i B ;
i ' \ . -Loyal heart to Ior nlady.
Sturdy iiandu to work for bre&d ,
m f 'KoadvwHl to Jiclp thoncody , v
H | Wnll UHed bruin's wlthlr ililn head ;
H . I Cheery voice , a laugh , a whiatlo
H ' Pleasant eyes that Bee and smile ,
H Ear * that hear not tags or GHbrIo ,
H I i Fearless tongue dovoid of guile :
H \ r ! Thin is how I mako a man
H I : Mako him better if you can.
H I Gentle oyes , ( or lorn and laughtor ,
H ' Handsoma hands. because tlioj work ,
M i • Form an artist might look after ,
H Sunny mouth where smiles lark ;
H ; un-kissed cheek , not art enamoled ,
H * I Mind kept ireo by reason's sway ,
H J ; . ' . Wais by fashionaieYer4rawmlfid , .
"
H I | ' 'Souf/or / study , work and play :
M , j Thisis the lady of my dreams.
MM Tell mo how her portrait seems ?
I ! J. Wm. Lloyd.
. . My Little Dog Fickle ,
H Toward the close of a dull Novem-
H * ber day , in the year 18Ga young
H " man was standing , with his back to
H the fire , in a small but well furnished
H apartment in street. Scattered
H ttbout upon the table were several
H _ open and evil looking volumes , bear-
H ' irig , as their titles indicated , upon
H j witchcraft , spiritualism , mesmerism ,
H I * md various supernatural phenome-
H j na. Their appearance showed that
H * "tbey were frequently and deeply stud-
H I ied. Seated on the hearth rug , close
H rj "to the young man's feet } was a small
>
H I * black-an-tan mongrel , very sharp
H 1 -about the muzzle , very bright about
H ! the eyes , and very tremulous about
H the tail. Every now and then she
H looked up into her master's facewith
H that look of wistful wonder so com-
H mon to the canine features , giving at
H the same time a little whimper , in or-
H > der to attract his attention.
H "What is it , Pickle ? " he exclaimed
H t last , rousing from his reverie , and
I I 7 looking down at the dog ; "what is it
I I my girl ? "
H I "Bow , wow , wow ! "
H 1 | "That's a very general answer , my
I A.- . doggie. "
If - - • * jtfj that moment some peculiar
K ] - nden evidently flashed across his
H I Hjrain , for , looking earnestly at the
H I -dog he exclaimed :
I " v "By Jove ! I've a go od mind to try
I | ? the experiment. Let me just read it
over again. "
I • He walked quickly from the fire-
I , "place to the table , and opened one of
9 . the volumes at a marked place. For
I J . -a quarter of an hour he sat , andnev-
I H er raised his eyes from the book ;
1 . " 'then , leaving it open , he pushed it a
I | llittle way aside , and called his dog.
In It was on his knee in a second.
JL * ' ' "Pickle , " he said gently "would
*
iff you like to talk ? "
Kj "Bow , wow , wow ! "
Wr\ \ "No , not to bow , wow , wow , but
' to talk like I do ? "
B The dog put his head on one side
I and looked at him earnestly , with
I that painful endeavor tounderstand
which every one who talks to a dog
I must often have noticed.
I i "Let me see what it says once
I F" " more , " muttered her master , and he
BJ turned to the book again. "Hm !
TS power of strong will condition pro-
duced by mesmerism experiment of
Ton Glaben act oh brain and tongue
transmitted capacity and sympa
thetic action on muscles. Yes , I'll do
( Jit , come what may. "
.With these words he lifted the dog
ffrom his knee and placed it upon the
' } table in front of him , so that its face
\was level with his ; then he raised his
"finger and exclaimed sharply :
"Pickle , look at me ! "
I The" d og's eyes were fixed on his in a
I . .moment. The last rays oftheNo-
m.jW ' ( * > vember sun had long ago departed ,
MM and the room was filled with that
IB -visible darkness which gives a weird
II -aspect to the commonest of objects.
II In this obscurity , relieved only by a
I I fitful flare from the d\'ing embers in
I I < the grate , the pupils of the animal's
I 1 'eyes seemed to the young man to di-
" ' Hate under his glance , and became
I J balls of liquid fire. Never for a mo-
1 jL * anent allowing his steadfast gaze to
- & vary , he lifted his hands quickly from
I # * his side and made the usual passes ,
" I adding to them certain others evi-
B I gently prescribed in the recently
K-\ udied article.
m \ At the first few strokes the dog
m V ) : embled violently , and the bristles
L \ ose on its neck like a ruff. Then it
\ suddenly became rigid : the jaws
L J dropped asunder , and the ears were
mwT pricked in the most painful tension.
H "Pickle ! " exclaimed the young man
HP bringing his face suddenly so close to
M \ tlie dog's that their noses touched :
M i -"Pickle , speak to me ! Say Master. "
W ' The opened jawa closed with a sud-
I j den snap ; the lips twitched spasmod-
II \ ically ; the working of the throat
I I showed that the tongue was violent-
I : I ly agitated.
l.f * " "Pickle , if you love me speak. "
I' * - The words were this time accom-
tj panied by a powerful attack upon
I the animals's brain and tongue. The
1 same symptoms followed the second
. I appeal ; and then , from between the
if tY clenched teeth , there came , harsh
> i and grating , as though tearing its
IM way up the dog's throat , the word
Pronounced in an unearthly tone ,
The word , half expected as itwashad
'M . & momentary effect upon the oper-
I ; ator's nerves , b t before the current
m -Q oThis influence-over the d og "had been
M . destroyed he recovered himself and
M continued the experiment.
S' ' 'Do you know what I say to you ? "
Wt - - " " ' \ This time the answer fell easily and
"
Iflj softly from the dog's lips. The un-
H use 'd muscles of the throat had under
B the influence of Von Glabenstein , got
H quickly over the first shock and fall
s' en at once into working order. "I
H understand all you say to me. " .
H "Can you speak except under the
r influence ? I mean , could you speak
' ? f I withdraw my eyes from you so ? "
mm. The young man turned away ; and
TO * -destroyed for a moment the rapport
* between the dog and himself. The
I | animal was powerless to reply. Be-
l | .suming the former conditions , the
A operator then continued :
It "Do you retain the remembrance
, , ' _
mWmWW " ' ' ' '
* - "l < • * i i j * ' -
h
of your lormer life , or are you ob
livious to the past ? "
"You use very long words. "
"Is your condition altered ? Do
you remember anything that hap
pened to-day ? " '
"I urn still your little dog Pickle ;
and please will you give me that big
bone you sent away on your plate at
dinner time ? "
"Yes ; and every night , if you are
good , you shall have a bigbone after
you have been mesmerized. I want
you to go about into the people's
gardens and houses and hear all you
can , and then in the evening you
must tell me all about it. "
1 "Yes ; but' let'me go now ; I want to
scratch myself , and I can't move my
leg. "
Rapidly making the liberating
pass ( 'S , the young man withdrew his
eyes from the dog , and instantly
springing from the table , it rolled
over on the hearth-rug , and , heaving
a deep sigh , went off into a doze. It
was evident that the experiment had
prostrated the dog , and left it weak
and languid. For the moment even
the bone was forgotten.
Not at first did the full meaning of
the feat he had performed dawn up
on Pickle's master. It was only by
degrees , as he sat thinking before
the dying embers , that the revelation
came to him 6f what ho might ac
complish with a talking dog. He
never for a moment entertained the
idea of making the discovery public.
Bather should it be to him a source
of secret enjoyment , heightened by the
knowledge that the wholeproceeding
was in direct violation of the laws of
nature , and as "uncanny" as the
wild revels peculiar to a witch's holi
day.
day.For
For many a . night after that Pickle
and her master talked together for a
quarter of an hour in the evening.
The doors were always carefully
locked before the preliminaries com
menced , and the Von Glabenistic in
fluence was limited to a short period ,
as the dog evidently suffered physi
cally if the interview was prolonged.
An intelligent and observant ani
mal , Pickle brought to her master
many queer items of news about his
neighbors , an 1 he encourged her
prying habits , having already cou-
ceived the idea of earning fame as an
amateur detective and employing
the dog as an unsuspected agent.
AVhen Pickle had anything of im
portance to cummunicate , her in-
xelligence was rewarded with a choice
bone , but when she had been spend
ing the day with other dogs , and
listening to them instead of to their
owners , her conversation was not in-
teresting to her master , and she for
feited the dainty honorarium.
One evening she had been out all
day , and returned long after her usu-
al time , looking very muddy about
the feet and very tumbled and dirty
about the coat. Her tail , usually
defiantly poised in the air , was
curled tightly between her Jegs and
she crawled rather than walked into
the library , where her master was
waiting for her.
The door was closed and the cur
tains drawn , and then Pickle , looked
the picture of downcast doggedness ,
was lifted upon the table and Von
Glabenized. .
"You bad dog , exclaimed her mas
ter , sharply , "what makes you so
late ? You've been playing with
those low dogs by the canal. Look
atyourjeoat ! " '
"No ; I haven't been playing by the
canal , and I don't know any low
dogs. "
"Where have you been , then ? "
"Only next door. "
"Thenyou wicked dog , why didn't
you come into the house before ? "
"Because well , because I didn't
want the police detectives to see me. "
"What had you done , then ? "
"Don't be cross and I'll tell you all
about it. You know little Tommy
Bowles , who lived next door ? "
"The boy that comes after my ao- *
pie tree ? "
"Yes ; and you said you'd cut his
head off if you caught him again.
