Newspaper Page Text
WAIF WILLIE. . had a faint remenv brance of home, this little waif, although he could hare scarce ly put it Into words, so dimly did it come to him. .Like the faint sun shine in the deep summer woods, thoughts of a sweet faced mother stole across his lonely life, and through the silent night-watches came a voice tenderly calling: "Willie, son; come home." . Stolen from his widowed mother by a band of gypsies in a distant State, when a few years old, he had wandered hither with them. And then, forsaken by them in a fit of ill ness, he had been left on the steps. of Mr. Balfour's palatial house. ' - His life had been hard and loveless' when with his capor ; but since Hiram Balfour took him in for "what. he -could do," and the kind, motherly wife had died, his life had been full of bitterness.' -J ? ;; . ' "Be lively there," or ycra'll repent it!" shouted a rough voice from the doorway, and the little fellow bent lower over his saw while tbe great tears dropped down on the heavy oak stick he was cutting in twain. . Then the man in the doorway came out and measuring oil a heap of sticks said: These you must convert into wood to-day. And if, when I return to-night, it is not completed I'll whip-you within an inch of your life."' He went away and Willie was left alone r with his Little heart i ready to . break with its weight of uakindnessl, - Ml know I shall fail," he sobbed. "O, I wish I might die! Why can't I?" he moaned. "Other children do; little boys with rich, loving papas, too, while I have to live to be beaten by Mr. Balfour. O, dear! I wonder why God took Auntie Balfour away from , me; she loved me and was kind!" At the end of an hour the weary hands let go the saw fend Willie crept "away into the corner of the garden and nestled down in the cool grass to rest. ?, Closing his eyes he lay quite still, thinking. There were strange thoughts flitting through his little brain. He sat up and 'looked about him cautiously; possibilities which had never dawned to him before came to him now, and he caught his breath at the bold idea. "I am going going to run away I' he whispered, .hoarsely. "Mai be I can find mamma." And through the sultry summer air floated something like an inspiration ; sweetly, tenderly it came: ."Willie, son." "What if Jenklnson sees me," he mur mured, frightened at the thought as he beheld the gardener busy with his tools a few yards away. But over the fence there was the road leading to the city, and it wasn't far there, and once in it he thought he could dodge anybody. Mr. Balfour had gone the other way, farther into the country, and he wouldn't meet him. Yes, he would run away ! Jenkinson's back was toward him, and he knew where there was a board off the fence, and he could slip out and no one could see him. If he ever meant to go it might as well be now. "God help me to get away from Mr. Bal four," prayed the child, as he crept slyly through the opening. "O, my!" Could he do itt Yes, he could. The blue sky smiled above him, the birds sang merrily in the trees by the wayside, and every thing seemed glad that he had gotten thus far. On and on he trudged toward the city, the day grew hotter and a pain came into his temples. The city, it must be a hundred .miles from Mr. Balfour's; he'd heard them say it was ten miles, but he believed he had gone further than that now. His head throbbed fearfully and he was so hungry, but after all it wasn't so bad as to be whipped at night. A sound of wheels came to his ear. Was it Mr. Balfour coming after him? O, dear! But no ; it was a kindly woman in a car riage who stopped beside him to ask : "Don't you wish to ride ? You're tired to death, my little man." "Yes'm, I'm 'most dead," said Willie, faintly; "but I must reach the city before night." : "Well, I'm going there," said the lady. "1 live in the city." r He climbed into the carriage and she let the curtain down on his side to keep out the sun and make him comfortable. After looking him over curiously for seme minutes the woman asked: "Aren't you -4 if " mi WILLIS CREPT AW AT IJfTO X CORSKK OT THE OAKDEX. running away from somebody, or has some one sent you adrift!" The child began to cry. "I'm running away, yes'm,"' he confessed; "but Mr. Bal four whips me so I I can' t stay. O, I want my mamma!" The woman put her arm about him, sooth ingly. "Never mind," she said, "don't cry. What does he whip you for!" ' "Because I can't do enough of work," sobbed the boy. - ... v Who is Mr. Balfour; your uncle?" she asked. . ,, - "No, ma'am; he's the man I'm living with, and my mamma's way off some where, 1 don't know where. And, O, my head aches so!" Another torrent of tears put an end to further words. "He's an old villain !" muttered the wom an; "and he won't see you again if lean help it. Here, lay your head iu my lap and rest." . , Willie put his hot, aching head down on her knee and soon tell asleep, while the kind-hearted woman smoothed his tangled curis and pondered. Jen kin son saw the child creep stealthily through the broken panel, and went over to watch him. By his movements he divined the boy's intentions, and sighed as Willie's little straw hat bobbed out of sight. "Let him go," said he, "and may the good God keep old Balfour from ever bearing of him again. Father in Heaven, take him to a good home !" The gardener went back to his