\7A 
fitctarg IpscctlanjL 
ALICE CARY’S SWEETEST POEM. 
Of all tlio beautiful pictures 
That Ilium' ou Memory’s wall, 
Is one of a dim old forest, 
That seomoth best of all; 
Hot for its jrnarled oaks olden, 
Dark with the mistletoe; 
Not for the violets golden 
That sprinkle the vale, below; 
Not for the milk-white lilies 
That l**an from the. fragrant hedge 
Coquetting all day with the sunbeams, 
And stealing their golden edge; 
Not for the vines on the upland 
Where the bright red berries rest; 
Not the pinks, nor the pale sweet cowslip, 
It Bcemeth hi due the best. 
I once had a little brother, 
With eyes that were dark and deep,— 
In the la]> of that ohlen forest 
He liet.ll iu peace asleep; 
Light as the down of the thistle. 
Free as the. winds that blow, 
We roved there tho beautiful summers 
Tbo summer* or long ago; 
But his feet on the bills grew weary, 
And one of the autumn eves 
I made for my little brother 
A bed of the yellow leaves. 
Sweetly his pale arms folded 
My nock in a meek embrace, 
As the light of immortal beauty 
Silently covered bis faac; 
And when the arrows of sunset 
Lodged in the tree-tops bright 
He fell, in his saint like beauty, 
Asleep by the gates of light-. 
Therefore, of all tho pictures 
That hang on Memory’s wall, 
The one of the dim old forest 
Seemeth best of all. 
FOUR OLD MAIDS. 
W. V. A. 
(Continued from page 158.) 
•• Mrs, Lansing has Invited us to take lunch with 
her. Have you any objection to remaining ?” said 
Frederica, quite loudly In Melissa's ear. 
Melissa drew her self up and said very coldly, 
“Mrs. 1 .ausing must excuse me; punch Is some¬ 
thing 1 never indulge In.” 
<• o, horrible 1” half shrieked Arabella ; and 
rustling to Melissa, she shrieked into her ear, “ It 
Is lunch, lunch 1" 
*• o!” said Melissa. “ I beg your pardon; you are 
very kind and I shnll be pleased to remain,” 
And so they remained and were introduced to 
the guests, and afterwards, when they wentoutto 
their carriage, the four young gentlemen that I 
have told you or very gallantly escorted them. 
There was a great deal ot merriment, among the 
Lansing's and their guests for tlie-rest of that day, 
hut they would have been greatly astonished 
could they have looked Into the residence of the 
Misses Skidmore and seen four young ladles of their 
acquaintance at times almost shrieking with 
laughter. 
There Is no telling how It would have ended had 
not Faras and Lansing simultaneously burst Into 
a loud laugh, which was followed by a profound 
silence that was suddenly broken by the four la¬ 
dles rushing from the room at a most undignified 
pace, while the gentlemen silently retraced their 
footsteps out to the road, where Bob Lansing ex¬ 
claimed, “ By Cteorge: It couldn't ho beat!” This 
was the commencement of the merriment which 
lasted tor hours at the expense o< tho “Clan.” 
Tbe Misses Skidmore reached the sitting-room 
on the upper il jor In a body and elosed and locked 
the door, but, not a word nor a smile passed their 
lips until the last echo of the retiring footsteps 
was heard, when Margaret said, •• Oh, that mous¬ 
tache!” and burst Into an uncontrollable lit ot 
laughter, lu which all joined hut Blanche, who 
walked to a mirror and silently surveyed herself 
and then commenced to cry, hut, this only caused 
tho rest to laugh the more till presently she said 
spitefully, •' Well, I guess It wasn’t any worse than 
that fiddle 1” 
“O, O!” shrieked Margaret and Rose, holding 
their sides and laughing until the tears rolled 
down their cheeks. 
Tn vain did Blanche and Olive remind them of 
the part i hey had taken, but they could only see 
the ridiculous side ot the affair, and so contagious 
was their merriment that the other t wo were soon 
louidllBff as loudly as they. 
The next day was beautiful and the Lansing 
parry were oC on their excursion bl ight and early 
will5 the ten o’clock train rrom M- carried 
the Misses Skidmore some fifty miles away to a 
quiet little village where they remained until the 
Lansing party had been home tor a couple ot 
weeks, when they reluctantly returned home also. 
