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HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher, NIL DESPERANDTTM. Two Polla" AnnujjjT
vnr ty " TUDGWAY. ELK COUNTY. PA.. THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 1879. NO. 0.
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roetic Answers.
WHAT IS TOUR CHARACTER t
A rare compound of oddity, frolic and lun, .
; To relish a oke and rojoice in a pun.
Goldsmith.
That of the epicure, who, serenely full, inny
say,
' Fate cannot harm me; I have dined to-dnr.
Swift.
Luxurious, aTaricious, false, decoitlul,
Sullen, malicious, smacking of every sin that
has a name. Shakespcnie.
WHAT IS TOUR CHIEF ATTRACTION T
Thou hast tho sweetest iaco I ever looked on.
,- ' Shakespeare.
Good sense which only is the gift of Heaven,
And though no science, fairly worth thesovcu
Pope.
A form so fair, that like the air
Tis less of earth than heaven.
E. E. Fiukney.
Me is so full of pleasant anecdote,
So rich, so gay, so poignant in his wit :
Time vanishes before him as he speaks,
And ruddy morning through tho lattice poeps.
Joanna Baillio.
WHAT DO TOC MSB BEST.
That all-softoning, ovorpoworing knoll,
The tocBin ot the soul tho dinnor bell.
Byron. '
A slight flirtation by the light of a chandolior.
With music to play in the pauses
And nobody very oar. Willis.
Gold ! Gold ! Gold ! Gold !
Bright and yellow, hard and cold.
Hood.
Give me kissos ! all is waste save tho luxury oi
the taste.
And lor kissing kisses live only when wo tuko
or give,
Kiss'me, then,
Every moraont and again.
J. G. Saxe.
WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE MOST ?
Of every bore,
It to the list you add a score,
Are not so bad, upon my lilo,
As that ono scourge, a scolding wile.
Berni.
Drunkenness, whoso vile incontinence
Take both away, tho rouson and tho sonsc,
It drowns tho better parts, miking tlio name
To foes a laughter, to friends a shame.
liandolph
Coarso speech, bad gramimfr, swearing,
Drinking, vice. Holmes.
Home-made physic that sickens tho sick,
Thick for thin and thin for thick,
Hood.
WHAT IS YOIK HIGHEST AMBITION T
To go to church to-dny,
To look devout nnd seem to piny,
And ero to-morrow's sun goes down
Bo dealing slander through tho town.
Mrs. Sigourney.
To dress 113 the nobles dress,
In cloth of silver nnd gold,
With silk and satin and costly furs
In many an ample fold.
Hoo.l.
Oh, grant mo, Heaven, a middle state,
Neither too huinblo, nor too great,
More tliau enough for nature's ends,
With something left to trent my friends.
Mullet.
Oh, gio me tho loss that hae acres of charms;
Oh, gie mo lass wi the weel stockit farm !
Burns.
Then let mo get money as bees lay up honey ;
I'll build new hives and store each cell,
Tho sight of my treasure will yield mo great
pleasure,
I'll count it, and chink it, and jingle it well.
Dr. Franklin.
WHAT 18 YOUR FAVORITE FLOWER?
Magnificent calln, in mantle of milk.
Mrs. Sigourney.
The chaste eamelia's pure and spotless bloom,
That boasts no fragrance ana conceals no
thorn.
William Koscos.
And fuitli that a thousand ills can bravo
Speaks in thy bluo leaves, " forget-me-not.''
Pereival.
Hose, thou art tho sweetest flower.
Burns.
WHO IS YOUR INTENDED ?
A perfect woman nobly planned,
To warn, to comfort and command,
And yet a spirit still and bright,
With something of an angel's light.
Wordsworth.
' A judge, a man so learned,
80 full ol equity, so noble envy
Itself cannot accuse, or malice vitiate.
Chapman and Shirley.
A huifgry, loan-faced villain,
A mere anatomy, a mountebank,
A thread-bare juggler, and fortune-teller,
A needy, hollow-eyed, sharp-looking wretch.
Shakespeare.
A rosebud set with willful thorns
' As sweet as English air can make her.
Tennyson
WHAT IS THE CHARACTER OP YOUR INTENDED ?
She takes the most delight
In music, instruments and poetry
Shakespeare.
The solemn fop, significant and budge,
A fool with judges, and among fools a judge,
-Cowper,
Sho has road her futhor's well-filled library
with profit,
And can tidk charmingly: she can sing
" Aud piny, too, passubly, and dunce with spirit:
She is knowing'in all needle-work;
And shines in kitchen as well as parlor.
J. N. Barker.
He is a scholar, and a ripo and good one,
Exceedingly wise, fair spoken and persuading.
Shakespeare.
WHAT IS YOUR DESTINY T
Never wedding, never wooing,
' Still a lovelorn heart pursuing.
Campbell.
To be a man ol rank and of capacious soul,
To riches liave, and fame beyond desire,
And heir to flattery, to titles born,
' "And reputation and luxurious life.
' ' ' Robert Pollock
Single as a stray glove, minus its mate.
Fanny Kemble.
WHERE WILL YOUR HOME BE?
Where beasts with man divided empire claim,
And tho brown Indian marks with murdorous
aim. 1 ' Goldsmith.
