Ligonier Banner., Volume 25, Number 25, Ligonier, Noble County, 2 October 1890 — Page 7

Ghe Figonier 3 HYouLey dranney. LIGONIER, ' s INDIAN/ ‘ GRANDPA’j SOLILOQUY. e T've lived nigh on to n}nety years, 'mong things I’ve had to learn “Was that pint of human natur’ that has done a deal of harm, “*Tis the master fault, few preachers tifat infact have understood, . It’s the taking up of evil, and forgetting of the good. T heard the vital questioné agitated in their day, And five and thirty years ago I sometimes had my say. And when the social evil was discussed inevery part, : 5 I note that pint I spoke of had got uncommon sharp. ; : If there’s one thing more’n another that makes ‘a man feel queer, *Tis to have a chronic grumbler too uncomfortably near, v No matter what you talk about he’ll meet it with a groan, And tell you of his troubles jn a cemetery tone.

He’s allus blue as whetstones, and he’s got a load of cares “That fits his skinny body closer than the clothes he wears. ¥ [He is allus mighty sartin that his life is almost Vit gone, lYet I note this whining pessimist will live un‘common long. 3

Fe is really begging pity, that's the secret of it ‘ all And he seems to be the happiest when curses thickest fall, Blind as a bat to blessings, and color-blind to hope, But he’ll see the smallest evil without specks or microscope.

And there never was an evil so feeble and so small ‘That this musty tombstone natur couldn’t nuss up rank and tall = And if 1t chanced to get away, or die for want of . . breath, - C Then he'd have a double sorrow &' mourning sorrow’s death. |} -

Now, I like the plucky fellow who meets you with a smile, : ‘Whose heart may be a’ smothering some trouble all the while; : He can allus find a blessing where others see a curse, And he'll tell you all your trials might have been a leetle worse. . :

Life has some heavy burdens—of course that must be so— - - But if you've got a little grit, *twill help to ease your woe, And the time that’s spent bewailing about “the . bitter cup” : You had better use a' reckonin’ your many blessings up. .

©One thing I've learned for sartin—the pathway " will go bright : 1f you keep hope’s candle burning; the burdns will grow light If you don’t cry over troubles long afore they come aroun’, P i But keep busy hunting blessings, you never will get down. : .

I've lived nigh on to ninety years, had burdens . on the road, Yet I've allus found some carrying a’ enough sight heavier load. : One gift I'd ask, were I set back—not freedom » from all strife, But a lively’preciation of the good there is in life. : =

—Eliza Lamb Martyn, in Boston Globe.

THE STOLEN IDOL.

‘Searching for a Midnight Prowler ; in Ohio. “Its a shame, Mr. Deering, a blessed shame that my aunt should accuse Jessie Darling of theft. How could she do such a thing?” The young ‘'man who stood before me was hot with indignation, and from his words and actions I at once divined the truth that he was very far from indifferent to Miss Darling. I smiled a little at the young man’s enthusiastic defense of his aunt’s maid. *“‘Was the jewelrylost by Mrs. Goodale' «©of much value?” I questioned, after the -young man had told his story. “I don’t believe it was; but you see, it's an heirloom in the family, and therefore prized very highly,” returned Walter Goodale. : “It's a hideous Indian idol, made of gold and precious stones, and has adorned my aunt’s dresser for years innumerable.’ Jessie has been ‘with her a year, and now, when the hideous old idol disappears,my aunt flies into a rage and at once accuses poor little Jessie of the theft. Aunt Selina is a terror when she’s enraged, and, well— I wouldn’t permit myself to stay and hear Jessie traduced, so I fled and came ‘to you, Mr. Deering. Youmust find the ‘thiefout and thus vindicate the poor tgirl. I'll reward you handsomely for it, if you succeed.” : It was in one of Ohio’s smaller cities that I was sojourning now, and for some months I had been in the detective work. 1 knew the Goodales, and had seen Jessie Darling, whose sweet face and blue eyes were very attractive. I understoéd well enough that Walter was dead in love with his aunt’s maid, ‘and also that the aunt was displeased at the outlook. . ' : The first thought #hat dawned upon my brain was that the old lady had con--cocted a little plot to disgrace the girl, and thus break up the match that was but forming. It pleased me to see the young man so confident of Jessie’s innocence, and I was rather pleased than otherwise to enter upon the unraveling of the mystery. = - : I repaired at once to the house of Mrs. Goodale. It was a large, square #tone building of ancient construction. ' Mrs. Goodale was a. wealthy widow with no children of her own, and her -orphan nephew, Walter, found an abode with her. .

When I reached the house 1 found the . maid in the hall, with hat and shawlon, about to leave the place. The girl was pale, and I could see that she had been weeping. ' } . “I ought to put you in the hands of an officer at omce,” declared Mrs. ‘Goodale. C !

