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ILLINOIS Piltjil k VMTfUKg, • r - " iR VALENTINE.; whl fee even without m Now, go along." "Can't we all stay?" asked Isabel. "No--too much contusion--drive Delia wild," said Clara. "I've been Here so much she's more used to me." '•But I've been here enough for her jj to be used to me," persisted Isahel. "Now, I mean to take charge 1*1 f be head knight. Miriam and Ilelen Peters shall go out in search of ad­ ventures, and Clara, Mary, and I will stay and beard the lion in her den. We wilt rescue Susie from the drag- on." "Oh, "said Susie, ,4Delia is not a idragon! She fs pretty cross, some- ^Tyli wt."uvoa"8d!iV^iS2k to wtait; I tirue,s' a»d ^ays she doesn't want any- tTncon*eioi:s!v th; " ' " "" i* BTAjrroN. • -v •"? What I Mad vera for a Valentin®? nrhapg thwrela nothing that would pMftM m batter "n*nto mutAnm t-hft loTitig {wart of mine • WUhtntt* snowy jwiges of my letter. Tbat •woaM be innocent an« artl«s« ; Bat, then, I know that you would deem nut h» artless. mm* 6F TEA. the poor thinK went to von. i one bothering around her kitchen. Dreaming, and dazzled iu one g< Men minate! Let it IM» the nil to you ; (sweet service this 1st) It • only roeompeiiso your smiles ami ktssMt THE VALENTINE CLUB. "You see," said Miriam Allen,- "I think we might do something be­ sides just give valentines to each other--we ought to have some kind of a celebration, the same as we do Thanksgiving and Christmas." '•That was just wnat 1 was going to speak about," said bright-eyed Isabel Mansur; "mamma said 1 could in vite you all to tea, and we will have games in the evening." •'That will be lovely"' cxdaftndd all the girls together. "Well, that isn't all," continued Isahel; "mamma is gbinir ; to let me carry out an idea I had the other day." •• "Oh, do tell us," ciicd Miriam and Mary Alien, twin wsters, in one breath, i "Yes, tell u%" .said, Quiet little Susie Perkins. ,* "Your ideas are always brilliant," I-. W said Clara May, another one of the . group/if six girls, who were standing - outside the academy gate. \ "1 hope you'illiko it."said Isabel, |T _J lo#ly. "it is quite original, none of p\ 1^;" " the other girls ever did it." '*What is it? What is it?" ex- claimed Miriam and Mary and Susie j&v * and the others. '"I.propose that we call ourselves <V * the Valentine Club, and that we start Jt ; r-~ out on the morning of Valentine's |> ,v* t / day, like the knights we nave read 8§/ i about, and see what adventures we Cv;it meet and what good we .-dan da If ^ 'l- we go skating we can help the stupid 4 * girls and the beginners; we can drag the children around the pond on our • if1 ivv ' sleds; we must beton the lookout, too, fct, fj-,' ft Cor every chance to rescue lost dogs • or stray cats, or help any old women 7 *•' $ * across the street What I want is [\ V' ^ that we shall be true knights in '• f.search ot adventure, and to the one I *( > ^as done the greatest amount of ^ * good through the day and been th$ bravest knight mamma is going to f!^' ,'i^ cive a present in the evening." ^ fr "Oh! Oh! What an idea!" cried the te U'i* twins, while the other girls were |y silent with astonishment f|?l "out," ventured Helen Peters, who H". I#'"'" not spoken before, "I don't see what that's got to do with Valen- m 1 tr' tine's day." Ife; - % "1 think my plan has as much to "gsty. »ith him as the old-fashioned idea &*« *' of choosing any particular person for p! , a valentine. St Valentine, you know. tit ^ - wasa very good man,-who was martyetjl j&yt ; !?i the 14th of February. We will be H*"! * 'ff; knight errants to everybody, and that ;<s, - ^ imitating St Valentine more p* , than any other way of celebrating the t/ , 0% - day." • '? , "At any rate, it's something new, _ and I like the idea," said Clara May;. •, upon Which the four girls echoed her, declaring that it was Sust like Isabel, .-'.and a splendid scheme. tj*" Valentine's day came brlgbt and ^ % cold and the pond was a One fflare of I ice. The Valentine Club awoke with joyful anticipation of what might happen before the dav was out Susie but she is in such a muddle to-day I guess she'll be glad ot any help she can get though I don't know." "Go away, girls--leave me to plan the campaign. You call for us when you go back to dinner, and this after­ noon, perhaps, we'll change--you stay here with Susie, and we go to the pond," said Isabel, who was used to carrying everything before her. The two knights chosen for out-of- aoor adventure went away rather re­ luctantly, for they, as they expressed it, "didn't want to have all the fun;" and Susie, rather timidly, led the Way to the kitchen. "For goodness sake!" ezclaimed Delia, as the four entered the large, sunny room, "you ain't a-going to have a party to-day, I should hope. If you'are I'll just up and go to bed." Isabel interposed before Susie had a chance to defend herself. "Now. Delia, you wait--don't be in a hurry to judge before you know. We are true knights come to deliver you out of your trouble." "True fiddlesticks!" grumbled Delia. "I'll warrant vou'U give more trouble than you'll save. ' "You wait, I say." persisted Isabel, laying a coaxing hand on Delia's arm. "We will be as quiet as mice and we'll work like beavers. You see if we don't I love to do housework, and I never have a chance at home, but when I go to visit Auno Annie she lets me do it, and she has taught me ever so many things. Get out all of the silver and put it wherever you want it cleaned, and Mary and 1 are going tD make it shine like new. That's one ot the things Aunt Annie taught me." "And mamma always has me take care of my own room," said Clara May. "She says 1 sweep and dust beautifully, so you give me a broom, and the dusters, and tell toe where to go first." "Do you really mean it?" asked Delia, looking from one glowing, smiling face to another. "Yes, we really mean it," they an­ swered. "But your mamma, and your good clothes!" "Our mammas have sent us out to be knights errant, and we have on old dresses, if you please," said Isa­ bel, with a sweeping courtesy. 'I can lend you each a pinafore," said Susie. "Well, if you mean it, and you really know how to work, I'm bound to say I'm thankful for any help, for I do f6el miserable enough to-day." said Delia, disappearing in the closet where she secretly wiped a tear out of her eye. In about fifteen minutes the four knights were battling most valiantly j happiest in our lives, which is the with household foes, and Delia, her mind greatly relieved, was pounding and kneeding her bread, and shaping little rolls. "I'll start the kerosene stove, too," she said, with a pleased smile lighting up her plaip face, "and make my cake and my pics just as fast as I can." When Susie had finished washing and putting away the dishes she went up stairs to see if her- mother wanted anything. She found her looking flushed and anxious, and as in Mrs. Perkins Perkins, however, was destined to liave her hopes dashed to the ground, j soon as Susie came When Sue came down to breakfast said, --. her father sat at the table with a I "1 thought I heard some one in doubled tace, and her mother was not*; th<* gue t chamber. Tell Delia she in the dining-room. ^ • I must not try t > be too particular. "fcusie," said Mr. Perkins, as soon , The house was swept last week, but as she entered, "it is very fortunate j yesterday Delia Wasn't aMe to sweep, that it is Saturday, for your mother j or even to dust, so I suppose she Has such a bad cold she must not get j thinks it must all be done now. most unselfish, for a selfish . life .can never be a happy one." The Valentine Club thanked Mrs. Mansur, and before they began to play an amusing game which wash spread out on the table they laid plans to continue their club, and to make it the beginning of one of the' famous "Lend-a-IIand" clubs, as there was none organized in their village.--Boston Beacon. , up to-day, and Delia is really sick,'f so sorry your aunt is coming when too, but she has got to do an unusual j we are both sick." - "Don't worry, mamma,*'said Susie A Prize That Brought Trouble. Mme. Boudin, a cook of Soissons, won a prize of 200.000 francs in con­ nection with the city of Paris loan in 1883,and has had nothing but trouble since. Her husband, who had pre­ viously deserted her, tried to avafl himself of 0ie deficiencies of Freneh law, which does not recognize very I'm i definitely a married woman's right to m,:. amount of cooking and housework on - accouQt of your Aunt Harriet, whot 0*, will arrive here with Minna and Gor- •iu don by the boat to-mo .row forenoon. >"•*& , You wilt have to be nurse untill get f j?" home to-night fiiV papa!" said Susie, "I'm sorry mamn)a is so sick, but I am dread- £ fullv disappointed about to-day, for I ft-*- _ was going to the pond this forenoon ! _ to skate with the girls, and we were ' § going to be knights of St Valentine •! ~agd do knightly deeds." , ~'Y£U will have to do knightlv ••{ "deeds at Lome, dear, to-day, so you 'must put on the armor of patience •srod see what your nearest duty is." Mr. Perkins went away to the city, and Susie's first duty was to carry up i to her mother a little tray with tea ! and toast on it Susie made it look 1 as invitine as possible, and she was very glad to see that her mother rel­ ished it When she came down she helped Delia clear the table, then she offered to wash the dishes. Delia was nervous, and inclined to be cross. She had not been well for several days. She was, in fact al­ most sick enough to stay in bed her­ self, but as the( coming visitors had not sent word until the previous day of their intended visit, there had been no time for preparation, and there was much to be done. •'I've got two kinds of bread to make," she said, fretfully, "and cake and pudding and pies for dessert, and I must boil a ham and have some­ thing ready for side dishes. Then your aunt's a dreadfully particular woman--che always spies out a grain of dust, so I've ggt to go al over the house. The silver must all be rub* oed up, too. I should think she might have given a little warning, and not come upon people like this. My head aches now fit to split and 1 I'm afraid I'll be down sick by night" Su6ie looked her sympathy and be­ gan to gather up the dishes to wash them. Just then the door bell rang, and the sound of merry voices out­ side tolfl Susie who the callers were tiefore she opened the door. The voices and laughter were soon hushed as Susie told her story with tears in her eyes. '•I'll tell you what, girls," said CUra'May, "you go along to the pond and I'll «itav with .Susie. I'm an odd withnntj erei laughing, "we have as many servants to-day as Aunt Harriet; more, for she only keeps three, and we've gat four." «»What do you mean, Susie?" "You told me a servant meant someone who serves. Well, you have four brave knights, devoted to your service in the name of Saint Valen­ tine. I'm one, Isabel and Ciara and Mary ore the other three," Then Susie explained the Valentine hold property, to obtain possession of the entire amount for his soie benefit. Then M. Dogny, a former employee of Mme. Boudin's. claimed the prize on the allegation that he bought the ticket for the cook with one for him­ self, and his wife gave up the wrong ticltet.. After mUch litigation the woman'4'husband died, ftnd his heirs agreed to- accept half the-prize in set­ tlements M. Dogny compromised his claim fqr 30,000 fr.incs. This left, Mme. Boudin but 70,000 francs, Dogny has been arrested, charge*! Club and its object to her mother, j with making a fraudulent claim, and iir; a lawyer is being prosecuted for em bezzling 15,000 francs of .the share awarded to the heirs of ttie woman's husband. fi jrpule*. ' ,*.* The gypsies believe that witches use eggshells to make plates, pots, and dishes to feed out of at their ban­ quets. Witches, to preserve their health, must with every increase of the moon, suck the blood of such men as were born at the increase of the moon, /rhose people who suffer from a witch fall into a kind of lycan- thropy. They are characterized by a pale, sunken countenance, hollow, ......v v. mournful eyes, swollen lips and flabby, up and dusted tne two rooms for the I ^stless arms. At night they often change themselves into wolves and do great harm. Transformed into dogs, they must accompany the witches on the i tbeir nightly forays. The tent gyp­ sies cut the tail off of a dog that and Mrs. Perkins was very much en tertained. She really seemed to brighten up and grow better as her anxiety about household affairs was relieved, and when, about noon,Susie brought her up some particularly nice gruel which Mary Allen had made from a favorite recipe taught her by a nurse, who had been in their family, she sat up in her blanket wrapper by the open grate, in which a cheerful little fire was burning, and listened with great interest and amusement to Susie's account of what had been troing on below. The silver had been polishe.1 until Isabel eould see her own dimpled cheeks in it Clara May had brushed guests and got the beds made< so all was in perfect order, and she had swept down the stairs and swept the front hall. Susie had dusted parlor and swept and dusted the sit­ ting-room. Delia had had great suc­ cess with her oaking. and had noth­ ing left to make but the plum pud­ ding, which was to bake slowly in the oven all night. Miriam and Helen had called on their way back from the pond and offered their services for the afternoon, but there was no need of any more help now. comes into their possession so that he may not turn back intoA man, in case he has been one, and hi changed by a witch into a wol KMuvercd. A pert young Scotch advocate, whose case had gone against him, had the temerity to exclaim that "he was Miriam Allen, '^i&ougli I out all day. ̂ 1 picked up one or two children who fell on the ice, and lent my skates lor an hour to £U|uk Brown, who had an old £air thi$l]favei but entirely when she put them on, but those incidents were not adventure*/' "1." said Mary Allen, "enjo/etf Bay- self ever so much at Susie's this fore­ noon, but this afternoon I was too tired to go skatimr; besides Brother Tom wanted me to play backgammon with him, because hte oold U ^oo bad for him to go out" "I had a splendid time at Susie's ttiis morning, too," said Clara May, "for I love to keep house and make things look nice; then 1 went to the pond with Isabel this afternoon, but we just skated and skated, and no one fell down or needed our help at all. ̂ ' This is my story. I've had no ad­ ventures, " said Isabel "Now, Helen, you're the last of the Valentine Club, what have you done?" said Mrs. Mansur. "I didn't see anything Icould do at the pond this morning excepting to drag little Polly Downs around on her sled when Miriam wasn't skating, and that wasn't anything; but this after­ noon I went out on an errand and I saw three big boys tormenting a poor, stray kitten, and throwing pieces of ice at it. 1 felt afraid to speak to them at first because they were big and tough, but I said to myself, 'this will never do for a mem be f of: the Knightly Valentine Club,' and 1 went up to them. They laughed at me, and were keeping on just the same. :Then I felt just like one of the knights I've read about, and I flew at iherfi and snatched up the hitten and ran away with it as fast as I could ga ' 1 carried it home and fed it, and mamma said I .had been so brave 1 might keep it." "Oh!" exclaimed Susie and Isabel almost, together, "that was a true knightly deed. You deserve the prize, doesn't she, mamma?" Mrs. Mansur hesitated, looking from one bright face to another. Then she said,-- ' 'It was very brave and very kind, most, certainly, and Helen must have a prize, for she deserves it, but how about Susie who bravely accepted her disappointment this morning, and re­ solved to devote the day which she had anticipated so much to her home duties? Wasn't that brave?" | "Yes, indeed," cried five voices,' -^hi'e Susie looked down and blushed. "And when each one of you who called for her o^ered to give up your day's sport on the ice and stay with her, that was brave and kind. Mi­ riam did a knightly act when she lent her skates for an hour, ; ana Mary when she gave up skating to amuse her brother. You have all shown to­ day the spirit of the true knight in doing for others, and I am glad to see how happy it has made you," Mrs. Mansur opened a little box at her side and took out six gold riQg^ set with simple turquoise stones. , "I am going to give each one rtryou a ring, and when you look at it I wantyou to remember two Important truths: First, it isn't necessary to go out into the world to be useful or brave; the greatest courage is often • required cto do some bumb)$ \york j which is near our hands. Second, that day, or week, or year, is the Interesting About CaUbh •ad timers of the fiany Tribe. ' fft is ge*pr«ily tttpppsed thAt fishes tdmt fto care what*yerof their young, leaving them entirely to the attention of nature," says Professor Theodore Gill pf Washington. "But the fact is very much otherwise with many species. The most remarkable point, however, regarding certain kinds of finny creature^ in their parental rela­ tions is that males do thq eare taking and not the females. Very interest- tog discoveries have been recently made with regard to the hat its of nest-building fishes, the catfish among others. "If you will go out any time dur­ ing the month of August in this lati­ tude, you will see in the streams and ponds big catfish of the common sort each one accompanied by a swarm of small fry. In each case the old one is a male and he is engaged in taking care of his offspring. If an intruder comes near he will dash at him and drive him away. . It has been known for a long while that catflshes bad this way of guarding their young, but only lately has it been ascertained that it is the papa fish which did the caretaking. Some time back there was a pafr of catftsh?s in one of the aquaria at the building of the Fish Commission. At spawning time eggs were laid, and one of the parents keDt watch over them, hot permitting the other to come hear. The young were duly hatched and thrived, bein? cared for in this way until they were big enough to look out for themselves. Then the fish which had stood guard was taken out and dissected, the re- suit being that it wis found to bs the male. "In their natiye, ponds and brooks you will'find large broods of young catll'h as big as three-rourths of an inch in length remaining together in flocks, each flock accompanied by the male. Sometimes the latter will twim slowly along in the center of the flock and at other times along­ side. In laying their eggs the parent catflshes select a spot where the water is quiet, if possible protected by aquatic -plants, and there they make a nest perhaps eight iuches by six, incloiing the' spawn. The nest has a soft outer envelope, and over it the male ho vets, forcing fresh water through the mass by rapid vibrations of its fins, until after about a jteek they are hatched. "Sometimes the male cattish takes care of its' young ; in a still more* peculiar manner. There is. a kind found in the sea, the eggs laid by which arq as big as a small bullet These eggs; a re found in the mouths of the males, which do this to pro­ tect them. After the eggs are laid papa catfish takes them into his mouth and keeps them there until they are all hatched, when they go out and take care of themselves; 'But|his method isj hot confined to tho catushes. There are found in Africa and South Africa a species which resemble the sunfish of our own streams. These 'cichliflg,*v atf they are called, are also plentiful ib Texas and Palestine. 1 Tb^a^OAfteftC found with their cheeks fairly bulg­ ing .With ygung, Jq the Sea,of Galilee thedchlids are so numerous that the> miraculous "catch of the time When St. Peter fished there might be re­ peated any day, it being the manner of these fishes to move about on the top of the water in solid masses, cov­ ering many square yards and making a noise like that of rain pouring^" A^*o4erground mer flowing Ddrthpastfco southwest directly -Welly, many feet below, wio®* have been taken, and other testa have been made, and it is now announced by competent en gineers that a stream of extraordi nary extent actually exists under the city. It has a swift current and sleeps over a bed of beautiful white, smooth pebbles. The quality of the water is of the purest, and the supply is prac­ tically inexhaustible. The tests set at rest all doubt on this score, and mains are to be ex­ tended to the various towns of the neighborhood and to Elizabeth City. Are There Maitodon* In