'V
clmtsJiii Advertiser.
0. W. FAinBHOTHER & CO., Proprietor!.
CALVERT.
NEBRASKA.
TUB OLD FARM.
Out In tho meadows tho fnnn-hmno lies,
Old and gray, anil fronting tho wost.
Mnny a swallow thlthor Hies,
Twittering under tho ovoiiIiik aklc,
In tho old chimneys bullda her nest.
Ah 1 how tho sounds inako our old hearts swell I
Semi thoin ajfaln on an eager quest;
Hid tho sweet winds of heaven toll
Thoso wo liuvo loved so Imiir and well
Coino airaln homo to tho dear old nest.
When tho gray evening, cool nnd still,
Hushes tho brain and heurt to rest,
Memory comes with a Joyous thrill,
Uiinirs tho young children back at will,
Calls them all homo to the gray old ncSt
1'atlcnt wo wait till tho golden morn
Hlso on our weariness half-confessed?
Till, with tho chill and darkness gone,
Hopo shall ariso with another dawn,
And a now day to tho sad old nest.
Soon shall wo seo all tho oager cast
llrlght with tho Day-star, at Heaven's bo
host; Soon, from tho bondngo of clay released,
ltlso to tho Palaeo, tho King's own feast,
Ilirds of llight from tho last year's nest.
Clara If. TnnchrMac
"LAL" RYDQUIST;
A Story of the Land and Sea.
BV WALTEIt UK3ANT AND JAMES HICK.
Truo Lovo and Woman'n Dovotion Ho
rolo Solf-Sacriflcoi-Tho Happy Ho
ward of Sorrow Dor no Bravoly,
of Faith, Loyalty, GouraRO
and Patient Trust.
From All tho Year Hound.
CHAlTElt I.
THK MESSAOH Of TUB MUTE.
Perhaps tho most eventful day in tho
story of which I huvo to tell wns that
on which the veil of doubt and misery
which had hung before the eyes of Lai
Rydquist for three long years' was part
ly lifted. It was so eventful that I ven
ture to relate what happened on that
day first of all, even though it tells half
the story at tho very beginning. That
we need not care much to consider, be
cause, although it is the story of a great
calamity long dreaded and happily
averted, it is a story of sorrow borno
bravely, of faith, loyalty and courage
A story such as one loves to tell, because,
in the world of liction, at least, virtue
should always triumph, and true hearts
bo rewarded. Wherefore, if there bo
any who love to read of tho mockeries
of fate, the wasting of good women's
love, tho success of craft and treachery,
instances of which are not wanting m
the world, let them go elsewhere, or
make a Christmas tale for themselves,
and their joy bells, if they like it, shall
bo Jho funeral knoll, and their nowels a
dirge besido the grave of ruined and de
spairing innocence, and for their feast
they may have tho bread and water of
ailhctiou.
Tho name of tho girl of whom wo aro
to speak was Alicia itydquist, called by
all lier friends Lai; tho place of her
birth and homo was a certain little
known suburb of London, called Roth
crhithe. She was not at all an aristo
cratic person, being nothing but tho
daiightor of a Swedish sea Captain, and
an English wife. Her father was dead,
and, alter his death, tho widow kept a
Captains1 boarding-house, which of late,
for reasons which will presently appear,
had greatly risen in repute. .
The day which opens my story, tho
day big with fate, tho day from which
everything that follows in Lai's life,
whether that bo short or long, will be
dated, was tho fourteenth of October, in
tho grievous year of rain and ruin, one
thousand eight hundred nnd seventy
nine. And though tho summer was
that year clean forgotten, so that there
was no summer at all, but only tho rain
and cold of a continual and ungracious
April, yet there were vouchsafed a few
gracious days of consolation in tho
autumn, whereof this was one, in which
tho sun was as bright and warm as if ho
had been doing his duty like a British
sailor all the summer long.
At eleven o'clock in tho forenoon both
tho door and the window belonging to
tho kitchen of the last house of tho row,
called "Seven Houses," were standing
open for tho air and tho sunshine.
' As to tho window, which had a warm
south aspect, it looked upon a church
yard. A grape vine grew upon the side
of tho house, and some of its branches
trailed across the upper panes, making
a green drapery which was pleasant to
look upon, though none of its leaves this
year were able to grow to tlioir usual
generous amplitude, by reason of tho
ungenerous season.
It is dilllcult to explain why this
churchyard, more than others, is a pleas
ant spot; partly, perhaps, on account of
tho bright and cheerful look of tho place
in which it stands; then, there aro not
many graves in it, and these aro mostly
covered or honored by gray tombstones,
partly moss-grown. On this day tho
sunshine foil upon them gently, with in
tervals of shifting shndo through tho
branches; and though tho place around
was besot with noises, yet, as those woro
always tho same, and never ceased ex
cept at night, they were not regarded by
thoso who lived there, and so tho church
yard seemed full of peaco and quiet.
The dead men who Ho there aro ot that
blameless race who venture themselves
upoir tho unquiet ocean. Tho dead
women are tho wives of the men, their
anxieties now over and done. When
such men aro gone, thoy aro, for tho
most part, spoken of with good will, be
cause they havo never harmed any oth
ers but themselves, and havo been kind
hearted to tho weak. And so, from
all theso causes together, from tho
trees and tho sunshine, and tho momory
of tho dead sailors, it is a churchyard
which suggested peaceful thought.
At all events it did not sadden the chil
dren when they came out from tho
school, built in one corner of it, nor did
its presence over disturb or sadden tho
mind of tho girl who was making a pud
ding in tho kitchen. There wore spar
rows in tho branches, and in one treo
sat a blackbird, now and then, late as it
was, delivering himself of one note, just
to remind himself of tho past, and to
kocji his voice in practice against next
spring.
Tho girl was fair to look upon, and
while alio mado her pudding, with
sleeves turned back and decks of white
llqur upon her white arms, and a white
apron tied round her waist, stretching
from chin to foot like a child's pinafore
or a long bib, she sang snatches of
songs, yet finished none of them, and
when you camo to look closer into her
faco you saw that her checks wore thin
and her eyes sorrowful, and that her
lips trembled from time to time. Yet
she was not thinking out hor sad
thoughts to their full capabilities of bit
terness, us some women aro wont to do
as, mfact, her own mother had ttono
for closo upon twenty years, and was
still doing, having a like causo for
plaiut and lamentation; only tho sad
thoughts came and went across hor
mimi, as birds fly across a garden, whilo
sho continued deftly and swiftly to car
ry on her work.
At this house, which was nono other
than tho well-known Captains' boarding-house,
sometimes called " Ryd
quist's, of Rothcrhithe," tho puddings
and pastry woro hor special and daily
charge. Tho making of puddings is tho
poetry of simple cookery. Ono is born,
not made, for puddings. To make a
pudding worthy of tho name requires
not only that special gift of nature, a
light and cool hand, but also a clear in
telligence and tho powerof concentrated
attention, a gift in itself, as many la
ment when the sermon is over and they
remember nono of it. If tho thoughts
wander, even for a minute, tho work is
ruined. The instinctive feeling of right
proportion in the matter of Hour, lem
on-peel, currants, sugar, allspice, eggs,
butlor, bread-crumbs, tho natural eye lor
color, form and symmetry, which aro re
quired beforo one can ever begin even
to think of becoming a maker of pud
dings, are all lost and thrown away, un
less tho attention is fixed resolutely upon
tho progress of tho work. Now, there
was one pudding, a certain kind of
plum-duff, made by these hands, tho
recollection of which was wont to fill
the hearts of thoso Captains who were
privileged to eat of it with tender
yearnings whenever they thought upon
it, whether fay away on southern seas,
or on tho broad Pacific, or in tho shal
low Baltic; and it nerved their hearts
when battling with tho gales while yet
a thousand knots at least, lay between
their plunging bows and tho Commer
cial Docks, to think that thoy were
homeward bound, and that Lai would
greet them with that pudding.
As tho girl rolled her dough upon tho
white board and looked thoughtfully
upon the little heaps of ingredients, sho
sang, as I have said, little scraps of
songs; but this was just as a man at
work, as a carpenter at his bench or a
cobbler over his boot, will whistle
scraps of tunes, not because his mind is
touched with the beauty of the melody,
out because tins little action relieves tho
tension of tho brain for a moment with
out diverting the attention or disturbing
tno current 01 tnougnt olio
was
dressed behind the big apron in a
cotton print, mado up by her own
hands, which were as clover with tho
needle as with the rolling-pin. It was
a dress mado of a sympathetic stuff
there are many such tissues in every
draper's shop which, on being cut out,
sewn up and converted into a feminine
garment, immediately proceeds, of its
own accord, to interpret and illustrate
the character of its owner; so that for a
shrew it becomes draggle-tailed, and for
a lady careless of her ligure, or con
scious that it is no longer any use pre
tending to have a ligure, it rolls itself
up in unlovely folds, or becomes a mira
cle of flatness; and for a lady of prim
temperament it arranges itself into stiff
vortical lines, and for an old lady, if sho
is a nice old lady, it wrinkles itself into
ten thousand lines, which cross and re
cross each other like tho lines upon hor
dear old face; and all to bring her more
respect and greater consideration; but
for a girl whoso figure is tall and well
formed, this accomodating material be
comes as clinging as tho ivy, and its
linos aro every ono of them an exact
copy of Hogarth's lino of beauty, duo al
lowance being mado lor the radius of
curvature.
I do not think 1 can give a better or
clearer account of this maiden's dress,
even if I were to say how-much-and-eleven-pcnce-threo-farthings
it was a
yard and where it was bought.
That is what she had on. As for her
self, sho was a tall girl; her ligure was
slight and graceful, yet she was strong;
nor waist measured just exactly the
same number of inches as that of her
grandmother Eve, whom sho greatly re
sembled in beauty. Eve, as wo cannot
but believe, was the most lovely of
women ever known, even including
Rachel, Esther, Helen of Troy, Ayesha,
and fair Bertha with-tho-big-fcot. Tho
color of her hair depended a good deal
upon tho weather; when it wasoloudy it
was a dark brown; when tho .sunlight
foil upon it her hair was golden; there
was quite enough of it to tie about her"
waist for a ginllo if she was so minded;
and sho was so little of a lino lady that
sho would rather havo had it In-own in
all weathers, and was half ashamed of
its golden tint.
It soothes the heart to speak of a boun
tiful woman; tho contemplation of ono
respectfully, is in itsolf, to all rightly
eontituteil masculine minds, a splendid
moral lesson.
"Hero," says tho moralist tohimsolf,
" is tho grcatostirizo that tho earth has
to offer to tho sons of Adam. Ono must
make oneself worthy of such n prize; no
one should possess a goddess who is not
himself godlike."
Tho door of tho kitchen opened upon
the garden, which was not broad, being
only a few feet broader than the width
of the house, but was long. It was
planted with all manner of herbs aud
vegetables. As for llowors, they woro
nearly over for tho year, but there woro
trailing nasturtiums, long sprigs of faint
mignonette, and ono great bully holly
hock; there were also in boxes, painted
green, creoping-jonny, bachelors' -but
ton, thrift, ragged-robin, stocks and
candy-tuft, but all over for tho season.
There was a eherry-treo trained against
tho wall, and besido it u poach; there woro
also a Siberian crab, a medlar, and a
mulberry-tree. A'fow raspberry-canes
were sta'nding for show, because among
them all there had not been that year
enough fruit to fill a plate. Tho garden
was separated from tho churchyard by
wooden palings pointed green; this
mado it look larger than if there had
been a wall. It was, in fact, a garden
in which not ono inch of ground was
wasted; tho paths were only six inches
wide, and whorovcr a plant could bo
coaxed to grow, thero it stood in its al
lotted space. Thero were llvecroaturos
in the garden, too. On lmlf-a-dozoii
crossbars, painted greon, woro just so
many parrots. Thoy woro all trained
parrots, who could talk, and did talk,
not all together, as is the uso of parrots.
who too often give way to tho selfishness
of tho old Adam, but ono at a timo, and
deliberately, as if they were instructing
mankind in some now ami great truth,
or delighting them with some fresh and
striking poetical ejaculation. One would
cough slowly, and then dash his but
tons. If ladies were not in hearing ho
would remember other expressions
savoring of fo'k'slo rather thiui of quarter-deck.
Another would box the com
pass as if for an exercise in the art of
navigation. Another seldom spoke ex
cept when his mistress came and stroked
his feathers witli her soft and dainty
lingers. The bird wnsgrowing old now,
and his feathers woro dropping out, and
what this bird said you shall presently
hear.
Next fllero was a great kangaroo
hound, something under six feet high
when ho walked. Now he was lying
asleep. Besido him was a little Malteso
dog, white and curly, and in a corner
tho warmest corner there wns an old
and toothless bull-dog. Other things
thero were some in boxes, some in
partial confinement, or by a string tied
to ono leg; some running about, such
as tortoises, hedgehogs, Persian cats,
Angola cats, lemurs, ferrets, Madagas
car cats. But they were not all in the
garden, some of them, including a
mongoose and a flying-fox, having their
abode on the roof, where thoy woro
tended faithfully by Captain Zacharia
Hcn. In tiie kitchen, also, which was
warm, there resided a chameleon.
Now, all these things tho parrots,
tho dogs, the cats, the lemurs, and tho
rest of them wore gifts and presents
brought across tho seas by amorous Cap
tains to bo laid at the shrine of ono
Venus of course, I know that there nev
er can bo more than one Venus at a
time to any well-regulated male mind
whom all wood anil none could win.
There were many other gifts, but theso
woro within doors, safely bestowed. It
may also be remarked that Venus never
refuses to accept offerings which aro
laid upon her altar with becoming rev
erence Thus thero were tho Iragilo
coral lingers, named after tho goddess,
from tho Philippine Islands; there were
chests of tho rich and fragrant tea
which China grows for Russia. You
cannot buy it at all hero, aud in I long
Kong only as a favor, and at unheard-of
prices. There were cups and saucers
from Japan; fans of the coco do mcr
from tho Seychelles; carved ivory boxes
and sandal-wood boxes from China and
India; weapons of strango aspect from
Malay Islands; idols from Ceylon; pray
ing tackle brought down to Calcutta by
some wandering Thibetan; with fans,
glasses, mats, carpets, pictures, chairs,
desks, tables, and oven buds, from lauds
d'outro mcr, insomuch that tho house
looked like a great museum or curiosity
snop. And everytning, it you ptoaso,
brought across the sea and presented
by the original importers to the beauti
Alicia Rydnuist. commonly called Lai
by those who were her friends, aud Miss
Lai by thoso who wished to bo, but were
not, and had to remain outside, so to
speak, and all going, in consequence,
green with envy.
On this morning there woro also in
the garden two men. Ono of thorn was
a very old man so old that thore was
nothing left of him but was puckered
nnd creased, and his face was like one
of thoso too faithful maps which want
to give every detail of the country, ovon
tho smallest. This was Captain 'Zaeha
riasen, a Dane by birth, but since the
ago of eight on an English ship, so that
ho had clean forgotten his native lan
guage. Ho had been for many years in
tho timber trade between tho ports of
Bergon and London. He was now, in
tho protracted evening ot ins days, en
joying an annuity purchased out of his
savings. Ho resided constantly in the
house, and was the dean, or oldest
member among tho boarders. Ho tfidd
himself sometimes that ho was eighty
five, and sometimes lie said lie was
ninety, hut old ago is apt to boast. Ono
would not balk him of a single year,
and certainly ho was very, very old.
This morning, ho sat on a green box
half-way down tho gardenall tho
lxixos, cages, railings, shutters and
doors of tho house were painted a
bright navy-green with a hammer and
nails in his hand, and sometimes he
drove in a nail, but slowly and with
consideration, as if noise aud haste
would confuse that nail's head, and
nuiko it go loose, liko a screw. Bo
twecn each tap ho gazed around aud
smiled with pleased benevolence. Tho
younger man, who was about thirty
years of ago, was weeding. That is,
he said so. Ho had a spuuwilh which
to conduct that operation, but thero
woro no weeds. Ho also had a pair of
scissors, with which ho cut oft dead
.leaves. This was Cat-tain Holstius,
also of the mcrcantllo marine, and u
Norwegian. Ho wns a smartly-dressed
sailor woro a bluo cloth Jacket, with
trousers of tho same; a red silk hand
kerchief was round ids waist; his cap
had a gold band round it, nnd a lioavy
stool chain guarded his watoh. His
faco was kinti to look upon. Ono no
ticed, especially, a grayish bloom upon
ti ruddy cheek. It wits an- oval face,
such as you may seo in far-off Ham
borough, or on Holy Island, with bluo
eyes; and ho had a gontlo voice.
A romarkablo thing about that garden
was that if you looked to tho north, over
tho garden walls of tho Seven Houses,
you obtained, through a kind of narrow
lano, a glimpso of a narrow breadth of
water, with houses on either sldo to
make a frame. It was liko a littles strip
of soino panorama which never stops,
because up aud down tho water thero
moved perpetually steamers, sailin
a
ships, barges, boats and crafts of
kinds. Then, if you turned completely
roMid, nnd lookod south, you saw bo
yond the trees in tho churchyard a groat
assemblage of yard-arms, masts, ropes,
hanging sails and rigging. And from
this quarter thoro vrns hoard continually
tho noise of labor that ccaseth not, tho
labor of hammers, saws and hatchets; the
labor of lifting heavy burdens with tho
encouraging " Yo-ho;" tho labor of men
who load ships and unload them; tho
ringing of bolls which call to labor; tho
agitation which is caused in tho air
vmen. ncn aro gathered together to
work. Yet tho place, as has been al
ready stated, was peaceful. Tho calm
of the garden was equaled by tho reposo
of tho open place on winch the windows
of tho house lookod, and by tho peaco of
tho churpliyard. Tho noise was with
out; it affected no one's nerves; it was
continuous 'and, therefore, was not felt
any more than tho ticking of a watch or
tho beating of tho pulse.
The ol(l man presently laid down ids
hammer, and spoke, saying softly:
"Nor-wee-geo."
"Ay, ay, Captain Zachariasen," re
plied the other, pronouncing the name
with a foreign accent, and speaking a
pure English, somolliing liKo a woisn
man's English. Thoy both whlspored
because tho kitchen door was open, and
Lai might hear. But they were both too
far down tho garden for nor to overhear
their talk.
"Any luck this spell, lad?"
Tho old man spoko in a meaning way,
witli a piping voice, and ho wlpkod both
his eyes hard, as if lie was trying to
stretch the wrinkles out of his face.
Captain Holstius replied, evasively,
that he had not sought for luck, and,
therefore, had no reason to complain of
unsucccss.
"I moan, lad," whispered the old
man, " havo you spoke tho bark which
once wo called the Saucy Lai? And if
not," because hero tho young man shook
his head, whilo Ids rosy ciieek showed a
deopor red " if not, why not?"
"Becauso," said Captain Holstius,
speaking slowly " becauso I spoko her
six months ago, and sho told mo "
Hero ho sighed heavily.
" What did she tell you, my lad? Did
sho say that sho wanted to bo carried off
and married, whether sho liked it or
notP"
"No, sho did not."
"That was my way, when I was
young. I always carried 'em off. I
married 'em first and axed em' after
ward. Sixty year ago, that was. Ay,
nigh upon seventy, which makes it tho
more comfortable a thing for a man in
his old ago to remember."
" Lai tells me that she will wait live
years more before she gives him up, and
oven then sho will marry no ono, but
put on mourning and go in widow's
weeds being not even a wife."
"Five years!" said Captain Zacharia
sen. " 'Tis a long timo for a woman to
wait for a man. Five years will take
tho bloom off of her pretty cheeks, and
tho plumpness off of her lines, which is
now in tho height of their curlinoss.
Five years to wait! Why, thoro won't
bo a smile left on her rosy lips. Where
as, if you'd the heart of a loblolly boy,
Cap'en Holstius, you'd ha' run her
round to the church long ago, spoke to
tho clork, whistled for tho parson, whilo
sho was still occupied with the pudding
and had hey thoughts far away, and
well, thero, 'in live years' timo she'd bo
playin' with a four-year old, or may btf
twins, as happy as if there hadn't novof
boon no Cap'en Ariniger at all."
"Five years," Captain Holstius
echoed, "is a long time to wait. But
any man would wait longer than that
for Lai, oven if he did not got hor, aftor
all."
"Five years! It will be eight, count
ing tho throe she has already waited foi
her dead sweetheart. No woman, in
tho old days, was ever expected to cry
more than one. Not In my day. No
woman over waited for mo, nor
dropped ono tear, foi more than ono
twelvemonth, sixty veins ago, when 1
was dr " Hero fio recollected that
ho could never havo boon drowned, so
far back as his memory served. That
experience had been denied him. Ho
stopped short.
"She thinks of him," Captain
Holstius went on, seating himself on
another box, faco to faco with tho old
man, "all day; sho dreams of him alH
night; thero is no moment that ho is
not in her thought I know because I
havo watched her; she does not speak
of him, even if sho sings at hor work,
her heart is always Bad."
ITO HE CONTINUIJO.J
CclebratlnKjJiojOpon Fire.
Thore is ono delightful luxury which
the majority of country pooplo may
havo, if there Is no other within tlioir
reach, aud that is an open wood fire.
I know of some perhaps thoro aro
more who think a coal-stovo is n
" great deal nlcor," and who boat
their rooms with base-burners, which
might well bo called headacho ma
chines, and throughout tho ontiro year
never experience tho charm of nn
open wood lire, tho most cheerful,
wholesome, beautiful, social, genial,
welcoming and fascinating llro under
tho sun. And I know all abotit its
"drawbacks" tho "litter" it makes;
how tho sparks snap up nnd burn holes
in my frocks and in tho rugs, and some
times lenp so far out over tho fender as
to take a seat on tho sofa, on tho op-
Iiosito sldo of tho room; nnd how tho
litchcn maid scowls at having so muoli
brass " toggery " to polish ovory week;
aud how tho light ashes tly up and light
on tho brlc-a-brao of tho mantelpiece.
But with all its faults, I adoro it still; and
when Amaxlmandcr asks what I would
tako for tho old-fashloncd Franklin
stovo'if I couldn't get anothor, ho pro
poses a poser. I don't thkik money
could buy it I put wood on tho brass
andirons fully sixteen times n day, and
" brush up " tho hearth ditto, and thou
sands of minutes go into that open
llro, to say nothing of tho timo Bpcnt
in "poking it," which is tho vory
quintessence of .enjoyment, and no
body can bo vory miserablo who has an
open flro to poke.
Of course, in this hind of ours witli its
varying climato, wq neod something
more than open wood llres to koop our
houses duly heated; but with a largo
coal stovo in tho hall, for a central heat
er, or one of thoso abominations in tho
collar called a furnace, ono can do vory
well with an open lire in tho living room,
which of all rooms should possess one.
Tho open lire is a magician, aud trans
forms the meanest room into something
attractive. It stimulates the imagina
tion, aud it is difllcult to think of ooys
or girls growing up into tho gifts of
poetry, who aro roared in homos with
out a hearth-stone. Tho old-timo yawn
ing fireplace with its swinging orano for
pots was a grand sight to see on a cold
winter night, with its groat logs bathed
in ilame, and tho light dancing out on
tho baro lloor and walls. With the in
come of many of our "civilized"
methods, there has been an outgo of
soino very winsomo features that glori
fied tho (lays and tho nights of our fore
fathers and our foromothors, and of all
of theso outgoes nonp is moro to bo de
plored than the open flro tho crackling
wood iiro. To sit around it whon tho
day is dono, and toll fairy talcs and
ghost stories and discuss tho nowspapor
news, and dream, if you liko, or pick out
pictures in tho coals oh, mol Can vou
mention anything moro delightful?
Then, too, it is a luxury that Ft is so
cheap in tho blessed country in cities
only tho rich fool that thoy can afford it
and anothor Item not to bo ignored is
tho consoling thought that by having an
open fire you will live a great many
years longer, because of its hoalthfiil
ncss. Then why not have it? Mary
WaycrFishcr, in N. Y. Tribune. '
Venus.
On tho 20th of February, Venus camo
into superior conjunction with the sun.
Tho sun was then directly between us
and Venus; tho earth, "the sun and
Venus being in a straight lino. Slio was
then at hor nearest point to tho sun,
"joined to him," as tho word conjunc
tion implies, "on his outer side," as
tho word superior implies.
After conjunction, Venus passes to
tho eastern sido of tho sun, and be
comes evening star. At conjunction,
and for a mouth or two aftor, sho is too
near tho sun to bo visible, boing com
pletely hidden in his rays. In April, a
careful observer may find hor, a serene
ly beautiful star, shining in tho glow of
twilight for a short timo after sunset.
Sho will soon becomo a brilliant object
in tho western sky, and will continue so
until her inferior conjunction on tho Gtli
of December.
A great event marks tho coming in
ferior conjunction. Tho orbit in which
Venus moves around tho sun is inclined
tothoecliptio.or sun's path. Tho two
orbits aro not an tho same plane or lev
el, so that when she pauses between us
and tho sun she is usually above or bo
low him, and wo do not soothe passage.
Next Decembor sho passes directly be
tween us and the sun, and makes a tran
sit; that is, she passes across the sun's
disc liko a black dot or ball. This is
the most important ostronomicnl event
of tho present year, and owes its im
portance to two causes, its extreme rari
ty, and the fact that it furnishes proba
bly tho best means of finding out tho
sun's distance iroui the carta.
It will bo visibly throughout tho West
ern hemisphere, and many astronomers
from tho Eastern hemisphere will visit
America to view tho grand phenome
non. There was a transit of Venus in
1874, visible in tho Eastern hemisphere,
but after the corning transit has passed,
thero will not bo another till tho year
2001, when every human boing now on
tho earth will havo passed away.
Tho transit may possibly bo seen by
keen-eyed observers with tho naked oyo
as a black point on tho sun's disc. But
to observers with a good telescope,
Venus will look liko a black sphere,
nearly as largo .as the full moon, pass
ing over tho sun's surface. She will bo
six hours in making the passago, and
will thus afford a lino opportunity for
observation to thoso having access to
telescopes.
It isftwoU to tako tho superior con
junction of Venus as a starting point,
and becomo familiar with tho laws that
rule her movements, aud that will re
sult in tho long expected transit of 1882.
-YuutlCs Vomjumioti,
.1
W4w