The Happiest Heart. Who drivr the horses o( th tun akall nrA It fait Hv t Setter the lowly deed were done, And kept the humble way. The runt wilt And the sword of fame The dust will hide the crown i Ay, none shall nail so high his nam Tim will a4 It ilnwn. bie happiest heart that ever beat Was In some quiet breast That round the common daylight And loft to heaven the rout. John Vance Chny. IN A BOTTLE It wat a beautiful day in midanm- ier, and tueuali-a-bundred-oud cauin AMenirAra on tllA oaoA ateaniahit) Aantio were listlessly lounging about Vie deck. A They were already nine day out pom Liverpool, and owing to an un fortunate accident, which had occurred arly on the voyage, only half the listanee to their port of destination ted been accomplished. The accident had bean attended with to danger to the precious nmuau reight, but the monotony of thevoy- ge was becoming unbearable.and the passengers were beginning to gruni- E)le. Every artifice bad been resorted to o relieve the tedium of the slowly loving days, and now they were liter- klly at their wits' end. Charades, mock trials, skettles and jmatenr tbeatrioals, had in turn been Jesorted to, but now, with their faces (timed longingly toward home, they lounged about the deck, and bemoaned heir sad fate. A particularly disooutented group aned against the port-rail, amid- hip, composed of two young ladies, howily dressed, two young men who ooked rather jaunty in their aemi- kailor dress, a stout, red-fuoed, coarse- boking man, and an equally stout, ed-faced and coarse-looking woman. The two latter were called "papa" nd "mamma"by the simpering young adies, and deferentially addressed as r. and Mrs. Oale by the young men In semi-sailor dress. They were venting their indignation gainst the steamship, and the com bination of untoward cironmstnnoes hat had delayed their voyage. Standing a little apart from the roup was a slim, pale-faced girl, in ress of quiet gray, unrelieved save kt the throat, where a bit of cherry- colored ribbon was guthorod into a prim bow. This was Elsie Annabel, and she 1 Vat maid and comrjanion to the Jfisses Gale, who were named re pootively Agnes and Eunioo. She took no part in the eonversa- ion, but there was a sad and wistful ook in the gray eyes, as she turned Lor faoe toward the western horizon. It's outrageous 1" cried Papa bale. "Shameful I" eoboed hit wife. "It's killing me I" sighed Mist unice "I am really faint with ennui!" Shirruped Miss Agnes. "It's deuoedly nnfortuuate I" cho used the young men. If something would only happen I" continued Agnes. . I "I tell yon what," cried the elder bf the young men, addressing Mist Eunioe, in particular. "Well?" interrogated that young ady, with a listless attempt at inter- Vtt. "Let' write letters to our friends, nolose them in bottles, and throw )hem overboard. They're ua doubt lonaiderably worried over onr long tbeence, and at it't impossible to ttp he oable and telegraph thorn a met age, we'll make old ooean's waves our "Pnhaw, Bob I" retorted Mist En- ioe, ahrugging her shouldrs. "How ntimental you are I At though a otter put into a bottle and tbrowu nto the tea would ever reaoh any- Jvhere!" "I've read somewhere, aaid Bob Harrington, "that shipwrecked sail- ra often tend messages to their riends that way. We're abont as bad u ahipwreokod, why oau't we?" T'ot'e ask the captain ("said Eunioe and aha walked toward that offioer, ho was moodily paring up aud down )h bridge. . ( iThe othera followed. fYee, Mist," answered the captain, V an Eunioe had asked him about the - isiiility of the bottles being washed ore. "I've no donbt they'll each nd somewhere. The atoward will raish yon with bottles if yon desire make the experiment " ( There wat something novel in the '.dea, and every empty bottle on ship board was -toon brought on deok. 1 Everybody, young and old, began o- writ lettera everybo dy except "Ule Annabel JTo waiting kindred anxiously ex- peeled her return, and the only real friend she had ever had, handsome Ony Chalmers, wat lost to her. Two years before she had engaged herself to the young artist, but they had quarreled.and separated in anger, at lovert will. She wat too proud to ask his for giveness, and he wat too stubborn to ask here. Gradually they had drifted apart, and finally they lost all tight of each other. Elsie eighod as these thoughts of the past surged through her mind, aud abe sighed a bitter, quivering sigh. Papa Oale was a rich pork mer chant, and, in his rough way, was kind to her. He paid her liberally for the service she rendered in polishing up the some what neglected educations of his two daughters, but they were selfish and capricious, and her lot was not, by any means, a happy one. The steamship's deck now rang with joyous laughter and merry jest, as the passengers prepared the messages that they confidently hoped would be wafted shoreward. All sorts of letters were written, read over laughingly, placed in their frail receptacles, aud cast into the sea. Even the sailors became interested in the experiment, and sent out mes sages to waiting friends, or anxious aweothearts in dear America. "Have you writteu your message yet, Miss Annabel?" asked Agnes Gale, halting for a moment beside her maid, as she leaned over the rail and watched the tightly-corked bottles, as they bobbed up and down. "My messiige?" cried Elsie, with a guilty start, for she had just been thinking of Gay Chalmers. "Ah eh really I have no one to write to!" "No one?" persisted Agnes. "Not" was the low auswer, and El sie's eyes dropped. "That's too bad I" said Agnes, com miseratingty. "Everybody is send ing out a message. If I were you I'd ju.it write something and send it off at random. You could sign your name and address, and perhaps some one would find it who'd be anxious to know who you ero and would write. That would be romantic I" "I've no taste for romanoet" an swered Elsie, but sho nevertheless pro cured a bottle, and after a moment's thought, wrote on n piece of paper. "In Mid-Ocean on Steasif.b Nantic, August 12 An accident which hap pened to our propeller has dolayed our voyage, and we are nine days out from Liverpool. The captain says we are just half way between that port and New York. Everybody it well. "Elsie Annadel, "Care of John Gale, Esq., "Walnut Hills, Ciuoiuuati.Ohio." She plaoed this aimple message in a bottle.oorked and sealed it, and tossed it overboard. The bottle was particularly long necked, bright green in color.and her inexperienced band had smeared the whole top with red iuk. She stood watching it a long time, but finally it disappeared, and, with a weary sigh, sho turned and went below. The Nantic ultimately reached New York, und Mr. John Gale hurried back to Cincinnati, to attend to his pork. Bob Carrington and hit cousin, Ar thurSteveas,bade the Misses Gale fare woll.and teoretly promised to corre spond with them. . The Galet had been home nearly a month, when one morning a hired hack came slowly up the long carriage road, which wound through the rich pork-packer's extensive grounds, and, when it finally reached the house, the door opened and a young man leaped lightly to the ground. He inquired of the servant who an swered hit ring for Miss Elsie Anna bel, and the man showed him into the back parlor. Elsie was considerably surprised wheu told that a gentleman wished to aee her below, but sho went down, and timidly approaohod the baok parlor. She stopped for a moment on the threshold, aud the geutleman, who had been idly drumming on the win dow, turned. At the sight of his faoe she reeled, and would have fallen had he not sprang forward and caught her in his arms. "Elsie, my darling I" he said, holding her very tightly. "Have you no word of weloome for me ?" "Ob, Guy I" the murmured, at her eyet met hit. "Have you really come back to me ? I have been so lonely without you I Forgive me for my cruelty.", "It it I who havt come to atk for giveness 1" said Guy, leading her to a teat. "After we parted, two yeart ago, and I got over my stubbornness, I triad to find you, but you Lad dis appeared, leaving no trace behind you. I was inconsolable, and re proached myself for my harshuess, becanse it was all my fault. Finally, however, I grew moody and tynioai, but I could never bring myself to think of you with aught but love and tenderness. Six mouths after you disappeared my old uuole died, and left me hit heir. Siuoe that time I have hunted for you far and wide. Last summer I took a run along the coast in my yacht, stopping at every port. Two weeks ago we were lying off Cape Breton iu a dead calm. One of the Bailors called my attention to bottle that was drifting by us. I fished it up with a scoop net. It wat sealed, and all gathered around to tee what it contained: I broke the neck, and found thit little note," and he pro duced from an inner pocket the iden tical message she had written on board the Nantic, in mid-ocean. "You oan imagino my joy nt the strange discov ery of your hiding-place, and, a breeze springing up, I ordered the ynoht put about, and we ran into Halifax. I have como to you as fast at tteam would carry me, to ask your forgiveness, and assure you that I have never ceased to lovo you," What answer she made him can but be imagined. Anyway when Papa Gale returned to dinner he heard the whole story, and declared in his hearty way that he'd give away the bride. Accordingly as toon as a suitable trousseau could be prepared, the two to strangley reunited were made one. The Misses dale officiated as brides maids, and Bob Carrington and hit cousin were the groom's best men. Papa Gale, truo to hit word, gave the bride away, and the great pyramid of flowers which occupied the centre of the bauquet table was crowned by the identical bottle that was responsible for the happy event. Iceberg Phenomena. The occurrence of ice in the com paratively low lntitudesof Cape Horn aud the Falkland Islands is easily ex plain id, says the Pull Mail Gazette. The ice has originally formed part of the groat barrier which, with very few breaks, surrotin.ts the vast Antarctic continent, rising to an uverugo height of from 150 feet to 200 feet above, and sinking from 1,100 feet to 1,400 feet below the level of the tea, and having, moreover, a thickness of some thing like 1,200 feet or 1,500 feet. It is a solid perpeudiculur wall of ioe, formed by the descent over the low lauds into the sea of the ice and mow which form on the mountians inland, and when the forefrouts are piiBbed into ifepths of about 300 or 400 fathoms large stretches are broken off and float away northward with the current. When they start on their aimless careers they may be miles in extent, aud though, as a rule, they break np by collision and erosion.it is not at all unusual to encounter on island miles long in the neighborhood of the ex trome ioe limit. For instance, the Coldiughame in this region passed about 500 bergs, one of which was ten miles long. The Cutty Sark, again, in latitude 50 south, longitude 47 west, is found by oross bearings and distance run that the east side of one berg which she enoountcred was nineteen miles long. At first the masses are straight, flat-topped and horizontally stratified altogether unlike those mot with in the north. By the aotion of the waves thoy are out at the water's edge into oovet oavernt of a heavenly blue oolor. Then, at they collide or got melted away at the base by the ao tion of the water, they turn over and show to the wondering mariner those fautrstio shapes which simply bfggar all description. Naturally, at they travel further north, they become smaller and still more strangely shaped and tintiuiately melt away. European Libraries. Austria possesses more libraries and books than any other country in Eu rope. It has 577 libraries and 6,475, 748 books, besides mauuscripts. Nexl comes France, with 503 libraries, 4, 538,100 books and 133,800 manu scripts; Italy, with 495 libraries, 4, 339,281 books and 350,570 manu scripts ; Germany, with 898 libraries, 2,640,250 books and 69,000 manu scripts ; England, with 200 libraries, 2,871,494 books aud 26,000 manu scripts ; "Bavaria, with 169 libraries, 1,868,500 books and 23,000 manu scripts; Russia, with 145 libraries, 95000 booki and 26,800 mauuscripts. The largett national library is in Franoe. It has 2,080,000 books. Th British Museum has over 1,000,OOC books; The Munioh Museum, 800,000 books; the Berlin Museum, 700,000 bookt; Dretdeu 500,000 bookt, Vienna, 420,000 book The Oxford University has 800,000 bookt; th Heidelberg University, 800,000 books. The Yatioan library contaius 80,000 books, and is the richest in utauu, scripts, reaching 25,000 in number. A RABBIT PEST. California Threatened With a Plague Like Australia. Various Unsuccessful Attempts to Exterminate the Animals. California's rabbit nuisance is as suming proportions and making prog ress whiob, according to the New York Sun, most unpleasantly suggest comparison with the actual plague of rabbita that afflicts Australia; afflicts it in a hopeless degree, aocording to the latest reports of the various colon ial governments. California hat late ly adopted tome Australian methods of thinning out the rabbits, and ap parently with about the anme limited measure of success. In Australia the attempt to exterminate them has boon given up, and every effort it now direoted to confining the rabbits to certain areas, or rather to keeping them out of certain cultivated regions. Even this entails enormous expense on the governments and landowners, is by no menus sure, and often it un successful, It is stated that in one county alone in California the loss to farmers from rabbits and bares amounted last year to fully 9600,000. Many experiments with poison have been made, but the farmers have about conoluded that the only thing to do it occasionally to thin out the rabbits by holding big round up hunts or drives. It it estimated that as a result of 140 drives in all hold in California 350,400 rabbits have been killed. But tho latest reports say there it no appreciable diminution in their numbers. Some years ago the government of New South Wales offered a reward of 9125,000 to any one who suggested a really efficient mothod of getting rid of the rabbits. This offer stood open for several years, and more than 2,000 soheines were offered, coming from all parts of the world. Many were tried, but none was found to be wholly satis factory, and finally the offer was with drawn, and the Austrailians tried to make up their minds to tho inevitable permaneuae of the poBt. Ferrets, stoats, and weasels were imported aud bred in thousands, and they have done good work. Poisons of all sorts were tried with but little success. Cats were introduced, aud thoy also did good service. But the rabbit mul tiply at suoh an astounding rate that they havo much more than held their own.and have Bpread into new regions, destroying a large proportion of all crops wherever thoy have peuotrated. The government estimates that no less than 37,750,000 acres of land, farming and grazing, in tho colony of Victoria, is infested by rabbits. Many scheuiss have been offered for making use of the rabbits commer cially, and thus recouping at least a littlo of the loss they cause. Many thousands are killed aud their skins used, and something of a trade has been built np in the shipment of rab bits to England and elsewhere for food, either oanned or frozen. But the world can't live on rabbit meat, and it would need to iu order to afford to the Autraliaus a profitable way of mukiug use of their rabbits. The skins are largely used for many pur poses. One concern in Viotoria uses .874,000 rabbit skins every year, and in the last seventeen years about 63, 000,000 skins have been exported from Victoria. There hsvo been intercolonial con ferences, attended by representatives of the various governments and dele gates from the agricultural sooieties, at which every phase of the question has been considered. The final de cision seems to be that extermination is impossible, aud that the most effec tual way of dealing with the evil is in building long fences of rabbit-proof netting to keep the auimals out of areas not yet infested, to cut thm off from food supplies and also to got them together as much as possible so that they can be raided by means of drives. Some of the fences are hundreds of miles long. Oue starts at Barringuu, on the Queensland border, follows the Main Trunk line from Bourke, and euds at Corowa, extending in an un broken line for 407 miles. There is another such fence along the eutire western boundary of New South Wales, 846 miles long. But eveu this heroio remedy is not unfuiliug. The fences are liable to break down, epe j eially in times of flood, and portion , laily where they oross rivers and creeks. It it impossible to keep tho fenoes under complete and con stant supervision in order that breaks may be repaired immediately, and it doea not take long for a few thousaud rabbits to pour through a break onoe they find it. It is stated that in many instances hundreds of thousands of rablts have been seen dead or dying on the outer aids of the fence, having eaten ttp all the available food sup? plies, and making vain efforts to leap over the olosely woven wire betting. These fences are expensive to build, and expensive to maintain. They have to be sunk a considerable depth as well as built tip quite high. But after many years of heavy lost and dis heartening atruggles, the Australians have come to consider thit at the only meant of dealing with the pest. Change Wrought by Modern Chemistry Modern chemistry has wrought great changes in agate ooloring, as in other arte, a seoret having boen dis covered by whioh chalcedony of any single color oan be made to assume any two or more colors, so that au onyx of any shape or variety of colors can be made. If a suuken center of another color is required it oan be made so that the figure when cut out remaius in a hollow, forming a cameo iutaglio. In thit manner the fine cut ting of the cameo it protected. A white figure may be made in a blaok atone, a red figure in a browu atone, or a white oue in a red stone. By thit procett the entire ttone is first changed to the color desired for the outer layer, then a cavity it cut in the top and a aolution put into it, which altera it to the required oolor. It ia this disoovery that has made a formerly valuable onyx worth now only a nom inal sum. Agates are thus made to assume the onyx character, which is desired by the lapidary for the production of camoea and intaglios in imitation of the antique sculptured gems. In cameos the figures are in relief aud of a different oolor from the ground. In taglios are usually all of one oolor. In Persia inscriptions or devices are written on beads of carnelian and other forms of agate with carbonate of soda, aud other chemicals; they are then burut and the inscription ap pears white in contrast to the other Color. The principal supply of agates for the last hundred yeurs has come from Brazil, and other South American countries, where it is mostly found by Germnns who leave Oldenburg for that purpose, and who persevere until they find it. Thence it is sout to Ger many for outting, chiefly to Oberstoin aud Idar. Every fortnight from five to ten tons of the rough matorial is sold iu Idar at public auctiou, usually iu assoited lots of 100 or 200 pound The industry yields to the district nil annual net profit of 9500,000; and good ngi te workers are among the beat paid laborers iu Germany, earn ing from $1.50 to 82 per day. At lanta Constitntion. ' Tho Queen's Favorite Jewel. Of lute years Queen Victoria has had Indian servauts in native dress as personal attendants ; she is also au as siduous studeut of Hindustani, being able to speak and write in thut' lan guage, and her favorite State jowel is the priceless Koh-i-Noor, about which haugs a tale. Wheu it came in pos session of the East India Company, in 1850, it was hauded at a Board meet ing to John Lawrence (uftorward Lord Lawrenoe), a Viceroy, for aafe-keop-ing. The preoious diamond was laid among folds of linen in a small box, aud Lord Lawrenoe slipped it iuto his waistcoat pocket and forgot all about it until some days later it wat sug gested that he should forward it to the Queen, Oue cau imagine hit con sternation when he rushed to hit house to aee if it was to be found. "Have yon seen a small box iu one ol my waiBtcoat pockets?" he ' asked breathlessly of his servant. "Yes, sahib," was the reply. "I found it and put it in oue of your boxes, "Bring it here aud open it and see what it contains," said his master. ''There is nothing in it, sahib, but a bit of glass," the man replied iu won derment. The "bit of glass" was iu due course dispatched to tho Queeu, whose orown it was to adorn, but she hut preferred to wear it on occasions as a magnifleent brooch in the oontre of hor bodice. The cutting of the diamond was personally superintended by the Prince Consort, It is always kept at Windsor, a fao-siinile boiug iu the royal orowu at. the Tower. The Woman-at-Home. ! Facts About the Poet Laureate. The salary of the Poet Laureate is 72 (about 9360) a year, whiob is paid by the Queen out of the civil list, besides some perquisites, Mr. Austin will be entitled to draw at onoe the accumulation of salary which has been oooruing siuoe Lord Tennysou died, in October, 1892. The Poet Laureate is officially a member of the sovereign's household, in the depart ment of the Lord Chamberlain, who is the functionary by whom the ap pointment ia formall notified, London Truth. qtlAl.TT A5D CURIOUS. No bird of prey has the gift of ong. In Arabia milk is not measured, bat is sold by weight, A police judge at Minneapolis, Kan., has bad only one case before him in the four years he has held office. The woodland area of the United States bow covers about 450,000,000 acres, or20 percent of the whole area. Mount Ararat is tbo highest point of land in Armenia. It is 12,700 feet high and the inhabitants believe that nnder the perennial snows which orown its summit Noah's ark is hid den, Surgery Is not in a very advanoed state in Persia. When it becomes necessary to smputnte a man's arm or leg it is backed off with a great meat ax, aud the stump plunged into boil ing pitch. A couple of entorprising Chicagoans have started a frog farm for the pur pose of supplying bait to amateur fishermen. Small frogs bring from forty to fifty cents a dozen all summer, with an active demand. A citizen of Cartlfcge, Mo., who was sentenced to sorve seven days in the town jail surprised the proprietor of the local paper by ordering that it be sent to bis changed address for the week of his incarceration. Maunel Coocoo, an Indian, said to have been born at San Luis Bey in 1871, was a witness in a trial at Santa Cruz, Cel., reoently. He has lived in Santa Cruz more than sixty years, and there is said to bo every proof of his great age. A colored man living near Naaon't, Ornnge County, Va., is gradually turning white. His body is covered with patohes of clear, white skin, which are gradually growing larger. Similar cases have been noted, but they are not common. The death seuteuoe was read to wife murderer George Wiudisch by warden Behind of Wilkosbarre, Peun. Win disch only remarked cooly that the warrant wasted a good deal of paper, aud that ho would rather hang than go to priaon for twenty years. E. B. Learning, a well-to-do citizen of Yakima, Wush., fitted up a prairie schooner as a house on wheels and started, with his wife, for a drive down into Mexico, Thoy are travel-' Ing for their health, and expeot the trip to ocoupy about five mouths. Some able-bodiod burglars broke Into a blacksmith's shop in Alpena, Mich., a few days ago, and enrriod off two big anvils along with everything else of value in the place. The owner of tho shop says the stuff the burglars got safely away woighed about two tons. Chinese Treatment of Children. However little liked the Chinaman may be by his white neighbors, I have at all times fonnd that the Chinese had at least one good and praiseworthy q lality the kiudness shown by all of tiem ta wards their children. The po ret patents always soein able to savi enough money to array their little onos iu gay garmeuts on New Year'j day or other holidays. The ohildren in turn seom to be remark ably well-behaved and reapeotful toward their eld -rs, and rarely if ever, reoeive corporal punishment. They seom very happy, and apparently enjoy their ohildhood more than most Amerioau ohildren. Ou almost any sunuy day the foud and proud father may be seon at every turn in China town carrying his brightly attired youngster in his arms. Other little tots hardly old enough to feel quite steady on their legs, toddle about with infants strapped on their backs. They do not appear to mind this, and it does not seom to interfere with their ohildish pastimes. About the time of the Chinese New Year Chinese chil dren are particularly favored, and the foud fathers deny them nothiu. The little ones always appear to be well provided with pocket-money to buy toys and eaudiet. St. Nicholas. Hail Storms In tho Oranje Fret . State. One of these republics the Orange Free State is very nearly as large a England, and just as large as the state of New York. It lies from 4,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea, and is mostly level, 'with some low rauges of hills. The surfaoe is bare of wood, exoept is a few sheltered spots aloug the streams, but ia well oovered with herbage. The air is pure and braoing.muoh like that of Colorado or Wyomiug. There are, happily, no blizzards; but violent thunder-storms are not uooommon, and the haiUtoues I have aeen them bigger than pigeon's eggs whiob fall during suoh storms sometimes a kill the smaller auimals tad tveu men. Century, i . ' i
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers