OST.  ■34 
THE  BUBAL  ?JEW"YOBKER. 
25S 
I’iiMcs’  |)ovtfolio. 
WHAT  MY  LOVER  SAID. 
By  the  inorest  chance  in  the  twilitrlit  b'loom, 
In  the  orchard  jiath  he  met  me¬ 
in  ttie  tall,  wet  irrass,  with  its  faint  perfume— 
Awl  I  tried  to  tint  ho  made  no  room ; 
Oh,  I  tried,  but  ho  would  not  let  me ; 
So  I  8t'X)d  anil  blushed  til)  the  Krass  grew  rod. 
With  my  face  bent  down  above  it, 
tllow  the  clover  lifted  each  jiiuk,  sweet  head. 
To  listen  to  all  that  tuy  lover  said ; 
Oh',  the  clover  in  bloom— I  love  it !) 
In  the  high,  wet  grass,  went  the  path  to  hide 
And  the  low,  wet  leaves  hung  over ; 
But  I  could  nut  pass  ui«Jn  either  side. 
For  I  found  myself,  wlicn  I  vainly  tried, 
In  the  arma  of  my  steadfast  lover. 
And  he  held  me  there,  and  lie  raised  my  head, 
While  he  closed  the  path  before  me  -, 
And  he  looked  down  into  my  eyes  and  said- 
(How  tlio  leaves  bent  do.vu  from  tlio  boughs  o’erhead, 
To  listen  to  all  that  niy  lovi  r  said ; 
Oh  !  the  leaves  hans'lng  lowly  o’er  mo ! ) 
Had  he  moved  aside  a  littli'  way, 
I  could  surely  lliou  h.avc  jiassed  him : 
And  w'uild  not  have  heard  what  he  bad  b)  say. 
Could  I  only  aside  have  east  him. 
It  was  almost  ilurlt,  and  the  moments  sped. 
And  the  searching  night-wind  found  us ; 
But  he  drew  luts  nearer  and  Boftly  said— 
( How  tlio  pun*,  sweet  wind  grew  still,  instead, 
To  listen  U)  all  that  my  lotci-  said ; 
Ob,  the  whispering  wind  around  ns  ! 
I  am  sure  he  knew  when  he  held  me  fast. 
That  I  must  be  all  unwilling; 
For  I  tried  to  go,  and  would  have  passed, 
As  the  night  was  coming  with  its  dew  at  lust. 
And  the  sky  wiUi  stars  was  filling; 
But  he  clasped  iw;  close  when  I  would  have  fled, 
And  he  made  me  hi-ar  his  story. 
And  his  soul  came  out  from  his  lii>s  and  said— 
(How  the  stars  iinuit  out  where  the  white  moon  led. 
To  listen  to  all  that  my  lover  said ; 
Oh,  the  moon  and  stars  in  glory!) 
I  know  that  the  grass  and  the  leaves  will  not  tell, 
And  I'm  sure  that  Iho  wind— precious  rover— 
AVill  carry  his  secret  so  safely  and  well 
That  no  iK-.iug  Hhiill  ever  discover 
One  woril  of  the  many  that  rapidly  ft-H 
From  the  eager  Up*  of  my  lover, 
8ball  never  reveal  what  a  ralry-like  sjirll, 
They  wove  round  about  ns  that  night  in  the  dell, 
In  the.  path  through  tho  dew-'aden  clover ; 
Nor  echo  the  whisjiers  that  made  my  heart  swell 
As  they  fell  from  tho  bps  of  my  lover. 
LADIE3’  SPEOrAL  OFFEK. 
O.s'  page  of  thli?  Ksuo  will  be  found  an  an¬ 
nouncement  that  la  of  particular  IntercHt  to  the 
lAdlca.  Tills  olTur  of  I'lants  and  Seeds  should 
nj)pe.il  to  all  lovers  of  llowers  very  strongly,  and 
the  slight  personal  effort  It  will  recpilrc  to  secure 
t'.vo  rare  plants  ond  a  package  of  Die  seed  of  the 
Moluotai  Balm  will  ho  inoi’o  than  coinpensaf-ed  hy 
tho  enjoyment  of  these  charming,  many-huod 
shrub.s,  pl.iuts  tind  vines.  The  scleellons  now 
offered  have  been  grown  In  the  Hpk.u/s  Kxperl- 
mcntal  Grounds  for  this  special  purpo.se,  and  we 
may  contldently  assure  the  Lady  Ueatlcrs  of  the 
llUK.vr.  that  It  will  well  repay  them  to  carefully 
read  the  announeemont,  and  determine  to  em¬ 
brace  the  offer.  Ed. 
