SAILOES' bTBANGE COSTUMES.
Queer. Outfit * Fashionable in Neptome's Court
Forecast' Yarns.
"Talk about strange costumes , " said
the mate of a steamship to a Tribune
reporter recently ; i'tho way some of
the crew of a deep-water vessel will
get themselves up occasionally is a
caution. I remember once in my
younger days , when I was before the
mast on the ship Colby , bound round
the Horn , that there was an old salt
named 'Bill' Bice , who considered
himself what would bo called a nauti
cal duck in these days. Ho had been
on the ship running from Liverpool
out to the African coast before joining
the Colby , and an Englishman who had
gone out as a passenger in her had
given him on leaving the ship an old
dress-coat , a atriped waist coat , a
stovepipe hat , and a pair of 'loud'
checked trousers. 'Bill' considered
this outfit the acme of fashionable at
tire , and every Sunday when ho took
his trick at the wheel he would rig
himself ouf in the 'duds' , stovepipe
hat included , and as solemn as an owl.
It was the most comical sight I over
saw. the effect being heightened by
the fact that the clothes did not fitand
the hat was a size too large.
"Once when I was on a Rio steamer
e shipped a man whose entire outfit
onsisted of a pair of rubber boots and
pair of. dilapidated trousers , a bright
red flannel shirt , and a white helmet
hat. He looked like a disconcerted
rainbow as he moved about the decks ,
and the passengers were never tired
watching the white helmet and the rod
shirt. You have , of course , heard the
story of the landsman who shipped be
fore the mast , and , fearing rain , took
an umbrella with him ? Never heard it ?
Well , 1 don't vouch for its accuracy ,
but the story goes that when the mate ,
called all hands to shorten sail one'
rainy day , the landsman turned out
wearing a rubber coat and carrying
his umbrella. The captain saw it
from the quarter-deck , and , running
forward with a howl of rage , came
down with his whole weight on the
umbrella , crushing it into a shapeless
mass , and threw it overboard , after
which he chased the terrified lands
man up the rigging with a belaying-
pin."At
"At another time when I was on a
Rio steamer there was a quartermaster
who used to put on a white shirt and a
'stand-up' collar every time he took his
trick at the wheel. That man was al
ways making mistakes of some kind ,
and used to annoy the old man , as the
sailors call the captain , frightfully.
The old man was pretty patient , but
when he did break out he made things
hum. This was the quartermaster's
first trip down the Brazilian coast , and
he had heard some one say that be
tween Bahai and Rio the Flyaway
light would be sighted. We left Ba
hai at nightfall , and in an hour he be
gan to sight thatlight. The old man
had lit his p'ipe and tipped himself
back in his chair for a smoke when
the quartermaster sang out : 'Light
ho ! ' The captain dropped his pipe
and went into the pilot-house like a
shot.
" 'Where away ? ' said be.
" 'Three points onthe starboard
bow , ' replied the quartermaster ,
" ' 1 don't see any light , ' said the old
man , peering through the night-
glasses.
" 'I don't now , but I did , ' replied
the quartermaster.
"All his watch the quartermaster
kept sighting that light at intervals.
J'he old tuan would no sooner get
comfortably settled down for a smoke
than he would be startled by a cry of
'Light ho ! ' He was startled , you see ,
"because he knew each time that if the
ship was on her course it was nor time
to sight any light. Finally the captain
turned in , but the relentless quarter
master kept bringing him out of his
bunk by sighting Flyaway light.
Finally the old man could stand it no
longer , and , rushing into the pilot
house , he seized the quartermaster by
the throat , and shaking him until his
teeth rattled , he shouted : 'If you
sight Flyaway light many more times
to-night , I'll makeyoufood for fishes ! '
r- * . I believe he'd have done it , too , for
the old" man was riled. " New York
Tribune.
Human Justice.
It must have frequently occurred to
the most casual observer of human
affairs , that justice is a mere mockery.
The man who is bad is just as apt to
enjoy health and happiness as the man
who goes to church and leads an ex-
" < 2mplarylife. En fact , it would seem
as if the good were singled out for per
secution. They certainly seem to have
mdre than their share of bad luck. An
illustration , on a small scale , of how
the bad escape while the good are pun
ished for the sins of the bad , occurred
in Austin a short time ago.
