Evening Star Newspaper, May 5, 1894, Page 19

ia DRESSES FOR DOLLS Bome Useful Hints to Little Girls About Making Them WITH KIND MAMMA’S HELP Costumes Easily Made, That Afford Great Pleasure. FROM RAGS TO CHINA Written Exclusively for The Evening Star. VERY LITTLE girl loves dolls, and also likes to make their clothes, if she ean, and if she can’t she should try to learn, for dolls’ clothes pave the way and help her won- Gerfully when she Wants to begin mak- ing gowns for her- self. The first doll that very little children feve is generally the old rag one, that can be thrown around without injury to either Only a Rag Doll. Goll or furniture. A twisted roll of cloth fcrms the body, and a smaller roll is plac- ed crosswise for arms. Then when big sis- ter has painted not very realistic eyes, Rose and mouth, and has wrapped the queer thing inan old shawl, this strange — lady makes a very fine playfellow. it this doll will only do for very little folks and the next pretty little lady is a #avorite with all. ' She wears a little cotton gown made with BM straigt waist and full skirt, that any care- ful little girl! could make with mamma's help. The sleeves are full and have little Fuffes of embroidery about the wrists. Whree rows of ribbon or inserting are sew- ed around the waist and there are three rows on the skirt. Then make her out of some odd pieces of flannel that mother is sure to have a little coat. Have the cuffs, collar and belt of one color and the coat of the other. Take the crown of your last year’s straw hat and trim it into a circle, cut a hole in the middle and fill it in with @ full piece of soft material, and make a Little rosette for the front, and your dolly’s clothes will be entirely of your own make, @nd because of this you will take care of fthem and keep them a long time. AA The Rollicking Satlor Boy. ‘The third member of the doll family is @enerally bought already arrayed in his Mautical costume. He is the sailor boy doll, end is very popular, indeed. If you wish to Gress him yourself I do not think that you will find the loose blouse waist, straight Brousers and sailor cap too hard for you. A Big One. The fourth dolly is almost as big as a Feal baby. and has clothes every bit as @ainty. Her long white skirts should be made with little bodices, just as your baby eister’s are, and the little dress has a tucked yoke and full puff sleeves, that look gust Itke baby’s. Her little white cloak, that is lined with blue, lies over a chair, @nd you can also see the white and blue Sap that matches ft The Colored Nurse. A colored nurse doll comes next. She «wears a bright red and yellow dress, which can just as well be made in the single Mother Hubbard fashion, and belted in at the waist by the big white apron that you | oes wi table-looking never says a Lord Fauntleroy. Lord Fauntleroy dolls are most popular, and here is a picture of one. He is clothed like all the others have been since that pretty story was written. His little velvet suit, unless you are a very smart little girl, had better be made by mamma, though you can help by making his collar, cuffs bright sash, e nag ie Alexandrine From Paris. ‘The seventh doll is a very fine lady in- deed. She came from Paris and her name is Alexandrine, which is about as long a name as you can say. Her dress is of blue ind pink figured satin, with pink revers and cuffs and light blue vest. Her skirt is short and kilted, and you can see that she has very elaborately trimmed petticoats. She is a beauty, but much too fine for every-day use, and so not as much fun as the other dolls, A Nickel Apiece. Many little girls are very fond of dressing the small 5-cent china dolls, and these are lots of fun, as you can have a whole house- ful of them for very little money, which is @ much better way of spending your money than on candy. The trouble is to make sleeves for such very tiny frocks, so, per- haps, the pattern shown in cut eight will help you over this difficulty. Cut from a Piece of cloth—it had-better be cotton good: —a shape like this and then crease it down where I have marked a zig-zag line, you will then see that it makes the shape of a \jttle dress, which, when you have sewed the dotted lines (a) and the dotted lines (b) together, will look like the frock shown in the ninth picture. You can put this very narrow baby lace down the front in the same way, or any other way you like best, and your china baby will be very fine. The Bride and Groom. The last is a picture of a bride and groom, and, though you will have to get some one to make the groom's suit, you can easily tend to the bride's. Make her a long, full skirt, with a train, and trim it with baby ribbon. Then make a tight-fitting body with full sleeves and lace ruffles. Drape a piece of tulie over her head and get her a spray of the tiny bridal wreath flowers to wear in her hair, and when you invite the other dolls to witness the ceremony I am sure their eyes will be wide open from astonish- ment. M. E. 8. On NOT AFRAID OF DOGS. They Knew Just What to Do When a Big One Came After Them. From the Mount Holly Dispatch. i was standing on the raflroad platform of a small country town a few evenings | ago. There were four men grouped apart from where I was standing conversing among themselves. Just beside the edge of the platform were the grounds of some pri- vate residence, fenced in by an iron fence only three feet high. Inside the fence, held by a heavy chain, was a dog of the deer- hound breed. He was impatiently chafing against the restraint imposed upon him and pulled and tugged at his chain at a great rate. The four men were standing looking at him and making comments. “I don’t know why it is,” said one, “that I never have the least sensation of fear of dogs. Why,if that dog was to break loose and jump the fence it might be dangerous, but I'd be just as cool as I am now.” “I've had several narrow escapes with fe- recious dogs,” said another,“and I've train- ed myself to instantly crush them by look- ing them in the eye steadily. Notice m:; eye?” The other three peered into it.~Well gentlemen, that eye has cowed dogs that would take a leg off you at a bite.” The third man, who had been for some time trying to interrupt No. 2 in order to get off his little tale, seized the opportunity and struck in. “I simply kick ‘em,” he said. “I've had dogs come at me at light- ning speed, gentlemen, jaws wide open and their eyes red with rage. All I've done is to calmly step aside and plant one tremen- dous kick in their ribs as they went by. It teok courage, but I was always there. I never had one to come back at me yet. The fourth man was just opening his mouth to tell his little lie when the deer- hound over the fence got loose, and proba- bly not thinking of the four men at all bounded over the fence to make good his liberty. I watched to see the man with the wonderful eye get in his work, and the kicker do his great kicking act, and the man with the iron nerve stand coolly with bis arms folded, but none of them was do- ing his specialty that day. Instead the whole one-horse quartet turn- ed and jostled and bumped and trod on each other's toes in a wild endeavor to get out of the way of that deerhound. The head of the iron-nerved man bumped into the man with the mesmeric eye and jam- med his hat down so that the luster of the eye was dimmed, and I suppose that’s why it didn’t work. The man who always kick- ed vicious dogs did get in his kick, but it was on my right shin accidentally, as he rushed by me to save his life. But the deer- hound rushed over the fields without look- ing at any of the heroe: —+ The Land He Loved. From Puck. Weary Whiskers—“Of all der states in der Union me favorite is Alabamer.” Frayed Fagan—“Wot's pertic’ler about Alabamer?” Weary Whiskers (dreamily)—“Why, Fra ‘y, der motter of dat state is ‘Here We Rest.’” ADE BIG MONEY What Wiloor Earned by Outing Rims From Double Eagles Counterfeiters. A PECULIAR CHINESE METHOD W ILCOX, THE COIN clipper, certainly stands at the head of his profession. cent shipments light-weight and double eagles to the treasury at ‘Washington from va- rious parts of the country show that he did business on a much larger scale than was imagined. Up to the date of his final arrest by government detectives he must have treated in his peculiar and in- genius fashion at least $50,000 worth of gold coin. He left a trail of it all the way from Denver to Baltimore, His recapture the other day, after having escaped from the officers who took him in Chicago, was extremely fortunate. According to his own account, Wilcox was able to earn $50 a day at this sort of work, with only four or five hours’ toll. The industry was easy as well as lucrative. He was almost safe from detection, the clipping being done so scientifically that only an expert would suspect it. By cut- ting a rim from around the coin, as a tire might be removed from a wheel, he ‘took away from each $20 piece an amount of gold not exceeding twenty-six to twenty- nine grains in weight, or about the value of a dollar. The spbsequent rereeding of the double eagle, done with a machine, ren- dered it as perfect as ever to the eye of the casual observer. ” The apparatus employed could be taken apart and packed in a trunk, so that the criminal operator was able to pull up stakes and decamp from a city as soon as his work began to excite attention. In this way he moved gradually eastward, pausing in Chicago during the world’s fair and reaping a good harvest there. reaching a fresh locality he was ready to do business, all that he required being a quiet room in an obscure street and a sup- ply of gold coin. The latter he obtained from banks in a very simple manner. He would deposit a considerable sum of money and, after awhile he would draw it out in gold. Of course capital was needed. The clipped coins were passed by Mrs. Wilcox at dry goods shops mostly. A Dentist Confederate. Wilcox had a confederate who was os- tensibly a dentist. The latter, being sup- posed to employ that metal in his business, found no ditficulty in disposing of the stolen gold. But, oddly enough, the gang did not know how to melt the yellow stuff. When Wilcox found himself in Philadeiphia after his .escape from Uncle Sam's officers in Chicago, he thought it would be a better plan to reduce the gold to ingots and sell it as bullion to dealers in that commodity. So he went to a man who bought and sold precious metals, taking with him a few ounces of gold. He said that he was a den- tal surgeon, and that, being about to depart for Europe, he wished to dispose of it. The merchant suspected notning and made no objection when the customer ex- pressed a desire to look on while the gold was being melted. The operation is simple enough, and Wilcox observed it carefully. After leaving the shop he went and bought a@ nest of crucibles and portable bellows. These he carried with him to Baltimore, where he je use of them until the detec- tives ran him down. He-could-hardiy es- cape for long, because the secret service was straining every nerve to capture the criminal who had made such a success of a new and improved process for mutilating the coinage. The apparatus captured and destroyed must have cost about $1,000, In old times, a century or more ago, the clipping of coins was caried on extensively in England and elsewhere. Gold pieces which had lost more or less of their sul stance were common then and passed cur- rent readily enough. But statutory restric- tions against mutilation of the coinage have rendered this business comparatively un- profitable. However, it is still practiced by criminais of great expertness,who have vari- ous methods of reducing the bullion value of metal currency without altering its pearance. For obvious reasons, gold is most exclusively subjected to such treat- ment. Some of the processes employed are remakably ingenious. One of the most interesting of these con- sists in sawing a double.eagle in two through the edge and gouging out the in- side so as to remove about $15 worth of gold. Thus the piece is reduced to a hol- low shell in halves. It is then filled with platinum, which is nearly as heavy as the yellow metal and costs—at the present mar- ket rate, though this varies somewhat— less than one-half. Lead is too light for the purpose. The cut edge of the recon- structed coin ts disguised by a rim of gold solderd on, and a reeding machine renews the corrugations of the minting. The re- sult is really a work of art, being a com- bination of five different metals. Only an expert can distinguish anything wrong about it. One Method Employed. A method somewhat similar, though less artistic, is to substitute for the interior portion of a gold piece a core in the shape of a planchet of silver, the coin being split for the purpose, as in the other case. This process is employed almost exclusively by Chinese. Its most important drawback ts that the eagle or double eagle thus treated is noticeably light in weight. A better plan, though somewhat laborious, is one describ- ed in a previous letter by the writer. It consists in boring into the coin from the edge so as to remove a considerable part of its internal substance. In this manner about $7 worth of gold may be convenient- ly removed from a $20 piece, the hole bein; filled with a metal composition and solder: at the opening with gold. Numerous counterfeits of eagles and half- eagles are extant, cast in base metal and gilded. Some of these are of platinum, for the sake of weight’ The gilding process has been ingeniously combined with “sweat- ing.” By suspending in a tank of cyanide of potash a gold piece at one end of a cop- per wire and a base metal counterfeit at the other end the criminal operator can transfer a coating of gold from the good coin to the bad one. By this method the bad coin obtains the appearance of a gold piece, while the real gold piece is rendered Not less negotiable at face value. Of course this may be practiced with many coins at once, The apparatus required is inexpen- sive, consisting of a few chemicals and a small battery. An electric light current will serve the purpose. The discoverers of chemistry are of great service to counterfeiters. Comparatively few false coins are issued nowadays with- out an electro-plating of gold or silver, which adds to their deceptive quality. In this way silver quarters, slightly altered as to lettering, are made to imitate gold eagles, while dimes are transformed in like fashiom into half-eagles. Fortunately for the currency, practically all of the gold in circulation in the United States passes every few years through the treasury and subtreasuries. Every piece received at those jnstitutions is weighed, and, if found light in weight, is stamped with a big L. Such coins are redeemed as bullion. They are sent to the mints, melted and recoin- ed. The people lose by their deficiency and not the government. To Give Age to Counterfeit Notes. As for paper money, the shabbiest is apt to be regarded with the least suspicion, Ac- cordingly counterfeiters make use of vari- ous artificial processes for giving an ap- pearance of age to their notes. One method is to rub them over the body of a sweating horse, thus saturating them with dirt and grease. Another plan involves the use of tea-leaves or coffee-grounds. The grounds or leaves are moistened and placed in a book between two layers of tissue paper. Then against the tissue paper, but separat- ed by the latter from the grounds or leaves, are placed the false notes. The moisture soaks through the paper and discolors the notes, giving them an ancient and respect- able appearance. To return to the sub- THE AMOUNT OF GOLD 80 TREATED What Chemistry Has Done for Re- of eagles On | ject—the materials most employed by crim- inal coiners for their compositions igh ote ter, block-tin and solder. Each of however, has his own special recipe. Pew- ter for the purpose is usually obtained in the shape of spoons. The loss to the government by wear and tear on silver coin in circulation is con- siderable. It averages 3 cents on every dol- jar. Last year, as reckoned on pieces re- minted, it amounted to $239,293, Coin of the white metal is redeemed at face value by the treasury as long as it has not been will- fully mutilated and retains enough of its design for identification. Congress makes an appropriation annually for recoining abraded pieces—not, be it understood, to pay the cost of minting, but to square the cash account of the treasurer of the United States. He is only credited by the director of the mint with the bullion value of the worn pieces when he delivers them. On the same account there was during the last year a loss by gold reminted of $2,384. But the government will not accept gold coins that have lost more than a very small fraction of their weight, which is termed the “limit of tolerance.” The Columbian coins, so widely advertised at the time of their issue, were a sad fail- ure. It was expected that people would be eager to pay double their face value in or- der to obtain them as curiosities. That this was a mistake is proved by the fact that 3,641,760 unsold half-dollars are now lying in the treasury. Most of them were never taken out, while the rest have been returned for redemption. They are to be recoined at the expense of the exposition management in order to protect the holders of those which were actually purchased. The 5,000,000 souvenir 50-cent pieces were made out of abraded silver coins furnished by the treasury. For their manufacture $2,540,000 worth of such coins was required, $40,000 having to be added to compensate for loss by wear. Of the 40,000 silver sou- venir quarters minted at the same time 15,808 still remain in the treasury. It is not known what will be done with them, Why Subsidiary Silver Coin is Not Counterfeitea, A silver dollar is now worth forty-six sents, but the bullion value of half a dollar is only twenty-tw> cents, that of @ quarter dollar, eleven cents, and that of dime less than four and a half cents. The intrinsic value of the subsidiary coins is made less than-that of the dollar for a very useful purpose. If it were not so, the small pieces, which are of the greatest importance as a medium of exchange, would be most frequently melted up for commercial purposes. Of course, very little of that is done at present, on account of the low price of silver, and the proportion- te poverty of the sliver coinage. But in id times the practice referred to gave rise to famines of small change, during which there was great difficulty in procuring frac- tional money, and postage stamps and car j tickets were frequently employed as sub- stitutes. Incidentally to the discussion of this subject, it is worth mentioning that the withdrawal by the government of postal rotes has already greatly increased the practice of sending coins in cards. Charitable organizations, country news- papers, and many business firms send out cards with circular holes in them to con- tain silver pieces. Two glued flaps hold the coin in position, and in this shape it is sent through the mails in payment of subscrip- tions or what not. Until within the last few years cents were not recognized as currency in the west and south. Of late they have begun to be used all over the country, though their introduction has been gradua! and their acceptance reluctant. During the last year California received from the treasury and ciculated 52,000 cents, Louisiana took 5,000 cents, Utah 2,000 and New Mexico 4,000. These are small amounts, but they show that coppers are making their way in states which until recently have refused to recognize them. Cents are as yet prac- tically unknown in Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona, New York employs the greatest number of pennies. Last year that state drew for currency 7,904,000 brand-new cents from the treasury. Illinois came next, with a demand for 5,573,000 copper partly on account of the world’s fa! Massachusetts was third, calling for 4,2U8, ovo cents, and Pennsylvania fourth, with 5,873,500 cents. During the last year the treasury manu- factured 48,731,700 new cents. About that many have to be turned out annually in order to keep the requisite number of cop- pers in circulation, because so many of them are lost. Being transferred from hand to hand so often, they are exposed to may more dangers than are incurred by coins of higher denominations, and their value. is so small that people do not take much care of them. They have recently become redundant in New York and Chicago, large- ly on account of the fact that those two cities are the headquarters for slot ma- chines. In each of the dozen biggest cities im the country a supply of coppers is kept on hand by the local subtreasury, which will furnish them on demand. Anybody re- siding in any other town may procure any quantity of new cents by sending a check to the superintendent of the mint in Phila- delphia, who will ship them at the expense of the government. All of the coppers ai made at the mint in Philadelphia. Uncl Sam makes @ large profit on his minc coins, as pennies and nickels are term: Blank pieces all ready to be stamped a furnished to the government by contract. The bronze discs for cents cost 20 ceats a pound—148 to a pound. Nickel bianks cc: 82 cents a pound. A notion of the rate which these small coins are lost is given by the fact that 119,000,000 of the old cop- per pennies remain to this day unaccounted for. They have not been returned to the treasury for redemption or reminting, and it is very rarely that one of them is seen, pean aaa Taking Children to Charch, Children of two and a half years old have gone to church and behaved with a pro- priety that might have shamed some of their irreverent elders, writes Elisabeth Robinson Scovil in an article on “Children’s Chureh Going” in the May Ladies’ Home Journal. To others of this age it would be simply impossible to keep still for more than five minutes at a time, and their fidjveting would certainly disturb every one in their immediate neighborhood and cause their friends much needless disquietude. When the service is bright and hearty, varied by frequent change of position and interspersed with music, which usually de- lights children, there is less fear of its overtaxing their small powers of endurance. When the great desert of the sermon, as it must seem to their unappreciative minds, arrives it is well to withdraw them if they show signs of fatigue. If this cannot be done conveniently they may at least be allowed to go to sleep with their heads in the safe shelter of mother’s lap or leaning against father’s arm. ee Queen Victoria's Birthday. Alexandrina Victoria, when but a girl of eighteen, became, through the death of her uncle, King William IV, the royal head of the only empire that encircles the earth, writes Arthur Warren in the May Ladies’ Home Journal. On the 24th day of this month will be celebrated the seventy-fifth anniversary of the queen's birth. For fifty-seven years Victoria has now reigned as queen. It may be truly sald of this long reign that it has been marked from the beginning with strong womanly qualities that have made Victoria the most beloved queen of England. Her very first act as queen was womanly. Immediately upon her accession she indited a letter of condolence to the bereaved widow of King William. This letter she addressed to “Her Majesty, the Queen.” Some privileged per- son, fearing that the young monarch, un- to her new dignity, had overlooked the peculiar etiquette of her position, ventured to explain that the form of address was in- correct; that she, Victoria, was the only one entitled to be known as “Her Majesty, the Queen,” Adelaide being only the queen dowager. ' Victoria replied: “Yes, but I shall not be the first to remind her of that fact.” ————co. ‘The New Arrival. From Harper's Bazar. Binkway (who has invited Fiddleback out to his house to dinner)—"Come right in, old man. I guess my wife’s around somewhere. There she is in the next room. Sadi Mrs. Binkway (from the next room)—‘Yes, dear. I'll be out ina moment. I'm just giv: ing baby dear a bath. B’ess ‘is ‘ittle heart!” Binkway—"“Come soon as you can. She'll be surprised to see you, old man.” Mrs. Binkway—‘‘All right, dear. I'll be there soon, (Splash!) Zare! Did I get some Soap in ‘is ‘ittle eyes? Never mind. Baby must have its bath, mustn’t the dear ‘ittle pet lamb?” Fiddleback—“Why, I didn't know, old man—" Binkway—‘Yes, been here a week. Wife just worships him. You mustn’t mind her baby talk. It’s the way with all women.” Ficdleback—“Why, of course not.’’ Mrs. Binkway—‘‘Zare! Did ze ‘ittle beauti- fuls have a nice bath? Come here and let me give him a good wub. Oh, if ze ‘ittle pwecious wasn’t so vewy, vewy wet I'd give him just ze beautifulest hug. Zare! Does it know its mamma now?” Fiddieback—‘‘Well, old man, I hadn't the least idea that—’ Binkway—“Oh, yes, Nice thing for a wo- man, old man. Keeps her busy.” Fiddleback—‘Yes, indeed, What's its name?” Binkway—"Gyp.” PLANISPHE MAY . STAR GAZERS What"May Be Seen in the Heavens During This Month, THE POSITION OF THE VARIOUS BODIES The Brilliant Planets Reigning in the Eastern and Western Skies. THE MONTH’S PLANISPHERE Written for The Evening gtar. IGHT STARS OF the first magnitude will be above the horizon at 9 o'clock tomorrow evening, or between 7 and § o'clock near the close of the month. in the west may be seen Procyon, the Little Dog (Canis Minor), the last of Orion's splendid train to disappear below the horizon. At about the same altitude in the northwest will be found Capella, the Goat, the principal star in Auriga, the Charioteer. Midway between these two bright stars and at a somewhat greater distance above the horizon are the Twins (Gemini), Castor and Pollux, the for- mer of which is a bright second-magnitude star, while the latter, being somewhat brighter, is usually placed in the first class. In the northeast Vega, or Alpha Lyrae, which is to be one of the brilliants of the northern evening skies during the summer months, taking the place which Capella has occupied throughout the winter, is now fair- ly above the horizon at 9 o'clock. Vega is the principal star in the Lyre of Orpheus. It is the rival in splendor of Arcturus, which may now be seen in mid-heavens, a little south of east, although the precedence is usually accorded to the latter star. Their respective claims are difficult to decide on account of their difference in color, Arcturus being a yellow star, while Vega is bluish white. Arcturus is always easy to recognize from its position on @ continuation of the curve of the Dipper’s handle. Following this curve still farther south we strike, at a distance from Arcturus about equal to its distance from the Dipper, Spica, the Wheat-ear, in the constellation Virgo. Like Vega, Spica is a “Sirlan,” or white star, and though less brilliant than Vega, it is one of the most beautiful of the starry host. Handle of the Sickle. At about three-fifths of the distance from Spica to Procyon is Regulus, the principal star in Leo. Its position in the handle of the Sickle—a curved group of stars so sug- gestive of the object for which it has been named that no one can fail to recognize it— renders Regulus easy to identify. It is of about the same brilliancy as Pollux, and like that star it is admitted into the com- pany of the first-magnitude stars, perhaps for no better reason than to raise the num- ber of those rs to twenty. The eighth star of this class, now above the horizon, is Antares, in the Scorpion, which has only just thrust its lobster-like claws above the horizon in the southeast. At the hour of our observation, however, Antares is too low to be visible. The position of the Scorpion, just rising, while Orion, whom we have been admiring all through the winter months, has but just disappeared in the west, suggests an expla- nation of the story anciently told of the way in which this mythical huntsman and warrior met his death. Proud of his ex- Ploits in the chase, Orion, it is said, boasted to Latona and Diana that he could kill any animal they would send against him. They sent a scorpion, which easily vanquished the over-confident giant with its venomous sting. Whether the story was suggested by the relative positions of these constella- tions or not, the fact remains that no sooner does the Scorpion appear on the celestial scene than Orion vanishes from it. Through- out the summer months this slayer of Orion will take his place as the most brilliant constellation of the southern evening skies. A few of the more notable of the constella- tions now above the horizon have been out- lined on the planisphere, to aid the reader's imagination in his search for them, The Great Bear. The Great Bear (Ursa Major) will be found nearly overhead. Begin the search for this famous celestial monster with the Dipper, which forms the hinder part of its body and its decidedly unbearlike tail. The position of its nose is marked by a star cf the fourth magnitude, at a distance from the bowl of the Dipper about equal to the length of its handle. This star is the outer- most of three which form a noticeable little triangle, as shown on diagram. Ob- serve that the Bear’s paws are marked by three little pairs of fourth-magnit stars, arranged nearly in a line with one another. The pair which marks the two fore paws is midway between the bowl of the Dipper and the Twins. The two pairs which mark the hind paws Ne midway between the Dipper and the Sickle. These are the salient points of the constellation. To clothe this crude skeleton with a befitting form is excellent exercise for the imagination. The Lion (Leo) can be located quite as readily as the Bear, and it makes, on the whole, a rather more satisfactory constella- tion. The Sickle forms the Lion’s head and shoulders. His forepaws, extended forward, if he were in the act of springing on his prey, are marked by a little group of faint rs, to the right of Regulus. meb, in the tall, a star of the second magnitude, is easily found from its position at the lower left-hand corner of a recangular figure formed by four stars of diffrent magnitudes, that diagonally opposite Deneb being of the third and the others of the fourth. The Lion’s hind legs extend down across the equator into the southern hemisphere. They are marked by an elongated group of stars of the fourth and fifth magnitudes, not shown on the chart here given. Leo is one of the zodiacal constellations, as also are Virgo, Libra and Scorpio, which follow it in_succession toward the east. Cancer and Gemini, to the west of Leo, are the two remaining of the six constellations of the zodiac which are now above the herizon at 9 p.m. Diamond of Virgo. The Diamond of Virgo is formed by the four stars Deneb, Spica, Arcturus and Cor Caroll, The first three of these are nearly equidistant from one another, forming a large equal-sided triangle. Cor Caroli, Low | RE FOR MAY, THIS CHART SHOWS THD PRINCIPAL STARS NOW VISIBLE AT 9 P.M. ITS CIRCUMFER- ENCE IS THE HORIZON; ITS CENTER, THE ZENITH. TO COMPAR WITH THE HEAVENS, ROLD IT OVERHEaD. - Charles’ Heart—so named in memory of Charles I of Engiand—is about equidistant from Arcturus and Deneb, its distance from them being, however, somewhat less than their distance from each other. This is the cipal star in the Hunting Dogs (Canes Venatic. It is in line with Alioth— the innermost of the three stars in the Dip- of only the third magnitude, is quite con- spicuous from its isolated position. Cor Caroli ts a very pretty double star and ts a fine object for a smail telescope. In the upper angie of the Diamond of Virgo, at about one-fourth of the distance from Cor Caroli to Spica, is a rich sprin- Kling of faint stars, which form the constel- jation Coma Berenices, Berenice’s Hair. This very diffuse star cluster contains be- tween forty and fifty stars visible to the good service here; a large tel- escope shows that this little patch of the firmament not only abounds in stars, but is also exceptionally rich in nebulae. The con- Stellation is said to have been named by the Astronomer Conon, in honor of Queen Bere- rice, the wife of one of the Ptolemies, who had sacrificed her hair to the goddess of beauty, in fulfillment of a vow for her hus- = safe return from a military expedi- jon. , The Northern Crown. Another fine field for the opera glass in this neighborhood is the Northem Crown, situated about one-third of the distance from Arcturus to Vega, a little below a straight line joining them. The crown con- sists of five stars of the fourth and one cf the second magnitude, so arranged as to form a nearly complete oval figure. The bright star is Alpheta. An ancient desig- nation of it was Margarita Coronae, the Pearl of the Crown, a name which im me- dieval times, when it was the fashion to Substitute saints for the old mythological characters in naming the constellations, led to the calling of this star St. Margaret. Serpents are so easily traced among the stars that it is rather surprising to find only three of this class of monsters among the old constellations. All three are now wholly or in part above the horizon. The Hydra, or Water Snake, stretches its enormous length across the southern quar- ter of the heavens, from between Procyon and | directly beneath the star Spica. | line on the planisphere will assist in trac- ing it. Its head is marked by a little curved | ate 5 of three stars, which will readily be found, and which will prove to be a very pretty pa for the glass, if the ob- 1 The Oup, Crow and Serpen: The Cup (Crater) and the Crow (Corvus) are two small constellations associated with the Hydra, both standing upon his back. They are now exactly in the south. They should easily be recognized with the aid of the figures given on the planisph-re. The Crow is the more conspicuous of the two. Its four brighter stars—the brightest of the third magnitude—form a little tra- pezium, or irregular hich is quite noticeable ‘Object. ‘The > at 1 “4 has but just reared his head above the cist- ~_—_ of yes Stars—twi nitude and one of the fourth—a short = tance south of the Crown, and aboot tes Senet on ee 3 it is from Arcturus. The part of the Serpent’ 7 ny marked with stars; bi Rarer ees @ equator some imagination is ut to follow its windings toward the cast The Serpet Holder (Ophiuchus) is now only in part above the horizon; he ened on =a scene until an we will now turn toward the north—in- verting the planisphere, to compare it with the northern skies—we shall find the Dragon (Draco) in mid-heavens, to the right of the Pole star. The general course of this tortuous constellation, which winds partly around the Little Di » oF Little Bear, can readily be traced by a well-marked line of third magnitude stars; but one geis @ little tangled among the numerous coils in its body, as depicted on @ celestial chart. When we reach the head, however, we are on firm ground. The head is well marked by @ conspicuous pair of second magnitude stars, on @ line between the bowl of the Little Dipper and Vega, to which may be added a third, less bright; the three forming @ small triangle, with the fainter star at its apex. These two bright stars appear to have been formerly considered as the Dragon's eyes, but the modern chart maker has placed them in his “crest. The Planets. Mercury will be a morning star until the 20th, and after that date an evening star, but ‘t will not be visible during the month. Venus is now a morning star, and adorns the eastern sky with nearly her greatest splendor for two hours and more before sunrise. Mars also is a morning star, rising be- tween 1 and 2 a. m., but he is still too far away to be an object of much in: Jupiter ie stills <a far in sp! magnitude, but his season close, and before 9 o'clock western horizon. Saturn is now the reigning planet—is in season, ha’ the very height of his ving been in opposition to the sun the 1ith of last four early on a line shown the planisphere. planet appears as Srange-7eiow Star Of the first magni- tude, and no one who wiil look for it at the ‘oO of the third mag- eee pA ba wit md oe which ini june can readily be observed by noting the planet's change ot position with relation to Spica and Arc- turus. The rings are now weli “open,” pre- senting to us their northern side, and the Planet makes a fine show in a telescope. Uranus is only a short distance to the eastward of Saturn, and was in opposition on the 3d of this month. It is now in such @ position as to be easily pointed out, and no one who is interested in the planets should miss this rare opportunity of seeing it, The stars Alpha and Beta Librae (marked on the planisphere a and b), though of only the second magnitude, can easily be found, if one will note their rela- tion to the three stars, Spica, Antares and Arcturus. The planet, which, like Saturn, is now retrograding, will be found tonight about one-fourth of a degree—one-half of the apparent diameter of the moon—to the right or west of Alpha Librae. A keen- sighted person should be able to see it with the naked eye. An opera glass, at any rate, shows it distinctly. Neptune, to complete the list of the plan- ets, is about an hour east of Jupiter, and is below the horizon at 9 p. m. > —_ Still on the W: . From Life. nig “Bridget, how are those clothes getting along that you put on the roof today?” said a young Harlem housekeeper to the maid of all work on a recent windy day. “Whin I last looked, ma'am,” replied Bridget, “sure an’ they hadn't reached the Brooklyn bridge yet.” HINTS FOR THE HOME Some People Make Their Brains Save Their Feet, A GIRL CYCLIST AND HER SKIRTS Care Should Be Taken by Those Who Change Their Homes. THE SECRET OF YOUTH —_——.—__—_ Written Exclusively for The Evening Star. A bright woman, who is the mother of six young “hostages to fortune,” and is yet deal of planning to make things im her household come out even, was asked re- cently what she did to keep herself looking 80 young. “Ten hours’ sleep, funny papers, g00d novels and the society of bright peo- ple is my medicine,” she said in reply. “Then I eat no highly seasoned dishes, very little meat, plenty of vegetables, fruit and coffee. I use water copiously, outside and in, and I am a happy woman. My sense of the ridiculous is my only tonic.” It sounds simple enough, certainiy. * Ad Pry nidil Fg be removed he BF fi | i E If the electric door shake up the glass jars. remedy the trouble put more It sometimes happens that 80 low that the connectio: moisture is all that is n Water in the jar and 5! . a f fs Ay i t n ecessary. hake it #8 j ge EEE i “soft egg” stage that he may hat ee yy if you don’t 0 jus’ ‘ou might give him that much lead. Potat be put in an almost red-hot oven as rapidly as possibiy. If they lukewarm oven and soaked in steam tll done they will not The very best way in the potato is in hot ashes, . i 18 Bi H sere EE Hf 4 A prominent physician who go into a hence that ly occupied should one living im it has ever had searlet fever or any other con’ — = the bacteria of such inger for years about a house. safe thing to do is to have any which you move thoroughly cleaned disinfected before you take single ed —— = it. You may sa: eartache an expense by_ oo doing. Headache will sometimes yiela treat. ment of hot water Neb applied at the back the neck and the feet at the same time. = ee A person who is troubled with asthmatic shortness of breath will find almost instant & room and relief by shutting himself in breathing the fumes of burning blotting paper saturated with nitrate of potash, which is more commonly known as Opens the air fis, which hat become con- is the cells, which have tracted, and gives { i é i l i oS f te = no hot water, dip oy jot! cold water and wring it as possible, then spread out Leterens ene folds of new: > hold it around the ‘stove pipe; it will be hot in a moment. The Tt is that carrots toys pony g ed the liver and invaluable in purifying the blood. The onion is stimulate the circulatory system. and watercress are good for sons; lettuce and celery spinach rouses the inert nips are as nutritious as they are all recommended to sweets ih seliges l ‘ ul 5 An ingenious Woman “who brains save her feet has a w! which she keeps to sprinkle ironing. She uses hot water, broom in it and then holds the clothes and shakes it. she can sprinkle the clothes with the help of the broom. *e 8 Some people think that are great. Loosen the skin tear out one section of it. well with sugar and fold the and put in a moderate oven hour. They should be served skins. “es ee One of the great blunders mistaking notoriety for oe I i i i | i € if 2 E i i i nt ; - If your irons have got rusty pat 8 jablespoo mful or two of clean cloth and rub them vigorously Then skim them lightly over with wax two or three times, rubbing it time, and your irons will come out as bright as new. A pretty imitation of ground made for your hail door as follows: three tablespoonfuls of Epsom pint of warm water; apply the liquid to ciean glass with a common paint brush, ‘Ot — x must a be exposed to weather. It can be traced in a pretty de- sign if desired. t -To get the most nutriment from vegeta- bles, they should be put into botling water and kept boiling vigorously. Boiled way, they do not scent up the whole as they do when simmered half a day. . 2 eee If the oven persists in being your cake or bread, put a e on the grate above it, or if there is not room for the grate, lay t nesses of paper over the you wish to pi from 1f the heat is too great of sheet iron or If the lamp burners seem to put them on the stove in a basin of monia water and soap and boil them for an hout take them out and rub with a flannel cloth. Put in a new boil the old one in strong soda water You wil have as good a light be though tbe you wi ve as gi a to. wick and burner were new, ed Milking Time im an Indiam Camp. Southern Magazine for May. As we approached the village the young men were bringing home the cows. There Was Rot much poetry about it, for the herd was unruly and were lariated. The cattle made little resistance and were then led to camp peaceably enough. So docile they seemed that i proposed to do the milking, and pinned my dress up with an air of Portance. I would show these people I knew something of country Not above hogest labor. I took started for the nearest cow, saying gently, “So, Bossy; 80, Bossy.” The w: to titter, which but nerved me to and I looked about me for a mi stool. None being in sight, 1 stooped as I ad- vanced and held out my hand to the “ tle creature.” The cow had to a cottonwood tree. She had wide, brapch- ing horns, after the manner of Texas cows, spreading fully four feet from tip to Suddenly one of her feet flew out toward me and its mate followed. The women all screamed, “Nut-tee (women) tsu-tsu no, no.” The was then taken and I retreated a wiser woman. was obtained and thro’ clogged ge i i i € ety iil bE nl i z i : “gquaw patches” oF looking et the sewing of the exceeded in nicety and evenness an; ing which I have ever i u