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. * : '-i,--s.;'--.-.' -.^.w '• r , , * 37 -is ?>\ *w\r *:vu ̂ •>%- *» 1 W,' •* Wf *-u; *>• "i^tp 'y™?^* *f %^]wy^wW^rr^ ^^i 4 ^ 9Wf5fnrp flaiudealw J. VAN SLYKE, Editor and PubllsMr. McHENRY, ILLINOIS. *#: ' JACK-O-DREAMS. ItT EBXEST M OAJTB*. •m m« on tbe crowded strwt, •;.. I» «om»fiur woman's face, 4 ! ;!On© moment, then I vanishflo«l ?*"? •V And leave 110 hln1 to trace; . 4 • "Ton find me in the lhish of youth, I fill t he niclie of age, LLtxLjli f'jAnd all well known am I forsooth v5::: To sinner, saint and sage. » J hannt the stars in blackest night, fi ; 1 come in noon-Mde'u gaze. 5 And scourge along in endless flight %. The caravan of days. jNor cowl nor cloister Bhuts mo out, S - In beauty's arms am I. 'h And I am with your hope and tkmbt, ' Your laughter and your sigh. » jlThe wind's wild wings shall wait me down, ' ? : As long as winds do blow; fSpring's green in mine, and autumn's brown, And summer's orchard suow. And wrath-like in its robes of mist My flitting form will be, WhtVo cold foRin-serpants writhe and tvllt In winter, by the sea, ^,'3Kay; I will pierce where spirits stand, f ^ Beyond the soul's eclipse, s'--As swift as when from loosened hand ;j* The carrier pigeon slips; v • Jiv shadow stays, though evCmora tV Mine other self it swrns ; , fr^ou follow, but I go bcfoie, i'or I am Jack-o'-Dreams. SEE MISSING WILL BT LOI ISE JAMISON. fete*-.- V .'a!.?* AKE up, sleepy! Wake up, I say. Great Scott! did any one ever see siu'ha thick head There, I thought that would bring you." That was an extremely vigor­ ous shake, under the impulse of which, Mr. Tho­ mas Barton, ju­ nior partner in the law firm of Hollingworths & ton, raised his head from the pile is !r§f books, serving him as a pillow, and father sleepily regarded the deter- 'jnined looking young mau before him. c .rWhat'B up now?" he inquired with a .'.""fawn. "It is too beastly hot to stay *wake." t ,: i "Or to bawl as I have been doing for :J , ;i|lhe last five minutes. Hurry up, Hol- t - Jingsworth wauts you. Old partv %ith him. Put on your collar and :̂ -*oat and smooth your bristles, for - 'heaven's sake. . ^ ' The bristles referred to were Tom's titAuburn locks. Refractory at best, his !, ,, Itfate nap had rather increased their 1$'n-' • .;/ .^jlency to stand up. This self assTeFtive Quality on their part had jjbeen the sor- . f . tow of| Tom's life. Long and valiently . - had he labored to bring them in the ,. rt ,vWay they should go, but without per- 4 jbeptible success. Now, between grumb­ lings over being disturbed in a dream, a point where he was in the act of g his teat as Chief Justice of the *' • Supreme Court, lie applied the brush s ^ . with a vigor born of a determination to , Conquer, and after some success he i -donned his ooat and entered the next lj* ' room. . . This was a small, not over cheerful, ^ - 41 > fend undeniably warm apartment Its is^xrtfarniiure was remarkable neither for *^~~l$uality ljor quantity. The carpet, or I rather the apology for one, had seen k long and active service and had now p.;. .reached that point where pretentions cease to avail, and bare reality obtrudes itself beyond all evading. Upon Several low shelves were ar- 1" ranged books, bundles of papers, and tin boxes of various sizes. Evidently the firm enjoyedja fair share of business, •hough money was not flowing in any too fast, if the room and its surround­ ings might be taken as a proof. * 5f A middle-aged gentleman with a -S^hrewd, though not unpleasant, coun- ... nance, occupied a chair at the untidy alesk, and close beside him sat an older 'gentleman. The latter glanced inquisitively at Tom. Evidently he wished to sat­ isfy some preconceived opinion. "Ah, jBarton," remarked Hollingsworth, rais­ ing his eyes from the papers before bim. "We have been waiting for you. This is Dr. Edwards, an old friend of Horton's. He comes from Oakdale." "I am happy to meet you," said Tom, I*»ordially extending his hand. "I have ; been anxious for news from Oakdale. I * presume you were with Horton at the time of his death. I have been in the West for several weeks, returning only yesterday to receive the sad intelli­ gence of my friend's untimely end. It was a great shock to me, I assure you, as ,, I left Horton in the best of health, ap- arently. i fear Miss Bessie feels her vement keenly." She is broken hearted," interposed the doctor, with much feeling. "Quite broken hearted. Poor child." "His step-daughter?" questioned Hollingsworth, looking up from au absorbing train of thought "Yes," put ,iiu Tom. "Only a step-daughter in yfront of relationship, but his own child "in sentiment and affection. She in­ herits all his property, of course." This was less a question, than an as­ sertion, and Hollingsworth and the doctor exchanged glances. "There is some trouble here, Tom," said the former running his hand % The only relation he could boast, I believe, and quite sufficient of his kind, to xuy judgment. He's fc conceited puppy, and a thoroughbred scamp." "I remember," mused Tom. "Horton oouldn'tibear the fellow. You know him, Hollingsworth. Is he at Oakdale?" "Yes, carrying things with a mighty high hand, too. He evidently considers the loss of the will an assured fact" "Take my word for it, he has some­ thing to do with its loss." Hollingsworth made this remark with an assurance that brought a smile to the doctor's faoe, and set Tom to thinking. "He is none too good for it," re­ sponded the former," but I can see no evidence of his hand in this. We had discovered the loss before he made his appearance." "I shall go down to Oakdale," said Tom with sudden resolution. "I sup­ pose you will return to-day, doctor?" Yes, by the 5:10 train. Will that suit you ?" "Excellently, Til run up to the house, get my grip, and meet you at the depot." Several hours later, the *vtwo men alighted from the train at a lonely oountry station. Night had fallen, and a few stars were visible in the somewhat over-cast j sky. ^ I We'll have a storm before morning," | said the doctor, "but in the meantime we may enjoy i this delightful breeze. Bather a contrast to New York, isn't it ? How a man can stand : that everlasting din is beyond my comprehension." "This is certainly a relief," laughed Tom, "but your Katy-dids give us quite, a melancholy concert, I think." During the ride to the house, the doctor said but little, and Tom fell into a train of reflections, not altogether unpleasant, as was evidenced by the half smile, which frequently drove all graver expressions from his face. "Here so soon!" he cried in some sur­ prise, as they pulled up before an old- fashioned house sitting some distance from the road. "I wonder where my valise has got to? 1 can't see a wink in this darkness. Look out for that step, doctor. Ah, a light at last.* The opening of the front door called forth this last observation. The next second a girlish face peered out into the shadows, and Tom found himself hold­ ing a soft little hand, and gazing into a pair of misty blue eyes. "I am so glad Dr. Edwards brought you," said Bessie in a somewhat falter­ ing voice. "You loved him and " She turned away with trembling lips. "Come, come," cried the doctor with cheery authority. "Don't let the sight of an old friend unnerve you, my dear. I have brought him down in the hope that three heads may be better than two, in this emergency. He should thank heaven for a breath of country know I do. You here, Willis? The devil !" "Beg pardon>" observed the new comer, a handsome, though somewhat effeminate-looking man, "I disclaim all relationship. Who is our friend here? Pray, present me, Miss Reynolds. Never had the honor, I am sure." The tone, more than the words, sent an angry flush to Tom's brow, and it was with difficulty he managed to an­ swer coolly. "I will present myself, sir. I am Mr. Barton of the law firm of Hollingsworth & Barton. I drew up the late Mr. Horton's will, and am here to see what has become of it" "Ah, indeed. Thanks for the infor­ mation. I am happy to meet you, Mr. Barton, of the law firm of Hollings­ worth & Barton. *1 am sure you are hungry. Won't you come in and have some supper?" interposed Bessie, as Tom's countenance showed unmistakable signs of angry passion. "He isn't worth your notice," she added in a lower key, "I despise him." This assurance seemed to console Tom immensely, and without so much as a glance at Willis, he followed Bes­ sie and the doctor to the dining room where supper was being prepared for the travelers. "Confound it," muttered Willis,'with a savage glance at their retreating figures, "what in the devil brought him here. I believe she likes the fellow. He'll not have a finger in my pie, with all his airs. No danger of the "will being found, I'll warrant Meantime, my proud lady, it behooves you to be a trifle mor^ humble." While Willis was thus communing with himself, the travelers were dis­ posing of their supper, and discussing the probable whereabouts of the all-im­ portant paper, the loss of which would make Bessie penniless. After his late encounter with Willis, Tom was more than ever determined to succeed where the others had failed. He questioned Bessie closely without, however, eliciting any new or practical information. She could only repeat what she had told Dr. Edwards. She knew that her father had made a will in her favor. Ho had told her as much. . She also knew that the docu­ ment was in his possession. She had thought little about it« supposing, of course, that it was in the safe with his other important papers. Search on the day after the funeral had not revealed it, and for the first time a serious doubt of its existence began to fill the minds of those most interested. When Bessie had first been told of this, she offered no comment Grief for the loss of one dear to her so ab­ sorbed her faculties that she felt wholly tempted to believe he knows more than he ought to about this matter. Th*t smile of his means something." But in spite of suspicions Tom eould find no evidence against Willis. He liked him none the better for this, and took no pains to ditguse his fee ings. "What have you come for?" he cried quite angrily one morning as Willis came upon him in the library. notttl. Is it possible you luwt ac­ tually given up that will ?" "Yes," began Tom, with his eyes fixed upon the next room, Horton's former study. "No," he added under breath, rushing preoipitately from the room. "I beliove the fe'low is mad," solilo­ quized Willis, who had not seen a small object spring through the open window ",^athe:r 8tTan,?e» " 1ue8tione<i j °f the study, glance cunningly around him, and matching up some old letters, depart as quickly as he came. Tom had seen the whole performance, and the deft appropriation, betokening long practice, was au inspiration to him. "Horton's monkey, by Jupiter! The •ery beast Bessie has been longing for. I never suspected either." Thus he soliloquized, as quite hatless lie followed in l the monkey's track. f.he cunning little animal came to a stop in an old unused barn, and two minutes Inter Tom having secured a ladder, had succeeded in finding amidst the rafters, a veritable treasure nole. "Keep quiet you beast," he com­ manded between his whistles of excite­ ment and delight, to the monkey scream­ ing expostulation at this appropriation of his ill-gotten goods, "Ah, ha," he continued, bringing to light scissors, spools of cotton, thimbles, bits of rib­ bon, old letters, and last, but not least, the all important last will and testa­ ment of Edward Horton. "Oh ho. you scamp. Didn't know what a deuco of a row you were raising, eh? I'd like to wring your neck." Tom panned for no such performance, however. Instead he rushed to the doctor's house, the precious paper clutched tightly in his hand. "I've found it 1 I've found!" he cried bursting in upon the assembled family. Then he sat 4<*wu quite exhausted, and allowed them to question him. / To say they were glad, but poorly ex­ pressed their feelings. No one could tell how the monkey had secured pos­ session of the will, but as it had been found, Bessie said they could afford to forgive the unconscious cause of their trouble. Tom had the pleasure of seeing Wil­ lis depart from Oakdale and Bessie re­ established in her old home. It was, however, with rather a rueful countenanoe, that he said to her. "I am going back to New York to-mor­ row. You are rich now, dear, and can have your pick of husbands, if vou wish to take back your promise I-- "Don't be a goose Tom," interrupted Bessie, briskly. I cannot abide geese nor ganders either." . "But I thought," persisted, Tom, "you only consented to marry me, because I forced you. You remember you said something like that." Why, dear Tom," she answered sagely,"I was not forced against my will. Be sure of that. No man can make me do what I do not wish to do. You are a good boy, Tom, even if yfcu are not the handsomest man in the world. I think your dream may very probably come true, and you will be Chief Jus­ tice some day. Any way, I like you, Tom." After such a speech what could Tom do but--. "Willis ironioally. "Most uqheard- of, that a man should think of entering his own library. I'm the most long suffering fellow alive to put up with all this business. Now you know as well as I do, that will won't be found. I'm tired of this muss, if you are not It is my opinion Uncle John recognized my claims, and destroyed it himself. Bather an idea, isn't it Enough to make the old man rise out of his grave. What do you think ?" "That you are a heartless scoundrel," cried Tom aroused to resentment by this unfeeling allusion to his dead friend. "So, so," repeated Willis, knocking the ashes from his cigar. "Better not get'too warm over it Take things coolly as I do, and follow my advice. Don't ex­ haust vour energy in hunting for what will never turn up. Just go quietly back to the city. I'm sure it must be pining for your presence, and Bessie, if she knows which side her bread is buttered on,(and she's a shrewd one, I tell you), will marry me. Then "You cowardly scoundrel," burst out Tom in wrathful tones. How dare you--?" "Well that's good," rejoined the imperturbable! Willis. "Very good in­ deed. How dare 1 suggest such a thing ? Lsuppose you were about to say, very oaring, truly. Here I am, young and good looking, as some of my fair friends have been- kind enough to de­ clare. Lifted with a fair share of brains, and a large share of money. Not a saint, you think. Oh no, far from it; but my dear fellow, the world holds many a greater sinner. Now I offer these advantages, not to mention my heart, to a girl who is eating the bread of charity, I may say. Keep cool. I have the floor. If she becomes my wife she'll have the best money can buy. If she refuses " "If she refuses?" repeated a soornful voice. Both turned with a start, to see Bes­ sie standing in the doorway. "How dare youl" she cried with curling lips and flashing eyes. How dare you. I " Unable to proceed further, Bessie be­ stowed upon the slightly discomfited Willis a glance of ineffable contempt, and rushed from the room. Tom fol­ lowed preoipitately. "Where are you going?" he asked, feeling his heart in his throat. "To Dr. Edwards," she replied, turn­ ing her tearful eyes from his sympa­ thetic face. After that I " "Never mind," he said, reassuringly, "I am going with you. Shall I thrash the scoundrel. JuBt say the word, and one of us will have a broken head in two minutes." "Oh no. Please don't have any words with him. He isn't worth it" "All right, I won't I must get my hat, however." "Well," sneered Willis wh#n Tom re­ turned for his property, "what do you intend to do?" "Not waste any time on you,certainly. I shall return for my traps presently. After that Hollingsworth & Barton desire to resign the management of this estate." "Let Hollingsworth & Barton go to the devil." 