The Planting of the Apple Tree. BY WIM IAM CULI.KX BRYANT. Conic, let ua plant the spple tree, Oravo tlio toiili greensward with tho spstle; Wide let it" hollow lied bo made; There gently lay the root", anil there Sift tho (lark mold with kindly cart*, And pre it o'or them tenderly; Aa 'rouud the sleeping infant'* feet Wo softly fold the cradlo "hoot, So plaut wo the apple tree. What plant we in thi* apple tree? Buds, which tho lirvstli of summer day* Shall lengthen into leafy sprays; Hough", where the thrush, with crimson breast, Shall haunt and sing, aud hide her nest; Wo plant upon the sunny lea A shadow for tho noontide hour, A shelter from tho summer shower, When wo plant tho apple tree. What plant wo in this apple tree ? Sweets for a hundred tlowory springs To load the May-wind's restless wings. When, from tho orchard row, ho |inrs Its fragrance through our open doors; A world of blossoms for the bee, Flowers for tho sick girl's silent room. For tho glad infant sprigs ol bloom. We plant with the apple tree. What plant wo in this applo troo ! Fruits that shall swell in sunny Juno, Aud reddeu in the August noon. And drop, when gentle airs corno by, That fan the bluo September aky ; While children come, with cries of glee And seek them wbcro tho fragrant grass Betrays their bod to those who pans, At tho foot of tho apple tree. And when, abovo this apple tree. The winter stars aro glittering bright, And winds go jowling through tho night, Girls whose young eyes o'orflow with mirth Shall peel its fruit by cottage hearth, And guests in prouder homos shall see Heaped with the grape of Cintra's vine, And golden orange of tho line, The fruit of the apple tree. The fruitage of this applo tree, Winds and our tlag of stripe and star Shall bear to coasts that lio afar, Where men shall wonder at tho riew, And ask in what fair groves thoy grow ; And sojourners beyond tho sea Shall think of childhood's careless day, And long, long hours of summer play, In the shads of the apple tree. Each year shall give this apple tree A broader flush of roseate bloom, A deeper maze of verdurous gloom, And loosen, when the frost-clouds lower, Tho crisp brown leaves iu thicker shower. The years shall come and pass, ut we Shall hear no longer, where we lie, The summer songs, the autumn's sigh. In the bough of the apple tree. And time shall waste this apple tree, Oh, whou its aged branches throw Thin shadows on the ground below, Shall frand and force and iron will Oppress the weak and helpless still ? What shall the tasks of. mercy be, Amid the toils, the strifos, the tears Of those who live when length of years Is wasting this little spple tree f "Win planted thisold apple troe ?** The children of that distant day Thus to some aged man shall say; And, g7.1 rig on its mossy stem. The gray-haired man shall answer thstn: "A poet of the land was he. Born in the rude but good old times; Tis said be male some quaint old rhymes On planting the apple tree." A ROMANCE IN REAL LIFE. Itobert Myron was the son of an English tenant-farmer, who in tho year 1848 found his family eipenscs increas ing so mncb faster than his income tbat it was absolutely necessary to do crease the former, since the latter conld not bo made larger. In the hope of being able to assist his father in some way Robert came to thiaconntry, and failing to find em ployment near the metropolis walked from town to town, nntil when near Rochester, New York, he was hired as a farm laborer by Jndge James E. Berry. During six yoars yonng Myron worked industrionsly, sending nearly all of bis earnings to his parents, and then came the sad news that both father and mother had died on the same day. After recovering from this shock it was bnt natural the yonng man shonld begin to think of establishing a homo for himself, and quite as natural that his love shonld go ont to the daughter of his employer, who plainly showed her preference for the yonng man who had so devoted himself to his parents. Bnt Jndge Berry, while ho recognized in Myron an invaluable farm laborer, had not the same views regarding him as a son-in-law that Miss Bessie had, and the consequence was that the lovers, finding it impossible to change the father's opinion, resolved to elope and build np for themselves a home in the far West. In 1858, with but a few hundred dol lars and the judge's curse, the young eon pie were married, and settled at Oreen Lake, Michigan, where, at the beginning of the year 1862, they were in reasonably prosperous circumstan ces, with two children to make glad their hnmble log cahin. Their farm was situated several miles from any settlement, and although the Indians were rising against the whites in many portions of the State, neither Mr. nor Mrs. Myron felt any uneasiness, beoause they believed they bad succeeded in establishing the most friendly relations with inch of the " forest children'' as they came in contact with. Therefore they were by no means alarmed when or.n day ilte Indiana stalked gravely into the cabin jnst as the noonday in on 1 won being aerved. It hail oveu been Mr. Myron'a custom to invito Rnch visitors to partako of food, anil on this, aa on other occasions, they readily accepted tho invitation; bnt, greatly to tho surprise and nuousinees of thoir host, instead of placing their rifles in ono corner of the room, as usual, they held them between thoir knees, tho muzzles of tho weapons showing just above the edgo of tho table. Mr. Myron was too woll versed in Indian customs not to know that such action on the part of his guests meant mischief. With tho view of showing them that he understood this broach of hospitality,'and in tho slight liopo of intimidating thorn, ho arose from the table, took from tho rack on tho wall his riflo and fowling piece, anil care fully examined thorn to show they wero loaded. Why tho savages did not at tack him then is one of tho inexplica ble things in Indian warfare. Instead of making any hostile demonstrations they stalked gravely out of tho house, disappearing behind a clamp of bashes. For the moment Myron believed ho had wronged his gnests, and that they had taken nmbrago at his movements when their intentions wero peaceful. Still holding his rifle in his hand, Myron stepped to the open door for tho pnrpose of ascertaining whether his gnests had really departed. When tho farmer appeared on tho threshold tho report of a rifle was hoard, and Myron fell, with a dangerous bnt not necessa rily fatal wonnd in his side. Women who live on the border,'.where they aro constantly menaced by danger, learn early in life that they must deny themselves woman's privilego of faint ing. When Mr. Myron fell, his wife sprang to his defense rather than assiaV aneo. To close and barricade windows and doors was bnt the work of a mo ment when everything was prepared for snch occasions, and then the heroic woman turned her attention to her hus band and children. The father's wonnd bled but little, and save to stanch the blood the devoted wifo conld not aid him, except by piling tho bedding aronnd him in snch away that, in a sit ting posture, he conld face tho closed door. Tho temporary safety of the children was secured by fastening them in tho cellar, where they would be be yond tho reach of any ballets their late visitors might send, and after she had perfected her plan of defense she be gan to assnme the offensive. By removing the mail that filled the crevices of the logs at the end of the house, loop-holes were formed, and throngh these the hnsband and wife began an assault npon their foes. With his rifle Myron shot ono of the Indians, and at the same time his wife killed another with tho fowllng-pi.-ce. IJy this time the foe, finding their intended victims more tenacious of life than they supposed, resorted to stiatagem to ac complish the massacre. In tho field was a cart half filled with bar ; in the stable-yard stood a yoke of oxen quietly eating. To fasten tho animals to the cart and not expose themselves to the deadly aim of those in the honse was a difficult task, bnt one that tho Indians finally accomplished. To get tho load of hay against tho bnilding, that it might be set on fire, was still moro difficult, and in this cise nnsnccessfnl, for before it could be done both hus band and wife had shot an enemy, while the fifth and only remaining one sought safety in precipitate flight. Each momont the conflict lastod the hnsband grew weaker, and medical aid conld not bo procured withont a jour ney of a hundred and eighty miles. To traverse this distance there was no other mode of conveyance than the ox cart. In this rude vehicle Mrs. Myron placed her husband and children, and not once daring that tedious jonrney, made painfnl by tho suffering of the man for whom she had braved the dangers and discomforts of a frontier life, was a halt made. At 8L Olond surgical aid was pro cured, and there, after Mr. Myron's recovory, he sought work of any kind that would bring in sufficient for the anpport of bis family, since the depreda tions of the Indians had impoverished him. It was only by the greatest exer tions that Myron oonld keep bis family from actual want; and hearing that laborers were in greater demand at Gape Girardeau, he, with his wife and chil dren, embarked on the steamer Tidal Wave for that place, after having re mained at St. Cloud newly a year. The voyage waa never completed, however, for when Tower Grove, Mis souri , was reached, a fire broke ont on the ill-fated steamer, and in a very short time ahe was barned to the water's edge. The loss of life was considerable, and among the missing ones were the two Myron children. For the second time Robert Myron was homeless and penniless, with his sufferings intensified by the loes of his children. Perhaps it was fortunate for him that he wae obliged to work very hard simply to keep the wolf from the door, for it invented him from brood- ing over bin misfortunes, as even n stronger man might have done. Daring tho two years that elapsod after the homing of the Tidal Ware Robert Myron labored indnntrionaly, but without huooom, ho far aa the ac j cumulation of worldly good* was con cerned; he had been able to j>ay the rent of a rude cabin three mile from tho village of Tower Rill, and to fur nish it scantily. But tho expenscH at tendant upon tho birth of two children and his own sovero illness, during which ho was oonflned to his bod two months, had exbaUHtod the small fund he had succeeded in saving to enable him tx romovo to Cape Girardeau. Then came a time when ho oonld no longer find employment near his wretched homo, and he sought it some miles up the rivor, going and returning \ oach day in a small boat. Even then it | appeared that misfortnno was not wearied with pursuing him, or ono night whon returning from his. work a storm came up, which overturned his frail skiff, und, nearly exhausted, he was thrown upon a narrow bar of sand that mado out from the bank of the river at the spot where the Tidal Wave was bnrnod. On this frail aßd treach erons foot hold ho managed to remain during tho night, in full sight of the town, but nuable to attract attention to his desperato condition. Tho dawn of day revealed still more horrors, for close beside him, having evidently l>een unearthed by tho waves, was the skeleton of a human being. At first Myron felt that fear which teems to be natural in man when ho sees the deserted tenement of one of his kind ; but tho reeking-place which tho waves gavo to the living and tho dead was so small that ho was obliged to remain almost in actual contact with the yellow bones. AH ho sat by the skeleton wait ing for help from tho shore, which seemed so tardy in coming, ho saw about tho nlm of tho flesh I ess frame a leather belt. Curiosity overcame his horror, and, unfastening the belt, ho found within it gold coin to tho amount of five thousand dollars. That Robert Myron was in a fever of excitement hardly needs to bo told. lie had struggled to the full strength of man many years, and was hardly more than a pauper whon ho should have had at least a spot of God's footstool he could call his own. Tho dead had brought him what the living had re fused. To take the gold for his own purposes seemed a theft, and yet he who had fastened it about his body could no longer use it. Too straggle Iwtween his conscience and his necessity was a long one; but when those who came to rescue him arrived at the aand bar they fonnd him with a skeleton, on which nothing oonld bo seen, and no one could have fancied that tho half drowned man had found a treasure. That the banes were those of one of the passengers of tho Tidal Wavo no one donbted, and they were given a resting place among tho nameless graves of thoso who had lost their lives in tho disaster. So ono save Robert Myron and his wife know of tho monoy. licit, or that on the inside of it, cat deep in the thick lexther, was the uumo " Henry Parks." Bat Myron, having his money, did not daro to use it oponly lost people shonld question how ho got it. He had agreed with his wife that thoy shonld use tho gold for their own benoflt, but do it with a view of roturning it if they should ovor find tho deal man's heirs. This he hoped to do by making such investments as could lo readily realised upon so that they might show thorn selves to be good, even if solf-eloctod, stewards The cabin thoy lived in and tho five acres of land surrounding it was for salo at a price below its real value. Myron represented to the owner that, despite appearances, he had succeeded in saving a small amount of money— about half the price asked—and offered to bay it if hi* note would be accept ed fur the balance. The bargain was made, and Myron atill continued to work by the day for auy one who wonld hire him, tilling his own farm when he oonld fln l no other work. Then he invested in a very small way in stock, buying when he conld get de cided bargains only. Tear by year he added to his possessions, and his neigh bors called him a "thrifty" man. All his investments were good ones, since none were made save with a view of converting everything into cssh at a moment's notice if neoeesary, and Rob ert Myron became a wealthy man. As is usual, with wealth came the respect of his neighbors who, to show their appreciation of money, elected him to the office of county judge Daring the year 1870 the inhabitant# of Tower Hill witneeeed the deetrno tion of another steamer by fire at almost the exact place where the Tidal Wave went down. Among all tboee men who labored to save life none was more ac tive than Robert Myron, and his house was converted into n hospital for the reoeption of tboee who were injnred, but saved from death Mrs. Myron was as earnest in her ef forts to comfort the distressed people as was her husband, and her labor was signally rewarded by finding among the nnfortnnato ones whom she was nursing her father, whom she had not heard from since the day she loft his homo to fonnd another with the ono man she loved above all others. Tho danghter's heart was mado still more glad when the old gentleman told hor and hor husband that ho had Ix-on searching for them several months in the hope of inducing them to'return to his lonely home or allow him to re main with them. Then ho told a strange story, and one wliioh lifted a load that had grown heavier with oach succeeding year from his son-in-law's heart. In 1861 Mrs. Myron's annt had died, bequeathing to hor niooo thesnm of five thousand dollars. Jndgo Berry, half relenting that ho had not looked with favor npon his danghter's marriage, had sent his clerk to carry to hor this legacy. The messenger had written to his em ployer from Ht. Cloud in 1862, staling that he had traced Mr. and Mrs. Myron to that place, hut that from there they had gone, as ho had reason to belie ve, to Capo Girardeau, which place he was about to start for in tho steamer Tidal Wave. From that time Mr. Berry had never hoard from his elerk, and he be lieved he had lost his life when the steamer was bnrnod. As tho old gentleman finishod his story, the husliand and wife gazed at each other with an al most despairing hope in their oyes, and it was only with tho greatest difficulty Judge Myron oonld ask the question, "What was the man's name ?" " Henry Parks." The load was lifted for evermore ; the money which they telieved was another's belonged rightfully to them ; the in vestments made with a view to being able to restore tho principal at any time insured tbair own prosperity, and by purloining their own from the dead they had honestly relieved themselves from the thralldom o! poverty.—Har jytr* Ilatur. CLIITINUS FOR TIIE CURIOUS. The first grain elevators of America were bnilt in Chicago eleven years ago. Hon thorn Rnssia is the chief sonrce of the salt supply to the other govern ments of the empire. The farm ,animals of Great Britain represent abont one-half the total value of those of the United Htatos. The national library of Mexico is rc ported to be in a deplorable state, thousands of books lying about in con fusion. Mounds have t>een found in the Pyrenees as distinct in their resem blanoc to animal forms as any Ameri can mounds. The custom of throwing a shoe after a bride comes from the Jewish custom of handing a shoe to a purchaser of land after the completion of tho bar gain. The pine needles of the Hilesian for ests have been converted into forest wool, which, besides being efficacious in oases of rheumatism, can be curled, felted and woven. The edible oyster attains its full growth only in the waters of the Amer ican coast, and its representative in Great Britain dwindles down to a small, coppery flavored bivalve. I a some parts o! Germany a carious custom exists. The peasantry who possess a bit of lan l, howover small, ncvor enter a chnrsh wit hont having a nosegav in their hand. Tb ey thus show that they claim the consideration duo to those who possoss some property in tho parish. The megapod of the East Indies bnilds an artificial mold in which its eggs are deposited to be hatched. The mounds are sometimes fourteen feet high, with a circumference of 150 feet, and the decay of tho vegetable matter of which they are composed produces an artificial warmth sufficient to hatch the eggs. Balloonist* have a unique method of taking " soundings" to learn their dis tance from the earth when traveling in the air at night. A loud ahont is given and the seoodds are oounted until the echo from tho ground is heard. From the time required for the retnrn of the round It is easy to compute the height of the balloon. Horseflesh is growing in favor in Paris. In 1875 the consumption there wm 7,000 horses and ten donkeys or mnles; in 1880 9,000 horses and 320 donkeys or mules, and in 1881 9,300 horses and 400 donkeys or males. There are now forty horse butcheries In Paris. Bo microscopical ly perfect is the watch-makiug machinery now in use that screws are cut with nearly six hundred threads to the inch—though the finest used in the watoh baa two hundred and fifty. These threads are invisible to the naked eye, and it takes 144,000 of the screws to weigh a pound, their value being sis pounds of pure gold. A life of General Grant has been printed in Japan. # lt ia seven volumes In length. LARILS' DEPARTMENT. Kffl raUTura. A novel style of arranging thecoiffnre is as follows : The whole of the hair is brongbt hack and tied low in the neok. It is then divide! evenly and formed into two separate plaits. Tho front hair being drawn back forms a low ridge where the forehead and hair meet. At the back of this ridge one of tho plaited strands of hair goes en circling the head, lying quite flat, as in the pictures of Bappbo. Tho other strand is arranged in a low knot behind, and holds tho ends of the braid which encircles tho head. For fnll-dress occasions fine pearls are woven in these plaits. The I.Rundri-M <{■•*■> f Parla. The laundresses of Paris dnly elected their queens last month, one for each district, and on Miil-Lent day their majesties were solemnly conducted through tho different quarters of tho city, crowned with flowers and enthroned on tho biggest and most ornamental vehicles to be obtained for love or money. The laundresses form an im portant guild, the annual receipts for laundering in Pans being set at no less than $12,000,000, of which about $3,000,- 000 are divided among tho 5,000 lann drios in the city, the remainder going to the great suburban establishments, which employ steam engines and soores of operatives. Tho laundresses of the French capital have figured in politics, as witness their solemn appoarance by delegates before the convention, Febru ary 21, 179.3, to protest against forestall ing, and they recall with pride the fact that Bcxtus V.'s sister was a laundress, and that tho poet [Dafrevny espoused his washerwoman, to say nothing of the j modern instance of the 'imperial favor alighting npon Marguerite Belangerc ! the Anadyomennof the washtnb—Venus risen from the snds. A Nrrnf al ibr Users. A young lady at the opera in Wash ington, aitting in front of a young spooney and a girl in a Gainsborough hat, having enjoyed a delicious treat, narrates the fallowing scene, more realistic than any mk—balieve business on the stage: The girl—Oh! I wrote snch a long letter home, to-day—seven pages. He—What! seven * She—Yes, and the postman didn't come, and I opened it and wrote seven more. Ho—l wish yon'd write me a letter. Bbs (tenderly)— Why, what could I : write ? Ho—You needn't write but three 1 words. Hhe—Three words? Whet can they ' be? He—Three nice little words. She—Oh, my! Ain't you strange? This knocks the yonng man out of I time for a minute, and daring that period th n music had a chance. But be oomes up again smiling, a little dis ; figured, but still in the ring. He—Oh I yon know. Bhe No I indeed I don't. He—Well, I'll tell you some other time. Tb<- chorus comes down toward the foot-lights with unmistakable intent to howl, and daring the preliminary fiddling the not too-curions-bat- ut curiously-enough yonng girl says, with a sweetly shrinking timidity: j "Can t you tell me while they're singing ?" j Then a fiendishVrell from the chorus l breaks off shorter than conld possibly lie anticipate*], and his voice is heard with startling distinctness : " I love yon. Couldn't yon write that r "Oh! my, yes, and ever'so much more." And then the ten or clutches the prims donna by the back hair and yells bloody murder into ber right eyebrow, and the yonng man and the yonng woman lean so hard on the arm of the orchestra chair that her vaccination mark blushes like an aurora boroalis. White camels' hair ia much used for tea gowns. Ribbons are again fashionable for neck wear. Lace ia worn with everything and on •very thing. Historical and picturuequej ooatumee grow in favor. Brocaded China crape'appears among late noveltiea. It ia the fashion'to .tie the neck rib bon on one aide. Hip draperies and tnnica are much tuoked and ganged. In spite of effort* to make all evening dresses abort, trains are worn exten si rely. The hair, to be fashionably dressed, mnat fall low on the neek and also on the brow. Pale grey and terra ootta, pale bine and canary yellow.are favorite oombtna tiona for tea gowns. Hideous curtain panders disfigure a large proportion of the Paris-made dresses of this season. ' A loose, puffed drapery just below the hip* all around the aldrt appears ia handsome dresses for children. Tbe nolora for neek ribbon* are torn ootta, aurora pink, porcelain bine, na- Liogany, ruby and cardinal red. Koilor suit* of nary bine flannel fat girl*' wear are trimmed with military gold braid and umalJ round gold but ton*. Hone color and terra ootta, maroon and copper oolor are favorite combina tion* of oolor in late importations of hosiery. Ivory wbite Breton and Moreaqao lace* are combined with the heavy ecru ficelle or Medici laoes in forming neck lingerie. Among the growing innovation* in modern fashion* is tbe wearing of velvet in all seasons, not excepting midsummer. Dressmakers exercise their ingenuity thia aeaaon in the creation of all norfca of trimmings for ,be .bottom cf tha . skirts of dresses. The long plain skirt of some rich, heavy stuff, with a box plaited ruche at tbe bottom, worn with a panit-r bodioe, gain* ground every day. Combination* of red and black, ma roon and terra ootta, greyhound blue and water blue appear in hat*, bonnets, and in children'* garment*. Little children of six years and under will wear next summer hat* with wide round brims, turned up in front, wl on them an ostrich plume or medium sited fancy feather. The agreeable f atare of summer style* are the prevalence of short round skirts, the absence of bustles, the variety in shapes of hats and boa nets, in costumes and colors. Neck ribbons are from one to two inches wide, and are worn around the neck inside the dress collar and oat side the standing linen collar. Than they arc tied in a long-looped bow, with longer ends. In spit* of the large importations of elaborate and extremely deoonpe dresses, composed of two or several fabrics, plain co*tum<-s, all of one stuH and with but little trimming, are seen everywhere, and are most worn by tbe women who are oonaidered authority in matters of dres* and fashion. Lace necklets sre s novelty intro duced to be worn with the bodioe open in the neck. They are made of duoh ease or round point lace, and consist of s band of insertion edged on both sides with narrow lace; thia band goes round the throat. In front are pendants of ; lace in medallion patterns. The bend and pendants are densely covered with (>e*rl beads and sparkling crystal*. The most fashionable styles in walk ing costume* are those which show a perfectly plain skirt formed of some ! rich material, gored tn French fashion, thus giving it the cachet seen upon no other skirt. Around the bottom is placed a full "rampant" outstanding ruche, which constitutes tbe only trim ming. Abore this is worn a short polo naise with full short ponfs at the ride, or a pointed bodice and tunic with paniera. The Paper Wf CK. Paper ear wheels are composed en tirely of paper rings pressed together under s weight of six tons, and thou fastened by means of bolts, and steel tires pnt on them, when they ate reedy | for use. Laid loosely the rings stack as high as the shoulders of an ordinary man. Under treatment they sink to the thickness re tired. If the tire shonld wear or fall off the wheel, or the train ran from the track, there would be no danger of their breaking, as they are rery flexible and wonld spring. A paper ball can be rendered so solid that nothing bnt a diamond tool an cause an indentation into it. At the mill is a square block of compressed j paper fastened on a turning lathe and so hard that if a fine steel chisel is held against it when it is moving, instead of cutting the paper it will break the chisel into a hundred piecea. The strength is astonishing. Yon can take a£s note of the Hank of England, twist it into • kind of rope, suspend 339 pounds upon one end of it and not injure it in the slightest degree. Bath-tuba and pots are formed by compressing the paper made of linea fibers snd annealed—that is, painted j with a composition which becomes a | part thereof and is fireproof The tubs last indefinitely, never leak, and put la the fire will not burn np. Yon can best on them with a hammer and not injure them. Plates compressed and annealed are very durable. You cannot only wash them, but drop them upon the floor and stand upon them. The fork oan be used for any practical purpose, and the knife can always be kept sharp. Paper can be substituted for weed converted into picture frame* sue colored like walnut, cherry and UK tike. Bedsteads are fashioned the mmt as car wheels, only of long stripe la stead of rings. They are very beauti ful and lasting. Cooking or hnatrag stoves are also annealed, and it is im possible to barn item out. They aaa less oovtly than iron. A house can literally be constructed of and furnished with every conveniene* in paper.