Bloomington Telephone, Volume 11, Number 16, Bloomington, Monroe County, 26 August 1887 — Page 2

Bloomington Telephone BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA. HALXEIt a BR&DFUTE, - - Pubushk

Is 1868, John Tobin was obliged to

from Salt Lake to escape death

from the Mormon avengers. He owned considerable property, bat he deserted it and took up his abode in Kansas

Just before John D. Lee's exe

cution he confessed that he had been employed by Brigham Yonng to kill Tobin, and bad attacked the party, tilling several, but only wounding Tobin. Tobin will now sue Salt Lake City for $1,000,000, Lou Scabherry, a Scotia (Neb.) butcher, accompanied hy a peace-per-

momxing buu-aog, was invited, wane

meandering homeward Sunday night,

to "throw up tout hands. Lou's

dukes went up and the dog went out into the darkness. A mighty struggle ensued. Bones cracked and wild yells were heard, in the midst of which Lou scampered off unharmed. The bulldog turned up a few hours afterward, loaded with scraps of old clothes and -masticated cuticle.

Among the few survivors of Waterloo is Lord Alber marie, who entered thQ English army April 4, 1815, and served June 18 with the old Fourteenth Foot. He retired upon half-pay as Jfajor, became a Major General October 26, 1858, and a General February 7, 1874 The other survivor, who is on the ariny list, is Gen. George Whiehcote. This veteran soldier received his commission in January, 1811, and nerved in the Peninsula with the Fifty -second Light Infantry. Fbeb Irish is the 14-year-old son of Mart Irish, the village blacksmith of Deerfield, Mich. The other day he was loading a revolver, and, finding the cartridge too large, he took the chamber from the revolver and essayed to push them in with his teeth. The cartridges stood this, but when he proceeded to pound them in with a hammer they rebelled. The chamber of

the revolver is a total loss, but Fred 'aved one of the balls, catching it in -his leg, and he has it yet. Mrs.L. A. Houser, of Perry, Ga., lias a curiosity in the shape of a ball of com that grew on top of a cornstalk in the place where the tassel usually grows. The ball consisted of a cluster of thirty-five diminutive ears of corn, nil being fairly well filled with matured grains. The longest of these ears is about five inches and the shortest about two inches. The whole ball is equal to nearly two good ears of corn. ' This was extra from the regular ears of corn on the stock from which it was gathered. Ijady Tenxysox, it is said, is neither intellectual nor esthetic, but is her busband's very humble worshiper. She does not appreciate his work, but -nen she became his wife he was the - pocft laureate, and she counted the fact of more consequence than the late authorship of the "Idyls of the King." He was very fond of reading his verses in a chanting tone and grandiloquent manner; she invariably listens with rapt attention and explodes in superlatives. Being indulged, flattered, and a Honored to the top of his bent, he is "domestic. Judge S&oax, of Goleonda, I1L, was cutting weeds near his house the other evening and cut off the head of a rattlesnake. The same blow threw the enake into the air and it fell upon the judge's neck, about which it coiled with n convulsive grasp, at the same time keeping up its ominous rattle. A .colored man pulled the body off the frightened judge and assisted him to the house, where it was some time before he could convince himself that the Uood which was smeared on his face fiom the body of the snake was not the xnult of a wound

Maj. W. Bbunson, of Perry, Ga.,

a pig that has developed some pe-

traita. She is a girl pier. She

was petted when quite young, and aoon became found of human society in fact, she became very f amilar with quite a number of business men on CarMsil street. She became quite indolent, especially when she found that she vould not come face to face with the alternative to "root, pig, or die." When

food is placed before her she in-

reclines at full length while She is quite exclusive in

her associates, and positively

refuses to eat in company with the

hogs belonging to Mr. Brunson.

i A yost curious object in the shape

negro child is living at Augusta,

Gl, according to the Savannah News. The boy, who is about 3 years of age, baa neither hands nor. feet. As substitutes for these limbs nature has given

claws somewhat resembling those a crab. There are little or no

Ims, but small, round pieces of flesh

aboat the size of a silver dollar, from

project two long double-join ted

Similarly are constructed what

aature has given as feet There are sk soles, but what serve as heels are something like what ordinarily serve as

