WEATHER TALK 
It ain’t no use to grumble and compUin; 
It’s jest as cheap and easy to rejoice; 
When Goi sorts out the weather and sends rain, 
W’y rain’s my choice. 
Men gener’ly, to all intents— 
Although they're ap’ to-grumble some— 
Puts most their trust in Providence, 
And takes things as they come:— 
That :s the commonality 
Of men that’s lived as long as me, 
Has watched the world enough to learn 
They’re not the boss of this concern. 
With some of course it's different— 
I’ve seed young men who knowed it all, 
And didn’t like the way things w ent 
On this terrestrial ba 11J 
But all the same, the rain some way 
Rained just as hard on picnic day; 
Or when they really wanted it, 
It maybe would not rain a bit! 
In this existence, dry and wet 
Will overtake the test of men— 
Some little skift o’elouds'll shet 
The sun off now and then; 
But maybe, as you’re wonderin’ who 
You’ve fool-like lent’your umbrell’ to, 
And want it—out'll pop the sun, 
And you'll be glad you ain't got none. 
It aggervates the farmers, too — 
They’s too much wet, or too much sun, 
Or work, or waitin’ round to do 
Before the plowin's done; 
And maybe, like as not, the wheat, 
Just as it’s lookin’ hard to beat, 
Wi.l ketch the storm—and jestabout’s 
Tht corn’s a-jittin’ out. 
These here cy-clones a-foolin’ round — 
And back’ard crops — and wind and rain — 
And yet the corn that's wallered down 
Maj elbow up again! 
They ain't no sense, as I can see, 
For mortals sich as you and me, 
A-faultin’ Nature's wise intents 
And lockin’ hoi ns with Providence! 
It ain’t no use to grumble and complain; 
It’s jest as cheap and easy to rejoice; 
When God sorts out the weather and sends rain, 
W’y, rain’s mj T choice. 
— Selected. 
HARVEYS BRAVE DEED. 
He was a little bit of a chap, only twelve 
years old. and so pinched, and stunted, and 
weakened, that you would have thought he 
could not have been more than eight. His 
eyes were large and brown, and wistful, 
like tiiose of an intelligent dog, and it w*as 
the pathetic language of these same brown 
eyes that aroused the compassion of an 
elderly, well-to-do farmer, one morning. 
Mr. Adams (the farmer) stood on a corner 
waiting for a car, and above all the din and 
bustle of the crowd that hurried past, he 
heard a shrill, boyish voice calling,— 
“ ‘Star!’ ‘Herald!’ *Sun!’ Dreadful mur¬ 
der in the sixth ward! Full account of the 
tragedy!” 
“Hello, Starvey! Sold any yet?” broke in 
a second voice. 
Mr. Adams turned sharply around, and 
decided that the first voice belonged to as 
miserable a specimen of rags and bones as 
it had ever been his fortune to see, and he 
waited rather anxiously for the answer, 
which soon followed in a patient,, uncom¬ 
plaining tone. 
“Not yet, but the old woman down yon¬ 
der gave me an apple from her stall, so I’m 
not so very hungry now.” 
“Poor little chap!” said the Second voice, 
with real sympathy; “times are hard on ye, 
that’s a fact. Try that old fellow on the 
corner; country, I guess! Mebbe he’ll take 
one.” Acting upon this advice, Number 
One approached and spoke up hopefully,— 
“ ‘Star!’ ’Herald!’ ‘Sun!’ Take one, sir?” 
“Yes, let’s have a ‘Herald,’ ” said the old 
gentleman, diving into his pocket for 
change. “What is your name, my boy?” 
“Harvey, sir, but the boys and the folks 
in our alley most gene rally "cal Is me Starv¬ 
ey.” 
“Starvey! yes, yes,” said the old gentle¬ 
man, with another rapid survey of the rags 
and bones. “Why doesn’t your mother 
mend your clothes, and how does it happen 
that you are so thin? Have you been ill':” 
“Sick, sir? Oh, no, I rather guess it's 
because L don't git 'enough tp eat, and 
mother, she’s dead!” This last in a hopeless 
tone, with a brush of his ragged sleeve 
across the brown eyes. “She died last win¬ 
ter* and there's no one to look after me now. 
Thanky, sir,” as he received the chango, 
which the old gentleman had all this time 
been holding in his hand. 
“Here, don’t go!” said the worthy in¬ 
dividual, as the bundle of rags turned to 
leave. “How would you like to go.Jiome 
with me? I live where there is always 
enough to eat, and you could take care of 
