ITindloss Ruin. The rain, the desolate rain! • ceaseless and solium and chill! Bow it drips on the misty pane, How it drenches the darkened sill I 0 scene of sorrow and dearth! I would that the winds awaking To a fierce and Ktisty birth, Might vary this dull refrain Of the rain, the desolate rain. For the heart of the heavens seems breaking In tears o'er the fallen earth, And ngnin, again, again. We list to the somber strain— The fnint, cold monotone. Whose soul is a mystic moan Of the rain, the mournful rain, The soft, do (pairing rain. The rain, the murmuring raiu ! Weary, passionless, slow; 'Tis the rhythm of nettled sorrow The sobbing of careless woo 1 An 1 all the tragic of life, The pathos of long ago. Comes buck on the sad refrain Of the rain, the dreary rain; Till the graves in my heart unclose, And the dead who are buried thoro, From n solemn nnd weird repose Awake, ahd with eyes that glaro And voices that melt in pain •On the tide of the plaintive rain, The yearning, homeless rain. The long, low, whisjiering rain! —Paul 11. Ilnynr. SAVED BY A PIGEON. It was the sweetest little thing yon ever saw—a wee carrier-pigeon, with pure white breast, its wings a soft pearl-grey, and its arching neck gleam ing with iridescent hues. A boy had brought it over from Kim wood that morning in a dainty willow basket, limil with pink cotton-wood, and its handle adorned with bows of 1 ink ribbon. "From Larry, of courser' cried Aunt Judith, as 1 entered the breakfast room. "I don't believe earth ever pro duced so gallant n lover!" she continued in her teasing way. "I believe he sends you a present every day. Yes terday it was a beautiful lioquct of flowers, the day licforo a box of lmn bons, and the day before that—well, let me sec— he came himself! And what have you now, prav, a turtle dove?" "Xo; a carrier-pigeon, and Larry savs it is a traimsl one, too," 1 replied, referring to the letter, a dainty billet which had accompanied the gift. "Aha! Now wo shall have tender missives living over our heads, I pre sume! Away with prosaic postage stamps, and all that!" "I wish Larry had sent her a big bull-dog instead of the bird," said papa, as he heljxsl himself to the toast. "Why, papa!" I gasjwd. "How un poetical!" "Very useful, my dear. Especially just now when th'-re are so many burglars almut." "I hear Mr. Say re's house has lieen robbed, and Gulden's jewelry store, too," said Aunt Judith. "Goutiness tne, I hope they won't come here! We're in such a lonely, out-of-the-way place, too! Thomas!" turning to my father, "don't you think that you had better take the spare silver and the family diamonibi to a more secure place ?" "I've been thinking almut that very thing," said papa. "We shan't need them till Meg here," turning to me, with a smile, "becomes Mrs. Lawrence Carroll. So I might as well take them down to the bank and lock them up in the safe." "But what if they break in the bank?" I asked. I'apa laughed derisively. He was always boasting of the safety of the bank. "They couldn't open the safe unless the cashier and I wore both thru. It's one of theln-st combination locks male, I'm positive that anything put in that safe is perfectly secure." Poor papa! "How little he thought But there, that's just like ine, al ways getting ahead of my story! Larry didn't spend that evening with me, and so I went to bed quite early. I soon fell asleep, but somehow I didn't nsst very well, and was glad when I awoke, for I was dreaming that Larry and I had an awful quarrel. But the siek. wretehed feeling didn't pass away with rny awaking. I had a smothered, suffocated feeling that made me actually gasp for breath. Think ing that the Ijcdclothes were lying across my face, 1 reached up my hand to draw them away, and found there, instead, a handkerchief saturated with a subtle, overpowering scent. Chloroform! Yea, that was it. But what did it mean? .Shivering with a nameless terror, but with my senses all aroused, I sprang from the lied and went to the door. It was slightly ajar, and through the opening alight shone faintly. I crept softly out into the hall, and leaning over the railing, looked down. Oh, heavens! what did I sec? Four strong men, wearing black marks, and armed with revolvers, dragging along my dear old father! "You villains! What is the uso of this ?" I heard poor, dear papa say. "I shall never,never doit!" "You won't see the suu rise again, then!" said one of the men, with on oath. "I'd rather die than have yon suc ceed in your nefarious plan!" was papa's reply, "That's game, boss," said another rough voice. "But wait till wo get i there. We've got the cashier in our clutches, and when ho caves in you will, too." "(lag him, boys, before we put him j in the wagon!" ordered the leader. Papa's struggles were of no avail, 1 and gagged and bound, he was carried out of tho house, and soon I heard wheels rolling away. Two of tho burglars staved behind to ransack the house, I supposed. Hear ing their voices, i turned and fled into my room, locking the door behind me. Oh, what could Ido ? At that mo ment I realized how weak a woman is! f Oh, if there were only some way whereby I might save my father from death or infamy! Crouching upon the floor, I wrung my hands in agony of spirit, stri\ing to think of some plan. Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs. I held my breath in suspense. Would the ruflians try tho door, and finding it locked, force it open? No, the parsed on. Just then a little rustle in one corner of my room made my lu art beat with renewed terror; but relief came in stantly, when I perceived that the noise was made by my little pet, the carrier-pigeon. I knelt down beside its cage, sole bing softly. "<>h, von poor, little thing!" I whis pered. "Helpless and tiny as you are, you are safer than I am!" Suddenly, like a divine revelation, there came a thought: Could not Bijou, the pigeon, ram a message to Larry? Larry had said that the little creature could do such a thing. Why not try him? With trembling lingers, I seized pen cil ami paper, and wrote the following words; "Larry! Larry! for God's sake g" to the bank. Take plenty of nun with you. Burglars have carried papa then*to compel him to open the safe. Hurry! Your MEO. "P. S. I send this bv Bijou." This I put in an envelope, and tied the latter around the bird's neck. The little creature did not seem the least 1 it frightened, but looked intelligently at me with it.- bright, gentle eyes. As quietly as possible, I opem-d the win dow and set the bird on the -ill. For a minute it stood there, turning its pretty head irresolutely; then spreading its wings, it slowly rose and sound away, oh, heaven be thanked! in the direction of Flmwood. Just then there was a violent racket at the door, a succession of kicks, which soon splintered the panels. An instant later, as I stood there paralyzed by terror, the two burglars burst into the room. "Curse it!" ericd one, "that chloro form didn't tlx her, after all." "Bind and gag her like we did the old lady; then she'll be safe," said the other. ***** * \\ hen my senses came to me, J found j myself lying on the couch in the sitting ' room down stairs. * It was bright daylight, and the soft summer wind, laden with the breath of flowers, was stealing in at the open window. Larry's face, kind, loving anxious, was bending over me. Then I heard dear old Boctor lingers' kindly voire say, "Brink this, little girl, and and you'll feel U-tter," pressing a tum bler to my lips. "Where's papa?" I murmured, faintly. "Your father's all right, darling." said Larry. "And did Bijou mnietn you? Oh. I prayed that the bird would carry the note! Hid you get it?" "Yes, love; but never mind it now. I'll tell you all aliout it when you get Ist ronger." "Tell her now, Carroll. She is all right. It will do her good to hear all atsiut it," said the doctor, patting my check; and he continued: "I'll leave you two together, while I go and see to Miss Judith. Oh, you needn't bo frightened!" seeing tny anxious look. "There isn't anything the matter with your aunt, only she's been pretty badly scared, that's all!" "Well, you see, .Meg," Larry legan. when we were alone, "I happened to sit up rather late last night. I had lieen away all day. and when I returned home at tea-time, I found some law business awaiting iny immediate attention. As I sat writing in my room, it was after ! midnight 1 think, suddenly I heard a , tapping at the window-pane. At first I paid no heed to it, thinking it to be t only the wind blowing a twig or bit of , vine, but as the sound continued, I arose and went to look, f "I beheld something white fluttering I against the glass. What was my sur prise to And that it was little Bijou! i, I opeued the window and hurriedly read the letter he brought; and it wasn't ong before iny father, Uncle Henry, the three men-servants, and a couple of policemen and myself, were hurrying down to the bank. "We reached there just in time, too; had a grand aeullle, in which we cairn out victorious, I'm glad to say, and, well, tho result is that four of the burglars arc in jail, and the other two, j whom we found here, have gone to i render uptheir final account. The safe I is unharmed, and none of us are in ; jured, except a few| scratches and | bruises." I I will end my story by saying that Larry and I have la-en married two years now. We are keeping house in a cozy, comfortable way, and most im portant of all our articles of furniture is a cradle; but, after all, 1 don't know which is the greatest pet, baby or my little feathered postman, liijou! Fishing With Cormorants, In XieuhofT's account of the embassy of I'eter de (ioyerand Jacob do Keyz.er from the Dutch Kast India Company to the Emperor of China, in IGG">, it is related that at Ni-ning-ohew, in the providence of Miantong, on an artificial chanm-1 of the Yellow river, the em bassadors witnossed the natives llshing with cormorants. Here they saw them catch fish with a bird called Loii-wa, somewhat b"-s than a goose and not much unlike a raven. It has a long neck and a bill like an eagle. They go out in small boats made of bamlioo canes, placing the bird on tin- outside, which on sight of a lidi shoots down and swims after it under water. As -•-oil as she lias caught her prey she ri- -. and tin- fisherman, having taken it from her, sends tier out to seek more- To prevent the bird from swallowing Ikt prey they put an iron rnigi ') about In r neck. If the fish is too big for her to bring up she makes a noise in the water for the master to come to her help. When they have < aught enough for their owners the ring is taken off, and they are left to li-.ii for themselves. In i-.tse they are averse to diving they are brought to it by Invit ing. The fishermen pay a yearly tri bute to the Kmperor for the use of these birds, whi'h are mm-h xalmd bv the Chinese, fine of thos,. which are Well taught is often Sold for fifty t.'iel of silver, which is about l.V> guilders. The Chinese method if lishing with cormorants differs but little from that employed by Kuglisii and French am. teiirs at the present day. Iti China however, the bird*, smaller than ours, and of a different sjM-cics, < albsl by the Chinese "Lcutze," are • irri<*l on ligtit, shallow punts or rafts, and are mm. inoiily employisl. not as here for amuse ment, but as a matter of business to supply the markets with fish. Twenty or thirty cormorants, it is said, will i ati h six francs worth of fish a day fish lcing very cheap there. Their owners club together, their resjHs tive birds being marked, and divide the profits jiroportionately. A cormorant may )• used until t n years old, and, when well trained, th-y fetch as much as sixty taeis, or liO francs a pair.— Lontiun Firlrt. How It Feels to Fall IJKMI Feet. With regard to the recent sad sui cide of a girl by leaping from one of th>> tower* <'ng, he said he only felt dazzled. Mr. Farnach, of Kaleigh, N. C., re ports that in April and May, he, with his daughter and an ordinary laborer, gathered a crop of 200 dozens of silk worm eggs, worth SI,OOO, from a four years' orchard of 3,000 white mulberry plants. t A NIGHT IN PEKIN. t nrlon. Nlsbla In n Chinese Clly. if At set of sun life in Peking, as far as the streets are concerned, ceases to exist; doors are closed, shops shut, arid >; tho inhabitants retire within their ' houses. Nut even tho most Important I, thoroughfares arc illuminated; at cer e tain corners, where the police have , their stations, miserable dirty paper o lanterns are lit up, which shed no light e whatever. Kvery one who g<>"H abroad, i- whether on foot, in Ni-dan-clnir, or by d cart, must carry a lantern. The streets of the Imperial and Tartar cities may f be said to lie entirely deserte'i; it is in 0 the Chinese city only that there is a anything going on at night. Kaeh city is shut off from the others at sundown, e and the gat s are not again opened un v dor any circumstances until daybreak. Y I resided in the Tartar city, and it was in the Chinese city that I wished to make my nocturnal ramble, mo that there wiii 110 remedy but to make a night of it. My companions declined to accompany me, so I had reluctantly to undertake the excursion alone. s ~ My gui iehired a i-art for the whole 1 night, and w e started from our hotel at about half-past in the afternoon. f It was nei e-sary toset out thus early in ( order to pa s through the gate before it was looked. J had lint yet dined, so t I I directed my interpret< r to conduct i me to the lust hotel in the place, and , gave liiin carte I.lam in- to order i>>r me , and hiuis-df tin- |e-t iliimer procura ble. I need scarcely aid that all If llt | f i bringing my travelling-rugs, wlm h, if ; useful to alleviate the bruises causeil bv the jolting of the cart, w re now j I'pially -o to obviate the hardn- • | the brick enindi in th- x> -t-hmise. He ! spri ;iil tiielli llii ll oil t tie kang, and 1 j was not sorry to lay me down and take jj a h- rt ri pose after a long rib". With iik and < igar I wlubst away tie tine until IUV dinner should IM-ready. In ' ibout l.alf an hour it was served, ;i j.d i eopi..us < iv ugh it was in its way; fish, chicken, mtuiiinmna, htcht dt m >r (a poi us . f edible a Wf-i-d. bruiiglit, I tM-lieve. frmn Japan, of which the j Chinese are exceedingly fond), all in ' -• parate ilish'-s, or ra'her small 1 . n, with two - rtsof gravy in little Imwls, two kinds of pickles, and soft, un loav. ntsl rolls of white tloiir, ipiite hot. Th- drinkables were mmnhu of two ' difTerent strengths, the one to imbilx while eating, the ofh< rat dessert the r | former was flat, milil. and rather I'a : vorb-is, the latter rough and j intent Uith, to my palate. lUaagrivable. ,Satn -1 ihu is a spirit dint died usually fr■ 1 tat'x-s, D-atis, or sugar-cane; it is of a whitish color, and not altogether unlike had whiskey much under proof. It serves the t'him-se in lieu of wine, whi< h they never make from the grajw-. Nunc fruit was brought, and the rc| ost concludi-d with the inevitable tea. Ch"jisti< k* were the only implements supplied, hut a.* I had already IKTOIIIC tolerably adroit in tl;ir manipulation, I was quite able to get my victuals into my mouth without the u*eor any other instrument, I can n<* nay that I en joyed my meal. It was not the first time that I hail tasted pure Chinese cuisine, HO that the fiul was nIH "-lantern*, posted at rare intervals, looking in the distance like j spectres, or by those of the few pedes trians, w hich, bobbing up and down in i the olwrurity, have the appearance of i so many will-o'-the-wisps; the rumb ling of an occasional cart, for which one ha* to make way at the risk of i falling into a yawning cess-pool, the I black depths of which, as I held my lantern over the brink, looked still j more horribly black in tho gloomy j night; the monotonous sound of the watehmen striking together the pieces of bainlioo with which they announced their presence; the groans of the men dicants crouching in thedoorways; the cries of the ambulant venders of food j who wander through the street, or at- 1 'ract stray passers-by to their tempor ary stalls, pitched for the nonce in ; some out-of-the-way n■. ■ r tie It is p -sibii- in Poland to go uninvit'd to v,-;t your tre nd, t ■ king your chil dren, your itv ants and leu ■ -. and to staytivi orwe. i s without p "iving any hint to go. The I'.di - are fond of gaiety, uf amusement and of s- ,etv. Tie y love jib a-ure in all its hriglit and charming forma, Tho country house* arc const mtlv full of \i .tors, and in tie winter tie re is often tin-- Kulig," a gathering which lie r. . •- a- it go. s 1 r-.ni hou-e to house. It i- taken frmn a pa ant i ;v au. and tin-nobles, when they g. t up a " ktilig." wear the j .LS ant i ostuii.es, very la a ati fully made, I ley go over the xunw 111 sledges from house to house, daieing f..r two or three days at one and tie-n g mg on to another, taking the pc*,pl<-of tie- house winch tle-y have w;ih tlii iu. At la-t. tln-re are perhaps twenty sb-dgi-s all full of pi-.jib . dri -cd in bright colors, all i -.ng.lig the -"iig-s of the *• Kullg." \t every hoiis. they dance tlie . oara - 11-r. -t I • dames of the I US'iv-. on tlie Krakoii.. 1i.., the M.u'ur arnl tin- Olien k. '1 he nr-t is a very pretty and ja-cui.ar dance, in which the partner* continu ally torn aw ay f: -in ea-h utter and then • .nie face to fare; t.hc M.izur is aiiiiething like the ijuadrille. Uiougli it i- by no lie an- the same; the Olm rek resembles a XX. lit/ li.'llinsl the reverse xx.,y and with a very pretty and xhar.ac teristic figure, m xx he ii the man km-els on one knee and kis-i-s his partner's hand. Tle-se are all most charming and jirettv. and the I'-.les ■ Lance with enthusiasm as xxcll as grace. Th/ /(nr. Masiuline Jewelry In Knrote. Diiserving Aincrii uis note a rixiva of rings, )ir.e • lets iuul lavish odors in continental M-ciety. Yxwng men at the theatres are conspicuous w hen they stand, as is the custom on the conti nent, with tluir ojM-ra ghvsses leveled at the house, for bracelets on their wrists, jewels on tlwir hands, with the slender golden chain which Ix-came the fashion among Lailies not long ago. In the revived frescoes of Pompeii the same thing may lie se-n. Young lto mans fastened theslex-ves of t heir togas with gems, and covered their l>are arms frmn the wrist to the ellMiw xxith fillets of gold and jewels! The craving am bition of every man under a monarchy is for a decoration. A meeting of par lianient is a spectacle of such personal Iw-dizoniucnt as the wildest caricature could not surpass. So great a mind as Disraeli's could not l> weaned from the craving for adornment. Asa youth he was plastensl xxith jewelry in the house, as an earl he w as covered xx ith the most outra insignia of his order in the peers. A w-ssion of any one of the great orders of the Hath, the Thistle the darter, the Golden Fleece, St. George, the Hlack Eagle, or the hun j drsl wore different companies invented l>y sovereigns to stimulate the ardor ! and flatter the vanity of the noble and aspiring, presents more theatric gorge ' mimtess than an oriental pageant.— 1 1'Mltulflyhia I'rrtt*. A new lwok is called "How to Keep a Btore," It ia a work of several hundred pages, and life is too short to read it. The I .est way to keep a store is to advertise Judiciously, and thus prevent it falling into the hands of the | rheriff. Ellsshetta Kiranl. Among the followers of Gtiido Reni, this young woman, who died when hut twenty-five years old, is conspicuous for her talents and interesting on a/> ; count of the story of her life. She was the daughter of a reputable artist, and | was horn at liologna about 1749. She i wits certainly very industrious, sineo j one of her biographers names one hun dred and fifty picture* and etchings 1 made by her, and all these must have l*tn done within a neriol of about ten • years. Much hits been said of the ease and , rapidity with which she worked ; one i anwdote relates that on an occasion | when it happened that the Ituehess of lirunswiek, the ItueheH-;, of Miramlola. i and Ihike Cosfmo de Medici, with j other persons, all met at her studio, she astonished and delighted them hy the ease and skill with which she sketched and shaded drawings of the subjects which one after another named to her. Tin* story of her life, aside from her : art, give* an undying interest to her ; name, and insure* h<-r remembrance i for all time. Jn person she was lx-au tifill, and the swe*tn<-*s of her char a' t< r and manner won for her the love of all those who were associated with lor. She was a! ■ >c<>minend b r tacte in draw, which was very simple; and they even g, so far as t j rai-e her lii'Xß ration in eating! She WT.S well skilled in all d"ine-I:<■ matters, and would ri-' at daybreak to j -rf rm her • lowly household duties, never allow* ng to r art to dis| h'-r great talent •. and completed a per sonality which h< r friend* regarded a* an id' ;il ■ f ]" rf* ti"M." The sud'Uri death of this artist has added a tragic element to her story. The cause of it has never )x-cii kli -wn, but the theory that she .-1 er.d r- a- 'lis f,, r this < rime | base been given : one !-, that she was ••a r.ric-1 t" the ;< .aloiuly of other nrti-ts, a* I"iii"m' !r:io had Ix-en : another belief was that a princely lover whom si '■ ha 1 trhe was sentenced to banishment; but, after a time, Elisalx-tta's father |re q uesl*l that Lucia should lx- allowed t> return, a* he had n<> reason for I>©- lies ing her guilty. And so the mystery of the cause of her death has never ben solved ; but its effect upon the whole < ity of liologna, where it oc curred, is an exact matter of history. Theolaraxis of the earlh, is prefera ble to the metre a* a standard of meas urement. Continuous baths, as carried out in Vienna are report<*l unofficially by M. Lenoir a* very efficacious in the IrcaU mentor skin diseases, and he warmly recommends their introduction into the hospitals of Paria fsaheau of llavaria. queen of Charles VI., sent a collection of dolls, dressed in the latoet French styles, to tbs queen of England, thus introducing tha latest French fashions in away which has leon imitated of late years as a novelty. In Russia on March 9, the day on which the larks are supposed to arrive, the rustics make clay images of those birds,smear them with honey, tip their heads with tinsel, and then carry them alxiut, singing songs to spring, or to Lada, their vernal goddess.