CHILDHOOD S DAYS.
!BT EMMET F. HABT, AGED THIRTEEN.
gx ! swoet wore the days
# my youth
i \ V All '* t t' t ' innocent
/ % hours of play.
With a sticky for •
wii-'n winter spread
V. t Over t h' meadow
18 ilel ljt Thou came tho time, to
<£M m fl childish alee.
1 \ n To i'Ti ke '- uemy
With balls of miow as
We charged the enemy's flank.
Advanced, forced hack, 'mid loud hurrahs,
As the victors charged in rank.
But spring, with her rain aud thunder Bhowers
Ami fleecy lambs at play,
Brought lighter heart* to children folk
Thau ever the winter gray.
Dear children. Jet up prepare for tho time
When we shall grow aged and pool,
When the angel Death. In his robes of Mack,
Shall vine and knock at the door.
GE.NTHVVII.Lh Mo.
THROUGH DIITLSE.
IIY I„ 11. \V.
Dr. Mills sat in his ollice casting up
his yearly accounts.
"Yes." be said, after careful con
sideration. "I think next year I can get
a carpet and some new chairs here. I
want one new chair, anyway," moving
uneasily. "1 ought to paper and paint,
too. 1 wonder if I could afford to do
both! 11 1 made my old harness last,
I could; perhaps I can ttnd a second
hand one."
Like many other country physicians.
Dr. Mills was. though well educated
and possessed of more than ordinary
ability, very poor.
He was interrupted by a summons
to a lady visitor at the rectory. In a
moment he had stepped from tli€
dingv ottice to a room tilled with bits
of the tropics, in the shape of rich,
bright shawls and jewels, and on 0
sofa a woman pressing lier hand to hex
brow.
Dr. Mills sat down by her, laid his
finger on her pulse, and gazed down
on her face.
Dr. Mill- was a plain country doc
tor, thirty years old, just from calcula
tions about second-hand harness; but,
as he sat with his hand on that hot
brow, I am afraid his reflections were
not exactly of nerve disturbance and
bis infallible remedy.
"Have you been subject to these at
tacks?" he asked, at length.
"Yes," answer, d Miss Lyle, "for the
last lew weeks. This is tho worst,
though."
"There is serious derangement of the
nervous system," said he. "It w ill take
time to cure it."
"But yon can give me something to
relieve this pain, can't you. Doctor?"
and the large, melting eyes looked up
at him with iulinite entreaty.
"Certainly," he replied; "but some
thing temporary for to-night. I must
see you again if I am to do you much
1 good."
"If you will only give me rebel
no\v," said Miss Lyle, "I shall be so
grateful that 1 >hali be glad to see you
again as often as you will come."
At home one*, more in his shabby
office, there came another knock, and
his landlady appeared at the door.
"It's Mrs. Black's child again, sir."
"And what's the matter with Mrs.
Black's child?" asked he, impatiently.
"His mother thinks he's eaten some
thing that isu'i good for liim, and it't
got tangled round his heart," replied
Mrs. l'odgkins.
"Tangled round his granny'." ex
claimed Dr. Mills. "Is the woman out
side ?"
"Yes, she's here."
"Tell her to come in. Well, Mrs.
Black, what has your boy been gorging
himself with now ?"
"I can't tell, sir," said Mrs. Black.
"I've given him every remedy I know
of."
"No wonder he doesn't get better,
then," muttered the doctor, and sat
without speaking for some minutes.
"I'd been taking home some fine
things," pursued Mrs. Black, "that I'd
been getting up for the lady at the
rectory, and I see the light in nere, so
I thought I'd stop."
Dr. Mills faced round and stared
fixedly at the woman. She had the
handling, then, of the lace and frills
that clung to that soft, warm neck.
"She's quite poorly to-night," con
tinued Mis. Bluck. "Maybe you've
been there."
"Yes, I've been there," answered
Dr. Mills, shortly. "I'll come round
and see your boy. Mrs. Black."
Two hours later saw him again seated
by Miss Lyle's couch. Ilis drops had
failed to quiet that surging brain. He
tried magnetizing her. While the
hours of night throbbed away he sat
with hand- pressed on the knotted
temples. Every now and then the
snowy eyelids would tremble and half
rise, and through his whole frame would
run a thrill. \\ hen morning began to
steal through the windows, lie with
drew his stiffened fingers, and bent
low over the sleeper. Did his lips
touch he.' brow ? Mrs. Everett, who
sat in a chair by the fire, thought so, ;
but the next moment he was tip-toeing
his way out of the room.
"Can ! know the outward cause of
all thi-v he asked, the next morning.
"I do not think the knowledge would
guide you at all: but the shock for it
was a shock—v.as not peculiar."
"I beg your pardon! Everything
that happen to you must be peculiar."
"\ou are mistaken. lam not an un
common woman." said Miss Lvle.
Immersed in his profession, Dr.
Mills had heretofore had no time for
love; in fact, he had regarded it only
as a sclv olgirl pastime. But now,
after weeks which might have been a
hasheesh dream, 110 woke suddenly to
realize his folly.
One morning, Miss Lyle announced
to him lies departure the next day, and
was startled by an abrupt, hoarse j
avowal of devotion. She turned
around, looked at him steadily with
parted ... .• •; wondering eyes. Then j
she raised her hand and lifted away the
dark-brow 1 , aes of hair from his
brow, and let the warm, thrilling
weight rest there, while she continued
to gaze wistfully and intently.
"Do not try me too long*" he said,
with quivering lips.
"I might not," she said, "but " |
And then her face clouded. Ri. Mills
understood it and took up his hat.
"Give me something of yours to
keep?" he said, hesitatingly.
She took from her arm a little fancy
Bracelet tied with a knot of amber
ribbon. He placed it next his heart.
The next morning, while sitting in
his ofiiee, lie heard the rumbling of a
carnage, arid stepping out upou the j
porch, saw the enchantress pass. She 1
Waved her hand to him. Ho turned I
1 into his den again and drew the bolt.
' How dark and dreary everything j
| looked.
Five years rolled round. At a higlr
j window of the Grand Dome, in New
York, stood Miss Lyle, in a sad and
weary attitude. She had just returned
from Europe. Suddenly she turned to
her companion and said:
"Zaidie, you know I believe in im
pulses. I have one to go and see Mrs.
Everett, the minister's wife, in Hazle
ton, for a few days. You will not be
afraid to stay here alone without me?"
i "No, dear, if you will not remain
there too long."
Nina Lyle turned and went into her
bed-room, and next morning was on
; her way. Dr. Mills was sitting down
to supper one night, after a long, cold
ride among his patients, when sudden
ly the bell rang.
* "Well," he said, wearily, as the serv
vant entered. The girl put a small
parcel into his hand, saying : "A mes
senger brought it over from Mrs. Ever
ett's." There was something in the
dainty way in which the little parcel
was tied up—a delicate fragrance that
reminded him of his one dream of hap
piness.
"What a fool I am," he said, as he I
untied the parcel. And upon opening j
the box lie found a bracelet tied with
amber ribbon.
The color rushed to his very fore
head; his heart beat fast: his Angers j
trembled as lie lifted the bracelet. It j
was the exact counterpart of the one 1
laid away in his desk.
The Doctor put 011 his hat and strode I
rapidly down the street. He seemed
ten years younger than an hour ago.
Very soon he found himself in the
presence of Miss Lyle. She received
him warmly, and after a moment he
said, "I have kept the bracelet, see!
And you have come to reward me."
"l r es, I have come." That was all.
A few days later Miss Lyle went
hack to New York.
"I am going to he married," she said
to her friend.
"And that heart-break which hap
pened just before you went to Hazle
ton, Ave years ago?"
"There is the secret. I found one
.soon after who spoke as if his love was
real, but tlie wound was not healed, so,
after Ave years, I returned and found
him waiting for me, and think I shall
be happy."
Two lives, through impulse, have
certainly been made happy.
A Gallant Young Cliiiiaimiii.
A Secretary of the Chinese Embassy
111 Washington was introduced to a j
lady, who among other questions asked |
'him: "Whatvirtue do you most highly
prize in your women ?"
" The virtue of domesticity," was the
reply.
"Then you do not like your women
to move in society much?" she ques
tioned.
"Not at all. Our law oven recog
nizes cause for divorce when a woman
. —pardon me, madame—is inquisitive
and talkative."
"Then I would be in danger of being
divorced if I lived in China?" smiling
ly asked the lady.
"The very day that my country would
have the luck to possess a womanly be
ing like you," replied the gallant son
of tlie heavenly realm, "every cause
for divorce would he rempved from the
Nvorld."— Wan king ton Post.
Cornfield Philosophy.
A bird in the hand is not worth two
in the bush when the bird is a buzzard.
Talk to a bov as though he wore a
man and lie will be pleased, even if he
does not understand you.
The man who can tell all about the
next winter by looking at a corn shuck
usually lias to borrow the shuck of a
neighbor.
It is the bug's insiguiflcant size that
keeps him from being hurt when lio
falls from the top of the house.
Some men are so constituted that
they would rather make a dollar by a,
sharp trade, which is in reality a
species of swindling, than to make ten
times as much honestly.
The long-haired man is not always a
poet. He may simply be too hard up
to afford a hair-cut.
White collars and cuffs are not signs !
of a white heart. Gamblers nearly
always wear stylish clothes.
A snail cannot see the necessity for
railway trains.
You cannot make a tramp believe
that a barking dog will not bite.
A man cannot keep his head cool
and his feet warm by trading good
boots for bad liquor.
Too much knowledge is sometimes
dangerous. The owl cannot see any
thing in the day time.
Tlie toad is not valued for beauty,
but for utility. Ho eats insects and
is thus mankind's friend.
The mocking-bird sings a pretty
song, but he is 100 small to make it
proAtable to.eat him.
Married iu a Twinkling.
Justice Blackwell is a lmstlor when
the occasion warrants it. He had just
adjourned court yesterday for tho pur
pose of beating a man out of a cigar at
poker dice when a couple entered who
wished to get married. Their names
wore S. R. Fatten and Dillie Connors,
and they stood anxiously awaiting the
performance of the ceremony. The man
who wanted to shake for tho cigars was
in a hurry, and started to leave.
"Hold on a minute," called out the
Justice to the departing citizen. Then ,
turning to the candidates he fired the
following questions at them : "Do you |
take this woman to be your wife?" I
"I do. 'said Bam. "Do >Oll take this
man to be your husband?" "I reckon," j
said Dillie. "Then 1 pronounce you man
and wife."
The ceremony occupied just two j
seconds by the watch, and the Justice '
overtook his friend, beat him out of the j
smokes and was back into his office to
collect his fee before the couple had
sufficiently recovered to realize that
they were married.— Memphis Ava
lanche.
Explosion in Vest Pocket.
An explosion in hi* vest I)ocket wa(
.what Mr. l'owler of Agawam experi- 1
jeneeil tho other (lay. He had bought
(some chlorate of potash table's, and had
put them in the vest receptacle with
some sulphur matches. The mixture
always causes commotion. But unmind
ful of this fact, Mr. Fowler sat down in
•his home to have a quiet smoke. Pretty
soon he felt something warm in his
pocket; he stuck in his fingers to see
what was up: the matches ignited, the
{potash exploded, blowing open the
front of his vest and burning his hands
severely. Mr. Fowler jumped high in
the air, and the work of stripping off his
vest took but a moment. Now he car
ries his hand in a sling.— tiprinajield
Union.
STYLES IN FOOTGEAR.
THK FASHIONS THAT ARE JUST NOW
MOST I'OI'ULAR,
Eiirllhli I mule* Seemingly Accepted by
tbe Great Majority of the Votaries of
Mimlo Perftimed Mioon for Women at
New Fad and Laced Shoes Counted the
Tiling for Gentlemen.
ja&Y UST now, as there
m&gL I is a tendency to
J* 0 I follow every tiling
that is English, it
might be well to
state that this sea-
Jry-^ soll Gle mos l fash
y/' 1 \ TaV ionable London
£ \ IJ shoes for very:
\ \ \ Ma smart occasions
\ \ \/l are * n snede,
A wjT | or morocco, corre-
JgW sponding with the
gowns with con-*
r/rinlvix*sk t lasting heels and
(((141l fciAffll rands, and either
ribbon tying the
I W>Jij™gßr side flaps together
i 011 " ls^e P' or a
handsome buckle.
VY/////Miltllll r a -V or mo "
Yv/,//liOl\ I llfxk rocco, white heels,
KnTwNlfflultS?vS\u rands, and silver
-fj/lt buckle - dark green
with white, reseda,
wit li pale pink,
black with red, 1
gold color with :
)| I gray, have all been
\ popular combina
<&*<£/* <+*-*** tions.
The lace boot is again reinstated in j
favor, but it comes back in a more or-,
naniental form. In some instances the
THE SPRING FASHIONS FOR GENTLEMEN
The Three-Button Cutaway Promises to Be the Most Popular Coat of the Season.
The accompanying cartoon, displaying tlio spring fashions, lias been reduced from the largo drawing published bv
John J. Mitchell it Co., of New York. It shows the various fashions in which the best-dressed men of the country
will attire themselves during the coming season. Soft finish will be the ruling mode of making up overcoats and
coats, and the fabrics shown are all of them particularly attractive. They include tweeds and fine diagonal cloth and
,all the range between. The Covert coat will be one of the features of the coming season, but the reul attraction will
be the three-button cutaway, which will be the most popular and most numerous coat worn in 1890. The equestrian
costumes display the modes which gentleman and lady riders will employ if they wish to bo thoroughly tailor-made.
fronts are of patont leathor, cut in
j scallops, and tho silken laces of some
! bright color, as scarlet or yellow. A I
notable example is seen in a lacoil
walking boot (Fig. 1) that has vamp .
and quarter cut ill one x>iece from dark
gray morocco and patent-leather trim- i
mings that extend from the toes up
the lace front and around the top. This
trimming is made the subject of much
ornamentation, being pinked and perfo- j
rated in fanciful designs, nnd the stitch- j
ing is with colored silk, which shows
off to good advantage on the black
ground of patent leathor. Another \
peculiarity is that the patent-leather
laps over the quarter deep enough to
allow a row of buttons to be set in
mock button-holes-—worked with gray
| silk—and thus give the foot tho ap- ;
pearanco at a side view of the button
j boot while it has all the advantages of
| the lace.
Another novelty is tho "bluohor" ;
(Fig. 2). They are made on tho Pie- ,
| cadilly last, which gives that slim
| effect to the foot now so much sought
after iu the best grades of tine wear. ]
j They are made iu different combina- j
I tious of leathers, patent calf and French j
enamel being most used. They are :
I ornamented with toe-eaps of various I
| designs in outline, with fancy perfora
tions. On the ladies' "bouchers" tho
front laco-piece is of a different leather
from tho quarters. The quarters are
stitched on the front lace-piece instead
of its being stitched on the outside of
quarters as of old. The effect is much
handsomer. The front edges of the
quarters arc pinked and perforated
with fancy "Grecian" patterns, or t
pointed, and scalloped wheels. i
In button lioots the latest novelty is i
of French importation (Fig. 3), and f
first made its appearance 011 the return |
of the gushing belles that "did" tho (
Paris Exposition. They are of a unique
design that permits of variety enough 1
in combination to suit the most ultra
tastes. Besides unique in de- 1
sign una color, lis cmc appearance is (
set off by the presence of three broad
ribbons, ono at the instep, a second at
the heel, while the third spans the j
ankle, and each is clasped by a light ,
silver buckle. The vamp, quarter, ]
trimmings and ribbons may all bo of
different colors or shades to suit tho
fancy of the wearer.
A fad, and a rather singular ono, to
say the least, is to wear perfumed
shoes. Many favor the Russia leather
shoe on this account, as it has a dis
tinctive odor that is hard to imitate,
although it is now being done to some
extent. As the genuine Russia leather
is quite expensive, and thus can bo
worn only by the wealthy. and as tho
| demand Is for a perfumed shoe In the
medium grades, several of the leading
manufacturers have adopted the plan
of sprinkling orris-root powder, in
which is sifted a favorite sachet, be
tween the leather and the lining of
their patrons' shoes.
A slipper suitable for morning wear
'MM
is a most desirable part of a lady's
toilet. To be right it must be light,
comfortable, anil of a material that will
harmonize with the variety of morning
wrappers worn and of neutral colors.
Of these there are many styles shown
to tickle the vanity of the fair pur
chaser. Perhaps the most fanciful de
sign is somewhat of a combination ot
slipper and low shoo (Fig. 4). The
material for the quarter, which, as will
be seen, extends around the toe, iorm
ing a border to the vamp, is pearl
colored buckskin bound with narrow
silk ribbon to match the color of the
buckskin as nearly as possible. Pearl
colored silk is also used for stitching.
The vamp is pearl-colored dull kid
crossed by narrow, flat silk braid, pink
in color, aiul stitched 011 oacli edge.
I Tlie contrast in colors is enough to giv(
a rich, dressy appearance without be
ing so decided as to offend taste or mai
i the harmony by strong contrast. The
same design can bo had in almost any
' color, shade, or combination, which ij
usually decided upon by the color ol
the wrapper with which they are to be
worn.
One of the attractive novelties fot
evening wear is a slipper (Fig 5), cut
very low at the sides, and open across
the front just above the ball of the
foot. The vamp is cut of glazed white
kid, low at the toe and long on the
sides, extending back to the thin por
tion of the shank. The quarter is ol
kid to match the wearer's dress ill
color. It is made up plain so as not tu
show stitches anywhere 011 the outside.
I 'The inside is lined with pearl-colored
! kid. The buckle, which is very long
and bout to fit over the instep, is ol
j oxydized silver, or gold, fire gilt. Tin)
(frame is open fretwork, and the bands
I are held by an initial letter or mono
gram, suited to the name of the wearer,
I the monogram being studded witli
Btones, the kinds to suit tho taste or
whim of the wearer. Tho heel is cov
ered with white leather, and tho edge
of tho sole, which is very thin, is fin
ished white. In toilet slippers a great
variety is shown, comprising a range
of stylos from which the most particu
lar can make a selection. They aro to
he hail in almost every known shado
and color, and of choice selections of
fancy leathers and cloths of any qual
ity. Thov can be had with heels or
without, to suit the fancy of the wearer,
and with a plain inner sole, or one
padded with the softest down and
quilted with rich colored silk or satin
vamp (Fig. t>), trimmed around the
edge with a sort of box-plaiting, the
whole surmounted with a neat bow or
ponpon of gold or silver threads. An
other novelty (Fig. 7) has French kid
vamps and Louis XV. heels.
The lace walking shoe, or balmoral
for gentlemen's use, is the principal'
style of foot-covering now worn. The
buttons and congress stylos are losing
their old-time popularity.
Sliakspcare's Deer.
Tho story that Bhakspeare went to
London to avoid imprisonment for
stealing a deer has no reliable fact to
support it. In tho first place, stealing
deer was not at that time a punishable
offense; then the story was not told
during his lifetime, and wo may well
suppose his jealous contemporaries
would not baye . to use it
against him had the incident really oc
curred. Nor did he seek London sim
ply to provide for his increasing family.
The parents of both were in good cir
cumstances, for the attempts to prove
jtliat his father became poor at this
time are not entitled to respect, while
his wife's fathor is described as a sub
stantial yeoman and property-holder.
And were it otherwise, were he really
in reduced circumstances, he would
scarcely have gone to London to better
his fortune as writer or actor—re
sources equally precarious at that
time. His course was simply the nat
ural consequences of his nature, the
necessary result of the unerring
promptings of his genius, and the
spurring of the ambition which always
accompanies its possession. Genius
cannot be circumscribed—it will lib
erate and vindicate itself. Wo have
no patience with the sickly sentimen
tality of the idea of genius being hid
den and lost for lack of opportunities.
It creates opportunities; or rather, it
discovers them everywhere, and turns
them to its advantage. In Shak
speare's case, genius was allied to
business sagacity and shrewdness, and
to the latter qualities ho owed much of
his prosperity.
('undid Hospitality.
"It ain't ev'rybody I'd put to sleep
in this room," said old Mrs. Jinks to
the fastidious and extremely nervous
yo* ng minister who was spending a
night in U , at her house.
"This here room is full of sacred as
sociations to me," she went on; "my
first husband died in that bed with his
head on these very pillars, and poor
Mr. Jinks died sitting right in that
corner. Bomotimes wiien 1 come into
tho room in tho dark I think I see him
settin' there still.
"My own father died layin' right on
that lounge under the winder. Poor
pa! He was a Bpeeritualist, and he
alius said he'd appear in this room
after ho died, and sometimes I'm fool
ish enough to look for him. If you
should see anything of him to-night
you'd better not tell mo; for it'd be a
sign to me that there was something in
Speeritualism, and I'd bate to think
that.
"My son by my first man fell dead
of heart disease right where you stand.
He was a doctor, and there's two whole
skeletons in that closet that belonged
to him, and half a dozen skulls in that
lower drawer.
"Well, good-night, and pleasant
dreams."
THE international display of scien
tific progress to bo made this year in
clude the Electrical and Industrial Ex
hibition at Edinburgh and tho Exhi
bit ion of Botany and Microscopy at
Antwerp. At the latter will be cele
brated the tercentenary of tho com
pound microscope.
A Minister's Big Salary.
The maternal grandfather of Jona
than Scott Ellis was tho Lev. Jonathan
Scott, a Scotch Highlander who lived
and preached in Mi not during the last
years of his life. Mr. Ellis tells how
he was ouce sent to Portland by his
grandfather after soino Bibles for dis
tribution among bis fioek. Young Ellis
called on tho Hov. Edward Payson,
was invited in to rest and made known
his errand. "How much salary does
your grandfather got?" asked Mr. Pay
son. "Well," said Ellis, "they agreed
to gi\o him $:i()0, but so far as I can
find out ho only gets $.'10!" This an
swer so pleased Dr. Payson that, after
entertaining the young man ho handed
liiiu back the money lie had brought,
saying: "Well, SOO isn't a very big sal
ary; give this back to your grand
father. " Ho then gave young Ellis an
order to the agent of the Maine Mis
sionary Society for tho Bibles sent for
free of expense. Evidently there was
little danger of the clergymen of those
days knowing much about the deceit
fulness of riches except from hearsay.
—Farming to ii (Me.) Chronicle.
lirick-tt-brac References.
Lady (to applicant for position as do
mestic) —My goodness! This reference
is signed by Mrs. Upton.
Applicant—Yis, mum, she signed it
herself, mum, after I'd been there a
wake, mum.
"But Mrs. Upton has been dead for
twenty years."
"Is that so? Wull! wull! It's wan
place after another Oi'vo been gettin'
on that char-act-ter for twenty-foive
years an' Oi niver heard befoio that the
poor leddy was dead. Iliven rest her
sowl."
IN a startling paper to the Vienna
Academy of Science, Theodor Gross
has doubted that sulphur is an oloment,
.believing, for reasons soon to be given,
that it is a compound of carbon with
some other as yet undetermined ele
mentary substance.
ro GROW WATER LILIES
SOME USEFUL HINTS REGARDING
THEIR CULTIVATION.
But Little Lal>or and Expense Involved-
How to CoiiMtruct a Cheap but Beauti
ful Aquarium—The Pontederia Cordate
and How to Roit*e It.
BY PROF. J. F. ELSOM.
f HERE aro many
persons far re
moved from ponds
and inland lakes
L where the sweet
waterlilies grow,
who aro not aware
of the easo with
which they can
be made to grow
and bloom in all
f their beauty and
fragrance in the
yard, with the
trifling cost of
constructing a
small pond, or
sinking in the
•jf ground an old
' tub or barrel
sawn in half and kept fllled with water
during the summer, covering up with
straw and boards in the winter to keep
from freezing.
For ponds, they should be made
about two feet deep, for lilies bloom
better in shallow than in deep water;
get some healthy knotty roots, cover
but slightly with rich mud, till with
water, and the job is ended. For tubs,
take one strong barrel, free from tar,
oil, or salt; old molasses or
whisky barrels are about the best, for
the nature of their contents presup
poses them strong and well hooped; if
an old wagon-tire be driven snugly
011 the bottom and the tub well painted
they will last a dozen years or moro.
Now saw the barrel in two at the bung,
till each half full of tine loam, or if
the barrel be a large one only All about
a third full, lay in the roots, straigliton
out the small fibers, and cover to the
depth of about two inches, and if it is
intended to put fish in, overlay with
coarse gravel to prevent the fish from
burrowing down and exposing the
fibrous roots until all arc well sot. Now
j sink the tub on a level with the ground,
and fill very gently with rain or
river water. Well water is not natural
to aquatic plants, and it is poor policy
to attempt to start them with it,
though we have a fine lot now in bloom
in an old wash-tub which has always
been filled from the well, except what
has rained in, but the well is fed from a
spring. But I venture that ninety per
cent. of the failures to grow plants in
this way is the result of using well
water. Koplenisli the tubs with water
from time to time, to supply e vapor 1-
tion. This is all the care they ncod.
fliiip
A CHEAP AQUARIUM.
If desirable these tubs may be set on a
platform on rollers instead of sunk in
the ground, and can thus be kept in
doors during the winter. Kept tilled
with water they will come out early in
tiie spring.
A very elaborate and beautiful affair,
which is really a joy forever, if one
cares to stand the expense, can bo
made by a cooper. This should bo
constructed of heavy ash or oak staves,
with a false bottom, the upper one, not
too heavy, well perforated with two
inch holes, and should bo about six
inches from the true bottom, leaving
about eighteen inches clear space at
the top. Plant the roots in the bottom
spaco, till with dirt as in the other in
stances, mount 011 large, strong cas
ters, and you have a very cheap and
•large aquarium, in which many beau
tiful lish and water animals may be
kept, which could not be made to
thrive in an ordinary aquarium, even
with a fountain and constant supply of
fresh water. In ours we have many
•kinds, such as spoon-bill cats, gars,
shovol-noses, and the like.
The roots of the water lilv grow in
continuous length-, hence will crowd
and limit the tub if not taken up and
out back; remove the forward or crown
end in trimming to about six inches in
length, and replant in new loam as be
fore. This plant can be set with equal
success in fall or spring. If, when the
roots are secured, the tub is not in
readiness, place in a pail of water, aud
thoy will keep fresh and hearty several
days or a week, and will take root as
readily as if first placed in the soil.
The better plan, however, when prac
ticable. is to have all things in readi
ness before the roots are secured, then
dig up, carry home in a pail of water,
or pack in wet moss or damp cloths,
being careful not to wrap too deep, and
plant as soon as the tub can be reached;
in which event, failure to grow will not
result one time in a hundred, if all the
conditions aro carefully observed.
Another beautiful aquatic plant is
the Pontederia cordata (arrow-head).
It can be grown together with the
lily if desired, but unless the pond is
large it is better to use separate to
avoid crowding. It grows about eigh
teen inches in height, has long-stalked
leaves of the form of an arrow-head,
with a one-leaved stem terminating in
a spike of purplish-bine ilowers. It is
admired more, however, for its dark
green foliage than for its bloom,
though, small as it is, it is fragrant,
This plant grows in shallow water,and
its root increases iu size by throwing
out new crowns from year to year
until it becomes a large bushy
plant. It can be grown in tubs
or urns in the yard or flower pots in
the house as desired. Any vossel that
will hold water, fill two-thirds of tine
loam, put in the root and cover in the
center lightly, fill the vessel with
water and keep moist; they will grow
every time without fail. If for the
aquarium, plant the same as water
[lilies. If it is desired to grow both
'together, it is better to leave a place
in the center of the tub large enough
for the Pontederia root, and cover same
as lilies. No particular directions are
needed. The tub, however large,
w ill soon bo full. Besides, there aro
many other aquatic plants that will
grow equally in tubs.
YEAST —What's Srnithors playing in
now ? Orimsonbeak —Hamlet. "Hoes
ho enter iflto the spirit of the pieeo ?"
"Oh, yes: ho is taking the part of tho
Ghost."
A SKILLED MAIDEN'S ADVICE.
A Few of the MUtakoft of Which Girls
Are Guilty.
f'ERE is a skilled
maiden's advice -
"Tall women are mis:
taken in supposing
that decided styles
of millinery make
their stature more
observable. I don't
see why so many girls
are afraid of their
height, and come to
me, or go to their
dressmakers, with
piteous entreaties to
do something to make
them look shorter.
It is ridiculous. A
tall, thin figure, if it
is only straight, al
ways has possibilities
for the milliner and
dressmaker; whereas
a short, dumpy wom
an is often beyond
the reach of art.
,You might as well
*ask us to add an
inch to her stature as to m-rke her
look graceful." Lot the tall, thin
girls take this advice to heart, and
Be content. But let them also bear in
mind the condition which this export at
taches to their success—a condition pre
cedent—viz: to have an eroct carriage.
A stoop in the shoulders is fatal to a tall
figure, and it rostricts your choice of a
hat. No matter how she may tower above
ordinary mortals, a woman must keep
her figure straight. Better a ramrod
stiffness than that terrific stoop, which is
quite enough to destroy the beauty of an
angel. No mirror or set of mirrors can
give a tall woman a correct idea of her
ungainliness when this dreadful bend in
the shoulders has taken jiossession of
her. If she has unhappily acquired it,
she should extend her headgear back
ward as far as possible.
A man once made the discovery that
ho was spending one-third of his exist
ence shaving, bathing, dressing and un
dressing himself. The thought was so
agonizing that ho proceeded to commit
suicide. But whether it requires one
third or one-half of a really fashionable
woman's time to care properly for hex
toilet, she must give it; and no woman,
married or single, rich or poor, young or
old, can afford to neglect her personal ap
pearance. Many men of excessively neat
habits present a careloss and neglected
exterior. We excuse it in them, some
times, but in a woman, never.
Well, to quit generalities and come
down to something specific, what is there
that a woman should bo more caroful of
than her complexion? Nothing. Beauty
is only skin deep—absolutely only skin
deep; for given the featuros of a Psyche,
they would count as nothing under a bad
complexion. Nature seems to bo willing
to give a woman almost nnything rather
than a perfect complexion. Good ones
are common, but perfect—ah, perfect
ones —they are usually kept by the gods
for their own family. But what nature
fails to give, may art supply? In a mod
erate degree, yes.
Said Ninon de l'Enclos, as sho reached
out for her powder puff:
"Now, I'm going to out just a suspicion
! of springtime on my cheeks."
Ninon, it will be remembered, had the
reputation of being a beauty away along
in the sixties; but vory likely she was a
painted and powderod old preserve. What
I am going to commit myself to is the
assertion that a harmless face powder
helps some complexions out wonderfully.
Psyche herself would fold her wings and
go out of business if she discovered that
her nose had a shiny look. So whon you
get your new hat or bonnet on, just wipe
your face over with powdered rico, pul
verized chalk, or any of tho simple pow
ders sold by tho druggists. Don't leave
any of the whiting on, hut merely employ
it to deaden tho gloss, nnd you will thus
make your visage harmonize with the
chic of your fresh millinery.
Berry Wall, ox-king of the dudes, was
once asked how he was HO successful in
keeping his trousers from bagging at the
knees.
"By simply ordering half a dozen pair
with each coat and vest," was his reply.
And yet men cry out against woman's
extravagance. The question is often
asked, "What is the smallest number of
dresses that a really swell woman can get
along with?" Well, she must have at
least one dishabille, two costumes for
calls, two for dinners, two hall dresses,
one traveling dress, and one knockabout
for shopping. That makes nine. "Noth
ing so fenrfully extravagant in that," re
marked my informant. "Say they cost
SI,OOO. My husband's club expenses
reach that figure, without any great effort,
either, to say nothing of another thou
sand for winos, oigars, luncheons, etc."
JENNIE DP:AN.
How She Helm veil.
The negro makes us laugh because
he will say things which he should
have left unsaid, and say them w itliout
the least intention of giving offense.
An admirable illustration of this sort
of humor is given in the "Editor's
Drawer" of Harper's. Briefly told, it
is as follows:
Samson, the colored janitor of an
apartment house in which Mr. and
Mrs. Robinson occupy a Hat, is not
treated by their Irish cook with the
deference which he thinks due to his
position.
One morning wheu, at the going up
and down of tho coal-scuttle, Samson
had been worsted in a wordy encoun
ter, his wounded dignity could stand it
110 longer. Stopping Mr. Robinson on
the front stairs, lie complained to him
of his sharp-tongued servant.
What (Samson wished to say was
that the girl assumed as much author
ity as if she wero one of the ladies of
the house. What he did say was this:
"Mr. llobiuson, that girl of yours has
ordered mo round, an' yelled at mo
down the elevator shaft, an' blowed
me an' jawed me until you'd have
thought it was Mrs. Kobiuson her
self."
llow the Jutlge booked at It.
"He was tho quickest man at seeing
a point I ever knew," said a detective.
"I remember one day I had an assault
and battery case in his court; one
l'olack had struck another with a ham
mer. I made out a very strong case,
and I didn't see how the prisoner could
get out of it. Just as the witnesses for
the defense wero about to be examined,
the man who had been assaulted showed
me a machinist's hammer he had
brought along, informing me that that
was the hammer ho had been struck
with. To make conviction doubly sure,
I sent the man up to tho stand again to
show the murderous-looking weapon to
the Judge.
" 'And you say the prisoner strucki
you in the forehead with that hammer ?*
asked the judge.
" 'Yes, sir.'
" 'That will do; tho prisoner is dis
charged.'
"As you may suppose, I was thunder
struck. I didn't know what to make of
it, but as I thought it over it came to
me. The man had beon lying, for if he;
had over been struck on the forehead
with such a hammer as he exhibited l
his skull would have been crushed in.!
I learned subsequently that ho had not
been struck in the head with a hammer
it all."
CHOLLT—I am practicing on the
type-writer every day now. Mollie—t
I thought there was a.remaijtablejjm-