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t • KS;:{ V.'Vt 7 . "', - " ' i . . - .,.. , , , t - - . , - -- - , •'-•'r* -- ' lifHWHj "" &% .* ,4., ., .»!* i'S. TM* ELDORADO fOOTft . '* ti; i: wi.i. Kinomwr. I llbe death of alittle infant, the only child of two 1 My»g p*re*»a, bo«*d for the far West, while aleep- 1 iit£lit it Ci'JZ. TTEWn, bffpw * l(«i«Ml»rt dobf, •«- i e»nion*d tas loik» îug lists:} roatlis mwsagetl with schoonMfe, and mW jure f«jiw Wast, . -v ^4#4*thon««ndhe«rt«M0Mffl«»*wttktt<»aih*"of J home md rest: •iwtidtdif tiny pre* .. .. W ,« ••», •.' u Go* <«nUM on their efforts, an 0i yfi How wry like We* journey it happens oft to be; ;• '.' ;'.̂ rot with the falreat prostata the end soipe **m r- Yet «*6 woald daw toqwatio* that to ,maAy who * fh»»<M® ' :v ••• ' > Mdorado better ta round beyond the skyt r- «»buying5MP» %5®*«£«•*" ** 'v:̂ ' beard, ' <1 • ,r ̂HM|b nestled |a Hi MnBtt anas «paa tfc« mated f: J:C\* :.'• • award, . _ ' Heading for more protection from ehlll Norembert \, blast, 4 ; 1 >*M AM tromthe Me* "MHtitwrntot," wMckiwmdtts form is cast. Ton draw your baby dcaer, a»d ask, "Hp* can ; i;; ***•• . .V «'•' • ,. , ». '* ̂ f Tbat,ia a Christie* country, bosrts so ligh ' and free, ' '•' • . v „ , i With boasted testitctiaas, and blessings full in i '̂v . store, " ,.,̂ 11' H» dying infaat parishes before ft friendly door?" i j; ̂Not perishes i ao, dear «M, await caught «» •» ±.r thy God! 1 TtMm<st found thyBdorado. Taa, at His beckoning nod, i Beyond the storms of winter, wheto aogel Toioea thrill, ^Far from thy sorrowlnc parenta, obedient to His win. my1 lb (he myriad infanta* Mrttt, wtfll • *wras ft>nad, H<1 tt»y soul's true Eldorado, while thy body's 'keath the groand. And the lone schooner wagon its Westward journey / blea, With a weeping, bereft mother, its form before her eyes. " Farewell, my infant darting!" ate smites npoa her brass*; . " I would my body with thse could ever be at rest." Bat, no! earth's Eldorado, to that far golden lfnd, • heart pierced through wife aonowfs ̂with |fc«ft pilgrim band. •. OniXKEIX, Iowa. •,;< " ^ 4:irr ghost stout. '4l4*f: ' [From the Chicago Ledger.] [The singular occurrences chronicled in the ap- l chapter m»y sound somewhat apocryphal, the reader has the assurance of the author that they are literally true. The incidents, extraordinary they may seem, are narrated exactly as theyhap- j|paied, without any attempt at word embellishment 'flor exsggeration of fact.] iei. , ! # • In the fall of 1874, the writer, who had been suffering lor a period of Bev- j*al«oonths with an aggravated and* rtab- Ijorn nervous disorder, contracted by too close application to the office desk, was advised by his physician to try a jchange of scenery--in other words, to s|| hake the dust of the busy, bustling city from his feet, and go forth into the country. In pursuant of this advice, I concluded to pay a long-deferred visit •Aito an uncle--the only surviving brother |rf my father--residing some three miles from the pretty little town of Virden, Macoupin county, HL Accordingly, a few days before Thanksgiving of that year, I packed my valise, bid adieu to family and friends, wended my way i» the depot of the Chicago and St. Louis railway, boarded a train, and was soon speeding southward, en route for . the " State of M«poupin," noted far and wide as possessing the most costly court house of any county qf equal popula­ tion in the wotl,̂ , t̂h© few hours' journey was devoid of incident beyond fhat befalls the ordinary railway trav­ eler during a 200-miles' trip. I awived •at Virden on time, where I engaged a carriage, and, after a, pleasant hour's < drive through broad lanes and past pretty farm houses, arrived at my desti­ nation. I found my uncle to be a well- to-do farmer, surrounded by a fair share of this world's goods, and apparently as happy and contented as the average cul­ tivator of the soil. It was the first time we had ever met, and it as scarcely necessary to gay that the meeting was a mutually agree­ able one. It was well along in the af­ ternoon when I arrived, and after a ^hearty supper, served in good, old-fash- 'ioned country style, we adjourned to $ the parlor, where several pleasant Hours were passed in conversation of an inter­ esting nature, relating chiefly to our relatives, both dead and living. The time for retiring finally arrived, and/ I was conducted to the room assigned'to me by a son-in-law of my uncle, a young man by the name of Robert Walker. This room was located in the second story of the house--an old-fashioned country mansion with spacious cham­ bers, high ceilings and wide halls. Robert, with his wife, occupied an apart­ ment just across the hall from the one to which he conducted me, Mid, after say­ ing good-night, he told me if anything should happen during the night to knock on his door and he would respond to the call. Little recked he, at the time of uttering these words, how soon v4 that call would be made, and the extra- - orixwrj circumstances that would im» •* " pel me to make it. , . The room in which I found myself ^1' *b was a fair-sized sleeping chamber, lo- P v -mi '•) °ated in the northwest corner of the ' building, which fronted north. It was .*•,» lighted by three large window, but they were hidden by heavy damask curtains, keeping out the cold wintry wind thftt moaned round the old place. In the northwest corner of the room stood quaint old dressing case, upon which placed my lamp, turned the light down rather low, disrobed, and was soon en sconced beneath the comforts and blankets, prepared for ji refceshing night's rest. .. It was one of those wild, storoiy n%hts iliai CikUbU OU«, Vlivli of the elements reaches his ears, to rejoice tftat lie is indoors, and shudder with pity for those unfortunate wights whom fate has led abroad. , The wind blew in fitful gtiStes ahd moaned and whistled Eke very demons through the tree-tops and around the house-corners. The rain and snow struggled for the mastery, and anon little showers of hail would set in, and rattle like pebbles against I lay in bed perhaps an hour, listen; ing with feelings of awe to this wild strife of t̂ e elements without. I had tried to woo the drowsy goddess, but the fickle jade coldly rejected my ad­ vances. I brought into requisition all the expedients of which I had ever read to induce my eyelids to grew heavy, but in vain. There is, however, an end to all things, and so this Insomnious spell finally had its ending, and was succeed­ ed by that feeling of languor which usual­ ly precedes sleep. Then it was but a brief space before I' was a denizen of dreamland, ahd a sharer in its grotesque and fantastic imaginings. I had been asleep perhaps a quarter of an hour, when I was startled by a noise so unu­ sual as to cause me to turn uneasily in bed. This noise seemed to proceed from the room adjoining mine, and sounded exactly as if soma one was drawing a table, loaded with crockery or queensware, across a rough, uncarpeted floor. That such was not the case, how­ ever, I was morally certain, for every member of the family had retired long sinde, and staid country folk are not wont to get up at midnight, pull furni­ ture about, and wake people up. I lay for some time straining my ears for a repetition of the strange noise, but not a sound was heard beyond that*of the howling storm without. Indoors all was as still and quiet as the silent tomb. In fact, the stillness was so profound as to prove absolutely painful to me, who had lived so long in the-,noigy city. It was perhaps half an hour before I had again composed myself for that rest of which I had by this time began to feel sorely in need. While reveling in that delicious medium between wake­ fulness ana sleep commonly called a "doze,* the same peculiar noise was repeated, as of the drawing of a table over a floor and the rattling of crockery. It appeared, as on the pre­ ceding occasion, to proceed from the adjoining room, ahd was louder and more distinct than before, causing me to bolt upright in bed. I began to grow, nervous, and discussed in my mind the various agencies that might produce these nocturnal disturbances. This men­ tal discussion was of brief duration, how­ ever, for tired nature was beginning to assert the mastery, and in another fifteen minutes I was again upon that debatable ground bordering on dream­ land--only to be again startled by those strange, unnatural sounds. Again the heavy table was drawn, as it seemed, across the floor of the adjacent room, more rudely than at any previous time. Again the crockery rattled and grated more loudly than ever. Again I started up in a feverish state of nervousness. This time I got out of bed and turned hp'the lamp. X then drew aside the crirtaihs, Opened one Of the windows, and gazed out up^n the storm. Next I tried the door, tb assure myself that it was Securely fastened. These little di­ versions seemed to have a soothing effect upon my nerves, and I again turned in; Perhaps another half hour elapsed, when for the third time I fell into an uneasy slumber. Bcarcely were my weary eyes closed, however, when I was startled by a Succession of noises the most unearthly. That infernal table in the next room was drawn across the rough floor at a race-horse speed, while the articles of crockery rattled and rang as if they would break into ten thousand pieces. Simultaneously there was nlftmrmng and jarring a$d quaking as if every window-blind of the room had been suddenly Opened wide and violent­ ly hurled to again. This time I was slow in waking up. As my eyes grad­ ually opened and turned toward the dressing-case, I gazed upon a spectacle that caused each individual hair upon my head to stand erect. ^There stood, not six feet distant, as perfect a figure of a man as ever human eyes rested upon. He was without coat, vest or suspenders, but wore a shirt of the purest white and pants of inky blackness. A heavy black beard covered his face, with the excep­ tion of his cheeks, which, together with his broad forehead, were white as mar­ ble. The long, bony forefinger of his right hand was stretched out toward me, while his left was held aloft, point­ ing