96. Cross-Word Enigma. The 1st is in head, but not in nose; Buried Towns. Two in each sentence. 97. She is the most artless woman I know. The answer contains 12 letters, and gives the name of a shrub. The 6, 11, 3,.1, is part of a house. The 4, 11,.9, 5, is a bird. The 2, 7, 12, is a fowl. The 8, 3, 10, is a negative particle. 104. C. E. TITUS. Double Acrostic. To rely on; Blissful; A water-fowl; The ocean; Assent; To issue out; Silence; A musical drama; A plant; To scatter. The initials give the name of a poet and author, and the finals one of his works. EMMA M. CHAMPLIN. Enigma. 105. CURIOUS MATTERS. INSANITY AMONG ANTS.-A naturalist 'n Nicaragua,says Don Francisco Velasques informed him, in 1870, that he had a powder which made the ants mad, so that they bit and destroyed each other. "He gave me a little of it, and it proved to be corrosive sublimate. I made several trials of it, and found it most efficacious in turning a large column of ants. A little of it sprinkled across their paths in dry weather has a most surprising effect. As soon as one of the ants touches the white powder, it commences to run about wildly, and to attack any other ant it comes across. In a couple of hours, round balls of the ants will be found biting each other, and numerous individuals will be seen bitten completely in two, while others have lost some of their legs or antennæ. News of the commotion is carried to the formicarium, and huge fellows, measuring three-quarters of an inch in length, that only come out of the nest during a migration or an attack on the nest of one of the working columns, are seen sailing down with a determined air, as if they would soon right matters. As soon, however, as they have touched the sublimate, all their stateliness leaves them; they rush about; their legs are seized hold of by some of the smaller ants already affected by the poison; and they themselves begin to bite, and in a short time become the centre of fresh balls of rabid ants. The sublimate can only be used effectively in dry weather." FISH IN A HOT SPRING.-A correspondent writing from Eldo, Nevada, says there are hot springs there in which numbers of fish can be seen swimming about, though the water is so hot that eggs are cooked in "less than three seconds." The explanation of this phenomenon lies in the fact that these hot springs rise in the banks of streams the water of which is intensely cold. The cold water, on account of its greater specific gravity, runs on the bottom without mixing with the water above, and the fish keep in a cool stratum. The water above the springs showed a mean temperature of forty-two degrees, and by means of a ther mometer fastened to the end of a pole and kept as close to the bottom as possible, the temperature of the bottom water from above the springs to a point below them was found to be very low. This stream is one of the many that form the head-waters of the Columbia River, and to this point, 1800 miles from its mouth, the salt water salmon come in hundreds in the spring and fall to spawn. YULE-TIDE.-The yule-log is of ancient origin, and is undoubtedly a relic handed down to us from the Scandinavians, who were accustomed at their winter festivities to burn, amid pomp and splendor, bonfires to their god Thor. With less pomp and show the burning of the yule-log has been maintained as a Christmas Eve custom. We imagine it was not unlike the social old black log of more modern time, but now a relic of the past. The yule-log was drawn from the woods with great rejoicing, and every passer made obeisance to it as the emblem of welcome and cheer. At the close of the festivities the partially burned log was carried to the cellar until the next anniversary, when it was used to light the new log. It was a popular notion that if the partly burned log was in the cellar the house was secure from fire. It was considered a bad omen if a squint-eyed person entered the house while the log was burning. As an attendant upon the yule-log was the yule or Christmas candle, which was a candle of magnificent proportion, that was placed upon the festive board, and shed its joy-giving light throughout the house. The lighting of the yule-log was the commencing of all manner of sports and games. UTILIZING A CALAMITY.-In Saxony, at a place called Niederplanitz, near Zwickan, there is a coal mine which has been inextinguishably on fire for more than three hundred years, aud a shrewd gardener who has utilized a section of the ever-warm ground above it as a nursery, is able to cultivate there all the year round the most sensitive tropical plants and fruits. THE HOUSEKEEPER. POTATO SOUP.-Take large mealy potatoes, peel and cut in small slices, with an onion; boil in three pints of water till tender, and pulp through a colander. Add a little butter, a little cayenne pepper and salt, and just before the soup is served two spoonfuls of cream. Do not let it boil after the cream is added. ANOTHER.-Two and a half lbs. of peeled potatoes, cut once or twice in two, boil in three quarts of water for half an hour; then put in two teaspoonfuls of salt, some pepper, and four ounces of butter; when the potatoes have boiled to pieces some, mash the lumps and stir in one pint of milk. Let it boil up and it is done. If thickened with one or two soda crackers, it tastes very much like oyster soup. DUTCH SAUCE.-Put into a saucepan one tablespoonful of flour, two ounces of butter, two tablespoonfuls each of vinegar and water, the yolks of two eggs, and salt to taste; put over the fire and do not allow it to boil, but stir it constantly until thick; if it happens to curdle, strain the sauce through a strainer, add the juice of half a lemon, and serve in a sauce-boat. ISINGLASS JELLY.-Boil one ounce of isinglass shavings with a slice of brown bread crust and a handful of Jamaica peppers, in one quart of water, until it is reduced to a pint. Strain into a mould. A tablespoonful of this jelly taken in milk is a good tonic for dyspepsia. STRENGTHENING JELLY.