A Valentine. Little lasses, lair and flnet Who will be my valentine T On this morn I'm forlorn! Kvery bird has found his mate — Must mine lie a harder tato 1 Many maidens near and far Bright and sweet and gracious are; Bell nnd May Are fair, they say; Sue has shining goldatf curls, Kate's the prettiest of girls! Peachy cheeks and golden hair, These are very line and tair But my lass Must surpass Ail her mates iu something more! Hear the charms that I adore: Red lips, parting in a smile; little tongue that's free Irom guile; Little loot That are fleet Older people to obey— And to sohool trip blithe away ! Dress as neat as neat can be, Troesea combed back tidily. Never pout Or saucy flout Doth my darling one disgrace- She is lull ot gentle grace. U she'll have nie lor her love I wilt ever iaithinl prove, All our life We'll have ao strife— for when Iwnnty fadee away Kindness and good-temper stuy' May her lite be bright and Inir, free I com pain and pressing care; On her head Be blessings shod; May the world grow every minute Better lor her living in ♦ • Cupid, although you are blind, Such a lass I hope you'll And! Take with you My billet doux, And thi# tiny golden ring- Tuck Ihetn sale beneath your wing. Should she deign to read this page, Bid her send her name and age Unto me Speedily! She shall have this heart ot mine, I'm her laithinl valentine. —AHct William B olhtrlon. INFATUATION. There was a little group on the pret tiest croquet-ground imaginable—a cro quet-around witli a dinipleo brook flick ering ry on one side and a semi-circle ot fine old -trees standing guard on the other. An elderly gentleman, in a linen coat, was hall-kneeling on the grass in the mental nnd physical agony of a " split shot;" a youth of fifteen, awaiting his turn, was watching the operation with emphatic ennui; a little apart, a young man with fine features and symptoms of a mustache--agood-looking fellow, take him all in all—was conversing content edly with a young lady—one of those tall, fair-haired creatures, witli grand eyes and superb complexion, who fairly bewilder one with rare coloring. "80 your aunt will be here this nftor noon, Miss Penroy?" lie wits saying. " Ye, in the 5:10 train." The young fellow calculated in the depths ol hi* spiritual consciousness • "It is now three. Two hours' grace. Would that an accident might befall the train! Of all things a maiden aunt! No more pleasant tctt-a-lcUs on the piazza— no—" "Blue! Here, Mr. Remington, it's your turn. You've got the most splen did chance!" called out the old gentle man, enthusiastically. "Just knock Augusta into the brook and go through Hie middle wicker; then you can take Charlie coming back, and— Here the pleasant vision was demol ished by Mr. Remington's sending Augusta just the other way, and going anywhere but through the wicket him self. His counselor gave him a look of reproachful despair, and grasped his inallet as if he were going to commit suicide, or " suthin'," with it. Miss I'enroy took her place, and so the game went on. An hour or two after, when returning to the house to dress for tea, Mr. Rem ington caught sight of an angular figure in gray alpaca vanishing up-stairs, nnd n few minutes later learned that Miss Penroy's aunt had arrived. • • • • Just about seventy miles from the pretty emouct ground and iu accom panying farmhouse " might hnvc been seen," on the hanks of the Hudson, a handsome villa, and in its library, at the moment at which I write, were the family assembled—a red-faced old gen tleman, a white-haired old lady and two pretty girls, as like as two peas and as pretty as two pinks. The daily budget bad just come from the postoffice. consisting this time of one letter for the old lady, who, accord ing to the superscription, was Mrs. C. H. Remington. " From Fred," she announced ; " it's really astonishing how contented he is in that little, out-of-the-way place." "I thought he w mid be back after two days fishing, utterly disgusted," said Minnie, one of the peas. "Oh. I'm very glad to imve him away from temptation.' 1 went on the mother. "A fashionable watering-place is a terri ble training place for a gay young fel low like Fred—and with his money, too. He seems to have fonnd picas int com panions at (his little place. He says: ' There are some very agreeable people stopping here—a Mr. Wane and nis family, and a Miss Penroy. a very beau tiful girl, and her aunt. Miss Boggs.'" "A very beautiful girl," laughed Bes sie, the other pea. That explaias the mystery." Penroy is a very good name," said the old lady, " I hope she is a nice The letters continued to come regular tvery week, ano the old lady contfnuid to read them placidly to her husband and daughters. Miss Penroy and her anntsti I (figured largely in the missives, but there was not much said about be ing awfully jolly—there were vague al-1 lusion.l to happiness and miscrf and other contradictory emotions. At this period the old lady began to get anxious. " I don't know but that we oujjht to go on 10 this Kastrodes, Minnie.. I atu sure Miss Penroy must bo a sweet girl, but I'd like to see her." " We might take a run on tliore next week." suggested Minnie. " I'd like to go," said Bessie. " I think we need a little change, and vou won't take us to any fashionable place because we don't come out for another ycnr." " I'll think it over," said the mother. But while she was thinking it over the next day, a letter came y tat sent her tlying to Iter girls. "The climax has come," she cried, half-laughing, and yet with tears in her eves. "lie is engaged to be married. Just listen to this." And with a daughter on each side, she read as incoherent,'happy, illogical an epistle as ever lover indited since the days of Adant. "That settles it; we go there next week. In the meantime we must all write to him, and to her, too." And they did all write that very day, dear lovir.g home letters, giving Miss Penroy a sweet welcome to their family, and telling Fred how charming they wore sure she must be, and how glad they would be to meet her the following Monday. That was Thursday afternoon. On Friday evening a thunderbolt was handed Mrs. Remington at the tea table. Outwardly it was one of Fred's regular letters, hut inwardly it was a thunderbolt. . She opened' it all unconscious, read the few lines, and clasped her hands ' almost tragically. "Oh, husband!" she gasped, "oh, Minnie—Bessie! that my boy should evcrWlo such a thing. It isn't Miss Pen roy lie's engaged to—it's her aunt!" " I lor aunt! Stuff and nons nse!" spluttered Mr. Remington, upsetting tne powdered sugar into the pickled sninion. " I never heard of sueli a thing." "Oh. no; it's only too true. Just listen to this: 'Dear mother for good ness sake, don't write nny more letters to Miss Penroy. lam not engaged to her at all. lam cniraged to her aunt. Miss Boggs. You'll he hereon Monday, so I'll ten all then. In haste, your lov ing son, Fred.' Oh, I'll never forgive her for entrapping my poor, innocent boy. Such a vulvar name, too—-Boggs." " Horrid old tiling!" muttered Minnie. "Dreadful creature!" chimed in Bessie. "(firls," said the mother, suddenly, " it does no £ood to abuse that woman —we must simply go on and stop it." No dissenting voice was heard, and the old lady arranged the entire plan be fore they left the table. Mr*. Reming ton and the girl# would start hv the first'train in the morning. Mr. Rem ington would stay home [to look nfter the establishment. "I am so glad he didn't wan'l to go," Mrs Remington -n tided to the girls, "!. might say something harsh to that poor boy nt:o you know if my son, Mr. Rem ington, is still here?" she inquired of j the young lady. "Mr- Remington has just gone to | order a carriage," was the answer, very stiffly delivered. I The old lady sat down. "Are you acquainted with iny son?": t "I have that pleasure," yet more ! i stiffly. A light seemed to flash over Mrs. Remington's mind—this was Miss I'en | roy. j "My dear." she said, getting up and putting her hand on the yonng lady's shoulder, " 1 know you will help me to bring that boy to his sense*." " What do you mean ?" I "Oil, my dear, lie is perfectly infntu i ated with that horrid woman. I don't ; know what to do." " lie's not infatuntcd with any horrid woman," cried the pretty girl, hotly. "He told me so himself," said-Mrs. i Remington, solemnly. "Of course lie f is desperately smitten, and tries to make : her out perfectly beautiful; hut I have j j seen her, and she's the most dreadful j creature —at least." recollecting herself, I " she's perfectly respectable, and all that ' sort of thing; but she's so much older j than he is." "Oh. I can't believe it!" moaned the ! young girl. " I don't believe it!" " It is quite true, I assure you," said 1 Mrs. Remington, sorrowfully. "Do help me. my dear, you are so sweet and pretty! If it had only been yon! Do try to make your aunt see how utterly . out of the question it is." "My ..unt!" "Yes. youraunf.dear; don'tbeangry. ' I know she's very nice, hut she's so much older. Don't you see It your- ! self?" j " I haven't any aunt." " Why. yes, you have. Your aunt. Miss Roggs. On, my dear, do explain yourself; I'm nearly crazy. Are you not Miss Pen roy ?" " No, I am Miss Roggs." For the space of five seconds two utterly bewildered women gazed at each other in the face. " Hut what—who—was that tall lady?" stammered Mrs. Remington "that tall lady with a blue alpaca dress and red flowers in her bonnet?" "Why, that was my old nurse, Je | mima Stamfield." "Oh. my dear, I am so glad!" sobbed j Mrs. Remington, folding Miss Penroy's aunt in her arms, and giving tier a most I motherly hug. At this juncture Fred came tearing in, ! ! and fairly gasped at the sight of his | mot fan unci lady- ovc in an affectionate p"ibia( e. "Oh, Fred!" half-cried Miss*Boggs, "just think! Your mother thought you were engaged to our old Jemima! Only think of it!" " What on earth—" Then they had to explain it to him; they haeriences. hut when ; the soup had been disposed of asked a famous gourmand sitting m-ar him how lie liked it. " Very well indeed," was the answer. "Turtle, is it not? 1 only ! ask because I did not find any green fat. Ruckland shook his head. "I fancied j it hnd a somewhat musky taste—pcru i liar hut not at all unpleasant, ' re marked his neighls r. "All alligators have," replied the host, "thecayman | especially—the fellow 1 dissected this morning, and which you have just been discussing." Half a dozen of the sud denly enlightened diners suddenly started to their feet, two or tl.ree slunk from the room, and the rest of the meal was enjoyed by only a portion of the original company. "See what iniagi ! nation is," said Buckiand. " Hail I told them it was turtle, or terrapin, or bird's nest soup, or the pluten of a fish from the maw of a sea-bird, they would i. have pronounced it excellent, and their digestion would have been none Hie worse. I tell them that it is alligator soup, ann their gorges rise at a good a dish as ever a man need have!" Forewarned, ord therefore- forearmed, were the gentlemen who lunched on octopus at the Brighton aquarium, try ing it in turn boiled, broilid and cold. They found it excellent eating, resem bling skate, hut not so tender as might he. The verdict would probably have lecn still more favorable hail the octo pus been boiled first and then roasted, as is the way in Corsica, where the monster is esteemed a great delicacy.— Phombert' Journal. History of Billiards, A New York paper says : Billiards are- played so much in this country tliat the game is not unfrequently mentioned as American, although its origin is either French or Italian—it is uncertain which. The game, however, was Im portid into Britain froin France, and wns known to Englishmen by name AS early as the sixteenth century, since Shakespeare speaks of it—he seems to have hern liltie less than omniscient —in several of his dramas. He even portrays Cleopatra as amusing herself witli bfl liards, hut this is unquestionably one of the palpable anachronisms to which he appears to have been indifferent, and which he scattered throughout his i plays. The game itself was. in all like- I liliood. medieval, hut ns played nowa days is comparatively modern. For ' two centuries it was played with only two (white) balls, and when the third (red) Imli was imported into Britain, the red winning hazard, or holing of the re-d hall, was well-nigh the sole ob ject of the players. The billiard-table of t ie present is as different as it well ean he from the hilliard-tnhle of two hundred jenrs ago, as persons know who liave noticed their evolution an represented by the tables of divers eras. The greatest biliiardists are the Rus sians, Spaniards, French and Ameri cans, who now play far more than any other nation. The popularity of the game has increased greatly here within the last twenty years, ft is said that there are six times as many tallies in the country as there were at the begin ning of the civil war. Europeans sup pus* that all Americans play hilliaras, irrespective of sex. age or position Fight /-live percent, of lbs membeis of ika Utah legislature are | olygnmists. FOR THE FAIR SEX. Kuhlon lfo. Jet lac-e is very fnshionahle. WhiU* is very fashionable for full even ing dress. Beige is the fashionable material for young girls. Perforated kid lace tops appear on new kid gloves. Curls drooping from the hack of coif fures are revived. Black gauze gowns set off jewelry bet U-r than any others. Real ncorns nicely varnished are sold to ornuiiu-nl basket*. Tulle is the fashionable diaphanous fabric for hull dresses. Costumes of Lyons satin and camels'- liuir are pretty and elegant. Creamy white bonnets are morf worn than any ethers for full dress. Bows of piece brocade stitched with j gold thread ore worn in the hair. Jersey waists and fur skirts are worn | or skating eostumes in England. Sieilienne wears better than pure silk, not beifg likely to beeosiK* shiny. Young ladies who dance wear short : dresses escaping the floor all round, i Smoking jackets are lined with ne i bright color and laced with another. Jersey webbing in navy blue and myr - tie green may la- bought by the yard. I Cashmere colors appear in the trim mings of many handsome white bonn'-t*. I/ong Branch scollops are stiff little , curves of hair that look as faise as they are. Little tmnnets of black plush, looking i like gentlemen's hats, sire worn a great Ideal. Isxips of braids at the back of the j bend are giving place to loose fluffy ; curls. Ruches, ruffles, and in the i neck are more fashionable than linen ; collars. Voting ladies wear their corsage IJOU | quels on one side of the neck, near the I shoulder. I Walking suits are now made of tlie richest velvet hro- ade, combined with ! Lyons satin. : White jet and white Spanish hue ap pear to IK- favorite decorations ol white | dress bonnet*. A new kind of <-ash me re is very thick J and soft, and feel* like ordinary caah i mere doubled. Anything may be worn that is pretty i or liecoming without putting the wearer ; out of fashion. I There never was a season when so great a variety was si-en in tiie style of I dressing the hair. (lold thread traceries around the de signs of white Sfonisli la<-e* appear on late importation*. White silk and white gauz® form the composition of many elegant evening dresses this season. Spanish slippers have the heel and sob- made in one piece, and increase the height considerably. Satin sunflowers ar' worn in the hair. They are made in raris, and their price is something astounding. Small Japanese fans with long handles are more fashionable limn large Japan ese fan* witli short handles. Young girls wear waistcoats of some bright silk and wool mixture with gray or mown or drab beige suit*. A fancy dress bail held at York, Eng land, tiie other day.was the first that lias been held in that city since 1535. Dahlia* of varieg-ted colors will be - worn a* prirg advances, lioth a* bonnet decorations and corsage flowers. Silk fans arcmade up over pasteloard, decorated with painted flowers and fin ished on the edge with plaited ribbon or lace. Tidies of colored cotton flannel with tmrders of a lighter tint, and corner piece* of a contrasting color, are pretty and cheap. • Tulle dresses looped wittt sprnv* ol apple blossoms, rosebuds or daisies, make the most effective hail dresses for young girls. A small bonnet and a large lie arc the , fashior. for stn-et wear. Some of the ( ties are twelve inches wide, and nearly ' cover the chin. White satin duchcssc and white satin antique, which is only another name for silk plush, compose a large number of white bonnets. Igsrjte scoop front Dircotoire bonnets of plain or furry felt arepictun*qu< and stylish, hut they make any face look needlessly older. English corduroy is the most fashion able material for little boys' suit Mixed csssimeres and Scotch cloths are the next in favor Fur turimns are worn by young ladies, trimmed with bands of feathers, or when fur bands are used, with n wing or fancy feather on one side. New silk handkerchiefs for the neck are in pale shades of blue and rose, and edged with plaitings of Breton, Igtaguo doc or Valenciennes laces. The novelty destined to the greatest popularity in fancy spring goods is the printed Indls cashmeres, in small multi colored pine patterns over a light ground. Snoods, simple ribbons passed through the hair and knotted at the side with pendant ends, are revived. They are in the richest Oriental colors, and finished at the ends with gold fringe r tassels. New* and Notes for Hnsirl. One female COOK in a Wisconsin lum ber-camp has alrtady caused two sui cides, one stabbing affray and fifty three fight* In Cheyenne, Wyoming Territory, a jury composed entirely of women re cently rendered a verdict in a case of the death of another woman. Mi*s Drevrr, a voung lady belonging to fashionable society in San Francisco, lia* shocked her friends by announcing her betrothal tb a Chinaman. The wife of Gov. Van Zandk of Rhode Island, is a daughter of Albert G. Greene, whose name is widely known as the author of " Old Grimes is I>ad." In a paper lately at the State fair on the "Industries of Indiana." it was stated that sixty per cent, of all tiie but- ! Unr, rhcew and sugar produced in Indi- j ana is the work of women. " Man," says Victor Hugo. " was the conundrum of the eighteenth century; woman is the conundrum of the nine-1 teentlt century." An American editor adds: "We can't guess her. but will j never give her up—no, never." Mrs. Marietta K. Bench ley, widow ol Henry W. RraclUay, who was lieutenant governor of Massachusetts *U r , , | fore the war, died recently in I and willed her brain to fir."jX wk , I her skeleton, after dfs*< etion ' u „ woman • medical college. ' ' A lady of Bvansville, Ind., who hi been Kroneiy , w . v ,. r;tl t ; '" the street* of that pin. e. fin.-.Hy , ln \ 1 " hatchet and eunk it in th" cheek ~r -i ' niltcr, cutting through to the u, I. This is oneway to bury the haU ht and it was a pretty good one. Marie Ixiuisc, the iweond w,fe <,f tl • great Napoleon, wa> in the habit amusing the indies of her court at Ui< private soirees by turning he r e-., almost completely r. :;nd J n an tier closing them up. She did this by > peculiar motion of the jaw, and sh< said to have prided herself on tin .■>' ploit not a little. A pretty m la* of eighteen, win. be,or ... toTa good latnilv in I'tica City, |,,i' and has been well educated, ha* reeern been released from jail, where shew awaiting trial tor kleptomania 'j " rwmt influential people in tin count-'" ■ nitc.i in an appeal for the disniissa - th< indictment, and the court gladly quieaced in a nolle prosequi. The enormous quantity of so-csi <4 kid gloves is greatly in .-XCCM. o *t . amount of leather afforded bv the skit , of all the young goat* annually kii. d - supply the demand. There hai been quite at rade carried on in l'ari>- • the gamin* i> rat kin*. who hw< „ f( nt profitable snort in < at< hing tin in at t' mouths of the great drains ol tin ! •, Real kid skins come from Swit/., lui the Sea Francisco Pod lither a tirst or uny subsequent wif. the manner of iiiscourtship is tin -vj . He makes no effort to become agr<- : p to his intended bride— indeed, rare -, ever notices her or speaks to her, t] in answer to questions she may put i hi u. lie pays more attention. how.-, • to her male relative*, particular-. brothers, if she has any. Finn •,*. ; < becomes satisfied that a d.-elarat mn v not he rejected, tln-n tiie whole (,*)*; aceomplislnd in a few hours, and g r,.-. ally in thU fashion : At nigl.t In • un<-. the presents intended for tin ? j r . parerts, who alone are entit' d p, j oeivo any, and places them near . : lodge in wliicli she livt-s. Iftln pre*.-. are horses tliry have tin u ■ also, and are tied with m.u ate near lodge; if a cow is to In- gi v< n. straw or a ww's horn, whi-1. sind;.. the intention, is tied to tin lodg' I tb<- pMMtttS are accepted, most always happens, tin girl p.,,. • the morning and builds an< w .y the bridegroom to i the presents near tin- If sign ;ir ,d niakf speech to tiie bride's family for his The orator stands at a distatn. of set oral Yards. and in his best styn- msi.-s the aeclaratifin for hi" pritn ip-t . In tl ♦ he dilates on his client's qualities—i.li courage, his skill in hunting, or nn\. thing in which In- isdistingui-ljed Tl, orator confines himself -ni t yto tie i truth in his speech, nn- site one until they are several y*r ' apart. Fighting with an tk-topo*. The occupation of a diver is one tM offers but little attraction to those wl-# by temperament liave no fancy for ei pioring t-.e " mystcrtf* of the deep " 1> is. however, not so monotonous an eu ployment as might he imagined. ni divers oflen meet with exciting adrft ture* while c-nptgctl in their labors Or of these the othi r day fell to the lot <>f government diver in Victoria, Mr Smale, while at work on the bed of tin Mov ne river, at llelfast, in that eokmy and from the account he give* of the Melbourne Argu.s it must have beer more exciting than p)eannt. Ilavist thrust his arm into n hole, lie found that "it was held by something: tic artier of the water was stirring up the clay and therefore I could not see distinct) for a few minutes; but when it did dca: away I saw to my horror the arm of * large octopus entwined around min' like nbo. K-nnstrietor: just tlien lie tix<-d some of his suckers on the back of no hand, and the pain was intinsc. If •' as if my hand was being t-nlliHi te pieces, and the more I tried to take it away the great et t teraiu became; ar.d from nasi experience I knew this method would br useless; hut what was I to do lying In this position P I had the gr< at - est difficulty in keeping my feet down, as the air rushed along the interior ol rov dress and inflated it; and ii my feet had got uppermost I shou.d soon hare be.x>inc insensible, held in such a posi tion; and also if I Iwd given the sign*, to be pulled up the brute would have held on. an t the c hance* w uld have been that I should have had a broken arm. I had a hammer by me. but cou.d not ivneh down to use it on the brute There wu a small iron bar about five feel from me, and with my foot • draggdthls along until I oould rescn it with my lelt hand. And now th fight commenced; the more 1 struck him the tighter be sqiieescd, until my arm got. quite M*numtied; after • while ' found the grip began to relax a little, nu lie held on until I had alm