Christmas Is Coutlag ! Feathery flakes are dancing, dancing. In the gray mom's frosty gleam— Hsralds they of reindeer prancing From the gardens of our dream— From the bright land of the elf-king, Where the bonbons gayly grow Just like sweets of rammer gardens, When the tulips smile in row. Feathery flakes are falling, falling, From the skies in softest way i And between are voioes calling ; "Boon it will be Christmas day 1" Don't you know bow in the springtlmo. Wintry snows are soattered wide Ere the lovely purple blossoms Dare to pssp from whers they hide? Feathery flakes are sifting, sifting, Through the chill December air— Here, and there, and yonder drifting, Making everything more fair ; Laying whiter folds than Unsn On the houses and the trees. Softer than the richest damask Bprssd our dainty'guest to please. Boon the bonbons will be falling As the flake# have fall'n to-day. And the children will be calling To their patron saint so gay : " Ah! ws know when oame the snowflakes Too wonld oome, dear Santa Olaus— For we always (you remember) Know the wind's way by the straws." Bee. the tree* are fair as any That elves have wreathed with enow. Will be planted—oh! so many I In oar better homes. And Io I Something better far than snowflakee Shall be hung about their green— Candies, toys, and fairy taper. Lighting up the merry scene. And the children dancing, dancing. Till all tired their little feet. Shall, with half-shnt eyes np-glancing. Wonder : " Why is life so sweet ?" And some tender voice shall whisper— Flake-like falling from above : " Christina* ie so sweet, my darling, Just because It's king is love 1" Charity's Charity. "You'll repent of this, Charity, mark my words." Charity Atherton laughed good Im morally, "If I do, yon will have the immense satisfaction of saying ' I told yau so.' Auntie, pray don t argue the matter any further, for it will not im- Cre the case, and, besides, there is a t to my patience." " And to mine, as well, Miss Charity," retorted wreihful Aunt Dorothy. " Yon So to your dressmaker's, are detained ve minutes, overhear a sewing girl telling a pitiful story, and yon mnst needs bring the creature here to spend the summer, and squander any amount of money in making her presentable I Patience, indeed 1 My patience was ex hausted some time ago. " Half a dozen pairs of gloves and slippers won't empty my purse ; neither will three or four muslin ureases. It is very unjust in you to judge Rose before you have seen her. Bhe is an Atherton, too, remember." " But no relation of yours, and why you should ask such a creature " Miss Dorothy paused as Charity drew herself up. " I have invited Miss Ath erton to my house, and while she is here aa a guest she must be treated as beeomes my friend." "And equal," added Miss Dorothy, sarcastically. ." Pray what do you think your brother will say to all this 7" " As his advioe will not be asked, he will probably aay nothing," and, at the last word the clock struck four, and Charity stepped into the pony phaeton, by which she had been standing daring the disenseiou. "Good-bye, auntie; I shall bring ROM home at half-pMt Miss Dorothy Arnold stood looking after the phaeton until a turn in the road hid it from view. " Willful, will ful, willful I What will she be st next 7 One comfort, Wsyne will be here before long, and then—bnt she is of age, so there's nothing to be done," and, with a sigh, Miss Arnold went into the house and took up her novel. It proved inter eating, and, in what seemed a very short time, the sound of wheels on the gravel rodi made Miss Dorothy peep through the half-opened blinds, to see Charity, and by her side s stranger, who was Miss Atherton number two. "Bhe is pretty, very pretty," said Miss Dorothy, becoming more kindly, as she surveyed the slender figure, the bright-brown hair, the pale,>iatfa] face, ana the beautiful, half-mournful blue eyes. What a contrast to brown-eyed. ack, looking decidedly crest fallen. Instead of a gentle, timid girl, and a whispered yes, be had fonnd a very thorny Rase, and bail received a very decided rejection. Wayne had pnt hia question with too much self-con fidence, and Rose's pride bad speedily given him his answer. Mr. Arnold de parted for Portland the next rooming "on business," and Saturday saw Rose on her way to New York, leaving Chari ty very much exasperated at the result of what Miss Dorothy had dubbed j "Charity'scharity." Time sped on, and at last there came j s change for Rose. Charity, looking np from an open letter, one morning in December, ottered an exclamation that ! caused both her companions to look np inquiringly. '' Ross haa gone to Europe. Her ' uncle Hugh, Mrs. Atherton'a brother, ; lias come here to take her to hia home iin England. It seems he loat an only I child, two voir* ago, and he is going to i adopt our Rose. Her mother married | against her brother's wishes, and for a | long while there was no communication between them. When be did try to trace his sister, be oould not find any news of her. It is through Mrs. Homers that he has found Rose. Bhe now seems to be very happy." Charity was right. Rose was happy; and no wonder, since she had a pleasant home and the kindest of friends. Both sunt and ancle were well prepared to love their new-found niece, and before the girl had; been a week in her new home abe had won a warm place in tbe hearts of both. Bqnire Rammer began I to indnlge the hope that Rose won Id re ! main Rose Atherton all her days, and stay quietly at home ; bnt the fates in terposed. One chilly day in spring the squire came hastily into the room where Rose and her aunt were sitting. There had been z fire at the village inn, and one person, a stranger, had been bally hurt " I told them to bring him here, he said, opening the door of the next room, which happened to be a bedroom. " It was the bravest thing I ever new. A child had been left in the attic, and when abe was discovered, no one would risk trying to save her till thia yonng Ameri can came forward. He saved the little one, bnt it waa a narrow escape for them I Kith. The child is not hurt, but my brave fellow will lose his right arm, they say; a rafter fell on him and crushed it. How he ever managed to save the ehild is z mystery little short of z miracle. There oome the men. Ran, Rose, and bring me plenty of bandages. The do©- tor will be here in a moment Thia way, men. Pnt him on the bed gently ; so." Rose.ootning beck, oaught one glimpse, through tbe half-opened door, of z pale face. " Oh, the poor fellow I" she cried, with all her heart in her voice; and that voioe caused the dark eyes to open in an instant " Rose I" Only that one word, but it was enough. " Wayne I Oh, my poor, poor boy I" and in another moment V lose was kneel ing by the bedside, sobbing ss though her heart would break. " Heyday I" cried the squire in amass ment, end Rose looked np smiling through her tears. "He loved me over there, uncle, and if he oaree for mo still Well, no matter what Wayne said, snfflee it to add that a very happy wad ding was the result of " Charity's char ity* " Honor and wealth from no condition rise; set well yonr your part yonU never get bleak eyes. a* ! V* isH On aa Ocean N learner. Edward King writes to the Boston Journal: "Itla a pleaanre to go to sea in anoh floating palaoos aa the Oermauio, and it is to be hoped that any new American line which may spring up will have all the modern improvements of which this flue ship boasts. Many a Ant-class aotel furnishes service and lodging inferior to that which one baa on these massive ocean ferryboats of five thonsand Ave bnndred tons burden. And the great srk slips along with snob speed and comparative abaenoe of dis agreeable motion that the journey is de lightful. ' Here oomos the old gray hound again ' say the sailors of the second-class line when they see one of these ' expresses of the seas' dashing through the foam. One day, just before coming under the lee of tbe land, theses was almost calm, and we went through tbe water with tremendous rapidity. The sun shone with dazzling radiance, and aa far as we oo'.ld see in any direc tion nothing but A vast mass of what seemed rrpoutte silver work was visible. By and by a school of |wnx>iaes became violently excited, as tbe uermania rush ed through its playground, and the sportive Ashes lo*|>cd and raced for half an hour beside us. Now and then one of the boldest would spring completely out of tbe water close to the abin s side, and his eyes seemed to snap with excite ment, One might have fancied him al most inolined to attack our craft had it only been a little loss swift. Preseutly we saw a French brig dancing along merrily enough, her white sails shining in the luminous air. By tbe rate at which we pasaed her we could judge of our own speed. Almost before we had thought of turning to look back at her she was a lonely point upon the far rear ward horizon. It must now and then cause something like despair in the hearts of sailors on ships subject to every caprice of the breeze to see tbe matchless speed of those grand moving homes, which are, despite the attention paid in them to comfort and elegance, as fine ships to encounter rough seas as sere ever made. There is no nonsense in the captains; tbey take no risks, bnt they fear nothing. And tbe discipline of officers and men is simply perfect. The sailors work with a will, 'and take pleasure in their lsbor. They are as proud of the ship's rooord as tbe csptain is, and when, at the end of the voyage, they hear the question: 'What's the time ?' and tbe answer cornea, calculated to minntea and seconds, they fall to j computing as eagerly as do the offloera that they rosy see if the ship has won s i new triumph"over distance.' Tigers at A action. A score or more of men assembled in the menagerie in Central park, New York. Tbe king of beasts resented the intrnsion and roared with such force that he shook down the monkeys who were hanging by their tails from the wires of s cage in another bnilding. The monkeys rubbed their heads and chattered till they aroused the bald eagles. The eagles srrremad so tond that the red little birds in another cage were terrified into a pale pink, and the one-legged storks, who were standing around and speculating on the length of time tbe seals oould stay under water, actually went ao far as to let down an other leg from underneath their feathers, and looked aa though they were going to move into different tracks for the winter. While this commotion was going on without, the noises within the room of cages hail )>eoome bewildering and almost deafening. The Bengal tiger, presumably a royal one, seconded the lion'a objections to the intrusion. Tbe hyenas pawed up supposititious graves and laughed fiendishly. Tbe panthers slid their sleek hides' around over their bone work and gave forth deep gutturals. The lioueasee put in their roar and tbe aun bear fondled hia paw with increased industry, and gave* forth a sound aa though be were winding himself np to join in the gener al outcry. And the black wolf stood on his hind claws, pointed his nose toward tbe zeuitli and bowled dismally. The other animals stopped to listen to him, and he stopped for tbe reason that he only started because the rest of them were making noises. Then Auctioneer Bnrdett said : "Gentlemen, the two tigers in those cages yonder and the one up in that cage, will be sold bv order of the col lector of customs. The terms are cash. What do I hear for tho three tigers ?" Calvin Witly started them at $2O. John Nathan, in behalf of Barunm, bid $3O. The tigers leaped to $7O by ten doll*/ jumps, when Robert RobeVteon bid $BO for the three. Tbey rapidly went np to $2lO, where tbey hnng for some time and then went se high as $250. at which figure they were sold to Mr. Robertson. Coat of the I lIN Mete* Capital. Loot Jane Congress colled upon the secretary of the trceanry for a tabulated statement of oil money spent by the government, since its origin, in tbe Dis trict of Columbia. This statement hos l**en prepared, ond is fnll of interesting figures. The totol expenditures for what may be colled permanent improve ments, inclnding original expenditure*, the ooet of repairs, furnishing and keep ing in order tbe public in dilution* in Woohington ore as follows : TkseapMol SIT.IM.4SI It Tb* rai*nl nffloe IllS'.SaS It Tb* tr*a*nrr tMNltt StmtotMlimiiiMat w**Wasso.... M Tb*taO> aulut lortltntkm. t.T*j,4* SI Prn*l lurtHaUoM 4,41 aSW It Watsr work* WN.id IS *avr depart m*ni (tooladiaf jard) ... t,MS,IMM Ir*p*rtm#ot of tsHealtur* ai:.its KmUlimriUh ln*ltaUon ISS.WN !*■. s*tao*oi olslikMM W*r df[*rt ni.nl 1044,041 41 TarSa u4 pabllr grnnnda l,m,MTn Tb* *otittr* mum U4 around* MS.IM IS aS!S Tha Meant? *arae ~,, THUS M Worbiol n, paint Ins*, Uunra~Cnr antaa sUary **•*. OHMS' IS Qanala SST.4I* SS glmflnnw 100,440 CO rir* 4*taHaial (baiMlat*, mini, IHSSSSS Court* HW T*al Western swindlers happen into sa loons, moke bete on future stents sad giro the stoke* to tbe landlords to bold ; then, a few days later, happen book, ond agreeing to drew tbe bet, obtain good money from tb* saloon-keeper, their base crmlerfeito boTSg meanwhile been mixed up with his oath. Interesting Educational NUtlstica. Tho reoently-issued report of ths commissioner of the bureau of educae tion presents autne interesting statistio of the education of the young men in the United Btates for what are known as " the professions." The following table will show a comparative statement of the schools of law, medicine and theol ogy : K*knt. JMa.lt TIUaW V / <"•' I*. Mtdirims. taut I" Number of institutions.... 44 218 2 664 Number of Instructor*.... 102 1,301 10 148 Number of student* 134 600 4268 Totals 30H 1 ,999 17,075 It is, of oourse, the fact that lawyers, especially in the country, obtain their profeasionsl education in tbe offices of older practitioners, and it is estimated that only one out of every thirteen ever enter their names npon the rolls of a law ooliege. The same condition exists, although not to ao great an extent, in the medical profession, hut theological learning is almost universally acquired in institutions established for tho pur pose. The several schools of praotioe in medicine and surgery are represented aa follows : ir. <>r An. o/ *■*. if J+rtituHnni. JnarrWora. : fud+nU, Regular 63 M 7,493 KolecUc 4 36 314 Homeopathic..., .11 138 H27 Dental.... II 152 530 Pharmaceutical... 12 54 934 Total a 102 1,301 10.143 The following shows the relative num ber of theological schools, professor* and students among tho various reli gious denominations : JUmt /Vo if Mrt##. /— Ms took him tar has fhMfal kh- T shut* Ms whssl *r whoa. -IT ASM Mhmr.