MY OWN COUNTRY.
The west wind blows , the ruffled rose
IB drooping In the vale ;
The fragrant flow'rs of woodland bow'rs
Make sweet the cooling pale.
Earth's flow'rs may bloom awhile for some ,
But nevermore for me !
The sun is low , and I must go
Home to my own country.
Oh , sweet and fair the flower there ,
Yea , sweeter far than here :
One spring for aye ; one endless day :
Fields never turning sere !
Oh , sweet arc all the streams that roll
Along each heavenly lea !
No pain nor gloom can ever coma
Into my country.
I would not live : I could not grlevo
Loncer in this strange land ,
Since I may tread the streets o'er spread
"With gold by God's own hand !
Ah 1 then adieu , sweet friends , to you ;
Would you could go with me ;
To walk the streets , and taste the sweets
Which bless iny own country.
Oh.'Stay notion ; ; when I am gone ;
Come over soon to me :
You're welcome where the blest ones are ,
Come lo my own country !
Earth's flowers may bloom awhile for some ,
But nevermore for me !
The sun is low , and I must go
Home to my own country.
6f. IV Kclloman , in Hie Current.
AS ODD MISTAKE :
Mr. Graywas a manwho had com
mitted a great blunder. Ho had retired !
And now time hung heavy on his
"lands , and he knew not what to do
with himself. So , for the lack of bet
ter occupation he took to calling on a
certain plump widow of his acquain
tance , who had a remarkably pretty
daughter.
Bessie Peploe was a younger edition
of her mother. They had the same
black eyes , rosy cheeks and , truth com
pels us to add , the same quick ? temper.
"I'll never marry old Gray , " Bessie
told Mrs. Peploe , defiantly , after the
manner of the young lady who refused
a man before he "axed her , " for Mr.
Gray had not yet proposed , although
every evening he presented himself at
the widow's dwelling , and sat by the
fireside in the most comfortable chair in
the room.
"We shall see , " returned the elder
lady , and her bright eyes Hashed , for
he had scalier mind upon the mar
riage , and already regarded Bessie as
"Uiomistress of Mr. Gray's comfortable
douse in the high street of the little
vown in which they resided.
"Yes , we shall see , " muttered Bes-
ric , and putting on her hat slipped out
to have a walk with her admirer , Jack
Wilkins , to whom she confided her
trouble.
Jack was poor , and for that reason
jad refrained from offering his hand to
"
pretty Bessie ; but when "she told him
that old Gray was after her he could no
longer disguise his feelings , and before
they parted the girl he loved had con
sented to be his wife.
"What will mother say ? " thought
"
Bessie with a sigh , as they parted at "the
gate of Mrs. Peploe's cottage. "That
horrid man will be there. "
That horrid man was there , in an
armchair opposite Mrs. Peploe.
He smiled at Bessie as she entered ;
but Bessie frowned on him in return ,
ind his face fell. That evening the girl
tvas absolutely sullen ; she spoke in
monosyllables , and ill-temper deprived
her pretty face of half its beauty.
" 1 am afraid her mind is set against
it , " Mr. Gray told himself with a sigh ,
> 4and we might all be so happy if she
could only look at the matter in a
oroper light ; but I suppose it's natur
al. "
And he redoubled his efforts to be
agreqable poor little man ! for he had
an affectionate heart , and his big house
was dull and lonely.
But Bessie's face never relaxed its
set expression. She hated the man ,
und meant to let him see it , in defiance
of her mother's angry glances. What
business had a man old enough to be
aer father to come courting her ?
"You have behaved disgracefully , "
her mother said , when Mr. Gray had
taken his departure. "It is so wicked
to trifle with the love of any man. "
"I have never trilled with his love , "
replied her daughter. "He must know
that I hate him. I have never at
tempted to disguise it ; now , have I ,
mother ? "
"You are a fool , " replied her moth
er , bluntly. "Mr. Gray is the best
chance you have ever had , or will ever
have , and I insist upon your saying yes
when he asks you to be his wife. "
"Mother , " cried Bessie , impulsively ,
throwing her arms around her moth
er's waist , hiding her face in her bos
om. "Mother , I have already said yes
to somebody else somebody I love
dearly. "
"What ! " gasped Mrs. Peploe , free
ing herself from her daughter's em
brace. "What ! "
"It is true enough , " said Bessie , in a
faltering tone. "Jack has asked me to
marry him and I have said yes. "
"Without consulting me ! " exclaimed
her mother angrily , looking at her with
a stern , reproachful face.
"I love him , " returned Bessie. "He
is the only man in the world I could
ever care for. "
"Stuff and nonsense ! " cried Mrs.
Peploe. "Even if I liked the young
man which I don't your marrying
would be out of the question. He can't
afford to keep you. "
"I am not afraid of poverty , " said
Bessie , bravely ; "besides , we are not
going to marry in haste. We can
wait ? '
"Poor fool ! " and Mrs. Peploe's lips
curled. "I know what this waiting
means for a woman. She goes on trust
ing and believing in his promises ; and
then , when her _ beauty has faded , he
turns round and marries someone else. "
"Even theu , " said Bessie , "the wo
man is better off than if she had tied
herself to somebody she could not
love. "
"Oh , yes , you are mad quite mad , "
returned Mrs. Peploe ; "but , thank
goodness , .you have a mother who
won't allow you to make an idiot of
yourself. You will marry Mr. Gray ,
and forget all about that misguided
yonng man , who ought to be ashamed
of himself. "
"What for ? " asked Bessie , with re
sentment.
"For proposing to a girl whom he
has no means of Keeping in comfort , "
returned Mrs. Peploe. "You are a
pair of lunatics ; but , fortunately , I've
some sense left , and I won't stand by
and see my daughter ruined for life. "
And she flounced off to bed without
giving Bessie the usual good-night kiss.
Poor girl , she missed it sorely , and
sobbed herself to sleep ; but she meant
to be true to Jack all the same. Not
even her mother's anger would induce
her to give him up and marry old Gray.
She treated the object of his dislike
with the greatest coldness on tho next
visit , and succeeded in making him
look thoroughly miserable. But he
brightened considerably when Mrs.
Peploe , to atone for her daughter's
rudeness , sought to engage him m con
versation. Indeed , tho grateful little
man ventured to give tho elderly lady's
hand a genuine squeeze when he rose
to take his departure , and , to his sur
prise and joy , it was warmly reI
turned.
"Now , if Miss Pcploo would only got
over her objection , how happy and |
comfortable we should all be , " he
thought as he trudged home. "Hulloa ! " j
coming suddenly face to face with a
handsome young fellow in a shabby
ulster. "How how are you , Jack Wil- ,
kins ? "
"Oh , I'm all right , thank you , " said
Jack , sulkily , and strode on without I
another word , while little Mr. Gray
stood gazing after him with a look of .
comprehension on his face.
" 1 suppose she has been telling him
all about it , " he said to himself , with a
sigh. "It's natural , I suppose , but it's
selfish , too. Yes , it's a little bit selfish
of them. " And , shaking his head , the
old gentleman knocked at the door of
his lionse that large , gloomy house
that had never seemed homelike since
the death of that sister who had been
his right hand.
That evening Bessie was not at home.
She had gone out to tea with some
friends , Mrs Peploe said. |
"I'm glad she's not at home , clear
Mrs. Peploe , " said Mr. Gray , looking
very red and nervous.I am glad she
is not at home , because it gives me an
opportunity of saying something that
is near to my heart. " , ,
He edged a little nearer to the widow
as she spoke , and she smiled at him in
an encouraging way. She was a hand
some woman , and her smile revealed
the whitest teeth in the world. j
"Pray , go on , Mr. Gray , " she said ,
"I am all attention. "
Mr. Gray coughed and looked exa
cessively uncomlorlable. He wished
that the widow would avert her bright
eyes from his face ; her steady gaze
confused him and he scarcely knew
what he was going to say. He hardly
liked to risk popping the question , for
refusal would mean banishment from
the cheerful fireside where he had spent
so many pleasant hours. But the widI
ow was waiting for him to speak , and
he could not back out now ; he had gone
too far. Poor little man ! His heart
was beating like a sledge hammer. *
How still the room was. He started
as the ashes dropped upon the hearth.
This awful silence must be broken , or
what would the widow think of him ? s
He must say something. *
"You must have known my object in
coming here so often , " he blurted out s
at last.
"Well , I think I have guessed it , "
returned Mrs. Peploe , continuing the
stitches in the stocking she was knit-
ting. v
"I thought you would , " observed Mr. "
Gray , considerably embarrassed by her n
reply , but relieved at the same time , for
it saved him the ordeal of a long ex- *
planation. "Well , since you have "
guessed my secret , can you give me
dope ? " e
The widow was silent for a few mo-
ments , and Mr. Gray gazed at her in Sl
the deepest anxiety"his heart throbbing
with joy and fear. His home would u
seem more lonely than ever if he re- *
turned to it a disappointed man. P
"I will be frank with you , " she said c
presently. "As far as I am concerned "
there is no possible objection to the n
marriage , but Bessie is so young and "
foolish that - " v
"Oh , yes ! I thought she would ob- "
jeet , " said Mr. Gray rubbing his face ?
with a red silk handkerchief. "But is
don't you think you could bring her is
round ? I'll be so kind to her that I'm n
sure she would get over her dislike of n
the idea. Now couldn't you induce her is
to be more reasonable ? " is
" 1 have tried my best , " said the widn.
pw , with a deep sigh. "But the girl
is wild and headstrong. I seem , to have n
Lost all influence overher. " ®
"Then , after all , there is no hope for "
me , " said Mr. Gray , looking terribly
crest-fallen. "I thought we should be *
such a happy family we four. " "
"We four ? " repeated Mrs. Peploe , a
staring at him as if she thought he had "
completely taken leave of his senses. *
"Yes , we four ! Why not ? " asked1
Mr. Gray. "I know Jack Wilkins is a
very fond of Bessie , and I fancied we *
should all be happy together if I could "
"
only induce you to say"'yes ! ' "
"Then it is not Bessie you want , " t
said the widow , dropping stitches in her "
stocking and blushing like a girl , as the *
truth flashed through her mind. c
"Bessie ! " exclaimed Mr. Gray , laugh- *
ing heartily. "What should I want n
with a child like that. Didn't you
know , here he grew suddenly grave , n
"that it was you I wanted , Jane ? " n
"We all thought it was Bessie , " "
stammered Mrs. Peploe. "Oh , what a "
fool I have been ! " e
"Don't say that , " returned Mr. Gray ,
in a sad tone of voice. "It is I who
have been a fool to think you could
ever care for me. " E
The widow made no reply to this , but e
gave him a glance that spoke volumes. a
In another moment his arms were
around her waist , and he had stolen a j (
kiss.
kiss."And
"And you think that Bessie won't ob- e
ject ? " he asked anxiously. (
"I am sure she won't , " returned Mrs.
Peploe , with a twinge of conscience , as of
she thought of the way in which she
had received Bessie's confession of love
p
for Jack Williams. * .
"I don't know so much about that , "
said a merry voice from the doorway ,
and Mr. Gray hastity withdrew his arm sc
from the widow's waist as Bessie enterai
ed the room. &
That kiss had opened the young
lady's eyes as to the real state of affairs
and she knew in a moment that her
mother had been the real object of Mr.
Gray's affections. But why had. she
not seen it before ? She was angry with
herself for being such an idiot What
in the world would Jack say ? Would
he be pleased to find that Mr. Gray was
an imaginary rival ? >
Bessie pulled aside the blind and
looked out to see Jack , who had escort
ed her home , standing on the opposite
pavement with his eyes fixed on the
cottage. Mr. Gray followed her , and ,
after peering over her shoulder , vanish
ed from the room , while at the same
moment her mother called her away
from i the window.
"Bessie , " said Mrs. Peploe , between
laughter 1 and crying , "forgive me for
all the hard things I said of you. "
"I will , indeed , " returned Ressiet
heartily 1 , as she kissed her mother.
"But what fools we have been ! We
must have been as blind as bats not to
see that it was you he wanted all the
time. I "
Just then tho door opened , and Mr.
Gray entered , accompanied by Jack
Wilkins. The four looked at each other
in silence for a few minutes , and then ,
11 tickled by the absurdity of the situation ,
Jack i went into convulsions of laughter.
His ] mirth was contagious and ail
laughed ] merrily , although Bessie tried
to I look indignant.
