Or mock at his lowly birth.
We are all of us God's. Let us earnestly labor
To better this suffering earth.

A FISH STORY.

Brown had returned from a fishing expedition, and, after partaking of a
most welcome dinner, was relating some of his fishing experiences.

"Last year," said he, "while fishing for pike, I dropped half a sovereign.
I went to the same place this year, and after my line had been cast a few
minutes I felt a terrific pull. Eventually I landed a line pike, which had
swallowed the hook, and, on cutting it open to release the hook, to my
amazement----"

"Ah," said his friends, "you found your half-sovereign?"

"Oh, no," replied Brown, "I found nine shillings and sixpence in silver
and threepence in copper."

"Well, what became of the other threepence?" queried his friends.

"I suppose the pike paid to go through the lock with it," answered
Brown.--_Pearson's Weekly._

BYRON ON WOMAN.

Oh! too convincing--dangerously dear--
In woman's eye the unanswerable tear!
That weapon of her weakness she can wield,
To save, subdue--at once her spear and shield.

_Corsair, Canto 2._

WOMAN'S RETORT.

The mild business man was calmly reading his paper in the crowded
trolley-car. In front of him stood a little woman hanging by a strap. Her
arm was being slowly torn out of her body, her eyes were flashing at him,
but she constrained herself to silence.

Finally, after he had endured it for twenty minutes, he touched her arm,
and said:

"Madam, you are standing on my foot."

"Oh, am I?" she savagely retorted. "I thought it was a valise."--_Kansas
City Independent._

SHAKESPEARE ON WOMAN.

She is mine own;
And I as rich in having such a jewel
As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl,
The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold.

_Two Gentlemen of Verona._

A MAIDEN SPEECH.

Very few persons acquit themselves nobly in their maiden speech. At a
wedding feast recently the bridegroom was called upon, as usual, to
respond to the given toast.

Blushing to the roots of his hair, he rose to his feet. He intended to
imply that he was unprepared for speechmaking, but, unfortunately, placed
his hand upon the bride's shoulder, and looked down at her as he stammered
out his opening (and concluding) words: "This--er--thing has been thrust
upon me."--_Tit-Bits._

TWO VIEWS OF OLD AGE.

BY OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

At Twenty He Smile