"rHE COMING OF VAh.
hi's coming! Sing, birds in the maples—
sing sweet!
jRain, blossoms, in storms at his beautiful
feet!
0 winds! toss the. violets over his way,
And God guard the night,-and give light
to the day!
The blossoms are blowing—the brown bees
are humming,
And a voice in my soul echoes still: “He
is coming!”
He’s coming! A little well fellow, whose
eyes
Are the blue and the dew and the dawn .
in life’s skies;
Too sweet for a sorrow—too bright for a .
tear——
His arms are the loveliest necklace I
wear! .
The blossoms are blow1ng_—-the brown bees
are humming,
And a song in my soul echoes still: “He
is coming!"
I—Ie is_coming, with kisses, far sweeter for
tnis: .
I have missed through long winters his
clasp and his kiss; ,.. -- }
And have heard not in any glad song of .
the birds ‘
A music‘a's sweet as his innocent words!
The lilies are bending—the brown bees are
humming, ,
And a thousand sweet voices still sing: ,
“He is coming!"
He is coming! (What joy doth the mes- I
sage impart!) '
Like a rose toss him here to my heart—to .
my heart, '
, Soft winds of the southland! From over E
the sea I
Kiss the sails of the sweet ship that bears !
him to me! 'y l
The daisies are blooming-the wild bees l
are humming, ‘
And thank God for the music: “He's com- I
ing—he's coming!"
—Erank L. Stanton, in Atlanta Constitu-
. on.
; HER DAY or LIBERTY.
BY LENA s. THOMPSON. .
ESW foam... (.7. '
Mrs. Caleb Greene imagined herself
a much-abused woman as she hustled
about in her tidy kitchen one bright a1.-
tumn morning. “I’m nothing but. a
household dredge—a drudge and no 12-
ing else! Who over thinks I need a
hit of - pleasuring!” and here her
thoughts wandered to what her neigh-
bor, Mrs. Mallory, had said, and which
was the real cause of her discontent.
"You don’t never go nowhere, do you,
;\lis’ Greene? Why. if I couldn‘t go to
the city every week, 1. should feel way
out of the world. You can‘t keep in
with the pervailinrr style if you don't
see nobody but the village folks"———and
then she told of the grand ilower show
in the great Casino, "where everybody
as is anybody" went, and of the new .
"cape and bonnet she had bought in
t""
nag--9 _.._.. . ..
.41-
town. w
Though Mrs. Greene was as well off
as her neighbor, she did her own house-
work, preferring to save in that way
something for a 1;: :3: day, while Mrs.
Mallory was considc; ed by the village
people a very shiftless woman, who de-
light/ed in airing her knowledge. of city
life, which consisted of a-year at board-
ing school in town. Soon after her
marriage to “Jim” Mallory she set up
lionseke-‘ping and kept one servant, .
which prodigality and elegance caused
her to feel quite superior to her nei'gh- ,
burs.
Martha Greene was a devoted wife, ;
and usually thought the work she now 3
called “drudgery" the. most delightful 3
thing in the world—for she enjoyed 5
making a. happy home for Caleb, whom 1
she had married two years previous:
Of late a spirit of discontent had grad— !
ually crept upon her, and its, power’
was more apparent after each visit.
from Mrs. Mallory. .
Martha was. passionately fond of !
flowers. When the flower show was
held the year before in the adjacent
city she was too ill to visit it, but. now
there was no really good reason why
she should not go. As the busy season
for the farmers had come, when she
asked Caleb to drive her to town he did -
not see how he could leave his work
for even a. day.
“He might go if he only thought so. l
I wonder how he would feel to come '
home some day and not find me here to .
wait on him. Perhaps he might realize ,
then that I need a little amusement:
once in awhile, after working fromi
morning till night. I believe I'll try
it. I‘d like to feel at liberty to do just I
l
as I please for one day!” ‘
So, while musing on her troubles,-
Martha prepared the noonday meal for
Caleb and the farm hands; for, how-
ever much she thought herself deprived
tat-enjoyment, she was too gooda house-
imeper and homemaker to leave Caleb ,
"to provide his own dinner. She pro—3
paired everything with care, ready to be i
placed upon the table. But it- seemcd as
if fate-was to be against her that morn-
ing. , The stove was hard to manage
~lier-' doughnuts too brown and the
biscuit were not as light as usual—and
just as she was getting ready to dress
herself; old Mrs. Porter called, pre-
pared, {as usual, to rehearse her “tale
of woe” to any sympathizing listener.
‘Z'astily giving her a cup of tea. and
telling her she was very busy, Martha.
left the poor woman to wonder what,
had come over Mrs. Greene—“she who
was (Hers so good to a body!”
0:; her way to the. station to catch the
hem train for the city she avoided-the
public highway and took a path less1
frequented, for even in her reckless, i
independent mood, she did not wish her 3
l
l
l
\
neighbors to notice that she was going ,
without her husband. .
Since their marriage Caleb had al—’
ways driven her to town, which was
only ten miles distant, and while. she
did her shopping he would wait at the
Travolers’ inn talking over farm mat-
ters with kindred spirits; then what a
cozy drive homcward they had to-
gethcr. In summer through the gath-
ering twilight, or in winter with the
full moon shining on the snow—they
were full- of happiness, and when they
reached home, how proud she was to
show him her purchases, in which he
was always deeply interested.
‘ The steam cars passed through the
village to the city only three times each
day, and as Martha took her seat in the
rear car the bell at the factory was
ringing the noon hour. . '
I. . . > .
l her! The ladies, so finelydressed,with
their gallant attendants, and the little
,children in their gay attire, seemed
I himself was going to take a holiday.”
' endless, and when Martha. saw the lights
5 set her down at the foot of the lane
\ . -
~W‘EEKLY -#NORWALK - GAZETTE.
i “What will Caleb do when he finds the ‘
‘ little note by his plate?” she murmured ,
. to herself. “Gone to the city” and her
I name was all she had written. “Will
he be so vexed that he will not meet
me at the station when the evening
train arrives?" But she had not told
him when she was coming back; yet he
must know that. she would not stay in
the city over night. Somehow, the more
she thought about it the less attractive
the city, with its flower show, seemed.
1 By the time the train reached the
I depot she was so heartily sick of hav-
: ing her freedom that had there been an
, opportunity for her to return home at
‘ once she would have done so.
Following" the crowd, she entered the
large building where the flowers were
' exhibited. At- first the beauty and
fragrance of the wonderful plants and
blossoms overpowered her. The.
feathery Chrysanthemums, the exquis-
ite orchids, magnificent rosos and
snowy lilies—how beautiful they all
were! How much more she would
have enjoyed it- if Caleb had been with
even to belong with the flowers.
Tired 5nd weary at last with what
was, for her, unusual excitement,
Martha. was awestruck to hear, as she
left the building, the clocks striking the
hour of five!
“What Shall I do?” thought Martha,
“only 15 minutes before the train leaveS,
and I shall not be able to get to the
depot if I walk, and there is no room in
the street cars, not even for ‘one more!’
I will call a cab and perhaps, if the
driver hurries, I may be there in time."
But in spite of all her efforts, the
train was leaving as she camein sight
of the depot.
Tears of remorse and vexation filled
her eyes, and for a few moments she
was so disappointed that everything
——cvcn the buildings and the people in
the streets—seemed in a. whirl; but as
her tired nerves recovered frorn the
shock, she began to realize that some-
thing mustbe done, as it was already
growing late.
Going to the telegraph office, she
sent a message to her husband telling
him she had missed the train and in-
tended to walk home. She was very
familiar wit-11 the way, and it was the
time for the full moon; still she was
rather timid about going alone, but
she preferred that alternative to re-
maining in the city at a strange hotel.
She had gone about a mile on her jour-
ney when she was overjoyed to hear a
well-known voice say to her: “Mrs.
Greene! is it possible that you are walk- I
ing alone? Where is Caleb? He’s not
sick, I hope! Jump into my wagon and
I will see you safe at your door."
As Mr. Joseph Bigelow offered his
hand to help her, she could have sunk
at his feet from fatigue and anxiety;
thanking him, she told him she had
missed the train and had thought the
only way for her to get home was to
walk.
“They say the posie show is a. great
thing,” said Farmer Bigelow; “been to
see it? I heard Caleb saying at the.
post office, last night, as to how he was
a—hurryin’ with his work so as to take
you there to-morrow to celebrate some—
thin’——I didn’t catch on just what—but
I s’pOSe he changed his mind and let
you go to-day.” '
“To-morrow, did you sa '2‘” asked
Martha, very faintly.
“Yes, I’m sure he said it. was a Thurs-
day hc spoke of, for he told Tom O’Brien
he would let him have a. day off, as to
Every word the farmer spoke seemed
like an arrow piercing her heart. W'hat
was to—ifiiorrow but her birthday! and
while she had been thinking of Caleb
as being thoughtless of her, he had been
planning a. surprise for her. As she
reviewed her “day of liberty,” how she
hated herself for the utter foolishness
and selfishness that she had shmvnf
How worried and miserable she had
made her husband! Would they never
reach home that she might tell him she
wanted no greater pleasure than to
work and care for him?
After vainly trying to interest Martha
in conversation, Joseph Bigelow gave
up the attempt, thinking she must; be
asleep. The last two miles seemed
in the village she begged Mr. Bigelow to ,
leading to her house, as she was not
afraid and it would take longer to go
by the road. She thanked him again
for his kindness, jumped from the
wagon, leaving him to muse on “the
peculiarities of most women.” . . .
Martha. found the entry door open,
and her hus‘ and bringing robes and r
shawls to pi: e in the buggy, as the night
was chilly after the sun had gone
down. “01), Caleb!” she cried, and,
sobbing as though her heart would
break, she threw herself into his arms
and told him her story. -
“How could you be so thoughtless,
dear,” was what he said. “You made
me very anxious, as you must know
it was unsafe and venturesome for you
to undertake the lonely walk home
Arranged by PAUL CAMP.
Tempo dz' Gawtz‘e.
after nightfall. Thanks to Farmer
Bigclow, you have reached home safely.
I should have. started at once to meet
you after the messagb came, but one
.
of the horses had to be shod and so I
must wait”
Martha. will not soon forgive hers'elfsg
i or causing her good husband-scrunch
trouble, but she wisely thinks that
only by her deeds can she convince him
that she has no more any longing for
a “day of libertyP—Good,Housekeep—
ing.
A Canine Peculiarity.
Everyone has noticed the peculiar
habit of all dogs in turning round sev-
eral times before lying down. This
idiosyncrasy is believed to be due to the
habits of the wild animal, which found
it. necessary to turn round in weeds or
grass several times in order to break
them down for a bed—Chicago Inter
Ocean.
aMarylanders are “Craw-thumpers,”
a. slang name for the lobster.
‘.
- "I-'l{‘"l—;
MELANIE GAVOTTEZ. .
* .
>.
Copyright, The New York Musical Echo Co.,.1894.
[1 \
0
$4!- . ea 4
Music by W. E. BOGET.
-—-: a. -. § ...~.
1‘ .__..... .. .-
- A NICE AUDIENCE.
It Was 80 Because It Wis Co'n‘lpelled
to Be. .
Daniel Frisbee, once a. nevvspaper
than, now an actor, tells the San Fran-
cisco Call:
At one place called West Union, in
have yet. met with. We played in a hall.
thirty feet underground that had for-
merly been two saloons, the~ stage be-
ing composed of dining tables. Though
the theater was packed with people,
figures for all the interest they exhib-
ited in the play. There was not one
laugh or sign of applause from the be-
ginning to the end of the performance.
We noticed a man going up and down
the aisles, but did not pay much-atten-
tion to him until he came behind the
scenes after the show and was intro-
; duced as the proprietor of the theater
l —the ex-saloonkeeper.
“Pretty‘nice lot of an audience,” he
remarked to me with the pride of own-
ership.
stered; “very gentle and timid.”
“They’ve got to be. I walk up and
dowu the aisles with a club, and! if I
see anyone making a. noise I throw
him out.” '
And" that accounted for the silence.
The people stood in such awe of the sa—~
loonkeeper that they did not dare to
smile. ‘
If a: luckless Wight smiles it! never‘
smiles again. .
A DOG’S QUEER TRICK.-
Evidence 0% Reasoning Power'Shown' in
His Actlons. '
A dog aadlhorse owned by Col. WaJ’.
Ilulings, of'Oil' City, Pa., says the Der-~
rick of tnat city. afford the neighbors-
considerableamusement. The animals-
are companions-and full of intelligence.
The horse has-learned to pick and unr
tie all sorts of’anots, and unless the.“-
door is fastenedLhy‘a‘; padlock it is imw
possible to keep him in the stable dur—-
ing the present hot‘. weather, with the'
lawns in the neighborhood offering
overpowering temptations in the way
of juicy, clean grass. This trait gives
plays no attention to his barking or
sharp nippings, but keeps trespassing
on the Colonels lawn on'that of neigh-
bors Without discrimination. After
trying by all manner of stratagems to
get the horse back into the stable
where he belongs, the dog Will give up
the job in disgust, rush into- the house,
and by barking or dragging at. the
dress of some of the lady' members of
the family, entice them to- the window
\ or‘yaral. and as plainly asifhe told in
' l words show that the horse is in mis-
chief. This performance has been re-
peated, a dozen times during the sum-
mer and in no case has the dog begged
wtside assistance until he had tried by
every effort of his own to persuade his
companion to return to the stable.
corms as wen“ HER PROPHETS.
Said; to Re Infalnble by a Man Who Uses
' Them. '
“Do you know that. the best weather
predictor in the world,” said a well-
known physician to a. Philadelphia
Record reporter, “is a. well-developed
hard corn on any of the principal toes?
I'have one on the third toe of- my right
foot that informs me of a. coming
change in the weather far more relia-
bly than the signal serviceman with
his wealth of scientific instruments.
Of course, I keep the corn well pared,
but. that doesn’t make a. particle of dif-
ference with the merit of it; as a prog-
nosti’ca—tor. Just about twenty-four
hours. before a change in the-weather
the corn begins its predictions by a
sharp pain that I can only liken to a
red-hot needle being thrust into the
joint of the toe. The pain is intermit-
tent, and for this I am thankful, for if
it should pain Without. pause it would
drive me daft. I can assign no cause
for the phenomenon, nor have I ‘ever
been able to get a. reason from the hun-
dreds of doctors I know, many of'whom
are afliicted the same as myself. A
great many of my patients are possessed
of a similar infallible barometer, and
many of them have come to me- for re-
lief. But the only relief I cansuggest
is to remove to a country where the
weather never changes.” _
'NOT SAVED BY HIS- RANK;
German Emperor Was Razed; by the Stu-
dents at Bonn.
Dr. W. Clark Robinson, of‘ Edinburg,
was a classmate of Emperor William of
Germany at Bonn, says the Boston
Transcript. Telling of his first meet-
ing with the German emperor he said
the other day: “It was in the fall cf
’78 when I first met. the emperor. He
was a student at Bonn. I shall never-
forget the amusing spectacle he pre--
sented. You know it is the‘custom of
the students at Bonn to take adaily
plunge in the waters of the Rhine-
For the new man this isa. trying ordeal.
When they go down to the Rhine to
take their first swim they are repeat--
edly ducked by the older students un?
til they cry for mercy. Everyone was
on the lookout for the prince's initial
appearance, and when he ventured into
the river he was ducked u‘nmercifully.
But William would never give up.
Down again and again went the future
emperor‘s head, but he pluckily refused
to give up. Finally, when he had
reached the verge of total-collapse, he
was pulled out of the water looking
more like a. drowned rat than alive
man. It took us nearly twenty min-
utes to bring around Germany’s future
0
ruler.
Artificial Snow.
The Populai' Science Monthly tells a.
curious instance of the formation of ar-
tificial snow. It was witnessed in the ,.
town _of Agen, in France, one night
last winter. A fire broke out in a. saw-
degrees below the freezing point. The
water thrown upon the fire. was in-
stantly vaporized, and, rising into the
cold, dry air, was immediately con-
bright starlight and a strong north«
west wind blowing, the whirling snow
above and the raging fire below, a;
brilliant spectacle" was presented. ,
the dog much trouble, for the horse‘
mill when the temperature was ten
densed and fell as 's_novv.. What with .,
Iowa, we had the oddest experience I ‘
we might have been playing to wax .
I
“Yes, quite a. lady-like. one.” I an- .
Norwalk Chronicler