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- HENRY A. PARSONS, Jr., Editor and Publisher NIL DESPERANDTTM. Twvo Dollars per Annum.
VOL. VII. KIDGrAVAY, ELK COUNTY, PA., THURSDAY, JANUAEY 31, 18787 NO. 50.
I
The Song? Sparrow,
. Bird of the door-side, warbling clear
In the sprouting or fading year,
. Well art thon named from tby own sweet lay
Uped from paling or naked spray,
As the smile of the sun breaks throngh
Chill gray clouds that curtain the blue.
Eyen when February, bleak,
Smites with his frost the traveler's check,
While the air has no touch of spring,
Bird of fromise, we hear thee sing,
Long ere the first rathe blossom wakes,
Long ere the earliest leaf-bud breaks.
April passes and May steals by
June leads in the sultry Julyi
Hweot are the wood notes, loud and sweet,
Heard from (he robin's and hang-bird's seat,
Then, sb the green months glide away,
Singest with them as gayly as they.
August comes, and the melon and maize
Bask and swell in his firey blaze ;
Swallows gather, and southward bound
Wheel like a wbirlblast round and round s
Thrush and robin their songs forget,
Thou art cheerfully warbling yet.
Later still, when the sumach spray
Reddens to crimson day by day,
When in the orchard, one by one,
Apples drop in the ripening sun,
They who pile them beneath the trees
Hear thy lay in the autumn breeze.
Comes November, sullen and grim,
Spangling with frost the rivulet's brim,
Harsh, hoarse winds from tho woodlands tear
Each brown leaf that is clinging there ;
Still art thou singing amid the blast,
"Soon is the dreariest season past,"
Only when Christmas snow-storms make
Smooth white levels of river and lake, ,
Sifting the light snows all day long,
Only then do we miss thy song,
Sure to hear it agaiu, when soon
Climbs the sun to a higher noon.
Late when the sorrowing south wind brought
Tidings of battle fiercely fought,
Tidings of hosts in war array,
Marking with graves their bloody way,
Still wert tbou singing near my door,
" Soon is the stormiest season o'er."
Ever thus sing cheerfully on,
Bird of Hope ! as in ages gone.
Sing of spring-time and summer shades,
Autumn'B pomp when the summer fades,
Storms that flee in the conquering sun,
Peace by enduring valor won.
William Cullen Bryant in "Great Songs of
Ureal Poett."
Solimin: A Ship of the Desert.
The biggest desert in tho world is in
Africa, and is called the Sahara. It is
nlinout as large aa the Atlantic ocean,
but instead of water it if) all sands and
rockn. Li'ie the ocean, it is visited with
fstoiiiis, dreadful gales, when the wind
Keoops up thousands of tons of sand and
drives them forward, burying and crush
ing all they meet. And it has islands,
too small green patches, whero springs
bubble through the ground, and ferns
and acacias and pnlin-trees grow. When
n traveler sees one of these fertile spots
afar oiT, he feels as o tempest-tossed
sailor dne.9 at sight of land. It is de
lightful to quit the hot, baking sun, tit
in the shadow under the trees, and rest
the eyes, long wearied with dazzling
nanJs, on tho Bweet green and the clear
(spring. Oases, those islands are called.
Long distances divide them. It is often
:i race for life to get across from one to
the other. Sometimes people do not
get across I In 1803, a carvon of 2,000
persons died miserably of heut and thirst
in the great desert, and the sand covered
them up. Do you wonder at my saying
that the desert eat men ?
Now, you will be puzzled to guess
what sort of ship it is which swims this
lry ocean. It is the camel an animal
made by God to endure these dreadful
regions, m which no other beast of bur
ben can live and travel. I dare say
many of you have seen camels in mena
geries. They are ugly animals, but
very strong, swift and untiring. With
a load of 800 pounds on his. back, a
camel will travel for days at the rate of
eight miles an hour, which is as fast as
an ordinary ship can sail. More won
derful still, ho will do this without stop
iug for food or water. Nature has pro
vided him with an extra stomach, in
which he keeps a stsre of drink, and
with a hump on his back, made of iellv-
like fat, which, in time of need, is ab
sorbed into the system and appropriated
as food. Is it not strange to think of a
creature with a cistern and a meat-safe
inside him ? A horse would be useless
in the desert, where no oats or grass
could be had, but the brave, patient
camel goes steadily on without com
plaint until the oasis is reached; then
he champs his thorn bushes, fills him
self from the spring, allows the heavy
packngo to be fastened on his back
agaiu, and is ready for further travel.
Now you know what sort of a ship it
is that I am going to tell you about. It
was a camel, named Solimin. He was
of a rare and valuable breed, known as
" herie," or coursers, because they are
so much swifter than ordinary camels.
Bolimin's master, Ahmed, was a poor
man. He never could have afforded to
buy a full-grown camel of this rare
breed ; and Solimin had become his
through a piece of good fortune. When
a little foal, Solimin was found in a
lonely place in the desert, standing over
the dead body of his mother, who had
fallen and perished by the way. Led to
the brown tent which, was Ahmed's
home, the orphan baby grew up as a
child of the family, lay among the little
ones at night, and was their petand
plaything all the day. The boys taught
him to kneel, to rise, to carry burdens,
to turn this way and that at a signal.
The girls hung a necklace of blessed
shells, saved for him the best of the
food, sang him songs (which he was sup
posed to enjoy), and daily kissed and
stroked his gentle nobe and eyes. As
he grew big and strong, the pride of his
owners grew with him. Not another
family of the tribe possessed a herie.
Once and again, Ahmed was offered a
largo price for him, but he rejected it
with disdain.
" Would I sell my son the eon of my
heart ?" he said. " Neither will I part
with Solimin. By the prophet, I swear
it"
Of &U the dwellers in the brown tent
owiiunu loveu dbbi Aumeu nimncii, ana
hin Allaat. inn Mnafjinliit Willi tlinm
he wag docile as a lamb; but if strangers
drew near, or persons he did not like, he
became restive and fierce, screamed, laid
Vinck bin pnrn nnH 1m1tai1 vHt.li Viih ftfmniv
hind legs. A kick from a camel is no
' 1. - A 11 . 1, IV 1 .
j orb, jl can reu you. ah me aesert
million lrnACT Rnlimin. And. fnr hia MaVn
Ahmed was often hired to accompany
caravans. Nay, once, at Cairo, Solimin
was chosen to carry the sacred person of
the Khedive on a day's excursion up the
Nile bank, which event served the tribe
as a boast for months afterward.
It was the year after this journey to
vuiru luut Anmea met with a terrible
adventure. He and Mustapha, making
their way home after a long journey,
had lain down to sleep away the noontide
iiours, according to ine custom of desert
travelers. Their camels were tethered
bp.niria tlmm. all nftamofl Buinra nrwl
peaceful, when, sudden as the lowering
of a cloud, a party of Arabs, belonging
10 a wuu iriue ac enmity with all men,
nniinrarl nnnn tViom Alimiul tin A nta
son defended themselves manfully, but
..1.1 4 . ; j L5
wiiuu i;utiiu iwiv tiiou, Biirpriseu ill sleep,
do against a dozen ? In five minutes all
WAR nver. ThA nannilania vanielin.1 in a
cloud of dust, and Ahmed, who had been
... 1 n .... - i . . .
mrucH. uown in ine ruBn, recovered ins
senses, to find wimpln lincn-ncrA Kiel
money, everything gone, and Mustapha
wounded and motionless on the earth
beside nun.
Ahmed thought him dead. They were
alone in the desert, a hundred miles
from home, without food or water, and
with a groan of despair he sat down be
side his son's body, bowed his head, and
waited until death should come to him
also. An Arab believes in fate, and
gives up once for all when misfortune
occurs.
But Mustapha stirred, and Ahmed at
once sprang up. There was nothing he
could do for the poor boy, except to
chafe and rub his hands ; but this was
something, for presently Mustapha re-
vivea enougn to speaK.
"Are they gone?" he asked. '
" Yes, the accursed ones, thev are
gone, with all our goods and with Soli
min 1 The prophet's curse light upon
them 1" And passing from despair to
fury, Ahmed threw sand upon his head,
and. flung himself on the ground in help
less rago. Aiustapha joined in with
groans and lamentations.
When the father and son grew calmer,
they began to discuss the situation.
Ahmed knew of a small unfrequented
oasis, about twenty miles away. It was
.1 1 i a. r . . -.
ineir ouiy cnance oi satety, uut could
they reach it t
" I think I can walk," declared Mus
tapha, tying up his wounded leg in a
fold torn from his turban. IJut he
limped sadly, and his tightly pressed
Hps showed pain as ho moved. He was
faint with hunger beside. Neither of
the men had eaten since sunrise.
Suddenly Mustapha uttered a joyful
cry, and nitoi somctning from ttie earth.
"The prophet be praised 1" he cried.
" My father, hero is food. The robbers
have dropped a bag of dates."
Sure enough, there it lay, a heavy bag
of dates, shaken off from" some camel's
pack during the struggle. Heavy as it
was, and nard to torry, Ahmed would
fain have it larger. It was their safety
from starvation. A handful of its con
tents satisfied hunger, and gave them
strength to begin their walk. What a
walk it was I Poor Mustapha lav down
every half hour from pain and weakness;
the sand was heavy, the darkners puzzled
them. When morning broke, they had
not accomplished more than half the
distance. All through the hot day-time
they lay panting on the ground, eating
now and then a date, tormented with
thirst and heat; and when evening came.
they dragged themselves to their feet
again, and recommenced their painful
journey. Step by step, hour by hour,
each harder and longer than the last,
moment by moment they grew more
feeble, less able to bear up, till it seemed
as though they could no longer struggle
on. At last, the mornine broke. Ahmed
raised his blood-shot eyes, seized Mns
tapha's arm, and pointed. There, not a
hundred yards away, was the oasis, its
trees and bushes outlined against the
sky.
Poor Mustapha was so spent that his
father had to drag him across the short
dividing space. It was a small oasis,
and not very fertile; its well was shal
low and scanty, but no ice-cooled sher
bet ever seemed more delicious than did
its brakish waters to the parched tongues
oi ine exuausteu men.
All day and all night they lay under
the shadow of the cactuses and the acacia-trees,
rousing only to drink, and
falling asleep again immediately. Shade,
and sleep, and water seemed the only
tilings in tho world worth having just
then.
The second day they slept less, but it
was nearly a week before they could be
said to be wide-awake again. Suoh a
pair of scare-crows as they looked!
Ahmed was almost naked. The rob
bers had taken part of his clothes, and
the desert thorns the rest. Haggard,
wild, blackened by the sun, they gazed
at each other with horror; each thought,
" Do I look like that ?" and each tried to
hide from the other his own dismay.
They could never tell afterward how
long they remained at the oasis. It
seemed years, but I do noi suppose it
could have been more than weeks. All
day long they looked wistfully toward
the horizon, in hopes of a caravan, but
the caravan never came. Slowly the
dates dwindled in the bag; slowly the
precious water diminished in the well;
a little longer and starvation would be
upon them. They scarcely spoke to
each other those last days, but sat eaoh
by himself in a sort of dull despair. At
night, when they fell asleep, they
dreamed of food, and woke in the morn
ing to feel themselves hungry. It was
terrible I
Then came a morning when they rose
to find the hard desert outline, which
they knew so well, vanished and gone,
and in its stead a imooth, shining lake,
fringed with trees and dotted with
feathery, fairy islands. So near it
seemed, and so real, that it was as
though they heard the ripple of the
water and the rustliagof the wind in the
tree-boughs. Mustapha stared aa though
his eyea would burst from his head; then
gave a Wild erv and warn irmViino irnio
but his father held him fast '
"Stay, my son I Stay, Muataphal it
is ho lake. it is a device of Satan,
What you behold is the mirage, spread
Dy devils for men s destruction.
"Let me go I" shrieked Mustapha,
writhing and struggling.
But even as he strove, the soft water
outlines shifted and trembled J the
lake rose in air, melted, end sailed off
into curling mists : the trees, the whole
fair picture, dissolved, and the well-remembered
sands and black rocks took
its place. With a crv of horror. Mnst-
apah slid through his father's arms to the
earth, hid his face, and cried like a
child.
Next morning, only one date was left
in the bag. Ahmed put it in his son's
hand with a mournful look.
"Eat my son," he said; "eat, and
tnen we will die. Allan ii Allan I"
A long silence followed; there seemed
nothing more to say. Suddenly.
from afar off, came to their ears the
tinkle of a bell.
Mustapha raised his head.
" Is it the miiage again, my father ?
he askf.d. " For it seems to me that I
hear the bell from the neck of Solimin,
our camel. "
Eagerly they listened. Again the
bell tinkled, and, looking through the
bushes, they saw, floating toward them,
as it seemed, the form of a gigantio
camel. Soundless and still, it moved
rapidly along. Jieiund, but much fur
ther away, other forms could be seen,
still dim and indistinct, veiled by the
jl... r i
uiiMt oi unving sana.
Suddenly Mustapha gave a start.
"My father." he cried, in an excited
whisper, " it Solimin I I do not mis
take ! What otner camel ever resembled
Solimin? Do you not see his lofty
hump, his arched neck? Does not
the bell tinkle as with the voice of
home!"
Then, half raising himself, he gave.
with all the power of his voice, the well-
known call.
Solimin for it was indeed he paused
as the sound caught h's ears, and Fnuffed
tne wind. Again came the call; he
wheeled, plunged, threw his rider, dash
ed forward, oroke through the bushes,
and in a second was on his knees before
his old master.
" Up, up, my father I there s no time
to lose !" cried Mustapha, grown stronger
in a moment. " Up, up I for the rob
bers are clos tipou us 1"
In fact, wild cries and clouds of dust
showed that the foe had taken the alarm
and were hurrying on. But already
Ahmed and Mustapha were mounted,
and Solimin, like a ship at full sail, was
speeding away with them. And where
was the camel could overtake him, even
when he was loaded double ? Fast and
swift his long, swinging trot bore them
onward, and before two hours were gone,
all traces of the pursuers had disappear
ed behind them, and they were free to
turn their course toward the brown
tents where rest, and food, and welcome
had waited so long for their coming,
and where, after a little time, their
hardships and sufferings seemed to them
only like a bad dream.
As for Solimin, he .hardly could be
more tenderly treated or beloved than
before this adventure ; but if the fresh
est water, the prickliest furze, if
bowls of sour milk, if a triple neck
lace of shells, if brushing and groom
ing, if soft puts from childish fingers,
and sweet names murmured in his ears
bv girlish voices can -make a camel
happy, then is Solimin the happiest of
ueries. (solimin no longer, however.
His name is changed to "The Blessed."
in memory of the day when, like a state
ly ship, he came over the desert sea,
aud bore his starving masters to home,
and life, and liberty. Susan Coolidge
in St. Nicholas. -
What Two Words were Good For.
Dean Stanley never loses a chance to
make a point on an anniversary. When
called upon to preside at any meeting,
he always asks himself if the day is the
anniversary of any great event, or the
birthday of any famous person, in order
to deduce some fitting lesson. On the
last Saturday of the year he appeared at
the industrial exhibition in Loudon, and
at once reminded the working-classes
that that day was the anniversary of an
event which happened 700 years ago.
and which caused a great disturbance to
the country. It was the anniversary of
the murder of Thomas-a-Becket. in con
nection with whose life there was a cir
cumstance whieh well illustrated the
principle on which he was about to en
large. People sometimes imagined that
the small things they Baw before them
were not worthy of pursuit; whereas, in
reality, small things often deserved con
sideration. A story was told which re
ferred to the father and mother of
Thomas-a-Becket. His father, who was
a Londoner, went to the crusades, and
having been taken prisoner, married an
Eastern lady. He was afterwards ran
somed and returned to England, but he
was unable to carry away his wife with
him, and Hhe remained in Syria. She,
however, determined to travel to Eng
land a difficult task, as she knew only
two words of English, " Gilbert " (the
name of her husband), and "London."
She got through Europe by mentioning
at every town she came to the word
" London," at which place she eventu
ally arrived. When there she made use
of her other word, " Gilbert," and, hav
ing found her way from street to street,
she at last discovered the house of her
husband near London bridge. This was
an example of the effect that could be
produced by making the very greatest
uso ef whatever little knowledge she
possessed. New York Tribune.
Sea Serpents.
The gigantio whale captured in Febru
ary last in the Gulf of Taranto, Italy,
has been subjected to a critical examina
tion by Professor Capellini, who, in a
report lately published, states it as his
opinion that the whale is of a species
hitherto unknown to science, and he has
named it Da lasna tarentena, in allusion
to the locality of its capture. This unlooked-for
discovery of a new species of
huge marine animal, taken in connection
with the alleged appearance oi another
" monster " a short time later, and in
the same neighborhood, as vouched for
by the officers of the royal yacht Os
borne, is regarded as a strong argument
in favor of the existence of unknown
huge marine living objeots, such as are
popularly indicated by the aame of "sea-
serpent," ... ... -
FIRM, GARDEN AND HOUSEHOLD.
Winter Farm Ecoaaalea.
The Prairie Farmer says : There are
so many things that the farmer may do
at home, in his own workshop) m Well
as another Call do it for him, that it is
surprising that so few are without a kit
of wood working tools, a shoeing ham
mer, some horse nails, pinchers for iron,
copper, rivets, screws, and other neces
sary articles as will enable him to com
plete many a handy job without the
intervention of the carpenter. The time
required to do the worl "il of ten be
found to be less than that spent in going
to and from the mechanic's place of
business. Thus with a few tools the
wood work of harrows, plows, cultiva
tors, and other tools pbont the farm
may be repaired. By having a few
extra handles of forks and other imple
ments on- hand, these may be cheaply
repaired and made as good as new.
Wagon tongues, and many other
duplicates for farm vehicles and ma
chines, are now prepared so as to re
quire but little fitting. In the case of
machines, all that is necessary, as a rule,
is simply to fasten them in place, In
doing this the farmer not only renders
himself handy with tools, but at the
same time he becomes thoroughly con
versant with the working parts of each
individual machine no small matter to
the practical man. In fact every farmer
ought to be able to take apart, and put
together intelligently, any machine on
the farm. Unless this be the case, they
cannot be worked as economically as
they should be.
While the farmer is thus educating
himself, he will come to see the neces
sity and economy of having everything
in its place, and a place for everything,
when not in use, and when in use they
will be just in place. So he will come
to occupy his leisure hours ip repairs of
various kinds. Barn and stable doors
that are getting shaky on tber hinges
will be repaired at once. If he burn
wood, it will be prepared and piled
secure from rain, and with proper ven
tilation, so it may dry perfectly. If he
burn coal, a proper shed will be built to
keep it dry. The pumps about the
place will always draw. Water troughs
will never have sloughs of mud about
them in soft weather, to mire stock, nor
glare ice in hard weather, to maim them.
Sheds will be made comfortable. The
best facilities will gradually be accumu
lated for accomplishing the work of the
farm, and a general air of thrift will be
observable, not only about the homo
Btead, but oyer the form.
In this we do not mean to assert that
the simple possession of the tools neces
sary to do odd jobs will accomplish all
this ; but the handling of tools soon gets
a common sense man conversant with
their use, and the investigations neces
sary to enable a man to do tho work in
telligently, broadens the mind, and one
soon comes to see where money may be
saved in many directions, and how easy
it is ' to make all things tidy about the
house and place, and also, where the
profit comes in, in rendering tho stock
about the farm comfortable.
These may seem like small economies.
In truth they are ; but it is these small
economies that go to swell the profits of
the farm, just as in any other industry
in life. It is, in fact, attention to small
economies that make the prosecution of
business successful in its best sense.
Household Uinta.
Bad cooking spoils good food.
Apply common baking soda to burns.
There is no dignity in work half done.
Bottom heat is not good to raise
bread.
Cold corned beef is best for making
hash.
Eat what your appetite craves if vou
can get it.
Husbands must not expect their wives
to make good, white bread from poor
flour.
Save the Feathers. To utilize
feathers of ducks, chickens and tumeys,
generally throw aside all refuse, trim the
plumes from the stump, inclose them in
a tight bag, rub the whole as if washing
clothes, and you will secure a perfectly
uniform and light down, excellent for
quilting coverlids and not a few other
purposes.
To Clean Paint. Take one ounce of
pulverized borax, one pound small
pieces best brown soap and three quarts
water; let - simmer till the soap is dis
solved stirring frequently; do not let it
boil. Use with a piece of old flannel
and rinse off as soon as the paint is clean.
This mixture is alsa good for washing
clothes.
Wnablnff Flannels.
A lady correspondent says: "I will
give a little of my experience in washing
flannels. I was taught to wash flannel
in hot water, but it is a great mistake.
In Italy my flannels were a wonder to
me; they always came home from the
wash so soft and white. I learned that
the Italian women washed them in cold
water. Many a time I have watched
them kneeling in a box. which had one
end taken out, to keep them out of the
mud, by the bonk of a stream, washing
in the running water, and drying on the
bank or gravel, without boiling; and I
never had washing done better, and flan
nels never half so well. I have tried it
since, and find the secret of nice soft
flonneh to be the washing of them in
cold or luke-warm water, and plenty of
stretching before hanging out. Many
recipes say, don't rub soap on flannels;
but you can rub soap on to the advan
tage of the flonnels, if you will rinse it
out afterward and use no hot water about
them, not forgetting to stretch the
threads in both directions before dry
ing. Flannels so cared for will never
become stiff, shrunken or yellow."
Japanese Beggars.
A ParaGraph assertinir that thnra ant
few or no beggars in Japan has attracted
the attention of a reader of the Washing
ton Star, who has tm aA in ftiot
rtountry, and who writes: "Any one
-V.M I. . .1 . .
wuu uw over riuueu irom Brussels to
the field of Waterloo knows how many
beggars line that ride of nine miles.
From Yokohama to Tokio (Yeddo), by
the Tokioado, or old national road, is
sixteen miles. I hav riAAan r.o i,.
splendid and often thronged highway
vw uiuu uuuurwi umes, and
never saw the time when there were not
more beggars in proportion to the dia
tanoe and comparative population than
between Brussels and Waterloo,"
- A Remarkable Duel.
A correspondeut in the South writes !
Once in a while duels are fought in
which a lady is a purely incidental
cause, Suoh a duel took place in South
Carolina, in 1853, between Mewrs. John
Dunoraht and J. D. Legare. These
gtintlettteh were . devoted friends.
Legare was attentive to a young lady of
beauty and worth in the upper pan cf
the State. The two friends went to the
village where she lived to get some
shooting. They were, of cours fre
quent visitors at her father's ho. s.
One day Legare imagined that he de
tected a sudden coldness on the pttrt of
the young lady and the family
towards himself. In questioning his
friend as to the probable cause of it, he
asked him if he hod ever made any re
marks about him td any of the family,
Dunorant replied that he had said
nothing of consequence ; that on one
occasion he had been asked if Legare
ever drank, and had answered that he
sometimes did. Legare at once attribu
ted the change, real or supposed, in the
behavior of the lady to this statement or
admission on the part of his friend. A
prolonged discussion ensued. Dunor
ant was disposed to be conciliatory,
while Legare was very much aligered.
The issue between them was finally
narrowed down to a demand on the part
of Legare that Dunorant put in writing
precisely what he had said to the father
of the lady. Dunorant declined to do
this. He contended that the demand
was an implied insult. Legare persist
ed, and, upon Dunorant's remaining
firm, sent him a challenge. Dunorant
promptly accepted it, and the details of
a meeting were arranged. Dunorant
was a very poor shot with the pistol,
It is said that on the evening before the
duel he went out to practice, and
literally could not hit a barn door. Le
gare was a capital shot. From the very
first, however, Dunorant contended
that he would kill Legare at the first
fire. He never modified his assertion,
but said all the time : "I will kill him
when I draw the trigger 1"
When the men were on the ground a
curious thing occurred. When the sec
ond who was to give the word called, "Are
you ready, gentlemen ?'' Dunorant re
sponded in a firm, steady, tone "No."
He then drew a small pen-knife from
his pocket, opened it deliberately, and,
fixing his eyes squarely on Legare,
walked toward him. When he had
traversed only two-thirds of the inter
vening distance he stopped, and, reach
ing down, cat off a small twig that
stood between him and his opponent.
He then returned to his position, shut
his knife carefully, aud returned it to
his poc'tet. Without taking his eyes
off of Legare, he announced " Ready,"
and said to his second, " I am going to
kill him." The men being in position,
the command "Fire 1 one twb three!"
rang out upon the air. A ring of smoke
sprang from the nipple of each pistol,
and Legare dropped dead in his tracks.
Dunorant stood for a moment as if he
were carved in stone, and, then drop
ping his arm slowly, turned to his
second unhurt.
A Scheming Woman.
The number of women who live by
their wits in New York, says the Herald
of that city, is very large, and is daily
growing larger. Some of these women
are really very industrious and very
clever in their peculiar line; one, now
residing in elegant style uptown, has
acquired quite a little fortune by trading
in her "influence." She has a large
circle of acquaintances among moneyed
men, and has also a ready perception, a
glib tongue and a keen, instinctive knowl
edge of human nature. These qualities
she is turning to the utmost pecuniary
account. She is a married woman,
though her husband is a nonentity,
practically speaking, and keeps house up
town. There in the evenings she re
ceives calls from numerous bankers,
brokers aud others, whom she elegantly
and pleasantly entertains, and mean
while " talks them " into, wheedles or
coaxes or argues them into favorable
notice of any scheme she may have at
the time a pecuniary interest in. She
does a paying business in this line, as
she never undertakes any but a big
scheme and a plausible scheme, aud
when once she undertakes it does her
" level best " to carry it through. Not
long ago the lady talked up a mine, got
most of the stock subscribed through
her own exertions and took her pay in
the shape of an extensive roll of green
backs, for it is characteristic of this per
sonage that she will never take " com
missions. " She demands so much money
down and generally, having proved that
she is worth it, gets it. By her earnings
in this line, sub rosa, of course, she
makes the major part of the family in
come and clothes herself and her daugh
era in excellent style. The ladv is
widely known by Wall street and Broad
street magnates and is held in high es
teem with them, as she is considered
equally shrewd and "square."
How Mood is Done.
You know the touching lyrio of Long
fellow, which he has called " The Arrow
and the Song." It is so familiar that it
looks like an affectation to quote it, but
I must indulge myself onoe more by re
peating its sweet lines ;
" I shot aa arrow in ths air t
It fell to f artb, I knew not where ;
For 10 swiftly it flew, the Bil.t
CJU'd not follow, in i's flight.
I breathed a hour into the air
It fell on earth I knew not where ;
For who his sin lit so keen and strong
Tat it can follow tbe fl gut of to g ?
L ng, long afterwa'd. tu an oak
I I mud the arrow, st 11 nnbroke ;
A d the sen j, from beginning to (nd.
I found again in tbe heart of a frietd."
This is exquisite. But you observe that
both the arrow and the song were found
juBt as they had been sent out. The
poet has not told, and no poet can fully
tell, of the impulses that are given, the
changes that are wrought, and the work
of self-sacrifice and devotion that is sug
gested, by a fitting word dropped at tbe
right moment into a human soul; and
among the many pleasant surprises that
are in store for us in the upper world
will be the discovery that efforts put
forth by us, and. which we supposed to
be so feeble as to be well-nigh worthlers,
have been, under God, the germs from
which rich harvests of good have resulted
to multitudes whom we have never seen,
Writ. M. Jtoyior,
- Fashion Notes.
Chenille embroidery is in high favor.
Seaweed is the garniture for tulle
dresses.
There is a bow diagonal, soft, heavy
serge.
Bonnets are smaller and hats larger
than ever.
Orange color is the fancy of the mo
ment in Paris,
Epaulettes of flowers are the novelty
of the moment,
MetaMio ribbons are to be used for
trimmings of ball dresses,
Brotlerio antique with a corded ground
is a popular trimming.
Satin and velvet are favorite combina
tions in trimming materials.
Silk, satin, velvet, and lace pockets are
still worn for evening dresses.
Colored sets used for trimmings are
cut both in facets and flat-dresses.
Necklaces of lace with drooping pen
dants are pretty on well-shaped necks.
Young ladies have their dancing dresses
made with very short pointed trains.
Arabesque patterns in braiding and
embroidery are the favorites of the hour
Some of the new bonnets and hats
have doublo brims. Others have split
brims.
Buttercups and Marshal Neil roses are
in demand for evening dress trimings.
Long lace mittens, black, white, and
colored, are to be worn for full evening
dress.
Yellow, orange, and brown tints are
used to a great extent in ball dresses this
season.
Among new ornaments in silver and
gold filagree are large gad flies with
jewels for eyes.
Long Louis Quatorze waistcoats,
simulated in brocade, satin, or damassee
appear on evening dresses.
One of the coming fashions is ribbons
seemingly woven of metal yellow and
red, gold, silver, steel and bronze.
In coiffures the hair is worn less high
upon the head, but there is just as much
chevalure needed as ever.
Plastrons and puffed fronts, extending
from the throat to the bottom of the
skirt, are very much worn for evening
toilet.
Evening dresses are given an antique
appearance by short, high-puffed sleeves,
or Medici frills, in the armholes and
around the neck.
Crimped crepe lisse frills are formed
into cuffs to be worn outside the sleeve
instead of inside; deep collars of the
same go with the cuffs.
It is said that elderly ladies are goiug
to wear evening robes of white silk and
satin, mado up very plain but profusely
trimmed with lace.
Among the new goods is found duvet,
or down cloth, a material made of the
feathers of fowls, extremely light, warm,
pliant, and impel vious to rain or snow.
A new version of Fourreau is " the
Cardinal robe," an elegant dinner dress
made of scarlet faille, and trimmed with
ssarlet velvet fringes and passemen
teries. An elegant novelty is feather ribbon.
Tho centre is a wreath of flowers on a
light ground. On either side a border
of soft unravelled silk forms a feather
like fringe.
Oae of the prettiest of the new trim
mings brought out this season is the
marabout ribbon, made of woven swan's
down ; it comes in all colors and shades,
and in pure white.
Among new things are stuffs for even
ing wear silk or satin, in electric colors
pale blue, rose, or green which seem
to emit sparks of light ; these effects
being obtained by a new process of
dyeing,
Wheat from High Latitudes.
There was brought into the city of
Winnipeg, in Manitoba, last fall, a half
bushel of wheat, said to have been grown
fifteen hundred miles north of that
point. The bearer was a half breed In
dian, who had come from the far north
to Winnipeg to trade, and the grain was
brought with him to exchange for other
commodities. It was regarded at the
time as quite a curiosity, and was parsed
around from one to another for trial in
the spring in that locality. A few grains
of it fell into the hands of a gentleman
from Minneio'.a, who waB in that city at
the time, and was brought home with
him on his return. At our solicitation
it has been presented to Professor Lacy
of the State Agricultural College, who
has laid it away till time for seeding,
when he will give it the most careful
culture, and endeavor to prove whether
there is any virtue in it or not. The
berry is very plump and bright, and we
suppose from the vtry high latitude in
which it was grown must be hard enough
to satisfy the most fastidious miller.
Whether the distance north of Winnipeg
was precisely 1,500 miles we cannot say ;
but from all that could be gleaned from
the Indian it was raised a long distance
to the north probably nearer the pole
than any wheat that has ever reached
Minnesota before. St. Paul (.1tin.)
Pioneer Press.
Fraud iu Buuk Bills.
The United States treasurer is advised
of constantly increasing attempts by per
sons in various sections of the country
to cheat the government aud innocent
people by practicing what is known as
the " piecing process." whereby a given
number of currency notes of like de
nomination are cut in pieces and so
pasted together as to give an increased
number. The manipulators generally
take ten notes, aud by cutting and adroit
pieoing make eleven, thereby gaining
one at the expense of the other ten. Of
course the diminished notes get into the
hands of innocent holders, and when
sent to the treasury department for re
demption they are at once detected by
the treasury experts and thrown out.
The regulations for redeeming mutilated
ourrency do not admit of the redemption
of anything except in a single piece con
taining at least one-half of the original,
which makes it still harder for those into
whose hands these nioely-pasted frag
ments fall
No person wishing to avoid slang
words and nicknames will oall it " banio. "
A Woman's Wish.
Would I were lying in a field of clover,
Of elover cool and soft, and soft and sweet,
With dusky clouds in deep skies hanging over,
And scented silence at my head and feet.
Just for one hour to slip the leash of Worry
In eager haste, from Thought's impatient
neck,
And watch it coursing in its heedless hurry .
Disdaining Wisdom's whi-tles Duty's beck
Ahl it were sweet, where -clover clumps at a
meeting
And daisies hiding, so to bide and rest ;
Mo sound except my own heart's sturdy beating
Hocking itself to sleep within my breast.
Just to lie there filled with the deeper
breathing
That comes of listening to a free bird's song 1
Our souls require at times this full unsheath
ing AU swords will rust if scabbard-kept too
long.
And I am tired ! so tired of rigid duty I
So tired of all my tired hands find to do !
I yearn, I faint, for some of life's free beauty,
Its loose beads with no straight string run
ning throngh 1
Aye, laugh, if laugh you will, at my crudo
speech
But women sometimes die of such a greed;
Dio for the small joys held beyond their roach,
And the assurance they have all they need 1
Items of Interest.
The boneless wonder a well done
steak.
" Put your lips on ice," is the latest
slang.
Very useful to the tiller of tho soil
steers.
Highly connected the man in tho
moon.
In South America the cities are lighted
with castor oil.
Europe obtains her sole supply of shoe
pegs from America.
To cure a bachelor's aches enrry to
the patient eighteen yards of silk with a
woman in it.
Under Spanish law a man suspected of
crime can be keptia prison for five years
before the case is called.
Straws show which way the wind
blows. You can get the same informa
tion from a pan of ashes.
It is said that when Jonah saw the
whale getting ready to swallow him he
looked " down in the mouth."
Those young ladies at fairs who sell
five cent pin cushions for $3 ought to be
arrested for robbing the males.
A little boy inquired concerning the
stars : " Pa, what are those things up
there are they little drops of sun ?"
An Irish lover remarked that it is a
great pleasure to be alone, especially
when your sweetheart is by your side.
Constantinople contains 750.000 in
habitants. The old eastern empire
walls, twenty-one miles in circuit, still
surround it.
It was the late N. P. Willis who dis
covered that King Henry VIII. always
married his wives first, and then axed
'em afterwards.
A Montana justice of the peace doesn't
splurge any when he marries a couple.
He says: "Arise I Grab bauds 1
Hitched I Six dollars."
A lady living near Cynthiana, Ky.,
has used the same six pins for twenty
years. She is eighty-three, but her
neighbors say she is the same old six
pins still.
In a wrestling match between Lucien
Marc and a bear, in Cincinnati, Maro
succeeded in throwing the bear, but iu
the struggle the bear bit off one of
Maro's fingers.
Enamored writing-master (to a young
lady pupil) : "I can teach you noth
ing ; yoa hand is already a very desira
ble one, and your I's are the most beau
tiful I have ever seen.
The coffee plant thrives finely in
California, producing a bean of strongly
aromatic flavor. It grows best in cen
tral and southern California, and its
culture is becoming profitable.
" I say, Charley," said one friend to
another on meeting, " I hear our friend
Biown hus been dabbling iu stocks late
ly ; has he made anything!" "Yes,"
says Charley, " he has made an assign
ment." After the failure of the late insurrection
in Japan, a richly-attired Japanese
young lady was found lying dead in a
castle moat, with her father's head in
her left hand and a bloody knife in her
right. The devoted heroine had cut off
her father's head, at his command, and
then killed herself, that the two might
not be taken prisoners.
The heaviest court in the United
States, in proportion to the number of
its judges, is probably the court of ap
peals of Kentucky. Chief Justice Lind
sey weighs 232 pounds, Judge Elliott
220 pounds, Judge Pryor 208 pounds,
and Judge Gofer 201 pounds. The
averago weight is 215J pounds. If
wisdom and weight go together, then
Kentucky justice is all right.
There's nothing to exceed the diaboli
cal satisfaction a man will take in an
nouncing to his wife, after he has got
his shirt on, that there is a button miss
ing, and the keen delight he feels in
seeing her dance around the room after
a needle and thread, while she listens to
a lecture on carelessness, approaches
ecstacy. But look out when she gets
that button on, bites the thread off with
a snap and commences" There now ."
A Bee-Hive In a Church.
The Manchester Mirror says: "The
Congregational society at Boscawen
Plain, N. H. roently held a festival that
was broughtr about m a most singular wav.
A few weeks since George Knowles dis
covered a swarm of beeB inside the finish
under the eaves of the church. The
construction of the building at that
point was such that the bees were en
abled to form a box hive about four feet
long and eight or ten inohes square, and
which was nearly filled with honeycomb.
Sixty-nine pounds of honey were found,v
and the society decided to make it a
source of profit through a festival, which
for a moderate admittance fee, gave all
who attended, a, n.ioe supper; and plenty
of honey,"