" CHAPTER IX.
It was some weeks after the party
mboTe described.
They stood on the platform, Elizabeth
mod Dorry. Leaning oat of the train be
ide then were Mr. Denbigh and Xora.
"Success on your firat concert tour,
Nora! Don't look troubled, mother! We'll
keep boose splendidly."
"And you'll write to me eery day?"
"Tea; nerer fear."
Little Dorry wared her handkerchief.
Then the two girls, left alone in Ecke,
turned homeward.
"Supposing, instead of on Saturdays
only, we hare tea-dinners all the time
mother's away. What a sare it would
be!" auggeated Dorry.
"Of course it would, and so nice, too."
"I wasn't thinking of that We
shouldn't mind about nicenesa, should we.
Bet, if we could save a lot of money
-against mother cornea home?"
Toe first two days of their being alone
passed ijuietiy enough. On the third day
Elizabeth inserted an adTcrtisement to
the effect that "advertiser," who bad
passed the Oxford Exam, in three lan
guages, intended starting a "Literature
Course."
It inust be known that, having never in
her life attended any lecturea, Elizabeth
had not the faintest notion how a Litera
ture Course should be conducted; but
here there's a will there's a way. The
will was very strong in the second Miss
"Denbigh. At rlie same time she was not
; prepared for the influx of pupils that im
niediately followed ber advertisement. It
vaa but the next day that Dorry, passing
the hall door, saw a gentleman standing
- at it, about to ring.
She opened it before he did so.
"If you will walk into that room." point
ing to the drawing room, "I will tell my
ister."
Te gentleman entered the room indi
cated, and was soon joined by Elizabeth,.'
"Pardon me." he said. "Your sister
; admitted me. I am Director Schwarz."
'"lit the large boys' school?"
The as me. I wish to join your Litera
ture Course. Miss Denbigh, with a few
colleagues of mine."
"How many?" (Elizabeth's heart gave
a leap.)
"Four gentlemen.
"That will just make enough for a
course. Will Wednesday evening from 4
to ! suit you?"
"Perfectly."
A few words more as to terms, etc., and
Director Schwarz departed with "Auf
Wiedersehn, Fraulein."
Then the two girls sat down at a little
table, on which was spread the midday
meal, consisting of tea and bread and but
ter; it being the fifth day of this menu.
"I shall take two lumps of sugar in my
tea to-day." said Elizabeth.
"I was just going to say take three,"
said Dorry, whom the director's visit had
suddenly cur.sed to forget all bounds of
economy. "Do you know, Bet," she add
ed, "I think e might indulge in a cake
to-morrow?"
But "Bet." who had swallowed half a
cup of tea without eating anything, now
pushed away her cup from her.
"What's the matter, Liesel?" said Dor
ry; one of her pet names for her sister
being this German abbreviation.
"I I don't know. I feel so heavy some
low. 1 don't care fur anything; not even
sugary tea. My head is so hot."'
Dorry laid her hand on it.
"So it is; poor old girl! Lie down a
bi;."
Elizabeth threw herself on a sofa near.
All that day and the night following
if, she suffered from acute headache
brought on perhaps by the sudden excite
ment of the director's visit
The next morning Dorry was up be
times, as usual, and laid a cold bandage
on her head; then, to Elizabeth's amaze
ment, herself lay down again.
"What is the matter, Dorry?"
"II've such a headache, too, Betty.
How strange it is, to be sure!"
CHAITEK X.
So these two miserable little women
lay in their beds opposite each other,
with the difference only that Dorry was
dressed.
"I wonder what we can be going to
lave," said Elizabeth, as she looked up
-at her. "We've had measles, and scarlet
fever, and mumps and chicken pox. You
haven't, got any spots on your neck, have
you. Dorry?"
"Dear me. no!" said Dorry, after ex
amining herself rather anxiously. "I'm
too old to have anything like that There
are lots of other illnesses; nervous fever,
bronchitis, . and ever so many things
xrown-np people' have. AH the same, I
shouldn't think it was any illness at all
that either of us has got, only that we
aire both so bad at once. That seems as
if you had something infections, and had
given it to me."
"I don't see that," said Elizabeth,
brightening up. "We might have both
-eaten something that disagreed with us."
Suffering though she wai, a smile
-crossed Dorry's face at this suggestion.
"Eatmi!" she said. "Why, we haven't
eaten anything these live daya but tea
and bread and butter. I was just think
ing we s-hould leant to lis on nothing
-when that pain came. Oh!" ,
"What's the matter?" said Elizabeth.
-Dorry! Dorry!"
But this tisae there cam no answer.
-"O, Mothcrr and Elisabeth Jumped
tt bed. "Dorry! Dorry!"
- Bat Dorry's lip remained silent.
Mkd tainted.
With trss&bHag fingers Elisabeth delug
es! bet wish water.
Tan the heavy eyelids moved, and af
ter while Dorr aooka again:
Taw M Bat! To think f ate falat
tof ! Caw I ma hare frightened yon.
Stay, I ttlaa J kaw what It the sutler
'.swtJI m now. .
"What?" said Elizabeth.
"Nothing but tea dinners does not agree
with us, perhaps. We are not strong, you
know."
"Why, dear me, yes, of course it's that,"
aaid Elizabeth. "You've frightened away
my pain, Dorry, with your swooning, you
dreadful girl! I'll dress Hke the wind, and
be off and buy us a dinner."
She waa as good as her word.
A dinner? Why, yes, of course that
was what they wanted.
Strange, that two little maidens should
not be able to live without dinners; rhe
save would hare been "so enormous."
The next day rhe hall door bell rang
and four gentlemen walked in.
"My colleagues, of whom I told you.
Miss Denbigh." and Director Schwara
held out hia hand. "Herr Gymnasialleh
rer Werner; Herr Beallehrer Schultz;
Herr Vicar Kummel."
All the gentlemen made deep salaama,
and said, "Freut niich sehr."
Then the lecture began
"Passing over the older poets, gentle
men, we will begin with Chaucer."
"What older poets?" asked Herr Kum
mel, taking out a pencil. "Be so good,
miss, to give rhe names and the data."
Dorry gasped.
What evil genus had prompted Eliza
beth to let these dreadful German know
that there were older poets?
Elizabeth was inspired.
With eloquence extraordinary she gave
an epitome of pre-Chaucerian literature,
and as Dorry listened to her "declaring
like anything" (to use her, Dorry's, own
language) on " The Brut of Layamon,'
in which the author, gentlemen, acknowl
edges his indebtedness to Bede in the
peculiar semi-Saxon of the time;" on
"Gloucester's Chronicle," "as Craik says,
gentlemen, a narrative of British and
English affairs from the time of Brutus
to the end of the reign of Henry III." on
"I)e Brunue's Chronicle," "belonging to
a date not quite half a century later, gen
tlemen;" on "Laurence Minot," "the first
real poet worthy of the name, subsequent
to the Conquest;" then after a graphic
ket"h of " 'Piers Plowman's Creed,'
gentlemen," based on ColHer and Craik,
return ouce more to her old starting
point, Chaucer, "well of English unde
fyled" when Dorry heard all that, it was
too much for her. She rose and left the
room. .
As fur Elizabeth, she made a point of
looking her severest at the young man
who had the audaciousness to be good
looking, whilst at the others three as
plain-looking specimens of the genus homo
as ever represented a country's intellect
she looked her pleasantest; and when
the class broke up, shaking hands warm
ly with them, she almost startled the un
fortunate Kummel by bestowing on bim a
look of unutterable disdain.
"I must read up all about Spenser for
next lesson," said Elizabeth. "A pity 1
haven't got the 'Faery Queen.' Where's
my lint, Dorry? I should exceedingly like
to have Spenser's 'Faery Queen.' "
They received a letter from Mrs. Den
bigh the next nioriiiug, informing them
that she and Nora would be home Thurs
day. "Well, I miust say I'm very gld," said
Elizabeth. "After all. it's a great re
sponsibility, our keeping house without
mother."
