TUE LITTLE FEET. A MOTHER'S VILLANELLA Aero:s tho lonely chamber floor And down the passage through the hall The little feet rosouud no morel There cometh through the open door No merry voice, no laughing call Across the lonely ehamber floor; ~ But where the sunlight Washes o’oc Gray tapestry and pictured wall, The litle feet resound no moral Perchance upon a distant shore They wander now--no more ta fall Aeroas the lonely chamber floor, Why eomes the summer to restore Bright ho Iyhocks and lilies tall?— The little feet resound no morsel Alas for Hopa's deceptive lorel Her words are deso ation all Asroes the lonely chamber floor The little Mot resound no more! ~-{Arihur L. Salmon, in Chambers’ Journal. JANE AND ARTHUR. Dor %stless Jane Dobbins and Arthur Lathers thought that they were very el¥er when, in the first bloom of young love, they had a memorial photograph taken together with her gentle head fondly resting on his gallant breast. There were to be only two impressions struck from the plate, and, oh! what a consolation each one would be for the awful hours of separation —an ever pres- ent sign of ineffable bliss! But they pever fancied that the plate retained its reproductive powers, nor that it was des- and thus became a warning of dissipa- tion. And George, who mow called assiduously on Jane, found his antici. pated joys almost as enlivening ns a Quaker meeting, for the poor child was glum and distraught and too simple to hide it, Her checks grew wan, snd the sparkle of her eye deadened into melancholy. Her parents became alarmed, fearing a decline, and as absence is a remedy long since declared standard, they decided to send her on a visit to her Aunt Abigail in the me- tropolis, George heard the tidings with con- sternation. Was this the end of his chicanery? Then he had been deceived, Heroines truly had the unpleasant habit of fading, but they always married the villain before acquiring it. Must he yield to remorse, to despair! No; at least he knew when she was going-—at least he might receive her parting glance, So he hied to the station and entered the car where she sat listless and dejected, ““‘Good-by, Jane,” he whispered. “Will you not write to me? You know how constant I've been, even when it was hopeless." ““I hate you!” said the girl, with a sudden burst of instinctive passion, And George sped to his room and butted his head against the wall—but not too violently, for it was but lath and plaster, and his landlord was unfeeling — and vowed that of all sour things the sweets of revenge were the sourest, Thereby he dimly perceived that treach- ery is a Hhoomerang in uoskiliful bands. Meanwhile Arthur, having established recklessness, did not pursue it. He was energetic in business, and sorrow made him more so, thus requiting him with | pecuniary damages. His employers sent | oned without George Percy they reckoned without a host, For tnis young man was romantic of temperament and ingenious of mind. ed that she should be his. and so in the § i i i | i hated rival, he have his revenge. dissemble--that was passion. Arthur and he had always been SWore Of course he tinue. pair with false words smile, and a He must, and he did ful in his mission. This mission then took bim to the metropolis, where he re- | assured its success and made himself fa mous, Misfortune is au s'ckening dose to i muy change 1 him to the west, where he was success. | { smiles But Arthur didn't think so. It is easy to philosophize after the scar, but not after the wound is yet raw. He was very blue when leisure permitted his | thoughts to be absorbed with self and grew fond of thrusting his hands deep in his pox kets and moodily soliloquizing, | “It was always so,” probably from a! childish remiuziscence of *‘that dear ga One wintry afternoon during his stay in the metropolis, being especially mis. | anthrophic and time dragging with him, | spair! The lovers were voung, and their complacent parents had declared that they must wait. Aha! Was he not man enoughyfrom the nettle Opportunity to pluck the flower Success? Only bring on the nettle! Meanwhile he would watch and wait. It was at the acme of this conviction that Arthur one evening in a flood of that crass confidence, which is balf the pleasure of being in love, showed the picture to George ness of fate! Among the mental in genuities with which George was en- dowed was a very pretty taste for the natural sciences. Chemistry, through its facility in producing light from dark ness, sound from silence and smell from imaginative qualities, At school he had been allowed the run from it—and there was nothing in the nature of smoke, stench which be had not generated. further in a day than Faraday did in his whole life, and as for Daguerre he could take care of him