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A MODERN FABLE. •*M fablp old for a modern rhyme, ok leave, as you've wish or time. *A tender vine in "a forest grew, ~ Splitting out tendrils, two by two. Bte crept to the oak so tall and green, •Aad sighed: "May I on thy bosom lean ? "The voice that quickened the soul in me 4Baid 1 was only a part of thee. •"And I was netfter alone to stand, •r sink deep roots in the motherland. *A creature of light, of love, of air, 1h should have no,part in the rude world's care. -Bat over thy breast, austere and old, Ml warmth and beauty I should enfold, "While thine to shield me from all alarms, 'Ami daunt the storms w.i$ thy mighty arms." Bat the oak replied: "To me, it Seems •T«a are ihUch inclined to idle dreams. seem to think l ean work and work J»t to let you hang around and shirk, "1H let y©« love me;' I'll hear your song. Stmt you must hustle and Kelp along." {Anil the little vine replied: "I'll try." Itait her leaves drooped low; she had to • sigh. '•••". •-- • •> , deeper, deeper, without ft moan, 8be braced her roots and she stood alone. 9i%e wind blew hard, and, unhelped, at last She loosed her hold and .she faced the blast. Then cried the oak: "Alack, alas, That such a thing should come to pass! The vine has from my shelter fled And flaunts a wicked, saucy head." Bet then, complaining soft and low, She blushed: "I did not wish to go. stand alone, you know, I trust, Not 'cause I would, but 'cause I must." --Chicago Journal. THIEVES ON BOARD. "Mrs. Melhurst's compliments, sir, and would you please come down to tar stateroom immediately?" I bad just shut myself Into my little •Hce on deck, having run through the •hip's acounts before turning in that M' 1 bad scarcely got my accounts fairly Kb band -when I was interrupted by a alight tap at the door. I arose at once and opened it, and there stood Mrs. Meihumt'd Canadian maid, with flush­ ed face and nervous, agitated manner. I switched off the electric light, lock­ ed the door, and hurried away after Ser. When I got to Mrs. Melhurst's Stateroom I saw at. once that something had occurred to cause her serious anx- Itty. The berth, the couch, and even the floors, were littered with the con­ tents-of cabin trunks and hand bags, la the midst of the confusion stood the lady herself, looking decidedly perplex­ ed and anoyed. "This is very singular, Mr. Morse," »he said, pointing to an empty jewel caw which lay open upon the upper berth. "My diamond ornaments are abusing." "flow did it happen?" "I cannot possibly tell you. At din- ser this evening I happened to men­ tion to Mrs. Latimer that I had picked ap a certain crescent-shaped brooch on toe continent. She expressed a wish to •ec it. When the tables were cleared I came in here, took out the brooch, and left the jewel case lying on the berth, bat when I got back the case was empty." "How long were you absent?" "Not more than half an hour." "You are sure you had the key ol yottr eabiu in your possession all the time?" "Positively. I never let it out of my band while I was in the saloon." I examined the lock carefully, but there was absolutely nothing to show ^iat it had been tampered with. I had just got to the head of the sa­ ltan stair wheu I heard some one bounding up after me, three or four steps at a time. I turned and saw Mr. <Sarter, who, by the way, had made sev­ eral voyages with us on previous occa- ? f*-- 1 say, Mr. Morse," he said, taking me confidentially by the arm, "you've ®ot some queer customers ou board this trip." "How so?" "Why, someone's gone and walked off with my silver cigarette case, a couple •f rings, and a pair of gold " "Tell me exactly what has hap­ pened." "My dear fellow, how can I? It is enough to puzzje a Philadelphia law­ yer. You see, I went to my stateroom after dinner--I can swear to that--and % remember slinging my cigarette case, sings, and a pair of gold sleeve links «n the upper berth. Then I put on my dressing gown, stretched myself upon the couch, and had a downright good snooze. When I got up about five min ntes ago, I found my trinkets had van­ ished." I lost no time; in hunting up the cap­ tain, and made him acquainted with the state of affairs. He was just as much puzzled as I was myself. We both questioned the lady closely, but her replies did not tend to throw any Bght on the singular occurrence. For the next few days we had no further complaints. The thief was evi­ dently "lying low," waiting until tran­ quillity was restored before making a fresh attempt. Meanwhile I kept my Wj% eyes open. We happened to have a passenger on Iward--a Brazilian, named de Castro-- who was a bit of a mystery to me all through the voyage. But for the fact that 1 had conclusive evidence to show Ke eould not have been directly con­ cerned iu the robberies--for inquiries proved he had remained on deck the whole eVeuing-he certainly would hare been treated to a private inter- • view in the captain's cabin. Nothing further occurred to excite •aspicion until the last day or two of the voyage. Then, one evening after dinner, word was brought to me that thjetvother staterooms had been rifled Jto4he same mysterious manner. When the alarm reached me I hap pejpied to be standing in my deck office. i: I had in my hand twenty sovereigns. "1.didn't wait to lock up the gold; I sim­ ply placed it on my desk, switched off the light, arid hurried away. I lmd no fear for the safetjKof the- sovereigns, my door ha vl ng 1 ntr icate lock, in which I took ckt'£to turn the key before leaving.- • " I remained bfcjfow for4 an hour or so, but, as in tlMothyr cases, I \Vas utterly unable to make head or tail of them. Vexed and bewildered, I went back to my office, unl6ck6d the'dboi'/jturned on the light, and--'rtiry little"pile of gold had vanished. ' .] Then I managed to pull myself to­ gether, and took a look abound my lit­ tle cabin. In the course of my observa­ tions my eye happened to rest upon the porthole, which stood wide open, the weather being <6ppressively hot. I went outside thrust my arm in through the opening, but; liiy hand did not reach within fully two-yards of the desk. Still, it struck me as being the only way by which a thief could get the money, and I determined to put my theory to a practical test. ; I went straight up to a young Ameri­ can gentleman, who I knew had a great many trinkets in his stateroom, and was rather careless, too, in the way he left thein lying about. "Don't show ahy,. siirprise," I whis­ pered, glancing around at the other oc­ cupants of the saloon, ."but might I ask whether your stateroom is locked?" "It is." vT ' "And theporthflte open?" , . , •' "I should say sk>!'"I don't want to find the place as stuffy as the engine room when I go to turn in.", "Well, just pass me yvour key. ' ^ want to try a little experiment. Wait till I'm gone and then stroll up on deck. Let yourself be seen--on the low­ er deck particularly--but don't pay too close attention to anyone you may no­ tice loitering there." I went and shut myself in his state­ room, crouching down so that I could just keep an eye on the porthole over the top of the lower berth. Suddenly, as I glanced up at the port­ hole, my blood ran cold, and in all my life I never had such difficulty to keep down a yell. In the dim light I saw a long, thin, hairy arm thrust in through the opening. The - next moment a small black band had fastened upon a leather case lying close to the window, and withdrew it as quick as thought al­ most. ' v . ' - : ' I dashed up the saloon stairs and made for the lower deck. There, just about the spot where I judged the stateroom to be situated, I came face to face with the Brazilian De Castro. Suddenly, a happy thought flashed through my mind. I turned round and sprang down the saloon stairs, run­ ning full tilt against the chief steward, who was standing at the bottom. "Get me a handful of nuts--quick!" I cried. The Brazilian had moved away a lit­ tle toward the stern. I went, close up, stood right in front of him, and then began deliberately to crack the nuts. Presently I saw a corner of the cap< drawn aside, and behind a pair of small, gleaming eyes fixed greedily on me. It was enough. | Mjr suspicions were confirmed. ?The moment I laid my hands upon him. I heard a vicious snarl under his cape; it was pulled suddenly aside, and out flew a monkey. JSZx ADVICE FOR THE THIN GIRL. IRLS with slender proportions are usually picked out by their more heavily weighted friends as persons to whom lots of advice about increasing their avoirdupois must be given. Probably a little in­ formation on this subject will be val­ uable. The candidate for added flesh should get all the sleep possible--from nine to ten hours. In addition, a nap in the middle of the day will help. While napping no stays, tight shoes or bands must be worn. If one cannot sleep one should lie dow.n in a dark­ ened room at least thirty minutes in­ stead. In the mornings a cold plunge, or at least a cold sponge, must be tak­ en, dashing the water on the shoul­ ders, neck and collarbone, drying with a Turkish towel and avoiding heavy clothing. A thin woman should avoid cumbersome wraps, heavy - weight dress goods and linings. She should not tire herself bicycling, and she should have plenty of fresh air. Diet deserves a consideration. For some drinking malt liquors is a great help, but many cannot stand it. A diet witn an eye to acquiring flesh should con­ sist of liquids--milk, water, but not coffee and tea; no hot oreads, plenty of butter and cheese and good cocoa. The very thin woman should have-five meals a day, should eat marmalade and plenty of warm milk and cream. Indeed, if warm milk is drunk before retiring it is in itself almost a sure cure for thinness. Above all, eat slowly and never exercise until a half hsur after meals. When searched,- jyirs^Melhurst's dia­ monds, Mr.'"Barter's cigarette case and rings, and amiscellaneous 'collection of other valuables were fonnd on him. In his stateroogi we discovered a perfor­ ated box, apparently intended for the use of the monkey,-who was evident­ ly quite as accomplished as .his master. --Elmira Telegram. , O R I G I N T A B L E UTENSILS. Kven Durikijg:'"the Middle Ages People Ate .Vtrith Their Fingers. The use o£ the fork date*, back only to the seventeenth century. The old Greeks, although their civilization was much advanced, ate with their fingers, as gracefully as possible;* Plutarch mentions the rules to be followed when eating with the fipger-s, and this is one of the most interesting passages in his description of antique customs. In the middle ages people still ate with their fingers. It is true ,^hpugli/£hat ablu tions took place before ^wl after a meal, but. still, that custom was any thing but clean. Ejtfd^of the guests at a^dinner was first offered a basin and a pitcher of water, and it was bad form to help one'^B self tp any qf the viands before having carefully washed hands and face. Goldsmiths finally invented forks, but at first they nyere objects'^of luxury, and were used only a$,t1mp^Svhen they might just as well hav4bgeo^one with­ out. The first mention of %Vks is made in a document dated 136oj which says that Pierre Gaveston,tV$hfe favorite of Edward II., possessed three "furches tes" (forks) for eating .pears, cheese and sandwiches. It was more than 300 years later before forks were used for fish and meat. " About the second decade of the sev enteenth century a picture of the Royal Prince of France shows that he carried a case containing a 'knife, a spoon and what looks very much like a fork. Glasses and drinking cups were first first made of wood or tin. In the fif­ teenth century Venice manufactured the wonderful glassware which re­ placed on the table of the "Siegneurs" the heavy oaken or metal cups formerly used. Egg cups were not known pre­ vious to the fifteenth centtiry, and even in the sixteenth century they were rath­ er scarce and had no distinct name. They were described as "an article,in which to place and hold an egg," or "a silver thing to place an egg in." Salt cellars also date from the fif­ teenth century. Goldsmiths excelled in making artistic salt cellars, and the one modeled for King Francis I. of France by Benvenuto Cellini was a wonderful work of art. People in gen­ eral did not know the use of salt cellar! and even among wealthy families i| was the custom to break a piece o! bread and to place the sait for each individual upon the bread.--Philadel­ phia Record. Alaskan Insects. The whole Yukon region is affiicter, by clouds of bloodthirsty mosquitoes, accompanied by a vindictive ally in th« shape of a poisonous black fly., Bustles Here Again. When the Czar of Russia and the President of France embraced at Cron- stadt roads they didn't dream that their affectionate g r e e t i n g w o a l t J change the shape of the feminine form all over the c i v i l i z e d w o r l d . Bat so it was, for no sooner were the significant tidings flashed over the wires than the rkts tiik skirt, c 1 e v e r Parisian fashion-makers .went to work to estab­ lish the vogue of the Russion blouse! NowtlieRussianblouse,as all the world knows, is a baggy, puffy, sloppy look­ ing garment, hiding all curves of the human form divineand giving a general air of limpness to its wearer. This effect ou the figure must be remedied somehow and bustles and hip pads seem to be the only counteracting in­ fluence. So they are selling rapidly. Made of hair or wire and ranging in length from six inches to the length hip Btrsrr.E. of the dress skirt, they are supposed to give the proper "#»t" to the skirt, while the pads for the hips accentuate the smallness of the waist, and so give the desired hour-glass effect which is deem­ ed necessary to emphasize the beauty of the fashionable Russian blouse. plexion the hollows In the cheeks, at the temples, tinder the eyes and about the chin, also the advent of the much- dread erowsfeet, can easily be post­ poned many years. Killed a Huge Bear. Miss Hattie M. Richards, daughter of a dry goods merchant who lives at 130 West 86th street, New York, killed one of the biggest bears ever slain in the Dead River region of Maine. Mr. Richards left New York with his fam­ ily to spend six weeks in his handsome camp at Chain of Ponds, on the Megan- tic fish and game preserves, which con- Miss HATTIE M. RICHARDS. An Ideal Hostess. She must never look bored. She must make you feel perfectly at home. She must know how to get congenial people together. She must never let any one be slight­ ed or overlooked. She must be perfectly unselfish at* t her own pleasures. She must know how to keep conver­ sation always going. She must make you feel individually that you are the favored guest. She must see everything, aud yet possess-the art of seeming to see noth­ ing. She must know when to ask the amateur musician to displar his or her talents. She must remember that nothing is so tiresome, so surely death to all en­ joyment, as the feeling that one is be­ ing entertained. sist of 250 square miles of the choicest hnnting ground in Maine. Miss Rich­ ards carried a rifle that had been made expressly for her. She Is familiar with the use of firearms, and has often brought down deer, but this was the first time she had had a chance to tackle a bear. Suddenly there was a loud cracking of the underbush, and looking in that direction she saw a huge black bear coming toward her. Bruin trotted along in blissful ignor­ ance of the presence of the young wo­ man with rifle raised waiting for him. When he had approached to within 200 feet of her she fired. The bullet struck the bear in the neck and made a bad wound, which caused the animal to grow very savage. It made a rush for the girl, but when it was about seventy feet away Miss Richards' rifle cracked again and the bullet hit the bear behind the ear and killed it. The bear was an old fellow and weighed more than 400 pounds. Guides said it was the largest killed in the Dead River region in years. Vocations of French Women. French statistics show that there are now 2,150 women in France who earn their living as authors or by writing for newspapers, while there are only 700 painters and sculptors of that sex. Among the writers are 1,000 novelists, 200 lyric poets and 150 who publish children's stories and educational works. Tautest Fad. Taxidermy is one of the latest fads of New York women. It is said that Mrs. Jack Astor started the fashion by learning the art in order that she could preserve with her own hands the feathered trophies of her hunting expe­ ditions. Women of Finland. In Finland women have the right of suffrage. They usurp men's privileges and are carpenters, paperhangers, bricklayers and slaughterers. Feather Boas. Feather boas are still very fashiona­ ble; they must never meet under the chin, as they shorten the neck-; they should be invisibly fastened on each side to frame the face and protect the back of the neck and ears, which is really all that is needed. Neck ruffles are popular also in three shades of rose or lavender chiffon, silk, muslin or rn> bons, edged with velvet or gold braid. Tnese ruched collarettes are prettier for very young girls than the feather boas. Oar Average Weight. The weighti of the average-Sized mat is 140 pounds; of the woman, 12c pounds. . . Paris Skirts. In Paris skirts are made with five and six gores respectively. The latter, measuring about four and a half yarns round, is the most popular. Horsehair interlining is de rigour anu, to give additional "spring" to these skirts, French modistes stitch the horsehair in with each seam, and while perfectly flat and tight about hips and back the newest skirts are more buoyant and irrepressible than ever at the hem. Restoring the Complexion. If the complexion has been neglected or injured by the use of poisonous cos­ metics or soaps, and it is desired to re­ store it to its former healthful condi­ tion, it must be done by administering the proper food and nourishment to the hungry pores and relaxed muscles. Is Jt not reasonable that what can be done for the body can also be done in an­ other and more delicate way for the face? . Women can feel assured that by a systematic, intelligent and persistent physical culture of their skin and com- POPULATION OF IRELAND. Emigration Decreasing -- Report of l the Register General. Ireland fw the year 1896 has been is­ sued as a blue book. It states that the marriage rate for that part of the Unit­ ed Kingdom, although not high, in 1896 was considerably in excess of the de­ cennial average, aqiL was the highest for any year since WB71, saj-s a London dispatch to the Paris Messenger. The birth rate was somewhat above the av­ erage and wais the' highest for any year since 1884, while on the