A PRAYER.
Not cnse ! I would not stoop so low to asfc
That Uiis dull pain grow ever less and
lew ,
Until lite liardship of my daily task
No longer ou my crippled life should
press.
Not ( It'aMi ! I would not leave , with cow-
ar-J feet ,
The Imtlli-fielil where He so bravely
Could I His tender eye ? oiicc dare to
meet ,
If th.it first rapture were too dearly
Nor do I pray that I may soon forgot
In SOMIC new joy the anguish of the old.
Better dcinlc deep of memory aud regret ,
Thau tsislf ( he draught that Lethe's cup
may hold.
But strength I ask to bear the standard
-
lie carried proudly and with faithful
fs re.
That , when the day shall come for me lo
die ,
It still may be , as now , unstained and
fair.
And grant me sympathy with others' pain ,
That so my own may serve its purpose
best ;
Nor sfflc to shift itsJieavy load again ,
Since thus 1 learu the need of all the
rest.
Aud faith to feel that lie is with me still ,
Through .stress of storm and wastes of
weary way ,
Guiding me ever by His wiser will
Up fo Utp hilltop of some clearer day.
Boston Transcript.
.CEPID IN THE
COUNTJftY.
seemed a little lonely at first
IT my new home in the country
I although scarcely an hour from
the city. Upon the whole , I was glad
I had .secured so desirable a place at
an unmiKlakable bargain.
"Jones. " quoth I lo my factotum ,
v/ho had IKCII recommended to me as
"handy to have on a farm , " "who owns
that property next door ? "
"Dou'r know nothing about it , sir , "
Jones a us\vercd.
I left him and strolled down to look
at my neighbor's fernery through the
threadlikewire fence.
To'tny surprise I perceived that the
fernery \va.s not unoccupied this golden
July morning. A young lady was
there working diligently with a little
rosewood handle trowel , while the
bright ha itvhich fell beneath her
straw gypsy only half revealed a fresh
face lighted up with roses.
I had come .so directly upon her that
there wns no retreating unless I were
to turn and fly.
So I.tood my ground bravely and
said "Good morning. "
"Good morning , " the rural beauty an
swered , with a root of adiautum in her
hand. "I suppose you are my new
u-ighbor. Sir. Raymond ? "
"I huve that honor , " I said , bowing
politely. "Your father has a fine place
liere. "
"I h.ive no father , " answered this
. -hpa-ir of the ferns.
"I beg your pardon , " I corrected my
self. "I should have said your hus
band. "
"Not if you have any regard to the
strict trtilu , " she answered , with a sort
of demure enjoyment of my perplex
ity. "I never had either brother or
sifter. Nov. ' don't guess any more and
I \vilt introduce myself. I am the
owner of ( his place , and my name is
Bertha Wilson. "
I stark'd a little. "Bertha Wilson ! "
This. then , was tiie beautiful fiancee of
Klchmcmd Kent , the wealthy Broad
street broker , of whose eccentricity ancl
talent I ! iul ; heard so much. Truly ,
Kent had chosen well.
We went together over the fairy do
mains ; \ve investigated the conserva
tories , tivsled the gold and purple con
tent.of ( he graperies , and looked at
the ro.ve jiJirdons. The house itself was
a more Hide bungalow , all verandas
and a\vtung.-5 and cool glimpses of flut
tering atusliu curtains and crcani-
eylorecl matting , but the grounds were
like : i chapter out of "The Arabian
Nights. "
"Who suggested all this to you , Miss
Wilson ? " 1 asked.
"Who should suggest it ( o me ? " she
asked , elevating her beautiful brows.
"Why. myself , of course. "
What a lucky dog Richmond Kent
was , to be sure !
"If you will come over to-morrow ,
and are not afraid of mosquitoes and
sunburn. " said Miss Wilson , "I will
take you down the river to my lily
plautaUou. "
Was i iu love with Bertha Wilson
now ? I'e > . but she should never know
it ! And tiie summer glided on like the
pause.s of an unwritten idyll , aud niy
lovely neighbor filled up my whole life
with her wondrous grace and beauty ,
and all the while neither of us spoke
of Richmond.
It wa.s ; i sultry September afternoon
when I met him on Broad street. The
city seemed hotter , dustier , and more
: : itoI''i'U te than ever.
"LIilU . flaymoud ! Why. where have
vdii beiM : hiding all this time ? "
< cil. old follow ! " and we shoo ! :
hands , in genuine American fashion.
"So you've been turning ornamental
farmer , have you ? "Well , I never had
any great fancy for that style of life.
Upon my word , you've grown as brown
as a Ijcrry. Make any stay in town ? "
"No. I go back to-night. "
"Sorry. I should have liked to have
you at our house to dinner this even
ing ; got a cook who is great on orto-
la'us and mock-turtle soup , and there's
an article of dry champagne I can real
ly depend upon. Besides , I should have
liked to introduce you to Mrs. Kent. "
"Your mother ? "
"No , my wife. "
I stared wildly at him , I'm afraid.
"Married last month. An English
girl without a particle of nonsense
about her. You would like Jjer , I know ,
Raymond , " and his face beamed as he
looked at me.
"But Bertha Wilson ? "
"Oh , Bertha Wilson ! " He looked u
little discomfited. "That's an old af
fair. She was a splendid girl , a regu
lar princess , but we were never suited
to each other. "
"The engagement is at an end , then ? "
I asked , with a breathless , choking
feeling in my throat.
"Certainly , or I shouldn't have mar
ried Maria Blossom. I really do wish
you could see her , old fellow ! "
I went home as lightly as if I were
treading on air and surprised Bertha
sitting by one of the muslin-draped
windows , her chin in her hand and the
down-falling hair veiling her face just
as when I had first looked upon her.
"Bertha ! "
She started , and there were tears on
her cheeks , in the mellow glow of the
full harvest moon.
"Bertha , you have been crying ! "
She tried to smile. "I I believe I
have been a little low-spirited. I think
I need a change of scene. Indeed , I
have concluded to accept my cousin's
invitation to go to Switzerland with
her. "
"Not unless I am to go , too , Bertha ! "
I knelt by her side , possessing my
self resolutely of one slender hand , and
told her , frankly and simply , how much
I loved her , and what considerations of
honor and honesty toward Richmond
Kent had sealed my lips so long.
Dler hand trembled in my grasp.
"I thought once , " she murmured ,
"that a solitary and self-contained life
would satisfy me. I think so no longer.
You have taught me , dear Robert , how
necessary one human being may be to
another's happiness. "
And the lesson has been gathering
new beauty and gladness for us both
from that day to this ! New York
Evening World.
A bat avoids wires and obstructions
as easily as if it could see perfectly.
Russia supports more horses than
any other country. By the last census
there were 21,000,000.
For the hide of a full-grown giraffe ,
greatly sought after in Africa for whip
and sandal making , the native hunters
get from $15 to ? 25.
An elephant eighty years of age is to
be added to the Berlin Zoological Gar
dens. It came from India , where for
many years it was the public execu
tioner.
A few persons in England raise large
numbers of guinea pigs for exportation
to France , where they are highly es
teemed for the table , the flavor of the
meat being identical with that of the
rabbit.
Cats can smell even during sleep. If
[ i piece of meat be placed immediately
in front of a sleeping cat's nose , the
nostrils will begin to work as the scent
is received , and an instant later the cat
will wake up.
American salmon trout have made
their appearance in the River Spree , at
Berlin , probably having escaped from
: he fisheries exhibition. As they are
Relieved to live in clean water only ,
> eople of Berlin are in doubt as to
ivhether their eyes deceive them when
: hey look at their river or whether the
rout has changed its habits.
For ten years every military coni-
mny in Germany has included its pack
> f dogs , which are in charge of a petty
) fficer , who is excused from all duties
u the afternoon that he may train the
ininials for their work. The short-
laired German pointer , poodle , and
shepherd dogs are employed , and they
ire taught to carry messages , or am-
nuuitiou , hunt up the dead , and give
signals.
Astute Professor Blackie.
The London Chronicle tells a story of
Professor Blackie's election to the
rhair of Greek in Edinburgh. The pro-
'essorship was in the gift of the Town
Council , and one of the Councilors was
he principal of the veterinary college
u the city. lie , like most of the elect-
irs , knew no Greek , but , unlike his col-
eagues , he possessed a solitary Greek
> ook , some medical treatise in an edi-
ions of the sixteenth or seventeenth
: eutury , nicely peppered with contrac-
ions. This volume he presented to all
vho called to solicit his vote , and re-
[ iies'ted ' them to translate a portion.
Host of the candidates declined to be
ixamiued. Dr. W. Smith ( afterward
> ir Smith ) rashly made the attempt ,
> ut failed to unravel the "contractions ,
md came to a standstill. Blackie was
nore adroit. Guessing the qualifica-
ions of his examiner at their true rate ,
ic gave a most fluent translation , en-
irely the offspring of his imagination ,
.nd won the principal's vote.
IVIendelssohn's Compliment.
While still a young man , Gounod
rent to Leipsic and played some of his
iiusic before Mendelssohn , to whom he
lad been introduced by the sister of
he maestro. He" was sitting , at the
iaiio , executing one of his masses ,
vhen Mendelssohn suddenly arose and
uterrupted him. "Was that composed
> y you , young man ? " he asked.
"Yes , my dear master , " was the re-
' Astonishing ! Why. Gherubiui could
lot have done better ! "
At the time , Cherubini was an tm-
: outest d authority. The compliment
vas , therefore , all the more precious.
The automatic weighing machine
; ives pounds in return for pennies
SEEN BY A CANUCK.
A Visitor-from Canada Writes of the
House of Kepresentativea.
To the visitor in the House of Repre
sentatives who has been accustomed
to the severe discipline and strict de
corum of British legislatures the degree
of liberty indulged in by the members
seems somewhat strange. There is a
i-ontiuual hum of conversation , a con
stant moving about on the floor , the
frequent formation of groups of mem
bers for consultation and , what would
doubtless be regarded as treason by
the attendants in the gallery of the
mother of parliaments , applause from
the spectators at times. The American
politician is often accused of over-
vehemence and a disposition to shout
when ordinary tones would better
serve the purpose. After an hour in
the big chamber of the popular house ,
with its continual din , one can well un
derstand that the member of Congress
comes naturally by his strident tones
and strenuous manner. Without them
he would never be heard by his chat
tering colleagues , and to the galleries
he would speak only by gesticulation.
The official reporters suffer greatly
from the noise. Instead of sitting at
their desks in front of the Speaker's
chair , they find it necessary to skip
about to whatever section of the house
a speaker may be in , dropping into a
vacant seat if convenient , but more fre
quently leaning against a desk , pad in
hand. Unhappy indeed is that mortal
in the middle of whose "take" there is
a change of speakers. He may have
crept close up to "the member from
Michigan" on the extreme left of the
nuge semicircle in which the seats are
arranged , and may have to make a run
like a base-ball player for his home
base to the other side to catch the open
ing remarks of "the member from Ar
kansas" as he rises lo interpose an ob
jection.
It sometimes happens that members
lose their tempers in the heat of debate.
The bowie knife and the revolver , con
trary to the belief of many of our kins
men across the seas , are no longer the
weapons with which these quarrels are
settled. They have been replaced by
the statutes in calf and the inkstand ,
which are much more convenient and
less deadly. When a row breaks out
on the floor and the combatants come
to close quarters , it is the duty of the
sergeaut-at-arms to interpose the mace
between them. The mace is the em
blem of the civil power , but it is some-
ivhat different in appearance from ours.
It consists of a bundle of ebony rods
bound together with ligaments of sil
ver and having on top a silver globe
surmounted by a silver eagle. It re
sembles the fasces borne by the lictors
before ihe Roman magistrates. It is
Icnown familiarly as "the bird. " Just
before the declaration of war with
Spain "the bird" did duty in quelling
i row. An excited member had en
forced his remarks by throwing the
law in a concrete form at his oppo
nent's head. The latter made a rush at
liis antagonist , mutual friends held
them back , while from all sides of the
liouse came the cry , "Sergeant , bring
the bird ! " The bird was sent forward
: o the fighting line as rapidly as possi
ble and hostilities ceased. The man
.vho . would dare to strike a blow over
'the bird" has not yet entered Con
gress. Toronto Globe.
WHY THE DOCTOR LEFT.
Patient Takes Forty-six Tcidlitz
Powders iu Succession.
An English doctor attached to the
: ourt of a rajah made himself almost
ndispensable to his neighbors. He
lad , fortunately , also made a friend
) f his prime minister. On one occa-
lieu his highness , being slightly indis-
> oscd , had taken , by the doctor's ad-
rice , a seidlitz powder , with which he
'xpressed himself delighted. Its len
iency to "boil and fizz ready to blow
our nose off" seemed to him to "scat-
er coolness , " and he seemed so much
letter after taking it that the doctor
elt himself justified in joining in a
Hinting party.
Presently a horseman from the pal-
ice , in the confidential employment of
he grand vizier , galloped up to him.
"My master bids me tell you , " he
aid , "that his highness has broken
ipen your medicine chest and taken ,
irst , all the white powders and then
11 the blue. "
"Gracious heavens ! " cried the doc-
or. "There were twenty-three of each
them. "
"My master adds , " continued the
nessenger , "that you had better make
or the frontier without one moment's
elay. "
The doctor put spurs to his horse and
lever drew rein till he was "out of the
urisdiction of the court. " Tid-Bits.
low He Made Her Hoi I Her Tongue. ,
The late Sir William Jeuner is cred-
.ed with having enjoyed the largest (
rofessional income of any physician
i Great Britain in his generation , his
ractice having brought him $75,000 a
ear for several years before he retired ,
'he London newspapers teem with an-
cdotes concerning him. One of these
as been told of other physicians , but it
robably originated with Sir William ,
rho had a holy horror of tittle-tattle ,
lue of his lady patients would cheer- .
ully pay her fee just to have the op- !
ortuuity of gossiping with him. Her
rst words would be : "Have you
card ? " and Jeuuer would break in :
No ; I have not. Please to put this
LierinoniC'tcr ' in your mouth , that I may
ike your temperature. " And he kept
lie tube between her lips for ten miu- ' ,
tes , so that only five minutes wore left
ar the lady to indulge in chatter.
Hannah More's Wccllmjr Day.
The celibacy of Hannah Moore , the
Snglish writer , which gave her so
luch time to bend the powers of her
lind to the Interests of humanity , has
Iways been a subject of surprise and
iscuasiou. A writer relates this cir-
JL.
I
I cumstnnce : "She was early engaged
! lo be married to a gentleman of family
and fortune. The \vedding day was
; fixed. The bride and her party moved
off gayly to the church where the cere-
i mony was to be performed , only to find
I that the lover was not there. 'The lag-
i gard comes late , ' thought the attend
ants. They miscalculated ; he came not
, at all. A horseman rode up to the
church door and handed a letter to Miss
More. With melancholy apologies the
faithless swain told her that he could
not 'take the responsibility' of making
her his bride. At the same time he
offered any pecuniary remuneration in
his power.
"Whether the lady fainted or only
pouted is not mentioned , but her rela
tives followed the business up with
such promptness and spirit that the
'dastard in love' made a settlement
upon the slighted lady for four hun
dred pounds sterling a year for life. "
ALL ABORIGINAL TRIBES LAZY ,
Hence They Shun Exertion Beyond
Actual Requirements ,
Inhabitants of tiie polar regions have
an inordinate appetite , measured from
our dietary standpoint , for fat and
oleaginous fish , against which the
stomach of a denizen of the warmer
zones would revolt. But the frozen fat
of the animals of the far north is as
sweet and palatable to .1 resident of
tfliat region as is the yam or the fruit
of the plantation to an inhabitant of
the tropics. Both kinds of food per
form the required function in their re
spective climatic zones. One furnishes
the maximum degree of heat to the
body where it is needed , the other the
minimum degree of animal heat to sus
tain life umler its special climatic con
ditions.
The popular notion prevails that the
climate and foods of the tropics arc
conducive to indolence and human de
generacy. It is quite as much of a
popular error as is the other popular
theory that fish is food for the brain
and thus conducive to a greater mental
development and activity. If the latter
were true of fish diet the Siwashes and
other aboriginal tribes of the northern
coast of this continent would be the
most intellectual representatives of the
human race in existence , As it is they
constitute one of the lowest types of
the race , the black of the Australian
bush and the Digger Indian of Califor
nia only being inferior to them in the
scale of human development.
As a matter of fact , the activity of
man is determined by other factors in
his existence than either food of cli
mate. All aboriginal tribes are content
to exist. Tine energies of mind and
body are not exerted by them beyond
Lhe actual necessities of an existence ,
rhe Esquimaux of Hie frigid north and
ihe Indians of the temperate zone are
] uite as indolent as the aborigines of
: he tropics , having no desire or ambi-
.ion to acquire more than the bare nec
taries of life or to rise above the
lormal condition of their environment.
-San Francisco Chronicle.
Superstition at Fault.
Notwithstanding the superstition of
ailroad engineers the most useful , suc
cessful and satisfactory locomotive on
, he Baltimore and Ohio system is No.
LJI13. It is one of their ten-wheel loco-
notives with seventy-eight-inch driv-
rs , built under contract by the Bald
win company , and is not only the best
) f the lot , but the best on the road for
mining record and for repairs. It has
joeu constantly in service for nearly
line years , has never had an accident
o itself or to any car it has hauled , has
) con late less times than any other en
gine in use by the company , and has
est almost nothing for repairs. Whole
cars have passed without having to
icnd this engine to the repair shop , al-
hougli the other nine engines which
vere built at the same time by the
ainc man and from the" same material
ire laid up frequently.
'eculiar Ceremony of the Chinese.
The exhumation of the bodies of Car
\ > y and Ah Ben , two Chinese who
lied at Barooga , Xew South Wales ,
bout ton years ago , has taken place ,
y the authority of the colonial sccrc-
ary. Two Chinese came from Denil
[ uiii for the purpose. Proceedings
ommenced by placing lighted tapers
.ud a baked fowl and other food on
he graves , with a bowl of whisky , into
rhich the Chinese dipped with small
ups and drank as they regaled them-
elves Avith the food. Each skeleton
ras taken up , and the bones carefully
craped and separately sewn up in
alice and labeled with the names of
cceased for deportation to China.
Visitors to Great Citi s
Paris in 1S07 was visited by 890,000
isitors , Berlin by 017,000 and Vienna
y 304,000. Thirteen years ago the fig-
res for the three cities were : Paris ,
84,000 ; Berlin. 208,000 , and Vienna ,
S4.0CO , the relatively larger increase
i the last probably having something
3 do with the freedom from Dreyfus
ffairs and lese majesty. In thirteen
ears Paris hotels have entertained S-
00.000 guets , those of Berlin 4,500,000
nd those of Vienna 3,000,000. It
: ould be difficult to obtain accurate
gurus for Xew York and London , ow-
ig to the lack of police supervision of
otel registers.
Two Famous Scotch Cripples.
Two of the most famous living
cotclimen are cripples Lord Kelvin ,
'ho ' is the greatest living Scottish
dentist , and Dr. James Macgregor of
Idiiuburgh. who is said to be the great-
S't liTing Scottish preacher.
The more gracefully a woman allows
cr-acli' to be deceived , the easier it be-
amcs for her husband to be a satisfac-
ny one.
It's pretty tough when the "roll of
onor" consists of butterless dry
rea-i.
COST OF STOPPING A TRAIN.
Guesses as to the Actual Kxpcnse Arc
Mostly Too Liai'KC.
The use of tanks along the track of .a
railroad to enable a locomotive to take
water without stopping was resorted
to , in the first place , in order to shorten
the time of running , and for the pas
senger traffic only. The gain is so
slight , however , that some lines are
now abandoning the system.
Another advantage is gained , though ,
by the avoidance of unnecessary stops.
It costs money to bring a train to a
standstill and then to get it under full
headway once more. The application
of brakes wears both the car wheels and
the brakes. After a certain amount of
use , of course , a renewal is necessary ,
and this costs something. Moreover ,
as every one knows , it requires much
less power to keep a train in motion
than to start it. Power means fuel , and
fuel means shekels.
An amusing variety of guesses have
been made of the exact cost of stopping
trains. A sensation was created a few
years ago by the statement by an ex
pert that a stop Avithout letting off a
passenger or taking one on involved an
expense of from ? i.2S to $1.70. This
proved to be a ridiculously extravagant
estimate. The Baltimore Gazette re
cently quoted two more accurate and
modern calculations. One manager be
lieves that it costs 18 cents to stop a
train. Another makes the expense 48
cents for passenger trains and 70 or SO
for freight trains.
The Railroad Gazette remarks that ,
aside from the actual cost from wear
and tear and extra fuel consumption ,
one should take account of the danger
of breakage to couplers , drawbars , frnd
their fastenings which results from
stopping long and heavy freights. But
when a road is crowded the saving of
time is important in freight as well as
passenger traffic. The Xew llaven road
finds this to be the case , and it is said
that the same consideration has led the
Xcw York Central to fit up some of its
freight locomotives with apparatus for
scooping water up from tanks.
On a division of a AVestern road , 123
miles lonj , ' , some tests were made last
year with freight trains weighing 1,080
tons , exclusive of engine , tender , and
caboose. The average time consumed
when fourteen stops were made was
eight hours and thirty-five minutes.
Without stops , the time was seven
hours and twelve minutes. To haul one
car a mile , on an average , 3.2 pounds of
coal were burned in the former case ,
and only 3 in the latter. Xew York
Tribune.
A Connecticut valley grower claims
to have demonstrated that as fine * o-
bacco can be grown in that section as
anywhere in the world , and that he has
produced cigars from it equal in flavor
to the genuine Yuelta.
The postmastership of Pembroke ,
Me. , is said to have been held by one
family longer than that of any other
town in the country. William Kilny
was appointed to the office in 1800 , and
his direct descendants have handled
the mails of the little village ever since
his retirement in 1840.
Massachusetts will hereafter kill her
convicted murderers with electricity.
The murderer will not know the time
at which he is to die and no press re
ports of the execution will be avail
able. Should there be any carelessness
or bungling the people will not learn of
it through the newspapers.
Lord Mount Stephen , the Canadian
millionaire , who now lives in England ,
has handed over the sum of $2,800,000
to three trustees , to be employed for
the benefit of relatives and friends ,
both in England and Canada. His lead
ing idea is that they shall reap the ben
efit while they are still young and able
Lo enjoy the good things of the world.
France has now a law by which
marriage may be dissolved without 1
2ost to the applicants. The Paris di-
rorce court devotes Thursdays to gra
tuitous decrees. On one day recently
i9-i couples were divorced during a ses
sion of four hours , an average of moro
: han one divorce a minute. The appli
cants belonged to the working class , in
ivhich divorces were infrequent before
die passage of the new law.
A prize of $1,000 offered by a New
Fork newspaper at the beginning of
LSOS for the most correct prophecies of
, vhat would happen during the ensuing {
rear was taken by a man who said
a
.here would be a successful war with
Spain , a Republican governor elected
nNew York , and a bill passed to annex
rlawaii. But he also predicted the : ib-
lication of Queen Victoria , the death
if the Pope and a war between Russia
md Japan.
The recent protest of .7. Sterling Mor
on of Nebraska against the cutting o
e
Jhristmas trees is warmly commend-
d i the West. In his protest he said :
'The trees selected for slaughter on
his anniversary are always the ! |
itraightest and most symmetrical. |
Chere were last year more than 20,000-
iOO of Christmas trees cut down and
mt on the market. The absurdity of
elcbrating the birth of the Savior of !
lie world by a wanton waste and ex- "
ravagauce which jeopardizes the wel-
are of millions of human beings yet
inborn is obvious to every thinking v
iian. " c
A curious attempt to raise a $1 silver I :
icrtificate to the $3 denomination was c
liscovered the other day at a Bostou 1 :
> ank. On the face of the bill were Ia
different where Iri
wenty-seven places j
: hanges or obliterations had been rit
nade , and on the reverse there were t :
ourteen more. No attempt had been s
nade to change anything but the mi st
nerals and the word "one" wherever t ]
It occurred. First , the "ones" were
obliterated by erasure and then "V's"
were drawn In very fine tissue paper
and pasted on. About $10 worth of
labor must have been expended In the
perpetration of this clumsy $4 swindle.
American agricultural implements
are imported into Mexico , at least
along the border , without competitlou
from abroad. Our manufacturers have
a clear field and a market to thein-
selres. In addition to this advantage
the demand for United States agricul
tural machinery is steadily increasing.
In the first place , implements for till
ing the soil are better in the United
States than those made in any other
country. Our manufacturers have the
advantage of quick transportation and
moderate freight rates , and all agricul
tural implements shipped into Mexico
are entered free of duty at the custom
houses.
FEMININE WITTICISMS.
The Keady Eetort of Pr.
Gay Daughter.
Here are some bright , witty sayings
of women , culled from Kate Sanbom's
book , "My Favorite Lectures of Bong
Ago" :
At a supper party the conversation
turned on talking shop. Some one de
clared that an actor or musician was
never happy unless allowed to talk
shop by the hour , and then it was
pointed out that doctors and barris
ters were just as bad. A witty lady
present added : "Yes , philosopher : } ,
talk Schopenhauer , ladis shopping , * *
tipplers schoppen , niusi-'ians Chopin
and actors shop. "
Although they make no pretensions
to wit , there is much genuine humor
among the women journalists of Bos
ton. "Do you live on the Back Bay ? ' '
said a lady once to Miss Jenkins ,
whose home then was on a Barrow
little street uptown. "Rather the
small of the Back Bay , " she answered
Instantly.
Dr. Talmnge's youngest daughter
was fond of evening jr.iyeties and
often slept late in consequence. Com
ing clown about 9 o'clock one morning ,
she met her parent's stern gaxe , and
received the very depressing greeting
of "Good morning , daughter of sin. "
"Good uioiniug , father , " \vas The re
sponse.
Sophie Arnould , a fascinating young
actress , about 1744 , was noted for her
wit. Benjamin Franklin said he no
where found such pleasure and such
wit as in her company. "What are
you thinking of ? " she as'-fd Bernard ,
la one of his abstracted moods. "I
was talking to myself , " h responded.
"Be careful , " she said ; "you gossiy
with a. flatterer. "
Hearing of the grace and agility of
a pretty Scotch lassie , who had danced
the sword dance for some of her offi
cers , Queen Victoria commanded the
same diversion for herself and was
equally entertained. At the close of
blie brilliant performance , the girl ad
vanced and courtesied profoundly.
' "What can I do for you ? " asked her
majesty. "Give me the heart of Glad
stone" said the modern Iierodias. "I
would gladly do that , my dear , but he
lost it some years ago , " retorted the
Dueen.
What to Avoid.
Here are a few rhetorical "don'ts "
Lhat are worth remembering by those
seeking after literary style :
Do not use at length for at last. Say
'A man named Brown , " not "a. man by
Lhe name of Brown. "
Use begin instead of commence. A
telegraphic message Is a. despatch , not
i dispatch. Do not use dirt for earth ,
oam , gravel , or sand , or anything that
s not filthy.
Say the first three , the second three ,
he last three , not the three first , etc.
Do not use directly for immediately.
Say women and men , not ladies and
gentlemen , except when social distinc-
ioiis are made.
Do not say anything occurs unless it
akes place by chance. Funerals and
vcddings do not occur.
Do not use off with froui or of , as
He jumped off ( from ) the table. " "He
ook the book off fof ) the table. "
Do not say "An old man 70 years of
ge. " "A young girl 7 years old. "
Partake means to share , to take part
f. One cannot say , "Bein ; * left alone ,
e partook of a hearty meal. "
A person may receive a thing from
ut never of another. Say ' 'a common ,
i-iend , " not "a mutual friend. "
Chronic Fault Pin Jcxvi.
As a rule , the people who think it
lever to admire nothing -md enjoy
othing , are not amply dowered either
y nature or fortune. There was once
young man who said he could write
L-O verbs which would equal Solomon's.
Pry a few , " said a friend. And that
oung man has yet to produce his first
roverb. I dare say you have heard of
le fault-finder who was looking into
10 sbcp window of a na-.ur.ilist aiul
ilicd a man otit to tell him that he
ad stuffed an owi very poorly , and to
cplain how very differently it should
ive been done. When he was find-
ig fault with the bird and .leclarint ;
had been stuffed so as 10 look quite
anatural , the owl tunvd its hcticl
id winked at tlic fauIt-Jl-.K-r for it
as alive ! Do not be too < jriik ; to pick
iws in the work of oth rAre yon
lite sure you could have dune as well
zest Itai.way
One of the grandest engineering ;
orks in the network of railwaj-s in.
? ntral and west Siberia Is undoubted-
the bridge over the Yenissesi. It "will
> st 2,270,950 roubles , and will be the
rgest railway bridge in the world.
will be opened for traffic next May ,
year before the date originally fixed.
he material employed in the construe-
on is stone and iron. Tomsk Sibir-
: yi Visctnik.
The greater the reason for saying
lank you , the harder. It is to say.
* t