"They will come by the eight o'clock
train in the evening, of course," said
Dorry. "We must give them a supper."
The menu of this supper was as follows:
First. beefsteak a re.i.iy nice beefsteak,
fried in butter; this to be served with
floury potatoes, aud a salad a German
salad potatoes, beetroots, and cucum
bers, arranged like a flower bed, in gra
dations, going up in a point (not in the
style of your leaning towers, but like a
dart), and surmounted by a tiny little
beetroot for ornament. After that (but
here let Dorry speak for herself) "After
that a conflour shape, with a branch of
laurel stuck in it as a metaphor, you
know. Betty that is, apropos of Nora's
success. Along with this, apple stew; a
really juicy one. Then tea, aud what
Nora's so fond of hot tea cakes, with
lots of butter. What do you think of
that?" and Dorry's eyes danced, as much
as to say: "There's a supper for you!"
"Splendid!" said Elizabeth. "The 'met
aphor's' a lovely idea."
It would take too long to relate in full
the various mishaps attending this sup
per and reception; how various questions
were discussed, until the lamp burned
out, and only the big, bright moon lit up
the faces of three earnest talkers; for the
mother, with her hand laid on little Dor
ry's curly head, said nothing.
CHAPTER XI.
She rose and dressed softly; then, tak
ing her shoes In her hands, quitted the
room in her stockings.
With quick, noiseless steps she crossed
the passage, and entered a room at the
other end of it, dosing the door quietly
behind her.
The cool morning air was blowing in at
the window. A clock was striking five.
Troops of workmen were trudging down
rhe street silently.
The girl approached a piano, opened it,
and took tip a book of exercises. Ger
many is the land of mnaic and of meth
ods. Ttois book contained a German mo
steal method, according to which the
author's theory is that anf one may be
come a musician, the one essentisl being
that he have tea fingers and patience.
Possessed of these, be need bnt cramp
his arm into a certain position on a level
with the keyboard, square hia fingers
lata a certain position on a level with bis
wrists, and tighten bis thumb into a
certain position, which, to be understood,
needs to be felt
The appearance of the woold-b pianist,
When arms, wrists, hands snd thumbs
are thus contracted, resembles that of a
skewered fowl, perhaps, store nearly than
anyrhing else, the sensation he undergoes
at first being probably not unlike that
which said f-wi ia happily spared from
undergoing.
"Bend or break," murmured the girl as
she looked sadly from the music to ber
hand.
"Bend or break" it is woman's watch
word ha!f the world over just now.
"Posing" herself as indicated, she be
gan to play orm of these exen-ises. first
with one hand, then with the other for
twenty minutes. A pained look then flit
ted acmes her face, her lips twitched, her
eyelids b,gan to oen and close qtiickiy.
Still she played on. Another teo min
utea and her fingers trembled, her arms
jerked convulsively, a look of acute suf
fering settled on her face.
"One, two, rhree, four one, two, three,
f "
She stopped suddenly, and leaned back
in her chair, a deathly pallor spreading
over her face. Then she roae and went
over to the window.
Troopa of silent workmen were still
wending their way down the street, their
steady tramp mingling with the song of
the birds flitting in and out of the treee
that dotted the road at equal distance.
How sweetly they aung!
The girl listened with wrapt attention.
The air was f ill of chirping, twittering
voices, and far off came one long note.
What bird was that, she wondered.
Ah! how ahe loved music! Would she
ever be a musician? She knew ahe had
no talent, bnt the method the method.
Again she sat down at the piano.
One, two, three, four one, two, three,
four till the pale Hps turned still paler,
and the child-like face looked marble In
its pitiful whiteness. So much for meth
ods and the watchword of the day, "Bend
or break."
The girl's whole body trembled. Still
she played on.
"Good-by, mother!" It was the same
Dorry, some hours later, dressed In hat
and glove, with her music portfolio in
her hsnd. "I'm off to my music lesson."
And off she started, swinging her music
as she went. One is blithe at fourteen.
"Good-morning, Herr Professor."
It was the same Dorry again. No, not
she same Dorry. This was a monosylla
bic young lady, whom Herr Professor bad
never seen smile, aud about whose austere
little face the framework of tossed black
curls looked strangely out of place.
This was shy little Dorry Denbigh, as
the outer world knew ber; a young lady
who held herself very erect and looked at
you with strangely earnest brown eyes.
The professor turned round.
"Good-morning, Fraulein."
His tone was not very genial. He had
already given two leesons, was tired, and
Miss Denbigh was no favorite with him.
While she played her scales he walked
up and down the room, as usual; and, as
usual, stopped every now and then, and
shook bis head with a look of utter de
spair. It was not to be wondered at. Scales
are at no time a treat to a- musical ear.
and as Dorry played fbetn they were pecu
liarly trying. Her bands were stiff and
unwieldy; every note as she struck it jar
red on the sensitive ear of ber master.
He was only a man after all aud a mu
sician. This little "Englanderin" was too exas-IH-ra,tii)g.
Had she no soul, no ears?
"You play as if you were wood, and
you'll never do anything else."
What was that?
With a cry, as of physical paiu, Dorry
leaned forward; then burst into tears.
Tearful scenes were not uncommon in
the professor's experience. Germany is
the land of weeping maidens, and no
where shall we meet with better examples
of what we islander once for all choose
to eonsidT the typical German girl eoii
sisting of one-half Si hwermuth and the
other half Xchwarmerei than in that
German institution, a music achil. But
there are tears and tears. The child's
whole frame shook. Sm- had forgotten
her master, forgotten herself, forgotten
everything but the one word "never."
"Ncvit," she muttered. Iieiwecu her
solis, "and, oh, I so loe music."
The professor looked at her.
"Poor little one." he then said k'tidly,
wirh something like a i,uiver in his deep,
gutters) voice.
Dorry raised her eye and tried to
apeak, but could not. Her utterance had
become rhick; her lip twitched convul
sively. Her master started.
"Poor little nue," he repeated, and this
time be laid his hand on the child's curly
head. "It was your own wish to try the
meth'xl. It has been too much for you."
"I thought it would make a musician of
any one."
"So it would, almost. But some it
Child, you are ill."
That was the end of little Dorry' mu
sic. The method had proved too great a
strain on the child's constitution. It
makes musicians of some (query, are
musicians then made?), others it
Sentence unfinished.
Little Dorry it half killed, tnsJ. method
in the land of music.
CHAITEK XII.
The girl walked home slowly. There
were no tears in her eyes Dow.
Nesr her home, ahe was met by her
friend the Scotchman.
"Eh, how do you do, Miss Daury?"
"Yoo play as If you were wood, and
you'll never do anything else."
A wiser man than Tom Thomson might
have smiled at this curious reply. A
wiser man than Tom Thomson might not
bare known what to think of the little
Irish girl, with her sad eyea looking far
beyond him aa she spoke. But ttie Scotch
man did not smile, as, stooping, he took
the girl's portfolio from ber, and silently
accompanied her the rest of her way.
What had revealed her sorrow to him?
What alone makea us quick to read the
sorrows of others? Tom Thomson hsd
himself been disappointed In his time, but
had "put his sorrow by," to nse the saying
commonly applied to those who do not
wear their grief ss an everyday attire.
Only when they bad reached the bouse
door did the Scotchman spesk again.
, "Child, K comes to sll in some shspe;
it-it "
He paused and colored, half sorry that
he bad spoken at all, feeling how little
eloquent his tongue was, and not know
ing how full of eloquence was his face.
"Yes," replied the girl simply; and put
her band In Ids, ber brsve lip trem
bling. It wa strange to find a comforter In
Tom Thomson; everything was so strange
to-day.
Up the atair she walked like one aaleep;
then, having reached the .op of the bouse,
sat down on the outer landing, and cried
aa only a child can cry.
Why do we laugh at the tears of youth?
There ia a much agony tn the grief of a
child a In all the grief of after life; to
i!l-balam-ed are yet heart and brain. Have
you forgotten the sorrows of your child
hood; that otter abandonment to grief,
when you told yourself, and believed it,
that in all the world wa no one, no one
is wretched ss you, whose new kite had
flown away, whose doll wa broken, or
who, misery of miseries! were in disiraee
that terrible thing in childhood? Who
but a'.4iild think jtscif the center of hu
manity? thinks all the agonies of all the
ags conceutrated in it sorrow of rhe
m.,ment, and all the eye of the world
fixed ujion it disgrace? And what child
does not feel this ?
Have you forgotten the time when you
a boy or girl, felt it?
As for little Dorry, she had not passed
that stage. She had hugged a child'
plan, whereby two stiff, unwieldy hands
were to grow as supple a those of Mei
ter Liszt; whereby sheer industry and
ambition were to make of Dorry Denbigh
a second Madame Menter.
Then came those words:
"You play as if you were wood, and
you'll never do anything else."
Being but a child, rhe blow half stunned
her. Being but a child, she saw in her
own disappointment an event that would
make her a by-wonl in Rhe town of Eck.
How should she show nerself In the
streets, she whom "Every one" (with a
capital E, of course,) would know aa the
girl who bad failed? How should she
break the terrible news to mother? How
to Nora? to Lizbeth? How should she
face rhe daylight? How irbould she bear
thia sorrow?
Sitting on the stairs, with her hat
thrown off, and resting her curly bead on
one hand, whilst the great tears rolled
down ber face, these were Dorry's
thoughts.
Ah, for more sympathy with the tears
of childhood!
Then she descended the stairs. She was
met by her morher al rhe door leading
into rtieir flat.
"Well, Dorry, what is it? You stagger
as if you were walking in your sleep."
Again the thick utterance, aa in her
music lesson, that made it imisissible to
understand the child's reply.
"Why, you are trembling all iver! My
Dorry, what doe it mean' There, there,
I know all."
For the girl, instead of answering, had
flung her portfolio from her. The mother
needed no furrher explanation.
But the cvntiiiiied twitching of hands
and lips was not explained till half an
hour later by a doctor. Dorry was threat
ened with St. Vitus' dance. Nothing could
avert.it but entire rest, and, the doctor
added, if possible, change of air and scene.
She waa forbidden to touch the piano.
(To be continued.)-
Id the Glass.
Opinion as to the origin of mirrors
are numerous aud contradictory. No
doiilit the limpid brook was the Hint
mirror; but liiiiiiun Ingenuity soon
found an artificial substitute for the
meandering brook. Some stones an
swer fairly well for the purose. and,
iu fact, we read In ancient writers of
atone mirrors. Pliny nieutloiis the
obsidian stone lu this n-spect, and
we know that the ancient Peruvian.
Iteside; mirrors of silver, copper and
bras. possessed some which aston
ished their Spanish conqueror. Tln-so
were made of a black and opaque
stone, w hich was susceptible of a tine
polish. At an early jx-riod the Greek
were possessed of small mirrors;, ehlciiy
of bronze. Ilomuti writers. In decmlm
lug against increasing luxury, state
that It was the ambition of every fool
ish woman to posses a silver mirror.
It Is Hupi'tost'd that the Celtic popu
lation of England copied the form and
substance of the Koiuau mirror. It
was not, however, till the early part
of the sixteenth century that they bo
came common as article of furniture
and decoration. Previously they we;e
curried at the girdle, being; merely
small circular plaque of iMtllslied ma
terial lixed in a shallow box. The out
side were often of gold, enamel, ivory,
or ebony, ami much ingenuity and art
were expended in their decoration with
relief representation of love, domes
tic, hunting and other Interesting
sctics. Even after the method of cov
ering glass wit If thin sheets of metal
wa discovered, steel and silver mir
rors were still cherished by their con
servative owners. To the yrescnt day
mirrors of melal are common lu Ori
ental countries not afflicted with the
malady styled progics.
Disabilities of Kx-Conf (ler-ites.
The famous amnesty proclamation of
President Johnson, Issued May 2(1, 1Mm.
really Iwnetlted only the rank and tile
of the Confederacy and the liumliler
citizens. Fourteen classes of jierson
were exempted from Its Is'in llis, anions
whom were army and naval olllcct
had resigned their com mission In the
United States service to engage In the
Confederate service. Governors of
States In the Confederacy, memlM-rx of
the Confederate Congress anil beads of
the executive department, nil diplo
matic agents and foreign envoys, all
officers nlwve the rank of colonel iu the
Confederate army or lieutenant in the
navy, all members of the United States
Congress who jiartlelpnted In the rebel
lion, all persons educated at the mili
tary or naval academy who aided the
Confederacy and all persons who bad
taxable property exceeding f'.tMMS) In
value. These were the leading class,-
of exempts, and. In one way or another,
these Included nearly every promlm-nt
man In the South. Little by Utile, the
disabilities were removed, until Dually
Jefferson Davis stood alone as the only
person exempted from the amnesty
measures.
Antl-Hqalrrrl Convention.
An anti-squirrel convention is to b
held In Spokane, Wash., on May l.
which will be attended by delegate
from all county boards In Easter
Waahlngton. The purpose of the con
ventlon la to make united and deter
mined efforts to exterminate the groiitu'
aqulrrels, which annually destroy grali
and other crops In that region to the
value of several hundred thousand dol
lars. ,
It la a greet pleaaure for a man to
niako a proposal of marriage, but be
always run the risk of being accepted.
fT fl 1
mm
' - sitrengtbenlna Iron.
It was formerly believed that cast
Iron, when subjected to long-continued
shocks and jarring, lecame "crystal
lized" and brittle: but Mr. A. E. Outer
bridge, Jr., of Philadelphia, has re
cently shown, by a series of experi
ments, that Instead of lsdng weakened,
cast Iron Is really strengthened by re
pcatcd blows and concussion.
A Gfaoatlv Cat.
An Invention calculated to terrify
mice and rats Is descrllMd In Popular
Science News. It consists of a metallic
cat, which, being covered with lumin
ous paint, shine in a dark room with a
mysterious radiance which, the Inven
tor thinks, will be more effectual than
traps, or even genuine cats. In ridding
bouses of rodent peats.
CarnlvoroD Plants.
That such plants as "Venus' fly-trap"
actually catch and squeeze to death
flies aud other Insects alighting on
their leaves has long been known, but
the dbvovcry I comparatively recent
that the plants digest the softer part
of their prey by mean of a ix-ptlc fer
ment secreted by the leaves. These,
then, are real Instances of plants feed
ing usn animals.
Marveltoua Measurement.
At the recent "conversazione" of the
Royal Society In London a pendulum
Instrument was exhibited. Intended to
record the slightest tilts and pulsations
of the crust of the earth. It was as
serted that this Instrument would ren
der observable a tilt of itn than one
three-hundredth of a second of arc. In
other words, If a plane surface were
tipped tip only so little that the rise
would amount to a Rlngle Inch In i
thousand miles, the instrument would
reveal the tilting!
A Ilearh of Iron fund.
On the western const of the northern
Island of New Zealand Immeuse de
M)its of magnetic iron sand are found.
The sand I brought down by many
stream from the slope of Mount
Eguiont. The cliffs consist of a mix
ture of ordinary silica sand and Iron
sand, but the waves sweeping the beach
carry the lighter silica sand away, leav
ing an almost pure deposit of Iron samf
fourteen feet In depth. Furnaces have
beeu erin-tcd by which the sand I
tsmulted and formed Into pig Iron.
Killed by Llttht.
Dr. James Weir, Jr., who lias studied
strange iuli.iblt.ints of the Mammoth
Cave In Kentucky, say that the cele
brated blind llsli from that cavern,
when placed lu Illuminated aquaria,
seek out the darkest places, and he be
lieves that light I directly fatal to
them, for they soon (lie If kept 111 a
brightly lighted tank. The avoidance
of light seem to be a general charac
teristic of the nightie. creatures dwel
ling lu the great cave. Doctor Weir
lias seen au eyeless spider trying to
avoid the light, and animalcule from
the waters of the cavern hiding under a
grain of sand on the stage of his mi
croscope. He thinks the light In these
case I In some manner perceived
through the sense of touch.
An Air Tratrr.
An Insiruuieut for measuring the
amount of Impurity In the air of a room'
or shop was shown at the Zurich In
dustrial Exhibition recently. It con
sisted of a glass bulb containing a red
liquid which turns white on contact
with carbonic acid gas. The liquid lu
the bulb wa kept from the air, but
Din e If) every 1)0 seconds a drop, drawn
automatically from the bulb through a
bent tulie, fell upon the upper end of
a stretched cord and (wgau slowly to
descend the cord. If the air wa foul
with carbonic acid the drop turned
white at the upper cud of the cord, and'
the purer the air the farther the drop
descended before changing color.
Alongside the cord ran a scale, like that
of a thermometer or barometer. Indi
cating the degrees of impurity of the
atmosphere.
Vneer Facta About Colora.
According to information given by a
German officer to the Horse Guards'
Gazette, an experiment was recently
made In Europe to determine what
color In a soldier's uniform Is the least
conspicuous to an enemy. Of ten men
two were dressed In light gray uni
form, two In dark gray, two In green,
two In dark blue and two In scarlet. All
were then ordered to inarch off, while
a group of officers remained watching
them. The first to disappear In the
landtM'npe was the light gray, and next,
surprising ns It may seem, the scanlet!
Then followed the dark gray, while the
dark blue and the green remained visi
ble long after all the others had dis
appeared. Experiments lu firing at
blue and red targets, according to the
same authority, proved that blue could
be more easily seen at a distance than
red.
Manaoleam In a Tree.
One of the moat curious mausoleums
In the world waa discovered the other
day In an orchard at the vitiate of No.
elslenltE, In Saxe-Altenburg. A gigan
tic oak tree, which a atorra had robtwd
of Ita crown, waa up for public auction.
Among the bidden happened to be a
Baron Von Thnmmel, scion of a fam
ily of ancient lUieag that nag given
the world of literature mi" l,nrm!r,.
n,-t aul the Father! ml t- V '1 st.a-
guisbed statesmen. The l.afii. ho
lives on a n. ighlsiring estafe, had r: i
den to the auction piace quite ai-ctden-tally.
Finally the tree wa kn-tcked
down to liliu for V mark Upon bis
arrival at the castle he told an old ser
vant of his purchase, describing the
tree and Its situation. The old servant
said be rt iiieiiils're-l attei. Vug the fu
neral of a Itardon Tlmiinm ! i nty or
eighty years ago. aud that the 11 y
had 'leeu buried lu a l.""0 ear-old
oak, tteloiiging to the parson ige. In
vestigation clearly proved Cat the or
chard had once been the proierty of
the village church, and that at one side
of the old oak was an Iron shutter,
rusty ami time-worn, that the ieoplt
of the town bad always supK.sed to
have beeu placed there by some joker
or mischievous Isjys. The Iron shutter
proved to ! the gate to the mausole
um of Baron Han Wllhelm Von Thuiii
mel, at oue time Minister of the State
of Saxe-Alteiiburg, who db-d lu 1V24,
and wished to Is? burled "In tlK
l.iMjO-year-old tree lie loved so well."
Iu the hollow of the tree Huron Hans
caused to lie built a sepulchre of solid
masonry, large enough to ammmiodate
hi coffin. The cotlln waa placed there,
as the church records show, on March
3, 1SJ-4, aud the opening wa closed by
an Iron gate. In the course of time'
wall of wis! grew over the o-nlngV
which had leu enlarged to admit the'
workmen and the cotlln, and for many
years It has been completely shut, thus
removing the last xestlge of the odd
use to which the old tree had l-en put.