They had not been home twenty-four hours 
when Paras called on Olive. She begged to be ex¬ 
cused, but he Insisted upon seeing her, so she 
went down to the parlor and received him w ith 
great dlgutfy of manner but a flushed face. He 
was perfectly soil-possessed and chatted away as 
though he hud not seen her for several weeks. lie 
spoke ot the pleasant time ho had had at I lie han¬ 
gings, hut not a word ot tho .Mlanes Hk'dmore All 
tills threw her off her guard completely, and 
presently when lie. saw she. was least expecting 
anything of the kind he drew his chair close be¬ 
side her and, looking her gravely In the face. he. 
said, “Olive, why do you not wear my ring ? i 
was thoroughly In earnest when 1 told you that 1 
loved you and wanted you to be my wife. 1 ' 
It was so sudden that she could only stare at 
lilm tn a dazed way. and taking advantage of It he 
slipped h!s arm around her and drawing her close 
to him Imprinted a kiss on licr lips. 
She sprang to her feet and pushing him violent¬ 
ly from her, exclaimed angrily, “ now dare you’ 
sir ?” 
He had risen when sue did, and now s'.o d before 
her. “ 1 think a man may kiss his affianced wife, 
and you know it Is not the first time this summer 
that I have kissed you,” 
“Allow me, sir, to congratulate you for having 
acted a most contemptible purl, for which I scorn 
you P and making him a deep courtesy, she turned 
and would have left the room had he not caught 
her by both hands and exclaimed; “ Oh ! Olive, 
don't!” 
She looked up at him, her face ablaze with 
anger, but something she saw In his face caused 
the anger to die out and her head to droop. 
“ Olive, darling,” said Faras, “won’t you keep 
your promise and put my ring on again ?” 
“ Yes !” came the reply so faintly that none but 
a lover could have heard It. 
There is no need to toll any or the “ foolish” 
things they said and did during the next hour, at 
the end of which Olivo went up stairs and got tho 
ring which Faras then put on her finger for the 
second time. 
The next evening Endors, Lansing and stedman 
called at Air. Sheldon’s and were received by the 
three youDg ladles with many blushes and shy 
quizzical looks. They had been there hut a short 
time when Faras and Olive called. 
This was a [dot on the part, of the gentlemen to 
have some fun at the expense ot the ladles, and I 
am ashamed to say, Olivo knew all about It, but 
did not warn the other girls. 
It was soon evident to the three girls how mat¬ 
ters stood between Faras and Olive, and great 
was their wonderment as to how It came about. 
Later in the evening Faras asked Rose for some 
music, aud going to the piano she asked him what 
she should play, to which he replied toy naming 
the negro melody she bad played on that memo¬ 
rable night. 
“ O, yes” said Enders, “ do play that, AIlss 
Rose, and Aiargaret, you dance It for us," 
“ And I am sure Miss Blanche will sing it for 
us!” said Stedman. 
“ Can't you find a violin, Miss Olive ?" said Lan¬ 
sing mischievously. 
The faee-a of ibe three girls were studies dur¬ 
ing this dialogue, and they looked as though un¬ 
decided as lo whether to laugh or cry, hut Aiar¬ 
garet decided It by a laugh la which all Jotued 
but Blanche who suddenly rose and walked into 
the library’, which had the effect ot silencing Sted¬ 
man who soon followed her, and Blanche who 
was passionately sobbing was st an led by a pair 
of strong arms around her and a well-known voice 
whispering In her ear, “Don’t cry, darling, I didn't 
love you any the less as Miss Frederica.” 
There Is no telling what passed between them 
during the next halt hour, but when they agiln 
entered the parlor It was with such radiant faces 
that Kob Lansing Laughingly compared them to 
the sun and moon. 
Never did l ight young people spend a more de¬ 
lightful evening, and when they rose to deport 
Rob Lansing said, “Bay, boys, let a fellow Con¬ 
gratulate y ou, won't you? and slezlng Harass 
hand he shook it violently, repeating the opera¬ 
tion with Stedman and Enders 
Well, Rob, shall we not congratulate you and. 
Miss Rose also V said Faras. 
Lansing turned to Rose who a moment before 
was standing at his side but who was now' mak¬ 
ing a hasty exit from the room, and springing 
after her be said, “ 1 ’ll tel) y OU when 1 come back." 
And w'hen he came back a few minutes later 
leading Rose whose lace was suffused with blushes 
he said. “ Alt right, l-uras, wish me Joy!” 
“Como now, Mr. lenders,” said Olive, “how did 
you and Margaret manage It so quietly? Iam 
quite sure you have not been out of the room to¬ 
night and you did not engage yourself lo Aliss 
Melissa, did you ?” 
“No, I did not” said Hugh, but 1 became en¬ 
gaged to Alias Dean last spring.” 
“O, you sly thing?” said olive lo Afsrgaret; 
“ and you n- ver told tho clan !” 
During the winter at a masquerade party the 
Al 1stes Lansing and all who were visiting at the 
Landings’ during the summer were surprised to 
see the Misses Skidmore aDd still more so when 
their goggles aud wigs were removed, to discover 
who they really were. 
-- 
THE EYE-OPENER. 
Wildes & Co., of Boston, offer a $9 new American 
Dictionary lor 27 cents. Now any man—or even 
baby—with a pa rticle of gumption, must know that 
such an offer Is “meant to deceive.” W. & Co , 
advertise widely at great expense; they have 
other expenses too In carrying on their affairs, and 
the object of all this la to make money, and how In 
the name of common sense can i hey do it by giving 
$» worth for 27 cents—and that only to pay postage 
on their munlfieeat gift l Of course Its a deception 
hut so gross that really It should not require ex¬ 
posure_There are several mining companies 
which are advertising widely throughout the 
country by circulars and in newspapers, offering 
fine chances, or even certainties, oi large returns 
for small outlays. These may all be set down as 
untrustworthy. Capitalists are ever ready with 
money to invest In genuine mines, and “ wild cal” 
concerns are losing speculations on any terms— 
witness the Bullion Mining Co,; the Gold and Sil¬ 
ver Mining Co., and others— pure sw indles—all of 
which did busluessln much the same way as that 
now advertised by a Mining company, whoso 
“promising” advertisement is before us aud whose 
headquarters are In the “Hub.” Nellie McKee, 
who some time back opened a Branch of the 
Chicago Board of Trade, at Cincinnati, has ab¬ 
sconded leaving a pile ot debts behind time. The 
Eye-Opener, some weeks ago, spoke about this 
Chicago Board of Trade, and the warning then 
given, of course, applied to Its legitimate and Il¬ 
legitimate offsprings. 
-- 
A school-boy got up and read a composition on 
“ The Tree." He got as far as “ This subject has 
many branches,” when the t eacher said, “ Stop! 
yeu have not made your hough yet.” If you In¬ 
terrupt me again,” said the boy, “ I'll leave,” “You 
give me any more tmpudence, and I’ll take the 
sap out of you. Do you understand?” said the 
teacher. “I twig,” said the hoy, and then the 
regular order of business proceeded.—Des Alolnes 
Register. 
Jfor @1 outfit, 
CONDUCTED BY MISS RAY CLARK. 
HINTS ABOUT FLOWERS IN WINTER. 
A. M. THORNTON. 
When Charlie and I were married we moved In¬ 
to the otd-fashloned house that had been the 
Thornton homestead for years. The house was 
full of closets, cupboards and those tuck-away 
places dear to a woman'B heart; but there was do 
place to put my flowers, of which 1 had a line col¬ 
lection, 
on the south side ot the sitting room was the 
nicest spot for a bay-window, but I didn’t like to 
ask Charlie to build oue, as we spent a great deal 
of money on stock and out-bulldlngs. But that 
bay-window did rankle on my Imagination. 1 
dreamed of It day by day and night by nlgfit. The 
Good Book says, “ out ot the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh;” so one day when 
Charlie asked me what I'd have from the store, I 
asked him to get me “ ten pounds oi bay-window.” 
“A word to the wise Is sufficient.;” the very next 
day Charlie, like the (tear, good soul be Is. began 
the window. It was a dull time for carpenters, 
and he found one that would work cheap, and 
with what work he dill hlmsell the window costa 
little less than $ 20 . To be sure Mrs. Fry, my 
neighbor, Informed everybody that “young 
Thornton s wire would ruin him next, lfe'd hud to 
build a bay-window for her, no telling how much 
It cost. That comes of marrying a stuck-up 
school-teacher, Instead ot a smart farmer’s 
daughter, like my .lane.” But. Mrs. Pry aside, the 
window was a success. 
1 only keep those plants that long experience has 
taught me will reward my care with plenty of 
flowers, togetuer with a few* whose leaves are as 
beautiful as the posies themselves. For soil I use 
good garden soil and compost from an old cow 
stable, together with an admixture ot sand. A 
few pieces ot broken stone In the bottom of the 
pot secure perfect drainage. For the Call a, the 
black swamp muck comes very near to its natural 
soil, but two parts of compost and one part of gar¬ 
den loam will do. Geraniums, Roses, Fuchsias, 
Heliotropes, Lantanas and Carnations, the same; 
Primroses and Salvias need two parts ot garden 
soli to one of compost. Scented Geraniums should 
have a larger pot than the flowering kinds, to en¬ 
courage a ranker growth. Lantanas, Heliotropes, 
Begonias and flowering Geraniums need slx-lneh 
pots. Fuchsias, Kupatorlums, Roses and coleuses 
require the seven-inch size. Abutllons, Cal las, 
cacti, Carnations, Agerntums, Begonias, Catalon¬ 
ians. Jessamine, Lantanas, IJbonla, Wax Pinks, 
MlmulUS, Oleanders. Petunias, Primroses. Roses. 
