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"TEARS AND KISSES."

A writer in the Sabbath School Times tells a pathetic story of that language of signs which is common all over the world: "Two little Italians accompanied a man with a harp out of the city along the country roads, skirted by fields and woods, and here and there was a farmhouse by the way.

"He played and they sang at every door. Their voices were sweet, and the words in an unknown tongue.

"The old ladies came out of the door, and held their hands above their eyes to see what it all meant, and from behind them peered the flaxen heads of timid children.

"Not knowing how to make themselves understood, the little children, when they had finished singing, shyly held out their little brown hands or their aprons to get anything that might be given them and take it to the dark man out at the gate, who stood ready to receive it.

"One day the dark harpist went to sleep, and the little boy and girl, becoming tired of waiting for him, went off to a cottage under the hill an began to sing under the window.

"They sang as sweetly as the voices of birds. Presently the blinds were opened wide, and they saw by the window a fair lady on a sick bed regarding them.

"Her eyes shone with a feverish light, and the color of her cheeks was like a beautiful peach.

"She smiled, and asked them if their feet were tired. They said a few words softly in their own tongue.

"She said, 'Are the green fields not better than your city?'

"They shook their heads.

"She asked them, 'Have you a mother?'

"They looked perplexed.

"She said, 'What do you think while you walk along the country roads?'

"They thought she asked for another song, so eager was the face, and they sang at once a song full of sweetness and pity, so sweet the tears came into her eyes.

"That was a language they had learned; so they sang one sweeter still.

"At this she kissed her hand and waved it to them. Their beautiful faces kindled, and like a flash the timid hands waved back a kiss.

"She pointed upward to the sky, and sent a kiss up thither.

"At this they sank upon their knees and also pointed thither, as much as asking, 'Do you also know the good God?'

"A lady leaning by the window, said, 'So tears and kisses belt the earth, and make the whole world kin.' And the sick one added, 'And God is over all.'"

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RIGHTS IN THE ROAD.

The following statements as to rights in the road may be useful to some of our readers. It certainly contradicts certain common opinions:

If a farm deed is bounded by, on or upon a road, it usually extends to the middle of the roadway.

The farmer owns the soil of half the road, and may use the grass, trees, stones, gravel, sand or anything of value to him, either on the land or beneath the surface, subject only to the superior rights of the public to travel over the road, and that of the highway surveyor to use such materials for the repair of the road; and these materials may be carted away and used elsewhere on the road.

No other man has a right to feed his cattle there, or cut the grass or trees, much less deposit his wood, old carts, wagons or other things there.

The owner of a drove of cattle that stops to feed in front of your land, or a drove of pigs which root up the soil, is responsible to you at law, as much as if they did the same thing inside the fence.

Nobody's children have a right to pick up the apples under your trees, although the same stand wholly outside of your fence.

No private person has a right to cut or lop off the limbs of your trees in order to move his old barn or other buildings along the highway, and no traveller can hitch his horse to your trees in the sidewalk without being liable, if he gnaws the bark or otherwise injures them.

If your wall stands partly on your land and partly outside the fence, no neighbor can use it except by your permission.

Nay, more; no man has a right to stand in front of your land and insult you with abusive language without being liable to you for trespassing on your land.

He has a right to pass and repass in an orderly and becoming manner; a right to use the road, but not to abuse it.

But notwithstanding the farmer owns the soil of the road, even he cannot use it for any purpose which interferes with the use of it by the public for travel.

He cannot put his pig-pen, wagons, cart, wood or other things there, if the highway surveyor orders them away as obstructing public travel.

If he leaves such things outside his fence, and within the limits of the highway, as actually laid out, though some distance from the traveled path, and a traveller runs into them in the night and is injured, the owner is not only liable to him for private damages, but may also be indicted and fined for obstructing a public highway.

And if he has a fence or wall along the highway, he must place it all on his land, and not half on the road, as in case of division fences between neighbors.

But as he owns the soil, if the road is discontinued, or located elsewhere, the land reverts to him, and he may inclose it to the centre, and use it as part of his farm.—Judge Bennett.

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For the Companion.

DANA.

O deep grave eyes! that long have seemed to gaze On our low level from far loftier days, O grand gray head! an aureole seemed to grind, Drawn from the spirit's pure, immaculate rays!

At length death's signal sounds! From weary eyes Pass the pale phantoms of our earth and skies; The gray head droops; the museful lips are closed On life's vain questionings and more vain replies!

Like some gaunt oak wert thou, that lonely stands 'Mid fallen trunks in outworn, desert lands; Still sound at core, with rhythmic leaves that stir To soft swift touches of aerial hands.

Ah! long we viewed thee thus, forlornly free, In that dead grove the sole unravished tree; Lo! the dark axeman smites! the oak lies low That towered in lonely calm o'er land and sea! PAUL H. HAYNE.

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LORD LORNE AND THE RAT.

While at school at Eton, Lord Lorne, the present Governor of Canada, had one scrape which exhibited him in a light that boys will appreciate. He was standing on the steps of Upper School one morning, waiting for eleven o'clock school, when one Campbell, a namesake of his, but no relative, asked him to hold a pet rat for a moment, while he—the owner of the beast—ran back to his dame's to fetch a book which he had forgotten.

On receiving the assurance that the rat was perfectly tame, and would not even bite a kitten, Lorne put him into the pocket of his jacket, and told the owner to make haste, but just at that moment the masters came out of "Chambers" and ascended the staircase, so Lorne was obliged to go into school with the brute.

All went well for five minutes, but soon the rat, indifferent to the honor of inhabiting a marquis' pocket, crept out and jumped on to the floor.

Some boys saw it and set up a titter, which excited the attention of the form-master, Mr. Y———, nicknamed "Stiggins," a strict disciplinarian.

"Who brought that rat into school?" he asked.

Lorne confessed that he was the culprit.

"Well, make haste to catch him and carry him out, or I shall complain of you," said Mr. Y———.

My lord laid down his Homer, but to catch the rat was not easy. Seeing himself an object of general attention, the animal darted under the scarlet curtain which separated one division from another, and, rushing amid a new lot of boys, provoked an uproar.

In a minute all the boys in the upper school-room, some two hundred and odd, were on their feet shouting, laughing, hooting, and preparing to throw their books at the rat, who, however, spared them this trouble by ducking down a hole, where he disappeared for good and a'.

Lorne had to come back, red and breathless, declaring that his game had eluded pursuit, whereupon Mr. Y———, who disliked riots, proceeded to make out a "bill" which consigned his lordship after school to the care of the Sixth Form Praeposter.

Luckily Dr. Goodford took a merciful view of the affair, and, as Lorne had not yet had "first fault," absolved him from kneeling on the block.

It is to be noted that Lorne might easily have exonerated himself by explaining under what circumstances he had taken charge of the rat; but he was not the kind of boy to back out of a scrape by betraying a friend, and if Dr. Goodford had refused him the benefit of a first fault, he would certainly have taken his flogging without a murmur.

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HEROIC MAIL-CARRIER.

The singular fact that a man who has lost his way always travels in a circle is vividly illustrated by the following narrative, told by a Montana paper, of a heroic mail-carrier:

Casey carried the mail, carried by a two-wheeled sulky. He started in a blinding snow storm, and the track across the prairie was lost.

As he did not reach the end of his drive at the appointed time, it was assumed that he had lost his way. Mr. William Rowe, informed of the circumstance, set forth, and in due time found a dim track where Casey had left the main road. Following this, Casey was found, sitting in his cart, which the horse was drawing slowly and painfully along.

He was in a doze, and Mr. Rowe shouted to him once or twice before he was roused to consciousness. It was then found that his right foot and leg were frozen nearly to the knee, and that his left foot was in the same condition.

It is believed that his injuries are not serious, and that he will not suffer the loss of either limb.

His story was soon told. The driver had been wandering over that trackless prairie for ten days and nights, without food or shelter, and with a temperature never above zero.

All this time he had moved in an almost perfect circle, and had picketed his horse and camped every night in almost the same spot.

More remarkable still, he had daily passed within a mile and a half of the Twenty-eight Mile House, which was his destination.

All this time, amid sufferings that would have crushed an ordinary man, Bob Casey had only one thought, that he must stay with the mail and get it through, whatever befell him.

And he did; not a single package was lost. Starving, half-frozen, and dazed by exposure and privation, it was not of himself he thought. His duty was still uppermost in his mind.

Here was heroic stuff. How many such can the postal service boast? During all these terrible days and nights, the only thing that passed his lips was tobacco and snow.

He had with him a goodly supply of the former article at the start, and as day wore into night, and night into day, he began hoarding it with as much avidity as ever did a miser his gold.

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PRINCE OF WALES' HOME.

A writer thus describes the country house of the Prince of Wales at Sandringham, which is a model of comfort:

The large hall which you enter on arriving is fitted up as a dining-room, with a pianoforte, easy-chairs and two large writing-tables. Behind the piano are a quantity of toys for the children to amuse themselves with at the "children's hour" after tea.

Here at five o'clock the tea-table is placed in the centre of the hall, and is presided over by the princess in the loveliest of tea-gowns.

It is a pretty sight to see her surrounded by her three little girls, who look like tiny fairies, and who run about to put "papa's" letters in the large pillar-post box at one end of the hall. There are generally four or five large dogs to add to the circle.

At Christmas the hall looks like a large bazaar, being then filled with the most costly and beautiful tables, with a large Christmas tree in the centre and objects all around the sides of the hall full of presents for the household and visitors.

Their royal highnesses arrange these presents all themselves, and no one is permitted to enter till the evening.

The drawing-room is a particularly pretty room, full of furniture, and every available corner is filled with gigantic flower-glasses full of Pampas grass and evergreens.

Out of the drawing-room, on the opposite side of the dining-room, is a small sitting-room, fitted with book-cases. Beyond this is the prince's own room, quite full of beautiful things.

Here he and the princess always breakfast, and here on the ninth of November and the first of December are laid out all the numerous birth day presents.

Of the princess's private apartments up stairs it will suffice to say that a prettier room than her royal highness's own boudoir, or sitting-room, was never seen. All the visitors' rooms are perfect, nor are the servants' comforts neglected.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CAUGHT WITH FENCE-RAIL LATIN.

It requires no extraordinary shrewdness in a person of capable intelligence to expose a pretender,—especially a quack, who appears in the "borrowed feathers" of assumed learning. Lawyers have so much of this stripping work to do that it forms their cheapest fun; but it is fun, nevertheless. The Louisville Courier-Journal says:

Judge Black, of Pennsylvania, tells a comical story of a trial in which a German doctor appeared for the defence in a case for damages brought against a client of his by the object of his assault.

The eminent jurist soon recognized in his witness, who was produced as a medical expert, a laboring man who some years before, and in another part of the country, had been engaged by him as a builder of post and rail fences. With this cue he opened his examination. "You say, doctor," he began, with great diffidence and suavity, "that you operated upon Mr. ———'s head after it was cut by Mr. ———?"

"Oh, yaw," replied the ex-fence builder; "me do dat; yaw, yaw."

"Was the wound a very severe one, doctor?"

"Enough to kill him if I not save his life."

"Well, doctor, what did you do for him?"

"Everything."

"Did you perform the Caesarean operation?"

"Oh, yaw, yaw; if me not do dat he die."

"Did you decapitate him?"

"Yaw, yaw, me do dat, too."

"Did you hold a post mortem examination?"

"Oh, to be schure, Schudge! Me always do dat."

"Well, now, doctor," and here the judge bent over in a friendly, familiar way, "tell us whether you submitted your patient to the process known among medical men as the post and rail fenciorum?"

The mock doctor drew himself up indignantly. "Scherry Plack," says he, "I always know'd you vas a jayhawk lawyer, an' now I know you for a mean man!"

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Oil and Vinegar. — "Remember," said a trading Quaker to his son, "in making thy way in the world, a spoonful of oil will go farther than a quart of vinegar."

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For the Companion.

THE WOMAN IN THE MOON.

I've often heard of the man in the moon; And his profile often have seen In the almanac, drawn on the side of a lune, Just so—with a smile serene.



But I guessed the secret the other night, As the clouds were clearing away; And what do you think was the wondrous sight Which the mystery did betray?



I fancied I saw in the crescent, half hid, Fair Luna herself reclining; Not a man in the moon, but a woman instead, From the sky was brightly shining.

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For the Companion.

"CHUBBY WUBBY."

She had such an honest, hearty, round little face, with two brown eyes, a dot of a nose, and such chubby, hard, red cheeks that Aunt Gussie named her "Chubby Wubby" as soon as she saw her.

Her real name was Fanny, although mamma called her "Blossom," sometimes, and papa declared she was his little "Boy," while grandma had a whole host of pet names beside.

Aunt Gussie thought "Chubby Wubby" seemed to suit her the best of all, she was so round and plump and rosy.

Miss Chubby was cross one day, and among other things, she took it into her head that she wouldn't be called by any of her pet names. When mamma said to her, "Blossom, come and get your hat on," she shrugged her shoulders; and she answered, "Agh!" when Aunt Gussie made a rush at her for half-a-dozen kisses when she came in off the lawn, with such tempting cheeks that it was impossible not to want to bite them.

When Aunt Gussie said, "Come here, quick, you sweet little Chubby Wubby!" Fanny just kicked out one of her bare, plump little knees, and cried, "Pig!"

Now that was a very dreadful thing for her to call her auntie, for Fanny thought pigs were very horrid sort of beasts, and it was the worst name she knew, and beside, she said it in a naughty, wicked tone.

"O Chubby," cried Aunt Gussie, laughing, "we haven't got any pigs in here, and we don't want any colts either, and if you are going to kick that way, we shall have to put you out in the stable."

Chubby didn't feel a bit like laughing at this, but said again, very loudly, "Pig, Pig, PIG!"

Mamma heard her from the other room then, and she called out, "Come in here to me, Fanny; I want to look at your tongue." Fanny kicked up her heels and ran in to her mamma, and stuck out her little coral-tinted tongue. "Wha' fo', mamma?" she asked, thinking perhaps some little sweet pellets might follow.

"I wanted to see the naughty spot on it," answered mamma, "I heard it call auntie a name just now, and I wanted to tell you if I ever heard it call any one that again, I should put something on the spot to cure the naughtiness."

Little Fanny shut her lips very tight then, only opening them to say very earnestly, "Never no more, mamma."

"Well," replied mamma, "I hope you won't forget, for I shall not; now kiss auntie, and run out on the lawn and play until luncheon."

Then little Chubby Wubby went in and threw her arms around Aunt Gussie's neck, and all was forgiven.

Somehow "never no more" happened to be a very short time, for not very long afterward, when Annie, her nurse, called, "Come, Fanny, bread and milk is all ready," she ran away off down by the brook and answered, "No, I don't wan' to tum."

"But mamma says you must come in right away," and Annie ran after her.

"Pig, Pig, PIG," again cried Fanny, in an angry tone.

Mamma heard her, and came to the door. "Pick her right up, Annie, and bring her to me. I am going to cure her of that habit directly," and so poor little naughty Chubby Wubby was borne into the house, kicking and screaming lustily.

"Stop your crying and put out your tongue," said mamma. "I'm going to put some pepper right on to the naughty spot, and burn out the name you have called auntie and Annie to-day."

"No, mamma, no, no, never no more," sobbed little Chubby Wubby, her eyes and round red cheeks all wet with tears.

"Well, if Aunt Gussie and Annie say so, I will let you off this time," said mamma, with the little pinch of pepper in her hand all ready.

"But remember, if I ever hear your tongue call any one 'Pig' again, I shall put the pepper on it and burn out the naughty spot."

Chubby Wubby sobbed over and over again, "Never no more, mamma," and Aunt Gussie and Annie were very glad to say they would not like to have their darling punished "this time," and Aunt Gussie whispered to little Fanny's mamma, "I feel half to blame myself, for I suppose she thinks if I call her a name, she may call me one," and after that day little Fanny never called anybody "Pig," and Aunt Gussie stopped calling Fanny "Chubby Wubby." G. de B.

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For the Companion.

LITTLE RUDOLPH.

"Guten morgen! Guten morgen!" [*] Sounded at my door, Eager footsteps in the entry Outside, and before I could answer, on the threshold, Happiest in the land, Stood my little German neighbor, Bowing, hat in hand!



But I scarcely knew my Rudolph. What do you suppose Changed him so? He laughed and shouted, "Don't you see my clothes? I'm a boy at last! And even If my hair does curl, Folks won't ever dare to call me Any more, a girl,—

"Will they?" "No," I said, half sadly, You're a big boy now! "I shall miss my baby Rudolph." Such a saucy bow As he gave me! But his sweet face, Brimming o'er with joy, Made me glad we'd changed our baby To a noisy boy. M. M. —-

[Footnote *] Good-morning.

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For the Companion.

"PINKY."

Pinky was a white mouse that a friend of mine bought when it was very young, and so small that when it was more than two months old it would amuse itself by running back and forth through her finger ring, as she held it on the table like a hoop; and he seemed to like his plaything so well, that when he got too large to get through, his mistress let him wear it round his neck as a collar. But soon he outgrew it, and then Pinky had to give up his little gold toy altogether, and made friends with a spool of cotton, which he would get out of the work-basket, stand up on the end and sit upon and then with his tiny paws unwind the cotton, twirling the spool round on the polished table, and so giving himself a ride, and looking very cunning perched up there.

Sometimes his mistress would hold a knitting needle over the table, and he would put his fore paws over it, and dance up and down the whole length of the needle until he was tired.

He had a little red cloak with a hood, and he would stand quite still to have it put on, and then scamper off to a little block house the children had, and would peep out of one of the windows, looking for all the world like a little "Red Riding Hood."

There is always danger in letting our playful pets play too much, and one day poor Pinky laid in his kind mistress' hand, seemed tired and sick, and the next day in her hand he died.

The moral of this true story is,—always let your pets, whether puppies, or kittens, or anything else, have plenty of time to rest and sleep. R. R.

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For the Companion.

IN THE DARK.

I know it is dark, my darling, And fearful the darkness seems; But shut your eyes! in a moment The night will be bright with dreams; Or, better, you'll sleep so sound all night It will seem but a moment till morning light.

There is only one kind of darkness That need to trouble us, dear; Only the night of temptation, And then we must all of us fear. Yet even then, if we are but brave, There is ONE who is ever at hand to save.

We have only to ask Him to help us, And He will keep us from harm; Only to whisper, "Jesus!"— His Name is a holy charm: "Jesus, save me!" we need but say, And the night of temptation will flee away.

How can He be always near us? Near all of us, everywhere? Ah! that is beyond our knowing; But there is no bound to His care, And dear as the whole big world in His sight, Is the little child that He bids good-night. Harriet McEwen Kimball.

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For the Companion.

PATTY'S FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL.

Patty was only four years old, but she was just crazy to go to school. Her three older brothers and sisters all went, and why couldn't she? So, as much to quiet her teasing as anything, her mother fixed her off to school with the rest, one winter morning more than thirty years ago.

Miss Dobbs, the teacher, was very strict and made the scholars learn well, but I'm afraid they did not love her as much as if she had been more gentle with them. But it was the fashion in those days for teachers to be severe, and whip the scholars whenever they needed it.

The school-room was a new place to little Patty's round eyes, and for the first hour she kept very still, looking about in wonder at all she saw and heard. She sat with her oldest sister, Anna, and felt very well pleased with everything.

By-and-by she wanted something else to do, and spoke up promptly, in her sharp little voice, "Anna, I want to see the pictures in your Dogathy!"

Of course all the scholars laughed.

Miss Dobbs rapped on the desk sharply with her rule. "Silence!" The house became quiet.

"You must not speak out loud in school again," she said, sternly, to Patty. "I shall punish you if you do."

Patty was very angry. "What right had Miss Dobbs to speak so to her?" she thought.

She began to be afraid of Miss Dobbs, but she was sure Anna would not let any harm come to her little sister. She slipped down quietly off the seat, and sat down on the floor under the big desk. There Miss Dobbs could not see her, and she could free her mind. So again her clear voice rang out, "Miss Dobbs is drefful cross, isn't she, Anna?"

The scholars laughed again, but Miss Dobbs walked quickly up to the desk, pulled out little Patty, and boxed her ears soundly. Then sitting her down hard on the seat, she left her with a stern "Now see if you can keep still!"

Patty was too scared to cry. She found Miss Dobbs was to be minded, and for the rest of the winter she went to school and was as good a little girl as you could wish to see. M. C. W. B.

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Enigmas, Charades, Puzzles, &c.

1. TRANSPOSITION. A WATER BIRD.

Though my nest you may find swinging high in the trees, While I rock on my greenish-blue eggs in the breeze, Yet I fish for a living, and love water more Than land, though I'm careful to keep near the shore. Transposed, I'm a river, you'll see at a glance, In Switzerland starting, and running through France. B.

2. HIEROGLYPHIC TRANSPOSITIONS.

[Express exactly in the fewest words; then transpose your definition into a word or words equivalent to the definition given under the hieroglyphic.]

EXAMPLE:



A deed.

This symbol literally expressed is Cat on I. Transpose these letters, and you have action, which is equivalent to "A deed."



In this way, find the answer to above symbols: 1, Is an animal. 2, A race. 3, Young ladies. 4, Immense. 5, Settled. 6, A fanatic. J. P. B.

3. THE THREE BOYS.

[Fill blanks with words to rhyme with the termination of the first line.]

A two-letter boy, whose name was Ed, And a three letter boy, whose nickname was —-, Were joined by their four-letter brother, named —-, One boy was quite spunky—the hair on his —- Was of a bright auburn, in fact it was —-, And fat too, he was, by being well —-. Another had eyes dull and heavy as —-, And his nose was so broad that often 'twas —-. It nearly all over his visage was —-, The third boy was lazy; he walked with a —- That made it appear that he had a great —- Of working sufficient to pay for the —- Which he ate, when he hadn't some meat in its —-. One cold winter day these boys got a —-, Which they found snug and dry out under a —-, And, like the bad boys of which you have —-, Without their parents' permission they —- To the high coasting hill; soon downward they —-, But upset on the way, and one made his —- In a deep drift of snow which wet every —- Of his new suit of clothes. Another one —- So much at the nose he thought himself —-, The third one, unhurt, the way homeward —-, Where for parents' forgiveness each one humbly —-. SCHELL.

4. PREFIXES.

My first is a word which signifies advantage; prefix a letter and my second is the name of a river; prefix again, and my third is an excess; again, and my fourth is synonymous with one meaning of my third; once more, and my fifth is synonymous with a second meaning of my third. E. L. E.

———

Answers to Puzzles in Last Number.

1. Handel. Haydn, melody, tenor, bass—MENDELSSOHN BARTHOLDY.

2. G O L D S M I T H A D D I S O N F U G U E P O E U (Central also in "Faust.") J.R.L. (James Russell Lowell.)

D A N T E I N G E L O W A B N E Y P A R K

3. D A R E D N E A R S D R E A D L A V E D D E E D S

Diagonals— D, an, red, earl, dread, save, Dee, D. D., s.

4. It is a serious (cereous) matter, and a wicked work brought to light. He is making light of a serious (cereous) matter.

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The SUBSCRIPTION PRICE of the COMPANION is $1.75, which includes the payment of the Postage by us.

New subscriptions can commence at any time during the year.

THE COMPANION is sent to subscribers until an explicit order is received by the Publishers for us discontinuance, and all payment of arrearages is made, as required by law.

PAYMENT for the Companion, when sent by mail, should be made in Money orders, Bank-checks, or Drafts, WHEN NEITHER OF THESE CAN BE PROCURED, send the money in a registered letter. All postmasters are required to register letters whenever requested to do so.

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Always give the name of the Post-Office to which your paper is sent. Your name cannot be found on our books unless this is done.

The date against your name on the margin of your paper shows to what time your subscription is paid.

The courts have decided that all subscribers to newspapers are held responsible until arrearages are paid, and their papers are ordered to be discontinued.

Letters to Publishers should be addressed to PERRY MASON & CO., Youth's Companion, Boston, Mass.

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A STARVING RACE.

It is believed by some persons that the Anglo-American race in this country is tending rapidly to extinction. Both the birth-rate and the mother's power to nurse her children seem to be steadily diminishing.

Many persons refer the cause to our climate; others to the overaction of the brain and nerves in childhood and youth by our schools, and by the exhaustive excitements of social and fashionable life.

We have no doubt that the latter cause, especially, has much to do with it. But, besides this, we are inclined to attribute it, to a large extent, to a lack of proper nourishment.

We are the only nation that prides itself on the whitest of white bread. Our housekeeping is based on this, and our tastes and the tastes of our children have become conformed to it.

The fine white bread we use is far enough from being "the staff of life." The elements that feed the brain, and nerves, and bones, and even the muscles, have been almost wholly eliminated from it. What is left is little more than starch, which only supplies heat. It should be remembered that on pure starch a man can starve to death as truly as on pure water. And it is this slow starving process that, as a people, we seem to be undergoing.

Our only alternative is to return to the bread which nature has provided,—that made from the unbolted grain,—in which there are about twenty different elements, and each element is essential to the vigor and health of our physical system.

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A MOUNTAIN LION.

A Montana journal tells the story of a hunter who killed a mountain sheep, and then shot a mountain lion that claimed the game:

Mr. Wesley Curnutt took his gun and started to hunt the horses. About three or four miles from the White Sulphur Springs he discovered a band of mountain sheep, and as soon as he gained a proper location, he fired upon the game.

At the crack of the gun one of the largest mountain lions we have ever seen (you can imagine how large he appeared to the bold hunter) sprang from a cliff of rocks, and landed not over thirty feet from Curnutt, in an attitude looking anything but friendly, and ready to contest titles to the game in question.

Mr. C———, being an old mountaineer and an experienced hunter, took in the situation at a glance, and saw there was no time to lose, as his antagonist meant business; so he immediately drew bead on the gentleman, and let him have a bullet before he concluded to give way, and as he ran he received a number of shots, which he carried but a short distance.

Mr. Curnutt, after dressing his sheep, which was a very large one, the head and horns weighing thirty-seven and a half pounds, returned to the battle-ground and found his antagonist dead.

Mr. C———, having procured the assistance of Col. Kent, brought the lion to camp, where they weighed and measured him, finding him to weigh two hundred and fifty pounds, and measure nine foot eight inches from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail, which the colonel (though a bear-hunter in the Rockys for many a year) acknowledges to be the "boss" of the mountains.

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"E PLURIBUS UNUM."

A correspondent of the Philadelphia Press tells the history of the Latin motto, E Pluribus Unum (from many, one). "The origin of the motto is ascribed to Col. Reed, of Uxbridge, Mass. It first appeared on a copper coin, struck at Newburg, New York State, where there was a private mint. The pieces struck are dated 1786.

"In 1787 the motto appeared on several types of the New Jersey coppers, also on a very curious gold doubloon, or sixteen-dollar piece, coined by a goldsmith named Brasher. It was there put 'Unum E Pluribus.' Only four of these pieces are known to be extant, and they are very valuable. One of them, in possession of the mint, is supposed to be worth over a thousand dollars.

"When Kentucky was admitted, in 1791, it is said copper coins were struck with 'E Pluribus Unum.' They were made in England. The act of Congress of 1792, authorizing the establishment of a mint, and the coinage of gold, silver and copper, did not prescribe this motto, nor was it over legalized.

"It was placed on gold coins in 1796, and on silver coins in 1798. It was constantly used thereafter until 1831, when it was withdrawn from the quarter-dollar of new device. In 1834 it was dropped from gold coins to mark the change in the standard fineness of the coin.

"In 1837 it was dropped from the silver coins, marking the era of the revised mint code. It has been thought proper to restore it recently to our new silver dollar without any special sanction of law, although the expression is one very proper for our coins."

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WHAT "B. C." MEANT.

A smart boy, who carried his point, forms the topic for a paragraph in the Boston Transcript. A distinguished Bostonian, whom his city and State have delighted to honor, bethought him lately to buy a new vehicle.

A bargain offered in the shape of a buggy, which a friend was ready to dispose of at a fair price. It was "second hand," to be sure, but it was a good buggy, had been made "'pon honor," had seen but little service, and bore upon its panels the initials of the original owner, "B. C."

The trade was made, and the buyer congratulated himself not a little on having got a good thing at a low price. But there was one member of his family who was not altogether pleased.

The son, a dapper young man, wanted a little more "style," and would have preferred a new vehicle of fashionable build. He said so much about it that his father at length lost all patience, and told him seriously that he was tired of his talk, and would hear no more about it.

"But, father," said time young man, "don't you think we had better have that 'B. C.' painted out?"

"I tell you," said his father, "that I will not hear another word from you about it."

"All right, sir," said the son, dutifully; "you know best, of course, but I thought that perhaps people might think that was when it was made."

The father surrendered.

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FARM LIFE.

A writer in Scribner's Magazine asserts that the farmer, having the most sane and natural occupation, ought to find life pleasant.

He alone, strictly speaking, has a home. How can a man take root and thrive without land? He writes his history upon his field.

How many ties, how many resources, he has; his friendships with his cattle, his team, his dog, his trees, the satisfaction in his growing crops, in his improved fields; his intimacy with nature, with bird and beast, and with the quickening elemental forces; his co-operations with the cloud, the sun, the seasons, heat, wind, rain, frost.

Nothing will take the various social distempers which the city and artificial life breed, out of a man like farming, like direct and loving contact with the soil. It draws out the poison. It humbles him. Teaches him patience and reverence, and restores the proper tone to his system.

Cling to the farm, make much of it, put yourself into it, bestow your heart and your brain upon it, so that it shall savor of you and radiate your virtue after your day's work is done.

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WHAT IS MADE OUT OF PIT-COAL.

Once mankind saw nothing in mineral coal but a kind of black stone, and the person who first found out by accident that it would burn, and talked of it as fuel, was laughed at. Now it is not only our most useful fuel, but its products are used largely in the arts. A few of them are described below:

1. An excellent oil to supply lighthouses, equal to the best sperm oil, at lower cost.

2. Benzole—a light sort of ethereal fluid, which evaporates easily, and, combined with vapor or moist air, is used for the purpose of portable gas lamps, so-called.

3. Naphtha—a heavy fluid, useful to dissolve gutta percha, india rubber, etc.

4. An excellent oil for lubricating purposes.

5. Asphaltum—which is a black, solid substance, used in making varnishes, covering roofs, and covering over vaults.

6. Paraffine—a white, crystalline substance, resembling white wax, which can be made into beautiful wax candles; it melts at a temperature of one hundred and ten degrees, and affords an excellent light. All these substances are now made from soft coal.

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SMOOTHING HIS FATHER'S WRINKLES.

Children are very observing, and they apply their observations in funny ways sometimes. "A six-year-old genius who lives out West rejoices in the name of Henry. One day his mother was ironing out some recently-washed linen.

"Henry stood by and intently watched the facility with which the wrinkles disappeared upon the advent of the flatiron. From time to time he glanced uneasily at his somewhat elderly papa, who lay recumbent upon a sofa, dreaming the happy hours away.

"The youth gazed with sorrow upon the furrows that remorseless time had ploughed upon the once smooth brow of his father, and then was the future voter seized with a brilliant idea.

"During a temporary absence of his mother, he seized a flatiron, and tiptoeing softly to his father's side, began industriously smoothing and ironing out the wrinkles from that gentleman's forehead. The father dreamed that he was standing on his head in the centre of Vesuvius during an eruption. We hope the boy will smooth his father's care-wrinkles in a less painful and more effectual way when he grows older."

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The meanest paymaster in the universe is Satan. He never yet employed a hand that he didn't cheat. Young man, engage your service to a better Master.

"Is THAT the second bell?" inquired a gentleman of a colored porter. "No, sah," answered the porter, "dat am the second ringin' of de fust bell. We hab but one bell in dis establishment."

"SPEAKING of the different kind of taxes," queried the teacher, "what-kind is it where Whiskey is taxed?" "I know," said one boy, holding up his hand. "Well, what is it?" "Sin-tax!" shouted the young grammarian.

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IT PAYS to sell our Rubber Hand Printing Stamps. Circulars free. G. A. HARPER & BRO., Cleveland, O.

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LADIES can make $5 a day in their own city or town. Address "Ellis M'F'G Co.," Waltham, Mass.

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BIG PAY to sell our Rubber Printing Stamps. Samples free. TAYLOR BROS. & Co., Cleveland, O.

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LESSONS IN PHONOGRAPHY, by mail. Terms moderate. Those desirous of taking up the study please write. BERTON V. SMITH, Muskegon, Mich.

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FANCY WOOD,

For Scroll Sawing at the lowest market rate, sent by express or freight to any part of the country on receipt of the price. Walnut. 1/3, 6c; 3/16, 7c; 1/4, 8c per foot. Holly, 8c, 9c, 10c per foot. MILLERS FALLS CO., 74 Chambers Street, New York.

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HOUSEKEEPERS, READ!

Send for Circular and learn how to make your own baking powder, which will be pure and free from poison, and at less than half what you are now paying. No humbug. Address QUEEN BAKING POWDER CO., Marshall, Michigan.

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ZELL's ENCYCLOPEDIA is the best. Two Medals. Paris, 1878. Selling better than ever. Agents write to T. ELLWOOD ZELL, DAVIS & CO., Philadelphia.

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WRITTEN CARDS; real penwork; gems of art; stylish; rich for copies or presents. L. K. Howe, the great card-writer. Plymouth, Wis., writes any name in variety of style on 15 cards for 25c, pre-paid. Initials connected, if possible, will help you to write your name. The alphabet written for 15c. Money returned if not satisfactory.

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EVERY BOY A PRINTER



$3 Press. Prints labels, cards etc. (Self-inker $5) 9 Larger sizes For business, pleasure, young or old. Catalogue of Presses, Type, Etc., for 9 stamps. KELSEY & Co. Meriden, Conn.

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62 PIECES MUSIC $1.

The latest volume of MUSICAL HOURS contains 35 beautiful songs and 27 choice instrumental pieces. All new, and by the best composers. The pieces are for Piano or Organ, and are full music size (would cost, separately, over $20). Elegantly printed, and bound in cloth, gilt and red edges. Sent, post-paid, for $1 (cash or stamps). GEO. W. RICHARDSON & CO., 37 Temple Place, Boston.

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MEN AND WOMEN Wanted everywhere to engage in a MONEY MAKING good business by which $1 to $2 per hour may be made in almost any locality. Circulars & samples free; write at once. Goods entirely new. Address WILDES & CO., Boston, Mass.

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STAMPS! 400 well assorted Foreign Stamps, 25 cts.; 115, all different, worth 1 to 5 cts. each, 25 cts.; 50 varieties U. S., 20 cts.; a splendid STAMP ALBUM, gilt, flexible cover, 25 cts.; board cover, 45 cts. Stamps sent on approval to responsible parties who send references. Unused Postage Stamps taken. New Circular free. 2 Natal, 5c; 4 Peru, 10c; 6 Russia, 5c; 6 Sardinia, 5c; 3 Chili, 5c. JOSEPH BEIFELD, Chicago, Ill.

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LAME BACK. WEAK BACK. BENSON'S CAPCINE POROUS PLASTER.

This article is one which really possesses extraordinary merit. By consulting reliable physicians in your own locality, you will find that the above is true. It is far superior to the ordinary porous plaster, all the so-called electrical appliances, and to all external remedies whatever. It contains entirely new elements which cause it to relieve pain at once, strengthen and cure where other plasters will not even relieve. For Lameness and Weakness of the Back, diseased Kidneys, Lung and Chest difficulties, Rheumatism, Neglected Colds, Female Affections, and all local aches and pains, it is simply the best remedy ever devised. Sold by all Druggists. Price 25 cents.

THE FAVORITE.

The most popular dentifrice of the day is SOZODONT. People prefer it because they have found by experience that it really does do what is claimed for it; that it is a genuine beautifier of the teeth, that it is, as its name SOZODONT signifies, a true preservative of them; that it imparts a pleasant aroma to the breath, and renders the gums rosy and healthfully firm. The favorite among dentifrices, therefore, is SOZODONT. Druggists all over the country say that the demand for it is immense.

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THE COLUMBIA BICYCLE, MADE BY THE POPE M'F'G CO., 85 Summer St., Boston, Mass.

Easy to learn to ride. An ordinary rider can go more miles in a day over common roads than a horse. Send 3ct stamp for price list and 24-page catalogue, with full information.

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NEW $60 PRIZE GRAPE. MOORE'S EARLY.

A new hardy Grape, combining the following desirable qualities: Hardiness, size, beauty, quality, productiveness and earliness. Send for Circular. JOHN B. MOORE, Concord, Mass. Say where you saw this.

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FLORAL GUIDE FREE

Tells how to grow Flowers and Vegetables. Best Seeds ever Grown; fresh, reliable and pure; sure to grow. Large packets, low prices, liberal discounts. Illus'd Guide, 38 pp., free.

Address COLE & BRO., Seedsmen, Pella, Iowa.

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NEW LIFE Geranium, scarlet and white-striped, 75 cents; 20 Verbenas, $1; 12 Ever-Blooming Roses, $1; 10 varieties Silver and Golden Geraniums, $1, by mail or express. I offer the largest, most reliable and most complete list of Greenhouse and Bedding Plants, Garden and Flower Seed, Roses, etc., of any dealer in Vermont. Catalogue contains 100 pages, over 100 fine engravings, giving description and directions for planting and growing over 1500 varieties of seeds and plants mailed on receipt of 3-cent stamp. C. E. ALLEN, Florist and Seedsman, Brattleboro, VT. (Name this paper).

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STOCKBRIDGE MANURES

Originated by Levi Stockbridge, Professor of Agriculture in the Massachusetts Agricultural College. They have been extensively used for six years. Send for a little book describing them, and giving directions for cultivating farm and garden crops. Every farmer, gardener, or cultivator of a kitchen garden, should send for a copy, mailed free. BOWKER FERTILIZER COMPANY, 43 Chatham Street, Boston; 3 Park Place, New York; and 21 North Water Street, Rochester, N. Y.

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SEEDS, PLANTS.

We sell all kinds of Flower and Vegetable Seeds at five cents per paper. Our Half-Dime packets of choice seed are planted by thousands in all parts of America. Send for beautifully illustrated Catalogue, free to all. New and Rare Bulbs and Plants, at extremely low prices. The following sent by mail, post-paid. Remit currency or postage stamps; 4 beautiful lilies, different sorts, named, 50 cts.; 9 Gladiolus, 9 splendid sorts, named 55 cts.; 12 choice mixed Gladiolus, 50 cts.; 12 Double Tube-roses, 80 cts. ALL FINE LARGE BULBS.

JOHN LEWIS CHILDS, Queens, N. Y.

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136 pages beautifully illustrated, indispensable to all interested in gardening; mailed to all applicants enclosing 6 cents. Regular customers supplied free. Mention the Companion. Address B. K. BLISS & SONS, P. O. Box 4129, 34 Barclay Street, New York.

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QUEEN OF THE MARKET.

The largest, handsomest, best hardy Red Raspberry, 3 inches round, very productive, carries well, and sells best in market. Sharpless and Crescent Seedlings the best Strawberries. Snyder Wallace and Taylor the hardiest and most prolific Blackberries; and other small fruits. Kaki, the most delicious Japan fruit, as large and hardy as apples. Kieffer's Hybrid Seedling Pear, blight-proof, good quality, bears early and abundantly. Send for Catalogues. WM. PARRY, Cinnaminson, N. J.

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Reid's Floral Tribute.

The most beautiful and complete Seed and Bulb Catalogue published. 60 Exquisitely Colored Plates, Engraved Cover in Gold. Describes 1000 sorts Flowers & Vegetables. Price, 25 Cents. All ordering the book are registered and the price refunded on first order for Seeds, &c., to the amount of $1. Wm. H. REID, Rochester, N.Y. Name this paper.

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THE DINGEE & CONARD CO'S BEAUTIFUL EVER-BLOOMING ROSES THE BEST IN THE WORLD.

Our Great Specialty is growing and distributing these Beautiful Roses. We deliver Strong Pot Plants, suitable for immediate bloom, safety by mail at all post-offices. 5 Splendid Varieties, your choice, all labelled, for $1; 12 for $2; 19 for $3; 26 for $4; 35 for $5; 75 for $10; 100 for $13. Send for our New Guide to Rose Culture—60 pages, elegantly illustrated—and choose from over Five hundred Finest Sorts. Address

THE DINGEE & CONARD CO., Rose Growers, West Grove, Chester Co., Pa.

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BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS

43 Premiums at Cincinnati Exposition.

By Mail—Our Selection. 12 Roses, 12 Varieties . . . . . $1.00 12 Verbenas, 24 Varieties, . . . . 1.00 20 Basket Plants, 20 Varieties, . . 1.00 12 Carnations, 12 Varieties, . . . 1.00 12 Geraniums, 12 Varieties, . . . . 1.00 16 Tube Roses, flowering bulbs, . . 1.00 16 Gladiolas flowering bulbs, or . . 1.00 8 of each of the above two for . . . 1.00 10 Ferns, Different Sorts, . . . . 1.00 10 Begonias . . . . . . . . . 1.00 15 Choice Varieties of Hardy and Tender Annual Flower Seeds . . . . . . 50 25 Choice Varieties of Biennial and Per- ennial Flower Seeds . . . . . 1.00 Any 6 of the above Collections for . . 5.00 The best collection of fancy plants in the West. Send for Catalogues, Free. 16 Green Houses Safe arrival Guaranteed and Satisfaction given in all case. B. P. Critchell, 197 West 4th St., Cincinnati, O. Quality Unsurpassed.

A GREENHOUSE AT YOUR DOOR.

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BOWKER'S AMMONIATED

Food for Flowers.

Send two ten cent pieces wrapped and enclosed in a letter for trial package sufficient for twenty plants for three mouths, including a little book on "How to make house Plants Bloom," by Professor Maynard, of the Massachusetts Agricultural College. BOWKER FERTILIZER COMPANY, 43 Chatham Street, Boston; 3 Park Place, New York.

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SMALL FRUITS.

Strawberries, Raspberries, Asparagus, &c. Moore's New Seedling Strawberries; Moore's 1st Premium Cross-Bred Asparagus. Also, fine Medium Yorkshire Swine. Send for Circular. JOHN B. MOORE, Concord, Mass.

Say where you saw this.

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This publishers of Farm and Fireside, Springfield, Ohio, give 1 year's subscription to their valuable and interesting paper, and send one dollar's worth of any kind of

SEEDS FREE

by mail, post-paid, to any address, on receipt of one dollar. You can select exact seeds wanted, from catalogue of D.M. Ferry & Co., if you have not got it, be sure to send to us for their handsome 150 page catalogue, it is mailed free to all. And be convinced we furnish our subscribers with seeds at lower prices than they can buy elsewhere, and also give Farm and Fireside 1 year without additional cost. Farm and Fireside is a great favorite everywhere, suitable alike to the home circle in city, town, or country. The old, the young, and all are delighted with it.

LIBERAL SEED OFFERS,—We give Farm and Fireside 1 year, and 50 cents worth of Seeds, for 75 cents; $2.00 worth of Seeds, and F. & F. 1 year, for $1.50; $3.00 north of Seeds, and F. & F. 1 year, for $2. A club of 6 to one address, at price of 5.

SEED PREMIUMS.—To any one sending 4 subscribers, we give 50 cents worth of Seeds; for 7 subscribers we give $1 worth of Seeds; for 10 subscribers, $1.50 worth; for 12 subscribers, $2 worth; and for 15 subscribers, $3 worth of Seeds.

Liberal premiums and cash commission given to AGENTS.

SAMPLE COPIES, Premium List, and Catalogue of Seeds free to all. All Seeds are sent by mail, post-paid, direct from Seed House, at lowest catalogue prices, but address all orders to

FARM AND FIRESIDE, Springfield, Ohio.

THE END