THE BRIGHT SMILE AT THE
DOOR.
When day has almost vanished ,
And brightly sets the HUD ;
When 6 o'clock Is striking ,
And as the work is done ;
I fondly wander homeward ,
My bosom brimming o'er
With joy when I discover
The bright smile at the door.
At work what always cheers me ,
What makes my spirits light ,
When birds sing in the morning ,
When stars are out at night ?
What gildeth all my vinions
And makes my HOU ! explore
"Unnumbered happy valleys ?
The bright smile at the door.
Oh , whcro'd the charm so certain
To lead the wanderer home ,
To guide his erring footsteps
Wherever lie may roam ;
That leads him ever homeward
From every foreign shore ?
A memory e'er alluring
{ J The bright smile at the door.
A gay and loving welcome
Maycheer the poorest meal ,
A little word of kimlness
The sting from grief may steal.
And life to me is fairer
And sweeter than before ,
Since I have learned to look for
llie bright smile at the door.
Oh , wives , where'er your dwelling ,
Ilowever poor it seem ,
You'll nfake of it a palace
More fair than man can dream ,
If fondly you'll remember
How much a man sets store
By love's reward of labor
The bright smile at the door.
In the Sultan's Harem.
L.i htof the Ilarom.
A broad , low divan of pale blue silk
ran round the apartment. No pictures
on the marble walls , no books , no bric-
a-brac , no trumpery "collections , "
ceramics , aesthetic trash , grave or gray ,
nor muffling hangings. These are not
Oriental luxuries ; but , instead , a cool
shady emptiness , plenty of space for
the breeze to flutter the gauzy curtains
And carry the echo of the slash and dip
of the fountains.
At the furthest end , and reclining on
pillows of silk and lace , rested the lady
we sought. One little foot , in red
velvet slipper , was first seen below
wide trousers of yellow silk ; a loose
robe of white silk , embroidered with
gold thread , was perfectly covered by
a , sleeveless jacket of crimson , dotted
with seed pearl ; a broad variegated
sash wound the slender waist. Half
concealing the arms was a light scarf ,
airy as the woven winds of the ancients.
A head-band , with diamond pendants ,
fringed her forehead ; a revicre of diamonds
mends circled the bare throat ; and
liere and there solitary drops flashed in
the braids of her night-black hair.
Among the billowy cushions and vap-
porous veilings rose the young face
oh , what a revelation oi beauty ! up
lifted in a curious , questioning way , to
see what manner of "women these are ,
who come from the ends of the earth
with unveiled faces , and go about the
earth alone , and have to think for
themselves poor things ! The expres
sion was that of a lovely child waking
i < Jrorc sifmmer slumber in the happiest
h Tiumor , ready for play. A sensitive , ex
quisite face , fair as the first of women
while the angel was yet unfalien. A
perfect oval , the lips a scarlet thread ,
and oh , those wonderful Asiatic eyes !
lustrious , coal-black , long , rather
round , beaming under the joined eye
brows of which the poet Haiiz sings.
Nourmahal did not rise but held out
-one jeweled hand , dimpled as a baby's
with nails and finger-ends dyed pink
with henna five clustered rosebuds.
The magic of beauty made us her sub
jects. We kissed the fingers loyally ,
and yielded ourselves willing captives
.ready to be dragged at her chariot-
.vheels. My life-long notions of the
subject of a woman ( see Stuart Mills )
and the wretchedness of prisoners
pining in palatial splendors vanished at
the first glance ; went down at a touch ,
like the wounded knight in the lists of
Templestowe. She smiled and hoped
we were well ; then followed suitable
inquiries as to health and journeys , and
expressions of the charm of finding it all
out. I ventured the high assertion that
we had sailed 6,000 miles on purpose to
lay our homage at her blessed feet ;
which rhetorical flourish was received
vith a childish nod at about what it was
worth. Somehow she did not seem so
encanted with her new worshippers as
Ihey with her. It appeared the Beauty
liad never seen the sea except from the
shore.
