FOR THE FAIR HEX.
■ew York Shop Ulrls.
What a sad spectacle is found in the
shop girls 1 When one considers the
j heat of the past summer, and the close
i air of tho shops, the condition of this
i class is sufficiently pitiable, but to this
f is added a peculiar and unreasonable
i privation. They are not permitted to sit
down during business hours. How
great a trial this must be to the system I
need hardly mention. Were it >trictly
necessary it might be excused, but in
many instances it is a requirement as
► cruel as it is needless. Shop girls are
paid from 92 to 95 per week, and in a few
instancos 910. Their "labor in some
. stores closes at six o'clock, while in
I others it is continued until nine o'clock.
E They get few opportunities of vacation.
and if such were granted they hardly
. have a place to go. They are shut up in
I this vast prison of New York with little
I prospect of anything but continued
I labor, until the advance of years and the
H loss of attractiveness cause them to be
| turned adrift on the world. I wonder
: why Mm. A. T. Stewart, who now has
f an income of 91,000,000, does not do
| something for this unfortunate class,
whose faithful labors did so much for
her husband's success. The shop girls
I have a claim on the public, but espe-
cially on those who hold the keys of
wealth.— Nao York Letter.
Ths Sloop of Ihr Holies.
The New York correspondent of the
jF Syracuse Journal thus writes of the stoop
v of the belles: The grand afternoon
I parade of the belles on Fifth avenue has
| begun. Seeing a number of young
women elegantly dressed stooping over
| ns though weak-chested, or chary of
jj stepping on their heels, I looked at them
with sympathy, as they passed, but
when the number increased I asked the
meaning of this peculiar bend, or stoop
of the belles. Imagine your correspond
ent's surprise to learn that it is the
ashion for a woman to walk as though
she is crippled from age, round shoul
| dered, and has no chest to speak of in
I particular. The whole weight of the
| body seems to be on the *oes, and it is
I distressing to see a pretty girl make
y such a deformity of herself. A servant's
£ recent description of a belle is tolerably
I worth repeating, as follows: " Well,
I mam, I walked down Fifth avenue on
; Sunday afternoon and I saw some fine
t young ladies that made me sorry for the
I them. Why, mam, I think their spines
f are crooked| the poor things; and one
I young lady in particular every body was
F looking at. She had on a rich purple
I satin dress,' but it [was that short you
could see the top of her shoes, and her
hat was purple satin, too, and it just
hung on the back of her head. Her
\ elbows were stuck out square, nnd her
| back bent over so—and she was that
| hollow in the chest that I could have
| cried for her. But it was queer to see
I such a handsome girl leading a little
B yellow dog with a black nose by a pur-
I pie ribbon ; and .will you believe me,
Br nam the dog had a piece of purple satin
P around its stomach just the color of her
HI dress, I suppose to keep it warm." It is
needless to add that Bridget has recently
oome from the old country, and her ideas
of fashions nnd pug dogs arc rather
■aixed.
■
S talilon IVolca.
I Turbans arc still in favor.
I Fine feathers are worn this season.
| Foulard and velvet collars and cuffs
,®re worn abroad.
| Poke bonnets have the trimmings
Hpnasscd far in front, leaving the crown
bare.
* Breton face plaitings in many rows
Keover one side of some of the dressiest
K Japanese fans.
1 Gold beads mixed with chenille are
wjtoed in patterns on the crowns of bon
ttUta and lace to match edges the brim.
I Monograms and heraldic devices arc
HKHihroidered in gold chain stitch on
the new pockets or reticules.
B Butterfly bows and rosettes of satin
MVibbon, with drooping ends to fall on
■abe low coiffure, are worn by young
Indies in preference to the broad A isacian
nßowb.
■ A corsage cluster of flowers is now
by Parisian modistes with all
except the plainest suits. Horae-
Bpm< a small bird is perched in these
Hfiome very sensible overcloaks are re-
from abroad. They have capes
Springing from the shoulders, and they
■wDtect the dress entirely. The cloaks
an enlarged dolman, and they
lined with blue, almond, gray, car
|Hk&al or black.
■leow-tbroatod linen collars, with a
Bflftint each side and flaring behind, are
by young ladies. High linen col-
Sfprs are worn very close indeed, and are
quite straight, with a stud button
MP the top of the collar, and a second
lower down.
■ In Paris fashionable dinner and even
ing dresses are made of grenadine, lace,
or Hindoo tulle, gauze, muslin
barege mixed with sL'k and satin,
of white, black, pearl gray, pale
Hhui and different shades of yellow, such
amber, ripe corn and ecru, are the
Ifjkfvorite colors, the trimming being jet-
Ijpre, beads and ribbons. If the habit
Wme casaque bodice is worn, it is of plain
■■gored or brocaded silk or satin mer
taßMilleux, and generally of a different
;SOlor.
■The long unpopular and generally un.
Hbcoming color of green is again appear-
B'Hwg in the list of new and fashionable
This color is not of the order
of invisible greens, but is of a bright un
mistakable line. Suits of this color have
already appeared in Pars - and Lmdon
but are worn mostly by ultra-fnahion
able ladies, who care more for novelty
and eccentricity than for comeliness in
toss. There are a variety of shades to
choose from, variously named flmpyan
green, willow, moss, cooked Borrell
grass and serpentine.
Curious Hen Inhabitants.
There is a continual warfare going on
in the deep, a constant struggle for the
means of sustaining'iife. The carnivor
ous devour the vegetarians, and the
mud-eaters swallow both animal and
vegetable forms; and this runs all the
way down the scale, from the shark and
the equally ravenous bluefish to the
least of the annelids. These last, the
sea-worms, are wary, but they cannot
escape their enemies. If they were to
confine themselves to tho bottom, where
they feed and where many of them grow
to the length of a foot or two, they
might in a measure escape, though they
would still bo a prey to the scup and
other fish that know how to dig for
them; but they love to swim, particu
larly at night and in the breeding sea
son, and then they are snapped up in
countless numbers. They havo almost
every variety of forms and their struct
ure is marvelous monsters with
hooked jaws at the nd of a probocis
and, withal, sides of bluest green that
throw off an infinite variety of irides
cent hues. Some of the sea-worms
have scales, others have soft bodies;
some are sluggish and curl themselves
up into balls when disturbed, others are
restless, particularly at night; some are
round, others flat; some build tubes of
sand and cement, woven together till
they make a colony of many hundred
members; the tubes of others are soft
and flexible, and some, when disturbed,
withdraw within their crooked calcare
ous tubes and close the orifice with a
plug. One variety of the serpu'.ic has
three dark red eyes; another has clus
ters of eyes on each tentacle. The am
phi bods were accounted of no great
value till it was shown by the fish com
mission that these small crustacea fur
nish a vast amount of food for
both salt and fresh water fishes.
Indeed, there is not a creature that
swims or crawls that does not be
come the food of some other animal.
A beach flea is caught up by a scup or
flounder; squids make terrible havoc
among young mackerel, and sharks and
sting-rays find something appetizing in
the gasteropod.
Hut I have not room hero to dwell on
the attractions offered by the inverte
brate animals on this coast. The rocky
shores abound in varieties differing
from the product of sandy and muddy
bottoms, and the different zones have
their peculiar forms of animal and vege
table life, and one has only to sweep the
water with a fine net. nnd drawing it
through the seaweed, to gather an infin
ite variety of animal iife, so minute and
delicate in form as only to be seen with
the aid of a glass. At the laboratory of
the fish commission, crabs not bigger
than the head of a pin may be seen
swimming in a shallow dish, tiny
forms, almost transparent, but active
and pugnacious when they meet each
other. These minute animals at this
stage arc not fully formed, but hnve a
tail, which, when not in use, is drawn
up under the body. This appendage,
like the caudal one of the tadpole, dis
appears when the creature has no tur
ther need of it. So of the young of the
lobster; it lias five feet, while the ab
dominal segments are flattened out into
a tail fin. But perhaps there i no
greater change in the growth of any of
the crustacea than that which charac
terizes the star-fiih. Its larva seems
complete in itself, and its movements
are active before it presents any aspects
of the parent fish. Even its temporary
mouth does not remain the permanent
mouth of the star-fish. It is the star
fish that is the great destroyer of oys
ters, and there is nothing more tenacious
of life. Tear off one of its lobes or arms
and another will grow in its place; tear
off two, three—nil of its five arms and it
is able.to reproduce Jthem all.— Corre
spondence of the New York Post.
New York's Excursions.
The herald devotes several columns
to last summer's work and receipts at
the more popular resorts about that
city. The summing up is as follows i
Coney Island 4,500,000 visiters,
98,775.000 expenditures; Long Branch
400.000 visitors. 91 800,000expcnditures;
Highlands, etc. 250.000 visitors. 11,000, -
000 expenditures; Rockaway 1,000,000
visitors, 91.500,000 expenditure; Long
Reach 300,000 visitors, 9750,000 expen
ditures; Glen Island 750.000 visitors,
9562,000 expenditures; Fort Lee 750.000
visitors, 9375.000 expenditures. Tota
visitors, 7,950,000; total expenditures,
914,752,000.
Nearly a million people paid for baths
at the four bathing stations on Coney
Island. Mr. John H. Starin, whose
barges and steamers carry most of the
excursionists to leas prominent points,
estimates that 91.500,000 were spent on
excursioni alone to such places as Glen
Alpine and points up the Hudson, and
all of the chosen resorts of New York's
people about Btaten Island and beyond
Hell Gate. If one were to go further
and add what has been spent at the
races, in visits to picnic u-ronnds, by rail
and sailing craft, and the money spent
in a hundred ways of pleasure-seeking,
of which no account can ever be had, it
might be found that 3,000,000 people
who live in and around New York ex
pended this year over 919,000,000 in
keeping cool and enjoying tuemselves.
THE CHHVENE QUARTER.
A. Ullmpac of Thalr ftomaatlc Lll In
"awl York Peculiar CalaatU I Hltas
(Irarlha Item!--Chines* Indnstry nnd
Kaonomy—ThaNeaaon of Mourning—
Nui>rallllona ( onrarnlng Death.
As tho Chinese) differ in their daily
life and customs Irom all other branches
of the human family, equally at vari
ance are their last sad rites over the re
mains of a dead Celestial. Though they
are numbered by the hundreds in New
York they never intrude their religious
views nnd opinions upon the public un
til one of their countrymen is removed
from his washtub and opium-smoked
cellar by Father Time, nnd then the de
monstration is one that keeps the
Chinese quarter in a state of uproar for
several days, ending only at the grave.
As a general thing the health of a
Chinaman is not impaired by a base
ment and filthy surroundings, and
nothing mars the even tenor of his life,
ap..rt from the customary small boy
and the inquisitive Caucasian with his
bump of curiosity slightly enlarged by
liquor. He works at all hours of the
day and night in an uncomplaining
manner, washing and ironing, tying up
packages of laundried linen, and affix
ing to each a slip of paper bearing a few
cabalistic scrawls, which signifies that
there is a certain amount due on the
" Melican man's waahee." Iliß in
tervals for rest are not many.
When hungry, a few minutes' vigorous
use of the chop sticks replenishes the
inner Chinaman, and his sole comfort
is when he crawls under his table to
smoke opium, or goes out to a neighbor's
cellar to "buck" Chinese faro. His
sleep is a secondary consideration, taken
when nothing else remains to be done,
on the smooth side of his ironing board.
When one is seized with illness very
little until it is given him by hiß
brothers. Ho is removed to the inner
room of his establishment, a native doc
tor called in, and he is left to recover or
die as the malady, heightened by the
physician, may direct. If the former,
the disease being of an unusually mild
nature, he is seen in due season at the
gaming table, a trifle yellower than
before—nothing more. If the latter, his
fate is speedily known, and the Chinese
quarter takes on a series of semi-holi
days, governed exclusively by the
amount of money taken in during life by
the dead man which did not go up in
opium fumes or into the gambler's cof
fers. His death announced, every
brother pig-tail in the neighborhood
grows curious.
A committee is formed in one of the
cellais, and proceeds to the scene o
death. All the late man's effects are
carefully inspected, dollars, dimes and
pennies counted, and then the funeral
festivities begin. The remains are en
cased in a new cloak coat, new shoes are
put on the feet, and a coffin purchased
without quibbling as to the price.
Once the lid of the coffin is screwed
down, it is not raised by the mourners.
Candles are lighted and placed at the
foot, and a punk fire is kindled in a dish
at the head. There is no crape attached
to the door knob, as all of the dead man's
friends have been notified of iiis demise.
A demijohn of whisky is purchased, a
goodly supply of opium nnd pipes laid
in, and the wake begins in earnest.
Open-house is kept from that hour until
the interment, the committee assuming
the role of host. At least six of the
mourners are in attendance day and
night. When a Celestial friend or
stranger cnlls to pay his respects the
whisky and opium arc produced.
Should the new-comer be averse
to drinking whisky, one of the
watch sallies forth with a can to
a saloon and returns with beer, and the
gentleman who ol j ted to the contents
of the demijohn drinks to the successful
journey of the Chinaman's spirit to
Chinese heaven. The beer quaffed, one
who had known the dead mnn in life
seats himseif near the coffin, and, with
one hand resting upon it, narrates the
history of the one they mourn. All the
facts, both great and minor, which
characterized his life, are told; the man
ner in which he existed in China, now
he was induced to come to America, his
wanderings while here, and last hut not
least, the sum of money he saved in ply
ing his vocation. The story loses noth
ing by the telling, nnd should the rrude
narrator become mellowed with whisky
or beer, the acts and virtues of his sub
ject are extolled until one unacquainted
would regard him little short of a
second Confucius.
Aftrr a due season of mourning, nil the
way from three to seven days, during
which time, unless the weather has
been extremely warm, the body has not
been on ice, preparations are made for
the burial. All the blankets and house
hold effects are given awny, the blank
ets gcnerallv to the undertaker, to
whom is awarded the contract for
burial, and the washtub, sad irons and
other vessels and instruments to friends.
The pipe snd a quantity of opium are
placed in tiie coffin for solace in the
tomb. All the coins of the denomina
tion of ten cents, left by the departed,
are gathered together and examined by
the committee. Those without flaw or
tarnish are neatly done up, separate, in
pieces of red tissue paper, placed in a
oox, and intrusted to the careof one of
the mourners. Another takes charge of
the candles and punk, and the funeral
cortege sets out ,for Greenwood ceme
tery, where the Chinese have several
lots. The number of carriages forming
the train depends entirely upon the
work or rank ot the deceased. Not long
since; one funeral comprised only the
hearse and a transfer omnibus to convey
the mourners, while on occasions
twenty-five carriages have been ne
cessary. When the line has been
drawn up. with the hearse at the head,
the coAn and its contents are
planed in the hearse. One of the
committee of arrangements mounts the
hearse box by the side of the driver, and
the procession is in readiness. When
they start the man riding with the
driver produces a block oi white tissue
paper, similar in size to that used in
blotting visiting cards, and tearing off
slip by slip at intervals of a few seconds,
throws them from the hoarse to the
ground, never ceasing until the ceme
tery is reached. The Chinese are of the
opinion that the devil is in pursuit of
every corpse, and to keep him from
seizing the spirit of the dead, which is
thought to remain in the body before the
coiHn is lowered into the grave, these
strips of paper are dropped. The devil,
whom they hold as imbued with the
curiosity of an average woman, paused
to inspect each one of the blank slipß of
paper, and only by that method is the
spirit preserved from his clutches. All
stoppages ol the train are attributed to
that individual, and the mourners do
not rest easy until the remains arc in
the grave.
The burial ceremonies are awe-inspir
ing to a certain degree. Around the
grave six red candles on sharpened
sticks are thrust into the ground, punk
is placed at the head and the whole
lighted. Then the body is lowered.
The coffin is not encased in a box, but
is deposited in the excavation with an
upper board to keep off the clods. Tiiia
custom is observed through a belief that
the spirit of the dead should lie given
plenty of room. After two courses of
candies have burned down, the third
and last course is ignited, the punk re
pienished and the chant taken up. All
assemble about the grave, and while the
earth is being shoveled in, raise their
voices in a low song for the repose of
their brother's soul. This is continued
until the dirt is replaced. In the mean
time cigars have been produced and the
box of dimes referred to above. All
who feel inclined step forward and take
a cigar and a ten-cent piece, and in many
instances hackmen have incited the ire
of the committee by taking a handlul of
cigars and all the dimes they could
secure a hold upon. The reason why
the cignrs and dimes arc distributed has
never yet been divulged. A small quan
tity of chicken and rice is left on the
grave, presumably for the use of the
corpßc, and all the articles of clothing
comprising the dead man's wardrobe are
piled up on one side and burned. When
the last candle expires and the clothes
are consumed by fire, the assembled
mourners form in a circle about the
tomb, make one low bow and retire.
Should the dead man leave moncv
enough to convey his remains to China,
they are disinterred after a time and
rent to Hong Kong byway of San Fran
cisco—Alt w York Ajar.
The Old Windmills of Rhode Island.
Of all the many pleasing objects pre
senting themselves to the eye in the
numerous fine drives from Newport to
the other two towns—Middletown to
Portsmouth on the same island—are the
old-fashioned windmills. They may be
called !old-fahioned. not only on ac
count of antiquity of this method of
grinding grain, hut nlso because of the
venerab.c age of the structures them
selves. Most prominent among these is
the old stone mill, built 200 years ago
by Governor Arnold, which has so ab
surdly been made to do duty as a relic
of the legendary visit'of the Northmen
to Newport. The governor mentions
this structure in a deed of land, adjoin
ing its site, and he evidently built it
after the model which he had seen near
bis own birthplace in England, which
is still in active working order. Doubt
leas many a grist was, in years gone by,
ground within this roofless relic. The
lack of running streams, t'dal or other
wise. on the island, compelled the first
English occupants of it to have recourse
to this method of manufacturing their
breadstuff*. It offers a pretty fairly
balanced comparison of facilities and
cost with the use of water power.
There are eight of those windmills on
the island besides Arnold's, seven of
them doing active duty when the ele
ments are favorable to their operation,
and the view of them in motion is very
agreeable, though horses are very apt
& be frightened by the sight of their ex
panded wings. The one nearest to New
port is on the edge of Middletown, to
the west of Paradise road. This was
built and originally set up at Tiverton
more than 135 years ago. Its substantial
oaken timbers, which of course have
been often re-covered, are as hard as
iron. Such a structure needs to be very
strong, or else the racking which a
stiff wind gives to its sails would soon
tear it to pieces. The main timbers and
cross-timbers arc firmly stayed, so as to
allow nothing uicre than that apparent
working which is felt on raidoccan in
the best built wooden or even iron
ships. The nether millstone is set
about eight feet from the floor, so thor
oughly secured as not to be started in
its position. A windlass arrangement
draws up a supply of corn to feed the
hopper, and flights of steps go to the top
to facilitate the oiling of the machinery
and the regulation of the movement.
Another external wheel sets the sails or
fans to the wind, the ails being
expanded or drawn in by the rope
gearing. The horizontal revolving
shaft is connected with a per
pendicular one, to which is firmly
attached the upper millstone. Of course
the power and capacity of the mil! for
work depends upon the force of the wind.
If this be tempestuous and gusty, it is
not safe to allow its operation. A force
of at least ten or twelve-horse power is
requisite for grinding hard Indian oorn
Into fine meal, but fcoi may be manu
factored with somewhat less force.
Twenty-five bushels of fine meal, is a
fair prodoct of the mill for one day.
Seen at a little distance, the huge fans
turn gracefully in apparent silence,
as if in harmony with the zephyrs.
But, when one Btands immediately under
the shadow of the structure, there is a
majestic sweep in them attended with a
corresponding sound, not exactly a
noise, and one is made to imagine what
would be the effect on his body or skull,
if he stood in the way. Yet the acquired
momentum seems to be less than that of
machinery moved by steam or water
power .-Boston Transcript
Confidence Women.
The skill displayed by that class com
monly known as confidence women de
serves notice, says the New York cor
respondent of the Troy Times. One of
this class recently included a railway
conductor among her victims, his loss
being of a heavy amount. Railway men
arc generally very shrewd, but in this
case Conductor Pcrrin was completely
duped by the smooth statements of the
confidence woman, who obtained more
than a thousand dollars by her artifices.
She became acquainted with her victim
while traveling on his train, and per
suaded him to adva*" "e money in order
to aid her in reco ling a large estate.
She gave m in cd references, one of
which was Robert Runner. This is a
very common trick among swindlers,
who know that when a good name is
given U w ever make inquiry. Bonner,
however, was questioned after the fraud
became known, and his reply was that
he had no acquaintance with any such
person. Conductor Perrin has acquired
an experience which ought to be really
valuable, since it has cost so much.
The remarkable nerve, tact and
general skill exhibited by one of this
class of women shows a genius for fraud
which is really surprising. Two of her
victimslwere among the most penetrative
and astute business men in this city,
who, however, in her hands became
facile dupes. One of these was a re
ceiver ofsto.cn diamonds, whose death
lias recently been mentioned. He Lad
for twenty years been dealing with
burglars and pickpockets, and was con
sidered unusually sharp, but she manip
ulated him in a very ready manner.
After he had suffered a heavy loss he
awoke to the fact that there was at least
one woman who was his master. Her
next victim was Babbitt, the magnatcof
the soap tiade, who Lad been
robbed by his bookkeeper to a heavy
amount. One day a young woman called
at his office and interested him by a
statement concerning the above-men
tioned bookkeeper of a surprising char
acter. She readily convinced the soap
man that she could put him on the track
of the lost money if a small sum were
advanced to meet expenses. Such was
the skill of confidence
operntor that she had obtain d $19,0C0
from Babbitt before bis suspicion was
aroused. He then learned too late that
he had been merely duped by a profes
sional swindler who added|the graces of
womanhood to the adroit and unscrupu
lous arts of fraud.
Babbitt arrested the woman but soon
found that she was too wise to place
herself within the meshes of the law,
and hence the prosecution dropped. Her
operations were discontinued until the
Babbitt money was spent, and she then
appeared in a new role. This was
hiring ianos which was sent to auction
as soon a* possible and converted into
cash. These instruments were of course
mortgaged, but this made no difference.
All that the owners could do was to
bring suit, and she was so much accus
tomed to law that it had lost its terrors.
The above is only part of the woman's
operations, hut w hen one considers that
she lias a husband and family it shows
how widely her genius can extend be
yond the limits of the domestic circle.
| These confidence women have great
success in finding victims, one of their
fnvorite methods being clairvoyance.
Commodore Vanderbilt fell into such
hands in his latter days, and was no
douht bled handsomely.
Canary Bird and Mnr.
In one of the editorial rooms of the
Timet live two canary birds, both bright
fellows, who chirp and sing day in and
day out. Some weeks ago one of the
birds, who is named "Tom," struck up
an acquaintance with a bright-eyed
mouse. Where the mouse's nest may be
no one knows. Perhaps lie lives under
the carpet or among the books in tLe
same room. Anyhow he gets his living
through Tom's kindness. The mouse
visit's Tom's cage every day, and as soon
as Tom sees him he begins to chirp in a
peculiar way. In fact, it does seem that
Tom is talking to the mouse. Tom al
lows his visitor to climb into the seed
cup and rat all the seed he wants.
Canary seed are) just what mice like,
of course, and Tom's mouse gets his
breakfast, dinner and supper, with a
half doaen lunches thrown in, at Tom's
cup every day. The mouse also gets
water in the cage, and very often spends
an hour or so playing in the bottom of
the cage. It is amusing to hear the bird
eoold the mouse whenever the visitor
eats too much. Tom seems to say:
" Tou outht to be ashamed, mousey; if
you don't mind you'll be a regular glut
ton after awhile." For some reason the
other canary doesn't like the mouse
and refuses to make friends with him.
—Philadelphia Tunes.
A Qulncy boy ml betide hta girt for
iut one hour lmt night, and during that
time kiaaed her ninety-aix tlmeaoulol a
pomible hundred. The other four timet
the got in a hurry and kiaaed him.—
Modern Argo.
The Peckethandkerrhlef.
We may forget our purse, our pen
knife and many other things, says the
London Holler, without experiencing
any great inconvenience, and even with
out its being known at times, but to lose
or mislay the handkerchief may be fol
lowed by very grave consequences, aa
we all know. Moreover, we make use
°' this article in many other different
ways. Ail who make use of spectacles
do not remove them from their nose In
order to put them very carefully in the
case without using the h-d kerchief,
and they use it again before putting
them on, wiping the glasses with great
care. The majority of people pay by far
too little attention to an object so in
dispensable. Many put it into the tamt
pocket with their keys, their purse, their
snuff box, without troubling themselves
concerning the many strange substances
with which its tissue wili not fail to
come in contact in so miscellaneous a
company, and which might sully the
purity which the handkerchief ought
to possess. Does one go to pay a visit f
Before presenting themselves to the per
son they wished to thank or solicit,
some have been known to dust their
boots with the handkerchief. Does the
careful wife see some grains of dust left
on her ornaments P She makes them
disappear with her handkerchief. Boys
in the schoolroom clean their slates
with them; in the playground the hand
kerchief is the necessary attendant of a
multitude of games. With this they
wipe off the dirt; they strike off the
dust. It is used to stop the blood that
flows from wounds—always very nu
merous in the age of leapfrog and pris
oners' base; the age also of communism
in handkerchiefs. With wounds cone
tears, and the handkerchief; full
of dust, spotted with dirt, with
the blood of bodies known or un
known, serves again for wiping the
eyes, the nose, or the cheeks
furrowed with tears. We do not wish,
and we cannot tell here all the strange
uses that people make of the pocket
handkerchief. And then what signals
have heen conveyed by it! How many
sad farewells, how many cheerful con
gratulations! The very method of wav
ing it has a language, as the motions of
the fan also have. But no one has
hitherto discoursed on the language of
the pocket handkerchief. And how
useful it often is as a help to the pocket
or hand-bag! How many mushrooms,
myrtle-berries, strawberries and rasp
berries have been gathered into the
handkerchief in young days, and more
valuable things in later life! Then there
may be evil results traced to it—a num
ber of ailments of which one cannot
guess the origin; diseases of the nose
and eyes. Fortunate it is for him that
incur nothing worse; diphtheria, for
example, which the handkerchief may
heedlessly transmit. Let us not use ths
handkerchief except for its proper pur
pose; let cs devote it to a special plaoe (
let us change it as often as possible, and '
inspire our children with a great dis
gust for another's handkerchief on ac
count of the disagreeable, nay, danger
ous consequences that may ensue. Much
more might be said about the pocket
handkerchief, but enough has been
hinted at to set ny readers a-thinking
upon its importance, its uses and its
abuses.
The Yislbly Browing Acorn.
Cut a circular piece of card to fit ths
top of a hyacinth glass so as to rest upon
the ledge and exclude the air. Pieroe a
hole through the center of the card and
pass it through a strong thread, having
a small piece of WOOL tied to one end,
which, resting transversely on the card,
is prevented from being drawn through.
I To the other end of the thread attach an
acorn, and having fined the glass with
water, suspend the acorn at a I ort dis
tance from the surface. The giass must
be kept in a warm room, and in a few
days more a stem will shoot oat at the
other end, and rising upward, will press
against the card, in which an orifice
must be made to allow it to pass
through. From this stem small leaves
will soon begin to sprout, and in the
course of a lew weeks you will have a
handsome oak plant several inches in
height.
The First Criminal Trial la Pennsyl
vania.
The "first criminal trial in Pennsyl
vania is a curious attestation of the mild
and gentle spirit in which the Quaker
coloniser managed his American farm.
Early in l(W the first jnry was impan
eled at Coaquannccks, or Philadelphia,
for the trial ot one Pickering, with
others as accessories, who were con
victed before the governor and council
of counterfeiting the Spanish silver
money current in the colony. The sen
tence was that he was to pay a fine of
£to toward the building of a court
house, standing committed until pay
ment, find securities for his good be
havior, and make ret tution in good
silver to the holders of his base coin,
which, being first melted down, WM to
be restored to him.
When a woman has worked for twe
hours to sweep a room, and then, having
collected the dirt and lint and liuie
scrape of paper into the dustpan, goes to
the window, opens It and throws the
dirt from ths pan. just aa a lively little
goat of wind comes along and sends it
back all over the room again, does she
get mad t Well, rather.— Bottom fW.
8M Francisco pvpl have a prejudice
against cooking oyaUrv, heoaoM they
say that cooking make* them Indigesti
ble. Hut they rn right along coking
cabbage*, uumm, mince Die* and niin
ing report*.—Mew )rt Hermit,