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• $ § § STORY OF A BACKWOODS WOOING. 30000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000C UP the long and slanting bill-slope a man's figure went slow ly. plodding onward after a sturdy black mare and turning up the ground between two tall rows of corn, ,which at times hid him completely lrom view. The shoulders under the straw feat .proclaimed him young and manly, and the steadiness with whicn he went forward and his short stop at the top of the slope bespoke him man of pur­ pose. Then came .galloping through the .White dust of tlie road below a lanky ,boy on a roan horse, ih whose veins ,was the racing blood of generations. 'Clear and 'flutelike came the call. * Mar- ^a; oh, Marion!" Marion, handsome Man on. tame lei- v irely up to the rails. He did not c> - ;;ect any letters arid was not excited. However, the boy knew his news wae worth attention and burst out impet­ uously. "Ver won't be so cool when ye have -heerd it, either. Beck Bailey s man is dead." He had the gratification of seeing Marion grow pale to his lips. "What killed 'im?" "The doctors nir calliu' it blood pi- sen," returned the boy. "Say, Marion, they're gittin' thar hot fut. I seen Tom Pence hitchin' up and Cunnel Will hex been thar high an' dry sence the turn kum," Still Marion did not speak, but tho boy saw his lins tremble. "Run along, Pete, with the mail. Folks'll all be waiting," he said, and Peter, disappointed at nothing more definite, dug his heels into the colt and dashed away. Then the man unhitched Dolly and, mounted on her bare back, rode down the lane into the sunlit woods, on, on, without path or guide post, deep into the woods until he was sure he was far enough from human beings to be safe. And then, with a shout jubilant enough to frighten the black mare, he threw back his head and laughed, a sonorous peal that astonished himself. He knew he was*-happy and he had come awaj here to tight the impetuous demons of newly aroused passion and eagerness until he could subdue them enough to be decorous before the world. For he bad loved Beck Bailey when she was a slip of a girl, and as a young woman, and when she had married another he had come away here in the woods to fight out his hatred and misery and r e­ bellion. Nature, dear mother, had calmed him and he even became resign­ ed. But Beck Bailey's man was dead, and she was free, and the heart of the man went after her as a bird after the home nest. Beck! slim, sweet Been, with her laughing, mocking mouth and wonderful, changful eyes! She should be his--for what cared he for Tom Pence, and even Colonel Will, the old, bowing, smirking beau. He would go down with the country side and see Beck at the "berryin'," but not before, oh, no!--he could wait awhile now. The "berryin' " was a great affair. The Baileys' house had been thronged for days, and Beck kept up by a con­ tinual state of excitement. It was all grist to her mill, for she loved "some- thin' goin' on," and in this case was al­ most wild, besides* with a sense of freedom and relief. Her new black clothes made her look "mighty peart," as the women said, and she was the adored and center idol of everyone, pet­ ted and condoled with, cried over and appealed to for advice and assistance In planning the great funeral. Never had quiet Edward Bailey made such a stir in the world as now, when, quieter than ever, he lay in state in his black coffin, one "with solid handles.' The traditional ceremonies were all gone through with, the weeping, wail­ ing, the dolorous hymning of quavering voices, the sermon, long and full of eu­ logy, the farewell to the dead, at which Becky fainted dramatically into her father's arms, and the slow walk to the graveyard near, a long procession of the country people following. It was all over and as nightfall came on the crowd dispersed, wondering what "Beck wud do jist at fust, an' who'd git er." For not one had missed Tom Pence at the "berryin' " with his pleasant, jo­ vial face and smiling eyes, nor Marion Moore, silent and watchful, nor the "ole Cunnel mussin' aroun'." They had all ben to "berryiu's" before and they all knew Becky Bailey. It was only four years since she set the country mad with her beaux and her fun and her daring escapades. And now 'she •as a widow, rich, handsomer than ^ .-er. "An' ef the ole Nick hain't let Lose in these pairits, I'm a coon," v-iid her own uncle in the bosom of his family. In four weeks some one met Beck out riding with the '"Cunnel." The news went like wildfire. Aunt Dilsey went over to see Beck. She found her in her white dress, lying in a ham­ mock reading a novel. "Whatever air you doin', Beck?" she said. . "What I please and plum enjoyin' It," said Becky. "Yeh able to be lazy," sighed Aunt Dilsey, "but I wouldn't go ridin' jest yit." Beck's handsome eyes smiled. "I wud," she said, "do jist exactly what I pleased. I'm rich an* I'm free, an' I 'm goin' to enjoy life, an' yer can save verselvfes a power by shettin' up." "Then," said Aunt Dilsey, "she curl­ ed up like a young cat an' I-cudn't get another word but'n her." The next Sunday night there were •V." ten saddle horses and buggies tied to the posts and the fence. Beck never enjoj'ed anything so much in her life. She .treated" everyori'e alike, gave them » cake and home-made wine, laughed, joked and turned them all out at 10 " o'clock, inviting them to call again. But the next Sunday night there was no Becky at home, and 'Ishe electrified •the small aildlence at the Methodist church at the cross-roads by appearing among them with a stripling cousin of 17; " During these days Marion Moore never appeared at the Bailey house, nor formed one of the young men, aye, even the middle-aged and old men, who never failed to crowd about the young widow whenever she rode into the county town on Sunday afternoon. Being the only man she missed, Beck grew restive, and one October day, when Marion was clearing up a, new bit of ground for the spring tobacco, she came riding dolvn the lane toward him, her black skirts flying, her cheeks blazing and her tendril-like curls all falling down froiji under her black cap. He saw her coming, away off, and lie knew the errand on which she came, and he had to steel his heart against her to hold his vantage ground. Handsome, stalwart, t>rawny, he rest­ ed on his ax calmly, though the blood in his veins ran as riotous a course as is a brook's after a storm. How Beck laughed as she drew up! . o "I haven't been up liere for years," she said. "Come over to the clfff, Mar­ ion. I'll walk Black Nell." ; \ "I must work, Beck," he said. "Life isn't play all around, ye know." "Which means ye won't," she smiled. "But I know yer want to go^ plum bad! Ye're play in' a losin' game, Mar­ ion, fur I know by yer eye that ye're jest the same as ye were," and she laughed tantalizingly. "Don't' think yer can fool me, Marion." He threw his ax down with angry vehemence and stood looking at her. "I don't know whether ye're a witch or what," he said, hoarsely. "I am jest the same, Beck, an' yer want to look out. I can't stand foolin'." "I won't marry ag'in. I'm goin' to enjoy l!fe," she mocked. "What's the use of my marry in' ? I've got money and land and years of good times ahead o' me. What'd I git in ex­ change?" Marion never answered except by his persistent gaze. "Good-by." she said presently; "ye're in too bad a humor. Ye're takln' life too serious, Marion. There's more'n gray skies above my head. Give me the blue one3." Then she galloped away to the bluffs and Marion's tem­ ple of nature, high in the woods above the river. He half fancied she would come back his way; but no. The after­ noon wore away and no lithe, slim figure on a black mare appeared on his horizon. So she knew, and, since she knew, she mocked him. Well, he had al­ ways loved the brier rose. How could he tame this untamable tigress, this guesser of men's secrets and yioeker of men's loves? The intuitions of Mar­ ion Moore were better than his knowl­ edge or his reason. He guessed that only a real, lasting affection would ever make her more faithful, more tender, more true than any other wom­ an--but how, how, indeed, was this to come to her?" got an engagement to go to Cincinnati to-morrow., an' ef l say-the word what's ter prevent me conain' back marHed • <1 Marion was quite white, but Was ^ equally determined. "Ef yer go, of course I'll know..it's all up. I'll be at the turn oflhe 'road at any time set. That'll end it fer me, whichever way. Lord, yer're a hard one! 1 won't Stay to supper. I'll never sit down ter supper here 'less it's as master. What time'll yer go?" She set her lips. "Noon!" was all she replied. . He put on his coat and hat. " I wish when I think o' some things I'd lever seen yer, little or big, girl or wldder. but when I go out in the vyoods and see the wild, sweet things ruunin' riot around I can't help lovin' yer. It is born in me." Then he went out, having tossed to her the fresh branch of mistletoe, and thus left her the memory of a day, long ago, when they were little more than children and lie had taken lir-r out to gather some of the weird, waxen- berried growth, and had kissed her, the. first kiss of love and desire she had ever known, and the memory of which had never left her. The next day at noon Marion sat grim and silent on his horse at' me turn. He held his slight whip in Lis hand, but he grasped it like a wJipon. He. could not keep.one thought from returning; itself again and again. He, could hot let that man live who would carry Becky Bailey away from--him. When he heard the sound of wheels "he got off from the restless horse he rode, fastened him, stood erect, and braced himself for the ordeal. The buggy came nearer. He drew an aw­ ful breath as he recognized the horse. It was Colonel Will's Flighty Dan, famed through the country. It was that old profligate, was it, who was to win the brier rose? An awful sing­ ing rhythm in his brain went saying: "Kill him, kill him, kill him!" What Marion would have done he nev<ir knew, but the buggy stopped an» Becky, in all her dark furs and flutter­ ing feathers, came running toward him, holding out her bands and cry- ing. "I don't want ter go to Cincinnati, Marion, an' we'll live in whichever house yer like, for I've been fightin' my feelin's for you .ill the time, an' I won't give up ter no other one. Take me home, Marion, an' I'm plum tired o' hem' wild. I want ter live quieter'n anyone." The colonel drove Flighty Dan on Into Cincinnati alone, and Beeny went with Marion along the homeward road, she riding the chestnut and Marion walking, and there was no wild bird that had ever built nest in the wood­ lands near that was as contented as- this wayward creature who had at iast been conquered by her best feelings.-- Household Words. Pheasants Defying Thunder. ̂ A correspondent of the Zoologist tells of the peculiar conduct of cock pheas­ ants when artillery practice is going "on at Colchester. At each discharge of the guns the pheasants crow, not as though terrified, but in a manner suggesting defiance and the answer­ ing to a challenge. Several writers on natural history have noted the same fact before. When Will Men Fly? In a recent lecture at Woolwich, Dr. G. II. Bryan, of tl:e Royal Society, showed how all , the principal prob­ lems connected with artificial flight had now been solved by Mr. Maxim with his areoplanes and Hcrr Lllienthal with-his soaring wings. By combin­ ing the advantages of the two forms of apparatus, Df. Bryan predicted that artificial flight would before long be accomplished.r ' J#r?' Germs in the Air. „ , There is a widespread Impression that diseases are sometimes scattered broadcast by germs borne by the wind. Prof. Cleveland Abbe combats tlfts view, and asserts that epidemics spread along the lines of travel, and tnat experiments show that few dis­ ease germs are able to retain their vi­ tality when freely exposed In the air and to the sunshine, as they must be if carried far in the atmosphere. Boriinsr Thin Glass. Everybody who has tried under­ stands how difficult it is to bore a hole in a strip or sheet of thin glass. The following method is said to be success­ ful: Press a cake of wet clay upon the glass, and then make a hole through the clay of the desired size, laying bare the glass at the bottom of the hole. Then pour melted lead into the hole, and®it will drop through the glass, making a round aperture. The expla­ nation is that the sudden application of heat cracks the glass In a circle cor­ responding in size with the hole in the clay. The mad reports went flying hither and thither. Becky was here, there, everywhere. It was Colonel Will and Tom Pence and Arthur Smedley and Henry Carroll. The widow's bonnet was now never worn, and ! >ws of lavendar and elaborate black and white toilets were sent for to Cincin­ nati, and cooking and feasting and fun went on in the Bailey house. Thanksgiving came and Beck was the queen of the Pence family gathering that day. One morning Marion Moore was hear his favorite wood haunt, and stopped to look over the fair valley and the infinite hills spread out before him, like a beautiful winter picture. As he stood quiet there fell from the great tree beside him something rustling and dark and green, a lovely piece of (he native mistletoe, with its waxen ber­ ries thick and plentiful. A smile came to Marion's face. He had been sent a token, and one he would accept. -He would hesitate no longer. He took his bunch of mistletoe and walked away. He would become the wooer, for nature, whom he trusted, had sent him a token. He dressed himself with care and rode his fine chestnut horse up to the side gate in the lane, lead­ ing to the cluster of cabins v|hat long ago have been the "quarters," but now were turned to various uses. Becky, wrapped in a gay shawl he well re­ membered, was giving directions to some men at work inside the nearest building. It was just sunset. Per­ haps nothing in the world had ever seemed so fair to Marion Moore as this saucy and careless creature, who greeted him with a cool triumph which he had expected and ignored. He ac­ cepted her invitation to supper and walked by her side to see the promis­ ing colts in the barn lot. Then they went into the house, and Marion pro­ ceeded to make himself comfortable in a very matter of fact way. Ht looked critically about, much to Becky's astonishment. "Whatever air yer lookin' about fur, Marion?" -- ' "Seein' ef this house is as comfort­ able as mine," he made reply. "Well, it plum is, Marion," she re­ plied, forced into earnestness. "The oiitlook is better with yer all, but this house-has more comforts." "We could soon put some of 'em inter mine," he replied musingly. "We?" "Yes, yer an' I." "Yer takin* a deal fer granted, 'pears ter me. I don't intend ter leave here." "Oh, well, we could live here. It is all one ter me, so it is where ye're livin'." ' "I'm bespoke yer askin' by two, Mar­ ion. 