Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Eugene City guard. (Eugene City, Or.) 1870-1899 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 1883)
THgOKCHARD BAK3, x lc w. swano. ' -i '' Th bi M dOWUl P' ao"B Bui mcm"t m,lB or Twu In rua-wal pink aua rue. el brown, And v u( UtUilui bluiT Tbv takenij bend, unwillingly leat, lhe led nn bri Ibej l Hi I catch the rpli tlm k"'. And IoIuk U K( b ?! " twut. And bete ere stiver MllL I feel the un'h wind on ny cheek, Inearths bin Birdtlnr. The violeu In iba grew fr k. To melbeleavoaend nKweisepeea. ItUmj Ooyboud'n'rin. 1 know nmglitof the lorau thai wear . Vponthennliiof men. Mv Ktri 1. iweet, my worM And mother loend fatfce.--crj An round m one egeiD. And iw thVahade bu grown moTs deep Uwn Ihe oruh.rd grate. Our m we l1 TUey toneb ber hoe eu are n'li I (O bouhiil If yu could rll) Her voice mikea nofver iiiU'h air A white roeenceilcs in hrr heir, A red one on bet cbeokt Bcalde the birt we welt to taeer ihewhlppoorwlli'eUrtcr); The uniei fliee burn low end e'eer. And earth growa dim aud heaveu diewi neer- We (eel li-ihe end I. Kow ewlft the plcturei ocme end go- 1 tea ihe orchard ti an i Through uimuier bloom era winter enow, With ruddy color all a,j:ow. . And laujhter In tbe land; I ree It deiolale aid dumb Through veiling mletof loar. When eorrow to my eoul his come. And lite, grown ilrange and weroms, . Holds out id blank, dead year. 0 loving hearU! Odaveofyonl O gravei beneath the itanl 1 can look baek no more, no more My ere ere dim, my heart U tore I kIU put up the ban. r -THE BELLE OF THE BAKEUY. It was not one of your common bakeriee. It was a vory genteol bakery, indeed, with a solid plate-glues window, and "Parties and Weddings Supplied gilded in sprawling letters across the front. Tbe floor was of chequered mar ble, and the walls were frescoed with peacock feathers and half-open fans. And Mrs. Biggs knew nothing at all about "the business," but came in and out of .a. prijate door, and Miss Edel githa, her daughter, was taking lessons on the piano, and in arrasene work, and read Disraeli's novels. As for Mr. Biggs himself, be was in visible halt the day in the subterranean region, whonoe he would occasionally emerge with a very red face, and hair and whiskers powdered with flour. VThey ain't nothing like the master's eye," Mr. Biggs would observe, with a noble disregard of grammar whioh was peculiarly aggravating to Edolgitha. Then -there was Mary 'Tolly," ai Mr. Biggs called her. Mary Biggs had ceme to visit Edelgitha, and be educated with her, when the anddon death of her ! father left her unprovided for, and all but friendless. , "She's most educated, ain't she? said Mr. Biggs. "Del'll put her through and make a teacher of her, eh, wife?" "Pray, Mr. Biggs, don't go to putting suoh nonsense into the child's head 1" said Mrs. Biggs. "It's a deal too ex pensive, and it will be three years at feast before she wiil be qualified to teaoh. ' And we can't board and clothe her all that time. Lot her go down into the bakery and help you. You were complaining only yesterday of being short of hands." "But it's most a pity, ain't it?" said Mr. Biggs, who has a kind henrtel soul. "Suoh a bright, smart littlo oreature as Polly is." "Pshaw!" said Mrs. Biggs.' "You want bright, smart creatures, don't you?" "But I somehow calculated to give Polly the same advantages as Edelgitha," urged the baker, wriggling like an un easy eel. .... "Then you calculated entirely with out your host," observed Mrs. Biggs, tartly. "We are not Rothschilds, and Signor Caraooli charges eighty dollars a quarter; and I've spoken to a French mam'selle about daily lessons in oonver sation at a dollar apiece. Besides" with a sudden change of base "Mary was 'iw'ling me only yesterday that she pined for something to do. She has always been used to such active life." So Mary, in her black calioo dress, with the mist of tears still heavy on her eyelids, went down into the workroom to help her uncle. She was a brisk, efficient girl, who had what Uncle Biggs called "a level busi ness head." She was a good account ant, and kept the books below stairs; and once in a while ahe amused herself with making up a pile of dainty, know white meringues, or a batch of old fashioned doughnuts, for the store. It was lonely down there, to be sure.among the busy workmen, and she sighed at times when she heard her Cousin Edel githa practising the scales. It is very uugratef nl of me," she said to herself. "I ought to be glad and thankful to help good Uncle Biggs." And it never oocarred either to Mary or her undo that if she hadn't been ao very muoh prettier than Edelgitha she never would have been banished to the basement of the bakery. "Edelgitha must marry rich, said Mrs. Biggs. "We have prepared her to adorn any station; and Mr. Lilburne certainly was very attentive when he met her at the private view of the picture gallery. I really think he likes Edel- "He'l a queer old flab," said the baker meditatively. " "But he's rich," said Mrs. Biggs. "Well, then, lot us ask him to supper, and leave bim and Edelgitha alone to gether afterward?" suggested Mr. Biggs. "That is, if she likes him." "Biggs,- don't ba a goose, said the "Toil haven't a soul above one of your own flour barrels no, nor you won i never nave, c tr Ttrrr Toiin1 and cave bu whole attention to the checking off of a load of St. Louis flour, wmcn wa wB JalivaMul at tl,a All. IV AnflT- Mary Biggs had come up into the store to whisper one of her uncle's messages to the stylish young woman behind the counter, when a servant girl hurried in and emptied about a peck of little flat brown cakes on the glass top cf the show "Mr. Lilburne's compliments, miss," aaid tie; "and they re tram nl .11" aoi.l Hio alinn woman. "Mr. .Lilburne's compliments; and they're trash!" repeated tho maid. "He aaid they wasn't ginger snaps at all; thoy was only lard ana mousses, ho women the kind his mother used to bake on Sat urday morning. The very first one he tasted he threw on the floor. "Well," reraarged the shop woman, tossing her head, "if our ginger snaps don't suit the gentleman, then it's iua possible to suit him. That's all!" "lie's been sick, you know," said the maid servant, apologo:icallyi "And he is just getting better, and his appetite's dreadful unoertain, and Mrs. Pngsley -my missus she thought she was sure to tempt him with these 'ere. 'Ginger suaps,' said he. 'Jnst what I've been a-longin' for. My mother need to bake 'em for me when I was a child. Yes, Mrs. rujaley,' said he. you may order 'em for me. But," with a mild sigh, "missus might ha' known they wouldn't suit. Notbin' suits when a gentleman's just off a sick bed." "Is it Mr. Lilburne?" said Mary. "Oh, I remember him. He came here onco and went to sleep while Edelgitha was singing 'Oh Summer Night!' I liked him. lie talkod to mo about the coun try. IIo know all about oalves and chickens and cranberry swamps and robins' nests. Does he lifco ginger-snaps? I'll make some for him. I know an old fashioned receipt that is always good. Come bore to morrow, my good girl," to tbe maid, "and I'll have some ready for you. Poor Mr. Lilburno! I'm sorry he's sick!'' The smart shopwoman stared as super ciliously as Lisst or Chopin might have done if a village bnglor had volunteored to teach them tho first principles of music. a nnnfrv-rirl. like that, exnect to compete with Biggs' Celebrated Bakery! Well, really, tne suopwoman muu tauuw what the world was coming to I But little Polly huriied down stairs again to where Mr. Biggs, all powdered with flnnr. was lavinir down the law to some of his satellites. "Ginger, my dear?" said ho. "And flour? What you like what yon like! As I was telling you, Johnson, a barrel of prime flour uas to ve numoreit. xuu can't drive it. Flour is flour, and must be handled acoording." Mr. Leonidaa Lilburne, stalking un acailv ohnnt'hia sink-room and anathem atizing the sluggish current of the hours, was secretly making up nis miua to got married. "After a man has once been sick in a boarding house," he said to himself, ha' fnnl it ha don't look around for a home of bis own. I am fortynext month. ... .. w .e'. . .AlJ It s high time 1 was ininaing oi setiimg in life. Eli, who's there?" "It's me, sir, please!" said Mrs. Pugs l0T"with some ginger-snaps." "Pshaw!" said Mr. Lilburne. "Fling 'aim nn t rt f thn vindowl Give 'em to the dogs! I don't want any more of yoar city humongsr "Tint. iiWm air. tlieRO are auite differ ent? ' Mrs. Pngsley coaxed "made by a young woman from the country, as works in Mr. Biggs' bakery. And I was to ask would you be so very gooa as oniy 10 taste "em?" "Oh, yes, I'll taste them! said Mr. Lilburne, sarcastically. "It's no trouble to poison myself, just to oblige pooplo!" And Mrs. Pugsley, entering with an appreheusive air, put tbe plate of round, colden cakelets on the table. O ... , . ! 1. 1 "I really tbinK, sir," saw sue, u you would only taste them " "ilum. har said Mr. jjiiourne. "These are quite a different artiolc! These are the kind ny old mother used totnrnont! They're ambrosia they're food for the gods! Who mado them I 8J? , ,. t T lnni Vnnw sir. I m sure. Sfid Mrs. Pngsley, rather disoomfited by this direct address. "ome young persou iu Mr. Biggs' bakery." "Order a carriage! saw nir. ijuourne, "nn.i hrinir mn mv sable-trimmed over- rta at nnrA t T'll an nd see that vounc uvnv v 0 t m woman. I don't believe there is another person on tbe American continent that cun make ginger snaps like these, now thst my poor old mother is buried!" MaryJJiggs came, iauiruing,up irom the subterranean deeps of Biggs' bakory. "Oh, yes, Mr. Lilburne," said she, "I made the snans. Don't you remember me Edelgitha's cousin?' "But what are you doing down here? demanded Mr. Lilburne in some amazo 'Earning mv own living, roiiy ntmntiir ar.Rwnraii. "And thevtold me you didn't like the store snaps, so I Dasea some Bimr mv grouumu.uu. "ur. Lilburne looked at Polly with the .Mt ino in a maVer of incomparable irinroMiiini. minded with chivalrous pity for a desolate maiden. "Miss rouy, saw no iun u they called you, wasn't it?" "Yes," said Polly, "that's my name." "l'ernaps l ougui w warn jou iu x w geing to b a little abrupt," said he; but 1 Boonid use o misy juu. " Mid Pollv. startinff back in amazement. "I couldn't thmkof such a thing." m ., . "Yes, you can, sata nr. uuuuruo. Tt.;nv nr it that'a all. Think of it for a week, and then let me know of yoir final decision, i n not wna mo wuiu a gay young lover, but I can give you a eood home and an honest, loving heart. Your uncle can tell you an idooi ueoui- j.. t :iv.r.raa TIiam. I won t WtlM von uaa liiiumuv, , r . any longr. Just Uke my proposal into consideration, ma. eui. - , So he went away, and Mary, in her great perplexity, went in among the flour-barrels and took counsel with Un- "Under ane exciaiuiou, - to do?" ,, ; r..ikv "aaid-tha old man. stroking her bead with floury, yet not unkindly hands, "wbat do you winn learn to like him?" "I think ao," confessed Mary, with down cast eyes. "Then I recommend you to say yes. said Uncle Biggs. "Lilburne is a good, warm-hearted leliow u a mu ew:u.u, and his wife will certainly be a lucky "kn&' he thought of Edelgitha and "a "week subsequently, Mr. LUburne eave nia tnuuiauj u "I hope I haven't failed to suit yoa, tir." she aaid. , , ... "It isn't that, Mrs. Puglsley -.-aaid Le. . . . w Vba marrtAii. "lon am gowg "I'm sure, sir," I congratulate yon, . m t : 1 f -: I gir. sne eaju, ibiumj. .. ii an ma ara." Said Mr. LUburne. "She's as lovely as v e nus, aa domebtio as Dorcas, and she makes ginger-snaps such as my or mother pnoo did! Yes, Mrs. Pugsley , I foel that I have gained a prize. So Polly Biggs' giuger-suaps won the treasure which Miss EJelgiths's frills and French conversation had been powerless to reach. "I really cau't see whst Mr. Lilburne saw to fancy in my Cousin Polly!" stud she, with spiteful tears. And Mrs. Biggs could not enlighten her daughter. A SHOUT (iOSHir AUDIT WRITEKS. In one of Byron's poems we find these lines: "A drop of Ink, FiIllLg like dew op in e thouibt. produce That which Bakes IhouianCi. txinape kmiloni, thlna." It is of ton a work of love to the inter ested studont of literature to trace back those drops till they flow directly from the facile pen of a brilliant author, to note bis stylo of chirograghy, his meth ods of composition, and tho happy oc casion that gave birth to some ot those wonderful word paintings which grace the mother tongue and thrill our hearts with their inspiration. Among the famous men of our own country there is ono who will always bo remembered by bisatrooionshaudwritiog Horace QrecloyJho sago of Cliapjin qna. His mauusoript was very illegible Fancy, if you can, his disgust when tho printer gave forth to the world, "Wash ins with soat is whollv absurd." instead of "Virtue is its own reward." His cop was a perfect string of riddles for the unfortunate compositors. Ono of his leaders on William U. Seward came forth entitled "Kichard tho Third;" bis "froemen in buckrsm" was turned into "threA men in aback room." while "Ju piter Plnvius" oppeared ia print as "In- BflVWI a Uiwur, uv vuvv tvvw a. uv.w In a lirnthnr editor in New York whose writing equallod his own. The recipient or tue note roturnea it Dy me ooy-mcs-senger, unable to read it. Mr. Greeley, nnntiniiinir it to ba the ronlv. clunoed it ovor and could not read it himself, and said to the boy: "Go, take it back. What does the fool mean "les, sir," replied the boy, "that's just what he said!" There is a story illustrating the beauty of llafns Choato's penmanship. When lisiner nn a farm he desired a new fence built, and having a rough sketch of it drawn, be namied it to tnecarpentor, and hastened to catch the train. When he vatnrnnil it vm in aiirvAV in amazement the extraordinary, cigzag, crazy looking fence. In the hasty inquiry that fol lowed, it appeared that Mr. Choato hud furnished by mistake a note in Lis own handwriting instead oi tne original plan. Hon. Thad. Stevens, the "Old Com mrmor " rnnlied bv lottor to a friend's query; iu vain did the friend cudcavor to docipner it s oontonis; weens auor, llm lnttitr was handed to the writer, who could not read it himself till reminded of the matter that called it forth. A president of one of onr greut rail rnnil wrote to an old farmer reauestiuB bim to removo some shedding. Tho man could not make it out, "guessed" it was a freo pass, and used it as such for a year, none of the conductors disputing Lis light. During the latter part oi tne me oi the Duke of Welltnitton his writing was often illegible A letter of his to a min inter in Lord Derby s cabinet has not been to this day unraveled, fi.inrcn Sand. Lamartine. nnJ Napole on I., could never have shoa u ia spell- ing-Bohool, lor tueir ormograpmcai sins were many. Some of the letters received by Maria Louisa from her illustrious spouse lookod as though a bomb shell had ex ploded over the paper. Many celebrated authors have beon very rapid writers; this is the case with Sue, Dumas and Lumartino. It was at Monto Cristo that Dumas wrote the most of loler novols. He was askod one day at dinner how much timo ho would require to write a novel in two volumes, of four hundred pages. "Seventy two hours," was the reply. A wager was mado. Dumas called for pen and paper, and, beginning at the dinner-table, he wrote with but a few hoars of repose, until, be fore the number of hours had expired, he had finished one of his most interest ing novels, Le Chevalior Maison Rouge. "I comDOse hastily," said Burns, "but correct laboriously." "Holding the plow," his brother Gilbert testified, "was a favorite situation with Robert for poetio composition, and some of his best verses were produced whilo at that exor cise. .... Arioato wrote one oi nis stanzas sixteen times over, while Petrarch was not satis AaA with ATI A nf hiannti! he had rendered it in fortv-six wavs. Newton remodeled his Chronology sixteen times. Gibbon .,.ta nina an tnhioffrBDliies before he was pleased with his work. Samuel llogers aouieveu iuur umuiuui. in a day. Gray's famous Elegy took seven years of penwork. Daniel Webster, on one oocasion, pre sented, with a brief epistle, a valuable book to a literary society at Harvard. The note, so carefully elegant and grace ful, elicited many compliments. It was discovered, however, when the book was examined, that tbe donor had thought lessly left botween its pages a paper on whioh half a dozen different forms of the same note were written. A daughter of Cooper, the novelist, speaking of her father, remarked: "He alwavs wrote two hours every morning wrote rapidly, almost alvays with bis own bsnd, and seldom erased or amended what he had written." Thackeray was an accomplished pen man. A few weeks before his desth, be was present at the usual Saturday dinner of the contributors to Punch and was challenged to give- an example of his skill. Thackeray produce! afour penny piece, marked tbe circle of the coin on a piece of paper, drew a crown in the cen ter and filled the remainder of the sj M) with the Lord's Prayer, using no con tractions except spelling the word which "wh." w'..i.na wa a methodical writer, but bis copy was a terror to the printer. The original manuscript vi vm Friend eroMed the ocean to find itself in the library of George W. Childs. of Phil AdelphiA. A lady, writing a description of the prized treasure, says: "Almost .i .i:ni nntliirk.blue note paper. And with blue ink, Dickens has been fxitbfdl to his rule in tuis bm . y-..-n..r,a. arw! rhmenesa of tho writ- 1 UC Ul UJ- . ins sre enough to render the most amia- ble oi experience!! ' insane. There is no lover of Dickens si ardent as to willinclr read a r.ico through, nor would the most mercenary peruse both volumes for less than their weight in gold." Lamb was very fastidious, wrote slow ly, and subjtHJte 1 every word to severe self criticism, aided, as he doubtlens thought, by the fa -es of the tobacco he smoked. Cliarlotte Bronte mod to sit jmtieutlv writing day after day with a lead pencil, in little psmr books made by herself, which she held close to her near sighted eyes. Tho language was hardly eer changod upon the printed page. Ar thur's Home Magaziue. Gladys JfcN'ultj'g Lament. "God pity me!" Gladys McN'ulty, nsnaily so proud and composed, aud who moved about in tbe little world ot those who know her with the stalely grace of a New York ! Post editorial, aank on a fantenil as she ' uttered theso words and sobbed as if her khoestiinfs would break. In the lindens that lined the entrance to Brierton Villa tho robin rod breads were thrilling their merriest lays, while over by the woodshod the haggard out lines of an abandoned hoopskirt thiougli which the daisies eru pocpini,' shoved that spring, the most pulmonary uid beantiful season of tho year, had nr rived. In tbe broad fields that stretched sway to the westward the farmers wero preparing the ground for the seed which, nourished in the bosom of mother earth aud warmed by tho genial rays ot tho sun, would soon beconio the ripened grain, yielding to its owner a bounteous harvest, aod enabling him to piny against bunko when he visits Chicago in the fall. A ruddy-fucod boy, piuking sand burrs from between his tors, flecks the horizon and lends an added beauty to the enchantment of the scone. And yet. Iving there on tbe fautcml, whoso velvety surface is not more soft than her cheek, Gladys McN'ulty is sob bing awav the hours of this bcautuui June morning, and ever and anon there comes from between her white line a lor,, aoapairing moan thai is pitiful in its sad intensity. But finally the con vulsive sobs that are racking her dross waist grow fainter, and in a little while she sits up, the pink suffusion of a blush telling all too plainly which side she had been lying on. And as she sits there gazing listlessly iuto the middle of next week her mother1 a pleasant fuced woman without oorscU, enters the room. 'Why are you weeping, GladyB? she as Vs. The cirl doos not answer, and strive as she may to keep down tho sobs that aro welling up from hor heart the effort is-in vain, and again the pretty face is bo dowed with teats. But an instant later she has cocquored hor emotions and looks bravely up at her mother. "I will toll you, mamma, sue says, "tbe cause of my sorrow. I was crying to-think that yoa cannot go to the mati nee to morrow." "And why may I not go? ' "Bceanso ," answers Gladys in a voico that is hoarse with agony. "I have con cluded to take it in myself." Womeu'g Wages. A wriinr in tho Woman's Journal sonds forth tho following encouraging words: "I onentimos uiiuk wuai a no ble work for humanity, our army of working girls is doing. The next gen eration of working women will bless them for their pationt, pionoer work. Only within the lust half century have women pushed themselves into the vari ous vocations which had before beon monopolized by our brothors, who, having both the capital and the experi erce, gave to their sisters only the menial places, with hard work and little pay. With the meek submission charac teristic oi tue women oi nuy years ago. they accepted the lowly position and a,nra,1 inner nriil hard and well. OnlV to find that tho miserable pittance paid a a a t . Al?- thom would Paroiy suppers ino. lint (hp iuvia fust anDrooohinir whon sex will no longer determine wagos. . a. IJ Woman is pushing uersoii iorwam in every avenue of business life. She has risen from the poor shop girl- into the propriotor of dry goods and millinery stores. Instead of being only tho copy ist of tiresomo law pepors, she has risen to the dignity and commands the feos of tbe first class lawyer. ' Instead of the ridiouled and scorned medioal student, she practices among our best fatni lies, and instructs by hor books and papers evon, the superior sex in hor profosslon. From the humble, ill-paid school teacher of a half century ago since we see her rising to the important Posi tion of county and city superiutenuont, and she in compelling by her patient labor so faithfully performed, a larger compensation. And in evory othor de portment where women are laboring, by their faithful devotion to their employ ers' interest-, by their work whioh em ployers themselves acknowledge could not be done better. Their work as work men is beooming proverbial and their wages are advancing. O, my sisters, you patient, humble toilers, despair not! A brighter day Is dawning. Yoorpainstsk ing work of fifty years has not been all In vain. Already, although your work of fifty years baa had to bear comparison with masculine work porfected with long .niinni nf ha ar-nnmnlatfld wisdom fathara and anna, thfl WOrld of CmpIOY ers acknowledge your eminent UVUKW ami wnrtli in all the vocations in which you are laboring. Your reputation once established, corresponding wagos wun fjliow." Flats la liotbam. Thrn ha rxrelr ben a busior time ainonir builders in New York than tbe t Tim atatistics of building ope rations from January 1st to September . a afc J 1 flVJ f l 1st, show an outlay oi over au.wy" nn nar atrnatares of various kinds. First class buildings, including large business bouses, absorbed kjiz.U'jJ.isw, Th nntlir noon flats WAS close on $10, 000,000. On tenements and tenement stores it was SS.WJ.uw. it was toougui a um Tr, aira that the flat craze bad been ontdone, but that seems to have been a misUke. The 9 iu.uw.uw ai reauy put into it this year is mostly for very flat annh as accommodate a dozen to a score of families each, very high buddings chiefly, wmen awari ana mnarallr ilarken all their surroundings. The firnt flats put up in New York were . - 1J,a. - .lit. tla innr aiunei uiuu. aim height was increased to six stories. Then aa elevators came iuto use, one or two more stones wore added. When eight story buildiiiKs were put Up it was thought that the limit as to height had been reached. But the upvard tendency kept ou. Tho buildings of eight stjrios were followed by ones f uine atories, and those in turn by ten .story buildings, winch lookod simply titanic. Ihit the advance skyward did not stop there. Eleven etory buildings came next, and now I hear there are some pro digious piles pi ejected which shall bo twelve and thirteen stories. Many per sons seem to liko being perched up in the uir in those enormoui structures. They go np snd come down iu elevators and they say they Bud belter air at tbe top, aud much lebS noise than iu tho low er stories. Most of the very large rl.it are claimed to bo tiro proof, but if a fire got well started iu one of them I certainly hould not lihe to bo ou the top floor, halt way up toward the stars. They all rent rwulily, however.so it appears there are a great many people who have faith in tho flro proof theory. Wo may bavo a big French flat fire some day, though, that will shako tho theory and give the picturesquo reporters a chano.i to sav something about a "holooost." Jt wiil Iu providential if wt don't. O ur. lli t-fwi-.i Times. The Currier i'lgcuiu Om'o on a limn it was a swift toes. senger brought iuto somes to convey niitsiles of iiff action to and fro between lovo loru individuals residing at long drntanit-H sput. At exoli end of tho 'hue." the dove, with a perfumed note tied with a guy ribbon around its neck, would bo turned loose, and almost with the swiftness of electricity would faith fully deliver the precious charge. Lat terly they have been tun ployed in tho service of war instead of that of peaoo. Tho French usod them successfully dur ing tho siege of Paris as a means of con veying important information to the provinces, and the Germans have since improved upou 1110 uii-a uvuiuaiug iuiiu regular arm of their military servico. Trained pigeons are as regularly kept in all tho great Teutonic fortresses as lire trainod artillery. They are more relia bio than baloous, or wriul machines. It makos uo difference to them from which quarter of tho compass the wind may blow. Ilis diminutivoness aius ma terially to his safety. Ho would indeed bo a Bharp and accurate marksman who could bring ono of thom down. They fly where uo one can seo, and ahead ot the oelority ot bullets. Sometime ago an experiment was triod of a race botwoen two carrier pigeons and a continental mail, and the bird beat tho looomotive about an hour. It must be considered, however, that 'the looo- motivo sped along curvos and ilovlations through highways that were fur from straight, whilo the bird flow on a com paratively straight lino. Another race betweon a fust horse and a pigeon, re sulted in au easy victory for tho latter, who made a mile and eighty yards while his competitor at tho top of his speed, mado but half a milo. The value of the carrier pigeon in certain exlgonoies, is, thorofore, demonstrated, uo may do more roliablo than m .il in time of politi cal dlBtnrbanoe, aud more sure than telecrauh wires that aro liablo to bo out. lie could not carry a great uiiMen, to ue sure, but as a conveyor of cipher dis patches, he may oome moro proininouuy and fccneruliy to tne lorcgrouun. Bullous. Button, button, who has the but ton?" askod a glove that had beon drop ped on the toilet table. " 1 ve got It, answercu iiiuimy a jiu-k- et. "I've several buttons, in fact. "No." replied tho olosot door. "I have it myself; the carponter gave it to mo." . . I had a dozen or so," said a boot, looking rather down at tbe hoel. "And I bad a hundred or more, yawned an easy chair; "but they don't button anytuing; tuey oon t uoiong 10 the working class. Here's a baoholor's bntton." re marked a vase of flowers on the bureau,'' "There is a bntton wood tree in the garden," said the button hooker; "I suppose yon all grew thore." "I know better than that," pouted tbe cloaot door. "Mine grew in tbe veins of the earth, where all the precious motals are found. It's a poor relation of theirs." And we," added a pair of ivory sleeve buttons, "we grew in tho land of the white olophant. We wore carved trom the tusks of the leader, who threaded the jungles and swam the rivers at tbe head of bis troops." "Mv buttons " said tho glove, -wero nearly related to the gem which Cleopa tra dissolved for Antony, iney were mother-of-pearl grown in the shell ottbe pearl oyster, for which divers risk their lives." . . . "That's something of a fish story," thought Jimmy'a jacket. "My bnttons are only glass; but glass is somotimes made of sand, and who knows but tboir atoms may have been swept down to the seashore from 'farthest India?" "And I." whispered the bachelors batten, "I sprang from a tiny seed, with all my splendor of bine and purple wings, like the Afrite from the jar which the fisherman found on tbe beach. It is a miracle how I was packed away there!" Mary N. Presoott, In Ht. flicnoiaa. Next to the far trade.fishing is Alaska's most important industry, both tn regard to the amount of capital invested and the number of persons employed. At cer tain seasons of the year the Alaskan waters fairly swarm with fish, and so ravenous ire these that they will readily bite a caked book. The supply is prac tirallv inexhaustible, and fine large fkh am honcht bv the canneries from the Indians At 61 CO per 100. The salmon are not as large as tbe Columbia river fish but the great difference in price more than makes up the great difference in size. Heard on the street: "That handsoroo tren tlemsn seemed to know yoa. why did yoa not bow to bim? Was he mis Uken?" "No, not exactly. We wtre engaged all summer; but yoa know the season is over now and it would never do to recognixe him in the city. He doesn't belon3 to our set." "Did you give Johnny the medicine, Mrs. Brown?" asked the doctor. "Oh. yes, doctor," replied the loving mother; and then she added innorntIy: "And it don't seem to have done Lim U lcat harm." . NEWS ITEMS. A Philadelphia bootblack cleared 81D00 in one year, and has sent euou0h money to hit parents in Italy to buv them a comfortable home. An Amlair-t student was recent!? sur prised by a visit from an owl. which. Hew in his open window. Tho youth is perhaps destined to be our future chief justice. "Tbey also servo, who only ttaml and Weite," is tbe motto of tbe United Stutes supreme court. It consoles men whose cases will not be reached for the noxt docado. A leonard recontlv escaped at the zoo logical gardens in Philadelphia, but wag shot before leaving the gronnds. He cost $300 and had Wen caged five months. A Prussian city cleared 3000 marks this year by the sale of fruit grown on its byways and hedgos. Tho Prussian small boy must havo been spending his summer bv tho sea. Li -Fung Pao, tho Chine' amh ifador at Berlin, Vienna und Koine, sd, tresses tho pope otueiully as "Tien-Tn Bra ma, i. o., hirih priest of heaven, or divine high priest. A swarm of bora 1ms for many years o'.ionpied the spire of a New Jersey ohuiou, and it is believed that a gentle deluge of honey will somo day triokle dowu that spire per-spire in fact. Philadelphia Chineso are bunded to gether in secret fraternities. One of these is believed to be responsible for a sudden dimiuution in the uumber of Chinese pupils in tho Epiphany Stindoj school. "Detectives' is what the public are taught to call Pinkcrton's niovablo rifle corps. Tliey soaiu to be an American improvement on the Swiss Guard, with a Winchester repoator attachment; and are warranted to servo corporations with the samo fidelity that militia serve tho state. Emperor Frsnois of Austria and his empress onco attended the performance of a play whioh abounded in political al lusions, un leaving tbe theater, be re marked good-naturedly: "We may con gratulate oursolvot on having seen tha piece at all, for I am sure it will speedily be forbidden." An attempt is boing made to introduce chamois into the mountains of Bohemia. It would be quite the correct thing for the young gcntlemon who hunt the gen tle fox at Newport to potilion Commis sioner Loring to plant the chamois in Tnnkcrman's ravine at Mount Washing ton. "American shammy" would sound vory well. EDUCATION iL NOTES. Of tho 107 students in the, Texas uni versity, forty are women. The admission of women to the uni versity of Louisiana is agitated. Thora are over 200,000 children in Alabama who do not attend school. Professor Sylvester has resigned the chair of mathematics id John Uopkin'a university, and has beon made professor omoritus. The Nebraska state university ia still destitute of a chancellor, Prof. Adums of Ann Arbor, Mich., boing the latest to re fuso the position. Tho wholo nurubur of ttudents in the colleges of tho United States is over JJ5, 000. Thero are 7UC0 American students in attendanoo at German universities. Tho school fund in North Carolina last year amounted to $723,153, of which $000,730 was disbursed, leaving 8212,410 on hand for the spring school". The schools wore attended by 145,000 white and 88,000 colored children. The school fund in North Carolina Inst year amounted to $722,153, of which 8509,733 was disbursed, loaving 8212,417 on hand for tho spring schools. ' Tho schools wore attended by 115,000 white and 84,000 oolorod ohildren. Professor Paul Fawy of Paris, who savs that America is tho dustiest country he ever saw, and thinks our high schools aro not practical, falls into line with the declaration that too much Latin is the bane of modern educational institutions. Mr. Raskin has had scaffolds c rooted around the Ducal Palaco, Yenico.sotbat casts may bs taken of tho bculpture, He keeps two artists constantly employed in making drawings from the best conti nental examples of old masters' works. AlmaTadoma's picture called "Sap pho," which has already been etehwl bv O. C. Murray and extensively published, has now advanood to the dignity of re production on a drop-scene of a theater in Edinburgh. The painting on the drop-scene is in monochrome. An accurate photograph was taken gome time ago of a very ancient inscribed palm leaf preserved in tbe temple oi iloriusi, Japan, and forwarded to Eng land, where it will bt, duplicated by the autotype process. Max Mailer wrote to the Times that it is oonsiutreu tne muni ancient manuscript in the Sanskrit char acter now known. It has been a sacred relio since A. D. GOO.- Taxing Instacbeg and Eggs. The following amusing dialogue, which took place the other day between an official and a number of revolutionary peasants is the neighborhood of Agram, illustrates the nature of some of the causes which have brought about soma of tbe present troubles in Anstris: "We wish," said the peasants, "to ace tha papers in which the new taxes are writ ten down." "I have neither papers nor nw;taxes.M "Tell that to somebody else,' sir; we know very well that you have brought the papers." "I assura you it is not so." Alter a long parley, which ended in a sesrch for the docu ments on the official's body, the peasants at last believed bim, and one courageous spokesman asked, "So the new taxes do not exist?" "I assure yoa that thy do not." "And we have to pay taxes ae onrdincr to the leneth of our mustache?" "Most certainly not." "Neither accord ing to the number of children e bav;?" "Wbat are yoa thinking oi?" "Neither according to the number of eggs in our houses?" "Whoever told you such a thing?" Thereupon with loud exclama tions of joy tho peasants, who gathered together from many parishes, dispersed 1 1 their homes. Singular stories equally baseless Lsve, however, played a prom inent part is tome of the greatest revolu tions recorded in history. Fall Mill Gazette.