without half thinking. Indeed, in time photography became a wh terivs were camerical not chimerieal He had gained a well deserved reputa- tation as an amateur operator, and, it so happened, had long been in the habit of - its lumbering misery scemed commen surate to his humor. He eosconced him- self in one of the farther corners, and in | each jolt and bump discovered simili Pas sengers came and went, but he headed them not. They went more than they | came, until he was alone, alone with the straw, and the rattling glass, and the dangling straps. Then he likened him self to a prisoner in a tumbrel on the way to execution and became almost cheerful in the thought. Oh, if it were only true! He would send a lock of his bair dipped in his blood by one of the | haughty minions, and then her stony heart would melt —that being a natural attribute of all stones, The stage stopped. A young lady en- | She fare, and Arthur forgot himself sufficiently to take it. As he did so he gasped, and well he might, for it was Jane's little hand that he touched his Jaoe, alas, his no longer! What was she doing alone in the grest city? | Could she be lost, or wandering from » | disorder of reason?! Could she have lowed through the throng?! No, she She evidently had not | made light of their sacred emotions. And more, he was so engaging in man wer and so generous in returning favors and came and went as if his will was a centurion, a latchkey being his guide by night. : and all of this he clean forgot in the ness, But George remembered, and when he the back of the photograph he could scaice restrain a start and the conven- sional chuckle of foreseen revenge. a flash came an idea which Sle could, he would, he did. many a secret of the craft, Now was sid. an ardent admirer of Jane's. finite care he lo! when he had developed these and the other of Robert and Jane, in the identical conjunction of affection in which it had seemed clever to Arthur and Jane to exploit their young love. Suppressed mirthless laugh as he pulled i his hair over his brow and rolled his 1 eyes, which shone with an infernal fire. “Aha! I have them gn the hip, and Pll feed fat the ancient grudge I owe them.” ) And well he might laugh as one who laughed last. The following week the little June, while dreaming idly of her felicity, received an anonymous package and wept. The following week the ar- dent Arthur, while impatiently counting the days of his probation, received an anonymous package and swore, The mext day two notes, pregnant with grief and resentment, crossed each other. Farruvess Antavn—I robarn the ring sand other presents. All is over. 80 never, never speak again to Jaxx. : LB JaNg ~ no lon I beg to herewith yak iel om py the you sent mo last Christmas | shink ae are just his size. 1 remsin, yours - » A the other. RTHRUR, not. Arthur drew his hat over his brow, | but not so low as to prevent him from | glancing askance, in which he found a! pride, and | shrank back in his corner as much as | the vibrations would permit. Oh, how pretty, how sweet she looked ! | Waa it possible that one so fair could be 80 false? Yet were not these terms cor relative, and was not seeing believing? Had he not the damning proof in his in. | side pocket, gnawing away his vitals like boy's fox? But yet she! was 86 pretty, so sweet! Did ever go- | Yet she had allowed | her picture to be taken with Robert | Prince in that very position which their | troth had sanctified, and who knew but | that half the young men of their native | town had similar trophies? Oh, yes, she | was so pretty, so sweet, but beauty was | only skin deep. Alas! Arthur found | only faint consolation in the saying, for he realized that, like Mercutin's wound, it was quite deep enough for him. Arthur sighed so fervently that he side. There was a scream, a shout, and rolled away as if disgusted with lack of patronage and about to set up business on its own account, The attraction of the aceident was speedily overcome by the repulsion of recognition, “Mr. Lathera!” cried Jane, and bounded on the uppermost seat like a chamois, ‘‘ Miss Dobbins!” growled Arthur, making a dive for the door. But it was jammed. Push and strain as he might, he could not budge it. The only result of his exertion was a very red face, whose glow Jane seemed to catch and faintly reflect. He tried a window, bué as he felt as much like a camel a# it looked like a needle’s eye he soon desisted, and sinking into the lower sorner, which gave him the sensation of being caught in a chasm, he abandoned himself to Werther- like despair. iver now laisurel no moment since the stage would go ss comfortably on three wheels ag it had on four. Oth. ers that the imprisoned passengers wero lacky in their continement, since if it was protracted