[CHJtDBEjj^CgIUMNj
Tlie Difference.
When Jessie was a little girl,
From six to eleven, say,
Sbn used to wait impatiently
For every holiday.
Her birthdays, too, they came so slow—
It was so loni; between—
That when she was but ten, she thought
She might have been sixteen.
But now that she is thirty odd,
And none has come to woo,
Her birthdays are so close, she thinks,
That one in three might do.
Pen* and Ink.
The first ink used by the ancients
was probably some sort of soot or
lampblack rendered fluid with gum
water. An ink of this sort is less flow
ing than our modern ink, and not so
well adapted to rapid writing, but it
had the great advantage of being a
solid body of an unalterable color.
This advantage appears in manuscripts
dug up at Herculaneum, which, al
though burned to a perfect charcoal
and buried for nearly IS centuries, are
still legible. The ink remains as if
embossed upon the surface, and ap
pears blacker than the burned paper.
The reed, which was the first pen in
use. was a sort of bullrush, growing
in many parts of the east. These reeds
were cut in the manner of a quill, and
are still used by natives who write the
Arabic character. Nations who have
adopted the Chinese character use a
camel's hair pencil, which is held per
pendicularly in the hand. This would
seem little adapted for rapid writing,
yet the Chinese write their complicat
ed characters by means of these im
plements with a rapidity seldom
equaled by European writers.
The quill appears to have been first
in use about the year 600. The word
"penna,'' meaning a quill, is not found
in any work older than that period.
'Previous to that we lind usually the
word "calamus," a reed. The qiull has
an advantage over the reed in being
finer and more durable, the same quill
often serving for weeks or even
months. Some ancient writer used
the same pen for 40 years, and then,
losing it by accident, bewailed his loss
bitterly. It is said that the translat
or Pliny completed that work with a
single pen, and celebrated his achieve
ment in this verse:
With one sole pen I wrote this book.
Made of a gray goose quill;
A pen it was when ( it took;
A pen I leave it still.—Brooklyn
Eagle.
Bravery of a Mother Grouse.
When first I came to the territory
of Washington the desire to explore
the mountains to the west of my home
near Valley grew upon me, and at the
first opportunity, taking ponies and
blankets, and accompanied by my eld
est son, a lad of 17, I set out on a four
days' trip into the new wonderland.
The summit of the range was reached
or the second day, at a point entirely
out of the line of travel of either In
dians or whites, and when almost at
the summit, just as we were passing a
clump of bushes, on June 6, ISB4, we
ran into a brood of little ruffed
grouse.
My boy was riding in front a couple
of rods In advance, and the first move
of the mother bird seemed to be to
hustle her babies away from his
horse's feet, and just as he rode past
she rose in the air and flew directly
toward me. I pulled up my pony in
stantly, and as I sat still she flew
straight for my head, rising just
above it as she came, and suddenly the
boy cried out, "She is going to alight
on your head."
It was true and to the day of my
death I shall regret that the unexpect
ed sound of the fluttering of her wings
as she settled towards my head for an
instant started me from my compos
ure, and the tempation to glance up
ward was momentarily irresistable,
and, in consequence, my slightuly tilt
ing hat brim frightened her while just
in the act of setting her feet upon my
head, and swerving lightly to her left,
she swung round and settled on the
rump of the tired pony under me.
The pony stood perfectly still, and
slowly—very slowly—l turned my head
and looked at her. Beginning in a
very low tone and gradually raising my
voice, I talked to her and to my boy
about her for a minute or two before
she fluttered away in search of her
babies.
Telling her what a graceful little
beauty she was, and how we had no
thought of hurting either her or her
babies, I cajoled her into listening for
quite a time, and though I am well
persuaded that she had never before
seen either man or horse, I contended
that it was courage—pure and simple
—which prompted her to fly in the
face of so formidable an apparation in
defense of her little ones. —Correspon-
dent Forest and Stream.
Raindrop's Own Story.
We are all little raindrops frolicking
up in a cloud. I never knew how we
got there until my mother told me. Of
course, there isn't anything else to
say about it, except that we wore
drawn up in vapor to this cloud. But
I can tell you what happened to me
after that, and make it a good long
story too.
As I say, we were all frolicking
around, and pretty soon we heard a
great crash, and we were all falling to
the ground, even mother after me. We
saw our old home, the cloud leaving
us.
We came down in this way all night,
and in the morning we landed in some
mud (my mother and I). We soon
soaked into the dirt and slept soundly
till spring. Then we came bubbling
up out of the ground and cheerfully
down a little stream, kissing flowers
and giving drinks to poor, thirsty
grass. Many weeks passed in this
way, until at last we entered a large
river, all filthy with sticks and gravel
and tin cans and iron hoops.