A spiall cart , to which a donkey \vas
attached , was left standing in front of
a school-house. The driver had gone
into a neighboring saloon to slake his
thirst. The mischievous boys gather
ed around the vehicle and' proceeded
to annoy the animal by punching him
in the abdomen and other parts with
sharp sticks. They also imparted a
spiral shape to his tail by twisting it.
They also tied the donkey's ears to
gether , much to the discomfiture of
the animal , but much to the amuse
ment of the urchins , who deserved the
severest punishment for their cruelty.
Did the thunderbolts of heaven fall
upon them and destroy them ? Hardly
any.
any.A small b'oy named Smith was stand
fr < ing off at a short distance looking on.
He had been a good boy even before
he was weaned. He never gave his
friends any trouble. He went to Sun-
dav school and brought home medals.
In'this affair he was "really sympathiz
ing with the donkey. He took no part
whatever in the hazing of the poor
brute. On the contrary he was shed
ding tears over the cruelty of the bad
boys , when suddenly the proprietor of
the animal emerged from the saloon.
He charged furiously upon the boys.
They saw him in time , and fled in every
direction , making good their escape.
The little boy did not run. He had done
nowrong. . Conscious innocence made
him bold. The driver-of the donkey
came down upon the good little boy
like an avalanche , boxing his ears
runtilhohad a slight hemmorhage of
\
/
the uoso. The 'boy. whose sense"oi
justice was also injured , rushed intc
the scliool house to inform the princi
pal. Unfortunately one of the teach
ers was coming out of the door at the
same momeut , and he was almost im
paled by the iinpetui/us youth. In
fact , the two colliding bodies were al
most telescoped by the collision. For
tunately , the teacher retained his
presence of mind. Without asking for
an investigating committee , ho' dealt
the luckless youth a box on the car
that soundea like hittiug a beefsteak
with the Hat side of an ax. For a
second time the boy detected ( -he heav
enly bodies. We mean , of course , ho
saw stars.
The good little boy did not linger
around the teacher , who was partially
doubled up from the force of the col
lision , but was nevertheless lifting his
boot to kick. The boy kept right on
upstairs , until he rushed almost
breathless into the room of the princi
pal. As soon as he was able to do so.
the pupil said :
"The teacher boxed my ears , and I
hadn't touched the donkey. "
"Call your teacher a donkey , do
you ? " ejaculated the principal , livid
with rage at the slur at the professor ;
and once more the good little Sunday
School boy got it right and left , more
constellations bursting upon his enrap
tured vision. It seemed to him as if
he had suddenly sat down in front of
a drug store.
The idea that had been instilled into
the youthful mind of that boy , that the
good were rewarded and the bad pun
ished , is undergoing some modih'cation ,
at which wo can hardly wonder.
Texas SI'tings. )
The Book Trade.
Book-publishers and book-sellers
are doing their business irreparable
damage in conspiring together to de
ceive the public by giving false prices
for their books. For instance the ju
venile books during the recent holidays
were * almost uniformly advertised at
SI.25 per copy , whereas the book
seller paid only 40 cents per copy to
the book-publisher. Hero is a differ
ence of 85 cents between the price
printed upon his book by the publisher
and the price at. which he sells it to
the retail dealer. This is not a reason
able discount to the trade every
book-buyer is willing to allow that
but it amounts to a deception and a
fraud upon the buying' public. A
buyer does not feel" like paying for
a book more than three times its actual
cost to the seller , but if he does so
with the connivance of the book "pub
'
lisher and linds it out , he is apt to'eall
such a conspiracy between the pub
lisher and seller a barefaced swindle ,
and stop buying books. *
This custom of the publishers in
printing fictitious prices on their books
tias developed a new feature in the
book business which will tend to de
stroy legitimate book stores. This is
the establishment of book bazars in
large retail dry goods stores , clothing
bouses , &c. Several years ago Mr.
