At the Pasture Bars.
Itcturnlug lonely Irom the field
She met mo at the pasture bam;
The moon was like a golden shield,
The firmament was lit with start.
As morning dawn her face was mild,
As evening, so her limpid eyes;
Clod never gave a sweeter child
For weary man to idolise.
So winsome seemed her artless mirth,
Her sott oaress and ardent kiss,
I thought oi all delights ol earth
The angels surely covet tins.
I know they mean to do no ill,
But whom they lovo they lure away;
Good angels love her as you will,
But leave her with me while I stay.
Just as she is, lor I would set
The hand ol time behind an hour,
It that would stay a little yet
The bud Irom blowing to the flower.
And when at length wc homeward went
The fragrant azure shone so clear,
The great tnmiliar firmament
I thought had nevor seemed so near.
So near, the moon above the trees
An airy globe ol silver swung,
And in the dewy tops ol these
The stars in mellow clusters hung.
So near that I could scarce forego
The thought that one who longing waits
Might hear them singing sweet and low
Across the golden portaled gates.
—J. P. Irvine.
THE WIFE'S WAGES.
"Well, Nettie, what do you wantP"
said Mr. Jarvis to his wife, who stood
looking i ather anxiously at him alter
he had paid the factory hands their
week's wages.
" Why, Donald,"said she, " I thought
as I had worked for you ali the week I
would come for my wages, too! You
pay Jane two dollars a week, surely I
earn that, and I would like very much
to have it as my own."
"Pshaw, Nettie, how ridiculously
you talk! You know that all I have
belongs to you and tbe children—and
don't I lurnish the house and every
thing? What under the sun would you
do with money if you had it?"
"I know, Donald, that you buy the
necessaries for us all, and I am willing
that you should do so still, but I should
like a little money ol my very own. We
have been married fifteen years, and in
all that time I do not seem to have
earned a dollar. As far as money is con
cerned I might as well be a slave. I
cannot buy a quart of berries, nor a
book, without asking; you lor the
money, and I should like to be a little
more independent."
Mr. Jarvis, proprietor of Jarvis mills,
worth thousands of dollars, laughed de
risively.
"You're a fine one to talk of inde
pendence," he said. "If you should
start out to make your own living, you'd
fetch up in the poorhouse soon enough,
for what could you do to earn a living?
The girls in the factory know how to
do their work, and they earn their
wages. When I have paid them my
duty is done, but I have to board and
clothe you, and take care of you when
yon are sick. If I had to do that for the
girls, they would have precious little
money left, I can tell you."
"Donald, I gave up a good trade
when I married you. lor five years I
had supported myself by it, and many a
time since have I envied myself the
purse of those days. As for my not
earning anything now, I leave it to you
to say whether it would be possible to
hire another to take my place; and how
much do you suppose it would cost you
to do without me a year? I know the
girls have but little left after paying
their expenses, but they enjoy that little
so much. A Hie Watson supports her
self and her mother with her wages, and
they both dress better than I do. Jennie
Hart is helping her lather pay off the
mortgage on his farm, and she is so
happy that she can do so. Even Jane,
the kitchen giri, has more freedom than
I, for out of her own money Rhc is lay
ing by presents for her relatives, and
will send them Christmas, as much to
her own pleasure as theirs. Yesterday
an Indian woman was at the hou e with
such handsome bead work to sell, and,
although I wanted some money so much,
I had not a dollar! I felt like crying
when Jane brought in her week's wages
and bought half a dozen articles that I
wanted so much. You often say that
all you have is mine, but five dollars
would have given me more pleasure yes
terday than your hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth of property did."
" No doubt of that, Mrs. Jarvis. You
have no idea of the value of money, and
would have eiyoyed buying a lot of bend
trash that wouldn't be worth a cent to
anybody. Jane needs a guardian if she
fools away her money like that. She
will be in the poorhouse yet if she don't
look out. It's lucky that men do hold
the money, for there's not one woman in
a hundred who knows how to use it!"
" For shame, Donald Jarvis! You
know better! Look at Jerry and Milly
Creg, will you, and say that he makes
the best use of his money. She is at
home with her parents every night,
making her wages go as far as possible
toward making them comfortable, while
he tk carousing in the village, wasting
his time and money, and making a brute
of himself besides. And why does Mrs.
