ADVICE FOR THE MAIDENS ,
THE REV. DR. TALMAGE
PREACHES ON THE CHOOS
ING OF HUSBANDS.
Not All of the Fair Sex Kindly
Disposed Toward Marriage.
Good "Words for the Old Maids of
This World Especial Care
Necessary.
Infidels to Be Avoided and Selfish Men to
Be Shunned
True Men "Worthy of Honor Advice to the
Young Wife ,
Sptcial to the JTanms CUy Times.
BROOKLYN , , N. Y. , Jan. 17. Tlic Rev. T.
DcWitt Talmage , D. D. , prcacbcd to-day in'
Ihc Brooklyn Tabernacle , the second of his
scries of sermons on "The Marriage Ring. "
Having last ' 'The Choice"
spoken Sunday on of
a Wife , " he to-day preached on "The Choice
of a Husband. " * *
The organist rendered the sonata In C minor ,
t > y Rheiuberger. Congregational singing , led
Ijy Prof. All's cornet , included thatof thebyiuc
beginning :
Awake , my soul , to joyful lays !
And sing thy great Ke'decmcr's praise.
Seleeting his text from Ruth i , 9The Lord
grant you tLat you may find rest , each of you
in the house of Jier husband , " the eloquent
preacher said :
This was the prayer of pious Naomi for Ruth
and Orpah , and _ is an appropriate praver now
"
in behalf of unmarried womanbood. Naomi ,
the good old soul , knew that the devil
would take their cases in hand if God did
not , so she prays : "The Lord grant you that
ye may find rest , each of YOU hi tbe house of
Ler husband. "
GOOD ADVICE TO MAIDENS.
In this series of sermons on "The Marriage
Ing , " I last Sabbath gave prayerful and
Jhrictian advice to men in regard to the selec
tion of a wife , and to-day I give the same
prayerful and Christian advice to women
La regard to the selection of a'husband ,
but in all these sermons saying much that I
lope v > 111 be appropriate for all ages and all
classes.
I applaud the celibacy of a multitude of wo
men who. rather than'make unfit selection ,
liavc made none at all. It has not been a lack
of opportunity for martial contract on their
"
part , but their"own culture and refinement and
their exalted idea as to what u husband ought
to be. have caused their decliuature. They
Lave seen so many women marry imbsclles or
ruffians or incipient sots or life time incapables
or magnificent nothings or men who before
marriage were angelic'and afterward diabolic ,
that they have been alarmed and stoo.1 back.
They saw so manv boats go into the maelstrom
that they steered into other waters. Better
for a woman to live a'one , though she live a
thousand 3ear. * , than to be annexed to one of
these masculine failures with which society is
surfeited. The patron saint of almost
every family circle is some such unmarried
voman and'ninnng all the families of cousins
she moves around and her coming in each
Jiousc is the morning and her going away is
Ihc uight
IJLESSINGS OF AX OLD 3IAID.
In my large circle of kindreds perhaps twen
ty families in all , it was an Aunt Phoebe. Paul
gave u letter of introduction to one whom he
calls "Phoebe our sister , " as she went up from
Cenchrea to Rome , commending her for her
kindness and Christiaa service , and imploring
lor her Jill courtesies. I think Aunt Phoebe
ivas named after her. Was there n sickness in
any df the households , she was there readv to
' sit up and count out the drops of medicine.
"
"Was there-a marriage , she helped deck the
tride for the altar. " Was there a new soul in-
carnnted.-shc was there to rejoice , at the na
tivity. Was there a sore bereavement she was
then" to console. The children rushed out at
her first appearance crying , "Here comes Aunt
Phoebe , " and but for parental interference ,
they would have pulled her down with their
caresses , for she was not very strong , and
many severe illnesses had given her enough-
glimpses of the next world to make her hcav-
vnly-minded. Her table was loaded up with
Baxter's "Saints' Rest , " Doddridge's "Rise
and Progress , " and John Bunyan's ' 'Pilgrim's
Progress , " and like boooks , which have fitted
outwhols generations for the heaven upon
which they have already entered.
A GOOD WOMAN'S XODLE LIFE.
"D'eWitt" said she to "
me one day , "twice
In my'life I have been so overwhelmed with
the love of God that I fainted away and could
"
hardly be resuscitated. Don't tell "mu there is
no heaven. I have seen it twice. " If you
trould know how her presence would soothe an
anxiety or lift a burden or cheer a sorrow , or
leave a blessing on every room in the house ,
ask any of the Taliragcs. She had tarried at
Ler early home , taking earj of an invalid
father , until the bloom "of lifehad somewhat
faded , but she could interest the young folks
with some three or four tender passages in her
own history , so that we all know that it was
"
not lLroug"h lack of opporlunitv'tbat she-was
* : not the queen of one household , instead of
being a benediction on a whole circle of house-
. lirtds. At about 70 years of age she made her
last visit to my house , and when she sat in my
Philadelphia church 1 was more embarrassed
at her presence than by all the audience , be
cause I felt that in religion 1 had got no furtb-
cr than the A B C. while she had learned the
whole alphabet , and for many years had fin
ished the Y and Z.
CAUSE ron DELIUERATION.
When she went out of this life into the next ,
Tvhat a shout there must have been in heaven ,
from the front door clear up to the back seat
in the highest gallery ! I saw the other day in
tbe village cemetery of Somervillc , New Jer
sey , her resting place , the tombstone having
on it the words which thirty years ago she
lold me she would like to have inscribed there ,
namely. "The Morning Cometh. "
Had she a mission in the world ? Certainly.
As much as Caroline Hersehel , first amanuen
sis for her illustrious brother , and then his as
sistant in astronomical calculations , and then
discovering worlds for herself , dying at 93
jears of age , still busy with the stars till she
sped beyond them ; as much as had Florence
Nightengale , the nurse of the Crimea ; or
Grace Darling , the horse-woman of the Long
Stone lighthouse ; o'r Mary Lyon , the teacher
of Mont Holyoke female seminary ; or Hannah
Jloore , the Christain authoress of England ; or
Dorathea Dix , the angel of mercy for the in
sane ; or Anna Etheridge among "the wounded
of Blackburn's fort ; or Margaret Breckeuritlge
at Vicksburg ; or Mary Shclton , distributing
roses , and grapes , and cologne in Western
losnital ; or thousands of other glorious wonym
like them , who never took tlje marriage _ sacra
ment. Appreciate all this , my sister , and it
irill make you deliberate before you rush out
of this single state into another unless you are
sure of betterment
ESPECIAL CAKE NECESSARY.
Deliberate and pray. Prav and deliberate.
As I showed you in my former sermon _ , a
man ought to supplicatedivine guidance in
such crisis ; how much more important than
jou solicit it ! It is easier for a man to find an
appropriate wife than for a woman to lind a
rood husband. Th'is is a matter of arithmetic ,
as I showed in n former discourse. Statistics
show that in Massachusetts and New York
states women have a majority of hundreds rf
thousands. Why this is we leave others to
surmise. It woiid ! seem that woman is a fa-
Torite with the Lord , and that therefore , he
has made more of that kind. From the order
of the creation in paradise , it is evident that
ironian is an improved edition of man. But
whatever be the reason for it , the fact is cer
tain that she who selects a husband has a
smaller number of people to select from than
lie who selects a wife. Therefore , a woman
* v - ought to be especially careful in her choice of
lifetime companionship. She cannot afford to
make a mistake. If a man err in his selection
' lie can.spend his evenings at the cluband dull
liis sensibilities by tobacco smoke , but woman
las no club room'for refuge and would find it-
difficult 10 habituate herself to cigars If ar
i nan make a bad jojb of m/irital selection the
I-
- , .
probability Is that nothing but A funeral can
'
relieve It Divorce cases'in courts may Inter
est the public , hut the love letters of a married
couple arc poor reading except for those who
write them. Pray God thatou be delivered
from Irrevocable mistake !
INFIDELS TO HE AVOIDED. '
Avoid affiance with a dcspiscr of the Chrls-
tlen religion , whatever else he may or may.not
have. 1 Co not say he must needs be a relig
ious man , for Paul says the unbelieving hus
band is sanctified by the wife ; but marriage
with * man who hates the Christian religion
will insure you a life of wretchedness. He will
caricature vour habit of kneeling in prayer.
He will speak dcprccatingly of Christ. He
will woun * "all of the most sacred feelings of
your soul. Ile'wlH out your home under the
anthcma of the Lord God Almighty. In addi
tion to the ansuish with which ne.will fill your
life there Is irjat ; danger that he will despoil
your hope of heaven and make your marriage
relation an Infinite and eternal disaster. If
you have made such engagement j-our first
duty Is to break It My word may come just
in time to save your soul
THE REFORM IDEA NO'fGOOD.
Further , do not unite in marriage with a
man of bad habits with the idea of reforming
him. If now , under the restraint of your pres
ent acquaintance , he will not give up his bad
habits after he has won the prizo you cannot
expect him to do so. You might as well plant
a violet in the face of a northeast storm with
the idea of appeasing it. You might as well
run a schooner a'ongside of a burning ship
with the idea of saving the ship. The conse
quence will be schooner and ship will be
ucstro3-ed together. The almshouse could
tell the story of a hundred women who mar
ried men to reform them. If by 23 years of
age a man has been grappled by intoxicants
he is under such headway that your attempt
to stop him would be very much like running
up the track with a wheelborrow to stop 'a
Hudson river express train. What you call an
inebriate now-a-days Is not a victim to Wine or
whisky , butio logwood and strychnine and
mix votnica. Alf these poisons have kindled
their fires in his tongue and brain , and all
the tears of a wife weeping cannot extinguish
tha flames. Instead of marrying a man to re
form him let him reform first and then give
him time to see whether the reform is to be
permanent. Let him understand that if he
cannot do without his bad habits for two years
he must do without you forever.
