A LONG JOURNEY 
“ A calico ? O mother!” 
“ Yes, dear, I Know.” 
" But the others have silk and mull and crape.” 
“ Yes, dear, I know, and so does Christ who had 
not where to lay Hladiead. Think It over In that 
way. You know, Chris, mother would If she 
could," and the voice trembled. 
“ Yes, mother, never mind; it’ll be all right, I 
guess.” 
But Chris set the baby down and went up to 
her little room. She did not care much lor sup¬ 
per, and the children wondered what made her 
so still. 
When she wont up to bed, and Liz and Cora 
were sound asleep, the poor child sat down by 
the open window to think it out. But the great 
tears welled up, and finally the head sank on the 
window-scat and the aching heart said all the 
time, “It Is very hard, very hard!” andthe tears 
rolled laster and faster. 
After a long time, as it seemed to Chris, she 
heard some one calling very softly, “ Chris! 
Chris!” 
She lifted her head; but at first could see noth¬ 
ing, the room was so bright to her dimmed eyes. 
Then, as she became accustomed to the light, she 
saw a lovely face smiling upon her. 
“ Who Is It?” asked Chris, wondering, 
“I was sent to bring you a dress,” replied the 
visitor, “to wear on your great school-day. It Is 
only a very common one now, but It depends 
uoon yourself to make It as beautiful as you will. 
Here is a little sprig of a plant called Heartsease 
that I picked from my Master’s garden, and If you 
wear It with the dress It will be lovely In every 
eye. Will you keep it. ?” 
And Chris said “Yes,” for the fragrance was 
very sweet; so sweet that she thought she must 
pin It in her neck and wear It at once. And as 
she and her mother worked upon the simple 
dress It seemed to grow more beautiful every day, 
until the time for wearing It came. 
“ Why, Chris, how you shine 1 ” said the little 
ones when she was dressed and kissed them all 
around. 
•• O Chris, how splendid 1” the girls cried. “ Has 
your uucle come irom India or wherever did you 
find such a love of a dress ?” and Con Livingston, 
in her dainty dress, swept all Us grace and laces 
about her while she gathered Chris In her arms 
and kissed her again and again, saying, “ You 
are just the sweetest fairy that ever was seen on 
this platform,” until the tears flUed Chris’ eyes, 
she was 30 lull of Joy, and with a great sob she 
started up to find herself In the Uttle low cham¬ 
ber with sloping celling, the vision and the dress 
disappeared, and only tho memory of the bright 
dream left. But. looking out to the silent moon 
and tire still night, Chris sat and thought, until 
the perfume of the wonderful plant stole into her 
soul, end she prayed the loving Master that, how¬ 
ever plain the dress she must wear in earthly 
eyes, In Ills sight It might be fair indeed. 
“ When shall I go to took for my bonny calico, 
mother?” she asked In the morning. “I must 
begl» It soon.” 
“ imyou think you can be satisfied, Chris ?” 
Andtsucn an anxious question as It was. The 
mother had lain awake too that night. 
“Of course I can, mother, it’s me, not my 
dress, people must admire for once.” 
“ Here la the money, then. I have saved It as I 
could.” 
Chris thought so when ner pocket was weighed 
down with the nickels. But she realized, too, 
what the “ saving ” of her mother had been. 
Liz wanted to go, so her sister waited to comb 
the tangled hair and find the lost hat before 
starting out, throwing back kisses to Cora and 
baby. 
“ I was afraid Chris would be broken-hearted 
quite,’’ said the mother, fondly; “but! do be¬ 
lieve she’s the best girl ever a mother had.” 
And, meanwhile, up tn a great block of stores 
Chris and Hz were turning over the many plies 
of prints, selecting first one and then another, 
until fairly bewildered with so many. 
“I think I’ll have this,” said Chris at last, 
choosing a white ground with a delicate sprig of 
black. 
“ O Chris, take this. See, It’s almost the same, 
hut It’S blue, and so pretty.” 
“ But I like this better, dear.” 
“ Oh, no, this Is so lovely.” 
Now Liz was only a harum-scarum girl of eleven, 
and the black did seem the prettiest; but Chris 
thought It did not matter so much as pleasing 
her sister. 80 Liz was gratified, the little bundle 
made up, and they went out. 
They were very busy days that followed. The 
dress got along but slowly, for lessons and baby 
must have first place of course. 
It was almost examination-day, and Chris had 
stopped one night where she could have the quiet 
schoolroom to go over the topics of that long Lit¬ 
erature that was to be the final recitation of the 
seniors, when she heard Pan Ellis’ voice: 
“ I do wish some one would go over these topics 
with me. 1 neverean recite unless I go over them 
once out loud. Won’t some one hear me 7 ” 
But the girls all had too much business of tbelr 
own, and they realized what hearing Fan, the 
dunce of the class, would he. Cbria saw her com¬ 
ing out of tue dressing-room with tears on her 
cheeks. That touched her. 