Alaiktf The Stickeen Indians positively as. sert that within the past live years they have frequently seen animals, which, from the descriptions given] must be mastodons. Last spring] while out hunting, one of these In­ dians came across a series of large tracks, each the size of the bottom of a salt barrel, sunk deep in the moss, Hte followed the curious trail for some miles, finally coming out in full view of his game. As a class these Indians are the bravest of hunters, but the proportions of this new specie; of game filled the hunter with terror, and he took to swift and immediate flight , He describes the creature as being as large as a post-trader's store, with great, shining, yellowish white tusks, and a mouth large onough to swallow a man at a single gulp. He further says that the animal was un­ doubtedly of the same species as those whose bones and tusks lie all over that section of the country. The fact tnat other hunters have told of seeing these monsters brows­ ing on the herbs up alontr the river gives a certain probability to the story. Over on Forty-Mile Creek boneaof mastodons are quite plenti­ ful. One ivory tusk nine feet long projects from oae of the sand-dunes on that creek, and single teeth have been found that wpre so large that they would be a good load for one man to carry. I believe that the Huiile-foofceu hog'still exists; also that live mastodons play tag with the aurora every night on Forty-Mile Creek in Alaska.--Juneau Free Press. "% In the afternoon Susie read aloud i 1 whereupon the court was about to commit him to jail, when John Scott, afterward Lord Eldon, the counsel on to her mother, and waited on her, and got the tea-table laid to save Delia, who had gone to lie down, and when that was done papa came, and Susie got ready to go to Isabel's to tea. It was a delightful tea. The Knights of St. Valentine were in their merriest humor, and after tea, before games began, they sat down to tell Mrs. Mansur their day's ad­ ventures. "I have had no adventures at all," said susie,' "for I have been in the the other side, interfered in totefkvor: "My lords, my learned friend is young; if he had known your lordships a* long as I have done,. he would not have expressed astonishment at any decision of your lordships"--an apology which seemed to satisfy the court. J • IN sickness, trouble, danger, < oi misfortune, courage is half the battle- The trouble is that m'ost of us have -t- Woes ot a Man Shopper, There is nothing more pitiful tc the feminine beholder than a man frantically endeavoring to buy a'gift for his wife or sweetheart His in­ tentions art. of the best, but his knowledge is so limited that an un­ scrupulous saleswoman can palm off some wretched object on to him if she simply assured him that it is quite the thing. "She is a woman, there­ fore she ought to know," he -argues with: blmseir, and nine times out of ten buys whatever she advises, re­ gardless of color, form, or expense. Now with these trusting and lamb­ like creatures roaming about at large at this season it behooves the sales- pcople to be-especially honest ^tid not bring down upon the innocent head of the giver the wrath of some fair recipient who discovers instead of a modish and elegant present a passe offering that has laid on the Shelf un­ sold since last Christinas. Some men swagger in with a know-it-ali expres­ sion, which, however, deceives no one, when they ask. with a very important air, to be conducted to "the aigrettes, please," and on their arrival at the counter where these are sold do not know an aigrette from an oyster patty. From a long and trying period of observation of the ignorance they manifest on a shopping tour, the Philadelphia Times has about come to the conclusion that the only places where a map can be allowed to roam with perfect safety are the florists, the confectioners, and the jewelers. They can't go very far wrong in either of these establishments, and it is much better to buy with an air of certainty articles that are sure to be all right than to get into a dry goods store where they are at the mercy of the girls behind the counters and be­ come the victims ot their own in­ credulity. All ye men who mean , to give gifts such as are found in the emporiums where feminine toggery does mo>t largely hold forth be wise, give the money to a Woman friend who cannot be bulldozed by sales­ girls, and confine thy purchases to jewelry, bonbons, and flowery An Underground River. The people at Plainfleld, N. J., are greatly puzzled at the discoveries made by the Plainfleld Water Supply Company, and wonder what sort of a floating municipality they live in. For a week the company has been endeavoring, by crucial tests, to de­ termine the exact magnitude of its water supply. The water is procured j from driven wells at Netherwood. All of the powerful pumps at the pumping station have been" kepti steadily at work, day:and night for a week, in vain attempts to lowex; the level of water in the wells. In spite of the fact that the com­ pany has been supplying each day many hundreds of thousands of gal­ lons to consumers, and has poured to waste from its mains into brooks 4,- 000.000 