Whore from the rise of morn to sot of sun
Tho mighty Mohawk runs,
And the dark woods ol pine
Along his mirror darkly shine.
In some enchanted We,
AVhcre heaven and love their Sabbath hold.
Campbell.
DEMETER'S DAUGHTER.
Mrs. Do Lettante had invited a crowd
of people to hear a white-haired man
of lofty nrtistlc pedigree read. Sho was
tOtlll OI pnironi.lIiK uuna. it 1n.11 jii.
Kemble Had given 111s ir Alimony au-
solute and Sir Fetor leazle, Mrs. De
Tttnntfi went about nmong ner guests
nnd explained that she had still another
pleasure 111 store lor inom: .miss nuaii
Wiese would now recite. Miss Wiese
was a debutante, but they would see
slie had great possibilities: Mr. Kem
ble had spoken to ner 01 tne young
lady, who intended to heeomo a pro
fessional reader; he was enthusiastic in
her praise.
So. after a brief interval, a young
girl was led forward, who recited por
tions of Elaine's beautiful and touching
story witn native ease and grace. Mic
stood in the third of the suite of rooms
that opened one into another, Behind
her wns n background 01 winie lowers
arranged on graduated steps, a mass of
1 :..!. ,.l.Jfl.. ,1n4V,i.i;la tt it-no
liynuuiiiis riii-nj unit u.iiiwiiiif v1 "
spring). Sho was a flower of spring
herself, with the ineffable glory and
charm of youth about her: serene, wide
brow, from which heavy dark hair was
swept to one side; -the outlines of her
IVe pure and harmonious, and strong
rather than delicate; in her cheeks the
fresh, steadv color that rarely outlasts
girlhood. She wore a quaintly simple
black silk gown, tho sleeves cut to the
elbows and fleecily ruffled .with white;
the same white effect at her throat.
Her voice was rich and soft and full.
Her recitation charmed; there was a
murmur of pleased surprise. When she
had done she simply it'll back a step or
two nirninst tho tiers of flowers. She
helped herself to a dnlloilil, and stood
carelessly swinging it, listening to some.
tiling kind which the elocutionist said
to her.
Presently Mrs. De Lettante came up
with a tall, fair young -man of a studi
ous aspect, whom she made known to
Miss AYiese as Dr. Douglass. As this
vonnsr man bowed in acknowledgement
" f . a . . 1 1.- ... 1 i.i lr
OI tllC introduction, lie saiu 10 iiuiisrii,
" Dcnipter s daughter, lair nnd tree."
out of a sweet rhyme-book of his sister's.
1011 cave me a great deal ot pleas
ure." ho said, with a touch ot the sclt-
contidence of youth in the worth of its
own praise.
Did 1 1 am very giau.
As for Mrs. De Lettante. she is
fairly ruffled with competency at hav
ing sponsored you."
Mrs. Do ljettanto has been very good
to me. '
You have repaid her. She is the
woman in search ot a mission. ijok
at her now, magnetizing that little dark
man with those restless hazel eyes of
hers
She is very gracious and handsome."
Extremely so in her sweeping satin
robes Nile green vou ladies call that
color, do you not? stately, dark-haired,
fair-skinned. 1 wonder who mo ugty
little man is?"
Mr. Kemble told me. lie is a
Frenchman, a duke. His father was
made a duke by the emperor' at Sol-
fcrino. He inherits the title."
" Pasteboard nobility."
" There has to be a beginning to every.
thin". Bravery is its own pedigree
Did vou ever hear what adir replied
wlien 'Delhi's throne inquired the an
cestry' of his son.-"
Mv child is noble, tor, though lowly born,
lie is the son and grandson of the sword.' "
Her simple enthusiasm was contagious
" No doubt vou and Nadir is that
his name? are right. Here comes Mrs
Do Lettante with her duke. lie is like
Jacob he halts on his thigh
The Due de Bonne Fortune was pre
sented in his turn. He was not .an at
tractive personage, upon the whole; as
you have garnered, nine aim u:uk, uuu
very lame. He was a man who had
lived in the world and for the world, and
Ids life had left no impress of any lofty
imnulse upon his lace: on the contrary,
there were lines of craft and guile around
his mouth and eves. lie was no longt
young, but lie looked older than his
actual nge. Still ho showed traces of
the old-world civilization lie had sprung
from; there was a gay sparkle anil
vivacity about his conversation which
disposed Hilda in his favor. All women
... 1 T 1 , 1
like to be amused, jjcshics, 111 nor up'
right vigor she lolt-a "divine compas
sion" for his irfirniity.
Dr. Douglass drifted away with Mrs
De Lettante, who said, going: "Do you
know Mrs. Wicse? There she is, all by
herself in that corner. Of course she is
almost a stranger hero. I asked her for
tho daughter's sake. I wish you would
talk to her
Douglass agreed readily. Douglass
bo
was not singular 111 111s aiaeruy 10
. .1 . . 1 - . "11 e 1, ..nr.. 1 .i 1.
civil 10 tne luoiuei 01 u uvnuuim imugu
tor. And Mrs. Wieso proved to bo
charm'ng on her own account literally
charming, with the unhackneyed and
fresh cheerfulness of a child. She had a
" primrose face" a phrase I like to bor
row from Owen Meredith to describe a
certain type of face that never entirely
loses its youth witn ready smiles, and
changing color, and clear eyes, add, in
her case, sunny chestnut hair (the color
ing should he Drignt;. An electric
spark was struck between Douglass ad
herself. Mie hkeii young men in a de
lightful, motherly way, that always
bore in mind her own hall-grown boys.