At the signal the slaves disappeared ,
except one old woman and the negroes ,
-silent as ghosts , beside the Lahore dra
pery. In a few minutes five slaves re
turned , each carrying a small round
table of cedar , inlaid with scraps of
mother-of-pearl. Five others followed ,
with lighted cigarettes , lying each in a
silver saucer ; and coffee in tiny cups ,
About the size of a giant's thimble , rest- '
ang in a silver filagree holder , set round
with diamonds. |
"My new fri nds have come so far , "
said Nourmahal , "they must be tired.
Take a cigarette and refresh your
selves. "
I rather awkwardly adjusted the
lolder of amber and ventured one faint
-whiff. Imagine my astonishment at
seeing mv 1'riend , whose name with
difficulty "I suppress , puff away like a
dissipated old smoker. The Armenian
was a native and to the manner born. [
Nourmahal smoked , of course , and a , '
lulling calm succeeded the excitement j
of the brilliant conversation reported \
above. While feeling 'round in my
brain for a subject of common interest ,
adapted to my hostess' capacity and
mine , I tried a sip of the coffee. It
was strong enough to bear up an egg ,
thick with grounds and bitter as death.
I pretended to deep'enjoyment of the
dose , and sipped it , drop by drop , to
the bitter end.
Nourmahal clapped her hands again
and the ten virgins took away the
saucers. I think none of them were
foolish , for they fell into line without
effort , each one treading in the foot
steps of the predecessor at an interval
to avoid her train.
"In this charming palace you must
be verv happy. How do you pass the
time ? "
The dimples deepened in the cheeks
of Beauty.
"Pass the time , pass the time ? " she
dreamily repeated , playieg with the
knotted fringes of her scarf , "I do not
pass it , it passes itself ! " and again she
laughed , and the laughter was as sweet
as the tenderest voice can make it.
"Are yqu fond of music ? "
Three ladies in black : "Oh ! very. "
"Oh ! very. " "Oh ! very. "
"Then you shall be amused. " She
clapped the rose-leaf palms , and in
marched eight women musicians ( we
saw no men that day but the harem
guard ) , bearing stringed instruments ,
curious looking things , like over-grown
violins and half-finished guitars , and a
round shell , with strings across , beaten
with two sticks.
Didst ever hear Arab'ic music , beloved -
loved ?
No ? Then never hast thou known
sorrow.
Since Jubal first struck the gamut ,
there can have been no improvement in
these compositions. How long the ex
ercises lasted I am unable to record ;
but I do know we grew old faster un
der the beat , beat , hammer , hammer ,
in terse , unmeaning notes of the banjo.
In the brief interval at the end of a
peculiarly agonizing strain , sung bj'the
mulatto , I seized the moment to ask
what were the words of the song , and
was told it is a serenade , very
ancient , dating back to the time oi
ignorance , before the coming of Mahomet
hemet , whose tomb is covered with the
splendor of unceasing light.
The Champion Mean Man.
Loiusvlllo ( ourlcr Journal.
"Speaking about mean men , " said
Mr. William Mix , the lawyer , in the
county clerk's office , "I've got the
champion mean man of America for a
client. I'll tell you what he did only a
few days ago. He is a very wealthy
Italian but he has an overbearing ,
quarrelsome disposition. For a long
time past he has been abusing his wife ,
and they have had frequent rows. He
has taken her children from her , and
was about to sell his furniture and go
to Europe , when she , exasperated be
yond all endurance , determined to
bring a divorce suit against him. He
heard of it and came to me. Now , if I
had been like most lawyers , I would
have advised him to fight it out , and
would have received a § 500 fee for my
services , but he was a friend of mine
and I thought I would try and save
him the expense and disgrace of a di
vorce suit and I tell you , " remarked
Mr. Mix , in a sort of parenthesis , "it
would have been a racy one , too so I
told him : 'Here , you just leave this
matter to me , and I'll fix it up for you
all right. ' He agreed to my proposal
and I left him to seek out his wife. It
doesn't matter what I said to her , but I
finally succeeded in getting her to prom
ise to abandon her idea of bringingsuit ,
and to say that if her husband was will
ing she would try and get along with
him pleasantly in the future. Oelight-
ed with the success of my mission I
'
hastened back to my client'to tell him
what I had accomplished. He seemed
very happy over my announcement , and
said that lie would go to his wife im
mediately. He also said he would take
her to Europe with him.
"But how do you think" he paid me
for my work ? " continued Mr. Mix , as
his listeners smiled at the happy climax
to his story , "Why , he just asked me
Lo go and take a drink. Think of it.
Why , he ought to have handed me a
§ 50 bill. A man on. the ragged edge of
a divorce suit , and just saved by the ef
forts of a lawyer , and yet he thinks
ihose efforts are only worth a toddy. If
lie isn't the meanest man in America ,
I'll sell out. "
Howling Dogs.
Sritlsh Medical Journal.
Many wearied and wakeful persons
3nd ir the howling of dogs by night a
persistent , widespread and most annoy-
'ng form of irritation. The owners of
dogs given to spend the hours of dark
ness in assiduous howling nppear gen
erally to regard with a serious personal
imperturbability the noisy nuisance
which makes night hideous for their
neighbors. Nevertheless , those who
ieep dogs , especially those who do so
.n populous places , ought to feel bound
to take the simple precautions which
alone are necessary to prevent a trouble
some form of vexation , which is really
a serious source of inconvenience and
loss of rest , and possibly a loss of
health to very many people. To the
honest bark of a watch dog giving
warning tongue upon suitable .occasion
no one vould object , but the purpose
less and unending howling of the
chained curs which are especially pre
valent in the suburbs of towns is simply
intolerable. It is not necessary to ex
terminate dogs to put act end to the an
noyance in question. The nuisance :
is perfectly preventable by the adoption
of a few simple and siusible
measures which , so far from injuring
the offending animals , tend to give
them length of days by conducing to
their contentment. Those who have
had experience in keeping dogs know
that these animals will not liowl at
night if they be comfortable. If dogs ,
instead of being cruelly chained up out
of ( doors , in kennels which are often
draughty and damp , bo allowed to have
their liberty by day , and to lie within
the house at night , they will generally
sleep through the night in perfect
quietness. Or , if it be necessary to be
chained by day , he ought to be let loose
at night , when it will be found that he
will retire quietly to his kennel , and ab
stain from howling , especially if he bo
furnished with some fresh hay or a
clean mat for a bed. In warm weather
dogs often howl simply because they
want water. Many dogs howl at night
because they are kept constantly
chained by night and by day. This is
a common and most reprehensible form
of cruelty ; dogs so treated are sure to
be restless and irritable , and can
scarcely be healthy.
Father of Thirty-four Children.
For twenty-five years John C. Kis
senger was a well-known farmer of
Clarion county , residing a few miles
from Collinsburg , Pa. lie was married
three times , and was the father of
thirty-four children. His family of
seven children by his first wife were all
burned to death by the burning of his
house in Butler County , where he lived ,
he and his wife being away from home
at the time. Of the twenty-seven ciiji _
dren born to Kissenger since this event
all have been lk > rn in Clarion county.
Several of the children still live in this
neighborhood , and are well-to-do pee
ple. Yesterday a photographer re
ceived an order to make a picture of
Kissenger , to be enlarged from a small
ambrotype which he had < aken eight
years ago. The ambrotype represents
Kissenger at full length with a placard
on his breast bearing this inscription :
. fj.O. Jv. , *
I TUB FATIIKK OK 34 CHILDUEX. :
* *
In. the ambrotype , which is a regular
picture , the letters are reversed. It j
read from right to left. By holding the
picture to a looking-glass the card reads j
as it appears here in the type. The j
man who printed the card said yester
day. "I remember very well when I
did this work. One day , eight years
ago , a very tall old man came into the
office , and ordered this kind of a card.
He wanted it 1. } feet long and 10 inches
wide , with the inscription in good-sized
type. I printed the card as he ordered
it , and , when he called for it , I asked ! <
him if he was 'J. C. K. ' He said he
was , and that some of his neighbors had
pursuaded him to have his picture taken
with such a card on his breast. I saw
the artist afterward ivho made the pic
ture. He said that Kissingen was not
pleased with it because the letters on
the card read backward. The artist
offered to remedy it by making him a
photograph instead of an ambrotype ,
but Kissinger did not want to pay as
much as a photograph would cost and
took only the ambrotype. " Kissinger
is over six feet high , rawboned and
muscular , and has sandy hair.
Engineers' Superstitions.
Bradford dtar.1
A cat crossed the track , the engineer
whistled "down brakes , " and then got
off and rubbed himself and then the
rail with a rabbit's foot. |
"You may regard it as foolish , " he '
said , as we again flew along , "but you
seel know if I hadn't seen that cat , we
would have had an accident by this
time. There was a time when I laughed !
at it , but I have learned better. Some
time ago a cat crossed the track in front {
of me. My fireman begged me to stop :
and let him rub the rail , but I laughed
at him. He vowed that we should have ,
an accident , and , sir , before we had ,
gone five miles further , the engine i
jumped the track and did considerable
damage. I hardly escaped being
killed , and since then I have carried a
rabbit's foot. When six white cats
cross the track nothing can prevent a I
calamity ; that is , if the engineer keeps ,
on , but if he gets off everything may j
be all right. "
"Do the conductors believe in the
rabbit-foot theory ? "
"Many of them do. Sometimes a
man hoots at the idea , but after a while
he is convinced , and gets him a foot.
On some roads an owl claw is necessary ,
aul still on others nothing but the tip
end of a coon's tail will answer. "
"How is this discovery made ? "
"Always by the oldest engineer- .
When a new road is built , the oldest
engineer on the line can determine
what to use. The more dangerous the
road , the , scarcer | are the charms. 1
know one road ia Mississippi where
nothing but a piece of tiger ear will an
swer. In consequence of this accidents
are very frequent. A friend of mine
ran on the road and never had an acci
dent. He went to a circus one night
and cut off the tip end of a tiger's ear.
The beast howled terribly and died
within fifteen minutes. The rabbit
foot is the standard , and , as a rule , will
do for the narrow-gauge roads. On the
Bastern roads beef bone is the thing.
When a road becomes known us a
beef-bone road it is regarded as the
best. Next is the goat bone , then the
rabbit foot , then the owl claw , then the
soon tail , then the mole nose , and lastly
the tiger's ear. "
"Did you ever run on a mole-nose
road ? "
"Yes , for a little while , but the com
pany was doing a great deal to put the
road in good shape , and it soon became
i rabbit foot. I have recently heard
hat it has become a goat bone. "
A Brooklyn \oung lady , who prosecuted - ,
cuted a faithle.-s lover "for breach of i
'
promise , testified that they hud , "by <
actual count , exchanged 30,000 kisses '
'
jy mail. " ! <
The Old Lady Wins.
Dr. Prime , in the Journal of Commcrco.
We hud been driving out eome miles
in the afternoon , and , coining home in
the twilight , passed a substantial-look
ing though very old farm house , will
comfortable barns and outbuildings in
dieating a well-to-do householder. Tlv
rich bottom lands which stretched awa
a half-mile from the river to the hif
slopes , covered with abundant bird
and maple , were luxuriant with grair
and corn.
That evening , when we were sittin
in the library , after dinner , smokin
and chatting , I asked the judge : "To
whom does that farm we passed on the
level belong ? "
The judge is not and never was 01
'the ' bench. Yet long as I had k'nowi
'him , and that was a long time , lie hai
been called the "Judge" by all the
country people , because it was an es
tablisehd fact of ancient date that he
decided most of the disputes and differ
ences , commercial and social , whicl
arose in that part of the county. It i
frequently the case , as here , that out
| man in a scattered community is the
recognized advisor to whom people cai
go. My old friend had inherited this
position from his father , who had beei
to a former generation what the son
now was to his neighbors. They came
to him on all occasions when the }
' needed counsel , and he did the work o
a half dozen lawyers. No one hail dieter
or could die comfortably and leave
property , unless his will had been drawi
" . " He had the
by "Judge p.erfcct
confidence of all. Living from youtl
up among them , known to be a man o :
extended education , whose life wa
passed m study , but who was also a
practical farmer of great skill and suc-
'cess ' , having large property , nml always
' giving his advic i and services as a mat-
iter j of friendship and neighborly kind-
I ness , and not for fee or reward , his position -
' sition was one of commanding influ-
I
I ence. His iniluence was commanding ,
too , for the reason that he almost never
' I ' exerted it. He took no prominent part
j in politics , but in the old times , before
the war , there were at least 200 voters
in the town , and many more in the
county , who could give no other reason
for their votes than this , that they voted
as the judge voted.
I have said that he drew the wills for
people who had property. This was no
small generosity , for it involved much
time and other great inconvenience.
But the judge was an essential part oi
the social structure in that town , and
quietly performed what he regarded a :
the duty and pleasure of his position.
When i asked him who was the own
er of that farm he laughed outright , and
after a moment's pause , said : "I will
tell you a story. "
"One stormy winter night , after mid
night , I was sitting here reading , the
rest of the family having gone to sleep ,
when old Dr. Strong thundered at the
door-knocker , and made noise enough
to wake the Seven Sleepers. It is a way
he has , and neither my wite nor the
girls , were aroused out of slumber , nor
I myself , had any question whatever
who was at the door. I let him in
myself , and a tempest of wind and
snow with him. The blast that drove
him into my arms also put out the hall
lights , whirled into the library and
flarjd the reading lamp so that it broke
the chimney and blazed up to the col
ored tissue paper affair which Susie had
put over the shade , set it on fire , and for
a moment threatened a general conila-
gration of papers and books on the ta
ble. 'Shut the door yourself,1 I shouted
and rushed back here to put out the
fire. That done I went back and found
the old doctor out of breath , in the
dark , trying to shut the door against
the wind. It took the strength ot both
of us t > do it. Then I told him to find
his way to the library , for he knew , it ,
and I went off in search of another
lamp.
"When I came back he was just re
covering his wind , and after a gasp or
two told me his errand. 'OldMrs. Nor
ton is dying. She can't live till morn
ing. She's alive now only on stimu
lants. She wants to make a will and I
have come for you. '
" 'A nice night , ' I said , 'for a two-
mile drive , to make a will for a woman
who hasn't a cent in the world to leave.
Why didn't you tell her so and have
done with it ? '
" Now , look here , ' said the doctor ,
'this is the case of an old woman and an
old neighbor and a friend , and she
wants you to do something for her , and
you'll do it , it it's only to comfort her
last hours. Get your things and come
with me. We shall not find her alive if
you don't hurry , and Jyou'll be sorry if
that happens. '
"The upshot of it was that I went.
We had a fearful drive out to the farm
house on the flat , which you are asking
about. Mrs. Norton was the widow of
John Norton , who had died forty odd
years before this. John Norton , when
he married her , was a widower , with
one son , John. He was a man of con
siderable property , and when he died
left a widow , that son John by his first
wife , and two sons by his second wife.
The elder sou , John , had never been on
very warm terms with his stepmother ,
and for some years had no intercourse
with the family.
"I found the old lady lying in the big
room , on a great beastead on one side
of the room , opposite to a broad chim
ney , in which was a roaring fire , the
only light in the room. After the doc
tor "had spoken to her and administered
something , a stimulant I suppose , he
came over to me and said in a whisper :
'Hurry up ; she's very weak. " .
"I had brought paper and pen and
ink with me. I found a stand and a
candle , placed them at the head of the
bed , and after saying a few words to
her , told her I was ready to prepare the j
-aa----- : :
will , if she would now go on and tell
mo what she wanted to do. I wrote the
introductory phrase rapidly , and lean
ing over toward her said : 'Now go on ,
Airs. Norton. ' H'jr voice was quite
faint , and she seemed to speak with nn
effort. She said : "First of all I want
to give the farm to my sous Harry and
James ; just put that down. ' 'But , '
said I , 'you can't do that , Mrs. Norton ;
the farm isn't yours to give yway. '
" 'The farm isn't mine ? ' she said in a
voice decidedly stronger than before.
" 'No , the farm isn't yours. You have
only a life interest in it. '
' "This farm that I've ran for goin'
on forty-three years next spring isn't
mine to do what I please with it ! Why
not , judge ? I'd like to know what you
mean ? '
" ' Mr. Norton husband
'Why , , your ,
gave you a life estate in all his property ,
and on your death the farm goes to his
son John , and your children get the vil
lage houses. '
" 'Anil when I die John Norton is to
have this house .iiul farm whether Iwill
or no ? '
" 'Just so. U will be his. '
" 'Then I ain't going to die , ' said the
old woman , in a clear and decidedly
ringing healthy voice. And so saying
she threw her feet over the front of the
bed , sat up , gathered a blanket and
coverlid about her , straightened up her
gaunt form , walked across the room
and sat down in a great chair before the
lire. The doctor and I came home.
That was fifteen years ago. The old
lady's alive to-day. And she accom
plished her intent. She beat John after
all. He died four years ago in Boston ,
and I don't know what will be left. But
whoever comes into the farm-house
when she goes out , it will not be John.
And since John's death the farm has
been better kept , and everything about
it is in vastly better condition for
strangers than it would have been for
John. "
Mr. Villard's Palaco.
Coiitcnsed from u f o\T York J.ctUir.
Henry Villard , of railway fame , will
occupy his new house the first Ameri
can reproduction of an Italian palace
in two or three weeks. The house , or
rather houses , occupies an entire block ,
having a frontage on Madison avenue
of 200 feet. That part which he will
occupy is on the corner of Fifty-first
street. Its frontage is GO feet and its
depth 100 feet. The other wing will be
precisely similar , except that it is
divided into three houses , and between
tiie two wings is a court 80 feet in width
and 73 feet in depth. That portion of
the building back of the court extends
back 40 feet beyond the wings and is a
double house of itself. In the centre of
the Court will be placed a magnificent
fountain , around which will be a broad
drive and in each corner a grassplot. .
Each house will communicate directly
with the court. The exterior of the
great building is more grand than beau
tiful. It is the result of a combination -
of lloman and Florentine architecture ,
plans of the Chancclleria Palace at
Home and the Farnez Palace being cop
ied by the architects. The material is
Bfllville ( N. J. ) sandstone , the light
grayish amber stone of which Trinity
church was built. Everything is mas
sive and there is little attempt at orna
ment. Huge blocks of stone are piled
one upon another and overtopped by a
lieavy cornice of the same material.
The interior is superb. The reception
room is M feet by 28 in depth. Floor ,
ceiling , walls and columns are made
with wood. The drawing rooms on ,
either side are each 19 by 25 feet , fin
ished in mahogany. The predominat
ing tones are a light reddish brown and
x light yellow. From the reception
room a hall 14 feet in width and 42 feet
n length , leads to the music room.
Aladin's Jamp never revealed a hall
more magnificent. It is entirely in
mosaic. The material is yellow Italian
marble. The floor is in chaillon mar
ble in small pieces woven into beautiful
designs. The hall is spanned by three
semi-circular arches in Sinna marble ,
with sculpture by Louis St. Gaudens.
A vestibule in the same design leads
out of the hall back of the drawing
room. The music room is the chief
d'ceuvre of the decorators' art. It is a
diminutive theatre.
Between the music room and the ves-
ibule , marble stairs , twelve feet broad ,
ead to the upper stories. Again the
one is yellow. An elaborate renais
sance ceiling spans the sta'.rs. An ele
vator way occupies the remaining space.
Across the hall are the main dining
room and breakfast room , which can be
thrown into the apartment twenty by
sixty feet in size. Carved woods again
rep > ace the marble. The room is ex
ecuted in English oak inlaid with ma-
logany. The upper stories are in keep-
ng with the splendor below , although
of course not so elaborate. The gen
eral style is Italian renaissance. The
furniture will be especially magnifi
cent.
cent.The
The cost of the building unfurnished
vill be an even million dollars. Of
his amount the decorating of the draw- r\
ng rooms cost § 50,000 ; the dining
room , $20,000 ; the hall , § 30,000 , and
he music room , § 20,00' ) .
The crush hat of the male is now
matched by the ' -pocket bonnet" of the
emale , which can be folded up and
) ut away , when necessary , in the pock
et. But whoever heard of a CASC where
i woman had any desire to put a new
) onnet out of sight. [ Lowell Courier.
Miss Will was married to Mr. Shall l
n Allegan county , Michigan , recently ,
'he Won't will appear in the family
when ] \Jrs. Shall , nee Will , is asked to v J
.ret " up and kindle the flre. [ Norris-
"own Herald.
"Where is is the girl of long a o ? "
asks a mild-eyed poet. Oh , we ifon't
know , brother. Go and interview your
Tandinother [ N. Y. Journal.