TIMELY TOPICS. ,
• An attempt is to be made to introduce
into this country what is known in Eu
rope as the red trout, a fine table fish,
that often attains a weight of twenty-five
pounds. Fifty thousand of their eggs
were given by the German government
to Professor Raird, who in turn gave
them to New Hampshire. When hatched
they are to ho placed in Lake Winnipieeo
gee.
German colonists on the hanks of the
Volga, in Russia, are in extreme desti
4ition, and a St. Petersburg journal
publishes n pitiful aeoount of their suf
ferings. The number of the destitute
is stated at 200,000, and there are very
few well enough off to furnish oven the
most meager aid to their impoverished
neighbors. The Russian authorities do
nothing for their relief.
Ir. Wilson, said to lie an an authority
on ear diseases, says that when the
hearing is good the ticking of a watch
can ho heard at the distance of twenty
oiglit inches from the ear. This would
lie worth more as a test were it not that
some watches tick two or three times
louder than others. The test is therefore
about as definite as saying that some
thing is about as long as a piece of string.
Scientists are no longer content with
tho five senses—sight, hearing, smell,
taste and touch. Ono proposos to add
the sanso of weight whereby we can
tell that some things are heavier than
others, and another urges that there is a
•olor sense distinct from the sense of
right. If the sense of heat and cold
can also he separated from tho true
* sense of touch, then we havo eight
senses in all. If to these Ih> added
•nmmon sense and non-sense, which
every body has more or less of, then we
have ten senses.
The editor of the Mexlieril ami Surgical
believes that trichinosis is
more prevalent than wo suspect.
He believes that |>ersous die of it, and
the death is recorded to lie from such
disease as typhoid fever, the physicians
in charge really not being familiar
enough with trichinosis to know a case
when they see it. He instances an ex
ample occurring in Erie county, Penn.,
r where six members of a family died
within a few weeks of supposed typhoid
fever. Tho health officer finally inves
tigated and found that in ail probability
trichinrc were tho real cause of the
deaths.
It is said that the Jajianese minister,
Mr. Mori, once seriously proposed to
Professor Whitney, of Yale college, to
eonstruct a new language for Ja;ian.
Professor Whitney, who is the most
learned scholar in linguistics in the
eon ntry, is also known to be an advo
cate of the sjielling reform. Mr. Mori
projiosed to him to form a compact vo
eal llary of a few thousand English
words, divested of all absurdities of
orthography and of all synonyms and
superfluities of every sort. This lan
guage, if Professor Whitney wonld pre
pare it, tho ambassador promised him
ahonld he adopted by rfis government
ami forced npon the Jajmnese people.
The Boston Fish Bureau's report con
tains a table giving tho number of
larg<*r vessels engaged in tho New
England cod fishery, crews, ami quan
tity of fish canght dnring the year.
The Massachusetts fleet numbers 370,
New Hampshire 14, and Maine
180 ; total for New England 570 vessels,
with 6,008 men. Tho total catch of
fish by these vessels foots up 647,420
quintals. It is estimated that the
•mall fishing Imats on the coast caught
altont 300,000 qnintals of fish in addi
tion to the above, so that the entire
New England catch may lie pnt down
at about 1,000,000 quintals, whioh, at a
low valuation, is estimated to lie worth
$3,500,000.
A remarkable circumstance in con
nection with tho recent cold snap was
the effect on the fish along tho coast,
large school* lieing driven in shore and
in shallow water. Strange as it may
seem, it is asserted that tho fish, par
ticularly liass and trout, were observed
to throw themselves bodily ont of water
on land. An old negro caught thirty
one very fine large l>ass in this way at
Raccoon Key, near Warsaw, Ga. On
St. Catherine's a net thrown in tho
water was almost instantly filled by fine
bwge fish, and fishermen fonnd some
difficulty in hauling the neta in. Others
were observed to kill them in the water
with oars. This novel occurrence was
witnessed generally all along the islands
to the southward and in the rivers near
the roast.
The nter of population in the
United States has, dnring the last ten
years, shifted from Colnmhns, Ohio, ot
the Indiana boundary line; "in a few
diodes more," the Detroit Fre- Prm de
clares, "it will roach the Mississippi
river. At the rate of increase prevailing
dnring the present century, the eonntry
will,' in 1020, contain between 150,000,-
000 and 160,000,000. This ia only forty
years hence, a space easily grasped by
those who can remember "the Harrison
presidential campaign.'' Ten or twelve
jesrs mere, equal to a look backward as
far as the'days of Jackson, nnllifioation
and the United States bank, the country
A .
will bo found to contain 200,000,000-
equal to the present population of
Euro|>o exclusive of Russia, Austria and
Turkey."
A curious experiment has been tried
in Germany for some months past with
success. It is tho importation of live
hogs from the Unitod States at the port
of Bromorlutven, from whence they are
shipped to Hanover, finding a ready
market at Brunswick, Magdeburg,
Casscl, and other North German cities.
East .Tune a decree was issued forbid
ding the importation of American chop
ped pork and sausages into Germany,
presumably on triehinntons grounds,
and some ingenious butchers hit upon
this method of evading the act, which
said nothing about live hogs. It was
at first, thought that so many hogs
would die upon the voyage as to make
the experiment rather uuremunemtive, a
loss of five per eeiit. being the lowest
that was thought possible. Experience,
however, has proved that the loss is un
der two and a half per cent., which gave
such an impetus to tho undertaking that a
company has been formed for tlio pur
pose of building large lairs for the ar
rivals at Bremorhaven, which is to he
the hog depot for Germany, tho nniuials
being killed there and dispatched into
tho interior by rail. Tho American hog
has more fat substance and less meat
than his German relative, and a sugges
tion has been mode to import a number
of German pigs into America for brood -
ng purposes.
A Italian; on Ice.
Winter in Holland, Denmark, the
Norwegian peninsula and Northern Rus
sia sets in early and breaks up late. It
is no novelty in those countries to sec
frozen rivers and hays made use of for
temporary railways and even boat-yards.
In St. Petersburg one of the famous
sights of tin- season is a palace built of
ice on the frozen current of the
Nava. In Holland enormous traffic
is carried on over the ice in all sorts
of heavy motors. A railroad on the ice
on this continent, however, is a novelty
only to bo seen between Quebec ami
Montreal, on the frozen waters
of the swift St. Ijawronoo. A
railway on the most approved principle
was laid on the ice, the hod having been
smoothed and the ties laid somewhat
more closely than on terra finna. This
was rendered conqwt by filling in with
soft snow and broken ice, the freezing
process, of coarse, solidifying both the
roadway and the firmament. Everv
thing worked smoothly and heavy
freight ears drawn by engines passed
successfully, hut a fatal defect in con
struction brought the enterprise to grief.
That was the neglect to make the bed
way wide enough to resist the action
of the sulxrarront. The consequence
was in one trip the engine careened
slightly, displacing the road, ami then
tumbled in, sinking in sixty feet of water.
Josh Billings' Whilom.
The man who gets bit twice by the
same dog is letter adapted to that kind
of business than any other.
There is a great deal of religion in
this world that is like a life preserver,
only put on at the moment of immedi
ate danger and then half the time put
on hind side liefore.
Exjwrienoe is a schdol where a man
learns what a big fool he has l>een.
The man who doesn't believe in any
hereafter has got a dreadfully mean
opinion of himself ami his chances.
There are two kinds of fools in this
world—those who can't change their
opinions and those who won't.
A good doctor is a gentleman to
whom we j>ay three dollars a visit for
adviting us tu eat less and exercise more.
Out in the world men show us two
sides to their characters ; by the fireside
only one.
The world is filling up with educated
fools - mankind read too mnch and learn
too little.
Every man has his follies and often
times they are the most interesting
things he has got. Cnok Hook.
Kerosene.