~ *““You can find me at my mother’s any time,” returned the girl, in a shaking voice, and then she turned and hurried from the house, not looking toward me ‘as she passed. I confronted the widow, and she uttered my name in glad sur‘prise. ; ‘“The very man I wish to see,” she declared. ‘I have been robbed, Mr. Deering, and there goes the thief now,” pointing toward the retreating form of Jessie Darling. ' ' ‘‘Are . you -sure she is the thief?” I asked. ““Of course I am.” % “Then you will have her arrested at ©once?” -

“Well, I ought to, and I shall, unless she returns the stolen property.” “Which is very valuable?” ‘“Yes. Did Walter see you? I am ‘ ~ gladof it, although lam sure the girl is © the thiel. Come in, Mr.- Deering, and I ‘will tell you all about jt.” = { lentered the parlor, and the widow ‘was soon explaining the situation, It ‘was about as the nephew had stated it, only Mrs. Goodale assured me that she'

had found a ring that she had lost at the same time as the idol, in her maid’s trunk.

*‘She got red enough when I told her where I found the ring,” proceeded Mrs. Goodale, ‘‘and tried to screen herself by saying that I was a meddlesome woman to go snooping into her trunk. I squelched her, though, and- if you think it best I will have a warrant issued at once. The girl may leave the city, you know.” *“I have little fear of that,” I said.“At any rate, permit me to investigate this affair first, Mrs. Goodale. It may be that you wrong Miss Darling by your suspicions.” . :

"~ ““You will undertake to find the criminal, Mr. Deering?” s - ‘“Your nephew has employed me.” ‘“lndeed! He pretends to think that Jessie Darling is innocent, but how he can is more than I understand.”

The widow then led the way to her room, showed me the dresser on which the Indian idol had rested for these many years, until the previous night, when it had mysteriously disappeared. “This ring I lost thwee days ago,” said she, holding up a diamond circlet for my, inspection, ‘‘and I found it in the bottom of Jessie’s trunk.”

“But you found nothing of the Indian god ?”’ :

% “NoO.” - . - - “You are, of course, sure it is not in the trunk?” ;

“I am. I went through it in a thorough manner.” ; : *“Then we must look elsewhere for the lost idol. * Were you absent from home at any time yesterday?”

“Yes; but the idol was in its accustomed place when I returned at night.” ® ‘‘Are you sure?” o '

. ] am sure.” S “How about this window?” “It is always securely fastened.” “And the door?” v | I always secure that the last thing before retiring.” L e I regarded her keenly. ' “Then, how do you account for the maid's entering the room without even interrupting your slumbers, Mrs. Goodale?” - B e “I cargt account for that, unless she has ajduplicate key.” “That is not likely, unless the girl is a professional thief,” I said. “Oh, she's, not that. I know Miss Darling has a good mother, and—but, you see, I found my lost ring in her trunk, and that seems conclusive evidence.” . ,

“What did she say when you told her about the ring? How did she explainits presence in her trunk?”’

*‘Oh, she did not attempt to doit, only burst out erying. I suppose she thought that would soften me, but it didn’t, nor make me think her an innocent creature. I think she’s the thief fast enough, but I hate to lose the idol, and if you can scare her: into a confession, and a return of the stolen property, I shall be very lenient.” “I will see,” was my only reply.

I was now quite positive that Miss Darling was not the thief. I was, however, undecided as to whether Mrs. Goodale had “put up a job” on the girl, or had really been robbed. - -

I spoke to Walter, and suggested the former theory, at which he scouted, having full confidence in his aunt, no matter how much she may have disliked the thought of his, Walter’s, advances toward the maid.

- “Well,” said I, “permit me to carry out a little plan of my own, to do which, I must have free access to the house day and night.” . “*Of course that is granted,” said the young man. » *‘And, mind you, say nothing of this to your aunt.” ‘‘As you please.” Thus it was settled. Jessie had gone to her home, making no attempt to flee, and her trunk was sent after her. 1 was given a room in an unused quarter of the house, which 1 occupied only at night, quite unknown to Mrs. Goodale. Walter gave me keys to all the rooms, so that I could roam about at will during the slumbers of the inmates. I could not get over the ideathat Mrs. Goodale had plotted to disgrace her maid for a purpose, and I meant to trap her if possibie. L I had notlong to wait. e

Just a week after my arrangement with Walter I slipped from my couch, fully clothed, and haunted the corridors of the old house, as I had done every night of my sojourn under its roof. To-night my vigils were to meet with reward. :

A white-robed figure stole from Mrs. Goodale’s room, and, hurrying down the hall, pushed open the door to the room lately occupied by Jessie Darling, and entered. Moonlight streamed into the hall, and - T recognized the face of the widow. Doubtless she was bent on more mischief. - ! §

Quickly and. noiselessly I stole to the door and locked it, thus making Mrs. Goodale a prisoner.

