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PITH AND POINT.
Woman first (hie) tempted roan (hie) to cat
but ho (hie) took to drinking on hia own ac
count
41 Do you enjoy good health ?" asked Cross.
wny, yes, of courao. Who doesn t? replied
Boss tersely.
"Talk about tho jaws of death," exclaimed
a married man ; 44 1 tell you they're nothiog to
the jaws of life."
Should General Gordon happen to turn up
alivo it will bo very damaging to tho epitaph
recently written by Mr. Tennyson.
44 YeSj" said Jones, 44 when my wifo gets mad
sho rominds mo of a vessel under way. " How
so!" Inquired Smith "Becauso slio's got her
rancour up."
SurpoflB the courso of truo love always did
run smooth, and everybody marries his or her
first lovo. Ah! what would niarriago bo! —
Thackeray.
In a Now York loco house tho girl clerks,
being suspected of littlo theft®, organised a
vigilance committco, and soon discovered tho
thief to bo a man.
44 Do not marry a widower," said tho old
lady. 44 A rcady-mado family Is liko a plato of
cold potatoes." 44 Oh, I'll soon warm them,'
replied tho damsel.
8weet is tho momory of distant friends.
Liko tho mellow rays of tho declining sun, it
falls tondorly, yet sadly, on tho heart.—
Washington Irvino,
Queen Maroueritb, of Italy, devotes hor
sparo timo to writing essays and dramatic
criticism, and is thought to ho preparing her
self for an honourablo position in tho fourth
estate.
Ex-Emfreks Eugenie says of horsclf, in a
private lottor: 44 1 am left atone, tho solo
romnant ot a shipwreck, which proves bow
fragile and vain aro tho grandeurs ot this
world."
Haqoart, who acted as a dummy to attract
tho attention of tho Brooklyn Brldgo Polico
whilo Odium mado his fatal jump, has been
sentenced to eight months' imprisonment in
tbo Penitentiary,
The grim humour of Scotchmen was dis
played at an auction salo in Perth lately. Tho
stock sold was that of a bankrupt undertaker,
but tho demand was so light that ono coffin
sold for 8d., and thrco others wero disposed of
of in a lot for 5®.
The museum of St. Petersburg has a bank
note probably the oldest in existence. It is of
tho Imperial Bank of Ohino, issued by tbo
Chincso Government, and dates from tho yew
1399 beforo Christ, Tho note at a sovereign
value, with compound interest, ought to havo
dovolopcd Into £7,000,000.
The rago for morphino la 44 bulling" tho
: falso hair .market. Tho morphino nabit,
in a short time, leaves tho head as baro
and pollshod as a billiard ball, and it also
loosens tho tcoth, so that dontists as well as
capillary artists benefit by tho growth of tho
vice.
Philanthropic pawnbroker shop®, called
on the Continent Monts-do-Pieto, wore first
started at Perugia, in Italy, moro than four
centuries ago. Thoy flourish In Spain, Italy,
Holland, Scandinavia, and Franco, and aro
said to savo thoir patrons from many hard
ships, although many bcllova they lead to in
creased thrifuessncss.
Antoine Dujol, tho nowly-announced
claimant to tho French throne, is a time
keeper in a Marseilles factory on £5 a month
wages. Ho bases his claims on his declaration
of being tbo last of tho Valois linotlfrom
Francis. Due d'Alon;on, fourth son of Honry
II,), legitimate descendants of which stock havo
been hitherto considered fictitious.
Tub coral industry on tho Algorian coast is
now regulated by a dccrco of tuo French Go
vernment. In futuro tho fishing for coral
most no longor be conducted with tho uso of
apparatus mado of Iron or other motel, as it is
supposed that implements of this nnturo tend
to destroy tho reefp and prevent their repro
duction.
Two Irishmen named Mooro, llvingatOavan
In tho greatest poverty, havo suddenly found
thomsolvcs possessed or a largo fortuno. It
seems that thoir half-brother omigrated to
Buenos Ayres somo forty years ago, and has
just died, leaving £450.000, throe-fourths of
which ho has bequeathed to his brothers, after
deducting somo trifling legacies.
44 1 like tho mild spring air." said Deacon
Gilpin, as ho sat down on Hnuiro M'GiU's
porch floor tho othor morulng for a friendly
chat. 44 How frosh everything seems I Do you
know of anything fresher than tho geotlo
spring zephyr!" ' 44 No, I don't know as I
docs," replied tho squire, 44 unless it is that cro
paint you'ro sotting in. 'Taint been on tho
floor over two hours."