Wanamaker in Philadelphia placed in
bis large clothing establishment a
table filled , with juvenile books. Each
year his business increased and new
tie has a large book department in his
clothing house. He paid no attention
to the publisher's prices , but adver
tised in his book catalogues the low
est discount prices plus a small com
mission. He seems to be capturing
the retail book business of Philadel
phia. Good book stores are educatioal
institutions and areas important .to
the literary life and growth of a large
city as public libraries and schools.
Their existence , however , is threatened
by the establishment ol book bazars ,
which owe their origin to the decep
tions practiced by 'the book trade
itself. The Publishers' Weekly , which
is a semi-official organ of the book
trade , has for years consistently and
ably opposed this custom , but "to no
purpose. The rapid increase of book
bazars may open the eyes of both pub
lishers and sellers to their own inter
ests and compel them to adopt an
honest statement of prices. Cincin
nati 2'tmes-Star.
A Deplorable State of Affairs.
The Temps correspondent in St.
Petersburg draws a most dreary pict
ure of the internal condition of Russia.
Count Tolstoi , the Minister of the in
terior , exaggerates the old despotism ,
suppresses even local councils , pro-
hioits the discussion of any internal
events in the press and hunts inces
santly for Nihilists , who begin to be
found even in the ranks of the armv
He is , consequently , the special object
of the revolutionary detestation , re
ceives frequent menaces of death , and
never stirs from his house without
special police protection. The Empe
ror himself passes most of his time at
Gatschina , and from want of commu
nication with his counselors , has made
no progress in the art of govering.
He _ trusts only extreme reactionaries ,
and never loses the fear of assassina
tion. What one would like to know
is , what the great body of military-
officers think of the situation , but that
information is unattainable.
Keal Estate in New York.
Beal estate in New Yerk City , ac
cording to a recent letter , for the time
being , is at a dead halt. The big
apartment house known as the Grosve-
nor , corner of Fifth avenue and Tenth
street , has been sold to the Mutual
Life Insurance Company for § 100,000 :
expert appraisers thought it would be
cheap at § 250.000. It rents at present
for $25,000 a year , and itwasannounc-
ed that the mortgagees would take
back a mortgage for $150,000 at 5 per
cent. Another transaction is impor
tant enough to note. The brcwn-stone
front dwelling , No. 9East Sixty-fourth
street , belonging to the Johnson es
tate , has been sold to John P. Duncan
for $125,000 cash. This property in
1876 was sold to A. I. Johnson , the
consideration in the deed being $230-
000. In January , 1884 , Mr. US. .
Grant , Jr. , contracted to purchase the
property for about $150,000. but foi
various reasons the contract was not
executed. Si. Louis Qlobe-Democrat.
An experimental abaft In a new on region
of Wyoming Territory , sank onlj fifteen feet
yields all barrels of oil in twenty-four boars
CONYEYANCK3 IN LOMDON.
Gnardlrm Ancel" of the Past Cabrlo-
Icts and Modern Vehicles.
In that quaint and amusing work ,
"Walker's Original , " which was pub
lished rather more than half a century
igo , the author , who was long a metro
politan police magistrate , tells us , says
The London Tekgraph , in illustration
> f the changes which had occurred in
the town and its fashions during his
lifetimethat a "retired hackney coach
man , giving an account of his life , re-
sently slated that his principal gains
bad been derived from cruising at late
iours about particular streets to pick
jp drunken gentlemen. If they were
ible to tell their addrcss.he took them
itraight home ; if not , he carried them
lo certain taverns , where the custom
tvas to secure their property and put
them to bed. In the morning he
: alled to take them home , and was
generally handsomely rewarded. He
laid there were other coachmen who
pursued , the same course , and they all
zonsidered it their policy to be strictly
honest. The same calling was pur-
wed for many years in Paris. The
tariff for taking a drunkard home was
20 sous , and his conductor was known
' ' ' 'The Guardian
as 'L'AngeGardien , or
Angel. ' " These words were written
ibout 1830 , and they give us a strange
peep into the social history of London
ind Paris during the early years of the
present century. It is encouraging ,
it the outset , to find that the * French
capital had its "drunken gentlemen"
as well as the English , and that the
Parisian "Jarvey" of those days was
satisfied with the modest reward of a
franc for rendering them a service
which would now be thought ill-re
quited unless at least five , and per-
aaps ten , times as much were given.
Mr. Walker's typical hackney coach
man did not , it may bo pretty safely
affirmed , make enough money to se-
3ure a comfortable provision for his
old age upon these self-sacrificing
terms. The ever-obliging and ubiqui-
tious policeman generally performs
now the voluntary functions discharg
ed when George III. and George IV.
were upon the throne by night-prowl
ing "jehus" who plied for hire. A
story is told of an incorrigible joker
who , being considerably the worse
for liquor , was picked up one night in
the Strand and safely deposited by a
benevolent policeman in a comforta
ble "growler. " In answer to the in
quiries of his auxiliary for an address
lo which the cabman was to drive , the
bibulous wit , whese sense of fun was
not wholly quenched , could only reply ,
in a husky voice , "Kensal Green. "
Nowadays it is but too probable that a
gentleman in the streets who was too
overcome to furnish any address to
his "guardian angel" would pass an
uneasy night at the police station. It
is evident , however , from Mr. Walk
er's story , that within the lifetime of
many who may chance to read these
words hackney coaches were so scarce
at night that a few enterprising driv
ers of these ramshackle vehicles found
it worth their while to traverse the
dark streets , into which gas was not
generally introduced until George
LV.'s reign , in pursuit of "gentlemen
in liquor. " Sydney Smith tells us , in
deed , that until he was himself nearly
50 years'old he could not afford a car
riage ol his own , and that the straw
from the bottom of the hackney coach
which conveyed him to dinner stuck
to the flounces of his wife's dress , and
exposed them both to the jeers and
Qouts of powdered lackeys in the
service of aristocratic hosts , who had
issued their cards of "invitation with
the words : "To meet Mr. Sydney
Smith , " inscribed at the top.
It makes a great deal of difference
at what time a man chances- be
born. At present there is no more
difficulty in hailing a four-wheel or a
hansom cab at any time of the day or
night in the central parts of London
than in obtaining change before mid
night for a good half-crown. Men and
women are all so accustomed to the
comforts and conveniences of this
kind which surround them on all sides
that they are apt to forget if , indeed ,
they know the straits to which their
fathers and grandfathers were reduced
within living memory. Not until 1823
were those oae-hofse vehicles long
known by the names of "cabriolets ,
but now universally spoken of as
"cabs" introduced into the metropo
litan streets , and in thatyear the num
ber of such conveyances plying for
hire was only twelve. The driver sat
upon a peich attached to the right
baud of the two-wheeled vehicle , and
heard every word spoken by the two
friends who were his fares. If the
horse fell the fares had an excellent
chance of being flung into the street ,
and the rain was kept out by leather
curtains drawn across the front. In
1831 the number of cabs had increased
to 165 , and in that year the licenses to
drive them were granted to all decent
ly conducted applicants. Prior to
1831 , when the trade was thrown open ,
the number of carriages or.cabs ply
ing for hire was limited to 1.200 , and
omnibuses , which were first started in
1829 , were few and far between. What
a contrast to these antediluvian times
do the London streets now present !
In addition to about 2,500 omnibuses ,
they now contain something like 14-
OOO'cabs , and , as regards speed , clean
liness , and general comfort , the pub
lic conveyances of this metropolis
compare favorably with those of any
other capital upon earth. The young-
erpgeneration of London , who have no
recollection of the barbarous days
when such a thing as a hansom cab did
not exist , may congratulate themselves
by joyfully exclaiming : "The good of
ancient times let others state ; 1 think
it lucky I was born'so late ! " In no
respect does the British capital sur
prise its American and foreign visit
ors more than in the abundance , the
cheapness , the comfort , and above all
in the swiftness of its hansom cabs.
The "gondolas of London" a phrase
which Lord Beaconbfield borrowed
from Honore de Balzac , who first ap
plied it to ibejlacres of Paris swarm
in every street , and although , as Lord
Rosebery pointed out when he recent
ly took the chair at the cabmen's be
nevolent fund dinner , the last occu
pant of the vehicle may have'been an
archbishop , a professional beauty , era
a foreign ambassador , its usefulness
and conveience are equally within the
*
reach of all who have a shilling in
their pockets to pay the fare.
A Misrinkeretl Clock.
I have always clung affectionately to
the theory that no poor man should
ever hire anybody else to do what he
himself can do about his premises. . 1
am opposed to hiring tramps to eat up
the substance of a hard-working indi
vidual , like an editor , hence 1 never
allow one to saw wood for his break
fast at my place.
The other day a tramp called at my
house. Ho had a kit of tinkering in
struments , and displayed a burning
desire to heal tbo eccentricities of our ;
clock which never could be satisfied'
unless it was from four minutes to
three days slow. I was at first dis
posed to let him give it two or three
experimental links , but when he in
formed me that his time was very val
uable and the wear and tear of his
brain very severe in the performance
of such offices of human benefaction , I
concluded to do the job myself.
That afternoon I went down town
and paid $7 to a hardware man for the
necessary labor savinjj machinery. I
felt that $7 was not an extravagant
price to pay for a set of tools that
would tinker me for the entire period
of human life , so 1 hurried home and
went for that clock.
_ My wife spread a white paper on the
dining table for me , and it was not
long before I had the viscera of that
clock'scattered about me like the shat
tered remains of a brass foundry after
had ' with it. No
a cyclone toj'ed won
der it was slow ! Every clog and jour
nal was clogged with dirt and stiffened
with oil. 1 rubbed up the parts care-
'fully , and then my wife leaned loving
ly over my shoulder and remarked
that she could not comprehend how in
the world I would ever get all that
stuff into it again. I replied that it
took a high order of genius to do that ,
and drawing myself "up proudly , as
sured her that I was fully equal to the
situation.
Then I began to put the clock to
gether , and soon.had it full , but there ;
were wheels and eccentrics and levers
enough to make another clock. I felt
proud of my grand achievements. I
had often heard that "economy is
wealth , " and I had saved enough of
that clock to pay for a new hair spring
in my watch. I put on the bands and
wound up the rejuvenated timepiece ,
and started it. It went off like the
gong at a railway eating house , where
a fellow stops twenty minutes to get
robbed. When I was a little boy go
ing to school my teacher , a tender
young soul of forty-two summers and
twice as many winters , used to write
"Time flies" in my copy book , but I
never fully realized the scope and in
tent of the remark until that clock re
sumed business at the old stand. I re
alized in a moment that I had con
quered the perverse disposition of that
clock to play along the road. It
seemed'infused with renewed vigor and
was punctual to a fault.
The hour-hand got around the' dial
once each hour , while the minute-hand
got around sixty times in the same
period , and the bell sounded every
second. On close inspection I dis
covered that I had accomplished what
had never been done before. I had
turned time backward , and longed to
have the poet who sang : "Backward ,
turn backward , O time , in your flight , "
present , that I might show him that
his wish was gratified. The hands
were going the wrong way , and my
wife smiled a sweet , sad smile of hope
as she remarked that in about four
days we would be a boy and girl in
school again. I was pleased for a mo
ment at the thought , but as a faint
wonder what would become of our five
children in such an event stole upon
me , hope gave place to fear that it
would leave a blemish upon our young
lives to return to the good old times ,
and I jammed the screw driver into
the rapidly revolving wheels and put a
stop to their mad career. One of these
days I am going to pull the nail out
and go back to the Garden of Eden and
see Eve feed Adam apples. F. S. Hud'
die , in Texas Siftings.
Wiues for Sacramental Uses.
"At least fifty thousand gallons of
wine are consumed annually for sacra
mental purposes in the United States , "
said a wholesale dealer in wines to a
reporter for The Mail and Express.
"What kind of wine is preferred ? "
"The pure juice of the grape , free
from alcohol , is demanded. Dry wine ,
which has about 11 per cent of alcohol ,
also is sold for the church. The certi
ficate of a priest as to the purity of the
wine is often necessary before a brand
can be sold. But let it once become
popular and no matter if a little al
coholic adulteration creeps in , it is
never detected. Sweet wine has at
least 20 per cent of alcohol , yet it is
often sold for sacramental purposes.
Fact is , the sweet wine is always the
favorite until its alcoholic percentage
is discovered. If all priests and
preachers were of the same nationality
one brand of wine might do , but a
French priest does not want the same
wine as an Irish priest. Methodists ,
Episcopalians , Catholics , and Baptists
all desire different brands. "
"How do foreign wines sell ? "
"It is a strange fact , but foreigners
like American wine and drink more of
it than the natives do. The average
American , who drinks wine , thinks
nothing is like the imported article ,
while the foreigner , who has tried
them both , prefers that made here.
But since the prohibition question has
started and several states have de
clared for temperance , more wine is
sold for sacramental purposes than
was ever known before. This gives
the wine trade a boom. Every whole
sale dealer sends his circular to the
prohibition states stating he sells only
the pure juice of the grape for church
services. Every drug-store in every
village , hamlet , and town lays in a
supply of sacramental wine , and this
year I predict that three times as many
gallons 'will be sold for sacred pur
poses as was last year. This will bring
the figures up to 150,000 gallons.
When prohibition rules out malt
liquors , then the pure wine is in de
mand , and the drug-stores do a land
office business. " New York Mail and
Express.
A BUMBLE IN SPAIN.
Attractions for the Naturalist
AH John Hooker said of Spain , "God
has moat of the land in His own hold
ing , " consequently one there enjoys
the spectacle of a wild and beautiful
country in its most perfect pristine
condition , exactly as turned out by
nature not "im
, yet disfigured or
proved" by the hand of man , and
practically unchanged since the days
of the Moors , and , in fact , for ages
before them. Every day one sees
many of those forms of bird and ani
mal life which in our crowded islands
have long ceased to exist , and only re
main to the naturalists of to-day in the
'
form of bad pictures in bo'oks or
worse specimens in museums. Among
the rolling corn lands the great bus
tard roams in plenty. Troogsof fifty
or sixty of this noble game bird , the
largest of that class , may be seen to
gether , their great fawn-colored bodies
ies and long necks resembling a herd
of deer rather than birds. Then there
are the lesser bustards , and on every
side resounds the triple note of the
quail. On the open "plains before
mentioned the royal kite and the buz
zard both these , like the bustard ,
about extinct at home are ever-in
sight gracefully circling over the
brushwood with a keen eye for an out
lying rabbit , or one of. the large and
beautifully colored lizards which
abound therein.
But for the particular behoof of the
reptile world nature has designed and
commissioned a special class of armed
cruiser , the "Colebrero , " or snake-
eater , as the Spaniards call him , which
is often descried- busily employed at
his vocation. Then those dark-brown
fellows with creaniy heads hover
ing over a marshy hollow , their
motionless- wings set at a sharp
angle , are moor buzzards , while the
long-winged kind , which look like gi
gantic swallows are their cousins , the
ash-colored harrier , the most indus
trious and hard working creature of
his kind. Of small birds , there is an
infinite variety , , many clad in the
brightest hues , , which harmonize ad
mirably with the sunny scene. Some
of these , such as the bee eaters , the
blue jay , and the golden oriole almost
rival in brilliancy the gaudy denizens
of the tropics. Not only are their
plumages most vivid in color , but they
Eossess glossy reflections , which in the
right southern sun sparkle like few-
els. Every now and then a covey of
the large Spanish partridge rise with
startling suddenness ; their numbers
are surprising when one considers the
unceasing persecution they undergo
from the native "cazadores" and the
quantity of birds of prey , these latter
forming a characteristic feature in the
Spanish landscape.
Besides birds , , these broad , undula
ting plains and prairie lands are the
native home of the wild-bred Spanish
bull. Here he roams at large from his
birth till the day he receives his death
thrust at the hand of the matador. A
formidable beast he is , perhaps the
only one inclined to dispute the do
minion of man. The wild-bred Span
ish bull is ready to assume the offen
sive , and provoke a combat in the
open. He stands his ground resenting
intrusion on his domains with a low ,
deep roar of defiance , viciously paw
ing the ground and throwing up clouds
of dust with his four feet.
