2
V'HROER THE SNOW.
ff. L ne
Realty and noiselessly falling,
Like down Irom an angel's vine
The snowflakes are innocently kissing,
The yet nuborn lowers of spring,
1 stood and watehed by the window,
The ermine too dear for an earl,
As it folded the grave of my sister,
Inch deep with its ridges of pearl,
I remember her orphaned babe,
As Le lsughed at the beautiful snow,
As the flakes in silence were hid ne,
The scar of our deep plunged wos,
Poor bay he knew not the trials
A motherleys ehild must endurs,
Nor whose was the hand that robbed him
Of a love so good and pure.
y eyes I kissed him,
And he k ssing back, did not know
That our first and life-long 2orrow
Lay under the deepening snow,
With tears in my
THE MARTINS’ JOLLIEST ST.
VALENTINES,
BY A MINISTER'S DAUGHTER.
The parson had difficulty in turning
the corner of the Old Year's Bills, but
final y he managed to round it safe on
the side of the New Year with an empty
purse and his small brood of Martins.
After much deliberation Parson Mar-
tin and his wife decided that expenses
must be reduced. There were so many
pressing demans on the first quarterly
stipend—uoew cloaks were peeded to |
cover a multitude of sins of omission in
the dress of the children expected to
flock 1n the ministerial front pew every
blessed Sunday; the furnace dragon
was roaring for coal; the parson’s life
insurance premium was due; so was his
i
{
|
|
|
missionary subscription. In face of
these facts 1t was easily settled that |
economy must be enforced; just how,
was quite another affair. There was
one small item of expenditure that
could be curtailed, the panny post. It |
was an institution of the parsonage |
that, as an inducement to the young
Martins to fly to the distant village
office in quest of mail, levied a tax on}
the heads of certain letters arriving. A
missive containing a long expected
check from the publishers for whom
the Rev. Mr. Martin wrote was worth |
three cents, one with money for ths
church, two cents, the acceptance of an |
article, one cent, and so on down the
scale. It was a poor rule that didn't |
work both ways. The parson said he
should charge the unlucky postman
bringing home an article returned
“*without thanks” the sum
cents, two cents for a refusal
f
Oi
help |
to
Mr. Martin might |
was never known to |
and the « i
one of }
us out of
nfident that
circular. Though
charge this tax, he
present this bill,
deeming this was
of which all parse
are fond, were o«
post would suppl; y |
and pickles and slate pencils, and vari- |
ous sorts of kick-shaws, i
This reducing of expenses blasted the |
hopes of the Martins, St Valentine's
Day was at hand, and they had depend-
ed on the penny post money for pur- |
chasing the dainty mussives of the sea-
son, i
“When my ship comes in I'll sett]
for all your favors, children,” said th
parson, having screwed his courage to |
Hild rer
dagen, |
no
t
the
t
JUKCS |
pulpit |
penny
‘3
iv them with iy
Y
the sticking point of announcing that |
for the present he could offer no pe- |
cuniary reward for delivering the mail i
Alas for the parson’s ship! Ithad been |
coming in these twenty vears or more.
really don't believe there ever were
ny ships for mini tera, or if re |
were that they ever reached port in |
safety. i
The Martin cl h
ful assent to their fat
propositi n. “Poor
they cried. Whenever their symp |
thies were aronsed
I, it was always a
*‘poor little” some body or other whom
they patied.
“Poor little fa
rushing up to hold a ¢ anceil of war in!
sister Gertrude’'s room; *‘poor little |
father. Wish we bad a million dol. |
lars for him!"
Sister Gertrude was Chief Sachem. |
It was sbe who adjourned the meeting |
till after tea. Then the desks were |
cleared for action, by which we only |
mean to state, that the dining table; |
{
|
|
+3
th
ldren chirped a cheer-
er's reluctant |
little father,” |
ther!” so they cried |
stripped of cloth and china, stood
gaunt and bare, showing the boards
that propped its leaves up to the re
quired level. About it, the Martins
gathered, with the stores for which
they Lad ransacked the parsonage, —
bits of colored paper shaped industri- |
ously into hearis and rounds, tin-foil |
from yeast cake wrappings, bright tint-
ed doves and roses culled from scat- |
tered pictures and worn-out books in |
the play thing drawers. The scheme |
was divulged the next morning.
