Millheim Journal. (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, December 08, 1881, Image 1
VOL. LV. BARTER, AUCTIONEER, REBERSBURG, PA. J C. SPRINGER, Fashionable Barber, Next Door to JOURNAL Store, MILLHVIH, TA. JgROCKERHOFF HOUSE, (Opposite Court House.) H. BROCKEBHOFF, Proprietor. WM. MCKRKVXR, Manager. Good sample rooms eu first floor. Free bus to and from all trains. Special rates to jurors and witnesses. Strictly First Class. IRVIN HOUSE. (Most Central Hotel In the City,) Corner MAIN and JAY Streets, Lock Haven, Fa. 8. WOODS CALWKLL, Proprietor. Good Sample Rooms for Commercial Travelers on first floor. D. H. MINGLE, Physician and Surgeon, MAIN Street, MILLHICIM, Fa. D R JOHN F * hartek PRACTICAL DENTIST, Office in 2d story of Tomlinson's Gro cery Store, On MAIN Street, MILT.HKIM, Pa. BF. KISTF.R. • FASHIONABLE BOOT A SHOE MAKER Shop next door to Foote's Store, Main St., Boots, Shoes and Gaiters made to order, and sat isfactory work guaranteed. Repairing done prompt ly and cheaply, and in a Qeat style. S. R. PSALB. H. A. MCKEK. PEALE & MeK EE, ATTORNEYS AT LAW, Office opposite Court House, Bellefonte, PA. C. T. Alexander. C. M. Bower. ATTORNEYS AT LAW. BBLLEFONTE, PA. Office In Garm&n's new building. JOHN B. LINN, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Office on Allegheny Street. QLEMENT DALE, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Northwest corner of Diamond. H. HASTINGS, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Office on Allegheny Street, 2 doors west of office formerly occupied by the lute firm of \ ocum • Hastings. C. HEINLE, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Practices In all the courts of Centre County. Speaal attention to collections. Consultations in German or English. F. REEDER, ATTORNEY AT LA W. BELLEFONTE, PA. All business promptly attended to. Collection of claims a speciality. J. A. Beaver. J W. Gephart. JgEAVER & GEPHART, ATTORNEYS AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Office on Alleghany Street, North of High. A. MORRISON, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA. Office on Woodrlng's Block, Opposite Court House. ' S. KELLER, ATTORNEY AT LAW. BELLEFONTE, PA, Consultations in English or German. Offloe In Lyon's Building, Allegheny Street. JOHN G. LOVE, ATTORNEY AT LAW, <J> BELLEFONTE, PA. • Office in the rooms formerly occupied hy the late w. p. Wilson. AN UNHUNG UICTURtC. Only a landscape, beauUful with the gnu* of a summer's day, And blight with the glow of the sunshine over the lawn at play. An old house, sheltered and guarded by tnauy a stately tree. Whose leaves with the summer breesos are flut tering merrily. White daisies cover the greensward, and golden buttercups He, Where clover blossoms are growing under the azure sky. There are bees m the fields and pastures, and butterflies on the wing. And many a nest 111 the tree-lops, where blrdlluga are learning to slug. There's a meadow slope in the distance, where cows are browsing all day, Aud a brook through ferns and wild grasses mer rily coursing its way. Think not (/ picture was painted for silent gal lery wails. Where only through guarded windows the sun light charily falls. Ah.no! for I stand in the doorway and breathe the free fragrant air, Aud hark to the sweet sounds of nature while viewing my picture so fair. Its beauty can never be bounded by frame of ebon or gold, And the scenes so gladsome to look at never grow weary or old. Thus I cherish the lx>auufiil picture which Nature painted for me, And my life will borrow the sunshine it scatters so joyously. OI'K OI'TING. Sally Taut> and I had calculated on having an outing for quite a considera ble time, but one thiHg or anotner kept putting it off, and so it got to be June before Sally Jane and I got a chance for our holiday. But one Monday, as we were helping with the starched things, Sally Jane said to me— "Jemmy,"—my name is Jemima, but it is such a solemn name for common use that I'm always called Jouiniy— -44 Jemmy, to-day's wash day, and to morrow is ironing day, and Wednesday finishing up, and Thursday baking, and Friday sweeping day, but don't you think we could get old Mrs. Rubby to come over and scrub a Saturday, and have our outing then?" So I considered a minute, and said— -44 Well. Sally, I shouldn't wonder." So we settled that we would And as we had fifteen dollars we'd made out of pot-cbeeee, why, we felt in dependent and wouldn't