TIMELY TOPICS.
There are now 48,677 poßtofflces in the
United States, an increase of 1,838 in the
past year. The number of offices pay
ing more than SI,OOO each, and there
fore called presidential postoffices, is
1,764. New York beads the list, with
189. Illinois comes next, with 163; the n
Pennsylvania, with 139, and Ohio, with
119.
Mr. Famhro, of Sandersville, Ky.,has
I large rattlesnake, about five feet long,
which he captured last October, ami
which he has kept in a bob with a wire
net front ever since that time. Though
he has had it ten months, the snake has
never eaten anything at all since it was
captured. It "lives on air," and if it
could be converted into the genus homo,
retaining its natural habits, it would
make a splendid newspaper man.
A Frenchman, who resides on a farm
near Paris,and has a fancy for picking up
old animals, has a mule aged seventy
three, a goose aged thirty-seven, a cow
aged thirty-six, a hog aged twenty
seven, a bullfinch aged twenty-eight,
and a sparrow aged thirty-one. This
last accounts for the millions of spar
rows in the world. A eouple of healthy
sparrows, producing twenty or thirty
young a year for thirty years, {.is some
thing sad to contemplate.
The national association for the pro
tection of the insane, which was organ
ized at tbe charities conference in
Cleveland recently. Las for its object
tbe introduction of more humane and
intelligent methods of dealing with in
sanity. Great things in this direction
Lave been done in the past generation,
but much still remains to be done.
Especial care lias been taken by tbe
association to make it understood that
the movement does not arise from hos
tility to any asylum or officials.
A druggist's assistant was charged
before tbe {correctional chamber in
Paris, a few days ago, with causing tbe
death of a man by misreading a pre
scription. The doctor, whose writing
was very clear, ordered eight drops of
laudanum, which the assistant care
lessly read as eight grammes, or about
a quarter of an ounce. The overdose
naturally killed tbe patient, and the
court sentenced the prisoner to three
months' imprisonment. His advocate
nrged as an extenuating circumstance
that, if the mistake had cost the de
ceased his life, it had at least provided
him with a painless death!
State elections will occur this year as
follows: Alabama, first Monday in
August; Arkansas, first Monday in
September; Vermont, first Tuesday in
September; Maine, second Tuesday in
September; Colorado, first Tuesday in
October; Indiana. Ohio and West Vir
ginia second Tuesday in October; Cali
fornia Connecticut, Delaware, Florida,
lowa. Kansas, Kentucky, Ixuiisiana,
Maryland, Massachusetts. Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi. Missouri, Ne
braska, Nevada. New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, North Carolina,
Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Ten
nessee, Texas and Virginia, November
S; Georgia, November 3.
The projected tunneling of Mount
Blanc is engaging the serious attention
of French engineers, and. contrary to
common opinion, they characterize it
as an easier undertaking than that of
the Simplon route. The estimates of
cost lor executing such a work are, in
the case of the Simplon, about $27,000.-
000, and in that of Mount Blanc only
$15,000,000. Furthermore, it is claimed
that the Mount Blanc tunnel will make
the journey from Paris to Genoa some
ninety-seven kilometers shorter than by
the Simplon route- The location of the
tunnel is a point which has given rise
to various opinions, but that which
meets with special favor from the ad
vocates of the enterprise is from
Chamounix to Courmayeur.
John Dye.the expert in counterfeiting,
■ays that a close study of good notes Is
necessary for those wbo would readily
detect bad ones. Some of the latter are
fully as fine as tbe former in workman
ship, nnd it is only by the variations that
they can be distinguished. He repre
sents counterfeiting as having greatly
increased of late, and tbe operators as
backed by plenty of capital. In tbe
case of base coinage, he says that some
of their product costs more than half its
apparent value to make. He showed a
om that had exactly tbe weight, size
and touch of a genuine five-dollar golu
piece: but a cut into the edges showed
that it was a shell of gold with a plati
num filling. The actual value of the
metal in it was two dollars and a half.
andßhe making must have cost half a
dollar more.
Chung Han, late Chinese ambassador
at St. Petersburg, who was condemned
to death some time ago for having
signed a treaty with Russia without due
authorization from Pekin, will not be
executed for some time to come. De
cember, it appears, is considered a par
ticularly suitable time of year for cut
ting off people's heads in the flowery
realm, and Chung Han's decapitation
has been postponed to that month in
deference to the high rank of tbe
doomed mandarin. Toward the end of
each year lists of criminals sentenced to
the extreme penalty of the law are for
warded by all the provincial governors
to Pekin, where the minister of justice
runs bis pen through the names of those
he sees reason to pardon, and the em
peror himself subsequently exercises bis
supreme right to commute sentences of
excessive severity. There is some
chance, therefore, that Chung Han may
■till be let off.
The honors accorded to tbe American
exhibitors at tbe fishery exhibition at
Berlin were quite numerous. Tbey
were as follows: Address of thanks
and a gold medal; one honorary prixe;
a go la medal, with special honorary
diploma; nine gold medals, exclusive
of the special ones before mentioned;
fourteen silver medals; twelve bronze
medals, and seventeen honorable men
tions—in all sixty-nine awards to the
United States Large as is the number
of prises for America, tbey might have
been very mnch augmented, for the
overwhelming superiority of the Ameri
can exhibition over those of all other
countries was conceded from the very
first day. But the American exhibit
was for the most part a collective one,
made by tbe United States fish commis
sion, and for this reason comparatively
few American individuals, so to speak,
received awards.
A mouse-eating spider has been
added to the London Zoological society's
collection. It caa stretch itself out to
several inches, is as black as a bear and
as hairy, and as ugly as a nightmare.
All which leads the London Telegraph
to ask: "What conceivable system of
defenses could avail humanity against a
creation of spiders as big as sheep?
They would float across the sea in the
diving bells which they know how to
make so well, and swing themselves
across rivers as they now do across gar
den pnths. leaping many miles at each
jump, they could in a night traverse in
credible distances, nnd waking in the
morning a whole village might find
itself Inextricably woven up in a fog of
web, every door, gste and chimney en
veloped fn a suffocating cobweb of
glutinous ropes, while the grim twilight
was made terrible by the stealthy mo
tions of a multitude of bloodtliirsty
spiders." These are pleasant fancies for
summer reveries.
Mr. Stoddard, second mate of the
brignntine Fortunate, which arrived, re
cently at Halifax, N. S., from the West
Indies, reports that one night, while
passing along the coast of Florida, a
singular phenomenon appeared just after
dark. Two columns of fire were seen,
seemingly about a mile away. They
were about fifty yards apart and rose to
a height of nearly 500 feet, when they
arched toward each other, but did not
meet. They burned with a steady, dull
red color, and did not emit any sparks,
hut at the arching portions emitted
tremulous rays or pencilings of light
similar to an aurora norcalis. They ap
peared in sight all night, and gradually
faded away as daylight came. The
weather was beautifully clear, and not
a cloud was visible during the entire
night. On the following day there was
a heavy thunder-storm, accompanied by
a gale of wind, but no rain.
A Washington dispatch that says
General Walker has placed the task of
attempting to procure full census sta
tistics of Indians not taxed to Major
Powell and his assistants, who arc
working under the Smithsonian insti
tution. Colonel Garrick Mallery, of
the army, is now engaged in preparing a
special set of schedules for recording
Indian statistic® These will embrace
beads calculated to set out all material
facts of tbe Indian situation, and tbe
condition of each tribe. Colonel Mal
lery lias made a close study of the
American Indians, and is well fitted to
prepare schedules which shall cover all
the more prominent features of Indian
life, and bring out many points in tin
line of his i csearches which will be
both new and interesting. This is an
important matter in many respects.
Hitherto all estimates for the purchase
of Indian supplies have been based
upon the supposed number of Indians in
each tribe, but there is ground for tbe
belief that the number has been vastly
overstated in respect of many tribes,and
that large sums have been wasted in
consequence.
An Eccentric Man's Will.
A correspondent writing from Vienna,
Austria, says: We all know that mil
lionaires are continually being re
minded that there is no chance of their
millions following them beyond the
grave, but I bad never before beard of
an instance in which his millions should
rob a poor man's bona of their justly
earned repose in the tomb. And yet
this is tbe case with Martin Ott, a mil
lionaire, wbo died a year ago, and who
is to be exhumed shortly. Martin
Ott arrived in Vienna some thirty years
ago, without so much capital as to be
gin a small business with. One of the
partners in a great firm here, Mr. Syre,
took pity upon him and helped him in
more than one instance. After some
time Ott began speculating, and all bis
speculations were crowned with success.
