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Show fANHOODS YESTERDAY. id twlav, I'm A: Hi.'. - ;i- u.y lay "1 tr l.,iii..d 'trJ.iy! 1 a i it. Ul t r.f t m i imj wild w iiere sunshine j h, n . m. I J i smiled. An;"nr the And ne rry birds with in v gladsome words, t icdemlAnd all day long I warbled Zc ca'urc and li r kindred throng. " . t Wi'h down-stair- hair tuu-de- And feit all bare I fathered tinners everywhere, Ami was nut shorn Fur tin n no thy-- i the dimples torn. from my ihi-ek- I eamboled oa The velvet lawn evetiuc's tide and dais Crst dawn; I danced and sang T.ll houst hulil rang fl.'n L1. "liter at my bantering. I eFmhed the trees . And i based the bees Trem stealing boner there with case; I planted Powers 'Jbnmgh all the hours tnd Batched them nurtured by the showers. S1 s tt Thus in a haze Mv boyhood davs and ean only gaze, Hut never see Their thapsodr (Uvy i.otr and then in rnemery. For wrinkles now Have plowed my brow, fed welghtv eare has shown me her It leaves a trace On bowsh face s are ermi-- s on to take its flaea Have ;a.-s- d, I I must not grieve, For I believe Sod garners all, and so will sheav "Both young and old Oil fields of gold When he the fm ute does unfold. ROOM WITH LY (jhjnlon, ii the Current. COltBET. f con-rdiier- al es cirr-wlvc- y '-- Put us, said Fred, wherever it will least disturb yourselves. We shall He thankful for a bed, anywhere. Well! Im afraid wo cant give you a very warm room. You see, Sister here with all her family, and so we havent but one empty room left, and tluvta in the corner winch gets the northwest winds. But it's got a good ted two on em, for that matter, sore can take your chiee. And with this the farmer handed ns a tallow candle, and with another in his own hand, led the way upstairs, and. turning Into a marrow intersecting hall, with doors on each side, lie unlocked the one belonging to the corner room. Up to this moment, everything connected with the house and its occupants, had been of the most prosaic sind matter-of-fac- t description; but with that opening of this locked door, all Zkis was changed, and a different atmos- - XT mo-e- d In the fall of 1881, my husband and 3. were making atrip through the northern part of North Carolina, in search nt a long missing relative, for whom a roii'iderablo legacy, was waiting; whkh legacy, in ease of his death, with-- u it heirs, would fall to us, as next of kin. A clew to his whereabouts had been hard to obtain, and when at last it was found, the following of it kept v zigzag: ng about front one little town "to another; and many of these being miles from any railway, we had it advisable to possess ourselves t a horse and light buggy, and drive wherever the trail might lead us. In pursuance of this plan, we had Teen on the road for many hours, and ibad obtained some valuable information, when in endeavoring to follow directions and take a short cut, we found on a lonely road, apparently very far from the town wo were aiming for, find our horse had begun to limp ip little, and seemed quite tired out. It was dark and chilly, too, being now the ht't of October, and there was a rising wind, moaning and whistling about our ears, and plainly warning us to seek shelter before the night r hould be upon us. We drove along in silence, looking eagerly for some signs f human habitation, and feeling as hough tire and food were blessings not . properly appreciated heretofore. At length there was a slight turn in the long, straight road we had been following for the last hour, and a little ' way ahead, we caught the welcome glimmer of lighted windows, and in a few minutes more, Fred drew rein in front of a large, weather-beaten- , wooden w hicli seemed to 2i0U' promise shelter and warmth, nt least. And his promise was more than ful tilled, when we made our presence and our wants known, for 'we were received with as much hospitality as though we had been invited guests, or friends of long standing, strangers were evidently a rarity in this section of country, and were a welcome diversion from the monotony of life. We had arrived very every-daopportunely, just in time for the evening meal in the great roomy kitchen, which seemed to be tho headquarters and general rendezvous of the farmers Jarge family. Here we were bidden to lraw up and partake of the bounteous and appetizing supper, and when that was over, we exerted ourselves to make she next hour a pleasant one for our entertainers, by giving them news of outside world, and such gossip of she country side as we had picked up in our late wanderings. Hut the hearty meal and the increasing heat of the fire, joined to the fatigue of our long lrive, soon combined to make me very ulrowsy; and seeing this, my husband requested that wp might be allowed to retire, though it was not yet nine oclock. 11 y THE STAIRCASE. ItEtXOIt s, -r . George This, however, phera enveloped was rather felt than seen, for at lust view there was nothing unusual, except a ll ght of seven or eight steps, running down to a closed door, apparently on a level with the Hoor of living rooms butu wh'di we hal jut quitted. ' turned to the farmer, With questioning looks, and were answered by a mart) On, you ncedn t be bkcrt'u o that door. It opens on to the end of the hall close to the side dooi of that's locked, and this but the piazza, side and ham t you see, is bolted on this cU. been opened this dozen years. case in too, candle, T leave vou this you want to keep a lght burning, and 1 hope you'll sle p well. d lie stepped outside, and Fred and locked the door after him, and we turned to take a more comprehensive It was view of our temporary abode. windows, two with room a quite large at the right side; the end facing the door was a blank wall, against which stood the head of one of the beds, the foot of it projecting into the. middle of the room. Over on the other side, opa door, posite the further window, was wall re.-presumably of a closet, the t ofwhere the and in end, unbroken; being we had entered, was the staircase, the hall door, and in the corner to tho with right of this, the other bed, aLoThere it? headboard against the wall. was no carpet on the tloor, only rugs laid at the beds side, and in front of the washstand: shades of darL green screened tha upper halves of the windows, and the wall paper was of a tint, while the sickly, greenish-grafurniture was of the plainest description. A most uninviting room, indeed, and as I took in its different features, I was conscious of a feeling of the utmost distaste, which became stronger every moment. There was a damp chilliness creeping about, and a faint, musty odor, which I had not noticed at first; and that staircase, with its dusty unear-petesteps and the dark shadows lurking at its foot, gave me the horrors. "FVed, said I, do go down there and try if that door is bolted; I dont like the looks of it. Fred laughingly obeyed, and reported that it was not only bolted fast enough, but that the bolt was so rusty us. from disuse that it wQulJ not slip the fraction of an inch. I crossed the room, candle in hand, and opened the other door. A mere shallow closet, with a high shelf and row of nails, and empty, except for a small stove leaning up in one corner. I closed and locked that door also. said my husband, Well, Nettie? already divested of coat and collar; hadnt you better get ready for bed? Fred, said I gravely, theres something horrible about this room I feel it all over me something creepy and uncanny. Oh, you neednt laugh, and if you think youre going to have one of these big beds all to yourself, youre mistaken, for Im not going to be out of arms reach of you this night. Why, little vwonwn, whats come over you? You dont often indulge in nerves. No, 1 don't, but I cant help it now; and oh, my dear, do let us take this bed nearest the door and keep your candle burning all night, and mind you don't go to sleep first! We blew out, one candle, and set the other in the. washbowl, across the room, and tucked ourselves into the bed I hail selected. It was an featherbed, and so warm and comfortable that my nervous misgivings soon faded out, and within a half-houwe were both fast asleep, and slept soundly for what seemed a long while, ilow long I do not know, but I r, was suddenly awakened by a sensation of cold, and reached down to draw up another blanket, when I heard the unmistakable souud of a door gently shut, and it was within the room! A glance showed me that there was no one at the hall door nor by the closet, and the next instant a sound arose from the staircase; a slow heavy step, mounting stair by stair. I could not turn my eves away, though I was trembling with fright, and my heart was beating so I could not speak; but I put out my hand and clutched Fred's arm, and he awoke and sat silent, beside me, listening to those fearful steps. y They were more than up now, and a head and shoulders arose aboe the banisters, and then the whole figure came into view. It was a short, thickset man, apparently about sixty years old, with hair, heavy eyebrows, and a stern, beardless face with cruel, sensual mouth. Ilis dress was of the fashion in vogue half a century ago, and he carried a hat and a riding-whiin his hand. Ilis face wore an awful gray pallor, against which a deep scar on the cheek stood out in livid whitness, and his eyes looked straight ahead in an unseeing gaze which seemed all unconscious of oui presence. As he mounted the top step, a long quivering sigh breathed through the room, and I squeezed closer to Fred and grasped his hand tightly, yet could not take my eyes away from oui strange visitant, nor make a motion tc leave the room. Fred, too, seemed tc bo under a spell, and though not usually wanting in bravery, ho made nc movement to drive away the intruder. Together we sat there, scarcely breathing, and watched, while, like one distraught, the figure paced the room, between staircase and window, sometimes pausing by the other bed, now shaking his clinched list in the air, now clutching with both hands at his gray hair, groaning and sighing, and with wvei moving lips, front which came no ar ticulute words to our strained cars. " H'S deep-se- t eyes never turned upor ns; if they had, I think the horror o' that craze would have driven mo crazi half-wa- iron-gra- y p on the ui .n tin- - bed a t..ong!i ehau-t- and e wait ng. 1 "is to get me out red about to wh s;T to I of the room. when. With a groan more tli.iu any hollow an.l the bed. re, the sprung from to the w inilo'.v. ami made lut a threw himself cut. It was allov.r in a moment, and seemed to break the and 'pell which hal he'd Iredda-lie- d towith an exclamation, as d ward the window'. It was as Ufore. and the outbid-and and nds were when he turned to the bed where three we had both seen a minutes heavy ligure lying, it was smooth and undented as though jn t made up. With a look uf udi. n horror spread ing over his face, my husband came and lifted me to the tloor. Come, said he, let its get away from this aecnr-e- d room. We huddled on our clothes, slipped out into the hall, and found our way down to th kitchen, where the tire and look of thing' the liomelv, every-da- y somewhat settled our nerves. And nere a couple of hours later, the farmer and his wife found us, and listened to our narrative. As it progressed they looked at each other with comprehending glances, and at the end the man exclaimed; Well, I swear! its all true then, about the ghost. None of us ever saw hint, and I didnt believe it, or I wouldnt haro pat strangers into- that room on October 30th. Tell us! But what does it mean? I asked. Well, it all happened before our time, when old ntiser Otis owned this farm. lie wasn't any kin of ours, and I don't hesitate to say he must have been a mean old sinner. He had a wife and a grown up family, but he was so stingy that they could hardly get the necessaries of life; and he was so stern and overbearing that life was scarcely worth having anyhow' at least, to his wife. When he was nearly sixty, there came a strange couple to live in a little house, over on the edge of the woods about a mile from here an old hag of a woman and a girl, her reputed grandchild. The girl was a bold, hand m me thing, like a gypsy, always laughing, singing, and dancing; and she just bewitched old Otis. He got so infatuated teat he neglected his farm, and was over at the hut constantly. And he gave her presents and money, till he had spent more oil her in six months than his family had had in as many years. Weil, she fooled him and deceived him as such a woman would, and one evening he found it out. lie hung around in the woods until his handsome young rival went away, and then he crept in and killed her. Twas said that ho strangled her by twisting the lash of his whip about her throat, and that next day when she was found it was plainly seen where the cord had cut into her soft neck. He came home here and went up that staircase into the room he vccupiod - alode; and there, ovenvhclncedwith horror, remorse, and the fear of arrest, just before dawn, he threw himself from tiie window and broke his neck. And that was October 30th, and they told us when we bought the place that the ghost returned on each anniversary of his crime; but we never used the room ex'eept in the summer months, and Id almost forgot the old story. And you really saw him? Yes. we really did, and even the reassuring light of day, and the presence of other human beings, could not quite drive away my nervous terrors, and it wras with heartfelt relief that we drove away from that haunted house; and it was months after our return to my own, dear, bright home, before I could let myself think of the horrors of that night in the Staircase lloom. niter a few hi.irt-breakn- ln-- g tig-ir- clu-e- hi clo-e- d e - Tid-Bil- s. Word to Young Men. It is as easy to be a rich man as a poor one. Half the energy displayed in keeping ahead that is required to catch up when behind would save credit, give more time to attend to business, and add to the profit and reputation of those who work for gain. Honor your engagement If you promise to meet a man, or to do a certain tiling at a certain moment, be ready at the appointed time. If you go on business, attend promptly to matters on hand, then as promptly go about your own business. Do not stop to tell stories in business hours. If you have a place of business be found there when wanted. No man can get rich by sitting around stores. Never fool on business matters. Have order, system, regularity, liberality, promptness. Do not meddle with business you know nothing of. Never buy an article you do not need, simply because it is cheap and the man who sells it will take it out in trade. Trade is money. Strive to avoid harsh words and personalities. Do not kick every stone in the path; more miles can be made in a day bv going steadily on than hv stopping to kick. Pay as you go. A man of honor respects ilis word as ho does his bond. Aid, but never beg. Help others when. you can, but never give what you cannot afford to, simply because it is fashionable. Learn to say no. No necessity for snapping it out in dog fashion, but say it firmly and respectfully. Have but a few confidants, and the fewer the better. Use your own brains rather than those of others. Learn to think and act for yourself. Be vigilant. Keep ahead rather than behind the time. Younr man, cut this out, and if there be folly in the argument, let us know. Baltimorean. A The C-i-- At length lie dropped in-ta- spring-tim- e of bent ran under you life When you discover it iroi! I tiT in. I.i:icultl-- Emcobi, Mo'U.iito Nets and jjj v,! t. t -I' Un). strung r traveling in Central H- igreat surpri-- e when told ep;l.e-nets grew on n t that A Mb, re WJ, , rs. Edwards, nio.-qiii- to I Dig st.l ea-The ho-- t further lowing 1,1 loom, g that lie intended to get a of the tuni-ilrc.-- s from the same tree for g.ir.iv about her win, iV h ;; i l.ri.Ie who w'as to be married on his c ry and there in You dont mean, said the trav- for many month'its w, 'l that mosquito net- all (lint eler incredulously, , Lit ninny ting and bridal dresses grow' on trees, c that she was ,,rv io on? Thats just what I mean, replied meals of the ho-- t. day. M,e roc, said the stranger, who hearty All right, i,v fancied si joke was being attempted at few friends whom frile' a' let me see you gather the her nnilmlv his expen-e- , fruit and I will believe j oil. pelling her to eon'iL'uV folid food. Mm would r,v' Certainly, was the answer, t coffee low the men and you will see that I past of roa't sneak the exact truth. cry ilej-- i tedly jnform Still looking for some jest the stran- ant' or MMtor. thru in ,,! ger followed the two men who were to probability she would nt pluck the singular fruit, and stood by of another when they stopped at a rather small Vfrm?etionoOen0!h!S tree bearing thick, gloy green leaves, close the m but nothing else which the utino't ef- opaqueness of the curtains fort of the imagination could convert up shawls or quilts, and tallow candle. blie rejected ' into the netting or the wedding garment. The tree was about twenty feet gas as of the devil. f a, high and six inches in diameter, and tv where she felt bad in bodr, its bark looked much like that of a birch reply" sometimes, -- pw lives in t!i.a country. n h.-- pta Ire iii ; r wed-lin- I'j-erte- sh,-bl- , 0 pa s Ye sdk-wur- m Ikpi ton,,-nii.k.- . jl.vi Th I .au- f.f" .'ub-tant- s of -- The in the ! of !r- - 1 n a co I K . ,ru fhh Jty obs 1 t g Gad now-shutter- s, ne. h sed . at t oa' tre. Is this the tree? asked the stranger. Yes, senor, answered one of tlio men, with a smile. I dont see mosquito netting nor the wedding dress, said the stranger, and I cant see any joke, either. If the senor will wait a few minutes he will see all that was promised and lie will more, too, was tho reply, see that this tree ean bear not only mosquito netting and wedding dresses, but lish nets and neck scarfs, mourning crape or bridal veils. The tree was without more ado cut down. Three strips of bark, each about six inches wide and eight feet long, were taken from the trunk and thrown into a stream of water. Then each man took a strip while it was still in the water, anil with the point of his knife separated a thin layer of the inner bark from one end of the strip. The layer was then taken in the lingers and gently pulled, whereupon it came away in an even sheet of the entire width and length of the strip of bark. Twelve sheets were thus taken from each strip of bark and thrown into the water. A light broke in upon the strangers mind. Without a doubt these strips were to be sewn together in one sheet. The plan seemed a good one, and the fabric thus formed might do he thought, L2 no better cloth could be had. The men were not through yet, however, for when each strip of bark had yielded its twelve sheets each sheet was taken from the water and gradualTho spectator ly stretched sidewise. could hardly believe his eyes. The sheet broadened until from a close piece of material six inches wide it became a filmy cloud of delicate lace over three feet in width. The astonished gentleman was forced to confess that no human-mad- e loom ever turned out lace which could surpass in snowv whiteness and gossamer-lik- e delicacy that product of nature. St. Nicholas. t feel of me, m At, the same tinieh M'Pfar mal for a lady above GO rear-- , At other times she woulifiiw-- .oft it 1 rV nsre t the was being all hacked to r? knives; just feel that in der; don t think I can wounding long, do vou? y?. and commiserating 'friends there was no trace of ek? or sear. The next year her n? dered so that her relatives tier? to present her to the Prolate and to ask an order that committed to a lunatic ' She was attired in plain t ing black; the full d IN a.'hmgton era lmd dwindled appeared quite a slender ladn shrivelled face expressed no doings of the hour. Mie tie and yielded without a il8 .t. id ui , ga-- h 0? pm di.it n - sad-faee- df-- Man sil i it , lip OSli Eu tin roc- -, curaulation of unmade within her rooms, and that sh carry too much money aboutthr. upon her person, even the die-- ) ya i found folds of her walking li tin o l & pinuedin, dre-- awarded restraint that kind guardianship of s. Tie should ,tl as I? i. io lur financial interests jr and was led away amid the War', bystanders, and was made atk a time at a private as him if k pule. Ben: Buclyci. i im ; 'iinni-bein- y ' S i- G- - always firm frimd of her band, the Hon. Isaac X. Aral; appeared in court as her conns? had then been occupying prominent hotel for somefime.a testimony before the jury of r uous citizens ran chiefly to her vt loo-el- cc $ wishes of her sot? il Ui. rin col,-th- the it T i. Poore, Perky c I m Li I Royal Photographers. V Though we gladly vvekw Ci prince of Wales into the r.itbo hi amateur photographers of this i it is difficult to understand why h highness should have older, a Mrs. Bancroft. first camera from an American fs accordin' is what, A topic of conversation in American This, however, H did he really contemporary, society, writes a Paris correspondent, O determination is the lonely state of Mr. ft George Ban- any case, the own phntog'j t croft, the historian, who a short time turn king to do his on which text a furnished has t. ago was left a widower at the age of lar Insk Luke n 36. I had a short and agreeable ac- somewriter, amusingSharp, ob'crvatioai very quaintance with Mrs. Goorge Bancroft, picture of the pM.' when she and her husband rejiresented out with a large retinue, induce, the the United States republic at Berlin. lord high camera-carrie" the holders, plate Had she lived another year she would have celebrated her golden weddin' the usher of the black cloth, of the tri with Bancroft, who was her second liu.v of the lens, the marquis while the a one; very laughable bana. They were an interesting couple. given to his royal U subsequently She was ceremonious, without being to dismiss his retinue, put the prim or starched. Her smile showed over his shoulder, buy a ,IC" free, however, from the highlands or Devonshire, pati conceit, and certainly a wish to be very a country inn, and tramp oyer gracious. She spoke with deliberation, and far away, taking the vie and yet avoided drawling, anil brought he pleases, is liudoubtedlp ever out every word with clear distinctness, What is more, th and good. Mr. Bancroft, a hale old it. The emperor gentleman, with a line eye, that denot- precedent to whose photograpic propen!; sia, ed sagacity and quick perception, was. have previously mentioned, dwhen she spoke of him. the minister, or my husband. lie was as cere- adoing all his photographing he is monious and as free from starch as his self.At Livadia, where adjoining ? wife. Their mental habits and mode of ing, a dressing-rooapartment speech were cultivated before tele- perial sleeping litted up as the graphese was invented and the reaction specially and it is more than s room, toward blunt phraseology to interrupt Is worth had taken place. Mrs. Bancrofts conplace when once the button of the a. versation savored of elegant extracts. been turned. It is said, toe, thu' ) It was picturesquely and prettily . I only knew her when she cials anxiously watch the imp ee;r, t was staying in a hotel; but I was told tenance when the czar and that she was a notable, although by no his mysterious closet; of means a fussy, housekeeper, and that pression bespeaks a series ful developments any.req the German crown princess picked up made ae( jj many American culinary notions when may have to be moment. more auspicious dining at her table such as cranberry preserve with roast mutton, oyster ic News. soup, pumpkin pie, and doughnuts. I The courses at a Chinese one day had the pleasure of walkin' The meal begins ,e round a horticultural show with Mrs? peculiar. thick. mucilage then who l found was an enthusi- smoke, Bancroft, ft1 astic rose fancier, and could teaeli most deliciously tasting soup, with , pC'ft of the gardeners who exhibited immushrooms, and j. proved methods of cultivating different ing on it, is served, wiki? , species of roses. She was also a walk- courses of fish, phesnut, ing biographical encyclopedia. Who all cooked to be very wrt5f: a as there within the last sixty-sipumpkin seeds are watermel in dried or America and Europe that cither olives, pars he or she had not known or seen or considered in the nature J heard about from mutual friends. eo l H of tiu1 pen-and-i- r, focu-ic;,- j o c1 white-bearde- d, d m n , Anglo-Saxo- n &ls 't , x The wealth of our language is shown hy the fact that hang it up aud chalk it down oeana precisely the same. There is said to be so muc ever taps t no Biarae be will there exists, that if a railroad in this' country. : i |