I turned about, then, and came near uttering a cry. :

Passing along the hallway was a white-robed figure, and the sight of a second nocturnal wanderer quitestartled me., ° ! : ' $

While I stood dumb, almost petrified, the figure disappeared. 1 breathed more freely now, and soon crept softly in the steps of the last night-prowler. : s The door of the widow’s room stood open. Ilooked in to see my ghostly walker rummaging in a drawer of the old dresser.

gl . . a **Confound it!” said g voice, *“l'm sure it’s in here.” ¢ 4

1 started at the spund of that voice. Presently the figure stole out through the door, and went swiftly down the hall, till another open door was reached. Of course I followed, quite puzzled and interested.i -

The night-prowler entered the room, and knelt beside Walter Goodale’s bed. What was he aboutrto do? Commit a murder? I was on the point of spring‘ing forward, when the ghostly form lay flat on the carpet, and seemed to be reaching for something. “Ah! I have it now.” 'When the form would have risen, I sprang forward, and landed astride its back. ; o ~ “‘Hello! What the deuce!” ~ Iscratched a match and held it close .to the face of my prisoner. It was Walter Goodale! After a moment I got up ‘and lit the gas. g . The young man looked sheepish ~enough as he stared at me, then at his ‘single garment. 4 ; . “What the deuce does it mean, Deering?” said he. “Am I dreaming, or did 1 fall out of bed?” _ “Neither,” said I. *‘What have you in your hand, Mr. Goodale?’ “Eh? Inmyband? o . : _ He lifted his right hand, and opened it'from aglittering object. =~ .+ .-

~ ““Well, by the powers!” exclaimed the young man; ‘“it’s the stolen idol!” ‘“Yes,”” said I, “and you are the thief, Walter Goodale.” o A look of blank dismay covered the face of the young man. He admitted that he was a somnambulist, that it was a family trait, and that even his aunt was addicted to it. . o Of this latter faet I was well aware, since she, too, had been out to-night on a walk, and was even now in Jesgie’s room, where we found her later in the girl’s bed, soundly sleeping. . : The stolen idol had been tucked under the carpet beneath Walter’s bed. He had stolen the idol, but I believe ‘Mrs. Goodale had secreted her ring in ' Jessie’s trunk while on one of her nocturnal jaunts. - Miss Darling never returned as Mrs. Goodale’s maid, but, some time later, as the wife of the man who stole the Indian idol.—Yankee Bladeé. ANIMAL PUNISHMENT. ‘Legal Absurdities Perpetrated in ‘the : “Good. Old Times.” In the middle ages the lower animals were frequently tried, convicted and punished for. various offenses. Mr. Baring-Gould has collected some curious cases of this kind. 1n 1266 a pig was burnt at Fontaney-aux-Roses, near Paris, for having eaten a child. In 1386 a judge at Falaise condemned a sow to be mutilated and hanged for a similar ~offense. Three years later a horse was solemnly tried before the magistrate and condemned to death for having killed a man. During the fourteenth century oxen and cows might be legal1y killed whenever taken in the act of marauding, and asses, for a first offense, ihad one ear cropped; for a second offense, the other ear, and if after this ‘they were asses enough to commit a ‘ third offense, their lives became forfeit to the crown. “‘Criminal” animals fre‘quently expiated their offenses, like ~other malefactors, on the gallows, but ‘subsequently they were summarily ‘killed without trial, and their owners .mulcted in heavy damages. In the fifteenth century it was popularly believed that cocks were intimately associated with witches; and they were ‘somewhat credited with the power of laying accursed eggs, from which sprang winged serpents. In 1474, at Bale, a cock was publicly accused of having laid one of these dreadful eggs. He was tried, sentenced to death, and, together with the egg, was burned by the execufioner in the market-place amid a great concourse of people. In 1694, during the witch persecutions in New England, a dog exhibited such strange symptoms of affliction thathe was believed to have been ridden by a warlock, and he was accordingly hanged. ~Snails, flies, mice, ants, caterpillars and other obnoxious creatures, have been similarly proceeded against and condemned to various punishments—mostly in ecclesiastical courts. And, stranger still, inanimate objects have suffered the same fate. In 1685, when the Protestant chapel at Rochelle was condemned to be demolished, the bell thereof was publicly whipped for having assisted ‘heretics with its tongue. After being whipped it was catechized, compelled to recant, and then baptized and hung up in a Roman Catholic place of ~worship. Probably similar absurdities may have been perpetrated in our own country; for it must be remembered that only in the present reign was the law repealed which made a cart-wheel, a tree or a beast which had killed a man forfeit to the State for the benefit of the poor. It had been said that punishment is not likely to be ‘efficacious unless it swiftly follows the offense. This was improved on by a Bérbary Turk who, wheneyer he bought a fresh Christian slave, had him hung up by the heels and bastinadoed, on the principle, it is supposed—though the ‘application is deciledly singular—that prevention is better than cure.—All the Year Round. : AN INSECT PRECENTOR. The Puss-Moth Caterpillar’s Place in the Orchestra of the Woods. No orchestra is complete, of course, without its leader. Even the ‘“first fiddle” must observe the baton. And as. the insect world affords us.a veritable fiddler and a harpist, as well as other instrumentalists, so too may we find our precentor close at hand, if our eyes are only sharp enough. This group of singing beetles upon the poplar branch. I wonder if they are watching him as they nod their squeaky trio? For he is close at hand. Even among these very leaves we are sure to find him with a little search. But if they are indeed observing him, he must be a | decidedly confusing leader, for no two ‘ of the bobbing heads are keeping the game time. Ah! here he is! perched upon the midstem of an aspen leaf close by. You have seen him perhaps a hundred times, and all his pompous pride has been wasted on you, being doubtless mistaken for a part of a withered or cyrled leaf. Our precentor is about an inch and a quarter long. The forepart of his body is arched upward like a sphinx. He wears a green vest and a. flat triangular hat, and a white bordered brown mantle decorates his back. And his baton? No wonder our beetle trio. were confused, for our precentor wields two batons. He is a law unto himself, has no score to follow, and, what is more, if things don’t go exactly to suit him, he whips out from the tips of his batons two long red whip lashes, and makes things lively for a few moments. : o

~ 1t is difficult to understand the many impetuous antics of our eccentric precentor- squirming from side to side, circling his double baton about his head as with a hurrah, snapping his whip on right and left without rhyme or reason. Yes, as a precentor it ¢s difficult to understand his doings. But when we return to reason, and remember that he is only an important pussmoth caterpillar, it is not balf so mysterious. If we watch and wait for a moment or two, we shall doubtless wit= ness a return of that buzzing fly—a parasite, perhaps—that has just been tickling him." :

The puss-moth caterpillar is quite common upon young aspens, and will be readily recognized from my description. It is an amusing insect, and, so far as I have seen, those pecullar rosy whip-lashes concealed within the forked tail, to be used when occasion demands, are not described in the populay works on natural history,—William Hgmilton Gibson, in Harper’s Young Peopie.

l —‘Miss Clara,” he remarked, as he reached for his hat, ‘I trust thatyoudo not view my going with anger.” *“An. ger, Mr. Barlow!” replied his idol, who 'had declined to receive him as a worshiger; ‘‘on the contrary, it gives ma Joy.”—Harper’s Bazar. = s

| FASHION LETTER. Fabrics, Trimmings and Styles for Every 4 Purse and Every Taste. |Special New York Correspondence.] The present season’s importations are remarkable for their rich effect and artistic elegance. The rage for novel combinations and color effects seems to have reached its height, and gowns in Persian and other Oriental patterns appear in marked contrast to the costumes in fawn, nun’s gray and other neutral tones. The wealth of the Orient and the vivid coloring of the tropies are to be found in .the tapestried, brocaded and striped silks, India wools and velvets, that glitter with a net-work of new superb garnitures whose settings closely simulate real gems. Many of the new French corsages are decorated with Persian passementerie placques and points placed upon collar, vest, girdle and sleeves. Some are embroidered directly on the garment. = The Vandyke ' points and deep E band pieces for ‘ skirts are wonder- # {f, s fully rich and 'éi’fj// effective. ‘Their (& 1% price is wonderful l-g__:—,_;‘? 4 also. A great porA i tion are embell- ! ';—f = ished with fine 2 3 stones in torquoise, <4B ‘( . garnet, amber, etc., ! \ | faceted like jewels. @ |} [N\@ On Paris dinner i [ ,i? and reception . \ll A dresses they are )oy a si&een’ch century S \ b\ 4 garnitures, the I%\ \ 2 points and scrolls %\o i 9 4; showing a revival 1 AN 28 of designs of that i ""{:'\.c \\\ é/ #\ period. Fashion . ,/’?/ WA is also going back = this autumn to the R plain sheath skirt with the finish of a fringed ruche, or a Stuart frill formed by placing three and sometimes five very narrow ruffles one above another; at the foot of the dress skirt. Princesse dresses are in high vogue, appearing among toilets designed for nearly every occasion, the fabrics used deciding their appropriateness, these ranging from English serge on through the exquisite fine wools to Lyons velvet and brocade. Rose ruchings and coquilles of pinked silk appear upon many of the new princesse tea-gowns. Ikolland twills and En- - glish glace mohairs in handsome color- W ings appear among * the ' stylish travel- R ing dresses for the NG season. Camels \ ‘ hair in exquisitely §‘W = = fine ‘weaves appears NNF with large oblung %‘;{\z’f‘ "polka dots of very 7@'«.& rough camel’s hair, AN R or in alternate R stripes of finely-' | L 8 i “ woven and shaggy < SIS\ / lines. These make Ny ‘ N very handsome lA\ / Frénch pol onaises N{\ /! combined with the ki ) 'y plain fabric. Nun’s. RISR A " gray camel's haiz HHSN 7 § dresses in Greek FHNA\ £/ style trimmed with g} SR\ gold and silver pas- g} Qs il s >menteries or with “§‘*t, cut steel with set- Sl tings of sapphire stones laid over bands of gray and white cloth are among some of the ideal gowns imported. ‘“The display of stripes and silk and wool plaids is remarkably rich. Some of the blocks are large, but are not at all gaudy in effect, there being tar less of the genuine clan tartans, with their crude colorings, than of blocks and stripes which show only two art colors such as dahlia and amber, peach color and torquoise, blue, silver and pine green, English rose and ‘Scotch gray, fawn and plum color, geranium red and russet, ete. : To combine with the plain or striped velvets are beautiful India cashmeres, = vigognes, and royal o cords and armures, 3 in most lovely fruit A tones, and in rich AR blue green and rus{"VQ’,", ~ set shades. Hand-;"‘Q-Q’" 0 G some ‘costumes are [RS P made up in combin,‘o‘% )‘& ation with tartan Pl ) surahs, and ensuite I AWA areblack velvetsail1| A& \\, or hats with black W Prince of Wales %1;/ feathers atoneside, : /bhé and ' black velvet | /;"“;é“g -~ shoulder capes, | ,/ ,SM lined with the i\ /I/00A0 plaided silk, and o | 'fi‘%: trimmed with aneck o/ "03{7 piece of ostrich & ’,,?‘Q..i‘-/ ¥\ feathers. Gay tar- ‘ /ZQQ"'\S?"’(, . tansilk shirt-waists f /;O:K\’u,&f% are worn wisth T g e S dark skirts of vari- ' ous kinds. Bright red silk blouses are made with deeplypointed yokes, cuffs and turn down collar of black velvet, briar-stitched with scarlet silk. - : ~ Fur and feathers will rival each other as wrap garnitures all winter. Yellow and orange tints are numerously represented in millinery, and among brocade and other evening toilets. Stanley jackets of heliotrope cloth, trimmed with jeweled passementerie of a deeper color, with Dorothy vests of russet silk likewise trimmed, are elegant luxuries for calls and receptions. They are worn over princesse dresses of heliotrope corded silk. ; ch ey

HUMOR OF THE SCHOOL-ROOM.

A SBCHOOL-TEACHER asked an Irish boy to deseribe an island. ‘‘Sure, ma'am,” said Pat, ‘“‘it’s a place you can't lave widout a boat.” .

ScHoon VisITOR (to bad boy)—¢ My son, what branches do you pursue?” Bad Boy—‘“I don’t pursue any; the teacher does ail the chasin’.” A MICHIGAN teacher received in one pupil’s grammar papers this illustration of the degrees of comparison: *‘Positive, first; comparative, next; superlative, last.” : &

SCHOOL-TEACHER (severely)—*‘You are half an hour late this morning.” Little boy (who was “‘kept in” the day before) —*“Yes’'m. 1t was late yeste’day when 1 got home.” i '

TEACHER (reading)—*‘ ‘Let down your sable shade, oh night, and hide this sad earth from my sight.’ That's poetry. How would you express the same idea in prose? Well, Johnny?” Johnny—- “ Pull down the blind.” - “‘WHERE is the island of Cuba situated?” asked a school-teacher of a | small, rather forlorn-looking boy, *I | dunno, sir.” *“Don’t you know where | your sugar comes from?”’ *‘Yes, sir; we borrows it from our next door neighbor.” '

SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. —Prof. Kohnsa German botanist, has recently discovered that spontaneous combustion of hay and other vegetable substances, is due to the action of a germ, aspergilius fumigatus. —Blackening the nose and cheeks under the eyes has been found an effeetual preventive of snow blindness or the injurious effect of the glare from illuminated snow upon eyes unaccustomed to it. —lt is not generally known that there are more wagons manufactured in St. Louis than in any other city of the country. The entire South and Southwest are supplied with wagons of all kinds from that point. In the line of fancy wagons and carriages, St. Louis manufacturers beat the world, shipping even to Europe and Australia. —Mr. Shelford Bidwell, in speaking at the Royal Society’s conversazione in London, exhibited an experiment which may possibly explain the intense darkness, often accompanied bya lurid yellow glow, during thunderstorms. After showing on a screen the shadow of a. small steam jet, which was of a neutral gray tint, and of feeble intensity, he electrified the jet, and the shadow became ‘dense and of a peculiar orangebrown hue.

—ln aniline dyes Prof. Stilling, of Strasburg, believes he has discovered antiseptics strong enough to kill bacteria in a concentration not injurious to the human body, and at the same time diffusive enough to spread over a wounded surface. In a man of seventy, whose left leg between the ankle and the knee was covered with ulcers which would not heal, the suppurative microorganisms were all destroyed in a few days, and the ulcers disappeared.—Arkansas Traveler, —ln a recent lecture on ‘‘Marine and Fresh Water Fishes,” a noted scientist said that fish have the power of influencing one another by sounds and action. He had observed a shoal of carp following the lead of a single one, which conducted them to a quantity of food at a considerable distance away. He had also noticed that certain fresh water fish, such as trout, were subservient to a ruler, which might be seen swimming at the head of his tribe. The same was possibly the case with some marine forms, like the herring and bass. —An extraordinary report comes from Fort Chippeweyan that the United States surveyors have established the 141st meridian, which forms the boundary between Alaska and Canada, twentyeight miles farther east than it was supposed to be. If this is true, a large area of gold placer ground would be transferred to the United States. But it seems strange that so great an error should have been allowed to passin a region which was well known to traders and prospectors.—Engineering and Mining Journal. : : . —The experiments of Dr. Tatum have done not a little toward clearing up the mystery that has shrouded the physical mechanism of death by electricity, He has made It more than probable that thore is a real difference bLetween the effects of continuous and alternating currents, in that the formerseem to kill only through a direct action on the substance of the heart, while the latter owe whatever added danger ‘they may possess to a distinct action on certain portions of the nervous system. Dr. Tatum has also shown that the difference in the effects of the two classes of current is far less than some foreign investigators would have us believe.—Electrical World. ;

—-A queer and suggestive find is reported to have been made in the sleepy old Moravian town of Salem, N. C. Being surrounded by enterprising neighbors, who are alive to the advantages of ‘ectric lights and electric railways,

alemdetermined to be abreastthe times. Not many days ago a workman was fitting electric light® wire in the attic of one of the old buildings of the town, when he came upon a quaint group of souvenirs, which showed the different stages of illumination which had succesively come within the experience of the household. There was first;a set of oldfashioned tin candle moulds; thenan oil lamp of antigque pattern, and, lastly, a small section of a gas pipe, which he then and there supplanted by the wire through which the electric current was soon to pass. REVENGE IN BURMAH. Terrible Vengeance of the Dacoits on the Friends of Their Enemies. A headman informed me one day as I passed through his village of the whereabouts of a well-known dacoit a few miles off. On this information the man was, tracked and executed an hour or two afterward. Some months later this headman and his brother, both well disposed to our rule, were waylaid and murdered by the gang to which the abovementioned dacoit chief had belonged. In another case a man who had been impressed to serve the dacoits as cook and | baggage-carrier escaped and took refuge .§ in a well-defended post, only, however, to hear a few days later that hia old mother, who was living in her native village, had the night before been mur- | dered. Some information on which one or two dacoits were captured was given by a man who himself lived in a large town with a military station, and was, therefore, safe. His nearest relatives, however, a mother, sister, wife, two young children, and an infant a few i hours old, living in their own village, were very shortly afterward all murdered in one night. They were beheaded and laid out’in a row, from the largest at one end to the baby at the other. Such was the terrible vengeance of the dacoits on the families of those who were themselves out of reach. Hundreds of similar instances might be related, all showing the same system, and only differing one.from another in the various methods by which the acts of revenge were carried out. | . Whenever the dacoits believed that they were in no danger of interruption from our troops, elaborate tortures were added to simple assassination; if, however, a sudden alarm was raised, a blow of the dah from each of the gang in succession made their vengeance sure. It is astonishing how accurate the information of the dacoits frequently is, and how carefully they watch the movements of every post. A district magis- , trate, accompanied by the officer com- ' manding the military police and by a district su "erintendeng of civil police, returnin fl;om village C. through village B. %where a post was to be estab. lished) to village A., received intelligence the day after their arrival of an ‘attack upon B. and the murder of a woman whose husband and brother had - both rendered us an important service. The dacoits waited to perform this outrage until the officers had passed back through B. with ba'g-ge:lge and personal escort, thus seizing the most fae vorable opportunity for their purpose, a 8 any convoys WQn{d have accompanied the g’a'zt to save escort, and no patrol - was ika{y to ?M:diwctly after the pas~sage of a considerable bady of troops.— . National Review. =~ e

BROTHER’S LOVE FOR BABY. Come dowr: to our house, 1 have something to show you— { A dear little baby that basn’t a name; So pretty, so ounning, so sweet that I know ou ¢ Wilfwish that you had at your own heuse the same. : His dear little head, he, can’t always»hbld steady; He can’t even place where he wants to, his hands; : : He smiles when I come, so he knows me already— And just the le@ist bit, on his two feet he stands, | ; 1 novgr liked any thing half as much—may e ~ You think I would sell him—l wouldn’t for gold! i T¢ know how I love him—the dear darling .baby— : You Imust love one yourself-youn could never be told. —Sarah E. Howard, in Our Little Men and Women. ; HOW THE BEAN GROWS. Provisions of the Mother Plant for Her 3 Little Ones. How many boys and girls who are fond of that good old New England dish called ‘‘succotash’” can tell how the young bean or corn plant grows? How many have looked for the baby bean in the seed? I would like to tell you how to find it, and how to watch its growth from a tiny, helpless infant to a lusty three-weeks-old plant. : Get a handfvl of beans and corn kernels, such as can be found at the florist’s, also a few peas, and let them soak in a glass of water for several hours. The tough outer covering or ‘‘seed-coat” of the bean will become wrinkled, “and will split .in several places. Remove the coat, and you will find at one énd what looks like a little stem bent down upon the seed. Open -carefully the halves of the bean at the other end, and you will discover the baby bean tucked away between two warm,thick blankets. These blankets are really leaves—very curious leaves, you will think; so thick and round; and, indeed. they do not look much like an ordinary leaf. When the young bean starts in life ‘it is as helpless as a human baby, and can not obtain food for itself until it has grown a few roots; so the mother bean of last summer thoughtfully provided a rich store of food for the babies in the seeds until they should be old enough to draw their own nourishment from the soil. This food the mother plant stored away in the seed-leaves, and that is why they are so much thicker than ordinary leaves. Long ago some clever man found out that they are food for us aswell, and the next time you have beans or peas for dinner you will like to remember that you are eating, not only the food provided for the taby bean, but the baby bean itself! : .

Perhaps :you do not know that.the rich, oily meats of the butternut and walnut are seed-leaves so altered as to bear little or no' resemblance to the ordinary butternut or walnut leaf. But if you will plant a butternut some fall, and the next spring dig it up, you will discover a marvelous.change—the kernel will have become-green and leaf-like, and you will no longer think of eating it. | Having found the young bean and pea in the seed, plant the other seeds in earth or sand in shallow pots, taking care to water them a little eachi!day. In the course of a few days, if you are curious, you will dig up a seed or two to se2 what has happened. You will find the little stem has grown stouter and longer, and the lower end roots will soon appear, while the seed-leaves have ovpened a little, allowing the young bean within to grow upward. The little stem may be likened to a foot which the seed pushes down into the ground, and the young plant to an arm which it thrusts upward into the light and air. If you have planted a seed the wrong end uppermost you will be amused to see how the stem has twisted and turned to get underneath. The one is destined for the bright, warm sunshine; the other for the dark, moist earth; each knows its mission, and each may be trusted to find its rightful place. b '

At the end of another week let us look again at our little friends. No longer hiding out of sight, they have boldly pushed their way into the upper world, the bean bringing up its seedleaves, somewhat battered and brown, to be sure, but still clinging to the young plant, which, no longer a helpless baby, has grown several inches beyond them; little roots have appeared at the end of the stem, and the work of the seed-leaves being done, they will soon fall away. B But you will look in vain/ above.the ground for the seed-leaves of the pea.. Unlike the bean, the seed-leaves of the pea remain under ground, where they soon decay. The seed-leaf of the corn—for it has but one—also remains below, in the kernel. At the end of three weeks all should be vigorous young plants, with their upper leaves well formed. Let us look for a moment at these leaves. Hold one of the bean leaves up to the ‘light, and you will see little lines running through it. Now close your hand and look at the back of it. The blue veins running under the skin are arranged a little like the lines in the leaf—which are also called veins. The veins in our hands help to carry the blood to different parts of our bodies; while the veins of the leaf car-. ry sap through the leaf. But if you hold | a corn leaf up to the light you will discover that all the lines in this leaf run in the same direction, like the rails of a street-gar track; while the veins of the bean leaf run in many different directions, like the threads of a net; so we call the bean leaves net veined, and the corn leaves parallel véined. Now, here ia a conundrum for you.: Remembering “hat the bean with its two seed-leaves has net-veined leaves, and that the corn with its one seed-leaf has parallelsveined leaves, what kind of leaves ought the pea to have? The boy or girl who can answer this question_ correctly, - before looking at the pea leaves, is on the road to the discovery of an important secret—one of Nature’s greatlaws—a seoret which Ishall nottell you, but leave you to discover for yourselves.—Easter Ives, in Christian Union. '~ CURIOUS SHOES. The Many Uses to Which the Hollanders . Put Their Foot-Gear. The Hollanders make 80 many uses of wooden shoes, ‘one is persuded to believe the “Old woman who lived in a shoe, and had so many children she didn’t know what to do,” was a Dutch ' vrouw. The childven turn shoes into boats, and paint them a rich deep brown, in imitation of the large boats which sail on the River Maps. As they trim the iiny sails of their ships, and launch them upon

the waters of a sloof to some imaginary Van Diemen’s land, not to be found in a geography, they seem possessed with the same spirit’ which inspired the Dutech navigators of earlier days. There are very many sloots (which are deep ditches full of water), used both to fence and - to fertilize the land; so the voyage of the shoe may be a long one, and the owner of the little vessel will have abundant opportunity to indulge in dreams of future wealth to be realized ‘‘when his ship comes in.” * The boats that one may see on the rivers and the coasts of Holland are not unlike the wooden-shoes in shape, and the same model may originally have served for both. ’ : The school-boy, heated by play, stops beside the nearest stream, pulls oF his shoe, and filis it with water, which he drinks with as much satisfaction as if it were a delicious draught from a silver cup. v : Wooden shoes are ornamental as flow= er-pots, and many a bright flower whose roots are firmly bedded in a shoe has graced the window. of some peasant’s cotvage—a joy to the owner, and a pleasure to the passing travelesr. They are useful as hammers, and it is not uncommon to see a koopman (merchant) by the wayside, with a few laps of his shoe-mending his cart, piled high with yellow carrots -or little round Dutch cheese, while his dags rest in the traces. = - . '

These shoes also take the place of the obsolete birch-rod of our grandmothers’ days. The good »roww, in her quaint cap of spotless white, with gold spiral pins, called Arullen,.placed above the ears, does not look very much like such grandmothers as we have known, but her discipline resembles theirs in severity if not in-kind. During the week, after school hours, the little girls walk along the dikes in rows, knitting; and the eclatter of their shoes, to an ear unfamiliar with it, is, except that is without the military regularity, like the sound ot an advancing army.. ~ - e g

- Saturday is the great cleaning day in Rijsoord, when every thing is made ready for Sunday, the day of rest. The houses are scrubbed inside and out, and among the pots. and kettles are seen the wooden shoes; these, scoured snowy white, hang upon forked sticks near the door-way to dry in the wing and sun. The morning brings the sound of Klumpen along the dikes, and rows of people are seen walking toward the kirk. At the door they leave their shoes, like faithful servants, to await their.return later, after a three hours’ sermon by the dominie. In the afternoon the young men and women stroll up and down the Promendijk, which is the **Fifth avenue” of the village—its ' general promenade and meeting place. - They ‘exchange nods and friendly greetings until sundown, when the busy week begins again, and the wooden shoes soon take on'their week-day coatof tan.—Anna Page Scott, in St. Nicholas. - ‘

A WATER-MELON TRAP.

How a Chinaman Captured a Runaway 5 Mormkey. .

, A monkey was chattering among the trees of a lawn mear Central Park, in New York. -He had escaped from an organ-grinder. .He had a.collar around his neck, and wore .a red cap trimmed with gold cord and covered with little bells which kept up a merry jingling as he swung himself from limb to limb, using his tail, and his paws which were so much like a child’s hands. -

The gardener climbed a tree after him, but before he reached him the monkey was-in another trée a dozen yards away. Then the gardener climbed that tree, but the monkey had already gone on toanother; then he tried a third tree and failed, and gave up the chase. Mr. Anson, the owner of the place, was very much amused, and his little girl and boy-clapped their hands with delight. The organ-grinder, however, did not seem to be in a good humor.: He scolded, shook his stick, and kept calling, ‘‘Jocko! Joecko!” The monkey scolded angrily in return, waved his red cap, and flung leaves and twigs at his old master. In a little while a Chinaman entered the yard. There was a -twinkle in his almond-shaped eyes. nll

~“Chinaman catchlee monkley,” he said. .

“Catch him, then,” said Mr. Anson. *What’ll gim me?’j asked the Chinaman. - : 3

“I will give you three dollars if you catch that monkey,”-said the organgrinder. .° . ' : . _ ‘*Allee rightee!” cried the Chinaman.

* He disappeared 'in a flash, and when he returned he was carrying a watermelon.: . 0 v “Watchee Chinaman catchee monkley,” he said. ‘‘No makee muchee noise. Allee glo way.”™ :

They all walked back to the porches. They watched the' Chinaman, and wondered what he was about to do. He went right to work.

He made a small hole in the watermelon, and then placed it in one of the ‘wide walks, after which he hid himself behind the bushes, ready to pounce upon the monkey. . The latter saw the melon and approached it with a good deal of caution. He chattered softly and looked cunningly around him. Monkeys are very fond of water-melon seeds, and so Jocke forced his paw intothe hole and grabbed a handful of them. ;

The Chinaman sprang toward him. The monkey could not draw his paw from the melon because he would not open it and-let go of the seeds. He tried to drag the melon with him but it was too heavy, and he waseasily caught. The Chinaman was a sailor and had seen monkeys gcaught that way in India.— Frank H., Stauffer, in Our Little Men and Women. ° - e Had the Colorado. LE *“Now, Margie,” said Frances to her - little sister, ‘‘we’ll play I'm a lady come to 'see you, but you don’t want to =, see me, so you must send word that you’ve got the cholera, and must be ex cused.” Frances put on a long skirt of ‘her mother’s, and came to pay the call. *“Tell her,” says Margie toan imaginary maid, ‘‘that I have the colorado, and can’t possibly see her.”—Youth's Com= ‘panion. e e ' v - The French of It. : ‘Boston Girl—Oh, these balmy meadows! The wind that steals across them is like the breath of past years. = Western Girl (sotto voce)—Pastyerst I'must get onto tnat pronunciation—must be the French of it! We always «call em pastures out here.—West Shore. , --'L‘oi Agze peo&:;tfo i&?rhm# ‘more indispensable than the necessary. . | *mwzmd&&flw et oy *e