"All's well that ends well , " observed
Mr. ] Gray , rubbing his hands , then he
bent 1 forward and audaciously kissed
Mrs. ] Peploe right before the eyes of the
young people. .
It was not long before a double wed
ding was celebrated , Mr. Gray having
lent 1 Jack the money to start in business
for himself , and from that day to this
neither of the two couples have re
gretted their choice.
The Horseman.
All horsemen look alike. They may
have different features , may be of differ
ent sizes , may be different in a thou
sand ways , yet they all look alike.
Horsemen are born , not made by the
capriciousncss of circumstances. Trace
a horseman back to the days of his
childhood. As a boy he cared but little
for school-yard sport. He ignored a
ball and looked with contempt upon
"bull " and " . "
pen" "sheep meat. His
peculiar habits impressed the school
master. "That boy , " he would often
say , "will be something cpreat. Just
notice him. He is taciturn and peculiar ,
and , to tell you the truth , I believe he
will develop into a poet. " Follow the
boy. ' When he arrives at home , he
does not haul out a truck wheel wagon
or a bow and arrow. He goes to the sta
ble aud looks at the horse. The horse
may be an inferior animal and his neck
may ] be long instead of being . arched ,
yet the boy watches him with interest.
He curries the horse and rubs him with
a piece of blanket. Education with
this boy is a side issue. The horse is
supreme. The boy may be sent to col
lege ' and may be graduated with high
honors , yet his thoughts dwell not upon
the masters of learning , the great poets
and scientists whom his classmates wor
shipped but upon the horse. He knows
the ' records of all the fast horses and he is
happy when he can escape from his
stilled surroundings and indulge his
soul in a talk with a livery etable man.
To him a Jay-Eye-See : s a Daniel
Webster , and a Goldsmith Maid can
take the placa of a Henry Clay. If he
value man at all , it is as a horse medi
um. To him , the man who knows
most with regard to horses is most in
telligent , for , changing a little from
Pope , a well made horse is the noblest
work of God.
The horse boy leaves home at an
early age , and starts out for himself.
He secures employment in a livery
stable and is happy , not on account ot
the pay which he receives , but because
he can feast his eye on horse flesh. By
this time his features or rather some
part of his face has received that pe
culiar stamp which distinguishes all
horsemen. He has forgotten his gram
mar , and many words of refinement
have slipped from his memory , but the
vocabulary which ho so dearly loves
lias . been enriched by many horse terms.
Now he talks horse with old men and
flattered when they tell him that he
well posted. When he takes up a
newspaper he turns at once to tho horse
news. If there be but little the paper
dull. If there be much , the paper
very entertaining. As a rule he docs
not . become a drunkard. He does not' ' b.
always become a sporting man , though h
ho is passionately fond of the race h
course simply because he sees so many
fine horses there. When he grows old &
and settles down on a farm , he has fine r
horses and is vexed because his sons k
do not worship them. His last days' ' si
are spent in the stable. Early at morntl
ing he totters out to look at Dick , old s
Cal and Juno. He is now an oracle. | d
The horse boy who has come from ti
afar listens with reverence to him , T
treasures up the words which the old n
man treasured up when he was a boy. e
On his death bed , the old man , upon , ja
the ] careful , silent entrance of his horse
man , looks up and asks about the horses.
He is not so anxious with regard to his
children for he knows that they can
take ! care of themselves , but his horses T ,
must be governed with a rod to
which they are not accustomed. He
has spent & horse life. He knew many w
men , but horses introduced them to
him. He valued men , but it was from
the horse standpoint. Arkansaw Trav bi
eler. ( bim
The Doctor Nonplused.
A little fellow happened into Dr. 8
Hutchins' office a few days ago on an i. 8ei
errand. : The physician looked him over if
and rather startingly remarked : ei
"You're just the kind of a boy I'm
looking for. I'm going to kill you. "
The small chap was not a whit abash
ed , but looking wisely up into the doch
tor s face , asked :
"Do you kill many boys in the course Q
" IE
the year ?
The doctor gave him a quarter in tc
place of a dime , and forgot to ask for "a' '
the change. Minneapolis Tribune.Ui
Miss Murfree , the Tenncsaee novelist , writes its
plainly that the letters in her script are big s :
and clear enough to be read by the ordinary j bl
eye some four feet away. 1 Vi
A SAD EXPERIENCE.
