LONELINESS. "At sunset, when the eyes of exiles fill, And distance makes a desert of the heart, and nil the lonely world crows lonelier still, I with the other exiles go apart, And offer up tin stranger's evening prayer; My noily shrkes with weeping as 1 pray. Thinking on all I love thnt are not tncre, 80 desolately nl).-nt far nway My Love and Friend, and my own land and home. O aching emptiness of evenire; skies! O foolish heart, what tempted thee to roam Bo fur away from the Beloved's eyes! 8 O 8 O 9 5 The Siege From the French of 'o - oi.9 - k. - e - e - We were returning up the avenue of the Champs Elysees with Doctor V., asking him about the walla rid dled with shells the pavements torn up by grape-shot, in fact, the history of the Siege of Paris, when Just be- xore we got to tne Place de l'Etolle the doctor stonnpd. and nnlntlnn- nut one of those handsome corner houses grouped around the Arc de Trlomphe, said: j "Do you see those four closed win dows up there, over the balcony? In the rally days of the month of Au gust thnt terrible August In the year '70 so charged with storms and disasters, I was called In there to a frightful case of apoplexy. It was to Colonel Jouve, a cuirassier of the First Empire, an old man Infat uated with patriotic pride who, at the commencement of the war, had come to lodge in the Champs Elysees. vln a balcony apartment. Guess why! To be present at the triumphant re turn of our troops! Poor old man! The news of Wlssembnurg came to him ns he was rising from table. On reading the name of Napoleon at the foot of that bulletin of defeat he fell thunderstruck. I found the old cuirassier stretched at full length on the car pet, his face bloody and lifeless, as if he had been struck a blow on the head with a club. Standing, he must have been very tall; lying, he looked Immense. With beautiful features. superb teeth, and a fine head of curly white hair, though he was nearly eighty, he looked like sixty years old. Near him, on her knees, was his grand-daughter. She so resembled him that, seeing them side by side, you would have been reminded of two beautiful Greek medals struck from the same stamp; only the one was old, dull, and rather Indistinct In the outlines; the other was re splendent and clean cut, with all the brilliancy and smoothness of a new Impression. "The grief of this child touched me. Daughter and grand-daughter of soldiers, her father was at MacMa hon's headquarters, and the sight of this grand old man stretched before her brought another no less terrlblo image to her mind. I endeavored to reassure her, but, in reality, I had little hope. We had to deal with a severe case of hemlplegy, and recov ery was scarcely to be hoped for at eighty. For three days the patient remained in the same state of motion less stupor.' In the midst of all this the news of Reischoffen arrived in Paris. You remember in what a strange fashion. Until evening we all believed in a great victory, twen ty thousand; Prussians killed, and the Crown Prince a prisoner! I know not by what miracle, or by what mag netic current, an echo of the national Joy penetrated to our poor deaf-mute, even to his paralyzed limbs; certain it Is that, on approaching his bed that evening, I found him a different man. His eye was almost clear, his tongue less stiff. He had strength to smile, and to stammer twice "'Vic-to-ry!' , "'Yes, colonel, a grand victory! "And as I gave him details of Mac Mahon's brilliant success, I saw his features relax and his face light up. When I went out, the young girl was waiting for me, standing pale and sobbing at the door. " 'But he is saved!' said I, taking her hands. "The unhappy child had scarcely courage to answer me. They had Just posted up the true version of Reischoffen MacMahon put to flight, the whole army crushed. We looked at each other In consternation. She was distressed in thinking of her father, I trembled for the old man. It was very certain he could not re sist this new shock. And yet, what could we do? . Leave him his Joy the illusions which had called him back to life? But then it would be necessary to lie! " "Very well, then, I shall lie,' said the heroic girl, quickly drying her tears, and she returned radiant to her grandfather's room. &ne nad set herself a hard task. The first tew days were got through without much difficulty. The good man's head was weak, and he allowed himself to. he deceived like a child. But with returning health, his ideas became clearer. We had to keep him acquainted -with the movements of the armies and to draw up for him military bulletins. It was a sad pity to see that .beautiful! girl, night and day, over her maps of Germanv, marking out the battles with little flags, and trying to invent a glorious campaign: ' Bazaine descending upon Berlin, Frossard in Bavaria, MacMa hon on the Baltic. For all this she asked my advice, and I helped ber as much as I could, but it was the grandfather himself who served us best In this imaginary invasion. He had conquered. Germany so often To the Beloved's country I belong I am a stranner in this foreicn ulace: Strange ore its streets, and strange to me its tongue; ' Strange to the stranger each familiar tace. 'lis not my city! Take me by the hands) Divine Protestor of the lonelv ones. And lead me back to the Heloved's land JJack to my friends anil my companions. 0 yind that blows from Shirnz, bring to me A little dust from my Beloved's street; Send Hafis something, love, that comes from thee, Toti'-hed by thy hand, or trodden by thy ieec Richard I-e (iullienne, in The Delineator. 8 -s -sfcy -sty 9 -slv ft -ty 8 sV 9 O v of Berlin. ALPHONSE DAUDET. ea - a..e.e - 9 - e - ..(j under the First Empire! all the moves beforehand He knew " 'See, now they will go there, they will do that,' and his forecasts were always realized, which did not fall to make him very proud. "Unfortunately it was in vain that we took towns and gained battles; we never went fast enough for that insatiable old fellow! Every day, when I arrived, I heard of a new feat of arms. rt 'Doctor, we have taken Mnyence,' the young girl told me, coming to ward me with a heart-breaking smile, and I heard through the door, a de lighted voice crying: " 'We're getting on! We're get ting on! In a week we shall enter Ecrlin.' "At that moment the Prussians were not more than a week from Paris. We nsked ourselves at first if It would not ba better to remove him Into the country; but, once out side, the state of France would have revealed everything to him, and I thought him jRtlll too weak, and too much stunned by the great shock he had already received, to know the truth. It was decided, therefore, to let him remain. "On the first day that Paris was In vested, I went up to their house, I remember, much moved with the an guish of heart that the closing of all the gates of Paris, the battle under the walls, and the changing of our villages into frontiers brought us. I found the old gentleman Jubilant and proud. " 'Well,' said he, 'here Is the Beige begun!' "I looked at him in astonishment. " 'What, colonel, do you know "His grand-daughter turned to me " 'Ah, yes, 'octor. That Is the great news. The siege of Berlin has commenced. "This she said, drawing out her needle with such a staid little air, and so tranquilly how could he sus pect anything? "The cannon from the forts! He could not hear them. This poor Paris, wretched and convulsed! He could not see It. What he could see from his bed was a bit of the Arc de Trlomphe, and in his room was a whole curiosity shop of the Flr3t Em pire, well calculated to maintain his illusions. Portraits of marshals, en gravings of battles, the king of RomU In a baby's robe; then large stiff con soles, ornamented with copper tro phies, laden with Imperial relics, medals, bronzes, a Btone from St. Helena, under a shade, miniatures all representatlng the same lady, be curled, in ball costume, in a yellow dress with leg-of-mutton sleeves, and bright eyes it was all this, the at mosphere of victories and conquests, much more than anything we could tell him, that made the brave colonel believe so naively in the seige of Ber lin. "From that day our military oper ations were very much simplified. To take Berlin was now only an affair of patience. From time to time, when the old man became too impatient. a letter was read to him from his son an imaginary letter, of course, since nothing could now get into Paris, and because, since Sedan, MacMahon's aide-de-camp, had been drafted oft to a German fortress. Imagine the despair of that poor child, without news of her father, knowing him a prisoner, deprived of every comfort, perhaps ill, and yet obliged to make him speak in those cheerful letters they were rather short letters, as might be expected from a soldier in the field of advancing steadily into the conquered country. Sometimes strength failed her, and, consequent ly, there were weeks without any news. But the old man got uneasy. g The Steady Man. We'd tike to write a little rhyme about the steady man, who keep on pegging all the time and does the beat he can 1 the man who early goea to work and doesn't get & home till late; who nevor tries to ahlrk In order to be great. There are aome fellow who will try to do their business tricka and have a finger in the pie of city politics; they, $ try to put on lota of atyle and play a heavy $ role, and In a little bito' while you find them g In a hotel I like the man of steady pace, hla system I admire; he has no wild dealre to v placo moro Irona In tho Express. and could not sleep. Then promptly came letter from Germany, which she brought and read gaily to htm at his bedside, keeping back her tears. The colonel listened religiously, smiled with an intelligent air, ap proved, criticised, and explained to ns the difficult passages. But where he was especially fine was in the an swers he sent to his son: " 'Never forget that you are a Frenchman,' said he. 'Be generous to those poor people. Do not make the invasion too heavy for them.' And then there were endless recom mendations, adorable twaddle about respect for the proprieties, the polite ness due to ladles In fact, a com plete code of military honor for the use of conquerors! He added also some general observations on poll tics, and the conditions to be im posed on the conquered. On that point, I must say, he was not unrea sonable. " 'A war indemnity, and cothtng farther. What is the good of taking tlelr pfjvlnces? Can you make France out of Germany?' "He dictated all this with a firm voice, and one felt there was so much candor in his words, such a fine, pa triotic faith, that it was impossible to listen to him unmoved. "All this time the siege was ad vancing not that of Berlin, alas! It was a time of great cold, bombard ments, epidemics, and famine. But, thanks to our care, our efforts and the indefatigable tenderness which surrounded him, the serenity of the old man was never for an instant dis turbed. Up to the end I was able to get him white bread and fresh meat. There was only enough for him, and you can Imagine nothing more touch ing than those breakfasts of the grandfather, so Innocently selfish the old man upon his bed, fresh and smiling, his serviette tucked under his chin; near him his grand-daughter, a little pala from her privations, guiding his hands, giving him drink, helping him to all those forbidden good things. Then, revived by the re past, in the comfort of his warm room, with the winter wind outside, and the snow whirling past his win dows, the old cuirassier recalled his campaigns In the north, and related to us for the hundredth time that sad retreat from Russia, In which they had nothing to eat but frozen biscuit and horse-flesh. " 'Do ycu understand, little one? We used to eat horses.' "She understood only too well. For two months she had eaten noth ing else. From day to day, however, as convalescence progressed, our task beside the invalid became more dif ficult. That paralysis of his senses, and of all his limbs, which hnd served us so well up to thla time, began to disappear. Two or three times al ready the terrible volleys from the Maillot Gate had made him start and prick up his ears like a greyhound; we were obliged to Invent a laBt vic tory for Bazaine, under BeVIn, and salvos fired In his honor at the In validas. Another day his bed had been moved to the window It was, I believe, the Thursday of Rezonvllle and he saw the National Guards massed together on the Avenue of the Grande Armee. " 'What are those troops doing there?' he demanded; and we heard him mutter between his teoth, 'Bad form! bad form!' "Nothing else happened; but we understood that, In future, we must take great precautions. Unhappily, we were not cautious enough. "One evening when I arrived the child came to me full of trouble. " 'It is to-morrow they enter,' she said. "Was the grandfather's door open? The fact is, that In thinking over It afterward, I remembered that his face had, on that evening, an extra ordinary expression. It Is probable that he heard us. Only we spoke of the Prussians, while he thought of the French, in that triumphal entry which he had so long expected Mac Mahon coming down the avenue in the midst of flowers and the flourish of trumpets, his son beside the mar shal, and he, the old father, upon his balcony, in full uniform, as at Lut zen, saluting the torn flags and the eagles blackened with powder. "Poor father Jouve! He doubtless fancied that we wished to prevent him from being present at this march past of the troops to avoid too great an excitement tor him. He took care to speak to no one; but the next day, at the very hour in which the Prus sians were timidly entering on the long road leading from the Maillot Gate to the Yuilerles, the window Just above there opened solftly, and the colonel appeared on the balcony, fire! Los Angolea ' $ with his helmet, his big cavalry Cword, and all the glorious equip ment of a MUhaud cuirassier. I still ask myself what effort of will, what fresh spring of life, could have thus placed him again on his feet, and in harness! Be that as it may, there he was, standing behind - the railing, wondering to find the avenues so wide, so silent; the shutters of the houses closed; Paris dismal as a laz aretto; flags everywhere, but so strange, all white with red crosses. and no crowd running before our sol dlers. "For a moment, ha may possibly have thought he was mistaken "3ut, no! Yonder, beyond the Arc de Trlomphe, was a confused ndlse, a black line advancing in the growing daylight. Then, gradually, the peaks of the helmets Bhone, the little drums of Jena began to beat, and under the Arc de l'Etolle, accom panied by the heavy 'rhythmic steps of the troops, and by the clash of sabres, burst forth Schubert's Trium phal March. "Then, In the mournful silence of the place, rang out a cry, a terrible cry: 'To arms! to arms the Prus sians!' And the four Uhlans forming the advanced guard saw yonder on the balcony a tall, old man wave his arms, totter, and fall, rigid. "This time Colonel Jouve was real ly dead." Waverley Magazine. The Postmaster-General of the United Kingdom has secured for the government telegraphic system all the Marconi wireless telegraph sta tions in the British Isles. A new combined electric lamp and shaving mirror has been produced, in which the reflector can be arranged to throw the light only upon the face below the eyes, no light falling upon the mirror or the eyes. The British Antarctic expedition now in course of preparation will carry wireless telegraphic equipment sufficient to enable messages to be sent to New Zealand from the ship and from the stations established at bases of supplies on land or Ice. Tha Baku-Batoum petroleum pipe line has had to be renewed for some fifty miles, between Adschikabul and Jellssawetpol, where it passes through salt-carrying districts. The corrosion there Is more rapid than over the rest of the route, so that ex cessive leakage has been caused. An air steam engine has been in vented by a professor of engineering in one of the Western colleges of America. In this Invention, a cylin der Is filled with compressed atmos pheric air into which saturated steam Is Introduced. The chief merit claimed fcr this system is that cyl inder condensation Is almost totally avoided by the high temperature of air compression and the high super heat of the mixture. Ten grammes, or about one-third of an ounce of radium chloride, equivalent to one gramme cf pure ra dium, Is the total output for eighteen months of the Joachimsthal mines. After the hospitals and scientific In stitutions have been supplied, the re mainder will be offered for sale at $75,000 a gramme, or fifteen and a half grains. It is expected that aluminium coins of low value will be in circulation in France by the end of this year. It Is Interesting to note, In this connection, that the adoption of M. Naquet's proposition for an aluminium coinage In 1S71 would have resulted in a heavy loss to the French Treasury. Although experts declared it to be impossible that the value of the metal should decrease, It has now fallen to nearly half the price ruling thirty eight years ago. Tho New Usher. The congregation of a certain church is not "exclusive," but some of its members were surprised at the appointment of a new usher. They said that he might be a very good young man, but he had not belonged very long to the church, and, besides, it seemed unlikely that a street car conductor would suit the etiquette of a house of worship. But the trustees said that he had been chosen for that very reason, adding: "We need a man of that kind to deal with the end seat hog. He U a greater nuisance- in the church than in the cars. Early in the service' he plants himself at the aisle end of a free pew, and later comers who are ushered Into that pew, fall all over him taking their places. It takes a man with grit to make him move along. This for mer conductor has the grit, and he has tact gained from experience. That is why we made him usher." Washington Herald. A Roland For an Oliver. A young Baltimore man, who is quick to see a point and somewhat of a wit himself, walked Into a shop the other day and asked for a comb. Do you want a narrow man's comb?" asked the attendant, all un conscious of his terms. "No," said the customer, gravely; "I want a comb for a stout man with rubber teeth." Baltimore American. Electricity has replaced . mules ns the motive power on the street rail ways of Santos, the Brazilian city from which so much coffee U ex ported. ' a n 0 O O A VJ.. LI IV, V1111U1G11 THE RAIN. A million little fairy feet all dancing over head Oh, don't I love to hear it when I'm snuggled up in bed! When mother takes the light away and snvs, "Now, go to sleep," And I lie there and listeu to the fairies' little feetl I think of all the thirsty things out in the field and wood, And how they drink the raindrops in oh, it must feel So good! And how the tiny blades of grass come stretching up to see Where all the patter comes from and what ever it can be. I think of mother's rain-barrel and of the waterspout, And how the water rushes in and tumbles to get out. And how the birds out in the woods must snuggle down to keep Their baby-birdies warm and dry beneath their breasts asleep. I think of all the puddles there'll be out in the rain, And of my brand-new rubber boots just purpose for the rain. And there I lie and listen to the fairies overhead Oh, don't you love to hear them when you re snuggled up in bed? Harriet Crocker LeRoy, in Youth's Com panion. BOB'S PUMPKIN PARTY. Bob's father was driving; Bob sat next to htm and Dorothy on the other side of Bob. She could be on the out side end of the seat because she was seven years old now. Bob wasn't yet quite five, but he was going on five. They drove along sunny roads. It was a morning when most of the leaves on the trees were yellow and red; and in a field, now and then, Dorothy saw yellow pumpkins. "Every now and then," she said, "I see pumpkins, lots and lots of them." They drove along and along. Pretty soon Bob said, "What are pumpkins good for, daddy?" "Good to eat pumpkin pies, don't you know?" "Oh!" said Bob. Mr. Mason hugged Bob up to him. "They don't let you eat pies, do they, Bob? Well, maybe, later." "Don't they do anything else with pumpkins?" asked Bob. "Why, yes; why, to be. sure they do Jack-o'-lanterns don't you know Jack-o'-lanterns ? " "Yes," said Bob, "I thought so! Doffie, you and I have some those that Cousin Jim gave us last year, I guess it was little ones, cardboard." "M-m," said Doffle; "cardboard, with funny faces." "Yes," said their father; "but those are only cardboard.. Ought to see the real things! You've never had any never had any Jack-o'-lanterns? Poor little children!" and he laughed at Bob and Dorothy. "Let's get some," said Bob. "You buy us some, daddy." "Buy some! you goosie! Why, you want to make them don't want to buy them! the maKlng's half the fun!" "But you haven't any pumpkins," Bald Dorothy. "I don't think we have any at home." "Oh, well," said her father, "we may have to buy the pumpkins to start with." "I'd rather have pumpkins right out of a field," said Bob. "Yes, daddy wouldn't they let us take some of those?" asked Dorothy "Oh, dear no mustn't take any body's pumpkins. They don't grow wild, they belong to people: they were planted nnd the farmers are go ing to gather them up and sell them I'll tell you, your friend, Mr. Bell, will give you some, and be glad to." So they drove along and along. At last they came to Mr. Bell's farm, and turned in at the gate. "Lots of pump kins in Mr. Bell's yard," said Bob. "Just see that pile down by the big gest barn!" ,"Oh-h m-m-m!" said Dorothy, And their father did not forget to tell Mr. Bell that the children wanted to beg some pumpkins. "For jack-o'- lanterns," said Bob "only Just two or three pumpkins good for Jack-o lanterns." "Well," said Mr. Bell, smiling at Dorothy and Bob, "you may have all the pumpkins that you will roll over to your wagon from the heap there by the barn!" What a funny time they had roll ing them! Pumpkins .are heavy, quite heavy, and they are not really round, you know, but rather flat on two sides, and on one side they have a short, stiff stem: they don't roll very easily. Dorothy and Eob had to work pretty hard, bending over and pushing and turning and tugging those fat pumpkins2 fun! "Want anybody to help you?" called Mr. Bell. "No, no, thank you!" said the chil dren. At last they had three pumpkins ready to stai t fur home one for Dorothy, one for Bob and one foY their friend, Bob Bascom. "He would be lonely if he didn't have one," Dorothy said. "Yes, he would," said Bob. The grown-up men had to lift those pumpkins into the wagon, of course. How proudly Dorothy and Bob looked down at the Jolly yellow things when they were once more driving along with their father. ' Hard tugs they had had getting those three pump kins over from the pile to th? wagon a pretty good lot of work they liked to think of it. But you'd say they would like even better to think of it after they found what fun it ws to have a Jack-o'-lantern party. You see, Mr. Mason showed them how to make the lanterns. , He did the hardest parts with his big knife, O 'O O O ro but they all worked together, cutting out a round piece like a cover with rtie nice, stiff stem in tho middle for a handle; then getting out all tho soft Inside, with the seeds; nnd then making the comical faces holes for the eyes, nose and smiling, grinning teeth. They fixed a candle in the middle of each; and, oh, how special ly funny those lanterns were when, about five o'clock, Dorothy and Bob and Bob Baacom had them, all lighted up, on the veranda In the dark! Mrs. Mason and Mr. Mason were there, and pretty soon what should they all see but some more Jack-o'-lanterns coming up the path! "A party! a party!" screamed Bob1 "a pumpkin party!" "O mamma, a pumpkin party!" shouted Doffle. It was the three Kips May, San born and Bradford and Max Blow was with them everybody with a lantern; why, that made seven in all! a fine ring of them when they were all set down on the piazza In a cir cle! Around this ring the children capered and danced, looking at it from all sides and laughing at the Jack-o'-lantern smiles and shadows and lights that they made. Each Jack was so fixed that he could be carried around by a string, and so could take part In processions. Lovely parades they had on the ver anda and down on the paths under the tree's. They kept It up an hour, and more than an hour! And when Dorothy was going to bed she told her mother that she had never had such a good time before In all her whole life; and Bob called out: "That's because you never had one Bingle pumpkin party before this one!" Susan P. Peckham, in the Christian Register. CUSTOMS. A new game Is being played by the Hunt children which they named "Customs," and this is how it came about: They had been traveling In Europe) all summer with their mother and fa ther, and among the numerous things to Interest them were the custom of ficers, who Investigated their bag gage for goods on which to charge duty. When they .came back to America they were detained a long time In the Custom House waiting for an officer to examine their trunks. It was great fun for the children to fol low the officers about, and hear what the people had to say, and how much money they had to pay for the dress goods and Jewels and everything they had brought from abroad. So they immediately Invented this game. One person is chosen as the "cus- tntnB nfflppp " iha rest nt tha pnmnflnir .... , - - -' u . . . being passengers. The officer holds a handkerchief knotted into a ball. "What has A In his trunk?" ho asked, throwing the handkerchief at one of the "passengers." As ha throws it he must fix In his mind one i object commencing with A that can be packed In a trunk. The person at whom the handkerchief Is thrown must answer some object commenc ing with A. If he answers the same word that the officer has In mind he must pay "customs" or forfeit to be redeemed later, or If he falls to an swer quickly he must pay customs. The fun lies In playing quickly, and In keeping the passengers won dering whose baggage will be exam ined next. Philadelphia Record, A MISSIONARY'S EXPERIENCE. It was one hour before sundown on a cloudy, drizzly afternoon. I had J 1. 1 - 1 1 1 V 1 I 1 1 . iuy uuuuib umureuu, umcit uraiue ana white outside, for fending off both sun and rain, but had It closed over my hand without clasping it, to go through a narrow opening in the bushes. I had crossed a little open grass plot of a few rods, and was Just entering a narrow footpath through the mountain Jungle, that would take mountains, where I was to meet my pony. Suddenly a tiger sprang into the path and disputed passage. I saw at once what he wanted; only great hun ger Impels these, tigers to come out during the day. He had had , no breakfast and wanted missionary meat for supper. I did not wish him to have it. It Is always best If a scrimmage is to take place to be the attacking par ty. When I was a boy I had gone out among an Indian tribe in Michi gan and Jearned their war whoop. Springing forward I raised this war whoop, and at the same time sudden ly opened my double umbrella. Springing aside, over a bush, into the open, ground, he made for the crest of the hill. Straight as an arrow he went through a crevice In the hill. About twenty feet down on the other side I knew he would strike on grassy ground, and the slope from there led down to a little stream, which my path again crossed, less than a quar ter of a mile below. I scrambled up the hill to the crevice and saw the tiger trotting down the slope evident ly wondering whether he had done a wise thing in running away. Putting my head with its big, white sun hat Into the opening, I once more raised the war whoop. Down thej tiger dashed again with Bpeed. When! his pace slackened I repeated the op eration and on be dashed, and so con tinued until he entered the woods on the opposite side of the valley. Then I turned and wended my way to the foot of the bill, mounted my pony and kept my appointment. Dr. Jacob Chamberlain's Story of Missionary Lite.