Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 11 August 1893 — Page 4

AT TEE OLD TRYSTim PLACE. The dead leaves rustle at my feet, The moon is shining brightly; Something has softly dimmed my eye*. Aoross the path one shadow lies, The path two trod so lightly. * It was upon a night like this Love left us only sorrow; I held her little hand in mine; That parting is to me divine. Then there was no to-morrow. Sinoe I have learned life’s lesson well, Hearts are not easy br .iken. To-night all joys I have forgot; There's something sacred in this spot, Where sweet good-bys were spoken. Td feel less lonely with myself If I were broken-hearte I; Would I could live that night again, With all its sadness-sweetened pain, When love from love was part d! —[Lippiuoott’s Magazine.

THE PRICE OF SUCCESS.

There was a din of carpenter’s tools and the rasping of a painter’s scraper on the west wing of the house when Mrs. Hunter stopped in the midst of her work and shaded her eyes from the glaring rays of the spring sun. ' Besides being a little nearsighted, overwork with the needle by lamplight had made her eyes weak. Facial neuralgia had left indelible marks of suffering and nervous irritableness stamped on the thin outlines of the pinched face, and the entire muscular system twitched sympathetically with the blinking eyes. The sound of work on the west wing of the large country house had attracted her attention, and the gazed as earnestly at the workmen as if this constituted her sole purpose in life. Far away in the distance the hazy outlines of the hills rose up majestically in the bright spring sunlight, wooded to the summit of their bold heads with the green verdure of another season’s leafy growth. Long stretches of flowerdecked fields, shaded with fruit and ornamental trees, sloped down from the bills to the closely-cropped lawn surrounding the old mansion. In the clean-* swept yard clumps of early roses were opening their buds to the mild, balmy air, and sweet honeysuckle vines were twining their delicate tendrils over arbors and trellis-works. Mrs. Hunter's eyes passed by all of these sights, and saw only the dark side to the whole scene. She turned from her position near the front yard, and walked back to the hot kitchen with her quick, nervous tread. A girl with flushed cheeks and an old calico dress on was bending over a sideboard scrubbing the knives and forks. Shu did not hear her mother’s footsteps, and Mrs. Hunter remained quiet a moment, gazing at the bent form. When she spoke it was in a quick, sharp aud unmodulated voice. “ ’Mandy, what are the men doin’ on the west wing?” The girl s'arted at the sudden interruption in her work; but she replied without looking around: “I don’t know, mother, unless they’re fittin’ it up fur—fur” “Fur what?’’ “ I heard Father say as how he 'spected boarders from the city this summer.” 14 Boarders /” Mrs. Hunter emphasized the word, but made no further comment for some time. She was looking straight ahead at her daughter, bnt ’Alandy did not heed the steady gaze. She kept on in her hard, humdrum, daily work. “ When did you hear Father say this?” Mrs. Hunter always addressed her husband as Father. “ Day before yesterday,” replied the girl.

“ Why didn’t you tell me before ?” the worn-out woman continued, asking her questions pointedly. , “ I thought—as—how it might worry you, Mother, and y—“I see,” interrupted Mrs. Hunter. She became quiet again, gazing this titne out of the window. It was an unusual thing fer Mrs. Hunter to remain idle seven for a few minutes, and ’Handy grew nervous and restless at the change. She scrubbed away at the knives more vigorously, and ventured several low remarks about the grease and dirt, but her mother did not notice her. “’Mandy, haven’t we work enough?” the little woman inquired, in a peculiar voice. “Yes, Mother, we have more—than”— Her eyes looked around the room, at the dirty dishes, untidy furniture, unmendtd clothes, and articles needing attending to that had been stowed away in every hook and corner. “Then what would we do with boarders?”

“I don’t know,” the girl replied, in the same weak, monotonous voice, "un - less—unless—we cared for ’em as we do fur other things.” “ ’Mandy, I ain’t likin’ city boarders, an’ specially them that Father will bring out here. They’re too high-flutin’ an’ stuck up. We ain’t goin’ to work fur ’em neither.” “But, Mother, how ” “Never mind how—we ain’t goin’ to.” Mrs. Hunter jerked her words out with a decided air, and then, picking up the drying towel, she b:gan to wipe the knives and forks with quick, deft motions. Neither worker spoke for a long time, and the bright spring morning waned into the calm, peaceful afternoon; bat the labors of the two pairs of busy hands were not finished until long after darkness had settled over the earth.

John Hunter returned from his work on the large farm, and repaired to his study, where be spent the greater part of the afternoon and evening in consulting books and diagrams. He was a strong, well-formed, and handsome man of his age, with a large, massive brow, and .a hard, determined mouth. The few iron-gray hairs and prominent wrinkles of his face were in perfect harmony with the rest of his appearance. He was a self-made, successful man and one who had met and overcome many difficulties in life. The very adversities which he had encountered were the secrets of his success; but they had also formed a character as hard, stern, and relentless as the rock-ribs of his hilly land.. Ambition to accumulate money led him on to enrich his mind with knowledge, not for the pleasure which it could afford, but for the higher reach of power and wealth which it would inevitably bring. His spacious, well-cultivated fields yielded him no greater joy than his well filled library, stocked with *4 ot the valuable books which he needed. In this comfortable room he apent a part of h;s time each day, watchMents in the world of lienee and literature, me was employed id rs of the farm, or in » for furthering his

financial Interests. By degrees he drifted away from his family, associating even less with them in thought and sympathy than in person, but always with the self-satisfied feeling that he was providing comfortably for them. Their life began and ended in the affairs of the household, and John Hunter firmly believed that such a narrow, restricted sphere was essential to the happiness of woman, for a broader field of thought and action would be confusing and stultifving to her mind. Mrs. Hunter had always been a meek, modest wife, ready to console her husband, and to slave for the common good ; and during the dark, gloomy days of their e«rly lives she had toiled and economized bravely as her share in the mutual burdens. These early lessons of self-denial formed her character and method of life, so that when prosperity came she still clung to her work. As the farm and house were increased in size the work assumed gigantic proportions, and ’Alandy and her mother were pushed night and day to get through with it before bedtime. Airs. Hunter’s modesty forbade her to request the services of “hired help" in the house, and her husband, absorbed in his own work and thoughts, seemed oblivious to the fact that a servant was essential to the household. He had his own men to work in the fields by the dozen, but these were all necessary during the short harvesting period, and the farm could not bo carried on without their help. Mrs. Hunter-and ’Mandy toiled on under the additional burdens, and found very little time for self-culture and improvement. In this way the separation of the family gradually widened; for the successful man developed in the line of thought and action in a larger sphere, while the wife aud daughter narrowed and restricted their existence in the little details of household slavery. The new wing had been built on the already large house without Mrs. Hunter’s advice, and, although she secretly rebelled against the enlargement of the old paternal home, she made no open opEosition. The idea of opposing her usband’s wishes had never yet entered her mind; but when she found that the new addition was being fitted up for city boarders a defiant spirit rose in her.

John Hunter never considered it necessary to tell his wife of any new arrangement until it was all completed. The fact that he was going to take boarders from the city during the summer was not mentioned until the west wing was all completed and nicely furnished. Then one day he remarked to his wife just before leaving for the village: “The rooms are fitted up nicely, and I guess our city people will find it to their liking. ’’ Mrs. Hunter gulped down a lump in her throat, and then said in a voice that seemed unnatural to her: “We can’t take city boarders here. Father.” John Hunter did not seem to comprehend the meaning of his wife’s remark, and he continued in an absentminded way: “We can accommodate a young couple, or even three, in the west wing.” There was another hard gulp, and then, in the same unnatural voice: “But, Father, I say we can’t take city boarders.”

The man began to understand the meaning of the little woman’s opposition, and he looked a little embarrassed. 44 We have no servant to do the work,” his wife continued, “and we do not need the money. ’Alandy is worn out with work, and I cannot do any more. We can’t take city boarders.” One of the farm laborers interrupted the conversation here, and the meek woman retired thankfully from the scene. Her courage wns fast ebbing away, and the little body was ail in a tremble. Nothing more was said about the city boarders for sometime, and Mrs. Hunter in her quiet way was thankfully congratulating herself on her easy victory. It was the first time she had ever objected to any of her husband’s plans, and the grace with which he yielded made her love and respect him all the more. She half regretted that she had openly refused to take his boarders, and she endeavored to atone for it by numberless little acts of kindness and attention.

“Have the papers come from the post office yet, mother? Ah, yes, here’s the Herald ." John Huuter always followed the news of the day carefully, and, as he dropped into a chair to rest, he tore the covering from the paper, and opened the sheet hastily. “Any news in partickler?" asked his wife, rubbing a few specks of dirt from the furniture. “No—that is,”the man replied slowly, “my advertisement appears to day. I want to sec how it reads.” Mrs. Hunter’s bright face changed in an instant, and she asked, in a trembling whisper: “What advertisement? ” ‘‘Why, for boarders,” was the impatient answer. "It is time we did something. The west wing is all ready for occupants.” He soon became absorbed in reading the paper, while the poor woman stole stealthily out of the house. Her face was white, and the bloodless lips were drawn tightly over the teeth. Her breathing was quick and sharp. Nature no longer offered sights of beauty to her. A dark cloud seemed to obscure the landscape, and the sun appeared as an emblem of blackness rather than of light. Under an old apple tree, where strange eyes could not see her, she gave way to her grief, and wept bitter tears of poignant sorrow.

John Starrow, the stalwart lover of ’Mandy, found her there and nearly stumbled over the stooping form. She tried to hide her tear-stained eyes from his bright, searching ones; but he was not so easily baffled. He had watched and pitied the careworn face too carefully to fail to uotice a change. “Hullo, Mother, you’ve been cry:n’,” he said, in his frank way. "What’s up now? Broke a chiny plate, or spilt the dish water on tho carpet? No? Well, what is it? Don’t be afraid to tell.” He passed a strong arm around her slight waist, and nearly lifted her off the ground. The tear-wet eyes blinked and winked hard to keep back the signs of her recent sorrow. “Oh, come, don’t keep anything back. I know something’s wrong, an’ it must be serious this time. You’re all broken up. But here comes ’Mandy; she’ll know.” ’Mandy, in search of her mother, discovered the two in the orchard, and soon approached them. A long consultation was held, during which the whole secret was exploded. The keyword to the whole difficulty was “boarders,” and ’Mandy’s active mind filled out the rest of the story. Mrs. Hunter felt better when she returned to the house. The force of the blow had been deadened by the sudden outburst of tears, and then by the comforting words and attention of ’Mandy and her lover. John Starrow owned a neighboring farm, and had been courting ’Man<% for years; but he had not {nested his suit owing to the fact that

Mrs. Hunter could not spare her daughter. So the big, frank, handsome lover had equally divided his time between working hard in the fields and in comforting the two forlorn women. His services this time were inestimable, and he took advantage of the scene to bring to a climax. The wedding day for the young couple was set. John and ’Mandy have decided to get married in three days,” Mrs. Hunter explained to her husband that evening. “They want to get married in the west wing, and they’ve got to do it before the city boarders come." “Well, I don’t like it; but I suppose they must. Can’t they wait until fall?” ' “No; they are determined to get married in three days, and then go to the city on their wedding trip.” Mr. Hunter made no further comment; but two days later while holding an open letter in his hand, he said: “Well, it’s lucky they didn’t put the wedding off any longer. I’ve got boarders for the west wing ooming the very night of the wedding.” “Oh, how fortunate!” exclaimed his wife, examining the letter. “Yes; but we must get the couple off before noon, bo’s we can fix up the rooms a little before the boarders come.”

“Yes," assented Mrs. Hunter, modestly. The excitement of the approaching wedding prevented the little woman from indulging in any grief, "and if she rebelled against the coming of city boarders she kept her own counsel. She and ’Mandy performed a prodigious amount of work during the hours of the day, and willing neighbors offered their help. The couple were to be married early in the morning, and then depart for the city on the morning train. The wedding morning was a bright and promising one, and long before the sun was up there was considerable bustle around the house. ’Alandy looked pretty and happy as she hurried around to make hasty preparations for the coming ceremony. John Stairow soon appeared and caught the blushing girl in his arms, to steal his first kiss on his wedding day. The bridal couple were as handsome as could be wished, and even John Hunter complimented them on their appearance. He looked at his own worn and faded wife; but if memory brought up feelings of regrets he kept them to himself. He was strangely silent and observant, and did not appear os happy and smiling as the occasion might have warranted.

When the ceremony was over, the breakfast partaken of, good-by kisses and sobs exchanged, the happy pair were carried off to the station by their father. He kissed 'Mandy good-by on the platform, and then stood still and watched the train disappear in the distance. The parting from his daughter made him thoughtful and absent-minded. When he reached home he found his wife sweeping and wiping the furniture in the west wing, preparing everything for the new boarders. The sight made him feel angry with himself, and he wandered from room to room, and then out into the orchard. The guests had all departed, and the place seemed strangely lonesome and deserted. The afternoon dragged along wearily, and the man was glad when night approached. It was dark when he reached the station again to meet the evening train. He found his two boarders waiting for him—a short, well-formed lady, deeply veiled, and a large, well-built man. Owing to the veil of the lady and the surrounding darkness, he could not see the features of either one distinctly. The journey from the station to the house was a short one, and Mr. Hunter could not find words with which to entertain his new boarders. The events of the day had unsettled his happiness, and he could think of nothing but his lost daughter and his poor, lonesome wife. The thought then occurred to him that, in his negligence, he had not asked how long ’Mandy intended to stay in the city. By the time he had left the boarders at the front door he was heartily sick of the whole day’s doings. His conscience pricked him some, but most of the blame he attributed to a bilious stomach. “I don’t feel \vell,” ( he muttered, as he walked toward the house, after seeing that the horses were properly housed. “It must be another attack of biliousness. I’m all out of sorts. I’ll get ’Mandy to”— Then he stopped and made an ejaculation when he remembered that she was no longer with tjiem. He entered the house, where the supper was already on the table. Mrs. Hunter was looking pretty in a new dress, with ruffles around the throat and hands, and two bright burning spots on her cheeks. She was busily flying around, from one thing to another, and when her husband entered she greeted him with a smile. “Are you ready for supper, Father?” she asked. “Yes—no—l don’t feel well,” he stammered. “Well, eat something, and you’ll feel better,” sympathizingly replied his little wife. “Yes. but those confounded—that is, I wish we didn’t have company. I don’t feel like entertaining.” “Why, we only have the boarders. I will call them now.” “Well, go ahead,” the man replied, pulling himself together with an effort. “If I’ve got to entertain them I’ve got to.”

It was a wan sort of smile which he tried to put on his face as the parlor door opened and the two boarders appeared in the dining room. He stood with his face toward the door, and he surveyed them silently for a moment. But the smile slowly disappeared, and a look of puzzled confusion succeeded it. “Why. bless me—what’s this? Mother, how’s this?” The sick man turned from John Starrow and his new bride to the blushing little woman near bis side. Mrs. Hunter was turning red and pale by turns, and her quick breathing prevented her from speaking. John Starrow approached the astounded man and said: “I read in the city Herald, Father, that you wanted boarders, and as ’Mandy and I wanted to get board out here I wrote to you. We’ve engaged the west wing for a year. We’ll be very good boarders, and pleasant at that." “And we’ll help you and Mamma ever so much,” chimed in the new bride. “Ob, Father, don’t look at me so!” finally exclaimed Mrs. Hunter, unable longer to control her feelings. “Don’t be angry with me for the deception. I didn’t want city boarders; they spoil tho home so, an’—an’ ” She burst out sobbing, and covered her eyes with her hands. “There, there, Mother, it’s all right,” her husband said, supporting her with a strong arm. “I didn’t know you felt—felt this way. It’s all right. I don’t—don’t want any city boarders either. Let ’Mandy and John keep the west wing, and we’ll live together.” There was a little moisture around his eyes, and he turned hastily toward the table to conceal it. “Well, come, we’ll have the wedding feast now," he said. “Everything is

ready. I don’t feel sick any mors, f haven’t been to a wedding feast since—why, mother, not since we were married, and that’s—bless met—nigh on to twenty-five years. This will be the anniversary of that event.” With that_ba kissed the lips of his wife for the first time in years, and the four sat down to a wedding feast that marked a new epoch in the household. It was not many days before a servant lightened the burdens of the two newlymarried couples; for Mrs. Hunter always maintained that she was married anew that night, and that it was just as much her wedding supper as’Mandy’s. —[lndependent.

POPULAR SCIENCE NOTES.

Why Cak Wheels Wear Out.—A car wheel wears out beoause the metal of which it is composed comes away in thin scales. A microscopic examination shows that the continual jarring has a tendency to destroy the coherence of the particles, and thus gradually disintegrates the whole. Car wheels long in use become so brittle that a stout blow with a heavy hammer will sometimes cause them to fly into fragments as though they wore made of glass. Electricity Under Paris. The projected underground electric railway to unite the Bois de Boulogne and the Bois de Vincennes, in Paris, is to consist of a circular cast-iron tube twenty feet in diameter and seven miles long, in which will be laid a double track. Trains of four cars will be run on each track at intervals of two minutes. Stoppages will be made at seventeen stations, and the whole distance from one terminus to the other will be traversed jp about forty-five minutes. Steam engines of 4,000 horse power will generate electricity for running the cars and lighting the subways.

Aletauzino Cloth. —An interesting announcement is made in the French papers of the discovery of a process for metalizing textile fabrics, by which, it is claimed, the latter are rendered proof against the attacks of insects. The materials, such as wool, flannel, calico, etc., are for this purpose immersed in a boiliftg’bath composed of two and onehalf pounds sulpknte of oopper, one pound of sulphuric acid, and sixtytwo gallons of water, the fabric-being calendered and dried after its removal from the fluid. The finish obtained by this process will, it is said, bear two or three washings before it is again necessary to subject the cloth to a repetition of the operation. Smoke Consumers. —Notwithstanding the many and ingenious methods which engineering skill has proposed for consuming smoke, especially in the case of bituminous coal, the simple steam-jet device is proving a most satisfactory contrivance. piece of two-inch pipe runs horizontally along the front wall of a furnace, just under the boiler; at one end it is capped, and at the other it turns outward through the front wall, then passing downward and through the front again into the ash pit. The lower end of this pipe is placed well to one side of the ash pit, so that it may not be in the way of the fireman, and opens under the grate so that it may receive air that has been warmed by the downward radiation from the furnace inside of the upper horizontal part of this pipe, a piece of half-inch steam pipe is secured which comes out through the setting at the side opposite to that on whioh the air pipe makes its exit, aud then passes upward aud enters the boiler at its highest part, so that the steam drawn through it may be dry as possible. Small nozzles, with holes one-sixteenth of an inch in diameter, and six inches or so apart, are attached to that portion of the steam pipe enclosed in the air pipe in the furnace, and these come opposite similar but larger nozzles fitted to the air pipe itself. On the valve being opened, steam blovys out through the nozzle, drawing air along with it by a kind of ejector-like action, and the nozzles are so placed that the discharge of mixed air and steam is directed toward the angle formed by the bridge wall ar.d the grates.

Nutmeg Culture.

Nutmeg is becoming a source of much profit to many islands of the West Indies, and especially in Grenada. For many years the nutmeg tree has been grown; it is only recently that its cultivation has received serious attention. To start a nutmeg plantation the ground must be cleared at a cast of .S3O per acre. Sarnan trees should then be planted, forty-five feet apart. Meanwhile, the nutmeg seeds should bo carefully reared in a nursery. In about two years the seedlings should be planted out. Unless the locality is very favorable, ten years must elapse before the trees begin to be productive. A large number will be of the male sex, and, as the proportion of male to female trees should not exceed one in thirty, the planter will have to cut down the trees freely as soon as their sex is declared. It is reckoned that nutmegs should yield an annual profit to the planter of about $2.50 per tree.—[Fortnightly Review.

Fierce Carnivorous Fish.

Such fierce carnivorous fishes as exist in the depths of the ocean are unknown at the surface. There is the “black swallower,” which devours other finny creatures ten times as big as itself, literally olimbiug over its victim, first with one jaw and then with the other. Another species is nearly all mouth, and having no power of locomotion, it lives buried in the soft ooze at the bottom, its head alone protruding, ready to engulf any prey that may wander into its cavernous jaws. There is a ferocious kind of shark, resembling a huge eel. All of these monstirs are black as ink. Some of them are perfectly blind, while others have enormous goggling eyes. No ray of sunlight e\vr pierces the dark, unfathomed caves In which they dwell. Each species is gobbled by the species next Ser, for there is no vegotable ii.s to on.—[Caicago Herald.

What is the Safest Place During a Thunderstorm?

In answer to this question the editor of the Electrical Age says: "The question is rather broad and indefinite. Generally speaking, however, the safest place during a thunderstorm is amid dry and non-metallic surroundings. In a room, for instance, get as far away as possible from open windows and metal pipes or machinery. The interior of a room is about as safe a place as any. The old idea of getting into a feather bed is a very good one. It is a good protective expedient because feathers are insulators. Any substance that is dry, but of a non-metallic nature, is a good insulator, as compared with the substance wet; therefore, keep in diy surroundings. All metals are good conductors of electricity, and lightning always seeks such substances in its path to the ground. Therefore get as far awry as possible from metals.”

THE JOKERS’ BUDGET.

JESTS AND YARNS BY FUNNY MEN OF THE PRESS. Modesty in Letters—Unearned Increment—Distinction—The Blisa of Ignorance—A Literal View, Etc., Etc. MODKBTY IN LETTERS. “ The inventor of the alphabet must have been a modest man," said Hawkins. “ Why so ?" asked Mawson. “ Because he began it with A,” said Hawkins. “ Most men would have begum it with I.”—[Harper’s Bazar. UNEARNED INCREMENT. Teacher—When water becomes ice what is the great change that takes place ? Pupil—The change in price.—[Detroit Tribune. THE BLISS OF IGNORANCE. “ Why are the heads of the figures in the fashion plates always turned as if they were looking back ?” “So they cannot see what guys they are.[Truth.

A LITERAL VIEW. Writer—So this is your apartment ? Why, you-haven’t room here to swing a oat. Poet—l don’t keep a cat, and if I did I don’t think I would want to swing it. DISTINCTION. “My father’s quoted in the la9t novel,” says the poet’s daughter proudly. “ Pooh,” sniffed the rich girl from Chicago. “My father’s quoted in Bradstreet’s.” —[Club. AN AGREEMENT OF OPINION. “ She is what I may call a breezy girl.” “Yes, I notice she has a good many airs.” AN OLD STORY. Jackson Ball—l never kissed a girl in my life until I met you. May Ketchum—l’ve heard that from others. Jackson Ball—Who told you? May Ketchum—Ever so many ; it’s an awfully old lie.—[New York Herald. A WORLD'B FAIR INDIAN. “May I ask what your Indian name is ! ” inquired a visitor at Jackson Park the other day, addressing a doleful youth with a coppery complexion, who was leaning against the Indian school building. “ Injun name Not-Stuck-on-My-Job,” answered the noble young red man unwinkingly.—[The Chicago Tribune. GIVE IT TIME. Eastern Man—Considering the price you ask, it seems to me that this lot is very small. Western Hustler—But you must remember that this is a new town, and growing like all possessed. That lot i 9 young yet. A BAD SLIP.

Dora —And bo your engagement with Mr. Hardhead is off ? Clara —Yes, I sent him flying. Dora—Mercy! What did he do? Clara—ln looking for something in his pocket, he dropped a little clipping from some newspaper, but did not notice it; and after he had gone I picked it up. What do you think it was? Dora—Horrors! I’m sure I could never guess. Tell me quick. Clara—lt told how to clean rag carpets.—[New York Weekly. SOMETHING LACKING. Miss Flirtsome—And you say you have never kissed a pretty girl? How singular! You don’t mean to tell me you lack the courage? Mr. DeCynique—No, not exactly. Miss Flirtsome (coquettishly)—Well, surely you have not lacked the opportunity? Mr. DeCynique—No, not exactly. Miss Flirtsome—What was it, then, you lacked? Mr. DeCynique—The pretty girl.— [New York Herald. CONSOLATION. “ I don’t think this lady would suit me, because I have made up my mind never to marry a woman who plays the piano." “Oh, if that’s all you needn’t worry yourself, because, though she does play the piano, she doesn’t know one tune from another, and so she only goes strum, strum all day long.—^[Schalk. TOO MANY CLOSETS. Wife—l’m so tired and wretched in this house ! Husband—Now, look here. I consented to move up here to Harlem en - tirely on account of those sixteen closets. Wife—That’s just it. I thought I wanted more closet room ; hut now that I’ve got it, it takes all my time to hunt for burglars.—[Puck. CANDY HUNGRY. Wee Son—When Johnny Jumpupp’s papa died, his mamma gave him a whole lot of candy. Mamma—What of it ? Wee Son —Nothing, only I was wondering if it wouldn’t be all right if you'd just pretend my papa was dead instead of waitin’ for a truly funeral. —[Good News. AN EASTER CYCLONE. Western Child—Do you ever have cyclones here? Eastern Child—What is they? “They is winds, awful winds that makes things turn right around.” “Oh, yee. Once 1 saw a wind blow a market wagon across the street and the wheels turned around.”--[Good News.

SHE MAY HAVE BEEN BIGHT. Laura—Mamma, can I sing awhile? Mrs. Figg You mean “may I sing?” Mr. Figg—How do you know she does? Perhaps she really has her doubts.—[lndianapolis Journal. JCTST PRIDE. “I guess the day for me to be on top is past,” soliloquized the battered Derby hat in the ash-barrel, “but even now I am no slouch, and never will be. See.” —[lndianapolis Journal. a practical view. - Struggling Pastor The collections have fallen off terribly. Practical Wife—lt’s that new vestryman who passes the plate. He never watches to see what people put on. [New York Weekly. A WAITER. “If you go first,” murmured the wife of his bosom to the sick man, “you will wait for me on the other shore, will you not, love?” “I s’pose I’ll have to,” he grumbled. “I never went anywhere yet without having to wait for you at least half an heur. ” —[New York Times.

, ft* WILL. Now that the summer’s with vs We’ll hear the savage cry And selected objurgations Of the bakly ae the Uy. —[New York Herald. TU9 BLIND SIDE AND THE SEASIDE. “lam trying to get on the blind side •I papa.” “For what?" “I want to go to the seaside.” NOT BOUND BY GEOBGE’S ACTB. “Chollie,” said Chappie, sorrowfully, “ did you evah weflect that if it wasn’t for that beastly wow Gawge Washington got us into in the lawst century, you and I would have been weal English subjects ?” “Ya-as, and it makes me feel weal dwedful." “Well, I say, let’s sweah allegiance to the Queen now, old fel. Washington’s acts need not bind us. He did not wepwcsent us in the least, saw ye know, Chollie, we weren’t bawn then, so how could he ? ” —[Harper’s Bazar. THE GLAD BELLS RANG. With a joyful cry she threw herself upon her father’s bosom. The old man stroked her golden brown tresses, but dared not press her for her motives. “Oh, pa," she murmured ecstatically. “ What is it, my child ?’’ “Only think. Charley ’’ Her eyes grew moist at the mention of the beloved name. “ —has arranged so that ws cancan—” She faltered, and in her confusion she was doubly lovely. “ —be married.” The parent’s lips moved, but gave no sound. “ Pa.” “ My child.” “Would you believe the sacrifice he has made for love of me ? 11c has just told ine that he would try, oh, so hard, to live within your income.” It were a captious nature that would withhold parental sanction.—[Detroit Free Press. HE WOULDN’T TELL.

First Broker—Did you win or lose ia that cyclone to-day? Second Broker (loftily)—That’s my business. Say can you direct me to a five-cent lunch counter? A PECULIAR OBSERVATION. “Ethel’s young man came to see her last night and she was considerably tickled.” “Was she ? I didn’t know he had a mustache.”—[New York Press.

POISON IVY.

How to Cure the Poisoning—Some Useful Hints. When you go into the country this summer don’t “monkey” with all the pretty plants you may find along the wayside. Especially avoid a twining, beautiful, three-leaved plant you may find growing around the base of trees, stone walls, and old fences. An attractive plant, just the kind of glossy glitter to its bright green leaves as impels one to “just take a little of it home" with you. Don’t do it, unless you are one of those few that may with impunity handle Rhus Vox. That’s the botanical name of the plant, that, familiarly known as poison ivy, has caused so much suffering to many. The writer has suffered, and on many occasions has struggled for its cure by means of neighborly suggestions, by doctor’s efforts, notions, lotions, harrowing days of dread and itch. Does it itch? Yes; you’ll know whan you’ve fooled with Rhus tox. by a strange itch. It’s different from any other itch. You scratch it, and it seems as though you had conquered the irritation; it fooled you. You look for a cause, and find none. The skin is normal, no'blemish shows, but it itches again. When yon are warm and comfortably asleep, you will be awakened up scratching that same spot. You “could dig it out with your nails.” Yon can’t dh it. That’s Rhus tox. poisonings Soon a small, insignificant swelling lumps up where the itch is; then it begins to look watery underneath the skin, but it itches none the less, rather mor/e. You scratch through the skin, the water underneath is released, and the nails and fingers carry the watery poison to fresh spots; possibly to the face, the ears, the body. The same tedious itching, scratching is multiplied. You are now. a case for sympathy. Without means of cure, your existence is a realized sheol. I propose, now that you understand the cause and the symptoms, to tell you of the cure. It is simple, it is effective. Procure from the drug or other stores where they are sold a small bottle of little sugar pills, labeled 11 Rhus tox ” A “hair of the dog that bit you” will cure you. Take six of the little pills at one dose, four doses the first day—morning, noon, evening, and bedtime. The next day the itching will be mollified a degree. The second and third day, take three doses of six pills each dose. You wil), by this time, be so free from irritation that you may carelessly take a few pills until nature heals up the sores. So soon as the healing begins, be very chary of taking many of the pills, as they will, in excess of requirement, produce an intolerable, though harmless, itching over the whole body. The writer, poisoned on an average four to six times a year, finds this remedy a permanent check on the first appearanoe of poisoning symptoms.—[Scientific American.

Funeral of the Tongan King.

King George Tubou, of Tonga, after lying in state for a fortnight, was buried recently’in Princess’ Park, at the capital, Nukualofa. The malae, which was specially constructed to receive the remains of the late king, was made of 1,200 tons of stone, sand and earth. In shape the malae is at present at quadri-lateral-meant for a square—of sixty feet and five feet high. Upon this is erected a vault of New Zealand stone. The vault itself is encased in heavy masonry some two feet in thickness, solid square blocks of coral lnid in cement being used for the pur| osj. The coffins consist of an inner one of lead and an outer of two-inch cedar. The funeral procession formed just outside the Royal Palace and started at the fire of the first of ninety-five minute guns for Princess’ Park. First came the Royal Guards, then came the Band, with muffled drums, playing the “Dead March.” The “maefakaeiki,” or bier, with the ooffin enveloped in rich mats, then followed, borne shoulder-high by some score of bearers. The bier partook of the nature of a catafalque—with tassels, etc. Immediately after the bier followed the chief mourners and at a considerable distance came Prince Taufaahau—“Koe Tui”—the King, dressed in full uniform.—[San Francisco Dxaminer.

MINUTE MARVELS.

Brief Mention of Some Microscopic Works of Art. Dr. Hevlin, in his “Life of King Charles,” records that during the reign of Queen Elizabeth “there was one who wrote the ten commandments, the creed, the Pater Noster, the queen’s name and the prayer of our Lord within the compass of a. penny, aud gave her majesty a pair of spectacles of such an artificial making that by the help thereof she did plainly discern every letter,” says the London Bookworm. A somewhat similar feat was that “rare pieoe of work brought to pass by Peter Bales, an Englishman, who also exhibited before her majesty the entire Bible written in a book containing as many leaves as a fullsized edition, but fitting into a walnut.” - In St. John’s College, Oxford, is preserved a portrait of Charles I. in which the engraver’s lines, 09 they seem to be, are really microscopic writing, the facealone containing all the book of Psalms, with the creeds and several forms of prayers. The learned Porson is kDown to haveindulged in this species of “curious idleness’’ occasionally, and perhaps theGreek verses from the Medea of Euripides, with Johnson’s translation of thesame, for “Burney’s History of Music,”' were executed by him. Though consisting of 226 words, they are comprised ina circle half an inch in diameter, with a. small space in the center left bank. About forty years ago a specimen o£ ; microscopic penmanship was exhibited in America. It consisted of the following inscription written upon glass in a> circle much smaller than the head of an ordinary pin (1-625 part of an inch in diameter): “Lowell and Scuter, watchmakers, 61 Exchange street, Portland. Written by Fermat at Paris, 1852.” At the Dusseldorf exhibition a few years ago a gentleman showed a postal card upon which the whole of the first three hooks of the Odyssey were written, the remaining space being filled with the transcript of a long debate which had taken place in the German parliament a short time before. The whole card contained 33,000 words. In tbe,spring of 1,882 a Hungarian sent to a Vienna paper a grain of wheat on which he had written 309 words taken from Sissot’s hook of Vienna.

Layard, in his “History of Nineveh,” mentions that the national records of the Assyrian empire were written on bricks in characters so minute as to be scarcely legible without the aid of a microscope, and that, in fact, a variety of this instrument was found among the excavations. So much for dainty penmanship. That minute mechanical construction can lay claim to considerable antiquity was evidenced by the work of Pliny and Adrian, who relate that Myrmicides constructed out of ivory a ship with all her appurtenances and a chariot with four wheels and four horses, both so small that a bee could hide either of them with its wings. A still more wonderful work is that of Mark Scaliot, a London locksmith, who, in 1570, manufactured a lock consisting of eleven different pieces of steel, iron and brass, which together with the key belonging to it, weighed only one grain. The same artist constructed a chain of gold containing forty-three links, which he fastened to the lock and key, and upon these being attached to the neck of a flea the insect was able to draw them with ease. Hadianus Junius saw at Mechlin, in Brabant, a cherry stone carved in the form of a basket, in which were fourteen pairs of dice, the spots on the latter visible to the naked eye. A cherry stone carved by the Italian sculptor, Rossi, and containing a glory of sixty saints, was shown at Florence for many years. A still more marvelous curiosity was a set of 1,600 ivory dishes, which were said to have been purchased by one Shad from the maker, Oswald Northingerns, and exhibited before Pope Paul VI. These dainty turnings, though perfect in every respect, were scarcely visible to the naked eye, and could be easily inclosed in a casket the size of a peppercorn. A Jesuit, Pather Ferrarius, made twentyfive wooden cannon capable of being packed away in the same space. In on the birthday of King George 111., a watchmaker of London named Arnold presented himself before the king to exhibit a curious repeating watch of his manufacture. This watch was in diameter somewhat less than a silver two-pence, contained 120 distinct parts and weighed altogether less than six pennyweight. Not very long ago a London newspaper announced that a jeweler of Turin had made a tugboat formed of a single pearl. The sail is of beaten gold studded with diamonds and the binnacle light at the prow is a perfect ruby. An emerald serves as its rudder and the stand on which it is mounted is a slab of whitest ivory. The entire weight of this marvelous specimen of the jeweler’s craft is less than half an ounce, but the maker values it at £I,OOO.

How to Seal a Letter.

The ability to “seal” a letter correctly is said to be one of the lost arts. In the good old days of goose quills, loose sand for blotting, and fine sealing wax fer adhesive purposes, delicacy and dexterity in putting the wax in the right place witßout burning one’s fingers was a necessary part of a liberal education. Nowadays the art has almost passed out of remembrance. Here is the correct method of sealing a letter: When the letter is ready lay the seal on the table, at your right hand, and in such a position that when used the impression may be square and right side up. Then hold the wax above the flame of the gas or candle, but not near enough to burn. When the wax has been gradually softened apply it with a circular movement upon the place to be sealed; rub it well around and down until you have the circle of proper size and thickness. The wax, still soft, has cooled sufficiently to take a clear impression. Hold the envelope a little distance from the flame until the wax has again become soft, then moisten the seal and apply it. The result will be a clearcut impression. There will be no adhesion of wax to seal, no breaking and no irregular wax strings hanging about the paper. The letter cannot be opened without destruction of the seal itself, which in old conventional style will serve as the security of the contents of the letter.

Nutmeg as a Poison.

It now appears that among the things which must be put out of reach of youthful hands, along with laudanum bottles and ammonia, is the simple nutmeg. A little boy of eight ate two the other day and died. Since that time the fact that nutmeg is a deadly poison has been widely aired. Most condiments are when taken in any quantity and alone, but the rest have such a disagrceablo taste that no one is likely to consume a great deal of them. Nutmeg, however, tan be consumed in sufficient quantities to cause death without warning the consumer of its bad effects by its disagreeable taste.—[New York World.