toward the oeiling, his eyes gazing in the same direction. To say that I was startled does not half express my emotions at that moment. My first im­ pulse was to play the ostrich ahd con­ ceal my head beneath the bed-clothes, but I could not brook the thought of re­ maining alone with a ghost. So with one leap I cleared the bed and landed in the middle of the floor, in­ tending to boldly confront this " goblin damned," and demand the meaning of such an unseemly visit. By the time I had gotten upon the floor, greatly to my relief, my visitor had disappeared--van­ ished into thin air. For a moment I vuiuSu 3ick invh fright, and all th** sto­ ries I had ever read of ghosts and haunted houses crowded to my memory, for in my then state of mind I could conceive of no natural agency by which these nocturnal disturbances could be produced. That no human hand wrought them was as certain as that I hod an ex­ istence. Although from childhood a non-believer in ghosts and a scoffer at those who did believe in them, it seemed at last that I had been convinced by oc­ ular demonstration that there were really such things. In a word, I firmly came to the conclusion, while standing there in the middle' of that chamber, great beads of perspifation rolling from my trembling body and my heart thumping against my breast as if it would break from its prison-house, that a supernat­ ural agent was, or had been, in my pres­ ence, and that I was in a haunted house.! With such horrible feelings in possession of me, is it any wonder that I was too badly scared to think of lon- gef remaining alone ? "If anything happens during the night, knock on my door and I will re­ spond to the call!" c ... .. These words, the last spoken to me by Robert Walker before retiring, now rang in my ears, and seemed to have a deep, prophetic meaning. Now I no longer doubted. Yes, this was indeed a haunted house. That fact was known to Walker. Ah, yes! The nocturnal visitor would, in all probability, disturb and alarm me before morning. He felt solicitous about the matter. What more natural, under the circumstances, than for him to occupy ̂room adjoining mine, and caution me to knock on his door "if anything should happen ̂during the night?" It was all clear as the noon­ day sun now. It is scarcely necessary to say that I availed myself of his invitation, and it was no gentle knock, either. He came to the door with a lamp in one hand, while with the other he was vigorously rubbing his large, dark eyes, as if to make sure whether he was awake or asleep. I had expebted to detect a guilty look on his face, and eyed him very sharply, but there was nothing of the kind there. Not a lineament of his honest, manly face betrayed a knowl­ edge, or even a remote suspicion, of what I had probably experienced. Had he heard any unusual sounds? No, he had not. The sounds I had heard and the ap­ parition I had beheld Were desci&ed to him. He manifested the utmost won­ derment at the recital. He led the way to the room from whence these extra­ ordinary sounds had seemed to proceed. It was a sleeping-chamber, carpeted, and furnished much as my own. He then armed himself with a double-barreled shot-gun, and, followed by myself, de­ scended the stairs and made a thorough exploration of the rooms below. My uncle was found asleep in his room. The faithful watch-dog, a fierce mastiff, the terror of tramps and burglars in that neighborhood, was found snugly en­ sconced in his kennel, a sure evidence that no night-prowlers had been about the place recently. Walker himself seemed to be a little uneasy, so positive was I in my assurances that there could be no mistake regarding the sounds that had so repeatedly disturbed me. Re- ascending the stairs we revisited my room and made a more thorough inves­ tigation, in the hopes of finding a solu­ tion of the mystery; for we were loth to attribute, it to supernatural causes. All of the window-blinds were found securely closed, and our combined inge­ nuity could discover nothing that we could by any stretch of the imagination settle upon as a faotor in this strange affair All the wealth of Macoupin county could not have induced me to go to bed ill that room alone again, and, upon telling young Walker so, he generously consented to bear me company the remainder of the night. Accordingly we turned in together, and in an incredi­ bly short time I was in the land of dreams, undisturbed by ghosts or gob­ lins. As I did not awake until the sun was high it) the heavens, I* shall never know whether his ghostship honored me with another visit'that night. The pre­ sumption is that he did not, as, accord- ing to ghost lore, these unpleasant visit­ ors seldom or never make a call upon one unless one is alone. What it was that produced these un­ natural noises, and created in my vision the perfect figure of a strange man standing before me in such a singular attitude, will forever remain one of the unsolved mysteries. They may have been the result of a disordered imagina­ tion, superinduced by nervousness and ill-health; for, as remarked at the out­ set, I was, and had been for months, suffering from an aggravated disease of the nerve-centers, which caused me at times to start and tremble like an aspen at the slightest noise. Possibly the sounds were produced by the rattling of the window-blinds, which, though scarcely perceptible to the ear in my waking moments, may have been mag­ nified a thousandfold by a disordered imagination when partially asleep. Gould I bring; my mind around to a be­ lief in the existence of what are com-. monly called ghosts, the affair would at once be divested of its mystery, los? a clearer, more well-defined case of dis­ embodied spirit and haunted house, the writer believes, has not occtirrad in this nineteenth century. At all events, whatever 'agency pro­ duced these sights and sounds--whether the work ef ghost, demon, devil or hu­ man--or whether, as is most probable, they were the morbid imaginings of *a mind diseased"--the episode produced an impression upon the mind of the writer that will cause him to remember to the last hour of his life that thrilling NIGHT IN A HATJITTED HOUSE. S. H. WtLLIAMS. OMCAoO, IU. A BLIGHTED CITY, v Holly Springs is a city of the dead; empty houses that have such a deserted appearance that you imagine a thousand horrors; the gardens four feet high in weeds; broken fences, no gates and the hogs and cows destroying the flowers and shrubs; not a soul to be seen in the streets. Here and there, amid the desolation, you see? a pale, sickly stream of smoke issuing from the doors, win­ dows and chimneys of an apparently- deserted house. But no sound is heard. All the associations connected with the living seem buried. It is so horribly quiet that you find yourself shudder­ ing, and you wonder if you are quite well. Presently you see a negro con ­ valescent, who recognizes you, and who, in doing so, presents a grin rendered more hideous by his cadaverous look and the color of his skin. He encour­ ages you by saying that everybody who comes back to town gets the fever; that this man and that man are down with it and are sure to die, or that they are already dead. - If you meet a white per­ son, you feel afraid to ask after his friends; and, if you do, you hear the stereotyped answer, " dead and buried!" followed by an outburst of tears. Then you are compelled to listen to all the incidents connected with their death and burial; how the husband looked at his wife before he laid down forever himself, and how he lay helpless while they carried her to the grave; how an­ other unfortunate lay shut up with his wife in a fedder-house, with no one to wait on them, and how the husband, after crawling on his hands and knees to perform the last earthly duties for his loved wife, crawled back to his own bed, made of three or four bundles of fodder, to die, if God wills it so, or else to struggle through fifteen days of sickness, and to come forth a wreck of humanity, only to be cursed by the wretches outside, who charged him with endangering the lives of the community by coming there to die. This is no fanciful sketch, but the truth, except that I have not told it all. It is tfo horrible.--Cincinnati Ga­ zette. ADAPT 8HOB8 TO TOUB FEMT. Why it should be desirable to have a small, weak foot any more than a small and weak Brain is not easy to conceive. For the purpose of having such small feet, not a few wear boots one or two sizes too small and about two-thirds of the width of the foot as it would be at the ball, if allowed to spread as it does when standing without the confinement of the boot. As a natural and necessary result of such pinching and confine­ ment, the foot becomes deformed and larger than it would naturally grow, with enlarged joints, and toes turned from a line parallel with the foot, to say nothing of the troublesome corns so an­ noying and crippling to a large class of young women. The Worst results of this crippling custom of wearing and narrow boots is felt by children when allowed to outgrow their boots. It is poor economy to allow the young to wear boots when the feet have become too large for them, since deformity of the feet is easily produced at this time. When the boots are too short for the wearer, and the heel is too high, the in­ growing of the nails is a perfectly nat­ ural resulî NIGHT. There is something beautiful in the approach of night; the god of day si­ lently wheeling his fiery disk below the horizon--the lengthening shadows fad­ ing out--the landscape growing more somber--the darkness coming, from whence we know not, yet gradually fold­ ing the earth to its bosom--nature, tired nature, going to rest until the approach of another day. The stars, one by one, come gently out, and sparkle and glitter like gems in the azure arch above. The close of a good man's life should be as peaceful as the end of a summer's day. With no remorse to goad him in the dy­ ing houri with no oonfliot between his Creator and himself to reconcile, he can, with a calm and peaceful eye, turn and look upon his past life as the sun looks back upon his fiery track where there has been desolation and ruin. It