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Ui f" S -I* f. ; aw*** •'••7-- «-<v. „ f f ' » T A B T H V B L K V U T O M ) « , . g | B * ^ *5Tb«,r» are many shadows in lite, I kno^' "'- •'<" '* And many a drmry Jay; 8f»; •t.i-'VhaM «w dwg« of norrow In evwry crtpMf^^, ' Ad! thorns ftlong overv way; -i-Unt though we travel ,\ t«il*oaM road *'• __With %©arv and blw iiig feet, ;>•' ,-. 1* ever a g eniu of Uoj>e »lwij, "C ' And always aom«thlag sweet. ^ & leas, andcarried to the best bed-room, | IONEI CAME AMD WENT from which she never rose. Only m ^he darkest morning will send some toy j To tell n> it is not nigbt; 5fhp heavies* burden will be laid dowmi * , And prove but a blessing bright; WK"* ^ It only we look to the *tnr of hope * 4 Which our eyei may ever meet, ! , We will find for Borrow a liealiugbalm, . And always something sweet. j| J* ; Vhen death deacends with its chilling . And one we have loved ia gone,. Wfffi'X , It is hnril to see in the midst of night - > ggTh* gleaut of a happy dawn. % Jpat death ie only a step that lei 'To a life which is more com; And hidden under a mask of Is a Saviour's smile so sweet we lift onr oyoa by the light of faith . In the skies of hope above ^We may see the star that is beaming bright • • "With the tender shepherd's love. It will light the dreariest cloud of gloom . • * That our tjrwlaM chance to meet, •And guide as mktm ttaroueli the bitter night To the dawikof morning sweet, •And oht how happy the time will be : iWhen the toil and care is o'er. ?.. . <Huid we axe Bate in the land of r«M . .. On the aoul'a abiding shore. ' there with all that the heart can wish we find t he life ccimplete, . , 'iwith nothing harrowing, dark oread, ling always sweet.• iUNT ABBY'S BV ETA KiCHMOKU. y 'h^ v * f r ' • one® in the twenty-four hours, during whioh the spark of life lingered in her bosocu did* she evince any sign of intelligence and that was when Letty was bathing her forehead in scented waters. "Letty," she said, faintly; "Letty, i that you? I didn't mean to do it, Letty. "Hush, dear Aunt Abby," gently soothed the girl, who had love's mag­ netism at the end of every-one of her slim young fiDgers. 0 "The silk quilt," faltered Aunt Abby --"it is there! It's in the quilt You must take it, and--and " Then she stopped. A film came over her eyes--the lids dropped. "Hush!" said Dr. Perth, author­ itatively. "Don't let her talk any more now. If she can sleep " Letty looked up at him, with large, wistful eyes. In her estimation, How­ ard Perth was like a strong young archangel, who might accomplish all ! things, even to the raising of poor Aunt Abby from this seeming bed of death. But at the turn of the night the old woman died, as peacefully as a child fall­ ing asleep. The day after the funeral, Letty took Aunt Abby'e work-basket, and set her­ self down under the trees in the garden. "Child, what are yon doing?" said Mrs. Hopkins, who was bustling About on housekeeping cares intent. "I am going to finish tliis silk quilt," said Letty. "I am sure it is what Aunt Abby meant by those last disconnected words of hers. She has been working ou it all the year, ana I am determined her work shall not be in vain." "It'll be a job!" said Mrs. Hopkins, viewing the work critically. "I can finish it if I sew steadily," said Letty. "Of course I can't work as well and rapidly as Aunt Abby did, but I can do my best." But as she sorted over the neat piles of brocade satin and velvet, a stray tear plashed down, ever and anon, creating its own separate little rainbow among the brilliant tints, for Letty had built up her own small air-castles on the altar of her own heart; and, alas and alack-a-day, it was slowly drifting in pieces! "I did think he liked me a little,* said Letty to herself; "but he had plenty of chances to speak, and he never uttirsd a word. And--good gracious me, here's his writing on the back of this velvet octagon, and, as I live, it's 'dearest Letty.'" , v Her eyes sparkled, a vivid crimson rose to hft- cheeks, as she hurriedly examined the rest of the papers which had served as a background to poor Aunt Abby's patchwork. Parts of the all-important letter were gone, but there was still enough left to make out Dr. Perth's ease as that of "hopeless disease of the heart." Just at that moment, as good luck and Cupid would have it, the young doctor's gig wheels rattled over the gravel of the garden drive. He was coming to consult with the farmer about a free dispensary in the village, and be­ fore he could reach the door Letty had run out and intercepted him in the shade of a monster lilac hedge. "Miss Hopkins!" he exclaimed. "Dr. Perth! Howard!" she^efeid; brightly. "I may call you so now, mayn't I, for I have only just received your letter? And see"--holding up the fragments--"it is all in little pieces! But how glad--how very glad I am to get it!". - Then, of course, a series of explana­ tions ensued; and, mournful to relate, the free dispensary was quite forgotten! For were there not more important things to think of? As for Sam, his comment was char­ acteristic, "Didn't I tell you so all along?" And when September came Aunt quilt was finished, with Sam's i 'or> *n her happiness, the young j doctor's young 'wife had not forgotten ',»• ""Oar folks ain't littery, I s'pose," ;:,:«feakl Miss Abbv, "an' that's the reason I bave so much trouble." Miss Abby w»s right. TheHopkinses "were not a literary family. There was quarto edition of Shakspere, a family Uible, a "Complete Physician," and a ••carefully preserved file of the weekly newspaper, kept on the table in the best room, but as a general thing, the Hop- kinses neither read nor wrote. They Lad not l»een brought up to it. There was the farmer, a rotund, rubicund personage, who was much given to go­ ing about in his shirt sleeves, and to smoking comfortable pipes; there was •Mrs. Hopkins, w ho was great on pick- 4ing and preserving, and had on her tongue's end a certain cure for all the neighborhood ills; there was Lettv, "whose pink cheeks and bronze brown Aiair awoke the admiration of every young man in a circuit for ten miles ground; and there was Sam, a sturdy, •black-browed young man, who was ^already beginning to disturb his father's -conservative mind by Lints as to steaui ploughs, patent reapers, and progress­ ive farm machinery of every sort. "What's good enough for your grand- ialher's good enough for me," said the Squire. * "But the world moves, father," said 8am. "Thataintno reason that I should nmove, too," said Farmer Hopkins, set­ tling back on the hiiicl legs of his chair and looking around for a light for his pipe. And Mtss Abby Hopkins, the maiden "aunt of the family, had devoted *all her •life's energies to the manufacture of ® silk bed-quilt in pieces of velvet, satin, •brocade, rich stuffs of every imaginable hue and pattern, cut into tiny octagons, each one stretched over a piece of stiff writing paper, and fastened with almost invisible stitched to its neighbor. And it was of the extreme difficulty of find- iing foundations for the same that Mi«a Abby made her little plaint. * "Betsy Meachan matte hers entirely £ut of the parson's old serinon-papers," gui she. "I've often thought what a 'ht -of theology there must hev been vp in that there quilt. And Mrs. Parsons, she cut up all her daughter's school compositions. But our Letty, she was never much on compositions, and it's all I can do to find an old en- Abby's patchwork velope or a piece o' paper figuring on the back on't.' * A.nd Miss Abby, whose sight was fail- j that! - ia#r fast, peered bere and there like a \ V<fiCKal in rearch of food; for it was the highest ambition of her -heart to finish the silk bed-quilt in time to exhibit to isome friends who were coming in Bep-. tember. Consequently when she came across flm unsealed letter on the drawers in -Letty's room, she gpunced upon it with delight. "It's been read, or it would be . sealed up," she said to herself; "and it ain't "Worth while for me to wait till Letty tjomes home from the picnic to ask about it. If I don't get this quilt done, •it'll be September before I know it." And straightway Aunt Abby's big Stopped His Sermon Kill a Deer. At that early period ministers in Del­ aware County were a rarity, and these Connecticut people were brought up in a strict Sabbath day keeping, and be­ fore they had started preaching the in­ habitants would meet on Sunday at some central house in the neighbor­ hood and the deacon of the settlement would read some old permon they had brought with them. On one occasion they had met for this purpose at Deacon Webster's; he had read the text, and was proceeding with the sermon, when his black man, by the name of Amos, suddenly appeared at the door, show- Wsheara^aied'the d^mToTthe let- \\is "nd ^dressing his mas- H' , fe" ter, and without loss of time it formed a background for velvet and silken oc­ tagons. Scarcely a week afterwards, however, she was stitching diligently at her win- ' "-few, when the voice of Howard Perth, Jtbe vomig doctor, fell upon her ear, as -be talked to Sam Hopkins. "It's no use," said he. "I told you so, •Bopkfns. She don't care for me. She -never will." "How can you tell whether she does "«r not unless you ask her?" »ai^ Sam. "Now, Perth, don't be a fool." "I have asked her. I wrote her a J letter, only a few days ago, in which I "told her all. And she hasn't seen fit »to take any notice whatsoever of it." Sam whistled a low whistle. ""Perhaps," said he, "she never cot * "She did^ for it was placed on her table. And it was taken away, and it must have been read!* "I'm sure, Perth," said: Sam, "there must be some mistake." "There is!" said Perth, moodily. ""There was a great mistake when I supposed your sister could ever care for a struggling, jrouug physician like me!" V "Will you let Vcspeak to her about it?" "Not for the world 1" eried Perth. ""Promise tte, Sam, that my "unlucky secret shall be buried in your own " heart! Promise me, upon you word of honor!" * ' And then the voices receded further • down the graveled path, while Aunt JLbby sat aghast. "Oh, lor'!" groaned the unhappy smnBter. "What be I goin' to do? What will Letty say ? And I've cut it , •- all up and stitched it under the velvet bits, because it was*such good stiff pa­ ter, the deacon: "Massa, massa, dar is a fine fat buck in the barnyard with the cattle." The old deacon took down the rifle Can old chunk riiie), stepped to the door and raised it to his eye. Bang! went the rifle, and down went the deer. The deacon told Amos to keep his eye on him a little, and then replaced his rifle and resumed his sernion. But this was not all. Old Mrs. Bose happened to be out herding the cattle, and hearing the report and seeing the deer fall she went immediately to J^er husband, who was justice of the peace, and said: "Esquire Hose, what do you thiuk Esquire Webster has been do­ ing?" "I don't know," said he; "my dear, what has he?" "Why, he has been shooting a deer on the Lord's day." Next morning Esquire Webster received a polite note from Justice Bose, setting forth the charge against him and inviting him to call up and pay the fine.