—  -■  ■■  -♦♦♦ - 
ON  KEEPING  A  COMMONPLACE  BOOK. 
rr  would  bo  Idle  at  the  present  dai'  to  say  any¬ 
thing  lu  favor  of  books.  .Kver  sluce  books  were, 
the  greatest  authors  of  all  ages  have  given  elo¬ 
quent  tosilmony  to  iliclr  inestimable  v;due ;  they 
have  been  praised  lu  prose  uDdeelobraD.'d  In  song, 
have  been  eolleeled  and  arrayed  lu  splendid  bind¬ 
ings,  and  sometlrne.s  eofllned  up  by  blbltomanlae.H 
as  too  precious  to  bo  put  Into  the  hands  of  mere 
readers;  aud  they  have,  alas  I  been  ruthles.sly 
burnt  and  otherwise  deHtmyed  hy  barbarous  con- 
(lueiws.  “  Won.lrous  Indeed  Is  the  virtue  of  a 
true  book,”  says  Curlyle;  and  ho  only  eehocs 
what  m  luy  a  thankful  roivler  and  sehol.ir  has 
said  before  him.  Frlend.s  imiy  change,  and  Die 
dreams  of  youth  fade  away,  but  a  man  who  seeks 
consolat  ion  In  books  will  secure  companions  whose 
frlend.shlp  wlU  never  fall  him,  and  In  whom  he  him¬ 
self  will  rtud  more  uii  i  more  to  admire  every  day. 
Well  might  Southey  write  in  the  tamlliar  Hues— 
'■  -My  ihiya  au.ou<  the  dead  are  pasdcd; 
,\.rmmil  mo  1  U  hold, 
■Whr  rc'cr  Ihi-st:  casual  ej  t<s  are  caal, 
'Tho  mighty  min  U  of  old  •. 
My  never-fi.iliii'r  fthiuda  arc  they 
With  Mhom  I  converse  night  and  day." 
It  Is  not,  lit  w  wer,  with  books  In  general  that 
we  have  to  deal  now,  but  rather  with  one  partlo- 
ular  kind  or  boos,  which  should  contain  within 
Itself  the  e.sseuee  of  a  good  matiy  othei'S— that  Is 
to  siy,  a  Commonplace  Jloo!:.  Tho  dictionary 
detlnltlou  of  It  Is  a  good  one “  -V  book  In  which 
things  lo  be  rr:n'mbcred  .ire  recorded  and  ar¬ 
ranged  u  ml  r. general  h'Mds.  "  Hjwinauyof  the 
readers  of  this  arllcie  keep  .such  a  book  ?  Tboso 
who  do  will  know  Its  value  wlihout  any  c.vpluuu- 
tlou,  and  rhane  who  do  not  may,  It  Is  hoped,  bo 
tempted  tocomiucucesucli  ii  volume  at  once,  bet 
us  see,  then,  what.a  Commonplace  Hook  Is.  Every 
one  who  reads  must  from  rlmuto  time  be  struck 
with  certain  special  pmssuges— a  iMi  ileaiar  piece 
of  prose,  or  more  th  i  a  ordinarily  heauti!  ul  thought 
In  Verse,  a  reference  or  quotation,  It  iu;iy  be— at  all 
events,  It  Ls  a  somethin.'  whleli  c  tuse-s  tho  reader 
lo  pau.se  for  a  moiucut  .Mi  l  v.igmdy  wish  that  the 
particular  pas-sige  or  ihorn'lit  should  not  be  for- 
gotteu.  But  memory  Is  treaclicroms,  aud  as  other 
Ideas  follow  which  wc  might  like  to  tre'.isure,  the 
author’s  words  and  thoughts  very  soon  sllj)  away 
from  U3.  Or  take  another  c.ase.  We  arc  reading  < 
a  newspaper,  and  come  upon  an  article  on  some  i 
special  subject  of  which  we  have  long  wished  for  i 
fresh  Information.  In  one  part  there  Is  a  passage 
which  coat, aims  an  account  of  an  Invention  which  , 
Strikes  U.S  as  well  worth  rememherance.  Wc  read 
It,  and  trust  to  the  Chapter  of  accidents  lo  remem¬ 
ber  It;  or  wo  put  aside  tho  ncwsitajier  for  preser¬ 
vation,  In  which  case  It  Is  usually  lost;  or  wo  cut 
out  tho  passage  and  pocket,  it  when  a  similar  fate 
overtakes  the  oxlracL  Or  again,  to  come  down  to 
more  homely  matters,  you  notice  In  some  paper  or 
periodical  a  good  recipe,  some  hint  on  household 
economy  or  decorative  art.  You  may  remember 
It  or  you  may  not ;  at  any  rale,  some  method  or  in¬ 
suring  yourself  against  forgetfulness  Is  desirable. 
Now  in  all  these  cases,  an.l  In  many  more  which 
might  bo  mentioned,  what  Is  wanted  Is  a  Com¬ 
monplace  Hook— that  la  to  say,  a  g(>od-.slzcd  vol¬ 
ume  wherelu  any  e.xtract  which  spcelallj'  takes 
your  faiicrcan  bo  either  copied  or  pa.stod,  acoonl- 
Ing  to  clrcnmstancas.  (’nptaJn  Cuttle's  fiuuous 
advice,  "  When  lound,  make  a  note  of,”  whlidi 
forms  the  motto  of  a  periodical  (.'ommonplaco 
Book,  Is  admirable  advice,  and  It  Is  astonishing 
what  n  valuable  collection  or  extracts,  hints.  In¬ 
ventions,  epigrams  aud  quotations  of  all  kinds  a 
pci-son  may  gather  I  u  a  very  fow  yeani.  Of  course 
a  certain  discretion  mu-st  be  O-Verolsed.  Many 
people,  on  Urst  starting  a  Commonplace  Book, 
commence  to  overstock  It  with  all  sorts  of  odds 
and  ends  of  no  particular  Importance.  Tho  vol¬ 
ume  thus  becomes  iv  lumber-room  In.stead  of  a 
storehouse  of  valiuildes,  and  t.s  of  very  lllUe  use, 
Eaohpci>xm,  loo,  will  act  upon  different  principles 
of  select  Ion,  e.vr.racllng  tor  various  purposes,  and 
with  different  alms ;  so  that  a  Commonplace  Book 
would  rcllect  with  fair  accuracy  tho  bent  of  a 
man's  or  u  woman’s  mind,  and  the  dlrocUou  of  Its 
owner’s  tastes. 
In  keeping  such  a  hook,  two  things  aro  essential 
If  It  is  to  bo  a  success.'  in  tho  first  place,  copy 
out  your  e.\ tract  or  paste  It  directly  you  have.'  de¬ 
cided  It  Is  worth  pre.4ervlng.  If  you  put  It  off,  the 
chances  are  that  you  will  bo  unable  lo  iind  the 
pa.4Hagu  when  you  want  It  again,  or  It  will  bo  alto¬ 
gether  forgotten,  in  l,hu  second  place,  your  Com¬ 
monplace  Hook  should  have  a  carefully  compiled 
lude.v,  aud  each  extrimt  should  be  Indexed  under 
twodlffcrout  headings  It  po,sslble,  for  convenience 
of  reference.  This,  too,  should  be  done  when  the 
extract  Is  pul  in.  An  Inde.x  compiled  in  this  way 
by  degrees  Is  easily  made,  and  w  HI  probably  be  an 
accuraU)  one  ;  whereas  If  left  to  bo  duno  ntler  the 
completion  of  the  book,  It  1-s  troublesome  to  make, 
and  very  likely  lo  cont.'dn  mistakes.  There  is  no 
occusl'iii  to  make  it  strictly  alpUahollcal  at  Hrst; 
a  tiiere<dasslllc.atloii  under  each  letter  will  bo  suf- 
tlclent  for  some  ihiKf,  and  a  rearrangement  can 
easily  be  made  afterwards.  It  Is  a  good  plan  to 
keep  the  Index  lu  a  separate  volume,  for  Us  length 
can  never  bo  accurately  gauged,  aud  It  Is  also 
easier  to  rearrange.  A  reference  under  two  heads 
—the  author  aiid  the  subject  for  insUtnce,  In  the 
case  of  a  quotation -l.s  useful,  because  In  one  case 
you  may  remember  that  the  author  wrote  on  that 
subject,  and  In  another  you  may  recall  the  Idea 
but  forget  tho  author,  in  any  case  «u  index  Is 
indispensable ;  in  fact,  without  one  you  will  prob¬ 
ably  spend  rnoro  time  lu  suarcliing  for  your  ex¬ 
tract  than  It  la  worth  when  found. 
It  Isalrno.st  unnecessary  to  dilate  on  the  value 
of  a  Commonplace  Book  kept  with  dtscrcUon. 
There  Is  hardly  any  pur.ault  In  which  a  man  or 
woman  can  be  engagod  that  will  not  at  times  re¬ 
ceive  aid  from  such  a  volume.  There  arc,  no 
doubt,  certain  occupatlon.s-notahiy  those  con¬ 
nected  with  llt4.iratuie  and  art— wlilch  would  ben¬ 
efit  most  by  a  Commonplace  Book.  Bat  apart 
from  Its  >190,  such  a  volume  la  a  source  of  mucli 
pleasure  txj  the  po».ses80i'  as  well  as  to  othei'S,  and 
Hie  extracts  made  in  youth  will  be  read  with  a 
curtous  Interest  la  after-life. 
currlng  surprise  to  me  ho.v  manufacturers  can 
make  up  and  sell  ladles'  and  children's  suits  as 
cheaply  as  they  are  now  offered. 
Handsomely  trimmed  suits  In  cashmere,  basket 
clotlhs,  carnets'  hair,  alpaca,  and  all  kinds  and 
degrees  of  mourning  attire,  are  temptingly  dis¬ 
played.  Tills  house  lurnlslics  explicit  directions 
for  selt-raoasurcmenl  that  cnabltsf  the  most  ol)- 
tusc  lu  drcss  niaklng  mysteries  to  order  suits  and 
feel  asHtired  of  receiving  garment  that  will  bo 
.satisfactory  In  every  respect.  For  thcconvenle.nce 
of  oul-ot-loi\  II  cu.st.omcrs,  they  have  prepared  a 
catalogue  that  loaves  nothing  to  be  desired,  aud  I 
cannot  do  botlcr  than  recommend  my  fair  read¬ 
ers  to  send  for  It,  containing,  as  It.  does,  many 
hints  that  are  not  without  their  value.  I  rarely 
have  Bccu  a  more  complete  slock  of  linens,  whliu 
goods,  upholsteries,  furbllure,  hosiery,  gloves, 
«c.,  than  Is  exlilbltcd  by  this  11  rm,  and  at  most 
Insinuating  prices.  I  had  lime  to  merely  glance 
at  the  Carpet  deparlm''nt,  noticing  however,  that 
good  ingrains  were  selling  ail  low  as  f  i  per  yard, 
some  quaUtle.s  being  ticketed  lit  a.*ic. 
I  wish  to  say,  furthcrinnre,  that  .'dessrs.  Loud  & 
Tavlob  p'ack  aud  ship  country  orders  froo.—that 
IS,  the  goods  are  doUvcri'd  to  the  purchaser  with 
all  charge.s  paid,— iiud  really,  1  don't  seo  but  that 
our  country  cousins,  av.alUng  themselves  of  this 
arrangement,  are  not  even  bt'lfer  off  than  Metro¬ 
politans,  as  they  can  shop  as  cheaply  as  ourselves, 
without  any  attendant  worry.  Fkolic. 
^Killing  for  flic  Jloiiiig. 
“MI-CAT  INTER  0MNE3.” 
Meis  joli  cat  ist  sclir  iictit, 
Ich  liebo  ihni  ntul  ox  liebt  me, 
End  oft  er  Hiut  ui»m  uiy  knen 
Fud  I'urrctl)  mlt  the  gruatoMt  xlee. 
Enjoying  otiuin  in  da«  haim 
Vutti)  tivi<7.  oubitn  rut  kui  uiuUH : 
Grown  owif,  ioiTH,  lucking  nous, 
Jlepurt,  ckiihciige,  goh  heraiw. 
Veuftz  a  moi  mein  llcbn  cat, 
Dnicc  dcciiM  and  all  of  that. 
Inflect  amo,  ama«,  nmat, 
tilcb  nilr  dan  Latin  wort  fur  rat 
Iiud  be  eiii  trea'-iagc,  sopboH,  cat. 
His  answer  ist  cin  pleasant  ))urr 
(iuae  Hcenis  zu  sageu,  “  Uui,  Monsieur," 
Mais  das  ist  owuis,  Iiis  auswer 
Is  nicht  in  Latin  but  in  purr. 
[The  Dartmouth. 
- ♦♦♦- - 
THE  CRAB  AND  THE  TORTOISE. 
FASHION  NOTES. 
New  York,  Oct.  7, 1870. 
At. this  season  of  the  year  "  Fall  Openings"  arc 
an  epidemic  most  delightful  to  us  women,  who 
rarely  feel  any  ift  cffectH  of  the  disease— most 
jialntul  to  our  hushands,  who  suffer  lo  an  alarm¬ 
ing  degree.  It  is  clearly  the  fault  of  the  shop- 
keepers,  however,  It  being  manlfosUy  wrong  (!) 
to  arrange  dry  goods  In  such  tempting  array  that 
the  money  Is  IrrestsUhly  eoaxed  out  of  onCs  purse. 
I  mean  lo  have  an  Ulixstralcd  fashion  article  us 
sooua.sI  can  prevail  upon  the  I’liblLsher  of  the 
HcuAi.  to  get  up  the  •*  cuts but  the  poor  man  is 
dragooned  sO  uriiuei'clfully  Just  now,  that  I  am 
ashamed  to  press  tho  matter.  However,  It  will 
not  be  long,  l  am  assured,  before  I  shall  have  the 
affair  In  my  own  hands,  If  I  can  only  pei’suade 
the  management  th;it  EasUlous  are  an  Important 
feature  of  tho  Ladles’  I’orlfoUo  column.  There¬ 
fore,  It  rests  with  you,  ladles,  to  make  known  your 
views.  It  Die  repreacntatloii  Is  strong  enough, 
wo  can,  I  think,  have  a  FasIiIoii  article  at  least 
every  Other  week. 
This  week  my  notes  w  ill  ho  confined  to  a  brief 
taentlonot  Loan  &  Tavlou's  opening.  I  will  omit 
a  description  of  (,ho  unusuaby  Hoe  display  of  Im¬ 
ported  model  suits  until  a  more  convenient  sea¬ 
son.  Their  fall  Importations  arc  now  complete, 
^■old^>l1slng  black  ami  colored  laiioy  silks  that  are 
excellent  lu  texture  aud  extremely  reasonable  In 
price.  The  house  made  their  purchases  Ijcfore  the 
recent  rise  in  silk  and  can,  therefore,  offi  r  un- 
doublod  bargains.  The  Dress  Goods  rtepariinent 
lias  many  novelties  In  bhU’k  and  eolored  cash¬ 
meres,  merinos,  all- wool  and  mixed  plald.s,  Includ¬ 
ing  the  new  Uamassce  styles,  at  prices  ranging 
from  Hic.  per  yard  upw.'trds.  The  shawls  dis¬ 
played  arc  very  handsome,  the  patterns  of  the 
chciper  hroche  and  British  and  American  woolen 
shawls  being  noticeably  neat.  It  Is  an  ever-re- 
A  CHAU  Of  a  roving  disposition  had  wandered  to 
tho  upper  margin  of  tho  beach,  U>  see  wlmt  ho  ' 
could  seo.  Very  much  to  Ids  surprise,  he  descried 
a  creature  jogging  languidly  seaward  ns  If  to  meet  ' 
iiiin  and  concluding,  from  the  general  resemblance 
of  the  stranger  to  himself,  that  they  were  some¬ 
how  related,  he  ventured  to  accost  him  by  the 
name  of  “  cousin.” 
C.— “  You  must  have  traveled  a  groat  distance,  . 
my  good  cousin,"  said  ho. 
only  half  an  hour's  journey,  Mr.  Crab— no 
great  distance,”  was  the  reply  of  tho  torUilse,  de¬ 
livered  In  a  low  and  quiet  voice. 
C.—“  You  have  the  advantage  of  me ;  pray,  may 
I  ask yonr  name?" 
T.— "  Mon  cfdl  mo  ‘Tortoise,’  hut  for  what  rea¬ 
son  I  do  not  know.’’ 
Y'ou  arc  right  welcome,  Mr.  Tortoise,  Wo 
are  so  seldom  favored  from  tho  land.  May  I  ven¬ 
ture  to  Inquire  wh.at  brings  you  hero  ?’’ 
T.— “Throe  things— a  slight  Indisposition,  a 
draughl  of  sea  water,  and-  ray  own  feet.” 
O.— “  Feet  ?  f  do  not  quite  under.stand  you. 
What  a  hard  ilglitcr  you  must  have  been  In  your 
day!” 
T._*‘  Why  Uiluk  you  so  7" 
C.— “  You  seem  to  have  lost  so  many  of  your 
legs :  and  those  left  you  are  so  out  of  proportion 
to  yonr  bulk,  I  conclude  that  they  have  each  lost 
a  Joint  at  least  ’’ 
T.— “Notat  all,  I  do  assure  you;  on  the  other 
hand,  I  was  Just  wouderlng  what  use  you  could 
have  with  so  many." 
“Why,  you  shall  sec.”  And  tho  crab  Imme¬ 
diately  began  to  nm  backwards  aud  forward?.  In 
a  north-easterly  and  south-westerly  manner,  to 
the  greataimisementof  the  tortoise.  “And  look  I’’ 
continued  he,  growing  <iulU}  vain  of  Ids  fancied 
superiority,  “  you  may  perceive  from  tho  print  of 
tins  crown  upon  my  back,  that  T  nm  a  royal  crea- 
Hire.” 
T.— “  Wonderful !" 
c:.— “inde.ed,  I  begin  to  pity  you  more  than 
ever.  How,  lu  tho  name  of  wonder,  do  you  convey 
rood  to  your  mouth?" 
'f.— “  Why,  my  good  friend,  I  convey  my  mouth 
to  my  food— that’s  how  I  in'anage.  I  suppose,  Mr, 
Crab,  you  ui'O  a  weaver  by  occupation  ?’’ 
C._“What  strange  ideas  you  laud  people 
have !" 
T.— “  Why,  we  have  an  animal  with  us  with 
legs,  a.4  you  call  them,  Jiusl  like  youra,  which 
makes  Its  living  by  weaving.” 
C.— “  .V  very  useful  employment  too,  you  must 
admit,  Mr.  Tortoise." 
Very  useful  to  Itself,  Mr.  Crab !’’ 
The  crab  had  unconsciously  omitted  to  call  tho 
tortoise  his  cousin  for  sfjme  Dm*;,  and  was  begin¬ 
ning  to  feci  that  ho  was  In  different  company 
from  what  he  had  antlclpal-  d. 
Hut  at  Dlls  point  of  Die  conversadon  a  slonc, 
thrown  by  a  wicked  youth,  gluuced  Uarmbssly 
from  thohoruy  armor  of  theiiiiiolifandullghtltig 
I  on  the  crab's  back,  eraekt  j  lilsc.o.vii.  All  his 
legs  were  now  In  motion  and,  without  bidding 
'  good-by  to  his  new  acquaintance,  he  posted  with 
amn  zing  celerity  seawards  till  he  reached  a  cranny 
of  tho  rocks,  In  which  he  hid  himself. 
The  tortoise  drawing  in  his  head  merely  re¬ 
marked  to  hlmaelt.  “  How  useful  a  thing  It  was  to 
be  able  to  run  fust  !*’ 
- - - - 
THE  BOY  WHO  WAS  ASTONISHED. 
A  KuiGUTKri.  runaway  took  place  In  the  north¬ 
ern  portion  or  St.  liOuls  recently.  A  large  cur 
came  troUliig  leisurely  down  tho  street  all  In  har¬ 
ness  and  dmwlng  a  sled  upon  which,  in  a  state  of 
supremo  bliss,  was  the  enteriirlslng  urchin  who 
had  conceived  the  Idea  of  utilizing  dog-power. 
They  rniidurtt?d  themselves  with  a  calm  dignity, 
that  boy  and  dog.  aud  when  tho  boy  mot  a  couple 
of  other  hoys  or  his  ncqualntanco  and  slopped  his 
eonvpyanno  for  a  chat,  there  was  Just  a  shade,  of 
condeseonslou  lo  his  manner  lo  Uiosc  who  had  to 
walk.  1'Ue  youth  on  Die  sled  entered  Into  earnest 
coiivergatlon  with  one  of  the  hoys  on  the  ground 
and,  while  the  two  were  thus  engaged,  the  other 
boy  took  occasion,  unobserved,  to  pull  out  a  piece 
of  string  and  attach  an  oyster  can  Ormly  to  tho 
dog’s  tall,  leaving  liiUirval  enough  between  tall 
and  can  to  allow  the  lattc^r  a  degree  of  play. 
Tho  Interview  ilrially  terminated  and  the  boy 
on  the  sled  started  up  his  dog.  At.  the  Urst  move 
the  .animal  discovered  that  his  tall  wasn’t  all 
right,  and  at  the  llrst  rattle  of  Dio  Dn  he  took  In 
the  situation  and  acted  precisely  as  other  dogs 
have  been  known  to  do  under  similar  clrcum- 
■stanecs.  He  just  raised  up  his  hair  all  along  his 
back,  curled  his  tall  under  him,  bild  Ills  cars  over, 
opened  hl.s  mouth,  struck  up  somcDilng  from 
Wagner,  and  started!  Commodore  Vanderbilt, 
when  he  taken  a  npoelal  train  and  travels  sixty 
miles  an  hour,  doesn't  make  liaU  ao  good  time  as 
that  dog  did.  He  straightened  himself  out  and 
gathered  himself  up  In  awful  leaps,  and  when  he 
straightened  there  wasn't  an  Inch  of  space  be¬ 
tween  him  and  the  ground,  and  when  he  gathered 
he  looked  like  a  horseshoe  magnet  three  feet  high, 
Tho.  hoy  gave  one  gasp  when  the  dog  started  and 
Dicn  tightened  his  grip  on  the  sled  ;  he  slid  down 
Into  the  poMtlon  known  among  the  youth  as 
“helly-buster,"  aud  there  ho  stuck.  The  proces¬ 
sion— dog,  can,  boy  and  sled- went  down  the 
street  like  a  whirlwind,  swerving  neither  to  the 
right  nor  lefl,.  When  a  wagon  cro.s.sed  the  dog's 
.  path  ho  flew  under  It,  and  on  sneh  occasions  the 
boy’s  Uulr  would  Hop  up  like,  the  wig  of  the  cud 
man  at  a  minstrel  show.  Finally  a  coal  wagon 
came  In  sight  and  It  became  ajiparent  that  It 
would  bo  a  close  shave  unlos-s  tho  dog  turned  a 
little.  Hut  tho  dog  never  swerved— he  was  t/jo 
Irilent  on  reaching  the  end  of  the  world.  'J’hc 
wagon  didn't  cross  the  street  quick  enough,  there 
wasacriush  against  one  bf  tho  hind  wheels,  and 
a  boy  with  a  bloody  nose  aud  one  runner  of  the 
Bled  remained  In  the  Immediate  vicinity,  while 
tho  dog  and  tho  re.st  of  Dio  sled  passed  Into  the 
1  dimmest  kind  of  porspccDve. 
SPELLING  IN  OLD  TIMES. 
In  the  reign  of  Henry  v.  good  spelling  and  clean 
shins  were  eiiually  rare  luxuries.  Leicester,  says 
Disraeli,  spelled  his  own  name  lu  eight  tllfTerent 
meUioa.s,  while  the  family  aiipellatlon  of  villers, 
In  deeds  and  docuinouLs  relating  to  the  house.  Is 
spelled  m  at  least  a  dozen.  Malnwaring  pa-ssed 
tluough  131  orthographical  permutations,  and  Is 
even  now,  if  spelling  have  aught  to  do  with  pro¬ 
nunciation,  .spoiled  incorreeily  at  last.  The  im¬ 
mortal  hard  hliosolf,  not  to  speak  of  what  others 
did  for  him,  changed  his  own  tiilntl  ?inie  thirty 
llmc9,  according  lo  HixUlwell,  as  to  the  lctler.s 
and  the  se-queuce  of  tho  leiwrs  composing  his 
Illustrious  patronymic.  Kllzaheth  wrote  sovereign 
In  as  many  ways  as  she  knew  language s-that  Is, 
sevoii.  The  young  Pretender,  following  his  own 
sweet  will,  and  entirely  free  from  any  servile 
bondage  to  the  letter,  writes  of  his  father  as  a 
eerUilu  ,Iem.s  or  Gums.  In  those  palmy  days, 
when  every  man  was  Ills  own  speller,  when  mili¬ 
tary  pxamlmUlous  were  not,  lliDe  asionlshment 
would  have  been  raised  by  such  urhlt  rary  orthog- 
raiiliy  a.s  lately  adorned  the  p.aper  of  a  caridldalo 
for  one  or  her  Majesty's  aiipolntmenla  lu  the  lino. 
That  candidate  spelled  elegy  (/-(/,  and  ingeniously 
evolved  ji<i»hnMitfjiu'  out  of  passenger.  .Mucth  Ui« 
gcmillor,  nay  Imagtualloii,  Inspired  another,  who 
framed  Jiuliau  mm  out  of  engineers. 
Hut  what  arc  such  trilling  Irregularities  as  these 
to  the  caprice  of— say  her  Grace  the  Duchess  of 
Norfolk?  I'lie  Duchess  was  one  of  the  most  ac¬ 
complished  ladles  of  the  slxUtenth  century,  tho 
friend  of  scholars,  tho  patron  of  llleniture.  She 
wrote  to  the  Earl  of  Mssex,  Dius My  ffary  gode 
lord,— her  I  sand  you  In  tokyn  hoIT  tho  neweyer  a 
glasse  lioff  setyl  set  lu  Scllter  gyld.  1  firayou  tak 
hit  An  hy  wer  liable  bet  slio'.vidc  be  batar,”  <se. 
The  patron  of  literature  has  lagcnlotisly  contrived 
to  spell  /  and  it  each  in  two  different  way.s  la  as 
many  llncsu  What  this  friend  oi  scholars  Intend¬ 
ed  the  Karl  to  understand  hy  Setyl  Is  very  ob- 
I  Hcure.  There  Ls  a  Scotch  word  something  like  It, 
blgiiltylng  “a  disease  affecting  sheep  Hi  the  8ldc,’> 
I  but  this  Dm  most  acijornpUshed  lady  cun  scarcely 
have  Intended. — CuriihiU 
- - — 
LETTERS  FROM  BOYS  AND  GIRLS. 
From  Cousin  PeBRy- 
Dear  Cousins  :  — PlCiise  move  youi'  chairs  a 
llttlcolosertogether  to  make  room  forme— Miss 
I  lORiijv  'I'orsv.  Stop  laughing  at  my  name— It’s 
'  as  pi'c.tty  as  1  can  afford  to  have.  II  you’re  going 
to  niiikc  all  manner  of  fun  of  mo,  I  shall  take 
French  leave.  No  I  won’t,  either;  I’ll  stop  a 
1  while,  just  to  plague  you.  AllhoiriU  for  some 
I  time  I  have  wanted  to  write  you,  1  have  kept  very 
I  cHitel  tor  me,  listening  to  the  InU  resi  Ing  and  oft- 