On these heels the child wab-

along, and from them two doable-

.Jointed claws alao project- The child,

notwithstanding, is healthy and able to navigate with ease. The United States are growing rap

idly in wealth, and are now credited

with being the richest country in the world. Mr. Mulhall, the English statistician, in bis estimates of the annual increase of the wealth of nations, says that Germany increases her w ealth at the rate of $200,000,000 annually. Great Britain, $325,000,000; France, $375,000,000, and the United States $875,000,000. If, as is stated, the United States has increased iu wealth at the rate of $100,000,000 a year since 1880, at which time the estimated wealth of the country was$44,000,000,000 and the rate of increase is maintained till the year 1900, the grand sum total will be $64,000,000,000 and yet some people are fearful if many more union soldiers are pensioned it will bankrupt

the country. Whex the late Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., was a boy he went to sea. The commander of the ship had a literary turn of mind, and put in the spare hours of one cruise in writing a sea story. One day he came upon deck and, looking down upon a group of seaman, sung out: "Has any one got a pen-knife?" "I have sir," replied young Cobb, stepping forward. "Can you make quill pens ?" "Yes, sir. " "What did you do before you shipied in the navy?" "I was in a printing office, sir." "You are just the one I am looking for. Come with me." Young Cobb was taken into the cabin and made a private secretary, but long before he had finished copying and arranging the captain's manu

script he concluded that he could write a better story himself, and tried it . 1 At the time of the censufe of 1880, there were ten cities in the United States with more than 200,000 inhabitants each. They were New York. Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Boston, Chicago, St Louis, Baltimore, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and New Orleans. Their population aggregated 4.914,897. In 1887 the number of cities with more than 200,000 inhabitants had increased

to fourteen, the four additional being Buffalo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and

Washington. The total population of

these fourteen cities was estimated at

6,798,000. It is estimated that there are in addition to the cities above enumerated thirteen with populations exceeding 100,000 each, as follows : Albany, Allegheny, Detroit, Indianapolis, Jersey City, Kansas City, Louisville, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Newark, Providence, Rochester, and St. Paul. These thirteen have an estimated population of 1,750,000. There are also thirteen cities with over 60,000 each, whose combined population is 902,000. Altogether these forty cities have 9,450,000 inhabitants, or nearly onesixth of the population of the United States. The late Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., was probably the best known of the story writers of this country, and one of the meat voluminous of composers. He had written exclusively for the Ledger for thirty-one years. Robert Bonner, editor and proprietor of that paper, told a Times reporter recently how he came to engage Mr. Cobb. "In 1855," said Mr. Bonner, "I published a story by Fanny Fern, known as the '$100 column story from the price which I paid the authoress. The agent of Bailouts Pictorial, the successor of Gleason's Pictorial in Boston, came to me to solicit an advertisement of this story, and I gave it to him. Soon after, in the editorial columns of the Pictorial an article appeared suggesting that the $100 a column story was

good enough to tell the marines, and thus casting a doubt on my veracity as a publisher, I complained to the agent of the paper that this was scarcely fair after having solicited an advertisement of the very story attacked, and the result was that I received a letter from the editor stating that the article was a mistake and had been written by a subordinate. I answered this that I did not consider a private apology ample redress for a public wrong, and then I set to work to have my innings. I knew that Sylvanus Cobb, Jr., was the most popular writer that Ballou had, and I found out what salary he was getting. I at once offered him double this amount to write exclusively for the Ledger, an offer which he accepted, and since 1856 not a line from his pen ha been contributed to any other paper,"

A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT. Pear friend, I sit alone to-nfgbt. And so'to you I fnin wouM write: But not in humdrum black ami white, With common in"k and papar Such words as I would say to vou Should blazoned be in tender hue, As monks of old in missals drew Initials tall and tapar. If I could borrow just a part Of all their quaint symbolic art, I might translate what's in my heart. Perhaps, ia fitting fashion j But where's the modern pen can hold ftufficient store of red and gold To paint this leaflet, snowy cold, With tints of pain or passion? In vain you'll soek, then, on this page Pair fancies from a bygone age ; Yet, if you wish my thoughts to gauge, There is a way of gleaning Ixwe's golden grain that through them stiinsa; Bo do not heed theso writton sign's, For you must road between the linos To gather all my meaning. London World,