gallons each day, there has been no diminution of the sucnlv, Cljrdle or Marie Ifouiao. This ceiriiture, presented to her by the first Napoleon, was made of gold, the design being classic, of the style of the Emperor, formed of two narrow bands of op^n work set with pearls in the form of the Greek honeysuckle at the edges, and loining at the center with a large antique onyx cameo of Apollo and a Muse,from which hangs a long pendant, increasing in width down to the lowest edge, where it is ornamented with five imperial crowns, each having a tassel of loose pearls. The pendant, being flexible, is made of broad, open-work links of two patterns, repeated alternately and gradually larger from the waist 'downWards. The one of these is a sort of true lovers' knot, enclosing a Wreath With a star of gold; the other, a wreath with tne Napoleon Bee; the edges ornamented throughout with honeysuckle ornament in pearls set a jour, giving the utmost elegance and finish to this beautifnl girdle. One on the Landlord^ ' The landlord of a Florida hotel at which game figured sparsely on the bill cf fare had among his guests recently a sporting Englishman who one day made the assertion that there were plenty of ducks and plenty of quail to be had within a few miles of the hotel. The landlord said, satir­ ically, "I'll give you 50 cents for every duck you get and 25 cents a pair for quail." The Briton, with one man accompanying, set off. At nightrall they returned, and a wit­ ness of the incident said, "Well, sir, they just covered the office floor with birds. I never saw anything like it And the landlord had to pay. too. Yes, sir. He sputtered for a while about its being unsportsmanlike to sell game, and all that, but he had made a promise and he had to stick to it. Being a mean man it nearly broke his heart, but his guests had all the birds they wanted for the a&tt w°ek." Hereditary Influence. It is a fact well established by students of heredity that children are apt to inherit not only the physical, mental, and moral traits of their parents, but to be influenced by their age as well. Children born of very young fathers and mothers never at­ tain so vigorous a growth of mind or body as those of older men and wo­ men, while children of old people are born old. One of the most surprising cases in medical history is that of Marguerite Cribsowna, who died in 1763, aged 108 years. When 04 she was married to a man aged 105. Three children came of this union, but they had gray hair, no teeth, were stooped, yellow, and wrinkled, de­ crepit in movement, and could eat only bread and vegetables. WifM'A . He Obeyed Orders. A teacher who last week received as an addition to her primary school flock a i-mali graduate from the kin­ dergarten was impressing upon the new pupil the necessity of quiet movement about the room, "Now, Harry," she said, "go back to your seat.and see how still you cau come to the desk. Come up like a mouse," she finished, by way of illustration. Whereupon the small Harry re­ turned to his place and, dropping upon all fours, came nimbly and silently, in true mouse fashion, through the aisle. The outburst of merriment which neither scholars nor teacher could suppress at this performance, surprised and grieved the heart of the little kindergartner. who saw nothing unusual in it--New York Times. The Cross. The alleged connection between gypsies and the nails used in the crucifixion has frequently been re­ ferred to. It is said that the tinkers are descendents of one who made the nails for the cross, and are condemned to wander continually without rest. This tradition Is very common in the Highlands of Scotland. IF a man does something mean while he is drunk, he never remem­ bers it, but if he is robbed, he can give a vivid description of the robber, f^te11 the S, *"» v#> M -/-•>- ®rft& r- r>ouala8 Sladen was at ^ - 'n' th^ JD®!|e'4M Duchess tit Gonnaught arrived there, and put up at the snme hotel. 'The royal party were simple in their habits, and neither the civic authorit'es nor the hotel servant* "made any particular fuss over them," as Mr. Sladen ex­ presses it it was the season of "the cherry dances," and everything wore a festive air. Mr; Siaden's little 8-ycar-old boy was especially inter­ ested in the archery galleries, and wheedled all the gentlemen in the hotel , into taking him to visit them. One evening he set upon the Duke himself. "There's splendid ^boot na here," said the boy- ^ ; X r: "Indeedsaid the Duke. "Wtore?" "lh the archery gallery. Do yoti go in for it much?" The son of Queen Victoria confessed that so far he had not paid much at­ tention to it 'You can get nearly a hundred shots a penny," continued the astute Charles, trying to tempt His Koyat Highness by the inexpensiveness of the amusement. Where is it?" asked His Royal Highness, entering into the spirit of the thing. It turned out to be half a mile away, and the Duke said, with re­ luctance, that he couldn't go so far. "I suppose you'll have to be with the Duke this evening?" asked the rather crestfallen Charles, who knew he was talking to one of the royal party, but had not the ieast idea what an illustrious member of it he had selected. , I am afraid I shall," said the Duke. "But come along with me, little man. and I'll take you to him." And off $hey went to the royal apartments, where the duchess--who had children of her own the width of the world away--kissed him and gave him sweetmeats, and played with him tor an hour or two. We missed him, and when he came back asked him, of course, where he had been.. With the Princess," he said. "And do you know, she is a real Priaceas--very pretty." * Fast Knougfi. It is said that a new maritime in­ vention, intended to revolutionize the present system of marine loco­ motion, is being perfected by Lieut Apostoiow. of the Russian navy. The other day a private exposition was giten of the ingenious models before Admiral Van der Fleet, Baron Bis- trom, Capt Pereleschin and othei naval officers, in the directors' mom ot the Russian company's establishment at Odessa. Sufficient informtion has been collected by the London Transport to show that Lieutenant Apostolow's new ship has neithci screw nor paddle. There is. instead, a kind of running electrical gear right round the vessel's hull, under the wa­ ter line, and a revolving mechanism, which will propel the ship from Liverpool to New York in twenty- eight hours. This, however, is but one part of the Russian's scheme. Some unreasonably timid persons, Lieutenant Apostoiow imagines, might object to the discomfort of be­ ing swished through the Atlantic bil­ lows at the rate of 130 knots an hour. To these he of­ fers the alternative of a sub­ marine passage "without rock, roll or vibration, and with a good supply of oxygen and hydrogen during the short voyage." What the Czar's officers thin<c of the Apostoiow plans it is not recorded. All that is known is that the Lieutenant has quitted Odessa for Moscow and St. Peters­ burg, where he intends to exhibit his models before he embarks with them for that valhalla of inventoif-^the Wond's Fair. A Stitch in Time Saves Ninety. When a stitch drops but of the main engine belt, don't trust to luck to run till noon or night, but shut down at once, as soon as the defect is discovered, and repair the damage. Perhaps it will take five minutes to put in two or three stitches of lacing and the whole shop's company must stand idle during the length of time. No matter, let them stand. The loss is not over 5 cents per man, or $3.25 for the whole sixty-five of them, and this would not be a circumstance to the lofs tnat might occur were tho attempt made to run the t>elt with­ out the slight repairs that could be madeduring the live minutes' stop. In one case the neglect of just such trifling repairs one day, the defect being discovered just as the engine was being started at noon, and al­ lowed to run in the hope that it would go till night--that time the neglect was fatal. The belt "let go" about 3 o'clock, and a whole hour was lost in fixing what could have been done in five minutes at noon. The fore­ man of that shop learned the lesson, and you can do so from his. example without the loss of $39 worth _ of time among a shopful of men.-- American Miller. Meriou», Indeed. The rcccrit utterances of Boston clergymen in reference to the state­ ment of Mr. Moody that the steamer Spree was saved by prayer, recalls an incident that happened many years ago on a steamer running to Prince Edward Island from Halifax. There were a large number of clergymen on board, going to a church synod. The weather became so rough that the greatest anxiety was felt by all on board as to the safetv of the boat When the storm was at its worst, one of the clergymen approached the cap­ tain, and asked him if the danger was very great "My dear sir," was the answer, "all we can do is to put our tru9t in Providence." "Good Heavens!" said the parson, in the greatest dismay; "has it come to that?" •- His Ketort Courteous. A well-known New Yorker, famous for his ben mots, was asked by a friend upon returning from Boston recently if he had renewed his ac­ quaintance with a certain lady, well known for her Impressive style and blue stockingish qualities. "No," he replied with a smile. "She invited me one evening 'tomeet some minds at top,' but I bad an en­ gagement--to meet some stomachs at dinner--at the St. Botolph Club, and so 1 had to forego the pleasure."--- »!» • . ! . 'A •* u ,4 • • M. a&elicioas ibetnbuityu^ '»'.-%*• : "Poilyvpui kettle on, and we'll all But see that the kettle Is boiling before making the tea. and see that the water is fresh, and that it boils immediately, before it has parted with it? sparlitur gases. Do not let it simmer and'simmer for hours be­ fore it is OMftSA. I think ft Wis DelmoDico that said,^ "Americans cook their water to dea^h." Some notable houAswives fcriidfe themselves as upon a virtue w5ea they serthe kettle In the stove the night before, in readinMttlor the next morning's breakfast Teg^i^ectffjee or vegetable*,. pRM>aredafNt|r^ altch water, wifbbave a flatry4|&l taste';.;"'" Let the teapot, arr eaf^b one, variably be scalded beSfo'reiputting-'th the tea, add then allow the tea to steep from five to ten minutes before serving. If the tea is" made iu the kitchen, do not allow it to bo& aet on the back part of the stove* .. Of course, with a copper teakettle and crane, or "5 o'clock tea," or a sil­ ver spirit lamp at the table, this cau­ tion Is Supererogatory In cold weather a tastefully mji<)e cck&F thrown over t£e Jte^pot adds a trpuch of brightness,)"jtars.f Good titou^r keeping. ->• .