--New York Press. k New Check lipon Checks. "There, I've got it down fine at last, and no mistake," and one of Philadel­ phia's best-known business men laid his pen down with a sigh of relief and hastily blotted his name, on a cneck with a blotter. ^Got what down?" asked a visitor. "A new wrinkle adopted by mer­ chants and others to prevent their names from being forged to checks. It's this way, and after signing my name 1 turn the pen up and draw a long line through it from right to left, and it looks as if the name had been cancelled. The peculiar little twirl at the end where the long line of the pen commences is where the forger of a man s name gets left. He doesn't tum­ ble to it, so to speak, but the cashiers of the banks where I do business db, and they know instantly whether the Y DU see, Well there is but one thing to do, signature is genuine or not * JU and that is to make a clean breast on't. j also, this line drawn through the name 1711 go to Letty the very first thing she makes the check look as if it was no mu....... good in case it is lost, and the finder • comes back - from Lizzie White's tea- Jarty, and tell her the whole story from -AtoZ." SVith this laudable resolve, Aunt ;At»by started up the minute she heard '.Letty's light footstep on the stone door- «tep below, but. hastening down, she CaUfernlitna Who Wer» Msft* *Vch NWMMI); and Died 1'oor. Two curious careers were recently ended on this coast, both showing the extraordinary reverses that^bafall many speculators in California, writes a cor­ respondent from San Francisco. In a rude cabin in Virgiuia City last week wold, who had } erished by hu own hand. Griswold was ono of the early pioneers who came here with parry Meisrgs, afterward famous as the rail­ road-builder in Chili and Peru. Meiggs was soon worth millions, but Griswold didn't prosper so rapidly, because he had no forttiue to start with. Still he soon owned a trading schooner which plied between this eity and Mexican ports, and he amassed a comfortable fortune. f* * le3> piefcurejqueicwa- tKfcJwjN 3 then the animals decided to trot off and Urte saw'them no more. Exchange Choosing a Bushies*. "The question of choosing a busiapae ft serious one. As a rule, a young man should adopt the calling for which to try different occupations, until he finds one that suits him. I do not counsel changing about to gratify a spirit of unensiuess, for once a young man is installed in the business he is suited to, he ought to stick to it," writes Russell Sage to the New 1'ork Herald. "I have known young men'who entered employments reluctantly and, after a trial, become fond of tbem. A young man must be determined to'succeed. weut to Virgiuia City with the rush of adventurers, and there sank all he had made in California. His old associate, Meiggs, was threatened with ruin here in t^'50s, when he took one of his clipper ships, loaded her with a miscel­ laneous cargo of goods, and one night slipped the cable and made his way out of ttie Golden Gate. There was gnashing of teeth the next morning among his creditors. There was racing and chasing down the coast to capture the fugitive vessel with the biggest defaulter California had ever then known, but Meiggs made his escape and was never afterwards seen in his old haunts. His defalcation and flight ruined a dozen men in this city, whose only mistake was in trusting him implicitly. Six years after he left here Meiggs was rich, and for twenty years before his death he was many times a millionaire, yet in all this time he made no inquiries into the affairs of the friends whom he had ruined, nor did he make the least effort to repair the great wrong he had done. Another speculator whose ill-starred career closed, like Griswold's, in finan­ cial gloom was Daniel G. Barton, who died recently at his little vineyard, near Cucamonga, in San Bernardino County. Barton was a cousin of the great finan­ cier, liaiston, and was a young and handsome broker when the Big Bonanza excitement of 1874-75 struck San Fran­ cisco and converted every curbstone chipper" into a prospective millionaire. Barton was shrewd, and bought enough stock in the big Consolidated Virginia asd California mines to yield him over a half million in a few months. Ilis friends thought he was on the high-road to great wealth, ap lie seemed to have that invaluable instinct which tells a speculator wher Jtlie market is going to rise or fall. His actions were closely watched, and many small oper­ ators made money by buying when they saw Barton loading up, and selling the moment he began to dump stocks. Yet, despite bis extraordinary run of luck, Barton suddenly left the excite* ment of Piue street aifd Pauper Alley and paid a visit to the East and Europe, In Saratoga he cut an immense swath. He had suits by the dozen, and- he wore the costliest aDd most unique jewelry. He hobnobbed with old Commodore Vanderbilt, who graci<yisly allowed the Californian to bear more than his just burden of the cost of entertaining the select crowd of railroad millionaires that lie gathered about him. Bartou shone like a meteor for a single season, and he told friends on his return that he had dropped $80,000 in setting it up for the boys and bsd bets on horses. The same run of ill luck followed him in Europe. He took a "flyer" on all the English andfrench race courses, but there was a hoodoo on him and he couldn't win. He became desDerate, plunged into all sorts of dissipation, and dropped the remainder of his coin at Monaco in the vain endeavor to re­ trieve disaster.