work, and at night when Mr. Balfour came home tbe boy could not be found. - v After storming around considerably, the old man said: "Well, let him go. Some body will pick him up and get pestered to death with him as I have been. This pick ing up waif s always proves to be a thank less business." When Willie awoke he was being lifted' out of the carriage by a man with a pleas ant face, and the woman was saying: "Take him in and give him something to eat. He's a little boy I found. An orphan without a home." They were so kind to him, and the milk and strawberries with his bread and butter were delicious. "Does your head ache now!" asked the lady, as she tucked him away in a soft, downy bed. - "No, ma'am. Won't you kiss me like mamma used to at bedtime!" he asked, wistfully. "To be sure." said. she. "I haven't had l Titers 11 -U fNHP'l. li"Ml. I N"l 7'- fcfy any little boys for so long that I forgot how to put them to bed." And her voio sounded tenderly and full of tears. "What is your namet" she asked, as she kissed him and twined a stray curl around her finger while she sat beside the bed. "WilBe, I guess." ' ; "You guess ! Don't - you know,' child! What is your other name, your mamma's name?" "I don't know," be replied, sleepily; "only Willie, I guess. Mamma called me 'Willie, son,' but when the ugly folks tied "leoxabd! leoxabd!" SHE CKTBD."- a cloth over my mouth and took me off into the woods, why, I forgot the rest." - "Took you off?" exclaimed the woman; "why, I thought Mr. Balfour kept you I" 'Yes'm; when I got sick they left me at Mr. Balfour's, gate, and I've lived there two years about." A strange, perplexed look came into-tne motherly face looking down on the tired child who went to sleep with the last word on his lips. Then she tiptoed out of the room into the next, and taking a key from the wall un locked a drawer, all the while saying to herself: 4 'I .wonder if it's possible; I won der if it is!" After a few moments' search she took up carefully a well-worn paper and went back to the bedside of the little stranger. Turning to a paragraph she read : "Lost ; a little boy four years old, with brown, curly hair and large black eyes, and bears on his left arm just above the elbow a birth mark a little purple anchor. HiSname is Willie Vanferson, and, the only child of his widowed mother, his absence is doubly terrible." . , "I forgot about the birth-mark," she gasped, breathlessly, kneeling by the couch, and, unbuttoning the faded sleeve, rolled it carefully above the dimpled elbow. ,. There, sure enough, just as described, was a little purple anchor., i'Gjod be praised!" she said, while the tears rolled down her face. "It's Winifred's child," and she kissed him hungrily. He stirred in his sleep and whispered : "Mamma." ' "Yes, darling, you shall go to mamma to-morrow !" And she went down stairs with a great joy shining in her face. "Leonard! Leonard!." she cried, joyously, shaking the arm of the man dozing in the arm-chair. "What do you say, Elsie!" he asked, rub bing his eyes. "I've found Winifred's boy," she said, joyously, and then in an incoherent way she told him all about the child. Together they sought the unconscious Willie and rejoiced over him. Far into the night they sat by the sleeper and planned a joyful surprise for the widowed sister. . Two days later, in the eventide, Elsie and her husband reached a little New England village, and with Willie between them they turned into a side street and walked toward a tiny cottage nearly embowered in vines. There was a light burning low in the little bedroom, and peeping through the blinds they beheld the mother kneeling by the couch with her head buried in the pillows, evidently in prayer. "Go to mamma," whispered Elsie Free land between her sobs of joyful excitement, and she pushed Willie in&ide the humbU door. Approaching the kneeling figure the little child stole his arms around the bowed neck and whispered: "Mammal'' A pale, weary face looked up in tearful surprise for a moment; then a gleam of joy, heavenly in expression, came over the thin face, like the light of the Throne, and, clasping the child to her heart, she kissed him rapturously in silent happiness, the deepest and sweetest of all. Then raising her streaming eyes to, Heaven she said: "Lord, 1 thank Thee; I knew Thou wouldst in Thine own good time send my darling back to me." "Yes, mamma," said the child, "I am your own Willie. Aunt Elsie and Uncle Leonard brought me 'cause the Saviour wanted them to ; there they are." And clasping her child to her heart she turned to meet the happy countenances of her brother and his wife. Maxda L. Crocker. TWO GOOD STORIES. They Illustrate An Amusing Side of Po litical Life. A chief of division in the Treasury De partment who- resigned rScently did so un der peculiar circumstances. He was a Democrat from New York. When he ap plied for the position four years ago he had Frank His cock, William M. Evarts and other prominent Republicans among his in dorsers. Inasmuch as the place required a knowledge of law, either party might well indorse him, for the place was, in a certain sense, non-political. Last week, in conver sation ..with his Republican friends, he said: ; "I expect to retain my position upon the indorsement of you Republicans. Your let ters are on file in my behalf.". t4That won't do," said Senator