The Closing Days.
Er wild winds com*, or lone and rains,
We walk the pleasant meadows,
With bennty crowned, the fruitful plains,
The wood-path flocked with shadows,
W here, in tho room of starry bloom,
Are little fox-grapes glowing ;
While oardinat, to light the gloom
Its blood-red flag is showing I
M ith glory every scene is fraught J
The miracle of old is wrought.
The autumn's bright memorial hue
Now gilds familiar places ;
How shines the stream, the skies how blue.
And every bramble graces!
A trail of Are the vines creep higher,
Among the cellars waving i
The roving eye doth never tire.
It finds no dull engravings.
With glory ev'ry sceno is fraught;
The mirncle of old is wrought.
The bursting husks tho schoolboys see,
Where poli-hed chestnuts cluster,
And they with glee round chosen tree,
To glean the walnuts muster !
And hanging down so ri|o and brown.
The russet harvests finding,
While husbandmen in ev'ry town
The Intest sheaves are tending.
With glory ev'ry scene is fraught;
The nnracle of old is wrought!
—Qrorge H. Griffith.
A SEA MONSTER.
Tom Langtry, walking along the
pebbly bench a few miles from Mullin
garth, came upon a sheltered inlet
where undisturbed he might indulge
in the luxury of :t swim. It was a
warm afternoon, and Tom, oppressed
with the fatigue and dust of a long
railroad journey from Dublin that
morning, could not resist Uie tempta
tion of a " dip" in the cool, sparkling
water. Leaving his clothes half
hidden among the rocks, he plunged]
in itnd struck out boldly from land.!
After half an hour's lusty buffeting
with tin- waves, he swam slowly back
to shore, and, scrambling up the
shelving beach, saw, to his indescril*-
able consternation, that of his garments
left on the rocks not a trace remained.
Hi-stood fora moment looking alsiut
him in breathless dismay, shivering
and miserable, hut with energy enough
left roundly to malign the rascally
thief who had taken his clothes. He
shouted in a strong, clear voice—once
twice, three times—hut no answer
came. What was to lie done? He
could not walk hack to the town as
lie was, and it was growing late and
unpleasantly cool. What a fool lie
had been to risk his property within
reach of a possible thief! Yet the spot
he hud chosen had seemed so safe.
A quantity of rank, coarse-obred sea
weed grew on the rock, and the re
mains of a tish-net were hanging from
a .-.take driven into the sand. No Ix-t
--ter idea occurring to him. Captain
Langtry t<>re great handfuls of the
slimy weed from its stony bed, and,
winding it aliout his shivering form,
secured it with fragments of the net.
The oily seaweed, thickly Is-sprink
ltsl with barnacles and sharply-edged
cockle-shells, was but a sorry suMi
tute for the neat tweed suit and fine
linen, the loss of which he so bitterlv
regretted. He advanced a few steps,
when the absurdity of his appearance
struck him, and he laughed till the
tears ran down his cheeks. Would his
gay companions in Dublin recognize
him now? How differently from of
old would the belles of that bright city
regard Dim could they ss- him, clothed
in yards of slimy seaweed!
He made his way inland from the
beach as fast as his unshod feet would
hear him over the rough stones, and,
crossing a barren meadow came at
length upon a cabin more picturesque
than the average, shaded by several
fine oaks. Uelp seemed finally at hand
for surely the roughest peasant would'
have more suitable attire than sea
weed to lend in an emergency. Cap
tain Langtry hastened toward the
open doorway, and proclaimed his ar
rival by a knock and loud " Hallo!"
His summon* was quickly answered
hv a girl of sixteen or eighteen, who,
after one swift glance at the new
comer, threw up her hands and ex
claimed;
"The saints defend us, hut it is the
Ould One himself!"
Captain Langtry gave no heed to
this inhospitable greeting, so pleased
and fascinated was he by the girl's
beauty. Her real Irish eyes of clear
dark blue shone with excitement, her
cheeks were flushed, and her glossy
black hair, c urling and soft, had fallen
over one shoulder in picturesque con
fusion. But her mental summing up
of the captain was far from compli
mentary; she saw only a shaggy, drip
ping creature, with little human about
him except u tawny mustache ami
saucy blue eyes.
" Begone, you villain, or I will throw
this hot water over you!" she cried,
seizing the boiling kettle from the
hob,
Tom saw that she was In earnest,
and as sbe absolutely refused to listen
to his pitiful story, lie thought It better
to avoid the scalding water and depart
In.peace. With a last regretful glauc--
I at the beautiful little fury brandish
ing the tea-kettle, he disappeared be
hintl the house, and found himself In a
flourishing potato Held.
In a far corner an old woman, in
one of the long dark, blue coats of the
country, was busily bending over the
hillocks. For the first time in his life
Captain Lungtry played the part of u
sneaking thief. lie stole softly up behind
the helpless old creature, nnd, seizing
! her cloak, tore it from her shoulders
i and sped like the wind across the pie
| tato field, wrapping himself in the
[ ample covering us he ran.
" Ilowly mother, preserve us!" he
hoard screamed behind him, and
then a groan and execration reached
his ears. One swift glance backward
revealed the old woman on her knees
! among the hillocks; hut whether she
had assumed this position by accideht
or to pray for the return of her cloak,
Captain Langtry had no time to in
quire. His trials were now well-nigh
over, for the cloak, though an odd gar
ment for a man, robbed him of bis
| troublesome, supernatural appearance.
! Beyond the lire of sarcasm from ur
chins encountered on the way, lie was
allowed to re-enter Mullingarth unmo
lested, where, over a cup of hot tea, ho
laughed at his adventures of the after
noon.
Six months passed, and after an ex
tended tour in Norway Captain Lang
try found himself again in the little
fishing village of Mullingarth. All
through bis wanderings in foreign lands
he had oddly enough been haunted by
j the bright eyes of the fiery little coun
try lass who hud threatened to deluge
' formation with avidity, and, after hav
, ing assured himself that the blue-eye. 1
heroine of the tea-kettle still held her
swav in the household, he engaged a
room for a month in the little lodg
ing-house, which rejoiced in tho naiue
of " The Cull's Nest."
Folded in the lnittom of his trunk,
' which was shortly convey id to its new
dwelling, lay the long blue cloak which
Captain Langtry had found of such
service on a former occasion. If he
i found it expedient to acknowledge
I himself the thief lie would restore the
old woman's property without delay,
as his conscience trouhhd him for not
having done so long ie-fora.
Shortly after ins installation in his
i new abide a timid knock, accompanied
i by the rattling of dishes, sounded at
his door. To Captain Langtry'# great
delight his attendant proved to In* no
other than the charming little girl for
the sake of whose pretty face he had
given up his comfortable rooms in Mo
town. She sat the tray, containing a
carefully-prepared tea, on the table and
a-ked, bashfully, what the gentleman's
further wishes might I**. It was
hardly |co*sihlo that in the well-dp--sod,
polite man who greetid her with a
ph-asant sieile she should recognize the
shivering wretell who had come to
I their cabin door the previous summer,
and Captain Langtry felt safe against
questionings on that disagreeable sub
!
"What shall I call the graceful lit
tie fairy v. ho brings my refreshment#?"
I he asked, gallantly.
'• Who, please, sir ?"
" What is your name—Hose, Lily,
Daisy? Something equally suggestive,
I am sure."
" Norah, sir."
" Norahr—a pretty name that suits
you exactly."
The pleased Mush on the girl's
| cheek showed plainly that this time
the captain's words had been under
stood, and with a half-saucy, half
depn-cating courtesy she left the room.
.During the six months that had
elapsed Norah had grown more charm
ing than ever; Iter manner had lost its
wildness, perhaps through greater eon
tact with the people of the town; nnd
Captain Langtry discovered, almost
with delight, that she was an orphan
with some gentle blood m her veins,
her father having been a poor gentle
man who hail IM-CQ disowned by his
family for the mesalliance lie had con
tracted with Norah's mother.
In Norah's cousin Teddy there was
nothing to excite admiration, either as
to eomliness of person or brilliant
qualities of mind; he was a freckle
faced, red-haired man, belligerent
of disposition and ad verse to all at
tempts at improvement.
When Captain Langtry happened to
stroll out into the garden Teddy was
always ready to pause in his occtipa
'tlon of hoeing potatoes and chat by the
hour, his most eloquent theine being
the abuse of the rascally villain who
itolen his grnndinother's cloak.
" Faith, captain, never was such an
lill-lookin' thief seen la-fore," lie would
say, leaning on his hoe, " wid his wild
; eyes and the weeds trailin' about hiui.!
| It wasn't enough to frighten Norali
; iuto fits, but he must chaao the poor
1 old woman in the prayty-fleld and ruh
j her of her warm cloak, the like of
which she couldn't replace again in the
winter. May tho Ould Hoy crack lis
tninns! And she's been limpin' and
groauin* ever since wjd tho pain in her
knees from ajfall when tryin' to run
after him. The villain, wouldn't I
like to have him within reach of me
two fists!"
Captain Langtry thought of the
cloak lying at the bottom of his trunk
and could scarcely suppress a smile.
"(lid Nelly and Norah think it was
a ghost,'or the Evil One himself who
stole the cloak ; do you not agree with
them?" Captain Langtry asked.
" No, your honor; even though
Norah declares she saw the two horns
of him stiekin' up through his ragged
hair, I have rayson to believe it was a
man like ourselves who stols tho
cloak ; " and To bly chuckled to him
self, and a knowing light shone in his
eyes, but he could not bo prevailed
upon to express himself further.
As tho summer wore on, Captain
Langtry threw worldly prudence to
the winds, and allowed bright-eyed
Norah to take complete possession of
Ills heart; and, what w;is of more im
portance, he knew that love had
awakened in her bosom for him. He
had not a relative in the world. His
aristocratic friends might scoff and
make sport of his tender heart if they
chose; lie would take this wild rose for
his own, and they could wander away
to a newer country, if their life in the
old was not happy. So more and more
la-came his companion in his
daily walks, his rambles by tho sea
shore, and his idle half hours in the
garden; and each day he grew more
convinced that, without her, happiness
could riot exist for him.
As the autumn drew near the vil
lagers heard rumors of a quiet wed
ding that was to take place in the little
rustic church; and old Nelly waxed
eloquent and her ca|vfrilLs swayed over
a very radiant face as she spoke of Su
rah's elevation to a place among "the
qmility."
******
-V fair was in progress on the out
skirts of the village, and Teddy was
to grace the assemblage with Ids pres
ence; Is'fore starting forth he ap
peared among the dwellers of "The
< lull's Nest" for their approval. As
Captain Langtry was complimenting
him ujN.n the neat fit of his leather;
hrs*'hos, a noise in the street drew the
young irishman outside.
During his absence the captain
caught sight of the IM>WI of a inoer
ebaum pije- which looked strangely
familiar; it was pis-ring forth frmn
the |Hieket of Teddy's ecat, which
hail Is-en thing across the back of a
chair. He examinul the pi|e and
found, as he expected, initials and a
•late on the silver band near the mouth
piece.
"Teddy trad-d off an ould pistol for
it at the last fur." said Nellie, noticing
her guest's interest
"I wonder if that old witch is an
accomplice, or if the fellow humbugged
her?" muttered the captain to him
self.
Ashe retiri-d the pipe to its hiding
pl.vu'. hv could si-arcely suppress an in
dignant exclamation, for he discovered
a silk handkerchief blaring his own
inofioipaiii and crest In the same dingy
jxs-ket, but, when Teddy re-entered
the room, all trace of astonishment
liail vanished from Captain Langtry's
f;ice, and he allower] tiie young man to
depart without remark.
"Confound the rascal !" the captain
exclaimisl, when he was .-done. •• To
think of Ids hav ing my pipe and hand
kerchief in his possession all this time,
besides all the other tilings that he
stole from the rocks that day! No
wonder the villain ha<l * rayson to sup
pose* that the sea monster was a man
•like ourselves' uncommonly like
myself I In truth, 1 should like
to give this young man a taste
of a prison cell; but I dare not accuse
him for Norah's sake. It is well for
the villain that I want to keep that
adventure a sis-ret from his cousin; her i
Under conscience might rebel against
marrying the man who hail no ill- i
treated old gntnny. No,' Teddy may
keep his spoils, and I will hold my I
tongue. My sweet little Norah's con
fidence in me must not lie disturlssl 1
for a thousand times the value of those
paltry clothes."
• ••**
It was the day liefofe the wedding
anil "The Hull's Nest" was the scene*
of a cheerful hustle and confusion; the 1
bridal pair were to start for Paris, and
tho little house was full of the tasteful i
new clothes that had been bought f< r
Norah. j i
As Cnptain Langtry walked up and
down the garden paths some one I
touched his shoulder softly from be
hind; he turned and in-held Teddy,
who, instead of breaking forth into!
one of his many voluble greetings,
beckoned to the captain to follow him
into u small summer-house. There
was an air of mystery mingled with
malicious triumph about the buy
which excited Captain Langtry's furi
osity as to what was coming.
"Savin'your presence, hut I never
before believed it was a viper we were
takin' to our buzzums, your honor,"
Teildy began, somewhat confusedly.
" Speak out, man 1 What have you
on your mind ?"
" Include, sir, but you might have
told us long ago before Norah, flie fool
ish child, lost her heart to you. In
inovin' your big trunk this inornin' I
let it fall down the stairs; all the
tilings tumbled out, and at tho top of
the heap I found granny's blue cloak.
My heart is broken entirely thinkin'
of poor Norah, for the curse of the
O'Tooles will follow ln-r if sin- marries
the man who robbed the old woman,
not to speak of the lame km-*-s."
" Have you told Norah of your won
derful discovery?"
" Not yet, captain," said Teddy ; and
then his tone changed. "If your
honor wouldn't mind givin' rii- a trilb
—a hit to put by in tin- bank for a
rainy day—l perhaps would say
notion', though It was shabby of your
honor to so deceive h<>n-st folks."
" Are you quite sure of the honesty,
Teddy?"
" What do you mean, sir? "
•"I mean that for stealing my pipe
and handkerchief, which you have in
your jHisM-ssion now, and the other
tilings, which you may have di-q><*e<l
of, you deserve a year in the peniten
tiary."
Teddy's dismayed face was a pic
tun- ; he Ml upon his knci-s and l-gan
in beseeching tones to ask forgive
ness.
"Get up, Teddy," said the the cap
tain, "we will let th" subject drop.
Wn have 1 nith done wrong; but you
have I-cn more in fault. You may
kii-p my pipe as long as you keep this
affair a si-cn-t; hut, if you till Norah,
I will prosecute you—do you under
stand?"
" I do, your honor."
******
A year has passed, and Teddy still
keeps his pipe and w-eret; and Mrs.
Langtry, who has settled In Canada,
after having, through Tmn's gener
osity. provided for old Nelly, will never
know, imrept from her husband's lips,
that she married a sea monster.
ills I.al lertur*.
Captain Paul Hoyton, In describing
bis project of floating down the
Colorado river in his rublwr suit,
taikeil s<i well tiiat a reporter aske<i
him why he did not eriU-f the lecture
fb-ld. "No, sir," he answered, " I've
hail enough of that. My last expert
i-nce was at Helena, Arkansas. I was
forr-ol by the people there on my voy
age down the Mississippi to stop over
for a lecture. I couldn't speak in my
rubber suit. I b.-vlri't any baggage.
The mayor lent me his dreasooat and
a white handkerchief, which he tied
very artistically around rny neck as a
cravat. The doctor promised me the
troiiM-rs. He was called off by a
patient and didn't turn up. The stage
was a small on<; the people were howl
ing. The mayor fixed up a table
covered so with arixlcloth that nothing
In-low my waist could be wen. I was
foroed on. 1 got to talking and was
well received. When I came to tell
alKiut my encounter with a shark I
liei-atne a little excited, forgot alsiut
my costume, stepjwsl to one side of the
table, and—well,*when the audience,
yelled with laughter I made a lieodine
for the green room, and haven't lec
tured since."
Why *oiw> People Fall in Life,
They neglect details.
They fail to push business.
They talk jHilitics too much.
They have no eye to business.
They imitate their neighlmrs.
They know not the power of method.
They become rusty and b-se ambi
tion.
They let their help waste and de
stroy.
They have too much outside busi
ness.
They fail to invent or have new
ideas.
They are not polite or arcommoda
king.
They are penny-wiae and pound
foolish.
They are not liberal to home enter
prism.
They hope for fortune to drop In
their laps.
They think most thing;; take too
much trouble.
They attend to exerything but their
own business. •
They do not advertise their business
in tbeir home piqier.
" I am dressed to kill." as the recruit
aid when he had donned his uniform.
Thanksgiving, Then and Now.
"Thanksgiving" originated in the
pious sentiment that to the Lord of
tho Harvest were <lue tint public thanks
of the harvester. Tlio xiiigrims of
Plymouth began it. Prompted |y their
sympathy with tin- Jewish " Feast of
Harvest," anil by the fitness of tilings,
they set apart a day on whieh to re
joice together, " ie-fore the Lord," for
the yield of " twenty :ii-roa of Indian
corn " and " six ai res of barley and
pease."
In the spring of 1021, " when the
leaves of the white oak were sis big as
the ear of a mouse"—that l>eing the
Indian season for planting—they
"set" the corn and sowed the barley
and peas.
" S<pianto," the friendly Indian who
had been kidnapped by lawless Eng
lishmen, showed them " how to set,
fish-dress and tend" the corn.
So thoroughly did they manure
the ground with herrings that their
old chronicler writes: "God be
praised, we had a good increase of
Indian corn, and our barley indiffer
ent good; but our pease not worth
gathering, for we feared they were too
late sown."
It w-.w one year after the Pilgrims
bail sighted from the deck of the May
flowerthe sands of i'aje Cod. "Our
harvest lieing gotten in," writes the
chronicler, "the governor (Bradford)
sent four m-n on fowling, that so we
might, after a special manner, rejoice
together after we had gathered the
fruit of our lalmrs."
Thus began New England's Thanks
giving a Harvest Home, celebrated
when seven log huts housed its found
ers.
Nine yearn after tlie Puritans of th<
Massachusetts colony ol served their
first Thanksgiving. 11 commemorated
the arrival of the provision ship which
saved the people from starvation.
Governor Winthrop, seeing tliat tie
supply of food was likely to run short,
had sent the ship Lyon to Kngland for
a lol of provisions. Storms and con
trary winds detained the ship so long
that the people of Boston ware forced
to live on clams, muscles, ground nuts
and acorns.
They la-came discontented and mur
mured. A <lay of fasting ami prayer
was appointed. Winthrop had put his
last batch of bread in the oven, and
was distributing his last handful ol
meal to a p<ior tuan.
Suddenly some one saw a ship at tho
mouth of the harlor. The haif-starvfd
people flocked 'o ttie I each. The good
ship Lyon dropped her anchor, and h< r
cargo f.f provisions was distributed ac
cording to ea'h man'- nw -itie*. Tin
day of fasting was turned i.'Vr a dav
of thanks;-* ing.
Thanksgiving struck its roots deeply
in New England's soil, because it
symb lizijl both the God ward and the
man ward side of the people's life.
It ex press* d thankfulness to the Boun
tiful Giv<-r ; it extended hospitality
and charity to man.
Associated with the ingathering of
harvest* and families, it lMseane ttie
climax of New England's social life;
the crisis.>f its feasting ; its day of
• holv convocation."
Now, as when first set apart from
the days of the year, it is l*>th a do
mestic and religious festival. It lathe
day that brings back children and
children's children to the old home.
Its point of attraction is the family,
that vital unite and subtle nexus
who e spiritual gravitation molds a
tear, preserves the man and guides a
nation.— Youfft's Companion,
A Baffled Ambition.
Peter Thullusson, a banker who
died in England over a hundred years
ag<>. was ambitious to found several
great families, or. failing in that, one
prodigious family. His property
aniouutisl to over six hundred thou
sand pounds, and he directed that ft
should 1M- left to accumulate during a
period whieh was estimated would ex
tend to seventy-five years. Then it
was to le divided among the reprewnt
ative.s of his three sons.
An actuary calculated that the for
turn-, at the end of that period, would
am-mntto at least one hundred and
thirty-six million dollars. If one de.
scendant only should take it. his yearly
Income would 1M- nine million dollars.
The ianker's sons disputed the va
lidity of the will on the ground that
it was contrary to public |Milicy to al
low such an accumulation of property.
The w hole, they said, might fall to a
single individual, w ho^t hereby would
become too powerful for a subject and
too dangerous to public lilterty.
But their apprehensions were al
layed by that effectual instrument for
dissipating large fortunes, the court
of chancery. The law expenses eat up
almost the whole of the accumulations.
When, in 1850, the heir came into
possossion of the projorty,it amounted
to little inure than six hundrvsl thou
sand pounds, the sum originally de
vised by his eccentric great grand
father.
SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS.
Some French chemists have too.
carded in solidifying petroleum, ill
which state it burn* like tallow. Thin
solidification 1m affected iijr adding to
distilled petroleum twenty-flvs pea
cent. of the purified Juice of plants bo
longing to the family of the Eupbor
bice®.
The notion that dogs and eats con
tract hydrophobia because they are
confined, chained or muzzled does not
appear to l>e well sustained by fact.
At any rate, rabies, according to Pro
feasor Xavier Landerer, is very com
mon among the wild dogs, cats and
jackals of the East.
Recently, while a stiff southeasterly
gale was blowing, seventy gallons of
oil were pumped upon the wave* in
Aberdeen harbor from three valves
twenty-eight feet apart. The effect is
said to have been very marked, the
waves disappearing wherever the
heavy belts of oil were traced.
Mr. John Field has prepared an es
timate from the accounts of the com
panies of the quantity of gas used in
London last year. It was, in round
numbers, 20,230,000,000 cubic feet.
This is equal to a hulk of one rnila
square by 720 feet high, Consumer*
paid f 1 for this immense sup
ply.
At ttie Munich electrical exhibition
one of the curiosities was a telephone
transmitting music performed at Ober-
Ammergau, over a distance of sixty
three miles. At the palace a Luge
telephonic arrangement brought over
music from the English cafe so that
whole immense audience could
hear tin- pieces quite distinctly. Hut
perhaps the most significant exhibit
was a single wire which conveyed eleo
tical energy a distance of thirty-seven
miles from the coal mines of Miesbach,
where it was generated.
< LII'FI>GS FOR TOE CD RIO US.
There are 262,366 Indians In the
United Stat.es.
fine California orchard ships about
twenty tons of j>each stones
year
Sventeen thousand five hundred
and forty-five stray dogs were taken
into custody in London during 1881.
The Baroness Ilurdctt-Coutts-l'.art
lett owns the smallest pony in the
world. It stands tliirteen inches high
and is five years of age.
An apple thirteen inches in circum
ference one w ay and fourteen inches the
other way, and weighing one pound,
is the boast of a gardener at Racing
Wisconsin.
It is asserted that in the three years
. ended 1880 there were no few er than
Jo— theatres destroyed by fire, or partly
so. resulting in 4,37odeaths and about
3,400 injuries.
With a nciv apparatus for ascertain
ing tin- velocity of railway trains, a
train weighing 127 Ipns and traveling
at a speed of forty-fivt miles an hour
has b<-en found to run a level track
a few feet more than fiv<^ | ruiles after
steam had I sen sliut off. V
One of the curious consequences of
tlie construction of the Suez canal lias
been the introduction into the McH
terranean sea of sharks, which were
formerly almost unknown there. The
sharks have proved very destructive
to the edible fish, and it is now difficult
for fishermen to supply the demand.
THE FAMILY DOCTOR.
A handful of flour bound on a cut
will immediately stop the bleeding.
The lx-st treatment for sprains and
bruises is application of water of
such temperature as Is most agreeable.
Dr. Foote's H'alth Monthly advises
people not to lw " too anxious to check
a cough by some quieting syrup; the
mucus is letter raised than left to de
©>inpose, irritate and cause ulcera
tion."
A teaspoon fill of charcoal in half a
glass of warm water often relieves a
sick headache. It al>orl>s the gases
and relieves the distended stomach,
pressing ajiainst the nerves that ex
tend from the sttunach to the head.
A good remedy for warts and corns:
Drop a little vinegar on the wart or
corn, cover it immediately with cook
ing soda or salaratus; let it remain ten
minutes. Hejeat several times a day
for three days, and the warta and
corns will Iw gone.
General linger, the editor of a new*,
paper called the Key West /Vmocrof,
is twenty years old. forty inches high,
and wei-jh* thirty-five pounds. The
gene ml was born in San Domingo and
raised iu Florida.
The flr*l newspaper published In Eu
tope i* Mid to have Wen mild in ihs
street* of Pari* in 1494, during the Ital
ian war. It exj. -td in 1495, andean
now only be found in tbe public library
of Nan tea.