North Carolina Newspapers

ANTHONY & CROSS, Editors And Publishers. TERMS t $1.85 Per Year In Advance. VOLUME 1. CONCORD, N. C., FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 1888. NUMBER 5. Home is Home. The snowflakes press upon the pane, Where once was heard the pattering rain, " And all the twigs are clothed in white Like babes of Nature for the night But what care I for winter storms, And frost y cold In countless forms! For home is home, no matter where, If lore and hope are centered there. The chilling winds of winter blow Where fern and daisy used to grov The crimson flush of sunset dies, And Nature in her cavern lies. The winds may blow and snowflakes fall, While clouds and darkness cover all; But flowers will bud, : n I birds will sing, When winter weds the blushing spring. K. Bolton in Good Housekeeping. THE YOUNGEST SISTEE BY 1IF.LEX FORUKST GRATES. "I don't know how it is," groaned Kate Blessiugton, "but in our family thing always happen cross-grained." "What's the matter now?" said Georgia, the eldest shter, who, with a blue apron of checked domestic ging ham tied around her waist, and her luxuriant flaxen hair confined in a red bandanna pocket-handkerchief, was cooking tomatoes for ketchup. "Why, here have the Morefields come to spend the day, and mamma has just taken to her sofa with aa attack of neuralgia, and there's nobody oa eaith to go to the train to meet the city board er. loucouldnt go, George, 1 sup pose?'' with a faint gleam of hopo. Georgia glanced up at the clock, and shook her head. "Couldn't possibly," said sho. "There isn't time to get ready. Why don't you send Peter? ' ''Peter, indeed! He's cleaning the cistern out. Such a figure as hs is!" "Then I'm sure," observed Georgia, J "I don't see what you arc going to do. "Couldn't I go, Kate?'' pleaded small, sweet voic?. t And the second Mi-s Blessington be I came couscioiu of some one pullin I gently at her sleeve. She turned sharply around. A tall, rosy girl stood I there a girl just arrived at the age 1 where "brook and river meet," half child, half woman, but infinitely pretty in both her personalities. Sunburned, daik-eyed, clad in an outgrown calico frock, and with her hair braided into one long, gold-gleaming queue behind, she stood there, with an imp'oring face. "A good idea!'' sail Georgia, tasting of the bubbling scarlet mass in the ket tle, and adding a trifle more red pepper. "Let Chrissy go!" "But Chrissy can't drive." "Oh, yes, I can!" urged Christine, the youngest and least presentable of all the Blcssingtons. "I drove old Jenks up from the farm yesterday with a load of pumpkins. I've often driven him when you didn't know it, George." "Oh, you horrid tom-boy!" said Georgia, half-laughing. But Kate gave litttlc Chrissy a sound box on the car. Her black eyes flashed wrathfully. "Christine," said she, "I'm ashamed of you ! You're a disgrace to the family. Don't howl now 1M (as Chrissy rubbing her empurpled ear, broke into an indig nant wail). "The Morefields will hear you. Go quickget on your hat; and mind you don't show yourself at the tea table. Your new frock isn't finished, and your old one isn't half decent ; and besides, you'll be needed in the kitchen to wash dishes." The tears dried oa Chrissy's eyelashes at the prospect of driving old Jenks to the depot all by herself. She made haste to pull a white worsted polo cap over her rebellious hair, and to scramble into the rather dilapidated buggy that was waiting at the door. "Get up, Jenks 1" she cried, brandish ing the whip with gleeful countenance. "Pete, I'm going to drive to the depot I" "All right, miss," said Peter, who, fresh from the depths of the newly emptied cistern, was holding old Jenks, as if there was any danger of . that ancient steed running away. 'Drive keerful past Bowery Lne he al'ays wants to turn in there and mind you keep a tight grip o' the reins, if you meet a load o' b irrels or one o' them janglin' tin-peddler's wagons." Away clattered the venerable buggy, old Jenks falling into a stiff trot like an automaton horae, and Chrissy fairly radiant with delight. "But Kate oughtn't to have boxed ray ears," she pondered, as the first ela tion subsided. "There was nothing wrong in driving the load of pumpkins home. I came by the back road, and nobody saw me. I don't love Kate nor Georgia neither. They're always laughing at mo and making fun of me, just because I grow so fast. They won't let me come into the room when they've got company, because I'm only a child; andthev scold me for running races with the dog, because I'm a woman. wonder if they call that consistency? Never mind. I'll