Salvias, Stevlus, Verbenas and Violets, never fall 
to do well wllh me. I am shy of novelties and 
cling to old friends la spite of the enticing words, 
“ very magnificent ” and “ grandiflorus,” as 
Charlie often calls It. 
For vines, the English Ivy stands first. It is so 
obliging it never pouts at standing In the corner or 
in any out-of-the-way place, hut grows away as If 
content with Its lot. Afaurandfas, with their white 
pink and violet flowers, arc beauUcs. I sowed 
the seed or mine to the early spring, transplanted 
five roots Into a slx-lnch pot (they don't take 
much room) aud placed It on the verandah In the 
summer. Here It grew about sL\ feet In length 
anil was covered with blossoms; In September It 
began to die down. 1 then cut It down to the roots, 
repotted, watered and set It away tn a dark place 
for st few days, until It commenced growing again. 
There are now yards of It with Its tiny, Ivy-Uke 
leaves clinging to everything with Its running 
tendrils. The new German Ivy, Seneclo macro- 
glossls, is a beauty; the ribs and veins to the 
leaves are of a lighter color than the leaves them¬ 
selves, wlille the plant Is as strong as the common 
German Ivy. 1 he CJssus discolor Is a lovely vine 
with leaves shaded w Ilh dark green, white and 
purple, while the upper part ot tho leaf has a 
velvety look, but it needs to live on t he top of the 
stove so l had to give It up. Tropmolum, Uoyas, 
Traflescautia, AHulaiias, Thunbcrglas, Ice Plants, 
Kenilworth ivy. Lobelia, Co bum and loptosper- 
rnuui, all are vines that do well with mo. vines 
need more water than plants and are particularly 
grateful for a sprinkling of warm water over thOlr 
bright leaves. The Cobsea is a rapid grower but tho 
flowers are rather course. It has always troubled 
me to raise Smilax; It would grow furious¬ 
ly. then suddenly, before I realized what was com¬ 
ing, It became afflicted with •• jaundice” and faded 
away. This year 1 left It without care all summer, 
putting the pot in the shade and not watering It, at 
all. In September 1 watered It again and now It 
has yards and yards of lace-like green. Rest In 
summer and moisture In winter seem to be what it 
needs. 
Tho Chinese Primrose Is one of my favorite 
plants. The single kind blooms much better than 
the double. The single Is the most cheerful little 
tiling, always fall of flowers, and only asks not to 
be kept too wet. l bought the seed In the spring, 
planted them in a mixture of good garden sod and 
a little sand. On these l placed my seeds, pressed 
ou lightly, watered wllh warm water, and set In 
a warm place. The tiny plants were transplanted 
when large enough, and placed during tbesummer 
la a shaded place. In the winter they are ready 
to blossom like the Rose, carnations need rich 
earth and water. The best Carnations for winter 
blooming are President DeGraw, white, La l’urlte, 
carmine, La Purite, variegated; Edwardll, white, 
Mrs. Wilson, scarlet; Glory of Venice, orange and 
rose-color. 
Geraniums should have good soli, plenty of sun. 
and a moderate supply of water. The salmon 
Geranium Is a profuse bloomer, often budding 
when a tiny slip, and sending up stalk after 
stalk of flower until perfectly exhausted. The 
best kinds are General Grant, Harry King, Pea¬ 
body, Sir John Aloore, Haldeo, Dr. Koek, all red; 
Bicolor, salmon; Master Christine, deep pink; and 
Snowflake, white. 
Among Roses, the Bella, white; sotrano, yellow; 
Bon Sllene, carmine; Isabella Sprunt, sulphur; 
Duchosse dc Brabant, pink; and Alad. ATargottln, 
yellow and rose-color, are the best for winter. Tho 
green louse, red spider and scale bug, are very 
fond of the tender rose shoots, eternal vigilance 
alone, will save the plant from Its enemies. 
Let your Roses remain In pots all summer, sink¬ 
ing them In the ground In some shady spot. Take 
up and repot In September; give them a good 
pruning, and set for some days in a cool place. In 
this way I manage to havo plants full of scented 
blooms all winter. Aly Call a is glvena rest during 
the warm weather; the pot Is tipped on tbe side, 
under the shade of some tree, and wateb ts with¬ 
held for two months. Tbe roots are then washed, 
and It repotted in rich muck, and set In the shade. 
