A FROLIC AT THE FORD.
loffTphy wn horrible) tha n
eailef it that
taapoke a ontnmon misery whan Billy dg-
Daled Pat,
Nro itutibj, grimy fingers apliftifif on the.
ir.
thereat a wink sig-nliaast distorted Pat
rick's eye.
nen Billy tamed to Cunamhis, and Har
rey, and Depew,
to each ic turn displaying the mystic fin
gers two,
and lastly condescended, while the other
winked in glee,
To show tie mystic symbol to the least of
all to me.
!) ecstasy transcending whate'er the fu
ture stored,
JV'hen Hilly bade me Join him for a frolic
at the ford!
Hie hours till noon slunk by as If they
knew we wished them past;
It seemed as though they'd never go
they did, of course, at last
and O, how cool the water was, and O,
bow sweet the joy
That filled and thrilled the bosom of each
sweaty little boy,
When he had hung his trousers on the
nearest Bandy bough
and shut his lifts and held his nose and
dove to "show y' how."
fV'e ducked and splashed and wrestled, we
floated, raced and treud,
And Billy flopiKHl his feet aloft while
standing on his head;
Depew had brought up bottom from the
center of the pool,
When Harvey said he reckoned It was
time to go to school.
"Gee whiz!" says BUly, first to quit,
"that's something I forgot;'
An' as I live! my breeches are twisted In
a knot!"
Each rushed ashore and scurried to where
his garments hung,
Then sudden imprecations arose from
every tongue.
While we had wooed the cooling stream,
some envious sneak had gone
And tied our shirts and trousers so we
couldn't get 'em on.
"We're late," says Billy. "Then," says
Pat, "Just take your time to dress;
We'll fix it so's to wander In at afternoon
recess.
An each o' y' must gather a bunch o'
purty flowers
An' (rive Vra t' the teacher er she'll keep
y' after hours."
The teacher woTked for slender pay, so
far as money went;
Bhe prayed and played and pardoned and
seemed to be content.
But when a boy that loved her contrived
to let her know,
She looked as If her gratitude was going
to overflow.
I guess that she no matter what.
When we six boys marched in,
Bach one of us a-grinning from eyebrows
down to chin,
And stopped in turn before her desk and
laid our flowers down,
We saw two tears start sudden in the
middle of her frown.
As I, the last and least of al' went by,
with hair askew,
She Btooix-d and sold: "I love yoj, boys,
no matter what you do."
"These flowers." whisixwd Harvey, "ire
not so bad a plan."
"She's solid gold," said Billy; "she ought
t' been a man!"
A TRIBUTE OP SONG.
HERB Ih no place
on earth where
utter helplessness
comes out so strong
ly, where the cere
monies In human
use fall so power
less before the maj-
iM I Kon. an at a funeral.
It need not be th.-it
one's heart shall be
interested. The ob
sequies of a stran
ger, conducted with
all the pomp and
vanity of church and state, with the
melancholy rolling; drum of the military
funeral, or the gorgcousiiess 0f the Ma
sonic regalia apron all are alike Inade
quate and unavailing.
But once In my life have I witnessed
ceremony that was as grand and Im
pressive as the silent, awful occasion
that was ever given to the dead.
I will tell you of a funeral which lin
gers In my memory as the grandest,
most solemn, and lx'flltlng ceremony
that was ever given to the dead.
It was rumored many years ago that
a poor widowed woman, leading a bard
life of unending labor, was called to
part with the one thing dear to her
her only child. Mother and daughter
had tolled together for fifteen years,
and the only bit of sunshine falling
Into their dark lives was that shod by
their living companionship. But the
girl had always been sickly. Under the
heart-broken mother's eyes she had
faded and wasted away with consump
tion, and at last the day came when the
wan face failed to answer with IU
ghastly smile the anxious, tear-bllnded
eyes of the mother.
The poor young creature was dead.
For tnony months the pair had been
supported by the elder woman's sew
ing, and It was In the character of em
ployer I had become acquainted with
Mrs. Cramp and her story. By an occa
sional visit to the awful heights of an
East Side tenement where they lived,
by a few books and with some comfort
ing words, I had won tre love of the
dying girl. Her grateful thought turn
ed la her last hours to the small num
ber of friends she possessed, and she
besought her mother to notify me of
the day of her funeral and ask me to
attend.
The summons reached me upon one
of the wildest days preceding Christ
mas. A sleet that was not rain and
rain that wu not snow came pelting
from all points of the compos. A wind
that walled lu the chimney and bowled
In the street told bow truly dreadful
for outdoor purposes was the weather
of the day. I piled the glowing grates;'
I drew closer the curtains and shut out
the gloom of the December afternoon;
I turned on the gas and eat down de
voutly thankful that I had cut all con
nection with the witched weather
when an Installment of It burst In on me
In the shape of Parepa Rosa. She was
Euphrosyne Parepa at that time, and
the operatic Idol of the city. Muffled
with tippets, flecked with snow, glow
ing with the short encounter she had
had with the elements rushing up the
steps from her carriage, she threw her
self into an easy chair and proclaimed
the horrors of the outer world to be be
yond description.
And even as we congratulated our
selves on the prospect of a delightful
day together there came the summons
for me to go to the humble funeral of
the poor sewing woman's daughter. I
turned the little tear-blotted note over
and groaned.
"This Is terrible," said I; "It's Just
the one errand that could take me out
to-day; but I must go." And then I
told Parepa the circumstances and
speculated on the length of time I
should be gone, and suggested means
of amusement In my absence.
"But I shall go with you," said the
great, good-hearted creature.
"Your throat, and old Bateman, and
your concert to-night!" I pleaded.
"If I get another 'froggy' note In my
voice It won't matter much; I'm hoarse
as a raven now," she returned.
So she rewound her throat with the
long, white comforter, pulled on her
worsted gloves, and off In the storm
we went together. We climbed flight
after flight of narrow, dark stairs to
the top floor, where the widow dwelt In
a miserable little room not more than
a dozen feet square. The canvas-back:
hearse, piuliar to the $25 funeral,
stood lu the street below, add the aw
ful cherry-sUilned box with Its ruffle
of glazed white muslin stood on uncov
ered trestles In the center of the room
above.
There was the mother, speechless In
her grief, before that box a group of
hard-working, kindly hearted neigh
bors sitting about. It was useless to
say the poor woman was prepared for
the Inevitable end it was cold comfort
to speak to her of the daughter's re
lease from palu and suffering. The be
reft creature, In her utter loneliness,
was thinking of herself and the awful
fate of the approaching moment when
that box and Its precious burden would
be taken away and leave her wholly
alone. Ho, therefore, with a sympathiz
ing grasp of the poor, worn, bony hand,
we sat silently down to "attend the
funeral."
The undertaker's man, with a screw
driver In his baud, Jumped about In the
passage to keep warm. The creaky
boots of the minister belonging to the
$2o funeral were heard on the stairs.
There was a catarrhal conversation
held outside between them as to the
enormity of the weather, and, probably,
the bad taste of the deceased In select
ing such a bad time to die was dis
cussed. Then the minister came In with
a pious sniff and stood revealed, a reg
ular Stlgglus as to get-up a dry, self
sufficient man, icier than the day and
colder than the storm.
lie deposited his hat and black gloves
and wet umbrella on the poor little bed
lu the corner; he slapped his hand vig
orously together; he took himself In
well-merited fashion by the ears and
pulled them Into glowing sensation,
and after thawing out for a moment
plunged Into business.
He rattled merrily through some se
lected sentences from the Bible. He
gave us a prayer that sounded like peas
In a dried bladder, and be came to
amen with a Jerk that brought me up
like a patent suallle. He puUed on hU
old gloves and grabbed his rusty bat,
and with bis umbrella dripping Inky
tears over the well-scrubbed floor he
offered a set form of condolence to the
broken-hearted mother. He told her
of her sin In rebelling against the der
cree of Providence, lie assured her
that nothing could brlng-the dead back.
He Inveighed against the folly of the
world In general, and this poor woman
In particular; and then he made a hor
rible blunder, and showed he didn't
know even the sex of the dead, by say
ing: "He cannot come to you, but you
must go to him."
This was a sottler for Parepa and
mywdf. We looked at the departing
minister In blank astonishment.
The door swung wide, we saw the
screw-driver waving In the nJr as the
undertaker's man held converse with
the clergyman. A hush fell on every
lxMly gathered In the llttlo. room. Not
one word had been uttered of consola
tion, of solemn Import, or befitting the
occasion. It was the emptiest, hollow
est, most unsatisfactory moment I
ever remember.
Then Pan-pa arose, her cloak falling
stKMit her noble figure like mourning
drapery. She stood beside that Miser
able cherry wood box. She looked a
moment on the pinched, wasted, ashy
face upturned toward her from within
It. She laid her soft, while hand on the
discolored forehead of the dead girl, and
she lifted up that matchless voice in
the beautiful melody:
"Angels ever bright and fair,
Take me, oh, take her, to your care."
The screw-driver paused In describ
ing an airy circle; the wet umbrella
stood pointing down the stairs; the two
nien with astonished faces were fore
most In a crowd that Instantly filled the
passage. The noblo voice swelled to
ward heaven, and If ever the choir of
paradise paused to listen to earth's
music It was when Parepa sang so
gloriously beside that poor dead girl
No queen ever went to her grave ac
companied by a grander ceremony. To
this day Purepn's glorious tribute of
song lings with solemn melody In my
memory as the only real, Impress) r
funeral service I ever beard.
F
In Cermany and Austria molasses
las recently been tried as food for
korses, being substituted In part for
forn and oats. When mixed In proper
ratio with other food It Is said to be
well liked by the horses, and to give
them a sleek appearance.
A water-tube Jail Is one of the latest
ichlevements of Ingenuity. It Is no
longer necessary to make the prison
bars so heavy and so hard that cutting
through them becomes very difficult,
but Instead, they are made simply of
pipes, forming part of a high-pressure
water system. Should any of these
pipes be severed, the water would es
cape aud quickly give warning of the
break.
An Ingenious device for enabling
coachmen or drivers to close and open
the hoods of victorias, landaus, or like
vehicles, by mechanical means, com
municating with the box seats, has
been invented. This convenience Is at
tained by an arrangement of link mo
tions attached to the hood of the car
riage, which is operated by the coach
man without stopping or leaving his
seat, through the Intervention of cords
running over a combination of small
guiding pulleys.
Analyses of weapons and tools, dat
ing from very ancient times In Egypt,
have convinced Monsieur Berthelot, the
French chemist, that the old Egyptians
used pure copper In the manufacture
of sue'd objects. They displayed much
Ingenuity In manipulating that metal.
A chisel was made by folding thin
strips of copper over one another and
then forging them Into a solid blade;
while hollow needles were formed from
copper-leaf by a method very similar
to that which Is employed at the pres
ent day In making heliacal tublug for
bicycles.
A new asbestos filter has been Intro
duced, consisting of a covered tinned
copper cylinder, below which is placed
an Inverted cone of very fine wire
gauze, the whole being supported on
(in ordinary funnel stand. The liquid
to be filtered has a small quantity of
powdered asbestos suspended to it, and
then poured Into the cylinder. Tho
asbestos forms a filtering layer upon
the wire gauze, and the liquid, It is
stated, passes through perfectly clear.
The wire gauze Is afterward washed
with water, and Is then ready for fur
ther use.
The new lllumlnant (acetylene) has
now a rival, to which the name of
eureka g;is has been given. This gas
Is the Invention of Mr. Hector de Fiizi,
of MontefiMscone, Italy. It Is said to
be obtained as follows: Lime as pure
as possible Is employed as a base, colo
phony and calcium carbide being add
ed. One thousand parts of the mixture
ready for use consist of 9;)0 of quick
lime, 50 of colophony, and 50 of cal
cium carbide. There is said to be no
fear of explosion by inlxHg with air,
no beating of water, and no special
burner needed. One thousand purls of
the mixture give (iO liters of gns at a
pressure of :5 millimeters of water.
The photometric Intensity of the flume
is stated to be !2.4 candle-hours, and
the same amount of onleiuin carbide
employed singly would only give 18
candle-hours. It Is claimed that eureka
gas is fi) per cent, cheaper than acety
lene, or that at equal cost It will give
half as much more light.
Prof. Walter T. Scheele, a scientist of
Rahway, N. J., has sounded what he
claims Is the death knell of the mos
quito, and It la to be hoped for the
sake of a long suffering people that his
claim Is correct. Living as he does In
New Jersey, famed In the funny papers
as the home of the largest and most
warlike members of the mosquito tribe,
he has had ample opportunity to study
the Insects, and at the same time plen
ty of Incentive, In the shape of attacks
from the pests, to work toward their
destruction. It Is well known that mos
quitoes breed on the surface of the wa
ter In swampy places, and the profes
sor's Idea Is to kill the eggs while still
on the water and before they are hatch
ed. To do this be throws Into the wa
ter a small quantity of permanganate
of potash, and whon this dissolves It
Instantly destroys the life In all the
eggs lying on the doctored water. He
has made experiments In bis laboratory
and found that with one small pinch
of permanganate he can kill all the
mosquitoes In a 1,000-gallon tank of
water. On this basis, he says, two or
three ounces will be sufficient to treat
a ten-acre area. If the professor knows
what he Is talklag about, the exter
mination of the annoying Insectsshould
not be a very difficult matter.
HuNftlan Censorship.
The youth with more vivacity than
prudence doesn't have a very good
time In Russia. Letters nre under
Government Inspection there; It Is dan
gerous to write one whose meaning Is
not clear. Some years ogo a collegian
had an experience which recalls that
of Mr. Pickwick when he unwarily
wrote the fateful message concerning
chops and tomato sauce. The student
was writing to one of his chums tem
porarily absent from tho university,
nnd by way of postscript added, "We
are now In the height of the cucumber
season." Tho letter was posted, and
nothing more thought about It. nut
the argna-eyed letter opener and cen
sor In the Imperial postofllce saw mys
terious political allusions In the cucum
ber postscript, and communicated with
the Department of the Interior. A
grave conspiracy was evidently hatch
ing, aud no Uuie was to be lost. The
student was arrestd aad Judicially ex
amined. What did the mysterious
phrase mean? In vain the unfortunate
youth protested that It had no hidden
meaning. Then why had he written ltt
Well, be had been eating cucumber Just
before writing the letter, and wanting
to add something after be bad signed
It the thought of the cucumber occur
red to blm. But this explanation did
not satisfy the police; it was clear to
them that he was a conspirator, and
after being kept for a time under police
supervision he was sent back to bis
home, with Instructions that he was
to be sent to some other university.
And from such materials Is anarchy
made.
LATE NEW INVENTIONS,
A recently patented bicycle frame ha
springs Inside the tubing for the saddle
post, crank hanger, front fork and handle-bars,
to deaden the force of a blow
on the wheels and make rough road
easy to ride over.
To safely support a lady's hat at a
theater a bracket Is attached to the un
der side of the seat to carry a swinging
shelf extending nearly to the floor, the
device folding up against the bottom of
the seat when not In use.
A new mop tub has one side made flat
with a roller set In a hinged frame on
the opposite side to be pressed against
the flat side of the pall by a foot lever
and grip the end of the mop cloth while
It Is being twisted to wring It.
Hammers for hand use In machine
shops are operated by pneumatic pres
sure, a sliding spring-pressed rod being
set In the casing to be driven by push
ing a button by which the air Is ad
mitted to the driving-chamber.
A recently patented water-motor has
an endless upright chain of buckets
mounted on two axles with a stream of
water at the top to fill the buckets as
they start down, the length of the chain
determining the power of the motor.
Wave-motors are being manufactured
with a float mounted on the end of a
rod to work and down as the waves
move, the rod moving a piston which
operates a water or air compressor and
fills a tank to furnish power to run ma
chinery. A new device for blacksmiths' use
consists of a flexible shaft run by
power to operate a calk-sharpener and
hoof-trimmer, which are formed of
wheels with rough surfaces to be
turned rapidly over the surface of the
calk or hoof.
In a new French railway signaling
device a lever on the engine hangs In
position near the rail to receive a sig
nal from :-. flat strip of Iron lying par
allel to the rail, an Indicator In the cab
showing how many signals were given
by the Iron strips.
In a new jionpuncturable shield for
pneumatic tires the thread Is formed of
closely woven wires, with the trans
verse strands extended beyond the
longitudinal strands, thus making an
armored' tread without decreasing the
flexibility of the tire.
A recently patented Insect-proof dis
play rack has a base on which rests a
cup, which Is filled with water after the
socket of the rack has been Inserted In
a bole In the center of the cup, thus pre
venting Insects and vermin from crawl
ing onto the shelves above.
Fire hose can be cleaned and drleu by
a new mechanism, consisting of two
cylindrlcnlbrushesset In a frame which
can be attached to tho hose cart, the
brushes being rapidly revolved as the
hose passes between them by a chain
geared to the axle of the hose reel.
The Dracon'n Prayer for Kain.
Their fields were parched. Unless
rain c.une soon their crops would be
ruined. Tliey were not rain-makers In
those days, says the Chicago News, and
st.111 depended upon heaven. In this ex
tremity a prayer mooting was appoint
ed and the little congregation g,ihered
to pray for rain. The res;les tean
were hitched In the KmU aVmt the lit
tle church, and or cry now tnd tiien a
long-drawn screr-h t'r m a cramped
vehicle ca.me Into the quiet of the meet
ing. Tho oil lamps smoked and added
their odor to the stifling air. They
prayed for rain. Tho tall, spare form
of Deacon Rogers rose. He pushed hi
steel-bowed glass up onto Ids fore
head, clasplng his hands behind Ids
back and raised his white head appeal
lngly to heaven. He trusted Providence
Implicitly, and yot It was vital that this
should be tho right kind of a storm.
No slight shower could relieve the con
dition of things. It must be a sort of
small and lingering deJuge. So: "Oh,
Lord," suggested Deacon Rogers In
plaintive tonea; "oh, Lord, don't let it
come down with a slash an' a dash an'
then all run off ag'n. But," with In
creasing fervor, "lot It come, oh, Lord,
Jes 'hIa z-zle, drlz-z-zlo, duz-z-zje. Oh,
Lord, you know hoTvl"
An Egg Servloe.
A novel kind of service has been held
at St. John's Church, Streathem, an
egg service. The congregation, a poor
one, was naked to bring offerings In the
shape of bew-lftld eggs for the sick and
convalescent In the hospitals. More
than 5,000 egga, Including some from
the Duchess of York, the Duchess of
Fife and Princess Christian, arrived
and 4,072 were safely stacked in
chancel. After the ev ; !..v
were repacked and sei. ' . , k.Ji. ,4
charities for consumption the pa
tients. Lloyd's Weekly.
The man who fool with cravat or
matrimonial ties la bound to get It In
the neck.
A man may be self-possessed and itlU
not have any tasna to pa 4
FOR OUTDOOR WEAR.
fHE BLOUSE IS VERY MUCH IN
EVIDENCE.
lest of the Fashionable Street Gar
ments Are Loose, While Presenting; a
Very Bang Appearance to the Beholder-How
to Alter Tight Jackets.
Fads of Fashion.
few York correspondence:
T Is not possible to
treat of the current
fashions without de
voting a deal of at
tention to blouses,
for these garments
are the most charac
teristic feature of
the winter styles.
Blouse effects get
Into all the outer
garments for our
upper halves, dom
inating In bodices,
abounding in Jack
ets, and even ap
p e a r 1 n g In full
length coats, and
making in the Mous
ed ulster about the
most comfortable garment that has
been Invented for a long, long
time. It may be fur-lined, or
may have only a eosy-looklng fur
collar, but Its looseness and snugness
a rare combination will make it at
once becoming and comfortable. This
garment, which Is shown in the accom
panying small picture, Is made of cov-
f 3a
1 V il
VARIATIONS OF TIIEf BLOUSE IN WINTER JA.CKE"fs. '"f
ert cloth, of any heavy wool cloaki-ag,
or of tweed or boucle, or, if It Is to be
lined, of broadcloth or a light ladles'
cloth. It crosses completely over in a
generous double-breaRted effect, the
corner turning back In a fur-faced
rever. Inside the fur collar shows the
dainty stock bow that we are all wear
ing now. The garment is made with
out darts, but Is not bulged into a pro
nounced blouse, aud Is drawn to the
figure by a belt that droops Just the
least In front. The opening below the
belt is well at the side, Is held snugly
by big hooks, and so n-iin Is the effect
that you almost seem to have on a
skirt and blouse, except for the little
fur edge that peeps along the opening.
Such a garment Is an entire costume,
with the right sort of hat, gloves and
shoes as accessories, and the gown be
nea really makes very little differ
ence. When winter Jackets are reached, It
will be found In any stylish collection
that tight-fitted ones are rare. A great
variety In the arrangement of the
Mousing will Ik? found, but few of
these garments are made without some
modification of the blouse. The three
ONE TIGHT FIT AND TWO THAT ARE TRICKY.
Jackets In the next Illustration are sig
nificant of the fact that the craze for
a front contrasting with the rest of the
bodice has been carried Into the Jacket
department. Lots of blouse Jackets
turn back In a deep rever down the
front, to show either a simulated
waistcoat, a soft bloused front, or the
under bodice. The latter effect Inter
feres with warmth, but this very point
keeps most women from wearing such
Jackets, which are thus made unusual
enough to please the women who care
more for exclusive style than for pro
tection. A vest of white cloth was In
cluded In the garment of this sort pic
tured here, Its goods being plain color
ed cloth, Persian lamb and soutache
embroidery trimming It. 'Every effort
Is made to have the skirts below the
belt He flat, no matter bow baggy the
blouse mny be above. This Jacket's
trick to that aad was In baring the
sklrta silt that they might sfrtkf U tat
hips without fullneaa, the ad baift
followed ail around with braidraai
Elaborate braiding la a feature mt t4
blouse over garment, and ho mast
cases narrow strap of for ace appHal
quite as braid might be, with excel!
effect and an apparent Increase la th
warmth of the garment that la mom
comforting to the observer than UbJ
wearer.
When the blouse comes togathot
from chin to belt, the fur edging as I
rule, stops at the belt. So, too, If tht
blouse turns back to show an nodal
effect, turning back extends only to tat
belt. It Is a fad Just now to braid gas
ments In designs that appear to extant
from the bust out upon the sleeves If
unbroken effect, and an added width M
thus given to the upper part of tht
figure. A blouse of delicate gray clotto
lined with a darker shade of graj
suede and finished with chinchilla and
aplique designs In narrow straps of th(
suede, Is very stunning. So Is one at
brown cloth appliqued with curliue
of braid outlined with machine stitch.
Ing. Both these garments appear ll
this picture. Collars for such Jacket!
are In variety, but almost all of than
flare at the back and about to the ear,
a snug Inside collar showing In front
A plain collar is almost unknown.
There Is Just a bit of comfort for hat
who baa a tight-fitting coat left ovel
fram 1
aJc
last season and feels that ah
ought to wear It, because then
leveral new models of the tlghi
fitting garment. The tight model thai
the artist presents in the third plcturl
was a stunning modification of th
riding habit fit. It showed a douM
row of buttons and an unbroken fl
A!
v -.w
from the hem to the bust. Then tbl
garment became still more doublfr
breasted and lapped away over to tht
right side. Such a design has the effect
of making the waist seem small ana!
adding to the breadth at the chest Thi
collar should be close and tailor-made,
These snug Jackets and coats are not
as warm as they might be, but tht
fashions endorse going without 4
Jacket altogether, so that point doesn't
count much against them. In reality
the endorsement Is a fake, for thi
jacket is there, only the general effect
is that of a dress worn without aq
over-garment. The skirt Is made with
a silk waist of some sort or with a
French flannel bodice, which may
either blouse or fit closely. For thi
street is added a blouse that dlsap
pears at the waist line under a belt,
and so seems one with the skirt. Thi
blouse Is not baggy, but Is merely madi
without darts, and Is either split down
the front to show the under bodice, 01
turns away In a deep rever. Th
sleeves are carefully made on bodlci
and not coat lines, and there Is no coat
collar, this difficulty being gotten ove
by cutting the blouse down at th
throat and allowing the under bodlci
to show in yoke fashion. The effect la
exactly that of a dress worn without
an overgarment.
Two such costumes are shown herai
one of green broadcloth simply
trl mined with braid and worn over a
tight bodice of lighter green French
flannel, the other dark red cloth almost
covered with appliqued braid, and
showing a scarlet silk blouse. Prom
this last model It will be seen that the
blouse may have skirt, yet If the un
der bodice shows as waistcoat and
yoke, the no Jacket suggestion will b
there.
Copright, 180T.
Sir Evelyn Wood, who but baa ap
pointed adjutant general of tba British
army, la the flrat Roman Oatboile t
hold that poet sine tho day of tba
Reformation.
m r 1 iti r mi
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