ir'
XHS WORDS OF A FIGHTER.
"the Forthcoming Book of Gen. Grant
Borne Extract * of an Interesting Clutr-
aeter.
The New York Commercial Advertiser pub
lishes near a page of extracts from Gen ,
Grant's "Personal Memoirs" which will be
published within a few months. Tho first
volume is completed and the second nearly so.
Extracts given show the work to be written in
sturdy md terse anglo saxon , with here and
there a touch of quiet humor. The dedica
tion is in fac simile of the general's manu
script as followsThese volumes are dedi
cated to theAmerican soldier and sailor ; IT
8. Grant , Hew York , May 23 , 18S5. " He be
gins by laying that he is of American stock
on both sides for many generations. Matthew
Grant , from whom ho is a descendant in the
eighth generation , reached Dorchester , Mass.
4n 1630 , from Dorchester , England. His grca
grandfather , Noah , had a commission in the
British army and his grandfather , also named
Noah served in the war of the rebellion.
He gives an exodus of his boyhood , of his
appointment to West Point through the influ
encc of Hon. Thomas Morris , congressman
from Ohio , tells the circumstances under
which he first saw Gen. Scott and President
VanBuren ; contrasts the personal character
istics of Generals Scott and Taylor , gives a
copy of bis letter to Adjutant-General Thomas
dated Galena , Illinois , May 24 , 1801 , offering
his services to the United States , and suggest
ing that he considered himself competent
enough to take command of a regiment. This
letter was never replied to , and was for a long
time lost among the papers of the war office.
Speaking of Els first battle in the civil war
he says , "as wo approached the brow of the
hill fromwhich it was expected we would see
Harris' camp , and possibly find his men ready
formed to meet us , my heart kept getting
higher and higher , until it felt tome as though
it was in my throat I would have given any
thing then to have been back in the rear , but
I baa not the moral courage to halt and con
sider what to do. I kept right on. When we
i ached a point from which the valley below
was in f ull view , I halted. The place where *
Harris had been encamped a few days before
was still there , and marks of a recent encamp
ment were plainly visible , but the troops were
one. It seemed to me at once that Harris
§ ad been as much afraid of me as I had been
of him. This was a view of the question ]
had never taken before , but it was one I never
forgot afterward. From that event to the
close of the war I never experienced trepida
tion upon confronting an enemy. "
He speaks of the battle of Fort Donalson at
some length. Of the battle of Shiloh he says
1-e considered the situation as one In which
tnc icrtcral forces were on the offensive , but
-ass rts that no precautions for defense were
neglected. On this subject lie continues as
follows :
General Bcauregard was next in rank to
Jobnsin , and succeeded to the command ,
w" I h he retained until the close of the battle
nnu during the subsequent retreat on Corinth ,
as well us in the siege of that place. His tac
tics have been st vcrely criticised by the con
federate writers , but I do not believe his fallen
chief could have done any better under the
circumstances.
Some of these critics claim that Shilohwas
won when Johnson fell ; that if he had not
fallen the army under me would have been
whipped. "Ifs" defeated the confederates at
Shiloh. There is little doubt that we should
have been disgracefully beaten if the shells
and bullets fired by us had passed harmlessly
over the enemy , and If all of theirs had taken
effect. Commanding generals are liable to be
killed during engagements , and the fact that
when he was shot Johnson was leading a bri
gade to induce it to make a charge which had
been repeatedlv ordered , is evidence that
therewas neither the universal de
moralization on our side or the unbounded
confidence on theirs which has been claimed.
There was , In fact , no hour during the day
when I doubted the eventual defeat of the
nemy , although I was disappointed that re
inforcements so near at baud did not arrive
at an early hour. " In this connection he re
fers to the article In the Century and his re
marks in it in regard to General McCook
which caused so much public comment He
tells of the long march of tne day before over
muddy roads "by General McCook's division ,
of its "conspicuous acts of gallantry" on the
day of battle and concludes in these words :
v "I refer to these circumstances with minute
ness because I did General McCook an injus
tice in my article in the Century , though not
to the extent one would suppose from the
public pn ss. I am not willing to do any one
an Injustice , and if convinced that I have
done one I am always willing to make the
fullest admission. " Then follow accounts of
the seige and capture of Vicksburg , of his ap
pointment as lieutenant-general , and he adds :
"In my first interview with Mr. Lincoln alone ,
he stated to me that he had never professed to
be a military man , or to know how campaigns
should be conducted , and never wan ted to in
terfere with them , but the procrastination on
the part of commanders , and the pressure of
the people at the north and congress , which ,
like the poor , he'bad always with him , ' had
forced him into Issuing his well known series
of 'exclusive orders. ' ' ' He did not know
but they were all wrong. He wanted some
one to take the responsibility and act
Grant estimates Lee's strength at 50,000 in
the Wilderness , all familiar with the country ,
which to the federal forces was wholly un
known. He explodes the theory of Lee's sur
render taking place under an apple tree , and
describes at length the scene and his feelings
at that time. He says ho felt like anything
r t'ter ' than rejolcing'at the downfall of a foe
that had fought so long and gallantly.
Tins SEAT OF
Miscellaneous Hatters of Interest at tlie Na
tional Capital.
Tho secretary of the treasury has issued an
order repealing tho existing regulations gov
erning the Importation and disinfection of
rags. Although the government will in no
way regulate the introduction of rags after
this date , collectors of customs are Instructed
'
ISftV'
' to enforce tho state or city laws on the sub
m- ject , or tho orders of health authorities at
ports of entry.
Commissioner Sparks has addressed a letter
to Secretary Lamar requesting him to call
upon tho attorney-general to Institute legal
proceedings to set aside tho Maxwell grant in
New Mexico , upon allegations of fraud. This
.grant Is now owned by a Dutch syndicate ,
which purchased of an English company ,
which derived Its title from ex-Senator Chaf-
t ee and other Americans. It comprises near
ly 2,000,000 acres , and Commissioner Sparks
alleges that tho original Spanish grant cov
ered only about 1,000,000 acres , and all the rest
is a grand rapo of the public domain.
Tho president has appointed 'William Sta-
iploton , of Colorado , to be smelter of the
"United " States mint at Denver , Col.
' The president bos appointed Geo. Wilson ,
of Peoria , 111. , to beoome'collector of internal
revenue for tbo Fifth district of Illinois , vice
Howard Knowlcs , suspended.
creamery Oicncrs in Convention.
At Parsons , Kan. , creamery owners and
superintendents of Missouri and Kansas met
in convention and organized tlio Kansas and
Missouri creamery association , electing J. H.
Wardin , of Nevada , Missouri , president ; F
G. O.Howard , of Chanute , Kansas , secretary
andV. . C. King ; of Parsons , treasurer , and
adjourned to meet in Kansas City on the call
of executive committee. Tho creameries
were tvell represented and entire harmony
prevailed. It Is the Intention of the associa
tion to establish in Kansas City a weekly
tooardof trade for tho sale of their butter ,
which aggregates 100,000 pounds per week.
This Is a newwestern enterprise , and start !
with unusual prospects of success.
The net debt-of the United States
has now gone below $1,500,000,000 for
the first time since the war. Twenty
years ago it .was $2,700,000,000.
'
HAND GOBBLED.
Enough Acre * Stolen to Slake a Good Sized
Stale.
Commissioner Sparks , ofthe land office las
submitted to Secretary Lamar his report upon
the famous Maxwell land grant In New Mexico ,
for which nearly 3,000,000 acres of public land
grants were claimed and patented in 1879.
The official proceedings leading 'up to the
patent are recited in detail by the commis
sioner , who then says In brief : "Pending
these proceedings a large number of letters ,
complaints , petitions , protests and charges
were transmitted to this office and the depart
ment from the citizens of New Mexico , alleg
ing fraud in the location of boundaries of this
claim , and extension far beyond any original
claim or possession by the grantee ; the Inva
sion of settlement and mining rights , and of
native inhabitants and Indian occupants.
Nothing more than a mere formal notice , of
these various complaints and allegations ap
pears to have been taken or done by this office-
No Investigation was had , but claims for
this enormous region ot country appears to
have been carried through the office without
regard to the interests of the government or
the rights of the citizens of the territory in act
ual occupancy of the land. Evidences of fraud
were manifest In the bold fact of the presen
tation of a claim for nearly 2,000.000 acres
based upon a grant of less than 1,000,000 acres.
Grants bv Mexican authorities were governed
by the Jaws of the nation. Colonization
grants were limited la quantity to eleven
leagues or about 48,000 acres to each person.
Out-boundaries of the localities mentioned In
the applications for grants arc usually of a
most * general character. In the present case
those boundaries might have been found or
alleged to be found at the most diverse points.
The alleged making of boundaries under pur
ported judicial possession was of an unstable
character , easily removed and liable to early
destruction from natural and othercauses. .