there would be po lack of fare. A messenger boy iz 3 piping volce volunteered to run for a dootor and provoked incredulous laughter at the likelihood of his running. This gave Arthur a chance to display his magnan- imity. *‘Stand back,” he shouted, ‘‘and give the lady air,” As if a stage ever wanted for this essential except in warm weather! But the throng, impressed by his vehemence, withdrew to the sidewalk, aud stamped feet and chafed ears as if, like the Roman sentinels at Pompeii, they oould'nt desert their posts—i, e., lampposts. “Thank you, Mr. Lathers,” said Jane in tones akin to the tip of her nose. “There was a time when you wouldn't have said ‘Mr, Lathers,’ ” replied Arthur, ** Yes, and not an hour ago.” “You knew me then?” “I saw you, I dido’t recognize you,” " yore, “Toward Susie? ing!” Yes? me—I, who am maligned, bereft, “You should feel at ease now, Mr. Lathers.” **And why now, pray? “On the stage, you know, such an actor.” You are criminate picture-taking. be a feminine characteristic.” “You haven't! To think that osmera could have twice sustained shock of that smirk! Oh, i ulous;" **I don’t know what you mean.” “Oh, you do not?” “Pray, Miss Dobbins, in this enforced nssociation, which no one could regret more than I, let ns not yield 10 idle re The past is dead : let I shall await our deliver ance with resignation, and then bid you godspeed.’ HiSome sort of speed would be accept able. But ‘resignation? If that posture is vour idea of resignation, I'd rather look uncomfortable.” “You have your wish, any the is Lo ride How is the with the “I can see a man in a well **Yes; he has escaped the noose.” “That is flattery for & contemptuous rejection.” **Miss Dobbins, permit me as an old family friend who has your best interests at heart to warn you to more dis creet, Our town is such a small place, men are not sufficiently from boastings, it is pleasant undoubtedly to have one's picture taken with one’s best young man I know in my case you seem to be delighted, but whea these photographs multiply and begin to cir like —~like——er-- comic valentine” be of the present, “Mr. Lathers!” “Hello!” cried Arthur as he suddenly beot forward, “Ah” screamed Jane as she dropped from her perch at the same instant. Two heads then bumped as one, They recoiled, but again plunged forward, for hall concealed in the which each had prized, but which the shock of the acci- dent mast have separated from their pos seen “That's mine,” asserted Jane, “That's mine,” protested Arthur. And both having succeeded, Jane climbed triwmphant to ber eyrie; Arthur sank victorious into his chasm, There was a sudden movement forward and a hurrah from the crowd, for the lovers, gazing into each other's eyes, saw change into faith, aud aversion into devotion, “It must have been that confounded George Percy,” exclaimed Arthur. ** Forgive me, darling.” sovbed Jane. And they were infolded in a fond and ingenuous embrace, No wonder the crowd surged and shouted. The streets of the metropolis ite blocks. “Cheer succeeded cheer, and when the messenger boy piped his inten- grew more enthusiastic, and no inereda- lous laughter opposed. “I'll retaliate on that Percy,” said Arthur, *‘if it takes a lifetime?’ ‘“No, dear. Revenge pays its own debts. What has George accomplished except to make our faith in each other more assured i” “*You are right. You are always right. He will find it impossible to cou terfeit the home pictures which I can forsee, Let him have the past of trickery. The future is ours, darling, for weal or woe.” “From ‘wheel and whoa,” replied Jane, roguishly, with a suggestion of RELIABLE RECIPES, Rosser SBwerr Porarors. — Choose even sized potatoes, cleanse them with a brush and put them in a quick oven. They are done when they will yield to pressure between the fingers, Serve ot. A Nick Disn.—~Moisten two cupfuls of cold mashed potatoes with one-half cupful of hot milk and when softened stir in two salted well beaten eggs, Drop carefully from a spoon into flour or gx and crumb them-—the mixture should be very soft—and brown either in hot butter or boiling fat. Seasoxines vor Bours, —Seasonings for soups may be varied to suit the simplest having only salt and pepper, while the richest may have a little of many savors, so delicately blended that no one is conspicuous, best soup is that whose flavor is made from the blend. ing of many. For brown soups, dark spices may be used ; for white ones, mace, aromatic seeds, cream and uy. herbs, either fresh or dried, as sage, thyme, sweet marjoram, miot, sweet eaetard cela ead and CURIOUS PLANT LIFE Plants that Eat Live Animals Plants that Have the Sense of Feeling Others that Seem to See, And "ds my faith, that every flower Ev joye the air it breathes, ~{ Wordsworth. Bcientists are making deep researches in plant life, and sre discovering some strange facts which seem almost too weird to be believed, They tell us that the plants we find in a tramp through the woods of a summer's day are not the stupid know nothing things that people in general imagine them to be, That it has been discovered thut some species of plants comtuon in this state have the power of eating, and that before enjoy- ing a good meal off of flies, worms, moths, etc., they have to work for their living in much the same manner as the diet. One will admit atonce that a spider goes to work as systematically as a tish- erman placing & seine, or a hunter ar- ranging his traps; but scarcely any one would give a plant as much credit for ability as the philosophical spider. Be Plant life has not been keeping abreast the nineteenth century; but it is the scientist himself who is making the steps ahead. ies what we now consider wonderful feats, and it is owing to recent research that one gains the idea that plants are To most people, may be lovers of pature, it must seem beef to keep them alive and to learn that there are plants which clo up their leaves when a bee lights upon them, and ne inct and reach directly SLICK 10 grow upon. These P ants that exhibit suc h pecu inr babits are not of the tropic climes or of far off Africa, but are habitants of this state, t is only the question of obser vation that accounts for the reason so few peopie know about their prouliarities and a little time spent in watching them will convince anyone that what is here said about them is the truth. THE PLANTS THAT RAT. There are many species of plants which require animal food to keep them io a healthy Whether they would actually die if not allowed this food can- not be told, as the difficulty of starving them is caused by their requiring water, and to keep this free from all bug life until absorbed by the plant is not an Cnsy task, It is not necessary to speak of th many varieties which bave the power of this article deals simply with plants whieh the reader of this article can find without much trouble The variety which is common throughout this state is known to many people by the scientifio name of Sarracenia purpurea; but it may be still better ksown by the cognomen in colloquial use, the Pitcher plant, or the Indian Drinking Cup. Both names are derived from the of the plast. From roots, seven or eight queer looking leaves start out at the same place. They meas ure from eight inches to a foot in length and are shaped like a cornu opis orcow’s horn with the pointed tip joining the stalk and the broad part held upwards, open to the air. These plants grow in moist places, in creeks where in shallow inlets there is little change of water and more especially in bogs and swamps They thrive best when the body of the plant alate, f the digesting food, as those the nilowed to penetrate below into water. When it rains the leaves or pitchers are Although it makes a heavy load to bear, And now to Linnacus thought that the pitcher slants collected the water so that thirsty Birds might drink from them. He was a great philoropher, but his surmise was not correct. Catesby thought upon find. safety for insects, ut he was wrong, for it is now known It remained for Mellichamp and Hooker to make the discovery that the water in the cups was diluted by the plant with some substance which attracted insects, and once sipping the fluid they became affected AS WITH The writer has before him a number of these plants in separate pails. The ex- periment of introducing a live fly at the upper edge of the cup was tried. The fly was apparently pleased with an odor coming from the liquid, for it commenced to sup the solution, and falling iuto the water, seemed unable to extricate itself. As a fly thrown into a cup of water will have little difficulty in clambering out or flying directly from the water, it stands to reason that this liquid was something more than water. At first it was thought that the solution was sticky and held the fly a captive, but it this is the case it is extremely weak is this guality as proved by an experiment. As the fy makes no effort whatever to escape, it seems that it must be numbed in some manner by the effect of the solution which it has imbibed, An insect remains in the liquid but a short time before it becomes soft snd separates; it sinks to the bottom and be- comes nourishment for the plant, The experiment now being is to learn what effect the lig has A TE apparently solu re. vive i goin Ag or, if th liquid is a Poison which means certaiz death after a AN ESTHETIC. has been whether the leaves have the power of absorbing only watter in solu- tivn or whether they can render nitro. genous matter soluable which is the power