An Old-fashioned Hat

A long time ago, when we oíd folks were young, when girls wore big bonnets - and never dreaiued of wetiring a hat like a boy's, - there was in fashion a 8mall fairy-like hat of 8ilver or gold, to wear on the tinger. Every girl had one, and was tauglit to use it almcst as soon as she was out of her eradle ; young ladu's wiira it nearly all the time, and as for niothers - why, they scarcely took it off to go to bed. They were very pretty little things made of gold or siiver, as I said, and though they are somevvhat out of style just no w, I tli tik you will like to kuow ii littlo about theui. Tlio Gerinans cali them finger-hats, and our Knglish forefüthers, who had time to give long names to everything, cal led them thumb-bells ; but of late the world ha got into such a hurry that we've shortened that pretty name into thimble, and now, of course, vou think you know all about them. You may know how one looks, and whcit it is for, though, thanks to sewingmachines, you don't have to wear it much, and the time is long gone by when it was necessary to every girl's good name that she should embroider a "sampler" full of letters and figures, and have it frained and hung tip before sho was a dozen years old. But I don't believe you know how it comes to be a dainty little ringer-hat instead of a silver spoon, or a gold ring. Why, how inany persous do you suppose it has taken to bring it i'rom the state of tiny specks to the pretty little thing it is ? Not to count miners, or crushere, or refinors, or any of those people, but to begin whenit enters the thimble factory, it takes about twenty workmen, besides lots of machinery, to make it. Pope immortalized a thimble by describing one adorned with the face of a queen ; but sewing machines are getting so perfect that perhaps before Pope is forgotten, there will have to be a note at the bottoin of the page, explaining tho use of that antique the thimble. Whom we are to thank for the gift of thirables we do not know, except that the inventor was a woman. Some writers suy they came from the industrious dames of Holland with their quaint name of finger-hat, while others claim the in vention for some small-footed lady of the Flowery Kingdom. I think the probabilitios are in favor of the Hollanders. It is not quite two hundrcd years pince they were introduced into England. How do you suppose ladies did the wonderful embroidnry that has come down to us from those old times, book-covers, robes, and almost everything else, when they had no stout littlu thurab-boll to protect their tingeia. - Olive Thorn, in St. Niclwlas fur November, The report of the Secoud Auditor of the Treasury shows that the number of accounts examined by that bureau during the past fiscal year was 43,969; 32,420 for bounty, arreara of pay, etc, agsrearating over $49,000,000. It is expeeted that an eft't ctnal stop will soon be üiven to fraucluleut practices in the bounty claim business. The nuinber of cases awaiting action is 4,749. I The New York, New Haven & Hartford Eailroad Company havo reduced the hours of labor of their mechanics froni teu to eight hours perday, niaking a corresponding reduction of twenty per cent in their pay. The Hartford, Providenee & GutskiH Eailroad it ia uuderstood will i iukk the same reduction.