Nothing was easier than to find such allcgi
monuments wherever they T ere desired , D
in the so called adjudication this case of bou
darlcs was claimed'and the monuments asso :
ed by Interested parties. They were accep
as the actual boundaries and monuments
the grant , which was thus swollen from a li
tie over four townships at most to more tb
seventy townships of public land.
Commissioner Sparks recommends thatsu
able action be taken looking 'to the vigoro
prosecution of the suit now pending in t
district court of Colorado , and that a new su
be commenced in New Mexico , where tl
greater part of the lands lie , to set apart th !
patents already issued under this grant.
CHARITIES AND CORRECTIONS.
Some of the Topics Discussed in the Conven
tion at Washington.
In the convention of Charities and Correc
tions at Washington , the regular order was
taken up , and Hon. W.P. Letchworth , of New
York , chairman of the committee on prevention
of work among children , read the report of
the committee. Mr. William Harris , of Con
cord , Mass. , read a paper entitled "Compul
sory Education , " in which statistics were
tiled voluminously. Compulsory education ,
he held , was a valuable means to the desired
end. Miss Phoebe Couzins read a paper on
kindergartens , prepared for the conference by
Mrs. Sarah B. Cooper , of California. It held
that the power of early training and habit was
not easily over-estimated. Cbuiges of habits
were generally loo small to be felt until they
were too strong to be broken. The afternoon
session was devot-d to the further considera
tion of the subject of the moruiug aud several
interesting papers. Among them was one on
"Dependent young children in families and
institutions , " prepared by Mrs. Clara T. Lof-
ard , of Massacbusets. The author ,
who is a member of the Massachu
setts board of health , lunacy and
charity , found that the safeguard thrown
by society around the virtue of women would
be weakened by any provisions which would
relieve unmarried mothers from the penalties
of their action and care of their offsprings.
She condemned the policy of separating un
married mothers from their children as inju
rious both to the mothers and children. Mrs.
Srcacer , who read this paper , said she was so
wrought upon by what it did not say that she
could not keep silent. She would have sup
posed that the distinguished author had been
reared in France , where chivalry demanded
that the father of an illegitimate child shall
not be discovered. She noticed , from begin
ning to end of the paper , how very carefully
the discovery of the father was guarded
against by the excellent women of Massachu
setts. She believed that the sentlmenfbf the
women of District of Columbia was largely in
favor of holding the father respoaslble tor the
care of the child.
A. MALAJtr AMONG HORSES.
Serious Outbreak at St. JLoulsof What is Sup
posed to be Spinal Neninijitis.
Several cases of spinal meningitis have de
veloped among1 tho horses in livery stables at
St. Louis. The stable-keepers and horsemen
are very muchworried about it , and at Vas-
tino's stables on Llndcll avenue , three deaths
have occurred within two days. Reports of
sickness among the horses at other stables
lead to the conclusion that an epidemic is
threatened but the veterinary surgeons deny
it. Dr. Crowley , Jr. , who examined the ani
mals at Vastinc's stable , said that the disease
was undoubtedly meningitis. With the first
symptom the horse shakes his head , becomes
uneasy , and at lencth violent fetanic spasms
andf onvulsions ensue and tho animal dies in
great agony. Ho did not think it a contagious
disease , and it could possibly bo traced to the
food and air. Superintendent Howe , o tho
Lindell stables , said that the horses arc sud
denly attacked , and there seemed to be con
traction of the muscles. They paw and bite
and throw their heads ' from side to s'de. They
evidently sulTer'sreat pain and finally fall
down and die. Somo of the symptoms of
lock-jaw ore developed 'in tho courso of tho
disease. Larry Cavender's riding horse was
seized with symptoms of tbo disease , and
Captain Dozier , residing on School street , lost
a horso from tho same cause. A similar case
was reported at Stahl's stables , but this was
not fatal. At Forest Park stables seventeen
horses were taken sick , but the symptoms aro
pleuro-pneumonia. Tho car-stable managers
nave not reported any case of the kind , but
tbero is much .uneasiness manifested. Dr.
James , who visited Vastine's stable , expresses
tho opinion that there is no danger of an epi
demic.
THE TRANSPORTATION OF MAILS.
The Decision Arrived at by the Postmaster-
General.