Well , somebody has cut his head off ,
for his father found him lying just
against the garden wall without it ,
and I saw him picked up , and so I
thought I'd listen ; and presently I
heard them say they believe you'd
done it , but the difficulty would be
to prove it. "
"But I never cut Tommy Bowles'
head off ! "
"Yes , you did. "
"What doyoumeandog ? Are you
mad ? "
"You know you flung a broken
plate over the wall this morning ,
didn't vou ? "
"Well ? "
"Well , just as you threw it , Tommy 1
Bowles was climbing up the wall to
get at your apple tree , and it caught
his neck and cut his head right off. "
The young man sprang to his feet
in an instant. A cold perspiration
burst from every pore. He had tak-
en human life , and his victim lay
headless next door. He turned hur- '
riedly to Pickle for further informa- -
tion , but the dog had left the table , '
and was stretched quietly on the
hearth-rug , gnawing a bone. The
consternation of her master's will
had'been disturbed , the conditions
1
under which the phenomena were
possible had been destroyed. How ,
must this awful danger be faced ?
For fully an hour he endeavored to
bring himself into a fit state to con-
trol the animal's will. At last by a
mighty effort he succeeded.
'Tickle , go on ; tell me * all you ,
heard. " .
The influence was evidently weak , ]
for Pickle , instead of answering , cast (
a wistful glance atthe Tialf gnawed
bone on the hearth rug. i
"You shan't have that bone again
at all , if you don't answer , " cried the •
master , angrily.
For a moment the dog cocked her
head on one side , and appearedto be i
thinking ; then she resumed her nar- :
rative , but in a hesitating , timorous (
manner , not usual with her when
talking ,
"Did any one see the ah accident , ]
Pickle ? "
No ; but Tommy Bowles' father and
a neighbor who'd dropped in said
they'd heard you threaten to do it ,
over and over again. Then one of
them said , 'Ah , if that dog of his
could speak , it would tell us all about
it , I warrant ; ' and then
"Go on , go on ! "
'
' " , . .
. - . . . | - - ' - . - - . . L y 4 ' -V * \ i - ' ' > %
"Hush ! Perhaps somebody's listen
ing/ '
ing"Whisper. "
"Whisper.
"Weil , then the detective jumped
up and said , 'By Jove ! it wouldn't be
tlie first dog who'd hanged a man !
and then said presently , 'If that dog
saw it done and ten to one she did
I'll haveit outof her , seoifl don't , ,
"What did ho mean , Pickle ? "
"Why , he's found out that you
VonGlabenizo me , and make me talk ;
and he'll do the same if he catches
me. When I heard fin s , master , I
sneaked out of the room and ran for
my life ; and I went , oh ! such a long
way round , and waited till it was
quite dark , for fear he should see me
come in ; and that's what made mo
so late. I may finish that bone now ,
mayn't I ? "
Freeing the dog from control , the
young man flung himself heavily into
a chair. His position was desperate.
The little harmless dog , gnawing
away at its bone as if noth
ing had happened , had
his life upon his tongue.
Why , in the hands of a man like
the detective a man who evidently
knew the secret he fancied he himself
alone possessed the dog's evidence
would hang him twenty times over.
He felt his collar tighten around his
neck as he thought of it. Who would
believe it was only an accident ? His
threat to cut off Tommy Bowles'
head had been heard all over the
neighborhood. He had flung the
fatal plate ; the dog had see him do
it ; the dog could be made to speak ,
and the detectives knew how to
make it.
Suddenly the thought struck him.
"Pickle is the only witness who could
prove the actual deed. How if I were
to to put her out of the way ? "
The worst ! Great Powers ! Why
at any moment the myrmidons of
the law might be hammering at his
door ; he might be in jail , and Pickle
in the power of that confounded ,
meddling detective. Not a second
was to be lost.
* * * * * * * *
Late that night a young man stole
cautiously down the steps of the
house in street , and hailed a
passing hack. From beneath the
folds of his ulster peered the sharp
muzzle of a little dog.
Three weeks later man and dog
stood upon the deck of the good ship
Grampus , bound for Ujiji , with ice ,
Iucifer ' matches and gray shirtings.
"What is that island yonder ? "
asked the man of the first mate , who
leaning over the bulwark near him.
The man shaded his eyes and
looked.
"That ? Oh , that's a desertisland.
We're out of our course , through the
fogs : , a good bit , or we shouldn't be
near : it. "
"Don't ships go nearer than this
to it ? "
"No fear. There's generally nasty
rocks off such places. We always
keep as far away from 'em as ever we "
ean. ( "
That night , shortly after dark , the
\ captain walking arond his ship , must
have noticed an unusual appearance
on ' the port side , for one of the boats
was missing.
And so were the man and the dog.
And the man and the dog were sit
ting side by side now , as this confes
! sion was written , and the boat is
high and dry on the desert island ,
where it has been their hut and home
for ten long years.
• So ends our confession.
"Bow , wow , wow ! "
• "Ah , my doggie , if you'd never
been able to speak any language but
that ) we shouldn't be here now. Still ,
it was best we came. Whenever we
had gone amongstthehaunts of men ,
we ; should have been recognized. A
man ; and dog full description two
thousand dollars reward ! No , my
poor ] old Pickle , we should have been
. caught ; and you wouldn't have liked
to hang your master , would you ?
: By Jove Pickle , I've a good mind to
. Von Glabenize you again , just to
talk over old times. 1 have never
done ( it since that fatal evening.
Shall < we have a talk again , just for '
once ( ? Shall we , old girl ?