And young men invariably liked her.
Sho talked frankly to Douglass; among
other things, about her husband's deli
cate health and failing sight. Douglass
hail made a specialty of diseases ot the
eye, and lent an intelligent interest, lie
said he should be honored it Airs. Y lese
would permit linu to call upon herself
and her husband ; lie did not add, " nnd
your daughter," although at that very
moment his gaze was resting on the
calm young Persephone in the next
room, who, still idly twirling her snowy
daffodil, was talking to the pasteboard
dukc.-
Later in the evening Douglass fell in
again with Mrs. De Lettante. "They
ten nie, 110 said, indicating Hilda,
"that that leautiful child is destined for
the stage. I confess I am sorry to hear
it.
"She has a gift. " To my thinking, it
belongs to the world."
"And so sho will dim her loveliness
behind the footlights, and lose the bloom
of her reticence and modesty."
" Not necessarily. An ordinary woman
might. An artist ia impersonal; her
own identity is completely merged.
Happy she! Most women's lives stag
nate for wnnt of an outlet."
Douglass carried out his intention of
ailing upon the W loses, and found tliera
iving in a house very small, very shabby
and forlorn, in the suburbs of the town.
However, Mrs. Wiesc and Hilda-were
hiore delightful than ever, nnd Douglass
sat on a stiff canc-hottonicd chuir on a
earpetlcss lloor, nnd his heart sung with
in liini. It was nil so unconstrained nnd
bright nnd pleasant. The father was a
musician, a composer, nn orgnnist; now,
in his feeble condition of body, very
querulous and irritable. 5ut Douglass
conceived n hope that he should be ablo
to do something lor his eyes. jur. V lese
was a German ly birth; lie had never
learned to master his wife's mother
tongue. But lie was exceedingly volu
ble in his own broken guttural. He
never wearied of pouring ids complaints
into Douglass' ears. Aim J'ougiass
listened witli exemplary patience nay,
interest for Hilda's sake.
Yes, for Hilda's sake. It had come to
that. Ho had yielded to a sentimental
fancy at first sight ; now, aj second nnd
third sight, he had fallen in love des
perately, with nn absorbing energy
which colored his whole nature, impart
ing sinew nnd muscle to his ambition.
It seemed to him now that he had never
known before what was genuine nmbi-
lon. 110 grew ieverisu wiin iiiip;uiein:u.
Ie was a poor man; lie could barely
Ruimort himself. If lie should sup
port a wife, 'it must be in the simplest,
1 . . . r 1.1 i,m 1. , a
plainest w ay. v ouiu 111111a ne winiiigr
In marrying, Hilda would be called upon
to make more special sacrifices than most
women make when they marry. He nl
most feared that she would never like
him well enough to make these sacrifices
for him.
He know that Hilda was meanwhile
studying hard, preparing for her arduous
prolession. nosiues, sue was giving les
sons in elocution. Poor little thing!
How he longed to work for them both!
lie was with her constantly: after a
while, every evening. Those delicious
spring days suggested country rambles,
boating anything which furnished nn
excuse for being together. As for Hilda,
he dared not stop to realize how happy
she was in this constant companion
ship. She dared not realize that she
simply delighted in lite becnuse it
brought Douglass to nerat 1110 enu 01 uie
long days.. ' . ,
Those'davs were shared almost as in
variably with M. De Bonne Fortune,
lie had followed un his acquaintance as
vigorously as had Douglass, appearing
at the Wi'eses' dingy little house behind
a pair of superb black steeds in gold-
mounted harness, lie winrieu mum on
in this showy equipage one fine day.
Her father stood in the little doorway
looking after them, shading his inflamed
eves with his hand. " He is in luf mit
Hilda, I can sec dat, he said to his wife.
It vill pe a goot ting tor us alle."
Mrs. Wiese's bright face" clouded. Her
own choice for her daughter would bo a
different one. jSorhad she tailed to no
tice the lighting up of Hilda's face when
Douglass came and went.
Mr. Wieso was right. M. De Bonne
Fortune had fallen in love with Hilda.
It was nothing to him who she was.
who her people were. She would be
above criticism as the Duchess de Bonne
Fortune, lie determined to marry her
from the outset. He considered it hardly
probable that the facts that he was yel
low and wizened and lame, and Hilda's
senior bv certainly fifteen or twenty
years, would weigh in the balance
against the advantages of his title and
his wealth.
Xor did thev when it came to the
point. It seemed to her that it washer
duty to accept him. Her father had said
as much to her from time to time during
tho weeks that the duke s black chargers
swept his glittering chariot to and from
town. Moreover, the duke made his
offer to the father in the first place, and
the father in repeating it urged the suit
in every way.
"He has promise to settle an indebent
ent fortune on vou." Mr. Wiese urged
"Mit dat you can do vat you choose.
And he vil set Oscar up in business ven
lie has linish school next year. It vil po
a great ting for us ail, Jlildachen.
" Yes." Ililda said. " I suppose it will
I will marry him, father;" and having
given her consent, she felt as though she
had locked herself into a prison.
.That evening Douglass came. M. De
Bonne Fortune, who dined late in the
city, rarely spent an evening at the
Wieses', and it so happened that lie nnd
Douglass had never met. Ililda felt like
a traitor as she followed tho young man
lmrn tr thp hunt thov bad an engage
ment to go rowing. The language of
love is easy of interpretation; sho had
read it in his looks and in his voice a
hundred times. Besides, she could inter
rupt it bv tho key of her own feelings.
But she made up her mind that he should
learn of her engagement from her own
lips. If lie wns pained, no one out ner
silf should see his nain.
When she had told him, Douglass
rowed on in silence for a while. Then he
said, " I have no doubt you have decided
wisely. The children ol this world an
in their generation wiser than the cliil
ilren of light. You have mv good wishes
of course ; you resign some things your
art."
" Yes." she replied, wretchedly. " But
a woman cannot always think of her
self." They rowed on in silence for
another while. Presently sho shiverei!
iul suggested that they should returi
home "It is so cold on the water to-
ni'dit." Toor girl ! she was cold to the
heart.
Tho tPars stood in Mrs. Wiese's moth
erly eyes, nnd there was a weight on her
hPiii t. ns heart and eyes both followed
tho vnnnir man as he strode down the
. o i r. 11 :,.l,f
tio wou tho iimte she would have chosen
. ........ --
for Hilda, in spite ol waiting, in smio 01
poverty. Alas! she believed, sue icaieu,
' . . ... . f - If ln UnnnQ
that Hilda did not. care ior m. w i.i,.
Fortune. Sho was taking up the unutter
able cross of a loveless life. She went to
her daughter on the spur 01 mat convic
tion, but Ililda put her away with a cold
kiss. " Dear mamma, let it be as I have
decided. It is best. 1 am not iikb ;uu
I have not the same necessity ior WTins.
Tho golden chariot with its coal-black
steeds drew up in front of the Wieses
little cottage for the last time anu wim iuu
Ililda away, alter tne mairmS c-
. hoon Tiorfnnned in the carpet-
less little parlor whirled her off to a life
as different from that of her girlhood as
though she had indeed Qieu 10 ir w.iuci
..if
Once on their voyage out her husband
u. 1 ,.i.inr her faced bowed on
her folded arms, as she gazed out upon
the lonesome waste of waters. " Home
sick?" he asked, half friendly, half re
! Then, taking the tct for
IllUIU'jl
granted, he went on : ' My child, never
look backward ; it does no good."
To the outward seeming sho lived a
golden life in Paris of caso and luxury
and grandeur, steeped in nil the extrava
gance and display of the second empire.
Nor did she tail to carry out her inten
tions toward her parents in America.
She sent thorn, year by year, out of her
superabundance, enough to keen the
wolf from the door. Nor was the duke's
promise to Oscar forgotten. The boy
was established in a well-known banking
house nftor a year or so of additional
schooling.
But there were times when, in spite
of nil this, Hilda De Bonne Fortune asked
herself whether her grand marriage had
been worth while! To bo sure, she had
not been euiltv of the baseness of marry
ing for her own mere meat nnd raiment,
but nil the same she had learned by a
wearisome experience now inlinitely less
were these than the demands of the soul.
ljorcd her to death ,to be a fine lady,
seemed to her that she was a very
host of her former self; that that had
icd long ago. when she had closed tho
door upon the real things of Jife tho
art she had surrendered, tne mutual
love sho might have worn like a crown.
She grew quiet and pale, and her hus
band noticed it, and reproached her for
fretfully. Had he not married her
r her youth and freshness? She must
exert herself; she must go into tho
orld : she must dress in a manner be
fitting her station. He did not choose
lis wife to be a dowdy. When he re-
roached her he dropped the mask of
lis smooth gallantry. He was as out
uuiVon and n.s rough and coarse as though
lie had not been educated in tho foremost
of modern civilizations.
The poor little duchess was in despair.
Whom was there to turn to? She
against the hard, cold world! There
was a church not far off. A fancy
seized her to go ther". She had seen her
mother eomo out of a church sometimes
itli a wonderful look of peace on her
face. She might might find peace too.
She took her maid with her since she
never more went quite- free now and
strayed into the great, quiet cathedral.
She dropped down on her knees. Sho
thought of a storm, and of a voice that
came in the storm, and of the calm that
followed. And presently there was a
calm with her.
A calm, and a strength that is only
born of calm. She went about lier ways
serenely; she ruled her kingdom beauti
fully. If she had made a grave mistake
she did not sit down with folded hands
in its shadow. Poor little soul! she hud
strayed into hades; but she became the
ght. the tranquil moonlight, 01 ne
lace.
In a day of unfaith and of materialism
and of mammon worship, she was true
to her own ideals of goodness nnd loveli
ness. She never lost her childlike na-
ure. her mnocen-e. her simplicity
The worldly men nnd women about her
rented her with a certain nan-pitying
everence.
So she made her peace with life, with
nature, as the pagans would have said,
and ns we Christians still may phrase it,
with a devouter nnd more hlial signili
mice.