But he was so eccentric a man that he
possessed millions before people cred
ited bim with being able to support
himself decently. He lived like the
raiser of romance, and scarcely any one
here knew bim to be a rich man.
Among the few who were in his confi
dence was old Syre, his benefactor and
friend, to whom Martin Ott had confided
the secret of his will, by which he made
him his sole heir, thus proving that
next to avarice gratitude was bis chief
characteristic. Syre's business did not
improve and the man who was once
wealthy was not in a position to settle
his son in business when the time came
for him to seek a livelihood. But. of
course, being the heirs of n millionaire
the Syre family had no apprehensions for
the future, and old Michael Ott lent his
old friend's son 60,000 florins when they
applied to him for a sum of money.
Young Syrc gave Ott a receipt for this
sum and told nis relations that the queer
old miser laughed while he pocketed it.
and B* emed to say: "No danger of my
keeping this!" He did keep it. uowever,
and when lie died it was found among his
papers, so that young Syre is the debtor
for 60,000 florins to the heir or heini of
old Ott. and not to his own father, as
he had supposed, lor old Syre died just
one month before Ott, the millionaire,
and the will provided for old Syre alone
and never mentioned his heirs. All
persons related to the deceased million
aire were therefore at liberty to prove
their claims, and the rich legacy, which
is at present still in tbe hands of the
authorities, will be devided among
them. The Syres are ut of question,
and the eldest son. with that claim of
60,000 florins upon him, has gone mad.
The number of persons that have al
ready applied for tbe heritage is im
mense, and each branch of the family—
not a very illustrious one, you may be
sure—would naturally prefer being sole
heir. Old Ott bad one time made a will
in which were contained legacies for all
his friends.small or groat, but of course
this was annulled when he named Syre
his sole heir. Then a number of unim
portant dispositions were found on
small slips of paper, and among other
things was a prayer for a quiet funeral
and a desire for a certain dress-coat he
wished to wear in his grave. Now
some of his relations in Bavaria have
asked if at the time of his funeral that
coat wss searched thoroughly,and when
the answer was in the negative, they
demanded that the grave should be re
opened and his coat examined closely
for a possible will. It certainly is prob
able that he made one, since be fully
knew that by old Byre's death his will
was of no value whatever, and he can
not have been in ignorance that Syre's
heirs would not inherit when he had
not mentioned them in his will. We
are of course all very eager to bear the
last of th's story, which has booomc
quite thrilling since it has been decided
that the repose of the dead is to be dis
turbed for the benefit of the living.
A bullock when slaughtered yields
about fifty pounds of blood, which for
fertilising purposes is worth twenty-five
oenU.
WIIIBTLINU IN THE MINES.
What the Spirits lot Moon I,uek did to
Jack Itlrharda—A Trasedy of the
Mine, Keloid,
A Carbondale (Pa,) letter says: I
Most old miners believe that a " good
luck spirit" lurks in every mine, and
thnt at a sound of whistling it flies and
leaves the miners at the mercy of tae
spirits of evil. If ill befalls any of the
wo: kmen that day, the believers in the
superstition ascribe its cause entirely
to the frightening away of the good
luck spirit by the fatal whistle.
In 1840 there was a great mine disas
ter at this place. Several miners were
buried in one of the Delaware and
Hudson Canal compnny 1 s mines by a
sudden caving in of the roof. Al
though the cause of the caving was
known to have been a lack of proper
support by pillars and timbers, at least
one old miner, a survivor of the disas
ter, still living here, has always main
tained, and still maintains, that it was
caused by a "dare-devil miner," named
Jack Richards, whistling in the mine
while working with his gang, against
the protests of his comrades. Richards
was a skeptical young Welshman, who
ridiculed all the superstitions of his
fellow-workmen. With the old miner
mentioned above and fifteen others, he
was working in the mine, a mile from
the entrance, on the day of the catas
trophe. The mine was well known to
be scantily propped, and the miners
were "robbing" it preparatory to Its
abandonment. He is described as hav
ing been a merry fellow, fond of teasing
his companions. On this occasion he
suddenly laid down his pick, and an
nounced to his fellow work-men in the
chamber that he intended to " whistle
them up the 'Rigs o' Parley.The
miners were aghast at the thought of
Richards thus deliberately flying in the
face of mine luck, and they begged of
him not to chase the good lucfi spirit
away. He laughed at their fears, and
with clear, loud notes made the cham
ber ring with the lively Scotch air.
Not content with that, says the old
miner, shuddering at this late day over
the sacrilegious temerity of the merry
Welshman, he rattled oil a jig known
by the miners as the "Devil Among
the Tailors," and ended by telling the
good luck spirit to " take a dance to
that, and be blowed to it." None of the
miners could speak for Bomo time.
Some of them tried to go to work again,
but the fear of disaster was so strong
upon them that they all made prepara
tions to quit the mine. The old miner
who recalls this incident says that he
had a brother and a son working in
another mine, and he made up his mind
to go to them, tell them of Jack Rich
ards fool hard in ess, warn them of its
consequences, and escape with them
from the mine. Jack Richards could
not convince any of them of the child
ishness of their intended course.
Suddenly, while they were gathering
up their tools, a noise like the sound of
distant thunder came to the ears of the
agitated miners. They knew too well
what the sound presaged. The roof was
" working," and a cave-in threatened
The miners turned to Jack and charged
him with bringing disaster upon them
bv his defiance of the good luck spirit
of the mine. Jack replied that if the
roof was falling it was because of in
sufficient support, and, not because of Ids
whistling, and knowing the danger tliat
encompassed them all, he counseled his
comrades to lose no time in " getting
atop." But before they oould take the
first step toward reaching the surface a
econd shock ran through the mine.
This time it was like a clap of thunder
near the earth. It was followed by a
crash that could be made out by the
falling masses of rock a coal from the
roof, and by n gust of wind that burled
the miners against the jagged walls of
their chamber. Then the mine fell in
all about them, and the seventeen
miners and the car-horse were im
prisoned behind a wall of fallen coal and
rock, in a space not more than forty feet
square. Their lights were extinguished,
and there was not a match In the party.
With death awaiting them in one of its
worst forms, they cursed Jack Richards,
and one of the miners tried to find him
in the dark to brain him with a pick.
To ascrtain whether any of the gang
had been killed by the falling coal llie
name of each one was called by one of
the miners. All responded but Jnck
Richards. He was found dead, half
buried beneath tbe wall of rock and
coal. Tbe miners gave themselves up
to despair, as they did not dream it was
possible for any aid to reach them from
without, and to dig their way through
a mile of rocky debris was a task they
knew was hopeless. Among the im
prisoned miners was a young man
I named Boy den. He was a son of Alex
ander Boyden, the superintendent of
the mine, and, like his tnthcr, was a
man of great nerve and courage. He
encouraged his imperiled companions
with the insurance that the air in the
mine would not be poisoned by the gases
for at least two days, and that as long
as the horse's body lasted they need not
starve. He said that his father would
leave nothing undone to rescue all who
were shut in the mine, and that, mean
time, they themselves could aid his ef
forts by digging oat to meet him. Only
three picks oould be found, tbe others
being buried beneath the coal. With
these the men went to work with a will.
Those who had no picks worked with
their hands in digging into the barrier
between them and their freedom. The
body of poor Jack Richards was un
covered and laid tenderly in a safe plate
in tbe chamber The horse seemed to
understand the terror of the situation,
and gave voice to frequent piteous
neighs.
The men worked for hours, many of
them working the flesh frpm their fin
gers in the sharp coal. Some of them
Tost all heart, and threw themselves
upon the damp floor of their under
ground prison and bewailed their fate.
Suddenly a ray of light broke through
a small opening in the wall. Then a
lantern was pushed through, followed
'y a man's head. The man cried out:
" Is there a man here that is aliveF" A
glad shout from tbe miners was the re
ply. The man pulled himself through the
opening into the chamber. It wns
Alexander boyden, the superintendent.
Tbe miners took him up in their arms,
wept tears of joy. and kissed tbe man
whom they believed had come to de
liver tliem. Mr. Boyden had found his
way to tbe spot where the miners were
imprisoned by crawling along a narrow
passage that had been left in tbe falling
ooal and rock by the lodging of rool
limbers all along tbe way. It required
a struggle for hour* to make the perilous
journey l He did not expect to find one
mar. afive in the chamber, bis neat de
sire being to reseat the body of his son,
it possible, and save it from being de
voured by rats. He soon had tbe
miners in readlncsagto follow him back
toward the mooth of the mine. He too*
the dead body of Jack Richards on his
back and led the way, and two hours
afterward the miners were in the arms
of wives,parents and sweethearts on top.