'Pearslike the men are all crazy."- "You're good temptation, Beck, but no one else shall have ye," he .said.. Her eyes grew luminous. "Well, now, what would yer do ef yer heard I was off on the marry with one ©' the others?" "Don't yer try it!" " She wa§ up in arms in a minute. "I'm not tellin' yftu anything, but yer all air too heady with me, Marion. 1 A Valuable Witness. At a recent trial before a New York judge, it was thought important by the counsel to determine the length of time certain "two quarters of beef,. twro hogs and one sheep" remained: in an express wagon in front of the plaintiff's store before they were taken away by the defendant. The witness was a German, whose knowledge of English was vein limited, but he testi­ fied in a very plain, straightforward way to having carried it out and put it into the aforesaid wagon. Then the following dialogue ensued: "State to the jury how long it was after you took the meat from the store and put it into the wagon before it was taken away," said the counsel. "Now, I cannot tell dot," replied the witness. "I dinks 'bout dwelve feet. I not say near as dat." "You don't understand me. How long was it from the time the meat left fhe store, and was put in the wagon, before it was taken away by the defendant?" "Now, 1 know not vat you ask dat for. Der vagon he vas back up mit dor sidevalk, and dat's shoost as it vas, You dell me how long der sidevalk vas. Den feet? Dwelve feet? Den I dells how long it vas." "I don't want to find out how long the sidewalk was, but I want to-know (speaking very slowly) how long this meat was in the wagon before it was taken away?" "Oh, dat! Yell, now, I not sold any more meat so. I all time weigh him; never measure meat, not yet. But I dinks 'bout dree feet." (Here the spec­ tators and his honor and the jury smil­ ed audibly). "I know not, shentlemans, how is dis; I dell you all I can as good' as I know." "Look here, I want to know how long it was before the meat was taken away, after it was put into the wagon?" 'Now you try to get me in a scrape," the witness replied, looking very know­ ingly at the counsel. "Dat meat vas shoost so long in der vagon as he vas in der shop. Dot's all I told you. Dat meat vas dead meat. He don't get mooch longer in den dousand year, not mooch." "That will do." New Facts About Mars. Prof. E. E. Barnard, late of the Lick Observatory, says that during the last opposition Mars showed so many in­ tricate details as seen with the great Sti-inch telescope that it was impos­ sible to delineate the planet. Hereto­ fore the reddish parts of Mars have generally been regarded as represent­ ing land, wMIevfihe darker parts, s le- times- described as bluish or greenish in color, were- thought to bo water. But Professor Barnard says that with the Lick telescope the appearances no­ ticed suggested exactly the reverse; what have been taken for seas look­ ing really more like mountainous land. So-we- may have-a new set of theories about Mars. Wonders of: Radiography. One- of the finest photographs made by means of the mysterious N rays that We have yet seen is reproduced in Nature from a negative by Messrs. Reid and Kuenen in England. It rep­ resents a frog, with legs and fingers extended', and not only are both the flesh and the bones most clearly pic­ tured, but the difference in condition between the two lungs, one of which was distended with air, while the other was collapsed, is revealed with astonishing distinctness. Even the ef­ fect of the overlapping of the flesh where the knees were bent is plainly shown, and in the- original negative the reticulated structure of the dis­ tended lung is said to have been vis­ ible. This is a revelation, not merely of something hidden from sight, but of the internal construction of things. A Dor in Pawn. Even dogs are pawned in New York, writes a correspondent. In a place on Twenty-eighth street a lonely pug, sep­ arated from his fellows, gazed wistfully at customers yesterday. "How much for that one?*' asked a stranger as he pointed toward the pug. "Can'tsell him until Monday night," replied die bird and dog dealer. The man wanted to know why, and he was informed that the pug was in pawn, and if he wasn't redeemed prior to the time mentioned he • .'ould be sold. "That pug's been hocked three times and has always been redeemed. How much do I loan on him? A dollar's the limit, sir, as pugs are no longer popular, you know." When a woman puts her pet dog in pawn It is quite safe to conclude that the wolf has entered her apartment. ing with allspice, distressed him griev­ ously. ' : • 1 " But Southoy was a hale and hearty man; he did not shrink from .the cakes, and cleared,plate after plate with an excellent relish. At lefigtli Shelley could contain himself no longer." .-j "Southey," he exclaimed, "I'm asham­ ed of you! It is awful, horrible, to see a man like you greedily devouring this nasty stuff!" Now Mrs. Southey was a charming woman, but she had a sharp tongue up­ on occasion. "Nasty stuff!" she repeated, with jus­ tifiable indignation. "What right have you, Mr. Shelley, to come Into my house and tell me to my face that , my tea- cakes;are nasty, and to blame my hus­ band 5for eating them? The board and the rolling-pin were quite clean; they had been well scraped and sprinkled with flour. The flour-was taken out of the meal-tub, which is always kept locked. Here is the key! There was nothing wrong in the ingredients, I am sure. What right have you to speak? You ought to be ashamed of yourselftind not Mr. Southey; lie,hajp a right to cat what his wife puts'before him!" . \ ' ; J. ; In the course of this animated invec­ tive, Shelley, abashed, put down his face to his plate, and curiously scan­ ned the cakes. He broke off a bit and ventured to taste jt; then he began to eat as. greedily as Southey himself. The servant appeared >vith a fresh sup­ ply, and these the brother poets, dis­ patched, eating one against the other in generous rivalry. Shelley asked for more, but the whole batch had bfeen consumed, and when he went home, his verdict on them was summed up in the report of Harriet Westbrook, to whom he was engaged: "We were to have hot tea-cakes ev­ ery evening 'forever.' I was to make them myself, and Mrs. Souflhey was to teach me." Two Sayings iVom Cork, A Cork town councillor is credited with having thus spoken: "There can lie no doubt of the virulence of this epidemic, for I know of people lying dead from it who never died before." The same gentleman thus chivalrously defended a colleague: "I strongly pro­ test against this attack on my absent friend, for surely it is not right to hang a man behind his back." A Ring; Island. Many coral reef islands in the Pa­ cific are in the form of more or less perfect rings, or ovals, enclosing la­ goons. Recently a description was pre­ sented to the Royal Geographical So­ ciety of the ring island of Ninafou, half-way between Fiji and Samoa, which is not a coral reef, but a vol­ canic ring enclosing a crater contain­ ing a lake two miles in diameter. To­ ward the sea the ring is bordered with walls of black lava, and on the Inner side these break down In cliffs 200 to 300 feet In height. An eruption in 188(5 formed a peninsula on the eastern side of the lake. While the ocean out­ side is trembling and thundering un­ der a heavy wind, the lake remains smooth, or Is simply wrinkled with ripples. A Wonderful Lunatic. Dr. L. C. Bruce gives an account in Brain of a lunatic in the Derby Bor­ ough Asylum who exhibits the phe­ nomenon of passing from one mental state to another. By birth lie is Welsh, and when in his "Welsh state" his con­ dition is that of dementia. He can then understand Welsh, but not En­ glish. In his "English state"- his con­ dition Is that of chronic mania, and he speaks and understands both En­ glish and Welsh. But he cannot re­ member anything that occurred to him when In the Welsh state, although his memory leaps over the interval and recalls events belonging to preceding English states. Conversely when in the Welsh state he is totally ignorant of things that he knows and under­ stands perfectly in the English State. Sometimes lie passes from one state to the other suddenly; at other times he goes through an intermediate state, during which there appears to be a mixture of the two conditions in his brain. Now She Is Sorry. An American woman traveling in Eu­ rope saw some pretty souvenir spoons in a Berlin shop window, and stepped inside and bought one. She put the neat little parcel into the pocket of her heavy cloak, visited a museum, didi a little more shopping, and then returned! to her hotel. Leaving her cloak upon the bed, she- went down; to luncheon, and on return­ ing to thei'rbom found the chamber­ maid, a typical German girl, in the act of hanging the cloak in the closet. Something in her manner attracted the lad's attention. "Are you nervous, Augusta?" she asked. The girl made some slight, em­ barrassed reply, and left the room. The