is true he may have met temptation in a thousand varied forms, yet he has met but to conquer, and now he is ready to enter upon his reiraal̂ MY JO tTRNEY AND ESCAPE, BY HARRIET E. S. CUES BY. we .had been sitting in the ears at E Bridge for an hour, at least, and for no other ptypose thr+TT eor.lc* ynrJfcc out but to wait for an accident. those who were expecting it were not disappointed. The crash was terrible, but all the inconvenience I suffered from it was a wrench in my side, as the car gave a lurch, at the same tinw knocking the lamp chimney and my saohel to the floor. I was in a wiMAIa car or might have fared worse. At the right of the track where the cars were standing there was a covered platform many yards in length, on the cross­ beams of which hung a number of lan­ terns, which served to slightly illumin­ ate our car after the light from the lamp was extinguished; also affording us a glimpse of the scared faces of the men who were running to and fro on the platform. When the crash came, I supposed for an instant we were about to be thrown down the embankment, and perhaps hurled into eternity at once; but soon learned that none on our train suffered much from the accident, except those in the rear car. Many were seriously in­ jured in that car, and how so many es­ caped without injury was a wonder to all who viewed the remains of the mangled car. Only that the engine of the freight train that ran into our rear car was sensible enough to jump off the track and land against the end of the platform, there would have been a fear­ ful smash-up. As it was, the engineer of the freight train was badly injured, and the fireman killed. Some of those in the rear car who were wounded, and others who escaped without injury, came into the forward cars to find seats, and from the soared expression of their faces they evidently felt that they had barely escaped death. It was heartrending to hear the groans of the injured, and the unavailing call for surgeons and physi­ cians, as there were none on board the train of much account, and it was half an hour or more after the accident be­ fore the train started, and three-quar- ters of an hour more before we reached the township of B , where the un­ fortunate ones were cored for. But as disastrous as the accident proved to some, it was, and I almost tremble to say it, in some respects, a benefit to me. I started on that event­ ful day, on an early train for B----, and, perhaps I maty as well add now, for the Bennington Cenntenial, hoping to reach that place early in the afternoon, having acquaintances there who I hoped to find without difficulty, by daylight, but, not knowing their exact looation, did not care to undertake the search after dark. The numerous detentions both before and after the accident made it quite late in the evening before I reached the place, and by that time thousands of people had arrived from far and near. Every hotel and house was filled to overflow­ ing. . But, owing to the fearful accident, I was provided for! Just after it oc­ curred, one of the terrified occupants of the rear car came rushing into our com­ partment, and, seating herself beside me, related in detail the result of that catas­ trophe. Then, after condoling over it for some time, I told her of my disap­ pointment in not being able to reach B by daylight, and my fears as to the probability of obtaining a lodging that night in the crowded town to which we were bound. After a moment's thought she said she was going to Visit a niece in that place, and she would venture to take me with her. The niece and her husband were boarding with her parents, but she thought in a case like this they would not object to having one more boarder. Of course I did not think of their keeping me gratuitously, even for a night. Nor did I allow them. I found them very kind, hospitable people, and was so well entertained that I did not burden my friends who lived, in another part of the town except with a call I always shall remember the kind­ ness of the old lady, Mrs. B , with whom I stopped; who, on the evening of my arrival at her house, gave me an opiate for the terrible headache I was suffering, and for other motherly atten­ tions. She was a large, well-propor­ tioned, fine-looking woman, with a heart full of love and charity for every one. Her husband was droll, even to comicality, and her daughter-in-law the sprightliest least mite of a thing one ever .saw. Her husband called her "Cricket,* and such a beautiful babe as they had might not be seen in a year's journey. I often wonder now if the child is living, and if it lives to grow up what it will make, and if it will not be­ come renowned for its beautiful eyes, if nothing more. Come to think, there is no great deal said, after all, about the beauty of men, and this baby was a boy. When my railroad friend and I reached Mr. B----'s we found none but the family in the house, but, by the fol­ lowing night, a brother-in-law of the old couple arrived, and strangers stood at the door pleading for admittance; every place of shelter in the whole town