According to Professor ,1. I a wren en
Smith, good kerosene should have the
following characteristics: 1. The color
should be of white or light yellow,
with a bine reflection. 2. The odor
slionld he faint and agreeable. 3. The
specific gravity, at sixty degrees Fahr
enheit, ought not to he below 708 nor
almvo 0.81. 4. When mixed with an
equal volume of sulphuric acid of the
density of 1.58, tho color ought not to
become darker, hut lighter. A petro
leum that satisfies all these conditions,
and possesses the proper fiashing-point,
may lie regarded as pure and safe.
" Your little birdie has leen very
sick." she wTnte to the young man. " It
was some sort of nervous trouble, and
the doctors said I shonld havo jierfeot
rest and quiet, and that I must think of
nothing. And all the time, dear George,
I thought constantly of yon." The
yonng man rNxl it over, and then rood
it through again very alowiy, and pnt
it in his pocket acd went ont nmler the
silent stars, end kept thinking, and
thinking, and thinking. But ha didn't
say anything. Ha only kept thinking.
—Rowland Otmritr.
FOR TIIE PAIR SEX.
Mnklni l.nrr l> ftlnrlilnrry.
A Now York paper's Paris eorroepond
| entsaya: Tho feminine world of Paris in
! greatly exorcised over a now machine, in
i vontod by a Frenchman for the mannfnc
turoof real laces. Its inventor claims that
I wiU manufacture any lace nnvdo by tho
bobbin, if it fulfills its promiao, it will,
of course, prodnoo an enormous depreg-
Hion in tho valno of tho fashionable)
wardrobes, and will bo hailod with joy
by all stingy husband*. i wont yester
• day to an experimental oxhibition of
j tho maoliino at a factory noar Paris,
| where I Haw it work. It in certainly ono
I of the moat ingenious incchaniam over
I invented, it haH four or five dinti not
| movements in a single bar, and irai
j tatea bobbin weaving by the hand to
perfection, blonde, Valenciennes and
I thread laces were woven in the presence
|of the visitors. Of several lady connois
seurs present, all said the specimens
shown, with one exception, were fully
I equal to laces made by hand.
The Mlarrnblr Nortrtr Woman.
The intoxication of society is like the
intoxication of alcohol. It grows upon
! one. No lady likes to see another outdo
her; the larger her arch, the greater her
i social iui|Mirtance. She would gladly es
| eape half her engagements did she not
I know that her social rivals would be
j busy in her absence. To maintain her
j prestige she must be everywhere. Then,
I too, her depraved np]>etito refuses
i healthy mental food. Books, she will
l have none of; reflection is horrible.
\ She is miseiable out of society, she is
I not happy in it. The society girl is
; oftentimes no vain silly thing, but a
woman with a capacity for something
nobler. She must be educated, amiable
and brilliant to shine in the social
j world. She will need to talk in French
! with members of the foreign legations,
; to have a little smattering of seienee or
philosophy for the savant, and some
j political talk for the politician. She
should be good at rejmrtee, and it will
he well for her if she can sing, plav
Beethoven's sonatas, and take a hand at
whist. All these talents and aceom
! plishments she will need to use in
| holding her place in the soeial world,
and in capturing a rich huslmnd.
| Wnahingtnn l.rtifr.
Fnsblon Notr*.
Tuscan straw Imnnets will remain in
' fashion, it is said.
j The long gloves that are worn with
out buttons have crowded the bracelets
, up above the el!>ow.
I.nd|cs wear costumes of r<sl; red vel
vet dresses, red fans, r,sl linnets, ml
Im►>ts and ml silk mittens.
Costumes are made with lambrequin
effects. Cords and tassels loop up rich
brocades over lace flounces.
An elegant toilet showed small ostrich
tips lightly placed down the tahlier.
The shade was a delicate mauve.
Tulle is again in vogue for evening
, dresses. It is cliarming for voung
ladies, and is combined with white
satin.
Garlands of real violets Itetwccn two
frills of white lace are worn, going down
from the neck to the waist.
Hleev,*, ojirn to tho shoulder and
i laced across with white silk cords to
I match the dress, are elegant for evening
■ wear.
' Bracelets and necklaces are composed
!of old silver and gold coins ; each piece
is joined by a small double silver
chain.
Bracelets and necklaces are more
' worn than ever, as the former are |m*i
! tirely necessary with ollinw sleeve* and
! long gloves.
French dressmakers substitute a
shirred satin yoke, pointed at the back
and in front, for the plainness of the
, round waist tnwd by American dross
| makers.
, Milk handkerchiefs are worn this sea
j son folded corner-wise ami tied behind,
j the point being either tucked into the
Itosnm of the dress or held by a lace
j Pi"
j A great quantity of enameled jewelry
|is in vogne. Some of those articles are
; in designs of flowers and birds on dead
gold groundings, and others arc all
' enamel.
Flush collars are made in such colors
, a* orange, rod, blue, or pink, and are
| trimmed with lace. They arc sqnare,
j with a rovers forming a long point,
j terminating with ribbon loojis.
At n fashionable wedding the bride-
J maids were dressed in short costumes of
) very dark green velvet, trimmed with
i rows rtf silver braid, with large soft bats
of the same material ornamented with
silver oars, long tan-colored gloves, and
a bnnoh of crimson chrysanthemums on
the left shoulder.
Six draperies, three on each side, are
placed on the skirts of ball dreascs. In
front thcao drajmriea are arranged in
horizontal plaits, and the bottom of Hie
skirt is always mncli trimmed almvc and
below.
The large, oddly-shaped silk cloaks
worn in England have come into so
great favor here inat it ia safe to say
that they will he in fashion next winter.
Styles taken *p at the end of a season
alwaya last into the following winter.
In a Boston Sunday school there ia a
•lam which contains fifty Chinese pupils
llaron Itothschlld's Porcelain Sendee.
A rorroMjKindo lit in Euro|M< writes
Baron Bothschild tells the following
story as he exhibits bis porcelain ser
vice:
One day nn old man, careworn,
wrinkled, feeble and apparently totter
ing on the verge of the grave, presented
himself before Baron James Hotbsi'liild,
soliciting the honor of nn interview
with the famous banker. The old man
w as so aged, so poor and bad so dejected
ari aspect that the baron was imme
diately impressed with a compassionate
feeling, and this became a lively interest
on learning that lie was u Jew. Tho
aged visitor took from bis bag a rich
and beautiful plate, so splendidly
wrought that tho baron admired it ex
ceedingly.
"Sir," said the patriarch, "will you
buy this of mo? I hove the whole set,
and a service so beautiful must find its
fitting place in the mansion of the
prim financiers."
" It is indeed very line," said tho
baron. " How much do you wish for
the service?"
" Look you, sir," said tho old man.
" I am bowed down with many years,
and have not long to live. lam poor,
and wish to end my days in comparative
comfort. Will you in exchange fur this
valuable set of |H>rcelaiu give me an in -
come for life of 100 francs (S2O) a month?
It is not much for you, and I urn so
old."
The liaron looked at the poor old
man, examined tho plate again, and after
a few minntes' reflection, said: " Well,
be it so; here is the first payment. Send
rne the service, and give your name that
I may have it enter<sl m my tr* usurer's
hooks."
The splendid set of |K>rcelain was de
livered the same day to tie- baron, and
a month afterward, while be was funted
in his counting-house, a man entered
and asked for the second payment of
the proposed income. But the man was
young, scarcely thirty.four years of age,
of a vigorous constitution and great
muscular development, and looked as if
lie would live- for ono hundred years.
" But you are not the man!" exclaimed
the astonished banker.
" Excuse me, baron," said he, " I am
indeed the man."
" But yon apjM-arisl at host eighty
years old," said the baron.
"But, sir. I ar.i only thirty," said the
man.
" In fact," continuisl the baronet, " I
thought your venerable appearance did
not lclie your assertion."
" I have wonderfully recovered," ob
served the man, " and thanks to your
generosity."
The baron laughed heartily, and gave
orders for the payment of the money,
exclaiming : "Ah ! you are an excellent
comedian and have taken me in thor
oughly."
" I am probably the first who has
done so." replied the Jew, jtolitcly low
ing to the millionaire.
For years Bothschild paid the
monthly allowance. His porcelain sor
vice is so exquisite tliat he does not
complain.
Keep the Life Pure.
Once ujion a time an Arabian princess
was presented by her teacher with an
ivory casket, exquisitely wrought, with
the instruction not to open it until a
year had rolled round. Many were the
speculations as to what it contained, and
the time imjatiently waited for when
the jeweled key should disclose the
mysterious contents. It eatne
at last, and the maiden
went away alone and with trembling
haste unlocked the treasure ; and In !
reposing on delicate satin linings, lay
nothing but a shroud of rust ; the form
of something beautiful could le dis
cerned, but tho beauty bail gone forever,
Tearful with disap]Miintnieut. she did
not at first see a slip of |>ari'hinont con
taining those words:
"Hear pupil: May you learn from
this a lesson for your life. This trinket,
when inclosed, bail upon it a single
spot of rust; by neglect it lias lecome
the useless thing you now behold, only
a blot on its pure surroundings. Ho a
little stain on your character will, by in
attention and neglect, mar a bright
and useful life, and in time will
leave only the dark record of
what might have leen. If you now
place within a jewel of gold, and after
many years seek the result, yon will find
it still as sparkling as ever. Ho with
yourself; treasure up only the pure, the
good, and yon will ever bo an ornament
to society and a source of true pleasure
to yourself and yonr friends."
A patient in one of tho New York
hospitals was tiy physical examination
during life found to have a lateral mis
placement of nil the internal organs, the
heart and spleen lieing upon the right
side, the liver upon the left and other
jwrt* similarly changed from their usua.
position.
In the cabinet of " Mary the Witch,'
lately deceased at Davenport, lowa,
were found a oat 'a skull, a chicken's
head, huts' wing*, toads' feet, spiders'
webs, Various bones tt various animals,
dried blood, and eyes of owls and eats
deposited in various places wrapped ia
llAMff.
Courtship of
A slight glance at a few of the well
authenticated cases of animal courtship
serves to show that bird* but too closely
imitato the actions of the fond lover of
tho genua homo. One of the Iwat ex
amples ia cited bv Mr. Gould, the well
known authority on ornithological nub
jccta. He aaya the actiona of tho aatin
bower bird bear a clone analogy to
thoae of man in aimilar circumatauooa.
In carrying on ila courtahip the bird,
not content with plain udvuucea, erects
a structure of graaa, decorating it with
innumerable urticloa of bric-a-brac and
virtu, und into tliia " hall of courtahip'
the female ia invited, and alio generally
succumbs to tho blundiahuicnta of the
mab and tho gorgewua adornments of
the boudoir. Mr. Gould aaya that
these bowers are entirely distinct from
the nests, which are built in trees, and
are intended as " halls of courtship."
They are outwardly built of twigs
'and beautifully lined with tall grasses,
so disjsised that their heads moot ; the
decorations are very profuse, and con
sist of bivalve shells, crania of small
mammalia and other bones. Evident
and beautiful instances of design are
manifest throughout the bower, appar
ently to keep the grosses with which it
is lined fixed firmly in their places;
these stones diverge from tho mouth of
the run on each side, so as to form little
paths, and the immense collection of
decorative material, bones, shells, etc.,
arc placed in a heap before the entrance
of the avenue, this arrangement b< ing
the same at both ends.
" At times the male will chase the fe
male all ov r the aviary," Mr. Gould
says, in describing their actions ; " then
go to the'bower, pick up a gay feather
or a large leaf, utter a curious kind of a
| note, set all his feat hers erect, run round
j the bower, become so excited that his
eyes appear ready to start from his
head ; lie continues opening one wing
and then the other, uttering a low, whis
tling note, and, like the domestic cock,
seems to be picking up something from
the ground, until at lat the female goes
gently toward him. But they are sad
flirts, as they often keep the jssir fcl-
I lows cutting up their strange antics for
days, and when the ex|tcctaut lover a->ks
( for some token of a return of affection,
he is met with peck and cuffs."
j The courtship of the house martin is
conducted on the wing. The female i
| pursue,! sometimes by forty or fifty
' mab-s; sometimes rising in the air in
1 great circles, and then diving down,
! wheeling and curveting and throwing
thcmai Ives into numerous erratic js.si
tiona to ntlrac! the attention of the fair
, one. and when she makes her selection
the others are driven off. The ludicrous
actions of the lover arc mil>oiimlcd
caressing her with bill and wings, and
ruffling his short feather* in an amusing
manner. The courtship of the wood
, |ss-kcr is a severe o| M ration for the fe
male, as she is followed constantly by
eight or ten gay followers, who vie with
each other in showing her attention,
and at last, utterly fatigued, ahe alights,
and makes her choice of one of the
males, and the rest are soon driven
off by tho bride and groom.
The courtship of the great English
bustard is an extremely interesting
sight. The love-making is done en
tirely in the air. The male will sail
around in curves, start up and hover
over the female, then drop almost to
the ground, only to rise again and con
tinue its odd and fantastic courtship.
Similar in its actions is the Otis len
galensis, an allied bustard. At such
period* it rises |>orpcndirularly into the
air with a hurried flapping of his wings,
raising his crest and puffing out the
feathers of his neck and breast. and
then drops to the ground. He repeats
this maneuver several times snc<-c*s
j ivelv, at the same time humming in a
peculiar tone. Such females as hap|>cn
, to be near obey bis salutary summons,
and when they approach lie trails his
wings and spreads his tail like a turkey
cock.
Andulvon says in regard to the conrt
ship of the Canada goose ; " Those
that hail) leen previously mated re
newed their courtship as early as the
month of January, while others wonld
lie contending or coquetting for hours
everyday, until all seemed satisfied with
the choice they hail made, after which,
, although they remained together, any
jerson could see that they were careful
to keep in |xtira. I have obscrvisl, also,
i that the older the birds the shorter
were the preliminaries of their court
ship. The bachelors and the oh! maids,
, whether out of regard, or not wishing to
I le disturlwNl by the bustle, quietly
! moved aside and lay down some dis
tance from the rest, 'wall flowers' or
' 4 gossiper*,' evidently."
In the courtship of the Ampunga,
| or Guiana lull bird, the male makes a
curious note in the night, that can lie
heard at a distance of three mile*. The
! true I toll bird of New South Wales
attracts the attention of the females by
i its powers of ventriloquism. Its notes
| often sound as if at a considerable dis-
Uuico, when in reality the bird in perched
over the branch of a neighlwring tree,
the volume of aonnd gradually increas
ing until it appeal* to be just over the
head of the listener. The collared
goatsucker, a native of the Gape of
I Good Hope, is also very assiduous, in
its attention* during tho brooding
season, which commences in the month
of KejiternlxT. Ho indulges in a r<-rj
loml and singular song, which he be
gins about an hour after sunset, and
often continues ul 1 night, if the w<-athor
he fine and light. Le Vuillant hays that
when lie hs|i]M<nod to encamp in the
vicinity of thejte birds, tho incessant
song of the male rendered it ini{sissibla
f'ir him to sleep. Ktrange to say,
notwithstanding the little ,-are these
birds wem to take to conceal their egg a,
they are very jcidotis of dilute treasures,
and remove them immediately on
Jrerceiving that tliey have liecn toucln-d,
each parent taking]an egg in its mouth
and Hying off with it.
Lauiieliing a Ship.
Not one-half the people who witness
the launching of a vessel can tell how it
is done. Thev hear a great sound of
jioundiiig and driving of wedges for
half an hour or so, then a loud shout is
raisi-d, and the ship starts slowlv at
first, but, gradually increasing her
speed, slides with a steady, stately nio
tion from off the pile of timber and
blocks where she has been standing for
months; and where but a moment before
the huge creature towered aloft, noth
ing remains but a debris of timber and
planks, while out on the water float*
■ one of the most graceful works of man.
When the ship is about ready to
launch her immense weight rests prin
I cipally u]ion blocks some eight or ten
inclicn sipiare on the ends, and ]<crhapii
some fifteen or eighteen inches in
length. 'I li< .si■ blocks are p]acd directly
under the keel, ami in order to launch
the ves-wd it is neees ary to transfer tLo
weight sf the vessel t<i tho way two
long lines of heavy timber reaching
about two-thirds the length of the ves
sel on either side, ami about midway
tho bilge or Ixittom. Those ways are
simply two lengths of timber with
a thick layer of grease lxrtween
them, so that as smn as the ship ac
quires any momentum they w ill slip one
along the other. To transfer the weight
of the vessel on to these ways, so tliat
gravity the stem or heaviest |art of the
vessel Wing much lower than the bow
will cause her to move, is tho wLolo
! secret of launching. To do this, l<..
j tween the top of the Ways and the ves
sel are driven pine wedges, which, of
•course, raise lier somewhat, and relict a
the blocks under the keel of jart of tho
weight resting upon them. This done,
workmen take their places under the
vessel, and with iron wedges cut and
, knock away the blocks. When these
are removed, the entire weight of the
vessel settles at once upon the greased
ways, and the result is exactly the same
as would be if a ]eron should seat him
self ttjion a sled jwiinting downhill ujmn
an icy slojs' away she goes!
Tlcro seem* to lie a strange sort of
fascination for most people in the
launching <>f a large vessel, and in our
shipbuilding jorts it is not uncommon
for a thousand js rsons to lie present to
enjoy the sjK<ctacle. ViAlrr't American
yfonlhJy.
Iluw The Train (ones In
I hadn't been in CrawfordviUo since
my visit of three yrs ago, hut I re
cognised it in a minute. The train runs
in at the ugliest part of the town, as the
trains usually do, sneaking along the
back ways and alleys, as though it was
ashamed of itself ami had no clothes,
and had to come into town like a tramp.
The railroad holds its heal high enough,
and puts on the style of a diamond pin
' out in the country, but when it comes to
tho town, it usually dodges in ltack of
the barn, and stands panting and shiv
ering among a cluster of doggeries and
hovels and shanties, as though it was in
a nervous tremor lest some respectable
person should come along ami see it
standing there and wonder what such a
handsome, expensive train was doing in
such a disreputable locality.
"It sneaks in, in an unobtrusive,
modest way," said the tall, thin passen
ger, " like an anatomical famine breeder,
sliding along toward the foot of tho
lunch counter bar, where the tongue
and crackers stand."
" Or," said the sad passenger, " like s
poor relation backing into a dark corner
at his rich cousin's wedding."
" Or," said tho passenger with tho
sandy goatee, " like a Iw>y trembling in
the back in-at at'school the day after ho
lias played hookey."
" Or," said the man on the woodbox.
" like a man going into the bank to get
a note extended after it has gone to
protest."
"Or," said the man with the sample
j eases, " like a man going up into a flfty
j dollar town after he had seen SI,OOO
worth of sample trunks and kiesters
! piled upon the platform, all from otbrtr
hands in his own line."
"Or," said the brakeman, "like the
man without a ticket, sliding into the
worst seat in the shabbiest car."
"Or," said the woman who talks bane,
" like a man in a millinery atom at a
spring opening."
The crowning picture of abject
timidity and she|iish humiliation was
reached, and the committee rose.—ltmr
<Ua. _________
The air is filled with materialism,
dogmatism and rheumatism.— lf am I ark
C. am