lie obliged to ask any one for anything, which is a great comfort to two single young wo men, liviug with an uncle as close and careful with his money as Uncle Jeffries is. That night 1 told Aunt Jetlriea that Sally ad I were going to take our out ing on Saturday and go to New York, and she looked* solum, and said in a loud whisper to uolxxly in away she has that makes you think of ghosts— 44When I was a gal, young women was keepers at home and not gadders about." But I just poked Sally under the table with my foot not to say anything, and we both knew that, old as she was, Aunt Jeffries went out ten times to my once. We had hired Mrs. Rubby ourselves, but we didn't make any remark. We were to take our outing Satur day, and to be up, bright and early, to take tlie stage for the five o'clock train. It is singular how news fties. Before Tuesday night everylxxly in the county seemed to have found out we were going to New York, and folks began to call m with commissions for us. Mrs. Potter wanted a new muslin and Pamelia Potter wanted nine yards of sky-blue ribbon, and old Mrs. Jake wanted a new crape veil, and Martha Tack a Japanese umbrella, and Miss Guild the minister's sister, she wanted ten copies of the 4 4 Advice to Young Gal's" for the ten best Sunday scholars at vacation, and some lawn for her brother's cravats. And so they kept coming in one after the other, and I think Emma Prinker was the last. She only wanted ns to call at her brother's office and get a hat in a box that was to be left there for her. We made out a long list of what they wanted us to buy, for fear we'd forget something, and started off in the stage at half-past four Saturday morning. It was a mighty hot day—seemed to get more'n more broiling every hour. The stage was bail enough, but when we got to the ears we were roasted. And naturally New York wasn't cool. The streets were like bake ovens, and the stores were as close as if they were air-tight. "Dear me, Jemmy," said Sally Jane to me, "if it wasn't for this shopping, I should say the best thing we could do was to go straight to the coolest place we could find and take ice cream and soda water; but we've got to get this buying off our minds." "I should think we had," said I. "We've got forty-eight purcheses to make, half of 'em to match." The stores were just open when we got to town, and it was half-past three o'clock before we finished our last matching, both of us were loaded down and we had't so much as even thought of our own muslins, nor our bonnets, though we had bought uncle his hand kerchief, and aunt some calico. "Through at "last, Jemmy," said Sally Jane, looking at me over the top of her pile of bundles; "and I'm afraid it's too late to see any show, or to get our mus lin and ribbons. We could go over and spend the rest of the afternoon, and take tea with cousin Betsy, though." "That's a good idea," I said. "It will rest us; and we haven't seen cousin Betsy for a year, not since. Why, what's th 3 matter, Sally Jane?" And I stopped short, for she was star ing at me as if she'd been struck. "What's the matter, Sally?" "We forgot something," said Sally. "Emma Prinker's hat box." "Thank goodness, that wont have to be matched," said I, cross as could be. "It's at her brother's office, in Maiden Juane," MI bid I KIM. PA.. THURSDAY. DECEMBER 8,1881. "Sully, we're up at Twenty-fiftli St.; it's an hour's journey. I've a mind to keep on forgetting it." " That won't do. There'd he ill-feel ing," said Sally. So we carried our bundles into the stage that seemed to us to go nearest to Maiden Lane, and oft* we went. Nothing happened to us until we got to Maiden Lane, and found the number and Emma Pricker's brother. Ho was a crossish-looking man, and when we mentioned tin* box he Mtid— "Emma wanted I should fetch it up for her—but I struck. I ain't an ex press; if I was I'd charge for it. It isn't here. I sent the man over with it to Cudlip and Currier's, three doors from the depot; thought she could take it up herself when she came down." He hadn't asked us to sit down, so we stood, and now he walked off without a word more. So away we went up to the depot, and there, to he sure, was Cudlip sand Cur rier's, and in we walked, and said to a young clerk sitting on a box: "Will you please let us have the hat box that was sent here by Miss Prinlt er's brother?" "A what? an ash-box?" asked the young clerk. "Hat," said I, "Go and see if there's a hat here for anybody, saio the clerk to a little boy. And he went awav, and came lmek and said there wasn't. But pretty soon there came along a real prettily spoken nice young man, and after we'd explained, lie went and in quired. And he came back and said there was a box with Emma Printer on it. So we thanked him, and he went and brought it. * It was a great square thing, made of pinewood, with two iron handles and a big padlock, and marked with great black letters, " Emma Printer." 1 looked at Sally and she looked at me. " You didn't expect such a large box, did you, ladies?" said the polite young gentleman. So I said we didn't, and thanked him. And then we piled our parcels on top of it and each took a handle and walked off with it. We hadn't had a bit of anything to eat since four that morning, and we ran straight to the restaurant and sat down to a table. We ordered some sandwiches ami some iced tea and some cream—and it was just put on the table before us when whang went the great bell, and "Last train for Dillytown!" screamed the man at the gate. "Can't stop to eat," said I. " Pay for it anyhow, ma'am," said the waiter. So we paid—and flew. We hardly got on the trainin time aw It was, on adcuuin or mat posKY iihi-r>* of Krnma I'linker's, which we had to send as freight, and being so dead tired, and missing the stage, we had to hire a wagon to take us home. Sally paid for us, for though I wanted to 1 found I'd had my pocket picked, where or how I never could guess. Alout ten o'clock we got home. Everybody had gone to bed, and uncle said it wasn't seemly for girls to stay out to such an hour, when he let us in, and aunt called downstairs that "when she was young women that were always gadding weren't thought much of;" and we hunted up a little shortcake and some milk, and t<xk it up to our room and Sally cried, but what I said was what Mr.* Prinker said to me— -4,1 ain't an express, if I was I'd charge for it." And I mode up my mind what to do next time. But Sally and I don't talk much, and nobody knows what sort of an outing we had, and we're spoken of in the family and out of it as very gay young women, who were always going to New- York to enjoy ourselves. If we ever go again we will. Hurried Dinner*. It is a mistake to eat quickly. Mastica tion performed in haste must be imperfect even with the best teeth, and due admix ture of the salivary secretion with the food cannot take place. When a crude mass of inadequately crushed muscular fibre, or undivided solid material of any description is throwu into the stomach, it acts as a mechanical irritant, and sets up a condition in the mucous membrane lining, that organ which greatly impedes, if it does not alto gether prevent, the process of digestion. When the practice of eating quickly and filling the stomach with unprepared food is habitual, the digestive organ is rendered Incapable of performing its proper func tions. Either a much larger quantity of food than would be necessary under nat ural conditions is required, or the system suffers from lack of nourishment. Those animals which were intended to teed hur riedly were either gifted with the power of rumination or provided with gizzards. Man is not so furnished, and it is lair to assume that he was intended to eat slowly. We must apologize for reminding our readers of facts so familiar; but we do this in the hope that anyone who may chance to have influence with the managers of large hotils where dinners a la table d'hote are in vogue will take measures to bring about a much needed reform in the manner In which these entertainments are conducted. At the best and frequented estab lishments in places of fashionable resort, where at this season multitudes of health seekers are wont to congregate, the hur ried dinners are not only causes of annoy ance, but actually go far to prevent the benefit which should be derived from a change. .No sooner is one course served than another is intro luced, without giving the guest time to digest or even to swallow the first. The eagerness to secure good dividends takes a particularly mischievous form when it piles food on the plate of a customer, and compels him to consume it breathlessly. The matter may seem a small one, but it is not so. Just as a man may go on for years with detective teeth, imperfectly masticating his food, and won dering why he suffers from indigestion, so a man may habitually live under afl inflic tion of hurried dinners, and endure the consequent loss of health, without knowing why he is not well, or how easily the cause of his illness might be reined' Curving. In preparing meat for the table, and in laying out the table, reference ought to be bad to the carving department, a very on - erous one to all aul to some a very disa greeable one. The first requisite is a sharp knife, and if to be used by a lady, light slid handy: dexterity and address in the manner of using it being more re quired than strength, either in the knife or the carver. First a nqikin should be spread under the platter so that the edges are hardly discernible, and yet large enough to protect the clwth, so that it may be clean when the platter is removed. The seal should lie sufficiently high for the carver to have a complete command over the joints, ami the dish should be sufll cieutly deep and capacious so as not to en danger the splashing of the gravy. It should also be placed as near to the carver as possible; leaving room for his or her plate. A knife with a long blade is re quired for a large fleshy joint; for ham or bacon, a middling sized, sharp poiuted one is preferable, and for poultry or game a short knife and sharp-pointed is the best. Some like tins knife a little curved. As tish is the first tbiug to be carved or served, it lias first place. In helping fish, take care not to break the flakes, which in c xi and fine frcsli salmon, and some other sorts are large. A tish trowel is necessary, not to say indispensable, in serving many kinds of tish, particularly the larger sort. in curving salmon cut pieces along the hack-bone, and also along the flank. The Hank or thin part is the best and richest, and preferred by all gourmands. The back is the most solid and thick. The tail of salmon is not so line as other parts. The head is seldom used. The liver, milt or roe, are generally served, but seldom eaten. Partridges are carved like fowls, but the breast and wings are not ofteu divided, the bird being small. Pigeons may be cut in two, either from one end to the other of the bird or across. A gooflb or duck should he cut with as many slices from the breast as possible, and served with a portion of the dressing to each plate. When the meat is all carved, and not till then, cutoff the joints; but, observe the joints of water fowls are wide spread and go further back than those of land fowls. A roast pig is generally slit down the middle iu the kitchen, and the cook gar nishes the dish with the jaws ami ears. Separate a shoulder from the can uss on one side ami then do the same thing with the leg. Divide the ribs, which are frequently consideied the most choice pari, into two or three helpings, presenting an ear '.r jaw as r ar as they will go, and plenty of s<uce. Some persons prefer the leg because uot so ricli or luscious as the ribs, 'ihe neck end, betwee.l the sboul tiers, is also sometimes preferred. The joints may be divided into two each, or pieces may be cut from them. In carving beef, mutton, lamb, and veal, thiu, smooth and neat slices are desirable enf IUTO-X 0 1 ' 1 " rai, " < "} '■ P®** 9 the knife through to the bones of the meat. A nam may be carved in several ways. First, by cutting king delicate slices, 11 rough the thick fat, in the centre, down to the bone; or by running the point of ihe kniie in the circle of the middl and cutting thin, circular slices, thus keeping the ham moist, and iast and most econ omically, by beginning at the knuckle and si icing upward. A tongue should be carved as thin as a water, its delicacy depending a great deal on this, aud a well cut tongue will tempt the most fastidious. A heel's heart should also be cut in the same way. Tli* I'osUO Card. The originator oi ibe idea is said to have been a German State offlciai. Dr. Stephau, who wrote an essay upon it in 1865, Austria was the first to adopt it, beginning in October, 186 V. The first three months witnessed the passage ot 2 V3O 000 cards through the mails. Ger many followed suit in 1870, and on the first day after the introduction of the pos tal card 45,468 were sent off in Berlin alone; and within two months over 2,000,- 000 were used. Other countries soon ini tiated the same step. Duriug the Franco- 1 Prussian war the postal-card system was a great boon to both armies. Over 10,000,- 000 cards passed during the campaign between the German soldiers and tiieir friends and homes. The greatest propor tional consumption of postal cards occurs unquestionably in the United States. The whole of Europe is estimated to use annu aliv 850,000,000, while the consumption in'the United States alone will probably not tall short of 230,000.000. Germany consumed in 187 V 122,747.000. The use of the postal card is, moreover, constantly increasing, and, to fome exteut, at the expense of the letter correspondence. There are now said to be seventy-three countries in which it is introduced. Aus tria, which has the honor of first pulling the idea into practical execution, is now said to have cards of the poorest material and most inconvenient form. A Htrange Cloud of Vapor. About a month ago a remarkable phenomenon was observed near the village of San Jose, "\ era Cruz, Mexico. Two days after a violent thunderstorm and incessant raining, what seemed to be an immense cloud raising out of the ground was observed. Little attention was paid to the phenomenon, as many of the peasants interpreted it to be the smoke of large quantities of wood that were burned into charcoal. An Indian, going to his maize held, situated on a hill, discovered that the vapor issued out of his held. His attempt to approach the column was thwarted by the extreme heat of the vapor. The extension of the column was some thirty square yards, and the vapor issued at intervals of five miuutes. The smoke was so dense that the eye could not see the trees on the other side of the column. The maize hsld was completely burned, and as the vupor came out <>n the other spots cover ed with trees, the leaves were burned and the trunks became black. The va por column proceeded in the direction torn east to west, between the volca noes of Tuxtla and that of Orizaba. The phenomenon lasted nearly seven ays, and it is interpreted as an under rouhd fire communicating with the oleanoes of Orizaba and that of Tuxtla. —The annual raisin produption of California amount# to about 62,000 boxes, Nnalla. The great vine snail has quite a his tory, and its lease of life should ho a long one, if that may he uninsured hy tho powers of endurance. In 1771 the members of the Royal society iu Eng land could not lie brought to believe an Irish collector, who averred that certain white snails that huve been confined for fifteen yearn came out of their shells upon his son's putting them in hot water; but the possibility of the thing was proved iu 1850, when after four years' somnolence in tho British muse um, an Egyptian desert smitl woke up, none the worse for its long rest and absti nence. It fed heartily on lettuce leaves, and lived for two years longer. Spul lanzain asserted that he had often behead ed snails without killing them, and in a feW months they were as lively as ever, huving grown new heads in retire ment. Snail-eating has been in vogue for manv centuries, aud was considered by the ancient Romans one of their table luxuries. In Pliny's time Barbary snails sto<xl first in repute, those in Sicily ranking uex' ; and it was the custom to fatten them for the table by dieting them on meal and new wine. In modern Rome fresh gathered snails are hawked from door to door by women, who boil them in their shells, stew them, or fry them in oil. Snails are gathered oft* the vines by the peasantry in the wine district of France, and are sent up in cases and wicker baskets to Paris halls, where they are sold by auction, aud are purchased by people who make it their business to prepare them for the restaurants and cliaicutiers. They are killed by being placed in scalding water, and after being removed from their sliells by the aid of a piece of wire, are thrown into an immense copjier and boiled for three-quarters of an hour in a mixture composed of water, vinegar,salt and herbs. They are then replaced in their sheJls, the mouths of which are closed with butter and parslev, and are ready for sale. To prepare them for the table, it suffices to place them in a fry ingpan for a few minutes with a small piece of butter, and without removing them from their shells. They are sold at the wine shops and eharcutiere ut thirty to forty centimes the down. A century ago some 4,000,000 of snails were annually erpoited from Ulm in ''cans" of ICLOOO, fetching from twenty five to forty a " In. tlu* Tyrol youngsters of lx>th sexes are em ployed during the summer months col lecting snails as stock for sm:U gardens —small plats of land cleared of trees and covered with heaps of moss and pine twigs, separated from each other by moats, having gratings at their outlets to prevent any truants that may get into th£ water from being carried beyond bounds, The prisoners are supplied daily with fresh grass and cabbage leaves until their appetites fail and they retire into the moss heaps for their winter sleep—the last one they will enjoy ; for when spring comes they are routed out of their beds, packed in straw lines] boxes, and sent on to market. In a favorable season one of these gardens will turn out 40,000 snails. The con sumption of them in South Tyrol must be great. Snails are often used, boiled in milk, for diseases of the lungs, and are sent to this country as a delicacy; they are very indiscriminate in their ap petite, and even devour the dead of their own kind. Snails delight in warm moist weather ; in dry weather tneir chief time of activity is in the night, and they hide themselves by day ; but after rain they come forth at any hour in quest of food. At the approach of winter, cr in very dry weather,they close the mouth of ttie shell wiih a membrane formed by the drying of the mucus substauce which they secrete, and become inactive and torpid. Tlio Great Grain States of the Union. Au exira census bulletin just issued, giving the cereal production of the L uited States by couuties for the year ending June 30, 1880, shows the States which lead in the enormous grain yield of the country. Illinois may he said to head the column. It produces the most wheat, corn and oats, and ranks second in the production of rye. California leads'in barley and Pennsylva nia leads in rye. New York is first in buckwheat, second in barley aud third in rye and oats. The great wheat states are Illinois, which raised fifty-one million bushels; Indiana, fony-sevoj; Ohio, forty six; Michigan, thirty-five; lowa, thirty one; California, twenty-nine; Missouri, twenty-five; and Wi-cousiu, twenty-four In these States were produced nearly three lourths of the whole wheat crop of the couutry. Neatly a third of the entire corn yield of the Uuiled States was grown in Illinois, whose product amount'd to three hundred and twenty-five million bushels. Smith s a Liar. "Father," Degau a young Detroiter the oilier evening, "were you in the war ?" "Yes, my son." "Was it awful?'' "Yes." "Lots of dead and wounded men f "Yes." 4 D d you k'll many?" "Well, I shouldn't like to answer that question." 4 'Are you very modest, pa?" *1 hope I am too modest to brag." 4 That was what Mr. Smith meant, then, when he was telling the men down at the drug store that you hadn't any war record to brag of." "He did, eh? Smith is a liar!" "That's what I thought. He told the men that you run so fast that he couldn't catch you on horseback, and auy boy knows thai a horse can catch a man with a I stiff knee." Catching • Rut Under Dlltlcoltlea. A eat, H rut, a pretty and stylish young lady and an Intrepid clerk form the dra matis personcs of this narrative. Jt all happened laat week, iu one of the most fashionable shoea tores, iu Boston, located on Waalmigton Street. For some time punt the st >re has leeu troubled by an in road of nils, causing great detriment to the stock aud annoyance to the pioprietor. A cat was procured, which at once began to catch them to the great joy of all con cerned. One day she brought up a vigor ous rodent from the cellar, aud began to toy with It before killing, alter the manner of her kind. Suddenly it was discovered that the rat had made its escape, and, almost simultaneously, the persons iiwtlie store were start led by a feminine shriek emanating from a pretty young ladv who had been in the act of trying on a pair of boots. The look of horror and disgust on licr fuce bore atuple testimony to the truth of her assertion, "Oh, Heavens! something has bitten me!" One of the clerks, a young man justly noted for his courtesy and gal lantry to the fair sex, and whose identity will be effectually concealed under the name of Smith, sprang forward aud grasped the lady's dress-skirt at a point she indies led, just below tne waist. It was the missing rat who had theie sought an asy lum from his feline toe. Mr. Smith held him ugh ly and Invited the lady to the rear of the store, where, with as much del icacy as the circumstauces would permit, lie removed his ratship from beneath the dress by the tail and dashed it on the floor At this point the lady fainted from fright and nervous strain. By the kind attention of those present she was s'Xiu restored and able to depart, which she did, but not without first learning the name, of her pre server. For a clay or two after this Mr. Smith was subjected to a great variety of teasing remarks from liis fe.low clerks, some even asset ting that he "would now have ruts caught and brought there" and other remarks equally ill natured and u j-istiliable. On the thud day a large package \fas lcll at the store for Mr. ouiith who refused tor a long time to open it, being apprehensive that the atoresaid jokers had sent hiui a half dozen rats of assorted sizes. His curiosity eveutually triumphed over his fe irs, aud amid great, though suppressed, excitement on the pari ot all present, the package was opened and found to contain an elegant aud cosily cigar stand, fashioned in etiony and gilt, j'lius were the foolish jesters silenced and thus courtesy and daring rewarded. The Ylollu. Perhaps of all musical instruments the violin has the greatest latent possibili ties; it may almost be said to possess "a soul." One does not wonder at the pas sionate love felt for it by all the great violinists; the most barbaric people pos it in its rudimental form, •<! Oivw BTUTjTruiimit; iwmra irmn SOmCTe sonant board. It is easv to understand its charm, for the harmouy it produces is only by direct communication between t lie performer and the strings. It is the human touch upon the chord which makes the tone so human, and which carries, as it were, the very spirit of the performer into the outer atmosphere. There is no emotion that cannot be ex pressed by it from the agitation of the passionate heart. It is the divine quiet of restful and contented love. It is curi ous that tins, the most musical of all instruments, should have been perfected by the least musical of people, for there appears to be no doubt that it was the oldest English instrument, and that the j modern name of violin is but an adap tion of the old English word viele, which in its turn, was a Norman corruption of the original Saxon "fythel," or feethel which becoming feedel, was popularised as fiddle, and by Normra incapacity to pronouue the difficult "le," degenerated into the smooth viele. This is the ety mology given in Chappel's Popular Music, and is probably correct: or be it as it may, representations of the fiddle exist in the oldest carving aud bas-re liefs of the British Islos. In the time of Charles the First it became popular at Court, but it owed its later superiority to merry Charles 11., for he introduced a special band of violinists and made them play to him at table. Pepys re fers to it in his pedantic diary, and about the same time we read of its in troduction into churches, and of the many objections raised to its "too great liveliness," is amusing in the face of a description of the sacred sing ing of his time given by old Cornelius Agrippa, who says: "They sing not with human voice, but with the brutal noise of wild beasts, while the boys whining tue descant, others low out the tenor, others yelp the counterpoint, others gnash their teeth on the bass, and although they make many sounds, no words or speech are understood." Even the despised fiddle oouid hardly have done worse. Botanical. "I would like to purchase a small col lection of plants," she remarked, as she paused beside a florist's stall. "What variety, madam?" was the po lite response, "Oh! I hardly know." "How would you like buttercups? "Oh! as for that, I think I can pro cure a few of those cheaper from Mrs. Jones. She says her new hired girl has made way with all the crockery about the place but her cups and she has enough of those for two families. The dealer blushed. "Daisies?" he suggested. "No, I don't think I need any more of those. My husband has indulged in days' ease, while his business has run behind, until we are in bad shape finan cially. No, nothing more in the way of daisies for me, thank you," •'How would jou like a few cowslips?" desperately. "No, nothing of th kind either. I guess. The blossoms are most too creamy, while the last I had were hooked by an envious neighbor. I have found it necessary to hide my plants from the general gaze, Cows lips do not emit as fragrant an odor as some other varieties which I can mention. Then the flower man said he odor an apology for the mistake and suggested artichokes. "You artichoke down the idea of fit ting