* He saved just enough out of the wreck to pay his fare back to California. Barton.was so thoroughly disheartened when he returned that he never visited bis old haunts in the Stock Exchange, but went to San Jose and started a small business. He couldn't make it go, however, and he soon retired to his vineyard at Cuca- mongo, which he had taken for a small debt years before and had regarded as worthless. For the last seven years of his life he lived like a recluse, seldom venturing &way from home. Taking the Big-Horn* Hunters talk of the excitement at­ tending one's - first deer-shooting, but probably the nervousness which attacks a photographer when he comes upon re­ markable "game" is not as well known. The author of "Mountaineering in Col­ orado" describes his own sensations in photographing Bocky Mountain sheep, or big-horn. We came upon three Rooky Moun­ tain sheep, quietly browsing, only a few hundred feet distant on our right. Our leader told us to duck, and said, in an undertone to me: "Follow me with your camera." _ We dismounted, and almost^ crawled till we saw the big-horn again. They had not observed usi and the wind was blowing a gale in our faces, so that they were in no danger of getting our scent. Luckily, my instrument was focussed. I pointed my lens at the aniinals, and exposed one plate, although they were not so near as when we first saw, them. Just then they discovered us, and, after a glance in our direction, trotted *off over the slope to the brow of the hill. Imagine our surprise when they turned and walked a little way toward us again. I asked my friends to return to the packs for more plates, and, while they were gone, I focussed more care­ fully on the distant auimals. as they started at me, their curiosity overcom­ ing their fear. My companions retired behind some ledges further off. At this After all, there is one great lever, and that is will power. Without it very few men succeed. "It depends on .the circumstances whether failures betray ineapaoity in a man. . If a failure is due to a cause not general, then it may be attributed to o lack of foresight and understanding. A slirewd merchant will not stock up with unsalable things; a shrewd farmet will not plant his ground to raise un­ salable crops. Both the merchant and the farmer must find out what is most salable and act accordingly. There are exigencies, <jo be sure, like contagions, disasters, combinations, strikes, and boycotts, that cannot be foreseen. The prudent man of business has prepared himself to stand losses frcm such causes, and when the troubles have passed the fact of his having weathered them makes his financial position in the community stronger than ever. The present condition of the coal trade well illustrates the uncertainty of things. The mild, open winter could not be foreseen, and has caused great dullness and loss in the trade. Then there is the march of improvement. This is an age of competition, and it requires energy and perception to meet it. It used to take ninety days to find out the condition of the tea crop in Japan or the coffee crop in Brazil. Now an in­ quiry can be sent an<l an answer secured in a single'day. "The young man should stwft out in the world by the time he is 21. If he is qualified to begin life for himself at an earlier age he should d? it. I began as a clerk when I was 12. At 18 I was in business for myself, and I have kept my sign up ever since. I should say that the average boy could take a clerk­ ship at the age of 16 or 18, A wrong start need not mean a permanent failure. Many of the most successful men have started wrong and afterward righted themselves. There ate many instances where men educated for the pulpit have gone to the bar and been conspicuous successes. Then, again, men educated for the bar have gone tc the pulpit and achieved success." How He Wen the Jewd "Nathan, you are married, I under­ stand," said the Governor of Tennessee, addressing a hillside constituent. "Yes, sir, captured the best-looking girl in the whole community. Old Lige Peterson's daughter, Rose. You knowed her, I reckon." "Yes, but I thought that sho was en­ gaged to Sam Parker." "She was, but I got ahead of him. Tell you how it was. She loved Sam powerful, for he is the best circuit-ridei We have ever had. I loved Rose, and was might'ly downcast, for I thought thar wan't no use in buckin' agin him. Well, the day for the marriage wiw aet, and a passul of us come to town to see the weddin', for Rose 'lowed that she wanted to be married in town, and then take the cars for home, thereby gottin' a ten-mile bridal tower. When we got to town, lo and behold, there was a cir­ cus, with mo' horses than a strong, man could shake a pole at. Rose was mighty keen to go to the show, but Sam sav^, says he, 'Rose, you know it's agin my religion, an' tlierefo' we cah't go. Stay here till I go an' git the license.' Rose's under jaw drapped. When Sam was gone I says, says I, 'Rose, wouldn't you like to gc to that show ?' " 'Yes, bat Sam won't take me.' " 'That's bad, Rose, for they've got a world of bosses.' < "Then she tuned tip and began tc cry. 'Rose,' says I, 'if you marry Sam you kan't go to the show; that's certain, but At vou marry me 111 take you.1 She Studied a while, and says, says she, 'An' let me stay to the concert arter the big show's ove* ?' " 'Yes.' • " 'An' let roe look at the monkeys all I want tor -Tibbv sho.'. " 'An' won't pull an' haulme aroun' when I get interested?' "No, swar I won't.' . " 'An' wlieu. the show's over will you let me look at the monkeys again ?' "'Yes.' . " "Nath.' siid she. puttin' her hanc* mighty lovin'lyon my arm, 'I'm yourn/ Then I jumped up, popped my heels to­ gether, an' in less'n a half hour we was dutt married an' a-lookin' at the mon­ keys. That's the way 1 won that jewel, Governor."