other hand the death rate was much below the aver­ age, bei-ig only 16.6 per 1,000, and was the lowest for any year since 18^1. The excess of births over deaths v>as 31,- 941. As the loss by emigration amounted to 38,095, there was an apparent de­ crease of 7,054 in the population during the year. But against this? decrease there is a set-off in immigration, of which no official record has been ob- tained. The estimated population in the middle of the year was 4,560,378. The rate of emigration last year per 000 of the estimated population was 6, the average rate for the previous ten years being 12.7. In 1894 the rate was as low as 7.8, whereas in 1887 it reached 17.1. The population of Ire-r land, including the military, naval and merchant service, aniounted in 1822 to 6,892,708. From that period the num­ ber continued to increase until 1845, when it amounted to 8,295,061. It then began to go through a con­ tinuous process of decline, falling be­ low 7,000,000 in 1850, below 6,000,000 iu 1856 and below 5,000,000 in 1884, the lowest point being reached last ypar. The emigration which took place in 1896 comprised 3,842 from the province of Leinster, 15,485 from Munster, 7,434 from Ulster and 12,234 from Con- auglit. Of the total emigrants from Ireland last year 6.9 per cent were un­ der 15 years of age, S3.7 per cent be­ tween 15 aud 35 years old, 9.4 per cent ere 35 or upward, and in ten instances the ages were not specified. The great bulk, therefore, were iu the prime of life . , - Not A Watch in Repair. They were sipping chocolate at the Bellevue and talking of watches. "I have carried my watch for ten years," said the senior member of the party, "and it lias never cost me a pen­ ny for repairs." >X>> "Mercy!" exclaimed another one, "how did you manage it?" •< V "I took care of it. You know men are always making disagreeable re­ marks about women's watches, and when my husband gave me' mine he said it would probably Ik; out of order most of the time. And I just made up my mind to show him that there was one womau in the world who knew how to take care of a watch." "But have you never lost it or had it stolen?" "Never; I dropped it several times at first, but it did not show any marks:' •But do the works never get out of order?" "The what?" "The works inside. Have you never broken the mainspring?" "I never look inside." "But how do you wind it?" "I don't wind it. That's how I take care of it and keep it nice." They all stared for a moment. Then they said: "Oh, you clever thing!' and adjourned sine die. Shoe-Horn and Rubber Overshoe Every mother knows how i ard it is to put on a child's rubbers over his heavy shoes, and many a nurse will testify to a bent thumb nail and an abraded finger received during this troublesome performance. One mother discovered by accident tuat by the use of a shoe-horn the fractious rubber be­ came amenable to treatment. She slips the slioe-horn into the back of the rub ber while the child presses his foot down, and lo! the overshoe is on, sure and firm, and the mother's temper and lingers unharmed. It is a trick that'is worth the trying. Etiquette has nothing to Uo with the good form displayed by a bloomer girl YOUNG PHIL SHERIDAN. Brilliant, but Studious and In- , dns trio us at West Point. Up.at West Point there is a slender, smooth-faced young man who is work­ ing day and night to emulate the glo­ rious record of his father. It is "young Phil Sheridan." He is already a soldier by instinct. In a few- years he will be a soldier in reality. So far he has taken but little inter­ est in the athletic sports of his class­ mates. He is not a foot-ball player. He is a bad hand at base-ball. He plays tennis and enjoys it. Most of all, however, he is a thorough student. While not exactly a brilliant youth, young Sheridan is persistent and in­ dustrious, and it jvould not be surpris­ ing if at the end of four years' study he should be graduate at the head of his class. It was not only his own but his moth­ er's desire that he should become a sol­ dier, and by the time he receives hie lieutenancy it is possible that we may Indulge in a war with a foreign power that will enable him to show his mettle. Like poets, however, great soldiers seem to be a question of birth and in­ stinct. In this connection a prominent West Point officer recently said; "It is almost a certainty that it wo were to go to war now the successes that we might achieve would uct de­ pend upon the sous of our dead mili­ ary heroes. I do not know of one who has been graduated at this college who has shown any especial brilliancy. Sheridan is as brilliant as any of them. Military genius does not shine in times of peace, however. It takes war to bring out a soldier's qualities, and it is likely that in case of an arm­ ed conflict new generals would' spriug up from humble lieutenants who have barely managed to scratch through their examination."--New York Jour­ nal. A Diffident Prince. In the October Century there is an article on "Marie-Antoinette as Dau- phine," by Miss Anna L. Blcknell. In describing the relations between Ma­ le-Antoinette and her husband, Miss Bicknell says: On one of these occasions she ran to er husband and embraced him, saying earnestly: "I feel that I love you ev­ ery day more and more. Your honesty and frankness charm me, and tne more I compare you with others, the more I know how much greater your, worth is than theirs." ^ , This effusive speech, although so evi­ dently sincere, did not suffice to give onfldence to the too diffident prinoe. Some time after this incident lie sud­ denly asked his wife, "Do you really love me?" She earnestly replied, "In­ deed, I do; aud every day I esteem you more highly." He seemed happy on receiving this assurance; but his uncouth manners and awkward ways often irritated the Daupliine, who lost patience and re­ proved him sharply. He showed no anger at these remonstrances, but his eyes would fill with tears. When she saw this she would embrace him and her own tears would flow; but notwith­ standing her efforts and Ills good In­ tentions, the attempt to civilize the Dauphin seemed hopeless. As a boy he had been neglected, and, with his very sensitive heart, the ab­ sence of all tenderness and affection alxmt him had made him shrink within himself and become incapable of ex­ pressing what he well knew how to feel. After the death of his mother ho Said mournfully: "Whom can I love now? No one loves me here!" He now loved his wife, but could hardly be­ lieve that she returned his affection. Tjittle Chinx Tea in London. There seems to be no doubt that as far as the British market is concerned China teas are gradually becoming cx tinct. Stealings from New York Banks. During the past ten years the New York banks have lost mor» than »$5,000, 000 by thefts committed by their em­ ployes. 0 Germany's Many Suicides. Germany's proportion of suicides is larger than that of any other European country. Sonie children are unfortunate in having their father and mother for par­ ents. A GREAT GAME PARK. Twenty-six Thousand' ACrefc for a Preserve. on "Wild Animals in a New England Game Park" to the October Century. Mr. Ferris says, in describing the late Austin Corbin's New Hampshire pre­ serve: Blue Mountain Forest Park, a* the preserve Is culled, includes parts of four, townships, and lies near the en­ terprising .borough of Newport on the Concord and Claremont branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad. It is said to be the biggest game park in the world, except one .owned by the Duke of Sutherland in Scotland, and one or two royal demesnes on the continent. Of course, in making comparisons, one must exclude those immense public pre­ serves, as big as provinces, where the British Government of India seeks to save the elephant from extinction, and Our own national parks in the West. The name of Blue Mountain attaches to the entire spur of hills which bisects the park, while Croydon designates Its highest shoulder rising to the height of nearly three thousand feet. The steep and densely wooded heights of Croy-. don, curving like a hump, break the sky-line in the shape.of a camelis back; near by a skirting canyon opens a car­ riage route across, the mountain. In characteristics it belongs rather to.the Green Mountain than to the White Mountain range, though It seems dis- couected from both. The Verdure of an immense forest of spruce, fir, hem­ lock, pine, birch, beech and maple in­ folds it to the very crest, with here and there , a brown patch of clearing. The greater part of the Corbin inclosure consists of abandoned farms, many of them already beginning to bristle with saplings; for the woods are on the march. Dismantled houses with win­ dows and doors gaping like holes in a skull, ramshackle barns rotten and weather-stained, the wreck of stone fences thickset with brambles--these meet the eye at every turn. The general outline of the park is that of an ellipse with respective diam­ eters of about four and a half and eleven miles, and the surface is cut diagonally by a backbone of mountain running northeast. The lower slopes and the meadow levels are diversified with brooks and swamp land, while ex­ tensive groves of second growth pro­ fusely dot the surface. It is in these that the wild swine, the progenitors of which clashed their tusks against the boar-spears of mediaeval kings and barons, root and propagate their kind with a fecundity which Is a marvel to the keepers. One can scarcely grasp the bigness of the park by figures. But let the reader fancy a demense considerably more than double the size of Boston and all its suburbs; thirty times the area of Central Park, New York; almost ten times bigger than Fairmount Park, Philadelphia; or fourteen times the acreage of the whole park system of Chicago. Roads, many of them thor­ oughfares of days gone by, variously intersect the inclosure, and an excel­ lent carriage track crosses the park from east to west through the pictur­ esque notch. On the wrestern side the declivity is more sloping and open, but has the same agreeable diversity of scene. A wire fence, partly mesh, partly barbed, nearly eight feet in height and twenty-seven miles in circuit, confines the four-footed tenants within its steel barrier. The same posts which support the fence until the trees which have been set shall have grown to take their place, string a telephone connecting the nine sub-stations at the different gates with the central station, the home , of the superintendent, the Corbin villa, and the town of Newport. The keepers aud other employes of the park vary from twenty-five to fifty, accoiding to the season of the year. It need scarce­ ly be said that the needs of attendance compel a vigilance which never rests. Merely to watch the fence, lest it should have parted somewhere by acci dent or wanton malice, requires an in­ spection twice a week. New Business. There is already a distrust among wheelmen of the roadhouses which have repair shops running in connec­ tion with their bicycle racks, and there is one place in particular which has come to be regarded with suspicion by persons who have had their wheels sud­ denly fall victims to incapacity when least expected. One philanthropist who was anxious to ascertain if the grounds for his distrust were good several times submitted his wheel when it was in perfect condition to the care of the boys in charge of the racks. Every time it was injured. On Sunday one man found a cut plainly made by a sud­ den slash with a knife in a tire at this same place, and there were, within the experience of a very small circle of persons, several accidents of the same character. The result was that the man in charge of "the repair shop was busy all day, and there was not a bicy­ cle under his care that had not been handed over to the charge of the boys who watch the wheels left there by the guests. There are already a number of patrons of the place who are con­ vinced that the boys in charge of the racks have some interest in seeing the repair shop prosper. This is conducted by a young man who runs it entirely on liis own responsibility. With the tack fiends supposed to be at work on the approaches to the cycle path and the other parts of the suburbs beset with little danger to wheels, bicycling is taking on new terrors. But there is none of them more difflcui^ to avoid than these accidents that are so Ciosely connected with the attentions of the rack boys at the suburban roadhouse. When It Happened. "What time was it," asked the judge of the rural witness, "when this affair occurred?" fWell- sir," replied the witness, "of I don't disreineniber it wuz long or 'bout fodder-pullin' time." "I mean," explained the judge, "what time of.day?" "It vyarn't ho time of day. yer Honor, fur it wuz night time." f ' "And what time was-that?" . "Well, sir, ef it A^arn't bedtime it wuz mighty c >se to it." r Robert Hichens, whose "Flames" pro*- duced a momentary sizzle as it dropped' , Into the ocean of fiction, has written another novel. It bears the title, "The Londoners." :y Miss Violet Hunt's novel, "ttnkist, Unkind!" named after a phrase from Peele, is shortly to appear. The same Is true of Mrs. Manningtoji Caffyn's 'Miss Becher," a social study. James Otis, the industrious maker of juvenile tales of adventure, sends out two historical stories for boys thie sea- eon. They are called "The Boys of Fort Schuyler" and "The Signal Boys of '75." ^ " J. Edward "Newberger of Chicago Is the author of a thoughtful pamphlet on "The Development and Growth of Interference by the Federal Courts in Controversies Between Master and • - Servant." James Schouler, having finished the tnanuscript of his "Constitutional Stud­ ies," lias turned his attention to the long promised sixth and concluding volume of his "History of the United States,". - embracing the period of the civil war. It is hoped that this will be ready for publication next year. Ernest Daudet, with the untiring lit­ erary activity that distinguishes him, is at work on several books. The first to appear in all probability will be a volume dealing with the Due d'Aumale, and consisting largely of personal rem­ iniscences, M; Daudet having been on intimate terms with the late Duke.- Emile Zola's "Paris," announced as among the forthcoming publications of the current season, will not appear in book form until early in 1898. The translator has entered into an agree­ ment with one of the leading London weeklies for its serial issue in Great Britain.- The volume will be slightly shorter than "Lourdes," a;nd will be divided into five books, each of five chapters. Mr. Vizetelly sajhs: "It will probably come as a surprise to the crit­ ics and readers of M. Zola's more recent works. It will be a genuine novel, with no dissertations and no digressions. From first to last it will be brimful of life and action, at the same time pre-' seating a klaeidoscopie picture of all classes of the Parisian community at the end of the nineteenth century." A friend who has recently visited S. R. Crockett at St Andrews, says of him: "He has two type-writing ma­ chines of unusual size and strength that he had made especially for his own use at a cost of $500 each, and he works on these at lightning pace. But that is not all--he will carry on a gen­ eral conversation with a roomful of people while he is wrriting out a story on the machine. Now, I have heard compositors talk while setting type, but they were merely copying, whereas Mr. Crockett was writing out original matter. Usually he works alone, be­ ginning at about 5 o'clock in the morn­ ing, and when he comes down to break­ fast at 9 he has 5,000 words written out. He seems to be inexhaustible and is certainly indefatigable. He is six feet four inches tall, weighs 280 pounds, and is as nimble as a cat." Gen. Lew Wallace has been silent since the publication of his "Prince of India." The announcement of a new- book from his pen is, therefore, news indeed. It is called "The Wooing of Malkatoon: Commodus," and.,contains two poems, with illustrations by F. V. DuMond and J. R. Weguelin._ "The Wooing of Malkatoon" is a love story, the scene of Avhich is in the Orient. The hero, a chivalrous youth, while on the chase, meets his fate. Acting under conditions imposed by the maid's fath- •er, he goes forth into the world to do and dare that which will secure him her hand. "Commodus" is a play founded upon a dramatic incident in the time of Rome's greatest power and lory. Maternus, a slave who had lib­ erated himself, gathered about him a band of freebooters that finally reached Rome, Maternus being slain after a vain attempt to kill the Emperor nd capture the throne. ' I > Chrysanthemums. Perfection of clirystanthemum cul­ ture is to have them retain their leaves healthy as long as possible. If the plants lose their leaves early the bloom will be small. Sometimes the lighter leaves are attacked by a parasite fun­ gus which causes them to drop off early. On the first appearance of the pasasite the leaves should he syringed with copper sulphate solution. Some­ times these attacks are encouraged by allowing the leaves to become weak for want of good food, for, although it is not impossible for fungus parasite to attack healthy vegetation, it is also true that they attach themselves more readily when the plant is weak. Man­ ure water, or a surface dressing of manure, is the precaution to be taken against this result. 1 Ag^ii^ leaves ̂ e frequently weakened by. aUoM*ihg'$?e plants to become too dry. Chrefui cultivators can easily guard against this. On the other hand, stagnant wa­ ter in the earth is also "Ittjfurious. This means that, to have healthy plants, the pots or boxes in which they are §£oVn should be so arranged that the wafer can pass readily away.--Meebah's iSlonthly. New Instrument ol" War.' t i An Austrian newspaper announces that Mauser, the well-known manufac­ turer of fire-arms and the inventor of the initi!ailleuse wUich bears his name, has just invented a^new mitrailleuse which loads and discharges itself auto­ matically. There are three models of this, and experiments with them are said to have been highly successful. The ,6-caliber permits a fire of sixty or seventy shots to the minute; the ,10-caliber, a fire of eighty shots to the minute, and the .20-eallber, a fire of ninety shots. The .10-caliber mitrail­ leuse can easily be carried and ope­ rated by a single artilleryman. If a woman sincerely loves a man it nevef worries her conscience to steal •tobacco for him. •" , Costly False Teeth. A Madras dentist, it is announced, re­ ceived a sum of £700 for supplying His Highness the Nizam of Hyderabad with a row of false teeth. Some women go visiting on mighty "slight provocation.