TOPICS OF TIIK DAT.
Americans are the greatest butter
eating people in the world. This is
one reason why the export of butter
does not increase so rapidly as its manu
facture. and why the price is maintain
ed so high as it is.
London speculators are buying up
our trade dollars. It is said that these
purchases are made in the expectation
that Congress will some time make
trade dollars a legal tender or direct
their redemption at face value.
It appears that over -10,000 inilos of
railroad have been built in the United
States since and including 1879. This
is about one-third of the entire mileage
or the country. I.ast year the amount
raised to build these roads \yus over
$700, i HX),000.
Germany has a temperance revival
such as was never known in that
country before. It is led by Count
Moltke, and mam eminent men are
among its foremost workers. The
German reformers have not yet attain
ed the standard of total abstinence,
but are preaching moderation.
Dynamite must go the rear as the
great explosive and make way for
"panelastite," a free translation of
which term is "smash up." It is a
liquid and is said to ho composed of
bisulphide of carbon and hyponitric
neid. It requires a greater shock than
iynumitc to explode it. and each of its
components is non-explosivo by itself.
When combined the result is terrific.
The peach-growing center is gradu
ally moving south. A few years ago
there were great orchards in New
Jersey. Then Delaware was the olii<-f
producer. Now Maryland and Vir
ginia are coining to the front. Tin
largest peach farms are in Maryland-
The Hound Top farm has 125,000
trees. On the estate of Colonel Wat
kins there are 120,<>10 trees. A peach
tree's usefulness is over after ten or
twelve years of life, and the soil In
which it grows is unfit for peach
culture.
Some of the Western judges draw
nice distinctions. An Arkansas court
has decided that it is not arson for a
man to set fire to his own house, while
by an Indiana tribunal it is held that
to constitute the crime of aison the
house itself, and not merely its con
tents. must lie set on fire. But a late
California decision is perhaps more
unique than either. The Supreme
Court reverses 1 a conviction for perjury
on the ground that the false testimony
given by the oflender was not material
to the case, and therefore could not be
perjury.
Chicago claims to IK* casmopolitsr.
Little more than fifty j>er cent ot its
population was born in the United
States, and according to the statistics
for 1> S 2, given as base I up n the
Federal census of 1889, no less than
94,000 of the present inhabitants of
that city have poured from tin- various
•tates of the German empire. The
Bohemians number 12/x>; Canadians
-15,009; Danes, 3,100; French, nearly
2,000; Irish, nearly 50;000; Hollanders,
8,300; Italians, 1,400; Norwegians
-6,700; Swedes, 10,090; I'oles. 5,700,
and Swiss 2,000, with a sprinkling of
Russians, Hungarians, Spaniards,
Portuguese, and men of almont every
other race and nationality under the
tun.
The will of John Davenport, of
Portland, Oregon, was compelled to
take a long journey. Mr. Davenport
died in England, and his will was pro
bated in London. As he left slo.<X>)
worth of property in Oregon, it was
necessary that it should also be probat
ed there. It was also requisite that
the original document should lie pro
duced. and as when aw ill is probated
in England the Probate Court keeps it
in (barge, an officer of the London
♦ court had Co make the journey to
Oregon with Mr. Davenport's will, in
order that it might lie probated there.
This has been done, and it is said to
Aave be-n the first instance of the
kind that ever occurred.
A very curious thing about deaf
mutes is the rapidity with which they
learn the meaning and use of slang
words and phrases. The ordinary
v street language of the day seems to bi
as familiar to them as it is to the peo
ple whose organs of hearing are not
impaired, and they will say in their
own way, "you bet your Wits!" or
"you bet your sweet life" wuth as
W much ease and grace as if they had it
y at their tongue's end all their lives.
One of the afflicted young men, when
asked for an explanation of this re
markable fact, said the deaf mutes got
their knowledge of slang from the
newspapers; that they were great
readers of the papers, and SDjgiped up
the new phrase or word fnet the
moment it made its appearance. They
not only use slang in writing, but in |
their sign-language.
An apt illustration of Will Curb-ton's
poem, "Over the Hill to the Poor
house," has occurred in Cleveland,
Ohio. An old man named Jonathan
C. Bowles died recently at the city
infirmary, seventy-live years old, child
less, friendless, and alone. Years ago
he was wealthy, and owned a large !
hotel in East Cleveland, on the spot
where Adelbert College now stands,
and later was an affluent merchant.
He is said to havo been twice worth
#lOO,OOO, lost in real estate specula
tions, and to have always possessed a
horror of going to the poor-house-
Among the papers found in his
mother's old satchel was discovered a
well-marked copy of Will Carleton'a
poem, "Over the Hills to the Poor
house." < Hher things in Ills possession
were #7,OtH/in worthless stock certifi
cates of a Colorado silver mine, alettei
certifying that he is a good Methodist*
and six cents. These are what remain
of two large fortunes.
The Denver Tribtini lias had a in
teresting interview with an intelligent
"cow-boy," on the business of cattle
raising. According to iiiin there is ;tr,
aristocratic ami a plebeian clement
among the cattle men on the plains
These two classes are those who own
cowherds and those who have nothing
but steers. Th ■ former arethesmallei
investers and the latter the wealthy
stockmen. The latter buy the year
lings from the cow-herders and grazt
them until they becomes la-eves, when
they sell them to the various buyers,
topping out the finest for the eastern
and foreign markets and sen-ling the
tailings in to us at the same price.
This system of monopolizing the beef
cattle in the hands of the heavy capi-
J talists is what is now keeping up the
price of lieef, although s -me of the
stockmen do not know it themselves
and have only adopted the system to
: avoid being liothered with cdws. The
, shipment of beef to England has be
] come a large factor. In the last three
| years there has been such a heavy in
vestment <>f >cotch and English capital
that it is a fact that three-fourths of
the cattle interest of Texas, Colorado
and Wvi-ming is n-i\v owned and con.
: trolled by it. The ranges are being
gradually encroached njion, as they
| were in Texas, and are becoming more
crowded every year, while the market
• for the product is extending < very
l year. Cattle that sold in 1S8' for $22
I a head are now worth s'kl, with the
pros pert that the price will go up
1 instead of down.
'I lie Manufacture of Heads
llcads are largely made in -Venire
where glass-making has always l n a
principal industry. It is said that the
invention of b-a-li dates from tin- thir
tc nth century, and is due t > two Ye.
net .ins, Miotti and Imbriani, wh >
were urge 1 to make experiments by
the celebrated Venetian traveller,
Marco Polo. Under the Venetian He.
public, and for some years after its fall,
say- our consul at Venire, thecxporta
j tion of beads had not reached the im
portance it has now attained. This
; was perhaps owing to the smallness of
the furnaces and to the difficulty and
length of the tA hnical proccs-es re
i quired for the composition of the paste
! The Morelli, however, who in 107 C
, were the principal lead manufacturers.
I had four ships at sea carrying ls-a ls tc
the east on their own account, and thej
became so rich that in 1700 they en
tered the rank of the Venetian nobili
! ty on payment of a sum of 100.00 C
I ducats to the republic. Since 1815
1 this industry lias become so important
j as to give at the present time employ
' inent to atioiit 15,000 persons. The !
traffic is carried on with all the world,
I but the principal exportation of beads
lis to the ports of Asia and Africa. An
| extraordinary stimulus was given tc
this industry a few years ago by the
prevailing tar-te of beads for trimming
ladies' dresses. A great extension of
the manufacture took place, and the
• labor was paid so high that all who j
• could do so gave up their usual trades
for bead-making. But when the da ,
mand for lieads declined most of the i
r workmen who hail been allured bj j
fancy wages to the bead manufacture
1 were thrown out of work and com
jiellcil to return to their former occu
■ pations. Whatever lie the cause,
• bead-making lias always lioen the spec
1 lal privilege of Venice, in spite ol
" all foreign attempts to manufacture
" this article elsewhere The wages in
i glass works are for a first master about
eight francs a day, for a second mastet ,
four and a half francs, and for the or
t dinary workmen from two francs to
" five francs a day. During the last fivs
1 years tiie average annual exjxirtntion
® of lieads has been 25,000 quintals, of
t the npproximato value of 5,500,000
i francs.— Pall Mall Uaztltr.
I LADIES* DEPARTMENT.
the Murilloii.
Half a century ago and more it
• was the fashion for a suitor to go
down on his knees to a lady when he
ask her to heroine Ids wife, which
with very stout gentlemen, w as an un
comfortable proceeding, 'l'he way in
which Daniel Webster proposed to
Miss Fletcher was more modern,
being at the same time neat and poetic-
Like many other lovers he was caught
holding a skein of thread or wool
when the lady had been unravelling.
