro went into a dentist's office and, after standing about, remarked that as he had not slept for five nights, he believed that he would h%ve a tooth pulled. "All right," said the dentist, "sit down here and I will fix you in a very few minutes." "Yas, sah," replied the negro, "but look yere, is dia thing gwine ter hurt ?" "Oh, it may hurt you some." "But I doan want it ter hurt er tall. De truf is dat I has suffered so much already dat I is tired. Ef you kin pull it widout it hurtin' I'll be greatly ob- leeged ter you, sab." "I don't think I can do that 'without laughing gas." "Whut sorter gas?" "Laughing gas." "I nebber yered o' dat sorter stuff, but ef you'se got suthin' yere dat will make er pussen laugh dat has got de tooth-ache, gimme and gimme mighty quick." The dentist administered the gas and drew the tooth. The negro expressed himself as greatly pleased and after thanking the dentist started to go out. "Hold on a minute," said the dentist. "You have forgotten something." jecljoiis not, sah," he replied, look­ ing arotitid. "Yes, you have forgotten to p&y th6." ".W'y, you ain't gttrlne charge me nuthin' is you ?" "Of cours, I am." "Wall, lemme tell you boss. Er man dat kin hab ez much fnn ez you kin oughten ter want no money. Take some o' dat gas an' laugh till you fur- gits de bill. Good day," and he was gone.--Arkansaw Traveler. Anecdotes of Deaf People. Deaf persons make some very amus­ ing mistakes. Here are a few that have been recorded from time to time. AN old lady was asking her daughter about a young man who had oalled upon her. "What is his name?" "Augustus Tyler." "Bust his Biler. - Well, you can't keep company with any young mau with such a dreadful name as that." "WEBE you born deaf?" asked a man of one whose hearing was poor. "No; I was born in Ohio," was the unexpected answer. "CLOSE the door," yelled a grocer to a very deaf customer. "Clothes are poor? I didn't come here to be insulted," and he slammed out again. A UENTLEMAN attending a party where the hostess was very deaf. After paying his respects to her, and talking to her for a while in a high key, he was intro­ duced to a charming girl with whom he walked through the conservatory. "What ft relief," lie exclaimed, "I have been screaming at the top of my voice and am tired out." There was no answering remark and he looked at his companion, who said: You must speak loud as I am hard of Th* ItaiTtageaMe Ago. The ages at which the sexes are per­ mitted to marry varies greatly in ail parts of the world. In Arabia, British India, Persia, Siam and Burmah, girls are allowed to wed at the age cf 10 or even 9 years, and in many instances their husbands are not many months older. When a Bavarian female is between the age of 12 and 15 Bhe can marry, but the males cannot legally do so until they are from 14 to 18 years old, the varia­ tion depending upon the .districts in which they live. At the age of 15 the girls of Belgium may take unto themselves husbands, while those of the opposite sex trans­ gress the law if they marry prior to reaching their 18th year. In Saxe-Coburg-Gotha the marriage­ able age for men is 21 years, but if fe­ male residents of that duchy have been confirmed they are permitted to wed at the early age , of 14. Comparatively few, however, avail themselves of this privilege, 17 years being the general average. An Austrian bride and groom must each have reached the age of 14, but the parents' consent is absolutely necessary until they have attained their 21st year. The laws of Baden allow a male to marry at 18 and a female at 15, but up to the time the former becomes 25 and the latter 21 the consent of the parents or guardians is required. Then again if either of the parties is of bad moral character or is afflicted with any mental or bodily ailment, or is financially crip­ pled, the union is not allowed to be consumated. Danish males and females must be respectively, 20 and 16 before they can become man and wife, while in France the minimum age for the former is 18 and 14 for the latter. ' In chilly Finland, if a couple desire to be married before the man has reached 21 and the woman 15, they must obtain an imperial decree. The only exception is made in the case of peasants engaged in service by the year, or those who have a regular trade or business. These can wed if the prospective gr6om is 18 and the bride 14- Bussia has a law making 18 and 16 the legal ages in which the sexes may be joined in wedlock, and in some special cases the bishop of the diocese in which the couple resides may per­ mit their marriage six months prior to the limits quoted. The natives of the Caucasus are also exempted from the provisions of this law, 15 fcr the males and 13 for the females, being fhe ages fixed for their benefit, Lapland's marriage code makes mention only of the age limit for the Inasculine gender, which must be 17, while in Norway and Turkey there is no fixed period for either sex. Swedish youths aged 21 may take as life partners maidens of 15, and in the Netherlands they must be 18 and 16 res­ pectively. According to Boumanian laws, the ages aire 18 for males and 15 for females, but a guardian looks after the affairs of the husband until he has reached his 21st year. In Hungary there are canonical and civil marriages, but the legal limits of age are the same in both oases, the male being permitted to assume the weighty responsibilities of marriage when 14, while his bride may be two years younger. The father's consent is ab­ solutely necessary, without which the union is considered null and void. At the age of 24 Hungarian youths cease to be minors, while the girls attain their majority at 16. One would naturally imagine that in Italy, where females develop very rap? idly, the legal marriageable age would be much earlier than in colder climes. Nevertheless it is above the usual stand­ ard in that respect, being 18 for men and 16 for women. In Spain, Portugal and Greece, the limits are the same--14 aud 12--and in Switzerland cantonal laws are such that the ages vary from 14 to 20 for males, aud 12 to 18 for the gentle sex. England's laws provide that no fe­ male can marry who has not passed her 12th year, and the male must be at least 14. Marriages in that country are governed by many restrictions too lengthy to be quoted here. State laws regulate marriage in the United States, and nearly all of them require the consent of the parent when the man is less than 21 and the woman under 18 years of age. In several states strict law regarding marriage licenses are enfoced even after both darties have passed the twenty-first milestone in their life journey. CtrcnB Training. "Practice makes perfect," and the continued disuse of powers would result in their loss. Then it comes to pass that during the cold weather, when tenting is out of the question, circus riders and circus horses still have to go through their performances in order to keep their hands--or rather their feet-- in practice. From a paper on such a winter train­ ing school in the New York Times, we make a few extracts. From the center of the ring rose a strong pole or mast, which lost-itself in the beams above "yyhieh served to sup­ port the dressing-room floor. Three- quarters of the way up from the bottom* of the pole there stretched est an arm, which gave to tbe pole a- gallows-like appearance. A rope which hung front the end of this arm, with a baiter band of leather, added to the repulsive look. The arm moved noiselessly and easily about the supporting post. "Is the young lady to be hung on thtft gallows?" was the facetious inquiry ad­ dressed to the man of lore and circus mystery. "Yes, she'll hang there for a half hour. Here she comes; now see how sheidoes it." An attendant fastened the halter about the waist of "the peerless eques­ trienne," and the gallows was ready. But before her lesson is begun Mile. Throughthehoop goes up to Bob, pats him kindly on the bead and neck, and gives him a lump of sugar. Friendly relations are thus established between horse and rider, and she says "All right, let him go." There's a snap of tbe ring­ master's whip, a characteristically wo­ manly "Get up!" in a shrill, high key, and the handsome gray begins his gal­ lop about the little circus ring. He accomplishes a half dozen circuits of the ring, and then Mile. Throughthe­ hoop makes a frantic rush at him, catches him by the mane with one hand and with the other seizes the grip fas­ tened to tbe saddle girth and leaps to his, back. At the same instant the rope arrangement of the gallows frame of the medbanic is hauled taut. It is well it is hauled taut, too, for the new horse, startled by the sudden descent on his iesined back, jumps away as if struck by a bullet. The rider loses her foot­ hold, and if it wasn't for that mechanic and its gallows-like arm, she would have had a bad tumble. Instead the me- chanio and Its arm and harness keen her swinging in the air, and she is gradually lowered to the ground. The ringmaster's whip craoks, every­ body yells •'Hi-hi-hi," the horse gets down to its regular gallop once more, and the thing is gone over and over again. Several times the rider is saved from a tumble by the mechanic, and finally "Bob" is dismissed with a pat and a lnmp of sugar, and another gray horse, who is an old stager, comes to the ring; Hukwa. This mysterious lake is about 100 miles long, and from thirty to forty miles wide. The lake'lies in a very barren and inhospitable country, in which respeot it forms a great contrast with the surrounding regions, which are among the most fertile and prosper­ ous of Africa. The lake is east of Lake Tanganyika, and about sixty miles from it in about longitude 32 degrees east oy Greenwich. The parallel of 8 degrees south latitude crosses the lake, and the sheet of water extends much more to the south and east than is indicated by the dotted lines on our maps. The na­ tives say it would take many days to go around the lake in a canoe, but they never do so owing to their enemies. Ite waters are dark in color, braokish, muddy, and quite undrinkable. A boy who went to the lake to bring a speci­ men of its water to Mr. Cross had to go a distance of 300 yards before he cculd fill his bottle, and then he was knee deep in mud. The lake is apparently tbe shrunken vestige of a greater lake. Trees were pointed out to the explorer,' as having a few years ago been at water's edge, though they were now BeVeral miles from the lake. There are no hippopotami, crocodiles or canoes in the dark, uninviting waters, as far as Mr. Cross could ascertain. The mud on the shores is really a form of lime,and is covered with a crustaceouc deposit of white salt. There had been no rain in the neighborhood for two years, and the Sonque Biver, which en­ ters the lake, seems to lose itself to a great extent in the sand as it approaches the lake. It may be inferred, therefore, that Lake Hukwa is rapidly evapor­ ating. All the natives affirm that there is no outlet, and Mr. Cross thinks this ia undoubtedly the tact.--Qoldthwaite't Geographical Magazine. One Way to Tame a Bat, . Five large gray rats are the peculiai pets of Charles Perkins, who lives on Noble street, neat Eighth, says the Philadelphia Press. The rodents evince great affection for him, following him About the hou*e like dogs, run up hit sjeeve and come out at the brest, nestle around the rim of his hat, and perform a variety of tricks, such as leaping through a wire hoop and drawing a coach, four of them acting as horsei and one as driver. Asked how he had tamed the rats, Perkins answered: "It is very easy when you know how." "Well, what is the how?"* "Simply, I trap a rat in a cage, and then examine him carefully to see if he is young and not too vicious. Having se­ lected a proper specimen I take him tc the yard and drop him in a barrel hall filled with water. "If he tries to clamber up the sides 3 throw him back and keep him in the water until he is completely exhausted. When he is just about to go under 1 take him out, pour a little brandy down his throat with a syringe and take him to the stove, where I wrap him in 8 piece of blanket, coddle him and nurse him back to life. ^ "So grateful is he that he remains my slave forever after, fawns on me and be­ comes quite a pet." Aft-lean Tracking. Tracking is a science; some have c natural quickness and uptitude for it, others are of no use at all at it. The keen way, for instance, in which Farag Ala can follow up a native track is won­ derful; the slightest sign is noticed bj him. The only other art that resem­ bles tracking is finding your way about in the bush." A clever bush native near his own home, acting as voui guide, no matter how much you have twisted and turned, or gone up hill and down dale, when asked wheie camp is, will instantly say, "There," and point out the direction. He knows where hit home is, just as the wild bee does; he has mentally and instinctively beec carrying on a "traverse," carefullj noticing the angels of deflection and the distance traveled over; this he hat plotted in his mind, and when asked where he is, he reads the map he hat made on his brain, and lets you know the result. It is fatal to interrupt 8 tracker by unnecessary speaking. Ii doubts are cast as to the skill of the leading man, and he feels that he is not trusted, most probably confusion will follow.--The Nineteenth Century. The HpMd of t he Duck. Dr. Charles Macrum, a wealthy re­ tired physician of Portland, Ore., whe for the last three years has devoted his time to hunting and fish< ing and writing stories for sporting papers, has made a study of the speed of the duck, and says the canvas-back can fly faster than any other membei of the duck family. "The canvas-back can distance anj other duck," said the doctor. "It can fly two miles a minute and keep it up for hours. The mallard is Hie slowest, but with an effort can go a mile a min utftr The gadwade duck is not found in the east oflen, but is numerous in Oregon. The members of J tbis family can travel eighty miles an hour. The broad-bill duok is almost as swift as the canvas-back, but can not keep the race as long as the other. "You may think that these geese flj slower than mallard duck. This is not so. With the slow movement of theii big wings they do not appear to be fly­ ing rapidly, but they travel from eight} to 100 miles an hour and keep it up toi a day. . Absent-Minded. A lady who was making an evening call met a man by the name of Brown, who had invented an improved button­ hole-making attachment for a well' kuown sewing machine, and whose name, preceded by a hideous carica­ ture of his face, had been omnipresent in the advertisement for some time. He had two charming daughters whom the lady had seen, not long before, annd with whom she had been greatly pleased. During the entire call, she had succeeded in addressing Mr. Brown by bis rightful name only by great men- tal exertions, as another word was con­ stantly trembling on her lips. At las' he rose to go, and with a sigh of relie*. she heard his "good-evening;" to whicl she responded with her sweetest smile, and added, "Please remember me kindlj to the Misses Buttonhole!" IT is said that it is easier to get a di vorce in Maine than it is to get a drinl of whisky. Yes, and the people seen to want the divorce just about as oftet | its they do the whisky. THE SECOND A! INT IN - » VA- X .was!**' Be m Tail* Professor Flaptre* Oat to Bit Own Katliia^ion, Prof. C. A. L. Totten of the Sheffield ; Scientific School of Yale has made a mathematical calculation, founded oc bibical truth, swhich, he says, prove* beyond preadventure that the Messiah will come again in 1899. "Some newspapers have published." » said Prof. Totten to a New York World ; representative, "that I predict the end % of the world withih this century. That v is their error, not mine. I don't think ^ that the end will come for a million I years, and I haven't made any prophecy about it at all. My remarks were neither' comprehended nor even apprehended. But here is what I do declare--not prophesy, for the prophesy is already tqld in the Bible in the parables of the laborers in the vineyard and the virgins with their lamps. _ _ % "A generation, in its trno Diblicat sense is three score and ten years-- • seventy years--and BO the fifty-seven generations traced through the gen­ ealogies in the Old Testament equal 3.990 years, and hence the fifty-eighth generation began with 3991 (year of the world). The hours mentioned in tbe vineyard parable are each 153 years. So multiplying these by the twelve hours, we have 1,836 which added to 3.991 equals 5,827 years of the world, . and the completion of the vineyard parable. Then, as the work naturally - c o n c l u d e d a t s u n d o w n , t h e p a r a b l e o f ' the virgins and their lamps properly follows, and this parable, according to the text, represents qpe^ generation- seventy years--which, acraed to the 5,827, make 5,897. "Now this 5,897 A. M. (year of the world) corresponds to March, 1899. Why? For these reasons; Csesar Eushed the beginning of the old He-rew year $rom the autumnal equinox (in September) ahead to March. En­ gland pushed the year ahead from March to January, and Pope Exiguns mistook the beginning of 4001 for 4,000 in compounding the birth of Christ. 'We thus gained six months plus three months plus one year, which equals one and three-quarters years. Deduct from 5,897 thus and we have 5,895£, the time at which the bridegroom will eome and will find some of the virgins with their lamps untrimmed. "The 5895i year since the frjyth of Adam wiii se61&3 brid^gfooni, Xrhsfof course, is none other than Christ him­ self. Now, what is 5895J A- M. in our A. D. years? Herod ordered all the innocents of 2 years and younger to be put to death, and in a very short time after that the eclipse of the moon took place. It took place in the year 3998, according to Josephus, and Herod died in that year, too. How, Herod limited his order to children of 2 years, because about two years before the magi in­ formed him of the birth of the Savior. So Christ was born two years before the eclipse and the death of Herod took place two years before 3998, that is 3996. So now subtract 3996 (birth of Christ) from 5895J A, M to find the A. D. year, and you leave 1890± A. D., or in March, 1899, the bridegroom will. come and will awaken the foolish vir­ gin". "When you see the buds bursting you know the harvest will follow in time as a natural consequence, and be who notes the signs of the times will see that the appearance of the bridegroom is not far off. He will come again to correct the abuses of nations and individuals. He will cast out customs that conflict with his teachings. He will expurgate the nations and will establish a better order in the temporal and spiritual concerns of this world. I don't mean by this that I believe the millennium will begin in 1899. I think that it is a thousand years away. I say simply that at His second coming Christ will make the world better, as He did at his first." flow Bow Lega are Made. Mothers, in training their little ones to walk, seem never to think of how bones grow; that the bones in a child's legs are soft, half-cartilaginous, and that it is an easy thing to bend them. Hence the need of being careful about having their children walk too soon, or of keeping them on their feet too long when they are first learning to walk. The senseless oonduct of many par­ ents in urging their children to walk prematurely is productive of lasting injury. "Long before soft bones ought to have any strain put upon them you will see these poor infants made to stand, and even to walk, and by the time they are 14 or 16 months old their little legs have been bent very considerably. Pitiful and perma­ nent deformities produced in this way are seen on every hand. Indeed, » person whose legs have not been bent more or less, either outward or inward, by fond parential ambition, is almost an exception among us. Under a year let the child creep, but do not let it walk, seldom, indeed, stand, and then only for a moment; and from a year to eighteen or twenty months do not en­ courage it to walk |much, still less set it up on its feet to make it walk." Even after the legs are more or less bent, the mother might manage to straighten them somewhat by taking her hands and trying to bend them in a contrary direction; or, in other words, endeavor­ ing to straighten them. ' I have seen another good hint somewhere. A* mother whose child had weak ankles and bow legs found that a good plan was to remove the shoes (o^ sh?es £nd gjodsings if the weather is warm), and let the child have free use of its feet and ankles. The writer stated that the exgeiimei)t had been tried and that it was emi- pently successful; that yery bad bow legS have been straightened in that way, simply by reinovtng the encum­ brance of footgear and letting the little fellow have full freedom of aotion. It would be well for mothers to remem­ ber this.--Good Health. Father and son. Father--Want an excuse, eh? An excuse for being late to school,' eh? What were you doing with yourself, sir, playing marbles^ Small Son--No, sir, I couldn't find my overshoes. Father--You couldn't eh, you caifs- less boy ? They were where you left them, of course. You ought to be thrashed for " Servant--Please, sir, Mr. Nexdoor wants to know if you're ready? Father--Yes--yes, of course. Bight #WST, right away. W herp in creation is my hat?--Street <fr Smith's Good News. Highest Inhabited Place*. The highest place in the world reg­ ularly inhabited ia stated to be the Buddhist monastery, Halne. in Thibet, which is about 16,000 feet above sea level. "THie next highest is Galera, a railway station in I'oru, whioh is located at a hight of 15,635 feet Near it, at the same level, a railway tunnel 3,847 feet in length is being driven through the mountains." ISSiJliSB v ismm