I ventured to ask my mother what
place this was, and she answered:
"This is the Illinois river, my child;
do you think it is dirty?" I told her
I thought it was indeed, and that I
hoped we would soon be out of it.
lust then we whirled around a corner
and my wish was granted; we were
in the Mississippi, and, though it
wasn't any cleaner than the other, I
was proud to be in such a grand river.
Just now we happened to be in a "boat
road," as I called it, and we were being
whirled around and thrown up in foam,
but what cared 1 so long as we were in
the grand Mississippi?
It took us days and months before
we were out of the grand river, I see
ing many things that I never would
have dreamed of up in the clouds. Once
we were thrown up onto the deck of a
ship, and were swept off by a man with
ribbons on his hat, which my mother
said was a sailor.
At last we were emptied into the
Gulf of Mexico. Here 1 thought I
should die with the waves. They
rulled everything, and tossed mother
and myself around carelessly. At last
we were in a rougher place; the waves
were awful there. They tossed us up
against the ships cabin holes and back
again. My mother said it was the At
lantic ocean.
Just as she said this, to our great
joy we were taken from the awful At
lantic ocean up into our own old cloud,
and we found all our old friends back
again before us.—Donald S. McKay,
(age 9), in New York Mail and E v
press.
The Homesick Toys.
Were you ever homsick or
If so, then you know how little Hans
felt. Little Hans is the Dutch doll
who lives in the Brown nursery. And
he was so homesick and lonesome one
day last autumn that he felt as if he
would have to cry out aloud presently
if he wasn't a talking doll.
The Swiss music box was lonesome
and homesick too. All day long—it
was a rainy day and they couldn't get
out doors —the children had been mak
ing the music box play very loudly—
and, "Home Sweet Home," of all airs.
You may think it, but it's really very
trying to play "Home, Sweet Home"
when you're over a thousand miles
away from home and there's a big,
tossing, storming acean rolling be
tween you and the place you were born
in. The music box played so dolefully
at last that the children grew tired of
il. Besides, it had stopped raining and
they had rushed out into the garden to
run up and down the sidewalk and
play racing.
Then the Dutch doll felt he could
bear it no longer.
He couldn't cry aloud, although he
longed and tried to, because he wasn't
a talkink doll, but wooden tears stood
in the corner of his eyes, and would
have rolled down his cheeks only that
they were wooden.
The round, shinning glass eye of the
music box looked over in his direction
suddenly, and although the eye was
misty with tears, too —for the music
box also felt that it was dreadful to be
so lonely and sorrowful —it could see
that the Dutch doll l'elt wretched.
"Cheer up, Dutchy, cheer up!" it
called softly.
Now, there's nothing in the world so
good for troubles as to try to help
someone else, as we all know, and the
very minute the music box had spoken
it felt better.
The Dutch doll started and stopped
crying.
"I'll try to.l am trying," he made
answer, "but," and here the wooden
tears began to tremble again, "I do
feel so lonely and miserable."
"I know," said the music box quiet
ly, and there was a shake in its voice
that hadn't been put there intention
ally, "but we might as well make the
best of matters I suppose. Just think!
If we were at home we'd be quite com
monplace and of little value, but here
—why, they won't let the children play
with you, only holidays, because you're
a curiosity and mustn't get spoiled or
shabby. And they.only let them do as
they like with me when they're sick or
it's bad weather and they're shut up
in-doors."
"I wish they did play with me often
er," signed the Dutch doll. "It
wouldn't be so lonely to be played with
as to be stood up here on the mantle."
"Let's wish they will come into take
us into see poor sick little Barbara,"
said the music box bravely.
And a few minutes later the wish
was made true.
The nurse carried them into the sick
room presently, and little Barbara al
most cried she was so glad to see
and hear them. And truly, they did
their very best to please her.
Wooden Hans stood up so stiftly
and then fell over in such a funny way,
as often as she put him on his feet on
the pillow or counterpane, that she
laughed quiet merrily. And when she
was tired, and snuggled down to rest,
with the Dutch doll lovingly cuddled in
her arms,, the music box played its
one tune, "Home, Sweet Home," so
sweetly that the gentle music lulled
the sick child to sleep.
And when the nurse carried the
Dutch doll and the music box back to
the nursery, by and by, neither of
them felt homesick or lonesome. And
—but you can think out what the ex
perience taught them just as well as I
can. Try it the next time you feel
sad and lonesome and see. —Chicago
Record-Herald.
llnbbim.
Men who ride hobbies would not be
nearly so objectionable if they did not
want all the road to themselves.—
Town and Country.
'
To Wash a Print Dres*.
The washing of a print dress well is
. not nearly such a simple matter as
might he supposed, and it is of consid
erable importance that it should be
done well, for, although it is not ex
pensive material to buy in the first
place, still its making and details cost
as much as if it were, and nothing is
uglier than a print dress with half the
color washed out of it. The water
should not be too hot, and into it must
neither soda nor any washing or soap
powder be put. A lather must be
made as for flannels, and but littK
soap used on the dress, and it should
only remain in the water long enough
to bring out the dirt. Next it must be
rinsed in cold water slightly salted,
and to which a little vinegar has been
added. The former fixes the colors,
and the latter brightens them. Next,
wring tightly and dry quickly, but not
ir. the sun, or the colors will fade, and
if dried slowly they will run. Wearers
of print dresses should not let them
get too dirty before washing or the
color has to be sacrificed to cleanliness.
A Cheap Kitting Koom,
"We are furnishing our sitting room
on the go-without-system plan," said
a careful young housekeeper. "This
is better than any hire or purchase
system yet invented.
"The sitting room is the room be
tween our small drawing room and the
still smaller kitchen, and it must be
used as both dining room and our
workshop. The centre of the floor is
covered with a square of linoleum,
and there is a deep "border of staining
round the rest of the floor. The stain
is of a rich mahogany color. It is ef
fective, serviceable and cheap. Here
is the recipe: One pint of the cheap
est varnish, about a nickel's worth of
burnt sienna, and about a nickel's
worth of brown umber. Mix the si
enna and the umber in the varnish un
til a good mahogany shade is obtained
and paint evenly with a rather large
brush.
"We got two good boxes from the
grocer's, 30 inches long, 20 inches wide
and 16 inches deep.
"Jack screw pd these two boxes to
gether lengthways and hinged on
strong lids.
"Then I made two mattresses to fit
the top.
"First I made what might be called a
'model mattress' about six inches long,
four inches wide and two inches deep.
This is of strong ticking stuffed with
flock and 'buttonc-d' in quite a profes
sional way. After stuffing the ticking
I sewed it in places through and
through with a darning needle and
strong thread.
"The miniature mattress was then
covered with a remnant of pink bro
cade, the edges bound with narrow
pink ribbon, and little tufts of thick
floss silk at regular intervals, as on a
real mattress. Here I had a charming
and novel pincushion, that is also very
useful.
"It will hold hat pins as well as
small pins.
"After making the 'model mattress'
I found it an easy matter to do the
same work on a large scale. I find that
the real secret in making a good mat
tress is in the buttoning. I stuffed a
ticking made to fit the top of the boxes
with 'flocks' and put my sofa mattress
on the floor, leveled it as though mak
ing a bed, and sewed through and
through each place where the buttons
go with a packing needle and fine
twine, taking care to finish off the
stitches securely.
"The valance is of terra cotta serge,
double width, and has a tape run
through the top, which is caught on
small tacks at intervals and fastened
round two small nails at each end of
the couch.
"The top cover is a width of the
sergfe edged all round with ball fringe
and shaped at the corners to fit the
mattress." —Washington Star.
S&MO I'D
/mS B - C,PsS
Potato Turnover —Mix one pint of
seasoced hot mashed potatoes with
one egg; add just sufficient flour to en
able you to roll it out about half an
inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter,
sprinkle with chopped parsley, fold
one-half over the other and saute a
rich brown in hot butter.
Fig Cake. —Cream half a cup of but
ter; add gradually one cup of sugar,
two beaten eggs, half a cup of milk,
one and a half cups of flour, half a cup
of cornstarch, two and a half level
teaspoonfuls of baking powder, and a
pinch of salt; bake in two greased
jelly cake pans, and put together with
fig filling.
Lettuce and chives salad. —Wash
each leaf separately in cold water,
drain and pile in order; tie irra wet
napkin and keep in a cold place; lay
largest leaves around the salad bowl,
smallest in the centre; scatter over it
one tablespoonful of fine minced
chives and at the table dress with
B'rench dressing.
Egg biscuit. —Sift two cupfuls of
flour, two teaspoonfuls of bakixig pow
der, half teaspoon of salt and one
teaspoqnful of sugar into a bowl; rub
In one tablespoonful of butter and well
mixed; add one beaten egg and half a
cup of milk; the dough should be quite
soft; toss on a floured board; roll out,
cut into rounds and bake on a floured
pan 15 minutes in a quiet oven.
Health will come with all its blessings to those who know the way, and it is mainly a ques
tion of right-living, with all the term implies, but the efforts which strengthen the system,
the games which refresh and the foods which nourish are important, each in a way, while it i3
also advantageous to have knowledge of the best methods of promoting freedom from unsani
tary conditions. To assist nature, when nature needs assistance, it is all important that the
medicinal agents used should be of the best quality and of known value, and the one remedy
which acts most beneficially and pleasantly, as a laxative, is—Syrup of Figs—manufactured by
the California Fig Syrup Co.
With a proper understanding of the fact that many physical ills are of a transient char
acter and yield promptly to the gentle action of Syrup of Figs, gladness and comfort come to
the heart, and if one would remove the torpor and strain and congestion attendant upon a con
stipated cond'tion of the system, take Syrup of Figs and enjoy freedom from the aches and
pains, the colds and headaches and the depression due to inactivity of the bowels. In case of
any organic trouble it is well to consult a competent physician, but when a laxative is required
remember that the most permanently gratifying results will follow personal cooperation with
the beneficial effects of Syrup of Figs. It is for sale by all reliable druggists. Price fifty
cents per bottle.
The excellence of Syrup of Figs comes from the beneficial effects of the plants used in the
combination and also from the method of manufacture which ensures that perfect purity and
uniformity of product essential in a perfect family laxative. All the members of the family
from the youngest to the most advanced in years may use it whenever a laxative is needed and
share alike in its beneficial effects. We do not claim that Syrup of Figs is the only remedy of
known value, but it possesses this great advantage over all other laxatives that it acts gently
and pleasantly without disturbing natural functions, in any way, as it is free from every ob
jectionable quality or substance. To get its beneficial effects it is always necessary to buy the
genuine and the full name of the Co.—California Fig Syrup Co.—is printed on the front of every
package.
(OLSF®IJ§raA '^YiW
San Francisco, Cal.
Louisville, Ky. New York, N. Y.
iALABASTINE
? THE ONLY DURABLE WALL COATING J
# -T9 J ijj —-J s* Kalsomines are temporary, 112
jj rot ' sca ' e ' &
j! SMALL POX 5
(I || and other disease germs are £
(' ' v . nurtured and diseases dissem- #
j| ' nate d by wall paper.
(I VJ should be used in renovating £
0 and disinfecting all walls. *
J c&nnot thrive.'* 0 \
J | ALABASTINE COMPANY, Grand Rapids, Mich. |
(MlASItt Ratoc California, Washiiurton, Oregon, Ool
inioa|l naiOo orado. We Kive reduced rates on
Household iroods of intending l settlers to the above
Siat»«B. Write lor rates. Map of California, Free.
TKANK-C ONTINKNTAI, KRKIUIIT CO.*
2S .vlurketNt.,</hicnico, IOW . gStkst.,N.Y.
ADVERTISING Rggjigjg
You can't buy a Ggar of better
quality for 10 cents each.
•• FLORODORA •• Bands are of iim« value as tags from"Standard N«TJ, m "Jolly Tar."
. J* T.»" Spearhead," " Vtnco " and " Star" Tobacco*
bd Best Cough Syrup. Tastes Good. Use IJI
rain time. Sold by druggists. H
Capsicum Vaseline
Put up In Collapsible Tubes.
A Substitute for and Superior to Mustard or aas
other plaster, and will not blister the most delicat*
skin. The pain allaying and curative qua'lties oi
this art! le are wonderful. It will stop the t.othftch*
at once, and relieve headache and sciatica.
We recommend it as the best and safest external
counter-irritant known, also as an external remedy
for pains in the chest and sto.uach and all
neuralgic and gouty complaints.
A trial will prove what we claim for it, and it will
be found to be invaluable in the household. Many
people say "It Is the best of all your preparations."
Price, 15 cents, at all druggists, or other dealer%
or by sending this amount to us la postage stamps
we will send you a tube by mail.
No article should be accepted by the public unless
the same carries our label, as otherwise it la not
genuine.
CHEESEBROUGH MANUFACTURING CO.,
17 State Street, New York City.
SALZER'S SEEDS.
Great catalogue, with large number of seed samples
mailed on receipt of 10c. Worth SIO.OO to get a start*
Salter's .Hagic Crushed Shells. Best on earth*
$] p«*r AW lb. bag ; $3.76 for 5001 bs. ;$5.60 for 1000 lbs *
JOHN A. SALZER SEED CO. : La Crosse, Wis.
FIPMCinM JOHN W.IVIORRIS.
ICliail/ll Washington, D.c!
"Successfully Prosecutes Claims.
Late Principal Bz&minor U.S. Pension Bureau*
3yra IA civil war, 15 adjudicating claims, atty HUICA