"Why , if ever a dog said yes with
eyes ( and tail , you do now. So I will ,
then. So ! look at me well while I
make : the passes. Come , that's it !
Why , you go off easier now , my dog ,
than i you did ten years ago. Steady !
Now ] for a try. Pickle , why , how
fearfully \ you tremble ! "
"Master ! "
"Why , what a tone ; Are you fright
ened , my dog ? "
"Master , I want to talk about
Tommy Bowles. "
"Hang it , my dog ! some pleasant-
er subject than that now please. "
"But , master , I've been wanting
to tell you about Tommy Bowles
for ten years. Ohmaster ! you didn't
cut.his head off. "
"What ! "
"Nobody cut it off it wasn't cut
off at all. Oh ! do forgive me ! and
there 1 wasn't any detective ; and ,
please , I made it all up. "
"But surely confound it , Pickle !
I don't understand ! Ain't I a mur-
deser , then ? "
"No. "
"But , in the name of all that's
cannine , why should you make all
this up ? "
"Because I had been playing with
low dogs up by the canal all day ,
and I thought you wouldn't give me
the bone if I didn't tell you some
thing , and be cross with me , and so I
made it up about Tommy Bowles. "
"Oh , Pickle ! Pickle ! and for ten
long years have you and I been on
this desert island because you told a
lie ! Why the deuce didn't you un-
deceive me before ? "
' "How could I ? You never Von !
Glabenized me. "
"Pickle , old dog , 'we've been friends
too long to quarrel over this. Give
me i your paw. I forgive you. "
"Master , do men ever , when people
want news , and they haven't got any
to give them , make things up like I
did that night ? "
"Certainly not ; only a foolish dog
would do such a thing as that. Hal
loa ! there's a boat coming , Pickle.
We're discovered ! "
"Bow , wow , wowl"
"It comes nearer ! Never mind , we
don't dread it now. Wuy , Pickle ,
look ! That face in the bows ! Why ,
I'm blest if it isn't Tommy Bowles ! "
• * • • * *
[ From the "Times , " Aug. 13.187- . ]
The ship Jemima , Capt. Bowles , with Iron
*
. i
it .V. < * . . -ATI if 3Jfct V " , K " .a. "
I *
rails and eutlery , fromUjijL nrrlTrf this
morning. She brings with lior a gentleman
and bis dog , who wero discovered by Capt.
Bowles' son Thomas , on a desert island ,
where they had been cost awuy ten years ago.
There is no reason now why this
confession , written on that island ,
should bo kept from the public.
Pickle is agreeable to itspublication ;
and if she is not ashamed of her share
in the story I am sure I need not be.
George 11. Sims in the London Re
feree.
IVhy Sixty Second * Make * Minute ,
From the Fortnightly Review.
Why is one hour divided into sixty
minutes , each minute into sixty sec
onds , etc. Simply and solely be
cause in Babylonia there existed , by
the side of the decimal system of no
tation , another system , the sexa-
gisimal , which counted by sixties.
Why that number should have been
chosen is clear enough , audit speaks
well for the practical sense of ancient
Babylonian merchants. There is no
number which has so many divisors
as sixty. The Babylonians divided
the sun's daily journey into twenty-
four parasangsor 720standia. Each
parasang or hour was subdivided into
sixty minutes. A parasang is a Ger
man mile , and Babylonian astrono
mers compared the progress made
by the sun during one hour at the
time of the equinox to the progress
made by a good walker during the
same time , both accomplishing one
parasang. The whole course of the
sun during the twenty-four equinoc
tial hours was fixed at twenty-four
parasangs , or 720 stadia , or 300
degrees. Thiss3'stem was handed to
the Greeks , and Hipparchus , the
great Greek philosopher , who lived
about 150 B. C , introduced the
Babylonian hour into Europe.
Ptolemy , who AvroteaboutloO A. D. ,
and whose name still lives in that of
the Ptolemaic system of astronomy
gave still wider currency to the Baby
lonian way ofreckoning time. I was
carried along on the quiet stream of
traditional knowledge through the
middleages , and , strange to say , it
sailed down safely over the Niagara
of the French revolution. For the
French , when revolutionizing weights
measures , coins and dates , and sub
jecting all to the decimal system of
reckoning , were induced by some un
explained motive to respect our
clocks and watches , and allowed our
dials to remain sexagisimal , that is ,
Babylonian , each hour consisting of
60 minutes. Here you see again the
wonderful coherence of the world ,
and how what we call knowledge is
the result of an unbroken tradition
of a teaching descending from father
to son. Not more than about a
hundred arms would reach from us
to the builders of the palaces of
Babylon , and enable us to shake
hands with the founders of the oldest
pyramids and to thank them for
what they had done for us.
.
upQ - Mil
A Good Time in a Coal Cellar.
Senator Hearst of California does
not appear to find much enjoyment
in his wealth. His wife in the family's
Washington mansion gave a recep
tion which made even the extrava
gant ' people of the Capital open their
eyes. It is said that the flowers
alone cost § 25,000. Movinguncom-
fortable and alone through the glit
tering throng the master of the
house met a well-known newspaper
correspondent. ' Said the wealthy
Senator eagerly ; "Get a few good
fellows together and we'll go to some
quiet room and enjoy a bottle of wine
and some cigars together. " There
were whispers in the ears of two oth
er < correspondents , and then , led by
the Senator , the quartet marched
through the big house from parlor
to attic. In every room there was a.
chattering i throng or a wrap-divest
ing ; bevy or piles of hats and over-
'coats. With a sigh the Senator
turned backward. He descended to
the cellar. Besides the coal-hole a
colored , servant arranged a table anc ]
chairs i and brought wine and tobacco.
"Now , " said the millionaire , "ivith a
sigh i of relief , "we can have a cood ;
time here without being interrupted
by those idiots up-stairs. I can't see
the fun in my wife's rackets. " New
York World.
i a - * - -
In the Soup.
Nearly everyone knows that it is
safer ' to humor and pretend to agree
with a lunatic than to oppose him.
This < rule would also frequently bo
productive of peace if applied in dis
putes ; between rational persons ; bu * ;
here is an incident to illustrate the
first : proposition :
A medical inspector , on his round
through a French lunatic asylum , re
ceived ! numerous complaints from the
inmates : anent the bad quality of the
broth. In order to verify the truth
: of their statements , the inspector
went down with them into the kitchen ,
where he saw an enormous boiler
filled with hot water. Suddenly one
of the patients , a powerful , strapping
fellow , stepped forward and said : "I
say ' , , doctor , you are fine and fat ; I
am certain you would make excellent
broth ; we will try. " The other luna
tics testified theirapproval , and they
were about to hoist him into the
boiler , when he called out : "Stop ,
gentlemen. , That is a capital sug
gestion 1 ' of yours , but my clothes
might spoil the flavor : allow me to
goUrst and take them off. " The ar
gument seemed a good one , and the
madman allowed the doctor to leave
the kitchen.
A Breach Pia in a Boj's Head.
Marietta ( Ga. ) Journal.
Last week Dr. Will Dean was sent
for to assist in taking a breach , pin
out of a boy's head. Theboy'sname
is Koach ; is about 14 years old , and
lives near Holly Springs. While in
the act of discharging a gun the
breach pin flew out , striking the boy
in the temple and entering his head
to the depth of nearly two inches.
When it was taken out some of the
brain came with it. The cord of one
eye was cut in two. He was doing
very well at last accounts.
- > f
- , . , .1,1 „ t , r.r.1 „ & a - itoJ V -r - "
J-
LET IN THE LlGHT.
BV DK. OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.
[ Roud November 23,1SSS , at the laying of
tho corner-stono of tho Boston now publio
library. ]
Proudly beneath hor glittorlnfr dome ,
Our thrco-hillcd city greets tho morn ;
Hero Freedom found hor virgin home
Tho Bethlehem whereherbibo was born.
Tho lordly roofs of traffic rise
Amid tho Bmoko of household fires ,
High o'er them in tho peaceful skies
Faith points to heaven her clustering
Brires.
Can Freedom breatho if ignorance reign ?
Shall Commerce thrive whuro anarchs
rulo ?
Will faith h ? r half-flodged brood retc
If darkening counsels cloud tho sch
Let in tho light ! from every ago
Somo gleams of garnered wisdom pi
And fixed on thought's electric page ,
Wait all their radianco to restore.
Let in tho light ! in diamond mines
Their gems invito the hand that delros.
So learning's treasured Jewels shine
Ranged on tho alcovo's ordered shelves.
Behind tho over open gate
No pikes shall fenco a crumbling throne ,
No lackeys cringe , no courtiers walt -
This pulaco is tho people's own !
Heirs of our narrow-girdled past ,
How fair tho prospect wo survey.
Where howled unheard tho wintry blast ,
And rolled unchecked tho storm-swept
bay !
Theso chosen precincts , sot apart
For learned toil nud holy shrines ,
Yield willing homes to every art
That trains , or strengthens , or rolines.
Hero shall the sceptred mistress reign
"Who heeds her lowest subject's call ,
Sovereign of all their vast domain ,
The queen , the haudmaid of them.
OUR ROBIN.
CHAPTER VIH ( Continued ) .
"Oh , Harry , " I cry againi and this
time my voico is expressive of the most
profound horror at the treachorous
suggestion "oh , Harry , how can you
say , or even think , of such a thing ?
Of course Jack will never love again. "
"Umph ! " mutters Harry , while the
amused look deepens in his eyes. "I
hope you may be mistaken , Bee Bee.
If some sensible girl could only be in
duced to take him in hand it would bo
the making of him. "
"And do you mean to say , 1 * 1 return ,
rather indignantly , "that , if I died ,
you would marry some one else ; or
or supposing you died , I should ever
dream of doing anything but sorrow
for you to the end of my days ? "
"Look here , little woman , " says
Harry , placing his strong arm around
my waist , "what is tho good of sup
posing this or supposing that ? Wo
are both of us tolerably strong young
people , and likely , as far as I can see ,
to live to a good old age. At the same
time , if anything ever should occur to
shorten my days , it would not make
me any happier to think that my death
must cast a gloom over the whole of
your remaining life ; indeed it would
rather conduce to make me miserable.
Wo have but one short life allotted to
us in this world , and wo owe it not
only to ourselves , but to our fellow-
mortals , to make that life as innocent
ly bright and happy as we can. "
"You don't love me , you can't really
love me , or you never would say such
dreadful things ! " I say , almost weep
ing."Not
"Not love you ! Bee Bee , look me
in the face and say that again if you
dare ! " says Harry , placing his hand
under my chin and forcing me to meet
his gaze. "I love you with all my
heart , little woman ; but I. am no
dreamer. My calling is , of perhaps
all callings , the most precarious , and
you are too sensitive for anything ; if
my ship "
"Oh , Harry , how dare you , dare you
say such things ! " I cry in an agony ,
and placing my hand over his mouth
to stop the utterance of further horrors. •
Harry does not dare. He calls him
self all kinds of unpleasant names for
having touched on such a gloomy sub
ject ; then , the storm having somewhat
abated and a perfect reconciliation
having taken place , we leave tho shel
ter of the ash and wander about the
grounds. In the course of time our
steps take us in the direction of the
Lovers' Walk.
About half-way to the summer-house
a most amazing tableau meets my
eyes indeed for the moment it nearly
takes away my breath. Under a sweet-
scented lime-tree , which is now in full
flower , sits Bobin on a little mossy
mound. Bv her side Jack is reclining
in an attitude of the greatest ease and
contentment. His right elbow is buried
in the yielding moss , and his upturned
palm supports his head. In his left
hand he holds a small volume bound
in crimson and gold , out of which he
is evidently reading aloud to his com
panion.
While Harry and Jack are exchang
ing civilities respecting the weather ,
the crops , and the dusty state of the
roads in fact about anything and
everything which does not touch on
last night's adventure I bend down
and whisper into Robin's ear
"Is he reading to you out of one of
those dreadful volumes ? "
"Jib , indeed , " answer my friend ,
with an upward glance of sly triumph.
"He is reading 'Evangeline , ' and ,
what is more , he reads uncommonly
well. "
"I had no idea that you cared for \
pathetic poetry , " I say , a little scorn-
fully. j
"Well , Rome was not built in day , j
vou know , " confides Robin , still under c
ner breath. "In a week I dare say he \
will be reading the Pickwick Papers. " ]
I ffive an unbelieving shake of my <
head , but do not flatly contradict her.
So many of her extraordinary predic- ]
tions respecting Jack haVe come true ]
that I feel the ground slipping from i
under my feet , and have consequently 1
lost some of my self-confidence as to i
my knowledge of my own brother's 1
character. J 1
It turns out to be just as well that I 1
held my peace , for again Robin proves
herself a true prophet. Isbt only does (
Jack make acquaintance with the i
pages of Pickwick and other unlikely 1
works , but he frequently joins us in ]
our daily walks and drives , and even <
goes so far as to volunteer himself as ]
escort to some amateur theatricals ]
which take place in the neighboring (
county town.
Robin's visit of a month steals on 1
into eight weeks before I can bear to ]
hear her departure mentioned , for she ]
has not the heart to leave me until I
have in some measure recovered from <
the dire loss of Harry's daily visit. ]
Then however , her friends in the north j
grew clamorous , and as her visit can- ]
not be prolonged forever , we are i
obliged to bow to the necessity of ]
her departure ,
i
Aunt Loui3a , who had looked for-
word with dread to hor advent , ia
overwhelmed with sorrow a thought
of losing hor.
• I am sure , " she confidos to mo
with a doleful shako of hor head ,
"ovorything will got back into its old
groove as soon as she leaves us. John
will shut himself up in his study again
and you will take to alternately weep
ing for Harry and gazing moonstruck
out of tho window.
I do not quito coincide with this
gloomy view of matters , and yet I feel
vaguely that much of tho sunshiny
brightness which porvndes the houso
win leave us when Robin's merry and
oftsn playfully mocking laugh coasea
to echo through the rooms.
On the morning of her departure ,
when hor boxes stand all labeled in
the hall , she takes mo asido for aT . fow
moments into tho empty dining room ,
and , after cautiously shutting the door
says.with a gleam of fun in hor hazol
eyes"Bee Boo , do you feelyoursolf equal
to a shock a thorough galvanic bat
tery ? "
"Is it anything about Harry ? " I ask
breathless.
"What should I know about Harry ,
you goose ! No , it is something which
.concerns Jo . your brother. "
"Has he been digging up the books
again ? " I-ask , still unsuspicions.
"Of course not ! " answers Robin ,
flushing slightly. "But , Bco Bee
now don't bo too much startled but
ho has asked mo to marry him. "
"Asked you to marry him ! Impos
sible ! "
"No , it is not impossible ; why
should it bo ? Ami so very unlovable ? "
"No , no , " I answer , recovering my
scattered senses a little , "of course
not , Robinonly it staggered mo at
first ; " and then suddenly it flashes
across me what an admirable arrange
ment it would ho for everybody , should
Robin accept him. "Oh , Robin , dear ,
dear Robin" I sayimpulsively flinging
my arms around her neck , "do say
'Yes ! ' it would bo the making of John ;
and it would ho so cheering to have
you for a sister ! "
"I have said 'Yes' conditionally , "
admits Robin , frankly.
"Conditionally ! " I repeat after her
dreamily. Surely Robin cannot be
very deeply in love ! No one deeply
in lovo would accept an offer condi
tionally ; but then Jigain , Robin is such
a practical little body.
"Yes , conditionally ; and not only
have I made one condition but sever
al , " declares Robin , with a determined
nod. "In the first placo he is to
get his hair cut two inches shorter ;
secondly he is to walk or ride every
day , wet or fiue ; and thirdly , ho is to
earn , either with his head or hands ,
one hundred pounds before I really
think of the matter seriously. "
My heart sinks within me.
"The third condition is impossible , "
I say despondently. "Jack could not do
it. He has never been brought up to
anything. How could he earn a hun-
dredpounds ? "
" 'Where there's a will there's a
way , 1 " quotes Robin. "I leave him
to find out how ; it simply has to be
done if he wants me. "
"But why ? He has a thousand a
year without working. "
"Just so ; and it has envervatcd his
nature. He should have been born a
poor man , and had to work for his liv-
. "
ing. -
' • Oh , Robin , you aro a , thorough
Radical ! Besides , your conduct is
senseless. It would be much kinder to
refuse him outright. He can't even
earn a shilling , so far as I can see , let
. alone ' a hundred pounds. He used to
be able to work a lathe a little ; but lam
sure the wooden candlesticks he made
wouldn't sell for much. He nove < *
could make a pair ; there was always
one taller than the other. "
"Oh , you delicious old goose ! "
laughs Robin , as she gazes with a new
softness ' in her eyes , straight into
mine.
"Robin , do relent. " I say , counting
on that half-pathetic look.
"No , dear , " she answers quietly ,
but decidedly ; "he must prove himself
a man , He must prove that , should
| ever our money take wing , he could
keep me by his own efforts. Don't
think me hard , Bee Bee ; it is for his
own good and , notwithstanding my
seeming hardness , I love him very
dearly. "
"Not so dearly as I do Harry. "
A strange smile flits around Robin's
mouth.
"Just as dearly , though not in the
same , way , " she answers with a kiss.
Then Jack appears at the door , and
oh , wonderful sensation ! it is I ,
Bee Bee , who am dc trop. There is
nothing to be done but to accept the
situation \ ; so , with some excuse about
"sandwiches , " I glide away. '
* * * * c
As , in the oft-told fairy legends , the \
unlucky 1 Prince always managed to (
overcome ( the obstacles placed in his •
path by a * , adverse fate , so does my ,
brother Jack vanquish the giant that |
intervenes \ between him and happiness. I
Our small home-farm falling vacant
about , the end of Robin's visit , a brilj j
bant ] idea enters his head. He takes
the management thereof into his own
hands , and engages the services of a t
practical working bailiff. Soon a deep
interest in his healthful occupation
springs up , and what he at first under
took merely as a means of winning [
Robin becomes the engrossing business
of his life. :
Before six months pass over our r
heads he is honorably entitled to claim
Robin , nor is he slow in availing him
self of that privilege. So , whilst the j.
bailiff is left'in charge of the prosperj j
ing farm , there is a gay wedding in .j
u
the north , after which aunt Louisa and
I return home to await the arrival of
n
the newly-wedded pair. Ij
So our merry , light-hearted Robin is r
caged , and Jack the dreamer trans-
formed into Jack the practical man of t
business ; for , having once felt the de
lightful stimulus of work , he clings
ever after to the home-farm. Under
his care , it yields not only the coveted ' G
hundred , but , before many years are
over , thousands of pounds. =
Aunt Louisa still lives at Podmore , "
to alternately spoil and gently scold ! j |
her second generation of nephews and
nieces. . 3
As for myself well , Harry's ship I
came back somo years ago ; and , as a [
rich old uncle left him some money 5
about the same time , instead of setting t
him to work , after Robin's example , I.t
not without some difficulty , persuaded. '
him to leave the navy. 2
. " - \ - • . , .
- -c " " " i * J * * * 4 ; - . *
- 1 - *
< " - ; * - s ' j c - d
H ! > M I MMMMMMMHMMHMaMn 4
. .
! ! ! ! ! Mil II ! Illll-.H * tf
Affcr Flfteeg Years ,
In tho autumn of 1874 Thomas
Kolk , of Worksop , England , who had
been a soldior. went to Stockton-on-
Tees in his regimentals to have his
photograph takon. Ho noticed a/ . . * _
carriage stop in ono of tho principal | *
thoroughfares. Tho coachman got jT- . j
down from the box , but had scarcely I ,
reached tho ground when the hors V" * * " " " '
dashed of ! at a torifflc paco dragging |
tho carri.igo behind it , in which was I
seated a girl 0 years of age. It was I
evident that unless tho horao waff I
stopped tho child would bo killed.