of true digestion, Fraocis Derwin tried many experi. ments 10 lean the results feeding plants of a large variety of substances, On June 12, 1877, he fed a number of leaves 1-50 of a grain of roast meat, At the end of two months be found the flowors on the fed plant twice as plenti- ful as on those Le did not feed and which were growing side Ly side. He found that there were 165 stalks to 100 on the unfed ones, and the total weight 6s 230 pounds is to 100 pounds. Carry- ing the observaiton farther, the number of seed capsules were as 149-100 and the number of seeds in each eapsule as 12-10, The weight of the total amount of seeds was as 157 to 100 and the following year 18 per cent. more of the fed plants came up than the ones that thrived with. | out feeding by artificial means, Darwin fed 61 leaves with non-nitro- genous solutions, such as gum-arabic, | sugar, starch and olive oil, and the ten- | tacles were not inflected as when the | plant eats. Sixty-four leaves were fed { on milk, isinglass, saliva, etc, and were inflected. Thus it was shown the pitcher plant is carnivorous and added { supplies of introgenous material by cap | ture and consumption of insects and small animals. The pitcher plants being experimented upon were gathered at Luzerne, Warren county, in a marsh where there was plenty of water aud thick foliage pre- vented the liquid in the cup from being { evaporated. It is thought that the ex- | periments will not only verify those tried oO of the sarracenia PERSIETERY PLANT LIFE. i the way plants in order to ficd curious characteristios, they can be noticed in the city by anyone who will little time to it Take for example the vines that one | city house where there are grounds about the residence some persons artistic, but to the student they present many odd characteristics, Does moyone realize that a vine can be being. That is the case. will not be persuaded to twine up a cord or post any In every case it always en and mounts a piece of twine stretched f« in chooses circles posite direction to the hands of a wateh Entwine it and twist it about the string the other way and it will untwist ftself and back again of its own aceord until it was as before. Fasten it twisted in the direction you wish it to change to and the chances are it because 1t cannot have its own w ay The cause for this inclination cannot be accounted for by botanists, unless it can be called a force of habit or inborn tendency in the plant. Although the sun might be thought to play a part in the strauge mancuvres, it is not so: for sithough the plant may extend itself to- wards the sunlight and then twist about the string to be attracted i make an. Fy mo will die or droop, and other revolution, still why it should make the first twist from right to left when by i fentists Another curious vines in general is that the little tendrils and feelers seem to have the power of seeing. If one wishes fo test this, put an upright stick ten inches away from the {sweet pea vine or morning glory and the tendril will not reach promiscuously about in the air, but will stretch out directly towards the stick, seemingly recognizing the fact that it has found something to twine itself upon. It is said that a man once sat reading upon an ivy covered piazza, and when, after a | few hours, he attempted to leave, a shoot ! his arm FOLLOWING THE SUN, Has anyone ever considered the sun its apparent course in the sky every day. In the moraing the sunflower is attracted | towards the east when the first rays are {to be seen. From that hour it turns | sire to always look upon the sun. {as it is made up of hundreds of | little flowers, and one does not loo upon | one when the great golden orb is gazed at, but upon a number of flowers. In Russia they make a valuable oil by | crushing the seeds, but in this country | they serve as good food for poultry. SEXRITIVENESS OF FLANTYS. Another common plant which seems to possess human instincts is the mimosa or sensitive plant, 1{ touched ever so lightly with a straw, the leaf which is touched will close itself suddenly and remain this way until it imagines the danger is over, and then it will slowly open again. Even the wind will be sufficient to cause it to close ite leaves, and so sensitive is it that a loud noise in close proximity will make it tremble, Why itis given this power is not known, unless it is that the plant pos. sesses a small amount of leaf surface and by closing, presents as little of itself to danger as ible. They grow in Cen- tral America until they become as large ns a shrub taller than a man and many interesting stories have been told about them by the workmen busy on the Pana- ma eanal. In this country they are deli- cate and so hard to raise that they sel. dom exceed two