me out with anything of that sort." the customer replied indignantly. "Fuscliias?" "Few shees? I guess not, sir. lam all the shes that will ever be introduced into our household, I'm thinking." "Ivy fine collection of clambering vines," the dealer observed, after au awkward pause." "Vine the world don't you oliinh ar ound and trot them out, then?" was the pert reply. They didn't suit, however, and then the harassed man suddenly changed the subject. "Would tulips fill the bill?" he in quired. "I suppose they would, if the other fellow's bill wasn't too large in propor tion," was the blushing reply. "You will do well not to press so delicate a subject too far however." "How about thyme?" he exclaimed at last, in sheer desperation. "That's just what I was about to sug gest," was the reply. "If I buy of you at all, it must be on long time." And then the florist lost ail inter est in the subject, and she went out in a sail sort of way because she hadn't bot any. Burl 9(1 Alive. While Mr. Ralph Gore, the contrac tor, was superintending the work in the new sewer in Cleveland, Ohio, and while he was at the bottom of the excavation, the earth began to give away. He step ped aside and let all in his employ es cape ahead of him, and then the earth fell on him. His head could be s6eu just above the earth. "I think my legs are broken, gentlemen," he said, "but set to work and dig me out of my grave." He spoke encouragingly and made light of the accident. While the workman were digging the other bank Was to be <rbH TUT n*r It wmaLMmmt the spot where Mr. Gore stood wedged in as in a vise. Five or six hundred tons of earth and rock must come down unless a miricle intervened. The laboi ers had cleared away the earth as far as Mr. Gore's shoulders, but now they had to fly for their own lives. Next moment the man was alone, Above him was the tottering avalanche, and on the sonth bank stood a crowd of people with pallid faces. The look of despair that he gave when he took in the situation will never be forgotten. He made one more des perate struggle to extricate himself, and then resigned himself to his fate. He tiied his eyes on the slowly moving mass and watched it creep nearer and nearer to the point where he know it would re ceive sufficient impetus to be hurled down u]K>n him. "God help me," he exclaimed, and the awe-stricken crowd echoed the wish. Then nis lips were seen to move in prayer, and the land slide moved faster. It received a tem porary check, but again glided on to ward the brisk. The suspense at this moment was terrible. A large sohool opposite had just let out, and the teach ers and children had gathered on the bank. Men, women and children sobbed aloud, and somo knelt in prayer. The avalanche was now within two feet of the jx>iut where the bank became steep er. Slowly it crept; inch by inch the point was reached; its pace quick ened ; there was a rush, and the next moment five hundred tons of earth plunged over the brink, and fell with a crash on the top of the man's head. Later in the day the body was recover ed, a shapeless mass. Kuick Knack* for Fall ToiUta. All sorts of knick knacks add to the dressy effect of fall toilets. Quaint jewelry, cocks' heads, or the entire bird in real, imitation, or semi-precious jew els, toitoises, parrots and owls, tiny sil ver mice, paroquets of green enamel perched on a gold stick, with a pearl or diamond at eaoh end, together with bits of gold lace, silk brocade, figured vel vets, gold lace and antique embroidery are introduced into costumes with mar velous effect nowadays. Everything in our mothers' or grandmothers' scrap bags and wonder chests is unearthed to combine with cashmere, or satin, or moire—thing a hundred years old with ribbons of yesterday, and ancient jewels with fresh novelties. Nothing need be scorned or thrown away. Postal Statistics. The annual report of the Superintendent of the Free Delivery Division of the Post Office Department for the year ended June 80, shows that during the year there were delivered 262,425,668 mail letters, 59,- 968,f-59 mail postal eards, 76,788 208 local letters, 48,898,168 local postal cards, 2,- 126,809 registered letters, and 146 417,114 newspapers. There was collected at the 109 free delivery offices during the year 284. "59,945 letters, 85,793,125 postal cards and 54,075,476 newspaijers. The c*t of service for the year amounted to $2,498, - 972.14, or 3 milla per piece. NO. 49.