-Boil in two quarts of water, one ounce of rice, one ounce of sago, and one ounce of pearl barley, until reduced one-half. Strain into a mould; take a teacupful, morning, noon and night. It can be sweetened and flavored to taste. PUMPKIN PIES.-Pare the pumpkin, then grate it, and add sugar and ginger to taste, and milk enough to make it of the proper consistency; then line your tins with pie crust, put in your pumpkin, and bake it in the ordinary way. CREAM CAKE.-Take one pound of flour, one of sugar, half a pound of butter, half a pint of milk, four eggs, citron, raisins and spice to taste. OYSTER FRITTERS.-Make a thin batter with eggs and milk. Drain the oysters, put them in this batter, and then fry them brown in lard. CELERY SAUCE.-Boil celery and cut it up fine, add half a pint of cream, a piece of butter rolled in flour, and a very little water. Boil all up together. CREAM PIE.-Boil one pint of milk, then beat together one egg, one cup of sugar, two tablespoonfuls of four, a little salt; add this mixture to the milk, and thicken over the fire. When cold flavor with lemon. Bake two crusts and put the cream between them, and you will have a good pie. FLOUR PUDDING.-Take five eggs, one quart of milk, four tablespoonfuls of flour, and stir well together. Bake in a quick oven and eat with cold sauce. BREAD PUDDING.-Beat the yolks of five eggs; add a pint of sweet milk and five tablespoonfuls of stale bread. Bake a light brown, and then put on a layer of preserves; beat the whites of the eggs very stiff, and then beat in five tablespoonfuls of fine sugar; pour it over the top, return it to the oven, and bake a pretty light brown. If you like, add extract of lemon or vanilla to the white of egg before putting it on. PICKLE FOR HAMS.-For one hundred pounds of ham take six gallons of water, nine pounds of salt, one quart of molasses, three ounces of saltpetre, and one ounce of saleratus. When ready to smoke, they can be soaked and freshened to taste if too salt. LAMB STEW.-Take half a shoulder of lamb, boil it in two quarts of water for two hours. Then put in potatoes, onions, tarnips, cut in arters, two teaspoonfuls of salt, and pepper to the taste. Ten minutes before serving put in the dumplings. FACTS AND FANCIES. An anecdote is told of Parson Shute, the first minister settled at South Hingham, which for ready wit ought not to pass unrecorded. It appears that the reverend gentleman was very fond of pudding, so at a ministerial meeting one day, the hostess, in order to gratify the taste of her guest, had pudding for dinner. Unfortunately it came very near the fire while it was cooking, so that when it was served it was extremely hot. The parson, without allowing it time to cool, placed a piece at once in his mouth, and then followed the usual contortions incident to such an occasion, but all to no purpose. The pudding would not go, so the parson, who was a polite man, quietly slipped it out of his mouth and into his coat pocket, all of which was observed by his brother ministers, who, for the sake of a joke, said, "So you are putting the pudding in your pocket, are you?" "O yes," said the parson, all unmoved, "I put a little piece in there merely to light my pipe with after dinner." The explanation, it is needless to add, was sufficient. A good story is told of a gentleman in -well, we will not mention the placewho has been unfortunate of late in his financial affairs. While walking one evening in a lonely spot he was met by a ruffian, and told to “stand and deliver." We must let the victim tell his own tale: "I never was so pleased in all my life. The idea that I had anything to deliver was exceedingly gratifying, and I thanked the fellow for the compliment. It showed that all confidence in me was not lost, notwithstanding that little affair in stocks, and I felt once more with Mr. Micawber that I could look my fellow man in the face. It was very pleasing to know that this gentleman thought I had money." There is no place on earth that can excel San Francisco in fleas. They are very large and healthy, and they are done up in a thicker crust than those of any other section. One way to kill 'em is to drill holes in their backs, blow 'em up five or six times with nitro-glycerine, until they be come a little faint, then lay them on a railroad track, letting the freight trains run over them for a week or two. By that time they are likely to be dead, and can be used for coal-hole covers. The inspiring sunshine of the season has touched the heart of an Indianapolis girl, who concludes a love letter thus: "The ring is round, the dish is square, and we'll be married the next State fair. The bell shall ring, the drum shall play, and we'll go dancing all the way. Answer soon. "MARY." A worthy Quaker thus wrote: "I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to my fellow human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I will not pass this way again." A Kentucky farmer refused to look at a sample sewing-machine, recently, as he always "sowed wheat by hand." He is related to the man who did not want a threshing-machine on his farm, "for," said he, "give me a harness tug, or a barrel stave, and I can make my family toe the mark according to the law and Scriptur." Sweet Emeline to her love, who is enjoying a nice sail: "Do you feel seasick, Richard dear?" Richard, with wondering bravery: "No, no. Umph! I think the shrimps I had for breakfast this morning must have been alive." "Which, my dear young lady, do you think the merriest place in the world?" "That immediately above the atmosphere which surrounds the earth, I should think, because I'm told that there all bodies lose their gravity." The difference between having a tooth properly drawn by a professional surgeon, and having it knocked out miscellaneously by a fall on the pavement, is only a slight distinction-one is dental, and the other is accidental. |