lady suspected nothing, but just then remembered her spoon, and put her hand into the- cloak pocket. The parcel was gone! In another pocket was her purse, but no spoon. The girl must have taken it, and her peculiar behavior was explained. The lady rang the bell, and when the girl- came charged her with the theft. The-girl protested: her innocence. The woman demanded* at confession. A try­ ing scene followed!,, the- girl weeping, the woman urging, her to> tell the truth and restore the stolen property. Threats Of fn'osecution only made the girt weep the more. She should be ruined, and she knew nothing, about the- spoon. Finally the lady so far relented as to make-no complaint. "You may go," she said. "I will say nothing, but you will not come into my roorn again." That was-last winter,, as-the story is told by the Philadelphia Times. The woman returned to- America, and thought little more-about the spoon; till on the first cold' day of autumn she brought out her heavy cloak and began looking it over, to see if moths had done it any mischief. There was something hard in one corner of the lining. What could fit be? The lhdy had a presentiment of the tijjatli, and a snip or. two of the- scissors brought out a small' paper parcel--her souvenir spoon. What did she do? First she-sat down to a woman's great resource--"® good cry."' Then she declared that she must go back to Berlin--with peas in her shoes, so she said--find Augusta, and as far as possible undo* the wrong. Whether she has yet started we are unable to say, but she will probably be less hasty another time. King by Trade. While in Geneva,. Switzerland, in 1891, Judge T. J. Mackey, of South Car­ olina, was selected by the American colony to deliver a Fourth of July ora­ tion at a banquet given in honor of the day. It was attended by all the foreign consuls, and among them was the Con­ sul General of Austria-Hungary, who furnished for Judge Maekey's address the following anecdote and vouched for Its authenticity i A number of Americans residing ill Vienna in the year 1810 united to cele­ brate Washington's birthday, and in­ vited the Emperor Francis of Austria to honor the occasion by his .presence. That genial monarch, a true gentle­ man, although "every inch a king," overlooked the disregard of establish­ ed forms into which his would-be hosts had been betrayed by their patriotic zeal, and made this answer in his own handwriting: "Gentlemen: I thank you for your hospitable invitation and the gratify­ ing terms in which you have expressed your desire that I should attend a ban­ quet which you propose to give in cele­ bration of Gen. Washington's natal day. "But you must excuse me from unit­ ing with you to honor the memory of your illustrious countryman, since 1 could not do so with sincerity, for Washington scorned a crown, and did more to bring royalty into contempt titan an men who have ever lived; and I am a king by trade." HE'WAS NEARLY l^p^BED. Practical Joker Who AdvertiBedfOi* Qfiirtere'and Nickels. "Have you an American quarter or nickel dated 1885? 1S85 quarters are worth $471.25; 1885 nickels, $94.25. The above is a fac simile of an "ad" Which appeared in the St-. Louis Re­ public a day or so ago, and every one whose eye caught the "ad" hastily rah his hand down into ^lls jeans and pulled out all sorts Of money. If he was lucky enough to find a nickel or a quarter which had that date a flutter ran through his system and he would hasten to the man qn South Fourth street who put in the "ad" and claim the prize. A few hours -later quite a mob gathered In front of the store on Fourth street, anxiously awaiting the opening of the place. One of the boys who saw the "ad" looked over all the money he had, but he could find none Oi that date. He walked up to a friend on the street a few minutes later and asked him if he had a quarter or a nickel of that date, keeping quiet about the "ad." The friend was lucky enough to have a nickel, but suspect­ ing that something was in the wind, asked him what he wanted with It. The boy told him he wanted it as he had a small brother at home who was born in that year. The young fellow would not give It up. and the boy offered him a quarter for it. He got the nickel. Then the boy made a grand rush for South Fourth street. When he arrived there he saw,, much to his dismay, a large crowd outside waiting for the adver­ tiser. ' " ,s After a half hour's wait a boy about 16 came whistling down the street and opened the- door. "Did you advertise for 1885 quarters and nickels?" eagerly asked the young man a quartet' out. The boy said that he had put in an "ad" stating that 1885 quarters .were1 worth $471.24, and 1885 nlckles $94.25: "Well, I have one," said a raw-boned' young fellow on the outside who had' been fighting his way to the frdht With indifferent success. The the young, fellow explained that 1,885 nickles woiutii amount to $94.25, and that many quarters to .$471.25. Then the crowd got "next." and It locked like the mob was going to lynch the- boy, but a policeman happening by scattered them. The "quarter out young man" then went back to the office- where he kicked himself did without his dinner. How Lincoln: BSegaro, Possibly the story o£ how Lincoln learned grammar--and so learned that he could master things without an in­ structor--has already been told in these columns-. Whether it has been or not, it may do some youthful reader good to read it. We borrow it from- Mo Clure's Magazine. 1 have talked with grea't men," Lin­ coln told his fellow-clerk and friend, Greene, "and I do not see- how they differ from others." He made up his mind'to put himself before the public, and talked: of his plans to bis friends.. In order to-keep- in practice in speaking-lie-walked seven or eight miles to debating clubs. "Prac­ ticing polemics," was what he called the exercise. lie seems now for the- first time to have begun to study subjects.. Gram­ mar was what he cliose. He sought Mentor Graham, the schoolmaster, and' asked his advice.- "If you are going before the public," Mr. Graham told him, "you. ought to do it." But where could lie get a grammar? There was but one in the-ueighborhood, Mr. Graham said^. and that was- six miles away. Without waiting, further information the young man rose from the breakfast table, walked immediately to> the place;, borrowed this rare copy of Kirkham'a Grammar, and before night was-deep in its mysteries. From that time on for weeks he gave every moment of his leisure to mastering, the contents- of the book. Frequently he asked his friend Greene to "hold the book" while he recited, and: when puzzled by a point he would consult Mr. Graham. Lincoln's eagerness to learn, was such that the whole neighborhood became interested. T.he Greenes lent him. books, the schoolmaster kept him in mind and helped him as he couidi, and even the village cooper let him come-in­ to his shop and keep up- a fire of shav­ ings sufficiently, bright to read by at night. It was not long before the- granj^ mar was masteredl "Well," Lincoln said1 to. Ms fellow clerk, Greene, "If that's what they call science, I think I'll go at another," He had made another discovery-- that he could conquer subjects^ You have all read of the "girl whose thin nostrils dilated," but did you ever see a girl's nostrils dilate? There 16 no higher praise for a friend than to say that he is faithful. Tie Return Home. I thought it would be sweet to walk again The quaint olU streets; to see each well- known scenes To live again my childhood. Years of pain And toil had' wrought great longing to erase " . E'en memory off late days; my weary brain , • .'•'v,-;.? - • ' And World-worn heart turned backward , to. retrace , , Life's early morn--forgetting all between! Alas! how changed -5 find the dear old place! • ^ .- • . So many gone of frien«fe that once I knew! Strange faces greet m^wf ptss along, These whom 1 left so gladly ere-the dew Was brushed from budding:hopes-©f rose­ ate bloom ' Lie low where, droop the cypress.andNthe " ' ' * yew. - v." \ <•' And they, my kindred, spared aw yet the tomb Are not the same; ties erstwhile- close and strong Are severed, and my spirit' tastes- of gloom. , This is my coming home? A'l&s-ralias-!: Home is not home bereft of love and friends, Its walls frown strangely on me a& jpass. Old landmarks perished are; the-very air Lacks a familiar savor; 'neath'the grass- In yon churchyard lies all my heart now dare Enfold in thoughts of home. Thus^ fail' life's ends! Thus perish dreams of joy! Thus dawn» despair! --Philadelphia Public Ledger. Unpoetic Food. It is said that Shelley one day called upon Southey, at 4 o'clock, and found the poet and his wife sitting down to their early tea. Shelley accepted a cup of tea, but when a plate piled high with tea-cakes was offered him, he re­ fused them with signs of strong aver­ sion. His own diet was v&ry light at[ that time, a°nd well-buttered cakes, hot, blushing with currants, sprinkled thic&y with caraway seeds and reek- Only One Worse. Gioacchino Rossini, who was a great jester, was once seen embracing a Spaniard with great effusion. Asked the reason, he replied: "Because without Spain we would be the last nation." Seems to Have Disliked Women. Probably the most confirmed mis­ ogynist wllo> ever lived was a wealthy old bachelor who recently died in Vienna. After his death a bundle of documents was discovered among his belongings, labeled: "Attempts by my family to put me under the yoke of matrimony," In this packet w-ere six­ ty-two letters^ the dates ranging from 1835 to 1893„ a sufficient proof