1 through a pile of books in the absent j incapable of any other emotion. But mammer peculiar to him, "I thought you might possibly help us. You drew up Horton's will. You remember it, I dare say." " J if it were yesterday. Horton came to me and said " "Never mind what he said," inter­ rupted his senior, impatiently. About the will. You haven't it?" I? No. Horton was peculiar in such matters. He kept it in his own possession." "It is unfortunate," mused Hollings-, worth. "I don't understand," put in Tom, leaving his chair, and approaching the desk, with a perplexed air. "The will ean't be lost" "It is impossible," he continued, still more gravely, as the doctor and Hol­ lingsworth nodded affirmatively. " Hor­ ton was far too careful to have mislaid a document so important to Miss Bes­ sie's interest It is in some safe place, I am persuaded." - "Perhaps," admitted the doctor, gain­ ing some little encouragement from with the advent of the obnoxious Willis, a reaction 6et in. He inspired her with a dislike, none the less real because seemingly unreasonable. His assiduous politeness could not hide his insinuating manner, nor the masterful airs whioh he quickly assumed. n By law he was master of > Oakdale, and she but an inmate on suffrag& It required but little time to make her realize this. "1 cannot stay here," she declared tearfully to Dr. Edwards. "Everything belongs to Mr. Willis. I hate to spend one hour under his roof." "It is not his yet," assorted the doc­ tor, unwilling to resign hope, though he felt there was little room for it. "We won't abdicate just yet. I'll run up to i to the city and consult Hollingsworth I and Barton. They must know some- I thing of the matter." He smiled reassuringly, but Bessie j looked pitifully dubious. And so Barton had come. Though ' his cominp seemed to have brought no Ten minutes later Tom and Bessie were walking in the direction of Dr. Edwards' home. There were traces of tears on Bessie's cheeks, but Tom seemed highly elated and was talking in this wise: "I'm not rich, dear, and I'm not hand­ some, but I do love you dearly. We could be very happy you and L We'd have a flice home in this very neighbor­ hood if you like. I can imagine it now. A dear little cottage with a lawn in front, and honey-suckle over the piazza, and you sitting there, and me coming home and--" Tom's imagination was getting -the better of his grammar, so he went back to his starting point, and after remark- for the second time, that he was not rich, followed it up with the philo­ sophical axiom, 'riches cannot bring happiness.' "Now Bessie," he entreated, "make me the happiest fellow in creation. Say you'll be my wife. Do darling." Bessie shook her head, though the warm color dyed her cheeks. "No, Tom," she said softly, "it can't be. I understand thoroughly. You are sorry for me. My loss aud unpleas­ ant position make you exaggerate your feeling for me. I appreciate your gen erosity. But sympathy is not love. I cannot marry a man because he pities me." "Bessie," was all Tom managed to say, but the reproach he ) ut c in that one word would have filled sentences. "Look in my eye, you doubting girl," he added after a second. "Eight straight in my eye, and tell me if you see only pity there. Ah, you can't do it You stand convicted. You know so weil I love you truly. I thiqk of you constantly, dear." Bessie looked pleased, but not con­ vinced. "You see," said Tom,with a logic peculiarly his own. The case stands thus. I'm as sure as heaven I'll be mis­ erable without you, and I'm. equally sure I can accomplish almost anything within the range of human possibility with your aid and encouragement Therefore the question is, should you not oonsider me, and the future I must make for myself. I believe you do like me, too. Just a little, now, don't you dear?" By some manouvering, Tom had gotten possession of Bessie's hand and managed to retain it despite her somewhat feeble protestations. "You will be my wife," he whispered, (trowing momentarily bolder. Aud B.essie--But there is no necessity to repeat Bessie's answer, nor -Tom's subsequent remarks. When they reached the doctor's house, nearly an hour later, congratulations were in order. As soon as Tom could escape, he re­ turned to Oakdale to get his traps to­ gether, as he expressed it. Entering the library to get some papers which he had left in the desk he found Willis, with his feet on the Short Chapter on ^Headg. * The heads of men are growing larger," said a Broadway hatter to a New York Telegram reporter, as he sold a. 7i hat to a small man. "Thirty years ago," he continued, "when I first went into the business the average size ranged from 6£ to 6£. Of course, there were plenty of men with larger heads, but that was the average size. Most of our customers buy hats nowadays in size from 7 to 7{J)and yet the men thirty years ago seemed to have ju*t as much brains as the men of io-day. The most singular thing about the hat trade is the ability of a first-class salesman to judge of the nationality of his customer, by the shape of his 1 head. We Ameri­ cans have long, narrow heads. It used to be that when an American head came iu for a hat, if it was long enough for him it would be very likely too wide at the sides, or if it fitted at the sides it had to bo pulled out at the ends. But we now have hats for heads of all na­ tionalities. "When a German head comes in we jump for the boxes filled with hats es­ pecially made for round heads. The heads of Englishmen are irregular in shape, notwithstanding the conserva­ tism of the nation. Irish heads are the most easily fitted. They are oval in shape. Most small men require large hats, and there are a great many large men who wear small tiles. It is a noticeable faot, however, that as the world grows older the heads of English- speaking people are growing more and more alike, and the shape is tending to­ ward the long-headed American head, all reports to the contrary." Two Kind* or Walk*. Look at the methodical walk of the serried mass of clerks and others in a position more or less dependent. They are slaves to the clock, and to the rou­ tine to which their daily hours are de­ voted. Do they not walk oddly alike? And well they may, for they are alike--: at least in so far as they are integers to help forward the routine business work of(the world. Their very steps seem to say: "I am one of those who have to be here at such and such a time, and there at such a time. I must not delay. I must hie me to my work." It is the same with soldiers. They, too, are like so many spokes in a great wheel. In sweet contrast there is the self- made man. He may havn been a clerk like the others in his younger days. If so, there is a touch of it still in his gait But there is also much more. It has developed into a strut of the first water. He holds his head high so that all may look upon him. "Behold me!" he seems to say; "I am what I have made myself! Did yon ever see anything so remarkable.