was full to overflowing, and a few of them were taken in by Mr. B . The brother-in-law was from a rural district V ' in the northern part of New York State, and he and Mr. B had not seen each ; other for twenty years. "Cricket," who i called her father-in-law by his given name, after having been introduced by her mother-in-law to the related stranger, screamed out to Mr. B--• , who was in an­ other room, "Harvey, Harvey, 4 gentle­ man who wishes to obtain lodgings wishes to see you." Mr. B entered, and, not recognizing his brother-in-law, with a very comical expression on his countenance said, "I suppose, sir, if you must stay, I can find accommodations in the hen-house." A general snicker by those in the room was the result of thin remark, and then the brothers-in-law were introduced. "God works in a mysterious way," said the comical B--, as he held out his hand to the brother-1 in-law. The latter was one of the most | diffident, moderate-spoken, and one $ might almost say frightened-looking, men imaginable, and as soon as he had answered three or four questions, and without asking any, he dunk away through the doorway and took a seat * quite by himself on the piazza. After a few minutes Mr. B---- followed him, but the dullness of his companion was such that he shortly left him, and for aught we know he went into the hennery. The brother-in-law remained until the (dose of the Centennial Exhibition, but very little was seen of him by any of the household. He was not a very infirm- looking man, but had the appearance of having been dreadfully henpecked or very much kept under all his days. But we'will now let the poor man go his way, and record a few ideas from notes taken at the Exhibition. The first day, my friend of the rail­ road accident and I were most of the time in the street until 2 or 9 o'clock, without seeing anything of great ac­ count, except a military parade, and catching a view of President Hayes and his party, Governors and other officials, as they rode in carriages through the street. Then it began to drinle. And we pronounced it ell a flaida, ' and went back to Mr. B---'s. The next day, the 16th of August, 1877, was to be the great day, every one said; we believe it is every year a great day to the Ben- ningtonians, in commemoration of the battle fought there on that day of the month, in the yeap 1777. On the morning of the 16th,Mrs.K----, my railroad friend, and I took, an omni­ bus about 9 o'clock, and went to the fair grounds and engaged seats at the pa­ vilion, where we could witness the most important events of the day. I had been there but a few minutes, when I discovered a very dear friend, whom I had not seen before in seven years; I hardly recognized her at first, as she was very young when I saw her last, and had changed greatly in appearance. Her­ self and husband added to our company. We had quite a merry day of it. -The weather was propitious, the military parade very fine, the music inspiring and the view of President and wife, Governors, and others in public office, very satisfactory. But the speechmak- ing was done in a low tent, which was not large enough to accommodate half who tried to gain admittance; and of course counted a failure. By evening we were all very tired, but the view o the torchlight procession was the best part of the whole concern. The mili­ tary procession and the soul-thrilling music from the different bands, together with the gathering thunder-shower in the heavens, formed a tableau rarely be­ held. My friend whom I met on the fair grounds went with me to Mr. B 's and spent the night, her husband re­ maining at the camp, as he belonged to the State militia. The following morn­ ing they accompanied me about half way home, in going to their own. I have since pondered over my good luok in passing unhurt through the perils of the accident. While others were wounded and killed, God permitted me to escape unharmed. Why was it? Ah! another time I might be one of the unfortunate ones, and others wonder why they were so much more fortunate than I. Such is life. To-day we pass through the fire unscathed, to-morrow the whirlwind overtakes us, and we are blown into atoms; hence the consistency in being at all times prepared for the worst. PmsriEi.D, Mass. PEOPLE GETTING SHOMTER. The French Minister of War has re­ duced the minimum standard of height for the gendarmerie to one meter and Bixty-six centimeters. The process of reducing the standard has been going on steadily for many years, and French writers deduce thence gloomy conclu­ sions as to physical degeneracy, though they are somewhat relieved by the re­ flection that the other peoples of Eu­ rope are- degenerating as rapidly. On the other hand, modern experts have come to the conclusion that a good wImw middle-weight of the present time oould have easily overcome a champion ath­ lete of the Roman circus or Olympian games, and it is not so long ago that the helmets and suits of armor hung in an English castle were found entirely too small for the frames of the degenerate descendants of the original wearers.