fJ  ov. » 
THE  ByRAi.  HEW-YORS^ER. 
INDIAN  SUMMER. 
Ob  !  thoi?  days. 
Autumn  days  ’ 
^hpn  the  languid  earth  lies  dreamin^r 
In  a  sort  of  ffoldeu  haze ; 
^  hen  amidst  the  verdant  woodlancls 
Stand  the  maples  all  iihinzc : 
Gold  and  crimson,  brown  and  oranire. 
How  they  rise. 
Glowine  pyramids  of  color. 
To  the  skies. 
AVhen  the  summer  ta-sks  ani  done, 
And  the  sonsr-blrds  southwards  xone. 
And  no  sound 
Stirs  the  voiceless,  breathless  forest ; 
Save  when,  far  sway  and  seldom. 
The  ripe  acorn  strikes  the  srroimd ; 
Or  when  leaver.. 
With  a  melancholy  rustle. 
And  unstirred  by  any  breeze, 
thrclinK  downward  from  the  trees,. 
Spread  around 
A  rich  carpet  brighter  tinted 
Than  the  eunniUK  Persian  weiives. 
Oh !  thc.se  days. 
Autumn  days ! 
Who  can  paint  the  arlow  and  irlory 
Of  these  halcyon  Autiinin  days  ?  [  p.  r. 
®Ik  Storii-iTfllfr, 
J 
A  COCOON  ENTEEPEISE, 
BT  THEODOR.V  K.  ,TE\NE.SS. 
“  CAriTAb  chances  to  make  money  hero  In  Kan¬ 
sas.  A  girl  of  ordinary  Industry  can  scarcely  fall 
to  be  worth  a  comfortable  sum  by  the  time  she  Is 
of  age." 
Wlch  this  remark  Ruby  Gilbert  clasped  a  leatlie'r 
belt  about  her  blue-checked  garden  blouse,  and 
settled  a  broad  panama  upon  her  head  In  an  In¬ 
dependent  manner. 
Bell  Howard,  Ruby’s  cousin  from  st.  Louis, 
tossed  aside  her  traveling-hat  and  looked  at  Ruby 
Interestedly. 
“That's  good  news  to  mo,"  she  said,  “  for  l  need 
to  make  money  if  ever  a  girl  did.” 
Bell  was  an  orphan,  but  she  had  been  well 
taken  care  of  tints  far  In  life  by  an  undo  who  was 
a  merchant  In  St.  Louis. 
“  One  don't.  Ilka  to  depend  on  a  relative  all  one's 
life,”  continued  she.  “Besides.  I’ ncle  .rasper  gave 
me  my  choice,  to  remain  in  tho  convent  with 
Cousin  Blanche,  or  strike  out  for  myaeir,  J  chose 
the  latter— 90  hero  I  am.” 
“  I  respect  your  sentiment,  and  you’re  welcome 
as  the  springtime  here,"  returned  Ruby,  with 
warm  hospitality.  “  i  need  a  partner  In  my  busi¬ 
ness  ao,  If  you'v©  no  objection,  we’ll  shako  hands 
upon  a  contract.” 
“  Thank  you,”  Bell  replied;  “but  what  specu¬ 
lation  can  {/irfu  go  Into  on  these  far-off  prairies 
I :  K.v  I  r  1 1  s I 'T’  or- 
Bell  viewed  the  prospect  for  a  moment  anti  tUcu 
burst  Into  a  laugh  brimful  of  girlish  ridicule. 
“  Mulberries  1  Thirteen  miles  from  market  and 
not  a  standard  berry,  either  I  You  must  expect  to 
sell  them  to  the  birds  and  Indian  pappoose.s." 
Ruby  smiled  indulgently  at  Boll’s  sally. 
“  It’s  not  the  berries  I  want— though  they  aro 
delicious,  ralxotl  with  raspberries  and  eaten  with 
sugar  and  cool  cream  on  a  hot  summer  evening- 
butt  he  leaves.  Throwing  aside  all  mystery,  I’m 
going  into  the  cocoon  business.” 
Bell  was  somowlmt  enlightened. 
“Ah,  I  see.  (Joeoon.s are  raiulo  by  silk-worms, 
and  they  live  on  mulberry  leaves.  But  what  can 
be  done  with  cocoons  In  Kansas?” 
“  Walt  a  minute  and  i'll  show  you.’' 
Ruby  ran  Into  the  house,  and  soon  returned 
A.  VOTJlV<i  I5I..1C. 
and  yards  of  It.  How  did  you  come  by  It,  Ruby  ?” 
“The  .Marquis  de  lUiaslcre  gave  It  mo.  It  was 
woven  In  hlssllk  Lictory,  nottwomllos  from  here.” 
“Ahllk  facujry  In  Kansas?  Owned  by  a  mar- 
i(id.s,  too  :  Is  tho  title  genuine  ?" 
“He's  a  real  French  nobleman.  Rich,  and  the 
most  .splendid  gentleman  I  ever  met.” 
“  He  must  be,  If  that's  the  way  ho  lavishes  silk 
volvol.  on  the  glrl.s.  I  shall  visit  him  within  a 
week,”  said  Bell,  entUualasihuilly. 
Ruby  Informed  Bell  that  M.  de  Bosslcre  had 
agrei?(d  ro  purchase  till  tiiecocoonsshecoiild  raise, 
at  French  markiu.  prlcoe.  Bnmo  time,  she  said, 
she  hoped  to  hulld  a  factory  of  her  own  and  have 
a  wardrobe  of  home-made  dres-ses,  all  of  silk  atid 
velvet. 
Boll  became  greatly  Interested  la  Ruby’s  cocoon 
upon  Ruby’s  part.  She  fiirnlshort  the  entire  stock, 
ill  lieu  of  whti  11  Bell  wn.s  fo  give  her  labor,  re¬ 
ceiving  one  half  of  tho  proills. 
Ruby  had  studied  tho  method  of  raising  silk¬ 
worms  pretty  thoroughl.v,  having  spent  tho  pre- 
vloii.s spring  helping  Aidolnelto  Crozler-u,  little 
French  girl— tend  her  cocoon  crop  at  .M.  de  Bos- 
rilere’SHllk  colony. 
The  morning  after  Hell  s  urrrlval  she  went  with 
Ruby  to  examine  tho  buds  upon  the  mulberi’y 
( reus. 
I'liey  had  begun  to  swell,  and  Ruby  pronounced 
It  I, line  to  ••  set"  the  eggs,  .she  and  Hell  then  went 
Into  the  rellur— a  dry.  well-vcntHat.ed  pLuco,  with 
snillelent  light  to  enable  them  to  work  without  a 
candle. 
Tim  eggs  were  preserved  on  cards  oi  pasteboard, 
su.siiended  from  the  celling  by  a  string.  Roby  had 
kept  tho  eggs  In  that  w.ay  i  hroiigU  tho  winter. 
When  the  lasteard  had  been  tiikioi  down  and 
laid  upon  a  hanging  shelf,  Ruby  .said  to  Bell : 
“  I’m  afraid  you'll  object  to  having  sllk-wnrms 
for  rooni-m  ites.  but  I’d  arrangetl  to  o.Hl,a.hl Ish  tho 
cocoonery  in  the  spare  lietlrooai,  Lliat  being  the 
sunrdest  room  of  (he  lioiise.” 
••They’ll  not  Intrude  u|ioii  mi'  while  Ihey’rc  In 
the  egg.  I  I'an  move  Into  your  chamber  when 
they  begin  lo  crawl  about  the  room,"  said  Bell. 
Ruby  laughefl  at  BeH’s  Ignorance  of  silk-worm 
hahltfl  and  thc3'  cairled  the  eggs  to  the  spare 
cliainber.  nr  cocoonery,  as  It  must  now  he  called. 
Before  the  soijih  window  was  built  a  tier  of 
tables  with  raised  edges,  the  topmost  one.  reach¬ 
ing  nearly  to  iho  celling  oi  the  room,  tin  these 
tahlc.s  stood  .shallow  boxes,  ready  to  receive  the 
past eboaril  bean ng  f  ho  eggs.  Step-  ladders  stood 
on  eliber  side  the  tier,  that  the  upper  tables 
might  be  reached  wit  hout  dUTlcull.y.  Tho  win¬ 
dows  of  the.  room  were  Iltted  ouLsldo  with  i  rames 
eovored  with  light  cloth,  i  hat  the  air  might  Inlll- 
trato  slowly,  without  blowing  directly  on  the 
w’ornis. 
When  the  “setting"  was  axicomplished,  Ruby 
consulted  tho  thermometer  for  the  regulation  of 
the  temperature. 
"It  must  not  go  below  75  nor  above  SO,”  she 
said.  “  It  stands  TT  this  morning.  If  Hie  heat  In¬ 
creases  much,  by  afternoon  we'll  have  to  raise 
the  windows  for  a  little  while.” 
The  girls  had  little  to  do  for  the  next  ten  dny.s. 
At  tho  end  of  that  time  tho  eggs  began  to  turn 
from  a  deep,  violet  to  light-blue,  or  ashy  color,  in¬ 
dicating  that  they  would  soon  hatch,  and  would 
need  watching. 
On  the  elftvonth  morning  a  largo  number  of  tho 
eggs  had  turned  quU«  white,  and  out  of  oach  had 
emerged  a  Huy  black  allk-worm,  showing  signs  of 
active  life. 
“  New  comes  tho  taking  up,”  said  Ruby,  ani¬ 
matedly,  She  and  Hell  gathered  a  number  of 
small  mulberry  twigs,  oach  hearing  two  or  three 
leaves,  and  laid  them  softly  on  the  worms,  spacing 
them  Lo  suit  tho  quantity  hatched. 
Tlic  leaves  were  sooti  eovcrtd  with  worms,  and 
the  girls  look  the  twigs  up  gimtly  and  laid  them 
on  new.spapor3  spread  beside  the  ho.xes  on  the 
tables.  Care  was  taken  to  leave  abroad  margin,. 
Ruby  pointed  down  the  broad  green  slope  that 
stretched  below  the  veranda  where  she  stood. 
“  Do  you  see  chat  grove  of  flourishing  young  mul¬ 
berry  trees  ?  1  planted  them  when  I  was  twelve, 
three  years  ago.” 
with  a  light  Indian  basket,  overflowing  with  vel¬ 
vet  ribbons  of  every  shade  and  color.  She  had 
unwound  them  all,  mixing  them  In  beautiful  con- 
fusion,  that  the  ellect  might  he  more  striking. 
“ How  perfectly  lovely exclaimed  Bell;  “yards 
I  enterprise.  They  sat  on  the  veranda  talking, 
anal  the  spring  twilight  faded  from  the  sky  and 
i  the  soft  dark  night  grew  rosy  with  the  flush  of 
klndUng  prairie  fires. 
I  The  terms  of  the  partnei-shlp  were  generous 
as  sUk-worms  grow  very  fast,  and  after  each  meal 
need  more  space. 
“  'Twill  probably  take  four  days  for  all  of  them 
to  hatch,"  said  Ruby,  “and  we’ll  have  to  feed 
them  on  sclontlflc  principles,  that  they  may  come 
