"fit. ? SCHWEIER, THE COISHTUTIOI-THE UHOI-AIT THE EHOXOntUT OT THE LAWS. Editor and Proprietor. VOL. XXXVII. MIFFJUNTOWN. JUNIATA COUNTY, PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 19. 1SS3. NO. 38. B. F. A MODEL GARDENER. agard,mer bo earned bin daily meat By toiling Eealously ail dv llls l was hard to beat He a iiB,of tender parts. And thoughtful for bU yL cut hi onions down Hu eye, would fill with tears. Kuw."f " PitifI J1 kind But though he'd never shock bis friends. He d otien shock big com. """, AJe f "Tots oft he'd give To feed a widow's kine; Such perns of charity are rare I nil twenty carats fine. fcill propped biiu while be grazed; 1 ' He said be d have a betier std hen his celery was raised. He'd sometimes cauliflower to him "en no had done his work He loved it stewed in buttermilk. Or boiled with greens and port, lint Death at last mowed William down, And they planted him in loam. And gave him for his epitaph "He found sweet pease at home !" STRANGELY MET. W ell, I am really very sorry!'' sighed Airs, Evans, looking ruefully at the small pile of bank-notes in her lap, and then at her fair daughters, Bell and Augusta, who were standing near her examining a wreath of flowers. ' "I'm sorr), too mamma," savs Miss Bell. "To be sure Elsie ought to be pro vided for hex visit, but you know she is the youngest, and we " "Why, we cant go out without de cent dresses:" chimed in Miss Augusta. "1 won't, for one, I know." "Never mind mv London visit "said little Elsie, the plain sister of these petted girls, as she quietly entered the room and overheard the roil vr:ir inn "I would as soon go and spent a week - . .1 . .... miLii auni .Laura, ana mat won t lake much preimration." "Would you reall?" asked Mrs. Evans, hesitating between a selfish wish to please her beauties, and what was only justice to the young girl be side her. "1 really would, ma. I dare say I should not be at home among those city neonle- Just let me ea to aunt I au ra's, and give Gus and Bell all the nnery." "Well, that relieves my mind won derfully!" said Mrs. Evans, with a very long sigh. 1 didn't know how to ar range lor you alL Three girls are so expensive. "You can have my last winter's cloak, Elsie, for one thing." " o, she can have mine, mamma," eagerly cried BelL "It's a kttly out of sij fe for me, but it will do very well for Elsie, and I'll get a new one." "Well, yours, then," agreed Mrs. Evans; "a'nd I'll try to save enough out of the girls' shopping, Elsie, to gel you a new black c slunere." "Then I shall be grand!" said easily contented Elsie. "May 1 go next weeki"' "Tea. "Go to work and get ready. Come girls. If we want to do any shopping to-day, we must go immediately." "And I'll get dinner w hile you are gone," Elsie consoled tliem by adding. bo while the mother, tins, and Bell tossed over the glittering silkson snowy counters, ittieut Elsie heated herself in the kitchen where her beautiful sisters would never go if they could help it to have dinner all ready for them. It was waiting when they return ed, tired, and with good appetites, from their shopping. Alter it was eaten, Elsie followed them all into the sitting room, to see the new purchases com mented on and uiceiy displayed. "Well. Where's my black cashmere.'" she asked, after the last bundle was unrolled, and not as much as a ueck nbboil given to her. "Oh! I am so sorry, but really there wasn't a shilling left after the girls' shopping was done, and so -" "And so 1 got none, like Mother Hubbard s dog," suggested Elsie, trying to laugh but feeling inclined to cry. She had very mucu wished to go to London, and now she had given that up, she did think that sue had a right to one new dress. , -Well it does seem too bad." con fessed Augusta, "but you can be pretty well dressed out of our things. Let s see ma. "She might travel in her . black luster, and have my gray pului l No' 1 11 travel in the gray iplin, andsUitasquicklyaslcaur'ihished yVly reproved Mrs. EWell, mamma! you know I look horrid m gray. My n-n' " cover it up wnen I tra vel, an d .uylack luster wih do for best, but 1 Lie only finished her f siirh she would not say , 1 J" ioa hl got theca,hmere, it rm iutvVitrbu,uV itJS- 'her proposed to the girts that they k.t ner "ESiSZSg'Z ie cards for simple prei-aratious ''y Je She SSeSoiuni home. But oi ..such served Elsie coolly. , days, but -He's XKreomeuack be Pnee bim, Eisie," You j'.tn whout noticmg declared Mn "' ..nt;'s so haud Elsie's caustic remark. n Bome!" , ..Jrr little difference to me -It makes very litueu whether "5d maid," re chocolate. , ,,ist then; Mr. Eovell was day, but Elsie, twocrttow tun wonderea u w if Bhe wouiu hAudsomcorsoncu, - ever see him. pleasant thing Elsie, herself, tuty, as she ifhwanot l;"y' f not A v t t !soTrJ,Xr"!F, ey- f was winimw t w an1 ner manner so theni. "f3 were well nlled, and hot stove'1?,"1 "V ne the a., 1Vnglng5' and began to ktli firM fr ,anJ a P-orly-dressed her mS S Dt f ''"' attractel luThiSS gold.en onn"e trom her and -ket Wonlh! "We one's favor ana tiMe was soon chatting merrily on her way to live with her grandpa, because her mamma was too p. wr to wZ. t 1C? U in the cit?- After a while the heat grew overpowering, and Elsie tried to raise her window; but it was fast. She tugged hard with her soft hngers-soft and white in spite of her kitchen work all ia vain, until a black-sleeved aim was reached over uers, and a pleasant voice said, 4 -Allow Die, please. My hands are stronger tlian yours." Elsie looked up, and met the gaze of a une pair of dark eyes, belonging to her neighbor. The window was quickly raised, and Elsie thanked him, as the welcome air rushed in. They chatted a little now, politely, as travellers nut tin ami Kliio decided that he was very pleasant for a passing acquaintance. I Before long the giri in the next seat fell asleep, her little curly head buini- mg about uneasily. Iu a twinkling Elsie had uustrapimd her shawl, and. rising, slipped it under the small brown head. "Is she traveling under your care?" asked the stranger. "Oh, no! I never saw her before. 'But she is so little to be all alone, and her head did bump so! "She can rest easier notf." The stranger said no more, and as Elsie was busy folding up her sliawl strais, she did not see the glance of earnest admiration which he gave her, nor know that the outspoken thought of his heart would have beeu "You good, kind-hearted little girL" When they stopped for refreshment, the stranger helped Elsie out and es corted her to the room. As they were leaving their seats, he said to her "Supiiose we take your little friend here, too?" "Oh, yes!" assented Elsie, flashing him a bright glance of approval. So they hok the little thing, and brought her back warmed and led, to resume her journey. And it was a pity some good angel could not have wuisi ered to the anxious mother, who, in the distant city, feared for her child's lonely journey, wnat kind of liands the little one had fcdleu into. On rattled the train, until, about the middle of the afternoon, there was a heavy jar, a hissing, clashing noise, and the traiu, a pertect wreck, lay over an embankment, witn its living freight. At first Elsie was so stunned and start led she was conscious of nothing, heard nothing except uioansaud cries mingled with tne jingle of shattered glass and the sound of escaping steam. Then her senses seemed to return, and she was trying to raise herlf to her feet, when stroug arms lifted her, an 1 the voice of her stranger friend said: "bteadv, now! I think 1 can get you out safely. Are you hurtV " No; 1 think not- 1 don't leel any injury-" "Are? oh! you are!" as, looking up, she saw that his forehead was bleed ing. "Oh, that is nothing! A mere scratch with a bit of broken glass," he said, smiling at her horrihed tone. "1 hoi it w ill prove so," answered little Elsie. "Oh! our poor little girl! Where is she?" "I don't know. "Thank you for remembering her. We will mid her." "Put me down, please. I can walk now. "Let me help you," pleaded Elsie. He obeyed her, and they found the little creature lying upon a broken seat, moaning with pain. The stranger car ried her out, and laid her uikju a spot of dry grass, and after a slight exami nation, told Elsie that her arm was broken, and one side bruised. There chanced to be two or three physicians in the ill-fated train, and they gave their best skill to the wounded, our little girl among the rest. Elsie held her iu her lap while the little arm was set and bandaged, and then laid her on the hastily-prepared uea m me station, nar which the accident hiid happened and watched over her, assisted by the stiange gentleman, who seemed now like an old acquaintance. When the train which was to carry tlieui on ar rived, Elsie said: "i shall not leave this little thing un til she is with her grandfather, she h told me where she was going. It is a little off my route, but 1 am going with her." "So am I," added the stranger, with his pleasant smile, iluimuniy allows me to do as much as you can, in spite of conventional rules. "1 appomt myself to take care o botu ot you, aiiu jou need not fear to trust me." "1 do not; and 1 tliank you." res ponded Elsie, with simple dignity. So they both waited lor the train on the other line, and cared tenderly for the little one, until, late at night, they left her in the care of her grandfather, who gave them uis warmest uiuiiks aim blessings. "Would you prefer to stop here for il.A niirht (there's a hotel, I suppose) or 20 on?" aked Elsie's friend. .fe .. it n.,! tv unit will be much aWnied because 1 did not come to-day. Is there a t ram r "1 am told one passes in about tweuty minutes. -It shall be just as you wish." "let us go on, then." "Very well. And now I am going to let you know whom you are travel ing with. . "Xo name" is inconvenient, and I am willing you should know mine. ! hope you will be as fraim with me." He gave Elsie a card, bearing the name "Archie LovelL" For an instant Elsie was puzzled, then a light broke over her face. She pro duced her own card, saying, smilingly "I have heard that name quiw often before. And 1 think you know mine. . lo-jt v.iu know my sister." f- ivell elanced at her card. "Is it possible? Are you a sister of the MuSes Evans who visit my sister." I am the youngest sister." "Then 1 declare myself well acquaint--a -iih tou. And I consider this a i.irKV meetimr. Elsie." "And 1 am sure 1 dont know what 1 should have done but for vour kind ness, Mr. IveU. Isn't that the train?" "It is. Xow we go. and I shall see you safe in your aunt's hands before 1 leave yon, iiiss Elsie." isie-a one wees at aunt Uiura's proved to lie three months. Ami whpn she came home, Gus ami Bell were still talking about Mr. LovelL "He's been away ou business," explained Bell, "but he returned on Monday, and he going to-nignt." "les, he told me he would," coiv fesfed Elsie demurely. "Told you! Why, you never saw him in your mei" cried the girls. And then the whole story came out, auu tisie nau to explain that already, on three month's acquaintance, she hail premised Mr. Ljvell to marry him, if ner moiner consented, and he was coin ing to ask for her that very night. "Well! "I never!" panted BelL I never aid!" "I'm sorry, Bell," said Elsie de mureiy suii. "iiut you know you would make me go to aunt 1 -aura's in stead of the city, and so I met him, an i can t neip it now." "Well, we shall have him in the fa mily, anynov, ana mat's some com fort," was Bell's sole consolation Nature's Urnainents. If you hive a corner that u too far avray Iron the centre of the room to form socuthle pDtition for a seat, get s large trumpet shaped vase (they may be bad to the height of six fet, and almost of any price), and fill it with branches of horse chestnut. With a few ot the largest and coarsest of our woodland terns arranged so as to hang over the (idea of the vase, and some bullrusnes stretching their long brown bead9 high above tbe cbe3tout foliage, your bare corner will become a th:n of beauty instead ot an eve-tore, these vases so filled may also be placed with advan tage to show above the pretty Japanese screens that abouid in modern dntwing rjouw. At this season sll water p'ants such as yjllow irises (commonly called fligg), rushes, reed, etc. are in then prim, and nothing lo'ks better in a l:irge vase, or more especially a Japan ese jar, than aoy of these, or a variety prettily grouped. Taking care 1 arrange your flowers as much after the fashion of nature as possible, is the golden rule of all success! u! fl ral decorations. Thus, sup posing the above mmed aquitic plants are used, and, in addition, water lilies, forge -me-Dols and ragged robins, which are all low growing flowers, and you are oiiiK to arrange them in a shallow wooden tub filled with damp sand place the water lilies around the edge, and again, the rigged robins, mixing with them any of tbe leaves cf about the same heigut wbicn may be found in abundance in marshy places; behind these, acain, group yo'ir irises, with their sword like leaves, and, as a centre, have a mass of builrusbes aid reed, wrn coaiinja lushes to give lightness to Vi; whole, avoiding any stiff ness in the arrangement by placing a good many flowering grasses here ani there over the while, allowing them to top the f jrget-me no's and water-lilies by as much as they would do when growing naturally. For high decorations use tall-growing fljwers for loir ones such 'as are stunted in their growth. Growing ivy trained over a cane scree i has often been recom mended as a decoration; but owing to tbe necessary damp earth and the hkenaood of creeping things (such as earwigs) accompanying it, I cannot say that it is a go 3d thing. Long gathered sprays of ivy look just as well, and can be kept clean a km line by sponging them every day. In gathering ferns ( Laii'enhair especially), cire must be tk ;n o select the old iroods, and they will last twice as long if part of the frond as well as the stalk is in the water; it is also a good tiling to immerse them every day (over head) in water. Sucb is often used instead of mere water to arrange flowers in; and when this is tbe case it must oe looked at every day, as it is apt to dry very qaickly. Small baskets glided with Judson's gold paint (wbicn is clear and tff-xtive), and with tins made to fit them, are very pretty, either in the drawing-room or on a dinner table. The small round baskets, formed like gypsy settles, and which can generally be sup plied with a broken cup or claret glass as a flower-hold r instead of a shaped tin, are very effective, when arranged as we so often used to see them pendant trom three (Licks, kettle-fashion, tbe whole being covered with eiivt-r paper, or, betier still, gilt. Tbe email baskets in which we Day strawberne are useful lor holding fijweis, either painted or gilt, and a gardm saucer does very well to hold the water, liollle baskets divided into com partments about six inches tqiare look well with a small flower pot In tach com partment and an ivy trail round tbe handle. Creeping plants are not half enough uied for house decoration. n Keiic uf 1M Solo. A few tears ago, about two miles east of Tallahassee, was found a pon derous spur, of unique and curious workmanship, the like ot which has not beeu seen in modern times. The burr was one and a half inches in diameter, and the bar proiortionately heavy. Ou either side of the rowel dangled small pendant bells, that gave forth a tmk- liug sound in response to each step of the wearer doubtless some steel-clad and bonneted warrior of the long ago. Not many days since, while parties were plowing near the identical swt, a solid and shajieless mass was turned up, which, upon close examination, proved to be an irou stirrup of ancient pattern, as heavy and as massive as the spur sjtokeu of first, and tiruily imbedded in a thick coating of clay and rust. When this was removed, the stirrup was found to be in a remarkable good state of pre servation. The sides represent two Ethiopian figures standing upon the loot-rest, leauing forward facing each other, while they support with out stretched arms what forms the top of the stirrup or that part connected with the leather. So unlike are both these relics to anything known to the gener ations of this day aud time, and, both being found so near the same place, it is not unreasonable to ascribe them to the same era and individual. 'or is the supposition at all improbable that one of the knightly followers of JJe Soto, lured ou tlirough this then un known region aud wilderness, like that dauntless son of Spain, by a thirst for the yellow heaps of gleaming gold that loomed up ahead of tnem hi vain visions aud heated fancies, here fell.a victim to the tomahawk and scalping knife of the wronged and revengeful red man; and no doubt, some one of the "Tallahas -see Tribe," of which "Tiger Tail" claimed to be descendant, boasted, as he displayed at his belt a yet bloody scalp, that he had "killed a pale-face. " The grand lodge of Indiana, A. Y, aM., nas reonceu its aoot to io,uuu. Oar Handkarenlefs. "Lace banderchiefs," said fashion' able storekeeper, "We don't sell one in month. Tnere is no call for them, and most of the goods are locked np in the camphor cases. Occasionally some body will come in for a dnche cr rose point for a bridal or birthday present, bat for general use they are out of style, and as rarely seen in society as a vinaigrette- You see, a lace handker chief wants to he worn on a holder, which fa ont of the question nowadays, because of tbe glove craza. You can't understand those thmgs, bnt a pretty matron is never quite so angelic as when she cornea down to the dining room in one of those long, white wrappers, with lace cap trimmed with a blue bow or rosebuds. It serves a double purpose makes her look pretty and hides the nn signtly curl pgpjrs." "What do the ladies wear now?" ask ed the reporter. "Here you are, if yon want to see something mca, replied the clerk. "These goods come from Paris, aud are embroidered by the French nuns. Uore'e a beauty. Just look at it. Per haps you won't believe it, but it's so, just the same; it took a nua eight hionths to embroider these flowers, aud you see the work is just as nice on the wrong side as it is on the right side. Take it in your hand it's not too deli cate to bear examination. The goods yon see are what we call sneer linen, of the finest loom, anl the nand-work is done with a fine needle and a cotton thread. They don't use linen, because it fills up in the wash, just a trifle, but enough to spoU the flowers. Now, see here, did you ever see snch a natural looking rose in your life, off a stem? Why, i tell yon the thine n worth cabinet. And see the tilling of the pattern. All of that 'frosting' is hand work, an I most have cost a deal of optic nerve. This is an heir-loom, and no mistake about it. I doubt if there is a pieca of point lace in the house with finer work on it.'' And the handkerchief was deserving of all the praine bestowed. The border was some six Inches deep and made of lilies, roses and small field flowers, with buds and fern leaves for filling, all done in filigree work, and so skilfully aud ar tistic tbat it was hard to believe that they were not apph mod. The eJge was raw anl iutended to be trimmed with lace, "It s worth So), said the salesman. 'Yes, we sell quite a number at the holidays or wedding season. But they are always bought by the gentlemen or old aunls for bride i. There is a clan or goods similar in design, bnt a little coarser, that we sell at $10 each. Thev go Use hot cakes. Everybody bays them, especially ladies, for they are quick to admire fine needlewerk." ine goods in question were imported, made on fine Iruh linen lawn, with very deep embroidered borders of color ed thread. The edge was cut in scol lops of three petals each, and buttonhole-stitched with three colors, red, brown and blue, all hand work it must be remembered, aud a piece of work, too, by the way, that the most skillful needlewoman conld not do in a week working ten hours a day. It would be an utter impossibility to make these goods in America and sell them for 210. Hat, coming as they do from the Old World, where labor meets with paltry remuneration, the case is different. In side of the petal-lined edge was a fence border, the lines consisting of a delicate fern pattern made in colors, with the bars overrun with climbing vines and tendrils, as true to nature as paint ould make them. At times the pattern was broken for the insertion of a dice or me- dahon. in which a unit of design was taken, making a symmetrical compo sition of the most artistic accuracy. In tbe corner the work became more intri cate, and formed a lovely relief for some little blue birds with red wings and yellow creets. In this, as in the plain white, the work was of the most perfect kind, and not a knot or a stray end of thread was to be found. Yea," said the salesman in response to an inquiry, ' -the colors aro fast, the goods the best made, and, with such care as a lady wdl give it will latt a life time. These are the goods that ladies wear in the bosom of their dresses and hanging over the edge of a reticule. They are not intended for actual use, and you may be sure nobody ever sub mits them to the vulgar duties of a 2oj. handkerchief. Haven't you something new?" asked the exasperated interviewer. "Here s the latest novelty m stock. and the 'takyeet as we say in tbe trade. When they are once floated they'll go like tongne sandwiches at the Board of Trade on a rainy day. One dollar and a quarter each; all linen, and warranted fast colors." The novelty was a deep cardinal cam brio with a checker border made by hemstitching httle blocks of white on the red border with white cotton. A block handkerchief had the applique in red, blue or orange, a delicate pink one was blocked with maroon, another with blue, and one of the solid -true blue lawn formed a most effective background for blocks of crimson red. "The reason why we'll sell so many is because they are the very thing to warm up a toilet Take a little lady of petite but trim figure, rig her up in a black or tailor made suit, put this cardi nal handkerchief in her corsage and pull oat tbe border in a shell, so as to sL-cw the blue checker, and if the effect is not stunning the girl has no style about her, that's aiL Thn craze in jewelry for bugs, spiders, scorpions, beetles and other blood-curdling, flash-creeping ar ticulate has been an incentive to print designers, and here we have choice lawn and cambno handkerchiefs, and you have only to same your bng and here it is. "I choose butterflies." "Here yon are, iu every stage of do Tdlopment, 'cat,' 'chns,' and 'but,' high colors on a white ground, $18 a doz en." It was not a bad collection to begin the study of insectology with. The bat tel fly napkins had the corner reserved for gorgeous specimens done m embroi dery, the fanciful borders were picked out with field daisies, and tiny, golden- wings 1 insects, some of which were posed on clover beads, presumably sip ping boney, The grasshoppers, legs, wins, intennffi, and the proverbial 'spit tobacco' were selected from the healthy, hardy, well-fed Kansas class, and ar ranged diagonally across the oorners were large as life and most effective in skeleton need ework. ' It would be an endless task to write np the box. which included the whole class of insects, from the tiny fly to the devd's darning need le. Ine writer remarked that some chicken-hearted females might have se- rious objections about touching their pretty faocs to these horrors, any one of which would proJuoe hysteria. "I guess not. Woman will tolerate more from art than Bhe will from nature, and though I never saw a girl in my life on intimate terms with a centipede, I should not like to risk a refusal of this box of miscellaneous insect kerchiefs. The rega'ar go xla are made of various qualities of goods and run from 25 cents to go erch. ion can get a pretty nice napkin for a quarter, with a fancy bor der stamped in fast colors, good enough for common wear. Bat nearly every lady has couple or more of nice ones tbat cost, say, $2 or 3. They are pet ted, though, and worn mostly in the front of the dress. A fine cambric can not be bought under $ or $2.50: that is, if it a handmade. "Don t some of the designs fad to please the ladies?" "Oh, yes. Here is a nobby thing. These goods come in all colors. Tney were intended to be worn on the rut. run through the bracelet. But the style didn't take. No girl is going to pay $1 50 or S2 for a Anted handkerchief to hide a 840 bangled bracelet. No sires. Girls don't get bangles to hide under cambric. Not while there is such handy place round as a good-fitting basque. 1 don t like to see a handker chief in a girl's bosom. It makes me envious of the rag. But pretty hand kerchief gives a touch of the picturesque to a lady s toilet, it is cheaper than ribbon or a bouquet, and while it answers the same purpose I guess they will con tinue to wear it there. You mast know. of course, that corsage handkerchief is used decoralively only. They have a business napkin in their pocket. Be sides, it takes three or four buttons to get the thing in proper shape, and to pull it out for a sneeze or a piece of soot would be a regular exposition. Here s nice yellow mull, bje the beetles! Bdcognize them, don't you? Now yel low s tne go; so are beetles, lake a box for your girL Uive them to you. treeing yon are in the profession, for "Have no girl; much obliged for your facts. Adieu." A Rrrmctorr Aadlene. A very sad thing ocurrel at a late performance given at Liramie City. At the close ot the last act one of the prin cipal performers is instantly killed. It is then the duty of the aadienoe to rise, pick up its umbrella and walk home. Sometimes, however, the audience is not familiar with the play and docs not go home. It waits for mure death and carnage before its awful thirst for blood is clotted. That was the case at Laramie two weeks aja The stage hired man, who hauls the dead off into the dressing room, waited patiently, bnt the people would not go. la order to get the fall value of their dollar tuey desired to see the post mortem examination. They could not go home until it had teen set tled that the villain was f dlly and thor oughly dead. There he lay, with his ear against a kerosene footlight, suffering, at $9 pet week, and the andienoe absolutely re fusing to go home and allow the man to revive or to requietcat in pace. The curtain, though loaded at the bottom with a telegraph pole, failed to come down, and the legs of the avenger and other members of the tronpe flitted past the space left by the unruly curtain, and the dead villain lay on his back, having yielded up his life four times that same week, in the same manner, beside carrying the heavy trunks of the beautiful actress up two flights of stairs for her in three different towns. As there were no programmes people looked at each other and wondered. They knew that the man was undoubt edly dead, bat whether the company had a fresh one or not was the ques tion. Finally two adult members of the troupe came forward and pulled down the refractory curtain. Then the mana ger advanced to the front of the stage and in a voice choked with emotion, said: "Ladies and gentlemen, we would be glad to massacre some more of oar troupe if we could, but we cannot afford it. In a one-stuid town one man is about all that we can yield up to the cold embrace of death. Our printing is high, and we have to pay $15 for the lialL llierefore, we regret to annouuee that the play ia now over. You can go home with safety and we will attend to the remains. We have every hope that the young man will be able to draw his salary next week, and that we may win him back to joy and health again. He has good constitu tion, a fair appetite, and we feel like trusting it all to the future. We regret to see you go, but a& the janitor is now blowing out the lights, and it is getting pretty well along into the shank of the evening, we most say good-bye to you, hoping that daring our absence the Laram'.e Opera House Company will decide to useas its stockholders, pur chase some wicks for tbe footlights, put tbe old piano oat of its misery and stick another pair of overalls into the brokan window of the ladies' dressing-room, bo that the actresses who visit your town will feel more segregated, as it were, and separated from the great, vulgar world." Teaching l'arrota to Talk. According to Cuvier, the celebrated French naturalist, iwrruts may best be taught to talk by covering the cage at night, or rather in the evening, and then relating to them, slowly aud dis tinctly, the words they are desired to learn. They should be kept away from places where they would be likely to hear disagreeable noises, such as street cries and the whistling and shouts of boys at play, or they will imitate them, aud become too noisy to be tolerated. Parrots may be fed upon soaked bread and biscuits, mashed potatoes, aud raiie seed. They are fond of nuts. Uii) eune pepper, sprinkled upon a bone, and given to them occasionally, is said to be very beneliciah lhey should be kept very clean, and allowed a bath fre quently. It would be difficult to point out modes of treatment of the diseases of iarrots, but when they become af fected it is best to keep them warm, change their food for a time and give them lukewarm water to bath in. St. Louis wants a V. S. Mint es tablished within her confines. There are four government Mints at present Philadelphia, New Orleans, San Francisco and Carson City, Nevada. The assay offices are five in number New York, Helena, Montanta; Boise City, Idaho; Charlotte, N. C and an uuuv ntfleA rctllttl rhA ITnitwl Srnrj ' Branch Mint at Denver. LoaoiuoUva and Sand. At the office of tbe master mechanic of the Bee line, Cleveland, Ohio, the following interesting facts regarding locomotives in general were obtained. The master mechanio doesn't look at an engine with the eyes of an artist, bat with the critical gaze of a mechanic and statistician. To him the boiler of a lo comotive is not a glittering body of Russia iron with brass bands around it. In tact, the public never sees a locomo tive boiler It is a rongU, unpolished mass of steel. Over this is a o mplete casting of wood, matched like flooring and over all an ornamental sheath of thin Russia iron with brass bands, called a j tcket. The casting is to pro tect the boiler from the cold blasts of winter, which, blowing en tbe surface of the mass of iron, would tend to chill it and condense the steam. Indeed, it is much more difficult, even with the casing of wood and iron, to keep up steam In an engine on a cold day than in warm weather. The boiler of standard locomotive, like those built by the Lake Shore road, for instance, is traversed its entire length by 17S tabes two inches in diameter leading from the furnace. These lubes are traversed by the heat and smoke, and around them in the boiler is the water. At least it should be around them, and if it isn't. the engineer had better climb oat for tall timber and safety. In the engines on the Uoe ime these tubes terminate in the extension fronts. The steam rushing up through the smoke stack sucks the smoke and cinders through the tubes with terrific force. Tne smoke sails out over the city to the in tense disgust of the smoke inspector (who, by-the-way has solved a notice on all the railroads in the city that they must try anl abate the nuisance in a measure), bat the greater portion of the cinders are caught under a slanting screen in the extension fronts aforemen tioned. At the end of the trip tn cin ders are drawn off through an opening in tne chamber, and not infrequently ten bashels or more are taken out. With ten bushels of cinders flying around a tram drawn by au engine that doesn't catch its own slobberings, what wonder that a passenger sometimes gets an eye fulil Some idea of the im portance of this matter of cinders can ue obtained wnen it is known tuat in a year about nine car-loads of them are taken from each locomotive at an ex pense of from J to So a car. Thay are mainly used as ballast for tue track, al though the Bee line is making exoon- nienta to ascertain if they contain any virtue as faeL In the oidinary loo jmo tives used on the Lake shore line road the screen is placed in the dome at the top of the smoke-stack. The small boy who draws his picture of a locomotive knows that the dome on the boiler midway be.ween the smoke stack and the cab is a sand-box. A tube leads from it down in front of the drive wheels. W hen the rapid aud spasmodic pulhing of an engine indi cates that she is slipping, the engineer pulls a small lever aud a fine stream of sand is deposited on the track. Tne small boy aforesaid and the public doesn't probably realize how machsaud this dome holds and how much trouble and expense is occasioned in keeping it tilled. Ureat care most be exercised in selecting the sand. It must be fine and contain no clay, lhe Lake Shore rol gets its sand from along the lake shore, the best coming from Lake Michigan near Chicago, and the Bee hue from Like Erie or from a sand bank on the hue of the L and St. L. road. It costs the latter line from SO to 60 cents a cubic yard loaded on the cars, or about $3 a car. It is estimated that at least 100 car loads of band are required to run the Bee line engines a year. Thus the simple item of sand alone occasions that road an expense of over $0,2 JO. The sand box on the boiler of a locomotive holds about 10 bushels, and is replenished at every trip. It is a sad fact that while ample provision is for sanding the track ahead of the drive wheels of a locomotive, no sand can be deposited behind them. This neglect in the construction of a locomotive once caused the absolute failure of a Republican convention in New Jersey. It was to be held at a small town on a Une of railroad. There was no turn-table there, and the engme that pulled the train rai backwards m order to bring the train back from the conven tion pilot ahead in fine shape. Alas! some Democratic wags had soaped the track a few miles out from the conven tion town and the sand from the sand box did no good for it fell behind the drivers of the reversed en gine, lhe determined tfcpnblicans left the cars, caught the sand in their hats as it ran from the tube aud sprinkled it along the rails. It was three hours before the engine was coaxed over the soaped ttretch of track, and when the convention was reached it was learned that the impatient delelegates from the opposite direction had gone home. The convention was abandoned. Another important item is oil, of which an engine uses a pint to each 17 miles of distance traveled. Tbe base of this od ia crude petroleum. The Lake Shoie road gives each month a first prize of $10 and a second prize of $7 to the engineers making the best time with the most economical use of oil as fueL Two prizes are also distributed to the firemen. A pound of cotton waste allowed each engine on each trip for the use of the fireman in wiping the jacket and shining steel and brass work in the cab. lhe machinery proper is kept clean by men employed at the round houses and known as hostlers. The height of a fireman's ambition is to obtain an engine to run and to the dis grace of the employes be it said, some despiauble tricks are resorted to to get an engme away from a man. A man got an engine to run on the Nickel plate shortly after it was opened. He Btarted out on his first trip with plenty of oil in the caps and bearings. When he topped he found to his dismay that the brasses were cut out. He ran his en gine on a side track took the cups iu nis hands and went to the master me chanic's office where it was found some wretch had pat emery in the niL The beginning of hardship is like the first taste ol bitter food it seems for a moment unbearable; yet, if there is nothing else to satisfy our hanger, we take another bite and find it possi ble to go ou. An ex-member of the Tweed ring is selling patent medicine at SL An drew's, near Montreal. Tim German authors will hold their Fifth Congress at Darmstadt from the 8th to the 11th of next month. Early and provident fear is the motuw; of safety Chimney Sweep. It is a good many vears since the old-fashioned chimney sweep disap peared. It is so many years that few but the older class of men cau remem ber that sooty individual. To the younger generations he was an almost forgotten tradition. The advent of the modern small chimney flues left no room for the chimney sweep. Within the past few months, however, the or der lias .been revived, and genuine chimney sweeps are oiierating in all thecitiesand many of the large villages. Kecently a couple of these knights of the chimney were interviewed by Rochester reporter, aud something of their methods learned. It seems that the business has latterly assumed such large proiKirtions that a regular Libor organization of chimney sweeiis has been formed, with headquarters in Chicago. There are four members of the association at work in Rochester. and are readily distinguished by their tall hats and large nickle plated bad es. "How do you work to clean a mod ern chimney with small flues?" was the first question which troubled the re porter. We have peculiar tools, scrapers. brushes and rubbers, made ou purpose for the business. We go up on the roof and scrape the soot down to the bot torn of the chimney and make it entirely clean. How do you get the soot out? Well, when the chimney extends to the cellar, we have no trouble. Vt hen it ends ia a mrlor or other furnished room, we take it out of the stove pqw Hole, and are obliged to use a good deal ot care, vt e never leave any soot or dirt in a room." Do you often go down a chimney?' Always, if the flue Ls large enouglu We elliow our own way down, cleaning the chimney as we go. We go out the same wav ; then we bike out the soot in the way 1 told you. We take chim neys by the job, so much a chimney. We clean a great many tall factory cnimneys. -Most or these nave iron bars for steps inside, and we climb up by them and clean down. Sometimes we have to go up with ladders ou the outside, and let ourselves down with ropes. V e get from fc-Jo upwards for cleaning these large smoke stacks." "Is the business imhealthful?" "Yes, it cannot le any other way. 1 ou see we can't help making a great dust, and we inhale a good deal of it into the lungs. hen we go inside the chimney, we cover our mouths with sponge, but we always catch a good deal ot tne soot, do tho best we can. How much does it cost to clean a chim ney? Well, from 7o cents to for common chimney!), and it takes from one to three hours. In the larger fac tory chimneys, we run a good deal of risk. In the most of them the mortar around the top is rotten, acd we have to look out for loixse bricks falling. v ery otten a sweep is injured by a falling brick, and it is almost certain to be a bad injury." "Are you doing much business here?" "Yes, we have cleaned a good many chimneys, and have orders for many more. We have orders, too, from Avon, Dansvilie, Genessee, aud other Ulages. Make money at it? Well, es; but we don t last long m this busi ness, and we have to make money while e can." The Snake God off Dahomey The most powerful fetish is Danligbwe the tutelary saint of Wydah, and which is personified by the harmless snake so named. Its worship was introduced into Dahomey when the kingdom of Imlali was conquered and annex. In W hydah, hidden from eyes profane by thick grove of tig trees, is the famed D.inh-hweh, or fetish snake house. It is, according to Mr. Skertchly, nothing more than a circular swish hut the ery model of a Parian inkstand to be seen in every toy shop. From the room epended pieces of cotton yarn, and on the floor, which, in common with the alls, was whitewashed, were several pots of water. The pythons, to the umber of twenty-two, were coiled on the top of the wall or twined around the ratters. All those hideous reptiles are siicred. To slay one, eveu by ac- iilent for to do so puniosely would not I dreamt of used to entail instant sacrifice to the gods, and confiscation of all the offender's property to the fe tish priests. Nowadays, his punish ment is not so severe, but still exemp- iry enough. The offender, after a meeting of all the fetishers of the eighborhood is convened, is seated w ithin a hut of sticks, thatched with lry grass and built in the enclosure in front of the snake limisr. His clothes mil body are w ell daubed with palm oil, mixed with the fat of the murdered snake god. At a given signal, tbe hut tired and the materials being like tinder, the unfortunate offender against the majesty of the fetish is enveloied in flames. In excruciating torture he rushes out of the flames his clothes on tire to the nearest water, pursued by the infuriated priests, who belabor hnn with sticks, stones and all sorts of rubbish. If he reaches the water he Is free, and if he is fortunate to live, has expiated his crime. But few are able to run the gauntlet, and expire liefore reaching tli- cooling water, clublied to leath by the fetishtueu the Duiui- y're-no, or snake mothers, as they are Hied. As the doorof the snake temple is always open, the snakes frequently wander out after nightfalL If any lier- son meets one, he must prostrate him self before it, carrying it tenderly in his arms to the temple, when his hu manity to the snake god is rewarded his being fined for meeting the snake; and if he cannot or will not pay, lie is imprisoned until the utter-most cowie is extracted from him. rear la of Great I'ncr, A pearl fishery of great value was some time back reported in the Gulf of Mexico. During the winter hshermen prosictors have found some pearls of great value among not a few smaller ems. lhe first was taken from the shell of a pearl oyster in December last, liySs. It is believed to be the largest ou record. It weiglis seventy-five kar ats. Ajeweler offered U,UU0, which was accepted. Tbe sum is far below its real value. Another of forty-seven karats was since found, perfect in form and finely tinted. It is valued on the spot at $o,0U0. A third pearl of forty karats, yet more beautiful, was exhib ited at Ia Paz, wuere $o7?t) was bid. This success of the first s -ions explo ration is justly regarded a -evidence of extensive deposits of pearl bearing oys ters, and trreat excitement prevades all J the fishermen in that gulf. NEWS LN B&fKF Colorado has developed coal oil. New York city has 3.000 teacher in elocution. There are "5,000 French ieople in New York city. Americans are returning from Europe early this year. The first Scotch missionary of the Reformed Kirk began work inCalcut. in 1330. -The Maine hay crop th"i3 year will equal 153,000 tona one-half more than last year. Within a year Savannah, Ga.. has erected 250 houses, costing an abro gate of $.'500,000. San Bernadino count v. California. does a considerable business in drin potatoes lor market. The signal station on Pike's Peak. 11,156 feet high, is the h. sliest buildinz in the world inhabited the year round. The first mention of piiDDet shows in England is found in "Uanumr Gor ton's Needle," which was written in 1517. The receipt of the Patent Oifise for the current year will exceed $1,200,000, according to the estimates of Commis sioner Marble. The immigration for the fiscal year falls a little short of 000,OJO, against nearly 80,000 in lsj, and 670,OJ! in 11. The Kansas crop of castor bjaus was so poor in 1SS2 that the acreaie this year was reduced nearly 75 per cent. Mr. W. II. Bull wishes he ha I more pea and bean vines for cows; he finds that this feed increases the flow of milk. The area devot-xl to soriii' wheat in Kansas has steadily decrease! since 1S7S, this year to the extent of over 50,000 acres. Mr. Charles Brhrham. Marlboro. X. Y., is out of pocket" to the extent of four cows, killed by Parlj green bought for use ou potatoes. A new bath sponge so poisoned the eye of Dr. Corbett, of Montreal, that nro oi oignb in iue injur i opuc is feared. It Is computed that douvie ani mals to the enormous value of i 12.0 .- 000 are killed annually iti Russia by wolves. In Virsrinia thev are mikin r floor of pea-nuts, and it is praised. It is cm tumary in Georgia to pou:i 1 the nuts for a pastry. Marseilles and Paris are now con nected by an underground telerraihie cable laid in a cast-iron nine six feet below the surface. Allan P. Morris is named as the first man who drew a pension under the Tennessee Law grantim $10 a month to Confederate soldiers. Tangier, Africa, still has a slave market, and recently mulatto girls have been sold as low as $1. A nero bov of 8 years brought $:. Paris h; twenty-three libraries. hich it is p;oiosed to increase in num ber to forty. More than one-half of all the books read are novels. Oregon. Washinztou and Idaho. have been spared a visit from even one f the GOO cvclones reported bv the Signal Service Department. The Egyptian census has just been completed. The total population is given at 6,79-2$0, of whom 3,:ij:S,'-l j are males and 3,404,31.2 females. Roman gates were so doubled as to make two passages, one for egress the other for ingress, and were covered bv heavy lintels resting on the vertical joints. The semi-anuual reiwrt of Maine's savings banks shows that the total de posits are $ 10,147.70 1.73 an increase of nearly $l,OO0,t00 since the laststate- nu nt. The latest statistics srive the norm. lation of Mexico at 10.00l.s4. which is divided as follows: Caucasians, 1.- K2,5J; American Indians. 3.7i5.05I: mixed blood, 4,.1,3W. The immense crematory in Rome in almost daily use. Cremation is laily becoming more popular, and bids fair soon to dispose of more corpses in the Italian capital than old-f;ishioued burial. An Italian manager, Pollini, has ffpred the widow of Richard Waguer i50,X)0 for the exclusive right to per form the opera of "Parsifal," this to cover all countries. She unhesitatingly jected the offer. Prof. Baird, of the Smithsonian nstitute, and President of the Fish Commission, can name at sight, and ia most unproiioiincable terms, any spe- les ot nsii, but is said to be frequently at a loss to remember the names of close Iiersoual acquaintances. A broken needle, about I of an inch iu length and perfectly bright, was t iiken recently from the shoulder of W. T. Beard, gunsmith, of Kimball block, Salt I-ake. It had entered at his heel 11 years ago. Captain Paul Bovton, the a iii.itic rtist, told a reporter the other day that he has now about completed a marine tress in which he will be enabled to make excursions on the beds of rivers and kikes. It appears that Wilmington har bor, the seaport of Los Angeles, has never been properly, if at all, surveyed by the C. S. authorities, and a British man-of-war is now engaged hi that work a rather anomalous state of af- airs. The imports at New York for Last week were 10,SO2,374, of which $3,- 74,132 were dry goods and $7,5iS,242 general merchandise. The total im- lorts since January 1 were 20-,4l,- 10, against $-ll;l,il t for the same peiod List year. The present form of the Corinthian column first appeared about 150 B. C, the temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens. It was built under the di rection of Cossutius, a Roman, and soon after its completion Sylea carried the columns away and used them to res tore the temple ou the R jman Capitol. The latest estimates by German scientists of the total population of our earth are, in round numbers, as follows: Australia, on 9,000,000 square kilome tres, 4,000,000 inhabitants; Europe, on 9,500.000 square kilometres, 315,000,000 inhabitants; Africa, on 30,000.01 square kilometres, 05,000,000 inhabi tants; America, on 43,000,000 square kilometres, ',000,000 inhabitants; Asia, on 44,500,000 square kilometres, 30,000,000 uiliabitants. ' i stood upon the platform