Conservative. 13
THE KITCHEN BALL.
The ground was white with drifting anew ,
Bernoulli the cloudy sky ,
And cold and chill , with bitter blnst ,
The wintry wind swept by.
Within the farm house , qvmint and old ,
The kitchen flro burned low ,
And , from the open chimney shown ,
With warm nnd lltf ul glow.
The kettle sat in mild content
Upon the hearth that night ,
And , suddenly , in gleeful way ,
It sang with all its might.
When louder shrieked the wind without ,
The kettle chimed within ,
Till through the room wore ringing Hounds
Of such n merry din ,
That all the shining little sparks ,
In eager , restless play ,
Went dancing , dancing in the air ,
With gleam and twinkle gay.
And quickly flames went darting up
The chimney , wide and deep , "
Still higher , higher up they flow
With wild and joyous leap.
Across the smooth , long , yellow floor
The flying shadows sped ;
Upon the ceiling , o'er the wall ,
The twilight dance they led.
They sprang from out the corners dim ,
They darted swiftly round ,
And , lightly flitting to and fro ,
In gliding chase they wound.
/ They danced around the sleeping puss ,
Who , curled up in a chair ,
Ne'er dreamed that merry shadows sly
Were joined in frolic there.
But wide awake , upon its shelf ,
The clock stood in its place
And , marking time with steady ticks ,
Looked down with cheerful face.
But not a sound of softest tread
Within the room was heard ,
No voices rang in mirthful laugh
Or breathed in whispered"word. .
O , long the tireless dancers flew ,
The flames and shadows tall ;
So still they wore that no one knew
They led the kitchen ball.
MAUY FRENCH MOHTON.
IS CHILDHOOD THE HAPPIEST TIME
OF LIFE ?
( A. T. Quiller-Couch , in March Pall Mall
Magazine. )
I wish those whose business it is to
arrange the next Census would insert a
question "Were you happier as a child
? " I distrust the vul
or as a grown-up
gar and easy assumption that childhood
is the happiest stage of life. It ought to
he , perhaps ; hut on the question of fact
I fiud the friends I ask hy no means
unanimous , and it seems to me that the
balance of honest opinion would be
worth taking. We are misled by middle-
aged sentimentality ; by the I remember ,
/ remember business , and that regret for
a lost innocence which survives as a last
sign of grace in the most materially
minded. But innocence and happiness
though they subscribe to each other's
support earn a precarious livelihood , so
to speak , by taking in each other's
washing are by no means convertible
terms. Distinguished moralists have a
bad habit of confusing them. The wise
John Earle , for example , assures us that
the child "is purely happy because he
.
s s = .ps = = 3
mows no evil , nor hath made means by
sin to be acquainted with misery. " I
'aiicy ' the National Society for the Pre
vention of Cruelty to Children could say
something to that. "His father hath
vrit him as his own little story , wherein
10 reads those days of his life that he
cannot remember , and sighs to see what
unoconco he hath outlived. " How nice
of papa ! And what a blessing , perhaps ,
that he cannot remember ! And how
fond we all are of innocence in other
people I "Be innocent , my child , and
you will bo happy. " "But , father dear ,
[ am innocent : only by the merest acci
dent I knocked over a vase , and you
clouted me upon the head for it. " "It
will teach you to be more careful next
time. " "No doubt : but the point is
that , though innocent , lam not happy. "
"Bosh , my son : you must be. Is it not
in your copy-book ? Take it down , and
inscribe this in your best handwriting
The Child who Begins by knocking over a
Vase may go on to Upset a Syllogism , "
Four
Steps ?
are all that stand between you
. and successful rose growing. ,
/ First you write for the New Guide
/ to Rose Culture which is sent free.
. It fully describes , accurately pic-
I tures and plainly directs you how to
grow the famous D. & C. Rosesaud
a thousand other beautiful flowers.
Shows you how to take the next
step to get them by mail on their
\ o wn roots ready to grow and bloom
L in pot or garden. Take the first
step to-day. A sample of
k
our floral magazine a
' 'Success with Klowors. "
L also sent if requested. *
THE DINGEE 4.
CONARD CO.
WettiiroTe , P * .
COUNCIL BLUFFS , IA. , Feb. , 8 , 1899.
To THE PUBLIC :
We are pleased to state that we have
arranged with
E. U. OVERTOIV ,
OF NEBRASKA CITY ,
to continue handling our line of Deere
goods for 1899.
When need of anything in the
IMPLEMENT LINE
we hope that you will call on E. L. Over-
ton as he will bo prepared to furnish you
the best and most complete goods the
market affords , and will take pleasure
in showing them to you.
Please call on him before buying else
where. Yours truly ,
DEERE , WELLS & CO ,
Che Biltmore
Forestry
Scbool.
. . .
CONDUCTED BY
o. A. SCHEISCK : , PH. D.
Forester to the Blltmore Estate.
The regular course occupying twelve
consecutive mouths can bo entered at
any time of the year and consists of :
1. Practical Instruction
in the forest , where actual work
( cutting , planting , road making
etc. ) is going on.
2. theoretical Instruction
treating the entire subject of for
estry : ( Sylviculture ; Forest Uti
lization ; Forest Management ;
Forest Finance ; Forest Protection ;
Forest Politics ; Forest History ; )
Short sketch relative to Fish and
Game keeping.
L Practical forest
Researches. . . .
Board
to bo secured by the student to
suit his own taste , either at one of
the numerous hotels or boarding
houses at Asheville ( $8.00 to $15.00
per week ) , or at the home of a
general foreman of the Biltmore
Estate ( $5.00 per week. )
Cerms
of admission : $200.00 for the entire - *
tire course of instruction.
Applications
to bo addressed to
C. A. SCHENCK ,
BILTMORE , N. C. . .