--All the Year Round. - , . particular enlightenment,yet he devoted | table, and his face bearing unmistak- Toms air of conviction. We have , himself to the search heart and soul. able evidences of ill-humor, warched the house thoroughly,however. | The house was rigorously overhauled. I "Back again, 1 see," came the rather Bessie has quite abandoned_ hope, and j From garret to cellar, not a square inch } Burly greeting, s cjit was with much difficulty I persuaded ! of space was overlooked, i her to remain at Oakdale a day or so ! "I'm completely puzzled, longer. She feels her position most' keenly." * I'll find, it," muttered Tom under his breath. " Who is the heir-at-law, doctor F Willis Horton's nephew. POETIC JUSTICE. MMi It "I'm back again to leave iu short was Tom's } order," returned Tom with impertur- mental conclusion. "Horton never hii i able severity. • that will, I'm willing to swear to it. ! Willis shrugged his shoulders. Now the question is: How-did# get "ut j "Glad to hear it, I'm qpre. I suppose of his safe, and where is j res-( Tm to be left in undisturbed posses- eat moment? Confou^HHlBs, I'm j sion. The sensation will be quite 1I« Was Itaady. The e xcellent pastor of one of our up­ town churches was hurrying* into the Michigan Central depot when he met countryman with his carpet-bag coming from the train. "What time is it, sir?" asked the pas­ tor, hurriedly. The countryman drew himself up with a no-vou-don't-mister air, and an­ swered siifiiy: "Daytime. I see through your little game. Besides, I left my watch t« hum to fool just sich sharks as you.-- Free Press. Mutually Satinfaotory. Mr. Porkchops--Miss Lakeside, it is better that we should part. Iu fact, I am already engaged to another young lady. Miss Lakeside--That suits me. have noticed for some t^ime past that you were cold and distant, so I got married yesterday morning.--Texas Siftings. JUDGE--"Single or marsied?" Prisr oner sighs deeply. "Oh, yo®, I fee- married." sIAsSa,.: mi Til* Boy* IVad an Awful Tim*, S*rv«d Them Right. "Father, what is poetic justice?" asked Fred Stanley at the tea-table. "Bless the boy 1 What put that into his head ?" said mother. "Why, there was something about it in our reading lesson to-day, and when I asked Miss Thompson what it meant she said we should see how many of us could find out for ourselves and give her an illustration of it to-morrow; but I don't know how to find out unlfssyou tell me, father." Mr. Stanley looked thoughtful for a moment, and then smiled, as if struck by some amusing recollection. "Poetic justice," he said, "is a kind of justice that reaches us through the un- forseen consequences of our unjust acts. I will tell you a little story, Fred, that, I think, Trill furnish the illustration you are after. '* "I recall a summer afternoon, a good many years ago, when I was not as large as I am now. Two other boys and my­ self went blackberryicg in a big meadow several miles from home. On our way to the meadow, as we paddled along the dusty highway, we met a stray dog. He was a friendless, forlorn-looking creat­ ure, and seemed delighted to make up with us, and when we gave him some scraps of bread and meat from >nr lunch basket he capered for joy and trotted along .at our side, as if to say, •Now, boys, I'm one of you.' We named him Bover, and, boy like, tried to findxmt how much he knew, and what he could do in the way of tricks, and we soon discovered that he would 'fetch and carry' beautifully. No mat­ ter how big the stick or stone, nor how far away we threw it, he would reach it aud drag it back to us. Fences,ditches, and brambles he seemed to regard only as so many obstacles jthrown in bis way to try his pluck and endurance, and he overcame them all. "At length we reached the meadow and scattered out in quest of blackber­ ries. In my wanderings I discovered a hornets' nest, the largest I ever saw, and I have seen a good many.,. It was built in a cluster of blackberry vines, and hung low, almost touching the ground. Morecrver, it was at the foot of a little hill, and as I scampered up the latter I was met at the summit by Bover, frisking about with a stick in his month. I don't know why the dog and the hornets' nest should have* con­ nected themselves in my mind, but they did, and a wicked thought was born of the union. • , " 'Bob! Will!' I called to the other boys. 'Come here: we'll have some fun!' "They came promptly,and I explained my villainous project I pointed out the hornets' nest, and proposed that, we roll a si one down upon it and send Bover after the stone. 'And, oh, cracky, won't it be fun to see how astonished he'll be when the hornets come out,' I cried, in conclusion. They agreed that it would be awfully funny. We selected a good-sized, round stone,called Bover's special attention to it, and started it down the hill. When it had a fair start we turned the dog loose, and the poor fellow, never suspecting our treachery, darted after the stone with a joyous bark. We had taken good aim, and as the ground was smooth the stone went true to its mark, and crashed into the hornets' nest just as Bover sprang upon it. In less than a minute the furi­ ous insects had swarmed out and nettled upon the poor animal. His surprise and dismay fulfilled our antici­ pations, and we had just begun to double ourselves up in paroxysms of laughter, when, with frenzied yelps of agony, he came taring up the hill to­ ward us, followed closely by all the hornetb. " 'Bun!' I shouted, and we did run; but the maddened dog ran faster, and dashed into our midst, with piteous ap­ peals for help. The 'hornets settled, like a black, avenging cloud, all over us, and the scene that followed baffles my power of description. We ran, we scratched, we rolled on the ground, and we howled with agony, till the meadow was, for the time being, turned into a pandemonium. "I have never known just how long the torture lasted, but I remember it was poor Bover who rose to the emer­ gency,and with superior instinct,showed us a way to rid ourselves of our vindic­ tive assailants. As soon as he realized that we, too, were iu distress, and could give no assistance, he ran blindly to a stream that flowed through the meadow not far away, and plunging in, dived clear beneath the surface. We followed him, and only ventured to crawl out from the friendly element ^hen we were assured that the enemy had with­ drawn. Then we sat on tlie bank of the stream and looked at each other dolefully, thi'oughour swollen, purple eyelids, while the water dripped from our clothing, and a hundred stinging wounds reminded us what excessively funny fun we had beeu having with Bover. 'The poor dog, innooent and free from guile himself, judged us accord­ ingly, and creeping up to me, licked my hand in tilent sympathy. Then some dormant sense of justice asserted itself witniu me. " 'Boys,' I said, 'we've had an awful time, but, 1 tell you what, it served us right.' "Neither of them contradicted me, and, rising, stiffly, we went slowly homeward with Bover at our heels. 'That, my boy," said Mr. Stanley, in conclusion, "is as good an instance of poetic justice as has ever come within my experience."--West Shore. What Saved First Mate Kooney. "Speakin' av a foine sinse av taste," observed First Mate Booney to the little knot of idlers who were exchang­ ing lies and personal reminiscences down at the docks the other evening. Speakin' av a foine sinse av taste. Fa# forron eppycures I'll back the natives av the Sanwidge Islands agin anny paple livin', not barrin' the Irish. "It war in July av '76 that the Mary Agan wint down aff the little island av Toopokay and me and a dick hand, who hailed from Kerry, war all who pulled t'rough and iver got out av the wet aloive. The shore war swarmin' as thick as flies wid naked, yellin' blacks, watchin' the wrach, as we drifted in wid the swell on a bit av broken spar. 'We're in fur it,'says me mate, as the loight fram a big bon-fire revaled a stis- pinded soap kittle an,d a gang av blood­ thirsty, hungry cannibals circlin' round it and callin' 'Soup! soup!' in their native langwidge. 'Yes, and be the same token we'll be in it, too, in a minute,' says I, wid one eye on the kittle and wid a brave attempt to be fesayshus. "Half an hour after I found mesilf lashed fast to a gum tree, wid a smell av broiled meat in me nc^e, the smoke blowin' in me face and the cannibal king addressin' himself to me. " 'Yer saved,' says he. " Thank**. Am I?' says L * "Ye are. Yer friend,' says he, *war and a great disappointment to the boys, they w#it no more av yez,' says h& " 'Thank,' says I. " 'He had a wild, gamf^aste; a dis­ agreeable flavor of a rabbit that we never tasted in a white man before. Can ve explain it?'says he, unloosenm* me. " I think I can,' says I.'His name was Bonny O'Hare and his mothflf was • Warren.'"-- Buffalo Trxtih. , ---- : Italian Cookery, 1S80. *,",t - All manner of small birds were eaten in the sixteenth century by the Italians as they are at the present day. Most persons who have beeu at Bome in win­ ter will remember the strings of these unfortunate little creatures which are hung up in the shops of .the poulterers and green grocers. Hawks, owls, crows, cuckoos, and other birds of prey are as­ sociated with their victims--such as robin-redbreasts, goldfinches, linnets, nightingales, and other birds wfcich in England are placed in a cage for their song and in Italy on the spit for their flavor. Frugoli in his "Escalcaria," even mentions the ostrich as fit for the table, but he cannot recommend it, as its flesh is of bad quality, and the bird is not easily obtained. He does not, therefore, give a recipe for dressing it, but he reminds his readers that the Em­ peror Heliogabalus had the heads of 600 ostriches brought to his table, only to eat of their brains. Scappi recommends that all small birds, and especially the delicious "bec- caficho" (the best came from Cyprus through Venice) and ortolans should be roasted on the spit, wrapped up in lard and sage leaves, and should be served hot placed on crust made of fine flour, pounded sugar and fennel. It is pain­ ful to find him classing with these deli­ cate morsels the swallow, which he says should be eaten young from the end of April to the end of August. After giving directions for eooking beasts and birds, Scappi turns to fish. For dressing them he gives no less than 218 receipts, of which twenty-six refer to the sturgeon. Cervio calls the sturgeon "il plu honoralo de' pesci," and tells us that the best came from a branch of the Po near Ferrara. They are in sea­ son from the beginning of March to the end of August, but are good eating all the year round if. they can be had. Salmon were sometimes served at great banquets, but were rare in Italy except salted. They were brought from Gas- cony. The shad were reckoned a special delicacy. Lampreys are fish of great price, and, says Cervio, much relished by gluttons. They should be cooked in their own juice, and are equally good whether eaten hot or cold. Among fish are mentioned eels, "calamari" (cuttle­ fish), sepias, frogs, turtles, tortoises, crabs, snails, and a variety of shellfish scarcely eaten out of Italy.