A Thanksgiving.
A little brown bin! sail a sunbeam
On a leadens thorn at (lay ;
This foot, that foot, under his wing.
From dawn to evening gray
It lifted its bappv, grateful song
Tirra-lat tirra-la! tirra-la!
And ! thought in tho one slant sunbeam
That au angel waiting staid.
The church bells broke into merry jieals.
And the little children played ;
And prayer and choral and grateful lay
Filled all the air on Thanksgiving day.
"Oh Ancient (liver of untold years,"
Cried many a happy voice,
" For ihe eora and wine, for love and life,
Thou hast made us to rejoice!"
And tho organ peal, and song and prayer,
Thrilled with their muSio the clear cool air.
Still in the sunbeam the angel staid.
Though the streets grew empty and still.
Festival lights were in loving homes.
Feasting and peace, andfgood-will,
Why did the angel linger, pray?
Was it to hear the little ones play?
The little brown bird on the bailors thorn
Hat still in the beam to sing,
Till the amber west had turned to gray :
Then he tucked his head under his wing,
With a soft.Jlow, lingering "Tir-ra la!"
And the beautiful angel went away.
Mary A. Harr.
A Thanksgiving Story.
." There is no position in life, my
l daughter, so bad that there is nothing
in it to b<y thankful for."
' " Pray, tell me, what we have to bo
thankful for?" cried I, impatiently.
"We were brought up to expect a for
tune, an.l are entirely unfitted I r the
struggle before us, now that we are left
without a cent."
" I have my lovely daughter an.l my
little ones," replied my mother; "an.l
if my daughter would bat pray for a
better frame of mind she would find
that she lias m any things to count
among the blessings of life."
When mamma wan young she was a
dainty little beanty, the family she mar
ried into had held a prominent social
position for years, and were ambitions
of continuing to hold it. Bat it seemed
to be slipping from them, for my father's
only sister was a sonred old maid ; his
oldest brother had married much be
neath him ; and my father was the only
one of the family who continued a
friendly intercourse with him. The
second brother had erred in the oppo
site direction, marrying a marquise, the
widow of a French noble of ancient
family; she scorned the society of
the parvenus' of onr new world and
held herself aloof to absolute exclusion.
Her husliand's immense wealth,
however, received considerable notice
through her aristocratic an l lavish
ns4 of it. After this failure the
hopes centered in my mother, and the
sparkling little Wile disappointed them
by becoming a confirmed invalid, nna
ble even to receive the calls of familiar
friends. My father, however, wor
shiped her, and she lived in perfect
happiness with him till I was seventeen
yea's old. During all these years she
was confined to her room and never
knew that the great house she lived in
had grown barn-like through the care
lessness and pillaging of servants. Her
own room was a cozy little nest, and to
her was all the world. During my
earlier years I was an only child. When
another olive brunch adorned my
father's table I w. Nt to boarding-school,
where I learned those accomplishments
deemed proper for a yonng heiress—em
broidery, French, music, etc. When I
was seventeen my father died, after a
week's illness, Wlieving himself to W
worth a large fortune, and leaving it to
my mother without r*seive, earning his
two brothers as executors. They, who
had never agreed Wfore, agrxl most
pi-rfectly in the affaire connected with
this estate, so perfectly that within a
year's time my poor sick mother was in
formed that most of her money was lost
and that hnt a pittance of income re
mained. Yet it wen patent that their in
vestments had in no wise lessened their
own fortunes. I was recalled from
school,not having the faintest knowledge
of the condition of things 1 soon
learned ; finding that we, who ahonld
have lived in Inxnry, conl 1 afford but
one half-grown servant to do the rough
est work, while I, with all my ignor
ance upon me, was supposed to cook,
sew, market, etc. My abilitiss were not
atrained in the cooking, for when all
necessary expenses were met we had but
modest fare—rice and some of the obeap
fruits which the summer and fall had
produce! so plentifully. Everybody
raid 1 wan a second edition of mamma,
"just what she had b-en at my age."
These were the circnmatancos when I
was sitting at her feet listening with a
most humble manner, bnt mod rebel
liouii heart, to the gentle rebuke with
which I began this story, and which
after a moment's silence I answered by
asying: "Now, mamma darling, you
have given me my lecture, let's change
the nut tell me something pleas
, ant, something abont yourself when
you Man your g. about tout of jour ad
inirrTs, about some one of them who
tot. d i on. *i,t y, and 1 will bo rlank
ful that you had a jolly time when you
wore young."
"My dear," rplied my mother, "of
one of my admirer*, ono who without
doubt loved me dearly, I have boon
thinking all day, but hia love did not
make me happy; on the oontrary, it
gava mo a more bitter grief than at that
time I had over experienced.
" Ernile Cardolet wan a lad of nixieen
yearn, bnt of a precociounly developed
mind and character. I had known him
but a nhort time when it became appar
ent that he had attached himnelf to me
with all t he ntrength of ardeut temjiera
mcnt I did all I conld to open the
boy'n eyen to the niiHtuko ho had made,
but tho endeavor wan tine lean. Ho
runhed headlong to the end, and then
his self-willed character played tho rent
of tho act. lie came to mo tho day be
fore I wan married to bog, entreat, im
plore, beseech me to listen to his love.
I tried to bo gentle with him, bnt no
cane of mine could alter the essence of
my answer. I pointed out to him that
I wan twenty-three years of age, but I
100 ked no childish that my looks In-lied
my words. I told him that I might al
most be his mother, and offered him my
warmest friendship, which offer he dis
dained almost violently, and loft the
house. For a few days he was missing,
then we learned that ho had gone tie
fore tho mast, on a whaling vessel which
wan to be gono three years. He, an
enly child and heir to a vast fortune
had left all. 'Twas a nine days' won
der among his acquaintances, but I
conld understand the nature that could
not bare its wound to the hand of man
for treatment, hut would carry it alono
to its Gcd, away from society to the
wild, free winds of heaven for succor
and b upport. From that day to this I
have never heard of Emile Cardolet,
but am certain I did not ofTer my friend
ship to one nnworthy of it, and that
wherever he is he is a uoble, earnest
man, albeit somewhat hasty and impetu
ous.
Next morning mamma surprised mo
wit ha little hoard of shillings which
aho had saved from the tire and light
mom r, for a Thanksgiving tnrkey, and
desired mo to go to the market and
make the pure ha*.-. This I did, and on
my retnrn I beheld a gentleman on onr
stops. I mounted th.-m, with my tnr
key-laden banket on my arm. The
stranger, tnming toward me, said:
" Does Mrs. Brentner—" then raised
his hat, and with sentence unfinished,
gazed at m-- an instant, while expres
sions of amazement and bewilderment
chased each other over his face; re
covering himself, however, snfliciently
soon to render an apology nnnoromary.
Becing his confusion 1 answered at once:
"Yes, sir, mamma is at home," and ad
dressed myself to the opening of thedoor,
that he might bare time to collect bis
scattered senses; then I added: "Will
yon walk in? Can I'take a meAage to
mamma for von?"' Ho bowed, amluandnd
me. a little en rolope directed to mamma.
I in tnrn mutely showed him into the
parlor and s]>ed to mamma's room with
the note. "<>h! such a handsome
fellow, mamma, snch a handsome
fellow," I repeater], as mamma drew
forth the card I waring the name:
EMIT.k CABIS U.KT.
" Erailn Cardolet," exclaimed I; •• Why,
mamma, this is a young man."
"He must be about thirty-six," said
mamma, " I will see him." I arranged
her silver curls abont her frail face,
drew her fleecy crape shawl a little
closer, laid the bnncb of bright pinks I
had brought her on the stand at hor
side, and then ushered up the hero of
last evening's story and of my night's
meditations.
| ,()n entering he approached mamma
and bent over her dainty hand with
a manner almost reverential. Then
mamma presented me to him, and as
soon thereafter as I could I slipp.il
from the room to wrestle with the, to
me, herculean task of preparing a
Thanksgiving dinner. With conntless
qnestion* and donbta did I torture my
self. If 1 bad only kept that little
maid she wonhl have known abont the
fire, and possibly abont the turkey.
Then I oonld hare gotten along well
enough. 'I con 1.1 lay a very respectable
table in mamma's room for three, and
oar guest, if he remained, need not
know of onr extreme conditions, but
that assistance failing, the holiday hav
ing been given, and taken at onoe, the
maiden was now so far from mo as were
the poles. Then I began to lay out the
articles required to prepare the dinner,
for I was determined that mamma
should not be disappointed, when new
horrors began to assail me. Mamma
would have given me foil instructions
if it had not been for the untimely hap
pening of onr visitor. •< f'erbaps he
will not stay long, after all," thought I
at last. 1 will go back and wait a little,
and if he does not go, I will get mamma
to whisper me one or two directions,
end then 1 can get along. 80, quite
flashed with anxiety, and altogether
considerably disturbed, I made my way
to mamma's room. Mamma had finished
speaking and Mr. Cardolet, Othello
like, was telling qt "disastrous chances,
and moving accidents by flood and
Arid," which lie bad encountered during
h • long ebxc nee. How ten years after
his abrupt departure his family had loft
America and gone to live upon an estate
in tho south of France, which had been
for centuries the property of his father'**
family ; how two years previous to this
visit ho had returned to bis home, ami
siuce then conducted his father's affairs;
how now, that ho was again in our
country, he had hurried to claim the
offer of friendship which my mother
had once made him, and which ho hod
ever pri/.cd, and how startled he had
been on meeting me by my likeness to
my mother. " For you are her second
self," said he, addressing me for the
second time.
Now was my time. "Yes, every ono
savs that I look like mamma," 1 re
plied, adding, "pardon me ono mo
ment," and then whispered quickly iu
mamma's ear, " Will pot-herb* do for
tho turkey-dressing ?"
A smile broke over mamma's face
which showe d she was amused at my
embarrassment.
" We need not make a state secret of
this," she said, and then addressing her
friend, added: "My little girl lias had
but poor preparation for her present
occupations." And Mr. Gardolet, gazing
at me, the picture of discomfort, said
impulsively: "Pray, what is the mat
tor; can I help you?'
"Oh, Emile,"criedmamma, laughing
with a merry, almost youthful laugh,
" you are impulsive and generous as
ever, but you can hardly help h.-re.
Itita has given the maid a holiday, and
is now in a quandary about preparing a
turkov for dinner."
"Of eourso I can help," cried our
guest. "Miss Rita, your mamma and
I are very old friends, and as you are
your mam ma's very n-lf, von and I are
old friends. And as I never allow a
friend to be in trouble without lending
him a helping band, I intend with your
permission to help yon cook the turkey."
Tie- thought of taking him into the
kitchen was too much for me, and I
fairly cried:
"Oh, indeed, lam not so stupid, I
can get along, indeed I can." Mamma
had no opportunity to say anthing. Mr.
Caidob-t and I had it all to ourselves;
poor little d< ar, she could only laugh
at my evident confusion, and his eager
offers, as sh- had not laughed for many
long years.
" Now let me help," continue*] be,
" and if I have not lost the skill of old
camping days, wben I not only cooked
the turkeys, but caught them, and
sometimen, I fear, nono too lawfully, I
will make yon a dinner that a gourmet
might be thankful for."
Just then the children came in from
church. Nellie, tho youngest, an enfant
terrible, delighted with the merry
stranger, in our gloomy house, entered
at once into any plan that would detain
him, aud, bringing one of my cooking
aprons, gave it to him and offered to
show him the wny to the kitchen.
" See, I am unanimously elected,
Miss Rita; yon will have to let me join
your staff."
Mamma, to my astonishment, offered
no objection, but said: "Go on, Rita,
dear, and meantime I will read tho let
ters Emile has brought me from his
family."
And so from our first meeting he has
been shouldering my hardens, and mak
ing life, which looked so gloomy, a con
stant joy—l had almost said a jeet.
T hat Thanksgiving dinner wss a success.
The children said so, and Emile and I
have sinco said so. It was not long
after it that Emile Cardolet told me
that he had a big love for me. "Yon
may know how great it is, my darling,"
he said, " when 1 tell you it haa been
growing more years than yon have been
growing. It wan planted by your like
ness when you were yet an angel in
heaven. I have crowded it down, buried
it, smothered it and believed I had
dwarfed it; lmt when I met you on the
step Thanksgiving morning it sprang
into full life, and overwhelmed me with
its magnitude."
Dear reader, need I tell you that it
also overwhelmed me with its magni
tude, or that Thanksgiving Day was for
me a day of thanksgiving, indeed?
bnltrsn an a Dead-Meat.
Gnitoan save that be was enabled to
travel from Toledo, ()., to Albany, N.
Y., withont paying a cent of fare.
" How did yon manage it?" he wan
asked. " Eaay enongh," said the aasae
ain ; " when the conductor would come
around and ask me for my ticket I
would jnat tell him 1 was a theologian
lecturing for the Lord. These con
ductors are very clever fellows, and are
generally Christians. I traveled free
until once 1 was on a train going into
Newark. Although I told the conductor
I was lecturing for the Lord, he aaid I
would have to pay. As I bad no money
he told the brake man to turn me over
to an offloer at the next station. Aa soon
as the conductor left the car and the
brakeman went to fix the fire in the
Move I went out on the platform and
after getting down on the lower step
let go. 1 did not think It would hurt
me, but it shook me up aud tore my
coat when I struck the ground."
(iuiteau say* the t-ain was running
thirty miles an hour when he jumped
oil; but he was determined not to be
turned over to a polieemar.
The Precious Metal*.
Gold is valuable not only on account
of its scarcity, but for tho peculiar pro
perties which it possesses and which
render it preferable to any other mineral
for particular purposes. Its extreme
malleability renders it easy tube worked
into the thousand delicate and com
plicated forms which we find in articles
of adornment nnd ornamentation. Its
rich color and brilliant luster render it
peculiarly attractive in the eyes of the
people, and its perfect unchangahility
whon exposed to the action of tho ele
ments, a property possessed in an equal
degree by no other metal, makes it at
once pleasing and valuable. When
pure, gold is so soft that it may be
beaten to a thicknoss not exceeding
1-250000 of an inch, that is, 250,000 of
the sheets of gold placed one upon
another would make a pile only an inch
in thickness ; in this form it is used for
gilding.
Gol 1 is measurd or reckoned by
carats. I'ure gold is said to be twenty
four carats line. In this coadition it is
too soft to bo useful in manufacture i ar
ticle* so it is usually mixed with some
harder metal—generally Hilvor, which
then receives the name of alloy. If gold
has four part* of alloy it is termed
twenty carat gold; if ten parts alloy it
ia fourteen carat gold.
Gold is practically insoluble, nitro
ruuriatic acid being the only substance
which will dissolve it. It is, with one
exception, the heaviest of known metals.
The specific gravity of platinum is
20.337, while that of gold is 18.268.
The next three metals in order of weight
are mercury, 13.580; lead, 11..'5.*>2; and
silver, 10.474 Gold is seven times
heavier than granite. One cubic inch
weighs H 1-3 pounds, and a cubic foot
1,200 pounds. At tho present rate the
cubic inch is worth 82,700, and the
oubicfoot $.384,000. Silver weighs 4 10
|tound* to the cubic inch, which is wort h
$75.90, and the cubic foot weighs six
hundred pounds, and is worth $10,852.
It is estimated that up to tho com
moner ment of 1880 the amount of gold
in existence was $8,000,000,000, of
which two-thirds was coin and bullion,
and one-third in jewelry, etc.
Next to gold in value, as also in mal
leability, comes silver. It is readily
dissolved by nitric acid. Pare water
has no effect upon it, but if it contains
any animal or vegetable matter it black
ens the surface. This is' due to the
presence of more or less sulphur in the
water. Long exposure to the air will
tarnish silver.
The amount of silver in existenoe is
estimated to lie $5,300,000,000, of which
$3,300,000,000 is in coin and bullion,
the balance being in jewelry, orna
ments, etc. If all the gold and silver
in existence were made into one solid
cube it would measure leas than seventy
feet on each side, and would weigh
atotit 3,331,400 pounds.
The United Htates is now producing
annually atout $100,000,000 of gold and
silver. Three-quarters of the gold now
in existence has been mined within the
last thirty-five years. It is estimated
by a writer in the Boston Eamomitf
that from the earliest times to the
Christian era the amount of gold ob
tained was 81,400,000,000, and of silver
$2,900,000,000. From tho Christian era
to the discovery of America: Gold,
83,900,000,000; silver, $500,000,000.
A Plucky Little llrummrr,
A gentleman now raiding in New
York Mid that be was onco a witness of
a singular occurrence at a dano ball in
Ounnison, Col. A *ru irt little drummer
from the East stood at th side of the
hall watching the dancers through bis
eyeglasses, whirls were balanced on
the edge of his nose in a ra'.her comical
manner. The drummer was attired in
a nobby snit of clothes, made from a
rory striking pattern. Ho presented
altogether too foppish an appearance to
please the fastidious taste of the frontier
roughs. The bully of the hall was
waltzing with the pride of the flats, the
best dancer in town. When she caught
sight of the drummer she laughed in
her partner's face, and as they came
around again he brushed her rudely
against him. Supposing that the col
lision was the result of carelessness,
the drummor paid no particular atten
tion to it On the nest turn, however,
the bully threw his girl against the
little fellow with snob force aa to knock
his eyeglasses from his nose and nearly
npaet him. Hiding his time the drum
mer placed his glasses in his poeket,
and when the ruffian camearouad again
struck ont with his right swiftly, taking
the bully directly under tho ear and
dropping him as su Manly as if he had
lieen shot.
When the rough regained his feet,
with his hand on his revolver, he found
the drummor'a pistol within a foot of
his breast,
"You have the drop on me, pard,"
he exclaimed, "and I apologise. And
now, M he continued, "if you'll permit
me to introduce you to the pride, I'm
blessed it you ahan't dance with her."
" I don't desire to dance," replied
the drummer; "but hereafter, as here
tofore, 1 shall always stand ready to
defend my right to wear the style of
garments which suits me best."
TOI'ICM OF THE It AV.
The only place where cremation seem*
to lw thoroughly established is Milan,
Italy, whore about 160 bodies have been
burned since the crematory was built—
scarcely a year ago.
Tin* amount of cotton manufactured
in Great Britain in 1880 was 1,405,-
000,000 pounds. Tho amount manufac
tured in tho United Htates was 930,-
000,000 {rounds. Great Britain manu
factured only about fifty per cent, more
than tho United Htates.
The Indians, Lieutenant Brown of the
United Hiatus army reports, have seen
the results of the training received by
Indian children at Hampton, Va , and
appreciate them. They are now anxious
to hare their boys selected for the
school, but they are not so much in fa.
vor of educating tho girls. Their idea
is that if the girls were educated " they
would get like the white women and
not do any work at all."
From statistics recently published iu
France it appears that there are 1,108
centenarians in Europe. Bwitzerl&ud
claims to have the oldest inhabitant, in
the person of an aged farmer living in
the Canton Orisons, who has seen 109
summers. Female centenarians arc in
; the ascendancy, there being 1,864, while
| that of the males is 1,244. A majority
j of the old people have spent their lives
' in remote country districts, where they
1 have devoted their time to outdoor
I labor.
A stati tician lias l>een figuring upon
j the annual consumption by American
manufacturers of the precious metals,
| which he estimate* a* $13,000,000 gold
and $3,000,000 silver. Two-thirds of
the latter is used in making plate. Of
j the gold, the greater part goes for rings
| tad watch cases. It is estimated that
there are about '250,000 wedding rings
given in this country every year, aver
aging $2 each in cost. There are
l 100,(100 more rings given as gag** amour
! and a still larger number bestowed in
holiday presents.
_____
The importation of opium by this
country, wLich in IMSI was 109,530
j pounds, in I*7l had grown to 815,121,
and in 1880 amounted to 533,451 pounds,
i These figures indicate an immense in
crease in opium eating. In 1876 it was
! estimated that the number of people
having the habit was 225,000, and now
it is thought to l>e fully 500,000. Bom<-
pcrsons Is come so accustomed to the
drug as to take immense doses. A
Missouri farmer took forty grains of
morphia at once without apparent injury,
and there arc revcrai casus reported in
which sixty grains a day were taken
regularly.
The following advertisement roeently
appeared in a Philadelphia paper:
• Wanted— A toy about sevente- n year*
old to run a steam engine. No men
need apply." The reflections which
this advertisement suggests are not
agreeable. In commenting upon it the
! Philadelphia R*car<! asserts that a large
( number of boilers in that city are left
wholly, or in j>*rt, to the oarc of bov*,
and that, " although the department of
toiler inspection ia empowered to ex
amine such applicants as may present
themselves, and to certify to their abili
ties, it cannot compel a single <3 earn -
uscr to replace an incompetent man
with one skilled in his duties."
The grest whest exporters of Russia
are becoming alarmed at tho tremendous
competition they have to encounter.
Hungary and the Danubian principali
ties were the first to appear in the
Western markets, but the construction
, of a railway to Odessa restored the
equilibrium. Then the American com
petition commenced, and has ruined
] the inhabitants of the wheat-producing
districts of the Muscovite empire.
Wheat is abundant in the interior
more so than for many years past—but
there is scarcely any communication
with the seaboard. The great military
railways run right through the country,
but there are fow feeding lines. The
roads and canals and the care of the
wheat in transport are in as primitive a
state as when Russia had no competitor
in the field. If a prompt move is not
made by the government—which ia
scarcely to be expected at pis-sent—
Russian wheat will soon be driven ont
of the Western msrkeU by United States
enterprise and the new field opening
up in India.
Among the gigantic enterprises of the
present day there are few that in world
wide importance can compare with the
proposed construction of a ship canal
across the Peninsula of Florida. AU
tho railroads and canals of the country
are not sufficient to carry more than a
third of the grain prodaeta of the ooun
try fc the seaboard. Nearly twenty
millions of tons cannot roach a market.
The Mississippi valley ia capable of
producing three times aa much as it
does at present; but oven now the facil
ities for transporting cotton, tobacco
Mid other articles to market are entirely
inadequate. Tho farmer* of several of
the trans-Mississippi KtaUs bare to pay
ton cent* a bushel more for carrying
tlc-ir wheat to tho seaboard than it c.'sita
thct farm era in California to Bond their*
around Capo Horn to the city cf Now
York. Such aro the dangers of the
Ouif of Mexico that sending freight*
around Florida is impracticable a* a
relief measure. To send cotton by rail
from Montgomery to Havannab, and -
thence by an ocean vessel to Now York,
coat* about 82H a l>alo. A *hip will
carry it around the Florida peninsula
and thence to New York at somewhat
leu* rate, but at greater risk. The ship
canal will reduce freight charge* at
least fifty per cent.
What lire* Accomplish.
By far the mo*t aerion* difficulty in
the process of honey collecting by bees
arisen from the extremely minute quan
tity of nectar which each flow, r yield*,
and from it* being dilute—in some
case* o poor in *accharine matter that
it* *we< tneiis i* not appreciable to the
tongue. The *tr ngth of the sugary
fluid varies in different flower*, and
even in tbcamo flower at different times-
Con* jucntly the most direct way of
estimating the yield of honey is to
ascertain the actual quantity of sugar in
<wch flower. Tbi* can easily be done
by chemical methods. If we take a
large nnml>er of flower*, wash out their
ne. tar, and determine the sugar in the
solution, we can calculate from the
number of flowers used the average
amount of sugar in each flower witL the
greatest precision.
Experiments conducted in this way
showed each flower of tho fuchsia to
contain little more than tha tenth pirt
of a grain of sngar. In monkshood the
amount was rather less than the tenth
of a grain, while in tha everlasting pea
it was found three-twentieths of a grain
for each flower. In smaller flowers the
quantity is proportionately lest. Thus
each flower of tho little naturalized
American water-blink oily contained
six-hundredth* of a griin, and in tb *e
minute flowers which grow together in
compact ma.sse the amount was *LiiJ
smaller. A raceme, consisting of
twenty flowers of the vetch, only yield
ed Ave-hundredths of a grain, or little
over one five hundredth for each
floret. One head of common red
clover gave a little over one-tenth
of a grain (exactly 0.1221). Now, each
h<sad of clover contains about sixty dis
tinct flow.-r tub", each of which must
therefore have a portion of sugar not
exceeding the one five hundredth part
of a grain. Tbeproboaci* of the Is-e muit
consequently be inserted into five hun
dred clover tubes before one graiu of
sugar can be obtained. There are
7,000 grains in a pound, so that for
every pound of sugar procured in thi*
way 3,500,000 flower tubes most be
emptied. Money, however, only con •
tains tbree-fonrtba of its weight of dry
sugar; so that every pound of honey is
equivalent to mor than two and a half
millions of clover tubes sucked by bees!
—Good Wortk.
A Japan***- Itaspickr r.
Among the novel objects in the won
derful city of Tokio none ire more in
teresting to the foreigner than the peo
ple who earn their living on the streets.
These indnstrions cresnires come and
go at stated period*, have their regular
hannt\ attract attention l>y their peco
liar dress and strange cries, and play an
important part in the comedy of the city
life.
At dawn, long before the shopkeepers
have quitted their mats, the kami
kndzn-hiori (paper scrap collector)
emerges from his squalid hut and com
menees his rounds. He is usually an
old, old man, clad in patches and
shreds, and wears a very braad-briinmed
reed hat, while, for sanitary or other
reasons, his note and mouth are covered
with a ragged blue towel, people of his
claas beiog no longer compelled thai to
conceal their faces. Upon his left side
he carries a hago bat, light basket, and
in his right hand two long bamboo
rods, used lika tongs. lie seldom
speaks to any one, goes about his work
in a systematic manner, and is to Tokio
what the ragpicker is to New York,
though, unlike his foreign brother, be
generally confines himself to the col
lection of waste paper, not a scrap of
which eaapft* his ferret-like eyes.
Having formerly belonged k* the de
spised Eta class be ia very humble, and
bows to all the well-dressed person* be
encounters. As he silently moves along
the street he carefully turns over every
little pile of rubbish with his slicks,
and, picking out the piece* of paper,
jerks them into bis capacious receptacle.
It is wonderful how doiteroudy be
handles the instruments, one moment
using tbem to tear *. duuering fupssnl
of placard froru a fence, and the next
inserting mem between the bars of a
window and filching a book carelessly
left in night by its owner. He ia n wary,
thievish old rascal, and many a boy's
kite and servant-girl's novel that have
mysteriously disappeared from the
house have found their way into hia
basket. In addition to having a I tad
reputation for appropriating anything
in the shape of paper, h is said to be a
dogstealer. , *