Richards had no relatives but a crippled
sister, who was dying with consump
tion. She died the next day. The
brother and son of the narratbr of this
tragic incident and twelve other miners
were never found. Three days after the
fall, mine boss Hosie, who had been in
a distant part of the mine when the root
caved In, emerged from its depths,
worn to a skeleton. With his pica he
had dug his way for more than a mile
through an almost solid wall, without a
taste of food or a drop of water to
strengthen and sustain him.
This mine tragedy forms one of the
favorite narratives of the old miners of
tli is region, and, after relating it to in
quiring visitors, they never fail to warn
them not to whistle if they intend going
down in a mine.
A Harnessed Whule.
Wandering around on the wharves a
day or two ago, among the remnants of
what was once the scene of bustle and
activity in the good old days of whaling,
a Union reporter encountered an old sea
captain who had a good story to tell.
It is about thirty-five years ago, said
the captain, since I went out from New
I/ondon as a l>oat-Bteerer. That is a
pretty lively berth, as any whaleman
can tell you, especially when a whale is
tackled. The steerer has virtually the
control of the boat and the safety of the
men in it, and when the whale begins
to lash the water with his tail look out;
there's danger in being near the big
fluke. Sometimes you can put an iron
into a whale and he won't splash on the
surface, but will start off like a rocket,
or perhaps will go right down, and you
have to cut loose ana lose your line and
irons. Still, a whaleman gets used to
these things, and when a boat is stove
by a whale, or when the crew get into j
any difficulty, they generally know what
to do, and take matters philosophically.
They are tough fellows, and can row for
hours (and without training) and with
heavy oars resting on the "gunnel"
(gunwale) of the boat.
We were laying becalmed one day off
the Cape of flood Hope. It was as
smooth as a mill-pond for miles; you j
couldn't see a rinple on the water, for i
not a breath of wind stirred. There i
were several whalers lying off the land,
close in, waiting for a wind or some
thing to give them occupation. By-and
bye we saw two or three whales com
ing up to blow, about two miles away.
The captain called the watch up, and a
couple of boats started for the wnales,
which were lying still as if sunning !
themselves. In my boat was a big
negro. Every time he rowed a stroke
the boat would shoot ahead, and he
would open his mouth and grin, snow
ing a wonderful display of ivory. We
raced with the other boat and got afiead,
for my men were lithe and tough, and |
by-and-bye we got alongside of one of j
the big fellows. The steering-oar was i
pulled in; the oars were packed—that j
is, pulled In so that they couldn't strike I
the water ; then an iron was thrown |
into the floating island.
The whale laid still for a minute, as if j
■truck with amazement that any one |
should dare to touch him. The rope, j
which was coiled up in the tub in tbe
bottom of the boatjaidn't seem to be of
aay use for a moment. In tbe mean
time the other boat bad come up. Sud
denly tbe whale made up his mind what
to do. He started off like a locomotive,
the rope whizzing around in away to
astonish a l-nd lubber. The boat didn't
follow slow. When tbe rope was out
we were rushing by the captain's boat
like mad. Tbe captain took offhis hat
and wat ed it at me. shouting: " (lo it,
young man; you're going out of town
taster than you'll ever go again." All
we could do in that double-ended boat
wnstosit still and see her go through
the water. I candidly believe that we
went at the rate of a mile a minute, and
the water was a very wonderful sight.
It reminds me, now that I think of it,
of Poe's description of the interior of the
Maelstrom, where the water went round
so fast and was so black that it must
have seemed like a wall of polished j
ebony. Tbe pressure downward piled
tbe water up on both sides of us |
so tiiat it seemed to be at least three i
feet higher than the edge of the boet. |
but it couldn't run, for we were going |
so fast it hadn't time. Every one's eyes
were blurred with the wind, which
seemed to be blowing a hurricane
agninstu*. The line hitched to the iron
in tbe whale was rushing through the
water as rigid as an iron rod. and there
must have been a line of foam a mile
long behind us. This thing couldn't go i
on forever. The negro had got a Utile i
scared, lor it looked as if the whale
wouid never get tired out, and wc were j
going to sea at au amazing rate. The
ship went away as if hy magic, and we
bad lost sight of the other boat. The
negro stopped grinning, and the other
men expected at least to have a row all
night in the dark unless the ship should
follow us. Finally the line all at once
slackened. Tbe whale hadn't stopped, i
and, for all I know, is going ahead at |
the rate of a mile a minute still, but the
iron had come out. We rowed hack to
the ship, and as we came along tbe cap-1
tain called over the rail, " WHere's the
whalef"
"Oh," said I, " the iron melted out,
he went so fast."
"Just what I thought," said tbe cap
tain; and that nigbt we all had "plum
duff."— Jfiw Haven Union.
Metals In the Body.
The human body, which seems made
up of flesh and blood, really contains
several metals and gases, and other sub
stances which perform important offices
in the world of science. Nitrogen and
carbon and hydrogen are its chief con
stituents; but it holds, besides, about
two pounds of phosphorous, which U
essential to the health of the bones and
the vigor of the brain. This phosphorus,
if extracted and put to use, would make
up about four thousand packages of fric
tion matches.
Besides phosphorus, it contains a few
ounces of sodium, and a half ounce of
potassium, which schoolboys know u
a curious metal that burns brilliantly
on the surface of water, or when
touched by an icicle. The quantity of
such in the body would be sufficient for
many experiments in a large school.
In addition to sodium and potassium,
there are a few grains of magnesium,
enough to make the "silver rem " for a
family's stock of rockets on a fourth of
July evening, or to create a brilliant
light visible twenty miles away. Who
knows but some reckless chemist may
andcrtake to drive a profitable business
by extracting these materials from dead
bodiesP—Feutt'f Companion.
FOB THE FAIR BEX
(•Ingham and Othtr Wash Traveling
Prsssss.
It is the custom this summer to wear
gingham dresses for traveling. For
short journeys these a-e the most com
fortable dresses used since buff and gray
linen traveling dresses were universally
worn. They are so easily cleansed after
the journey tiy washing that they are
not a source of anxiety on the way;
they are of dark colors that arc not con
spicuous; and it greater warmth is
needed, it is supplied by the traveling
cloak of English homespun that lias
superseded the linen duster. Among
the dark quiet colors chosen the prefer
ence is for stone blue, with grayish
tinges, in checks of two shades of blue
without any white, or else broken bars
of blue on a white ground, or irregular
stripes of two or three blue shades, with
perhaps somethrend lines of red or buff.
To make these look still darker, they
are trimmed with bias bands of solid
blue gingham sewed on the plaited or
gathered flounces, and as a borderng
for the apron, baauue, collar, cuffs and
belt. The w'lite Hamburg work used
tolbrighten blue gingham dresses that
are meant for the house and street is 100
dressy for these plain traveling suits.
When made in the best manner, and of
Scotch gingham, such dresses cost at
the furnishing house from 912 to 917.
The basques are not lined, ana arc made
with as few warns as possible. The
neck is usually finished with a turned
over collar in Byron shape, or else ex
tending lower on tbe bust in the
notched airectoire shape. Among ex
pensive gingltams are stripes of two
shades of peacock blue,or else of green;
there are also olive green cheats or
irregular plaids tnat make up most
effectively. The black and white broken
oars are also in favor; for elderly ladies
these are trimmed with plaitings of the
same, while young ladies odd some pip
ings of Turkey red calico, and they also
put a narrow red plaiting around the
loot of tbe skirt.
For other wash dresses, whether of
gingham or hwn. embroidery is the
trimming preferred this season to lace.
The Hamburg work in open patterns,
or else quite close, with dots, diamonds,
almonds or stars, is best liked for
gingham dresses; there is also a woven
trimming called Swiss
which is effective and very inexpen
sive, costing only eight or ten cents a
yard in widths suitable for edgings.
For thin dotted muslins real embrjidery
on Swiss muslin is used, and is very
different from that just described, and
farjmore costly. Very few embroideries
are found suitable for the soft sheer
mull and India muslins: hence lace is
used for these dresses, ana is almost con
fined to them. For thin mulls, Lan
guedoc, point d'esprit and Breton laces
arc most liked; Valenciennes is'seldom
employed, at least it is not bought from
choice, though ladies who have nice
qualities ol this lace continue to use it.
r'oi white dresses, and indeed for most
of tbe colored wash goods, very little
starch is employed by the laundress, ano
there is no effort to give them gloss
from the iron. The fancy at present is
for the soft finish of Oriental stuffs,
sucli as India mull or mummy-cloth,
or the Turkey red calicoes, (fathered
ruffles are now selaom fluted; they are
made too scant for fluting, and are more
| stylish when ironed smooth and plain.