A Tree's Appeal. In the town of Medford, Mass., there stands, in the carriage-way of the high street, a great elm, very old but perfectly thrifty, and one of the most beautiful specimens of its kind. Not long ago the selectmen of the town had reached the conclusion that, owing to the supposed danger to passing teams, it would be best to have the old tree cut down. The news that the tree was to be sacrii ficed spread about the village, and some of the people, who had a genuine and very natural affection for the old land-mark, began to agitate against its destruction. No great amount of feeling was aroused, however, until, one morning, the people found a sign tacked upon the trunk of the tree, which bore these words in rather rude letters: "What I cut me down?" This simple appeal, -which seemed to come from the tree itself, was so touching, and told so pathetic a story, that the people became very much interested, and raised so many protests against the destruction of the tree, that the selectmen changed their minds. It still stands and thrives.

PAYING TRANSACTION.

UY BURT BYRNE. One tempest-tossed night, weatherbound at a small hotel on the si ageroute from Santa Fe, we met a fellowtraveler in whom we became groatly interested. The howling gale and elemental uproar intensified the cozy cheer of our snug little parlor. The genial warmth from the heaped-up ,ruddy coals in the grate and spicy exhalations steaming from an earthen mug brewing in front, out of which, from time to time, we replenished our

classes, stimulated conversation, ami

we were soon launched upon a stream

cf startling adventure.

Among otners, my companion, a

finely-built, athletic fellow, narrated an

experience of the previous season,

which, he said, "made every hair stand

on tip-toe. "How?" we asked. "You were in great peril?" "One of those imminent risks that meet you at every turn. "Four of us came in the stage from Santa Fe, the last of June, I think. A young lady governess in an officer's family her escort, a wealthy merchant, reputable, with a guarantee of honor inscribed on every line of his earnest face, and myself, were acquaintances; the other was the horse-shoer of the company, bound for the stables at Denver. " The lady amon g the twenties was so happy in the thought of going Cast and seeing her widowed mother was so interested and full of life, that her joy rippled through our conversation like a merry warble. "You'd like a personal description? "Well, rather tall and willowy, eyes as black and full of sparkle as a frosty night, and hair commonly called red,, but with a glint of gold in lines and dashes wherever the sunlight glanced across it. I saw it fully when she dropped her hat, and a stylish, neat affair that was, too but I have not came to that yet. "I'm sure you're aware of the brigandage for which that route is noted. Marvelous tales are told of the robbers. I suspect the mountain-passes of the Apennines hold no more mystery of crime than do the rocky passes of this fresh continent. Constantly facing danger the pioneer acquires a hardihood that fits him for every firesh encounter of peril, however unusual. The periodic robbing of stages has become so much of a fact that the express company will accept no more risks, and specie and treasure have to be taken East by private parties. "As a Government expert, I was wellknown to the bankers of Santa Fe. They never hesitated to entrust me

with large amounts of gold, and this time was no exception. So I was loaded, partly by means of an inner belt around my waist, partly by a false bottom, improvised in my valise by gumming strong wrapping-paper over the precious parcels and inner lining of the bag. "The day would have been intolerable but for the cool currents that swept down the declivities, and through the mountain ravines. Frequently during the day, up the steep ascents we would get out and walk. It rested us and relieved the tedium of the drive. The lady was most charming, rattling her words like fine shot against our sallies of wit and wisdow, and turning into 'sport and jest our serious fears. She became confidential, and told us 'she expected to return a madam, with a military escort if she returned at. all. Her intended was a lieutenant, stationed now in the Indian Territory; but when he received his furlough well, very soon, perhaps then we might expect to hear of wedding bells. " 'I would like to be a little richer she added, with a laugh, 'but we must be content.' " 'What is the amount of your dowry V said the practical merchant. "She laughed merrily. Are you a bandit in disguise?' Then added, 'The fruits of my industry amount to the heavy weight of one thousand dollars in gold !' "'You haven't it with you? he inouired. so auicklv and earnostlv that I