Hiscock, "I regarded you as a good enough man to recommend to a Democratic administration, but I do not think you are a good enough man for me to indorse for a Republican ad ministration, and I have another man for the place." That was practical politics, and the young gentleman tendered his resignation the next day. But, in his letter to the Secre tary, he said : "Your successor in 1883 will be looking for me, and I will be here to ac cept the same position again." This story recalls another, on the other side of the fence : Alonzo G. Sharp was chief post-office in spector in 1885 when the Democratic admin istration came into power. He immedi ately handed in his resignation to Postmaster-General Vilas, who declined to re ceive It, saying: "You have worked your way up from the ranks, Colonel Sharp, and it is not the pol icy of this administration to interfere with the civil service. We want to retain good men." "Look inside of my hat and see if you think 1 am a good man for this place, or for any place under your administration," ;d Colenel Sharp. The Postmaster-General looked, and there in the crown were the immense figures "1883." They covered the entire ip side top of the silk hat. Colonel Sharp said: "That means that I am a rabid' Repub lican, and that we will beat you in 1S6& You can't afford to keep me here." Nevertheless, Colonel Vilas laughingly assured him that he could remain and re fused to accept his resignation. But Colonel Sharp left Washington in the latter part of June, and early in July was elected Mayor of Chattanooga, Tenn., where he has since resided. ' It is strange how the wheel of fortune turns men up and down. Easy to Catch. "Pa, have they real live bears and bulla m Chicago!" 'Yea, my son." J "How do they catch the bears, papaP ' "That's easy, my son. They use suckers for bait," replied the fond parent who had been a sucker himself. Areola Record. A STRIKING CONTRAST. ,-i frofMs mt Pswwy - Blw area si on of Republican i soi. The most striking . illustration we know of has been; furnished by tha progress of Republicanism and De mocracy since , the former triumphed at the polls last November. Any one who chooses to see and comprehend can not escape a full conviction of the difference between principle and preju dice, between reason and passion, be tween the love of country and the love of profit. ' Democracy is indestructible. It has the living spark, and the ideas it teaches must grow and strengthen in the minds- of ' the people. Its confesf sion of faith made at the St. Louis con vention and interpreted by the Presi dent has, in the face of an electoral j though not a popular defeat, been in dorsed by every Democratic conven tion called together since that time. There has been no thought of; discour agement; no sign of weakness in the I ranks of the men who are i Wasrinsr a peaceful battle for ' the principles they consider right and to the best interests of the. country. ' All are united, cour ageous and eager to try- the' mettle of the foe again. ,. ; .:',. The' Democrats have a war-cry and a banner to fight beneath; the Repub licans are .. without ...either. A months of - power "have sufficed to dis organize and divide them, and, as rob bers invariably quarrel over the spoils, they are lacerating each other in the effort to get a share of the plunder, the prospect of whose attain ment , alone held ; them 'together. Without a great principle to unite them, with no other, guide than' per sonal interest, it will be strange if the factions succeed in combining forces again. y " '' ' ) . Other causes than disunion'' are weakening r the Republican party. Some of the old appeals to prejudice and-passion, often so. effective with people who did not take the trouble td learn the falsehood and folly of it all, can - be : made no more. ? The solid South was long the bogy of the North-, era voter. .It was preached from every platform, and sometimes1 from the pulpit, too, that the South: was making no progress under Democratic ; rule, and these speakers pointed with pride to the increase of wealth and other material advantages in States' of the North, where Republican '. Gov ernors and Republican , Legislatures held the reins of power. ; . Opposed by recent facts, such statements can have no weight and return to plague those who utter them. The advance of the South, where Democratic principles are universal, is now more rapid than that of the North, and multiplied evi dences on every hand attest her prosperity, the exact proof of . com parative figures being one of themJ Again does practice ally itself with Democratic theory. ''"; The second appeal was not to preju dice but to profit. It was said that a Democratic reduction of the tariff meant a . business panic, the breaking of banks, the destruction of manufact uring establishments, the depression of trade and general ruin, while its Republican , perpetuation foretold boundless wealth and prosperity. "Re publicanism succeeded, and the worst period the manufacturers have had for ten years ' has been since the elec tion cf Mr. Harrison. All the pro tected industries have been -made gloomy by a long line of failures, while a powerful and increasing fac tion of the Republican party, is calling for a reduction of the ; tariff. Thus the. only article of confederation which it could dignify with the name