SMALL BITS OF SCIENCE. A CHAEGE AT FREDERICKSBURG. Why Should Americans Interest Them Reucs. In their seal to show thaTHE NIOET BEFORE CHRISTMAS. Parental Love.

A pathetic stobt of ibelakd.

In our party, writes Mr. Locke, was

Christmas Evergreens.

The use of evergreens and flowers asa means of decoration seems an instinctof human nature. Green bcughs wereused by the Jews at the Feast of Taberna-cles, and the Bomans ornamented theirtemples and houses with them, duringthe Feast of Saturn. The ancientDruids hung green branches and themistletoe over the doors as a propitiationto the woodland sprites. A survival ofthis superstition was found among theEnglish peasantry, not two hundredyears ago. They hung up evergreensin their cottages, in the belief that thesylvan sprites would flock thereto, andso the boughs would remain unnippedby the frosts till a milder season. TheEnglish custom of decking houses andchurches with evergreens at Christmassprings, therefore, from an ancientpractice and a human instinct. Thefavorite plants are holly, bay, rosemary,laurel and ivy. Objection was formerlymade to the use of ivy in church decora

A Happy Home.

From the German.A pretty story about a German family

discloses the secret of a happy home,wherein joy abonndeth,' though thereare many to feed and clothe.

A teacher once lived in Strassburgwho had hard work to support his family.His chief joy in life, however, was inhis nine children, though it was no lighttask to feed them all.

His brain would have reeled and hisheart sunk had he not trusted in hisheavenly Father when he thought ofthe number of jackets, shoes, stockingsand dresses they would use in the courseof a year, and the quantity of bread andpotatoes they would eat.

His home, too, was very close quar-

ters for the many beds and cribs, to saynothing of the room required for thenoise and fun which the merry ninemade.

But father and mother managed verywell, and the house was a pattern ofneatness and order.

One day there came a guest to thehouse. As they sat at dinner thestranger, looking at the hungry chil-

dren about the table, said compassion-ately:

" Poor man, what a cross you have tobear !"

"I? Ia cross to bear !" asked thefather, wonderingly ; " what do youmean ?"

opened quickly by the little womanin black, the seamstress, as I supposed.

"Oh!" I said, rather confusedly, "Isuppose her mother has not come homeyet; I came over to see if 1 could borrowthe little girl !' )

"Come in," said the little woman;"you have been very kind to notice herso much, and she has grown really fondof you; come here, Mabel."

"But but," I stammered, "are youher mother the the "

"Washwoman ! Yes; do not be afraidto say it; you see I am not," and shelaughed, rather sadly, I thought

I hid my confused face over Mabel,who was easily persuaded to sit in mylap. She was a lovely child, but sodelicate, so frail, that the blue veinscould be traced on her temples andhands with threatening distinctness,and she was as light as a bird. So thiswas the woman, whose society I haddisdained, gentle, patient, ladylike, almost girlish woman ; but then,how could she wash ? such hard, dis-

agreeable work. Later, she told methat it was all she could do.

"I dare say our minister has toldyou," she said, " that I was the young-est child of a Southern clergyman, andbrought up to do nothing and knownothing useful. Look at these handsalmost parboiled, ain't they? Well,they've been a fortune to me."

Poor little wrinkled hands ! I amnaturally impulsive, and I took themboth and pressed my lips to them, he-

roic hands ! and the next moment wewere sobbing in each other's arms.

Shades of the Knickerbockers andVan Eensselaers ! We went into part

selves In Irish Matters 1

Petroleum V. Nasby writes : Thereare 10,000,000 of Irish in America, andevery one of them is earning money.They are in every walk in life, from theprofessions down to railroad shovelingand servants in kitchens. The wealthyhave, of course, brought their familiesall over, and have no tie bnt that ofsentiment to connect them with theirfatherland. But the vast army of hand-workers, male and female, cannot dothis except by Blow and painful accu-mulations, and these they are not al-

lowed to make. Why? Because MyLord in England's mortgage on theIrish reaches across the Atlantic, throughthe love that every Irish man and womanbears bis kindred, and the infernal gripof his iron hand is upon the heart-strings of every girl in every kitchenand every laborer in America.

I used to wonder why the Biddy inmy kitchen came to me regularly once amonth for a draft for the full half ofher wages to Bend to the old country.I wondered why she did not save hermoney against the day she married,that she might not come to her husbandempty-hande-

I found the reason in Ireland. Biddycould not see her father and motherturned out into the cold for the nonpayment of the infamous rent, and soher money, which should nave stayedin America, and be finally used in build-ing a home of her own, went regularlyacross the Atlantic to help them out

But the infernal ingenuity of the soulless grinders permitted it to do themvery little good. For when an agentlound than an Irish boy or girl was assisting his or her family, it took himvery little time to discover the amountof the regular remittances and the rentwas promptly raised to just that amount

A Story of Paris.

A stranger enters the shop of anobliging grocer:

Stranger Owing to the extortions ofthe gas companies I have about de-termined to light my premises with can-dles, only, you see, I am at a loss todecide what to select. I want some-thing realy good, you know.

Grocer Certainly, sir Step this wayuiuuieuii, Bin ion can see lor your-

self, sir! (Lights fifteen different sortsof candles and places them on thecounter.)

Stranger (after having walked np anddown before them for five minntes, withhis chin in his hand, immersed in deepreflection) Well, I guess on the wholeI prefer the gas! Good afternoon!t&xit hurriedly!)

Grocer Hurling a bar of soap afteriuiu jn, J J

IN Michigan. An incident relatedby the Rev. William Herbert Smyth

auswu, imcmgan, a nome misHionary wnose cirouit embraces a partu uuriit uisirici, jorciDiy illustratesthe destitution which exists there.Writing of the case of a woman to whomhe gave $5, he adds: " In a moment shefell on her knees, held vo thn hillnana, saying: u liod, this is too goodof you :' then begged me to talra hifthe amount and give it to a poor neigh-bor a mile away, but fortunatelv I had$5 for her, too."

Rather Enthusiastic.The Wilmington (DeL) Daily Repub

lican lately contained the followingitem of popularinterest: Dr. J. F. Speck,who is connected with the WilmingtonFvery Evening, speaks rather enthusi-astically of St Jacobs Oil. Dr. Speckstates thst he uses the Oil in his familyas a household iemedy, a sort of univer-sal panacea for all aches and pains, andhas always found it to act most happily.His attention was called to it by themany testimonials in its favor, and heone day used it upon himself for sorethroat Two applications were sufficientto effect a cure. He also used it on hislittle girl for sore throat with gratifyingsuccess. The same child had scarletfever this winter which left the tendonsof one leg much contracted. The littleprattler conldn i w alk without assistanceand suffered much inconvenience andpain. Several applications of St JacobsOil restored the limb to its normal con-dition and she has not experienced anytrouble since. Dr. Speck states thathe has also s?en the Oil act charminglyin toothache. He thinks St JacobsOil is a sterling remedy, and does nothesitate to recommend it for rheumatism, etc

Too long courtships are notjudicious. The partys often tire outskoremg 'lore the trot begins.

Get Ready for the Holidays.

Sheppard Knapp. the great Carpetman, cor. 6th ave. ana lata street, newYork, has been wide-awak- e enongh tocapture an enormous importation ofLace Curtains, comprising an grades,for less than half the cost of importation, and is soiling at correspondinglylow rates. Such an opportunity maynever occur again. The bargains he of-

fers seem to be appreciated for his mammoth establishment is crowded irommorn till night His advertisementreads, "5,000 pairs Lace Curtains from$1 per pair upward, at less than cost oiimportation.

An enthusiast is an individual whobelieves about four times as much asanybody believes.

" First a cough, carried me off,And then a coffin they carried me off in !

ThU will not be vonr finitanh if von takn vnnrcoush and Dr. R. V. Pierce's " Golden Medical ' in time. It ia specific for weaklung, tmg or blood, nigm sweats, and tueearly stages of consumption. Uy all druggists.

the sasstest man x ever met is ahen-pecke- d husband when he is awayirom nome.

wrssTos, rorsytn jo . v.Gests I desire to express to vou mv thank?

for your wonderful Hop Bitters. 1 was troubledwith dyspepsia for five years previous to oom- -

meuciug the use of your Hop iiitterj some sixmonths ago. My cure has been wonderful.I am pastor of tile First Methodist Church oftins place, and my whole congregation cantestily to the great virtue of yonr bitters.

very respeetruiiy,Kev. H. Febebeb,

Gbatittjde is the memory of theheart.

Lord Byros, in reference to a beautiful ladv,wrote to a friend " Lady has been dnn- -

gerouxly ill, but now she is ctarweroug!; we'dagain. Amerioau belles, wheu attacked byany of tne ills tnai ne.-- n is neir to, may De Kepikilling, and avoid being killed by taking Dr. ii.V. 1'ierce's " Favoritu Prescription," whichbanishes feminine weaknesses, and l estorcs thebloom of health. By all diuggit-U- ,

Owe no max a cent that you are ableto pay him.

fnnE Cou-Ljv- Oil. mada fron selectedlifers, on Iho e, by Casvre), Hazii'd SOo.i New York; it is absolutely pure andswet. IViisuta who hv8 i,noe taion it prcfirit to fill others. Fhysioians have decided, itsuperior to any of the oilier oils in aiwavU

Save small sums if you want to ownlarge ones.

ICbeiiuiucism.The editor wishes to know if there is one ot

hi i readers suffering with thenmatism. If solet him try a bottle of Durang s BhenmalicRemedy. It is taken internally; never hasfailed, aud never can fail to enre in the short-est time. It can be had at all drng stores.Bond for free pamphlet to It. K. Ualpeuatiue,di UL'inaL WaHliiimton. X). C

Ho, Ye Baldheads ! There is jnst one way,aud no more, by winch you may be enred useCabbolise, a deodoiized extract of petroleum.It, will nositivclv produce new calr; mere is nosubstitute for this marvelous petroleum ba rrenewer.

Boils, pimples on face, salt rheum, oldsoree, and ail ouianeons eruptions disappearlike mngio when "Lindsey's Blood Searcher"is used.

Ton bet. when conghs and colds are flyingabout like guats in a storm, " Dr. Sellers' Cough8 rup" is a sure cure.

ImDortant to Traveler.Special Inducements are offered von by tho

Burlington Route. It will pay you to readtheir advertisement to be found elsewhere inthis issue.

Oflmnn'a Preen reil Cnd f.lver Oil ami Mm.The be! medicine for the LunL'-fi- . Snltl hi &il liruibts. Depot. 13 th ave., Nsw York.

It afflicted with sore eyes, use Dr. Traao Thompson'sEVfi WA'lER. DrutwUt tell it; feo. a bottle.

A Gebmam chemist, Dr. Sohal, hasestablished the useful faot that woodparaffine is preserved from rot

According to a French medical jour-nal whooping cough has been successful-ly treated by Dr. Barety, of Nice, byturpentine vapor.

It is said that benzine may be freedfrom all offensive odor by shaking it npwell with quicklime, about three ouncesto the gallon.

In preparing phosphor brass, aboutone-ten- th of one per cent of dry phos-phorus is introduced into the meltedmetal (good red brass) in a covered cru-cible.

A Swiss loom-make- r, Hennegger, hasinvented a loom in which the shuttle isnot thrown, bnt is handed over fromside to side by hook, much in the samemanner as the silk-loo- m handles.

To rrrnjizE old rubber the pieces areheated in contact with steam, when thesulphur is volatilized and the caoutchoucmelts, and is collected as a liquid, usedin preparing water-pro- of covers, etc.

SevseaIi years ago Ericsson predictedthat the Nile and the Ganges would belined with cotton and other factoriesdriven by solar heat A French engineer in Algiers is already contributingto the fulfillment of this prediction bypumping water and making it boil bysolar force alone.

Bbaue recommends the use of barytain place of sodium-carbonat- e and charcoal in the ordinary dry test for arsenic.If arsenious oxide is heated with bartyaa mirror is obtained existing partly ofmetallio arsenic and partly of barium.arsenate The test doeswell with arsenious sulphide,

Every one knows that the very feeblestcurrents produce audible sounds in thetelephone, which is more sensitivethan any galvanometer to feeble cur-

rents. M. Pellat lately declared thatthe heat necessary to warm akilogrammeof water one degree would, if convertedproperly into the energy of electric cur-

rents, suffice to produce in a telephonean audible sound for 10,000 years con-

tinually.

A Well-Select- Jury.THE SHREWDNESS OF AN ARKANSAS LAW-

YER A STOLEN HOG.

The Little Rock Gazette says: Downin an extremely rural district of Arkan-ha- s,

an old man was arrested for steal-

ing a hog. The proof was positive, andthe Court was surprised when the pleaof not guilty .was introduced. Thelawyer for the defense, a man wellknown for his trickery rather than hisability, seemed particularly desirous ofselecting a jury that would not showpartiality in its decision. The prose-

cuting attorney, a young and inexperi-enced man, agreed to every jurymanselected by the defense, and the judge,although he might have thought thedefense stepped over the bounds ofjudicial courtesy, said nothing. Thearguments were concluded, leaving inthe minds of the people no doubt as tothe verdict, for one of the witnesses,man whose word no one could dispute,swore that he saw the defendant whenhe stole the animal. ' The jury retired,and, after a few moments, returnedverdict of not guilty, in exact opposition to the charge of the Court.

When the Court adjourned, the judgeapproached the lawyer for the defonseand remarked :

"Look here, my friend, I never heardof such a verdict I cannot, as an impartial disseminator of justice, allow toflagrant an outrage to be perpetrated onthis community. That man is as guiltyas Judas, btit if you will tell me the secret of the acquittal, I'll allow the verdict to pass."

"You see, judge, some of the jurymen were rather young and some ratherolder,"

"Yes, but what does that signify?""It signifies that I run in the old

man's twelve sons on the jury."

Well Served.

It is singular how men will lie in orderto shift a burden from their own to another's shoulder. A servant being dismissed for some grievous fault, askedfor a "character." His master wrotehim one, which was so commendatorythat the man said, with a touch of sarcasm : "Don't you think you had betterhire over again a servant who has sucha 'character'?" A church was oncetaught a similar lesson in veracity :

The church of a Maine town, aftermuch discussion over tea-cu- p s and thecounters of the country stores, decidedto dismiss Deacon X, from membership.

No especial misdemeanor could bebrought against him, but a generalfaculty of making himself disagreeable,of causing gossip and of beirg uncommonly stiff-necke- d, made the good folksanxious to be relieved of him.

The matter was brought np before thechurch, and as no crime was chargedupon him, Deacon X. insisted upon receiving a letter of recommendation.

Elated, perhaps, by the prospect ofbeing rid of the troublesome member, theclerk of the parish wrote a very pleasant letter, commending the brother tothe good-fellowshi- p of whatever churchof the faith to which the letter mightcome. . .

Imagine the consternation of the congregation when at the next church-meetin- g

Deacon X. presented his letterof recommendation and insisted uponbeing received back again ! And he was.

A Model Mother.

A Brooklyn lady was recently followed home by a man she had never seenbefore, she naturally was frightenedand left the fellow to her mother, whohad opened the door.' Under such circumstances the ordinary mother usuallyslams the door in a frightened sort ofway and hurries to the parlor window topeer cautiously through the curtains orblinds to see what sort of an animal it isthat has broken loose. Bat what theBrooklyn mother did was to invite thenuisance into the house and pretendedto send for her daughter, to whom thefellow had asked to be introduced.First, however, she rang her burglaralarm. Results A policeman, an ar-

rest, a night in the station house and aten-doll- ar fine, but no introduction tothe lady. If there were more of suchwomen there would be fewer complaintsabout insolent men. Women should remember that it is perfectly safe to takesuoh cases in their own hands, for aman who in any way annoys a lady issure to be a sneak and a coward. JScwYork Jleruld,

Bv way of apology for allowing awoman passenger to retain her money,one of the perpetrators of the reoenttrain robbery in Missouri said: "Thenext time we undertake a job of thiskind we will have a lady to search thelady passengers." The woman was nottoo frightened to express a doubtwhether the robbers could secure theservices of a lady in that capacity.

Wrinkles disfigube a woman lessthan e.

complete restoration of good feeling themanagers of a Soldiers' Home fair inBoston begged for the loan of the Con-

federate flag that floated over FortSumter during the war and other " rel-

ics" for exhibition, and were refused.their present custodians, the. Washing-ton Light Infantry of Charleston, S.C, replying: " These are preserved intheir armory in sad and tender remembrance of their comrades, by whose life- -

blood they are hallowed, and with thekindest wishes for the success of thefair of their Boston friends, the corpsfeel that the display of the relics inBoston, or anywhere else, North orSouth, would be unbecoming."

Bad fob the Boys. Eastern, Pa.,counts up twenty-fiv- e boys who havebeen rendered permanent cripples byattempting to jump on railroad trainswhile in motion.

ALWAYS KEEP COOLTo stick to yemt

subject nnn thetruth is an exce-llent plan, andwhether it be inquestions of'linanceor fishing-- ,

or any topic what-ever, civil or polit-ical, always keepcool and tell thatruth. However,

I TV I V , t here is a cer--mareia al

- linl ii lowed for lying.

Mined in no othersubject, and nodoubt our friendsIn the picture araindulging in thatspecial employ-ment, as well, per- -

I scientific swear- -illK. Their bodies

I And tempers arhot and the air is

I rool'asthevshouldbe.but are not , ia uu

I they are appnrent-l- y

in tbecondltionwhen it is mucheasier to catchrheumatism thanfish, in which csit would be welllor them thattbevbe provided withUyMii a bottle oi bt.

f U J acobs Oil, thaGreat German.

Bemedy for this as well as other painful ai menu.WE'LL NAIL ITS COLORS TO THE MAST, i"Hclla, Denny I what is the trouble?" "Oh,

Tm all broke up," was the response to the in-

quiry of an old shipmate of William G. Dennis-to-

one of Farragut's war-wor- n veterans, wellknown in the southenvsection of this city, whocame limping into the American office yesterday."I thought I would go under the hatches thistime," continued Denniston. "I never sufferedso much in my life. I had the rheumatic goutso bad that I could not get off the bed or put myfoot to the floor, and would have been there yeif a friend had not recommended St. Jacobs Oil,to me. I hesitated some time before getting abottle, thinking it wasanother one of those adver-tised nostrums, but was finally induced to give ita trial, and a lucky day it was for me. Why,bless my stars! after bathing the limb thoroughlywith the Oil I felt relief, and my faith was pinnedto St. Jacob and his Oil alter that. 1 freely sarthat if it had not been for St. Jacobs Oil I should,in all probabilty, be still housed. My foot painsme but little.and theswelling hnentirely passedaway. It beats anything of the kind I have everheard of, and any person who doubts it send thento me at l'.l South Tenth bLrhiiadclplua Timet,

The Best Con eh Syrup IsPlso'i Cure for Consumption.It acts quick and It tastes good, f '

Doae small, bottle large.Therefore the cheapest as well

i as th best. Sold everywhere.25c. and St.00 per bottle.

'i"'l"JJ-

V fill NO M C M Learn Teltsrranhy! Earn $10toSlualUUnu MCn, month, tlradiutt-- Kilnrauteadpa j In' offices. AddreasVa.enUneBros.,JaaiHvUle.Wla.

' a week in yonr own town. Terms and S3 outfllfree. Address H. Hallktt & Oa.Portlsnd,Maiai

CHRISTMAS MUSIC.CHRIST THE LORD. SpSZman, by W. William. Kor Miiedattractive mnsie. t hoirn and Sork-tie- cau easilylearn it for a Xuias pertoriuauoe. u ceuta.

Send for lint of Clclta Carole.

BEAUTIES OFSACRED SONGOilt edition 3; Cloth J.M: Iloar.l i. A noble prevent for tuofiewhD love the lx5-- t of tha m t

songs of the day, by 40 famous composers.

RHYMES ANDTuNES. SfSSSof Household songs, lullabies and(l.o0.)

GEMS OF ENGLISH SONG, fdj$a, gilt. Xhe nw and most fnvurite collection.

NORWAY MUsicAlBUM. ffjftmusic of the Vikings ot tUe NortJ.

FRANZ' ALBUMOF SONG.1$:i,uilt. ITraaz' owu edition of ln wrmta

CHRISTMAS CANTATA. ffSSA.JR17 (rood Choruses, Quarttfci. Solos, eta Sacred wordana spirited music.

OLIVER DITSON & CO., Boston.o. n. DITSON & CO..

813 Broadway, N. X.

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A Story of the War as Told by M.Quad,

Sumner was on Burnside's rightLongstreet faced him on Lee's leftFranklin was no sooner repulsed on tneleft than Sumner was ordered to attackon the right The key of the Confed-erate right was a hill which could bedefended against the world. The keyof the Confederate left was just suchanother place. Jackson held the oneLongstreet the other. From the battlelines formed under cover of the housesand walls, men looked across the opencommons to Marye's Hill and realizedthat perhaps not one out of five wouldnve to cross the space, but wnen tneorder came every man was ready. Itwas a terrible blunder to push thoselegions against such a position. TheConfederates charged Bond Top at Get-tysburg in the desperation of despair.It was gain all or lose all by that onecharge. The Federal's charged Marye'sHill when they could have flanked itwhen defeat was assured before a manmoved. The Confederate artillery hada direct fire from sixteen differentpoints, and at the foot and at the slopesof the hill there were enough infantryto hold it against the grandest armyever marshaled.

Look there to-da- y and you can findevery point and particular. Over thecrest or top of the hill runs the oldplank road to Salem Church and Chan- -

cellorsville. At the base of the hill.and bearing around it to the left, is theTelegraph Road. Along this latter roadis a stone wall four feet high, builtagainst the base of the hill. If thatwall had not been there the hill was yettoo steep for soldiers to climb. But thewall was there, and behind it was abrigade of Confederate infantry. Iwalked slowly along the length of this

rxojivjAeA the "chips madelriam htnn ah.

IfII3SKside, the boys fromthe town were digging out bullets wherethousands had been found before. Hadthe wall been carried the hill could nothave been, but Sumner dashed his menat both as if a single dash would routeLee's left wing. One historian locatesthis stone wall "midway up the hill,"and puts "hosts of the enemy behindit." It is at the base of the hill, andhardly long enough to cover one bnsrade. Hooker thought there were 30.000 behind it. Lee had only about50,000 men all told to defend his entirelines. Lees than 2.000 Confederatesheld the wall, and 2,000 men can holdit to-da- y against 10,000.

Marye's Hill and this stone wall werethe objects of Sumner's dash, but hismen got no nearer than 200 feet to thewall. The artillery on the heights cre-ated the most terrible slaughter as thetroops rushed across the open space,and as they came within stone's throwof the wall the musketry swept wholecompanies away. At the centre of thewall is a street a hundred feet wide leading up from the town. Up thU street,affording no cover whatever, the Federals charged in column of brigades,They could not go forward and theywould not go back, and while the artillery above had a plunging fire on them,the infantry behind the wall mowedthem down with the scythe of death. Inten minutes Sumner was hurled backbut he charged again, and it was nowthat the Irish Brigade made its heroiccharges. with bayonets fixed theydashed at the stone wall again andagain, but never to reach it Thatnight when the roll was called only oneman out ot three answered to his name.The rest were lying dead in the dustylane. Along this lane, nearest to thatstone wall, you can sit on your horseto-aa- y and count over two hundredbullet holes in sheds and houses.

"I was sergeant of a gun which wastationed just there," said an

srato to me, as we faced the height.'We did not believe the Federals would

charge the hill, and when they namethe second time we cheered them. Suchbravery I never saw on a battle field.Some of the men who wete hit waydown tne street hobbled and limped forwsrd and were struck down within 100feet of the wall. This road was theworst spectacle of the whole war. Ourartillery created horrible slaughter onthe heavy lines of men at such closerange. That tree down there at thecorner of the garden stood in an openfield then, and just beyond it was aslight swell. As Sumner's troops cameover that swell m their second charge Ifired into the lines just to the right ofthe tree, and the shell killed or wounded nearly every man in one company.I saw grape and canister open lanesthrough the ranks, and yet the bluelines closed np again and dashed at thebase of the hill. We thought theywere mad men.

"Down where the old shed stands Isaw a curious thing that day. WhenSumner was driven back the secondtime a single Federal soldier was left onhis feet among the dead there. Insteadof falling back with the rest, he stoodthere and loaded and fired as coolly asif at target practice. He wounded oneman in my company, killed a corporalfurther ud the hill and shot a lieutenant there where the wall curves. Hefired as many as six shots, being firedat in return by a thousand men ; bnt ashe turned and walked away, our menceased firing and gave him cheer aftercheer."

Torktown.The scene of the surrender has long

Imari a mnnll-TKir- rl fniji BTinf,. VorlftOWnis not reached by railway, and is off thelme of progress, borne day it may revive its old-tim- e prosperity ; at least itought to become more accessible as apoint lor mture pugnmage. xeioro mRevolution the town was quite an empo-rium, the only port from which the Virginia planters shipped their tobacco toEngland. Baltimore and Norfolk grad-ually reduced it by competition. Sometwo centuries or more ago we first hearof it as one of the few outposts or tortsin the colony. In 1725 it was the centerof a thriving county an Episcopal parish of sixtv communicants, with achurch. Williamsburg, the capital,with its House of Burgesses and growing college, attracting thither the wis-

dom and fashion of the Dominion, wasscarce a dozen miles away. Until Corn- -

wallis stationed himself there, Yorktownhad escaped the ravages of war on theVirginia coast, and after its surrender itstill contained about seventy houses, notmore than two or three having been

IIjijstrQT-od- . Eiipen years later itxteutdiTs limits, and we find

its population, more than half of whichwas composed of negroes, numberingabout 800 souls. The last war, it needhardly be said, left it in a depressed con-dition, almost beyond recovery, and to--dav it contains not more than 300 inhabitants, among whom are to be found butfew descendants of the ancient proprie-tors. In fact, it seems to be the lot ofYorktown that the more it becomes ahistorical spot, the less it becomes anything else. nervry ". Johnston, inJIarper'a Magazine.

Steel beads are passe, all others areworn.

Tin? Nfbbaska City (Neb.) Presssays: St. Jacobs Oil strikes heavy blowsfor good all around, and its virtues forrheumatic pains are landed upon everyhand. Try it, all ye who sutler.

Zbatj, if not heeded, is more vicioustbau virtuous.

Indulgent parents who allow their childrento eat heartily of hieh-season- cd food, rich pies.cake, etc., will have to ue Hop Bitters to prevent indigestion, sleepless nigiita. sieuness,pain, aud, perhaps, death. No family is salewithout them in the house.

Question thb sincerity of a friend whonatters you.

Throat, Broncblnl and I.una Diseases.a specialty. Send two slamps for large treatise giving self treatment. Address World sDibvknsabv Medical Association, Buffalo,N. 1'.

Rb3Pect a man for what he is, not forthe clothes he wears.

New York Amusement.At the Casino, Broadway and 41st street, on

Monday, and until further notioe, will be pro-

duced "the aesthetic craze, "Patience,' whichhas had such wonderful success. We predictfull houses. Don't fail to see it.

st curmjrr o. hoc ma.

Twu the night before Christmas, when all throaghthe house

Ket 1 creature wu stirring, not era a mouse;The stockings were hong by the chimney with

cere.In hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there.The children were nestled all snng in their beds,While visions of sngar-pla- dand in their heads,And mamma in her kerchief, and 1 in my cap,Had just settled our brains for a long winter's

napWhen oat on the lawn there arose inch a clatter,I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.Away to the window I flew like a fash.Tore open the shatters and threw tip the sash.The moon, on the breast of the new-fall- snow,Gave a luster of mid-da- y to objects below ;When, what to my wondering ey should appear.Bat a miniature sleigh, and eight t ny reindeer,With a little old driver, so lively and quick,I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.More rapid than eagles bis coarsen they came,And be whistled, and shouted, ani called them by

nameXow, Dasher I now, Dancer! now, Prancer and

Vixen I

On, Comet! on, Cnpid! on, Bonder and BlitzenTo the top of tie porh, to the top ot the wall !

. Now, dash away, dash away, dash uway all 1"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly.When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,Bo, op to the house-to- p the coursers they flew.With the sleigh fun of toys and St Nicholas too.And then in a tv Inkling I heard on the roofThe prancing and pawing of each little hoof.As I drew in my bead, and was turning around,Down the chimney St. Nicholas catie with a bound,Be was dressed all in fur from his bead to his foot.And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and

sootA bundle of toys he had flung on his back,And be looked like a peddler just opening his pack.His eyes bow they twinkled! hs dimples how

merry!Bis cheeks were like roses, his note like a cherryliis droll little month was drawn up like a bow,And the beard on his chin was as white as the

snow.The stump of a pipe he held tight l i his teeth.And the smoke, it encircled his he id like a wreath.Be bad a broad face and a little ron id bellyi iMriQfin, wnen ne uugnco, iuti imwi iuu ui

jelly.He was chubby and plump a right jolly old elfAnd I laughed when I saw him, in apite of myself,A wink of his eye, and twist of his lead,Boon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.Be spoke not a word, bat went straight to his work,And filled all the stockings then turned with a

jerk,And laying his finger aside of his nose.And giving a nod, np the chimney te rose.Be sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,And away they all flew like the dow n of a thistleBut I heard him exclaim, ere he dove ont of sight," Happy Christmas to all. and to all a good-nig- ht '."

A Little Figure in Black.

BT MBS. U. Iu BAI KS.

We were as poor as Job's turkey, orthat other mythical creature, a churchmouse, and to add to our misfortune,had moved into a strange place, pend-ing the settlement of an estate which, ifwe gained it, would give as a compe-tency, and if we lost could not leave usany poorer. I had made the change inorder to get mother away from the eadassociations of her loss, and thinking tosecure the winter school for myself; itwas one day too late, but it might aswell have been a hundred years, only inthat case I should have lot t the schooland gained what? Well, I would nothave suffered from either hunger orcold, that is certain !

One day the minister called. He hadseen us at church, where we sat in aback pew and had " poor " and"stranger " written all ovtr us in un-

mistakable characters. Our receptionroom was parlor, library and kitchen ;but when I introduced him to mother,sitting there so dignified and lady-lik- e

in her sorrowful widowhood, I felt asuperiority to grand furniture or fineclothes. What were these paltry thingsin such a presence as hen, the grand,true woman who had put al the worldbeneath her feet ?

The minister was a simple, child-lik- e

man, who carried himself w ith the air ofman whose ehouldera ware need to

bearing the cross. He di 1 not dese-crate his holy office by asking imperti-nent questions, nor did he seek to prose-lyte ; he was kind without beingcondescending, and talked pleasantly ofthe advantages of the place from ahygienic point; then he hiited, ratherthan asked to know, if Mrs. A.., B. or G.had done themselves the pleasure ofcalling upon us.

I presumed that these ladies wereshining lights in the churcli ; no, theyhad not so honored us. id we knowour neighbors ? I smiled, n.ther super-ciliously, I am afraid, for ho w as look-ing at a house across the wt y, that wasoccupied by at least three families !

" You ought to know Mrs. Simpson,"he said, indicating a room with whitemuslin curtains, between wlich we hadoften seen a child's small sleek head in-

serted, " you would like her very much;she is a wash-lad-y !"

Heavens! had we come down to this?Nothing but his "cloth," as :father usedto express it, saved him from my spokenindignation. "Wash-lady!- " "No, wedidn't have the honor of her acquaint-ance," I said, "neither had tie ash-ma- n

nor the scrub lady called yet."It was pert and hateful, but did he

know that we belonged to the . oldKnickerbockers and Van Eeiseelaers ofNew York ? I was boiling over with in-

jured pride, which was not xthed anyby the calm smile with which the goodman elaborated on the merits of the"wash-lady.- "

"She belongs to a family' he said, asreading my very thoughts, "which iseighteen hundred years old, even thefamily of the gentle Nazarene; her lifehas been one of heroic n;

for years she took care of an infirm andparalytio father and an invalid husband,and earned the money that supportedthem; every day she thanks Qod for thehealth and strength that have kept hernp; she is now devoting her sole ener-gies to educating her little girl, that shemay be able ,to support herself withease andrespoaability-- I am not ac-

quainted with a lady I respect moreheartily than Mrs. Simpson."

When he had delivered this eulogy heleft, and in a few days other membersof the church called, and ve were in-

vited to a Dorcas society aiid a vestrysociable, but somehow we did not careto emerge from obscurity, and livedquietly , for ourselves, happier even in

of these good commonplace people.So it happened, that much of my time

was spent at the window where, likeMariana of the Moated Orange, I was

and by degrees I fell to watch-ing a swift little figure in black runningin and out from the house oppositesome seamstress, I though f, that hasseen better days, and from t.er I wouldglance to the pale, wistful face of a littlechild pressed against the window-pan- e,

the child of the wash-lad- y whom I hadnever seen. ' Well, : if the mother wasrough and brawny, the child was deli-cate and dainty enough to be a lady,and somehow, from looking at andwatching her, I got to making; Bigns andtrying to coax her over she was alonebo much I pitied her but she neverame. I would hold np a book of

pictures, or place a flower on thewindow-sil- l, and she would smile andclap her little hands, l?ut never came,and at last, I, one of the old Knicker-bocker line; crept across the street onChristmas evening In te dusk, and rannp to the " wash-lady- 's " room to askher humbly for the loan of her littleCfcild. I rapped on the door and it was

an American gentleman who was blessedwith an abundance of boys, but no giris,and he and his wife had been contemplating the adoption of a girl. Herewas an opportunity to secure not onlya girl, but just the kind oJ! a girl thathe would have given half his estate tobe father of ; and so he o;ened nego

tiations.An Irishman who knew him explained

to the father and mother that the gen-

tleman was a man of means ; that hiswife was an" excellent, good woman,and that the child would be regu-ularl- y

adopted under the laws of theState in which he lived, and would beeducated, and would rank equally withhis own children in the matter of inher-

itance, and all that In short, she wasmade to understand that Norah wouldbe reared a lady.

Then the American struck in. She,the mother, might select t. girl to ac-

company the child across the Atlantic,and the girl selected should go into hisfamily as the child's nurse, and thechild should be reared in tha religion ofits parents.

The father and mother consulted longand anxiously. It was a temble strug-gle. On the one hand wasi the child'sadvantage, on the other parental andmaternal love.

Finally a conclusion was irrived at"God help me," said the mother.

" You shall have her. I know you willbe good to her."

Then the arucgements were pushedvery briskljJTiJeguliur Americanbusiness-lik- e -- oe. The girl selected to act as nurse was the mother'sister, a comely girl of twenty. TheAmerican took the child and rushed outto a haberdasher's and purchased anoutfit for her. He put shoeu and stockings on her, which was a novel experience, and a pretty little dress, andlittle hat with a feather in it , and a littlesash and all that sort of thing, and heprocured shoes and stockings for theelder girl, a tidy dress and hat andBhawl, and so forth. An I then hebrousht them back, instructing themother that he should leave with themfor Cork the next morning at elevenand that the girl and child should bedressed and ready to depart.

The next day came, and the Americanwent for his child. She was dressed.thousrh very awkwardly. The motherhad never had any experience in dressing children, and it was a wonder thatshe did not get the dress on wrong sideup. But there she was. The motherwailed as one who was ptirting witheverything that was dear to her, thefather lay and moaned, looking fromNorah to the American. Time was up,

The mother took the baby in her armsand gave it the final embrace and thelong, loving kiss, the father took her inhis arms and kissed her, and. the otherchildren looked on astounded, while thegirl stood weeping.

" Good-by,- " taid the American.will take irood are of the baby," andtaking her from the mother's arms hestarted for the door.

There was a shriek, the woman dartedto him just as h was closing the door,and snatched th baby from Jus arms.

" Drop the ctilU !" said the father," You can't have her for all the moneythere is in Ameriky V

"No, sor," ejaculated the mother,half way between fainting and! hysterics,"I can't part widaer 1"

And she commenced undressing the'baby.

"Take back jour beautiful clothes,give me bask the sags that was on her,bnt ye can t have he child.

And the girl commenced undressingtoo, for she did rot want to obtainclothes under false pretenses, but theAmerican stopped the disrobing.

"It's bad for the child," he said,but somehow I can't blame you. You

are welcome to the clothes, though."And he left as fast as he could, and I

noticed he was busy with his handkerchief about his eyes for some minutes.

Barnum and Liquor Licenses.

PODJTTNa OCT THE ADVANTAGE OF RE

STRICTING THE JiCKBEB AND INCEEASISQ THE PRICE.

P. T. Barnum has addressed a letterto the Commission oi the Revision ofthe Liquor Laws of Connecticut, approving the suggestion made by theHon. William Hamersly, that the number of licenses should be limited in eachtown and the price increased. Refer-ring to his own town of Bridgeport, witha population of 30,000, he says there arenow 200 licensed places wheM liquorsare sold, each paying 8100, or $20,000all told. If the number could be reduced to sixty, or one to every 500 inhabitants, and the license fixed nominally at 300 and put np at auction, therevenue would, in his judgment, be increased largely. The reduction of thenumber of saloons would have an excellent effect unon oroDertv interests. Hesays he can point ont places in Bridge-port where a single liquor shop in juresproperty in the immediate vicinity morethan $20,000.

He adds : "It ia quite safe to say thaton the average eaoh liquor saloon depreciates adjacent property 85.0CU, to saynothing about the injustice of thus in-

juring the property of thsse who paytaxes for the protection of their personand property. It is evident that itBridgeport had but sixty liquor saloons,instead of 200, the taxable real estate ofthe city would be enhanced as much as$700,000, and I." ?50,000. If thenumber of licenScSmBridgt port wasfixed at thirty, being one liquor saloonfor each thousand inhabitants (enoughin all conscience) the financial advan-tages to the publio would be at leasttwice as great as above indicated, to saynothing of the increased peace andprosperity cf our city. I nav0 confinedmyself to the money phM ' ;1e ques-

tion only, although it is obvious thatthis is of comparative insignificancewhen the great moral admntages of re-

ducing the number of drinking placesare considered. I am perfectly confi-

dent that if our Legislfttnre will try fora single year the limiting of liquor li-

censes to one for each tbonsar d inhab-

itants, the good resulted oue twelve-

month will hA an valuable that the ratiov I 1

of drinking places will never be in- -

creased in our Commoneft'tu

Didn't Appreciate IIoe Comforts.

A young man advert-tee- for privateboarding-hous- e where be !LouId P6treated as one of the family- - Ho got it.

But after he had stayed tome fourteennights in succession, tobe care of the

baby, had been utilized "ld "0mgsto build the fire, found V mmustowels eight or nine time n ?hlon oc-

casions he wiped his bann(1 face n

his night shirt, and sevtf1 othBr 'K9not worth mentioning, 1 becama dis-

couraged and left, whae6 rest of thefamily sagely agreed tbt Bm,) PP1so deteriorate by contact ith world

that they are unable to appre0,,lle bornecomforts. Oil Oity Deffl'

tions on account of its associations withthe orgies in honor of Bacchus. Themistletoe was also excluded because itwas the plant most intimately associatedwith the heathenish rites of the Druids,

Though excommunicated from thechurch the mistletoe was the popularplant for decorating English homes,When Drnidism was the religion of theBritons the mistletoe was held in greatveneration. It was gathered with mystiorites from the oak on which it hadgrown, and then, divided into smallpieces, distributed among the people.

They hung up the sprays over theirdwellings as a propitiation to and atshelter for the woodland deities, during

.in of frost Even as late as thenth century a piece of mistletoe

suspended from the neck was supposedto guard the wearer from the baleful influence of witches.

In modern times the mistletoe has atendency to attract men toward witohesof a fairer face and more amiable nature,A branch of the mystio plant is atChristmas hung from the ceiling. Ifany man or boy can by coaxing orcunning induce a fair girl to come underthe spray, he is entitled to kiss her,Gossip does report that maidens havebeen known to pass on purpose underthe salute-provokin- g branch.

Among the old Christmas carols maybe found some in praise of the evergreens used in decorations. Of theholly it is said :

"Here comes holly that is no gent,To please all men is his intent,

Allelujah?"

The ivy is praised in these lines :

"Ivy is soft and meek of speech.Against all bale she is bliss.Well is he that may her reach."

Carrying Pure Air in a Knapsack.Successful experiments have been

carried on by Mr. Warrington Smythe,At the New Seaham Colliery, near Newcastle, England, with what is termedthe Fleuss breathing apparatus. Theimportance of this invention will atonce be apparent to those who are inany way acquainted with the risks fromsiiffocation run by firemen and thoseemployed under ground, where poisonous fumes are so liable to break forthand suffocate those who may be subjectto them. With the aid of the Fleussmachine men can work without dangerunder all these inimical conditions.

The apparatus has the size and shapeof a soldier s knapsack, its principal portion being a case of sheet copper, twelveinches long, twelve inches wide, and twoand a half inches deep. The case is in-

ternally divided into four longitudinalcompartments, fitted up so as to securethe complete circulation through themof the air that has been robbed of itsoxygen by passage through the lungs.Each compartment is fitted with smallcubes of India rubber sponge, coatedwith specially prepared caustic soda. Theair that passes from the lungs of theman fitted with the nprratna passesthrough one side of n xuotitbpiece anddown the corresponding short length ofpipe over his left shoulder to the firstcompartment of the case. There it goesthrough a finely-balance- d valve, whichgives way to the softest breath passingfrom the mouth, but is immovable toanything from the inside of the case.The partition of the first compartmentfits closely up to the top of the case, butis about one inch open at the bottom.This arrangement thus permits the re-spired air to pass down the firstchamber and to enter the secondat the bottom. Here it circu-lates to - the top, w here an inchopening in the next partition gives itpassage into the third compartment,which it descends, to find a similar out-let at the bottom into the fourth cham-ber. Rising to the head of this com-partment, the air thus purified from thedeleterious matter that it has carriedfrom the lungs passes through a valveinto a pipe laid over the right shoulderof the operator. Oxygen is added bymeans of a small pipe that runs fromthe cylinder at the bottom of the case,and finds its opening close to the junetion of the clean air-pip- e and the beforem.?Etioned India-rubb- er bag. This lat-ter performs the part of a reservoir ofpure and properly oxygenated air, andby its presence the act of breatUmg isrendered easy and natural. In fact, thaonly limit to the space of time duringwhich the apparatus enables the man tomove about iu the midst of poisonousgases is the capacity of the oxygen cylin-der and the individual's physical abilityto carry the copper knapsack about withhim. The capacity of the cylinders atpresent in use is one fourth of a cubiotoot, and as the oxygen is pumped inunder pressure of sixteen atmospheresthey hold four cubic feet of gas. Thesupply, which can be regulated throughthe medium of a valve, is calculated tolsit for a four hours' shift of work al-though no man employed under suchconditions of danger as require its use iskept at labor more than three hours.

An essential portion of the apparatusis the mask, to which is attached amouthpiece screwed on one side to thepure-ai- r pipe and India-rubbe- r bag, andon Ifce other to the pipe conveving theexpired air back to the compartment inthe knapsack case L'ubbcr Era.

He Explained.

" Now, then, Mr. Cashmere, are vonever going to get those trowsers done?'exclaimed the promising youth hurriedly,entering the establishment of hisfavorite tailor.

"They'll be done sir,"replied the gentleman of fits quietly.

" That's what you said yesterday ""Exactly!"" Well, isn't this ?"" Certainly not !""Well, wasn't to-d-

yesterday ?"" It was, but it isn't to-

day.""Well, when in creation will to-

morrow be, then ?"" Don't you know ?"" No."" Do you remember the last suit I

made you?""Yes."" Yon remember when I called for my

money you always said you would payI discovered then that to-

morrow never comes. Do you understand?"

The youth sought the street, and bythe gentle slam he gave the front doorit was quite evident that he did.

Didn't Cabe. In the examinationbefore Coroner Herrman into the fall ofthe tenements at Grand street andSouth Fifth avenue, New York, it wasshown that the owner had ample warn-ing of the peril in which the occupantswere, and that he said he "Didn't care "as he "didn't have to sleep in the

"Nine children, and seven boys atthat !" replied the stranger, addingbitterly: "I have but two, and eachone of them is a nail in my coffin."

" Mine are not," said the teacher,with decision.

noble art of obedience. Isn't that so,children ?"

" Yes," cried the children."And you obey me willingly ?"

The two little girls laughed roguishly,but the seven youngsters shouted:" Yes, dear father, truly."

Then the father turned to the guestand said : " Sir, if death were to comein at that door, waiting to take one ofmy nine children, I would say," andhere he pulled off his velvet cap andhurled it at the door, " 'Kascal, whocheated you into thinking that I hadone too many V "

The stranger laughed ; he saw that itwas only disobedient children that makea father unhappy.

One of the nine children of the poorschool teacher afterward became widelyknown ; he was the saintly pastor Ober-li- n.

The Yule Log.

The ancient Goths and Saxons ob-

served a festival at the winter-solstic- e.

As it celebrated the turning-poin- t ofthe year, or the day when the sun be-

gan its northern journey, they named it"Jul" or "Yule." The name is sup-posed to have been derived from theGothic giul or hiul, the origin of theword "wheel," and bearing the samesignification. The name is preserved inthe phrase of the "Yule log," the burn-ing of which is an old Christmas cere-mony. The Scandinavian ancestors ofthe English used, at their feast of Yule,to kindle large bonfires in honor ofThor. The transmitted custom wasformerly observed in England withpomp and circumstance.

On Christmas eve, after the religiousservices, a huge log, sometimes a rug-ged root grotesquely marked, was drawnfrom the woods with much merriment.As it passed the wayfarer, he raised hishat in honor of the venerable black-lo- g,

which was destined to support a firethat would crackle a welcome to allguests and burn out ancient feuds.

Formerly the custom was for eachmember of the family to sit in turn onthe log, after it was rolled to the hearth,sing a Yule song and drink a merryChristmas. When the fire was kindled,large Christmas candles were lightedand the sports began. The log was keptburning till Candlemas, Feb. 2d, and asmall portion of it was carefully pre-served to light the Yule log of the nextChristmas. Herrick sets forth the cus-toms in the following stanzas:

"Come bring with a noiseMy merry, merry boyf ,

Th9 Christmas log to the firing ;

While my good dame sheBids yon all be free,

And drink to your heart's desiring.

"With the last year's brandLight the new block, and

For good success in his spending,On your psalteries playThat sweet lnck may

Come while the log is a teending."Burning.

A Record of Theatre Disasters.

The loss of life by the burning of theKing Theatre in Vienna will probablybe found to be as great as that at anysimilar catastrophe. The following is arecord of the most disastrous theatrefires of modern times:

Numberperislml.

1772 Amsterdam 800177a Saragossa 1,0001781 Pari, Palais Itoyal 500179 Pisino. Istria 1,0001807 London, Sadler s Wells (false alarm) 181811 Richmond, Va 611840 Quebec, Itoyal Theatre 481853 London, Coberg Theatre (false

alarm) 1618U5 Edinburir, Theatre Koyal 281867 Philadelphia, American Varieties . . 151876 Brooklyn Theatre 234J 876 Iioucn.' Theatre des Arts 101876 San Franci-co- , Chinese Theatre

(false alarm) 171878 Calais, France 101878 AhmednngfTPr, India 401881 Cronstadt, lUi-bi- a 81881 Nice, France . 61

Statistics supplied to the InsuranceInstitute). Marj.li"if.i nbnw flW:

36 per cent, have occurred during thenight. The average age of theatreswhich have been burned was twenty-tw- o

years.

Forgetting the Password.Numlerles8 amusing instances might

be related of the fix officers occasionallyfind themselves in by forgetting thepassword. Two sentries were mountingguard inside the walls of the prison atF , one ta each angle, with strict or-ders to detain any one attempting topass without giving the sign. The Lieu-tenant on his round of inspection passedth efirst sentry, giving the word cor-rectly enough. When half way betweenthe sentries a Bound on the outside ofthe wall attracted his attention, and,while endeavoring to investigate thematter, the word quite slipped his mem-ory. Finding his suspicion groundlesshe approached the second sentry andwas again challenged, bnt, in spite ofhis utmost endeavors, he could not re-member the word. " Can't pass with-out the word," was all the reply givenhim. Returning to the first sentry hewas challenged as before,, but, as hecould not give the word, was not allowedto pass him either. No entreaties couldprevail. The sentries, not knowing butthat he was testing them, and rather en-

joying the joke, it the truth must betold, proved obdurate to all persuasion.Here, then, he was kept all night be-tween the two, shivering and cold, tillthe gray dawn appeared, when he wasrelieved by the change of guard.Vhamberz' Journal.

Bed paper fishes with blue eyes arethe latest novelies in Japanese hangingornaments for rooms.

nership that very winter, anthe fine starching andhired a boy to carry the clothes honlcT

Mabel stayed with mother, who gaveher lessons, and took her out walkingevery day for her health; Mrs. Simp-

son Virginia, as we soon learned tocall her thrived on companionship,and that winter of servitude wasthe happiest of my life. In the springI was offered a position as organist, nota pecuniary emolument, but better thanironing, but I would not dissolve part-

nership with my washlady, and one daywe were both in the suds when brotherTom came hurrahing in, having left hisown drudgery and traveled night andday to bring the good news that we hadwon the estate I And how we laughedover the rest of the wash, and made thehandsome Tom hang out the clothes.

But it was the last we did, and to-da- y

Virginia that is she practicing Beeth-oven's Sonatas in the next room is mysister; and come here, you blessed littleromp of a Mabel till your auntie hugsyou. Detroit Free Prest

"Yon Tay Mel"

The Chinese have been called theYankees of the East They learn rapid-ly Yankee methods of doing business,and use such as promise them any ad-

vantages. When Chinese merchantsfirst arrived in San Francisco, theymade their purchases for cash. Learn-ing, however, that cash sales meant, ac-

cording to San Francisco usage, pay-ment on the day a steamer sailed, whichwas semi-monthl- y, they availed them-selves of this credit Subsequently theybought on sixty day's time.

But while they were willing to so faradopt an American custom as to buy oncredit, they declined to sell on time.They were so cautious as to regard assafe only such transactions as resembleda jug the handle on one side and thatside turned towards them. An anec-dote, told ia the "Recollections of anOld Pioneer," illustrates this excessivectmtioa.

A San Francisco merchant thought hewould buy ap all the rice in the city.Going to a Chinese rice-hous- e, he saidto the merchant :

"Suppose I should wish to purchasetwo thousand bags of rice, could yousupply me with that number ?"

"Yes, me sell you that number.""Could you sell me four thousand ?""Yes, me sell you four thousand.""If I should conclude to take six

thousand, could you supply that num-ber?"

"Yes, me sell you six thousand.""Would you give me any time ?""Me know you one very rich Melican

merchant Me give you time. Youpay me one-ha- lf when the rice is weighed,and the other half when it is on thedray."

The new fashion of short dresses isvery pretty, bnt hard on the Mainstreet clerks. They have to sweep offthe sidewalks every morning now, andone very fashionable dry goods housewas compelled to buy a broom thisweek, a thing they hadn't done in years.

Evansville Arffu.

How Sothern Got a Wig.

When Sothern played the " CrushedTragedian " in Philadelphia for the firsttime his wig was stolen from his dress-ing room after the second performance.The loss was not discovered until threeo'clock the next day. Bach was sentfor. " I must have a wig made beforeseven o'clock this evening," said thecomedian.

"It is impossible," replied theperrnquier, "to-da- y is Christmas andmy men are not at work."

"It is not Fix your own price foryour work, but have the wig at thetheatre this evening."

"But, Mr. Sothern "" It must be there," interrupted the

actor. " I shall depend upon it Youare wasting your time now."

Buch got a description of FitzAUamonfs flowing locks and wentaway. Five minutes before the ap-pointed time he appeared at the theatrewith the wig complete.

"What is your bill?" inquiredactor.

" Thirty-fiv- e doliars," replied the wig-make- r.

"There is 30," said Sothern, hand-ing Bach that amount of money. " Now,never tell an actor you can't make a wigin three or four hours."

The Contribution Box.

On Sunday morning Henry WardBeecher asked for a collection in aid ofthe Women's Sewing Society cf thechurch. While the baskets were passinghe said: "I dislike to take a collectionfor any object, as I think it demoral-izing. It gives many people an excusefor evading their duty. Many men ofample means avoid their full obligationby putting in a ten cent or a five-ce- nt

piece. Now, I like to see pennies inthe basket, because I know that theyare put in by children, but when I seethe dimes and nickels I say 'Here comethe army of mean men.' We oughtnever to take a collection here of lessthan $1,000, and from that to 5,000,and it is my duty to say that if youdon't do better in this respect than youhave done, I shall not permit you tohave a collection at all." (Laughter.)

A Maniac. In an Erie, Pa., school,a little boy, being locked in an nnusedroom as punishment for some slightfault, was attacked by sewer-rats- , over-powered and nearly killed before as-

sistance arrived, summoned by hiscries. The terror abd pain have madebim a maniac, and it is feared that hewill never recover.