-:»}• U&r" Uncoiored Japan tea, or "a fine blend of Orange iPekoe and ^prmosa, makes a most delicately flavored cup of tea with which to tempt the most inveterate tea hater, and rou*e his flagging energies. There is nothing like a cup of tea as a nerve tonic; Or course, indul­ gence in tea-drinking can be carried too far, as in wines, chiorai, the bro­ mides. and other things good in their piace. A, peculiar property of tea is that it prevents the wa$te of tissue in se­ vere and protracted physical and mental exertion. A famous Arctic explorer said in my hearing that his men bore up under the strain thet were put to through exposure and se­ vere toil, far better when tea was served out to them than when depend­ ing upon coffee or liquor for a stim­ ulant And then, what a prothoter ot sociability is a cup of tea; what home* comfo: ts does it suggest as to Cow- per, when he on a winter's evening draws a cheerful picture of the craqK* ling fire, curtained windows, the hisa- ing urn, and the "cup that cheers, but not inebriates!" - .How oftendo^ the author of "Eothen" record hi* testimony to the cheering, soothing influence of the steaming cup that Oriental and Englishman could jura in liking. In spite of the "Country Parson,1?* who calls tea a "nerveless and vapor­ ous liquid"--he never could have tasted it made in the manner (it- seribeu above; in spite of the slurs Matthew Arnold casts upon it--he describes a visit to George Sand and tells us that she poured out for him cup of the "Insipid and depressing beverage, boisson fade et melan- colique, as Balzac calls it, for which English people are thought abroad %i> be always thirsting;" in spite of all this be it said tha« a cup of tea, warm and fragrant, and with a delicate; bouquet, as they say of wine, pos^s^s an aroma fit for the gods. <DeQusncey knew whereof he spoke when he sai(|, "Tea is the beverage of the intel­ lectual" ' " " ' •j M Tho Old and the New, "I called at a dentist's office to­ day," said a Western Congressman "1 had a hollow tooth that ached * good deal, so I thought I'd have It upholstered; but the dentist advised ine to have it drawn instead of filled, saying that the process was almost% painless and the satisfaction com­ plete. 1 yielded to bis argument With fear and trembling. I had never had a tooth pulled since I was a boy, and the memorv of my last experience ill that line was enough to give a person bad dreams. "I was surprised at the ea^e with which the fang was extracted and the almost complete absence of pain. After this I'll rather enjoy haviog' teeth drawn. Jt was widely differ­ ent when I was a boy, though; . j'i re­ member the Village dentist' quite, ' welll.' When he wasn't removingimo^ lars he was sWeing horses.' He wa» a large man, and th? muscles of ^ brawny, airrns were strong' rs ,iro(\ bands. He u$ed ho anesthetics. ^... "He simply throtted his vlctttt and inserted a pair of tongs into"the unfortunate's mouth, and then h* breathed hard and pulled until tlife tooth came out or the tongs broke or, lie sprained his wr st. lie general^ extracted three or fours sound teeth . before be captured the aching one, but he was liberal and made no extiit charges. Oh, I tell you, the worlfr' has advanced since I was a boy. and in nothing more than dentistry," anil, the Congressman removed bis spec­ tacles in order that he might sec the paper he held in his hand. The Uotnlpor on the farm. A writer says that the worse enemy of the human race is the person who tells you a mean thing somebody else has said about you just bccause h» "thinks you ought to know it," and these old grannies are as plenty among the men as tho women. Therfe are such farmers, who have not made\ a dollar in two years above a poor i living, but seem to take delight, and - will neglect their most pressing work to bother you with something this o§^ that one has said. It serves no good' purpose, and is. nine times out of ten, only a small part of what was actually said. The worst people have their friends, the milk and water people have their friends, and good people, have tbeir friends, and at any givell time what has been said about an£> of them is not the hundreth part s$> imoorcant as what they have actually s dqjne. Some people do not want t« be good, some do, and the large marir jority do not care to be particularly good or bad. It is a very thanklesS* job to carry bad opinions. If thill disposition to carry news has to bfcl > indulged in let it be exercised in car«^ rying good opinions and sunshine an "" the hearer will tie obliged long arte it is forgotten by every one else. I is just as easy and leaves a path o sunshine where fault finding woul leave trouble and hate. Af" THEKE are lots of riiea in tb world who arc born to ? tie,; but' th other fellows are such a pack of noramuses that they can't be mad<*| tut realise it --v ; ̂ , ...w. U ..*• Y