Plaited flounces are pressed perfectly
fiat half their depth, while below this
tbe plaitings are pulled upward and
apart by the laundress' hand to give
them the appearance of great full
ness. When a single border flounce
trims the foot of a dress skirt,
it is now the caprice to have the head
ing almost as wide as the lower part of
the flounce, and if this wide heading
fails to stand erect, and droops over at
intervals, It is all the more stylish.
The heading is for this reason often
faced with gay red or blue cambric.
The linen lawns are prettier this sum
mer than usual, and are more highly
I appreciated for their oooineas and cheap
ness. The polka-dotted patterns—black,
blue, brown or red, on white—make up
most stylishly, and are sold in nice
qualites of pure linen from twentv-five
to thirty-five cent* a yard. Fifteen
yards are required to make a short dross
i with round waist, apron front, and
I straight full back simply trimmed with
a border flounce. Dark red or blue
I satin ribbon in a long-looped bow at tbe
throat, witli a belt of the same tied on
j the left side, witb short hanging ends, is
all the ornament needed. The necx
may have a handkerchief fic.hu which is
pointed behind, or else a Byron collar.
Pretty evening dresses arc made of the
cream-white seaside zephyr, which
imitates India stuffs with crape-like
i finish, and costs from eighteen to
j twenty-one cents a yard. It require* to
be made in full bouffant t.shion. witb
much festooned drapery, and is trimmed
witb lace and many loops of
pale pink or blue ribbon.— Harper'*
Bazar.
Kneadln Snail.
Here is a little incident which not
only has the merit of being true, but the
additional one of containing a lesson
much needed by girls:
A lady in one of our large cities was
.nte ested in finding employment for the
numbers of needy idle women during
the years of great depression in trade.
One day a young woman came to her
who iiad tried in turn to fill a place as
sbop-girl, seamstress, chambermaid,
cook, hairdresser and patent medicine
vender, and had been discharged from
all as incompetent.
"You have never learned any trade
or handicraft P" asked the lady.
"Well, no, nothing particular. I was
bandy in a general way."
" Is there no thing you can do thor
oughly wellP"
The woman reflected, then her face
lighted.
"(I could knead bread. I always did
that better than any one else on tbe
farm."
Tbe lady's brother, au eminent phy
sician, who happened to be present,
suddenly took part in the conversation
" I/ct me look at your fingers." he
said.
Tbey were long, strong, of great
nervous force.
" I will give you work." He bad
charge of a hospital in which the
patients were subjected to a cure called
massage, a process of kneading, by
which artificial exercise is given to the
bodv. Skillful manipulators were dif
ficult to find. After a few lessons our
country girl earned her thirty dollars
per week.
With every year tb* number of young
men and women pressing into tbe
market to find employment increases.
There Is absolutely no chance tor tbe
bmeelv trained workmen whose brain
or body is only "handy la a general
way. learn to do one thing, end to do
it thoroughly, and you will never be in
| danger or going without a meal for the
lack of honest work.— Youth" Com
panion.
Anclrnt Fcaula Uwrm.
Not every lady and gentleman who
ha* this season applauded Mian Terry's
I'ortia is aware that about the date when
the " Merchant of Venice" may be sup
posed to have exhibited his gaberdine
upon the Itialto there actually existed
great lemale lawyers in the neighboring
city of Bologna. Professor Caiderini,
who held the chair of jurisprudence in
that university in 1300. and Professor
Novella, who occupied it in 13 J. were
not only celebrated for their legal lore,
but, if we may trust their portraits,
were exceedingly beautiful women, with
noble Greek profiles, dressed in a style
which Miss Terry might have copied
without disadvantage. If women here
after should again obtain entrance into
the legal profession, it is not at ail im
probable that we may see something
more of the keenness of feminine wits
engaged in disentangling the knots of
the law. Two ladies in Ireland, accord
ing to the Tones' Dublin correspondent,
have just been conducting their own
most Intricate cases in a manner which
excited the surprise of the Master of the
Kolls, who even observed that he was
" astonished that the ladies had been
able to put tLeir case on paper so intel
ligently and clearly without legal ad
vice." If other ladies should follow
the example of the Misses Fogartv, what
a falling-off must ensue in the solicitors*
bills! They lost their case, it is true,
but seemingly could not have won it
under any guidance; and at all events
they have escaped that great aggrava
tion of the misery of defeat in a court
of law—the lawyers' costs.— Fall Mall
Gaulle.
A Badger's Defense Against Dags.
Mr. Charles Gonter and son were
shooting ten mileß west of the city when
thev saw upon the banks of a stream a
badger. Two dogs accompanied the
hunters, and upon receiving the proper
encouragement began an attack upon
the animal. The fight was a lively and
interesting one. and though a shot could
have easily settled the contest, the hun
ters preferred to look on and enjoy the
struggle, and leave the fate of the badger
to be settled by the dogs. For ten min
utes the dogs howled and barked, and
would occasionally jump on the enemy,
inserting their teeth in its back, receive
a slight wouud in return and then, re
treat a few feet away. A false move
ment would then be indulged in by the
dogs, as though they intended to pounce
upon their victim and kill him without
further parley. The badger soon under
stood their false attacks, and when he
paid no attention to one of them the
succeeding one was sure to result in a
struggle, in which every time the doga
were driven away with an extra wound
or two, until finally, all worn out and
covered with blood, they gave up the
I light. A ju-ge bulldog, owned by a
i neighbor, heard the noise of the other
two andfeame bounding upon the scene,
! fresh and in good trim and eager for the
fray. The badger was about tired out,
and it was but a short time after the
arrival of the third dog before he was
| lying dead, having fought bravely to
' the end. leaving gory marks upon the
I hide of the third antagonist. The
badger is foil grown, and probably
weighs thirty pounds. His fur is ot
grayish color, and be is altogether a
very pretty animal. He was looked
upon as a great curiosity, from the fact
that no badger was ever before discov
ered in this part of Missouri, and the
Question!*. where did he come from f
Submit Glof>e-Democrat.
Easy Fishing.
A correspondent at the Thousand
islands in the St. Lawrence river writes
thus to the Springfield (Mass.) Repub
limn:
Fishing is here sport without labor.
You seat yourself in an easy arm-chair
in a fisherman's boat; your trolling
poles are supported by pins and sockets
in the sides of the boat, and you are free
vo enjoy the river, until a vicious jerk
at the end of the pole tells you a baas or
pickerel, or perhaps a twenty-pound
j musk allonge is to be pulled in and
stowed away. Of late years, it is said,
the fishermen have attached little bells
to the poles to arouse their passengers,
who. It may he, are drowsing in the
listless bounty of the northern summer
days. After the morning's fishing
through the shallows inside of the
Grenadier, or in (rooee hay, or among
the islands in the Canadian channel, you
run ashore at noon lor an island dinner.
From cubbies and baskets, your boat
man produces pots, pans, plates, cups
and saucers, knives and forks, fresh
butter, bread, a cullet of new potatoes,
and pastry. And while yon lie nnder
the trees these and your catch of fish
are preparing over a fire, built against a
well-blackened stone, a dinner which
will live long in your memory. So
having fished and eaten, and fished
again, you go back to your bote,, your
fish are carried in triumph before yon
from the landing to the tables under the
hotel piaxxa where the day's catch is
displayed and fish stories of the past
worthies of book and line are told, with
more regard perhaps to picturesque ef
fect than strict accuracy. And here, tf
you >how as a trophy a niuka,k>nr*.
you will be a noted man for the season.
The Americas Eagle and the Dogs.
Some three months ago, while bant
ing in the mountains east of the Twelve
mile Louse, Mr. Bnfflngtoa captured a
young American eagle. At the time the
bird was quite small, and from appear
ances bat a fow weeks old. Mr. Buff,
ington has his pet confined in the yard
back of his shop, and the many curious
monkeyshines indulged in by the moon
tain bird are really amusing. Measur
ing some eight feet from Up to Up, sad
v tgtiing forty pounds, with taioM
U rae inches in length, there is bat small
c.asoes for any dogs redding in the
n ighboriiood. For as sure M on*
males his appearance the eagle spreads
bis heavy wing, and with a load scream
b- ltahta upon the back of thetarror
•i ricken dog. The scene that follows is
oi.e of great Interest. The dog. without
further notice, darts through the ride
gato and out Into the atr*L with the
• gle attached to his book, aid thai, too
in a manner to stay. Down the straw
be goes at breakneck speed. At a dis
tance of about two blacks the engie bids
the dog an affectionue adieu, and!anietlv
returns as though nothing bad hanncmd
The same experiment is gone tL rough
jeith whenever the dog can be ptoawud.
Vr t * ,"-d' 1