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ABBEVILLE PRESS & BANNER.Ij?

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BY HUGH WILSON AND H. T. WARDLAW. ABBEVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1880. . NO. 4t5. VOLUME XXV.

Shipwrecked.

THOM THE FRENCH OF FRANCOIS COFMSK.

Belore the wine-shop which o'erlooka tlbeach

Sita Jean Goello, rough ol mien and speeclOut coast-guard now, whose arm was sh<

awayIn the great light in Navarino hay;Puffing bis pipe, he slowly sips his grog,And spins & avarns to many an old sea-dogSitting around him.

Ye*, lads.hear him say.Tis sixty years ago this very daySince I first went to sea; on hoard, you knoi")1 La Belle Honorine.lost long ago.An old three-masted tub, roiten almost,Just fit to burn, bound for the Guinea coast.We set all sail. The breeze was teir and stif

My bovhood bad been passed 'neath yond<cliff,

^Where an old man.my uncle, eo he said.A Kept me at prawning lor my daily brea'l.

H At nitbt he came home drank. Sucb kicland blows!

Oh, me! what children sufler no iuan kuowi

But onco at sea 'twas ten times worse,loond.

I learned to take, to bear, and mak** nosount

First plaoe, our ship was in the negro trad<And once off land, no vain attempts we:

madeAt secrecy. Our captain alter that(Round as an egg) was liberal ot the cat.The rope's-end, cuffs, kicks, blows, all tell o

me;1 was ship's boy- 'twas natural you see.

And as I went about the decks my armWas always raised to lend my lace froi

harm.No man had pity. Blows and tripos alwaf:For sai'ors knew no better in those daysThan to thrash boys, till those who lived i

lastAs able seamen shipped before the mast.I ceased to cry. Tears brought me no relie1 think I.wight have perished of mute prioHad not God sent a friend.u triend.to mi

Sailors believe in God - one must at sea.On board that ship a God of mercy thenHad placed a dog among those cruel men.

IJke me, be shunned their brutal kicks an

blOWB.We soon grew friends, fast friends, trr

friends, God knows.He was Newfoundland. Black, thoy ca11(

Lim there.His eyes were golden brown, and black h

hair.He was my shadow from that blessed nightWhen we made friends; and by the star's hal

light,When all the forecastle was fast a-leep,And oar meu " oaulked their watch," I use

to creepWith Black among some boxes stowed c

deck,And with my arms clasped tightly round h

neck,I used to cry and cry, and press my headClose to the heart grieved by the tears I slidNight after night I mourned our piteous cas

While Black s large tongue licked my po<tear stained lace.

Poor Black ! I think of him so often still ?

At first we had fair winds our tails to fill,Bnt one hot night, when ail was calm ar

mute,Our skippei.a good sailor, though a brnteGavoalong look over the vessol's aide,Then to the st fit-man whispered, half asid

I "See that ox-eye out voiicier: u iookh queerThe man replied: "The siorru will soon!

here.""Hallo1 All hands ou deck ! We'll be pri

pared.Stow royal*! Keel the courses ! Pass th

word!"Vain ! The squall broke erewe could shortc

sail;l We lowered tli«- topsails, but the raging ga^ Spun our ol<t ship nbont. 1 ho captain roarc

g Flin orders.!ost in tne great noise 011 t>oansThe devil was iu that equal). l$ut all uii

I could[ To pave ibeir ship we did. Do what we wonliM The gale grew worse and worse. She sprat

53 a leak;B Her bold filled last. We louud we had

B rj * seekSome way 1o cave our lives. "Lowera boat

pr The captain ehouted. Be/oro one would floi

f O.ir «hip broached to. The strain had brolher back.

Like a whole broadside boomed the awtiornck.

She settled fast.

Landsmen can have no notionOl how it leels to sink beneath the ocean.As the blue billows closed about our (leek,And with slow motion swallowed down tl

wreck,I ww my pa«t lito, by some flash, ontspreiSaw the old port, its ships, its old pier-heaMy owp bare leet, the rocks, the sani

shore.Sait-waier filled my mouth.I saw do mot

I did not struggle much.I could not swim.I sank down deep, it seemed.drowned but f

him. ,

For Black, I mean.who seized my jacktight,

And drugged me out ol darkness buck to ligl'1 he ship wo* gone.the captain's gig aflonBy one brave tug "he brought me near t

boat.I seized the gunwale, sprang on board, a

drewMy friend in after me. Of all our crew,The dos and I alone survived the gale;Afloat with neither rudder, oar*, nor sail !

Boy though I was, my heart was brave a

stout,I saw.with who can tell what wild «n otiThat it we met no vessel in midocean,There whh no help tor us.all hope was gonWe were,afloat. boy, dog afloat alone!We had been saved lrom drowning but to <

Of thirst and hunger.my poor Black and I.rNo biscuit in the well-swept locker lay;No keg ot water had been stowed away,Ltlre those on the uedusa s ntft. I thoughtBah! that's enough. A story is best short.

For five long nights, and longer dreadlu»;°i

We floated onward in a tiopio hn/.«.Fierce hunger gnawed us wtth its cruel fanj

.And menial anguish with its keener pan*:#Each morn 1 hoped; each night, when ho

was gone,My poor dog licked me with his tender tongi

Under the blazing sun and starlit nightI watched in vain. No sail appeared in &iglRound us the blue spread wider, bluer, hiphiThe filth day my parched throat was all

fire,When something suddenlymy notice caughiHJack, crouching, shivering, underaeath

thwart.Ho looked.his dreadful look no tongue c

tell.And his k>od eyes glared like coals ol hell!

"Her» Black, old fellow! here'" 1 criedvain.

k ll* looked me in the lace and crouched aga2 I rose: he snarled, drew back. How piteou9 His eyes entreated help! He soapped at n

I "What can this mean ?" I cried, yet shek with fear,

With that great shudder felt when death

,/ Black seized the gunwale with his teeth.

HA '1 h;ck slimy ioum drip from his awful jaw;Then I know all ! Five days <>t ttopic h^aWithout one drop of drink, one scrap of in<

Had made hiui rabid. He whose courage 1Pieserved my life, my messmate, lriend, \

mad !

Von understand ? Can you see bin) aud i

The open boat tossed on a Drassy sea,A chil l anil a wild beast on board alone,While overhead streams down the tropic su

And the boy crouching, trembling tor his li1 fearched my pocket.- and drew my kniiFor every one instinctively, you know,Defends his life. Twas time that I did so

For at that moment, with a furious boundThe og Hew at me. I sprang halfarouncHe misses mo in blind ha*te. With all

ti'LtbtI -eized his neck, and grasped, and hold ]

tight.1 !*'t him writhe and try to bite, as heSi ruKulfcd beneath the pressure ot my kne«His re I eyes rolled; sighs heaved his shir

coat.I plunged my knile three times in his f

throat.

Ar.dso I killed my friend. I had but one!

What matters how, alter that deed was d<They pioked mo up hall dead, drenched in

gore,A::H took me back to Franco?

ggt Need I say morI l.ave killed men.ay, many.in my duy,Without r*. morae.for sailor* most obey.Oce of a squad, once in Barbadoes, 1Shot my own comrade when oondemne<

di*.

I nover dream ol him, for that was war. eUnder old Magon, too, at Trafalgar, gI hacked the hands ol English boarders. TeaMy axe lopped otf. I dream not ol those meu.At Plymouth, in a prison-hulk, Islew

ie Two English jailors, stabbed them through and 0

through.: toi; I did.confound them! But yeteven now |hat The death ol lilack, although so long ago, t(

Upsets me. I'll not sleep to-night. Itbrings.... ,t(

Here, boy! Another glass! We'll talk ol n

j . other things. < S<

i--E. IV. Latimer, in Harper's Magazin*. ~j.. w

w | n

The Basket of Shavings. .ai

r" CHA.PTEK L. ^

?r" Becky Fairweather, where have you

been all this while?" ! J

It was a shrill woman's tongue that,put the quest'on; and it was a timid j J?

;9 child's voice that replied: "I've just a

Koor> nlarinrr in the COUrt here. &lon?' with the girls. Please don't whip me" "

I Aunt Nora! Please don't!" 'lr

Little Becky stood trembling at the ^3. door, with a face full of terror and en- j,5, treaty, while the woman advanced upon b.e her witli a lowering look, whose dread- sl

ful meaning the child knew too well. *'

"There!" said Aunt Nora, giving thelittle shoulders a rude shake. "Now j11

n stop your crying. I'll teach you to beout playing with the girls, when I want

j you!""

," I didn't know you wanted me, Aunt

« Nora!" sobbed the child. | 01" xr * UhqK TTAUr

I UU 1KLYC AUUIt ll> UHon juu»

9, j noise. Now take the basket and go J?over to the Dimmock house for shavings J £

lt and don't let me hear another word out j; of your head, if you know what's good j "for yourself." j JT

/ 44 Oh. aunt! it's getting so dark. I'm v' j afraid to go." j "!*t 44 What are you afraid of? There's j-3,1

nothing to hurt good girls, and if you'rea bad child, it's you're own fault. You t'

id might have gone before sundown, kj Come. I shall want the shavings to kin- si

ie die the fir» in the morning; and the felonger you wait the darker it will be." tl

j "Oh, aunt! I can't go into that old le. I house. The last time I was there ItlIS i. a..A if MTncnH Ho 1 f cm bl

IH'UTU MHlieilUUU, ,ulu IL n ncii V ^|

dark as it is to night. I'll get up early j. and go in the morning, if you'll let me. w

! Oh. aunt, do!" j?)i The aunt made no reply, but turned i<

)d to K';e down from its place on the entry Chooks a switch, whose marks poor littie d

>n Becky's hands and arms had carried s<

many a day. At sight of it, she caught tiig up the basket, and ran out of the house. «

j "Well, you better!" said the woman, u

, grimly. "You're old enough not to he' afraid of the dark. You can see well C^ enough; and there's nothing under the a:

sun to be afraid of. Now don't you w

com" back into this house without the j wJ shavings, or you'll get such a whipping das you never had in all your life!" which j.

ld J was saying a good deal, if Aunt Nora »

only knew it. j~ Not that she meant to be a harsh or fi

t unmotherly guardian to her little ^

» i motherless niece. But cares and toilH. had worn out about all the health and j n

patience she ever had; and it was no &

B. wonder that she, who so often had w

angry words for her own children, tlit- should have kept something worse for

the orphan, whose coming into her g1d house she had always regarded as a bit- "

ter trial. j.It seemed as if she had never forgiven I it

? Becky for it, or for being a child with |'h<," j a child's thoughtlessness and love of'1 play. She expected more of her than &

she did of her own girls, who were ;older; and could never understand why tl

j Bucky should not contentedly settlet

to down into the quiet, womanly drtulgeshe wished her to be. Yet Becky was j S(only eleven years old. ! g«The child went off with the basket, j

j sobbing with fear and dismay at thethought of what she had to do. It wasreally not very dark, only deep twilight, I(n a pleasant summer evening. No fdoubt her aunt was right in saying iirthere was rpally nothing for her to be ?airaia 01; yet me sensitive, iuj^iumiuchild cculd not help being afraid. a(

je The old Dimmock house stood in a °;lonely lot, back from the street; it was P

d, undergoinz repairs, and Becky had jd, more than once been thefe for shavings, J1Is which the carpenters allowed her to | 9

carry away. ! "

e- She was not afraid when the men were u

j there. Oh,why, she thought, had she not M

left her play, and gone an hour before, .

or when she could have got some other girl ®

to go with her, and have made the task b

a pleasure? Poor Becky wa' always do- £lt>.i ing some such thoughless thing, which k

,t; was sure to provoke iier aunt, and give 0

he herself all the more trouble and pain; |yet she could never learn wisdom. , J*

ad She blamed herself a little; but she i}blamed others much more. Her auntmight have waited with the shavings j]<till morning; or she mipht have sentTom for them . cousin Tom, who was 0

j fourteen years old, and not afraid ofany- j9i unrig. , ,

(1, But Tom was a proud, willful boy; he j15wouldn't be seen sroins through the !:i

e; streets with a baskc < .livings, llis *

sisters^ Josephine and Liura, who were j1lie almost young ladies, couid not of course, j1

be expected to do such a thing; but '

poor littie Becky presumed to think sucherrands.especially after dark.belonged ^to Tom. :She met Tom on the street with two a

rul other boys. He had the stump of-aj cigar in his mouth, and he was talking J1loud and swaggering. \1

is, j "Tom!" she called to him, imploriingly.pe " What do you want of Tom?"' he re- !1

torted, not deigning to turn his head, j11but just putting out his chin sidewisetoward her and puffing away at his i1

^ cigar stump in loal'erish fashion. 1J' " Please go with me for the shavings, !1

o "i won't you? Do. Tom!" Is"Hi-hi-hi!" Tom snickered. " Go ?

t. with you for shavings! that's a good ,1a oke." I'

" I'm afraid!" she pleaded. 'j

an j " Afraid, you goose ! What are ]you afraid of? The old house is jfull of ghosts, but they never hurt

in anybody, only silly girls that are afraid !of'em; they scare them almost to death ,1

in. sometimes! Hi-hi-hi! come along!' ,

slv cried Tom to his companions, putting 1

iu. back into his teeth trie stump, which 1

he had flourished in his fingers whilst j1>ok making this foolish speech.I Ghosts in the old house! Poor Becky *

18 ' II 1.IKnew Wt'll t'UUUgil Lnilt j.um IICVU iut

1 a lie stand in the way of any mischief orsport of his. and she wouldn't haveminded at all what he said, if she hadn't

t been so frightened. But now ail her I,at, vague fears of the darkness and solitude

of the deserted house took shape to hervnh fancy, and became horrible specters.

She stopped at the door, crying deso-no, lately. She wcuid not have had strength i<

'

to go a step further, it the certaintythat it was growing darker all the

in ? while, and that she would be -whipped hi'« if she should go home without the shav-e. ings. had not given her momentary

resolution.J Tom had said that the ghosts scared

j only little girls who were afraid of' them. Then she wouldn't be afraid,

She would be brave for once. So shehoranl F

mm .

Breathless, trembling, cold shivers offear creeping over her from head to

j. foot, she mounted the steps, paused aiidk moment to listen in the dim entry, then

glided softly into the room where the,oor shavings were.

There she paused again. She couldsee nothing but the faint outline of thework-bench, bare walls, and the winme,dows through which the evening light

hi8 came. Suddenlv she heard a rustle inihe shavings. It may-Jinve been causedby a prowling cat. or perhaps by sorae

e? beggar who had crawled in there for anight's lodging. But to poor little Beckyit was the rising of the ghosts, and shereally fancied she saw a huge head with

J to horns and fiery eyes, starting out of thedarkness. All her courage, which had

ost her so much, was gone in fin instant,lie dropped her basket and ran. stUutof the house and down the steps ^

tie went, and alcng the street, until sheegan to meet people. Then she came) herself a little, and remembered the tj'asket, and the whipping she was sure) get, if she went home without it. ftr

Shr stopped, and finally turned backjward the old house. But she couldot summon courage to enter it a y?cond time; neither durst she go home)heraunt; and thus, between two fears, /*:ie wane'ered to and fro, the most 1°'retched little girl in all the world that ijight.At last, tired out, and not knowing "Frhat to do, she sat down on a doorstep &ad cried. A woman approaching the ,

ouse saw her there, and started back."What! Becky Fairweather, is itou?" g"Yes'm, if you please," said Becky, tj,leekly. " I didn't know it was your ^oorstep, Mrs. Cary, I'll go away." w" No, you won't, cried the woman, jnot until you've told me what's the Qflatter, anyway. Has your aunt turne.:3U OUt?" Wl"She hasn't turned me out, not quite, jnut she made me go to the old house for jniaving9 in the dark, and I got scared,t:d left the basket, and she said I wasn't bf]> go home without it full of shavings;

I did, she'd whip me worse than7er."-So Becky, amid sobs, told her story. so[rs. Cary put her arm kindly about cj,er, and spoke so pitying that the child )1(.:ied all the more. jj," You needn't go home without it, nor coith it, if you don't want to. She isn'tt to bring up a child like you; I'venown it, and the neighbors have known, a long while. So if you'll come with re,le, I'll take you and give you a home an11 I can find a betteftone for you. So. jn,on't think of the basket, but come pa'long with me."Mrs. Gary's house was not far off; andlere the orphan found comfort andindness, such as she had not knownnee her mother died. Only one greatar now troubled her. It seemed as

lough she might as w£ll die at once as j:11tc ttie time come for her aunt to lightle fire in the morning, without the Vivsket ofshavinss.But children soon forget their trouble, 11

hen blessed bedtime comes; and Beckyopt well that night, in spite of her anx.1.«.- lai)U3 UlUUglilS. J. lie UCAU KXLky iuio. .

ary kept lier in'/the house; and on the J?1ay following, two strangers called to;e her.a gentleman and a lady.whoilked to her kind iy. and regarded herrith an interest which Becky could notnderstand. At last the lady said:" Becky, we like you pretty well; Mrs. ,![(!ary has told us a gooci deal about vou;nd, as we have no children of our own,'e would like to have you go and liverith us, and be our little girl. What P1o you say?"

t. ikm. r\ »»ISiWU, mrs. VjtLiyi ui it-u 1JCIRjr, tuiuigto her friend in terrified surprise.

"Yes, dear,"said Mrs. Gary, cheerilly. " I know these good friends very **()rell; and it is for this that I have sent Pu>r them. They will give you a good a

ome, and all the advantages a girl can £rsk. They live in another city, and you m

'ill begin a new and happier life with 2°lem." {""But,"Becky faltered, joy and hopeetting the better of her astonishment, v:l

my aunt!" v!in

"She has no real claim upon you; andwill be best that you should not seeer again, I think.""Oh! and then I shan't get whipped P®ir not carrying home the basket." ar" No, no, child!" said the lady, taking ,TV

le girl in her arms. 113

"I am so triad!" exclaimed Becky. ur

Only.dear Mrs. Cary.I shall want to ^ie you eometimes; you have been sox>d to me."

;U1

CHAPTER II. bjAunt Nora was very angry that first lapening, at Becky's long delay in bring- su

ig the basket of shavings. Then, as it wlrew latP. and the child did not come, hele was alarmed about her, and perhaps m

little conscience-smitten at the thought lisher own harsh treatment of the or- cli

lian girl. su

Tom found the empty basket the next w

lorning, in the old Dimmock house; co

ut nothing was heard of Becky for two tvays. Then came a letter from some 13nknown person, in which were these (>,<'ords: 1,1" Do not be anxious about the child. 25lie has a home among friends who will tlie kind to her. They are as glad to re- :u

livelier as you will, no doubt, be, to pcnow that you are relieved of a burden m

f which you have so often complained." sb"Good riddance!" was Aunt Nora's .Tirst petulant exclamation, on reading gvhis letter. But she was not long in find- d<ng out that Becky had been, after all, fn»ss a burden than a help. mWhen the dishes were to be washed, ar

r errands to be done, the good woman ntcolded well, because she missed the gcervices of her little drudge, .f inally, e.s

lowever, seeing every day how proud l»nd ungrateful her own daughters were, Fhe began to cherish very tender, regret- apul thoughts of poor.BecKy, and to hold piler up as a pattern to Josephine and f..aura. a>

"Becky never would have answered u

ae in (hat way!"she would say; or, a" Beeky would have been kinder to her to,unt than you are to yourown mother." lij"Why didn't you treat her decently tu

hen. and keep her, if she was so lovely," b(lie young ladies wouin retort." It was to make ladies of you that 1

oade a slave of her, and this is all the Iihanks I get for it!" was the usual reply,vinding up with a sob.Years passed; and never » word did r

he auntiiear.from the lost one. Mean- ,.cvhile, the world did not prosper with e,he poor woman. Tom turned out a

~

penathrift; when in want he wouldilways come back to his mother, just as ^ie was always sure to desert her again ^vhen she was most in need of him. n]rosephine, too, forsook, her. but afler- *wvard came home to die in her forgivingirms. Laura married an actor, and cjinallv accompanied him to California, ..

eaving twu young children to be cared '

'or by her mother.Fortunately, Aunt Nora owned the ^

louse she lived in, and by letting every g:tart of it except two small rooms, she wnanaged to live, though in a miserable ^vay. But at last, to help Tom out of a|jne of his scrapes, and save him from jjorison, she had to raise money by mort- ^ronrinir her hrtliuo u

This money the scapegrace promised £16 work faithfully and repay; hut, of t]course, he never did. It is not easy for ^i young man to charge bad habits cformed in boyhood. Tom coul:> not. cPerhaps he haa not character enough ftleft even to try. For that is the mostterrible punishment of wrong-doing; qone loses the power, often oven the wish, |jto do right. HThe end was what the neighbors fore- j(

saw. The interest on the mortgageeould not be pa<d, and the house w:is £advertised to be sold. £The day of the auction arrived. Aunt a

Nora had no shavings, nor anything Qelse, to kindle a tire with that morning; fand she, and the little ones Laura had eIpft, with li<*r. wnuld hiive fnred badlv, _

had not the neighbors kindly sent insomething for tfiem to eat. The poorwoman was sick and in despair. Shewas no longer able even to take care ofherself: and in a few hours she wouldbe without a Lome.She sat moaning in her chair, rocking

sad^y to and fro. The children were at

play in the court. The doors were

open, for it was pleasant summerweather. Suddenly Aunt Nora hearda voice, and looked v. p.A young lady, tall and well dressed,

stood on the doorstep, bearing in herhand an object which presented thestrangest contrast to her cultivatedmanners and fashionable attire." Aunt Nora, may I come in?" she

said, pleasantly. "I've brought thebasket of shavings I" I

"Becky!" the poor woman shriekedarting to her feet. "No, it can't becan't be my little Becky,""It is Becky, but not your littlEcky, any longer," said the lady, settig down her basket, and supportinie form that tottered toward her. "

n married, and I have a happy homeid I.I thought I would come"and se>u. But, as I wasn't ever to ente>ur house again without"."Oh. child, child!" cried Aunt Norfeeping passionately, "you do rigbremind me; I was cruel to you. Budidn't know it at the time.only sineyownchildren.dear! dear!" shewect,brokenly. "I hope you have foiven me!""Dear aunt, I have foreiven yoing ago!" said Becky, making the poooman sit down again, but still holdin»rhand affectionately. "And do yoilow? I think it was a truly provideril thing for both of us that I left yoiI did. I am able to do for you no^hat I fear I never could have done, ibad always staid with you. I hearyour condition only a few days agey husband is out here in the carriageDuld you like to see him? He wento a carpenter's shop as we were passg, and got the shavings; but see, Aun3ra, there is something else in thisket.something for you and the chilen. And my husband will buy thuse for you this afternoon "

Aunt Nora could hardly speak a word^reat was her gratitude and joy. Thmet ner unKinaness iiiw unveq nvn

r had returned like an angel of mercjnr home was still preserved, and shuld still keep Laura's children."Dear, dear! is it all a dream?1' shked."Oh. no!" laughed Becky. "I an

Filly I; and tliis is really my husbandd, don't you see, tbere are the shavgs !".«/. T. Trowbridge, in Youth's Cornnion.

Something Abont Fiji.The receipt of the first discover} c

ji, published 1879, suggests some re

arks about that group, which is desicd to occupy a prominent place in thKnrp of the Pacific h.aif of our crlobele islands arc situated in latitudjhteen degrees south, nearly in adirecte between San Francisco and Sydney100 miles from the latter port, am

out the same distance from New Zeand, Tahita, Honolulu, the Marshalands, Caroline islands and Nevjinea, and hall as far from New Calenia and the New Hebrides, Solomonlice, Samoan and Friendly groupsaid all these, Fiji is a central pointith the prospects of great commercia:ilities when Moronesia.a name innding those small islands of the Soutlicific.is well supplied with steaassels. Five years ago Fiji became j

itish colony, but the civilized authorf was so weak in some of the smalleands, or districts remote from thiports, that cannibalism did not ceas1 two years later.- There is an orderl;vernnient,with police,courts ofjusticelUlin ronnv/fc last Hilt: Tldf. lPJLQt

regular system of taxation. Th<oup has an area *of 7,000,000 acresuch of which belongs to the coloniaivernment, and is offered for sale a

re dollars an acre for first-class, ancs for poorer qualities. The area cultiited by white settlers is 13,000 acresd no mention is made of the acres soliwhite men, belonging to natives, o

unsold of the first qualify. Thegrouiis eighty islands, making the archil:igo 370 miles long by 260 wide. There 120,000 natives, including 20,00ailable for work, but, when employe*laborer?, they idle away their time

iless closely watched. Their wages ar

renty dollars a year, besides food3thing and tobacco, costing twent;ilhirs more, makiDg the total expensi?s than four dollars a month. NativeNew Britain and New Ireland, hirei

' terms of three years at twenty dolru .i vo-tr irr> mnrp industrious. Witlch wages there is no chance forliite man to make anything as a la>rer, and there is little opportunity t<ake much as ar employer unless hus $10,000 capital to begin with. Thlief exports are cocoanuts, cotton am

gar, and it is supposed that coffeill be largely cultivated. The drieieoanut, called copra, makes up nearl;ro-thirds of the exports: and «f th,000 acres planted by white settlers300 are in cocoanut?, 2,600 in cottoD500 in sugar-cane. 1,000 In coffee an<

0 in arrowroot. We are told that alesecan be cultivated profitably. Januy. the hottest month, has a meantem'rature of eighty-iour degrees, withaxinium of ninety-nine degrees in thade and 160 degrees in the sun; an*

ily has a mean of seventy-seven deees, with a minimum of sixty-seveifgrees three leet from the ground, fiftye degrees in the grass, and a maxi

* ' « ' * J*urn OI eiglliy-nve uenrtjra in luc anuu

id 140 degrees in the'sun. There i;ver a month when the heat does no

> to 14(1 degrees in the sun. The coldt montn of Fiji is about twenty degreeitter than the warmest weather in Sanrawisoo, if the adjective cold can b)pli»'rt to any month in the formeace, or warm to any in the latteihough Fiji has 100 indies of rain in thforage year, it has only 150 rainy daysul the climate is generally considerevery pleasant one lor those aceustomethe torrid zone. There are no mr

snant levers ©r malarial diseases, an

le vegetation is most luxuriant an

>auti!ul..San Francvtco Alta.

iflnence of the Electric Light o

Plants.Dr. Siemens recently gave, before tl:oyal societ? in London, an account <

ime ver^ interesting and importaiiperiments wjiich he has been mafcinith the view of determining the iiuence of electric light on vegetatioi

t -'J 1lie experiments nau ubku umuc *vn

lustard, carrot, bean, cucumber, meloid other quick-growing plants. Thesihich had been planted in pots, he harranged in four classes or groups. Onlass was kept always in the darlrcother in the light of day as long i

ossible, a third always in the electright, and the fourth was exposed 1aylight and electric light in succeson. It w:is found that the plant'ould not, live long when kept in tl;ark, but that they would thrive aboi3 well in the eicotric light as the da;ght. But those did best of all whicrere constantly exposed to both da;ght and electric light in succesaioi>r. Stamen's experiments extendfirough only about two months, and 1oes not claim that the results are coilusive or final. But he has reached tlonclusions that plants do not requi:ny rest during the twenty-four hour:hat their growth may be materialuickencd by giving them the benefit'lectric light at night; that eiectriglit will produce ehlorophyl in tlsaves of plants and promote therowth, and that injurious effects up.:lants are not caused, to any mattrixtent, by tin* small amountof carbon,cid and nitrogenous compounds gejrated in the electric arc. Dr. Siemeiurther expresses the opinion that tlfleets of night frost may be counteicted, and the ripening ot iruit prnoted, by means of the radiationleat from powerful electric ares,

bese results shall be confirmed by fuher experiments which Dr. Siera< ns

nuking, the practical value which tlacta will have in horticulture is mat

est. They will also afford new facilitiny fho invputiirnrinn nf some iiriDortaicientific questions ns to the influen»f natural ligh; on vi-jretation. ISiemens gave liis audi^nc* a beautifllustration of one oi his experinien>y pu.ting some budding tulips initrong electrio light, which in abcorty minutes caused the buds to op>ut in lull bloom.

Measure 209 feet on each side and ylave a square acre, within an inch.

TIMELY TOPICS. y

Chicago is to have one of the highest he glucose factories in the world. Chi- o; cago and New York capitalists have B

g put $650,000 capital into the concern f(I and paid $200,000 to start with for a 0

location on the west side of the south ae branch. Factories costing $300,000 and ir employing 700 men are to be built within ti

a year, and they expect to work up f(t, 15,000 bushels of corn daily into 500 hit bushels of glucose. 3<it'® There a talk of constructing a fc'

crystal palace in the parks of St. Cloud, ®

near Paris. The ruins of the old palace 11

would be removed, and on its site would' arise a handsome structure surmounted 11r by a costly dome and containing congservatories, a gigantic aquarium, aa panorama, museums of science and art,l* and a theater. Model farms would also£ be established in the immediate neigh- Kv, borhood, and there would be pigeon- £]£ shooting and other pleasure grounds.>

v! We have a remarkable account of w

£ three maiden sisters in .Jessamine fJ. county, Ky., who were born together in e:

t 1827, and are now fifty-three years of 1,e age. Such has been the affection of 8<

_these three sisters fur each other that t]

g they have gone but little into society, aand have resolutely maintained a life of tlcelibacy even unto this day. When e

g just verging into womanhood their tia father (who is now dead) exacted from ti

them a vow never to marry and never y

g to separate until death. And this prom- aise they have religiously kept.

e a

Everybodj knows that of late thert "

i has been extraordinary activity in rail- 1wav construfction in the United States, i

- but the magnitude of the movement has anot been very definitely determined un- htil now, and the result is such as may w

well create astonishment. The New VYork Bulletin has ft statement showing h

, that from the first of September nearly it3,000 miles have been constructed, and fi12,641 miles projected. Total construc- ti

' tion and projection 15.612. These enterprises,it is calculated, will absorb $273,- a' 000,000 of capital. . n

tn

A Norwegian, Ernest Frolich. thinks ®

{ he has found in the Indian rice of b

. American swamps a living proof ot the a

1 truth ol Snorre Sturison's history ol 0

7 Leif Ericsson's visils to America nearly a

- nine hundred years ago The voyagera °

reported finding in Vineland not ouly *

an abundance of wild grapes, but also a j1kind of erain which Mr. Frolich believes

] to have been the Indian rice or wild {'. rye. It grows plentifully in swampyi localities, as did the grain described by ^

i F.rit-sson. n1 n

The government of Panama has been tlr seriously exercised because two United tle States ships of war lately began taking Fe soundings in certain harbors of that tl? country. This excitement is part of the p!» canal agitation. But these United a

States ships liave nothing to do with the tle canal. They are simply continuing a a;! work begun long ago, in connection n

} with Amerioan coaet and ocean surveys a

? .taking soundings for thp purpose of hmaking charts of the coast and harbor Lwaters for the benefit of navigation for

: the whole world, as well as for the com.merce of the United States,r

Tiia hint -? nf the famous Dearl neck- ftG luce once belonging to the Empress if0 Eugenie acquires new interest from the p1 fact that it is now offered for sale. The g

leading jewelers of Europe were three c<

e years in collecting pearls of requisite si

(size and luster, and the price paid for tl

y it was $100,000. It consisted of seven tle rows of pearls, each pearl being the size m

of a large pea. After the empress'flight si

i to England she sent it to London to be. sold. It was purchased by the King of hi Holland, who presented it to the cele- tla, brated Madam Musard. After the death b- of this lady it figured in the sale of her p3 jewels, ana was bought by a dealer in v

e second-hand goods, in whose possession de it still remains. The price now de- iii inanded for it is less than half of its he original cost, being $45,000. a

£ A Bohemian ^innkeeper was bitten J'some weeKs ugu ujr mo vr>u uuu» .

' Unwilling to kill the animal, he con- ei signed it to the town gravedigger. en- r

I joining that solemn person to take care

of it until farther orders. Afewda\s ^later the innkeeper was attacked by hy- p

" drophobia. and died in excruciating j,p agony. The sanitary authorities ap* j.j plied to fche gravedigger tor the mad dog 0

committed to his custody. Their as- t' tonishment may be more readily con- e

ceived than described when the sexton .

calmly observed: "The mad dog? I ^'

have eaten him!" " You have eaten the smad doc?" "Better that than he should .

t eat me!" rejoined the gravedigger. Itwould appear not only that this man of tstrange appetites had swallowed and tdigested the rabid animal, but that it a

~

had agreed with him. ^r ii

A French dyer in business in Moscow s

e has a charming daughter, but she is as 9

J> cold as she is bpautiful- She not onlv JH iiMTrn nniln'nor tn Hn with a.nv of the fd legion of young men who would pay 9

^ their court to her. but if hey write to v

d her she shows their letters to her father, s

" who has not the best of tempers, as may t

be understood from .reading what fol- 11

lows: A Russian lieutenant fell in love ^with the young lady, and asked for a

n rendezvous. When he went to keep theappointment he met the old gentleman,

ie who forthwith dipped him into a largejf tub ol blue dye. He brought the dyer T

it into court, and there that personage ^g swore that the blue was a preparationi. cfhis own invention and could not be c

j. removed. He expressed his willingness, j"h however, to dip the lieutenant again in jn some other color.which might or might je, not take effect, giving him his choice ofd shades, but regretted that it was en- [e tirely out of the question to restore the jCl natural hue of Mie average man. The tis lieutenant has the severest attack of the j;c blues ever reported. (0

s:s Would it be supposed that anything gie cnuld have less value than an incurable g

it idiot? There are, however, many c.L? 1 .in fnr>f an idiot. 4

y- UllDgS it'Aa vuiuivuici , #

h if he"be strictly first-class, has consider- r

V- able pecuniary worth, and is so market- jn- able as to be an object of competition. s

A John Rouss, of} Randall's Island, New tie Yrfrk, is an example. He is the most ji- aggravated case of idiocy known to the iifi medical profession of the State. He has fre the smallest head on record in the (

s; country; he can hardly utter any intel- f

l.V ligible sounds; he does not know much £<>f more than >i decayed carrot. Neverthe- ]

less, he is in demand, and in active de- x

jc mand. It is showmen who want him, {ir want him sorely and continually. As t>n much as §8,000 has been ofi'ered for him jal itirnin jmd again, and not long ago a £ic very enterprising caterer to publicti- credulity proposed to purchase liira outnsright for §20,000. As lie is in the asylumlI« on the island, the physicians who haver- charge of it would not sell him, ofo- course, and they have been afraid, inof the active rivalry to possess him, thatIf he might be kidnaped.t-

dp According to Professor Von Schulte.,j Germany has more decorations ande_ confers more upon individuals than all

nt the rest of the world. All other coun- J

ce tries ot the globe have 100 orders, with t

>r. not more than iilO variations; of these, <

uj about 75 orders, with perhaps 170 vari- <

ts ations, are found in Europe outside of i

^ Germany. In the other States there <

lUt ar.i nearly 50 orders, with more than i

en 300 degrees, variations, decorations, <

etc. Prussia has nine or ten orders;Bavaria, nine; Saxony, live; Wurtem- i

berg, tour; Baden, three; Hesse, three; <

ou Reuss two; and several other States i

one each. The number ot decorations 1

early conferred on Prussian subjects isnormous. They are given out by the.undred at the annual Ordensfest, heldn the eighteenth of January, andometimes as many as 1,000 are con?rredon this occasion. The expensesf the order commission in 1879mounted to 170,000 marks, of which20,000 marks were spent for decoraions.It has been estimated that not»wer than 100,000 Prussian subjectsave been decorated, of whom about0,000 have received orders. Thiswouldlake one decorated person for everywenty-tivc inhabitants, and one knightf an order in every ninety of the popultion.Military officers seem to bepecially favored in the distribution ofliese honors.

Mexican Manners.Many of the women were very eleantlyand richly dressed, and all, from

tie richest to the poorest, woretrains." The fact is, a Mexicanroman without a train woUid be asrretched as a bishop without an apron,'rem the proudest senorita and the low3thouse servant or washerwoman, unissthev are so old to have lost alljnse of" the ridiculous, they all wearhem, and they never "clew" them up3 the American women do, but lettiem flutter and spread to the fullestxtent. Occasionally one may be seen

rying to take a reef in them in imitaionof their foreign sisters, but they alwayslook so sorry about it that itwakens my sympathy.Politeness is said to be anational trait,nd it is sometimes so extreme as toalmost take your breath away." Ifou take a letter of introduction to afcexican he at once assures vou thatis house, his servants, and all that heas are at your disposal, and that herill b« in readiness at all times to serveou as it ma v please you to direct, ande does it with an air of sincerity, thatplaces you at once at ease, except tond fitting words to express your gratiide.If you make a mistake in any way,nd ne Bees that it is a mistake, he willot show you by the movement of amscle but what you have done thelost proper thing that you could possi-ly haye done. If you greet him with

C** r*s\r\A " of ninoOfJilLllSJl }fUUU uiv/ftuiu^ uw u«*tv

'clock at night, he will look as solemns though sentence of death was passedn him while he returns your greetingritha"good morning" also. This isgreat disadvantage sometimes for a

?acher of Spanish, lor foreigners willot correct their oral mistakes, thoughe will correct their written exercisesrithout hesitation.When Mr. Foster, United Stateslinister. visited Monterey last sumler,he was given a state dinner. Whenie coffee was served, the sunar was onlettable in pretty large t pieces. Mr.oster took one, and, ai it was largernan he wanted, he broke off a piece andlaced what was left by his plate, and11 the Mexican guests did the sameaing. It is said that even the "roadgents" will rob a man with asiuch politeness as though they were

sking a personal favor, but of this Iope to have no personal experience).davenport (la.) Oazelle.

Tapping the Maple Tree.A very pleasant as well as profitablelature of farming, in Steuben county,the annual harvesting of the liquid

roduce of the maple. To the world incncral the process of sugar making isamparntively unknown. A metallicip spout, with hook attached to hangle bright tin bucket on, is driven underic hole, the trees tapped in this wayrasting no sap, and cleanliness being'cured. »

The first "run" is the best, like theead wines of the European vineyards;le sugar that first reaches the marketringing a large price because of its sueriorquality and flavor.always proidingthat the unprincipled grooeroes not remelt it and add two-thirds ofilerior brown sugar, thereby swellingis profits by swindling his customersnd searing his conscience.A well-regulated sugar camp has?aders made of tin or clean woodenroughs leading to some central point,"he buckets are emptied into the leadrs,and the bush is drained into largeeceiving tanks or vats. The process' * * " TimI OOUlDg 1JJ iWI v/uv« auv

oiling pans should ho made of superiorLussia iron or heavy copper, withaside cross uartitions. Tlie pans should>e about ten feet long and the archesf brick, the cross partition being setliree inches apart and open at alternatends. Thus the sweet water travels a

Teat distance, and over a moderate fire.Vhen it drops from the pan it is calledyrup, and weighs eleven pounds to theailon.The syrup is carefully strainedhrough heavy woolen cloths. Whenhoroughly cleansed it is put in kettles,nd this is called "syruping down."?wo eggs «wd one quart of milk are

lecessaryin cleansing sixteen gallons ofyrup, heating slowly over a lire andkimminc until it *omes to a boilinpioint. To this is added a small piece ofresh butter, when one has a superior

*- 1- a^Aa UaUaiity <)I sugar, sucu as rarcij 11UUO IkO

vny into Rochester markets. Theuperintendent of agriculiure tells us

hat 40.000.000 pounds of maple sugar isnade annually in the United States..Rochester (N. Y.) Express.

Lucifer in the Locbnp.One evening Maria Ascharowna, the

vife of a distinguished state officer, wasIriving homeward from a party throughhe dimly-lighted Ssarotnaja street, in

!t. Petersburg, when she suddenly feltlerself grasped from behind, and turnnground beheld with horror Satanlimself, "in his habit as he lived,">erched at the back of the sledge, gnashshhis teeth ferociously, and glaring atier with his gleaming eyes. Screamingo the saints for protection, she clutchedier istvostchik round the waist, andslung desperately to him, while the>vil one climbed into her place in theledge, and drew her toward him withuc i irresistible force that, after a brieftruggle,she found nerseu, 10 iier muou;eivableconsternation, actually seatedn the enemy of mankind's lap. Fortulatelyat this moment a policeman hoven sight, whereupon the istvostchik,carcely less frightened than his misress,pulled up, and the gorodovoijromDtly conveyed Lucifer to the lockip.It is painful to relate that the inernalpotentate was found to be so

Irunk that he was unable to explain his,'xtraordinary conduct or to give any>atisfactorv account of himself. Nextnorning, however, sobered by a night'sepose in the watch-house, he confessedlimself to be one Mr. Michael Spilan,ieff,the son of a wealthy St. Petersburgnerchant, and stated that, having &smmedthe garb of Satan with a view toittendine a masquerade, he had dinedwith some joyous companions, indulgedu too copious libations, and salliedforth into the public streets. Further-.{c romnrnVirnm-P *Ttnndpd not. It is toie hoped t at the especial patron of therorgr-r's puild did not defraud Russianustice by paying his fine in spuriouslotes..London Teleffraph.

Joseph Widmer, seven feet in height,ind the tallest man in Missouri, died a

ihort time ago. The St. Louis Bcpubti"anpays that he served in the war inCol. Frederick Hecker's regiment, andit the time of the tirBt parade of hiscompany, Col. Heckcr, noticing that heatood head and shoulders above allathern, yelled out: "You rascal getjown from that stump." When the enragedcolonel drew near to learn why hisjrder was not obeyed, he saw what heifterward said was ttie longest bean poletie ever beheld.

SUBMARINE DIVERS.The Dangers to Which They are Subjectedand the SlRhti Witnessed.

George W. Towns^d, a well-knownsubmarine diver, has been interviewedby a representative oi the Boston Herald.He said: The first time a man goesdown he is apt to be considerably scaredon account of the pressure. If a man islowered too fast it will kill him. Diversare seldom or never killed by drowningbut by an unequal pressure. A divercould cut a hole in the lower portion ofhis suit without danger of beingdrowned as long as he stood erect, for,as long as air is supplied by the airpump,the water could not reach hismouth. In deep water the pressure isvery great, and usually a diver can descendas deep as he can stand the pressure.You see we are in a vacuum.There is no pressure perceptible to us onthe copper helmet about our heads.The pressure is all upon the lower garments,and, if it is too great, it drivesall the blood in the body to the head,and the result is death. I have seenmen killed in this way whose headswere fairly split open and whose eyeswere driven from their sockets. Amore horrible death could not be imagined,and I and almost ail otherdivers have narrowly escaped it. Whena diver is ten feet down the pressure tothe square foot is 6,250 pounds; at 30feet, 18,750 pounds; at 50 feet, 31,250pounds; at 70 feet, 43,750 pounds; at 90feet,56,250 pounds; at 110 feet, 68,750pounds; at 130 feet, 81,250 pounds; at150 feet, which is the greatest depto towhich I have descended, 93,750 pounds,and at 160 feet, 100,000 pounds. Diversseldom descend over 170 feet, and rarelyas deep as that. Under the water theears feel stopped up, but sometimes wecan make oui selves understood by puttingtwo helmets together and shouting,but then it doesn't sound louder than anordinary whisper. A man who wentdown for the tirst time would be likelyto signal to come up after feeling thepressure in the ears, which is very unpleasantuntil you are used to it.

41 How about the fish; do they evermolest you?"

Very seldom. You see we make ita rule not to disturb them. We knowthat they are in their element, and wehre not in ours. As for sharks, wedon't care for them. They are cowardly,and easily frightened off. We are muchmore afraid of the baricotas, a surfacefish, with teeth three inches long.Talk about fish, why, one can't haveany conception of them until he hasbeen under the water and seen them ofall sizes and all the colors of the rainbow.The noise made by a school offish sounds under water like the rumblingsof thunder. One of the greatestcuriosities in this line was the Jew fishI encountered when diving in the bay ofCumana, on the coast of Venezuela.The fish Are from six to fifteen feet inlength, have a large mouth, with smallteeth. The Jew fish have a great dealof curiosity.more than any womanthat I know of.and used to eye uswhile we were at work. We were alittle afraid of them at first! but foundthat they would not harm us. I supposeyou have heard of the electric eel,which has the power to give a shoesequal to any battery. When we were

diving at the West Indies, one of ourdivers received a shock irom an electriceel, aDd for a time he seemed almoBtparalyzed. Mules and other animalswhen lording streams in this countryolteri receive a shock.

It depends how clear the water is,whether it is dark or not. I have beendown twenty fathoms where I could seeto read the linest print, and I have beendown ten feet where you could not see

your hand before you. It is not verypleasant exploring a wreck, especiallyv»here there are dead bodies, when youare in utter darkness. We get used tothose and, while I can't say that wedon't mind them, I can say that theydon't deter us from going down. I amone of those who believe that drowningis an easy death, comparatively, becauseI have noticed th*tthefaceof a drownedperson looks as if he had gone to sleepand seldom denotes pain, but, when theeyes arc wide open and glassy in appearance,and the gas in the stomachmakes the body stand bolt upright, it israther trying to the nerves. Some-times we nna arownea persons wnu a

death grip upon a piece of rigging orthe side of a bunk, and it is very difficultto unloose their hold. Before wesee a body or an object under the waterwe always see the shadow first. Inlooking lor a body not on a vessel'swreck, wc sometimes find it by closeiyfollowing the sediments in the water.

In many places the bottom of theocean is beautiful, especially where thecoral reefs are. Coral looks like a forestof trees that has been cut down. I haveseen coral as large as the stump of anytree you ever saw, with enormous limbsrunning downward, the trunk andbranches being of the purest whitecoral. I have encountered a coral reefafter descending three fathoms, and a

bottom of pure white sand after descendingtwo fathoms more.

A Precocious Youngster.I heard a funny story of a little Boston

boy the other day, which I think hasnever been in print. Hia father hadamused himself by teaching the brightlittle fellow several words and phrases inn. number of languages, so that he had

?uite a reputation as a linguist. AnEnglishman of some note dined with thefamily one day, and the child was muchinterested in watching him and listening to his conversation Af*er dinnerthe guest took him on his knee with theremark: "I hear you know a greatmany languages tell me how many youknow?" "Oh! I know French and Germanand Ttalian and Spanish, and thatis all." "But you know English?" "No,I don't know English," with a very positiveshake of his litcle head. " Yes, youdo, certainly," persisted the Englishman." 1 tell you I do not!" replied thechild, almost impatiently,very emphatically."My papa knows English, Is'pose. hut I only know two words inEnglish!" "And what are they?""'Ouseand 'orse."The same little feliow rang the door

hell at a vsiting acquaintance of hismother's, and a servant opened the doorfor him. In his politest manner heasked permi&ion to look at the parlorcarpet. The servant somewhat surprisedat such a request from a child, hesitated,and ner mistress, passing through thehall at time, stopped to ask what waswanted. The enfant terrible, with an

enchanting smile, made known his errand:" My mother says your new parlorcarpet makes her sick every time shelooks at it. Please mayn't I see it? Ido want to see what it is like.".BostonTranscript.

An Affectionate Cow.I have read in your paper lately many

interesting anecdotes of the affection ofanimals, and lam tempted to give youthe following instance of the sagacity ofthe cow, which occurred at Beaconsjthorpe some years ago to the nepl ew ofa deceased relative, from whose diary Itake the story:

I A line boy of about ten years of age,the son of a Mr. Ivers, had lor sometimebeen indulged in the habit of milking a

favorite cow; he was one day doing soin a field adjoining the farmyard, whena mischievous bull, which was in thesame field, ran at the child and toseedjhim; the cow, 'seeine its innocent atItendant thus treated, became enraged,and, running furiously at the bull, gored

11 him so dreadfully in the side as to lenderhim wholly incapable of renewing hisattack upon the child, which he wasnhout to do. Mr. Hudderstone, a neighboringfarmer, was passing through thefidd at the time, and took up the childin a state of insensibility, but he had reij ceived no very serioue injury.. Landand Water.

wamammmmaami

FOE THE FilB SEX.

New York Fuhlon Fact*.

Figured silks of light quality, brocadedin gay Japanese celors and designs,are to be used for draperies overskirts of plain bunting.One of the prettiest effects in trimmingconsists of different ghades in red

and yellow roses placed against a tuscanbrim lined with red satin, and having a

crown ofred satin woven thickly withgold.Ribbons are very rich and handsome.

The newest are alike on both sides, andcan be turned, twisted, looped, bowedand knotted without difficulty, but theyare expensive, and the only consolationis that a large quantity of them is notrequired.A novelty in trimming consists of a

number of little .ruffles, whichsort of tablier across the front of thedress, and shirring is still largely employed,though it is one of the mosttroublesome and least effective modes ofdreas decoration.With the high fraise we have now the

Medici collar, which stands hieh, but isrolled outwardly from the throat anddescends low. forming revers, cut inlike the collar of a coat. This Medicicollar is made in velvet or satin, andhas cuffs to match, forming a set thatcan be applied to different dresses.Beaded fringes, lace and the like are

used to produce the Oriental appearanceof shading the forehead, and this affectationis sometimes accompanied bydeepening the lines under the eyes,darkening the eyelashes and every wayheightening the effect, and adding to thesupposition of softness and languorwhich it imparts.Silk underwear is growing in favor,

particularly in the form of combinationskirts with low, square bodices, andskirts for house wear under light dresses.All these are made largely of cream,pale blue and pink Surah, trimmed withembroidered ruffles or a narrow edgingupon the ruffles of torchon lace, insteadof ruffles of torchon lace itselif, as formerly.The new spring wrap is the English

coat or " Raglan," with a seam acrossthe line of the waist, side pockets withdaps, long skirt open on the back andan English collar. It is double-breastedfrom the terminationof the collar to thewaist, and fits closely. A new steamerulster is, like the " Raglan." a revival.It is the "Carmelite, with the full,round hood, and the shirring at theback and wrists. i

Straws in mixed and blended colorsare not a novelty this season; theywere introduced last summer, thoughthey did not make much headway, ex-

cept in such simple guise as singlestripes and circular Hnes, like thedecoration on a stone jar from Cyprus.But now the blended coloring.thebraids in which blue, garnet, gold andblack are mingled.make their appear-ancc in greater numbers, and the ques- (

tion of the proper kind of trimming be-comes a serious one to those who intendto essay that somewhat dangerous experimentat home. Of course, the colorsshould be blended in the trimming,soft Persian or India silk, which lends;+caif art oHmiraWv in folds and bows.suggests itself most naturally, but it ishard to find, and very dear-when found.Sometimes these hats or bonnets lookwell trimmed with peacock or garnetsatin, the exterior decoration matchingthe lining, and showing in additiononly the large gold filagreed ballswhich form the heads to the long pinsused as ornaments.

Pfewi and Ifotea for Women.

Bessie Darling's real name is CarrieCru.u.Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton finishes

her lectnring this year.Mrs. Frank Leslie is managing her

late husband's publications.The late Mrs. Mary Chapman, the

actress, was the mother of twenty children.It is rumored from abroad that George

Eliot, who is about to travel for thebenefit of her health, has given permissionfor the dramatization of one ofher novels. %

Cetywayo has three daughters, whohave been on exhibition in London.They bear the musical names of Unolala,Unomadloza and Unozindaba.Their manners are gentle and prepossessing,and they evidently possess a

decided taste for personal adornment.They welcome visitors witli a Zulu salutation,and a friendly shake of thehand. ,

The memorial wing added to theBlcomingdale asylum, New York, at a

cost of $130,000 by Mrs. John 0. Greenin memory of her husband, is almostcompleted. Mrs. Green has given to theasylum $200,000, the income to be appliedto the care of women formerly accustomedto the comforts of home, butwho, becoming insane, have no means

lojpay for admission to Bloomingdale.X Decorated Dreu.

According to the St. Louis T'tncs a

pair.ter named Gutherz has been unitingthe beautiful and tho useful bydecoratin>r>a dress for a lady of NewYork.Th° Times says: The Iront ofthe dress.a marvel pi "robin's eggblue " silk and gause, trimmed withwonderful lace.was ornamented byMr. Gutherz in the highest style ofdecorarive art, with figures printed inall the colors on the palette. One piece

- ' 41,., f ,-^fot satin, snapea oy pairiuug iu« nwi, v>

the corsage, is decorated with forgetme-nots,arranged around the centralfigure of a cupid's bow, with bees onthe lower border. The waist is lacedback and forward with a wreath ofgoldcord, the interstices filled in with butterflies.On the skirt proper is a crescentmoon, in which are seated twocupids, holding in their clasped handsa chain, which crosses to the left of theskirt, and is caught by the hands of twosimilar cupids, "also seated in a crescentmoon. In the place where thescarf is ordinarily worti are painted allthe colors of the rainbow, from whichto the lower left hand corner the spaceis filled in with representations, in oil,of shells and coral around the centralfigure of a gold fish.

How Daniel Webster Coobed a Shad.A Washington correspondent says:

The matter of planked shad is somethinghistorical. Daniel Webster was an

artist in this line and prided himselfgreatly on his talents. Ilis only rivalWiis an aged slave, a character on theriv.T, called Sam. There were thosewim rWlaved that Sam was the onlyone who knew how to cook plankedshad, and others protested that thegreat statesman was supreme. It was

arranged to have a contest, a trial forchampionship, between old Sam andMr. Webster.

First Sam split the -shad, seasonedthem as he knew would most nearly !suit Mr. Webster's taste, and laid thembefore the orator done to a turn." Really, Sam, this is the best plankedshad I have ever eaten," quoth Daniel,and applause rang from Sam's adherents.Next Webster laid aside his toga and

hovered around the fire, knife and sajtboxin hand, watchingthe shad that he" ' i 1

prepared in toe way neanew wuuiu.ui-aisuit Sam's taste. Sam ate three mouthl'ulsrapturously.and exclaimed: " 'ForeGod, Mr. Webster. I neber havetusted planked shad before!"Webster yielded gracefully the palm

to Sam, outdone by him in complimentsas well as in cooking.

Professor Church says that witheredleaves, having the yellow, brown or redautumnal colors, can be made greenagain by steeping them in water with a

little zinc powder.

Childhood's Gold.They need not go bo tar away,Through heat and cold, to hunt for gold;

They might beside as sit or stray.*Our hands are fall as they can hold.

Gold! Gold is poured out of the skyFrom rise oi sun till day is done;

With falling leaves it flashes by,In liquid gold the rivers ran.

Twas scattered all the way from school,In stars and bells adown the dells;

We children gathered aprons fall,Where little dandelion dwells.

And yellow oowslip to oar feetCame, like a king, his hoard to bring;

And Columbine, with nod so sweet,Shook gold npon oar path.gay tiling !

What goblet glistens, with sooh wineAs the bee sups trom buttercups T

What gold beads oa the wet grass shine,Sparkling to breezy downs and cps!

Oar homes are sweet upon the hilla.Where love is sore and life is pare,

And snnshine every season fills.How can a country child be poor T

No robbers scares our midnight hoars;No coffers could our treasures hold; '

Dewdrops and sunbeams, stars and flower*Gold! Gold ! Who shares oor childhood's

gold?.Lucy Larcom, in 8L Nicholas

' /.V 444,

ITEMS OP INTEREST.

A rifle ball moves with a Telocity ofone thousand miles per hour.The ice factory at Baton Rouge, I*.,

manufactures three tonsdaily4,tThe total capaoity of the steel mills at

the present time throughout the,world i»estimated at about 3,000,000 ton? for theyear's production.A collection of portraits of the secret

taries of the treasury has been begun inWashington. For each of these portraitsthe government pays about $500.A few months ago a colored woman /

rT rrrnnr vhifa). and TIOWIll JUUJLi UCgOXL IV givn ». -r.. M

there is not a trace of color in her skin,and she is mach displeased at thechange.Ninety-five centennial trees.one for

each county in Tennessee.to beplanted on the capitol grounds at Nashville,to be known by the names of theirrespective counties. '/r

The best statisticians estimates thatthe population of the republic, as shownby the next census, will be 47,000,000, ora gain ofnearly 9,000,000 overthepopul*»tior of ten years before.Of the metals, the following are the

degrees of temperature required formelting: Tin, 421; lead, 594; zinc,740;antimony, 950; silver. 1,250; brass,1,91)0; steel, 2,500; copper, 2,548; gold,2,590; platinum. 5,080; iron, cast, 3,479;iren, wrought, 3.980.In a little family discussion the other

day. madam remarked, somewhat tartly:"When I marry again." " I supposeyou will marry a fool," interrupted thehusband. " Beg your pardon,P she said,141 shall do nothing ot the kind. I prefera change." The lord and masterwilted..Cincinnati Enquirer. ,

An extraordinary snowfall occurredin Cashmere, in Asia, last winter. In <certain places itsnowed continuouslyand

uninterruptedlyfor ten successive days,the snow upon the level plains beingfrom thirty to forty feet deep, and insome of the mountain passes it was piledup to a height of 150 and 250 feet.

r -~ mnof rofinpH sfcvlfl ofJL11C OUU UiVSH avmmvm

novel writing is to avoid mention of thescenes of bloodshed and violence:Like a dash of lightning from a cloud,with the velocity of a .rifle bullet andthe resistless syveep of the avalanche,the insulted youth skipped around thecorner and hunted up a policeman.Bogus gold $5 pieces are Deing circulatedin Sacramento, Cal. Thecoin has

the right sound, exact in weight and '

size, very finely executed, gold plated,of the dates 1844,1847 and 1875. Thesepieces are the product of a companywhich executes its work In ships at sea,originally offthe Spanish coast.Smith got a good dinner at home a ..

few days ago by telling his wife he wasgoing to bring ajudgehome with him tothat meal. When he arrived alone, andMrs. Smith asked him where the judgewas, he triumphantly pointed to himself,remarking, " I'm a good judge of adinner." He wi^l be obliged to cook upa dinner in some other way hereafter.The endeavor to explain why the Semitionations wrote from right to left,

has led to many curious speculations.Erlenmayer,for instance, aooounts for

their mode of writing by assuming thatthey were left-handea. But this is a hypothesiscontrary to known fact. Oneof the most ancient of the books of theBible mentions left-handedness as a

physical peculiarity.At the French mint are snown now

specimens of a coin which will besought for eagerly by numismatists ofthe future. These are five-fraac piecesstruck during the reign of the Commune.At first sight they have all theappearance of coins of like value underthe empire; but there is a difference,and it thus occurred: When the Communistsbegan to run short of cash theywanted to coin some new-fashionedmoney, but were informed that no

workmen competent for the task couldpossibly be got. Consequently theywer.* compelled to go on using Napoleon'sdies. Camelinat. however, whowa3 then master of the mint, bethoughthim of a slight innovation. On oneside of the five-franc pieces of Napoleonare three emblems, one of which isa bee, representing the sign of thedirector of the mini Camelinat replacedthe bee by a trident. About1,200,000 francs of these coins were

struck, but had hardly been completewhen the troops entered Paris, andnearly all these coins were dispatchedto,be melted and recast.

Wild Dogs in the Yellowstone YalleyWhile our reporter was trading in the

Yellowstone valley, in the summer of" * J* M 3 J

1873, he met a small Dana 01 wiia uogonumbering about one hundred. Theyseemed to oe a cro98 between a wolf anaa spaniel, and were about the size ofDick Adams's long haired little dog. Incolor they were of a yellow-brown,quite light and with sharp pointed ears.We had frequently heard of this pack,which in those days roamed along thefoothills between the Yellowstone andMissouri rivers, but saw them onlyonce. They were very much startledUDon meeting our party, and scampercdaway in every direction, until gainingsome distant promontory, 'from whichthey watc hed us, and keeping up a continuousyelping and barking noise. Nowwe read in a North Platte paper of a

pack oi wild wolf-dogs, of savage disposition,in the wilds of NorthwesternNebraska. About two years ago, thewriter says, two bulldogs for some unknowncause wandered from the ranchof Bratt & Co., near the head of ttoeBirdwood. and joined a band of rovingwolves. They did not return to themnnK onH hovp lived with the wolves1 MULU) UUW MM » w ..

ever since. Within the past year a

species oi half dog and woli has been infestingthat section and committingdepredations. They possess the cunningof the wolfcombined with the ferociousnessand pluck of the bulldog, and are

consequently much more to be dreadedthan the common prairie wolf, and arefur more bold and savage in theirdepre*dations upon the herds and the belatedtraveler across the plains. These wolidoesor dog-wolves are supposed to bethe offsprings of the bulldogs alluded to.They are becoming quite numerous andtroublesome..Dearlwood Times.

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