Kelk walked into tho middle of tho
road , waited until tho advancing
horse reached him , and then sprang
at its head. Ho was carried about
100 yards hanging on to tho horse's
neck , but succeeded ovontually in
stopping it.
The child , who wns very much
frightened , thanked tho man again
and again , took his address , and
told him that she could not reward
him for his bravery then , but would
do so when she came of age , and told
him ho would hear from her in tho
future.
True to her promise , on attaining
the age of 21 a few weeks ago , sho
mado inquiries as to tho whereabouts
of Kelk , but her efforts for a time ]
wero unavailing , until a commercial
traveler happened to know a carter
named Kelk at Worksop , and prom
ised to make inquiries.
His investigations proved tho
Worksop man was tho ono wanted.
Kelk received a letter asking him to
go to a station near Manchester. Ho
did so and was mot by acarriuge and
pair , and taken to the home of tho
child now a woman whoso life ho
had saved. Arrived there he was
hospitably entertained , " and before
leaving was presented with a hand
some gold watch , a gold guard and
seal , and $500 likewisoin gold. The
watch bore the following inscription :
"Presented to T. Kelk for his brave- * "
ry at Stockton-on-Tees in 1874. "
He Lied , hut Not Under Oath.
Boston Gazette.
An Evangelical clergyman , in a
town not far distant from Boston ,
was recently summoned as a witness
before a legislative committee on a * *
question of the town division. Ho
was a resident who objected to hav
ing the town divided , and he was also
a resident on that portion of terri
tory which sought to bo set off. In
the zeal of his testimony , and under
the screws of an accomplished cross-
examining , counsel , ho stated that the
captain of a steam fire engine com
pany in the town was on one occa
sion , while in the discharge of his du
ties , unmistakably intoxicated. The
man , alluded to , reading the testi
mony : , at once went to the house of
the divine and asked him , in the
presence of his wife , why he , a minis
ter , should toll such a flagant un
truth. The clergyman hesitated be
fore the indignant remonstrance
of , the captain , who is well known as
a . strict teetotaller , and then said : "I
was . pressed to it by the persistent
questions ( of the lawyer. 1 know I
told , a falsehood , but you see I was
not : under oath. " His wife joined in
and exclaimed , "Oh , no ; husband was
not : under oath. " This is a remark
able case of casuistry. That minis
ter must have an armor of brass
when he appears before his little mis
sionary j congregation Sundays , to
expound , the beauties of truth and
honesty. ] His predecessor , who , by
the j way , was one of. the genuine
saints s , ought to rise in rebuke. Thero • - * '
is j only one excuse for this act , and it
is j found in a remark madeyearsugo
by | the venerable Lyman Beecher , 1) . I
D. ] He said there were in all comma- 9
nities , constitutional bars , and
though j they might receive the regen-
erating influences of the Holy Ghost.
the seed would remain , and then1 B
would , be no Ananias , and a Sapphira H
to j the end of the chapter.
1 lO Ij i Hi jkwM
A Double Dinner in Russia. H
TheEussian eats on an everago
once ( every two hours. The climate I
and custom require such fre-
quent meals , the digestion of -H
which i is said by frequent H
draughts ofvodki and tea. Vodki is fl
the j Russian whisky , made from
potatoes and rye. It is fiery and H
colorless , and is generally flavored H
with some extract like vanilla or H
orange. It is drank from small cups fl
that holds perhaps half a gill , Vodki H
and tea are the inseparable accomtLwM
paniments offriendly as well as of _ JkwM
business intercourse in the country H
of the czar. Drunken men are rare. Lwm
Russia and Sweden are the only LwKM
countries in which the double din- | H
neris the rule. When you go to the H
house of a Russian , be he a friend or H
a stranger , you are at once invited H
to a side-table , where salted meats , jH
pickled eel , salted cucumbers , and H
many other spicy and appetizing H
viands , are urged upon yon with an k\ \
impressiveness • that knows no re- k\ \
fusal. This repast is washed down H
with frequent cups ofvodki. " That H
over , and when the visitor feels as if H
he had eaten enough for twenty-four M
hours ! , the host says : "And now tc | H
dinner. " At the dinner table tho 9M
meal is served in courses , with wines k\
jrown in the Crimea and in Bess- | H
arabia , where excellent clarets and jH
Burgundies are made and sold for M
from a shilling to half a crown the r\\ \
bottle. Boston Budget. L\ \
o-o-c UU\ \
Our Yccaljualry. \ M
Globe Democrat. v f mmMt
It is worth remembering thafc H
Shakespeare produced all his wonder- ' i H
ul plays with a stock of about " " ' m m kwmM
300 words ; that Milton found t J H
sufficient for his lofty and impress J LwKwKwKwKwM
; and that the whole of tho H
Surposes comprises less than H
5,500. As a general rule , people of H
the educated class do not use more H H
than 3,000 or 4,000 words in conver- H
'
sation , while the uneducated often H
et along , even in the halls of Con- B
jress , with a few hundreds. H