Tho postmastejr-general has decided not to
advertise for bids to enter into contracts for
the transportation of foreign malls upon tho
mileage basis under tho authority conferred
by congress March 3,1655. Tho subject has
been under consideration by tho cabinet for
some time and the conclusion had been
reached after tho presentation by tho post
master-general of an exhaustive argument
covering the whole matter. The postmaster-
ffcnernl holds that the money appropriated IB
not intended as a subsidy , because to sub
sidize at the rate allowed in the act
would take over ono million dollars , whereas
only 540.000 is appropriated. Ho thinks ves
sels will continue to carry the mail at tho
present rate , and if they should refuse they
could be compelled to do so as common car
riers , receiving just compensation. He is in
clined to the opinion that the money appro
priated should be returned to tho treasury ,
and says : "Desirable as is the development
Of American steam hip lines , tho act does not
propose to put money at tho postmaster-gen
eral s disposal for any other purpose than
carrying the mail. " In his opinion "It is bet
ter to remit the subject to congress for more
explicit explanation than to attempt to dis
tribute a large sum of public money not in
fact required for tno use for which it was ap-
prop-tored , mostly because an act of congress
gives tho license. "
"Order slate" is the injudicious ad-
rice suspended before certain coal of
fices. '
Finding Drowned People. -
" An Old Folk-Lorist" writes : Tho
remarkable incident of the discovery of
the body of a child drowned in the river
Kennet , at Newbury , in 1767 , by means
of a two-penny loaf with a quantity of
quicksilver put into it , was quoted by
one of your contemporaries some twenty
years ago , and then elicited many curi
ous proofs of the existence of similar
practices with analogous successful re
sults , and with what is not always the
case a satisfactory explanation of the
phenomenon. Sir James Alexander , in
his account of Canada , after stating
that the Indians believe that a drowned
body may be discovered by floating a
piece of cedar-wood , which will stop
and turn round over the exact spot ,
mentions an instance which occurred
within his own knowledge , where the
body of a personwho was drowned bythe
oversetting of his boat near Cedar
island " could notbe discovered until
this experiment was resorted to. "
But something more remarkable was
stated by an eminent clergyman , happi
ly still livingwho mentioned thac ,
many years before , a boy wlio had late
ly come to Eton imprudently bathed in
the Thames where it flows with great
rapidity under " the playing fields"and
was carried out of his depth and
drowned. All. efforts to recover the
body failed till one of tho masters threw
a cricket-bat into the stream , which
floated to a spot where it turned round
in an eddy in a deep hole , under which
the body was found. There were , I
Growth of the Baptist Denomination
The history of the Baptist Church
shows in. a striking manner the vitality
of its principles. A recent statement of
its growth and present condition pre
sents the following statistics : In 1762
there were only 56 Baptist churches in
America ; in 1792 thev had increased to
1,000 , in 1812 to 2i33 , in 1832 to 5,322 ,
in 1852 to more than 9,500 ; in 1858 ,
without including any of the minor
Baptist organizations , to 12,000 , with
1,000,000 members , and , if the minor
bodies are included , to 1,500.000 , and
an attached population of about 7,500-
000 souls. In 1866 the denomination
proper possessed 13tt70 church organ
izations , and no less than 1,123,148
communicants. According to the cen
sus of 1870 the regular Baptist denom
ination possessed , 14,474 church organ
izations and 12,857 churches , but this is
evidently incorrect , inasmuch as the
Baptist year-book for 1871 shows a re
turn of17,745 churches. The records
of the Government show the following
increase in the value of church property
during the course of two decades : 1850 ,
value of churches , $11,020,855 ; 1860 ,
value of churches , $19,799,378 : 1870 ,
value of churches , $39,229,221. The
foregoing pertain to the regular body.
The value of church property for the
same periods , of other Baptist bodies
has been rep'orted as follows : 1850 ,
value of churches , $153,115 ; 1860 , value
of churches , $1,279,736 ; 1870 , value of
churches , $2,378,977. From 1860 to
1870 the value of church edifices owned
by tho regular body increased nearly
100 per cenj ; . If this ratio of increase
has been kept up during the past de
cade , the Baptists are the possessors of
church property having a'value not far
from $80,000,000.
An Ohio Woman's Hallucination.
A middle-aged , motherly-looking woman
Mrs. Mary Cullen , has been taken into cus
tody at Cleveland , Ohio , for insanity of a pe
culiar typo. She imagines sho was elected
mayor of that'city for four years , at a salary
or $13,000 a year , but her husband wants to
draw tho salary and compel her to make all
the appointments. Sho objected to this. She
says her husband had her arrested. Now she
wants to resign the impo rtant position.