A SELFISH MAX TO UK SHDNNED.
Avoid union with one supremely selfish or
so wound up in his occupation , that he has no
room for another. You occasionally find a
man who spreads himself so widely over tbe
path of life that there is no room for any "one
to walk buside him. He is not the one blade
of a. scissors incomplete without the other
blade , but he is a chisel made to cut his way
through life alone , or "a file full of roughness ,
made to be drawn across society without any
affinity for other files. His disposition is a
life long protest against marriage. Others are
so married to their occupation or profession
that the taking of any other bride is a .case of
bigamy. There are men as severely tied to
their literary work as was Chattcrton. whose
essay was not printed' because of the death of
the lord mayor. Chatte ton made out the
following account : "Lost by the lord mayor's
death in this essay , one pound , eleven shillings
and sixpence. Gained in elegies and essays ,
five pounds and five shillings. " Then he put
what he had rained by the lord mayor's death
opposite to what he had lost , and wrote under
It : "And glad he is dead by three pounds ,
thirteen shillings and sixpence. " When a
man is as hop-jlessly literary as that , he ought
to be a perpetual celibatehis library , his lab
oratory , his books are all the companionship
needed.
MIGHTY 51EN WITHOUT WIVES.
Indeed seme of the mightiest men this
world ever saw have not patronized matrimo-
nv. Ccwper , Pope , Newton , Swift , Locke ,
Walpalc , Gibson , Hume , Arbuthnot were sin
gle. Some of these , marriage would have
helped. The right kind of a wife would have
cured Cowper's gloom , and given to Newton
more practicabilityandbecn a relief to Locke's
overtasked brain" A Christian wife might
have converted Hume and Gibbon _ to a belief in
Christianity. But Dean Swift did not deserve
a wife , from the way in which he broke the
heart of Jane Waring first , Esther Johnson
afterward , and last of all "Vanessa. " The
grjat wit of his day , h'e was outwitted by his
own cruelties.
Amid so many possibilities of fatal mistake ,
am I not right in urcing you to seek the un
" "
erring wisdom of God"and "before you arc in
fatuated ? Because most marriages are fit to
be made convinces us that they are divinely ar
ranged. Almost every cradle has an affinity
toward some other cradle. Thev may be on
the opposite side of the earth , but one child
gets out of this cradle and another child gets
out of that cradle , and with their first steps
they start for each other. They may divenre
from the straight path , going toward the
north , or south , or east , or west They may
fall down , but the two rise facing each other.
They are approaching all through infancy.
THE COURSE OF PROVIDENCE.
The one all through the years of boyhood is
' "
going to meet the one who'is coming "through
all the years of girlhood to meet him. The de
cision of parents as to what is bisl concerning
them and the changes of fortune mav for a
time seem to arrc t the two journeys ; Imt on
they go. They may never have "seen each
other. They may never have heard of each
other. But the two pilgrims who started at
the two cradles are nearing. After eighteen ,
twenty or thirtyeirs the two came within
sight At the llrst'glanee they may feel a dis
like , and they may slacken their step ; vet
something that the world calls fate aud that
religion calls Providence urges them on and on.
They tiinsf meet. They corns near enough to
'
join'hands in social acquaintance ; afteraXvhile
to join haud < in friendship ; after awhile to
join hearts. The delegate from the one cradle
comes up the east side of the church with her
father ; the delegate from the other cradle
comes up the west ai le of the church. The
two long journeys end at the snowdrift of the
bridal veil. The two chains made out of manv
years aro forged together by the golden linic
which the irroom puts upon th'e third finger of
the left hand. One on earth , may they be one
in heaven !
NEWSPAPER PERSONALS SHOWN UP.
But there are so many exceptions to thegen-
eral rule of natural affinity , that only those are
safe who pray for a heavenly hand to lead
them. Because they depended on themselves
aud not on God there are thousands of women
every year going to the slaughter. In India
women leap on the funeral pyre of dead hus
bands. Ae .have a worse f-p.'ctacle than that
in America women innumerable leaping on
"the funeral pyre of a living husband.
Avoid all pjropjscd alliances through news
paper advertiseinents. Manv women , just for
Inn , have answered such advertisements , and
have bein led on from step to step to catastro
phe infinite. All the men who write such ad
vertisements are villians and lepers all , with
out a single exception. All ! All I Do you
answer them jut for fun ? I will tell you a
safer and healthier fun. Thrust your hands
through the cage at a menagerie and stroke
the back of a cobra from the East Indies. Put
vour head in the mouth of a Numidiau lion to
see if he will bite. Take a glass Of Parisgrecn
mixed ' .vith some delightful henbane. These
are safer and health'fer fun than answering
newspaper advertisements for a wife.
A MAN FOR A HUSBAND.
My advice is : Marry a man who is a fortune
in himself. Houses , lands and large inher
itances are well enough , but the wheel of for
tune turns so rapidlv that through some in
vestment all these iifa few years may be gone.
There are some things , howeverthat are a per
petual fortune good manners , geniality of
soul , kindness , intelligencesynipath3courage ,
perseverance , industry and whole-heartcdness. j
Marrv such a one and you have married a for
tune , " whether he have"an income now of § 50- , '
000 a year or an income of § 50Dx A bank is se
cure according to its capital stock and not to
be judged by the depnsits for a day or a week.
A man is rich according to his sterling quali
ties , and not according to the vacillation of
circumstances , which may leave with him a
large amount of resources"to-day and withdraw
them to-morrow. If a man is"worth nothing
but money he is poor indeed. If a man have
upright character , he is rich. Property may
come and gohe is independent of the markets.
Nothing can buv him out , nothing can sell him
out He may have more money one year than
another , but his. better fortunes never vacil
late.
NO MEN REALLY PERFECT.
Yet , do vou expect to find a perfect man ? If
you find one without anv faults , incapable of
"
mistakes , never having "guessed rwrongly his
patience never haying beeuperturbed , Immac
ulate , in speech , in temper , in habits , do not
marry him. WhyJ Bccauscypu would enact i
a swindle. What would you do with a perfect
man , who are not perfect yourself ? And how
dare you hitch your impci'f jctioa fast on such
supernatural excellence ? What a companion
vou would make for an angel ; in other words
there are no perfect men. There never was but
one perfect pair , and they slipped down the
hanks'of paradise together. We occasionally
find a man who says he never sins. We know
he lies when he says It We have had financial
dealings with two or three perfect men and
they cheated us woefully. Do not , therefore ,
lock for an immaculate husband , for you will
not find him.
But do not become cynical on this suhjcct
Society has a great multitude of grand men
who know how to make home happy. When
they come to be husbands they evince a nobil
ity of nature and a self-sacrificing spirit that
surprise even the'wifc.
TRUE MEN WORTHY O" HONOR ,
These are the men who cheerfully sit in
' dark and dirty business offices , ten" feet by
twelve , in summer time hard at work , while
the wives and daughters are off at Saratoga ,
Mount Deserter the White Sulphur. These
are the men who , never having had much edu
cation themselves , have their sons at Yale and
Harvard and Virginia university. These arc
the men who work themselves "to death by
fifty years of age , aud goout to Greenwood ,
leaving large estate and generous life insur
ance for their families. There arc husbands
and fathers here bv the hundreds who would
die for their households. If outlawry should
ever become dominant in our cities , they would
stand in their doorway and with their one arm
would cleave down , one by one , fifty invaders ,
face to face , foot to foot , and every stroke a
demolition. This is what makes an army in
defense of a country fight more desperately
than any army of conquest. It is nqt so much
the abstract "sentiment of a Hag as it is wifec
and cLIldren and home , that turns enthusiasm
into a fury. The world has such men by the
million , and the homunculi that infest all our
communities must not hinder women from
appreciating the glory of "true manhood.
CONJUGAL FIDELITY PRAISED.
I was reading of a bridal reception. The
young man hail brought home the choice of
his heart in her elaborate aud exquisite ap
parel. As she stood in the gay drawing room
and amid the gay group , the yo'ung man's eyes
filled with tears of joas he thought that she
was his. Years passed by and they stood in
the same parlor on another festal occasion.
She wore the same dress , for business had not
opened as brightly to the young husband as he
expected and he had never been able to pur
chase for her another dress. Her face was not
as bright and smooth as it had been years be
fore , and a careworn look had made its signa
ture on her countenance. As the husband
looked at her he saw the difference between
this occasion and the former and he went over
where sho sat and said : "You remember the
time when we were here before. You have the
same dress on. Ciicumstances have some
what changed , but you look to me far more
beautiful ttian you diil then. " There is such a
thing as conjugal fidelity and many of you
know it in yoar'own homes.
