Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Medford mail. (Medford, Or.) 1893-1909 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1892)
THE REDBREAST. In country lanes the robins sing; Clear-throated. Joyous, swift or wine Frum misty dawn to dewy eve (Tnouitti ewes of nesiilng vex and grteva) Their little heart-bells ring and ring. And when the roses say to Spring : Your reign Is o'er" when breezes bring The scent ol spray that lor ere weave ' In country lanes. The redbreast still Is beard to fling His mtuia forth; and be will clinic To Autumn till the winds bereave Her yellow trees, nor will he leave Till Winter finds bim shivering In country lanes. Charles H. Lowers. MY PBECIOUS PET. Did I ever write his history? No. Now that I think of ft, I am cer tain that the history of my precious pet has never yet seen the light. So I will be gin at the beginning. When I was a little girl, five or six years old, I had a favorite playmate, named Charlie Moreland. But let me tell you. In the first place, that Charlie was not the pet of which I spoke in the beginning. Charlie was a nice little fellow, and, tn my girlish days, there was nobody like him; but he is not my hero any more than my pet. As tie grew older be began to develop a for adventure, and at the age of la teen he ran away from home, with all of his capital tied up in a red bandana hand kerchief, and shipped on board an East Indiaman. I was twelve years of age at the time, and Charlie's exodus nearly broke my heart. I cried full an hour and had red eyes and swelled nose all the next day in consequence. Charlie was absent seven years. When he returned, to Barbush, he came over to see us the first of all, after his own family. He was a man now tail, bearded and bronzed, and I couldn't play "jackstraws" nor "horse" with him any more. We were, both of us, surprised to find we were not little boy and girl, as we used to be. And we were both of as sorry 1 do believe. Just as Charley was taking his leave. he said, '"I brought you something from the Indies, Maggie I mean Miss Cher- leigh but I hardly dare offer it, now that you are a young lady. "Indeed, Charlie!" I replied. "Why, you ought to know that anything you could bring me would be acceptable I He looked gratified, and said he would fetch It over the next day. I waited with the greatest impatience. What could it be? Cousin Belle Hayne from New York, who was visiting us, said it could be no less than a camel's hair shawl; but papa Insisted that it must be either a wax doll or a new edition of "Cock Robin," just translated from tbe original. Well, it came the next day. Charlie brought It over. And what was It? Why, the blackest little monkey that you ever set eyes on I I was furprleed first; then delighted. I had heard so-many funny stories of tbe doings of monkeys, chat I anticipated a continual fund of amusement from the tricks of my Shylocfc that was his name and I thanked Charlie so much, that the fellow actually came to the conclusion that he had done a good thing by import ing that monkey. His ship sailed a week afterward, and I was left in undisputed possession of Shy lock. At that epoch the trials of my life began. My precious pet soon grew attached to me in his own peculiar way, but he never yielded a single freak to my wishes. I might as well fcave tried to get obedience from the north wind as from him. He seemed especially delighted with doing just what would irritate me the most. The little rascal knew, evidently, that, let his transgressions be ever so broad, his punishment would be light. To tbe neighborhood be was at once a nuisance and amusement. Almost every body was afraid of him, but still they liked to see his comical tricks played off on somebody else. One autumn evening the Sewing Society met at our house. Elder Busby, a good old man, celebrated for his long-winded prayers, was present; of course Elder Busby must pray, and we all resigned ourselves to be martyrs for the next two hours. Sbylock was In the room when the petition began, and I knew by the ex presBion of his little black face that mis chief was brewing. Just as the elder had consigned us all tc everlasting perdition, modified by cer tain sectarian conditions (a proceeding by the way, which he always seemed to take particular delight in), there was a singular, rumbling, shuffling sound in the direction of tho chimney we had an open fireplace. Another second, and down tbe Hue. In a cloud of soot and ashes, came a black and white fluttering object that I recognized as mother s Shanghai rooster, obtained by her at considerable trouble and expense. Tbe music that came from tbe poor bird's throat was most terribly indescrib able, and the audience were frightened out of all sense of decorum. The women shrieked the men looked around. for their hats, and the celestial visitant. thiukiqg, probably, the tirolight was the daybreak, hopped upon the bald head of the elder and crowed lustily. The elder sprang to bis feet, gave one look at the bold Intruder, and, bat less as he was, fled from the house, to which be did not turn that night. Mfes Periwinkle fainted; and honest but buuglng John Jones got ber everlasting enuuiy by flinging cold water In her face, which washed the paint off, and left her fuir skin three shades t'arker than usual. I managed to explain things at last " --t he-monkey was at the bottom of it; and very soon he made his nppo.irance, meek and Innocent, but with i. en and there a susDlcious feather sticking in his wool. Tbe next day, Pr. Htintoiii, an admirer of my sister Cam, ca Ami. The was a man of 35 or 40, remarkably youi.g looking. and possessing the most abundant hair of any one 1 nave ever seen. 1 was sitting in a recc-s of the parlor, and the visitor failed to observe me but. not considering it worth while to show ' myself. I went on with my hook. The passionate tone of the doctor's voice arrested my attention, and warned me that I had better be somewhere else but I could not reach that wished-for spot without being seen by the uvtfd couple so I judged It best to keep quiet. "My dearest girl." began thv doctor "I have long admired you above all others. atfd you muet have guessed the meaning of my attention l Clara was biusMng and toying with the rings on ber finger. J he doctor leaned toward her, bis arm half encircling her ' waist ; and lust then, to my in finite hor ror. I perceived Siyloc; climbing the back of tbe lover's chair with the utmost caution. The doctor gave utterance to $"uewords, "Will you be mine?" when the monkey s long paw do-x tenons, y removed t,e most cunningly- :iade. "scratch" from i he hoadof the ab-ortvd crentleman. leav ing a spot, tbe size of a teacup, bald, ban and nolished as the top of a marble table. Clara screamed with horror. The doc tor put up bis baud, and discovering his loss, turned to wreak his vengeance on . the guilty one turnel just in time to see Sbylock disappearing through the win dow, his round l ead adorned with the profuse hair that bad been one of Pr. Huntoni s cbiefest Attractions. As might have been expected, tle doc tor left without an answer to his question, . and Clara accepted Will Adams the very " iext day. About this time, a vacant farm next to our own was purchased by a gentleman from a distant state' the Hon. Zebulm Chester. The Elms was originally a fine place, and, under the direction of its- new proprietor, it grew absolutely beautiful. ' The old stone bouse was remodelled, and, furnished with the costliest modern furni ture; the grounds were laid out with ele gance and taste, and, as tbe spring opened, the Hon. Zebulm removed thither. Zebulm 1 How I did laugh at the name, and at the gentleman, too! He was so . grave, and stately, and self-possessed. But he was a perfect gentleman nana- some, travelled, and the gossips said "a splendid catch V But then, his name. Only fancy a wife calling out to her hus band, 'Dear zeboy i From the very first, Sbylock took strong liking to this man. I hardly knew why. He was not given to forming new attachments, but he persisted In visiting The Elms every day on tbe most familiar footing. Almost invariably he carried something, by way of propitiation a large apple, a piece of pie, a doughnut, or some thing of that kind, which be would grave ly deposit in Mr. Chester's band. After awhile he took to a new species of offerings, and conveyed to our amused neighbor my shoes, bonnets, gloves, jew elry, etc., with the greatest liberality. Mr. Chester declared he had enough of my wardrobe to set him up as a fine lady, any time he chose to make tbe metamor phosis. At one period I had Mr. Chester's boot lack, dressing gown, a flute, shaving case, and meerschaum, all at once; and he was in possession of my slippers, three pair of understeeves, a son tag, two bosom pins, and my best embroidered night cap. I got so that I fairly hated the man, or thought I did. which amounted to the same thing. Our family took to teasing me the most mercilessly about him, and If anything will make a woman despise a man, it is to be accused of having "de flixrns" on him. Papa insisted upon it that Mr. Chester had engaged Sbylock as diplomat, to ar range tho marriage settlement, and that he was generous enough to "endow" me with his goods before the performance of tbe ceremony. One night when they had carried the thing beyond all bounds, some of the young people ot tbe vicinity being pres ent, I was provoked to do something daring. I just wanted to convince them ail that, In spite of the monkey express line be tween us, x oia not care a og lor jar. Chester. So I made a sketch of the Hon. Zebulm I was only too clever with my pencil riding a donkey, and underneath was the' Inscription: . "A Paib op 'em." There was no particular wit in the car icature, but tbe likeness was unmistak able. I have the drawing before me now, and must be pardoned the egotism of say ing, that Mr. Chester's personnel was perfect; but tho donkey's ears, at this late day, strike me as rather too long, and his frame a little too angular for a re spectable beast. We all laughed at it, ot course, and after ward threw it aside, and for the time, it passed entirely out of my mind. A day or two afterward I was In the garden, which joined Mr. Chester's, when, suddenly, there shot past me the most grotesque object I had ever seen. A sec ond glance revealed Shylock, invested in my new crinoline, minus all drapery, my lace fichu over bis. shoulders, my "love of a bonnet" perched on his head, and my $15 parosal in one paw, and in tbe other good gracious 1 it was that very identical scrap of paper on which I had sketched "A Pair-of-em!" And he was going right In tbe direction of Mr. Chester's. I called frantically for him to stop, but he only grinned, and wiggled on, as affeted as any Broadway belle. Sbylock must have seen society somewhere, or ho never could have assumed that fashionable mien. Mr. Citester sat smoking on the piazza. Shy lock saw him and quickened bis pace. My face grew dreadfully hot. 1 would have given my pearl set to have laid my hands on that terrible scrap ot paper 1 I started to run attr the little wretch. He bounded over the fence and struck for Mr. Cbester. I gained upon him. His new style ot rig somewhat impeded his pro gress and, for a moment, I cherished tbe delusive hope that I might capture him in season to prevent the fatal disclosure. X exerted myself to tne utmost and suc ceeded in grasping the last spring of his skirt just as he put the drawing into Mr. Chester's hand. I thought I should sink with shame. If my nerve had been in the least weaklshould have fainted away. like the heroines in five-volume novels. Mr. Cbester looked at the vile sheet. His face flushed slowly, but there was no other exhibition of emotion. I respected him enough then. A good representation r be said, hold ing it off. "Thank you, Shylock. It is equal to a photograph. Allow me to in quire, Miss Cherleigh, if tbe conception ot the lour-footeu ctmructer was original or borrowed?" I burst into tears. If it had been to have saved my nock from the hemp, I couldn't help it. He was so coolly sarcas tic, and-looked down upon me from such an immense height! He lifted me up and carried me into the sitting room, still holding his arm around me. "Margaret, what are you crying for? Is it because I Lave seen the drawing, or be cause you are sorry that you made itr OIi I how can you eskr I began, im petuously. 'I despise myself too thor oughly to need your scorn! But if you only knew how tney have all provoxed and teased me with with " and here I broke down. "With what, Margarot?" "With having designs on you.- There, I have said it ; and I thought I would show them that Idi.n t care I "And did you care 1" His arm tightened around me, and really, what is the use of , telling all one knows to everybody? But I Mr. Chester is a tyrant and forced me to ! a full confession. He patted Shylock on tbe head and said he was our best friend. And now that we are married we keep, Bhylook still, tbe very apple of our eyes, though old and gray. Charlie Moreluud Is married and has a Isalf dozen little Morelands around his table, and the oldest is chris.ened Mar garet. I am happy, but I never call my husband Zebulm; and sometimes I thin he never would have been mine but for my precious pet. . Kangmrooi on the Ran. The rest of the herd immediately made off in our direction ; but instead of scatter ing pell-mell as other wild animals would have done under like circumstances, these queer denizens of a queer country fell into line and departed in regular Indian file. the big old doe leading the way, and the smallest diminutive pickaninnies bringing up the rear. The doe covered the ground with tremendous leisurely hops, holding her fore paws before her in a mincing way tnat was very comical. The smaller ani mals each an exact, though diminntiue, counterpart of the leader followed in gradually diminishing perspective, every little beggar hopping just a little more rapidly than the one before him, until the fast flying legs of the last puny fellow at the end of the line were blurred like the spokes of a wheel in rapid motion. The effect ol this extraordinary procession w to my unaccustomed eyes,-6o altogether ludicrous and absurd that I nearly lost my snot in an uncontrollable burst of laughter. As it was I might just as well have had my laugh out to the end, for although I let the old doe have both barrels full in the flank as she had passed me at twenty yarus distance, she faltered in her course and had quite disappeared in the scrub, with all her numerous progeny at her heels, before I had time to replace the empty cartriages. i he ao. 3 snot in all probabil ity, bad little more effect upon her tough hide than so many grains of sand. Never theless, it might perhaps have brought her down if I had aimed at tbe head, for one pellet penetrating the brain through the eye would have been sufficient. But the motion was so eccentric and perplexing that this would have been a very risky shot, and I preferred the chance of stun ning her by a direct double charge full in the-body, to the almost absolute certainty of missing her altogether by attempting the more difficult shot Birge Harrison in Apm bcribner. HER PERFECT LOVER. I had a lover once," she sighed t Yes, lust before 1 married you. Who listened when I spoke and tried To answer all my questions too. "Soooorteousandso kind so good I He'd never think a man could be As thoughtless and, indeed, as rode ' As yon too often are to me. m The Jewel of my love oooe won. Be used to swear, could ne'er grow Mat tie woma not aream uu anyone Could whistle when I spoke to him I If be had faults he kept them hid. I should have married him? Tea. tn And that's exacUy what I did. My perfect lover, sir. waa Too." Madelines. ii For a u Miss Angelina Pufour was making up ; her mind that it was of no use to ke pon teaching. ,In this nineteenth century women go forth into tbe world to seek their for tunes, as well as men. Miss Dufour was eminently dissatisfied with ber position in life. Therefore she meant to better it. 'Ihate teaching." she said, 'I hate work of any sort. IT I could come across a husband who would be able to keep me in comfortable style, I should set rid of all this tedious Jabor and drudging. I was never meant to waste the bloom of my youth in hearing horrid little boys spell, and hammering tbe inl-.-of three into tbe beads of stupid giris?" - - And Miss Pufucr's looking-glass, re flecting back her sparkling blue eyes. Wavy-brown locks and complexion of mingled rose and pearl, told much the same story. But a girl who teaches school six hours a day and lives in a dull boarding house on the shady side of a dull street during tbe rest of her time. Is not apt to form a very large circle in social life ind so, when vacation time cam Angeiine was very willing to accept the invitation of Juliet Mills, the young cashier of a T.iird Avenue restaurant, and accompany her to her home among the BjrVsMre H l's. "Of course." said Mis- Mills, "it's not an elegant place. You wo.i't expect that. We are working people out there. But you'll have plenty to eat. gallons of milk to drink, fresh country air . to breathe, and a warm welcome, I can guarantee that." 4Is there any society out there?" said Angeiine, anxiously. ' " Do you mean young men? " counter Questioned Juliet. ''Well, not much. There's my brother Andrew and P.us- , las Steele, who runs the machinery in the kid-glove factory and the young minister who has consumption, and! and well, I really can't think of anyone else just now." Angeiine laughed. "Oh. well." said she. "I dare say I shall enjoy it. 1 certainly shall if you are theie with me, yu darling Juliet." The Berkshire farm was a quiet, maple-shaded old p?ae. Mis. Mi Is was a motherly dame, and brother Andrew was a tall, brown- omplxioned young fellow with teeth like a freshly cut - lice of coeoanut and eyes that sparkled roguishly under the r long lashes. " He'll do," said Miss P iTour ta her self, after she had spent twenty-four hours under this h suitable roof, "H-'ll have this nice farm some day and it Beems he owns a half share in the big silex mill down In the woods. His man ners haven't the regular city polish" (and her thoughts reverted with regrot to a certain natty little clerk in a Third Avenue drug store, who wore his hair parted in the middle and sraelled of cheap cologne), but he seems very in telligent and agreeable. And anything Is better than that old school-teaching drndgery 1" Put when she hinted some thing of this to Juliet. Juliet shook her head. "It's of no use." said she. "llyra Grover has got a first mortgage on him, I'm afraid." " A what?" said Miss Dufour. A first mortgage," said Juliet. "Pmt you understand? Hes spoons on Myra. I don t suppose they re ex- actly engag d. but it amounts to almost the same thing. I'm sorry." she added. frankly, "for Myra's a simpering. slpid little thing, and you would have ever on the lookout for some new met fa suited me a deal better for a sister-in- 0d 0f annroachirg passers by so they law." "But don't you think " began Ange iine, and then she laughed and colored and related into silence. Yes, I do think," said Juliet, com prehending in an instant. "A'id per haps it can be done. At all events, dear, wo'll try 1" . Little did Mvra Grover, shelling pease for her old lather's dinner under tho honeysuckle-twined porch of her home, imagine what Imteful compact' was at that moment being formed against her peace of mind. S'le sung cheerily at her work, and thought of Andrew M lis, and the future, and all the rose-coiored dreams that come so naturally to a girl of eighteen. ' I must go down." she thought, " to call upon the New York young lady who has come back with Juliet. It wouldn't be polite to neglect h-r. Andrew la ughs at her be calls her artificial and af fected. But he thinks her pretty ol that I am very certain. And they tell me she gets s'x hundred, dollars a year for teaching school. O , dear. I wish I had any way or earning six hundred dol lars a year I My poor little trade brings me so small a sum." In the meantime Angeiine and Juliet set themselves steadily to besiege the fortress of Andrew Mills's honest heart but without perceptible progress at first. "I don t see how you can help losing yonr heart to her, Andiew, s nd Juliet, reproachfully. "Isn't she pretiy?" "Yes, very," admitted the young far mer. " And agreeable? " "Undoubtedly she ia." ' A thousand times more attractive than Myra Grover? "There may be a difference of opinion as to thatl laughed Andrew. Mvra is a little wild snow-drop. M.ss Dulout Is a gaudy tulip. Ju'iet colored and bit her lip, "Oh," she cried, "how easily you men are Imposed upon. Your Myra "Stop a minute. Juliet. She isn't my Myra yet. "I'm only speaking generally. I patiently uttered Miss Mills. "Myra Grover, then. If it pleases you beUer. She's not so unsopbistica ed as you think. She's as much made up ' as any woman. " You'll not make me believe that very easily, said Andrew, composedly. "I suppose you'll credit the evidence of your own eyesight? " retorted hia sister. "Nothing short of that," was the dry response. "What would you say II I told you S it all that lovely lihi-brown curlln; uair of heis was false?" half whispered Juliet. He started a little. "You are ray sister, Jul'et, said he. "You are also a woman. But, neverthe less, I believe your statement to be un true. "In other woid, she has been all this time deceiving you 1" triumphantly oriea Juliet. Andrew rose up and flung aside the DewsDaner he bad h-ii leadimr. "Suppose we leave - ff discussing this topic, earn ue. Juliet only smiled. She bad sown the teed. S was willing now that it should germ in ite at its leisure. jswas toward t-venin-r the next dey that Angeiine and Juliet strolled down t. rough the woo Is to meet Andrew re turningfrom his work, and accompanied him bak to the h;z-d copse at the rear of the Grove farm uous;. "Th-re!" Juliet suddenly cried out, fust when Angelina and her brother were talking and laughing In their merriest mood, "what do you call th.t?" F om the picket fence where Myra Grover's white 1: oily hocks grew and the urr nt hush blushed red with fringes or irult, a s'ender cord was stretched and on this cord was pinned a switch of fi ating brown hair, like an Indian's sc -Ip troph.V. while Severn I long fair curlri sw.ugiux to and Iro-in tbe wind k-i't it coibp ny. Angeiine stopped, "Il's a!s; l air, in't it? said she. "The girl or the house has been washing it, and has hung It there to dry. I don't Buppose she thought that anybody would - be passit g this way ! Almost everyone wears. mlse hair nowadays," and she gave her own luxuriant tresses a shake to prove their genuineness, while her brilliant eyes flashed back an answering gleam to the look that Juliet gave her. "And I knew at tie first glance that that Grover girl's curls were not her own." "Are we waiting here for anything in particular?" Andrew Mills asked curtly, and they hurried on. But bcth Juliet nd Angelina were satisfied. 'I thirk he's safe now. dear." said Mills. "You have oniy to be as sweet and encotirac.ng as possible, and he's sure to capitulate. He attaches so much Importance to erfect truth and candor. That false hair business ) a accom plished a deal for u. But 1 wish he'd be a little expeditious about it, she added, with a smile, "for I've got to go back to my cashier's desk the day after to-morrow." " It will be all right," said Angeiine, serenely. "Y ull see. lev!" Poor Andrew, however, -was in a less jubilant frame of mind. . Hm was sitting alone on the back porch uuder the shade of a monster gnarled aople-tree, ponder ing. It Myra innocent, dove eyed lit tle Myra w-ie false, upon whom could he depend r II was ,n itself,-a trivial offense, the wearing of other woman's hair, but it destroyed his faith In Myra's hone rand honesty. Poar Andrew ! he was very wreti:bel. A light step on the mossed-over garden path aroued him from his un pleasant reverie. I'- was Myra's voice. Andrew," she hesitated, "shall I be disturbing ymi? J 1 wanted to consult you a Htil'-. I ve got some money to in vest. F.fty dollar?, Andr'w. And I do not know what bank or deposit corn pan v I bad better place it in." "Fifty dollars, Myra?"' said be. trying to speak ligutly. "Wueredid you get fi ty dollars?" "I have earned it all myself," said Myra, flushing with artless pride. "I have been working for a hair-dresser at La Salle. H has sent me a lot of goods to pick over .nd. reweave. It is tedious business but be has paid m- well, be cause, he says. I do it so nicely. Oh, you would laugh, Andrew," she added, gayly, 41 if you c.-uld see on: fitting room sometimes. F ither says IV- just like an lnd.au wigwam filled with scalps. And Juliet and Miss Dufour made all manner of fun of me when they came In yesterday morning and saw what I was doing. Involuntarily Andrew Mills stepped forward ami took both Myra's hands in his own. " Do you mean," said he, "that they know?" " Of course," at-quiesce l Mra. "Why shoiil s n ' they?' 'D.ai M i a, "he said, "lam glad that you came to me to-night." Why? she asked. Pj you know of a cood investment, Andrew?'' ' I am not thinking ot investments," he said, half smiling. Yes I am, too. I want to make a iife investment of my self." He walked home thmugi the dew and the starligiit with Myra Grover and when he left her father's door they were engageil. " You and your Iriend M'ss D.ifour have deceived me," he said, steruly, to Jul'et-, when he arrived at no me. "GiOisly deceived me. But your ma chinations have failed. Tute day mouth I'shall bring MyTa Grover here as my wife. You, J.. lift, are my sister. I can not very well close my doors against you. B it Miss Da four must never again calculate on niv hosnitaiity." Aud the bafll d Angeiine went back once more to tue teacher's dsc. Myra Gi over's innocence aid candor had pre vailed against all bT crafi. Young 3j i-dle-j Bhz ir. The Brggar Mad Indigestion. Beggars i,owaiays know that the old stories com in- n to their profession won't go down with the average New Yorker who reads the papers and keeps up with the timR." said a young brrker at the Hoffman House the other even ing. Bo inn- aware o thnt fact thev am may be reasonably sure of getting a mo- j mnts attention aud inctdeuta'ly a quarter, or at least a dime. Sometimes they size a man uo rom his appearance. d walking up to imu they say boldly. 'Mister, I am suffer ins awfully for a drink, and if you div me the price you'd save me a lot of sunVring. ' Xu making this appeal the mendicant knows that if the man to whom he ap peals is a man about town he wd1 have known what it Is to have been puff lug for a drink himself and re:d ly uiveupa dime to aid a man in the sun-e p ight. "The hungry roan, the n iv-noy who hasn t sold his paper, the s:: n si who wants a lodging over n ght I'nrt t e o!l woman who asks for her lare i avk to Harlem are all familiar figures to the New Yorner, but I really met a man with an origin it idea yesterday," con tinued the broker. " He approached me as usual, and I sa'd, 'Yes, I know you are hungry and all that, but I can't do anything tor you. To raysurp ice, however, be replied: 'No, I ain't hungry, boss. I just ate a big dinner and 1 ra suffering from indi gestion. Can't you g ve me something to buy medicine with?" "He got a quarter." N. Y. Herald. The Tnrnlng of tue vooitfiep. an nnsel stood In a lofty place. Mar Irom the haunts wh-re men do dwell: And watched, with a troubled anxlouA face. The tide of life, n it rose and fell. Ho bent an ear to the fooisteps low, Thrt echoed with bold or dainty tread. And watched their dainty march, or slow. With looks of sorrow, fear ad dread. AmonR tho throng were maidens fair. And beardless yoctns. with eyes ot are, Wlille tottering age. with silver hair, Cront slowly on In vague desire And manhood rich with life's best prima And women proud In royal dower. Moved swiftly down the slope of time. Swept onward by a mighty power. On, on they go. a surging throng. Whose footsteps, beatlugon tbe air. Keep measure to a mournful song. A song ot worldly strife aud car. Rone seemed to pause or lift their eyes. To where the angel grand and sweet. Xs looking down, and ever tries. To stay that harried tread of feet. Ota! weary footsteps, panseawhllel Oh I footsteps feeble, taRe thy rest; Obi turn ye from each earthly wile. Ana let thy soul with peace be blessed. Yet scnrcely beard that tender cry, 'Tls lost amid life's pasMons wild; And like a far-off distant sigh. It reached at last a human child. 'Twas one whose footsteps long had grown. Bo weary with the weight of care. From out whose eyes the light had flrwn. Within whose breast dwelt dark despair. Yet through the turmoil and the din, Bhe heard a vulce both sweet and low, "Oh 1 turn ye frm the ways of sin. Fling down the burden of thy woe." She felt throughout her tired frame, A strange new thrill of life and hope; She paused to seo from whence it came, ' Looked backward o'er If s dreary slope, And there sho saw. through tenr-dlmmed eyes. The angel beckoning her to come; And wltb aery of glad stiprlso. She turned ber footsteps toward home. Good Housekeeping. " Did you ever know," said a well-known specialist, "that the throat has a brain of its own? No? I suppose few of the laity do know it, but it's a fact. There is a small ganglia which exercises direct control over the muscles of the threat and act as its brain. Of course; it is subservient to the genuine brain, but at the same time does a great deal of independent thinking for it self. It is very timid and suspiciousof any strange objects that come near tbe throat. For this reason it is very difficult for a physician to ornate on tbe throat. Before anything can be done in this direction it is necessary for the oerator to gain the con fidence of the little brain that dominates it. It frequently takes weeks before this confi dence can be secured and until it is secured it is impossible to operate. When the little brain is finally made to understand that no barm is intended it, but that the physician is actuated by friendly motives, it will sub? nut to almost any treatment, huwerer paiu fuL 1 " But woe be to the man who attempts rough treatment to the throat before gain ing the little brain'scontideuce and in spite of its protests. His operations will be re sented with violent paroxysms, first of the throat, then of the diaphragm, and if the operator still persists the iiatieut will be thrown into convulsions. Still more eurioQS is the fact that this little brain has amem- ory and if once frightened in this way it is almost impossible to ever gain its confi dence, no natter how gentle the operator may be." Philadelphia Press. It Is said that the natives or Alaska spend so much of their time in boats that theii legs are crooked and weak. A FALLEN SI Ah". ftne sweet star shot oat ot heaven To do Its mission. "Twas but to make A quick, a win I&iit In a dirk place. Whore one despair! ug soul had thought Never to see tiod's light again. The star tell: but the light lived on , Forever mo .v in a human heart. A beacoi. Hp tit of luve and warmth and hope. Where hall dimmed torches were enkindled new From 'mong the myriads of shining worlds. Who says that-one star fell in vain? TWO COUPLES. When Gussie came home from Saratoga that autumn, which I never, never can for get, no matter how many autumns I may live turough, she told me she had made a conquest. That was nothing new for Gus sie, either making or telling of conquests. She was a beauty, and kuew what people thought of her. Sometimes like this I told her, as I helped I er unpack her trunks, and put the things away in the orderly old wardrobes and bureaus. She laughed merrily. "Of course. It's not new," she said, "but this is quite a different sort of a thing a serious thing, Nellie and then he's amil ionaire." 4Serous on your part?" I asked. "Haven't I told you he was a million aire?" she asked. "But I meant on his part. You needn't smile. Nell. If I choose I can as rich as Mrs. Hobson one of these davs." Mrs. Hobson was the friend who had chaperoned Gussie at the watering places an old, old banker's pretty young wife. "wot at tne same price, I hope, X said, wlthaquic't beating of my heart, -for I did not quite know Sister Gussie, and I felt sure that such ill-assorted unions were never happy. . "How romantic you are!" was all she answered. But after a while, as we were looking at the pearl-gray poplin such a. sight, for a glass of wine had been spilt on it she said, merrily: "You'll see him to-morrow, Nellie. He'll be sure to calL" She seemed in a very happy mood. I was anxious, and trembled when next day old Peggy announced: "A gentleman for Miss Gussie." 1 felt myself turn faint. Gussie only blushed. "Come down with me, Nellie, she said. And I went, trembling. "Oh ! I hope at least he's a kind, benevo lent old roan not a cross, surly oddity, like Anna Hobson's husband,' I said to myself, and when we entered the room I could not bring myself to look until Gus sie said: "Sister Nellie, Mr. Hathaway," and then I lifted my eyes and saw no old man, but the handsomest young gentle man I had ever seen. Not so very young full 30 and to my mind no man is ever very handsome before that. It was a great relief to me, for you see we had always been a little pinched and straiten ed, for genteel people, and Gussie had always said she would never marry a poor man, and she had upon her linger a ring Bhe had never worn before, and I guessed there was really, as she said. something serious in it. I Buppose I looked pleased. I know I smiled, and gave him my hand. We bad a long, pleasant chat in tbe dear old parlor, aud I felt happier than ever I had felt before. "Shall I really have such a brother, Gussie?" I asked, dancing about her when he had gone "such a handsome, gallant, well-bred fellow a gentleman In every sense of the good old word? Gus, it is splendid !" And thine oi tne carnage, ana tne splendid home, and the diamonds," said Gussie; "a millionaire you can't compre hend it. no butcher, with his little bm; no baker calling to know when one can 'settle;' no buying mean silks and cheap muslins Just what you want. Gussie, your life through; for, as we used to say at school, "we'll go halves, Gussie." I said. "Yes: rather tine-looking, J think, said Gussie. Bather fine-looking I I stared at her in astonishment. "Oh, you haven't seen many people, Nell," said my sister. "How should ycu, shut up in t is out-of-the-wny place? If I had chosen to marry lor beauty, there was young Eyre. Such black hair and eyes, Nellie such flue features the best waitaer living, xou couiu not compare the men at all; but Eyre had next to nothing and ' She stopped and gave a little sigh. "Poverty isn't comfortable," she said. "Remember mamma's young days and our own. I chose Mr. Hathaway." She frightened me. If such a man bad loved me I thought how I should have re joicedhow proud I should have been. And then I was plain little Nelly, and Au gusta was a beauty, biie had twenty ad mirers, ana was twenty-nve. i naa not one yet and was seventeen, and young in my looks anu ways, as tue youngest cuiia of a family often is. "She knows best, J thought. But what must any one be to be handsomer than Mr. Hathaway r So I strove to drive the uneasy feeling from my heart, an to rejoice in what had haDnened. we naa not toia papa yet. "Time enough in a month or so," said Gussie. "We are not to be married until amine: and. indeed, papa was occupied with his new patent (there was' always a new one), and we saw very lltue ox him. No one who has ever led my dull life can tell how this bright, handsome, cheer ful lover of my sister's enlivened our evenings. Sometimes we chatted on the porch, or, as the season grew later, beside the fire. Sometimes he sang to us, sometimes we went on short excursions together. They never let me out; and from the first he called me Nellie; that I liked. But still Gussie was not as content as she should have been. Little restless ways grew on her. She sighed sometimes. Once in the night I found her weeping, and could not make her tell me why. And up in her work-box, uader the scarlet pln-cnshoin. that could be lifted in aud out of its case. I found, one day the daguerreotype of a gentlemen, with the name Edward Eyre upon the back, in my sister s handwriting. It was no, a noble face, like Mr. Hatha way's, but it was as pretty as a girl's ought to be. One day Mr. Eyre called on us. A grace ful man, with a way of looking and speak ing that reminded one ot the hero of a genteel comedy a certain theatrical dash not unpleasant Gussie seemed fo think it oerlection. "Did I not speak truth?" she asked. "Is there any comparison?" "No," I answered. "Mr. Hathaway can not be compared with such a man. xou find this one in any hairdresser's window, and hear him talk on any stage. Harry is different from everybody but himself. I'm glad he is to be my brother. "Oh. of course," said Gussie, coldly, we were only speaking of looks. I'm not silly enough to think that the man I am to marry must be the handsomest in the world. I hone. And so it rested, and I tried to think that all was well. Howfoud I ffrewof Harry Hathaway. and how he seemed to like mel No brother could have been kinder. Often and often I wondered Gussie was not haDoier in his love that she could talk so much wltb and think so much of Edward Evie: and as tee time passed on aud I say Harry Hathaway growing sadder and graver than his wont, I began to rear that he saw what l saw, ana sui- fered from It. - Still the wedding day grew nearer, and every ouiet Dreoaration was going on. and they would have been married in De cember but that, in leaving our house one evening, Harry slipped down upon the Ice and broke bis ieg. They brought bim back and carried bim into I he spare bod room, and there for weeks he lay, and l wept for him and grieved for his pain, and did my best to lighten the tedious hours for bim. And Gussie was kind; too; but Mr. Eyre called often, and some one. she said, must entertain him. And in that sick room, on the day when Harry told me that l.e would never walk again without a ciutch that bad been brought to him that day, 2 first learnt the secret ol my own heart the wicked secret. ; wa8 to marry. whobadalways hoped to do my duty. It was no sister's lore I gave him no calm affection, loved bim as GusMe should aud did not. I bad promised to break the news to her. and I crept away, like a guilty thing1, to dolt. Oh, Gussie, you will grieve sol I hard ly know how to tell you," I said, between my sobs. " Harry will be lame always. The doctor says so." She turned an almost angry glance upon me. Pleasant," she said, with a sort of sneer. " He s a millionaire yet, though." And you will love him better for his disfigurement?" I said. "You feel that, and will tell him so? Gussie s-ook her head. "Love him better for it? What sUly nonsense 1" she cried. "If anything annoys me. It's the thump of a crutch. I'i get use to it, I supposed, though." And she left me, not to go to Harry; but as I learnt afterward, to meet Edward Eyre in the quiet city park, and wal k there with him. What was coming of all this I could not answer, as I asked myself the question. An event occurred, however, which hastened, and perhaps created the end which came. One day a letter came for Harry. When he had read it, lie called me to him, as he sat in the great arm-chair in our little parlor. His hand trembled violently. He was very pale. "Nellie." he said, softly, "l'mamunluckv fellow, it appears. First my strength, now my fortune, are lost to me. I've been speculating, and but I won't enter into details. I'm no longer a millionaire. I have just enough to live on very plainly. My money and its advantages are gone. Nellie, answer me one question. Would that and my own alteration put together, rob me of a woman's heart? In plain words, will the news alter your sister?" "Not if she ever loved you," I said, forc ing the words from my lips forcing my self to be calm, and longing all the while to fling my arms around bis neck and comfort him, for I knew what must, come of this. "Send her to me, he said, softly, and Gussie came. She beard the story, and that night eToped with Edwai d Ere. She left a note for me. "B the time you receive this I shall be married," she said. "I don't believe it will break Mr. Hathaway s heart to lose me, and I know it is better. aft?r all, than to marry him. I accepted him because he was a millionaire, and I never loved him. I do love Edward. You may show Mr. Hathaway Luis if you please. If he needs any c m fort nig you can do it. When your wra'h is cooled my husband shall bring me back to you. "Gussie Howe, in twent minutes to be "Augusta Eyre." It had come at last. Papa knew it, and was angry too angry to break the new to Harry Hathaway. In the early morning I found him tak ing his slow walk in tbe garden. 1 touched him on the arm. He turned. "Oh. Harry !" was all I could say, and put the letter in his hand. I did not dare to look at him while he read it. But in a moment he put his Laud on my shoulder. "I expected this, Nellie," he said. "I have known for a long while she did not love me; for a long while I have ceased to love her. Bht, fte.ne, i love some one else. She saw it. Sh" says here that you can comfort me. lou can, if you choose, make me happy. I need no comfort. I love you, Nellie; and forgive me, child, if I have dared to think you did not hate me. He drew me to him. My ears fell fast. I was nappy, and frightened at my happi ness; words wouLl not come with which to answer him. Nellie" he sa:d again, "dear Nellie, poor and a disfigured man asks you for your heart. Will you give it to him? It is a good deal to ask. Do you love me, Nel lie r And then my neau uroppeu upon ma bosom, and I whispered: "Yes." And I was very happy happy as a queen; and we were married in the pretty church hard by, ana my ures? was plain white muslin; aud we vent back to live with papa in the little cotla?e. So I would have been content to live Iorever, but one day Harry put his arms about me and said: 'Grant me absolution beforehand, Nel lie." "For what? I asked. And then he told me that he was very wealthy still. He had only lost some thousands, and on that he built up his story. "For I wanted one who loved me for a wife," he said; "aud so cut the golden bands tnat b:aind me to one that caied uothiug for me. And he took me in bis arms, and whispered: "Another thing stm. ell ie another de ception. I shall not le permanently lame. ao one eveu v.iougut l suuuia. uon i leave off pelting me, uox, because of it, or I shall breait my leg over agaiu on pur- nose. And never was woman so nappy as i; far happier it made me tliaa the news of U in ' wealthy still uau um. So Harry was a millionaire, and his strength and grace returned to him; and one day Guss'e aud her ..u-sband came to see us, and we were f icn s again. 'And 1 do not think Gussie so heartless as I did, for what might have happened to my Harry really happened to lid ward indeed, worse, for he lost a iiub. ana he has only small salary, and scarcely can expect to be rich: and yet Gussie Inves iiim fondly. Aud we do something, w..eu they will let us, to make life easier for ihm; and mv girl is named Auguia, and Gussie's Nellie. And pap i has p-iteut-id a cradle and given one to each, and has taken them to ride together in the little pony chaise, while I sit in th.t l.brary writing this. And, after all, y-.u can find nowhere in the world two happier pairs than Gus sie and Edward, and l a. id my dear Harry. M. D. in N. Y. News. Freaks of Blind Horaei. The way in which blind horses can go about without ctittinir into more difficul ties than they ordinarily do is very re markable. They rarely, it ever, hit their heads against a fence or stone wall. I bey wilt slide off when thev come near one. It appears, from careful observation I have made, that it is neither shade nor shelter which warns them of the dancer. On an absolutely sunless and windless day their behavior is the same. Their olfactory nerves doubtless become very sensitive, for when driving1 them they will poke thtur heads downward in search of water fifty yards before they come to a stream crossing1 the roadway. It cannot be an abnormally developed sense of hearing which leads tbem to do this, for they will act alike though the water is a stagnant pool. Men who have been blind for any groat length of time develop somewhat similar instincts to the blind horses. Some one I find from a fugitive para graph going the round of papers aspiring to be ascientlficcharactei says that none of the five senses tu:s anything to do with this singular pen eptive power, but that the impressions a e on the skin of the face, and by it transmitted to the brain; and this "unrecognized sense" ha culls "facial perception." But possibly this perceptive power may have its origin in such cou-li ions prevail in somnambulism or in the hypnotic state. Are all such phenomena in mat aud horse as I have mentioned to be ax-counted for by tbe two words "facal perception," if they mean anytidng? However, speaking of blind horses, why should they cast their coats as winter comes oa and grow long coats at the advance of summer, and so reverse the or. ier which is the invari able rule in the case of hordes possessed of perfect vision? LVve Stock Journal. . A Sew (ime. A new lawn game, tema. has recently been Introduced in England. The game, which can beplaved with equal enjoyment by both sexes, pns-esses many claims to popular favor. It can ba followed in any season, and by as fan- a four and by as many as fourteen persons at once. Skill, agility and a good eye are far more requi site than physical strength and the proper manipulation of the wand by means of quick wrist turns develops and renders flexible the muscles of the arms and wrists. A screen of wood or canvas, fixed on a light frame, and having in the centre a circular aperture eighteen laches in diam eter, is erected, lleliind tlie bole is fixed a bag net, and tire main object of tbe play era, who stand s me dista ice a' ay, is to throw a nam ber of colored , oalls by means Of the wand into this bag. Tbe wand has at one end a peculiarly sniped crook for holding the ball, but some tittle skill Is necessary to retain the ball in it for the purpose of making the throw. HER WEAK. POINT. She had a taste for color that was fine. Bhe knew the range of beauty in- a line I And In costumes that were fetching she was 'Way beyond all catching, and her bonnets Were referred to a divine. Bhe knew the subtle art of woman's trills. And studied all tbe coquetry that kllle. Bat In spite of all she carried she was Never, never married, for she didn't Have the cash to p.iy the bills. How Tombstone Got Its STame. " Mr. Warner, of Tombstone, I believe. "Bight you are," said a man with a big moustache aud a broad-brimmed hat in the office of the Brunswickryesterday. "Yes, Til tell you how Tombstone got its name. In the early days when the Apaches were pretty biid around our part of the country, a prospector came along by the name of Ed Schillin. He had been prospecting around for a good while with out finding much of anything, and when he announced bis intentioa of trying his luck around our camp (which was then totally without white population) he was warned that he would not get back, and his friends would have to go np and build a tombstone on his grave. He went, though, and the first day he found a rich piece of float which assayed $2,500. Tbe man is now worth $2,000,000, and the place has had the name of Tombstone ever since. In ap pearance he is a common miner yet, wears a red flannel shirt, top boots, and a broad hat, and doesn't care a fig for his personal appearance. Rocky Mountain fcews. Coughing and Sneexlng. Dr. Brown-Sequard, in one of his lec tures, dwells with great emphasis on the importance of general knowledge in the matter of checking coughing and sneez ing. He states that coughing can be stopped by pressing on tbe nerves of the lips in the neighborhood of the rose, aud sneezing may be stopped In the same way. Pressing in the neighborhood of the ear, or right in front of the ear, may stop caughiug. It is so a!so of hiccoughing, but much less so than for sueezing or coughing. Pressing very hard on tbfe roof of the mouth is also a means of arresting a cough, and the will itself is often found to be a wonderful preventive. Patient Waiting Ho IjOss. Mrs. Acres There's a boy up in that apple tree. Farmer Acres wall, er l start ier mm he'll wait till I've clum 'bout half way up th tree arter him an then he'll drop down au' run away. Couid never catch him in the world. I'll wait. "What fer?" "I'll wait till he's eat a few apples." "What good 'II that do?" "They'll double him up so he can't run. Good Ne vc. CONSUMPTION. I have a positive remedy for tbe above disease; by its ue thousands of eases of the wont kind and of lone standing hare been cared. Indeed so strona; is my faith initsemcacy. uurtiwai send two bottiaspree. with a VALUABLE TREATISE on this disease to any suf ferer who will send me then- Express and P. O. address. T. A. Slocntn. JH. C-, 183 Pearl St., N. V. BLAKE, M0FF1TT & TOWNE, IMPORTERS AXD DEALERS Di BOOK. NEWS. WRITING AND WRAPPING PAPERS CARD STOCK, STRAW AND BENDERS BOARD, Patent Machine-made Bags. 512 and S16 Sacrament St. San Francisco. A. Zellerbach & Sons, PAPER WAREHOUSE, Clay Street. PRiNTEBs' supplies a Specialty The Side to Sleep On. There's a brilliant younp physician In Detroit who should have been a great American humorist. During the recent hot weather a patient who hadn't been Bleeping well applied to him for advice. 'Wnica side should I sleep on. doctor?" he inquired. In winter or summer asked the doc tor, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "wnats that got to do with it" ex- olalmed the patient, hall angrily. "A great deal, responded the doctor, mysteriously. "I don't see it. "Of course you don't, said tbe doctor imperturbably: "if you did you wouldn't be nere asEtug me about it. "Go ahead, then," and the patient set tied back resignedly. "Well, continued the doctor, "in winter. when it is cold, you should sleep on the inside; butia such weather as this, you should sleep on the outside in a hammock with a draft all around it and a piece of Ice for a pillow. Two dollars, please." Detroit r ree .Tress. Stole a Sawmill. Bather a remarkable and unusual steal is reported from Gate City, about 20 miles south ol nere. uate Jity ana lnuepenuenue are two rival townsites. and each is anx ious to outdo tbe other, particularly in the establishment of any industry. Indepen dence was a little more favored than her sister townsitc, however, and managed to secure a sawmill, of modest proportions. This aroused the envy and jealousy of the population of Gate City, and in the dead of night, C. G. Yocum, a colored gentleman and proprietor of the Yaeom House at Gate City, made his way with his team to Inde pendence. Here he removed all the porta ble machinery and appurtenances, leaving nothing standing but the framework of the covering. When he got back to Gate City he gave the stolen property a coat oi oiacK paint to disguise it, and proceeded to erect his sawmill. Whether or not it was a sub sidized institution nobody knows, but the fact that Gate City was to have a sawmill was heralded far and wide. Mr. Yocum was probably a little too enthusiastic, for, while he was looking with beaming eyes upon his new scheme, the police took him in charge, and he was bound over in the sum of $200 to appear at this term of the superior court. Oly nip! a Tribune. S 9 There is always a best, even among a score of good things, and every pipe smoker who has tried the . Mastiff brand acknowledges it to be the sweetest, coolest smoking to bacco made. It does not bite the tongue, and is positively free from any foreign mixture. J.B. Pare Tobacco Co., Rtdlintond, Vlielnta. V7m&. CLUFF BROTHERS, Wholesale and Retail Grocers. - (A STORES) (Mm by Man Promptly Filled. Parked mmd Shipped Pre of Char. Send for prW list, or send us a IK what you want and we will pat prlc to It and mall It back for your approval, by which you cat. m what you save by ordering from All ooda guar auteed an represented. CLUFF BROTHERS, 9 Montgomery Avenue, S. F. LA GRIPPE, Or Influenza. Pneumonia, Cough?, Colds an'l all Throat and Lung TronMes Cored in Less Time with R. HALL'S Pulmonary Balsam, THAN WITH AST OTHER BEMEDY. PRICE 5Q CENTS. J. R. GATES & CO.. PROP'S. 417 SAKSOHE ST 8AJT FRAHCTSOO. . DROP IT! If In any tmsl netta not paying you drop in and buy an Improved Pt'taluma Incuba tor. MORE MONEY Can be made raising Chickens than In any . other business for the capital invested. A beautiful Illustrated Catalogue of Incuba tors, Brooders and all kinds Chicken ris ings Free. Agents for nianns atone suiter, Necetisity C 1 o ve r Cntter, and every thing required by poultry raisers. PEULira INCUBATOR CO., - - PEIWilHI, ML Tower? Iroprovsd 5LICKER t is Guaranteed Lt. Absolutely WateE Prf- 0of ee SCclcers have 4 ueadttheFish Brand ' Q A- Tmdejuh on every Colt l 5oftWooler Ofr Watch OutI Collar. a Serf Ik A J. TOWER. MFR BOSTON. MASS JOE P0HEIL1 THE TAILOR HAKES THE BEST CLOTHES IN THE STATE At 25 PER CENT LESS THAN ANY OTHER HOUSE. SHITS 4c tow Horn $20 PANTS n 0 torn $5 FINE TAILORING AT MODERATE PRICES .19-Rules for felf-Hcasnrcrjrent-and Samples of Cloth seat free for all oraers. 203 Montgomery, 724 Market, 1 1 10 & I f 12 Markt8t., SAX FRANCISCO. i CURE FITS! When I say cure I do not mean nwroly to stop them for a time and then have them return again. I mean a ndicalenre. I haTe made the disease of FITS, KPI-. JaEPSY or FALLING SICKNESS a life-loaf atudr. warrant my remedy to core the worst caim. Became, others nave failed is no reason for not now receiving at cure. Sendatocce for a treatise and a Free Buttle of my infallible remedy. Give xprea and Post Office. IT. a. BOOT, 31. ., 183 Pearl St N. V. PRINTERS DO TOU KNOW What tlic new Sklf-Spaceno Type Is? IT not, do yourselves a good turn by writing to Hawks . Shattuck. 409 Washington St., San Francisco... for a Specimen Book. It saves 35 per cent, in composition, and is perfection In face and Justi fication. WE ARE? Stock taklnc has turned op Misses' Kid Shoes la .uu qUAUty,nam?w wiain C. D., 11 to 2. that will SO poor! bo sold at SI J30 to close. -Mailing 20c Chllds' Strong Goat Shoes, with heels, button, 5. and G at 60c. Hail ing 8c. Boys" and girls Strong Everyday Lace Shoes, wltb bH-ls, good to wear; 12, 13, 13, EE, at 70c. Mailing iw. Chilris' rubbers, best. 6 to 25c. Misftf Heel Straps. 11 to 1 at 10c, regular rubbers at 'jsc. JiAu.es , size , Desi, auc. uwer sizes, aov, 40c, 9 c Men's House Slippers, fine, finer, finest; 75c. $1.00, $l.-25. Ladies' Toe Slippers In the S1.50 grade. 2Ji to 7, and EE, at $1.00. saxony lara. ugni Diue anu seai Dnown; not the best or the worse, 5c per hank, 50c per lb. 00 colors and odd colors ol stocking yarn, GOc, G0c, 75c. to close. Will go In a week. If yon can use yar.is in various colors in iancy worn we have some at half price: our own selection. Our late printed lists will interest you; ask for them. Family supplies of all kinds. Dried fruits from 2fjc to 10c Canned fruits from 8c per can to 20c per can. Many goods are lowor Be careful f your expenditures. Write to SMITHS CASH STORE. 41G-41S Front Street. San Francisco. Or About Sponges. Tbe sixme is a ample thing, but very fvv people kuow anything about where it comes from, or how it is got into shape foe the market. The sponge is simply a marine animal, and it grows in the sea, just as an oyster or a clam grows. The best sponges are caught off the Florida coast. The work of catching sponges is a regular in dustry. Men go out in boats with long spears and hooks. The sponge catchers wear box-like oblong glasses that fit over the face and around the front part of the head. There are magnifying arrangements in these boxes, and the glasses are made ' to enable the wearer to see through the water. Whenever a sponge is descried from the surface of the water the catcher thrusts down his spear and hooks and pulls up the flabby mass. There is a good deal of work necessary on sponges before t it is ready for the market, and in the processes ot preparation there is much adulteration. SKnge is sold in wholesale by the pound, and very often the material is weighed with sand, glycerine and other things to increase its value. A good deal of sponge is caught off the coast of Cuba, but this is much the cheapest kind ol sponge. Carriage and harness people, who are the chief consumers of sponge, most buy the best material, for adulterated :: sponge might do much mischief to the fine wood and leather work. The best sronge " retails for something over $3 a pound, and the cheapest can be had as low as 75c a . nound. St. Louis Globe Democrat. Tbe Modem Kewapaper. "It is true," says Mr. Waterson, "thai Journalism is not literature." But be should have add- d that a great deal of the literature of the present day is tltst found in journalism. T. e American newepapei nowadays secures tbe cream of contem poraneous literature. KAusas City Star. Y A r -1,