But in so making her reconciliation
she must also find her way back to her
old place in the heart of the bright-faced
little woman across tne ocean wno nan
sent her forth so reluctantly to her mar
ried life. She had written to her mother
cold and studied letters during the first
months of her married lite; it was not
until she bad eonouered her disappoint
ment nnd her loneliness thnt she could
write to her ns she used to talk to her,
with the outpouring of lier heart.
One evening at a crowueii reception nt
icr hotel, a tal . lair man, wiiu tin:
slichtlv stooped shoulders of the student
made his way through the throng, and.
hesitating slightly, bowed presently over
her hand.
" I was bv no means sure it was you
Madame De Bonne Fortune," Dr.
Douglass said. And in truth she was
sufficiently altered to have made recogni
tion difficult. She had lost her fresh
color; the mild rose bloom had given
nlaceto the pallor of the lily. Ihere
wns an outlooking patience now in her
eyes, and there wereshadows under them
that told of sleepless nights and restless
days. But if the luster of lier youthful
heautv was dimmed, perhaps the splen
dor of the setting sufficed to make
nuiends. Her palace was very splendid
her toilette was a triumph in its way
her fair bead was diademed with dia
monds. She looked the queen tiiat she
was in the world ol lashion.
" I seem to be in a dream," Dr. Doug
buss went on: "or rather it seems to mo
that it must have been in a dream that
we once took country rambles together
down shady innes, and gathered wild
flowers, and rowed about in a boat, and
did various other rustic things. Part of
the dream was that you wore a white
straw hat trimmed with scarlet poppies
Your dress is trimmed with scarlet pop
pies to-night, I see."
" Poppies are said to be the flowers of
dreams. As far as that gpes, this scene
to-night is the dream for me. I am not
accustomed to my grandeur yet; it is still
unreal. Oh, Dr. Douglass "dropping
her voice " how is my mother ? When
did you see lier ?"
Poor little queen ! mere were tears in
her eyes. Looking into lier earnest face,
nnd so into the soul behind it, it did in
deed appear as though lier fine clothes
and her jewels were a mask, and ns
though she were holding court in a veri
table place of shades. Dr. Douglass had
thought hard things of her ; he had called
lier a mercenary worlding. He took it
all b'ck now ; he forgave her; he pitied
her.
After that. Hilda never rested until
sho bad seen her mother face to face,
Her conversation with Dr. Douglass
brought u;- the past so vividly that she
could not, lie satisfied without. So in tho
spring she crossed the Atlantic, with her
little retinue of man and maid, two years
after her marriage.
She knocked at the door of the shabby
dttle house she used to call home, late
one evening. It was May. in the twi-
m it n I ...... . Ii 11 .111 1 . I .liutinnllion I'llll 1 I
iar flowers in the small carifen heart's-
ease and daffodils. She stooped and
plucked a daffodil, lier favorite flower,
as she waited for them to open the door.
Its iragranee carried ner straight oacKto
lier happy, hopeful girlhood. It brought
up such a look to her face that when her
mother caught iier to ner arms present.
ly, it seemed to her that her Ililda had
never been away at all.
Since then years have rolled slowly on
But every spring has brought Hilda
across the highway of the ocean. She
and her mother have been one in hear
ever since. They hnve lived chiefly in
the time ol tueir reunion and in the look
itig forward to it nnd the rememberins
it. Always when the- daffodils bloom
Mrs. Wieae gathers great bunches of
,mvi anil filla with thom the VasCS in
Hilda's room, and makes ready for her
darling. And the pale little duchess re
fhehomitvof the apiing flowers,
and goes back to Paris with all the more,
heart to the wearing of her dark-henrted
poppies in winter.
(Sedan comes ana gora,
ntn" tho Km-ond Empire, nnd sweep-
ng awny the fortunes of many of its no
bles; butM. De Bonne Fortune weatners
the crisis, and Madame De Bonne For
tune still holds her shifting court.
The child of nature, gifted ns are the
favored children of our great mother ;
tho ill-favored lord; the coal-black
feeds; the daffodils, such as grew on
:nna: the poppies that brought forgct-
fulness: the yearly visit to a purer air;
the Hades throne nil these features in
an old-world story have come into- my
mind as I have written of a Persephone
of to-day. Harper1 Bazar.
TIMELY TOPICS.
A number of English gentlemen have
annually been in the habit of presenting
to the poorer classes in their neighbor
hood a variety of flower seeds and a few
ornamental shade or fruit trees. The
result is that they have encouraged a
taste for the cultivation of flowers, nnd
the appearance of many villages has
been wonderfully improved.
-T-innn InvPS tllO Postal CM'd. This
cheap and useful device was introduced auea to
into Japan three years ago, nnd last year
over 10,000,000 cartis were useu. rur
eign mail matter is increasing so fast in
Japan that before long it must break
down the exelusiveness of that country.
n 1875, 44,000 letters were received Horn
foreign parts. Iast year the number
was. 158,203. The postal department is
conducted with great honesty, only
nineteen money letters being lost last
year, containing $130, which was made
good to the owners by the government.
FARM, GARDEN, AND HOUSEHOLD
The Vie of the Harrow In Spring;
When the spring frosts have censed,
says a New York paper, the condition of
the winter grain is frequently very de
plorable. After ninny nlternnte changes
of freezing nnd thawing, tho plants in
late-sown fields, or where the stand has
not become well tillered, will be found,
in great part, nearly drawn from the soil,
and with their roots exposed. If thus
left, the first drying wind completes the
damage and destroys the weakened
plants. This may be avoided by nn
early hnrrowing of the ground with a
light harrow, the teeth of which should
slope backward nt nn nnglo of forty-five
degrees. These teeth not only stir up
the soil and press the roots into the
ground, but they draw the soil over the
plants and cover the exposed roots. The
benefit is two-fold. The damage nnd
threatened loss are prevented, and the
plants nre stimulated to a quickened
growth. After several years' experience
in the use of such a harrow in the spring
upon fall grain crops, we do not hesitate
to recommend it ns a beneficial work.
It is a question if it would not be advisa
ble to ndd a rolling to the harrowing,
which may be done without trouble by
attaching a light roller to the harrow by
short chains. It would ndd but little to
tho draft, but much to the effectiveness
and usefulness of the work.
Another use for the harrow nt tin
season is to loosen up the surface of
clover or grass fields. By thus scarify
ing the surface, the grass roots are in-
spread nnd thus tmcKcn tne
herbage. This effect is greatly nided by
spreading some iresli seed, some new
variety, perhaps, and giving a fair dress
ing of fine manure or artificial fertilizers,
such as guano, nitrate of soda, dissolved
bone, salt, plaster, wood ashes, or any
other that may be chosen or found con
venient. As a rule, our meadows nnd
pastures are neglected and consequently
poor: but bv giving them attention in
this way nt this season their condition at
haying time may be found much more
satisfactory. The harrow is nlso useful
Tho irondnnne lately killed in the at- in spreading manure which has been
...t- Vihiliata nt. Kipff. in Russia, carried into the stubble or plowed
fell bv the hand of a woman, Olga Has- ground through the winter. The lumps
SOWSka. Utlicr jMlllnsi women iisuifu I m "iumiii iuu6 im.i ."i
iti,n.ipf..iwpnfniipofthe houses entered heaps are spread nnd mixed with the
by the police. In another house
was Mile. Gersefeld, daughter of a gen
eral nnd a distinguished place-holder.
She was a noted beauty and but eigh
teen years of age. While firing her pis
tol at the gendarmes in tho melee, she
wns wounded by a bayonet nnd cap
tured. On being carried before the chicl
of police, she said : "I fired to-day only
upon a simple gendarme; but on tho
next occasion we 11 kill nil of you, ns so
many mad dogs." The Countess Panin,
admired equally with Mile. Oersefeld for
her beauty, was also arrested, jier Hus
band's mother is one of the ladies of the
empress' court.
Mr. G. F. Needham, 'of Washington,
thinks that the people of the Northern
States make a great mistake in not rais
iiirr fiira " TTo KllVR that the fruit is grown
successfully in-Kngland, where the fog-
it v atmosphere is not nearly so lavora-
ble to it as our sunny land. Northern
climi.'S are even better than southern,
because too great heat is inimicnl to the
plant, and our days are more evenly
tempered than those of the South. In
Ohio it has been found that the fig tree
s quickly grown, is easily protected,
is a sure nearer nnu is very pruum-.
The trees begin to bear when two years
old, and when they have attained an
age of four or five years produce from
the same nrea, with less labor, a greater
and more certain crop than either pota
toes or tomatoes. Mr. JSeediiam adds
that what is true of Ohio is true of the
whole North.
usefulness. To the latter class it may be
interesting to know that toads live al
most wholly upon slugs, caterpillars,
beetles and other insects, making their
rounds at night when the farmer is
anlopp and the birds too and the in
sects are supposed to be having it all
their own wny. English gardeners un
derstand these facts so well that toads
tare purchased at so much a dozen nnd
turned loose, and the best of it is the
toads generally stay nt home, so the gar
dener is not troubled with buying his
own toads over again every few days.
The toad can be tamed and will easy
learn to know " its master," and come
when called; the writer lias not only
had such pets himself, but could give
other instances of toad taming that have
come under his observation. Toads can
be, made very useful about the house,
nnd will do not a little good in destroy
ing cockroaches, lues, and other house
hold nests. ' Thev arc sometimes known
to ent worms, which they grnsp by the
middle witn ineir laws, cramming m me
writhing ends of the unfortunate articu
lates by means of tfie front feet. Insects
nre seized and conveyed to the mouth by
means of the rapidly darting tongue,
which alwavs secures the victim as it is
nbout to fly or run away. C. R. D.t in
New York Tribune.
The Ijiwii,
The man who puts on a frequent lit
tle sprinkling of salt or bone dust or
superphosphate, or any fertilizer that
will ndd an additional rich green tint to
tho turf, is always recompensed by se
curing the most conspicuous grass plat
in the neighborhood. J lie nest lawn we
ever saw, says nn agricultural writer,
was occasionally treated to a sprinkling
of diluted blood from a slaughter-house,
just previous to a shower. When the
soil is soft, run the roller over; it helps
the nppenrance greatly, a lie applica
tion of a little ground gypsum will also
ircsnen up tne grass, uui nuuve nu,
never neglect to run tho mowing
machine over frequently. Once a week
1 none too often during a wet senson.
Scientific American.
The New York Herald has a long arti
cle on preachers' salaries, from which
we gather that the average compensation
of clergymen, of all denominations, city
nnd country, is less than sauu a year.
Mr. Beccher's salary, once 350, is now
!?-J0,000 a year, with a three-months va
cation: Dr. Halliday, Beccher's nssist-
anfc gets $3,000; Tahnage receives .18,
000; Morgan Dix, $15,000.; Dr. Wm.
Taylor, 511,000; Dl liepwonu s salary
is 5.000. which he savs is never paid
soil verv thoroughly. If the harrow
gathers the litter into heaps .these may
be unread again, nnd ngain harrowed
until the whole is broken up nnd proper
ly distributed
The roller should follow the harrow in
all these operations. Even should the
meadows need no loosening up of the
surface, thev will at least be all the bet
tor for a thorough rolling, which will
sink all tufts, stones or other inipedi
ments to the mower into the soil, and
cave a smooth surface to work upon
Household Hints.
Cl.EAXINli ClSTF.KN-WATF.lt. Add tWO
ounces powdered alum and two ounces
borax to a tweiitv-barrel cistern of rain
water that is blackened or oily, and in a
few hours the sediment will settle and
the water bo clarified and fit for washing,
and even for cooking purposes.
Meai.y Potatoes. Select the potatoes
so that they will be nearly of a size; do
not put them into tin? pot until the water
boils. When done, pour off tho water
and remove the cover until the steam is
gone; then scatter in a half teaspoonful
of salt and cover the pot with a towel.
Watery potatoes will thus come out
mealy.
Cleaning Dishes. Dinner dishes nnd
plates which have had greasy food upon
them may be rubbed oft" with a little In
dian meal before putting into water.
They are thus prevented from making
the water unlit lor continued use, wnue
the meal, saved by itself, is good for the
pig or the chickens.
A Strong Cement. A cement par
ticularly adapted for nttnehing the brass
work to bottle-necks, lamps, etc., is made
by boiling three parts of resin with one
ot caustic soda and five of water. The
composition is then mixed with half its
weight of plaster of paris. It sets firmly
in about tliree-quarters of an hour. It is
said to bo of great adhesive power, not
permeable bv petroleum, a low conductor
of heat and but superficially attacked by
hot water.
Let the Beds he Aiked. It is a bad
..1.... 4,. ' n...l. ...O' ,1... 1..1li ........ ..Knfnlu
umLi!L iT firfi aikSn' A.: VT er breakfast, the sleeping apartments
ter. 810,000; Dr. liflanv, ft 10,000; Dr. n,.!,. j.,,,,1,1 1, nni ..,. ,,!,, to
Morgan, 15,(100; Dr. Tyng, -000; Dr. t, c nud tQ thc atmoSpn(re. p not
Stone, $12 .000; Dr. Chapin ft8,000 to , , too much haste to get the chain-
bora in order. lA'ttnesneets una mannero
the cities range from $1,000 to $3,000, the
Presbyterian from 1,200 toftio.ooo, nnd
the Congregationalists from $1,500 to
$20,000. The Episcopalians average $3,
000, the Baptists $2,000 and the Unitar
ians $4,000.
The Friends.
A New York paper says: The Quakers,
or Friends, are said to have been dimin
ishing slowly though steadily during thc
last twenty years, in consequence of thc
secularization of many of the younger
people born in the society. Iheir laith
and life are simple, and their ways so
gentle and honest, as to be in sharp
Contrast U IUUCIl m llic l-oniym-aici linn
artificial wants and manners of the latter
half of the nineteenth century. Many
members of the society in Philadelphia,
where they are tar more numerous man
in any other city in the union, are anx
ious to correct tiiffdecreasing tendency of
the body, nnd nre zealously engaged in a
movement for the formation of settle
ments in the West. The Friends have
been so scattered and isolated in that
section as to gradually lose interest in
their habits and principles. The inten
tion is to organize an association which
shall purchase tracts ot land, and sell
larms and lots on easy terms, eitner to
Friends or those in sympathy with
them, and to aid such persons as have
limited means with money to erect
dwellings nnd develop their scanty re
sources. The association proposes to
lay out roads, put up school and meeting-houses,
and push forward all need
ful and worthy enterprises. The West
can have no better or more useiui or mare
desirable citizens, for the name of
Quaker lias become everywhere a syn
onym of purity, order thrift, and benevo
lence. The whole number 01 menus is
estimated at present at 120,000, of whom
00,000 belong to the united Mates.
An important discovery of alest for dia
moiuU has been made by Professor William
Crookes, of London, the full details of
which have not yet been made known. He
finds that rough diamonds emit an intense
blue light when subjected to the action of
electricity in a tube from which most of the
air has been exhausted.' Diamonds placed
among othtr geuia can thus be easily distinguished.
icrs in
be spread over separate chairs, the mat
tresses lifted apart, and the pure morning
air be allowed to get into every nook and
cranny of the room before the beds are
made. Better to endure a little delay in
getting tho house in order than loss of
health.
(tecdluK and Fertlllilng in Spots.
Mowings nnd pasturage, when seeded
and manured, nre treated usually only
once for all, and as a whole. We have
often wondered why it was that farmers
allowed bare and sandy spots to co un
attended to until the bareness, or the
weediuess. extended so as to cover
large proportion of the soil. This is, we
know, altogether needless. We nre ac.
quainted with at least one extensive
farmer and dairyman who, pot content
with keeping his pastures free from all
sorts of brush, never permits a bare or
seedy spot in them. If from the settling
of water, tho effect of frost, or the paw
ing of animals, a bare spot appears, it is
at once seeded, and in some cases even
sodded, so that the turf is maintained
unbroken. Similarly, where the grass
gets thin nnd weeds begin to appear,
manure is applied to that spot, and the
enfeebled grass thus stimulated to re-
occupy the ground. In this way a pas
ture of a hundred acres presents at all
times a sod of pure, thick grasses, the
like of which it would be hard to find on
this side of the Atlantic. Yet there are
thousands of farmers as well situated
and as well able to have such pastures,
if they only would, nnd the same prin
ciples are equally or more applicable to
mowing lands.
The result is not only a matter of
looks, but of profit.. The cheese of the
farmer abovo alluded to is sought for
and taken bv flie high-class restaurants
and hotels of New York and Philadel
phia at a fancy price. Much of its ex
cellence is doubtless due to his hereditary
skill in its manufacture, but certainly
the excellent quality and perfect uni
formity of this cheese are due, in no
small degree, to the fact that it is made
of grass-milk, and because no weed-milk
or browse-milk ever goes into it Hurul
Keto Yorker.
Tally Several for the Toad.
Many gardeners already-appreciate the
valuable services of the common toad.
mid afford them protection for their inT
sect-destroving propensities. - while as
many more perhaps are ignorant of their
Fedcstriun Hints.
The common things of lifo
We little weigh;
Amidst much care ami strife
AVe seldom stay
To think of what concerns
Our eveiy-day
Reposeful life. One learns
Not nil one may.
We've given farming hints,
And guides to talk ;
We now give you a few glints
Of how to walk.
Always keep to the left; by this course
you show a spirit untramnieled by the
thrall of convention. It may irritate
tliose you meet ; but what of that, so
long as their irritation hurts them and
not you?
The above rule may be departed from
with propriety when the person met also
snows an liiciiiiuiioii iu go iu m in.
hen, while pretending to do the same,
iirt suddenly to the right. With prac
tice, by dodging first to one side and
then to the other, you may keep a person
nt bay for several minutes. Not only is
this a good example physically, but it
affords you nn opportunity to study your
w-a-m. Xlio proper study 01 maiiKinu
is man.
By all means carry a cane, in the
bands of an expert it is a powerful aux
iliary in making pedestrianism a boon.
It should bo earned over the shoulder,
the ferrule end on a level with the eye of
tho person following in your wake. If
you can contrive to stop aoruptiy now
and then, it will greatly add to his pleasure.
If not convenient to carry the cane as
above, another favorite fashion is to trail
it a lew feet behind you. J. he only 00-
ection to this is that occasionally some
ungentlemanly individual will tread on
your stick and break it. However, tne
pleasure afforded your fellows in tripping
over your cane amply compensates for
the loss ol one now and men.
Prodigies may be accomplished with
nn umbrella. When one comes to deal
ing with this, he emits matters mundane
and soars to the empyrean.
When closed, tho umbrella should be
carried under the arm or on the shoulder.
Do this, nnd thc oculist will bless you.
When carried under the arm, a feat of
surpassing merit can be achieved by any
one after a little practice. This consists
in turning hall round suddenly, uy mis
you kill two birds with one stone, or
rather one umbrella. This exploit al
ways calls forth remark.
With an open umbrella great amuse
ment can be obtained by knocking ott
hats, eye-glasses and even wigs. This is
rather too common to be recommended
as a novelty, to be sure, but it should
not, nevertheless, be overlooked.
Never walk in a direct path ; it is in
belter taste to wabble from side to side
of the walk. This gives any person be
hind you a diversity of view to the front ;
besides which, it exercises the patience
of him who would pass you too eagerly.
Patience being a virtue, it should be ex
ercised. Of course it would be idle to instruct
Indies how to dispose their garments.
They nre such consummate experts in
this matter that we shall attempt but
ono reflection.
Trains should be worn ns far back on
the sidewalk as the length of the material
will allow. In the absence of a train, a
shawl can be substituted. If any ill
mannered man should step on your trail
ing garments of the day, treat liim sum
marily, uuu 111 mu niiiuiii i 111s mi
deserves.
Where there nre two or three together,
they may live in every heart by. walking
with due deliberation and spreading out
to the breadth of the pave.
It is your duty to run into all tho
ladies you meet. It lias a tendency to
throw back their shoulders, you know.
Ladies nre oftener round-shouldered than
men. lou would best not attempt this
with men. They might not appreciate
your well-intentioned attentions.
If you have parcels witli you, your
own good sense will teach you how to
dispose them so as to cover all the sur-
tace possible, ihe law 01 gravitation is
our suna-ieni warrant ior this.
yc
Witli an oil can or paint not vou mav
be more potent than the greatest earthly
monarch. The possibilities of these ac
cessories nre illimitable.
There might be many more rules laid
down. Jhit the above are sufficient. If
strictly followed, you will be immortal-
ized and very quickly. Boston Tran
tcript. .
Never ire slang. It may not always ap
ply, -Listen as A comes into B's'rooia
SaysB: "How do you like my new shoes?'
A : ' Qh, they're immense I'1
V
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