I .ONLY GOD CAN DIRECT ARIGHT.
| But , after all the good advice we may give
you , we come back to the golden pillar from
which we started , the trcmenduous truth that
no one but God can guide you in safety about
this matter , that may decide your happiness
for two worlds , this and the next. So , my
sister , I put your case where Naomi put that of
Ruth and Orpah when she said : "The Lord
grant you that ye may find rest , each of you iu
the house of her husband. "
I I imagine the hour for which you pledged
your troth has arrived. There is much merry
making among your young friends , but there
is an undertone of sadness in all the house.
Your choice may have been the gladdest and
the best and the joy of the whole round of
relatives , but when a"young eaglet is about to
leave the nest and is preparing to put out into
sunshine and storm for itself , it feels its wings
tremble someuhat. So she has a good cry
before leaving home , and 'at the marriage
father and mother always cry , or feel like it.
NOT EASY TO GIVE HER UP.
If you think it Is easy to give up a daughter
In marriage , though it'be with brightest pros
pects , you will think differently when the day
comes. To have all along watched her from ,
infancy to girlhood , and from girlhood to wo
manhood , studious of her welfare , her slight
est illness an anxiety , and her presence in
your home an ever-increasing joy , and then ,
have her go away to some other home aye ,
all the redolence of orange blossoms , and "all
the chime of marriage bells , aud all tbe rolling
of wedding march in full diapason , and all the
hilarious congratulations of your friends can
" "
not make you"forget that you"arc suffering a
loss irreparable. But you know it is all right , '
and you have a remembrance of an embarka
tion just like it twenty-five or thirty years ago ,
in which you were one of the parties"and , blip-
pressing as far as possible your sadness , you
say "Good bye. "
ADVICE TO THE YOUNG ; WIFE.
I hope that you , the departing daughter ,
will not forget to write often home ; for what
ever betide you , the old folks will never lose
their interest in your welfare. Make visits to
them also , as often and stay as long as you
can , for there wili be changes at the old home
after awhiie. Every time you go you will find
more gray hairs on father's head , and more
wrinkles on mother's brow , and , after awhile
you will notice that the elastic step has be
come decrepitude. And some day one of the
two pillars of your early home will fall , anil
after awhile the"other pillar of that home will
fall , and it will be a comfort to yourself if ,
when they are gone , you can feel that while
you are faithful in your new home , you never
forget your old home and the first friends you
ever had , aud those to whom you are more" in
debted than you ever can be to any one else ,
except to God I mean your father and mother.
Alexander Pope put it in effective rhythm ,
when he said :
Me , let the tender pfllce lonvr engage
To rock the cradle of reposing age ;
With lenient arts extend a motlier's breath ,
Make languor smile aud smoothe the bed of
death ;
Explore the thought , explain ihe asking eye ,
And keep awhile one parent f-om the sky.
And now I commend all this precious and
splendid young womanhood before me to-dav ,
to the tiod "who tetteth the solitary in fam
ilies. "
Bill Xyc at a New York Hotel.
"I told thewaiter at my table yester
day thatwhen , lie got time I wisiied lie
would come up to my room and we
would have a game of "old sledge. lie
is a nice young man and puts himself
out a good deal to make me comforta
ble.
ble."I
"I found something yesterday at the
table that bothered me. It was a new
kind of a silver dingus , with two han
dles to it , for getting : v lump of sugar
into your tea. I saw right away that it
was for that , but when I took the two
handles in my hand like : i nut cracker
and tried to scoop up a lump of sugar
with it I felt embarrassed. Several peo
ple who were total strangers to me
smiled. .
"After dinner the waiter brought me
a little pink glass bowi of lemonade
and a clean wipe to dry my mouth with ,
I reckon , after I drank the lamonade.
I did not pine for lemonade much , any
how , but this was specially poor. It
was iusfc plain water , with a" lemon rind
and no sugar into it.
"One rural rooster from Pittsburg
showed his contempt for the blamed
stuff by washing his liands in it. I may
be rough and uncouth in my style , bub
I hope I will never lower myself like
that in company. " Chicago News.
The widow of the late James Thomas ,
the millionaire tobacconist of Richmond ,
Va. , who died about two years since ,
has donated ten thousand dollars to the
Bichmond College as a memorial o
him.
him.A
A Rochester clergyman offers this as a sam
ple entry in a church member's account-book :
"Cigarettes , $10 ; ice-cream , § 2.50 ; amuse
ments , $5 ; summer recreation , $15 ; for the
church , SO cents.
\
9Y HMENP METJETEIER.
/ROJI THE FKEXCn OP FKAXCOIS COP-
PEE.
I was at one time employed in a Gov-
: rnmcnt office. Every day from 10
mtil 4 o'clock I became a voluntary
> risoner in a depressing office , adorned
vith yellow pasteboard boxes , and filled
nth the musty odor of old papers.
Chere I breakfasted on Italian cheese
; nd apples , which Iroasted at the grate ;
' i ead the morning papers , even to the
vdvertisements ; I rhymed verses , and I
iltended to theaffairs of state to the cx-
, ent of drawing , at the end of each
nonth , a salary which barely kept me
jrom starving.
I recall to-day one of my companions
n captivity at that epoch. lie was
jailed Archille Mcurtrier , and certainly
lis fierce look and his tall form seemed
warrant that name. He was a great
jig fellow , about forty years old , with-
jut too much chest or shoulders , but
! vho wore felt hats with wide brims ,
short , but ample coats , large plaid
xousers , and red neckties under rolling
: ollars. He wore a full beard , long
. .uir , and was very proud of his hairy
lands. The chief boost of Meurtrier ,
) thcrwise the best and most amiable of
iompanions , was to trifle with an ath-
etic constitution , to possess the biceps
jf a prize fighter , and , as hs said him-
. elf , not to know his own strength ,
fie never made a gesture even in the ex-
jrcise of his peaceable profession that
lid not have for its object to convince
he spectators of his prodigious vigor.
fid he have to take from its case an
smpty pasteboard box , he advanced
; oward the shelf with the heavy step of
i street porter , grasped the box solidly
ivith a tight hand , and carried it with a
rtiff arm as far as the next table with a
ihruggingof shoulders and frowning of
arow worthy of Milo of Crotona. lie
: arried this manner so far that he novel
ised less apparent effort even to lift the
tightest objects , and one day when he
held in his right liana. a basket of old
papers , I saw him extend his left arm
Horizontally as if to make a counter
poise to the tremendous weight.
I ought to say that this robust crea-
rare inspired me with a profound rc-
? pect , for I was then , even more than
! o-day , physically weak and delicate ,
ind in consequence filled with admi
ration for that energetic physique
crhich I lacked.
The conversations of Meurtrier
s"erc not of a nature to dimmish the
idniiration with which he inspired
me. Above all , in the summer , on
Monday mornings , when he had re
turned to the oilice after our Sunday
holiday , he had an inexhaustible fund
of stories concerning his adventures
and feats of strength. After having
: akcu oft' his felt hat , his coat and his
rest , and having wiped tiie perspira-
: ion from his forehead with the sleeve
} f his shirt to indicate his sanguine
ind ardent temperament , he would
thrust his hands deep in the pockets
of his trousers , and , standing near me
in an attitude of perpendicular solid
ity , begin a monologue something as
follows :
"What a Sunday , my boy ! Pos
itively no fatigue can lay me up.
Think of it yesterday was the regat
ta at' Joinville-le-Pont at 6 o'clock in
.he morning the rendezvous at Bcrcy
for the crew of the Marsouin the sun
s up we jump into our rowing suits
ind seize the oar and give way one-
iwo , one-two as far as Joinvillu ;
then overboard for a swim before
breakfast ; strip to swimming draw-
3rs , a jump overboard , and look out
For squalls. After my bath I have the
-ippctitc of a tiger. Good ; I seized the
ooat by one hand and I call out. Char-
pentier , pass me a small ham. Three
motions in one time and I have fin
ished it to the bone. Charpenticr , pass
me the brandy llask. Three swallows
and it is empty. "
So the description would continue
dazling , Homeric.
' The hour for the regatta noon ,
' .he sun just overhead. The boats
draw iip in line on the river , before a
tent gaudy with streamers. On the
bank the Mayor , with his scarf of of-
Gcc , gendarmes in yellow shoulder
belts , and a swarm of summer dresses ,
open parasols , and straw hats. Bang !
The signal gun is fired , the Marsouin
shoots forward of her competitors
and gains the first prize , and no
fatigue. We dine at Creteil. How
cool the evening in the dusky arbor ;
pipes glcw in the darkness , and
moths singe their wings in the flame
of the emelelte an kirsch. At the end
of a dessert served on decorated
plates , we hear from the ball room
the call of the cornet. Take places
for the quadrille ! But already a rival
crew beaten that same morning , has
monopolized the prettiest girls. A
fight ! teeth broken , eyes blackened ,
ugly falls , and whacks below the belt ;
In a word , a poem of physical enthu
siasm , of noisy hilarity , of. animal
spirits ; without speaking of the re
turn at midnight on crowded plat
forms , with girls whom we lift into
the cars , friends separated , calling
from one end of the train to the other ,
and fellows playing a horn upon the
roof. "
And the evenings of my astonishing
companion were not less full of adven
ture than his Sundays. Collar-and-
elbow wrestling' in a tent , under the
red light of torches , between him , sim-
flo amateur , and Dubois , the iron man
in person rat chjses near the mouth of
sewers vith dogs as fierce as tigers
sanguinary encounters at night in the
most dangerous quarters with ruffians
and nose caters were the most insigni
ficant episodes of his nightly career.
Xor do I dare relate other adventures of
a more intimate character , frpm which ,
as the writers of an earlier day would
say in noble style , a pen the least timor
ous would recoil witli horror.
However painful it may bo to confess
an unworthy sentiment , I am obliged to
say that my admiration for Meiurtrier
was not unmixed with regret and bit
terness , perhaps with envy. But the
recitation of his most marvelous ex
ploits had never awakened in me the
least feeling of credulity , and Achille
Meurtrier easily took his place in my
mind among heroes and dcmi gods , be
tween Roland and Pirithous.
II.
At this time I was a great wanderer
in the suburbs , and I occupied the leis
ure of my summer evenings by solitary
walks in those distant regions , as un
known to the Parisians of the Boule
vards as the countrj' of the Curibbses ,
and of whose somber charm I endeav
ored later to tell in verse.
An evening in July , hot and dusty ,
at the hour when the first gaslights
were beginning to twinkle in the misty
twilight , I was walking slowly from
Vaugirard , through one of those long
and depressing suburban streets lined
on each side by houses of unequalled
height , whose porters and portresses in
shirt sleeves and calico sat on the steps
and imagined that they were taking the
fresh air. Hardly anyone passing in
the whole street , perhaps a mason
white with plaster , a sergent de ville , a
child carrying home a four pound loaf
larger than himself , or a young girl hur
rying on in hat and cloak with a leather
bag on her arm , and every quarter hour
the half empty omnibus coming back to
its place of departure with the heavy
trot of its tired horses.
Stumbling now and then on the pave
ment , for asphalt is an unknown luxury
in these places , I went down the
street tasting all the charms of a strol
ler. Sometimes I stopped before an
enclosure to watch through the broken
boards the fading glories of the setting
sun , and the black silhouettes of the
chimneys thrown against a greenish
sky. Sometimes through an open win
dow on the ground Iloor I caught sight
of an interior , picturesque and familiar ;
here a jolly looking laundress holding
her Hat iron to her cheek ; there work
men sitting at tables and smoking in
the ground Iloor of a cabaret , while an
old Bohemian , standing before them ,
sang something about liberty , accom
panying himself on an old guitar.
Suddenly I stopped.
One of these personal pictures had
caught my eye by its domestic and
charming simplicity. She look so hap
py and peaceful in her simple little
room , the dear old lady in her black
dress and widow's cap , leaning back in
an easy chair covered with green
Utrecht velvet , and sitting quietly with
her hands folded on her lap. Every
thing around her was so old. and seem
ed to have been preserved , less through
a wise economy than on account of
hallowed memories , sincu the honoy-
moon with Monsieur of the high com
plexion , in a frock coat and flowered
waistcoat , whose oval crayon ornament- '
ed the wall. By two lamps on the
mantle shelf every detail of the old-
fashioned furniture could be distinguish
ed , from the clock on a lish of artilical
and painted marble to the old and anti
quated piano , on which , without doubt ,
as a young girl in leg-of-mutton sleeves
and with her hair dressed a la grecque ,
she played the airs of Romagnesi.
Certainly a loved and only daughter ,
remaining unmarried through her affec
tion for her mother , piously watched
over the last years of the widow. It
was she , I was sure , who had so ten
derly placed hcrdear mother , she who
had put the ottoman under her feet , she
who placed near her the inlaid table
and arranged on it tiie waiter and the
two cups. I expected already to see
her coming in , carrying the evening
coffee , the sweet , calm girl , who should
be dressed in mourning like the widow
and resemble her very much.
Absorbed by the contemplation of a
scene so sympathetic , and by thpr
pleasure of imagining that humble
poem , I remained standing some steps
from the open window , sure of not be- '
ing noticed in the dusky street , when I
saw a door open and there appeared
oh how far he was from my thoughts at
that moment my friend Meurtrrer him
self , the formidable hero of tilts on the
river and frays in unknown places.
A sudden doubt crossed me. I felt
that I was on the point of discovering a
mystery.
It was he , indeed. His terrible hairy
hand held a tiny silver coffeepot , and
he was followed by a poodle , which
greatly embarrassed his steps a valiant ;
and classic poodle , the of poodle blind
clarinctte players , a poor beggar's poo
dle , a poodle clipped like a lion , witli
hairy ruffles on his four paws , and a l' '
white mustache like a General of the
Gymnase.
"Mamma , " said the giant , in a tone J
of ineffable tenderness , "here is yout
coffee. I am sure that you will lind il
nice to-night. The water was boiling
well , and I poured it on drop by drop. ' '
"Thank you , " said the old lady , roll
ing her easy chair to the table with ar
air ; "thank you. my little A--i' .
Your dear father said many a time that
there was not my equal at making cof
fee ho was so kind and indulgent , the
dear , good man but I begin to believe
that you are even better than me. "
At that moment , and while Mcur
trier was pouring out the coffee with
all the delicacy of a young girl , the
poodle , excited no doubt by the un
covered sugar , placed his forepaws on
the lap of his mistress.
"Down , Medor , " she cried , with a
benevolent indignation. "Did . .anyone
ever see such a troublesome animal !
Look here , sir ! you know very well that
your master never fails to give you the
last of his cup. By the way , " said the
widow , addressing her son , "you have
taken the poor fellow out , have you
not ? "
" " ho in a
"Certainly , mamma , replied
tone that was almost infantile. "I have
just been to the creamery for your
milk , and I put the leash and collar on
Medor and took him with me. "
Reassured on this point , important to
canine hygiene , the good dame drank
her coffee , between her son and her dog ,
who each regarded her with inexpress
ible tenderness.
It was assuredly unnecessary to see
or hear more. I had already divined
what a peaceful family life , upright ,
pure and devoted , my friend Mcurtrier
hid under his chimerical gasconades.
But the spectacle with which chanccr
had favored me was' at once so droll and
so touching that I could not resist the
temptation to watch a few moments
longer ; that indiscretion sufficed to show
me the whole truth.
Yes , this type of roisterers , who
seemed to have stepped from one of the
romances of Paul dc Kock.this athlete ,
this despot of bar-rooms and public
houses , performed , simply and cour
ageously , in these lowly rooms in the
suburbs , the sublime duties of a sister
of charity. This intrepid oarsman had
never made a. longer voyage than to
conduct his mother to mass or vespers
every Sunday. This billiard expert only
knew how to play besque. This trainer
of bulldogs was the submissive slave of
a poodle.
nr.
Next morning on arriving at the office
E asked Meurtrier how lie had employed
the previous evening , and he instantly
improvised , without the least hesitation ,
an account of a sharp encounter on the
Boulevard , where he had knocked down
with a single blow of his list , having
passed his thumb through the ring of
his keys , a terrible street rough.
I listened , smiling ironically , and
thinking to confound him , but , remem
bering how respectable a virtue is which
is hidden even under an absurdity , I
struck him on the shoulder , and said
with conviction : "Muertricr , you are a
hero.- '
The Tables Neatly Turned.
A IG-year-old youth named Christ
Winkelman was brought before Justice
King on the complaint of Sebastian
rlendcnmcyer , a saloon-keeper , who
charged Christ with having stolen three
cigars valued at twenty-five cents ,
llendenmeycr had brought his wife and
family to prove the fact. Christ had no
witnesses and no friends to defend him
from the extremity of the law.
"What was the boy doing at j'otir sa
loon ? " asked Justice King of the com
plaining witness.
"He vas drinking beer. "
"Was he drunk ? "
"Yes , sir ; he comes to my place
every little while and gets drunk. " I
"That'll do , " said his Honor. "I'll
fine him just § 1 , and you Mr. Henden-
meyer , may step over to that desk and
pay .1 fiae of $10 the utmost tlxj law
allows. I have
arraigned you on a
charge of selling liquor to a minor , and
you are convicted on your own tcsti-
timony. ' ' llujj'alo Express.
A G-ood Memory.
A curious example of fine penman
ship and remarkable memory was
shown to us a day or two since , in the
shape of a , perfect list of the members
af the executive and legislative
branches of our State government ,
which was written from memory by Mr.
GF. . Browyi , representative-elect from
Hamilton. As a feat of memory , with
out reference to any list , this was re
markable , and the more so , as evcrv
zounty and town or city residence was
ilso accurately noted. But the most re
markable and really astonishing feat
ure of the case is , that every word was
ivrittcn backward that is , from ri rht
to left , and beginning at the bottom of
Lhe page and at the last letter of each
word : and to cap all , the hand writing
would answer for a fair specimen of the
accomplishments of a good writin"-
school teacher. Salem Gazelle.
He Had a Scheme.
He was coming down the avenue hold-
ng on with both hands to a chain , at
he other end of
which was an enor
mous hound , when he was met by a
friend , who inquired :
"Hello , Charlie , my dear boy , where
lid you get that big brute ? "
"Bought him. don't you know ? "
"Yes , but he'll pull your arms out of
joint. "
"Tell the truth , my dear boy , he docs
pull ; but I got him for that , you know. "
"Ah , but I don't understand you. "
"Sh ! don't breathe a word , ( fear fel
low , but when I pass turn round and
xe how lovely my coat fits iirthe bock/ '
New York Mail 'ind