‘We are gong to make our valen-
tines this year,” proudly announced
one of the twins to his school-chum, as
if scorning the idea of boughten mis-
sives, that anybody's pennies conld |
pusechase at the stationer’s store for the
‘ourteenth of February. {
“We're voing to make our valen- |
tines this year,” said the other twin to i
lis particular comrade, echoing the |
tone ard sentiments of thal sweet Carol ;
Bird who said it showed ever so munch |
more love to make your Christmas |
presents than to buy them.
Every evening these Knights of the |
Round Table worked upon their St,
Valentine offerings till the nine o'clock |
bell rang and sent them gcampering off |
to bed to dream of a land where the
clouds were pink tissne and the snow
silvery paper, and tiny blue hearts
grow on all the rose bushes. Mamma
artin gave the children the lace pa-
per from the box of thanksgiving rai-
sins, and big sister Gertrude donated
to the cause, to be made over, the
stock of valentines she had treasured
for so many long years that she had
quite forgotten of whom they were
touching mementos. Dear father
Martin was touched by the children’s
uncomplaining struggles. In slippered
feet he made a raid on the k case,
ste. thily cut the gorgeous fly-leaves
from the back of various ornamental
works of art, Christmas gifts from ad.
miring parishioners, and laid h's eon-
tribution on the altar of St. Valentine.
Fiom these materials, such glory
wis evolved! There were enough to
0 the rounds of everybedy, from Amy,
be put of the parish, and lame Mr
mer _
I Towser and all the
Milly, the youn est of
labored long over the
1
Martins,
p rish’s valentine, a dainty aflair of «
with scent, After much thought she
wrote victoriounsly:
‘1 love little Amy
lecause she is tame-y 1”
And the thing was done, and I'm sure
it was a much prettier token than a
rea
a pea-green youth and an
pink Dresden shepherdess,
striking original sentiment:
impossible
and the
“1H yon love me as | love you,
No kuife can eut our love in two,"
and which can be bought at any shop
in the country for a few coppery In-
dian heads.
St. Valentine's night how the Mar-
tin's bell did ring! The parson was
kept busy trotting in his slippers from
study to the front door, for all the
children, under the angel guardianship
of their big sister, were out delivering
at the village houses their tokens of af-
fection, and Mrs. Martin was up in the
“Prophet's Chamber” waiting upon the
unfortunate Miss Lewis, an unexpected
old parishioner who had arrived, alas!
with one of her sick headaches.
The duty of door-tender kept the
parson busy. His sermon progressed
slowly that Saturday night. He al-
most resolved to preach without notes,
or turn the sermon-barrel upside down
and begin anew on its contents. Some
folks regard sermon barrels as myths,
yet such things do exist.
“‘Feunengh!” exclaimed Rev. Mr
Martin in a whistle after he had gcam-
pered to the door half a dozen times
after a species of those presumably
his stif}
other times
to pick up chalked envelopes from the
front steps, only to hear a smothered
laugh from the neighbor's children be-
hind the Japonica hedge. ‘“‘Feueugh!
this game isn’t worth the candle, But
the next half-dozen times the bell
comic valentines, or had bent
valentines left for his small Martins
ing wind, Virtone did not its
prove
+
(11804
wered sa number of packages ad-
“Mra. Rev.”
They were opened in glee and
d artistically parson
pri himself on his artistic eye,—on
the parlor mantel Mrs, Martin
down stairs, as poor hi
Lewis was more comfortal
s¢ of hot-water bag and
e fun 1 1
Martin unwrapped
} » till he arrived
great
the
plece,
y
le
arough the
manie roses, and
eon was inscribed in
ti certain cairography
the twins nu
one of
ess of
perfume drop-
long drawn
rendering the
It was
Mr, Mar
swootn
il
linkad
’
Evidently the
n
been
ont by the sid of water,
a milky hue,
wone the less priz« d by I
Most |
ov.
leverends are f
ne, and par was n excep
. He immedi itely gave hs hand-
shief a prodigal sprinkling of the
ent.
“Bless tha
‘eo
iv.
