i CUPID'S Pown tn thi gloaming, what the rivor mnkn a bend There in the Inns so narrow, Cupid I wnnrt" , hi liow tn mend. And share tha point of Ills arrow. HIiir hi'lir' .h h lota It ro, H urc . thn nmrk It will not pas by, for deer ,n tnuli heart mny be (omul thn dart Which t'iiilil Mint when his bow let fly. Down In Hit gloaming, when the stnra were Klilnlnir bright, DnnlshlUR gloom nnil sorrow. Cupid strayed III a sad and dismnl plight, Ami longed for ths coming morrow. HIiir lirlitlin! for hi bow lin hili li'l ito. It hn fallen In tho grass nt Ills ffti And III thought have flown to n lova of Ills own, Whom tomorrow he hope to meet. r MN A TUNNEL. "Mia Alice! Miaa Alien! will yo lin afthur comln' upstairs? An' Hiiro she' deal intirely thia timel" cried the frightened sorvnnt Kill, rushing out on the piazza, where Alire Austin stood looking nnxioualy down the road. Alice hnrriod upstair riiiI fomul liar sister-in-law lying atill and white on tho Hour. "Bring me aomo wnter nml thn null from the bureau, Hetty; alio lma only fnintod," mid Alice, kneeling hosido the prostrnto form. In a few iniiiiitoa Mra. Anatin openod her aye and anitt fcobly: "Una Kdwonl come home yet? I (pel so strangely sick!" "We will aonil for the doctor pres ently, Margaret, when wo got you to lie 2. Neil will lie home aomi, I hope," ... r ...:i. 1 1 .... ... i. ! n,i vim mmy s ussisuiuce Alice lifted the slight form on the lioil. Tin oo weeks before Kddio Austin, the two-ypiir-olil iilol of thn house hold, hml ilianppenreil, nml nil search for him hail proved fruition. Aa tho days panned on hope gave way to despair, and the heart-broken mother, weighed down by nnxinty mid the cruel torture cuused by fnlae ropurla of tho discovery of her I my, nun It into ft tute of apathy bordering on insun ity, Daily was the pry hoard through the street of the little village of Fair field: "Child lost! Child lost! Large reward offered!" till nil liourts sick ened at the aonml. Mothers kept their littlnoupa within doora, dreading far Iphs tho entrance . tif tho Dark Angel tlinu that fiends in lmiiinn form should ateul their houso hold treasuro to gratify a inorciloss passion of avarice. "Hetty, you will have tn take one of tho girls and go for the doelor," whispered Alico, in nlarin, us alio mi tieed a gray pallor, creeping over tho wuu fnee on tho pillow. "An shore, miss, none of 'o n lie home lint uiu!f. And oh, MiH Alice, I niver pan walk nlone to Fairfield this dark, dark night." The girl looked ho frightened lit the bare proxpect of going that Alico auid, nfter a pause: "Well, Butty, then I aholl have to go, And yon mnat atay w ith Mr. Ann tin, If Mr. Austin rotitriia before I do, tell him I have gone by way of the tunnel," she added, putting on her hat And walking jacket. "The aninta deliver u! For Hiven'a aake, don't ye be goin' be the tunnel, Miaa Aliee!" eielaimod Hetty, implor ingly. "Don't be frightened," replied Alice, amiliug. "No train will paa for An hour, and it shortens mv walk nearly a mile. It U just 6 o'cloek now, and I shall be home a little after 7," Aud, giving the girl aome porting injunctions about her sister, Aliee ran . lowntaira. Oponing hor brother's soritoire in tha library, she took from a private drawer a small pocket niiu, uijomug i ue ironi uoor, stepped out into the darkness. It was a damp, cold night in No vember. The wind moaned drearily through the leafiest trees, and heavy clouds chased eauh other across the heavens, obsonring the moon. Cross, ing the road, Alice walked a short dis tance anih, clambering over a stone wall, found herself in the narrow strip of wood which bordered the railroad cnt. Following the narrow, beaten path through the trees, she soon reached the edge of the ravine, 15 or 20 feet above the track. The path continued its windings down the aide of the cut, but theway was atony and x in many places dangerous. The dark ness, too, prevented anything like , rapid progress. Bke finally reached the bottom of the ravine and had crossed to the right hand track, when a low sound ainoug the bushea Above her caused the cold drops to .spring out on her forehead and Almost stopped her heart's beating. Qnickly orouching down tinder An oVerhenging rook she listened. Nothing was heard save the soughing of the wind and the faint ripple of a tiny rill running down aiuoug the bushes near her. Sudden ly the bushes overhead were stirred, aud stone fell directly in front of her. Hue scaroely dared to breathe, but crouched under the rook with ber hand clasped tightly in ber breast. The tunnel was but a few rods beyond ber, but she dared not move. "I'd like to know how much longer yer going to keep up this confounded tramp, Tate Johnson. It's been ,1.1.. 1... M !. 1 uuiuiu uiiv luaruum ana conuter tuarehin' this whole cursed day," said low, coArse voice Among the bushes. "Why did yer enter into the bar gain if yer goin' to back out so soon?" muttered another man, with an oath, "Well, I'd be satisfied with half the ten thousand, for I'm nigh done np with theie . three weeks' work," said the first one. "An' I tell ye I'll niver give him up till I git the whole twiuty thousand. Tha father's rich, and its twiuty thon- BOW. Down In the gloaming tripped a merry little MM, Picked up thn bow and nrrow rolnti'il It strulght ami stood In the Rrnss, In a piiU'li or moonlight narrow. HI ni licfstio! whon shn lets It tto. Ho sure Hint the mark It will not pass hyt For deep In Ins heart ilie will Rend that Hurt: "(lo straight," thasnhl, aa thn bow let fly. At. little Cupid, mothlnk thn tnln la told, Yon nrn In for a tlmn of sorrowi )Im who Isv a Imp, Ilka the folk of old, Will ho caught himself tomorrow. HI11R hclgho! ns your arrow iio, Hut lot aura thai yoiirhniirt la safe, you l f. Or thn story of old by yon will bn told, And vour bow will ho used to shoot your self. Ida llown, In Madams. sand dollar or the motlier'll never sea hnr swato durliu' agin." A brutal laugh grated upon the girl's ems; than tho first speaker whisporod: "I reckon she'll nivor know her boy in thia littlo bug of bones, though mo arms is wore out wid carryin' him the last three hniir. " Aliee could seiirpnly liellnve what her ears had heard. Her bra'ti reeled, mid she nearly fell from thn rocky ledgo on which slie sat a tho truth dawned upon her. Her brother's child, her goliTen-huired little pet, was jut within her grasp, but two brutal men kept watch over him. As she began tn realize the" danger o her position, her mind lieciiino clearer, nml she re solved, at. nil hazards, to rescue him. Hhe hoard the men step Imck some distance from tho bushes, mid then all was still. Win waited a few inlu '.tos, and then, with the pistol grasped tightly in her haud.aheerept stealthily out of hnr hiding place mid struck a narrow path which led to the top of the bluff. Hho know the way, mid the darkness favored her nsennt. lteacli iug the summit, she looked cautiously around. The cloud had parted, nnil tho faint shimmer of moonlight through the trews enabled her to oh servo hnr surroundings distinctly. A few font beyond wore the two men stretched out on the ground, their figures partially concealed by the trunks of two large troos mid nclutnp of bushes, llotweon thorn Alice snw a littlo baby form with its golden head pillowed on the cold, damp grass. Creeping along behind tho bitsho she reached one of tho trm., mid standing behind it, shn wuitod for Home minutes, hesitating what to do. Tho s'crtoniiis breathings of the men convinced her that futiirnn hml ulnon...! their senses and that they would not rruuiiy nwiiKen. If she should bo successful in seizing the child, she could not return by thn way shn came. With Kddie in bur arms she nevor could scale the precipitous sido of the cut. followed. 11 she lirnlmlilv unol.l be, by two relentless pui'Miiers. Agniu, if aha should seek tho shel ter of the tunnel, thn il 1IWII ItVlirAM train would soon puss through, and nn up train would follow but 10 or 15 minutes later. She resolved, never tliolos, to tnke the latter course, and, with this docision made sho prepared to enrry out hor plans. ."Passing swiftly round tho bushos, sho stood before -the h I mini II CP frrnnti 'I'lio 1 n r J - .w moon nt that instant shone out bright ly and fell upon the w hite, pinched face of the child. Not a moment was to be lost. CrrnHiiiuij tlm i.Ut,,l ,,. Mt.,,,1 v - o I - -"" . ....(, , she glided betweon the men, and seiz ing Kddie, she sprang pnst them, but iu so doing struck the foot of one of tho rufllnus. Darting np, he saw the alight figure running swiftly down the path. He sprang forward, awakening his companion, and, with muttered curses, they followed in hot pursnit With the child clasped closely to her heart, Alice sped down the rocky pathway. Hhe heard the men olose behind her; stones were hurled at her, and one struck her shoulder. Terror lent wings to her feet, and aha soon reached the track, along whioh she flew end entered the tnnnel. On on she sped; but her breath came qnick and short, for her strength was fail ing. Hhe heard the heavy pautings of one close behind her. Hhe almost felt his hot breath. Hugging the lit tie form mora tightly to her breast and with a despairing prayer for help, she ran on. A rude hand clutched her shoulder, and, with a shriek that ran through the tunuel, she turned and faced her pursner like a wounded animal at bay, raised her pistol and fired. With a yell of rage and pain, the man leaped iutd the air and then fell with a heavy tbnd on tha track beside her. Alioe breathed more free ly and ran on, though with feebler steps, through the darkness. Sudden ly a low, rumbliug sound smote upon her jear.and toward the opening of the tunnel she saw a faint light glimmer iu the distance. Nearer aud nearer it came, And then tha horrible truth flashed upon her. It waa the head light of a locomotive, And she knew that the 7 o'clock express train was thundering down tha track. Faint aud bewildered, tha horror stricken girl had lost her reckoning. She knew not on whioh track aha was and atood staring with terror-strained eyes aa the thundering mass came tearing down tha rail. Its great red eye lit up the blaok walls of tha tonnl with a fearful Blare. Still tha rirl moved not; fright had chained her to the spot. The monster was close npon her; she heard its horrible breath ings. Was aha on tha right track? The roar of a Niagara deafened her, and. with a shriek of dnsimli- ! fill senseless to the ground. Mrs. Austin fell asleep soon after Alice's departure. Seven o'clock came, and Betty began to ba alarmed. At that instant tha bell rang. Rush ing down stairs aha opened the door, and Mr. Austin stepped into the hall, sceoiniinnled l a stranger. "How is Mrs, Austin?" asked the former, anxiously, "An' ahum she's asleep, sir. J'.nt. oh, Miss Alice hiv yo soeil Miss Alice ' "No; whore is she?" "An oh, she wint sfthnr tho (loo lor, air, and she wint be tho tunnel; an' I'm shiire she's kilt.for the thrain's Jest nfthor goin' byl" eriod Hetty, ex cited ly. "(loud lienvenst tho tuntiell" AX claimed Austin, turning white, "Yes, sir, Hho said it was shortor that way," sobbed tho girl. "Hnshl lint my Inntern, Dotty, while I run upstairs. I'll bn down directly Dana," turning to the llno- looking man be hml brought with hint. Ho burred tohi wifo's room, pressed a kiss upon tier white brow nml re turning to the hnll look the Iniitoin from Itottv, saying: "Don't lenvo Mrs. Austin nn instant, We may be absent aome time, but you need not bo alarmed." The two gentlemen did not titter a word as they loft the house, but fol lowing the path through the woods clambered down tho cut and entered the tunnel, swinging tho lantern right nnd left n they walked on. Hilddoiily Harm ntoiiiiml. Directly in his path lay a dark heap. Throwing the light oi tne lantern upon it, tho gentlemen stooped nml then started back with nn exclumntion of horror, for before thnin lay a bleeding, mangled, shapeless mass of human flesh nml bones. "Home poor fellow ha gone to bis doom," muttered Dunn, striding away from the sickening spectacle. They bad walked some distance fur ther when a deep groan broke the ghastly silence of the tunnel. Flash ing the lantern on the other side of tho track, Dunn discerned another man s form close tn the dripping wall. As he was about to raise him. Austin uttered a lionise pry, and, springing lorwanl, the two men stood over the prostrate form of n woman between the trucks, A pistol lay on the ground besido hor, which Austin instantly recognized as his own. He trembled so violently that Dunn pushed him ona side nml raised tho slight form. As ho did so, bis companion bounded past him and in a voice in which joy, pain nnd incredulity were blondod cried out: "Oh, my boy, my precious boy! Hho has found niy Kildiol" and ho caught the littlo form to his heart ami fairly sobbod aloud. "Oh, hoavon, he is dend! (lernld, look at him 1" and tho father's ryo burned with anguish ns be looked on the white baby face pillowed r.pou bis breast. Dunn laid Alice on tho ground ami looked earnestly at the child. "Cheer up, Ned. Tho littlo fellow has been drugged. Listen; his heart boats!" and, putting hi ear down, he heard tho faint fluttering which told of the spark of life still remaining in the wasted form. "And Alice, is sho" "Hhe is iu a swoon, and the sooner we get hor to the doctor's tho better. It is (piita evident that she wus pur sued by those scoumlrnls while roscn ing your child, and that fellow yonder has somowhore iu his body a bull from this pistol," picking it up as he spoke. Lifting the insenaiblo girl in his strong arms, Dana strode down tha track, followed cloaoly by Austin, who held his boy wrapped warmly under his coat. After soma minutes' walk thoy ware out of the tunnel and reached the depot, whore they drove directly to n doctor's. For au hour Alice lay insensible iu the doctor's o!Hco,' aud whon she opened her eyes Austin whispered in pi arm: "Whr does she an uli niitrulv doctor?'- W "There baseen such a terrible strain on her uorvous system that I fear she may have an attack of bruin fover unless" a reaction takes place," he replied with some anxiety. "A good hearty cry Would do her mora good than any of my remedies." ".Let her see the child. That baby's face ought to be enough to melt a heart of adamant," said Dana, com passionately. Austin laid Eddie beside her. She looked at the little, white, emaciated face with a troubled, sorrowful ex pression for nn instant and then. clasping her a 'ma tightly arouud tha child, burst into a pasaiouate, uncon trollable flood of tears. By thia time the news of the child's rescue had spread like wildfire through the town. Bells were rung, bonfires lighted, and men, women aud children rushed to the doctor's house, crowding the street and sidewalks. The entire village had turned out, and yards, doorways and stoops were alive with an excited populace. The crowd was clamoring to see the little hero of the hour, nnd cries for "Eddie Aus tin" filled the air. "Ned, you will have to take him on the stoop to satisfy them," said Dana, as tha shouts and cries wara re doubled. Austin took tha child out on tha steps, and as the. bright light of tha torches fell upon them, cheer after cheer rent the air. When the father raised tha little inanimate form so that all could see it, tha excitement aud enthusiasm knew no bounds. Women cried aloud for joy, boys shrieked and hurrahed, aud mauy a tear coursed down tha hard, weather beaten cheeks of stalwart men iu tha crowd. Alioe atood beside her brother, leaning ou Dana's arm, but, overcome with agitation, was led back fuintiug to the sofa. Housed to indignation by the sight, some one shouted out: "Death to tha cbild-steAlerl" In An instant tha cry was caught np by the exoited turousr. who rushod iu fraatio bait a toward the railroad. Dragging tha wonmind man from tha tunnel, they would have lynched him on the soot had not Daua,wlth the sheriff and one or two othnrs.nrrivod to prevent them The wretch was groveling on tho giuinii in an agony of pain and ter ror. With haggard face and blood shot eyes he l oked up ami pried aloud for mercy, but ho saw no pity iu ine wiiiio, inexornlile races sur rounding him. A rope was around ins tieek, he was dragged to a tree, when Dana hurried tn tho spot. "Untie that ropat" he doninudod, steriiiv. "We'll string him up to high benv en flwtl"uswofed au angry rolce near mm. "However dosorving the fellow mny be of donlli, it Is not for you to take the law into your own hands," replied J 'nun. "Tha deuce tako the law nnd you, too! What right have ton to inter fere between that man and justice?" satil the man, clinching his fista threat eningly. The exeitoinant had now reached a fever heat. Tho crowd had quickly gathered nronml Pima, who stood be side the wounded dim it ; threats and curses wero froely bulled against both, nml the state of all'airs began to look alarming. "If tho iiiini is guilly bo bus a right to be tried, nml I'll shoot the first one of yon w ho dares to touch him!" said Dunn, coolly. His quiet, commanding tone, nnd still more the menacing gleam of the pistol bo made no effort to conceal. quelled the tumult, and the miserable man was carried to tho village jail. followed by nn nngry, hooting crowd, clamorous for his death. Au hour later Kddio Austin was iu his mother' arms. For days denth hovered over the darkened homo. threatening to carry awny first one mm then the other. Hut when over thn littlo village of Fairfield the sun shone brightly, it smiled, too, upon the happiest home in nil the bind. For a golden-haired boy. with roy phoeks, was playing near' his mother's chair, nnd Margaret looked np with a proud, happy smile to her husband's face ns the littlo follow laughed in baby glee and rolled ami tumbled over the good-nnturad hound who lay sireionoii on tho rug lieforo the blaz ing wood fire. New York News, UUAINT AND CURIOUS. The Hpnniah Aruindn consisted ol 1U2 ships, .81115 cannon, H7l!(l Bailors, aonis galley slaves, ai.Uj.j soldiers, l.loft volunteers. The Princess of Wales lias n pair of opera glasses or platinum set with rubies, sapphires nnd turquoises and vuiiiou ui xlltm. Heod pens, split at tho end like quill pens, huvo been found iu F.evi tin ii tombs, dating probably U6U(I years oeioro (jurist. Tho largest theatre in the world is the (Iraud Opera Hoiiho of Paris. It covers mora than throe acres of ground ami cost i,.i,imu,(liHj rruiics. (lo'd lsli are of Chinoso oriain They wore originnlly found iu a huge lake near Mount Tsieiitsiiig and were llrst brought to J'.uropo in the soven teouth century. The first iu Frnuco came as a present to Mine, do Pompa dour. Chauneoy Osborne and bis brother John, aged residentsof Nudn, Livings ton county, are happy in tho owner ship of a sweet-toned violin iniulo by Oaylord Dnllio iu Italy iu 1327. It bus been iu the possession of their family for HO years. A man died recently in a town not far from Philadolnhiu with the remark able record of having been injured twenty-five times in railroad accidents. Soma of his injuries were very seri ous, yet he lived to a good old age aud died from natnral causes. A man who went to do soma ens- fitting iu a Baptist church in Hones dale, Pn., fell into the baptismul pool, which had been filled for Sunday, and, not knowing how to swim, would have been drowned had not the soxton heard his cries and rescued him. It is stated that the most crowded spot on the earth's surface is the "Man- deragia," in tha city of Valetta, iu Milan. Upon a spot in this place about two and a half acres in extent no fewer than 2574 live. This is at the rate of 5;)U,0i)0 a square mile, or 1017 to an acre. A cultivator in Anbervilliors. France. found a suporb Lycoperdon, commonly known as the put!' ball. It measured two metres (over six and one-half feet) around. In order to develop it well, its owner covered it with muslin and watered it three tunes daily. Fresh puff balls are eaten cooked. The sugar crop of the world amounts in a normal year to about 8,000,000 tons, of which the larger part, about 4,500,000 tons, comes from beets, and the remainder, 8,500,000 tons, from sugar cane. Of the lutter tha largest proportion comes from the West In dies, and a Urge amount from tha Island of Java. In tha reign of Edward III thera were at Bristol, England, three broth er who ware eminent clothier aud woolen weavers, and whose family name was Blanket. They were the first persons whd manufactured that comfortable material, which has ever since been called by their name, and whioh waa then used for peasant' clothing. A Ml mil Nationality. Tha Duke of Manchester, who nt- tained his majority ou March 8, is half .ngiiHii, a quarter Uermiiii and a quarter Spanish. His futhor, whom lie succeeded iu 181)2, at the ago of fifteen, was English; his grandmother, now Duchess of Devonshire, is a Ger man; white bis mother is a Cuban Spaniard. . llftl I Holly Takes Ti-a. When Dolly sit down to tho ladle. And er'rvlblnw's ready, yon we With cookie nnd water for Mnbel, And water and oookles for me, We tillihln nnd chatter with dollr. And offer her 'tn" from a spoon, And nftnn our meal la so Jnllv, It InststhroiiKh the whole afternoon. Till Mabel Jump up In a hurry And sny that shn really must Ro, And I sav. "Oh, trulv, Tin sorrv. And dolly's enjoyed It, 1 know." Then Rally we clear off the labia When dolly hn finished her ten, With cookie nml water for Malml, And water and rookies for mo. -Albert Jllgelow I'nlne, In Bt. Nicholas. I'lpeles Snap Bubble. Here is an applinnce for making sonp bubbles that you can carry in thn comer of your pocket and hove no fenr of breaking or harming it, ns you might the pipe that is genernlly lined. Tnke a piece of heavy wire and wind it oneo around a broom bnmlle; thou twis the ends togethor till a ring is loft that is largo enough barely to slip ou and off tha handle. To make bubbles by use of the ring, prepare a solution of sonp nml water and dip tho ring into it, holding the ring by the wire onds that are twisted together. Whon a film of sonpinnss ha formed across the opening in tho ring enro fnlly lift it iu front of the mouth nml blow softly through the ring. Hy this method a bubble will gradually form and will finally cut loosa from tha ring nu.l float away. Chicago llocord. The llHillsh Trick. Whon you are sitting nt tho break fast tablo and somebody asks you to hand him tha radishes it is tho easiest thing in tho world to take bold of the pluto containing thoin nnd to pass them to your neighbor nt table. Hut if you learn tho trick bora explained you can surpi iso him by taking bold of tho radish nnd pausing tho plate to cleave to the vegetable. It is similar to tha old trick of tak ing a pieco of upper leather and moistening it with wnter. Passing a string through the middle of tho suckor knotted on ona end it will bear a thousand times its own weight. There istbisndvnutngo with the radish trick nature lias provided both the string mid thn moisture. All you bnva to do is to hollow it out and to deftly substitute it, while you are not observed, fof one of the good radishes ou tho plnlo. r'Hiii'irul TooiIihi'Ii Cure, ileforo the days of dentists nnd when people generally believed iu tlm value of charms tbern wore over fo manywnysof preventing toothache. (Joe of these was to nnseanowly baptized child's mouth in the sancti fied wnter. Another much iu vogue was to ilressthe right side of the body first right stocking, right shoo, right sloeve, right glove. A favorite plan iu Scotland was to draw a tooth, salt it well nnd burn it in full view on glowing conls. In Cornwall many save (?) their teeth by biting the first young ferns that appear. Tha custom of catching a common gfound mole. cutting off the paws while the little creature still lives, and wearing thorn, Is traced to Htaflordshire, Kngland. Home people who are fond of exercise believe that walking twelve miles, no more, no less to get a splinter of the toothache tree that grows particularly well in Canada and Virginia will drive away tha worst ache and pain that ever tortured a poor tooth. J. he belief that toothache is paused by a worm at the roots is prevalent in many parts of the world, hence this cure: Reduce several different kinds of herbs the greater variety tho better to a powder. Put a Blowing cinder into this powder and inhale the incense. Afterward breathe into a a cup of water and the worm will be gone forever. Tha Royal Kern. A leorend baa bean handed ilnwn from the time of the Danish invasion of Britain, explanatory of the generio name of Osmunda an islund, covered with large specimens of this fern, figuring prominently in this story. Osmund, the ferryman of Loch Tyne, had a beautiful child, who was the pride of hi life and the joy of his heart. In those days, when the merciless Danes wara makinir thai terrible descents npon the ecasts of Oreat Britain, slaughtering the peace ful inhabitants, and tiillntrincr wl.a... - i - v ever they went, no man could say how i i . . long ue wouiu ue irea rrom molesta tion and outrage. Bat Osmund, tlirnnirlinnt tha fcrniihtmia lima. I,..! lived quietly iu his country home with bis wire ana uennttrnl daughter. Tha lieaeeful calm nf liia lifa waa - - , however, destined to be broken. Ona evening tne lerryman was sitting with bis wife and child, on the margin of the lake, after his duy's work. The setting sun was tiugeiug with roseate glory the fleecy banks of clouds, piled mi aorfiinst tha luiriffrm. ailt-afini su rface of the rippling lake aud adding Aticherhue t j the golden lock of Osmund darling child. Suddenly tbe sound of hnrrvinir fniitatai tartlad tha quiet group, Meruwomun I and children came hastening from the) neighboring village, and breathlessly,! as they passed. they told the ferryman that the terrible Danes wera ooming. Ouiek rs thought Osmund sprang to bis feet, seized his wife and child and bniricd them Into bis ferryboat.! Awoy be rowed with thorn pulling for vory lifo-in the direction of a small Island in the loch, densely coy ered with thn tall and stately fronds of tho royal fern. Ho quickly hid hi precious charges amongst the cluster ing fronds, snd then rowed rapidly back to bis ferry place. He haI rightly divined that the Danes needed his assistance, and would not hurt him. For many hours of the ensuing night he worked with might and main to parry the florpe invaders anross tbo ferry. When they had all disappeared on tho opiHisito bank Osniuud re turned to his trembling wife and child nml brought them safely back to hi cottage. In commemoration, It I snid, of this evont, the fair daughter of Osmund gnve the great inlnnd fern hor fnthor's name. Those who cara not to accept this fanciful origin of the name Osmunda, will perhaps in cline to another suggestion which ha been made, that the generio name bad been derived from an old Haxon word signifying strength, tbo specific! iinino including its royal or stately habit of growth. Tb OpoMdin, This animal inhabits North America, and is hunted with almost as much perseverance as the racoon, not, bow ever, for the snko of its fur but of its flesh. When it perceives the hunter, it lie still between the branches, bnt if disturbed from its hiding place, it attempts to escape by dropping among the herbage and creeping silently nwny. j Its food consists of insects, birds,' egg", etc.,. and it is very destructive among tho hen-roosts. The opossum uses its tail for climbing and swinging from branch to branch as the spider monkeys use theirs, but the opossum use its tail in a manner that tha monkeys have never yet been observed to do, thnt is, making it a snpport for its young, who sit on its back and twist their tails roi)id their mother's in order to prevent them from falling off. I.awaon, in a passage quoted in the Museum of Animated Nuture.givea the following quaint account of this nniinnl: "If a cat has nine lives this i n ature surely has nineteen, for if you break every bone in their akin nnd innsh their skull, .leaving thera for dead, you mny come an honr after, and they will be quite gono away, or, perhaps, yon may meet thorn creeping away. 1 have for necessity in the wilderness eaten them. Their flesh i very white and well-tasted, but their uly tails put mo out of conceit with that faro." In Audubon's delightful work is passage exhibiting exactly the same character on the purt of the opossum: "Hupposo the farmer has surprised nn opossum iu the act of killing one of bis host fow ls. His angry feeling Hi go him to kick the poor beast, which, conscious of its inability to resist, rolls off like a ball. The more the farmer raes, the more reluctant is the animal to manifest resistance; at least there it lies, not dead, bnt ex hausted, its jaws open, its ' eyes dimmed; and there it would lie nntil the bottle-fly should come to deposit its eggs, ilnl not its tormentor walk off. 'Surely, ' says he to himself. 'the beast must be dead.' Bnt no. reader, it is only 'possuming,' and no sooner has its enemy withdrawn, than it, gradually gets on its legs, and once) more makes for the woods." The length of the opossum ia about twenty-two inches, and its height about that of an ordinary cat. When disturbed or alarmed it gives out a very unpleasant odor. Sparrow' Mht Honankmiplnx. "Sparrow build their nests in pe culiar places," says a man who base, small frnit stand down at tha Union depot, "but the birds who flit about this old building have chosen the odd est home I ever heard of." A be spoke he pointed to an alec trio light that was sputtering and flar ing under the iron covered roof ot the depot porch. A brood of little spar rows were flying in circles around the light and snddenlyone of them darted toward it, only to disappear into tha cone-shaped iron hood which over hangs the big white china globe. "That's where tha bird live," tha man said. "Ihey have nest in tha top of that irou reflector or hood, whichever it is called. It must ba hot up there, very hot,"hecoutinued,"and I can't understand why tha sparrows have (elected such a place to bnild nest in." Kansas City Star. Why raaalbala Eat Hum Flash. According to a French writer named Petrie, twenty per cent, of all canni bal eat tha dead in order to glorify them; nineteen per cent, eat great warriors in order that they may in herit their courage, and eat dead chil dren in order to renew their youth ; ten per cent partake of their near relatives from religious motive, either in connection with initiatory rites or to glorify deities, and' five par cent feast for hatred in order to avenge themselves upon their enemies. Those, who devour human flesh becanaa of famine are reckoned a eighteen par cent. In short, deducting all these, there remains only a proportion ef twenty-four per cent, who partake of human flesh because they prefer it to other maaus of alimentation. Medi cal News.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers