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About The Oregon scout. (Union, Union County, Or.) 188?-1918 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1886)
DISILLUSION. "Oh, my love hns checks no red Ab tlm roue!" So the lover erica, minted, Fur tho idea llmk hln saint Kvcr knew the uso ol puiut Novcr catuo into IiIh head, I suppose. "Alabaster Is licr throntl" Hour lit tn t ill let linn lie never chanced to note How his (Inrline Iniiilly blushed, Ah with dainty hntid b!ip brushed From the hit' of his rout Powdered chnlk? "And licr form in just divine!" What u Tool! Come, fond youth, to mo incllno, And I'll whisper in thine car Softly no thnt nunc can hear Tho whole Hccret I opine Cottoii-wooll "Hut her wcnlth ot golden hair Kipplin down!" All navo you are well inrnro That tlio hair within wIiokc mesh 8ho has caiiL'ht a lover freHh Nightly hniiK upon a chair With htr gown. Soe her flirting now, close pressed In tho waltz. Conic, forRot her! That In best. TniHt me. 1. too, loved her onre, And, I learned at hint, fonddunce, Tlmt her heart's like all the rest It is fahu! Somerville Journal. POOH PILUQUJ5SNE. Chesterfield is tho littlo sleepy town In tho Midlands, with t ho crooked ?piro, which lies amidst a congeries of colliers nnd conl pits, nnd which you may see from tho railway, midway be tween Derby and Sheffield. Many years ago, in the midst of tho peninsular war, a number of French prisoners wore interned there. Many years ago a famous company of players was acting there in the dingy littlo theatre down a backyard. Ono night, when "Tho Magpie, or tho Maid of Paliscau," was acted, it was noted that somo hnlfdo7.cn of (lie exiles, in whom tho nauio of the play doubtless evoked some memory of their native lan,d, camo and paid their hardly-lioardcd ponco to tho gal lery. Poor fellows! They took their pleasures as sadly as if they hnd been Englishmen of tho Fen country. Tho performer who interested them most was tho magpie. When she lied across thostago with the spoon in licr mouth they applauded incontinently. At her next aerial flight sho stuck mid way on tho wire, and tho curtain had to descend in order to oxtricato her from this perplexing predicament. Tho manager, an Irishman and a great actor in his time, stood at the back of tho gallery (a very scanty one), and wrathfully objurgated tho property man, adding various oaths to his seed, breed and generation. Up went tho curtain again, nnd once moro. the mag- pio tried her night, but in vain, ami tiio play had to end as best as it could without tho aid of so important a per former. At this moment a fair, fragile boy of seventeen, with llaxen hair and great oluo eyes with black lashes and eye- brows, timidly approached the irate impressario. Tho fad was in a much worn and stained French naval uni form. There was a hectic Hush on his cheek, and ho coughed slightly, as, taking otY liis can. ho bowed politely to tho manager. Then in tho prettiest broken Mighsh lie commenced: "Pardon, niillo pardons, Monsieur Directcur, la pauvre magpie no II v straight. I make 'or skim along like a lcttlo butterlly." "Ah! bo otf wid your broken-down English, boy," nid tho manager. "Srmko to mo in tho language of La Ifello France. Sine, I am a native and to tho manner born, for 1 got my twopnnnorth at Douay. lei en parlo Francais. Ici!" lie exclaimed, with a furious Irish accent, is ho placed his 'innd on his capacious chest, Thus urged, the boy explained vol ubly in hisnativetonimothat ho would undertake to make tho magpie lly across the stage without dilllculty. Tho next minute they wore behind the scenes. As they approached tho property room tho manager roared; "hurry! harry! Come out o that, you thief of tho world. I wonderyou'ro not ashamed to Ink mo in the face!" "I am that same, yer honor," re nponded tho man; "but sure it wasn't Larry's fault that some blackguard was afthor Htickiug a tinpenny nail in tho old magpio'h gizzard. Had hick to hor for a basto of a bird.anyhow!" "Well, here's a young gentleman all tho way from Franco who's goin' to sot thocrayturo right," said tho man ager. Tho French lad bowed ingratiating ly, and glanced wistfully at tho prop erty man who at iirat looked daggers; then ho growled: "Young gintloinan! Shuro if it wasn't for tho trousers, it's a young lady ho'd bo afthor makin', anil a beauty, too. Ah, well! P'raps his father was in Itantry Hay in 'l8 with Gineral HochoandthoShau van Voght with tho rost otthohhoys. Anyhow, ho'a aBthranger among these niurth enng Sassonaclis, so give us a tasto of your fist, nia boucchaleen bawn!" With that ho nearly squeezed the lad's hand to a pulp. Whatever pain ho endured ho only looked up and smiled, Tho smile wait straight to Larry'o heart, and Irom that thoy were brothers. In five minutes tho boy put tho mngpio right. From that time forth ho'was scarco ly over out of tho theatre, lie soon nmda himself useful in a hundred ways to hoiust Larry, who, although ho couldn't speak a word ol French, was a capital pnntoniiinht, and muvoeded in making himself understood. When, ever ho camo to a dead hitch ho wont to this beautiful Miss Voro, tho leading lady, who had been educated in a con vent in the lower countries and who Mnku KVnirli fturmnn. Itnliiin llntoh and Walloon as fluently as hor moth er tongue. Then the manager, who had taken to tho stranger, was always at hand with his atrocious Hibernian French; besides which poor Piluqiiesnc (that was the lad's nnnie) spoke many En dish words, and the youngtcrs of the theatre spoke many French ones very badly, it 13 true, but still intelligibly enough. They generally called him "Poor Pil," or Pil for shortness. He told them that ho was "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow," and that he had been a mid shipman in tho French Navy, llo was at liberty most of tho day, but had to report himself every night at quarters prior to lock-up hours. At last, when tho tnd of the season came, "Poor Pil" sought Miss Vere at her lodgings, and breaking down in a paroxysm of grief terrible to behold, declared that if left behind in that dreadful place he must die. Miss Vero was a young lady of resources. She had a man's heart in a woman's body, and having given her word that he should not bo left behind, sho there and then arranged a plan of action with harry. On tho last night tho piny wns "Hamlet," which was finished by half- past 10. I hat evening "Pit ' was conspicuous by h s absence. r,very- bodv wns astonished but Miss Vere Lairy and the manager. Fit z Edmund, who played Hamlet, said ho thought it strange that Pilu qiiesne had not turned up t) say "Good-bye." The manager replied: "M. Pilunuesno is a gentleman, and knows what he is about." The performance was over altogeth er about LL. Tho carts were waiting at tho door, and Larry and tho men were occupied in packing tho proper ties and wardrobe for tho next town, when Lieut. Carter (a grim, lank of ficer), who had charge of tho depot that night, came down with a file of men and demanded to know in the most peremptory manner what had be come of Piluquosne. Divil a wan ol mo knows, replied Larry. "Afthor all I done for him ho might have been aftherlukkin' round to give wan a leg up the last night; but it's iust the way vith them ui rateful thieves of foreigners. Had luck to tht'in; they're all alike, every mother's son of 'em!" While tho subject was being thus mtlv discussed bet ween t lielieutenant and harry Opholin'seollin was brought out and carefully deposited on tho cart beside Yorick's skull, the pickax, the spado and the shrouding sheet, etc. "That's a rum rigout to travel with" i owled tho lieutenant. "Why, sure, captain, said Larry, you wouldn't have us go borrowing tho blessed paraphernalia in every town wo go to. Suppose, now, the mistress happened to bo stretched out wid her toes upward, and ax your honor's butler fortholoan of a coffin?" "JNono of vour hp, you impudent, bogtrotting Paddy!" roared the en- aged olliqer as lio ordered his men to- tho "Jduhl about lace; quick inarch. As tho gallant lieutenant turned tho corner, had ho been able to look two ways at once, ho might have seen tho property man executing an Assyrian hieroglyph in the rear. Perl: aps it was just as'woll that ho didn't witness that interesting performance. Half an hour later harry made a start for Derby. When they were well out of town ho looked round to seo that he was unobserved. Then ho un did tho screws of Ophelia's coffin. There in tho moonlight lay poor Pilu quesno, hlceping like "the baby of a girl," and smiling in his sleep. "Aha! Mishter honglcgs," cried harry, "you can lock the stable door now that the horse has bolted, but you're not so cute as you think you are, for all you wear an epaulette on tho ono shoulder of you Unit's up to your ear." Day was breaking when they got to Derby; but, unseen and unsuspected, harry contrived to smuggle his pre cious charge into the theatre, where "tho boys and girls ' kept linn conceal ed for a week or two, till they had clubbed enough money to enable t hem to send him to hondon by in til, hav ing previously "squared" tho guard and driver. Now, of course, all things being smooth and tho coast e'ear, "Poor Pil" ought to have got safely to hon don, from hondon to Frame, and to "have lived happy over after" with his mother, or to have become an ad miral or a post captain at least; but unfortunately fact and fato refused to bo "squared" by fiction, however guards and drivers of mail coaches may be. A distinguished authoress, referring to a littlo book of mine recently pub lished, said to mo at the hayinarkot the other night, tho night of tho Han- crofts' farewell: "You shouldn't have mado that poor young lellow die. I declare, it makes mo quite unhappy to think of his lying out thero in tho snow on her grave. hereupon I replied: "Mv dear madam, 1 didn't make him die ho did die." So "Poor Pil" but I am anticipating. llo had solt pleasant ways, and be guiled the time by making little toys for the Indies, with whom ho was an esqecial pot, and by assisting harry, who became more and more nttacheit to him. The poor lad had been ailing long time was consumptive, and racked with a torturing and suffocat ing cough. 'l lie night lietore his departure Miss Voro nnd tho girls had prepared an omelet to with sweet herbs and somo chicken broth, while tho mana ger and the hoys brought him a pos Bet made with whey and white wine. Tim girls tu.-ked him up in his com fortably-improvised bod in tho green room, kissed him and bade him good night. The lads remained to cheer him un: Homo of thorn oven talked of running over to seo him at lib homo in Nor mandy. llo t.rittlituiuKl up wonderfully, sang them "h'Anunir.h'Amour." and talli ed hopefully of his journey on tho morrow. harry was the last to leave him. "Enibrnssez-inoi, mon cher harrio!" said "Poor Pil." Tho Irishman understood him well enough then, nnd he gently gathered him up in his strong arms and kissed him; then honest harry bioko down. "Don't you cry for me, mon cher hnrrie," said Che boy I shall soon be strong enough when I get home, and you will conio and see mo in ha Hello Franco some day will you not?" "Some day," said harry; "yes, some day; but there, there, go to sleep, jew el go to sleep, avick! or you'll never be ablo to got up to-morrow." At last ho did fall placidly to sleep, and harry left him to make tho prep aration for the journey. When they camo at daybreak to sec him olY "Poor Pil" had taken a much longer journey than they had antici pated. It. was a lovely morning in the young spring and the birds outside made alive tho dismal placo with music. Tho sun shone through the window on to tliebed. Tho fair young face was bright andsmiling. Onodrop of blood had trickled down the side of his mouth. It was quite dry now and glittered like a ruby in the sunshine. The great bluo eyes, open and staring wide, looked far away beyond even the fair France ho loved so well. The players laid the poor French boy in the graveyard of tho parish church; and there all that is mortal of him, savo that which has returned to the resolving elements from whenco ho came, rests still Miss Vero wrote tho sad news to the poor mot her at her homo in far away iSorninnuy. Somo months after there camo letter from the village euro, which I have ventured to put into English thus: "My dear Madam Thanks, nndvot again thanks for your esteemed favor Alas! it is mv painful duty to inform you that my sister, Mine. Piluquosne whose grief for theexpatriation of my nephew and her only son was niccs sant and inconsolable, is no more. Jt was my melancholy privilege to ad minister to her tho last rites of our holy church on the very day on which our littlo Paul left us for a better in heritance. "She was sleeping, and I stayed to watch and pray by her to tho last Hint morning at tho fifth hour sho awoke and started as if sho had seen something in tho sunlight, which had just peeped in zo give us good nior row 'My boy! my boy!' sho cried, 'I am coming! May but a little am1 we will journey together to tho '" land.' "And so she passed away. "l leol, I know that she had seen and hoard something which my eyes and ears, 'ot tho earth earthy, could not see or hear. "I think it is your great poet (surely his masterpiece) who says: Kiich Imriuoiiy is in immortal koiiIh; Hut whilst thii muddy vesture ot decay Doth grossly elose us in, wo cannot lumrit. "Again, and yet a thousand times again, 1 thank you for all your love and care for our little Paul. "Permit a poor priest who admires tho divine art of which mademoiselle is so distinguish an ornament, to pre sent the assurances of tho profound consideration with which he ventures fo subscribe himself, mademoiselle's grateful, huinblo servant. "Paul Pim;q,ui-:snk, D. D. "Mile. Heleno Vere." After "PoorPil's" death all kinds of wild rumors obtained currency in tho theatre. Larry swore that during tho porforninirco of tho "Maid of Pali scan" ho saw Pil in the property room arranging tho bird's wings. Mrs. Cas sidy declared that on Saturday night, when sho was rather lato in cleaning tho theatre, as Sunday morning dawned she saw him; nay, more, sho heard him singing "Adcste Fideles;" and the poor old soul fainted away witli terror. Certain it is that oven Manly, tho manager, who was a skeptic, to hur ry's delight withdrew tho mngpiopicco from tho repertory, and that Mrs. Cassidy for the future did her clean ing the first thing on Saturday morn ing. As for actors well, they are al ways more or less superstitious, and for many a year after that no actor could be-induced to stay in tho Derby theatre after midnight. Once, indeed, .lack Holmes, asailor, just returned to his native placo after the war, and atllicted with a plethora of prize money, took a party of chums to tho gallery to seo "Tho Stranger," which impressed him so powerfully that ho fell fast asleep. His friends, overtaken by Hncchus, f:rgotall about him. Equally obliv ious oi Ins presence, tho servants of tho theatre put out the lights, locked up and left him to his slumbers. "When honest .lack awoke in "tho dead waste and middle of the night" ho had'nt the faintest idea where ho was. As soon as ho pulled himself togeth er ho growled: "Where are those land lubbers? They've all sheered oft and loft me at tho mast-head while they've crawled down bolow through lubber's hole." At this moment ho heard, or thought he heard, a soft voice speak ing in an unknown tongue. hooking down on the stage, lie saw in the moonlight which streamed through a circular opening at tho back of the gallery, a lair young boy in a Irayed and worn foreign naval uniform. He had bright hair, great bluo eyes and an angol face, and a drop of blood trickling from his pale lips. "Hold hard, young powder mon key," cried .lack. 'Tin coming down on deck to have a jaw with you." Witli that, with the agility of a cat ho scrambled down the side of the gal lery and boxoa, and leaped upon the btage. Ab ho did bo the figure faded into tho ir. Wild with terror the sailor shriuked nnd shouted until he alarmed tho neighborhood. When they took him out swooning, folks said that ho was drunk. Per haps ho was; but Umnlorhnps ha At any rate, ho sworo to his dying day that ho was Bober; and all tho king s horses nnd all the king's men could never induce Jack Holmes to cross the threshold of tho theatre again. As regularly as the players came to llorby in the spring time, so regularly the poor French boy s grave was be decked daily with Ircsn ilowers. The years passed by, the good old manager died, the actors grew old and were scattered half over the globe. Soon after t he "Threedays in Paris," no wno writes tneso lines, then a wretched child, who hnd just lost ono nearer and dearer to him than all the world, was casting some flowers on a new-made sepulchre, when he caught sight of a venerableand beautiful wom an clad in tho garb of a sister of the Sarce Oeur engaged in tho same pious office at an adjacent grave. The lady win attended by a tall, thir., white- headed old man, who, from his pecul iar dress and demeanor, appeared to ho a foreigner. The grave at the foot of which they stood had been no ed, the sexton said, for years. It had, however, that very morning been covered with fresh green turf and flowers, and a small mural cross with an inscription now stood at its head, As tho lady returned tho basket which had contained tho Ilowers to her attendant she said in a singularly sweet and distinct voice, "Ah! mon ami! J low bright nnd beautiful it i seemed when this poor boy vas taken irom us. thirty years ago. but now. how sordid, and squalid and miserably provincial it all is. Even the littlo theatre mjwhich westrutted and fretted our fiery hours away in tho spring lime oi our lives tho theatre, which we thought a veritable palace of en chaiitnient, what is it now?" "Faix, niadanie," replied the man in a strangely mixed accent, compound ed oi i'reiicn and irisn, "it you ax me the truth, it's like a blue-mowldy, rotten orange-box, that s what it is. "Perhaps it was always thus, harry, nnd 'tis only we who are changed; all thinga arelieautiful to tho young.' "l inn all things are beautiful to you, miss; for you never grow owld. Ah, .Miss ere. "harry!" "I humbly beg your pardon, Madame I'rsula; but I couldn't help tiiiiiKing I was young oust nivseli, but, tho hord bo praised, hero conies hady f-carsdnlo s carriage, 'llio tram laves in half an hour. hvt us get out o' tins; for sure the heart is sore within mo when I think of the poor boy lying here in the cowld. The lady entered the coach, her at tendant mounted the box beside the coachman and tho carriage drove away. 