‘ .jshed wood case.
"WEDDING GIFTS.
I was 111.1111 insurance office—fire i111
:surance, not life 11i<urance—-and when
I had non'imuuicated to Aggie the
.news of my recent promotion she had
promptly declared in the face of‘her
.family’s unaccountable preference for
'Henry Walker who was not as good
«a fellow as l by any manner of mcansi
that to be Mrs. Joseph Lounsbury and
live. in a small house on a very small
income and bliss was precisely her
‘xdcal of existence. So we were not
married as a speculation; neverthe1
loss, since marriage comes so seldom
in one's life, we had hopes that our
‘Jnoneyed relatives would do the hand-
some thing.
They did. First came a complete set
«of knives, forks and spoons in a pol-
‘They were from the
scousin Aggie had been named for.
"Such a sensible present!” said her
.motlie1; "they will last a lifetime.”
"Yes,” said I, “it will take us a good
while to wear all those out two at a
n-zime.”
"Don't you suppose we’re ever going
‘to entertain any company, Joe?”
asked the girl of my affection, tapping
me on the cheek with one .of the
riorks. .
This was the beginning of an ava-
Jlanche of spoons—charter oak spoons—
.aintmcg spoons, ‘soldiers’ monument
:spoons, bust spoons, portrait spoons (l
«jailed these last our picture gallery,
:and suggested that they should be
.mmed in ribbons and hung up in the
parlor.) One of our friends sent a pair
so? r'salted-almond spoons, hoping that
“one ‘would exchange them if they were
duplicated but it turned out that those
1‘ ere the only ones we had. The sugar
spoons were all marked 1.. There were
.five of them
.As the days went by and pieces of
silver piled up on us I was more than
«once reminded of the couple whose
-ocourtship was conducted in Brown
Zingese, and who were fitted out by
“their admiring friends with a Brown
5 g tea set, with quotations around the
edge “Oh, the little more, and how
much it is! ’ The Fords’ had a run on
china, but a good deal of it got broken
”the first year. The Smiths’ specialty
was etchings; they had enough for
Y-every room in the house—only, they
never had a house; they have boarded
«ever since they were married. Finally
the climax came when my old Uncle
52501111 sent us a solid silver tea set. I
hadn‘t expected anything from himl
unless perhaps a Bible 01' a “'ebster's
unabridged, for he didn‘t enjoy giv-
:-‘2‘ng anything away. Aggie was getting
i—i‘oo Itired to be very enthusiastic, but
.-her mother was delighted, and it was
.no use thinking that I would just as
.soon have had the money.
"'This makes one hundred and three,
{inure—nine more than Susie Fish had,”
said her sister.
"One hundred and two,” said Aggie.
"‘l\'o, dear. one hundred and three—
:one hundred and two came this morn-
.511g.‘
”‘Oh, I know I never shall get this
"list right!" exclaimed Aggie, diving
for her blank book.
“Look out, 01' you‘ll be handing that
"book to the parsbn for a prayer-book,"
said I.
"Wouldn‘t be a bit surprisec,” she
tnnsweted, smiling; Aggie could smile
‘When she was tired.
‘Well, we were married. A man
direatlies easier when it’s over with.
“But, Aggie,” I said, as the carriage
mdoor Slammed on us, “if it ever hap-
‘ggiens to us again, let’s leave out the
ilheathen superstitions.”
"I know it.” said Aggie. “I begged
'them not, but they would smuggle
2-1some in. See any in my hair?”
"Some in your hat brim."
I brushed her off, and she seized the
‘.newspaper I had carefully brought
rnlong tolook like an old married man,
.and conjured with it a minute, hold
Zing it out by an improvised handle.
"Here,” she said, "the very children
‘211 kindergarten know how to make
jpaper dustpans—now brush the car-
'1'iage seat.”
“'hen we got out I gave the hack
“man a dustpanful of rice with a bill
{on top.
T"We began housekeeping in a cheer-
!ful way in a little house on a new
street. It was something like to come
home to one‘s own dinner table.
had so much silver that it looked fun-
:ny with our plain china—nobody had
given us a lot of ice-cream sets and
things. I tell you marriage is a. lot-
.tery when it comes to wedding pres
ornts. I liked seeing Aggie’s face in
"also sugar bowl, though. Every night
rim .little maid (imported, to live up tc
raise spoons) brought them and all the
:-:rest tip-stairs on a tray and we packed
1them away in the chest we had made.
.and a pretty penny it cost, with Its
«unhination lock, which went into the
1111111] of the closet where nobody could
get at it. One night we game home at
twelve fl'Qlll a reception, "and as we
'.slulc upstairs not to wake the sleep-
‘ing handmaiden, Aggie so sleepy her-
:selt‘ that she tripped 011 her wedding
' gown and I had to lipid her we came
1pon the whole airay on the floor out
:2de 0111 d001.
“Isn’t it imposing? so safe!” said I
“I shan’t care anything about going
wont evenings any more if I’ve got‘ to
’put that silver away after I get home,’
said Aggie, desperately.
' “Let it stay there ”
“Oh, I can t. Mamma thinks we’ie
:so careless. Vie don‘t appicciate
railings enough. She says, if any one
1111111. given her such elegant things
"5753551911 she was married she wouldn‘t
_ Ihave dared to close her eyes!"
“Take more than that to keep my
«eyes open.”
But'l helped Aggie shove tLe traj-
s-J'nder achair. and drape the train 0]
WEALLEY (TWO of story .\'o Dupe. ..
finer wedding dress over it.
f‘Wha't on earth are you doiu'i'. dig
. 3:53:13?” l aSke'd, on comingin for dinnei
W's
} .
one day.
and a skirt‘ruflie in the closet.
All I could see was one foot ‘
“ii-3‘19 selflmbled Up 911011.211 to catch . .
11c iound my knee.
"Oh. Joe, I in so glad you’ve come!”
“‘1‘. hat is it? You’ re ready to cr.”y
“That‘s what I like about you;
don. t have to be explained to. Henry
mil e1 wouldn’t have known I felt
like crying if I’d screamed at him!”
That made me feel pretty good.
(though dinner wasn’t ready.)
"But what—” ,
“It’s the silver! I came' up to change
the forks and spoons so they should
get worn alike, and I’ve shut the paper
with the combination in the Chest, and
I can't remember what it was!”
I got down beside her. It was hot-
ter than Mexico in that closet. I
turned and tried the lock.
“Do keep the dresses out of the way,
they tickle the back of my neck.” No
good. “\Vcll, I guess we’ll Use the old
forks to-day,” said I. “I don’t believe
they‘ll fade away yet awhile.”
"Oh, I’m so sorry—but—they’re every
one Shut up in that chest.”
So we laughed. \Vhat else was there
to do? It was funny when Deming
came home with me to tea—we’d asked
him some days before. It wouldn’t
have been funny with somegirls. The
table looked principally white china,
and the kitchen knives and forks
didn’t go round. Ever cut omlet with
:1, pewter spoon? It is great.
“Don’t tell mammal” pleaded my
wife. _I began to think I Should have
to call in a locksmith, when one even-
ing Aggie startled me by jumping out
of bed crying, “I’ve got it! I’ve got
it!" .
I “Got what—a nightmare?” .
“I‘ve got the combination! I've been
working on it all the time, and it just
came to me in my sleep. Get right. up,
Joe, and hold the light, and mind you
don‘t set anything on fire.” I11 another
two minutes the front of the chest
fell down, and behold our household
gods! “If anybody wants to steal
them between now and daylight, they
can, that’s all,” said Aggie;. "but I’m
not going to shut that lock “gain to-
night for anybody. l”
in the fall there was a burgh 11' scale
about tovn, :1- 11d Agsne mother came
ov er and 3.11. e her a lecture upon lock-
ing the windows. She said we really
ought to have a burglar alarm. To
please her, I had one put in.‘ Election
night I went down town, telling Aggie
not to sit up for me, for I should wait
for the returns. It was one o'clock
when I opened the front door very
softly, not to disturb Agnes.