THE MARKETS.
OMAHA.
WHEAT No. 2
BARLEY No.2 48 ©
RYE No. 2 51 ©
CORN No. 2 mixed
OATS No. 2
BUTTER Fancy creamery. . . . 18
BUTTER Choice dairy 10 ©
BUTTER Best country 8 &
EGGS Fresh. , . . 10 ©
ONIONS Per bbl 3 50 @
CmcxENSr-Per doz. . alive. . . . 3 50 ©
CniCKENSHDressed , perlb. . . . 12 &
LEMONS Choice 4 50 @
BANANAS Choice 275 ©
ORANGES Mesina 325 ©
POTATOES Per bushel CO ©
POTATOES New 2 00 ©
SEEns Timothy 2 10 @
SEEDS Blue Grass 1 35 ©
HAY Baled.per ton. . . : 650 ©
HAY In bulk 650 ©
NEW YORE :
WHEAT No. 2 red l 02 ©
WHEAT QnErraded red 75 ©
CORN No.2. " 53J ©
OATS Mixed western 4) @ 43
PORK 11 25 © 1175
LAUD 6 70 © * 77&
CHICAGO.
FLOUR Choice Winter 4 75 © 553
FLOUR Spring extra 375 © 45o
WHEAT Per bushel 87tf < 2 89
CORN Per bushel 47 © 47J5
OATS Per bushel 33J © 34
PORK . .1015 © lOi-iD
LARD 680 © 695
Hoas Packing and shipping. 3 80 © 4 00
CATTLE Stackers 340 @ 505
BHEEP Medium to good 250 © 375
ST. LOUIS.
WHEAT No. 2 red " l 03 © 1 045 *
CORN Per bushel 44 © 44fi
OATS Per bushel 330 © 34
CATTLE Stackers 3 50 © 475
SHEEP Western 2 25 © 400
HOGS Packers 350 © 475
KANSAS CHIT.
WHEAT Per bushel "P1H © 82
CORN Per bushel 3S ? © JW
OATS Per bushel 33 © S3
CATTLE Exports. 515 © 530
HOGS 340 @ 345
SHEEP Common to good 200 © 330
The Port Townsend Argus says that
a halibut was recently caught in Scow
Day by an Indian , which weighed 202
rounds , and was six feet eight inches
ong , three feet ten inches wide and
fourteen inches thick.
A kiss is a paroxysmal contact be-
; ween the labial appendages attached ]
: o the superior and inferior maxill-
aries , respectively , of a man and wo
man or two women. The younger the
> artes : are the more paroxsmal will be
the paroxism. '
Women as Candidates.
By Ciril-Servica Examiner.
As 1 have mentioned the fair sex > I
will add ( under shelter of anonymity )
that I did not at all like the task of ex
amining them. I deeply regret to say
it , but I certainly found them much
more troublesome than the competitive
males. It is very difficult to maintain
discipline among them , or to arouse in
them any keen sense of the virtue of
scrupulousness. I shall never forget
being intrusted with the examination of
certain eight young ladies. Tho first
thing that struck me was that they had
evidently arrayed themselves in their
most exaggerated costumes , no doubt
with the view of insinuating themselves
into the favor of their judges. Though
somewhat nervous and jerky in manner
it was clear that they fully meant to
fascinate. Poor things ! they little
knew the iron sternness of the De
partment. It was with difficulty that
I got them to sit down , and with
still greater difficulty that I induced
thiem not to crowd together. ( I sho old
mention that the room inwhich we
werewas furnished , not with isolated
desks , butwith the old-fashioned con
tinuous desks and forms. ) "When I
had distributed the papers and deliv
ered a Smithsonian harangue on the
necessity of silence and the enormity of
copying , I resumed my own work. Al
most immediately I became aware of a
rustling sound , and , looking up , beheld ,
to my consternation , my eight fair pro
tegees all close together like the colored
beads upon a frame , taking sweet coun
sel together on the subject of the paper.
"Ladies , " I said sternly , "this will
never do. I must ask you once for all to
keep your places. "
Nothing could have been clearer than
my meaning , or , as I think , more im
pressive than my manner ; but one verv
"unfinished" damsel had the pertnessto
answer :
"Mustn't we go back to them first ? "
Hereupon there was an audible titter ,
which I pretended not to hear. More
over , following the noble example set
at the army examination by the Chief
Commissioner himself , I ignored any
thing disrespectful in the question , and
replied :
"Yes , you must go back to your
places , if you please. You ought not
to have left them. "
I may as well allow at once , however ,
that all my efforts to infuse a lefty offi
cial sense of duty into these wilful
maidens were utterly unsuccessful. The
way in which they copied from one an
other wus simply appalling. I diJ not
look over their paper afterward but the
family likeness between them must have
been surprising.
"When the paper-work was over , it ap
peared that no less than five of the
eight young ladies wished to speak fa
me privately. I did not know whether
to feel nattered or embarrassed by this
desire. However , feeling bound to
hear what a candidate had to say , I re
quested No-1 to favor me with her com
munication. It was very lengthy , and
was delivered with great volubility in
an extraordinary high key. I will not
attempt to reproduce it exactly that
would be qtute beyond my powers ; but
it was to the general effect that she ( tho
speaker ) would have done her papers a
great deal better would , in fact , have
triumphed over them completely
but for tho circumstances that
her maiden aunt , Miss Cox , who
lived at No. 5 Laburnum Yillas , Ber-
modosey , and who had brought her up
since the death of her poor father of
typhoid fgver in the year 1867 , was Ttn-
forlunateiy very deaf , though otherwise
highly talented and accomplished , and
that in consequenea Miss Tibbits ( she
had at the very beginning utterly re
fused to yield to my entreaty and speak .
of herself as a number , but had pen- j
sisted in introducing herself as Miss i
Tibbits ) had not derived all the advan- |
tages from her aunt's instruction which .
she would most certainly have derived !
under different circumstances. ' And '
she desired me , as the examiner , to .
take this into account , as was only fair
and right , in looking over her papers.
By this time I had learnt the official '
formula for answering the questions of
candidates. I consider that , as a piece
ac
cessible to candidates , they are not in
convenienced. Then you proceed to
convey a little temporary consolation
to the wounded spirit of the candidate ,
without committing yourself in the
least. That keeps him or her quiet
and hopeful , which of course is a great
advantage in an examination.
This was the magic formula that I
now offered to Miss Tibbits , in the con
fident expectation that it would meet
her requirements , as it had met tho re
quirements of so many others. Nor
was I disappointed. Miss Tibbits took
it eagerly , and se.emed much the better
for it. It was not my fault that the
good thus done was not likely to be per
manent.
The four other young ladies who de
sired to speak to me had all something
similar to say. There were special
circumstances in each case which de
served consideration , and which cer
tainly required very lengthy exposi
tion. In each case I applied the for
mula , and always with success. Corn-
hill Magazine.
The channel tunnel bill has been de
feated in the English parliament. The
people are evidently afraid of seeing a
continental army emerge , seme fine
flay , from the proposed underground
road , ready to deatrov their cherished
institutions. i
BY HELEN FORREST GIUVES-
Minna's roomwas not light at the best
of times. Its onewindow , planted dor *
mer-fashion in the roof , gave on > the
blank whitewashed side of an adjoining
house , which towered np a story or1 so
higher than its unpretentious neigh
bors.
bors.But
But Minna a personage who always
made the best of things had absolutely
persuaded herself that this was the best
light in the world for her oil-painting.
"There are no bursts of sunshine or
stray sunbeams to disturb the cool ,
clear atmosphere , " said she. "Artists
always prefer this sort of light. "
For Minna Morton was a working-
girl. Too delicate to stand behind the
' counter or superintend the busy loom ,
she yet endeavored to earn her own
livelihood by means of an artist's palette
and sheaf of brushes.
Her outfit had cost a considerable
sum there was no denying that ; but
Rosa Hale , who stitched kid gloves in a
down town factory , had lent her the
money for the purchase , and little Bess
Beaton , the landlady's daughter , "sat"
to her two hours every day after school
quite satisfied with gingerbread nuts
to munch and a battered rag doll , which
had belonged to Minna's own younger
days , to play with.
And Minna was young and hopeful ,
and in the far distance saw herself ac
quiring name and fortune by means of
her beloved art.
This morning , however , the room
seemed a degree gloomier than its usual
wont ; and when Minna arranged her
canvas on the easel , a dim sort of mis
giving crept across her heart.
It was a simple picture that she had
painted a little girl playing on a sun-
flecked barn-floor , with a brood of
chickens fluttering around her , and a
stealthy cat advancing from beneath
tangled masses of hay.
Yesterday the little girl had seemed
animated with real , actual life ; the hay
had seemed almost to rustle in the wind ;
one could almost perceive the sinuous ,
gliding motion of the cat. But to-day it
was as if a leaden spell had descended
upon everything.
"Am I an artist ? " Minna asked her
self ; "or am I not ? "
Bosa Hale's step , coming softly down
the stairs , aroused her from a disagree
able reverie.
She hurried to the door , with the al
most invisible limp which had always
haunted her since that unlucky fall of
her childhood.
"Bosa , " she said , "areyouin a hurry ?
Do come in a moment I"
And Bosa came in , with her little
brown bonnet neatly tied under her
chin , and her lunch basket in her hand ,
on her way to the factory where "real
imported kid gloves , fresh from Paris , "
were turned , out by the dozen gross a
day."What
"What is it , Minna ! " she asked ,
cheerfully.
"Look at this picture , " said Minna ,
drawing her up in front of the easel.
"Well , I'm looking , " said Eosa.
"What do you thrk of it ? "
Bosa repeated. "Why , I think it is
beautiful ! "
"Oh , I know that ! " impatiently cried
Minna. "The bits of hay are painted
to perfection , and the rat-holes in the
.
barn-floor are copied exactly after that
one in the corner of tho cupboard , bat
all that isn't true art , Bosa. Does the
child look as if she would speak to you ? "
"The checks in her gingham
apron are painted beautifully , " said
Bosa , timidly.
Minna frowned.
"But the cat ? " said she. "Is it a
live cat ? Do yo fancy you are going to
see her spring ? "
"N-no , " unwillingly admitted Bosa.
"Its a lovely cat , but it's only a picture
of a cat ! Minna dear Minna , I
haven't offended yon , have I ? "
' 'Oh ! " saii Minna . ' '
, no , lightly. 'But
you have told me exactly what I wanted
to know what I was sure of myself.
Good-by , Bosa ! and mind you don't
bring me any more of those delicious
little bouquets. They're lovely , but
they cost five cents , and you haven't
any five-cent pieces to throw away. "
And so , with a loving kiss , she dis
missed the pink-cheeked little factory-
girl , who was always so kind to her ; and
then she sat down in the Upas shadow
of the dismal whitewashed wall , and
cried :
"I knew it all along , " she declared.
"You are a hideous little impostor ! " ( to
the simpering figure in the foreground ) .
"And you" ( to the cat ) "are simply a
thing of wood. And I am not an artist
at all ! If "
"Bat , tat , tat ! " came a soft knock at
the door.
Minna started guiltily to her feet , and
dashed away the wet spray of tears from
her cheek.
"Come in ! " said she.
And to her horror , she saw standing
there a tall , pleasant-faced young man.
"What did you please to want ? " said
she. rather timidly.
"I I beg your pardon ! " said he.
"But are yon theyoung lady who sent a
note to Palmer & Co. , picture dealers ?
My father has an attack of lumbago this
morning , and is unable to come out.
He has sent me in his stead. "
Minna colored deeply as she remem
bered that in her elation of the day be
fore she had actually been so foolish as
to write to Palmer & Co. to send up an
expert to value her picture for the sales
room. ;
"Where is the picture ? " he asked , ;
"is this il. ? " "
"Yes , " Minna answered , with an odd ,
choking sensation in her throat. ' 'But
but "
It was of no use. The tears would
comij. She sat down in the cushioned
window seat , and hid her face in her
bands.
"Has anything happened ? " asked
Mr. Paul Palmer , genuinely disconcert
ed.
"Nothing more than might have
been expected , " said Minna , trying to
smile. "Please don't think me foolish I
Yesterday I fancied that this.daub of )
mine was a gem of art. Now my eyes
: havebeen opened. I know that it is >
'worthless ' ! "
Mr. Palmer glanced scrutinizingly at
the picture.
"But , " said her , "are you sure that
you are the best judge ? "
" "One can trnst one's own instinct , "
said Minna , sadly. "I am sorry I hava
given you so much unnecessary trouble.
But I am notrichr and I thonghtlhad
discoverod a.-way of earnicg my living.
It is a bitter disappointment * to mebuij ;
I suppose it isan. old story to von , Mr.
Palmer. "
Paul was silent. In the course ofi.
his business he had witnessed many
trying scenesbut his heart ached for this
pala little girl , with the sunny flax-gold
hair brushed away from her forehead ,
and the almost imperceptible limp in }
her gait. ' It seemed to him as if IIQ
could read her story almost as plainly
as if it were written on her faca in print
ed sentences.
' 'Suppose you let me take the picturq
home and submit it to my father's opin
ion ? " he said , calmly.
"I do not believe it will be of any
use , " sighed. Minna. "It seems as if ,
my eyes had been unsealed all too late. : I
I am no artist. I am only a fraud.
Oh , yes , " as he looked inquiringly at
her , "you can take it. The sooner I
know my fate , the better it will be foe
me. "
So Mr. Palmer wrapped up the can
vas in a piece of brown paper , bowed a
quiet good-by , " and departed.
All that day Minna sat in a sort o
terrified suspense , scarcely daring to
breathe. Toward night Mr. Palmer
came back.
"Well ? " she gasped , breathlessly.
"I am happy to say that the picture is
accepted , " said he. "I have brought ;
you twenty-five dollars for it. And I
would like a pair of smaller ones
companion subjects as soon as you
can furnish them. "
Minna Morton gave a little gasp fon
breath.
"Oh ! " she cried , "yon really do not
mean it. Accepted ! and more wanted !
Oh , it don't seem possible ! "
"How noon can you have them
readv ? " said Paul , quietlv. "In a
month ? "
' 'Yes , in less time than that , " an
swered Minna , half giddy with delight.
"I shall work day and night. Oh , Mr.
Palmer how kind yon are ! Indeed , in-
deed-yon do-not know what all this
means for me I"
If Minna could have been temporar
ily clairvoyant that day if she could
have followed Paul Palmer back to
the "art emporium"whore his father ,
half doubled up with lumbago , sat view
ing his recent acquisition through an
eye-glass what would have been her
feelings. "
"Paul'said ho , curtly , "this thing
that you have brought home isn't worth
shop-room. "
"What is the matter with it , sir ? "
"Nothing nothing on earth. The
trouble , " said Mr. Palmer , vindictively
"is that there is nothing to it. It is a
negatative from beginning to end.
Tell the artist we can find no sale for
such trash ! "
But Paul Palmer carried back no
such message. He went and came of
ten. Ho spoke words of kindly en
couragement to the poor young girl ,
and paid , out of his own pq-cket , liberal
prices for her efforts.
And one day he asked her to 1)3 his
wife , and Minna promised that she
would.
"Heretofore , " said she , "I have al
ways dreamed of devoting myself to ,
art f but of late lam not so hopeful.
It seems as if my poor pinions are not
strong enough to soar. Yes , Paul , if
you can care for a helpless lame girl
like me "
"I love you , Minna ! " he said , simply.
"If you will trust yourself to me , I will'
never give you cause to repent it. "
Itwas not until they had been mar
ried some years , and old Mr. Palmer ,
the picture dealer , was dead and buried ,
that Minna , wandering through the de
serted rooms of the old warehouse , with
a rosy-cheeked child clinging to the
skirts of her gown , came across some
dust-powdered canvases , with their
faces turned to the wall.
"Ohlook , mamma ! " cried little Paul.
"Whatare these ? "
"Let us examine them , dear , " said ,
she. '
They were her own long forgotten
efforts ! She stood looking at them ,
through a mist of tears and smiles.
"Dear , noble Paul ! " she murmured
to herself. "This only adds to tho
debt of gratitude that I already owe
him. But he need not have been so
tender of my feelings. I know now
that art , so far as I am concerned , was
a delusion and a snare. I know that my
truest happiness , my greatest felicity ,
has been in cherishing him and the
children. "
And she never told Paul that she had
fliscovered his long-guarded secret.
It Cured Him.
From the Norwich Bulletin.
I would like to tell you of an incidents
of absentmindedness that cured a
schoolmaster entirely of this often
comical mental defect. The bell was
ringing for school , and the master's
rcife wanted a pail of water and a hod of
: oal. To save time , the master strove
ioget both the water and the coal at the
jame time. He drew thewater from anj
) fashioned well , and , getting his hotfi
illed with coal , entered the house with
lis hands full. He walked to the sink
md placed the hod of coal where the
vater pail was usually kept , and , taking
he pail of water into the sitting-room ,
poured it into the stove. The hissing
iteam blew open the stova door issued'
Tom the coal chamber and every seam ,
n the stove , scorched the master , put
rat the fire acd filled the house with
iteam. Amid it all issued the agonized
ihout of the schoolmaster : "Blast <
ny eyes ! I've made another mistake ! "
le never made another. In the week ,
hat he was done up in linen bandages
md goose grease his mind as well as his'
> pdy was restored to a healthy condi-
ion.