'fen vears later the writer happened to mention this occurrence to the lato William Kobertson, father of Tom Hobertson tho dramatist, who strange ly enough turned out to be ono of tho actors in tho foregoing events, and from his lips this little memento mori was taken down. When last 1 was in Derby a neglect ed grave, overgrown with dark, rank weeds, and a time-worn fragment of a shattered cross, on which is inscribed two words, without date, comment, or text, were nil that remained to re mind oneof "Poor Piluquosne." .lohn Lolenian us Longman s .Magazine. Taxation on the Lino of hoast Kcsistancu. All parties would be happy if the public treasury could be filled by tho touch of a magician's wand, so that taxes might be abolished. Hut, as they are a necessary evil, a scheme of taxation withoutJamcntation is what is wanted. In the law laid down by 'rofessor William G. Sumner, that taxation tends to diffuse itself, but on tho lino of least resistance, is found a hint for tho basis of this scheme. Turgot, tho great French financier, ex pressed the politicians idea very tersely when he said that tho science of taxation is to pluck thogoose with out making it cry. In hunting for tho lino of least resistance, and the most scientific methods of plucking, sev eral interesting experiments havo been made of lato in different States, where new sources of reve nue have been sought from special taxes on corporations, railroads, tele graph, telephone, and insurance com panies, collateral inheritances, and other classes of property which can bo plucked without producing aery liable to' strike a chord of sympathy in tho popular heart. In most instances these experiments havo surpassed in their results tho expectations of tho proposers. Lnigo revenue has been obtained without provoking oven a murmur of disapproval from tho voting classes. In Vermont, for ex ample, no direct tax was levied in ISS'A and 1 SS I, tho receipts under tho corporation tax law paying tho ex penses of tho State government. Tho Comptroller of New York received SU.fiOD.lin.yfj in 1 SSL of which 91, (10;i,01ti.75 were paid by corpora tions. Last year, although tho Wis consin Legislature authorizedalevy of SiMO.OOO.tho stato treasurer was not obliged to collect any direct tax, as the license tax from railroads, insur ance, telegraph and telephone compa nies was Milheient to meet tho current expenses. The treasurer of Minnesota states that "the revenue from the cor poration tax is steadily increasing, and if it should continue to increase, and tho probabilities aro that it will, as it has done for the last four years, it bids lair to pay all the expenses of thoBtato government." In Now Jer sey thero is no regular tax, except for schools, as the new railroad and canal tax law and the tax on miscellaneous corporations maintain tho govern ment. UiiNKY .1. Ti:s Evck, in Popu lar Science Monthly for February. Architect Honry G. Harrison, of Connecticut, who declares that ho is the designer of the Garden City Cathe dral, New York, built by Mrs. Corne lia M. Stewart in memory of hor hus band, Alexander T. Stewart, is suing Mrs. Stowart for SOn.TU'i, which ho says is owing to him for his work on the costly fane. POSTAL DETECTIVES. tlow Thoy Work to Keep the Malls Clear of l'muds. Hartford Globs. Tho maintenance of a large force of trained detectives or "inspectors," as thoy are designated upon tho rolls of tho PostofTico Department, has groat ly purified this branch of tho service An lnnnito number ot swindles are still carried on through the agency of the mails. owmdiers reach their intended vic tims by circulars and by advertise ments in careless or characterless newspapers. Tho former method preferred by sharpers as being tho least likely to como under tho notico of tho official spie3 of tho department. It is an easy matter to obtain full lists of any required number of names, running up into the millions. Lottery companies mnko a business of selling mil lists ot the names of their patrons, nnd other swindling concerns which obtain original lists aro addicted to the samo practice. countrymen who reply to any ono of tho hundreds of snap advertise ments wonder how it is that the hun dreds of fascinating enterprises from one end of tho country to tho other obtain their addresses, and they feel, Bonio way, that they must bo persons of importance. Their vanity is flat tered, and in innumerable instances they undergo a regular course of train ing before they acquire a sufficient fund of experience to enable them to realize that they aro on tho wrong sido of tho institution for tiio feeble minded. Tho art craze, which during the last few years has spread over tho country likoan epidemic has developed a swin dlethnt is veryhard forthodepartment to reach, and which affords a livelihood for a large number of enterprising and unscrupulous persons. Tho knaves tax the great army of unsophisticated girls who imagine they havo artistic tastes by showing them, through tho medium of circulars, how they can put themselves in the way of earning comfortable incomes with the expen diture of a trifling sum for aiiioutfit. They promise to take work that is produced accordingto their "system," and require a small cash payment in advance from tho favored artists. The department finds this a most troublesome class of cases to deal with, the originators protecting them selves very completely, as a rule, against prosecution. Tho Postoflico Department spent months trying to break up the scheme of a man who contracted to send pianos and organs from his manu factories in Maino and California to any part of tho country on payment of 2 or $3 or $1 to defray the cost, of boxing the instruments. Tho articles wore received according to contract, but they proved to bo cheap toy pianos and organs, theexpenscof box ing which was about 10 per cent, of tho sum remitted in each case. An other fellow mado a lot of money by boxing and forwarding very cheap mouth organs to all who patronized him through the mails. Tho proprietor of a snide but harm less euro for deafness reaped a harvest ot i?.H) or fc-lU a day lor a long tune His headquarters were in Now York The president ot a bogus medical col lego did a prosperous business in sell ing spurious diplomas, but as tho men who bit at his bait were contessediy as great swindlers as ho was, tho department was a long tinio get ting at him. This was a swindle pure and simple. (n army of rurahsts forwarded hard earned dollars fora "mowing machine knife-sharpener, simple, effective," nnd received in return, sticks dipped in em ery dust, and pieces of iron. Another ingenious operator found a market for thousands of copies of a cheap edition of the Scriptures by representing tho book to be a collection of very tough stories. It is not recorded that tho department interfered with this mis sionary enterprise. An Old-Time Printer. From tho Albany Argus. Tho thoughtful face of Gen. William F. Rogers, ex-Congressman from Erie, camo down the corridor. Tho General is a printer of the old school, and looks ns young as when, thirty or moro vears ago, ho sat on a one-legged stool and piled up 1 ,000 ems solid brovier per hour. I asked him if he could do it now. "No, ho said; "I might wrestle with 1,000 in as many hours. In my day I was known ns a last com positor you call them 'last crabs now. Tho printers don t chance much I'M n cr ill t hniiiicr. n iwl (Ainnn iiiy niutiaii iiiu tiviiLu iiitvi listing intellectual men they wore years ago. People don't appreciate tho printer. Drat my skin! with then types they mnko and tinmako tliam. I tell you when the printer camo on earth among men, that very moment tho epoch of civilization and intellectuality began. Banish the printer and whero would tho world ot readers bo? In darkness moro blacker than Erobus. It is tho greatest calling on earth. The printer works hard. 11c spends freely. Print ers can turn their hands to almost anything. Good printers aro natur ally smart and of keen discernment. A printer who would set upmultumin parro to read 'mutton in pork,' as I once seen it done, is no good on earth. Just look at the different kinds of handwriting a printer sets from every night upon a large daily paper. If ho has thirty takes-" "Takes what?" I innocently in quired. "Ho tnkes nothing. Takes nro dif ferent kinds of copy. Say llo has thirt y .takes a night. That moans thirty kinds of handwriting, or nearly so. Some tnkes may bo as plain ns day light, but others look as if the writer had written tho article with his teeth and sent a farm harrow over it for punctuation. No, I noversot type out of a salt bag bv moonlight, gaslight or nny other lUht. Printers tell such ghost stories to mnrintwlikcyou. Yes, of course, I'll go to thocafe. Old days it used to be 'powter mugs.' " WASHINGTON SOCIETY. Women Vi'lio Write Olonlnc lecrIptloaJ of Their CoAtttiiiB to NowatiapnrA. W. E. Curtl in Chicago Inter-Ocean. Four papers aro published Sunday morning for social news, while- the daily journals here and elsewhcro have society reporters who are giving more attention to such matters than ever before. Thoy aro very actively assist ed by tho society people themselves, and about half the matter published is contributed by those who aro re ferred to in tho lines they write. For example, tho editor of ono of the Sunday papers received a sample of tho latest thing in stationery.upon which was written in thenngulnr hand thnt is so fashionable the following: "Tho most dnshing and brilliant belle at tho reception of Mrs. Wilson was tho daughter of Congressman Hlnck, who has assumed a leadinc nn- sition in Washington societv. Hi.r beauty was ieniarked bv everv nun. and was heightened by her costume, which was a gown of ivorv white cord ed silk, with square bodice of corded velvet. Tho Marie Stuart collar was edged by small icd beads. A rich dra pery of thread lace was festooned over tho front and held by panels of tho velvet. In her corsage was a iewelled shepherd's crook, and in her hair a silver dagger and cold arrow, in the center of which shone an immense car buncle." Tho communication was anony mous, but the editor know whore it camo from, and knew that its publica tion meant the sale of a hundred con ies or so of his paper, which would be sent to all.of the family friends. An other similar anonymous letter (in which I have taken tho liberty to al ter the names) reiul as lollows: "Miss tieneviovo Jones daughter of Gen. George Jones, of tho army, was ono of tho prettiest girls and greatest belles at tho army .and navy german. bne is tall and slender, nnd her gown of rich cream crepe, garnished with hnndsomo Escurial lace and Marechal Neil buds, was most becoming to her brunette type." aim nero is a tnird winch was con tributed by the brother of tho vonim lady named: "Among the most 'noted belles at the army and navy german was Miss Paulino Acklen, of Tennes see, tsho has a face ot llower-hko deli cacy and coloring and a classic head poised on a lovely neck. She wore an icsthetic gown of whito lace, and her powdered hair accentuated tho youth ful beauty of her face. The toilet of Mrs. Pinson, who chaperoned her, was an excellent combination of black and white. "What He Uoug-Iit. Clnra Bell's Letter. I know tho most prim and modest of young Episcopal curates. He may Set audious after being established a few yeais in a full rectorship, but at present, if ho said "boo" at all to a pretty girl, it would bo in tho mildest whispered tone. He is in love. It hap pened to him lately, on first sight of my dear littlo friend, Henriette; and sho knows it though ho hasn't told her so. By the time ho gathers cour age to pop the question sho will have iiad ample opportunity for inquiry as to his prospects, his family and her own inclination. We!!, ho bought a Chri'itmas present for her selected it all by Himself, ho told mo to-day, on bringing it round to our house in his handbag for me to inspect. "I have an artistic eyofor color nnd shape," ho said, "and 1 am sure that Miss Henriette will bo charming in tho hoaso robo that I hao procured. It is mostly white, with just a faint sug gestion of delicate bluo in tho lace that garnishes. And then tho flowing draperies will of a surety bo vastly be coming to her. Please give mo your judgment. Then ho out with tho thing which really was a heavenly construction of Chinese silk and fino lace. Hut I had a dreadfully wrenching convulsion of laughter on getting sight' of it, though my lace was serious. ' What do you think of it?" ho ed. "Lovely," I replied. "And she will hko it?" "Undoubtedly." ask- "Then 1 will send it to her in the morning." "Stay a moment," I said gravely. "You aro a young clergyman just sot ting out on your chosen life mission, and you cannot bo too careful in your social doings. Forgive mo for any seeming presumption, but I feel it my duty to warn you to bo on your guard. Tho public is so consorious you know so apt to construo moan mgs and motives. Believo me that you run a risk in giving this to Henri ette, no matter how pureyour thought may be, how significant in somo relig ious, symbolic way that I don't understand the article is,or how" "Stoo. stop. Miss Clara Hello." tht frightened fellow interrupted: "what is this garment?" "A nightgown, said I. It was fortunate that I had a bottle of rather strong cologne at hand for him to sniff at, or I verily boliovo he would not have routed from tho col lapse. Mr. Whittier dislikes, for himself, biographies and biographers. "Of course, I am glad." ho said to arecent visitor, "to havo thee tell my friends anything about mo they caroto know; but such famo as a man gots from books written about him after ho i? dead seems to mo worth very little. I havo never thought of myself as a poet in tho seiibo in which we use the word when wesncak of thogrcatpoots. I have iust sniu from time 10 time the things I hnd to say, nnd it has been a series of surprises to mo that people should pay so much attention to them and remember tneni so long. Joseph Lilley, the oldest ex-United States Senator, finished ' his ninety fifth year heartily nnd in happiness at Nottingham, N. II., recently. 4 r i