Ripened Wheat. We Kent to-day o'er a onfllued lorm, Ad our teara full eoltly clown. Wo looked our last on the aged faro, Willi ita look ol peace, ita patient Ki*cc, And hair like a aitrer crown. • Wc lour lied our own to the clay-cold hand a, From lilo'a loug labor at root; And among the bloasotna white ami awoot Wo notod a bunch ol golden wheat I'laeped cloao to the allonl breast. The bloeenma whispered of fadeless bloom, Of thelsnd where lulls no tear; But lho ripe wheat told of toil and care, The patient waiting, the trusting pin)or The garnered good of the year. Wok now not what work her hands had found, j What rugged place her feel; What I'KIW was hers, what blackncu ol night; Wo.saw but poace, tho bloasoms while, And the bunch of ripened wheat. LOST HER PLACE. A STORY OF WASHINGTON I.IKK. "It's only a six-hundred office!" said Crocus (iraltain. with flushed cheek and glittering eyes. "Anil when nty car-fares are paid, and nty dress pro- ( vided for, there isn't so much, after | all! I'm sure nobody need covet it!" Mrs. (iraham looked at her daughter with foldetl hands anil a troubled ex pression of countenance. "Yes, 1 know. Crocus," she said, in that soft, tremulous falsetto of hers. •'Hut six hundred dollars is six htin- ! dred dollars, and, after ail, these public offices are a deal more genteel than school-teaching, or tlress-making, ->r any other way by which a friendless woman may earn a living. And this Mrs. Altainont has powerful political friends, and they tell me a place must lie found for her, at all hazards," "And so," cried indignant Crocus, "I am to he flung—ami you with me, mamma—helpless upon the world!" "Xot helpless, Crocus, dear!" "Mamma, how can it t>e otherwise '" saitl Crocus, looking pitifully down on her little white hands, pink as to the nails, and dimpled as to the joints. •"We cannot dig—to heg we are ashamed!' ltut I never will demean myself to ask favors of the depart ment. I have always done my duty faithfully, and earned my salary. And now to lie displaced for the sake >f a dashing society widow with big eyes and rouged checks—is it not enough to make <-■" blush for one's country -'' "It's the way of the world. Crocus!" sighed Mrs. (iraham. "The weak must stand aside, while the chariots of the strong mil on!" "Hut I couldn't have believed it of the auditor, mamtua!" urg-sl Crocus "lie was jKKir papa's old friend. and ho was always so very, very kind to me!" "An auditor, mv dear, has something to do beside-, to study to do besides t < study the welfare of every one of tip clerks in his department," reasoned Mrs. firaham. "I am sorry 1 bought that new dress now," saitl Crocus, regretfully. "I didn't really need it; hut the pattern w;ts so pretty! pink moss-rosebuds on a white ground, if was only twenty five cents a yard; hut there was the making, ami the riblion-hows anil loops, and the buttons. And I have saved so little out of my salary! Oh. mamma! how could I have been so Improvident? What will a hundred and seventy-five dollars do toward supporting us now?" "Look, Crocus!" Mrs. (iraham. sitting by the window, had chanced to perceive an open barouche rolling leisurely down Penn sylvania avenue under the Imwery droop of the trees, with an elegantly dressed lady reclining among its satin cushions, end a portly, red-faced gen tleman seated by her side. "I see," said Crocus, slightly frown- '- Ing, while a scarlet spot came into either cheek. "It Is Mrs. Altainont Anil that is her cousin, the senator . Did you see the diamonds dash in her ears, mamma? oh, of course. Senator Stalkeup can demand any favor he pleases from the government for any needy relation he happens to have! And I —poor I—am to he the scrape goat. I dare say. the six-hiiiulred-dol lar salary will do very well to buy gloves and hoots and can de cologne for Mrs. Altainont To us, mamma, it was a living." Crocus firahain was the daughter of a gallant officer, who had died in his country's service. She had been in a Itoarding-school when he died, and her first ex|ierlence of the real world was in the public office at Washington, where she was set diligently at work. Bhe liked it. Bhe gloried in thus supporting herself ami her mother, in stewl of sinking to the level of millin ery, boarding-house keeping or gentcej beggary. She engaged Itoard at the cheapest place which was consonant with her dignity as a lady. She mended her gloves and made over her mother's caps, and rejoici-d greatly in that she wns independent of the world which uses widows and orphans so hardly. "Mamma," said Crocus, suddenly* "I won't wait to he discharged—l'll resign!" "Would that nc wise, Crocus?" said the gentle widow. "We'll go West, mamma," said Crocus. "Uncle Joseph took up a government claim ia Dakota. We'll raise chickens and bees and turn farmers there!" "Ihit, darling, wnat can two women like us do?" pleaded Mrs. (iraham. "Two women, mammal" cried Cro cus, trying to laugh. "Why, there's nothing in all the world that they cuu'f do! I may be returned yet as one of the representatives of some hitherto unnamed territory; and in that ease, I'll do my host to pass a law that no political influence shall drive a hard working girl from her place, t<> make room for an overdressed widow who | wants t-> earn a little more pin money—" "Crocus!" "Wouldn't it he a good i-lea.mamiua ? : llul now 1 must sit down and count the money I have left of this month's I salary. lam not hv any means sure 1 that I have enough to take us to Dakota unless indeed we were to sell I the old pearl brooch that Iwdongisl to j your mother. And I've a sort of fancy that luck would desert us if we parted ■ with that old pearl brooch." Later in the afternoon, Crocus (!ru liatn put on the pink moss-rose gown, with a pretty little hat of rose-eolored erape. which she had herself made and crept out under the shadow of the great lime-trees in the capitol grounds, to hear the hand play. All the world w.ts there the belles ->f the great city, the fashionahli-s, the not abilities. Kh-gant carriages block -s| up the drives, rami mi vs groups studded the velvet lawns; and almost' the first thing which Crocus saw was the tall figure of the twenty-fifth auditor, standing ls-side Senator stalkcup's carriage, while that rubi cund personage gesticulated vehement ly, and Mrs. Altainont leaned smiling ly forward, beneath the gohlen-stuidow of her amber-lin- d parsol. "My cousin muxt Is- provided for, d-n't you sec?" saitl the senator. "And they tell me that your depart ment is the pleasantest place in the Treasury Huil-iing; and if there isn't any v.t amy just now, why, you must maki one' Nothing--an 1-e easier. I am sure." "You think so?" said tho twenty fifth audinr, win- was a tall man, with Indian-dark hair and eyes, and a Na|s>leonie c-information of brow. "Think s-. man? 1 know it!" said the senator. "Rotation in office that's the only safe rule. Keep the wheel turning make matters lively!" Just then the line of carriages be gan to move slowly on. The auditor stepped hack; Mrs. Altainont waved 10-r •r> nm-gloved hand, and the roseate e.-unt- nance of senator Malkcup was wafted from view. As the audit >r turned itit • a path sweet with roses and shadowed with the "dropping gold" <>f laburnum, he - aine face to face with Crocus, sitting --n a rustic bench of twisted ccdar i toughs, "Mr. Harrington!" she exclaimed, with a start. "Miss iiraham!'* "I—l only came out to hear the hand play, and get a little breath of fresh air." faltered Crocus. "It is a la-auliful place here," said Mr. Harrington, gravely. He had known Miss (iraham for two years now. He lia-l seen her daily at her de*k; he had exchanged 1 courteous salutations with her, as she '. ?aiue, every morning, out of theyellow. Southern sunshine into the cool arcades i of the marble-pillared Treasury Build- I ing. with rones in her hosom. and the soft flush of youth and health on her ! rheek. Her dead father had been good to him. as a young man. and he had never forgotten this. And l>esides— Hut Crocus' heart sank piteously, as he looked down at her with that seri ous, observant eve of his. "lie is thinking how he shall break it tome," she thought to herself. "Oh, dear! oh. dear! I wish it were nil over, and I was safe on tho Dakota farm. . with tuamma and the licehives." He spoke at last, after what seemed an interminable silenco—spoko in a j low, earnest voice. "Miss (irahain," ho said, "did you ' ever think of leaving the depart ment?" "Of giving up my office?" uttered Crocus, quickly. "Yes," he said, "i suppose, of course, it would amount to that." Crocus rose and stood playing with the tassel on her fan in a nervous sort of wny. "It is very kind of you to lead up to the subject so carefully, Mr. Harring ton," said she, "hut —but I know all 1 about it already." Ho lookod t her with nuzzled, in tent eyes. I do not aoo how thnt can no possi ble, Miss Graham," said he. "Oh, I am quicker-sighted than yon ; think!" Crocus answered, with a forced j laugh. "I have seen it coming for j some time. It in scarcely necessary, ; I suppose, to ask my opinion." "Hut it in necessary very necessary, 1 indeed!" said the auditor. "I am some years your senior. Miss Graham, hut I j believe 1 could make you happy. At least that is the conclusion at which I have arrived, after many days and I nights of reflection on the subject. And if yon will decide to look favor ably upon my suit—" "Mut," criisl Crocus, with burning cheeks, "1 was talking about my ollico ; in the department!" I "And I," said Mr. Harrington, "am talking alxiut //•nt got the six-hun drcd-dollar oflicc. and senator Mak eup was satisfied \nll the liakota farm project reiuainisl a myth. And sometimes whin Crocus comes toiler husband's private office in the department, a sw • < t-f.e iil matron in -ilk and jevyels, shelo>k- pityingly at the lady-i Jerks. with Mr- \lt anion t in their midst, md wonders if it were possible that v/e was once one them. "Itseems s., b.rig ago," say- Afr-. Harrington "oh, so very, very long!" ii'l' tt /''l|i tf It Kir. . Tile Second Greatest Man. If we are united in the -pinion as to which i- our best month, we are eijiiallv of one mind who was the greatest man that the I'nited Static has ]>rislueei|. That lias Iss'oine a traditional article of tx lief. lint the ipn-stion now is. Who was or is our second greatest man .' This is a pie— tion which the I'raw er refers to the autumn and winter debating societies for solution. It will I*• a good ex ere: -e for the young gentb nun and young la lie- f. r we remember what age ! we are living in, ttiat we are living in i a grand and awful time, and perba]>s i it was , woman to bring forward their candidate, for the second lon r. and to refresh the mind of their audiences with the virtues vs examined \ there, and to the 'position, "Who was i the greatest man that America had ! produced?" at oy promptly answered, i "Washington." Hut on the second j (piestion. "Who was the next in great- 1 niwthe Ixiv hesitated, and theqnes tion has never been answered. The -ainc I m iy, who might have settled this i •pie-tion if lie hail not hesitated, vva- ] asked who was the celebrated amhasaa- 1 dor to l'aris, and instantly answered, ! as if he had been in a civil service ex- i aniination. Itolemy l*biladelphus. Hut t he at once corrected hiniself. and said ' Franklin. And the Hrawer thinks that Franklin wouldn't tieabad second to start on. Wor/irr'* Maynzin'. Three Thousand Snakes. According to sim * the numlier of snakes killed near Falls City, Neb,, during an overflow of the Xeinaha river is almost lieyond belief. They were driven by the water from the Isittorn lands to the higher grounds, and especially to the embankments thrown ii|r for railways. It is estimat that more than 3nel. The charge i- explosive Traut/el gda. tine, and hy im an- "fa -imple interior mechanism, can be burst either aUive ground, under a layer of earth or under water. The tori-edoes arc made in series corresponding with their charges, which range from b-ur jM.umls to 100 pounds, and are < lasscsl r- -j- t ively according to t!■ use for which they are destined, as torjicdoo* of ol>- servation, of contact and of jwrcus-ion. The two last named - >rt-are mi ant to be exploded by the enemy involunta rily. of course The eontii't tor | win may !*• put in any place where its ex Ist en re i- not likely to suj>ected in an abandoned carriage. j la '-I a< ro-- a r ad. behind a door or a gate whi< h has to Is ojH'ned, the mcT' removal of the olistrde being suihi lent to cause the ex pi..si..n. I'to-j>er< usd' H tnrjtedo is hidden a few- inches b- ncath the soil or in a drain, and cvplodi , readily under the weight of a numlier of ii en or the pressiin of a vehicle or the tramp of a horse. The four pound torp.-I.M-- ar< f..r instant use, and Is'ing easy of tran-jxirt. may lie tak-n ' alnio-t win rex. r tr.M.p- ran inar- h. Twenty five of them can be parked mi one bat mule. A suigle torpedo of ' this caliler will break uj> an ordinary road to its tnll width, and three or four torjiedoes along a road are jnufi cient to render it Imjuisah|e. They pulverize every thing within a diame ter of seven an l break everything within adi me ter of thirteen metres from the centre of explosion They may l-e buried under four or tixe cent (metres of earth w ithiait detriment to their destructive effect. It is only the larger engines that .an is* buried deeper than this without impairing their efficiency Cp to a distance of three kilometres explosion can le produced mechanically without the ' aid of electricity, either bv design on ' the part of the operator or involunta rily by some a< tof the enemy. As touching the time required to place those torpedoes under a layer of earth five centimetres thick, it has Iteen found by actual experiment that in fifteen minutes sixty men may sow in this way one hundred and twenty en gines in three or four lines over one square kilometer of ground, thereby . rendering it alisolutcly impassable. A regiment that would attempt to march over it would le simply pulverized. M A Whistling Tree. In the deep and almost impenetrable forists Of Xtibia la found a tree that litters at times the most mournful and plaintive notes. Sometimes these sounds are shrill and clear, at others j ' die away to an almost imperceptible whisper, as if some captive spirit were complaining of Its lot. The effect is singular, weird ami startling, until the cause Is known. Thetreeiaa species' of Acaciaand the sound is produced by rajeshaped galls or secretions of some Insect- The wind In passing through Uie tree produces tlie whistling noise referred to. A WAR BmUIMCIKCB, • low m Vtegui mr Hftinr Haa Thumped Into lUapot t for ilia Volunteer** Heading General Lew Wallace's let ter to the eleventh Indian regiment, defending his course at Nhiloh, I was reminded of an accident which liu|>- pened shortly after that conflict, said a veteran of the war to a represent a- , five of the Indianapolis Journal. It happened at Louisville, and General Wallace and the late Gem-rat K. <>. C. j :>rd, his son ( who acted as one of his | j father's aidsy, and Major James It. Keriority worn by the ' officers of tin- regular army towards those of the volunteer service, and this feeling was so bitter on the part of some as to le the cause of a feeling i amounting almost to positive hatred ' rd was a general of the regulars, and iiis sen was a lieutenant in the same service, of equal rank with Hoss, a vol unteer, and young (>rd occasionally tixik occasion to snub Ins coinrade, but the latter wasn-tthe kind of a man to toady anyone. It was after the battle of Hiiloh and a numtrd was even more overlM arlng in Ins demeanor towards 110-s than ev cr Is-fore, and the feel ing of animosity N-tween them vxas greatly einbittere.l, rd. a-k(s| who that '■;) cr vva-. "(h. that is Lew Wallaei.the man who tru-l s . hard to 10-'- sj,," arisvv. risl the In litcnant. scar. <-|y had he (in;-li ed s|.c. iking when H",s, who had in advertently heard tie r.-inark.stepjusl briskly forward and struck the com mander's slanderer a -t.nging slap on the check, following it up with a blow which sent the young man -prawling on the door "Von have ttfiump) slandered <.eneral M'allace In partic ular (thump, and the volunteer 5.,1-dur dur in general," (thump), shouted lt<">s. "until I have fthutnpistood all I , that there is at least one volunteer offi cer thump i vth'i !-• more of a man than a regular of sjual rank." and bumpety-biimp went the young man's head against the floor. The thumj.- ing prssss continued until the by standers pulled Hoss ofT and allowed the other to esi ajM-. After that there vv.js a greater degree of resjns t ami de ference )>aid the volunteer arm of the service by at lea>t that portion of the regulars. I was an eye-witness to the occurrence, andean testify to the truth of the story. An Fnostentatlons Ruler. The French people, it is claitmsl. are naturally ostentatii us. They like jtarade and display, especially in their rulers, lint the president of the re public, M. tirevy. Is one of the most modest rulers known to history. He lives in a large house, the Chateau of Montaons Vsudrav, which has twenty five guest rooms, to which, however, no strangers are invited. His daughter is married to Mr. Wilson, an Englishman. Their child Is the de light of the domestic presTdent of the republic. M. Hrevy rises at eight, works until the afternoon, fishes for an hotir or two on the banks of the Loire. • w Inch is faiacsl for its abundanco of the finny trilie. After dinner, he jdays billiards and enjoys his fainily life. At twenty minutes past ten all the lamjts in the chateau are extinguished. M. Grevy is not a very brilliant man. hut he is a good and solid one. and while he may not I* * s.cond Washington, he has many of the good traits of chatarter which have given such an enviable fame to the first American president ~Dcmrest. J Address to a ftea-Blrd. Ob, wild WRu wso'lerer, Piwiplm jritnlerer. Haunter of bmven nest and terror are stung with delight; Ocean's broad billows To tbee are thy pillows, Vast hollowed heaven thy chsrnber at night, .Sunrise and tnoonrie and wil lenng wa ters, l idnight's pale shadows, the cl'/ud's sil ver daughters, All gs/e upoti thi*? and entry thy flight, freedom itself in ita jeruoua high'. Cries He ts mine in his rrueo and nis might ' Blackvooft Majatittt. lIIMOKOI S. i tie net that is most popular with blonde youth brunette. Lung courtships are to he avoided — especially when they last until three o'clock in the morning. A notisl physii ian says that nearly all women have smaller chests and trunks than they ought. Baggagemen don't think so. When a young man escorts his girl home after evening service, he finds • that the longest way round is near enough for him. "No trouble to have my ears Iored," remarked the young lady with diamond pendants "1 have it done at ■v> ry party I attend." "The difference." mused Twistem, "between a necessary adjunct of the kitchen and a fat party going up a ladder j* simply this; One's a muffin pan, the other'- a [ ufi n' man. Little Nng time the victim of a singular notion. The I. ndon J •urwtl says he fancied that he had an enormous leg of mutt'in attached lo the end <>f Ids nose. A friend would shake hands with him and inquire, "How is M. Malebranche t slay '" "Pretty well, on the whole; I nt this horrid leg of mutton is getting quite tinlmarnble by its weight and its smell." "What' This leg of mutton ?" • Yes. t'an't you see it hanging there in front ?" If the friend burst into a laugh, or ventured to deny the existence of the trange phenomenon. Male branche would get angry. At length a colleague of his. a man gifted with a sens> of the humorous, determined to cure him by some means or other. Palling upon him one day he affected to perceive the cause of his trouble and inquired a!>ont it. The imaginary patient, overcome with gratitude, ran to embrace this first Uiliever, who. stepping backwards, uttered a cry, "What! Have 1 hurt you, my friend?" "f'erlainly: yon have run your leg of mutton Into my eye. 1 really cannot understand why TOU have not tried to get rid of that awkward appendage long since. If you will allow ine with a raror - an operation performed with out the slightest danger"— - "My friend, my friend, you will pave saved my life! Oh! Ah! oh."' In the twinkling of an eye the friend had slightly graxed the Up of hia note, and producing from under his coat a splea. did leg of mutton, he flourished it / triumphantly in the air. "Ah," ex claimed Malebranche, "1 Uve, I breathe! My nose is free, my bead is free! But - but— It was a raw one and this one is cooked!" "Why, of course; you base Iteen sitting for an hour close to the Are!" From this time Malebranche ceased to be haunted by his leg of mutton.