Sarton come to receive her husband's
wages herself; simply because he can
not get by the saloon with money in his
pocket, and if she did not get the money
they would all go hungry to bed the day
after bis wages are paid. And I believe
that every woman who earns money
here spends it as wisely as the average
of men. and I nave vet to hear of one of
them being in debt."
, Mr. Jarvis knew that be con id not
gainsay a word his wife had said, for
tiu-y were all true. Luckily he thonght
of Jane.
"Well, how macb do you suppose
Jane will have left when New Year
couies? If she should get sick how long
could she pay lor care such as yon
have?"
" It is not likely she will lay np many
dollarß ont of a hundred a year; but she
is laying up something better, I think.
Last winter she sent liermoth"ra warm
shawl and a pair of shoes, and to her
brother and sister money to buy new
school books, and the warm, loving let
ters they send her do iter more good
than twice the amount of money in tbe
bank would. This year she is laying by
a number of useful and pretty things for
them, and if any misfortune should hap
pen to Jane they would only be too glad
U iV,....... J
" Well, who do you suppose would
help you if you needed help?" said Mr.
J&rvfs, for want of a better question.
Mrs. Jarvis' oyeß sparkled angrily as sue
answered:
"Nobody. If you should lose your,
property to-day I should be a hegganl
without a claim on any one for help.
You have always held your purse strings
so tightly that it has been hard enough
to ask for my own necessities, leaving
others out altogether. Many a time a
dollar or two would have enabled me to
do some poor man or woman untold
good, but although you have always
said that all your property was mine, I
never could and cannot now communda
dollar of it."
"Lucky you couldn't, if you wanted
to spend it on beggars."
" Donald, you know that I would
spend money as wisely as you do. Who
was it that, only last week, gave a poor
lame beggar five dollars to pay his fare
to Burton, and then saw him throw his
crutches aside and make for the neai'est
saloon ? Your wife could not do worse
if trusted with a few d dlars. You say
that the money is all mine, yet you
spend it as you please, while 1 cannot
spend a dollar without asking you lor
it, and telling what I want it for. Any
beggar can get it the same way ! Christ
mas you bought presents for us and ex
pected us to be very grateful for them.
A shawi lor roe ol the very color that I
cannot wear, a set of furs for Lucy that
the did not need, a drum for Robin that
has been a nuisance ever since, and a
lot of worthless toys that were all
broken up in a week. There was forty
or fifty collars of my money just the
same as thrown away, y.?t when I ask
you to trust me with two dollars a week
you cannot imagine what use I have for
it, and fear it will be wasted. lam
sure I could not spend fifty dollars more
foolishly if I tried to."
"Well," snapped tbe proprietor, "I
! guess it is my own money, and I can
I spend it as I please. I guess you'll know
[ it. too, when you get another present."
" Oh, it is your money then. I under
stood you to say it was all mine, and in
tended to protest against your spending it
so foolishly. If it is your own, of course,
you have a right to spend it aa you
please, hut it seems to me that a woman
who left parents and brothers and sis
ters, and ali her friends, to make a home
for you among strangers, a woman who
has given her whole life to you for fif
teen years, might be looked upon with
as much favor as you give to beggars,
who are very likely to be impostors. I
know that you seldom turn them ofl
without help. Perhaps I would be
more successful if I appealed to you as
a beggar. I might say, kind sir, please
allow to me out of vour abundant
means a small pittance for my comfort.
It is true that I have enough to cat, al
though I work for my master from
morning till night, and if his children
happen to be sick, from night until
morning again, vet he does not pay mc
as much as he noes his cook, and I am
often greatly distressed for want of a
trifling sum which he would not mind
fiving to a perfect stranger! The other
ay whiie he was from liome, I had to
go to the next station to see n dear
triend who was ill, and, not having a
dollar of my own, I was obliged to bor
row the money from his cook. I was so
mortified! And not long since the berry
woman came with such nice berries to
sell, and my little girl, who was not
well, wanted some very badly, bnt I had
not even five cents to pay for a handful
for her. Yesterday a friend came to ask
me to assist in a work of charity. It
was a worthy object, and I longed so
much to give hern little money for so
good a purpose, but though the wife of
a rich man I had no money. Of course
I might ask mv husband lor money,
and if I told him all about what I
wanted with it. and he approved of my
purpose, and was in a good humor, he
would give it to me; but, sir, it is ter
ribly slavish to have to do so, even if I
could run to him every time I wanted
anything. People say lam a fortunate
woman because my husband Is rich, but
I often envy the factory girls their
ability to earn and spend their own
money. And sometimes I get so wild
thinking about my helplessness that if it
was not for my children I think I should
just drop into the river and end it all."
"Nettie! Nettie Jarvis! What are
you saying?" cried the startled hus
band at last, for the far away look in
her eyes as if she did not see him, but
was looking to some higher power to
help her, touched his pride, if it did not
his heart, for he had a good deal of
pride in a selfish sort of way. He was
proud to be able to sapport his family
as well as he did. He was proud to
think be did it himself. He was proud
that when his children needed new shoes
he could tell his wife to take them to
Crispin's and get what they needed.
He did it with a flourish. He was not
one of the stingy kind—he liked to spend
money; and when Nettie, who wnsonce
the most spirited young lady of his ac-
Suaintance, came meekly to him for a
rcss or cloak,he was some times tempted
to reluse her money just to show her
how helpless she was without him.
Yes, he was proud of bis family, and
wanted them to feel how much they
depended upon him. He would have
eit aggravated if any one had left his
wife a legacy, thus allowing her to be
independent of hit purse. The idea of
her earning money, as his other work
folks did, never entered his mind. He
" supported her," that was his idea of
their H.ations! He never had happened
to ttiink that it was very good of her to
take Ids money and spend it for the
nd of himself and children. He never
thought that nny other woman
would have wished big pay for doing it.
He had even thought himself very
generous for allowing her money to get
things to make the family comfortable.
Things began to look differently to him
just now. Could it be that he was not
generous, not even just to his wife!
Had be paid htr so poorly for her fifteen
years of faithful labor for him that if
she had been obliged to begin the world
for herself lhat day it would have been
as a penniless woman, notwithstanding
the bouses, tbe lands and mills lhat he
had so old n told her were all hers; for
he knew, ns everv one else did, that not
one dollar of all tie bad would the law
allow her to call her own.
How fast he thought, standing there
at the office window looking down at
the little houses where the mill hands
lived. Could it be possible tiiat his
wife envied them anything? Could it
be that he wns not as good a man as be
thought? lie had felt deeply tiie wrongs
of the slaves, whose labors Lad been ap
propriated by their masters, and when
a negro, who had worked twenty years
for his master before the emancipation
freed him. came to Jarvis mills, friend
less and penniless, the heart of the pro
pile tor swelled with indignation at such
injustice. He was eloquent on the sub
ject, at home and abroad, and won
dered how any one could be so cruel and
selfish as to commit such an outrage
against justice. Ho had called him a
robber many a time, but now Donald
Jarvis looked to himself very much like
the old slaveholders ! Massn Brown
had taken the proceeds ofCuffec's labor
for his own without a " thank you " for
it. True, when Cuffce cat he had given
him food, when he was sick he had
given him medicine, and he had clothed
him, too, just as he himself thought
best. Mr. Jarvis had married a loving,
conscientious woman, and for fifteen
years had appropriated her labors. Her
recompense had been food and clothes,
such as he thought best for her. A lit
tle better than Cuffee's, perhaps, but the
similarity of the cases did not please
him. lie had expected his wife to be
very grateful for what he had done for
her, but lie wondered that she had
not rebelled long ago. Had his life
been a mistakeP Had his wife no more
money or liberty than Cuffce had in
oondage. Was Donald Jarvis no better
than Massa Brown?
His brain seemed to be in a muddle,
and he looked so strangely that his wife,
anxious to break the spell, took his
arm. saying " Let us go home, dear, tea
must lie waiting for us." He took off
his hat in a dreamy way and they walked
homei n silence. The children ran joy
ously to meet them. The yard was <r
fresh and green, and the llowers so
many and bright, that he wondered he
had never thanked Nettie for them all.
Hitherto he had looked upen them as
his, but now he felt that his interest in
them was only a few dollars, that
would not have amounted to anything
without his wife's care. His children
were tidy and sweet, and everything
around and in til 3 house had that cheery
look that rested him so after the hard,
dull day at the mill. They sat again at
the table, which had been a source rf
comfort and pleasure to him BO many
years, and he wondered how he could
have ciyoyed it so long without even
thanking the woman who had provided
it. True she had used his money in
bringing it all .-.bout, but how else could
his money be of use to h'm? Who else
could have turned it intojust what he
needed day alter day for years? And he
began to have an undefined feeling that
It took more than money to make a
home. He glanced at his wife's face as
he buttered his last slice of bread.
It was not that of the fair, rosy bride
whom he had brought tothe mills years
before, but at that moment he realized
that it was far dearer to him, for he
knew that she had given the bloom and
freshness of her youth to make his
home what it was. His daughters had
her rose-leaf cheeks, his sons her youth
ful vitality, all had her cheerful, win
some ways, and comforted him now as
she had in those days when, hard y
knowing what care meant, she had
lived for him alone.
And n new thought came to him.
" Who was comforting her now when
she had BO much care?" Was not that
what he promised to do when he
brought her from her old homoP He
sighed as he thought how far he had
drifted from her while holding her in a
bondage equal to Cuffee's. Nay. he felt
that her claims were far more binding
than any which had ever bald the
negro, and that his obligations to her
were so much the greater.
Something called the children out
doors, and Mr. Jarvis took his easy
chair. Ilis wife came and stood beside
him. "I fear you are not well, Donald,
or are you displeased with meP"
He drew her into his arms and told
her bow her words had showed him
what manner of man he was, and there
Were words spoken that need not be
written, but from that day forth a dif
ferent man was the proprietor of the
Jarvis mills, and there was a brighter
light in Mrs. Jarvis' eyes, fbr at installs
had something of her own, nor has she
regretted that she "applied for wages."
Increase In Value or Farm Lands.
The publication of the report of the
United States commissioner of agricul
ture BIIOWS that, in addition to the
bounteous crops which the farmers will
gain this year, they have also been
ma ;e richer by the increase of about
eight per cent., taking the average for
the whole country, in the price of farm
lands, and compared with the prices
one year earlier. The timbered lands
show a tendency to appreciate in value
more rapidly than the cleared land.
The following table will show the
average increase in price of the cleared
and timbered lands:
Average Average Average
val. per val. per increase
acre acre ot value o
Statf. cleared timber'd both c'
lands lands in in 1 y'
1880. 1880. c't
Maine 812 87 12 66 .10
New Hampshire 15 00 32 00 .10
Vonnnnt 15 28 17 73 .06
Massachusetts.. 85 00 43 25 .08
Connecticut.... 29 00 24 50 .07
New York 58 48 40 88 .01.7
New .Teraev.... 82 42 56 82 .05.2
Pennsylvania... 45 75 29 70 .07
Delaware 19 00 15 00 .07.5
Maryland 24 65 35 50 06.3
Virginia 9 42 7 48 .04
North Carolina. 9 77 5 63 .06
Soutft Carolina. 864 624 .09
Georgia 6 93 6 4.5 .10
Florida 9 48 3 03 .28
Alabama 6 63 4 08 .09
Mississippi 7 88 3 78 .09
Ixmisiana 14 36 3 63 .09
Tessa 8 98 4 00 .04.8
Arkansas 1178 3 48 .07 3
Tennessee...... 13 00 7 28 .8.7
West Virginia . 2105 939 .08
Kentucky 18 86 12 82 .08.2
Ohio 47 53 41 87 .08.6
Michigan 34 39 20 27 .08
Indiana 30 46 26 90 .08.7
Illinois 33 03 23 68 .11
Wisconsin 26 07 19 55 .07
Minnesota 14 46 12 26 .06
lowa 27 36 39 36 .07.6
Missouri 14 62 . 8 35 .12.6
Kansas 1182 19 12 .10.3
Nebraska 8 93 25 85 .15.3
California. 27 16 8 55 .03.2
Dragon 2171 4 50 .02.6
Why Wouldn't Ho Fishing.
Billy Manning could tell the funnlcot
thing in the world, and never "crack a
smile." On one occasion he overtook
the writer on Fourth ntreet. St. Louis.
I hndn't seen him for two yoars, but he
came up and began to talk just as if we
had been in company togetiier ten min
utes before. Said he: " Some of the
boys want me to go a-flshing. 1 told
them I couldn't go, as ) didn't know
anything about tubing, and besides I
had no tackle. ' Tou needn't take any
tackle, they said. 'But how will you
catch Hull without tackleT 1 asked.
' Nothing easier,' they replied. * Kero
sene oil. ' How are you going to catch
fish with kerosene oilP' *Go out in a
boat; pour kerosene oil on the water;
the fish come up and swallow it; it
makes them sick; they go ashore to
throw it up, and you hit'em in the head
with a club.'"— Sun fYnndsco Argut.
FOB THE FAIR HEX.
Fashion Note*.
White is more popular than ever for
little folk.
Blue-black cloth is the favorite color
for English riding habits.
Dark blue flannel remains the popular
material for seaside suitß.
Hold filigree is the proper jewelry to
wear with grenadine dresses.
Grass hats with a trimming of worsted
embroidery are worn in the country.
Bedticking, plain and unmistakable,
is employed for rowing and bathing
suits.
Fichus, which are not so clinging as
senrfs, are much worn at the present
time.
Mechlin and Breton laces have now
an important part in millinery trim
ming.
Polka dots appear on many dress
materials, neckties, lat scarfß, and rib.
bona.
Archery and angling are the popular
outdoor amusements for ladies this
summer.
Double rows of pearls constitute the
fashionable necklace for very young
ladies.
India mull trimmed with Languedoc
lace makes a rich and effective summer
evening dress.
Muslin dreßses are made with sur
plice waists, shirred on the shoulders
and at the waist.
Flowers, jewels, and feathers are used
for evening coiffures and upon cere
monious occasions.
Yellow kid traveling boots and gar
ters to match the dress are among the
late French fancies.
Nubias, hoods and shawls of ice wool
are more in vogue than those of Shetland
floss or zephyr wool.
The favorite handkerchief has a
colored border, with polka dots or
Chinese zigzags in white.
Elbow sleeves continue to be the most
popular for young ladies' dressy muslin
and grenadine costumes.
Coils are still worn at the back of the
head; not exactly at the nape of the
neck, but a little higher.
Evening toilets require a dressy and
light style of coiffure, with curls and
soft puffs, but not braids.
The choicest silk hose are so fine that
the pair can be covered in the palm and
closed fingers of the hand.
Soft sash belts witli tasseled ends, and
carelessly tied either in front, attheside
or in the back, are worn.
Violet, and various shades of this
lovely color, including the heliotrope
shades, is very fashionable.
Large sailor collars of Madras and
bandanna plaid handkerchief Btuff are
•trimmed with torchon lace.
f There exists at present an extraordi
nary demand for bonnets and hats of
rough-and-ready straw braid.
White kid gloves with white lace in
sertion in the wrists and stitched with
black are offered for carriage wear.
The shade of hair which Sarah Bern
hardt is endeavoring to make fashion
able is a trifle redder than auburn.
The best way to rcmodei an old cash
mere dress is to brighten it with bands
and trimmings of Surah or Corah silk.
White nun's veiling costumes are made
very dressy, with cashmere borders
brightened witii gold thread chain
stitching.
When an evening toilet is trimmed
witii roses, it is not unusual to see a
band of small rosebuds around the top
of the glove.
Elaborate embroideries on white sum
mer muslin dresses have almost super
seded lace for ladies no longer in their
teens.
White toilo religieuse, white chudda.
white India mull and white cashmere
remain the favorite fabrics for festal
occasion*.
Dainty garden hats are of shirred
mull, the shirring radiating from the
center of the crown and from the inner
edge of the brim.
A new way of finishing the hack of a
basque, is to slash it five or six times,
gather the ends into points and add a
tassel or bail of jet.
Black silk mitts, woven in alternate
concentric bands of plain stocking net,
and lace clocking, are fashionable with
dresses of any color.
Evening gloves are trimmed at the top
with several rows of side plaitings of
lace, or with a lnce insertion with the
lace plaiting aoove it.
Sloping shoulders are not in favor in
London just now; the dressmakers lay
padding along the shoulder seam to give
the top a square appearance.
As the styles of dressing the hair be
come more and more simple, greater
attention is paid to ornaments and the
use of lace and ribbon for the hair.
" Dresses of ecru or cream-colored cheese
cloth are made up with tri-eolored hand
kerchief aprons, hip draperies and bodice
trimmings in ga" Madras plaids.
Surah silk blouse waists, with scarfs
of the same knotted on one side and tas
seled at the ends, are worn with kilt
skirts, of nny material preferred, by girls
under fifteen.
Worth has made up several silk hand
kerchief dresses somewhat after the
fashion of Madras ginghams, hence
handkerchief dresses have received a
fresh impetus.
Novelties pertaining to headdress arc
bonnets composed entirely or in part of
narrow straw fringe. They have a light
and airy effect and are correspondingly
trinmud either with light feathers or
delicate blossoms.
The handkerchief for best dressing is
white linen Uwn, silk or batiste, hem
stitched above a narrow oorder and em
broidered in one corner only with the
monogram or an initial.
ISawaaad Nalta tnr Women,
A New York mother has twenty-two
children, all girls.
A preacher at Chicago advocates the
introduction of lady ushers in church to
make the young men attend.
According to the London Truth the
fashionable age just now is from twenty
four to thirty. Sweet seventeen is out
of the running.
John Degner was a shiftless San Fran
cisco shoemaker. The family larder he
cane entirely empty, and his wife said:
"I believe you could get work if you
wanted to, and If you don't do it I will
commit suicide. Go out, and if you
! don't come bark by six o'clock to tell
me yoaVe got a iob, vou'il find me dead
when you do come/' He returned at
1 seven, and she WM dead.
An English write* say* that the cos
tume of an English lady in a ballroom
at the present (lay is far more indelicate
than that of an Indian squaw.
The youngest official in the postoffice
departmentTs the postmistress of Bika.
Alaska. She is the fourteen-year-old
daughter ola territorial officer located
at the cnptital of " our Arcli3domain."
The ladies' brass band, of Albany,
Oregon, is composed ol thirteen mem
bers, the foremost young ladies in the
city in social standing and intelligence.
The instruments used by this band cost
$350.
It is the ancient custom of the Russian
royal family to lay out the bodies of its
members in public state for a day or
two as one of the ceremonies of a royal
funeral, but at the request of the em
press, who had a horror of the practice,
this was omitted in her case.
What has bcoome of all the young
women who used to polish boots on the
boulevards of Paris? asks a paper of
that city. There was a time, and only
six years ago, too, when more female
"frotteuses" were to be seen in the
streets of the city than "frottcurs."
One of the chief attractions at a re
cent charity fair in Ixjndon was the re
freshment and tobacco bar, where a
beautiful American, Mrs. Cropper,
drew around her large crowds, who
struggled with one another in their
anxiety to be among her first custom
ers.
A French Skctrli of American <>lrla.
Ilere is a pen-and-ink sketch of an
American girl, which is interesting as
showing how a Yankee girl seems to
French eyes: Stylish to the backbone.
Independent as independent can be, but
very pure. Is devoted to pleasure,
dress, spending money; shows her moral
nature nude, just as it is. so as to de
ceive nobody. Flirts all winter with
this or that one and dismisses him in
the Bpring, when she instantly catches
another. (Joes out alone. Travels
alone. When the fancy strikes her she
travels with a gentleman friend or
walks anywhere with him; puts bound
less confidence in him; conjugal inti
macy seems to exist between them.
She jets him tell what lie feels, talk of
love from morning till night, hut she
never gives him permission to kiss so
much as her hand. He may say any
thing; he shall do nothing. She is
restless, she gives heart and soul to
amusement before she marrie. After
marriage she is a mother annually, is
alone all day, hears all night nothing
except discussions about patent ma
chinery, unexpiosivc petroleum, chemi
cal manures. She then will lift her
daughters enjoy the liberty she used
without grave abuse. As nothing seri
ous happened to her, why should Fanny
Mary, Jenny be less strong and less
adroit than their mother? She origi
nates French fashions. Parisian women
detest her. Provincial women despise
her. Men of ail countries adore her,
but will not marry her unless she has
an immense fortune. Her hair is ver
milion, paler than golderhair; her black
eyes are bold and frank, she spreads her
self in a carriage as if she were in a ham
mock, the natural and thoughtless pos
ture of her passion for luxurious ease.
When she walks she moves briskly and
throws every glance right and left.
Gives many of ber thoughts to herself
and few of them to anybody else. Sbe
is a wild plant put in a hot-house; feels
cramped in Europe, and pushes ber
branches through the panes without the
least heed of the frail plants that vege
tate on all sides of her. Were she bet
ter understood, were sbe criticised less,
she would be esteemed at her true value.
That Deceiving Hammock.
"I've been a foolf'f growled Harper
yesterday, as he untied a parcel in his
front yard and shook out a new ham
mock. " Here I've been lopping around
all through this infernal hot spell when
I might just as well have leen swinging
in a hammock and had my blistered
back cooled off by the breezes."
Any one can nut up a hammock. All
you've got to no is to untie about 500
knots.unravel about 500 snarls, and work
over the thing until you can tell whether
the open side was meant to go up or
down. This puzzled Harper for full
twenty minutes, but lie tmaily got it
right and fastened the ends to two con
venient .roes.
Then he took off his hat and coat and
rolled in with a great sigh of relief. No,
be didn't quite roll in. lie was all
ready to when the hammock walked
away from him, and he rolled over on
the grass and came to a stop with a
croquet ball under the small of his
back.
'• Did you mean to do that?" called a
noy who was looking over the fence
and slowly chewing away on green
apples.
"Did I? Of course I did! (lit down
off'n that fence or I'll call a police
man!"
The boy slid dawn and Harper
brought up a lawn chair for the next
move. It's the easiest thing in the world
to drop off a chair into a hammock.
Lots of men would be willing to do it
on a salary of ten dollars per veek. The
trouble with Harper was that he didn't
drop all his body at once. The upper
half got into the hammock all right, but
the lower half kicked and thrashed
around on the grass until the small boy,
who didnt mean to leave the neighbor
hood until the show was out, felt called
upon to exclaim:
"You cant tarn a handspring with
you head all wound up in that ere net,
and I'll bet money on it!"
Harper suddenlv rested from his la
bors to rise up and shake his fist at the
young villian, but that didn't help the
case a bit. He hadn't got into that
hammock yet. He carefully looked ttie
case over, and decided that be had the
mans too high He therefore lowered
the net to within two teet ot the ground
and he had it dead sure. He fell into it
as plump as a bag ot shot going down a
well. He felt around to see it he was
all in, and then gave himself a swing.
No person can be happy in a hammock
unless the hammock has a pendulum
motion. The hammock of Harper's was
ust getting the regular salt-water swing
when his knots untied and he came
down on the broad of his back with
such a jar that the small boy felt called
upon to observe:
" That ain't no way to level a lawn—
you want to use a regular roller!"
After the victim bad recoverrd con
sciousness he crawled slowlvout, gently
tubbed his back on an apple tree, and
slowly disappeared around the corner
of the house in search of some weapon
which would annihilate the hammock
at one sweep, and though the boy called
to him aeain and again, asking if a min
strel performance was to follow the reg
ular show, Mr. Harper never turned his
head nor made a sign.— Detroit Prtt
Prtts.
RELIGIOUS SEWS AJfl JVOTE>,
The General Baptist assembly of
England reports 24,455 members— an in
crease of 452, besides 994 members in
the Orissa mission, India.
Hon. Thomas Hughes, M. P.. author
of " Tom Brown at Rugby," is to lecture
before several associations of the Y M
C. A. during his visit in the United
States.
Two Lutheran synods in IllinoU and
adjacent States have united in one s v nod
to be known as the Synod of Illinois'
The united synod contains twenty-two
ministers.
Mr. Spurgeon has recently received
from the estate of a lady $125,000 lor bis
orphanage, $200,000 for bis pastor's
college. sl,Ki lor his book fund and
$5,000 for himsejf. i
Pastor Levi Johnson has no horse
This is why he walks 240 miles a month
In li.iing his appointments with the
churches at Indian Village and Shady
Grove, in the State of Louisiana.
Rev. C. M. Ringham, of Millbum
Lake county. 111., has accepted thecal
of the Congregational church of liny,
tora, Fla. This is the most southerly
Congregational church in the United
States.
Bishop Sehereschewsky, of the Prot
estant Episcopal mission in China, Las
held the first ordination of natives.
Three Chine-se were admitted to the
office of deacon and one to that of
priest.
The consecration of Bishop Wilson
for the Canadian synod makes nine
bishops for the Reformed Episcopal
church, besides Bishop Gregg, who
seceded. The church has now 101 min
isters.
Thirty-eight Maoris, of New Zealand,
have been introduced to the ministry
of the Episcopal missions in that coun
try. Tfiey are commended as faithful
men. Six Maoris sit in the locai parlia
ment.
The receipts of the eight principal
missionary societies of England during
the past year make an aggregate of
$3,512,710. The grand total of receipts
for foreign and home missions. Hi Lie
and .educational socities, etc., $8,647.-
095.
American residents in London pur
pose erecting nn Episcopal church in
that city at a cost of $75,000.
The First Baptist church, Philadel
phia, is proud to number among its
Sunday-school teachers a venerah.e
iady seventy-three years of age. She
has been in the Sunday-school ever
since it was organized, which is sixty
five years ago. She was thin in the in
fant class.
There are in all eighteen different
evangelical societies at work in Syria in
the matter of secular, morai and Chris
tian education, which have together
1,000 communicants, 4,500 average tota
of Sunday congregations, nighty foreign
preachers and teachers and 300 native
helpers. This is in a total population
of 209.000.
" Success With Small fruits."
" I just roiled out here from the gro
cery," said the little green appie as it
paused on the sidewalk for a moment's
chat with the banana peel; "I un
waiting hero for a boy. Not a small,
weak, delicate boy." added the little
green apple, proudly, but a great big
boy, a great bulky, strong, leather
lunged, noisy fifteen-year-older, and
littie as I am you will see me double up
that boy to-night, and make him wail
and howl and yell. Oh. I'm small, but
I'm good for a ten-acre field of boys and
don't you forget ft. All the boys in
Burlington." the little green apple went
on, with just a shade of pitying con
tempt in its voice, " ooufdn't tool
around me as any one of them fools
around a banana."
" Boys seem to be your game."
drawled the banana peel, lazily; " well.
I suppose they are just about strong
enough to afford you a little amusement.
For my own part, I like to take some
body of my size. Now here comes the
kind of a man I usually do business
with. He is large and strong, it is true,
but—"
And just then a South Hill merchant
who weighs about 231 pounds when he
feels right freed came along, and the
banana peel just caught him oy the foot,
lifted him about as high as the awning
post turned him over, ranged him down
on a potato basket, flattening it out un
til it looked like a splint door mat. and
the shoek jarred everything loose in the
show-window. And then while the
fallen merchant picked up his property
from various quarters of the globe, his
silk hat from the gutter, his spectacles
from the cellar, his handkerchief from
the tree-box, his cane from the show
window. and one of his shoes from the
caves-trough, and a boy ran for the
doctor, the little green apple blushed
red and shrunk a little back out of sight,
covered with awe and mortification.
"Ah," it thought, "I wonder if I
can ever do that? Alas, how vain I
was, and yet bow poor and weak and
useless I am in this world."
Rut the banana peel comforted it and
bade It look up and take heart, and do
well what it had to do, and labor for the
good of the cause in its own useful
sphere. "True," said the ban-ma peel,
"you cannot lift up a two-hundrcd
pound man and break a cellar door
with him, but you can give him the
cholera morbus, and it you do your
part the world will feel your power and
the medical colleges will call you
blessed."
And then the little green apple smiled
and looked up with grateful blushes on
its face and thanked the banana ore! for
its encouraging counsel. And that verr
night, an old father, who writes thirteen
hours a day, and a patient mother who
was almost ready to sink from weariness,
and a nurse and a doctor sat up until
nearly morning with a thirteen-year-old
boy,who was ail twisted up in the shape
of a figure three, while all the neighbor*
on that block sat up and listened and
pounded their pillows and tried to slew
and wished that boy would either die
or get well.
And the littie green apple was plessw
and its last words were: "At la*J
have been ol some little use in tntf
great, wide world."
Here i* atlil another foreigner whp
does not like the country. Capoul,
speaking of traveling in the United
Slates, says: "One in time gets tired
of ioe water and milk with roast meat
and preserves." Couldn't the man eat
boiled oorn beef and drink hot tea for
a change? Was there no Cape Ann
turkey or pork and beans to be found r
Why this fastidiousness, this clinging to
four article* ,of food ? -Boston Tran
script.