After starling, I give It the sun again, and plenty 
of warm water. In winter, I give plenty ot hot 
manure coffee, and wash Its leaves every day. It 
frequently buds before 1 can get it into the house. 
Abutllons, or Cbluese Bell-Flowers, need sun, 
water, and room. The white l’.oule de Nelge is 
pretty. A. vexUlarlum Is of n climbing habit, with 
pretty tassel-like flowers. 
Lanianas have striped crimson and yellow flow¬ 
ers. They are easily grown and always ready to 
bloasom. The yellow or orauge shade Is my favor¬ 
ite. My plant last summer was Immense, and such 
a wealth of flowers I Among Begonias, Jasmln- 
oldes, Saundersonlt aud nltida alba do nicely. 
Fuchsias need rich soli, Speclosa and Lustre, being 
tbe only ones that bloom during the winter. The 
oxalls, too, is a constant bloomer—you can’t have 
too many. 
For the insects that Infest plants, I And that the 
frequent sprinkling kills the red spider, smoklDg 
with tobacco, and hand-picking Is the best for 
green llco, and the scale hugs, I pick off too. Give 
your plants fresh air whenever possible, and every 
day give mem a bath. I take warm water, drop in 
a few drops of aqua-ammonia, which makes It like 
rain, and sprinkle my plants with a whisk broom. 
How they laugh and shako their leaves at me in a 
grateful, but silent way: Don’t sprinkle Chinese 
Primroses, [give my plants manure “coffee,” made 
by soaking cow manure In hot water (I use an old 
keg) until of the color of weak coffee. This Is par¬ 
ticularly grateful to Gleandos and Callus. Vines 
and hanging baskets should bo well soaked. I 
have the top of the bay window full of hanging 
baskets-old tin pills, worn-out basins, tin cans, 
anything I could get hold of. These are given a 
coat of paint, Ailed with earth and planted with 
vines. The plants stre all full ot blossoms, and 1 
have picked many bouquets. Some have cheered 
the sick, some have late on the cold pulseless 
breast of loved ones, and some have decked the 
bride on her wedding day. Airs. Pry from her 
window, shakes her head, and mutters “some folks 
must have bay-windows, and other flummtdlddles, 
to gratify their pride,” but what care I? Aly flow¬ 
ers smile on me, and whisper 
” The hand of God hath made it. and where’er 
The floweret blooms, there God is present also.’’ 
MORNING CALLS, 
When paying a morning call, a lady or gentle¬ 
man must, not give her or Ills card to the servant 
when the mistress of the house Is at home, such 
a proceeding would be contrary to present usage, 
and In the event of a caller making such a mistake, 
a well-bred domestic would suppress Ibe card, and 
simply announce the name on entering the draw¬ 
ing-room. 
In olden times the contrary custom was ob¬ 
served. The visitor produced ills card, which was 
carried on a silver salver Into the (Rawing-room. 
.Such a proceeding would often bo agreenole and 
convenient In many respects, aud Is likely enough 
to come again Into fashion. 
If the call is of a purely business character, and 
the visitor uuaoqualntod with the lady of the 
house, It is Mill proper to send In a card with the 
inquiry whether the lady Is engaged. Or In the 
case or a lady making a personal call upon another 
lady (a stranger) respecting the character of a 
domestic servant, for Instance, a card should be 
sent in; It would be, however, In better taste to 
write first, asking for an appointment. If this Is 
done, a card ts not delivered. 
It a lady Is dressing m go out when a visiter 
calls, the servant cun mention that fact to a visitor 
calling, aud offer to ascertain If the mistress will 
see the caller, and the- culler would use her own 
discretion as to whether she will allow him to do 
so or not; but unless the visit Is one ot Importance, 
it would be best in such a case ouly to leave cards. 
- ♦♦♦- 
FASHION NOTES. 
All white toilets are worn, not only at halls, but 
to grand dinners and evening receptions, when 
there Is no dancing. White Is becoming to all 
young looking faces. 
Sleeves are made quite tight and rather short; 
in some of the latest models Introduced, they are 
trimmed about the elbow Instead of around the 
wrists. 
Feather turbans grow lu popularity. Peacock 
blue Is the favorite shade, though some gray ones, 
made of owl’s feathers, are very elegant. 
Handkerchiefs finished ou the edge with inch 
aud a halt borders of foulard silks in fancy 
grounds, with little bouquets of several colors, are 
made into pretty breakrast caps. 
Alodium and dark shades of kid gloves are more 
worn for full dress than for many seasons past. 