--Murray's Magazine. , A Great Mpdlokn*. A. patent-medicine man drove his team upon the public square of a ooun­ try town, tossed a silver dollar into the crowd that quickly gathered, and loudly declared that he could cure every ill to be found in medical advertisements. "I have hero, gentlemen," said he, hold­ ing up a small bottle, "something that will astonish you all. If there is a dull man in the crowd I will make him sharp; if there is a sick man I will make him well. Of course, you have all beeu fooled many a time, but if I deceive you I will patiently submit to the ungraceful performance of riding on a rail. Here you old gentleman, you look feeble. Come and take a swallow of this medicine, and if it don't make you feel better I will give you my wagon and team. Come, aont be afraid." The man stepped up and took a swal­ low of the medicine. "Don't it make you feel better?" the medicine man asked. \ 'Hanged if I don't believe it do. GivV me another drop." 'Step right up, gentlemen, and for $1 get a bottle of the wonderful elixir. Most wonderful discovery known to the world. Had its discovery been early enough. Andrew Jackson would be liv­ ing to-day. Here, old gentleman, I warrant you that I can lighten your footsteps. Here, take a swallow." Tli»last man addressed was a torell- known character iu the town. He took a swallow, and, when asked if he did not feel improved,shook his head slowly and, turning to the crowd, said: "Boys, there ain't no foolishness about this stuff. Gimme a bottle." Then there began a rush for the medi­ cine. Men scuffled for places, and the vender saw with pleasure that some-of his customers emptied their bottles and then came after more. Late that even­ ing, when the town marshal found most of his neighbors drunk, he realized that the shrewd fellow had been selling whisky and orange juice. The fellow had gone.--Arkansaio Traveler. Wild Beasts Far Sighted. A curious communication has been made to the Academie de Medicine by M. Motais, of Angers, whose works on the various diseases of the eye are highly esteemed. He has closely ex­ amined the effect of captivity en the sight of wild beaBts such as lions, tigers, etc., and asserts that all animals in a savage state are far sighted. The same remark applies to man in an uncivilized state, and even to those who, though civilized, follow avooations which oblige them to remain constantly in the open air, such as sailors or farm laborers. The same faculty subsists in caged animals when they have been taken af­ ter the age of 6 or 8 months; but when born in captivity, or kept in cages when very young, they become near­ sighted, which M. Motais attributes to the narrow space in which they are con­ fined, and the training which obliges them to follow the eye of the keeper or tamer to obey his will. The near-sight­ edness of school children may, in his opinion, be ascribed to the same cause' --the habit of concentrating the sight on one point, and the fact that the power of the visual organ becomes modi­ fied according to the requirements to which it is subjected.--Murrays' Mag­ azine. fittlldoslnit the Mm. The English soldiers who mutinied were drilled eight hours per day, or un­ til many of them fell down in the ranks, when the articles of war limit the hours of drill to three, even for raw recruits. It was done by officers who seemed to have no other idea than to bulldoze the men. A Missing Tar H**l. A North Carolina man exploded twenty pounds of gunpowder under a mass of rock on the side of a mountain to loosen it, and the shock sent five acres of rocks, soil and trees rushing down for half a mile to fill up a valley and create a lake a mile and a half long. He has not been seen since the rush. THE trouble is that men do not say what they believe, but still expect oth­ ers to believe what they say. ' i A SMOKELESS BATTLEFIELD. How th* Army w»U He Aflhctwl by .tlk* S«w fowdcr. In the ensemble of battle and in the practice of following its different phases the smoke of the field has been a nseful auxilary to the commander-in- chief. The clouds and puffs floating over the lines of fire, which he followed from his post of observation--usually an elevated one, where the atmosphere remains clear--certified the troops en­ gaged, revealed to his practiced eye an estimate of the adversary's forces", and showed him step by step the fluctua­ tions of the battle. *In fact, they often told him more than the delayed reports of aides-de-camp.' But powder without smoke is tmr au established fact. Artillery and infan­ try open fire, and no smoke is visible! A single shot from the skirmish line is henceforth absolutely imperceptible, %nd*a salvo from a line of infantry at 300 yards only produces a thin blue- white vapor like tobacco smoke, that vanishes almost instantly. In no in­ stance, not even in the firing of heavy ordnance, is the vapor dense enough to indicate even at short firing range, the position of artillery cr infantry. These facts and others showing the insidious properties of this new agent of modern warfare were discussed at length at a recent meeting of a military board in the Army building, when it was deoided that it should be tested of­ ficially at Springfield with a view to its introduction into the American army. Of course, powder, without smoke can­ not become the privilege of the Ameri­ can army. European nations have taken up the problem, and several of them boast of having a formula of their own. Hence advantages and disadvan­ tages attending its use on the field of battle will be common to both sides. Each acquires a better view of his ad­ versary, but loses the protection that a veil of smoke afforded him. A priori one can judge how doubly important be­ comes the advantage of being the first to see the enemy, unseen by him, if possible. In spite of all the precautions which may be taken to discard those details in the uniform that might mark too con­ spicuously the presence of a troop, sur­ prises--and surprises are common occur­ rences in war--will be much easier to effect than before. The side that first receives the fire will Buffer a serious dis­ advantage, for some time must elapse before it can ascertain whence comes the attack, and the forces belonging to either side, though not two miles away, may know nothing of the skirmish. Owing to the distance that two ar­ mies preserve during the preliminaries of a combat, cavalry is intrusted with the honor of getting information--a perilous trust at beet, when it is con­ sidered that a mounted troop is not easily kept out of sight, and that the chances are against its being the first to discover a well-entrenched advance post Moreover, if it is true that in re­ cent wars the increased improvement of quick-firing arms has diminished the ef­ ficiency of the cavalry role, its future charge without the protection of smoke to cover its advance is looked upon at problematic. The results of the new powder in what concerns infantry are doubtful, sc much depends on the quality of the troops. As long as he is ambushed tht infantry soldier will be a myth; firing al 600 yards, his shot will neither be seen nor heard, only felt But, it is stated by army officers, his role is not to remain stationary. He must advancc and show himself. No longer protect­ ed by a cloud of smoke, he will have tc face a fusilade tenfold more appalling than Antietam or Gettysburg. Then: Artillery, say the veterans, gains everything by operating in a clear field. Before it worked blindfolded 'r the ene­ my's smoke served as aim, and it wat often deceptive. Now the exact position -ef the opposed artillery will be visible. With-«ven chances, when once a bat­ tery has attained precision in its aim, which before could but imperfectly be determined on account of smoke, it will serve as a guide to neighboring batter­ ies, and thus the fire will be concen­ trated and more effective. So that the artillery, if not the infantry and caval­ ry, would seem to be the gainer by the great martial transition from much smoke to no smoke at all.--New York Times. A Knowing Dog. There is a Newfoundland dog, Lion by name, which gives daily proof of hit comprehension of what is said to him. A lady called on his mistress the othei day. During her call Lion came in rather slyly, lay down on the parloi carpet and went to sleep. The conver­ sation ran on, and the visitor said finally: "What a handsome Newfoundland you haveT Lion opened his eye, "Yes," said his mistress, "he is a very good dog and takes excellent care oi the children." Lion opened the other eye and waved his tail complacently to and fry on the carpet. "When the baby goes out he always goes with her, and I feel perfectly sure that no harm can come to her," his mis­ tress went on. Lion's tail thumped up and down violently on the carpet. "And he is so gentle to them all, and stteh a playmate and companion to them that we would not take $1,000for him." Lion's tail now went up and down, to and fro, and round and round with great and undisguised glee. "But," said the mistress, "Lion hat one serious fault" Total subsidence of Lion'a tail, to­ gether with the appearance of an ex­ pression of great concern ou his face. "He will come in here with his dirty feet and lie down on the carpet, when I have told him time and time again that he musn't do it" Here Lion arose with an air of the utmost dejection and humiliation, and slunk out of the room with his lately exuberant tail totally crestfallen.--Nein Orleans States. A Comparison. "Isn't that sunset perfectly beautiful," cried an enthusiastic and sentimental young lady one evening last autumn when she was spending a part of her vacation with an old couple who lived on a barren little farin at the base ol the White Mountains. "I never saw anything lovlier in all my life. See those lovely purple and crimson and scarlet tints! Isn't it lovely ?" Her landlady glanced carelesslv to­ ward the glowing western sky and" said, with some little show of enthusiasm: "It is purty. There's no ardgin' that. It puts me in mind of the way my ole man's face looked last spring when he came so near dyiu' of the airy- aipe.as. 'Twas exactly them colors."-- Free Press. _ A man can Bubdue the elephant, the lion and the rhinoceros, but the "tiger" generally gets the best of him, ' ' -1 - * " . ' • ; ;'_jr