Beyond the fertile but externally
somewhat monotonous regions of the
vine and corn , the Spanish horizon is
usually bounded by the bluish loom of
a distant mountain range. But before
this can be reached a very different re
gion must be traversed. The sierras
are usually encircled by a broad zone ,
of low , broken hills and undulating
plateaux , beautifully clothed in strag
gling natural woods"Luxuriantgroves
of oaks , chestnuts , and cork trees oc
cupy the ridges , while the valleys are
filled with dense masses of arbutus ,
lenticus , wild olive , some kind of
laurel , cistus , and other shrubs. Here
and there whole acres glow . with the
brilliant flowers of the rhododendron ,
and the crimson peony adorns the
most arid places. In certain districts ,
as one carefully picks one's way , rid
ing through brushwood as high as one's
shoulder , now and then a red deer
starts from the thicket almost at one's
Feet. Huge black snakes uncoil from
their basks on a sunny knoll , and
jlide rapidly out of sight ; then a coup
le of badgers hustle away through the
scrub , or a broad-winged kite slips
noiselessly from her nest on a pine.
Overhead resounds the short , loud
bark of the imperial eagle , or perhaps
one of these magnificent birds may be
'
perched in massive outlines on the'top-
most limb of a lofty oak , his white
epaulets plainly visible in sharp con
trast to the glossy black plumage.
Probably for typical mountain scen
ery the Pyrenees and the hill region of
Sallicia and the Austrias are the finest
in the peninsula. But the great sier
ras of the south have a character of
their own which is not wanting either
in beauty or grandeur. The vast piles
of limestone , of which they are largely
composed , are blanched by the ages o'f
exposure till they shine in the sun
shine like white marble , relieved and
variegated by the dark green of the
brushwood , which grows thick wher
ever among the rocks it can find soil
for its roots. Naturally these rugged
sierras are but ill adapted for cultiva
tion. Here and there the mountain
eers have wrested from the stony de
clivities a little patch of corn land. In
this the hillmen compare favorably
with the more listless dwellers of the
plains. A keener sense of the strug
gle for existence no doubt develops
latent energies : but these sometimes
appear to increase in proportion to the
greater remoteness from the baneful
Influence of the priesthood. The
staple industry of the sierras , however ,
is the breeding of goats. Ubiquitously
audible is the not unmusical tinkle of
the little bell which each goat carries
on its neck , a sound characteristic of
the wildest and most .remote glens of
the mountains. Last thing at dusk ,
first thing at dawn , resounds that little
tinkle round one's camp. The per
sonal appearance of the Spanish serrano -
rano is formidable. As be suddenly
appeared on the scene , leather clad" ,
shaggy , and bronzed to a copper color ,
with a huge knife stnckin-his belt and
tiis long single barrel slung behind His
saddle , he looks the picture of a dare
devil desperado. But dcupito his ap
pearance our friend is quite'harmless ;
nay , hospitable and helpful. Pall Mall
Qazetle.
Fashion and Common House.
[ f there is one locality more than an
other where the voice of common sense
is never listened to it is in that very
extensive one whore fashion reigns.
Who ever thinks of listening to the sug
gestions of the former , when the de
cree of the latter potentate has
gone forth' Tight sleeves for
the ladies , and tight continua
tions for the gentlemen is the
fashion , supposing. The advocates of
common sense protest , saying , it is im
possible to move one's limbs in them :
I cannot bend the knee , before the
portrait of my fondest hopes , says onoi ;
I cannot got my hands to the back of )
my head , says another , which is far
more important. And fashion replies , )
I cannot satisfy all tastes. My laws' '
are mostly made for the unreflecting ;
if you reflect you will never bo satis
fied. That which you complain of now
is only a temporary inconvenience ;
when I can no longer tighten in your
limbs , sleeves and leggings will take
such ample proportions that the real
size of an arm or leg will bo a subject
for divination. Fashion has no re
spect of person ; if high heels are in
troduced for the benefit of short people
ple , low heels are never introduced at
the same time for people who are al
ready taller than the } ' care to be. The
latter must wait their turn for the op
posite fashion , and then unusually
short persons must have their boots
made to order if they wish to reach up
to the elbow of their superior iu
height , or submit to be looked upon as
dwarfs by tall people , if they prefer to-
keep in the fashion.
Fashion pretends to have an eye for
beauty ; if this be true , she enacts at
least that all her followers be model
led after the same fashion. They must
have heads and faces of a uniform
size and shape , that the hat or bonnet
of the season may become them all ,
and they must have a uniform tint of
complexion , that the color a la mode
may suit it. Those who study fashion
in dress at the expense of their person
al comfort are surely wanting in com
mon sense , yet we most of us do so ,
since the fashionable and uncomforta
ble article is preferred to the unfash
ionable and comfortable one , though
it may cost more than double the price
of the latter.
Common sense suggests that in hot
weather clothing for both sexes should
be light in texture and color ; but if
fashion ordains that ladies' dresses be
heavily trimmed , and if she refuses to
give her consent to garments of a sum
mery nature being introduced for
gentlemen , no one has the courage to
pay attention to personal comfort.
When ladies' skirts are made so nar
row as to be inconvenient for walking ,
and liable to assist the wearer to an
awkard fall in descending from a car
riage , or when they are widened to a
ludicrous width to admit of unmanage
able crinolines , or burdened with use
less trains , to be draggled in the
streets or trodden on in the ball-room ,
who ever thinks of refusing to obey
the nonsensical mandate ? Even the
most obdurate end by giving in , be
lieving that they are moro ridiculous
to hold out , than to stand alone with
common sense. Nothing , for instance ,
could indicate more plainly the folly
of making long-trained dresses the
fashion , than fo see a year or two ago
how the latter was necessarily bunch
ed up in the most ungraceful manner ,
or the wearer was compelled to have
one hand always engaged with hold
ing up the superfluous yard or two of
stuff , making her invariably wish that
artificial hands had come into fashion
with the trains , to allow of her using
lier natural ones in some more profit
able way. London Standard.
The Bnrmah Kice Crop.
The official report , dated Calcutta
Dec. 15 , 1884 , on the prospects of the !
rice crop for November is as follows : (
"The total area under cultivation in }
the ten districts is reported as y,180-j
835 acres. This area is only an estimate -
mate , as the actual measurements arej
not completed until the middle of Jan
uary. The other nine districts of the
province are returned as containing
332,000 acres of rice land , and there
are 129,000 acres of taungya cultiva
tion , nearly all of which produces rice.
The total rice-producing area for this
year-is , therefore , estimated at about
3,040,000 acres. The rain which fell
during November was beneficial , espe
cially to the crops on the higher lands-
in parts the rain came somewhat late.
Lt appears that the rain of October did
some damage to the plants in flower ,
and the ears have in some parts proved
light ; under these circumstances , it
will not be safe , until information is
obtained as to the outturn on the
thrashing-floors , to estimate the crop
at more than twelve annas , or about
an average crop , according to the cal
culation given in paragraph forty-
eight of the recent revenue resolution.
An average crop all over the province
ought to yield an exportable surplus of
988,000 tons of cargo rice. The fallow
area has now been found to be some
what larger than was supposed last
year. Although many of the district
officers anticipate a crop considerably
above the average , it appears better
not to estimate for an exportable sur
plus of more than 975,000 tons , or 104-
WO tons below the actual exports of
1882. This estimate will be subject to
modification after the reaping and
thrashing are over , "
Boys Will Be Buoys.
Some Florida boys , who had a
swimming hole along the St. John
river , were of ten-driven out of the
water by a very large alligator who
came to sample them. At last they
lit upon a little racket to get even
with him. They constructed a buoy
the exact size , shape and shade of an
ordinary boy , and filled it with nitro
glycerine , and took a pole and pushed
it out a little way from shore. Pres
ently the alligator came up with his
mouth wide open like a steel trap , and
in one bite he took in over half the
buoy , who just at that juncture went
off and blew him tail first about three
miles up the river.
Moral "Boys will be buoys. "
Life.