Tub vast mass of scrap-book matoriat
arranged by Charles Rendu during his syste
matic lifo Is still carefully loft undisturbed.
Thousands of plots aro thero hidden for tho _
exhausted literary mind that lias a sensational
turn. In his study aro rows and rawi of filled
folios and filled note-books. Ho devoted ono
day in tho week to reducing hie clippings tg
order and posting tbcio up.
Victor Hugo is said to havo owned only o&h
ploco of ground in Paris, and that was pur
chased recently, It is situated on tho avenno
which bears his namo, and ho intended soon to
erect a honso on It. It is covered with tree®,
and has a bright patoh of lawn. Hugo's
fortuno was invested in porsonal securities,
and chiefly in Belgian National Bank shares
English consols, and Fronoh rente®, Tho
entire fortuno is estimated at something over
4,000,000f.
Au Mr. Gladstone was walking past tho
villago baker's in Hawarden tho other day the
bread cart was boing loaded. Tho Promior
watched tho operation for a moment, and
entered Into conversation with tho bakor as to
tho weight and prico of . tho loaves thoy woro
throwing into tbo cart. A fow minutes after
ward ho was semi walking up to tho rectory
carrying ono of tho loaves, a present from tbo
baker.
The most interesting part of Sir Stafford
Northcoto's recent speech at Braunton, In
North Devon, was tho interruptions, and more
especially therein that of tbe donkoy in an ad
joining flold, who, whontho speaker was in tho
middlo of tbo old old story about tho Boform
Bill, set up a loud braying. 44 That ia as ranch
as to say, rejoined Sir Stafford Northcoto,
44 that any ass could havo told us that."
A reverend gentleman named Edraunson Is
endeavouring to rob tbo author of 44 Paradiso
Lost" of all the honour which belongs to
originality of conception. Ho hue published a
work to provo that Milton was largely indebted
in tho composition of his great poem to various
poems ot a Dutch rbymstor of tho samo ported,
ono Joo&t Van den vondci, and that Samson
Agonlstoo was inspired by a drama by VondcK
on tho sarao subject.
At a recent meeting in Westminster Abbey
London, amembor of tho Universities' Mission
in Zanzibar stated that they had thirty-llvo
native evangelists, formerly slave®, and among
their converts was an earnest Christiau youth,
formerly psgo to the Sultan of Zanzibar. Tho
rolcoacd slaves had printed at thoir printing
offico tho wholo of tho Now Tcstaiuont and a
largo portion of tho Old In tbo Swahili lan
guage, understood throughout tho interior.
A i'rocehm has just been patented in Groat
Britain by which metal casting® ran bo
punched, bored, and tapped as readily as
wrought metal. It was discovered in a Mol-
bourno foundry whero a casting at a dull red
heat was dropped by accident into a raixturo
of trcnclo ana water having a specific gravity
of 1005, and when taken out was found to havo
bccomo remarkably soft.
' Tub Salvation Army has reached India, and
nroDOseB to tako a hand in tho littlo unpleasant
ness with Russia if tho opportunity is offered
Hero is one of their war songs
God speed tho Mukllfauj.
Long livo tho Muktifauj.
Jal.jal.Yoxu;
Down with tho Devils broo «,
Up with tho Flro »nd Blood,
Victonr is ours with God,
Jai, jal, Yesu.
IT is difficult to iroagino how Victor Hugo
wrote so much, considering tho way he is said
to have laboured. We aro told that ho alwaj a
worked in the mornings ; that ho wrote stand
ing with aquili pen on largo-sized bluish paper;
that after slowly and carefully coming to a
period ho would read tho sentonco over, and
immediately proceod to alter itnnd tinker at »t
until ho had it hammered into tho desired
shape, after which he would commence a new
sentence, which was predestined to undergo
tho same process. In other words, lie rouit«-
howed his idea at first, thin planed, sandpapered
and varnished it beforo he chopped out another
one. His manuscript presented a »incular
appearanco. It wns a sort of hat tie-field on
paper, in which tho killed words wero well
stamped out, and tlio new recruits I'"3''"
forward in any tiling lint jrooii order. hen-
also licon compared to a sheet of music, In
which tho hints looked liko
quavers. But. ono way or another, Hugo
managed to get along.
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