“ What Is It, Pan ? can I help you ?” she asked 
from her corner. 
Pan turned. “Is that you, Chris? I want to go 
over my topics with some one, and tne girls are 
too busy. They have time enough for me when 
I have a treat.” 
“ I'll hear you. Pan.” 
“OCnrls, that's good! When?” 
“ Now and here,” was the reply. 
It was almost dark when the two girls left the 
school building, and the topics only two-thlrdB 
through then. 
“ We’ll finish to-morrow night,” said Chris. 
“Thank you, Chris: I never studied so hard be¬ 
fore, but you see my father is to be here, and he 
says It I do well he will give me a watch and 
chain, but If not, I cannot have one for two 
years.” 
“1 hope you will,” said Chris heartily, “and I 
guess you will, too.” But she wondered about her 
own lesson until she found that helping to fix It In 
Fan’s mind had been better for herself than any 
amount of study, and so she was fully repaid. 
Jt was the night before the great day, and Chris 
came home late to find the dress still unfinished. 
Baby had been sick all day and the mother looked 
pale and anxious. 
“Only one ruflle more for the overskirt, dear," 
but Chris knew that It was three hours of hard 
work, and It was already nearly nine o’clock. 
She went up to her Uttle room a moment and 
then came back. 
“ Let me try it all on, mother,” she said then; 
“the children want to see It before they go 
to bed and after all had been duly admired, 
she said, “ There is enough on it now, mother; 
and we’U hang it up till morning, when I’ll 
come out like a queen, see If I don’t.” 
“But you wanted another ruffle, dear." 
“ I did—hut do not. Tenses change you see, 
and so must moods. We’ll have a good sleep, 
JOSEPHINE POLLARD. 
" We sail to-day," said the captain gray. 
As he stepped on board the boat that lay 
So high and dry. “ Com#, now, be sjry; 
We’ll land at Jerusalem by and by 1” 
Away they Bailed, and each craft they hailed ; 
While down in the cabin they bailed and balled; 
For the sea was rough, and they bad to luff 
And tack, till the captain cried out ” Enough !" 
They stopped at Peru, this Jolly crew. 
And went to Paris and Timbuctoo; 
And after a while they found the Nile, 
And watched the sports of the crocodile. 
They called on tho Shah, and the mighty Czar, 
Aud on all the crowned heads near and far; 
Shook hands with the Cid—they really did I 
And lunched on top of the pyramid [ 
To Afric’s strand, or northern land. 
They steer as the captain gives command; 
And fly so fast that the slender mast 
Goes quivering, shivering in the blast 1 
Then on to the ground with a sudden bound, 
Leaps Jack—’t, was a mercy he wasn't drowned ! 
The sail Is furled, the anchor hurled, 
“ We’ve been," cry the children, •• aU round the 
world ! ” 
By billows tossed, by tempests crossed. 
Yet never a bouI on board was lost 1 
Though the boat be a sieve, I do not grieve, 
They sail on the ocean of ” Make-believe.” 
[St. Nicholas. 
CHRIS’ GRADUATION DRESS, 
HOWE BENNING, 
“ They’ll be perfectly splendid, of course,” said 
Kate Cox. “Con Livingston Is going to wear 
India mull, with pufTs and quillings and lace 
ad libitum, and Fan Kills Is to have pale blue 
silk; she knows what’s good for a blonde, and Jsa 
True, white crape.” 
“ And what Is Lou’s 7” asked Kate’s audience. 
“ Oh, mamma and she are not agreed yet. 
Lou wants silk and mamma says white la the 
only proper thing; she was a Holyokite, you 
know, and the law there was white and blue 
sashes." 
“Somewhat different style, though, I fancy, 
from the white of to-day, when your mamma 
graduated.” 
“ Just tbluk of It, girls ! Her dress was white 
Swiss muslin, full round waist, plain skirt and 
puffed sleeves, and her blue sash—she has It yet¬ 
is not as wide as my finger Is long. How they 
must have looked I” 
“ My mother says it was a great deal more sen¬ 
sible than the present way," remarked Cathie 
Floss. “ 1 never should dare to graduate now, 
for fear of being the dowdy of the class. All you 
hear the seniors talk about la Just dress, dress.” 
“ Oh, It’s splendid, I think,” said another. “ Al¬ 
most as good as one’s first ball. 1 mean to make 
a sensation when my turn comes, and be got up 
regardless for once.” 
“ It will be her only hope," whispered Kate; 
“ the sensation never’ll come from the Inside of 
her head. But It’s stopped raining, girls; let’s 
go.” And the merry group scattered down the 
stairs and homeward. 
Meanwhile, In the dressing-room adjoining, 
Chris sac on tho floor listening to the lively chat¬ 
ter with a sudden dread numbing 
her heart. Her nead had been so 
full of mental philosophy, Utera- —■ 
cure and essays that she had for- ^ 
gotten she was to graduate In a ,— 
dress, and now—silk and India ullMllI 
mull 1 Poor Chris might as well 
expect a piece out of the blue I lijtSllliJli" 
sky as either of these. It had ' 
been such a happy life to study T r 
the dear books and feel that every y Z'**- 
day was bringing nearer the time - C? 
when, as a teacher, she could ^ \J 
help the patient, hard-working S 
father and mother, and give the tfv 
little ones a chance In the world. 
She had known that they were ■ ? 
poor and her classmates rich, but 
that never troubled her sunny na- : iy-, 
ture before. Everybody was go id 
to Chris. Even the haughty Fan 
Ellis touad It convenient to get her 
help over bard places, and as for * 
Con Livingston, whom Chris wor- 
shipped In a girl fashion, hadn’t — , 3 — 
Bhe many a Bweet little note and 
word treasured away of hers? 
But this dress question 1 Con In 
India mull with ruffles and lace 
was set entirely away. fl' 'wgf 
The little plain home lu a poor v 1 
street was reached at last, and s 
Chris went In to find tho busy r - ~ 
mother with hands and lap full of • 1 
mending and foot outstretched 
tor baby to stand by. He crewed 
and shouted at sight of his sister, i?3gSl> 3Sg|^ ] 
arid Chris took him up and went to SffeS 
“Mother,” she said, after a 
while, “ what am I going to wear 
to graduate tn ?" J f&r i 
The mother sighed. She had 
thought of that a great deal. ^ - 
“Idon’t know, daughter,” she \, ^eB 
said at last. “ l did hope to get W 
you a neat white, but times are 
so hard and lather’s wages are n. \ % 
lowered and you have outgrown N. 
everything.” N. \ 
“ Yes,” said Chris, “ what can \ 
It be then ?" \ 
“ I don’t see how It can be any- 
Blng more than a light calico.” 
Then Con led her Into the dress!ug-room. “ 1 
brought a flower on purpose for your golden 
locks, dear; let me put It In. There, that’s 
lovely!” 
“You thought or me 7” said Chris, lifting won¬ 
dering eyes. 
“Why, of course, you pet!" and then the dream 
came true, for the beautiful, dainty Con folded 
her right Into all the delicate finery and kissed 
her again and again. "You have helped me to 
be a better girl, Chris, and I thank you for n 
always.” 
Then they all went down together and took 
their seats on the platform, and as one after an¬ 
other came forward to that most dreaded ordeal 
reading her essay,and was thanked by thoughtful 
friends with bouquets aud applause, Chris was so 
happy for each, and over her ran, and cron’s kiss 
that her speaking face was fairly radiant • and 
when her name was called, the seventh on the 
list, she had no thought or fear, but her sweet, 
clear tones rendered the essay full of feeling, it 
was a tender, pathetic thing, and many hearts 
were touched by its simple words, but when It 
was finished, and Chris turned to go, there was a 
perfect storm of applause, led by Judge Livings¬ 
ton, and the bouquets came fast 
and thick. Chris sat down with 
her lap full ju a perfect maze. 
Many people are puzzled to un¬ 
derstand what the terms “ four- 
penny,” and “ sixpenny,” and 
“ tenpenuy” means as applied to 
nails. “ Fourpenny” means four 
oouuds to the thousand nails, or 
“sixpenny” six pounds to the 
thousand, and so on. It is an old 
English term, and meant atflist 
“ tenpound" nails [the thousand 
being understood); but the old 
English clipped It to •• tenpuu,” 
and from that It degenerated 
until “ penny" was substituted 
for “ pounds.’’ So when you ask 
for fourpenny nails now-a-dayr: 
you want those of which a thou¬ 
sand will weigh four pounds. 
When a thousand nails weigh 
less than one pound, they are 
called tacks, brads, etc., and are 
reckoned by ounces. 
The thoroughness of school 
education in Massachusetts la 
shown by the recent statistics of 
the bureau of labor. Only one 
per cent, of the native farmers of 
the State are illiterate, while 20 
per cent, of the foreign-born In¬ 
habitants are so. It la not strange 
that the illiterate stay In the low¬ 
er, poorly-paid grades of labor. 
The moment a man’s intellectual 
faculties are trained he can do 
something better t han saw wood 
or carry a hod ; or, If reduced to 
common labor, he can do It more 
neatly and rapidly, so as to secure 
better pay aud more permanent 
employment. 