Br-r-r—br-r-ke-plu11kl I had forgotten
the alarm.
Before I had time to say a word or
even turn down my coat collar, my
wife appeared at the head of the
stairs. She pointed a pistol at me. Her
hair hung loose. and she was in her-
well. never mind; but she looked dis-
tractingly pretty.
"If you come
tire!" she. cried.
"It‘s Joe, Agnes," said I. meekly.
“I don't believe it! Take off your
hat!"
I took it off, and make hei a bow.
‘ Don’ t shoot your husband, he's
ing the best he can.”
Agnes laughed hysterically.
"Oh, Joe,I was so frightened."
“\Yell, this ends the watchman bur.
glar alarm business,” said I. “We've
had about as much of it as we want.
To-morrow we’ll decide what silver
we want to use every day, and the rest
shall go down to the bank.”
We are able to breathe now. The
silver stands on the sideboard and as
yet nobody has carried it off; if they
do, Agnes’ mother will say she ex-
pected it, for we aren’t the careful peo-
ple they used to be in her generation.
Once in a while Aggie quarrels with
me because some dish or other that
would make a show for company is at
the bank, and I don’t see my way
clear to bring it home under my arm.
“You can have them all home and
trust to luck if you’d rather,” I say.
“I'd rather they were at the bank,
because then I should have them, you
know.”
“‘Don t see it,” said I;
as you sav.”
When our anniversary came around
we had a present and a note from one
of Agnes’ elderly friends. The note
ran this way:—
“My dear Mrs. Lounsburyz—We send
you our best congratulations on your
anniversary; My husband will have
his little joke, you know; and, as some
one told him that the Lounsburys had
so much silver given them on their
wedding that it was a positive embar-
rassment to them, he says you ought
to be ashamed of being such plutocrats
at your age. while the older generation
has not even accumulated souvenir
spoons. and sends you this little gift
to remind you of the fact.”
“011,. Joe! it‘s silver!”
punched a hole in the paper.
isn't, no it isn't, it’s plated.
keep it.~ It‘s a pudding-dish, or for
oysters. you know. How kind. And
plated. too. It. didn't cost much, Joe,
did it?” '
“A few dollars, I should think.”
"How good! Perhaps even
Joe?" .
"Perhaps so: it's rather light weight."
“Isn't it delightful? \l’e’ll have some
oysters in it to-morrow night, and ask
them over to tea. I Should feel dread-
fully to have that taken,” I heard her
murmur that evening.
"What for?”
“Because it‘s such a comfort to have
one thing that you don't care whether
it’s stolen or not."
“You‘re getting sleepy. Aggie. But
I know one thing that ‘gocs on, goes on
onu step further I
do-
“but it’s just
for I had
“No it
“’e can
ess,
fo1evcr. ’ ”
"\V-htt?”
"Our storage rent. I reckon in a
few years well have paid for the
whole outfit, and then we’ll fetch it
home and keep open house foi bmglare
with a clean conscience.’ -
' ‘Dont be ridiculous, Joe,” said my
“ll-8.
you ’
IS OVER-
is he TIME
Both Panel's Sent to one Address
. 1ror$|.00aYear
1
.i' ,1. .
u
1’ \
manufacture
fire-pot.
fire-pot.
gooeooooeeeeeoeeeooo
O
OOOOOOOO@@
of the radiator to'the fire-pot has been a
of the Bay State Furnace.
manufac -.turc1 place a large radiator on a small
T he customer believes that he is qettm g
a large farm ace for a little money , wlic'rca1 h cvirill
get more heat from a sure. He: radiator on the
The reason is simple: the gas and pro-
ducts of combustion do not fill the fines,
the greater part of the radiation 1:3 useless.
Bay State Furnaces all have a fire-pot. which is
of the pioper size to fully (.evelop c cry possi- 1
bility of the radiator ‘
sult your local dealer.
BARSTGVV STOVE
" i
I
. nominates—Providence. R. 1.
BOSTON 0FFICE~5O Union St.
@Udm1@@@ue0@@
matter
of great study and experiment on the part of the
Many
“53.1110 ‘
so that
The
C011—
'1
{211
1228 Water st.,1 i EW Y
.733 Tl-‘AT STOPS RUNAWAYS
All
{'13}: Connected “With the Police Depart.—
' Blunt of Jersey City.
Bob, named fiom his clipped ta il, 50
his rider, Policeman Albert )Iilbuin.
saYs, stopped a runaway horse and
saved a man’s life in Jersey City.
“Officially I did it, for I am on the
fo: ('1, and Bob isn’t,” said the police-
man, “but. as a matter of fact the
horse did it all and carried me along
with him."
The policeman was standing at IVest
Side avenue and Broadway when he
sat-.7 a horse, frightened by the cars,
start to run away, just beyond the
Pennsylvania Railroad crossing. It
dashed over the tracks and headed to-
ward him. In an instant )lilburn was
in his saddle, but he did not have to
guide his h01se.
“I very rarely use
says.
Bo-b, without guidance, started on a
swift cantor to meet: the runaway, and
Milburn let him go his own way. The
intelligence of one horse was thus pit-
ted against the frenzy of the other.
The runaway was attached to a light
wagon, in which sat a man who, hav-
ing lost one of the reins, was unable
to control him. °
the bridle,” he
“ 11013" STOPPING A RUNAWAY.
Seeing the other horse approach,
the runaway swerved around in an ef-
fort to escape and dashed back to-
ward the railroad crossing. At that
Bob, still without guidance, changed
his canter to a swift gallop and chased
the other horse. He rapidly overhauled
the. runaway, but, the spectators felt
a chill of fear, for a train was ap-
preaching.
The other horse had almost reached
the tracks when Bob came abreast.
The policeman was about to seize the.
bridle when Bob rushed sidewise
against the runaway and pressed him
away staggered and came to almost a
complete half; A man who had been
standing 011 the cu1b giasped the bri-
dle and held it fast, just as the train
whizzed past.
Bob is a Kentucky horse, six years
old, and is a handsome bay. He has
been connected with the force only
four months.
GElVlS l'lAlI-VEMEISE‘ZASE.
Some Precious Stones Lose Color, Some
Gradually FadY- and Die.
Gems have diseases just as men and
women do. Some gems deteriorate,
grow old, in other words, and gradual-
ly become lifeless. Pearls are most
subject to this fate, and no means
have btcn found to 10storc them to
life.
Among infirmities to which precious
stones are liable is one common to all
colored stones, that of fading, 01' losing
color when long exposed to the light.
The emerald, the sapphire, and the
ruby suffer the least, their colors be-
ing as nearly permanent as colors can
be.
In thcncase of the garnet and topaz
the change is more rapid than in that
of the ruby and sapphire, but there is
a curious difference'in the result in
topaz and garnet, for while the latter
grows lighter, the former appears to
become cloudy and dull in hue, losing
much of the brightness characteristic
of a newly cut gem.
B'Iicrotonists say that the prismatic
colors and fire of the opal are due to
myriads of minute cracks in the body
of the stone, the edges of which reflect
the light at different angles and give
the hues so much admired. A stone
full of cracks is liable to split in two at
any time, and disasters of this kind
especially in the process of grinding
and polishing, have occurred so often
that every- gem polishing house has its
store of hard luck st01ies in connec-
tion with the opal.-—\ew York IIeiald.
- toward the side of the street. The run- .
warr SHARE ITS PROFITS;
Illinois Central Road Inaugurates a
(En-operative Scheme.
For the first time in the history of
railroading railroad employes have
been offered an opportunity to try pro-
fit sharing with the road for: which
they work. The Illinois Central, one of
The
the greatest railway corporations in the.
world, has decided to adopt the sys-
tem,
fashion.
In an announcement to its cmploycs
it offers to permit any one in its cm-
ploy to purchase shares of stock of the.
company at a figure. far below the reg-
ular market rate. Quotations will
change with each month, and these
changes will be made knewn to the
heads of the Ccntral’s departments.
T119 price made at the beginning of
each month will stand until the first
of the month succeeding.
A11 cmploye purchasing stock or a
share can pay down if he chooses, 01'
in installments of $5 per month, 01' any
multiple of 85. \thn the share of
stock—for only one share can be taken
at a time—is paid for the. subscribing
employc receives from the company a
certificate of the share, which is regis-
tered in his name on the corporation‘s
books. Just as soon as this is done the
purchaser of another share may begin
in the same way, and so on, without
limit. The certificates of stock thus
purchased are transferable on the com-
pany’s books, and entitle the owner to
such dividends as the Board of Direc-
tors may declare, and also give him the
privilege of a vote in the election of
these same directors who vote the divi- ,1
cloud. '1"
The marked advantage to the em-
ploye who takes this odor is evidenced
by the fact that all during the time he
is paying-by installments for a single
share he will receive interest on the de-
posits he makes at the rate of four per
cent per annum, provided he does not
allow twelve consecutive months to
elapse without making any payment.
Should he do this—that is, allow the
lapse referred to—the payment of inter-
est will cease to accrue, and he will be
given whatever sum he has deposited
whenever he makes application for the
same.~—l\'ew York Herald.
A SHAWL STRAP FoR PET DOGS.
Swell Girls No Longer Carry Their Darl-
ings Like Babfes in Arms.
The swell girl who is thoroughly up
to date no longer carries her pet dog
as if it were a tender infant. It is not
at all uncommon to see a fashionably
dressed woman w alking along cairying
the curly object of her adoration wrap-
ped up in a contrivance that rgsembles
though in a somewhat curious 1
a shawl str.ap It is a sort of harness .
with a strap fastened over the dog’s
hips and another over his breast, after
the fashion of the hame and the
breeching that form so important a.
feature of the harness of a horse.
At first thought it might seem as if
the canine swell would object to being
suspended in midair in this way. Quite
the contrary, however. Experience
shows that it is mach more comfort-
able than being squeezed and smoth-
ered in the arms of his mistress or her
maid, no matter how carefully they try
to move him about.
Moreover, since the harness is no im-
pediment to the dog movinrr about on
his feet. a chain can be attached to the
handle and the little animal led along
as easily as if he had no harness on‘ at
1. all—New York I-Ierld.
The clergyman Popped the Cork,
When the telephone first came up at
the. end of 1877, a number of scientific
gentlemen, along with the mayor and
other authorities of Dover, went to St.
Margaret’s to try whether a conversa-
tion could be really held across'the
sea. So the telephones were fixed,
made .of polished mahogany, and in
Shape like a champagne glass without
a foot. ' By placing one to the earwand
speaking into the cupof t11e_'other a
continuous conversation was kept up
without difficulty. Songs were sung—
“Star of the Evening” and “Auld Lang
Syne”—~across the rough and stormy
Channel. By way of ascertaining the
delicacy of the acoustics some one
tried whistling; that was heard. Then
some one said, “Let us try the popping
of a cork.” Agreed; but no bottles
were at hand. Then a clergyman pres:
ent rose to the occasion; he pat his
finger in his cheek and admirably imi-
tated the sound.- “You have just drawn
a cork,” came the voice from the oth-'
er side, with just a shade of melan-
choly envy in the tone; and a hearty
laugh was 1aised by the mistake”
Norwalk Chronicler