pav 'em off vet. see if I don't.1" By dint of extraordinary efforts on the part of Old Jenks, and liberal applica tion of the whip on that of his mistress, they contrived to reach one side of the depot building just as the train steamed away from the other. Christine looked up and down -the; platform. Most of the passengers had already started forth in different direc tions, but one man stood tUere, glanc ing up and down the road, with a valise in his hand, a folded newspaper protrud ing from his coat-pocket. Chrissy hesitated what to do; then she rose to the emergency. "nallol" she cried, in a sweet, high- pitched soprano voice. "Are you the gentleman from the city the new boarder?" He advanced, with a rather puzzled countenance. "Yes," said he. "I" "I've come to drive you to the cot tage," said Christine Blessington. "Jump in, please 1 Where's your trunk? There's room for it behind."' "My trunk i3 to be sent by express, But" "Oh, very welll" said Chrissy. "B; quick, please the horse won't stand!" The stranger cast an amused glauce toward old Jenks, who certainly looked as little like a runawav steed as could be imagined a3 he stood there, meekly balanced on three elsrs. with his head hanging down. "And who are you?" said he, pleas antly. "One of the family?" "Oh, I'm Chrissy the youngest girl, you know!" explained she. "The youngest, eh? Are there many of you?" Chrissv oved him with a sidelong glance. "He's curious about us," thought she, "Well, that's natural." And she an swered, complacently: "Well there's Georgia she's twenty- two. And she's engaged to an officer in the army, although she thinks I don't know it. And Kate is twenty, and she's going to set her cap . for the new princi pal of the school. At least she says so, She's tired of making over old gowns, and dyeing old ribbon, and keeping genteel boarders. I don't envy the prin cipal of the school," Chrissy added, giv ing old Jenks an admonitory touch with the whip, as he showed an undue in clination to sidle toward thi entrance of Bowery Lane. "Kate has got an awful temper. S'na flew into a passion aud boxed by cars just before I started." "Boxed your ears!" repeated the stranger, repressing a strong inclination to laugh. "Why, how old are you?" "I'm sixteen an I a half," said Chrissy, almost wishing that she had not told the incident, as the crimson flush rose up to the very roots of her hair. "And she oughtn't to treat ma like a child! I wish she would get married and go away. I should be a deal happier with out her. Oh, oh I there comes a load of barrels! Old Jenks is awfully afraid of load of barrels. Ho always shies when he sees one." "Let me take the reins," suggested her passenger. And presently, under his charge, old Jenks, who, to do him justice, had evinced no particular emotion of any sort, was engineered safely past the feaiful object. And then Chrissy pointed out the various localities to him, told him about the ghost that was said to walk in old Squire Hart's deserted house, showed him the place where a fox was shot in the spring, and confided to him where to go if he wanted to find the finest nutting copses of the vicinity. And while she was enlarging on these subjects, old Jenks stopped sleepily at the front gate of the pretty Blessington cottage. All the Morefield heads were at the window Mrs. Morefield, Jeannctte Morefield, Susanna Morefield, and the married Miss Morcfisld, whose present name was Mrs. Josiah Stubbs. "Bless mel" said Mrs. Stubbs, in a stage whisper, "what a very genteel young man." "It's the city boarder," explained Mrs. Blessington, between the twinges of her neuralgia. "Doctor Buffer recommended him here for pure country air. He's just up from malarial fever, and needs change, and Doctor Buffer dear, good man knew how we were sit uated.and that we had a nice front room to spare," 'Humph V commented Mrs. More- field. "He doesn't look much like a sick man." While Kate ran out to open the door, all smile3 and " freshly-tied pink rib bons. "Is it Mr. Dorrance?" she raid. " am Miss B'cssington" with her most engaging air of we'ebme. "Please walk in. I hope you haven't been very much tired by the journey?" 4 It's Kate," whispered Chrissy, sud denly overcome by pangs of compunc tion. "Don't let her know I told you about her temper." "I am afraid there is some mistake,' said the gentleman, pausing in the very act of taking his valise out of the wagon. "My name is not Dorrance. And I was going to Mr. Falkner's place, where I have engaged board for the winter. am John " Wilder, the principal of the Graded School." Chrissy dropped the reins, jumped out of the wagon and ran to hide her self in the Hay mows of the barn. The Morefields stared harder than ever. Hate Blessington looked ia- finitely puzzled. 'Dear mel" said she: "it's one ol Christine's blunders. We wero very foolish to have trusted her. Do come in, Mr. Wilder" with a still more win some smile '"and rest yourself, and havo some tea. We are all anxiety to become acquainted with our new prin cipal. Pete! Petel don't unharness the horse! Go right back to the depot. Mr. Dorrance must be waiting there yetl" But Mr. Wilder, with a curious ex pression of the mouth and eyes, declined Mis3 Blessington' s invitation. He would go immediately to . Mr. Falicner's. he said, if they would be good enough to tell him in what direc tion it was. And so he bowed himself away. An hour or so afterward, the depot wagon from Smileybridgc, the next sta tion above, brought Mr. Dorrance, a withered little old man, who wore a wig and walked with a gold-healed cane. "There wasn't anyone at the lower depot to meet me," said he. "And I was told 1 could gctj a hack at Smiley bridge, two miles further on; and I'm no walker, so I just . steppe I back into the train; so here I am! And I'd like my tea at six o'clock, if you please, and rye bread and bake I apples with it. For I haven't got back my digestion yet, and the doctor is very particular about my diet." Chrissy Blessington was very silent and dispirited when she made her appearance in the Graduating Class of the Graded School at the opening of the fall term, and she scarcely ventured to look at Mr. Wilder, as hi entered her name at the head of the list. At recess she lingeve i a little, as if there was something on her mind. "Well?'' said th principal, kindly. "I'm so sorry that I said those foolish things!" burst out Chrissy, with tears sparkling in her eyes. "That day, you know, that I took you for ths city boarder, and drove you to our house please, please forget them! Kate and George are always telling me that 1 shall cet i:ito mtchbf with my tongue -aud now I know that they are r-rightl" And poor Carissy bnke into a sob, in spite of all her self-control. "My child, do not fret yourself," aid Mr. Wilder. "I will remember nothing that you would have me for est I" At the end of the year, when the snows lay white on the hill tons. Mr. Dorrance was still boarding at the Bles sington cottage, and tormenting every body on the subject of his "diet." Georgia was getting ready for her marriage to the army officer, Kate was lamenting har solitary blessedness, and Chrissy -little Chrissy, who was not yet seventeen was actually engaged to Mr. Wilder, the new principal of the Graded School. "Though, of course," said Mrs. BIcs sington, "she can't be married for i year yet. Why, she ii nothing but i child!-' "But I don't miad waiting a little while," said Chrissy, to her fiancee. "For the family all treat mo with respect now. Kate don t care to box my ears any more." "I should think not," said Mr. Wil der. Saturday Night. lllustraling a Turkish Proverb. There is a Turkish proverb which says that "the gift of a peasant comes high" and this is the illustration. A celebrated hodja a kind of American alderman secure 1 a present from peasant of a hare, which was duly served for supper. A week later a man sought the hodja. "Who arc you?" was asked "I am the man who gave you the hare." Ho was warmly received. A little later a number of nun dropped in about lunch time. "Who are you?" was asked. "We aro the neighbors of the man who brought you a hare." Still another crowd carm, and were asked as to their identity. "We are the neighbors of the neighbors of the man who sent you the hare," The hodja then set before them some clear witer, and then they asked, "What is this?" "It is the sauce of the sauce of the cooked hare," replied the hodja. Rat-Catching Ferrets. Ferrets, tho lithe, sharp-toothed little animals which aro trained tohunt rats in New York houses, get their first lessons, in vermin killing at the age of three months. It is their nature to hunt and kill. Trainers consider a ferret's first encounter with a rat of the utmost im portance as touching his future useful ness, so they provide a half-grown rat for the first fight, or pull the teeth of an old rat in order to give the ferret a sure victory. If defeated, the ferret is timid ever afterward. New York Tribune. A Regular Financier. A. I am ia a tight place. B. What is the matter, now? "I have got to raise $99 by 3 o'clock tomorrow." "Why do you require precisely $99?" "I have to pay a hundred-dollar note in bank and I've got the other dollar." Texas Sittings. MAIL ODDITIES. Onepr Thinorc That Arft Sftftn at the New York Postofflce. A Museum Filled With Articles Confiscated By Uncle Sam. On the third floor and west side of the postoffico building, overlooking the court, and shut out from the noise of the street says a writer in the N. Y. Commercial Advertiser, is a large room, which in character partakes about equally of junk-shop, , storehouse and museum. . Over the door is a sign bear ing in plain black letters, "Inquiry Of fice." Mr. Perry Jones is the presiding spirit. Oa entering the office through a pri vate door one is confronted with the workshop and museuir proper. A talk with Mr. Jones bring! out some inter esting information. It becomes appar ent at once that the inquiry office is no place for a person with weak nerves. A package witnout an addrcs; is received. It is opcucd. A cotton ball is exposed to view, which is foMe 1 layer on layer i i the mo t careful way. In the centre, between two layers saturated with alco hol, is found a hideous scorpion from from the West Indies. Live horned toad have been receive 1 here, as also havo snakes in heary glass i irs, tilled with alcohol. Live turtle compluta tli3 list of ncrve-shatt: ring things which the employes have to dispose of. Dynamite, carefully packed in cot ton, powder in flasks, gun implements of all kind, and fishing outfits are re ceived daily. Peaceful things are, of course, plentiful. Simples of every known fabric to delight the. eyes of the professional shopper cosmetics, bustles, velvet-, silks and wooleus, worsted flowers, oil paintings, plans of houses, specimens of ore and electric apparatus. Sadly crushed, but pretty for all that, a bit of edelveis!, direct from its native Alp, awaits an owner ; crushed, tooj but ::o longer beautiful, a lady's bonnet, for which no doubt the owner fumod and fretted, but it was the bonnet th it never came. After til i Oregon's mail was recovered the suppiy of lmnrock aid gren rib bon in thi inqnirrVrttee vouId have sup p'icd every son of K; in in America with emblems of th: K ner.ild Isle. Fruits arc often received but thrown away at the slightest ap,)car.incs of daciy. Skins of animals for tin taxi lermist aud bird's wings for the milliners also find their way into the office, together with jew elry, ofttincs of great value, and notes and coin. tS iocs, clothing and hard ware r.ro not wanting. A specimen card of insects, containing all species ijativc to a certain part of Africa and addrcse i to a scientist of promi nence, has just now been forwarded to the owner. A prize pumpkin and a complete set of dental instruments were reposing side 1 y side among a heap of papers when the reporter called, and on a shelf directly back of the table, al phabetically arranged, were newspapers from all parts of the world. In the book department, books, prin cipally foreign, in elegant bindings, with dust for company, and manuscripts and even corrected proofs ready for the printer form an interesting part of the collection. Novels in paper cover are everywhere. Mr. J-ncs says that the system used in disposing of the accumulated matter was copied by every large' city in the union and inquiries regardingthc work of ttus department are frequent. Since its establishment, seven years ago, it has grown to be a lKCJssary part of the gi gantic postal system iu operation in this city. To this office all parcels not ad dressed, or from which part of the ad dress had been obliterated, are sent. To this office are sent also all improperly packed parcels, and those which the postal officers have reason to believe con tain contraband articles. The business of the employes in the office is , to put the addresses where they belong, repack the par cels when necessary, confiscate the things which have no place in the mails, and otherwise remedy the mis take caused by the carelessness or igno rance of the senders. When a parcel is improperly packed or something is wrong with the address, if the person for whom it is probably intended can bo found, a circular is sent to him with the request for the name and description of the article. If the answer is satis factory the parcel is forwarded. In some cases the person addressed does not know the contents of the package. In that rase the name of the sender is procured from tho person addressed, and the parcel retches its destination. Two men are constantly employed assorting the mutilated addresses and one kept busy recording articles which are await ing claimants. Besides these there are several clerks who do nothing but fill out the notification blanks and repack arti cles for shipment. Articles of an indestructible charac ter are kept three months and are then sent to Washington. Fruits, vegetables or skins are disposed of at short no An Aged Sea Anemone. For many years an object of curiosity in the Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh has been the sea anemone, which on ac count of its age has received the nick name of "Granny." This venerable specimen of the curious class of crea tures which belong to th. very border land that separates the animal from the vegetable world has just passed away at the age of about sixty. It was found in 1828 by Sir John Dalzell, the well known antiquary, among the rocks not very far from the promontory known as St. Abbs Head, upon the coast of Ber wick, and was described ia one of those two sumptuous quartos devoted by him to "Rare and Remarkable Animals of Scotland." It was on the death of Sir John in 1854 that this remarkable specimen of the actinozoa passed into the possession of Prof. Flemming, and hence found a permanent home in the beautiful gardens in which it has just ended its honored career. "Granny" can hardly be reproached with gluttony siuce its food was simply half a mussel dropped regularly once a fortnight into the membraneous oesophageal tube which does duty for a mouth. Whether ic possessed any thing which could be said to ap- proacu io me nature ot breathing ap paratus is, we believe, a point on which the learned are not quite deci led; but it is certain that " Granny" appeared to thrive on her fortnightly half-mussel with its accompanying draught of fresh water. "Granny's" album, in which visitors have long been accustomed to enter their names, is stated to be en riched with more than 1,000 autographs of distinguished travellers and scientific persons. It appeared to be in excellent health up to a few weeks ago, when it was. attacked with the parasite disease which finally proved fatal Christian at Work. On Consumption. Dr. Brown-Sequard, of Paris, in treat ing before the Academy of Sciences the causes of phthisis, takes many of his ex amples from England. He shows that wherever population is dense, and sleeping-rooms are ill-aired or over-crowded, consumption prevails. Dr. Bailey re ported that in Milbank prison there were out of 100 deaths, 45 from this disease. According to the illustrious doctor, a room in which a consumptive person sleeps is reeking with contagious germs, if the air he exhales is not carried off. But how to get rid of it in' ill-built houses or very cold weather, when it is as dangerous to open windows as to keep them shut? To meet this difficulty Dr. Brown-Sequard showed the academy an apparatus of his invention. A reversed funnel, "the shape of a lamp shade, is placed at the end of a tube, so arranged in its curves and angles that when it is placed beside a bed the reversed funnel will be above the sleeper, and draw up the air he breathes. . The other end runs into the chimney of the room. If there is none, it is taken through a heating apparatus to an air-hole. Precious Boxes. Perhaps the chief thing during the Civil war which afforded equal pleasure to the soldier and his friends at home was the sending and the reception of boxes of good things. When these home-boxes arrived at camp,th3 men re ceiving them were like schoolboys, elat ed over their good fortune and ready to share their delicaci3S with the less fa vored who had not been remembered. The author of "Hard Tack and Cof fee," in describing the contents of such boxes, gives a list of articles ordered by him at some period in the service: "Round-headed nails (for boot heels), hatchet, pudding, turkey, pickles, on ions, pepper, paper, envelopes, stockings, potatoes, chocolate, condensed milk, sugar, broma, butter sauce, boot preser vative." Of course, this catalogue was supple mented by the loving friends at home, by a dozen necessaries and delicacies. Ytmth's Companion. A City Beneath the Tide, A city at the bottom of the sea was seen toward the end of October near Treptow, in Prussia, when a powerful south wind blew the waters of . the Bal tic away from the shore, uncovering a portion of ground usually hidden from sight by the waves. : It was the ruins of the city of Regamucnde, once a flourish ing commercial station, which was swallowed by the sea some five centur ies ago. The unusual spectacle was not enjoyed but for a few hours. When the storm slackened and the waves returned to cover up the place which had once been the residence and field of labor of busy men. North German Ga zette. : V ' '- Why Corn Pops. The peculiarity of pop-corn is that it contains more oil than other varieties of maize. When gradually exposed to heat over a brisk fire, the oil in the grain becomes converted into gas, which expanding tears, open the starch cells of the corn. The heat at the same time cooks the starch and enlarges its parti cles, so that the popped grain ia snow white and many times larger than before it was heated. -Inter-Ocean, SCIENTIFIC SCRAPS. X - "eueri. 0I Berlin has inoc uiatea aogs with tye Dewiy discovered bacillus of cancer. s0 far n0 cancer symptoms havo been developed. The Marquis of Ailsa(wh0 takes a keen' interest in fish cuKnrni has not been successful in his attempts to cul tivate the American brook trout in Scotland.. Professors Trowbridge and Hutchins of Harvard College report that their ex tensive and careful researches tend to disprove the view that oxygen exists Jin any part of the sun. An examination made along the San Francisco water front to ascertain how active the teredo had been developed the fact that in most cases the insects worked downward. In one wharf pile examined it was found that nine tere does had bored downward where two had worked upward. The rocky island of St. Kilda, off the western coast of Scotland, has no regu lar means of communication with the mainland. Correspondence is attache. I j to a rudely-rigged plank and trusted to the fortune of the wind and waves. "A recently-found bottle contained infor. mation of impending famine which was threatened by reason of an unexpected increase in the population. Ants not only recognize one another after separation for more than a year, but there are evidences of strong affection between them. After keeping one nest of aati for seven years, Sir John Lubbock had still two survivors, and this pair finally died within a week of each other after living together two years longer. The shock produced by the loss of her companion was the only apparent cause of the death of the last member of this remarkable colony. An English educational writer states that the existence of what he terms "sound blindness" Avas suggested to him by tho difficulties some persons experi ence in learning to spell and to pro nounce foreign languages. The phenom enon is evidently inability to dis tinguish particular shades of sound, and is analogous to color-blindues3. Among illustrations given is that of a boy who, though not deaf, cculd hear no differ ence batween . "very," "perry," and "polly." A Mexican paper gives an account of a new species of silk, the cultivation of which has been undertaken in the state of Yucatan. It is tho produce of the wild silk-worm, which is closely allied to the domestic silk-worm. The silk on the coeoons is elastic and of excellent nualitv. thousrh rather uncertain in color, varying from white to pale brown, but one difficulty is that it is covered with a gum which it is very difficult to dissolve. The government of the state of Yucatan is makine experiments with a view of utilizing this wild silk. The rapid increase in the use of elec tricity as a motive power giv s spe cial interest to the discovery that pal ladium, a metal of the platinum group, but of far lower density than the latter, may be substituted for steel in tho man ufacture of watches. Palladium is ah solutely nonpolarizable, and it is unaf fected to any noticeable extent by the presence of a magnetic field. Besides this it has tho incidental advantage of being rust-proof. The discovery is due to Mr.C. A. Paillard of Geneva, Switzer land, and watches are now being con structed with this metal. The Parisian Shops. Business people in Paris have long since formed a color speech by which certain trades are easily recognized. First of all, the color shops are distin sruished by bcins painted outside in squares and stripes of the brilliant colors Viennese 'leather, bron.e and trinket shops have begun - to use the Austrian color., yellow and black; then the Spanish'Wine shops use yellow and red tho Italian green, white and red. The business places where furniture carts for removal are kept are painted yellow, as well as the wagons why, not even the proprietors know. Pastry shops are liffht I rown 'outside, and within white and gold, so that one is reminded of the pastry itself. Milk shops aro white and blue, both inside and out. The washerwomen now begin to paint the outside of their iron ing shops a bright blue, while the carts that take the linen to the wash-houses in the country arc bright green. Wine houses are all painted brown, or a dull red, which is exactly the color of the vin ordinarie . mixed with cranberry juice and logwood. Still darker is the color of the charcoal shops, which the dust soon renders completely black. Bakers aro fond of light brown and white, with much gilding and large mirrors. Court Journal. - An Astonished Yonng Man. A young man who looked as if he might have come straight from East St Louis, stood in front of a barber shop on Dearborn street yesterday morning and slowly spelled out the words of a sign Boots blacked inside." Gosh!" he exclaimed, "what's the use of blackin' boots on the insUel" Chicago Tribune, . The Ministry of Song. Not the child's song with careless laoghtei rising From rosy bps in childhood's sunny days, Not that sweet strain which youth delighfo in singing, Are life's best melody and truest praise. Gladsome are these, and beautiful; thei cadence -Floats down long years; Life's mominj song seeios best; Although maturity, with sighs, confesses Her children's songs bring pity and unrest. Who soothes the ear of grief with hint ot pleasure? Who comforts age with bope of things to be? Why have youth's song and life's maturei measures No common key note in life's harmony? None know and yet, from out our care and clamor We hear the wondrous music silence hold In piteous need, one human lamentation -Most beauteous strain of sympathy enfolds. Joy's happy lay and griefs heart-broken wailing No concord know, till some poor, stricken heart, With faith sublime, turn from its own re pining To comfort with a song some life apart. As even song of birds seems holier, sweeter Than any note the noon-day's riot knew; So that faint voice from desolation rising May solace and uplift the wide world through. Edith K. Perry. HUMOROUS. Current literature receipts for pud dings. Many an old book has to be bound over to keep the piece. The man who marries for beauty takes his wife at her face valus. New naven News: A cork's crew usually msaus a fishing vessel's outfit. Opportunities are like vacant lots. They must be improved to be profitable. Professional whistlers have to whistle for their pay bat they generally get it. It must be a very good brass band that can play all the airs a drum major puts on. m A man may be opposed to capital punishment and yet in favor of hanging up his grocer. The man who sets out to stndy a woman's disposition can generally learn a great deal, but the prico of tuition is apttobehigh. The man who has a long ulster never dreads the winter, nay, he rather wel comes it for he i3 then enabled to con ceal the bags in the knees of his trous ers. Women have much more adaptability than men. The girl with the tiniest rosebud mouth can hold from four to six six-inch clothespins between her jaws on washday. The minister was dining with the family, and ho said to Bobby, with an amused smile: 'Tra afraid, Bobby, that you haven't the patience of J.b.w "No, sir," responded Bobby, who was hun gry, "but Job wasn't always helped last. . The Tartars and Their Horses. The Tartars have a way of living with their animals which is truly astonishing they talk to them, and when they wish to encourage them, they whistle to them as if they were birds. If they do not travel well, they address to them gentle .reproaches; and when special effort is needad oa their part, they say "Come, my doves you know you must go up there ; courage, my pets; come, go on!" And when the difficulty is ac complished, they get down from their box and praise and caress them, allow ing them to rest and breathe- patting them between their eyes, rubbing their noses, stroking tho hair on their fore, heads between their ears indeed caress ing them in every way, and treating them like much-loved pets. The Warmest Soles, i know that it is contrary to precon ceived notions, says Joel Swope in the Globe-Democrat, but it is the fact all the same, that the feet can be kept warmer in cold weather by wearing a shoe with a light sole than with a thick one. With the light solo the foot has a chance to work, thereby keeping up a circulation. This applies, of course, only to dry weather. When it is wet and rubbers are necessary, it is best to wear a single-soled shoe inside. In the summer the thick sole should be used, for it keeps the heat of the pavement from striking through. . Mexican llnmor. If o nn.ttr enma tunn a nr aV;nn. " I J " i r -r,w.uS of a lady who had died at the ripe age of 86 years. . Among the persons present was one whose intellect was rather limited. " That is nothing,1 he said, with a self-satisfied air; "if my grandfather had lived, he would now be 118 years old." . . - . Niee Enough. "Oh I" exclaimed a young lady ec statically, "wouldn't it belovely to paint those flowers t" , " ; : "No, dear," responded : another, they look nioa enough without being painted." Pittsburg Dispatch. '