--Arkansaw Traveler. A Jewel That Nobody Wants. A costly ring, ungarded by police Oi special watchman, hangs suspended by a silken cord around, the neck of the statue of the Maid of Almodena, the pa­ tron saint of Madrid, in one the beauti­ ful parks in the Spanish Capital. It ia set with diamonds and pearls, notwith­ standing which there is no danger of it being stolen. The greatest thief in Madrid would not touch it any quicker than he would the plate on his own mother's coffin. Its history is curious and interesting, and equal to anything found in medin>val folk lore. The ring was made for King Alphonso moment, as 1 remained there alone by XII., who gave it to his cousin, the tKc> /tnmai>a i>om JS il _ i > n • % will not present it for collection. It's a great idea and is being adopted by many business men of the city. Of cour^; we have to explain it to the bank people, who, once they know it, have no further trouble with us over it. «aught her foot in a worn place on the 1 But the de'il o't is the practicing to «et ' MriiMpfl lan/linop orwl U 4 ." carpeted landing, and fell headlong 4|0wn the stairs. . Aunt Abby was neither young s not Hffht. 4t her age a fall signified no -light matter. She was taken up anse- • it down fine, and it takes some little work to do so," and he gazed proudly at the unsightly line drawn through his name at the .bottom of a Check for $7,000.--PhiladelphiaJjuquirer.'- the camera, the ram forefeet, as if inviting combat; then the three stood looking at me. , Our leader crawled toward me, and as the quarry showed signs cf alarm, I attempted to take another picture; but I was now so excited that I took a slide out of one plate-holder befrfre putting on the cap, and that ruined piece of glass now lies among the rooks to amuse the conies and ptarmigan, while the slide I had placed on the.camera was whirled far away by the strong wind. Even so experienced a hunter as my companion lost his head, as the big-horn were trot­ ting away, and exclaimed, "Take them quick! take them quick!" But lo! what did these sheep do but turn round, and walk deliberately to­ ward us, until they were within a hun­ dred feet. We were fairly trembling with excitement, and I first took off the cap, without pulling the slide. When I made this blunder, they were all facing us, standing on granite pedestals, a lit­ tle elevated above the general level. They stepped down from their bold positions, however, and the best oppor­ tunity was loafc;; v ̂ £ • The next tnoinehfl ah&ceeded & cap* history ia philosophy teaching ample. Previous to important and con­ venient revelation there was practically no basis of comparison, no process of marking the course of time, no means of connecting the past and thp present with tfie future. The art of calculation, the whole great system of mathematics, had its origin in the pebble device, use to count sheep by dropping a pebble in a basket for each one as it passed until an entire flock got by, then enumerating another flock in the Bame way, and finally de­ termining the relative numbers of the two by alternately taking a pebble from each basket until one was exhausted. ISext came the chalk marks or straight lines in blbcks of five, the last being drawn across the other four at an angle, which play is still largely employed; then the plan of two notched sticks-- the first double entry idea--was evolved; then came the digit system, or counting in fives and tens with the fingers; and finally the Arabio notation, with its ten symbols or figures, superseded all other methods. It is easy to understand tfiat, while the world waK thus slowly learning how to count, it could have no history. There wai no way to record events or to adjust and combine facts. The pebbles and chalk marks and notched sticks only answered the crude pm-poses of a life that took no account of yesterday or to­ morrow. It was not possible for the average mind to have any conception of dates or periods, distances or localities The relation of what was to what had been and what might be did not enter into the prevailing order of thought and feeling. One day was as a thou­ sand years, and a thousand years as one day. There was no Intellectual ^growth, no permanent escape from the night ol savagery, so long as the gift of measur­ ing space and time was absent ;men began to be men only when they acquired that advantage, and were able to connect the experiences of one generation with the necessities of ttie next, or, in other words to fully grasp the doctrine cf ac­ cumulation, which is the source of all development. When they came to see that the whole was greater than any part, and that a part was nothing unless rooted to the whole, they were placed in the way of harmonizing themselves with their en- vi»oument and accomplishing sane and useful results. Time was invested with appreciable value, and the procession ol days took on a practical purport. Wings were provided for intelligence. The caged reason of the race secured the soaring privilege, and its horizon wid­ ened with every effort. First the peb­ bles were cas£ away, then/ the notched sticks, and then digital device; and thus the dawn of history very slowly but surely approached. / The first almanacs--that is to say, the first histories--were of Arabian or­ igin, and reflected fhe local genius of the people in a very striking way. They served as modeis in other countries for hundreds of years. The oldest known copy, of such a- work is preserved in the British Museum, and dates back tc the time of Rameses the Great of Egypt, who lived twelve hundred years before the birth of Christ. It is written on papyrus, iu red ink, and covers a period of six years. The entries relate to re­ ligious ceremonies, to the fates of the children born on given days, aud to the regulation of business enterprises in ac­ cordance with planetary influences. Next after this in point of age among the existing specimens of ancient al­ manacs are some composed in the fourth century. They are Roman church cal­ endars, giving the names of the saints and other religious information. The Baltic nations, who were not versed in papyrus making, had calendars en­ graved on ax helves, walking sticks, and other articles of personal use. The days were notched with a broad mark for Sunday, and the saints' days were symbolized in various devices: The Saxon almanacs are numerous and con­ tain historical as well as ecclesiastical entries. It is possible to trace in these curious records all the changes of pop­ ular belief and taste. They are pre­ pared to meet the current demand and to constitute a systematic story of what took place in successive periods and1 how knowledge increased with the re­ volving years. We owe to them most that we know of the people for whom they Averetnade and by whom they were indorsed. Chauiieey Depew's Speeches. Mr. Depew usually leaves his office at 5 o'clock unless he has an important speech to deliver that night; then he will leave the office an horn*, or two earlier and lock himself in' his library "to think it out." But he doesn't load liia mind with words and phrases, he merely maps out the "points ,he wants to make. The appropriate words sup­ ply themselves when he gets on his legs. Quite frequently, especially if the occa­ sion is not what the newspapers call "notable," he develops his speech while* eating his dinner. At these pub­ lic banquets the feeding part of the program lasts fully two hours, and as Mr. Depew is an abstemious eater he has plenty of time to devote to the mental construction ef his speech. Tc keep track at the same time of what his companions on either side are saying to him does not bother bim at all, though it would most men under the circumstances. But Mr. Depew .can make a good speech without any prepar­ ation. I remember that on one occa­ sion he delivered an address which was in its way a literary gem, before a Washington Irving Association, at Delmonico's. In another part of the building ah association composed of wholesale grocers was taking its annual feed. Some of them heard that Mr. stood up on his j pretty Mercedes, on the day of their be- I Depew was around, pounced upon him, " THAN FLLA ( tWifhul Rlift WAWA «+ ILTIMN/. LIAM 1 J 1 • • .1 1 II A * • trothaL She wore it during her short married life. On her death the King presented it to his grandmother, Queen Christiana. She died soon, and the King passed the deadly little circle to his sister, Infanta del Pjla, who died within the month. Again it started on its deadly rounds, next finding a space on the finger of Christina, youngest daughter of the Duke of Montpensier, but in no less than three months she also was dead. Alphonso next put the ring in his own casket and lived leai than a year after so doing. _^o wonder it safely hangs on a statue in an un­ guarded square. --Boston Advertiser. The Absent-Minded Professor* Prof, Z *eibeer, of the University of Bonn, is u very absent-minded man. He w^s busily engaged in solving some scientific problem. The servant hastily opened the door of his study and an­ nounced a great family event. "A. little stranger has arrived." . "Eh?" • .^,V "It is a little boy. ' "Little boy. Wellv ask him _ wanta."--HUfh&rlsti&chc. Blatter. lugged him into the hall and insisted that he should make a speech. He made a rattling good one, which pleased the grocers quite as much as the one he had delivered only ten minutes before had pleased the devotees of Washing­ ton Irving.--Epoch. Why "Slaughter?" *A number o£ people have expressed a dislike for the name "Slaughter" db designating a town of this State. Lieut. Slaughter was a brave soldier, who bat­ tled for the white man and the white man's Government when this Western Washington country was a howling wilderness with a savage foe lurking with hostile bullet behind every salmon berry bush. All over this then wild region he led a little band of soldiers, who many a time faced foes outnum­ bering them dozens to one. Slaughter saw all kinds of rough service. He died by the hostile bullet, and the soil on the spot where now Btands the town drank up his life-blood.--Fayallup {Wash.) Commerce. A WHINE-SKLLER--A dealer in pies. W- A writer describing a visit to Ton- quin, says: It is a long row up the- river to the little town of Monkay. This is--or rather was--a very peculiar place. It was built half on eaeh side of the little s ream that forms the actual frontier of Tonquin and China. (The reasons for using the past tense will be plain presently.) The town had no poor quarter; its streets were mathe­ matically laid out; its houses were all of brick and stone, With richly-carved and ornamental lintels and caves; their inhabitants were all rich. In some way or other this was the outcome of the alliance of piracy and smuggling. When the Fiench cam© thoy did not interfere with tfie town 09 their side of the stream, but on the top of a sugar- loaf bill three quarters of a mile back they began to build a little ^fort, and under its guns they laid out a "citadel" inside which to locate the barracks, of­ ficers' quarters, magazines, etoi Among the first te be sent there was a civilian official named Haitce. One day while out with a small party they were attacked by a band of Chiuese soldiers. They fled, some escaped, Haitce only was captured. He was taken back to *a house in the principal street of the model little towu of Mo^Kay, tied down upon a table and skinned alive. Now at this time the famous Col. Du- gennc was in command of the foreign legion in Tonquin. Everybody knows what the foreign legion is--almost the only force in the world where a sound man is enlieted instantly without a question being asked. No-matter what your nationality, what your color, what your past, you are welcome in the for- eign legion. A man may even desert from the regular French army and re- enlist, unquestioned in this heterogene­ ous force. In return for this prelimin­ ary indulgence, however, you must put up with many inconveniencas--the worst climates, the hardest work, the front line of the attach, the forlorn hope and the most iron discipline. Once out of civilized parts, and there is practically only one punishment in the foreign legion--the puishment that could only be awarded once. To keep such a body of men in order this is perhaps .necessary, and the offi­ cers to enforce it must be hard men- men with bodies of steel and hearts of stone. And the hardest of them all was Col. Dugenn'e. When the aiitho- ities heard of the outrages I have de­ scribed, they understood that it was no use to wipe it out with rose water. So they sent Col. Dngenne and his chil­ dren. He came and looked at the place. * "Burn it," said he. But it wouldn't burn, being all brick and stone. "Blow it up," said Col." Dugeune. And they did --they blew the whole town literally to bits. Compared with Monkay, Pompeii is in good preservation. Yo« need an alpenstock to get through the streets^ And the hotfse where Haitce was tor­ tured is now a whole in theground.twe^tj feet deep. ' * done Up the FI11H& '• •§ "The biggest nugget I ever found," continued the old forty-niner, "was worth $500. I did well in those mines.' At one time I had $14,01)0 0® deposit in Jim Mills & Co.'s bank, but I put it all back in the ground and came away from the mines poor. I lived in Columbia from 1851 to I860. I understand now that the main streets of Columbia are all torn up and mined over. While in Columbia I had some great experienced. We had all the wild life incident to the California mining towns, and for a long time there was no effort made to punish murderers; and we had a 'man for breakfast' nearly every day. "You have often heard the expression "gone up the flume,'haven't you? Well, that phrase was started right here in Columbia, and I can tell you all about it, Barklev was the first man who 'went up the flume;' He had been a good man un til he married and started; a gin mill. Then he became a tough character. Jack Smith, a - Philadel- phian and a popular fellow, got a little- full, and sauntering into Barkley's place, he accidentally broke a pitcher. He offered to pay for it, but the woman of the place precipitated a quarrel, and Barkley, in the presence of two men,, shot Smith down. The Philadelphia boys collected together, formed a vigilance committee,.' and arrested Barkley. News was spread quickly in those days, and before night Jim Stewart, the Sheriff, had heard of the vigilance eommittee, and he and two other brave men came galloping down to Columbia. I happened to be the second . man in the house after the murder, and I happened also to find out that Jim Stewart and his men were coming, so I took a short cut down to the place of hanging and warned the boys. There were over a thousand of those men, so they just formed a solid wall around their prisoner and kept the Sheriff back until the murderer was dead. The place chosen for the execu­ tion was on the road between Columbia and Gold Springs, and the gallows was the flume that crossed over the road at a height of twenty feet. Barkley was the first, but there were many others who werp subsequently lynched on that flume. The warning note of the vigi­ lantes to the evildoers was: " 'Look here, young fellow, you go slow, or you'll go up the flume.' "And frequently questions of 'Where's Mike, or Bill, or Jim?' would be answered: " 'Them, why they're all*gone up the flume.' "The expression and its wholesome use was spread from camp to camp, and now it is world-wide, aud you frequently hear people say when a firm fails, or great loss by fire is experienced, 'Well, they're gone up the flume,' but I don't suppose many people know where or how the expression originated."-- Seattle Press. f w -T. t v .iLtki? % -£.V * ^ ; Not a Proper Question* * Schoolboy (poring over his Father, what language do they speak in Chili?- Father--H'm! The language sppken in Chili, my son, the--er- language spoken--er--in Chili is--do you find that question'in the book you ye study­ ing, my son? Schoolboy--No, but I thought I'd like to know. Father (severely)--Then don't ask it, my son. If it isn't in the book it isn't proper for you to know.--Chicago Tribune. • ' IN London they have a window clean­ ing company which gives the greatest satisfaction. Experienced men, with all the utensils required, clean the windows cheaply and well. # THE modern mew of the cat is ac­ counted for. Dr. Winslow, the Egypt­ ologist, says that cat in ancient Egyp­ tian is spelled raaa a?d pronounced ma-ow. • ; HABET--I feel ticjcled about mf tavm-1 tache. Clara-->11 never tieMad-me. A MISER'S firs# rale is addition. His heirs generally begin with division. EVERY dog haa 1ri»day. The nbfafta,' however, are still reserved for thecals. "A RISING Young Mao" is tho title of a new novel. The hero probably sa£ down on a bent piu. 1 JOKES'wife is so unreasonably jeal­ ous that he wouldn't dare to bug a delu­ sion around the premises. HE--Miss Wayting, you are a puzzle to me. I never know how'to take you. She (shyly)--You never tried. "I SEE that there is a strike among girls against a cut down in coraets." "They cannot be society girls." DTMB-BELLS are onfv five cents a pound in New York. Here is a chance or men who want quiet wives. ' CZAR of Russia (just out of. bed)-- What has become of my undershirt? Vajefc--Please your majesty, the black­ smith's putting fresh rivets it it. Yot*No wife (tenderly)--What's the matter, dear? Don't you like pound cake? Husband (hesitatingly)--Y-e-s» love; but I don't care for ten-pound cake. * WK won't worruk for *em their put down English sidewalks." "Yis we will, Moike. Phat betther chance have we to walk ou the British flag, Oi'd i like to know 1" h Coifc A.--Colonel Jones bad the au­ dacity to offer me his whisky flask. Maj. R- In the crowded court room, too. Col. A.--Oh, that isn't where the insult was. The flask was empty. PRISONER, have ybu anything to say in your defence?" "Your Honor,! beg you to consider before pronouncing the sentence that the only reason I steal is so as not to be loafing about the streets all day." MRH. GABB--Yes, my daughter ap­ pears to have married very happily. Her husband has not wealth, it must be admitted, but he has family. Mrs. . Gadd--Yes, I heard lie/was a widower with six children. IT WAS 'TOUGH.--Miss F,--Why what is the matter with little Mabel ?" Ethel (whose father has just made his thir# matrimonial venture)--Ohr never iiiin£ her. She always cries that way when papa gets married. ' MRS. WI€KWIRE--You know very well that your cigar bill for one day amount* fj to more than all my incidental expense* for a week. Mr. Wiekwire--Yes ; thnVh just a woman's luck. I wish I cofthjl :;| get along as cheaply as you can.. . PROFESSOR--You are aware that in - certain cases the mother can be guar* dian of her children, provided she is «• [4 age. Now eau a grandmother also be a ' "i guardian? Student--Yes, sif. '•Under what condition?" "Provided she is ol < I age." • -0 "I TELL you what it is, Meltable/' he. /r said, as he handed her half a dozen pea- *' ' nuts out of the bag from which he had. 4 been munching during the-first act^I „ 3 "when a maoi is a hog he will show him-* - self a hog." "That's the truth, Lige,? she replied. LADY of the house (to tramp- going through thegater)--Here! You promised i» to saw that wood if I gave you a meal., 'i.. Tramp--Yes'm;. and I have fufilled iu^' - promise. I saw it as I passed by. ¥our \f grammar is somewhat defective; I am - J pained to observe. ' ^ A VOUNG lady (hesitating for a word * in describing a rejected suitor)---He il -;#H not a tyrant, not exactly domineering, v. ' bai--"Dogmatic ?" suggested- a friend, "No, he has not dignity enough, for that,.^ A' I think pupmatic would oonvCy my ^ meaning admirable/' JUDGE--Prisoner at the bar, have vou anything to say before sentence ib passed? Prisoner*--Yes, Your Honor. Will you please date my sentence from , the time that that lunk-headed, long-- v winded, son of a gun of a lawyer ol -jj mine started to talk. ? DID -the prisoner at the bar strike , yon in the altercation?" a<iked< the- Jawver. "No, Bar, boss," replied the i ; dusky prosecutor.. "He biffed me right; ^s|| behind the let" year Ef you'll jes' lean ober a little ways I kin sho' vo' d* *zact spot." The lawyer didn't lean. The- Policeiumn audi the Beg* ' 1 Several days ago Chief Brown, of the% Department of Public Safety, put % number of additional police officers ott duty between the-Soho and East Lib­ erty. They were aew men.011 the forced and one of them was decidedly new i*„ the locality.' The first night he was on,1"4 and while faithfully patrolling his beat,, he was told o£ a large, vicious dog tha^-%1^ was running at large on Fifth Avenue. J - About 11 o'clock, while walking aionff the above-named street, he thought iit> ^ spied the dog on a graveled walk lead- . ing up to the residence of a prominent '3. ? citizen. The officer determined to make f a r e c o r d f o r h i m s e l f t h e f i r s t n i g h t . H e ' < • - A called to the dog, but the latter appar- . _ ently was not on speaking terms witUt JMJJ the guardian of the peace and did not move. Then the officer tried to scare;: the animal by commanding him in a loud tone of voice to "get out!" The •;•'* .A'- -/M dog did not move, and the officer, who 1 - was getting more angry each moment a| the utter disregard for military disci- ,v, pline, pulled out his revolver and fired _ 1 at the dog. The latter maintained liia 3 1 stolid indifference, and the officer fired ,J <' a g a i n a n d a g a i n a n d a g a i n . B y t h e . ; ' " time the last shot was fired the office#;-} Vas close to the dog and found it lo be an admirable piece of work from some iron foundry. The funniest part of the •' ' * story is that the dog had not even been' ' grazed by the bullets. It is needless t<i ^ say that there is one officer on tha f<»roa , who would not qualify at a ahoottag : match.--Pittsburgh Dispatch. . A Great Piece of Statuary. G. F. Watts, R. A., has been at work for five yearl on a piece of sculpture ' which he intends to represent "Vital ' Energy." It is a gigantic figure of a y, man mounted upon a hor^e, and the model is being made in plaster iu the 7" ^ garden of Mr. Watts* house, being so „ ^ arranged beneath a shed that it can be I run out upon rails in fair weather to be worked upon, and when it rains can be '"v? run back out of the wet. The statue ia so large that the top of the sculptor's head ' |j doeS not reach half way up the horse's T ; leg when he stands in iron* of itr-Acto , >" York World. leaned - Took the Chances* "Brain food," he said, as he over the counter of a fish store. "Yes, sir. Let me see!" He rumnjaged among his papers fttt? three or fbur minutes aud then said: "I had a memoranda, but have mis­ laid it. and will have to take thei chances." " What chances ?" "Whether fresh cod furnishes hew material to the brain or only acts on fta liver. How tauch, air."--X>«froi« Pre#*. •» •••" j*.-. s' -: -'".v, •j -.ji ,5>! ^*0 f f *' M A?'!' • • X & : i mm • i' n v <" ?. j', cv»i I