Chinese Treatment ot Child 'en.
However little liked the Chinaman
may be by his white neighbors, I have
at all time found that the Chinese had
at least oue good and praiseworthy
iua!lty the kindness shown by nil of
them toward their children. The poor
est parent always seem able to save
enough money to array their little one
lu gay garment on New Year's day or
other holidays. The children in turn
seem to be remarkably well-behaved
and respectful toward their elder, and
rarely. If ever, receive corporal punish
ment. They seem very happy, and
apparently enjo.. their childless! mora
than most American children. On al
most any wtitiny day the fond and proud
father may be seen at every turn In
Chinatown carrying his brightly attired
youngster lu his arms. Other little
tots, hardly old enough to feel quite
steady on their legs, toddle about with
Infants strapped on their back. They
do not appear to mind this, and It doe
not seem to Interfere with their child
ish pastimes. About the time of the
Chinese New Year f'lilm'se children
arc particularly favored, and the fond
fathers deny them nothing. The little
one alwavs iitmear to be well pro
-
vided with pocket-money to buy toy
and candles. St. Nicholas.
Victor Hugo's Youthful Work.
Victor Hugo, the great French poet
and novelist. Is famous every where. H i
began his literary career at the age of
13. At l'l he drew up his llrst novel in
two weeks! The Academy at Tou
louse crowned two of his ishw that b
wTirfe at 17. At -0 his first volume of
iMii-ms was so good that he received a
pension of $3X1 from the French Gov
eminent; and yon are all aware how
he came to be one of the grmteHt, a
well a one of the most popular, of the
French )s,ets. Ills patriotism was a
great as !ii literary gifts. His life I
one of the imwt Interesting In the lit
erary annuls of France. I saw hi fun
eral In Paris, in May, lssr, when he wo
followed to the grave by a concourse
cf sorowful people. The procession was
miles In length. i-Vw emperor or suc
cessful generals have had a more Im
posing burial, nor was ever man laid
to rent who was more deeply, truly
mourned than this grand and gifted
Frenchman. Sf. Nicholas.
"The Woods or Kborne."
Leavingthe highway by a pretty lane,
we are presently In a most magnificent
wood, a vast cathedral of nature. Its
columns are tall dark trunks of elm
tree, supisirtlng leafy. Intersecting
arches of golden green; It nave and
transept are carpeted with the softest
moss, in which a footfall I silent; Its
screen are of hawthorn ami houey
suekle; Its chancel I trcwu with tbw
growing violet; and It chapel are
adorned with rhododendron and ivy.
Through and iiikui It all Hood the soft
ened sunlight; over our head slugs a
vnt choir of birds; and around u the
melodious hum of the Iwos sounds like
soft organ notes. Here and there In
the wixsls we come tion hamlsome,
russet-plumaged pheasaiit strutting
alsiut, rabbits hopping fearlessly across
the clearings, and squirrel scampering
from tree to tree. St. Nicholas.
C'ushlng's Heroic Deed.
In 1WS1, at the very beginning of our
civil war, a young lad named William
Barker dishing entered the navy as a
volunteer officer, though be bad pre
viously been through the Naval Acad
emy at Annupolls. He waa only lit
years old, but a braver or more reckless
sailor never grasped a cutlass or stood
by a gun. Never a fight but be waa la'
the thick of I., never a battle but Cusb
Ing's name was mentioned In orders.
He dared do anything that man dared.
One dark ulght, at Plymouth, N. C, he
took a boat's crew nnd, stealing quiet
ly away, he crept up beside the Con
federate ram "Albemarle" a.id, taking
the chances of almost certain death, be
sank her by a torpedo fired from hia
ateam launch. Then he fought at Fort
Fisher with great bravery, and. what lai
ever rarer, he used sound Judgment, ae-'
curing for his command all the fruits or
the victory .-Rt. Nicholas.
A woman never seems to liavo
i any!
, and
good time until her husband dies.
lie gets hi life Insurance.
Every man la more or Jess cf a fool
about some tlilnga.