of a principle is about to be swept away. And again does practice ally itself with Democratic theory. ..,,....' We can not restrain a shade of sor row for our Republican brethren who have made so much capital 'of the al leged oppression - of the negro in the South, and rolled under their tongues with delight tales of discrimination against him at the hotel, in the rail road car, and wherever else social forms hold place. A colored man and a white man might quarrel, and im mediately it was in the Northern mind a race war 'of threatening pro portions, and no 1 one will ever know the frightful exaggerations which have been made concerning such events. This would not occur under Republican rule, they said, .though they never . gave a reason for such a belief. But the news has just come of a real race war in the good Republican State of Illinois, where man can do no wrong, so long as he elects Republic an office-holders. White men have killed black men. Republican patri ots, armed with revolvers, are seek ing the lives of their dark-skinned brethren who voted solidly for Mr. Harrison, and are now receiving their reward in Illinois. Time tells the truth, and one by one the illusions flung over the - people by the Republican 'party disappear, for common sense must prevail, and false hood can not ' always r .hold . its ; own against right. When' all the arts of deceit are exhausted; when malice no longer finds a weapon;" when prejudice has no soil for its roots, those who have lived by such methods must dis appear, and the King shall come to his own again. Louisville Courier-Jour-naL ' ' ' ;. ' TWO APPOINTMENTS. The Difference Between Cleveland's ud Harrison's Choice. If. as is reported. Attorney-General Miller- is packing up and, selling out at Indianapolis, then Attorney-General Miller is destined for-the Supreme bench. -," ; Who la Miller? Last fall he achieved fame when his law. partner was elected to the Presidency. Beforo that he was a railroad lawyer like his law partner . known throughout the length and breadth of Marion County as a useful man to Ben Harrison to keep the latter' s professional fences in order while Ben was at .Washing ton. Mr. Miller will do about as much credit to the Supreme bench as his law partner has to the Presidency. More or less could not be said. . When Mr. Cleveland appointed Chief-Justice Fuller he was derided by the heelers of his own party and the simpletons of the opposition some of them in Chicago, wliere Mr. Fuller was beet understood. To alt such the President was able to reply that not . .to know. Fuller was to argue themselves unknown. , The Judges of the Supreme Court knew him, and so did the lawyers who practiced beforo that tribunal. - . . : ''-'J Time has vindicated 'the', wisdom of Cleveland's choice; will it do as much for Harrison? : There is small hope of it. Chicago Herald. CORPORAL TANNER. The Ex-Oammliftoner - Writes m Spier Letter to Private Dalzell. " , In a confidential letter written to Private Dalzell. of Caldwell, O.. ex Commissioner Tanner says: t I want to say to you that the President never said ooa word to me about joo. . I can not come out and say that publicly ; you must cot quote it; but It Is God's truth. . While Commissioner I issued two orders wMch I thought, and still think, were miRBty good ones: First, that the 83,000 men on the pension roll at less than 4 a month should all, unless they had had a med ical examination within a year, be ordered for examination before their home board, with a view to putting them up at least M per month pension or dropping them off the rolls; for it was, my opinion that for a man who is worthy of any pension at all a dollar m week is small enough. My second order was that thereafter, in the settlement of a pension claim, the order of a pr Irate, if he' was airman of good character and standing, should amount to as much in the settlement of his ' claim as the word of a man who had perhaps worn the shoulder straps of a Second Lieutenant. The Acting Commissioner revoked both ot these, orders,, but,, a he is a man who dare not say his soul is his own, he did it under the Instruction , of Noble or .Bussey. How under heaven's name are they going to make the boys believe that there is to be no change in the policy? Smith also issued an order stopping all reratings. He did not object to it until after I had re rated him and put him up to $72 for the loss of his arm and leg, there by putting 18.000 in his pocket. 1 held he was entitled to it; but is it not con temptible that a man who bad that done for him should now be so pronounced against the reratlng of poor dev.ls who suffer 'twice as much as a man does from amputation? I have not. the slightest doubt but that I would have been removed if X had not resigned : . in fact I know it. If the boys, and particularly those in Ohio, acquiesce, why. it is .safe .to say that Tanner will be left where he is In the soup. Among the promotions announced is the Pen sion Office is that of Harrison I. , Bruce, of Colorado, to be a member of the -Board of Pension Appeals in the Secretary's office at S2,003 a year. He had been detailed for duty la the Secretary's office . for some mouths, and was appointed by the Secretary one of the commission .which- investigated the Pension Office. Don't you think it would have looked a little better if they had waited at least until after I. had passed out of official life before they promoted him? ' Some ' will be cynical enough to reflect upon cause and effect, service and reward." I have written you with great freedom. Don't give me any cause to regret it by saying any thing about this letter. It Is to yon solely. : ! : . . ; ' : . , ' A CRACKED KEYSTONE. Taxes That Hurt the Farmers ana ElancII cap the Manufacturers. ' A leading protection journal declares that "the wool duty is the keystone of the tariff," and says: . t "Free wool means free goods of all sorts and no protection for' American labor." : : ' ' . This is a candid admission that "the present tariff is the result of a log rolling combination, the leading mem bers of ;which" prevent relief to the people in any . direction -by threaten ing the retaliation of a general aban donment of high duties as a punish ment for yielding at any point. This, menace has a lessened effect upon the woolen manufacturers, who see ruin to their industry as the result of--carrying Alone the handicap- of taxed raw material in competition with the mills of more enlightened countries. They are moving for free wool in a manner which promises to crack the Vkeystone of tho tariff.',' President Grant stated the. true economic view of this question in his annual message for 1874 : in saying: The - introduction free of. duty , of such wools .as we do not produce would stimulate the manufacture of goods requiring the use' of those we do produce, and therefore -would be a benefit ..to . home . production. V And again in his message for 1875: ''These duties fori raw ' materials not ; only corne from the consumers : at home, .but act as. a .protection to foreign man ufacturers of the . 'same completed articles in our own 'and' distant markets. " - ' There is not a more absurd, bar barous and hurtful tax , laid in this country than the tariff on wool. It hurts the farmers, it handicaps the manufacturers and, it makes clothing dear. N. Y. World. DRIFT OF OPINION. The present administration will outlive the 6urpius; all right Sioux City Tribune. ' The Republicans are "badly 8 cared in this neck of the woods. r Cincinnati Enquirer. , . -No negro ' holds 1 any ' important elective office north of the Ohio river. The suppression of the "Afro-American" in Republican States is complete. St.' Louis Republic ' Mr. Harrison paid a very high price- for the soldier vote, last autumn. Politics, however, is a queer game. It is all right when you hunt, the bear, but when ihe bear turns and hunts you that is : another matter. N. Y. Herald.; ; . ' t Mr. Wanamaker wants a unique design for ) " a new postage - sta mp. What's the matter with a cut of the American eagle dressed in a neatly fitting suit of store clothes encircled with the motto: I bought 'em at Wanamaker's?" Chicago Herald. - A few days ago and' CorponJ Tanner was the idol of a set of mouths era who are i only happy when their mouths are open. Now that he is shorn of his power these same harpies are on his track, whistling him : down the wind and ready to howl for his suc cessor. Kansas City Journal (Rep.). : The sugar ring has demonstrated its grip upon the National Administra tion by compelling. Secretary Windom to restore men dismissed , by Secretary Fairchild for participation in sugar and tobacco frauds. Bill Chandler has demonstrated his grip by obtaining a vessel to be "repaired" at Portsmouth. Albany Argus. ' . .. , Private Dalzell in a letter to the New York Herald, has cursed a curse which, if it strikes anywhere near its aim, is liable to blister the paint of the new Administration. . Private Dalzell is usually a mild-mannered man and not unnecessarily profane, but his let ter shows that he has not forgotten his old army training, and that when the occasion arises he can curse ust as able-bodied a curse as anybody. Chi cago Mail. ,,-PRESSES :FOR BRIDES. - . ChanalaaT Costvcaes For Early .Vflatex Hrldee and Bride maid. r - Simple wedding dresses are of crepe de Chine, or of the inexpensive China silk ' , which' drapes more gracefully than surah, or else of fine white wooL The; front , of the skirt is accordion plaited and the waist, extends behind in princesse breadths. Directoire frills and a cravat of lisse or of silk mull trim the waist. When white ' is not worn, the bride chooses " gray repped silk for the ceremony dress, using it afterward for" a ' visiting dress, and wearing a Cheviot or cloth traveling dress on' her wedding journey. Such a gown, worn at a fashionable noon wedding, was of gray Muscovite silk (broad, flat reps), - made with a prin cesse back and draped, skirt in front; the front of the waist is filled in with yellow cre'pon in soft folds and frills a combination of colors now much in vogue.'; A small bonnet of the gray silk- had yellow crepon folded along the brim. The bride's bouquet should be white, no matter- though her dress is colored, but her gloves match her dress. , A widow .when marrying again wears pearl or gray lampas. brocade satin, or repped . silk, made as white wedding dresses are, but she omits .the vail and orange flowers, and wears a dressy bonnet. ' ' White mousseline de soie i3 chosen for tbridemaids' dresses this season, and is made . over, white silk, with a baby waist, half-high, with full sleeves to the elbow, and either a white, pink or 'yellow sash.-' Scalloped frills fall low around the neck. The - skirt is short and is slightly draped in front. with frills : down the sides. The silk muslin with selvage finish, instead of being scalloped, is sometimes 'pre ferred for frills of these youthful gowns.' ' White net dresses will be lit tle used. ' White China silk, or thick er ottoman repped silk, which is also very soft, is being made up in pretty Empire gowns, with crossed corsage, broad belt," a straight ' skirt, with a ruche or flounce at the foot.' Pompadour and Watteau silks and satins will . be . used for . bridemaids. when colored dresses are preferred, the grounds of alternate pink and rose stripes, or of Nile 'green and buff, strewn with flowers, and ' these will be made with square-necked corsages and elbow sleeves that have flowing frills of lace. White fichus of silk muslin are made for another group of bride maids, who will wear pale blue gros grain dresses. White undressed kid gloves, like those worn by the bride, will be worn by bridemaids, though the favorite light tan-colored gloves with slippers to match will not be abandoned. Very fanciful hats, laden with plumes, will be worn by some bridemaids. and simple toques of white cloth are ordered for a quiet morning wedding, where the bridemaids will wear tailor gowns of white . f aced cloth braided with silver..: A maid oi honor, when she is the bride's only at tendant will wear a colored dress, either rose, yellow or Nile 'green, made of crepe de Chine; but if there are bridemaids also, her dress matches theirs. When little girls accompany the bridal party, they are dressed in white wool or silk, ' with accordion plaited skirts and full waists, and large white hats with plumes. The bride's mother goes to church just before the wedding party, and is conducted by an usher .to the front pew on the left side of the aisle. . She may wear a lam pas gown with train of the rich petunia or dahlia coloring in purplish red shades, or of darker silver gray brocade, or else of the mauve or lavender shades formerly used for such dresses. At a noon wed ding she will wear a bonnet of velvet to match 'the dress, but in the after noon or evening her hair is becoming ly arranged, and she. wears a gold' or jeweled comb with hair-pins to corre spond. Harper's Bazar. ' ; j ' m Nothing More Obvious. Attorney (chagrined) I confess, your, honor, this juror seems to meet all the legal requirements, and as our peremptory challenges" are now ex hausted we shall be reluctantly com pelled to accept- . Defendant leans over and whispers something in attorney's ear. Attorney (to juror) ne moment, sir. Have you not. within the last six months, paid off $2,000 of old debts, dollar for dollar, that were outlawed years ago and that you were not legal ly bound to pay? ' .. Juror I have. : Attorney (triumphantly) I chal lenge him for cause, your honor."1 He is insane. Chicago. Tribune. . A " musician, who is famous for playing practical jokes, wrote to a friend a short time back thus: 'Dear , ;I expired suddenly on Wednes day last and am to be buried on Tues day night.. Can you come to the funeral? Shall be glad to 'see you. Yours, ." To which the friend re plied: "Dear , should be happy to come to your funeral next Tuesday, but, unfortunately, I died last Friday myself. -Yours. Exchange. ''; A Southern California paper tells the following: "A I e w Orleans friend was -visiting us and we' drove him around the country, showing him the sights. After telling him the names of different trees, vines, etc. he inno cently remarked: "4You have ex plained many interesting points, but you nave not snown me a pumpkuii tree.'" ' On 'the . Free . List no Longer. r Citizen "Hello. Jake! Still in the fruit ' : business, are you? Those peaches look " - Jake (menacing ly) "Keep your dirty hands offn them peaches. If you want any you buy 'em. You're not a p'leeceman now." Chicago Tribune. Eve's lot may have : been a hard one, but she escaped many of the an noyances which afflict her daughters. She never, for instance,' saw "a neigh bor who, was the' possessor . of ' a hand somer bonnet than her own. Boslon Courier. . ' . ; A dentist may pull teeth, for chil dren, but his patients are nearly all groan people. Yonkers Statesman. r MAN EATERS- FIGHT.: '.- . t Two Meastera of the Iee'awa a Peee ate KaeoMter. , - Rev. Ed Randsf ord told a Brunswick (Ga.) Times, reporter the ..following story of a combat between two sharks: ;'Rev. Al G. P. Dodge, Jr.,' and my self were driving along the east beach on St. Simons island,- on that part of the shore where the Long island creek empties itself into the ocean. On that occasion' we were witnesses of what I suppose was a spectacle rarely, if ever, beheld on these coasts a terrible en counter in which some half-dozen man-eating sharks took part. , -. Our attention was first directed to a violent disturbance in the water. within a very few yards of the shore.- It seemed as if a school of porpoises was keeping holiday,-and. the mem-' bers were gamboling about in sheer; wantonness.'(As we drew nearer, how ever, the' snorts of ' our horse and his unwillingness 'to 'go forward told us we were mistaken. . . Driving closer we; saw first one and .then another black. dorsal fin darting rapidly about, the water "at the same time being churned into a white foam. We concluded that we had dropped in for a marine hunt, the porpoise being the quarry and the sharks the hounds. v : ,: ."We were mistaken, though, for. on looking closer twe saw two enormous sharks ' engaged in deadly ' fray. No difference what the cause, we could not see "how great was the'share taken by the four lookers-on, who may possi bly have simply been filling the roles of seconds, bottle-holder' and referee in a prize-fight fought according to the rules and regulations of the prize ring. ' They certainly darted to and fro and sailed round the two center figures in a most excited fashion, occa sionally giving one another, a shove with their snouts or a gentle reminder with their tails to let others see as well as themselves. "Meanwhile the Sullivan and Kiirain of the deep kept hard at it. At one moment a rapid flank movement would be attempted by 'Jake,' only to be anticipated by 'J. L., whose bulk was about twelve feet, 'Jake's' being, per-' haps, a trifle less.- 'J. L.' would make a furious dive, . then he would rise up again and try., to grab his adversary with his wicked-looking teeth, which sounded with a "vicious ' snap as the champion missed his aim. 4 Jake' would then turn and fly first this way and then that.' ; His adversary would pursue him and more than ' once they both nearly ran . themselves aground; over an;l over they would leap, expos ing two-thirds of their lengths, coming down with a thud like the fall of a heavy body on a floor, the swift blows of their tails throwing the water up high in the air. One moment, 'Jake' would head up streamy followed by 'J. L. A swift turn on . the side, and the foamy waves were crimson-flecked.' while 'Jake', was wounded by his ene- my s teeth. , ... " 'Jake tried to imitate. 'J. L. s tac tics, but being deftly countered made flight oceanward. -The 'big one' fol lowed and gave 'Jake' two more, in which proceeding two other sharks joined a breach of honor which J. L.' at once visited with condign pun ishment. 'Jake,' who had gotten his second wind, plucked up courage and sailed in for the seventy-third round. The: two monsters grappled and for about two minutes wild con fusion reigned; foam, blood, tails, fins snouts, white bellies, glistening teeth. one after the other turned up in mys tifying succession- .kaleidoscopic in their mixed up variety. Had the com batants been able to speak doubtless the air would have been filled with curses. , But as" they "were only dumb fishes the vigorous blows of their tails and the quick, sharp otashings of their jaws, like the snap of gigantic- steel traps, sufficiently emphasized their violation of the third commandment. This battle, of. the Titans of the deep at last came to , an end as unex pectedly as that in Mississippi. Whether a finny sheriff with a mon strous watch' put in an appearance or not, or whether 'Jake' had had enough of it, -we could not . affirm, but all of a sudden he turned tail, literally, and dived one way, 'J. L.' going another. Then . both of them made out to sea, with what speed they might, perhaps to renew the combat where they would feel less confined by their surround ings." . ' : - .r : The "Touch of Nature." The "touch of nature which' makes the whole world kin" was exemplified . this summer in a little Swiss village. An American gentleman traveling for his health, accompanied by his sister, died suddenly of hemorrhage at the village inn. A temporary- interment was nec essary to permit communication with friends this side of the water.' At the simple service in the little cemetery on the .mountain side the bereaved sister noticed with surprise four gen tlemen, evidently not natives, standing a little away from her with uncovered heads. She found out afterward that of these self-imposed mourners one was a ocowmnan irom - uiasgow, an other an Englishman from Sheffield, and the others two German gentlemen. The latter were traveling in company. but were strangers to the others, who in turn were unacquainted with each other. Yet all of them had delayed their departure -over -one diligence to pay a tribute of respect to the un known man. dead in a strange .land, and .the solitary mourner - far - from home. N. Y.. Witness. i "Changing the .leopard spots" is the newest scheme in church fairs. The minister stretches a large piece of white' cloth across one' end of the room. On it is drawn in charcoal a representation of a leopard, with its mouth open aud its' tail trailing on the ground. About forty pieces of circu lar black cloth a couple of inches in diameter are fastened all over the leopard with pins. "Can the leopard change his. spots ?" says the preacher, repeating the, . Biblical, question. It can by a simple process. Each one in the congregation pays one dollar and buys a spot until the leopard resembles a white 1 calf. ' ' Then the - game is' re peated until every body, including the leopard, is perfectly satisfied with the result. - - yards Arrry gardens. .l;: .Br Tse ttmr aamer. - iZIcet farms are too large; door-yards and 'gardens and city and ' village lot are ' too, smalL . , Many . farmers are aflicted with a distempered economy; to save .land' they crowd their houses almost into ' the highway the door yard in front ofjthe house is sacrificed to the comJield in.Jhe rear, but, their saving proclivities seem o abate as they approach the back part of their farms, -for there you will-generally find land covered with bushes, briers, brush and old logs that yield no profit, but are a refuge for predatory animals that burrow and. hide in the daytime and visit the hennery and garden at night If every body in the city, vil-lage-aad country would consider hpw much beauty and utility a lare, well furnished, well-kept door-yanTis capa bleof providing for the benefit of the owner, his family and passers-by, lit tle neglected pens in front of the house would become ' scarce. There are at tainable trees, with foliage so beauti ful, form so exquisite; flowers so fra grant; grass so green; shrubbery with such varied excellence, that we must regard it as a first-class bereavement to be shut out from their hal lowed influence. -Small front yards are . better . than none tastefully arranged and well kept, they improve the situation but they are very in- significant compared with ample space adorned' with trees and shrubbery judiciously- arranged and properly cared for. Some varieties of applQ trees and other fruit trees in full bloom are beautiful, and may properly have a place in the front yard, but other trees and shrubs should predominate. The size and conditions of farmers' gardens tell very plainly whether the owners are trying to enjoy life as they go along, or are sacrificing for them- selves and family present enjoyments to vague . future anticipations. Too many spend their lives getting ready to live; they work and worry, pinch and save, intending when their accu mulations are large enough to make a business of - enjoying themselves. When their' preparations are nearly complete, headaches, backaches and rheumatics sadden their hours; liver and lung complaints close their career. A good-sized. well-kept garden means present enjoyment. It pro- vides necessaries and luxuries for immediate use; if it has a full assort- ment of small fruits it supplies a family with the best eatables the earth affords. To do this the garden must, be large. Most farmers' gardens are so small that fruits for the family can't find a place. Peaches, -plums, cher ries and the large family of berries are not planted because there is no place to put them on the 50. 100 or 200 acre farm this is a disgrace, a misfortune and a crime. If projected cities and villages ever get beyond paper it is ol the utmost importance that their streets be wide, parks and pleasure grounds numerous and ample, and building-lots big enough to allow ihe air to circulate and give space for trees, grapevines and a few flowers and vegetables. There is a great deal of land in the world. Pity that more of it does not get into village and city limits. Whatever else is contracted farms are generally too large the farmer. is burdened with labor and care; much is left undone that ought to be done; thinking of things neg lected prevents the enjoyment of what is accomplished; many who might and ought to occupy land are crowded out. A great increase of the owners and occupants of land would be an in calculable blessing to the American people. Hugh T. Brooks, in N. Y. Tribune. Cooked Feed for Pigs. Cooked feed paid me well in the case of young hogs. I have never seen pigfs grow- faster than mine did on cooked pumpkins, potatoes mixed with bran, shorts or ground feed of any de scription. I honestly would not use any dry feed for my young stock dur ing our long winters, nor would I use cold water. Cooked oats with pota toes or any roots make all my pigs feel happy in winter time. I do not use any warm food during the sum- frozen I begin with warm slops. I save at least half of the feed in this way. -I cook two barrels of mixed food in the morning and feed one in the morning and one in the evening as slop. The latter, if covered, will keep warm until evening. I have fifteen brood sows and twenty shoats. My brood sows do very welL I have no complaint to make with regard to their losing their litters as they would do if fed on raw feed when corn only is fed to them during the winter. Cor. Rural New Yorker. ' To Strengthen the Memory. 1. The cultivation of habits of at tention, or intense application of the mind to whatever is at the time its mere immediate object of pursuit. 2- Habits of correct association. These consist in the constant practice of tracing the relation between new facts and others with which we are previously acquainted; and of refer ring facts to principles which they are calculated to illustrate, or to opinions which they tend to confirm, modify or overturn. 3. Intimately connected with both the former rules is the cultivation of that active, inquiring state of mind which ' is always on the watch for knowledge' from every source that comes .within reach, either in reading, conversation, or observation. ' 4. : Method; that is, the pursuit of particular objects upon a regular and connected plan. Potato Custard. One teacupful of boiled or baked potato mashed and pressed through a sieve, one teacup ful of butter, same of sugar, three eggs well beaten. Cream potato and butter together, beat eggs and sugar together, mix and flavor to taste. Bake in a rich crust. Good House keeping. ' '. " " JLwiwm vou are wanting your urn- , brella and wanting it bad, it's mighty poor" ' satisiaction 10 vain - mnoh mmfnrt anma O trier Iftliow w retting out of it llerch&nt Travel-