was surprised. " 'Come, you are accounted shrewd; just try and find out. I will answer all revelant questioning.' "He blushed and stammered an apology, and she sat for a moment on a rock that projected from the side of the road over mountain edge. She had gathered stray flowers on her walk, diving under bushes and behind rocks, and was fastening them on her hat and mantle. A scarlet creeper ran round the base of the rock down the side of the mountain. " 'Oh, that is beautiful; I must have it,' she said, rising to her ieet, and dropping hat and flowers in the excitement. Just then a sudden eddy of wind came twisting round the corner of a fissure, and whirled hat and flowers round and round, lodging them beyond

her power of recovery, on a narrow ledge of perpendicular rock, pitting out and inaccessible from the road.. " 'How now? what will you do'?' I said, half in sport at the possibility of a bareheaded companion for the rest of the trip. "To my surprise, she looked the image of despair and grief ; the eolor had faded out of her rosy cheeks, even her lips were ashy and pale, liter hands were clasped in the most agonizing expression, as she mutely gazed at the

slender shape below, mocking her with ; but her papers and a little change. The

its airy grace of blooms.

" 'Oh, mv friends! can't vou recover that hat for me? Do, in pity, and I will thank you to my dying day!' "No mother, appealing for a lost child, could have been more piteous, while tears stood in her eyes. I was half angry that any woman could be so metamorphosed ly the loss of a hat. The merchant whistled, looked bewildered, but evidently didn't choose to risk his life. The driver and horseshoer came to her rescue; they fastened a hook onto the end of a coil of rope, saying, 'Don't fear, miss, nor look so anxious; well rig something an' get yer hat.' "The driver, stretched at full length, with only his head and an arm over the precipice, and anchored firmly by the rest of the party, threw his rope, harpoon fashion, with an unerring aim. It caught in the rim, the hat was drawn up carefully and restored to the young girl, who, with exhilarating color and sparkling eyes, thanked the men moat profusely. Thev cut short her rhapso

dies by jumping on the driver's box and telling us to 'pile in.' "Once inside, she said, 'As you are all my friends, I must let you into the secret of my hat. All the money I possess is hidden in the lining quilted in and no man, not even a htQlnvay

man, would ever suspect the treasure hidden in such a coll, now would they V "We, of course, praised her ingenuity. " 'A. good thousand, is it?' said the merchant. " 'The very sum she replied. "It was about 2 o'clock in the morning. "We were well out of the most formidable passes, driving briskly towards the Canadian fork. The full moon lightened our way, making the bushes and trees adjacent cast sharp, decided shadows across the road. I

had exchanged places with the horse-

shoer. Inside they were dozing; but I was wakeful and alert. We beguiled the dreary hours by story-telling. Suddenly, I saw something moving in the shadow of the road on beyond us. " What is that?' I said. "The driver looked, his eyes rounding like the moon. " 'Nothing but a burro!' referring to the pack-mules that frequently strayed down the mountain side. It disappeared quickly in the shade, and frora thence, instantly, as if by magic, jumped out into the road two men They were hidden in huge slouched hats and army cloaks. The stoutest caught the bridle of the leaders,; the other, covering us with his rifle, shouted, 'Don't stir, or you are dead men!" "Advancing closer, and keeping us within the range of Ms muzzle, he cried out, 'Pitch cut the treasure-box quick ! We are in. a hurry !' "The driver began to stammer a reply, shaking as if he had an ague; but I hushed him with a whispered, 'Stop, stop; let tae talk to these men. There is no treasure aboard to-night.' "I said this cooly, at the same time

swaying my body to and fro, backwards and forwards, to get out of the range of the muzzle ; the man was evidently

very nervous, as well as very new.

As I intended he should, he took

me for an express messenger, and, as

neither driver nor messenger are supposed to possess any valuables, they are seldom molested. " 'None of vour nonsense, replied

the bandit . 'Hand out the treasure,

or you'll see trouble "The man at the reins evidently en-

joved mv -endeavor to get out of range,

for he squeaked in a high, falsetto voice, 'Do them bar'ls look big?' " 'Yes, I said, echoing the old joke current among the miners 'yes, I can road all the advertisements on the wadding.' "He chuckled a rough chuckle. " 'Come, come,, lieave out that specie box,' shouted the man holding the rifle. "I insisted there -was none. " 'Here, look at the way-bill; if there is any such thing aboard it will be among the items. "And I made a move to get down, holding it in my hand, " 'Stay where you are, or I'll shoot you! "I threw him the way-bill. He dropped his ritle and picked it up, perusing the items in the moonlight. Profiting by this-action, I endeavored to slip my -porteuionnaie into my boot and moved my hand around to get at the pocket "The driver misuuderstanding the movement, whispered, 'have you got one V "The man at the reins noticed the conferring, and helloed to us. The other instantly raised his guiu " 'None of that! Hands up!' "We threw up our hanus and he again turned to the way-bill. I did manage, thovgh, to secrete my money, slipping it into mv boot. " 'Yon see there's no mention made of the treasure, and if it was sent it would be noted on the bill However, you can get up and look in the box and satisfy yourslJ'.' "He hesitated vait a moment, and then jumped upun-1 looked in the box; and in doing .so he jnVked my valise. " 'Open "this!" said he. " I did eo, taking out carefully its content; and letting him inside; ike wrapping paper deceived him. " No he cried; "there's no treasure, on this stage, but we've sworn to have $100 to-n:.ght. and it we can't find it iu

the treasure-l-ox, we may find it in the-

baggape. Who's inside V " 'Two men and a lady non-a of them rich; on is the hore-shoer goiag to Denver t shoe the company's, horses. " 'Well h ok out for 'em. " Whatever happens, don't stir on your peril. We inav tind the monev on tiitm or in the

baggage.' li 'I felt terribly for the young girt The perspiration stood in great beads

of agony all over my body. "it was tvident thoy were sleeping. The man rattled the door and roused them. Presenting his gun, he ordered them out to be searched. They obeyed, half asleep. He placed them in a row. w Hands up!' he said. 'Sow for yottr pockets!' "The horse-shoer had but $2 iu silver, the merchant's pcrtemounaio showed but $5, a.ud the young lady'a nothing

girl, I was sure, looked as if she would

swoon. " 'You're a mean lot, to have so little with you,' said he, 'and I've a mind to finish you. A.hundrec1 dollars we must have, so well go for your baggage." "This was uttered with infinite disgust. "The merchant then spoke. " 'Youll find nothing of account in our baggage, but if you will ask this young lady for her hat, and carefully rip out the lining, you will find something worth your pains. "The girl turned toward him with blazing eyes, and uttered but the one word Trator!' "There was no escape; the hat was secured. "After the lining had been very carefully ripped out it was returned with thanks. " 'In luck, in luck !' said the highwayman. 'Jump in, alL I'm sorry for your loss, miss, but we are bound to take whatever is sent us. We have no treasure, but this will do. Drive on!" "T want the wav-bill!' I said, excitedly, for the scene wo had just witnessed had increased ray indignation, to a fever-heat. "He handed it to me, but it fluttered under the horses' feet., and again I demanded it. Mechanically he picked it up, mounted the wheel, and handed it 1:o me. Then, touchinar his hat to the

lady, said, 'But for this lining you might have been lying in yonder ditch. No treasure on board ! Come this way next time without it, and well finish your accounts. Drive on!' "We gladly followed this advice, but

could not find language vigorous enough to express our contempt of the merchant. The driver swore at him in Spanish, and the young lady answered sdl attempts at consolation with hysterical sobs. The merchant alone preserved his cool equanimity of temper "Arriving at Denver, he begged very earnestly of the young lady, with me as Iter friend, to grant him a few moments for explanation, in a private room. He was no earnest that the young girl yielded a reluctant consent. "He closed the door and bolted it, which looked strangely. " 'Don't fear he said, as I fumbled for my revolver. Sitting in a chair, he pulled off his boot, and, from the toe, drew out a roll of notes. Said he: "A few days before leaving, I was lucky enough to find an opportunity. to exchange my doubloons for these. My poor child, let me make restitutio:!. Here an- two thousand in notes for the one thousand secured by the robbers handing her that amount. 'Your lining has been my salvation; if they had ;iearched further they would have secured twraty instead of one thousand. Concealed in my baggs.ge are diamonds and precious stones, which if they had stcured, -would have baggared me Taking a solitaire from his vest lining, h'fr presents! that also for her acceptance. 'I should have explained in the siiage, but Vails have ears,' and why

should I trast the others with my secrets?' "Of course, as it turned out, I waia highly pleased at the sagacity of the gentleman;, the more so as I recollected the responsibility of specie, I, ix)o, had assumed. "I need not tell you that thelacfy's tears were transmuted into rare smiles, n ;d she was sent to her home rejoicings Haunted Houses. In some parts of London we- aaay come upon several forlorn and. neglected looking houses, dirty, dilapidated, with every window broken, covered iaside with black dust and. cobwebs a very picture of decay and desolation. The poorer inhabitants o J the neighborhood explain all this by styling them the "Haunted Houfkes." They are- na Chancery, and, if haunted, ii is by the ghosts of wasted lives, of life-long hope never to be fulfilled, of lives that might have been useful and glorious wasted in that sickening waiting for a settlement and a to-morrow that never comes. Some houses which are-credited with bing haunfced may. perhaps hare gained that reputation through being what we may tewni deserted house?. The owner takes a dislike to. his louse for some reasoio, and will neither Jive in it nor allow any one else to- do so,' Perhaps the de-ith of a beloved wife or of an only son or daughter, has made it hatefri; perhaps some hited scene in his life has occuanred there; and he has doomed it long before it came into his possession to be a deserted house whea in his power; per hups some fearful secret or undiscovered crime has made his guilty conscience afraid to think of "the house inhabited by human beings., Such a deserted house becomes a ruin, a place of fear and trembling, and, known for miles around as the "haunt! house," is avoided by yomg aud oldi A residence for woman, child bjkI man ; A ilweliiu-j phc, arid ytt no habitation; A houHO, but uttttur some prodigious ban Of exeoiuui'-mscation. O'er all there toi? a ebad and a fear; A sense of mystery the tpittt daunted, Aud said, as nflain as whispoc in the ear, The place is haunted ! To some winds, every old bouse to haunted. Every chamber is visited by a hosts, memories of tbe past. Xiongtellow, in one of bis poems, beautifully expresses this idea He speaks, of meeting them at the door, on Ihe stairs aud in the passages. He &is

t :eir presence aiuonef the

table, and thinks Tlu- sllnminated hrK thronged with qtvot, jt.oftemiva cheats A ?ili:t as the pictures on tht wall All tSlo Tear Around.

ues43. at

Why She Went Hack on H jm. They were standing in the fiontVloor, and every time lie thought of saying good night hia mouth became paralyzed. Finally she asked : "When re you eouihi again, Frod?" "f don't know. Suppose I come next Wednesday evening?" "Why, you know that Will Baker has rm engagement to call on that evening," she said in a somewhat embarrassed manner. "Yes, I know; that was why I mention it. You see, Will strained his arm slightly, and the doctor has advised Viim not to put it to any unnecessary exertion, bo I thought " "I guess you might as well call Wednesday evening," sh5 said, slyly MerckanU Traveler. ...

ETILS OF PRESENTING GIFIS. A Beautiful Custom That Is Cbrnatly Abased Good Housekoeptag.7 fjham and show, perplexity, ennoyanoe, and extravagance have crept into the custom of gift-giving. Though one may make a gift out of the depth of the heart, and do it becomingly and unassumingly, ye it seems as if a dozen influences were bearing on him to force him into a greater expense than 1 3 can afford, or to give where he is reluctant to do so, or where he must make a show of the article given. Quiet, unostentatious, spontaneous erivintr twaines

brightly, when we find it amid the droary heartlessness, the gaudy show, and the heartburnings that often accompany the formal giving that is a part of social life. The reader may call to mind some wedding or birthday anniversary that sho is invited to help celebrate. The problem of all problems, even outranking the common, "What shall I woar? then is, "What present shall I send?" It is not enough to go and participate in the social duties arid to be cordial in well wishing and congratulation, for none of this will pardon the neglect of oversight of the gift. There will be tho question, "Where is Mrs. Jackson's present?" and then the unpleasant comment if she has made none. So Mrs. Jackson sets out to find some compromise between pride and purse, perhaps poverty, something that costs no more than absolutely compulsorj, and yet looks as if it were worth a great deal more, something that the other guests will not look at slightingly, if not speak of contemptuously, or at least think of in the same spirit. And then the guests compare these proxies of themselves and put themselves on exhibition, after a fashion, about in the same way that they Tt ould do if they were to stand up before committee of critics and have the stylo and elegance of their clothing passed upon. The show is at last ever, but, the jealousies and heartburnings remain, tho fear that respectability has been endangered by the insignificance of the gift, or the overtopping consciousness of a few that they each made the best, or one of the best, jcmp entaof the lot Afterward, as is more or less the custom in some parts of the country, the names of the donors and a brief description of their gifts appear in .some newspaper, there to undergo further comparison aud criticism and all the train accompaniments. Finally, if the present wa valuable enough, it may find its way to a shop where duplicate presents are- bought and so'.d, so little did the receiver care about; the personality of the giver, or of such little use is it to the recipient among several other pr&ients of the tiame kind. Gift extortion and compulsory gift making are little- !iess than sinful, if they fall ghort of that. Gifts are b' no means always the token of friendship, and, when combined with tho abuses thai; are often made to accompany them, they are demoralising; they are anpleasant features of waat take the iormi of dhities, and they are dark spots in social life. Something is wuong when a prosenfe is made & test oi social standing, or when it is made 'the prerequisite for performing a sociaii act. There :a an opportunity for reform when h it is apparently a friendly deed is confessedly empty of honest intent, when it. is burdensome, annoying, compulsory,, false-hearted, or made for show, or evi donee of wealth,, oir merely for t ocia! conformit3r. The only excuse that one can makefor thesa- abuses of gift-making is that their compulsory features have ths effect of putting people into the habit of making? presents at a time when their friendly feelings have not become strong, enough tot prompt the act unaided With the growth cf these feelings the custom gradually gets a better and surer foundation and s tan is- nore plainly in harmony with civilization. A gift should b the embodiment of sentiment, from "which cost shou.d be totally divorced . as an element of weight, and wittti which no social compulsion should be linked except the compulsion of a sjpontaneous expression of fealing. The world is it good, enough for that et, but some attempt, if oniy a feeblaoee, if general! enough, wouid be a green oasis in tlm desert. Growth in Children.. The rate of gpowth of children varies, according to sex. Thus, at fthe aje of; 11 and 12 yeaas, boys are-larger an & heavier than girls; but from that; ageon. the evolution of the g&ls is more rapid, ant1 thay soon overtake the boys, eod pass them till the agof 15 years is. reached, when the boys regain th ascendancy,, while the girls re:naia nearly stationary. A curious relation has been dis jovered between the grovith. Gf children iaa stature and injweight. M. Malling-Ha&sen, directs of the duaf nd dumb, institution aft Gopenhagaa, has for t&ree years weighed sad measuredhis pupils tMly ; and he-haa observed that their growth does not take plac regularly &d progressi nly, but by stages separated by internals of rest. Weight also increases by peiiods after intervals of equilibrium! While the weight is increasing, the staunae remains aearly stationary, and vie vorsa. The maximum of increase of stf.ture corresponds with & minimum period of augmentation of weight. The vital forces appear noitowork on both -udea at oaoe. These- variations tare su ject to the influence of the sea&oas. During autumn aivS early whiter, ac wording to M. MalUng-IIansen, the chil 1 accumulates weight, while his statur e in creases slowly; but during spring stature receives a veritable push, vhife weight increases but littfe. Some Loeal habits have an influence on the stalatre Stendhal remarked that many Roman girls had deformed vertebral cohi una, or were a little humpbacked, and found that it was the result of a popular belief prevailing in Rome that parents could promote the growth of the children by punching them in the back! A max at Amerk&R), Ga., went to bed, thinking so intently of a mulberry tree that he was to transplant in the mom ing that lie got up in his sleep, and, transplanted the tree, and weal b&ok to bed Without wakiug up. .