LADIES' DEPARTMENT.
Fahlou Nolr*.
lilack lace bonnets are revived.
All sluulcs of gray are faahionalile.
There is an attempt to revive laecil
boots.
Oheekeil wool suits never go entirely
out of vogue.
New parasols are shown in all the
new shades of ombre satin de Lyon.
Gold, steel and silver rival jet and
colored bond embroideries this spring.
Dolman visito shoulder capes, fichus
• and mantles are worn for street
wraps.
Plain skirt and plain corsage dresses
of dark satine have smock overdresses
of figured satins.
Steel thread embroidery on Hteel
grav costumes is n feature in spring
fashions.
Soft, light, fine woolen stuffs are
more used for summer toilets of cere
mony than silk or satin de I.yon.
There is so much shirring on dresses
of all kinds that it takes an immense
ipiantitv of material to make a suit.
Bandeaux of gold, steel, jet, silver,
and plain and brocaded narrow ribbons
are worn on the train for full dress.
Bound waists with surplice fronts
confined under a broad belt will be very
fashionable for wash goods dresses.
Cloth of gold in gold-colored silk
wrap, with woof of gold, forms an im
portant item in the trimming of dressy
costumes.
Sticks of parasols are most fashion
able of wood in the natural state, with
the bark on, but the knots cut off, show
ing the white wood in spots.
Some ol the new panto Is are of gold,
silver and steel brocade, with cream
white linings and both metallic fringe
and Spanish lace around the edges.
The beauty of sprays and single
flowers and boarders of eglantine on
muslin and lawn robe dresses has been
appreciated by artists in dress materials
for this season.
At a late fashionable wedding in high
life, in London, the bride wore a dress
of white-stamped velvet, while tlio
bridemaids* dresses were of vigogne,
, trimmed with block lace.
Plain satine skirts have overdresses
of figured and flowered ratine with
grounds of the shade and color of the
skirt. The trimmings of such drosses
are of figured, the pipings and cordings
of plain, satine.
The richest colors and effects are
obtained in new fabrics by the intro
duction of gold, steel and silver in
combination with stripes and blocks of
satin, velvet and plush gauze, of
maroon, old gold, bine, dark green and
dork bine; also with pale tints of color
, and cream and jearl white.
New linen collars are straight lands,
like those worn by clergymen, but are
made to lap in front, finished with n
curve, and fastened by a gold bntton.
Block silk grenadines, in narrow satin
strijies and blocks or checks, similar to
the seaside grenadines, have come ont
in small quantities; but these cannot
be accepted as finality in the way of
variety of these manufactures.
The newest fichus are no longer sim
piy folded neckerchiefs, but are very
claltorate, having a box-plaited standing
ruff, with revcrs down the front. The
revers are notched in directoire style,
and edged with two gathered rows of
lace.
\Vomna* Work.
"Woman's work is never done," says
the old saw. Tradition has marked out
the routine of her daily duties some
what after this fashion:
Monday's work is to wash, space ;
Tuesday's work is to iron, with grace;
Wednesday's work is to take and sew,
Thursday's work is to clean -for show ;
Friday's work is to sweep, dust and brush ;
Saturday's work is to rook- with a rnah ;
The next then comes is the Habliath day.
And then site's too tired to rest or to pray.
A It st si Wedding In Ceriwaar.
At a royal wedding in Germany it is
reported to lie customary for the mis
tress of ceremonies to cut up one of the
bride's garters into small pieces, wlurh
are distributed to those who have taken
part in the festivities of the day. As a
large number are entitled to those frag
merits of this order of the garter, it is
not qnite clear how one garter or even
a pair of garters conhl supply the de
mand. At Prince William's recent
marriage the difficulty was met by
using many yards of ribbon instead of
the bride's garter.
Nnlarwi In Women.
A woman may be handsome or
remarkably attractive in various ways;
but if she is not personally neat, she
cannot hope to win admiration. Fine
clothes will not conceal the slattern.
A young woman with her hair always in
disorder and her clothes hanging about
her as if suspended from a prop, is al
* ways repulsive. Blattern is written on
her person from the crown of her head
to the soles of her feet, snd if she wins
a husband, he will tarn out, in all
probability, either an idle fool or a
drunken ruffian. The bringing np of
daughters to be able to work, talk and
act like honest, sensible young women,
is the special task of all mothers, and
in the industrial ranks there is imposed
also the prime obligation of learning to
respect household work for its own sake,
ami the comfort and happiness it will
bring in the future. Housework is
drudgery; but it must be done by some
body, and hail better bo well than ill
done.
The Colored Huruh Coolumra.
The new sntin surah costumes are of
single color, with ombre or shaded tones
of that color for its accessories, or else
they are combined with contrasting
stripes or Madras plaids of the same
material. A dark garnet satin surah
dress has the shirred sleeves and the
shirred and puffed trimming around the
skirt shaded front the palest to the
darkest ganiet. The shirred sleeves
have an armor-like puff, with a cuff of
velvet below. White d'Aurillae lice is
laid plainly—without gathers—along
the edge of the deep basque, which
opens over a shirred ombre front. An
other very dark red surah lias the finely
plaited skirt made of plaid surah show
ing gold, brown and red shades. The
plain surah overskirt falls to the foot
of the skirt in a point on the right side,
and is caught quite up to the belt on
the left. The back is a curved drapery
of many folds, formed of two narrow
breadths of the surali. The over,
skirt is not bordered, but has its
edges turned under and sewed securely
to the plaited lower skirt. The round
liasijue of plain surah has its middle
forms finished with three tiers of box
plaits,while tho front hns the gray plaid
laid in ten fine folds straight down like
a vest in front until it comes to the
waist line, where it is shirred, and lias
two bows of red satin ribbon tied across
it. Home of the most stylish surah
dresses have lor the overskirt a single
breadth of striped surah, put on like a
mammoth sash around the hips, and
draped in a loop behind. The stripes
thus run around the figure, and there
are bayadere-striped tlonncesat the foot.
For such a dress a novel fancy is to
shirr the entire skirt around front top to
bottom. This is shown in a dress of the
stylish combination of ashes of roses
plain stirah with tho striped overskirt
of dark green, with lines of red, pole
green, ash-color and light blue. A
similar dress of condor brown surah has
the gnv sash tied in a great bow behind
in old-fashioned way, and i* accompanied
by a straight neck ribbon of the strijies
for the only trimming on tho waist.—
//'fryer's Ihuar.
Works Written in Haste.
In one year Drydon produced fonr of
his greatest works: " Absalom and Aclii
tophel," "The Medal," " The Ileligio
Laiei" and " Mac Flecknoe." He was
only six months in writing "The Hind
and Panther," three years in translating
the whole of " Virgil," and twelve morn
ings in comjiosing his" Parallel Be.
tween Poetry and Painting.*' Tho orig
inal draught of "Alexander's Feast" was
struck off at a single sitting. I>r. John
son's" Basse las" was written in n week
to defray the exjwnses of his mother's
funeral. Sir Walter Hcott's rapidity is
one of the marvels of literature; he
wrote literally as fast as the ]>en could
move, and when lie dictated his aman
uensis could hardly keep pace with
him. The original mannseripts of the
Wavorly novels may still be seen; they
are frequently for many pages unde
formed by a single blot or erasure.
Beekford's " Vathek" was completed by
the nnhroken exertion of three whole
days and three whole nights, the author
supporting himself during his unnatural
vigil by copious draughts of wine, and
what adds to tho wonder is that the
work was written in French. Mrs.
Browning's " Lady Gerabline's Court
ship," a poem of great length in a |iecu
liarlv difficult meter, was completed in
twelve honrs, while the printer was wait
ing to pnt it into type.
Hteele and Fielding wrote many of
their essays while the press was waiting.
Johnson, like Giblton, wrote at first
with lalior, but afterward found that,
with practice, a stately and highly
finished stylo came as naturally as ordi
nary expression comes to ordinary peo
ple. We learn, for example, that some
of the best jiapers in the "Itambler"
were penned as easily as a letter—that
forty-eight octavo pagos sf the " Life of
Havage," a singnlarly polished work,
were completed at a sitting, and that
the •' Lives of tho Poets" cost hint no
more trouble than a slipshod article
costs a professional journalist. But
Johnson was, we may add, indefatigable
in revising. Ben Jonson tells us that
he wrote "The Alchymist" in six
weeks; Fenelon that "Telemaqno" was
produced in three months, and Brough
am that his Edinhurg Rerimr articles
averaged a few honrs. But the most
portentous example of literary fecundity
on record is, lieyond question, to lie
found in tho person of Lope de Vega.
He thought nothing cf writiug a play in
a couple of days, a light farce in an
hour or two, and in the course of his
life he furnished the stage of Hpain
with upward of 'A,OOO original dramas.
Hallara calculates that this extraordi
nary man was the author of at least
21,300,000 lines. Ttmpie Bur.
While at a ball in Fond dn Lac, Wis.,
Mr*. G. M. Bowen, after dancing a few
times, complained of a |>ain in her head,
sat down and immediately expired.
llow the Ancients Spent Money.
Tacitus informs us that Nero, the Ro
man cmj)oror, gave away in present* to
his friends $97,000,000. The dresses of
Lollia Paulina, tho rival of Agrippina,
were valued at 91,004,180. This did
not inelude her jewels. Hlio wore at
one suppersl,s(l2,soo worth of jewels,
and it was a plain citizens' Htip|>er. Hlie
was worth altogether 8200,000,000. Tho
luxury of Pappic, beloved by Noro, was
at least equal to that of Lollia. I'ullas,
the lover of Aggrippina, left an estate
in lands valued at 916,000,000. M,
Hoaurus bad a villa worth 015,000,000,
and this was only a smnll part of his
immense fortune. Tho villa was burned
by his slaves out of revenge for some
injury.
The sums paid by tho old Greeks and
Romans for works of art make tho pres
ent price appear somewhat shabby.
Nieias, an artist, refused to sell one of
bis pictures to King Attalus for 875,000,
choosing rather to present it to his
country as a gift. Nieias was a million
aire. For a single figure by Aristides,
King Attains gave 8125,000. Muason,
the tyrant of Flatus, paid 820,(MM! for a
small picture by Aristides, representing
a battle of tho Persians. Ciesar was a
generous patron of art. Ho bought of
Timomaehns, n painter of Athens, two
figures, one represents Ajax and the
other Medea, for which ho paid
8100,000.
Ajs'lles received 820,000 for a por
trait of Alexander, which he painted on
the walls of the tcniplo Diana, at Eplie
sus. Ptolemy paid Aratus 8200,000
for some old pictures by Mclantbns
and Parnphilu*. M. Agrippa paid to the
jM-ople of Cyzicus 850,000 for two small
paintings, and it was he who built and
bequeathed to his countrymen the mag
nificent Thermic in the Campus Mar
tins, witli their gardens, libraries and
porticos--one portion of which, tke
Pantheon, still remains. Lucius Mum
mius got a picture in Greece, represent
ing Father Bacchus, which King Attalus
valued at 8250,000, but Mummies said
that tho price was too small, and re
fused to sell.
The picture of" Venus Anadyomene,"
by Apelles, was sold for 8125,000.
Irocmte* received 820,000 for one ora
tion. Virgil, for his lines on Marcellus,
was rewarded by a gift of atsint 810, (HHI.
For a single dish of pottery the tragic
actor of .Ksophu* |>aid 84,500. The
Enqieror Vitcilin* ordered a dish to 1m;
mode for him lor which a furnace was
erected in the fields outside the city, for
815,(5K1. The colossal statue of Mer
cury, mode for the city of the Averni, in
Gaul, byZenodorus, cost 81.675,000.
Nero ]>ai<l $161,0(10 for a carpet. For
the famous statue of the I>ia<leinenoe.
which was a bronze figure of life size
representing a youth tying a fillet round
his head, Polrcleitns received $125,000.
And, again, dropping art for literature,
it is related that Tiberius presented to
Ascllitis Kabinns 820,000 for a dialogue
lie wrote Ix-twccn a mushroom, a cab
bage, an oyster and a thrush. Regard
ing the immense wealth possessed ly
fortune's favorites in ancient days, the
mystery is what has become of all this
gold and silver, for tbe jHisession* of
these rich men and women consisted
chiefly of the clean metal and precious
stones.
There is no accounting for its disap
pearance except on the theory that it
imsscd from sight as vessels laden with
precious cargoes sink to the liottom of
tho sea and are lost forever.
A Wonderful Land.
Captain Tawson has written a book
about his journey in New Guinea. Ho
discovered a large river flowing north,
anil on its shores ho counted in one
honr no less than 314 crocodiles. Ho
tells us that New Guinea al>ounds with
monkeys, tigers, deer and buffaloes (of
the latter he |>asse.l a herd numbering
over 10,000 bead within a quarter of
a mile), while it is a well-known fact
that Australia and tho whole of tho Poly
nesian islands are almost solely in
habited by qnndrnpeds of the marsupial
tnlie. He is fortunate enough to kill
a serpent measuring forty feet in length,
and he startles na'nralists by the de
scription of a butterfly measuring one
foot with spread wings, and of an elm
like tree which reached the respectable
height of .'137 feet, having a circum
ference of eighty-five feet. On a big
tree a traveler counted over 1,000 birds'
nests, tbe whole group of tree* contain
ing not Ires than 20,000; and, to per
petuate his name, he discovers and do
oerilies a new specie* of ducks, although
we should consider it rather a pre
carious undertaking, even for ornithol
ogists, to classify on the spot any new
Sjieeies of birds without having the
means of referring to cognate forms.
But the most marvelous feat performed
by Captain I<aw*on ia stiil in store for us.
Leaving his camping-place at the foot of
Mount Hercules (2,0u0 feet atiovo the
level of the sea) at 4 o'clock in the
morning, he ascended tho giant moun
tain to the height of 25,314 feet, and
reached home again at 7:30 o'clock the
same evening. This ia smart work, in
deed, considering that for 10,000 feet
the trawler had to pass over snow
field*.
An olnUnate man done not hold opin
ions, but they hold him.
EUTOEI'EEK.
The Inlnnil In ihf. Mritllrrrnnrsn Where
.Nearly Kter) body It lile* Ihe lllryrlr.
It is probably not as well known to
bieyclers as it ongbt to bo that, between
Turkey and (irooco, the blue Mediter
ranean contains an island which is a
perfect bicyclers' paradise, and on which
bicycling has been more fully developed
and popularized than in any other place
in the world.
Eutoepoer is an island having about
the same area as the Ht-uto of Massachu
setts. It is hilly, rising high out of the
Beu, and possesses a climate uncqiialnd
in salubrity.
Ruin falls in gentle showers, only
during tho night, ami the thermometer
varies only about forty degrees in tho
year, running from fifty degrees to
ninety degrees. These conditions, and
tho nature of its soil, make its roads
wonderfully smooth and hard, and its
inhabitants being wealthy, eulti-ated
and enterprising, it is not strange that
the bicycle was early introduced; and
it lias grown into almost universal use,
so that with a population of about 200,-
000, there are 53,(KM) bicycles and tri
cycles in use by all classes for all pur
poses.
Tbe island is an independent king
(loin, governed at present by King Cot
tar]), a mild-mannered man, of great
intellectual attainments, beloved by his
subjects, a patron of literature, art and
science, and himself an enthusiastic bi
cycler.
This delightful little kingdom is not
widely known, for its inhabitants—di
rect descendants of the ancient Or<>eks
—have for hundreds of years lived quiet,
peaceful lives, undisturbed by tho con
flicts of nations about them, but grow
ing in wealth and culture, if not in
power.
With this introduction,wo quote from
tho letters of two American bicyclers
who are now there:
It was a Ix-autiful September morn
ing when our little steamlioat ran into
the harlior of Tumwahs, tho princi|>al
city of Eutoepoer, and we gazed upon a
scene to make a wheelman shout. The
wharves swarmed with bicyclers, dash
ing to and fro, or what mystified
us greatly, sitting still on their wheels
as easily as one would sit on lionu back,
watching our movement* or chatting
with each other. We had formed a
high ideaof the Owen-like skill of these
people, when we discovered that from
the handle-lars hung a small steel rod,
on which the wheel leaned firm as a
tripod. When the rider starts off, the
rod telescopes up until only s foot or SD
in length, and it is then pushed into
the hollow handle-bar. These attach
ment* are universally used. As we
nesred the wharf, several fellows in
scarlet uniforms wheeled up to tbe edge,
and in a moment bags were thrown
from our l>oat, which were canght by
men on the wharf, who threw two over
the shoulders of each scarlet-coated
rider, who then shot nway through the
crowd at a rattling pace—only there
was nothing to rattle. These, we were
told, wore mail rarriers, who would
have the mails at the central postoflico
before tho boat was fairly secured to
the pier.
Almost tbe entire business of tho
postofllce department is done on bicy
cles. Letters aro gathered from the
street boxes by men on the wheel, and
bicyrlo postmen distribute the mails
into boxes placed in front of each pri
vate or business house at the edge of
the sidewalk. Tho dexterity of these
carriers is remarkable. Tbe letters are
arranged in their projer order in frames
carried upon the handle-bar, and the
]>ostmen ride along near the curtstone,
thrusting them into the boxes without
stopping at all. All postal bicyclers
wear scarlet—a color forbidden by law
to any others—and they have always
the " right of way."
As wo landed, we were besieged by
men with bicyclos, who shouted : "Bi
cycle to the hotel!" " Have a wheel?"
"Fifty-two-inch nice wheel y'or, sir,"
etc., and most of the jswsongeis rod
off on their machines, which would bo
called for by their owners later.
The doctor took his Harvard, and I
my Columbia, and mounting on the
wharf, which was as smooth as a floor,
we took our first ride in Entoepeer.
Hucliroads! Chestnut llill Reservoir
road is cobble-stone to them! And
such riders! Men, women and children
dash about on bicycles, as much at
home, apparently, as if sitting in s
chair.
The ladies and ladies tbev are, too!
—ride in modest costumes of the bloomer
style, tho full pantaloons gathered lie
low the knee; and a Entoepeercan lady
would not dream of any impropriety in
displaying the limbs below the knee,
either ou tho bicycle or on tbe promen
ade.
But you should see the children ride I
Little tots, from five years upward, dash
around, not on the three-wheeled things
common to city sidewalks, but on regu
lar bicycles, with twenty-five inch
wheels, and from that all slue up to
seventy-two inches are seen.
There is as much variety in styles as
in sices; and as evervludy rides, from
the laboring man to aud from his wnrk,
to the king himself, for pleasure, yon
can imagine that all grades of machines
are represented.
There is not a stone-paved street in
Eutoepoer. Tiie row la ar in charge of
roadmasters, each one of whom ia re
sponsible for ten miles, and the finding
of a looae atone in any one'a aoction ia
punished l.y loaa of place, aud impris
onincut for not leaa than thirty daya.
l>oga ate not allowed to run looae in
thia kingdom, but mnat bo led by a rojx)
or chain not over three feet long.
Horaoa are not allowed npon the Ixsst
roads, ami aro aeblom used, except for
cartage or for agricultural puranita.
Upon telling a native—an officer of the
Eutoepoerßicycle Union—tliat bicyclea
were not allowed in many of the parka
of America, because they might frighten
horaoa, he aaid: " But how should
horses be in parka ?" " Why, they
drive in parka," we answered. He
looked at ua incredulously, and ex
claimed : " What! permit horaoa in
parks where people go for safe pleasure!
What recklessness! Why, the least
thing, ihe sudden flight of a bird, a
wind-blown loaf, may scare a horse, and
endanger the lives of scores of women
and children. Mercy ! what an idea to
let horses into parks!"
They have magnificent parks here,
but no horse ia ever allowed inside the
gates.
Esquimaux Carpentry.
The builder select* snowcf the proper
consistency by sounding a drift with a
cane made for the purpose of reindeer
horn, straightened by steaming, and
worked down to about half an inch in
diameter, with a ferule of walrus tusk or
the tooth of u 1 tear on the liottom. By
thrusting this into the 'snow he can teil
whether t e layers dejioaited by succes
sive winds are separated by bands of
soft snow, which would cause the blocks
to break. When the snow is selected
he digs a pit to the depth of eighteen
inches or two feet, or about the length
of the snow block. He then steps into
the pit and proceeds to cut out the]
blocks by first cutting down at the ends
of the pit and then at the lxittom af
terward, rutting a little channel about
an inch or two deep, making the thick
ness of the projKised block. Now conies
the part that requires practice to ac
complish successfully. The e\]s-rt will
with a few thrusts of his knife in just
the right places split off the snow block
ami lift it carefully out to await reroovaj
to its jsisition on the wall. The tyro
will almost inevitably break tbe block
into two or throe pieces, utterly unfit
for the use of the builder. When two
men are building an igloo one cuts the
blocks and the other erect* the wall.
When sufficient blocks have leen cut
out to commence work with the builder
marks with his eye, or perhaps draws a
line with hi* knife, describing the cir
cumference of the building, usually a
cirrle alsjut ten or twelve feet in diame
ter. The first row of blocks is then
arranged, the blocks place! so as to in
cline inward ami resting against each
other at the ends, thus affording mutual
support. When this row is completed
tlip builder cuts away the first and sec
ond blocks, slanting in from tlic ground
upward, so that the second tier, resting
upon the first row, can be continued on
and around spirally, ami by gradually
increasing the inward slant a perfect
dome is constructed of stieli strength
that the builder can lie flat upon the
outside while chinking the interstices
between the blocks. The chinking, is
however, usually done by women and
children as the hnilding progresses,
an<l additional protection secured from
the winds in very cold weather by bank
ing tip, with a large wooden snow
shovel, the snow at the base often ltcing
piled to the depth of three or four feet.
This makes the igloo jwrfectly imjicr
vions to the wind in the most tempest
uous weather. When the house is
completed the builders are walled in.
Then a small hole alien t two feet square
is cut in the wall on the side away from
where the entrance is to lie located and
is used to pass in the lamps and (sibling.
It is then walled up and the regular
door cut aliout two feet high and
niched at the top. It would bring lad
luck to carry the licdding into the igloo
by the same door it would be taken out.
Before the door is opened the lied is
const ructed of snow blocks, and made
from one to three or four feet high, and
occupies three-fourths of the entire
space. The higher the led and the
lower the door the warmer the igloo
will be.— hYom an Artie KrjJmrer'n
Jieminueeno.
Words of Wisdom.
How ]oor are they who have-not pa
tience I
It is not only arrogant but it is profli
gate for a man to disregard the world'*
opinion of himself.
We are hanging up pictures every day
almnt the chamber wall* of our heart*
that we fall have to look at when we
sit in the shadow*.
Hocratre said that there are two sei
ences which every man ought to learn—
first, the science of speech, and second,
the more difficult one of silence.
A desire for knowledge ia the natural
feeling of mankind; and every human
being whose mind is not dehanrhed will
he willing to give all that be has to get
knowledge.
The Way* *f Wmh L.
To a lazy Chinaman m ki i pj.ll^
pher, everything ia a matter for ami ~ |
liin life is womlrrwl away by the how.
liu pji k* up a piece of wrap iron in **—
at root, iirnl first ho wonder* for an hour
what it lum lx*-n iwol for, and then ba
speculate* for wilty minutes rnnorniig
Nome possible nae to which he may to.*
it. Von step into the poatoffioe to mail
a letter; he follown yon, wondering
what yon are going for; yon buy a
stamp, he count* the cliange and rsf i
mute* the coat; yon lick it, he ia im
ed at the prooeee ; yon slide the letter
into the lox, he cab-hc* a laat glimpse
of the vignette on the stamp, notice* a
man's head with attachment of pig-tail.
iui'l he goo* ont ami Hit* down on tha
extreme edge of the sidewalk and stare*
at nothing, while he wonder* if that,
man wa* Confnctns.
Like the proverbial country boy who
has never left hi* home, the Chi nama*
is gauky ami ungraceful in the extreme;
hut never wa* there a hook agent, on
of that clas* of men who travJ ao roach,
that had more of cool atnlacity than ba
Hi* jooowe familiarity is more than ao
darions at timea it i* insolvent. Hhonld
yon stop in the ntroet to exchange a
word of courtesy with a lady iviquaint
ance whom you meet, John loafs along,
his slovenly slipper* flapping at hi*
heels, and suddenly yonr mat lx-comes
a matter of mighty import to him. 80.
in liis innoeent imjiertimmce he walk*
around you and star**, studying a* if he
were u tailor and an artist. Tlien, com
ing nearer to eiamine the fabric, ho
dfx* not hesitate to take the fabric in
his hands, pressing it to hi* palm or hia
cheek -of which he has great jnar.tity
—in order to determine the nature of
its texture. jjj Now, such hangers on am
not pleasant to have, allxiit they are of
celestial origin, a* they loast; tha
Chinaman is a very good cook, hut he ia
not handsome enough to play the valet
or foot man, to hold tip one's skirts in
the street.
Once an old and t'xitlileas child of tha
sun euVred our camp and inqnirad:
"Who bossee here?" It being sup
)>o*ed that he had vegetables to sell, ha
was referred to the tent of the gentle
man in question. This he invaded,
sidled np to the fsvufiant, slajqxsl him
conviviallv on the shonldnr and mid:
"1 on IxMtsee here? Ilnlly! Shake
hand And. having paid his rcwpocte
in this informal manner, bo acemed to
lrave no further communication to make,
bnt lwgan an in*)>ertion if our camp
-1 furnitnre, which task promised to
occupy him the rest of the day. Think
ing to entertain our liigh lxim guewt,
our musical-man sang lum the. song be
ginning- and, it is to be hoped, ending
also—with the following linos:
l*r< tt> little Chinawoman '■ k * little cta>w—
chow,
Ijvi l*jili'a littlf hill, in a little hrman;
Taki a little piwy-twt arsl a little Utw-wnw,
'Vk 'em in a little littlf with a little mouse.
" What do you think of that, John?*
" lh-ap crazy man !" wa* the disdata
fnl and laconic rebuke with which tba
heathen crushed onr minstrel.
These men are ecrlainly of the lowest
and most ignorant grade at home, and
yet there are few laundry workers of
other listlonaliti<* who can ltandie the
pen as eaailv as they wield the brush.
Take your week's linen to one of them
houses, and immediately one of the in
mates seats himself at a desk, dips ths
brush into the moistened snrfacm of •
cake of ink, and with many a dash
artistic stroke, every one of whom
curves is a line of lmantv, he makm out
a memorandum of the articles con
signed to his care. These washing
lists. looking so like the labels on onr
pseksges of firecrackers, are greatly in
demand, and are carried away as amw
nirs of travel in Chinatown. Absent
fathers send them homo to their chil
dren; humorous students on summer
vacation consign them to their old pro
fessors, calling them lost manuscripts
of great archioologicsl worth; and om
there was an injudicious lover who sent
one home to his sweetheart.
It wa* in this way. He wa* a practical
joker, and, having one of tbeae laundry
document* in his possession, be thought
he would hsve some fun. 80 be sprink
led the delicate paper with isi at
essences and addressed it to bia Iwarfk
own. With it he dispatched a letter, is
which he said that the inclosed was a
Chinese madrigal, written at his ■
Ration expressly for her by one of thai
greatest of China's poets, and further,
that it was to tie read to slow music from
the gentle tomtom with an occasional
]a**ionato outburst from the gong. The
lady, devoured with anxiety to leara the
sweet words of this mvwtical maag%
forwarded it to a translator who returned
answer, couched in all the cold pre
cision cf business, that the writing em>
titled that this gentleman, the practical
joker, had deposited with Mr. Wash
Lo, washerman, one shirt, two coOaf%
one pair of hose, ct ah, and that the
same were to be duly cleaned, irnaad
and ready for return on such e day. It
ia said that the lady's reply to this prac
tical joker wa* read without the assist
ance of a translator, and the tune fee
which he read it was a dirge over a teat
love. This fable teaohes u that Bis
well to reserve one's practical jokes ua
one's sweetheart til) after the woddaqt
day.— lAppintvtf* Magamm*,
r ' v Jl
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