On
1
Or
cherub,” he said fervid-
By “cherub” he evid
young M
tiy resembled tl
in |
ently referred
{ ster Mart'n, who not ex
] sterooty ped notion
mittens and
8
is red
ns h
m with Martins
to the parlor window to enj 3
the fun of Mr. and Mrs. Bev. over their
valentines
A tiny envelope with the motto “The
pen is mightier than the sword.” and
“0 for a forty parson power,” all in-
terwined with aporopriate decorations
contained five stub pens, beloved by
the parson, with the inscription:
Cot 16 other
“The Stub! The Stub!
Gives other pens the rab
i tub
40 I thee dud,
‘“Hol Ho! Ho!” langhed the
skipping along the hall
pull at the bell
parson,
y 88 a powerful
seemed almost to jerk
‘“*No, no, Kilhern!” exclaimed Mra
Martin from her post on the siairway,
“let me have the fun of going just this
once, then 1 must return to poor Miss
So she opened the door, and bore
back a thin flat package addressed to
herself. It was the triamph of small
Milly Martin, She had seen daintily
bers, at church fairs,
of reach of her purse. She possessad
no satin, and even if she had, she
couldn't have painted upon it even a
daisy, which everyone knows is easy
for an amateur's brush to trace, if all
the success of St. Valentine's Day de-
ended on her efforts. Nothing dannt-
ed she took from her pet herbarium a
spray of poppies, and fastened the scar.
let tissne-like flowers to a sqnare of
thick doubled white paper, on which
she o~iined in odd characters:
temptingly out
“Sleep well
Within this quiet room
O thou,
Whoe's: thou art,
And may no mournful yesterda,
Disturb thy quiet heart,
nd,
Forget thyself and all the w
Put out each feverish light,
The stars are wateliog overhead,
Sloop sweet,
Good night! Good night!”
“Dear child!” and there were toars
in mother Martin's eye as she recog-
nized in the dainty bow of ribbon on
the banner the best white sash of Mil.
ly's very favorite doll, the creases hay-
ing been subdned by a ponderous
heated iron. “Dear child! I'll hang
this on the bed-post in the Prophet's
Chamber. May it bring comfort to
poor Miss Lewis and all forlorn souls
that find a shelter under our roof!”
“Poor little Miss Lewis,” sighed the
parson, using the children'sexpression,
Jingle! jinge! jangl The parson
dashed to the door to ecateh sight of
what scomed to be a rubber-booted
centipode vanishing around the eorner.
le longed to give chase, but repragsod |
desire and re a
Con i
trary to his economical eustom of |
winding all bits of cord about rolls of!
newspaper aguinst the day of need and |
Christmas presents, Rev. Mr. Mar in |
recklessly ‘“tkitched” the wrapping
twine, much to the amusement of
row of Martins on tiptoe outside the |
window. He unwounl the papers as
carefully as if he had beea unfol ling |
the coverings of a mummy. Inside lay i
an Egyptian-hned ginzer-bread heart, |
ornate in its frosting—ministo:ial
frosting, boiled sugar and water, with |
a suspicion of vanilla, cheap and good,
but tough on the muscles of the one
who ha: to beat it into the required |
whiteness, To the heart was attached |
the
“Of all the cakes
My mother bakes
Give me the little
Ginger cakes
This gift we make
For st, Val's sake
To the father who always
Takes the cabs’
Mrs. Martin looked somewhat dabi- |
ous at this last line. After her two |
months’ endeavor of a No-Slang-So. |
ciety it was rather hard, Mr. Martin |
laughed in a pleased way. He was]
proud of the inference, though it had al
setting in slang. He had on his pleas. |
antest, proudest air when the Martin
children flocked into the room a few |
minutes later,
“It’s been just the jolliest Mt.
entine's!” eried the twins, “even
hadn't any money to rely upon.”
“That's just where the fun came |
in,” said Milly, dragging around
trailing rubber boots that med
termined to stick by her,
**You've been the best of children. |
helpful to your father, and brave and |
uncomplaining about the loss of your
penny post. I know how disappointed |
you must have been just at St. |
‘alentine season. I sha'n't forget it,
my dears, when my ship comes in!’
exclaimed the Rev. Mr, Martin, bear
ing his valentine trophies in tender |
hands to his study,
It was passing strange, but the par-|
son’s ship did come in.
Val- |
we
if
ini
de
“6
this
n
{ tt
igs Hear Ea.
—-——
Birthday.
A Traveller's Tale.
p—
As wei
travell
that i
rado
the size «
rd a tal 1g from a |
er s imagination is tol iH a sl
80 Lhat
his effort
Wantad
Crandpa Talked t«
Pipa
A threo year-old ACC
her father, not long az 3 pon
to ber grandparents in tl con
where a blessing is invoked by t
white-haired patriarch before each m
Fhe custom was or with eh our
little friend Mad not been familinr
home,and of course on the first oooa.
sion she was silent with interest and
curions watchfalness But when the
family gathere! around the board the
sccond time, she was prepared fi
preliminary religions ceremony, and
observing that her father did not seem
Aa V
a intry,
@
0 wi
at
yw
1
i by
emnity, she called him to order
saying with stern gravit
**Be still, papa, grandpa’s
talk to his plate pretty soon.”
A -— _—
He Graspoad the Situation.
to
going
One littl y» Ind in b Y who atten la
school at Inlian Island, Old Tow n,
takes an intelligent interest in hia
sous and does not simply learn 1
by rote. The teacher had been giving
insiraction in punctuation and elose
by saying emphatically, “Now, when
you come to a period yon must stop.”
A little black-eyed gil then commenced
to read and went on in a reckless man-
ner, regardless of the period in ques
tion, whereupon the fat and bright lit-
tie Indian boy poked her in the ribs
and electrified the school by yelling
lustily, “Whoa!” -{ Bangor Commer.
cial,
The Largest Tree In the World,
The largest tree in the world, socord-
ing to statistics lately published by
the Italian government, is a monster
chestnut standing at the foot of Mount
Hina. The ciroumference of the main
trunk at sixty feet from the ground is
212 feet.
Ir 1s wo crime to bo poor, but in the
eyes of many people it 1s rank felony
to be rich,
Dearn stills
detractors,
convictions,
Severna women,
twenty-six miles into Chovenne, Wyom-
ing, to vote at the last election.
Ax illuminated vellum fan will last
for centuries. Illuminated paints fre
body water colors that pi
discovky of ofl paints
the tongues of a man's
but it seldom changes thoir
it is said, rode
ABOUT SHAWLS. |
BY MARION LEWIS,
Just at present the feminine heart is |
set on a seal- kin saeque; but there was |
a time, and not long avo either, when!
nn elegant shawl w» cashmere was the
coveted article, As these shawls pos-
sess intrinsic velae, they will always!
though the owner may not be one who
can wear a shawl becomingly.
It is about one hundred years gince |
these shawls were appreciated in Eu-!
rope. Many years before, some em-
few specimens in Paris. They were re-
After Napoleon's expedition to!
Egypt they became the fashion, and
one good resulting from the campaign
was the introduction of a fabric which
became the model of one of the most
Madame Guodain, a reigning beauty
at this time, is said to have been the
first to wear a cashmere shawl in Paris,
but she was closely followed by the |
Empress Josephine, and the India
shawls at once became the rage. So
great was the do mand that fifteen hun-
dred dollars would be paid for a much.
soiled specimen, that had probably |
been worn ss a turban or sash by some
Indian chief. ut so durable were the
could be effectu-
ally cle ined,
as the increased new |
yronght |
an enormous price. These shawls were
finest wool in the worl bh
the Thibet goat, and only the
this is used, that a fall
roat will not yield more than
the finer quality al
which produces this
be most primitive
» being supported !
he wool is worked
» machinery can
nestness of finish,
t this “craft” for
and fam-
carefull
iy
Jat demand
0
wn
in
year,
wonder
imaginable
by two stick
iy }
ia Dy
ald
1
f
hand it n
rival the ex
Whole
Any
jnisite
C8 WOrk a
Ive generations,
| ret are
handed down and jealously guarded. |
Fhe shawls woven in separate
eces, bat skilfully put together
not be found, From
lwo years were re-
a shawl
farmili
{f the trade
vere
BO
accord
s carefully
dyes, and an experi.
t a shaw! of
from the
es by 3
Cher sh
a deseriy
thread is pre-
some of these
fared
I nrest o1
nagazine contains
} 1.3
* Way the :
shawls at
! ham poo
into
ze
Er.
beater a
the =
sheathed by this mi-
nute wire in aningenions manner, which
| is another secret of the trade.
The foundation of the milk shawls
known as China erape 18 made at Nan
| kin, and then sent to Canton to
| broidered. he pattern 18 formed by
two workers, the one passing the sik!
{ down, the other from beneath passing
{it up, while a third hand changes the
silk for them. Thus the pattern is
{ equally perfect on both sides, and the |
| fastening on and off defies detection.
{ It is not easy to successfully imitate
| one of theso shawls, and the woman
ho possesses the genuine artiele should
| prize it highly. — Household Monthly.
be em.
en
IC SERVICE,
DOMEST
BY OLIVE THORNS MILLER
}
l tion ased often to say that one could
| no expect all the virtoos for eight
! Although the dollars
the difficulty
| dollars a month,
have increased in number,
still exists,
Much has boen said about “woman's
mission ** but I long ago settled it in
my own mind, that the ‘“‘mission” of |
American women of the nineteeth cen-!
tary is to eivilize and reflne the work. |
ing women of Ireland, Germany and
Scandinavia, tonch them the language,
and in doe time send them ont to
found homes and train the noxtgenera- |
tion of American citizens, Nor is it an |
unworthy mission—if only the Ameri. |
ean woman survives the process, |
Notice the next generation from the
Irish or German emigrant who learned |
in American homes the language, aivi- |
lized ways, and even some refinements
of life. Neo what a lon
dren are in advance o©
Let us take heart, ny sisters! 1t in
pioneer work among the future mothers |
of our country that we are doing. If it!
were not for this great training school,
through which pass the crowds of ig
norant emigrants flung every year npon
onr shores, what would be future |
of our country? How long would it be |
before the peasant races of Europe!
would outnumber and overpower us?
Al h the result is great, it most
be adi that the process is wearing,
sud many a del cate woman has been
crushed by it. The o
step the ohils]
the ronted |
indeed to grow harder from day to
~co-operative housekeeping,
This subject is deep and wide, but if
thoughtful women will take home the
i oO hope it
seriously
consider-—something will come of it.
And something must come to our re.
lief; our burdens sre growing heavier
than we can bear,
Meanwhile, until we have mustered
courage for the nnavoidable next step,
and
can be suggested? In selecting a serv-
are obliged to make
Shall we put up with
we
choice of evils,
position, or shall we insist upon a
ility, and dispense with sunshine be-
Shall we set our hearts
or shall we be
thankful for a well-served table, and
never dare to investigate the methods?
Each mistress must decide the ques-
tion for herself, and since the best
thought one can offer, indeed the only
thought of practical value, must be
I will
briefly tell how my problems have
been solved, and preface it by saying
that I have always been, what in house-
First, in selecting, 1 have two or
three notions which govern me. I
never hire a girl whose appearance
does not pleasantly impress me, though
matter how well
can do her work, if I do not like
least 1 must not dislile—he r,
have her in my house,
feeling of antagoni
upon the nerves.
look twice at a
r” or any
sm is too
Wearing
'
Secondly,
Pe rson
sistent, I never take a servant
hr iyy or
ning J
portance, but it is a esl
If 1 like ber appearance,
plai: iv, and © i tly, be
{ the
he
about
well as
ges" and t
her feel t
# tal
taal Ke LU
that gen-
y her fan in the back-
way, she will
ful and purr; if 1 rub her wrong
way, she will spit and scratch. This is
trne of people ss well as of
The Cha dlauguan,
nm
whe
vO
-
How to See the Wind.
feet or more, with a straight edge: a
Take a windy day for the ex) erimoent,
whether hot
only let it not be in mnrky, ramy
weather. Hold your metallic surface
wind. If the wind is north, bold your
it
3 re
ng
at a sharply defined object and you will
see the wind pouring over the edge in
graceful curves, Make your observa
re-
The
soured.
A Handsome Blue Flower.
A beautifal annual is the Toresis
Fourn eri, it has large sky blue flowers,
dark pur.
plish vine, and is yellow in the center,
roscmbiing somewhat a pansy blossom.
Sow in the house, in a warm room, in
the spring, transplanting to the open
air when it is warm enough. The
plants will bloom constantly all sum-
mer until frost, withstanding the sun
well; they are well adapted to our hot
summers, Give them plenty of moist
ure,
Counrerrrrr notes wre very rarel
taken 1 the banks of Russia. The tell.
ers are hold responsible and therefore
exercise keen vigilance.
Smoxer Axx Winnres, of Sedalia,
Mona oo hugdred aud six ars oid,
we an was a slave
Boone, a brother of Daniel Boone. go
the sea boiled, where could one
go to find water to cool it?
Wo ono of | the world in which
native pipe wo ve smokers
FOOD FOR THOUGHT,
———
Not to sow means not to reap,
Labor 8 a great producer of wealth,
When fres from folly, we to wisdom
rive,
They that govern most make the least
noise,
Without Jat
no rest,
or there would ! e no ease,
A bad egg
a good ons,
takes up as much room a8
The youth
of friendship is better than
118 old age,
Constancy in labor will control all
difficulties,
Get each man right, and the nation
will be right.
It is beter to fall in trying to do
£004 than never to try,
The more money a man has the m
he needs religion,
ore
Wrong doing people are the most ex-
cting of all people,
Heart work is something that can not
be puid for in m ney,
The man who loves others will try to
make himself lovable,
You can tell what a man belicves by
finding out what he does.
No man ever
hears birls sir
goes lato a cave r
Lo look for them,
You can’t tell how much milk
will give by the way her bell rings,
18 not only the mother of {n-
§
the father of lies also,
cow
Necessity
vetion, but
The great essential in saving men is
to convince the
’
in that you love them.
'ha 5 lwave thinkine ril
Ihe ) i8 wiways thinking ev
ousand ways Lo speak it
man wh
The man who 1s always looking for an
race will have a hard of it
Every man on earth needs more cours
does more money,
from experience one muss
the mistakes,
time
Iu learning
§
I'he wealth of society its stock of
a3
produ
The h
the dalutier sense,
etive labor,
and of jit
2 i ’ iit
litle employment
hath
¥
(renius bor, Labor
is the
r despise la
aw ol
enemy
*
wild
hind
words are f)
withiou
one
land,
il anv
pWers 1d
I it of
the
ntrol
wer,
curmstan
f man; but his conduct is in his p
than in
rks
to conuvie
SCUSSIONn
18 very litle, but what
{ is immense,
tL Lwanty
16 wil, a
There are some panple who,
song, are in vogus ouly for a time
often boast of
nd have descend.
1% $0 be feared that they who mars
the, d w love
Lhd
To rej
a8 10 mak
{0 make i
It is
thought
i
ly occupied with the ideas of ot
it our own; to produce
: 1 3 i
All Our OWN,
£ it 8
Lm
betier to have a few feeble
# of one’s own than to be entire.
hers,
Progress In evil is so rapid and inevite
able that long after one has entered
upon crime be believes himself only mn a
It is at our own will whether we see
in the despised stream the refuse of the
For a steady thing, the light of a tale
low candie is belter than that of a sky
rocket.
The preacher fails who tries to preach
own heart,
If you want to have plenty of oppor
tunities for doing good, be sure that you
Is life long enough for quarreling?
A bel is a fool’s argument, bul you
can’t make the man who has won
bedeve that his is not wise i Lis genera
tion.
There Is no house so small that is
80 large that it cannot be filled with it,
Labor, therefore is a duty from
forfeiting his right to his dally bread.
Labor Inall its variety, corporeal and
mental, is the instituted me ns for the
methodical develoment of all our
powers,
Labor has an agreeable end in the re
sult we gain; but the means are also
agreeable, for there are ple sures In the
work its It,
There is an unforianate disposition in
& man 10 attend moie to the faults of
his companions which offened him than
to thelr pecfections which please him,
Those who dischar promptly and
faithfully all their ot oh to lw who
“still live” in the y tan have but
little time for poking and peering into
the life beyond the grave. Better to ate
tend to each world in its proper order,
Prudence in a woman should be an
instinct, not a virtue,
What I have been taught I have fore
gotten; what I know I have guessed
The love of glory can only create a
te phi Aged]