of the tenacity of Ms relations. So afraid was this strange man of even sitting near a woman that whenever he went to a theater he booked tim;e seats, in order that he might have one on eifher side of him empty. Whenever travel­ ing in a railway carriage he was always careful to smoke a large, foul-smelling pipe, to keep away intruders of the fe­ male sex. In his will he said: "I beg that my executors will see that I am buried wlie^e there Is no woman in­ terred, either to the right or left of me. Should this not be practicable In the ordinary course of things, I direct that they purchase three graves, and bury me in the middle one of the three, leav­ ing the two others unoccupied." A Fantasy. While twilight vision groweth gray? And beam of joy hath set-- While waitest thou at wane of day, In sleep thy pain forget. Forget--till eh met,- through, thine heartj O sweet, a fairy bell Within whose echoes they who pjjit ;f|! In death and distance dwell, Again together, while .the .'night Descendeth from above, And bringeth starry smile--O light, That Liveth in thy love. Then n.eedrst thou not mid gentle stir Of shadows- flitting fast To- search thy memory for her Who- smileth through the past; Thy dreams- her noiseless footsteps seek-- Thy neck her arms entwine-- With love's dear messages, her cheek She presseth unto thine. Thou startest from thy dream in doubt, And from thy pillow's dent Of tear-rained darkness gazest out. On face-of night intent. Oh,, then-let courage dimless shine Upon thy sorrow's fret. And in some eve of waning time At length thy pain forget. --Airthur Richmond, in Boston Courier. Tlie Weeping Winds. Be still, ye winds that weep and sigh And flee o'er woodlands bleak and cold, As lovely Ion fled of old, Haunted by Jove's enamored eye! What power is it that, day and night, Pursues your mad, meandering fright? Ye flee as- portions of that force Revealed in sky and land and sea, That pantheistic deity Which moves all things in ceaseleMh course;. And,, as fr^mi oat its secret home, Your mystic voices, soul-like, come. Oh, sprites- divine! ye have ,the ken To.pierce-the future, dark and deep; Wherefore by day and night ye weep The woes that yet shall fall to men. Oh!, tell me, teE me, what ye see, What'er it seem, what'er it be! Ye- will, not spe-ak, but evermore Lament and sigh and madly flee! Weep on, weep on! Ah! woe is me!: I, too, would weep, and outward pour The soul of grief that in my breast Impels me on to mad unrest! --New York Home Journal. Sarcastic Priest. Father Ilealy's wit seldom had a sting to it. On one occasion, however, some vulgar people asked how he got on so well in fine houses. "Faith," said Father Healy, "it must be from my mother I got it, for papa was as common as any of you." A combination that never fails to amuse: A big cigar and a little bQ£. Terrors of the Unknown. A gentleman in England whose prom­ ises were often invaded by trespas>s»eis put up tlie following on Ills gate-liouse: "A terrlflkokalblondomenol kept here A friend asked him what terrifying tiling that was. "Oh,"tlie replied, "it is just three big Greek words put all together; but it serves tlie purpose,well; the unknown is always dreadful." The Women say that after a woman has quarreled with two husbands, she is not entitled to another trial. It is unfair to repeat the Utisupporfc- ed lies of a gossip. Heidelberg. Old Heidelberg, thou jewel, Thon town to honor dear, On all the Rhine and' Neckar None other is thy peer. Thy jovial sons are mellow With wisdom and with wine;; Thy river laughs in ripples Where blue eyes dance and shine*. When genial spring comes northiwaidl To clothe the earth with green. She weaves for thee of blossoms A uridal robe of sheen. Bride of my heart! I cherish For thee a constant flame;. Still rings like love's young echo. The sounu of thy dear. name. If thorns too sharply try me. If life's fresh hue shall pale, I'll spur my steed and hie me Back to my Neckar vale. -Henry W. Brown, in Boston Transcript. The Soul and Sorrow. Ah, say me not, O sorrow! in April days, For when the skies are warm I fain would sing; WThen mounts the bluebirds' song I too, would praise And lift my heart with every .living thing, N!r ' .... u ' The weight thou ^bjiog'st--yea, turn thy face away And journey from, me yet a little while. But leave me bright-faced joy in April's day To wander with me through the forest taisle. One day, O sorrow! will I go with thee And learn the strength that thou alone must give. . , Yea, one day thou shalt come and call for me And I will walk thy way and learn to live. '• • But not in April days--when I would sing. When south winds roam the ever green­ ing earth And joy tumultuous in my heart doth spring O'er every wild wood bloom that spring* to birth. - <. • •-Boston Transcript,