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('onna‘rles are Powerless to sum Inc Trafllt; Smugglers? Thousands of them. They swarm along the American border from ocean to mean. It may he the track ofa solitary sledge on the frozen St. Lawrence, or a fishing schooner beating into a quiet; bay where there are no fish ; or, if you like, a well dressed woman hiding a. small fortune in gems in the rug with which she protects asick pug from the cold as the train nears the frontierâ€"the methods change from time to time, for in novelty, oftimes, there is safety, but the smugglers, like the poor, are with no al- ways. In the woods and on the waters along the American frontier it is very difl'erent. The communities of the border, he they Ameri- can or Canadian, as surely as they are made up of frontiersmen, horn and bred, are ’nclined to take a lenient View of such atters. From a crime smuggling becomes an i§nterprise, or, at worst, A soa'r 0F GEOGRAPHICAL DISEASE at vbhich one might be shocked were he alcn‘, but which troubles him little since his nahighbors are infected, too. The [act now 5 just what it has been ever since there has been population enough on both sides 'of the border to make the evasion of the thrill a paying business lor adventurous spiritsâ€"Canada cannot police her long line of Her Eer fence, nor indeed do any more than make a poor blufl’ at it, and trust to the moral sense of the people for the rest. And when the fence isn‘t watched the almighty dollar crowds the moral sense 0 the people to the wall and there’s an end to it. Give the frontiersman a chance to smuggle and he will arrange the matter with his conscience. He has the chance, and arrange it with his conscience he surely does, to such an extent, indeed, that there isn’t a heartier. happier chap in all the land. WHO THRIVE RICHLY ON THE AME RICAN BORDER. ‘Thoy nnldiy l'ly Their Trade on Lakes and leenâ€" Revenue "on (If Hon- We hear oftenest of men and women caught in an attempt to evade the customs officers as they leave the big transatlantic liners, and the crime is set down by all as serious and properly punishable by heavy fine and long imprisonment. If the job is on a large scale the community, for the moment, is shocked. ACROSS THE ICE. Along the wooded stretch of the lower St. Lawrence and in the thousand and one sheltered caves of the guli the “free trad- ers” have long sinCe been most formidable as far as the Eastern country is concerned. As for the river itself, there are boats in summer and there is the ice in winter. The revenue posts are far apart. The revenue cutter cannot be everywhere, even )1] sum- mer. In the winter the smuggler with a little money to earn will go further in ice and snow, in the dusk of early morning and evening, in the night itself, than the re- venue policemen, who, after all, is but human and may earn his salary much as he pleases. If he discovers a solitary sleigh track across the frozen river he may sur- mise. or he may even watch for the return of the driver. Even then he is hours late and finds, if anything. an innocent traveller with an empty sledge. The innocent traveller’s pockets may be heavier,but that is his business. art of St. Pierre. One may land there but he will, free of duty. Thus his wares re at ‘the gates of two protected countries, ;safe as yet from the revenue officials. Will ‘he lose money by entering them through the regular channels? Not be. And how do smugglers smuggle? The answer is : “In any way that strikes them as safe.” TRICKS OF OPIUM TRADERS. Takeior instance the tricks devised by the men who smuggle opium into the United State from Canada. You know what an ordinary carpenter’s tool box looks like. They will take such a box and fix it with little panels or drawers, which only a. min- ute inspection would disclose, or place a. false bottom in it, or a false top, leaving room to slip in the thin, oblong cakes, and fthen coolly carry them over the bridge, or border.after the manner of an honest work- man. on the Isle aux Coudres. in the lower gulf, was so hotly beseiged that he could hold out no longer. But methods, like smugglers, «ire innum- erable and vary with the goods to be carried and the station and dress of the person who carries them. What is true of the ice is true of the inter. 7 Far down in the Gulf is the “free” h It is but a little while aincestoutCapLain Bonchard,bhe king of St. Lawrence pirates, made a running fight, with a. revenue cutter md only surrendered when his stronghold, HE DISCOVERS A SOLITARY SLEIGE TRACK 10m risky, but it promises great returns. calculates to n ninety, does the wicked SUME SMUGGLER‘S. THE NDERGR‘ 'e Powerless to Stop the PASSA ( 5% .h‘ “ free trader,” the chances of profit and lons. If he carries his goods up the water way, in wholesale quantities, he might have all seized and confiscated at once. He ‘ knows better. Big schooners sail from the free haven of St. Pierre, richly laden, and Without a port before them. That is the trick. When they have gone far enough, and it is dark enough, down goes the anchor and up goes the quietest of signals. The spot is secluded. The big schooner rides alone, without a light beyond those carried by the most honest merchantman. But in the night smaller boats come alongsideâ€" sloops, rowboats, any craft of small capa- city, and which can float in shallow water. The cargo is distributed quickly, until it becomes one hundred cargoes. Then the big schooner beats back to the free port oi St. Pierre, and the smaller craft take their chances of landing where they may. One or two may be captured, and the cargoes confiscated. The majority escape, and the profit on the stud that is landed in safety easily compensates for the losses and leaves 9. ligndsome margin. The chief article smuggled there is liquor. The Canadians, by avoiding the duty on whiskeys and alcohol, save an amount which is sometimes as high as $2 or $3 a gallon and profit accordingly. SOME MAINE DEVICES. Whiskey, cigars and tobacco, too,togeth- or with precious stones, are the things which seem most tempting to the frontiers- men in Maine and New Brunswick. There is mnuya load of hey that goes over the border with a big jug of whiskey hidden within. Bustling Calais, in Maine, faces St. Stephen, in New Brunswick. with e toll bridge between them. The towns exchange goods with little re- gard to the reVenue officials. You may walk over that bridge, pay the toll, and unless you are carrying a trunk you pass unquestioned. So too, many a man drives a decrepit, worn out horse across to the Canadian side and returns, after a. proper lingering, with aquite it different enimaL The ofi'icer at the gate has forgotten his identity. If he remembers it, he cannot swear to it, pro vably, end credits the vast improvement in the horse to the bracing quality of Canadian air. Sneezing. Dr. Scanes Spicer. reading a. paper the other day before the Chemists’ Assistants' Association on “ Sneezing,” told his hear- era that the act of sneezing has always been regarded as supernatural. and by many races was held in reverence. Hence arose the custom, not even now altogether obso- lete, of making some remark directly after sneezing. Sneezing was regarded as a. sign of impending death during the plague of Athens. Many classical Writers make especial reference to sneezing, and some supposed that during sneezing devils were expelled. Sneezing itself is a reflex nervous action, and is brought about by mechanical irrita- tion to theendsoi the nervefibres which occur in the tissue of the nose. When this irri- tation recurs, whether it be due toe foreign body or change of temperature affecting the tissues of the nose,s nerve impulse is trans- mitted to the brain and certain nerve centres in the medulla oblongata are effect- ed; this results in certain impulses being transmitted along the nerves to the muscles controlling respiration. By this means the egress of air during expiration is delayed, and the various exits are closed. When the pressure, however, reaches a. limit, the exits are forced open, “ a powerful blast of air is expelled, and the patient sneezes.” In the wilder country which lies where the border line is a mere survey line, one doas as one pleases there. An exam *le is the Megantac region where Morrison. the Megantic outlaw, so long defied the Author ities. To cover such territory would necessitate the employment of the army. It is not worth while, so the smuggler-does as he likes, because neither government can afiord to go to great expense to stop leaks which are trifling in the aggregate. The oldest man In the London Post Office has been in the service forty-five years. There area. large number of post- men whose fathers were engaged in the same service before them and whose sons will probably take their places. The posi- tion of river postman has been in one fem. 1y for several generations. The grandfather of the present incumbent received from George . III. a. silver badge weighing eighteen ounces, and his‘ son was presented With a new boat by William IV. It is the business of the river postman to deliver letters to and collect letters from the ship- ping in the Themes. The British postal employees are subject to police duty and may at any time be sworn in as special eon- stables to assist in maintaining order. There is a. well-drilled fire brigade in the London office. Teacherâ€"“Johnny, have you your knife with you '3” Johnnyâ€"“Yes'm.” “Then I wish you would sharpen my pencil for me.” “Please, I’d rather not.” “Why ?" “ ’Uause while I was sharpenin’ it I might: drop the knife on the floor, and then YOU’d give me a. bad mark for muk‘m’a nonso.” Paying Her Back London Postmen. FREE TRADERS. The weekly mending is considered a dis- agreeable task by many housewives, partly because the material must be hunted up every time they are used. The mending basket should be supplied with everything needful for performng the task easily and satisfactorily. Several spools of white and black cotton are necessary. ranging rom number 36 to 80, with needles to correpond; darninglinen hr tablecloths and napkins, remnants of spools of silk and cotton thread of different colors, left over from former dressmaking;aud black ilk of different numbers. Besides these, there should be skirt braid, rolls or rem- nants, of wide and narrow tape, bodkins, scissors, thimbles, pin and needle cushions, hooks and eye, and a box containing an assortment of buttons of all kinds. The last may be obtained by removing buttons from garments that are worn 0. , By having the most of those arranged in pockeflcs in the basket,much time and trouble may be saved. The piece box should con- tain scraps of goods that. may be needed to repair gowns that they match, 8150' muslin, linen, and other pieces. _ uucu, nuu uvurl “mum. I‘he best way to save the wear of wash- ing and ironing is to mend the clothes be- fore washing. as a. rent is always larger after the garment has passed through the laundry. When the things are washed. it is such a comfort to have them all ready to put away; besides, the patch always looks nesier, when washed and ironed after it is put on. When this plan is pursued. Tues- day is usually the most convenient day to wash. The clothing is changed Sunday morning. and an hour or two on Monday will be sufficient to put it in good repair. But there are many housewives who object. to mending soiled clothing. In that case, articles that need a few stitches should bv sorted, so that they may be ready whenever opportunity offers for doing the work. ‘J err... “0..., Always match stripes or figures in mend- ing gingham or other wash goods, and it, is better to Wash the pieces used several times, so that they will be nearly the some color as the garment. If the rent or wear is near a seam, insert one side of the patch into it, and if near two seams have the patch extended from one to the other. fl. . . r , J , A 7 A _ _ .2 AL- Garments that are frayed around the bottom should be re-bouna or re-hemmed. Remove worn out, lace, and replace it, with new trimming, as is will not, pay to mend it. Sew on buttons that have come off, or tighten those that are loose. Torn button holes may be strengthened by put- ting a. tiny patch of tape on the worn side and darning it down neatly. Tear sheets in two lengthwise when they become thin in the centre, and join the selvedge edges so that. they may receive their share of the wear ; or the best parts may be made into pillow slips. Not a scrap of table linen should be wasted. After tablecloths are past darning, cut them in squares for wash rags, and use the best portions for children’s towels. Pieces that are too small to use in any other way are good for binding up wounds of any kind. The stockings should have their own bag or mending basket, which should be fully stored with darning cotton of the necessary colors, long needles, and a. damning egg. A single thread should be used in mendingI as doubled cotton produces a. lump that is apt to make the wearer uncomfortable. If the work is skillfully done, there is no rea- son why the most sensitive feet should suffer by wearing mended hose. Run the thread through the fabric some distance on each side of the hole, as well as across it. Worn places should be darned also. before a hole appears. 1.- When Athe feet are worn out, and the legs are still good, make them over for the little folks. Cut the pattern from a stock- ing that is the right size. Iron the large stocking until smooth, lay the pattern on it, and cut the pieces by it. Beste the seam and try it on. If it does not fit,mnke the necessary alterations,cut a. new pattern by it, and save it for the future use. Sew the seams, press them open, and catch down on either side, so that they will not hurt the feet. They will wear better if extra. pieces are put on over the knees, on the inside of the stocking. 2. Choose only those that will thrive in the temperature at; which you keep your room. Select carefully so suit the amount, of sunshine or shade in your win- dow. 1. Select only such plants as are winter bloomers. that it, is entirely free from insects, before bringing to the window in the LuLumn. 4. Shower the leaves of your plants once a. Week to keep down dust. and insects. If insects appear, fight them at once, and never give up until they are routed. 5. Keep flowering plants in small or medium sized pots. See that the soil is rich, the drainage an inch deep at bottom of pot, and a. crust of hard es.th is never allowed to form at; the top of the pot, 6. Water only when dry, then give sutficient water to web to the bottom of the pot. Be chary of water in severely cold weather. 7. Turn the pots frequently, pinch off withered flowers and faded leaves. Allow all Holland bulbs to root six or eight weeks in the dark before bringing to the Window. 8. Give weak liquid manure once a fortnight to ail plants showing buds-â€" never to half-grown plants. Useful Recipes. Roast Goose.â€"Having drawn and singed a. large young goose. Wipe out the inside thh a cloth, and sprinkle in some salt and pepper. Make a. scuffing of four good-sized onions, chopped fine, and half that quan- tity of chopped sage leaves, one very large tencupful of grated bread-crumbs, a piece of butter the size of an egg. and the beaten 3. Examine every plant to make sure THE HOME. Darning and Mending. The Window Garden. yolks of two eggs, with a little pepper and salt. Mix the whole together well. Put this stuffing into the goose, and press it in hard, but (lo not entirely fill up the cavity, as the mixture will swell in cooking. Tie the goose securely round with a greased string, and put paper over the breast to prevent it scorching. Put it into a hot oven ; the fire must be brisk and well kept up. It will require from two and a half to three hours to roast. Baste it at first with a little salt and water and then with its own gravy. Take off the paper when the goose is about half done. and dredge it with a little flour toward the last. Having parboiled the liver and heart, chop them and put them into the gravey, which must be well skimmed and thickened with a little burned flour. Send apple sauce to the table with the goose, also mashed potatoes. Apple Samoaâ€"Pate, core. and slice some fine juicy apples. Put them into a sauce- pan with just enough water to keep them from burning. and some grated lemon peel. Stew them till very soft and tender, then mash them to a. paste and make them very sweet with brown sugar, adding a small piece of butter and some grated nutmeg. Be careful not to have the sauce thin and watery, A Rattler and n Blacksnake Engage In 3 Deadly Snuggle. I was resting near one of the lagoons in South Floride, one day about noon, after a. morning spent in hunting. It was a clear- beautiful day, and, after finishinga. light luncheon, I had my attention attracted by a slight movement in the underbrush about ten feet back of me. I started alittle upon, eeing an enormous diamond-back rattle- snake stretched out in the sun. It had evi- dently been sleeping, and was just waking up from its slumbers. For this reason it had not announced its presence before by rattling. I wmted a good skin of a fine specimen, and picked up my gun to kill it ; but, before 1 could shoot, the appearance of another snake, a large blacksneke this time, made me hesitate. The rattler suddenly raised its head and immediately began to coil and rattle. The blacksnake stopped in its journey and looked savagely at the rattler, as if measuring its strength; The two reptiles were angry,nnd their beadâ€"like eyes seemed to emit sparks of fire. ' Ste wed Oysters.â€"Put the oysters into a. sieve, to drain the liquor from them. Then put them into a. stew-pan with some whole pepper. :1 littie salt and a. piece of butter rolled in flour. Then pour over them about half of the liquor, or a. little more, set the pan over hot coals, and simmer them gently for about five minutes. Try one and if it tastes raw cook thew a little longer. Make some thin slices of toast, having cut at? all the crust. Butter the toast and lay it in the bottom of a. deep dish. Put the oysters on it with the liquor in which they were stewed. Potato Snowâ€"For this purpose use potatoes that are very white, mealy, and smooth. Boil them very carefully, and when they are done, pour 03 the water, peel them, and set them on the back of the stove till they are quite dry and powdery. Then rub them through a. course wire sieve into the dish in which they are to go to table. Do not disturb the heap of potatoes before it is served up, or the flakes will fall and it will flatten. This makes apretty dish. For nearly a minute the two remained in this attitude, the rattler coiled ready to strike, and the blacksnake with head quivering with suppressed emotion as it moved from side to side. Then the chal- lenge seemed to be accepted,and the black- snake suddenly darted in a curve toward the rattler, but the cu rve did not bring the long trailing body within reach of the deadly fangs. With rapid motion, the blacksnake began to move around the coiled rattler in various-sized circles, now narrowing them and now broadening them. The rattler twisted its body slightly to keep its eyes upon the enemy. striking now and then as the curves brought the black reptile close to it. But the blacks snake was too quick in its movements. Round and round it flew until_ its body seemed to lengthen out into one circle of black. It made me dizzy to watch the reptile, and the rattler’s head seemed to sway uneasily as if affected in the same way by the strange evolutions of its adver- sary. The strikes of the rattler became more frequent, desperate, and less accurate and once or twice it nearly lost its balance ai'er a vicious dive. But the blacksnake never once changed its tactics. Swifter and swifter its lithe body seemed to move, until the rattler was unable to follow it with any degree of accuracy. Then suddenly, without warn- ing, t‘. ere was a change. The black circle suddenly curved sharply toward the center. The blacksnake had made a. dive at its dizzy adversary, and when the two strug- gled together in a heap a moment later, I could see that the blacksnake had the rat tler by the throat in such a way that the poisonous fangs were useless. In this position the two twisted and squirmed round on the ground until finally the lithe blacksnake had wrapped its body around the thick one of its adversary. Tighter and tighter the coils were drawn while the jaws seemed to be locked eternally into the throat of the rattler. For nearly ten minutes they rolled around in this way,and then the struggles grew weaker until the rattler stretched out as if dead. The conqueror, however, did not loosen its hold on the throat until the body was quiet except for the wriggling of the tip of the tail. Then it let go, and after circlink around the dead body several times,it slung away in the swamp. Friendâ€"“I notice you have a string around your finger and a knot in your handkerchief, too.” 01d Ladyâ€"“Yes, the string around my finger is to remind me that I have a knot in my handkerchief, and the knot in the handkerenief is to remind me that the Lhinga I want to remember are written on a piece of paper in my purse. A FIERCE SNAKE FIGHT. Likely to Remember. Her motherâ€""Don’t you find Jack rath- er rough 2" Priscillaâ€"“Yes, mammn. And yet he says he shaves every day." In a menagerieâ€"“This is the great. has constrictor, which usually swallows a. whole pig for its breakfast. Not quite so close, air, if you plane." Professorâ€"“Ah, meee! You climb the mountain. It was a great foot." Milaâ€" “You mean feat.” Professorâ€"“Ah 1 Ze: you climb it, more zan once 2” Minnieâ€"“What do you understand by the term platonic aflection ‘3” Mamieâ€""It usually means that the young man feels that he cannot: afl'ord to marry.” Bangsâ€"“I’d give a. good deal to know how it feels to be drugged and robbed.” Binthereâ€"“Why don’t. you go and get a prescription filled, then ?” Tomâ€"“You look awful blue. I suppose it’s bees» so of Miss Maybelle’s having to- jected you." Chollyâ€"“Yea, I can’t help feeling sorry for the poor girl.” "Haven't. you got this book in a. chicken salad binding ?” asked the Cheerful Idiot. “What do you mean?” asked the astonished bookseller. “Half calf." Boarderâ€"“MadamJ have found a. nickel in my hash.” Mrs. Mealerâ€"“Oh, that’s all right. I put it. there ; I though: I’d give you a little change in your diet." Laura. (to her neighbor at dinner)â€"“Yon eat very little, Mr. Jenkins." Jenkins (flattered, and wishing to return a compli- ment)â€""Ah, Miss Laura. to sit: by you takes one’s appetite away.” “I propose," began the deliberate 01d lawyer who called around to see a young Widow on business, when his vlvacious client, exclaimed, “I accept.” They are now partners. Plankingtonâ€"“I understand that you had to go to law about that, property that was left you. Have you a. smart lawyer 2” Von Bloomerâ€"“You bet, I have. He owns the property now.” Fingleâ€"“There goes a woman with a history." Fangleâ€"“Thab woman who just left your ofice? Hnw do you know ‘2" Fingleâ€"“Sbe worked for an hour trying to sell it to me.” Intimate friendâ€"“ Has your husband'l love grown cool?” Sarcastic wifeâ€"“Oh.no. He loves himself inst; as much now as he did when we were married twenty years ago.)) A poor woman was telling a kind-hearted visitor how the doctor came and said she had a sluggish liver. " What, beats me,” she added, “is how hhem slugs gets inside the liver.” - She carried her new dress away, But, ah ! my heart it; grieves, To tell she had to hire a dray To carry home the sleeves. “ Did I understand you to any the! Thompson was a farmer 2” “ Good gracious no! I said he made his money in wheat You never heard of a farmer doing that did you 2” Schoolmusterâ€"“Icis all very well for you to say you did not- have time to get your lesson, but there is one thing I should like to ask youâ€"’ Young lady pupil-v “ But, air, this is so sudden l” “ Answer by return male," was the way the letter wound up than Miss Fooclitea re- ceived from Mr. Suddenrox. “I wonder." said she, “ whether he means by the meat senger boy or by post.” Tell us not in mourniul numbers Llfe is but; an empty dream. When we’ve had mince pie and doughnuts, Turkey, cake and real ice cream. Henry, Jr.â€"“ Father, ain’t 8 rug always level and even?” Henry, Sr.â€"“lea. Why do ask 1" Henry, Jr.â€"â€"“ Nothing much, ’cepb l was just wondering why they called a jagged old mountain rugged.” “I think Miss Smith and Mr. Jones must be engaged; they have had their portraits taken together.” “Indeed? I am glad to hear it. I knew when I introduced them that, she would be taken with him.” Fatherâ€"“I do not require that the man who marries my daughter shall be rich. All that I ask is that he be able to keep out of debt." Suiborâ€"“Would you con- sider a man in debt. who borrow: money from his father-in-law ?” “Ah,” she said, in reply to his flattering remarks, “beauty, you know, is only skin deep." “Yes,” he returned, “but consider the vast; number of girls, and msuy of them your own associates, wbohaveu’b got it. that deep.” Miss Youngbrideâ€"“I have not, the slight- est. idea how the wedding service begins. .I’ll have to look it up." Her intended (glancing with admiration at the wedding gifts)â€"“Why not start 03', ‘Know all men by these prese‘nps ?’ ” 'Minnieâ€"“Did you hear about Molly's fiance falling off the trolley 0211' and llreak' ing his arm ?" Msmieâ€"“ Yes. I wonder if he will sue the company for damages '1'" Minnieâ€"“ I guess not. I shouldn’t. wonder if she does though. ” “ I don’t see why people come here for their health,” growled Barker. “ It strikes me as being very unhealthy.” “ It is now,” said the landlord. “ So many people have come here for health and got it. that our supply has been exhausted.” Some 0’ these days the pide will tqrp, Though the river looks long and dim ; But while you’re weitin’ you’d better learn To swim, my boy, to swim ! “ Here’s another one of those millionaire plumber jokes in the paper,” said Griticus. “Did you ever see a. rich plumber, Hicks t” “ Never,” said Hicks. “ All the plumbers I’ve seen have been very poor plumbers. Still, a. fellow may be a. poor plumber and yet be a. rich man.” Little Nedâ€"“Don’t take away the light!” Mammaâ€"“I want you to learn to go t1 sleep without a. light.” “Must I sleep in the dark ?” “Yea.” l‘Well, then, wait; a. minute. I guess I’ll get up and say my prayers a little more carefully." Little boyâ€",“That ink that papa writ» with isn’t indelible ink, is it ?” Motherâ€""No." "Ym glad of that." "Why '2” “I've spilt it all over the carpet." WINTER WRINKLES. Change of Programme. He Was Glad