feet in height, C, R. em CARVED FRUIT STONES, How the Patient Chinaman HBeautifies Articles of Nature, Nothing is wasted in China. The stones of various fruits and the shells of nuts are cleaned, dried and carved into ornamenifs of the most graceful-kind. Among the stones used are the olive, plum, peach and cherry, and of the shells the walnut and coconnut. The stones are collected with care; each must ex- ceed 8 certain standard of size, propor- tion, hardoess and weight, They are dried slowly and av such a hest as not to crack or sprout and are then ready for the carver, The designer makes a rough outline of the future group or picture and bands it over to his boys or apprentices, These work with great rapidity, and soon block out the design, cuttin through the hard, ligneous tissue, an then extract the kernel. A second trest. ment now takes place to dry the interior of the shell, as well as to prevent the fine lining of the interior from under- going decomposition. This completed, the designer sketches a second outline, and also indicates by his pencil or brush where the surfece is to be manipulated made into leaf work or arabesque or be cut sitogether away. The work is per formed by the subordinates, as at first, The designer then does the finishing touches, after which the assistants clean, polish and oil or wax the perfect cary ing. The stones are sold in this shape to quite & large extent, but more largely in other forms. Among these may be men- tioned buttons, watch charms, sleeve links, earrings and brooches, and when strung together, bracelets, anklets, neck- laces, watch chains, rosaries and official ornaments. The price of a stone varies greatly with the workmanship and the fame of the carver. Some may be bought as low as 5d. apiece, others command as high as 8s td each, The average price is 1s. 3d. a stone, with handsome The 12s One class represents bunches of flowers which pistils, stamens and tendrils are accurately executed. Bimi- iar to these are fruits and flowers and flowers and leaves. A second class is The dragon, griffin, ftork, horse, lion, tiger, camel, elephant snd bull are the favorite figures, A canon in Chinese carving is to reproduce those animals have been only which and those mentioned are about the only ones which have enjoyed divine A third and by far the most interesting, comprises groups of human figures, representing scenes in history, poetry, mythology and the arama. The work is olten so fine as to be mi. class, the artist while using a maguilyving glass of at least fifty diameters. On stones not over an inch in length along their major axis it is not uncommon to find eight, nine or ten characters in different attitudes and costumes. Unlike most phases of Chinese art, there is much regard paid to per- spective and loreshortening. Some of these pieces might have been made by Hindoo or Italian artists, so {ree are they from local conventionalism. Neverthe is all- prevailing. --{ London Art Journal, THE BODY AND I'S HEALTH. Hixt vor Tur Barn. —Put to a cup of sea sait one-half ounce of camphor and one-hall ounce of ammonia in a quart bottle; fill the bottle with hot water and let it stand twenty-four hours; then, put a teaspoonful of this mixture, well shaken, into your basin. A surprising quantity of dirt will come from the The ammonia cleanses beneficial effect which cannot be exag- gerated, A Rerinr ror Bunxs.—A free appli- cation of soap to a fresh burn almost in- siantly removes the fire from the flesh. ing dries hard, repeat the oil and flour dressing till a good costing is obtained. in a day or two, and a new skin will be burned. MovLp ox Arries-- Attention fs cellars or elsewhere are invariably ocov- ible, but just as real. This mould con- sists mostly of microscopic plants, including numerous species of fungi, all of which arc more or less poisonous. Physicians say they have traced diphthe - ria in children to the use of mouldy apples. Mothers are in the habit of giving little children apples to play with, and the babies try to eat them. In such cases the mould should be carefully re- moved from them, * How vo Live tv You Wisn 10 Live Loxe.— Aside from the very important ana controlling influences of inherit ance, of diet, and of temperate habits, says the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal, the points to be leamed from the few statiscal data attainable are that longevity is promoted by a quiet, peace- ful life, in & retired and rural commun. ity, where there is freedom from nervous strain and worrying and excessively la- borious toil. The busivess man, with in- creasing cares and res ibilities, the mill operative toiling P gether the souls and bodies of himself and his family,
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers