-— . BLOSSOM TIME. Spring came with tiny lances thrusting, And earth was clad in peeping green; In russet bark, the twigs encrusting, Tenderest blossom points were seen A rovin courier proclaimed good cheer; Bummer will soon arrive for I am here, And now from cherry boughs in flower The languid breeze arousing shakes With every honied breath a shower Of feather snow in drifting flakes: And apple trees in bloom like ricks of white, Are veiled with smoky, amethystine light, Ah, little soul, on thy first Spring. Unclosing merry, puzzled eyes, Would that a father’s thought could bring Prophetic counsel more than wise To guide thee as a father's love would yearn, Thou hast so much to suffer and to learn! 1 cannot live thy life for thee, My precepts would be dull aud trite, Barren as last year's love to me Beneath the apple blossoms white; But in thy new horizon's vaster range Our hearts close knit shall feel no chilling | change. ~W. Larremore, in New England Monthly. | te ——————————— A GOOD NIGHT'S WORK. While in command of a small scouting rty in Arizonia I went into camp one right day on the Rio Puerco, very near the New Mexican line. The tents had been pitched and the animals sent out to graze under a strong guard and I was walking before my tent, waiting a summons to dinner, which I knew by the strong odor wafted from an ad jucent coffee pot would not be much longer delayed. We were about ninety miles from the nearcst fort and hundreds from any set- tlement. There wus no ranches whatso ever in this part, only some cattle and sheep belonging to Mexicans, which were herded through the Territory. These were in charge of the Mexicans, who lived much the same kind of life as did their stock. Their blankets were their only house, and when came on they would lie down wherever it might over- take them. For miles around the land was as level as the bed billiard table. Mountains were seen in the dis tance, which were inhabited by Indians, But my little command and a few rattle snake and tarantulas were the only liv ing things near. “Dinner is ready, Lieutenant,” was the my cook greeted me, and I was soon doing Justice to a field dinner of bean soup and *¢ glapjacks.” I was in the midst of this savory re past when I noticed a stranger approach- ing me. He was a well-built, powerful. looking man, about forty years of ago; his face was intellectual and extremely handsome; he wore a full beard and moustache, both of which were iron-gray. He was coarsely clad, and carried no weapon. The latter circumstance wus the most remarkable thing of all, for in those days in Arizona ose moved without his arms. Nearing me, he asked, in a pleasant, quiet manner, if [ were the commanding officer, I replied that I was. “I came to see it you could lend me a pistol, or a carbine for a few asys,” he said. “You don’t mean to tell me that you are entirely without armsi” I said pot unreasonably astonished. ““Yes: I have nothing of the kind," he answered. “I have been annoyed for the past three months by those infernal Cali fornia lions, and if I had a shoot I might kill some of them " “Are asked “I live round the river; will you walk down with me Greatly astonished, I asked if he lived there quite alone. *Oh, no,” he replied, “my wife and mother live with me.” Little dreaming 1 was 80 near a ros idence, 1 accepted his invitation, and filling my pipe and leaving the Serzeant in charge of camp, I started forth with my new acquaintance. As we made the turn in the river [ saw a rock rising from the level It Was not more than 100 yards from the river's bank, and was really quite impos ing in its dimensions. It struck me as 80 peculiar—so entirely out of place that I expressed my surprise 0 my companion ** Yes," he answered. “I fancy it is & meteorite. 1 am under great obliga tion to it, whatever it is, and however it came here, for it has protected me for months. ‘That rock is my house,” By this time we bad reached the nat ural dwelling. At what might be termed its opening, the rock was ten feet or more from the ground, and it sheltered a apace about twenty feet in breadth, gradually sloping backward and down ward. As I stepped under the protect. ing roof I saw two women sitting at work. My host presented me to his mother sud wife respectively, and I saw at a glance that they were Mexicans: not of the class, however, known as greases, but representatives of a much higher grade. Like most Mexicans, they were disinclined to converse in any language but thelr own, but wher they learned that my knowledge of their tongae was night of a welcome summons with which scarcely 08 Iron you camping near bend : t Just i arge shelving pr sirie, 100 slight to enable me to understand | them they overcame their reluctance, sad we chatted quite pleasantly, I Jearoed that they had been living there for three months. They came with the intention of farming, and later | 1 erecting a suitable dwelling, he Indians had not molested them, but they were worried by the lions, which came by twos and threes nightly to the opening of their habitation, and there howled till daylight, returned to the mountain. They told me it was of them to be fire burning, which was their I tection from these yu pa Consquent impatiently | whea they | for one | up all night to keep the tol or carbine of my own I would will. ingly lend or give them one, but all the weapons in the command, even those on my person, belonged to the Government, and that the orders respecting them were 80 stringent that I was utterly unable to accommodate them, *‘I had u pistol when I came here,” said | my host, ‘but I lost it crossing the ! river. Since then you are the first per- son that has been this way,” I felt really sorry for him, and also felt that they might think I had given a | very flimsy reason for refusing the loan they asked, That three human beings should be an- noyed night after night by wild beasts, and a cempany of cavalry unable to give | them protection seemed incredible, yet | such was the case. At length a happy thought struck me. “I tell you what I will do,” I said. *“I | will send the company in charge of the Sergeant about five miles further down the river to encamp; then I will bring Curley with me, and we will stay here to-night .with you. Curley is an old frontiersman, and is acting guide for me. He is a good shot, and will enjoy the sport. My proposal was joyfully accepted, : and I returned to camp to give the nec- essary directions. About an hour later the company moved out andl Curley and I were alone. “What sort of an outfit is that down there?” said my companion, pointing to the stone mansion I had recently left, ‘I eannot tell you,” 1 answered. “The people say they are worried by the lions, and I have told them you and I will stay with them to-night and sample a few.” ‘*Some escaped jailbird, [ suppose,” said Curley. “The country's full of them.’ “Yes,” I answered, ‘‘the country is full of them, but I am sure this man is His manner and bis ap- pearance, barriog his clothes, are those of a gentleman, and his wife seems more than ordinarily refined.” "Well," said Curley, “if they will trot out the lions we don't care what no criminal, the y are With that we started toward the rock. The Californis lion may have a legiti- mate name, but this is the only one 1 have ever heard applied to him. He belongs to the panther and wildcat families, be- ing, 1 believe, a cross between the two. They gave us coffee, bread and fried bacon for supper, and our host surprised and delighted us by producing from his trunk some cigars. Not a lamp nora candle of any description did they have, When darkness came on they went to bed or on watch, as the case might be. We told them all to retire whenever they felt disposed, and they wanted not a second bidding, We saw that our rifles were in good order snd that our ammunition was handy; then we per. mitted the fire to die out. Not long did we wait; we had not been on guard more than half an hour when Curley whispered to me. *“‘Did* you see that thing sneaking up here?” I bad already seen it, but it was only a coyote, so I said: “It is nothing but a We must not shoot; it will frighten the lions.” **1 believe you are right,” said Curley. “But how about this Senator that is ap- proaching?”’ coyote, Sure enough, here came a large lion, walking proudly along, scarcely thirty yards from us, “Do said Curley. util we get more of them.” A few minutes later four large lions were in our immediate front. The man had certainly told the truth thus far, whatever his intention as to farming Wait y " nnt # not fire, night be **You take the one on the left and I'll wie the one on the right,” said Curley. Are you ready?” “Ready,’ “Fire!” The report of our rifles and the screams ff the startied were almost stimultaneous; the three were sleeping soundly, and the shots naturally started them. [ threw another cartridge into my rifle and fired at an escaping lion, but I doubt if I injured him. We re. built the fire and dragged two floe speci- mens of the brutes where its light would allow us to inspect them. 1 had shot one through the heart and Curly had sent a bullet through the brain of the other. “I think we had better leave them outside,” mid Curley; *“‘the others will scent the blood and come back.” Whether they scented the blood or not, I am not prepared to may, but back they certainly came. We waited until a good opportunity offered, and then, at a given signal, fired again; two more large lions fell, and Curley succeeded in load. ing and shooting one that was endeavor. This made five that we had killed, After watching another hour without any result, we made up the fire and slept until sunrise. The little family were overjoyed at beholding our night's work, and succeeded in convincing us of I replied sleepers ing to escape. | their sincere gratitude, After breakfast Curley skinned the five animals and gallantly presented the pelts to the young wife. As we bade good.by to the rock family he said, “if you rub a little strychnine over Lhese carcasses and stake them at little distance from your ranch you will not be troubled much longer by lions.” Phen, with a cordial farewell, we proceeded down the river to overtake | the command, — Drake's Magazine, His Work. In a pretty church on the island of Auityum, in the New Hebrides, is a tablet erected by grateful natives to the + Rev. John memory of thelr mies Geddie, On this tablet their language the following: EE written in TT ET ant eh EE |THE MERRY SIDE OF LIFE. | , STORIES THAT ARE TOLD BY THE FUNNY MEN OF THE PRESS, When He Loses Patience A Cheerful Disposition — A Cold Blooded Threat, Kte., Eo, "Tis not when the patient in bed is lying | And tossing at night on a sleepless pillow, Or when for the light of the moon he's sigh- ing While the sun's still far ‘neath the foam tipped billow; "Tis not when he's feeling his aches distress. | ing That the grip his cheerful pationce mas | tars, But when he is up and convalescing ~New York Press, A CHEERFUL DISPOSITION. ‘‘Can you bear sorrows with forti- | tudet” “You bet I can—at least I can they're other people's sorrows.” if A COLD BLOODED THREAT. Dr. Bawbones (in a crowded room) | “I can’t talk to you in this crowd, Jones | ~-] must take you apart for awhile.” Jones What, take me apart! Help! | Murder!!” TOO COMBATIVE. Jawkins—*‘My health Nothing seems to agree with me.’ Dawkins‘ ‘Well, what can you pect? argument that you never agree with any- thing." ’ ex- WHAT HE MARRIED, Minkers—* ‘Hello, Winkers, 1 you married a woman with an independ ent fortune.’ Winkers (sadly) "N-0; I married a fortune with an independent woman." — Yankee Blade. MENTAL GRAVITATION, Enthusiastic Father t you think I ought to make a scientist of that boy of mine! I suppose noticed his way going t« ¢ bottom of things? Teacher iced it about his classes." ““Don’ FALL TO SOME ONE. marris the maid as she gazed down at the which Horace Fledgely bad given w=Jewelers’ Cw rstiar, THE WHIRLIGIG OF TIMER. “Time brings strange reversals, There's poor old Henpeck, for instance, who married his type-writer.” “Well, where does the reversal in?" “Why, it Life. come was he who used to dictate.’ SOMETHING NEW IN CHILDREN'S snoms Customer‘ Do you remember the pair of child's shoes I got here recently? I | want to get another pair just like them.” Salesman (reflectively)—**Do you recall anything special about them, sir!” Customer—** Well, I should say I did Why, they lasted a week I" — Puck, ‘reas “What, my angel.” exclaimed the young husband, bursting into the kitchen ‘‘doing the cooking yourself! What is it “Why, Edgar, how foolish of you! How in the world can you expect me to tell until I ses what it turns out!" — Flie gende Blactier, A DARK SECRET. SHE NEEDED THE WHERE WITHAL. “This is about the worst dunner [ ever sat down to.” he said, as he surveyed the table, ‘‘but I spose I ought to make certain allowances.” “Yes, John,” replied the wife, “if you would make certain allowances you would have no ocession to find fault with your food." — Chicago News. A PRUDENT MAX. Old Gentleman (to "bus driver)—'‘My friend, what do you do with your wages every week—put part of it inthe savings | bank I" Driver—‘No, sir. butcher an’ grocer an’ rent, I pack away what's left in barrels. I'm afraid of them savin's banks." — Yankee Blade. OXE WAY OF PUTTING IT. “There goes a man,” said Jones to » friend the other day, pointing out some | one whose head and shoulders only could be seen in the crowd, ‘‘there goes | a man who mourns the tune when he used to have corns.” “Indeed! How extraordinary!” “Yes. He's since lost both feet through an accident, "Judge, AN APPROXIMATION, Small Boy(holding up hand) —* What's B. C. hitched onter them dates in Greek history meant” Teacher (a trifle confused) —t Well..ot Sammie, you see then old Greeks were uoer kind of crecters, so whin they didn't know a date fur sartin they put B. O.—‘bout correct'—warter the num. bers, "we Chisago News, GREAT IX AN HUMBLE WAY, And tries to get rid of his porous plasters, | | 8 very poor, | You know you are so fond of an | hear | After payin' the Ferguson, glaring at young Hankinson. we Chicago Tribune, THEIR NUMBER I8 LEGION, Miss Passec—¢I hardly know how it is, but I must follow the fads. Now, | every one is wearing birthday rings and" Billyboy~**And are you wearing them, ton?" for each year.” Sillyboy—*‘You could almost opcn " | News. HER PA AND HER LOVER. Henry (as Ethel enters)—*Mydarling, it bas been years, centuries, since I saw you last.” Ethel's Papa (upstairs, calling to ser. now" Mary—~*‘Mr. Littleton.” ww Harvard Lampoon. HOW ONE LOVES SYMPATHY. Wife—+'Did you change the dress pattern and blow the man up for the mis- take?” Husband | clerk declared wrong.” Wife-—Well, what did you do about itr” Husband with him.” “I had it changed, but the that he knew you were eq Cloak Review (grimly) shook hands M KES A DIFFERENCE Bjones horse of yours, Bj Bjienkius dollars.’ “Two hundred and fifty dol told lisgusted with him snd woul | him for fifty dollars | “Yes, I know I did: | man now who ‘What will you take for that nRins “Two hundred and fifty man, you me iast {| Were found a wants “SOMErtiiie LESSON FROM THE Mrs. Suburb—*"My! Such a time as} bave had to-day. Every n the hens would get into the garden. and | the more | tried to drive out the more they wouldn't g just squawked and cackled and : od hither and yon in every imaginable di { rection but the right one No matter which way you try to drive a hen, she's sone other way ” HEXKNEKY. yw and then ? a them . but and went | bound to Qe Mr. Suburb (thoughtfaily)—1 don“ believe roosters would act like that." New York Weekly. i ! IE SIMPLY WANTED TO KXOW, lered tall, broad.shoul out street “Well, it I did I'm sorry for my awk. wardness,” “That jsn't it u're the mat “Well, » | 20" | “That know trampled on street | “Yes, I am!" said the litlle follow, “and if you don’t skip I'll make a pedes- trian excursion from one end of you to the other “Give us yer band, No | harm done. | was early taught to be | methodical, and I just wanted to get the | record straight and know who did it. | What'll ye have I" wu Columbus Fost. I want to know if I'm after I want that Chestout isn't what io are foot Tv Ost TT; yO nan my on stranger, A SEW SCHEME FOR TRAMPS. “Don’t want no books, no soap, no | pictares,” said the hard-faced woman, to the strange young man at the front | door, . “1 am not an agent, madam,” said the stranger. “My business is of an entirely different nature. Do you remember a weary, ragged and hungry tramp calling | at your kitchen i agot” She didn't remember. “Let me refresh your memory, tied at the waist with a string, your front hair was in tins, and there was a dark smudge across your nose.” She tried to slam the door, but his foot happened to be in the way. **You had a rolling pin ing one hand and a kettle of hot water in the other, with which you threatened to scald the poor wayfarer.” “Well, 1 didn't seald him, anyhow You can’t get any assault and battery against me,” “Nothing of the sort was intended, ma'am. | merely wished to let you know that I was that supposed tramp. The bundle I carried on that occasion con. tained a camern. See! I have already been offered 84 for the pleture of you | obtained, but if you want it for 83.50 it is i] a third party movement,” answered Mr. Miss Passee—*+Yes, I have bought one | { that on which it falls. jewelry store, couldn't you?"— Chicugo | | vant)—*‘Mary, whom did you let in just | | fain Crosbie, rep ried feeling =» | vessels | olent door about six weeks | Yom | were dressed in an old morning wrap, | ER aa ANSE RARE WISE WORDS, Motherhood is woman's throne, No woman is really beautiful until the is old, Most won ¢n are ambitious; they want | , y more than 1000 years, to be men, Bweethearts and wives different women, Anger is like rain, it breaks iteelt upon are entirely A woman is seldom prosaic until she is some man's mother-in-law, To keep your own secret is wisdom, to expect others to keep it is folly. If only women fought battles there would be only wars of extermination, Modesty is to merit as shades to figures in a picture, giving it strength and beauty. He that calls a man ungrateful, sums up all the evil that a mar can be guilty | of. Ethel's Papa—*‘Good gracious! that's | tho sixth time he's been here this week.” | Some women are born fools: some achieve it and some have it thrust upon them having done resolution to Fruitless is sorrow for amiss if it issues not in a do so no more. Families are a good deal like clocks— too much 1egulation themgo wrong may easily make There is a difference between happi- ness and wisdom, that he that thinks himself the happiest man is really so id} : %y but he that thinks himself the is generally the greatest fool. wisest It may be remarked for the comfort of honest poverty, that avarice reigns most who have but few go ties to recommend them. that will in those d quali Tig is a weed grow only in barren soil There are peculiar ways in men, which discover what hey are through the feints and clever k-head cannot come in, nor g most A ) AWAY, subtle disguises blo« nor sit, nor of rise, nor stand, like a man sense rse Kind ey will strengthen the Know that flatterers are the w { traitors: forth w— ————— Salling In Bolling Water seems somewhat of an erable danger | the Sunda Straits the Island of Java are not common, but in some parts rthquakes =nd volcanic of { disturbances are of q ike the catastrophe in snd the seas surrounding He OOPAan oa these disturbances bark Eleansma had an experi. with an earthquake in that vic nity yYovage. Swedish ence on a recent Captain Petersen that one ing between 7 and 8 o'clock, while the ship was sailing along st a three-knot rate, with a light wind aod a calm sea, a noise was heard on the snd almost immediately the water began to boil and bubble like water in a huge kettle break BATH evel port side like a heavy saf, ng as high as the or about an ho terval the bub } then dark, plainly beard, possib to observe idy. Next SOR Was calm nd ther fine a number of from this Barbados nd region water began the » but It was not whether the day the Last wen and man water shocks One Various bret ween fall vio.en reported {eit throughout Demerara. oo the America and the x1 was at in pisces the mainland of of Martinique. Boull island | The American bark P. J. Carleton, Cap severe shock. The sea became like a boiling pot, greatly « and tumbling about in a seething mass, and a grating ion was experienced, as though the were going over a reel. Other reported similar experiences at about the same time. A particularly vi submarine volcanic disturbance would have such disastrous effects that no reports would ever reach any port nfused vesae] i from vessels unfortunate enough to be in | the locality. | bances may be responsible for the melan- And how far such distur. choly list of ships “missing” is matter for conjecture. New York Recorder. i — sy The Frontier Cavalryman. Our froatier cavalryman is the beau ideal of an irregular. The irregular horseman of all ages was recruited from amoong roving, unintelligent classes, and had, except in his own peculiar province, as plentiful & lack of good as he bad a superabundance of bad qualities. Our trooper is intelligent, snd trained in the hardest of schools. Few civilians, who find it so easy to criticise the operations of the crmy in the West, would make much of a success in hunting a band of » fow hundred Indians in a pathless wild. erncas or a waterless desert bigger than New York snd New Eogisad combined. And yet, thus handicapped, what Spe did work our eavalry has done! hile ne civil department of the Government has for years been busy sowing the seeds of strife and furnishing the red mas arma of precision, the bese of plenty of them, how ably our hand: ful of bluecoats, under orders of another, have od to quell the Indian upris- A force of fifty thousand men constantly on foot would have been i Ed { Bun, — A ———————— A Huge Stone. At Baalbee, in Syria, the traveler sees ot the quarry, nearly ready to be moved from the pillars that support it, a stone Tix14x18 feet, containing 12,922 cubic feet. And this stone has waited for There are four stones nearly as large, which have been transported a mile or more and put into the foundations of the Temple of the The ancients did kvow how to handle big stones, and we have not yet | quite reached their standard of size. | San Francisco Examiner. - II a The earth's 1,500,000,000 human in. { habitants speak 3034 different languages : and possess about 1000 different relig- fous beliefs. p———— - Out of 600,000 applications for pat. ents made during the past century, 385,- 000, or a little over fifty per cent., have been issued. There 1s more catarrh in this ssotion of the country than all other discases put ‘opether, and until the last few yours was supposed to be incurable, Fora great many years doctors pronounced IL a local disease, and prescribed local remedies y constantly falling to cure with pronounced it 5. oatarrh tobe a therefore requires P's Cstarrh Cure, & Co. Toledo, titut fis cure the } doses from Hy upon of Lhe 3 on etm dire wlem., re F.J.Cuexny 4 $F" Bold by Druggists, 3 Oven 5000000 ttle Russia §enr Syrup of Figs, Lhe axative flog H MM LEN, 1 The Convenience of Melid Trains, The WAY rur trains | St] Erie is the only ral Over ts own LU meaicme ar sound. £ le 7" ] science! It's the medicine for you-—tired, run-down, éshausts ed, nerve - wasted med and women ; for you sufferers from diseases of skin or scalp, liver or lungs—it's chance 1s with every one, it's season always, because it aims to purify the fountain of life—the upon which all such discases depend. The medicine is Dr. Plerceé's Golden Medical Discovery. . The makers, of it. have of enough confidence m it to sell it trial. That is—you can get it from your druggist, and ii doesnt do what it's claimed. to do, you can get your money back, every cend of il. That's what its makers eall taking the risk of thery words. blood on Tiny, little, sugar - coated granules, are what Dr. Pierce's Pleasant Pellets are. “The best Liver Pills ever invented; ac- tive, yet mid in operation; cure sick: and. bilious head- i One. a «dose. aChNCSs, RYxt 3a ADWAY'S Rs cur READY. B BEST NEDL CINE FOR FAMILY USK IN THE WORLD, | NEV ER FALLS TO RELIEVE LL, eA A venis Co ha, Sore Throat, 1aflamm Rhew. Nowrnlgia, hana th DADWAY
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers