mixing paint. They used to stir this, and inhale the fumes, which gave
them a kind of half-dizzy but pleasant kind of feeling. It was rather a
dangerous play, and Johnnie usually coaxed the boys away, and endeavored
to persuade them not to return. As he was passing the tank this evening
he saw two little boys leaning over it, and just at that moment one of
them fell face downward into the tank; the other little boy sank down
upon the steps, too much stupefied to render any assistance. Dropping
his pail, Johnnie sprang up the steps, and into the tank. There was only
a small quantity of liquid in it, but quite enough to cover the
unconscious boy. Johnnie lifted him up, and called loudly for help. It
soon came, for there were others who had seen the boy fall, though too
far away to render the assistance that Johnnie did. For some time it was
feared that the little victim would not revive.
After a while, however, they had the satisfaction of seeing him open his
eyes. Johnnie wanted to go home now; he knew that his aunt and Pat were
anxiously awaiting him. He was deliberating what to do, when a carriage
drove up, and a lady and gentleman hurriedly alighting, came up to the
still half-unconscious child. Johnnie heard one child cry, "Mamma!" and
saw the look of glad recognition light up the face of the other, and
then he was off with all speed for home. As he approached the house he
saw his aunt, and--yes, it was, it was--Pat standing in the doorway,
looking anxiously toward the factory. He waved his hat, and hastened
forward yet faster, stopping at the gate quite out of breath from
excitement, but looking so happy and smiling that their fears were
calmed at once.
"Oh, I am so glad to see you, Pat! Don't touch me, auntie dear; I am all
over paint and benzine. Just wait until I change my clothes and I will
tell you all about it," he said, as he disappeared upstairs.
But the great surprise and pleasure came the next day. Johnnie had gone
to work as usual, and was not expected home until evening. About noon,
however, he entered the kitchen where his aunt was working.
"Come, aunt, into the room where Pat is. I have something nice to tell
you."
But when there he could say nothing. He just put in her hand a crisp
check for two hundred dollars.
"Oh. Johnnie! now you can go to school too," shouted the delighted Pat.
"What does it mean, dear?" asked his aunt, gazing in wonder at the
check, at Johnnie, and then at the check again.
"The manager gave it to me this morning. It was his little boy who fell
into the tank yesterday. He had heard about my wanting to go to school,
and about Pat, so he gave me this. Oh, dear auntie! do you suppose
anybody was ever so happy as I am? Here is the manager's carriage too. I
am to have a half-holiday, and take you both out riding. Come, we will
have some dinner, and then go down the deep hollow road."
HOW TO LAY OUT LAWN TENNIS COURTS.
BY SHERWOOD RYSE.
In an article on lawn tennis published in YOUNG PEOPLE last summer we
pointed out how the game might be indulged in with a very small outlay
of money--how some of the implements, indeed, might be of home
manufacture and yet be serviceable. Accordingly we were obliged to limit
the court to a size which the net supplied with cheap tennis sets would
admit. As the game has now become so popular that it is likely to be, if
it is not already, the game of games, we will take our readers a little
further, and show them how to lay out a full-sized court both for single
and double games.
As the double court measures 78 feet by 36, the lawn should be not less
than 100 feet by 50, and the court should be laid out as in the
accompanying diagram.
[Illustration]
First, stake out the base line, E to F, 36 feet, with your string. Then
carry it along the line F to D, 78 feet, and in the same manner make the
line E to C, 78 feet. Then connect C, D, and if your figure is a
parallelogram, this last line should be the same length as E to F,
namely, 36 feet.
The whole area of the two courts is now marked out. Next for the
divisions.
The single courts are of the same length as the double, but only 27 feet
wide, that is 9 feet less than the double. Mark out, therefore, the
positions of G and H, which will be 4-1/2 feet from E and F
respectively; and in the same manner, and at the same distances from the
side lines, mark the positions of J and K. Then extend your string from
G to J, and from H to K.
Now for the net, which is shown by the broad line A to B, extended three
feet on each side of the boundary of the court. From the net line
measure 21 feet to N, O, P, Q respectively, and join N and O, P and Q.
These last lines are 27 feet long: divide them in half, so that the
distance from N to L, for instance, is 13-1/2 feet, and mark the line L
to M.
You will think, and rightly, that if you are to stake all these lines at
the same time with string, you will require several hundred feet of
string; but this is not necessary. Cut sixteen stakes about six inches
long, sharpened at one end and broad at the other, so that they can be
easily driven into the ground and yet not easily be trodden out of
sight. As you measure off each point you will drive a stake to mark it;
thus you will need as many stakes as there are letters in the diagram.
As the court on the one side of the net is exactly similar to that on
the other, if you grow tired of measuring and driving stakes, you may
mark the lines of the one court before completing the laying out of the
other. This you must do with "whitening" and a brush not less than two
inches wide. Each line that is to be marked must be shown by a string
stretched over it as a guide: otherwise the lines will be far from
straight. As each line is finished, the string is taken up and used to
guide the marking of the next line. Care should be taken to mark all the
lines equally distinct, and to renew them as they get worn out.
Here is a handy table of distances from point to point in the diagram.
Double court { Base line E to F = 36 feet.
{ Side line F to D = 78 feet.
{ Side line E to C = 78 feet.
{ Base line C to D = 36 feet.
Single court { Base line G to H = 27 feet.
{ Base line J to K = 27 feet.
{ Side line G to J = 78 feet.
{ Side line H to K = 78 feet.
Service court { Net to service lines = 21 feet.
{ Central line, L to M = 42 feet.
Between net posts A to B = 42 feet.
PARSEE MERCHANTS OF BOMBAY.
BY THOMAS W. KNOX.
Among all the races and religions of India there are none more curious
than the Parsees. They are sometimes called Fire-Worshippers, on account
of their reverence for the sun, and consequently of the fire that comes
from it. The founder of their religion was Zoroaster, who was supposed
to have brought fire from heaven, and placed it on their altars, and to
this day it is kept burning in their temples.
The Parsees belonged originally in Persia, and were persecuted by the
Saracens more than a thousand years ago, so that many of them embraced
the Mohammedan religion. The few that clung to the worship of the sun
were driven into the most barren parts of the country, or compelled to
leave it altogether. Many settled in the province of Guzerat in
Hindostan, bringing the sacred fire with them. They were again
persecuted by the Mohammedans, but for the last two hundred years have
enjoyed religious freedom.
It is thought that there are about two hundred thousand of them now in
India. In Bombay alone there are seventy thousand Parsees, and the rest
are principally in Guzerat and along the western coast. They are
intelligent and enterprising, pay great attention to the education of
their children, give liberally to all public charities, and their
merchants are considered the shrewdest business men in the world. More
than three-fourths of the business of Bombay is in their control, and
for this reason the place is often called "the City of the Parsees."
[Illustration: PARSEE MERCHANTS BARGAINING FOR COTTON.]
The cotton market of Bombay is an excellent place in which to study
these strange people, and in the height of the season it is often
crowded with them. They go among the bales and bags of cotton examining
the fibre, and talking busily with each other in their efforts to buy or
sell. When making a bargain they are rarely in a hurry, and it is not an
unusual sight to see a couple of them seated on a bale of cotton, each
with a sample in his hands, arguing with great earnestness over a
difference of a few cents on a transaction amounting to thousands of
dollars. From the closeness of their bargains they are sometimes called
"the Jews of the East." It has been said that the Israelites of Europe
can not compete successfully with the Parsees in matters of trade.
These people adhere to the dress of their ancestors. Their ordinary
costume consists of a white frock falling below the knee, over trousers
of the same material, and for head-coverings they wear a curiously
shaped hat of spotted muslin, without a brim. Their priests wear a hat
of the same shape, but of pure white, the rest of their dress being
similar to that of the ordinary Parsee. They take care of their poor so
thoroughly that a Parsee beggar is never seen. The men rarely accompany
their wives in public, and very few Europeans have ever seen the inside
of a Parsee house, so as to learn the domestic life of the family.
Parsee boys and girls are frequently very handsome, but their beauty
fades while they are yet young. Their parents are very fond of them, and
a father will often deny himself many things in order to spend freely on
the education or amusement of his children.
Notwithstanding their habit of driving close bargains, the Parsee
merchants have a high reputation for honesty. They may be a long time
closing a transaction, but when the word has been given, they adhere
closely to their agreements. The wealthiest men of Bombay are among the
Parsees, and they are as noted for their charities as for their great
fortunes. One of these merchants, who had gained an enormous fortune in
trade with China, devoted the closing years of his life to works of
charity. He connected the island of Bombay with the mainland by a
causeway at his own expense, he built and endowed two hospitals, and he
gave a large amount of money for the relief of British soldiers during
the Crimean war. The Queen conferred on him the honor of knighthood, and
afterward made him a baronet. Since his death his son has inherited not
only the title but the charities of his father.
The Parsees do not bury or burn their dead like the Hindoos and
Mohammedans around them, but expose the bodies to be eaten by birds. One
of their most prominent merchants explained this custom as follows:
"We consider fire sacred, and would not use it for burning the dead, as
the Hindoos do, or for any other ignoble office. The earth is the mother
of mankind, and the producer of the fruits and other things on which we
live, and the burial of the dead would be a defilement and an injury.
Cemeteries are everywhere considered unhealthy, and our mode of
sepulture is open to none of the objections that are made to cremation
or burial."
The Parsees are not by any means confined to Bombay and its vicinity;
there are several Parsee houses in Calcutta, Madras, and other cities of
India, and they can also be found in Hong-Kong, Shanghai, Yokohama, and
other cities of Asia. Some of the Bombay houses have branches in London,
and a few in New York and San Francisco, and year by year their business
is spreading throughout the world. Twelve hundred years ago they
numbered but a few thousand refugees; now they have become an
influential people, respecting the religions of others, but clinging
tenaciously to their own. The sacred fire burns in their temples, as it
has burned for centuries, and from present indications it will continue
to glow for many centuries to come.
[Illustration]
A CHERRY-TREE LESSON.
BY S. S. CONANT.
A naughty little city boy was taken to a farm,
To spend the summer holidays, away from heat and harm;
Where he could roll upon the grass, or chase the little chicks,
Or tease the piggies in the pen by poking them with sticks.
To pull the peacock's feathers out to him was lots of fun;
The geese stretched out their necks and hissed, and made him turn and
run;
He didn't dare to plague the dog, for fear that he would bite;
But he was in all sorts of scrapes from morning until night.
One day he climbed a cherry-tree that in the garden grew,
Because it was the very thing he'd been told not to do;
The cherries they were red and ripe, and tasted very sweet--
That naughty boy he swallowed them as fast as he could eat.
But when he'd eaten all he could, and scrambled down again,
He sat upon the ground, and soon began to scream with pain;
And when at last the doctor came he very grimly said,
"Give him a dose of castor-oil, and put him right to bed."
"It isn't nice," said his mamma, "to lie in bed all day;
I hope 'twill be a lesson, Tom, and teach you to obey."
Tom promised solemnly no more that cherry-tree to climb;
And his mamma was very sure he meant it--at the time.
[Illustration: OUR POST-OFFICE BOX.]
A CHEAP CANOE.
So many lads have written to Our Post-office Box asking for advice and
information as to how to build a cheap canoe, that Messrs. Harper &
Brothers have just reprinted in a circular the article on this subject
which appeared in HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE April 27, 1880. Messrs. Harper &
Brothers will mail the circular and working plans to any address on
receipt of a three-cent postage stamp.
* * * * *
WARM WEATHER.--Why, of course, dears. But we need the sunshine to ripen
the corn, and make the apples round and red, and paint the yellow pears,
and kiss the green grapes until they grow large and purple. Let me tell
you a secret. It isn't worth while to fan, and fan, and keep saying "Oh,
dear! I wish a breeze would come! When will this heat be over?" Neither
is it a good plan to drink a great deal of ice-water. The more you
drink, the more you will want. Try to forget the heat, and get some
pleasant thing to do, sitting in the coolest place you can find. Paint a
picture, draw some Wiggles, make a puzzle for HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, or
write a letter to Our Post-office Box; help auntie dust the parlor,
gather flowers to fill the vases, read an interesting book, arrange your
specimens or stamps, or tell a story to please your little sister. If
you do something that you like to do, or that will make others happy,
the warm day will be gone before you know it.
* * * * *
FORT BAYARD, NEW MEXICO.
I am a little boy eight years old. I have taken YOUNG PEOPLE for
over a year. I like New Mexico very much. I have a little burro
(that is Mexican for donkey) that I ride or drive. My father has
three deer-hounds and one stag-hound. One of the deer-hounds is
mine; I call him Thor. The names of the rest of the hounds are
Hilda, Maida, and Jarl; Jarl is the stag-hound. Day before
yesterday Hilda was hooked by a cow, Thor had a cut in his foot,
and Jarl had a sliver in his leg two inches long. When Jarl was a
puppy, he had a bad fall from a railroad trestle. Papa was going to
shoot him, but one of the soldiers said, "Don't shoot, sir; he is
all right." We have a pointer called Roy. I have been to the Santa
Rita copper mines, and have seen the stamps that they crush the ore
with. I take German lessons from the librarian of the Twenty-third
Infantry. My mother has twelve hens--two sitting, and two with
little chickens. I have nothing more to tell about now, but I will
write again. I liked "Toby Tyler" and "Tim and Tip," and I like
"Mr. Stubbs's Brother" very much; and oh, I liked "Scrap" so much!
and "The Boys' Tea Party" was splendid. I would like to send my
love to the Postmistress.
W. SWIFT M.
The Postmistress sends you hers in return.
* * * * *
GLASSBOROUGH.
I have begun to make a collection of curiosities, and have three
butterflies, one moth, a hornets' nest, and two birds' nests; in
them are three eggs. My only pet is a kitten named Bunthorne, but I
am lamenting the loss of a horned toad from Mexico. It refused to
eat, and after three months of captivity it quietly died. They are
called by the Mexicans _el taurusita del Vergita_, meaning the
little bull of the little Virgin.
P.S.--Will you tell me the difference between a maiden and a
spinster?
H. S. W.
What a pity about the poor toad! Perhaps he pined for home.
Any unmarried woman is a maiden. A spinster is a person who spins. In
olden times the young ladies of the family used to spin and weave the
household linen, and so they were called spinsters. Really a maiden and
a spinster are the same.
* * * * *
GALLIPOLIS, OHIO.
I am a little girl twelve years old. I have been taking HARPER'S
YOUNG PEOPLE two years, and like it very much. I have been
afflicted for years, and have to walk on crutches. I have two
sisters, who are away at school; a week more and they will be at
home, and I will be happy. I have a canary-bird; his name is Pedro.
The bottom of his cage dropped out, and he flew away, and was gone
a day and night; a boy caught him, and brought him back to me. I
have a tortoise-shell cat and kitten. The old cat is named Spot,
and the kitten Hot. I will exchange twelve foreign and United
States stamps for the same number of gilt cards or glass buttons. I
have a button string of over a thousand glass buttons; I have also
six hundred cards.
MARY V. COX.
Although you have to walk on crutches, you have happy times, I am sure,
for a contented heart triumphs over all difficulties.
* * * * *
SHERBURNE FOUR CORNERS, NEW YORK.
I am a girl twelve years old, and am not very large for my age. I
have five sisters and one brother. Two of my sisters are married,
and each has a little boy. The oldest boy is four years old, and
the youngest is not two weeks old yet. My birthday was last May, on
Decoration-day. I am collecting cards, and now have 370. We have
four horses and two colts; and I have a very nice cat.
FANNIE A. H.
* * * * *
A very little girl with a very big hat,
And a dear little boy with a pail,
They were going to the beach to play in the sand,
And then off with papa for a sail.
* * * * *
LITTLE CONFECTIONERS.--Several little girls have asked me to give them
some receipts for making chocolate caramels and other candies. I hope
they will remember that in candy-making, as in other cooking, it is
necessary to be very exact in measuring the different ingredients;
neither sugar nor flavoring can be left to chance. And the little cook
must keep a sharp eye on her fire, and watch her pan and its contents,
so as to remove them at just the right moment. Sugar must be made into a
syrup by adding water to it, and boiling it until it is smooth and
thick. It is then called clarified sugar.
_Chocolate Caramels_.--Dissolve four ounces of chocolate in as
little water as possible, and add it to one pound of clarified
sugar, stirring it for a few minutes before taking it off. If you
wish a richer caramel mixture, then take half a pound of chocolate,
two cups of sugar, half a cup of milk, and a small lump of butter.
Scrape the chocolate in the milk, add it to the boiled sugar, and
stir in the butter. When your caramels are done pour them into a
flat pan or a sheet of tin which you have oiled or buttered, so
that they will not stick fast to it. When cool enough to be dented
with the finger, cut the caramels into the shape you desire with a
knife. If you do not eat your caramels on the day they are made,
keep them in a tightly closed jar.
Everton taffy is a favorite with children. It is made in this way:
_Everton Taffy_.--Melt three ounces of butter in a brass skillet,
and add one pound of brown sugar; boil the mixture over a clear
fire until the syrup, when dropped into cold water, breaks between
the teeth without sticking to them. Pour it into pans which have
been rubbed with buttered paper, and set it away to cool. If you
wish, you may add the grated rind of a lemon when the sugar is half
done.
_Plain Taffy_.--Boil a quart of molasses slowly for half an hour
over not too fierce a fire, stirring it constantly. Add to it half
a tea-spoonful of bicarbonate of soda (baking-soda). Try the candy
by dropping a spoonful in cold water. If brittle, it is done.
You may, if you wish, make molasses candy very white by pulling it in
your hands, first flouring them or buttering them, so that the candy
will not stick fast to your fingers.
Now, dear little housekeepers, although I have given you these receipts,
I do not advise you to spend a great deal of time in candy-making in
midsummer. I would rather hear that you had been riding on the hay, or
gathering apples, fishing with your brothers, or going over the hills
for blackberries. But if you do make candy, be sure to write me word
whether or not it turns out finely and tastes good.
* * * * *
WEATHERFORD, TEXAS.
I am a little boy seven years old. I have never been to school yet,
but I learn at home. I like my books very much. I had several nice
books given to me, and I have read them all but one. I have just
had a nice trip with my papa, going on the Texas and Pacific
Railroad to Colorado City. It is in Western Texas, on the Colorado
River. The river was very high, and I saw some horses swim across
it. I saw a great many prairie-dogs. They burrow in the ground, and
have a rattle-snake, an owl, and a rabbit with them. I also saw a
panther. I wanted a prairie-dog for a pet, and a gentleman promised
to send me one. I see where little Susie has told you about her
pet, a horned toad. There are a great many of them here. They do
not hop like a toad, but run almost as fast as a lizard. I catch
them, and put them in the garden to destroy the bugs. My pet is a
little rat terrier named Snip. I saw a little printing-office at
Colorado City, where a paper called the _Nut-Shell_ is printed. It
is about as large as a big sheet of writing-paper. Its editor is
Johnny Tolar, a boy about fifteen years old. I take it and HARPER'S
YOUNG PEOPLE. I wrote this letter by myself, and then got mamma to
show me the mistakes.
HOWARD L.
* * * * *
A VISIT TO FORT PICKENS.
I will first tell where Fort Pickens is. It is on Santa Rosa
Island. The island is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and
Pensacola Bay, and is a large uninhabited island. On the 25th of
May the Presbyterian Sabbath-school from Pensacola gave a picnic.
We left the wharf for Fort Pickens about half past nine. We had a
very nice time going over; we played games and talked all the way
over. We arrived at the Fort at about ten or half past ten o'clock.
As soon as we had landed, we went right to the Fort, where we staid
for about half an hour resting, after which we walked through the
Fort. We then went back to where our parasols and baskets were. We
got our parasols, and started with a few other girls and boys to
walk round the parapets of the forts. A few boys and girls went
over to the Gulf to gather shells, but it was so warm that I
thought it best to wait until afternoon before I went over to the
Gulf. About twelve o'clock we went into one of the large, cool
case-mates and danced and decorated our hats with ferns and wild
flowers gathered inside the Fort. At one o'clock we had dinner,
which we enjoyed very much. We had everything necessary to eat at a
picnic. After dinner we spent the time until half past two much the
same as in the morning. At half past two a crowd of ladies,
gentlemen, and children went over in a sail-boat to Barrancas to
visit the light-house. I did not go over with them for fear of
getting seasick. After I had seen the boat leave the wharf I went
back to the Fort, where I met several girls who were going over to
the Gulf. I went with them. When we got over to the Gulf we pulled
off our shoes and stockings and went in wading. When tired of that
we walked up the beach gathering shells, until we thought it time
to go back to the Fort. After a sail on the Gulf we returned to
Pensacola, and arrived there about half past six. We were very
tired.
NANNIE L. W.
* * * * *
WASHINGTON, D.C.