"Oracle," said he, (fancy Daniel say
ing "Oraeie,") "we have been untying
knots. Let us see if wo cannot tie
one which will not untie for a life
time." With a piece of tape he fash
ioned half a true lover's knot. Miss
Fletcher perfected it, and a kiss put
the seal to the symbolical bargain,
itobert .Steele wrote to the lady of his
heart: "Dear Mrs. Curlock (tiiere were
no misses in those days) I am tired of
calling you by that name, therefore
say a day when you will take that of a
1 madam. Your devoted humble ser
' vant, Itichard Steele." Hie lixiil tin*
| day accordingly, and Steeled lor name 1
' instead "f heart t" the suitor.
Mnrrtnu* lit It Intloiihtn i.
Thncoolies of llindoostun l"*gin the
; marriage ceremony by tin eontraeting
parties seating themselves in a circle [
<>f friends, who sing while the brid •-
maids rub them both with a yellow
powder called huldee or tumeric. This
j is supposed to beautify them and imd.o
them as valuable as gold to ea' h other.
Then they arc tnk' n out and weihhsl
to two trees the bride to a miikwu
trce; the bridegroom to a mango.
Then they clasp the tree in their
arms. Entering the house they are
placed standing face to face, on a stoin
used for grinding curry powder, be
neath which is a plow-yoke mpporti-1
on sheaves of grass or straw. Next the
br; le anil gc >m trea lon > ii'-h other's
toes, for they are hare-footed, or butt
their heads against <ach other. The
bridesmaid then pours a yir of water
over the heads of each, which is taken '
as an emblem of purity. This ends
the tirst day's performances. The
next morning they go d wn to a ri\ < r
or a pond, and forming two parties,
the girls, under the lead rship of tl,
bride, the tmys under tlie bri'h-groom
they js-lt each other with clods of mud.
Then tiie brido an i groom hide in
the water a water vessel which
the other party must f.nd. The giri
having filled the \is-el with water
pl.e es it i:ilu r hca !. w hlle the gr >m
shoots an arrow b-tween hi r arm and
the pitcher. The bride walks to
w here the arrow lias fallen, and pi' !.■>
,t up with her be.;, returns it t • lur
husband. Thi- shows that she .an
wait upon and serve her lord and mas
ter,while the shouting of the arrow in
l:> ati , that he mi: I j rot eel iier, but
she must not venture beyond lus pro
te< tion.
I hloti loin.
-Esthetic shades are out of style.
lllack toilets areas much worn as
ever.
The short, glace kid glove is a thing
of the past.
Suits of ritle green, tailor-made are
much worn.
Some of the new gloves have em
broidered hacks.
Golden ro<l is rupee ally effective
when worn over rich maroon velvet or
satin.
Horn and metal button covered with
a fine ci ck have come into use for
checked dresses.
The fashion of mingling stripes and
checks in one costume prevails, hut it
is not admirable
Ribbons, laces, and natural flowers
are the ornament that have taken the
place of jewelry.
Gray an I brown in various shades t
are the favorite colors for the new felt
hats and bonnet*. /
Embroideries on light wool fabrics
are done in the cross-stitches of old
fashioned samplers.
The Molier waistcoat and the blouse
waist, worn under cutaway jackets* i
j nre favorite fall styles.
For travelling and utility suits for
fall wear checked aind hair-lined flan
nels are much used.
Tim fashion of wearing a mull fichu,
tied in Puritan style across the should
i crs, no longer exists.
Fancy-headed pins are used in
of brooches or laco plus to fastenxhc
collar and lace jabots at the throat.
Evening dresses entirely of ccru
| lace, over silk <r surah of the same
i shade or else pale pink, are fashion
i able.
The popular colors for evening mitts
and gloves are pain pink, pale blue !
flesh color, mauve, creain and pure
white.
Sucques or basques, made of light
colored silks ami trimmed witli lace,
will In* popular for evening wear at
homo during the winter.
Kmljossed and gilded leather paint- 1
cd in oils and with designs in relief is 1
used for hand-bags, portfolios, belts, '
fans, albums and fanciful boxes.
Plain linen bands are worn outside '
the dress collar, some of them with a
fall of lace three Inches wide, gathered
on to the turned over upper edge.
The most elegant French dresses,
made of the richest India, changeable
Venetia and Lyons silks, have blouse
bodices and cutaway over-jackets.
The frames of fans are tortoise-shell
mother of pearl, black carved or brown
polished wood, sometimes varnished
and ornamented with small pictures.
White and crcam-colorcd dresses of
Chinese silk trimmed with Malines, j
lace and brown >r cherry riblmns, are
favorite costumes of the Princess of
Wales.
The Japanese tea-gown is a fancy
of the moment, anil is exceedingly
| stylish and graceful on some figures.
It should always be made of brocaded
I not plain stuff.-.
Half-sashes, or demi belts arc fash
ionably worn; they an* made of wide
velvet ribbon or of narrower satin rib
bon of tv.it shades, e\. et| in the seam
I on tin* side of the corsage and tied in a j
point in front.
i rcjH b shof s an* ! iced in front and
mii-t match the dp • in color; this
ha- brought lb ,a leather Into favor
for n-d shoes, and there aba many !
fawn-ci I p*d ami blue kid sloes worn
v. ith l l.e k to. kings.
< neon and t hocolnte.
Many drink' rs of these pleasant
lie*.era.os are unaware as to tin
method bv which ths coooi wdiirc
obtained. < a. or cacao, is extract*
I I trulli the •'■' I of small trees of the ;
genus thiixirotua. wlm-h, when cultl- i
vatifl, grave from twelve feet to
eighteen fift high, but to a higher
elevation in their wild state. The
• (lowers are small, and cluster on the
branch' s and trunk, the matured fruit ,
appearing as though artificially attach, i
• ■I. imt of each clu tor only one p*l 1
i allowed to mature, and this when
full grown i< from si \en inclu-s to ten j
inches long, by tlirc inches to four |
and a half inches wide. The five cells
contain •.o ha row of from five to ten
s'ssls iiiibisidisl in a |'ink, acid pulp,
the ■ sis in. The tree Is Indigenous j
to M \i ', but it can b<> cultivated
within tlie twenty-fifth parallels of
la' t i|e. and thrives at any 11<",
under f" 11 ' feet, 1 ;t it requires a r--1;
soil, aw arm, humid atm ••jdiere, and
protect; n from cold winds. Tie trei-s
are propagated froin -i-dsin anurx'-ry
iiidil they attain a height of from four
te n inch' < to . ght'-en in<T s, when
they are transplanted and carefully
shcltep 1 l y planting other trees ab u'
tie in. They • emu . nee to boar about
the fifth y ar. hut do not attain matur.
i(y until the eighth, and continue
yielding fruit for nearly 1 alf a century.
There is n" -pc< ;al time for harvesting
the crop as the tree- continue liearing
all the time, fluwi rs and fruit in al 1
x* ig. s being curiously Dime on the
same tree. Tint in Venezuela the
principal gatherings are in June and
Di • emlier. Chocolate is generally
made fr uu the finer varieties <>f coca
scels, and was a favorite leverage in
Central America long In-fore Columbus
discovered the New World. As at
pr* sent prepared chocolate is made in
cakes, while cocoa is usually sold in
powder, (lakes, >r nibs. The con
stituents of the average cocoa seeds j
are as follows: Eat, cocoa butter, .'l2.
nitrogenous compound, 2"; starch, 2<Y
cellulose, 2; theobromine, 2; saline
substances, 4; water, 10; cocoa reil,
essential oil, 10.—London Times,
The Pnraillso of Druggists.
i America is a nation of drug-takers.
Now here else do we find such exten
sive, gorgeous and richly supplied apoth*
ecary estatdishments as here; they out
j number the churches and schools, and
are rapidly assuming the social impor
tance which used to be held by these
| institutions. Go through the villages
of the country, the drug stores are the
most conspicious and brilliant points
in the scene. Look over tho village
papers, the columns after columns of
descriptions of drugs and diseases, indi
cate unmistakably the mental attitude
of the population. And many of the
papers of tho great cities, tho same.
In patent medicines, in doctoring of
all kinds by regular prescriptions and
by sclf-doslng. America undeniably
leads the world. A medical authority
who is familiar with )>oth the old
[world and the new, estimates that
half the numlrnr of families are need
ed to support a physician and a drug
i store here that are required in Europe,
The future king of the country will be
a druggist-
Some Great Volcanic Kruptlonx.
Java, with its sixteen active and in
numerable quiescent volcanoes, is used
to eruptions, some of which have been
even more destructive than tho Isehia
earthquake. Some of the Java vol
canoes rise to a height of 12,000 feet,
and, as wo have said, in past time tbel*
eruptions have been enormously de
structive. In 1772, for example, the
volcano of I'apandayang, in the south
west part of tlie island, throw out such
an immense quantity of soriaj and
ashes in a single night that an area
having a radius of seven miles was
covered with a layer fifty feet thick-
Forty native villages were hurled
beneath it, and three thousand persons
are supposed to have jMrrisbed in this
one night. Still more terribly destruc
tive wan tlie eruption of Mount Galling
gong, a few miles east <>f the former,
on Oct. 8, 1-22. At midday, under a
eloudless Kky, with not a breath stir,
ring, a dark, dense mass rose from the
old volcano and spread itself out with
such appalling rapidity that in a few
moments the whole landvape was
shrouded in the darkness of nights
Bright Hashes occasionally pierced tlie
darkness; a deluge of hot water and
mud shot up fr"in the crater, and
poured down tlie mountain sides,
sweeping away trees and beasts and
human bodies in its seething mass
Nearly e\i rything was destroyed for a
radius of twenty miles round. A
second eruption four days after com
pleti-d the catastrophe. Tills was ae
' oiijpanii-d by an earthquake. The
summit of the m< untuin was broken
down; "lie side, covered with forest,
Is came a semi- .rcular gulf; n>-w hills
and valleys arc aid to have b> en form
ed. and rivers had their courses
changed, as many as 11 i villages w< re
destroyed, ami b-' : popl.■ killed. The
remarkable thing is that no record
exist'-d of any | n-\ j ius eruption of the
mountain, which was situated in one
of the most fertile valleys of Java In
1 - b! it is i -timidi-d th it Mmint Gunt tic
filing forth ashes and sand to the ex
tent of 2b,'*i,i ► 1 tons; in 1-77 an
earthquake caused the death of l'"'*;
in the town ■ f Jokg' karta alone; in
1-72 one of the lie st active voh-.tnoes,
Meraj'i, brought death t ■ many of the
dwell'rs around; while the damage tc
is* feared from the ashes tLr ovn out
by the .cue mountain interferes with
the planting of < •tlee in the n< ighlir
ing'l strict- Earthquake destructive
to life are <d tri inent t* currcnco; th'
most celebrated ii thai of January . r >,
It ;'.', when 2"- sic i.s wre felt, and
many lioum s in llatavia destroyed.
Mud volcano' g.-.s fountains, and hot
; rings are - m.it.' Ti over the island.
1 nun J a*, a to Kamschatla seismical
phenomena it: the shape of xfianoes
and < arth piak' ■ are of constant occur
rime. though the accompanying tidal
wave j. ri * s 'common as we find it <n
the other sale of the I'm ific or the coast
"f South America I ,il>n Tim .-.
Farts Abont Kraador.
With regard t" the climate, the
rainy sea* n generally runs fnun Ie
cen.i er to June, the remaining months
being dry, but on the Amazon slope it
rains all the year round. As to influ
ence of the ' liinate on man there arc
vast healthy districts in the rner val
leys of the Amazon region, while those
of the I\nrific shore are commonly full
of disease. .Special disorders are chief
ly due to the lack of sanitary measures.
In the west and norttiwestern parts
the abuse of sweets a* food results in a
curious and frightful intestinal com
plaint. The country is now, and will
in all probability remain, almost w holly
agricultural, the Pacific roast and rivei
valleys of both ea-t and west yielding
generous crops of cacao, cotton, sugar
cane, rice, cotlee, tobacco, and tropical
fruits; while the inter-Andean plateau
produces all tlie cereals and vegetable}
incident to a temperate and even cold
climate, though they are of inferior
quality. No hope of the republic eve'
Dung an exporter of cereals is held out'
and rattle do not thrive in the Ama
7on jw-ction, chiefly from the immensr
number of hula, which bleed or other
xvise irritate them. Cinchona bark,
which first came from the province oi
Loja, is leing so rapidly cut and sen!
out of the country xvithout new plant
ing that tbo supply must soon cease,
Church attributes this to the fact that
the highest official sanctum is given tc
this destructive measure for private
emolument In mineral wealth Ecua
dor is poor. The imputation is esti
mated at 1,000,000 (exclusive of savage
tri lies), and is distributed as follows:
White. 100.000; mixed, 300.000; pure
Indian, 600)000. The evil qualities ol
the mixed races are condemned as the
source of the dcgrcdation of the
country. Internal communication.)
are much needed in Ecuador, and al
though Colonel Church is personally
Interested in the construction of future
railroads, he exprrsses his strong sus
picion that for the next ten or twenty
years a thorough system of first-rla*>
mule route* would undoubtedly he the
beat for Ecuador.—London Timet.
i
CHLLDRK.VH COLUKII,
What latfc""
Miss Putty Mit on lha Jowoat bough
Of k waving hickory I r,
WhfiptrilHl •oft'/. "I'll have Ji now,
You K'iy little robin, jou'll e!
"Jlie old lien watches tier chickens thirteen.
And hn ouch k lewrful way
Of flying kt one, tlikt I haven't necD
A bit of fresh meat to-day."
IJnt Muster ftoliin twitter* away,
An a).* stealthily cree|. along,
Joining in ua the thrunh nnd jay
Chirrup k morning song,
Glancing ftldewayn once kii'i again
Ont of liia aancy eye.
An if to aay, "You will catch roe, tlianT
Well, roa/laro, suppose you try!"
"I have fonr l*," aaid Yatay Cat,
"And yon, air, have only two;
I lav* * harp clawr, depend on that,
And they'll get the better of you;
I'm utrungcr, too, than a dozen bird*—
Iftook now!"—and fthe 'jtiickly spring*}
but the rohin laughed a* he ft'-tired away,
"11a! ha' but you have no wing*.''
Yimlk'i Companion.
A It* 11 la i * lit Itlr.t.
The kingfisher is not regarded as a
dangerous bird, but an artist friend of
rnino onre ha) a most remarkable
adventure with one. tVhile sketching
on the shore of a river, he saw one of
tlu-si- birds flying ar-ross the water di
rectly toward him. He watched its
apjiroach, e peeling every moment to
see it i bange in course, but, to bis
ast .nishtiit nt, th" bird, swerving nei
ther to the right n r left, came
straight at his face. His l ands were
filled with palette a:. 1 brushes. He
raised his foot to shield himself.
"Thud!" came the bird against it, fall
ing to the gr<>und stunned by the
shock; 1 ut, re, ivering quickly, it
again b*,k w,ng and disa|.peared
around a 1 end in the shore. Now, the
snowy owl said to alight at times
upon the heads of sportsmen while
they are rr m hing quietly among the
reeds watching f<-r wild geese and
ducks, probably ini-tak ng them for
st . nips or something of that sort.
Hut to sup}*' e that the kingfisher
may have taken my friend for a
stump would not Ix; complimentary
either to the bird or the artist.— st m
.\ichfjlat.
Tommr *l>out Tntdi.
"Oh, pa; t, see what a great ugly
b ad! Do get a sti< k and kill hirn le
-f re lie gets aw ay." said little Tommy
Dray, as lie w as walking in the garden
with his father.
"Why do you wish to see him
killed?" said his father.
"<)h! lieoause he is such an ugly
thing, and 1 nui afraid he will eat up
everything in the garden. You know
we killed several bugs and worms
which we found here la-t evening. I
arn sure this toad Is much worse than
they."
"We killed the 1 ugs and worms lie
cause they were destroying our flowers
and vegetables. This poor toad never
destroys a plant of any kind alxiut the
place. Hesides. he is one of our l<est
friends. Those insets that are doing
so much harm in our garden are just
what he uses for his food. 1 have no
doubt that he kills more of them every
day than we did last evening. If you
can find a live bug, place it near him
and see what he w ill do."
Tommy looked about, and soon found
three bugs, which he placed near the
toad, and then stood liack a short dis
tance to see the result. Soon the hugs
began to move away. The toad saw
them, and made a quick forward mo.
tion of his head. He darted out his
tongue, and instantly drew them, one
by one, into his mouth. Tommy
clapped his hands with delight.
"llow can such a clumsy-looking
fellow use his head and tongue sc
nimbly?" said Tommy; and he ran oil
to find more food for htm.
The next evening Tommy went
again Into the garden, and soon found
the object of his search ready for his
supper. At first the toad was shy. but
be soon learned to sit still while Tom
my placed the food near him. Then
he would dart out his tongue, and eat
the bugs while Tommy was close by.
Finding that the boy did not hurt him.
he soon lost all fear, and became 8
great pet. Tommy named him Hum,
pv, and says he would not have him
killed now for anything.—Our lAtUt
Outs _ <
The nightingale's habit of singing
at night, and the imaginary sadness of
its song, nre acrounted for by a legend
to the effect that in ancient days the
nightingale and blindworm had only
one eye apiece. The bird borrowwi th
reptile's eye in order to go with two
to a feast, and ntterw ards refused to
restore it. The blindworm vowed ven
geance on it* perfidious friend. Con
sequently the nightingale is afraid to
go to sleep at night lest the blindworm
should attack it in its similiter. And
In order to keep itaelf awake it singa,
resting its breast against a thorn, the
i pain caused by which renders Its ing
{ ing tart.