How a Tenderfoot Is Broken Into
tlio Ways of the "Wyoming
Cowboys.
A tenderfoot , or green hand , is not
very cordially received by the cowboys
writes a Cheyenne , Wyoming , corre
spondent of TlieSanFranciscoChronide.
Wages are much lower than they used
to be , and the riders blame the numer
ous recruits for the depreciation. Many
of the ncAvcomers quit the business after
the first season , disgusted with their
hardships , so that although there is a
plentiful supply of apprentices , they
never develop into plenty of good hands ,
and the experienced riders in an out
fit have to do more than their share ol
the work. The most unpopular speci
men of tenderfoot is the youngster
whose father sends lim out to the range
to spend a college vacation or break
extravagant habits. These "New York
dudes , " as they are indiscriminately
called , are always sons of the stock-
"
owner's friends" and they are prone ,
especially if fresh from college , to think
very contemptuously of an illiterate
puncher. If they let such a scutimeu
manifest itself the puncher promptly
displaj's his sense of equality , if not ,
indeed , of superiority , and is quitt
ready to try conclusions on the spot.
He "dearly loves to guy a conceited
youth , and docs it very thoroughly
when he sets about it.
"So you're from college , are you ,
Johnnie ? We had a college buck in
the 'Two Bar G : last year. Told us his
old man was going to give him a big
herd of his own , and gave every waddy
in the outfit a sons : , and dance about
hiring him for his boss. When the
round-up was camped nigh town he
borrowed one buck's $30 spurs and
another buck's $100 bridle , because
he wanted to have his picture taken
with a pony. Then he went back to
college. You're pretty lean , ain't you ,
Johnnie ? I reckon it ain't polite to
call you Johnnie. Let's call him Fatty
he'll fill up to it when he gits some
old pcrslick bacon and beans into him.
Can you ride , Fatty ? "
Perhaps the bony youth rather fan
cies himself as a horseman and says : "I
have been riding ever since I was 1C
year ? old. I haven't tried my saddle
yet , and I never rode anything but an
Enjrlish tree. But I was out with the
hounds at Newport last season , and
did pretty well. I guess I can rule these
ponies anyhow. You talk about their
bucking and all that , but I don't be
lieve they are as hard to sit as a wicked
horse. ' '
three-quarter-bred
We ain't hor
got any three-quarter
ses , but we got some little ponies that's
all-fired hard to stay with. We're go-
in' to clean out the strays in the bull
pasture this morning , and that'll be a
chance for you. Jim , you let Fatty
ride that gotch-cared buckskin of yours.
The boss won't mind , and Fatty ought
to have a good horse to begin with.
Ho's a little mean to saddle , Fatty , and
he's kind of stiff-gaited in his lope
sometimes , like as if he was pitching ,
but he's lightning after a cow. "
When they go down to the corral
someone obligingly robes the buckskin ,
and , handing him over to Fatty , tells
the latter to saddle up. The confu
sion of straps and the absence of buck
les puzzle Fatty , and tho boys , eager to
see the fun. help him to saddle , the
buckskin kicking and plunging all the
while. When everything is in order
Fatty prepares to mount. Just then
the buckskin real's and falls backward.
As he picks himself up again and stands
lowering at Fatty , someone says : "If i
he goes to do that when you're on him
tell him you're from college and ho ;
won't fall on you , young feller. " ;
This time Fatty gets his hands on the
horn of the sanclle , and just as he is < ro
ing to swing himself up the buckskin /
whirls and kicks his hat off. A kindly
hope is expressed that his head is on .
loose , so that if the buckskin kicks that
off next time it won't wrench , and then
the boss telld Fatty to hold the check- .
piece of the bridle with his left hand
until his leg is over the saddle , to pre
vent the horse's whirling round again.
He succeeds in mounting , and the A.
o'
prophecy that he will get off easier ,
than he got on is no sooner made than
it is fulfilled. Someone catches the
buckskin , and the tenderfoot eagerly 2C
explains that he was not fairly seated
before trouble began. :
"We'll hold him for you , Fatty , " and 0
two stalwart waddies hold the buckskin
by the ears until Fatty has screwed -
himself down in the saddle and clinched
his teeth.
The buckskin walks off peaceably , ;
and Fatty tries to feel at home in tha u
round-seated < saddle , longing for tha a
knee-pads : of the familiar English pig a
skin. He touches the buckskin with h
the spur to wake him up , and finds him-
self shot up in the air. He comes
down on the horn of the saddle. Next c
trip up he lands on the buckskin's neck l
The third ascension leaves him in the t
mud : of the corral , with a corner kick-
< off his car and every bone in his body *
jarred.
JC
JCa
Belt-Evident. a
.
"Them's mine , " said Colonel Yerger. 'P
"All right , Colonel , " replied Jules iO
Barncfelt , the bartender. iOVI
"And be careful not to charge mo
with them twice. " ir
That's something I never do. "
"You had better not overcharge me , a
because I keep all the drinks I take in .j'
"
my head.
"I knew that , Colonel , before you
spoke. Anyboy can tell that just by
looking at vou. "
N. B. Colonel Yerger' s face looks as
>
it had been painted red and varnish r
ed. Texas Sifiinys. 10 :
> y
A Queer Fish. iU
The flounder or flat fish , when first Jo
hatched : , has eyes placed like those ol |
other fish. Soon one eye begins to j
move down nearerthe mouth and over
5r >
the other side of the head , until finii
ally both 03-03 are on the same sideJn
usually the right. The flounder lies on jr
side , partly to escape its enemies , 53
which it doesby burying itself in tha JQ
sand and beca'use it has
, partly no air ja :
bladder and its fins are imperfectly de jo
veloped. \ ia
CURIOUS pHINESE CUSTOMS.
A n. Amusing Jjocturo by an Oriental
Humorist.
Yan Phon Lee , a young Chinaman
'with a very dry way of saying very
funny things , stood in the hall of the
Young Men's Christian association
Tuesday evening , says The Brooklyn
Eagle , clad in the garb of his country
men , and wearing the national cue with
a skull cap surmounting it. He talked
for an hour or more about Chinese cus
toms , endeavoring to correct American
mistakes. When the lights went out
the map of China shone out on a big
sheet over the platform and Mr. Yau
Phon Lee continued his lecture with
ihe aid of a stereopticon. Ho said in
part :
The first thing which strikes even the
casual observer in China is what to a
foreigner seems to be oddity in the peo
ple and their customs. The contrast
between these and those prevailing i 11
the western hemisphere has afforded an
endless topic for newspaper wit and
satire. This would not be the case if
the origin and meaning of Chinese cus
toms were understood by the gentle
men who make merry over them , for
iheir laughter arises from wonder , and
wonder , as a great writer says , is the
result of , ignorance. I will attempt to
night not so much to trace these cus-
. .oms to their sources as to show their
right to exist to show that their char-
tor of liberty is still valid. Let us first
consider the customs which surround
the advent of those little angels which
we call babies. Under every bed in
China there is a little idol and censor ,
dedicated to Poo Paw , or auntie. This
takes the place of the maiden aunt in
China , for we have no maiden aunts
there. [ Laughter. ] She is supposed
to protect every baby. This , of course ,
is a part of our superstition. A few
lays after the birth a christening cere
mony takes place and a name is chosen
for the child. Names in China are not
conventional. They are taken from the
dictionary because of their happy mean
ing. For instance , take my name , it
means wealth through imperial favor.
My grandfather had expectations of my
becoming a great mandarin through
the bounty of the emperor. Of course
fou see that his expectations were not
realized. [ Laughter. ] Those names
which you sec on the fronts of Chinese
shops are not the names of people.
They are business titles or mottoes ,
something like your "Itcliable Insur
ance company. " "Hop Sing" means
" ( it to prosper. " A drug store bearing
lie sign "Chung Sing Yong" means
"Long life to all. " "Lung Fat" does
not mean that the owner of tho sign
has fat lungs ; it signifies "prosper and
get rich. " We have a custom of giving
pigs' feet and ginger to a mother after
tho birth of a child. The pigs' feet aro
boiled in ginger and are supposed to be
f cry nourishing. About a month after
the birth of tho child wo have a cerek
iTiony which we call tho "lull moon. "
[ t is the custom then for friends and
relatives to make presents of cloth and
3akcs and jewelry. Sometimes tho
parents thereupon give a feast ami send
back to the givers of presents slices of
roast pig , for roast pig is esteemed a
great ; dainty in China. The next event
ai the child's life is the ceremony of
shaving when the embryo cuo is formIi
id. Americans have a wrong notion n
concerning the cues. It is merely worn b
ji China because it is a fashion , not bea
xiuse it has any religions significance , si
am frequently asked whether , if I n
ivent back to China , I would wear niy
; ie ? Yes , I would , but not growing c
ipon my head. What is to prevent my \
ivearing it like this ( taking off his skull qi
jap with the cue attached ) ? I would r
/rear my cue in China because it would ui
DC very uncomfortable for me to walk
.hrouirh the streets there without it. 1
jvonld be pelted with sticks and stones
ind other substances , for the people
.vould say : "That man is a Christian ,
jecjiuse he has given up Chinese fashtc
ons. " Chinamen got their cues in the oJ
jrst place from the Manchu Tartars. Ii
. civil war was i eigning in China at the p
imo , 1670 , and the uuiperor of the Man- _
ihus was invited to ally himself with
of the chiefs. Ho dfd , and after he
jonqueral the common enemy he con-
jiieral his ally also , and became the ec
uler of China. He introduced the cuo
jy force through an edict by which ho V
sentenced to decapitation all who would tliw
-ot wear cues. So we got the cues w
jy force at first. Since then it etc
become and is tc
as popular now tca
hc thing to wear in China. Our cos- a
ume also underwent very considerable tli
Modifications at the hands of the Tar- thui
ars. Previous to their coming the ui
Iress of the Chinese was much more uiw
retty than it is now. I saw in The w
Youth's Companion , not long ago , a 1"w
ortrait of Confucius wearing a cue and 1"w
dress like this you see me wearing , w
was about as appropriate as bangs br
vould ' be upon the mother of the
jracchi. * [ Laughter. ] It is very hard for
ihildren to learn the Chinese language w
jecause it consists of words of one syl- ct
able only. As there aro forty thousand in
.fords in use and as the organs of ra
ipeech aro limited as to the variety of jy
onnds they can make we have many ncw
vords with a dozen different meanings w
jach and some with oven more. It is sawi
lard also to learn our written language , wiwi
wi
aecause there aro as many characters
there are words. These characters re
vere ' pictures of tho objects meant by ire '
he words in the first place , but they fe'
lave been greatly modified , and coulQ to
lot bo recognized as the pictures of toLi
mything now. You hear it said that Li
shildren turn their backs on the teach-
when they recite. They do ; there is
catechising of children in the Chin-
se schools ; they simply learn a thing I.
heart and go up and repeat it. They I.at
their backs that at
urn so they may not
able to see the lesson. The ferrule
frequently used in Chinese schools , qu [
hough it has long been banished from qum
hose of America. The teacher will no <
ronipt once or tw ce , but the third
ime his ferrule comes down. So that
education of boys and girls in China en
rocceds under considerable difficulty.
Jirls go to school till they are 11 or 12
rears of age. It is not deemed neces- wl
ary for them to know as much as the an
toys. If they can write letters to their no
ianees they "will do very well. thi
i"
A Feathered Traitor.
Peter the Great of Russia had scarce
ly finished his war with Sweden than ho-
began to occupy his mind with another
plan to extend. Ho resolved to go to
war with Persia.
Ho particularly desired that his de-
signs in this direction should bo kept a
profound secret , and in order that no
outsider should suspect anything , he
consulted with the Empress Catherine
and his prime minister , Prince Menzi-
koff , in the boudoir of the Empress , - =
Peter was in the habit of discus
all his plans with the Empress.
Prince Menzikoff and the Empr
were very much opposed to Peter's
plans for the invasion of Persia. Fre
quently during the animated conversa
j tion that ensued Peter exclaimed :
" . ' Persipadjom , " or , in English ,
"We go to Persia. " That was his first
and last word on the subject.
Before the conference was ended the
Emperor took occasion to impress upon
Menzikoff and the Empress the impera
tive necessity of maintaining a positive
silence in regard to the proposed cam
paign.
Two days afterward Peter being in an
unusual good humor , engaged one of
the servants of the palace in conversa
tion. The servant happened to be , as
is usual for most people in Russia , under
the influence of liquor.
"What's the news , Ivan ? "
"Nothing , little father , except that
we all are going to Persia. "
"What did you say ? " asked the as-
toriishcd monarch , who could scarcely ii
believe his ear ? .
The answer was repeated.
"Who told you so ? "
"Kurieff , the waiting maid of tho
Empress , told me so. "
"Tull her to come to me at once. "
"She has gone with the Empress to
the summer palace , and will not return
before night. "
The C/ar was impatient to find out
from the waiting maid how she had ob
tained his secret. When she returned
to the palace he questioned her closely ,
but her explanation was so incredible
that he accused her of lying. He then
went to the Empress and upbraided her
in the harshest terms for having dis
closed a secret , which like any informa
tion about Yum Yum came under the
head of a state secret. The Empress
expressed her willingness to swear on a
stack of Bibles that she had not opened
her mouth on the subject to any living ;
human being.
Furious with rage , Peter next hauled
the unhappy Monzikoff over the coals ,
threatening "even personal assault , but
the prime ministerswore by everything
that was sacred he had never said Persia
to anybody.
"Then Ivan was right after all , " said
the Czar , pointing to a green parrot
with a yellow head in a cage. "Hern is
tho traitor and he ought to have his
head chopped off like other traitors. "
And such was the fact. The parrot
was in the room when the conference
between Peter , the Empress and Menzi
koff took place. It heard the Czar say
several times : "We go to Persia , " and
repeated the words to the servant , who ,
in turn , had disseminated the news
through the palace.
There is a lesson in this to everybody
who harbors a parrot on his premises.
Such persons , should be careful not to
sn3r anything in the hearing- a parrot
which > they would not care to have pub i
lished in daily papers. An expression
repeated several times emphatically will
be retained in the memory of a parrot
and brought out before company with
startling fidelity. That is the way par
rots are taught to converse.
As far as Peter the Great was con
cerned < the treachery of the Empress' pet
was not attended by any evil conse
quences , but from that time on the par
rot < was removed to another room when
any State secrets were under discussion.
Texas Siftings.
Women as Listeners.
Woman is primarily a being who lis
tens. She has in these days lost much
her original teachableness , but sho
has not yet entirely discarded the ap
pearance of being teachable. In her
capacity for hearing without obeying
lies her true power. As a talker , sho
has her peers ; as a listener , she is un-
eqnalcil.
If , as a French writer says , tho con
versation of women in society is like
the straw in which china is packed
worthless itself , but without which
everything would be broken the lis
tening of woman is what saves us from
Babel of tongues that would brin"-
the sky about our cars in no time. Not
that woman is always , or , as a rule ,
unwilling to use her tongue ( there is no
need of being radical ) , but the listener
ivho encourages you with eyes and ex
pression and appreciative laughter , is a
woman. She never lets her glance
vvnnder in an absent manner , to be
brought back to meet yours at an im
portant point with an effort of which
you are both keenly conscious. To
ivhoni ! are you tempted to relate bits of
jurious : personal experience , the suffer-
ng caused by some randomshotof out
rageous fortune , the fancies suggested
some book , some view , some ° jour-
icy ? To a clover , sympathetic woman ,
vhose ] eyes brighten with interest or
sadden with sympathy as she listens ,
Yho seems to anticipate vour next word
'
vith eager pleasure , and'who. for some
eason or other , just then , while vou
in this confidential mood , has very ( I
'
'ew experiences or fancies of her own
communicate only hints at them
ust enough to keep you in countenance.
LippincotCs Magazine.
A Reasonable Request.
Bill Simpson is an engineer on the
& G. N. railroad. He was off duty
Austin a few days ago. He
ludgePftterby , with whom he was ac-
uainted.
"I say. Judge , I wish you would do
a favor. "
"I'll do it"
"It will be appreciated
by all the
sngineers on the I. & G. N. railroad. "
"What can I do for you all ? "
"Please don't hsng "around the depot
vhenthe trains : trc cornino-in. Thev
everlastingly mistaken your red
lose for a danger signal and it confuses
hem. ' Texas Siftings.
