And she put Into my hands a bunch of wild 
violets, wet and fragrant, adding, aB I began to 
thank: her— 
“ Yer said yer didn’t see none this autumn, so 
I thought I d go off to-day to a wood, where they 
grows, au' get ’em for yer.” 
“That was very kind of you, Nell," i said, 
touched by the little attention in my Ishmaelltlsh 
young friend. “ But whore did you get that black 
eye ? Did you fail down on the way ?” 
She was as sure-footed as a cat, and laughed at 
the idea. 
“ Missis give It to me to make me tell 'er where 
I’d been, an* 1 wouldn’t cos she welted me fust 
for goln’. oh, it. don’t hurL now." as I uttered a 
wrathful exclamation against her tyrants. “An’ 
I didn’t mind s'long ns I could ’Ide the vl’letsfrom 
her. She’d ha’chucked’em inter the Are other- 
ways.” 
“And I shall value them very much, and take 
great care of them,” I said; but, Nell, 1 don't like 
violets so well that, 1 like you to get beaten for 
them.” 
“Oh: 1 didn’t carts, sir, bless yer," sakl the girl, 
brightly, her thin little face coloring up at my 
thanks. “ An' f liked gettlu’ of 'em, for ye’ve 
been very good to tnc, sir. Hark! ten t, that mas¬ 
ter callin’ ? ” 
The frightened look had come back Into her 
eyes and i tried to detain her, saying that I was 
sure Mrs. Jennings would let her sleep in one of 
the outplacesfor the night, If I asked her. “ You’d 
much better not go back to them till morning, 
child. They 8 cm to be all mad together; and 
It’s no lit place lor yon,” 
She shook her head,quite trembling at the mere 
Idea, 
“Oh, no’ I must go, t must, Indeed, sir. Mis¬ 
sus ’d ’alf kill me to-morrow it 1 didn’t, ’Tis the 
threshing-machine men from the Black Country 
a s is there; an they’re always a bad lot; an’she'll 
wait me to h 1 lp serve them. 'Taln't them I’m 
a (card or, neither.” 
“ Who then, Nell?” 
“.Mr. Barker," and she almost whispered it. 
“Sometimes ho goes on the soak for two or three 
days, till lu> gets downright mad, and don’t know 
nothin’ no more nor If he was a wild beast, an’ 
then 1 he daunted of dm. He’s been awful bad 
to-day, an' eotched me up once and tried to mash 
me agin the door, a-swcurln he’d be the death o’ 
me. One o'the other men pulled din oil, au* 1 
was so feared 1 came out 'ere: but maybe he's 
Bleepin' now—he most always goes off like a log 
arter one o' these takes on; an' If missus Is want¬ 
in’ me—Yes, there she's callin' agalnl Oh, 
p'case, sir, let mo go. I aren’t frlgbtenod now, 
an' s'ie’11 give it to me so, ir I don’t.” 
Aud Indeed the lear of her tyrant gave the child 
such strength that, before T could speak, she had 
pulled her hand out of mine and darted back to 
the bouse. 
I walked slowly on to my own, ami as I arrang¬ 
ed the violets In water I made a mental vow that 
I would lose no time In trylug to get the child Int o 
an Industrial school, or some other home, where 
she could be properly taught and cored for. 
on the following morning, however, I received 
a note from a friend at Maidenhead, saying that 
he had taken a house there, and asking If T would 
run down and spend a couple of days with him. 
He was an old college-chum, whom I had not seen 
for some years; so I only waited to telegraph an 
accept i nee, and, putting up a lew things In abng. 
started as desired. It was the fourth day berore 
1 got homey and the first thing Mrs. Jennings said 
to me, as she watted on me at dinner, was: 
“ What do you think, sir'.’ That girl of Baker's 
Is dead." 
“Dead! Neill '* The shock and the sudden¬ 
ness of It seemed to take away my breath. My 
lan 11 idy looked at luo in surprise. 
“Yes, sir, Nell,” she answered, cheerfully, and 
evidently rather pleased at having a piece of news 
to regale mo with. “Fell down the cellar-stairs 
at that there public, and was killed dead.” 
of which, with the prospect of passing three 
weeks or a month within Its dingy walls, your 
I heart sinks. Turning away, you catch sight of a 
yellow nag at the mast-head of the steamer. 
Should you decide not to land—a not unlikely 
thing, us the appearance Of the Lazaretto has 
probably been enough for you—you can more 
calmly survey the city from the deck. The scene 
Is very unlike what would be presented by au En¬ 
glish seaport. Merchandise comes hut little to 
valetta. There are no long quays lined with 
masts. No druys or trucks arc being loaded from 
lighters. There Is stir and bustle enough, but It 
docs not wear the aspect of business. Number¬ 
less green boats, with (trows like gondolas, are 
being rowed round the steamer at a short dis¬ 
tance by sailors who stand and row forward. 
There are great black coal barges, orange boats, 
newer boats, pleasure boats, all putting oil trom 
the Marsamuecsto Gate, at the toot of a steep 
street of steps. The rocky promonotory on 
which Valetta stands Is In full view, and you may 
observe that It is divided transversely by a deep 
ravine, down the sides of which are other long 
nights ot Steps, as well as to the river side. 
Along the dorsal ridge t he axis of the peninsula 
1, the chief line of street, utid all the others run 
parallel or at right angles: for valetta is no an¬ 
cient or irregular town, but was built upon a set¬ 
tled plan after the repulse of the Turks from Sc. 
Elmo. 
The first stone of the town of Valetta was laid 
by La valetta In isfift, and in 15T1 the city was 
completed. From the water's level It still looks 
new. aud this look is increased by the number ol 
vjh.ls which on all sides fringe the shores of the 
(Quarantine Haroor—stieina, the principal sub 
urb at that side, being just so near that you can 
see rhe carriages coming and going along the 
dusty road. The view is tantalizing; but you re- 
fleet that.lt would be still worse to bavo to gaze 
at It for three weeks from the Lazaretto.— Satur¬ 
day Review. 
MALTA. 
The tbree Islands which constitute the British 
Mediterranean stronghold ot Malta do not look- 
very attractive from tnc sea. Gozo is the most 
westerly, and after the blue haze has turned to 
brown, aud the bare rocks and parched hills arc 
clearly seen, there is little t.o make you wish to 
land upon It. There Is a narrow, green strait, 
over which something like a castle seems to keep 
guard, and then Commo gradually develops Itself 
—a mere islet, and almost featureless. Malta 
Itself Is now alongside, and soon the white foi L1- 
neatlons of Valetta begin to appear over the hill¬ 
top, In the vftllcj Is the dome of Mostn, looking 
very Insignificant, trom a distance. The shore Is 
dotted with villas, and the mouth of the harbor 
has the appearance of an English second-rate 
watering-place. Not a tree Is in sight, and every 
thing Is either white oolite stone or brown, sun¬ 
burn-moor. Valetta Itself is well situated on a 
peninsula of the limestone whioh divides the 
harbor mto two parts. The town stands very 
high, and, as It faces north, looks higher and 
shadier than It Is, against t he glowing southern 
sky. As the steamer enters, two deep bays pre¬ 
sent themselves, and three great forts, one on 
either side aud one on the promonotory between, 
look very impressive. 
The eastern harbor is the chler naval port; hut 
the steamer, keeping to the right, enters the 
western, passing close to an Island which Ue 3 
within the harbor and which still bears Its old 
Arabic name, Jezirah. Two buildings only are 
upon it. Fort Manoet was built in 1126 and forms 
part of the system or defenses, looking to sea¬ 
ward; the 1, i/.iretto Is behind the fort and looks 
the other way—a long, low building, at the sight 
u 
BIDE FOR YOUR LIFE.” 
Ik the sixteenth cent ury t here were no post - 
offices In England. Government carriers were 
the only bearers of letters, except the common 
carriers, whose principal business was the con¬ 
veyance ol parcels. These couriers were under 
martial law, und la the time of Henry VHl. were 
subject to the penalty of banging for delay upon 
the road with their dispatches. The letters ol 
those days were consequently sometimes orna¬ 
mented with a cheerful sketch of a gallows with 
a courier thereon suspended. Underneath was 
the admonition “Haste! Post! Haste! Haste 
tor thy life 1” Vost-oniccs and relays or horses 
were then established at the principal towns 
along the high roans, and the postmasters in¬ 
dorsed on the Government dispatches the day 
and Hour ot their arrival in transit. A letter dis¬ 
patched luim Plymouth to J/udon In HWB, “For 
Ilia. Majesty ■ special service,” bears nine Indorse¬ 
ments. The distance, two hundred and fourteen 
miles by the route taken, was accomplished in 
fifty-seven hours- a. rate of about three miles and 
three-quurtere per hour, on part of tho route 
the speed was greater, though six miles wan the 
highest speed made. a.id on the heavy portion of 
the road the rate was two miles, and von less. 
From the penalty attached to slow lining or halt¬ 
ing came the proverbial say lug of “ ride for your 
life,” which saying Is usually supposed to refer to 
(lying from an enemy. From the taking of pri¬ 
vate loiters by the bearers ot Government dis¬ 
patches arose the wonderful uonvcri'encesof the 
modern postal arrangements, tr was from this 
circumstance that the transmit Ion of the malls 
has come to bo a portion or the duties of Govern¬ 
ments. The transmission of Government dis¬ 
patches by special messengers offered facilities to 
the public, which, as correspondence Increased, 
were more and more v alued und Improved, and 
the advance of civilization and commercial Inter¬ 
course Is largely due to the facilities of mull 
transportation. 
PERSONAL ANTAGONISM. 
— 
The Rev. W. H. 11. Murray, talking to his con- 
\ gregatlon on social friction and nervous tempera¬ 
ments, says:- * Now and then 1 know that I run 
across a person t hat l have to lice from for self- 
protection. I won’t trust myself in that, person's 
presence more than about, twice a year for unyv 
consideration, tor I should certainly get mad. and 
1 should expect the other person to get mad too. 
because we arc bum different ly. As a sensible 
and a Christian man, I propose to recognize the 
grea t fact that that, person Is disqualillcd for mak¬ 
ing me happy, and I am disqualified tor making 
him happy. And so the great path of peace lies 
for us along divergent ways. Now and then you 
run across a man, you know you do, who is all 
claws, who scratches you, who bristles at you, 
and the old Adam rises as you see him bristle, 
and It Is really only by stern endurance lhut you 
can tolerate doing business with him even at 
arm’s length." ft. is hardly necessary to observe 
| that, this refers to Bostonians. 
- -- 
POISON BLOOD. 
poisonous blood is undlstlngulshable by sight 
from ordinary blood, nor does Its appearance or 
odor Indicate putrefaction, but unde, a mlcro- 
scopo bacteria are easily recognized. 
n?: 
MAGAZINES FOR MARCH. 
Signol, a French veterinary surgeon, claims to 
have established beyond a doubt, by numerous 
experiments, that while the blood In the superfi¬ 
cial veins Is harmless, that Ju those that lie deep¬ 
er la so highly poisonous, sixteen hours after 
death of every perfectly healt hy animat, \M < ther 
slaughtered or suffocated, that t wenty-four drops 
ot it Introduced into the circulation or a horse or 
sheep will produce death In a few hours. This 
The Atlantic for March opens with a; striking 
story by Miss WoolBOli, entitled “Rodman, the 
Keeper.” Mr. Longfellow contributes “A Rosary 
of Bonnets," five in number, having for their sub¬ 
jects “Nature,” “Washington Irving," “Eliot’s 
oak,” “The Descent of the Muses,” and “Venice-’ 
J. II. A. Bone writes or “Old English Guilds and 
Trade Unions,” describing their origin, purposes, 
and customs. Mr. Howells gives the second in¬ 
stallment of his comedy ‘ Out of the QUi&UOn," 
and Henry James, Jr., has t wo more chapters of 
“The American,'’ “Our Lust Year In tliO Buck- 
woods of Canada” ih the sequel of some interest¬ 
ing papers ol experience In the wilderness which 
appeared in the Atlantic two or three years ago, 
aud attracted much notice at the time. K. 8. 
Nad a I treats of “Newspaper Literary Criticism” 
In a. brief article, aud 8. G. W. Benjamin de¬ 
scribes his ascent of the difficult peak of Tenc- 
rlffc. Mrs. Kemble's “Old Woman's Gossip” 
reaches Its twentiet h chapter, and Is followed by 
au essay on Dickens's “Hard Times," by Edwin 
P. Whipple. The “ Contributors’ Club” contains 
many bright und suggestive things. Under “Edu¬ 
cation,'’ Prof. Thomas Davidson announces him¬ 
self the author of the article on “The Study of 
Greek in Harvard c ollege” In tho January Atlan¬ 
tic, and makes a vigorous reply to the criticisms 
which that has called forth. Altogether, the 
number Is a very readable one. 
The Galaxt t* very attractive, containing an 
article on “ English Peerage,’’ by E. C. Grenville 
Murray; a continuation of “Miss Misanthrope,” 
by Justin McCarthy; “MissTinsel--A Gold-Min¬ 
er's Love-Story,” by Henry Sedlcy; "Defeated,” 
by Mary L. Ritter; “Shall Punishment Punish?” 
by C'hauncey illekox; “Renunciation,”by Kate 
Hillard; “ The Eastern (Question,”by A. n, Guern¬ 
sey; “The Lassie's Complaint," by James Kenne¬ 
dy; “ Assja, by Ivan Tourguenefl ; “To Beetho¬ 
ven,' by Sidney Lanier; “ The Dramatic Canons,” 
by Frederick Whittaker; “An Evening Party 
with tho Cossacks Of the Don,” by David Ker; 
“Drift- Wood;" “Pehntitle Miscellany;” and 
“ Nobuiic,” by the Editor, 
Thk adult readers ok Want Awake— for the 
“ grown-ups” road Wide Awake as faithfully as 
the children—will turn at onee to the finely illus¬ 
trated paper on James Russell r.OWdl, Urn p6fit. 
It is contributed by George Lowell Austin of Cam¬ 
bridge. and illustrated by engravings from pho¬ 
tographs taken for the purpose, a portrait., a 
view i r “ Elmwood," the poet's residence, aud au 
Interior, tho latter being the quaint study. 
The magazine opens with one of Miss H. R. 
Hudson’s capital stories, “The Merciful Way," 
for which Robert Lewis has drawn a pleasing 
frontispiece. Mr,. Clara Doty Balers, the author 
ot the popular book, “Classics of Babyland,' fur¬ 
nishes another tiny classic, “Hickory, Dlckory, 
Dock,” illustrated by her sister, Mrs. Finley, Mrs. 
L. c. Whlton has two delicious scraps ot poems, 
“Baby la the Crib, Thinking," and “Mamma’s 
lnsructlona.” Miss Fatrtnan, the editor, also has 
two, “The snow-storm,” and “In a Bird-House,” 
each charmingly Illustrated. “The Third Ad¬ 
venture of M 11 Hades Peterkln Faul” completes 
the poems. The stories are good. 
" Child Marian Abroad," by Wm. M. F. Round, 
is, of course, read by old and young. Instead or 
the usual Editorial departments, tin- number 
closes with accounts from various cities of the 
distribution of the dolls from the Wide Awake 
Dolls’ Fair, giving many letters from the hospi¬ 
tals, and also a list of tho “ Wide Awake Helpers." 
Littkll's Living Age.—T he numbers ot this 
standard periodical for the weeks ending Fob. in 
and IT, have the following noteworthy contents: 
“Arctic Heroes, from Elrek of Scandinavia to 
Captain Nares”—London Quarterly; “Condition 
of the Larger Planets.” by Richard A. Proctor, F. 
R. A. s.—Popular Science Review; “The Geo¬ 
graphical Aspect or the Eastern Question,” by 
Edward A. Freeman—Fortnightly Review; “Ju¬ 
lian’s Letters’’—British Quarterly; “Agates and 
Agate-Working." by F. W. Rudley, F. G. s.—Pop¬ 
ular Science Review ; “.ton Jonsonn'd saga, the 
Genuine Autobiography of a Modern Icelander”— 
Frazer: “Charles Kingsley" — Fortnightly Re¬ 
view; “ A Polynesian Grlselda”—Examiner; and 
other Interesting suggestions from leading foreign 
sources. 
BOOKS RECEIVED. 
From T. B. Peterson & Brothers, Phlla., Pa.: 
WhltefrlanS; or, The Days and Times of 
Charles II. (Paper—pp. 2C9. Price, 75 cts.) 
G. P. Putnam's Sons: 
The Childhood of the English Nation; or, Tho 
Beginning ot English History, by Ella S. 
Armltage. (Cloth—pp. 247; ifimo. Price 81.) 
The same, The Jukes, a study In Crime, 
Pauperism, Disease and Heredity; also 
Further Studies of Criminals, by li. L. Dug- 
dale, with an Introduction by Elisha Harris, 
M. D. (Paper—pp. 115. Price 50 cts.) 
Magazines for Fkbruarv: 
Harpers', Llpplneotts'. Phrenological Journal. 
Scribner’s and St. Nicholas. 
JMMj pairing. 
TO A FRIEND. 
God is a spirit, man also Is a spirit, bath not the 
made something' within it of the maker? — Meredith. 
We kneel before a different, shrine. 
But alike we love and pray; 
The God 1 worship is also llrine. 
But adored in a different way 
1 love th>; Maker of stars and trees, 
In all of their glory and prace, 
“ I read a sermon in every breeze, 
A lesson in every place.” 
I scorn the cant t-f learned lore. 
But a lose can thrill my heart. 
Vnd tho tiny ant hath a lesson more 
Than 1 learn from the preacher's part. 
The grand banana's purple cone 
With ita fring- > of goMcn bloom 
Is the work I know of a. hand divine, 
In nature's wonderful loom. 
What the mind of man bath wrought, 
Or the Laud of man hath traced, 
May be tortured, twisted, turned aside, 
Abolished, despised, d' fared. 
Not bo the work of the master hand 
That fa-hioued the worlds on high. 
Gathered the sear, and spread Urn land, 
And unrolled the scroll of the tli V. 
The engine, polished nnd beautiful, 
All perfect in every part, 
Is driven at speed o’er the iron road 
By the eterm in its fiery heart. 
So, too, the engine, meted and old 
All ruined by want of care, 
Feeble in action, uncertain in course, 
Still the steam's grand force ia there. 
The spirit of God in lofty power. 
Thrilled keenly te Klm];c[>cfire'a brain, 
And blew to bloBBoni the folded flower, 
Iu tli’' reasoning soul of Paine. 1 
In the grandest nature of all I ho earth 
Doth the brontb of the infinite dwell. 
Infuse* the leprous unclean soul. 
And the sweetest burnt an well, irtcaiune. 
THOUGHTS FOR THINKER8. 
When the word of God Is sweet as honey, the 
vanities of time are bitter as aloes. 
closet duty speaks out most sincerity. He 
prays with a witness who prays without a witness. 
It was a saying of Bede “ that he who comes 
unwillingly to church, shall ono day go unwill¬ 
ingly to hell." 
It Is the greatest measure of grace that ushers 
In the greatest measure of Joy and comfort to a 
believing heart . 
God, who hath done singular things for our 
good, may Indeed Justly expect that we should do 
singular things for his glory. 
It were ten thousand times better that wo had 
never been born into the world than that wo 
should go out t f It uiircnewed. 
A vorNG man very much given up to pleasure, 
standing by 8T. Ambrose and seeing his excellent 
death, t urned to other young men present and sa td, 
"Gli! that I might live with you and diowlih 
him I” 
“Lust having conceived, It brlngeth forth sin.” 
Kin hath Its conception, and that Is delight; then 
Its formation, and that Is design; then Its birth, 
and that is action; then Its growth, and that Is 
custom: then 11s end, and that Is damnation. 
Christians are like the several flowers in a gar 
den, that have e ach of them tlic dew of heaven, 
which, being shaken with the wind, they let fall 
at each other's roots, whereby they me jointly 
nourished, and become nourlshersof each other. 
— Bunyan. 
lion, is the ruddy morning of joy, recollection Is 
Its golden tinge; but the latter Is wont to sink 
amid the dews and dusky shades ot twilight; and 
the bright blue day which the former promises, 
breaks Indeed, but In another world, and with 
another sun.— Richter, 
In all Buddhist temples a tall and oread-leaved 
lily stands directly on the front of the altar. Jts 
Idea Is as beautiful as Its workmanship. It repre¬ 
sents that Just, as tho pure while flower may grow 
out of mire and filth and blossom into loveliness, 
so may the heart, of man raise itself above the 
wickedness und corruption of the world unto a 
state ot spotlesspuilty. 
If Jesus were God only, and not man. he could 
not suffer anything whereby to satisfy Divine 
Justice; If man only, and not. God, ho could not 
satisfy, even though ho suffered. It man only, 
his satisfaction could not be sufficient for God; 
If God only. It would not be suitable for man. 
And, therefore, to be capable of suffering for men, 
and able to satisfy God, himself must be both God 
and man .—Bishop Jieveria<je. 
“The nearer the kingdom of heaven appears, 
tho less 1st lie force by which the world draws end 
holds the believer. Attraction Is in proportion to 
the quantity or matter and the nearness of the 
object; and so the globe Itself, with all Its wealth 
of gold, yea, though It were solid gold Itself and 
all to be mine, does not attract, toe with any force, 
if I live above it and hard by the throne of God.” 
“We know so little of that which Is near us and 
with which we are most, conversant dally, is it. 
strange that, the Infinite and eternul things of the 
heavenly state should be hidden rrom our eyes 
and held for future revelation? What we know 
not now, we shall know hereafter. Blessed Is he 
who has not seen and yat believes, and, Wild© 
waiting, is content. Light Is given for each ste p 
we take, and by and by glory, whenweshaU know 
even as we are known.” 
